Need general Character BSOD?

We have Heroic BSoD and Villainous BSoD, but experience (specifically recently with various Web comics) suggests that we really need a generic "Character BSOD", of which those two would be sub-tropes.

The name of the current Heroic version implies that this is something that happens specifically to heroes, and the text talks about them being paralysed in fights, broken permanently by opponents, and so on; likewise, the Villainous version is something that happens when a villain is brought face to face with the bad consequences for them of their villainy. But, especially in comedy or melodrama, characters who are neither really heroic or truly villainous sometimes freeze up when confronted with something sufficiently weird or stressful, or a big moment of character revelation.

(Examples from recent Web comics; Zii, in Ménage à 3, gets a moment of traumatic revelation; in Sticky Dilly Buns, the nervous virgin Ruby can't process the possibility of her upcoming first kiss; in Questionable Content, the similarly nervous Marigold is planning to sit of the sofa for ten hours rather than risk something bad happening.)

I thought of suggesting simply a "Comedy Character BSOD", but this really can also occur in melodrama and soap opera, and arguably also real life. If the idea is accepted, Heroic BSOD would need a bit of a re-write to tighten up the definition and make it something that temporarily disables heroes in moments of high action.

Thoughts?

Well, technically the Heroic BSoD page covers any other "non-Villain" characters, and unless there's enough examples, I don't think it warrants its own, separate page.

The trouble is, the name of the Heroic BSoD makes in sound like a really big deal, for heroic characters only, and the notes on the trope reinforce that; "An earth-shattering revelation or horrible event affects the hero or someone he cares deeply about ... Reasons for the BSOD vary, but usually involves something that shakes the very core of the character's being."

But in comedy and melodrama, the cause can be something merely embarrassing, or an Armor-Piercing Question, or being outwitted, or discovering that two other characters are in a relationship, or just nervousness; see the Webcomic scenes to which I linked. I'd be tempted to edit the notes on that trope fairly substantially, but that then makes the trope name misleading.

Yes, the trope name is misleading. Lack of use, however, is much harder to prove than misuse.

What would you call a "Generic Character BSOD" anyway?

This has been asked before. Heroic BSoD is intended to cover any non-villainous character.

Off-hand, I'd suggest "Character BSOD".

Would it then be reasonable to tweak the notes on Heroic BSoD to reflect this general applicability?

Check the Repair Shop Morgue to see if this has already been brought up.

Not that I can find. Presumably the next step is to do so there...

...and get told that Heroic BSOD doesn't cover this...

Except that the argument given there ("the trope does not cover comedy scenarios") is not the same as "this only covers heroes".

Okay, the choice seems to be...

1. Talk about non-heroic characters freezing up in non-combat situations under Heroic BSoD. This dilutes that trope. Bad.

2. Create a new trope to encompass those incidents. Previously rejected.

3. Declare those incidents non-tropeworthy. Debatable.

Heroic BSoD does not cover minor pauses. It's not really a question of what type character does it, it's a matter of severity. A Heroic BSoD is a major meltdown/shutdown, not a momentary or minor freeze.

A character who isn't Heroic can have a Heroic BSoD, if they shut down completely in response to some trauma.

A Heroic character who pauses briefly in surprise or dismay at something didn't have a Heroic BSoD.

edited 5th Feb '14 2:32:54 PM by Madrugada

Fine. But note that a comedy or melodrama shutdown needn't be trivial or momentary. It can last for minutes or hours, or involve outright hysteria. And the notes on Heroic BSoD do talk a lot about heroes and combat situations, and not much else.

Hysteria isn't a BSOD. You seem to be mistaking this trope for "Character is shocked".

Okay, Heroic BSoD is supposed to be about shutting down and going blank. I can still point you at plenty of comedy instances of precisely that effect which have nothing to do with heroism or action scenes.

(And in any case, the notes on the trope are somewhat ambiguous. "...if this occurs during a fight with one of the Big Bad's minions, the hero may have a violent outburst..." and "...Go Mad from the Revelation is the even more severe form, where the BSOD becomes outright psychosis..." might seem to imply that violent as well as passive responses fit the trope.)

(Oh, and Angst Coma is defined to be a subtrope of Heroic BSoD. This implies that the BSOD can lead to reactions other than going comatose. Also the definition of Angst Coma doesn't mention the sort of heroic characters and violent situations that are strongly implied by the discussion of its supposed supertrope.)

I don't really see why that wouldn't just be Heroic BSoD Played for Laughs.

The description might legitimately put too much emphasis on action scenes, though.

edited 6th Feb '14 1:22:55 AM by nrjxll

I've come up with a first draft of a revised description to address this.