Follow TV Tropes

Following

History Literature / TheWishList

Go To

OR

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* GoodSmellsGood: An explosion of pure good according is noted to leave its demonic victims smelling like fresh-baked cookies, among other things. The other demons find this disgusting.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* CelestialBureaucracy

to:

* CelestialBureaucracyCelestialBureaucracy: The book features Saint Peter griping about how computer programmers never get past the Pearly Gates, so he has to do all of his records manually. The staff of Hell dread being reassigned to somewhere even worse than they already are.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* CareBearStare: Apparently, whenever an act of perfect good is performed, it sets off an explosion in the spiritual plane that leaves ghosts unaffected, but has the same effect as a nuclear bomb on demons, and it leaves a nice scent around them when they end up splattered back in Hell.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* AHellOfATime: More evil people get luxury apartments, complete with lava hottubs.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* RampJump: Belch ''tries'' to do a variation of this minus the ramp near the end, but RealityEnsues as the fence he tried to ramp simply ends up tangled around his bike. It wasn't even necessary, given that he could have just plowed through.

to:

* RampJump: Deconstructed. Belch ''tries'' to do a variation of this minus the ramp near the end, but RealityEnsues as the fence he tried to ramp simply ends up tangled around his bike. It wasn't even necessary, given that he could have just plowed through.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* BlueIsCalm: When Meg first wakes up in the afterlife, she initially thinks she might be in a hospital because of all the blue, since hospitals use it for a calming effect.
-->Her initial impression was blue. A lot of blue. Still, don't panic. You get blue in hospitals. A soothing colour.

Added: 626

Changed: 169

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* DecemberDecemberRomance: At the end, it's implied that [[spoiler:Lowrie will fulfill his promise to get together with Cecily Ward]].

to:

* DecemberDecemberRomance: At the end, it's implied that [[spoiler:Lowrie will fulfill his promise to get together with Cecily Sissy Ward]].



* NearVillainVictory: [[spoiler:At the climax, Lowrie is all but dead with his last wish still unfulfilled, and Meg is entering the tunnel. It seems like Belch and Elph have succeeded in damning her to Hell. Then Flit reminds her of the blue stones she still has...]]



* OhMyGods: Since Satan's not happy about people using the Lord's name in Hell, people use ''his'' name as a substitute.



* ScareEmStraight: An unintentional example. [[spoiler:When Franco gets possessed by Belch, he sees

to:

* ScareEmStraight: An unintentional example. [[spoiler:When Franco gets possessed by Belch, he sees gets glimpses into Belch's memories of Hell. Now that he knows eternal damnation is a possible fate for him, he resolves to [[HeelFaceTurn change for the better]].]]


Added DiffLines:

* VillainRespect: Meg's not an unambiguous hero, but she gets a good deal of this from Elph. [[spoiler:When it seems like the bad guys have won, Elph says she did a good job and expresses hope that they might work together at some point]].

Added: 1364

Changed: 726

Removed: 123

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* TheAlcoholic: Nora, Lowrie's late wife was this. It ended up killing her in a way -- she came home plastered one night and chugged some toilet bleach by mistake.



* BadBoss: Beelzebub has a bad habit of vaporizing souls for no reason other than him happening to be angry or worried at the time.



* EvilLawyerJoke: Beelzebub tries to assuage Satan's anger at not getting Meg's soul by claiming a bus full of lawyers is due to fall into a canyon that afternoon, so they're expecting a bit of a glut. This just makes him angrier; as he points out, he doesn't need lawyers because it's not like anybody's going to sue him.
* FatBastard: Franco is as fat as he is cruel.



* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:After seeing visions of Hell while possessed by Belch, Franco resolves to turn his life around]].



* HighConcept: A recently deceased girl cannot enter Heaven or Hell due to having a neutral soul, and decides to help an Old Man whom she helped rob when she was still living in order to get enough good karma to get into heaven

to:

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:After seeing visions of Hell while possessed by Belch, Franco resolves to turn his life around and redeem himself]].
* HighConcept: A recently deceased girl cannot enter Heaven or Hell due to having a neutral soul, and decides to help an Old Man whom she helped rob when she was still living in order to get enough good karma to get into heavenHeaven.
* HulkSpeak: Belch is reduced to talking like this by the end, thanks to much of the human side of his mind being destroyed.
* InsufferableGenius: Elph is smart and flaunts it.



* MaliciousMisnaming: Before losing a good portion of his human side, Belch refers to Elph by names like "fairy" or "pixie".



* RaceAgainstTheClock: Meg naturally loses life-force as time wears on, and Lowries heart condition begins to deteriorate as the stress of the stories events gets to him, turning the book into a race to fulfill all four wishes before the pair expire, condemning Lowrie to an unfulfilled life and Meg to the fire below.
* RampJump: Belch ''tries'' to do this near the end, but RealityEnsues as the fence he tried to ramp simply ends up tangled around his bike. It wasn't even necessary, given that he could have just plowed through.

to:

* RaceAgainstTheClock: Meg naturally loses life-force as time wears on, and Lowries Lowrie's heart condition begins to deteriorate as the stress of the stories events gets to him, turning the book into a race to fulfill all four wishes before the pair expire, condemning Lowrie to an unfulfilled life and Meg to the fire below.
* RampJump: Belch ''tries'' to do a variation of this minus the ramp near the end, but RealityEnsues as the fence he tried to ramp simply ends up tangled around his bike. It wasn't even necessary, given that he could have just plowed through.



* {{Satan}}

to:

* {{Satan}}RightHandAttackDog: Belch had a pit bull named Raptor in life who served as this. In death, their souls merged.
* {{Satan}}: Turns out he's personally interested in collecting Meg's soul.



* ScareEmStraight: An unintentional example. [[spoiler:When Franco gets possessed by Belch, he sees




to:

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Franco starts out well-liked by the neighborhood, due to nobody knowing about his embarrassing habits or the way he treats his wife and stepdaughter. He loses this status after Meg tricks him into showing his friends a videotape detailing his unhealthy obsession with TV and abuse of her.

Added: 995

Changed: 283

Removed: 123

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* AffablyEvil: Myishi generally comes off as friendly, but he's still a literally demonic MadScientist.



* AsianAndNerdy: Myishi is one of Hell's top scientists and engineers, and was Japanese when he was alive.



* {{Beelzebub}}: One of the book's main antagonists.



* DecemberDecemberRomance: At the end, it's implied that [[spoiler:Lowrie will fulfill his promise to get together with Cecily Ward]].
* DemonLordsAndArchdevils: Beelzebub is one of Satan's highest-ranking minions. Of course, this doesn't stop him from getting threatened and demeaned by his boss.



* GrumpyOldMan: Lowrie. Of course, considering the life he's led, he has valid reasons to be such a grouchy curmudgeon.



* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:After seeing visions of Hell while possessed by Belch, Franco resolves to turn his life around]].



* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:After seeing visions of hell while possessed by Belch, Franco resolves to turn his life around]].



* KickTheSonOfABitch: Meg absolutely ''destroys'' her stepfather without ever laying a hand on him.

to:

* KarmaMeter: Every human being has one, and its status at the end of their life determines what happens to them after they die. Meg saving Lowrie ended up making hers completely neutral, which means she's allowed to go back and try to earn herself a ticket to Heaven.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Meg absolutely ''destroys'' her stepfather without ever laying a hand on him. And he deserved it.


Added DiffLines:

* ManOfWealthAndTaste: Satan wears a pinstripe suit in his first appearance.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* CaptainErsatz: Elph is basically Foaly from ''Literature/ArtemisFowl.''
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* HeavenlyBlue: Heaven is portrayed as being bright blue with Hell being red.

Added: 83

Changed: 102

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[quoteright:260:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/9780141315928.jpg]]



* BigBad: Satan.

to:

* BigBad: Satan.Satan is the ultimate mastermind of the plot, intending to collect Meg's soul and hence sending her to hell.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* HighConcept: A recently deceased girl cannot enter Heaven or Hell due to having a neutral soul, and decides to help an Old Man whom she helped rob when she was still living in order to get enough good karma to get into heaven
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** It's implied that Beelzebub is digusted by the surgical procedure Myishi uses to turn Belch into a soul man.

to:

** It's implied that Beelzebub is digusted disgusted by the surgical procedure Myishi uses to turn Belch into a soul man.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both main characters. Meg can be a spiteful little horror, but quickly cottons on when she has gone too far (such as when she tells Lowrie that "its a bit late for this life" and then immediately realises the full ramifications of what she has said) or when things are deadly serious (her reaction to Belch's pitbull savaging Lowrie, and her attempts to get Belch to stop the attack; an attempt which saves Lowrie and saves herself from hell.) Lowrie, for his part, is a grumpy old man, but is still sensitive enough to take Megs issues in life and her desire for retribution against her abusive stepfather seriously. Both characters, in this way, demonstrate hidden sensibilities even if they are outwardly not particularly nice.

to:

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both main characters. Meg can be a spiteful little horror, but quickly cottons on when she has gone too far (such as when she tells Lowrie that "its "it's a bit late for this life" and then immediately realises the full ramifications of what she has said) or when things are deadly serious (her reaction to Belch's pitbull savaging Lowrie, and her attempts to get Belch to stop the attack; an attempt which saves Lowrie and saves herself from hell.) Lowrie, for his part, is a grumpy old man, but is still sensitive enough to take Megs Meg's issues in life and her desire for retribution against her abusive stepfather seriously. Both characters, in this way, demonstrate hidden sensibilities even if they are outwardly not particularly nice.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
How To Create A Works Page explicitly says "No bolding is used for work titles."


'''''The Wish List''''' is a novel by Creator/EoinColfer.

to:

'''''The ''The Wish List''''' List'' is a novel by Creator/EoinColfer.

Added: 48

Changed: 1

Removed: 48

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* FreudianExcuse: Megs childhood, in her own words, was "no great shakes", and goes some way towards explaining her mean-streak, especially in comparison to the story's antagonists.

to:

* FreudianExcuse: Megs Meg's childhood, in her own words, was "no great shakes", and goes some way towards explaining her mean-streak, especially in comparison to the story's antagonists.



* OurGhostsAreDifferent[=/=]OurSoulsAreDifferent


Added DiffLines:

* OurGhostsAreDifferent[=/=]OurSoulsAreDifferent
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:After seeing visions of hell while possessed by Belch, Franco resolves to turn his life around]].

Added: 111

Removed: 48

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* OurGhostsAreDifferent[=/=]OurSoulsAreDifferent



* ReformedBully: [[spoiler:Brendan Ball turns out to be this]].



* OurGhostsAreDifferent[=/=]OurSoulsAreDifferent
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* DeadToBeginWith: Meg dies in chapter 1.
Willbyr MOD

Changed: 10

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


** Also, a possible one when describing [[spoiler:Belch using up Franco's "life"]]. "He was just a [[GhostInTheShell ghost in a shell]]."

to:

** Also, a possible one when describing [[spoiler:Belch using up Franco's "life"]]. "He was just a [[GhostInTheShell [[Franchise/GhostInTheShell ghost in a shell]]."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* NotUsingTheZWord: The Devil forbids the use of God's name in Hell, to the point that his servant starts saying "God help..." and quickly corrects himself because somehow, the Devil always knows when someone lets the G word slip out.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


The novel begins with the protagonist, Meg Finn, dying horribly in a gas explosion after a break in goes wrong and the guy she's helping (sort of) accidentally blows them both up. However, because she tried to do good just before she died- saving the life of the old man Lowrie she was stealing from- she gets sent back to tip the scales, so to speak, one way or the other, to heaven or hell. To do this she has to help Lowrie complete the items on his "wish list": a list of things that he feels will correct the many mistakes he made in his life. In the meantime, both heaven and hell are out for her soul.

to:

The novel begins with the protagonist, Meg Finn, dying horribly in a gas explosion after a break in break-in goes wrong and the guy she's helping (sort of) accidentally blows them both up. However, because she tried to do good just before she died- died - saving the life of the old man Lowrie she was stealing from- from - she gets sent back to tip the scales, so to speak, one way or the other, to heaven or hell. To do this she has to help Lowrie complete the items on his "wish list": a list of things that he feels will correct the many mistakes he made in his life. In the meantime, both heaven and hell are out for her soul.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* FingerPokeOfDoom: As things seem hopeless for team Evil, [[spoiler:Myishi manages to cause Lowrie to have a fatal heart attack by appearing on the visible spectra in front of him just before he can complete the final wish, exploiting his already failing heart.]]

to:

* FingerPokeOfDoom: As things seem hopeless for team Evil, [[spoiler:Myishi [[spoiler:Elph manages to cause Lowrie to have a fatal heart attack by appearing on the visible spectra in front of him just before he can complete the final wish, exploiting his already failing heart.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


The Wish List is a novel by Creator/EoinColfer.

to:

The '''''The Wish List List''''' is a novel by Creator/EoinColfer.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


The Wish List is a novel by EoinColfer.

to:

The Wish List is a novel by EoinColfer.
Creator/EoinColfer.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Meg gets to heaven and sees her mother again, but she doesn't get to stick around Lowrie like she planned. Of course this being a universe where the afterlife is proven to exists they'll meet up again.]]

to:

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Meg gets to heaven and sees her mother again, but she doesn't get to stick around Lowrie like she planned. Of course course, this being a universe where the afterlife is proven to exists exist, they'll meet up again.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler Lowrie find out that the bully he went to beat up in revenge is just as old, frail, and suffering from a failing organ like him. He also has grown up and regrets everything he did to Lowrie. They make up.]]

to:

* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler Lowrie [[spoiler:Lowrie find out that the bully he went to beat up in revenge is just as old, frail, and suffering from a failing organ like him. He also has grown up and regrets everything he did to Lowrie. They make up.]]

Added: 558

Changed: 95

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Meg gets to heaven and sees her mother again, but she doesn't get to stick around Lowrie like she planned.]]

to:

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Meg gets to heaven and sees her mother again, but she doesn't get to stick around Lowrie like she planned. Of course this being a universe where the afterlife is proven to exists they'll meet up again.]]


Added DiffLines:

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: St Peter and Beelzebub have a hotline that goes directly to each other and has been key to preventing the EndOfTheWorld several times.


Added DiffLines:

* ForcefulKiss: Somewhat. There was no force involved but it was a surprise to [[spoiler: the woman that Lowrie kissed that he always regretted not doing so.]]


Added DiffLines:

* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler Lowrie find out that the bully he went to beat up in revenge is just as old, frail, and suffering from a failing organ like him. He also has grown up and regrets everything he did to Lowrie. They make up.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

The Wish List is a novel by EoinColfer.

The novel begins with the protagonist, Meg Finn, dying horribly in a gas explosion after a break in goes wrong and the guy she's helping (sort of) accidentally blows them both up. However, because she tried to do good just before she died- saving the life of the old man Lowrie she was stealing from- she gets sent back to tip the scales, so to speak, one way or the other, to heaven or hell. To do this she has to help Lowrie complete the items on his "wish list": a list of things that he feels will correct the many mistakes he made in his life. In the meantime, both heaven and hell are out for her soul.

----
!!Contains examples of the following tropes:

* [[AbusiveParents Abusive Step-parents]]: Meg's step-father ''really'' isn't a nice guy.
* AshesToCrashes: Lowrie throws a jar full of the ashes from Meg's mother at Franco. Since Belch was possessing him at the time, the blessed material traps Belch in Franco.
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Lowrie and, in a sense, Meg's stepfather.]]
* BarredFromTheAfterlife: Meg dies with a perfect balance of good and bad deeds to her name, disqualifying her from both branches of the afterlife. She finds a way back to the mortal world and decides to help an old man fulfill his life's wishes in the hopes of earning enough karma to get into heaven.
* BatmanGambit: Meg agrees to help Lowrie "burst Ball", knowing it will harm her celestial standing, because [[spoiler: she doesn't think he'll go through with it]]. And she's right.
* BigBad: Satan.
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Meg gets to heaven and sees her mother again, but she doesn't get to stick around Lowrie like she planned.]]
* CelestialBureaucracy
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:The blue stones.]]
* DemonicPossession: Any spirit can do this, but it costs a lot of energy.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** Meg's refusal to let Belch kill Lowrie during the burglary is enough to drag her Karma score up to a completely balanced neutral.
** It's implied that Beelzebub is digusted by the surgical procedure Myishi uses to turn Belch into a soul man.
* FingerPokeOfDoom: As things seem hopeless for team Evil, [[spoiler:Myishi manages to cause Lowrie to have a fatal heart attack by appearing on the visible spectra in front of him just before he can complete the final wish, exploiting his already failing heart.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Megs childhood, in her own words, was "no great shakes", and goes some way towards explaining her mean-streak, especially in comparison to the story's antagonists.
* TheHeavy: Belch and Elph.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both main characters. Meg can be a spiteful little horror, but quickly cottons on when she has gone too far (such as when she tells Lowrie that "its a bit late for this life" and then immediately realises the full ramifications of what she has said) or when things are deadly serious (her reaction to Belch's pitbull savaging Lowrie, and her attempts to get Belch to stop the attack; an attempt which saves Lowrie and saves herself from hell.) Lowrie, for his part, is a grumpy old man, but is still sensitive enough to take Megs issues in life and her desire for retribution against her abusive stepfather seriously. Both characters, in this way, demonstrate hidden sensibilities even if they are outwardly not particularly nice.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Meg absolutely ''destroys'' her stepfather without ever laying a hand on him.
* MadScientist: Myishi.
* MissingMom: Of the dead variety.
* PreMortemOneLiner: In the [[AccidentalPun spirit]], if not precisely this trope, considering both people involved are already dead. Meg Finn has earned her final reward and is on the fast track up the tunnel towards Heaven, but Belch attempts to drag her in the opposite direction, prompting (according to Saint Peter afterwards) the first instance of violence in the tunnel, accompanied by this:
-->'''Meg:''' Belch, you can go to Hell! (kick to the face)
* RaceAgainstTheClock: Meg naturally loses life-force as time wears on, and Lowries heart condition begins to deteriorate as the stress of the stories events gets to him, turning the book into a race to fulfill all four wishes before the pair expire, condemning Lowrie to an unfulfilled life and Meg to the fire below.
* RampJump: Belch ''tries'' to do this near the end, but RealityEnsues as the fence he tried to ramp simply ends up tangled around his bike. It wasn't even necessary, given that he could have just plowed through.
* {{Satan}}
* SaveTheVillain: [[spoiler:While he's not ''the'' villain, Meg's step-father is still brought back from the dead by her--and then vows to be a much better person, having caught a glimpse of Hell.]]
* SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp: Brendan Ball. Lowrie wants to get him back for it, but didn't consider the "grown up" part -- [[spoiler:and it turns out he's grown up as a person as well, and Lowrie changes his mind, [[BatmanGambit just as Meg knew he would]]]].
* ShoutOut: [[Literature/TheSupernaturalist Myishi]] is the name of a character.
** Also, a possible one when describing [[spoiler:Belch using up Franco's "life"]]. "He was just a [[GhostInTheShell ghost in a shell]]."
* OurGhostsAreDifferent[=/=]OurSoulsAreDifferent
* TookALevelInDumbass: Belch becomes more and more bestial as the book goes on. Justified, given the fact that he constantly suffers serious damage to his human side.

----

Top