Tropescilloscope: Lampshade Hanging

Pointing out something within the story, to strengthen the audience's Willing Suspension of Disbelief. (read more at tvtropes.org)

More Tropes Jump Scare Insult Backfire Artistic License – History The Stoic Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Hooker with a Heart of Gold Serial Killer Shoot the Shaggy Dog The Great Depression All Just a Dream The Smurfette Principle Bloodless Carnage I Want My Beloved to Be Happy Punny Name Henpecked Husband Wretched Hive Shipper on Deck Covers Always Lie Soft Glass Those Two Bad Guys You Have Failed Me Russian Films Dark Action Girl Arc Words Crazy-Prepared Offscreen Teleportation Decoy Protagonist Eyepatch of Power Film Noir Advertised Extra Bland-Name Product Works Set in World War II Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Disproportionate Retribution I Did What I Had to Do Everyone Has Standards Screw the Rules, I Have Money! Super Strength Rich Bitch Curb-Stomp Battle Dirty Coward Extremely Short Timespan Corrupt Corporate Executive The Hero Rule of Funny Missing Mom Precision F-Strike The Lost Lenore Heterosexual Life-Partners Epic Fail Silence Is Golden The Mafia Off-into-the-Distance Ending All There in the Manual Star-Crossed Lovers Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Dual Wielding Narrator Pet the Dog Cool Old Guy An Aesop A God Am I Italian Films Wicked Cultured Hero Antagonist Dissonant Serenity Male Gaze A Date with Rosie Palms No Antagonist Camera Abuse Our Vampires Are Different Rated M for Manly Shut Up, Hannibal! Enemy Mine Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Abhorrent Admirer Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy Reality Is Unrealistic The '50s Leaning on the Fourth Wall Badass Grandpa Manly Tears Deconstruction Big Bad Duumvirate Film Noir Index Cold-Blooded Torture Not What It Looks Like Big Applesauce Slap-Slap-Kiss Awesome, but Impractical Reality Ensues No-Sell Villain with Good Publicity The Lancer World of Ham Disney Villain Death Deal with the Devil Does This Remind You of Anything? Insane Troll Logic Hollywood Law Guns Akimbo Bring My Brown Pants Mama Bear In Medias Res Manic Pixie Dream Girl Domestic Abuse Dramedy Red Right Hand Breaking the Fourth Wall Running Gag An Arm and a Leg Killed Mid-Sentence Rule of Symbolism The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite Sadistic Choice The Quiet One Curse Cut Short Would Hit a Girl Eiffel Tower Effect Fourth Date Marriage Belligerent Sexual Tension The Hero Dies Names to Run Away from Really Fast Eye Scream Faux Affably Evil Award-Bait Song The Ghost Daylight Horror Antagonist Title Armor-Piercing Question Big Fancy House And the Adventure Continues Once More, with Clarity! Anti-Hero Get Out! Creepy Child Brother–Sister Incest Beard of Evil Papa Wolf As the Good Book Says... Mundane Made Awesome Expository Hairstyle Change Hero of Another Story Slashed Throat Drowning My Sorrows Slasher Smile Obviously Evil Genre Savvy Adapted Out Word of God Heroic Sacrifice Blood from the Mouth Villainous Breakdown Humiliation Conga Does Not Like Shoes Chekhov's Skill Cat Fight Stylistic Suck Rule of Three Comically Missing the Point Market-Based Title Interrupted Suicide Credits Gag Throwing Your Sword Always Works Based on a True Story Eagleland Parental Neglect Death of a Child Romantic False Lead Have a Gay Old Time Rousing Speech Distracted by the Sexy Adaptational Badass Recycled IN SPACE! Daddy's Girl Chekhov's Gunman Undying Loyalty Spell My Name with an "S" Aluminum Christmas Trees Smoking Is Cool The Power of Love Anyone Can Die Film Series Hong Kong Films Fire-Forged Friends "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Determinator aka: The Determinator Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Determinator Actor Allusion Brainless Beauty Only Known by Their Nickname Screw the Money, I Have Rules! I Have Your Wife Developing Doomed Characters Taking You with Me Blonde, Brunette, Redhead I Need a Freaking Drink Badass in a Nice Suit Scenery Porn Real Life Writes the Plot Black and Gray Morality Man on Fire "The Reason You Suck" Speech Shower Scene Early Installment Weirdness Older Than They Look Bottomless Magazines Gilligan Cut Index of Film Westerns No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Big Brother Instinct Action Girl Central Theme Obfuscating Stupidity Your Cheating Heart Blood Knight What the Hell, Hero? Bad Boss Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Corpsing Driven to Suicide Captain Obvious Bullying a Dragon Five-Man Band Music Stories The '60s Trailers Always Spoil One-Man Army Fiery Redhead Hell Is That Noise Pimped-Out Dress German Films Evil Plan NO INDOOR VOICE Deadpan Snarker Soundtrack Dissonance Real Life Exactly What It Says on the Tin Scary Black Man Affectionate Parody All Men Are Perverts No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Cassandra Truth Mystery and Detective Films Vomit Indiscretion Shot Gratuitous English Only One Name O.O.C. Is Serious Business Plucky Comic Relief Pragmatic Adaptation Kick the Dog Captain Ersatz Horror Films Black Comedy Eldritch Abomination Unusually Uninteresting Sight Heroes Want Redheads I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Stealth Pun The '80s Chiaroscuro Made of Explodium Pragmatic Villainy Martial Arts Movie Dull Surprise Visual Pun Sequel Hook The Ditz The Musical Really Gets Around Pre-Mortem One-Liner Match Cut Fat Bastard Parental Substitute Creative Closing Credits Madness Mantra Male Frontal Nudity Action Survivor No Celebrities Were Harmed Darker and Edgier Psychopathic Manchild Greater-Scope Villain Auto Erotica Depraved Bisexual Woman Scorned The Casanova Up to Eleven Leave the Camera Running Instant Death Bullet The Place Foil Not Quite Dead The Alleged Car Death Seeker Laser-Guided Karma Dirty Cop Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Canon Foreigner Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Flashback Getting Crap Past the Radar The Vamp Disney Death Last-Name Basis Combat Pragmatist Mr. Exposition Cat Scare Offscreen Moment of Awesome Fanservice Half the Man He Used to Be The Un-Reveal Did Not Get the Girl Freudian Excuse Ominous Latin Chanting Romantic Comedy Mood Whiplash Re-Cut He Knows Too Much Fate Worse than Death Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Framing Device Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Spared by the Adaptation Off with His Head! Groin Attack Dressing as the Enemy Character Development Freeze-Frame Bonus Crazy Jealous Guy One-Word Title Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Thriller Mexican Standoff Tagline Meet Cute Not So Above It All Drives Like Crazy Adult Fear Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality Big Damn Heroes Line-of-Sight Name Children Are Innocent Fatal Family Photo Unwitting Instigator of Doom Boom, Headshot! Artistic License – Geography Protagonist Title Straight Gay Downer Ending Intrepid Reporter Karmic Death Scare Chord The Cavalry Call-Back Evil Sounds Deep Jerk with a Heart of Gold Public Domain Feature Films Alliterative Name Facial Horror Casting Gag Pay Evil unto Evil Bond Villain Stupidity Evil Counterpart Knife Nut Composite Character Manchild All Girls Want Bad Boys Pretty in Mink Rasputinian Death Death by Sex The Bad Guy Wins Heel Realization Product Placement Police are Useless Hair-Trigger Temper Poor Communication Kills Informed Ability Australian Movies Scenery Gorn Ambiguous Disorder Didn't Think This Through Totally Radical Broken Pedestal Mercy Kill Every Car Is a Pinto Catapult Nightmare Fan Disservice Make It Look Like an Accident Green-Eyed Monster Rape as Drama The Chessmaster Broken Bird Good Is Not Nice The Smart Guy Four-Temperament Ensemble Stock Footage Agony of the Feet Chuck Cunningham Syndrome BFG B-Movie Malevolent Masked Men Deliberately Monochrome Author Appeal For the Evulz Stepford Smiler Nice Guy Mr. Fanservice Light Is Not Good Villain Song The Reveal The Stinger Homage Nice Hat Took a Level in Jerkass Break the Haughty Danny Peary Cult Movies List Adults Are Useless Karma Houdini Badass Bookworm Insistent Terminology Artistic License – Biology Random Events Plot Cowboy Cop Same Language Dub Black Best Friend Dogged Nice Guy Kick the Son of a Bitch Revenge Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Despair Event Horizon From Bad to Worse Kill 'em All Spiteful Spit Silent Movie Be Careful What You Wish For Improbable Aiming Skills Kill It with Fire Drill Sergeant Nasty Accidental Murder Morality Pet Closed Circle Fingore British Films Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique 20 Minutes into the Future What You Are in the Dark '80s Hair Conspicuous CG Hypocritical Humor Self-Deprecation Cluster F-Bomb Parental Incest Mad Scientist Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Department of Redundancy Department Demonic Possession Training Montage Laughing Mad No Name Given Paper-Thin Disguise Moment Killer Hidden Depths Crapsack World Title Drop Wham Line It's All About Me Sole Survivor Vampire Fiction Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism Together in Death Neck Snap Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking Television Movie Index Deliberate Values Dissonance Not Even Bothering with the Accent The Voiceless Needs Wiki Magic Love La Résistance Genre Throwback Unusual Euphemism Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Ass Shove Funny Background Event Canadian Movies Overly Long Gag Disappeared Dad Double-Meaning Title Psycho for Hire Gainax Ending Room Full of Crazy Meaningful Echo Twist Ending Break the Cutie Superhero Those Two Guys May–December Romance Bloody Hilarious Riddle for the Ages Ax-Crazy Bloodier and Gorier Artistic License – Physics Diabolus ex Machina The Cameo Intergenerational Friendship Bittersweet Ending Sir Swears-a-Lot Grievous Bottley Harm War Is Hell Better to Die than Be Killed Military and Warfare Films Shirtless Scene Historical In-Joke Only a Flesh Wound Suddenly SHOUTING! In the Back Abusive Parents The Faceless Sequel Escalation Never My Fault It Will Never Catch On Babies Ever After The Stoner Bare Your Midriff All for Nothing Costume Porn Shout-Out Taking the Bullet Amusing Injuries Death by Adaptation Contrived Coincidence Hoist by His Own Petard Gender Flip Evil Is Petty Hollywood Darkness Unreliable Narrator How We Got Here The Atoner Artistic License – Gun Safety Love Triangle A Father to His Men Easily Forgiven Took a Level in Badass Foreshadowing The Starscream Expy This Is Gonna Suck A Minor Kidroduction Ms. Fanservice Vitriolic Best Buds Stealth Hi/Bye Suspiciously Similar Substitute Catch-Phrase Badass Longcoat Say My Name True Companions Establishing Character Moment Famous Last Words Brick Joke For Want of a Nail Idiot Ball The Chick Woman in White As Long as It Sounds Foreign Alpha Bitch The Bully Would Hurt a Child Face Death with Dignity Politically Incorrect Villain Frame-Up Face–Heel Turn Parental Abandonment Obstructive Bureaucrat No OSHA Compliance Chekhov's Gun She Cleans Up Nicely Bound and Gagged All There in the Script Imagine Spot Jitter Cam Honor Before Reason Earn Your Happy Ending Improvised Weapon Lighter and Softer Double Entendre Rule of Cool The '90s Dutch Angle Noodle Incident Take That! Animal Title Index Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Knight Templar Not Using the "Z" Word Eureka Moment "Awesome McCool" Name Monumental Damage Unresolved Sexual Tension Fanservice Extra Ragtag Bunch of Misfits From Nobody to Nightmare Black Dude Dies First Becoming the Mask Camp Gay Reasonable Authority Figure Cain and Abel Slasher Movie Maybe Ever After Roaring Rampage of Revenge Very Loosely Based on a True Story Loads and Loads of Characters Shown Their Work Defrosting Ice Queen Badass Boast Bond One-Liner Defiant to the End Major Injury Underreaction Age Lift Wounded Gazelle Gambit Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Outrun the Fireball Plot Hole Cool Guns Blackmail Due to the Dead Villain Opening Scene Fantastic Racism Never Found the Body Loophole Abuse Adaptational Attractiveness Bavarian Fire Drill Bowdlerise Celebrity Paradox Berserk Button Book-Ends As You Know Destination Defenestration Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Kids Are Cruel One Steve Limit Posthumous Character Flipping the Bird Lampshade Hanging The Mole No Ending Improbable Weapon User Logo Joke Documentary Death by Irony Coming-of-Age Story Anti-Villain Unspoken Plan Guarantee Fun with Acronyms You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Arranged Marriage Too Dumb to Live Amoral Attorney My God, What Have I Done? Your Head A-Splode Grey and Gray Morality Adaptation Dye-Job Sealed Evil in a Can Evil Is Hammy Hate Sink Storming the Castle Fantasy Films Redshirt Army The Load Anachronism Stew As Himself In Name Only Ambiguously Gay Ironic Echo Deus ex Machina Evil Brit My Beloved Smother Serious Business Cool Car Adaptation Expansion The Sociopath Evil-Detecting Dog Screw This, I'm Outta Here! Fainting Adaptational Villainy Dark and Troubled Past Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Evil vs. Evil Large Ham Jerk Jock Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Japanese Films Alas, Poor Villain Vacation Films Token Minority Irony And I Must Scream Failed a Spot Check Made of Iron Tap on the Head Important Haircut Sci-Fi Horror Heroic BSoD Card-Carrying Villain Playing Gertrude Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Ambiguous Ending folderlabel Cool Shades Rewatch Bonus Betty and Veronica Creator Cameo Meaningful Background Event Truth in Television Mistaken for Gay Properly Paranoid Gone Horribly Right Spanner in the Works Married to the Job Worthy Opponent Spiritual Successor The Dreaded Back from the Dead Oh, Crap! Accidental Misnaming Bunny-Ears Lawyer Suspiciously Specific Denial Damsel in Distress Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! Jerkass Mythology Gag There Is No Kill Like Overkill Adaptation Distillation Cloudcuckoolander Here We Go Again! Hypocrite French Films Not So Stoic Victoria's Secret Compartment Final Girl Wrong Genre Savvy "Shaggy Dog" Story Early-Bird Cameo Left the Background Music On Empathic Environment Overprotective Dad Beware the Nice Ones Retcon Ascended Extra N-Word Privileges Beta Couple Fish out of Water Immune to Bullets Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies Hope Spot Manipulative Bastard Happily Married She's Got Legs Those Wacky Nazis Actually Pretty Funny Mighty Whitey Sanity Slippage Big "NO!" Bar Brawl Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Continuity Nod Animated Credits Opening A.I. Is a Crapshoot Take a Third Option Disguised in Drag The Big Guy Police Brutality Big Bad Well-Intentioned Extremist Never Trust a Trailer Girl-on-Girl Is Hot Guile Hero Artistic License – Law The Dragon Refuge in Audacity Gory Discretion Shot The Alcoholic What Happened to the Mouse? Dwindling Party Fake Shemp Bald of Evil Science Fiction Films Dumb Blonde Evil Laugh Nothing Is Scarier The Dog Bites Back Smug Snake Action Genre Chewing the Scenery Death Glare Dirty Old Man Bad "Bad Acting" Sexy Discretion Shot Pyrrhic Victory Translation Convention Mugging the Monster Batman Gambit I'm a Humanitarian Wham Shot timeperiod Punch-Clock Villain Time Skip Men Are the Expendable Gender Even Evil Has Standards Affably Evil Bait-and-Switch Implacable Man Sassy Black Woman It's Personal Dark Reprise Dying Moment of Awesome Air-Vent Passageway Ungrateful Bastard Attempted Rape Bilingual Bonus Foregone Conclusion The '70s Small Name, Big Ego Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil The Ace Heel–Face Turn Bi the Way The X of Y Broken Aesop You Killed My Father Exact Words Aside Glance My Greatest Failure Red Herring Cruel and Unusual Death Chase Scene Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Call-Forward Kubrick Stare Almost Kiss Apocalypse How Reality Has No Subtitles Extreme Doormat It Can Think Whole Plot Reference Sacrificial Lion Friend to All Children Anachronic Order Faking the Dead Jerkass Has a Point Dropped a Bridge on Him Ghost Fiction Animal Motifs "Well Done, Son!" Guy Only Sane Man Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Retirony Body Horror Reckless Gun Usage Cool Old Lady Funny Foreigner Horror Comedy Skewed Priorities Big Eater Annoying Younger Sibling Mooks Biopic After the End Historical Hero Upgrade Vomit Discretion Shot Dramatic Gun Cock Ship Tease You Have Outlived Your Usefulness Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Meaningful Name Bury Your Gays Villain Ball Car Fu Asshole Victim Adaptation Name Change Novelization Epic Movie Country Matters Punctuated! For! Emphasis! Red Oni, Blue Oni Lock and Load Montage Non-Indicative Name Retired Badass Tempting Fate Race Lift Red Shirt Christmas Movies Index Historical Villain Upgrade Anguished Declaration of Love Shell-Shocked Veteran Genre Shift Badass Normal Show Within a Show MacGuffin Put on a Bus Demoted to Extra Adaptational Heroism Dramatic Irony Video Credits Action Prologue Setting Update Naked People Are Funny Tranquil Fury Leitmotif Crucified Hero Shot Author Avatar Brutal Honesty Arch-Enemy Villain Protagonist Calling the Old Man Out Dark Is Not Evil Race Against the Clock Humans Are Bastards He Who Fights Monsters The End... Or Is It? Red Eyes, Take Warning Redemption Equals Death Our Zombies Are Different The Brute Authority Equals Asskicking Toplessness from the Back Beauty Is Never Tarnished Zombie Stories More Dakka Adorkable Butt-Monkey Stalker with a Crush Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! Fatal Flaw Big-Bad Ensemble Stuff Blowing Up Love at First Sight Artistic License – Military Yandere Neck Lift Femme Fatale Only in It for the Money Motor Mouth Ripped from the Headlines Let's Get Dangerous! Gold Digger Sinister Minister Drugs Are Bad Pretty Little Headshots Naïve Newcomer Sports Stories Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Dies Wide Open Black Comedy Rape Handicapped Badass The Oner The Film of the Book And Starring Mind Screw An Axe to Grind Historical-Domain Character Even Evil Has Loved Ones Peek-a-Boo Corpse Psychological Thriller Not So Different Darkest Hour Bolivian Army Ending Gorn Blatant Lies The Remake