Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / RecliningReigner

Go To

1%%
2%%
3%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
4%%
5%%
6%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1546154573023361800
7%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
8%%
9[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/{{Civilization}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theodora.png]]]]
10[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/Titanic1997 Draw me like one of your French girls]].]]
11
12A StockPose across many forms of media. The best way to show that the ruler of a country is powerful, decadent, hedonistic, and/or comfortable within their power is to show them reclining on their throne or another lavish piece of furniture.
13
14For kings, sultans, emperors and other rulers, they're often portrayed as being surrounded by servants while [[GrapesOfLuxury being fed grapes]] or cooled by giant fans, all the while with a very troubled/bored expression. Female characters usually recline on something like a sofa, futon, or bed [[{{Fanservice}} while wearing next to nothing]].
15
16Some rulers will even [[TooImportantToWalk travel on a litter]] so that they can continue this look when on the move.
17
18Although not exclusive to villains, they are the most common form of the trope, since EvilIsCool.
19
20Often used as a {{Modeling Pose|s}} if the product modeled is meant to make the customer feel regal.
21
22SisterTrope to SlouchOfVillainy and SuperTrope of GrapesOfLuxury. Might overlap with RecliningVenus.
23
24Compare IdleRich. Not to be confused with ReluctantRuler. Some ladies may be even [[BeautyEqualsGoodness heroic]] or wear DiamondsInTheBuff while taking this pose.
25
26----
27!!Examples:
28
29[[foldercontrol]]
30
31[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
32* Don Achino in the ''Manga/OnePiece'' anime. He's quite chubby and is content to just lie on his sofa thing. He is very competent in battle though.
33[[/folder]]
34
35[[folder:Comic Books]]
36* ComicBook/{{Asterix}}: Most noble Roman patricians are drawn in a reclined position at some point in this comic book series. Most prominent characters of them and actual rulers are Caesar and Cleopatra.
37* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': [[http://static4.comicvine.com/uploads/scale_super/1/15776/1521859-hela1.jpg Hela]] has spent thousands of years making this trope into an art form. She does this on numerous occasions.
38* [[MsFanservice Dejah Thoris]] in ''ComicBook/WarlordOfMars'' is frequently drawn in this position.
39* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
40** In the ''Wonder Woman'' feature from issue 39 of ''ComicBook/SensationComics'', Nero Maximus spends his time lying on a chaise longue. His wife Empress Fausta prefers to sit in a plush chair and force a slave to hold a pillow in their lap and act as a footrest.
41** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Aphrodite is seen resting on a chaise lounge while arguing with Mars.
42[[/folder]]
43
44[[folder:Fan Works]]
45* Brainy relaxes on a royal chaise lounge as he reprises his role as King Smurf in an Imaginarium fantasy setting in the ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'' story "Virtual Smurfality".
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
49* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'', Jafar does this, in a definite overlap with SlouchOfVillainy.
50* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'': Yzma gets to do this after taking over as the reigning empress, just before finding out that Kuzco is still alive.
51* In ''WesternAnimation/TheThiefAndTheCobbler'' when Zigzag the evil vizier meets the [[BigBad Mighty One-Eye]], he's seen reclining on a throne with a bored look on his face. Oh, a throne composed by his own harem of buxom, scantily-clad One Eye girls.
52[[/folder]]
53
54[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
55%%* UsefulNotes/{{Cleopatra|VII}} is quite often depicted in this manner.%% Generic example.
56* Most [[UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar Caesars]] are depicted this way. Creator/DomDeLuise in ''Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI'' does it.
57* Jabba The Hutt from ''Franchise/StarWars''. Then again, as a slug-person, reclining is pretty much all his species does.
58* ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': Loki impersonates Odin and watches a play in his own honor while leaning on a couch and eating GrapesOfLuxury, with five young female Asgardians at his side.
59* ''Film/TheWindAndTheLion''. When the U.S. Marines break into the Bashaw's palace, they find him lying down on a couch smoking a hookah.
60[[/folder]]
61
62[[folder:Literature]]
63* ''Literature/IClaudius'': Romans ate their meals on reclining couches.
64* ''Literature/ThePeshawarLancers'': Queen-Empress Victoria II is described as having been this, in complete antithesis to her namesake.
65* ''Literature/QuoVadis'': There are quite a few lavish banquets at Nero's palace and in Petronius's house, and guests are eating and drinking half-sitting, half-lying.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
69* PlayedForLaughs in promo material for ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', featuring Marshall and Lily's honeymoon in Scotland. Because of Marshall's obsession with Nessie the Loch Nech Monster, they miss a performance of ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream''. Lily forces Marshall to do a dramatic reading of the play just for her, while she lies luxuriously in a reclined position like Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Lily is eating the obligatory grapes.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Pinballs]]
73* Though she's not a queen, Creator/{{Bally}}'s ''Pinball/MataHari'' pinball depicts the spy in such a pose on the backglass.
74[[/folder]]
75
76[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
77* ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons2ndEdition'': In ''The Complete Book of Necromancers'', the illustration for Kazerabet, Former Queen of Ysawis and philosopher-necromancer, is of her reclining while consulting a book, attended by servants.
78* ''TabletopGame/RocketAge'''s Princess Stephanika, ruler of the Martian city-state Melikia, is a notorious FemmeFatale and is depicted in this fashion. The fact that she is the only character shown this way is telling.
79* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
80** Greasus Goldtooth, Overtyrant of the Ogre Kingdoms, travels to battle and even fights like this, on a moving carpet of Gnoblar bearers. The model for Greasus (who is morbidly obese, even by Ogre standards, and possibly even can't walk under his own power) depicts him lying back at ease, giant haunch of meat in one hand, fabulous jewel-encrusted sceptre in the other. To further enhance his aura of disgustingly opulent excess (Ogres charge a very hefty fee to let merchants use the equivalent to the Silk Road), he has more gnoblars spread a carpet of gold coins in front of him wherever he goes. Subtlety is not a quality valued (or, indeed, understood) by ogres, so when they go in for a look, they don't do it by halves.
81** Similarly, Dominar Rasheth of the [[TabletopGame/IronKingdoms Skorne Empire]] is a morbidly obese warlord carried into battle on an agonizer-borne palanquin.
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:Video Games]]
85* In ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}} V'', Empress Theodora of the Byzantines is shown reclining at all times on the diplomacy screen. Even when you're at war, she simply turns so she has her back to you.
86* Gwynevere in ''Videogame/DarkSouls'' is depicted reclining on a sofa when you meet her in person. Justified in that [[spoiler:she's an illusion created by Gwyndolin, so having her laying down is significantly easier to make believable than sitting or standing]].
87* In Chapter 2 of ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', Queen is repeatedly seen leaning on the armrest of her mobile throne, tying in with her regal status and comedically hedonistic personality.
88* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': Most of the Jarls recline when sitting on their thrones, excluding [[TheHighQueen Jarl Elisif the Fair]]. The in-universe reason is that all the other Jarls have been at it for some time and have grown somewhat jaded (except for [[RoyalBrat Siddgeir]], who's just a {{spoiled|Brat}} piece of shit), while Elisif is brand new to the position, having taken over after the very recent death of her husband, and hasn't gotten used to ruling yet. [[WatsonianVsDoylist In actuality]], this posture is determined by the throne, not the character: every Jarl's throne except Elisif's in Solitude has a slouchy animation programmed into it, so your character can also sit on one and slouch regally.
89* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Aria T'Loak, the unofficial ruler Omega, has a large couch in the Afterlife bar that she gives orders from, making it a kind of unofficial throne. During the events of the ''Omega'' DLC in the third game, there is an optional quest to recover this couch.
90* In ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'', King Dedede's crouch animation has him laying on his side as if reclining.
91[[/folder]]
92
93[[folder:Webcomics]]
94* Wrathia Bellarmina a.k.a. ''Webcomic/AvasDemon'' often [[https://www.avasdemon.com/pages.php#0253 lounges]] [[https://avasdemon.com/pages.php#2580 around]] in Ava's MentalWorld.
95* In ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', [[http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=1563 Ash'waren]] is seen reclining in a mobile one during the moon's end festival.
96* [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20180608 In a flashback]] from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', we see Queen Zantabraxus, Zeetha's mother, reclining on a couch while giving an audience to professor Consolmagno.
97* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'': The titular AcademyOfAdventure's headmaster is [[https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=1151 slouched in his chair]] and [[https://www.gunnerkrigg.com/?p=278 visibly bored]] when the Forest delegation visits, despite it being led by a PhysicalGod. Antimony comments on the deliberate rudeness, and a third party points out that the two factions have a long history of mutual disrespect.
98[[/folder]]
99
100[[folder:Western Animation]]
101* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': [[TheHedonist Hedonism-Bot]] is a robot designed to do nothing but be languid and decadent and is designed to resemble an ancient Roman emperor. Naturally, he takes this trope to its logical conclusion: he's ''built into a sofa''.
102[[/folder]]
103
104[[folder:Real Life]]
105* TruthInTelevision: Romans during certain historical periods ate their meals/banquets on reclining couches, as depicted in many works set during the Roman Empire.
106* In the [[UsefulNotes/JewishHolidays Passover seder]], Jews traditionally recline at the table, to symbolize being free rather than slaves. This practice may have been influenced by the aforementioned Greek and Roman custom.
107* {{Cats|AreSuperior}} are absolute masters of this Trope, particularly long-haired breeds like the Persian.
108[[/folder]]

Top