Now for my top two favorite tropes! If you’re just starting this series now, I insist you go back and read Part 1 and Part 2.
2. Amnesiac Hero
I couldn’t find anything on TV tropes that exactly fit my second favorite trope, but Amnesiac Hero came the closest. TV tropes says that the Amnesiac Hero trope is when the hero doesn’t remember anything except possibly their own name. It goes on to talk about characters having abilities they don’t remember, a past that they probably don’t remember anyway, and a few other common themes.
The amnesia trope I was trying to find can encompass this, but it’s so much more. The trope that I love so much that it comes in as my second favorite, is the basic idea that someone doesn’t know or understand something that is important to the plot or setting. It can be because of amnesia, they could be a child, from a different country, or really any reason they don’t know what’s going on.
Why do I love this so much? It is usually a fun and interesting way to get information to the audience. Suppose the child protagonist doesn’t know what’s going on in the world and they’ve been dragged on an adventure. Well now the audience gets to find out about the world gradually, as a child would.
There are other ways to get the needed information to the audience. This one is my favorite because when the protagonist is in the dark it can be extremely satisfying for the audience to see the foreshadowing and figure something out before the protagonist does.
1. Subversion
Let me set the stage. You’re on a quest with a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits. These misfits include a Badass Normal, a Lovable Rogue, a Sweet Polly Oliver, a Chosen One, an Anti-Hero, and an Amnesiac Hero. You’re following a traditional Hero’s Journey and the antagonist is an Evil Chancellor about to give their Evil Gloat.
Did I get them all? With the addition of one or two? Good! What do you expect to happen?
I’ll tell you what I expect; the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits will outwit the Evil Chancellor toward the end of their Evil Monologue. The Amnesiac Hero will remember something of the utmost importance. The Sweet Polly Oliver will be revealed and catch at least one character off guard. The Badass Normal will come into their own. The Anti-Hero will make a questionable choice that helps everyone. The Lovable Rogue will steal whatever the team is after. And the Chosen One will save the day.
Subversion is when you take a trope and don’t do what is expected. In my example, what if the Chosen One fails? Or the Amnesiac Hero never remembers? The Sweet Polly Oliver was actually an effeminate boy the whole time? The Badass Normal is completely normal? Or the Evil Chancellor wasn’t evil at all?
I mentioned in a few of my other favorite tropes how it’s nice to be able to predict what’s going to happen. That it can be beneficial to the audience to use a trope everyone knows. If this is true, then subversion shouldn’t be my favorite trope.
It is true that predictability is good but part of why it’s so good is the feeling of shock when things don’t turn out how you predicted. In my opinion, there is nothing comparable to thinking “oh this trope, I know exactly what’s going to happen now” and then it doesn’t happen.
I’ve studied creative writing, in various forms, so much and understand certain tropes so well that I can often even predict the subversion. So, when there’s an element in a story that legitimately catches me by surprise, I immediately like that story better. The more unpredictable it was the better.
And now to wrap up
That’s right, I’m done. You now know what my top 10+ tropes are and why. I hope you enjoyed this series and are looking forward to reading more of my thoughts. In case you didn’t get here through my blog page you should check it out.
Don’t forget, I offer a variety of writing and editing services. Mention three of my top tropes to get a 5% discount on any of them. Until next time!
