Armageddon Tropes -- What Narrative Conventions Have YOU Stumbled Into?

[NoteworthyFellow]

TVTropes is this website, right? People post things that are common narrative conventions across a bunch of different sorts of storytelling, from television to theater to video games to literature. These aren't "clichés" or anything of the sort, just common structures that can be analyzed and/or made the butt of good-natured jokes.

In this topic, let's apply them to our characters' lives. We often talk about how we're creating stories cooperatively, right? So, how do they fit in with the established "tropes" one sees on the above site? Try to use the ones listed on that site, as they're pretty exhaustive, and maybe include a link to its description.

As always, with this sort of thread, characters alive within the last year and events/plots that may still be affecting IC events are off-limits.

I'll start.

Perpetual Poverty -- Oh, hell, too many to name. I had this Tor Scorpion Cadet dwarf a couple years back (he died in the gith invasion of Allanak). At the time, the Academy didn't have a cistern of water or a cook available to Cadets, only to full Scorpions, and Cadets were unpaid. Nobles would take you into the Academy proper to get you food and water if they had the time, but when do nobles tend to have time to spare in an active House? So, my Cadet, much like a bunch of other Cadets, lived in this perpetual limbo state of having next-to-no money and hoping that Lord or Lady Tor would have the time to take them to get food before they starved to death, though they never truly seemed to run out of money, food, or water. They were just always close to it. One time, a Lord Tor needed my dwarf to go get him a waterskin and fill it with clear water. He gave him about 10 more 'sid than necessary to do the task, and after, told him he could keep the rest of the money, and it was about the happiest day of my poor stumpy's life.

[Synthesis]

In The Back and The Combat Pragmatist, obviously.

Also: Sacrificial Lamb and Casualty in the Ring.

[Solifugid]

Oh, here's an easy one.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnyoneCanDie

[obtuscated]

Longcoat Badasses abound.

[Jenred]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheWisePrince - to an extent... alot of my characters tend to be good people, but humbled and obviously detracted by something interior, usually past experiences. I think it fits in well in Zalanthas - a person trying to do well, but overburdened by the glaring hardships of everyday life in Hell.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MysteriousWatcher - I'm a voyeur, I like to be hidden and watch things, and then use that knowledge later. I think it also influences what kind of magickers I play.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDrifter - All my characters tend to wander, and I get very disappointed with one area.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CelibateHero - I've never had mudsex and don't plan on it.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/YoungerThanTheyLook - I've never done a main-desc change (usually out of laziness or a lack of interest in -my- description), even after some 20 in-game years. Resulting in some 40-50 year old characters that look as good as when they were twenty.

So I guess all in all I'm a Wise, Celibate Prince that drifts and watches... all the while belying his age with youthful handsomeness. (Those were just a few that jumped out at me).

[Synthesis]

You know, you can use tdesc now to reflect aging if you're waiting for/too lazy to get a full mdesc overhaul on your long-lived character.

[Fathi]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ConvenientlyAnOrphan

I tend to make 'Rinthi/Red Storm/tribal PCs who were orphaned at a young age or abandoned and grew up on their own.

Oddly enough, my characters from Allanak, Tuluk, UnderTuluk, and the 'Nakki farming villages tend to come from virtually established, well fleshed-out families, some of which I've managed to wrangle other players into being a part of.

[Solifugid]

Blessed With Suck - The majority of magickers.

Too Dumb To Live - Thankfully, most of these characters don't.

In The Hood - This whole page is a Trope goldmine for Armageddon.

PermaStubble - Ahem.

Cluster F Bomb - Well, obviously.

[Thunkkin]

I like this site.

However, it is THIS times 10: http://xkcd.com/446/

[Fathi]

Too Dumb To Live - Thankfully, most of these characters don't.

This.

Cute Monster Girl - I have a habit of rolling up horrific mutants that people for some reason find adorable.

Abhorrent Admirer - Said mutants tend to stalk normal looking people.

Cute Bruiser - Almost all my most powerful combat PCs have been tiny.

Jungle Princess - Raised by gortoks and acted like it.

[Solifugid]

FunetikAksent - Used so egregiously by some characters that it deserves a fate worse than death.

[ibusoe]

TVTropes is this website, right? People post things that are common narrative conventions across a bunch of different sorts of storytelling, from television to theater to video games to literature. These aren't "clichés" or anything of the sort, just common structures that can be analyzed and/or made the butt of good-natured jokes.

Neat website.  Good example.

[ibusoe]

FunetikAksent - Used so egregiously by some characters that it deserves a fate worse than death.

Interesting.  I was worried that this bothers some people.

What's the solution, then?  How do I convey the qualities of my character's speech without Funetiks?

[a strange shadow]

Hi, Paryl!

Neat site.

[Jingo]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ICannotSelfTerminate

This one made me lol.

[Solifugid]

FunetikAksent - Used so egregiously by some characters that it deserves a fate worse than death.

Interesting.  I was worried that this bothers some people.

What's the solution, then?  How do I convey the qualities of my character's speech without Funetiks?

I'm of the opinion you can get the message across just fine with emotes, speech mannerisms, and your character's own coded accent.

> say (sounding like a bit of a yokel) Hi! I'm from Menos.

as opposed to

> say Hi! Aahm frum Menuhs.

[spawnloser]

On magickers:

Magickers aren't Blessed With Suck.  They are Cursed With Awesome:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CursedWithAwesome

Then of course there are those magickers that get this little megalomania:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AGodAmI

And how many of them simply get out of touch, even if they aren't a megalomaniac:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AboveGoodAndEvil

Then of course there's the issue with people that like tormenting gemmers:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BullyingADragon

Of course, everyone not playing a hidden magicker assumes this one at some point or another about others, with or without further data:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DislikingXMeansYouAreSecretlyX

On others:

Half-giants too often fall into this role:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Cloudcuckoolander

Of course we also have an Omnicidal Maniac somewhere running around, though not a PC:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OmnicidalManiac

Oh, and how many of you have done well, done awesome in fact, only to have the Templar decide you're still worthy of death:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished

People also fall prey to this trope in how they deal with people:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LonersAreFreaks

One of my favorites, and I know of quite a few characters to pull this goonery:  http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpellMyNameWithAThe

[Synthesis]

Heh, I love playing The Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant with my half-giants.

[SMuz]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ICannotSelfTerminate

This one made me lol.

Lol, half my Armageddon characters had that.

[Zoltan]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Wangst

I am familiar with this one in Armageddon. 

[jstorrie]

all jstorrie characters:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass

[a strange shadow]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RetiredBadass

[AmandaGreathouse]

If you use hooker in the sense of trading sex for goods, services, or personal gains, hooker with a heart of gold would have to be the most common theme in my characters.

[SMuz]

I found a few, but so recent. These are definitely my niche, though:
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BattleButler
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AlmightyJanitor

Even more so since all Armageddon characters have to start with a guild. Had a few apparently worthless social reject characters whom templars would treat nicely. I wouldn't be surprised if someone filed a player complaint at those guys

[flurry]

From the taming thread...

Why the fuck can't an HG tame an erdlu? Does he actually have to get on its back and break it like a bucking horse? Vastly more than that goes into training a creature in real life.

I'm reminded of that cartoon monster, whatever it was. (and look at that, it's a trope!)

"I will hug him and squeeze him and call him George"