Before making or posting in a thread, read the Trope Repairing Guidelines to see whether a thread you're considering making actually should be made, as well as what is and isn't allowed in an open thread.
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- If the trope is fine, but has some bad examples, feel free to clean them up or to start a cleanup project at Projects: Short-Term
. Trope Repair Shop is for when cleaning isn't sufficient.
- If you think there's something wrong with the trope that systematically attracts improper examples, start a discussion at Trope Talk. Use a Wick Check to see whether there's an issue present (and if there is, what the issue is). The following methods are two possible ways to do a wick check (though not necessarily the only ways):
- You can go ahead with the Wick Check without a discussion if you know what you're looking for. While it's not mandatory, feel free to ask someone for help confirming that you got the issue and the numbers correct.
- Consult the Wick Check Project thread
to collect evidence if you need help.
- Depending on a trope (or non-trope) in question, a wick check may be determined to not be required, such as for tropes that are not thriving (per the standards for trope health listed on the Wick page). However, there is no problem if you want to do one anyway.
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Edited by GastonRabbit on Aug 12th 2025 at 11:35:13 AM
Probably just wait for the decision to be made and the wicks to be cleaned if necessary until getting there. Most wick cleaners already know the MB and CM wick stuff
@WarJay77: Well, I finally made the Fighter, Mage, Thief sandbox page, this is my first sandbox page so there's likely going to be some issues when I finished but hey, that's what the Wick Check Project thread is for!
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.Hey, I get it. I'm sure you'll do fine though
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You might want to start a trope talk thread about Fighter Mage Thief before diving into a wick check, because just checking out the issues listed in the sandbox, I'm not so sure either are total misuse.
- non-gameplay examples: this is an interesting question of whther or not FMT is even meant to be gameplay exclusive. Fantasy Character Classes is gameplay exclusive, so if so, then i really don't see why these two are separate. But notably the on page examples are already soft-split between gameplay and non-gameplay examples. Not saying that it shouldn't be gameplay exclusive, but i'm not sure it's disallowed by the current definition
- linking three or more characters: while the trope played fully straight has 3 archetypes, the description actually includes room for others by mixing and matching these three together, so it's not really clear that this is supposed to be limited to three characters or if it is meant to include others that use the three archetypes as a basis. (Limiting it to a trio trope in which each character has to fit fighter, mage, thief archetype however would differentiate it from Fantasy Character Classes, though.)
I don't think it's as clear cut as "correct" and "wrong" based on those two metrics
Edited by amathieu13 on Sep 4th 2023 at 10:44:28 AM
Writing up the trope, I want to clarify two things in my wick check
- Going by the description, the trope is defined as a gameplay trope. If this is the case, then it means the trope's description needs a rewrite if it is to be about non-interactive examples.
- The issue is I've been noticing trends of characters who would better fit the three categories subscribed to in Square Peg Round Trope, that is the Fighter who deals with problems physically (usually by combat as the name Fighter implies), the Mage who deals with problems with their special abilities (magic, psionics, gadgets, etc.) and the Thief who deals with problems "indirectly" (stealth, ranged combat, social skills, etc.)
Even without those issues, my wick check had lead me to find 7/16 of the examples so far Zero Context Examples, making me wonder if tropers are under the mistake of thinking the trope name is more explanatory then it seems. I am willing to take a break on the Wick Check and start a Trope Talk if need be though.
Edited by JustaUsername on Sep 6th 2023 at 5:48:06 AM
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
oh i don't doubt that you'll find ZC Es. in my experience most tropes over the 200 wick range will have a minimum of 10-15% of their wicks being ZC Es. however, fixing zces wouldn't necessarily require TRS if the proportion is low and the rest of the trope is sound. they'd be completed with a clean up thread.
i don't want this to come off as discouraging TRS (it probably does need it), but just trying to ensure that the issues guiding the wick checking are as described so that examples don't get sorted as definitive misuse when they might not be given some of the ambiguity in the trope description.
Okay, I started the Trope Talk here
. Let's see how we can pin down this trope so we can better repair it.
Edited by JustaUsername on Sep 5th 2023 at 6:13:29 PM
Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
Sorry, hyper focus sometimes causes me to type the wrong things (and I'm handling the Wick Check for this, oh dear...)
Oldest Internet Archive copy
for Fantasy Character Classes. Original YKTTW
for Fighter Mage Thief; had to go to the Internet Archive to fetch it as the archived discussion was blanked at some point, somehow.
I’ve been feeling this for awhile now but I think Practically Joker needs some repairing. So many characters seem to be added to this solely for being ax-crazy and sharing some other superficial trait of Joker’s (like killing their parents or having a slasher smile) even when they otherwise have completely different characterizations. Off the top of my head, Ridley, Light Yagami, Lord Shen, Volo, Gengar, and Owl House’s Collector are listed as examples that only shares slight elements with the Joker but are otherwise completely unrelated with two of them being good guys. Both of Deltarune’s superbosses are listed as examples even though their characterizations are distinct. In particular Jevil seems to be modeled after jokers in tabletop cards more than anything rather the Batman character as he lacks malice, is more carefree than evil, and doesn’t intentionally try to corrupt anyone. Flowey is also listed as one when again, they only share two things in common, being ax crazy and corrupting in this case, which is a very very common archetype.
Saying it’s a Practically Joker is like saying Kris is a Batman Parody because they’re stoic, has a dark complexion and outfit, wears a cape, and generally tries not to kill enemies.
Edited by Shad0wSmoke on Sep 5th 2023 at 8:28:52 AM
Fewest wicks remaining: Disabled Love Interest (408), Authority Grants Asskicking (259), Hurting Hero (249), Genre Adultery (147), What The Hell Casting Agency (99)
Closable upon completion: True Art Is Incomprehensible (1146), Daylight Horror (852), Teens Are Short (459), Hurting Hero (249), Genre Adultery (147)
Thoughts: Lots of four-digit projects open right now.
Vehicle-Based Characterization | Grief-Induced Split | Locker Mail![]()
Thank you! Is there a way to search if it's already been brought up before?
Go through the thread. Forum search doesn't work so great on TV Tropes.
It actually was discussed though
.
Sorry, I only just got the message I'm up in the queue. How should I post it? The forum is still full.
You were pinged by accident because Mayor thought it was your turn. We'll ping next time there's a slot.
Macron's notes
Yeah that one was on me. Apologies.
Adept has frequently shifted around their tropes on the queue. Their actual positions on the queue have not changed as far as I can tell, but shifting around tropes on the queue is something no other troper I've seen has done, so I'm not sure what to think. Thoughts?
Apologies for double posting, but right after I made the last post I noticed that ~Adept listed Fountain of Expies twice on the queue, so I'm pinging them here to ask which one of the two they should get rid of.
Edited by JHD0919 on Sep 6th 2023 at 8:47:35 AM
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Nah, a bunch of us do that. Keeping your reserved slot is more important than which draft of yours occupies said slot.
~Fools Edit Account you are up next on the queue.
Macron's notes@JHD 0919, like Yindee said, I also will sometimes switch my threads around for time reasons, i.e. if I notice a thread of mine is coming up that will likely lead to a lot of dewicking but my schedule IRL is getting hectic, I'll switch it with a shorter, less time consuming one that I queue'd up further down
So long as you're just swapping thread topics and not line jumping, it's not really an issue
Edited by amathieu13 on Sep 6th 2023 at 10:01:53 AM

Our Mermaids Are Different has a wick at Monster.Anime And Manga O To Z. Should I request that ACW be pinged to the thread once it's launched so that they know what to do with the wick if the trope's changed?
Edited by JHD0919 on Sep 4th 2023 at 11:12:45 AM