Cliche tropes you like.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I would think that real people like this do exist.

Sometimes fiction has to be more interesting than reality. That some boring evil people exist in real life doesn't motivate me to want to read about fictional boring evil people, who are even less interesting.

This right here is why I'm convinced that the mythos wouldn't be nearly so scary in a nuclear age.
Cthulu's this big scary abomination that got put back to sleep by a steamboat. What's a coupla megatons gonna do?

I need to read A Colder War at some point. Most reviewers claim that its probably more scary than Lovecraft's version.

There is also an August Derleth story (The Black Island) where they nuke Cthulhu.

"Nuclear Age Cthulhu" would basically just be Godzilla anyway. King Ghidorah basically has all the traits of Cthulhu except for the mystical ones that are contradicted by later Lovecraft stories. Lovecraft wrote his stories as a mythology, which makes them deliberately very inconsistent and confusing. Not to mention how many of his narrators are the least reliable people imaginable.

[TheThan]

Bows are just better than firearms (or anyway, if you use them, you're a badass)

Uhh I hate the bow woman action cliché. Mainly because it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. They take a 90 lb waif of a girl and give her a bow that has a pull greater than her own body weight… and I’m supposed to buy that? Have you seen real archers? They’re not tiny. Not to mention that actually being good with a bow takes a whole lot more time, dedication and physical capability than a firearm does.

Guns are easier, faster, smaller, more powerful and generally better in every way than a bow. Cross bows are less of an offense in this regard. I wouldn’t be so irritated at this trope if the bow-woman in question was seen training and learning how to use it, or is shown having prior experience with it.

Katanas are also kind of annoying. Mainly because of the mystical proprieties they all seem to have. They can cut through anything, are immune to damage, and can be wielded by just about any character that’s “bad-ass” regardless of training or experience.

[Aotrs Commander]

Uhh I hate the bow woman action cliché. Mainly because it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. They take a 90 lb waif of a girl and give her a bow that has a pull greater than her own body weight… and I’m supposed to buy that? Have you seen real archers? They’re not tiny. Not to mention that actually being good with a bow takes a whole lot more time, dedication and physical capability than a firearm does.

I have occasionally commented that, the logical extension of all Elves spend their lives learning to use bows (longbows at that) is that when an elf hugs a tree, it is quite likely because she/he is about beat you over the head with it.

[Oneris]

Katanas are also kind of annoying. Mainly because of the mystical proprieties they all seem to have. They can cut through anything, are immune to damage, and can be wielded by just about any character that’s “bad-ass” regardless of training or experience.

This, so much. It just reeks of weaboo exoticism. And you know the authors are just thoughtlessly throwing it in there for 'teh coolz' when half the time it's not even a katana, but a nodachi or a wakizashi.

[DigoDragon]

What are your thoughts on Bill and Ted? They handled time travel better than almost any other show or movie, and really took advantage of the fun shenanigans to be had - the self meeting, for instance, or remembering the trash can - but I never quite got why they were restricted by the San Dimas clock aways ticking. I mean, they could always have just gone back in time to when they had to give the report, couldn't they?

It was pretty consistent, barring the odd San Dimas time thing so I liked it. They have all the time in the world though, why hurry for San Dimas?

Speaking of time, the first Back to the Future movie was a decent way of doing the "timeline can be changed" version of time travel. Some of the things Marty does in the past simply inspired his normal timeline to continue as it always was (like the first colored mayor) and then a few things that turned out different (his dad not being a complete pushover to Biff).

I have occasionally commented that, the logical extension of all Elves spend their lives learning to use bows (longbows at that) is that when an elf hugs a tree, it is quite likely because she/he is about beat you over the head with it.

If your forest has treants, then the trees can do all the lifting and beating while you grab the popcorn. ;)

[Killer Angel]

Uhh I hate the bow woman action cliché.

I was thinking more about Green Arrow, rather than hunger games.

Katanas are also kind of annoying. Mainly because of the mystical proprieties they all seem to have. They can cut through anything, are immune to damage, and can be wielded by just about any character that’s “bad-ass” regardless of training or experience.

That's kinda the point of the trope, isn't it?
And if you're a blind samurai, you're even more lethal! I adore this nonsense.

[Fragenstein]

I was thinking more about Green Arrow, rather than hunger games.

I thought Hunger Games made more sense than most. Katniss was taught to use a bow at a very young age by an experienced hunter, and then honed that skill by further hunting for survival. It makes sense that she can use one well.

On the strength issue? I can't really comment. I've known some very wiry people who, through some quirk of biology that completely escapes me, were far stronger than they appeared. Skinny, deep-woods types who probably grew up chopping wood for warmth and whatnot. 'Dude had pipe-cleaners for arms and could still snap me in half. Weird.

[Traab]

Is snagging your boobs in the bow string a thing that actually happens? I ask because as a guy my breasts are fairly small so its never been an issue for me, but I see it brought up from time to time in fantasy novels and other such thing. Or do you need some ginormous breastage for them to really get in the way?

[GloatingSwine]

Is snagging your boobs in the bow string a thing that actually happens? I ask because as a guy my breasts are fairly small so its never been an issue for me, but I see it brought up from time to time in fantasy novels and other such thing. Or do you need some ginormous breastage for them to really get in the way?

They'd probably need to be comedy anime tits before it became relevant (you know, the kind that largely ignore the laws of physics).

[Peelee]

On the strength issue? I can't really comment. I've known some very wiry people who, through some quirk of biology that completely escapes me, were far stronger than they appeared. Skinny, deep-woods types who probably grew up chopping wood for warmth and whatnot. 'Dude had pipe-cleaners for arms and could still snap me in half. Weird.

It has to do with tendon attachment points giving more torque, and thus more power.

I think.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Is snagging your boobs in the bow string a thing that actually happens?

Not generally, but only because simple ways round it are always in use.

I wouldn’t be so irritated at this trope if the bow-woman in question was seen training and learning how to use it, or is shown having prior experience with it.

wielded by just about any character that’s “bad-ass” regardless of training or experience.

When? Maybe we're reading/watching/hearing completely different stories but I don't run across many examples of inexperienced katana or bow users defeating gunmen. Plenty of examples of improbably skilled archers and swordfighters, but 'man who has never picked up a sword before defeats experienced and armed gunmen without resorting to super powers' isn't something I see happen.

Maybe I see the odd character who has no explanation of their sword skills, but they're at least implied to have trained at some point in their back-story or just be superhuman enough to not need to. One of the most blatant 'guy just picks up a Katana' was Morpheus in Matrix Reloaded, but he's in a setting where skills can be easily acquired and has already been shown to be good at other kinds of melee combat.

I suppose there was the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but humans are over-powered in that setting so might as well have super powers and even then the heroes don't actually accomplish much with the weapons they're under-trained in.

If you want to complain that heroic fiction tends to show named characters beating up large amounts of unrealistically incompetent supposedly professional soldiers, then well I don't know what to say.

are immune to damage

Having seen several anime characters snap katana in half with their bare hands, I can't agree with this at all.

[Raimun]

Rule of Cool.

Done right, even the most ridiculous thing on the paper will look awesome on the screen or the page.

I like this because it lets you see completely new and/or exciting things. Not just talking heads or the same old mixture of tropes.

... Of course, if done right, it won't be cliche. Let's just say this is my favorite trope.

[Draconium]

Rule of Cool.

Done right, even the most ridiculous thing on the paper will look awesome on the screen or the page.

I like this because it lets you see completely new and/or exciting things. Not just talking heads or the same old mixture of tropes.

... Of course, if done right, it won't be cliche. Let's just say this is my favorite trope.

So, like, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann? Seriously, that whole show oozes the Rule of Cool, and they manage to really get it right.

[Velaryon]

One of my favorites is when the hero(es) and villain(s) are forced by circumstances to work together. The only thing I like more is when the bad guy becomes one of the good guys (Magus from Chrono Trigger, Magneto sometimes, etc.). Basically, I love it when bad guys go good.

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.

Done right I love this. Done poorly it can strain my suspension of disbelief too much.

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.

Disney does have a lot of great villain songs, but they aren't the only ones. My absolute favorite is Oogie Boogie's Song from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

[Yora]

On the strength issue? I can't really comment. I've known some very wiry people who, through some quirk of biology that completely escapes me, were far stronger than they appeared. Skinny, deep-woods types who probably grew up chopping wood for warmth and whatnot. 'Dude had pipe-cleaners for arms and could still snap me in half. Weird.

Muscle strength is not directly related to muscle strength. Many body builders tend to not be particularly strong as their training focuses entirely on getting the muscles bigger but ignoring strength. Apes tend to be ridiculously strong for their size, but other than gorillas have all very thin arms.

[Alent]

Muscle strength is not directly related to muscle strength. Many body builders tend to not be particularly strong as their training focuses entirely on getting the muscles bigger but ignoring strength. Apes tend to be ridiculously strong for their size, but other than gorillas have all very thin arms.

As my art tutor used to always tell me when I was studying anatomy: "Don't look at how thick his muscles are, look at how long his muscles are."

I guess that's another trope I like. The wiry beanstalk (male or female, either way) beating the crap out of bodybuilders.

[The Glyphstone]

Muscle strength is not directly related to muscle strength. Many body builders tend to not be particularly strong as their training focuses entirely on getting the muscles bigger but ignoring strength. Apes tend to be ridiculously strong for their size, but other than gorillas have all very thin arms.

I think you mean Muscle size is not directly related to muscle strength?

[TheThan]

Muscle strength is not directly related to muscle strength. Many body builders tend to not be particularly strong as their training focuses entirely on getting the muscles bigger but ignoring strength. Apes tend to be ridiculously strong for their size, but other than gorillas have all very thin arms.

I think you mean size.

In which case I agree. That being said, typically strong people go one of two ways, they have definition to their muscles, or they have shear mass (take a look at world’s strongest man competitions). My problem is that our 65lbs waif with the longbow doesn’t have either the definition or the mass to look like she’s strong enough to pull that bow back. Which is confirmed when she pulls the bow back a quarter of the way on screen. This goes back to training, a good bow-person will pull the bow back to their eye, a great one will pull the bow back to their ear.

As for katanas, it really depends on what sort of show we’re talking about. If we’re talking about a Kurosawa epic, or some other period piece, I’ll totally let the swordsmanship slide. But I do want to see it displayed somewhat realistically. When I see characters slice through stone that’s thicker than the katana is long and other ridiculous feats that I start to get annoyed. Granted there is such a thing as fantasy and if I didn’t know that going into the show, I might get a little annoyed.

Another trope that I actually like is the heroic sacrifice. When the guy stays behind to hold off the onslaught of enemies long enough for the other heroes to get away. Especially when the hero takes a lot of them with him; goes out with a bang and typically gets a crowning moment of awesome as he fights off impossible odds. It speaks to the nature of heroism, that sometimes it’s not what you’re fighting for; it’s who you’re fighting for.

[Traab]

With the heroic sacrifice, I always like that one scene where after its all over the camera pans back to the guy that sacrificed himself, and there is a suitably epic pile of bodies around him, or it shows he died in such a way that it looks like he is still standing, or even sitting. At the very least show us a ludicrous number of wounds like when boromir took three arrows to drop him to his knees, even after the second arrow he was still fighting and slaughtering orcs.

This is a pretty good showing of a last stand style fight imo. Algrin is standing his ground, slaughtering everyone who attacks him, even grievously wounded he keeps fighting. When one of the samurai tries to kill him, he manages to take that one last fighter out before collapsing.

[BannedInSchool]

Another trope that I actually like is the heroic sacrifice. When the guy stays behind to hold off the onslaught of enemies long enough for the other heroes to get away. Especially when the hero takes a lot of them with him; goes out with a bang and typically gets a crowning moment of awesome as he fights off impossible odds.

I'm partial to the redemptive sacrifice version of a secondary antagonist doing that after realizing their guilt. Hey, we did ask for cliches.

[Rodin]

One of my favorites is when the hero(es) and villain(s) are forced by circumstances to work together. The only thing I like more is when the bad guy becomes one of the good guys (Magus from Chrono Trigger, Magneto sometimes, etc.). Basically, I love it when bad guys go good.

Being forced to work together can work pretty well. You can get a lot of good verbal sniping when that happens. I'm not such a big fan of the "bad guy becomes good" trope though, because a lot of the time the good guys would have to be freaking insane to work with them. Vegeta is the obvious example here - the dude has a backstory of blowing up planets for profit, blew up a planet while on a bathroom stop just for laughs, attempted to blow up the Earth, killed several main characters...

I can buy them being forced to work together with him to fight Freeza. But then when the arc is over the fact that he's a mass-murdering psychopath is kinda forgotten about.

Bad guy becoming good can work if the guy was originally pretty grey to begin with - Magus does work since he was of the "save the world no matter how evil I have to be to do it" variety. A lot of the supervillain types that make the switch though...I wouldn't trust them to take out the trash, never mind ask them to join a team which fights evil.

[Traab]

How about just good guys who hate each other to start, then eventually become friends. Gimli and legolas for example.

[Sapphire Guard]

Old friends that have been parted for years, but take no persuading when one of the old gang is in some kind of trouble.

Old friend interactions in general, especially when they make cryptic references to some old adventure that the viewer doesn't understand. That never gets explained.

Names that make arguments, not because they're called skullcrusher or something, but because they've done something in the past, ie. the name John Wick makes everyone in the city panic, or the concept of trying to bribe Sam Vimes makes people laugh.

[Velaryon]

Another trope that I actually like is the heroic sacrifice. When the guy stays behind to hold off the onslaught of enemies long enough for the other heroes to get away. Especially when the hero takes a lot of them with him; goes out with a bang and typically gets a crowning moment of awesome as he fights off impossible odds. It speaks to the nature of heroism, that sometimes it’s not what you’re fighting for; it’s who you’re fighting for.

Ooh, this is a good one. Sometimes it can even redeem a character I don't otherwise like. Ganner Rhysode springs to mind.

Being forced to work together can work pretty well. You can get a lot of good verbal sniping when that happens. I'm not such a big fan of the "bad guy becomes good" trope though, because a lot of the time the good guys would have to be freaking insane to work with them. Vegeta is the obvious example here - the dude has a backstory of blowing up planets for profit, blew up a planet while on a bathroom stop just for laughs, attempted to blow up the Earth, killed several main characters...

I can buy them being forced to work together with him to fight Freeza. But then when the arc is over the fact that he's a mass-murdering psychopath is kinda forgotten about.

Bad guy becoming good can work if the guy was originally pretty grey to begin with - Magus does work since he was of the "save the world no matter how evil I have to be to do it" variety. A lot of the supervillain types that make the switch though...I wouldn't trust them to take out the trash, never mind ask them to join a team which fights evil.

Oddly enough, I hate every single thing about Dragon Ball Z, including Vegeta. I must admit though that I gave up on the show before his face turn happened, so I can't comment specifically on how it was done. Vegeta didn't even occur to me as I was typing my post.

The worst for me is when a villain redemption is teased but never really happens. Sandor Clegane in A Storm of Swords was like the worst case of blue balls ever for me. Never did I so badly want a villain to turn a corner and start the road to redemption.

[Peelee]

Ooh, this is a good one. Sometimes it can even redeem a character I don't otherwise like. Ganner Rhysode springs to mind.

Ganner's entire story seemed to be based around being completely meh, both in-universe and by readers, until the fight in the gate of the well of the world brain turned him unbelievably epic. It was kinda risky, since if that hadn't been pulled off well, it would have made his entire story a waste. Similar to how the entire Yuuzhan Vong series was a waste.

[Avilan the Grey]

In no particular order:

Let's Get Dangerous - Basically when characters not seen as dangerous, or serious, choose, or have to, step up to the plate, and is killing it. The name is from Darkwing Duck, where the main character was a clumsy idiot Batman expy that when things were really serious, uttered this catchphrase and well... started kicking butt.

Crouching Moron Hidden Badass - Different from the first one in that this person also actually change in personality, more permanently.

The Ladette - Basically a woman being one of the boys, but yet a woman. Think fem!Shep or Sgt Calhoun (sexiest Disney Princess EVER), for example. Drinks, gambles, curses... punches marines in the face... but still feminine.

Action Girl - A woman kicking ass and taking names. A female badass.

Dark Action Girl - The same thing, but on the side of the main villain. Or the Villain herself.

The Heroe's Journey - The classic story of the (probaby orphan) farm (or otherwise poor) circumstances boy (or girl) that leaves home, gets supernatural aid (probably), overcomes insecurities, monsters and whatsits and then returns home at the end of the story.

Band Of Brothers - Basically "All for one and one for all". The ultimate group of battle-forged friends.

A Ragtag Bunch Of Misfits - You know the types. 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 or whatever of people that has nothing in comon hates eachother, are bad people... forced to work together for the greater good. And probably, by the end (or about two thirds into the story) becoming a Band Of Brothers.

I think these are some of my most favorite ones.

[Fri]

Maybe you can explain what does each of those tropes mean and/or why you like them, because eventhough their meaning might be obvious, not all of us are fluent in notwikipedia's language.

[Avilan the Grey]

Maybe you can explain what does each of those tropes mean and/or why you like them, because eventhough their meaning might be obvious, not all of us are fluent in notwikipedia's language.

Done. I edited my post above.

[TheThan]

I’m also a sucker for a good rise/fall/redemption story. The stories of Darth Vader (Star Wars), Londo Mollari (Babylon 5), Prince Zuko (Avatar: the last Airbender), to name a few. A good person is tainted by evil and decides (subconsciously or not) that he must embrace that evil, only to have a change of heart, turns around and finds redemption. Sometimes he lives, sometimes not. But in doing so he’s redeemed and becomes a hero; even if it’s only for a few moments before the end.

[McStabbington]

As for katanas, it really depends on what sort of show we’re talking about. If we’re talking about a Kurosawa epic, or some other period piece, I’ll totally let the swordsmanship slide. But I do want to see it displayed somewhat realistically. When I see characters slice through stone that’s thicker than the katana is long and other ridiculous feats that I start to get annoyed. Granted there is such a thing as fantasy and if I didn’t know that going into the show, I might get a little annoyed.

Funny you should mention that, because Kurosawa was one of the very few action directors I've seen who was willing to let his action heroes actually improvise for the sake of verisimilitude. Most directors regard their action sequences as the money shot of the film, so they'll have their actors and stuntmen and CGI artists hone everything to a dance that, while pretty to look at, also drains the tension right out of the scene because everyone is clearly focused on getting the dance steps right rather than showing that the characters are winging it while in peril.

By contrast, one of my favorite action sequences is actually a five-second shot from the climax of Seven Samurai, where a bandit on horseback attempts to attack one of the heroes, Kambei. Now, we already know that Kambei is an Obi Wan and veteran of a hundred battles, and in that circumstance, most directors would have him pull some cool action move and kill the bandit. Kurosawa just has the actor wave his sword wildly in a clear "stop trying to stab me with your sword" desperation maneuver so that Kambei could go back to what he was doing, which was shooting bandits with his bow.

I don't know that this is a trope or that it has a name if it does, but it was a wonderful moment for the film because it so efficiently showed that this was war, and in war even badasses flail and let their instincts rather than training take over when they are tired and have been pushed to their physical limit, and this does nothing to call their badass credentials into jeopardy. They are badasses, not inhuman juggernauts who feel no pain and never get tired.