Namer isn't even an example.: Step Three Profit

The line in the trope namer refers to an unstated middle in a plan (like Unspoken Plan Guarantee). It's actually the opposite of this trope (as stealing underpants is silly, but not complicated or expensive like the proper examples).

EDIT: I'm going to to a wick check and put them in my next post. It doesn't have that many wicks, but seeing all the inbounds, I think we might have a Trope Transplant here.

edited 9th Jan '12 3:08:14 PM by DragonQuestZ

• A.I. Is a Crapshoot - Misuse as a final step in a plan.
• Alluring Anglerfish - Also seems to be referring to a final step in a plan.
• And Then What? - That's Cut Lex Luthor a Check.
• Angry Birds - Misuse as a final step in a plan.
• Headscratchers.Assassins Creed - That's just using this a the third item on a list.
• Berserk - Misused for a very simple plan.
• Bomb-Throwing Anarchists - Just used for a plan where the middle is unspoken.
• Captain Planet and the Planeteers - Used as though it was Fridge Logic about how some villains get their money.
• Catch-22 - Um, that seems like just being a poor businessman.
• Cat Tales - Makes it seem like the trope is about simple, and easy to pull off, plans.

This is just ten so far (will edit in some more), but with literally 100% misuse, even in these few, it's not looking good.

EDIT: 20 more (making 30 out of 148 wicks):

• PlayingWith.Corrupt Corporate Executive - Actually got a correct use here, I think.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive - Misused for wealth without explanation.
• Cut Lex Luthor a Check - Misused for making a profit off plans.
• Dad Series - That seems to be just a South Park Shout-Out.
• Dave Barry - Actually is just a South Park Shout-Out.
• Dragon Half - Misused for skipping the middle step.
• Duke Nukem Forever - Actually is just a South Park Shout-Out.
• Edds World - That seems to be just a South Park Shout-Out.
• Ed Edd N Eddy - No context.
• Eden of the East - Not even In-Universe. The entry just claims it's this.
• Get-Rich-Quick Scheme - No context.
• Headscratchers.Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix - Just a troper giving a shout out to the trope namer.
• Have a Nice Death - Actually is just a South Park Shout-Out.
• Homogenous Multinational Ad Campaign - Refers to just making a profit off of a plan.
• How Indexing Works - Just the final step in a plan.
• Fan Fic.ITSMYLIFE - South Park Shout-Out.
• Johnny Wander - That's a recursive plan, not this trope.
• Just Cause - Misused as mere Fridge Logic.
• Keroro Gunsou - No context.
• Kickassia - Misused for missing the middle steps.

edited 9th Jan '12 3:32:09 PM by DragonQuestZ

I'm not seeing the problem...

• Step 1: something random, could go for several steps
• Step 2: Unspoken Plan Guarantee
• Step Three: Profit

That is not what the Trope Namer is. See the wicks.

edited 9th Jan '12 3:33:59 PM by DragonQuestZ

Cat Tails is correct use; can't come up with any plan with details on how to move from step 1 to step Profit.

I'm double checking them, now.

edited 9th Jan '12 3:37:08 PM by crazysamaritan

BTW, the description starts off that this has to be a poorly thought-out scheme. Again, the trope namer is not that. It works In-Universe. The point of it was that the actual plan was just a MacGuffin to the rest of the story, so the details were left out, but lampshaded.

EDIT: It's also not a "get rich quick" scheme, which is also part of the definition at the beginning of the page. It's an established business plan in the context of that episode.

edited 9th Jan '12 3:58:04 PM by DragonQuestZ

Yeah, the "get rich quick" part is irrelevant. The trope, from the description, is any plan that depends on only Unspoken Plan Guarantee in order to work. From what you're saying, it is an example, except the plan worked. In most cases, it won't.

edited 9th Jan '12 4:19:26 PM by crazysamaritan

If it's in the first sentence and laconic, you can't just declare it irrelevant. You'd have to at least show that part was thrown in later on and it wasn't originally like that. If that wasn't the case, you can't just throw out parts of the definition that don't support your argument.

As for the second part of your comment, it's redundant. "any plan that depends on only Unspoken Plan Guarantee in order to work" That's the definition of Unspoken Plan Guarantee, but with the trope name thrown in. So you're claiming this trope is essentially a trope that already exists.

edited 9th Jan '12 4:32:30 PM by DragonQuestZ

No, I mean you're right, it needs to be taken out. There is something to do here, I just don't agree to the extent.

And no, Unspoken Plan Guarantee is when the audience knows a plan will work, because we aren't told the plan. This trope is when part of the plan is missing, but the character planning thinks it will work anyway. There isn't a plan to not reveal.

Catch22 is a deconstruction, as it shows us mostly step 2.

1. buy cheap cotton
2. ???
3. profit!

Captain Planet is also correct, here's it in formula form:

1. pollute
2. ???
3. profit!

I think you're right for anarchist.

Berserk is fine.

edited 9th Jan '12 5:10:58 PM by crazysamaritan

I think you're getting at a plan without a middle step. If so (but correct me if I'm wrong), we really need to rework a description and fix the examples and wicks.

And possibly rename this, as the name only indicates the success of a plan, not the deliberate removal of an element.

Also, the Captain Planet wick still doesn't work, as it's assuming this trope is done through Fridge Logic, not In-Universe.

edited 9th Jan '12 5:08:30 PM by DragonQuestZ

The term "step 3: profit" I have only seen in reference to "a plan without a middle step". (Good laconic, there)

The Captain Planet one, I don't know the specific episode. However, paraphrased, the pig guy and rat guy's conversation (which let's the audience in on what they're planning) tend to follow this pattern;

• "why are we doing this again?"
• "because, you idiot, all we have to do is [act of anti-environmentalism] and companies will pay us thousands of dollars! Everyone will want us to do it for them."
• "[environmentalism objection]"
• "because nobody cares! Now shut up and get to work!"

The show is very anvilicious. So it wouldn't want kids to get the idea that evil is profitable. But, it wouldn't hurt to move that to a sub-page.

Well I meant the part about getting their money and funds with no explanation, which is also on a couple of other tropes.

BTW, some of the South Park references as wicks aren't plans either, so those are still misuses.

At any rate, I wouldn't consider this repair, as much as I consider it to be general clean-up/curating.

That does fall under repair. And we need to clean up the description.

I was told we can unilaterally make changes to trope descriptions, as long as we weren't changing the essential definition. I had also gotten the impression that tropers can tweak examples/wicks, or remove them, if the examples are bad.

Do I have this wrong?

Doesn't sound wrong to me... this is a wiki.

I thought that "no actual plan" was the point of the trope, or at least that's not even unspoken but so vague that there isn't much besides "Collect bottle tops, world domination" that's not left up to hope and chance.

Okay, messed with the description and labeled catch22 as a deconstruction.

Anything else need to be done, or can we lock this?