Basic Trope: A retort comes to mind too late.
- Straight: Bob says, "Virtue isn't weakness." Emperor Evulz spends a whole week thinking of a good answer, coming back with "And vice isn't strength!" to a very confused Bob.
- Exaggerated: Bob yells a quip at Emperor Evulz, who takes an entire year to come up with a retort.
- Downplayed: Bob yells a quip at Emperor Evulz. Emperor Evulz doesn't think of a retort for half an hour.
- Inverted: Bob opens his mouth to yell a quip at Emperor Evulz, but Evulz has been using a mind-reading device and snaps out the retort before Bob can get a word in edgewise.
- Justified: Not only did Bob fling a Kirk Summation at Emperor Evulz, but he also landed a head blow, making him dizzy, dazed, and confused.
- Subverted: Bob says, "Virtue isn't weakness." Evulz pauses...then smirks and says, "And vice isn't strength, Bob?" without missing a beat.
- Double Subverted: Bob fires back with another quip, and this time Evulz can't come up with a retort for a week.
- Parodied: Bob and Evulz exchange quips so good that the two often take decades to come up with retorts.
- Zigzagged: Whether a retort comes early, late, or right on time varies throughout the work.
- Averted: The characters don't tend to fight with words.
- Lampshaded:Emperor Evulz: Curses! Why is it I can never think of an answer while I'm facing him?
- Enforced: Rule of Funny.
- Invoked: While he's talking, Bob throws some kind of potion that slows down thinking at his adversary.
- Exploited: While Emperor Evulz is still groping for words, Bob gets on a roll and sways the populace.
- Defied:
- Emperor Evulz comes up with a book of retorts for every occasion and memorizes it.
- Evulz' most fearsome, powerful warrior and The Rival to Bob, Clay, always comes back with a quip within seconds, and tells Evulz about these comebacks so that Evulz won't make a dolt out of himself a week later.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Implied: The emperor's Dark Mistress Lady Rubliss is watching his confrontation with Bob.Lady Rubliss: Another week-long search for repartee.
Comeback Tomorrow, and I'll have a blistering retort for you!
