Basic Trope: A sleeping legendary or important figure, said to return someday for something.
- Straight: The former king of Troperia, Arthur the Great is said to be sleeping, not dead, in his grave on Mount Tropos. Legends say that he will return at the kingdom's darkest hour.
- Exaggerated: The legendary founder of the Troperian Empire, and rumored to be Tropeland's Son, Arthur the Greatest, is said to be taking a nap in his grave in Mount Giante, the highest known mountain known in the empire. Prophecies say that he will return at the end of the world.
- Downplayed:
- The folk hero Arthur is said to be living in his home in the deep forests, unknown. Rumors say that he will return to fight a great enemy.
- Big Damn Heroes
- Sealed Good in a Can
- Justified:
- Arthur died, but his soul is immortal.
- A witch cursed Arthur to have a coma for years, and the only way to break it is to make a event happen.
- Arthur accidently sealed himself.
- Inverted: Sealed Evil in a Can
- Subverted:
- Double Subverted:
- Alice, using her spiritual powers, communicates with Arthur's soul and proves that he is really sleeping.
- King Arthur readily agrees to an Enemy Mine agreement because of his personal desires and never gets around to betraying the heroes.
- Parodied: The king turns out to be an ineffectual Royal Brat who was sealed away not to fight a great evil, but because he was insufferably annoying.
- Zig Zagged: King Arthur is said to be sealed away, awaiting the Darkest Hour. But Alice and Marcia find his tomb and a skeleton. Wait, that's not actually him, but one of the Knights that joined him. But the tomb is otherwise empty. Where is he? Evulz is only getting stronger. Worse, he just got a brand new Dragon...What do you mean, Evulz got to the tomb first? And that's when Evulz makes a public appearance, showing everyone that their prophesied savior is now his loyal slave.
- Averted: King Arthur is completely dead, no exceptions.
- Enforced: Author's Saving Throw
- Lampshaded: "We have this legend about King Arthur. That he will come back in our Darkest Hour..."
- Invoked: Merlin told Arthur that he was going to be needed centuries later. Arthur agrees to a stasis spell to await that time.
- Exploited: Bob, who looks simlar to Arthur himself, claims that he really is Arthur, and after that he lounges in a lavish lifestyle.
- Defied: Emperor Evulz stabs King Arthur as soon as he learns of the myth.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: "Would be interesting if such a legend would be true."
- Deconstructed:
- King Arthur is from a different time, and is unprepared to fight a modern war.
- Troperia has changed so much since Arthur's time, he no longer recognizes the people living there as his people and refuses to defend them or even tries to kick them out as invaders.
- Nobody believes King Arthur. He is hauled away into a mental institution as fast as possible.
- Reconstructed:
- King Arthur watched everything that happened in Troperia through his dreams. He has an informed plan of action by the time he wakes up.
- King Arthur understands that nations change over time, and while the culture and people of Troperia now are different from what they were in his time, he recognizes them as descendants of his people
- Before they haul him off Arthur simply asks his people to do a DNA test, they do it and the samples match up.
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