Especially if other characters mention (over and over again) how lost the cause would be if it lost you. CF. Dumbledore, Albus.
In the original stories, any friend of Conan.
Also any friend of Elric. Come to think of it, Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser’s friends didn’t generally fare very well, either.
Mendoza!
A la Platoon.
- Your story arc is complete
- You’ve done something heinous, but mostly reprieved yourself with good acts, so you can’t exactly be “punished” by the law. Cue poetic death.
Males, yes. The girlfriend/Ms. MacGuffin/wench o’ the day usually did fine. Valeria in Red Nails, for example. She didn’t do so well in the Arnold version, though.
“You know, I think it’s like this: if it’s your time, it’s your time. The bullet has your name on it. If it ain’t, well, then” KAPOW
This guy in Downton Abbey lived a good four or five seconds after we were both “WAIT FOR IT…”
Being Clint Eastwood’s partner. Taking off your top in a Jamie Lee Curtis movie.
Also, don’t blackmail the killer. Any character who learns who the killer is and tries to blackmail him or her into keeping it a secret ends up dead.
The old farmer on an isolated farm, or the hermit in a cabin deep in the woods, goes outside at night with a shotgun, a lantern and his dog to investigate the strange light/noise:
“Who’s out there!? Show yourself!”
Dog starts whining or growling.
“What’s that boy? You smell something?”
50/50 odds between either the human later bringing the carcass of his dog into the sheriff’s office weeping and saying that something “got him”, or the human disappearing and the dog being found by the heros who surmise that his owner is missing.
In an old war movie, being named “Kansas” or “Tex” because you’re from Kansas or Texas. You’ll die a hero, but you’ll die.
If they’re dating Samantha Carter.
If they are young, female and wandering around in their underwear for no good reason.
Anyone who hears a chainsaw
The city boys mocking the hicks out in the sticks
The person starts telling their back story, but they have to leave to deal with whatever, they can finish it when they get back.
Jessica Fletcher is in town.
Their doctor is Gregory House.
Josey Wales: When I get to likin’ someone, they ain’t around long.
Lone Watie: I notice when you get to DIS-likin’ someone they ain’t around for long neither.
Never take a shower if you’re not a lead character.
Jason Nesmith: You’re not gonna die on the planet, Guy.
Guy Fleegman: I’m not? Then what’s my last name?
Jason Nesmith: It’s, uh, uh - -I don’t know.
Guy Fleegman: Nobody knows. Do you know why? Because my character isn’t important enough for a last name, because I’m gonna die five minutes in.
Gwen DeMarco: Guy, you have a last name.
Guy Fleegman: DO I? DO I?
Basically just knowing John Constantine (unless you’re Chas) is fatal.
You’d not want to be the sickly child of a poor down trodden farmer.
Being the ineffectual, yet seemingly powerful sidekick if the main eeeeeevil villain. The eeeevil villain might kill you out of impatience, or the hero or hero’s girl will get you.
Don’t be the person who disagrees with the seemingly insane advice of the hero =- “Look, we’ve got to attack 10thousand baddies and blow up their ammo dump”
Its always a bad idea to owe money to bad guys in tall buildings.
Unless it’s the movie, then it’s still fatal even if you’re Chas.
Didn’t think this through very well did I! :eek: 