Line #37 PlayingWith/TomatoInTheMirror


1	'''Basic Trope''': A character discovers they're not what they thought they were.
2	* '''Straight''': [[TheHero Adele]] has been fighting invading aliens called [[EldritchAbomination Kschorkians]] -- only to discover that she is a [[BecomingTheMask deluded]] Kschorkian [[HumanoidAbomination in disguise]].
3	* '''Exaggerated''':
4	** Not only is Adele a Kschorkian in disguise, but ''[[FlockOfWolves so is every human on Earth!]]''
5	** [[TheKillerInMe Adele is the immensely powerful]] ''[[BigBad leader]]'' of the Kschorkians known as the Void Lord, [[AmnesiacDissonance who voluntarily purged all of its memories]] [[MemoryGambit and entered into the human society to try and slowly wipe the entire species out one by one...]] [[EpicFail (un)fortunately, it had completely forgotten what it was AND its goals in the process.]]
6	* '''Downplayed''':
7	** Adele discovers that she is actually a Kschorkian - and decides it doesn't matter, she's still going to [[HumanityIsInfectious keep fighting for humanity.]]
8	** Adele had been told that she had links to Kschorkians, but she never thought about the possibility about her actually ''being'' a member of them.
9	** Adele learns she had been [[TouchedByVorlons modified]] by Kschorkian [[MagicFromTechnology technology]] but she really is a human.
10	* '''Justified''': Adele's role as a spy [[MemoryGambit required for her to under go brainwashing to make her cover as realistic as possible.]]
11	* '''Inverted''':
12	** A Kschorkian turns out to be a human spy.
13	** Adele is fully aware that she is a Kschorkian, but no one else does, not even the other Kschorkians. When she casually reveals herself to be one, everyone around her, human and Kschorkian alike, go into shock.
14	* '''Subverted''':
15	** It is [[{{Foreshadowing}} heavily]] [[RedHerring implied]] throughout the series that Adele is a Kschorkian - but, when put to the test, it proves that she is actually human.
16	** Adele looks in the mirror, and sees a Kschorkian, and her friends think this is a TomatoInTheMirror - but she's actually fully aware of what she is, and has only been waiting for a chance to turn on her 'friends.'
17	** Alice believes she is Troperian after medicine for them works on her but it turns out that Troperians are TransplantedHumans - the reveal is that there are no meaningful biological differences!
18	* '''Double Subverted''':
19	** But then it turns out later that Adele faked the test because she was afraid of what the answer might be, and she's really a Kschorkian.
20	** Adele is only pretending to have been a conscious spy to cover up her horror at the revelation.
21	* '''Parodied''':
22	** Adele looks in the mirror - and it turns out she's a tomato. [[AnimateInanimateObject Literally.]]
23	** Adele thinks she is a human...but her PaperThinDisguise falls off, consisting of a paper mask and a wooden sign on her torso reading "I am a human," and she's horrified to learn she is a Kschorkian.
24	** Adele [[FailedASpotCheck missed several obvious tells]] that she wasn't human: "Now that I think of it, this does explain how I've been able to go for weeks without eating... and that time I regrew a severed arm..."
25	* '''Zig Zagged''': Adele is implied to be a Kschorkian, and then it turns out she's not. But then it [[RetCon turns out]] she faked the test, and she's actually a Kschorkian. And then it turns out that that was a ruse by [[EvilCounterpart Bridgette]] to trick Adele. [[ArmedWithCanon And then it turns out that]] Adele is indeed a Kschorkian, and Bridgette's ruse was unnecessary.
26	* '''Averted''':
27	** Adele is just a human, and there's never any question of her having been a Kschorkian.
28	** Adele is a Kschorkian, but she and everyone else knew this, so it didn't have to be revealed.
29	* '''Enforced''': "The audience believes Adele is really a Kschorkian, so let's go with that!"
30	* '''Lampshaded''': "Oh, god, I'm a Kschorkian. I don't believe this. [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall If this was a TV show]], I'd call it a [[DeusAngstMachina cheap piece of drama!"]]
31	* '''Invoked''': The group fighting Kschorkians performs a test on all members to see if any are secretly Kschorkians; especially the ones with dubious memories.
32	* '''Exploited''': An enemy of Adele's reveals she is a Kschorkian so that they have a chance to kill her while she goes into HeroicBSOD.
33	* '''Defied''': Adele deliberately chooses never to test whether she's Kschorkian or human, because she doesn't want this to happen.
34	* '''Discussed''': "I think one of us is a Kschorkian and doesn't even know it!"
35	* '''Conversed''': "With all the twists and turns that have happened on this show, I wouldn't be surprised if Adele was a Kschorkian."
36	* '''Implied''': "A notice to all staff: There is a Kschorkian among us. We have reason to believe that they are not hostile, however several groups will be cut off from information until anything can be confirmed."
37	* '''Deconstructed''': The process that required Adele the Kschorkian to become a disguised human involved essentially creating a new persona, which wreaks havoc with Adele the human's psyche as she realizes her whole existence had been a front. Adele the human might swiftly be disposed of by Adele the Kschorkian, which is essentially TheHeroDies for the rest of the humans. Adele the human might resist being annihilated, leading to a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind. Even if Adele the human somehow manages a SplitPersonalityTakeover or the two Adeles do a SplitPersonalityMerge, she is now at best a ChildOfTwoWorlds which are ''very'' different from one another and held in suspicion from both her human friends and allies who can't look at her the same way as before and other Kschorkians who now consider her as GoingNative and reject her for doing something so insane as even coexisting with humans, leaving her isolated and alone.
38	* '''Reconstructed''': Following a SplitPersonalityMerge between Adele the human and Adele the Kschorkian, Adele manages to find a calm moment for herself and her closest allies in which she ponders who and what she is now. She concludes that she's not really a HalfHumanHybrid with just a hodgepodge of traits from both species, but someone who is both human ''and'' Kschorkian and can see from both viewpoints about the greater universe they're in. Neither wanting to abandon her Kschorkian side as Adele remembers now that the Kschorkians are just trying to find a new home since their old one is dying, nor wanting to see humanity suffer any more and especially not those of her friends (who despite initial hesitancy have shown themselves to still be loyal to Adele by not abandoning her during her mental crisis with the SplitPersonalityMerge), Adele decides that trying to find a peaceful coexistence between the two sides, even if it seems improbable, is the best solution for all. Adele becomes a MessianicArchetype, the embodiment of reconciliation and peace-seeking between humans and otherworldly beings by being able to empathize with both sides' desires and being living proof that the two can coexist together in harmony. Adele herself is surprised at the conclusion and tries to downplay it as a HumbleHero, partly because she isn't really sure she can handle that kind of implied responsibility.
39	* '''Played for Laughs''': Adele discovers she's a Kschorkian... and is not bothered by this revelation at all, reacting to it with bored disinterest whenever it's brought up.
40	* '''Played for Drama''':
41	** The revelation that Adele is a Kschorkian all along shakes the faith of her erstwhile allies and tears them apart as each of them wonder who else is a Kschorkian.
42	** Adele is torn between loyalty to her people or to her human friends and allies. Even trying to TakeAThirdOption and bringing the two sides to peace is a long shot because of how long this war's been going and all the bad blood that's been generated.
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44	Back to TomatoInTheMirror.
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46	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
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Context PlayingWith / TomatoInTheMirror