Line #20 Main/ThemeTable


1	This is when there are many sets of motifs. Every major player has the same sort of objects associated with them. Say, a group of heroes where every member has their own animal spirit, weapon, and elemental alignment. Or every country has their own gem, compass direction, and celestial body. That sort of thing.
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3	Pretty common in toylines, and consequentially in MerchandiseDriven series, probably because arranging products this way can encourage people to form collections of them and perhaps also because it can allow more toys per idea. On the flip side it also tends to appear in heavy lore driven series to build out the world.
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5	So named because as it all seems to have been plotted out using a table.
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7	Compare ArcNumber. See Also GeodesicCast.
8	----
9	!!Examples:
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11	[[foldercontrol]]
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13	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
14	* ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': Each of the 7, (and later 8) chosen had their own partner Digimon, Virtue, Color and Element. They also all paired up with each other nicely, (Tai/Matt, Sora/Mimi, Izzy/Joe, TK/Kari)
15	** In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'', there was a lot of consolidation as the 3 new chosen inherited both virtues from the pairs, and would change their element depending on which one they invoked. The 6 kids, however, all ended up pairing of for the FusionDance.
16	* ''Anime/GundamWing'': Each of the 5 pilots has of course their Gundam, but also a number, a scientist/mentor, and a distaff counterpart. Each of the two main male characters (Zechs and Treize) have all of the above except for a scientist.
17	* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'': Everyone who gets a ''pactio'' gets not only an artifact, but a card with their dominant color, virtue, celestial body, title, and number. The girls' numbers are the same as their number on the class roster; Negi's is 496, the sum of said numbers.
18	* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Downplayed. Each of the Straw Hats have their own [[AnimalMotifs animal]], number, [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color]], smell, [[ItMakesSenseInContext season island]], food, family member role, GenderFlipped outlook, nationality, inner brain, flower, blood type, bathing habits and birthday; however, most of this comes from [[WordOfGod fans asking the author for these lists]], and never comes up in the story.
19	* ''Manga/Reborn2004'': Each of the seven members of the Vongola family is associated with one of the colors of the rainbow, a weather condition, one of the SevenHeavenlyVirtues, and an animal (two in Yamamoto's case).
20	* ''Manga/RozenMaiden'': Every Rozen Maiden doll has a number (the order in which they were created), as well as an "artificial spirit" with its own name. They each also have a signature attack or weapon.
21	* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'': Every Sailor Scout has a planet, a gemstone, an astrological sign, a color, a secondary color, a particular title, an element, a special weapon, a MeaningfulName, and they're also paired off as partners (Sailor Jupiter and Mercury, Venus and Mars, Uranus and Neptune, Pluto and Saturn, and Sailor Moon with Tuxedo Kamen or Sailor Chibimoon.)
22	* ''Literature/ShakuganNoShana'': Every Flame Haze has: [[RedBaron a title]], a contracted Crimson Lord, [[RedBaron a title]] of the Crimson Lord, a vessel for it (although it doesn't come up often), [[TechnicolorFire fire colour]], and sometimes trademark spells and Treasure Tools.
23	* ''Anime/{{Symphogear}} GX'': Each of the [[FourIsDeath four]] [[QuirkyMinibossSquad autoscorers]] has their own [[ClassicalElementsEnsemble element]], [[FourTemperamentEnsemble temperament]], [[ColorCodedCharacters colour]], [[TarotMotifs tarot suit]], [[ThemeNaming archangel they take their name from]], and dance style.
24	[[/folder]]
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26	[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
27	* In ''The Black Bull Of Norroway'', each of the Black Bull's brothers inhabits a castle made of a different material and decorated in a different way, and gives the heroine a different fruit containing a different jewel.
28	* In ''Farmer Weathersky'', the hero meets three very similar witches, one at a time, each using her nose for a different task, commanding animals of a sort vaguely related to that task, and providing some of those to the hero.
29	[[/folder]]
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31	[[folder:Literature]]
32	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': every House has its colors, sigil, and words.
33	* ''Literature/CircleOfMagic'': 4 siblings (by adoption), each with a type of magic they have, a teacher, a student (two for Daja), a lost family (or, in Tris' case, disowned), two books in which they ultimately save the day and a crisis they save it from, and a reason they don't fit in at Winding Circle.
34	** There's even more correspondences implied in the worldbuilding -- for her education as a forge-mage, for example, Daja learns what metals are associated with what elements and magical effects (copper, for example, is an air metal.)
35	* ''Literature/KeysToTheKingdom'': 7 trustees, each named after a day of the week, suffering from one of the SevenDeadlySins, with a domain, a key, a part of the Will (corresponding to one of the Seven Heavenly virtues), a Dawn, a Noon, and a Dusk. Whew!
36	* ''Literature/IncarnationsOfImmortality'': 7 incarnations, each with a book, duty, way they're selected, magical artifact(s) imbued with powers, (some) a special article of clothing or robe of office, and possibly some other things.
37	* ''Literature/DeltoraQuest'': 7 tribes, each with a gem, city, guardian and dragon. Not to mention so many of the other traits that are common among tribe members as a result of being exposed to the powers of the gemstone of their region (i.e. all the Plains siblings have a special bond because of the opal and they are also stated to have good vision, except for Ava, 'cause she's blind. But she's also psychic, which is another opal power).
38	* ''Literature/ThePendragonAdventure'': 10 territories each with its own Traveler, technology, turning point. Gets mixed up later on, though.
39	* In ''Literature/HarryPotter,'' each of the four Houses has two colors, a heraldic animal, a ghost, an elemental affinity, [[spoiler: an artifact of their Founder's,]] and a secret common room which requires some trick to enter.
40	** Any character guide can potentially look like this, with slots for not just "wand" but "Patronus" and "Animagus form." Certainly [[SailorEarth your average fanfic OC is likely to have all of these and probably more]].
41	* ''Literature/AmericanGirl'': the different series are all StrictlyFormula, and each girl has a necklace, a Happy Holidays dress and doll (both introduced/acquired during the Christmas book), and a pet (birthday book). At one time they also all had a character trait they were supposed to represent: independence for Felicity, courage for Addy, kindness for Samantha, etc. The more recent dolls are getting away from this formula, although the necklace and other accessories remain.
42	* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' mythos, each god had a signature colour and totem animal.
43	* A significant fraction of the magic in ''Literature/TheCosmere'' is organized around theme tables, and both ''Franchise/{{Mistborn}}'' and ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' series include literal tables at the end of each novel.
44	[[/folder]]
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46	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
47	* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'': And by extension, ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' does this. All seasons have 5+ rangers, each with a colour, a token, [[HumongousMecha a zord]], and [[WeaponSpecialization a weapon]] at least, but with variations dependent on the series (some have associated elemental powers, associated animal motifs, and so on).
48	[[/folder]]
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50	[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]
51	* Occurs in Literature/TheBible a lot, particularly around the number Twelve, and the four Evangelists.
52	** As well, in Catholic tradition, each Saint has a Feast Day and a list of attributes, and many are patrons of particular professions, places, or against particular dangers. For example, St. Jude, who helps impossible cases, St. Cecilia, who protects musicians, and they didn't draw the name [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris Notre Dame de Paris]] (St. Mary, our Lady of Paris) out of a hat.
53	* Myth/ClassicalMythology gives each god a name, a few titles, a domain, a sacred tree, a sacred bird, and a few symbols associated with them.
54	* Ayurvedic medicine is ''made'' of this. Each personality type has specific traits, foods that are good/bad for that type, health signs, etc. Every chakra has specific color, location in the body, personality, planetary influence, and gemstones that are good for it. So important is the ThemeTable that people in India don't get married until they've consulted an astrologer who chooses the appropriate mate (based on date of birth) and an auspicious day for the wedding.
55	* In a lot of Myth/NativeAmericanMythology, many things are in groups of four with one corresponding to each compass direction. For example, in Myth/AztecMythology each compass direction has a corresponding god, a number of associated animals, a corresponding colour and a corresponding age of the universe with a catastrophe and a sin which ended it, among other things, while in Navajo mythology each direction has, among other things, a colour, a type of corn, a type of animal, a type of rain and a world the Navajos passed through in Diné Bahaneʼ, the creation myth.
56	* Chinese dynasties or would-be-dynasties would often try to prove their legitimacy by associating themselves with one of five ClassicalElements (earth, wood, metal, fire and water), each of which was associated with a specific color, citing signs and portents as evidence that their chosen element was in ascendancy and the element representing the last dynasty was weakened.
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58	[[/folder]]
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60	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
61	* The concept of "fundamental attributes" in role playing games. These are "[[MediaNotes/RolePlayingGameTerms stats]]" attributed to every character in a game. There may be more stats than the basic ones, but you can generally tell what someone will be doing in the game based on the base stats. It's usually a shallow sort of thematic representation, since not every physically strong character will fight the same way, but you can reasonably assume they'll fight. Some games go further, making players choose their moral and legal alignments, their family, their hometown, and whatever else the designer deemed relevant. If the entire character creation process is composed of choices like that, as in e.g. TabletopGame/BurningWheel, it's called a "life path".
62	* The pantheons of the gods and goddesses for both TabletopGame/{{Greyhawk}} and [[TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms Faerûn]] are set up like this, with each one given one or more titles, a divine rank, a symbol, home plane, alignment, portfolio and worshipers, cleric alignment, domains, and favored weapon.
63	[[/folder]]
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65	[[folder:Toys]]
66	* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'': Six Toa, each with an Elemental Power, a [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience matching color]], a CoolMask [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman with another power]], and a weapon. This holds true to varying degrees for most other characters as well, with a group of six in the same six colors as a bare minimum.
67	[[/folder]]
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69	[[folder:Video Games]]
70	* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'': Each Kong is associated with their own color (which works across coins, bananas, blueprints, their shockwave etc) a special transformation, a musical instrument, a firearm, and multiple battle/field skills triggered by the same input but sometimes with a different result (i.e. Chunky's Z+B move is a MegatonPunch, Diddy gets a ramming headbutt, Lanky gets the abilty to handstand for better speed and traction). Further Donkey and Lanky also have associated animal friends (Rambi and Engarde respectively).
71	* Each of the eight elements in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' has an associated color, day of the week (the Vana'diel week has eight days), weather, double weather, direction, constellation, deity (with two boss battles each), primary attribute (such as Strength), secondary attribute (such as Attack), debuff, storm spell, helix spell, carol, threnody, enspell, defensive buff, skillchain, automaton maneuver, wyvern breath attack, crystal, HQ crystal, rock, set of gemstones, ore, bead, stave, obi, weaponskill belt, weaponskill gorget, sachet, geode, divine stone, seed, pot, fewell, crafting Moghancement, chip, strange apparatus, luck rune, and an element that it is [[ElementalRockPaperScissors opposed to]].
72	* All but one of the major countries in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheSacredStones'' has its own [[MacGuffin Sacred Stone]], playable member of the royal family (counting [[BonusLevel Creature Campaign]]-exclusive characters), and unit specialization.
73	* In ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', every member of [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Organization XIII]] has their own unique element, weapon and [[RedBaron title]].
74	** They also each command a unique kind of EliteMook with a fighting style that's either similar to or based on their own. Well, at least the members seen in [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII the second game]] do; we never see the Nobodies commanded by the Organization members seen in VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories (Although there's no evidence suggesting they don't have this ability).
75	* Every group member in ''VideoGame/Idolish7'' has a number, a color, and a music symbol.
76	* As of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', the three creator goddesses Farore, Nayru, and Din, each correspond with a piece of the Triforce, courage, wisdom, and power, that is inherited by the main characters Link, Zelda and Ganon. They also have associated colors (green, blue, and red), regions (the forest, the river, the mountains), a spiritual stone and national symbol associated with the races that inhabit it (Kokiri, Zoras, and Gorons respectively) and an elemental power (forest/wind, water/ice, fire). Later games would also give the Goddesses an Oracle avatar with their own associations (secrets, ages/time, seasons), and a [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker mystical pearl]] that has a distinct symbol for their respective virtue. Regions that don't have a Goddess and Triforce bearer still get by with only associated races, national symbols, colors, elemental power, and songs.
77	** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' each champion comes from a different race in a different region, has their own Divine Beast, a signature weapon (and weapon style), theme song, color, and a particular superpower associated with their region's element. They were also each murdered by their own EvilCounterpart Blight Ganon that uses a bastardized version of their element/power/weapon.
78	* In ''VideoGame/Persona3'', ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/Persona5 5]]'', each of the major characters has a specific [[TarotMotifs Tarot Arcana]] assigned to them. Characters involved in combat are also affiliated with at least one figure from [[{{Mythology}} a world mythology]] and likely has at least one [[ElementalPowers elemental affinity]]. Every one of these things somehow ties to the personality, skills, or narrative role of the character in question.
79	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Every Gym Leader is associated with a particular element, Signature Mon, and of course their Gym Badge that they give as an award. Further in some games each also grants a passive stat boost, a TM of their Signature Move, or allows the use of a particular field move HM.
80	** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' takes this further as in addition to the traditional eight Gym Leaders, there's also 5 "Titan" Pokémon and 5 Team Star Bases scattered throughout Paldea to tackle. Each of these eighteen goals is associated with one of the eighteen Pokémon types.
81	* In the ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series, each of the original four games' settings is associated with a compass direction, a season, and an element. Game 3 doesn't fit the theme because it wasn't part of the original series plan.
82	* In ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'', there are eight playable characters. Each starts in one of the eight regions of the continent. Each also starts out with one of the eight [[JobSystem non-secret jobs]]. Six of the jobs are also associated with each of the six elements (the exceptions are Warrior, which has none; and Scholar, which uses multiple elements).
83	[[/folder]]
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85	[[folder:Web Animation]]
86	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Each hunter[=/=]huntress has an associated colour, SwissArmyWeapon of Choice, and [[FairyTaleMotifs fairy tale/folk tale/legend]]. Furthermore, groups of four are sorted into teams which each have their own associated colour.
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89	[[folder:Webcomics]]
90	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': 4 young chums, each with a color, a symbol, a typing style, a classical element, a favored weapon, a musical instrument, a [[FourTemperamentEnsemble humour]], a [[TheChosenOne specific title]] corresponding to their role in the game, a personal world in the Incipisphere from which each must reach Skaia, the remains of a deceased creature or family member, and a single guardian who seems to know something about the AncientConspiracy. Oh, and an African-American celebrity.
91	** Also a specific item (E.G. uranium, oil).
92	** A more thorough listing of the similarities can be found [[http://mspaintadventures.wikia.com/wiki/Homestuck_Kids here]] on the series's Wiki.
93	** And now there are ''28 more of them.'' (twelve A-trolls, twelve B-trolls, and four A-kids)
94	** [[RuleOfThree Not to mention]] the fact many of the {{NPC}}s are associated with specific games: the chess-themed Prospitian/Dersite fighters, the card-themed Midnight Crew and the billiards-themed Felt.
95	* ''Homestuck's'' predecessor, ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth,'' was no slouch either. There are three detectives, each with a certain body type (which in turn are each associated with a type of food, a truck carrying that food, and a district of the city that is named after the makers of that food, a gentleman with some sort of optical accessory, and a room in the Sleazy Brothel in the sky), an office, something keeping them from escaping their office, a different kind of window/portal to the World of Imagination, a stat in which they excel, a standard weapon/key, a candy weapon, a type of candy armor, a SuperMode based on both a classic movie monster and type of candy, a DistaffCounterpart (each of which have their own weapon/other object, two of which get a weapon/object used in painting and a undergarment that warps their physical properties, and one of which is just a clone of one of the detectives wearing a wig), an ultimate move, and a non-human race they go on a quest for (each of which terrorizes another of the races somehow, and each of which has some kind of emissary and a champion that represents a [[FantasyCharacterClasses Fantasy Character Class]]). The BigBad gets in on most of this as well.
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98	[[folder:Western Animation]]
99	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' has four nations, each linked to an element, a season, each with two crests -- one to symbolize the nation itself, and one to symbolize its Bending art -- and national colors which literally everyone wears. Each also has a main character with the national power and each is FantasyCounterpartCulture for a real-life Asian nation [[note]]Fire for Japan, Earth for China, Wind for Tibet and Water for Syberian tribes[[/note]]. Each Bending discipline is further associated with an animal that invented the form (except for Waterbending, which the Moon inspired, though is still symbolized by koi fish).
100	** By the time of ''Korra'', each has also developed two distinct sub-arts. Plant and Blood for Water. Lightning and Combustion for Fire. Metal and Lava for Earth. Astral Projection and Flight for Air.
101	[[/folder]]
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103	[[folder:Real Life]]
104	* Armies have marched under banners (specific colors of cloth and/or actual flags) for thousands of years. In many cases, individual divisions and regiments will even have their own colors and mascots.
105	** Feudal systems, especially in Europe, almost always involve families or Houses with heraldry that follows a universal format.
106	** And nationalism added this to countries, in the forms of flags and anthems.
107	* Much of historical occultism works this way, creating elaborate lists of symbolic correspondences. The ClassicalElements would be associated with colors, seasons, compass directions, bodily organs, [[FourTemperamentEnsemble "humours"]], astrological signs, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_element etc.]]
108	** The Chinese [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxing_(Chinese_philosophy) Wuxing]] in Feng Shui associates the phases of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal with trigrams, planets, colors, days, seasons, and cardinal directions.
109	** Each astrological sign, for instance, can be aligned with a color, mythological figure, gemstone, metal, time of the year (obviously), two sister signs and one opposing sign, parts of the human body, and geographical places, and one or more Tarot cards (and don't even get ''started'' on Tarot cards.)
110	* Creator/AleisterCrowley's book ''777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley'' contains a huge table of such correspondences spanning several dozen pages and an even longer section of footnotes with additional details that don't fit on the table.
111	* If you live in America, you might be aware of your state's date of founding, origin of name, capital city, official state flower, state animal, state tree, state rock, state vegetable (yes really), etc. Now they've come out with state quarters, which contain some symbol significant to the state in question on the back.
112	** Many countries will also have a national flag, anthem, motto, bird, mammal, flower, and more.
113	*** In many countries the provinces or even the individual municipalities have at least some of those too.
114	* Every properly equipped school has a fight song, a mascot, and two or three school colors.
115	* Professional sports teams similarly have unique team colors, mascots, other paraphernalia, and fight songs!
116	[[/folder]]

Context Main / ThemeTable