Basic Trope: A black character that is used simply as a means to make the white character look better. The black character will usually have no personality whatsoever.
- Straight: Alice has made friends with Brandy simply because Brandy's black and Alice wants to look good.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice and Brandy spend every waking moment together and Brandy will only ever speak in accordance to Alice's every whim; to the point that you can forget that Brandy's even there because of how the story is all about Alice.
- Alice and Brandy are going through a Gay Romantic Phase, or are Bait-and-Switch Lesbians.
- Downplayed: Brandy does listen to Alice's problems and helps out when Alice really needs it, but she's shown having her own life as well.
- Justified: Brandy is introduced as Alice's best friend because they have specific interests in common and like spending time together, possibly since childhood.
- Inverted: Brandy made friends with Alice because she's white.
- Subverted:
- Alice made friends with Brandy simply to look good, but have become close to each other.
- Alice is a Decoy Protagonist, and Brandy is actually the main character of the work.
- Double Subverted: However, it turns out Alice was just using Brandy to look more accepting.
- Parodied:
- After befriending Brandy, Alice takes out a list named "Obligatorily Ethnic Acquaintances" and checks off the point labeled "Black Friend".
- Brandy is blatantly caucasian, she's adopted, y'see...
- Zig Zagged: Brandy is introduced Alice's only friend who acts as a stereotypical black girl, but as time goes on, Alice starts befriend other character while Brandy becomes less of a stereotypical trope and is revealed to have deeper characterization and motivation other than helping Alice, plus Brandy having her own company. Nevertheless, Brandy and Alice are considered and/or proven to be the best of friends.
- Averted:
- Brandy is not just Alice's friend. She has characterization and motivations beyond Alice.
- Brandy is simply a side character that Alice knows, but one with characterization beyond Alice knowing her
- Enforced: An attempt to introduce diversity to the series or movie
- Invoked: Alice meets Brandy, and the two of them instantly hit it off as best friends.
- Exploited: Jeremiah gets his sister Brandy to set him up with her best friend Alice.
- Defied:
- Brandy firmly asserts that she has her own life to live and motives in mind and won't be a pawn in some affirmative action quota.
- Alice and Brandy despise each other.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Implied: Alice is a Soapbox Sadie who is greatly concerned about keeping up appearances, while her best friend, Brandy, is Ambiguously Brown.
- Deconstructed:
- It's clear that Brandy's entire existence revolves around Alice; depriving her of any identity of her own.
- Brandy becomes increasingly frustrated with always being seen as Alice's "sidekick" and having her problems ignored in favor of whatever small problem Alice is going through. She eventually calls Alice out on her self-centeredness and breaks off their friendship.
- Reconstructed:
- Alice realizes how single-minded she has been and does her best to make it up to her.
- Alice appreciates Brandy's contribution as her bestfriend, so she tries her best to encourage and help Brandy as much as she can in return.
- Played For Drama: Alice and Brandy's world is pretty racist, and people don't approve of their spending time together, which takes a toll on their friendship.
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