Examples for Unrelated Effects, which was cut and sent to the Trope Idea Salvage Yard per TRS.
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Anime and Manga
- In Hikaru no Go, when someone is demonstrating exceptional skill in the game, their fingertips glow as they place down the stone. Somewhat over-dramatic for a manga/anime about a board game.
- Another board game example is Saki. For starters, the titular character spouts lightning from her left eye when she puts down a Mahjong tile. One of her most terrifying opponents can create the illusion of drowning in the ocean as she draws a tile. Another turns into cackling Psycho Lesbian angel [sic].
- Pokémon likes to use the "shining light" variety. Any attack involving a body part causes that part to glow, beam attacks charge by Sucking-In Lines, and anything that's about to explode shoots out rays of light.
Film
- Django Unchained: When Django shoots Candie's sister, she's Blown Across the Room... at almost 90° to the direction of the bullet
. No explanation is ever provided.
Tabletop Game
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Forgotten Realms has a justified In-Universe case. The Menzoberranzan AD&D2 boxed set introduced "frills" — bogus rituals, spell components and special effect cantrips made to look as parts of the spell. Drow wizards use this to mask from unwanted observers identities, properties and sometimes nature of their spells. As an added bonus, this misdirects enemy plans based on spying, as under duress the wizard can drop all unrelated act and cast the same spells much faster. And with perverted sense of humor it's worth kissing a frog if your rival will have to repeat it every freaking time while trying to figure out what he does wrong.
- 3e Magic of Faerun introduced Spell Thematics feat, which adds some cosmetic feature (like wailing skulls or lightning sparks) to appearance of spells, which makes them harder to identify, and slightly boosts power of tweaked spells.
- 3.5 sourcebook Complete Scoundrel introduced something similar for more generic use as "False Theurgy" magical Trick — using Bluff or Sleight of Hand skill to disguise a cast spell as another (until visible effects, if any, give it away).
- Forgotten Realms has a justified In-Universe case. The Menzoberranzan AD&D2 boxed set introduced "frills" — bogus rituals, spell components and special effect cantrips made to look as parts of the spell. Drow wizards use this to mask from unwanted observers identities, properties and sometimes nature of their spells. As an added bonus, this misdirects enemy plans based on spying, as under duress the wizard can drop all unrelated act and cast the same spells much faster. And with perverted sense of humor it's worth kissing a frog if your rival will have to repeat it every freaking time while trying to figure out what he does wrong.
Western Animation
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Pretty much anything which Master Shake throws to the ground explodes quietly; it's rarely reacted to, never really commented on, and entirely unexplained.
