Not Tropeworthy: One Of Us

We already discussed One Of Us on the NRLEP page, and although it didn't get enough votes to remove the real life examples, it was agreed that this trope needs a run through the TRS.

Thread here: [1]

This trope is basically just a list of famous people who have "geeky" interests. This feels like People Sit On Chairs. Since geekiness is more socially acceptable now, it doesn't carry much implication besides "this person has a hobby." Many of the individuals listed are creators in the genre they are fans of, which shouldn't even need to be said (why would you say, write science fiction novels if you hate the science fiction genre?) The main article text includes this passage, which Tropers seem to have ignored:

"It probably isn't necessary to list every single genre fantasy or sci-fi writer here, though. Yes, we can assume that, say, Terry Pratchett or George R.R. Martin are gigantic fantasy geeks; it isn't necessary to say it... in fact, listing the fantasy or sci-fi writers who aren't geeks would be shorter. Probably because such a creature likely doesn't exist (except perhaps Terry Goodkind)."

Pratchett and Martin are both listed despite the article specifically saying they shouldn't be (not to mention the entire literature section is pretty natter-y).

Most of the examples listed already fall under other tropes, like Proud to Be a Geek or Promoted Fanboy, with the rest reading more like trivia, so this trope feels pretty redundant. What should be done with it? Possible options:

1. Eliminate the trope altogether and move examples to relevant pages 2. Re-work the trope to be something more along the lines of "unexpected geek" for people who are fans of things one might not expect them to like (say, Vin Diesel being a huge D&D fan) 3. Reclassify as trivia

Thoughts?

Edit: It looks like someone attempted to start a cleanup on the Long-Term Projects board back in 2014, but it never went anywhere. [2]

edited 1st Jul '17 12:18:31 PM by PegasusKnightmare

Going ahead and opening this.

Also of note, I've seen this used as literally "one of us [the tropers]". Basically, the person knows about TV Tropes and, in some cases, contributes to the site. That is even less tropeworthy in my eyes.

edited 1st Jul '17 1:30:02 PM by Berrenta

she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report

I'm 100 percent in favor of eliminating One Of Us altogether. It's pretty much meaningless.

Possibly, move to Just for Fun? Seems like it would fit there.

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I personally disagree with this, since this specific definition seems like legitimate Trivia to me. It's cool knowing when creators are familiar with us, especially since it can give use some slight insight on how we've had a potential influence on their writing.

I'd actual advocate for tightening the definition to "Creator is a known Troper". While we're not an unknown site, we're also not ubiquitous enough for the information to be meaningless.

I can take or leave a move to Just for Fun.

edited 2nd Jul '17 12:30:39 AM by Karxrida

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?

I am concerned about the use of the world "now" in the OP. Tropesor trope-like concepts don't stop existing when they are obsolete. Feeling like this is another make-work project.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

I definitely agree with that. But at the end of it, it's still troping people. As a proper trope, I think it'd have to be In-Universe Examples Only. That's why I suggested moving it to Just for Fun, since even if it's increasingly less relevant as nerds and geeks are more commonly accepted, it's still a "thing", especially in the past.

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Trivia items about people are still OK, and this is marked as Trivia.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

True, but I don't think it's relevant. It would be if it had something to do with their works (like Cast the Expert), but it doesn't. Which on the other hand is a potential improvement to make.

edited 2nd Jul '17 1:55:13 AM by AnotherDuck

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I can see how it would be interesting and meaningful to list unexpected geeks to be listed under this trope, as exemplified in the OP.

You suggest a trivia page is not trope worthy? Trivia and trope have two different pages for a reason, the same reason trivia has its own name space. 99% of the trivia items are not trope worthy, that's why they're trivia!

Granted, listing someone who writes fantasy novels as a fantasy nerd is misuse, that can be cleaned up. A contemporary detective story author who never wrote a fantasy work but turns out be a nerd for it is an example.

That's why he wants you to have the money. Not so you can buy 14 Cadillacs but so you can help build up the wastes

Maybe a rename? Maybe like Surprising Fellow Nerd or something?

I think like trivia should mainly be used for facts about works and not just creators.

Yeah? I disagree with you. Why? Because we have a "Creator" namespace. Now, if you want to get rid of the creator namespace, I won't try to stop you, but we also have the "Wrestling" namespace that includes several individuals, teams and stables. I will fight to keep those, since we owe our namespace system as it is now to pro wrestler pages.

I also don't think there should be a new name. What I think is examples where the one of us is a "fan" of the genre they are in should be kept on Promoted Fanboy or Ascended Fanboy, depending. (Lio Rush, who grew up watching Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin and Brock Lesnar, is a promote who may just ascend. Rory Gulak, who grew up watching Nick Mondo and got to work with Nick Mondo in Mondo's home promotion, is an ascended. Samoa Joe, the dancer, real estate agent turned pro wrestler who has a channel on Twitch, is one of us. If he joins the video game industry he will promote and if he gets a role in a game acknowledging his past as a video game player he will ascend). It's all about their place in fandom, moved in, moved and made part of, still on the outside like we are.

edited 25th Dec '17 6:59:04 AM by IndirectActiveTransport

That's why he wants you to have the money. Not so you can buy 14 Cadillacs but so you can help build up the wastes

I'd say cut it.

Even a narrowing to well-known people who are active on TV Tropes would be problematic. Many famous (or semi-famous) people are working actively to keep two online presences, one public and one private. This would be a Just for Fun trope that would imply that we outed someone's private Internet presence here.

I'll side with those who say cut it.

It sounds like it might be time to put it to a crowner. What are the options on the table? Cut it, make it IUEO, move it to Just for Fun, rename, leave it alone... anything I'm missing?

We can leave out "leave it alone". Downvoting all the other options would mean the same thing as voting for leaving it as is.

she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report

x2 You're missing my proposal in post 5. tl;dr version is "creator is a known Troper."

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?

This is what I remember the trope originally meaning. Move or delete the other examples, move the page to Trivia, and state that you are only allowed to add yourself to the page in the future. Problem solved?

As a sidenote, considering how many nasty things go in the Darth Wiki namespace, I have always thought we should have an Unpublished/<Creator Name> section to hold personal projects and give the rule "one Unpublished page per Troper only".

Oldest version in the Internet Archive. Original YKTTW (or at least, recreation-after-The Great Crash-YKTTW).

Good gravy, it started out even more of a mess than it is now. :(

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

I noticed this trope on the YMMV.Heather Dale page. Its inclusion left me confused. XD

The Protomen enhanced my life.

I'm still thinking of a tier.

One of us:voice actors are at a pro wrestling show.

promoted fanboy: the animation fans are now voice actors

ascended fanboy:the animation fans are now animated show characters, voicing themselves being an optional bonus

That's why he wants you to have the money. Not so you can buy 14 Cadillacs but so you can help build up the wastes

Crowner so this thread isn't closed for inactivity.

Join the Five-Man Band cleanup project!