Yavannie
Greenseer
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2013
- Messages
- 90
I did a quick forum search yielding no results, so I'll just give a heads up to anyone who hasn't already seen it.
tvtropes.org has a hilarious, extensive and informative entry on A Song of Ice and Fire: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire
Basically, the site compiles tropes (a common or overused theme) for anything from games to theatre and explains them in an amusing way. Here are a few samples:
Absurdly Sharp Blade:
An absurdly sharp blade is a bladed weapon with Absurd Cutting Power because it's just that damn sharp. No magic, technology, superpowers, or other type of Applied Phlebotinum required to slice and dice to your heart's content. Such things may have been involved in the production of the blade, but when in use, its cutting power comes from its pure physical sharpness alone.
Blades like these almost always result in a Clean Cut — in fact, about the only thing they can't cut is a similarly sharp weapon. Expect to hear some Audible Sharpness (Audible Gleam optional) whenever one of these blades is in use. Frequently used in Single Stroke Battles. Be very afraid if an Absurdly Sharp Blade is in the hands of a swordsman with Implausible Fencing Powers; luckily, the Inverse Law of Sharpness and Accuracy usually ensures that it isn't.
Sharpened to a Single Atom is a subtrope popular in Sci Fi settings, where the blade is so sharp that the width of the cutting edge can be measured in atoms or molecules. See Absurdly Sharp Claws when the ASB is a Natural Weapon.
Example of Absurdly Sharp Blade in ASOIAF: Valyrian steel blades.
Drill Sergeant Nasty:
His job is simple — turn the bunch of maggot recruits that are the regulars into lean, mean fighting machines. The more you hate him, the more you will learn!
The only method he knows is The Spartan Way. He yells. He carpet bombs your ears. He makes you scrub floors with toothbrushes. He will make you drop down and give him 20, 50, or whatever arbitrary number he comes up with. He is usually played by R. Lee Ermey (who actually was a Marine drill instructor for two years) or a gruff black man (see: Louis Gossett, Jr.). [...]
Example in ASOIAF: Ser Alliser Thorne.
"Well Done Son" Guy
Our hero may be a perfectly Nice Guy, respectable, successful, a loving husband and a good father. But what he really wants is for this one guy to acknowledge this.
Most often, that one guy is his emotionally distant father, though it can also be The Ace, The Obi-Wan, an Aloof Big Brother or especially that Always Someone Better individual, usually as an old friend of the hero. Almost always a Special Guest, and often a Large Ham as well. When it's a recurring character, usually a controlling parent.
A Fawlty Towers Plot will often ensue as our hero tries increasingly more convoluted schemes to convince the "Well Done, Son" Guy of his worth.
In the end, one of two things happens. Rarely, the "Well Done, Son" Guy will turn out to have some kind of massive character flaw, and our hero will realize that it's been a mistake to weight his opinion so highly. This may result in the betrayed hero Calling the Old Man Out. Most of the time, though, everything comes to a head when the "Well Done, Son" Guy finally asks the hero why he's gone to such ridiculous ends. The hero fesses up, and the "Well Done, Son" Guy explains that he's respected the hero all along, and assumed the hero already knew (You Didn't Ask). If the "Well Done, Son" Guy is the hero's friend instead of his father, he'll often also explain that he'd always desperately wanted the respect of the hero as well (hell, sometimes the father wanted the kid's respect, especially if there's something big and nasty in his past, probably either ignored by or unknown to the hero). [...]
Examples in ASOIAF: Tyrion. And to an extent Jon and Theon.
There are tons and tons on the site to look through if you're interested. Of course they're not always a perfect match, and the whole page is quite subjective, but whoever is editing that particular section seems well-versed in the books - more so than me at least! I had a few eyeopeners as well as many good laughs while reading.
tvtropes.org has a hilarious, extensive and informative entry on A Song of Ice and Fire: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire
Basically, the site compiles tropes (a common or overused theme) for anything from games to theatre and explains them in an amusing way. Here are a few samples:
Absurdly Sharp Blade:
An absurdly sharp blade is a bladed weapon with Absurd Cutting Power because it's just that damn sharp. No magic, technology, superpowers, or other type of Applied Phlebotinum required to slice and dice to your heart's content. Such things may have been involved in the production of the blade, but when in use, its cutting power comes from its pure physical sharpness alone.
Blades like these almost always result in a Clean Cut — in fact, about the only thing they can't cut is a similarly sharp weapon. Expect to hear some Audible Sharpness (Audible Gleam optional) whenever one of these blades is in use. Frequently used in Single Stroke Battles. Be very afraid if an Absurdly Sharp Blade is in the hands of a swordsman with Implausible Fencing Powers; luckily, the Inverse Law of Sharpness and Accuracy usually ensures that it isn't.
Sharpened to a Single Atom is a subtrope popular in Sci Fi settings, where the blade is so sharp that the width of the cutting edge can be measured in atoms or molecules. See Absurdly Sharp Claws when the ASB is a Natural Weapon.
Example of Absurdly Sharp Blade in ASOIAF: Valyrian steel blades.
Drill Sergeant Nasty:
His job is simple — turn the bunch of maggot recruits that are the regulars into lean, mean fighting machines. The more you hate him, the more you will learn!
The only method he knows is The Spartan Way. He yells. He carpet bombs your ears. He makes you scrub floors with toothbrushes. He will make you drop down and give him 20, 50, or whatever arbitrary number he comes up with. He is usually played by R. Lee Ermey (who actually was a Marine drill instructor for two years) or a gruff black man (see: Louis Gossett, Jr.). [...]
Example in ASOIAF: Ser Alliser Thorne.
"Well Done Son" Guy
Our hero may be a perfectly Nice Guy, respectable, successful, a loving husband and a good father. But what he really wants is for this one guy to acknowledge this.
Most often, that one guy is his emotionally distant father, though it can also be The Ace, The Obi-Wan, an Aloof Big Brother or especially that Always Someone Better individual, usually as an old friend of the hero. Almost always a Special Guest, and often a Large Ham as well. When it's a recurring character, usually a controlling parent.
A Fawlty Towers Plot will often ensue as our hero tries increasingly more convoluted schemes to convince the "Well Done, Son" Guy of his worth.
In the end, one of two things happens. Rarely, the "Well Done, Son" Guy will turn out to have some kind of massive character flaw, and our hero will realize that it's been a mistake to weight his opinion so highly. This may result in the betrayed hero Calling the Old Man Out. Most of the time, though, everything comes to a head when the "Well Done, Son" Guy finally asks the hero why he's gone to such ridiculous ends. The hero fesses up, and the "Well Done, Son" Guy explains that he's respected the hero all along, and assumed the hero already knew (You Didn't Ask). If the "Well Done, Son" Guy is the hero's friend instead of his father, he'll often also explain that he'd always desperately wanted the respect of the hero as well (hell, sometimes the father wanted the kid's respect, especially if there's something big and nasty in his past, probably either ignored by or unknown to the hero). [...]
Examples in ASOIAF: Tyrion. And to an extent Jon and Theon.
There are tons and tons on the site to look through if you're interested. Of course they're not always a perfect match, and the whole page is quite subjective, but whoever is editing that particular section seems well-versed in the books - more so than me at least! I had a few eyeopeners as well as many good laughs while reading.
