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openChanging the rules of a contest mid-stream Literature
I'm trying to come up with a trope for a situation where the format of a contest is changed mid-stream by the organizers due to unforeseen circumstances. The ones I'm aware of that might fit are Moving the Goalposts, Sudden Gameplay Change, and Obvious Rule Patch.
The example is from volume 9 of Reign of the Seven Spellblades. School-organized tournaments are usually round-robin and scored on points, but because two of the four finalist teams semi-voluntarily drop out after the first two matches, the faculty change the third match between the two remaining teams to winner-take-all and set up a bonus round for the runners-up.
Edited by StarSwordopenWhat tropes would you associate with these characters, personality-wise? Literature
COURT OF POSEIDON PERSONALITIES
Solon Vardalos: •For a gangster, he was a very warm and compassionate man who has the misfortune of catching Poseidon’s with his abilities. •Looked out for Nixie, protecting her from the wrath of Irving and anyone else who would pose a threat. •A highly skilled mage who taught Nixie how to control and master her water ability. •Was known to talk about his family. •Like Nixie, he also had dreams of escaping just so he could be back with his family.
Gerald Aspiotis: •A highly sadistic and perverted centaur who takes pleasure in violating any woman in his presence, regardless if they’re human or not. •Easily flattered, but can be cruel. •Sometimes prone to killing his victims depending if they make the mistake of fighting back. •Downright obnoxious and overall idiotic. •Resents Nixie for what she did to his face (ignoring what he did to deserve it.) •Constantly kissing up to Irving despite the latter having no love for him whatsoever. •Has a racist streak towards mortals and especially nymphs, claiming that it’s in their nature to be promiscuous. •Prone to egging on Nixie and Irving’s rivalry.
Kyriakos: •A loyal but dim-witted cyclops and follower of Poseidon. •Had a low opinion on “half-breeds” like Marsh. •Impulsive, short-tempered, and always itching for a fight.
Tasia Soulakiotis: •A harpy who is equally depraved and sadistic like Gerald. •Highly arrogant, thinks that because she’s in the Court of Poseidon, she can do what she wants without consequences. •Likes “pretty things.” •Has a disturbing fascination with eyes.
Note: This is all for a story I’m doing.
Edited by Anchor173openDon't use that nickname to be polite to him Literature
In the local police department, the big Yeshiva was generally called "Jewtown". However, since one of the officers there became involved with the Yeshiva, the others stopped calling it that in his presence.
resolved Freudian marriage Literature
To quote a female character:
openMeeting of unknown relatives Literature
Two people see each other for the first time, and independently of each other they realize they're related.
openBlame the witness Literature
A person is put on trial (or some other type of hearing before a judge, which includes witnesses). The primary defense is to accuse one of the witnesses of planting the primary evidence.
resolved A sequel to a previous episode in the same franchise Literature
A new administrator takes over a hospital, and clearly has a vendetta against the protagonist: he fires several of this docrot's friends and eventually this doctor himself. At the end, it turns out that this is personal revenge against the protagonist: the protagonist had previously discovered that the administrator's girlfriend had murdered a Serial Rapist, making it look like he died in a traffic accident. The accident, and the murder of the Serial Rapist, are covered by an episode in the same franchise.
openEmotional manifestation Literature
Is there a specific trope for when someone's emotion takes a visible form? The book I'm reading features a man's intense grief become a dangerous wraith.
openFriends to lovers Literature
I thought this would be in the romance tropes, but I couldn't find it. Is a similar trope listed under another name?
Edited by karynp6openMaking Someone a Meal to Murder Them as They Eat Literature
On Food Tropes, the description for No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine is "Feeding someone before killing them." except this is for when the villain treats the hero to a meal instead of killing them right away.
What's the trope for when someone makes someone a meal to lull them into a false sense of security before murdering them?
In The Storm (making the page, link is here), the wife murders her abusive husband by making him his favourite dinner and cutting him at the throat with a knife during his meal.
Edited by BlackFaithStaropenUnconscious, believed to be dead Literature
A person is shot in the head, rendered unconscious, and believed to be dead. However, at some later point, once the attacker is gone, he regains consciousness and goes to seek help. This is not Faking the Dead, as the person is not doing this intentionally.
Edited by Someone1981openBig Brain Literature
Intelligence is represented in media by the size of a person's brain.
Example: Alice's brain is big because she is smart, and Bob's brain is small because he is dumb.
resolved Rhinestone Switch Literature
A woman is given or lent a diamond, and cleverly replaces it with a rhinestone replica - when she has to return the diamond (like if she breaks up with the man who gave it), she keeps the real one and returns the replica.
openI never knew you came to visit Literature
Looking for that trope where two people are estranged following person A experiencing an injury (or something else traumatic) and holding a grudge for person B abandoning them. Person A later finds out that person B DID come to see them but was turned away and their visit kept a secret.
openMagic was stronger back in the old days. Literature
Is there a trope for how magic in fantasy stories tends to always have been stronger in the distant past. And by the time the story takes place things have degraded or powerful spells have been lost to time?
open"There is no such place as London" Literature
Is there any particular trope for situation where, for any given reason, characters declare a real, existing place to be non-existing or have no clue where it could possibly be, despite its obvious nature (to the audience)? Yes, I know there is Eskimos Aren't Real, but that feels like stretching it to the point of breaking.
The specific example that I have in mind is The Guns of the South, where the up-time travellers deliver guns from such places as "Yugoslavia" or "People's Republic of China". The readers know they are real and know what's up, but the down-time characters are puzzled where those places even are, after doing an extensive search through the books and maps they have access to, since none of the post-Cold War arsenals they are given access to won't be created for a next century.
So, this is largely coming from one particular author, Micheal J Sullivan, and the Riyria revelations, legends of the first empire, and the rise and fall series. Each one focuses one their own self-contained and closely related stories (other than the obvious impact of the the past on the present, these are all set in the same world, but spaced out over the course of 3000 years).
The character in question is an immortal being who can see the future, had previously done evil, but is now doing his best to guide the world towards good to redeem himself, and not through direct obvious actions himself, or as a ruler or god or anything, but quiet, relatively subtle actions. There's some obvious tropes in there itself, but I'm more trying to figure out exactly his role, both within the narrative, and as the larger framing of the multiple series. Greater scope paragon was the closest I found for his actions, but subtle.
The real trope I'm trying to find is his role, his story, being the background and foundation for the scenarios of all three series. Each story is telling its own story, but is also telling his, slowly, and that second, slower narrative is the actual focus of all the works. Various minor things that are meaningless without context, but with context tell their own background story which is the frame on which all the other series rest. This seemingly secondary or background narrative which is actually the hidden primary one.