Line #6 Main/SisterTrope


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4	[[caption-width-right:350:Blue eyes--impressively indicating [[InnocentBlueEyes innocence]][[note]]from ''VideoGame/KirbysDreamBuffet''[[/note]] or [[CreepyBlueEyes immorality]][[note]]from ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse''[[/note]].]]
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11	[[AC:For the list of tropes about ''literal sisters'' and brothers, see SiblingTropes.]]
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13	What happens when TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry switches genders? CainAndAbel. What's the [[CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions difference]] between TheScrappy and a CreatorsPet? Authors love their Pet. Is this introductory paragraph trying to explain by example a XanatosGambit or a BatmanGambit?
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15	When defining a trope, it often helps to establish its similarities, differences and relationship to other tropes; a common convention on this site is to refer to some tropes as '''Sister Tropes'''.
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17	When two or more tropes have some overlap in their descriptions, "parentage", or use, but not enough for one to be a SubTrope or SuperTrope of the other, these are called Sister Tropes. That is, both have a similar form or function, either by category ({{character\|sAsDevice}}, {{plot\|s}}) or by effect ({{characterization\|Tropes}}) rendering them both similar but distinct enough to be considered sisters.
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19	These are the four ways tropes can be sisters:
20	* '''Function''': When two or more tropes serve the same function, but are notably different in execution.
21	** ''ExpressiveMask -- ExpressiveHair''
22	** ''StairwayToHeaven -- {{Hellevator}}''
23	* '''Form''': When two or more tropes are similar in style but are themselves unique, usually used for different purposes.
24	** ''ItsALongStory -- ToMakeALongStoryShort''
25	** ''ComplimentBackfire -- InsultBackfire''
26	* '''Same Parent''': Subtropes of the same SuperTrope are frequently referred to this way.
27	** In AntiVillain: ''NobleDemon -- DarkMessiah''
28	** In PoorCommunicationKills: ''CanNotSpitItOut -- YoureJustJealous''
29	* '''Conjoined Use''': They are different, perhaps a character and an attack, plot, or relationship, but see frequent (though not necessarily exclusive) use together.
30	** ''DoppelgangerSpin -- DoppelgangerAttack''
31	** ''ShapeShifterShowdown -- ShapeShifterSwanSong''
32	** ''Sister Trope -- DistaffCounterpart''
33
34	Sometimes when two distinct tropes serve almost exactly the same function or have [[CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions very subtle differences]] in description, it can reach the point that they are used almost interchangeably. Bad {{Flanderization}}! ''Bad!'' The CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions is your friend.
35	----
36	!!Examples:
37	* It is possible to juggle a VillainBall, IdiotBall, and ConflictBall all at once. IdiotBall doesn't necessarily make direct conflict, and ConflictBall doesn't necessarily make idiocy. Thus they are related, but not really covered by the other. VillainBall carrying may cause conflict aplenty, but it doesn't have to.
38	* ArduousDescentToTerraFirma revolves around characters who are stranded in a high spot (or even the skies) and have to find a way to set foot on level ground, while LostAtSea poses the same kind of conundrum to charactes who are stranded in the midst of a sea or an ocean.
39	* BigNo and ChewingTheScenery (or LargeHam) can often overlap, but not always.
40	* ImpracticallyFancyOutfit is a cause of the ErmineCapeEffect, but the latter trope is also responsible for the continued application of the former.
41	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething and LadyOfWar occasionally overlap, as royalty is generally expected to look elegant at all times.
42	* If a LethalChef prepares a meal for you, chances are ItTastesLikeFeet.
43	* EldritchAbomination and BrownNoteBeing are sister tropes because they both cause a BrownNote. But they are different in scope and story purpose. A BrownNoteBeing is smaller in scope, a tough MonsterOfTheWeek, versus an unbeatable, god-league EldritchAbomination who is often the GreaterScopeVillain. BrownNoteBeing is also for the cases when whatever is causing the BrownNote is unknown.
44	* EscortMission revolves around protecting a living character while taking them to a specific destination, while ProductDeliveryOrdeal is analogous to it in that it revolves around carrying or transporting an object to a destination while making sure it remains in one piece. However, both tropes differ greatly in terms of context and dynamic, especially when the escorted party is one with whom the main character interacts, thus intertwining with tropes based on bonding or affinity (which usually doesn't happen with an inanimate object... we think).
45	* OneJudgeToRuleThemAll and GoldenSnitch are sister tropes, as both are about a single condition that renders all other factors in a contest irrelevant. However, they tend to affect the plot differently; for example, a judge who overrides all the others is obviously biased, whereas a Golden Snitch may simply be the result of poorly-thought-out rules and is less likely to trigger a backlash.
46	* So are GargleBlaster and HideousHangoverCure. One is the cause of hangovers, while the other is the cure, but ''both'' are absolutely outrageous.
47	* NiceJobBreakingItHerod, your {{Genocide Backfire}}d on us completely.
48	* HumanShield and BulletproofHumanShield both deal with bystanders being used to protect a target. The former discusses the psychological coverage, while the latter deals with physical protection.
49	* EvilCounterpart, EvilTwin, EvilDoppelganger, EvilKnockoff, and CriminalDoppelganger are all about evil duplicates of one person, but the evil persona in the individual tropes are a character who simply co-exists with the original one, an identical twin, an AlternateUniverse version/clone of the original character, an intentionally created duplicate, and an IdenticalStranger, respectively.
50	* DescendingCeiling and TheWallsAreClosingIn are both {{Death Trap}}s that threaten to squash/crush characters trapped in them, but have different parts of the room move to achieve this.
51	* TheAce and ParodySue are closely related concepts with different intentions and execution. Both are (usually) played for comedy, but while the former is an idealized character whose over-the-top nature is played for laughs, the latter is a TakeThat against a fandom in general.
52	* InnocentFanserviceGirl and ShamelessFanserviceGirl. Both are girls who have no nudity taboo. But one is aware of the existence of nudity taboos, and the other isn't. Both are also sisters to the ReluctantFanserviceGirl; while all three generally end up exposing a lot of skin, the first two do so willingly, while the last only does so because the Universe conspires to leave her naked at the worst times.
53	* BadassNormal and NonPoweredCostumedHero often overlap in certain contexts (most importantly probably the person of Franchise/{{Batman}}), even though the only thing they conceptually have in common is having no superpowers.
54	* XanatosGambit and BatmanGambit are both schemes to achieve benefit but they are executed differently. The BatmanGambit is based on FlawExploitation and/or what a given mark is most likely to do. Thus, it will fail if the mark doesn't behave as predicted. The XanatosGambit is based on MortonsFork: it can succeed no matter which prong the mark is impaled on. The benefits may be completely unrelated or they may be different paths to the same goal as long as every reasonable outcome benefits the planner in some what.
55	* UnnecessarilyLargeVessel regularly goes hand-in-hand with StarshipLuxurious. The main distinction is that StarshipLuxurious refers to the spaces inside the ship being much larger and fancier than is strictly necessary, while UnnecessarilyLargeVessel refers to the ship itself being bigger than it needs to be.
56	* {{Boarding Pod}}s and {{Drop Pod}}s are both for getting troops from a ship to a target in a [[DynamicEntry surprising fashion]]. The difference is the target: drop pods are launched onto a planet surface as a futuristic version of ItsRainingMen, while boarding pods are fired at other ships or at stations to deploy a BoardingParty. Both also share a link with {{Escape Pod}}s in that all three are used to get from one place to another in a hurry; however, Escape Pods are primarily used to take people ''away'' from dangerous places, while the former two put them in harm's way.
57	* PassedInTheirSleep and SlainInTheirSleep.[[note]]And because of the trope's history on the YKTTW pages, it's probably more accurate to call them [[SplitAtBirth Fraternal Twin Tropes]][[/note]] Both deal with death by sleep, but while PassedInTheirSleep is more {{peaceful\|InDeath}}, SlainInTheirSleep...[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin well...]]
58	* "WhyAreYouLookingAtMeLikeThat" "Because you just GotVolunteered."
59	* A victor indulging in UnsportsmanlikeGloating and the defeated party being a SoreLoser are diametric opposite responses based on whether one is victorious or defeated. They are also often conjoined, in that it's very likely for a Unsportsmanlike Gloater in victory to be a SoreLoser in defeat.
60	* The ''GreenHillZone'' and ''PalmtreePanic'' levels are similar because they are greeny, tropical stages commonly designed and used as the first level in Video Games, {{platform\|Game}}ers most especially, due to their non-threatening geography and easy-going design. The ''Green Hill Zone'' is more inland and varied with plains, prairies, hills, and even some trees and caves. While ''Green Hill Zone'' can have tropical elements, what distinguishes a ''Palmtree Panic'' is the ''strictly'' tropical setting, with beaches, dunes, and ''lots'' more sand and water to go around. Green Hill Zone's other sister ''TheLostWoods'' is strictly a forest setting. The YodelLand is the Green Hill Zone's Bavarian Cousin, with grassy hills, lakes, and [[DeathMountain lots of mountains]].
61	* A KingOnHisDeathbed is the perfect opportunity for a DecadentCourt to ramp up its scheming, which may end up provoking a SuccessionCrisis.
62	* PlatonicLifePartners and HeterosexualLifePartners are essentially the same trope, differing only based on whether the characters involved are the same or the opposite sex.
63	* BigBoosHaunt and BleakLevel are two video game settings that are dark, gloomy, and creepy, and have much overlap. A Bleak Level can have Big Boos Haunt elements and vice-versa, but what distinguishes the two is that a Big Boo's Haunt is strictly haunted (by the Undead or Ghosts or whatever) and can be upbeat (in a [[HalloweenTown twisted thrill]] sort of way). A Bleak Level is ''never'' upbeat and is meant to be depressing and unsettling in sharp contrast in tone to the rest of the game, hence its name.
64	* AgeCut and PicturePerfectPresentation are both scene transitions commonly used with {{dissolve}}s: AgeCut cuts to an older version of a character, while PicturePerfectPresentation fades from an image of a location to a shot of the location itself.
65	* RhymeThemeNaming and RhymingNames are both naming conventions that use rhymes, but the former is for group/ensembles, while the latter is for individual characters. Of course, the two can overlap when [[FamilyThemeNaming family members]] that employ RhymeThemeNaming are given a rhyming family name as well. RhymeThemeNaming also frequently overlaps with FamilyThemeNaming, ThemeTwinNaming and, to a lesser extent, CoupleThemeNaming.
66	* Many tropes regarding video game levels are functionally analogous and equivalent to tropes regarding video game bosses:
67	** MiniDungeon and MiniBoss: A piece of gameplay material with a lower hierarchy than a main dungeon and a main boss respectively.
68	** DiscOneFinalDungeon and DiscOneFinalBoss: Plot-critical pieces of gameplay material disguised as the game's finale,
69	** AllTheWorldsAreAStage and FinalExamBoss: Pieces of gameplay material that evokes what was seen over the course of the game.
70	** NostalgiaLevel and LegacyBossBattle: Pieces of gameplay material brought back from a previous game.
71	** MarathonLevel and MarathonBoss: Pieces of gameplay that require a very extensive period of time to be conquered.
72	** BonusDungeon and {{Superboss}}: Optional, very challenging pieces of gameplay material (and usually part of a postgame).
73	* DeathByAdaptation and DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation sound very similar to each other, as they are tropes centered around character deaths. ''Death By Adaptation'' occurs when a character who originally stays alive in a story dies in an adaptation, or the time of their death in the story is altered from the original. When a character ''Dies Differently In Adaptation'', the ''means'' in which they die is different. In the original story the character may be run over by a bus. But in TheMovie, they may die in a plane crash instead.
74	* SNKBoss and ThatOneBoss are tropes centered around difficult and frustrating bosses. There is a slight, but distinct difference between them. What makes an SNK Boss difficult is that it's only difficult by [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard deliberately breaking]] the game rules, and is usually reserved for the final guy in Fighting games. While a ThatOneBoss is difficult, its more fair and can be reserved for any boss in the game.
75	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy and PrizedPossessionGiveaway both revolve around a character having a strong, positive affinity for an entity for which or whom another character has the same positive affinity, but in an act of selflessness and altruism decides eventually to leave that second person consumate their happiness with that entity. In the former's case, we have a person having romantic feelings towards another, but since that love interest is likely attracted towards someone else then the person will wish happiness to that couple while moving on. In the latter's case, the person is very fond of a material object they have, but is willing to deliver it to someone else, probably a person they similarly hold dearly and want to make them happy by letting them keep this valued object. Though not without difficulty, it's possible to make both tropes overlap.
76	* Both LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn and DiegeticVisualEffects are metafictional gags in which seemingly diegetic effects are revealed to be a part of the work's setting--only one is for sound, the other is for visual effects.
77	* BadassLongcoat, ScarfOfAsskicking, BadassesWearBandanas, SleevesAreForWimps and ToughSpikesAndStuds are about typical clothing choices for badass characters.
78	* [[TeaIsClassy Tea]] and [[WineIsClassy wine]] are beverages commonly used to indicate wealth and prestige. Particularly posh characters might have a taste for both.
79	* RomanticCandlelitDinner and BreakfastInBed are both meals that define some aspect of love but enjoyed at different times of the day.
80	* ControlRoomPuzzle and TogglingSetpiecePuzzle both revolve around triggering mechanisms in video game levels by pressing switches, often to solve a puzzle or tackle an obstacle. However, the former is based on sequential presses to activate a single mechanism (and their effect is often confined to a room or area, hence its trope name), while the latter allows the player to change the states of several mechanisms by pressing any button that is connected to them (and the effect is often global for the entire level).
81	* NoHarmRequirement often invokes ToWinWithoutFighting since adhering to a particular No Harm Requirement often means the characters can't use any directly violent tactics at all and thus ''have'' to find a way To Win Without Fighting.
82	* MagneticHero and HeroLookingForGroup are both about TheHeroine ending up with a group of friends, followers, or allies who help her in her quest. However, the former is when she achieves this through sheer charisma and might be unintentional on her part. On the other hand, the latter is when she purposefully seeks out teammates and convinces them by various means (hiring them, offering them a deal, etc.). A Heroine Looking For Group might be a Magnetic Heroine but it's not a requirement.

Context Main / SisterTrope