Stranger in a Familiar Land/Playing With
Basic Trope: A character returns home after a long journey and finds they don't fit in.
- Straight: Bob returns to his home town of Troperville after a stint in the army, but finds that he no longer fits in at home.
- Exaggerated: Bob returns to his home town of Troperville and gets sick at the notion of even entering it.
- Downplayed: Bob returns to his home town and finds that he has some trouble fitting in again.
- Justified: The journey changed Bob and he no longer enjoys life in Troperville.
- Troperville has changed a great deal since Bob left - maybe all his friends have gone, or all his favorite haunts are closed down.
- Bob left home on bad terms - so he shouldn't be expecting a warm welcome.
- Inverted: Bob, a social outcast, returns home after a stint in the army and finds that he now fits in with the crowd.
- Subverted: Despite some initial trouble settling back in at home, Bob takes very little time to re-acclimate to life in Troperville.
- Double Subverted: But he's still unhappy with life there, even if he's not visibly showing it.
- Parodied: Bob wanders outside of the town for thirty seconds and walks back in, finding a Troperville that has completely and inexplicably changed without notice.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted: Bob is welcomed back, no questions asked.
- Enforced: "We need an excuse for a spinoff. Let's have Bob head home, get bored, and decide to go adventuring."
- Lampshaded: ???
- Invoked: Knowing that Bob's wanderlust will get the better of him, Bob's CO gives him a pass to go back home.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: "It may have changed over the years, but it's still my home. I'm going to love it no matter what."
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Played For Drama: Bob's return dredges up some past issues that people didn't exactly want to confront, but they have no choice now.
There's the way back to Stranger in a Familiar Land, but it seems weird going back there after I left the first time...