Line #10 PlayingWith/Chickification


1	'''Basic Trope''': An ActionGirl or other competent, active female character becomes a MsFanservice DamselInDistress with little or no justification beyond the needs of the plot.
2	* '''Straight''': AliceAndBob are secret agents in ''Bob: The Movie''. For much of the film, Alice is just as kickass as Bob, but two-thirds of the way in, a {{Mook\|s}} manages to [[StandardFemaleGrabArea catch her arm]] and Alice is quickly subdued and subjected to a ShamefulStrip. She spends the rest of the movie trapped in a cell, naked, in the BigBad's lair, waiting for Bob to rescue her.
3	* '''Exaggerated''': Alice, [[LadyOfWar Warrior Queen]] of the Amazons, cuts a bloody swath through her people's enemies and is a [[OneManArmy One-Woman Army]] until she meets up with Bob the Barbarian. She immediately stops wearing armor, seems to forget how to use a sword, and her most commonly used line for the rest of the series is "Save me, Bob!"
4	* '''Downplayed''': [[StandardFemaleGrabArea After being grabbed by the arm]], Alice is noticeably less effective, but still has agency in combat.
5	* '''Justified''':
6	** Not applicable; this trope cannot be justified by its very definition. (The lack of an InUniverse reason is key to this trope. If the ActionGirl is changed to a DamselInDistress as the result of sufficient physical and/or emotional trauma, that's just CharacterDevelopment.)
7	** Pushing that a bit: Alice is in a HighSchoolAU fanfiction, and has no reason to be an ActionGirl.
8	* '''Inverted''':
9	** {{Xenafication}}.
10	** Alice is a DamselInDistress, but partway through the story she [[TookALevelInBadass takes several levels in badass]] and becomes the hero.
11	* '''Gender Inverted''': Bob's ''male'' sidekick, Charles, goes from TheLancer to TheLoad after his capture.
12	* '''Subverted''': Alice is [[DeliberatelyDistressedDamsel just playing damsel in distress]] to stroke Bob's ego. If she's in any real danger, she'll drop the pose.
13	* '''Double Subverted''': The BigBad guessed Alice's game and put in extra security precautions to make sure she ''stays'' distressed.
14	* '''Parodied''':
15	** Bob the macho ActionHero is [[GenderBender turned into a woman]], and immediately starts acting out the role of DamselInDistress, even though several people (including the BigBad) point out that this particular AppliedPhlebotinum doesn't affect the victim's personality. The other characters begin to wonder if maybe Bob isn't a bit too into this distress thing.
16	** As part of the heroes' BatmanGambit, Alice is forced to play the role of the DamselInDistress. Because she's such a kickass action girl, however, she does so ''dreadfully''.
17	* '''Zig-Zagged''':
18	** Whether Alice becomes a DamselInDistress or retains her normal ActionGirl prowess and escape capabilities depends on the needs of the plot, so varies from episode to episode.
19	** Alice is a MagicalGirlWarrior who transforms into an Amazon, but the transformation has a PowerLimiter, so she can go from a strong and trained assassin to a helpless waif who can't lift a finger to save herself, and everything in between.
20	* '''Averted''':
21	** Alice does not become a DamselInDistress.
22	** Alice does not become more of a MsFanservice.
23	** There are no badasses.
24	* '''Enforced''': “Bob's the title character, so he should be the focus of the climax. How about we have Alice get captured so Bob can rescue her?"
25	* '''Lampshaded''': "So, this is the famous Warrior Queen Alice. How the mighty have fallen, eh?"
26	* '''Invoked''':
27	** The BigBad aims an enfeebling ray at Alice so that she can be captured more easily.
28	** Alice lets herself be captured, since she's wearing a tracking device.
29	* '''Exploited''': Knowing that no one will recognize her due to her personality shift, Alice assumes a new identity after Bob saves her.
30	* '''Defied''': Alice refuses to go down that easily, and if captured, escapes at the earliest opportunity.
31	* '''Discussed''': "I hope Alice is all right. It's not like her to be so easily captured."
32	* '''Conversed''': "We're about two-thirds of the way into the movie and...yep, there goes Alice's competence. It's all damsel in distress from this point on."
33	* '''Implied''': Alice still uses her sword, but is noticeably less skilled.
34	* '''Deconstructed''':
35	** Secret agent Alice is devastated by how easily she was overcome and kept captive. She's plagued by recurring nightmares, and her fitness for field missions is questioned.
36	** Alice is deliberately feigning weakness when necessary as part of a larger strategy to train and boost Bob's confidence and public profile. It's certainly ''a'' way to [[TrainingFromHell teach him how to cope with frustration]], but it comes with unnecessary risks that outweigh the potential rewards.
37	* '''Reconstructed''':
38	** Alice was complacent, and the experience of effortless capture humbles her. Bob rescues her and they fight their way out together, falling in love in the process. Alice becomes a RetiredBadass who can ''still'' kick ass but prefers being a {{Housewife}} at HomeSweetHome.
39	** Bob gives Alice all due credit for making him a better fighter and she attracts a host of new aspiring heroes eager to learn from her.
40	* '''Played for Drama''': Alice's team manages to rescue her and still complete the mission, but [[PyrrhicVictory at a large cost]], having to extend the mission's duration threefold and resulting in the death of secret agent [[RedShirt Charles]]. Not only her teammates [[YouShouldHaveDiedInstead blame her for his death]], Alice is a [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten subject of ridicule]] across the team's base, and few look at her without making fun of how easily captured she was, or questioning her fitness for missions. Devastated, Alice too [[DespairEventHorizon believes she's unfit for her role]], and thinks that [[{{Tomboy}} Eve]] would be a much better substitute for her. Her boss agrees with her. Alice is fired from her job.
41	* '''Played for Horror''': The Big bad kidnaps and enslaves Alice then [[HypnotiseTheCaptive uses mind control]] to remodel her personality into his vision of the [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain “ideal woman”.]] The transformation slowly progresses over the entire plot until Alice is [[DeathOfPersonality unrecognisable]] as her former self.
42	** [[TheWoobie Adam,]] a [[UsefulNotes/TransGender trans man]] is forcibly subjected to mind control by a TERF who views him as a [[CategoryTraitor “traitor to womanhood”]] or by another [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain transphobic antagonist.]] As above, the transformation is slow and gradual, with the same end results.
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44	IHaveYouNowMyPretty! It's back to {{Chickification}} for you!
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46	%%Optional items, added after Conversed, at your discretion:
47	%%* '''Intended Audience Reaction''': ???

Context PlayingWith / Chickification