Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Tuesday Tropes: I'm Going As Myself!


Frankenstein is a scary dude. People freak when he leaves the house. One night a year, however, he can go for a night on the town. No one seems to care. Some might compliment how awesome his costume is, but they better not light any pumpkins around him, though. Fire bad!

I'm Going As Myself! - a holiday trope that would allow an otherwise unsightly character to go out into the public and be accepted - even admired - by those who would otherwise flee in terror. Typically used but not limited to a Halloween gag, this trope often appears during parties, masquerades, or contests. In some cases, it pays to be ugly.

There are all kinds of variations for this trope, notably taking one's deformity and making it "look fake" so that no one will notice what they really look like during a cheesy dress-up party. Such a maneuver was used in this novel --->, when Laurel's natural wings are made to look unnatural. A similar tactic was used in the film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, but since the ghost sheet covered all of his body, the little alien doesn't quite qualify for Going As Himself.

Better luck next time, little buddy ...

*looks down and kicks a rock*

On the other hand, someone might have a secret identity, but goes to the party as himself, or herself, until they give themselves away ...

"You must be Batman ..."     "Kitty want some candy?"

They might not be at a party at all. They could be out any day of the year, but who said you can't wear a costume any day of the year?

 "Nice costume, Stinky!"

This trope is mostly expected if the story happens to have Halloween thrown into the mix, but there are creative ways to have undesirable characters come out and be accepted for who they are, even if only for a moment. Just be careful - or else they'll put a spell on you!



Have any of your stories warranted the use of I'm Going As Myself? What other stories or movies have you seen this trope used before?

I'm David, and this year, I'm going as this guy!

Now to find the clothing to match - and some rum ...

26 comments:

  1. Not used that one yet.
    And one of the best scenes in Hellboy II was when he said heck with it, the world is going to see me!

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  2. I did sort of use that one recently. In the story a bunch of zombies show up at a video store on Halloween so at first you think they're in costume, but then nope they're REAL zombies!

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  3. I never have, but I write love stories and the concepts works well in the genre...like Beauty and the Beast.

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  4. You know, I have used that trope, but I used it for a dragon and called it a hollywood publicity stunt.

    And costumes are sooooo much fun. If it weren't for costumes I'd know nothing about makeup!

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  5. Reminds me of this scene in "We're Back: A Dinosaur Story." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNOgXxronWk

    I haven't used this trope myself, but it's a fun one!

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  6. Love this trope. You're going as Captain Haddock?! SO COOL!!! This year I'm going to be Mr. Miyagi. I've already got the shirt and headband... I just need the goatee/stache combo.

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  7. I've never used that, but I love Hocus Pocus. Who can't love Bette Midler.

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  8. Don't forget the old Beauty and the Beast series penned by none other than George R.R. Martin and starring Linda Hamilton. There's a great episode where the Beast gets to go on the town with Linda because it's Halloween.

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  9. HOCUS POCUS! I so need to watch that movie.

    Great post, David!

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  10. I just put Hocus Pocus on our netflix list.

    I've never used this exactly, but I do deal with learning to accept and not hide who you are.

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  11. Not done this, but I remember it used in Wings. Loved Hocus Pocus BTW.

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  12. Love it! You know what's funny, is I was actually thinking about your blog last night and thinking that tomorrow was Tuesday Tropes... and I was wondering what you'd write about... Talk about a good blog! So fun, DPK. You are always spot on entertaining. :D

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  13. The drunk sea captain from Tin Tin. Awesome.

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  14. I like this trope, because it can allow for some interesting character development and a good peek into the character's psyche. I think that it's underused, but I'd like to see it some more -- and if nothing else, it's creative!

    I loved Tin Tin. Great pic for a costume!

    Alexandra~

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  15. I haven't used this one yet, but it is one of my favorites.

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  16. This trope was just used in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, which I just saw with my kids. :-)

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  17. I haven't used this one yet, but it is a good one. Love dressing up on Halloween though...thinking of going as Tim Burton's Sally this year.

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  18. Your post made me think of this interview Dolly Parton once gave where she shared she competed in a Dolly Parton Look-a-Like contest, and she lost, while competing as herself! Imagine that.

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  19. Through the whole post, I kept thinking...is David really going as himself? Haha. Great post.

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  20. Is it just me or does Cap'n Haddock look a little like Walter Mathau? Lots of fun ideas here! Julie

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  21. Great post! Do you think the world could handle me going as myself? a.k.a. the stay-at-home mom that justifies her kid's nakedness with the excuse that all of her characters are fully dressed?

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  22. Hocus Pocus - my favorite Halloween movie of all time. You seriously rock! Great reference!

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  23. I haven't used this trope, though it could be useful in certain genres. And thank you for putting Hocus Pocus on the brain. I must go search Netflix and watch it now=)

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