TRS Question

Hi there. I would like to be more active in TRS, since it seems to me like most TLP users, like me, are also involved in TRS. All I’ve done so far is just participate in discussions, but I really never held any weight to anything and I definitely haven’t started a discussion. That’s where I’m wondering something?

So every TRS project needs a wick check before starting. I see that you create it via a sandbox. I was wondering, how even do the wick checks exactly work? Do you need a mod to create them for you? Do you do it yourself, or do other tropers help out too? How long do you have to wait between doing a wick check and starting a thread?

If anyone has answers to these questions, that would be great. Thanks!

Any time I've created a TRS thread, I've done the wick check myself.

1. You don't necessarily need to create a wick check in a Sandbox (you can make one offsite yourself if you wish), but it's probably the easiest method.

2. How to Do a Wick Check. Additional tip, one way to randomly select wicks without using a randomizer is to just close your eyes and scroll up and down really fast until you land on something. That's what I do.

3. A mod does not need to create wick checks first. Anyone can make one—I've made several.

4. An additional note, Not Thriving threads don't need wick checks, since 0-23 wicks is considered instant cut material per Wick, although wick checks can still be helpful for those kinds of threads. Other kinds of threads do usually require wick checks however, unless a mod says otherwise. (Another note, if a Not Thriving item is still a valid concept, a good suggestion would be to send it to the Trope Idea Salvage Yard or, if a TLP sponsor can be found, send it back there.)

5. You can make a wick check yourself, or you could have others help out. Both are allowed. If you want help, just create one in a sandbox with the instructions listed in 2 and go to the Wick Check Project thread with it—others can give assistance.

6. Once your check is done, you need to wait for a slot to open up in TRS. The easiest way of doing this is by adding yourself to the TRS Queue (and if you wish, you can draft an OP and even let others launch it for you), but if you don't want to use the queue, you can try to wait for an opening yourself. The queue is still recommended as, while there is currently a long wait for a slot, you are pretty much guaranteed that the thread will be made when there's a chance.

Some side notes:

Side note 1: how you format a wick check is up to you, but this is the format I usually use:

followed by the folders for the different categories of trope usage. (Usually it's good to at least have a correct use folder, one or more misuse folders depending on the trope, a folder for ZCEs, unclear usages, and other usages, and an unclassifiable folder for indexes and "See also" links in trope descriptions.)

Side note 2: Once you take a thread to TRS, it is highly recommended that you have a solution for the problems with a trope too. Threads without them tend to stagnate and die quickly. If you have an idea for fixing a trope, definitely list it. If you don't, and no idea to fix it seems to be workable, there's a possibility that the trope doesn't need TRS, and it may just need a cleanup/cleanup thread. (Some tropes are also big enough that TRS isn't really a good option for them, as there's too much work. Berserk Button was taken in a while back for misuse, and a rename was ruled out by the massive wick count and resultant possible future workload.)

Side note 3: Once your thread is live, do note the Three-Day Rule. Three days must pass after the thread is created to gather ideas for a crowner, and at least three days must pass for that crowner to be decided. There are exceptions—a crowner that fluctuates may take longer to decide, and some Not Thriving threads can have the rule waived if they get a large enough number of votes. Alternatively, if three days pass and there's near unanimous consensus for an option, there may not even be a crowner—this recently happened with Biker Babe's thread, for example.

Side note 4: Threads don't usually close until wick cleanup is done, hence why nearly every thread in TRS right now is finished. The exception is when there's already a cleanup thread for cleanup to go to—like what happened with "Funny Aneurysm" Moment, Dueling Works, What An Idiot, and a few other threads. We used to close threads before wick cleanup was done sometimes if they sat too long, but we stopped doing that because it left too many unfinished projects that weren't getting attention, and risked making people unaware there was a change. A few threads even got brought back recently because wick cleanup wasn't finished (Those Two Bad Guys, Shocking Swerve, Relationship Writing Fumble, and Neoclassical Punk Zydeco Rockabilly).

Hope I was of help. Sorry if I added too many details—I just wanted to share some tips from my own experience. If you have any other questions, don't be afraid to ask—I'll help as best I can.

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Aug 8th 2022 at 5:10:14 AM

Thank you so much! I wanted to really help out to even out my time spent on TLP but also know what to do so I don’t look incompetent when starting to contribute on TRS.

You're very welcome. Trope Repair Shop is also a helpful guide—I recommend reading through it.