Part 5 of the Canonical List of Subtle Trope Distinctions. Items are sorted alphabetically by whichever trope is alphabetically first; if you're looking for one in specific, use the "Find" or "Search" function of your Web browser.
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S
Saying Too Much vs. Too Much Information
- In Saying Too Much, a character blabs too much about a secret or other plot-sensitive information.
- In Too Much Information, someone is Squicked by hearing someone talk about something they really didn't want to know about, like a person's sex life or bodily functions.
The Scottish Trope vs. Speak of the Devil
- In The Scottish Trope, a word or name is believed to, or genuinely does, cause bad luck when said; the word or name doesn't actually have to be a character that directly sabotages you.
- In Speak of the Devil, the name is that of an actual villain or monster in the work and saying it causes them to show up.
Secret Art vs. Signature Move
- A Secret Art is a technique exclusive only to a certain faction or character. Nobody else aside from them know it.
- A Signature Move is a technique that a character is best known for, but it doesn't stop others from replicating it.
Secret-Keeper vs. Secret Secret-Keeper
- Secret-Keeper is when a character holds a secret, and someone close to this character knows it, like a superhero who has a Secret Identity, tells about it to his family, best friend or his girlfriend, and they promise to not tell that to anyone else.
- Secret Secret-Keeper is a character discovers this secret, but pretends to be oblivious, making that another secret, like a character finding out the secret identity of the superhero by accident, but the superhero still thinks no one knows it.
Senseless Sacrifice vs. Stupid Sacrifice
- A Senseless Sacrifice is one that turns out to have been in vain. Often, it legitimately seemed like a good idea at the time.
- A Stupid Sacrifice is when Fridge Logic sets in on a normal Heroic Sacrifice, and fans notice that there was another logical option that didn't involve the hero killing himself. Usually, the Stupid Sacrifice does achieve its goal; it's just rather inefficient about it.
Servant Race vs. Slave Race
- A Servant Race were specifically created to serve another race, whether by magic, genetic engineering, or other means.
- A Slave Race was formerly free, but the entire group was Made a Slave.
Shapeshifting Lover vs. Shapeshifting Seducer
- A Shapeshifting Lover usually only has one shifted form, and their lover knows about it. Their shapeshifting is not usually what attracted their lover to them.
- A Shapeshifting Seducer uses their powers to shift into a form more attractive to their lover, often without them knowing. This can lead to Questionable Consent, especially if they impersonate someone else.
Sharing a Body vs. Two Beings, One Body
- In Sharing a Body, two minds are in one body.
- In Two Beings, One Body, two beings are physically combined.
Shirtless Scene vs. Walking Shirtless Scene
- A Shirtless Scene is when a character takes off his shirt for fanservice.
- A Walking Shirtless Scene is a character who doesn't wear a shirt (or always leaves it open) as part of their regular costume.
Shock-and-Switch Ending vs. Surprisingly Happy Ending
- In a Shock-and-Switch Ending, it seems like there'll be a Happy Ending, but then a twist seems to undermine the happy ending, only for that twist to be a false alarm. It's a subversion of Sudden Downer Ending. (As a hypothetical example, Alice has the flu, and the work ends with her recovering, only for Bob to sneeze... because of dust.)
- In a Surprisingly Happy Ending, there is no indication that the ending will be happy up until the last minute (Hypothetical example: Alice has the flu, and she shows no signs of getting better, up until she suddenly does at the end.)
Sorting Algorithm of Deadness vs. Sorting Algorithm of Mortality
- The Sorting Algorithm of Mortality tells how likely it is that a character will be killed in the series they're in.
- The Sorting Algorithm of Deadness tells how likely it is that that character will come Back from the Dead.
Spider-Sense vs. Super-Reflexes vs. Super-Speed
- A Spider-Sense is a Psychic Power that allows a character to know when something is about to happen, even if they cannot normally detect it.
- Super-Reflexes allow a character to detect and react to something faster than a normal person could.
- Super-Speed is the ability of a character to move at incredibly fast speeds; Super-Reflexes are often a Required Secondary Power.
Staking the Loved One vs. Tragic Monster
- Staking the Loved One Is when a character is turned into a monster, and their loved one is forced to kill them. Staking the Loved One requires a Tragic Monster, but not all Tragic Monsters are Staked By The Loved One.
- Tragic Monster Is when a character who matters to the protagonist is turned into a monster and there's no way to turn them back.
Stalked by the Bell vs. Timed Mission
- A Timed Mission is any arbitrary gameplay sequence with an attached timer, that triggers an immediate Game Over if it expires.
- Stalked by the Bell doesn't trigger an immediate Game Over if the timer expires, but summons something in-game to harass/punish the player. It may or may not still be possible to complete the level with the added threat(s).
- Note that both tropes are Video Game exclusive; a timed mission in non-video game media is simply a Race Against the Clock.
Subverted Kids' Show vs. What Do You Mean, It's for Kids? vs. What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids? vs. What Do You Mean, It's Not for Little Girls?
- A Subverted Kids' Show features flagrantly adult themes (graphic violence, sex, etc.) coupled with adorable characters who look as if they're from a show aimed at young kids but clearly aren't.
- What Do You Mean, It's for Kids? describes a kids' show that contains things most people believe are inappropriate for children, such as excessive violence or demographically inappropriate humour.
- What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids? describes a show that was never intended for kids but, due to the Animation Age Ghetto, people with Public Medium Ignorance believe that it must be intended for kids even though its content clearly shows otherwise.
- What Do You Mean, It's Not for Little Girls? describes a show with few or no elements inappropriate for children, specifically little girls, but is not intended for little girls because the target demographic is in fact adults. The only thing distinguishing this from an actual kids' show is authorial intent.
Suicide Attack vs. Taking You with Me
- A Suicide Attack involves someone detonating themselves or a vehicle in a suicidal attack, which can be premeditated.
- Taking You with Me involves someone who knows they are going down deciding to try and take their opponent with them.
T
Tattle Tail vs Tipped Off by the Tail
- Tattle Tail is when a character's tail reveals emotions they would prefer to keep hidden.
- Tipped Off by the Tail is when a character's tail ruins their disguise as a human or other tailless creature.
The Chosen Zero vs. The Poorly Chosen One
- The Chosen Zero is when The Chosen One is weak, or unskilled, or dumb, or lazy, or a coward, but in the end he fulfills his role by Taking a Level in Badass, or saving everyone even with his flaws.
- The Poorly Chosen One may be unqualified too, or actually start as very strong and competent, and with a sense of justice as well, but in the end, he fails his mission, or even betrays his cause.
Tempting Fate vs. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
- Tempting Fate includes cases where the Stock Phrase "What could possibly go wrong?" is said genuinely by an unsuspecting victim with A Simple Plan.
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong? is about an obvious potential catastrophe that is said to be unlikely to happen, and thus very likely to actually happen. It's said sarcastically by the audience or a Genre Savvy character.
Training "Accident" vs. Unwinnable Training Simulation
- A Training "Accident" is when the character think it's a drill, then that it isn't, then finds out it always was. The audience may or may not know; they might guess.
- An Unwinnable Training Simulation is when the character can't win the scenario but isn't hurt.
Trope Codifier vs. Trope Maker vs. Trope Namer vs. Ur-Example
- The Ur-Example is the first example of a trope.
- The Trope Maker is the first well-known and intentional use of the trope.
- The Trope Codifier provides the template for all later uses of the trope.
- The Trope Namer provides the name of the trope on this Wiki. Usually a well-known case, but sometimes it's unrelated to the actual trope; the name just fit best.
- Note that any and all of these may overlap, but are sometimes entirely different; for example, Edgar Allan Poe invented the Detective Story, but Sherlock Holmes is the template everyone goes to when discussing such stories; however, Hamlet may be considered the Ur-Example of the mystery detective, though, as he behaves exactly like a mystery detective in the early acts of his play.
U
Undesirable Prize vs. Zonk
- An Undesirable Prize is a bad prize that the producers thought was a good one.
- A Zonk is a deliberately bad prize made to rub the loss in the player's face.
Unexpected Successor vs. You Are in Command Now
- Unexpected Successor deals with people unexpectedly receiving political office or nobility, where the ascension is usually permanent and almost always the result of a single disastrous event or unscrupulous individual.
- You Are in Command Now deals with military rank, where the ascension is usually temporary and sometimes occurs as the result of several coincidental deaths or removals.
Universe Bible vs. Universe Compendium vs. Universe Concordance vs. The Wiki Rule
- A Universe Bible is an official encyclopedia of a fictional universe, made by the authors for themselves and their co-authors.
- A Universe Compendium is an official encyclopedia of a fictional universe, made by the authors for the fans.
- A Universe Concordance is an unofficial encyclopedia of a fictional universe, made by fans for fans.
- The Wiki Rule is the recent trend of Universe Concordances to take the form of wikis.
Unwinnable vs. Unwinnable by Design vs. Unintentionally Unwinnable vs. Unwinnable Joke Game:
- Unwinnable: Super-Trope for situations where it becomes impossible to win a game.
- Unwinnable by Design: In this case, the devs designed it so that choices you made early make it impossible to finish now without finding a way to undo those things.
- Unintentionally Unwinnable: In this case, the devs either made a mistake or overlooked something. A glitch, a flaw in the game design, or something similar renders the game unbeatable. This may only occur under certain conditions — some of which can only be accomplished intentionally by the player — but the point is that it wasn't intended by the creators.
- Unwinnable Joke Game: In this case, the game is designed to be unbeatable whatever you do. It's a joke, rather than a mistake.
V
Video Game Cruelty Punishment vs. What the Hell, Player?
- A Video Game Cruelty Punishment is when a cruel action has consequences that impact gameplay; usually your character taking damage, getting a debuff or losing an important resource.
- A What the Hell, Player? is a statement that calls you out for doing something that doesn't make sense in game, whether cruel or just insane. Some will overlap with the above but some are passing remarks with no concrete punishment.
Vitriolic Best Buds vs. With Friends Like These...
- Vitriolic Best Buds are genuinely good friends who express their affection for each other through insults, fighting, etc.
- With Friends Like These... describes the relationship of two so-called "friends" who really just despise each other.
W
Weapons-Grade Vocabulary vs. Words Can Break My Bones
- Weapons-Grade Vocabulary is when spoken words inexplicably cause harm to others on their own.
- Words Can Break My Bones is when spoken words directly inflict magical effects.
What the Hell, Hero? vs. What the Hell, Player?
- What the Hell, Hero?: A heroic character is called out by another character for not-so-heroic things they did.
- What the Hell, Player?: The game calls out you, the player, (not the character you're playing as, but you) for Video Game Cruelty Potential.
With Friends Like These... vs. Who Needs Enemies?
Although similarly named, the two are actually the inverses of one another:- With Friends Like These... is about "friends" who really just despise each other.
- Who Needs Enemies? is about supposed "enemies" teaming up.
Word of Dante vs. Word of Gay vs. Word of God vs. Word of Saint Paul
- Word of Dante is information about and/or interpretation of a work that's widely accepted as true, but does not originate from the work or anyone involved in its creation.
- Word of Gay is when the creator(s) establish or clarify a character's sexuality outside the main story.
- Word of God is information about a work straight from one or more of its creators.
- Word of Saint Paul is information about and/or interpretation of a work from someone who was closely associated with the creator(s) and/or involved with the production of the work.
