You Shall Not Pass/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A character sacrifices himself to prevent the baddies from reaching his allies.

  • Straight: Quentin, a soldier, blocks the door between the enemy forces and his allies, letting himself be shot so the others can get away.
  • Exaggerated: Quentin places himself between both entire armies, giving his side time to retreat...somehow.
  • Justified: Quentin puts Honor Before Reason, and it's the only way his allies will survive.
  • Inverted: A band of warriors charge ahead to break through a blockade.
  • Subverted: Quentin stands in front of the doorway, screaming "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" and either:
  • Double Subverted: He runs away because his allies had gotten away, but when they're in trouble again, he emerges from out of nowhere and blocks the enemy from reaching them.
  • Parodied: A member of a celebrity's entourage stands in between the celebrity and a horde of fangirls. "LET ME BEAR YOUR GLOMPS!"
    • The 'enemy army' isn't really there to fight at all, and gets confused by this strange shouty man standing in their way and who keeps interrupting their explanations with repeated cries of "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"
  • Deconstructed: Quentin's allies feel incredibly guilty for abandoning him to his death.
  • Reconstructed: They realize that this was how Quentin wanted to die in the first place, and pour a Libation for the Dead in honor of his glorious last stand. Then they press on, and whenever they are discouraged, someone reminds them that they must ensure Quentin's sacrifice was not in vain.
  • Zig Zagged: Quentin blocks the entrance to a room, then runs away into the next room, blocking that exit, etc.
  • Averted: The entire platoon goes down fighting.
  • Enforced: Quentin's actor is quitting, and the writers liked him and want him to go down in style.
  • Lampshaded: "GO! I'LL HOLD THEM OFF!" "He's doing that Gandalf thing again, isn't he?"
  • Invoked: Quentin is a Death Seeker who's been looking for an opportunity to do this, even if it isn't necessary.
  • Defied: Quentin's allies come back to help him hold the line.
  • Discussed: "Damn, we don't have time for this! I'll stay behind to hold them off to buy you guys time."
  • Conversed: ???
  • Exploited: The bad guys anticipate that the strongest hero will do this, so a small army of mostly illusory foes attack the heroes as they are crossing the bridge. A short distance past the bridge, the rest of the heroes are ambushed by the real enemy while the strongest hero is still busy holding off the illusions.
  • Played For Laughs: Quentin sacrifices himself for his comrades, but turns out that the army is an army of sad gnomes, looking for somebody to play with.

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