We don't want to clog this thread since Surprisingly Realistic Outcome is an Overdosed Trope. Before posting here, check if the example you're analyzing qualifies for summary deletion from the three criteria below by keeping this trope's rigorous definition in mind.
- Does the example involve Applied Phlebotinum (Functional Magic, Science Fiction, Artistic Licence) or a character reaction? If so, it instantly violates the definition's second bullet point's realism requirements, and you should delete it without question.
- Is the example a Discussed Trope or an instance of Conversational Troping? If so, it violates the definition's third bullet point's emphasis on only counting outcomes, and you should delete it without question.
- Considering the definitions, would the example qualify better for Deconstructed Trope or Deconstructed Character Archetype from the trope page's rules? If so, move it to the appropriate one on the spot.
If the example survived all three tests, it satisfies the second and third bullet points, so you don't need to change it immediately. If you feel like it meets the first bullet point's requirements for being surprising, you can leave it. However, if you believe it doesn't meet the first bullet point or aren't sure, talk it over in the cleanup thread before deciding.
Many Stock Phrases you'll see used in this thread describe a particular type of misuse:
- Not surprising. — The outcome described isn't a Bait-and-Switch and merely follows expected genre conventions.
- Plot happens. — The example merely describes an event or series of events but not why we would expect something different.
- Too fantastical. — The causes/outcome described included the presence of stuff Impossible in Real Life such as Applied Phlebotinum, Functional Magic, or Science Fiction, meaning they're too unrealistic by default.
- No character reactions. — The outcome involves a character reacting in a certain way or having certain emotions, which we can't gauge the realism of because people's emotional reactions vary far too much.
- Not realistic. — Exactly What It Says on the Tin, but this one requires you to write a short description for why it isn't realistic.
- Too implausible. — The outcome describes an outcome that happened because of things too unlikely to count as relatively realistic compared to what they were subverting.
- Cuttable ZCE. — Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
- Not an outcome. — The example is either a Discussed Trope, Lampshade Hanging, Conversational Troping, or happens over too much time to be momentary.
- Too unclear. — The example is too convoluted or obtuse to judge.
- Irrelevant. — The example describes stuff utterly irrelevant to the definition of SRO.
- Bad indentation. — Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
A big thing I've noticed is that it's often used for anything remotely realistic, or something that's realistic but doesn't necessarily affect the story. Another problem is that the trope seems to be cherry-picked, where any instance of reality ensuing is put there, as well as when another trope could serve the example better.
Problematic examples from one sample page, SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome.Disney Animated Series:
"Despite his attempts Wander can't make friends with Dominator who constantly rebuffs his friendly gestures throughout season 2. Even at the end of everything, she still refuses. Sylvia even lampshades it, telling him some people are just like that."
"Spider-Man's fight against Sandman and Rhino, where Spidey uses Rhino's weight against him. rather than fighting him directly."
"Beshte gets sunburns all over his body and is easily exhausted while he is lost in the Outlands. Justified due to the fact that hippos need water to survive to avoid sunburn and overheating."
"It's heavily implied that being the leader of the Lion Guard has taken a toll on Kion's social and private life."
"Milo Murphy's Law is about a boy named Milo Murphy whose entire life is centered around Murphy's Law. In another cartoon, being The Jinx would cause people to be afraid of them, resulting in an unsocial lifestyle. That does not apply here. While everyone does watch their step around Milo, they do not hate him for it. Being The Jinx does, however, give everyone Paranoia Fuel, given that Murphy's Law can happen at any time, so chances are you might need insurance, a phone in case of emergencies, among other things. Milo himself (as well as his friends Melissa and Zack) just learned to adapt to his condition, being prepared for anything. He has lived with Murphy's Law his entire life after all. That being said, that does not mean that they don't panic all the time. Examples include Milo panicking over his monthly doctor's note, and Melissa panicking over riding a rollercoaster with Milo."
" Hiro is initially not allowed to use Tadashi's former lab, as it can only be accessed by upperclassmen who earned the privilege. Subverted in the second half of the pilot when Professor Granville decides Hiro using the lab would benefit him. On a related note regarding Granville, she is tough, but fair when interacting with the students. She might be, as Wasabi describes "a hard case", but Granville being a complete sadist and picking on Hiro would be unrealistic. She is actually a decent person."
-Edited with permission from the OP-
Edited by lalalei2001 on Aug 10th 2022 at 5:47:25 AM
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
They can be rewritten, but they still apply. Too tired to rewrite them at the moment, but here's the reasoning:
- The Albain brothers were playing the perfect dutiful servants for a season and a half, seemingly perfectly fine with everything Adam had done and relaying his orders without question. And then it turns out they've been translating his insane screeching into something more palatable, and they're actually very worried. So it's a Reality Ensues on what happens when you put a violent asshole who is only good at killing things in charge. I think there's a specific trope for that. Asskicking Equals Authority is part of it, but not all.
- Reality Ensues on Gullible Lemmings. Adam and the Albain brothers figured everyone would just go along with whatever excuse they gave, and weren't particularly worried when evidence of their plans fell into the hands of their enemies. But all the people who actually learned of it immediately refused to believe Adam because, you know, evidence.
- This one kinda feeds into the first one, because Adam doesn't actually have a plan, the Albain brothers are just pasting something that sounds good over his spiteful crap. So I guess those two could be merged and a separate Don't Create a Martyr example could be added.
I don't know the game at all, but at the very least those need to be rewritten. The first one, in particular, could be an example if it was actually mentioned in-universe. "Why are there not enough prosecutors all of a sudden?" "Because the entire office was corrupt and you got them all fired, remember?" But as written, it kinda just sounds like weird speculation.
- Given that the Albain brothers are content to serve until he's no longer useful to them and then replace him with someone more useful if he becomes too much of a liability, they come across as The Creon, not Reality Ensues. They're subordinates who want to remain subordinates, who only serve the leader for as long as the leader is useful to them, and at that point are fine with arranging a replacement.
- All Ghira did was wave around a random phone and asked people to believe he was telling the truth about the origin of the phone and what it contained. According to the show (such as the WoR episodes), Menagerie is a recruiting ground for the White Fang, and we know White Fang members can walk openly there. Also, according to the show, the island had heard that Beacon fell, but they didn't know the White Fang was involved or that the White Fang released Grimm into the city and school. Not even Ghira had heard about that. So, the population was minding its own business until Ghira one day calls a press conference out of the blue, waves a random phone at them and asks them to believe him. So they do. Instantly. The only reason they don't agree to protect Haven there and then is because they either don't want to fight at all or they don't want to fight on behalf of humans. So, the Albain brothers have to publicly screw up before the locals are willing to fight and we've reached the Nice Job Fixing It, Villain trope.
- As this third example shows: this is Don't Create a Martyr discussed in-universe leading to Nice Job Fixing It, Villain. That's not Reality Ensues.
Edited by Wyldchyld on Oct 14th 2019 at 1:24:48 PM
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
I think a large portion of RealityEnsues.Weathering With You can be chopped, if not the entire thing. Maybe a TRS trip is in order?
The Protomen enhanced my life.
Oh yes definitely, but I believe a wick check would have to be made in order to get it off the ground, and uh...
Noticed this on Aliens:
- Reality Ensues:
- Ripley is not believed at all for her story and promptly loses her license. She is lucky she did not get attacked with a murder charge, but that's probably because the Company doesn't want Ripley to testify in court, where a jury would have access to her evidence.
- Lieutenant Gorman's greenness proves disastrous for the mission. Even if he was a veteran however, he should not have that level of responsibility. Nearly every single Marine is killed as a result.
- The aliens inflict a Curb-Stomp Battle on the marines because they attack the marines one by one, and since their CO is a rookie and the Sarge is knocked down, nearly the entire squad is killed.
- The aliens will spread out to search for survivors or other potential intruders. Inevitably, one finds its way into the dropship and takes out the pilot, resulting in a brutal crash.
- A dropship hitting something like the processor that quickly will damage it. As a result the colony is nuked.
- Once the aliens realize they are getting nowhere trying to rush automatic turrets, they promptly fall back and cut the power to get to the humans.
- The alien hive is badly depopulated by the time Ripley goes for Newt. There are only a few soldiers left and they remain guarding the Queen.
- It turns out that a dropship has to leave if things get too unsafe. Similarly, anyone will learn how to do something if they see it as shown when the Queen gets on an elevator to chase Ripley.
This is all just "thing happens" and not even remotely close to the trope.
It's been a long time since I've seen that movie, but I think that last one counts. Well, the first half of the last one. I believe the set up was "We'll be fine if we can just get to the dropship!" And then they got there, and it was gone, because of course it was, why did they expect it to stay in an unsafe landing zone while it has no proof they're even alive?
The other examples would fit better under It Can Think, Conservation of Competence, Cassandra Truth, and maybe a conspiracy trope for the coverup.
You're right. All those things are 'plot happens'.
The last one still sounds like 'plot happens'. It's fairly standard narrative fare for the endangered characters to lose all their escape options otherwise how does the conflict and climax happen?
But "aircraft has to leave unstable platform" isn't a subversion of a narrative convention.
It is an example of Bait-and-Switch, since we're led to believe Bishop is like Ash from the first movie and abandoned Ripley.
The narrative convention getting subverted is the easy escape once you reach the goal. There's a trope for that somewhere, but I can't remember it.
And, again, I might be remembering this situation wrong too. It's been literally decades.
Ferdinand Von Aegir fan
The Yu Gi Oh Arc V page should really be deleted but here are the entries on it still:
- In Episode 2, when spectators discover that only Yuya possesses the "Pendulum Monsters" required for Pendulum Summoning, they consider it to be an unfair advantage and even accuse him of hacking the Duel System. Similarly, as the Pendulum Monsters came into existence suddenly, Yuya initially has no idea how they work and loses a duel because he doesn’t know how to use them. That they're new cards that only he has further makes him a target of duelists who want to know more about them and him.
- In Yuya's duel with Mieru, because of his larger amounts of Level 5 and above monsters in his deck and relies on his Pendulum Summon's to bring them out, he opens with a brick handnote with scales too low to Pendulum Summon any of them with no card effect to search for cards he needsnote and has to skip his turn, with no monster or Spell/Trap to defend him. This is common for players who don't properly balance their decks.
- Played for laughs when Gongenzaka duels Ankokuji. He gets some encouragement and gives an emotional speech, firing up Shuzo in the crowd... And then ends his turn, since he's already attacked and doesn't have any spell or trap cards.
- The Lancers instead of being a well oiled machine on their first outing actually hinder each other due to differing personalities and lack of connection and time with each other.
- How does an evil government cover up the fact that people who lose in a well-publicized tournament are forced into slavery? It doesn't. The society itself supports such treatment of losers, and when the main protagonist publicly announces this atrocity no one gives a shit, and the crowd's actions throughout the duel further demonstrate how messed-up this culture really is.
- The basic idea of a revolution against an oppressive government making things better is questioned because of Shinji. While the Commons are oppressed by the Tops, the show gives up plenty of examples that show the Commons aren't good people either, sharing the same beliefs as the Tops. In effect all Shinji's revolution will do is switch the rulers, but keep the system in tact, not unlike many real life revolutions.
- Just because people suffer from oppression does not mean they cannot be oppressive themselves. In the Commons' revolt, the Commons, bitter and full of hatred from years of being controlled by the Tops, refused to listen to reason and were perfectly willing to murder the defenseless Tops. Just like how there are many examples of people that have suffered from oppression but have similar tendencies themselves and fully believe they are justified for their actions/thoughts because of their pasts.
- A major theme in Season 2 is using your dueling to speak to someone's heart and reach out to them. Season 3 points out that a lot of people are blinded by hate and other negative emotions, and in such a state they probably won't be so receptive to talking, especially if you happen to be the son of someone they hate.
From Joker (2019)
- Reality Ensues:
- Arthur's poor income, smoking habits, and the number of anti-psychotic drugs he used have resulted in a skeletal frame.
- After killing the yuppies in the subway, Arthur experiences ringing in the ears due to firing the gun in an enclosed space (the train) and never have doing so before.
- This Joker's villainy manifests as a week-long spree of killing people he feels have wronged him. Unlike most versions he is not a super intelligent hypercompetent criminal mastermind, because obviously a mentally ill outcast has neither the people skills nor the resources to run a criminal syndicate.
- Arthur is presumably barred from owning a firearm due to his diagnosable mental illness (which later turns out may in fact be brain damage). He still manages to obtain a gun practically without effort through illegal means, which particularly makes sense when you realize what a rathole Gotham is, with people apparently being attacked on the streets at borderline random on at least a somewhat regular basis.
- Arthur goes to Arkham to learn if his mother really was lying about him being Thomas Wayne's son; a file is found on his mother, but he can't take it because he's not a doctor or the file's subject (Penny), so he's forced to steal it.
- Due to the "budget cuts" made by the city, Arthur's therapy sessions are ended along his access to his much needed medication as well. The lack of a support system and the loss his meds causes Arthur's mental health to deteriorate further, causing him to exhibit symptoms like violent behavior and hallucinations which were until recently kept at bay.
- What kind of people would actually follow a "criminal clown" like the Joker? A combination of violent thugs carried away with mob violence and people who have been pushed so far by the squalor and urban decay of Gotham that his crude anarcho-nihilistic message actually seems genuinely inspired.
- The Joker blatantly commits murder on prime-time television. Moments later he's hauled in by the cops. It doesn't take the World's Greatest Detective to stop a criminal that actively seeks out the spotlight.
- After he's injured by one of the anarchists ramming the police car he's in, Arthur seemingly embraces the identity of the Joker and is applauded by the crowd of cheering, clown-faced rioters. After a Fade to Black, we reopen on Arthur receiving psychiatric evaluation in Arkham, because obviously 1) catching Arthur is going to be the police's number one priority thanks to the riots, and 2) having just been in a car accident, Arthur is in no condition to escape from them again. Too bad the latter judgment proves to be false since Arthur's body's been used to intense physical abuse since early childhood.
- After killing his therapist in the end, Joker waltzes out into the hallway, only to end up getting chased around by the orderlies.
More "plot happens" entries.
The 2nd, 8th, and 9th are unexpected given narrative conventions. Cut the rest.
VideoGame.Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
- Reality Ensues: Yes, despite being merely a Padawan, Cal is sufficiently skilled both as a duelist and in the Force that he is capable of holding his own against enemies like Dark Jedi and Imperial Inquisitors. That does not mean he can feasibly actually take on Darth Vader, an extremely powerful and dangerous Sith Lord who has slain countless Jedi many even more formidable than Cal. As such, all he can do is flee and survive his attacks as best as he can.
Cut as nothing explains why it's unexpected?
There's an inconsistency with Voltron: Legendary Defender's Zethrid and Ezor. The romantic moments between them are listed on the show's Ho Yay page, but their character pages have tropes like Battle Couple which treat then having a relationship as a canonical fact. So, which is it?
Edited by TheMountainKing on Nov 20th 2019 at 12:14:50 PM
I believe you're looking for the Ho Yay thread
.
- The illegality of same-sex marriages in Japan is brought up in Chapter 2. Konata and Kagami are wed in Japan thanks to some string-pulling, while Tsukasa and Miyuki exploit a loophole and get married in New York, while Yutaka and Minami marry in Connecticut, since Japan recognizes same-sex marriages if they occur in a jurasdiction where it's legal (both states recognized same-sex marriage in the time the story is set in; the United States would eventually legalize same-sex marriage in all states in July 2015).
- In Chapter 29, Yutaka and Minami are assaulted by a homophobic man after he sees them kissing while on honeymoon in Rhode Island. One of the bystanders who defend the pair compare him to a member of the Westboro Baptist Church, a group infamous for their slogan "God Hates Fags" and for disgusting even the Ku Klux Klan.
- Mariko and Chiyoko sustained injuries during the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011, when their school collapsed. Several friends of theirs were outright killed in the disaster, while Chiyoko survived because Mariko threw herself on top of her and took the brunt of the falling debris.
- While on honeymoon in NYC, Tsukasa and Miyuki visit the 9/11 Memorial on its opening day, and solemnly remember the Japanese citizens who were killed in the attacks.
All of these seem like misuse. A lot of these are just “shit happens”, and the original source material is about as grounded as you can get.
Edited by PlasmaPower on Nov 26th 2019 at 2:40:47 PM
Thomas fans needed! Come join me in the the show's cleanup thread!
- Unleash the Light: A group of people that has spent their entire lives in servitude to a higher class that has now been dismantled will still look for people to serve as it's the only way they know how to live.
I get the idea, but the way it's worded is just "this happens, then this other thing happens".
Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
Now we're so young, but we're probably gonna die
RealityEnsues.Sponge Bob Square Pants... The amount of examples that are only from the first three seasons are worrying. I'm not sure how much of this is legit.
The things in my dreams wish they could chase me!
he/him | Image Pickin' regular
I don't think this example on Recap.The Amazing World Of Gumball S 6 E 36 The Factory qualifies, since it starts by admitting it's not realistic (also, Willy Wonka's chocolate factory had rather unsafe working conditions too):
- Reality Ensues: As realistic as literally manufacturing rainbows can be; Gumball and Darwin think the Rainbow Factory will be a whimsical, magical place, not unlike Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Instead, it's a miserable place with depressed employees and extremely hazardous working conditions.
Again, the number of serious examples is suspicious. None of these are examples to me. From Steven Universe: Future
- Reality Ensues:
- Holly Blue Agate is not happy about the changes, as she's lost all the authority she once had. Just because a toxic, malevolent regime has been changed doesn't mean everyone is going to like it, especially those who were previously in positions of power.
- The Zoomans have gotten better, but they still have strange mannerisms and way of seeing things. Just because they're free now doesn't mean that a life time of conditioning and living in a completely alien environment won't go away in two years. They also prefer living in the Zoo itself, even though they logically could leave, as it's their home.
- As Garnet points out, the Crystal Gems know the Rose Quartzes aren't Rose and treating them differently for it is wrong, but trauma and negative baggage don't just disappear over night. Whether they want to or not, Steven, Greg, and the Crystal Gems are extremely uncomfortable around someone who looks so much like the person they had such strong feelings and grief over.
- While initially seeming to be perfectly fine with what happens, the Rose Quartzes reveal at the end of the episode that no, they're not fine and their emotions towards Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz are very similar to Steven's.
Edited by Tabs on Dec 23rd 2019 at 3:22:14 AM
- Scarif's garrison including its two Star Destroyers are out of practice and not expecting any serious threat. The Rebellion punches well above their weight on both the ground and in space as a result. Those tables are turned quickly when Vader's flagship Devastator arrives. With forces already damaged and depleted the Rebellion stands no chance against a crack, fully alert Star Destroyer.
Where is it stated/implied they're "out of practice and not expecting any serious threat"? The rest isn't unexpected enough to be an example otherwise.
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit, once Doom reveals himself to be the same Toon that killed Teddy, you'd expect Eddie Valiant to remain cool headed and face him head on at best, lunge at Doom in anger for what he did to his brother or make a dramatic speech on how he'll avenge his brother at worst. Nope, his first reaction to seeing his brother's killer being exposed to him is initially be frozen stiff in horror before he runs away to at least save Roger and Jessica. Even as a hard--broiled detective who's faced a variety of bizarre situations in Toon Town in various cases, Eddie is still going to be traumatized to see the cause of his brother's death. And even even if you ignore the trauma of reliving the nightmare of seeing his brother's killer after all these years, seeing what you thought was a human being come back from being flattened- normally something that kills people and turning out to be an actual deranged eyed abomination with a terrifying voice would immediately invoke a instinctive response to flee.
Edited by Monochromon on Jan 26th 2020 at 10:57:53 AM
I'm gonna be honest, this trope is so thoroughly misused across the entire site that I think it needs a rename or an overhaul or something. Every media page has multiple examples of Reality Ensuing which is just plot happening. It's just a disaster; I think this might be a project for the Long Term forum, honestly.
Edited by MBI on Jan 27th 2020 at 8:49:14 AM
Seconded.
Thirded!
Fourthed. Someone actually tried to make a TRS for it, but it was declined because they didn't provide any evidence it was misused.
