History Main / CreatureOfHabit

Unfortunately for the Creature of Habit, fiction does not respect their decision to live a quiet life. The RuleOfDrama dictates that this is an interesting character to shove into FishOutOfWater situations, be it through the revelation that they are an unlikely ChosenOne, or TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt blowing their old life to smithereens. After all, it's only when you upset their routine that the trouble starts. Tender-hearted creatures of habit may suffer a Heroic BSOD, or at least have their gentle natures shaken. Less benign examples often reveal they're bossy, often officious nature and demonstrate why you should "beware the quiet ones." Usually, the writer decides that since "change is good", [[CharacterDevelopment the Creature of Habit will adjust]] to their new existence and learn to enjoy it, even if they occasionally pine for the days when "adventure" was a really hot cup of tea and a new brand of chocolate biscuit.

SliceOfLife stories, however, favor the creature of habit--their contented, slow nature suits the genre, and they may be the TeamMom or the earnest main character.

[[folder: Comic Books]]

[[folder:FanWorks]]

* This forms one of the core character traits of Ren Fujii from ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae''. He simply wishes to have a simple and predicable life where nothing changes. And in this universe where strong desires and wishes can become real, his eventually materializes as an ability to stop time, [[spoiler: even reaching the point where his wish could be made a law, freezing all of existence in eternal stagnation. Something that he comes to realize [[NotSoDifferent isn't much better]] than the BigBad's world of eternal strife]]. His desire for a stable life also constantly puts him at odds with his [[WithFriendsLikeThese worst best friend]] Shirou Yusa who is AllergicToRoutine.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': Temple Fugate was this even before he became the Clock King. It’s implied that he was a middle aged man when he broke his routine ''for the first time in his life''.

* Personality quizzes/tests/assessment usually have at least one category that is a creature of habit. In [[WesternZodiac western astrology]] it's Taurus and Cancer, in Myers-Briggs, Sensors, and Judgers seem more inclined to like routine. In the UsefulNotes/BigFivePersonalityTraits, this is ascribed to people scoring high in Conscientiousness and low in Openness to Experience.

** [[CosmicPlaything Rincewind]] would like to be a creature of habit and truly desires boredom (and potatoes) but rarely gets it. In ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', he is utterly bewildered to hear that Nijel deliberately abandoned a boring, routine lifetime to try being a BarbarianHero.
** Dios from the ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'' novel is such a creature of routine that it is physically impossible for him to change his habits. There are marks in the ''stone'' floors of the palace where his habitual footsteps have fallen on the same place, day after day, year after year.
** From ''Discworld/GoingPostal'' we have the Post Office's cat, which goes the same walk every day, and will wait in front of a door until it opens. It does this when [[spoiler:[[TooDumbToLive the building catches fire]]]]!!

* WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower: Adora is used to a strict regimen and TheSpartanWay. The freedom and opulence of the rebellion often leave her uncomfortable. When she gets too stressed or upset, she tends to fall back on her Horde training, such as approaching the Princess Ball with a battle plan, or seeking out training when she can't use her healing power.

* SheRaandtheprincessesofpower: Adora is used to a strict regimen and The Spartan Way. The freedom and opulence of the rebellion often leave her uncomfortable. When she gets too stressed or upset, she tends to fall back on her Horde training, such as approaching the Princess Ball with a battle plan, or seeking out training when she can't use her healing power.

* Personality quizzes/tests/assessment usually have at least one category that is a creature of habit. In [[WesternZodiac western astrology]] it's Taurus and Cancer, in Myers-Briggs, Sensors, and Judgers seem more inclined to like routine. In the UsefulNotes/BigFivePersonalityTraits, this is ascribed to people scoring high in Conscientiousness.

* Personality quizzes/tests/assessment usually have at least one category that is a creature of habit. In [[WesternZodiac western astrology]] it's Taurus and Cancer, in Myers-Briggs, Sensors, and Judgers seem more inclined to like routine.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': BigBadWannabe Lydia goes to the same café every day, makes the same DrinkOrder, sits at the same table, and even adds the same Stevia sweetener to her tea. [[spoiler: This makes it very easy for Walt to poison her in the finale.]]

They tend to be a source of puzzlement for more dynamic characters and many audiences, especially in the cases [[ValuesDissonance where cultural differences come into play]]. Say the Creature of Habit is a pig-farmer in medieval England, or a peasant in the feudal age. Surely they would be glad to get out of there? Or have some ambition beyond being stuck in a rut all their lives?

Unfortunately for the Creature of Habit, fiction does not respect their decision to live a quiet life. The RuleOfDrama dictates that this is an interesting character to shove into FishOutOfWater situations, be it through the revelation that they are an unlikely ChosenOne, or TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt blowing their old life to smithereens. After all, it's only when you upset their routine that the trouble starts. Tender-hearted creatures of habit may suffer a Heroic BSOD, or at least have their gentle natures shaken. Less benign examples often reveal their bossy, often officious nature and demonstrate why you should "beware the quiet ones." Usually, the writer decides that since "change is good", [[CharacterDevelopment the Creature of Habit will adjust]] to their new existence and learn to enjoy it, even if they occasionally pine for the days when "adventure" was a really hot cup of tea and a new brand of chocolate biscuit.

SliceOfLife stories, however, favour the creature of habit--their contented, slow nature suits the genre, and they may be the TeamMom or the earnest main character.

Often a trait of the {{Everyman}}. When a Creature of Habit has his routine shot to pieces, with no chance of recovery, he'll probably become the UnfazedEveryman once he adjusts. Occasionally a trait of the BrilliantButLazy. If they are absolutely neurotic about the timing of their schedule--for example, they MUST wash their socks at exactly 6:05 pm every Tuesday and Thursday -- then they aren't the Creature of Habit, but the much more energetic ScheduleFanatic.

* Akari of ''Manga/{{Aria}}'' is perfectly happy with her "familiar days." Sure, no day is exactly alike, but she likes knowing that certain things will always remain constant... except that they don't, hence the series' BittersweetEnding. Throughout the series, she knows in the back of her mind that achieving her goal will mean big changes, and it's a source of anxiety for her. Ultimately, she decides to live in the moment, and adjust when it's needed. But not before becoming all heartbroken when she has to say goodbye to her old gondola, once it has to be replaced by a newer version.

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Skalman from ''ComicBook/{{Bamse}}''. One of his inventions is a special alarm clock which rings when it's time for a meal or a nap. Come naptime, he goes to sleep as soon as he hears the ring, even if he's in the middle of something adventurous.

* ''Fanfic/MrAndMrsGold'': Rose knows that something was wrong in [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8581670/4/Mr-and-Mrs-Gold Chapter 4]] because her husband was late for dinner, since he is a Creature of Habit.

* Kuman-Kuman from ''Film/TheInterpreter'' does the exact same routine every day, which [[spoiler:makes it easy for an assassin to kill him by placing a bomb on a bus; after all, Kuman-Kuman takes the same bus at the same time every day.]]
* Harold Crick, protagonist of ''Film/StrangerThanFiction''. [[spoiler:This will change somewhat, though.]]

* Mycroft Holmes is so set in his ways that [[Literature/SherlockHolmes his baby brother]] knows that [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness something catastrophic must have happened]] when he gets a telegram announcing that big bro is paying a visit. Why is it so strange? "It is as if you met a tram-car coming down a country lane. Mycroft has his rails and he runs on them. His Pall Mall lodgings, the Diogenes Club, Whitehall — that is his cycle. Once, and ''only'' once, he has been here. What upheaval can possibly have derailed him?"

* Hermione runs into trouble in ''Literature/HarryPotter'' when she tries to liberate the house elves. Turns out their whole species are creatures of habit (with the odd exception) and they find HappinessInSlavery -- they don't ''want'' to be free.

** [[CosmicPlaything Rincewind]] would like to be a creature of habit and truly desires boredom (and potatoes) but almost never gets it. In ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', he is utterly bewildered to hear that Nijel deliberately abandoned a boring, routine lifetime to try being a BarbarianHero.
** Dios from the ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'' novel is such a creature of routine that it is physically impossible for him to change his habits. There are marks in the ''stone'' floors of the palace where his habitual footsteps have fallen on the exact same place, day after day, year after year.

** Harry Dresden has aspects of this, one character pointing that given a choice he will go to the same restaurant, order the same food, take the same route etc. Of course, his life tends to be full of enough unpredictable excitement that a little routine is an understandable relief. The issue came up when Harry was insisting that he was an aversion of this trope. He was told in no uncertain terms that he ''is'' a CreatureOfHabit in many ways, just not ''other peoples' ''habits. Apparently, that's just as frustrating.
** Getting really old in the Dresdenverse gets you really stuck in your ways pretty substantially. Even the more venerable wizards suffer from this, though not to the [[UpToEleven supernatural]] extent of the, well, supernatural. Harry frequently relies on this fact in dealing with heavyweight baddies, and has even won a BossFight with a clever use of this trope and some very creative magic.

* This is a defining characteristic of Hobbits in the works of Creator/JRRTolkien. Some of them occasionally get a bit "Tookish" and start thinking about adventures, but even the more whimsical ones mostly just prefer to stay in the Shire sipping tea and nibbling on cakes. Bilbo Baggins (pre-adventure) is a classic example. Nowhere does this trait make itself more plain than in their adherence to a regular schedule of meals. A Hobbit just doesn't feel right without a good breakfast. And second breakfast. And elevenses...
* In "Literature/TheEthicsOfMadness" by Creator/LarryNiven, Douglas Hooker starts out as a mild example of this trope, and winds up taking it UpToEleven after spending ''120,000 years'' fleeing from his pursuer's vessel in a one-man ramship.

* ''Literature/NeroWolfe'' has a ironclad schedule of reading, drinking beer, eating, and tending to his orchards. With much badgering from Archie, he can squeeze in working on cases.

* ''Series/BreakingBad'': BigBadWannabe Lydia goes to the same café every day, makes the same DrinkOrder, sits at the same table, and even adds the same Stevia sweetener to her tea. [[spoiler:This makes it very easy for Walt to poison her in the finale.]]

* ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'': Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was employee number 427. Employee 427's job was pushing buttons on a key board while the computer told him exactly what keys to push and how long to push them. While some would have found this job unbearably tedious, [[ArcWords Stanley was happy]] with it. Until one day, the instructions stopped coming, and Stanley realized everyone else in the building had vanished...
* Carl in ''VideoGame/HometownStory'', who has a quite regular schedrule and is a big watch nerd. He was quite the opposite in his youth, but being late to a date once lead to his then-fiancee getting injured. To give an idea of how bad it was, Carl's wife Aisha is introduced to the player in a wheelchair.

* This forms one of the core character traits of Ren Fujii from ''VisualNovel/DiesIrae''. He simply wishes to have a simple and predicable life where nothing changes. And in this universe where strong desires and wishes can become real, his eventually materializes as an ability to stop time, [[spoiler:even reaching the point where his wish could be made a law, freezing all of existence in eternal stagnation. Something that he comes to realize [[NotSoDifferent isn't much better]] than the BigBad's world of eternal strife]]. His desire for a stable life also constantly puts him at odds with his [[WithFriendsLikeThese worst best friend]] Shirou Yusa who is AllergicToRoutine.

* In RealLife, many people with autism are creatures of habit to some extent. What extent can vary greatly -- some people just get a bit more narked when plans are cancelled or people are late, others have a certain way of doing things and a certain time to do them. In more extreme cases, this trait can become an [[ScheduleFanatic obsession]], to the point the entire family has to fit around the autistic member's "schedule" or all hell breaks loose.
* Personality quizzes/tests/assessment usually have at least one category that is a creature of habit. In [[WesternZodiac western astrology]] it's Taurus and Cancer, in Myers-Briggs, Sensors and Judgers seem more inclined to like routine.
* German philosopher Immanuel Kant was famous for being one, especially in his later years. According to a famous anecdote, the inhabitants of Koenigsberg set their clocks on his daily walks, and the one day he wasn't on time, it was because he had just heard about the French Revolution breaking out. Or was reading ''Émile'' by Rousseau.

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-453 SCP-453]] forces many of its patrons to do follow a specific script. In fact, many [=SCPs=] cause those affected to act a certain way for the rest of their lives.

* Mycroft Holmes is so set in his ways that [[Literature/SherlockHolmes his baby brother]] knows that [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness something catastrophic must have happened]] when he gets a telegram announcing that big bro is paying a visit. Why is it so strange? "It is as if you met a tram-car coming down a country lane. Mycroft has his rails and he runs on them."

* ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'': Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was employee number 427. Employee 427's job was pushing buttons on a key board while the computer told him exactly what keys to push and how long to push them. While some would have found this job unbearably tedious, [[ArcWords and Stanley was happy]] with it. Until one day, the instructions stopped coming, and Stanley realized everyone else in the building had vanished...

* ''VideoGame/TheStanleyParable'': Stanley worked for a company in a big building where he was employee number 427. Employee 427's job was pushing buttons on a key board while the computer told him exactly what keys to push and how long to push them [[ArcWords and Stanley was happy.]]''

* Akari of ''Manga/{{Aria}}'' is perfectly happy with her "familiar days." Sure, no day is exactly alike, but she likes knowing that certain things will always remain constant... except that they don't, hence the series' BittersweetEnding. Throughout the series, she knows in the back of her mind that achieving her goal will mean big changes, and it's a source of anxiety for her. Ultimately, she decides to live in the moment, and adjust when it's needed.
** But not before becoming all heartbroken when she has to say goodbye to her old gondola, once it has to be replaced by a newer version.

[[folder:Comics]]

[[folder:Film]]

-->"I run my home precisely on schedule. At 6:01, I march through my door. My slippers, sherry, and pipe are due at 6:02. Consistent is the life I lead!"

** Dios from tge ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'' novel is such a creature of routine that it is physically impossible for him to change his habits. There are marks in the ''stone'' floors of the palace where his habitual footsteps have fallen on the exact same place, day after day, year after year.
** From ''Discworld/GoingPostal'' we have the Post Office's cat, which goes the same walk every day, and will wait in front of a door until it opens. It does this when [[spoiler: [[TooDumbToLive the building catches fire]]]]!!

[[folder:Videogames]]

* [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-453 SCP-453]] forces many of its patrons to do follow a specific script.
** In fact, many [[Wiki/SCPFoundation SCPs]] cause those affected to act a certain way for the rest of their lives.

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries: Temple Fugate was this even before he became the Clock King. It’s implied that he was a middle aged man when he broke his routine ''for the first time in his life''.
* This trope is lampshaded by Agura and Tezz in ''WesternAnimation/HotWheelsBattleForce5''--Agura, the hunting enthusiast of the group, had said, "Humans, like most animals, are creatures of habit. Which makes it ''very'' useful when you're trying to hunt them."

* German philosopher Immanuel Kant was famous for being one, especially in his later years. According to a famous anecdote, the inhabitants of Koenigsberg set their clocks on his daily walks, and the one day he wasn't on time, it was because he had just heard about the French Revolution breaking out. Or was reading ''Emile'' by Rousseau.

* In "[[Literature/KnownSpace The Ethics of Madness]]" by Creator/LarryNiven, Douglas Hooker starts out as a mild example of this trope, and winds up taking it UpToEleven after spending ''120,000 years'' fleeing from his pursuer's vessel in a one-man ramship.

* [[CosmicPlaything Rincewind]] from ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' would like to be a creature of habit and truly desires boredom (and potatoes) but almost never gets it. In ''Discworld/{{Sourcery}}'', he is utterly bewildered to hear that Nijel deliberately abandoned a boring, routine lifetime for a life of danger.
** Dios from the ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'' novel is such a creature of routine that it is physically impossible for him to change his habits. There are marks in the ''stone'' floors of the palace where his habitual footsteps have fallen on the exact same place, day after day, year after year.

* Mycroft Holmes is so set in his ways that [[Literature/SherlockHolmes his baby brother]] knows that something catastrophic must have happened when he gets a telegram announcing that big bro is paying a visit. Why is it so strange? "It is as if you met a tram-car coming down a country lane. Mycroft has his rails and he runs on them."

* 'Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Sheldon. Penny uses it against him during an EscalatingWar by filling all the washing machines in the building when Sheldon was going to do his laundry, forcing him to do his laundry later. He doesn't take it well.

* Nessy, the kobold housekeeper from ''Literature/TooManyCurses'', is sufficiently this trope that she always eats the same thing for breakfast, always polishes on the same day of the week, and continues to sit on a stone beneath her boss's chair rather than the chair itself even after said boss is eaten by the nurgax.

* One episode of ''HomeImprovement'' portrays Tim as one of these, as a CompressedVice.

* ''TheBigBangTheory'': Sheldon. Penny uses it against him during an EscalatingWar by filling all the washing machines in the building when Sheldon was going to do his laundry, forcing him to do his laundry later. He doesn't take it well.