Hazmat Suit has a definition problem

Hazmat Suit doesn't seem sure what its definition is. It seems to be three definitions in a trench coat.

• The first definition is simply "hazmat suits exist", which would be People Sit on Chairs — the image is just somebody in a hazmat suit, and most of the on-page examples are just "a character wears a hazmat suit."
• The second definition is "hazmat suits Played for Drama", which is seen in the first few paragraphs of the description:

If you want a good idea if something dangerous is up—probably involving Applied Phlebotinum, Deadly Gas, biological or Fast-Killing Radiation—look for workers wearing Hazmat Suits.
For dramatic reasons, this may correspond with Malevolent Masked Men or Faceless Goons in visual media. On the other hand, with sympathetic characters, it often turns out that In hazardous environments, everyone can see your face.
If the suits suffer Clothing Damage during dangerous conditions, you can be certain bad things will happen afterwards. Armor Is Useless can apply sometimes, making it all the worse.

• The third definition is "hazmat suits are sexy", which is only supported by one sentence: "In Real Life, not really so sexy as it seems." This is despite the previous paragraphs not mentioning sexiness even once (unless you count the mention of Clothing Damage) and the page image not being in any way fanservicey.

I'd like to take it to TRS, but that would require a wick check, and there's a long queue.

Edited by Unicorndance on May 2nd 2024 at 2:08:22 AM

For every low there is a high.

I don't think they used the word 'sexy' literally. I seems to be just an awkward synonym to 'cool'. But I agree that the trope in general seems to be 'hazmat suits exist'. It will still need a wick check and, probably, go through TRS.

edit: grammar

Edited by kundoo on May 1st 2024 at 7:44:58 AM

I would think that any presence of such equipment is cuing to the audience that there is something dangerous being worked on, and so is a narrative choice. But focusing on the suit itself encourages ZCEs. Renaming it to focus on the danger, like "Hazmat Required Area", might help.

Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.