Misused: Caffeine Bullet Time

Caffeine Bullet Time specifies in the very first line that it's a comedy trope for characters gaining super-speed and saving the day as a result, all through caffeine or a similarly energizing food/drink. The usage, though...

In the Wick Check Bullet Time, 50 wicks were checked. Of those 50 wicks, we found:

• Correct: 2/50, or 4%
• Nonheroic Superspeed: 4/50, or 8%
• General Hyperactivity: 10/50, or 20%
• Accomplishing the mundane: 6/50, or 12%
• Non-Caffeine Bullet Time: 2/50, or 4%
• ZCE: 20/50, or 40%
• Other: 6/50, or 12%

Obviously, there's a problem here. Additionally, many of the current examples would better fit tropes like Klatchian Coffee or Sugar Makes Kids Hyper. With only a 4% proper usage, or a 12% proper usage if nonheroic superspeed qualifies, I'm not sure the current definition can be saved outside of the yard or a TLP effort.

So... Disambig, maybe, between two tropes I mentioned before and the yarded version if it's ever recreated, and anything else that might come up in discussion?

Disambiguating and yarding sounds like a good idea.

I am not sure about disambiguating if Sugar Makes Kids Hyper is still in the TLP. Maybe we can use Super-Speed if we do disambiguate.

Edited by MacronNotes on Oct 20th 2022 at 12:26:47 PM

If SMKH gets launched, disambiguate. Otherwise, redirect to Klatchian Coffee.

Edit: is better

Edited by badtothebaritone on Oct 20th 2022 at 11:35:20 AM

I'm good with throwing Super-Speed on the disambig. That way there'll be two tropes and if the draft launches it can go up there too.

I would suggest Power-Up Food for the disambiguation list too, since caffeine isn't just limited to drinks.

I'd be fine with disambiguating and Yarding, with Beverage Tropes being another place to put on the disambiguation page since caffeine is usually consumed via beverages.

I've thought the trope is "sugar-induced super reflexes", but with this wick check it's probably best to disambig and yard.

to disambig and yard

I admit that I didn't know this trope covered sugar highs in addition to caffeine buzzes, since sugar only has a one-off mention at the beginning while a full paragraph is dedicated to the danger of drinking too much caffeine in real life (probably because sugar highs are an urban legend, while caffeine actually can be dangerous in high doses).

Edited by GastonRabbit on Oct 21st 2022 at 4:01:43 AM

Disambig and yard

Good point. Retracting my yard vote.

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Oct 21st 2022 at 8:38:43 AM

I did say yard, but I didn't give much thought regarding the potential description, as "sugar/energy drink/coffee temporary superpowers" may just be Power-Up Food, and Sugar Makes Kids Hyper covers downplayed examples I had in mind.

Disambig/yard sounds good.

Don't forget that tea and cola are also usually caffeinated.

I think the idea here is that the caffeine isn't meant to be a power-up... but in the hands of someone who drinks it, especially if they're already hyper, it gives them a boost of energy strong enough to basically stop time. I'm mostly thinking of the scene in Over the Hedge. The soda that Hammy drinks isn't a Power-Up Food... it's just particularly strong for him, considering he's already hyper.

I don't understand why people misuse this trope for any kind of hyperactivity, since the title is pretty explicitly about Bullet Time levels of Super-Speed.

The concept of caffeine/sugar high being exaggerated into super speed for comedic purposes seems to be a real trope. If we remake this trope, the part about the speed being used for heroic purposes ought to be made optional.

I think it was brought up during the wick check building, but how many examples would there be was the concern. We can remove "heroic" as a requirement, allow specific "Non-Caffeine", and move "General Hyperactivity" to the abovementioned TLP. It would up the "correct" count to 18/50.

Maybe we could do that, maybe also with a rename (though it might not be necessary with just under 2/5 of the wicks being correct if we adjust the definition that way, as opposed to the current situation of just a couple of them being correct).

Edited by GastonRabbit on Oct 21st 2022 at 12:59:54 PM

I think the concern is that if we don't rename it, people won't realize it changed and continue to shoehorn every other random caffeine-related example we have.

If substances other than coffee caffeine would be allowed, the title would no longer make sense.

Edited by Amonimus on Oct 22nd 2022 at 10:10:27 PM

I assume you meant coffee as a stand-in for all caffeinated beverages since there's also tea, soda, energy drinks, etc.

Expanding to "caffeine gives bullet time powers" was suggested, but IDK if that one is workable with the current issue and it might be best to re-try such a thing in the TLP (or yard it).

I'd say it isn't workable since the wick check didn't pick up anything like that, so I'm leaving it off because I don't want any repeats of what happened when TRS tried to redefine Suddenly Sexuality in a way that ended up not having enough examples to work with.

Makes sense. If someone wants to Yard it, that's a free action anyway.