Cliche tropes you like.

[Fri]

Hold your kneejerk reaction on the word trope, and join in this thread to embrace them.

You know they are cliche and too-often-used, but you can't help but liking those plot points or character types and whatnot.

Do you have things like that?

For me, there are two main things.

One of them is "Advanced ancient civilization" trope. I know they're very cliche, but I can't help but liking it. A more specific trope would be magical weapon from ancient time that's actually just advanced technology. For some reason I really like this trope. Especially if the magical weapon is something relatively "common" in the ancient past, but it's now one of a kind and legendary in the "present."

The other thing is "gondor calls for aid." Basically, at the climax and crucial moment, when the protagonists are overwhelmed by enemies, people you meet and helped along the way came to help. This is absolutely my favourite trope of all time. I know it's cliche, but hell, it's still awesome.

What's yours?

[DigoDragon]

I'm a sucker for car chases, especially when the characters are are bumping into one another in traffic to force a crash. The second and third Jason Bourne movies were really good on delivering it.

[Bulldog Psion]

The "ancient dark lord" trope still gets a lot of mileage from me. It's hard to make an adversary more threatening than something that has been existing, wrapped in dark profundities of thought and malice, for thousands of years; of course, it's also a hard trope to pull off, because by rights, the heroes should lose against something with that much experience and insight.

[Traab]

I like the choir background singing during an epic moment of the film. Its always great fun and gets the heart pumping the right way.

I also love the gauntlet. Whats that? Thats when the hero in an action movie either martial arts or machine guns his way through an army of mooks, fights his way up to the super mooks, (You know, the guys with no real identity except that they are stronger/faster/more skilled than normal mooks) faces the dragon then finally gets to fight the big bad of the setting.

The Evil Laugh. Oh my GOD I love a good evil laugh.

[Alent]

I'm fond of the Ghaleon rule, which never did make it into TV tropes somehow. It's from the Grand List of RPG cliches: "All the world's problems can be solved by finding the right long haired prettyboy and beating the crap out of him."

I also enjoy the Red Oni Blue Oni trope when mixed with a Power Trio. Grab your logical level headed guy, the arrogant hothead, and a peacemaker to toss between them and you usually get hours of dialog that isn't actually dictated by trope. (Contrary to how character Tropes usually work.)

I'm also fond of having an Unfettered Viewpoint character. The world is more interesting when you see it through the eyes of someone who legitimately doesn't understand why it's done that way and doesn't care about tradition or rules. The strife possible between your viewpoint character and the status quo can help present the "why" of a world to the reader in an organic way.

Seconding Traab's choice of The gauntlet, and raising it a Megaman Boss Rush with Ironic Echo. An example of this done well would be Katanagatari.

[GloatingSwine]

I'm fond of the Ghaleon rule, which never did make it into TV tropes somehow. It's from the Grand List of RPG cliches: "All the world's problems can be solved by finding the right long haired prettyboy and beating the crap out of him."

It kinda fell out of favour because everyone already knew the guy with long white hair would turn out to be evil, so you couldn't make it a surprise any more.

[Alent]

It kinda fell out of favour because everyone already knew the guy with long white hair would turn out to be evil, so you couldn't make it a surprise any more.

Why did it have to be a surprise? I've played plenty of RPGs that DIDN'T need for their Maou's identity to be a plot twist. I just like the visible personality trait and aesthetic footprint.

[DigoDragon]

The Evil Laugh. Oh my GOD I love a good evil laugh.

And with it, a good villain song. Disney is the master when it comes to these. They're often my favorite song on the entire movie soundtrack.

[BannedInSchool]

I like the trope where there's tension between possible outcomes.

[Fragenstein]

While I despise the word 'trope' owing to how 'that one site' has degraded the word to mean anything ever said by Dr. Who/Darth Vader/Gandalf rather than actual industry-shorthand terms...

I do love a good Magic Gun. pew pew

[Lurkmoar]

I like it when the villian tries to argue philosophy with the hero, the hero points out that the villian causes nothing but grief to people and that the villian is just a greedy jerk and then decks him.

"Seriously, you just gunned down three people in front of me. Talk to the fist!" POW!

[Forrestfire]

Personally, I'm a fan of a lot of traits that are commonly considered "mary sue" on characters. Especially mood ring powers; I really like the concept of magic or hair or eyes or whatever that change color depending on emotions—it's cool

[Traab]

And with it, a good villain song. Disney is the master when it comes to these. They're often my favorite song on the entire movie soundtrack.

YEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!! Even just the bad guy background music is fun as hell. Imperial March for example. You dont need any lyrics to know who just walked into the station when that starts to play. But yeah, disney villain songs are almost universally the best songs on the soundtrack. Kids may love hakuna matatah, but Be Prepared is just bombastic and awesome. The only song I even know from hunchback is Hellfire. Ive got friends on the other side? Yes please!

[DigoDragon]

YEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!! Even just the bad guy background music is fun as hell. Imperial March for example. You dont need any lyrics to know who just walked into the station when that starts to play. But yeah, disney villain songs are almost universally the best songs on the soundtrack. Kids may love hakuna matatah, but Be Prepared is just bombastic and awesome. The only song I even know from hunchback is Hellfire. Ive got friends on the other side? Yes please!

Gaston's song and the Mob song from Beauty and the Beast are two catchy tunes that I always remember. I also agree that even tunes in the background without lyrics can be great villain music. Like the iconic 'five note' tune from The Terminator.

[Kitten Champion]

I'm a sucker for a Cool Sword, particularly if it has a name and has some thought out history and/or unique ability. Doesn't have to be Sword explicitly, but a neat object with a sense of the mythic behind it -- a backstory and some flare.

I can't help it, I go "~Oooooooh~ that's cool!"

[Traab]

I'm a sucker for a Cool Sword, particularly if it has a name and has some thought out history and/or unique ability. Doesn't have to be Sword explicitly, but a neat object with a sense of the mythic behind it -- a backstory and some flare.

I can't help it, I go "~Oooooooh~ that's cool!"

I once wrote a story outline that played with this trope. It was literally designed to screw up just about any fantasy novel trope. The main character was raised from birth knowing he was destined to save the world instead of some unsuspecting rube who turns out to be a hidden king or something. Got all the training from childhood in just about everything, instead of being an untrained farm boy, etc etc etc. The relevant part is his super awesome weapon. He got a huge 2h warhammer he called The Lockpicker. He called it that because when he got it he asked what sort of powers it had (because all cool weapons have powers) and the monk who handed it to him gave him a look and said "Uh yeah, it can open any door it touches." He missed the guy mumbling under his breath, "If you hit it hard enough"

[McStabbington]

The pre-fight staredown from Westerns. It's since been incorporated into action movies to the point of cliche after taken to ludicrous (and by ludicrous, I mean awesome) heights by Sergio Leone. But even today, when a talented director like Quentin Tarantino does it, it makes the resulting fight even more of a thing of beauty. "O-ren Ishii, you and I have unfinished business!"

[Kitten Champion]

I once wrote a story outline that played with this trope. It was literally designed to screw up just about any fantasy novel trope. The main character was raised from birth knowing he was destined to save the world instead of some unsuspecting rube who turns out to be a hidden king or something. Got all the training from childhood in just about everything, instead of being an untrained farm boy, etc etc etc. The relevant part is his super awesome weapon. He got a huge 2h warhammer he called The Lockpicker. He called it that because when he got it he asked what sort of powers it had (because all cool weapons have powers) and the monk who handed it to him gave him a look and said "Uh yeah, it can open any door it touches." He missed the guy mumbling under his breath, "If you hit it hard enough"

Heh. The story I'm writing an outline for now begins with the hero having lost his Cool Sword, which is the source of much of his prowess as a combatant and his symbol of status within his society. He's not going to be getting it back, at least within the story itself. He maintains his status technically, since his role in the world was earned upon wielding said weapon in the first place and not maintaining possession of it. Though he no longer has it as a symbol he can use to call upon his authority when necessary or be recognized by anyone who doesn't know him personally.

Despite this, he's still sworn to do his mandated duty as essentially being a paladin, which is, in part, vanquishing adversaries that very much still have their own Cool Swords along with all the powers they bestow and the inhumanly strong monsters of various stripes that plague the world. A duty he's seriously on the edge of up and abandoning, though doing so would mean the loss of the already tenuous support his family has within the empire along with possibly being hunted down for oath-breaking by his former comrades. Meaning his remaining option, outside of a one-sided heroic death and a swift funeral, is to BS his way out... somehow.

[Bulldog Psion]

The pre-fight staredown from Westerns. It's since been incorporated into action movies to the point of cliche after taken to ludicrous (and by ludicrous, I mean awesome) heights by Sergio Leone. But even today, when a talented director like Quentin Tarantino does it, it makes the resulting fight even more of a thing of beauty. "O-ren Ishii, you and I have unfinished business!"

As a fan of well-made* westerns and films similar in spirit, I'll agree with you there wholeheartedly. Done badly, it can be really hokey, but with the right setup, it turns those knife-edge-between-life-and-death moments into almost a weird aesthetic experience.

Or maybe I'm just full of it.

*By my entirely subjective standards, of course. For instance, I really like Blackthorn, and I understand that most people turn up their nose at it.

[Lord Raziere]

I am a sucker for rebels, scoundrels, edgy stuff, snarkiness, RIGHTEOUS FURY!!! dark is not evil, the Drizzt's, the outcasts, people suffering curses that complicate their lives and such and so on, all the while still being good and doing good things even though its hard. they just seem cool in a way that other heroes aren't that I can't quite describe, but I always desire.

but I also like characters who are all about FOR SCIENCE! mad science, gizmos and human-like heroic robots and steampunk and ray guns and all that kind of stuff too.

[cobaltstarfire]

I really like idiots with good hearts, your Gourry's, Fry's, and Ash Ketchum's, give all of them to me right now please.


And the thing where sharpness has a sound. Like how wolverines claws or a knife goes shink, or a sword goes sheeeeeeen when it's drawn to let you know that it's super sharp.


Magitech is one I really like too, and I too really enjoy the long lost super powered civilization. Though usually mysterious and extinct, not as interesting if the civilization is somehow making a comeback to the world.

[Oneris]

Instant Runes and other effects that show magic is happening, because otherwise it's just people pantomiming around each other.

I also like Facial and other forms of body markings. Modern tattoos are nice, but they treat the skin more like a canvas for unrelated art rather than as an enhancement to physical appearance.

[Rater202]

I'm a sucker for a villain, anti-hero, or rival who has all of the main Character's powers, combined.

[Traab]

Heh. The story I'm writing an outline for now begins with the hero having lost his Cool Sword, which is the source of much of his prowess as a combatant and his symbol of status within his society. He's not going to be getting it back, at least within the story itself. He maintains his status technically, since his role in the world was earned upon wielding said weapon in the first place and not maintaining possession of it. Though he no longer has it as a symbol he can use to call upon his authority when necessary or be recognized by anyone who doesn't know him personally.

Despite this, he's still sworn to do his mandated duty as essentially being a paladin, which is, in part, vanquishing adversaries that very much still have their own Cool Swords along with all the powers they bestow and the inhumanly strong monsters of various stripes that plague the world. A duty he's seriously on the edge of up and abandoning, though doing so would mean the loss of the already tenuous support his family has within the empire along with possibly being hunted down for oath-breaking by his former comrades. Meaning his remaining option, outside of a one-sided heroic death and a swift funeral, is to BS his way out... somehow.

One of the things that happened in the story I did the outline for is, you ever read those fairy tales where the hero is wandering the woods and sees an animal stuck in a trap? He frees the animal, or feeds a hungry one, or whatever, and then later on when he is stuck the animal shows up to help? In this story he sees a fox with its leg caught in a trap. Now, this is explicitly a test (for us, he cant tell there is a fairy setting this up yet) so what does he do? He pulls out his bow and arrow and shoots it. When the fairy pops up and starts cussing him out for screwing up the test he gets defensive. "What? That poor fox had to have broken its leg in that trap. It would have died of starvation and suffering great pain for the rest of its life if I had set it free!"

See, thats the running theme here. Nothing he does is bad, its just not the way its supposed to happen. He is a good man, he truly wants to save the world and be a hero, not out of selfishness but because its what he was born to do. He just cant seem to do anything the way he is supposed to. These fairy creatures, monks, and other adults in his life have been doing the equivalent of putting the ball on the tee for him to swing at because they "know" it is his destiny to do this great deed, and he keeps just missing.

[Lord Raziere]

One of the things that happened in the story I did the outline for is, you ever read those fairy tales where the hero is wandering the woods and sees an animal stuck in a trap? He frees the animal, or feeds a hungry one, or whatever, and then later on when he is stuck the animal shows up to help? In this story he sees a fox with its leg caught in a trap. Now, this is explicitly a test (for us, he cant tell there is a fairy setting this up yet) so what does he do? He pulls out his bow and arrow and shoots it. When the fairy pops up and starts cussing him out for screwing up the test he gets defensive. "What? That poor fox had to have broken its leg in that trap. It would have died of starvation and suffering great pain for the rest of its life if I had set it free!"

See, thats the running theme here. Nothing he does is bad, its just not the way its supposed to happen. He is a good man, he truly wants to save the world and be a hero, not out of selfishness but because its what he was born to do. He just cant seem to do anything the way he is supposed to. These fairy creatures, monks, and other adults in his life have been doing the equivalent of putting the ball on the tee for him to swing at because they "know" it is his destiny to do this great deed, and he keeps just missing.

Eh, cool. I myself want to write a story about the merlin or merlins of a world being the big bad and the dark lord being the real hero, while the normal hero with a Cool Sword is the unfortunate dupe of the merlins. so it follows the tale of the re-released dark lord rounding up the various orcs and trolls and whatnot, uniting them in their outcast status and trying to save the world from the merlin guy who rules the world from behind the scenes, all the while the dark lord tries to teach the people under him to be better, to not let their outcast status define them as monsters and savages, and use the power of darkness to save the world from the light.

[Aotrs Commander]

Reading this, it's strange how very few of the tropes and cliches mentioned above I like (i.e. almost none of them). Many of them, in fact, rather annoy me.

But then again, one of the things I like about Joss Whedon's work is his tendancy to set up to a traditional cliche and then sharply invert the proceedings.



Though I'm not sure it follows as a true trope/cliche/whatever, but there is, for example a VERY notably tendancy for almost all the major evil powers in my quest and campaign worlds to be highly organised, highly skilled, intelligent and often a fair bit genera savvy without actually having hit the forth wall.



Otherwise, I suppose there would be "the last-second save when about to die" and the "ohcrap" moment, which qualify.

[Rater202]

But then again, one of the things I like about Joss Whedon's work is his tendancy to set up to a traditional cliche and then sharply invert the proceedings.

The practice of inverting a trope or cliche is in in of itself a trope.

[Traab]

The practice of inverting a trope or cliche is in in of itself a trope.

Everything is a trope. Everything. Even that statement was a trope. The "Everything is a Trope" trope. And now im falling into the "Recursive Trope" trope.

[Seppl]

The practice of inverting a trope or cliche is in in of itself a trope.

Speaking of inversions: I have come to like all the tropes where the antagonist is not a Big Bad guy. Hero Antagonists, Anti Villains or just plain No Antagonist. Just because I am fed up with For the Evulz style antagonists which I have the impression have become pervasive in recent years. I feel that a conflict without an "evil" side is much more interesting and meaningful.

To a lesser degree I feel the same about The Chosen One and related tropes (Prophecies, Destiny, ...). I am happy every time I see a subversion.

[sktarq]

The coy, self satisfied smile -usually to the camara- when evil (or occasionally very dark anti hero) has just won and at least for now has gotten away with it. Think Damien at the end of The Omen for a classic example.