Just a Face and a Caption: Modest Royalty

The picture very weakly implies the "modest" part or the "royalty" part.

I would perfectly fine with the article having no picture. If we really musty have one, real-world examples are probably a better bet.

Somehow, Princess Mary of Denmark shows up frequently when searching: [1]◊[2]◊[3]◊

Can't look at the suggestions right now, but I wouldn't even say that the current pic necessarily gets the "royalty" aspect across very clearly, although the caption is amusing.

The problem I think with illustrating this trope is how to clearly show the character as royalty without clearly marking them as royal. For instance, in 1.1. she looks royal but not particularly modest, while in 1.2 and 1.3 she looks modest but not particularly royal.

The closest I could think of is a king sitting on his throne in a commoner's outfit or something—though that might end up looking like a commoner is just sitting on the throne for a laugh.

edited 3rd Nov '15 11:10:53 AM by Morgenthaler

The current has a Sci Fi crown or whatever so that kinda helps.

Really we need something with elements of both like say Princess Curls plus ragged clothing like Princess Curls page image.

Why not use the image on Princess Curls and find a more regal replacement for that?

Does Pacifica from Scrapped Princess even fit this though? I haven't seen it but reading the page it looks like she was trying to hide her status purposely due to being hunted and not being modest.

But I could come up with a hundred Princess Curls Drill hair images though, those are very plentiful.

edited 3rd Nov '15 11:52:18 AM by Memers

Btw, the sister trope Simple, yet Opulent has problems too.

edited 7th Nov '15 2:35:53 AM by eroock

Arwen◊? Her dress looks plainer than some of the commoners, so that might help illustrate the concept?

No, I think the white makes her look so ethereal that she still looks more made-up than the commoners (though I wouldn't be able to tell that they were commoners).

The Royal Family◊ from Kings came to mind, but they look so plain that it would need a caption to support it. Which is probably better than nothing, but still.

Bump. On the other hand, the composition of 9 is itself pretty stately, while David is decked out in a military uniform. At least better than the current I think, especially if paired with a good caption.

Some options from Castle Town Dandelion: One◊; Two◊; Three

I like suggestion 3. 2 needs more of his outfit visible.

Agreed, a better shot of the character in 3.2 might work.

Do you mean 11.2?

The shot in 11.2 is the whole screenshot unfortunately and the only other pic I can find of Souichiro in that outfit and his crown is this shot of his back.◊ I thought 11.3 may work as they are all royalty in the picture but only two of them are dressed like royalty.

Yes, that's what I meant, I misread the "3. 2" in that post as 3.2.

Not a fan of the Castle Town suggestions. This is a rare occasion where I think a red paint argument would actually be valid, because the contrast between their royal regalia and casual threads is so jarring that it looks like a bunch of people dressing up as royalty, not that they're casual royalty. The fact that they're getting together in what looks to be your average urban apartment doesn't help with showing stateliness.

I still think Kings is the best option here with a good caption to support it.

edited 25th Nov '15 2:50:47 AM by Morgenthaler

That one gives zero indication that the people are, in fact, royalty. It looks more like a mafia than anything else, really.

Given all the options, I think the current is probably the best.

edited 25th Nov '15 3:32:41 AM by Adept

Considering one of them is wearing a high-ranking military uniform, I'd say mistaking them for The Mafia is a stretch. And it does have visual information—the stately composition is an important detail that belies their choice of bourgois clothing. Further, we shouldn't forget that this trope is about characters who don't look like royalty at first glance. Everything together makes it a stronger option than anything else suggested so far, if only slightly.

You seem to be limiting the trope's definition too much. This is about members of royalty who doesn't dress up excessively, not that they don't look like one at all. The OP's problem with the current image is that it doesn't show the royal aspect clearly enough. The suggestion in 16 shows even less of it.

And having to infer their royalty from their poses is also a stretch, IMO. A lot of family pictures, especially formal ones, can easily look just as "stately", and the background of the image looks way too modest to be a royal residence.

edited 25th Nov '15 4:07:15 AM by Adept

Bump. Anyone else got potential suggestions?

There are a bunch of options, at least. Crowner?

Sounds like a plan.

Crowner's made.

And enthroned, thanks.

Bump for votes; two in the green, one with a pretty solid lead.