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.
It's March, and with the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere comes our 39th issue. It's the month of St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Ramadhan, and the March equinox, all of which have been incorporated into this month's report. Our plan for this newsletter is to ease you into the changing seasons and various springtime holidays and observances, so settle down, enjoy the (hopefully) warmer weather, and maybe check out a few of the works, tropes, and forum threads we think you'll enjoy.
The Trope Repair Shop has had a quiet month, but that doesn't mean there's been no changes. Tropes like Cool Old Guy / Cool Old Lady, Robot Clown, and Basso Profundo have had some changes made. Check out our Changelog for more information.
We hope you all have an excellent month of March, and of course, happy troping!
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Tropes and Works
Trope Spotlight
Obscure Tropes
This section highlights older tropes that need a boost.- As we step back into spring, people are no doubt going to want to start growing some beautiful new flowerbeds to bring some life and color to their yard. Unfortunately, in fictionland, such flowerbeds are practically destined to be destroyed. An Ill-Fated Flowerbed is when those beautiful but fragile flower gardens are destroyed, as if they're magnets for ruination. Though a common gag, the trope has only sprouted onto 53 pages since being sowed back in 2017. Why not provide the light, water, and wicks it needs to avoid the same tragic fate as all of those fictional flowerbeds?
- Spring cleaning is just around the horizon, and what better way to procrastinate than — instead of actually doing the cleaning itself — answering a Multiple Choice Form Letter about the cleaning? As the trope is about using fill-in-the-blanks or bubble sheets to cut down on any real personalization, it'll also work for those who are merely too busy with cleaning to stop for a break. However, it's only amassed 25 items since the de-cluttering started. Adding some items yourself is encouraged, so why not add to the de-cluttering process?
New Tropes
This section brings attention to recently-launched tropes that could use a little help to really get rolling.- As winter passes in the Northern Hemisphere, you may notice outside that the sad, monochrome snow is starting to disappear, and the environment is on a quest to reveal lovely shades of pink, blue, yellow, and green again. Spring really is Coloring in the World! This trope, launched on February 12, revolves around the plot of characters trying to return or bring color into a monochromatic world or area, either literally or metaphorically.
Work Spotlight
New Work Page Spotlight
This section covers newer work pages that could use a little help.- Masters of the Air is a 2024 war drama miniseries produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It is their fourth collaboration together, following Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, and The Pacific. In stark contrast to the latter two shows, which focus on the life of infantrymen in Europe and the Pacific, this series focuses on the airmen of the US 100th Bomb Group. As part of the US 8th Air Force, the 100th is tasked with bombing German military and industrial targets in very risky daylight raids.
- This year, the Islamic holy month of Ramadhan begins on March 11th or 12th. With that being said, there's much more to fasting than abstaining from food and drink in the day. Ramadhan as a whole serves to teach empathy for the less fortunate, which explains why it's an auspicious month for generosity and giving. The truly tricky part, however, is making the good habits stick for the rest of the year, so what's a Muslim to do? The animated series I'm the Best Muslim is excellent at showcasing how to be a shining example to others, both during Ramadhan and outside of it, according to The Prophet Muhammad's example. These lively animations are entertainingly informative regardless of one's faith, so they're an ideal watch for Muslims who need an uplifting reminder, or any curious soul who wants to learn what it means to be a Muslim.
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.- Tokyo Xanadu is an Action RPG created by Falcom that was released for the Play Station Vita, with an Updated Re-release for the PlayStation 4 (titled eX+) and later for PC and the Nintendo Switch. The story follows Kou Tokisaka, who, after a run in with monsters named Greeds, must work with his classmate Asuka Hiiragi and a few others to explore other-dimensional labyrinths and save their town, Morimiya. Despite the relatively simple premise, it gained a cult following for its fun gameplay and characters. With the release of the Switch version in English this June, it's high time to give the page some looking through.
- Princess Natasha is a Flash cartoon that premiered on AOL Kids and was later made into a show for Cartoon Network. The series follows the titular Natasha, a princess from the fictional European country Zoravia, who is sent to the US to stop her uncle, Lubek, from harming her country. Despite AOL Kids shutting down in 2013 and the series having a lot of lost episodes, you can still help add more to the page.
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!- Thomas Mann was an early 20th century German novelist, social critic, and essayist who wrote numerous novels, novellas, and short stories, including Death in Venice, The Magic Mountain, and Buddenbrooks. His stories have been recognized for their understanding of the mental behavior of intellectuals, some of his stories went on to receive film adaptations, and Mann received the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature. Despite this, he does not have a page on this wiki yet.
- Chezzkids Archive is a horror Alternate Reality Game centered around a lost Flash website for children, with nostalgic fans piecing together anything they can and discovering dark truths in the process. Boasting deep lore, nostalgic inspirations, and an interested fanbase, the story is one many horror fans are passionate about. Despite its success and active nature, however, the game does not currently have a page on this wiki.
- Hatena Satena is a 2001 video game by Hudson Soft for the Game Boy Advance. In it, the player is tasked with taking care of one of four different aliens in a format similar to a Virtual Pet, but with progress being made by coloring in grid-based puzzles that function like a cross between Picross and Minesweeper. Unfortunately, although it boasts some great graphics and music for the system, the game being Japan-only with no Fan Translation has made it somewhat obscure, locking players out of the story if they don't speak the language, despite the puzzles being solvable by anyone.
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.- Suzuki Bakuhatsu is a Japanese puzzle video game created by Enix in 2000 for the PlayStation. The story centers on Suzuki, a Japanese woman who must disable bombs in everyday objects. The silly premise combined with the crushing difficultly quickly made the game a Cult Classic for those into weird games. As such, it is time for the page to be given more love and a few crosswicks.
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.- Many regard Academicism as the most boring of the art movements. No soul, all technique. Yet, the most famous of its proponents is also the one who rebelled the most against it in his youth. Meet Alexandre Cabanel, the French painter who produced The Fallen Angel—a rage-filled portrayal of the devil with all the beauty of an Academic painting and all the emotion of a Romantic one.
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 (L-R) Delicious in Dungeon, World of Warcraft, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Monsters Can Be Heroes Too! and The Spiderwick Chronicles, and illustrates Our Kobolds Are Different.
This issue's featured image comes from (L-R) Delicious in Dungeon, World of Warcraft, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Monsters Can Be Heroes Too! and The Spiderwick Chronicles, and illustrates Our Kobolds Are Different.
Koboldly go where no kobold has gone before.Left to right:
One trend that popped up these last couple of months at Image Pickin' was the suggestion of new collages for the various Our Monsters Are Different tropes. But while the new images on Our Ogres Are Hungrier, Our Giants Are Bigger and Our Dragons Are Different show the variety that tropes like these can have, which is something all good collages should do, they all use the practically standardized format of placing screenshots in a grid. And that is why this image stands above the others; having these characters side-by-side is an innovative way to make a collage that still highlights the differences of both their works—as no two characters share the same medium—and, most importantly, design. From doglike to reptilian, cute to ugly, civilized to animal-like, these fantasy creatures show quite a lot of variation. A bold choice for Image of the Month perhaps, but one that deserves it nonetheless.
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!
- Do you like drawing your own Pokémon, but not have ideas in hand? Come to the Draw the Idea for a Pokemon Above You
forum game! People draw the 'mon prompt in the post above them, and then provide a prompt of their own for the below person. If you want to improve your drawing chops, this is the place to be. - Late 2023 saw the creation of guessing game threads inspired by Guess the Disney Character 2.0, and these games are equally as fun as the inspiration! Come play Guess the Paramount Character, Guess the Warner Bros. Character, Guess the Sony Character, Guess the NBC Universal Character, and Guess the Amazon MGM Character, especially since these games need a little more attention.
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.
- Basso Profundo has been merged with Voice Types. Examples of deep voices used as a gag will be stored in a sandbox for a potential trope. TRS thread here.
- Cool Old Guy and Cool Old Lady have been merged, as it's determined that gender difference is too insignificant. The merged trope is set to have a new name. TRS thread here.
- The index Heroic Sacrifices has been merged into the trope Heroic Sacrifice to make it a supertrope. The index was also cut as it would be a plural redirect. TRS thread here.
- Made On Demand has been cut as it was not tropeworthy, and it was not thriving. TRS thread here.
- Nuns N Rosaries has been merged with Christianity is Catholic as it attracted low-context and "nuns/catholics exist" examples. TRS thread here.
- Obligatory Corporate Initialism has been cut as it wasn't thriving, and it had on-page examples that could not be crosswicked. In addition, it was seen as off-mission for the wiki. TRS thread here.
- Robot Clown has been disambiguated, as it was determined that "robot + clown" was not a meaningful grouping of traits, and was trying to fulfill elements of the already-existing Funny Robot. TRS thread here.
- Viewers Are Indexed had its scope expanded to cover audience perceptions aside from intelligence, and has been renamed to Creator-Viewer Reactions Index. 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.
- March's birthday is Jerome Flynn, an actor and vocalist who has been known for his roles in Game of Thrones, Soldier Soldier, and Ripper Street. He's currently fighting to have a complete list of roles, as well as a refined description that also touches on his singing career.
- It's a White Tomorrow, Team Rocket! is a radio drama spinoff of the Pokémon original anime series. It focuses primarily on the villainous Team Rocket and features a character exclusive to the radio show, Mondo, who is a trainee and a huge fan of Jessie, James, and Meowth. Before the page can blast off at the speed of light, one must denounce the evils of long descriptions and extend the trope example count to the stars above.
- Title sequences come in a variety of forms — some brief, some animated, and some more luminous. Those iconic intros in which the work's title is made of lightbulbs or a glowing font? That's Pull the Plug on the Title, which unfortunately is a dying star with only 25 wicks since 2009. If the story is ending, mischievous characters are prone to unplugging it, or worse, chewing the cable until the power goes out!
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.
- Navboxes and float boxes have been frequently used on various pages throughout this wiki to make things easier to navigate. However, they can cause some complications on some pages, depending on the situation. If you want to help improve the navboxes and float boxes, please visit the Navbox and Float Box cleanup thread.
Know the Contributors
- FernandoLemon writes for Work Spotlight and Image of the Month.
- War Jay 77 contributed to the Trope Spotlight and Work Spotlight this month. She celebrates her birthday in March.
- 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.
- Dark/Psychic-type plakythebirb normally writes for Works That Need a Page, but decided to slip into Forumwatch this edition.
- callmeamuffin recently closed down last month's flower shop, so he could write for this issue's Trope Spotlight (New Tropes), Work Spotlight (Works That Need a Page), and Forumwatch sections.
- Berrenta wrote for Pages Needing Help, while also covering for the Changelog.
- Ayumi-chan wrote for the Trope Report. As she focuses on school and her game backlog, she always makes sure to practice mindful education (à la Steven Universe).
- Black Faith Star wrote for New Work Pages this month. She can't wait for Ramadhan!
- Coachpill wrote for Trope Spotlight this month. He eagerly awaits Pi Day, both for the pie and because he's a math geek.
- alnair20aug93 made the page image, egg-xpecting for spring.
- Twiddler makes sure our grammar is in order.
- Cardboard Bot used to draw art for Trope Report and designed the mascot, along with the default image.
- Asterlix wrote for the Pages Needing Help and Creator Page Spotlight sections. She's most likely to be found rescuing old tropes or padding visual artwork pages. This one is also her first contribution to the Trope Report.
- Rmpdc occasionally contributes to the Trope Spotlight and Work Spotlight.
- Trope Reporter (real name Taylor Von Trope) is the mascot for Trope Report whose likeness was given a literal new resolution for this edition's image.
This edition of Trope Report is sponsored by the Tamasaka Theatre Troupe. As we bring in fresh graduates of Univeil Academy, brand new sparkling performances from our handsome Jacks and beautiful Jeannes will make your experience with them truly unforgettable. Tickets available now!
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.)