Lost in Space
You might be interested in our Word Cruft article, which discusses the use of Purple Prose. The general answer is: Yes, it's okay to replace wording like that in cases where it is particularly awkward.
However, it's frowned upon for users to go on a crusade through the wiki to remove every instance of a thing that annoys them. This smacks of a Single-Issue Wonk. Our third core principle, behind "don't be a dick" and the Rule Of Cautious Editing Judgement, is "don't rock the boat". That is, don't make changes just for the sake of making changes.
"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
edited 18th Apr '15 1:01:11 AM by rodneyAnonymous
Becky: Who are you? The Mysterious Stranger: An angel. Huck: What's your name? The Mysterious Stranger: Satan.
Personally, I don't think the two examples you posted read as Purple Prose or are in any way unnatural.
Hi
I have no issue per se with either being used, but I try to limit them as much as possible. About the only time you'll catch me using "aforementioned" is if it's referring to a previous trope entry that connects to the one I'm writing.
edited 21st Apr '15 6:08:54 AM by Willbyr
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That aren't Purple, but neither one is the best way of saying it in the examples given. They're very rarely the best way of phasing an example.
...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.
I'll preface by saying I'm not a terribly "experienced" troper. This is an etiquette question for the most part. (And my first post on the forums.)
I see a lot of use of "said" and "aforementioned" in examples, and it grates on me every time. Two examples from Mid-Season Upgrade:
"The Toa Nuva returned after a 4 year-long break (in real life), when they received their Adaptive Armor upgrades at the 2/3 mark of the aforementioned arc."
"In Arthurian legend, King Arthur pulled the Clarent (a.k.a. the Sword on the Stone) successfully to become king of England. Said sword got destroyed in battle, but he was able to receive the better and the more famous Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake."
Both examples sound like they're trying to be eloquent, but end up pretentious instead. In virtually every case, these words can be replaced with shorter, clearer alternatives ("That" or even just "the", or the actual name of the object, like "the main arc" in my first example.)
Would it be rude of me to go and edit out and replace these words as I see them? I think it would make many examples clearer, but I understand that my opinion could well be subjective.
Thoughts?