Basic Trope: Characters count up to three before performing a task.
- Straight: Fred and friends count to three so they can lift a heavy box in unison.
- Exaggerated: Fred counts to three before walking every step.
- Downplayed: Fred counts to three in his head as he mentally prepares himself for something.
- Justified: As explained on the main page, three is the smallest number that can be used to establish a time interval.
- Inverted: Fred counts to three after putting down the heavy box.
- Fred counts down from three, and he and his group lifts the heavy box when the count reaches zero.
- Subverted:
- "On three: Three!"
- "We move on three!" And everyone moves.
- On three: One! (moves)What happened to two and three!?
- Double Subverted: "...Two! One! GO!"
- Parodied:
- "On two hundred: One... Two... Three..."
- "One, two, five!" "Three, sir!" "Three!"
- "On three!" And the group rushes to a giant number 3 painted on the floor.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted: Nobody counts to three.
- Enforced: Fred is waiting for a good opportunity, so he forces count.
- Lampshaded: ???
- Invoked: Fred pretends to count to three before attacking, but earlier told his friends to attack on two, so they could catch the enemy off guard.
- Exploited: Bill the Boss knows Fred and friends will waste time counting to three before fighting him, and uses that as an opportunity to attack them while they are not prepared.
- Defied: "Counting up to three just leads to confusion. Let's count down instead."
- Discussed: "Why do we always count to three? Why not five, or thirteen, or sixty-four?
- Conversed: ???
- Played For Drama: Fred has OCD, and counting to three is part of his compulsive behaviour.
Go to the main page on three: One... Two... THREE!