Quick. What is the absolute worst place in this Valley one could go? The most insanely suicidal place to be found? The place where only a great fool would venture—and only an insane fool would follow?
Alice can't find Bob, where could he have gone?
Ka-BOOM!
Oh, there he is.
This trope centers on finding a character by the fact that they have a tendency to cause destruction wherever they go. So if you can't find them, just look for the nearest explosion. Or, if no explosions are imminent, do as the quote above and think of the place where the most
potential trouble could occur and you'll end up with much the same result.
Such characters tend to be
Chaotic in nature. They may be heroes who frequently use plans that are
Crazy Enough to Work, or just have the plain
rotten luck to
always cause collateral damage wherever they go no matter what they do to avoid it. Alternatively, you may have a
Mad Scientist or
Bungling Inventor whose creations always blow up, letting you know if they're in their lab or not.
The intent behind this trope is that chaos they cause will give you an almost immediate idea of where to locate them. Finding a site of destruction and knowing that they've
been there is separate idea which involves a more protracted hunt.
Examples:
open/close all folders
Anime and Manga
- In the Red Riding Hood chapters of Skip Beat!, Kyouko ends up alone with a stalker in the forest, and Fuwa Sho runs around trying to figure out where she could be. He figures it out when part of the forest explodes with her psychic energy/inner demons/hatred.
- During the Enies Lobby arc of One Piece, the crew is trying to locate Luffy, who charged in ahead of them. When a building nowhere near them suddenly starts to collapse, they know exactly which direction to head in.
- Variant: In Lost Universe, the characters know that dinner is done when they hear an explosion coming from the kitchen.
- Inu Yasha: Naraku not only has a distinctive demonic aura (that the titular Inu Yasha calls a "stink"), he also tends to leave behind trails of dead bodies everywhere he goes.
Comic Books
- Lampshaded in X-Men. Sort of a running gag, except they don't find it funny.
Literature
- Tavi, the protagonist of the Codex Alera, has such a tendency for plans that are Crazy Enough to Work that the question asked in the page quote is enough for two people to simultaneously work out where he's gone less than a second after the question is asked.
- Also, in the Discworld book Sourcery, minor character Nijel is once described as the kind of person who, if he was lost in a trackless desert, could be located by leaving out some valuable old heirloom and then hurrying back as soon as you heard it smash.
- Matthew Reilly's Shane Schofield is a variation—he isn't tracked by the chaos, but a few allies come by the area afterwards and conclude that he's been there from all the horribly destroyed vehicles, bridges, and chunks of road.
Films
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park. A T. Rex is rampaging through San Diego and the protagonists have to capture it. Ian Malcolm's advice? "Follow the screams."
Live Action TV
- This is one reliable method of finding the Doctor from Doctor Who in a hurry, as Martha points out in "The Lazarus Experiment".
- The Seventh Doctor had a companion named Ace, who was fond of incendiaries. Upon being captured, a large explosion rocked the building the villain had him in. "That sounds like my friend Ace. It has all of her subtle undertones."
- In Castle, Alexis lets Ashley's rat escape. After she apologizes to him for losing his beloved pet and he forgives her, Martha's shriek is heard offscreen. Alexis and Ashley look alarmed, but Castle merely says, "Found him!"
Newspaper Comics
- In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles newspaper comic the turtles have several (mis)adventures end on space bus station after closing hour. In the darkness Raphael gets separated from the others, and Leonardo think they should better search for him:
Leonardo: Since it's Raph, we should head in the direction of trouble.
Donatello or Michelangelo: Which way is that?
Sound from the left: Urk! Ugh! Grumph!
Leonardo: Next question...
Video Games
Web Comics
Western Animation
