Not Tropeworthy: Stray Shots Strike Nothing

Since the examples listed on the trope page are exclusively aversions, I believe that the trope should instead be about stray shots actually striking something, instead of being a trope about striking nothing with only aversions listed. It would make for a cleaner trope listing if every single example was not listed as "Averted" or "Lampshaded."

Sorry for the wait, ~TheWhistleTropes.

I'll open for discussion, since the trope is not classified as omnipresent.

According to No Straight Examples, Please!, this is limited to aversions and lampshaded examples. Are there enough lampshaded examples for this to be salvaged? As previously said, this isn't omnipresent.

Nobody Over 50 Is Gay was cut because it was exclusively for aversions, but not omnipresent.

Well, just noticed that there is a pothole to Omnipresent Tropes in the description, but it's not indexed as such.

Maybe that's what we could do? Just...index it as an omnipresent trope?

But does it really count as omnipresent? There are a lot of works that don't have guns in them, such as medieval fantasy works or period pieces.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Apr 3rd 2020 at 12:35:26 PM

Bows and crossbows might be a sufficient analog for something that shoots in a pre-firearms time period. I think it might be omnipresent.

Edited by Florien on Apr 3rd 2020 at 11:16:14 AM

Is it omnipresent in works that contain guns/bows?

Obviously not every work contains guns and archery; you're not going to be watching a firearm themed episode of Spongebob Squarepants any time soon.

But for the ones that do, is this trope omnipresent?

Compare Third-Person Flashback and Three-Month-Old Newborn, which are based on elements that, while not omnipresent, are the norm for works using flashbacks and childbirth, respectively.

• also warjay is gonna jinx things*

Edited by Brainulator9 on Apr 3rd 2020 at 10:53:37 AM

Were this to become a non-aversive trope I would name it Struck By A Stray Bullet. "Stray shots strike nothing" would become part of the description.

I think this is a better course of action, tbh.

So I think we should try to establish a relationship between this trope played straight and other tropes. This is not an Omnipresent Trope, and marking it as such doesn't help. The reason it isn't omnipresent is stuff like Spectator Casualty and Deadline News where a stray bullet hits someone unintentionally.

• Stray Shots Strike Nothing: Stray shots do not strike something or someone.
• Spectator Casualty: Stray shots do strike someone and that person dies.
• Deadline News: A journalist dies on the air. Overlaps here when the death is from a stray bullet.

Also it is important to note that Nobody Over 50 Is Gay wasn't cut merely for only listing aversions. NO 50 IG was cut because the trope was defined in the negative, just like this trope is.

At the end of the day, I think this trope should be cut. Establishing relationships to other tropes is important to better understand what this is supposed to be, but as-is the current trope of Stray Shots Strike Nothing is defined wholly in the negative and when it's played straight it comes across as chairs (imo).

Edited by WaterBlap on Apr 4th 2020 at 1:23:58 PM

Oh, I didn't realize we had Spectator Casualty.

I support a cut in that case...

Cutting is another option, in that case. Might as well start a crowner when it's time.

Another vote to cut.

Oh, this is a duplicate defined in the negative. I'll switch my vote to cut then.

Cut.

Cut.

Cut and burn. Move all examples to Spectator Casualty, where applicable.

8:2 rename, 7:2 cut, 2:6 Omnipresent.

Took care of a few wicks, so we got 106 to go.

I'd like to point out that this is the Laconic for Spectator Casualty:

"Someone watching a dangerous show and gets harmed by the things coming from it."

So I'd say it could use a Super-Trope.

Edited by ImperialMajestyXO on Apr 10th 2020 at 8:42:01 AM

We can't rely solely on laconic pages. But if you'd like to propose a supertrope, you can take it to TLP. This thread should just be for the one trope specifically do we can close it...

Bystander Casualty, maybe? For when someone is caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. Spectator Casualty would be for when they are actively watching it.