AudioPlay.Were Alive: "That was then...This is now..." Heard at the start of each season opener and at the beginning of several other episodes. Always spoken by Michael.
YMMV.Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha: Harsher in Hindsight: The ending theme is a cheerful tune about making "a little wish" so the singer can see someone close to them smile. A's was all about "a small wish" for the exact same thing, under far more depressing circumstances.
VideoGame.Pikmin 4: The Rescue Team loves to work word around the term "Dandori", which is a real Japanese word roughly meaning "procedure". The concept of Dandori is efficiently organizing your tasks so that you can complete them as fast as possible, and can roughly be considered analogous to "proper planning". The Leaflings are also completely obsessed with the idea to the point that it's the only thing that most of them can even talk or think about.
BattlestarGalactica2003.Tropes J To R: Orphaned Etymology: Several words and phrases used are borrowed from Earth history, despite being set in a fictional universe where modern history as we know it doesn't exist. Word of God states this was intentional in at least some cases, in reference to the Arc Words "All of this has happened before and will happen again". The specific example mentioned above was All Along the Watchtower, which in the Colonial universe has the same lyrics and melody as the Real Life song, but a different arrangement.
Webcomic.The Legend Of Mr Satan: "With dreams of being a king, first one should be a man." These are the words that begin Mr. Satan's Character Development. They also conclude it, when he dies as a hero during the fight against Perfect Cell.
WMG.Cardfight Vanguard: If Cray is real, PSY Qualia is then like an enhanced 'image it'. More than imagining Cray, you're actually there in astral form, which is how Aichi has had 'winning image' of his upcoming fights with Miwa and Team Fragrance. The 'possessed by the Vanguard' point also explains how Aichi put together his new deck at the Caesar Training Camp without being aware of it, he wasn't in control at the time, one of his Units was.
Literature.Skulduggery Pleasant: "Until the end." First appears in Dark Days, but it's not really hammered home until Last Stand of Dead Men onwards.
DyingMomentOfAwesome.Video Games: Not for Broadcast: In Day 296: The Heatwave, if you don't cut to the ads after playing the Disrupt tape, Jeremy Donaldson, still holding a pistol in his hand, feels a bit depressed that he doesn't want to work for the news under Advance anymore; he pulls the pistol up a few inches close to his head, apologizing to the newscast for letting them down, then says these last words before putting the pistol an inch closer to his head, shuts his eyes in a brave sense of calm, and pulls the trigger. Jeremy: [calmly] My name's Jeremy Donaldson. If you can... somehow... [looks at the camera] and I envy you if you can... [puts the pistol even closer to his head] Have a peaceful night.
Film.Star Trek Nemesis: "Never saw the sun shining so bright, never saw things looking so right..."
Literature.Sophies World: "Happy birthday, Hilde!" At one point in the story these words become part of a Wham Line.
Recap.Quantum Leap S 3 E 22 Shock Theater: "No more shocks." While Sam’s mind keeps shifting through different personalities, he still recalls the trauma of his ECT session.
Film.Satsujin Net: "Do you believe in the Web of Death?" Along with variations.
DyingMomentOfAwesome.Live Action TV: Loki: Classic Loki dies disintegrated by Alioth, but does so after conjuring a gigantic projection of Asgard to distract the abomination, shouting "GLORIOUS PURPOSE!" and laughing in the face of his annihilation.
Recap.Doctor Who S 27 E 12 Bad Wolf: Bad Wolf reappears once more, as the corporation that runs the Game Station. The episode title. This episode also marks the first appearance of what will become the main Arc Words for series 2 — Torchwood, appearing as one of the answers in The Weakest Link.
Awesome.Fallout New Vegas: Ulysses gets one for subverting Fallout's usual Arc Words by insisting that while War never changes, men/women themselves can change.
Fanfic.New Vegas Showtime: The fic opens with a spin on Fallout's Arc Words of "War never changes"; it argues that it's a simplification, since while the reasons for war remain consistent, the means of waging war depend on a variety of factors.
Manga.My Monster Secret: The title of the series ("The truth is, I am..."). It's not only about the characters revealing that they are not human, but also about them coming to terms with their feelings.
Music.Juno Songs: "Hail the Origami King" is a recurring lyric in all of the Legion of Stationery lyrics.The Tape subverts this when he performs his second run of the chorus: "Roll out the carpet! Hail the Origami- Ack!" The first and third runs have him do it properly: "Roll out the carpet! Hail the Origami King!" Meanwhile, Yape and Gun instead have "Hail the Origami Korigami!" He wanted to make "The light of Vinyl City will never die" these in the No Straight Roads videos, but he realized it didn't exactly fit all the characters' motives the same way "Hail the Origami King" did, so his friend Man on the Internet made DJ Subatomic Supernova turn it into a Subverted Catchphrase. DJ Subatomic Supernova: ...and the light of Vinyl City... Bah! Who cares!? The Beast Pack members (Gorimondo, King Dedede, and Leongar) all mention at one point to "heed The Call of the Wild" during their respective numbers.
Recap.Doctor Who S 29 E 13 Last Of The Time Lords: Continuity Nod: This monologue: The Master: I remember the days when the Doctor, oh, that famous Doctor... was waging a Time War, battling Sea Devils, and Axons — he sealed the Rift at the Medusa Cascade, single-handed. The Master's greatest fear being an all-powerful Doctor hovering over him, as previously shown all the way back in "The Mind of Evil".
YMMV.Rent: Mimi's behavior in "Another Day" is meant to inspire Roger to live his life again, and the repetition of the "No day but today" Arc Words and the fact she ultimately gets him out of the apartment suggests we're supposed to agree with her Anti-Nihilist mindset. However, her relentless attempts to get Roger to party and take drugs with her despite him only recently recovering from his addiction makes her look selfish. Since neither of them know the other has AIDS at this point, she doesn't even have the excuse that he's going to die anyway - she just wants to have fun with him for her own amusement.
Film.The Truth 2019: "I don't remember that." Several characters say this, and this film suggests that memory isn't always reliable.
Characters.Final Fantasy VII Playable Characters: Last Stand: At the end of Crisis Core he finds himself standing alone against dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Shinra infantry. He recites Angeal's Arc Words and charges in swinging, bringing down all but three before he's too weak to keep standing.
Series.The Prisoner 1967: While the series didn't last long enough to form full story arcs, the General is name-dropped well in advance of appearing. The finale also reveals that the phrase "You are Number 6," heard during the opening credits, actually should be seen with a comma: "You are, Number 6."
Film.Duel For Gold: "The gold is just too tempting." tends to be spoken by characters before backstabbing each other for the gold.
VideoGame.Seven Days 2013: SAM. Is it a name? An acronym for "Sacrifice And Murder"? Completely meaningless? Most assume it's the name of the face-monster-thing, but all that's really certain is it shows up everywhere. Also, the end of every Day is marked by finding a note with "SAM" written on one side and "It's not time yet" on the other.
Recap.Doctor Who S 30 E 11 Turn Left: "Bad Wolf". The arc words from series 1 replace the text on every single surface with text. Even the signs on the TARDIS just read "Bad Wolf" over and over. The bees disappearing. We find out what exactly the "something on [Donna's] back" is.
VideoGame.Freddy Fazbears Pizzeria Simulator: "I will/can put you/her/myself back together." If you're killed by Springtrap, he declares "I ALWAYS COME BACK!" in reference to the Arc Words of the third game. One of Springtrap's lines while roaming the vents is, "You may not recognize me at first, but I assure you, it's still me." A new one, not from any previous game: "What is paragraph 4"? It turns out to be the clause in your contract that requires you to salvage any animatronics you find in the back alley, although as of now we have no idea if that's all it says. Word related to having things all "in one place" are repeated several times.
Pantheon.Military Technology: Amuro is a tough nut to crack, powerful yet flawed, pacifistic yet willing to fight, and most importantly, all-loving yet ruthless. He is living proof of how indomitable humanity is, and as he pursues peace in the escalating Forever War of the Alliances, he's going to make sure all who threaten him and his loved ones remember that. FLY! GUNDAM!
Foreshadowing.The Locked Tomb: The Awful Truth of Lyctorhood, that a necromancer has to consume their cavalier's soul to burn them for energy forever, is very extensively telegraphed by comments the First makes, the Arc Words of Gideon the Ninth, and parenthetical references by Palamedes being disgusted by it, to the point where it's Hidden in Plain Sight.
Funny.Markiplier FNAF: At one part he speaks about some of the lewd fanart being produced of the animatronics, only to be cut off by hallucinations, in which he freaks out for the umpteenth time. Mark: I know the internet's a bit of a messed-up place. I've been here for— (Night Guard experiences "IT'S ME" hallucinations) —A LONG TIME! No, you don't! It's not you!
WebAnimation.Spooky Month: "Everything". The concept of "everything" seems to carry negative connotations behind it, as not only do damaged pictures of Skid's father come with the phrase "You are everything", but Mr. Clown implies to John and Jack in the Newgrounds ending of "Unwanted Guest" that he and the cult plan on seizing this supposed "everything". The word even comes up in unrelated contexts, such as Dexter's slogan and the name of town's newspaper. Mr. Clown: We will take all and get everything! Everything will give us MORE THAT IS ALL!
Manga.Tokyo Ghoul: "The World is Wrong.". At the very end of :re, Kaneki rebukes this statement, saying "This world isn't wrong. It just... is. "To live is to eat others." "My salvation is..."
Film.Transformers Age Of Extinction: "The rules have changed." "Who sent you here?", which Optimus asks of Lockdown. The bounty hunter is said to be working for a much more powerful and dangerous villain than we see in the film, and this will be explored as the series continues.
Literature.Creatures Of Light And Darkness: "Skagganauk Abyss" and variations occur several times throughout the book before its nature and ultimate purpose is revealed. Also, a series of interludes concerning a dog playing with a glove, a pair of old shoes, and three quarreling artisans.
Fanfic.Fluttershy Is Free: Some variant on "Fluttershy is free," usually along the lines of "And she was free" get repeated in several other of Jordan179's tales involving the character. It refers to Fluttershy's stubborn defiance of any form of external control, and determination to be her own Pony.
WebVideo.Stellaris Invicta: "Hic manebimus optime" — "Here we will stay most excellently." "Evil must be opposed." The Confederacy's foreign policy in four words.
Music.Anberlin: "Lips that need no introduction" in Never Take Friendship Personal and "The patron saint of lost causes" in Cities.
Roleplay.Einsteinian Roulette: "The flesh is weak." Phrase encountered a lot in universe and later taken up by the players as well.
ThenLetMeBeEvil.Video Games: In particular, this is the argument made to Ryuji by Captain Kidd — that since Kamoshida has gone out of his way to make Ryuji's life a living hell (amongst other things), Ryuji should not expect to reconcile with Kamoshida in any way and instead focus his energies on taking the bastard down. Downplayed in that, while Ryuji agrees and does just that, he doesn't go to extremes to get the job done, and has good intentions for the work he does with the Phantom Thieves thereafter. "Since your name has been disgraced already, why not hoist the flag and wreak havoc...? The "other you" who exists within desires it thus... I am thou... thou art I... There is no turning back... The skull of rebellion is your flag henceforth!"
VideoGame.Deadly Premonition: "At times we must purge things from this world because they should not exist, even if it means losing someone that you love." Is the very first line of the game, and gets repeated by multiple characters throughout the story.
YMMV.PBG Hardcore: A good chunk of the audience felt that both Terraria #3 newcomers, Lucahjin and Yungtown, stole the show in a fashion similar to ProtonJon, because of their warm personalities, knack for humor, and great dynamics with the rest of the members. They quickly became proficient in the game, avoiding many of the pratfalls that other newbies had a tendency to do. Just like with ProtonJon, it helped that they ended up outliving several of the more veteran members, and even managed to defeat the season's Final Boss. And in a season fraught with absurd, largely avoideable deaths, the two sort of became the Only Sane Pair in the group, saving each other from various dangers themselves. They even coined what became the season's Arc Words, "Follow your dreams", endearing them to the fanbase.
Recap.Doctor Who S 28 E 1 New Earth: Continuity Nod: At the beginning, the TARDIS is parked on the (faded) giant chalk "Bad Wolf" graffito from "The Parting of the Ways". As she says her goodbyes to her mother, Rose mentions her cousin Mo from the Peak District, previously name-checked in "The Christmas Invasion". The Doctor mentions Platform One, where he and the Face of Boe first met, and Rose's original reference to Cassandra being a "trampoline" is repeated, this time by Cassandra herself. The Doctor previously met a form of cat people in "Survival". Rose's Nokia "Superphone", which the Doctor first upgraded in "The End of the World", makes a reappearance here when the Doctor calls to check on her whereabouts, oblivious that she's presently possessed by Cassandra. Chip recognizes it as "a primitive communications device".
WesternAnimation.The Wild Thornberrys Movie: “You must not waste time. You must go to your destiny. Go.” By Shaman Mynambo in Eliza’s dream. This inspires her to keep with her mission to save Tally.
ComicallyMissingThePoint.Live Action TV: ‘’Diver Dan’’ has Arc Words : Trigger: something ending in “Boss”. Baron Barracuda: “I told you to call men ‘Baron’, (epithet)!” Trigger: “Okay, Baron (epithet).”
TearJerker.Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha As: Chapter 6 of the A's manga and it's animated version in The Movie 2nd A's. Hayate starts crying after remembering Reinforce, then tries to hold back the tears, calling herself a crybaby. Nanoha and Fate, in perfect unison, stand up and hug her from both sides, telling her that she doesn't have to pretend to be strong in this case. It was probably a really small wish. A wish that could not be realized. And the days left in our hands. However much we may cry, the past will not come back.
PyrrhicVictory.Literature: The Battle of Castle Black ends in this for the Night's Watch. Yes, Stannis shows up to save them and Castle Black remains under the Night's Watch's control. However, Stannis soon leaves to retake the North from the Boltons, meaning that the Night's Watch, already very low on manpower due to the dilapidation of the organization over the centuries, is now dangerously low on men after the Great Ranging and the battle. In addition, several buildings and constructs are damaged quite badly in the battle, and winter is coming, and with it, the Others and the army of the dead.
Fridge.Mortal Kombat X: As pointed out and shown by Dark Raiden at the end of story mode, the Elder Gods cannot die... and fallen though he be, Shinnok is still an Elder God. Whatever crap you put him through, he ultimately lives through that... and all the consequences that implies. Cut out his heart and drink its blood? Lives. Make a head-sized hole in his chest, possibly with his head? Lives! Chop off his face and reduce the rest to Ludicrous Gibs? LIVES! "There are fates worse than death", indeed...
Film.Spree: “All eyes on me! I wanna be seen!”, Jessie’s Catchphrase. It also sums up Kurt’s motivation to get famous.
Fanfic.Children Of An Elder God: "The Stars Are Right", stated by characters like Gendo, Fuyutsuki, Rei... when they think or feel that the prophecies are about to come to pass. Sometimes the stars can be seen literally moving into position
DrinkingGame.TV Tropes: When Arc Words are mentioned, take a sip, and then repeat the words, or if it is simply the trope itself mentioned, repeat the ones you like most.
ShoutOut.Maria Campbell Of The Astral Clocktower: A one-off character who planned to confess to Katarina is named Lady Monika Just, making her an Expy of Monika from Doki Doki Literature Club!, with the "Just" part being the Arc Words given in her introduction of "Just Monika". She's also the one who finds Marcioness Dieke's unconscious body hanging upside-down from the school flagpole.
Literature.The Devils Alternative: “No alternative.” The phrase is used by various characters throughout the story, and is even a codeword at one point.
Literature.Catch Twenty Two: Arc Words "Help him, help the bombardier!" "...I'm the bombardier! I'm fine!" "Then help him, help him!" "I'm cold." "Are you crazy?" "Yossarian, imagine if everyone felt that way." "Then I'd be a damn fool not to".
VideoGame.One Shot: "I have not been tamed." "I can't go against my programming." "You only have one shot."
ComicBook.Ghost Panther: All of T'Challa's stories use the phrase "a place called Wakanda... that has/will always been/be free."
Literature.Mistborn The Original Trilogy: Kelsier's "There's always another secret". While the exact phrase doesn't come up that often, it's an excellent shorthand for everything going on in these books. "Survive".
Literature.Embassytown: The requirement for Language to be literal means that stressed repetition of the same words is a key component of communicating ideas. The Hosts pay a young Avice to go through a bizarrely staged performance to make her into a simile, "The girl who ate what was given to her." The full simile is more elaborate — the girl is in pain, in the dark, in an abandoned restaurant where people don't eat anymore. As the book goes on and the simile is repeated, the ways in which the Ariekei are both like and unlike the girl make the simile increasingly apt, and finally lead to the breakthrough in which the Hosts do not merely learn to lie, but grasp metaphor and symbolism. Surl Tesh-echer's most successful lie: "Before the humans came we didn't speak." Surl Tesh-echer's friend, the one Avice calls Spanish Dancer, makes the line the focus of its Big Damn Speech as the majority of Ariekei awaken to an understanding of lies, metaphor, and signifying language.
VideoGame.Galactic Civilizations: Darkest Hour: The storyline of Gal Civ II's expansion packs Dark Avatar and Twilight of the Arnor can be seen as the galaxy's darkest hour, not only has most of the galaxy been enslaved by the Drengin but the Korath are planning to annihilate all non-Drengin life at the behest of the Dread Lords who weren't truly defeated at the end of the core game's campaign. The only forces left in the galaxy that can fight the Dread Lords are the Drengin Empire whose forces are too preoccupied by the Korath clan's rebellion to fight the Dread Lords directly, and the remnants of the Terran fleet which remained a factor only because they stumbled across the last of the Arnor who provided them with his race's superior technology and warships. As of the third game, the Dread Lords have been eliminated as a major player (hopefully for real this time), but the Thalans still maintain that things are only going to get worse, and it's all the Terrans' fault somehow: "A crusade is coming..."
