Markup View

Author: 69BookWorM69

Jul 18th 2012 at 7:07:38 AM

I worked up this description. What say you?

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Most of the time, when new characters are presented to an audience, information about them is given in short order. Name, physical appearance, gender, age, social status, job--all this and more will be revealed, if not directly they are introduced, then shortly thereafter. Thus, the audience can learn who's the protagonist, who's related to whom (and how), [[{{Antagonist}} who's going to start conflict]], and who's likely to help resolve it. In this way, the audience can begin to make sense of the story and (hopefully) come to care about the heroes and what happens to them.

That is not this trope.

Some characters first appear with most or all of their identifying traits withheld from the other characters and the audience. They likely won't be greeted by other characters as friend/lover/family/colleague/boss. Their faces and forms are often [[SinisterSilhouettes hidden in shadow]] or [[DisguiseTropes actual disguise]]. Their very presence may go unnoticed by some or all of the other characters. [[LawOfConservationOfDetail Yet they keep appearing]]: the author repeatedly mentions them in the text; the camera [[TrackingShot focuses on them and follows their actions]]. The audience (and perhaps one or more of the characters) is wondering, "Who are you?" That's the point.

Withholding information in this fashion piques the audience's curiosity. Without it, the audience can't form solid expectations about the character. Part of the plot development may also be in doubt, or else solving the mystery of this character becomes the plot. [[ThreeLinesSomeWaiting Or one of several.]] The audience and the other characters may be let in on the secret in tandem, or [[InternalReveal the audience may learn the truth first and the characters only find out later]]. Then again, [[RiddleForTheAges some secrets are never revealed]].

Mysterious Strangers can be a source of surprise for both other characters and the audience, often by [[RevealingSkill displaying an unexpected talent]] or triggering a [[PlotTwist plot twist]]. They may be a source of information via an anonymous phone call or a [[MysteriousNote written note]]. They may even [[MysteriousBenefactor secretly provide the heroes with material resources]]. They may [[TheReveal come forward at a key moment]], throwing the villain off guard or giving the hero a much-needed respite.

The precise nature of their secret(s) will determine their role in the story. Subtropes to this include:

* MysteriousBacker
* MysteriousProtector
* MysteriousWaif
* MysteriousWatcher
* MysteriousWoman

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You may want to tie some other tropes to this (compare, contrast, compare and contrast):

* AncientConspiracy
* EmergingFromTheShadows
* HiddenAgendaVillain
* HiddenVillain
* PowersThatBe
* TheFaceless
* TheGhost
* TheOmniscientCouncilOfVagueness

Other [=YKTTWs=] that might also start as this: 
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=trs6nl1kcikzyrgxr39qerts HiddenAgendaCompanion]]
* [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=ayqkeifgg8mzagsi0bj6nsrs HiddenAgendaHero]]