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Playing With / Covered with Scars

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Basic Trope: A character is heavily scarred all over.

  • Straight: Bob has scars all over his body.
  • Exaggerated: Bob is a quadruple amputee and all his remaining skin is scar tissue.
  • Downplayed: One of Bob's arms is covered in scars.
  • Justified:
    • Bob is a warrior from a Martyrdom Culture where evading or blocking attacks is deemed cowardly.
    • Bob was subjected to torture.
    • Bob was struck by lightning, which resulted in fractal scars.
  • Inverted: Bob has no scars at all, even though you'd expect him to.
  • Subverted: Bob turns out to be a Miles Gloriosus who fakes the scars using special effects makeup.
  • Double Subverted: After taking a level in badass, he gets scarred up for real.
  • Parodied: Bob is just really clumsy and got the scars in mundane, embarrassing ways. He makes up over-the-top badass stories for all of them.
  • Zig Zagged: Bob fakes the scars, but later gains real ones. He decides they make him look more like a weakling than a badass and has cosmetic surgery to remove them. The surgery goes wrong, leaving him with even more scars.
  • Averted: Bob may have a few scars here and there, but isn't covered in them.
  • Enforced: The design team wants to show Bob is a badass veteran.
  • Invoked: Macho Masochism
  • Defied: Bob is The Combat Pragmatist and does everything he can to avoid injury.
  • Exploited: Bob displays his scars to earn sympathy and special treatment.
  • Implied: Bob wears heavy clothing at all times, even in summer, and he mentions he survived a fire.
  • Lampshaded: "Bob has more scar tissue than skin."
  • Discussed: "If a warrior has that many scars, does it mean they're weak or strong?"
  • Conversed: "How is Bob still able to move after all those injuries, let alone fight?"
  • Deconstructed:
    • Bob's extensive scarring doesn't mean he's a good fighter, it means he's a bad one who keeps getting beaten up.
    • The impact of Bob's disfigurements on his social and professional life is explored, and he suffers from Freakiness Shame.
    • Bob has severely limited mobility and constant pain from his permanent injuries.
  • Reconstructed:
    • The scarring shows that Bob struggled at first but persevered and learned from his mistakes, becoming a better fighter.
    • Bob gets a job where his intimidating appearance is an advantage, such as bouncer or bodyguard. He gravitates towards people who respect him for his experiences, and some potential romantic partners find his ruggedness attractive.
    • Bob's combat experience and pain management make him a Handicapped Badass.

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