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.
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openButtMonkey, but a non-person
Is there a trope for a thing, rather than a character or person, in-universe that is constantly a target of ridicule? Sort of like a Take That!, except it's usually internal to the work, rather than to a specific, external target. Or like a Butt-Monkey, but for things, places, or establishments rather than people.
For example, in Arthur, the in-universe fast food restaurant (and also not-so-subtle parody of KFC), Chickin Lickin, is almost never portrayed in a positive or even neutral light. In its debut episode, the focus is on some of the main characters staging a protest against it buying out the local mom-and-pop Sugar Bowl.
Later episodes have it as the target of yet another (small) demonstration due to its less scrupulous practices (like underpaying employees), the subject of an (unfounded) Internet rumor that its shakes are made with chicken fat, and the butt of a joke where Buster, Arthur, and Muffy attend a culinary day camp: when the chef quizzes the class on what the "most important food" known to man is, Muffy responds with "Chickin Lickin' Chix Stix with Cheddarola". The chef responds with, "if you mention the name of this 'Chickin Lickin’' in my class again, you will be asked to leave".
openRadically Different Historical Expy
Is there a trope for when a character is an Expy of a Real Life person, except for that their appearance is so radically different that their relation is essentially In Name Only?
openFamiliar things from an unfamiliar perspective Literature
A type of humor that involves describing everyday objects and activities from the perspective of a fascinated, often confused outsider. Like "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" or "If All Stories Were Written Like Science Fiction Stories."
openOutdated reference? Western Animation
I'm trying to find a trope for WesternAnimation.The Raccoons:
- In the original series, One-Shot Character Troy Malone had a voice that was a No Celebrities Were Harmed impersonation of Perry Como; he's Adapted Out of the Continuity Reboot The Raccoons: The New Adventures for now due to Perry Como's voice being unfamiliar to newer audiences and Perry being less prominent in modern pop culture.
and for another trope entirely:
- In "The Chips Are Down!" The Pigs - Floyd, Lloyd and Boyd are forced to eat undesirable-flavored potato chips as punishment for a competition gone wrong involving the potato chips.
openBrother-Sister Trio
This involves a family with three siblings, either two brothers and a sisters or two sisters and a brother, who are all fairly close to one another in age. The age spacing between the three siblings is (or at least should be) believable.
This is a supertrope to A Boy, a Girl, and a Baby Family, wherein, as the name implies, the third sibling is either a boy or a girl, but always much younger than his/her brother and sister. The problem with that trope is that it often includes a younger sibling who may not always be a baby, but anything older than that, if only slightly (i.e., no younger than preschool). Also, twins can be accepted if they're close to their older/younger brother/sister in age.
Examples:
- Wizards of Waverly Place: Alex Russo and her brothers, Justin (older) and Max (younger).
- LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures: Preteen Rowan Freemaker has two older siblings, Zander (brother) and Kordi (sister).
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Applejack, her older brother Big Macintosh, and their younger sister Apple Bloom.
- Animaniacs: The Warner brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister, Dot.
openNo Title
Where a Word of God information post is only on 1 official source and no where else? (I.e where people could easily miss it)
openIntoxication Interrogation
One character gets another drunk to get information the other wouldn't reveal otherwise.
openAggressive older love interest Anime
A lot of anime featuring a preteen/pubescent boy protagonist involves them having some kind of professional relationship with an adult woman or much older teen who is sexually aggressive towards them. Due to the Double Standard Rape: Female on Male, this is generally Played for Laughs or for titilation, even though the protagonist's reaction usually to this ranges from discomfort to Tsundere-style ambiguity. Marshmallow Hell is often involved but I'm looking more for the relationship dynamic/character archetype.
Examples include Misato from Neon Genesis Evangelion and Haruko from FLCL.
openKid with the Leash but an adult
A character creates the only means of controlling an otherwise extremely powerful and reckless character that would otherwise be berserk—think Kid with the Leash but an adult.
openThey thought they could control her/him
A powerful established group cooperates with a newcomer and believe she/he will be their front figure, but they can control her/him. As it turns out, they were completely wrong and are now the conttolled ones.
openGreat at Shapeshifting, Bad at Impersonation
Do we have a trope for a shapeshifter or master of disguise who's noticeably bad at the whole impersonation thing?
Basically a character has a knack for disguising, if not outright shapshifting, and those skills are the real deal, but their ability to actually pretend to be the person they're imitating are such that the only reason they're probably getting away with anything is that nobody has reason to believe there could be an imposter in the first place.
We have Paper-Thin Disguise, but that's more about when a known character that should be recognized adopts a poor disguise. Informed Ability is about this type of thing, but much more generally
- The Thrilling Adventure Hour: In the "Sparks Nevada: Marshal on Mars" episodes, Jupiter spies are notorious for their shapeshifting and infiltration abilities. One in particular, Jib Janeen, is a reoccurring antagonist. However, while his ability to impersonate his targets' appearance is flawless, he does absolutely nothing to change his voice or campy mannerisms. The cue to the audience that Jib Janeen is impersonating someone, besides the fact it's not the character's normal actor doing their voice, is greeting everyone present with the catch phrase "Hi, all my buddies!"
- Red Panda Adventures:
- The Man of a Thousand Faces, known as either Baboon McSmoothie or Brian McSweeny depending on what universe you're in, has the ability to change his appearance to anyone he wishes, man or woman. However, he has a tendency to rely on improvisation when infiltrating, which leads to both versions outing themselves. In "Eyes of the Idol", McSweeny impersonates Dr. Chronopolis's daughter, Anna, without any idea of who she is going in, but knowing she has access to where an artifact he needs to steal is being kept. When discussing the artifact, McSweeny gives himself away by arguing against the findings that had been made regarding the item, discoveries made by Dr. Anna Chronopolis, the person he's currently imitating.
- In "The World Next Door", Baboon McSmoothie has come to Toronto from an alternate timeline's Bad Future in the making to steal an item needed to prevent disaster in his universe. When noticed and pursued, he attempts to trick the Red Panda's sidekick, the Flying Squirrel. While he nails the voice and mannerisms, he slips up by getting the mask completely wrong and referring to the Flying Squirrel as "Kent" instead of "Kit". These errors result from McSmoothie impersonating his universe's version of the Red Panda but not realizing until too late that the main universe's Red Panda has a completely different costume and the Flying Squirrel is adult, female Kit Baxter and not teenage, male Kent Baxter.
- Sakamoto Days: Ex-Hitman-Turned-Convenience-Store-Owner Sakamoto is The Stoic. He's not given to speaking much and even his thoughts are taciturn, as seen through the mind reading abilities of Ex-Hitman-Turned-Convenience-Store-Employee, Shin. Thus, it's immediately clear that something is off when Sakamoto holds an actual conversation with Shin and Ex-Triad-Turned-Convenience-Store-Employee Lu. It's not until the real Sakamoto arrives and quickly deals with the situation that it's discovered the other Sakamoto is a still active hitman with a knack for disguise stopping in for a visit.
openSpinoff takes place in an isolated setting?
A story spinning off of the main one takes place in an isolated setting or is set far away from the main story's setting so that they can't interact with each other in order to keep their stories independent.
Like how Transformers: Rescue Bots takes place in the same universe as Transformers: Prime, but it takes place on a little-known island on the opposite side of the country so that neither of their plots influence the other.
openForced 1 ending
if you didn't come Golden Ending the game became Unwinnable
ex: if you didn't collect 7th Plot Coupon That Does Something the game next level, your allies became the level boss
openWife prevents Star Trek baby name Live Action TV
On last night's Young Sheldon rerun, old Sheldon in his Wonder Years voiceover says he wanted to name his son Leonard Nimoy Cooper, after Leonard Nimoy, obviously. But Amy interjects saying he should be happy she went along with Leonard Cooper, presumably after Leonard Hofstadter.
On JAG, Harriet almost goes along with Bud on naming their first son James Kirk Roberts, because Bud explains it as something something Gaelic. But once she finds out it's after Captain Kirk on Star Trek, she decides they must choose another name.
Is this a trope we already have listed? Or maybe this is too rare a trope. Or maybe I'm defining it too narrowly.
open"Trapped on Earth" plot
A plot in which a character from another world gets sent to and trapped in our own.
open"Asian people are perverts" stereotype
All Anime Is Naughty Tentacles would be a sub-trope; the idea that Asian people are promiscuous, sleazy, have creepy kinks, or are even pedophiles. An example would be that character from Game Grumps who's a Japanese pedophile.
openNot-so-progressive
A character may seem progressive and leftist, but they're ultimately revealed to be a Hypocrite or straight-up using that personality as a facade.
Edited by jandn2014openLiving Mood Ring
A character whose physical appearance, in whole or in some detail, changes in response to their emotions.
Hi, I wanted to know if there are tropes for these situations.
The first is when a character wants to vent by doing something that others do not know he or she does, and has to put up with the urge to do it.
The second is when a character talks on the phone with another character and for example the other person comes to live with the first character without having asked permission before and is already settled in the house of the first character.
The third is when a character is mentioned on certain occasions, but never appears in person.