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Sandbox / Pre 2010 Starving Tropes

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Tropes of before The New '10s that need some sort of fixing.

I was on a cross-wicking crusade starting with the oldest tropes in Pages Needing Wicks and Pages Needing Wiki Magic when I realized there was a reason these tropes are not thriving — some are ill-defined (bordering on People Sit on Chairs) and others overlap too much with other tropes. Some of them are fine, though, they just need to be brought to the spotlight.

That's why I'm going to list them here and progressively explain why they are not working and what can be done about it as references for future discussions on the Trope Repair Shop.

The wick counts on the folders refer to the amount at the moment these tropes were first checked, not after they underwent some sort of fixing. A cleared folder means that all the tropes within have been cross-wicked and labeled.

P.D.: All of these tropes need cross-wicking and, in most cases, examples, so I'll stop adding these items to the lists unless there's something else to be noted.

    open/close all folders 

Under 12 wicks (top priority):

     2007 (cleared) 
  • House Inspection (May 17th, 2007): Inspectors are coming. The house is a mess despite your best efforts. 32 wicks, 17 on-page examples Standing
    • The trope is well-defined since it's a fairly common comedic plot.
    • The concept is the exact same as The Inspector Is Coming, the only difference being House Inspection is for houses while The Inspector Is Coming is for businesses. Suggestion: merge both tropes.
    • Wick check for House Inspection:
      • Correct usage: 21/32
      • Unclear (not about a house or a business): 2/32
      • Indexes and misc.: 7/32
    • Wick check for The Inspector Is Coming
      • Correct usage:
      • Fits House Inspection better:
      • Unclear (not about a house or a business):
      • Indexes and misc.:
  • Entry Point (June 14th, 2007): The player's way into an Alternate Reality Game. 38 wicks, 32 on-page examples Standing
    • It's a game mechanic for Alternate Reality Games. For entering them through something in real life. The description is very confusing, so it needs improvement (fixed).
  • The Great British Copper Capture (June 14th, 2007): Unarmed police officer encounters an armed criminal. 16 wicks, 11 on-page examples Not thriving
    • The title is too long and nonindicative.
  • Obituary Montage (June 14th, 2007): Montage featuring recently-deceased people. 13 wicks, 15 on-page examples
    • The description could use some rephrasing for better understanding.
    • Lacks a laconic (fixed).
    • Suggestion: broaden scope from just montages in award ceremonies to just montages in any media. Doesn't a trope for that already exist? Got to check.
  • Pose of Silence (June 14th, 2007): Leaning closely or obscuring your mouth renders you inaudible to everyone else. 14 wicks, 11 on-page examples Not thriving
    • It's kind of a widespread concept, so new examples shouldn't be very hard to find.
  • Cyclic National Fascination (July 19th, 2007): A new fad rises in popularity and then falls. Rinse and repeat. 42 wicks, 22 on-page examples Standing
    • It details real-life trends that have an impact on fiction, so it should be Useful Notes.
    • The description needs to be less US-centric since it's a phenomenon that occurs everywhere.
    • The discussion has brought the issue of maybe needing a rename and fusing it with Fad Super.
    • Possibly a duplicate of Cyclic Trope.
  • Sliding Scale of Social Satisfaction (October 15th, 2007): How livable is this fictional dystopian or utopian place? YMMV 38 wicks, 41 on-page examples Standing
    • The description is a Word Cruft of overly specific classifications. It needs to be generalized and the fictional works cited moved to the examples section (already fixed).
    • Crosswicking is in process, some examples still need to be fleshed out.

     2008 (cleared) 

     2009 

Under 24 wicks (high priority):

     2007 
  • From the Ashes (March 22nd, 2007)
  • Generic Cop Badges (June 14th, 2007): Stock cop badges.
    • The description explains all the important things but it could be better worded.
    • Index it.
    • Add related tropes to the description.
  • House System (June 14th, 2007): All the games from a company follow the same rules.
  • Penultimate Outburst (June 14th, 2007): One more outburst like this, and the judge will clear the courtroom. Usually, there aren't anymore.
    • Improve the laconic.
  • Piecemeal Funds Transfer (June 14th, 2007): Electric funds transfer programs transfer money gradually.
  • Rain Aura (June 14th, 2007): White mist conveys rain.
    • From News 2022-04
    • Broaden the scope to include those white outlines characters and objects get when it's raining.
    • In that case, ´pick a better page image, one that depicts the actual white aura instead of just fog.
    • It's a zero-context-example magnet, the storytelling meaning needs to be clearer. In this case, it's not only a shorthand for rain but also conveys the surreal/dreamy quality real-life rain gives to the scenery.
    • Lacks a laconic.
  • Second Prize (June 14th, 2007): A character places second in a competition?
    • The description is very unclear.
  • See No Evil, Hear No Evil (June 14th, 2007): Things that should logically be quite noisy make no sound at all until they are on-screen.
  • Standardized Space Views (June 14th, 2007): Stock space shots.
    • From News 2022-04
    • Lacks a laconic.
    • It has zero examples.
    • Pick an image that gathers all (or most of) the stock shots.
    • Move the Star Wars exception to the examples list.
  • Unguided Lab Tour (June 14th, 2007)
  • Restricted Expanded Universe (July 27th, 2007): The Expanded Universe has rules it is not allowed to break, sometimes resulting in weaker storytelling.
    • Improve the description to make it more concise.
    • Shorten the laconic.
  • Must Have Lots of Free Time (July 30th, 2007): Subverting the Competence Zone.
  • Welcome Titles (September 12th, 2007): The main characters have a line in the Title Sequence.
    • It's named after a fictional work, no wonder why it has stalled — it's not indicative at all. Would Meet And Greet Title Sequence be better?
    • Lacks a laconic.
    • Expand and rehaul the description so it appropriately conveys what the trope is about.
  • Home and Garden (September 29th, 2007): Feel-good shows about giving houses/gardens a makeover.
    • The description could be clearer.
    • Renaming it House And Garden Makeover might help to make its meaning clearer.
    • Resort examples — listing the subgenres is good and all but it looks like an unnecessary soft split. In any case, wait until cross-wicking to see how this holds.
    • Mabe an analysis tab about the subgenres, instead.
    • Lacks a laconic.
  • Nostril Shot (October 8th, 2007): A bottom-up shot showing a character's nostrils.

     2008 
  • Historical Recreation (January 13th, 2008): Period Piece-themed Reality Show.
    • There are character archetypes in the description. Move them to the analysis tab and make a summary to leave on the main page.
    • Lacks a laconic.
    • It's a magnet of zero-context examples. Indicate requirements to list as context in the description: supposed historical setting, enforced living conditions, gimmicks, and necessary weasels.
  • Powder Gag (January 14th, 2008): Powder is blown all over the place for comedic effect.
    • Lacks a laconic.
    • Improve the description.
  • Selective Stupidity (February 9th, 2008): Cherrypicking dumb answers to imply general stupidity.
  • Literary Work of Magic (March 3rd, 2008): According to work A, work B was created with a hidden agenda.
    • Is it wise to sort the examples by creator rather than by media? I need to consult other tropers.
    • Lacks a laconic.
  • Enough to Go Around (March 7th, 2008): Items that are one-of-a-kind in-universe but can be obtained multiple times and/or by multiple players.
    • Search for non-gaming examples.
    • Shorten the laconic.
  • Heart Is Where the Home Is (May 17th, 2008): Local Love Interest trumps the foreigner.
  • Premature Aggravation (March 17th, 2008): Overthinking ruins negotiations.
    • The description is an Example as a Thesis.
    • I'm ambiguous in regard to this trope's name. I mean, it's related to its meaning but doesn't actually tell you what it is about.
    • Shorten the laconic.
  • Multi-Take Cut (April 25th, 2008): Same action shown from different angles.
  • Push Polling (May 14th, 2008): Mortons Forking a poll.
    • I get the Added Alliterative Appeal but does it really say something about what the trope is about? Maybe it's an idiom I'm not familiar with, I need to check that out.
  • Confession Deferred (May 24th, 2008): Telling the truth when it's convenient.
    • Defer means postponing, which is kind of the opposite of what this trope is about.
    • The description and the examples are in quote format. I suspect causality here, so the description needs to be fixed first.
    • Lacks a laconic.
  • Back That Light Up (June 7th, 2008): Same setting, different colors depending on the console.
    • The page image seems misleading but I'm not sure.
    • The first part of the description seems to imply that changing a visual media's weather affects its color palette, which is what I initially assumed this trope to be about.
    • Non-indicative name.
  • Screeching Stop (June 7th, 2008): Old car brakes effect when a cartoon character suddenly stops.
  • Elevator Snare (June 20th, 2008): In a chase, whoever took the stairs arrives first and ambushes the one who took the elevator.
  • Survived the Beginning (June 23rd, 2008): A cast massacre opens the story.
    • Lacks a laconic.
    • The description is mostly fine, but it needs to stress that the characters dying must be given some focus, not be mere Red Shirts or Mooks. Move the misuse caused by that to Sacrificial Lamb.
  • College Widow (July 5th, 2008): College Dude Magnet that encourages the attention.
    • The name makes me think about a college girl who lost her long-time boy/girlfriend, with that being an important part of her characterization. Now that I'm thinking about it, is there a trope for that? If there is, then renaming this one would be a good idea. It's named after a fictional work, so that explains the non-indicativeness.
    • It looks like The Same, but More Specific for Dude Magnet. Make a wick check.
    • Improve the description. It notes the important points but is kind of muddy.
  • Pressure-Sensitive Interface (July 7th, 2008): Pushing a button harder makes it work better.
  • Inverse Dialogue Death Rule (August 10th, 2008): Major characters have longer death scenes.
  • Plot Pants (August 14th, 2008): A costume, default or new, indicates the plot is moving on.
    • At last, a decent name, but the description needs fixing.
    • Needs to be indexed and add related tropes.
  • Going Home Again (August 29th, 2008): Making it to the big leagues, flunking, and returning home to clear the mind.
    • The name is too generic but doesn't seem to be attracting misuse. Make a wick check just in case.
    • Shorten the laconic.
  • I'm Going for a Closer Look (August 27th, 2008): A character goes to investigate something unusual and never comes back.
  • Lock and Load (August 29th, 2008): Character shows through demonstration that they do in fact know how to use a gun.
    • Improve laconic.
  • "How I Wrote This Article" Article (September 16th, 2008): a guide to making guides.
    • Lacks a laconic.
  • Con Recap (October 1st, 2008): Creator devotes an episode to recount their experiences in a fandom convention.
    • Right now, it's a magnet of zero-context examples. It's not because of the trope itself (it's a valid concept and can be given context just fine), but more like most don't bother fleshing it out. Suggestion: add requirements to the description (what fandom convention and what the creator has done there).
    • Lacks a laconic.
    • Needs to be indexed.
  • Murphy's Bullet (November 16th, 2008): Stray bullets will always hit someone.
  • Left Field Description (December 8th, 2008): Describing something in unusual ways and still getting the point across.
    • The description needs to be improved. It contains all the important points but in a very messy way.
    • Non-indicative name. Or is left field an idiom?
    • It's not a written media-only trope. It can be done too in audiovisual media.
    • Lacks a laconic.
    • The objectivity of this trope is dubious. After all, how do you measure the unusualness? I'm an avid reader and I've found all sorts of descriptions that get the point across. It's kind of how literature (and imagery, for visual media) works. Sometimes you use a stock description but, just as often, you don't. It all depends on the creator's style.
  • Temporary Scrappy (December 9th, 2008): A purposefully dislikable character enters and goes in a short span.
    • Might be a duplicate of Replacement Scrappy. The description greatly emphasizes the Temporary Scrappy replacing someone else. Make a wick check and, if that's not the case, rewrite the description. Same with Hate Sink.
    • The description also mentions that parodying The Scrappy is a trope in itself.
    • Lacks a laconic.

     2009 
  • Western Union Man (January 21st, 2009)
  • Exposition Intuition (January 25th, 2009): Mr. Exposition makes an educated guess about the situation at hand. Scientists can provide exposition they have no way of actually knowing.
  • No Can Opener (February 18th, 2009)
  • In-Camera Effects (March 27th, 2009): Special effects produced by altering the camera o its parts.
  • Town Contest Episode (March 13th, 2009): An episode about a town-wide contest.
  • Accidental Ventriloquism (March 23rd, 2009): Thinking an inanimate object is speaking. The voice belongs to an out-of-sight character.
  • There Is No Rule Six (April 3rd, 2009): A list contains an item that states its own nonexistence.
  • Save Sat (April 19th, 2009): A satellite crashing down protects someone from an attack.
  • Page-Turn Surprise (April 23rd, 2009): A Cliffhanger's resolution is on the next page.
  • Mascots Love Sugar (May 1st, 2009): Critters have a massive sweet tooth.
  • Water Tower Down (May 7th, 2009)
  • Unfortunate Ingredients (May 14th, 2009)
  • Don't Do Anything I Wouldn't Do (June 1st, 2009): A Stock Phrase that means you should behave yourself by following someone else's restraints.
  • Irrelevant Importance (June 14th, 2007): Important objects in a video game that don't get unmarked as important even after they served their purpose.
    • Shorten laconic.
  • Little Did I Know (June 14th, 2007): Catchphrase foreshadowing life-turning events.
  • Damsel Fight-and-Flight Response (June 26th, 2009): A Damsel in Distress becomes an Action Girl just long enough to stun a villain and then run!
  • Firewood Resources (June 30th, 2009)
  • City Shout Outs (July 17th, 2009): An appeal to the audience by saluting their city.
  • Helmet-Mounted Sight (August 17th, 2009): Heads-Up Display for targeting. 32 wicks, 22 on-page examples Standing
  • Split and Reunion (August 29th, 2009): A team or a Split Personality gets separated. When it reunites, it's better. 32 wicks, 14 on-page examples Standing
  • Eternal Equinox (September 6th, 2009): Day/night cycles in video games always start and end at the exact same time in-game. 44 wicks, 40 on-page examples Standing
  • Alternate Show Interpretation (September 8th, 2009): A Theatre play is interpreted differently than usual. 34 wicks, 22 on-page examples Standing
  • Sorting Algorithm of Face-Heel Turning (September 22nd, 2009): How likely is it for this type of character to change sides? 22 wicks, 0 on-page examples Not thriving
  • Triage Tyrant (September 22nd, 2009): A medical worker who prioritizes patients by their own standards, rather than by medical emergency. 35 wicks, 21 on-page examples Standing
    • Shorten laconic.
  • MUCK (September 27th, 2009): A Multi-User Text-Oriented Game that emphasizes role-playing and player intervention. 15 wicks, 6 on-page examples Not thriving
    • Shouldn't this one be an index?
  • Double-Sided Book (October 1st, 2009): A book with two flipped sides. 32 wicks, 40 on-page examples Standing
  • Right Now Montage (October 4th, 2009): An event's effects are shown via other characters' brief reactions. 34 wicks, 29 on-page examples Standing
  • Together We Are X (October 11th, 2009): Individual characters introduce themselves and then the name of their ensemble. 25 wicks, 21 on-page examples Standing
  • Pickup Hierarchy (October 13th, 2009): Some Video Game collectibles are more important than others. 66 wicks, 54 on-page examples Healthy
  • Recap by Audit (October 22nd, 2009): The aftermath of an event reveals or sums up what happened. 30 wicks, 19 on-page examples Standing
  • The Lethal Connotation of Guns and Others (November 1st, 2009): Bullets cause lethal wounds, other weapons don't. 26 wicks, 15 on-page examples Standing
    • Needs a rename.
  • Suspiciously Idle Officers (November 8th, 2009): A corrupt employee is never seen doing their job. 27 wicks, 20 on-page examples Standing
  • How Did We Get Back Home? (November 18th, 2009): Transporting the main characters back to their home without giving an explanation. 30 wicks, 18 on-page examples Standing
  • Rhythm Typewriter (November 25th, 2009): Typewriting as percussion. 14 wicks, 39 on-page examples Not thriving
    • Fix the laconic.
    • Flesh out zero-context examples.
    • From News 2022-09
  • The Abridged History (December 1st, 2009): Parodying and shortening real-life History. 25 wicks, 17 on-page examples Standing
  • Say It (December 4th, 2009): Making the person asking you for a favor say/do something silly. 29 wicks, 24 on-page examples Standing
    • Half of the examples are in quote formats, therefore violating the wiki's policies.
    • The description is an Example As Thesis-type and too short.
  • Rules Conversions (December 13th, 2009): Shifting RPG systems. 15 wicks, 40 zero-context, on-page examples Not thriving
    • I'd like to help but I'm way too unfamiliar with RPG rules to be of help. That the description doesn't detail the concept and instead rambles doesn't help.
  • Sealed Orders (December 13th, 2009): An order's specifics aren't given until the last moment to prevent leaks. 54 wicks, 44 on-page examples Standing
  • Textplosion (December 20th, 2009): A comic's panels are suddenly filled with text before reverting to illustrations. 38 wicks, 29 on-page examples Standing
    • Description
      Most Comics consist of a careful equilibrium between a majority of illustrations and a minority of text (in the form of Speech Bubbles and Thought Captions. There are some instances, however, when the balance is broken, and either element overtakes the panel or even the entire page. If it's the text that suddenly explodes everywhere, then you have this trope.
      This isn't a rare sight for an illustrated novel and therefore not trope-worthy in such cases. However, it's tropable if it happens in an otherwise normal comic.
      Remember that Tropes Are Tools, so a textplosion can be as much a sign of artistic laziness as a well-executed narrative device. Reasons can vary, from using it for a character who suffers from Aphantasia (inability to imagine) to a plot that mushroomed out of control.
      Sister Trope of Wall of Text (extremely lengthy paragraphs in written media). Super-Trope of Wall of Blather (textplosions containing a backdrop character's ramblings). Might overlap with Painting the Medium, when the sudden abundance of text serves an ulterior purpose. It's sometimes a victim of Speech-Bubbles Interruption.

Over 25 wicks but still need wiki magic (moderate priority):

These tropes primarily need cross-wicking off-page examples.

     2006 

     2007 

     2008 

     2009 

Advertising Tropes (lowest priority):

In general, these tropes don't attract many examples and wicks. Most commercials, when not part of an Advertising Campaign, don't have their own trope pages. I'll add tips to improve them but that's it. I tried to apply wiki magic but I always hit a wall shortly after.

     Under 12 wicks 
  • Put a Face on the Company (June 4th, 2007)
    • It needs wicks.
    • There's one In-Universe example. If there's more, put it under its own header.
  • Straightforward (June 4th, 2007): An ad that says what the product does. No more, no less.
    • The trope is well-defined.
    • It could be renamed Straightforward Ad to make its name (and purpose) more, you know, straightforward.
  • Now How Much Would You Pay (June 14th, 2007): A rhetorical question in an ad about how much the customers would pay.
  • Reverse Psycho (June 14th, 2007): An ad compels you to buy the product by telling you not to.
    • The title is not indicative at all. For non-native English speakers, it's very easily mistaken with a trope involving a psychopath.
    • Lacks a laconic (fixed).
  • Similar to the Show (June 14th, 2007): An ad ran before or after a fictional work resembles said work.
  • Scapegoat Ad (October 10th, 2007): Blaming the company's employees for its product's shortcomings.
  • It Works Itself (May 20th, 2008): Something is so easy to use, explaining how to use it is unnecessary.
  • Get the Sensation (December 9th, 2008): "This is how using Product X will make you feel!"
  • Hope Mongering (March 4th, 2009): Appealing to the customer's hope to advertise a product.
  • Phony Article (June 8th, 2009): An ad disguised as a magazine article.
  • Tape Switch (July 20th, 2009)
  • Long Form Promo (December 7th, 2009)

     Under 24 wicks 

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