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openSquishy Genius Literature
This is a trope similar to Squishy Wizard, but with brains instead of magic - a character who relies on cunning and manipulation has to face a raging brute. No amount of planning or trickery (that the genius can do with such little time) can stop the brute's strength, and the genius is screwed. Do we have this?
Edited by DrNoPumaopenGambit help Literature
I have a WMG I need help with as the fact that this scenario was a gambit is the WMG.
Alex and Bob are friends. Alex warns Bob that the government is going to make him The Scapegoat and he should go into hiding until this blows over despite Bob being a loyal poster boy of the government and a very good, well-liked military officer. Had Alex not warned Bob, then Bob would of gone off to his death and followed orders exactly as he should have.
But because Bob is so loyal to the principles of the government, he decides to go confront the government with overwhelming firepower, thus technically breaking his orders but staying completely in line with his character of being a charismatic military man. Alex now has to crown Bob as the leader because Bob controls all the firepower, but Alex is a friend of Bob so is primed to be a second in command of some sort.
Tldr is: Alex tells Bob secret info that makes Bob react in a completely in character way that benefits Alex.
In the books it’s never explored as a gambit, we never see Alex’s POV or see him scheming. He just shows up, warns Bob to disappear then later is like ‘well, you showed up with a fleet, which is mutiny, so I guess I’ll just make you king because you have the guns.’ But it feels like it was planned as it was strange that Alex was the one to suggest that Bob be a leader rather than objecting or overruling him.
Is this a gambit? Something else? (I feel like there’s a term I just am unsure which one fits my thought process)
openNo sense of aesthetics/beauty? Literature
Perhaps I can’t think of the correct description but I am unable to find any tropes listed covering such a thing as a lack of aesthetics or no sense of beauty. Can anyone direct me to any tropes along those lines? Something like when building a house it would just be a concrete block with rooms and windows to let in light. Also flowers are just plant leaves in different colours.
openWhich Eye Trope is this in this excerpt? Literature
I am trying to create a page for the Light Novel series "Me, a Genius?". Read this excerpt: https://pastebin.com/yTzBYW3L . I think the first bit, when the protagonist is born, is some subtrope of "Uh-Oh" Eyes, but I am unsure exactly which one. Playing With "Black Eyes of Evil", straight "Empty Eyes" or something else. The point is its effect on his mother.
openMisunderstood because they are born with scary facial attributes they are unaware of Literature
I am trying to create a page for the Light Novel series "Me, a Genius?". It is a sci-fi comedy, with its main humor coming from frequent misunderstandings. The main character Kouki is misunderstood as an ethically challenged natural-born genius. When people communicate with him, they misunderstand him as appearing scary, when he himself thinks he is trying to be social and friendly, which seems to stem from having a severe face, especially when smiling. He is an reincarnated person, born with adult knowledge but no past-life memories. When he was born, he didn't act quite like a typical new-born, which created some initial misunderstandings. Throughout the series, it is implied that he has rather emotionless looking eyes, which he himself is unaware of. I think that last one is some subtrope of "Uh-Oh" Eyes, but I am unsure exactly which one. The above, where others misunderstand his facial expressions, is probably some other Trope. I have a link to some short excerpts here, with scenes from Kouki's perspective together with the same scenes from other characters perspective. This should help with context. https://pastebin.com/yTzBYW3L
openWhat is this character? Literature
Okay I've looked over a bunch of villain tropes and my brain keeps going 'but not quite'.
There is a side (secondary) character in the Castle Federation series I don't know how to classify.
He is part of The Empire and believes wholeheartedly in the cause for which The Empire is conquering the good guys. BUT
He stands aside to let the hero kill a mass murder (and does it for The Honor of the Empire, doesn't even attempt to lie about it when his superior yanks him up short for it.)
Later he teams up with The Hero to take down a different smaller mutual bad guy, though he then goes home to The Empire and continues to serve them in a different war because he gave his parole to The Hero and intended to stick to it.
He's good, got a moral code, but still serves The Empire. He doesn't switch sides and join the hero permanently and when he's sent off to the other war, he doesn't complain and still seems to believe in The Empire's cause.
The quote "your a bad guy, but not a *bad guy*" from Wreck-it Ralph comes up when I think of this guy. What IS this guy?
openObvious Villain, Ignored by Hero Literature
Alice seems to hate Bob. She talks over him, tries to undermine Bob to his friends and superiors, rumors have been going around linked to Alice's name that she has been doing bad, illegal things. Every time Alice appears she is nasty towards Bob.
Bob brushes this off. Its okay, Alice is a loyal soldier, she's just playing devil's advocate, Alice doesn't need to like Bob, just work with him in a professional manner.
and Surprise, surprise, Alice attempts to backstab Bob at a critical moment, fully revealing she was the obvious villain all along even as everyone else bent over backwards to excuse her attitude and actions up until now.
What is this? I have a villain in a book that fits this description and I can't tell what she's supposed to be. Its obvious from the moment she appears in the book that she's gonna turn on the main character but everyone dances around the idea because she's supposed to be on their side.
openExponential Installment Expansion Literature
In some works, such as The Dark Tower, Harry Potter, or Homestuck (couldn't get the link to work), the series as a whole is subdivided into various installments where, as the series progresses, each individual installment is larger than the last (to an extent; all three series have a later installment smaller than the one before it, but there's still a general trend).
Is there any trope that fits this? Exponential Plot Delay seemed like it might fit, but that trope is specifically for when the plot slows down in later installments (at least, that's what it seems like). Does a trope exist specifically for this?
Edited by ThatDerpyFoxresolved Immediately Proven Right (SOLVED) Literature
A common gag in humor fiction is a character or the narrator saying one thing, and then another character proving them right, using the exact same phrasing. I've seen it a bunch of times. For instance:
- Narrator/character: Alice looked so hungry she could eat a horse!
- cut to Alice.
- Alice: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!
openIs this hanging a Lampshade or...? Literature
Bob the Main character is in danger being attacked by an army, separated from the group and in serious danger.
Most of the cast are grim, knowing Bob is doing his duty, but like the guy, and are trying not to let bias affect their decisions. The Rival suddenly cuts and goes.
"Look, I might not like Bob, but there are a ton of good reasons to go to Bob's rescue like defeating the army attacking him, so yall are being stupid and let's go save him."
What exactly is this? In the book when I first read it my brain went 'wow, rival practically broke the 4th wall so the Main Character doesn't die right here' but no audience is addressed. It's a very significant turning point in the story but going to save the MC is completely justified in character, if feeling a bit like it was more an excuse to save their friend than actually being completely necessary.
openChild-talk Induced Death Literature
Bob and Alice are loving couple and have been for a little bit now.
They are chatting about stuff when the subject of children comes up and instead of being scared or rejecting the idea, they actually seem quite positive towards the idea of settling down and having a child where before they definitely were not ready to even contemplate the idea.
After Bob accepts and maybe even promises to have a kid, showing all the character growth that comes with that admission, Bob goes and does something to get himself killed, devastating Alice and everyone around them. (As though the author used the loving, character growth filled interaction as a red flag to mark Bob for death.)
is there a trope for this scenario?
openI AM the groom! Literature
A character pretends to be another person, or have a relationship with another person, but it backfires because, unbeknownst to him, the person he's talking to is the "victim".
e.g.:
Wedding crasher: Relax, I'm a friend of the groom. Muscular Wrestler: Funny, cause I AM the groom.
openEvery chapter ends on a cliffhanger Literature
Is there a trope for this? Goosebumps is probably the Trope Codifier, as other than the first few books almost every chapter of every book ends this way (even if it's the first chapter there's often something along the lines of "Everything seemed ok now, but little did we know what lay in store for us.") I guess this could happen in other media but I can't think of any examples offhand.
Edited by BootlebatopenAll-Knowing Being Assures Unlikely Event Literature
An omniscient/all-knowing being (does not have to be omnipotent or all-powerful) saying or doing exactly the right thing to the right character at exactly the right time, leading to what would otherwise be a one in a million/billion/trillion chance event. but because all-knowing beings are all knowing, this was all calculated in advance and the low-chance event was practically assured.
Edited by hbms432openNot sure what nation trope to apply Literature
Hi everyone I’m undergoing the daunting task of making a page for my favorite book series, the Castle Federation series, and I need some help.
The main antagonistic force in these books is the Terran Commonwealth. The nation as a whole has a tendency to think all humans needed to be unified under them in anyway possible, including war and occupation (even if their own planets) But they aren’t openly cacklingly evil, some of the people who are in this nation are actually pretty good people, they have elections and most of the older planets seem to be very happy to be in the Commonwealth. It’s just the whole unify by force thing that makes them antagonistic the M Cs home star nation.
(They did look to be turning into Rome IN SPACE! but only on literally the last page of the series)
would they still be The Empire in this context or am I missing a better trope to slap on them?
openYear Title Literature
This is mainly a literature trope but I noticed a lot of books are named after years. Notably, 1984.
openIs there a trope for characters meeting a creator of some kind? Literature
I've been looking for a trope related to characters meeting the god or creator deity but I cant find it.
openOveranalysed due to popularity Literature
Do we have this? It’s for works where every little detail is scrutinised by fans and critics and the slightest inconsistency pounced on and analysed, debated, dissected and the creator is repeatedly asked about, called out on or forced to justify it in a way that doesn’t apply to less popular works.
For example J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books are subject to atom by atom forensic analysis of every minute detail in a way that Jill Murphy’s very similar The Worst Witch series is not.
Could have a related trope in that something like Potter was (at least initially) written for children and wouldn’t normally be subjected to line by line scrutiny but due to the expanded fanbase gets the treatment - people are not generally slavishly dissecting Noddy books the same way.
Edited by ExxolonopenIt's rags to royalty but... Literature
In Fairy Tale Reform School, Flora (formerly Cinderella's evil stepmother) reformed along with her two daughters, and made efforts to be productive members of society. Flora even opened up the reform school the book series is named after to help other villains do the same.
Even her daughters, Azalea and Dahlia, have changed for the better and are among the few commoners to attend Royal Academy. For the sisters particularly, I'm wondering if this is Rags to Royalty or something else.
Edited by BlackFaithStar
Is there a trope for when an author does something over and over their works that it seems to be their signature 'thing?'
From the work I'm troping: The author had a tendency to give detailed visual descriptions to just about everyone. From main characters to one-off characters who are only there for a chapter at best or even in passing. He does it constantly and consistently throughout the entire series.