History PlayingWith / PrinceCharmless

** Alternatively: Prince Dikliss [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold isn't so bad underneath it all]]. (And honestly, growing up with a name like "[[UnfortunateName Dikliss]]" is bound give anyone a chip on their shoulder.)

* '''Exploited''': Prince Kelvin tricks Velvet's father into engaging her to Prince Dikless so that when he appears to save her from the unwanted marriage, Velvet will be grateful.

* '''Parodied''': Dikliss is such an UpperClassTwit that he plunges deep into CloudCuckoolander territory.

* '''Inverted''': See PrinceCharming

* '''Gender Inverted''': Princess Classless: the presumed PrincessClassic is a SpoiledBrat with no class at all.

Back to PrinceCharmless

* '''Deconstructed''': Dikliss is unpleasant thanks to spending his whole life dealing with the DeadlyDecadentCourt, constantly manipulated by everyone around him and treated as little more than a convenient pawn; a means to an end. His ArrangedMarriage to Velvet is just another instance of this, something he greatly resents and can't help thinking of whenever he sees her.

* '''Justified''': Prince Dikliss has [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections never]] [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem needed]] to act like a decent person.

* '''Gender Inverted''': Princess Brat: the pretty princess is a SpoiledBrat

* '''Reconstructed''': ...He's still a prick, though, and Velvet doesn't want anything to do with him. Not when she has a nice guy like Kelvin around.

* '''Exploited''': ???

* '''Double Subverted''': ...However, the decency turns out to be little more than a facade that he soon drops around Velvet or others to [[EvilGloating gloat]].

* '''Exploited''': Princess Velvet runs away from home to avoid her forced marriage with Prince Dikliss, fully expecting him to be a jackass.
* '''Defied''': Serpentus deliberately ''avoided'' this, planning instead to make him into a [[ManBehindTheMan puppet ruler]] -- meaning he's more useful if he's well liked ''before'' taking the throne.

* '''Exploited''': ???

* '''Downplayed''': ???

* '''Subverted''': Prince Dikliss is actually a pretty decent guy.

* '''Deconstructed''': Dikliss is unpleasant thanks to spending his whole life dealing with the DeadlyDecadentCourt, constantly manipulated by everyone around him and treated as little more than a convenient pawn; a means to an end. His ArrangedMarriage to Velvet is just another instance of this, something he greatly resents and can't help thinking of whenever he sees her.
* '''Reconstructed''': ...He's still a prick, though, and Velvet doesn't want anything to do with him. Not when she has a nice guy like Kelvin around.

Back to PrinceCharmless.
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* '''Subverted''': Prince Dikliss is actually pretty decent guy.

'''Basic Trope''': [[RoyalBrat Royal pain]] who serves as an obvious WrongGuyFirst for the unfortunate LoveInterest.
* '''Straight''': Prince Dikliss has an ArrangedMarriage with Princess Velvet; sadly, though, he's a self-absorbed UpperClassTwit, ''nothing'' like the dashing [[KnightInShiningArmor Kelvin]]...

** As soon as Dikliss and Velvet are wed, he intends to [[MoralEventHorizon rape and kill her.]]

** Alternatively: Prince Dikliss is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold not so bad, underneath it all.]] (And honestly, growing up with a name like "Dikliss" is bound give anyone a chip on their shoulder.)

* '''Parodied''':Dikliss is such an UpperClassTwit that he plunges deep into CloudCuckoolander territory.
* '''Deconstructed''': Dikliss is unpleasant thanks to spending his whole life dealing with the DeadlyDecadentCourt, constantly manipulated by everyone around him and treated as little more than a convienent pawn; a means to an end. His ArrangedMarriage to Velvet is just another instance of this, something he greatly resents and can't help thinking of whenever he sees her.
* '''Reconstructed''': ...He's still a {{Jerkass}}, though, and Velvet doesn't want anything to do with him. Not when she has sweet, shining Kelvin around.
* '''Zig Zagged''': Dikliss is a {{Jerkass}} due to his bad background; Velvet dislikes him at first, but comes to pity him and works on helping him become a better person. The two eventually bond, forming a true LoveTriangle; however, Dikliss grows jealous of Kelvin and plots to [[MurderTheHypotenuse get rid of him]]...

* '''Lampshaded''': "My dear prince, how adorable I find your belching."
* '''Invoked''': Dikliss' EvilChancellor deliberately groomed him into a {{Jerkass}} as part of a plot to discredit the royal family.
* '''Defied''': The EvilChancellor deliberately ''avoided'' this, planning instead to make him into a [[ManBehindTheMan puppet ruler]] -- meaning he's more useful if he's well liked ''before'' taking the throne.
* '''Discussed''': "I wouldn't want to marry Dikliss, even though he is a prince. He's such a tool."
* '''Conversed''': "Man, Dikliss is a tool in this story. He's just like [[Film/ThePrincessBride Prince Humperdink]]."
* '''Played For Laughs:''' ???
* '''Played For Drama:''' Being a {{Jerkass}} [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem with power]], Dikliss is perfectly willing to ''force'' Velvet to honor their ArrangedMarriage by any means necessary, while Kelvin gets [[TheUriahGambit sent off on a suicide mission]]...

* '''Subverted''': Prince Dikliss is actually [[TheWhitePrince pretty decent guy]].

'''Basic Trope''': [[RoyalBrats Royal pain]] who serves as an obvious WrongGuyFirst for the unfortunate LoveInterest.

* '''Parodied''': As soon as Dikliss and Velvet are wed, he intends to [[MoralEventHorizon rape and kill her.]]

* '''Conversed''': "Man, Dikliss is a tool in this story. He's just like [[ThePrincessBride Prince Humperdink]]."