Full wick check work for Necessary Weasel interchangeability with Acceptable Breaks from Reality located at Necessary Weasel Wick Check.

There isn't a clear definition for what a Necessary Weasel is on its own page and there are multiple different and somewhat conflicting definitions on other pages. All of them seem to just be examples of Acceptable Breaks from Reality but as a genre.

I suspect that a Necessary Weasel is just an Acceptable Break from Reality or Willing Suspension of Disbelief trope but with the lingering appeal of a nostalgic Trope Namer. From what I can tell, it doesn't add explanatory power that isn't already encapsulated better elsewhere.

Acceptable Breaks from Reality seems to cover everything that the Necessary Weasel is but without Trope Namer ambiguity. All of the Necessary Weasel examples could easily be moved to a "Genre Specific" folder under Acceptable Breaks from Reality

Varying and contradictory definitions of Necessary Weasel I've found:

• Actual definition: As a logical extension of Tropes Are Tools, many tropes that might otherwise come across as gratuitous, offensive or just plain wrong in most genres are considered not just accepted in certain genres, but are practically a part of the genre. Complaining about the simple use of the tropes (as opposed to particularly offensive variations) in said genres is rather short-sighted and pointless, since, well, it's in almost every other work in the genre.

• Omnipresent Tropes definition: If a trope is omnipresent, but only within a specific genre, you may be looking at a Necessary Weasel.

• Willing Suspension of Disbelief definition: When the audience knows that the trope is unlikely/impossible/unrealistic, but is willing to accept it because it's just become part of the genre. Sure, Faster-Than-Light Travel is impossible, but if it means that Space Opera can take us to some creatively interesting parts of the universe quicker than several thousand human lifespans, we're willing to suck it up and go along with it.

• Laconic definition: Illogical trope is a building block of a genre. (Of course an unabridged version of this trope sounds stupid, but everyone expects it to be [NecessaryWeasel here.])

• This Repairshop Morgue thread about the misuse of acceptable breaks from reality from 2012 has several mentions of Necessary Weasel, all of which are slightly or vastly different from one another as well.

For the purpose of categorization, I defined "correct usage" as an acceptable break from reality but specific to a genre.

From my wick check of 51 randomly selected examples:

• Correct use per trope page's description (9/51, 18%)
• Incorrect use per trope page's description (16/51, 31%)
• Interchangeable with Acceptable Break From Reality (23/51, 45%)
• Non-tropes, like a wick in an index page (3/51, 6%)

My thesis/justification thus far ...

Here's the varying and contradictory definitions of Necessary Weasel I've found so far:

• Omnipresent Tropes definition:
  If a trope is omnipresent, but only within a specific genre, you may be looking at a Necessary Weasel.

• Willing Suspension of Disbelief definition:
  Necessary Weasel: When the audience knows that the trope is unlikely/impossible/unrealistic, but is willing to accept it because it's just become part of the genre. Sure, Faster-Than-Light Travel is impossible, but if it means that Space Opera can take us to some creatively interesting parts of the universe quicker than several thousand human lifespans, we're willing to suck it up and go along with it.

• Necessary Weasel laconic definition:
  Illogical trope is a building block of a genre.

  Of course an unabridged version of this trope sounds stupid, but everyone expects it to be here.

• ^{Necessary Weasel actual definition} As a logical extension of Tropes Are Tools, many tropes that might otherwise come across as gratuitous, offensive or just plain wrong in most genres are considered not just accepted in certain genres, but are practically a part of the genre. Complaining about the simple use of the tropes (as opposed to particularly offensive variations) in said genres is rather short-sighted and pointless, since, well, it's in almost every other work in the genre. doesn't clearly explain what it is ... kinda seems one foot in one foot out on both

• This Repairshop Morgue thread about the misuse of acceptable breaks from reality from 2012 has several mentions of Necessary Weasel, all of which are slightly or vastly different from one another as well.

So the question that needs clarification... What is a Necessary Weasel?

• An illogical trope that only exists in a particular genre?
• Any trope that only exists in a particular genre?
• A trope that defines the only genre it occurs in?
• Any trope that is an Acceptable Break from Reality?
• Any trope that would normally violate Willing Suspension of Disbelief but doesn't because of the genre it occurs in?
• Some combination or other explanation?

It's still not clear.

I suspect that a Necessary Weasel is just an Acceptable Break from Reality or Willing Suspension of Disbelief trope but with the lingering appeal of a nostalgic Trope Namer. From what I can tell, it doesn't add explanatory power that isn't already encapsulated better elsewhere.

Acceptable Breaks from Reality seems to cover everything that the Necessary Weasel is but without Trope Namer ambiguity. All of the Necessary Weasel examples could easily be moved to a "Genre Specific" folder under Acceptable Breaks from Reality

• 4. Anti-Climax Boss: This trope can be a Necessary Weasel in Wide-Open Sandbox RP Gs that encourage nonviolent solutions to problems;
• 38. Genre Blindness: Furthermore, some stories in some genres [NecessaryWeasel really couldn't function at all] if the characters displayed an innate and complete understanding of what genre they were in and exactly how they should act at all times within a story in said genre if they want to avoid trouble.
• 65. Omnipresent Tropes: Not to be confused with Universal Tropes, which are used in all types of media, but need not be ubiquitous. If a trope is omnipresent, but only within a specific genre, you may be looking at a Necessary Weasel.
• 69. Playing with a Trope: Averted: The trope is simply absent from the work. It is not used, mentioned, or implied at all. As there are literally thousands of tropes, and many, many possible uses for most of those tropes, Aversions are generally not worth noting unless they are especially surprising, such as for a nearly universally-used trope or a [NecessaryWeasel trope that is very common in the genre].
• 127. Lindsay Ellis: Necessary Weasel: The concept of scènes à faire is brought up in the video on the Omegaverse lawsuit: namely, the idea that a writer cannot be sued for simple plot points or genre elements because often, those plot points are expected in the genre. Just as a sci-fi writer can't copyright the existence of faster-than-light travel or laser weapons, an Omegaverse writer can't copyright the idea of a strong alpha-male love interest who woos the female lead with his forceful demeanor, because those are what people expect when they read trashy heterosexual romance, much less Omegaverse romance.
• 164. Mirror's Edge: That doesn't explain how Big Brother is supposed to sort through all this data, but that's usually a Necessary Weasel in disutopian societies.
• 196. Film Q-Z: * The Ten Commandments. The dialogue seems like it was intended to be carved into monuments, not spoken by men who were slow of tongue and speech. Cecil B. DeMille did it on purpose, but not for humor: that's just how the dialogue in Biblical epic films and 1950s theater productions works. [NecessaryWeasel Expected then], but funny for people who aren't used to those styles.
• 202. Tropes N to Z: [NecessaryWeasel Let's face it, this is a staple for [=MMOs.]=] A fair few of the client orders will have a time limit in which to fulfill them, started when you enter the required area/mission; fortunately failing doesn't mean you get kicked out of the area or anything, so it won't interrupt whatever else you're doing.
• 219. People Sit on Chairs: The story is about musical chairs, and this trope is [NecessaryWeasel necessary].

• 41. Guest Strip: Nearly all webcomics have done this at some point; it's something of a Necessary Weasel.
• 85. Think in Text: Say hello to non-standard punctuation as the second-most popular method. This —on the surface— often looks like a case of Wanton Cruelty to the Common Comma. Um... Well... Err... To be truthful... [NecessaryWeasel It actually, mostly is]. But, it's all in a good cause!
• 122. My Immortal: Informed Attribute: He is described as a prep, but it is never explained how he qualifies. He dresses all in black and wears high heels, but according to Ebony it's obvious that "he wasn't gothic"; he's apparently "scary" which appears to be a "goffik" trait ("'OMG you guys are like so scary!' said Britney"), cries tears of blood and has a tragic past in which his "hearth" is "borken" [sic], yet he's still a prep by Enoby's standards. It becomes something of a Necessary Weasel - the reader can see that Voldemort is "dark" and therefore a good candidate for goth-hood, but the author/Enoby calls him a prep because he is the Big Bad, and preps are the ultimate form of evil.
• 126. Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelists: Necessary Weasel: The Exodia cards would have trivialized the plot for Yugi, so something needed to separate the two. Why not make it an Establishing Character Moment for the series' Hate Sink?
• 141. Fanon/Inuyasha: This is once again a Necessary Weasel to avoid the inevitable conclusion of the Mayfly–December Romance between Inuyasha and Kagome.
• 158. Good Girls Avoid Abortion/Film: In Juno, the main character goes to an abortion clinic but doesn't like the place when she gets there. After a protester tells her that fetuses have fingernails (which isn't actually true at that stage in the pregnancy, in case you were wondering), she decides she'll be putting her baby up for adoption. Her exact reason for deciding against abortion isn't specified, and is pretty much left up to the imagination of the viewer. The slightly more obvious meta-reason she didn't get one is that if she got the abortion, there'd be no plot, and much of the movie can be considered a love-song to adoption and non-biological parents (particularly adoptive and stepmothers).
• 213. Path of Inspiration: Necessary Weasel: The author has recently converted to a religion, but his audience has come to see the in-story religion as a Path of Inspiration; he will often use a variant of his religion as the "good" religion to fight against the Path of Inspiration.
• 223. Walk and Talk: Enforced: Showing characters walking and talking is a Necessary Weasel or Characteristic Trope of the show and/or its genre.
• 234. Angel S 05 E 09 Harms Way: Necessary Weasel: As to why Spike doesn't leave Team Angel for Buffy. Spike's reasons are less than convincing, but given the complexity of the Spuffy relationship that can easily be put down to Spike not being completely honest with himself.
• 236. Buffy the Vampire Slayer S2E21 "Becoming, Part 1": Taken for Granite: Angelus explaining the story behind Acathla. He was, of course, stabbed by the aforementioned pesky virtuous knight and turned to stone, [NecessaryWeasel as you do].
• 242. Pokemon S 1 E 52 Princess Vs Princess: Necessary Weasel:
  • In this episode, and this episode only, Bulbasaur's vine whip attack works by having the two vines entwining around each other. This of course allows for Lickitung to grab both of them at once, leaving Bulbasaur helpless.
  • Both Pikachu and Vulpix leap forward before launching their attacks, which also gives Lickitung an opening to get to them first. Though this example is downplayed, as many Pokemon regularly do the same throughout the series (it just so happens that Pikachu and Vulpix invoke it every time here).
• 245. CDT Space Liner: Translator Microbes: [NecessaryWeasel Mostly implicit], but explicitly noted by the Discoverer when the Muse's Starfish Language strains them.
• 259. Write a Science-Fiction Story: Superhuman: this genre concerns the emergence of the Transhuman and what that means for the rest of us muggles. All of the Other Reindeer is the most Necessary Weasel here, since said transhuman will probably experience prejudice and feel annoyed by it.
• 280. Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel: Necessary Weasel: The game being a year behind the TCG on cards is, while frustrating for many players, considered understandable since Konami still has to sell physical product, and wait for the rulings for new cards to be updated in the OCG database.
• 284. Pokémon Generations: The Worf Effect: The Elite Four are ultimately taken out pretty quickly by Blue. Justified somewhat though, since it's a barely 5 minute short, [NecessaryWeasel meaning that there's a limited amount of screentime] to show off each fight.
• 289. Frozen (2013): Artistic License – Physics: A blink-and-you'll-miss-it point in "Let It Go" when Elsa's braid has to go through her arm on the far side of her body to end up where it does. The animators couldn't do it realistically and still keep the flow of Elsa's movements, so they pulled a Necessary Weasel.

• 10. Ass Pull: Citadel of the Heart: The author considers it a sort of Necessary Weasel with the existence of the fic because of the massive Creator Breakdown and Reality Subtext Chapter 16 was filled to the brim with, thus why he doesn't regret having rendered Chapter 16 almost effectively all but non-canon.
• 16. Character-Magnetic Team: Deconstructed in both Planescape: Torment and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. The respective Player Character's magnetism is revealed to not be just a Necessary Weasel, but an actual ability to influence others to join them.
• 17. Civilians Are Irrelevant: This trope is a Necessary Weasel and an Undead Horse Trope. Since fiction tends to tell the story of a small cast of characters, all or most conflict revolves around those characters.
• 19. Closed Circle: Thanks to Technology Marches On, an increasingly unavoidable bit of Fridge Logic crops up in modern works regarding why the characters don't just call the police/mountain rescue/the Ghostbusters on their mobile phones. Hence the nigh-omnipresent Necessary Weasel that is Cell Phones Are Useless.
• 42. Humanoid Aliens: Like Human Aliens and Rubber-Forehead Aliens, the prevalence of this trope — in live-action TV in particular, though also in movies and comics and other primarily visual media — is a Necessary Weasel through and through. It has a lot to do with the need to create something that human actors can comfortably portray (without going way overbudget with CGI, that is), that human artists can conveniently and quickly draw, and that human viewers/readers can intuitively empathize with.
• 51. Invisible Wall: Jon Tron considers these a mostly harmless Necessary Weasel, which is notable since he frequently nitpicks much smaller things for breaking a game's immersion or flow.
• 57. Masquerade Paradox: From a Doylist perspective, it's a Necessary Weasel if they want to make a world Like Reality, Unless Noted. But In-Universe, they've come up with a number of different possible explanations for why a Masquerade might be necessary, all of which have their own issues
• 62. Never a Self-Made Woman: The truth is probably that either application of the trope is something of a Necessary Weasel (the whole premise of the show is the Doctor's unique powers and lifestyle), and the perceived sexism of Doctor Who is probably due to other tropes stemming from its use (Screaming Woman, Male Gaze, Mother Nature, Father Science, Manic Pixie Dream Girl, etc) rather than the trope itself.
• 66. One-Shot Revisionism: The story "Midnight" took on the oft-used idea that the Doctor could show up with no history, no credentials, and a lot of knowledge which he refuses to explain, be detained for two minutes, and then be treated like an authority because there's a crisis going on. (Some Classic era stories did touch upon this — both "The Tenth Planet" and "The Faceless Ones" deal with it heavily — but since the Revival series omits sequences of the Doctor stumbling around, getting captured and convincing the natives that he's helpful, the Classic series didn't have to rely on this conceit as a Necessary Weasel to the same extent.)
• 72. Power Creep, Power Seep: Any game set in the Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure-verse, like Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle, has to balance Stands being Invisible to Normals with Stand users not completely destroying the characters from Parts 1 and 2, before Stands were introduced. Usually, it's accepted that non-Stand Users can see Stands in a Necessary Weasel to allow them to at least dodge their opponents (though a few lines in Eyes of Heaven imply that the Pillar Men still can't see Stands)
• 74. Radar Is Useless: Enforced in the Gundam franchise, as the Minovsky Particle (and similar super-science in other-universe works like the GM Particle in Gundam 00) diffuses radar and radio waves - which is of course [NecessaryWeasel a justification] for why Humongous Mecha have a practical military application in the setting.
• 82. Superman Stays Out of Gotham: More often than not, the problem is [NecessaryWeasel so integral to their own works] that most readers simply accept it. Any crossover team-ups between the heroes will usually Hand Wave away the possibility of the stronger hero making any substantial impact in the badass normal's livelihood.
• 101. You Can't Thwart Stage One: * xkcd #734 is a parodic aversion that shows why this is usually necessary|Weasel. With the Zombie Apocalypse defeated five minutes after it starts due to good thinking by the protagonists, the remaining 90 minutes of the movie are a Romantic Comedy instead of a zombie flick.
• 140. The Next Frontier: Artificial Gravity: Lampshaded, played straight and invoked all at once. You know how it's a Necessary Weasel trope here on 21st century Earth because simulating an aversion convincingly on screen is difficult and expensive, and shooting on location in space even more so?
• 141. Fanon/Inuyasha: For fanfiction it can be seen as a Necessary Weasel to explain why Kagome has almost never met youkai in the modern era, and for an Alternate Universe fic to explain how The Masquerade exists.
• 156. Wreck-It Ralph: Fix-It Felix Jr. and Turbo Time were created in the late '70s to early '80s, with the former confirmed to be from 1982. At this period games were usually stored in either mask ROM or battery-backed SRAM, both of which makes storage at an extreme premium. Games at that era often have to employ [NecessaryWeasel tricks] like metaprogramming and self-modifying code just to make the game's code and resources fit into the limited storage space.
• 210. Freak Lab Accident: Enforced: A backstory for a superpowered Mad Scientist (whether they're still a scientist or not) [NecessaryWeasel will almost certainly have this].
• 212. Hollywood Hacking: Reconstructed: [NecessaryWeasel It's a necessary show], otherwise his peers would be uber-bored. And his results are still excessive for what someone with a laptop, a few faked e-mails with spyware and a couple of hours' worth of Social Engineering and digging through trash should be able to do.
• 220. Robbing the Dead: [NecessaryWeasel The game is an RPG], how else is the Player Character supposed to get new weapons, armor, and/or Shop Fodder?
• 243. Quantum Leap S 1 E 09 Play It Again Seymour: Necessary Weasel: The shootout at the airport. The believability of two men having a shootout at La Guardia airport in the 1950s without attracting police attention lessens the further from the action the viewer is pulled. Maybe in the 1950s before electronic surveillance and all night businesses. Very unlikely in the late 80s when the episode was aired. Laughably unbelievable to the modern viewer.
• 244. The New Batman Adventures E7 "Joker's Millions": Artistic License – Law: In real life, the entire fortune must be verified for authenticity before being offered to the owner and the taxes and debts must be deducted from the amount immediately after the owner agrees to take the fortune; Joker would have been informed of the counterfeit before he even saw the money, and would likely have received whatever sum was left after the IRS deducted the appropriate amount (for the real portion of the money) from taxes. In other words, [NecessaryWeasel if law was played realistic, the entire episode wouldn't have happened at all].
• 269. Evolve Idle: Necessary Weasel: Obviously, the black hole reset should just be a straight-up apocalypse by effectively wiping the universe into a clean slate; however, there wouldn't be a potential prestige mechanic in it if you weren't able to continue in spite of that.
• 296. Earth vs. the Spider: Regardless, it still hits the major beats of the genre, proving that being an Idiot Plot or using Hollywood Science are not Necessary Weasels after all, long before it was popular to even point out those problems with the genre.

• 84. The Coconut Effect: Also see Necessary Weasel.
• 95. Weasel Words: A not so Necessary Weasel!
• 174. Image Source/Photography: Simply listed under color photographs