Trope Distinctions/A-C: Difference between revisions

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==== [[Airborne Aircraft Carrier]] vs. [[The Battlestar]] vs. [[The Mothership]] ====

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

* [[The Battlestar]]: A hybrid of the [[Airborne Aircraft Carrier]] and a battleship, made for space battle. Often carries some sort of [[Wave Motion Gun]] for extra awesome. The [[Battlestar Galactica Classic ~~(TV)~~|Battlestar Galactica]] is the [[Trope Maker]].

* [[The Battlestar]]: A hybrid of the [[Airborne Aircraft Carrier]] and a battleship, made for space battle. Often carries some sort of [[Wave Motion Gun]] for extra awesome. The [[Battlestar Galactica Classic|Battlestar Galactica]] is the [[Trope Maker]].

* [[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]] vs. [[Cardboard Prison]] vs. [[Gilded Cage]] vs. [[Luxury Prison Suite]] vs. [[Might As Well Not Be in Prison At All]] vs. [[Play Along Prisoner]] ====

==== [[The Alcatraz]] vs. [[Cardboard Prison]] vs. [[Gilded Cage]] vs. [[Luxury Prison Suite]] vs. [[Might As Well Not Be in Prison At All]] vs. [[Play-Along Prisoner]] ====

* [[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.

* A [[Cardboard Prison]] is the polar opposite of [[The Alcatraz]]; it is lightly guarded and/or poorly designed and thus incredibly easy to break out of.

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* A [[Luxury Prison Suite]] is a standard prison where the prisoner is able to secure extensive privileges by bribing or doing favors for the guards and/or the prison management.

* [[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.

* A [[Play Along Prisoner]] could, at any point, escape from the prison, but is waiting for a particularly opportune moment, for whatever reason.

* A [[Play-Along Prisoner]] could, at any point, escape from the prison, but is waiting for a particularly opportune moment, for whatever reason.

==== [[Alien Non Interference Clause]] vs. [[Obstructive Code of Conduct]] ====

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==== [[Applied Phlebotinum]] vs. [[Green Rocks]] vs. [[Single Phlebotinum Limit]] vs. [[Magnetic Plot Device]] vs. [[Mineral MacGuffin]] vs. [[Minovsky Physics]] vs. [[Unobtainium]] ====

* [[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.

* [[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.

* [[Magnetic Plot Device]] is a standing [[Plot Coupon]] used to attract [[Weirdness Magnet|weirdness]] towards the heroes.

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* [[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]].

==== [[Batman Gambit]] vs. [[Cloning Gambit]] vs. [[Fake Twin Gambit]] vs. [[Genghis Gambit]] vs. [[Lysistrata Gambit]] vs. [[Memory Gambit]] vs. [[Party Scheduling Gambit]] vs. [[Poison and Cure Gambit]] vs. [[The Uriah Gambit]] vs. [[Wounded Gazelle Gambit]] vs. [[Xanatos Gambit]] vs. [[Zero Approval Gambit]] ====

==== [[Batman Gambit]] vs. [[Cloning Gambit]] vs. [[Fake Twin Gambit]] vs. [[Genghis Gambit]] vs. [[Lysistrata Gambit]] vs. [[Memory Gambit]] vs. [[Party Scheduling Gambit]] vs. [[Poison and Cure Gambit]] vs. [[The Uriah Gambit]] vs. [[Wounded Gazelle Gambit]] vs. [[Xanatos Gambit]] vs. [[Zero-Approval Gambit]] ====

* 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.

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* A [[Wounded Gazelle Gambit]] is when character A hurts him/herself, then frames character B for the act to get sympathy from character C.

* A [[Xanatos Gambit]] is a plan that is designed to pay off for the planner regardless of the final outcome.

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

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

==== [[The Battle Didn't Count]] vs. [[Heads I Win, Tails You Lose]] vs. [[Hopeless Boss Fight]] vs. [[I Let You Win]] ====

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* [[A Darker Me]] is a subtrope of [[Beneath the Mask]] where the hidden self isn't radically different, only [[Darker and Edgier]] and/or less inhibited.

* [[GIFT]] is a theory that tries to explain the antisocial behaviour of people on the Internet. This trope states that anonymity corrupts people that are otherwise normally nice, making them act like jerks, as opposed to [[Beneath the Mask]] that states that anonymity doesn't corrupt but only reveals what was already there.

* [[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.

* [[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.

==== [[Better By a Different Name]] vs. [[Follow the Leader]] vs. [[Recycled in Space]] ====

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==== [[Black Eyes of Evil]] vs. [[Black Eyes of Crazy]] ====

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

* [[Black Eyes of Crazy]] have black [~~http://en.~~wikipedia~~.org/wiki/~~Sclerae sclerae] and indicate (often supernatural) insanity.

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

==== [[Black Sheep Hit]] vs. [[Creator Backlash]] vs. [[Magnum Opus Dissonance]] vs. [[Old Shame]] ====

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

==== [[Bratty Half Pint]] vs. [[Kid Appeal Character]] vs. [[Tagalong Kid]] vs. [[Token Mini-Moe]] ====

==== [[Bratty Half-Pint]] vs. [[Kid Appeal Character]] vs. [[Tagalong Kid]] vs. [[Token Mini-Moe]] ====

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

* 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.

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==== [[Captain Ersatz]] vs. [[Expy]] ====

* 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.

* 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]].

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

==== [[Casual Kink]] vs. [[Conveniently Common Kink]] ====

==== [[Casual Kink]] vs. [[Conveniently-Common Kink]] ====

* [[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.

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

==== '''[[Cat Fight]] vs. [[Designated Girl Fight]]''' ====

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* [[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]] vs. [[The Quisling]] ====

==== [[Head-in-The-Sand Management]] vs. [[The Quisling]] ====

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

* [[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.

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

==== [[Character Magnetic Team]] vs. [[Hitchhiker Heroes]] vs. [[Magnetic Hero]] ====

==== [[Character-Magnetic Team]] vs. [[Hitchhiker Heroes]] vs. [[Magnetic Hero]] ====

* [[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]].

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

==== [[Charm Person]] vs. [[Compelling Voice]] ====

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

==== [[Cherry Tapping]] vs. [[Death of a Thousand Cuts]] vs. [[Did You Just Punch Out Chtulhu]] vs. [[Finger Poke of Doom]] vs. [[Zerg Rush]] ====

==== [[Cherry Tapping]] vs. [[Death of a Thousand Cuts]] vs. [[Did You Just Punch Out Chtulhu]] vs. [[Finger-Poke of Doom]] vs. [[Zerg Rush]] ====

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

* [[Death of a Thousand Cuts]] is when an attack consists of several individual weak parts that add together for a strong impact.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]] is when a weak individual defeats a much stronger one.

* [[Finger Poke of Doom]] is when a relatively weak (or weak-looking) attack actually has a powerful impact on the target.

* [[Finger-Poke of Doom]] is when a relatively weak (or weak-looking) attack actually has a powerful impact on the target.

* [[Zerg Rush]] is when a large number of weak individuals use their sheer numbers as a strength.

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

==== [[Conveniently an Orphan]] vs. [[~~Orphans~~ Ordeal]] ====

==== [[Conveniently an Orphan]] vs. [[Orphan's Ordeal]] ====

* [[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.

* [[~~Orphans~~ 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.

* [[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.

==== [[Conviction By Contradiction]] vs. [[Conviction By Counterfactual Clue]] ====

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* 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]] vs. [[No Holds Barred Beatdown]] vs. [[One Hit KO]] ====

==== [[Curb Stomp Battle]] vs. [[No-Holds-Barred Beatdown]] vs. [[One Hit KO]] ====

* [[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.

* [[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]]