The Periodic Tableof Storytelling
The basic building blocks of storytelling. Stories reuse recurring ideas called tropes; each element below links to its entry on TVTropes. Which ones will you recognize?
- top-right number — relative popularity of the trope
- large letters — the element symbol
- bottom — the trope's name
- colour — its category (key below)
Structure Setting & plots Story modifiers Plot devices Heroes Character modifiers Archetypes Villains Villains (cont.) Metatropes Production Fandom & reactions
Story molecules Pick a story to light up the elements it's built from.
.07 C Conflict .06 3as Three Act Structure 4.7 Re The Reveal .08 Cmx The Climax .09 Den The Dénouement .14 End The End 5.3 Chk Chekhov's Gun 4.3 Mcg MacGuffin 2.3 Bks Backstory 4.0 Ret Retcon 1.5 Arc Story Arc .08 Rar Romance Arc 2.6 Tri Love Triangle 6.0 Hil Hilarity Ensues 3.0 Ae An Aesop 4.0 Srs Serious Business 1.7 Msq The Masquerade 3.2 Rcy Recycled IN SPACE 2.3 X X Meets Y .75 Aa Magic A Is Magic A 1.6 Ivc Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism 2.0 Sq Status Quo Is God .43 Cal Call To Adventure .20 Rq Redemption Quest .28 Hj The Hero's Journey .38 Stw Saving the World .58 Tfc They Fight Crime 2.5 Anv Anvilicious .52 Bti Beyond The Impossible 2.5 Cl2 Crosses the Line Twice 3.0 Ria Refuge in Audacity 6.0 Dae Darker and Edgier 5.5 Scw Mind Screw 2.2 Aws Mundane Made Awesome 5.7 Bwb Fanservice 12 Cry Tear Jerker 1.9 Ang Wangst .90 Jts Jumping the Shark 1.4 Gtb Growing the Beard 3.0 Phl Applied Phlebotinum 1.1 Tb Techno Babble 3.4 Wav Hand Wave 2.4 Dx Deus Ex Machina 1.5 Ass Ass Pull 3.4 Iac Sealed Evil In A Can 1.9 Aod Artifact of Doom 1.1 Xan Xanatos Gambit 6.1 Bdh Big Damn Heroes 4.0 Pet Pet The Dog 5.8 Kik Kick The Dog 6.2 Hrz Moral Event Horizon 8.8 H The Hero 5.6 Ah Anti Hero 2.4 Ih Idiot Hero 1.3 Sh Superhero 1.3 Kh Kid Hero 1.7 Gh Guile Hero .47 Th Tragic Hero 1.7 Kni Knight in Shining Armor 3.0 Neo The Chosen One 9.1 Ag Action Girl 1.9 Pg Plucky Girl 6.4 Det The Determinator 2.3 Gb Genius Bruiser 4.0 5ma Five Man Band 3.0 Bbw Badass Bookworm 1.2 Tp Technical Pacifist 2.6 Ace The Ace 1.6 Cap The Captain 1.2 Gun The Gunslinger 1.1 Ir Intrepid Reporter .62 Ind Adventurer Archeologist .72 P Protagonist 3.2 Ib Idiot Ball 2.5 Fln Flanderization 13 Bda Badass 10 Bb Berserk Button 7.1 Jhg Jerk with a Heart of Gold 16 Ja Jerkass 8.7 Sav Genre Savvy 8.9 Hft Heel Face Turn .06 A Antagonist 7.5 Wb Woobie 9.8 Ccl Cloud Cuckoolander 9.2 Ham Large Ham .11 Rnd Rounded Character .76 Fla Flat Character .09 Dyn Dynamic Character .14 Sta Static Character 5.7 Fht Face Heel Turn 6.6 Mad Mad Scientist 2.0 Sue Mary Sue 6.4 Moo Mooks 2.1 Red Redshirts 1.4 Mug Muggles 3.9 Scr The Scrappy 5.8 Edh Ensemble Darkhorse 1.2 Wes Creator's Pet 5.6 Tsu Tsundere .51 Dbd Eccentric Mentor 1.8 Mus Dumb Muscle 2.2 Gia Gentle Giant .72 Foo The Fool .23 Tc Turncoat 1.5 Scl Star-Crossed Lovers .17 St The Storyteller .40 Lei Rebel Leader .22 Mal Rebellious Spirit .59 Kz The Klutz 1.3 Lrg Loveable Rogue 1.8 Pmd Person of Mass Destruction 23 Bad Big Bad 6.7 Mgb Magnificent Bastard 6.2 Mpb Manipulative Bastard 5.2 Chs The Chessmaster 2.9 Mon Complete Monster 3.1 Om Omnicidal Maniac 4.2 Kt Knight Templar 2.4 Etw Evil Twin .74 Ewi Enemy Within .71 Law Amoral Attorney 1.4 Ob Obstructive Bureaucrat .53 Ws Wicked Stepmother 2.3 Bru The Brute 2.5 Chi Creepy Child 2.6 Rch Archenemy 8.6 Dra The Dragon 3.6 Mol The Mole 1.7 Vir The Virus 8.7 Eld Eldritch Abomination 3.4 1wa One Winged Angel 3.7 Cce Corrupt Corporate Executive 3.0 Emp The Empire 4.0 Av Anti-Villain 3.4 Vp Villain Protagonist 3.9 4te For The Evulz 3.4 Lol Evil Laugh 1.7 Fai You Have Failed Me .37 Cat Right-Hand Cat .37 T Trope 19 Ls Lampshade Hanging 6.4 Jt Justified Trope 6.9 Sv Subverted Trope .10 Old Oldest Ones in the Book 5.5 Roc Rule of Cool 4.6 Rof Rule of Funny .87 Rod Rule of Drama .48 4wl The Fourth Wall 5.9 Tru Truth in Television 1.2 Rur Reality Is Unrealistic .15 Lr Like Reality Unless Noted .11 Anp Anthropic Principle .50 Con Law of Conservation of Detail .64 Lah Literary Agent Hypothesis .84 Md Moral Dissonance .02 Tbl Parodic Table of the Elements 1.2 Can Canon 19 Sho Shout Out 7.2 Tt Take That 1.0 Res Critical Research Failure 1.3 Vam Viewers Are Morons .59 Wob Writer On Board 4.6 Xm Executive Meddling 4.6 Rad Getting Crap Past The Radar 1.5 Dh Development Hell 2.3 Sbn Screwed By The Network 1.8 Fan Fanon .95 Sus Willing Suspension of Disbelief 7.7 Fri Fridge Logic 2.1 Et Epileptic Trees 1.8 Dlp Draco In Leather Pants 9.5 Mem Memetic Mutation 14 Wog Word of God 1.1 Mst MST3K Mantra 7.6 Sqi Squick
A faithful reconstruction of The Periodic Table of Storytelling by James Harris.
Original work licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 . Trope content © their respective contributors at TVTropes.
Original work licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 . Trope content © their respective contributors at TVTropes.
