rdfs:comment
| - With a puff of smoke, Alice the Genie appears! Solemnly, she tells Bob that because of his tireless efforts in browsing TV Tropes for nineteen hours straight, she will grant him one wish -- anything at all. Bob, after a moment's thought, wishes for a bag of potato chips. Typically appears in stories featuring magic (or a similar substitute), but can also appear in non-magical situations, like an Emperor offering an open-ended reward to a hero or a conversation between friends. Related to Be Careful What You Wish For. Also see Mundane Utility and Misapplied Phlebotinum. Examples:
|
abstract
| - With a puff of smoke, Alice the Genie appears! Solemnly, she tells Bob that because of his tireless efforts in browsing TV Tropes for nineteen hours straight, she will grant him one wish -- anything at all. Bob, after a moment's thought, wishes for a bag of potato chips. Mundane Wish is the trope when a character, given the opportunity to choose any reward without restraint, intentionally picks something simple and commonplace. While this may be done simply for comedy, it is often used to establish the practical or humble nature of the wisher -- such as if Bob simply doesn't want or need anything grand, or doesn't even think to ask for such. Alternately, Bob may be Genre Savvy enough to wish for something simple in order to counteract the backfire potential of a literal or Jerkass Genie. Typically appears in stories featuring magic (or a similar substitute), but can also appear in non-magical situations, like an Emperor offering an open-ended reward to a hero or a conversation between friends. This trope is closely related to Wasteful Wishing, but differs in intent -- Wasteful Wishing is when a request is mundane because the wisher was being frivolous or made a mistake. A Mundane Wish, in contrast, is intentionally chosen because that's all the wisher wants. Related to Be Careful What You Wish For. Also see Mundane Utility and Misapplied Phlebotinum. Examples:
|