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openStrict But Fair
A character in a story (usually an adult) might be strict and overprotective to their close ones or those around him, but they ultimately mean well and want what's best for them.
Edited by SpaceProtagonistopenDumb psychic
Characters with psychic powers are typically presented as being supremely intelligent. Is there a trope where a character has psychic powers but is shown to be rather dumb or even mentally handicapped?
Examples:
- Orks in Warhammer 40,000 are incredibly dull-witted and believe that louder guns are stronger and red vehicles are faster, but thanks to their latent psychic powers, this is actually true for them.
- Krushauer in Incredibles 2 doesn't seem to understand the complete potential of his powerful telekinesis for anything besides crushing things, and is even baffled by the concept of "un-crushing" something, saying it's like asking someone to "un-punch" something.
- Chiaotzu in Dragon Ball can move objects with his mind without looking at them, and is able to communicate telepathically with his friend, Tien, but he can't even do simple math without counting his fingers.
- The Twilight Zone (1985): The Toys of Caliban featured a severely mentally handicapped young man who still acts like a 4-year old, and therefore has no restraint over his power to "bring" anything he wants.
openStepping Stone Relationship
I don't know if this exists already, so here goes:
Alice is one day approached by Bob, who is very friendly and flirtatious towards Alice. She is flattered by the attention and she and Bob become friends and she starts thinking they might date...only for it to turn out that Bob was only talking to her in hopes of getting close to Alice's hot sister instead. Is there a name for this - when a character befriends/romances another to get closer to their true object of their admiration/desire?
openBattle Royal fight
Do we have a trope for when it's more than three sides all fighting against each other (frequently on the same battlefield)? I first thought it was Mêlée à Trois, but the trope makes it clear that's only for three people. I can think of plenty of examples, so I think it's worthy of a trope.
Edited by LermisopenDoor Hitting People
You know that trope where a person is behind a door, someone comes barging in, thus injuring the one behind the door, sometimes flattening them or getting stuck to the door if it's a cartoon.
Is there a trope for that?
openInversion of Not So Above It All
I've been adding tropes to the page for Curfew and I was going to add Not So Above It All for Joker Jones and Team Awesome. Then I checked the trope's page and discovered that it was exactly the opposite of their situation.
NSAIA: A serious character in a work filled with wackiness gives into the wackiness of everyone else. Joker Jones: The character applies wackiness to a serious situation and later takes it as seriously as everyone else.
If I were to add this, is there a trope that inverts Not So Above It All or should I just use Not So Above It All and say he's an inversion?
Edited by BKelly95openFirst-person third-person narration Literature
What's the trope for when the narration seems to be omniscient at first but then turns out to be from a certain character's point of view?
openVillain doesn't really want to be malicious but is unfortunately? Western Animation
Trying to find a trope for Dexter's Laboratory Characters page for Simion, a One-Shot Character for this:
- Simion is the antagonist of his eponymous episode, but he doesn't want to be evil, he's only this way because humans experimented on him, and finds his intelligence to be The Load at times. If anything, he wants the simple life.
and:
- Simion abandons his wealth and taste to live a simple life in the jungle at the end of the episode, having apparently done a Heel–Face Turn in his eponymous episode.
Also, for Becky & Gwen:
- Becky and Gwen aren't evil (as compared to Mandark, arguably the true Big Bad), but their Alpha Bitch dynamic and general hostility towards Dexter always makes them a Designated Villain in the episodes they do appear in. Word of Saint Paul is they weren't meant to be truly unlikeable, just treated as a villain.
Is there a YMMV trope where fans see a character as a Hate Sink, but the character is not actually one, or Word of God says they're not?
Would Hate Sink be the appropriate trope for that or not?
Edited by Merseyuser1openMartial arts student killing master?
Do we have a specific trope for this? It's such a staple of kung fu media for this to happen, either via treachery or a fair fight.
openWhat example is this?
Bob finds out that he's about to be a father. He is shocked to find this out not because he's about to be a father. Why Bob is shocked because way earlier in the series, he found himself groin attacked in a excruciating way.How excriuating? The villain used pliers to squeeze his testicles to the point that he doubted he couldn't have kids.
Edited by JC96openBetter things than winning
The character, essentially the Hero, has the opportunity to win the Big Game but decides it's not fair for the other competitor (that may be injured) so he decides to give up the win to help the other competitor in need.
Even the opponent says that it should go ahead and win!
Edited by carlitagtopenWork About Making A Work Film
The plot of a work (usually movie) is about the oftentimes Troubled Production of another work (movie, play, etc.), but isn't a documentary.
Saving Mr. Banks for Mary Poppins, Topsy-Turvy for The Mikado, Edmond (2019) for Cyrano De Bergerac, etc.
Edited by Chabal2openLooking for a specific trope page on this very site
Basically, there was a trope that had a scenario that went something like "and the jury's collaborating on a book titled "rot in hell you guilty, guilty, bastard" which really tickled my ribs. I think it was an Example as a Thesis, so it might have been deleted at some point (although I certainly hope not).
I think it was to do with characters never pleading guilty to get a lesser sentence, but my search skills are failing me.
Edited by Bisected8openPeople I'd like to f***, people I'd like to love
Is there something that can be used to describe a person—often a Lovable Sex Maniac—that makes a line between people they're sexually attracted to, and people they're romantically attracted to (sometimes to the point of Can't Act Perverted Toward a Love Interest)?
openThe "Multiple Monsters" twist
A sort of self-explanatory trope, sub-trope of The Reveal or Diabolus ex Machina maybe. The protagonist(s) is/are being hunted by some horrible monster. Then, some way through the story, it turns out the monster is actually monsters and now they're even more screwed than before.
I've seen this twist in numerous horror movies (Anaconda, The Meg, Rodan, Bait 3D, Primal Rage, The Invisible Man (2020), Lake Placid), a few video-games (Alien: Isolation, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Doom Eternal), and at least two schlocky creature-feature novels.
From what I can tell, this hasn't been made into a specific trope yet, but I just wanted to make sure this doesn't fit into a preexisting trope that I missed somehow.
Edited by TrollManopenA fake prophecy turns out to be true
What's the appropriate trope for when someone deliberately fakes a prophecy, divination, or other sort of mystical foretelling of the future, only as it turns out to be correct.
Like a street hustler disguised as a fortune teller gives a character something phony (something that's not an attempt at legitimate good advice disguised as a fortune), but it turns out that going to the market and standing on one leg until they meet the man with the red bicycle actually is what the person needs to do in order to accomplish their goal.
open"Boring, But Pratical" Drama
Like the concept of Boring, but Practical itself, this work of fiction has the main characters handle things practically. For instance, whenever drama is on the verge of rising among the main characters, they rather save each other in the work months and months of built-up drama that can result in things going from bad to worse.
Edited by JC96openAn extension of Real Men Hate Sugar?
It's somewhat touched upon in Real Men Hate Sugar, but that trope is mostly about (mostly) Japanese seeing the sweet flavour as inherently feminine and/or childish.
How about a belief that a strong flavour is indicative of being mature? For example, in my case, some high schoolers concluded that only mature people (not even One of the Kids adults) can handle Blazing Inferno Hellfire Sauce.
openWhat example is this?
Where the work in question gives a fair portrayal of all parties involved. For example, a fiction writer has two main character based on himself and an ex-crush who left him very embittered. Instead of making him look like the victim and her the villain, the writers treat both characters as neither perfect.
Sorry for the garbage title, I legit couldn't think of anything better. I'm trying to come up with a trope to describe a character who isn't a major playable but still has a few roles. (I'll call him Character A)
Character A is playable in the short intro level at the beginning of the game, but then takes a backseat to Characters B, C and D, who are the playables for most of the game. Intro level aside, the only other times Character A is playable are a brief mini level if any of the 3 main playables die, during the bad ending, and in the final boss battle in the best ending.
Character A is barely playable at all, but I don't want to use Outof Focus since he is still very important to the plot, and often appears in cutscenes with the villians and occasionally the main characters. Any suggestions?
...
Actually as a side question, are there any unique tropes for fully fledged levels that only play when you fail a normal level, and that you have to beat to get another crack at the main level? (The breif mini level mentioned above involves Character A recovering a floating orb in 40-50 seconds to give the dead character another chance). I already have Timed Mission, but I'm wondering if there's anything more specific.
Edited by TheMageofRacism