Surprisingly Realistic Outcome, previously called Reality Ensues, is one of the most heavily misused tropes this site has ever had, having gone to the Trope Repair Shop twice ([1]
[2]
) and Trope Talk once ([3]
) before settling into its current state of having to receive constant cleanup.
These issues finally came to a head in 2019 when Reality Ensues went to TRS after a wick check found misuse to outnumber valid examples 30-40 to 1. After discussion, tropers agreed to drop the "broken convention" aspect of the trope and rename it Surprisingly Realistic Outcome to improve clarity. However, after the cleanup began, it soon became apparent that instead of properly reviewing examples, tropers were mass-moving them to the new name with no regard for whether they even fit the new definition, and the cleanup soon became regarded
as the textbook example of botched TRS work. Despite removing nearly half of the examples, SRO was still in Overdosed Tropes with over 10,000 examples by the time Reality Ensues wick migration finished. This cleanup thread, which predates the TRS efforts by nearly two years, noticed the problem and took it to TRS a second time, which eventually turned into a Trope Talk discussion that finally fleshed out SRO with an actual description and established clear, concise criteria for judging examples. After that, cleanup began intermittently, eventually deleting nearly all the subpages and getting SRO below the Overdosed Tropes threshold; active cleanup continues.
Many Stock Phrases used in this thread describe particular types of misuse encountered frequently:
- Not surprising. — The outcome described isn't a Bait-and-Switch and merely follows expected genre conventions.
- Note that SRO can't be common in any fiction, as realistic events being surprising requires that they be rare. They might be unexpected at first if they keep happening, but they would eventually become expected; SRO being "common" in media is an oxymoron.
- Plot happens. — The example merely describes an event or series of events but not why people typically expect something different.
- Deconstruction / Genre Deconstruction / Deconstructed Trope / Deconstructed Character Archetype shoehorn. — The example is a deconstruction of some type misplaced under SRO.
- Too fantastical. — The causes/outcome includes stuff Impossible in Real Life such as Applied Phlebotinum, Functional Magic, Science Fiction, etc., meaning they're too unrealistic by default.
- Character reaction. — 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. — The supposed "realistic" outcome isn't legitimately realistic; using this phrase requires you to describe 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. — The example is a Zero-Context Example, which can be cut unilaterally in a cleanup.
- Not an outcome. — The example is a Discussed Trope, Lampshade Hanging, Conversational Troping, something that happens over too much time to be momentary, a general feature of the setting, or is otherwise not a singular event.
- Too unclear. — The example is too convoluted or obtuse to judge.
- Irrelevant. — The example describes stuff utterly irrelevant to the definition of SRO.
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, Surprisingly Realistic Outcome.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 by lalalei2001 on Oct 18th 2024 at 2:06:25 PM
I'd also like to contest the "Billy can't hear Sivana during the fight" scene getting cut. The way it plays out, you'd expect to be a scene where the villain stares down the hero from the distance and gives a dramatic speech, but the scene than swerves by showing that Billy can't hear because he's so far away and they're above a busy city. So, of course they can't hear each other.
Honestly, I think it's an easy keep because it's played for laughs, so it has the "set-up for drama, swerve by playing it for realism" thing. The only thing really fantastical is that they're flying while doing this, but that's not really the core of the joke.
Edited by chasemaddigan on May 14th 2022 at 9:52:01 AM
Haven't seen the scene, but it sounds like a keep to me. It's a similar sort of joke as the page image on SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome.Webcomics.
The third cleanup rule says we shouldn't list SRO for subversions other tropes already cover even if it otherwise qualifies. In this case, because we can list it as an aversion of Acoustic Licence, we don't need to also list it under SRO. Put this on the page if you want to keep the example:
* AcousticLicence: Averted. Before Billy and Sivana fight for the last time, Sivana does some EvilGloating, but since they’re both a good distance away from each other and SuperHearing isn't part of the powerset, Billy can’t hear a word he’s saying.Add a title. Stay safe; stay well. Live beyond… memento vivere! Should intermittent vengeance arm again his red right hand to plague us?
Since it's a Failed Attempt at Drama and it adds to the movie's comedy element, I don't think the "Billy can't listen to Sivana from a long distance" scene qualifies as SRO because as a superhero comedy movie, it's obvious it was never gonna be realistic in the first place, even if that realism is surprising.
Anyway, the DCEU's section has been officially drained of examples, except for Peacemaker, which doesn't even qualify for SRO and it's only there to give the page some kind of content.
So... do we completely delete the page?
Make sure to dewick. We should be focusing on the Fan Works examples first because they're just too crazy.
Add a title. Stay safe; stay well. Live beyond… memento vivere! Should intermittent vengeance arm again his red right hand to plague us?
HoMM Fan
Got a busy few days ahead, and I don't know how actively you guys are tearing through examples, so I grabbed SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome.Off To The Races out of the middle of the pile...
- Sho has had a crush on Shimazaki since he's been eight years old. It isn't cute. Sho get's jealous easily, he's very obsessive, and extremely confused. There's a lot of pain, there, and he knows that he can't be with Shimazaki...which only makes the whole thing more painful for him. Stalker with a Crush?
- Mob may be a Functional Addict but she's still addicted to alcohol and marijuana by the time she's eleven. She still relies on either drinking, smoking, or both to control her powers and once she doesn't have anything in her system her control starts to slip. Functional Addict Deconstruction.
- Mob bringing Serizawa into the house without asking any of her friends
does not go well. She's only eleven and doesn't think to warn her friends. She doesn't even think that they would be upset with her. Everyone, however, is. With the addition of Serizawa Minegishi and Shimazaki have to share a room and this is something that they had only been talking about. Shibata also has to cook for another person which puts more work on him. Serizawa also can't leave his room if there are other people in the house which means that every time he has to step outside of his room everyone has to go outside. Even if it's three in the morning. I don't know what this is even saying, but nothing sounds gobsmackingly surprising here, just seems like character reactions.
- Sho covering himself in tattoos doesn't go well
. Sure he's seen it done, and he's Googled it, but he's still a ten yer old boy ticking himself with an ink covered needle. His tattoos end up faded, blown out, and very infected. If not for Fukuda he would have had permanent scars. An untrained 10 year old isn't good at tattooing, not surprising.
- Shibata may love the kids but love isn't enough. He's not any kind of a parent to them because he always gives them whatever they want. He never does what's best for them and this enabling only makes Sho's bad behavior worse. Person is bad at raising kids? Not surprising by itself.
- Minegishi may be biologically female but they have no idea how to take care of Mob. They can guide her through some very female experiences
but they don't think to warn her about her period or to teach her how to shave
until she asks. Okay? Another one where someone isn't great at raising someone... not surprising by itself.
- Mob and Shimazaki taking acid together
goes completely realistically. It takes time for them both to start hallucinating, they completely lose track of the time, and they both end up sweaty and thirsty beyond belief. Shimazaki ends up reliving his traumatic childhood when a song triggers a memory of him being locked away in his room. Mob ends up unearthing the memory of her biological brother, Ritsu, but dismisses it later as a result of being separated from Sho. The house also ends up destroyed because Mob loses control of her powers and doesn't even realize it. "Gritty Realism"
- There is no way that one person can eat thirty one pancakes
even if it is their birthday. Shimazaki and Sho end up throwing them at random people since they can't eat that many. Okay? Why is this surprising?
- Minegishi learns the hard way
about leaving their drugs out where kids can get to them. Mob mistakes ones of Minegishi's Xanax bars for a mint, eats it, and then passes out. Minegishi stays up all night making sure that she doesn't die in her sleep as she had also been drinking before taking the Xanax and not only is a full bar too much for an eight year old girl but mixing it with alcohol could have been deadly. Just plot.
- Serizawa doesn't instantly get better just because he leaves home with Mob. He's still very anxious and he still has no control over his powers. He depends on Mob to bring him meals, keep him company, and walk him to the bathroom. he tries to walk to the bathroom on his own but is overwhelmed with anxiety and accidentally breaks a lot of things
. The rest of the house is not amused. Just drama/character reactions.
- Fukuda may not agree with what Claw is doing but he can't just let it crash and burn
when Suzuki leaves Mob in charge. He has no work history, no qualifications, and he's been involved in a lot of very serious crimes. He has to do what he can to keep Claw going because otherwise he has no way to survive in the world. Just plot.
- Suzuki Toichiro may be the most powerful esper in the world but he's still a middle aged man who doesn't really take care of himself. He ends up throwing his back out
playing in the snow with Mob. Okay? This may be an example but it doesn't explain anything near enough to qualify as written.
- Mob hasn't spent any time with another kid besides her brother since the first grade. As a consequence of this she's very sheltered compared to other kids her age
. Okay? Why is that surprising?
- Minegishi's decent into Xanax addiction is played very realistically from the lethargy and irritability
to theshakes
they get when they've been without any Xanax for a while. Thank God Fukuda can fix it. "Gritty Realism"
- Dropping coins
off of the Empire State Building won't hurt anyone. Dropping microwaves on the other hand.... Wow, an actual no joke ZCE. Weblinks are not examples, friend.
None of these are valid as written, one might be but it would absolutely require a rewrite, but I'm cutting the page for now.
"Grandmaster Combat, son!"Superman, here we go!...
Comic Books
- During A Death in the Family, Batman tries to punch Superman without the use of Kryptonite. Superman has to roll with the punch to keep Bruce's arm from being broken, and even then his hand is left aching from the effort because he decided to punch a man who treats nuclear explosions as a non-threat. During "Hush", with the Kryptonite ring, he still risks breaking his hand and notes he can't give Superman more than a few slugs because the kevlar in his gloves only provides so much protection against punching an invincible man. Combat Pragmatist (for Batman), Fight Off the Kryptonite (for Superman) and plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
- Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man has a rare instance of a writer remembering that the Square-Cube Law is a thing. The crossover opens with Superman battling a giant robot, which he notices is equipped with some kind of special gravity device. He soon realizes that the gravity device is what gives the robot its mobility since the robot would otherwise be too heavy to move on its own. After Superman negates the device's effect by pushing down on the robot from above, the robot quickly collapses through the ground, unable to support its own weight. Attack Its Weak Point and Logical Weakness. Also, the entry kinda shoots itself in the foot by including Square-Cube Law
- Since his beginning, Superman was touted as being "more powerful than a locomotive" and many Golden Age and Silver Age stories showed him stopping runaway locomotives dead in their tracks. However, later stories have him facing this same problem but knowing that he has to be extremely careful. He knows that while he's strong enough to easily stop the train cold, all that energy and momentum has to go somewhere, and that would mean the train derailing with tremendous damage and loss of life. He has to carefully slow the train down to prevent this. He also can't just fly to the back of the train, grab hold, and drag it to a stop. The couplers between the cars can't take the stress of being pulled apart by the entire mass of the train and would simply snap. Strong and Skilled and Willfully Weak. Also, this is based on what? People's experience on stopping trains using their own natural power.
- Superman's official authority is often an open question. The Man of Steel has the mayor of Metropolis (as fallout from a challenge to his authority by Lex Luthor) commission Superman directly as a special deputy, which at least gives Superman jurisdiction within Metropolis city limits. Justifications on Superman's status as both The Cape and The Fettered.
- In the earliest Golden Age stories, Superman would take on normal criminals and the corrupt and be laxer with death threats and property damage. However, in Superman in the Slums even he's initially stumped as to how to fix juvenile crime in a dilapidated neighborhood since there isn't someone directly responsible. Of course, he finds the solution and demolishes the neighborhood, after the people evacuate of course, once he learns that the government will build modern housing projects to replace the old buildings, but still. The fact that not every problem in the world can be solved by punching it in the face isn't surprising at all. I'm pretty sure children learn this lesson all the way since elementary school.
- The Final Days of Superman: Several consecutive arcs of him slamming down on the "Deadly Upgrade" button (and one Disney Death, for added seasoning) ends up giving him an incurable, fatal disease... which kills him off for real. Rest In Peace, New 52 Supes. The entry kinda shoots itself in the foot by including Deadly Upgrade, which almost killed All-Star Superman. Also, plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
- Also New 52 tackles the issue of trying to keep a secret identity in a world where surveillance cameras and smartphones are commonplace. As a result, one villain manages to put together that Clark is Superman from monitoring footage through Metropolis and attempts to blackmail him into doing his bidding. Lois Lane ultimately tries to end it by going ahead and outing Superman as Clark. Word spreads immediately and people are left wondering if Superman can still be trusted after finding out that he had lied about who he was for years, and on top of that, Supes ends up angry with Lois for releasing the information even though she only did it to save him. Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure, Rule of Drama, Third-Act Misunderstanding, Surveillance as the Plot Demands and plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
- For a brief time in 2008, Lana Lang was put in charge of LexCorp following one of Lex's failed schemes forcing him to go on the run. Lana found that despite Luthor's super genius LexCorp was facing bankruptcy. When one of LexCorp's scientists questioned this, saying LexCorp's worth billions, Lana points out "Maybe it would be if your lunatic criminal founder, before wiping out all the goodwill the company had, hadn't funneled most of the corporate assets into crazy boondoggles like secret moonbases and shuttle technology..." and other Superman destroying schemes. Lana becomes an Honest Corporate Executive in an attempt to to save LexCorp and this story marked a temporary end to Lex's status as a Villain with Good Publicity. Also, plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
- Superman (Rebirth) has two instances of that in Imperius Lex story. The first one is when Lex Luthor gets abducted and Superman doesn't come to save him - this is because ever since his Heel–Face Turn Luthor has been abusing emergency signals for any excuse to impress Superman. Second, are Kalibak's fights with Granny Goodness and Superboy - despite his status as a resident subject of The Worf Effect and their as badass grandma and Badass Adorable, their Super-Strength is on a comparable level and with that filed more even Granny is an elderly woman and Jon is still a ten-years-old, while Kalibak is an adult man and a seasoned warrior much larger than any of them and very much in shape, so he effortlessly wins both battles. The reason he has a reputation as a loser is that he keeps picking fights with people like Superman or Orion, who are above his weight class. The entry kinda shoots itself in the foot by admitting Kalibak engaged in two Curb-Stomp Battles and that Lex had been showboating and Crying Wolf this whole time.
- During the Final Crisis - Legion of 3 Worlds, when Superman suggests that they try to redeem Superboy-Prime, his Legion of Super-Heroes teammates think he is crazy for even suggesting it. And there was a problem with his idea, because one, Superboy-Prime was psychotic, and two, he was trying to be a villain. All the other times Superboy-Prime was trying to get back home. By this story, he accepts his world is gone and is trying to be a villain because he found out he is regarded as merely a footnote in Superman's history and ultimately has no impact on history, so he resolved to be a villain with more of an impact than any other enemy of Superman. Superman trying to redeem him goes as well as you might expect it to. Redemption Rejection.
- In Who Took the Super out of Superman?, Kal-El tries to be Superman non-stop for one week. It turns out not even Superman can act as a hero 24/7 because he also needs to relax and wind down, as well as a private life and friends to hang out with. Character Development for Superman and deconstruction to Chronic Hero Syndrome and An Aesop that sometimes you don't need to sacrifice your personal happiness to fulfill your duties.
- Who is Superwoman?: As it happens, a super-costume doesn't really give an edge over a metahuman because costumes tend to get torn during battles to the death. And unlike Superwoman, Supergirl's powers don't go away when her suit gets ripped. Logical Weakness and Clothing Damage.
- Many Happy Returns: Linda Danvers tries to take the place of the original Supergirl to fight the Anti-Monitor and save Kara's life. Unfortunately, Kara can fight that universe-eating Eldritch Abomination because she is all but a Physical God. Linda is human. She hasn't got a prayer, and no amount of determination, willpower, human spirit, or preparation time will change that. Curb-Stomp Battle.
- In Vol 5 story arc Way of the World, Kara meets a little boy that is dying from cancer and vows to save his life. Kara fails and has to learn that her powers cannot do everything. Very Special Episode. Also, it's Character Development for Supergirl because she learns that not every problem in the world can be solved by punching it in the face.
- Similarly, in Young Love Earth-1 Supergirl's Old Flame Dick Malverne dies from cancer, and Linda can do nothing to save him. Same as the point above.
- In Justice League Europe, Power Girl was seriously injured and required surgery, forcing the team to call in Superman, whose heat vision was the only thing that could act as a scalpel. Mundane Utility.
- Similarly, in Superman (Volume 2) #4, Bloodsport shoots Superman with a Kryptonite bullet. Superman's invulnerability makes it difficult to perform surgery on him, and a doctor ends up having to expose him to Kryptonite again just so the entry wound can be sutured shut. Mundane Utility and Harmful Healing.
- In The Untold Story of Argo City, Supergirl tries to test on herself an experimental, unfinished dimension-travelling device, dismissing her android's warnings about it being too dangerous. Desperate, her android tests the prototype on another android, who is killed off instead of teleported to another location, to show Supergirl you should not use dangerous, untested technology and expect it to work properly. Subversion to Unfinished, Untested, Used Anyway and plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
- The Superman Adventures: Oh Rao, here we go.
- In one issue, Lois is placed under a trance by a supervillain with mind-control powers, and a co-worker with a crush on her discovers this and uses the chance to convince her she's his girlfriend. Superman gets him to realize that what he's doing is wrong and he's ultimately Loving a Shadow, convincing him to release her. Even though he chose to do the right thing in the end, he is not Easily Forgiven by Lois for taking advantage of her while she was under hypnosis, who is understandably angered at his actions, telling him that it will be a while before she can even look at him again. Talking the Monster to Death and the fact that Lois doesn't immediately forgive the guy who brainwashed him shouldn't be surprising at all.
- An issue applies this to Krypto the Super Dog when Mr. Mxyzptlk transports him to present-day Earth. Krypto develops powers and super senses like his normal comics self, but since he's still an animal and doesn't have the reasoning to properly process all of it as a person would, his heightened senses end up overwhelming him and cause him to go berserk, unintentionally causing destruction all over Metropolis. The fact that an untrained pet would go on a rampage if it gets provoked shouldn't be surprising at all.
- During the Superman "Sacrifice" arc, the brainwashed Superman attacked Batman without warning, believing him to be Darkseid. In a straight-up fight, without any prep time, the Badass Normal Batman didn't land any hits and was barely left alive. The only thing that saved his life was that Superman slammed him near the computers, allowing him to activate the Watchtower's security measures and temporarily distract Superman. It was only by the intervention of Wonder Woman that Batman survived. Curb-Stomp Battle.
- The two-parter "Crisis at Hand" storyline revisits an idea from all the way back in Action Comics #1 and slams a heavy dose of reality. Superman's Super-Hearing picks up an altercation between a neighbor and his wife and steps in. Superman saves the woman, but the woman is so lost in her love despite the abuse for the man that she accuses Superman of trying to kill her husband. Even worse, the cops see the injuries on her and she still refuses to press charges on him and tries to get Superman. Even worse, Superman attempts to report the incident as Clark Kent to the police, but they can't do anything unless it's the abused reporting it. Poor Supes struggles so much with if he should step in or not that it takes Lois' intervention for both husband and wife to make decisions. Very Special Episode, Stockholm Syndrome, an exploration on Domestic Abuse and plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
- Crisis At Hand also lops this on that very first story. Like in Champion of the Oppressed, Superman steps in and brutalizes the wife-beater in an attempt to scare him straight. While it gives the wife the courage to leave, she leaves just as he gets ready to shoot her and she's killed. Superman goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge to find him and when he does, it's at the woman's funeral and the families of both people are begging Superman to either kill him or spare him, instead opting to take him to the cops. Same points as the above. Also, Being Good Sucks (sometimes) and If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!.
- Krypto the Superdog is a dog with Superman's powers adjusted to him being a dog. This means that if he deems someone being a danger to his family he'll attack to kill, and when he does that nobody's safe. Just ask Mongul
◊. Undying Loyalty.
- The Girl with the X-Ray Mind: Oh Rao, here we go...
- Downplayed example. As impersonating Lena Thorul, Lesla-Lar shows her powers off by lifting one bookcase and flying with it. She drops several books by accident, though, since being strong enough to lift something does not mean it will not come apart. How Do I Shot Web? and a subversion to Instant Expert.
- Lesla-Lar deliberately seeks Krypton's worst scum to team up against the Super-cousins and take over the world. It turns out that the worst criminal scum are not trustworthy allies, though, and five minutes later they turn against Lesla. Evil Versus Evil and No Honor Among Thieves.
Films
- Superman II: After giving up his godlike powers to be with Lois, the now human Clark Kent without an iota of Superman power gets his ass handed to him pretty badly by a dumb red neck trucker thug - and before that found that life without flying was a drag and that back aches are no fun. Also, no one in the diner other than Lois tries to help Clark because the mere sight of a fight scares them too much. Curb-Stomp Battle and Bystander Syndrome.
- Superman Returns: Superman tries to halt the airplane's flat spin by grabbing the wing and pulling back on it. Airplane wings aren't built to handle that amount of torque. SNAP!! Character Development for Superman (who hasn't been on Earth for 5 years), Downplayed Tragedy of Impulsiveness and plot happens.
Live-action TV
- Smallville Oh Rao, here we go...
- The Villain of the Week of an early episode is a bullied nerdy outcast at Smallville High who, via a combination of Kryptonite and lightning, ends up stealing Clark's powers. The first thing he does is make a play for the popular girl he has a crush on, and beat up her Flash Thompson-esque Jerk Jock boyfriend with his Super-Strength. Clark and Peter Parker might feel an obligation to keep their powers secret and use them to help people, but most bullied teens, if they suddenly found themselves much stronger than their tormentors would happily take revenge. Revenge and a hard aversion to Comes Great Responsibility.
- Done cleverly with a Hope Spot. After finding a photo that showed that Lionel's death was not suicide, Lois and Jimmy are trapped by a shooter under Lex's orders. The shooter shoots Lois in the shoulder after she locked them inside and went to attack. Pragmatic Villainy and No-Nonsense Nemesis.
- Supergirl (2015) Oh Rao, here we go...
- When Kara tries to help an oil tanker, she puts too much stress on the hull, causing a rupture and an oil spill. Those she was helping aren't very grateful. Much like the example from Superman Returns, this example serves as Character Development for Supergirl. Also, A Tragedy of Impulsiveness and plot happens.
- When Kara and Clark team up to save the space-plane, they catch it and slowly control the descent down to the ground. While either could easily catch and stop it, it wouldn't bode well for those soft, fragile people inside the craft. Seems she learned from the oil tanker. Character Development.
- Superman & Lois Oh Rao, here we go...
- Clark's powers don't make him immune to normal human problems, such as losing his job or dealing with a troubled teenaged son. He may be Superman, but in some ways, he's still just a man. Yeah, that's something we have learned over Superman's 80+ year history. He isn't perfect. He is still a man.
- It doesn't matter if you're Superman being a Papa Wolf, nobody would like to learn that they're being spied on. Even Lois, who's accepted most of it, mentions that she refused to talk to Clark for a while when she first learned that he's kept tabs on her with his super hearing. Rule of Drama, Parents as People and plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
- In a Flashback episode it is revealed that: Oh, this should be interesting.
- The reports of Clark's heroics overshadowed Lois's reports about systemic issues. People aren't taking the idea of a flying alien superhero lightly, which shouldn't be surprising at all because there are living witnesses to Superman's heroics. Plot happens
- Lois is largely uninterested in Superman since she's barely interacted with him before the interview and his heroics overshadow the systemic issues she wants to report on, but falls in love with Clark, who is unfailing in this faith and support for her in spite of being a huge dork. Character Development for Lois and an aversion to Two-Person Love Triangle.
- Tal-Rho, a full Kryptonian adult who has had years developing his powers, easily and swiftly overpowers Jordan, a Half-Human Hybrid who only just recently discovered his powers, in a Beam-O-War of their heat visions. The more experienced villain beating the hero's untrained son shouldn't be surprising at all.
- Given that Kyle was leading the charge to bring Morgan Edge to Metropolis, the citizens aren't exactly happy with him given what's been happening at that time. Even though he was only trying to help, the rest of the town see him as a scapegoat and want nothing to do with him. Scapegoat.
- With Edge's financial support gone, the mine closed, and the military still running cleanup operations and expecting a possible attack by Edge, Smallville's businesses are going bankrupt and the town is on the verge of complete collapse. Plot happens and stuff gets explained.
Western Animation
- Superman: The Animated Series
- People born after the age of payphones probably wouldn't understand, but the reason for the popular image of Clark Kent dashing to the nearest phone booth to change into his costume (and the reason it was a good excuse for Clark to disappear) was because, back in the day, any reporter witnessing a crisis would be expected to find the nearest phone immediately so their newspaper could get to work on the story before they were scooped by another news outlet. The thing is, this series aired in the '90s, so the one time Clark tries to use "gotta find the nearest phone" as an excuse to leave, Lois just pulls out a cell phone. This isn't surprising! It's just Lois using resources available to her to beat Clark to the story!
- Also shown when a villain puts Superman under red sun radiation and picks a fistfight with him. Yes, Superman loses his powers under a red sun. But even without powers he's built like Arnold Schwarzenegger and more than capable of beating the snot out of the villain anyway. Power Loss Makes You Strong and Brought Down to Badass.
- In the crossover episode with Batman: The Animated Series "Worlds Finest", during an argument, Batman takes Superman unawares and judo throws him across a room. Superman responds by getting up and shoving Batman several feet across the room, quipping "I knew you were crazy, I didn't think you were stupid". Rather than break out some specialist gadget or use some arcane martial arts technique, Batman holds Superman at bay with some Kryptonite and flees, since he is smart enough to realise that he can't fight a superstrong man who he can't even hit without breaking his hand. 'Combat Pragmatist.
- In the episode "My Girl", when Clark sees his childhood friend and ex-girlfriend Lana Lang for the first time in years, she reveals to him she already figured out he is Superman because she knew back in Smallville before he moved to Metropolis, and she was one of the first people he told about his powers to and saw him use them. Secret-Keeper and plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
- In "Monkey Fun", after Superman returns NASA chimpanzee astronaut, Titano, to Earth and he becomes the size of King Kong, unlike how gigantic animals and monsters are typically depicted in popular media, giant Titano can only move about in a slow and lumbering manner. Square-Cube Law.
- It is revealed in Supergirl's debut episode that when Krypton exploded, it caused its sister planet Argo to be torn from its orbit and caused cataclysmic events, such as leaving the planet to slowly freeze from being too far from its sun and killed the people except Kara. Plot happens and stuff gets explained.
- When Brainic and some members of the Legion of Superheroes travel back in time to Smallville during Clark Kent's teenage years, and the Legion first meets the teenage Superman, they find that he isn't quite the brave hero that they're familiar with. He is just a teenager without full control of his powers, after all. This isn't even surprising! The entry itself states that Clark, at the time, was a teenager without full control of his powers!
So, what do you think?
Infinity Crisis: Most examples are about superpowers
- The almost-fight between the Avengers and the Arrowverse heroes ends with the latter subduing the former in quick and efficient fashion. Despite their impressive skills, most of the Avengers are still just regular people and no amount of technology or fighting skills can do that much against super-speedsters like Barry Allen and Wally West or a Nigh-Invulnerable Flying Brick like Kara Danvers. Unrealistic
- Of Kryptonians and Queens observes that only the dead who were killed by Thanos' Snap came back to life after the heroes used the Gauntlet to undo his actions; as a result, there were still multiple casualties caused by accidents such as planes crashing when their pilots vanished. Unrealistic
- New Charges introduces Virgil Hawkins and Miles Morales. While they have impressive powers and abilities, they're still teenage boys and have no experience with combat, so when they go up against an actual supervillain, Holocaust, they would have been killed if not for the intervention of Black Lightning and Thunder. Unrealistic.
- In Hand and Foot confirms that people died due to vehicular crashes when the Dusting vanished their drivers, including Vanessa, making Fisk increasingly ruthless in his dealings. Fisk also managed to get the charges against him dropped due to everyone being distracted by the chaos from half the world disappearing. Character reaction and consequence of unrealistic thing.
- In Different Strokes, Arrowverse Slade Wilson faces off against his DCEU counterpart. Despite the two being just as skilled as the other, Arrowverse Deathstroke slightly struggles in the fight because, unlike DCEU Deathstroke, he lost his enhancements a while ago. Unrealistic
- In the Power Rangers vs The Mandarin fight from Powers and Marvels, the Rangers lose because they're used to fighting thick-headed monsters, not someone with an entire arsenal on his fingers who spent years training to use his rings effectively in hand-to-hand combat (it is also noted that they were holding back because they aren't used to facing human enemies and didn't want to kill him). Unrealistic.
- Distant Cousins
- Silver Banshee gets taken out very easily by Black Widow because Siobhan barely has any combat experience while Natasha has been training to fight all her life. Once Natasha robs Siobhan of the chance to use her sonic scream, there was very little Siobhan can do. '''My Kung-Fu Is Stronger Than Yours
- A common complaint against the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy is that they disregard "the old continuity". Later, it is mentioned that the Earth-38 version of the Sequel Trilogy does maintain continuity with Legends, but that comes with its own problems as the casual moviegoer doesn't have the time or interest to catch up with decades worth of novels, comics, and video games just to understand what the heck is going on. Has nothing to do with this trope.
- Tomorrow's Guardians:
- Star-Lord fires his blaster at a console, expecting it to seal off a doorway. All he does is blow up a console as the door remains open. Unrealistic
- Chapter 5 has Ray and Charlie going on a mission to a high gravity world because their Required Secondary Powers will let them survive on it; Ray's suit can survive the changes in pressure from suddenly changing in size and Charlie's shapeshifting toughened up her body from doing it so much (Nate and Groot also join the team, but Nate's ability to survive is obvious and Groot has been acknowledged as being physically strong). Unrealistic, not an outcome
- When reflecting on the challenges they face trying to find Ultron, Quill comments how the size of the universe justifies Carol Danvers never dealing with Thanos herself despite having the power to do so. As Quill observes, given that Carol had other threats to deal with, had no reason to see Thanos as anything but another world-conqueror, and Thanos himself obviously maintained a discreet approach to his quest, there was no reason for Carol to "target" Thanos before he had assembled the Gauntlet. Not an outcome
- Salvation Run features another example of combat skills beating superpowers, as Melinda May defeats Amaunet Black in a confrontation. Unrealistic
- The seventh chapter of Counterpart Conferences has a few examples:
- The Earth-1992 Batman is able to accurately guess almost all of the passwords of the Earth-99 Batman but gets taken by surprise that one of them is the birthday of Cassandra Cain, who Earth-1992 doesn't even know. A key part of alternate worlds and Alternate Self is the "alternate" part - even if there is a lot of overlap and similarities, not everything is going to be a point-for-point match and differences aren't just "me but evil". In-universe surprise, also not realistic
- 1992 Batman decides not to recruit the Earth-2005 Batman because the latter would be out his depth. Good of a hero as he is in his own world, the Dark Knight Batman has no experience with metahumans, magic, alternate dimensions, or any other extranormal phenomena, so his capabilities would be limited in dealing with them. Not an outcome, also not realistic.
- Earth-51 Black Canary had her long hair cut because it kept getting in the way while fighting. Not sure. There's probably a Hair Trope this deconstructs. Plus it's about trying to avoid an outcome.
- When the Birds of Prey are surprised Harley doesn't join up with the Earth-1992 Joker Harley explains that Doppelgänger Replacement Love Interest isn't likely to work because the person in question is aware that said doppelganger isn't who they fell in love with. Plus he did just try to blow her up which, as crazy as Harley acts, doesn't come across as romantic to her like it wouldn't to anyone else. Character reaction.
- Counterpart Conferences chapter 8 has the Earth-1 Stargirl pointing out to her counterparts that she grew up in the Great Depression and World War II, eras that didn't give women the best chances. Not sure what this has to do with the trope.
- The New Kids in Townsville chapter 3 has one in relation to Infinity Train with there being reports about people claiming to have been trapped on said train. Given how many people are seen to be on said train and that it's possible to showcase tangible effects of having been on the train it would only be a matter of time before someone started talking about their experiences on the train. Unrealistic.
- In Brothers of Thunder, when the team encounters a gender-inverted version of the Avengers, Stephanie Rogers notes that her receiving the serum was kept a secret until she had proven herself in the field due to the obvious problems (from the standards of the time) with the idea of a woman having that kind of power. Covered by Deliberate Values Dissonance (already potholed in the example), and Super Serum is unrealistic.
- In chapter 5 of An Adventure of a Multiversal Crisis, it's noted that Wonkavision failed for a number of reasons, like the fact that Willy Wonka couldn't replicate the chocolates fast enough and therefore only one person could get them each commercial, many of the people he was trying to reach didn't have TV to begin with, and the process was unsafe enough that one Oompa-Loompa lost an arm. Unrealistic.
- In A Darker Shade of Red, Brandon Breyer gets easily subdued by Earth-167 Clark Kent. Brandon may have Kryptonian powers, but he is still a preteen boy who's only just realized his abilities and hasn't fought anyone close to his level, whereas Clark spent a decade fighting all kinds of other superhuman foes even before he "officially" became Superman. Unrealistic
- In Chapter 5 of Glimpses, the Big Bad Haim lights three of his men on fire for failing to stop Lance and Walter. The rest of his men, furious about this, turn on him for it and beat him up. Character reaction.
- In Infinity Crisis Aftermath: Therapy Session, Sam recommends to Wanda that she should talk to a professional as she's gone through a pretty raw deal through much of her life, especially over the last few years. Turns out that as happy as Wanda is to get Pietro and Vision back, she's still traumatized by the way she'd lost them in the first place and she's scared they could die again, and that's not counting all the other painful things she'd faced in her life, up to and including "dying" and coming back from that. By the end of her session, she admits that it feels good to let it out. Character reaction.
- In Celestial Navigation, Kate Bishop makes her debut trying to assist the Avengers in confronting the Olympians, but while they respect her desire to help, Captain America makes it clear that this situation is too dangerous for her at her current skill level. To give her a chance to do more later, Natasha suggests that Yelena should take Kate to the Barton farmhouse for training. This is about trying to avoid an outcome, which is probably unrealistic.
- Earlier in the story, Kinjo relates that saving up money over centuries isn't as easy as it sounds thanks to the constant changing of financial markets and world events. As proof, he still has stockpiled currency for nations that no longer exist. Probably unrealistic
- In His Hazelnut Heart, Vlad's attempt to trick people into thinking Dash is Plasmius is immediately scrutinized by the people who actually know Dash. He only nearly succeeds in getting Danny to buy it by deliberately provoking his anger with upsetting lies and threats. Character reaction
Edited by Someoneman on May 15th 2022 at 11:39:45 AM
Cut them. All of them.
Well, I requested Superman's section in Surprisingly Realistic Outcome to be cut
Still, I have this little gem from Superman (Brian Michael Bendis):
"While Superman revealing his identity with the world is a much more light-hearted affair than it was in Superman: Truth, there are still a few problems with his civilian life, particularly with the Daily Planet as Supes is fired as a reporter due to the fact that he was hired hidden like he was meant he was under a load of trouble. That said, Perry hires him back, as Clark's writing skills are too valuable to be wasted, while Superman himself can serve as an advertising mascot for the Daily Planet."
The entry shoots itself in the foot by admitting that Superman's reveal is a much more light-hearted affair than Superman: Truth (which got accusations of Too Bleak, Stopped Caring), but Perry being a Benevolent Boss by considering both Clark and Superman to be valuable assets to the Daily Planet isn't surprising at all. Also, plot happens, then stuff gets explained.
So, what do you think?
Edited by MasterHero on May 15th 2022 at 11:37:14 AM
Nope. Entirely based around gauging the realism of character emotional responses and choices.
I've been thinking about this aspect, and I think I've found a better way to explain: We tell stories because we want to engage with or relate to the actions and choices of the characters. (Even when "Engage with" is "I want to punch that character in the snoot.") For us to be able to engage, the character needs to act in ways that a real person might - the actions have to be at least plausible, if not likely. This means that, by definition, most character actions are at least somewhat realistic, so realism is not a surprise. We might be surprised at the exact action the character takes, but not by the fact that it is understandable.
SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome.Superman isn't dewicked yet. Make sure to do that.
Add a title. Stay safe; stay well. Live beyond… memento vivere! Should intermittent vengeance arm again his red right hand to plague us?Got 'em. Next up for fanworks, Infinity Train Boiling Point. Oh boy...
- Principal Bump has let Boscha get away with many things, but he must put his foot down when the Mandragora could've severely hurt a lot of students. Needs more context. I don't know what this is even about
- The Apex have been terrorizing the Train for a long time, so it's no surprise that the Mana Academy Car, alongside other potential Cars, installed security measures to combat them. People protect themselves, not surprising
- Since Luz is taking every course at Hexside, of course she's going to have to prepare to take exams from every class. And some on the same day. Something something Go-Getter Girl
- As the author's note on Chapter 4 argue, although Amity's leg wasn't broken in this story, and she was probably around for the season 1 finale, she wouldn't have been of much help because she'd still be facing against Lilith, one of the strongest witches in the Boiling Isles who made quick work of Gus and Willow. Witches in training no match for an experienced witch, not surprising
- The Apex's... "fight" with Boscha leaves them in shambles for one simple reason: the idea of seeing Boscha again causes most of the members, who are children, to run away in sheer terror. '''Deconstruction of Child Solider?
- When Luz's turn comes during the Bard track exam, she begins playing a violin... and turns out to be a Dreadful Musician. Learning how to play an instrument is very different from studying for an exam, so it's very unlikely someone would learn how to play it in a single sitting. Deconstruction/subversion of Instant Expert
- Also, since Chapter 4 takes place after the season one finale, Luz has gained quite the reputation for proving Emperor Belos is Not So Invincible After All. Uh?
- Boscha has made quite a name for herself on the Train on the week she's been there. Unfortunately, the stories of her brutality convince Lartsa that she's not worthy of learning Astral Magic, as she's proven herself to be just as unstable as the stories suggested. Too fantastical
- Duels Decide Everything doesn't apply here: the only reason Lartsa doesn't cancel the duel right then and there is because he wants to see if Boscha's as crazy as the stories make her out to be. Plot
- Astral Magic, as it turns out, requires not only discipline but a great deal of mental stability. So naturally Boscha, who at that point has proven to be a trigger happy psycho, is completely unworthy to learn it. Too fantastical
- Skara refused to break off her friendship with Boscha, even after Boscha drove every other friend she had away out of fear that they would be ostracized. So of course, people not only assume that she's just as bad as Boscha, but that once she's out of the picture, they begin pestering and bullying her. Not surprising, probably a trope I can't think of right now
- Even if a disliked person goes missing, somebody's bound to notice, especially if they happen to be their parents. And if the main suspect happens to be a member of a family they dislike... Not surprising
- Amity not only shows No Sympathy towards Skara when her shoulder's recovering, but beat up Boscha, Skara's only friend, so badly that she broke and turned into the monster she is today, all while she and Boscha would go on to be condemned as bullies, while Amity was seen as better than them. All of this combined causes Skara and Amity to have the worst relationship out of the three, being build out of absolute spite. Character stuff
- Even if Getting Eaten Is Harmless, the act of being Swallowed Whole is something traumatic. When Willow saves Skara from being eaten alive by the Dire Mandragora the Bard is left practically shaking in her boots. Character has trauma
- One-Sided Arm-Wrestling is played realistically here: the smaller Hazel gets easily beaten when Todd's game begins, while the big and buff Tuba easily destroys it by accident. Probably just a deconstruction of One-Sided Arm-Wrestling
- There's only so much abuse someone used as In-Universe Catharsis can take before they call it quits. Skara effectively decides to ditch the Boiling Isles once she comes to realize she can't keep being their personal stress reliever toy, a decision that nobody gets her to back down from. Plot, character stuff, possible deconstruction of The Chew Toy?
- Even if you come to realize your mistakes, the damage done before the realization doesn't magically go away. Amity grows regretful over her treatment of Boscha and Skara when they were younger, but the years of physical and emotional abuse, especially their earlier fight, has caused Skara to be done with the Blight, to the point she only lasts long enough to say a final goodbye before she leaves. Character holds a grudge
- There's a reason that Healing Magic Is the Hardest: not only are you dealing with the matter of life and death directly, but a single mistake could lead to a catastrophic failure that could cost a life at worst. Due to this, the Healing track is considered the hardest track at Hexside, with only the most talented of witches getting to even apply for it. Too fantastical
- Skara tries to pull a Look Behind You on the Potions teacher and Principal Bump to hide the Healing Potion meant for Puddles; however, neither teacher actually falls for it, with Skara only getting away because she ran away fast enough to miss their (lack of) reaction. Subverted Look Behind You
- Marry Them All is a trope that can work... when it is not being applied by manipulate, selfish, terrible people. The Blight parents manage to create half their problems in story, at minimum, with the abuse of this trope. Invoked and deconstructed Marry Them All
- If a child goes missing during school hours, it's going to cause the school to go under major scrutiny if they can't figure out where they went. Chloe is horrified to learn her school is in trouble because she has disappeared for months and there are no leads to where she's gone. Plot
- The rewrite of Chapter 6 adds an Old-Fashioned Rowboat Date between Amity and Luz. Now, normally, this trope features the girl kissing her lover while blocking the view with her Parasol of Prettiness. In here, when Amity tries to do it, she scares the crap out of Luz, who pushes her back and asks what she's doing. Subverted Trope
- Justified or not, using Misplaced Retribution not only doesn't work most of the time, but it more often than not makes things worse for everyone. About every time somebody uses this type of retribution in the story, they only manage to shoot themselves in the foot. Plot
- The Naïve Newcomer is typically seen as quirky and adorable, but in Luz's case, this leaves her severely out of depth when dating Amity and dealing with the Amity-Boscha-Skara drama. The former because she can't keep up with Amity, who Thinks Like a Romance Novel, and the latter because she overstimates Amity and Skara's ability to get along. Character reactions, possible deconstruction
- Percussive Maintenance is nowhere near as reliable as fiction makes it seem, especially when dealing with unknown technology. Hazel tries to do this to the Passenger scanner when it fails to identify her, but all she does is break it. Subverted Percussive Maintenance
- Lexi's shapeshifted papers allows him to take any form he wants, but they're still made of paper, meaning not only are they weak to fire and water, but he's nowhere near as resillient as everybody else. Too fantastical
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee doesn't exist at all: Boscha kept the details over her Mandragora plan a secret from Skara, so when she puts it in action, the bard student is obviously too shocked to play along at first. Even if that hadn't happened, however, everybody else wouldn't know about the plan, and Principal Bump would've still killed the Mandragora because it's that dangerous. Deconstructed Unspoken Plan Guarantee
- When Odalia makes a ball where it says that Boscha has returned, just about everybody can see past the blatant lies: even if Boscha had returned, the chances she'd stay with the Blights first are extremely slim, especially the rather tense history between them and her family. Plot
- Since the Boschazens resemble Boscha, who had gone on a rampage just a month prior, everybody who meets them react with fear and confuses them with Boscha, as Louise and Mettaton can attest. Plot
- After Louise meets The Innocence and the Master of Masters explains who and what she is, Louise is incredulous and plans to get help from Bort to stop her from returning. Even if the Boschazens were public knowledge, it wouldn't change the bad reputation Boscha has, and people would rather have her stay dead than potentially come back. Plot
- Alador might've been brainwashed into raping Persephone and was regretful for what happened, but him keeping quiet about it and doing nothing for Skara's entire life ensured he wouldn't be Easily Forgiven by the girl, even after the fiasco that was the Blight Ball. Character stuff and plot, and also excuse me there's WHAT in this fic—
- Boscha and Amity don't really get along, so when Luz reveals the former's the reason they became girlfriends, Amity is quick to dismiss it as a joke, believing Boscha would never do something like that for her. And then, when she eventually realizes Luz is telling the truth, Amity is left shocked and apalled. Character stuff
- Just because someone's family specializes in one thing doesn't mean a member of that family will automatically be good at it. Mattholomule's family do Hexorcisms, but even he knows better than to go do his first one unprepared and alone. And Even after getting a team, he doesn't survive his first hexorcism. Plot, too fantastical
- One can't simply heal from being stabbed, pummeled, and squeezed, especially after an emotional speech. Mattholomule gets absolutely trashed during the hexorcism of Daiki Chienen, and him using what little strength he had to call out the spirit didn't help. By the time they're back on the Boiling Isles, he asks Gus to take him to the Owl House, knowing he'll only have enough time to bid farewell to Boscha. Probably a deconstruction of a trope I can't recall the name of
- A volcanic area is not a good place for plantlife, so Plant magic is theoretically worthless there. Edric and Willow have to resort to an Illusion-Plant Combination Attack to subdue the Salamanders because Willow's basic strategy of vines simply doesn't work there. Too fantastical and a regular example of Logical Weakness
- Just because a species looks humanoid doesn't mean they can actually reproduce with humans, and even if that were the case, the resulting hybrid might not come out squeaky clean. Azura had Amirani, a Witch, and Prometheus, a Human at the time, mate to see if Witch-Human hybrids were viable, but the resulting child, Boscha, was a greatly weak mass of flesh who wouldn't have lived for long had Azura not interfered. Too fantastical
- No matter how good or great an end result to an exercise is; of the basic structure isn't followed, there will be consequences. While Amity manages to replicate Boscha's "Firebolt" technique with a fire glyph and her own lightning glyph, Luz deducts points for not following her instructions. What?
- No halfway decent teacher would allow something like a Teacher/Student Romance manipulate the score they give their students. When Amity tries to justify Luz not lowering her score by pointing out she's her girlfriend, Luz not only states that excuse won't fly, but deducts points to Amity for trying to use that to justify herself. Subverted Teacher/Student Romance
- An Extremely Protective Child is still a child, so unless they have some kind of trick up their sleeves, their attempts to be protectibe could get them hurt at best, killed at worst. Amity tries to act like this when she thinks her family's been kidnapped, but as soon as she enters the Urodela's dining room, she realizes she's way out of her depth. Plot
- Just about nobody buys the fact that the Blight Ball implies that Boscha will appear there: even if Boscha had returned from the Train at that point, her relationship with the Blights is so tense she'd rather stay the hell away from them. Didn't we go over this example already?
Same result as usual, and with a handful of spelling errors. Will put on the cutlist after further input.
Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢Mastermind Strategist For Hire
- Izuku's reason for turning to villainy, mostly selling murder and theft plans to villains, is not because of All Might (but it's a factor). Instead, he starts selling his plans after trying to find a job and finding that no one will hire him out of prejudice against his Quirklessness. Izuku wanted to be a hero most of his life, and becoming the opposite only became an option when it was villainy or destitution at best. He does become more genuinely evil as time goes on though. Character reaction based on lack of unrealistic powers
- Another major factor is his hunger for approval after years of bullying and prejudice. Izuku starts selling his plans thanks to the praise they receive from his customers. Character reaction
- The Blue Dogs gang hold Izuku at gunpoint to get out of paying for a plan to rob Okane Bank. He thinks over his options then gives them what they want because getting out unscathed when there are multiple people willing to shoot you is incredibly unlikely. Even if he gets out alive but injured, he would have to try to hide it so as to continue to blend in. The outcome was avoided, so not an example.
- Izuku takes revenge later by giving plans to kill each gang member to their enemies. There is no way an established Top-tier villain would let disrespect like that slide, and a gang willing to try and mug a criminal mastermind would have pissed off a lot of people. Character reaction
- A similar event happened earlier into his career where a gang tried to cheat him out of his full pay when he only asked for a portion upfront due to the risk of robbing a casino. Because he knew their Quirks to prepare the plan in the first place, Izuku had info he could use to identify them from a police database even though he never met them face to facenote . He sold a plan to kill them to their enemies and it takes a long time before anyone else is stupid enough to try. Character reaction, and unrealistic powers are involved.
- It takes a while for the police to even figure out Mastermind exists, as his selling ideas to villains as commissions mean the crimes are unrelated and carried out by different villains who rarely have any connection themselves. Not surprising.
- Izuku initially refuses to meet anyone face-to-face, limiting his clientele, because he knows that not only will no one take a scrawny teenager seriously, but he has no combat ability to fall back on if a client double-crosses him. Character reaction, lack of unrealistic powers, and the outcome was avoided.
- The media does not report the break-in at UA, because the blame would fall on them for either causing it or taking advantage of it to illegally enter school grounds. Character reaction.
- All Might's injuries make him very frail when he's not powered up. Izuku kills him with two stabs into his old injury, causing him to bleed out and die in seconds. Even barring his old injury, a normal human will not survive a vicious stabbing into their lungs and heart. Involves unrealistic powers.
- After dozens of reporters are injured in an attack on Endeavor, Tsukauchi has to give a private interview as not only are most top reporters in the hospital still, but the remaining ones are too afraid of becoming targets themselves to attend a press conference. Character reaction
- Izuku's notebooks are completely mundane, so they lack actual security measures. Inko accidentally reads one when it falls open. Living with his mother also means that anyone can read them should he leave them out. Doesn't explain why this is surprising.
- The overwhelming success of villains due to Mastermind sees a massive decrease in teenagers willing to become Pro Heroes. While they all knew intellectually that death was a possibility, it's completely different to see almost constant news of heroes being murdered. Furthermore, some just don't want to become underground heroes, having wanted to become famous as Pro Heroes. Character reaction, unrealistic powers are involved
No valid examples found.
Edited by Someoneman on May 16th 2022 at 11:30:10 AM

~Libraryseraph, if something wants to take a deeper look at tropes underpinning the concepts of biological motherhood and blood family, it's a Deconstructed Trope, not a Surprisingly Realistic Outcome. Please look at the main SRO page for my explanation for how these two tropes differ.
Edited by Idiosyncratic on Jun 4th 2022 at 6:25:35 AM
Add a title. Stay safe; stay well. Live beyond… memento vivere! Should intermittent vengeance arm again his red right hand to plague us?