We've already got a list of Online Personas, but the wiki has been around long enough that you can recognise different editing styles. The types are very broad and obviously don't depict every individual's style and quirks. In fact, they're probably barely accurate for a lot of people. It's Just for Fun after all.
NOTE: A Type is based on what a troper does on the wiki, NOT their personality or attitude!
- Troper Policeman:
- Habitat: Omnipresent
- Function: Making sure nobody kills one another. Mediates in disputes and/or puts their foot down to end them. May ban or discipline other types, and normally has an important, if not deciding, say in any discussions. Edits are fairly rare, and usually a result of discussion in the forums or the Trope Repair Shop. Seldom seen, rather rare, always nearby.
- Favourite Tropes: The ones that don't cause flame wars.
- Trope Creator:
- Habitat: YKTTW and "Edit page"
- Function: Writing tropes. Spends a lot of time debating in YKTTW before toddling off to put their discussions into action via the Launch button. Generally not detail oriented, more interested in new ideas - their spelling and grammar occasionaly suffer for this cavalier approach. May "babysit" their own tropes, keeping an eye on them via their Watchlist, chasing off trolls and occasionally doing cleanup (though not on the same scale as an Editor). If they're in the Repair Shop, they're normally rewriting, discussing or defending their "own" tropes with/from a Repairman.
- Favourite tropes: Creator Tropes and their own "babies"
- Trope Editor:
- Habitat: "Edit Page"
- Function: The cleanup crew. Despising typos and bad information, they swoop in to correct bad grammar and factual inaccuracies. A large part of what makes Wiki Magic work, the Editor is detail-orientated and can spot a mistake from a mile away. When you look through a page history, you might not even notice an Editor's changes -- but red text will vanish and spelling will appear to readjust itself.
- The Rewriter. A Trope Editor Variant. Rewords a trope description entirely, usually because of poor writing, but occasionally simply to put it into their own words without going through the Repair Shop.
- Trope Repairman:
- Habitat: Trope Repair Shop and "Edit Page"
- Function: They tidy up tropes, rename them and occasionally put the floundering ones out of their misery. Very detail-oriented and diligent, occasionally nitpicky, they do the legwork when a trope's name is changed, picking through the trope's Wicks to reflect the name change. Often involved elsewhere on the forum; they like discussion. Any tropes that they themselves create will normally spend a long time in YKTTW, to reduce the chance that their creations will end up in the repair shop. Favourite Tropes: Those that don't end up in the Trope Repair shop.
- The Americanizer:
- Habitat: "Edit Page" of tropes written by someone who uses British English
- Function: Driven by a deep seated hatred of the letter "u", the firm belief that the goshdarned "s" is overrated, and a profound love for the letter "z", The Americanizer changes any British spelling to its American counterpart, regardless of the official etiquette of TV Tropes. They are detail oriented, but other tropers wonder who has that much time on their hands. Not So Different from their British Spelling counterpart, though they'd die before admitting it.
- Favorite tropes: Xtreme Kool Letterz, We All Live in America
- The Britishiser:
- Habitat: "Edit Page" of tropes written by someone who uses American English
- Function: Driven by their hatred of the letter "z", the belief that the letter "s" jolly well earned its place in the language, and a deep love for the letter "u", The Britishiser changes any American spelling to its British counterpart, regardless of the official etiquette of TV Tropes. They are detail oriented, but other tropers wonder who has that much time on their hands. Not So Different from their American Spelling counterpart, though they'd die before admitting it.
- Favourite Tropes: British English, Useful Notes On (insert home country here)
- Trope Browser:
- Habitat: Everywhere, really, except "Edit Page"
- Function: A writer is nothing without a reader, and this is the reader. They observe, stay out of arguments, peruse the Launch and New Edit list, and follow their favourite shows. Sometimes too shy to jump in feet-first, sometimes simply happy to access the database. They may have a Troper account; they may not. A freewheeling troper type, usually unnoticed by those writing on the Wiki...but the largest group of all.
- Favourite Tropes: Any and all, especially new ones.
Hello, Unknown Troper. You'll need to get known to lend a hand here.
- Activist Troper, or Troper with an Agenda
- Habitat: Any trope with any potential to get political
- Function: This troper is strongly eager to promote a cause. Whether it's Christianity, feminism, or ensuring free ice cream for all, this troper will promote it in his or her editing if it is relevant to do so, and sometimes won't even reserve it for these occasions.
I am definitely The Trope Truther. I am all over the Real Life sections of tropes, especially High Octane Nightmare Fuel and Fridge Horror, but that's just me. I came up with the above example through this experience: I added the Duggar family example on the aforementioned real life section for Fridge Horror because I genuinely find it horrifying that the Duggars have 10 sons, meaning that it's most likely that at least one of them will turn out to be non-heterosexual, and yet because of their support for organizations that are anti-gay as well as their fundamentalist Christianity, they would probably be hostile toward whichever child(ren) turn(s) out to be non-heterosexual and then someone removed it. I don't know for sure, but I think the person who removed it may be an Activist Troper who is a devout Christian or just homophobic. I don't know for sure, but this is what I think. Even if it's not so, I think there are definitely tropers like this. I admit that I fit into this archetype myself, but I take care to follow the Rule Of Cautious Editing Judgement and not let myself get too carried away on an Troper FilibusterNot sure if we want to list these more negative types.
Not sure if we want to list these more specific types.
- Activist Troper, or Troper with an Agenda
- Habitat: Any trope with any potential to get political
- Function: This troper is strongly eager to promote a cause. Whether it's Christianity, feminism, or ensuring free ice cream for all, this troper will promote it in their editing if it is relevant to do so, and sometimes won't even reserve it for these occasions. It can be positive if they keep their head and be respectful of other people's views, but the Activist Troper may have a negative impact if they start removing anything they don't agree with or go on a Troper Filibuster right in the middle of a trope page.
- Favorite Tropes: Whatever tropes and works have anything to do with whatever issue they happen to support.
- Natural Enemy: Other Activist Tropers with opposing views
This is an obvious subtrope of the Single Issue Wonk. I personally agree with the idea of wording it as a wildlife documentary and being careful to not mention specific tropers. If this is going to be worded like a wildlife documentary, narrating the potential conflicts in that fashion would definitely augment its appeal in that respect.- The Patriot
- Habitat: Tropes connected to their country of origin, as well as Values Dissonance
- Purpose: Defending their territory. Patriots are often found pottering around in the Useful Notes section, ensuring that the information on their particular country stays up to date. Sensible versions gently correct stereotypes and conduct discussions on the forums; less sensible types charge into the middle of any trope that mildly criticises their country with flaming torch and pitchfork at the ready. Neither is fond of sweeping genralisations about their country of birth, but the former takes a more tolerant view and is therefore more productive. The latter natters incessantly, and can quickly descend into true Single Issue Wonk, if not outright Troll.
- Natural Enemy: Er...each other. Sensible Patriots don't think their more...zealous counterparts are doing anyone any favours. Said zealous counterparts think that the calmer version is a sellout and lacks commitment.
- Favourite Tropes: Ones connected to issues of nationality. The calmer type even likes those that are less than complimentary about their country (for example, Eagleland, British Stuffiness, Germanic Depressives) since they can get a giggle out of the stereotype. Expect them to put a disclaimer at the bottom of the trope though, if said trope doesn't make it clear that this is not the case in reality.
And, on an unrelated note: