TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Trope Description Improvement Drive

Go To

What it says in the title. EDIT: Link to auxiliary sandbox page

Some trope descriptions suffer from problems. Some possible ones:

  1. Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!. A paragraph starts explaining element X of the trope, then it wanders off to explain element Y. Two paragraphs after that we're back at element X again. Nary a conjunction is in sight.
  2. Too long. Stuff that should go in analysis, or maybe in another trope, or maybe nowhere, going in the main space. Too much scrolling required before you can get to the examples.
  3. Fan Myopia. Some "this is how it happens in WRESTLING!" dissertation is taking up half of the page on a trope about white t-shirts. We already have a thread on that one - discussion about the general phenomenon goes there, specific candidates to deal with go here.
  4. General lack of balance and order. Something is emphasized at the expense of the other aspects of the trope, even though it has no right to be. Consequences of the trope come first, then related tropes, then a mention of the Trope Codifier, then common scenarios where it comes into play...
  5. Failure to answer the fundamental question up front: What is this trope? Not what it "might" be or what can "possibly" happen - what is it?
  6. Not enough meat. Juicy stuff is missing, like: When is the trope likely to turn up? Why would an author use it? In what ways does the audience often react? Which tropes are related to it and how?
  7. Spelling and grammar issues.
  8. The first line which makes honest-to-god sense is below the fold. e.g. Example as a Thesis that makes you go "huh?" instead of "ooooh".
  9. Bad Writing. Purple Prose, pitching the trope, Wanton Cruelty to the Common Comma.
  10. Egregiously Fan-Myopic quote.
  11. Jaywalking.

Bring up trope pages here so we can work on them. If no one does in a while, I'll try to dig something up.

edited 22nd Sep '11 10:48:59 AM by TripleElation

animuacid The girl of the window from Astyr residence in Lilysthia's grounds Since: Jan, 2024 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
The girl of the window
#5551: Jul 19th 2024 at 1:53:19 PM

Just changed it!

Rainbo6 Hey Painty!!! from wouldn’t you like to know? (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Hey Painty!!!
#5552: Jul 20th 2024 at 12:42:51 PM

Uuuuhhh! I don't like the description for Incredibly Conspicuous Drag because it feels less about "character doesn't look good cross-dressing" and more "I hate when actor doesn't try to pretend being the opposite gender".


Also, Not-So-Forgotten Birthday has a paragraph that basically boils down to "This plot would be solved in two seconds if the characters just said happy birthday", even though the whole point is that a character thinks everyone forgot their birthday when they (everyone else) actually pretended to do, defeating the whole purpose of the trope.

Edited by Rainbo6 on Jul 20th 2024 at 6:31:15 AM

Working to help keep TV Tropes in tip-top shape (she/her).
Azorius24 Knight of Solace from the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
Knight of Solace
#5553: Jul 21st 2024 at 7:22:05 AM

I created a TLP draft for an idea I named Loves Doing Taxes, only to find it is a bit too close to the existing trope Paperworkaholic. However, I thought it could be worth expanding on that trope to include taxes, as well as some of the character implications and related tropes.

    Old description 
When you need forms filled out in triplicate and filed in a very particular way, the Paperworkaholic is your man. Not only because he's especially adept at crossing t's and dotting i's, but also because he genuinely enjoys doing so.

A paperworkaholic is never happier than when sitting before a stack of files and folders that need to be taken care of and is your greatest ally when face to face with a Vast Bureaucracy.

The Paperworkaholic can crossover into many bureaucrat tropes. See Badass Bureaucrat for times when their skills are put to impressive use. They might be an Obstructive Bureaucrat depending on just how seriously or literally they take their position. Being a Paperworkaholic may not necessarily prevent someone from being a Corrupt Bureaucrat. The opportunities for such may even be part of what they like about the bureaucracy.

Their love of the job usually means that they will not be a Beleaguered Bureaucrat unless they happen to be having a particularly bad day. Most Desk Jockeys would prefer to be back in the action, though a few may come to prefer their position behind a desk. The Paperworkaholic is most likely a Clerk as well.


    New description 
When you need forms filled out in triplicate and filed in a very particular way, the Paperworkaholic is your man. Not only because he's especially adept at crossing t's and dotting i's, but also because he genuinely enjoys doing so.

A paperworkaholic is never happier than when sitting before a stack of files and folders that need to be taken care of and is your greatest ally when face to face with a Vast Bureaucracy. Not even the Intimidating Revenue Service can faze them, as they enjoy filing taxes just as much, and will happily haul out their meticulously organised accounts. A Paperwork Punishment is consequently absolutely useless against them.

The Paperworkaholic can crossover into many bureaucrat tropes. See Badass Bureaucrat for times when their skills are put to impressive use. They might be an Obstructive Bureaucrat depending on just how seriously or literally they take their position. Being a Paperworkaholic may not necessarily prevent someone from being a Corrupt Bureaucrat — the opportunities for such may even be part of what they like about the bureaucracy. Their enjoyment of the job means they will not be a Beleaguered Bureaucrat unless they happen to be having a particularly bad day. However, while the Paperworkaholic is usually a bureaucrat or Clerk of some kind, some folks just love paperwork even when it isn't part of their career.

In any case, being a Paperworkaholic is generally used to emphasise that a character is a rule-abiding goody-two-shoes type, a nerdy intellectual who finds complex bureaucratic processes trivial or stimulating, or incredibly boring in all that they do.

May overlap with Mundane Made Awesome. Compare and contrast the Desk Jockey, who is stuck doing paperwork and would often prefer to be back in the action, though a few may come to prefer their position behind a desk. Contrast Soul-Crushing Desk Job.


Edited by Azorius24 on Jul 21st 2024 at 5:34:37 PM

"The only thing which is certain, is that something will happen".
Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#5554: Jul 21st 2024 at 2:03:20 PM

[up][up] It shouldn't reallt be about whether the character looks good, but whether they look convincing enough to "pass". I'm not sure how to describe that objectively, though.

ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NO
petersohn from Earth, Solar System (Long Runner) Relationship Status: Hiding
#5555: Jul 21st 2024 at 2:20:32 PM

I think it's one of those Paper-Thin Disguise tropes where the audience sees immediately through it, yet the characters in-universe don't. The description should reflect that.

Fjón þvæ ég af mér fjanda minna rán og reiði ríkra manna.
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#5556: Jul 21st 2024 at 3:30:23 PM

The various PSX Final Fantasies have reviews of their localizations and how the translations were received that are not only untrue but also we dont do reception in descriptions anymore.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#5557: Jul 21st 2024 at 3:31:38 PM

[up] Reception in descriptions can be instantly removed for being against the rules. Feel free to do so.

(Although this is the trope description thread. We have a work description one but I can’t easily link it as I’m on mobile.)

EDIT: Here

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Jul 21st 2024 at 7:18:33 AM

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#5558: Jul 22nd 2024 at 6:52:19 AM

Mysterious Protector description sounds like it was made specifically with Tuxedo Mask in mind, while the examples shown many other cases.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
FernandoLemon Nobody Here from Argentina (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Staying up all night to get lucky
#5559: Jul 24th 2024 at 2:52:32 PM

Sapient All Along got its description changed recently without consensus. What to do besides sending a notifier? Just revert? Examine?

Edited by FernandoLemon on Jul 24th 2024 at 6:52:44 AM

I'd like to apologize for all this.
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#5560: Jul 25th 2024 at 9:57:15 AM

Woolseyism's description is very long and starts with the history of the term and not how the site uses it.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#5561: Jul 25th 2024 at 10:19:38 AM

[up] This is prime time to mention something that I wanted to mention, I think people love the localized terminology and or clever reworking he did but otherwise his translations are actually kinda bad, lots of mistranslations and contradictions and Dub Induced Plot Holes. People staunchly love his work and refuse more proper translations that ALSO do Woolseyism to keep everything appealing to foreign audiences, and way better than the man himself ever did.

Too Long Didnt Read: Yeah that section should definitely go.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
Malady (X-Troper)
#5562: Jul 28th 2024 at 6:15:10 AM

Are Worse with Context and Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap! related by being about explaining things and should crosswick? Or am I mistaken?

[down] - So, not as clear a connection as I think. okay.

Edited by Malady on Jul 28th 2024 at 9:51:38 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
DoktorvonEurotrash Lex et Veritas from Not a place of honour (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#5563: Jul 28th 2024 at 9:20:30 AM

[up]That question may be better for the Setting Up Trope Relationships thread.

EDIT: Link here.

Edited by DoktorvonEurotrash on Jul 28th 2024 at 9:21:31 AM

emocoach Since: Jul, 2024
#5564: Jul 28th 2024 at 9:51:49 PM

Should we expand the definition of Tranquilized Mid-Sentence and change this:

Note that this trope is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. If a character is rendered unconscious with a taser, a phaser, chloroform, Knockout Gas, or a Tap on the Head midsentence, then it's not this trope.

to this?

Despite the name, this trope can apply to characters being knocked out with a taser, a phaser, chloroform, Knockout Gas, or a Tap on the Head midsentence, too. The reason for the name is because Tranquilizer Darts are the most common victim of this trope.

There really isn't any reason for it to be that specific.

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000)
#5565: Jul 28th 2024 at 9:55:09 PM

Uh, no. Not without TRS. That alters the usage.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Echidna from Ontario, Canada (Striking Back) Relationship Status: Two-timing
#5566: Jul 28th 2024 at 10:01:13 PM

[up][up]No I don’t see the benefit of changing it

Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#5567: Jul 29th 2024 at 6:08:29 AM

So the description for Death of the Author is a massive wall of text and I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas how to make it less bloated

have a listen and have a link to my discord server
DanteVin The Time Has Come from Somewhere Since: Jul, 2016 Relationship Status: Singularity
#5568: Jul 29th 2024 at 11:48:27 AM

Should the description paragraph of Male Gaze be updated to include Leg Focus? I'm asking because the Leg Focus page outright says "This is notably recurrent in G-rated fiction, where the Male Gaze is directed to the legs..."

With Great Power, Comes Great Motivation
Azorius24 Knight of Solace from the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
Azorius24 Knight of Solace from the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond (Five Long Years) Relationship Status: love is a deadly lazer
Knight of Solace
#5570: Jul 29th 2024 at 1:03:50 PM

[up][up] The second paragraph does mention legs? You could theoretically pothole Leg Focus in there?

"The only thing which is certain, is that something will happen".
emocoach Since: Jul, 2024
#5571: Jul 29th 2024 at 1:43:17 PM

[up]x5,[up]x6 Then we should add something to the description to make it clear why this is more noteworthy than someone just being knocked out midsentence. Here's my proposal for an additional paragraph:

This is Artistic License – Pharmacology. In Real Life, tranquilizer darts do not work instantly and if someone does stop talking upon being hit with one, it's not because of the sedative, but solely because of the unexpectedness of the situation — although common in fiction, they are rarely used on humans in real life due to how difficult it is to determine the correct dosage for a human without killing them.

FernandoLemon Nobody Here from Argentina (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Staying up all night to get lucky
Coachpill Taxidermy (he/him) from Gen Z Since: Aug, 2022 Relationship Status: Baby don't hurt me!
Taxidermy (he/him)
#5573: Jul 30th 2024 at 6:38:58 AM

[up] I'd say revert; the extra stuff mostly only applies to Sapient Pet (AFAIK anyway).

Re #5567: Death of the Author's description has been brought up before, but I'm not sure whether it's still considered more of a TRS issue. I do agree that there's absolutely no reason for it to be that long but the solution might not be as simple as simply trimming things down

Your goateed philistine is sashaying towards us. | 🧱
Reymma RJ Savoy from Edinburgh Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Wanna dance with somebody
RJ Savoy
#5574: Jul 30th 2024 at 7:04:13 AM

[up][up][up] It would help. The trope would likely benefit from being expanded, but only TRS can do that.

Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#5575: Jul 31st 2024 at 2:33:05 AM

On Mascot Horror

Note: Many other video games, such as Undertale and Cuphead are often lumped together with the various games of this trend with the reasons being their comparable popularities and there being a massive overlap between all these games' fandoms. These games also features easily recognizable characters and were popularized by Let's Plays and videos speculating about their lorenote , as well as some levels of unexpected horror to variying degrees. However these games are otherwise a different genre from Mascot Horror and simply happen to have benefited from a trend at the time. There's also Doki Doki Literature Club, which is technically a different genre of horror (leaning more psychological). However, it ended up (intentionally or not) utilizing many key traits of Mascot Horror. This resulted in it attracting a similar audience, along with it being frequently crossed over with Mascot Horror staples, which led to it being lumped in with its contemporaries.

They may have Friendly Fandoms, but what's the point of mentioning that here? Neither of the three have mascots and Cuphead isn't even horror.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup

Total posts: 6,230
Top