Karakterek Flashcards
(43 cards)
Nyájasan Gonosz
A villain who is also a Nice Guy.
Gonosz karakterek, akik személységébe tartozik némi nyájasság. Olykor megsimogatják a kutyát, v. kedvessen elteázgatnak, csevegnek a hőssel h. változtassa meg a nézőpontját, de ettől még úgyanúgy ragaszkodnak gonosz terveikhez.
Pl. Hans Gruber,Dr. Hannibal Lecter,Don Vito Corleone , Petyr Baelish
Gyászoló Antagonista
A hős halála útána ellenségére bizar gyász űl rá. Néha csak a vesztesség hatása, máskor úgy érzi , hogy elvesztette méltó ellenfelét v. tényleg szimpátiát, tiszteletet érez. Ált. a hős valahogy visszatér, és minden visszaöken a régi rendbe.
Pl. QSD Misilt stb.
A God Am I
Isten téveszme.
A karakter vmi miatt emberfeletti hatalomra tesz szert, és istenné nyilvánitja magát.
Lehet h. beszédet tart arról h. ő mindenki, közönséges halandók felett áll, lehet h. azt mondja h. a jó és rossz fölé emelkedett.
Ált. büszkesség viszi bukásba.
Pl. Caligula(Én, Cl.),
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AGodAmI
Ős Ellenség
The Hero’s most notable enemy.
Az ősellenség, lehet Főgonosz, Big Bad, The Dragon, The Rival, Evil Counterpart, Harmless Villain.
Nem feltétlen ő a legokosabb, veszélyesebb stb. gazember, de ő a legemlékezetesebb, akivel a hősnek személyes ügye van. Néha egy alternativa, akivé a hős válhatott volna.
Beauty Equals Goodness
Beauty = Good, Ugliness = Bad.
If a character is beautiful, then that character is a good person, either publicly or secretly. If a character is good, then that character will either be beautiful or be treated as beautiful.
Or to put it another way, every hero worth his salt must be physically attractive, or at the very least, better-looking than half of other people his or her age. This standard is more relaxed for side characters who can be truly ordinary-looking or even literal aliens, but expect the lead character to be pleasing to look at, even if he is the alien.
It almost goes without saying that this is very old; an attempt was even made in the 19th Century to quantify this attitude into the “science” of physiognomy, which posited a direct correlation between appearance and moral character.
This trope’s influence is felt on many others:
In older works, may be a factor in Make Up Is Evil: only an evil character would have no natural beauty and so have to resort to paint. Ugly Guy, Hot Wife both subverts this and plays it painfully straight—unattractive men are shown to be good husband material, yet it still works on the assumption that because the wife is hot, that he was lucky in love even if nothing else is known about her. Gorgeous Gorgon may play this trope straight or just plain play with it depending on the gorgon. Always Lawful Good races will almost always play this straight, sometimes to the point of inhuman beauty. The Beautiful Elite usually plays it straight, but may not apply it if they are so beautiful that they don't seem human. Red Right Hand, where a specific ugly or inhuman feature marks a character as evil. Adaptational Heroism usually goes hand-in-hand with Adaptational Attractiveness. Historical Hero Upgrade often leads to Historical Beauty Update as well.
The failed subversion of Suetiful All Along is common.
For animals and more nonhuman characters, see What Measure Is a Non-Cute?.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BeautyEqualsGoodness
Badass Family
You have your Badasses, your Little Miss Badasses, your Badass Grandpas, and your Badass whatevers, etc.
But then there is the Badass Family. Awesomeness seems to be either inherited, instilled at an early age, or both. There is at least one Wall of Weapons somewhere in the household. Nearly every member of the family could kick ungodly amounts of ass. They may be Super Heroes or Badass Normals in a Super Family Team. Even the cute little 5-year-old child could do things that would net most professional soldiers a Medal Of Honor or similar medal—and s/he does this kind of stuff daily. But the real magic of this family? Their indestructibility as a team. As strong as any member may be individually, when fighting together, their strengths balance their weaknesses and they support each other to the bitter end - and meanwhile will remind each other to pick up the groceries.
Needless to say, take on this family, or threaten one of its members, at your own peril—and don’t be surprised when you lose badly to them.
On account of their (usually) unspoken reliance on The Power of Love, the Badass Family tends to be good guys, though maybe more Chaotic than Lawful. The matriarch is likely to be an Action Mom. Even if she’s not, she’ll surely be a Mama Bear. Any kids they might have will be in distinct age groups - only one baby, or one “kid”, or one teenager, unless there’s a twin, in which case watch out. Harming the children of a Badass Family is generally a VERY bad idea.
Compare: The Family That Slays Together.
A Badass Family minus the family equals the Badass Crew. A Badass Family minus the children is a Battle Couple. A Badass Family plus superpowers is a Super Family Team. A Badass Family that stays badass over many years through descendants is called a Heroic Lineage. Some Master Apprentice Chains can also be depicted like this.
Animal Motifs
The use of an animal/animals to underline a theme or make a statement about a character.
Humans have always been fascinated by animals. Love them or hate them, they usually provoke a strong reaction in people, from the Jerkass who turns to mush when confronted by a playful puppy to the tough guy who freaks out when he encounters something slithery. Most mythologies feature animals in starring roles; some belief systems feature animals as guides, oracles, or totems representing certain qualities or certain people. So of course animals are going to turn up as symbols in popular media.
This animal isn’t around to be petted or kicked, or to assist in taking over the world… well, it might be, but only as a side job. The real purpose of these animals is that of most motifs: they’re there to underline a theme, or make a statement about a certain character. They might not even be physically present at all. The “animal” might be the name of a football team, a charm on a bracelet, or an ornament on the mantelpiece.
Animals are used to depict characters more often than they describe themes. Even in the real world, describing a person by comparing them to an animal is a good way to convey your opinion of them: phrases such as “lion-hearted,” “eagle-eyed,” or “doity rat” are popular to the point of cliché. Therefore, many Animal Motifs are also Characterization Tropes. The wimp who spends his time watching the tigers at the zoo will most likely be stronger than you think. As for the girl doodling big black spiders with suspicious red hourglasses on their underbellies… well, think twice before accepting her invitation to “coffee.”
Animals, like flowers, are a motif that tends to be gendered. Men are usually compared to animals that are clearly predatory: wolves, lions, and bears, for example. Women generally get the cute and fluffy animals as motifs, such as bunnies and suchlike. However, women have historically had a strong association with the cat which, while cuddly and furry, is also a predator. Cats are therefore a common motif for female characters, but one aspect of the feline mystique will most likely be emphasized over the others — the woman will either be a predator, a seductress, or a sweet little kitten. (Lionesses are especially popular for Action Girls: they look very different from male lions, and most people know it’s lionesses who do the hunting, so a lioness motif conveniently emphasizes both femininity and ferocity.) Women are also frequently associated with foxes, also a predatory animal, although it is the fox’s attractive nature or reputation as a trickster that is being invoked. A woman represented by a large, predatory animal is twice as dangerous as her male counterparts - after all, women are traditionally characterized as pretty and helpless, not aggressive and scary.
In the world of fiction, someone who doesn’t like animals at all is either a nasty piece of work or obsessively clean and germ-phobic. “Animal hater” is quite a strong term though, so to dilute the “hard-heartedness” of this character, expect to see one particular animal that they just can’t resist.
Adipose Rex
Fat royalty.
A very popular image in fictional works is to portray a King as tremendously fat. At a minimum, kings are considered corpulent, though more extreme examples will depict them as morbidly obese. This stems from the popular impression that a king spends his days sitting on his throne, feasting on the spoils from his taxation of the masses, or simply warming it while doing nothing. Depictions of monarchs and aristocrats as overweight usually meant to convey that they’re either hedonistic Fat Bastards who grow fat on the work of the oppressed lower classes, or benign-but-weak rulers who are helpless when their kingdoms are threatened. It’s not all bad, though— many a friendly ruler is depicted as Big Fun.
Given that getting enough to eat has been a problem for much of humanity’s history, it is a logical consequence of being the one in charge, and owning most of the wealth and land.
Usually this will be averted in the case of “heroic” kings; obesity is most often when the king is corrupt, a peripheral force for good, or a relaxed neutral arbiter.
Obviously, fat monarchs other than the traditional European model (sultans, emperors, etc.) also qualify for this trope.
This trope can sometimes be applied to queens, but it tends to happen less frequently. Whether this is because mocking women as fat is considered unseemly or due to the relative scarcity of fictional queens in general is left to the reader. A notable exception is the Insect Queen; if she’s an egg-layer for the species, then the queen will probably be depicted as overweight to convey this aspect.
In actuality, the trope is universal in neither fiction nor reality. In Real Life, monarchs vary as widely in body shape as everyone else, so it stands to reason that some would fall under this trope.
This trope was probably popularized by Henry VIII, who was infamously morbidly obese in later life. This is also from the “jolly fatman” etymology, as the rich are often depicted as fat. The rich can buy more food, so they can eat more. Also, before the advent of cheap fast food, being fat was considered high fashion- as a scarce necessity food was worth more than gold or diamonds, and having a fat wife proved that you are wealthy enough to stuff her with food. Therefore, if you’re the king, you must be tremendously fat.
Name comes from both a pun on Oedipus Rex and adipose tissue (or “fat”, as it is known to the layman).
Often related to Villainous Glutton and Fat Bastard. Also see Large And In Charge if they possess Stout Strength. Commonly overlapped with Too Important to Walk.
Contrast Royals Who Actually Do Something, Modest Royalty. Has nothing to do (other than the etymology) with the Adipose aliens from Doctor Who.
Afraid of Blood
In Real Life, hemophobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by — well — extreme fear of blood. Treatments exist, but the condition tends to be lifelong and is usually caused by childhood trauma.
In fiction, being Afraid of Blood is much the same, though the symptoms tend to run a rather more colorful gamut from mere extreme discomfort or nausea to falling unconscious on the spot to awakening superpowered evil sides. Note that there is some scientific basis to this: physical reactions uncommon in most other phobias have been recorded in cases of fear of blood.
In the past, this trope was mostly associated with females, in both fiction and real life, which is why most Damsels in Distress share this condition (good thing there’s No Periods, Period). In the present, this trope is usually Played for Laughs (or — with equal effort — for tragedy) by giving it to someone in a medical profession or other position where they’re likely to see a lot of blood. If the character is justified in being afraid of blood, perhaps they fear The Power of Blood.
Contrast Hemoerotic. Compare Afraid of Needles and Afraid of Doctors. The super trope is Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Agent Peacock
Effeminate Pretty Boy is actually pretty badass.
These male characters are badass nancy boys. They’re often campy, vain and in many cases pretty, but they’re also incredibly effective at what they do, and quite powerful. They may have combat skills, seduction ability that rivals James Bond’s, or simply be Chessmasters skilled in manipulating others. They can be gay or straight, good or evil, played for laughs or played seriously, but they’re all dominant personalities who tend to get their way. They also tend to be romantically successful, attracting admirers, and often getting the girl (or boy, as the case may be).
Unlike the Real Men Wear Pink trope, these characters are not macho with one or two girly interests, they’re all around girly characters, who are also tougher, cooler, and more surrounded by ladies than any normal person could ever hope to be (to some extent because they’re girly). These characters are rarely regimented military types, usually filling more the loveable (or in some cases detestable) rogue type, though occasionally one is seen in the role of military leader of some sort. Decadence is also a big part of this trope, as they’re usually more FABULOUS than simply “feminine”.
Some ways in which girly-ness can make a character more badass:
In some cases effeminacy is a tactic for these characters, a way to unsettle and intimidate their enemies, by the logic that "if he can still be badass and confident in his masculinity in that dress, his balls must be the size of watermelons and made of steel." They're still inherently effeminate characters, but they've realized that it throws people, and so use it to their advantage. It can also be seen as a sexual tactic, as in some universes acting girly seems to attract women (and in certain shows everyone else) in droves. This is possibly a case of truth in television as women seem to have an easier time trusting girly men, and thus girly men often use this as a tactic to get laid. Their pretty looks and girly behaviour are an indicator of their prowess- they go through the exact same trials as the scarred, unshaven, macho-looking tough guys, and do it without messing their hair or breaking a nail. On a related note some characters use their femininity to maintain an element of surprise. (E.g., "No one suspects the flamingly camp hairdresser of being a super soldier") Sometimes girly knowledge is also a part of the badassitude. (E.g., "Mrs. Busby did it because her shade of lipstick was on the napkin that was found with the victim, it's called passion plum, I very nearly borrowed it for the ball the other day")
Compare: Sissy Villain, Real Men Wear Pink, In Touch with His Feminine Side, Wholesome Crossdresser, Creepy Crossdresser, Gay Bravado (straight men using homoerotic comments to reinforce their heterosexuality), Camp Straight, Camp Gay, Even the Guys Want Him, The Fighting Narcissist, Girly Bruiser, Kicking Ass in All Her Finery (Distaff Counterpart).
Note: An Agent Peacock is considered Badass, even though you wouldn’t expect it at first. A Sissy Villain emphasizes his viciousness through feminine behaviour. Both tropes can overlap, especially when Agent Peacock is evil.
Ascended Fanboy
Promoted Fanboy, In-Universe: a fan of the heroes becomes part of their group.
Some fans are a cut above the regular otaku. For most, it is as simple as being hired to work in the industry that deals with the media you love, but in fiction, it can take a whole new meaning. The Ascended Fanboy is that lucky one-in-a-million with a hobby based on something imaginary which does not stay imaginary—it turns into reality, and he becomes a part of it himself.
A variation is where it is imaginary to us but not in the context of the world, such as a mecha fan, in a world full of mecha, getting to pilot one.
For those lucky few, they receive the Call to Adventure, and ask: “How high?” Naturally, it is never so easy or glamorous as they thought it would be, but they’ve got the right stuff, and a whole lot of Beginner’s Luck to last them until it comes out. As a side effect, they’re usually Genre Savvy, sometimes to the point of excess. Of course you know, he could be wrong.
Often a former The Team Wannabe. Subtrope of Audience Surrogate. Compare The Knights Who Say Squee. Contrast with Loony Fan. See also I Know Mortal Kombat, which often results in this.
Note: This trope is for in-universe examples. For the Real Life counterpart, see Promoted Fanboy.
This has nothing to do with that kind of ascension, at least unless the fan really likes Daniel Jackson.
Authority Equals Asskicking
The higher in a hierarchy, the higher the fighting skill.
The higher a character is in his hierarchy, the better he is in a fight. This goes double for non-protagonists.
In the real world, soldiers are usually promoted for their leadership and management skills, not for their fighting prowess. If anything, senior ranking soldiers tend to be worse at fighting than the rank-and-file, because they are generally older, and they do not train as much because they are not expected to actually engage in combat. There are exceptions, but they usually don’t put themselves In Harm’s Way.
And yet, in many works of fiction, especially video games, the opposite is true. The higher someone’s rank, the deadlier he is in personal combat. A sergeant can kick a grunt’s ass. A captain can kick a sergeant’s ass. A general can kick everybody’s ass. The “boss fight” at the climax of a game will often be against the literal boss of the enemy army.
Common examples of this trope include General Ripper, Colonel Badass, the Diabolical Mastermind, the Corrupt Corporate Executive, The Evil Emperor, The Evil Prince and President Evil. Among the good guys, the Rebellious Princess benefits from this one enough to be a competent mage despite her sheltered life, and President Action can bring a whole new meaning to “political armtwisting.” The Mad Scientist is more likely to go One-Winged Angel, but he can still invoke this trope if he’s got a large enough cadre of mutants, henchmen, and/or combat robots at his disposal. The Evil Overlord will always take advantage of this, sometimes via Kingpin in His Gym. It is almost always the way of things with supernormal creatures like Demon Lords and Archdevils.
In video games with named and Palette Swap enemies, this trope sometimes results in the player fighting squadrons consisting entirely of generals near the end of the game, with no lower-ranked units in sight.
The Almighty Janitor is an inversion, who is far more powerful than his lowly rank would imply. The Desk Jockey is a different inversion, who has been promoted out of the field into authority. Compare You Can Barely Stand. See also Large And In Charge, Izchak’s Wrath, Royals Who Actually Do Something, and Fixed Relative Strength. Sometimes a sister trope to Risking The King.
Not to be confused with Asskicking Equals Authority, which happens when the strongest fighter is the guy in charge because he is the strongest fighter. Of course, the two can overlap.
Ancestral Weapon
A weapon of some history and/or which was passed down several generations (or a single generation) before reaching the hero.
The hero receives a weapon that once was carried by his father or a more distant ancestor. Nine times out of ten this is either a sword or a gun, depending on the setting.
If the person who has it has a choice about who to give to, or even whether, may also fall under It Was a Gift.
If people want the hero to not Turn Out Like His Father, they will try to keep the weapon from him. Whether they surrender, or he gets it behind their back, he will metaphorically as well as literally take up the ancestral weapon.
If Magic, may flat out not work for someone not of the Heroic Lineage.
May overlap with Older Is Better when the weapon is older and more powerful than modern weapons, as well as with Legendary Weapon. When the weapon did not belong to a blood relative but to a predecessor, see Take Up My Sword.
Badass
Rule of Cool and Crowning Moment of Awesome in character form.
To put it simply, a Badass is Rule of Cool personified.
In more detail, Badass is an adjective used to describe a character who gets away with outright insane stunts (defusing a bomb with their teeth, conning a mob boss, getting into a firefight with the entire army, etc.) that would be very hard to pull off in Real Life, or would get the person trying it killed several times over. A badass is a fantasy figure whom the audience roots for precisely because of how prone they are to awesome moments, to the point where they may stretch or break the Willing Suspension of Disbelief. Of course, Willing Suspension of Disbelief may still be maintained depending on the mechanics of the universe.
It’s notable that fans are more likely to tolerate a violent maniac of a “hero” than a befuddled, cowardly Classical Antihero and attempts to parody or deconstruct this trope often give the intended target a Misaimed Fandom — no matter how crazy the character gets (a good example being Rorschach from Watchmen). Fans will sometimes just ignore the character’s flaws and instead focus on how badass they are or use the character’s badassery to trivialize these flaws. This has led to a new trope: the Sociopathic Hero. Writers beware: Make a character too badass and either GodModeSue or Jerk Sue will stride Out of the Inferno of your work.
When Epic Fail combines with an attempt at being trope In-Universe, the result is usually a very simple way to invoke Leeroy Jenkins and/or Too Dumb to Live. For a child-friendly version of the badass whose badassery is somewhat diminished by the limitations of the work, see Badbutt.
For a not so complete list of badasses from both fiction and history, see Badass of the Week.
This trope is not what you say to a Stubborn Mule.
Sub-Super Tropes:
Badass In Charge: Pretty much speaks for itself. Harbinger of Asskicking: The sign of Badassery is upon us. Hidden Badass: They're badass, you just don't notice it at first glance. Submissive Badass: When a badass is a follower, not a leader, but don't make the mistake that they can't break your face as a result.
Badass Family
You have your Badasses, your Little Miss Badasses, your Badass Grandpas, and your Badass whatevers, etc.
But then there is the Badass Family. Awesomeness seems to be either inherited, instilled at an early age, or both. There is at least one Wall of Weapons somewhere in the household. Nearly every member of the family could kick ungodly amounts of ass. They may be Super Heroes or Badass Normals in a Super Family Team. Even the cute little 5-year-old child could do things that would net most professional soldiers a Medal Of Honor or similar medal—and s/he does this kind of stuff daily. But the real magic of this family? Their indestructibility as a team. As strong as any member may be individually, when fighting together, their strengths balance their weaknesses and they support each other to the bitter end - and meanwhile will remind each other to pick up the groceries.
Needless to say, take on this family, or threaten one of its members, at your own peril—and don’t be surprised when you lose badly to them.
On account of their (usually) unspoken reliance on The Power of Love, the Badass Family tends to be good guys, though maybe more Chaotic than Lawful. The matriarch is likely to be an Action Mom. Even if she’s not, she’ll surely be a Mama Bear. Any kids they might have will be in distinct age groups - only one baby, or one “kid”, or one teenager, unless there’s a twin, in which case watch out. Harming the children of a Badass Family is generally a VERY bad idea.
Compare: The Family That Slays Together.
A Badass Family minus the family equals the Badass Crew. A Badass Family minus the children is a Battle Couple. A Badass Family plus superpowers is a Super Family Team. A Badass Family that stays badass over many years through descendants is called a Heroic Lineage. Some Master Apprentice Chains can also be depicted like this.
Archer Archetype
A skilled, analytical ranged combatant who doesn’t let emotions get in his or her way.
The Archer is a skilled bowman. They’re generally independent and used to working alone. This tends to make them practical, a little haughty or arrogant and not the best at following orders especially from those they don’t respect. The archer is generally stealthy and graceful and tends to fight at a distance. As a result, they’re often portrayed as vulnerable up close unless they switch to a different weapon for close combat.
The archer is most likely to be found in a wild setting and can share traits with the Cold Sniper, most notably an analytical and calculating nature. This archetype tends to be depicted as having a more slender build despite the great upper-body strength required to draw a powerful bow without mechanical assistance. The character is likely to also be The Chick, a Nature Hero, a Forest Ranger, and/or an Elf. This also has the benefit of keeping the delicate female safely out of the bone-crunching melee.
The Pinned to the Wall trope is a common enough tactic by this archetype in comics. Most notably, Hawkeye and Green Arrow.
For bows used in modern or scifi settings, see The Straight and Arrow Path. If the Archer Archetype has Improbable Aiming Skills, he may also be able to do a multishot. For added irony, check out No Arc in Archery. See also Annoying Arrows. May evoke comparisons to Robin Hood.
Asshole Victim
When an author has a corpse-shaped hole in the story, and decides to fill it with a character the audience won’t mourn.
Bad person dies in a bad way. Because he was bad, no one cares.
You watch enough mystery shows or read enough mystery stories, and you notice a certain trend: Frequently, the homicide victim is an asshole.
For example, the victim will have been someone who enjoyed crushing people for the fun of it, or who ripped off at least a dozen people, and possibly more, or who was a criminal himself, etc.
The frequent impression left is that “the victim had it coming”.
There are several possible reasons for having an Asshole Victim:
It's not as depressing; given that, for these shows to work, there must be a Victim of the Week, an Asshole Victim brings up less of the "Tonight, someone will be killed for your entertainment" Fridge Logic. It's one of the few ways to have a Sympathetic Murderer. Writers may make the victim an asshole in this case either just to have a sympathetic murderer; or, if the show is a Courtroom Drama, to make it harder to convict the killer as the jury sympathizes. Alternately, the story being told is a Start of Darkness, and most of the corpses at the top of that slippery slope need to be assholes in order to avoid Jumping Off the Slippery Slope (which amounts to an alternate reason to need a Sympathetic Murderer). In a mystery show, it maximizes the possible suspects, as just about everyone involved would have a potential motive to kill this guy. Usually the line, "Well, I certainly hated X, but I didn't kill him" will be used repeatedly, and perhaps the extreme variation "Yeah, I wanted to kill X, but somebody beat me to it." In a few really extreme cases, suspects may even add "I'd kill X now if I could, but it's a moot point." In rare cases, a suspect admits that "I wished X was dead" before the victim actually died, and now therefore feels indirectly responsible for it. The Villain needs a Fallguy. Murdering a known Asshole, and then lying low for a while, will make the Asshole look responsible for any crimes that have stopped since his death.
Also shows up in Horror and Suspense films, for much the same reasons (Everyone Is a Suspect frequently gets replaced by a Clear My Name). However, it will generally not apply to victims of The Scourge of God, except sometimes when said scourge is a Poetic Serial Killer. Criminals in Colliding Criminal Conspiracies generally are this.
Every detective show has a variation of this exchange at least once or twice in its running: The detective asks, “Do you know of anyone who might’ve wanted X dead?” The other person snorts and replies, “Who didn’t want X dead?” or “Half the city wanted X dead, and the other half didn’t know him.” or “People would’ve lined up for a chance to kill X.” A common variation once the detectives have a suspect: “Sure I wanted X dead - but I didn’t kill him!” or “I’m glad X is dead, but I didn’t do it!”
Nearly every soap opera on the air has employed this trope for one of their “whodunit” murder mysteries.
At a minimum, they will have kicked the dog and may be well beyond the Moral Event Horizon, especially in less subtle productions. Pay Evil unto Evil is when the perpetrator gets away with it because the Asshole Victim deserved it. Indeed, this trope is very common in Criminal Procedurals with Villain Protagonists, who are rooted for because the guys they go after are usually even worse than them; as well as in many Revenge stories, in which they have usually done some very grievous wrong to our Anti-Hero and usually engage in other nastiness on the side, ensuring that no one sheds any tears when they get their comeuppance.
Sometimes the memorial services for these victims will be… interesting to watch. Occasionally the writers will get some comedy out of Never Speak Ill of the Dead, if everyone knows the victim was a jerk but no one wants to say so.
A similar concept unites this trope to the Final Girl. She survives because she’s the only one without sin or character flaws. She doesn’t drink, do drugs, have sex outside of wedlock. She’s nice and polite. Everyone else in the movie has such a flaw, making it okay for the monster to kill them.
For dog kickers who kick an asshole (not necessarily fatally), it’s Kick the Son of a Bitch. Can also be an invoked Take That, Scrappy! moment. See also Disposable Fiancé, which is similar in several respects. When the victim was as asshole for things they did in the process of trying to survive, it’s Death by Pragmatism. Alas, Poor Villain is the direct opposite of this trope. A less lethal version is Very Punchable Man, a character who’s there to be a jerk so that someone else can look good when they defend themselves.
In accordance with the “Just-world hypothesis,” people may perceive any victim as an Asshole Victim just to keep their belief that people get what they deserve intact. Then again, whilst the vast majority of homicide victims are not assholes, it presumably follows that assholes are more likely to be murdered than non-assholes, because antagonizing people capable of murder is a good way to get…well, murdered! Of course, that isn’t to say they deserved it.
'’Naturally, this trope can lead to the Unfortunate Implication that it’s okay to kill someone just because you do not like them.
Not to be confused with people whose posteriors get violated. Sometimes overlaps with Death by Racism.
Awakening the Sleeping Giant
Everyone knows about the Big Good and the Big Bad, but what about the Even Bigger Neutral?
Someone attacks a supremely powerful neutral force, and they end up paying the price.
In most conflicts, there are a variety of neutral parties. From the Precursors to the Retired Badass to the King in the Mountain to the Hidden Elf Village, they always exist, and there’s usually one that can kick the shit out of both the other sides at the same time, using only a kitchen whisk and a sheet of tissue paper. But don’t bother asking them for help, because they will refuse to get involved.
That is, unless someone does something stupid or evil enough to repulse them. Whether it was the heroes or the villains, anyone who steps over some inexcusable line will invite their wrath, and this isn’t the regular Neutral No Longer give-the-other-side-some-reinforcements wrath … this is “we have an army of Cthulhu clones” wrath. Expect an Oh, Crap! from the receiving end if and when the former neutrals start whipping out the doomsday weapons. On the other hand, for the beleaguered side not subject to the proverbial giant’s wrath, this is a moment of celebration as they gain a powerful ally and they will fight alone no more.
There are two key points to look for before and after this trope comes into play.
Before: There is an established conflict, of any sort, between any number of parties, with a prominent neutral party that wishes to remain uninvolved. After: When the neutral party enters the conflict, it drastically alters the balance of power.
A Sub-Trope of Neutral No Longer and related to Heroic Neutral. May serve as a Deus ex Machina and/or Story-Breaker Power (and/or Game Breaker, if the work is a game) if the giant was an All-Powerful Bystander. Compare Default To Good. If the entity is an individual, then they won the Superpower Lottery, and it’s likely they are a Martial Pacifist. Compare Sealed Good in a Can, if the “sleeping” is in the character of an involuntary confinement and someone breaks the prison. If the neutral party is actually smaller than the two fighting powers, but still enough to alter the balance of power greatly, this overlaps with Kingmaker Scenario.
Expy
This character was deliberately crafted to be very similar to another character in a different work.
Short for “exported character”, an expy is a character from one series who is unambiguously and deliberately based on a character in another, older series. A few minor traits — such as age and name — may change, but there’s no doubt that they are almost one and the same. Often seen in different works by the same writer(s) or production team.
This can simply be the tendency of writers to prefer certain characterizations for important characters (or knowing which ones are most marketable/popular), or the influence of the design process. On the other hand, it may just be a bad attempt to try to revive a character who the writer liked, but nobody else did and had to get rid of it. When by a different author, it may be a homage to the original creator and/or character. In the negative sense, an expy can be seen as just a bloated, gimmicky version of a perfectly serviceable past character. In a positive sense, it can refer to an “upgrade” of a two-dimensional or otherwise limited character to one more appreciably complex.
Keep in mind that not all expies are lazy half-assed rip-offs. Some characters such as Yogi Bear and Mickey Mouse are obvious clones of Art Carney and Felix the Cat respectively but they are some of the most acclaimed cartoon characters of all time because they are generally likable and unique.
Theory: any Characters as Device trope, if taken to the extreme, can result in the character appearing to be a mere expy of the Trope Codifiers for that trope. Especially if the character is Flanderized to the point of having few defining characteristics outside of the trope they represent. See Fountain of Expies.
Most often seen in animation and video games, where it’s much easier to make a newer character resemble an older one. Occasionally happens when characters from different stories end up sharing voice actors, making or even forcing their personalities to look even more similar, which often leads to jokes based on the voice actor’s former role.
When the character appears in the same show as the previous character, he’s often a Suspiciously Similar Substitute.
The key difference between this and Captain Ersatz is that an expy, while deliberately based on some other character, is still their own person, while Captain Ersatz is obviously the same character but with the Serial Numbers Filed Off. Please keep this distinction in mind before adding an example here. Also note that a fictional counterpart to a real-life person would not be an expy. When a character strongly resembles a real person, rather than a fictional character, that’s No Celebrities Were Harmed. A quick glance around TV Tropes will reveal just how often these mistakes are made on this very wiki.
Remember that an Expy must be a clearly deliberate reference on the part of the author; superficial or random coincidental similarities (even very striking ones) do not qualify, so if you aren’t certain, they probably are not an Expy. Because many character archetypes and tropes that compose characters are universal, it is easy for readers to fall into thinking that a particular character in the same general archetype resembles someone from their favorite show or novel, especially when Small Reference Pools lead readers to overestimate the cultural impact of their favorite characters.
Compare to Bleached Underpants, Alternate Company Equivalent, Name’s the Same, Roman à Clef, Counterpart Comparison, Similar Squad, Same Story, Different Names, Suspiciously Similar Song, Distaff Counterpart, Surprisingly-Similar Stories, Evil Counterpart. Not to be confused with XP, nor XP.
Contrast In Name Only, Transplanted Character Fic.
For specific characters that tend to inspire expies, see Fountain of Expies.
Four-Star Badass
The Four-Star Badass is a badass in a military hierarchy that also happens to be a general or flag officer.
The Colonel Badass page explains that a Colonel is usually more badass than a General because although a General has the higher rank (and may even be a certifiable badass himself) they’re usually relegated to desk duty and administrative tasks. This is also the reason why The Captain will always be the star of the show even if they don’t have the same clout as a Commodore or Admiral.
However, some fiction writers don’t subscribe to this notion. They believe that in order to have reached a four-star rank you had to have done some serious asskicking once upon a time. While some writers feel Badassery is a muscle that grows weak with disuse, the writers who subscribe to this trope feel it’s more like riding a bike; you never forget how to do it. Even after years of sitting behind a desk, filing reports, cashing fat checks, and being saluted by everybody.
The important characteristic of Four-Star Badass is the BADASS. It’s not enough for them to be The Brigadier or a Benevolent Boss (although they tend to share some of the same characteristics, like never saying “We Have Reserves” and being A Father To Their Men). They have to actually do something to earn the title. This usually involves rolling up their sleeves, ditching the desk (heh), and mixing it up.
This is a man who will fight alongside his men while co-ordinating the campaign, and is not afraid of getting his own hands dirty in general terms. They will often have been non-commissioned officers for quite some time before being made a General, and as a result of that, fieldwork comes naturally and is more instinctive for them than others. As one on one fighters, they will generally also be superb, with an unusually strong, generalised knowledge of tactics.
This happens in a number of ways:
The Four-Star Badass is the star - The Hero of the story also happens to be a General or Admiral, ensuring that they have to get involved in the story's conflicts and adventures. Awesome Moment of Crowning, Business As Usual - The Captain or Colonel Badass gets promoted. But they're The Hero so they continue to be badass. The Future Badass route - If its a Speculative Fiction series, we may get an episode glimpse in which a protagonist, usually The Captain, is promoted, probably Twenty Minutes into the Future. Ten Minute Promotion - They're promoted for a moment, but events (or themselves) conspire to demote them right back into a position where they're back in the field. Da Chief To The Rescue - The Cowboy Cop or Military Maverick has gotten themselves in a real jam. Da Chief takes it upon themselves to personally get involved in order to rescue their subordinate. They might say something like "Sure X is a loose cannon, but dammit, they're MY loose cannon and I'm gonna get them." Your Base Is Under Attack, Commander - Enemy troops assault or infiltrate headquarters in a surprise attack, giving the commander an opportunity to shine on his home turf. May or may not involve a Last Stand atop a pile of enemy corpses.
Many examples of this trope will probably turn out to be Badass Grandpas and Grandmas, and sometimes Cool Old Guys and Cool Old Ladies. Often a contemporary of the Old Soldier.
While the Four-star thing is in the title, this applies to any character holding any level of General or Admiral rank, including Commodores.
Contrast General Rippernote and General Failure. May have a Chest of Medals.
Please no Real Life examples. With thousands of years of recorded history, there are enough of them to crash the entire wiki. Given the fact that being Badass is a requirement, every general in history, excepting those in militaries where money or family connections are considered more important than ability, is an example.
The Everyman
His personality is your interpretation.
A character who is mostly a blank slate stand in for the audience, made to be empathetic to all. They won’t be exceptional; in fact, they will be decidedly average. If you try to pin down the character traits of any one of them, you’ll probably come up blank. They are usually popular by association, in that they tend to interact and be friends with a large group of more interesting supporting characters.
The Everyman has no distinct personality, except what is defined by others’ interactions with them. One gets the distinct feeling that if people weren’t trying to kill them / wacky circumstances didn’t happen to them / the fate of the world didn’t fall into their laps / their wacky neighbors weren’t around, The Everyman would be the most boring person in the world.
If a leader, then they’re a Standardized Leader. The videogame version of this is a Heroic Mime in terms of plot, Jack of All Stats in terms of ability, and a Featureless Protagonist when taken to its extreme.
In Dom Coms, the father is often an everyman, struggling just to maintain sanity in his family and keep it together through the zany schemes set up by the wife or kids.
Not every character created with the intention of being The Everyman stays that way. If the writers think Viewers Are Morons, then this character can quickly devolve into a Loser Archetype, with the idea that this is how the average person acts. At this point, the character’s message sort of devolves into telling viewers “This Loser Is You”.
Despite the name, everymen aren’t Always Male but they usually are because Most Writers Are Male.
Often an Audience Surrogate. If so, you may expect them to be:
A default character for the audience to latch on to, as a sufficient blank slate that the audience will know we are "expected" to identify with said character; and love will come later. This can be useful in an unfamiliar setting; compare The Watson. As the story develops, this type of Everyman may devolve into an inoffensive Foil or Supporting Protagonist. The audience may find them harmlessly uninteresting, and latch onto the action hero, Ensemble Dark Horse, or villain instead. An empty vessel for the audience's hopes, dreams and aspirations. (Not to be confused with an Escapist Character who already possesses what the audience craves.) These are the sort of Everyman characters where each audience member is willing to imagine themselves in the character's shoes, with no apparent contradiction. This may lead to some complication (or crowning moment) when the author forces them to undergo some course of action that the audience, having already invested in the character, would not (at first) imagine themselves taking.
See also Normal People and The Generic Guy. Ridiculously Average Guy is when this is taken to an extreme. Drop the Everyman into a fantasy setting and have him still act like everything is hunky-dory and you get the Unfazed Everyman. A character who starts out like this but later becomes a hero (or a villain) better fits the Unlikely Hero or From Nobody to Nightmare Tropes.
No relation to the popular Slender Man series EverymanHYBRID.
Decoy Protagonist
The story begins with someone who’s not the actual protagonist, who will appear later.
So you’ve got your hero. He practically has a giant neon sign over his head that says he’s a hero. It might be subtle, but it’s fairly obvious you’ve found the guy who’ll save the day, get the girl, and live a long and hap— what the? Did he just get bitten in half by a mutant T. Rex?
Some books, films, or games like to mix things up and throw viewers for a loop by revealing that the Standardized Leader isn’t The Hero. This can be very dramatic; there are few more effective ways to showcase Anyone Can Die than taking out the apparent protagonist. It can also be used comedically, revealing that the guy who thinks he’s the protagonist is just a glorified bit player. Sometimes the Decoy Protagonist will turn out to be the antagonist.
Intro-Only Point of View frequently is used to emphasize his importance before The Reveal.
What happens next is the guy we perceive of as The Lancer, Side Kick, or even a fringe loner takes center stage as the real protagonist (maybe even Hero). Usually they reveal a much greater level of personal integrity and strength of will than previously thought, despite their Dark and Troubled Past.
Note that this does not necessarily involve the death of the initial protagonist, although that is often how this trope expresses itself. If the target actually dies, they’re often a Sacrificial Lion. If the character actually was The Hero, see Take Up My Sword. Also see Dead Star Walking.
In video games, this can overlap with And Now for Someone Completely Different; compare First-Person Peripheral Narrator, where the narrator is obviously not the protagonist. For the villainous version of this trope, see Disc One Final Boss.
Contrast Passing the Torch, Red Herring Shirt, Disc One Final Boss, The Unchosen One, Supporting Leader, Non-Protagonist Resolver.
Not to be confused with Supporting Protagonist, which is simply that the focus is on another character than the hero, or Fake Ultimate Hero, who doesn’t appear to be the protagonist.
The Good Chancellor
As the Evil Chancellor is plotting to control the kingdom by usurping power, the Good Chancellor serves his kingdom or nation with utmost fervour. He follows the King’s orders to the letter if the king is noble, and he tries to mitigate the suffering of his people if the king’s intentions are of the bad kind. Rarely would he be seen actively opposing the King’s actions, since as a Lawful Good person, he must not let ideas like rebellion or jealousy get in the way of running the kingdom in the king’s name. This often does not sit well with some rebels, who see him as a moderate who must lose his head for being a supposed Yes-Man to the king they want on a pike.
When meeting the heroes, he, not the king, is usually the true person who has information about the situation at hand. The king may know of the secrets, but the Chancellor knows the best answer for them.
In terms of the ranks of Authority Tropes, the tropes that are equal are The Caligula, Evil Chancellor, Standard Royal Court and Deadly Decadent Court. The next step down is The Brigadier. The next steps up are The Evil Prince, Prince Charming, Prince Charmless, Warrior Prince, The Wise Prince, and all Princess Tropes.
The Good King
The Good King is honorable, virtuous, wise and understanding. He cares about his subjects no matter how seemingly unimportant they are and puts their well-being above his own. He governs the land fairly, is a Royal Who Actually Does Something and is often very modest about his rank and position. He also tends to be soft spoken, but when a Good King raises his voice, you’d better listen. Remember, good does not always equal soft.
If the work takes place during a war expect this king to be on the front lines and always putting The Men First. When it comes to the actual battle The Good King tends to lead the charge and is normally skilled and efficient in combat.
Above all else, a Good King cares about his kingdom and his people and will sacrifice himself to protect them, even if that means putting Honor Before Reason.
Any work where the king has been killed by an Evil Prince, The Caligula, Evil Uncle or Evil Chancellor will normally portray the deceased king as this, to serve as a contrast to the current evil regime. After The Good King dies, he will almost inevitably be followed by a Sketchy Successor.
Like The High Queen, the Good King runs the risk of being a Mary Sue if his writers are not careful. Because of this the Good King will rarely be the main character but may serve as The Mentor to the protagonist. If the protagonist is one of his children expect his Papa Wolf tendencies to come into play.
May be Happily Married to The High Queen thus a Ruling Couple. When a Prince Charming or Wise Prince grows up, he tends to become this.
See also, Hobbes Was Right.
In terms of the ranks of Authority Tropes, the tropes that are equal are The High Queen, God Save Us from the Queen!, The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask, She Is the King, Iron Lady, and President Evil. The next steps down are The Evil Prince, Prince Charming, Prince Charmless, Warrior Prince, The Wise Prince, and all Princess Tropes. The next step up is The Emperor. See also Benevolent Mage Ruler if the king is also a spellcaster.
