Suggestion: Go Out With A Smile

^^^ The closest current depicts for me is Die Laughing. From the description: "Sometimes when a character, especially a Sad Clown or Plucky Comic Relief type, is facing death, they find the whole experience laugh-out-loud funny."

In my reading Go Out with a Smile is for more dignified smiles. The current image is asking for misplacement of examples.

Edited by eroock on Feb 16th 2019 at 4:02:26 PM

But here's the thing. He's not laughing. His mouth is not open or anything.

It's a grin, which is nothing more than a big smile. The whole "dignified, heartwarming, endearing" trait is something completely made-up caused by trope misinterpretation.

And the alternatives just aren't good (besides the Durkon spoiler). 16.1 in particular needs three whole panels to set up context and the flow is not immediately obvious (tanks firing -> smiling girl -> mid-air explosion. We don't get to see the girl's plane or whatever she's piloting and one of the tank shots hitting it. The whole thing feels disjointed).

I'm open for more alternatives, but they need to be better than what we currently have. We need a character smiling while faced with an imminent death situation. Otherwise, I don't see why the current doesn't work.

Edited by Drope on Feb 17th 2019 at 5:09:25 AM

>> The whole "dignified, heartwarming, endearing" trait is something completely made-up caused by trope misinterpretation.

Well, you have to ignore 70% of the trope description to come to the conclusion that "bittersweet" is not the predominant reason for this trope to exist.

The laconic version doesn't claim it's needed. And the main description also cites several other examples were bittersweet or endearing aren't a necessity. There are many entries pointing out villains dying with a smile, and it's never bittersweet or endearing in those cases.

You're the one arguing that grinning and smiling aren't the same thing, when by dictionary definition, they are. The character itself is not even laughing.

Edited by Drope on Feb 17th 2019 at 5:56:44 AM

I'm kind of left wondering.... who originally defined the trope, and how did they define it?

Edited by neoYTPism on Feb 17th 2019 at 5:55:37 AM

Here's another suggestion of me. Not gonna lie, he's actually a Pure Evil character and I really hate him with a passion. He has no redemption and death is all he should been. But there's this scene where he died happily because his goal is accomplished and here's the scene in question:

Yuuto Ijika smiling◊

If this got downvoted, I'll be fine with it. And heck, you could combine it with this image to get more clearer:

Yuuto dies

Edited by ElfenLiedFan90 on Feb 17th 2019 at 9:06:35 PM

"Making screw-ups and mistakes was I ever really good at. Because everything I touch went to hell."

^^ The trope started out this way and decayed into any kind of laughter regardless of the emotional connotation.

^ Would this image constitute a spoiler?

Grinning and showing off all teeth like that in the current image and a tearful looking smile are two very different things.

I really think we should go for something more bittersweet.

(BTW the trope might need a brief trip to Trope Repair Shop.)

Edited by XFllo on Mar 9th 2019 at 12:42:45 PM

I'm starting to wonder if taking this through TRS wouldn't be a bad idea. The suggestions so far can be put on an Image Links page until that gets sorted and then we can revisit the pic. Thoughts?

If there's a chance it would clear up any confusion, I say go for it.

(Annoyed grunt)

Might as well. Kind of pointless to try to demonstrate the trope if we aren't even sure what the trope is.

Lets close this up for now and get this sorted out in trs than we can try again to add an image after were done there.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."

Current is a definite pull, then.

(Annoyed grunt)

Any love for 8?

8 is a huge spoiler.

I really like 8. How long ago was that webcomic published?

I also really like 16.1.

---

Based on TRS development, the current should be pulled regardless of replacement.

The copyright notice on the full comic says 2013.

In that case... I wouldn't mind using it. Fans will be familiar with it, and for non-fans it's not an issue.

Old fans and non-fans have never been the issue with spoilers. The concern is with new or potential fans who haven't read that storyline yet.

It's difficult to find a non-spoiler image for this trope, which might warrant a BUPKIS, unless we can find something that's It Was His Sled. The problem with the OOTS comic is that it's doubly spoiler. It not only spoils that the character dies, but also the nature of the killer.

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us.

Would panel 16 of this comic be illustrative?

Possibly. Another idea: possibly minor spoiler, but what about the last two panels from this strip?

Edited by petersohn on Nov 5th 2019 at 9:02:22 PM

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us.