Narrative Devices - Television Tropes & Idioms

Narrative Devices move the story forward or organize a scene or sequence.

Tropes

Accidental Bid
Action Prologue
Adults Are Useless
- There Are No Adults
Affair Hair
Air Vent Escape
Amnesiac Dissonance
Amulet Of Concentrated Awesome
Amulet Of Dependency
And Now You Know The Rest Of The Story
Androcles Lion
And Then I Said
And Your Little Dog Too
Apocalypse Not
The Apple Falls Far
Apple Of Discord
Arc Welding
Arc Words
Are You My Mummy
Arranged Marriage
As The Good Book Says
Attending Your Own Funeral
Authentication By Newspaper
Author Stand In
Avengers Assemble
Awesome Moment Of Crowning
Awful Truth
Backstab Backfire
Bat Deduction
Bathroom Stall Graffiti
Battle Royale With Cheese
Bavarian Fire Drill
Bed Trick
Bedsheet Ladder
Belly Of The Whale
Best For Last
Better To Die Than Be Killed
Big Dumb Object
Blackmail
Blessed With Suck
Blitz Evacuees
Big Brother Is Employing You
Big Brother Is Watching
Body Count Competition
Bolivian Army Cliffhanger
Bosom Buddies
Bothering By The Book
Bound And Gagged
A Boy And His X
Boxing Lesson
Boy Meets Girl
Breaking The Fourth Wall
Briar Patching
Brown Note
Burn The Witch
Butterfly Of Doom
Call Forward
Call On Me
Cant Stay Normal
Cardboard Prison
Carrying A Cake
Cassandra Truth
Celebrity Star
Cell Phone
Chain Of Deals
Chair Reveal
Chariot Race
A Chat With Satan
Cheating With The Milkman
Childhood Memory Demolition Team
Clark Kenting
Class Trip
Cliff Hanger
- What Cliffhanger
The Climax
Climbing Climax
Clingy MacGuffin
Coincidental Broadcast
Cold Blooded Torture
Cold Turkeys Are Everywhere
Collective Identity
Come To Gawk
Complaining About Rescues They Don't Like
Confessional
Conflicting Loyalty
Conservation Of Competence
Contemplate Our Navels
Continuity Nod
Continuity Cameo
Contractual Gag
Contrived Coincidence
Convenient Eclipse
Conveniently Common Kink
Conveniently Seated
Cool And Unusual Punishment
The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much
Cosmic Retcon
Couldnt Find A Pen
Courtroom Antic
Crack Defeat
Crashing Dreams
Cross Over
- Fake Cross Over
Critical Failure
Critical Psychoanalysis Failure
Crowd Song
Crowd Panic
Cruel Mercy
Crystal Ball Scheduling
Cursed With Awesome
Curse Is Foiled Again
Cutting The Electronic Leash
Dark Horse Victory
Darkened Building Shootout
Darkest Hour
Darkness Equals Death
Dead End Job
Dead Ex Machina
Dead Man Walking
Dead Person Conversation
Dead Sidekick
Deadly Graduation
Decision Darts
Decoy Getaway
Defusing The Tyke Bomb
Depth Deception
Deus Est Machina
Deus Exit Machina
Deus Ex Machina
Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu
Did We Just Have Tea With Cthulhu?
Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead
Dismantled MacGuffin
Diving Save
Dont Split Us Up
Doomed Hometown
Doorstop Baby
Double Date
Drama Bomb
Dramatic Dislocation
Dramatic Irony
Dream Sequence
- All Just A Dream
- Catapult Nightmare
- Dream Land
- Dream Within A Dream
- Five More Minutes
- Or Was It A Dream
Driving Question
Ducks In A Row
Dug In Deeper
Dungeon Bypass
Drunk On The Dark Side
Dying Like Animals
- Fighting For Survival
Dysfunction Junction
Earth All Along
Earth Shattering Kaboom
Easily Forgiven
Eat The Dog
Eat The Evidence
Egg McGuffin
Either Or Prophecy
Electrified Bathtub
Elves Vs Dwarves
Empathic Weapon
Empty Cop Threat
Endangered Souffle
Enforced Cold War
Engagement Challenge
Engineered Public Confession
Epic Fail
Epiphanic Prison
The Eternal Churchill
Et Tu Brute
Even The Dog Is Ashamed
Everybodys Dead Dave
Everyone Knows Morse
The Evils Of Free Will
Evil Phone
Evil Plan
Exact Eavesdropping
Exact Words
Expansion Pack World
Explosive Leash
Explosion Propulsion
Failed A Spot Check
Failure Is The Only Option
Fainting Seer
Fake Defector
- Chained Heat
- Freaky Friday Flip
- Locked In A Freezer
- Locked In A Room
- Sharing A Body
- Ten Minutes In The Closet
Fascists Bed Time
Faustian Rebellion
Faux Death
Fauxlosophic Narration
Fauxshadow
Fat Monica
Feet Of Clay
Fence Painting
Fiction Isn't Fair
Field Promotion
Fisher King
Final Exam Finale
Fling A Light Into The Future
Flying Dutchman
Food Chains
Forbidden Fruit
Forced Prize Fight
Foreigner For A Day
Foreshadowing
- This Index Will Be Important Later
Framed Clue
Framing The Guilty Party
Freak Out
Friend Or Idol Decision
Friends All Along
Frothy Mugs Of Water
Fur Against Fang
Future Badass
Genocide Dilemma
Geodesic Cast
George Jetson Job Security
Get Out Of Jail Free Card
Getting Hot In Here
Go Among Mad People
A God Am I
Godzilla Threshold
Going In Circles
Going Postal
Golden Moment
Golden Snitch
Goldilocks And The Mines Of Moria
Gossip Evolution
Green Eggs And Ham
Green Rooming
Gust Of Wind
Hannibal Lecture
Harmful To Minors
Haunted Headquarters
He Had It Coming
Heat Wave
Heart Trauma
Heel Realization
Hell On Earth
Helter Skelter Scenario
Here We Go Again
Hidden In Plain Sight
High Turnover Rate
History Repeats
Holding Out For A Hero
Homage
- Art Imitates Art
- Internal Homage
Hostage For MacGuffin
Hostage Situation
- Put Down Your Gun And Step Away
Hourglass Plot
How Much Did You Hear?
Humans Are Bastards
Humans Are Cthulhu
Human Resources
Human Shield
Humiliation Conga
I Am He As You Are He
I Am One Of Those Too
I Hate You Vampire Dad
I Just Want To Be Badass
I Just Want To Be Normal
- Pinocchio Syndrome
I Just Want To Be Special
I Know What We Can Do Cut
I Never
I Owe You My Life
I See Them Too
Identical Grandson
Idiot Ball
- Plot Induced Stupidity
If I Can Only Move
If Jesus Then Aliens
If You Won't, I Will
Impossible Task
I'm A Humanitarian
- No Party Like A Donner Party
Imaginary Friend
Imaginary Enemy
Important Haircut
Inconvenient Hippocratic Oath
Infallible Narrator
Informed Ability
- Informed Flaw
Insulted Awake
Inn Between The Worlds
Innocent Inaccurate
Innocent Innuendo
Instant Expert
Intercontinuity Crossover
Interrogation By Vandalism
Interrupted Suicide
Invisible To Normals
- Weirdness Censor
Ironic Echo
Ironic Inversion
Irrevocable Message
It Must Be Mine
It's All Junk
It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time
It's Probably Nothing
It Was With You All Along
I Will Find You
Jacob Marley Warning
Jeopardy Intelligence Test
Joker Jury
Jury Of The Damned
Keep The Reward
Kent Brockman News
Kicked Upstairs
Kidnapped By An Ally
Knife Throwing Act
Knights And Knaves
Lady For A Day
Lamaze Class
Leaning On The Fourth Wall
Least Is First
Leave Him To Me
Leave The Camera Running
A Light In The Distance
The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday
Living On Borrowed Time
Living With The Villain
Locked Out Of The Fight
Locking MacGyver In The Store Cupboard
Look Ma No Plane
Loser Gets The Girl
Lowered Monster Difficulty
Luke I Am Your Father
Luke You Are My Father
MacGuffin
MacGuffin Delivery Service
MacGuffin Location
Made Of Temptation
Magic Hat
Magical Girl Queenliness Test
Magnetic Plot Device
Major Injury Underreaction
Man Hands
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Matchmaker Dot Com
Mating Dance
Meaningful Echo
Medal Of Dishonor
Melodramatic Pause
Memento MacGuffin
Mercy Lead
Message In A Bottle
Mind Rape
Mind Screwdriver
Mineral MacGuffin
Miracle Rally
Mirror Of Llunet
Misfit Mobilization Moment
Mistaken For Badass
Mistaken Identity
Mister Sandman Sequence
Mistimed Revival
Mood Whiplash
Morton's Fork
Moses In The Bullrushes
Mundane Solution
Mushroom Samba
Must Have Nicotine
Mutilation Interrogation
My Fist Forgives You
My Greatest Failure
My Greatest Second Chance
The Mutiny
- Anti Mutiny
Mythology Gag
- Dis Continuity Nod
- Remake Cameo
Name That Tune
Narrator All Along
Near Death Experience
Necessary Fail
Needle In A Stack Of Needles
Never Split The Party
Newspaper Dating
No Fourth Wall
No MacGuffin No Winner (aka Detente Comrade, Eaten The MacGuffin)
Noodle Incident
Notable Non Sequitur
Not A Date
Not Afraid Of You Anymore
Not As You Know Them
Not Cheating Unless You Get Caught
Not Helping Your Case
Not Important To This Episode Camp
Not In Front Of The Parrot
Not My Driver
Not My Lucky Day
Not What It Looks Like
Not What I Signed On For
Obfuscating Stupidity
Oblivious Adoption
Obvious Trap
Oblivious Guilt Slinging
An Offer You Cant Refuse
- I Have Your Wife
Offhand Backhand
Offing The Offspring
Off To Boarding School
Oh Cisco
Olaf's Hammer
Ominous Multiple Screens
One Degree Of Separation
One Judge To Rule Them All
One Side Of The Story
One Way Trip
Only Smart People May Pass
Only The Worthy May Pass
Orphan's Ordeal
Orphan's Plot Trinket
Out Of Clothes Experience
Overcome Their Differences
Overly Long Gag
Padding
Parental Favoritism
Party Scheduling Gambit
Pater Familicide
Pay Phone
Penultimate Outburst
People Jars
Perfect Storm
Perpetual Poverty
Perspective Magic
Phone Booth
Pick On Someone Your Own Species
Playing Sick
Plot Coupon
Plot Driven Breakdown
Plot Technology
Poisoned Chalice Switcheroo
Police Are Useless
Poor Communication Kills
Portal Pool
Porn Stash
Posthumous Character
Powder Keg Crowd
Power Fantasy
Practical Voice Over
Pressure Point
Pseudo Crisis
Psychological Horror
Puberty Superpower
The Public Domain Channel
The Purge
Put Me In Coach
Rage Against The Author
Rage Against The Mentor
Rash Equilibrium
Read The Freaking Manual
Red Herring Twist
Regular Caller
Reincarnation
- Reincarnation Romance
Relationship Reboot
Remember When You Blew Up A Sun
Required Spinoff Crossover
Rescue Romance
Ret Con
- Cerebus Retcon
- Re Vision
- Re Write
Retroactive Precognition
Rewarded As A Traitor Deserves
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Right Hand Versus Left Hand
Right Place Right Time Wrong Reason
Ripped From The Headlines
Ripped From The Phone Book
Road Show
Rock Bottom
Room Disservice
Rousing Speech
Rules of Orphan Economics
Sadistic Choice
Sammy's Glass Eye
Sarcasm Failure
Sarcastic Confession
Scheherezade Gambit
Science Is Bad
- Science Is Wrong
School Play
Screaming Birth
Screw Destiny
Scully Syndrome
Scylla And Charybdis
Second Hand Storytelling
Second Prize
Secret Identity
Secret Legacy
Secret Test Of Character
Seeking Sanctuary
Sequel Reset
Serious Business
Set A Mook To Kill A Mook
Shape Shifting
Short Cuts Make Long Delays
Short Distance Phone Call
Shower Of Angst
Show Within A Show
Shut Up Hannibal
Silly Rabbit Idealism Is For Kids
Sisyphus Vs Rock
Skeptic No Longer
Slobs Versus Snobs
Slow Clap
Slumber Party
Slumber Party Ploy
Smart Ball
Smite Me, Oh Mighty Smiter
Snooping Little Kid
Snowball Lie
Soap On A Trope
Somebody Set Up Us The Bomb
Something Only They Would Say
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Sorkin Relationship Moment
Sorry To Interrupt
Sour Supporter
Speak Friend And Enter
Speak Of The Devil
Starts With A Suicide
Stuff Blowing Up
Stuffed Into A Locker
Sudden Videogame Moment
Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum
Summoning Ritual
Supernaturally Delicious And Nutritious
Supporting Protagonist
- The Ishmael
Survived The Beginning
Suspended Animation
Sweet Polly Oliver
Switched At Birth
Sympathetic POV
Talking In Bed
Take A Third Option
Take Over The World
Tap On The Head
Team Rocket Wins
Team Spirit
Ted Baxter Close Up
Temporary Blindness
Temporary Love Interest
Tempting Fate
Ten Minutes In The Closet
The Baby Trap
The Cake Is A Lie
The Not Secret
There Is No Try
These Questions Three
The Tape Knew You Would Say That
The Thing That Would Not Leave
They Would Cut You Up
Thirty Xanatos Pileup
This Is My Story
This Is Something He's Got To Do Himself
This Is Your Brain On Evil
This Means War!
Three Act Structure
Thrown Down A Well
Thwarted Escape
Time Travel
- Stable Time Loop
- Temporal Paradox
Tomato Surprise
Tongue Tied
Total Eclipse Of The Plot
To The Pain
Tourist Trap
- Aloha Hawaii
- Viva Las Vegas
Trap Door
Transformation Ray
The Treachery Of Images
Treasure Map
Trust Password
Tunnel Of Avoidance
Two Girls And A Guy
Two Guys And A Girl
Two Plus Two Makes Five
Two Scenes One Dialogue
Two Timer Date
Uncle Herbie
Un Confession
Unexpected Positive
Unfamiliar Ceiling
Unhand Them Villain
Unintelligi Ball
Unperson
Unseen Audience
Unspoken Plan
Using You All Along
Victory Guided Amnesia
Video Wills
Villain Ball
Villain Exit Stage Left
- Prisoner Of Zenda Exit
Virus Misnomer
Vision Quest
Visions Of Another Self
Volleying Insults
Wacky Wayside Tribe
Wait, What? Whoa.
Waking Up At The Morgue
We ARE Struggling Together
We Are Team Cannon Fodder
We Come In Peace Shoot To Kill
Wedding Day
- Bridezilla
- Citizenship Marriage
- Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace
- Wedding Deadline
- Wedding Smashers
We Haven't Learned Anything Yet
We Need To Get Proof
We Really Do Care
What's a Secret Four?
What Year Is This?
When The Clock Strikes Twelve
Where Are They Now Epilogue
Where It All Began
Wild Teen Party
Will
With Due Respect
Witness Protection
The World Is Always Doomed
Wrecked Weapon
Write Back To The Future
Writing Lines
Written In Absence
Xanatos Gambit
Xanatos Roulette
Yellow Sash Of Power
You ALL Share My Story
You Are Better Than You Think You Are
You Are Grounded
You Are In Command Now
You Can Keep Her
You Can't Fight Fate
You Can't Win
You Don't Want to Catch This
You Don't Want To Die A Virgin, Do You?
You Fail The IQ Test
You Killed My Father
You Were Trying Too Hard
You Will Be Beethoven

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