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Trope idea from the Trope Idea Salvage Yard (source draft). TLP draft HERE. 11 examples.


Laconic:

Characters who give thanks profusely/excessively.

Possible Names

Description:

When someone does something nice for you, it's only polite to thank them. Some characters, however, take it to the extreme and can't stop thanking their benefactor. Reminding them of their good deed at every turn and even wanting to repay them somehow.

Frequently, the good deed is really just that big of a deal, such as saving someone's life or getting rid of a tyrant. It also can happen that, for the Good Samaritan, it was only a small, inconsequential act of kindness, while for the assisted person, it greatly improved their life.

There are three common takes on this that can overlap. For it to be Played for Laughs as the gratitude is taken to such an absurd degree that it becomes a Running Gag or a heartwarming moment —especially when either party is someone unaccustomed to the most basic human decency,

On the less wholesome end of the spectrum, some characters might use this as an excuse to fuss over someone or have them lower their guard for malicious purposes.

Compare Apologizes a Lot, for characters who are profuse in their apologies rather than in their gratitude. If two people engage in an "endless thanking each other" routine, then you have Overly Polite Pals, those characters who take manners to the extreme. May overlap with I Owe You My Life.

Examples:

Fan Works

  • Horde Champion (World of Warcraft): Since she killed the Lich King, Anevay is thanked by Thalassian citizens for avenging them all every time she's in elf territory. Something that, considering she is also a blood elf, happens a lot. It's Played for Drama because Anevay feels alienated from her peers because, yes, they are grateful, but they also have stopped seeing her as a person with feelings. She's just their idolized hero, a mere symbol to flaunt in their celebrations.

Films — Animation

  • Toy Story 2: Played for Laughs. After Mr. Potato Head saves them from getting thrown out of the pizza truck, the three Squeeze Toy Aliens decide they owe him their life and can't stop thanking him. So much that their Character Catchphrase lampshades it.
    Squeeze Toy Aliens: You have saved our lives! We are eternally grateful!
  • Wizards: Following the demise of the wicked wizard Blackwolf, and the defeat of his mutant armies, the heroic party prepares to head homeward. Weehawk finds a cowering Larry nearby and hoists Blackwolf's minion by the tail. "Let him go," advises Avatar. "Without his master, he's harmless." Weehawk drops Larry, who scuttles away, bowing and thanking the heroes for leaving him intact. The gratitude doesn't stop until Larry is out of view over a hilltop.

Live-Action TV

  • The Closer: Brenda has a habit of saying "Thank you" a lot; most scenes she appears in will have her say it at least once or twice, even if the person she is talking to has done nothing to deserve her gratitude.
  • Lucifer: In "Family Dinner", when God wants to have a family dinner at Linda's, she starts the evening by saying grace, and quickly realizes that God is actually sitting at the dinner table. She gets nervous and starts thanking God for everything in the universe.
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000: The show itself harbors this attitude toward its viewership. The credits have a "special thanks" section in which they always honor educators, the fanbase, and the authors of the First Amendment.

Video Games

  • Genshin Impact: In her voice line about Fischl, Noelle notes how the Prinzessin thanks her profusely whenever she gives her cookies while Fischl is reading in the library.
  • The Lord of the Rings Online: Nona is very grateful to the player for all they have done for her and for taking her world trotting. That she doesn't shy from expressing it often goes to prove that she's a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.

Webcomics

  • Pebble and Wren: Pebble will thank inanimate objects when feeling extra thankful.

Web Videos

  • Vinesauce: Subverted. GPM_ebooks snatches any opportunity it gets to express gratitude to people and claim it's very thankful for its friends. However, the Twitter bot is very much obsessed with murder, so all this act is just a bunch of Blatant Lies.

Western Animation

  • George of the Jungle (2007): Deconstructed and Parodied in 'Don't Thank Me'. Ursula and George start trying to one-up each other in thanking Ape for saving their lives, but it starts to get on Ape's nerves so much (especially when their attempts to thank him inflict severe misfortune onto him) that he actually tries to get away from them. It eventually gets to the point where saying "thank you" causes something bad to happen.

Indexes:

Characterization Tropes, Dialogue, Gratitude Tropes.


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