Not Thriving: Cosmic Lottery Winner

Tremmor19 reconsidering from bunker in the everglades Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Too sexy for my shirt

reconsidering

#1: Dec 26th 2021 at 8:48:45 PM

Should be quickish—

Cosmic Lottery Winner has only 14 wicks, and the definition seems very open to interpretation- it does not require any kind of in-universe acknowledgement that the character survived through an extremely improbably situation, which leaves it open to audience reaction "I don't think this character should have lived" examples

wick check (all 14 & on page examples)

Character should not have survived, In Universe (5)

In The Suicide Theory, Percival has tried repeatedly to commit suicide, even going so far as to hire a hit man on himself, but he survives a fall from a building onto a car, a savage beating, and three point-blank shots to the head during the course of the movie, plus any number of failed suicide attempts offscreen.
The Castle episode "Dead Again" features a fellow who manages to survive three murder attempts, including being shot point blank in the head. Unlike the Bride, he's perfectly fine pretty much right afterwards except for having a few drops of blood there.
The first story on this page describes a player whose character was at ground zero of a suitcase nuke explosion. He convinced the GM to grant him a one-in-a-million shot at survival. The room exploded with cheers when this trope came to life.
In the creepypasta story "Quantum Immortality", the laws of probability prevent the main character from dying, even of old age; every bullet turns out to be a dud, he throws up an overdose of pills, he "miraculously" survives one accident after another, and he just keeps getting older and older... all because the titular phenomenon means that if there is even the tiniest chance he will survive in any alternate universe, he will.
Cosmic Lottery Winner: It's a bit fuzzy on exactly why having his heart torn out and being banished to a Hell dimension doesn't kill him. There's been a Hand Wave from Word of God that it has to do with his nature as the Scion of Balance, but that's it. There's a discussion about this on the WMG page. (but very complainy)

Character should not have survived, audience reaction (4)

In Half Life: Full Life Consequences: Free Man, John Freeman, after being stabbed in the back, riddled with machine gun bullets and hit with a rocket, gets up to keep fighting the combine.
In Pulp Fiction, two characters are fired upon from only a few feet away. The shooter empties the gun. They are completely unharmed. A little later in the scene, when they move away, you can see bullet holes in the wall behind them.
In Kill Bill, the Bride is shot point-blank in the head. She's in a coma for a few years, and it takes some time (read: a few hours, where it should take months) to recover full motor control. But otherwise, she suffers no ill effects.
Mega Man Battle Network 2, Lan is exposed to hundreds of thousands of rads of radiation. Even with a good radiation suit, that should have killed him, and quickly. It's so egregious that it crosses into Artistic License – Nuclear Physics, never mind Cosmic Lottery Winner.

used to mean "Very Lucky" in general (3)

In This Bites!, through all his Tarot Troubles during the battle against Baron Omatsuri, Basil Hawkins sees this with Luffy, as no matter how he shuffles his deck, all the cards representing hope and victory end up at the top and the one representing disaster ends up on the bottom.
Cosmic Lottery Winner: Mellowlink is insanely lucky, even described as such during the final episode. However, unlike Chirico he doesn't have a milennia-old supercomputer backing him up, nor does he have a Healing Factor beyond that of a normal person.
Cosmic Lottery Winner: Ganondorf should have been killed during his execution. Zelda sending Link back in time at the end of Ocarina of Time gave Ganondorf the Triforce of Power, making him Nigh-Invulnerable. His goal was to get the Triforce and he was stopped before he could even start, but he got it anyway.

Misuse or ZCE (2)

Rogue One: Chirrut walks through a firefight unscathed to reach a plot vital switch on a panel right out in the open, despite a literal army trying to shoot him. However it is strongly implied that in the Star Wars universe, making yourself a Cosmic Lottery Winner is one of the basic abilities of Force users. (this has an in uviverse explanation, its the force)
Cosmic Lottery Winner: It's her mission to make this a common thing.

Real Life Examples of people surviving against the odds (5)

Around three thousand people died on the morning of September 11, 2001 when the towers fell. Pasquale Buzzelli was on the 22nd story when they collapsed. He awoke several hours later on top of debris with only minimal injuries.
A fighter pilot in in World War II lost his parachute and had to jump from a burning plane at around ten thousand feet. A while later, German patrols found him unconscious on top of a snow pile, with just a twisted ankle. He later received praise from his German captors at a POW camp.
- Even better real life example Vesna Vulović, who survived a 33,000 foot fall from an exploded plane in 1972. She was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down but later recovered enough to be able to walk.
Tsutomu Yamaguchi had the misfortune of being in Hiroshima about a mile from ground zero when the first atomic bomb was dropped. He survived and returned to his home in Nagasaki the following day to recover from the serious burns he had sustained. A few days later he was, again, about a mile from ground zero when the second atomic bomb was dropped. Tsutomu Yamaguchi lived to the age of 93, passing away from stomach cancer in early 2010, although at 93 years of age such a cancer could never be linked to the events of 50 years ago.
These two Cracked articles describe a few more.

I suggest Cut as it is not doing very well

Edited by Tremmor19 on Dec 26th 2021 at 11:49:47 AM

MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three

(she/her)

#2: Dec 26th 2021 at 9:16:35 PM

Opening.

This sounds like a duplicate of No One Could Survive That!? If not, I’m sure it’s covered by other tropes (that are thriving) so I am ok with cutting.

Edited by MacronNotes on Dec 26th 2021 at 12:21:15 PM

Macron's notes

GrafVonTirol Take me to the river from a state of boredom (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Standing outside, playing "In Your Eyes" on the boombox

Take me to the river

#3: Dec 26th 2021 at 9:44:29 PM

This time its luck runs out.

So yeah, voting cut.

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (all editions) progress: 410/1089 (37.65%)

Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu

#4: Dec 26th 2021 at 9:57:44 PM

We also have Born Lucky or Unluckily Lucky for some of the definitions this trope is used for.

So, yeah, cut.

I--Vanya--I A bee, a beetle and a moth from Belarus Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free

A bee, a beetle and a moth

#5: Dec 26th 2021 at 10:52:23 PM

This would make a good Trope Epitaph!

But yeah, cut.

Vi: Well, it's not like we're getting attacked by a giant wasp spider guardian! | Leif: Never combine those words ever again.

WarJay77 Bonnie's Artistic Cousin from The Void (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love

Bonnie's Artistic Cousin

#6: Dec 26th 2021 at 10:57:47 PM

Cut

Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness

GastonRabbit Cake's just a shot away. (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me

Cake's just a shot away. (he/him)

#7: Dec 26th 2021 at 11:59:42 PM

Cut.

You can't always get what you want.

Ordeaux26 Professor Gigachad from Canada Since: May, 2019 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]

Professor Gigachad

#8: Dec 27th 2021 at 12:00:56 AM

Cut

CM Sandboxes, MB Sandboxes

themayorofsimpleton Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him from Elsewhere (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Abstaining

Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him

#9: Dec 27th 2021 at 6:33:18 AM

Cut away.

TRS Queue | Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall

Delibirda from Splatsville Since: Sep, 2020 Relationship Status: I wanna be your dog

#10: Dec 27th 2021 at 6:36:18 AM

Throw it to the lions.

"Listen up, Marina, because this is SUPER important. Whatever you do, don't eat th“ “DON'T EAT WHAT?! Your text box ran out of space!”

jandn2014 Very Spooky from somewhere in Connecticut Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Hiding

Very Spooky

#11: Dec 27th 2021 at 8:00:34 AM

Cut.

back lol

Hellboy33 Since: Dec, 2021 Relationship Status: I know

#12: Dec 27th 2021 at 8:35:05 AM

Cut

Tonwen HoMM Fan from Axeoth Since: Dec, 2021 Relationship Status: I <3 love!

HoMM Fan

#13: Dec 27th 2021 at 1:29:26 PM

Duplicate of No One Could Survive That! if you take the trope by description, and the born (un)lucky tropes cover the remaining bases.

Plus its name invokes Cosmic Plaything and may have been created as a snowclone...

Cut

"Grandmaster Combat, son!"

callmeamuffin ❀ Mint, Nuts, and Waffle ❀ from the kitchen (Trinitroper) Relationship Status: Thinkin' about you, muffin

❀ Mint, Nuts, and Waffle ❀

#14: Dec 27th 2021 at 1:30:31 PM

Cut

TV Tropes accidentally referenced me in relationship status???/j | My Troper Wall

Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?

Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire

#15: Dec 27th 2021 at 1:34:50 PM

Here is the prize for being the cosmic lottery winner:

Cut!

Kirby is awesome.

Tabs Since: Jan, 2001

#16: Dec 27th 2021 at 6:29:55 PM

Kinda reads like Plot Armor too.

Cut

Amonimus the Retromancer from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle

the Retromancer

#17: Dec 27th 2021 at 11:13:17 PM

Cut. Consider moving examples to No One Could Survive That! if possible.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup

ImperialMajestyXO Since: Nov, 2015

#18: Dec 28th 2021 at 11:01:56 AM

The name makes it sound like someone having a one-off ridiculously improbable stroke of good fortune. That idea could maybe be yarded assuming it's not already covered, but this should either be cut or redirected to No One Could Survive That!

MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three

(she/her)

#19: Dec 30th 2021 at 4:12:19 PM

Calling in favor of cutting Cosmic Lottery Winner as per consensus as it’s been three days since the thread started.

Macron's notes

GastonRabbit Cake's just a shot away. (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me

Cake's just a shot away. (he/him)

#20: Dec 30th 2021 at 5:46:57 PM

Dewicked and cut. We're done here.

You can't always get what you want.

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