Basic Trope: A small object falls from a cliff to show how high the cliff is.
- Straight: Bob teeters on the edge of a cliff, a few rocks breaking off and plummeting into the sea below.
- Exaggerated:
- Bob’s teetering causes an avalanche of stones to break off.
- The camera follows the stones down.
- Downplayed: A cushion falls off the sofa as Bob plays The Floor Is Lava.
- Justified: It’s been raining recently, so the cliff is less stable.
- Inverted: As Bob teeters, the entire cliff falls out from under him, leaving just him and a few rocks in the air.
- Subverted: The rocks just sit on top of the cliff as Bob teeters.
- Double Subverted: ...Until he inadvertantly kicks them off.
- Parodied: Rocks continue to fall, whittling down the cliff until Bob’s standing on a much shorter pile of rubble.
- Zig-Zagged: Bob steps forward, detaching a pebble from the cliff edge. He steps back, then back forward, but the cliff doesn't lose any more material. He steps back and forward, this time releasing several large boulders.
- Averted: There are no loose rocks.
- Enforced: The scene will be viewed in VR, so rocks need to be added to really sell the feeling.
- Lampshaded: “Hey, I Can See My House from Here.”
- Invoked: Bob drops a stone down the cliff for entertainment.
- Exploited: Bob drops a stone down the cliff to get Alice’s attention.
- Defied: Bob picks up the stones and pockets them.
- Discussed: "I've long wondered what falling rocks look like from high above."
- Conversed: "Bob should get away from the unstable prominence."
- Implied: As he teeters, Bob hears a crumbling sound but can’t bear to look down.
- Deconstructed:
- The rocks were load-bearing, so the entire top of the cliff begins crumbling away without them.
- A stone hits Alice on the head, knocking her out cold.
- Played for Laughs: Bob drops his flashlight, so he chases it down the cliff.
- Played for Drama: Bob drops his flashlight, so he can’t find his footing properly in the dark.
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