Indeed, it never existed. Nor will it ever exist.
This index page (which does not exist), is about everything non-existent. Beyond the veil of our perceived reality lies the great void of non-existence. Largely, it is science fiction that employs these tropes, as it is a common and popular theme is to bring into question whether or not our reality is really real.
Non-existence or 'nothing' can be used as a force in its own right, to build suspense, drama or used as a break from material things such as bright colors or loud noises. Negative Space or a vacuum is a good narrative tool for painting the boundaries for situations or to isolate worlds or characters. Things that don't exist can major points of interest in many genres and mediums.
See also Silence Tropes, for the absence of sound, This Might Be an Index, for the absence of clear information, and Imagine All the Tropes, for when imagination fills in the gaps.
These tropes do not exist:
- Absence of Evidence: The absence of a thing is a vital clue.
- Adapted Out: A character or element from the source material does not exist in the adaptation.
- Bald Head of Toughness: A tough character's hair does not exist.
- Bald Mystic: A mystical, supernatural, or wise character's hair does not exist.
- Baldness Angst: The fact that a character's hair does not exist makes them angsty.
- Baldness Mockery: A character is mocked because their hair does not exist.
- Bald of Authority: An authority figure's hair does not exist.
- Bald of Evil: A villain's hair does not exist.
- Beautiful Void: A setting that is at once peaceful and utterly desolate.
- Blackground: The background of the area has nothing outside of pitch-blackness.
- Canon Foreigner: An adaptation of a work features a new character who did not exist in the source material.
- Cessation of Existence: The idea that there is no afterlife and once a person dies, that's it.
- Empty Room Psych: You would expect this room to contain Video Game Characters or Video Game Rewards, but they don't exist.
- Eskimos Aren't Real: Believing that something which has reasonable evidence towards it doesn't exist.
- Indescribable Object: An object cannot be described.
- Invisible Bowstring: You would expect a bow that fires arrows to have a bowstring, but this time it doesn't exist.
- Missing Reflection: A mirror doesn't provide a vampire with their reflection.
- No Ontological Inertia: Destroying the being that has caused destruction causes the damages they've done to disappear.
- No Such Agency: This institution/organization is not a thing. Don't believe in the rumors, they're untrue. Totally.
- The Nothing After Death: The afterlife is nothing but an empty void.
- Nothing Is Funnier: Sometimes leaving things to the imagination is funnier.
- Nothing Is Scarier: Sometimes not knowing what something looks like is scarier than actually seeing it.
- Ontological Mystery
- Power of the Void
- Ret-Gone: Someone is erased from existence alongside all evidence and memory of their existence.
- Temporal Abortion: A time travel plot to end someone's existence by preventing them from ever being born.
- "They're Not Real" Reveal: A character is revealed to be a figment of the protagonist's imagination.
- Toyless Toyline Character: A work of fiction has its own toyline or was produced in the first place to promote a toyline, but there's at least one notable character in the work who doesn't have an existing toy.
- Toyline-Exclusive Character: The toyline of a work of fiction has a toy of a character who does not exist in the work itself.
- The Treachery of Images
- Un-Installment: A series mentions or alludes to installments that do not exist.
- Un-person: All evidence and records of a person's existence are eliminated or revised to make it seem as if they never did exist.
- Void Between the Worlds: A realm of complete and empty nothingness.
