r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Routine_Phase_8980 • 3d ago

Hated Tropes ( Annoying af trope ) When the good guys possess perfect defensive position/advantages that was completely ruined by someone's sheer stupidity, pettiness, or selfishness

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I understand that these scenes must happen in order for the plot to continue but they still make me angry till today whenever I think about them because of how easy it could've been avoided. I doesn't mean these scenes are necessarily bad written, just hella hard to watch.

The Jerusalem Wall / The Singing Crowd (World War Z): Israel literally anticipated the zombie apocalypse and built a flawless, massive wall that kept everyone 100% safe. It was the ultimate safe haven. But then people inside started celebrating and singing on a microphone so loudly that it triggered a zombie pyramid, they didn't even stop until the first zombies started coming through. They have less survival instinct than an amoeba.

Ephialtes (300): The Spartans had the perfect phalanx formation at the Hot Gates. They were slaughtering the Persian army with minimal casualties and could have held them off for so much longer. Then this guy gets his feelings hurt because he can't lift a shield, throws a tantrum, and tells Xerxes about the secret goat path.

Grandma Jong-gil (Train to Busan): The survivors fought through hell and literal waves of infected to secure a safe train car. Sure, the crowd inside was selfish for locking them out at first, but everyone was finally safe inside. Then this grandma, fueled by grief and spite over her sister, decides to open the door and let the infected flood the entire car, killing everyone.

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130

u/counters14 3d ago

The 300 example did give us one of the best quotes of the 21st century:

You there, Ephialtes! May you live forever.

That whole movie was full of legitimate top tier quotes.

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u/mostlybored1234 3d ago

I do think most of the best quotes are actually storic stuff. Spartan culture was like 50% hippying their own agenda. Like, they had classes on lingustic so they could aura farm harder

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u/AshedCloud 3d ago

Persian: If we defeat you, we will violate your women, burn your city.

Spartan: IF

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u/ElOsoPeresozo 3d ago

That was their reply to Phillip II of Macedon, who said he would burn their fields and raze their cities.

Then he proceeded to do exactly that.

“What are you gonna do, stab me?” Says man who got stabbed.

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u/Competitive-Act5318 3d ago

That one actually gets alot funnier if you know the historical context.

Because this one is based on something they wrote to Philip II of Macedon (aka Alexanders dad) before he proceeded to basically put the final nail into Spartas coffin.

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u/terracottatilefish 3d ago

The term“laconic” literally means “from Laconia” (around Sparta) and is STILL used to describe particularly short but effective comments.

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u/ThunderCube3888 3d ago

to be fair, they DID defeat them, violate their women, and burn their city, but at least they had to actually do it instead of just threatening sparta into surrender

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u/AshedCloud 3d ago

Macedonian really said BET

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u/SecBalloonDoggies 3d ago

“We will fight in the shade” is actually the official moto of the modern Greek military’s Armored division.

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u/Swords_and_Words 3d ago

I know you meant hyping, but hippying gives a hilarious mental image 

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u/F-14BUpgrade 3d ago

What could possibly go wrong glorifying a military defeat of a racist slave owning culture by the Persians? One that was actually dismantled by their own brutishness only a 149 years later?

How could that possibly apply today?

/s

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u/incandescent_us 3d ago

get out of here with your facts.

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u/milkmanbonzai 3d ago

"Our arrows will blot out the sun" "Then we will fight in the shade" is still my favorite Michael Fassbender line in any movie.

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u/counters14 3d ago

It is an honour to die by your side.

It was an honour to have lived by yours.

Or

Spartans! What is your profession?

Or

Come back with your shield, or on it.

Yes, my queen.

I need to watch it again..

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u/Real_Walk5384 3d ago

"Hardly, my lord, it's just an eye. The gods saw fit to grace me with a spare."

I think about this every time I get hurt. haha

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u/IndyBananaJones4eva 3d ago

>Spartans! What is your profession?

We're whalers of the moon! We carry a harpoon!

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u/dr_arke 3d ago

But, there ain't no whales, so we tell tall tales and sing our whaling tune!

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u/InvasiveThoughts8 3d ago

Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!

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u/milkmanbonzai 2d ago

Long live YTMND

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u/ehc84 2d ago

Has anyone made a cut where they sped up the slow motion scenes to like 1.5 - 1.75? I would watch again if that was a thing

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u/DrVentureIsACrumbBum 3d ago

“You blow, I’ll do the fingering”

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u/phantom_gain 3d ago

That line is actually historical. It wasnt quite as sharp but leonidas did say in response to a scout saying that they had enough archers to block the sun "then we will not have to fight in the sunshine".

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u/Dorsai_Erynus 3d ago

Molon Labe! (come and get them) when the Persians told then to give up their weapons.

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u/House_T 3d ago

The payoff from this is also great. Them laughing about being bombarded because they remember the conversation earlier.

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u/Ninlhil 3d ago

It is also a required event as a traitor named Ephialtes of Trachis really did reveal the path flanking the Startans/Greek coalition to the Persians at Thermopylae.

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u/MikeTysonBlow2DaFace 3d ago

How is this a great quote?

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u/counters14 2d ago

Maybe you haven't seen the movie, or don't remember the context.

Ephialtes' father defected from Sparta because his son would be killed in the trials. Ephialtes tried to join the Spartans on their march to Thermopylae so he could restore his father's honour. Leonidas gave him a spear and shield but he was malformed and hunchbacked in the movie so he couldn't hold the aegis. Leonidas turned him away because of it.

Ephialtes went to Xerxes the Persian king after being rejected and gave up information about the secret path behind the cliffs edge choke the Persian army used to flank the 300 and win the battle. In return for this he was given riches, fine food, and concubines. Up until the last minute, Ephialtes is with Xerxes begging Leonidas to lay down the weapons and bow to the king, showing off how generously he was treated and saying it would be best for Sparta. Leonidas turns the king down, and as he is walking back to his men he points his spear at Ephialtes and says 'may you live forever'. He's cursing him for his betrayal and weakness. Knowing that the damage has been done and the battle will be lost, Leonidas doesn't lash out in anger or lunge at him for selling out his people. He calmly stares Ephialtes down and shows him what it means to be a real Spartan.

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u/MikeTysonBlow2DaFace 2d ago

Yeah maybe its a cool moment but a great quote it is not

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u/NightWolfRose 3d ago

And, iirc, the best ones are from historical records.

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u/Faustias 2d ago

"Give them nothing! but take from them. Everything!"

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u/InvasiveThoughts8 3d ago

"This is Sparta!" – King Leonidas I