Line #6 PlayingWith/RetGone


1	'''Basic Trope''': All evidence of a character's existence is erased, either intentionally or accidentally. This sometimes includes the memories of said character.
2	* '''Straight''':
3	** [[GrandfatherParadox Bob kills his grandfather in the past and stops existing]].
4	** Bob travels back in time with the goal of erasing TheBully Charlie from existence. He tracks down Charlie's parents and breaks them up, thus preventing Charlie's conception.
5	** Bob breaks his paternal grandparents up ''after'' his father is born, thereby erasing his unloved aunt.
6	** A magical curse removes all evidences of his existence in everyone's minds and the world. He's still alive however.
7	* '''Exaggerated''':
8	** Bob kills or separates the ancestors of everyone he dislikes.
9	** Several characters do this, and some erase each other in the process.
10	** Bob kills the ancestors of the entire human race.
11	** Bob manages to not only to never exist, but also doesn't exist in any alternate timeline or parallel universe. His historical archive mysteriously remains to keep track of his existences before he was erased each time, though.
12	** Bob's historical records are erased with each time he is erased from existence. [[FridgeLogic Nobody will know of Bob's existence anymore.]]
13	** Bob prevents the Big Bang itself!
14	* '''Downplayed''':
15	** Bob prevents the trauma that causes Alice to develop Carol as a split personality, effectively "killing" her, but no one actually dies.
16	** A character is erased from existence, but this somehow doesn't affect the memories of the people who knew them.
17	** A character isn't erased from history, but their past has been altered to the point that they may as well be someone else.
18	* '''Justified''': Bob was never supposed to exist, and by killing his grandfather, he can create a StableTimeLoop that restores the [[TimeyWimeyBall original timeline]].
19	* '''Inverted''':
20	** Before his trip to the past, Bob was an only child. When he returns to the present, he discovers that he [[BackstoryInvader now has a seven-year-old younger sister]] that he didn't have before.
21	** Bob accidentally creates Alice ''ex nihilo''; she just exists from a certain point onward with no explanation.
22	** In the [[TimeyWimeyBall original timeline]], David [[CharacterDeath dies]]. [[TheHero Bob]] saves his life by altering the timeline.
23	** Bob goes to the BadFuture and saves a young girl from her impending death by bringing her with him back to the present. Ergo, she now exists earlier than she should, and the people in the original timeline still remember the little girl who went missing.
24	* '''Subverted''': Bob kills his grandfather, thinking he will cease to exist, but [[MindScrew doesn't]].
25	* '''Double Subverted''':
26	** ... until Bob discovers he starts to slowly fade out of existence.
27	** With the grandfather out of the picture, Bob's grandmother [[InSpiteOfANail found another man who ended up fathering the father who would in turn father Bob.]] Bob watches in horror as his body changes accordingly.
28	** It turns out that there are several different timelines, and that Bob did not erase the Charlie from ''his'' past timeline. The 'other' Bob is still gone, though.
29	* '''Parodied''':
30	** "This armband makes you temporal paradox-proof."
31	** MyOwnGrampa, with incest jokes all around.
32	** Bob kills the writer who came up with him and... [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou hey, who's Bob?]]
33	* '''Zig Zagged''': Alice, Bob, and Charlie fade into and out of existence as various other characters travel through time repeatedly.
34	* '''Averted''':
35	** Time travel is shown as having no consequences.
36	** There is no time travel in the work.
37	* '''Enforced''':
38	** The writer is a fatalist and views time travel as mocking God.
39	** It's a setup for an AlternateHistory.
40	* '''Lampshaded''':
41	** "Oh no, I know how these things work. I'll probably end up killing my grandfather and stop existing or something."
42	** "So, gang, I snuck into the time machine when [[MeaningfulName Dr. Mad]] had her back turned. Then I went 35 years back in time, found Charlie's parents, and broke them up." "Who's Charlie?" "Oh, that's right. He no longer exists."
43	* '''Invoked''': Bob wants to [[DrivenToSuicide commit suicide]], and one of the things holding him back is the amount of grief he'll cause his family and friends if he does it. He goes back in time to before his conception and breaks his parents up, thereby erasing himself without causing his loved ones any grief.
44	* '''Exploited''':
45	** Bob manages to arrange events such that if he ever is the victim of a RetGone everyone would be doomed.
46	** Diane's dream is to murder Bob's grandfather, so Bob takes her with him when he travels to the past.
47	* '''Defied''':
48	** Bob avoids killing his grandfather.
49	** Bob takes precautions when traveling in time so he won't be able to kill ''anyone'', even by accident.
50	** Aware of the potential consequences of altering the past, Bob only uses his time machine to visit the future.
51	* '''Discussed''': "Sometimes I wish I could time-travel. Then I could go back to before Charlie was conceived, and break his parents up so he wouldn't exist."
52	* '''Conversed''': "Hey, do you remember who Bob was going back in time to kill again?" "Yeah, Chris." "Wasn't that his grandfather's name?" "Come to think of it, yeah, he actually ''is'' Bob's- ...wait a second..."
53	* '''Implied''': In one episode, Bob travels through time. [[ChuckCunningHamSyndrome Charlie is never seen or mentioned again.]]
54	* '''Played For Laughs''':
55	** Bob talks nonstop about how he killed Charlie. Because Charlie no longer exists, no one knows what Bob is talking about.
56	** Bob forcibly separates Charlie's parents by sending them to different time periods.
57	* '''Played For Drama''':
58	** Bob's grandfather was a big jerk that severely hurt and traumatized a lot of people, including Bob. Now Bob has the opportunity to erase all this and make many people's lives better, by killing him in the past, but is he right in doing so? And what will happen to Bob if he does?
59	** Bob was meant to take down the BigBad Emperor Evulz. Now that he doesn't exist, [[TheBadGuyWins Evulz already rules the world]].
60	** Bob has been driven over the DespairEventHorizon and invokes the trope. Cue the chapter that explains how his friends and family always felt like something was missing, and another friend discovering the time machine years later and going back in time to prevent Bob from erasing himself...
61	* '''Played for Horror''': Evulz also has the power to travel through time, and knows Bob has RippleProofMemory. Rather than simply erase Bob out of existence, he decides to torture Bob by semi-regularly ret-goning his friends and family so he'll constantly question his sanity.
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63	Back to RetGone
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65	%%* '''Deconstructed''': ???

Context PlayingWith / RetGone