Literary Ramble
I'm sort of obsessed with this one storytelling trope, right now. I don't know if a term already exists. It is certainly genre-awareness and sometimes borders on breaking the fourth wall, but neither of them fully, specifically describe this effect.
I'll call it the "Day In The Life" principal.
To give an example, here is a quote from Armitage:
"Like I said, you simply cannot live in Arkham without coping with the Shoggoth on the Roof."
In Shoggoth on the Roof, the "Day In The Life" principal is used to comedic effect for a cheap laugh: everyone in town knows about the horrible, ancient secrets that humanity was never meant to know, yet, "We normal folks mostly just look the other way, and try not to lose our minds."
The Day In The Life principal is when an unusual or fantastic feature of a setting has been totally normalized for its denizens. As a technique, it can be used to characterize both a place and either its denizens or a "guide" character simultaneously.
For instance, take Morte and Sigil. You ask him about portals or the planes and he's like, "You're new here, aren'tcha?" He establishes his character as the wisecracking guide while ALSO explaining the fantastical element. Everybody in Sigil knows how portals work. It's totally normal.
It's A Day In The Life for Storm City residents to be mugged in the streets because crime is so unusually prevalent. So much so that the slavers who captured the Trypthernium residents said "Welcome to Storm City" before knocking them out. And while getting captured by cultists in Wickersham and almost being sacrificed to the God With Goats For Faces Who Plots Below is still a traumatizing experience, it's about as commonplace as regular murder in NYC. And everybody knows how to handle stranglevines and not to go out after dark, because that's when the wraiths stalk the streets. It's Business As Usual.
Business As Usual is another good trope name.
I'm thinking this should be added to tv-tropes but I'm having difficulty thinking up clear examples from more mainstream sources. If you could help me out, that'd be great. Also, if this already exists, link me to it!
I'll call it the "Day In The Life" principal.
To give an example, here is a quote from Armitage:
"Like I said, you simply cannot live in Arkham without coping with the Shoggoth on the Roof."
In Shoggoth on the Roof, the "Day In The Life" principal is used to comedic effect for a cheap laugh: everyone in town knows about the horrible, ancient secrets that humanity was never meant to know, yet, "We normal folks mostly just look the other way, and try not to lose our minds."
The Day In The Life principal is when an unusual or fantastic feature of a setting has been totally normalized for its denizens. As a technique, it can be used to characterize both a place and either its denizens or a "guide" character simultaneously.
For instance, take Morte and Sigil. You ask him about portals or the planes and he's like, "You're new here, aren'tcha?" He establishes his character as the wisecracking guide while ALSO explaining the fantastical element. Everybody in Sigil knows how portals work. It's totally normal.
It's A Day In The Life for Storm City residents to be mugged in the streets because crime is so unusually prevalent. So much so that the slavers who captured the Trypthernium residents said "Welcome to Storm City" before knocking them out. And while getting captured by cultists in Wickersham and almost being sacrificed to the God With Goats For Faces Who Plots Below is still a traumatizing experience, it's about as commonplace as regular murder in NYC. And everybody knows how to handle stranglevines and not to go out after dark, because that's when the wraiths stalk the streets. It's Business As Usual.
Business As Usual is another good trope name.
I'm thinking this should be added to tv-tropes but I'm having difficulty thinking up clear examples from more mainstream sources. If you could help me out, that'd be great. Also, if this already exists, link me to it!