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| 3 | %%NOTE: When adding tropes, please update the count and ratio for Troperiffic, and the count for The Stinger. The formula for ratio is [(# of tropes on this page)+(# on YMMV page)+(# on Trivia page)+(# on character page)/(13)]. The Stinger uses only number tropes on this page. |
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| 7 | [[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/uglybarnacle.png]]]] |
| 8 | [[caption-width-right:350:The most unforgettable scene from TheFilmOfTheBook.]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | ->''"Once, there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone died. The end."'' |
| 11 | -->-- '''The story''' |
| 12 | |
| 13 | "The Ugly Barnacle" is a classic FlashFiction story in the Pacific Literary Canon, the authorship of which is generally attributed to one Peter F. Patrick (then using the pen name "Patrick Star"). According to legend, "Star" improvised "The Ugly Barnacle" in an attempt to cheer up a friend who believed himself to be suffering from a case of "the Ugly", or "the French Disease" as it was then known (the two later realized that the friend actually had a bad case of halitosis after eating a homemade "sundae" of sorts). Unfortunately, the tale failed to console him in any manner whatsoever. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | Despite the fact that ''Barnacle'' failed to accomplish its initial and indeed primary goal, it eventually found its way to the intellectual community of the ''Département Bikini des Basses Terres''. There, many came to hail the story for its [[TrueArtIsAngsty harsh realism]], innovative use of {{minimalism}}, and [[RoundedCharacter detailed characterization]]. Slowly but surely, the story came to spread from its cradle within the nurturing environment of the ''Bikini des Basses Terres'' (where it was subject to some refinement, the story as most know it in fact being the ''Third Edition'') to grace the entire world with its compelling narrative and execution. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | An animated film adaptation of the tale, also titled ''The Ugly Barnacle'' but later renamed ''[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS2E2SomethingSmellsBossyBoots Something Smells]]'', was produced in 2000. Unusually, the movie is both a [[TheFilmOfTheBook Film of the Book]] and a {{Biopic}}, as it focuses on both the legendary story and the events surrounding its creation. The film managed to avoid many problems commonly faced by page-to-screen adaptations, a fact which many critics attributed to P.F. Patrick's extensive personal engagement with the film-making process, and the scriptwriting and casting+design in particular. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WejTV7r3tkU Experience this work of art here, albeit dubbed over in English]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osc04vpIz98&feature=related and in Venezuelan Spanish]]. Unfortunately [[InTheOriginalKlingon the original French]] [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes is not available]], as the ''Département Bikini des Basses Terres'' Ministère de la Défaite claims exclusive French-language broadcast rights [[ScrewedByTheLawyers and has a very well-funded]] [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil anti-piracy sub-office]]. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | Compare to "Literature/HemingwaysSixWordStory", another tale famous for its ultra-minimalist prose, as well as Creator/SpikeJonze and Creator/CharlieKaufman's ''Film/{{Adaptation}}'' for a similar approach as TheFilmOfTheBook. |
| 20 | ---- |
| 21 | !!This short story provides examples of: |
| 22 | * ThirteenIsUnlucky: The actual story, discounting the "The End" tag, is exactly thirteen words long, and you can't get much unluckier than having [[spoiler:everyone die]]. |
| 23 | * AccidentalMurder: Possibly; we don't know if the barnacle's killing of everyone was intentional or not. |
| 24 | * AcclaimedFlop: Easily one of the most memorable moments from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', yet Patrick never received any money for his work. This was most likely due to negative reception early on by [=Spongebob=]. |
| 25 | * ActionSurvivor: [[spoiler:Someone must've survived the Ugly Barnacle for this story to be able to circulate.]] |
| 26 | * AdaptationSpeciesChange: The German version is called "Der hässliche Blaubarsch" (The Ugly Blue Perch). The Brazilian Portuguese version is called "O Mexilhão Feio" ("The Ugly Mussel"). |
| 27 | * AffectionateParody: Subverted. This story isn't even remotely affectionate towards ''Literature/TheUglyDuckling''. |
| 28 | * AlasPoorScrappy: Yes, the barnacle is ''really'' ugly, but you have to feel sorry for him when [[spoiler:you get to his implied death.]] |
| 29 | %%* TheAloner: [[spoiler:If the barnacle didn't die in the end, he probably became one of these]]. |
| 30 | * AllStarCast: The story was narrated by none other than [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Patrick Star]]. No {{Pun}} intended, since he is the only narrator. |
| 31 | * AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: |
| 32 | ** Is the barnacle a pitiful [[TheWoobie woobie]], or pure evil? |
| 33 | ** Does "everyone" refer to everybody in the immediate vicinity, everyone in town, everyone in the world, every single living thing that has ever existed, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking or]] a [[AmbiguousSyntax single person named Everyone]]? We never get the answer. |
| 34 | *** According to the Spanish translation, "everyone" is not the name of a single person. While verbs in English often share conjugations (the way verbs change depending on who does the action, like "we are") in all tenses, in Spanish, this is far less common, and only happens to the first person singular and the third person plural (which doesn't even happen in the past preterite form, so that should eliminate further confusion). The translation used is "''todos se murieron''", which is the third-person plural conjugation, so "''todos''" ("everyone") is everyone in the world. |
| 35 | *** Does "everyone" include non-sentient creatures, such as protozoa? |
| 36 | * AmbiguousEnding: We don't know exactly what happens to ''anyone'' in the story: the barnacle's victim(s) could have easily just come back to life. Plus, the story doesn't tell us ''anything'' about what happens to the barnacle at the end, nor exactly ''how'' "everyone" died. |
| 37 | * AmbiguousSituation: A number of tantalizing details are left out. We aren't told, for instance, how or why [[spoiler:everyone dies, nor whether or not that includes the barnacle itself]]. Similarly, the barnacle's relationships with the rest of the cast are quite vague. |
| 38 | %%* AndManGrewProud: One interpretation of the barnacle, of how it became ugly enough to [[spoiler:kill everyone]] and of how, and why, we still tell its harrowing tale. |
| 39 | * AngstWhatAngst: The barnacle doesn't dwell very long on his ugliness, or [[spoiler:the horror and guilt from killing everyone, assuming he wasn't a villain or among the casualties.]] Then again, neither does Patrick Star. |
| 40 | * AnimalisticAbomination: The titular barnacle. He's apparently so ugly that he can [[spoiler:kill everyone just by being ugly!]] |
| 41 | * AntagonistTitle: If you interpret the Barnacle as a villain or a VillainProtagonist... |
| 42 | * AntiHero: [[WildMassGuessing Possibly]]. If the barnacle was meant to be the good guy, he qualifies, since ugliness isn't usually seen as a hero's trait, much less [[spoiler:lethal ugliness]]. |
| 43 | * AntiVillain: The Barnacle is possibly a TragicVillain, who [[spoiler:kills everyone as a response to harassment for his ugliness.]] |
| 44 | * AnyoneCanDie: And [[spoiler:everyone does in the end]]. |
| 45 | * ApatheticCitizens: Nobody did anything to prevent [[spoiler:getting killed en masse by the barnacle's ugliness.]] |
| 46 | * ApocalypseHow: Either Species Extinction or Total Extinction, depending on whether [[spoiler:"everyone" includes non-sentient life or not]]. |
| 47 | %%* ApocalypseWow: See above. |
| 48 | %%* ArtifactOfDoom: Another interpretation of the barnacle. |
| 49 | * ArtisticLicenseBiology: The barnacle is referred to as male, yet most actual barnacles are hermaphrodites. |
| 50 | * AssholeVictim: Either everyone else or the barnacle can be this, depending on whom you interpret as the villain. |
| 51 | * AssPull: We're given no foreshadowing at all that [[spoiler:everyone could die because of the Barnacle's ugliness.]] |
| 52 | * AudienceAlienatingEnding: Patrick told [=SpongeBob=] the story with the intention of cheering him up, due to [=SpongeBob's=] own ugliness. [[spoiler:This probably explains why [=SpongeBob=] was not amused by the TwistEnding.]] |
| 53 | * AuthorAppeal: Patrick lives underwater -- that's probably why he chose a barnacle as the ugly character. |
| 54 | * SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: |
| 55 | ** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSQD2hVNxJQ A Day At The Sea]]", the music that plays during [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants Bill Fagerbakke's narration.]] |
| 56 | ** Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYdGF5h6J80 this fan]] [[Franchise/IndianaJones remix]]. |
| 57 | ** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sn-d_5Zi9c And this]] [[Film/ThreeHundred one]]. |
| 58 | * TheBadGuyWins: The ending ''could'' be this (since everyone, which may exclude the barnacle, dies), assuming the barnacle is evil. |
| 59 | * BadPowersBadPeople: Possibly. One possible way the barnacle could have killed everyone is by using some sort of evil superpower that may be connected to his ugliness. |
| 60 | * BeautyEqualsGoodness: And conversely, ugliness equals evil. Possibly [[InvertedTrope inverted]] if one considers the Barnacle to be the hero of the story and everyone else to be irredeemable bullies, or that there was NoAntagonist and the Barnacle killing everyone [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone was an accident.]] Alternately, it could be an [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggeration]] by showing the aforementioned counterpart to the trope. |
| 61 | * BeigeProse: The barnacle's plight is narrated in the most blunt manner possible. |
| 62 | * BeyondTheImpossible: It shouldn't be possible for someone to be [[spoiler:so ugly that everyone dies]], yet that's exactly what happens. |
| 63 | %%* BigBad: The barnacle's ugliness. [[spoiler:Possibly, the Barnacle himself.]] |
| 64 | * BittersweetEnding: Another interpretation of the ending. [[spoiler:Everyone died but at least they don't live in a world with an ugly barnacle.]] |
| 65 | * BlackComedy: To some, the story is a hilariously nihilistic take on children's stories. |
| 66 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: The titular barnacle kills everyone but its goals, personality and backstory are so unclear that it can be determined as being a hero, villain or neither. |
| 67 | * BookEnds: The first three and last three lines are identical. |
| 68 | * {{Bowdlerise}}: In the Italian translation, everyone [[spoiler:runs away]]. |
| 69 | * BreakthroughHit: This one helped Patrick Star become a {{Household Name|s}}. |
| 70 | * BrokenBase: It is either a haunting reminder of our own mortality, a needlessly dark children's story, or a great example of BlackComedy. |
| 71 | * BrownNote: The most common interpretation of how [[spoiler:everyone dies]] is that it was some horrific side effect of seeing the barnacle. |
| 72 | * BrownNoteBeing: The mere existence of it and its own ugliness could be the reason why [[spoiler:everyone died]]. |
| 73 | * ButtMonkey: Presumably, if [[spoiler:the Ugly Barnacle's ugliness killing everyone]] is to be seen as a comedic misfortune. |
| 74 | * CerebusSyndrome: The beginning of the story seems upbeat and implies the Barnacle will overcome his ugliness [[spoiler:but then everyone dies.]] |
| 75 | * CharacterTitle: The titular Ugly Barnacle. |
| 76 | * ChekhovsGun: Early in the story, it is mentioned that the barnacle is ugly. The barnacle's ugliness [[spoiler:kills everyone]] later on. |
| 77 | * CosmicHorrorStory: If mere ''barnacles'' are enough to [[spoiler:make everyone die]], imagine [[NightmareFuel what other things in the ocean are able to do]]... [[spoiler:not a lot, since they're all dead.]] |
| 78 | * CrapsackWorld: In the Barnacleverse, ''the existence of a single unattractive crustacean'' is enough to [[spoiler:trigger the Apocalypse]]. |
| 79 | * CriticalDissonance: Many fans of the story were rather mad when [=SpongeBob=] claimed that the story was un-helpful to him. |
| 80 | * CrossesTheLineTwice: An ugly barnacle? Not funny. A barnacle so ugly it [[spoiler:causes everyone to die]]? Hysterical! |
| 81 | * CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Sure, the Ugly Barnacle may be unattractive but [[spoiler:he ends up killing everyone.]] |
| 82 | * CruelTwistEnding: Without giving too much away, the ending is pretty merciless. |
| 83 | * CurbStompBattle: Nobody had any chance of stopping the Barnacle from [[spoiler:killing everyone.]] |
| 84 | * DarkerAndEdgier: The second part of the story is much darker than the first part. |
| 85 | * DarkParody: It's a parody of ''Literature/TheUglyDuckling'', in which [[spoiler:everyone dies]]. |
| 86 | * {{Deconstruction}}: Of the traditional fairy tale where the hero can overcome his or her challenges through believing in him or herself. Instead, [[spoiler:everyone died]]. |
| 87 | * DiabolusExMachina: The first part of the story implies that the barnacle will overcome its ugliness by the end. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, the ugliness proves to be so lethal that it kills ''everyone''.]] |
| 88 | * ADogNamedDog: The Ugly Barnacle's just called, well, [[spoiler:"the ugly barnacle".]] |
| 89 | * DoingItForTheArt: Patrick had no monetary motivation for telling this story. He did it purely to inspire his best friend. [[EpicFail It didn't help at all.]] |
| 90 | * DownerBeginning: "Once there was an ugly barnacle..." |
| 91 | * DownerEnding: [[spoiler:"He was so ugly that everyone died. The end."]] |
| 92 | * DrivenToSuicide: One of the [[EpilepticTrees many]] interpretations of how [[spoiler:everyone died is that they killed themselves because they didn't want to see an ugly barnacle.]] |
| 93 | * DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:On pretty much ''everyone'' at the end, succumbing to the Barnacle's mere ugliness.]] And, depending on your definition of [[spoiler:"everyone"]], this may include [[spoiler:the barnacle itself.]] |
| 94 | * EldritchAbomination: How else to describe a being that can apparently [[spoiler:kill everyone]] by its mere appearance and/or presence? |
| 95 | * TheEnd: The words that conclude the story. |
| 96 | * TheEndingChangesEverything: Admit it, you thought [[spoiler:it was going to involve the barnacle overcoming its ugliness, didn't you?]] |
| 97 | * TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: Seeing as how [[spoiler:''everyone'' was killed by the barnacle's ugliness]], this may very well be the case for the rest of the world as a whole. |
| 98 | %%* EnemyToAllLivingThings: The barnacle is very much so, because of his ugliness. |
| 99 | * EsotericHappyEnding: Implied by Patrick's cheery expression at the end is that he's supposed to think it's a happy story. This is despite [[spoiler:everyone dying in the story]]. |
| 100 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The barnacle isn't given a name [[NamelessNarrative within the work]], being given an adjective and [[ADogNamedDog species name]]. |
| 101 | * EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: |
| 102 | ** Some contend that the barnacle's ugliness represents sin, and that it kills everyone shows how sin kills everybody. |
| 103 | ** Another interpretation holds that the Barnacle is TheAntichrist, with his ugliness being a metaphor for the wickedness he will bring to the world. "Everyone died," then, is a brutally quick description of the End Times. |
| 104 | * ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: It's a story about a (maybe ''the'') barnacle that is ugly. |
| 105 | * EverybodyDiesEnding: The ugly barnacle was so ugly that [[spoiler:everyone died]]. |
| 106 | * EverybodysDeadDave: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' dies at ''the second sentence of the story''.]] |
| 107 | * EyelessFace: RealLife Barnacles do not have eyes, or even ''any'' kind of identifiable facial features, so the reader can assume that the same applies to The Ugly Barnacle, and may be part of what makes it ugly enough to [[spoiler:kill everyone.]] |
| 108 | * FanonDiscontinuity: There is said to be a group of fans of the story that refuse to acknowledge that [[spoiler:everyone died from the barnacle's ugliness]], preferring that nothing bad happened due to the [[spoiler:barnacle's ugliness]]. |
| 109 | * FingerPokeOfDoom: The Barnacle's mere ''appearance'' is enough to [[spoiler:kill everyone.]] |
| 110 | * FlatCharacter: Though he's still the most developed character in the story, the Ugly Barnacle [[spoiler:has no other known characteristics besides being ugly. We don't learn his real name or if it even had a name.]] |
| 111 | * FlashFiction: The story is only 15 words long, and has exactly 59 letters. |
| 112 | * FridgeBrilliance: |
| 113 | ** If the story is indeed a reference to ''Literature/TheUglyDuckling'', [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose_barnacle#Mythology the substitution of a waterfowl for a barnacle actually isn't unprecedented.]] |
| 114 | ** Apparently, [[Creator/RobertBrowning less really is more...]] |
| 115 | ** It didn't help, but what if the Aesop is that you'll never be as ugly as the Barnacle? |
| 116 | * FridgeHorror: There is a story called "The Drain" where everyone involved dies [[spoiler:also revealed to be AllJustADream]]. It also includes other characteristics similar to The Ugly Barnacle, such as brevity, disproportionately high stakes, and [[spoiler:it being told by [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick]]. What if this similar story is merely a corrupted version of "The Ugly Barnacle", warped to create AnAesop? What if this Drain is the only barrier between the living world and the world of the ugly barnacle? |
| 117 | ** Further, while it is only one barnacle that is said to exist, this brings the question of ''how'' it came to exist. Was it naturally born? If so, was it ugly at birth, or did it become uglier as time progressed? Could there be more of them? Was it created as a [[spoiler:[[DoomsdayDevice Weapon of Mass Destruction]]? If so, [[OmnicidalManiac who created it]]? And did they survive to make more]]? |
| 118 | *** Also, what was the [[spoiler:area of effect? Did it take out everything for miles? Tens of miles? ''Hundreds'' of miles? The ecological damage from this single eldritch creature could very well be [[DesolationShot catastrophic]] for the [[NaturalDisasterCascade biosphere as a whole]], regardless of its true nature. To be blunt, this one creature may have ''[[EarthThatWas killed off the entire planet]]''.]] |
| 119 | * FridgeLogic: If the Ugly Barnacle [[spoiler:was so ugly that everyone died]], does that mean its own ugliness caused ''itself'' to die? |
| 120 | * SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: |
| 121 | ** The analysis, reviews, everything that is longer than the work itself. |
| 122 | ** The work also has that black humour to it... which did not help at all! |
| 123 | ** This very sentence is longer than the whole of the story, and that ''did'' help at all. |
| 124 | ** There was a time when "The Ugly Barnacle" was listed on the [[TheEpic epic]] page. It had to be removed, but still. |
| 125 | ** Everyone [[spoiler:died!]] [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Ha, that's funny! Right?]] [[DudeNotFunny Right?]][[note]]It might actually be, depending on your taste of BlackComedy.[[/note]] |
| 126 | ** The story itself. One of the funniest jokes in ''[=SpongeBob=]'' to date. It was really cool to see such a one-off joke gain ''such'' a following. |
| 127 | ** In the Spanish version of the story, the way Patrick says Fin (The End) and El Percebe Feo (The Ugly Barnacle) is really funny. |
| 128 | * FurryConfusion: The barnacle in the story is presumably anthropomorphic, yet ordinary barnacles exist in the universe this story is set in. |
| 129 | * GainaxEnding: The story starts off so happy, [[spoiler:and then everyone dies]]. |
| 130 | * GambitRoulette: Assuming that the barnacle's actions were deliberate, there was really no way to guarantee that it would be potent enough to [[spoiler:kill everyone.]] |
| 131 | * GenericDoomsdayVillain: The barnacle himself counts if he is indeed a villain, on account that his [[spoiler:end result of killing everyone]] pretty much spells an ApocalypseHow scenario for the world. |
| 132 | * GeniusBonus: A barnacle is a type of marine-dwelling arthropod that actually exists in real life. Not only are they considered a nuisance by sailors, but they are, in fact, not pleasant to look at. |
| 133 | * GenreShift: The viewer was promised an uplifting tale of someone overcoming their appearance issues. They get it...for one sentence. |
| 134 | * {{Gonk}}: |
| 135 | ** The titular barnacle is apparently so ugly that he can [[spoiler:kill everyone just by being ugly]]! |
| 136 | ** [=SpongeBob=] believes himself to be ugly. [[SubvertedTrope He just needs a breath check first]]. |
| 137 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: Possibly the fate of [[spoiler:everyone before dying]], since the barnacle was [[spoiler:ugly enough to kill people by its mere ugliness.]] |
| 138 | * GreyAndGrayMorality: We're never told whether the Barnacle was good or evil, nor are we told the allegiance of Everybody. This means that depending on how you look at it, it could be a great victory, a great tragedy, or neither that [[spoiler:Everybody died.]] |
| 139 | * TheGrotesque: The Ugly Barnacle, which is apparently so ugly that [[spoiler:its terrible looks kill everyone]]. |
| 140 | * GutPunch: [[spoiler:The second line completely changes the tone of the story.]] |
| 141 | * HappilyEverAfter: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Patrick wrote the story to cheer [=SpongeBob=] up, so it seems as though it will have a happy ending, but everyone dies instead. |
| 142 | * SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: |
| 143 | ** When everyone died, everyone was [[TogetherInDeath united in death]]! |
| 144 | ** Patrick really came through as a friend for [=SpongeBob=] in this episode. He's able to discern what the problem is and relate to [=SpongeBob=] with this tale. It may not be the happy-go-lucky story that [=SpongeBob=] wanted to hear, but it's the story he ''needs'' to hear. And in that way, it ''did'' help at all. |
| 145 | ** After the events of the tale, there were still living people, so the Barnacle obviously did something to bring everyone back to life - [[WildMassGuessing perhaps altered his appearance so that his presence brought everything full of life?]] |
| 146 | * TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:Assuming he was a hero. Patrick did say that ''everyone died'', so shouldn't that include the barnacle itself?]] It's not specified '''who''' the hero is, but assuming one existed, [[spoiler:we can safely assume he/she died]]. |
| 147 | * HeroicBSOD: [=SpongeBob=] is in a deep depression over believing that he's ugly. |
| 148 | %%* HeroKiller: Assuming he's not meant to be TheHero, [[spoiler:the barnacle]] is this. |
| 149 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Assuming "everyone" includes the barnacle, his ugliness was enough to do himself in.]] |
| 150 | %%* HopeBringer: ''Painfully'' subverted for The Ugly Barnacle. |
| 151 | * HopeSpot: |
| 152 | ** At first, it seems the barnacle will be able to overcome its ugliness. [[spoiler:Then he turns out to be so ugly, that he kills everyone, possibly crushing the barnacle's hope.]] |
| 153 | ** When [=SpongeBob=] first heard the opening lines, he was expecting a story that would cheer him up. Sadly, the story went in the [[DownerEnding opposite direction]]. |
| 154 | * HoYay: It may not look like it, given the nature of the story, but you can definitely see something going on with the barnacle and the rest of the world. It is highly unlikely that the entire world's population banished because of its ugliness because, you know, you can't affect something with your appearance if you can't see it. Therefore, and somehow, ''everyone'' lived with the barnacle surrounding him, making it one of the biggest examples of subtext in a story, since both characters have lived at each other's side and have died ''while looking at their physical appearance and because of it''. This also makes it a rather crude example of NoYay, though. |
| 155 | * InformedDeformity: We're told that the protagonist is ugly, and we're told of the ramifications of his ugliness, but it is never made clear exactly what features he has that make him so ugly. It's possible that if we were told, [[spoiler:we would die]]. |
| 156 | * InvincibleHero: It's difficult to do anything with a "hero" who can [[spoiler:and did]] go up against ''anyone'' and [[spoiler:kill them]]. |
| 157 | * InvincibleVillain: If the barnacle was in fact a VillainProtagonist, then any hero would not be able to stand against it, for [[spoiler:he would just kill them along with everybody else]]. |
| 158 | %%* IronWoobie: Assuming that he had to go through all the trauma. |
| 159 | * ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: The most likely reason Patrick told [=SpongeBob=] the story to comfort him over his ugliness, since he obviously didn't anticipate his friend being upset about the ugly protagonist [[spoiler:killing everyone with his ugliness]]. |
| 160 | * ItsShortSoItSucks: If the amount of attention it has on TV Tropes is anything to go by, this is a ''strong'' inversion. |
| 161 | * ItWasHisSled: Good luck finding someone who knows about the "Something Smells" episode without knowing the story first.[[note]]While this page has several hidden spoilers, there's ''a lot'' of unmarked ones, to the point it's pretty obvious to know that [[spoiler:everyone died]] in this story.[[/note]] |
| 162 | * JerkassWoobie: One interpretation of the titular barnacle states that he killed everyone as a result of harassment. |
| 163 | * TheJuggernaut: Nobody was capable of stopping the barnacle, [[spoiler:thus, everyone died]]. |
| 164 | * KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Patrick has never told the story again after [=SpongeBob's=] negative reception. The one time he said it in "Something Smells" is the only evidence left of Patrick telling the story. |
| 165 | * KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' at the end dies, and there is no mention of them coming back.]] |
| 166 | * KillerRabbit: The barnacle. Were you really expecting it to [[spoiler:kill everyone]] in the story's ''second sentence?'' |
| 167 | * TheLawOfConservationOfDetail: Absolutely no non-essential details are given about the cast. |
| 168 | * MemeticBadass: He could [[spoiler:kill ''everyone'']] just by being ugly. His name is probably only "The Ugly Barnacle" because no mortal can ever know his true name and survive. |
| 169 | * MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: There's never any evidence that the barnacle ''intends'' to [[spoiler:kill everyone]]. |
| 170 | * AMillionIsAStatistic: [[spoiler:''Everyone'' dies.]] |
| 171 | * MindScrew: After the ending, we're left with a great big pile of unanswered questions. Just how did the Barnacle's ugliness [[spoiler:kill everyone]]? Did the Barnacle himself [[spoiler:die]]? Literally nothing is ever explained. |
| 172 | * {{Minimalism}}: Only thirteen words are in this story. |
| 173 | * SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: |
| 174 | ** It's heavily implied that just ''looking'' at the barnacle has the power to instantly [[spoiler:kill everyone]]. Admit it. That's a badass power. |
| 175 | ** [[spoiler:Patrick]]'s smile at the end has to count as one. Not only that, but just the mere fact that Patrick can recount the tale of an Apocalypse with a cheery voice and smile! |
| 176 | ** '''THE STORY'S ENTIRE EXISTENCE.''' |
| 177 | ** The fact that a [[spoiler:one-off joke from ''[=SpongeBob=]'']] warranted ''all'' these Website/TVTropes pages is pretty epic. |
| 178 | ** If the barnacle was so ugly that [[spoiler:everyone died,]] then who told the story? Somebody almost as badass as a barnacle capable of [[spoiler:killing (almost) everyone,]] that's who! |
| 179 | *** Guess who is this guy who told the story, who knew it [[spoiler:because he was there?]] It's [[spoiler:[[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Patrick Star]]]]. |
| 180 | * MoodWhiplash: At first, it sounds like a charming fairy tale. ''At first.'' |
| 181 | * MoralEventHorizon: One interpretation of the [[spoiler:death of everyone is that the barnacle ''deliberately'' killed them]]. |
| 182 | * MorePopularSpinoff: This story's page on Website/ThisVeryWiki has been given more attention than the page for the episode it was in. |
| 183 | * NauseaFuel: The Barnacle, probably. His very appearance is said to be deadly. |
| 184 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: Assuming he's meant to be TheHero, [[spoiler:the barnacle]] breaks it and [[spoiler:kills everyone]]. |
| 185 | * NighInvulnerability: |
| 186 | ** Considering that you can't even go near the barnacle without [[spoiler:dying]]... |
| 187 | ** Inverted: Everyone (single person named Everyone "or" just every single person) is pretty weak if he/she/they can get killed by a creature's ''ugliness''. |
| 188 | * NightmareFetishist: Patrick apparently enjoys how the story has the barnacle [[spoiler:kill everyone.]] |
| 189 | * NightmareFuel: Yes, you too could be so disgustingly ugly that [[spoiler:your loved ones all die. Not just your loved ones -]] ''[[spoiler:everyone.'']] |
| 190 | * NightmareFuelStationAttendant: Patrick can be a bit unnerving, what with how cheerfully oblivious he seems to be toward the story's dark ending. |
| 191 | * NoDeadBodyPoops: There is no mention of anyone soiling themselves when everyone dies. |
| 192 | * NoDialogueEpisode: At no point in the story does a character speak. |
| 193 | * NoHuggingNoKissing: The story features no romance at all, and instead focuses on the tragedy of [[spoiler:everyone dying]]. |
| 194 | * NominalImportance: The story's protagonist, the ugly barnacle, is the only character to get a name. |
| 195 | * NoNameGiven: The main character is simply known as "the barnacle" or "the ugly barnacle". |
| 196 | * NonstandardCharacterDesign: Most people in the universe of "The Ugly Barnacle" are so nondescript that they are glazed over in ''one word'' ("everyone"). The titular barnacle, by contrast, is described as being [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination so ugly]] that [[EverybodyDiesEnding everyone died]].]] |
| 197 | %%* ObliviouslyEvil: How some people view the barnacle. |
| 198 | %%* OffstageVillainy: Assuming that the barnacle is evil. |
| 199 | * OhCrap: Presumably the thoughts of [[spoiler:everyone]] before [[spoiler:they died]]. |
| 200 | * OmnicidalManiac: [[spoiler:One interpretation of the barnacle itself.]] |
| 201 | * OneSceneWonder: [[spoiler:In the [=SpongeBob=] episode the story was told in.]] |
| 202 | * ParanoiaFuel: Somewhere, there might be a barnacle, or even another creature, that is so ugly that [[spoiler:it will somehow end all life on Earth.]] |
| 203 | * PersonOfMassDestruction: [[spoiler:The Barnacle caused the death of ''everyone'', and the minimalist structure implies the effort was also minimalist.]] |
| 204 | * ProtagonistTitle: The titular barnacle is also our only character, therefore a protagonist by default. |
| 205 | * TheScapegoat: The story does not actually say that the barnacle, or its ugliness, was responsible for everyone dying, so this is another interpretation. |
| 206 | * TheScrappy: The barnacle in-universe. [[spoiler:He's so ugly that everybody died presumably because they looked at him.]] |
| 207 | * SelfmadeOrphan: [[spoiler:The barnacle's parents were not sheltered from the slaughter.]] |
| 208 | * SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3lo90ElO9Q "A Marine Crustacean of the Subclass Cirripedia Which, To Its Own Misfortune, Was Quite Repugnant"]], the adaptation for Verbose audiences. |
| 209 | * ShootTheShaggyDog: ''"Once, there was an ugly barnacle. He was so ugly that everyone [[spoiler:died.]] The end."'' |
| 210 | * SlasherSmile: Patrick gives a creepy grin after he finishes telling the story. |
| 211 | * SlidingScaleOfBeauty: The Ugly Barnacle is Lovecraftian |
| 212 | * SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: This is possibly the most cynical story ever written for children. [[spoiler:Despite the initial hope of the Barnacle succeeding, his sheer ugliness results in the extinction of all life.]] |
| 213 | * SoundtrackDissonance: The soundtrack would suggest this to be a much more upbeat story than it is. |
| 214 | * {{Spinoff}}: WebVideo/TheVerboseBarnacle is a longer, classier version of the original story that manages to stick to the source material very well. |
| 215 | * SpiritualSuccessor: To the saga of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCzsEgUcWfU Kevin the Hamster]]. |
| 216 | * StarfishAliens: Perhaps the reason why the barnacle was so ugly was that it was from a different planet? Everyone can be quick to assume that anything not like them is ugly. |
| 217 | * SubvertedKidsShow: In the bluntest way possible -- it seems like a fairy tale, but kills off all the characters. |
| 218 | * SuddenDownerEnding: For at least half the story, the mood is somewhat upbeat and promising in that the barnacle can find a way to overcome or accept its ugliness. [[spoiler:And then ''everyone'', including possibly the barnacle itself, dies, as it turns out that the barnacle was just ''that'' ugly.]] |
| 219 | %%* JustForFun/SuperWeight: |
| 220 | %%** Type 0: Everyone. |
| 221 | %%** Type 5: [[spoiler:The Ugly Barnacle, as it managed to kill everyone.]] |
| 222 | * SurprisinglyCreepyMoment: You probably thought this was a more traditional tale in the vein of Literature/TheUglyDuckling [[spoiler:until everyone died from the barnacle's ugliness]], right? |
| 223 | * SurprisinglySuddenDeath: One of many interpretations on how [[spoiler:everyone died from the barnacle's mere ugliness, was, simply being exposed to the mere sight of the barnacle, and then just dying in an instant.]] |
| 224 | * SwordOfDamocles: The threat of the barnacle is enough to stop anyone from doing anything. ''Ever.'' |
| 225 | * TakeOurWordForIt: The story doesn't explain how the mere appearance of the Barnacle, who is vaguely described with the subjective term "Ugly", is able to [[spoiler:kill everyone]], unless the word wasn't meant to be taken literally and was meant to imply something more sinister or dangerous about the barnacle, most likely a physical feature of it. |
| 226 | * TearJerker: |
| 227 | ** [[spoiler:Everyone died. Everyone. You. Your friends. Your family. '''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis Every. Single. One.]]''']] |
| 228 | *** It gets worse than that! The story doesn't specifically say it was everyone from a specific frame in time. Just "everyone". Which means anyone who ever existed on any plane of time or space is dead because of this barnacle. |
| 229 | *** It's also possible that the world died slowly. After all, [[FridgeHorror it didn't say how fast or how peacefully everyone died]]... |
| 230 | ** The fact that the story didn't help at all. |
| 231 | ** It ended. It's all over. |
| 232 | ** [[TheWoobie The barnacle]] was so ugly that it never had any friends. How can you not weep over his plight? Combined with him JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, he's quite the WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds. How the mighty can fall... |
| 233 | ** Once, there was an ugly barnacle. Once, and never again... |
| 234 | ** There was an ugly barnacle. But not anymore... |
| 235 | * TooBleakStoppedCaring: Whether everyone [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation deserved it or not]], [[spoiler:they're all dead, and possibly the barnacle too]], whether ''[[spoiler:it]]'' deserved it or not. Even the FramingDevice is momentarily subject to this, as it didn't help [=SpongeBob=] at all. |
| 236 | * TrailersAlwaysLie: It was set up in a way to make it seem as if it is an uplifting tale about someone overcoming the stigma of being ugly. [[spoiler:Instead, we get an {{Everyone Dies|Ending}} DownerEnding.]] |
| 237 | * {{Troperiffic}}: At the time it was moved to JFF, the story (despite being only 13 words long, 15 if you count TheEnd) had 144 tropes, plus another 41 under YMMV, 36 character tropes, and 9 on the Trivia page, approximating to 17 tropes ''per word''. There were more ''subpages'' of The Ugly Barnacle than there are '''words in the story'''. |
| 238 | * TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Inverted. The story explains exactly what gives the reason why [[spoiler:everybody died]]. |
| 239 | * TwistEnding: Be honest: [[spoiler:Were you expecting the barnacle to kill everyone?]] |
| 240 | * UglyCute: FanArt depicting the barnacle as TheWoobie will often depict it as having a slightly cute aesthetic despite his ugliness. |
| 241 | * UltimateLifeForm: Arguably, the barnacle, as it was able to [[spoiler:kill everyone]]. |
| 242 | * UnpopularPopularCharacter: The barnacle is considered so ugly that [[spoiler:everyone dies]] in-universe, but he's pretty well-liked by fans. |
| 243 | * UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: One interpretation of the story is that the deaths the barnacle caused were all an accident. |
| 244 | %%* VillainProtagonist: Possibly. |
| 245 | * VindicatedByHistory: When Patrick originally devised the story, [=SpongeBob=] found it offensive and unhelpful. "The Ugly Barnacle" has since gone on to become a celebrated work of fiction, considered unmatched in its literary canon. |
| 246 | * WalkingSpoiler: |
| 247 | ** Knowing too much about the Ugly Barnacle gives away the twist that [[spoiler:he kills everyone.]] |
| 248 | ** It's hard to bring up "everyone" without bringing up [[spoiler:their death.]] |
| 249 | * WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:They all die the exact moment they are introduced in the story, so it's hard to feel sorry for them.]] |
| 250 | * WhamEpisode: The story starts off calm and unassuming. [[spoiler:The second sentence changes everything in a DarkerAndEdgier fashion with an EverybodyDiesEnding.]] |
| 251 | * WhamLine: One near the very end that completely changes the direction the story was heading. |
| 252 | -->[[spoiler:He was so ugly that everyone died.]] |
| 253 | * WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: [[spoiler:Everyone died]]. But it is a children's story. |
| 254 | * WhatDoYouMeanItsNotDidactic: {{Invoked|Trope}}, {{Exaggerated|Trope}} and of course [[spoiler:PlayedForLaughs]] |
| 255 | * TheWoobie: The aforementioned ugly barnacle is definitely pitiable if his killing of everyone was an accident. |
| 256 | * WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: The Ugly Barnacle is a literal and perhaps the ultimate example, knowing [[spoiler:the ending of the story.]] |
| 257 | * WritingByTheSeatOfYourPants: Patrick literally came up with the story on the spot, simply so he could help [=SpongeBob=]. Too bad it didn't help at all. |
| 258 | %%* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: [[spoiler:Well, you can't do it and ''survive...'']] |
| 259 | * YouNeedABreathMint: [=SpongeBob=]'s real problem is that he had [[spoiler:halitosis from eating a "sundae" made of ketchup, onions, and a potted plant.]] |
| 260 | |
| 261 | ---- |
| 262 | ->"That didn't help at all..." |
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