History Tropers / Shrikesnest

I'm a freelance writer (read: unemployed) living in Minnesota (northern United States) with my fiance. I love music (mostly progressive rock, but I dabble in all sorts of genres,) philosophy and theology. My hobbies include video games of various sorts, as well as ''DungeonsAndDragons''; I DM for a group whenever the opportunity presents itself. I struggle with Bipolar Disorder Type I.

I love to contribute to the wiki, particularly through YKTTW, as well as the Video Games and Commercials tropes. Analyzing marketing is one of my most favorite diversions, and it's a pity that we don't have a more extensive section on advertisement. I used to be somewhat active on the forums, but as is usually the case with internet communities, I eventually found that I just didn't quite fit in. Since tropers are a pretty eclectic bunch, it can only be assumed that it's my problem.

This wiki has changed a lot since I started contributing here, some for the better, some for the worse. I really miss the light, informal tone we used to have when there was no pressure and the community was smaller, and we could have something like SoBadItsHorrible or IAmNotMakingThisUp without the cleanup becoming insurmountable. I understand why things had to change, and that there are plenty of other places to go to find snarky negativity on the internet, but I'll still miss it.

* AmIRight (Good ol' stock phrases)
* EveryoneIsRelated (This was one of my earliest contributions to the wiki; I would never have launched it now in light of YouAllShareMyStory and OneDegreeOfSeparation, but what are you going to do?)

* {{Badbutt}} (Definitely my favorite child)
* FMinusMinus

* BottomOfTheBarrelJoke (Perhaps my biggest regret is that I couldn't convince the other tropers to let me launch this as BackToThePenisWell... c'est la vie)
* NewspaperThinDisguise
* EverythingsWorseWithBees (The awful, awful snowclone that it is)
* DiminishingReturnsForBalance

* ArtisticLicenseBasicTraining (Another of my snowclones, originally You Fail Basic Training Forever)
* LagCancel
* CallingYourBathroomBreaks

* OldManMurray (which deserves so much more love than I have to give it right now)

* ArtisticLicenseBasicTraining (Another of my snowclones, originally YouFailBasicTrainingForever)

And the following works pages:

* AmIRight? (Good ol' stock phrases)

I love to contribute to the wiki, particularly through YKTTW, as well as the Video Games and Commercials tropes. Analyzing marketing is one of my most favorite diversions, and it's a pity that we don't have a more extensive section on advertisement. I used to be somewhat active on the forums, but as is usually the case with internet communities, I eventually found that there just wasn't a place for me there. It's lonely out there for a conservative intellectual...

Alright, alright, I'm finally giving in and making one of these little vanity pages.

I live in Minnesota (that's the northern United States if you're from outside North America) I'm a technical support agent aspiring to be a trainer. I do freelance writing and copyediting in my spare time. I don't have a family yet, but I'm nearly affianced.

I decided to become active in the site after IAmNotMakingThisUp vanished. I realized that, unless I paid attention to the wiki, my favorite parts of it could evaporate without my consent. I'm still learning a lot about wiki editing, so I don't know how to do a lot of the fancier links and redirects yet.

My handle is based on the shrike, a small bird that kills larger birds by impaling them on thorns. I once described the place I used to work at as a shrikes' nest; a tangled mass of thorns where the crafty attempt to impale one another. I liked the sound of it, and adopted it as a mantle: the clever can overcome the strong, if they're willing to be vicious.

My favorite parts of the site are the Video Games, Censorship and Commercials tropes, as well as YKTTW. I enjoy contributing to the site, mostly through YKTTW (either by suggesting new tropes or helping others improve their ideas) but also through cleaning up pages for readability and purpose.

I probably lean more toward being a FORK than a SPOON, but I tread a middle ground: clear and concise writing is very important, but I consider TVTropes a place of entertainment first and information second, and trying to sap all the fun out of the place isn't the way to go.

I feel that keeping a list of tropes I've created or done work on here would be counter to the idea of a wiki, so I'm not going to do it, though I can understand the temptation.