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Ambiguous Name: Supernatural Is Purple

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Supernatural Is Purple is a trope describing instances where the color purple is used to signify magic and/or the supernatural. There is a similar trope, Supernatural Is Green, for the same description, except substitute purple for green. There is also a TLP draft for the same trope, but instead it is Supernatural Is Blue. The only distinguishing factor between the three? The color used.
A wick check was done to see if there were any patterns within the examples covered by other tropes as well as seeing how general examples for both tropes are, and if merging the two tropes is a possibility, or if the concept is even a trope. The wick check findings are summarized below:
  • 17/60 Supernatural Colored Trait or 28.3%
  • 9/60 Magic Is Colored or 15%
  • 4/60 Color-Coded Wizardry or 6.6%
  • 11/60 Possible Shoehorns 18.3%
  • 19/60 ZCE or 31.6%

The wick check shows a tendency towards ZCEs, with the next prominent usage being supernatural status indicated by a physical trait (usually eye color). I can see why the usage is varied, the definition is quite broad, aside from the color restriction. It boils down essentially to "supernatural is represented by X color" so I can't say this is really misuse, except for the shoehorns and examples that are actually Color-Coded Wizardry, so I guess a 25% misuse rate then. Something to note: while doing the wick check, I noticed that Supernatural Is Green has already gone through one rename for being unclear, so it being back here is not a great sign.
Here are a couple of different ideas I've stormed up:

  1. Combine Supernatural Is Purple, Supernatural Is Green, and Supernatural Is Blue (along with other colors) into one general trope about how a strange color (in-universe) is indicative of supernatural origin.
  2. Narrow definition of trope to specify either "Odd-colored trait is indicative of supernatural" or "magic is supernaturally colored"note .
  3. Rename the trope(s): This would hopefully cut down on misuse and ZCEs as several of the no-context examples were just the trope name.

Edited by GastonRabbit on May 28th 2022 at 8:12:56 AM

Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#101: Jun 6th 2022 at 5:24:12 AM

[up] - I think you're assuming different assumptions from me? I'm assuming that liquified Mana is blue-colored, so there's an inherent link between Blue and Magical Energy, so I think it counts?

Not that liquid mana is colorless and the bottles are just painted blue.

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amathieu13 Since: Aug, 2013
#102: Jun 6th 2022 at 6:49:28 AM

[up]i feel like that's assuming that what's in MP restoration items is liquified magic rather than simply a potion or tonic that replenishes magic.

even if it were mana, that wouldn't count since the trope covers "actions and abilities" that are visualized with color, not items.

MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#104: Jun 14th 2022 at 2:05:03 PM

Down 199. Hoping to finish this tomorrow.

Macron's notes
MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#105: Jun 15th 2022 at 1:37:44 PM

Characters/ is done so the rest of the sections will be a breeze to get through. 108 left. Almost done!

Edit: 85 left. Taking a break now.

Edited by MacronNotes on Jun 15th 2022 at 5:05:20 AM

Macron's notes
Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#106: Jun 15th 2022 at 9:07:38 PM

Uh, Characters.Trick And Treat and VideoGame.Trick And Treat are having their Supernatural Is Purple handled differently.

Can it be replaced by Technicolor Magic if it's Magical Witches Wear Purple, or not?

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GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#107: Jun 15th 2022 at 9:58:25 PM

Wick cleanup is done.

For reference purposes, here's the wick check before I cut the sandbox:

Supernatural Is Purple is a trope describing instances where the color purple is used to signify magic and/or the supernatural. There is a similar trope, Supernatural Is Green, for the same description, except substitute purple for green. There is also a TLP draft for the same trope, but instead it is Supernatural Is Blue. The only distinguishing factors between the three, is the color used.

This Wick Check is to see if there are any patterns within the examples covered by other tropes as well as seeing how general examples for both tropes are, and if merging the two tropes is a possibility. Both Related.Supernatural Is Purple and Related.Supernatural Is Green and being checked - examples have colored symbol to indicate which trope they came from. Potholes in examples have been bolded.

Wicks Checked: 60/60

    open/close all folders 

    Supernatural Colored Trait — 17/ 60 28.3% 
  • Animation.Happy Heroes: #
    • The circus magician in Season 3 episode 33 has purple eyes when he's under Big M.'s control.
    • The wizard Huo Haha dons a purple outfit. In Season 8 episode 1, he also has purple eyes when he's transformed into a robot guard, whereas the robots of Planet Xing ordinarily have yellow-green eyes.
  • Characters.Big Order: [Iyo] She has violet eyes and her Order has the power to predict the future. #
  • Characters.Blindsprings: [Deidre] She used to have two purple eyes, now only conserving her left eye in its natural color. She got them from her mother and she's a (sealed) Orphic witch. #
  • Characters.Brothers Conflict: [Juli] He has violet eyes, either as a squirrel or in his human form. #
  • Characters.Fatal Twelve: [Goddess Parca] Her purple eyes definitely makes her look more supernatural, as a goddess should be. #
  • Characters.Galaxy Angel Anime: [Kahlua/Tequila Marjoram] She has light purple eyes in both forms and she's the only witch known in the series. #
  • Characters.Inu X Boku SS: #
    • [Ririchiyo Shirakiin] Her purple eyes are a hint of her half-oni nature.
    • [Kagerou Shoukiin] According to a color illustration, he has purple eyes like Ririchiyo, probably due to his Oni heritage.
  • Characters.Kaze No Stigma: [Lapis] The only physical difference she has from Cui-Ling are her purple eyes, which help to show she's a magic replica. #
  • Characters.Lilys Well: [Lily Tabacci] Her hair is colored purple by the alchemical element, azoth. This serves as a hint to her non-human origins. #
  • Characters.Loli Rock: [Lyna] Her purple eyes mark her as coming from a kingdom that focuses heavily on spellwork. #
  • Characters.Shall We Date Blood In Roses: [Mina Hambleton] Her purple eyes indicate her witch heritage and her mystical abilities. #
  • Characters.RG Veda: His eyes make people think he's a mazoku, as they're the only thing with purple eyes in the world, yet barriers against them don't affect him. He's indeed a mazoku but out of being result of a sin, and through his veins flow stargazer blood, allowing him full pass thorugh barriers. #
  • Myth.Brazilian Folklore: Curupira sometimes is descripted as having green skin. #
  • Webcomic.Stanton Creek: Several disguised aliens have inhumanly saturated green eyes. #
  • WebOriginal.The Neverglades: [Technicolor Eyes] The Inspector has purple eyes. This, along with his gray skin, are a hint that he's more than he seems to be. #
  • WesternAnimation.Rock Odyssey: The goblin creature who menaces Laura in the latter half of the film has green skin. #
  • WMG.: [Robofizz is a Soul Jar.] I think this one is pretty obvious, but it would explain his sentience, and perhaps even his Sexbot functions. It may also explain his green, glowing eyes. #

    Magic Is Colored — 9/ 60 15% 
Soos: Nah, that's the normal amount of green lightning.
  • Literature.The Tommyknockers: Especially prevalent in the tv-series, where everything associated with the spaceship has an eerie green glow. #
  • Recap.Animaniacs 2020 Episode 10: Quantium is purple, and the kids' telekinesis is accompanied by purple flashes. #
  • Series.Cursed: [Technicolor Fire] Fey Fire, which was used to forge the Sword of Power and is the only thing that can destroy it, is bright green. #
  • TabletopGame.Battle Spirits: [Elemental Powers] Purple: Primarily darkness and death. It also messes with souls a lot. # I think???? But holy hell that pothole... second half of the word "souls"
  • VideoGame.Dark Romance: [Sleepy Hollow] Ragehild's magic emanates green colors for anything she does. #
  • VideoGame.Gems Of War: The Magic element is represented with purple orbs. #
  • WesternAnimation.Glitch Techs: Sinister Geometry: From "Ping", a floating, green cube that No Sells attacks. It is perhaps one of the most dangerous faced because it's so simple. It basically hits a surface and bounces off of it, always gaining more power, momentum and speed, until it basically becomes an indestructible, unstoppable object destroying everything in its path. And even worse, since it's from the In-Universe equivalent of Pong, the gauntlet emitters don't work on it because it's been obsolete for so long, forcing the heroes to think outside the box to try and stop it. #

     Color-Coded Wizardry — 4/ 60 6.6% 

    Possible Shoehorns — 11/ 60 18.3% 
  • Art.Cupid And Psyche As Children: Much like in Bouguereau's other paintings on the subject, Cupid and Psyche are accompanied by a purple cloak, here draped over the cloud that both of them share. #
  • Characters.Avas Demon: [Pedri Nanezgani] Of all the Demons so far, he's the most typically ghostlike in appearance. Word of God says he has powers invoking Death. # Is one of many demons in a work with Amazing Technicolor Population. This is just skin color.
  • Characters.Among Us Logic: [Hunter] Subverted. While he himself isn't supernatural, he's colored green and studies the supernatural. #
  • Characters.Earth Twenty Seven Heaven: [Saraquael] Her eyes are indigo and she's the keeper of Souls. # Whole cast are angels, this is just eye color.
  • Characters.Everyman HYBRID: A powerful, possessing entity associated with the colour purple. # Knowing the work, I know that HABIT just seems to really like purple, I don't think it has anything to do with his powers.
  • Characters.Hunie Pop: [Momo] She's a catgirl of unknown origin, and she wears purple panties. # I highly doubt the color of a character's underwear is this significant.
  • Characters.Maguchan God Of Destruction: [Mag Menuek the Destroyer] Colored art drawn for the prototype one-shot back in 2019 depicted him as light green rather than his final pink color. # This is just skin color.
  • Characters.Padak The Webcomic: [Bamba Cyfno] Once again, she has purple skin, and is the Heir of Space. Space is pretty supernatural if you ask me. # ZCE, but the second sentence is what's leading me to think it's a shoehorn since no further context is given besides a troper's opinion.
  • Characters.Roommates Magical Community: #
  • Instant Armor: The "Golem Condiut" and "Aura Condiut" in inFamous are also examples of this. The first is a psychokinetic member of the Dustmen, who has pulled together a motley assembly of mainly-metallic trash, into a vaguely humanoid form. The toughest and most annoying unit in the game, hands down. The second, meanwhile, is a telekinetic member of the First Sons, who is basically projecting a gigantic (and vaguely purple) spectral image of himself, stomping around and smashing stuff while his real body floats in the center. # example admits color is vague, therefore, color is not intentionally used as the trope.
  • Recap.Odd Squad S 2 E 22 Haunt Squad Safe House In The Woods: Gadget #23, the gadget used to restore Oona and the other Scientists back to normal, fires a green beam. # a gadget is more sci-fi than supernatural. Iffy about this one, possibly Magic is Colored.

     ZCE — 19/ 60 31.6% 

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
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7th May '22 11:24:05 AM

Crown Description:

Consensus was to merge Supernatural Is Purple and Supernatural Is Green into a single trope that involves the use of colors to indicate the supernatural, but isn't specific to a single color. What should the merged trope's name be?

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