for more shocking scandals.What about old tropes with new names?
How can you find the best but least linked tropes out there?
Worry no more: Trope Report is here.
Trope Report is a monthly newsletter that intends to showcase works and tropes from all corners of this website. It also aims to keep the troper hivemind updated with pertinent trope changes and discussions.
WHAT'S UP, TROPERFAM? It's yo girl, Trope-tan, back at it again with another EPIC video. We have a lot of stuff in store today, but before we begin, make sure to slap that follow button, turn on your email notifications, and provide feedback, so that you never miss another exciting upload.
Today, we're going to be talking about the month of April. You know what that means? It's time for more savage pranks! This time, we're going DIY; we have all of the best jokes and life hacks you can do right at home. For example, have you ever wanted to impress your friends with your knowledge of obscure tropes? Maybe you want to discover the absolute hottest video game trends of the year? Or you just want to be the coolest kid in school? Keep watching — we have all this and more, coming up just after our first unskippable midroll ad.
But... (sigh). I do have to apologize to you, my amazing community. Things are changing on the wiki, and after some severe, repeated lapses in my judgement over these past few years, we were forced to clean up many tropes. An Aesop, Evil Is Petty, Creator's Pest, and more — all major tropes that we're repairing. I promise to do better from here. Of course, if you forgive me, make sure to show your support by picking up a copy of my newest book: A Trope Kilowicked Love. All proceeds will go to the trope repair effort.
That's all I have for today. Thanks for watching, Troperfam, and remember: Happy Troping!
Tropes and Works
Obscure Tropes
This section highlights older tropes that need a boost.- April Fools' revolves around a good joke. A lot of the time, many are from those in the know; jokes about how TV Tropes Will Ruin Your Life, for example. Then we have the Outside Joke, a joke made by those who simply are not well versed in the subject matter. Some more stand-up comics would be appreciated, as only 32 jokes have been made. Just be sure not to tell us about what the real deal is with airline food; let us have our fun.
- Like any Meaningful Appearance trope, what kind of glasses a person wears can tell a lot about them. Whether it's a Bespectacled Cutie in round frame glasses or a person with square-shaped Stoic Spectacles, Frames of Reference has all of that. It only has 37 wicks despite being made back in 2010, so the page deserves more love and edits.
- Do you want to celebrate National No Housework Day on April 7, but can't because your nagging wife wants you to clean the floor? No problem. Introducing Trope Co.'s 2011 project, Spit Shineâ„¢. We can send one of our employees to your house to spit on your floor and wipe it with their hands, leaving the floor clean. Now your wife will be really grateful to you for cleaning the floor. We've only had 28 customersnote , but you could be our next one! Call 555-0166 to get this incredible offer! (Trope Co. is not responsible for our vulgar employees or your impending divorce from your wife.)
New Tropes
This section brings attention to recently-launched tropes that could use a little help to really get rolling.- Not every trope is used for drama. If you're like us, and you like to giggle, you may be aware that some things are Played for Laughs. This is a relatively new concept, only existing in media since about June 19th, 2008. As a result, it's woefully underused. 37,055 cases of laughter and joy are not an acceptable number, and we must make the comedy spread even further. Remember — it's all just For the Lulz.
New Work Page Spotlight
This section covers newer work pages that could use a little help.- Elden Ring: The Road to the Erdtree is a comedy manga based off the hit FromSoftware game Elden Ring. It was published by Kodansha and later released in English by Yen Press. The story follows a hero named Aseo as he goes on a journey to the titular Erdtree. Despite the original game's bleak setting, Road to the Erdtree delights itself in having comedic moments throughout all the chaos. The page was created back in March this year, so it deserves more love and wicks.
- Go For A Punch! Saki Sanobashi is an obscure and gruesome horror anime OVA first reported on 4chan — okay, it's actually a visual novel adaptation of a 4chan hoax. In it, five girls who hate their lives meet up in the bathroom of an abandoned school to use poison gas to commit mass suicide. Then one of them goes to get the materials and doesn't return. Saki, Hana, Sayuri, and Kimiko, now trapped inside the bathroom, slowly lose what remains of their sanity as they try to escape while grappling with their own desire to end their lives. The page needs an image and wicks.
Older/Obscure Work Spotlight
This section is intended to highlight works that may no longer be in the zeitgeist — but that doesn't mean they're any less tropable.- Have you ever heard of Ice Heart? It's a hot new fantasy series that the entire wiki is buzzing about, and for good reason. The unique page design, combined with the fame of the name on the forums, has made this a series worth checking out. What? What do you mean the link is broken?
- Jazzpunk is a first-person comedy game with spy elements, developed by Necrophone games and published by [adult swim] Games for PC (via Steam) and later ported to the PlayStation 4, with both later gaining extra story DLC. Taking place in a Cold War-esque world, you play as Polyblank, as you travel through cities around the world and encounter bizarre and often comical situations, people and minigames. The game initially gained popularity from Let's Players like Jacksepticeye but soon after faded into obscurity. With April bringing silly joys and wacky events, it's time to give the page some attention.
- Meet It's Happy Bunny! He is a mascot created by Jim Benton (of Dear Dumb Diary and Franny K. Stein), and in these totally aspirational adverts he insults you and makes crude remarks. While these are funny, the page unfortunately doesn't have much going for it.
Works That Need a Page
This section takes a page from the List of Shows That Need Summary. It is intended to spotlight works that people have been talking about enough to link around the site, but don't have a page yet. If the work page link turns blue after this, then we know we've done our job!- Pieces is a video game for the SNES, a rare example of a literal Puzzle Game. Two players go head-to-head to see who can complete three jigsaw puzzles the fastest, and are aided by power-ups such as a spotlight that tells you where your currently selected pieces go, a syringe that drains the opponent's power-up meter, a fairy that helps you finish the puzzle, a broom that will sweep away your opponent's pieces and a mirror that can deflect any attack your opponent tries. The single-player campaign features a cast of colorful characters for the player to face, and a co-op mode is also included, where players solve much larger puzzles together.
- The Prettiest Platypus, a webcomic created by Platypus_Pro, revolves around transgender high school student Lillie, who hurdles through her anxiety about mingling with other girls, coming out to her parents, and simply worrying about how the school day will go. There are many references to NES games and the Disney Animated Canon, and affectionate parodies of even other webcomics often complement those. Furthermore, if you enjoy blink-and-you'll-miss-it humor, you're in luck, as you're guaranteed to find a Funny Background Event quite often.
Non-English Work Spotlight
The wiki may be in English, but that doesn't mean non-English media are any less important! This section focuses on works that may have a language barrier to deal with — but are worth it if you do.- The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina is an independent film directed by Haruhi Suzumiya. It revolves around the titular battle waitress from the future, Mikuru Asahina, who must protect an Ordinary High-School Student, Itsuki Koizumi, while Yuki Nagato, an alien witch, seeks to control him. With a troperrific plot, it's a surprise it has so little traction on the wiki.
Creator Page Spotlight
Works would be nothing without the people who make them. This section highlights authors, artists, actors, musicians, and everyone else responsible for trope creation and proliferation.- Who never gives you up, lets you down, runs around and deserts you? Who never makes you cry, says goodbye, tells lies and hurts you? It's Rick Astley, a British musician known for making airwaves in The '80s. One song, "Never Gonna Give You Up", became a worldwide phenomenon in the mid-'00s thanks to some internet users wanting to share his work with the masses.
This issue's featured image is Troper-Made, and illustrates Reader-Insert Fic.
(Author note: thanks to Miss Conduct for the art!)
You wake up one morning in a room. No, not that kind of room, your room. After making your trademark favorite breakfast consisting of Trope Co.-branded chocolate pancakes And a Diet Coke, you log onto TV Tropes. It's extremely important for that trope that you sent to the Trope Repair Shop (after making a proper wick check for it, of course!) to finally be dewicked, since this is the day the crowner is called, after all! But your valiant efforts are stopped when you notice a message in your inbox.
"That's odd", you think to yourself, "I hope none of my posts got thumped". Instead, you find yourself in a Fate Worse than Death: you just got yourself suspended. Granted, you do recall that you sent another troper some death threats for claiming that Code Geass isn't as good as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, but he was clearly wrong and it was very important for you to let him know how wrong he was!!!
(Now you might be thinking to yourself, "wait a minute, this loser sounds nothing like me!" Well shhhhhh! It's all just pretext for the good part coming up...)
And so you march off (virtually, of course) to the Edit banned thread to demand the mods un-suspend you. But while you wait for a response to your (somewhat not not insincere) apology, you notice another user is also waiting for her apology to be appealed.
Why, it's... Trope-tan???? The Trope-tan, the famous face of TV Tropes? Surely that must be a mistake; Trope-tan is a Magical Girl with a 100% Heroism Rating, her Innocent Blue Eyes are a tell-tale sign that she would never do something that would lead to her being suspended. And sure enough, her post echoes this sentiment, as she is also confused about why she suspended. Your interest is piqued and you're already starting to get reminded of how, in television, this would usually be the perfect opportunity to bond with her, so you decide to post another message.
"Hey trope-tan, I think you'r cute."
You refresh the page several times, waiting for her to reply. Instead, after ten minutes, you find your post thumped, with a mod message below it reading "Do not use the Edit Banned thread as a dating app." You barely resist the urge to throw your computer out the window in anger.
Eventually, after a couple of days of waiting, you successfully manage to get unsuspended after promising not to ever do it again. But in all that wallowing in pity, you forgot about Trope-tan; and you're still curious, so you decide to read through the mod post. Apparently she was banned for... multiple unilateral image changes? How odd, everyone knows that you must make a thread at Image Pickin' to suggest an image change. You never expected her to be oblivious to such an obvious rule... and you think to yourself "I can make this work".
So after confirming that Trope-tan has been unsuspended, you decide to shoot her a message, telling her how you saw her at the Edit Banned thread, that you sympathize with her plight and that you want to teach her proper IP etiquette (you heard a rumor that she likes big words, you see). She lets her Genki Girl side slip in her reply, which reads "YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS I WOULD LOVE THAT, TOMODACHI THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!" You're a bit disappointed to be left in the tomodachi-zone but push forward. For the next two weeks, you exchange messages with her, teaching her about making IP threads, about why Just a Face and a Caption is bad, and even when to bring attention to bad images. You're having a great time together, enough to make you forget about that trope that you wanted to dewick.
Months pass and you remain good friends, even videochatting frequently. In the meantime, she starts a YouTube channel where she talks about her favorite tropes (what else?), and you watch every single one of them and leave encouraging comments. Eventually, you decide to shoot your shot and ask her out on a date and she agrees, squeeing in a very kawaii manner! You pick her up at her house (she conveniently lives near you) and have a wonderful evening together. You go to an arcade and play Bubble Bobble together, then stop by at a restaurant and attempt a Spaghetti Kiss. Having had your fun, you decide to drop her off at her house.
(The TV Tropes mods requested that I don't include the next three paragraphs due to The Content Policy. Sorry about that!)
You two decide to go public and announce your relationship to the rest of the forum users, which gets cheers from everyone. In fact, the mods are so impressed by your Trope-tan seduction abilities that they recruit you to be one of them, an opportunity that you use to reopen The Badge Shop. And with you by her side, Trope-tan got 10 million YouTube subscribers within a week. The end.
Projects and Discussions
- Sometimes you're curious about other tropers. You just want to ask simple questions. Drop by in Ask the Above Poster a Question and ask away. The questions are totally not going to change to make you look bad. We promise.
- Dude... Apparently, I've been hired for this April issue (must be 420 Day stuff) to write a PSA that advises our readers about the harms of marijuana, or perhaps the lack of harms, heh heh... Anyway, smoking marijuana is bad, and so is tobacco, and drunk driving, and speeding, and murder, and stealing, and drunk driving, and speeding, and everything else. You readers should probably be grateful, since many PSAs are super gory or scary, but if you don't churn when watching or listening to super gory or scary PSAs, then head over to the PSA, PIF, and similar Thread, heh heh... ah, fuck this shit, I'm not needed anymore for this entry. I'm going home to hit my bong and tune in to Reefer Madness. Heh heh... funny movie.
- As hard as we work, the Trope Repair Shop can be prone to hitting walls of inactivity or insularity. Discussions on how to combat these issues have taken place for years, but the most recent thread is Repairing the Trope Repair Shop. If you have any thoughts regarding the issues the TRS faces, feel free to stop by and give your two cents.
- Abuse Mistake had its definition rewritten to focus on harmless actions being interpreted as abuse. The idea of abuse being seen as innocuous will be sent to the salvage yard. TRS thread here.
- An Aesop has been made a definition-only supertrope to the various Stock Aesops, with its description being reworked to clarify that it's about moral lessons specifically, rather than merely themes. TRS thread here.
- Creator's Pest now forbids fan work examples involving characters from the source material. TRS thread here.
- Digging Game has been converted into a genre index, as it was attracting zero-context examples. TRS thread here.
- Eat The Dog has been renamed to Emergency Food Supply Animal to clarify that it's about when an animal is kept as emergency rations. TRS thread here.
- Evil Is Petty was defined as major villains causing minor acts of wrongdoing. TRS thread here.
- Inaction Sequence has been disambiguated, while an expanded version of the concept — one which would not be limited to anime and manga — was sent to the salvage yard. TRS thread here.
- Past In The Rear View Mirror has been cut, while the concept was sent to the salvage yard. TRS thread here.
- April's birthday is Phoebe Fox, a British actress known for her roles in The Hollow Crown, Black Mirror, and A View from the Bridge. Her description is in dire need of an expansion, and a list of roles would also be appreciated.
- Like many of the works by Mischief Theatre, Good Luck, Studio focuses on a fictional show's production going horribly wrong, in this case a Barney-esque children's show. However, while most of the work pages of the troupe are of a better quality than the works-within-works, Good Luck Studio had no tropes listed when this entry was initially written. While that situation has improved, it's still light on examples, and only some well-rehearsed writing will make it less of a trainwreck than the show within the show.
- People Sit on Chairs describes the act of a character sitting down in a chair. With a trope that is so omnipresent, it is a shame that it is now sitting at only 15 wicks, and with so many on-page examples to crosswick.
- Ufufufu. So, the Danganronpa pages are littered with such unpleasant entries and descriptions, huh? All that gushing and creepiness won't stand! I, Monokuma, will need an Ultimate Troper who can slaughter these issues once and for all. Destroy them at the Danganronpa Cleanup thread. Remember, don't get caught or it's punishment time for you!
- On this wiki, sandboxes can be used for drafting pages, projects and so on. However, some of these sandboxes have been abandoned for various reasons. If you want to help clear up pages that are no longer serving a purpose, visit the Abandoned Sandbox Cleanup thread.
- FernandoLemon nhakoj veh Nehb Jfekcawxk udt Amuwo ev kxo Medkx. Xo tat kxaj rosuijo xo teoj dek jfoub Na'vi.
- War Jay 77 was last seen running for the border with a stack of 40 cakes. If you have any information on her whereabouts, please call the Trope Report offices.
- gjjones writes for the Project Spotlight section. He also frequently spends his time working on projects whenever they are necessary, cleaning up wiki entries and participating in the ATT and Trope Repair Shop threads.
- This plakythebirb has been removed for violating YouTube's Community Guidelines.
- callmeamuffin's love is ten times sweeter than candy, ten times sweeter than cake.
- Berrenta has started her career as a Cat Girl VTuber. You can watch her debut stream here. Please be sure to follow and become one of her berries!
- What if you
Wanted to go to heaven
But Ayumi-chan said
🦆 - Coachpill recently had a freak accident involving stepping on a tiny piano, then a Lego brick, and finally a papier-mâché burglar mask. Suspiciously, his parasitic twin was last seen chewing on some paper, though it claims it was just holding the brick and the piano for a friend.
- alnair20aug93 made the page image, to make Trope-tan's secrets extra spicy.
- Twiddler is an American soft licorice-type candy.
- Twizzlers make sure our grammar is in order.
- Cardboard Bot used to draw art for Trope Report and designed the mascot, along with the default image.
- Trope Reporter (real name womp womp womp womp, womp womp womp von womp) is the mascot for Trope Report whose likeness was s̶t̶o̶l̶e̶n̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶m̶ ̶o̶v̶e̶r̶s̶e̶a̶s̶ ̶s̶c̶a̶n̶n̶e̶d̶ ̶p̶i̶x̶e̶l̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶p̶i̶x̶e̶l̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶s̶u̶c̶k̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶a̶i̶n̶f̶r̶a̶m̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶v̶e̶r̶e̶d̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶h̶o̶c̶k̶e̶y̶ ̶p̶a̶d̶s̶ ̶b̶e̶f̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶g̶a̶m̶e̶,̶ ̶w̶h̶i̶c̶h̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶s̶a̶i̶d̶ ̶w̶e̶ ̶w̶o̶u̶l̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶p̶u̶n̶i̶s̶h̶ ̶h̶i̶m̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶n̶t̶r̶i̶b̶u̶t̶e̶d̶ quite the headbang-inspiring record producer for this edition's sound engineering booth and—woops, we destroyed it again. Don't let him find out, DON'T LET HIM FIND OUT—
and let us know! We don't bite. (Much.)