Basic Trope: Scars in fiction must be tied to dramatic backstories.
- Straight: Harold, a mysterious swordsman, has a prominent scar on his lower arm. When asked about it, it turns out to have been given by his former friend James when they clashed in a swordfight after James turned evil.
- Exaggerated: Harold's body is Covered in Scars, and he has a sad story for each one.
- Downplayed: Harold has a scar that has a lame backstory.
- Justified: It's traditional in Harold and James' Proud Warrior Race for the victor of a swordfight to scar his opponent to remind them of the loss.
- Inverted:
- Harold has lead a life of monotony and mediocrity; his lack of scars prove it.
- Every story read from the evil book causes a misfortune to fall upon the reader. The scar is made after the story is told.
- Subverted: When asked about his scar, Harold mournfully narrates the time he was chopping vegetables and got distracted.
- Double Subverted: When asked about his scar, Harold mournfully narrates the time he was chopping vegetables and got distracted. Everyone comments that that's a terrible reason to have a scar. Harold continues that he was distracted by James, who had turned evil and now they were due to fight.
- Parodied: Bob has a scar on his genitals. When asked, he opens his mouth to elaborate. Before a word is spoken, there is a Jump Cut showing Bob getting arrested.
- Zig-Zagged: Some scars in the story were obtained from deep and dramatic incidents, others are mundane.
- Averted: No characters have scars, and if they do, they are not explained.
- Enforced: The editor doesn't think Harold looks rugged enough, so he asks the writer and artist to add a backstory-important scar somewhere.
- Lampshaded: "These guys are never just born with those kinds of marks".
- Invoked: After losing to his new nemesis James, Harold thinks of all the heroes in his novels who have rugged scars and gives himself a wound to remind himself of the incident.
- Exploited: James is able to pick his enemy out of a lineup of impostors because of a trademark scar he inflicted long ago.
- Defied: Harold doesn't want to constantly be reminded of James, so he starts investing in scar removal treatments.
- Discussed: "Out of everyone here, not a single person with a scar is a wimp. No accidental falls, no clumsy wallbangs. It's from immense suffering like war, animal attacks, treacherous family, and many other horrible things".
- Conversed: "So, how did you get your scars?".
- Implied: There is a scar on someone who is clearly not carefree.
- Deconstructed: Harold gets his PTSD triggered when looking at his scar.
- Reconstructed: Harold is able to endure the shock just enough to tell his tale.
- Played for Laughs: Harold got his scar after trying to get the world record for the longest amount on time spent barefoot on a lego treadmill.
- Played for Drama: The scar is used as a framing device for a tragic backstory.
- Played for Horror: Harold is repeatedly scarred by the monsters both on the outside and on the inside. As he endures more torture, he becomes weaker. Eventually, most of his body is scarred and any movement causes extreme pain.
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