Line #60 Main/TasteTheRainbow


1	This trope describes when a particular element of a story or setting has been expanded to the point that there's a version to suit every viewer's preference. Another way to describe it might be "a taste for every appetite".
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3	Sometimes this happens gradually, over the course of a series/setting --usually in response to [[FanService fan demand]] or just because it's good marketing. In some cases it grows into a PlotTumor proper.
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5	A codifying example would be the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elf]] as portrayed in the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' tabletop roleplaying game, where the basic "Elf" player race found in the ''Player's Handbook'' quickly branches into Dark Elves and Wood Elves in the ''Monster Manual''/''Dungeon Master's Guide'', and in other official sourcebooks includes Gold, Grey, Sun, Moon, Wild, Sea, High, infernal and celestial variants, Half-Elves and Avariel, just to name a few. Third-party books include countless further versions.
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7	This trope is tied to most "[[OurMonstersAreDifferent Our x are different]]" Tropes, but isn't quite the same; this trope denotes the explosion of "difference" in a single series or setting, rather than just the varied interpretations of an idea between settings. The CastFullOfPrettyBoys and ImprobablyFemaleCast can also be examples of this trope, since they generally exist to provide a large cast catering to a number of niche archetypes and fetishes/paraphilias.
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9	The vast selection of deities in most polytheistic religions is a real-life UrExample of this trope.
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11	{{Romance Game}}s do this all the time. For {{Otome Game}}s and {{Boys Love Game}}s, there's a standard cast: The [[ShelteredAristocrat rich guy]], the energetic, straightforward guy, the [[StoicSpectacles cool, aloof guy with glasses]], the athletic guy, the guy who is [[{{Bishonen}} pretty as a girl]], the "cool older brother" type, and the [[TokenMiniMoe suspiciously young-looking]] guy.
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13	In a case where the setting Tastes The Rainbow on a cosmological level, it's probably a FantasyKitchenSink where every conceivable mythological creature/hero/pantheon shows up at some point.
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15	The [[TropeNamer title]] comes from the advertising slogan for ''Advertising/{{Skittles}}'' candy.
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17	----
18	!!Examples:
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21	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22	* Exaggerated in ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou''. Each of the titular girlfriends have vastly different personalities with different dynamics between them, with more and more getting added to the harem as the series progresses.
23	* ''VisualNovel/GakuenHeaven'' is a BoysLove series set at an exclusive high school that includes every archetype of guy there is - and all of them are [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys hot]].
24	* Negi's class in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' is a walking case. It covers almost every imaginable female character trope appreciated in anime, and at least ''suggests'' most of the fetishes. If we extend that range beyond the class itself, we hit pretty much every conceivable form of romantic or sexual appeal at some point. As well dozens of iterations of RuleOfCool.
25	* ''Music/{{Tsukipro}}'' provides this on three dimensions:
26	** First, its CastFullOfPrettyBoys - 63 of them, and 13 girls. Do you want a quirky, funny, fun squad? Try the Gravi and Procella juniors. The middles are more like typical protagonists, and the seniors are more mature. Want your idols even more mature and realistic - and fiery and a bit sexy? Try Fire-element based [=SolidS=]. Want simple realistic shining youth? Check Air-element based SOARA. They even have a live-action movie. And so on.
27	** And it's not just their looks, it's their musical styles as well. Each [[AnthropomorphicPersonification month]] of Tsukiuta has a separate composer, all of whom are well-known as vocaloid producers. Solids, Soara, and Growth all perform songs written by Akira Takizawa, a.k.a. John Zeroness, but he varies his style to that of their in-universe composer members, Shiki, Sora, and Mamoru, respectively, and they do genuinely sound unique.
28	** And on top of that, there's also TheMultiverse -- SpaceOpera? [[Theatre/TsukinoEmpire We have that]]. {{Steampunk}}? [[Theatre/MachineElements That, too]]. Traditional Japanese style dance olympics? [[Theatre/TsukihanaKagura On islands that form the petals of a giant flower]]! And so on.
29	* The entire ''point'' of the ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' (the titular club, not the series itself) is to cram in as many different forms of female-aimed {{fanservice}} and types of hot guy as possible.
30	* [[EverybodyWasKungFuFighting Martial arts]] in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' fit this trope perfectly. No matter what hobby, lifestyle or animal you can imagine - from flower-arranging to breaking and entering - ''somebody'' in the ''Ranma'' universe has made it into a martial art.
31	* ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' makes sure to include every single female archetype found in a RomanceGame -- with a few curveballs to make the GenreSavvy protagonist's life harder.
32	* ''AudioPlay/SaintBeast'' has [[CastFullOfPrettyBoys bishonen]] of every shape, size, CharacterAlignment, archetypal personality, and [[HoYay shipping potential]] a fangirl could want. And they probably ''do'' cover the entire rainbow as far as hair colour goes.
33	* The class in ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'' is like [[Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi Negi's]], but with severe personality disorders instead of fetishes ([[RuleThirtyFour well, they're probably]] ''[[RuleThirtyFour someone's]]'' [[RuleThirtyFour fetishes...]].)
34	* ''Anime/QueensBlade''. If it's fetish material, then it's represented by a character in this universe. Examples include LesbianVampire {{Maid}}, {{Yandere}} CatGirl warrior, and an ActionMom who can use her own [[BuxomBeautyStandard huge tracts of land as makeshift pillows]].
35	* ''Manga/FemmeKabuki'' is like the above except invoked and intentional In-Universe given they're a Meiji Era burlesque/HookerWithAHeartOfGold troupe that correspond to the fetishes of the day whether an [[HighClassCallGirl Oiran]] TeamMom, a TokenMiniMoe saving herself for a boyfriend back home, a TomboyAndGirlyGirl pair of VitriolicBestBuds, GorgeousGaijin that's actually ButNotTooForeign or TheIngenue implied to be the star of the show.
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38	[[folder:Comic Books]]
39	* ''The Adventures Of Olivia'' is this when it comes to [[RaceFetish race, ethnicity and if nothing else occupation]] as the title character's a Black woman with giant afro-puffs, [[LatinLover Mexican Lupe, Italian]] [[SilverFox Anna,]] Jewish meganekko Naomi, South Asian [[BigBeautifulWoman Fatima,]] [[ValleyGirl Sandy]] [[PunnyName Shores,]] [[BraidsBeadsAndBuckskins Native American]] [[TwoferTokenMinority Pen]][[LipstickLesbian ny,]] East Asian [[ThirdPersonPerson Mi-Hy]] and rich-as-fuck and so, so '80s opulence Sylvia having theme episodes like being [[HospitalHottie nurses,]] [[BeachEpisode wearing bikinis]] or going to the gym.
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42	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
43	* Fighting robots in ''Film/RealSteel'' show a tremendous amount of variation apart from their humanoid shape.
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46	[[folder:Literature]]
47	* Polytheism is parodied in Literature/{{Discworld}}, where there is a god for just about every niche you can imagine ([[PunnyName Anoia]], the Goddess of Things That Get Stuck in Drawers, is probably the most commonly-seen example.)
48	* The list for Literature/TheDresdenFiles isn't quite as numerous as some of the other examples, but Harry has faced off against three highly varied species of vampires, with another species mentioned offhand (thankfully, [[Literature/TheTwilightSaga none of them sparkle]]). There's also just about any variation of faerie you can imagine (along with more than a few you'd rather not.) And most of a chapter in the second novel is devoted to explaining the various types of werewolves.
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51	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
52	* ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' / ''Franchise/PowerRangers''. Ignoring the multicolored spandex jokes, there's been a Ranger team for just about anything that falls under the RuleOfCool: dinosaur Rangers, ninja Rangers, car Rangers, space Rangers, beast Rangers, wizard Rangers, police Rangers, samurai Rangers, pirate Rangers, etc. The franchise has gone on long enough that some of these have been done twice or even three times.
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55	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
56	* As above, the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' RPG illustrates this trope beautifully with elves, and occasionally dwarves (though the dwarves tend to have [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame very little actual variety]].)
57	* If elves are the best ''D&D'' example, [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] are certainly second. Chromatic (evil-aligned) and metallic (good-aligned) groups reside in the core books, along with not-quite-dragons like pseudodragons, drakes and fairy dragons, while later expansions introduce the various gem (psionic/neutral-aligned) varieties, shadow, fang, force, prismatic, sand, pyroclastic, stygian, and various oriental versions (once again, just to name a few.) Of course, dragons also seem to [[ShapeshiftingSquick breed with anything that moves]], meaning there are also countless "draconic" versions of other critters as well. There truly is a dragon for every season, and probably every hour as well.
58	* It was a joke for a while among the ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' developers that the only perversion that didn't exist in Creation was Pyrohomonecropedobestiality: "Having sex with a dead underaged animal of the same gender that's on fire." Not that the game lacks the tools to make a god for such a purpose. Creation operates on a modified version of RuleThirtyFour: [[OddJobGods if it exists, there's a god for it.]] No exceptions.
59	* Clans and Bloodlines in ''TabletopGame/VampireTheMasquerade'' eventually became this.
60	* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', there's a space marine faction for whatever particular flavour you like. The same is true of Imperial Guard, where every guard faction is an expy of a real-world military stereotype, complete with a faction who define themselves by surrendering.
61	* Japanese {{Romance Game}}s do this all the time. Now imagine if every single beautiful woman from every single {{Eroge}} duke it out in a card game. That would be the general feeling of ''Lycee TCG''. Characters that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools share archetype]] also share "[[TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering colors]]" and Standard abilities, but each character has her (or his[[note]]There are also {{Bishounen}} characters[[/note]]) unique Character ability.
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64	[[folder:Video Games]]
65	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject''. It's doing its best to include an {{Improbably Female\|Cast}} version of just about everything from Japanese folklore, along with a few Chinese and Western myths.
66	* The ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'' series is playing into this more and more each generation with their bachelors and bachelorettes. There's almost always a GirlNextDoor, a weird girl, a {{Tsundere}}, et cetera, et cetera.
67	** The series' SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/StardewValley'', follows suit with more than half of the marriage options being inspired by one or more from StoryOfSeasons.
68	* ''VideoGame/TheIdolMaster'' uses this as premise for including in the cast every possible {{Moe}} archetype.
69	* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'': The archetypal {{Mons}} series. If it's a supernatural creature or god from folklore (old or new), you can [[OptionalPartyMember recruit it]]. And before/after that, you ''will'' [[RandomEncounters kill it]].
70	* ''VideoGame/WildArms1'' seemed to be going for this with its villains; you have a creepy [[OmnicidalManiac Omnicidal Maniac]], the [[EvilOverlord Evil Overlord,]] who wants to [[TakeOverTheWorld take over the world]], a gleefully sadistic [[MadScientist Mad Scientist]], the [[HairTriggerTemper hot tempered]] [[TheBrute Brute]], the [[TragicMonster Tragic Monster]] with a history related to one of the main characters, a cool and collected [[BloodKnight Blood Knight]] with his wolf and the [[PluckyComicRelief comic relief villain]] to round them all out.
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73	%%[[folder: Visual Novels]]
74	%%* The developers of ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'' included sex scenes to appeal to a wide range of sexual appetites: teen sex, milf sex, masturbation, mutual masturbation, Asian girls, anal sex, oral sex, handjobs, boobjobs, lesbian sex, threesomes, foursomes, outdoor sex, creampies, roleplay, and even pegging are featured in different scenes.
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77	[[folder:Webcomics]]
78	* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' has tons of characters, each with a set of hobbies and interests that appeal to almost every online subculture, from several flavors of UsefulNotes/FurryFandom to retro gamers, Anime fans, and juggalos. The troll race also provides a variety of flavors, as troll culture has twelve castes each with their own blood color, super power, and special cultural traits.
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81	[[folder:Western Animation]]
82	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' - 22 contestants (with added 2, then 13, and by season six 14), each one more different than the other. Except Katie and Sadie, but that's their point.
83	* Creator/LaurenFaust has explicitly stated that she has designed the [[{{Pun}} Mane]] 6 characters in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' to cover all the different personalities of girls.
84	--> '''Lauren Faust:''' [[http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/12/24/my-little-non-homophobic-non-racist-non-smart-shaming-pony-a-rebuttal/ There are lots of different ways to be a girl. You can be sweet and shy, or bold and physical. You can be silly and friendly, or reserved and studious. You can be strong and hard working, or artistic and beautiful. This show is wonderfully free of “token girl” syndrome, so there is no pressure to shove all the ideals of what we want our daughters to be into one package.]]
85	** Lauren got put in charge of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' when pitching her ''Toys/MilkyWayAndTheGalaxyGirls'' concept to Creator/{{Hasbro}}, which clearly has the above reasoning in mind.
86	[[/folder]]

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