abstract
| - It doesn't matter how many bullets were fired or how large their calibre, you won't see entrance wounds, exit wounds or any blood at all anywhere on or near their targets. Shooting victims simply fall down, leaving neat and clean crime scenes. The only way you can tell a shooting victim from a poisoning victim is that the latter will usually be grimacing. It's almost as if they were made of sawdust instead of flesh. A subvariety of this trope allows for a small amount of blood, looking more like a ketchup stain from a particularly sloppy lunch, to mark the location of a wound. This was a common trope in Action Series, Adventure Series, and Crime and Punishment Series until recently; for various reasons of "taste" and censorship, blood was never shown no matter how thoroughly perforated the victim was. Of late, though, shows like CSI and Law and Order have begun to be more explicit/realistic about just how messy most violent deaths are. Fantasy and some historical works, similarly, will not show blood even when someone is stabbed or cut. In some examples (particularly shows geared towards younger audiences), swords and other bladed weapons will seemingly only be used to clash against each other, and never be shown to draw blood. Two swordsmen will exchange blows for several seconds, but the telling blow will be a kick or shoulder block to knock the opponent down. Scenes of the aftermath of a battle will show broken or dropped weapons, discarded shields, fallen banners, dozens of arrows, and the occasional helmet or three, but never any bodies. A second, somewhat more humorous variation is to depict a relatively harmless conflict or game, such as Dodgeball, Paintball matches, or Water gun fights, as if it were a real war or slaughter. Complete with dramatic slow-motion scenes, over-acted last words, and splashes of paint or water where blood would spray. May be justified in a science fiction setting using Energy Weapons, although it's a common misconception that the massive heat produced by the beam would instantly cauterize the wound before it had a chance to bleed. This is not necessarily the case. While a laser in a movie may just knock over people with little signs of blood or burning, it's best not to dwell too much on what the wounds from such a weapon would really look like... See also Pretty Little Headshots. Contrast High-Pressure Blood when the amount of blood is unrealistic by being excessive. Compare Symbolic Blood when they use a substitute involving robots or fantastical creatures that have something resembling blood. Usually goes hand-in-hand with Never Say "Die", a Disney Death, and a Disney Villain Death. Examples of Bloodless Carnage include:
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