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No Title Literature
Shakespeare's plays about Henry IV take place hundreds of years in the past in relation to Shakespeare's own age. The play The Merry Wives of Windsor, though, features characters from the plays about Henry IV (most notably the famous John Falstaff), and it's supposed to be in continuity with those plays it never actually shows any signs of taking place that far in the past.
To be fair, it never shows any conclusive proof of taking place in Shakespeare's days, but my point is that there are no signs of TMMoW taking place in the same age as the Henry IV plays.
Is that a trope? When something doesn't have any actual anachronisms, but still seems more based on the current age than on the age where it's supposed to be taking place?
Fake Rivalry to drum up "business" Literature
Alice and Bob appear to be competitors - for instance, they both own stores. Bob's behavior leads people to go over to Alice's store, assuming they'll win one over Bob by patronizing Alice's store. But, in the end, they're both partners, and Bob's behavior was part of their act.
The example mentions Bob being rude to customers, but it could be anything, like Bob inflating prices tenfold, so customers are more likely to shop at Alice, where prices are only inflated twofold, or whatever. And it doesn't really need to be a complex, personal ruse, either - a hunter can scare away animals so they'll fall in the trap he put out, for instance.
Specific Dates Literature
What is the name of the trope where a manga magazine serialises most of its mangas on a specific month, which is August in Comic Cune's case.
Designated storyteller survivor Literature
Towards the end of the story, someone gets special treatment because they have to survive to carry the story forward.
Like Tom of Warwick in "The Sword in the Stone", or Horatio in Hamlet.
Instant Trust Literature
Character A meets Character B and immediately decides that B is trustworthy - maybe not "with my life" level of trust, but definitely more than the average joe or jane - based on a single important fact or observation. A specific example: in one of Alan Dean Foster's "Flinx and Pip" novels, Flinx is visiting the homeworld of his minidrag (miniature dragon, a kind of Bond Creature) Pip, and happens to pass two local men who both also have minidrags. He knows minidrags just won't associate with bad people, so he immediately trusts the two locals, and sees them as friends and reliable sources of information despite knowing nothing else about them. When he introduces himself, they see his minidrag and make the same conclusion about him.
I've looked at "The Power of Trust" and it's not exactly what I'm thinking. This is much more specific. It could be almost anything - a tattoo, a uniform, a particular physical trait - but the crux is that it's one single, specific fact that tells A "B is someone you can trust."
Is there a trope like this?
Gay men aren't dangerous Literature
A character relaxes when a stranger they initally feared reveals himself to be gay. Usually comes in three forms:
- A guy worries his girlfriend/wife might cheat on him with a handsome man, but stops worrying when he finds out the man is gay.
- A woman worries a man might sexually assault her, but the man mentions he's gay (or starts acting Camp) and she breathes out in relief.
- It looks like a dangerous-looking Bad Ass is going to beat up a character for some reason, but in private, the badass acts like a stereotypical gay guy who abhors violence.
Half sibling reveal Literature
I swear there must be a trope for this but can't find it for the life of me. Is there a trope where two characters are revealed to share the same parent?
Bonus: The two characters both dislike each other and this revelation doesn't change how they interact with each other
Seducing a person already in a relationship with a rival Literature
Basically two people are rivals. One of them is in a relationship (either married or still dating). The other person decides to seduce/steal the other's significant other to prove themselves better in the rivalry.
Reversing character expectations? Literature
You have two characters, A and B. As introduced, A is very athletic and B is a nerdy bookworm type. They get pulled into a fantasy universe that among other things includes both magic-users and warriors. You (or at least I) would expect that A will become a warrior and B will prove to have powerful magic talents. But instead things get turned around: A discovers a talent for magic while B unexpectedly demonstrates a knack for weapons and fighting, so it's A who becomes the mage and B who becomes the warrior.
Is there a specific trope that covers this situation?
Post adventure housecleaning Literature
The hero has accomplished his great quest and is returning home having slain the monster. When he gets home, though, he finds that home has a disaster of its own that needs to be cleaned up, and he doesn't get to rest just yet.
The most obvious examples are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but this also takes place at the end of Ultima V. Do we have a trope for this? Do we need one?
Feared character trying to be friendly? Literature
A intimidating character (The dreaded) telling a friend to not be nervous around them in a attempt to make them feel safe.
Essentially A more friendlier version of If I Wanted You Dead....
Edited by SentinelMajor
Baby out of time Literature
I just found this in The Dark Is Rising series. I think it also happens in the X-Men comics with Cable. This is a time travel trope where a baby is brought to another era and left there with adoptive parents. Is there a trope for this? If not, are there a few more examples which say we need a trope?
Fine! But I'm doing it for THEM, not YOU. Literature
Character A is trying to get Character B to do something — take on a quest, do them a favor. Character B agrees, but makes her motivation very clear: "Fine, A. I'll do it. But I'm doing it for [names some other characters]... not for YOU!"
Edited by crittermonster
The rude "Not my problem" response. Literature
A character who on occasion responds with "Not my problem." I've considered Bystander Syndrome, but the problem is caused by the character who then says the phrase afterwards. Although it isn't frequent enough for the character to be a full blown Jerkass.
For instance, a character clogs a friend's toilet as they're hurrying to leave their house, when their friend confronts them, the character's response is a cheeky "Heheh, not my problem."
Edited by SentinelMajor
The Emptiness of Life Literature
A Central Theme that's most common in literature. Andy Warhol and James Joyce are good examples: life isn't just meaningless in a nihilistic sense, but it is a constant stream of things that tend to keep not mattering and fading away. I'm surprised it seems to not be a trope.
"Misinterpreting Ancient Media" trope Literature
It happens in movies too, and I can't seem to find it. It's the (usually post-apocalyptic) trope where people of the far future misinterpret some piece of ancient media. They get its origin wrong, or it's purpose. The picture for the trope is a nuclear explosion I think.
OOC Dream Literature
A character has a nightmare about their nice guy friend turning into a complete monster. Could be foreshadowing, perhaps not? Either way it makes the dreamer doubt/fear the character even if it was All Just a Dream.
Edited by SentinelMajor
Chicken-and-Egg Problem? Literature
Looking for a trope that describes a chicken-and-egg problem: you know, how did a cyclical situation get started with no apparent means for it to do so.
In this particular case, the problem is acknowledged and then explained as part of The Reveal: summoning demons in Torture Princess: Fremd Torturchen requires a ritual that involves the use of demon flesh, so how did the first summoning happen?
No Title Literature
In Edward III, the king refuses to send aid to his son the prince, who is struggling to survive in a battle. The king says that this is a test of his son's fortitude, and if the kid dies, well, the king has more sons.
Is there a trope (or multiple tropes) for that?