Trope Distinctions/A-C: Difference between revisions

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* [[Accidental Innuendo]] occurs when something that is obviously meant to be non-sexual accidentally comes off as sexually charged.

* [[Innocent Innuendo]] is the opposite: The writers build an [[Accidental Innuendo]] on purpose, by revealing the suggestive tones first, and ''then'' revealing that it was genuinely innocent [[It Makes Sense in Context|in context]].

* [[Freud Was Right]] describes why tropes like the previous three exist, due to how [[Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory|sex is always on the human mind.]] It also describes the act of [[Lampshade|lampshading]] said tropes.

 

* [[Accidental Murder]] happens when someone dies, but the murderer had no intent to kill anyone, the death was purely an accident.

* [[Murder by Mistake]] is when someone dies and the murderer had intent to kill, but kills the wrong person for whatever reason.

 

* [[Accidental Nightmare Fuel]]: Accidentally traumatizes.

* [[Nightmare Fuel]]: Traumatizes just anyone.

 

* [[Achilles in His Tent]]: [[The Hero]]/[[The Lancer]] is absent from the big fight because of a disagreement with the rest of the team. He (usually) returns in time to save the day.

* [[Deus Exit Machina]]: [[The Hero]]/[[The Lancer]] is absent from the big fight because he's otherwise occupied (with another enemy or his just out of pocket for the day). Misses the fight completely as often as he saves the day.

 

* [[Action-Hogging Opening]] is when the out-of-plot opening sequence to a show is more action-packed than the rest of the work.

* [[Action Prologue]] is when the first part of the work's actual plot is an action sequence.

 

* An [[Actor Allusion]] references another role the actor has played via plot or discussion.

* A [[Casting Gag]] references another role the actor has played or real-life circumstances simply via choice of actor rather than outright mention.

* [[The Danza]] references the actor by sharing the same name.

 

* [[Adam Smith Hates Your Guts]] is about the price of items going up when this puts the player at a disadvantage.

* [[Karl Marx Hates Your Guts]] is about the price of items staying the same when it puts the player at a disadvantage. Both can be true: equipment sells for the same price (so you can't make money dealing in equipment) but the inns keep going up.

* [[No Hero Discount]] is unrelated (it's about shopkeepers charging the hero even though they want the world to be saved too) but is called "Adam Smith's Revenge" on [[The Grand List of Console Role Playing Game Cliches]].

 

* [[Adam Westing]]: Bob the Actor makes a good living continually playing [[Flanderization|Flanderized]] versions of himself or his most popular character for laughs.

* [[As Himself]]: Bob the Actor is playing himself as a (believable) main character, inserted into (believable) fictional circumstances.

* [[Special Guest]]: When a celebrity or famous figure cameos as themselves for a quick joke or shock.

 

* [[Adaptation Decay]] happens when In-Universe new works based on previous ones feature changes that dilute the source material's content.

* A [[Cut and Paste Translation]] is when entire scenes or a storyline are changed from the original source in a "cut and paste" manner.

* [[They Just Didn't Care]] is when there was an obvious lack of care going into making a product.

 

* A [[Pragmatic Adaptation]] is when outright and necessary changes are made to the source material.

* [[Adaptation Distillation]] is when outright changes to the source material aren't made, but the complexity of the source is simplified/streamlined in a successful way.

* A [[Woolseyism]] is when outright but unnecessary changes are made to the source material, but those changes are good in their own right, if not better than the original. Also, it applies to translations only, not to adaptations from one medium to another within the same language.

 

* Both are settings where interesting things happen.

** In [[Adventure Towns]], the heroes are [[Walking the Earth]] and are thus visitors to the setting.

** In [[City of Adventure]], the heroes live in the setting.

 

* [[Affably Evil]] refers to villains who are genuinely kind, jovial, and friendly. If they didn't want to rule the world, they'd make a good friend.

* [[Faux Affably Evil]] characters are villains that enjoy pretending to be [[Affably Evil]], but are not actually.

* [[Wicked Cultured]] characters are villains who are intellectual and, well, cultured.

 

 

* [[Airborne Aircraft Carrier]]: An aircraft carrier that flies. Usually planet bound. [[Marvel Comics|The SHIELD Helicarrier]] is probably the most famous example.

* [[The Mothership]]: [[The Battlestar]] taken [[Up to Eleven]]. Usually the size of a large city and is usually used as Command Central for the invading hordes. Destroying it usually means near-instant defeat for the enemy. The capital ships from ''[[Independence Day]]'' are the [[Trope Codifier|codifiers]] in modern Sci-Fi.

 

* [[The Alcatraz]] is a prison known for extremely high security and for being nigh-impossible to break out of; to do so would take exceptional effort and luck.

* [[Might as Well Not Be in Prison At All]] is when someone is imprisoned but is able to execute schemes and maneuvers with little hindrance from imprisonment.

 

* [[Alien Non-Interference Clause]]: A specific prohibition of interfering with alien civilizations less advanced than one's own under any circumstances.

* [[Obstructive Code of Conduct]]: ''Any'' restriction that the heroes may never, ever violate.

 

* [[All Myths Are True]] means any myths ''in-universe'' are verbatim or slightly garbled accounts of actual past events (or, in the case of prophecies, future events).

* [[Crossover Cosmology]] is about the [[Fridge Logic]] inherent when a setting is so chock full of different religions (which are all true) that their mutual exclusivity becomes problematic.

* [[Planet Eris]] goes one step further and dictates that basically ''everything within the realm of fiction'' itself is fair game, so you get things like [[Godzilla]] fighting [[Married... with Children|Al Bundy]] over the keys to the [[Back to the Future (film)|DeLorean]] to get the [[Harry Potter (novel)|Deathly Hallows]] from the trunk, all while [[The Greys|Grey aliens]] watch with fiendish glee.

 

* [[It Was His Sled]] refers to any work which features a [[Twist Ending]] that was truly shocking when it was first presented, but over time lost its ability to surprise because [[Popcultural Osmosis|it gets talked about too much]].

* [[All There Is to Know About "The Crying Game"]] is a specific case of this which refers to works which are hardly known for anything ''but'' their twist endings.

* [[Late Arrival Spoiler]] is a fandom-specific variety of this in which promotional material for new installments of a franchise give away major plot developments of past installments, assuming that fans are already familiar with them.

 

* An [[Allegedly Free Game]] is a free game that cannot be fully experienced without purchasing extra features, whether due to pricey DLC or unlockables or because necessary features are kept away from free users.

* [[Bribing Your Way to Victory]] is where, in any game (free or not), you can get additional but not necessary perks by paying for them.

* [[Revenue Enhancing Devices]] are "extras" you can buy separately from the core game, which may or may not be required to experience all the content or be competitive.

 

* [[The Federation]] is a group of strong nations that work together for their own mutual benefit; a powerful enemy usually isn't necessary.

* [[The Empire]] is The Federation's [[Evil Counterpart]]: a conglomeration of nations in which one powerful nation has absorbed the others by force; said nation is usually led by a powerful demagogue.

* [[The Alliance]] is the evolution of La Resistance: a group of small nations that join together for their own mutual benefit, usually to stand up against The Empire.

 

* [[Alternate Continuity]]: The author scraps all canon and backstory established until now and writes a new setting in [[Broad Strokes]] with the same cast in the focus.

* [[Continuity Reboot]]: Same as above, but the new continuity is additionally declared the "main" one.

* [[Alternate History]]: Same as above, but with [[Real Life]].

 

* An [[Alternate Universe]] is another universe that exists parallel to our own, in which some events happened differently.

* [[Another Dimension]] is a place that doesn't resemble our world. It may have different laws of physics, for example.

 

* [[Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work]] is about a villain who shows up to [[Shoot the Dog]] or otherwise do something else that the heroes are averse to doing, emphasizing the evilness of the villains while keeping the good guys' hands clean.

* [[Villainous Rescue]] is the Villain saving the Hero in a classical fashion; there's nothing evil about the act itself, just the oddity in who did it. What happens ''after'' is up for grabs.

* [[Always a Bigger Fish]] is more closely related to [[Deus Ex Machina]]. The forces involved, while they have been obstacles to the protagonists in the past, are indiscriminate enough in their malice that they'll go after whatever is currently menacing the protagonists.

 

* [[Ambiguously Gay]] is when a character displays stereotypical mannerisms associated with gays/lesbians, but it is unclear if they are actually gay or not and no one will discuss it.

* [[But Not Too Gay]] is when characters are gay and acknowledged as such but when it comes to their love lives, they will show very little affection toward their partners or none at all.

* [[Have I Mentioned I Am Gay?]] is when characters are openly gay, but never get any sort of romance and their sexuality is basically an [[Informed Attribute]].

* [[Hide Your Lesbians]] is where characters can be seen as either gay or straight, and there usually is subtext suggesting the character may be gay but this will never ever be addressed.

* [[Get Back in the Closet]] is when gay affection and love scenes are shown but are given higher ratings than that of heterosexual affection/love scenes, no matter how tame they are in comparison.

 

* [[Amnesia Danger]] is when a character has amnesia and is in a situation which would be trivially easy to handle if he could remember how to deal with it, but is extremely dangerous because he can't.

* [[Amnesiac Liar]] is when a character lies, then has amnesia and is told the lie and accepts it as the truth.

* [[Easy Amnesia]] is an amnesia that was easily induced, for the sake of the plot, and sometimes can be reversed just as easily with no lasting effects.

* [[Forgot the Call]] is when a hero of an epic adventure gets amnesia and ends up living a mundane life for a while.

 

* An [[Amusing Alien]] is an otherworldly character (relative to the rest of the cast) who's funny by any number of means.

* A [[Funny Foreigner]] is a character of the same race/species as the rest of the cast who entertains the audience with their ignorance and odd behavior.

 

* [[Anachronic Order]]: Events of the ''same'' story are presented in an order different from how they occurred in-story.

* [[Meanwhile in the Future]]: Events of ''different'' stories occurring at different times are presented alternatingly, as if they occurred simultaneously.

 

* The [[Ancient Conspiracy]] has an [[Evil Plan]] and they hide it.

* [[The Masquerade]] is any group that has stakes in [[Muggles]] not knowing the alternative exists.

 

* [[And This Is For]] is a list of crimes one character rants at the other as he beats him up. Usually played for drama, can be very emotionally effective if pulled off well.

* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]] is essentially the same list, but by [[Rule of Funny]] the last one on the list is something mundane.

* [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick]] is the inversion of [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]], with a list of mundame things ending in a non sequitur with something horrible.

 

 

* [[Anyone Can Die]] means that no one in the cast is safe from dying, if/when called for by the plot.

* [[Kill'Em All]] means that most of the story's main characters will probably die at some point.

* [[Total Party Kill]]: Same as above, except that the main characters are directly responsible for their own death.

 

* [[Applied Phlebotinum]] is almost anything that magically performs some function necessary to the plot, and a [[Super-Trope|general category]] for many of the other types below.

* [[Green Rocks]] is a natural resource that can do just about anything the plot demands of it, like bestowing superpowers on normal people.

* [[Unobtainium]] is a resource with important properties that is either rare, difficult to find or create; sometimes [[MacGuffin|the entire plot revolves around acquiring it]].

 

* [[Arson, Murder, and Lifesaving]] is when a character is not punished for his various misdeeds because he ended up doing something very heroic.

* [[Chew Out Fake Out]] is when a character is not punished because his superior thinks his actions were hilarious.

 

* An [[Artifact of Death]] is one that will always inevitably kill the person who uses it.

 

* [[Ascended Extra]] is where a character of relatively minor consequence is given more lines, maybe even a name and a [[Day in The Limelight]].

* An [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] is when a minor character is unexpectedly popular, sometimes moreso than the rest of the cast.

* [[Breakout Character]] is when the writers notice the existence of an [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] and have said character become more important. This doesn't happen to every [[Ensemble Darkhorse]], however: sometimes the writers don't notice or care about his/her existence. Also, [[Breakout Character]] often implies that the character comes to dominate the show, rather than just become as important as other main characters.

 

* [[Audience Surrogate]] is the supertrope: any character with whom the audience (or the children in the audience) doesn't just sympathize, but actively sees themselves as, or at least is supposed to.

* [[The Everyman]] is a bland nonentity [[Audience Surrogate]].

* An [[Ascended Fanboy]] is just that: a fanboy who has become powerful enough to be part of the main plot.

 

Both are about intelligent and nerdy characters of Asian descent.

* [[Asian and Nerdy]] refers to people from the Sinosphere.

* [[Bollywood Nerd]] refers to Indians.

 

* An [[Ass Pull]] is a plot twist that's so poorly set up, it feels like the writer just pulled something out of their ass.

* A [[Deus Ex Machina]] is a resolution to a seemingly impossible situation that comes out of nowhere; it can still be set up with [[Chekhov's Gun]] and feel forced if too little attention is given to the set up.

* [[Diabolus Ex Machina]] is a [[Deus Ex Machina]] that's there to make things worse.

 

* An [[Atomic F-Bomb]] is a very loud and sudden curse that shows extreme anger and/or frustration.

* A [[Cluster F-Bomb]] is any work that's a general-purpose hotbed of foul language, or when a character has one or more pieces of dialogue that includes a lot of cursing.

* A [[Precision F-Strike]] is a strategically placed and/or timed curse that adds extra emotional impact to a piece of dialogue, especially when such language is out of the ordinary.

 

* [[Author Appeal]] is designed to satisfy a particular interest the author has; often a fetish, but not always.

* With [[Fan Service]], the intention is to please the audience.

* [[Pandering to the Base]] is when the fans are intentionally given non-sexual treats.

 

* [[Author Appeal]] is when the creator has a specific fetish and includes it in a work for personal satisfaction.

* [[Playing to The Fetishes]] is when the author does not have the specific fetish but includes it in a work to appeal to a niche demographic.

 

* An [[Author Catchphrase]] is a quote or description reused across different characters in different works, where the only common aspect is the author/actor/creator of those works.

* A [[Catch Phrase]] is a quote or description reused by the same character in a single work or series.

 

* [[Writer on Board]] is the most general term for when an author has something that doesn't make sense happening for their own purposes (usually an expression of political views).

* [[Author Filibuster]] takes this one step further by actually stopping the plot dead in its tracks just to preach this particular point.

* [[Author Tract]] refers to a work whose ''entire purpose'' is to promote the author's viewpoint.

 

* An [[Averted Trope]] is when no comment is made; the characters simply do not use, approach or address it. The trope only exists in the mind of the individual viewer.

* [[Lampshade Hanging]] is when a work points out the use of a trope, but still uses it straight.

* An [[Inverted Trope]] is when the exact opposite of a trope is used. Sometimes lampshaded, sometimes not.

 

* [[Cool but Inefficient]]: something appears advanced and exotic but isn't superior to the mundane alternative.

* [[Awesome but Impractical]]: something that really ''is'' superior, but has an extra cost, side effect or drawback that limits its long-term usefulness.

* [[Useless Useful Spell]]: something only works when you don't need it, regardless of any value.

 

* [[A Worldwide Punomenon]]: Puns in general. The only one to have just plain [[Pun]] as a redirect.

* [[Stealth Pun]]: A pun that isn't explicitly said; you have to put it together yourself.

 

* [[Ax Crazy]] describes a character that is violently unstable, and dangerous to anyone they come by.

* [[Blood Knight]] is a character who greatly enjoys fighting, and some of them greatly enjoy the violence part.

* A [[Psycho for Hire]] is someone that makes a career out of something that involves hurting people, largely [[For the Evulz|so they can get to hurt people]]. Often overlaps with [[Ax Crazy]], with the former leading the character to become the latter.

 

* Being [[Put on a Bus]] is when a character leaves the show but has plenty of opportunity for a return; it is just another bus ride back into town.

* Being [[Put on a Bus to Hell]] is where being [[Put on a Bus]] was done in a particularly mean-spirited manner for the character.

* [[McLeaned]] is when the actor portraying the character decides to leave and in their final/farewell episode the character is killed, [[Killed Off for Real|in theory]] preventing a return appearance.

* [[Dropped a Bridge on Him]] is when a character is killed off in a particularly mean-spirited manner.

 

* [[Back Stab]] refers to the gameplay mechanic of doing extra damage when taking the victim by surprise.

* [[In the Back]] is the dramatic usage of a sneak attack.

 

* A [[Badass Back]] belongs to anyone who can make a successful attack without looking, and can be done in premeditated combat.

* An [[Offhand Backhand]] happens when the person who gets backhanded had thought that the person who backhanded him didn't know he was there.

 

* A [[Badass Bookworm]] is someone who acts and looks like a [[Captain Obvious|bookworm]], egghead, geek/nerd, intellectual, etc. at first but reveals combat skills when pushed.

* A [[Genius Bruiser]] is someone who you would think of as a brute, muscle, warrior etc. first and only reveals the capacity for cunning and intelligence afterwards.

** A [[Genius Bruiser]] is [[The Hulk]] with the intellect of Bruce Banner.

 

* [[Badass Longcoat]] is about the article of clothing (including trench coats, dusters, greatcoats, Inverness capes, and other knee-length-or-longer coats), worn unbuttoned to make its wearer look cool. The way these coats flare and billow around the wearer is an essential part of the trope.

* [[Conspicuous Trenchcoat]] is about the article of clothing, worn buttoned to make its wearer blend in (though it often has [[Revealing Coverup|the opposite effect]], or it [[Fridge Logic|logically should]]).

* [[Trenchcoat Brigade]] is about a stock character. Wearing a trench coat is one of their defining traits, but hardly the most important.

 

* [[Downer Ending]] is any ending with a tragic or unhappy result.

* [[The Bad Guy Wins]] is where the villain accomplishes his goal and lives to tell about it; it's usually a [[Downer Ending]].

* [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]] is a [[Downer Ending]] where the heroes' actions (and thus the whole story) were rendered completely meaningless.

 

* Both are stories about gay male relationships.

** [[Yaoi]] is usually written by women for women; characters tend to be [[Bishounen]] and romantic connections are emphasized. Sexual content, when present, tends to not be all that explicit.

** [[Bara]] is usually written for gay men and (usually) by gay men; characters tend to fit the [[Manly Gay]] mold, and sexual content is more frequent and more explicit.

 

* [[Base Breaker]] is basically when one half of the fandom sees a character as an [[Ensemble Darkhorse]] while the other half sees the same character as [[The Scrappy]].

* [[Broken Base]] is basically a civil war in fandom regarding a certain change. Any discussion about this change results in a [[Flame War]].

 

* [[Bat Deduction]]: Conclusions about what happened based on insufficient evidence are treated as justified.

* [[Conviction by Contradiction]]: Conclusion that someone is guilty based on a flaw in their alibi is treated as justified.

* [[Conviction by Counterfactual Clue]]: Conclusion that someone is guilty based on circumstantial evidence '''from false premises''' is treated as justified.

 

* A [[Gambit Roulette]] is a [[Plan]] where the prediction of the opponent's moves breaks the [[Willing Suspension of Disbelief]] because it involves factors that people shouldn't be able to predict.

* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]] happens when a [[Plan]] has to be altered on the fly in the face of [[Didn't See That Coming|unexpected circumstances]].

 

* A [[Batman Gambit]] is a plan designed to predict the opponent's moves [[Flaw Exploitation|based on the opponent's flaws]].

* A [[Cloning Gambit]] is a scheme wherein a disposable clone is used to believably fake the mastermind's death.

* A [[Zero-Approval Gambit]] is a plan in which a character sacrifices his reputation/integrity/honor in order to achieve a long-term goal.

 

* In [[The Battle Didn't Count]], you have to win a fight to avoid getting a [[Game Over]], but afterwards the boss is still alive. He may either be anywhere from severely wounded to perfectly healthy, as long as he's not dead.

* [[Heads I Win, Tails You Lose]] is a subtrope of [[The Battle Didn't Count]] where the boss ''immediately'' gets back up and kicks your ass in a cutscene.

* In [[I Let You Win]], you find out (possibly much later) that a boss let you win a certain fight as part of one of his [[Gambit Index|gambits]], even though during the fight the boss could kill you and get you a [[Game Over]]. [[I Let You Win]] is usually also [[The Battle Didn't Count]], unless [[My Death Is Just the Beginning]].

 

* [[Beautiful All Along]] refers to when a character previously thought to be homely is suddenly shown in such a light as to make it apparent that she is actually quite attractive.

* With [[She Cleans Up Nicely]], it is not necessary that the character be thought of as homely; it simply refers to when a character who is usually depicted in a normal fashion is suddenly made to appear as glamorous as possible.

 

* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: A character wants something, and has it granted by a wish. Unforseen consequences cause him to later regret making the wish.

* [[Wanting Is Better Than Having]]: A character wants something and eventually achieves it. Disappointment sets in when reality fails to live up to the expectations.

 

* [[Become a Real Boy]]: Character wants to become more human, to understand what that means without actually giving up any of their gifts. Usually achieved through character building event or quest.

* [[Pinocchio Syndrome]]: Character wants to become fully human, even (or occasionally especially) if it means giving up all their special abilities. [[I Just Want to Be Normal]] for non- or partial-humans. Usually achieved via [[Applied Phlebotinum]] or other instant change devices.

 

* Both are about a certain level of forgiveness from the fans when watching a compelling story.

** The [[MST3K Mantra]] is a caution against turning something into [[Serious Business]]. It is about the simple enjoyment of any work of fiction.

** [[Bellisario's Maxim]] is from a more technical standpoint, it is assuming that a group of 10 writers can't squeeze in enough research to placate the millions of critical viewers. Also, they can't be expected to exorcise ''every single'' [[Plot Hole]] from a story (especially on a weekly basis).

 

* These are psychological-personality oriented tropes that explain why first impressions can be misleading, and suggest situations where the audience's perception of a character might change. Tie in with [[Index With a Heart of Gold]] and [[More Than Meets the Eye]] tropes.

* [[Beneath the Mask]] states that people often hide how they really are and how they really feel about things because they are scared of what others might think of them or what punishment they could receive. Both power and anonymity remove said fears and show how a person really is. This trope also states that this hidden self is sometimes hidden even from ourselves. The hidden qualities might be anything, good, bad, or subjectively ugly, that the character is afraid to show.

* [[Hidden Depths]]: This trope is about [[I Am Not Left-Handed|hidden skills]] and hidden backstory rather than about personality, though it may well result in the audience's perception of the character changing.

 

* [[Follow the Leader]] attempts to cash in on a popular work by using a similar premise and appealing to the same audience, but doesn't copy the work directly.

* [[Better by a Different Name]] does copy the work directly, featuring similar characters and a very similar plot.

* [[Recycled in Space]] copies the premise and characters, but puts a spin on it by adding a gimmick of some sort.

 

* [[Up to Eleven]] is topping a previously set maximum, i.e., record breaking.

* [[Serial Escalation]] is [[Up to Eleven]] [[Department of Redundancy Department|Up to Eleven]], i.e., Up to Eleven repeated over and over within a work. Sort of playing one-up-man-ship.

 

* A BFG is a particularly large and unwieldy gun.

* A [[Hand Cannon]] is a very large pistol, but not that huge.

 

* A [[Big No]] is a verbal response to something that upsets you.

* [[Squick]] is a physical reaction you have to something that unsettles you.

 

::Both of these are about small-time villains.

* [[Bit Part Badguys]] are acting on their own.

* [[Mooks]] work for a [[Big Bad]] of some kind.

 

* A [[Pyrrhic Victory]] is a battle with a [[Bittersweet Ending]]; it can occur at any point in a story.

 

* [[Black Comedy]] is a form of humor in which serious subjects are used as a source of comedy.

* [[Gallows Humor]] is a form of [[Black Comedy]] in which the jokes are made from the perspective of the victim.

* [[Dead Baby Comedy]] is a form of [[Black Comedy]] in which the jokes are definitely intended to offend.

 

* [[Black Eyes of Evil]] are uniformly black and indicate supernatural evil.

* [[Black Eyes of Crazy]] have black [[wikipedia:Sclerae|sclerae]] and indicate (often supernatural) insanity.

 

* [[Black Sheep Hit]]: Musician has a big hit that is far removed from their usual style.

* [[Creator Backlash]]: Creator detests their work despite its popularity.

* [[Old Shame]]: Creator likes to pretend a certain work by them didn't exist.

 

* [[Bland-Name Product]] is about the product, as the name says. So if [[Alice and Bob]] drive a BMV, we have this trope.

* [[Fictional Counterpart]] is rather about a firm or other organization. So if [[Alice and Bob]]'s new adventure is set in the BMV factory...

 

* [[Blessed with Suck]] is when you have an awesome power, but it comes with tons of drawbacks.

* [[Cursed with Awesome]] is when you have a relatively sucky power, but it gets you good advantages.

 

* In [[My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels]], Alice doesn't speak Tropish very well, so she says something hilarious and nonsensical like "My hovercraft is full of eels."

* [[Blind Idiot Translation]] is when Alice says something perfectly sensible in Tropish like "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Then Bob, who doesn't speak Tropish very well, translates it into something hilarious and nonsensical like "The vodka is good but the meat is rotten."

* [[Translation Train Wreck]] is when a translation in [[Real Life]] is so mangled that the result is gibberish, usually the result of the translators not actually speaking any of the language they're translating to.

 

* A [[Tomboy]] is the supertrope to all of these.

* A [[Bokukko]] is a girl's using male pronouns; how boyish/girly she is is not important. This trope can only occur in a work written in a language which distinguishes first-person pronouns by gender.

* [[The Ladette]] is the girl who swears, drinks and arm-wrestles with the best of the guys.

 

* A [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner]] is uttered ''before beginning'' a fight.

* A [[Pre-Mortem One-Liner]] is uttered ''before ending'' a fight.

* A [[Quip to Black]] is uttered by someone who wasn't in the fight about the fight's results.

 

* [[Boobs of Steel]] is when the strongest female fighter has the large breasts in a team or the whole work.

* [[Buxom Is Better]] is when the female character is attractive to other characters because she has large breasts or is larger than other females in the work.

* [[Most Common Superpower]] is the tendency for just about every female superhero in the western superhero genre to have large breasts.

 

* A [[Boring Invincible Hero]] is a character who always accomplishes his/her goals with relative ease, to the point that it's impossible to build drama around the character.

* A [[Showy Invincible Hero]] is like a Boring Invincible Hero, but his/her exploits are built around [[Rule of Cool]] and the point of the work is to show this in full effect.

* A [[Boring Failure Hero]] is a character who ''never'' accomplishes his/her goals, whether through personal failures or other elements of the story seemingly conspiring to foil the character.

 

* [[No Dead Body Poops]] refers to the fact that people will wet or soil themselves upon death or serious injury.

* When a character has a [[Bring My Brown Pants]] moment, it's because something scared him so badly he wet or soiled himself in pure fright.

* A character who suffers [[Potty Failure]] ''was'' in desperate need of a toilet, but has lost control.

 

* The [[Brainless Beauty]] does not ''have'' to be blond.

* The [[Dumb Blonde]] can be the [[Brainless Beauty]], but can also be [[The Fool]], [[The Ditz]], or any other less than clever character.

 

* A [[Bratty Half-Pint]] is that kid who is constantly finding trouble because they want to be a part of the team.

* A [[Kid Appeal Character]] (formerly the Bumblebee) is more of a marketing ploy, but the character can actually be a part of the team, usually the inexperienced one with youthful energy.

* The [[Tagalong Kid]] is a little kid watching the heroism of the team with excitement.

 

* The [[Fourth Wall]] is the metaphorical invisible wall between the characters in a story and the audience. It's the default state of most fiction that the characters are unaware that they're characters in a fictional story.

* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]] is when characters speak to (or in some way acknowledge the existence of) the audience or the author, thereby acknowledging their own fictionality.

* [[Painting the Medium]] is when the author plays with the conventions of a storytelling medium in order to convey additional information to the ''audience''.

 

* [[Break Them by Talking]] means ''any'' situation where one character does or tries to break another's will by claiming uncomfortable things that the other can't deny.

* A [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]] generally involves more of a reminder of everything that is out in the open, and does not necessarily have a tactical or strategic purpose. (If it does, it's probably also an instance of [[Break Them by Talking]] at the same time.) It can even be done between people that are supposed to be friends or allies.

 

* [[Chekhov's Gag]]: About humor: a joke is set up, pays off, and is forgotten by the viewer, but then much later pays off yet again.

** Example: ''[[Family Guy]]'' - In a cutaway about random Discovery channel specials, Peter watches an Animal Documentary-esque program about the hunting rituals of fire engines. Later on, at the very end of the episode, a feral fire engine ends up on their lawn for another gag. Basically a call-back gag.

** Example: Early in the plot, John Doe steals something insignificant as a show to the audience of how much of a rogue he is, and escapes the police. Later on he is shot, and it's revealed he never got around to taking the thing out his pocket, so the bullet ricocheted off of it, saving his life.

 

* The message of a [[Broken Aesop]] is clear, but it just isn't supported by the actual events of the story.

* A [[Clueless Aesop]] is straightforward and plain, but it fails because of how poorly the writers handle the issues being presented.

* A [[Lost Aesop]] is a moral that is presented in so confusing and contradictory a fashion that it is unclear exactly what the message is supposed to be.

 

* [[Broken Base]] is when the fans of a work are heavily divided in their own opinions, to the point of having a [[Flame War]] on just about anything.

* [[Fan Dumb]] is the critical fan who can end up being a [[Troll]] because they are so set on their opinions.

* [[Unpleasable Fanbase]] can cover all of the above, but is about how any effort to please the fans will fail because of differing desires. (With the exception of [[And the Fandom Rejoiced]])

 

* [[Totally Radical]] is a genuine attempt by the writers (or a character) to use modern (or period) slang, but comes off as fake because it is from the wrong period, or otherwise misused.

* [[Buffy-Speak]] is a writer avoiding the first trope by using made-up speech patterns that sound plausible but aren't an actual attempt to use [[Real Life]] slang.

 

* [[Bulletproof Human Shield]] is when a character grabs another person to block or absorb incoming gunfire, and doesn't care if the victim gets killed in the process.

* [[Human Shield]] is when a character (usually a villain) grabs another person to ''stop'' his attackers from opening fire, for fear of hitting the victim.

 

* [[Bullet Time]] is a visual effect to show that a character's senses are so heightened that he can react to things as if they were in slow-motion.

* [[Super Reflexes]] is a [[Stock Superpower]] where a character can react to situations faster than normal; it may be depicted (visually) with [[Bullet Time]], [[Slow Motion]], or some other effect.

 

* [[Bullying a Dragon]] is about knowingly picking on a superpowered person, despite or because of the fact that they have super powers, often ones that can kill you.

* [[Mugging the Monster]] is when a criminal or otherwise bad person doesn't realize that they are picking on a superpowered person.

 

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]] and [[Obfuscating Insanity]] are when someone fakes stupidity or craziness, respectively, in order to hide the fact that they are very capable.

* A [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]] ''is'' genuinely crazy/quirky, but is very capable at the same time.

* A [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]] is someone who really is stupid/incapable, until the right button is pushed and they start kicking all kinds of ass.

* [[Let's Get Dangerous]] is when someone who has the reputation of being a badass but [[Informed Ability|doesn't normally act that way]] finally shows off why he's got the reputation.

 

* [[But I Can't Be Pregnant]]: Pregnancy occurs despite biological factors that should've made it impossible (age, injury, [[No Biochemical Barriers|differing species]].)

* [[But We Used a Condom]]: Pregnancy occurs despite the use of birth control (which may or may not have been used correctly)

* [[Surprise Pregnancy]]: Pregnancy and birth occur despite the woman being unaware (truly or willfully) that she was pregnant at all.

 

* [[But Not Too Evil]] is a villain that [[Moral Guardians]] complain about because he ''is'' seen as "too evil" for the work he's in. He is sometimes toned down as a result of the complaints and sometimes not.

* A [[Harmless Villain]] is an antagonist that was ''never'' intended to be a serious threat; they're most often found in funny shows and as comic relief if there ''is'' a more evil/harmful villain.

* [[Poke the Poodle]] is an "evil" ''action'' that's not really all that serious. A [[Harmless Villain]] can poke the poodle as a joke, but sometimes something a serious villain does fails at looking evil and is also poodle-poking.

 

* The [[Butt Monkey]] is somebody other characters and/or the creators enjoy abusing.

* [[The Chew Toy]] is somebody who seems the target of abuse through pure bad luck, [[Played for Laughs]].

* The [[Cosmic Plaything]] is someone in these situations who is aware of the fact that the gods/universe/writers have it in for them.

 

* A [[Call Back]] is a reference to the past of the characters in the scene that ''does'' influence their thoughts or actions in the current plot.

* A [[Continuity Nod]] is a reference to the past of the characters in the scene that ''doesn't'' affect the current plot.

* A [[Mythology Gag]] is a reference to some aspect of the universe or an earlier adaptation, but isn't a part of the past of the characters in the scene.

 

* [[Calvin Ball]] is when a game doesn't ''have'' any rules or the rules are deliberately changed from session to session, except for maybe one or two consistent rules purely to identify the game as itself (for example, Calvinball's One Hard Rule is "Calvinball must never be played the same way twice")

* [[Gretzky Has the Ball]] is when the rules of real life sports or games are present erroneously (either by the character or just the work).

* [[Unnecessary Roughness]] is when the players are shown to be violent in a way that would be against the rules in [[Real Life]].

 

* [[Campbell Country]] is a place where the [[Cosmic Horror Story|dark secrets]] are well-hidden by the virtue of being very old ([[Ancient Rome]] or earlier old). And it is usually in the Old World.

* [[Lovecraft Country]] is a place where the [[Cosmic Horror Story|dark secrets]] are well-hidden through vast spaces in-between and general isolation of towns. Also, it's normally [[New England]].

 

* A [[Camp Straight]] has pretty much all of the traits of the [[Camp Gay]] except for the homosexuality.

* [[The Dandy]] is simply overly concerned with his/her appearance. This is usually what most people mean when they say "Metrosexual".

 

* The fandom says something happened in the story.

** [[Canon]]: It did.

** [[Ascended Fanon]]: It didn't, but then the writers put it in.

** [[Fanon Discontinuity]]: It did, but the fans pretend it didn't.

** [[Running the Asylum]]: It didn't, but it seeped in as fans started populating the writing staff.

** [[Word of Dante]]: It didn't, but it's unanimously accepted.

** [[Word of God]]: It isn't shown in the work, but the writers said it did.

 

* [[Canon Foreigner]] refers to a character exclusive to a certain adaptation of a previously-existing fictional universe.

* [[Canon Immigrant]] is when a character originally created in an adaptation is later introduced in the original source material.

 

* [[Canon Sue]]: Character represents the author.

* [[Creator's Pet]]: Fans hate the character but the authors love them.

* [[The Scrappy]]: Fans hate the character but he/she/it still has major role.

 

* [[Cannon Fodder]] exist to emphasize the superiority of the elite by providing a baseline normal.

* A [[Redshirt Army]] exists to emphasize the danger of a situation by taking casualties.

* In other words, [[Cannon Fodder]] makes [[The Hero]] look powerful, while the [[Redshirt Army]] makes the [[Big Bad]] look powerful.

 

* A [[Captain Ersatz]] is a character created to stand in for one that the author is not able or willing to use, usually due to legal issues.

* An [[Expy]] is a character that is suspiciously similar to another character in another work, but not obviously supposed to be that character. This often happens within works by the same author as the previous character, but it can also be a [[Homage]] or [[Shout-Out]] by another author.

* A lot of the examples are [[Trope Decay|on both pages when they should only be on one]].

 

* [[Cartwright Curse]]: A character's [[Girl of the Week]] love interests are quickly killed off or otherwise swiftly - but intentionally - written out.

* [[Fatal Attractor]]: A character's [[Girl of the Week]] love interests are quickly revealed to be an [[Abhorrent Admirer]], [[Ax Crazy]], or a [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] [[The Mole|mole]].

 

* [[Cassandra Truth]] is any time when a great secret or danger is discovered by someone, but their warnings fall on deaf ears. Often attributed to children. It includes the following:

* [[The Cassandra]] is someone whose warnings and predictions go dismissed and unbelieved because they're perceived as being unreliable, despite a nearly-infallible track record of previous warnings or predictions coming true.

* [[Ignored Expert]] is an expert whose warnings and predictions go dismissed and unbelieved because the warnings are unpopular, despite their expertise and extensive knowledge of the subject.

 

* A [[Cassandra Gambit]] is a widespread release of true information through low-credibility channels. It may be intended to discredit the truth, or to disseminate the truth in a way that maintains plausible deniability.

* A [[Cassandra Truth]] is meant to be believed, but isn't; it's a subtrope of [[Poor Communication Kills]].

* A [[Sarcastic Confession]] is a character stating the truth, with the intent of making it sound like an absurd joke and thus preventing the listener from believing it.

 

* [[Cassandra Truth]]: a character delivers important news, but is not believed.

* [[Not Now, Kiddo]]: a character is never given the chance to deliver the news.

 

* Alice, I must have you! Succumb or...

** [[Casting Couch]]: ...you can forget that acting career.

** [[Scarpia Ultimatum]]: ...I'll strangle your boyfriend here and now.

 

* [[Casual Kink]]: A character's kink is unique among the cast but nobody makes a big deal out of it.

* [[Conveniently-Common Kink]]: A character's kink is shared by their love interest and possibly others.

 

* Two girls fight each other because...

** [[Cat Fight]]: ...it's hot.

** [[Designated Girl Fight]]: ...the guy [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl]].

 

* [[Cerebus Syndrome]] is when a light, comedic series gets more serious and dramatic as it goes on (but not necessarily darker).

* [[Darker and Edgier]] is a series gets darker undertones over time ''or'' when a sequel/reboot/alternate continuity is noticeably darker than its predecessor(s) (but not necessarily more serious).

 

* [[Head-in-The-Sand Management]] is an authority figure that refuses to address an evil because they are being willfully blind.

* [[The Quisling]] is named for Vidkun Quisling (who is definitely an example of the trope) and is an authority figure who aids the evil force in controlling his own side.

 

* [[Character Derailment]] takes place when a character's personality changes in canon without proper justification.

* [[Out of Character]] is when the same thing happens in a [[Fanfic]] or [[Derivative Works|Derivative Work]].

 

* In a [[Character Filibuster]] the author lectures the reader on a particular point (often political) by using a character to give a long speech.

* In [[Holding the Floor]] the character must filibuster for an in-universe reason, usually to buy time or provide a distraction. The content of the speech itself doesn't matter.

* The same speech can serve both functions, with the latter justifying the former.

 

* [[Characterization Marches On]] is when a character is known for some attribute, but in early works (before the author knew what they wanted to do with a character) they act almost out of character.

* [[Character Exaggeration]] is when in some sort of adaptation a character's attribute is blown out of proportion, to the point where they become nearly a parody of their former selves.

** [[Flanderization|In a later episode of the Alice and Bob show, Bob suffers a traumatic breakdown from lack of cereal.]]

 

* [[Magnetic Hero]] is about the ''plot'' of group finding, using a hero's ability to persuade and attract others to his cause.

* [[Hitchhiker Heroes]] is more about the group members.

* And [[Character-Magnetic Team]] is a team where each member attracts more, snowballing into [[Loads and Loads of Characters]].

 

* [[Charm Person]] can be disobeyed or resisted.

* [[Compelling Voice]] can't.

* This means antagonists will generally have [[Charm Person]] rather than [[Compelling Voice]], because otherwise they could just command the hero to shoot himself.

 

* A [[Chaste Hero]] is ignorant of sex and oblivious to romance in general.

* A [[Celibate Hero]] knows about them (in theory at the least) but eschews them as secondary to his goals.

* With [[Asexuality]], the hero simply isn't interested in sex or romantic love, period.

 

* [[Cheaters Never Prosper]] is when anyone who cheats ends up losing.

* [[Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat]] is when someone could win legitimately, but loses because they cheat.

 

* A [[Chekhov's Gun]] is an object that is set up as unimportant, then used as a plot device, surprising the audience with actual significance.

* A [[Chekhov's Boomerang]] is a Chekhov's Gun after it has been used, and the audience assumes it has no further importance, but is unexpectedly reused and surprises the audience with new actual significance.

* [[Chekhov's Armoury]] is a lot of Chekhovs Guns in the same story.

 

* [[Cherry Tapping]] is when an enemy is finished off with a weak attack.

 

* Many debates have surrounded these tropes.

** [[The Chessmaster]] is someone who looks upon everyone as being pawns in a game; the chess metaphor is frequently used. They sit safely away in their evil lair and play everyone against each other.

** [[Manipulative Bastard]] is someone who can identify an emotional nerve within someone and then proceed to [[Flaw Exploitation|exploit that flaw]] to their own advantage.

 

* [[Chewing the Scenery]] is when a character who is usually acted in a normal fashion suddenly starts acting like a [[Large Ham]].

* A [[Large Ham]] is a character who is almost constantly overacting.

 

* [[Wig, Dress, Accent]] is when a character physically disguises himself.

* [[Clark Kenting]] is when a character disguises himself to maintain an [[Secret Identity|Alter Ego]].

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]] is when the audience isn't fooled by the disguise.

 

* A [[Cliff Hanger]] is when the story is not concluded within the single movie or television show, which requires an additional movie or episode to finish the story. The worst case is [[Left Hanging]], when that conclusion does not happen.

* A [[Sequel Hook]] is when the story is finished, whether it be a [[Happy Ending]] or a [[Downer Ending]], but hints are given towards a new storyline in the sequel.

 

* [[Closing Credits]] are the credits that roll at the end of a show.

* [[Creative Closing Credits]] are interesting variations on closing credits, as opposed to the classic "white text and black background."

* [[Credits Gag]] is a joke that appears during the end credits

 

* A [[Coincidental Broadcast]] is one that acts as a plot enabler - the characters act on the information that they have conveniently been given.

* [[Crystal Ball Scheduling]] acts as a metaphor for events on the show - it doesn't have any plot relevance, but allows the writer to comment on the storyline without breaking the [[Fourth Wall]].

 

* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]] is exactly what it sounds like - torture performed by someone who has no compunctions about its use, and who may even enjoy the experience and/or the agony of the victim.

* [[Enhanced Interrogation Techniques]] are interrogation methods that (usually) rely on psychologically brutalizing the victim rather than physical violence.

* [[Torture Always Works]] is the tendency for fictional torture to produce information useful to those doing the torture.

 

* [[Comic Book Fantasy Casting]] is where a character in a comic or animation looks like a real person (usually an actor, musician or model) but clearly isn't meant to actually "be" that person.

* [[Ink Suit Actor]] is where a character in an animated show or computer game is designed to look like the real-world performer who did their voice.

* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]] is where a fictional character is clearly intended to be a fictionalized version or caricature of a celebrity, down to having a similar profession and/or a personality based on that person's public persona.

 

* A [[Combat Medic]] is a character who serves as a healer but has the ability to fight when needed.

* A [[Deadly Doctor]] is someone who uses their medical knowledge and/or medical instruments to fight, kill, injure, etc. He is also more likely to be evil.

* A [[Martial Medic]] is a martial arts instructor who can offer better medical care than a doctor.

 

* In a [[Concept Album]], all the songs relate to some theme or idea.

* A [[Rock Opera]] is a Concept Album that tells a narrative story.

 

* [[Confusion Fu]] is when a character is unpredictable intentionally, using confusion as their main strategy.

* [[Indy Ploy]] is when a character improvises his plan of action as he goes along.

* [[Strategy Schmategy]] is when a character has no idea what he's doing. (Different from [[Indy Ploy]] because here the character dosen't know how to improve his situation).

 

* [[Continuity Creep]] is about a series that slowly uses continuity to a greater degree.

* [[Continuity Drift]] is about the continuity itself slowly changing.

* [[Earth Drift]] is a subtrope where the continuity changes to be less like the real world.

 

* [[Conveniently an Orphan]] covers the common narrative device of making the hero an orphan to provide them a particular heroic motivation, or to unroot them so they can go on some unrelated adventure. Generally the parents died some time ago, and the hero may not angst about them very much on-screen.

* [[Orphan's Ordeal]] covers stories where the grief and other hardships associated with lost parents are a major focus of the plot. Generally the parents died more recently.

 

* The solution to a [[Conviction by Contradiction]] is actually valid, but would hardly be substantial enough to prove guilt in a real world situation.

* [[Conviction by Counterfactual Clue]] happens when the solution to a mystery is based on a fundamentally incorrect fact.

 

* A [[Cordon Bleugh Chef]] is an otherwise skilled cook who has an unfortunate habit of mixing ingredients that should not be mixed. The result of these "experiments" is usually indistinguishable from that of the [[Lethal Chef]].

* A [[Lethal Chef]] is one who has absolutely no culinary skills. Their dishes go past merely bad and straight to "toxic"

* A [[One-Note Cook]] has one dish, or type of dish, at which they excel at making. Outside of that area of expertise, they're usually a [[Lethal Chef]].

 

* The [[Corrupt Church]] is an otherwise legitimate ("good") religion that has become rotten under the surface, usually by corrupt individuals in the church offices or evil forces.

* The [[Path of Inspiration]] is a church created for evil that disguises itself as a legitimate good faith, typically manipulating its followers into inobvious service of evil and setting itself up as a [[Villain with Good Publicity]].

* The [[Religion of Evil]] was created for evil and does not hide the fact that it's evil (though it may make itself hard to find in the first place).

 

* [[Cosmic Horror Story]] is the ''genre'' where the universe is a hopeless, horrific and meaningless place, often filled to the brim with [[Eldritch Abomination|obscenely powerful entities]] that could crush humanity like an ant and not notice, and it is only a matter of time before that happens.

* [[Lovecraft Lite]] is a ''genre'' that uses many of the trappings of a [[Cosmic Horror Story]], but is not bleak, hopeless, or meaningless. The evil entities can be defeated permanently; the good guys can win decisively; the world, and humanity, can survive.

 

* [[I Am Not Shazam]] concerns confusion over the title of a work and what it is supposed to represent within the work.

 

* [[Creator Backlash]] is when a creator hates one of his works in spite of its sizeable fandom because of factors outside of its quality.

* [[Old Shame]] is when a creator hates one of his works because of its low quality; said work has little to no fandom.

 

* A [[Critical Research Failure]] is if the error is obvious to any viewer with even the smallest degree of knowledge of that field.

* [[Dan Browned]] occurs when a work is noticeably or prominently proclaimed to be factual but is, in reality, inaccurate or wrong.

* [[Did Not Do the Research]] is not a trope, it is an index and overarching concept for particular tropes that follow that theme.

 

* [[Crossover]] is appearance of a show's characters in another show that is set in the same universe as the former show.

* [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] is like [[Crossover]] but the two shows present are not set in the same universe.

* [[Massive Multiplayer Crossover]] is like [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] but with three or more shows.

* [[Mega Crossover]] is the [[Fanfic]] version of [[Massive Multiplayer Crossover]].

* A [[Fusion Fic]] is a [[Fanfic]] in which the cast of one work is partly or completely replaced by the cast of another work, and the original work's plot plays out modified by the new characters' quirks.

 

* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: The fight is swift, decisive, and completely one-sided. Usually done ''by'' the good guys.

* [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]]: The fight is completely one-sided, brutal, and lasts as long as the victor wants it to. Usually done ''to'' the good guys.

* [[One Hit KO]]: [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]

 

* [[Curious as a Monkey]]: A young child who tries to learn about the world around him by taking things apart and figuring out how they work.

* [[Constantly Curious]]: A person, usually young, who tries to learn about the world around them by constantly asking questions.

 

* [[Cute as a Bouncing Betty]] is about the tendency to give military hardware and weapons funny and/or cute nicknames.

* [[I Call It Vera]] is when someone, for whatever reason, has enough of an emotional attachment to their weapon that they give it a name.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Canonical List of Subtle Trope Distinctions]]