Basic Trope: A serum that causes dangerous side effects, such as insanity.
- Straight: Taking Troperium causes one to go insane and become Ax-Crazy.
- Exaggerated: Troperium causes one to become a gigantic, vicious werewolf-like creature who kills everything in sight as soon as the effects take place. There is no antidote.
- Downplayed:
- Troperium mostly just causes one to become a jerkass.
- Troperium is a legitimate Super Serum, but some of its side effects can cause unpleasant behaviors.
- Despite ominous name, Troperium is nothing more than mix of common hard drugs (methamphetamine, cocaine), adrenaline, and steroids, packed into convenient syringe. Something that to less exaggerated degree is used in real combat.
- Justified:
- The serum was untested.
- The serum is meant to cause insanity in the first place.
- The serum was meant for bullfighting bulls, not humans.
- Inverted: The serum causes one to become much calmer in personality.
- Subverted:
- Alex is injected with the serum and starts acting aggressively, but he stops soon afterwards.
- Alex seems to be acting aggressively as a result of the serum, but he's really been aggressive the whole time and the serum only gives him an opportunity to act that way.
- Double Subverted:
- Then, Alex suddenly turns into a giant muscular monster and beats up the scientists that gave him the serum.
- Alex was insane even before being injected with Troperium, but the serum's effects only amplified his aggression.
- Parodied: The serum causes someone to become a hilariously obvious Card-Carrying Villain.
- Zig-Zagged: Troperium has varying effects on those that take it.
- Averted: Serums do not cause any sort of insanity.
- Enforced:
- Sometimes a Drugs Are Bad moral.
- Often used as a Transformation Horror method in sci-fi works.
- Lampshaded: "Woah, looks like that medicine has some pretty bad side effects."
- Invoked: A Mad Scientist makes a serum that causes insanity and distributes it to others.
- Exploited: The mad scientist plans to brainwash Alex so he'll be obedient even after taking Troperium. Alex sabotages the machine and fakes the brainwashing then takes the Troperium, knowing that even though he'll go murderously insane, at least his first target will be the scientist and his equipment.
- Defied:
- Alex refuses to take the serum.
- The serum is banned from being used on anyone.
- Troperium isn't used on anything until the negative side effects are sorted out.
- Discussed: "I must take the Troperium to stop the Murdertron! But if I do, will I just be turning into a more powerful, unstopable monster?"
- Conversed: "Considering everyone who takes it goes crazy and people still use this, it might just be an intended side effect."
- Implied: Alex escapes after a Mad Scientist was Playing with Syringes, and is notably more aggressive afterwards.
- Played for Laughs: Troperium is sold with a long, "Side Effects Include..." list, which outright states that Troperium might cause you to go batshit crazy.
- Played for Drama: Alex is Strapped to an Operating Table and injected with Troperium, and struggles to Resist the Beast.
- Played for Horror: Alex has a very horrifying, Painful Transformation after the serum's effects take place, and promptly goes Ax-Crazy.
Back to Psycho Serum. Just be aware of the side effects.
