Going by the name alone, I would've thought that Mystical Waif is distinct from its supertrope in that the waif in question also possess Plot-relevant or story-bending powers (e.g. Barrier Maiden, Person of Mass Destruction, etc), in addition to being a character archetype that has been "removed, by hardship, loss or other helpless circumstance, from his or her original surroundings. The most common usage is to designate a homeless, forsaken or orphaned child".
But reading the description and examples, it seemed that possessing mystical powers is already a part of the Mysterious Waif package, and that Mystical Waif is a Video Game/RPG specific trope where the archetype also gives the character a unique gameplay, even though there are many non-Video Game examples in the page.
I'm wondering if there's an actual distinction between the two tropes, since I can't tell what it is, and the Playing With pages of the two are almost exactly the same.
theAdeptRogueiRidescence
Since: Nov, 2011Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
iRidescence
According to the description of both Mysterious Waif and Mystical Waif, the latter is a Sub-Trope to the former.
Going by the name alone, I would've thought that Mystical Waif is distinct from its supertrope in that the waif in question also possess Plot-relevant or story-bending powers (e.g. Barrier Maiden, Person of Mass Destruction, etc), in addition to being a character archetype that has been "removed, by hardship, loss or other helpless circumstance, from his or her original surroundings. The most common usage is to designate a homeless, forsaken or orphaned child".
But reading the description and examples, it seemed that possessing mystical powers is already a part of the Mysterious Waif package, and that Mystical Waif is a Video Game/RPG specific trope where the archetype also gives the character a unique gameplay, even though there are many non-Video Game examples in the page.
I'm wondering if there's an actual distinction between the two tropes, since I can't tell what it is, and the Playing With pages of the two are almost exactly the same.