"For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
Tropes about the different effects and displays of authority, leadership, and obedience.
Contrast Rebel Tropes.
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Tropes about authority in general:
- 0% Approval Rating: Nobody likes the evil overlord.
- Alien Non-Interference Clause: Aliens are forbidden from meddling with the affairs of humans.
- The Alleged Boss
- Aloof Leader, Affable Subordinate
- Anarcho-Tyranny: A corrupt government or tyrannical regime creates a state of Anarchy Is Chaos so everyone is too busy fighting each other to worry about them, criminal neglect on a nationwide scale.
- Anti-Nepotism
- Artistic License – Education: In the case of teachers and other school staff exerting their authority over students when, in real life, they should not have that much authority.
- Artistic License – Politics
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The best fighter becomes the one in charge.
- Authoritative in Public, Docile in Private: Someone in a position of authority is markedly submissive when it comes to their personal life and romantic relationships.
- Authority in Name Only: An authority figure who doesn't really have any power at all.
- Authority Sounds Deep: An authority figure's status is signaled by their deep voice.
- Bald of Authority
- Bavarian Fire Drill: Deceiving people by pretending to be an authority figure.
- Beleaguered Boss
- Bookshelf of Authority
- Bothering by the Book
- Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough
- The Chain of Command
- The Chains of Commanding
- Challenging the Chief
- Clipboard of Authority
- Clocks of Control
- Color-Coded Patrician
- Cool People Rebel Against Authority
- Cop Hater
- Corporal Punishment
- Delegation Relay
- Depending Upon the Undependable: An authority figure keeps hiring or promoting incompetent people even though they know (or should know) disaster will always result.
- Disobeyed Orders, Not Punished
- Earned Stripes
- Easily Elected
- Emergency Authority
- Ermine Cape Effect
- Evil Overlord List: A list of things one must consider if they ever decide to become an evil overlord in order to prevent ever being defeated.
- Fisher King: A ruler whose very presence causes the land to become the same way they are.
- Forgot I Could Change the Rules: An authority figure forgets that it's within their power to change the rules.
- Gracefully Demoted: Someone with a position of power accepts or even wants their demotion.
- Grade-School C.E.O.
- Grand Inquisitor Scene
- Hat of Authority
- Humans Are Leaders
- Ignored Enamored Underling
- In Its Hour of Need
- King on His Deathbed
- Large and in Charge: The leader is also the largest of the group.
- Lawful Pushover
- The Leader: The member of the group who calls the shots.
- Leader Forms the Head
- More Senior Subordinate
- Nepotism: Employing your relatives.
- Obstructive Code of Conduct
- Ordered to Die
- Physical Fitness Punishment
- Please Spare Him, My Liege!
- Powerful People Are Subs: An authority figure with an iron fist is ironically very submissive in the bedroom.
- Punctuality Is for Peasants
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: Your skill in combat is equivalent to your rank in the hierarchy.
- Reclining Reigner
- Risking the King
- Sane Boss, Psycho Henchmen
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: An authority figure believes that being in charge makes them above the law.
- Sham Ceremony
- Short-Lived Leadership
- Sliding Scale of Leadership Responsibility
- Staff of Authority
- Stamp of Rejection
- Standardized Leader
- Still the Leader
- Supporting Leader
- Sword of Damocles
- Teenage Wasteland
- Tyrannicide
- Under New Management
- Universally Beloved Leader
- Weak Boss, Strong Underlings
- Whip of Dominance: Using a whip as a symbol of dominance, control, authority, or sadism.
- Young and in Charge
- You Rebel Scum!
- Zen Slap
Leader Characters of:
Any kind of Institution:
- Action Politician
- Ambadassador
- Bad Boss: An employer who is cruel, abusive and unfair towards their subordinates.
- Badass Bureaucrat
- Benevolent Boss: An employer who is cordial, kind and fair to the employees.
- Benevolent Mage Ruler
- Big Bad: The main antagonist of the work, who is often in charge of all the lesser evils the heroes confront.
- Big Good: The highest in authority who is on the good guys' side.
- Blaming "The Man"
- Cincinnatus
- Clueless Boss
- The Commissioner Gordon
- Corrupt Bureaucrat
- Corrupt Politician
- Evil Overlord
- Emperor Scientist
- The Generalissimo
- Go-Getter Girl
- Head-in-the-Sand Management
- The Hero
- Iron Lady
- Klingon Promotion
- Mean Boss: An employer who is impolite and petty towards their subordinates, but still fair.
- Mister Big
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: A bureaucrat who makes people file assloads of paperwork before they can be allowed to do anything.
- The Performer King
- Permanent Elected Official: An elected official who is always in office.
- The Philosopher King
- Pointy-Haired Boss: An incompetent employer.
- Power Dynamics Kink: Power and subordination serving as an erotic "turn-on".
- President Superhero
- Reasonable Authority Figure: An authority figure who is fair and unbiased, choosing not to take sides and allow all parties to defend themselves.
- Reasonable Request Rejected
- Reluctant Ruler
- Ruler Protagonist
- Shadow Dictator
- Silk Hiding Steel
- Super Civil Services
- Tough Leader Façade
- Tyrant Takes the Helm
- Unfit for Greatness
- Vast Bureaucracy
An Apartment:
A Company:
- Army of Lawyers
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The head of a corporation is evil or at least very unscrupulous.
- Dragged To The Board Of Directors: A character has to explain themselves to a business's higher-ups.
- Honest Corporate Executive: The head of a corporation is honest and refuses to use their company to do anything illegal or unethical.
- Majority-Share Dictator
A Monarchy:
- Adipose Rex: A ruler who is overweight.
- A Child Shall Lead Them
- Benevolent Dictator
- The Caligula: A ruler who is insane.
- Court Mage
- Court Physician
- The Creon
- The Emperor
- Evil Chancellor
- Founder of the Kingdom
- God Save Us from the Queen!
- The Good Chancellor
- The Good King: A benevolent ruler.
- The High Queen
- She Is the King: A female ruler is addressed with a title that typically goes to men.
- Just the First Citizen: A monarch with a modest title.
- King of the Homeless: A leader who rules over homeless people.
- King of Thieves
- The Kingslayer: Killing a ruler.
- Planet Baron: The ruler or owner of an entire planet.
- Politically-Active Princess
- Princesses Rule
- Puppet King
- Regent for Life
- Royal Favorite: Their authority is often second only to the monarch, due to the high regard the monarch has for them, regardless of actual position in society.
- Royal "We": Royalty addressing themselves with plural pronouns.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: A ruler who doesn't just sit around on the throne giving orders and actually does things to help their people.
- Warrior Prince
Royalty Non-character tropes:
And Love...
The Military:
- The Brigadier
- The Captain
- Colonel Badass
- Commanding Coolness
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: A military officer who tends to yell at and berate his charges.
- A Father to His Men: A leader who is like a father figure to the soldiers he leads.
- Four-Star Badass
- Frontline General
- General Failure: A general who is very incompetent.
- General Ripper: A military leader who insanely pursues a vendetta against the enemy.
- Majorly Awesome
- Mook Commander
- The Neidermeyer
- Officer and a Gentleman
- Sergeant Rock
- The Warlord: A military leader with power and authority beyond legal or official status.
Military Non-character tropes:
School:
- Big Man on Campus
- Dean Bitterman: A school principal who hates everyone.
- Evil Principal: A principal who is evil.
- Putting the "Pal" in Principal: A school principal who wants the students to see him as their friend.
- Red Armband of Leadership: Red armband signifying prefects or student council members in Japanese schools.
- Save Our Students
- School Teachers
- Apathetic Teacher: A teacher who doesn't give a damn how well their students do.
- Cool Teacher: A teacher who is considered awesome by the students.
- Creepy Gym Coach
- Evil Teacher: A teacher who is evil.
- Fired Teacher
- Hippie Teacher
- Hot Librarian
- Loony Librarian
- Misplaced Kindergarten Teacher
- Non-Giving-Up School Guy: A person who won't rest until children playing hooky are forced to go class.
- Politically Motivated Teacher
- Sadist Teacher: A teacher who enjoys tormenting their students and making things unreasonably hard for them.
- Scary Librarian
- Schoolmarm
- Stern Teacher: A teacher who may be a bit harsh at times, but actually does care about the students and is only being hard on them because they want them to do well.
- Yellow Sash of Power: Hall monitors having unreasonable amounts of power.
A Town:
- I Own This Town
- Ultimate Authority Mayor: The mayor has more power than they would in real life.
- Mayor Pain: A mayor who is either sketchy or incompetent.
Underlings:
Others:
- Badass Preacher
- Breaking Out the Boss: A gang of criminals break their incarcerated boss from prison.
- Bring Them Around
- Deadly Doctor
- Dimension Lord
- Ditch the Bodyguards
- Doctor's Orders
- The Don
- The Ghost King
- Government in Exile
- Heroic Team Revolt
- High Priest
- Insect Queen
- Large and in Charge
- Loyal to the Position
- My Country, Right or Wrong
- My Master, Right or Wrong
- No Badass to His Valet
- No Hero to His Valet
- The Dragon: The villain who is second-in-command to the main villain.
- Evil Minions
- Faceless Goons
- Feudal Overlord
- King of Beasts
- The Last DJ
- Might Makes Right
- Mooks: The generic underlings of the main villain.
- Elite Mooks
- Mook Lieutenant: The henchmen are led by one who has slightly more depth and difference from the rank and file goons.
- Mecha-Mooks: Robotic minions.
- Mistress and Servant Boy
- The Necrocracy
- The Quisling: Someone betrays the rest of his kind to side with the invading forces.
- Rebel Leader
- Rebellious Rebel
- Supernatural Elite
- Vampire Monarch
- Volatile Second Tier Position: The second-highest job in a hierarchy, but with some very demanding drawbacks.
- Wardens Are Evil
