Ask a Velociraptor
is a Tumblr blog run by a Velociraptor. It has gained massive attention and popularity from online dinosaur enthusiasts due to its aversion of Raptor Attack, as well as its consistently entertaining and well-thought-out answers.
This work provides examples of the following tropes:
- Animal Jingoism: The classic "Velociraptor vs. Protoceratops" example is lampshaded in one ask, with a twist; Velociraptor comments that Protoceratops are extremely violent and aggressive and will sometimes attack Velociraptors unprovoked. In an earlier ask, he comments that he himself would never attack a Protoceratops unless it was too weak to fight back. And even then, he would still have to be cautious, as the rest of the herd would likely try to kill him to protect the weaker member.
- Animesque: The art style sometimes forages into this. The Velociraptor himself looks quasi-super deformed.
- Cartoon Creature:
- "Poorlydrawndinosaur", who asks the Velociraptor for help figuring out what species he is here.
- Played with in another post, wherein he's asked to guess what kind of dinosaur Dino is. He immediately concludes that Dino is a basal-sauropod.
- "Poorlydrawndinosaur", who asks the Velociraptor for help figuring out what species he is here
- Character Blog
- Clever Crows: A flock of crows aren't amused by the Velociraptor boasting about having useable fingers and insulting the focus of the trope, their intelligence.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Microraptor are said to be these.
- Cool Big Bro: Deinonychus are said to be these. One also cheered Velociraptor up after he got buried by a sandstorm.
- Feathered Fiend: Utahraptor, cassowaries, crows...Averted with our title character, though.
- Fourth-Wall Mail Slot
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Protoceratops is said to have this.
- Intelligence Equals Isolation: Velociraptor notes that Troodons and their ilk are very smart, but tend to keep to themselves.
- Jerkass: Utahraptor are said to be these. Protoceratops too, being depicted as confrontational to the point of picking fights with raptors for no good reason.
- Nice Guy: The Velociraptor himself is very polite, a far cry from how his species is usually depicted. Deinonychus are also stated to be this.
- Orphaned Series: No new posts since 2012.
- Pun: Velociraptor is fond of using these.Velociraptor: (after being asked how he feels about cassowaries) I'm pretty wary of them.Velociraptor: (in response to a spinosaurid asking how he feels about spinosaurids) You guys always seemed kinda fishy to me.
- Raptor Attack: Massively averted!
- Shout-Out:
- Drake is mentioned once.
- Velociraptor said his favorite Pokémon is Archeops.
- The above mentioned Deinonychus cheering Velociraptor up moment was inspired by Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
- The comic has referenced TV Tropes and addictiveness, as seen here.Warning about that site though, it can be very… time consuming.
- Shown Their Work
- Take That!: To Jurassic Park at various points.
- Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: The female Velociraptor shown here has a single eyelash.
- Zerg Rush: An occasional hunting technique for the Velociraptor."We’re not coordinated enough to be a pack, honestly. We just tend to overpower whatever prey item we have our sights on, then proceed to try and overpower the other Velociraptor for dibs on the good bits."
