Discussion Main / SixStudentClique

Previous Trope Repair Shop thread: Unclear Description, started by ThePope on Mar 27th 2012 at 8:02:03 AM

Previous Trope Repair Shop thread: Needs Help, started by Giselfred on Aug 21st 2020 at 11:22:53 AM

What happened to all the adult examples?

The Cluedo example appears to be arbitarily assigning characteristics to six differently coloured chess pawns, purely on the grounds that there are three men and three women and therefore they must fit the trope. (And Mrs White as "The Pretty One"? Really?) Is there any basis for Cluedo peices having any character at all beyond "wanting to kill Dr Black/Mr Boddy"? (within the game; dramatic spinoffs are another story but aren't consistent.)

This trope confuses me- is it about a clique of six students, or a group of six characters who fit these personality types? Because a clique of six students could easily have personalities wildy different from those listed, and a group of characters with these personalities don't have to be students.

If its about six students, why is it so specific? If its about these six personalties, can we rename it so it allows non-school examples?

Since there are so many non-student versions here, maybe they should instead be listed under a Sister Trope called Six Adult Clique. I think I’ll suggest that on YKTTW.

I’m working on a massive renovation of this trope. It’ll set some ground rules for variations (adult versions, not gender-balanced, etc), as well as adding several more examples.

I think that the "main character" needs a new title, though. After all, he's not always the actual main character, especially if a series focuses on one of the girls or on all six equally. Sometimes he's the main character, sometimes a "clever but Book Dumb" schemer, and sometimes both. Any suggestions?

You know, forcing the Saved by the Bell roles on this doesn't work. There certainly is usually a Main Character, a Muscle, a Quirk, a Smart One, a Pretty One and a Wild One, but the genders always switch around. It's not always or even usually that the guys are the Main Character, the Muscle and the Quirk and the girls are the Smart One, the Pretty one and the Wild One.

We wind up having stuff like Buffy not being considered the main character in her Six Student Clique just to fit this overly-defined trope. I say we get rid of the forced definitions of which are the male and which are the female roles.

I pulled the two video game examples because they don't appear to fit.

• The FFVIII cast isn't a clique - they're a military squad that are only together on assignment. Only one is a student on joining (Irvine), one is a teacher/mentor (Quistis), and one is an outsider (Rinoa). Plus none of them match the traits as presented - Quistis is a teacher, Selphie is not a "wild child" (exuberance does not equal "hippie"), and Rinoa doesn't have men fighting over her.
• The FFXII cast doesn't even contain any students - and only two characters are even teenagers. All the others are adults. So it's not surprise that they don't get even close to matching those traits.

I pulled other examples of adult groups because they don't fit, period. You can't call the cast of Friends a six student clique when they're not students, not in school, and not in a clique. That example in particular was bad for not even having places to fit the rest of the cast.