http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/JustForFun/TheUniversalGenreSavvyGuide

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Why should the Evil Overlord have all the Genre Savvy knowledge? Anyone can figure out what to do, depending on what kind of fiction they are in, and what kind of character they are.

Read these lists, and you'll be Genre Savvy, or close enough. Fail to read them, and your Genre Blindness will condemn you to pick up any Idiot Ball you see, perhaps even become Too Dumb to Live. Just make sure you read the right list. As a note, any one of these might count just as well for another kind of story (for example, Caveat Emptor when entering The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday is a given in both a transformation comic and a horror story) but it's your choice how much of each genre you decide to be savvy about in any given moment.

Note that developing one's character further, whether good or evil, is always beneficial. No matter what genre you're in, it makes you popular among the fanbase, and may even make the story more popular—which is, again, always good. Done properly, it may even induce characters of the opposite side to assist you.

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For various character types and other miscellaneous guides, see the TV Tropes "How to" Guides index.

Please feel free to add any tips you have in the relevant sections.

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By Genre

Multi-genre

Fairy Tales

Fantasy

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Furry

Harem

Horror

Martial arts

I will practice a few kicks and punches thousands of times rather than a thousand kicks and punches a few times. However, I will learn the foundations of these thousand kicks, just in case. You never know.

If I have advanced through a tournament and my opponent has scored a point off me to tie up the match, I will not engage in any Trash Talk whatsoever. He might counter by pressing my Berserk Button, which will probably get me sufficiently angry to cause illegal contact.

Mystery

Reality Shows

General Rules While I won't let on that I have, I will make sure to study as many seasons past as possible. Invariably, one or more patterns will emerge.

Absolutely nothing before reason; not revenge, not honor, and definitely not merit.

I will not treat it as a springboard to fame; more often than not, it is the quickest way to have the doors bolted shut and the keys thrown away.

I will never discourage a quitter. One more hurdle cleared. Nor will I quit for any reason below a medical emergency. Quitters are usually frowned upon at a reunion.

Survivor I will not talk to anyone. Ever. "The tribe has spoken."

Due to the tendency of the producers to bring back former contestants for a second chance, I will study the most recent seasons and look for potential returnees. I will specifically look at contestants who finished in second place or received a Creator's Pet edit, as they tend to have the highest chance of being brought back. I won't even bother to look at former winners. Especially if one of those former winners is Sandra Diaz-Twine? Get ready to be destroyed in front of the jury! Once I reach the island, I will quickly look at the number of people of each gender. If there are six males and nine females, it's safe to assume that there will be three male returnees.

If everyone starts on the same beach before being divided into tribes, I will not take the leadership role. This goes double if there are an odd number of people.

I will not assume the tribes are merged until Jeff Probst says that they are.

I will not attempt to create an alliance. Instead, I will wait until someone else asks me to be part of one.

I will not look for the hidden immunity idol without a clue to its location, unless I absolutely need it.

If I do end up with the hidden immunity idol in my possession, I will tell everyone that I have it, and that I will give it to my ally, person B. This would cause the other alliance to target my other ally, person C, as a safeguard against the idol, only for their votes to be negated when I give the idol to person C.

If I am the last remaining person from my alliance, I will recognize the possibility of me being a swing vote, and play as if I were one.

I will not attempt to cause a 3-3-3 tie with nine people on my tribe. I'll be voted out 4-3-2 if I try, so I won't even consider it.

I will not change my vote at the revote after a post-merge tie. I am not John Cochran. Especially if my own tribe has treated me like shit. That gives me leverage to go with whichever side wins the rock draw. Which is why the best way to avoid a Cochran Flip is not to make a Butt-Monkey out of him. He probably won't be thinking straight when we need him to.

If I win the first post-merge immunity challenge with the two tribes at equal numbers, I will pretend to flip to the other tribe. I will then give my immunity up to their intended target. One of two things will happen: either the other tribe all votes me, it's a 5-5 tie, and I'm immune to the rock-drawing tiebreaker, or the other tribe doesn't all vote together and one of them goes home 5-4-1.

The purpose of the game is not to eliminate the competition. Besides getting to the end, I will need to consider: which opponent should face the jury with me (this is of total importance); who is actually going to be on the jury (how I treat its members is also critical); how to get us both there without losing the votes I already have. The less dangerous my chosen goat thinks I am, the better my chances of getting to the end and beating him for the big bucks.

Once we make it to the merge, the village nutjob becomes the perfect goat for the jury. I will not view this player as a "goat threat"; taking out this player in a blindside will effectively force me out into the open and hinder my chances of a rebound. Rather, until I am fully satisfied with the price I am going to pay, I will work to protect this player at any and all cost; what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Lastly, if my plans fail and I do end up on the jury, I will choose my own criteria for voting. I am on the jury and therefore have no obligation to those standing in my judgement. The only rule by which the jury is bound is: "Vote for the player you want to win." Ignore the last four words of this rule and woe betide you. If I am campaigning for a particular finalist to win, I will take my cues by Erik Cardona and not Spencer Bledsoe. The rest of the jury does not have to put aside anything, either.

Whatever Russell Hantz did, I will not. I will attempt to model my game on Natalie White instead. For tribal relations, I will model my game on the Koror. Too risky to take the Aitu approach. For alliances, I will take (most of) my cues from the Black Widow Brigade rather than the bowheads. And preferably try to win immunity against the one remaining straggler.

Whenever we are told we can protect one member of the opposing tribe, whether through voice vote or ballot vote, it will be Whomever They Indicate They Are Going To Get Rid Of. Without exception. A chain of deals has a nasty habit of failing at crucial times.

If I have made it to the final three by winning a bunch of immunity challenges in succession, including the most recent so that I am the one deciding who gets voted off, and the other two contestants are somebody that everybody, including myself, hates or at least dislikes, and somebody that everybody loves, I will not choose to vote off the person I hate, since doing so will make my opponent in the finals somebody whom the jury is more likely to vote for instead of me. This particularly applies if, before my immunity streak, I only just barely avoided being voted off because of a double tie. America's Next Top Model No matter how insignificant it is to the field into which I am trying to break, I am not too cool for any task.

Rage Against the Mentor is a great big fat no-no.

If I were on Survivor, personality would be of great importance; here, it takes a backseat to something called a high-fashion look (good job, Ann). The Bachelor/ette No matter how badly I dread the activity, I will never, ever, ever raise any sort of a stink on the site of a group date. Nothing will turn the Bachelor off me faster than being a wet blanket. In fact, I will never raise a stink about anything within his earshot. As soon as he gets a whiff of my true colors, I'm as good as dog toast. With two dozen or so other broads in the house on the first night, it's far too soon for anything beyond the superficial, let alone an "amazing connection." For this very reason, I will get in as early as possible to score my shot at the Bachelor. One, we all want a piece of the guy. Two, it's going to help my chances at getting a rose. And three, you can bet the other girls aren't going to give you a sporting chance, either. Teasing or insulting the other girls is for when the guy is on his next date and I'm not. They're not the ones holding the roses. Just as shooting is not too good for any enemy of the Evil Overlord, Skinny Dipping is not too good for the Bachelor. Rest assured, the other girls aren't above using their birthday suits as weapons, either. If the other girls attempt to rat me out, I will work overtime to smooth things out with him. After all, you want that last rose, right? I will tell only little white lies about my background. When the time comes to visit the other girls' locations, he's going to find out stuff. Similarly, the Bachelor has his own closet full of skeletons. If you expect him to be squeaky-clean, you're going to be in for a very rude awakening. No boozing, ever. If I can grab some water instead, I will. In vino veritas. The "free spirit" is just comic relief. She's no threat to my progress. I will remain true to my real-world profession after the season. Especially if I am in the legal field, I will never quit my real-world job in the midst of an important case or event just for the sake of something called True Love. One, the track record of previous headliners speaks for itself. Two, the public probably will never associate me with anything else. And three, my job might not be waiting for me when I get back. If I become the Bachelor(ette): Patience is a virtue. True love does not happen overnight, or even within the span of a single season. It worked for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Under absolutely zero circumstances will I take a dig at the previous Bachelor(ette) in any promotional material. Not only is it being a poor sport, it's sinking to his / her level. And probably not good PR, either. If her real world career is that important to her, I will support my chosen debutante every step of the way, no matter what. There is, however, nothing wrong with being a model or special correspondent for the sake of her pet causes. Dancing with the Stars? Not the best way to test the love interest, although it is useful to capitalize on the extremely short shelf life of your time in the public eye. Hell's Kitchen I will not talk back to Chef Ramsay under any circumstances. Same goes for the sous chef or maî·tre-d'. Additionally, I will always tell the truth. Even if it gets me thrown off the show, being honest about my shortcomings will go much more smoothly than attempting to lie about my abilities.

I will recognize that I am attempting to win a position at a fancy restaurant whose reputation hinges on my leadership and management skills, and not just a cash prize or just to be the best. If at any point I doubt my ability to do that, I will defer to a more competent contestant if possible.

I will make friends and forge relationships, since good teamwork is necessary in the kitchen.

I will remember I am on television, that every move I make is televised, and my actions affect the perception of restaurants across the country. If I don't win, I will still make an effort to look skilled and competent, and never do anything that makes me look stupid or like an asshole (essentially, don't be Joseph).

I will pay attention to my cooking at all times, taste and inspect my food to make sure its done right, and if I'm running the pass inspect everything with a fine-toothed comb to find the intentional mistakes the sous chefs throw up.

I will not interfere with another's cooking under any circumstances unless they're thrown off the station by the chef and need to be replaced. It's not like I'll get in trouble for their mistakes.

I will stay fully focused on the task at hand, be it the challenge or the service, and not do anything that could be considered a celebratory remark or an attempt at humor until the chef orders the kitchen switched off.

I will not get drunk, no exceptions. If the reward involves wine-tasting, I will either not swallow any wine, request an alternative (if I'm a black jacket) or even just elect to stay with the losers and help out with punishment. It might suck, but I'm also guaranteed to be on my A-game for service that night.

During punishment, I will shut up and get to work helping the team, no exceptions, no matter how much it sucks.

I will not use prepackaged ingredients, no exceptions.

I will go to bed as early as possible, to ensure I'm well-rested when Chef Ramsay sends up the hellishly loud wake-up call the next morning.

I will stop myself at the first sign of being a bitch, no matter my gender. That will just cause my teammates to bulls-eye me during elimination throughout the season. When telling Chef Ramsay who's up for nomination, I will just give the names and reason, no more, no less. Also, I will not automatically assume I'm safe just because I'm not up. Even if I'm on that night's winning team.

I will stay out of any and all drama and just focus on keeping the kitchen running, and communicating to teammates. The drama kings and queens will all get caber-tossed off the show anyway.

Finally, when picking my team for the final, I will keep in mind the reason each person was eliminated and delegate them to tasks where they will deal the least damage. Other I will not utter the phrase "I'm Not Here to Make Friends" as it will ensure I will lose. Just to be safe, I won't even say it while quoting someone else. The cycle (19), so to speak, was broken.

I will take into account the desires of those who control the elimination process: If the elimination process is decided solely by the shows' writers, I will be the biggest drama-creating Jerkass possible to ensure good ratings. When it looks like my schtick is wearing thin, I'll have a quick change of heart ready to avoid elimination. If elimination is decided by an expert in the field of competition (e.g. Gordon Ramsay), I will do my utmost to hone my technique in that field, paying particular attention to any advice given by that particular expert. And I will absolutely not mouth off to said expert. If elimination is decided by my peers, I will be the blandest, most boring Nice Guy you've ever seen. I will avoid any and all backstabbing and say nothing but nice things about people. This way, at the end of the season when it's me versus the Magnificent Bastard, everyone will vote for me just to spite him. If elimination is decided by popular vote, I will try to create some sort of catchphrase or meme so that America latches on to me.

I will remember that in some cases, The Runner-Up Takes It All, therefore I will focus less on winning and more on being marketable.

If I am on a reality show which has been known to have mental challenges, I will take detailed notes on everything that has happened on the show whenever it's feasible to do so. Chances are there will be an open-notes pop quiz later.

If I am going on a show with physical challenges, I will learn to swim.

If I am going on a show where outdoor survival skills may be important, I will find an older edition of the Boy Scout Handbook and practice all the techniques shown therein for at least six months prior to appearing on the show.

I will learn how to read a map. It's a good skill to have in general.

I will make sure to watch previous seasons of the show, so as to recognise any or all of the following: reused challenges; commonly used 'twists' or surprises; what the host or judges like; things that got previous contestants eliminated; skills or tasks I should probably practice before going on; whether I'm actually good enough to be on the show in the first place; mistakes commonly made by other contestants, etc.

If there is even the smallest chance that I may have to drive a car on the show, I will learn how to operate a manual transmission.

Secret Talents Of The Stars: the ultimate research failure. I will devote at least two years to the concept. And I will not have it scheduled in a suicide time slot for anything. And if even the casual viewer knows your "secret" talent, it really isn't a secret . Right, Mya ?

No matter how much I think I'm the favorite to win the challenge/round/entire season/whatever, I will not brag about it until it's over. The guy who brags about their advantage, imagined or real, always ends up screwing themselves over with their hubris and/or complacency. Then the editors inevitably show as much of their bragging as they can possibly fit into the show's time slot, making them look like an even bigger idiot.

If I ended up getting nominated into Canada's Worst Driver or any other bad driving show, I will take the driving lessons seriously and attempt to learn further while the show is not taping so that I can graduate early and not ended up making a fool of myself in front of the viewers all over the country.

Competing for a contract to host my own show? Penny Davidi is the textbook example of exactly how to not do things.

Romance

Science Fiction

Situational Comedy

If I am unmarried and not part of a set of True Companions, I will join one ASAP. Preferably one where everyone has a very distinct personality.

I will never utter the words "Can't you see I'm busy?" to relatives or loved ones. Chances are that what they have to say is far more important.

Family always has higher priority over work, even if it means I have to miss a chance for promotion.

If I am a member of an Acceptable Target, I will act as unstereotypical as possible.

If I have children, I will familiarize myself with the latest video games. Nothing says uncool like a parent who only knows how to play Pac-Man.

When I'm in an embarrassing (but not illegal) situation, I will tell the honest truth instead of covering it up.

I will learn how to treat the Drop-In Character as a close friend. Yelling at him will never convince him to go away. Unless it's once in a blue moon, I will not be a Drop-In Character. That's the fast track to either getting thrown out (perhaps literally) or getting a rap sheet. And probably both. Alternatively, if a Drop-In Character is just that annoying and intrusive, I'll mosey on down to the hardware store, look for one of those crazy "lock" contraptions I keep hearing about, and maybe consider installing one on my front door. Yes, even if there is already one installed on it; the Drop-In Character may have acquired a key to it at some point offscreen.

If a close friend is a Mad Scientist, I will not be anywhere near him when he performs his experiments, no matter how well-intentioned.

When I am about to tell a friend/lover/relative something important, I will not allow said person to make a statement of their own first. Chances are that said statement is some glurge-ey emotional speech that will guilt me out of saying what I was about to say.

I will not, under any circumstances, cheat on my boyfriend/girlfriend if I am not sure I can get away with it. Getting found out usually results in my fellow True Companions turning against me. And if I get caught I will take extra care to not try and justify my mistake by claiming that me and my boyfriend/girflriend were on a break.

If I am on a camping trip and have lashed up some fancy contraption, I will understand the difference between a square knot, which will remain sturdy when pressure is applied, and a granny knot, which will come undone if tugged on lightly. Also, if I am male and camping with one or more females, I will listen to them instead of going off on my own, no matter how much it may hurt my pride. And for the love of God, I will know how to identify poison oak, poison sumac and poison ivy.

Superhero

Time Travel

Transformation

Metafiction

By Medium

Anime and Manga

Fan Fiction

Films

General If possible, I will become the narrator and always speak of the film as portraying past events that I survived intact. Judd Apatow's films I will try to be as average-looking as possible, but funny. Definitely funny. If this is the case, I'll be getting tail like nobody's business.

I will try to be the "leader" of my group. This will mean I will be landing the most attractive female.

I will by no means attempt to improve my life. Self-improvement is for losers. Chicks dig unattractive, funny guys who still work in retail. Besides, my life will probably improve anyways once I get handed a great new job or promotion I may or may not have ever been shown working hard to receive.

If I'm in a relationship with the lead female at the beginning of the movie, I will just save myself the time and trouble and break up with her now. She will be ending up with the average-looking funny guy who still works in retail. Lifetime Movie of the Week I will make sure that the legal measures I am presently taking will allow me to keep my baby for the rest of my life. I don't want to get jerked around by any more lawyers.

Building on that, I will go and get a female lawyer the first thing I do.

I will avoid the male gender at all costs. They are only out to get me. I will make an exception for the childhood friend who has no romantic interest in me, because he won't be as evil as the rest of them. In fact, I'll have to put him on notice, too. The nicer and more supportive he is, the more likely it'll become that he gets murdered by my evil husband, boyfriend, stalker or whatever. If he happens to be a Gay Best Friend, then I'd better just cut the crap and see if there are any secure bomb shelters in the area he can hide in 'til this whole thing blows over; there's no way he's getting out of this alive otherwise.

I will believe any and all stories about the man I am about to marry: allegations that he has a secret second family; that he's really an Ax-Crazy murderer; and other unflattering accusations and profiles; these will all be completely true by the end of the movie.

I will not have children. It never helps things. They only end up used as bargaining chips in kidnappings anyway. If I must have children, they will be wearing tracking devices at all times. I will have a network of people just making sure that they're OK everywhere they go. When any daughters I have turn 13, I will send them out of town to live with relatives until they're able to work through whatever life issues they will no doubt develop.

I will go to the cops the instant my husband shows the slightest hint of being abusive. Unless the cops are male. Then I'll just have no choice but to kill him. In fact, I should probably just kill him anyway; nobody on this network is going to penalize me very much for killing an abusive male; in the eyes of the Target Audience, I shouldn't be punished because he deserves to die.

When I am in the hospital giving birth to my child, I will make sure that my room is secure and there is a sign-in sheet on the front door. Only female doctors will be allowed in. I will tell my terrible, awful baby daddy that I'm giving birth at another hospital on the other side of town. Finally, I will make absolutely sure that the child is legally mine and that no one can take him/her from me.

If I am male, I will identify the heroine as quickly as possible and stay away from her. The less screentime I get, the better. If I absolutely must be around her (for work-related reasons or something), I will remain cold and aloof at all times, and use any excuse I can find to be in a different city. The less I interact with her, the better. If I can't get out of it, I will, at the earliest opportunity, smash a hole in the Fourth Wall and brutally murder the writing staff and the producers in revenge for every indignity they would no doubt subject me to. That will at least mean if I'm the villain, I've earned it rightfully.

Better yet, I will cross-dress. I'm male. What the hell am I doing on this network, anyway?

Even better, If I am offered to be on this network before the above future indignities occur, I will decline said offer, no matter how well it pays, and haul ass outta the vicinity as soon as possible.

While jogging, I will never wear headphones that block out all sounds. If I feel the need to stop and stretch, I will either suppress that desire or find a very well-lit and crowded public place. War Movies See How to Survive a War Movie.

Mythology

Music

Opera

Pro Wrestling

If I'm in the same promotion as Hulk Hogan, I will verify if he is the traditional, heroic Hulkster or if he's in his Hollywood persona. If I'm a villain and Hogan is in red and yellow, I will avoid facing him at all costs. If I have to face him, and I get to the inevitable part of the match where he starts hulking up, I will immediately attempt a sleeper hold, or my finishing move. Anything except punching him. If I punch him, I will lose. I will not try to defeat him by submission, however. Unless I am Brock Lesnar, this will not work. If I somehow manage to defeat him, I will refuse to grant him a rematch. I will lose that rematch, and being one of the few people Hogan has never beat will make me more of a threat. If I beat him for the title and he gets a title rematch, I will immediately get myself DQed. That's my only hope. If I am a hero, I will befriend Hulk Hogan, but not be a hanger-on to him. Being friends with the Hulkster means I have a trump card ally. Being close friends to him will make me a target of every villain who is fueding with him. If he's Hollywood, I will attempt to remove his posse from the equation if at all possible. If I cannot do this before the match, I will bring backup to neutralize any run-in attempts. My backup will not consist of anyone I've had a storied relationship with, good or bad. An old rival is likely to betray me. A good friend will almost certainly betray me. I will also turn down anyone who volunteers to be my backup without me asking them. They will also certainly betray me. Whoever I select as my backup will not be allowed to wear any T-shirts, jackets, or anything else that can be used to conceal a T-shirt underneath. This will reduce the odds of my backup betraying me significantly. I will instruct that my backup that if they manage to send Hogan's lackeys to the backstage, or if no lackeys show up to the match at all, that they are to immediately go to the back and remain there. Anyone who doesn't do this is going to betray me. Should anyone who shows red flags that they are about to double-cross me, I will immediately hit Hogan with my biggest move and attempt to pin him before the traitor can interfere. I will ignore the traitor, because paying attention to him is part of Hogan's plan. Even though this version of Hogan will give up in a submission move, I will not attempt to put him in a submission, because the referee is approximately three times more likely to miss the tapout than he is to fail to notice I've pinned Hogan, and if this happens, Hogan's victory is inevitable.

I will not, for any reason, attempt to powerbomb Billy Kidman.

I will also not attempt a hurricanrana on Chris Jericho, or any high flying move on Randy Orton.

If my opponent is a Pacific Islander, I will not attempt to headbutt him or her.

Unless my last name is Anderson and I am from Minnesota, I will never trust Ric Flair. Especially if I'm Sting.

If I am in a tag team and we're in a slump, or just lost the titles, or lost a match because of a miscommunication, I will accept the blame. If my partner doesn't seem satisfied by this, or seems too satisfied by this, I will betray him before he betrays me. The backstabber is stastically the one more likely to win the rivalry and if it's going to be him or me, I'd rather it be me. Furthermore I will always be a team player and part ways with any tag team partner who thinks it's all about him. Amicably, if possible.

If a team of three are surrounding the ring, I will wait until they get on the apron, and leave the ring through the side that no member is on. For some reason, nobody ever tries this.

I will ensure that my diet is rich in Vitamin D, and will immediately leave the ring should the lights go out unexpectantly. If I hear the sound of a bell, I will leave even faster.

If I'm in a ladder match, I will not dive from the ladder until someone else has already tried to. This will improve my chances of victory significantly. Unless one of my opponents is Jeff Hardy. Then all bets are off.

I will not accept any opportunity, special or otherwise, from Dario Cueto.

If I am in ECW, I will never issue an open challenge.

Video Games

Web Comics