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