Clarification?: Dissonant Serenity

Well, not that I have any problem with the trope as it is now, but while starting/engaging in an image pickin thread, there was some arguments about what qualifies as an example.

Does just smiling while you definitely shouldn't be smiling, you know, like having some blood splattered to the face?

Just curious.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

It would have to be a small and calm smile though. A manic grin is something different.

Fight smart, not fair.

I'd say the serenity has to be contrasted with the physical environment, not the emotional environment. So, for example, calmly smiling at a funeral wouldn't count. Calmly smiling at a war memorial ceremony wouldn't count. Calmly smiling in the middle of a violent barfight would count.

edited 1st Apr '11 7:20:17 PM by troacctid

Rhymes with "Protracted."

Would this qualify as an example?◊ There was some...heated argument over it.

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

I don't know. There's not enough context in that still to say.

Rhymes with "Protracted."

I wouldn't think so.

The eyes say "despair" to me, not "serenity".

....whut. This is subjective, I know that, but how is it, out of all things, despair?

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

Dull Eyes of Unhappiness, perhaps?

edited 29th Apr '11 9:23:38 PM by CandyCrazy

If you're referring to the discussion in image pickin, I thought the dispute was of whether or not it'd make a good page image, not whether or not it's an example.

Anyway, I recently added a Canadian Politics example to the "other" section, I'm not sure if it qualifies...

No, at least by popular vote, it is more or less decided that this was the best example. The problem was that there were few people who kept arguing that this isn't an example. If you ask me, I think it's a perfect example, in that even though it doesn't fit the description, most people (judging by the people in that discussion) immediately goes "Oh! I get it."

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

The trope description seems to be about a character who is engaged in a messily violent fight and has a serene facial expression that is completely dissonant with the carnage they are participating in. Some of the examples, however, are about characters who maintain serenity in the middle of fights that they never participate in at all.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.

So are we talking about characters specifically being the cause of mayhem or just that?

I'm a (socialist) professional writer serializing a WWII alternate history webnovel.

I think it might help to clarify more, yeah.

There's clearly a trope here about someone going berserk, but with a specific expression.

Just exactly how much are we talking about the expression as well as the situation here? There are a lot of different things a person could be doing in a horrible situation while wearing that expression. The trope image is even about a person staying level-headed and saving everyone. Admittedly with the help of some bullet time.

So should the trope only be about a serene smile worn while killing people?

If that's the case it might help a little to link to some similar tropes about people serenely smiling, or otherwise being very casual under difficult circumstances that don't feature them killing anyone.

I thought it was just serenity in a situation that would call for panic, anger or another highly expressive emotion.

I'm still a little confused between Tranquil Fury and Dissonant Serenity, if a person breaks some ones arms and legs while not appearing emotionally affected at all, which one is it?

My latest Trope page: Shapeshifting Failure

• Tranquil Fury: Beating people in a badass rage without going berserk. It's more in control and less screaming than Unstoppable Rage, but just as angry.
• Dissonant Serenity: Having a serene expression when chaotic things are happening around you.

Your example sounds like Dissonant Serenity.

edited 23rd Sep '11 7:22:14 AM by shimaspawn

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick

Hmmm. Going by those definitions, I'd say "breaking someone's arms and legs while not appearing emotionally affected" sounds like Tranquil Fury.

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

Tranquil Fury sounds like someone directs their emotions in a certain way. They're still angry, but they show it with their actions rather than their body language.

For Dissonant Serenity though, it's more like they don't care one way or another. They might happen to be breaking bones or whatnot, but that's not important to them. They treat the chaos around them and/or they're participating in as no more emotional than a relaxing walk in the park.

I think it could be either looking at it more closely. We need more details. Are they pissed off because the person that they're attacking killed their puppy? Tranquil Fury. Are they breaking bones to show that they can? Dissonant Serenity. It's not just how a character does things, it's why.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick

There's a "pending final action" icon next to this thread. That's the first of its kind I've seen; what exactly does it mean when it says "pending?"

"The Daily Show has to be right 100% of the time; FOX News only has to be right once." - Jon Stewart

I don't know, but I have a new button to play with now.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick

In my example the person doing the breaking is doing it because it needs to be done, like breaking up firewood but with a lot more screaming involved. Perhaps they are emotional withdrawn because of what the victim did to them and only the thought "Break their limbs" has stayed in their minds, without remembering why. To them it is simply a task that needs to be completed, self programming if you will.

edited 23rd Sep '11 11:48:16 AM by MCE

My latest Trope page: Shapeshifting Failure

Dissonant Serenity. There's none of the anger that's required for Tranquil Fury.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick

It means that we've decided what needs to be done to the article in question; all that remains is to actually do it, then this thread can be locked.

I didn't write any of that.

Meta four: where did you get your picture from?

edited 24th Sep '11 3:29:31 AM by MCE

My latest Trope page: Shapeshifting Failure