The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
Find a Trope:
openEnding Auctions Immediately Live Action TV
An Auction ending immediately after a Whammy Bid situation? I feel like no matter how ridiculous the bid an auctioneer would still try to fish for another person willing to bid that high that was just trying for a deal. In the Angel episode Parting Gift the bid is only raised by 50% but the auctioneer still immediately stops the bidding before the other demon bidding could respond.
openA protagonist-less story following a chain of events.
But definitely not a Random Events Plot.
Imagine some important goal needs to be achieved, some significant deed done but not by an individual protagonist or a significant group. Instead it is accomplished by random peoplenote or groups thereof that may or may not know each other.
Or something big is happening and each chapter/episode features different characters coping with whatever it is. Be it war, natural disaster or a disease pandemic.
openDream Dictating
Bob is sleeping. Alice starts talking to him, and it becomes clear from his reactions that Bob is now dreaming of what Alice is saying to him (i.e. drooling when she mentions his Trademark Favorite Food, agreeing with whatever she's saying...). Sometimes she does this to plant an idea in his head or get him to technically agree to what she said.
- One Foxtrot strip has Jason tell his sleeping mother about all the expensive gifts her children could get her if she raised their allowances, Roger shaking her awake to say "he's doing it again".
- One Garfield strip has an alarm clock describe an enormous feast to a sleeping Garfield, then go off just as he's about to dig in.
openDisputed canonicity
Is there a trope for where a work's canonicity is disputed?
Examples:
Anime and Manga
- Dragon Ball:
- Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone takes place before the series begins, with Piccolo and Goku still having their rivalry, but some fans consider it canon to the series, despite it being a Non-Serial Movie.
- Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge is a Non-Serial Movie, but some fans consider it canon even though it's an Alternate Timeline.
Live Action TV
- Line of Duty Season 4 is considered to be non-canon or an Alternate Timeline by some fans of the show due to its focusing on a Serial Killer.
Western Animation
- Steven Universe short The Crystal Gems Say be Anti-Racist is not confirmed as canon or non-canon by Word of God, or has yet to be anyway.
openIs this Cassandra Truth?
So Character A tells Character B something that is definitely true to A and the audience, but it conflicts so badly with Character B's preconceptions that B dismisses it.
The examples I'm thinking of:
- Ritsuka describes Chaldea in detail to a curious Rider, who is astonished to learn that Euryale and Stheno answered his summons and that Euryale has entered a loving relationship with Asterios. He then adds that Medusa's sisters still love her and they always did. That last statement leaves Rider in shock, who dismisses it as "insanity" after she devoured them in life.
- When Ritsuka, Jack, and Rider leave the Emiya household, Archer materializes to examine Ritsuka's belongings and try to dig up dirt up on him. Upon examining Ritsuka's Bakuya-shaped kitchen knife, he reads its history to find a version of himself smiling while teaching Ritsuka to cook. The idea of any version of himself finding happiness while following the path of a hero of justice is met with a blunt "Impossible." from Archer.
openA true warrior is merciful
The hero doesn't kill enemies he has defeated in combat, to the shock of the enemies, which is used as a sign of how honorable/badass he is.
openYear Title Literature
This is mainly a literature trope but I noticed a lot of books are named after years. Notably, 1984.
openRiddle for the Ages vs The Unreveal
I've been reading over the trope Riddle for the Ages and I can't figure out how it's different form The Unreveal. Both seem to describe a significant plot point that is never explained. Could someone elaborate on the difference?
openFrom One Extreme To The Other
A person, place or thing is shown going from one (usually undesirable) situation to its (usually equally undesirable) polar opposite, for any or no reason. You would think this would be an actual trope listing, but I can't seem to find one which actually fits the bill.
The example I wanted to use is under the entry for "Useful Notes/ Milwaukee": the city's current flag is described (correctly) as a cluttered, "crowded mish-mash of buildings, seals and icons", and briefly describes a new 2018 proposal which is much cleaner (which I have personally seen). The new proposal is merely a graphic of a sunrise/sunset over water and so horribly ambiguous that it could stand for any city on any body of water. Unlike the old flag, which is literally overloaded with symbols specifically representing Milwaukee (including the city's name), there is nothing about the new proposed flag's design which is specifically peculiar to Milwaukee or evokes any inkling that the flag represents Milwaukee any more than it could represent any other city by water. Hence, "from one extreme" (over-cluttered specificity) "to the other" (absolute, over-simplified ambiguity).
Edited by RuppRider73openStuck with the losers
A character gets rejected by their normal friends, and ends up hanging out with a group of "losers" instead, much to their displeasure. Examples:
- Superstore: Amy can't get into her friends' trivia night party, so she ends up planning a gathering with other rejected coworkers, like Sandra, Myrtle, and Roger. However, they're all very creepy and clingy about it (with Sandra opting to call their group the Best Friends), so Amy backtracks and claims she has another obligation.
- The Fairly OddParents!: In "Power Pals!", Timmy's friends ban him from the lunch table due to his disrespectful behavior. The only other table that'll take Timmy is a table of sickly nerds, but Timmy quickly rejects them.
- South Park: In "The List," Kyle is deemed the ugliest kid in school, and ends up having to spend time with the other ugly kids, who all have nonstandard character designs.
openDivorced parents compete over the child
This is a typical trope in any media with divorced parents, where each parent tries harder to be seen as the "good" parent by spoiling the child with expensive gifts, vacations, etc. Is this covered by a trope? Divorce Assets Conflict is about legal custody, not emotional connections.
Edited by mightymewtronopenCorrect irony subtrope (solved) Film
On the examples list for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York:
Dramatic Irony: Kevin's family wanted to spend Christmas in Florida to enjoy gorgeous weather, only to arrive in the middle of a bleak tropical rainstorm worse than whatever kind of weather they would've had in Chicago.
This doesn't look like an example of Dramatic Irony, but is there another irony subtrope that would fit this?
Edited by PPPSSCopenRich family sends a member away
A rich family sends a member, usually a young man, away to get rid of them, usually giving them money or other support when they leave.
This is certainly a trope, but i've forgotten it's name.
openWhat Was Once Love...
...has turned into hatred. This is a case when one character, usually a heroic one, is friends with The Protagonist. But the Protagonist says or does things that directly (or indirectly) cause their former friend to become an enemy. Often accompanied by a Heel–Face Turn.
Edited by LiechtraumopenCast Overlap Live Action TV
Do we have this? This is for two shows who share a disproportionate number of the same actors for no in universe reason - for example Broadchurch has no less than twenty one actors who’ve also appeared in Doctor Who
Edited by ExxolonopenFalling Up
Is there a trope where, for whatever reason, something or someone is in danger of "falling" up into the sky? I've looked at the Falling and Landing index and the Gravity Tropes index but I can't find anything specific. Thanks!
openCharacter present for no reason
When a character is present in a story despite there being no logical reason for them to, just to avoid They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character (particularly for the sake of comic relief).
For example, in the Tintin album Explorers on the Moon, the Thompsons end up on the rocket to the moon not knowing it was going to leave, even though they weren't supposed to be part of the mission, just because they're iconic characters.
Edited by nw09openBeing both a child and aspect
A character being both the offspring and an aspect of another, ie God/Christ or Akatosh/Alduin.
Do we have a trope for the gag of a character wearing a mask or face-covering helmet, without a mouth hole, and eating or taking a drink without taking it off?