Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Tools
Cut List New Edits Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us Advertise DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links
 

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Laconic Trope Distinctions / A to C

Go To

Part 1 of the Laconical List of Subtle Trope Distinctions. Items are sorted alphabetically by whichever trope is alphabetically first; if you're looking for a specific one, use the "Find" or "Search" function of your Web browser.

Pages: A to C | D to F | G to I | J to R | S to Z
    open/close all folders 

    # 

11th-Hour Superpower vs. Last Disc Magic

20 Bear Asses vs Mass Monster-Slaughter Sidequest

20 Minutes into the Future vs. Next Sunday A.D.

    A 

Accent Relapse vs. Accent Slip-Up vs. As Long as It Sounds Foreign vs. How's Your British Accent? vs. Just a Stupid Accent vs. Misplaced Accent vs. Not Even Bothering with the Accent vs. Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping vs. Unexplained Accent vs. What the Hell Is That Accent?:

Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal vs Barefoot Cartoon Animal vs Fully-Dressed Cartoon Animal vs Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal:

Accidental Aesop vs Alternate Aesop Interpretation vs Warp That Aesop:

Accidental Hero vs Badass Unintentional vs Miles Gloriosus:

Accidental Innuendo vs. Innocent Innuendo vs. Does This Remind You of Anything? vs. That Came Out Wrong vs. Heh Heh, You Said "X":

Accidental Murder vs. I Didn't Mean to Kill Him vs. Murder by Mistake:

Accidental Nightmare Fuel vs. Nightmare Fuel:

Accidentally-Correct Writing vs. Shown Their Work

Acclaimed Flop vs. Critical Dissonance vs. Critic-Proof:

Achilles in His Tent vs. Deus Exit Machina vs. 10-Minute Retirement:

Acid-Trip Dimension vs. Phantom Zone vs. Reality Is Out to Lunch:

Acrofatic vs. Kevlard vs. Stout Strength:

  • A character is fat/overweight/obese, but also...

Acting for Two vs. You Look Familiar:

  • Acting for Two: Actor plays two roles concurrently in the same show.
  • You Look Familiar: Actor leaves show, then comes back playing someone completely unrelated.

Action Dad vs. Papa Wolf:

  • Action Dad: Is a total badass who happens to be a father.
  • Papa Wolf: Badassery mostly optional, but fights tooth and nail when his kids are in danger.

Action-Hogging Opening vs. Action Prologue vs. Batman Cold Open vs. The Teaser

Actor/Role Confusion vs. I Am Not Spock vs. Role Association:

Actor Allusion vs. Casting Gag vs. Celebrity Paradox vs. The Danza vs. Meta Casting:

  • Actor Allusion: Quick gag references the other work of an actor on the show.
  • Casting Gag: An entire character in the show is a tribute to another role played by its actor.
  • Celebrity Paradox: Characters admire the work of Actor X in Film Y, when their own cast includes a character played by Actor X.
  • The Danza: Actor plays a character who shares their name.
  • Meta Casting: Actor plays a character who shares a lot of traits with the actor.

Actually, I Am Him vs. Right in Front of Me:

  • Actually, I Am Him: 'Can you help me? I'm trying to find Bob.' 'Well, you're speaking to him.'
  • Right in Front of Me: 'Thank goodness no-one invited that moron Bob to this party.' 'Oh, is that what you think of me?'

Actually Not a Vampire vs. Not Using the "Z" Word vs. Totally Not a Werewolf:

Adam Smith Hates Your Guts vs. Karl Marx Hates Your Guts vs. No Hero Discount:

  • The price you pay to buy a useful item...
    • Adam Smith Hates Your Guts: Quadruples every time you reach a new area.
    • Karl Marx Hates Your Guts: Is always the same everywhere, and often less than you get by selling it, meaning you just lugged 100 of them across the continent for nothing.
    • No Hero Discount: Is the same price paid by people who didn't just save the shopkeeper from being monster food.

Adam Westing vs. As Himself vs. Autobiographical Role vs. Celebrity Star vs. Character as Himself vs. The Danza vs. Special Guest:

Adaptational Heroism vs. Adaptational Sympathy

Adaptation Decay vs. Bowdlerise

  • It was good, now it sucks because they...

Adaptation Distillation vs. Pragmatic Adaptation vs. Woolseyism:

Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole vs. Dub-Induced Plot Hole vs. Dub-Induced Plotline Change vs. Inconsistent Dub

Adventure Towns vs. City of Adventure

An Aesop vs. Central Theme

Affably Evil vs. Faux Affably Evil vs Laughably Evil vs Wicked Cultured

Agent Peacock Vs. Real Men Wear Pink

A.I. Breaker vs. Artificial Stupidity vs. Good Bad Bugs

  • The AI...
    • A.I. Breaker: Freaks out if you perform a specific action/set of actions.
    • Artificial Stupidity: Has a trend of bad decision-making in certain situations.
    • Good Bad Bugs: Has some quirky responses to certain things, but isn't affected in how it handles playing the game.

Airborne Aircraft Carrier vs. The Battlestar vs. The Mothership

Akashic Records vs. Magical Database vs. Omniscient Database:

  • Akashic Records: Supernatural database holding all the information that's ever existed.
  • Magical Database: Normal database about supernatural matters.
  • Omniscient Database: Normal database about normal matters, but to an implausible extent of knowledge.

Alas, Poor Villain vs. Cry for the Devil vs. Sympathy for the Devil vs. Tortured Monster:

The Alcatraz vs. Cardboard Prison vs."Inescapable" Prison Easily Escaped vs. Gilded Cage vs. Implicit Prison vs. Luxury Prison Suite vs. Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All vs. Play-Along Prisoner

Alien Blood vs. Black Blood

Alien Geometries vs. Bizarrchitecture vs. Chaos Architecture

  • This building is weird, because...

Alien Non-Interference Clause vs. Obstructive Code of Conduct

All for Nothing vs. "Shaggy Dog" Story:

  • The characters' payoff never arrives because of:

All Girls Want Bad Boys vs. Monster Fangirl

All Myths Are True vs. Fantasy Kitchen Sink vs. Crossover Cosmology vs. The Legend of Chekhov vs. World of Weirdness:

All There in the Manual vs. Read the Freaking Manual:

Allegedly Free Game vs. Bribing Your Way to Victory vs. Real Money Trade vs. Revenue-Enhancing Devices

The Alliance vs. The Empire vs. The Federation vs. Fictional United Nations vs. La Résistance:

All Men Are Perverts vs. I'm a Man; I Can't Help It:

Almost Dead Guy vs. Normally, I Would Be Dead Now vs. Not Quite Dead vs. Not Too Dead to Save the Day vs. Only Mostly Dead vs. Staying Alive

  • Almost Dead Guy: Character lingers on the verge of death until they fulfill their plot value.
  • Normally, I Would Be Dead Now: Character pushes through a downright-lethal injury to keep fighting. May only be temporary.
  • Not Quite Dead: Character gives appearance of being dead, but then musters the strength for a final act (or two).
  • Not Too Dead to Save the Day: Character actually dies, but gives timely assistance from beyond.
  • Only Mostly Dead: Character falls into near-death coma state. Do something and they can be saved!
  • Staying Alive: Character visibly dies a certain death, but being dead just doesn't stick on them.

Alternate Continuity vs. Alternate Timeline vs. Alternate History vs. Continuity Reboot:

Alternate Self Shipping vs. Screw Yourself

Alternate Universe vs. Another Dimension:

Alternative Character Interpretation vs Ambiguous Situation

Aluminum Christmas Trees vs Reality Is Unrealistic vs Truth in Television

Always a Bigger Fish vs. Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work vs. Villainous Rescue:

Always Murder vs. Never Suicide

Ambiguously Gay vs. But Not Too Gay vs. Have I Mentioned I Am Gay? vs. Hide Your Lesbians vs. Get Back in the Closet

Amnesia Danger vs. Amnesiac Liar vs. Criminal Amnesiac vs. Easy Amnesia vs. Forgot the Call vs. Identity Amnesia vs. Laser-Guided Amnesia

  • A character has amnesia:

Amusing Alien vs. Funny Foreigner

Anachronic Order vs. Flashback B-Plot vs. Meanwhile, in the Future…:

Ancient Conspiracy vs. Long Game:

Ancient Conspiracy vs. Masquerade:

  • Ancient Conspiracy: Keep the evil plan secret from the non-conspirators.
  • Masquerade: Keep the secret world secret from the muggles.

And Some Other Stuff vs. Cow Tools vs. Noodle Implements vs. That Mysterious Thing

…And That Little Girl Was Me vs. Narrator All Along:

And This Is for... vs. Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking vs. Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick

Anthropic Principle vs. Theory of Narrative Causality:

Anti-Armor vs. Armor-Piercing Attack

  • If you use this attack against someone who is wearing armor, it will be...

Anti-Climax Boss vs. Dragon Their Feet vs. Post-Climax Confrontation vs. Post-Final Boss vs. True Final Boss:

  • After the final battle...

Anti Idling vs. Continue Your Mission, Dammit! vs. Guilt-Based Gaming vs. Stalked by the Bell

Anti-Magic vs. Counterspell vs. No-Sell vs. Power Nullifier:

  • The hero is unable to blast the villain with a fireball because...
    • Anti-Magic: ...the villain's power prevents it.
    • Counterspell: ...the villain uses another spell that stops the hero from casting it.
    • Power Nullifier: ...the villain has a secret anti-fireball item placed on the hero.
    • No-Sell: ...magic fireballs bounce right off the villain.

Anyone Can Die vs. Characters Dropping Like Flies vs. "Everybody Dies" Ending vs. Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies vs. Total Party Kill

Apparently Human Merfolk vs. Fish People vs. Our Mermaids Are Different vs. Unscaled Merfolk:

Appliance Defenestration vs Defenestrate and Berate:

Applied Phlebotinum vs. Green Rocks vs Single Phlebotinum Limit vs. Magnetic Plot Device vs. Mineral MacGuffin vs Minovsky Physics vs. Unobtainium :

Applied Phlebotinum vs. MacGuffin vs. Plot Device:

  • A thing that...
    • Applied Phlebotinum: causes plot-relevant items or actions to work.
    • MacGuffin: directly causes plot events, but whose nature and function are non-specific.
    • Plot Device: directly causes plot events and whose nature and/or function are specific in some way.

Arc Words vs. Magic Franchise Word vs. Signature Line:

  • Line that everyone remembers from the work because...

Arc Welding vs. Connected All Along vs. Continuity Creep vs. Not So Episodic

  • The early episodes are a bunch of unrelated adventures, but later episodes...

Arson, Murder, and Lifesaving vs. Chew-Out Fake-Out:

Artifact of Doom vs. Artifact of Death:

Artistic License – Engineering vs. Not Drawn to Scale:

Artistic License – Sports vs. Calvinball vs. Gretzky Has the Ball vs. New Rules as the Plot Demands vs. Unnecessary Roughness:

Ascended Extra vs. Ensemble Dark Horse vs. Breakout Character:

Ascended Fanboy vs Audience Surrogate vs Escapist Character vs The Everyman vs This Loser Is You vs Unfazed Everyman:

Ascended Meme vs. Meme Acknowledgement:

Asian and Nerdy vs. Bollywood Nerd

Asshole Victim vs. Pay Evil unto Evil

Asshole Victim vs. Who Murdered the Asshole:

  • Asshole Victim: Terrible person gets vicious payback. Perpetrator not always mysterious.
  • Who Murdered the Asshole: 'Who would have wanted to kill them?' 'Er… lots of people.' Tough case ensues.

Ass Pull vs. Deus ex Machina vs Diabolus ex Machina:

Astonishingly Appropriate Interruption vs. One Dialogue, Two Conversations vs. One Scene, Two Monologues vs. Two Scenes, One Dialogue

Asymmetric Dilemma vs. Lopsided Dichotomy

Humorously comparing a mundane thing to a major thing.
  • Asymmetric Dilemma: Both are true, but it's amusing that they're being treated as comparable.
  • Lopsided Dichotomy: Only one is true, and the joke is that it's probably the mundane thing.

A-Team Firing vs. Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy:

Attack! Attack! Attack! vs. I Will Fight Some More Forever vs. Suicidal Overconfidence:

Attack Hello vs. *Click* Hello vs. "Hey, You!" Haymaker vs. *Twang* Hello

Attack Hello vs. Dynamic Entry:

Attack of the Killer Whatever vs. Everything Trying to Kill You:

Atomic F-Bomb vs. Cluster F-Bomb vs. Precision F-Strike:

Audience-Coloring Adaptation vs. Lost in Imitation:

Author Appeal vs. Fanservice vs Pandering to the Base:

Author Appeal vs. Playing To The Fetishes

Author Avatar vs. Descended Creator

  • Author Avatar: A character that represents/is based on the author.
  • Descended Creator: The author (or another member of the creative staff) is also an actor.

Author Catchphrase vs. Catchphrase

Author Filibuster vs. Author Tract vs. Writer on Board vs. Character Filibuster:

Averted Trope vs. Justified Trope vs. Lampshade Hanging vs. Subverted Trope vs. Double Subversion vs. Zig-Zagging Trope vs. Inverted Trope:

Awesome, but Impractical vs. Blessed with Suck vs. Cool, but Inefficient vs. Difficult, but Awesome vs. Too Awesome to Use vs. Useless Useful Spell:

  • Like a death-ray...
    • Awesome, but Impractical: That is clearly stronger than a gun, but has a small clip/very slow fire rate/high power consumption.
    • Blessed with Suck: But firing it gives you severe burns that a gun wouldn't give.
    • Difficult, but Awesome: That is weaker than a gun if you fire it normally, but is stronger if you learn how to refract or charge its beams.
    • Cool, but Inefficient: That looks fancy, but has the same firepower as a gun (or weaker).
    • Too Awesome to Use: With one shot and no extra ammo. You'll save it forever and just use a gun instead.
    • Useless Useful Spell: That only fires when it's being pointed at something that could be killed with a gun.

Ax-Crazy vs. Blood Knight vs. Psycho for Hire:

  • Ax-Crazy: A dangerous lunatic who is prone to just snap.
  • Psycho for Hire: Like the above, but he gets paid to snap.
  • Blood Knight: Dangerous lunatic? Nah, just loves fighting.

    B 

Back for the Dead vs. Bus Crash vs. Character Outlives Actor vs. Dropped a Bridge on Him vs. Actor Leaves, Character Dies vs. Put on a Bus vs. Put on a Bus to Hell vs. Written-In Absence:

Back Stab vs. In the Back

Bad Ass Back vs. Offhand Backhand:

Badass Bookworm vs. Genius Bruiser

Badass Longcoat vs. Conspicuous Trenchcoat vs. Trenchcoat Brigade:

Badass Preacher vs. Church Militant vs. Religious Bruiser:

The Bad Guy Wins vs. Downer Ending vs. "Shaggy Dog" Story vs. Shoot the Shaggy Dog:

Bad Habits vs. Sinister Minister:

Bad to the Last Drop vs. Gargle Blaster vs. Klatchian Coffee vs.A Tankard of Moose Urine vs. Uncoffee

Bait-and-Switch Gunshot vs. Staged Shooting

Bara vs. Yaoi:

Base-Breaking Character vs. Broken Base vs. Contested Sequel:

Bat Deduction vs. Conviction by Contradiction vs. Conviction by Counterfactual Clue vs. "Eureka!" Moment:

  • Bat Deduction: Conclusions about what happened based on insufficient evidence are treated as justified.
  • Conviction by Contradiction: Conclusion that someone is guilty based on a flaw in their alibi is treated as justified.
  • Conviction by Counterfactual Clue: Conclusion that someone is guilty based on circumstantial evidence from false premises is treated as justified.
  • "Eureka!" Moment: Conclusions about what happened are inspired by completely unrelated events.

Bat Deduction vs. Entertainingly Wrong vs. Right for the Wrong Reasons vs. The Cloudcuckoolander Was Right

Batman Gambit vs. Gambit Pileup vs. Xanatos Gambit vs. Gambit Roulette vs. Xanatos Speed Chess:

  • Gambits that broadly affect a plot:
    • Batman Gambit: I know what you'll do and I'll use that to win.
    • Gambit Pileup: Everyone's plans crashed into each other...I don't know who'll win.
    • Gambit Roulette: No matter what happens, no matter how unpredictable, I'll still win.
    • Xanatos Gambit: No matter what you do, I'll still win.
    • Xanatos Speed Chess: If it looks like I won't win, I'll make up a new plan so I will.

The Battle Didn't Count vs. Heads I Win, Tails You Lose vs. Hopeless Boss Fight vs. I Let You Win:

Beast Man vs. Funny Animal:

  • If you're really curious, refer to their analysis pages for more.
    • Beast Man: Zoomorphism, aka "Take a human and give them cat ears and a tail".
    • Funny Animal: Anthropomorphism, aka Take an animal and give them opposable thumbs and bipedalism.

Beautiful All Along vs. She Cleans Up Nicely vs. She Is All Grown Up:

  • Beautiful All Along: Now that you've taken off your glasses and let down your hair, I realize you're beautiful.
  • She Cleans Up Nicely: Now that you've put on a ball gown and had a makeover, you're even more beautiful.
  • She Is All Grown Up: Now that puberty's beaten you with a pretty stick, you're even more beautiful.

Beautiful All Along vs. I Just Want to Be Beautiful vs. The Makeover

Be Careful What You Wish For vs. Wanting Is Better Than Having

Belated Injury Realization vs. I Can Still Fight! vs. Major Injury Underreaction vs. Only a Flesh Wound

Belligerent Sexual Tension vs. Destructive Romance vs. The Masochism Tango

  • Two people are in a romantic relationship, but also at odds, because...

Bellisario's Maxim vs. MST3K Mantra:

Beneath the Mask vs A Darker Me vs G.I.F.T vs Hidden Depths vs. What You Are in the Dark:

Better by a Different Name vs. Follow the Leader vs. Recycled In SPACE:

BFG vs. Hand Cannon

  • BFG: A particularly large and unwieldy gun.
  • Hand Cannon: A very large pistol, but not that huge.

Big Bad Duumvirate vs. Big Bad Ensemble

Big, Bulky Bomb vs. Cartoon Bomb vs. Incredibly Obvious Bomb

Big Damn Heroes vs. The Cavalry

Big "NO!" vs. Squick:

  • Big "NO!": Character's verbal reaction to being upset.
  • Squick: Physical reaction to something upsetting.

Bit Part Bad Guys vs. Mooks

Bittersweet Ending vs. Earn Your Happy Ending vs. Pyrrhic Victory

Black Comedy vs. Gallows Humor:

Black Sheep Hit vs. Creator Backlash vs. Magnum Opus Dissonance vs. Old Shame

Black Speech vs. Talking the Monster to Death vs. Verbal Weakness vs. Weapons-Grade Vocabulary vs. Words Can Break My Bones

Bland-Name Product vs. Fictional Counterpart

Blatant Lies vs. Implausible Deniability

Blessed with Suck vs. Cursed with Awesome

"Blind Idiot" Translation vs. Either "World Domination", or Something About Bananas vs. My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels vs. Translation Train Wreck:

Bond One-Liner vs. Quip to Black vs. Pre Ass Kicking One Liner vs. Pre-Mortem One-Liner

Boring, but Practical vs. Simple, yet Awesome vs. Simple, yet Opulent

Boss in Mook Clothing vs. Demonic Spiders vs. Elite Mook vs. Giant Mook vs. King Mook vs. Mook Lieutenant vs. Superpowered Mooks vs. Surprisingly Elite Cannon Fodder

Bragging Rights Reward vs. Cosmetic Award vs. And Your Reward Is Clothes vs. Undesirable Prize

Bring My Brown Pants vs. No Dead Body Poops vs. Potty Emergency vs. Potty Failure

Brainless Beauty vs. Dumb Blonde

Breaking the Fourth Wall vs. Fourth Wall vs. Medium Awareness vs. No Fourth Wall vs. No Inner Fourth Wall:

Break Them by Talking vs. Hannibal Lecture vs. "The Reason You Suck" Speech

Bribing Your Way to Victory vs. Buy Them Off vs. Every Man Has His Price vs. Screw the Rules, I Have Money!

Brick Joke vs. Chekhov's Gag

  • Brick Joke: You don't know why it was there until it shows up again later.
  • Chekhov's Gag: It was a joke. Now it's back for a second round.

Broken Aesop vs. Clueless Aesop vs. Hard Truth Aesop vs. Lost Aesop:

Broken Base vs. Fan Dumb vs. They Changed It, Now It Sucks! vs. Unpleasable Fanbase

Broken Bridge vs. Follow the Plotted Line vs. No Sidepaths, No Exploration, No Freedom vs. Railroading

  • Broken Bridge: You have to go this way because the path to all the other places is impassable at the moment.
  • Follow the Plotted Line: Regardless of the characters' progression, they always (sometimes inexplicably) arrive at exactly where the Plot happens.
  • No Sidepaths, No Exploration, No Freedom: You have to go this way because there are no sideturns. Just walking ahead.
  • Railroading: You have to go this specific way despite other theoretical options, because the game producer contrives to make it so.

Buffyspeak vs. Jive Turkey vs. Totally Radical

Bulletproof Human Shield vs. Human Shield

Bullet Time vs. Super-Reflexes

Bullying a Dragon vs. Mugging the Monster vs. Underestimating Badassery vs. Do Not Taunt Cthulhu

Bunny-Ears Lawyer vs. Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass vs. Obfuscating Stupidity vs. Obfuscating Insanity vs. Let's Get Dangerous! vs. Success Through Insanity:

Burn the Witch! vs. Witch Hunt vs. The Witch Hunter

But I Can't Be Pregnant! vs. But We Used a Condom! vs. Miss Conception vs. Surprise Pregnancy

But Not Too Evil vs. Harmless Villain vs. Poke the Poodle

Butt-Monkey vs. Cosmic Plaything vs. The Chew Toy vs. The Woobie:

Buxom Beauty Standard vs. Most Common Superpower

By "No", I Mean "Yes" vs Distinction Without a Difference

Byronic Hero vs. Classical Anti-Hero vs. Knight in Sour Armor vs. Knight Templar vs. Nominal Hero vs. Pragmatic Hero vs. Sociopathic Hero vs. Unscrupulous Hero

    C 

Call-Back vs. Continuity Nod vs. Mythology Gag:

The Call Knows Where You Live vs. The Villain Knows Where You Live

Campbell Country vs. Lovecraft Country

Camp Gay vs. Hard Gay:

Camp Straight vs. The Dandy:

Canon vs. Fanon vs. Ascended Fanon vs. Audience-Alienating Era vs. Fanon Discontinuity vs. Canon Discontinuity vs. Running the Asylum vs. Expanded Universe vs. Word of Dante vs. Word of Saint Paul vs. Word of God:

Canon Foreigner vs. Canon Immigrant

  • Canon Foreigner: refers to a character exclusive to a certain adaptation of a previously-existing fictional universe.
  • Canon Immigrant: is when a character originally created in an adaptation is later introduced in the original source material.

Canon Sue vs. Creator's Pet vs. The Scrappy vs. X-Pac Heat:

  • Canon Sue: Character represents the author.
  • Creator's Pet: Fans hate the character but the authors love them.
  • The Scrappy: Fans hate the character but he/she/it still has major role.
  • X-Pac Heat: Fans hate the actor rather than the character.

Cannon Fodder vs. Redshirt Army:

Can't Stay Normal vs. Got the Call on Speed Dial vs. Regular Caller:

Captain Ersatz vs. Expy:

  • A duplicate from another work, which...

Card-Carrying Villain vs Obviously Evil:

Cartwright Curse vs. Fatal Attractor

The Casanova vs. Serial Romeo

The Cassandra vs. Cassandra Truth vs. Ignored Expert:

Cassandra Gambit vs. Cassandra Truth vs. Sarcastic Confession:

Cassandra Truth vs. Not Now, Kiddo:

Casting Couch vs. Sexual Extortion vs. Scarpia Ultimatum

Catchphrase vs. Verbal Tic

  • Phrase a character says a lot...

Cat Fight vs. Designated Girl Fight

Celibate Hero vs. Chaste Hero

  • The opposite sex shows a clear interest in the hero but he/she...
    • Celibate Hero: prefers to avoid love/lust entanglements.
    • Chaste Hero: is completely clueless about their interest in them.

Cerebus Syndrome vs. Darker and Edgier

  • Cerebus Syndrome: A light, comedic series gets more serious and dramatic as it goes on (but not necessarily darker).
  • Darker and Edgier: Either:
    • A series gets darker undertones over time.
    • A sequel/reboot/alternate continuity is noticeably darker than its predecessor(s) (but not necessarily more serious).

Cessation of Existence vs. Fading Away vs. The Nothing After Death

Character Derailment vs. Out of Character:

Character Filibuster vs. Holding the Floor:

Character-Magnetic Team vs. Hitchhiker Heroes vs. Magnetic Hero:

Charm Person vs. Compelling Voice:

Cheaters Never Prosper vs. Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat

Chekhov's Armoury vs. Chekhov's Boomerang vs. Chekhov's Gun:

Cherry Tapping vs. Death of a Thousand Cuts vs. Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu? vs. Finger Poke of Doom vs. Zerg Rush

The Chessmaster vs. Magnificent Bastard vs. Manipulative Bastard:

Chewing the Scenery vs. Large Ham:

Chunky Salsa Rule vs. Ludicrous Gibs vs. Overdrawn at the Blood Bank:

Clark Kenting vs. Paper-Thin Disguise vs. Wig, Dress, Accent

Clarke's Third Law vs. Magic by Any Other Name vs. Magic from Technology vs. Magic-Powered Pseudoscience vs. Magitek vs. Post-Modern Magik:

Cliffhanger vs. Sequel Hook:

Cloning Gambit vs. Fake Twin Gambit vs. Genghis Gambit vs. Lysistrata Gambit vs. Memory Gambit vs. Party Scheduling Gambit vs. Poison and Cure Gambit vs. The Uriah Gambit vs. Wounded Gazelle Gambit vs. Zero-Approval Gambit:

  • Specific kinds of gambits:
    • Cloning Gambit: I'll have my clone killed so everyone thinks it was really me and I can vanish.
    • Fake Twin Gambit: I'll play like I'm my twin, even though I don't have one.
    • Genghis Gambit: Hey, everyone, I know we don't get along but those guys over there just called all of us pansies! Let's kill 'em!
    • Lysistrata Gambit: Alice to Bob: "Do what I say or you get no play."
    • Memory Gambit: I don't need these memories right now, but I'll do something so that they're available later.
    • Party Scheduling Gambit: I'll totally wreck their party with my way better party!
    • Poison and Cure Gambit: I'll get 'em all sick and make 'em buy the cure for 100000X what it's worth.
    • The Uriah Gambit: I need this flunky out of the way...and there's a Red Shirt opening tailor-made for him!
    • Wounded Gazelle Gambit: I'll hurt myself and blame Alice so Bob will feel sorry for me.
    • Zero-Approval Gambit: You're gonna hate me for this, but you'll thank me later.

Closing Credits vs. Creative Closing Credits vs. Credits Gag

Coincidental Broadcast vs. Crystal-Ball Scheduling:

Coitus Uninterruptus vs. Interrupted Intimacy vs. Primal Scene:

Colbert Bump vs. Newbie Boom vs. Sleeper Hit

  • Colbert Bump: Reference makes its subject matter more popular.
  • Newbie Boom: Obscure work rapidly becomes more popular.
  • Sleeper Hit: Obscure production becomes more popular upon release.

Color-Coded for Your Convenience vs. Chromatic Arrangement vs. Red Shirt vs. Bring My Red Jacket vs. Turns Red vs. Law of Chromatic Superiority

Combat Medic vs. Deadly Doctor vs. Martial Medic

Comic-Book Fantasy Casting vs. Hypothetical Casting vs. Ink-Suit Actor vs. No Celebrities Were Harmed vs. Textual Celebrity Resemblance

Comic-Book Time vs. Frozen in Time vs. Webcomic Time

  • Comic-Book Time: When the setting starts in one era and moves forward in time similar to real-world time, but the characters don't age.
  • Frozen in Time: When the setting and everything needs to be in a particular era in order for the work to make sense or be accepted by audiences.
  • Webcomic Time: When the setting does not move forward in time like real-world time, and because of that the characters don't age.

Compilation Re-release vs. Game of The Year Edition vs. Updated Re-release vs. Video Game Remake

Complete Monster vs. Hate Sink vs. The Scrappy

Confusion Fu vs. Indy Ploy vs. Strategy, Schmategy:

Conspicuous in the Crowd vs. Distinctive Appearances vs. Flashy Protagonists, Bland Extras vs. Uniformity Exception

Construct Additional Pylons vs. You Require More Vespene Gas

Contemplate Our Navels vs. Fauxlosophic Narration vs. Ice-Cream Koan vs. Meaningless Meaningful Words vs. Word Salad Philosophy

Conveniently an Orphan vs. Orphan's Ordeal:

Conveniently Precise Translation vs. Incidental Multilingual Wordplay:

Conversational Troping vs. Discussed Trope vs. Lampshade Hanging:

Conviction by Contradiction vs. Conviction by Counterfactual Clue:

Cordon Bleugh Chef vs. Lethal Chef vs. One-Note Cook

Corrupt Church vs. Path of Inspiration vs. Religion of Evil:

Cosmic Horror Story vs. Eldritch Abomination vs. Lovecraft Lite

  • Cosmic Horror Story: The genre where we'll all eventually get eaten by monsters from beyond comprehension.
  • Eldritch Abomination: The creatures that do the eating.
  • Lovecraft Lite: The genre where the monsters from beyond all comprehension get killed and we don't get eaten.

Could Say It, But... vs. I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You! vs. Suspiciously Specific Denial

Cowboy BeBop at His Computer vs. I Am Not Shazam vs. Fandom-Enraging Misconception:

Creative Sterility vs. Lack of Imagination:

Creator Backlash vs. Old Shame:

  • A creator hates one of their works...
    • Creator Backlash: ...and is a real person who created the work in real life
    • Old Shame: ...and is a fictional character who created the work in-universe.

Creepy Child vs. Cute and Psycho vs. Enfant Terrible vs. Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon vs. A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Creepy Doll vs. Happy Fun Ball vs. Perverse Puppet

Crossover vs. Intercontinuity Crossover vs. Massive Multiplayer Crossover vs. Fusion Fic:

Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass vs. Genius Ditz vs. Obfuscating Stupidity:

Cryptic Background Reference vs. Noodle Incident vs. Riddle for the Ages vs. A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma vs. The Unsolved Mystery vs. Plot Hole vs. What Happened to the Mouse?

Curb-Stomp Battle vs. No Holds Barred Beat Down vs. One-Hit KO

Curious as a Monkey vs. Constantly Curious

Cute and Psycho vs. Sugar-and-Ice Personality vs. Tsundere vs. Yandere

Cute as a Bouncing Betty vs. I Call It "Vera"

Previous

Index

Next

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top