Bridal Carry/Playing With

Basic Trope: A person (normally male) carries another (normally female) with one arm under her legs and the other supporting her back

• Straight: Alex carries his girlfriend, Kayla after she is rendered unable to walk by an injury.
• Exaggerated: Alex has to carry around Kayla for half the damn movie.
• Justified: Kayla is hurt, and there's no way Alex is going to leave her behind.
• Inverted:
  • Kayla is actually the one who has to carry Alex.
  • Alex is actually a cute little boy. This makes more sense as he is light enough for a young woman to carry around.
• Subverted: Kayla mentions that turns out to be able to walk just fine.
• Double Subverted: But then she gets a Twisted Ankle, or she mentions she appreciates that position.
• Parodied: Alex wades through a horde of enemies to rescue an unconcious Kayla. He picks her up and gets the hell out. She wakes up while still in his arms, and they look into each other's eyes soulfully. But what is that noise? An ice cream truck! He drops her on the pavement with a loud *thud* and runs over to the ice cream truck like a seven year old.
• Deconstructed: While Alex is busy carrying Kayla to safety, an enemy suddenly jumps out from behind a nearby pillar and slits Alex's throat. Since his hands were full holding the girl, he really didn't have any way of defending himself. As Alex collapses and dies, Kayla tumbles from his hands and the assailant stabs Kayla.
• Reconstructed:
  • Alex just swings Kayla at whoever is attacking him.
  • Re-deconstructed: Kayla later expresses volumous amounts of rage at Alex for using her as an Improvised Weapon.
• Zig Zagged: Kayla is shot in the leg. Alex offers to carry her, but she angrily declines. Later on, she does actually get carried around, but by an antagonist. Towards the ending, there's a part where she has to carry Alicia to safety.
• Averted:
  • Kayla is never seriously injured or knocked out, of if she is, she is never carried as a result.
  • Alex carries Kayla slung over his shoulder, instead.
• Enforced: Kayla is written as a "cute" Damsel in Distress, and Alex is deliberately Mr. Fanservice. It also fits in with his Modus Operandi.
• Lampshaded: " Oh, great..my ankle's busted. Listen, since you're The Hero and all, you probably wouldn't mind giving me a lift?".
• Invoked: Kayla complains that her feet are sore and begs Alex repeatedly to carry her.
• Defied: Kayla is a plucky Action Girl who isn't going to let things like twisted ankles slow her down.
• Discussed: "Hey, uh, Alex, you've been carrying Kayla for a mile, now. Your arms must be getting pretty tired. Do you want a hand?"
• Conversed: "See the way Alex is carrying Kayla? You just know they're going to be together at the end."

---

Back to Bridal Carry