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Arc Words: Difference between revisions
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Often shows up on the Internet Movie Database "memorable quotes" page for the show, with the label "repeated line".
The high-browed, academic <ref> Read "[[All the Tropes Will Ruin Your Vocabulary|proper]]"</ref> term used for this is "Leitwort" from the German for "leading" or "guiding word."
When this is a number instead of a phrase, it's [[Arc Number]], and [[Arc Symbol]] if it's an image. Compare with [[Dream Melody]]. Not to be confused with [[Iron Man|Arc Reactor Words]], which generally have to do with [[Memetic Mutation|caves and boxes of scraps.]]
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** Another arguable example would be "Big Fire." For most of the series, we're led to believe that Big Fire is nothing more the name of the global criminal superorganization which opposes the Experts. Only in the next-to-last episode do we learn that {{spoiler|Big Fire is a ''person'', and all those worshipful chants the BF members were fond of shouting ("Hail Big Fire! Alliance or death!" and so forth) were in reference to him, not the eponymous organization over which he reigns.}}
* ''[[Noir (anime)|Noir]]'': The [[Fauxlosophic Narration]] [[Badass Creed]] at the start of each episode ("..Two maidens who govern death..") is promoted to Arc Words later on in the series itself. Also, "If love can kill people, surely hatred can save them."
** ''Thus spake the Hermit, the blood of the soldats shall run through the wilderness and mingle with the great sea...''
* ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'': "Yours is the drill that will pierce the Heavens!".
** "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM!?".
** In the last episode {{spoiler|Simon declares that his is the drill that will ''create'' the heavens, and in the [[Distant Finale]] Simon starts to say the latter but [[Catchphrase Interruptus|cuts himself off]] and decides to simply say he's no one}}.
** Arguably, the meaning of the second [[Arc Words]] is during the {{spoiler|[[Final Speech]] of the Anti-spiral King, where, upon his defeat, he [[Passing the Torch|passes the torch]] of protecting the universe to Simon, and the [[Arc Words]] are the latter's response}}.
** It's worth noting that the translation of ''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann'' is "Heaven-Piercing Gurren Lagann", making the name of {{spoiler|Gurren-Lagann's final form even more meaningful}}.
* "Fooly cooly" from ''[[FLCL]]''. Despite being the basis for the show's title and appearing at least once in each episode, "fooly cooly" is never explained. In the final episode, Naota's father tries to goad him into revealing the answer to this: "C'mon, you have to know. [[Lampshade Hanging|The main character always knows stuff like this!]]"
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** Also, there are the "tomatoes", introduced as a metaphor<ref>As Gordon Rosewater puts it, "These tomatoes are reproduced synthetically, with only the memories of the sweet flavor from the original. If we keep repeating the process, this fruit will eventually become the real thing."</ref> at the end of the first season and revisited through the second season as part of an [[Ontological Mystery]].
* ''[[Fafner in the Azure|Fafner in the Azure: Dead Aggressor]]'' -- "Are you there?"
* "Voodoo Child" are Himiko's personal [[Arc Words]] in the ''[[GetBackers]]'' manga.
* "Three years ago" in the ''[[Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' anime (and first novels). [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] by Kyon, "I'm getting a little tired of the 'three years ago'."
** In the 9th novel "three years ago" becomes "four years ago" since at that point roughly a year has passed since the start of the series.
* ''[[Chaos;Head]]'': "Sono me, dare no me?" ("Those eyes, whose are they?")
* In ''[[Last Exile]]'', a vaguely peanut-like shape starts to appear more and more in various places over the course of the series, in the same vein as some of the images described below. Then comes the last episode...
* In ''[[Hellsing]]'' the phrase: "The bird of the Hermes is my name, eating my wings to make me tame." appears together with the series' title as well as on Alucard's coffin. It's taken from the Ripley Scrowle, by alchemist George Ripley. (Whoever that is.)
* There is much signifigance to the word "Awakening" in ''[[Ergo Proxy]].''
** Occasionally the phrase "Can you feel the pulse of the awakening?" was used, too.
* In ''[[Madlax]]'', there's one phrase that's used over and over again: Elda Taluta. There are two others that accompany this (Sarks Sark and Arks Ark) but rarely get used. The [[Big Bad]] uses these words to {{spoiler|drive the "true nature" of humans out, which normally results in brutal murders or mind rape}}.
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== [[Comic Books]] ==
* "Something fell" from ''[[Cerebus]]''. It is usually said a moment before a sudden, life-altering event in Cerebus' life. The first time it was said, the falling object was directly responsible; the next few times, something just happened to fall immediately before the big event, and a character remarked on it. In later instances, a character just ''thinks'' he heard something fall, but we don't see that anything actually does. One interpretation is that ''the words themselves'' have the power to cause important things to happen, but none of the characters seem aware of this.
** [[Lampshaded]] in "Rick's Story," when Rick tells Cerebus "something fell" just to freak him out. It's followed by a major event anyway.
* ''[[Watchmen (comics)|Watchmen]]:'' "Who watches the Watchmen?", "Pale Horse" and "Krystalnacht" (both band names), "One in five (later 'three') go mad," and "The Comedian is dead"
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* "''It Was Time''" and any variation of it in ''[[Aeon Entelechy Evangelion]]''.
* ''[[Left 4 Dead 2]]'' fanfic ''[[Two Step]]'': "Say hey, Daisy Mae. How many children have died today?"
* ''[[Ice Age]]'' fanfic ''[[Lost in Time Series]]'' for ''Lost In Time: Origins'': "A herd will survive."
* 'Four places at once' and 'Come crashing down' are this by [[Word of God]] in [[Silver Resistance]].
* From the ''[[Death Note]]'' [[Cyberpunk]] [[Alternate Universe Fic|AU]] ''[[Alternative Gods]]'': "Because there cannot be two of the same thing."
* ''[[The Party Never Ended]]'' has a unique example, in that the arc words are heard by the main character, but are not actually revealed to the reader until near the end. Every time the arc words are brought up, they get their own arc words: "It said seven simple words to her..." {{spoiler|The true arc words are "I love you, Pinkie! Please wake up!"}}
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** [[Something Only They Would Say|Mr. Anderson]]
*** "Everything that has a beginning has an end."
* Every [[David Lynch]] film. Ever.
** ''[[Lost Highway]]'': Dick Laurant is dead. We've met before, haven't we?
* Not as enigmatic as many of the other examples, but the phrase "I want to fuck the whole world over" from ''Croupier'' could arguably count, along with the narrator's constant meditations on the differences between croupiers, gamblers and cheats and application of gambling terminology to real life.
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** Go the distance.
* Could, "Rise and rise again, until lambs become lions," from ''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)]]'' count?
* ''[[Inception]]'': "You're waiting for a train..."
** "An old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone."
** "Take a leap of faith."
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* [[Hot Fuzz|"The Greater Good"]]
** "Shut it!"
* ''Signs'': When Colleen was dying, she {{spoiler|tells Graham to tell Morgan to have fun and to be silly, for Bo to always listen to her brother because he will take care of her. She tells Graham to "see" and tells Merrill to "swing away"}}.
* [[The Ten Commandments]]: "Moses, Moses" and "So let it be written, so let it be done".
* ''[[The Grey]]'': "Live and die on this day...Live and die on this day."
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** "We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness."
** "Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clements."
* Also from ''[[The Graveyard Book]]'', "Sleep, my little babby-oh..." {{spoiler|Mrs. Owens only remembers the last part of the song as [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|she's saying goodbye to Bod forever at the end of the story when Bod leaves the graveyard.]].}}
* "Delial" and "House" from ''[[House of Leaves]]''.
** ''[[Only Revolutions]]'' by the same author has several of these (none of which are ever really explained), with "always sixteen" and "everyone loves the dream but I kill it" (and variants) probably cropping up most frequently.
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** The song "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" is repeated by various characters in ''A Storm of Swords'', and provides a parallel between several relationships in that book. From ''A Game of Thrones'' there's "wake the dragon" which is first said as a threat by Viserys but then comes to have a whole new meaning by the end of the book.
** Another song, "The Rains of Castamere", is employed for {{spoiler|Tywin and the Lannister's victories (and once for a Lannister defeat)}}. The song tells the tale of one of Tywin's (as a young man) earliest and greatest military victories.
** Ygritte oft-repeated phrase "you know nothing, Jon Snow" is relayed to Jon many times as he {{spoiler|travels with Ygritte and her wildling brethren under the command of Rattleshirt throughout the second half of ''A Clash of Kings'' and first half of ''A Storm of Swords''. The phrase exemplifies the grey morality that is so prevalent throughout the series as it serves to change Jon and the reader's preconception of the nature of Wildlings from the evil savages they are described as by the Westerosi into people not much different than those south of the wall. It also works as a rebuff against Jon Snow's occasional arrogant certainty of his skills as a Night's Watch ranger and proficient outdoorsman.}}
* The initials V.F.D. and later J.S., in ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]],'' as well as various names and phrases that begin with them.
** Also, "The world is quiet here" and "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion" count as well.
* Madame Zeroni's lullaby in ''[[Holes]]''.
* In ''[[Fingerprints]]'', the name "Erika Keaton", which the heroes are puzzled by until [[The Reveal]] in book 6.
* In ''[[Fahrenheit 451]]'', "[[The Bible|Consider the lilies of the field; they toil not, neither do they spin...]]"
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* In [[Larry Niven]] and Jerry Pournelle's novel ''[[The Deed of Paksenarrion|Oath of Fealty]]'', "Think of it as evolution in action" is explicitly developed as this.
* Throughout Larry Niven's entire [[Known Space]] oevre, we hear "There Ain't No Justice." It's repeated often enough that it's sometimes abbreviated as the curse word "[[Unusual Euphemism|tanj]]."
** Those aren't [[Arc Words]] so much as something between [[Future Slang]] and mild [[Informed Obscenity]].
* In the 32nd instalment of [[Piers Anthony]]'s ''[[Xanth]]'' series, ''Two to the Fifth,'' the title is brought up numerous times throughout the book, and its meaning is not revealed until the last fifth or so of the book.
** In the fourth book, ''Centaur Aisle'', the title is a repeated spoken hint to the main character -- leaving him to wonder what "centre isle" is supposed to mean. The words make no sense until Arnolde Centaur's magic talent is revealed.
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** The various prophecies told to {{spoiler|Mat by the Snakes}} may also qualify. {{spoiler|"To marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons." in particular.}}
* Several from [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld]]'', such as:
** ''[[Discworld/Mort|Mort]]'': "{{smallcaps|There is no justice. There is just me.}}"
** ''[[Discworld/The Truth|The Truth]]'': "The Truth Will Make You Free!" (often with "Free misspelled, such as Fred) and "A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on." This becomes a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] in the end for our hero William de Worde, as he says to the [[Big Bad]]:
{{quote|"The truth ''has'' got its boots on. It's about to start kicking." <ref>Worthy of notice is that the [[Big Bad]] is William's father, and the aforementioned saying was a favourite of his. William never got along very well with his father, and hearing the saying spoken by one of his accomplices clues him into the fact that lord de Worde was involved.</ref>}}
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* ''[[The Golden Oecumene|The Golden Age]]'' by [[John C. Wright]]: "Deeds of renown without peer."
* ''Bartleby the Scrivener'' by Herman Melville: "[[Catch Phrase|I'd]] [[Most Annoying Sound|prefer]] [[Verbal Tic|not to.]]"
* ''Creatures of Light and Darkness'' by [[Roger Zelazny]]: "Skagganauk Abyss" and variations occur several times throughout the book before its nature and ultimate purpose is revealed.
* Stephen Marley's ''[[Spirit Mirror]]'' has Chia, Black Dragon Sorceress, the amnesiac [[Action Girl]] heroine, asking herself: "What happened in Egypt?" {{spoiler|We never really find out what happened in Egypt until the next book, though.}} Similarly, the sequel, ''Mortal Mask'', has Chia pondering her long-lost Egyptian lover's enigmatic plea of "Forgive me".
* ''[[The Midnight Mayor]]'' by Kate Griffin has "Give me back my hat."
* In the ''[[Halo]]'' [[Expanded Universe]], the phrase ''Oly Oly Oxen Free'' is a secret code used by [[SPARTA Ns]] as an "all-clear" message.
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*** "Bad Wolf" is also something of a subversion in that the words kept appearing (although less often) after the "arc" was concluded, because the words were across all of time and space, so they wouldn't be expected to only appear where they were actually needed.
*** The phrase also appears in the DVD release of "The Invasion" (with animation replacing the [[Missing Episode|Missing Episodes]]). From the Doctor's perspective, that's long ''before'' the arc...
*** Since ''[[Torchwood]]'' is set in the same universe as ''[[Doctor Who]]'', it's not surprising that "Bad Wolf" has appeared there as well (on the wall behind Jack and Toshiko when they go back in time).
** "Torchwood" from Series Two.
** "Mister Saxon" and "Vote Saxon" from Series Three.
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*** Right before the finale, how bad things truly are is established when the Doctor learns that Rose Tyler has broken through the dimensional barriers. To herald her presence, the words "Bad Wolf" appear ''everywhere'', including on the TARDIS itself.
*** The Ood in "Planet of the Ood" seemingly refer to the Doctor and Donna as the collective {{spoiler|Doctor Donna -- of course, they hear, "Doctor, Donna."}}
** The 2009 specials had their own arc words in "He will knock four times."
** The Arc words for Series 5 are "The Pandorica will open." and "Silence will fall." The latter is carrying over into series 6.
*** These two arcwords were often seen together and therefore assumed to refer to the same thing, much like {{spoiler|Doctor Donna}} was assumed to refer to separate things.
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** Or, as one pair of characters translated it, "It eats you starting with your bottom."
** In season 5: "Death is your gift."
** In seasons 4 & 5: "You think you know. What's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun."
** "Ascension" from seasons 1 to 3 -- referring to the Master rising to the surface, {{spoiler|Angelus}} summoning Acathla, and the Mayor completing his transformation.
* On ''[[Angel]]'', "The Father Will Kill the Son" was an important part of the Holtz/Sahjahn arc. Characters find out what they think it means, try to stop it from happening, leading to events that later [[From a Certain Point of View|(sort of)]] cause it to happen...
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** The Mandala from the Temple of Five pops up in seasons two and three, and it's starting to look like it might be hinting at a deeper connection between {{spoiler|Starbuck}} and {{spoiler|the Final Five}}.
** "The shape of things to come" may or may not be, as it is not yet established exactly why the {{spoiler|half-cylons are so important, barring medicinal use}}.
*** Eventually revealed: {{spoiler|Hera, Athena's daughter, was Mitochondrial Eve. In other words, the mother of all modern-day humanity.}}
** "All this has happened before, and will happen again" is another possible example, having been spoken repeatedly without proper explanation so far.
*** Season 4 has a bit of that: {{spoiler|Some Cylon Centurions are briefly allowed to "rebel" against some of their humanoid cylon masters, in response to what they see is being done to the raider. This echoes the original cylons' uprising against humanity}}.
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'''Alien/Half Alien''': ''Look at me.'' {{spoiler|IMMINENT [[Mind Rape]]}} }}
* [[Warehouse 13]]: Knock Knock.
* ''[[Kamen Rider Den-O]]'' had "''The past should give us hope.''"
* ''[[Kamen Rider Decade]]'' has "''Destroy everything. Connect everything''" and "''Decade, the Destroyer of Worlds''".
* [[Vintergatan]] had "...And remember, anything can happen in space." Plain enough on paper, but it always sounded like foreshadowing.
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* ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' inherits "Winter is coming" and all the other [[Arc Words]] mentioned for ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' listed under the Literature tab above.
* ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra.]]''
* ''[[The River]]:'' "There's magic out there." [[All Myths Are True|And there is.]]
* ''[[Person of Interest]]'' has two:
** Various permutations of Reese's comment to Jessica in "Mission Creep": "In the end, we're all alone and no one is coming to save you."...
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** Replete with them. "I'm/We're/You're unlimited" stands out. "You deserve each other" is also used quite frequently. Also, "a celebration throughout Oz / That's all to do with (me/you)".
** The words "wicked" and "good" themselves.
* [[Julius Caesar]]: "Beware the Ides of March..." ( {{spoiler|guess what [[Killed Off for Real|happens to Caesar on that very same day]]...}})
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* ''[[Adventure Quest]]'s'' arc numbers, 755, appeared more so on the forum and on various websites by [[Word of God|the game's staff]], rather than in game, and several arc phrases were never seen in game.
* ''[[Max Payne (series)|Max Payne]]'' features a number of instances of the phrase "the flesh of fallen angels." Those are just utterances from addled junkies and it doesn't really mean anything, just that Valkyr users are off their rocks. Something with more sense is Vlad's "[insert name here], dearest of all my friends." which he says to a lot of people, not just Max, {{spoiler|and it usually means that he intends to kill them later.}}
* The [[Command
* In ''[[Dead Space (video game)|Dead Space]]'', you'll hear "Make us whole again," first from a transmission from Nicole. As the game goes on, it gets creepier, as transmissions come from broken computers saying it over and over, then you'll hear it from Doctor Kyne and from Nicole herself. {{spoiler|It's all from [[Artifact of Doom|the Marker]]}}.
** "Make us whole again" and the four steps ("Step 1: Into the dark machine. Step 2: The screws go tight, all around. Step 3: Cross my heart and hope to die. Stick a needle in my eye. Step 4: She'll be waiting.") take turns following you around in ''[[Dead Space 2]]'', although the first one is the only one that goes through the entire thing. The second starts in the latter half and keeps up with you until you find out what it means.
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{{quote|{{spoiler|1='''Guybrush:''' I've told you a million times, LeChuck, I'm already married to--}}
{{spoiler|1='''LeChuck:''' "Till DEATH do you part," Threepwood! And that part has already been taken care of!}} }}
* Gathered through three chapters of ''[[Rule of Rose]]'': ''Everlasting / True Love / I Am Yours''.
* ''[[Ghost Trick]]'': "And it's almost Dawn."
* ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]] 2'' has many characters using the word 'echo' to describe events or feelings without entirely knowing why, except for Kreia, who uses the word repeatedly while knowing exactly what she's talking about. The significance is gradually explained throughout the game.
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** In 2010, the phrase "Greatness is often linked with insanity" keeps popping up.
* ''[[Darken]]'': '''''The Worm Lord is Rising!'''''
* The robots in ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' seem to respond to every mention of a woman by the name of Jeanne with "She died and we did nothing." This was cleared up much later when it was revealed that {{spoiler|she was used as a sacrifice in order to "fortify the Annan Waters." Diego (the robots' creator)'s final words on his deathbed were along those lines:}}
{{quote|{{spoiler|"She was...all alone. Waiting...when she died. And I did nothing."}}}}
** Ironically {{spoiler|it wasn't even ''her'' who they killed. It was the forest-dweller (the "traitor") who she'd fallen madly in love with. She simply remained there, [[I Will Wait for You|slowly turning]] into a murderous ghost}}.
*** Yeah, but that makes it all rather worse. The narration implies that {{spoiler|the magic rooted her to the spot and she stood there, unable to move. Diego went about his life in the castle for days as she [[Fridge Horror|starved to death]]}}.
* ''[[Homestuck]]'' has a lot of words and phrases that repeat regularly, most of which are simply [[Running Gag|Running Gags]], but any time the word "ascend" or some variation on it appears, you know what's going on is both important and probably [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|awesome]]. "Mobius Double Reacharound" and "Make her pay" also qualify as minor examples.
** "[[You Can't Fight Fate|He is already here.]]"
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** "The Ultimate Riddle" shows up quite a bit as well.
** Throughout the fifth act, the word "scratch" has been showing up quite a bit.
** "Luck doesn't actually matter." is another minor example, as it is central to Vriska and Terezi's arc in Act 5 Act 2.
** "Years in the future....but not many."
* "Beware the night of the five lights." in ''[[L's Empire|Ls Empire]]''. [[One of Us|The authors]] flat out state so in the [[Alt Text]].
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