Not Tropeworthy: Growling Gut

I think a rename crowner would be best to see if we're renaming it.

Might as well.

Hooked, thanks.

I'm currently not sure, solely for that I can't think of a more clear or concise name for this that would include serious examples.

What would serious examples entail, someone's gut growling as a sign they're starving or something?

Fixed the crowner. I think we might have enough consensus, but we'd still need an Alternative Names crowner to replace the current crowner.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 23rd 2020 at 10:31:34 AM

Calling for the rename.

Conveniently-Timed Growling Stomach?

Maybe? If we're really that worried about leaving out non-comedic examples, this may be the best we can do.

Otherwise, I'll pitch Growling Gut Gag.

which suggests it can only be ever used as a joke, as in Gag Dub or Medium-Shift Gag or Overly Long Gag. The name should not narrow the scope of the trope, only invite less ZCE. I don't have a suggestion, though.

Edited by Tabs on Feb 8th 2020 at 11:00:48 AM

I'd asked before though what sort of serious examples there'd even be, like how the trope can be used for anything besides the gag version. I'm not saying it can't, but do we have any serious examples, or is this all based on an assumption serious examples may exist?

The only 'serious' examples I can think of are more 'used in a serious situation for a bit of comic relief' and the situation's still serious but the mood has lightened a tad. (Which, I suppose, would work in helping to re-define the trope to be more specific. This one might be a trope that needs 'all examples must meet X criteria'. Actually, I can't think of any media creator who would use the sound effect in a serious situation and expect it to remain serious. Wouldn't that thus be an instance of the trope being inverted/subverted and still fit in no matter the trope name or definition?)

Expanded rough draft. A usually comedic-timed occurrence when a character’s stomach growls or grumbles. The three variations are indication of hunger, indigestion, or a need to use the restroom. If it's in hunger, it's usually in response to food being offered, food being mentioned/discussed, or food being smelled (rare: sound of food being prepared) (the character doesn't have to be present in the group discussing the food). If it's a case of indigestion, it often leads to the third case of needing a restroom (severe cases mean the sufferer will stick close to restrooms, even if they're already occupied; can result in messes). Any of these cases can cause the abandoning of a task. Often when this trope happens in animated or drawn mediums, the stomach ripples along with the sound. Not to be confused with Guttural Growler.

Edited by ImaginationStarts on Feb 8th 2020 at 8:05:02 AM

"Gag" says the trope is written for comedy purposes, like the thing itself is meant to provoke laughter. The trope isn't serious, but it's not always funny ha-ha. Maybe it is and a cheap joke is why it's such a ZCE magnet. I can't pin down why I dislike "Gag" so much.

I think my problem is that when Completely Missing The Point was called into TRS, it was renamed to Comically Missing the Point, with the idea that only comedic examples could exist... and then we determined that Dramatically Missing the Point was a thing, too. Similarly, and in a process I understand far less (please clarify for me), Heroic Sociopath was split between Heroic Comedic Sociopath and Sociopathic Hero.

In both cases, this makes sorting out wicks between the funny and serious tropes more difficult when the emotional response is either a mix of the two or indeterminate. I don't want Growling Gut to fall into the same trap.

I had just considered similar the other night, but the division was between 'growling in hunger in response to food' and 'gurgling in indigestion' as the cases are pretty distinct cause-and-effect.

For the Z C E, would something like the following help?

Unless a frequent-occurrence or character trait, examples must mention cause of growl.

That could work.

I know these are wordy, and could use some rearranging/rephrasing, but I think they cover everything. (Some is direct copy/paste.) (The names are placeholders, but also suggestions.)

.

Stomach Speaks Up

In media, it's an extremely common occurrence for a perfectly-timed gurgling sound effect to occur when food is brought to a character's attention or alongside a statement of hunger. Unless the volume is cranked up as to be Played for Laughs, this noise is used for the audience's sake, for clear communication of the character's status, as environmental noise is usually great enough to drown it out in reality. The reaction is usually in response to food being offered, food being mentioned/discussed, or food being smelled, though in some cases it can also be the sound of food being prepared. The character doesn't have to be present in the group discussing the food similar to a Sneeze Cut. Sometimes a growling stomach can catch a character off-guard, in which case it's usually to support/show a passage of time, where the character looses track of the clock. Can be a common character trait, usually coinciding with a character who's constantly hungry. When play for laughs, and the volume is audible to other characters, expect embarrassment. In comics and animation, an onomatopoeia can be accompanied with a visible rippling motion of the abdomen. If a growl is particularly insistent, indicative of a great hunger, a character might make a sudden change of plans to get something to eat. This trope can be used in a more serious situation of severe hunger, but is usually still applied for a bit of comic relief to lightened the mood. Subverting or inverting this is rare, as most creators consider the trope associated with humor, and will thus avoid it in situations of true starvation. Compare with Guts Speak Up, where the cause of noise is indigestion. Not to be confused with Guttural Growler. Unless a frequent-occurrence or character trait, examples must mention cause of growl.

.

Guts Speak Up

The digestive system can sometimes be a noisy thing, from the stomach growling when you're hungry to the various noises food and/or gas make as they're being processed and passing through. In media, these sounds are often used to make very clear what's going on with a character. In comics and animation, this can be accompanied by the belly visibly rippling or shaking. Sometimes this grumbling is loud enough that other characters can hear it, which can cause embarrassment. Can also catch the character themselves off-guard. Rumbling and/or gurgling can mean that the character is having some indigestion or is a Gasshole. At worst, deep basso gurgling means major trouble is brewing, which often leads to necessary abandoning of task or activity for a Potty Emergency or even Potty Failure in severe cases. If it's a laxative or a persistent case of of food poisoning, the sufferer will often stick close to restrooms, even if they're already occupied, or more permanently occupy one them-self. Compare with Stomach Speaks Up, where the cause of noise is hunger. Not to be confused with Guttural Growler. Often edges or leads directly into Toilet Humor, but usually doesn't last for more than a few episodes when used to take a character out of the action. No real-world examples.

Edited by ImaginationStarts on Feb 19th 2020 at 5:49:52 AM

Works for me. Indigestion Noises or Sounds Of Indigestion or something else for the second writeup, for less confusion down the line?

Edited by Tabs on Feb 17th 2020 at 12:03:00 PM

The writeups look good to me

Late arrival, I missed my chance to vote in the crowner. I'm not sure it's necessary to rename Growling Gut, but I do prefer the sandbox description over the current description. I potholed So Much for Stealth to the sandbox's sentence "It can also ruin someone's attempt to hide from someone else."

I'm still in favor of a split in combination with a rename (especially since indigestion growl is usually toilet humor, and a hunger growl is never used as dirty humor), but would that place this in long-term projects, considering all the examples?

Edited by ImaginationStarts on Mar 24th 2020 at 2:01:47 PM

Short Term more like; while it'd take a while, it'd still end at some point.

Agreed.