History PlayingWith / Unperson

** Her family was also erased from existence, in addition to Alice herself.

* '''Played for Horror''': Alice just woke up one morning to discover that she no longer existed. She does not even knows what happened to cause this - either she somehow pissed off the government for all that she tried to keep her head down and be loyal, she is collateral damage of a paperwork fubar out of Kafka's worst nightmares, or she is a victim of a spectacularly vicious identity thief.

* '''Played for Horror''': Alice just woke up one morning to discover that she no longer existed. She does not even knows what happened to cause this - either she somehow pissed off the government for all that she tried to keep her head down and be loyal, or she is a victim of a spectacularly vicious identity thief.

* '''Deconstructed''': "They erase all evidence of enemies of the state. However, they can't dispose of them physically so well. Every so often, a man with nothing to lose jumps off a prison train and vanishes in TheLostWoods, or runs for the hills some hours before the midnight knock, or [[PlayingPossum crawls out]] of a pile of shot bodies and scampers off into the night, wounded but alive. They all resurface here, in LaResistance. Right now, we've got a cadre of untraceable avengers, about whom the police know nothing at all: no addresses, no fingerprints, no [[IHaveYourWife vulnerable loved ones]]. They are invisible, they are lethal, and they have no other place to go, and soon we'll have enough manpower to shoot the Dictator's {{mooks}} from behind every corner."

** Alice's 'deletion' is purely ceremonial. Everyone knows that she existed, but nobody speaks of her in polite company.

** [[TheSpook Alice erases all government records of her existence]], either to hide from them or as a way to scare the crap out of them further when she attacks them as a [[OneManArmy one-woman army]] and no one in power even knows who the hell she is. It has the added benefit of [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies protecting people she loves]] -- the authorities don't know whom they should harass or threaten, and openly threatening everyone tends to be counterproductive.

** Alice's records are specifically preserved by TheGovernment so it can use her as a symbol for everything it hates.

** Alice is captured, and all records of her are deleted... but they forgot about [[ChekhovsGunman her janitor-friend]] from high school.

** A government desk jockey accidentally deletes Alice's profile (she hasn't necessarily committed a heinous act), and when she comes in needing some service next, nobody remembers her.

** (Followed from Double Subverted) It turns out that the janitor did manage to leave behind something that could be subtle clues to Alice's existence. It's left ambiguous whether anyone ever figured them out.
* '''Averted''': No records are deleted or messed with in any way.

** The story is a 1970s paranoid conspiracy film about the oppressiveness of government, so the executives made the writers include this trope to pander to the audience's paranoia.
** The story takes place in a real-life oppressive regime, contemporary or historical, that is known to have erased all evidence of a person's existence.

** The public figures out that the government is trying to hide Alice's existence from them, so [[StreisandEffect they get curious and eagerly share info about her]].

* '''Played for Drama''': Alice's LoveInterest Bob had forgotten about her after evidence of her was erased. They might never see each other again, but even if they do, he'll never believe it.

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%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
%%* '''Plotted a Good Waste''': ???

** [[TheSpook Alice erases all government records of her existence]], either to hide from them or as a way to scare the crap out of them further when she attacks them as a [[OneManArmy one-person army]] and no one in power even knows who the hell she is. It has the added benefit of [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies protecting people she loves]] -- the authorities don't know whom they should harass or threaten, and openly threatening everyone tends to be counterproductive.

** The government tries to erase all evidence of Alice's existence, but [[BleepDammit their censorship is so inept that it ends up hiding nothing]], or even [[RevealingCoverUp makes it glaringly obvious that something was hidden]].

** The story is a 1970s paranoid conspiracy film about the oppressiveness of government, so the execs made the writers include this trope to pander to the audience's paranoia.
** The story takes place in a real-life oppressive regime that used to erase all evidence of a person's existence.

* '''Played for Laughs''': Alice goes on a crusade to bring back proof of her existence -- and gets it -- but all her pictures and records make her look very goofy.

* '''Straight''': Alice pisses off a repressive regime, and they execute her. They then delete or doctor all photos of her and all records, and otherwise delete any evidence that she existed at all.

** [[TheSpook Alice erases all government records of her existence]], either to hide from them or as a way to scare the crap out of them further when she attacks them as a [[OneManArmy one-person army]] and no one in power even knows who the hell she is. It also has the added benefit of [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies protecting her loved ones]] -- the authorities don't know whom they should harass or threaten, and openly threatening everyone tends to be counter-productive.

* '''Subverted''': Alice is captured, and all records of her are deleted... but they forgot about [[ChekhovsGunman her janitor-friend]] from high-school.

** A government desk jockey accidentally deletes Alice's profile, and when she comes in needing some service next, nobody remembers her.
** The government tries to erase all evidence of Alice's existence, but [[BleepDammit their censorship is so inept that it ends up hiding nothing]], [[RevealingCoverUp it's glaringly obvious that something was hidden]], or both.

* '''Exploited''': Alice escapes and starts in a new place with a new identity in order to open the bakery she's always wanted.

* '''Deconstructed''': "They erase all evidence of enemies of the state. However, they aren't so effective in actually disposing of them physically. Every once a while, a man with nothing to lose jumps off a prison train and vanishes in TheLostWoods, or runs for the hills some hours before the midnight knock, or [[PlayingPossum crawls out]] of a pile of shot bodies and scampers off into the night, wounded but alive. They all resurface here, in LaResistance. Right now, we've got a cadre of untraceable avengers, about whom the police knows nothing at all: neither addresses, nor fingerprints, nor [[IHaveYourWife their vulnerable loved ones]]. They are invisible, they are lethal, and they have no other place to go, and soon we'll have enough manpower to shoot the Dictator's {{mooks}} from behind every corner."

%%* '''Plotted a Good Waste''': ???
%%* '''Played for Drama''': ???

* '''Double Subverted''': ...however, the government gets tot hem, too, so that [[DownerEnding at the end of the story there really is no evidence that Alice existed]].

'''Basic Trope''': All the records of a person's existence are completely erased.
* '''Straight''': Alice pisses off a repressive regime, and they execute her. They then delete or doctor all photos of her and all records, and otherwise delete any evidence that she existed at all.

** Many, many people are "deleted" this way.
** An entire city is destroyed, and then "deleted" this way along with all of its inhabitants.

** Alice's "deletion" is purely ceremonial. Everyone knows that she existed, but no one speaks of her in polite company.

** The fact of Alice's existence remains known, but their ''name'' is no longer permitted to be spoken or recorded.
** Alice was a decorated official in the oppressive regime before she was caught committing "treason". She's stripped of all her awards before her execution, and official records merely list her as an unremarkable traitor.

** [[TheSpook Alice erases all the government's records of her existence]], either in order to hide from them or as a way to further scare the crap out of them when she attacks them as a one-person army and no one in power even knows who the hell she is. It also has the added benefit of [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies protecting her loved ones]] - the authorities don't know whom they should harass or threaten, and openly threatening everyone tends to be counter-productive.

** Alice's records are specifically preserved by the government so that she can be used as a symbol for everything the gov't hates.

* '''Double Subverted''': ...however, the government gets to him, too, so that [[DownerEnding at the end of the story there really is no evidence that Alice existed]].

** The police hand weapon is a big black pen. When someone robs a bank, policemen bring their pen: "hands up or we erase you!"
** A government desk jockey accidentally deletes Alice's profile, nobody remembers her.
** The government tries to erase all evidence of Alice's existence, but [[BleepDammit their censorship is so inept that it ends up hiding nothing]].
* '''Zig Zagged''':
** All of the records that Alice are obliterated, and her family is brainwashed into believing that she never lived in the first place. Then Alice escapes, and everyone thinks she is some kind of crazy person. She gets put into a mental hospital that is just as bad or worse than the prison.
** (followed from Double Subverted) It turns out that the janitor did manage to leave behind something that could be subtle clues to Alice's existence. It's left ambiguous whether anyone ever figured them out.

** The story is a 70s paranoid conspiracy film about the oppressiveness of government, so the execs made the writers include this trope to pander to the audience's paranoia.

* '''Deconstructed''': "They erase all evidence of enemies of the state. However, they aren't so effective in actually disposing of them physically. Every once a while, a man with nothing to lose jumps off a prison train and vanishes in TheLostWoods, or runs for the hills some hours before the midnight knock, or [[PlayingPossum crawls out]] of a pile of shot bodies and scampers off into the night, wounded but alive. They all resurface here, in LaResistance. Right now, we've got a cadre of untraceable avengers, about whom the police knows nothing at all: neither addresses, nor fingerprints, nor [[IHaveYourWife their vulnerable loved ones]]. They are invisible, they are lethal, and they have no other place to go, and soon we'll have enough manpower to shoot the Dictator's {{mooks}} from behind every corner".

%%
%%* '''Plotted A Good Waste''': ???
%%* '''Played For Laughs''': ???
%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???
%%* '''Reconstructed''': ???

** Alice was a heinous criminal.

* '''Zig Zagged''': All of the records that Alice are obliterated, and her family is brainwashed into believing that she never lived in the first place. Then Alice escapes, and everyone thinks she is some kind of crazy person. She gets put into a mental hospital that is just as bad or worse than the prison.

* '''Enforced''': The story is a 70s paranoid conspiracy film about the oppressiveness of government, and the writer wants to emphasize that theme.

* '''Defied''': Alice makes sure that she has extra copies of pictures and records because she joins LaResistance.

* '''Enforced''': ???

** Alice was a henious criminal.

* '''Deconstructed''': "They erase all evidence of enemies of the state. However, they aren't so effective in actually disposing of them physically. Every once a while, a man with nothing to lose jumps off a prison train and vanishes in TheLostWoods, or runs for the hills some hours before the midnight knock, or [[PlayingPossum crawls out]] of a pile of shot bodies and scampers off into the night, wounded but alive. They all resurface here, in LaResistance. Right now, we've got a cadre of untraceable avengers, about whom the police knows nothing at all: neither addresses, nor fingerprints, nor [[IHaveYourWife their vulnerable loved ones]]. They are invisible, they are lethal, and they have no other place to go, and soon we'll have enough manpower to shoot the Dictator's mooks from behind every corner".

%%* '''Implied''': ???
%%* '''Reconstructed''': ???

%%* '''Played For Drama''': ???

* '''Straight''':
** Alice pisses off a controlling regime, and they delete any evidence that she existed at all.
** Alice is sent to some kind of prison by a repressive regime. They delete or doctor all photos of her and all records, etc.
* '''Exaggerated''': And then they [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erase all memories]] of her from everyone she's ever met.
* '''Downplayed''': Alice's deletion is ceremonial. Everyone knows she exists but no one speaks of her in polite company.

** Someone would rescue Alice if there were any record that she existed.

** Alice is a henious criminal.
** Alice is a police informant and the mob is looking for her. She wants to disappear even more than the government wants her to disappear.

** Alice erases all the government's records of her existence, either in order to hide from them or as a way to further scare the crap out of them when she attacks them as a one-person army and no one in power even knows who the hell she is. It also has the added benefit of [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies protecting her loved ones]] - the authorities don't know whom they should harass or threaten, and openly threatening everyone tends to be counter-productive.

* '''Averted''': No one deletes the records.

* '''Invoked''': Hoping to disappear from public view, Alice tries to get the regime to hate her, knowing that they will destroy all evidence of her existence.