Line #26 PlayingWith/FriendToAllChildren


1	'''Basic Trope''': A character is humanized by having a soft spot for kids.
2	* '''Straight''': Bob is an AntiHero, but he is established as a good guy overall because he frequently plays with children.
3	* '''Exaggerated''': [[EvenEvilHasStandards Bob]] is a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who is only redeemed by the fact that he adores and [[WouldntHurtAChild would never harm]] children of any species and they like him back.
4	* '''Downplayed''':
5	** Bob is [[GoodIsNotNice truly good if not particularly nice]], but his nice side is shown when he's around children.
6	** Bob is an AntiHero who doesn't like being around children, but nevertheless has a soft spot for them in the sense that he [[BerserkButton goes berserk]] whenever he encounters [[WouldHurtAChild someone who's willing to hurt them]].
7	** Bob is pretty young himself, so the age difference isn't very big.
8	** Bob doesn't like children, but he despises anyone who would hurt them and he will kick their ass.
9	* '''Justified''':
10	** ChildrenAreInnocent and Bob knows their innocence will keep him from becoming a full-blown ByronicHero.
11	** Bob's kids are dead, and they remind him of them, in a good way.
12	** Bob is a member of a profession that ideally would necessitate him being a FriendToAllChildren, such as a teacher, a pediatrician, or a pediatric counselor.
13	** Bob has kids himself, so this makes him more sympathetic to other people's kids.
14	** Bob had AbusiveParents, and so he now goes out of his way to be nice to kids, whether they're his or not, defying TheChainOfHarm and to be TroubledAbuser.
15	** Bob is a ManChild, and thus, being fairly immature himself, he can relate to them.
16	** Children remind Bob when he was a child himself.
17	** Bob believes that children have a kind of perspective on the world that adults lack, because kids haven't yet been indoctrinated with all of society's norms and traditions, and he values this perspective.
18	** Bob [[GrowingUpSucks hates]] being an adult and likes children a lot more than his fellow adults.
19	* '''Inverted''':
20	** Bob is a ChildHater and is portrayed as being evil for it.
21	** Bob is a NiceGuy, but children don't seem to take a liking to him.
22	** Bob, a kid, is established as a good person because of his fondness of adults.
23	* '''Subverted''':
24	** Bob is constantly seen playing with children, but that's only to earn their trust so he can sacrifice them to a child-eating demon in exchange for power and wealth.
25	** Bob is a child groomer and a pedophile who plays with children in order to earn their trust before he sexually abuses them.
26	* '''Double Subverted''':
27	** But it's actually a ruse to lure the demon out of hiding and slay him once and for all to keep his beloved kids safe.
28	** Bob used to be a child predator, but he has since sought treatment for his urges and regrets his actions. Now, [[TheAtoner he genuinely cares about children, and he uses his knowledge of how child predators operate to hunt down other child predators]].
29	* '''Parodied''': Bob is a babysitter by day and a VigilanteMan at night.
30	* '''Zig Zagged''': Bob loves children, but pretends to be a ChildHater so he doesn't look weak. Children remind him of his own dead son, but sometimes the memories make him angry, causing him to actually hate children for brief periods, and even lash out at them verbally or even physically. But he always instantly regrets this.
31	* '''Averted''': Bob doesn't treat kids any differently than how he treats anyone else.
32	* '''Enforced''': "Bob seems like too much of a sociopath. Give him a soft spot for kids."
33	* '''Lampshaded''': "Bob's a {{Jerkass}}, but he [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold can't be all that bad]] because the children love him."
34	* '''Invoked''': "If I play with kids alot, people will start seeing me as a true hero."
35	* '''Exploited''':
36	** [[PedoHunt The Big Bad spreads a rumor that Bob is a pedophile, ruining his reputation]].
37	** The BigBad puts a child in danger to lure Bob into a trap.
38	** An EnfantTerrible takes advantage of Bob's fondness for kids to [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate]] him for their own ends.
39	* '''Defied''': "I don't even like kids!"
40	* '''Discussed''': "I knew Bob was a good guy. Look how gently he plays with those kids."
41	* '''Conversed''': "It seems like every AntiHero, no matter how badass and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold rude]] he is, always has a soft spot for kids."
42	* '''Implied''': The adults in the show don't like Bob very much, but the children seem to be fond of him.
43	* '''Deconstructed''':
44	** Bob is a borderline PsychopathicManchild who is completely incapable of socializing with those his own age.
45	** See Exploited 3.
46	** Bob's care for children is exploited by duplicitous lawmakers to pass the Protection of Children From Malicious Forces Act, with him rallying other people to support the bill. In reality, the PCFMFA is revealed to be a dangerous mass censorship bill that not only actively silences children, but in truth is being used by those same lawmakers to justify categorizing anyone they deem to be "malicious" ([[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain in this case, minorities, races and sex orientations they hate]]), and excuse throwing them into prison under false pretenses. All the while also ensuring children are actually even ''less'' safe than before, because it prevents them from speaking out against [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections abusive caretakers who can weasel by this law due to their political affiliations.]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Bob is devastated when he finds out that he's been played for a fool]], and ends up desperate to atone by trying to get the law revoked.
47	* '''Played For Laughs''': Overprotective parents [[MistakenForPedophile assume that Bob is a paedophile.]]
48	* '''Played For Drama''': Bob's soft spot for kids is a major factor in his StartOfDarkness when they are killed.
49	----
50	Go back to FriendToAllChildren, they want to play some more.
51	----
52	%% Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
53	%%

Context PlayingWith / FriendToAllChildren