Literature.Green Patches: Hive Mind: The organisms of Saybrook's Planet have green patches that grants Psychic Powers. Their Telepathy is used to facilitate a Genius Loci where life has formed a global organism that lives in blissful cooperation with everything else.
Literature.Sovereign: Each of the novels' titles refer to the state of mind of one particular character.
Recap.Dragalia Lost Dawn Of Dragalia: The sword which is the physical manifestation of the pact between Elysium and Ilia is named Dragalia. Except it is actually the pactstone of Meene and Midgardsormr Zero.
Film.Casino Royale 2006: The film is named for the casino in Montenegro where a poker tournament which takes place over most of the second act happens.
Literature.The Watery Place: The title refers to two different places because Isaac Asimov was writing a Feghoot based on Venus/Venice. The 'foreigners' used "the watery place" to refer to Venus. The sheriff thought "the watery place" referred to Venice.
Literature.The Imaginary: The title refers to imaginary numbers in the mathematical notations for the alien's use of psychology.
Recap.Probe Quit It: Instant Sedation: Austin has some chloroform that he brought with him in case he needed to kidnap one of the people living there. He uses it on Karen, who struggles for only a few seconds before falling asleep. Karen uses the "Quit-It" pills to put herself to sleep almost instantly, stealing them from her parents.
Literature.The Encyclopedists: The original title was Foundation, referring to the Encyclopedia Foundation whose Board of Trustees make most of the decisions for Terminus. Actually, Hari Seldon refers to them as his Foundation to create a second galactic empire, and a companion Foundation at the opposite end of the galaxy. The revised title refers to the Board of Trustees, who are in charge of making the Encyclopedia Galactica.
Recap.Fraggle Rock S 4 E 3 Wembleys Wonderful Whoopee Water: When the fizzy water Wembley discovers is a hit with all the Fraggles, Red and Gobo make an announcement. Gobo: In honor of its discoverer, we think this delicious fizzy stuff should be known as... Red and Gobo: [in unison] ...Wembley's Wonderful Whoopee Water! [Everyone cheers for Wembley.]
Literature.Stranger In Paradise: The end of the story gets very close to copying the title. It refers to the way Randall, an autistic child, finds happiness in being used as the basis for a computer that operates a robot sent to Mercury. Randall's specific version of autism (which the story explicitly makes rare) has him feeling imperfectly built to interact with his environment, but by essentially building a body to the environment, they've created a paradise of stimulus for the boy. A stranger so long and so lost— in paradise at last.
Literature.The Lullaby Of Broadway: The title refers to the sound of the street, made by traffic and the sirens of police cars, ambulances, and fire engines. Rubin also uses it to refer to the inconsistent hammering that he's been hearing.
Film.Black Bear: Played with. There are actually black bears appearing in the movie, but "Black Bear" is the title of the movie Gabe is shooting during the second half of the movie. Bear also turns out to be Gabe's nickname in the second half.
Recap.Warrior Cats Midnight: Midnight is named after the talking badger the cats meet at the end of the book.
Literature.My Son The Physicist: The title refers to Senior Physicist Gerard Cremona, a government researcher. He's currently dealing with a crisis that may have far-reaching consequences, but as far as his mother is concerned, he's still her little boy.
Literature.The Pointing Finger: The eponymous finger refers to the Dying Clue left by Mr Levy's grandfather-in-law; he was pointing to the inheritance he had hidden.
Literature.The General Foundation: The original title, "Dead Hand", refers to Hari Seldon's Plan created by psychohistory. Seldon has been dead for centuries, yet Ducem Barr contends that it is more powerful than the Galactic Empire. The revised title, "The General", refers to General Bel Riose of the Galactic Empire, who hears about Seldon's Plan from Ducem Barr but wishes to conquer the Foundation despite it.
Film.Skyfall: The title initially just seems to have been chosen because it sounds cool, with the only obvious meaning coming from Bond surviving a seemingly fatal fall from a bridge in the first scene. Then, in the last third of the movie, we find out that it's the name of Bond's family estate in Scotland.
VideoGame.Foxhole: Boring, but Practical: Since Foxhole is inspired by WWII, a lot of things fall under this category.The Rifle is the default primary weapon. While it's slow to fire and requires quite a bit of steadying for a good aim, it's the cheapest weapon and can dish out a good amount of damage. Trucks are cheap to manufacture, and can transport a good amount of troops and supplies to the front. Expect to see a lot of trucks around. Foxholes (the dugout defenses) are the namesake of the game for good reason. They can be built for free, and much more quickly than other structures, making them useful for holding ground before more permanent trench defenses can be established.
Fanfic.Luna The Match Maker: MacGuffin: =] Varies through the story as it's more a collection of numerous short stories with the overarching plot focused on Luna's matchmaking efforts.Luna and Twilight Sparkle's lockets, which will show them the one they're meant to be with. This actually makes Celestia the first one to pair a couple up even if she didn't know it though it's really Luna and Celestia's mother pulling the strings.
Webcomic.Unsounded: The title "Unsounded" seems like it's just a cool sounding fantasy name, but it's actually the place in the khert where all souls go after death before reincarnating, and is also where the gods or Ssael is depending on your religion. It is called the unsounded because wrights have been able to map out much of the khert through a technique known as sounding, but the technology isn't powerful enough to sound out the depths of the khert, so that place is the "unsounded". The story doesn't even begin to involve the khert itself until 7 chapters in, with most of the story just involving the living world.
Franchise.Tintin: The titular sharks only show up at the end of The Red Sea Sharks, which may explain why the English title translation is an outlier for an adventure everyone else knows roughly as "Coke on Board". The significance of the title in The Broken Ear also takes a while to come into focus.
Literature.Isaac Asimov Presents Great Science Fiction Stories Of 1940: "Into The Darkness" plays with the concept of namesake, because Darkness is the main character, but the meaning of the title isn't revealed until the very end of the story, when Darkness describes dying as a journey into darkness.
Literature.The Dead Past: During the resolution, Department Head Araman explains to Potterley, the historian, that the past begins in the present, making them the same thing, from the perspective of the Chronoscope. "The dead past is just another name for the living present. What if you focus the chronoscope in the past of one-hundredth of a second ago? Aren't you watching the present?" The German title is "Das Chronoskop" and the Italian title is "Il cronoscopio". Both translations promote the time-viewing device to titular importance due to its impact on the story.
Literature.David Starr Space Ranger: The 1963 German translation calls this volume "Gift from Mars", which refers to the unusual mask given to David by the native Martians.
Foil.Live Action Films: Nightfall (1988): Sor and Aton have a number of similarities. Sor is a blind man leading a religion, while Aton is a visionary scientist who leads the city. Aton privately admits to "that woman" that when he was younger, he used to have poor vision and blackouts. He noticed that his eyesight improved as he studied astronomy by watching the stars. This is the inverse to Sor, who deliberately blinds the people who follow him so they won't see the Darkness during the upcoming nightfall. The two leaders give charismatic speeches to their followers and engage in debates multiple times throughout the film. Roa used to be married to Aton, but Sor has seduced her away and makes her his equal in their religion.
Anime.Charlotte: "Charlotte" is never mentioned by any of the characters until at least episode 11, when it becomes the title of the episode. It's revealed in that episode, "Charlotte" is the name of a long-orbit comet which approaches Earth in 75-year cycles. When it does, unknown particle are showered into Earth, and who inhaled its particle will somewhat generate special ability. One of the closest encounter is said roughly around 400 years ago, where many people in Europe who inhaled the particle and generates special ability were hunted down as witches.
Literature.True Love: Title Drop: The term true love is mentioned several times, and Milton inadvertently teaches Joe what he means by love. The final line is directed at Charity Jones, the woman who fits the algorithms that Joe and Milton have spent many weeks creating. "[Y]ou are my true love."
BigBad.Live Action Films N To Z: Gantz: The closet thing to a Big Bad is Gantz itself, which resurrects recently deceased humans to hunt down dangerous (when provoked) but apparently non-hostile aliens hiding out on Earth. Whereas the manga would reveal that Gantz, while sadistic and capricious, is genuinely helping humanity, Gantz's reasons for doing this in the film are inscrutable.
Fanfic.The Private Diary Of Elizabeth Quatermain: Played with in the Christmas chapter of volume III, when all of the League members (except Skinner) present Elizabeth with additional diaries, so she can continue to document their adventures.
Film.Moonrise Kingdom: Halfway through the movie, Suzy and Sam agree to rename Mile 3.25 Tidal Inlet. The new name isn't revealed until the ending via Sam's painting of the location with the words Moonrise Kingdom.
Film.Ambush: The titular Ambush occurs in the film's first five minutes, right before the opening titles, and kicks off much of the entire movie's plot; the treasure hoard being stolen, the allegedly loyal Imperial Security Chief Fan Zi Long getting killed, the bandits losing the stolen loot, the heroic Constable Wan becoming a fugitive, and the rogue swordsman Hong Lieh seeking the treasure for himself.
Literature.The Message: Informed Conversation: The jokes and stories told by the old servicemebers are mentioned in the abstract, establishing the sort of conversation they're having before they obliquely mention the Kilroy Was Here trope. The third soldier is implied to be the first person from the present to have seen the message.
Literature.The Language Of Literature Grade 6: Chain of Deals: "President Cleveland Where Are You?" culminates in Jerry, the protagonist, needing to fix his bicycle tire to ride over to the North Side of the town to trade his extra Warren G Harding collectable card for a Grover Cleveland card to sell to Rollie Tremaine, the antagonist, for five dollars so he can buy his brother a corsage and new shoes so he can take Sally Knowlton to a fancy dance.
Manga.Touhou Bougetsushou: The "Silent Sinner in Blue" most likely refers to Yuyuko, being the one who successfully sneaks into the Lunar Capital. Yuyuko generally wears blue clothing, while her "pure" nature as a ghost makes her inconspicuous among the immortal Lunarians, making her "silent", and her mission being to mess with the Lunarians by stealing from them makes her the "sinner".
Literature.In Dreams Awake: Arthur C. Clarke's "The Nine Billion Names Of God": The title refers to every name that could conceivably be used to refer to God.
VideoGame.Spheres Of Chaos: the game is presumably named for the Spheres, the first enemy that appears in game.
Film.A Walk Among The Tombstones: Matthew learns that one of the victims was laid down in a graveyard, so goes to the cemetery and takes a walk among the tombstones.
Film.Drive Angry: The license plate on Piper's car is "DrvAgry."
VideoGame.Neverwinter Nights: Undrentide is the name of the ancient Netherese city which Heurodis seeks to raise.
Film.Severance 2006: In the base camp near the end of the movie, one of the buildings has a very faded painting of the word "Szeveranz" on the side in large letters, referencing the movie's title.
VideoGame.Whacked: Whacked! the video game is named after Whacked!, the gameshow in the video game.
Podcast.The Hidden People: The title The Hidden People refers to the eldritch Fair Folk who act as the main threats once the series shifts into urban fantasy.Overlaps with Antagonist Title.
Anime.Vivy Fluorite Eyes Song: The final episode reveals that the eponymous Fluorite Eye's Song is the title of the song that Vivy spent twenty years composing.
Manga.Comic Girls: It's shown as the title of Kaos' first approved manuscript in Episode 11.
Literature.Unto The Fourth Generation: This story is about a young man, fresh from college, meeting his great-great-grandfather; four generations away. The main character is the first male descendant born in the new world.
Recap.Analog 1939: In the October 1939 issue, Harold A Lower's nonfiction article, "Hunting Big Game", refers to the efforts taken to identify supernovae, the biggest explosions in the cosmos.
Literature.Profession: Inept Aptitude Test: Eight-year-olds go to Reading Day; after they learn how to read, their brains are tested for aptitude, but it doesn't affect much. Ten years later, eighteen-year-olds are tested again; based on their neurological responses, they're assigned a profession. George's scan reveals that he cannot be taught by computer, so instead of having a profession assigned, he is sent to a government home for "feeble-minded people". George insists that they got it wrong and he should be a computer programmer, not "feeble-minded". This place is a Secret Test to discover if he is merely someone capable of learning on his own, or if he is capable of truly original thought; the only variable they can't fully quantify or implant. The tapes are made by other people like him.
Creator.Cordwainer Smith: "The Game of Rat and Dragon" refers to a battle that humanity is fighting against an unknown enemy. Humans see this enemy as dragons, fierce and dangerous, capable of tearing apart a telepathic mind. Partners (telepathic cats) see these enemies as rats, nasty monsters that they can beat and kill.
Recap.Arrow S 8 E 8 Crisis On Infinite Earths Hour Four: Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Barry meeting his DCEU counterpart, especially the part where he couldn't believe it was actually happening. For a long time, fans had the same sentiment in regards to the TV and film 'verses crossing over. This is still an Arrow episode, so it is only appropriate that the show that introduced us to Oliver Queen, and ultimately the Arrowverse at large, marks his final farewell. The fact that the Spectre, formerly the Green Arrow, kickstarted the rebirth of the Multiverse, gives a whole new meaning to the term "Arrowverse".
Literature.As Tomorrow Becomes Today: The title of "The Game Of Rat And Dragon", by Cordwainer Smith, refers to a battle that humanity is fighting against an unknown enemy. Humans see this enemy as dragons, fierce and dangerous, capable of tearing apart a telepathic mind. Partners (telepathic descendants of cats) see this enemy as rats, nasty monsters that they can beat and kill.
CompletelyDifferentTitle.Portuguese: That the James Bond titles all add "007" (most of the times with "vs. " or "and"), OK. Adaptation of words hard to translate (Thunderball became 007 vs. the Atomic Blackmail, Moonraker became 007 vs. the Deadly Rocket), also passes. But Octopussy became 007 vs. Octopussy when she isn't a villain, and Skyfall became 007 - Operation Skyfall when Skyfall is a location. Both titles were probably picked without the full movie to watch.
WesternAnimation.Little Einsteins: Title Drop: This happens. A lot. The title itself is also something of a namesake, as the phrase "Little Einsteins" was coined by June at the end of their first mission.
Podcast.Doug Loves Movies: The game Last Man Stanton, which revolves around naming all the movies a certain actor/actress has appeared in, is named for prolific character actor Harry Dean Stanton, who appeared on the podcast and played a very early version of the game.The Leonard Maltin Game is named for film critic and recurring guest Leonard Maltin, writer of many, many movie guides.
TheElderScrolls.Tropes N To O: The eponymous Elder Scrolls don't actually appear in-game until the fourth game in the series, Oblivion, and aren't directly involved with the main quest of a game until the fifth, Skyrim. They are mentioned earlier, often as part of the impetus for the main quest, but are not actually seen. Fun fact, according to former series developer Ted Peterson, the name The Elder Scrolls was chosen as the surtitle to Arena simply because "it sounded cool", and it wasn't determined until later in development what an "Elder Scroll" actually was in-universe.
WesternAnimation.The Hollow: "The Hollow" is the title of both the video game the kids are playing and the game show the characters are playing said game on.
Literature.The Friend Scheme: The Friend Scheme is the plan of the Donovan Family to befriend multiple members of the Miller family to extract information from them.
Literature.Firebird Trilogy: Fusion Fire refers to the enormous burst of energy created by reverse-polarity (telepathic) fusion, a technique which is first seen about halfway through that book and first used successfully during the climax.
Manga.PPPPPP: PPPPPP can read as pianissississississimo. It is a musical term for playing an instrument in an extremely soft manner, which indicates Lucky's piano-playing style in the beginning. It becomes a Title Drop in Chapter 8, said by Dada.
Film.Seraphim Falls: Seraphim Falls is where Carver's homestead was located when Gideon burned it down, accidentally killing Carver's family in the process.
Literature.The Last Trump: The word 'trump' is short for trumpet, and the title refers to Archangel Gabriel's horn being used to announce Judgement Day and the resurrection of everyone who has ever died.
Manga.Your Lie In April: The meaning behind "Your Lie in April" is revealed in the final episode/final chapter of the manga. Kaori lied about liking Watari and used their relationship to get closer to Kousei, the guy she truly loved all along.
Literature.Tell Me A Story Science Fiction One: Literary Allusion Title: In "The Golem", the title refers both to the old legend about Rabbi Loeb (which is summarized in the story) and the stranger that has come to their porch. In "Beside Still Waters", the title refers to the emptiness of space, as well as a reference to Chapter 23 of the Book of Psalms.
Literature.Second Foundation: The title refers to an organization that had been left deliberately vague up until now. Hari Seldon supposedly established two Foundations; one on Terminus and the other on the opposite end of the galaxy. Not only are the Mule and the Foundation on Terminus (usually called the Foundation or the First Foundation) looking for them, but they must be turned into protagonist characters so that the audience can root for their victory over the Mule. At the end, the true location of the Second Foundation is finally revealed.
Literature.The Alloy Of Law: The book's title is probably based off of one of Miles's quotes: I served [the law] too. But now I serve something better. The essence of the law, but mixed with real justice. An alloy, Wax. The best parts of both made into one. I do something better than chase the filth sent to me from the city.
VideoGame.Super Mario And The Dismal Heart: For almost the whole game, the Dismal Heart never appears and is never mentioned. It is only until the very end that it is revealed to be the Artifact of Doom responsible for Count Bleck's return to evil.
Literature.Im In Love With The Villainess: Revolution's plot follows the societal upheaval caused by the Magic Revolution, and depending on the player's route, the revolution which overthrows Bauer's corrupt aristocracy.
Literature.Out Of Sight: The original title, "The Six Suspects" refer to the six people that Mr Long suspects of photographing the classified information from his stateroom.
Headscratchers.Black And White: Since Nemesis must live up to his namesake, if you're a good god the game calls him "the embodiment of evil," while if you're an evil god he's the ultimate good guy. Problem is, this distinction doesn't change any of his in-game behavior — no matter what, he's ruthlessly determined to wipe all other gods from existence, killing hundreds of potential followers, especially on Land Five when he tries to slaughter his own village after you convert the people to your side. At any rate, he's DEFINITELY a far cry from good...Arguably, Good!Nemesis could be the ultimate Knight Templar, destroying all other "evil" Gods For Great Justice.
VideoGame.Helens Mysterious Castle: The titular castle is called the Mysterious Castle by the Undead Knight when he and Helen meet on the second floor.
VideoGame.Touhou Shinkirou Hopeless Masquerade: Kokoro is an unstable youkai born from a set of 66 Noh masks when the mask of Hope was removed, making her a literal Hopeless Masquerade.
Film.The White Balloon: The titular white balloon appears at the end, being used by Razieh, Ali, and the Afghan Boy to finally pull the 500 toman bill from the sewer.
Arthur.Tropes E To M: In "Bleep", the prologue shows Arthur on the set of The Altos, a parody of The Sopranos. He explains that the 1kz sine wave tone, a.k.a. the "bleep", is used to censor words that shouldn't be said on daytime television. A Cluster Bleep-Bomb ensues. Gangster: Ugh! This is terrible apple pie, it's ***! My mother. Now there was a woman who could make ***ing amazing apple pie. When she made it, the whole *** neighborhood stood outside her house! *** say *** that woman was. If it's okay with you T, I'd like to give that pastry chef a taste of his own cannoli. Mafia Boss: None of you *** ***s so much as *** unless I *** say so! Capiche?
Literature.Gog: Gog (from Goggins) is the main character of the novel.
TooDumbToLive.Video Games: Paragon City is actually nicknamed "The City of Heroes" in-universe, a fact that is well-known and well-publicized throughout the city and beyond. So the street thugs you meet at the lowest levels should know better by now than to draw their weapons and charge at the people in funny costumes. Even if they do know better, it doesn't stop them from trying, anyway.
RedHerring.Live Action TV: Probe's"Metamorphic Anthropoidic Prototype Over You": Because the first person accused of murder is always found innocent on television shows, Josephine frames herself so that she will be exonerated by the investigation. "Quit-It": The "Quit-It" pills, despite being The Namesake and the second thing Austin assumes is responsible for the adults getting Brainwashed, have nothing to do with the resolution, but trying to investigate them does get him in plenty of trouble with the adults.
Recap.The Flash 2014 S 3 E 17 Duet: Lame Pun Reaction: During their duet, Barry says that "If you ever need a hand/I'll be there in a flash." Kara immediately calls him out on it, but the speedster is totally unrepentant. Kara: Barry! Barry: That was funny!
Literature.Coiling Dragon: Ring of Power: The Coiling Dragon. This ring has special powers that are revealed through the story. Examples include allowing the wearer to use less energy to cast spells and protecting Linley's soul from being destroyed. Once Linley is able to probe inside of the Coiling Dragon, he finds out that it is a Sovereign-level artifact that the has been damaged and the soul-protecting shield has a hole in it. On the bright side, it is still able to absorb and refine souls to increase his power. Linley also finds A drop of Dragon God's blood that jacks up his dragonform to a new level and three drops of Sovereign power to apply some Plot Armor
