Rename - Unstoppable misuse: Anything That Moves

Despite the extremely prominent warning on the page, and the comment preceding the first line, editors will not stop adding straight characters, and that's ignoring inbound links. There is absolutely no way it can be more clear at this point. A rename to something more explicit is the only way. I don't know to what, but if they're still doing this at this point, there's simply no alternative.

If a trope for those who are interested in beings portrayed as sexually... unorthodox for reasons other than gender is necessary, split it. Maybe even give it this title. But something must be done.

edited 17th Jul '11 9:03:16 PM by TwinBird

Not to mention the title doesn't imply what the trope is really about.

edited 18th Jul '11 9:15:14 AM by Stratadrake

Ok, warnings were added. Was it ever cleaned up in the first place?

Honestly, any trope that needs such strong warnings on what the trope isn't probably should be renamed for that reason alone.

^ Yeah. I can understand the "not to be confused with" or "compare/contrast", even if they're mentioned at the start of the article, but if said warnings absolutely must take up the bulk of the article's visibility (not necessarily definition length), something's wrong. It's already established that editors tend to "read once, wikilink many" regarding difficult tropes, so adding a warning to the article will tend to only help editors who are linking it for the first time, not editors who are linking to it repeatedly because they read it once and got the wrong impression, and most certainly not editors who assume the title is Exactly What It Says on the Tin and never actually read what they're linking.

And wait, if a character will go to bed with Anything That Moves (the inspiration of the name), how can they still be considered "straight"? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?

edited 18th Jul '11 10:13:19 AM by Stratadrake

^ I think a lot of the problem is that characters will self-describe as "anything that moves" by which they mean "young, old, thin, fat, pretty, ugly, human, alien...I don't care" but they are actually restricting by gender.

This is a really annoying one since it should be a perfect title, but hyperbole has screwed it up. If nothing else, a few redirects like Pansexual and Omnisexual would help.

Hm, that's funny. I've seen the term "anything that moves" quite a lot outside this wiki, and this is the first time I've heard that it should somehow not apply to heterosexuals. A quick google search confirms that this restriction is pretty uncommon. It should be no surprise, then, that people assume that the trope is broader than that.

Omnisexual would be an excellent name.

I've never heard the phrase Anything That Moves apply to heterosexuals or homosexuals. That just seems like a really weird usage to me because it's not even accurate.

edited 8th Aug '11 3:42:36 PM by shimaspawn

Is the name the problem? It seems fairly straightforward to me.

I've definitely heard the term used in reference to both heterosexuals and homosexuals. (Much more rare in the latter case, of course, but in a context where homosexuality is pre-assumed, it gets used.) Basically, it's a short-hand for "doesn't care about age, looks, race, intelligence, hygiene, compatibility or sanity, but will stop to make sure that the target is still breathing." Gender only becomes a question if, well, if gender is a question. Often, the default assumption is that it's not.

edit: basically, I think the problem is that it's a stock phrase used to suggest that someone has poor or no standards in partners, and may not be meant literally (in fact, I'm not sure I've heard it used literally).

edited 8th Aug '11 4:05:21 PM by Xtifr

Precisely, it's not meant to be taken literally.

Agree with Xtifr's definition- I've always thought it mean being not very picky within your sexuality.

I've more heard the term used to describe someone who is indiscriminate. But not that they went for either gender, just that anyone of their preferred gender would do.

Anything That Moves means pansexual; someone who fucks anyone of any gender. I have seen the trope used like that, and since I know (accurately) what the term means and don't particularly feel the need to read the page and definition for every trope with an obvious-seeming name, I'm fairly sure I've used it that way myself.

We can't redefine what commonly-used terms mean on T Vtropes, so as I see it our options are to rewrite the meaning of the trope so it is about not having a sexual orientation, or rename it. I don't care which, but as it is now its definition is just wrong.

edited 8th Aug '11 8:39:41 PM by Aquillion

But people don't seem to be using it like that and more than one person is saying they've never heard it used in real life like that. Thus, there's an obvious problem with the title.

I think the title is throwing people off. Maybe All Bisexuals Are Promiscious?

That's not the trope. That's Depraved Bisexual. This trope is about someone who will literally sleep with anything. Man, woman, pig, alien tentacle monster. ANYTHING that moves.

Generally, in Real Life I hear it meant simply as "Has very low standards". Not necessarily "anything of either gender", "anything with a pulse", or "Would fuck a pumpkin if you warmed it up first", although it can also mean those as well.

Possibly, the best course of action would be to give into the misuse a la Cosmic Horror (Story), make it only about extremely promiscuous characters, and make a new trope for "Anything that moves, humans, aliens, sentient plants, etc, etc."

edited 8th Aug '11 10:05:11 PM by Wulf

I read the description again and didn't see anything about animals. I just took it as lol slutty bisexuals. And doesn't Depraved Bisexual just meaning...depraved.

Looking at the description: It actually is just "rather slutty bisexuals". Certainly nothing to do with aliens and such:

edited 9th Aug '11 3:01:20 PM by Wulf

So the description doesn't match the literal meaning, and doesn't match the common meaning (has low standards, can apply to heterosexuals or homosexuals as well as bi).

Yeah, the name I think throws people off and it's pretty to.

So Anything That Moves is basically just "Bi The Way + Really Gets Around"?