Licking the Blade: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

 

A common characteristic of blade-wielding evildoers is their tendency to lick their weapons, whether clean or bloodied, as if their weapon was a cherry-flavored popsicle of non-diabetic death. Often [[Too Dumb to Live|the sharp edge]], no less.

Generally considered a giveaway that this character is a [[Psycho for Hire]], a [[Combat Sadomasochist]], or otherwise sufficiently off his rocker to do ''anything''. Especially creepy when paired with [[Evil Tastes Good]] flavored [[Hemo-Erotic|Hemo Eroticism]]. Conversely, can be major [[Fetish Fuel]].

 

 

The one doing the licking isn't necessarily evil or rather, more accurately, isn't always a story's antagonist. An [[Anti-Hero]] or [[Villain Protagonist]] can be seen doing this, especially if they're engaging their [[Super-Powered Evil Side]]. Usually to showcase the fact they've either gone off the deep end or are very close to it, and that it is scary. Often major [[Fetish Fuel]], especially if the licker is attractive.

 

See also [[Finger-Lickin' Evil]], [[You Taste Delicious]]. A character who does this often may have [[Blood Lust]]. See also [[Lecherous Licking]].

 

* Yashamaru of ''[[Basilisk]]'' very suggestively licked the [[Razor Floss]] he was using to pin his opponent before flexing his fingers and causing the ''entire rock to explode''.

* Saitou Hajime in ''[[Rurouni Kenshin]]'' does this at least once.

* Ladd Russo from ''[[Baccano!]]'' did this while fighting Chane on top of the Flying Pussyfoot.

* Manji in ''[[Blade of the Immortal]]'' at one point licks a knife he's taken off someone he suspected of planning to kill him [[Justified Trope|to check if it was poisoned]].

 

== Comic Books ==

* In ''[[Grant Morrisons Batman|Batman R.I.P.]]'', [[The Joker]] does this {{spoiler|and cuts his own tongue doing so.}}

 

* In the [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic|Ask Pinkamina Diane Pie]] [[Tumblr]], this is [[Lampshaded]]; after expressing her contempt for the act, Pinkie attempts to lick the blade, but cuts her tongue in the process.

 

== Film ==

* A supremely creepy example occurs in Francis Ford Coppola's ''[[Bram Stoker's Dracula|Bram Stokers Dracula]]'' when the titular vampire cleans a straight razor after his guest accidentally cuts himself shaving. Dracula laps up the blood in a move that reads like a desperate junkie.

* Mengele in ''[[Surf Nazis Must Die]]'' does this after killing an opponent in a [[Knife Fight]].

 

== Literature ==

** Worse, one of the passages where he does this it implies that the blood is from {{spoiler|Sehra Muril, the squadmate that he murdered}}.

* Non-villain example from ''[[Redwall]]''; when Dippler swears an oath to kill the slayer of his leader, he licks the blade of his rapier; [[Badass Boast|"I'll hunt him down, and when I do this blade'll be wet with something else."]]

** There used to be a fanfic in which an [[Original Character]] villain somehow managed to [[Squick|cut his own entire tongue out]] while doing this. Since the tongue is rooted pretty deeply in the mouth and one generally doesn't lick with enough pressure for a licked blade to slice all the way through the muscle, it's unclear exactly how he managed this.

* The Lady Queen Maeve of the Winter Court in ''[[The Dresden Files|Summer Knight]]'' is described as almost lazily licking blood from her sword in the midst of a gigantic turf war between the faerie Courts.

* [[RA Salvatore|Drizzt Do'Urden]] does this at one point, believe it or not - he just tried to eat mutton off his dagger in the middle of battle for some reason. For what it's worth, it would not be surprising at all if the chapter involving this, "Biggrin's House", were run as an actual D&D session to determine how it went, so the OOC of the mutton thing may be excused.

 

 

== Live-Action TV ==

* In ''[[Firefly]]'', Jayne annoys other crew members by doing this. During one episode, Jayne spits on the blade of his combat knife (and yes, [[I Call It Vera|it has a name]]) as he's sharpening it before licking off the spit. The others are...somewhat disconcerted.

* [[Ax Crazy|Callisto]] from ''[[Xena: Warrior Princess]]'' licks a dagger at one point.

 

== Music ==

* This is on full display on the cover art of Head Control System's album "Murder Nature".

* The line "She drinks the blood from a jagged edge" from the [[Jimi Hendrix]] song ''Dolly Dagger''.

 

== Tabletop Games ==

* [http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh97/shophnc/warhammer/konrad_von_carstein.jpg Konrad Von Carstein] of the ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' universe is known for pausing mid-battle to do this. His model even depicts him doing a variation. To his defense, he's a vampire.

** Another model that's depicting doing this is Forgeworld's Great Unclean One.

* In the 3.0 edition ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' Campaign Setting, one of the NPCs statted out in the book is a CN mercenary troll with a cursed sword (minor curse- leaks blood constantly) He has the habit of licking it.

 

== Theatre ==

** It should be noted that this is not called for in the script, which is a fluctuating thing anyway considering it changes depending upon audience interaction, location, and random ad-libs. Since this is the very nature of the show, it's understandable.

 

* In ''Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne'', Yaksini, who wields to swords, will lick them as part of her default animation.

* While it's not a sword (but figuratively an axe!), one of I-no's opening poses in ''[[Guilty Gear]] XX'' involves licking her guitar.

* Scyther does this to his scythes occasionally in ''Pok'emon Stadium''

 

* ''[[Miscellaneous Error]]'' takes this trope [http://miscerror.thecomicseries.com/comics/4 to its logical conclusion].

 

* The ''[[There Will Be Brawl]]'' [[Darker and Edgier|version of]] Ice Climber's Nana does this with her bloody ''hammer'' in episode 7.

* ''[[The Angry Joe Show]]'' has licking watermelon juice off of a katana.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Body Language]]

[[Category:Characterization Tropes]]

[[Category:Weapons and Wielding Tropes]]