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Laconic Main PlayingWith Quotes main index Narrative
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 Horatius suggesting to the Etruscans that bridge-crossing and Rome-sacking isn't happening. *
"You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udűn. Go back to the Shadow! YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS!" *
A specific kind of Heroic Sacrifice.
Things are looking real bad for Our Heroes. Ultimate Evil has run amok, civilization is crumbling around them, and an endless army of monsters is hot on their heels, with the Hero Killer leading the charge. Things are looking truly grim, when one character (sometimes two), usually one of the older or stronger ones, falls behind — possibly insisting that the others go on. In order to allow the other heroes to escape/reach their destination/Bring News Back, this character single-handedly holds back the enemy horde, often losing their life in the process. Just as often, however, they get a Disney Death, either being resurrected through Applied Phlebotinum, or showing up much later, having miraculously survived when No One Could Survive That. If shown on-screen, it could actually be used to improve the odds, thanks to the Law of Conservation of Ninjutsu. In cases were the person does succeed and stop the enemy forces and survive, it's normally a good sign they're just that Bad Ass.
In extreme cases, where they must Bring News Back, one character gets sent on and everyone else stays to give him time to escape.
May overlap with Last Stand, where the characters want to make the opposing forces pay. On the other hand, in Last Stand, if they can maximize their damage by a suicidal action, they will do so; in You Shall Not Pass, the characters try to maximize the time even if they inflict fewer casualties that way. (When the aims don't conflict, a character can do both.)
If the character is wounded, they may say I Will Only Slow You Down and Go On Without Me. This may allow an exception to the rule No One Gets Left Behind, but often, the other characters are driven on only when it is impossible to return, or the character is dead.
The character, if Not Quite Dead, may suffer a Face Heel Turn on recovery and turn on his companions for abandoning him. Logic and facts about the impossibility of their saving him seldom make an impression, the character having been deranged by his suffering. Worse, he may face Reforged into a Minion.
The phrase was originally used in World War I by the French at Verdun: "On ne passe pas !" (Although, technically, that's "None shall pass!" but who's keeping track?) Later used during the Spanish Civil War: "ˇNo pasarán!" (In this case, "They won't pass!") In response to which General Franco later said "Hemos pasado," meaning "We have passed." The Spanish phrase became an international anti-fascist slogan. Hey, don't refuse free education!
Tip-offs when the character is wounded, and stays behind to allow others to escape, include:
Examples
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alternative title(s): None Shall Pass
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