Muscle Growth Tropes?

[ekigyuu]

Tropes are devices and conventions that we use when we write. Think of tropes as literary techniques, plot devices, or cliches. (My favourite trope is Deus ex Machina).

Tropes are pretty well documented (Thanks, TV Tropes), but what about for Muscle Growth Stories? What tropes exist for our genre?

I'm compiling a list of MGS-tropes and would really appreciate your input. Story references would also be nice~

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Magic

1. Genie / Wishes (Joey's Genie)
2. Deal with the devil
3. Christmas Miracle (My Christmas Present)
4. Aztec Ritual

Science

1. Growth Ray
2. Reality-altering device (The Profile)
3. Growth Serum / Powder (Sugar Packets)
4. Military Experiments (Dana Gets Wired)

Misc

1. Hypnosis
2. Genetic Birthright
3. It was all a dream

[Aielyn]

I figured the easiest thing to do here would be to edit into the list, as well as making some changes to what's there already.

Causes: Magic and the Supernatural

• Genie/Wishes (Joey's Genie)
• Deal with the Devil
• Christmas Miracle (My Christmas Present)
• Ancient Ritual/Spell (NOTE: Changed from Aztec Ritual to be more general)
• Godly Gift

Causes: Science and Technology

• Growth Ray/Radiation
• Reality-Altering Device (The Profile)
• Growth Serum/Powder (Sugar Packets)
• Super-Steroids
• Nanites/Nanotechnology
• Side Effect of Penile Growth or Control

Causes: Body and Mind

• Hypnosis
• Genetic Birthright
• Force of Will
• Extreme Workout Regimen
• Mutant Ability (note: this is borderline Supernatural)
• Meditation/Mental Training

Causes: Miscellaneous

• Unexplained Side-Effect
• Alien Causes
• Website/Internet
• Virtual Growth (through virtual reality)
• Delusion

Contexts (note: not the same as the story's setting)

• It Was All A Dream
• Military/Government Experiments (Dana Gets Wired)
• Fetishes/Obsessions
• Accident/Explosion
• Virtual Reality
• In Space/On Another Planet
• Gameshow
• Birthday Gift/Activation
• Suspicious Shop/House
• Superhero/Supervillain
• Heirloom
• Ancient Artifact/Medallion

Results

• Sex
• Dominion
• Sex
• Protecting Innocents/Smaller People
• Recruitment
• Sex
• Death
• Insanity
• Sex
• Sex
• Sex
• Love
• Obsession with Further Growth
• Sex

Side-Effects/Associated Effects

• Mind Control
• Penis/Ball Growth
• IQ Decrease
• IQ Increase
• Racial Change
• Personality Change
• Sexual Magnetism
• Anthropomorphism
• Body Hair Growth
• Puberty/Second Puberty
• Orientation Change (almost always straight-to-gay)

The Experience

• Orgasmic
• Excruciating Pain
• Detached Curiosity
• Woke Up With New Body
• Mental Change Preventing Awareness
• Throbbing Sensation
• Numbness
• Muscle Pump

[Rarity]

I think I'll love where this goes if it ends up on tvtropes or something.

[RPM]

LOL, nice "Results" list.

[Yachirobi]

But why no links to TVTropes itself? I don't think there are many tropes listed here that aren't covered by TVT except that they don't explicitly mention muscle growth... or do they?

* Transformation Sequence
* Growing Muscles Sequence
* Clothing Damage

By the way, for those of you who've never been to TVTropes before, you're about to lose two hours of your life... per day.

You're welcome!

[howardbeatman]

Only SEVEN of the 'results' are "sex"? How dare you, sir!?

One trope which I do not like is the forced straight-to-gay transformation, a rape which many of this website's members would recognize as such if the unwilling transformation were gay-to-straight.

[Aielyn]

Originally Posted by howardbeatman

One trope which I do not like is the forced straight-to-gay transformation, a rape which many of this website's members would recognize as such if the unwilling transformation were gay-to-straight.

Oh, I forgot all about that particular side-effect. I'll add it now.

[vlad]

Not sure which category this goes under, but two musclegrowth causes I see missing are muscle or energy absorption to grow, and ingesting cum to grow (two of my personal favorite tropes). Also don't forget extreme eating to grow...and that can be somewhat realistic like in BBmikeNJ's stories or fantastical.

[Aielyn]

Originally Posted by vlad

Not sure which category this goes under, but two musclegrowth causes I see missing are muscle or energy absorption to grow, and ingesting cum to grow (two of my personal favorite tropes). Also don't forget extreme eating to grow...and that can be somewhat realistic like in BBmikeNJ's stories or fantastical.

Those aren't actually causes, although they're certainly tropes.

Specifically, the cum ingestion and extreme eating examples are best described as accessories to the cause. In both cases, something more is at work, whether it's extreme exercise, the effects of a wish, etc.

As for absorption, that's more of a "laws of muscle growth" trope type. Falls into the same category as what I'd call hammercurlspace - the space from which muscle is gained out of nowhere, in a lot of muscle growth stories. A play on hammerspace, which is where weapons are pulled from empty space or from places that couldn't possibly have fit those weapons.

[Curiosity]

Originally Posted by Aielyn

Those aren't actually causes, although they're certainly tropes.

Specifically, the cum ingestion and extreme eating examples are best described as accessories to the cause. In both cases, something more is at work, whether it's extreme exercise, the effects of a wish, etc.

As for absorption, that's more of a "laws of muscle growth" trope type. Falls into the same category as what I'd call hammercurlspace - the space from which muscle is gained out of nowhere, in a lot of muscle growth stories. A play on hammerspace, which is where weapons are pulled from empty space or from places that couldn't possibly have fit those weapons.

Excessive eating is a cause in some chapters of The Jocking. I mean, the underlying cause is magicky scientific reality warpage, but some of the characters grow because they eat, not vice versa.