Angst? What Angst?: A lot of loopers manage to get over their baseline problems rather quickly once the loops start. Either because they eventually become powerful enough to easily deal with whatever/whoever was causing problems, or received help from outside loopers. However, it should be noted that this is a bit of a Broken Base amoung loop writers. Some feel it wastes good Character Development potential.
Archive Panic: That list of loops on the main page alone is taller than most browser windows.
Taking all loops listed as compiled on the main page, the total number of words written and compiled by all writers is, as of 2-21-15: 3,404,343.
Saphroneth's original fanfic, the MLP Loops, currently leads with 1,389,218 words total, over one third the total length.
As of February 27, 2017: The MLP Loops now have 2,042,068 words total.
Update as of September 18th, 2019: the RWBY Loop compilation has overrun the MLP Loops in word count, numbering 2,251,531 words total versus MLP’s 2,214,405.
Heck, the tropes page got so huge it had to be broken up.
A spacebattler called "Facepalmist" has been trying for several years to put together a comprehensible list of all the snips, complete with their canonical status in the community. Better not visit this on mobile; it stops showing the page after a while.
Naturally, how powerful certain characters are in regards to other characters, although arguably even worse in the loop setting due to how crazy powerful all the characters become eventually. Even when characters are powered down thanks to certain loops, there's still a hefty amount of debate over whether the characters could still easily handle whatever's facing them and if that makes the resulting story boring.
There's also the overuse of certain settings in the loops and plotlines common to the loops and settings. An example being Equestria being the dedicated 'heal all problems' loop for nearly all the loopers. Some think it's good because the Equestrians are used to it by this point, and the most experienced with it. Others don't like it because the "healing a looper's personal problems from their baseline's plot" has been overdone to the point of cliché for some, and others feel it wastes good character development potential for the characters of said loop because they couldn't overcome it without outside help, and it often only takes one loop for the Equestria loopers to pull it off. note In Chapter 149, this trend is subverted when the ponies come across a problem that can't be solved so easily.
Exactly how the mechanics of characters 'Awaking' for the first time in the loops work is a subject many authors of the loops can't seem to agree upon, resulting in contradictions all around. The only thing set in stone is that they have to be important to the local Anchor in some way to start looping. Ask any of the authors about specifics though, and one will likely tell you only characters from baseline can loop, while another will say characters that originate from variants can loop, while others will say variant originated characters can only loop if soul bounded to the anchor, while others say they have to be soul bounded to an artifact that they can stuff in their subspace pocket to survive the loop transition, while others say that's impossible because subspace pockets can't hold sentient creatures, even if they're in a non-sentient object like a Pokeball... And then there are people who say pretty much the only qualification is how popular they are with the readers, and if people / the authors care about them enough to do so.
Darker and / or serious related snips / loops. Especially if your trying to submit it to a more light hearted loops adaption. No matter how well written it is, it will get people arguing about whether it should go up or not because of it being dark, or if the darkness is really necessary. While more serious adaptions or adaptions of works set in a dark universe generally don't mind it, it's not unheard of to hear people arguing about this kind of thing there too, especially if they consider it dark even by their standards.
What is canon? That can get nasty real fast.
To expand on it, this is typically only relegated to Innortal's Loops, which have their own problems, but there's one other point that gets nasty. Namely, certain people think that if they get a few likes, then a snip is canon, while others say that anything not in a compilation on FF.net is not canon, yet or otherwise. Considering the rate at which some compilations update, this can be a source of frustration.
The "nutcracker" incident. Not much is known about it, but it resulted in a movie being watched by non-loopers that was so incredibly terrible it shocked a few of them into looping. Some writers found the idea hilarious and a good way to get non-loopers that wouldn't normally loop looping, while other writers found the idea stupid and refused to treat it with anything resembling canon. To this day, its status as canon is still up in the air...
People editing the TV Tropes page itself to update about their own loops / snips. It's divided between the authors who just like editing TV Tropes and what they've written stays fresh in their heads, authors who primarily edit for their own loops and don't see what the problem is, people who don't edit at all because they either can't or won't, and people who feel like other people who don't write for the loop should be the ones to do it because of such things as notability. note It should be noted though, TV Tropes itselfhas no rules against this, but the backlash that usually results in the community when an author goes on an update spree about their loop is enough to keep most authors afraid of posting anything about their loop to the TV Tropes page.
What's the best way to take an axe to the fandom? Suggest a villain as a looper. And for bonus points, suggest that they should remain villainous while looping. Really, suggesting any new MLEs outside of the established ones will cause a major stir. Even if they're about as competent as Team Rocket, it will result in Torches and Pitchforks from both supporters and detractors.
This has been essentially nullified after the Crisis Across Infinite Loops, an arc that resulted in the Activations of a flood of villainous Loopers (such as Moriarty), as well as lessened restrictions on future villainous Looper Activations (such as Grodus). Villainous Loopers are on the table again, though suggesting a villainous Looper that wants to flat-out destroy Yggdrasil will still sow chaos.
If you want to really stir the pot, have a non-looping character prove to be a regular challenge for most loopers. Doing so will not only get you the arguments above, but also arguments over whether the non-looping character even can reasonably present a challenge to any given looper, just on the sheer experience gap alone.
Innortal's original loops. Did they have genuine funny moments, or were they mostly perverted teenager Wish-Fulfillment? Were some of the Original Seven's actions in them justified, or were they just horribly written? Should they be respected for creating the loops in the first place or, even though they did, that doesn't excuse how badly written they were? This isn't even getting into about what and which of his loops, outside of the original seven being the first batch of loopers, is and/or should be treated as canon...
Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Due to reasons both lost and best left unexplained, it was decided that PMMM and Madoka would be used as the example of why Ascension was a bad thing. This decision did not factor in the possibility of writers wanting to write snippets for Madoka. The argument over restoring the universe had been going on for more than a year, with snippets put forward and withdrawn constantly note it eventually got to a point where a snippet deliberately parodying a resolution was seriously considered for fixing the issue'', before finally being resolved in the summer of '15, two years into the Infinite Loops project.
The Spacebattles loops. Are they still genuinely entertaining, or have they been dragged down by trying to explain each and every aspect of the setting? Do the rigid rules established for the setting help clear up confusion, or do they stifle attempts at creativity? Have they gone too far with the crossovers and forgotten about the time loop aspect of the setting? Is showing what the infinite loops are like from an admin level a good idea or not?
TricksterPriest: Controversial boundary pusher, or arrogant troublemaker? Either way, his name is a highly contentious topic.
GioGio: Jojo wanking overbearing jerk, or visionary frustrated by the sterile status quo?
Canon Defilement: If the TV Tropes thread under the Fanfics Forum for this fic is anything to go by, there are quite a few Tropers on This Very Wiki who see even the post Innortal loops as such, thanks to blatant use of Peggy Sue tropes to the point that the characters barely even resemble themselves after the first several loops.
Catharsis Factor: Watching an Invincible Villain who spent Baseline untouchable get easily outsmarted or curb stomped because the loopers are just that much stronger will never not be satisfying.
Some have called the Jojo Loopers as this. In fact, it's possible that the entire setting has reached this level, with some of the writers for it insisting that the only thing that can hurt Stands in the entire multiverse are things that one must get from the Jojoverse, meaning that anybody who doesn't learn such tricks are going to have trouble regardless of how powerful they are.
Pops up somewhat frequently with a number of authors whom have favorite characters or settings.
The Friendship is Magic setting, as a whole, can be considered to have reached this point. It's easily the most popular setting among the writers, and their setting and characters often ends up bleeding into the other loops to the point of overtaking the loopers of that branch, and they are some of the prime offenders of being able to solve all a looper's personal problems in the span of one loop, no matter how deep-seated in they may be. Don't even think about trying to give them flaws or let someone else get the jump on them, less you be shunned by the writers of the branch. In short, the FiM branch more or less taking over the series is a major reason why there are some people out there who prefer Innortal's original loops, despite its hotly debated quality among current writers.
Fountain of Memes: A meta example, Evilhumour. Whether they're good memes or not is a matter of taste.
Harsher in Hindsight: A number of loops. For example, in the MLP loops, Glida's home was a glorious empire. In Canon, it is quite different and Looping Glida essentially lost her childhood home. In the RWBY loops, there were several snips with Blake and Adam. Then came the expansion showing him to be a monster.
Naruto Loops: Even in the original Innortal loops, Naruto and Kurama manage to become friends as time goes on. Fast forward to the later arcs in the Manga, where they actually do manage to become something resembling friends. (Albeit, Kurama is a bit of a Tsundere about it...)
One of the first Kirby loopers was Marx, who, at the time he began looping, was currently still dead. Cue Kirby Star Allies, which not only revived Marx, but also had him do a Heel–Face Turn, much like he had in the loops.
In the Doki Doki Literature Club! Loops, Monika and Natsuki bet that if sexy Bowser became a meme, they'd have to become bad Sonic OCs for a Loop. At the time, it was obviously not going to happen due to the obvious niches a sexy Bowser could be... And then Bowsette happened and the two had to follow through.
In one Five Nights at Freddy's loop, Mike stops the owners of the restaurant from putting the animatronics in 80s themed outfits. Then comes Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach, which has the very 80s themed Glamrocks. Seems like the owners didn't listen.
One Xenoblade Chronicles 2 snip reveals that Rex decided to date both the Aegis girls as well as Nia. Come Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and it turns out that's exactly what he ended up doing in canon. With at least one child per girl, as well.
Numbuh 1 reveals that he's developed both fire and ice powers, with his fire said being inherited from an abusive evil relative (namely Father's), causing him to prefer his ice side. Sounds a bit like Shoto Todoroki, doesn't it?
Memetic Mutation: Given how long the loops have been going on, they have quite a few.
''X'? Why are we 'Y'?' Is a common gag started in the FiM loops where the characters laconically discuss the bizarre and sometime surreal variants they wind up in, like the original gag where Twi and Rarity looped in as cuttlefish.
'"Dammit, people! Stop voting for potato!"
Seasonal Rot: The Spacebattles loops have been hit hard with this over time, as the loops have become less about playing with the potential for comedy in the "Groundhog Day" Loop concept, and more about writing crossovers and convoluted storylines that happen to have time loops going on in the background.
Innortal's Loops:
Crosses the Line Twice: While there are debates over whether or not Innortal's loops are good or not, there are few who will admit that there are quite a few moments that manage to be so horrifying and insane that it becomes hilarious; an example being after a few loops where Harry gets fed up with Draco, he decides to retaliate by handing him a live hand grenade, much to Hermione's horror.
Nightmare Fuel: Implications of the premise aside, the loopers themselves manage to be this as well. They've become so powerful, and yet so bored. So they think of creative ways to pass the time. However, the Time Abyss has resulted in them losing most of their morals and misgivings. They are no longer the characters we know and love; they are half-insane, unkillable, unpunishable hedonists with severe PTSD.
In general, the male loopers prank each other or people who've annoyed them in ways that would be considered dangerous at best, deadly at worst. The female loopers frequently rape or gang rape the male loopers and non looping characters. And nobody ever stops them, because nobody can.
These factors tend to be what is brought up the most in the debates between what is and is not canon in the Innortal loops.
Unintentionally Unsympathetic: As mentioned on their main page, Innortal's loops could be seen as the Unbuilt Trope for the loops. Unfortunately, they weren't written this way, and the reader is expected to side with the loopers even at their most questionable.
Mega Man Loops:
Nightmare Fuel: The setup for the Megaman Loops. Their universes are so fractured and fragmented by whatever broke Yggdrasil (it's implied that the Megaverse was closest to 'ground zero', and was thus hit the hardest) that the first four loop attempts shown (over 25) broke down, with the last attempt to make Protoman an anchor collapsing in under 10 seconds. And as already shown by the My Little Pony loops, it gets worse before it gets better...
The Crash, and how it started. In a desperate attempt to save the badly damaged Mega Man Loop, the admin begins a merged loop. Things start off strangely enough, with no sign of the bad doctor, but all the robots being labelled "model-letter", leading to Models X and Z, implied to be X and Zero, who utterly destroy several Robot Masters before going down. Then Model V (Vile) shows up. Blues manages to help his brother and sister take him down, and everything works out fine... and then Blues is knocked out, and when he wakes up, he, Rock, Roll and the Unknown Looper are tied up as part of a strange machine. Then something apparently possessing Doctor Wily shows up, announcing that it's going to use them to escape the Loops and become even more powerful. Worse, Blues has encountered this thing before (it killed him in one of his failed Loops, posing as Doctor Light), and realizes that whatever it is, it's not supposed to exist. Then it begins the procedure. Something goes wrong, and the machine zaps Wily. The last thing Blues can recall before everything breaks is reality itself screaming...
Warhammer 40000 Loops
Broken Base: The ponies. The Warhammer 40K Loops were created to move the setting away from the ponies, but whether that's actually succeeded or not is a matter of some contention, given Leman and his brothers turn up with some frequency in the MLP Loops.
Crosses the Line Twice: A lot of events involving Slaneesh or Nurgle will inevitably do this. Particularly putting AIDS in beverages.
And of course, whatever the Orks end up doing tends towards this by virtue of Comedic Sociopathy.
Pokémon Loops
Hilarious in Hindsight: At the end of Loop 11.3 which is a Fused loop with Banjo-Kazooie, the Author's note says " Oh, hi Banjo and Kazooie. When is Microsoft ever going to let Rare put you in a good game again?" Cue E3 2019...
Informed Wrongness: In Loop 17.9, Naoki is called out by Chikorita for making fun of Team Meanies's name. Thing is, it is rather hard to take Team Meanies seriously because of the name and how up front they are in wanting to Take Over the World. Granted, a large part of it is because the team does change for the better later on but still...
Phoenix:(Edgeworth...you're always helping out. Note to self, treat him to dinner next time I see him.)
Attack on Titan Loops:
Crazy Is Cool: Sasquatch. Riding a dragon. Wielding cannons. Humanity's response? Mikasa.
Other Loops:
Broken Base: Part of the reason the Skylanders branch ended up becoming read-only. In-Universe, it's because of the portal hopping gimmick, but out of it, it was because whenever the concept of it becoming its own loop was brought up, there were both supporters, those who were neutral on the idea but were interested to see how it would go, and protestors towards the idea who flat out didn't want it looping arguing about it, even if it was so much as a passing mention that it's looping. Even when brought up that wouldn't be chronicled like the Classic and Legend Spyroverses were in the compilation, it did little to quell arguments. Eventually, it ended up becoming read-only, that way the characters could still be used if needed, without arguments over whether it was looping or not.
Averted later on with the introduction of the cartoon which became the the loop for the franchise.
The beginning of the (non-canon) Fire Emblem loops is this as well. Robin is the anchor, meaning that everything he remembers, Grima does too. Needless to say, Grima gets creative fast, Chrom and Lucina wake up to truly horrible loops, and Robin is trapped in his own mind for ages, watching his friends get tortured and killed over and over again. This setup ends after one chapter, thankfully.
However, this setup is followed by chapter 2, where attempts to stabilize the Fire Emblem loops repeatedly fail due to an unknown factor royally screwing everything up. The major contributor to the problem, Time Travel (ironically enough) is universally despised by every observer, who are doing their best to stop the Fire Emblem universe from looping. They are, unfortunately, Well Intentioned Extremists who will do what they think is necessary to achieve this goal... which means attempting to railroad and outright neuter as much of the random factor Robin brings into the equation. This comes to a head when it's discovered that Morgan, merely by existing, is the one responsible for the looping, and the higher-ups keep rewriting everything in order to ensure Morgan, as we know them, never comes to be, including manipulating Robin's code to the point that they set up an entirely new baseline where Robin is female and married to Chrom. Even the universe's administrators are disgusted by the "solution"note This is described as "morally repugnant"—in short, a Moral Event Horizon. Thankfully, thanks to Robin being a hugeDeterminator who firmly believes in Screw Destinyand one of the higher-ups acting as a Spanner in the Works, the universe begins to destabilize again, and are finally allowed to loop, thus beginning the Fire Emblem loops proper in Chapter 3.
Dio Brando's introduction snip in The Grand Battle of Pelennor. It's heavily implied that he fed all the members of Xcution to his zombie minions except Ginjo and Riruka, sexually assaulted her while her now mind-controlled leader and friend watched, began feeding on her blood, before throwing her body to a Zombie-fied Haku and Zabuza for them to devour. Made even worse when you realize that the Zombies now have a slavish devotion to Dio, so Haku and Zabuza can't really stop themselves from doing the horrible act.
The second Fused Mega Man/Sonic Loop, specifically the part where Sally and Sonic discuss Loops where they were roboticized, especially Sally's. Her friends start vanishing, one-by-one, replaced by insanely dangerous robot duplicates who remorselessly chase you everywhere, leaving her nowhere to run. And finally, Metal Sonic, the one behind all this, who has a truly disturbed attraction to her, captures Sally, and prepares to transfer her mind to a robot duplicate of her. He flips the switch... and the Loop ends. His machine outright killed Sally.
, currently leads with 1,389,218 words total, over one third the total length.