Unclear Description: Heroic BSOD

The Heroic BSoD trope is quite often used for Blue Screen of Death effects suffered for all sorts of reasons by characters who aren't especially heroic (especially, I think, in comedy — a character freezing up in startlement is a pretty common joke). Apparently, this has been raised before, and it's been decided that this is fine. However, the description of the trope talks a lot about this being an effect suffered by heroes, and barely mentions the comedy version. This makes mentioning it in a non-heroic context look wrong.

I'd be happy to re-write the description to something more general. This in turn might lead to arguments for renaming it, but maybe we can leave that for now.

The description doesn't mention the comedy version because trope isn't "freezing up momentarily in startlement, played for comedy."

Those are misuse, and not a good reason to water down a perfectly good trope. They look wrong because they are wrong. Such examples should be deleted.

edited 5th Feb '14 9:00:21 AM by Madrugada

In that case, we need a trope for "Character freezes (dramatically but implausibly) due to shock, surprise, or embarrassment". Which is what I thought all along, but I was told that this has been raised before and rejected, because Heroic BSoD. covered it.

edited 5th Feb '14 1:58:57 PM by Spindriver

Fixed the tag.

I'll note that "there is no comedy version of this trope" and "this trope covers non-heroic characters as well" are not mutually exclusive statements.

Sorry about the tag.

Okay, let's try and get this clear. Heroic BSoD covers non-heroic as well as heroic characters. Hence, it can cover characters in comedy. But there's no comedy version of the trope...

The issue arose because "comedy characters freezing up for various reasons" occurs often enough, and to specific enough effect, that it looks, at least arguably, like a trope. Someone suggested that a new trope was needed. Somebody else then said "Oh no, Heroic BSoD covers that". But now I'm told that Heroic BSoD doesn't cover it, because "there's no comedy version of that trope".

Hmm. If the argument is that the comedy/melodrama freeze-up effect is insufficiently trope-worthy, then fine; I'll happily discuss that. But nobody has said that yet...

"Heroic BSOD covers non-heroic as well as heroic characters. Hence, it can cover characters in comedy."

Huh? That is not logic.

Sorry, we're evidently talking past each other here. I'll try to clarify.

Heroic BSoD is defined in its notes, basically, as a hero suffering some kind of traumatic experience, in combat or other stressful situations, that causes a mental shut-down or temporary freak-out. (Correct me if I'm misreading this.) The name may be slightly deceptive in that the character may not be a fully-fledged hero by every definition, but no matter; that's not worth arguing about. If that's all that "The trope isn't limited to heroic characters" means, then fine.

However, a similar sort of mental shut-down also occurs in other sorts of story, under very different sorts of stress, to characters with no pretensions at all to heroism. Comedy characters are a prime example; we all know the sort of scene where somebody is left gawping in the middle of chaos. However, I think that one could also find examples of something similar happening to characters in, say, melodramatic plays or movies. So does the trope extend to that - to not-specifically-heroic characters in non-heroic situations?

It can cover characters in a comedy. It can be played for laughs. But it is not "a brief pause resulting from dismay, embarrassment or surprise." It's "a major shutdown caused by a traumatic event or occurrence."

This is, I think, a case of Missing Supertrope Syndrome. We have a number of specific tropes for "reactions to surprise, embarrassment or dismay that either include or go along with a brief freeze, but none for the main reaction of freezing briefly (The list of subtropes is on Surprise Tropes: for drawn works, it includes Blank White Eyes, Color Failure, and Blue with Shock; in general, Dramatic Sit-Down, Dramatic Drop, and a bunch of others.)

edited 5th Feb '14 2:44:04 PM by Madrugada

That leaves the question of what sort of shutdown with what sort of cause qualifies. Case in point that kicked off this whole thing; a character in a recent web comic who realised that she was likely to get her first kiss by the end of the evening. Not a very big deal by most people's standards, but this character being as she is, she froze, speechless, for several minutes or more, in the middle of a meal, despite other characters trying to talk to her.

In other words, she suffered a classic character blue screen effect. She's been known to react similarly to embarrassment at other times. Similarly, a character may bluescreen as the result of an Armor-Piercing Question - examples available on request. So, do these fit the trope?

No... that is not Heroic BSoD.

That's like... an anxiety attack.

Heroic BSoD is about trauma (usually several in a row) that just... breaks you. Because it's suddenly just too much.

edited 5th Feb '14 8:49:47 PM by Sackett

Is it an Angst Coma, perhaps?

To be honest, I'd have to answer no to my own question there — the character in question probably isn't actually comatose. She comes quite close, though. Sure, going comatose is an extreme and implausible response to anxiety — but comedies do sometimes exaggerate these things for comic effect.

The twist here is that Angst Coma is defined to be a subtrope of Heroic BSoD.

But anyway, the idea that a Heroic BSoD has to involve the character being completely broken isn't supported by the notes on the trope. They specifically say that the effect is temporary, talk about ways the character can be healed, and so on. Long-term effects that involve the character going comatose or psychotic are specifically described as extreme cases.

I suppose that every character, who is not a villain, is a hero. Therefore, we don't need a new trope for the Non-heroic Non-villainous BSOD. If a Anti-Hero, Villain Protagonist, Double Reverse Quadruple Agent or neutral character has a BSOD, we can squeeze it into one of the two categories, because Tropes Are Flexible.

The page describes BSOD as 'mentally shutting down for a while'. Not every mental breakdown is a BSOD. If the character has a tantrum, it is not a BSOD.

Spindriver is correct about the BSOD being temporary. If Windows has a BSOD, you can just reboot the computer, so it runs again.

Temporary, yes. Minor, no. Severe does not mean permanent. A Heroic BSoD is not brief or minor.

I reckon that the trope description could use a bit of tidying up anyway, and bringing out the trope's flexibility seems like a valid ambition... Here's a proposed draft revision:

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A stunning revelation or horrible event affects a character or someone they care deeply about, leaving them flummoxed or shocked to the point of mentally shutting down for a while. The effect is similar to passing a Despair Event Horizon, but is temporary rather than permanent. Alternatively, if, say, this occurs during a fight with one of the Big Bad's minions, a hero may have a violent outburst, killing Evil Minions and knocking their own companions in different directions. In that case, the hero may disappear into the fog of war and have to be tracked down by his friends and given a heaping helping of Epiphany Therapy. Alone in a Crowd typically represents a milder, non-disabling form of BSOD; a related trope is Heroic Safe Mode, wherein the hero "defaults" to a fight or flight mindset before rebooting in safety.

The trope name notwithstanding, the character suffering a Heroic BSOD may not necessarily be a fully-fledged hero. However, if something like this happens to a more ambiguous or mundane character, it is much more likely to be Played for Laughs or just taken less seriously; it's Big Damn Heroes who suffer big damn problems. But a BSOD is never brief or trivial; the effect must involve some kind of total mental shut-down to qualify. Note that an outright villain suffering a similar effect will experience a Villainous Breakdown, which often involves them going completely crazy instead of shutting down, or a Villainous BSoD, wherein they grow a conscience and react accordingly.

Reasons for a BSOD can vary, but a truly heroic shutdown usually requires something that shakes the character to their very core. Classic examples include losing a loved one (especially someone who the character failed to protect or save); discovering that the hero is not who he thought he was; being betrayed by someone the character cared about; being forced to go against a personal code or core belief or to make a personally impossible choice (e.g. a savior-type moralist pacifist having to choose between using deadly force for the first time or laying friends and companions open to attack from an enemy, possibly compounded by seeing cowardice and hipocrisy in their own actions); receiving a nasty Breaking Speech from a particularly crafty villain; being drafted into a war; having their mind broken; or failing miserably at something that everything was riding on. First kills (intentional or otherwise) or an inability to go through with said first kill despite clear consequences may also trigger this, especially if the character was previously depicted as an innocent; other tropes such as These Hands Have Killed often overlap.

When the trope is Played for Laughs or used for purely melodramatic effect, the cause can be much less substantial, though it will never be entirely trivial, at least to the character. Seemingly deranged behavior from someone supposedly sane, seeing something completely inexplicable and surreal, being offered something that the character simultaneously desires and despises (e.g. a high-minded virgin facing the possibility of a relationship with someone who they find overwhelmingly attractive), or being hit with a heavy Wall of Text, can do the trick.

Other people can attempt to reboot the affected character by performing a Get a Hold of Yourself, Man! (especially in the sort of story where violence is always the answer) or telling them to Quit Your Whining. The best thing that can happen to a hero suffering from a BSOD is meeting a friendly Warrior Therapist; meeting a hostile Warrior Therapist, on the other hand, is the worst thing that can happen, as such a foe can make sure that the hero crashes completely.

Even after regaining some function, a character who has suffered a serious BSOD may evince symptims such as a Thousand-Yard Stare, or go into a form of non-consensual 10-Minute Retirement. In the longer term, a hero may become emotionally comatose, obsessive and guilt-ridden, mute, or in really bad cases, a jaded violent amnesiac. The most literal long-term BSOD effect would be catatonia. Go Mad from the Revelation is the even more severe effect. Those who are less traumatised but who don't find a real cure for the problem may eventually find Safety in Indifference, remaining functional but becoming emotionally cut off. A subtrope is the Angst Coma, which specifically refers to entering a comatose or catatonic state.

BSOD-triggered personality changes may scare the hell out of people who are now worried the hero is as much a danger as the villain was. If the incident happened before the story takes place, it provides a rationale for a character being a Shell Shocked Senior. Comedy and over-the-top melodrama uses of the trope are far less likely to lead to long-term problems; the character simply snaps back to normality after a few minutes. A character in a slapstick comedy show may be thrown into several blue screens in one episode, as a Running Gag; if opponents discover a character's personal BSOD trigger, they may start to use it as a weapon — although if they over-use it, even comedy characters may wise up and seek treatment for the problem. After all, suffering a BSOD at least shows clearly that the sufferer has a problem. Even comedy characters can find that a BSOD experience is the beginning of Character Development; it can mark the start of a series of new experiences, or cause them to revise their world-view. Hope Is Scary is a frequent reaction to the beginning of recovery for any character.

He's Back! often happens when a character recovers from a Heroic BSOD and returns to being the person they used to be; it is usually accompanied by a "World of Cardboard" Speech. If the character never recovers from the Heroic BSOD or abandons his cause or moral outlook because of it, however, they've fallen over the Despair Event Horizon.

Compare Heroic RRoD (the physical equivalent), Freak Out, and Deer in the Headlights. One common reaction is I Think You Broke Him. In Real Life psychology, this sort of thing is known as an acute stress reaction, and is related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The trope is named in honor of the infamous Blue Screen of Death, a common term for a Microsoft Windows error that indicates that the system has screwed itself big time and must be rebooted. A particularly literal version could involve a character (preferably a supercomputer or other Artificial Intelligence) literally displaying a Blue Screen Of Death.

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Wall of Text!

Guilty, I'm sure. Now, any suggestions for tightening it up?

I'm not sure the 3rd, 4th, 7th and 8th paragraphs are necessary, and the Big Damn Heroes sentence in 2nd paragraph seems irrelevant. Try to cut those and we'll see how to clean up the description

Editing those paragraphs right down and generally tightening it up some more:

===========================

A stunning revelation or horrible event affects a character or someone they care deeply about, leaving them flummoxed or shocked to the point of mentally shutting down for a while. The effect is similar to passing a Despair Event Horizon, but is temporary rather than permanent. Alternatively, if, say, this occurs during a fight with the Big Bad's minions, a hero may have a violent outburst, killing Evil Minions and knocking their own companions in different directions. In that case, the hero may disappear into the fog of war and have to be tracked down by his friends and given a helping of Epiphany Therapy. Alone in a Crowd typically represents a milder, non-disabling form of BSOD; a related trope is Heroic Safe Mode, wherein the hero "defaults" to a fight or flight mindset before rebooting in safety. A Shell-Shocked Veteran may have a BSOD as their back story.

The trope name notwithstanding, the character suffering a Heroic BSOD may not necessarily be a fully-fledged hero. However, if something like this happens to a more ambiguous or mundane character, it is much more likely to be Played for Laughs or just taken less seriously. But a BSOD is never brief or trivial; the effect must involve some kind of total mental shut-down to qualify. Also, an outright villain suffering a similar effect will usually experience a Villainous Breakdown (often involving them going completely crazy instead of shutting down) or a Villainous BSoD (whereby they gain a conscience).

Possible triggers for a BSOD include failing to protect or save a loved one), being betrayed by a close friend, being forced to make an "impossible" choice (e.g. having to choose between using "evil" methods or laying friends open to attack), being hit with a Breaking Speech or Armor-Piercing Question, or failing at something crucial. Other tropes such as These Hands Have Killed often overlap. When the trope is Played for Laughs or used for melodramatic effect, the cause can be less substantial; deranged behavior from someone supposedly sane, seeing something completely surreal, or being hit with a heavy Wall of Text, say.

Other people can attempt to reboot the affected character by performing a Get a Hold of Yourself, Man! (especially in the stories where violence is always the answer) or telling them to Quit Your Whining. The best thing that can happen to a hero suffering from a BSOD is meeting a friendly Warrior Therapist; meeting a hostile Warrior Therapist, on the other hand, is the worst thing that can happen, as such a foe can make sure that the hero crashes completely.

Even after regaining some function, a BSOD sufferer may evince a Thousand-Yard Stare, or go into 10-Minute Retirement. In the longer term, a hero may become emotionally comatose (entering an Angst Coma), obsessive and guilt-ridden, mute, or in really bad cases, a jaded violent amnesiac. A literal long-term BSOD effect would be catatonia. Go Mad from the Revelation is the worst case. Those who remain functional but who don't find a cure for the problem may eventually find Safety in Indifference or Emotion Suppression. Other people may fear that the incident has produced a Fallen Hero. Comedy and melodramatic uses of the trope are far less likely to lead to long-term problems; the character simply snaps back after a few minutes. A character in a slapstick comedy show may be thrown into several blue screens in one episode, as a Running Gag.

If opponents discover a character's BSOD trigger, they may employ it as a weapon — although if they over-use it, the victim may wise up and seek treatment. Even comedy characters can find that a BSOD experience is the beginning of Character Development, marking the start of a series of new experiences, or causing them to revise their world-view. Hope Is Scary is a frequent reaction to the beginning of recovery for any character. He's Back! often marks a character's full recovery, perhaps accompanied by a "World of Cardboard" Speech. Conversely, a character who never recovers has fallen over the Despair Event Horizon.

Compare Heroic RRoD (the physical equivalent), Freak Out, and Deer in the Headlights. One common reaction is I Think You Broke Him. In Real Life psychology, this sort of thing is known as an acute stress reaction, and is related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The trope is named in honor of the infamous Blue Screen of Death, a Microsoft Windows error that indicates that the system has screwed itself big time and must be rebooted. A particularly literal version could involve a character (preferably a supercomputer or other Artificial Intelligence) literally displaying a Blue Screen Of Death.

===========================

Further tightening for length. I may post this soon, absent objections; it can always be edited (or reversed) later.

============================

A stunning revelation or horrible event affects a character or someone they care deeply about, leaving them shocked to the point of mentally shutting down for a while. The effect is similar to passing a Despair Event Horizon, but is temporary rather than permanent. Alternatively, if, say, this occurs during a fight, a hero may have a violent outburst, killing Evil Minions and hurling their own companions aside. They may run off and have to be tracked down by their friends for Epiphany Therapy. Alone in a Crowd typically represents a milder, non-disabling form of BSOD; a related trope is Heroic Safe Mode, wherein the hero "defaults" to a fight or flight mindset before rebooting in safety. A Shell-Shocked Veteran may have a BSOD in their back story.

The trope name notwithstanding, the character suffering a Heroic BSOD may not necessarily be a fully-fledged hero. However, if something like this happens to a more ambiguous or mundane character, it is much more likely to be Played for Laughs or just taken less seriously. But a BSOD is never brief or trivial; the effect must involve some kind of total mental shut-down to qualify. Also, an outright villain suffering a similar effect will usually experience a Villainous Breakdown (often involving them going completely crazy instead of shutting down) or a Villainous BSoD (whereby they gain a conscience).

Possible triggers include failing in something crucial such as saving a loved one, being betrayed by a close friend, being forced to make an "impossible" choice (e.g. having to choose between using "evil" methods or laying friends open to attack), or being hit with a Breaking Speech or Armor-Piercing Question. Other tropes such as These Hands Have Killed often overlap. When the trope is Played for Laughs or used for melodramatic effect, the cause can be less substantial; deranged behavior from someone supposedly sane, seeing something completely surreal, or being hit with a Wall of Text, say.

Other people can attempt to reboot the character; Get a Hold of Yourself, Man! may work (especially in the stories where violence is always the answer), as may telling them to Quit Your Whining. The best thing that can happen to a hero suffering from a BSOD is meeting a friendly Warrior Therapist; the worst thing is meeting a hostile Warrior Therapist, as such a foe can Break Them by Talking.

Even after regaining some function, a BSOD sufferer may evince a Thousand-Yard Stare, or go into 10-Minute Retirement. In the longer term, a hero may become emotionally comatose (entering an Angst Coma), obsessive and guilt-ridden, mute, or in really bad cases, a jaded violent amnesiac. A really long-term BSOD would be catatonia; Go Mad from the Revelation is the worst case. Those who remain functional but don't find a cure for the problem may eventually find Safety in Indifference or Emotion Suppression; other people may fear that they have become a Fallen Hero. Comedy and melodramatic uses of the trope are far less likely to lead to long-term problems; the character simply snaps back after a few minutes. A character in a slapstick comedy show may be thrown into several blue screens in one episode, as a Running Gag.

If opponents discover a character's BSOD trigger, they may employ it as a weapon — although if they over-use it, the victim may wise up and seek treatment. Even comedy characters can find that a BSOD leads to Character Development, marking the start of a series of new experiences, or causing them to revise their world-view. Hope Is Scary is a frequent reaction to the beginning of recovery for any character. He's Back! often marks a character's full recovery, perhaps accompanied by a "World of Cardboard" Speech. Conversely, a character who never recovers has fallen over the Despair Event Horizon.

Compare Heroic RRoD (the physical equivalent), Freak Out, and Deer in the Headlights. One common reaction is I Think You Broke Him. In Real Life psychology, this sort of thing is known as an acute stress reaction, and is related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The trope is named in honor of an infamous Microsoft Windows error that indicates that the system has screwed itself big time. A particularly literal version could involve a character (preferably a supercomputer or other Artificial Intelligence) literally displaying a Blue Screen Of Death.

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My apologies; I've now created a sandbox page to show what the revised version would look like.

That's okay, I'm just surprised nobody mentioned it to you.

By the way, not to boast, but I think that the draft in the sandbox is now slightly shorter than the current trope page, so even if it's still considered too long, it must be an improvement.

Changes applied...

Do we need to do anything else (like making more changes, or cleaning examples)?