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.
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.
The 30th edition of Trope Report is here!
The colorful month of June has arrived. In honor of Pride Month, we have decided to incorporate the LGBTQ+ flag colors into our mascot, Trope Reporter. While this newsletter is Pride-themed, we would also like to give shout-outs to Autistic Pride Day, Caribbean-American Heritage Month, Children's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day, the June solstice, and other special occasions.
Some minor wiki changes like Query Wishlist and Query Bugs being added to the sidebar and the "bookmark" button on the Trope Launch Pad being changed from a thumbs up icon to the original flag icon have been pushed live. You can read about those changes and others on the Changelog thread
on Wiki Talk.
Other notable changes that have happened over the course of last month are major TRS decisions that have completely overhauled well-established tropes like Broken Messiah, Peek A Bangs, Has Two Mommies, Catchphrase, and The Hero. More info regarding those changes can be found in our Changelog section.
Happy troping as always!
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Tropes and Works
Trope Spotlight
Obscure Tropes
This section highlights older tropes that need a boost.- A primary symbol of Pride Month is the rainbow flag, alongside other flags sporting different colors for each different sexual identity. All these colors bring to mind songs about colors. Colorful Song, which has been around since 2010, covers just that. With only 38 wicks, it's time to make it even more vibrant.
New Tropes
This section brings attention to recently-launched tropes that could use a little help to really get rolling.- Los Angeles may be named after angels, but you'll find nothing but demons there. Down in Hellish L.A. you'll find Gangbangers, passive-aggressive backstabbers and corrupt cops prowling the streets, looking for their next victims. The scorching sun makes the pavement boil like lava as a flood of cars choke up intersections. And don't even get us started on Horrible Hollywood looming down over all the washed up and broken talents it chewed up and spat out. Although it recently launched on April 22, it's evident that LA is considered a Place Worse Than Death to some.
- Imagine this — you're revisiting some old childhood nostalgia, perhaps a favorite TV show, a toy you used to love, or a restaurant you went to when you were little. Only, when you check it out, you discover that there's something... evil underneath. You're playing a Mascot Horror game! An emerging genre inspired by the success of Five Nights at Freddy's, these games emphasize twisted childhood nostalgia, secret lore, and lots and lots of ways to scare you. The page only launched this May, so check it out — just don't trust any animatronics you see lurking around the corner.
Work Spotlight
New Work Page Spotlight
This section covers newer work pages that could use a little help.- SPARKLE ON RAVEN is a 2022 animated web series created by ClownHouse, a web collective known for collaborating with SnapCube on Real-Time Fandub. The series follows Raven, a typical high school girl who has a night job as a magical girl, as she tries to juggle everyday life with fighting bullies from the school's many clubs. As an Affectionate Parody of fanime, it features the MS Paint artwork and poor audio quality typical of late-2000s fan productions, while taking the absurdity of it all in stride. It has a fairly complete main page and character sheet, but could still use a bit of attention.
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.- KaBlam! is a 1996 Animated Anthology from Nickelodeon. The show was hosted by Henry and June, two preteens who would present the audience with cartoons. These would often be in a variety of styles, such as traditional animation (Sniz and Fondue, The Off-Beats), stop-motion (Life with Loopy, Prometheus and Bob), live-action (Race Rabbit) and "chuckimation" (Action League NOW!). The show also aired pilots for shows such as Angela Anaconda and Untalkative Bunny and music videos for They Might Be Giants and The Zambonis. Despite the show's initial popularity, copyright issues involving the individual shorts have made re-releasing the show difficult, relegating it to Cult Classic status.
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!- While Gargoyles has been quite popular on this wiki, the same does not extend to its comic book continuation. Published between 2006 and 2008 by Slave Labor Graphics, it takes place right after the show's second season. It ran for 12 issues (plus a 6-issue spin-off, Bad Guys) before being cancelled due to licensing fees. Luckily, Dynamite Comics picked the series back up in 2022 to great success — with another spin-off, Dark Ages, being in the works.
- If you were a kid, or otherwise someone prone to playing web games, in the 2010s, you are probably familiar with Bart Bonte. Some of his most famous games include the ordering-based puzzle game Factory Balls, the line-drawing puzzle game Sugar, Sugar, and the series of puzzle games named after colors, starting with Yellow. Despite probably being one of the best-known developers of online games, there is no creator page for him yet.
- June 19th is the birth anniversary of the National Hero of the Philippines, Dr. Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. He is the author of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, novels against the Spanish occupation of the Philippines and the country's society that still resonate to this day after the Philippines' independence. His works have pages, yet the author himself does not have one, despite having had an illustrious life, streets all over the country named after him, and statues of him around the world. If it may, having a creator page for Rizal would be greatly appreciated.
- It's June time and many people will be graduating school, and as we go on, we should remember that Vitamin C (real name Colleen Fitzpatrick), a 90s to 2000s singer and actress, doesn't have a page on this wiki yet. Although she is primarily known for her Signature Song "Graduation (Friends Forever)", based upon the "Pachelbel's Canon" Progression, there are also some tropes to be found in the music video, her other songs, and the films and television programs she has starred in.
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.- Pokémon Trading Card Game is a Role-Playing Game based on the famous card game, and the first of many spin-offs for the Pokémon franchise. It functions much like other titles in the mainline series, starring a young boy who duels other trainers while acquiring eight gym badges to become a champion, but with the twist that battles are replaced with rounds of the card game. A Japan-only sequel was released three years later, featuring a more fleshed-out plot and more cards. Boasting some excellent pixel art—especially for an early Game Boy Color title—and a robust campaign, it's seen by fans as a great, accessible way to get into the physical game.
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.- Auli'i Cravalho is a Hawaiian actress who made her debut playing the title character in Moana. The film's popularity netted her roles in other films, such as Crush and Darby and the Dead, and in TV shows like Rise and The Power, as well as the leading voice role in Hailey's On It!, which releases this month.
- Aurora is a Norwegian singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Runaway" and "Running With the Wolves" from her debut album All My Demons Greeting Me as a Friend. Since then, she has released two more albums, including last year's release The Gods We Can Touch. She has made a name for herself in the Indie Pop scene thanks to her ethereal soprano voice, which netted her a minor role in Frozen II.
Image of the Month
This section brings you the best selections of the past month from Image Pickin'.
This issue's featured image is from Slimyswampghost, and illustrates Creepy Good.
This issue's featured image is from Slimyswampghost, and illustrates Creepy Good.
This is another case where the page had gone through multiple threads before a suitable pic was found, and boy, did we find one! All the best qualities that a pic should have are present here: it features very pretty art, but it also keeps things simple while simultaneously providing a good illustration for the trope. The character in the image, Long Horse, may have quite the kooky appearance (that's its neck in the background, and no, it doesn't have a lower jaw), but the dialogue is quite funny and oddly cute. It's far and away the winner.
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!
- Alternate Reality Games, also known as ARGs, are a unique and interactive form of storytelling. However, the ARG/ namespace itself has some complications. Not every alternate reality game we have is in the ARG/ namespace, while ARG/ itself may be more of a genre than a medium. To help discuss these issues, figure out the future of ARG/ and the works within it, and decide whether a new namespace may be necessary, pop over to the ARG/ Namespace Discussion Thread!
- June 12th this year is the 125th Independence Day of the Philippines. In celebration and honor of the Filipinos around the world and at home — especially Filipino tropers — we have a dedicated Covens thread about, by, and for Filipino tropers to discuss the vibrant culture and pop culture of the nation. Mabuhay!
- So, you wanna write a story that includes an LGBTQ+ character — be they gay, trans, aro, ace, or similar — but you need advice on writing such characters? Well, head on over to A Single Unified LGBT Character Thread over at Writer's Block! There, you can ask what stereotypes to avoid, how to convey accurate representation of queer characters of certain sexualities/gender identities, and so on! Anyone, queer or not, can ask and answer questions in that 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.
- There have been concerns that the site is too strict with what counts as thriving for Advertising Tropes (per Wick), since the site has a lack of pages for advertisements rather than there being a lack of examples in the wild. Therefore, the threshold for what counts as not thriving has been lowered to 0–11, which is the count usually used for newer tropes. Wiki Talk thread here.
- Alluring Anglerfish was merged with Luring in Prey — a trope for beings who lure victims to them — and then disambiguated. TRS thread here.
- Broken Messiah was disambiguated due to a lack of correct examples, and the original definition was sent to the Trope Idea Salvage Yard. TRS thread here.
- Can't Refuse the Call Anymore is having a Trope Transplant done by being split into two tropes: a generic symbolic death-and-rebirth trope called Symbolic Hero Rebirth, and a trope about the moment when the hero can't refuse the Call to Adventure anymore. The latter will reuse the original name and the former will be the original definition with a new name. TRS thread here.
- Catchphrase is having a Trope Transplant done, with character catchphrases being moved to a new name and the name Catchphrase being reused for a Definition Only supertrope. TRS thread here.
- Contralto Of Danger was redirected to Badass Baritone, which was previously disambiguated, due to redundancy concerns with the tropes listed on the latter. TRS thread here.
- Cuffs Off Rub Wrists was cut because it was determined to not be a trope, at least in its current state. TRS thread here.
- Excited Show Title was cut due to frequent ZCE issues and tropeworthiness concerns. TRS thread here.
- Exposed Eyeballs as Eyes was merged with Cartoony Eyes due to a combination of heavy misuse, a lack of wicks, and redundancy. TRS thread here.
- Gold Tooth was cut and split between gold teeth signifying villainy/evil/amorality (Villainous Gold Tooth) and gold teeth signifying wealth/status (Gold Tooth of Wealth). TRS thread here.
- Gothic Punk has been expanded to include works with modern settings that have Gothic styles and inspirations. TRS thread here.
- Has Two Mommies was turned into a disambiguation, since most of the use had no meaning attached to "has gay parents", and examples fit under other tropes. TRS thread here.
- The Hero was turned into an exampleless supertrope and Definition-Only Page for concepts related to heroes. TRS thread here.
- Heroes was renamed to Hero Tropes to more clearly indicate that it's an index and not a trope, while the former page was disambiguated. TRS thread here.
- The Love Slap Of Epiphany was merged with Love at First Punch under the latter name, with the former being disambiguated. TRS thread here.
- Out, Damned Spot!'s definition was expanded to refer to when a character vigorously washes/scrubs any body part of theirs in response to trauma, guilt, and/or disgust, and the trope was renamed to Scrubbing Off the Trauma. TRS thread here.
- Peek A Bangs was renamed to Hiding Behind Your Bangs and rewritten to focus on examples relating to shyness, antisocial natures, and/or hidden personalities, with examples related to sex appeal being sent to the Trope Idea Salvage Yard due to a lack of that type of example. TRS thread here.
- Power Walk was renamed to Team Power Walk due to misuse. TRS thread here.
- Suetiful All Along was cut for being Flame Bait that was redundant with other
Mary Sue-related tropes, such as Anti-Sue. TRS thread here. - The Team was retooled into an exampleless supertrope for the broad act of grouping characters together to accomplish something. TRS thread here.
- Wedding Enhanced Fertility was disambiguated between Surprise Pregnancy and Contrived Coincidence. It received a lot of misuse, and its definition of "couple conceives near the wedding date" was deemed The Same, but More Specific to Surprise Pregnancy with no narrative significance. TRS thread here.
- WTH, Casting Agency? was expanded to allow examples that were well-received pre-release, but considered questionable post-release (along with still allowing examples that were already considered questionable), and will be renamed to Questionable Casting. TRS thread here.
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.
- Happy birthday to Georgina Campbell, an award-winning British actress who starred in various television series, such as Flowers and Krypton. Her page could use some information about her, as well as some formatting for her list of roles and a trope list for these roles.
- Boone's Lick is a 2000s historical western by Larry Mc Murtry. The book details the trials and tribulations the Cecil family endures searching for their missing patriarch. Our work page on the novel only has four tropes and eight wicks, so it could definitely use some expansion from people who are familiar with the novel.
- Voice Clip Song is a trope that covers a special type of song mixing. Take someone's speech, use some editing magic, maybe Auto-Tune it, and presto! While last month's TRS decision regarding Stupid Statement Dance Mix has helped it gather wicks, it came at a price, as its already short description got even shorter. Some example-sorting and crosswicking would also help it immensely.
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.
- June sees the beginning of another season of the reality show Big Brother in the States. However, we cannot ignore one issue: the character sheets. When Season 16 and later got a lot of attention, plenty of shoehorning, cruft, and insults spread like wildfire. Meanwhile, the early seasons have a problem with example context. So, drop by the Big Brother character sheets cleanup thread and help evict some of these problems from the house.
- Our page for Go Animate is currently having problems with examples of Word Cruft, shoehorning, dead links, and complaining scattered about, especially due to the controversial nature of "grounded videos" created by users of the website. There are also concerns that the main page for GoAnimate is under the wrong namespace and should be moved to the Platform/ namespace instead, since the website itself isn't tropable and the majority of videos made with GoAnimate aren't made by the creators of the website. If you would like to help us, come visit the GoAnimate cleanup.
- Drinking Games are fun and all, but once the prompts devolve into nitpicking or bashing, or if the drinking game is solely for complaining, it's another story. Here at the Drinking Game Cleanup thread, the goal is to ensure drinking games actually function as drinking games rather than list things that happen hundreds if not thousands of times. In the spirit of matching the tone of wiki pages to that of the shows they're troping, the thread also discerns what kinds of drinks would be appropriate for each work, especially for characters and their trademark favorite drinks or for shows aimed at children.
- Since the end of April, the Artistic License tropes have been undergoing a short-term cleanup project to remove any potential misuse. If you would like to help out, please consider joining the Artistic License Cleanup thread.
Know the Contributors
- FernandoLemon writes for Work Spotlight and Image of the Month. He's openly gay, and wishes everyone well on Pride Month.
- War Jay 77 contributed to the Forumwatch section, and wishes a Happy Pride Month to everyone in the LGBT community!
- 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 contributes sometimes.
- plakythebirb, a pensive, periodical, parasocial, peculiar, and paranatural peacock, usually writes for Works That Need a Page.
- NoUsername contributed to the New Work Page Spotlight section this month.
- Excessive-Menace writes for the New Tropes section. 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 did not contribute this edition. He mostly participates in the Project Threads, TRS, Trope and Wiki Talk, sometimes ATT, and occasionally Image Pickin'.
- callmeamuffin wrote for this month's Work and Project Spotlights. Outside of Trope Report, you can find him participating in forum games. He also likes Pride Month, because it's his birth month too!
- MacronNotes contributed to the description this month. She spends most of her time on Wiki Talk, TRS, and other parts of the site.
- Berrenta assisted with the Article Changelog, and often finds other pages worth covering when doing TRS work. This month, she made contributions to Pages Needing Help and Projects. She's also celebrating her asexuality during Pride Month.
- GastonRabbit contributes to the Changelog, since he mostly moderates TRS, and adds changes after giving the go-ahead to make them.
- Cutegirl920fire got saved by bi icon Julie d'Aubigny from getting beaten up any further by F. Scott Fitzgerald, so now she's able to write for this month's issue; to be specific, she wrote for the Forumwatch.
- Alnair 20 Aug 93, an asexual orange cat, guest writes for this issue, and modified the page image with a rainbow-themed color bar.
- Cardboard Bot drew the image of this issue.
- Twiddler makes sure our grammar is in order.
- Trope Reporter (real name Taylor Von Trope) is the mascot for Trope Report whose TV head is used as this edition's image.
This edition of Trope Report is brought to you by the Video Outpost "Too". This Pride Month, we're offering you a 2-for-1 deal: rent any VHS from our collection and you get another one for free! Offer applies to all our active franchises across Possum Springs and Bright Harbor.
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.)
and let us know! We don't bite. (Much.)