Trope Talk: Loners
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ย. 2020
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Loners! Those super-cool badasses who don't need nobody. Let's discuss how this trope connects with Lancers, the ever-present concept of Found Family, and all the fun storylines these lone badasses find themselves tangled up in!
Who's your favorite loner? Argue in the comments!
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Loner: "I'm a hardened badass, kill without mercy and work alone."
Story: Yeets a baby in the loner's direction
Loner: Big Papa instincts intensifies
Babies are the best way to nerf an overpowered loner. Or a good way to allow for an overpowered badass loner murder montage when that baby is harmed in the direct view of the badass loner.
This comment is made even better by your name. 😂
I think you just described the plot of the Mandalorian perfectly.
@@rayanderson5797 This is the way.
Or a kid. Like in The Last of Us.
Loner: “I hate you, leave me alone!”
Friend: “I’m trying, you have to stop hugging me first.”
Loner: “... No.”
Tsundere much?
@@TheJaredPunch
Man, just call out every loner like that 😂
Reminds me of Netflix Witcher
it's like that "meet me in the middle' says the unjust man" thing, but, like, opposite
@@agustinvenegas5238 “meet me in the middle says the loner. The loner takes five steps, completely crossing the gap. Meet me in the middle says the loner.”
A pair of loners is called an "awkward"
A group of loners is called an "angst"
This made me laugh so hard!
Checked with my local biologist and he asked how I got into his house. So it's now scientifically approved!
the wise words of a cosmic turtle
I love nature facts
I saw an angst of loners walking across the street a week ago
*The Loner:* "I'm going alone."
*The Tag-along:* "Of course you are. And I'm coming with you."
That’s shrek
Loner: Why are you following me?
Tag-along: Because I'm all alone. There's no one here beside me. My problems have all gone, there's no one to deriiiiide me!🎵But you gotta have friends-🎵
Loner: STOP SINGING! It's no wonder you don't have any friends!
Tag-along: Wow. Only a true friend would be that truly honest!
@@linusmota9712 Shrek is a master class of storytelling.
LotR reference 👀
@Ismael yeah, that’s the point
Red: "If they realize they are relying on others, it hurts their pride."
Me: So, Vegeta?
Red: "I like to call this "pulling a Vegeta".
Me: Okay, so I'm following.
Vegeta and The Hulk Effect. Lol I love it
I wouldn't call Vegeta a loner, it's not like he wants to be alone, he's perfectly fine with working with underlings, he just doesn't like not being the boss.
@@arx3516 But that exactly defines him as a loner. A person who thinks that only he can stand on top and he only hangs with Goku and his gang to get stronger, so he can eventually beat Goku. In the Majin Arc, after Boo dissolves their fusion, Vegeta destroys the Potara earring, because he'd rather die fighting Boo on his own than fuse with Goku again to win. That's the ultimate loner move
@@Dragongaga No, Vegeta was GOING to destroy the Potara, but Goku talked him out of it ... I think because of what Buu did to Bulma and Trunks
Same here also had that on the self loathing loner my immediate thought was Raven and boom there she was.
"pulling a vegeta"
"the Hulk effect"
"Loners are a lot like cats actually"
Moments like these are the reason why I always tune into any episode of Trope Talk when it comes out.
Loners are usually my favorite character, which is strange, 'cause I'm a dog person.
Mmmm, might be pulling a Fuu tbh...
The Hulk Effect particularly infuriates me since it’s the least likely to be resolved
@@carlosroo5460 For a dog person that likes loners, I recommend you watch Inuyasha.
@@carlosroo5460 "The Littlest Hobo." TV show. 😊
Badass loner: Huh, cute kid
Writers: And, his parents are dead and he's completely alone AND in mortal danger!
Badass loner: ...You're gonna make me adopt the kid, aren't you.
Writer: You know me so well
Batman every 3 months
Batman makes pregnant women look like a joke(r).
_Dies from lack of grammar._
Said child:
Dies**
Loner carries on.
Meets a 2nd orphan child.
...but
.....
...
They can kick ass.
.
(*the Protagonist)- 😭 Finally some help..
To be fair
We eat that shit up
my favourite Doctor who reason for a companion is " I need an external moral compass"
See, you get it
This is Clara. She's my carer. She cares so I don't have to.
Donna?
@@DaDunge Just save one person
Time lord victorious
Imagine arguing with someone and you just whip out "You're just pulling a vegeta" on them with no context what so ever.
Woh rea uoy yreve erehw rea ä tob
you are here, once again
Dude, they would get so mad they might _actually_ pull a Vegeta.
Here before you get thousands of likes
Everywhere I go....
I see his face .
Every edgy teenager sulking in the distance:
Wow way to call me out man xD
If there is anything that covid let me do is wear a homemade ornate gass mask in public without raising suspicion
@@tytothetoetaker9788 nicee
IM NOT SULKING IM BROODING!!!
"no talk me i angy"
"wait no come back"
The little sparkly blue child seeing the loner as “dad” made me unreasonably happy
Honestly every example character is just great, and I wish they were recurring instead of examples.
Same XD
Reminds me of Cale Henituse
@@TheGhostoftheCosmos lan zhan and a-yuan??? I mean that is surprisingly accurate👁👄👁
@@megumintobuna-4537 yess, absolutely banging show
So once again, Zuko shows how he is able to fit a plethora of character archetypes and somehow accomplish being greater than the sum of their tropes.
God I miss that show.
@@TheStartrek99 The point is they want more.
@@TheStartrek99
I like the assumption that everyone has netflix
@@user-ut4tk4ph5z the assumption was that the person I was replying to may not have been aware of the fact that the show was available there.
I love how you assumed that I was assuming.
Dude. His character was so good that Legend of Korra tried to have the MC have his arc. It didn’t work very well due to budget cuts and time constraints on the writers, but you can see how they were trying to do something similar with Korra.
@@viridianacortes9642 you mean the writers tried to make Korra like Zuko? I don't see it at all.
"It's not about being alone. It's about feeling alone."
And all the loners cheered for her hitting the ball out of the park
As long as everyone remembers there's a difference between feeling alone and feeling lonely. The former is fine (even needed for some people, myself included), the latter is something to address.
Im14andthatwasdeep
“This is your fate mr. jones my dear said the devil to dear mr. jones.
You’ll be loved by the millions and great at your task but no one will see who is under the mask.
Cover your face mr. jones my dear it gets hot as hell under the foam.
And like me
You will be
In a crowd yet all alone”
@@perchy22
Exactly this! 👏
I think some loners aren't the cheering type.
Red: "The Tagalong"
Me: Ah, yes "Donkey"
Amen brother, amen
*DONKÆH*
Ah yes, Sid the Sloth.
@@mirceazaharia2094 A lone, lonely loner.
so shrek and donkey are in love?
When two loners meet:
"Hey, go away! I'm trying to be alone!"
"So am I! Go be alone somewhere else!"
"I can't! There aren't enough places to be alone."
"Damn. Well, let's just ignore each other and hope more alone-space opens up later."
"Sure."
Literally the best type of social activity. Enough peopling to consistently count as socializing to the happy brain chemical, but enough lonering to not be a crisis every time someone breathes, regardless of how low the social battery is.
@@deadersurvival4716 A webcomic I read made the brilliant observation that "walking near you to act as though we're friends" is the optimal situation: it looks as though you aren't alone, so people stop trying to bother you.
@@KyleRayner12 I'll do you one better. One friend on the floor, back to a bed or sofa or other sitting location, on their phone. Other friend sitting near them playing games. Something I've fantasized about since I first read it in a book.
@@deadersurvival4716 Make one of them reading a book uninterrupted, and it's perfect.
This entire thread, as I’ve changed over time, is something I’d honestly kinda like - maybe with some chatting here and there, about what the other is doing or about getting food or spending the night platonically - sounds pretty nice, not gonna lie
“Chuck a kid at them” Excuse me can I see that animated? Please.
I can’t remember which yakuza game it is, but there is a scene of just that
Plot: And then *the childs name* shows up.
*A child just hits the loner in the face*
@@GodKingBob it's 6,
Ah, yes, the loner. The introvert who keeps getting befriended and attacked by extroverts
I feel attacked
Is Bilbo Baggins a loner?
Hi. I’m the extrovert. I want to befriend you. I respect you as a person
You described my life
HEAVY emphasis on the "attacked" part
"I'm going to Mordor alone."
"Of course you are. And I'm coming with you!"
It's great how at the beginning of the series Frodo's having an angst fest about "Oh I'm all alone" and "Woe is me, why did *I* have to be the one who got the ring" and "This secretism thing is easy but it's eating me up inside" and then Merry, Pipin and the other dude are like: Yeah, no, we've known for months and we're all packed and ready to come too! :D
@@moxiehokutika911 bruh why did you have to do that to Sam
Also they've all knew each other before but that doesn't really matter
@@chickenusgoddus464 Do what? There was one other guy, remember?
I love Sam he’s literally the best
@@emilias8618 Yep! I agree. *Looks at my profile pic and username* Heh, I'm also very subtle about it.
Red: "If they realize they're relying on others, it hurts their pride."
Me: "Wait.. Why does it feel like I'm a bit similar to that?"
Red: "It's not about being alone, but feeling alone."
Me: "Wait a moment..."
you can found company within yourself too
On that last note of characters varying with feelings towards the loner, the Gaang reacting to zuko joining the team was great. Aang always had some hope for zuko and is somewhat trusting, Sokka was naturally hesitant but developed an understanding, Toph used her ability to detect lies, and Katara went absolutely bonkers with rage
First time I heard them called "the Gaang" and I will now weave that unto fluffing banners
bonkers
I mean the reason why Katara i particular was the most upset was because she'd already given Zuko a chance to redeem himself, and he reacted by betraying Aang and eventually leading to the funny lightning moment.
Aang doesn't really hold grudges (except against sandbenders for a while) and neither Sokka nor Toph were directly double-crossed by Zuko like that. So while she is more emotional and the Heart of the group so it's kind of natural that she'd have an emotional reason, her reaction of threatening to "End [Zuko's] destiny, right then and there" really makes sense
"Loners usually like to adopt kids" In dororo, KID adopts LONER
Finally!!! Someone else knows this show exists!
I mean yes, but that one was also kind of a "extrovert adopts introvert" type.
I mean, it does happen a lot. Puck and Isidro in Berserk, Raki and young Claire in Claymore, Tim Drake in Batman media... how many times have you heard “back off kid, I work alone” before the Loner finally, grudgingly accepts the companionship?
It’s a great trope too. The Loner is still TRYING to be alone and sometimes (not always) keep the kid out of their dangerous life, but then slowly defrosts enough to allow them in. Tsundere loner reluctant parents for the win!
That's called being the tagalong (proly :P)
@@Ajehy of course in the case of dororo, the loner is also effectively a toddler due to, uh, trauma, so he needs a parent of some variety. If its a 10 year old orphan boy, so be it
The fact that you got through an entire video about loners without once referring to ‘Zuko Alone’ is really impressive.
I, for one, found them going the whole video without mentioning Seven from Scissor Seven impressive. Also needed more Zuko. I appreciate her trying to be diverse with her fandoms, but a little less Eastern Anime would be nice.
Yeah, I was expecting Zuko to be referenced.
I was waiting for him to show up when she mentioned de-lonering via bonding experiences. He does that so much Toph artificially tried to incite one so she wouldn't be left out.
In recent videos, Red seems to be avoid ATLA even when it's appropriate. Perhaps she realizes she's referencing it too much.
@@vladimirenlow4388 Well it is the perfect show
Me watching the “wandering loner” segment: so basically “I walk this empty road, the only road that I have ever known. Don’t know where it goes, but it’s home to me and I walk alone”
"And the road becomes my bride. I am stripped of all but pride, so in her I do confide, and she keeps me satisfied. Gives me all I need!"
The fact that Broken Dreams met Metallica is just...kisses!
@@kimifw58😊
"This is the way."
*Child exists*
"Maybe the way can change..."
Proceeds to shove Din into Luke
From now on I’ll say anyone who’s having an ego problem is “pulling a Vegeta”
Seconded
Piccolo tho
Fourthed
"Attention everyone! Your planet's a mudhole and you're all worthless. I'm going to claim my birthright."
You mean you weren’t already?
"Trope Talk: Loners"
Every single introvert: *Ah yes, my time has come*
Your name in combo with your profile pic is perfect
I've never clicked on an OSP notification so fast.
@@leminjapan same. XDXD
Introverts, Unite!
... Separately, in your own character arcs.
@@vex3414 credits to the owner who gave me this idea, I only found it from another comment in one of Hades' videos (edit: whoever is confused i was formerly named "The Awesome Blue Dork" with Hades' photo from Red's art)
Writer: *shoehorns a baby character into the loner’s life*
Underage loner: I have no such -weaknesses- qualifications
When the story takes place during a war or apocalypse: *That's where you're wrong, kiddo!*
Adoptive children also exist.
"The Tag-along."
Me: Dandelion.
"They invited themselves along,"
Me: Dandelion.
"They play off the main character,"
Me: Dandelion.
"...and contrast their personality,"
Me: Dandelion.
Red: *Shows Jaskier/Dandelion.*
Me: Your Honor, I rest my case.
HAH
Heck you could say this for John Watson to loner Sherlock Holmes, it would work perfectly haha
Is it sad that I was thinking about Dandelion when she was talking about the loner adopting a kid even though he's (ostensibly) an adult?
@@daviddaugherty2816I mean, in the show he seems like it, but in the books I don't think so
"Trope Talk: Loners"
Hey, that's me!
LONERS UNITE!
...wait no
Hehe nice
Man I'd watch a show where the whole cast is made up of loners.
@@Gospel-xm7vd Oh, the dialogue would be real pain in the ass to write.
Loner 1: "You should leave, I work alone."
Loner 2: "No, you should leave. I work alone...on this case."
Let's all be alone...
Together
@@Barianus
The loners would meddle in each others business 'cuz they can't trust anyone and work together when they can't beat the big baddies themselves, only to disband immediately after.
“They might be a vigilante, an outlaw, framed for a crime they didn’t commit, a typical YA protagonist”
OOF
YA: For when you want to be a novelist but can't write for beans.
Why u gotta call em out like that
What YA again
"Hi, I'm a YA protagonist, I'm someone who the reader can project themselves onto, who the entire world is against for literally no reason. Soon though, I'll discover that I am actually special and way better than all those normal people who were picking on me. Then I'll be handed the opportunity to do something really cool without having to make any decisions of my own."
@@sayerglasgow115 basically every 9 yo
Loner: "I'm gonna go out there alone, do a backflip, snap the bad guy's neck, and save the day"
Tag Along: "Of course you are, I'm in"
Super easy, barely an inconvenience
@@angisanders7953 oh, really?
@@gamehero6816 yeah yeah yeah
@@AnakinFurythis comment section is tight
@@AnakinFurywow wow wow wow wow wow wow.
"I work alone." "You tell 'em, buddy!"
90% of loner arcs:
1-I’m a loner
2-Hi I’m the kid/extrovert!! I want to hang out whit you.
1-go away, I don’t want to experience X again
2-tell me about the X. You can trust me
1-we are friends now
> ruthless attack by extroverts causes loner to question existence
*cough* tomioka
Hey, wait, that's way to similar to how I make a lot of my friends.
Me: "Hey, how ya doing?"
Them: ".. fine"
Me: "doesn't sound fine, want to talk about it?"
Them: *Insert brief explanation*
Me: "Dang, that sucks, have you considered 'X'?" (some suggestion or perspective)
Them: *Yes/No, then tells me more*
and conversation goes from there with me offering to listen when they need someone to talk to by the end..
Dororo, The Witcher, The Dark Tower, ect.
And the next thing you know you have a whole team of kids and annoying mascots tailing you around.
I like how Red specified that loners usually adopt kids.
Ah yes, the batman sindrome (or was it syndrome? I don't know)
Pretty sure it’s syndrome
Rin, giving fangirls moral permission to lust after Sesshoumaru since 19something something.
@@akindatallmidget6508 thanks
Batman and Mando are prime examples of Alone Dad™️
Is there such a character that is a loner but doesn't realize they're alone? Like, a loner who believes they're friends with everyone and is generally nice but is isolated for the most part
The protagonists, Kenzo Tenma and Wolfgang Grimmer, from Naoki Urasawa's Monster could probably fit that description a little bit (though I might be biased in that kind of thinking, as it's an anime I've watched recently and changed my pfp for the month to show one of the protagonists). ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That's a bit tragic, all things considered :(
"Oh, you thought we were friends? Nah, we just tolerate your presence. Go away now."
That describes a lot of the people-pleaser characters that are common in high school stories, you know, the one who's insecure/anxious and/or has a really tragic backstory and is sad inside, but no one knows that because they smile and put other people's needs ahead of their own. Sometimes they're really friendly and sometimes they're just super conscious of how others see them so they pretend to be nice. Thinking about it, it's surprising how many roles they can play--friend, love interest, protagonist, rival, villain.
@@ladytalksalot4097 Ah, yes, the high school friendships.
@@sabrinusglaucomys Alright, I'm gonna need you to stop calling high school me out.
So, for my writing class I actually created a loner character and for roughly 90% of the story the sole focus was on the loner character, and his internal thoughts as he converses within his own head. This allowed me to flesh out his personality so much that he started to gain the complexities of a full fledged human being. This actually started becoming an issue as I started to show traits of this character, and started to have issues distinguishing myself from the character. When the teacher asked me why I was acting funny I told him this, and he told me to hand in whatever I had written and that he would judge me based only on that because apparently I was freaking everyone out. Thankfully after I stopped writing the story I returned to normal, and made sure never to write a story like that ever again.
you wrote too hard
This sort of thing happening could well have some interesting therapeutic potential.
when you write a character so well you become the character
That's amazing
I NEED to see what you wrote
“And alucard is more socially inept on the count of being Dracula’s son”
Was the pun intentional?
This is osp...
Of course the pun was intentional!
It's "on account", so maybe not.
this is OSP... even if it wasn't intentional, it definitely was
I feel it was intentional
The Count Of Being Dracula’s Son, the obscure sequel to The Count Of Monte Cristo.
"Zuko Alone" is one of the best loner episodes/in the dark moments in TV. I love how much of Zuko we get to see when he's separated from the expectations of the fire nation, his uncle, azula etc. He gets so much stronger as a character in 25 mins.
Agreed, Iroh is the greatest though. I gotta say
@@lyrehartbone1084 actually, I would count all of the episodes with Iroh as still part of Zuko's loner time. He does not truly see Iroh as a solution to his loneliness as he tunnelvisions for the approval of his dad.
@@yiklongtay6029 that is true, I suppose
Iroh's his mentor through his experiences as quite a few of these types of loners including another loner in Toph (hence no field trip with Zuko for her).
@@lyrehartbone1084 everybody needs an uncle Iroh in their life.
The second you mentioned the lone Wanderer archetype my first thought was The Littlest Hobo, a Canadian made TV series about a stray German Shepherd who befriends people, helps in solving their problems, and is always gone before their plans to bring him into their life or family full-time can be realized. Basically someone in the 60's and 70's said "What if the Loner, but a dog?".
My brain self-destructed and I thought it was a literal German Shepherd, as in a German man who herds sheep, and how that would be interesting, helpful, or why people would want to adopt this random man in their family lol
"just chuck a kid in and let the parenting take over" is my all time fav trope
I see what you did there.
“Loners are a lot like cats, honestly”
Very next example, that starts with “and just like cats”: Catra, the one who is actually a cat.
After reading that comment, I have waited all rest of video to see that moment!
Starts at 17:33
I don't get it.
@@kimifw58 she says loners are like cats. Then, the very next example of a loner she puts on the video (images, not what she’s saying) is of Catra (from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, who is a catgirl, and a bit of a loner).
Batman: I work alone.
Everyone: really?
Robin: am I a joke to you?
Alfred: *aggressively polishing the silver*
Yeah, with a toolbox of sidekick. And the original British butler, Alfred Pennyworth!
@UCuoNtVo4DGMB-fdSbnnUoCA
the birds of prey
The justice league
The GCPD
Alfred
Red Hood
Red Robin
Cat woman
Ah yes, Batman, the best "I work alone" team player ever.
Not just with Bat Family, but also with Justice League and any other occasional team up
sometime, if the situation called for it, even with the villains!
I mean in most cases he just have trust issue and prefer to get the job done by himself,
in other cases he is a prick
Also called "whose writing me today?" syndrome
Remember "Zuko Alone", that entire episode was an homage to Loner Westerns.
My favorite version of this type of trope: the loner who says, acts and thinks like they're a loner, but accidentally acquires an entire family of people who follow them around like baby ducklings that they grudgingly accept
So, Batman.
@@metarcee2483WHICH VERSION
Fandom.
Guts
@@cernunnos8344 WHO IS THAT!?!
I’m impressed that you managed to talk about this character trope without mentioning Zuko once.
I did not expect this comment to get so big, but now that I have all your guy’s attention may I talk to you about our Loner Savior Nico Diangelo?
Is Zuko realy a loner? I guess he is a little bit from when he leaves ancle Iroh until he joins Azula and then again from when he leaves the fire nation until he's accepted by team avatar, but even then it's more of a circumstance. He dipped into Lone Wanderer after he left Iroh, but I don't see Zuko as a true Loner.
@@petrsevcik5044 A loner doesn't have to hate being with other people, they just have to choose to be alone for whatever reason or have the mindset of someone who is alone. That was definitely Zuko for a good chunk of the series
Got a full laugh 😆
Correction. Impressed she talked about any character trope without mentioning zuko or at least avatar in general
@@petrsevcik5044 zuko has always felt like a loner. He was rejected by his dad, hated by his sister and abandoned by his mum. The entire time he wants to be excepted, all that honour stuff.
The only person who ever loved/excepted/respected him was iroh, which zuko never realised due to the lack of said things from other members of his family.
Even when he is excepted back into the family he felt like an outsider. He was lying to them, and didn’t believe in their goals anymore. He didn’t know what his destiny held for him, until he found out about his past.
When he decided to help the avatar he wasn’t even excepted into that group. He was an outsider to team avatar, and took a long time before he was excepted.
Even after the series (in the comics) he was a loner. He was the emperor, but never felt like he deserved it. He felt like he was becoming his dad, and so pushed away his girlfriend, pushed away team avatar and pushed away literally everyone until he finally found his mum and, surprisingly to him, his new sister. Which once again he felt alone due to her not remembering him.
Zuko is a prime example of a loner character. He doesn’t want to be alone, but never feels like he is excepted. One of the best characters that has ever been made.
"I like to call this pulling a Vegeta because it makes people mad"
Red, never change
Why _does_ it make people mad?
@@9Godslayer Some people build their own identity on fictional characters if you attack the fictional character your attacking their identity.
"Don't you dare talk bad about my hero"
@@9Godslayer a lot of people think formulaic storytelling is inherently bad, and reducing a character arc they like down to the bear essentials makes it look to some that you are calling that character formulaic.
@@samrevlej9331 My parents are divorced; I’ve seen it happen.
The weird thing I don't see done very often is a character that is the "likes being alone but still has a social life because they also like people" trope (aka the intorvert) and then stays that way by the end of the story. It's like no one can understand wanting be spend time with just yourself if you have friends, and the closest I've seen of this is Bilbo Baggins. Sure, he's a bit more sociable, but he still enjoys spending time alone
"This is known as the Hulk-effect, by me and nobody else." Not true at all, atleast not anymore.
I can’t wait for the day when you team up with Terrible Writing Advice to dissect the Love Triangle
Yes!!! I also want them to team up with CPGrey, not sure what they’d talk about, but he matches the whole name color deal, so how could they not?
All of these are a massive hell yes to seeing! I hope this happens
I mean, both have videos on their respective channels basically covering romantic subplots and leaving relatively little room for love triangles specifically, but it would be fun.
Bad Writing Advice has now entered the chat
Your idea to have the two do exactly that is something I've wanted but didn't know it until now lol Assuming most people here are avid readers, two TH-cam creators I would love to see work on something together would be Dominic Noble and Krimson Rogue.
If you don't know their work, I highly recommend checking out both of their channels. If you like books, movies, and adaptations of one to the other, then their respective content are worth checking out.
12:27 "Sometimes, groups of loners end up sticking together, all pretending that they're cool badass loners who don't need nobody, none of them apparently noticing the irony"
That's just the Bat-family in a nutshell
Well, depending on the writer (and specific incarnation) basically anyone in the Bat-family can be pretty chipper and sociable. And then there's Alfred, whose tender but subtle care lets all the others pretend they don't need to rely on anyone.
So, Cowboy Bebop then?
Eh. Nightwing kinda sticks out tho. Dude's never been a loner.
TBH all but like 2 of them are orphans.
What about the Guardians of the Galaxy? You could say the story is about a bunch of loners learning how to become a family, and saving the galaxy in the process.
Red: "It's not about *being* alone, it's about *feeling* alone."
Me: "Hello, TH-cam? I'd like to file a report. My teenage self is in this video and I don't like it."
Favorite loner has to be Samurai Jack, sometimes the show would give you 3 or 4 minutes of Jack just walking calmly to his next destination.
Something that's exceedingly rare in a kids show (what with their short attention spans)
"It's not about being alone, but feeling alone" - depressing but true
True, another thing feeling alone in company, thats, good drama actually.
@@marocat4749
Yes, oof! 0_0
It's something I think a lot of people forget about loneliness is that it's a feeling most people can have even if among friends/love ones, or in a group of people...
@@Scarshadow666 Secrets can probably make feel very lonely, unworked trauma, or depressions that aent really shown under a fassade.
Really depressing.
Red: “I like to call this, ‘Pulling a Vegeta,’ because it makes people mad.”
Also Red: “Why are you booing me, I’m right!”
Piccolo who has been a loner from the original Dragon ball down to the end of the cell games saga: am I a joke to you?
Why not pulling a piccolo
Red: Hey Vegeta look at me.
Vegeta: -looks-
Red: You are not alone.
@@tybuss6211 Piccolo didnt revert back to murder
@@Outlaw7263 Heck, Piccolo even did the adopt-an-orphan thing! (Does it count if the orphan's dad already has a plan to come back to life?)
It's funy how loners in stories have this magical property of attracting all the other characters
Honestly in my dnd campaign I'm basically playing a loner...who's also a child...best way to mess with the loner trope
When suddenly the dm throws a mid aged man at you lol
@@GustavoLeaoValente the casual I need an adult
I am an adult
I feel like Iroh and Zuko are the best mentor and loner example for when the mentor is always traveling with them
"...Or just stay in your room and sit in the dark. Whatever makes you happy."
I DON'T NEED ANY CALMING TEA!
Honestly, Zuko is always the best example for a trope done right as long as the trope actually applies to him.
@@corhydrae3238 that’s true for Avatar in general, if a trope applies its done well.
@@SorowFame My favourite Trope in Avatar is the Five-man Band. Same for a lot of other shows, too. Whenever I start a new show, I look it up on TV Tropes for its Five-man Band if it's not obvious.
“They can adopt a child”
My brain: Mandolorian
And batman and geralt
Sesshoumaru. Accelerator from A Certain Magical Index.
My brain went piccolo
my brain was shouting "MANDO!!!!1!1!!" throughout the video, could barely hear the actual words lol
This is the way.
"This is known as the 'Hulk Effect,' by me and nobody else."
Nice coining there, Red. 😂👌
That one Chaotic Bastard: hey watch this
Chaotic Bastard: *holds up a child and is aiming them at the hardened loner* THE CHILD IS EMPTY
Chaotic Bastard: YEET!!
Loner: *proceeds to drop everything in panic to catch the kid*
Red: "...or their PRIDE."
Me: OH HEY THERE, VEGETA.
Red: "I like to call this 'pulling a Vegeta' because it makes people mad."
Me: ...but it's ENTIRELY accurate, though.
Is there such a thing as the “impaired loner” type? A hero that works alone not necessarily because he doesn’t like company but because he can’t form friendships or communicate due to lack of social skills?
I think there should be. This could also apply to someone who finds social interaction very stressful. It could fall under or evolve into one if the other types.
Remember tropes are an umbrella of traits. I have a character who fits under one of the listed because he very often feels he's not able to fit in with others or is even a negative to their well-being, but he also works very well alone and his fighting style reflects that loner aspect.
Essential said character could legit function as a loner just because that's his personality and how he reasons thru problems, but he also struggles to feel he deserves help. This is a mixed varient that would slot nicely under a couple of the trope forms dependant on why he's going off to be alone at the time and where he is in his development.
Evolving characters into different tropes as they grow is also a good thing to keep in mind. Maybe a character was once very social and team oriented but a horrific incident now makes them avoid working with others as much as possible. That character might fall into your kind of loner type idea, but may act like a type described under the trope as presented.
Edit Add-On: The impaired idea could also work for characters with disabilities that limit their connections. It really could be a type of its own, though it may be better as a modifier on the existing range.
A lot of comic book loners fall into that depending on who's writing them. Raven has given off that vibe more than once so has Terra. It links up well with the fish out of water narrative all though when dragged out too long it tends to morph into the ego thing. Like they get so annoyed that they're bad at making friends they just accept/embrace the loner narrative. OR they eventually end up with a group that just goes "fuck your lack social skills it's game night." Basically the socially inept loner isn't narratively interesting enough for a wider audience for it to remain the case because the vast majority of the population can't relate to that complete lack of social skills
Yes. Should having a sentient black blade that kills off the hero's allies count here?
Soooo... me?
There are definitely a lot of characters who tend to be alone a lot not by choice, but by circumstance or because they, as you said, just lack social skills.
And it's always really heartwarming to see them make real friends and connections.
(Jaune Arc from RWBY)- “I’m sick and tired of being the damsel in distress. I’m tired of being the bumbling idiot stuck in the tree while my friends are fighting for their lives. If I can’t do this for myself, then what good am I?”
Random Critical Hit
"A lone, lonely loner." ~Sid the Sloth
Every fourteen year old goth: Finally they talk about me
-plays crawling in my skin-
Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated? I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else. Gets me frustrated. Just admit that you love the videos I make, my dear ana
Crawling in my crawl*
@@AnonYmous-db2yy Skinning in my crawl*
@@fpedrosa2076 crawl skining my in
THESE WOUNDS THEY WILL NOT HEAL
It really is a rule in most stories that the loner can never be alone except at the beginning of his arc and his darkest hour...
Reminded me of Rise of the Guardians for a second.
Can we please get a story that's, like, the opposite?
Where a loner is just generally happier and overall better alone, or at least in small groups, but people keep insisting on helping them, and the darkest hour comes when they give in and give people a chance. Then there's too many people and then they have a breakdown and crash and burn.
I just once want to read a story where, when a character says "I don't like people" it actually means that they don't function well/at all in large groups, and are much better in duos or trios.
@@Kartoffelkamm Due to how human culture and society works, those people end up being hermits, therefore they only really exist in tragedies/Grimmdark. There are plenty of characters who decide to trust again and get burned for it before dying, but dunno about any happy ones.
If you just want a character being accepted as an introvert, then there are some positive examples, although even they will paint the introvert social as a positive but also acknowledge that they do need to be alone
Hatchet: Am I a joke to you?
@@Kartoffelkamm As such a person, yes please! I really detest the trope that all introverts in fiction need to be "cured" by someone who is sufficiently bubbly and extroverted.
I'm not a loner, I'm an introvert, and I'm OK with that, screw off and let me be. Also, too many cooks spoil the broth.
John Smith: You're this Doctor's companion, can't _you_ help?! What exactly do you do for him?! Why does he need you?!
Martha: Because he's lonely.
John Smith: And that's what you want _me_ to become?
I love how Guts falls into one of these during the GOlden AGe then gets re-traumatized into being such an asshole that he falls into another. We basically get to see him develop as a character twice and I think that's why he's such a rewarding character to witness.
Then he gets with Schierke and the group and you can tell he's appreciative, the few moments where he can catch a breather and we can read his thoughts he genuinely cares about them, those are even the very few times he actually smiles post-eclipse. Berserk is amazing
Fallout 3 protagonist's name: "The Lone Wanderer"
All seven speaking companions: "Hey!"
(Edit: There are eight companions in total, but Dogmeat can't talk so instead he would say "Woof!")
Me who doesn't take companions along so they don't alert every enemy I ever try to sneak up on: "What?"
@@audriusfrankonis6862 I did that... Up until Fawkes. He was just so perfectly distracting.
I knew about Fawkes and the bad boy in Nuked Town, but not about anyone else.
@@theblancmange1265 there is also Dogmeat, Sergeant RL-3, Paladin Cross, Butch, Cover and Caron
Because many of them have a karma requirement, except for Caron (who you buy his contract) and Dogmeat (a stray dog that follows you), I think it still follows the “Lone Wanderer” trope as the companions choose to follow you, so it’s more like they’re deciding to follow you, than you recruiting them
As an introvert I’d like to see more representation of “being by yourself is fine too” as a counterpoint to the constant talk about the power of friendship and whatnot.
YES! The only example I've ever seen of this was the Winnie the Pooh episode where everyone was trying to cheer Eeyore up. He wasn't depressed. He was just enjoying sitting by himself watching the clouds.
Less compelling of a story though. More of a Pixar short. But I get you.
Or introverted friends beinc fine from not annoy each other all the time.
As an introvert, I actually have composed narratives about that sort of thing. Be alone is totally okay sometimes
YES!!! The only thing I can think of that does this is the Lion Guard episode "Fuli's New Family"! In it, the Guard starts to worry that letting Fuli the cheetah be by herself makes them bad friends, so they keep bugging her when she's trying to hunt. Finally, she gets mad enough to tell them to back off, and they realize their mistake.
"Maybe we were being better friends when we just let Fuli be Fuli."
-Kion
I really hate it when cartoons act like being introverted is some kind of character flaw or makes people be evil or something. Introversion isn't a disease, guys! That's why I love "Fuli's New Family" so much: It teaches kids that introverts exist and that 1) if you are one, there's nothing wrong with that, and 2) you're not helping them or being a good friend by forcing them to be something they're not.
Red **talks about self-loathing loner**
Me: "why must you describe me so comical yet so true?"
I feel like Mushishi and Mononoke are ***perfect*** examples of this trope working amazingly
"The Hulk Effect". Also known as "For the love of God, can life give poor Bruce Banner a respite?!"
Only when is to busy destroying Peter Parker's life
And that is why I love the MCU's take on Bruce.
@@kamikazelemming1552 Professor Hulk = Best Hulk.
Thats what happened with planet hulk.
...and then...
"Loners are actually a bit like cats"
*Shows Catra*
Even echoing Catra's tsundere catchphrase in advance
You ruined my day, I didn't watch the series and learning her name just hurted me.
@@canskntsfalan5430 could be worse, the 80s version this was a remake of, she was just named that but was a regular lady who said Nyah a lot, no lie
Sjdhdhhd
Also when I saw wolf is choked on my soup like??!?!
@@canskntsfalan5430 Almost every name is the series is that on the nose. There is a sorceress named Castaspella. The scorpion lady you see in the clips is named Scorpia. And guess what weapon Bow specializes in! Then there's a dude who's just named Kyle.
i wish i remember what series it was...there was "the loner" of the group, he seemed kinda annoying, only 1 of the team vouched for them, they get into their first major fight they'll probably lose, then he steps forward and his first line (like 2 books in) is something like "Rule 1 to fighting a necromancer, never do so in a graveyard" [in a graveyard of course] and its like, oh [explicative], he's the loner type cause his magic is taboo in this world, he trusts his group enough that now its life or death, he's stepping up. The loner aspect of the character never fully broke down, i mean, taboo magic, c'mon, but the the sudden understanding of the group to why he was that way makes him included in this...distant sort of way
"It's not about being alone. It's about feeling alone."
thank for calling me out, appreciated
i'm so lonely
Sorry I'm so late but would you like a hug?
As bill Hicks always said "People who hate people, COME TOGETHER!"
Everyone: "NO!!!!"
Bill Hicks "damnit, it's so hard getting my kind of people together'
🤣🤣🤣👍👌👌👌😋
What you reading for?
So I don't end up a fucking waffle waitress!
"I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out."
Never expected a Hicks quote here. I love you guys.
@@trajectoryunown love you too mate
Whoa, she got through a whole episode without mentioning Avatar. That must've taken strength.
Herculean strength
I was so sure and excited that she would mention Zuko in any moment but it just did not happen...what an odd feeling
@@moralsupport1582 Same, but when you think about it, Zuko isn't really a loner
(except in Zuko alone)
Iroh: _I abandoned my nephew for tea_
Oh fuck, I just realized all of my main characters are self-loathing loners. _And they're all based on certain aspects of myself, as a kind of way of exploring my psyche._
*Shit.*
That was the case in my previous story. All of my povs(4 if you count prologue and epilogue) were loners in some way, althought in very different ways. Two were simply in misunfortunate situation were they really had only one person to care for and that cared about them, one suffered from serious social anxiety, and the last one(the villain, he was in the prologue)was just an ass who thought everyone around him were pawns for his plans, at best.
You doing alright?
@@roguepsykerhaaker4813 No.
@@bluelfsuma Do you want to talk about it? Cuz I'd love to help if I can
@@roguepsykerhaaker4813 Maybe at a later time. It's 7am where I am, and I just really need to try and get some sleep. Thank you, though.
one of the best breakdowns of a loner I've seen is Rustlers Rhapsody and parody of the classic lone ranger archetype literally including the lines "I ride alone." and "You're the most un-alone guy I've ever seen." the writing is also Princess Bride level quality.
I find your lack of "Zuko Alone" footage disturbing.
I was expecting that too, but nobody expects the lack-Avatar inquisition.
They can’t always be about Avatar.
O, hai Crossover joke
I know, the lack of iroh clips when she was talking about the mentor companion was shocking
+P N but it really can :(
The tag-along in a nutshell:
"I need to be alone."
"Great! I'll go with you!"
Donkey
Donkey's great
so what u sayin is Jaskier is Donkey
Stone Cat I was searching for a comment like this 😂
@@stonecat676 I guess you could say, that witchers have layers...
wwx before ssc: I'm just a servant...
jc and jyl: we literally call you brother!
wwx: *sees baby lsz* oh sweet baby potato, I'll call you squishy and you shall be mine.
wwx dying: I'll die alone, unloved, scorned
lwj: WHAT AM I CHOPPED LIVER!?!?!?
A grumpy loner, preferably an assasin, adopts a pure ray of sunshine is my favourite trope. It's all the best of found family trope with "a grumpy one has a soft spot for the cheerful one" plus a potential for eternal angst and/or fluff.
"Loners usually like to adopt kids."
Me looking at my story : **Abort mission. Abort mission.**
Hey, don’t avoid it just because. Tropes aren’t bad, and conscientiously eschewing them could be as damaging as bad clichés are thought to be.
Don't abort, go full ahead.
I will never ever get tired of stories of adults taking on a parental role for kids that aren't theirs.
@@JenamDrag0n They are easily one of the most heartwarming stories one can write
Ideas:
1. Make the kid an "acting aloner" and now your loner has to convince them to form a bond in order to properly look after them.
2. Have the kid adopt the loner. One of those "8 year old housewife" types that fusses over the loner and stays with them to take care of them.
3. "Child is required to function." Your loner is significantly weaker without something the kid provides.
These have all been done, but like these guys are saying, tropes are tools. Your plot tropes are too familiar? Subvert/invert or add another.
Examples:
1. Every teenager. Street rat/rat king. Slave that hasn't broken yet.
2. Eh, this one's more of a foil. I'm sure there's lots of it, but I can't think of any names.
3. FF:U - the ma-gun just doesn't work. World of Quest - (inverted) the titular character is actually stronger alone but can't disobey the prince due to a royal curse. Maybe the loner gets special privileges by safeguarding a noble child (diplomatic immunity, go anywhere passport, "it's this or prison").
*Self-loathing loner*
Me: immediately thinks of raven and gets sad
*Shows Raven as first example*
Me: this doesn’t make me feel better. In fact it might be making me feel worse
Don't worry man, Raven has great friends with the Titans, who will very literally go to hell and back for her.
@@sayerglasgow115 that’s true. They were willing to fight her demonic dad for her huh. This does actually make me feel better thank you
So they're just introverts.
Btw I'm so glad you mentioned Yojimbo, those movies are honestly hilarious sometimes. Like with closet dude.
20:03 !!!! People dynamics are different from groups to groups. Make some of your characters dislike your main, some being indifferent and some like, even love them. It brings out the qualities and flaws of your character's personality in a natural way
Such a cool explanation, ma'am!
I like how Red talks so fast. It's like, "I've read ALL the books, now hurry up and write something new!"
I never realized how fast they actually talk until you mentioned it lol.
I can relate. BRING ME MORE BOOKS!
Ikr, that's why I need the captions, lol
I wouldn’t say they talk fast but more so everyone else talks too slow.
Stoic badass man: i am a loner, I don’t need anything or anyone
Stoic badass man: *adopts kid*
Me: 👁👄👁
💧 💧
He's very correct that he doesn't need the kid, but arguably more important is the fight between his morals and his desire to be alone because the kid clearly needs somebody and thanks to the badass qualities most loner characters get they are very qualified to help.
The minute she described the Lone Wanderer, the first thing I thought of was Doctor Who. Super glad she used examples from it here too.
Shoutout to Berserk for having the best written loner character in all of fiction
I’m not sure if this counts but I think Toph in ATLA is a really cool subversion of the “loner” trope. She’s not introverted, dark or broody; she’s cocky, tough, sociable and extroverted as they come. However, her self-reliant, “striking out from the group” mindset directly clashes with Katara’s community-oriented mindset. She is 100% capable of taking care of herself, yet she lets it clash with her desire to make friends and connect with people who treat her as an equal. Hell, she even invents metalbending on her own, but as soon as she does, she rushes back to help her friends. She even does the whole “go-it-alone” thing in one episode before returning. Not to mention, a lot of her loner attitude comes from her stifling upbringing. A lot of her arc is about letting the people who love her help and working as a part of a group.
I was also thinking of early-to-mid-book-2 Zuko.
Talks about hurt pride and lashing out at others.
Me: huh kinda sounds like Vegeta.
Red: I call this pulling a Vegeta.
For a second I thought you were making a FMAB reference but yeah
Your cat analogy made loners sound like tsunderes, and I find that comparison honestly hilarious, even if it's nowhere near accurate.
In the words of many writers, “There are only two kinds of stories: A man goes on the journey, or a stranger comes to town.”
"It's not about being alone, it's about feeling alone." Sounds like my time in high school, and college, and middle school... and elementary school... I'm just a lonely feeling guy
Sounds like my childhood, kids were scary and unkind and mean, so I avoided them even when surrounded by them. I never fitted into any of the 'clicks' so was frequently alone. Still really alone.
🎶lonely you are so lonely ,you have nobody for your own🎶
Hehe, same
Plot idea: A bunch of loners are after the villain because the villain called them unoriginal edgelords.
I would love to see that.
Villain: "None of you actually even have dead parents! And you, I did my research, you're not really called "Alucard the Forsaken", you're called Steve. And you, your father isn't the lord of darkness, he's an accountant. You're all just a bunch of posers!"
**All the edgelords start furiously avoiding eye contact with the villain and each other.**
Someone please write that.
@@sayerglasgow115 This is golden comedic material!
Soooo...Let me talk about Bionicle!
Typically in Bionicle each team of Toa Heroes are made up of 6 members usually representing the elements: Fire, Water, Ice, Air, Earth, and Stone (Yes earth and stone are separate elements, it's not clear why, roll with it)
The first Toa team we are introduced to are the Toa Mata/Nuva.
Among them we have Kopaka the Toa of Ice who's the Second in command, the Lancer, and the typical Loner archetype. He's Cold, Quiet, Calculated, and prefers to work Solo often running into conflict with Tahu the Toa of Fire who is often more Hot headed and Impulsive. Despite their conflicting natures, they are also very similar in a lot of ways, while being the Leader Tahu also has had a little bit of a loner streak, believing it was up to him to handle everything by himself and didn't like asking for help. With Tahu acting on his own despite being the leader and Kopaka ignoring Tahu when he tries to Lead they both thought of each other as being arrogant and unreliable. On the other hand they both have very strong protective instincts and are willing to risk everything for the people they care about, eventually leading to them mutually respecting each other and becoming team players.
The second team we are introduced too are the Toa Metru/Hordika, currently the Turaga elders. As Toa go, the Metru were basically a hot mess of a team constantly butting heads with one another from all sides. Vakama the Toa of Fire took up the mantle of leadership but was never entirely sure of himself or that he was even meant to be a hero. When the team is all infected by the Mutagenic Vizorak venom transforming them all into hybrid beasts Vakama is the first to strike out on his own and give in to his animal instincts.
Third team we are introduced to are the Toa Inika/Mahri, formerly 6 of the Matoran leaders from Mata Nui turned Toa. Matoro the Toa of Ice had a similar problem to Vakama where he believed he didn't belong and wasn't cut out to be a hero especially standing beside his companions. Jaller and Kongu were both Military leaders basically being Army and Airforce, Hahli and Hewkii were both star athletes, and Nuparu was an Engineer who created and piloted Mech suits to fight in the Bohrok war. Matoro was just Nuju's translator and felt ashamed he had been forced to keep the Turaga's secrets from everyone.
I don't know if 7 of 9 is really a loner or not, but her and Tovok have an interaction I love. They're both working in silence and she points out they always do this and never talk, both acknowledge they like working in the quite. I just find it a fun moment and I thought about it in the context of two loners being paired, both might not mind or even like being around the other, but they both don't talk much and have an understanding if the other walks off for a while.
Thats a pretty well established introvert thing too. Some people want to be around others, but don't have the energy to be constantly social or to give them attention. Having someone you can interact with but who won't drain your energy is a very comforting thing for some people.