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Lost And Found

There is discussion here with companion crowner about how we could make this page more efficient. Your considered opinions are desired. Thank you for your contributions.

So, you've got this trope sticking in your mind. You can remember the general idea, and maybe an example or two, but you'll be damned if you can remember what the thing's called, and the search function turns up nothing relevant. YKTTW would probably get you answers, but that's not what it's supposed to be for. Same goes for Ask The Tropers. Who You Gonna Call?

Enter the Tropers' Lost And Found. New questions at the top, please. If it's been a long time — two weeks or more, let's say — since you posted the question and you still haven't found the trope, you may want to think about proposing it to YKTTW, since there's a good chance that it does not in fact exist.

If you're looking for a work instead of a trope, you want to head over to You Know That Show.

If you're looking for answers about the wiki itself ("How do X work?"), you should go to Ask The Tropers.

Don't forget to check the Found list for your request!

Lost

  • Is there a trope for a story with no romance? It's not No Hugging No Kissing where the writers specifically say there won't be any. I'm thinking more it could happen, but just doesn't. Or is that already covered in No Hugging No Kissing?
    • I don't see enough of a difference to merit a separate trope.

  • Is there a trope for when someone that is not known for their humor makes a joke? Example- when Master Splinter in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles tells a joke, and says "I made a funny!"

  • What happened to the The Cheese Stands Alone page?

  • Is there a trope for when a character seems to be a certain trope, like The Woobie or Ax Crazy, or a situation seems to be a certain scenario, but the audience learns of a last twist that throws the whole thing into new light?

  • Is there an entry for the subverted 'on the count of three'? Where the person trying to coordinate an action says: "Ok, on Three! One.." [Action is performed]

  • Is there a trope for a character making a threat and having it backfire? E.g. the hero/wannabe says "If you want X, you'll have to kill me first" and the bad guy enthusiastically responds "Thanks!" or "Over my dead body" is met with "Your terms are acceptable".

  • Is there a trope for this? A character gains dark powers or the like by either being transformed into something or unleashing his superpowered evil side. However, once said character managed to regain control of himself and goes back to being good, said dark powers still remain even though they should have disappeared along with the rest?

  • What's the one where fans petition the network to bring back a cancelled show (or a fired actor, etc.) by sending items in to the producers? Like the Torchwood fans sending in bags of coffee when Ianto was killed off, but I know it's been done a million times before

  • Is there a trope for when a character starts saying stuff like "Woe is me" ?

  • Is there a name for the trope where, in any film needing a deserted daylight scene in a recognisable city, the scene's really obviously filmed early on a summer morning when no ones about? Like any part of 28 days/weeks later shot in London.

  • It there a trope for when a orphan meets his/her long-lost family halfway through the story and is given the choice to either go home with them or stay with his/her friends or team mates, since that would basically kill the show the character always goes with the latter and somehow the parents are okay with not being able to see their child ever again, making it a literal Family Unfriendly Aesop or, more commonly, the parents turn out to be fake or evil, meaning that the character can go back to his/her team with a clear conscience.
    • Does that happen often? In my experience, it's usually the case that the parents turn out to be frauds or secretly evil or something, so that the orphan can go back to his friends with a clear conscience.
      • Oh yeah, forgot to mention that, I'll add it now.
    • It definately falls under the category of Status Quo Is God.
      • It seems to, but is there a specific sub-trope for it?

  • Don't we have a page saying what the most-quoted works on the site are? What's it called?
    • Most-quoted as in "Trope Overdosed", or as in "provides the largest number of page quotes for tropes"?
      • Page quotes. At first I thought it was Quote Overdosed, but that's just a redirect.

  • Not sure it exists (Tear Tropes doesn't seem to have this kind), but tears of happiness? Like a character's reaction to a Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming directed to him/her? Or would it just fall under CMOH?

  • I was looking through some movie and game tropes, what's the one when there's the best character, or the one that everyone really likes, and he ends up being one of the first few to die?

  • A character has a specific pet name or term of endearment that only one person is allowed to call them. Anyone else using the name would elicit a negative reaction (possibly pressing the Berserk Button). Related to First Name Basis.

  • So there's a wise old wizard type character, usually mentoring the main character, and a Big Bad, and they are sworn enemies, only later in the series we find out that a long time ago, they were best friends, and one of them went evil. Like Psycho Ex Girlfriend, only (usually) not romantic. I can think of four examples off the top of my head.

  • Is there a trope for when someone receives mail or email that looks like an obvious scam, throws it out, and then it turns out to be legit? Examples might include this Achewood story arc in which Ray gets a Nigerian scam email that turns out to be an actual plea for help getting money out of the country, or this CollegeHumor sketch in the same vein. Or this Sexy Losers strip (NSFW) in which a guy receives what he thinks is porn spam, but is actually — unbeknownst to him — a real girl trying to get in contact with him.

  • What is that trope called where someone lists a lot of reasons why something can't happen, but saves the most relevant one for last?
"Wait! That is not how we do things around here, buddy. First we have to argue incessantly over semantics. Then one of us has to hurt one or all of us. Also, you're a villain."

  • Is there a trope for an unlockable character who is only unlockable after the game ends?

  • What's the newspaper trope in which one character gives another character a newspaper to read a specific article, only for the second character to mistake an irrelivant article or an ad as the important subject? Dialogue usually goes like this:
    Bob: "All of these crimes are connected! Here! Look at this!" (proceeds to throw down the paper)
    Alice: "Hmmmm...there's a shoe sale at Macy's? Interesting, but maybe another time."
    Bob: "Not THAT!" (Flips the paper over to the relevant article) "THAT!"

  • I've been looking at MindScrew and TrueArtIsIncomprehensible and I'm wondering if a distinction is made between works where that really have no point, and works that seems to have a deeper, if some what incomprehensible structure (ie, Alan Moore's .. well, most of it, by Promethea in particular - built (IMHO) on psychology, western mystic symbolism, tarot symbolism, etc). What about TheChrisCarterEffect works where the author won't admit to making it up as he goes or where the viewers are supposed to come up with their own answers (due to a ShrugOfGod) except you're sort of pretty sure nobody bothered to put any in there. Or where it's admitted only later to have been mostly random.

  • Are there any tropes where someone will be entoling someones virtues, only for it to turn out to be someone else or they don't beleive it? One example comes from Criminal Minds "Wow, you sound intelligent and educated... but we both know thats not true" another example come in the latest super man film were the newpaper editor talks about how good some photographs of superman are.. before pointing out they where taken by a kid with a mobile phone and not the staff photographer.

  • What's the Time Travel trope in which someone who goes into the future does not meet his or her future self... because no one has seen or heard from that person ever since he or she went timetravelling? It nullifies tropes such as Never The Selves Shall Meet, My Future Self And Me, and Help Your Self In The Future because there WAS no other self to live in the time between the present and the future. The example I'm thinking of is a Darkwing Duck episode, but even Back To The Future has the dog Einstein disappear as he time travels, so that there is only one version when he reappears minutes later.
    • I don't think we have that yet.

  • Is there a trope for when a fight is cut short due to an unexpected element, much to the disappointment of the fans?

  • Is there a trope for an episode that is generally hated? (I.E: The Scrappy episode of a series)

  • Is there a trope for when there's a flashback to when the characters were kids, they'll be wearing the same clothes (but smaller, obviously) as they do in present day? Usually in animation. I checked Limited Wardrobe, but it wasn't mentioned there.

  • Is there a trope for when a Cloud Cuckoo Lander suddenly realizes the insanity or inappropriateness of his behavior? It's not Bored With Insanity, more when Dr. Hobo is rambling off a wild conspiracy theory and suddenly realizes he's conversing with a talking cat.

  • I'm not sure this could exist as a separate trope, since there are already Filler and Padding, but a kind of entry in a continuity-based series that feels particularly... detached from the main plot. Two examples:
    • Sailor Moon: first season episode about a psychic girl (where the MOTW wasn't related to the Dark Kingdom; other episodes just have the Shitennou repeating the same attack patterns on different people). Also the infamous second season Beach Episode that didn't even get into the uncut sub.  *
    • Harukanaru Toki no Naka de - Hachiyou Shou episode 18. To elaborate: this episode is located in the middle of the second arc (the Four Seals hunt), which consists primarily of character-focused episodes.  * The episode in question has practically nothing to do neither with the arc's plot nor with any of the main characters, and instead is basically about the team trying to help a young couple to get together. Sure, that's so much more important than saving Kyou. The episode is also unusually silly.  * Considering HaruHachi is only 26 episodes long, it feels a little out of place.

  • Do We Have This? Seen It A Million Times, and it is mentioned under Nature Spirit that combining it with Anthropomorphic Personification yields Mother Nature, but there doesn't appear to be any YKTTW about that; additionally, not all depictions of "Mother Nature" are anthropomorphic - some are quite impersonal, like Final Fantasy VII's Planet  *. It's certainly not Mother Nature Father Science, which is purely about a metaphor-based association of the titular opposites (Nature vs. Science) with specific genders, from which stems the Real Life concept of Mother Nature.

  • Is there a trope for when a conversation or something similiar (like the way someone is thinking) goes on a Wiki Walk? I thinkign kind of like the guy from Scrubs (JD?) and his imagination, but also if a group of people are talking and the conversation goes from Point A (Why do men like women's breasts?) to Point alkdhsajfhdl (How and why Ariel's dad is creepy, and there's a weird vibe about the whole thing between the two of them.) It's not technically a Wiki Walk, since it involves more than one person and a computer, so... Any ideas?
    • This looks like just Wiki Walk. The description seems to suggest that conversations and thought processes count too. Even the Scrubs example is listed in it's examples.
      • Possible Sienfeldian conversation

  • Is there a trope for when someone knows an author/songwriter/screenwriter and finds that the author based the story or a character on the other person, often getting angry that their lives are being used for fiction? Typically the portrait will be quite unflattering.

  • Are there any tropes about marks/ symbols that are deliberately put there to so that a person cannot pretend to be something else? for example designing a robot with odd eyes so it can't look completely human. Kind of like a built in or added Glamour Failure.

  • Is there a trope for what happens when a character is in a virtual reality world (or remote piloting a vehicle, avatar...) and is suddenly disconnected, usuallywith very bad results? as seen in Avatar, The Matrix...

  • What's the trope for when a character gets what they wanted, but not in the way they expected?

  • Is there a trope for a kind of music in movies where it's played in background while two lovers have sex? Like the ones in Sliver where the movie plays Carly's Song by Enigma while Sharon Stone & William Baldwin are humping around.

  • Do we have anything for an evil subordinate who is worse than the villain that commmands him? Sort of like a Not What I Signed On For Even Evil Has Standards for the guy in charge.

  • I'm thinking of putting something in a story I'm writing and I'm wondering if there's a trope for it. Basically, two characters get into a (playful) snowball fight. Person A makes a snowball that Person B judges just a little too big, so person B ducks. What person B does not realize is that Person C, who is much smaller, is behind Person B and gets creamed by the snowball. It's meant as kind of a comic relief thing. Is there a trope that this would fit in?

  • What's the trope for defeat a boss by using its own attacks against it?
    • Don't know if whe have the exact trope you're looking for, but we have some that are at least partially related: Tennis Boss ("I reflect your attacks at you"), Bullfight Boss ("I dodge when you charge making you slam into a wall"), and Beat Them At Their Own Game ("I use the same attacks as you to defeat you").

  • Is there a trope for when a writer/narrator spends fifteen minutes describing how Bad Ass a group of people are, then has them get defeated in one sentence?
    • Informed Ability?
    • No, in the sense that they really are that tough, it's just used to show how powerful the opposing people are.
    • The Worf Effect?

  • What's it called when one spends an extended period of time watching a show on DVD straight through? For example, spending an entire weekend watching House on DVD. It's not quite an Archive Binge, though it is referenced on the page. I know I've read about it somewhere as something separate. Maybe it was somewhere other than TV Tropes?

  • Do we have one for precognition/foresight that isn't limited to Spider Sense (ie knowing what is just about to happen)?

  • Is there a term for a spoiler in a commercial?

  • A man and a woman run away from something - Jason, cannibals, whatever. Point is, the only way the woman keeps up is by the man grabbing her hand and running in front, pulling her along. Even if she's an Action Girl. Related to but not the same as Standard Female Grab Area.

  • What is it called when two characters sit down to eat with someone(it could be an old friend or just plain old hospitable strangers) but one of them doesn't want to eat thay may or may not have an Incurable Cough Of Death it isn't Im Not Hungry because the situation is friendly and Alice Really isn't hungry. something like this.
    Bob:(seeing Alice isn't eating) You should eat something.
    Alice: I'm Not Hungry.
    Bob:(sounding worried) You haven't eaten anything all day

  • Working class intellectual — a well-known trope IRL, but somehow I haven't been able to find it here. I can't believe we don't have a page for it!

  • A trope for when someone does something, like stealing a personal item or saying a nasty remark, and although the act itself isn't very serious, whatever was said or done means a lot more to the victim?

  • Is there a trope for the boy next door who always enters the girl's house by climbing a ladder into her bedroom window? I know we have There Was A Door, but I was wondering whether there's anything for that specific variation, since it's so common.

  • Is there a trope for when a character is preparing to tell another character (that has a crush on them) that it won't work out between them, only to find out that either the other character already gave up on them or got a significant other recently, and the character is suddenly offended that the other character got over them so quickly?

  • A trope for when someone really believes that what they do is the right thing to do, no matter what it is or how dark it is.

  • Is there a trope for someone prefacing a stock phrase with "I never thought I'd be saying this, but..."? Sort of the dark cousin of I Always Wanted To Say That, in that the context is more dire. Examples: In Snakes On A Plane, a stewardess has just learned that the last member of the flight crew has succumbed to snake bite, and she has to ask the passengers if any of them knows how to fly a plane. At the end Shaun Of The Dead, a news anchor reflects similarly on himself giving instructions to "sever the head or destroy the brain" of the zombie.

  • Is there a trope for a person wearing a jacket just over their shoulders? I mean where their arms are not in the sleeves of the jacket, but it's simply resting on their shoulders such that it almost resembles a cape. I've seen this on many characters in various places, though primarily in anime. This may be something too specific, but it does tend to show up quite a bit.

  • Erm... I'm not quite sure if this goes here, but here it goes: A page on this website, I can't really remember what it was, but it I don't think it was any of the Crowning Moments (not, not even Awesome), and it had a couple of folders (three, I think), about the Justice League. In one of them, it talked about Flash, and how he was able to get info where Batman(?) and someone else couldn't, by beaing nice, and promiseing to play darts with the guy in jail.

  • Is there a trope for the opposite of And Zoidberg? For example, Alice, Bob and Cathy are talking. Dan walks up and says "Hey Ladies" (or something) Charlie thinks it's an And Zoidberg, but it's not.

  • The complete opposite of Loads And Loads Of Characters; a work in which there will be only ONE person present, and he/she carries a story on his/her own, without interacting with other sentient beings.

  • We must have this: a character goes to another character for advice, but the other character is unaware of this. They may not say anything, or say something to someone else entirely, or something like that, but the first character is inspired either way and thanks the other character for their help.

  • Is there a page describing what happens when the ending of a work based on a true story is spoiled simply because the viewer is aware of the outcome of the original event? In other words, a work is spoiled by history. (Example: 300)

  • Is there a trope for a character wearing a protective suit not to protect themselves but to protect others from them. For example they could be radioactive, sweat anthrax or be made of dark matter.

  • What is the trope for a work that has a radically different genre or atmosphere from the creator's usual one? (E.g. it's noticeably Darker And Edgier, or it's fantasy when s/he usually writes realist novels). I'm sure I've seen this, but now can't find it...
    • Sounds like Genre Shift or Out Of Genre Experience.
    • Those both seem to be more about transitions within a work, though - this is less on the lines of "Fluffy show suddenly turns dark" and more on the lines of discovering your favorite fluffy story author also wrote a High Octane Nightmare Fuel story you shouldn't let any child near, or that someone you only know as a sci-fi author also made a straight soap opera.
    • He Also Did?

  • Is there something where, during a fight scene, a character fakes being injured to either lure his opponent close or get him to drop his guard? It seems really common.

  • Is there a trope for characters suddenly revealing a knowledge of foreign languages you wouldn't have expected them to know? Particularly innocuous, provincial-seeming characters. The perfect example would be the Hawaiian Shirted Tourist Jin meets on Lost who first asks him for a paper towel in English, then starts delivering the father-in-law's threats in Korean.
    • You could start with Omniglot, which is about a character knowing an improbable number of languages or being able to learn them ridiculously fast.
    • Omniglot I think can overlap with what I mean, but they're not quite the same thing. I'm not referring to the character's breadth of language knowledge so much as the surprise effect of them knowing the language.
    • You Didnt Ask or I Know Kung Fu?

  • Is there a trope for a character who is a sadist?
    • Sadist Teacher, Combat Sadomasochist... type "sadist" in the search bar up there. A sadist in general sounds too general for tropes, or at least for the ones currently with pages.
    • I didn't find it from the search, (but thanks for suggesting it). To be more specific, do we have anything for a character who isn't content when their enemy is just in pain- they want to take it Up To Eleven?

  • I'm pretty sure we have this, but I can't quite find it. When a character reacts to something, but it's not what we think they'll react to. Like if Character A shows Character B the newspaper, instead of noticing the plot-relevant article, they'll instead go "Oh my god! There's a huge sale at Kohls!" and so on.

  • Not He Who Must Not Be Heard or any of that: What is palpable silence, such as when all sound is removed either from the protagonist going deaf or as a gag [Looney Tunes]?

  • Is there a trope page for that thing where Alice and Bob are talking, and then a third voice breaks into the conversation, and they turn, and there's Carol, who's just entered the room? And usually there's something dramatic about the fact that Carol is here, now?

  • Is there a trope for whenever someone's talking about a character, and then you cut to them sneezing? Or they say their ears are burning or something like that?
    • Oddly enough, this trope is covered under Sneezing.

  • Is there a Trope for a sequel that has little or nothing to do with the previous installments ( i.e Halloween 3 and S.Darko) Non-Linear Sequel is Video Game Centric

  • What trope does "If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody's around to hear it, does it make a sound?" fall under?
    • Do you mean the Zen koan, or some application of it?

  • A trope for when democracy is present in the game but does nothing of value since the game designer is the only one who can implement new features or tweaks.
    • Please Elaborate. Your question is so vague as to be meaningless. Are you talking about a game where players are allowed to vote on new or proposed features but the developers ignore them? Do you have any specific examples?

  • A trope for the concept of "Achievement" - is it under another name or do we not have it? Specifically for goals that are tangental to the plot of the game - while there are often achievements for progressing story, many of them are "Do X random things that you don't have to do".

  • A trope for a character who is mistaken for another character- maybe a relation or a close friend- because they sound the same or look the same as the other character.

  • Some record of my old Stealth Minority trope, which was zapped by somebody for not going through YKTTW, even though it had already been edited. I need to put it through "the proper channels."
    • What, you don't keep an offline copy of pages you launch? Bad troper. Also, having been edited is no barrier to the Cut List.

  • "That's just what they'll be expecting us to do..." This is a line of Robert Stack's (Captain Rex Kramer) in "Airplane!" A movie full of brilliant parodies and genre bending... But what is the origin of this line? What's the Trope?
    • You might look under Stock Phrases and add it if it's not there. Make sure to use YKTTW to gather examples.

  • Is there a trope for someone saying/doing something completely out of character (usually out of character in a positive way), and then immediately saying/doing something that proves the previous action wasn't really their idea? For example:
    Hero: I can't think how to escape!
    Cast idiot: Accelerate to 15,000 and make the hyperspace jump.
    Hero: (stares at him)
    Idiot: (shrugs) That's what it says in Piloting for Dummies, anyway.

  • I know there was a trope page that included weird weather like it would suddenly rain frogs, or raining blood - usually as a bad omen or to say reality broke or some nonsense. Can't find it via searching terms, help?

  • Is there a page for old people who have no concept of inflation, i.e. the Simpsons episode where Bart is put to work on an old lady's backyard for weeks and only receives fifty cents?

  • Is there a trope for anime fans that do not understand or rail against phonetic equivalence, or at the very least intended equivalence, and say 'such-and-such character's name must be spelled with an 'r' (or 'l') because that's what their name was in Japan' (despite both being equivalent), or else insisting a character's name always be in Japanese syllables even if it is meant to be an english name (such as Sonikku instead of Sonic).

  • Is there a trope for people that look scarier than the person who's actually threatening the protagonist or doing them harm? Like, for instance, if the Big Bad was threatening to torture the hero while surrounded by the Big Bad's allies, who, despite not saying anything or doing anything apart from standing still impassively, look scarier than the Big Bad, despite the fact that the Big Bad is the one who is about to torture the hero.

  • You know how in car chases, people have killer reflexes when it comes to using the horn? Like, most people would take at least a second to react, but in movies it's as though the horn is linked to the brakes. I know this is a trope, perhaps a ubiquitous one that would amount to a list of every movie with a car chase scene if straight examples were listed, but I don't see it...

  • Is there a trope for when a video game character somehow already knows skills that they would have had no real opportunity to learn?
    • An example is in Ocarina of Time, Link somehow knows how to ride a horse, accurately shoot a bow, play an ocarina and many other skills, with nothing more than a few sentences of instruction, despite living most of his life in a sheltered community, where he would not have encountered these things. Sometimes simply obtaining an item that the character has likely never even heard of instantly makes them a master of it. I'm sure I've seen this one on here before, just can't seem to find it again.

  • Is there a semi-reverse of Ugly Guy Hot Wife, where any guy—average or hot—has an Ugly Girlfriend? Could even be proud of his Ugly Girlfriend (Shallow Hal).

  • The trope where a character stretches before zooming away. Most cartoons made use of this, especially Wile E. Coyote, and Star Trek made use of this for a warp speed effect up until Enterprise.

  • Is there a trope for when a character goes "If you're here..." and then usually something goes horribly wrong?
    • Tempting Fate ?
      • I'm not sure if it would be Tempting Fate, as the damage is already done. The line isn't so much provocative rather than wondering that if you're here...who's flying this thing?!

  • I'm almost certain that this is somewhere, but is there a trope where main characters are held back by mooks, and the big bad is trying to kill someone/fire death ray/whatever, then after they do, the main characters break free from the grip of the mooks and run over to the dying character/death ray to see if there's anything they can do.

  • Is there an allergy trope yet? Like, the only characters who have allergies (specifically food allergies) are either over-priviliged, weak, or nerdy (or some combination) ? It's sort of similar to only nerds have asthma (and by the way, does that trope exist?)

  • A trope for when an ally of the Big Bad is heavily implied to only be on the enemy's side because the Big Bad is holding someone/something important hostage, or the Big Bad has information the ally needs, or the Big Bad has promised the ally something vital- in other words, the ally would be on the hero's side if the Big Bad didn't have that one thing the ally needs.

  • What is it where a song does the equivalent of a station ID, like how Outkast is normally mentioned in Outkast songs?

  • What about the one I call the "Insincere Instructions" trope, where one character gives another character some instructions with the expectation...in fact, the hope...that said character will disobey the instructions. I.e.: "Don't open that box, whatever you do." A comedic variation exists where a character gives the instructions ("Don't anyone try and stop me!"), and reacts with disappointment when all present obeys them (...and no one tries to stop her.)

  • What is it called when someone's rival has similar if not identical wardrobe, team members, adventures, etc.?

  • Do we have an index of Trope Namers that are not actually an example of this specific trope?

  • Is there a trope for a character that's beloved even by a work's hatedom (or especially/only by the hatedom)? This isn't quite Ensemble Darkhorse, as it'd be for a character who's specifically cool enough to be well-received even by people who dislike the rest of the work. Someone like Murtagh from The Inheritance Cycle comes to mind.

  • Is there an index for couple tropes, e.g. Odd Couple, Yuppie Couple, Birds Of A Feather, etc.? Did a couple (No Pun Intended) of searches and not been able to find it.
    • We have Ensembles and Cast Calculus, which could include couple tropes, but it doesn't seem like we have an index for just couple tropes.

  • What is the opposite of Art Evolution, where a work consistently has the same quality throughout? May be good or bad, but all the same.
    • I'm not really sure that "something stays the same" is a tropable concept, but if you really feel the need to call it out, just list it as an aversion of Art Evolution.

  • Is there a trope for when sequels pollute critical or fan opinion of the original work? (Like arguably what happened to Sonic Adventures 1 and 2 when Sonic 06 and Unleashed came out)

  • Is there something for when someone accidentally gets a dab of paint on something, tries to wipe it off inconspicuously, but just makes it worse with each attempt?

  • Do we have any tropes where a person is transformed into something scary or horrific but adapts to it quickly or even enjoys it?
    • Seems to be covered under I Am What I Am.
      • Close enough for the moment. Thanks

  • Is there a trope where a character wakes up from a dream (often a nightmare), glad that it wasn't real... until they suddenly see some very clear evidence that it wasn't a dream at all?
    • Or Is It?
    • Not quite. Or Is It is primarily an ending trope; I meant the cases where this happens just partway through the story, often as an evidence that something at least borderline supernatural is involved.
    • Or Was It A Dream

  • Is there a trope for when a character is incapable of getting hints, despite being told/shown repeatedly? As in The Thing That Would Not Leave, Oblivious To Love...

  • What's it called when a character dies right after something good has happened to them?

  • Do we have a trope that's related to Monster Is A Mommy, except the monster is actually a baby?

  • Seen It A Million Times. Whenever you want to show just how crazy fans get over a certain band or celebrity, you not only have them squeeling like idiots but actually mutilating themselves. This can range anywhere from smacking themselves with a hammer or pulling out their hair to just going nutso and punching out anyone within a 5 foot radius. Is this generally under Fan Dumb, or is there a specific description for this?

  • Is there a specific trope for this? In this world, the color of magic doesn't just reflect things like alignment, skill, or type, but the color of magic varies from user to user as a personalized calling card. It might just fall under Color Coded Wizardry, but this is a more specific use.

  • Does Action Commands fit in Fake Difficulty the way I described it? In a more general case, the game treats waiting for ~15 seconds as a pass command; this was used in the older Ultima games. In the specific case of Telengard, I think the delay is ~5 seconds, and it takes ~30 seconds on the Commodore 64 just to render the current location within the dungon.

  • do we have a trope for when you have a Calling The Old Man Out moment but a parental figure is not involved?It's still the same idea of calling up a character on their behaviour but without the well done son guy undertones so it can come from anywhere. The closest thing I've found was What the hell hero but if I understand it thats just when a character crosses a line that even they knew they shouldn't cross. Examples:

    • Familyguy - in what should almost be a crowning moment for Quagmire, 'Jerome is the New Black' has him effectively calling Brian up on every hypocrisy and flaw that he has.
    • Dexter - In season three new character Quin pulled this on token pervet Masuka. The end result was a depressed yet better groomed Masuka and Debs & Batista going through a whole wewantourjerkback phase. When the two confront him about it he effectively pulls one on them for how they treat him.
      • Another, more subtle example happens in season 4 when Dexter and Rita go to relationship therapy. The therapist points out how Dexter has effectively been doing the same things he always did (sans the characterderailment with Lila) but only now that they're married does Rita seem unable to handle it, almost expecting Dexter to change instantly with marrige.
      • I'm pretty sure all of the above are noted on What The Hell Hero.

  • Is there a thing where, say, Alice asks, "So what do you want for your birthday?" and Bob answers, "(something completely unreasonable)!" For instance, "Jennifer Aniston!" Seen It A Million Times...

  • A protagonist living in a sexist/racist/homophobic time (in a work created in a modern time) is never sexist/racist/homophobic (at least not by our standards). They will usually even be given a line that indicates how progressive they are. A wise prince will reprimand a courtier for belittling women; a pretty lady will explain to her intolerant family that just because a culture is different from theirs, doesn't make it bad. What is this? I'm certain I've seen it before. It might be an idea to link it from Politically Incorrect Villain. Thanks!
    • Purely Aesthetic Era, perhaps?
    • /shakes head/ that's pretty close, but not the one I remember. Thanks. : )
    • Politically Correct History
      Originally, this manifested itself through making the main characters surprisingly "enlightened" (and thus more sympathetic to a modern audience).

  • What trope doesn't believe in truly charitable, selfless acts? Like there's always some ulterior motive behind every non-profit charity or every relief effort for disasters beyond just helping people out?

  • I'm sure this has to exist already: The Captain shouts 'charge!' to his band of Mooks and strides manfully away to do an unpleasant or risky task. We either see him arrive on the scene and suddenly realise that his Mooks haven't followed him, or the POV stays with the Mooks who watch his departing back without much interest and then head off to have a cigarette instead. Any ideas?

  • Is there a trope for when a show specifically shows both Humans Are Bastards and Humans Are Awesome in the same show instead of focusing on one or the other? Kind of like a "Humans Are" trope. Some examples include"

  • Is there a trope for when a guy is interested in two girls at the same time, but they are not Betty And Veronica because the two girls have the same personality?

  • We have Good Bad Bugs and Game Breaking Bugs, but do we have a trope for bugs that are neither of those things?

  • This sounds like something the site would have, but I don't know where to look. Is there a trope about locations in video games not in anyway resembling the building they should be? A sort of form of Gameplay And Story Segregation where the believability of a location takes a back seat to level design and playability. Notable offenders: Most early FP Ss, platform games, City of Heroes' office buildings, and the ridiculous Black Mesa complex in Half-Life.

  • Is there a trope for someone who attacks or kills a murder suspect out of vengeance (whether or not that suspect was actually convicted yet)?

  • Is there a trope for a 'last bastion' of sorts? A final stronghold, against an overwhelming force? For that matter, is there a trope for sanctuaries in general? It seems so basic there has to be, but I can't find it.

  • Is there a trope for an "ark", that is, the world is ending and its inhabitants survival depends upon a ship, either to ride out a flood or take them to a new home?

  • Is there a trope for something different that people hate because it's different? Say, a band releases a very different song to the others, but instead of being a Black Sheep Hit, people tend to hate it?

  • Is there a trope for non-written works where, in a dub or otherwise, there's a really obvious grammatical error? Like Critical Grammar Failure or something?
    • They Just Didnt Care ?
    • No, but I do have an example: In Mulan, during one of the songs, she sings "Ancestors/Hear my plea/Help me not to make a fool of me" when it should most definitely be "myself."

  • Is there a trope describing the situation wherein a person (usually, but not always, the hero) pulls some stunt which will kill both the enemy and himself unless the enemy does something he wants? (For example, the episode of Psych where Shawn activates a bomb which he and several suspects are in the immediate vicinity of, in order to force the maker to disarm it, and in the process reveal himself.)
    • That might be Batman Gambit.
      • I thought about that, but those are about manipulation, and getting people to play into your scheme without realizing it. This is much more straightforward: do what I want, or we all die.

  • What trope is it in video games when characters constantly leave your party for Mysterious Reasons? The one that comes to mind is Shadow from Final Fantasy VI who tells you outright that he's unreliable and will randomly leave you. Nephi in Black Sigil says and does the same thing, but plot-induced. So Long And Thanks For All The Gear seems to refer to when they leave, not their tendency to do so.
    • Really, I'm positive we have this one.

  • What's the trope where the story will cut to the other group who had been split from the main group by unforeseen circumstances? I could have sworn Cutaway Scene was that trope's name.
    • Could you be thinking of Cutaway Gag or perhaps B Story?
      • I was actually thinking of the scences in FFVI where it switches between Locke, Sabin, and Terra. "And now for our other group"... B Story probably would fit.

  • In the Deep Space Nine episode "Our Man Bashir" (a homage to James Bond, among other things), the antagonist "has built massive lasers that will cut into the Earth's crust, releasing magma such that the tectonic plates will sink and the planet's oceans will rise over all the land area except the top of Mount Everest, where he has his base" (to quote from wikipedia). The plot is sufficiently campy such that I'm thinking it's probably a trope discussed here. I'm just not sure what its name would be. "Island Paradise" seems like a reasonable enough name (since the survivors will live on an island and all the evils of the world will wash away with the flood waters, in theory), but, reasonable as though it may be, it's not the name of that trope.

  • I know I've seen this one around: A trope for pop culture references that would be well-known and hilarious to the original audience, but are baffling to a contempory one, because the show makes no effort to identify them. I'm thinking of things like the movie star caracatures in old Looney Toons cartoons or

  • What would be the opposite of Acceptable Targets that are not Once Acceptable Targets, but rather targets that were never acceptable in the first place? These would be the targets that nobody save for people who enjoy Dead Baby Comedy would poke fun at.

  • Is there a trope in which a volitile boss fires his employees, only to find out later that without said employees he's incapable of running his company?

  • Is there a trope for a situation like the following?
    Hero: So what's going on?
    Mr Exposition: I'll explain...
    [cut]
    Hero: Thanks, that makes perfect sense!
In written works, this might be expressed by having the narrator say "He explained". The point is that the hero has learned something, but we the readers/viewers don't get the same knowledge.

  • Hey guys. Is there a heroic equivilant to Fashion Victim Villain? Considering the sheer horribleness of some hero costumes, I'm surprised there isn't, but I want to double-check. WTH Costuming Department is sorta close, but that's more about movie adapations. Anyone know if there's a direct equivilant?

  • Is there a thing like Blame The Dog for when someone—say, The Monarch shoots a small object and hits Baron Ünderbheit in the head, then Baron Ünderbheit turns around and sees somebody leaning over a box of records and somehow thinks that person did it just because he's closest? I'm not really sure what to search for here.

  • I'm pretty sure there's already a trope for this, but can't manage to find it... A trope where The Rival comes with a plan of sending his Mooks to put the Love Interest in a (fake) distress situation, only for him to barge in, pretend to scare off the punks, and get admiration from the girl... Only for the Hero to arrive before him and steal all the glory from him. See the scene reference in this vid, between 3:12 and 8:07 (with the most important parts between 3:46 and 5:20, and 6:32 to 7:56). Thanks in advance for your help ! :)

  • Is there a trope for when someone loses a contest/trial/bet of some kind, but still emerges victorious in other way? A common example: The protagonist and his rival enter a contest in which the winner will be declared King. Obviously, the Queen is the girl both of them are fighting for. After much cheating and wackyness, the rival wins...but it turns out the girl is no longer the Queen, instead an ugly one occupies her place, while the "loser" gets to go out with the cute girl

  • Is there a trope aside from Gone Horribly Wrong for when the creation of something is made to go awry in a fashion that isn't catastrophic but still causes problems for what's created and those who have to deal with it? For example - Amaranth in Tales Of MU - an all-around good character, but has some glaring personality flaws due to someone tampering with her creation process to get what he thought he wanted her to be.

  • Just checking... is there a thing where the boss catches the employee doing something completely unrelated to work? May or may not result in firing.

  • We have a Suicide Attack trope, but it only seems to cover people literally strapping bombs to themselves and blowing themselves up. Do we have a trope for the common moves and techniques in RPG that sacrifice the user to hurt the enemy — the attacks Bombs in Final Fantasy or many pokemon in Pokemon use?

  • Is there a trope to cover resource nodes or resource points as they often appear in videogames? I can't find it. There are several variations on this — there are 'gold mine' style resource nodes that require constant active mining by resource units, as Warcraft gold mines; then there resource nodes that constantly provide power automatically as long as you hold them, like the monoliths in Sacrifice, the mana nodes in Master Of Magic, or gold mines in Heroes Of Might And Magic.

  • There's a crime drama trope I'm thinking of in which the teams on TV get extremely (and even sometimes necessarily) sophisticated gadgets and unlimited budgets in order to crack a case. This is usually because the audience responds better to cool high tech stuff than machines we use all the time. Examples are:

  • Standard plot a charectre is gong somewhere lets say for some sort of forign exchange program or somthing how or where doesn't matter but for some reason when they 'r there they fi nd people who are counterparts for EVERYONE they know

  • Is there a thing where, say, Alice And Bob are working together toward stopping a danger, but Alice's way means sacrificing Chris, and Bob says, "You can't do that!"—to which Alice says, "Stop me."
    • Then one of two things happens: 1. Bob realizes Alice's way is better for the common good and doesn't interfere. 2. Bob stops Alice.

  • Is there a trope for when a Sadist Teacher or boss or whoever gives a very hard assignment—to ONE person only? Everyone else either gets a bye, a significantly easier project, or the same project but is not punished for failing to finish it unlike the ONE person?

  • Is there a trope for when a horror or hard science fiction piece of media depicts a scary but plausible (but so far fictional) scenario - only for that exact event to occur not long after? Harsher In Hindsight doesn't quite seem to fit.

  • Looking for the trope where, for whatever reason, two good guys end up fighting each other. With no Face Heel Turn involved.

  • Looking for a trope where for no apparent reason, you never get to choose where exactly you're fighting in a video game. Like how Nitros drags you to Adok every time you fight him in Bomberman Hero, or you can't choose the stage during the storyline (and in the postgame) in Custom Robo.

  • Is there a trope for when you have Alice, Bob and their child Charlie, Charlie has does something with his car(or other), and his parents find out. Alice is pissed, but Bob wants to know more. Mostly a Dad/son trope, though there may be other examples. I have two examples in mind:
    • Harry and Ron have just flown the flying car to Hogwarts, Mrs. Weasley is pissed, but Mr. Weasley is exited, and wants to know how it went.
    • Peter has just driven his car really fast, and his mom gets a call about it. She's pissed, but his Dad wants to know "how the car handeled".
    • Never mind, I found it by accident. It's apparently called Do Wrong, Right. Sorry about that. X3

  • What is is called when a story starts to introduce a plot element, and you think that this is where the movie is headed, but the story just completly ignores it afterwards?

  • What is the trope in which romance occurs between two completely straight people...except one of them's actually the same gender but crossdressing. This is a classic case of a girl falling heads over heels over an incredibly good looking guy...only to find out later that said guy was actually a girl in a very good disguise. And yet somehow...she's still in love with the crossdresser.

  • What's it called when a Badass is in a situation in which most people would be scared, running for their lives, but he simply stands there, indifferent to anything dangerous that may be happening around him? Similar to Unflinching Walk

  • Okay, the trope I'm looking for goes something along the lines of "it's what you do with your life that matters, not how you're remembered after death". The two sources I'm thinking of are otherwise unrelated, but the messages are very similar...so I was hoping someone familiar with either source could help me here.
  • Do we have anything dealing with harmless electrocution? This happens in many things where a character can be shocked and take no damage, even after mains voltage or lightning strikes. Similar to Harmless Freezing I guess.

  • Is there a trope for when a sequel to the work has a different main cast than the original, but this entire new main cast consists of obvious Expies of the original cast? For some reason, I think this would mainly happen in Movies and Video Games, although there might be other cases.

  • Is there a trope for when someone time travels forward and leaves behind someone who thinks the time traveler is missing/dead? Like "I Meant To Call But..."?

  • Situation: Someone with a devoutly religious idea about something clashes with someone's explicitly scientific idea about the same thing, or in general when a religious person and a science-minded person clash. Is that just a type of Magic Vs Science, or is there another trope for that?
    • Does the non-scientific person have to be religious? If it can be just plain beliefs, you might be looking for Agent Mulder and Agent Scully.
      • Yes, a religion vs. science debate is exactly what I was going for. I'm sure this has happened in other shows, but an episode of The Big Bang Theory is my reference. Sheldon gets in an argument with Leonard and the others and moves back home with his devoutly religious mother; he obviously grates under this, and goes back to living with Leonard after an argument with his mother regarding evolution.

  • Maybe I'm lazy, but I can't even think of what to search for. What is it when you have, say, a small child playing happily with a balloon, then the balloon pops, and the last scene is the child pouting—point being, "Aww, (s)he's sad that's ADOWWABLE!"? Like, "Sad Cute" or something?

  • Alice and Bob go on a mission together. Bob betrays Alice and ends up dead. As there's no witnesses, Alice tells everyone he made a Heroic Sacrifice. I'd swear there was a trope for this but I don't remember it for the life of me.

  • Been looking for this for a bit: Is there a version of One Hour Work Week where the person WANTS/EXPECTS to do work (rather than running off and neglecting a job that somehow doesn't miss him/her) but somehow that person just is never given anything to do?

  • Is there a trope for insults and/or curses that don't really make sense, like "May you and your descendants be sterile to the fifth generation!"?

  • I see there's a YKTTW for "One Man's Trash..." Is there a reverse, "Another Man's Treasure"? For instance, the protagonist happens upon garbage by what means and a bystander (usually) sees it and MUST HAVE IT because it is so Awesome?

  • Is there something for when someone who is/has X is unclear on the concept of being/having X? Such as a blind person being written as tapping the ground with a stick (which is NOT how a blind person's stick works)? Or is that just Did Not Do The Research?

  • Is there a thing for when one element of a work, such as the title, generates enough hype around a project to make it better than it might have been—even to the point of soliciting (/stealing) fan content? Examples: Snakes On A Plane, Dudebro: My Shit Is Fucked Up So I Have To Shoot/Stab You II: It's Straight Up Dawg Time?
    • though, I guess in the latter case, the title (a joke) made it project-worthy?

  • Not exactly lost, but is there a difference between Magical Gesture and the habit of ALL Magic requiring Magical Gestures?

  • Characters are in a parlor, formal dining room, or such. We know there is an awkward silence among them because we can hear a clock ticking somewhere in the room. What is that trope?
    • Chirping Crickets might fit your criteria.
      • Chirping crickets is too specific; it's to show that someone who has spoken is expecting an enthusiastic reply but receiving only silence. And it's usually for comic effect. The ticking clock means that no one is speaking, either because they uncomfortable with each other or because they are just too stuffy to engage in chit-chat. The example I just saw was in Desperate Housewives where Bree and her husband were eating at opposite ends of the table in their fancy dinning room. The softly ticking clock you can clearly hear means that there is tension between them and both are reluctant to begin speaking.

  • Is there a trope to describe a show or series that takes place in the same universe as another, but is not directly related to it? For example, the anime Angel Links takes place in the same acknowledged universe as Outlaw Star. Same with all of the Star Trek series in general. Star Trek Voyager is still in the same universe as Enterprise and The Original Series, but is not related to either of them. It's not a spinoff either.

  • Is there a trope where a major plot point will happen and some object of significance shatters/breaks? Let's say a character dies and all of a sudden, 40 miles away, a love interest's necklace will shatter the second the character dies

  • Is there a trope in which an attacker is defeated because he wasted all his energy trying to pummel an unbreakable opponent? Imagine if a thug were to try Shooting Superman, keep firing until all his bullets are out, pull out a knife and break it onto Superman's chest, and then as a last ditch resort attempt to keep pummelling Superman in the face until he collapses from exhaustion. It sounds like a Curb Stomp Battle, except in this instance all Superman had to do was just stand there and let the thug wear himself out without even lifting a finger.
    • So basically, Shooting Superman mixed with Overly Long Gag?
    • Not really. I'm looking more for the guy who wears himself out and essentially gets defeated all on his own with his opponent not needing to do anything.

  • Is there a trope for the fact that saying the name of a real person is almost a taboo on T.V shows?

  • Do we have a trope where, instead of flashback credits, new footage is used to show actors doing something they love, looking at the camera and having their name show up(think: family matters, full house)?

  • Do we have a trope for that thing that reality tv hosts do where they build up suspense based around a specific event, fakes a near reveal, and cuts to commercial?
  • What's the trope when people constantly refer to something as "IT" or another similarly mysterious and unhelpful appellation?

  • An amazing inquiry: I remember reading TV Tropes about almost defining diction, and an introduction identical to this stupendous sentence. Is it perhaps possible to track and aquire this thoughtful, exquisite entry?

  • A Virtual Ghost has a malicious/evil side that operates unconsciously. Ren/Invy/Revaia-san Leviathan in Baldr Force EXE Resolution would be an example. Would this qualify as Malus Ex Machina? I get the feeling that generally involves people with actual bodies, but the aforementioned example doesn't have one (at least not anymore). Perhaps just Virtual Ghost is sufficient? But that doesn't emphasize the malicious aspect.

  • Do we have a trope covering a person being hit so hard or experiencing so much violence that they are said to have lost something intangible, like having the taste slapped out of one's mouth, or in And Another Thing Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged is hit so hard by Thor's hammer that he has the immortality knocked out of him?

  • Do we have a trope for a hilarious failure of a battlecry? Examples: Nijel the Destroyer in Sourcery enters battle with, "Erm, excuse me..." while Piffany has been known to use, "NAUGHTY! NAUGHTY! NAUGHTY!"

  • I am positive we have, or had, this, but I can't find it again. If a story's set in the future, and a character is listing famous people in a certain subject area, they'll have two fictional names and one real, generally modern, one. Like, "The greatest physicists of all time! G'hrobian, Llewlynhar5, and Einstein!"

  • My Trope searching skills certainly needs some work since I know we must have this trope but I just can't find it anywhere. What's the trope in which a movie begins either by showing an open book and having a mysterious voice read the story to us or by showing a scene in which a parent figure is reading a story to a young child. The story will always be the same story that the movie is based off of and if the story is being read to a young child, that child will always grow up to live through the story himself or herself.

  • Is there a trope for the male half of a love duo hiding from his lover's significant other (usually by sneaking out the window and hanging out on the ledge, but also often in the closet)?

  • Do we have a trope for when a person is sleeping, but stirs when something happens, say, a person sneaking past makes a noise, only go back to sleep while murmering something that's usually nonsensical or unintelligible? Not a Non Sequitur Thud per say since the person isn't really injured, just semi-awakened. A common phrase uttered would be something like, "I don't wanna get up mom..." This Troper can't think of any pertinent examples right now but has seen it a million times.
    • Happens in the Disney Robin Hood, when Robin Hood and whoever accompanies him try to get past the sleeping guard. I haven't seen that trope here, but if it doesn't exist, it definitely should.

  • I was told to ask if there was a trope specifically about SpecialAttacks using kanji/Chinese characters. Should We Have This?

  • I've been searching for a trope specifically about using As Long As It Sounds Foreign for flagrant comedic effect by using a Word Salad of more common words in a language obviously used incorrectly. Like this. Anything?

  • I thought I'd find this on Law & Order but no luck. What do you call it when you've got a Ripped From The Headlines type moral grey issue that becomes the crux of a law drama, you flail around with it for a bit — then sidestep it completely by revealing the culprit was someone else who actually did it for petty personal motives?

  • This is quite specific, and should be around Sound FX...except I could not find it there. When you have a movie with small characters like mice or bugs, sound behaves just a bit differently then it should. Characters often have normal voices (their size wouldn't allow it) and if they yell in a cardboard tube it echoes, while yelling in a living room doesn't do the same. Being a small creature in a human would seems to evoke a new type of laws regarding how sound is perceived (and sometimes, generated).
    • This is mentioned briefly in the examples section of Lilliputians, but we don't have a trope for it precisely.

  • What trope is used to apply to unsupported character traits like Faux Action Girl when used to describe anything else?

  • What's the trope for where a bit character tries to get Character Development but is specifically denied that by the main characters? Happened in Waynes World with the guy played by Al Bundy, and happens here in Sluggy Freelance.

  • Do we have that thing where, after eating at a restaurant, characters don't have the money to pay their food and thus have to do chores to make up for it?

  • Is there a trope for band nerd/geeks? Not "Five Man Band", or any of that- they have their instruments (which they like to play), they've been to band camp (or have they...?) they have friends who are also band geeks, etc. Not a rock band, though- but like a school band or something...?
    • Ooo, Nerdcore?
      • Not exactly, but thank you though. I'm thinking more about being a "band geek", but there is not "band geek" trope. I think maybe I'm going to add it to YKTTW...

  • There is most definitely a trope for opening songs and musical numbers...right?

  • What is the trope called for a writer civil war? When there are multiple writers/designers working on a product who have a different vision or interpretation, and it begins to show in the material? I saw a small example of this in the Tales of Monkey Island games (the Chapter 2 writer stretches to give a pyrite parrot back to Guybrush at his part's end, but the Chapter 3 writer ingloriously removes it at his part's beginning), but I imagine it would appear in other episodic works (e.g. a comic book series that assigns a different author to each issue). If nothing else, you'll find cases in the Wikis.

  • When a characters calls someone, about half of the time they get directed straight to the answering machine, unlike in real life where you need to wait for four or five beeps or whatever. Surely we must have this?

  • Is there one for when a new character joins an established group, but is ignored, disrespected, or otherwise treated badly (it may just be passive-aggressive if the new guy is a superior) for an episode or two, until one day they do something very awesome and the group accepts them?

  • This troper has been watching Babylon 5, and has noticed that boarding calls for passengers come at very convenient points in conversation, usually followed by the words of the departing character, "well, that's me." Is this a trope? Should it be?

  • What would describe that one essential piece of work that anyone should know on any given subject? Examples are:
    • If you like video games, you HAVE to know who Mario is.
    • If you like movies, you HAVE to know about Citizen Kane.
    • If you like cartoons, you HAVE to know who Mickey Mouse is.
    • Anime fan? You HAVE to know who Ozamu Tezuka is.

  • Is there a thing about not-quite-exemplary heroes? Like, The Flash in the live-action show would stop a shoot-out but then steal and eat a whole turkey that was there? Or is that kind of acceptable payment for services rendered? ;p

  • Two enemies meet somewhere where neither can really afford to fight it out right now, so they have to pretend to be cordial to each other. As a result, their entire seemingly polite conversation is actually thinly veiled threats and insults. The clearest example I can think of right now is West and Loveless' snarky pun war in the Wild Wild West movie. Sound familiar?

  • Is there a trope where there's a video game or other where "NO ONE HAS EVER GOTTEN PAST LEVEL 2!!!1!"? Because, you know, that means for all you know there isn't a level 3 at all because no one has managed to playtest it?

  • What's that tropes where the one installment of a series is the 'odd one out' compared to the others?

  • Is there a trope for a character who is unusually ignorant of pop culture that would be common knowledge to everybody else? If said character was a foreigner or born beyond that era then it'd be understandable, but I'm talking about someone who should have at least a passing knowledge of something that's extremely common. For instance, imagine someone saying in this day and age they've never heard of the Beatles or Elvis Presley even though said person is old enough to know and lives in America. Dr. Brennan from Bones is a great example, at least in the first couple of seasons.
    • Ooo, or when The Brain misses the question in Final Jeopardy because he thinks trivia about television isn't useful knowledge?
    • Raised By Wolves (With a side of Literal Minded in Dr. Brennan's case).

  • Is there a trope for something that can have more than one meaning depending on which way you look at it?
    • Can you be a bit more specific? We've got stuff like Alternate Character Interpretation for audience reactions, and stuff like No Man Of Woman Born for in-story reasoning.
    • I mean a subject/story that can be interpreted lots of different ways, like a song that could be interpreted as either a devoted love song or a creepy Obsession Song where the narrator plans on kidnapping his object of affection and forcing her to stay with him forever- basically, whatever is being interpreted could be seen in a different light because of one word or one line.

  • Is there a trope for a character who is talked about but never seen?

  • A trope for fanbases or subgroups of fanbases that tend to be really devoted to (read: insane) about the work/s in question?
    • Fan Dumb?
    • That's part of it, yeah. There's another related trope (the title of which I can't remember) which had a lot of examples where fans went rabid and attacked people who said one vaguely criticizing thing about the creator/work. Anyone have any ideas what that could be?

  • Is there a trope for Wiki Wandering where the part that consumes so much time is writing articles for the redlinks... which you discover contain other redlinks... which you want to fill in just to be tidy... and, hey, it's three in the morning now...

  • I'm trying to find a trope for when a work (usually a written work) tells the audience to go check something out, adding "Go ahead, I'll wait." Then usually the next sentence is "You're back? Okay, good," before continuing.

  • What kind of a trope pastes a nationality onto a kind of food, even though said nation has never actually heard of it? Examples are:
    • London broil. Nobody in London's heard of it.
    • French fries, which aren't really French.
    • Mongolian BBQ, which actually never originated in Mongolia at all.
    • Brussel sprouts, which have very little to do with the town of Brussels.
  • For that matter, would there be a trope that debunks the popular perception of some foods? Like...
    • Fortune cookies. They're not Chinese, and I guarentee you that if you went to Beijing and asked for one, you'd get a very confused look.
    • Pepperoni pizza. You'll never find it in Italy, and the cook will kick your ass if you ask for it.
    • Same with spaghetti and meat sauce. Ask for this in Italy and you'd be considered insane.

  • Is there a trope where there's an oppressive ruler that is hated by his own people and is subject for rebellion...only to discover that whatever oppression he had subjugated against his own people was actually for their own good?

  • What nostalgia trope involves someone exaggerating the feats he did when he was younger? You've heard the speech: "Cars? PAH! Back in my days we walked fifty miles a day just to get to school! In the snow! With no shoes! And the clothes on our back! And we liked it!"

  • Do we have a back injury trope? Any comedy that runs long enough seems to feature an episode where a main character throws out his/her back and hijinks ensue. Off the top of my head, it left Miranda wanting a Modesty Towel on Sex And The City, Will and Philip being accidentally arrested on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and Elaine trapped under a stinky mattress on Seinfeld.

  • Is their a mortality ball trope? Related to idiot ball this is when a character with normally good survival instincts suddenly gets himself killed in a totally avoidable way.
    • Maybe a character with a trait that scores low in the Sorting Algorithm Of Mortality? Like Death By Pragmatism?
    • Close, but I'm thinking of a certain example, in x-men origins wolverine, the teleporting character tries to fight a regenrating guy with sharp fingernails and a long history of killing when he could have just wallked away. the result is predictable.

  • Is there a trope for a dictator (in the good sense)?

  • I could have sworn we had an article about the common way of depicting loss of a life in 2D platformers like oldschool Super Mario Brothers or Sonic The Hedgehog, where the character jumps into the air and then falls off the bottom of the screen, possibly turning towards the camera and making a pained expression as they fall.

  • Is there a trope for the common comedy situation in which schools (nearly always American public schools), due to apathy or lack of funding, have exaggeratedly outdated textbooks and audiovisual materials? It's particularly common on The Simpsons, where for example Lisa's class views a black-and-white film that promises "someday man will go the moon." There are also examples from Family Guy and Mad Magazine.

  • Is there one for when a villain is well beyond capable of decimating an entire area, but he refuses to do so, instead facing the hero in one-on-one combat, as opposed to baking the area the hero is in and saving himself some trouble? This slapped me in the face so hard when watching Ben 10 Alien Force's Vengeance of Vilgax I nearly fell out of my chair. Vilgax openly admits that he's capable of destroying Earth. What's stopping him? Legal procedure. He's legally bound to face the planet's ultimate warrior before he's considered the proper owner of the planet. In this case, the eponymous hero, Ben. If Ben doesn't show it's his legal right to blow up the entire planet. Corollary: Do we have Starfish Alien Laws?

  • Looking for a trope where Bob is trying to intimidate Alice and she runs away. Bob taunts her for running, turns around and sees what really scared Alice away (like a big monster or Batman). The taunting part might be optional.

  • Is there a music trope for when another member of the band sings a song instead of the lead singer?

  • Is there a trope for when someone or something does a fall or descent that is really extreme? The fall or descent is physical.

  • Looking for a dialogue trope: Alice and Bob are engaged in rapid-fire argument, and Bob has just made an unanswerable point. Alice raises one hand, index finger extended, opens her mouth to deliver a devastating comeback... and freezes up as she realises that no retort is forthcoming. A beat later, she will mutter "... good point" or similar, conceding the argument. For bonus points, Alice may remain frozen for several moments, staring at the space Bob used to inhabit, while he rushes off to implement his plan. Typically used when arguing about what to do / whose fault the situation is, but may also occur with Volleying Insults. Not an example of Lame Comeback, because there is no comeback at all.

  • Is there a trope for when a hero continuously cannot bring themselves to kill/imprison a villain or nemesis because they are responsible for a major tragedy in the villain's life, perhaps even leading to their current evilness, and the guilt is overwhelming?

  • A trope for when someone decides to do something unusual, simply because they can.

  • I don't know exactly what kind of Theme Tune shows such as Quack Pack has. The second half repeats "Quack Pack" over and over, that's obviously Title Theme Tune, but I don't know about the first half. Here are the lyrics:
    ''I feel like quacking so I think I will! I'm gonna quack, quack, quack, until I catch my thrill...Got the quacking fever, got the quacking craze..."
  • It sounds like Do It Yourself Theme Tune, but it's not clear if someone from the show is singing it...Do we have a variation of the Theme Tune like this? Also, what about a title tune sung from the point of view of a clear outsider, who is commenting on the qualities of the protagonists?
    • The first part: Title Drop, perhaps?
    • I made a mistake, I meant I didnt know about the first half, the second half is already identified. Sorry.
  • Is there a trope for a situation like this: The Hero and his group have to formulate a plan for do something, and they go with the craziest option- not because it's the simplest/easiest plan using the stuff they have, or because they have no other option- simply because they can?

  • When The Lancer is seen hanging around with the bad guys? Not turning evil temporarily; just chillin' with them on a party or something like that.

  • Is there a trope for when a character says they can't date another character because they're gay (or some other excuse) but it's a lie?

  • Do we have a trope for the fact that on television and in movies, people only seem to choke in very expensive restaurants? Examples include Mrs. Doubtfire and the Malcolm in the Middle Episode 'Vegas'.

  • Soft Underbelly. I see it mentioned on the For Massive Damage page, but it doesn't seem to actually exist.

  • The trope that means "You're not X, are you?". for examples, a deleted scene from Star Trek has Kirk apologizing to an Orion, then realizes that it's not Gaila.

  • Do we have a trope that covers supernaturally fast undead, particularly ghosts and spirits? I saw it a lot in the remakes of Thirteen Ghosts and The House On Haunted Hill, as well as the headshaking demons in Jacob's Ladder. I'm hoping to differentiate in-universe examples of the Shock Trailer effect from actual shock trailers.

  • Is there a trope for a hippie played straight, as in one who is going the whole way with free love and everything the lifestyle entails and isn't doing it because it's trendy or isn't hopelessly out of place.
    • I guess it'd fall under Blithe Spirit, but the answer is no, we don't have any true hippie tropes.

  • Is there a trope for when an apparent good guy is actually bad, and right before they set their final dastardly scheme in motion, they start having second thoughts, and right before they decide that it's not worth it, the Old Wise Man tells them that they must betray the group/kill Character X/be bad anyway, because that is what will make everything else work out in the long run? If there isn't, I'm thinking of making one called Humor Me Judas, based, of course, on this happening between Judas and Jesus in the Bible. The only other example I can think off the top of my head is in the seventh Harry Potter book, but it's a spoiler, so I can't put it down - the page won't recognize it.

  • I'm looking for the trope about a couple in which the man is very sexually experienced and the woman is very sexually inexperienced. When the man who is not a virgin starts dating the woman who is not a slut, there should be a trope for the two of them together, right? The examples on My Girl Is Not A Slut have gotten vague enough I could probably get away with adding these examples there, but I don't think it fits the original idea for that trope. If this trope doesn't exist yet, maybe adding it could help clean up the My Girl Is Not A Slut examples.

  • Is there a trope for the general (very common) plot point involving a character taking one for the team and having sex with someone they really/probably don't want to have sex with for the sake of the mission/team/whatever? As in the "spy shagging the enemy" situation. I suppose it could be too general, but figured there is no harm in asking.

  • I'm looking for a trope where a character finds out something about themself- they're the child of the Big Bad, their love interest is their sibling, they've accidentally destroyed something extremely important- and because of this, they feel that they do not deserve to live and decide to kill themself. Alternatively, after defeating the Big Bad/ destroying the artifact/ completing the quest, the character decides that since they have nothing else to live for, they may as well commit suicide.

  • Is there a trope for an occasion when a character finally finds out what they need to know/should have known for years?

  • The trope that means "The actor actually died in the making of this film", I.E. the scene where the actor was shot with actual guns.

  • A method for creating fictional names that involves combining two appropriate real life names. Example: One Numb3rs episode revolving around comic books had a legendary artist named Ross Moore, a combination of Alex ROSS and Alan MOORE.
    • We list those under Shout Out, but it might be prominent enough for its own trope.

  • Is there a trope name for when a hero asks how long a villain will do something, example hold someone prisoner, and the villain goes over their schedule in seemingly cooperation, and says never anyway?

  • What's that particular sort of Contrived Coincidence called where the two sides of the Masquerade tend to accumulate at some single muggle location? Or, in less abstract terms, if a magical girl or Sentai squad attends a given school, you can bet that the superpowered antagonists are also their classmates?

  • Is there a trope covering someone offering a gift to another for perfectly genuine and benevolent reasons, but Hilarity Ensues because the giver's idea of a suitable gift for the occasion is very different from that of the recipient? Related to Blue And Orange Morality (the likeliest cause of said Hilarity). One example that I can think of is Jack Skellington's idea of suitable Christmas gifts in Nightmare Before Christmas including such things as severed heads, carnivorous toys, etc.
    • Could be an in-universe example of Values Dissonance, maybe. Is there a trope for bad gifts in general? I'd be surprised if not.

  • What trope does someone being drugged (specifically, being slipped a sleeping pill/etc) fall under? It crops up in Sherlock Holmes (the new film), but I'm not sure if there's a trope for it or not...

  • There must be a trope that deals with different groups that each have their own, distinct speciality? I want to use this for the Avatar film entry, with the different clans (horse clan of the plans, banshee clan of the coast, Jake's clan which has both horses and banshees). This is sort of similar to captain planet, where each character has their own distinct power.

  • I've seen this one a Million Times. our Nakama or Five Man Band are reaching the climax heading to the final destination when they each run in to one of the bad guys or some obstical usually in the form of anotehr opponent leaving one or two people to face the Big Bad or turn off the machine or whatever

  • I had a Mistaken For Monster / Crazy Costume Confusion YKTTW and now I cannot locate it. Can anyone help me out?
    • What was it called? If we knew that, we could look through the launch list and see if it was either launched or discarded; otherwise, look for it in the YKTTW search engine, at the top of the YKTTW screen. There is a trope called Mistaken for Monster, but I don't think that's what you're looking for. (In the future, you can flag any YKTTW you want to keep tabs on by clicking the little yellow flag in the top right-hand corner and then "List flagged only.")
      • That was the one, thanks. Thanks for the flag tip too.

  • Is there a trope for cases in which something which was previously present in subtext is brought into the foreground and made explicit? Relationship Text Upgrade is a common subtype of this, but it sometimes happens in non-romantic contexts as well. An example which comes to mind is in the Battlestar Galactica episode "Unifinshed Business", in which various character conflicts are foregrounded when the characters enter the boxing ring. There's a moment in a Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode in which Giles describes this, saying "I think the subtext here is rapidly becoming... text."

  • Looking for any tropes related to be people behaving differently when their identity is disguised, e.g wearing a mask or anonymously talking to some one on the internet. They may become a diffrent person when they think they can get away with things.
    • We have a few tropes that fit the bill. You have Becoming The Mask for when the alter ego becomes the true identity, Secret Identity Identity for the resulting freakout, Double Consciousness for when the two IDs react differently, Split Personality for when the identities really are completely separate, and A Darker Me for the RL phenomenon of people on the internet trying to be cooler than they are in reality (related to GIFT).
    • Thanks for the lookup I also started a related topic here

  • I'm thinking of a trope that I like to think of as Marketing Roleplaying Failure. Like how the card game that is played in Yu-Gi-Oh! is pretty much the game that exists in real life... except it's called Yu-Gi-Oh! and has (had) Yugi all over the packaging. Or when 7 Elevens were decorated to look like Kwik-E-Marts... except why would the Simpsons be painted on the side of the Kwik-E-Mart?

  • Is there a trope for when people appear on a TV show (or any other work) independently of each other and then appear on another show to work together in completely different circumstances? I was specifically thinking about how Adam, Jamie, and Grant all appeared on Robot Wars and now are working together on Myth Busters.

  • A fictional character has a product in Real Life that has absolutely nothing to do with it/him/her in-universe. For instance, Donald Duck Orange Juice. Is there a trope for this?
    • This seems to be Celebrity Endorsement, but I think you have a point in ad companies using fictional characters (largely cartoon ones) to promote their products, like Flintstones vitamin pills or (in-show) Krusty the Clown's various products, like the Krusty Pregnancy Test. Fictional Celebrity Endorsement?
      • It sounds like it could indeed lead to the creation of Fictional Celebrity Endorsement if something similar doesn't exist already...Celebrity Endorsement has a Krusty quote on on it, but that's the only mention of a fictional character promoting a product in the entire page.

  • In videogames, the bodies of defeated enemies often just disappear in a puff of smoke, without a trace as if they had never existed (i.e. they do not leave cadavers behind). Is this a trope?

  • Is there a "Rule Of Convenience"? Something is the way it is not because it's cool or fun, just easier for both the creator and audience, e.g. the Door To Before

  • it came ot my mind when i was reflecting on a film i was watching. this is an audience reaction trope osmthing along the lines of the mantallity that a films budget the use of big names and place n the box office = quality often when these big films get h yped up it leads to Hype Aversion but i'm wondering if we have anythng for the mantallity that leads to that

  • Not long ago, I found a page that had section of various memetic Say My Names. Would anyone know what article this would be? I know the page exists, and it had a drop-down section that was entirely characters shouting names, with the names linking to the source's article. It was otherwise just like any other list of examples.

  • The trope where someone sarcastically says something to the effect of "I know there's no one there" and sometimes seeks the person out anyway while continuing to say that.

  • What do we call it when a character is trying to intimidate someone/thing, the target runs away and the character thinks it's because of them, but it's actually because of the much scarier thing behind him? Cue Oh Crap moment. Checked that trope, and doesn't seem to cover this. I refuse to believe that something this common isn't already on this wiki somewhere.
    • Said it before and i'll say it again Always A Bigger Fish
      • Nearly, but not quite. None of the examples have the "I caused him to run away. (turns) Crap, no I didn't" element that I'm thinking of.
    • I don't think we have yours. YKTTW it.

  • What's the trope for when something incredibly awesome and/or expensive to show happens just off screen, sometimes with a lampshade hanging by the characters?

  • Is there a trope for someone whose true form is so mindboggling that it can't be conceived of or seen by humans, so they have to take on an avatar or hide themselves? (Examples: God in the Bible, Cthulhu?)

  • Is there a trope for when writers over-elaborate originally trivial details/characters/objects in order to broaden/deepen the story?

  • Is there a trope for the normal soundtrack being interrupted in favor of a song during a dramatic moment? For example this video (WARNING, The OC spoilers!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3umNk9nVxbQ

  • Do we have that thing where a character experiences something so many times he becomes to loath it, probably even going insane? Like in Groundhog Day Loop plots.

  • Is there a trope for a work about Funny Animals with many types of species, where no one has apparently EVER cross-bred a species until the generation we happen to be watching, but suddenly pairs from different species start dating or falling in love (and you wonder how their children will turn out)? Examples I can think of: Better Days, Arthur, Jack, DMFA and most other furry works.
    • No Biochemical Barriers mixed with Gender Equals Breed.
    • I agree that we should have this, probably for every example (furries might be quite prominent but the trope should be more inclusive) where biologically compatible species (technically the same species) live next to each other without their separation vanishing over time. No Geographical Barrier might be a good title (to match No Biochemical Barriers, and because the reason for this in nature is usually because the two groups are separated). It should be noted that this can be justified: if the mating habits differ sufficiently, or if differences in size etc. make mating difficult, then this occurs in nature. There is a cricket which occurs in genetically identical groups with different tunes. They will only choose to breed witht he same song type. Fantasy/scifi stories where humans can mate with everyone might be a good example of other fiction where this trope is in effect.

  • Is there a trope name for the delayed fear that comes after passing, say, a room, and realizing that something unpleasant was staring out at you? The two examples I have are from F.E.A.R. with Alma and the move Sunshine with the dimly lit corridor scene with Pinbacker at the end.

  • What's the trope for when a man prevents some other guy from taking advantage of a random girl on the street by pretending to be their boyfriend or such?

  • Is there a trope for when someone is doing something nefarious and using peoples' ignorance to cover it up- like, if someone was using a group of people to build weaponry, but telling them it was machinery to help people because they didn't have a clue what they were building?
    • Xanatos Sucker touches on it, but from the perspective of, well, the suckers.

  • What trope describes a situation in which a character is unable to honestly critique a piece of work presented in front of him because to do so would label him the Jerk Ass of the year? Examples include:
    • Holy crap that painting is horrible...but the painter is mentally handicapped and very sensitive, so it's ok.
    • Oh gawd that singing is making your ears bleed...but the singer's only 5 years old so you really can't say anything about it.
    • Good lord that stew could kill a horse...but it's your grandma's stew so shut up and eat it.
    • Jeez Louise that's the worst dancing you've ever seen in your life...but the dancer's a terminally ill cancer patient so please don't ruin the dream.
  • If it doesn't exist, we should YKTTW as Grin And Bear It

  • Is there a Trope for when someone wants to 'release "God" (or who they see as "God") from their mortal form- even if that means killing them? I tries seaching "Release God from Mortal Form", and other variations, but... All This Troper got was a bunch of things about Mortal Kombat.
    • Sounds related to Sealed Evil In A Can and Sealed Good In A Can
      • It kind of is... except the sealed being isn't neccesarily 'good' or 'evil', and they're not always sealed. Maybe they're being channled, and to "release" them the person channeling them must die, or they are "sealed", and whatever is sealing them must die. Something like that, anyway.
      • Look under Dogma. It sounds like you're describing what happened to God in that movie. The trope you're thinking of should be in there somewhere. If it isn't, it probably doesn't exist.
      • Thanks. Apparently there isn't actually a trope for this.

  • Is there a trope for when a character is taller than the other characters in one episode/whatever, and shorter than the others in another? Your Size May Vary is similar, but that's only for characters who are always tall or always short.

  • Is there a trope for a construction level in a video game? Seen It A Million Times.

  • In episodes 78 and 79 of Red Vs Blue, a character in the military calls "dibs" on a crashed spaceship against protests from the opposing soldiers. When an officer shows up to find out what happened, he laments that "Everybody knows about the International Dibs Protocol!" That made me think: do we have a trope listed where a childhood interaction like "dibs" or a "pinkie swear" or "no take backs" is given official status by the government or military?

  • Do we have a trope for when a character thoroughly underestimates his enemies, and this work to the enemies' advantage? Not Obfuscating Stupidity, because it's not the enemies feigning to be stupid, but just the character underestimating them. Exemplified by this quote, from Mirror's Edge (villain name censored to avoid spoilers):
    Faith: [Villain]? But you couldn't...
    Villain: Now, attitudes like that... That's precisely why I could.

  • Is there a trope for when someone does something good, but for a bad reason? Like, for example, a girl who breaks up her best friend and her best friend's boyfriend, since the boyfriend's cheating, but her real reason is because she wants to get with the boyfriend?

  • Is there a trope for characters that are dangerous not for the obvious reasons but for the ones that are often overlooked? For example, Dolph Lundgren is a large, incredibly strong person and he's trained in karate, fencing and boxing but the real reason why you shouldn't piss him off is because he's a genius, having been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. Another example would have been Batman. Batman is well known for being very strong, very well trained and having incredible resources. However, what actually makes Batman dangerous is that he's Crazy Prepared. I say that Batman would have been an example but now, everyone knows that being crazy prepared is what makes Batman dangerous.

  • Is there a trope that's basically the opposite of It Never Gets Any Easier? Meaning, one character who's new to an awesome job asks another who's been in it longer "Do you ever get used to it?" and the veteran says with a grin, "No, never."

  • What's that thing in anime where one male character joins his fists together with the indexes out and rams them into another male's butt? Seen in Naruto, Full Metal Alchemist...
    • It's a Japanese practical joke called kancho; Ass Shove is the trope you're looking for in this case.

  • A group of people are talking and someone brings up a certain topic. They say what they want to say, and then they expect the subject to be dropped or changed. But the others won't let it happen. They keep asking questions and bringing up the topic again- and if the person who brought it up complains, they say something like 'Well, you brought it up...' is there a trope for that?

  • So you have a character that, for some reason or another, doesn't talk at all or is too stupid to say anything of value. But then, at the climax of the story, said character suddenly breaks in an intelligent monologue that is so out of character that the rest of the cast is agape. Then, after he delivers his speech, he resumes his either silent or stupid persona for the rest of the show as if nothing extrodinary happened. What trope am I thinking of?
    • Interestingly enough while the idea seems to be mentioned alot in tropes like The Voiceless, Silent Bob and The Quiet One, the actual trope on its own doesn't appear to in fact have its own page. Possibly you just read one of these and noted the point you mention above. Certainly all examples would be covered by these pages. Could be split off.

  • Is there a trope where doing too much of something decreases the impact of the situation? Examples include:
  • Is there a Trope for this situation? The Hero or someone of similar value is in a hot chase against The Big Bad, or maybe he's running out of there before the bomb explodes, or maybe he wants to make a cool entrance. What does he do? Everything BUT take the stepladders placed in front of him, of course! They just, epicly jump over them. I.E. Judge Dredd in The Movie, Maka in the Anime, etc.

  • Is there a trope for those situations where destroying control panels (not the power source, just the control panels) shuts down the related systems? For example, a character prevents the firing of an orbital laser by shooting up a specific computer terminal.
    • Sounds like Computer Equals Monitor: "The practical upshot of this is that to destroy the computer, and any data stored on it, you only need to destroy the monitor, and if you're lucky you only need to shoot it. " Possibly also Explosive Instrumentation ("...there are no such things as fuses or circuit breakers, and every control panel, sensor, and shield has C4 built into it.") (Also, put new qustions at the top. Thanks.)
    • Destruction Equals Off Switch.

  • Vree: Do we have a trope for a Love Triangle where the hero is lusting after the Popular Girl but ends up with the plain girl (usually the female friend) in the end instead? Friend Or Idol Decision seems to be this but means something else.
    • First Girl Wins? Victorious Childhood Friend?
      • No, I mean that there is a female who is working with for some cause ()maybe even for getting the other girl but who she does not consider a love interest because she's less pretty. In the end usually she could get the idol girl, but he goes for the plain friend instead. They might not have known each other before.
      • Sounds a bit like Betty and Veronica

  • Is there a trope for this? The hero enters a fight using a special weapon/ability that has limited power only to face an opponent that has the same or comparable weapon/ability. Because the opponent is typically more experienced fighting that way, they take the advantage, so the hero eventually uses up all the power of his weapon/ability in one shot forcing the opponent to counter with all of his own power, leaving the two of them to decide the fight with a straight beatdown instead, usually giving the advantage back to the hero.
    • I don't think that happens often enough to be a trope...

  • What's that damned trope called when an ad or commercial convientely comes along to further the plot? I just saw a perfect example of it...

  • Is there a trope for actors playing the roles of one of their own close relatives? For instance, the role of Waylon Jennings in Walk The Line was played by his son, Shooter.

  • Is there a trope for this? A character, usually a student, doesn't know something that should have been taught in the class. I had to watch The Emperor's Club in one of my classes last week, and here's what happened in the movie:
    • Three students were in the finals of an academic competition, one that revolved around Greek and Roman history. The teacher/moderator suspects one of the 2 remaining students of cheating, so he asks a question that only the other student would get, because he had done outside reading. The question was "Who was Hamilcar Barca?" Why the crap would that not be in the basic curriculum? Hamilcar was Hannibal's father, and he was quite important on his own.

  • I'm searching through music tropes, but I'm having a hard time finding one that specifically covers music (from Video Games in particular) that is deliberately invoked to play along with the theme and emotions the current stage or area is trying to convey. I found Standard Snippet, but this is more about cartoons and doesn't quite cover what I'm looking for. Soundtrack Dissonance covers scenes where usually the very opposite of what you'd expect from a scene is played, like something cheery during a violently bloody scene full of killing dozens of people. I'm looking for the opposite of that, where a violently bloody scene full of killing dozens of people is accompanied by music that enforces the feelings.

  • There was a trope for when people preface their examples with something like "Literary example:" or "Inversion:" or things like that? I remember there being an article making fun of that, but I can't remember what it was called and I can't find it via search. It had a title having to do with robots or something (comparing it to Robo Speak, I guess). Can anybody remember what it was called?
    • Never mind, I found it— it was a subset of Word Cruft.

  • Do we have a trope to describe when a character's personal items, such as Yoko's Skull Hairpin, or Heihachi's ghost doll change to reflect the current mood and emotions of the wearer? Often times you will see it giving an expression that the user itself is currently emoting. I tried searching but I can't find the proper words to search for. I think I've seen something like this before though.

  • Do we have a trope like Stage Mom, but for sports? You know, like a Soccer Mom?
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