For a list of bad laconics, see Sandbox.Pages Needing Better Laconics.
For generally accepted guidelines for laconics, see Sandbox.Laconic Wiki Template.
Today I found out an interesting fact from troper Ironeye:
Don't ever make the mistake of using the Laconic version as the canonical trope meaning—the laconics are often written by people who don't actually understand the drop. In this case, the laconic only corresponds to one possible cause of Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy.
The Laconic Description for DIAA states as follows:
The thing is, these descriptions are supposed to make it easier to understand what the page is about. If they can't be accurate as well as short and sweet, then there's a problem.
So for starters, what would be a better description for DIAA?
Edited by MacronNotes on Jan 29th 2023 at 6:23:45 AM
The Unknown
Created Laconic.Open Ended Boss Battle.
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?
Laconic.Named After Somebody Famous
"A character named after someone who's famous in Real Life."
Change to "Something named after"... because there are examples where it's not about the naming of people. Like in the Real Life section, with ships, etc.
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Blapper of Water
Any opinions on my suggested change for Götterdämmerung? (link to suggestion
)
Still my fave
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
That sounds good.
Blapper of Water
I also agree that More than Mind Control should get a re-write. It's been about a month since ~Dragonfire5000 suggested a re-write, so I'll offer a suggestion myself. Totally willing to see dragonfire's re-write suggestion, too.
Currently:
Suggestion:
![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
I like your suggestion.
Blapper of Water
I've made the change.
Look at all that shiny stuff ain't they pretty
Laconic.Zero Dark Thirty was created by a new account and it is not exactly hard to see it as being sarcastic
Veteran Editor IV
I improved it only a little, since I'm not familiar with the movie. Anyone who watched it may want to make it more accurate.
Also, has anyone heard of Fast Eddie? I don't mean the troper, I mean the video game. Since I've added a page on the game, Laconic.Fast Eddie feels wrong, since it's only about the troper and not about the game. My suggestion for an upgrade:
The troper: TV Tropes' retired founder.
The video game: A platformer about Eddie trying to collect things like hearts.
edited 8th Nov '17 10:47:33 AM by Piterpicher
Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
Blapper of Water
We've had other Laconic/ pages with two laconics cut before, for some reason. But for this one I think it'd make sense to have it:
The Video Game: A platformer game starring a fast man named Eddie who collects prizes and avoids Sneakers.
And then for the thing at the bottom:
- The troper is going where he is going, and the video game has a lot of hearts to give.
I just think a total re-write is unnecessary.
edited 8th Nov '17 10:54:42 AM by WaterBlap
Look at all that shiny stuff ain't they pretty
Veteran Editor IV
That's a good upgrade, if anyone else agrees, please post in the edits for locked pages thread citing this thread.
edited 8th Nov '17 11:02:30 AM by Piterpicher
Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
Blapper of Water
If anyone else would like to comment on the suggestion, that'd be appreciated. Though I guess I could take it to the locked page's thread and it'll get feedback there...?
On a different issue, I saw a few Laconic/ pages that had sinkholes to Exactly What It Says on the Tin. I decided to go down the rabbit hole a little bit. Here's a (partial) list of Laconic/ pages that seem to need improvement and that seem to rely too heavily on the sinkhole to EWISOTT. I realize there's also this clean-up thread, but it's kind of died down and this is primarily about the laconic descriptions that happen to be poorly written due to the pothole / sinkhole issue.
Rather than doing a spree of unilateral changes, I figured I ought to bring 'em here.
- Ancient Evil
- LaconicTropeDistinctions.A To D: Under the entry for Big, Bulky Bomb, whose laconic page is here.
- Awesome Art
- Badass Gay
- Bad Santa
- Beggar with a Signboard
- Big Door: This trope probably needs a better description. I think it's a trope, but it currently reads like it's literally just a big door. Mentioning this page here because a door being large isn't a trope, so that couldn't be the valid Laconic/...
- Black and Nerdy
----
Also, I noticed that Airport Novel still hasn't been changed. I still suggest "A cheap, large paperback novel written so that anyone could read it within a single sitting."
----
EDIT: I'm going to suggest some changes rather than just point them out. My brain's been kind of all over the place for the past day or so, ugh.
- Ancient Evil (could also use a better description but that's a different thread): A being, force, or civilization that (a) is evil and (b) pre-dates the historical record.
- Awesome Art: Art that happens to have a really great, detailed, or beautiful artistic appearance.
- Bad Santa: Either the real Santa Claus or an impostor has become violent and evil.
- Beggar with a Signboard: A homeless or unemployed person asking for money or a job via a cardboard sign.
edited 9th Nov '17 2:54:10 PM by WaterBlap
Look at all that shiny stuff ain't they pretty
About the Fast Eddie suggestion in post 286: the troper part is worse, I think, because it has three links. It may be considered a Chained Sinkhole. Plus the previous suggestion was more clear and concise. The video game part, though, is good.
And I don't get the "The troper is going where he is going" reference.
edited 10th Nov '17 1:50:26 PM by Gosicrystal
Veteran Editor IV
The triple pothole thing was in the original too, and the "Going where he's going" part is a reference to his Troper page.
Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
Then the original was bad style, too.
Blapper of Water
The "going where it's going" thing is a quote of his, I believe. I'm good with the other suggestion for the troper laconic; I at first thought it wasn't necessary to change it, but yeah, it is just a chained pothole.
Look at all that shiny stuff ain't they pretty
Veteran Editor IV
Alright, so we'll keep the Video Game laconic and the links to unabridged version from Water Blap's post and for the Troper laconic we'll use my suggestion? It will look like this:
The Troper: TV Tropes' retired founder.
The Video Game: A platformer game starring a fast man named Eddie who collects prizes and avoids Sneakers.
- The troper is going where he is going, and the video game has a lot of hearts to give.
Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
That's good.
Blapper of Water
Alright. I'll update my edit request since there hasn't been a "DTH" announcement yet.
Look at all that shiny stuff ain't they pretty
Laconic.Dumb Is Good: "Stupid characters are always nice."
Isn't that too specific to one meaning of good?
Although, PlayingWith.Dumb Is Good says: "Smart people are mean, dumb people are nice."
...
How about: "Being dumb is better than being smart."
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Blapper of Water
![[tdown]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_down_emoticon_3571.png "[thumb down]"){kind=small}
that implies the trope is the idea that "good" is a value judgment rather than a description of ethical status...?
True, but do you agree that the Laconic needs changing?
How about "Bring dumb is portrayed more positively than being smart."?
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
I'm helping!
Laconic.Wave Motion Gun is "How's this for a laser gun?"
This explains precisely nothing. I still don't know what the trope actually means — is it just "very large deadly lazer" or what?
Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
You're right. How about "A Ray Gun that packs as much power as a Weapon of Mass Destruction"?
Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Yes on Laconic.More Than Mind Control needing a rewrite.
Gonna implement my rewrite for Non-Elemental in a bit.
edited 28th Sep '17 4:11:37 PM by Karxrida
If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?