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Author: IsaacG

Dec 13th 2012 at 1:22:32 PM

Hm, that's a good question Earnest. First I have to admit I didn't know there was a trope ContractOnTheHitman when I started this. As such, the similarities are surprising.

My original intent was to focus on the ''inevitability'' of betrayal when the assassin is the main character. I noticed this trope when I recently learned of Dishonored and Mark Of The Ninja, and since they were both stealth-based, I correctly assumed the player would be betrayed about halfway through.

I suppose this "inevitable betrayal" could extend to virtually any morally ambiguous occupation. The phrase "I started this company" in reference to a hostile takeover comes to mind, as well as the fact that practically every movie whose main character is a lawyer ends with said lawyer starting his own firm. It tends to go a long way for the main character's HeelFaceTurn, or any other character getting an excuse to suddenly become a lot more evil.

As it is, I'm starting to get concerned this YKTTW is at best a subtrope of ContractOnTheHitman, and at worst TheSameButMoreSpecific. Reading through the examples of each, there's a great deal of common ground, and the lack of shared examples is more due to a lack of time and effort than anything inherent in the tropes. In the event this gets shot down, I'm probably just going to transfer the examples that fit.