History PlayingWith / CynicismCatalyst

* '''Enforced''': Can be CreatorBreakdown and RealLifeWritesThePlot.

* '''Enforced''': ???

* '''Lampshaded''': "Bob's harsh, I wonder what made him that way..." "Probably a dead sister; AbusiveParents; [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking stolen lunch money]]; something like that."

* '''Exaggerated''': Bob tripped and scraped his knee, and he is barely the same person he was before.

* '''Played For Drama''': Bob is a tortured, sad, soul who hides behind bitterness. Said bitterness makes people who're unaware of his backstory distrust him and leads to many tragic misunderstandings.

* '''Exaggerated''': Alice tripped and suffered a bruise on her knee, and Bob is barely the same person he was before.
* '''Downplayed''': Bob became somewhat less trusting after Alice was brutally murdered on their birthday.

** Bob believes that the accident was his fault, regardless of whether it really was.
* '''Inverted''': Alice's fate makes Bob realize how precious life is. He becomes much nicer and less cynical as a result.

* '''Exaggerated''': Alice was killed on her birthday in a car accident Bob caused while rushing to get her a present (still drunk from the party that made him forget to buy one the previous day). He's barely the same person he was before.
* '''Downplayed''': Bob became much less trusting after he and his sister were mugged on her birthday by an UngratefulBastard they tried to help out earlier that day.

** Bob developed PTSD or other emotional problems due to the terrible experience
* '''Inverted''': Alice's fate makes Bob realise how precious life is. He becomes much nicer and less cynical as a result.

* '''Averted''': Bob was always that cynical.

* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': Bob is given a tragic backstory to avoid letting his cynical behavior make him less sympathetic.

* '''Enforced''': Bob is given a tragic backstory to avoid letting his cynical behavior make him less sympathetic.

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%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???

* '''Deconstructed''': Bob's cynical personality is the result of him selfishly pushing other people away to avoid being hurt in the same way again.

* '''Justified''': The event with his sister left Bob traumatised; his new personality is a coping mechanism.

* '''Implied''': Bob is seen brooding over...something. How much it has to do with his attitude isn't explored.

'''Basic Trope''': A failure to protect his/her {{protectorate}} defines the character.
* '''Straight''': Jack promised to protect his little sister Jill after his parents' death, but she was murdered while he was working to support her; his purpose in life is {{Revenge}} on her killers.
* '''Exaggerated''': Jill was just some girl down the block, but Jack feels the need to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge anyway.
* '''Downplayed''': Jack promised to protect his little sister Jill after his parents' death, but he always hates himself for not being able to giver her the lift she could have had if their parents were still alive.
* '''Justified''': Jack had lost everything else he had to live for.
* '''Inverted''':
** Jack feels free at his sister's death; he had done everything he could, and now he gets to ''live.''
** Jack dies saving Jill from murderers, and Jill feels she must [[TakeUpMySword take up his sword]] to avenge him.
** '''[[PortmanteauTropeNames Invertexaggerated]]'''! When Jack sees Jill being killed, he yells out, "OH YEAH!"
* '''Subverted''':
** Jack is sad after the the death of Jill, but he get over it and moves on with his life.
** Alternately, the BigBad ''did'' kill his little sister, but Jack has more than just that as a reason to hunt the BigBad.
** [[ObfuscatingStupidity Jack is using the girl's death as a pretext.]]
* '''Double Subverted''': The death of Jill doesn't affect Jack in any way who moves on with his life. This is however just a coping mechanism and Jack is either [[DrowningMySorrows takes up to drinking]] or is [[BadDreams having nightmares]]. In the end, he decides to do something about it.
* '''Parodied''':
** Jack has 9001 Dead Little Sisters.
** Jill's literal ghost haunts Jack, [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling constantly harassing]] him about avenging her.
* '''Zig Zagged''': Joe believes his little sister was killed by the BigBad - until he meets the BigBad's PersonalMook and [[LukeIAmYourFather is surprised]].
* '''Averted''': Jack's reasons for taking on the bad guys have nothing to do with a dead loved one.
* '''Enforced''': "Jack really needs a reason to go after the BigBad. How about we have the Big Bad kill somebody he loves, a sister, perhaps?"
* '''Lampshaded''': "After lord Evulz, huh? What he do, kill your sister?"
* '''Invoked''': The BigBad is seeking a worthy adversary, so always leaves one member of a family alive in hopes they will be strong enough to challenge him.
* '''Exploited''': ???
* '''Defied''': The BigBad never kills one family member without killing the entire family, in order to ensure that no big brothers show up later to challenge him.
* '''Discussed''': "I want to take lord Evulz down, because he's, well, evil. I don't need some dead little sister for that!"
* '''Conversed''': "Look, it's another HollywoodAtheist. Bet you anything he's got a dead little sister somewhere".
* '''Deconstructed''':
** Jack's obsessive guilt reflects his own maltreatment of Jill, for which he can never now atone.
** Jack was protecting all his younger siblings, but at Jill's death, he completely forgets John and Jane, who fall into criminal ways and are recruited by the same criminals who killed Jill.
** Jack is trying to avenge Jill, but is simply killed by her murderers because of his blind rage.
* '''Reconstructed''': Joe eventually pulls himself together and learns from the experience, though it takes him time.
* '''Played For Drama''': While avenging Jill from one group of murderers, Jack [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becomes a Little Sister murderer himself]].

Back to CynicismCatalyst

%%* '''Implied''': ???
%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???

* '''Downplayed''': Jack promised to protect his little sister jill after his parents' death, but he always hates himself for not being able to giver her the lift she could have had if their parents were still alive.

* '''Downplayed''': ???