Sunday, July 21, 2013

Guess what I'm not doing. ANYTHING!


"Feelin' Good" by The Clef Hangers

Yeah. I really like doing nothing. People should do nothing more often in my opinion.

Scratch that. That's not a great suggestion.

While I'm enjoying all this nothing, It leaves me with bloggers block because nothing interesting enough occurs when one is not active.

The reason why I waited so long was to see if something interesting could happen today so I don't have t throw more character tropes at you.

But nothing happened.

So I'll give you the tropes that describe the most insane child in the universe. My sister: Bean.

Let's start with the obvious:
Annoying Younger Sibling
The Annoying Younger Sibling is often used by writers as a balance to the "coolness" of the main protagonist. Typically the opposite sex of the main character.
Little brothers tend to be: dirty, good at sports, noisy, foul-mouthed, always get in trouble with authority, perverted. Usually a Bratty Half-Pint.
Younger sisters are usually: whiny, cry to get what they want, too curiousgo headlong into real dangerALWAYS have tea parties with dolls and one "real" participant, cheeky, nosy. Likely to be a Bratty Teenage Daughter if female and slightly older.
Alternatively, it may be that the younger sibling in question has none of the above attributes, but incurs the wrath of the main characters in equal measure by being cleverer than they are, or by getting a disproportionate amount of (inevitably positive) attention.
Annoying younger siblings of both genders tend to be tag-alongs, especially when they're not wanted. Typically, there will be something of an age gap between the protagonist and the annoying younger sibling, about three to six years on average. Too much of a gap and the sibling will lack the resources to be annoying enough. Too close and you're into Sibling Rivalry territory instead.
Note that this trope is for younger siblings who are annoying to the other characters, not to the audience.
Truth in Television, obviously.

She has this BAD:
Curious as a Monkey
Something caught this little monkey's attention...
Oh, what's that? What is that? Ohh, that thing has numbers on it! Hey, look at that thing. No, that other thing.
— The Curiosity Core, Portal

A character, usually a child, who is always monkeying with things to see how they fit together, or work, or what they are made of. (Always in total innocence.) Generally found with assorted parts of a now-out-of-commission machine scattered about his feet. Or attempting to find out what the Big Red Button does. Truth in Television for anyone who's seen the aftermath of a bored six-year-old with any form of tool.
Hilarity Ensues.
Curiosity Is a Crapshoot even for him, but generally turns out well. Usually the Cheerful Child.
The Wrench Wench can show signs of this in the presence of an engine although she usually does less damage. (She may even improve it.)
Compare with the Constantly Curious, who ask questions for the same reason. Curious as a Monkey tends to be a less persistent nuisance, but makes trouble on a much grander scale. Sometimes, they overlap, when the child has moments of acting like either.
Contrast Little Jimmy, who has no characterization except his ignorance.

She plays in the toilet.

SHE PLAYS. IN THE TOILET.

My condition after babysitting her:
Badly Battered Babysitter
...Okay. No more flash cards.

Now listen, honey, Mommy has to go to a better parenting conference. You stay right here and play.

One of the classic comedy plots, most often seen in cartoons. A babysitter is left in charge of an infant (who, despite being so young, turns out to be incredibly mobile). As soon as the infant's parents are off-stage, the babysitter begins a gauntlet of pain and anguish of which, somehow, the infant is the ultimate cause.
There are some common variations. The baby may wander away from the home, with the babysitter giving chase. In others, the baby itself turns the home into an obstacle course of doom using the furnishings, appliances, water pipes, electrical outlets, and pretty much everything else in the house. Or it is possible that the baby is unusual in some way, and thus is physical dangerous, and will inadvertantly (or not so inadvertently) hurt the babysitter in the course of "playing". Regardless, in the end grievous bodily harmcomes to the babysitter (and quite often the home itself is wrecked)... but the baby itself is safe and sound, and utterly unhurt.
When the parents — who frankly should be locked up for negligence — return home, they are either totally unaware that anything untoward has happened, or chastise the babysitter for something trivial, like tracking mud on the carpet, not knowing that he's suffered massive Amusing Injuries keeping their child safe.
A version of the story (below) goes right back to ancient Welsh folklore - making this trope Older Than Print.
Note that the "babysitter" need not be an actual babysitter, nor the "infant" an actual infant. This trope works any time a supposedly responsible individual is left in charge of an innocent, and ends up paying for it physically.
Compare No SympathyEscort MissionBabysitter From Hell is the inversion of this trope.

Super Strong Child

Little child + Super Strength = dangerous. These little kids have strength that puts The Incredible Hulk to shame, and an attitude to match. And don't you forget it! Those who mix it up with them the first time and demonstrate their ignorance have a short life expectancy. This tends to be more common in girls than boys for the surprise factor, but it can be found in both.
Compare with Small Girl, Big GunCute BruiserLittle Miss Badass and Waif-Fu. Probably a Badass Adorable. A Child Mage is when they "casts the spells that makes the people fall down" instead of just pummeling them.









In all seriousness, She makes Whiney cry with her strength on a daily basis. I once caught her doing pull-ups on the counter!

Despite all the problems she causes me she is this:
Cheerful Child
Awwwwwwww.

You've seen 'em before. That great big smile...that innocent look in their eyes that just screams "hug me!"... This is the Cheerful Child. Often female, always younger than 13, and forever with a sunny disposition on life. They might, if they're the irrepressibly curious type, know a bit more about the world than respectable people think kids of that age ought to know.
Very common in Slice of Life shows, or cartoons centered around and/or made for young children, where very little conflict happens. May serve as a foil to an older sibling in the latter's Coming of Age Story. Under optimal conditions, or with some luck, Cheerful Child usually grows up to be a Pollyanna, a Genki Girl, or Love Freak. Or, if male, maybe into a Keet. Very unfortunate Cheerful Children can be a variant of The Woobie, or worse.
The Constantly Curious are usually Cheerful Children, as is Curious as a Monkey.
Compare the Kawaiiko and The Cutie, which is about this appeal regardless of age, and the Adorably Precocious Child, who may or may not be cheerful but is usually very cute.
Contrast the Troubled ChildCreepy ChildDeliberately Cute ChildThe Fake Cutie, and Psychopathic Manchild. May overlap with Token Mini Moe.



She is always smiling and huggable and fun!

Finally, We are both EXACTLY THIS.
Mr. Imagination

SpongeBob: Squidward, you don't need television. Not as long as you have... (makes rainbow appear from hands) Imaaginaaation!

A person with a huge imagination, who spends most of the time in his or her own imaginary world, frequently out of touch with reality. Often the main character, and usually a Cheerful Child and/or a Cloudcuckoolander. A show with them has lots of imagination sequences, maybe also dream ones. May have an Imaginary Friend. In many (but not all) instances, the imaginative character is a Reality Warper, and his/her odd daydreams can temporarily become real.
In case you were searching for the series Chuunibyou Demo Koi Ga Shitai, that's here.







Oh my God I space out so much. I tune out reality all the time. So does Bean. She is always wandering about the house mumbling to herself about something that seems very important to her and specifically her. And sometimes she'll speak her gibberish to me and I'll be like:

image
No comprende sis
So yeah. I apologize for the wait. I really was hoping for something document-able today.

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