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Playing With / Verbal Tic

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Basic Trope: A character has some sort of catchphrase that they randomly add to their speech, m'okay.

  • Straight: Bob adds his catchphrase to almost every sentence he says, m'okay.
  • Exaggerated:
    • Bob's dialogue consists almost entirely of the catchphrase, m'okay. He only adds a few meaningful words to it occasionally, m'okay.
    • Bob, m'okay, always, m'okay, says m'okay, his, m'okay, catchphrase, m'okay, at, m'okay, the, m'okay, end, m'okay, of, m'okay, every, m'okay, word, m'okay, he, m'okay, says, m'okay.
  • Downplayed: If Bob has to give a lengthy speech, he'll probably say "m'okay" at least once, m'okay.
  • Justified:
    • It's a habit that Bob has picked up, m'okay, but it doesn't really bother anyone, so he never bothers to do anything about it, m'okay.
    • Bob has Tourette's Syndrome, m'okay, or Aspergers, or something, m'okay.
    • Bob is from a region where the tic is considered normal, m'okay.
    • Bob is from a culture or race where the Tic is part of their speech, m'okay, and that not saying it would make you stick out, m'okay.
    • Bob worships the god M'okay, and his religion requires him to chant his god's name whevever he speaks, M'okay.
  • Inverted: There's one word that Bob never uses, for no particular reason, m'okay.
  • Subverted: Bob adds his catchphrase to every sentence he utters, m'okay, but he only does it to annoy Alice, m'okay. Eventually he gets bored of it and starts talking normally, m'okay.
  • Double Subverted: But then he starts doing it again because he misses it, m'okay.
  • Parodied: Bob starts saying "desu" at the end of every sentence, m'okay. And then he puts on a green dress...and then gets red and green contact lenses, m'okay!
  • Zig-Zagged: Bob's little phrase is present in some episodes, m'okay, completely absent in others, m'okay, and varies in frequency, m'okay.
  • Averted: Bob rarely uses his catchphrase in conversation, m'okay.
  • Enforced: "We think giving Bob a full catchphrase would be too much, m'okay, but he should have something distinctive to say, m'okay."
  • Lampshaded: "M'okay... Bob sure likes to say 'you know' a lot doesn't he?"
  • Invoked: Bob's decided he needs a gimmick, m'okay, ... And a strange vocal quirk fills that role nicely, m'okay....
  • Exploited: Bob, m'okay, is suffering from amnesia, and recalling his, m'okay, Verbal Tic is key to recovering his memory.
  • Defied: M'okay, realizing that he's starting to say a certain phrase too much, Bob stops himself from overusing it, m'okay, worrying that it'll annoy others around him, m'okay.
  • Discussed: "Would you just STOP saying that, M'OKAY?!"
  • Conversed: "I wonder why the others aren't getting annoyed by Bob saying for 'm'okay' all the time...m'okay?"
  • Implied: Bob is The Ghost, but other people mention him putting "m'okay" in his sentences.
  • Deconstructed:
    • Bob has Tourette's Syndrome, m'okay, and the involuntary verbal tics that come with it are awkward and make it difficult for him to interact with others, M'OKAY!
    • Bob is Dressing as the Enemy, m'okay but his verbal tic gives him away, m'okay.
  • Reconstructed:
    • ...but Bob takes his medication, m'okay, and it lessens the symptoms enough that he can function normally with his every day life, m'okay. The verbal tic, however, still shows up at times, m'okay.
    • He gives up his verbal tic while incognito to avoid being discovered, m'okay, but starts saying it again when he's no longer in disguise, m'okay.
  • Played for Laughs: Bob's Verbal Tic is something embarrassing e.g. 'dick'.
  • Played for Drama: Bob's Verbal Tic, m'okay, causes Poor Communication Kills, m'okay.

Back to Verbal Tic, m'okay.

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