Tropescilloscope: Not What It Looks Like

Characters look like they're doing something wrong, but they aren't. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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