Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Tools
Cut List New Edits Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us Advertise DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links
 

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Newsletter / News 2022-05

Go To

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tropereportrebootlogo3.png

Where do you go to read the latest about new tropes?
What about old tropes with new names?
How can you find the best but least linked tropes out there?
Worry no more: Trope Report is here.

Trope Report is a monthly newsletter that intends to showcase works and tropes from all corners of this website. It also aims to keep the troper hivemind updated with pertinent trope changes and discussions.

April showers bring us May flowers and the 17th issue of Trope Report!

The admins have released a new feature called Isolated Pages which can be found in the sidebar under "Tools". It was initially only visible to mods, but now it's available for everyone. This feature allows us to see which pages have been flagged to not have Google ads due to content that violates their content guidelines. Pages on the list are almost always flagged by a bot, but mods have the ability to flag pages as well.

Other big changes that have happened over the course of last month are major TRS decisions that have completely overhauled well-established tropes like Asshole Victim, Kitsune, and Panty Shot. More info regarding those changes can be found in our Changelog section.

Not much has happened this past month, but we still hope that you'll find something you'll like in one of our sections.

Happy Troping!

~MacronNotes

    open/close all folders 

Tropes and Works

    Trope Spotlight 

Obscure Tropes

This section highlights older tropes that need a boost.
  • They say that April showers bring May flowers, and you may want to pick some of those flowers to bring home with you. Be careful, though, because this act might make some people go into mourning. Why? Because Picked Flowers Are Dead! This trope serves to characterize people as being so close to nature that they'll be upset over even a dead flower being presented to them. Despite being around since 2013, it only has 32 wicks and a stubby description, and could definitely use a little TLC to help it blossom.
  • In comedic works, sometimes there's the one character who seems to function as everybody's — or just an especially bossy somebody's — pack mule. This is the Human Pack Mule, seen accompanying their compatriots and carrying a bundle of stuff. When the goods are on their back, that heap is often several times taller than they are. Of course, other travelers seldom comment upon the pack mule's immense strength or ability to balance all this equipment. 110 wicks is a respectable number but a bit low for a trope that's turning 11 this month. Don't worry, it can handle carrying more.

New Tropes

This section brings attention to recently-launched tropes that could use a little help to really get rolling.
  • Imagine this: A brand new character has just been revealed, and you search their name up on the internet to learn more about them. To your surprise, you see that they already have tons of fanart about them even though it's been mere minutes since their announcement! It's almost as if it was Fanart At First Sight for the artists, churning out illustrations faster than anyone expected the second their eyes witnessed the new character. While a common trend in fandom and art circles, this audience reaction was just launched on March 14th, so it could use some more wicks to reflect this widespread fandom practice.
  • What kinds of angels do you know? You may have heard of Celestial Paragons and Archangels that hail from The Bible, but what of Metatron? He is seen as God's holy scribe and a figure of wisdom, giving messages from God to those who can withstand them. He's one of the few angels with a name not ending with -el, and one of the only cases of a human becoming an angel. And if you can find more examples and wicks, you may just play the part of messenger yourself and spread the word of this trope.
  • Vampires, ghosts, werewolves, zombies, demons... all of them are terrifying creatures of the night out for human blood. Normally, people would run away and cower in fear at the sight of them, but not our heroes; no, they will bravely fight against the nocturnal horrors with all of their might! The Action Horror genre, true to its name, combines elements of the action and horror genres to create a blend of exciting, bloodpumping battles and tense, terrifying scares. While launched on March 21st, this genre has plenty of examples itching to be recognized on the page.
  • Summer vacation's approaching, and you and your friends want to enjoy the season while jumping up to a higher grade, and school prepares for the next academic term. But hold up! Your report card's showing that you're missing credits from certain subjects like math, and only making it up in summer class can let you pass the grade. All that school skipping and perhaps world-saving has led up to this. And you can't help but say, "Summer School Sucks!" This trope launched on the 9th of April. Better re-sharpen your pencils and grab another notebook.

    Work Spotlight 

New Work Page Spotlight

This section covers newer work pages that could use a little help.
  • The page for My Alien Girlfriend (Doesn't Know I'm An Alien) was just created on April 29, as the comic in question only just came out in April. As the title suggests, it's about two aliens disguised as humans who date each other, not realizing that the other partner already knows the other one is an alien. While eight comics have been released, there are only four tropes on the page. As the story continues, keep an eye out for any Alien Tropes in disguise.
  • There are many kinds of works on TV Tropes, but rarely do we see a set of tarot cards troped. That changed on April 13, when the page for Mystical Medleys: A Vintage Cartoon Tarot was created. This tarot set uses Inkblot Cartoon Style imagery, with various tropes related to that art style and the era in which it was popular. While we can't predict the future of this page, we can examine the cards for any other tropes used in their art.
  • Coffee Crisis is a 2017 Beat 'em Up game, but only received a trope page on April 22 of this year. The game follows two caffeinated baristas fending off aliens who plan to steal Earth's various facilities, including coffee. While it has a fairly healthy number of tropes, it lacks a YMMV or Trivia page, and there may be more Video Game Tropes that could be listed, as well as, once again, Alien Tropes.

Older/Obscure Work Spotlight

This section is intended to highlight works that may no longer be in the zeitgeist — but that doesn't mean they're any less tropable.
  • Mixed-Up Mother Goose is an Adventure Game from 1987 that was remade multiple times during the 1990s. You play as a child whose looks can be selected. One night, you're whisked away to the home of Mother Goose, who tells you that her nursery rhymes are all mixed up, each having lost a crucial item of theirs that completes their particular rhyme, so you'll need to find and return them. The charming songs and animations should appeal to younger kids very well, and perhaps you'll find some nursery rhymes you hadn't known about as a teenager or an adult.
  • Julie Knew Her Killer, also known as just Julie, is a British Public Service Announcement from 1998 that lasts almost a minute, with a 30-second version released as part of the THINK! campaign. While driving her children to school, Julie notices that she is being chased by a van trying to tailgate her. She manages to avoid it, much to her relief, but then... Let's just say that if you watch it, you're going to take passenger and driver safety much more seriously if you haven't already.
  • Spindizzy is a game in Isometric Projection that was released for various 8-bit computers. As a probe called GERALD, you traverse a world that consists of 385 rooms, collecting jewels along the way. However, the company you're working for is willing to terminate your mission if it takes too long, as time is money. If you fall off, you will be brought back, but you will lose a chunk of time. The concept is quite ahead of its time, the aesthetics are really good (the Amstrad CPC version is recommended here), and trying to actually reach 100% is going to be quite the challenge.
  • The Immortal is an Action-Adventure game with a Dark Fantasy setting. The plot focuses on a nameless wizard trying to rescue Mordamir, his old master, from a series of underground dungeons, and meeting many curious characters along the way, such as a tribe of goblins and a wandering salesman. The game is infamous for its difficulty, with many gruesome ways for the player to meet their doom, yet it also contains a surprisingly intricate plot for the time and plenty of satisfying puzzles to solve. If you care to give it a try, the NES and Genesis versions have recently been re-released for modern consoles.

Works That Need a Page

This section takes a page from the List of Shows That Need Summary. It is intended to spotlight works that people have been talking about enough to link around the site, but don't have a page yet. If the work page link turns blue after this, then we know we've done our job!
  • Nobody Here is a Dutch website — though it does have an English version — that is known for... mainly just being weird. The website's home page presents you with a large amount of links to pages whose content can vary from written prose to interactive toys. Many pages on the site have a link to other pages, which means that one can spend a lot of time simply traveling through the links. It also has a buggy message board, in that everyone's avatars are actual bugs. While the discontinuation of Flash means that outside programs may be needed to get some of the pages on the website to work, the website has gained enough attention for it to be surprising for there to not be a page on it yet.
  • Destino is an animated short film that was originally conceived as a co-production between Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí. Featuring the surrealist imagery we've come to expect from the Spanish painter and many references to his older works, it tells the story of Dahlia, a woman who falls in love with Chronos, the Greek personification of time. The film is notable for its Development Hell, having been storyboarded in the 1940s but its production stalling until its eventual release in 2003, whereupon it received rave reviews and a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the Academy Awards. With Dalí's birthday coming up this month, why not use this as opportunity to give the short a page?
  • 24kGoldn is an American rapper born in 2000. He is best known for his single "Valentino" and the track "Mood", which is the lead single of his debut studio album El Dorado. He stated that he is not constricted to one genre, nor is his music easily describable. He even got his own platformer here! Despite making some awesome songs that are very much acclaimed ("Mood" has 300 million views on YouTube alone), he still hasn't received an article. I ain't tryna tell you what to do, but try to play it cool!

Non-English Work Spotlight

The wiki may be in English, but that doesn't mean non-English media are any less important! This section focuses on works that may have a language barrier to deal with — but are worth it if you do.
  • May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in these turbulent times it's always good to take care of oneself's mental health, such as making regular visits to the therapist. Die Anstalt is a German web game where you play as a psychiatrist treating some rather unconventional patients: plush toys! For each patient, you have to choose between a variety of treatments to figure out their issues and traumas. Every patient has their own quirks and problems, so you must be careful about which treatments to administer as well as the appropriate times to use them, as the cuddly toys can drastically change in behavior as their sessions progress. It's an oft-overlooked game with a unique premise and fascinating characters, and it's even free to play, so why not give it a try and play doctor?
  • Garden Party is a short film by Illogic, a collective formed by a group of former students at MoPA, one of France's most prestigious animation schools. A simple, dialogueless experience, it centers on an army of amphibians as they have fun inside of an abandoned mansion where something terrible went down, much to their obliviousness. Boasting gorgeous visuals and excellent storytelling, it can be watched for free here.
  • I Wanna Be The Boshy is an I Wanna Be the Guy fangame by Danish developer Solgryn. You play as the titular streamer, who even played it. Naturally, there are several references, such as restarting from a save cuing a soundclip of "It's Boshy time!" and the death quotes being his lines. That said, you can play as other characters, some of which are available from the start and others which have to be unlocked. Anyone willing to take on this ridiculous challenge filled with retro game references and impressive graphics?

Creator Page Spotlight

Works would be nothing without the people who make them. This section highlights authors, artists, actors, musicians, and everyone else responsible for trope creation and proliferation.
  • bill wurtz (whose name isn't Steve) is an American YouTuber, musician and soap enthusiast best known for videos like history of japan and history of the entire world, i guess. His songs are characterized by a mixture of Uncommon Time and Phrase Salad Lyrics, and his sketches are pure, unadulterated Surreal Humor. Both of these factors have earned him a strong following but, at only 52 wicks, his page could use more examples. (i hope i mentioned everything)
  • Alex "Cimoooooooo" Cimo has long been one of the most prominent YugiTubers (Yu-Gi-Oh! YouTubers), previously known for his formerly annual YugiTuber Grand Championship, a special tournament between prominent YugiTubers. Starting in 2020, he has been doing collab series with other YugiTubers which have gained a solid following for some occasionally hysterical interactions and surprising outcomes. His most notable works are the Progression Series, which is about opening virtual boxes of cards in chronological order and making a deck from them, and History of Yu-Gi-Oh, which demonstrates the history and development of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s competitive scene and best decks.

    Image of the Month 
This section brings you the best selections of the past month from Image Pickin.
This issue's featured image comes from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, and illustrates Hitler Ate Sugar.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hitlerdidntfloss.png
Who's gonna tell him that Josef Mengele was a dentist? note 

Perhaps this should be obvious, but just because someone is evil, it doesn't automatically mean that everything they do has to be evil. Hannibal Lecter enjoyed fine dining, Emperor Palpatine was a fan of opera, and even Lex Luthor once had forty cakes. And yet, this argument pops up time and time again, especially when it comes to the Nazis.

Zach Weinersmith — who has granted us carte blanche to use his comics as page images — was the mastermind behind this image. Sure, it may be a little rough to tell your kid that they're as bad as Hitler. But how else are they going to learn that they should floss their teeth every day? If you don't Scare 'Em Straight, they're just going to keep forgetting; they should be grateful!

So, to summarize: this is a really funny image. But you know who didn't think it was funny? Hitler! So if you didn't laugh, you're just as horrible as he was.

Projects and Discussions

    Forumwatch 
Hey guys! Welcome back to Forumwatch! In this section, we'll be telling you about what's going on in the forums — interesting discussions that may be going on in Wiki Talk, some fun forum games, or lively debates going on in On-Topic Conversations, you name it!
  • On TV Tropes, the Franchise namespace is meant to be reserved for works that have three separate media namespaces to its name (such as Film/, Manga/, and Pinball/, to give an example). However, the pages for fairytales throw a wrench into this, acting more as indices for derivative works. If you'd like to help us come up with a solution, visit the On Fairytale Franchise Pages thread in Wiki Talk, and get creative — we're discussing new namespace ideas, so it's time to brainstorm.
  • You ever make friends with another troper, only for them to take a break and never come back? Or perhaps you're just tired of TV Tropes ruining your life and have decided to temporarily step down from the site, maybe even permanently. It's always a bittersweet moment. If so, you might want to make a stop by the Absent people (On-Topic) thread, one of our longest-standing ones. Whether to post your last goodbyes or to ask the mods about that friend you haven't seen in forever, it's the best way to quell any concerns you might have.
  • Recently, Fountain of Expies and the many subtropes of Expy have come under discussion in Trope Talk because some of these subtropes may not actually be tropeworthy or notable. Currently, the discussion is trying to decide what to do with these tropes. If you want to add your thoughts, come on over to the Fountain of Expies, Mountain of Problems thread!

    Trope/Article Changelog 
This section covers renames, removals, redefinitions, hard-splits, merges, and wick cleaning. We'll try to keep you alerted to any major changes to the site, including perpetual projects and Wiki Talk decisions that you may have missed, but if you want to be a part of the process that affects so much of our wiki, then head over to the Trope Repair Shop on the left-hand side of the forum.

    Pages Needing Help 
This section highlights articles indexed on the Pages Needing Wiki Magic policy page and sub-pages. Such articles are, at best, under-performing and below wiki standards. At worst, these pages are in violation of the wiki's rules against stubs. If you're an editor, try checking out some of these under-performing trope and work articles to see what improvements you can make to the page.
  • This month we celebrate the birthday of Aaron Yoo, a Hollywood actor who has maintained a steady career in film and television. Our article has a good list of roles, so it's in no danger of getting cut as a stub, but it could easily be so much better. We don't really have any biographical details; where did they learn to act, what type of roles do they prefer, do they work in any other part of the same field (like directing)? The list of roles isn't in a clear order, so their first role might be anywhere in the list. There's no image for the page, so we don't know what they look like. If all of those were fixed, we could then move it to the Works Needing Tropes index.
  • Game Informer began in the 1990s, an era when video game enthusiasts learned and shared facts and opinions about games via magazines. While the rise of the internet has created many amateur and semi-professional replacements, GI remains a monthly series with a variety of narrative quirks to entertain their subscribers. The article, on the other hand, has been neglected. The only index (aside from Pages Needing Wiki Magic) is the medium, when we should have "decade released" and "country of origin" indexes as well. The trope list has indentation and context problems, and is half the size of the wicks.
  • For this month's trope, we're reaching far back into the wiki's history and examining The Take. Broader than Reaction Shot, this trope involves the same sort of physical response, but doesn't require the camera to cut to a different angle to capture the reaction. It's the source of the Spit Take, Double Take, and both the fast and slow blinks. For such an old and omnipresent trope, the article is in terrible condition. A rename wouldn't even be an option here, as it's a pre-existing term. The biggest problem this probably has is that examples that fit into a Sub-Trope are not to be duplicated on the supertrope. With this trope being so broad, how many newer trope articles have been created and not added here? Should it pull examples off of Character Reaction Index or have its subtropes duplicated there?

    Project Spotlight 
Looking for a project to dedicate some time to, but not comfortable jumping into large threads? Here are some smaller projects, or more recent discussions, in need of a few more hands.
  • Many pages on TV Tropes suffer from poor Example Indentation in Trope Lists, and some tropers may need help fixing up particularly bad indentation and bulleting. Luckily, the Fix Up Example Indentation Wherever It Is thread is here to help! If you need assistance with correctly indenting examples, head on over!
  • The Isolated Pages tool is a new feature that helps us track pages that are flagged for no Google ads due to various reasons. The Isolated Pages watch thread has been created to help clean up ad-unfriendly wording or content from pages when necessary.
  • A closed TRS thread for Shocking Swerve was brought back due to the wick cleanup not being finished. Wicks are being moved to Ass Pull or Plot Twist, the former of which Shocking Swerve was merged into. Complaining examples are being removed. If you'd like to help clean up the remaining 364 wicks, head on over!
  • Trope aversions should not be listed unless they are notable. However, said aversions have been overused quite a bit on this very wiki. If you want to help clean up these aversions, head on over to the Aversion Cleanup thread.

    Know the Contributors 
  • Piterpicher is the head honcho of Older/Obscure Work Spotlight and Non-English Work Spotlight. Those are the kinds of works he's interested in, but he's primarily a gamer. (Editor's note: he also made our snazzy new logo!)
  • crazysamaritan writes for the Pages Needing Help section, keeping an eye out for stubs and crosswicking.
  • FernandoLemon writes for Image of the Month and Work Spotlight. You may find him at Image Pickin' or playing one of our Forum Games.
  • Mighty Mewtron writes for the New Work Page spotlight. She probably hasn't seen these works before coming across their pages, but she likes to be involved in the growth of the wiki. Beyond the Trope Report, she's most active in the forums, TLP, and the pages for whatever work she's obsessed with this month.
  • War Jay 77 contributed to the Trope Spotlight, Forumwatch, and Project Spotlight sections this month. She is also the Herald of Projects: Long Term/Perpetual, and spends much of her time refreshing on the forums, ATT and TLP for new things to respond to.
  • gjjones writes for the Project Spotlight section. He also frequently spends his time working on projects whenever they are necessary, cleaning up wiki entries and participating in the ATT and Trope Repair Shop threads.
  • 𝕋𝕒𝕓𝕤 writes for the Obscure Trope Spotlight and Changelog sections.
  • plakythebirb, who is fully celebrating the fact that the arrival of spring means that birds are now everywhere, usually writes for Works That Need a Page.
  • Excessive-Menace writes for the New Tropes and Non-English Works sections. They mainly spend their time lurking and editing the wiki, as well as participating in ATT and writing for the Trope Pantheons project.
  • The Mayor of Simpleton wrote for the Changelog, Projects Spotlight, and Forumwatch this edition. He is a left-side forum participant, and mostly participates in the Project Threads, TRS, ATT, and Trope and Wiki Talk, and sometimes Image Pickin'. He is also celebrating spring's arrival, although mainly because where he lives it means the bitterly cold weather of winter is going away.
  • Alnair 20 Aug 93 writes for the Obscure Works and Tropes sections.
  • MacronNotes contributed to this month's description section. She spends most of her time on TRS, Long/Short Term projects, and TLP. She is also the herald of the Wiki Talk section on the forums.
  • Twiddler makes sure our grammar is in order.
  • DDRMASTERM contributed to Creator Page Spotlight. A bit of a drifter, he is most active in cleanup forums. Not a true master of DDR, but closer than most.
This edition of Trope Report is brought to you by Bloom & Doom Seed Co., your most reliable line of defense when fending off the living dead from your front lawn, backyard or roof. Keep your brains protected, or simply spice up your Zen Garden, today!

Interested in becoming a contributor, or have suggestions for works or tropes to feature? Pop by the thread and let us know! We don't bite. (Much.)

Previous

Index

Next

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top