Percussive Maintenance/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: You can easily fix things by hitting them.

  • Straight: Bob's computer is on the fritz. He hits it, and it starts working.
  • Exaggerated:
  • Downplayed: Bob's computer is on the fritz. He hits it, and while it doesn't fix it, it makes it to where Bob can retrieve his files.
  • Justified: Bob is a technopath.
  • Inverted: Bob's computer doesn't miraculously start up after he hits it, but his carpel tunnel goes away.
  • Subverted: Bob hits his malfunctioning computer. It gets worse.
  • Double Subverted: But a second hit fixes everything.
  • Parodied:
    • Bob's doctor hits him, and his cold goes away.
    • Right before Bob hits his computer, the electronic device starts talking and begging him for mercy.

Please! Don't hit me again! I'll be good, I promise!

    • OR: Right before Bob hits his computer, the computer grows a pair of fists and punches him in the face.

How do you like that, bitch?!

  • Zig Zagged: Every subsequent whack fixes a previous problem, but creates a new one that needs to be fixed.
  • Averted: Hitting machines doesn't fix them.
  • Enforced: ???
  • Lampshaded: "And all it took was a good whack? Really?"
  • Invoked: "You could try whacking it. That might get it started again."
  • Exploited: ???
  • Defied: "You really think whacking it is going to make it work?"
  • Discussed: "Have you you ever tried whacking that thing to get get it working?"
  • Conversed: "Hey, I tried whacking that thing the other day and it started working."

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