Who Will Bell the Cat?/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A proposed action is greatly supported, until they realize that someone has to do it.

  • Straight: Simonetta and Reginald propose retrieving the enchanted Emerald of Greenholt to restore the land; Mortimer points out that it's in the hoard of a dragon.
  • Exaggerated: Simonetta proposes going out to eat, and everyone is enthusiatic about not cooking; Mortimer points out that owing to an epidemic, people are ordered to remain home, and police are patrolling the streets with orders to kill anyone they suspect is a plague carrier breaking quarantine; people faint with horror at the thought and many develop agrophobia.
    • A mob with Torches and Pitchforks is marching on the witch. At the bridge, the toll collector points out it's a bit rickity to carry them all, and they go home.
  • Downplayed: Simonetta suggests they go home by the bridge, which is quicker; Mortimer points out that the sirens they hear are probably for an accident there, which would cause backup.
  • Justified: The reason they keep the Grumpy Bear Mortimer around is that he's good at finding such faults.
  • Inverted: Mortimer and Reginald bring up the Emerald of Greenholt and dismiss it because it's in a dragon's lair. Simonetta points out that the king will give them enough money that they can trade with the dragon, who doesn't care about enchantments, but only value.
  • Subverted: Mortimer is exaggerating, or making up, the dangers of anything he doesn't want to do.
  • Double Subverted: But through Contrived Coincidences, he always gets it right.
  • Parodied: Mortimer suggests the dangers of being struck by meteors or trampled by rampaging rhinos whenever they try to leave the house.
  • Zig Zagged: Mortimer shoots down some ideas, not others; Reginald and Simonetta sometimes listen, and sometimes do it anyway.
  • Averted: No matter how stupid a plan is, everyone always agrees to do it.
  • Enforced: The producer insists that the children have to be shown the danger.
  • Lampshaded: "Why is it that we are so much better at seeing what good something will do than that we can't do it?"
  • Invoked: "Whose turn is it to point out that this will get us all killed?"
  • Exploited: The Big Bad spreads the news of the dangers about where Mortimer is sure to find them.
  • Defied: Simonetta brings up her plan to retrieve the emerald and immediately announces that she's going herself, since she knows everyone else will want it done but opt out because of the danger.
  • Discussed: ???
  • Conversed: ???
  • Deconstructed: Mortimer's paranoia about possibility of failure gravely hampers to the fight against the Big Bad.
  • Reconstructed: Taking Mortimer's warnings into consideration but nevertheless braving suitable dangers, Simonetta and Reginald devise a plan to bring down the Big Bad.

"I think there should be a trope page called Who Will Bell the Cat?!" "Agreed. But who will create it?" "...Er..."

Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Who_Will_Bell_the_Cat%3F/Playing_With?oldid=1623672"