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Reality Ensues/Surprisingly Realistic Outcome cleanup

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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.

    History 
Before being disambiguated, Reality Ensues was one of the site's oldest tropes, having started in 2008 as "an event breaks conventions to feature realistic consequences/results not typically featured in fiction." However, it gradually became one of the most infamous cases of Trope Decay the site had ever seen over the years as people shoehorned in any moment or feature that they could remotely construe as realistic, causing the trope to become extremely over-bloated with over 17,000 wicks by the time it first went to TRS despite only describing a scenario that should be rare by definition. This decay was retroactively attributed to the easily misinterpreted name; if we interpret "Reality" as referring to the fictional work's reality, "Reality Ensues" would describe everything that ever happens in a work of fiction, thus making the trope meaningless. In addition, many tropers saw excess use of this trope as a badge of honor for a series unafraid to be dark, impactful, and gritty, which exacerbated the problem even more.

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.

    Cleanup instructions 
Due to the strict rules codified on the trope page, old SRO examples are typically nearly all misuse. To avoid clogging this thread, only pages with lots of them or ones with reasonable doubt over their validity should be discussed here. Examples that blatantly violate the rules should be deleted on sight.

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.

    Old OP 
I've been noticing a lot of Surprisingly Realistic Outcome misuse lately, from instances of Gameplay and Story Segregation to Awesome, but Impractical, and I thought a cleanup thread could help out a little.

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

MBG Since: Mar, 2016
#1976: Mar 11th 2023 at 1:04:19 AM

Right, I'm going to submit for deletion the entire Henry Stickmin page. And to explain why, I'll have to give a quick overview of how those games work.

The way Henry Stickmin games work is that they're essentially Trial-and-Error Gameplay turned into a joke. At every turn, you are handed a number of different options, most of which are references to some other kind of pop culture or video game, and typically (barring when they're used to set up branching narratives), all but one of the options will result in the game killing Henry Stickmin in some goofy fashion and then presenting you the choices again until you stumble upon the right one.

Additionally, the "correct" option is almost always largely random. Henry has New Powers as the Plot Demands, and his abilities—his strength, his agility, his stamina, his aim, whether or not he has straight-up superpowers—wildly fluctuate from scene to scene. When the things he can do are so deliberately up-in-the-air, there's essentially no way to realize when choosing an option whether it will work or not. To give an example: one of the entries on the page claims this of a scene where Henry fails to pull off a Falcon Punch because it's just a normal punch without the giant flamebird it's associated with. But another game has Henry do a Falcon Kick, and it fails not because it's a regular kick, but because Henry spontaneously gains the ability to generate the requisite massive amount of fire for a Falcon Kick and subsequently burns to a pile of ash.

And that's the case for most of the entries I perused, which describe points where a choice backfires on Henry for realistic or pseudo-realistic reasons... but a choice backfiring on Henry Stickmin is, in fact, never surprising. It is, in fact, the entire experience of the game. Nearly every option backfires on you. It just sometimes backfires in a way that selectively applies real-world physics and sometimes backfires on you in a purely comedic way.

In short: the trope requires a bait-and-switch, and the events the page describes are about as much of a bait-and-switch as Wile E. Coyote failing to catch the Roadrunner.

Edited by MBG on Mar 11th 2023 at 10:04:08 AM

costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
#1977: Mar 11th 2023 at 12:57:41 PM

Several of the previously cut entries on SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome.Western Animation were added back with the reading that they weren’t character reactions.

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1978: Mar 11th 2023 at 3:33:49 PM

  • My Arms are Blue!:
    • While their bodies are switched, Amy eats cookies and drinks soda to stay awake. This causes Shadow to become hyper once they switch back. Too fantastical
    • By switching bodies, Tails goes from having two big tails to one small one, and vice-versa for Knuckles. This throws both of them off balance. Too implausible
    • During a spice-eating contest, Sonic attempts to cool his mouth with water. He learns the hard way that this just makes the pain worse. Valid

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1979: Mar 12th 2023 at 4:04:54 AM

Might need some reevaluation on this one. I mean, isn't it common in anime for characters to power through injuries and pull off come-from-behind victories? I read chapter four of this fanfic and I'm still a little stumped if it actually doesn't qualify.

  • Five Petals (Naruto): Sasuke defies his doctors' orders in order to participate in his preliminary match. Not only does this not work out the way he hopes, but he's swiftly informed that he just ensured that his leg won't heal properly.

Edited by CelestialDraco on Mar 12th 2023 at 5:09:17 AM

badtothebaritone (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Snooping as usual
#1980: Mar 12th 2023 at 9:10:18 AM

[up] On the other hand, it's also not uncommon in fiction for people who defy Doctor's Orders to immediately regret it.

Tabs Since: Jan, 2001
#1981: Mar 13th 2023 at 3:40:39 PM

I think fiction often has Rule of Drama in place so characters' decision to defy the instructions of the medical professional bites them ('cuz that leads to more problems that need to be solved, ensuring drama). Does that affect the entire story after or is it a moment?

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1982: Mar 13th 2023 at 4:26:42 PM

Sasuke's leg is in bad shape for the rest of the story onward.

Edited by CelestialDraco on Mar 13th 2023 at 6:27:18 AM

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1983: Mar 16th 2023 at 9:10:21 AM

  • Full Service:
    • The game doesn't shy away from the fact that what the love interests do for a living is essentially prostitution. In fact, Tomoki repeatedly tells himself that someone like Sota is too young to be doing a job like that. Not an outcome
    • Having a secure job right after college with a good pay rate may allow you to live a decent life, but it doesn't guarantee that your life will happy, especially for jobs involving a lot of stress and work time. Plot happens
    • Modeling, as Remi explains, isn't an easy job of just looking glamorous in advertisements. It requires careful maintenance of every part of your body, skill, and experience to get work. If there's even one person who's better than you, you're out. Moreover, signing a modeling contract with a person you don't know well or who is known to have a bad reputation can risk you getting into a job that you will regret in many ways. Not an outcome
    • Unlike the other spa employees, Kovit's only job outside the spa is straight-up having sex with guys, so he has no steady employment once the spa is shut down and has to sleep around for temporary shelter. Plot happens
    • Rald is a CEO of a well-known bank and heir to a prestigious family, and he secretly works at a sketchy establishment, risking exposing his identity to anyone who visits the spa. In fact, this happens in the worst way possible in his Bad Ending. Plot happens
    • In the standard ending, when Hisami is arrested and Thara decides to follow him, the spa closes without Hisami's funding and Thara's management, which affects the now-former employees. Plot happens

Tabs Since: Jan, 2001
#1984: Mar 16th 2023 at 11:37:42 AM

[up][up] I'm thinking it's not "momentary" enough to qualify. Might be a playing with of Heroic Spirit (which I'm pretty sure is a staple in shonen works)?

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1985: Mar 16th 2023 at 6:58:45 PM

  • Crosswind: A small barely trained child, even a dragon with magic, is not going to do well in a fight against larger and more experienced opponents. Jolitiera, a dragoness around eleven years old, is not a very good fighter, and neither is her younger sister Aurora. Though she has some basic self-defense and elemental training, it is stated that it takes years for a dragon to master their magic and fighting skills to a sufficiently strong level, unlike Spyro who seems to hone his abilities quickly. When she tries to defend herself against experienced ape soldiers or larger predators, she is barely able to fend them off and must result in running from them. Character weaker than other characters and too fantastical
  • Exodus: Although Taylor surviving two point-blank headshots to the back of her skull is nothing short of a miracle, her brain gets so messed up that she can't recognize basic human interactions, much less words and language. Similarly, spending the majority of her time recovering from the experience leaves her so physically weak she has to go through six months of physical therapy. Valid? Though, I do remember a real crime show about a woman being shot in the back of the skull twice and surviving with no damage whatsoever
  • Oh Alice, There's no Reflection in the Looking Glass: Unlike the Persona 4 casts who were able to quickly accept what their shadow has said, Akira still needed to come to terms with why he accepted his Shadow again and spent some time after his rescue despondent. Akira's Palace is formed by the trauma he experienced from his first time loop and childhood trauma that is so deeply rooted in him that Akira can't fully come out of it okay as quickly. It took a pep talk with a passing by Yu for Akira to finally take the step to pick himself up and catch up to the rest of the thieves to the depths of Mementos. Character reaction
  • Without Sin-All Star Edition:
    • Are the Sinverse Louds living out their dream jobs like they do in the Safeverse, even with the kids they had with Lincoln? Nope! As is the case for most parents in the world, the Louds had to settle for mundane career paths like teachers or fast food manager in order to support their family and raise their kids at the same time. With the added baggage of their family situation, none of them are able to strive to become public figures. (Like how Lola refuses to become a cam whore and risk attracting an audience, and must settle for being a prostitute; granted she has higher standards for customers, but that's besides the point.) Plot happens
    • Lori, a police detective, acts as Lola's pimp in terms finding customers, making sure they're safe for her to service. However, not even Lori is able to notice fabricated background, when the mysterious "Hunter" is able to slip through the cracks, and is able to plant a bug on Lola's phone. Plot happens
    • Lily was the only sister to not have a child with Lincoln; there would be no repercussions for this, right? Wrong! With the loud kids fucking each other ever since Lily was a baby, she would see their siblings actions in a positive light, and would want to join them in their sex cult. But when Lincoln got a vasectomy and never gave her a baby, of course she would feel some sort of resentment. Character reaction
      • And if she wasn't going to get her incest fix from her brother, she'll seize the opportunity when her nephew admits to having a crush on her, and groom him into being her baby daddy. Um.

Edited by CelestialDraco on Mar 17th 2023 at 1:48:51 PM

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
SoyValdo7 I mainly fix indentation issues from La tierra de lagos y volcanes Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
I mainly fix indentation issues
#1987: Mar 17th 2023 at 6:32:26 PM

[up] Crosswind: I agree with you. The moment it mention that the character is a "Dragon with magic" made it not valid. Cut it.

Exodus: I think it counts. Sound reasonably possible.

Oh Alice, There's no Reflection in the Looking Glass: Yes, cut it.

Without Sin-All Star Edition: I don't know where you found these, but they sound misused. Cut it out.

Valdo
CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1988: Mar 18th 2023 at 11:22:46 AM

maxwellsilver Since: Sep, 2011
#1989: Mar 18th 2023 at 5:23:20 PM

[up]Losing sleep makes you tired? That's totally unexpected! Seems safe to cut.

League of Super Redundant Heroes

  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: A common form of humor from the strips. For example:
    • Sorry, Mr. Jackson, but taking a crazy risk doesn't always pay off. Web Links Are Not Examples
    • An Iron Man Expy invites a woman to try on his Power Armor as a pickup line — suffice to say, it doesn't go well. Web Links Are Not Examples
    • A supervillain once manages to successfully tie all the limbs of the Spider-Man Expy so that he can't attack him. He then taunts him about not being able to shoot web out of his hands. Part of the taunt involves a mention about real spiders being seemingly able to shoot web out of their anus. You can see how well that ends up for said supervillain. Too fantastical
    • A parody strip tells a story of a man who loved crayfish so much that he used to catch them in the river all the time. Eventually, he put on a lobster costume and called himself the "Cray-Crayfish man", not because he gained mutant lobster powers, but because he went insane after fishing for Crayfish in a stream full of toxic waste for a while. Irrelevant. And seems like it's just plain Bait-and-Switch of Superhero Origin
    • A Wolverine Expy once tries to cling to a wall with his claws. All that it accomplishes is deep scratch marks within the wall due to him being too heavy for his claws to support himself. Unclear
    • A super once demonstrates that he can jump so high, he can wind himself into space with a single leap. However, since Batman Can Breathe in Space is averted within this strip.... Too fantastical, ZCE
    • Kurgh the Conqueror managed to successfully seize control over Shitropolis. He now has to suffer the total monotony of dealing with mayoral politics. Seems like a straightforward example of And Then What?
    • When you travel through time, make sure you also travel through space to land somewhere safe. Or somewhere at all. Too fantastical, Web Links Are Not Examples
    • When the Hulk expy tries to lift something super heavy, he ends up in the ground, since it isn't strong enough to support all the weight. Unsure
    • A Willie Wonka Expy gets arrested for No OSHA Compliance and slavery. Unsure
    • An alien bar owner is forced to operate on the bartering system since perceived value cannot be maintained between thousands of different races across the galaxy. Unclear
    • A massive alien spy using a hologram device to look like a little girl is not fooling anyone, because looking like a little girl doesn't stop him from weighing enough to leave enormous footprints in concrete. Too fantastical
    • It turns out that the super-addictive fried chicken of the other world arc isn't magic or impossibly delicious. The real reason everyone couldn't get enough is that the secret ingredient is coca leaves, the major component of cocaine. Unsure. This doesn't feel like an example
    • One would-be villain is in jail because he fell behind on child support planning his bank heist and building the giant vacuum cleaner for it, which had some major issues, like transporting the giant vacuum cleaner to the bank or getting its hose into the vault. Irrelevant. Seems like it's just Didn't Think This Through
    • When Lazer Pony brings in a contractor to see about getting the cave under the house turned into an official command center for the team, the contractor is horrified that there is a giant hole beneath the house and claims they are lucky their house hasn't collapsed without any foundations, before stating he'll have to call it in to get it fixed immediately. This seems valid, although it might need some cleaning up
      • In the same strip, Lazer Pony isn't at all bothered by being told this is going to cost a lot of money to fix, because he's not the landlord. Gyrognome is the one who's being forced to pay.
      • In the next strip, when Gyrognome threatens to kick them all out and sue them for devaluing his property, Lazer Pony and Keith point out that doing so would alert the neighbors to how the entire neighborhood is built on top of a massive cave system that could collapse at any moment.
    • When the team gets an alert about a crime in progress on their crime computer, by the time they turn up they find that the crime has long since been taken care of by one of the cities countless other heroes who got the same alert on their own crime computers. This seems valid

Edited by maxwellsilver on Mar 18th 2023 at 8:34:33 AM

SoyValdo7 I mainly fix indentation issues from La tierra de lagos y volcanes Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
I mainly fix indentation issues
#1990: Mar 18th 2023 at 7:55:12 PM

[up] To save time, I will only mention the entries that I think are correct. If I don't mention one then cut it:

  • The one about the Wolverine's expy.
  • The one about the Hulk's expy.
  • The one about Lazer Pony, but only the first bullet. You can cut the two sub-bullets (and please, put the missing "r" in "stating").
  • The last one in the list.

Only these 4 look good to me.

Edited by SoyValdo7 on Mar 18th 2023 at 8:55:28 AM

Valdo
Grotadmorv Got a taste for scotch and abusive guys from Felix Hagan City, Family Avenue (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Wanna dance with somebody
Got a taste for scotch and abusive guys
#1991: Mar 18th 2023 at 9:38:38 PM

Recap.The Fairly Odd Parents S 2 E 5 Action Packed: I deleted a Surprisingly Realistic Outcome entry, then someone added it back. I'm bringing it here to check:

  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: When Jorgen activates his machine that gives him more power it also causes his muscles to bulk up considerably. When Mr Tuliptoes betrays Jorgen and starts scratching his face, he finds he can’t reach his cat cause his muscles are so large he can’t even bend his arms.
There's nothing realistic about using a machine that makes your muscles exaggeratedly large — even in the context of the episode, this is from Timmy's actionized fantasy and not something that could normally happen on the show. So I cut it on those grounds. Was this alright?

Make it so we never die, and take the pain away
badtothebaritone (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Snooping as usual
#1992: Mar 18th 2023 at 9:40:15 PM

Yeah, nothing like that exists in real life.

Bonkfast Since: Oct, 2014
#1993: Mar 22nd 2023 at 8:38:58 PM

"Several of the previously cut entries on Surprisingly Realistic Outcome.Western Animation were added back with the reading that they weren’t character reactions. "

That may have been me, although I did do a search on the page's entire history and saw nothing like the ones I added, so technically I'm not adding them "back".

Two of the ones I added were from The Powerpuff Girls episode "Super Zeroes". It's not simply that they're not character reactions, it's that they don't involve anything supernatural (in fact, it's partially the OPPOSITE of supernatural, since the girls usually just fly through the air at whoever is terrorizing Townsville, but opt for other methods this time), and they are elements that other media has used. In particular, there's Bubbles (er, Harmony Bunny) using a pogo stick as a means of travel and Blossom (er, Liberty Belle) using a "Liberty Mobile", an obvious parody of the Batmobile. But this takes forever, because in real life, pogo sticks are toys, not means of travel. As for "Liberty Belle", she gets caught in traffic. Did the Batmobile ever get caught in traffic?

I'm not going to list Buttercup... er, Mange's reason for being late. It's that she only travels at night, which is a. A character reaction b. It has nothing to do with this at all. The other reasons the new Powerpuff Girls failed will not be added either (first off, it was taking forever to get into their costumes, and lastly it was their methods of attack: Liberty Belle's "Lasso of Truth" which just simply made a lasso around "Steve" and did nothing and Harmony Bunny's stickers which did absolutely nothing despite her saying it was supposed to make him good, and Mange refusing to leave the shade) because, once again, not relevant. You could argue they are doing things that other media has done, but in those cases, it's meant to be supernatural or magical. People just doing things realistically, as you said, aren't meant for that. The pogo stick and traffic jam were their chosen alternatives to flying, not failed attempts at flying.

As for the other example, it was from the Donkey Kong Country episode "Kong Fu". Again, I didn't see ANY examples from the DKC cartoon. Now, I've seen some examples being removed because "one character is stronger than another", but here a. Once again, it's nothing supernatural or magical and b. There's an explanation for it. The titular Kong Fu is challenging Donkey Kong to the "Annual Donkey Kong Competition" and he is a trained martial artist. DK, on the other hand, is 800 pounds of solid muscle, but this year he's been slacking off and stuffing himself. When he learns of Kong Fu challenging him, he tries to get into shape, and I'm sure you've seen those movies and other shows with training montages that result in the good guy winning the guy they'd normally be completely outmatched against, or if they do lose, it's by a nose or a technicality... but not here. A few days of training isn't going to make up for a year of slacking and stuffing yourself, and Kong Fu nearly wipes the floor with DK. DK does win the challenge overall, but HE'S the one who wins by a technicality, as well as the fact that there were three challenges, one of which he won before Kong Fu surrendered. Kong Fu does surrender because the Kremlings make fun of his fear of the dark, but that's not the SRO. That's a character reaction.

I actually added those to see your opinion. What do you say?

costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
#1994: Mar 23rd 2023 at 7:23:38 AM

I wasn’t the one who originally added them, I just noticed that in the edit history, so I figured I would bring it to the threads attention.

Someoneman Since: Nov, 2011
#1995: Mar 23rd 2023 at 8:57:48 AM

The Powerpuff Girls example actually sounds valid. Using a pogo stick as a means of transportation doesn't make sense in real life, but if a superhero decides to do so, the expected outcome is for Rule of Cool or Rule of Funny to apply and make it a viable way to travel. The part about Belle getting stuck in a traffic jam might also count, since it's something that superheroes don't usually have to deal with, but it might also fit better under Extraordinary World, Ordinary Problems.

The Donkey Kong example sounds like it's just normal Plot, since DK successfully making up for his missed training and easily beating up Kong Fu wouldn't be a satisfying episode. The expected outcome is for DK to almost lose the fight due to having missed his training.

Bonkfast Since: Oct, 2014
#1996: Mar 23rd 2023 at 12:24:07 PM

I always thought the expectation, as in most shows or movies about "underdog wins fighting contest against seasoned professionals with just a few days of training" wasn't that the underdog would defeat the professional in a Curb-Stomp Battle, rather either be on the verge of losing and then remember their training and pull off the win, some other way of winning a very close fight, lose anyway despite it looking like they're about to win, or lose due to a technicality even if they're about to win.

Here, DK is the one who's on the receiving end of a Curb-Stomp Battle, as is what would happen in a real life fighting competition against a seasoned professional. He literally doesn't stand a chance against Kong Fu with just a few days of training. I don't think the expectation was ever for DK to curb stomp Kong Fu, but something to the other effects I mentioned.

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1997: Mar 23rd 2023 at 1:59:39 PM

  • Aggretsuko:
    • Ton's sexism and abuse of power. Fenneko notes that this kind of behavior isn't legal anymore, but Haida notes that all Ton has to do is humbly apologize for being "too forceful" and then make things worse for whoever brought the complaint. This is exactly what happens later when Washimi forces the CEO to bring Ton in. Ton is genuinely fearful for his job, apologizes, and then puts on a (terrifying) happy face around the office. But when he realizes that the complaint originated with Retsuko, he retaliates by humiliating her in front of the whole office at a drinking party. Fortunately, nearly everyone is too hung over to remember what happened. Plot happens
      • It also comes back as a Chekhov's Boomerang in season 4. The new CEO finds out about the allegations after making a drunk Retsuko and Fenneko even more sloshed while treating them to dinner. Himuro is definitely cold and doesn't see employees as people, but he's able to force Ton to transfer departments on the grounds of harassment because he has proof about misconduct on the job and makes a legitimate point that Ton can't act his way and expect he is above the consequences. In fact, his promoting Haida to the Head of Accounting makes more sense because Haida can take a leadership position and work under pressure without taking it out on the other employees. Character reaction
    • Relationships require maintenance and communication on both sides in order for the relationship to succeed. A relationship that's all give and no take isn't one that can last in the long run. Resasuke's inability to understand how he's wearing Retsuko down is what ultimately destroys the relationship. Not surprising
    • As much as you may hate your job and want to quit for a new one, make sure have an actual job lined up instead of the vague promise of one (and in a business that's just starting out at that) before you do things like complain about your crappy boss on live television, talk back to your superiors, or use your company's computer to complain about it online, otherwise the same people you complained about can make your life even harder. Didn't Think This Through
    • As Retsuko's mother tells her, while trying to make some matchmaking, the men she shows her aren't just pieces of sushi in a conveyor belt that she gets to pick or turn down, they also get a say in it. Retsuko realizes this when she is turned down by one of those men, and when she says she might want to get in touch with Shirota again, she learns he's already seeing someone else. Not surprising given how it was set up
    • Haida in season one has a Heroic BSoD when Retsuko starts a relationship with Resasuke. He admits that it was his fault for not taking the leap and asking her first, saying they need to talk in the first season finale. Should be a happy ending for them both? Far from it; the Christmas special confirms that Retsuko wasn't ready for another relationship after her breakup and turned him down, while they remained friends. Character reaction
    • Retsuko ends her relationship with Resasuke when she realizes she cares about their relationship much more than he does and that she was looking at him through rose-colored glasses from day one. Her relationship with Tadano, however, is a genuinely happy and healthy one until Retsuko learns Tadano has no interest in getting married or having children, whereas she does. Unfortunately, relationships won't always end because they were unhealthy, or because one party was blatantly at fault. Sometimes they need to end because the couple's life choices and goals are incompatible. It breaks both of their hearts, but Retsuko and Tadano break up because happy though they were, neither are willing to give up on what they want for the other. Character reaction
    • The idol arc goes this way, sadly. Normally a plot about the main character becoming an Idol Singer in a Japanese anime is wish fulfillment and makes the character happy. In fact, Retsuko starts buying into this narrative when the group starts to do well saying that she's fulfilling her dream and making new friends. Ton gives her a reality check: she got blackmailed into becoming the lead singer over having to pay fender bender damage, and he can tell that she would have rather stayed behind the scenes as was the initial agreement rather than upstage the girls when he hears the full story. He also tells her that he knows Death Metal is a private pleasure for her, and bringing a passion out can have consequences when you expose what you love to strangers. From a financial perspective, the manager won't let her go if she becomes too profitable and may use interest rates on the loan to keep her trapped in the agreement. It has to be a choice, not an obligation, if she wants to sing. Sure enough, when Retsuko is given the choice, she realizes she prefers her mundane, safe accounting job because no one tries to murder you for getting the reports wrong. Plot happens
    • The season 3 finale has the OTMGirls fan who stalks Retsuko and goes after her with a box cutter and behaves in a way that is startlingly like real-life stalkers. There's also how Retsuko's trauma over the incident sends her into hiding for a good amount of time afterwards. Character reaction
    • The OTM Girls stalker posted pictures of Retsuko walking into her apartment online. That, plus the aforementioned attempt on her life, results in her having to lease out her apartment and live with her parents indefinitely. And Season 4 shows that she's moved out of her apartment to a new one and even taken self defense training after the incident. Character reaction
    • The election plot towards the end of season 5 sees a lot of logistical concerns become headaches, such as finding exactly the right location to run where perfect timing - a borderline-untouchable candidate retiring - is the only way Retsuko can put up a fight, the prohibitive expensiveness of putting down a deposit to run, and that funding from a down on its luck political party is often lacking, resulting in the generosity of others being vital for Retsuko's name to even get on the ballot. When the election day actually comes, Jiro crushes Retsuko by a landslide; even with her voter base coming out in massive droves and doing better than anyone ever expected, a better-connected legacy candidate in a regionally dominant political party who has plenty of charisma of his own is going to get more votes than an utter political rookie and late entrant, especially on a level as important as the National Diet. Still, this trope applies for Jiro's victory as well; new blood igniting the passions of a voterbase means that a majority party can't just rest on its laurels and hope to win. It’s heavily implied that it was ultimately his last-minute willingness to defy his father’s stay-the-course attitude and demand a policy change as bold as a maximum age limit for representatives that swung things back in his favor. In short, even "bulletproof" politicians need to take opposition candidates' chances seriously and campaign accordingly. Too unclear

Edited by CelestialDraco on Mar 23rd 2023 at 4:01:28 AM

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1998: Mar 25th 2023 at 8:40:09 PM

  • Built Different (Signless Acolyte):
    • When Faraday welches on giving the Crew the promised bonus for completing the Maxim job without being spotted with the flimsy excuse Tanaka changed drivers, Maine decides it's high-time to cut ties and start looking for other Fixers, to which the rest of the crew is all for. Turns out going back on your promises when your employees went above and beyond the requirements doesn't leave people eager to keep working with you, especially when they know you're the type to pull that shit again. Character reaction
    • Maine ends up hitting a snag while trying to find new Fixers in that his known association with Faraday is a black mark, as mercs who work with a guy like him tend to snag a reputation of being desperate or stupid, which doesn't raise confidence in their competence. Luckily, Maine also has a rep for still being alive after about a decade in the merc business. Plot happens
  • Decepticon Arrival:
    • Shockwave shoots down Swindle's proposal to have their base be a recreation of New Kaon from Transformers: Prime not only because it would be too exposed, but also too large for the meager amount of Decepticons present to properly maintain. Instead, he chooses to create an underground base inside a nearby mountain since a base like that is far safer with its hidden location and can be expanded with ease to accommodate new members. Not an outcome
    • When Dead End and the Constructicons take Steven with them on their trip to Detroit, they're forced to have Steven sit in Bonecrusher's excavator scoop since their alt modes, being Cybertronian vehicles, don't have the interior space required to accommodate non-Cybertronians due to their unmanned nature. Of course, this also leads to people gawking at them and cops going after them because an excavator's scoop is hardly a safe place for a human to sit in. Too implausible

CelestialDraco from Florissant, Missouri Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: Singularity
#1999: Mar 27th 2023 at 7:29:56 PM

  • To Shape And Change:
    • Faulty, outdated equipment can be a serious safety hazard, even if it looks fine. Hogwarts's Board of Governors learns this the hard way when they ignore a request for new school brooms for the sixth year in a row to cut costs. One of the old brooms stops responding and slams into a wall at top speed, inflicting serious injuries on the student riding it. Not surprising
    • Even if you do have magic at your disposal, being shot is going to hurt and take time to recover from. And if you're a pureblood supremacist who refuses to acknowledge quaint Muggle ideas like germ theory, you're going to have a nasty infection on your hands because you didn't disinfect the wound properly. Too fantastical

Edited by CelestialDraco on Mar 27th 2023 at 9:30:21 AM

Libraryseraph uu~ from Canada (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Raising My Lily Rank With You
uu~
#2000: Mar 28th 2023 at 6:15:30 AM

Past three posts all look fair

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOR MARIA

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