39,327
edits
Fertile Feet: Difference between revisions
m
Mass update links
m (categories and general cleanup) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 10:
This trope can be subverted by switching flowers to thorns. The inverse is [[Walking Wasteland]], where a character's presence causes withering and decay; see also [[Enemy to All Living Things]]. The character might [[Dark Is Not Evil|not necessarily be bad]], but that's a hard case to sell. Villains and neutral characters doing this are usually employing [[Green Thumb|power over plants]], possibly from being a [[Nature Spirit]] or [[Plant Person]].
The obvious [[Foil]] to [[Walking Wasteland]] or [[Evil Is Deathly Cold]]. Indeed, sometimes it can be impossible to tell whether the effect is the character's beneficence, or because their defeat of the [[Big Bad]] removes his influence, which has [[No Ontological Inertia]]. ([[Babies Ever After]] may act as a mundane equivalent, or coincide with this trope.) See also [[Hope Sprouts Eternal]] and [[World
Not related to the giant Aurgelmir in [[Norse Mythology]], whose feet [[Squick|mated with one another]] and gave him the son Thrudgelmir, the first of the frost giants.
Line 17:
== Anime & Manga ==
* [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s [[Princess Mononoke]] had this trope with the Forest Spirit, who gave and took life. Where-ever he stepped, plant life shot out of the ground, only to regress and presumably die when his foot left the ground.
* In ''[[
* Given a dark twist ''[[
* Uro-sama from ''[[Kekkaishi]]'' grows moss wherever he walks. Also, donut trees wherever he sits.
* ''[[Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure
* [[Naruto]] displays this to a degree once he {{spoiler|takes control of the Kyuubi's chakra}}. Even the artificial wood of Yamato's mokuton sprouts vibrant leaves in his presence. Subsequently weaponized when it's discovered that {{spoiler|the life-giving power of the chakra can cause Zetsu clones to revert into trees}}.
* Belldandy does this in the "Fighting Wings" duology of the ''[[Ah!
Line 31:
== Comics -- Books ==
* Shalla Bal in one ''[[Marvel Comics|Silver Surfer]]'' story. She is able to return life to their homeworld after the Surfer infuses her with some of his cosmic power.
* In ''[[Hellboy (
* In ''[[Meridian]]'', Sephie falls from a flying ship at high altitude and lands in a toxic wasteland, making a human-shaped crater around which plants start to grow.
* In DC's miniseries ''Trinity'', the transformed [[Superman]], [[Batman]] and [[Wonder Woman]] caused life to return to Europe.
Line 49:
== Films -- Live-Action ==
* The Nature Elemental from ''[[Hellboy (
* In ''[[
* ''[[Excalibur (
* [[Reconstruction|Reconstructed]] in ''[[Avatar (
* Anneke in the Russo-Finnish production ''[[The Day the Earth Froze]]'' briefly caused flowers to bloom in her wake when Lemmenkainen and Ilmarinen rescued her from the witch Louhi. Louhi and her imps then went on a frenzy of stomping the flowers, because ([[For the Evulz|being evil and all]]) she hated anything beautiful.
** When this movie was given the ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' treatment, Joel looked at the witch during this scene and pondered, "Geez, I wonder what her Myers-Briggs test was like."
Line 59:
== Literature ==
* ''[[Discworld]]''
** [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[Discworld
** In ''[[Discworld
* Some examples from [[
** Lúthien Tinúviel in ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' does this. [[Troperiffic|And how]].
** In ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', King Theoden's ''horse'' does this to its grave. The horse was buried where he was killed, and grass grew lushly over the grave. (In contrast to the Nazgul [[Giant Flyer]]'s death-spot, which [[Walking Wasteland|remained forever barren]].) Also happens with other burial sites, with those of evil beings staying barren.
Line 69:
* In Donald Alexander Mackenzie's ''[http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/tsm/tsm00.htm Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend]'' (drawing on [[Celtic Mythology]]), Bride's influence produces this whenever Beira, queen of the winter, is unable to control her.
{{quote| ''Said Father Winter: "If Beira scolds you, give her these flowers, and if she asks where you found them, tell her that they came from the green rustling fir-woods. Tell her also that the cress is springing up on the banks of streams, and that the new grass has begun to shoot up in the fields."''}}
* Invoked in [[
{{quote| ''"It's all very well to be fond of England; but a man who wants to help England mustn't let the grass grow under his feet."<br />
"And that's just what I want to do," answered Hood. "That's exactly what even your poor tired people in big towns really want to do. When a wretched clerk walks down Threadneedle Street, wouldn't he really be delighted if he could look down and see the grass growing under his feet; a magic green carpet in the middle of the pavement? It would be like a fairy-tale."'' }}
Line 76:
** In [[Jim Butcher]]'s ''Summer Knight'', the Summer Lady, the youngest of the three queens of the Summer Court of fairies has this quality. {{spoiler|Subverted when it turns out that she's become a [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] and is attempting to destroy the balance between the two fairy courts.}}
** In ''Proven Guilty'', the Summer Lady turns wooden flowers into real ones by passing by. Whereupon the Winter Lady passes by and blights them again.
* Flowers are said to have sprung up in the wake of Blessed Elua in Jacqueline Carey's ''[[
* Hannah, protagonist of Meredith Ann Pierce's ''Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood'', grows plants appropriate to the season—which usually seem to end up being useful—''in her hair''. She also, as it turns out, brings the seasons with her when she travels, including flowers in spring, grains in summer and falling leaves in autumn. {{spoiler|[[Sarcasm Mode|Surprisingly enough]], she turns out to be [[Living MacGuffin|the]] [[MacGuffin Girl]] whom both the [[Big Good]] and the primary antagonist were after.}}
* When Aslan creates [[Narnia]] in [[
* Easter/Eostre of the Dawn does this in ''[[
* In [[Ian McDonald]]'s ''Desolation Road'', there's a green evolved human from the future. Grass grows in the desert in his footsteps.
* Flowers supposedly sprang up behind the titular saint when he visited a novice in ''[[A Canticle for Leibowitz]]'', but that was just rumor distorting an encounter with the [[Wandering Jew]].
Line 91:
* Clive Barker's ''[[Weaveworld]]'' has two examples of this. The first plays the trope straight, with a temple so chock-full of magic that any disturbances (such as walking through it) sprouts a lush undergrowth. The second is an inversion, with a Garden of Eden-like setting covered in flora, which withers away and turns to sand when someone walks through it.
* Briar Moss uses this in Tamora Pierce's ''[[Circle of Magic|Street Magic]]'' invokes this when he has a [[Tranquil Fury|very rational and very controlled]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]]. Briar has [[Green Thumb]] in asskicking, so when he has enough, he uncorks his power and seeds and plant-based material come to live and sprout in his wake. In broad daylight. Most mages make an effort to fit into normal society, so seeing one obviously not making the effort was a great way to encourage people to get out of his way.
* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[
Line 100:
== Myth & Legend ==
* There is at least one legend that garlic derives its anti-Vampire properties from that fact that it first sprouted in Satan's footsteps. This is not in [[
** Traditionally, vampires were corpses possessed by demons; it reminds them if their host is destroyed, they will return to Hell.
* Also, in Arthurian/ Grail legends, [[Fisher King|the sickness of the king poisons the land]], and when the king is healed the flowers grow again. The movie ''Excalibur'' is a particularly vivid portrayal of this legend.
Line 119:
== Tabletop Games ==
* ''[[
** The Flowering kith of Fairest cause flowers to spring wherever they step... though it takes months for them to do so in the real world, while in Arcadia and The Hedge it's instantaneous.
** Same thing with the Spring Court and their Mantle. At low levels, those close to them feel a gentle, fragrant breeze, but at high levels, plants tend to grow out of the sidewalk if they stick around long enough.
Line 134:
** While no unit in the sequel gain directly the ability, the druids can have it with a gold medal, and it's still available as an item property. Wizards with at least one Light Sphere can have a similar magic effect active in their domain that slowly restores terrain.
** Death wizards invert this: they have abilities that turn their domains into blasted wastelands. Of course, all of the elemental wizards can turn their domains into an embodiment of their element: for example, air wizards can turn verdant grasslands into frost bitten tundras, and freeze over rivers and even the ocean.
* In ''[[Black and White]]'', made by the same people who later made ''[[Fable (
* When you're maxed out good in ''[[Fable (
* ''[[
** Amaterasu. The faster she runs, the more lush the foliage, although it disappears just as quickly as it sprouts up. In water, Amaterasu leaves a trail of lily pads behind her; in midair, a flurry of autumn leaves. This passive ability is amplified after gaining the Growth Brush technique. The flowers in her wake are already bloomed, and at full speed, the flowers turn ''gold''.
** The sequel, ''[[
** Amaterasu even does this in ''[[
* ''[[Bayonetta]]'', from the [[Platinum Games|same development studio]], has Bayonetta leaving behind a small trail of black plants whenever she is running in panther form.
** The presence of Angels causes flowers to grow ([[The Power of the Sun]] and all that), [[Light Is Not Good|making a rare villainous example]].
Line 147:
** And the red dragons, who are guardians of the Aspect of Life, have fertile ''breath'' -- flowers spring up from where they breathe flame, most notably and poignantly at Angrathar. Some seem to have this trope exactly, such as Surristrasz and his drakes at Amber Ledge, who are surrounded by a patch of grass and flowers upon otherwise barren rock.
** Also of note is Illidan's inversion in ''Warcraft 3'': When he moves, his footprints leave fire.
* Using a Grass Assist in ''[[
** ''[[
** ''[[
** ''[[
*** As of Black 2 and White 2, his new form has feet.
* In ''[[The Sims 2]]'', sims have this effect for the duration of the [[Love Potion]].
* In a similar vein to this trope, Atlantean civilizations worshiping Gaia in ''[[
* According to her official profile, Lily White of ''[[Touhou Project]]'' can make flowers bloom with her mere presence, being the embodiment of spring and all. However, the actual [[Youkai]] of flowers, Yuka Kazami, is less [[Friend to All Living Things]] and more [[Ax Crazy]].
* Gaihla from ''[[Battle Realms]]'' has these, and you can exploit the game's unique take with [[Idle Animation]] and put her near your rice fields to help them grow faster. It's ''especially'' helpful in snowy stages.
* One of the secret stars in the Supermassive Galaxy in ''[[
* In a sense, Elizabeth Greene of ''[[Prototype (
** Alex Mercer himself gets in on the act: his health regeneration powers are so potent that {{spoiler|his stepping into the residue of the Supreme Hunter he just killed allows it to ''come back to life''}}.
* Another evil example in ''[[Thief]]''. {{spoiler|Viktoria leaves mosses at her touch until she shows her true form as a dryad, when creeping vines sprout from around her feet and grow in her wake.}}
* In ''[[
** God also has this power.
* In [[
Line 182:
== Western Animation ==
* Gaia in ''[[Captain Planet]]'' left trails of flowers in her footsteps whenever she appeared in the human world.
* Aphrodite from the cartoon series of ''[[Hercules (Disney film)|Hercules]]'' leaves small flowers wherever she walks. Mind you, they quickly disappear again.
* Van Kleiss in ''[[Generator Rex]]'' can do this, and he's the ''[[Big Bad]]''! However, it only works in the area around his castle, which is infused with nanites that he controls. He may arguably have been invoking the trope at the time to get Rex to let his guard down.
* The second season opening of ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' depicts Jimmy as being able to turn anything he touches into a happy, beautiful thing. He never has this power in the show, though.
| |||