History Tropers / Jetbent

I like when trope descriptions are properly hedged so they don’t veer into factually inaccurate territory when describing RealLife phenomena.

* GotOverRapeInstantly - My first and how I learned tvtropes (despite wise recommendations not to start in the TLP)

* GotOverRapeInstantly - My first and how I learned tvtropes (despite wise recommendations not to start in the TLP)

Wick check work for NecessaryWeasel interchangeability with AcceptableBreaksFromReality.

There isn't a clear definition for what a NecessaryWeasel is on its own page and there are multiple different and somewhat conflicting definitions on other pages. All of them seem to just be examples of AcceptableBreaksFromReality but as a genre. This sandbox is to ascertain if they are in fact interchangeable to determine if NecessaryWeasel should be proposed as a folder that rolls up into AcceptableBreaksFromReality ('GenreSpecific') rather than its own separate trope.

Used random number generator and manually counted on the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/relatedsearch.php?term=Main/NecessaryWeasel relatedsearch page for NecessaryWeasel]]

For the purpose of categorization, I defined "correct usage" as an acceptable break from reality but specific to a genre.

[[folder: Full thesis (collapsed for ease of reading)]]
I'd like to validate that NecessaryWeasel and AcceptableBreaksFromReality are interchangeable and that NecessaryWeasel should probably just get rolled up under AcceptableBreaksFromReality as a folder titled "Genre Specific"

My thesis/justification thus far ...

Here's the varying and contradictory definitions of NecessaryWeasel I've found so far:

* OmnipresentTropes definition:
-->If a {{trope}} is omnipresent, but only within a specific genre, you may be looking at a NecessaryWeasel.

* WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief definition:
--> NecessaryWeasel: When the audience knows that the trope is unlikely/impossible/unrealistic, but is willing to accept it because it's just become part of the genre. Sure, FasterThanLightTravel is impossible, but if it means that SpaceOpera can take us to some creatively interesting parts of the universe quicker than several thousand human lifespans, we're willing to suck it up and go along with it.

* NecessaryWeasel laconic definition:
-->[[FridgeLogic Illogical]] trope is a building block of a genre.
--->[-Of course an unabridged version of this trope sounds stupid, but everyone expects it to be [[NecessaryWeasel here.]]-]

* [[labelnote:NecessaryWeasel actual definition]]''As a logical extension of TropesAreTools, many tropes that might otherwise come across as gratuitous, offensive or just plain wrong in most genres are considered not just accepted in certain genres, but are practically a part of the genre. Complaining about the simple use of the tropes (as opposed to particularly offensive variations) in said genres is rather short-sighted and pointless, since, well, it's in almost every other work in the genre.''[[/labelnote]] doesn't clearly explain what it is ... kinda seems one foot in one foot out on both

* [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1332370170068756800 This Repairshop Morgue thread about the misuse of acceptable breaks from reality from 2012]] has several mentions of NecessaryWeasel, all of which are slightly or vastly different from one another as well.

So the question that needs clarification... What is a NecessaryWeasel?
* An '''''illogical''''' trope that only exists in a particular genre?
* '''''Any''''' trope that '''''only''''' exists in a particular genre?
* A trope that '''''defines''''' the only genre it occurs in?
* Any trope that is an AcceptableBreakFromReality?
* Any trope that would normally violate WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief but doesn't because of the genre it occurs in?
* Some combination or other explanation?

It's still not clear.

I suspect that a NecessaryWeasel is just an AcceptableBreakFromReality or WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief trope but with the lingering appeal of a nostalgic TropeNamer. From what I can tell, it doesn't add explanatory power that isn't already encapsulated better elsewhere.

AcceptableBreaksFromReality seems to cover everything that the NecessaryWeasel is but without TropeNamer ambiguity. All of the NecessaryWeasel examples could easily be moved to a "Genre Specific" folder under AcceptableBreaksFromReality
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Correct use per trope page's description (9/51, 18%)]]
* 4. AntiClimaxBoss: This trope can be a NecessaryWeasel in Wide-Open Sandbox RPGs that encourage nonviolent solutions to problems;
* 38. GenreBlindness: Furthermore, some stories in some genres [=[NecessaryWeasel really couldn't function at all]=] if the characters displayed an innate and complete understanding of what genre they were in and exactly how they should act at all times within a story in said genre if they want to avoid trouble.
* 65. OmnipresentTropes: Not to be confused with Universal Tropes, which are used in all types of media, but need not be ubiquitous. If a trope is omnipresent, but only within a specific genre, you may be looking at a NecessaryWeasel.
* 69. PlayingWithATrope: '''{{Averted|Trope}}:''' The trope is simply absent from the work. It is not used, mentioned, or implied at all. As there are literally thousands of tropes, and ''many, many'' possible uses for most of those tropes, Aversions are generally not worth noting unless they are especially surprising, such as for a [[OmnipresentTropes nearly universally-used trope]] or a [=[NecessaryWeasel trope that is very common in the genre]=].
* 127. Creator/LindsayEllis: NecessaryWeasel: The concept of scènes à faire is brought up in the video on the Omegaverse lawsuit: namely, the idea that a writer cannot be sued for simple plot points or genre elements because often, those plot points are expected in the genre. Just as a sci-fi writer can't copyright the existence of faster-than-light travel or laser weapons, an Omegaverse writer can't copyright the idea of a strong alpha-male love interest who woos the female lead with his forceful demeanor, because those are what people expect when they read trashy heterosexual romance, much less Omegaverse romance.
* 164. Headscratchers/MirrorsEdge: That doesn't explain how Big Brother is supposed to sort through all this data, but that's usually a NecessaryWeasel in disutopian societies.
* 196. Narm/FilmQToZ: * ''{{Film/The Ten Commandments|1956}}''. The dialogue seems like it was intended to be carved into monuments, not spoken by men who were slow of tongue and speech. Creator/CecilBDeMille did it on purpose, but not for humor: that's just how the dialogue in Biblical epic films and 1950s theater productions works. [=[NecessaryWeasel Expected then]=], but funny for people who aren't used to those styles.
* 202. PhantasyStarOnline2/TropesNToZ: [=[NecessaryWeasel Let's face it, this is a staple for [=MMOs=].]=] A fair few of the client orders will have a time limit in which to fulfill them, started when you enter the required area/mission; fortunately failing doesn't mean you get kicked out of the area or anything, so it won't interrupt whatever else you're doing.
* 219. PlayingWith/PeopleSitOnChairs: The story is about musical chairs, and this trope is [=[NecessaryWeasel necessary]=].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Incorrect use per trope page's description (16/51, 31%)]]
* 41. GuestStrip: Nearly all webcomics have done this at some point; it's something of a NecessaryWeasel.
* 85. ThinkInText: Say hello to non-standard punctuation as the second-most popular method. This --on the surface-- often looks like a case of WantonCrueltyToTheCommonComma. Um... Well... Err... To be truthful... [=[NecessaryWeasel It actually, mostly is]=]. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools But, it's all in a good cause!]]
* 122. Characters/MyImmortal: Informed Attribute: He is described as a prep, but it is never explained how he qualifies. He dresses all in black and wears high heels, but according to Ebony it's obvious that "he wasn't gothic"; he's apparently "scary" which appears to be a "goffik" trait ("'OMG you guys are like so scary!' said Britney"), cries tears of blood and has a tragic past in which his "hearth" is "borken" [sic], yet he's still a prep by Enoby's standards. It becomes something of a NecessaryWeasel - the reader can see that Voldemort is "dark" and therefore a good candidate for goth-hood, but the author/Enoby calls him a prep because he is the Big Bad, and preps are the ultimate form of evil.
* 126. Characters/YuGiOhDuelists: NecessaryWeasel: The Exodia cards would have trivialized the plot for Yugi, so something needed to separate the two. Why not make it an Establishing Character Moment for the series' Hate Sink?
* 141. Fanon/Inuyasha: This is once again a NecessaryWeasel to avoid the inevitable conclusion of the Mayfly–December Romance between Inuyasha and Kagome.
* 158. GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion/Film: In ''Film/{{Juno}}'', the main character goes to an abortion clinic but doesn't like the place when she gets there. After a protester tells her that fetuses have fingernails (which isn't actually true at that stage in the pregnancy, in case you were wondering), she decides she'll be putting her baby up for adoption. Her exact reason for deciding against abortion isn't specified, and is pretty much left up to the imagination of the viewer. The slightly more obvious meta-reason she didn't get one is that [[NecessaryWeasel if she got the abortion, there'd be no plot]], and much of the movie can be considered a love-song to adoption and non-biological parents (particularly adoptive and stepmothers).
* 213. PlayingWith/PathOfInspiration: NecessaryWeasel: The author has recently converted to a religion, but his audience has come to see the in-story religion as a Path of Inspiration; he will often use a variant of his religion as the "good" religion to fight against the Path of Inspiration.
* 223. PlayingWith/WalkAndTalk: Enforced: Showing characters walking and talking is a NecessaryWeasel or Characteristic Trope of the show and/or its genre.
* 234. Recap/AngelS05E09HarmsWay: NecessaryWeasel: As to why Spike doesn't leave Team Angel for Buffy. Spike's reasons are less than convincing, but given the complexity of the Spuffy relationship that can easily be put down to Spike not being completely honest with himself.
* 236. Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E21BecomingPart1: TakenForGranite: Angelus explaining the story behind Acathla. He was, of course, stabbed by the aforementioned pesky virtuous knight and turned to stone, [=[NecessaryWeasel as you do]=].
* 242. Recap/PokemonS1E52PrincessVsPrincess: NecessaryWeasel:
** In this episode, and this episode only, Bulbasaur's vine whip attack works by having the two vines entwining around each other. This of course allows for Lickitung to grab both of them at once, leaving Bulbasaur helpless.
** Both Pikachu and Vulpix leap forward before launching their attacks, which also gives Lickitung an opening to get to them first. Though this example is downplayed, as many Pokemon regularly do the same throughout the series (it just so happens that Pikachu and Vulpix invoke it every time here).
* 245. Roleplay/CDTSpaceLiner: TranslatorMicrobes: [=[NecessaryWeasel Mostly implicit]=], but explicitly noted by the Discoverer when the Muse's StarfishLanguage [[EvenTheSubtitlerIsStumped strains them]].
* 259. SoYouWantTo/WriteAScienceFictionStory: Superhuman: this genre concerns the emergence of the Transhuman and what that means for the rest of us muggles. All of the Other Reindeer is the most NecessaryWeasel here, since said transhuman will probably experience prejudice and feel annoyed by it.
* 280. VideoGame/YuGiOhMasterDuel: NecessaryWeasel: The game being a year behind the TCG on cards is, while frustrating for many players, considered understandable since Konami still has to sell physical product, and wait for the rulings for new cards to be updated in the OCG database.
* 284. WebAnimation/PokemonGenerations: TheWorfEffect: The Elite Four are ultimately taken out pretty quickly by Blue. Justified somewhat though, since it's a barely 5 minute short, [=[NecessaryWeasel meaning that there's a limited amount of screentime]=] to show off each fight.
* 289. WesternAnimation/Frozen2013: Artistic License – Physics: A blink-and-you'll-miss-it point in "Let It Go" when Elsa's braid has to go through her arm on the far side of her body to end up where it does. The animators couldn't do it realistically and still keep the flow of Elsa's movements, so they pulled a NecessaryWeasel.
[[/folder]]


[[folder:Interchangeable with AcceptableBreakFromReality (23/51, 45%)]]
* 10. AssPull: Citadel of the Heart: The author considers it a sort of NecessaryWeasel with the existence of the fic because of the massive Creator Breakdown and Reality Subtext Chapter 16 was filled to the brim with, thus why he doesn't regret having rendered Chapter 16 almost effectively all but non-canon.
* 16. CharacterMagneticTeam: Deconstructed in both Planescape: Torment and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. The respective Player Character's magnetism is revealed to not be just a NecessaryWeasel, but an actual ability to influence others to join them.
* 17. CiviliansAreIrrelevant: This trope is a NecessaryWeasel and an Undead Horse Trope. Since fiction tends to tell the story of a small cast of characters, all or most conflict revolves around those characters.
* 19. ClosedCircle: Thanks to Technology Marches On, an increasingly unavoidable bit of Fridge Logic crops up in modern works regarding why the characters don't just call the police/mountain rescue/the Ghostbusters on their mobile phones. Hence the nigh-omnipresent NecessaryWeasel that is Cell Phones Are Useless.
* 42. HumanoidAliens: Like Human Aliens and Rubber-Forehead Aliens, the prevalence of this trope — in live-action TV in particular, though also in movies and comics and other primarily visual media — is a NecessaryWeasel through and through. It has a lot to do with the need to create something that human actors can comfortably portray (without going way overbudget with CGI, that is), that human artists can conveniently and quickly draw, and that human viewers/readers can intuitively empathize with.
* 51. InvisibleWall: JonTron considers these a mostly harmless NecessaryWeasel, which is notable since he frequently nitpicks much smaller things for breaking a game's immersion or flow.
* 57. MasqueradeParadox: From a Doylist perspective, it's a NecessaryWeasel if they want to make a world Like Reality, Unless Noted. But In-Universe, they've come up with a number of different possible explanations for why a Masquerade might be necessary, all of which have their own issues
* 62. NeverASelfMadeWoman: The truth is probably that either application of the trope is something of a NecessaryWeasel (the whole premise of the show is the Doctor's unique powers and lifestyle), and the perceived sexism of ''Doctor Who'' is probably due to other tropes stemming from its use (ScreamingWoman, MaleGaze, MotherNatureFatherScience, ManicPixieDreamGirl, etc) rather than the trope itself.
* 66. OneShotRevisionism: The story "Midnight" took on the oft-used idea that the Doctor could show up with no history, no credentials, and a lot of knowledge which he refuses to explain, be detained for two minutes, and then be treated like an authority because there's a crisis going on. (Some Classic era stories did touch upon this — both "The Tenth Planet" and "The Faceless Ones" deal with it heavily — but since the Revival series omits sequences of the Doctor stumbling around, getting captured and convincing the natives that he's helpful, the Classic series didn't have to rely on this conceit as a NecessaryWeasel to the same extent.)
* 72. PowerCreepPowerSeep: Any game set in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure-verse, like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle, has to balance Stands being Invisible to Normals with Stand users not completely destroying the characters from Parts 1 and 2, before Stands were introduced. Usually, it's accepted that non-Stand Users can see Stands in a NecessaryWeasel to allow them to at least dodge their opponents (though a few lines in Eyes of Heaven imply that the Pillar Men still can't see Stands)
* 74. RadarIsUseless: {{Enforced}} in the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise, as the [[MinovskyPhysics Minovsky Particle]] (and similar super-science in other-universe works like the GM Particle in Gundam 00) diffuses radar and radio waves - which is of course [=[NecessaryWeasel a justification]=] for why HumongousMecha have a practical military application in the setting.
* 82. SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: More often than not, the problem is [=[NecessaryWeasel so integral to their own works]=] that most readers [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief simply accept it.]] Any {{crossover}} team-ups between the heroes will usually HandWave away the possibility of the stronger hero making any substantial impact in the badass normal's livelihood.
* 101. YouCantThwartStageOne: * ''Webcomic/{{Xkcd}}'' [[https://xkcd.com/734/ #734]] is a parodic aversion that shows why this is usually necessary|Weasel. With the ZombieApocalypse defeated five minutes after it starts due to good thinking by the protagonists, the remaining 90 minutes of the movie are a RomanticComedy instead of a zombie flick.
* 140. Fanfic/TheNextFrontier: Artificial Gravity: Lampshaded, played straight and invoked all at once. You know how it's a NecessaryWeasel trope here on 21st century Earth because simulating an aversion convincingly on screen is difficult and expensive, and shooting on location in space even more so?
* 141. Fanon/Inuyasha: For fanfiction it can be seen as a NecessaryWeasel to explain why Kagome has almost never met youkai in the modern era, and for an Alternate Universe fic to explain how The Masquerade exists.
* 156. Fridge/WreckItRalph: Fix-It Felix Jr. and Turbo Time were created in the late '70s to early '80s, with the former confirmed to be from 1982. At this period games were usually stored in either mask ROM or battery-backed SRAM, both of which makes storage at an extreme premium. Games at that era often have to employ [=[NecessaryWeasel tricks]=] like metaprogramming and self-modifying code just to make the game's code and resources fit into the limited storage space.
* 210. PlayingWith/FreakLabAccident: '''Enforced''': A backstory for a superpowered MadScientist (whether they're still a scientist or not) [=[NecessaryWeasel will almost certainly have this]=].
* 212. PlayingWith/HollywoodHacking: '''Reconstructed''': [=[NecessaryWeasel It's a necessary show]=], otherwise his peers would be uber-bored. And his results are still excessive for what someone with a laptop, a few faked e-mails with spyware and a couple of hours' worth of SocialEngineering and digging through trash should be able to do.
* 220. PlayingWith/RobbingTheDead: [=[NecessaryWeasel The game is an RPG]=], how else is the PlayerCharacter supposed to get new weapons, armor, and/or ShopFodder?
* 243. Recap/QuantumLeapS1E09PlayItAgainSeymour: NecessaryWeasel: The shootout at the airport. The believability of two men having a shootout at La Guardia airport in the 1950s without attracting police attention lessens the further from the action the viewer is pulled. Maybe in the 1950s before electronic surveillance and all night businesses. Very unlikely in the late 80s when the episode was aired. Laughably unbelievable to the modern viewer.
* 244. Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE7JokersMillions: ArtisticLicenseLaw: In real life, the entire fortune must be verified for authenticity before being offered to the owner and the taxes and debts must be deducted from the amount immediately after the owner agrees to take the fortune; Joker would have been informed of the counterfeit before he even ''saw'' the money, and would likely have received whatever sum was left ''after'' the IRS deducted the appropriate amount (for the real portion of the money) from taxes. In other words, [=[NecessaryWeasel if law was played realistic, the entire episode wouldn't have happened at all]=].
* 269. VideoGame/EvolveIdle: NecessaryWeasel: Obviously, the black hole reset should just be a straight-up apocalypse by effectively wiping the universe into a clean slate; however, there wouldn't be a potential prestige mechanic in it if you weren't able to continue in spite of that.
* 296. YMMV/EarthVsTheSpider: Regardless, it still hits the major beats of the genre, proving that being an Idiot Plot or using Hollywood Science are not NecessaryWeasels after all, long before it was popular to even point out those problems with the genre.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Non-tropes, like a wick in an index page (3/51, 6%)]]
* 84. TheCoconutEffect: Also see NecessaryWeasel.
* 95. WeaselWords: A not so NecessaryWeasel!
* 174. ImageSource/Photography: Simply listed under color photographs
[[/folder]]