With any great feat, transformation, or move must come a signature phrase. Index of phrases used to preface, activate, or accompany a transformation/attack/use of power.
Not to be confused with the central theme, The Power of Language.
Tropes:
- Antidisestablishmentarianism: Long words can be effective invocations.
- Asian Rune Chant: The phrase "Rin Pyo To Sha Kai Jin Retsu Zai Zen" and its variants, used as a meditation tool or Magical Incantation.
- Attack Pattern Alpha: When your team of Pinja Nirates or space ship needs to kick tail in choreographed fashion!
- Badass Boast: When a character makes a huge boast or speech right before they kick ass.
- Blasé Boast: When a character makes a casual-sounding boast to mess with other people's heads.
- Blasphemous Boast: Nothing says "boasting" than when they outright demean/insult/compare themself to a god. They might get karmic retribution later... or they may actually prove it.
- Not Hyperbole: When a character proves just how literal they are in their over-the-top boasts or threats.
- Badass Creed: A character or organization's badass motto.
- Bond One-Liner: a striking (and often punny) quip delivered after taking someone down.
- By the Power of Grayskull!: A phrase that triggers a transformation or power-up. Usually is necessary to activate the power.
- Calling Your Attacks: Announcing your moves as you make them, often for show.
- Calling Your Orgasms: Because sometimes you just gotta...
- Combat Commentator: Calling Your Attacks, but spoken by a third party.
- Creepy Monotone: A line delivered in an eerie calm that lets people know something has Gone Horribly Wrong.
- Dare to Be Badass: Delivered by one character to another in attempt to unlock that character's inner badass.
- From the Latin "Intro Ducere": Etymology used to introduce a subject.
- Heroic Vow of Defiance: The hero proclaims he won't let the villain win. Usually delivered before a major asskicking.
- I Am the Noun: Calling yourself a noun (usually an ominous one) says a lot about what you are.
- In the Name of the Moon: Called out after the transformation, this is a phrase to challenge the opponent or to inform the opponent of their impending demise.
- Invocation: A part of a Transformation Sequence that is used like By the Power of Grayskull!, but it doesn't actually activate the power.
- Magical Foreign Words: Using foreign words to unleash Applied Phlebotinum.
- Magical Incantation: Commanding things to happen through a series of magic words.
- My Name Is Inigo Montoya: Badasses will make you remember their name before they kick your ass.
- Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: A pithy one-liner thrown out by the action hero just before he starts kicking ass. Always just for show.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: a pithy one-liner used just before the killing/KO-ing blow.
- Pronoun of the Dreaded: A being so feared that they are referred to only by a pronoun.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: A heroic or dramatic line DELIVERED....LIKE...THIS...FOR...EMPHASIS!!!
- Punctuated Pounding: Like And This Is for..., only it's a single line where every word is punctuated by a blow.
- Rocky Roll Call: When one name is not enough.
- Say It: For when you must say someone else's catchphrase or vicarious self-aggrandization.
- Say My Name: Calling out someone's name during a moment of high drama.
- The Scottish Trope: Say the bad guy's name and bad stuff happens.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: When a character regularly uses long words.
- Speak of the Devil
- Spelling Bonus: Collecting letters in a game one by one, with something special happening when they form a complete word.
- Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Basically the hero or villain's way of calling out his or her opposite number.
- Transformation Name Announcement: Shouting your own name dramatically after powering up and/or transforming.
- Verbal Business Card: I am [Name]; I [Noun Verbs].
- Verbal Weakness: When a character can be severely hurt by an otherwise harmless word or phrase.
- Words Can Break My Bones: Calling Your Attacks strikes you for massive damage. Magic words and words of power.
- Weapons-Grade Vocabulary