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This is the thread to report all violations of the site's spoiler policy in, as well as a place to coordinate cleanup of those articles.

Edited by Mrph1 on Oct 18th 2025 at 11:06:42 AM

Berrenta Bejeweled (she/her) (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: I made a point to burn all of the photographs
Bejeweled (she/her)
#1026: Jul 25th 2021 at 7:33:11 AM

Characters.Lugaru has spoiler tags dominating the page, making the unmarked spoilers note on top look like Blatant Lies.

Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#1027: Jul 25th 2021 at 2:21:55 PM

Retroactive Idiot Ball is where actions in one work made sense when the work was released, but a later instalment establishes facts that makes said action questionable in hindsight.

So should the examples for this trope go in the work with the original action, or in the later instalment.

I've seen it used in the former, such as the examples below, but doesn't that just end up spoiling the later works?:

From Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

  • Retroactive Idiot Ball: This book explains that Harry's parents were killed because the spell they used to hide their location needed a Secret-Keeper and that the man they entrusted to the role happened to be The Mole for Voldemort. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows reveals that there is technically nothing preventing you from being your own Secret-Keeper, which is why the good guys' headquarters's location remained a secret for so long. It really makes one wonders why the Potters didn't chose that option, since they knew they were hunted.

From The Empire Strikes Back:

From The Force Awakens:

  • Retroactive Idiot Ball: Han and Leia choosing to pass on the Solo name rather than the Organa name never made a ton of sense considering that Alderaan was a matriarchal society and Organa is the name of a royal house and of one of the few remaining Alderaanian bloodlines, but it makes even less sense after Solo revealed that Solo wasn't even Han's original last name and was given to him as a placeholder by an Imperial officer.

From The Phantom Menace:

  • Retroactive Idiot Ball: The reason that the Trade Federation is blockading Naboo is to get the Galactic Republic to lower/remove the taxes on trade routes. Attack of the Clones established that the Republic doesn't have an army. With the knowledge presented in the sequel, the Trade Federation would have just been better off blockading or invading Coruscant instead to protest the taxes.

From Return of the Jedi:

  • Retroactive Idiot Ball:
    • Luke is completely defenseless against Palpatine's Force lightning. The prequel trilogy established that lightsabers can block Force lightning, and Yoda was aware of Force lightning as one of Palpatine's abilities due to their duel. If Yoda had told Luke this vital information, he probably wouldn't have thrown his lightsaber on the floor, which left him defenseless against Palpatine's lightning, and if Yoda did tell Luke, then Luke is an idiot for tossing away the only defense he had against Palpatine's lightning.
    • Revenge of the Sith established that Palpatine is perfectly aware of how far Anakin would go to protect or avenge his family. He knows what happened to the Tusken Raiders responsible for Shmi's death, and he himself manipulated Anakin into betraying the Jedi with the empty promise that the Dark Side could save Padmé's life. So what made Palpatine think it was a good idea to torture Luke to death in front of his father's eyes?

From Revenge of the Sith:

  • Retroactive Idiot Ball: Anakin turning to the Dark Side in order to gain power over life and death makes a lot less sense after Star Wars: The Clone Wars revealed that he was directly involved in reversing Ahsoka's death not more than two years before, without the use of Sith powers. The Rise of Skywalker takes this even farther by introducing an ability to transfer some of your life to another person through the force, which seems to be common knowledge among force users and not take extensive training to pull off.

wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#1028: Jul 25th 2021 at 2:28:26 PM

When discussing a particular work (either on its page or in a trope entry regarding it), it seems most prudent to avoid mentioning information from later works where possible.

So on the later work.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#1029: Jul 25th 2021 at 6:22:36 PM

[up][up] Harry Potter Secret-Keeper example is iffy, because we don't entirely know the mechanics of Secret-Keeping yourself.

2025: the year it all ends?
RainbowPumpqueen R A T (she/her) from Kalos Since: Apr, 2021 Relationship Status: Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!
R A T (she/her)
#1030: Jul 26th 2021 at 9:38:45 PM

Sorry if this isn't the right place to ask this; I was doing a slight re-write on WhatCouldHaveBeen.Young Justice and I was wondering if this bit I added counts as a Self-Fulfilling Spoiler?

  • The finale episode "Endgame" had some dialogue that was cut for time - including Lex Luthor being called out for the Reach invasion, Wally and Artemis discussing an intended return to the hero life and balancing it with their normal lives (which was also cut because it would have made Wally's death too obvious), and just in general some additional wrap-up that wasn't necessary but would have helped tie up loose ends a little better.

Feel free to help with the sandbox or edit my troper wall
wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#1031: Jul 27th 2021 at 8:19:19 AM

There could feasibly be more than one thing behind that spoiler, but if you want to be sure, you could change it to "which was also cut because it would have made Wally's death too obvious".

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#1032: Jul 28th 2021 at 7:22:51 AM

Recap pages are Spoilers Off and categorically cannot mention info from future installments...

If one episode foreshadows something that isn't confirmed til a later episode, it seems like there's no reasonable way to acknowledge that without either implicitly spoiling the thing or sounding like speculation...

Should it just be a rule that such things can't be troped on Recap pages?

(Thinking here specifically of "Simon Says" heavily foreshadowing that two certain characters are the same character, which wouldn't be confirmed til the next season, but it seems like there's a general rule to be had here...)

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
Delibirda from Splatsville Since: Sep, 2020 Relationship Status: I wanna be your dog
#1033: Jul 28th 2021 at 7:46:38 AM

I reckon it is already a rule.

"Listen up, Marina, because this is SUPER important. Whatever you do, don't eat th“ “DON'T EAT WHAT?! Your text box ran out of space!”
Tabs Since: Jan, 2001
#1034: Jul 28th 2021 at 12:31:53 PM

[up][up] Due to the second rule you mentioned, maybe you can add the Foreshadowing trope to the episode in which the reveal was made, referencing which episode foreshadows it.

bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#1035: Jul 28th 2021 at 3:26:46 PM

Foreshadowing is best on the work page, for these reasons.

2025: the year it all ends?
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#1036: Jul 28th 2021 at 3:43:53 PM

[up] I agree. It's the only way to fully explain the context and avoid spoiling future episodes and not put it under an episode where it didn't occur. Either that or spoiler tags are allowed on recaps for things like this.

NateTheGreat Since: Jan, 2001
#1037: Aug 4th 2021 at 7:58:16 AM

Worshipped for Great Deeds has an example that is completely spoiled. Could we get someone more familiar with the work rewrite the example so minimal spoiler tags can be applied?

Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#1038: Aug 4th 2021 at 8:01:53 AM

It's not completely spoilered out, it has the work name and a time reference to when the spoiler happens so readers know whether it's okay to reveal it. I'd say it's not a major problem.

Vandagyre I think I just got AC team loyalty from Dacardia (Fifth Year at Tropey's) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
I think I just got AC team loyalty
#1039: Aug 4th 2021 at 12:42:22 PM

Undertale - Flowey has spoiler tags above the example line to conceal his relationship to a character who's on Undertale - Spoiler Characters and has their name in the problem spoiler tag. The issue is they're distinct enough from one another to have separate character sheets despite Flowey being the reincarnation of the other character. I really don't know what to do with this one, since the spoilered information combined with the other character's name is major enough to recontextualize the entire game.

Cave Johnson, we're done here.
wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#1040: Aug 4th 2021 at 1:06:56 PM

Ending a description with a spoiled-out "For a spoilery alternate version of this character, see other relevant character sheet" phrase is common enough that we're half-tempted to consider it an exception to the "no spoilers above the example line" rule.

We at least moved the note so that this is the very last thing in the description.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
Eiryu Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#1041: Aug 4th 2021 at 1:31:00 PM

So over on the character page for Moriarty the Patriot, one of the characters known by two names has had the second name added spoiled out (the first name he's known by clear). Which is a violation of Spoiler Policy.

I think the name got added spoilered because this character being the second identity is a Walking Spoiler. The character is trans, so it's not as if he's known by both names at the same time. I think given the content of the folder, it could probably be renamed to the second name.

Which name should be on the folder/what should be done with it?

Berrenta Bejeweled (she/her) (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: I made a point to burn all of the photographs
Bejeweled (she/her)
#1042: Aug 5th 2021 at 9:00:49 AM

Wasn't able to clear out all of the spoiler tags on Funny.Nico B. There were too many of them.

Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#1043: Aug 5th 2021 at 12:30:41 PM

[up]x3 Just because it's common doesn't mean it's right. Slap a huge spoiler warning on the top of the page and strip all the tags. Done.

Also, I don't think having a page literally named Spoiler Characters is very kosher with our policy. If we can't have character folders named "spoiler character" I seriously doubt we can do the same for pages.

Edited by Karxrida on Aug 5th 2021 at 12:36:49 PM

bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#1044: Aug 5th 2021 at 12:39:39 PM

[up] That's the RallyBot argument again. He interpreted the "Spoiler Character" rule very narrowly to allow something which obviously wasn't intended as allowed.

2025: the year it all ends?
Berrenta Bejeweled (she/her) (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: I made a point to burn all of the photographs
Bejeweled (she/her)
#1045: Aug 5th 2021 at 2:40:16 PM

Well, finished the job...and got the split-off subpages as well.

Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#1046: Aug 5th 2021 at 6:20:49 PM

[up]x2 I'm not sure what you're saying here.

bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#1047: Aug 6th 2021 at 1:29:04 AM

[up] Rally argued that because no character's name was directly being obscured, it was okay to use "Spoiler Characters" plural, despite the intent of the rule being to ban this sort of thing.

2025: the year it all ends?
Delibirda from Splatsville Since: Sep, 2020 Relationship Status: I wanna be your dog
#1048: Aug 6th 2021 at 1:33:56 AM

I don't understand.

"Listen up, Marina, because this is SUPER important. Whatever you do, don't eat th“ “DON'T EAT WHAT?! Your text box ran out of space!”
Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#1049: Aug 6th 2021 at 1:58:37 AM

The work page description for Kingdom Come has spoilers above the line:

Although no animated adaptation has been made (and likely will never be, due to Warner Bros considering the art style of Alex Ross too hard to replicate), several elements of the comics have made it to live-action:

Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#1050: Aug 6th 2021 at 1:59:45 PM

[up]x3 Ah. I just got wasn't sure if you were agreeing with me or making an argument.


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