All right. We have the thread for Tropes That Stink Like Rotten Fish.
But now itās time to own up: what trope do you loveā¦ even if you know that itās The Worst Thing Ever on some level? What trope can you just not get enough of, and why?
For me, itās the various Prince And The Pauper or The Prisoner Of Zenda knockoffs and variants, in which two likely doofuses trade places and implausible hijinks ensue. Iām not sure why. I guess it takes me back to my childhood excitement at having even nominal roles in school plays and such. Getting to at least witness tons of cool stuff but then calmly put the costume away before it all gets too dull or dangerous.
(Mods, feel free to merge away if weāve already done this. I donāt remember.)
My favorite thing in a time travel story is when someone goes back to change something and it doesnāt change because them going back is the reason things happened the way they did.
I love the joke where someone is unaware of the danger they are putting people around them in. My favorite example is the scene in Weird Science where Anthony Michael Hall is casually waving a gun around (because he doesnāt realize itās a real gun) and everyone else ducks each time it points in their direction.
This also means that each and every time I handle a knife when Iām near people I swing it around like a clueless maniac, acting like I donāt realize how close it comes to cutting someone. I find it endlessly hilarious. In my office, though, they were quick to stop asking me to cut the cake whenever we celebrated someoneās birthday. (To be clear: I never requested that task; I was asked to do it a few times so it was a totally organic joke setup. I donāt think it would be funny if the person wanted to wield the knife.)
Oh, no! Does this mean all the riffs from RTās Plan 9 about the cop not knowing how to handle a gun are null and void? Was that supposed to be humorous the whole time?!
'Scuse me I need to go lie down and then come back and delete this thread. I am filled with shame.
I donāt think it can be meant to be a joke unless you also have the exaggerated reactions of the people. Otherwise itās just setup with no punchline.
I sat in a meeting once next to a guy who used his hands quite flamboyantly as he spoke. Now I could have scooted my chair a couple of feet away from the table, but I opted to stay at the table 1) so that I would still be seen as someone important enough to be in the discussion, and 2) so that I could broadly flinch every time his hands came close enough that I could have bit him if I wished. (I was kind of hoping heād take the hint and keep his hands to himself, but I also recognized my immediate teammates were enjoying it so it was still a win.)
Iām also all-in on the Enemy Mine trope, where a good guy and a bad guy have to form a temporary alliance to take on an EVEN WORSE GUY who threatens them both.
I love the Scooby Doo door gag, where the characters are chasing each other in and out of doors in a hallway. It fills me with joy anytime I see a version of it.
It has been since at least the mid 2000s when a lot of people realized they donāt have a sense of community in real life. Create the world youād like to see, am I right folks?!
Oxford Dictionary defines a trope as a significant or recurrent theme. Iād send you to TVTropes, but weād need to know your safe word for when to come rescue you from the rabbit hole.
I have said for a long time now the real world is bad enough, my fantasy world needs to be happy.
