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| - For some reason, the character is always standing at the intersection of Strange Street and Bizarre Boulevard. They run into situations or creatures that most people don't even believe in, much less have to deal with on a regular basis. Through no fault of their own, they constantly suffer through the effects of the paranormal and supernatural. Alternatively, the character may not think of the weirdness about them as particularly strange; after all, this sort of thing happens to them all the time. However, if something starts getting surreal on the show, chances are, they're at the center of it.
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| abstract
| - For some reason, the character is always standing at the intersection of Strange Street and Bizarre Boulevard. They run into situations or creatures that most people don't even believe in, much less have to deal with on a regular basis. Through no fault of their own, they constantly suffer through the effects of the paranormal and supernatural. Alternatively, the character may not think of the weirdness about them as particularly strange; after all, this sort of thing happens to them all the time. However, if something starts getting surreal on the show, chances are, they're at the center of it. Often seen in comedy, especially when the writers get lazy and don't even bother to Hand Wave their plots anymore. Also used egregiously in Sci Fi and fantasy series, with the chain of weirdness catalyzing in the pilot, and each specific occurrence resolved at the end of the episode. Bonus points if, at some point, one of the characters brings it up and questions, "Why does this kind of stuff keep happening to me/us," or notes that that "Ever since [the events of the pilot happened], you've been a magnet for the freaky." If the events surrounding the character are possible, just staggeringly unlikely, then they're a Coincidence Magnet. The title of Weirdness Magnet is reserved for those who draw the outright impossible -- involving monsters, aliens, magic, Psychic Powers, Time Travel, etc. Weirdness Magnets are also more likely to be explicitly noted by characters. If a Weirdness Magnet is the focus of external forces that causes things to happen around them, then they're a Cosmic Plaything. If there's something literally about the person that makes them attractive to the Supernatural, they're Supernaturally Delicious and Nutritious. If the Weirdness Magnet is a location rather than a person, it is either a City of Adventure or a town where nothing exciting ever happens. In anime, Tokyo is particularly vulnerable. In the US, New York is the place to go for excitement. In general, Earth tends to get more than its fair share of craziness. In any case, it may be justified by a Magnetic Plot Device. Alternately, they may have a gift or power which draws attention, because Magic Is a Monster Magnet. Magnetic Medium is a specific, character-based version of this trope, where the character draws the weirdness in because they are capable of sensing the weirdness in the first place. Or perhaps the weirdness came first and they merely became alert to it out of self-preservation. Some characters tend to be more prone to this than others: like the Unfazed Everyman, Cosmic Plaything, MacGuffin Girl, Strange Girl, Unlikely Hero, and Yuppie Couple. The Only Sane Man is often one of these as well. Often, it's because they have a Clingy MacGuffin, in which case these people consider themselves to be Blessed with Suck. If it goes on long enough, expect the character to start getting chummy with some very diverse "people", even picking up a Monster Roommate. This trope is one of the causes of the Superhero Paradox. The original Trope Namer was the Blue Devil comic book published by DC in the 1980's, where the main character's status as a Weirdness Magnet is noticed (and explicitly named) within the series. It was later adopted and popularized by the GURPS RPG. Not to be confused with Strange Attractor. Examples:
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![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)