The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at You Know, That Thing Where.
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openWorks set in imaginary pre-history, but with tech of a more recent era
Is there a term for fantasy works that are nominally set on Earth in a pre-historic era, not in the sense of having cavemen and such, but in the sense of being a forgotten time in Earth's history?
The Lord of the Rings supposedly happened in Europe far before recorded history, but the tech level is stock medieval.
Conan takes place in the distant past "before the rise of the sons of Aryas" (so, pre-Indo-European expansion ~3000BC?) but has a roughly classical to medieval level of technology and civilization.
The Wheel of Time sort of fits also; it's set in the "Third Age" where it's heavily implied that the present day is the First Age; since time is cyclical in the series' metaphysics it's effectively a fictional past in addition to a fictional future; technology is mostly stock medieval with some exceptions.
Edited by pyroclasticopenNamed object
Do we have a trope for characters giving names to their inanimate personal belongings (e.g. vehicles, furniture, musical instruments, etc.)? Because apparently I Call It "Vera" is only for weapons.
openOur job is that trope! Western Animation
A parody scene where a trope that's supposed to be an organic aspect of the story is revealed to be something that's happening intentionally, by action of an individual or organization.
For instance, in Family Guy, a Fruit Cart is destroyed during a car chase scene, and it's revealed that there are several fruit carts being sent to the location of the scene from a base resembling a police station.
openYour Hell Is My Heaven
Heaven and Hell are shown to hold the same people, just that the role of victim and tormentor in life are now reversed, e.g. "dog hell is squirrel heaven" and vice-versa.
- CS Lewis mentioned that human hell and mosquito heaven can easily be combined.
- One Hellblazer story has an abusive husband tortured by his no-longer broken and submissive wife for eternity.
- The Chronicles Of Wormwood has a suicide bomber gain entry to Heaven and 72 virgins, as promised. 72 virgin, constantly screaming, constantly crying babies, that is.
- The Donjon De Naheulbeuk comic shows that in dwarf heaven, tied-up elves are available to kick around all day.
- Some readings of Loki and Sigyn's fate in Norse Mythology can be like this: he's tied up with a giant snake dripping venom onto his face, she collects the venom in a bowl, whenever she empties the bowl the venom falls into his eyes. He's in constant pain, she finally knows where her husband is at all times and he's fully dependent on her.
resolved Leading a mount with food tied to a fishing pole
A thing where someone riding an animal or using one to pull a load directs it by dangling a piece of food from a string tied to a pole or a fishing rod, which makes the animal try to reach it by walking forward, which carries the rider with it and keeps the morsel always just out of reach.
resolved What is this trope called?
What is the trope where a character seeks revenge on the person who killed their love interest?
openRetroactively Important Backwater
A work introduces the protagonist or other important character as coming from a place or faction that is a complete obscure backwater, so that it's a surprise someone from there would have such an influence on global events. However, when a prequel comes around, due to trying to reproduce the nostalgia of the original, major characters and plot points continue to originate from that place/faction as if it's the center of the fictional universe rather than just picking new places in the setting to give characters an obscure origin from.
I.e how in Lord of the Rings it's noted to be very unusual that humble hobbits, who mostly stick to their corner of the world, are playing a role in global events, but then in Rings Of Power hobbits are still playing important role even in the second age. Or in The Hunger Games where it's unusual that the protagonist is from District 12 which is mostly forgotten and doesn't produce winners of the games, but then the the prequel centers around district 12 again rather than another of the districts (this doesn't contradict previous canon since it was established there were 2 winners from there, but they still made a choice to use the same district as the focus twice despite it being said to be rarely focused on). Or, I'm not that familiar with Star Wars, but as I understand it was a complaint that the original movies introduced the protagonist as coming from Tatooine which was established to be the middle of nowhere where Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here, but then in the prequels everything important seemed to happen there.
openEmergency Evacuation
Is there one for when there is an emergency evacuation, especially at night, and people have to sleep in an odd place? In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the alleged killer Sirius Black is suddenly discovered in Hogwarts, and the entire school has to sleep in the Great Hall in sleeping bags that night, for their own safety.
openFire drill antics
I'm thinking of starting a TLP about when a fire drill (or similar) is badly observed, resulting in hilarity, or possibly danger. Before I do, is there a trope for when such procedures are badly observed, often as part of a lack of attention to detail? Here are some examples of what I am thinking of:
- The Office (UK): During a fire drill, David and Gareth begin to haul wheelchair-bound Brenda down the stairs in her wheelchair, stating that she is not allowed to use the lift. However, halfway through, they decide it's not worth it as it's only a drill, and abandon her on the stairs, as if leaving her to burn.
- The Worst Witch: When Mildred is suddenly woken by the fire alarm, she looks out of the window for evidence of fire, and sees Miss Hardbroom calmly standing up to her waist in smoke. Believing that Miss Hardbroom has gone into a state of shock, Mildred impulsively tries to play the hero, by flying out of the window on her broomstick, with a bucket of water, and ends up drenching Miss Hardbroom, who then coldly informs her that had she followed the proper procedure, and entered the yard through the main door, she would have been informed that the smoke was merely magic smoke.
- Fawlty Towers: In "The Germans", Basil tries to execute the perfect fire drill, but accidentally sets off the burglar alarm; the guests believe it is the fire alarm, and start to leave. Basil then demonstrates what the fire alarm sounds like (almost identical to the burglar alarm), and reacts furiously when the guests leave the hotel, as he is only showing them what the alarm sounds like. He then carries out the fire drill for real; and just then, Manuel sets fire to the kitchen, and tries to alert Basil to this, but Basil keeps yelling "It's no fire, is only drill!"
openAnalysis Bait
Something added to a story so that critics would overanalyze it and make theories about its meaning. I remember hearing a story about a writer who would include symbolism that had no real meaning, knowing that the critics would assume that there was a deeper meaning.
resolved Evolving Chorus
A song's chorus isn't exactly the same every time it's sung.
The French song "La pêche à la morue" has a sailor tell his captain he won't go back on the fishing ship without first courting/kissing/marrying/burying the woman he loves.
openI suck at titles
When a show (any form of media, usually a show in my experience), wants to have a character naked with their privates out, but because their show would get not shown on normal TV (or maybe the creator's own boundaries) they place the character behind objects that perfectly cover the privates but still show the nakedness.
Ex: How people normally draw Adam and Eve with tree branches and leaves covering their privates
Ex 2: In "How I Met Your Father", there's this one male character who has his privates out, but they stick the man behind a lamp, and then behind a couch, so it can still go on streaming services
openIf a character doesn't pay off their debt ASAP, they'll have to sell the house.
Therefore, the plot focuses on the character trying to avoid selling the house. Broke Episode is related, but it doesn't necessarily include the threat of selling the house. Could lead to Hey, Let's Put on a Show if that's they way they make the money.
openAquaman Unavailable For The Job
Instead of "highly-specific scenario happens to give specialized character time to shine", it's "for dramatic / Cringe Comedy reasons, the scenario happens to the least-suited character".
e.g. the heroes need to Bring News Back, but all of them are in some way incapacitated, and so it falls to the scrawny, asthmatic, nerdy guy to run through two forests and a mountain without getting lost. Or The Big Guy is stuck trying to fend off a Media Scrum that The Face could have handled in his sleep; the guy who Cannot Talk to Women needs to persuade The Baroness to give up the cause of evil instead of The Casanova; the Shrinking Violet needs to cosplay a Genki Girl, etc.
Usually they succeed.
Edited by Chabal2
A gag showing an actor in a role comically dissonant with their personality/typecasting, size, ethnicity/gender, etc. Usually expressed as a film poster or discussed by characters than as a Real Trailer, Fake Movie.
e.g. Bob works in Hollywood and complains that the executives are trying to pitch a biopic of Martin Luther King Jr starring Samuel L Jackson, one of Charlemagne played by Jack Black, and Mother Teresa played by Arnold Schwarzenegger.