Are the following things "Tropes" or not? ANd if so, what tropes are they?

[MJN SEIFER]

This may seem like a strange post, but I am interested in the concept of tropes (so much so I always wonder whether any of my writings count as tropes).

These are examples of things that I have noticed in several mediums as described as best as I can. I am typing them as I think, so I may update this. My question is if they count as tropes, and are named on a site like TV Tropes.

1. A character being cloned in someway, and having to prove that he or she is the real version so the other character can kill the clone (or at least recognise the real one). This is usually done by the real one either giving a heart felt speech, telling the friend to kill both versions (meaning s/he must be the "good" one) or doing something else that proves s/he is real. Sometimes averted/subverted (still learning trope-talk) when the clone tries this.

2. A (usually female) character who's hair covers one eye. Later on in the movie/series her hairstyle will change, exposing the hidden eye. Usually this is when the character has become stronger emotionally.

3. The characters meeting a legendary figure (a historical figure, or a mythological figure), and then doing something that the "figure" is famous for doing or saying something the figure is famous for saying. The figure will make a comment along the lines of "That looked/sounded good, mind if I use it?

4. A scene (usually in a cartoon) where signs are shown, and the music fits the writing on the signs. This if you can't picture it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ya37OewMaA) (go to 05:47 to 05:55).

5. A Dream episode ending with something that implies that maybe it wasn't a dream after all (I actually hate this more than dream episodes actually - either it's a dream or it's not. Annoyingly no one ever mentions the episode again, so it is a dream.)

That's all for now, I may update as I think of them.

[Old Manus]

Oh, stop being such a tease, MJN SEIFER, and just release your literary masterpiece for us all to see.

[blackmage_nuke]

5. A Dream episode ending with something that implies that maybe it wasn't a dream after all (I actually hate this more than dream episodes actually - either it's a dream or it's not. Annoyingly no one ever mentions the episode again, so it is a dream.)


Does Inception fill every fibre of your being with hatred?

[Bunny]

It depends on how you view or define what a trope is. If you define it as something that is used often in any forum of media, like most people do, then yes, they are all tropes. However, if you find that definition stupid and really don't care about making whatever you are working on completely unique then don't worry about it.

[Jiro]

Oh, stop being such a tease, MJN SEIFER, and just release your literary masterpiece for us all to see.

I, too, dream of a day where we can see what you're actually working on!

[Mercen-X]

For the first, I may relate it to "Loss of Identity."

The closest I could find for the second are "Power Makes Your Hair Grow" and "No Doubt The Years Have Changed Me."

"Temporal Paradox" although in this case, it's an unnecessary paradox.

Fourth is more an example of signs bearing syllables which math the music.

Fifth is "Or Was It A Dream?" (with question mark)

[ReloadPsi]

A twist on the clone proving itself thing I once encountered in a gamebook (like Choose Your Own Adventure but with stats, an inventory and occasional dice rolls) was that you got cloned, and had to compete with your clones to prove you were the original. If you failed, you fell on the conclusion that you were a clone all along with the memories of the original, admitted defeat and were effectively left to die.

I loved the sense of self-deprecating gloom, but I've never encountered it anywhere else. It was in a Sonic the Hedgehog gamebook named Metal City Mayhem.

Back on topic, my apologies.

#1 is called Spot The Imposter.

#2 is also known on TV Tropes as an Adrenaline Makeover. The best-known example I could think of was Violet in The Incredibles... I basically went to that work's page and hit Ctrl+F for that one.

#3 I have no earthly clue. Yet.

#4, as Mercen-X points out, is the words matching the hornplay. Effectively that makes it a With Lyrics scene, in that there's instrumental music but lyrics are established. That's as close as I can get.

On that note, if you're looking for trope names, go to a work where the idea you're thinking of is exemplified and check what name it comes next to, then read its trope description and see if it's accurate enough. 'S what I do normally. Can't think of an example for that inspiration paradox one you mentioned, but if you can, go try that approach. That's bound to find you your #3.

P.S. The proper word is "Tropese" pal, not Trope-talk. Watch out though, TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Vocabulary :)

[MJN SEIFER]

It depends on how you view or define what a trope is. If you define it as something that is used often in any forum of media, like most people do, then yes, they are all tropes. However, if you find that definition stupid and really don't care about making whatever you are working on completely unique then don't worry about it. It's okay, I like tropes, hence why I posted this, and hence why I often wonder if any of my products have any tropes.


For the first, I may relate it to "Loss of Identity."

The closest I could find for the second are "Power Makes Your Hair Grow" and "No Doubt The Years Have Changed Me."

"Temporal Paradox" although in this case, it's an unnecessary paradox.

Fourth is more an example of signs bearing syllables which math the music.

Fifth is "Or Was It A Dream?" (with question mark)


A twist on the clone proving itself thing I once encountered in a gamebook (like Choose Your Own Adventure but with stats, an inventory and occasional dice rolls) was that you got cloned, and had to compete with your clones to prove you were the original. If you failed, you fell on the conclusion that you were a clone all along with the memories of the original, admitted defeat and were effectively left to die.

I loved the sense of self-deprecating gloom, but I've never encountered it anywhere else. It was in a Sonic the Hedgehog gamebook named Metal City Mayhem.

Back on topic, my apologies.

#1 is called Spot The Imposter.

#2 is also known on TV Tropes as an Adrenaline Makeover. The best-known example I could think of was Violet in The Incredibles... I basically went to that work's page and hit Ctrl+F for that one.

#3 I have no earthly clue. Yet.

#4, as Mercen-X points out, is the words matching the hornplay. Effectively that makes it a With Lyrics scene, in that there's instrumental music but lyrics are established. That's as close as I can get.

On that note, if you're looking for trope names, go to a work where the idea you're thinking of is exemplified and check what name it comes next to, then read its trope description and see if it's accurate enough. 'S what I do normally. Can't think of an example for that inspiration paradox one you mentioned, but if you can, go try that approach. That's bound to find you your #3.

P.S. The proper word is "Tropese" pal, not Trope-talk. Watch out though, TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Vocabulary :) Thanks to both of you for listing these tropes, I have often wondered, and I bet you anything there are more, but I can't think of them at the moment, but I will post them when I remember them. To ReloadPsi: Thanks for explaining "Tropese" to me.



Oh, stop being such a tease, MJN SEIFER, and just release your literary masterpiece for us all to see.

I, too, dream of a day where we can see what you're actually working on! I doubt it's anything award winning, but my main projects (I have others waiting to be worked on again) are; a fanscript for a movie, that is actually part of a movie series that I am a fan of (the script itself is my own idea, but if it was real it would be part of an already existing franchise), a fan series based on a TV Series that I am now a massive fan of, and (my only real original project) several "books" (though they are only on my computer, and I have no idea how to make them books) where the reader has to make choices on what they do in the stories (Ironically, ReloadPsi mentioned an example of what I think is the first type of these books, even becoming the genre name of these books - what my series is called I don't know.)