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