Tropescilloscope: Artistic License Biology
Inaccuracies in biological fact in a work of fiction, in the service of the story. (read more at tvtropes.org)
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Artistic License History
Anti-Hero
Bi the Way
Break the Cutie
Contrived Coincidence
Trailers Always Spoil
Pretty Little Headshots
Line-of-Sight Name
Card-Carrying Villain
No Name Given
Sequel Hook
Obstructive Bureaucrat
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
Parental Neglect
Oh, Crap!
Gold Digger
The Ghost
Rewatch Bonus
Sexy Discretion Shot
Bait-and-Switch
Bittersweet Ending
Off with His Head!
Dirty Cop
Rated M for Manly
The Great Depression
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Foreshadowing
The Dreaded
HeelFace Turn
Chekhov's Gun
Nothing Is Scarier
Police are Useless
In Name Only
Naïve Newcomer
Jerkass Has a Point
Plucky Comic Relief
Mundane Made Awesome
Pimped-Out Dress
Major Injury Underreaction
Not Quite Dead
Frame-Up
The Cameo
Wham Line
Martial Arts Movie
Fourth Date Marriage
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Red Herring
Composite Character
Meaningful Name
Catch-Phrase
Character Development
Pyrrhic Victory
The Stinger
Show Within a Show
Award-Bait Song
French Films
The Hero Dies
Fainting
Non-Indicative Name
Big Bad
Casting Gag
Actor Allusion
Honor Before Reason
Ambiguous Disorder
Adaptation Name Change
Large Ham
Mad Scientist
Dramedy
Russian Films
One Steve Limit
Film Noir
Paper-Thin Disguise
Revenge
BrotherSister Incest
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Gorn
Does This Remind You of Anything?
Villain with Good Publicity
Hollywood Darkness
Serious Business
Say My Name
Black Best Friend
Abhorrent Admirer
As You Know
Imagine Spot
Dissonant Serenity
Disappeared Dad
Toplessness from the Back
Cool Old Lady
Hidden Depths
Happily Married
Ascended Extra
La Résistance
The Power of Love
Deal with the Devil
Action Prologue
Not Using the "Z" Word
Horror Comedy
Ghost Fiction
Manipulative Bastard
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
Badass Grandpa
Exact Words
Mind Screw
Retirony
Recycled IN SPACE!
Artistic License Military
Reality Is Unrealistic
Grievous Bottley Harm
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Animal Title Index
Villain Ball
Lock and Load Montage
Leave the Camera Running
Bland-Name Product
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
Beware the Nice Ones
Improvised Weapon
Coming-of-Age Story
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Big Bad Duumvirate
Smug Snake
Undying Loyalty
Pragmatic Villainy
Kick the Dog
Shut Up, Hannibal!
Mooks
N-Word Privileges
Irony
The Oner
BFG
You Killed My Father
folderlabel
Everyone Has Standards
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Eye Scream
All There in the Manual
Face Death with Dignity
Big-Bad Ensemble
Shown Their Work
Film Noir Index
Ax-Crazy
Dark Action Girl
Artistic License Biology
It's Personal
Precision F-Strike
Daylight Horror
Adults Are Useless
Ambiguously Gay
The '80s
Canadian Movies
Historical Hero Upgrade
Kids Are Cruel
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Bullying a Dragon
Spared by the Adaptation
Token Minority
Needs Wiki Magic Love
Ass Shove
The Smurfette Principle
Market-Based Title
Anguished Declaration of Love
Calling the Old Man Out
Scenery Porn
Jerkass
Race Lift
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
Mercy Kill
Black Dude Dies First
Yandere
He Who Fights Monsters
Darker and Edgier
As the Good Book Says...
Establishing Character Moment
Shipper on Deck
Femme Fatale
Greater-Scope Villain
Psycho for Hire
Insane Troll Logic
Manchild
A God Am I
Artistic License Law
An Axe to Grind
Important Haircut
Fatal Family Photo
Room Full of Crazy
Hero of Another Story
Madness Mantra
Bond Villain Stupidity
The Musical
Vampire Fiction
Insistent Terminology
Get Out!
Brainless Beauty
Demonic Possession
Hair-Trigger Temper
Vacation Films
Air-Vent Passageway
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Dual Wielding
Death of a Child
I Need a Freaking Drink
Together in Death
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Star-Crossed Lovers
The Big Guy
Hong Kong Films
Adaptation Distillation
Product Placement
Fanservice
Defrosting Ice Queen
Chiaroscuro
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Captain Ersatz
NO INDOOR VOICE
One-Word Title
Ms. Fanservice
Flashback
No Antagonist
Stock Footage
Setting Update
Defiant to the End
Arranged Marriage
Amoral Attorney
Bloody Hilarious
Chase Scene
Chekhov's Gunman
Friend to All Children
All Men Are Perverts
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
The Quiet One
Amusing Injuries
Broken Bird
Sealed Evil in a Can
Cain and Abel
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
Take That!
Public Domain Feature Films
Stuff Blowing Up
Becoming the Mask
Eureka Moment
Damsel in Distress
Hero Antagonist
Red Oni, Blue Oni
Dark and Troubled Past
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Last-Name Basis
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Eagleland
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
Plot Hole
Re-Cut
Smoking Is Cool
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
Combat Pragmatist
Deconstruction
Action Survivor
I'm a Humanitarian
Moment Killer
Vitriolic Best Buds
Failed a Spot Check
Tempting Fate
Gone Horribly Right
Henpecked Husband
Cool Car
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Missing Mom
Properly Paranoid
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
Alas, Poor Villain
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Drugs Are Bad
FaceHeel Turn
Diabolus ex Machina
Blackmail
Depraved Bisexual
Action Genre
Index of Film Westerns
Mystery and Detective Films
Tap on the Head
Rule of Symbolism
Batman Gambit
My Beloved Smother
Morality Pet
Not So Different
All for Nothing
Disguised in Drag
Body Horror
Wretched Hive
Those Wacky Nazis
Fantastic Racism
Adaptational Attractiveness
Badass Bookworm
Mr. Exposition
Whole Plot Reference
Faux Affably Evil
After the End
Fanservice Extra
Word of God
Genre Throwback
Police Brutality
Insult Backfire
Outrun the Fireball
Took a Level in Badass
Famous Last Words
Posthumous Character
Reality Has No Subtitles
For Want of a Nail
Redshirt Army
No Ending
Woman Scorned
Bad Boss
Break the Haughty
Actually Pretty Funny
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
Slap-Slap-Kiss
The Voiceless
Drives Like Crazy
Cool Old Guy
What the Hell, Hero?
Made of Explodium
Fire-Forged Friends
Overprotective Dad
Rasputinian Death
Neck Lift
My Greatest Failure
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
Anachronism Stew
Dramatic Irony
Lighter and Softer
Hoist by His Own Petard
Cat Fight
World of Ham
Good Is Not Nice
Artistic License Physics
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Biopic
Book-Ends
Closed Circle
Extremely Short Timespan
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
Villain Song
Department of Redundancy Department
The Mole
Fun with Acronyms
The Casanova
Pragmatic Adaptation
Facial Horror
Light Is Not Good
Badass in a Nice Suit
Sanity Slippage
Animal Motifs
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
Humiliation Conga
Never My Fault
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
Soundtrack Dissonance
The Reveal
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Sassy Black Woman
The End... Or Is It?
Badass Longcoat
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Deliberately Monochrome
From Bad to Worse
Adaptation Expansion
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Totally Radical
Deus ex Machina
Fan Disservice
Only Sane Man
Curb-Stomp Battle
Creepy Child
Half the Man He Used to Be
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Bavarian Fire Drill
The Stoic
Reckless Gun Usage
The Place
Guile Hero
Informed Ability
Apocalypse How
Evil Is Petty
Playing Gertrude
Dull Surprise
Green-Eyed Monster
Protagonist Title
Mistaken for Gay
Disney Death
Mighty Whitey
Knight Templar
Love at First Sight
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
The Stoner
Destination Defenestration
The Vamp
An Arm and a Leg
Adaptational Heroism
Annoying Younger Sibling
Demoted to Extra
Final Girl
The Chick
Country Matters
Man on Fire
Foil
Thriller
This Is Gonna Suck
Epic Fail
Red Shirt
Obviously Evil
Slasher Movie
For the Evulz
You Have Failed Me
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
Leitmotif
Adaptational Badass
Implacable Man
Cold-Blooded Torture
Determinator
Take a Third Option
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Fake Shemp
Accidental Misnaming
Chewing the Scenery
MayDecember Romance
Cool Shades
Your Head A-Splode
Creator Cameo
How We Got Here
Unusual Euphemism
The Cavalry
Comically Missing the Point
Left the Background Music On
The Dog Bites Back
Idiot Ball
Dirty Coward
Stealth Pun
Beard of Evil
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Aside Glance
Intrepid Reporter
Broken Aesop
timeperiod
The Un-Reveal
Chekhov's Skill
The Alcoholic
Loads and Loads of Characters
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Curse Cut Short
Advertised Extra
She Cleans Up Nicely
Papa Wolf
Big Damn Heroes
I Did What I Had to Do
Reasonable Authority Figure
Death by Sex
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
Dumb Blonde
Evil vs. Evil
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
Meaningful Background Event
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Camera Abuse
In the Back
The Faceless
Dressing as the Enemy
Riddle for the Ages
Laser-Guided Karma
Dark Reprise
Rule of Three
Agony of the Feet
Unreliable Narrator
From Nobody to Nightmare
Animated Credits Opening
Ripped from the Headlines
Domestic Abuse
Manly Tears
Science Fiction Films
Shirtless Scene
Hell Is That Noise
Black Comedy Rape
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Here We Go Again!
Expository Hairstyle Change
Dark Is Not Evil
The Ditz
Grey and Gray Morality
All There in the Script
Babies Ever After
Crazy Jealous Guy
Five-Man Band
Shower Scene
Gainax Ending
Freudian Excuse
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
A Date with Rosie Palms
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
Anachronic Order
Storming the Castle
Earn Your Happy Ending
Interrupted Suicide
Celebrity Paradox
Cloudcuckoolander
Bad "Bad Acting"
Super Strength
Humans Are Bastards
Tagline
Improbable Weapon User
Shout-Out
Darkest Hour
Rich Bitch
The Bully
Bald of Evil
Evil Sounds Deep
Mexican Standoff
Stealth Hi/Bye
Parental Substitute
MacGuffin
Would Hurt a Child
Mood Whiplash
Badass Normal
Historical Villain Upgrade
Awesome, but Impractical
Drowning My Sorrows
Black Comedy
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Adorkable
Blood Knight
Fantasy Films
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Cool Guns
Death Glare
Gratuitous English
Married to the Job
Romantic False Lead
Up to Eleven
Adaptational Villainy
Daddy's Girl
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Driven to Suicide
Broken Pedestal
Those Two Bad Guys
Too Dumb to Live
The Mafia
Cassandra Truth
More Dakka
Funny Foreigner
Big Applesauce
The Dragon
Arch-Enemy
Psychopathic Manchild
The Brute
Neck Snap
Author Appeal
Heterosexual Life-Partners
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
Sadistic Choice
Dutch Angle
Evil Counterpart
Australian Movies
Taking You with Me
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
Would Hit a Girl
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
Rule of Funny
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
"Awesome McCool" Name
Gender Flip
Big Fancy House
Faking the Dead
The '60s
The Atoner
Betty and Veronica
Fingore
Central Theme
The Hero
Back from the Dead
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Only in It for the Money
Pet the Dog
Bowdlerise
Groin Attack
Auto Erotica
Badass Boast
Nice Guy
B-Movie
Time Skip
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Redemption Equals Death
Rousing Speech
Mama Bear
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Anyone Can Die
Military and Warfare Films
Foregone Conclusion
A Father to His Men
Affectionate Parody
Truth in Television
Genre Savvy
Rape as Drama
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
German Films
Boom, Headshot!
The Sociopath
Spell My Name with an "S"
Male Frontal Nudity
Hypocrite
Not So Above It All
Suspiciously Specific Denial
The Starscream
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
Brick Joke
Cowboy Cop
Only One Name
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Heroic BSoD
Took a Level in Jerkass
Heroes Want Redheads
Sci-Fi Horror
Catapult Nightmare
Slashed Throat
Laughing Mad
Bar Brawl
Serial Killer
Kill It with Fire
Ominous Latin Chanting
Eldritch Abomination
Continuity Nod
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
It's All About Me
Have a Gay Old Time
And I Must Scream
It Can Think
Call-Back
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
Children Are Innocent
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Genre Shift
My God, What Have I Done?
Pay Evil unto Evil
Jump Scare
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Knife Nut
Decoy Protagonist
Brutal Honesty
Rule of Cool
Enemy Mine
Sole Survivor
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Gory Discretion Shot
It Will Never Catch On
Better to Die than Be Killed
Alliterative Name
Made of Iron
Spanner in the Works
Jerk Jock
War Is Hell
Conspicuous CG
Attempted Rape
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Psychological Thriller
Running Gag
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
Improbable Aiming Skills
Affably Evil
Killed Mid-Sentence
Fat Bastard
Does Not Like Shoes
Our Vampires Are Different
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Translation Convention
Obfuscating Stupidity
And Starring
Love Triangle
Captain Obvious
Guns Akimbo
Training Montage
Skewed Priorities
Heroic Sacrifice
British Films
Early-Bird Cameo
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Christmas Movies Index
Overly Long Gag
Breaking the Fourth Wall
He Knows Too Much
Evil-Detecting Dog
Straight Gay
Historical-Domain Character
As Himself
Black and Gray Morality
An Aesop
Mythology Gag
Logo Joke
Artistic License Geography
Four-Temperament Ensemble
Double Entendre
Fatal Flaw
Woman in White
Naked People Are Funny
Death Seeker
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
Retired Badass
Getting Crap Past the Radar
Alpha Bitch
What You Are in the Dark
Instant Death Bullet
Spiteful Spit
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Villainous Breakdown
The Film of the Book
Dogged Nice Guy
Armor-Piercing Question
Really Gets Around
Music Stories
Lampshade Hanging
Our Zombies Are Different
Early Installment Weirdness
Kubrick Stare
Superhero
Hate Sink
Homage
A Minor Kidroduction
Loophole Abuse
Never Trust a Trailer
The Lancer
Bloodless Carnage
The Bad Guy Wins
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
Villain Protagonist
Taking the Bullet
Fiery Redhead
Meet Cute
Romantic Comedy
Wicked Cultured
Bond One-Liner
Race Against the Clock
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Did Not Get the Girl
Action Girl
Disney Villain Death
Framing Device
She's Got Legs
Didn't Think This Through
Death by Irony
Big "NO!"
Downer Ending
'80s Hair
Fate Worse than Death
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Not So Stoic
Be Careful What You Wish For
Scenery Gorn
Politically Incorrect Villain
Television Movie Index
Scary Black Man
Funny Background Event
Anti-Villain
Empathic Environment
Kill 'em All
Visual Pun
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Vomit Discretion Shot
The Load
Handicapped Badass
Crazy-Prepared
Once More, with Clarity!
Beta Couple
Adaptation Dye-Job
Evil Plan
Monumental Damage
Adult Fear
Real Life
Developing Doomed Characters
Call-Forward
Self-Deprecation
Antagonist Title
Death by Adaptation
Big Brother Instinct
Same Language Dub
Scare Chord
The Chessmaster
Maybe Ever After
Video Credits
Documentary
Cruel and Unusual Death
Fish out of Water
Older Than They Look
Poor Communication Kills
Only Known by Their Nickname
Title Drop
Mugging the Monster
Noodle Incident
Crapsack World
Big Eater
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Red Right Hand
Artistic License Gun Safety
Bring My Brown Pants
Sinister Minister
Camp Gay
Ship Tease
Double-Meaning Title
Abusive Parents
True Companions
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Despair Event Horizon
The Alleged Car
Zombie Stories
Age Lift
Deadpan Snarker
Motor Mouth
Blood from the Mouth
Costume Porn
Refuge in Audacity
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Match Cut
Your Cheating Heart
Karma Houdini
Car Fu
Extreme Doormat
Dramatic Gun Cock
The '90s
Bottomless Magazines
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Authority Equals Asskicking
Even Evil Has Standards
What Happened to the Mouse?
Soft Glass
Wham Shot
The '70s
Stepford Smiler
Film Series
Let's Get Dangerous!
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
All Just a Dream
Epic Movie
No OSHA Compliance
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Bolivian Army Ending
Male Gaze
In Medias Res
Twist Ending
Cat Scare
Heel Realization
Make It Look Like an Accident
Gilligan Cut
And the Adventure Continues
Italian Films
No-Sell
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Every Car Is a Pinto
Accidental Murder
Almost Kiss
One-Man Army
20 Minutes into the Future
Those Two Guys
Bury Your Gays
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Evil Is Hammy
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
The Ace
The X of Y
Dirty Old Man
Sequel Escalation
Eiffel Tower Effect
Spiritual Successor
Corpsing
Meaningful Echo
Only a Flesh Wound
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Creative Closing Credits
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Bare Your Midriff
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
Novelization
Cluster F-Bomb
Worthy Opponent
Not What It Looks Like
Eyepatch of Power
Butt-Monkey
Ungrateful Bastard
Villain Opening Scene
Japanese Films
Retcon
Wrong Genre Savvy
Works Set in World War II
No Celebrities Were Harmed
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
Silent Movie
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
Adapted Out
Jitter Cam
Berserk Button
Historical In-Joke
Sports Stories
Arc Words
Due to the Dead
Flipping the Bird
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
Punny Name
Random Events Plot
Expy
Parental Abandonment
The '50s
Offscreen Teleportation
Distracted by the Sexy
Crucified Hero Shot
Disproportionate Retribution
Put on a Bus
Bloodier and Gorier
Tranquil Fury
Silence Is Golden
Bilingual Bonus
Narrator
The Remake
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Karmic Death
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Author Avatar
Slasher Smile
Ambiguous Ending
Evil Laugh
Hollywood Law
The Lost Lenore
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Immune to Bullets
Covers Always Lie
Pretty in Mink
Mr. Fanservice
Punch-Clock Villain
Nice Hat
Never Found the Body
Kick the Son of a Bitch
Ironic Echo
Stalker with a Crush
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
Horror Films
Blatant Lies
Canon Foreigner
Hypocritical Humor
The Smart Guy
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Real Life Writes the Plot
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
Sacrificial Lion
Intergenerational Friendship
"Shaggy Dog" Story
Dwindling Party
Reality Ensues
Hope Spot
I Have Your Wife
Malevolent Masked Men
Bound and Gagged
Dies Wide Open
Asshole Victim
Evil Brit
Stylistic Suck
Dying Moment of Awesome
Based on a True Story
Small Name, Big Ego
Easily Forgiven
Parental Incest
Credits Gag