History Encounters / SpoilerFog

[[folder:[[spoiler:As if you'd fall for that; this calls for overkill. Take out your scalpel and cut a bloody swath across the swollen, infected examples until none of them remain.]]]]

[[folder:[[spoiler:You take the Red Pill and go into full-fledged edit mode. Then you remove all the Spoiler Fog completely.]]]]

[[folder:[[spoiler:You take the Red Pill and go into full-fledged edit mode. Then you cut away every possible spoilery bit you can, and paraphrase the ones you can't.]]]]

Shamed, you reach for your scalpel, stab yourself in the stomach and commit seppuku. Then you realize you may have overreacted, un-commit the seppuku, go back to the edit history and commit that dangerous, forbidden yet ''definitely'' appropriate as of now maneouver, the ''blanket revert''. You copy the previous version, paste it into the edit window and hit ''save''.\\

The room flashes blinding white! You struggle to find your balance and when you finally do you realize the previous page has been indeed re-instated- complete with the swollen, infected examples, down to the last icky drop of oozy purple liquid. The fog is hissing at you, completely oblivious to its banishment and re-instatement.\\

Well, at least the huge knife wound in your stomach is gone. That's convenient.\\

(Go back to the choice screen. This choice is removed, replaced with a note saying "I think we've established that this is not a good idea".)

* [[spoiler:Yeah, right, like you'd fall for that. Take out your scalpel and cut a bloody swath across the swollen, infected examples until none of them remain.]]
* [[spoiler:You take the Red Pill and go into full-fledged edit mode. Then you remove all the Spoiler Fog completely.]]
* [[spoiler:You take the Red Pill and go into full-fledged edit mode. Then you cut away every possible spoilery bit you can, and paraphrase the ones you can't.]]


----

([[spoiler:This calls for overkill. Take out your scalpel and cut a bloody swath across the swollen, infected examples until none of them remain.]])

[[spoiler:Nearly choking and completely blind, you flail around your edit scalpel in panic, cutting the infected examples away. As you do]] the [[spoiler:white fog]] gives [[spoiler:a series of protesting hisses]]; it clearly [[spoiler:does not appreciate you violating its feeding ground like that]]. [[spoiler:As you]] cut more and more of the [[spoiler:examples, you begin to]] notice the [[spoiler:fog growing]] thin and [[spoiler:irregular]] until finally it thins down to [[spoiler:a few]] dwindles and finally disappears completely.

The fog is gone. You grin in triumph. It is only then that you realize that most of the page is also gone.

The core tropes, the witty remarks, the hard work done by your fellow editors and helpful passer-by lurkers. All cut away by your own scalpel. My God, What Have You Done? It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time, throwing your scalpel at anything that seemed swollen, but the White Fog is so infectious it has corrupted ''everything''. Now you're left with barely any article at all! You have violated the Troppocratic oath- "first, do no harm"! Your edit's value was a ''net negative''! You have become as the lowliest of vandals!

Shamed, you reach for your scalpel, stab yourself in the stomach and commit seppuku. Then you realize you may have overreacted, un-commit the seppuku, go back to the edit history and commit that dangerous, forbidden yet ''definitely'' appropriate as of now maneouver, the ''blanket revert''. You copy the previous version, paste it into the edit window and hit ''save''.

The room flashes blinding white! You struggle to find your balance and when you finally do you realize the previous page has been indeed re-instated- complete with the swollen, infected examples, down to the last icky drop of oozy purple liquid. The fog is hissing at you, completely oblivious to its banishment and re-instatement.

Well, at least the huge knife wound in your stomach is gone. That's convenient.

'''Mission Incomplete...'''

(Go back to original decision. If you pick #1 again it says "I think we've established that this is not a good idea.")


----

[[spoiler:You take the Red Pill and go into full-fledged edit mode. Then you remove all the Spoiler Fog completely.]]

You [[spoiler:open the container]] on the left side of [[spoiler:your belt]]. It's full of [[spoiler:Red Pills]]. Supposedly these are powerful stuff- they let you see the code of the page and everything, but you've always been hesitant to [[spoiler:touch them]]. Well, now is no [[spoiler:Time for being choosy]]. You take one and examine it closely; it has small [[spoiler:writing]] in it which says "edit page, stick around to get a good look". Hmm. All right. You unceremoniously throw it down your [[spoiler:throat]].

WHOA!

Everything turns to black and white! Man, this is the [='''weirdest'''=] thing you've [=''ever''=] seen! Instead of appearing normal everything appears in black and white ASCII code! This is a totally [=[[MindScrew Mind-Blowing Experience]]=]- huh. That did not come out quite right. What gives?

Oh, well. Let's not get [=[[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer distracted by irrelevant oddities, to the detriment of the mission at hand]]=]. Instead of the fog there is a constant stream of [=[[spoiler: ... ]]=] tags and you quickly and efficiently cut them all away. You open the container on [=TheOtherLeft=] side of your belt. It's full of blue pills marked "save". You swallow one of them, and there is a flash of brilliant color and you are back at the room, and--

Ugh. What is that ''putrid'' smell?

The fog is gone. What you didn't take into account is that the fog was covering something ''worse''. The infected, blistering, swollen examples spew forth this horrid brownish-rotten liquid which covers you all over before you can react. And as the myriad of virii in the liquid infect you you feel every single crucial plot point, every awesome fictional twist of fate that was ever written or will ''ever'' be written, simultaneously being ruined for you. You have been completely spoiled and will never be able to enjoy fiction again. Just as the horrible implications of this dawn on you, you further realize that anyone, ''anyone else'', who will wander into this room, will suffer the same fate.

You frantically try reaching for your bottle of red pills, or reach for some piece of useful equipment to turn the tide in your favor- perhaps call for some help- but your hand won't move. The Virus controls it now. It orders your body around, clearly enjoying its new toy. Then it starts disintegrating you slowly, and the pain is searing hot, and you wait for the sweet release of death... But instead your consciousness retains perfect clarity as you feel your body being broken down into a familiar form, white and thick and foggy...

You have no mouth, and you must scream.

But hey, at least now you know where Spoiler Fogs come from.

'''GAME OVER.'''


----

You will have [[spoiler:none]] of this.

Seriously, what's with this inane [[spoiler:spoiler-tagging]] of ''everything''? You cannot [[spoiler:tomato]] me, I [[spoiler:ax]] invincible- really, this fog-creature thinks ''that'' is a proper spoiler? Not if anything you learned at Editor Academy is [[spoiler:anything to]] go by, it isn't. Spoilering something that is so easily guessable from the [[spoiler:context]]! And that's not talking about the spoiler after "I [[spoiler:am]] Invincible". It's a spoiler that ''there's even a spoiler there''! It obviously means that it is ''not'' [[spoiler:completely]] invincible! It jumped out at you without you even having to [[spoiler:highlight it]], what kind of useless spoiler ''does'' that?! For [[spoiler:frak]]'s sake.

You [[spoiler:open the container]] on the other right side of [[spoiler:your belt]]. It's full of [[spoiler:Red Pills]]. Supposedly these are powerful stuff- they let you see the code of the page and everything, but you've always been hesitant to [[spoiler:touch them]]. Well, now is no [[spoiler:Time for being choosy]]. You take one and examine it closely; it has small [[spoiler:writing]] in it which says "edit page, stick around to get a good look". Hmm. All right. You unceremoniously throw it down your [[spoiler:throat]].

WHOA!

Everything turns to black and white! Man, this is the most awesome thing you've [=''ever''=] seen! Instead of appearing normal everything appears in black and white ASCII code! This is [=[[AmazingTechnicolorBattleField just like in those video games when the world collapses into psychadelic colors and stuff]]=], except there's no color. And no boss. [=[[{{Dissimile}} And no battle]]=]. Whoa, your speech pattern is all weird an trippy and full of curly brackets and stuff.

Oh, well. Let's not [=[[AttentionDeficitOohShiny fall victim to a short attention span]]=] and concentrate on what we came here to do. Instead of the fog there is a constant stream of [=[[spoiler: ... ]]=] tags. You take a look at them and whenever there is one that could be done away with, leaving the essence of the example intact, you cut it and the spoiler tag away. If that's not possible, but it's not an example of an inherently spoiler-y trope, you try to put it in a different way that states the example without bringing up the spoilery part, or at most alluding to it in a vague way.

In some places you see you can't do anything. Some tropes are about death and betrayal and that sort of thing, and you either list them or cut them completely, there's no middle ground. So you leave these ones be.

It's a lot of work, but very soon you are done. You reach for the bottle on the right of your belt and pop it open. It's full of blue pills marked "save". You pick one up and swallow it, and there is a flash of brilliant color and you are back at the room.

Phew. Now this looks much more manageable. Some itty bitty swollen mushroomy-like things are here and there, surrounded by a tiny cloud of Spoiler Fog, but it doesn't seem a bit as ominous as it was when you took the red pill earlier. In fact, it seems to give the room an extra air of excitement and up-to-date-ness. Who knew that even this infectious fungus was a part of a healthy page's ecosystem?

'''Mission Complete!'''

The room flashes blinding white! You struggle to find your balance and when you finally do you realize the previous page has been indeed re-instated- complete with the swollen, infected examples, down to the last icky drop of oozy purple liquid. The fog is hissing it you, completely oblivious to its banishment and re-instatement.

'''''Spoiler Fog.''' It is unknown whether it is an [[spoiler:editor, once was]] an editor, or is another type of creature entirely. Recent plot developments are the Spoiler Fog's [[spoiler:preferred feeding ground]]. Once it descends on an article it will [[spoiler:enter a phase of terra-forming where it will greatly elaborate]] on examples while mentioning [[spoiler:as many sensitive plot points as possible]]. Thinly-veiled summaries of the high points of last week's episode will be posted, shoehorned [[spoiler:into the closest trope it could find]], and existing entries will swell exponentially in size with plot-crucial yet non-essential details. Once [[spoiler:the ground is ripe for feeding]], the Spoiler Fog will begin munching on the entry until [[spoiler:it is utterly engulfed by it and completely spoilered-out and unreadable]].''

''Description'': A strange, white fog, full of spoilers, clouding your vision everywhere you go.

Tropedex says:

''Narrative'':

Everything turns to black and white! Man, this is the [=[[strike:weirdest]]=] most awesome thing you've [=''ever''=] seen! Instead of appearing normal everything appears in black and white ASCII code! This is [=[[AmazingTechnicolorBattleField just like in those video games when the world collapses into psychadelic colors and stuff]]=], except there's no color. And no boss. [=[[{{Dissimile}} And no battle]]=]. Whoa, your speech pattern is all weird an trippy and full of curly brackets and stuff.

'''''Spoiler Fog.''' It is unknown whether it is an [[spoiler:editor, once was]] an editor, or is another type of creature entirely. Recent plot developments are the Spoiler Fog's [[spoiler:preferred feeding ground]]. Once it descends on an article it will [[spoiler:enter a phase of terra-forming where it will greatly elaborate]] on examples while mentioning [[spoiler:as many sensitive plot points as possible]]. Thinly-veiled summaries of the high points of last week's episode will be posted, shoehorned [[spoiler:into the closest trope it could find]], and existing entries will swell exponentially in size with plot-crucial yet non-essential details. Once [[spoiler:the ground is ripe for feeding]], the Spoiler Fog will begin munching on the entry until [[spoiler:it is utterly engulfed by it and completely spoilered-out and unreadable]].''

* [[spoiler:Yeah, right, like you'd fall for that. You take out your scalpel and cut a bloody swath across the swollen, infected examples until none of them remain.]]

(Goes back to original decision. If you pick #1 again it says "I think we've established that this is not a good idea.")

'''GAME OVER'''

Oh, well. Let's not [=[[AttentionDeficitOohShiny fall victim to a short attention span]]=] and concentrate and what we came here to do. Instead of the fog there is a constant stream of [=[[spoiler: ... ]]=] tags. You take a look at them and whenever there is one that could be done away with, leaving the essence of the example intact, you cut it and the spoiler tag away. If that's not possible, but it's not an example of an inherently spoiler-y trope, you try to put it in a different way that states the example without bringing up the spoilery part, or at most alluding to it in a vague way.

The room flashes blinding white! You struggle to find your balance and when you finally do you realize the previous page has been indeed re-instated- complete with the swollen, infected edits, down to the last icky drop of oozy purple liquid. The fog is hissing it you, completely oblivious to its banishment and re-instatement.

Everything turns to black and white! Man, this is the [=[[strike:weirdest]]=] most awesome thing you've [=''ever''=] seen! Instead of appearing normal everything appears in black and white ASCII code! This is [=[[AmazingTechnicolorBattleField just like in those video games when the world collapses into psychadelic colors and stuff]]=], except there's no color. And no boss. [=[[{{Dissimile}} And no battle]]=]. Whoa, your speech pattern is all weird an trippy and full of strange symbols.

Shamed, you reach for your scalpel, stab yourself in the stomach and commit seppuku. Then you realize you may have overreacted, un-commit the seppuku, go back to the edit history and commit that dangerous forbidden yet ''definitely'' appropriate as of now maneouver, the ''blanket revert''. You copy the previous version, paste it into the dit window and hit ''save''.

(Goes back to original decision. If you pick #1 again it says "I think we've

established that this is not a good idea."

Shamed, you reach for your scalpel, stab yourself in the stomach and commit seppuku. Then you realize you may have been too extreme, un-commit the seppuku, go back to the edit history and commit that dangerous forbidden yet ''definitely'' appropriate as of now maneouver, the ''blanket revert''. You copy the previous version, paste it into the dit window and hit ''save''.

You enter the next room in complete silence, listening for the tiniest sound. Alertness is key to survival. You don't know how many more of these abominations you will have to defeat before you manage to make it out of here and call for help, but you must do it, whatever it takes. You have to do everything you can to help. What if your fellow editors are trapped here and [[spoiler:need help]]? What if--

Shamed, you reach for your scalpel, stab yourself in the stomach and commit seppuku.

You enter the next room in complete silence, listening for the tiniest sound. Alertness is key to survival. You don't know how many more of these abominations you will have to defeat before you manage to make it out of here and call for help, but you must do it, whatever it takes. You have to do everything you can to help. What about that [[spoiler:cute girl with blue hair and heterochromia]] three tables from you who you ''finally'' [[spoiler:worked up the nerve to ask out this morning]]? Will you abandon ''her''? No. Out of the question. You didn't even ask her name. What if she's swinging around that huge quill of hers this very instant, doing her best to [[spoiler:stave off]] this threat? What if she [[spoiler:needs help]]? What if--

Shamed, you reach for your scalpel, stab yourself in the stomach and begin to commit seppuku when you hear a shrill voice.

"Oh! What ''is'' this?!"
You turn around and it's her! The girl from class! Red and Green boat-light eyes, blue hair, various inexplicable accessories attached to her apparel, looking even cuter with the hair decs. And she had to find you now, of all possible moments. Obviously her goggles did nothing to prevent her from seeing you commit ritualistic suicide just now. How embarrassing.

"What are you doing?", she implores.

"Oh, I," you begin, and then in spite of yourself you break into hysterics, relating the whole story of how you destroyed the article by trying to get rid of the fog. She is evidently torn between knowing that Real Men Don't Cry and the idea that perhaps yours are true Manly Tears.

"I see," she mumbles. You are bleeding profusely. Your vision is becoming sort of dim.

"I'm sorry, I screwed up," you say. "Is there anything I can do to make it right?"

She takes a look around the room.

"I think there is," she whispers secretively. You begin to suspect that she is incapable of simply ''saying'' something. "I will cast blanket revert."

Whoa. "You know how to cast ''blanket revert''?! They didn't teach it to us, they said it's dangerous and-"

"Usually, yes," she smiles, "But it's the perfect thing for situations like these when you ''screw up''. Here, you go to the edit history..."

She shows you your stream of panicked edits in the history, scrolls down and finally finds a recorded version of the page before you started editing it.

"Huh. I don't see the fog," you say.

"It's here," she declares, "All the [=[[spoiler: .. ]]=] tags. When I cast ''blanket revert'' it'll all come back to life. Three, two, one..."

You want to yell "Wait!" but with a wave of her finger the room flashes blinding white! You struggle to find your balance and when you finally do you realize that she is nowhere to be seen. And now you're back in the room, the swollen, infected edits are back here- down to the last icky drop of purple fluid- and the fog is hissing at you, completely oblivious to its banishment and re-instatement.

Well, at least the huge knife wound in your stomach is gone.

(Goes back to original decision. If you pick #1 again it says "I think we've established that this is not a good idea." if you do it ''again'' it says "What, do you have some blue-haired-girl stomach-knife-wound fetish?")

Click the edit button to start this new page.