Refuge in Cool: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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{{trope}}
{{trope}}
[[File:SabOnline429-michaelbay.gif|link=Sabrina Online (Webcomic)|right|Watching trailer for ''[[Transformers (Film)|Transformers]]'', which is all about this trope.]]
[[File:SabOnline429-michaelbay.gif|link=Sabrina Online|frame|Watching trailer for ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'', which is all about this trope.]]



While most works make use of [[Rule of Index|tropes like]] [[Rule of Cool]], [[Rule of Funny]], or [[Rule of Scary]], some works rely on them for their very existence.
While most works make use of [[Rule of Index|tropes like]] [[Rule of Cool]], [[Rule of Funny]], or [[Rule of Scary]], some works rely on them for their very existence.
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* Much of the plot just doesn't make sense unless looked at in the context of attempting these tropes.
* Much of the plot just doesn't make sense unless looked at in the context of attempting these tropes.


Now this is about works deliberately using these tropes. But as [[Rule of Cool]] states, "you only get to invoke the Rule of Cool if the end product is, in fact, cool". Thus even though these works ''attempt'' to use these rules to stretch [[Willing Suspension of Disbelief]], they don't always work. Generally the older the audience, the less likely [[Refuge in Cool]] will work: audiences over 30 do care about cool, but they've been around long enough to recognize what's legitimately cool and what's merely the product of a marketing campaign.
Now this is about works deliberately using these tropes. But as [[Rule of Cool]] states, "you only get to invoke the Rule of Cool if the end product is, in fact, cool". Thus even though these works ''attempt'' to use these rules to stretch [[Willing Suspension of Disbelief]], they don't always work. Generally the older the audience, the less likely '''Refuge in Cool''' will work: audiences over 30 do care about cool, but they've been around long enough to recognize what's legitimately cool and what's merely the product of a marketing campaign.


Some works do succeed, and are the stuff of legends for their fans. Some works fail, and are lucky if they end up [[So Bad Its Good]]. In short, both highly loved and highly hated works will be on this page.
Some works do succeed, and are the stuff of legends for their fans. Some works fail, and are lucky if they end up [[So Bad It's Good]]. In short, both highly loved and highly hated works will be on this page.


Compare [[Artistic License]], [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot]] (combinations that work because they are cool), [[Refuge in Audacity]], [[Reference Overdosed]].
Compare [[Artistic License]], [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot]] (combinations that work because they are cool), [[Refuge in Audacity]], [[Reference Overdosed]].


Contrast [[Magic a Is Magic A]] (fantastical worlds still try to follow logic). Works that work on this usually take place in either a [[World of Ham]] or a [[World of Badass]].
Contrast [[Magic A Is Magic A]] (fantastical worlds still try to follow logic). Works that work on this usually take place in either a [[World of Ham]] or a [[World of Badass]].

----
=== [[Sub Trope|Tropes about works that commonly do this]]: ===
'''[[Sub-Trope|Tropes about works that commonly do this]]:'''
* [[B Movie]]
* [[B-Movie]]
* [[Humongous Mecha]], especially [[Super Robot]] series
* [[Humongous Mecha]], especially [[Super Robot]] series
* [[Rapid Fire Comedy]]
* [[Rapid-Fire Comedy]]
* [[Rated M for Manly]]
* [[Rated "M" for Manly]]
* [[Slasher Movies]]
* [[Slasher Movie]]
----
=== Notable Individual Works: ===


{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Anime)|Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]''
* ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]''
* ''[[Black Lagoon (Anime)|Black Lagoon]]''
* ''[[Black Lagoon]]''
* ''[[Kinnikuman (Manga)|Kinnikuman]]''
* ''[[Kinnikuman]]''
* ''[[The Legend of Koizumi (Manga)|The Legend of Koizumi]]''
* ''[[The Legend of Koizumi]]''
* ''[[Hellsing (Manga)|Hellsing]]''
* ''[[Hellsing]]''
* ''[[Space Adventure Cobra (Manga)|Space Adventure Cobra]]''
* ''[[Space Adventure Cobra]]''


== [[Comics]] ==
== [[Comics]] ==
* This trope is arguably the entire point of the [[Superhero]] genre.
* This trope is arguably the entire point of the [[Superhero]] genre.
* ''[[Nextwave (Comic Book)|Nextwave]]''
* ''[[Nextwave]]''
* ''[[The Umbrella Academy]]''
* ''[[The Umbrella Academy]]''
* ''[[Scott Pilgrim (Comic Book)|Scott Pilgrim]]''
* ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]''
* ''[[Agents of Atlas (Comic Book)|Agents of Atlas]]''
* ''[[Agents of Atlas]]''
* ''[[The Amazing Screw-On Head (Comic Book)|The Amazing Screw-On Head]]''
* ''[[The Amazing Screw-On Head]]''


== [[Fan Fiction]] ==
== [[Fan Fiction]] ==
* ''[[Dead Fantasy (Web Animation)|Dead Fantasy]]''
* ''[[Dead Fantasy]]''
* ''[[Tiberium Wars (Fanfic)|Tiberium Wars]]''
* ''[[Tiberium Wars]]''
* ''[[Light and Dark The Adventures of Dark Yagami (Fanfic)|Light and Dark The Adventures of Dark Yagami]]''
* ''[[Light and Dark - The Adventures of Dark Yagami|Light and Dark The Adventures of Dark Yagami]]''
* ''[[Thirty Hs (Fanfic)|Thirty Hs]]''
* ''[[30 "H"s|Thirty Hs]]''


== [[Film]] (Animated) ==
== [[Film]] (Animated) ==
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== [[Film]] (Live-Action) ==
== [[Film]] (Live-Action) ==
* ''[[Star Wars (Franchise)|Star Wars]]''
* ''[[Star Wars]]''
* ''[[Battlefield Earth (Film)|Battlefield Earth]]''
* ''[[Battlefield Earth (film)|Battlefield Earth]]''
* ''[[Doomsday]]''
* ''[[Doomsday]]''
* ''[[Krull (Film)|Krull]]''
* ''[[Krull]]''
* ''[[Versus]]''
* ''[[Versus]]''
* ''[[Surf Ninjas]]''
* ''[[Surf Ninjas]]''
* ''[[The Mummy Trilogy (Film)|The Mummy Trilogy]]''
* ''[[The Mummy Trilogy]]''
** ''[[The Scorpion King]]''
** ''[[The Scorpion King]]''
* ''[[Moonwalker]]''
* ''[[Moonwalker]]''
* ''[[Moulin Rouge]]''
* ''[[Moulin Rouge]]''
* ''[[Shoot Em Up (Film)|Shoot Em Up]]''
* ''[[Shoot'Em Up (film)|Shoot Em Up]]''
* ''[[Van Helsing (Film)|Van Helsing]]''
* ''[[Van Helsing]]''
* The entire oeuvre of [[Michael Bay]]. That he directs the ''[[Transformers (Film)|Transformers]]'' films is thus highly appropriate.
* The entire oeuvre of [[Michael Bay]]. That he directs the ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' films is thus highly appropriate.
** And [[Roland Emmerich]].
** And [[Roland Emmerich]].
** And Kurt Wimmer.
** And Kurt Wimmer.
** And what Uwe Boll ''thinks'' he's doing.
** And what Uwe Boll ''thinks'' he's doing.
* ''[[Indiana Jones (Franchise)|Indiana Jones]]'', notable in that [[Lampshade Hanging|it's pointed out]] in the movies.
* ''[[Indiana Jones]]'', notable in that [[Lampshade Hanging|it's pointed out]] in the movies.
* ''[[The Fifth Element (Film)|The Fifth Element]]''
* ''[[The Fifth Element]]''
* ''[[You Don't Mess With the Zohan (Film)|You Don't Mess With the Zohan]]''
* ''[[You Don't Mess With the Zohan]]''
* ''[[Clash of the Titans (Film)|Clash of the Titans]]''
* ''[[Clash of the Titans]]''
* ''[[Avatar (Film)|Avatar]]''
* ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]''
* ''[[The Brothers Grimm (Film)|The Brothers Grimm]]''
* ''[[The Brothers Grimm (film)|The Brothers Grimm]]''
* ''[[A Knights Tale]]''
* ''[[A Knight's Tale]]''
* ''[[Spy Kids (Film)|Spy Kids]]''
* ''[[Spy Kids]]''
* It's possible that this was what ''[[Catwoman (Film)|Catwoman]]'' was trying to pull off.
* It's possible that this was what ''[[Catwoman (film)|Catwoman]]'' was trying to pull off.
* ''[[Sucker Punch (Film)|Sucker Punch]]''
* ''[[Sucker Punch]]''
* ''[[The Expendables (Film)|The Expendables]]''
* ''[[The Expendables]]''


== [[Literature]] ==
== [[Literature]] ==
* ''[[Pride and Prejudice And Zombies (Literature)|Pride and Prejudice And Zombies]]''
* ''[[Pride and Prejudice And Zombies]]''


== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* ''[[Warhammer 40000 (Tabletop Game)|Warhammer 40000]]''
* ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]''
* ''[[Exalted (Tabletop Game)|Exalted]]''
* ''[[Exalted]]''


== [[Toys]] ==
== [[Toys]] ==
* ''[[Transformers (Franchise)|Transformers]]''. The entire franchise.
* ''[[Transformers]]''. The entire franchise.


== [[Video Games]] ==
== [[Video Games]] ==
* ''[[Super Robot Wars (Video Game)|Super Robot Wars]]''
* ''[[Super Robot Wars]]''
* ''[[Sengoku Basara (Video Game)|Sengoku Basara]]''
* ''[[Sengoku Basara]]''
* ''[[Devil May Cry (Video Game)|Devil May Cry]]''
* ''[[Devil May Cry]]''
* ''[[Crimson Skies (Tabletop Game)|Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge]]''
* ''[[Crimson Skies|Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge]]''
* ''[[Metal Wolf Chaos]]''
* ''[[Metal Wolf Chaos]]''
* ''[[The Force Unleashed (Video Game)|The Force Unleashed]]''
* ''[[Star Wars: The Force Unleashed|The Force Unleashed]]''


== [[Web Original]] ==
== [[Web Original]] ==
* ''[[Chuck Norris Facts]]''
* ''[[Chuck Norris Facts]]''
* ''[[Kickassia (Web Video)|Kickassia]]''
* ''[[Kickassia]]''


== [[Web Comics]] ==
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Axe Cop (Webcomic)|Axe Cop]]''
* ''[[Axe Cop]]''
* ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja (Webcomic)|The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]]''
* ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]]''
* ''[[Problem Sleuth (Webcomic)|Problem Sleuth]]''
* ''[[Problem Sleuth]]''


== [[Western Animation]] ==
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animation)|Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''
* ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''
* ''[[The Powerpuff Girls (Animation)|The Powerpuff Girls]]''
* ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]''
* ''[[Codename Kids Next Door (Animation)|Codename: Kids Next Door]]''
* ''[[Codename: Kids Next Door]]''


{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Rule of Index]]
[[Category:Rule of Index]]
[[Category:Refuge In Cool]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Trope]]

Latest revision as of 15:26, 12 March 2022

Watching trailer for Transformers, which is all about this trope.

While most works make use of tropes like Rule of Cool, Rule of Funny, or Rule of Scary, some works rely on them for their very existence.

These are works that heavily attempt to use one or more of the Rule of Index tropes. They just wouldn't work without them.

The exact form of the reliance can vary. Here are some ways to tell such a work fits this trope:

  • Several distinct instances of one of those tropes. We mean half a dozen as the bare minimum.
  • Much of the plot just doesn't make sense unless looked at in the context of attempting these tropes.

Now this is about works deliberately using these tropes. But as Rule of Cool states, "you only get to invoke the Rule of Cool if the end product is, in fact, cool". Thus even though these works attempt to use these rules to stretch Willing Suspension of Disbelief, they don't always work. Generally the older the audience, the less likely Refuge in Cool will work: audiences over 30 do care about cool, but they've been around long enough to recognize what's legitimately cool and what's merely the product of a marketing campaign.

Some works do succeed, and are the stuff of legends for their fans. Some works fail, and are lucky if they end up So Bad It's Good. In short, both highly loved and highly hated works will be on this page.

Compare Artistic License, Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot (combinations that work because they are cool), Refuge in Audacity, Reference Overdosed.

Contrast Magic A Is Magic A (fantastical worlds still try to follow logic). Works that work on this usually take place in either a World of Ham or a World of Badass.

Tropes about works that commonly do this:

Examples of Refuge in Cool include:

Anime and Manga

Comics

Fan Fiction

Film (Animated)

Film (Live-Action)

Literature

Tabletop Games

Toys

Video Games

Web Original

Web Comics

Western Animation

Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Refuge_in_Cool?oldid=1957481"