Follow TV Tropes

Following

Laconic Description Improvement

Go To

For a list of bad laconics, see Sandbox.Pages Needing Better Laconics.

For generally accepted guidelines for laconics, see Sandbox.Laconic Wiki Template.


Today I found out an interesting fact from troper Ironeye:

Don't ever make the mistake of using the Laconic version as the canonical trope meaning—the laconics are often written by people who don't actually understand the drop. In this case, the laconic only corresponds to one possible cause of Darkness-Induced Audience Apathy.

The Laconic Description for DIAA states as follows:

The thing is, these descriptions are supposed to make it easier to understand what the page is about. If they can't be accurate as well as short and sweet, then there's a problem.

So for starters, what would be a better description for DIAA?

Edited by MacronNotes on Jan 29th 2023 at 6:23:45 AM

Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#351: May 27th 2018 at 8:25:49 AM

[up] - I suppose. I don't watch The CW, so I'm just working with what the pages are giving me.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
wingedcatgirl I'm helping! from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
I'm helping!
#352: May 28th 2018 at 6:46:34 AM

Laconic.Caffeine Bullet Time is awful.

How about something more like

Hyperactive character + caffeinated beverage = go very fast

Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#353: May 28th 2018 at 11:21:01 AM

[up] - Yes, much better.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
wingedcatgirl I'm helping! from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
I'm helping!
#354: Jun 24th 2018 at 9:35:43 AM

Laconic.Planet Eater is much too jokesy at the expense of clarity:

Chocolate-covered Earth, my favorite!

How about something more like:

Consumes planets for sustenance.

Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
WaterBlap Blapper of Water Since: May, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Blapper of Water
#355: Jun 24th 2018 at 2:56:38 PM

[up] It's a little, idk, trying hard to avoid the word "eat," but there's no reason to not use that word. Also, remember that wittiness is preferred to academic style. What about

A character who eats planets, whether that's sucking out their "life-force" or literally taking bites out of the crust.

Look at all that shiny stuff ain't they pretty
Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
Karxrida The Unknown from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
The Unknown
#357: Jul 21st 2018 at 5:48:24 AM

Yeah, that needs to be changed ASAP.

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody remembers it, who else will you have ice cream with?
Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#358: Jul 21st 2018 at 6:29:30 AM

[up][up][up] - I like it.

[up] - Yes. How about just reusing the 1973's one, and maybe a bit updating it?

"A remake of the 1973 cult horror classic about human sacrifice."

Or just cut one / both?

Edited by Malady on Jul 21st 2018 at 6:31:25 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
wingedcatgirl I'm helping! from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
I'm helping!
#359: Jul 31st 2018 at 11:48:04 AM

Laconic.Useless Without Powers just rephrases the trope name:

Remove their powers and they're useless.

Is there a more informative way to phrase that?

Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#360: Jul 31st 2018 at 11:56:35 AM

"Take away their powers and they can't kick any ass."

Or maybe past tense it or something.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#361: Jul 31st 2018 at 3:11:32 PM

~Water Blap:

Also, remember that wittiness is preferred to academic style.
Just as long as it doesn't compromise Clarity and/or Conciseness, IIRC.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
WaterBlap Blapper of Water Since: May, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Blapper of Water
#362: Jul 31st 2018 at 4:18:20 PM

Agreed. Hence this thread, I suppose. Maybe "A character who literally eats planets or their 'life force.'"

Look at all that shiny stuff ain't they pretty
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#363: Aug 13th 2018 at 8:14:57 PM

Laconic.Hold Your Hippogriffs is almost entirely written in blue links, which I'm pretty sure is not allowed. Maybe change it into something like, "Replacing the words of a common saying with a setting-specific terminology," though this would probably need a few more tweaks.

Edited by Adept on Aug 14th 2018 at 1:28:23 AM

Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#364: Aug 14th 2018 at 1:07:34 PM

Laconic.Your Mom: "Yo momma's so fat she doesn't fit on the Laconic page..."

Better if it's something like:

"An insult or joke revolving around someone's mother".


Laconic.Hermetic Magic:

"Magic can do literally anything but you must create a unique ritual for it."

Is that right? I'm not getting that from the description...

Edited by Malady on Aug 17th 2018 at 3:07:05 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
wingedcatgirl I'm helping! from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
I'm helping!
#365: Aug 17th 2018 at 5:11:42 PM

Laconic.Working Title is

Fake title used to protect information about the movie actually being made.

This should be more generic than it is, because working titles have more uses than just this one.

Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
Playing_with_boy Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
#366: Aug 18th 2018 at 10:56:18 AM

How about:

Fake title which is (usually) different than the finished product's title.

Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#367: Aug 18th 2018 at 2:42:00 PM

[up] - Maybe "Preliminary", instead of "Fake".

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
HighCrate Since: Mar, 2015
#368: Aug 18th 2018 at 2:42:39 PM

"Fake" implies intentional deception. How about,

"Temporary title used to refer to a work during its production."

Playing_with_boy Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
MarqFJA The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer from Deserts of the Middle East (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
The Cosmopolitan Fictioneer
#370: Aug 26th 2018 at 5:37:14 PM

~Tropers/Adept: That seems fine. It's basically a more concise version of the description's first line, in which the trope is defined.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.
Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#371: Aug 31st 2018 at 9:15:10 PM

Romance Novel's Laconic is:

Porn with Plot, in novel form, for a female audience.

That's not fully accurate right? Can't a Romance Novel actually not be porn? It's called Romance Novel, not well, Erotic Literature...

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#372: Sep 3rd 2018 at 3:33:23 PM

I agree. There's a difference between romance novels and erotic literature. Obviously, they can overlap, but they often don't because there's no guarantee that erotic literature will actually be 'romance' literature. There's definitely no guarantee that PWP stories will be romance novels.

Edit: Total aside, is that what PWP is translated into these days? Back in ye anciente days of yore when the Internet was barely a twinkle in the eyes of fanzine (fanfic) authors', PWP meant "Plot? What Plot?" — while that certainly did mean "Porn Without Plot", it's not what the letters stood for.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Sep 3rd 2018 at 11:47:12 AM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
wingedcatgirl I'm helping! from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
I'm helping!
#373: Sep 5th 2018 at 6:23:55 PM

Laconic.Home Early Surprise is the supremely unhelpful sentence "Arriving home early is bound to give you a surprise."

Anyone have better ideas?

Trouble Cube continues to be a general-purpose forum for those who desire such a thing.
Malady (Not-So-Newbie)
#374: Sep 5th 2018 at 6:32:57 PM

[up] - Well, the trope is general, right? It could be any kind of surprise, so that's about the best we can do?

Unless you go, "Commonly, finding out your significant other is having an affair" or something.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#375: Sep 10th 2018 at 10:44:26 AM

Question, can laconic pages have a page quote?

The RWBY has the following laconic, which requires people to know multiple works just to get the point. Also, the bold bit was deemed inappropriate the Cerebus clean-up thread because Cerebus doesn't apply to this work. As a result, it's been removed.

Monty Oum's Action Girl-filled dramedy with history, mythology, Fairytale Motifs, and harsh Cerebus Syndrome.

OR

Harry Potter meets Sailor Moon mixed with Bloodborne.

OR

Antithesis of Warhammer 40,000

I was thinking something like the following:

An animated show about a team of female combat students who go to school to learn how to protect their world from evil monsters only to become embroiled in an ancient Secret War that threatens humanity's very survival.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Sep 10th 2018 at 6:54:03 PM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.

Total posts: 2,887
Top