Duplicate Trope (titles crowner 10/2/14): Random Teleportation

This trope, Random Transportation, was created a few weeks ago. However, it seems to overlap very heavily with Random Teleportation. I do think there are some important differences (the bit about Adventure Towns, and some of the examples use it to refer to interdimensional or time travel), but I'm not sure that's enough to actually be a different trope, rather than just a use of the same broader trope. Frankly I think you could just add the "usage" aspects to the description of Random Teleportation, which is quite sparse at the moment and it makes sense to me that this is, in fact, the primary narrative use of Random Teleportation anyway. Some of the shared examples are from video games though, where it doesn't have any narrative use at all.

That said, even if we keep them separate I think the names are confusingly similar. When I first saw the link on the Random Teleportation page I thought it was linking to itself.

edited 10th Jul '14 12:03:31 PM by Clarste

Creator of the YKTTW here: I'll agree the name probably needs a change. I mentioned as much but nothing else was really put forward and I couldn't think of anything either. My biggest worry was it being considered a snowclone.

I think there's enough for it to be a trope on its own. Perhaps the biggest difference, and in hindsight this fact may require cutting some of the Transportation entries, is that Random Teleportation can be a one-off event, such as majority of entries in the anime & manga folder or part of only a single individual's power (Gunnerkrigg Court). Random Transportation makes much more regular use of the randomness, often being what propels the plot in a story that uses it. The easiest way I can think of:

• Random Teleportation: Someone's teleporting goes awry.
• Random Transportation: Teleporting gone awry is your main method of travel.

edited 10th Jul '14 10:10:16 PM by sgamer82

Hmm, that's a pretty good distinction, and I can see a case where someone with constant Random Teleportation is your provider of Random Transportation(or whatever we call this). One good example I can think of is the Dimensional Flux Agitator from Sluggy Freelance. It fluxes the target(frequently the cast members) to a random dimension every time it's used.

That said, while they share a relationship, having such close names is bound to confuse.

edited 10th Jul '14 11:13:48 PM by tryrar

Yeah, I agree that the names being so close is going to cause constant confusion, but I can see the big distinction between a recurring setting trope, and a one time event.

Well, I wouldn't say Random Teleportation HAS to be a one-off event, but if it happens enough times it's definitely edging into this trope. That said, I'm coming up blank with any non-crappy names.

I can see Teleportation Misfire for the "random" version, since it indicates more clearly that it is an accident.

I didn't think of renaming the other trope! That works much better than anything I could think off the top of my head

It actually already has a couple of redirects: Mis Jump and Teleportitis.

...also terrible crosswicking.

edited 10th Jul '14 11:34:01 PM by Clarste

I think Teleportation Misfire gets the idea of that trope across well in such a way that it will help clear confusion. If it's poorly crosswicked, we can fix that if we change it's name. Especially because the random doesn't really seem to be the focus of that trope as much as the whoops is.

edited 11th Jul '14 1:08:31 AM by shimaspawn

+1 for Teleportation Misfire

Also support Teleportation Misfire if it's specifically about an accident. I kinda wonder about the difference from Teleporter Accident, though.

Under which trope is Blind Jump a subtrope? It's basically invoking an accident on purpose, so it's not really an accident, so it sounds like a Random Transportation subtrope.

edited 11th Jul '14 6:56:35 AM by AnotherDuck

Blind Jump is about FTL "Jumping" which can't be steered for whatever reason (generally, due to circumstances) and is deliberately employed regardless. It falls under Random Transportation.

Teleporter Accident is a supertrope covering any kind of teleporter mishap. Tele-Frag is another subtrope of that, for example.

I think Blind Jump is superior to Random Transportation actually. As well as possibly Teleporter Accident, but it's more a sister trope. Since a Blind Jump can be caused for many reasons, most of which aren't accidental, or repeated.

It can be one of the possible methods of Random Transportation, but it's not a true subtrope as it lacks the repetition requirement.

edited 11th Jul '14 9:42:09 AM by shimaspawn

Huh. To me Blind Jump was more when someone does it in exceptional circumstances with systems that aren't usually done as a "Random" movement.

Anyhow, Random Teleportation has some rename support - enough for a crowner?

Let's make it.

Here we go.

So what features are by definition inherent in Random Teleportation?

Does intention matter?

Repetition (such as an always uncontrollable teleport versus one that's temporarily disturbed)?

Does it differ between teleportation devices/rooms, portals, teleportation abilities/powers, whole-ship teleportation features, or other means? (I actually wonder that about Teleporter Accident as well.)

Does it include Tele-Frag or Portal Cut?

Just wondering since some other name could be better (if the vote falls on rename), such as Teleportation Mistarget or Teleportation Miss, since Teleportation Misfire can imply it fails to work in ways a Teleporter Accident could, like a partial teleportation, or some other stationary side effect of the teleportation device/power. And it's a bit of a mess of a cluster of tropes here.

As the person who created that trope way back when (haha conflict of interest!), it was meant to be broad. You push the "teleport button" whether than be a machine or a spell or whatever, and it goes somewhere random. Whether it's always random or an accident or whatever, it just goes somewhere random. The examples I had in my head at the time were Viki, the teleportation mage in Suikoden who accidentally ends up in different entries of the franchise by sneezing, the ship from Farscape that has a random hyperspace jump as an emergency escape, and Lilka from Wild ARMs 2 who is notoriously bad at using teleport crystals and there's a secret island you can only reach by putting her in the front of the party and trying to go somewhere else.

So pretty much the whole range of intentions. The point is the lack of control over destination though, not any damage that could be done by the accident itself. Or the teleportation effect simply failing, which is the boring result.

edited 11th Jul '14 12:19:26 PM by Clarste

Basically a supertrope for teleportation not as intended?

Yes. Typically, of the "end up in the wrong place" style (there are also other tropes such as Tele-Frag).

Well, and also Blind Jump, since while it's intended, it's still random.

Crowner's hooked.

Votes bump!

"Rename Random Teleportation?" is at 8-1 yea/nay.

Calling for the rename.

Alt names crowner here. Also, I changed the thread tag to reflect that we are renaming the other trope.