A thread discussing similar tropes. If thread participants agree that two (or more) tropes really don't seem distinct enough to be separate, one can start a thread in the Trope Repair Shop for further discussion.
Before asking "What's the difference between these tropes?", check the Canonical List of Subtle Trope Distinctions and Laconical List of Subtle Trope Distinctions lists. They may contain the answer. Feel free to contribute to them, too.
I've decided to start a new cleanup thread dealing with trope similarities. This thread is for discussing tropes that appear to be a duplicate of another trope, and if it's agreed upon that the two tropes talked about are similar enough, one should start a thread about it in the Trope Repair Shop.
I'll start with my issue...
Asian Hooker Stereotype and Mighty Whitey and Mellow Yellow are pretty much the same trope—they both involve a white man and an Asian woman.
Edited by Tabs on Nov 1st 2022 at 10:57:37 AM
the Retromancer
When You Coming Home, Dad? and Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You only differ by how long the father is absent, which makes me think they are the same. And oddly don't reference each other.
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Angry babby
They're not really the same at all. When You Coming Home, Dad? is about the parent being present, but neglectful during major life events, usually because of business reasons, and it's not always justified by the narrative. Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You is for characters who permanently leave the family (or at least leave for a very long period of time) for a reason usually justified by the narrative. They could stand to reference each other but they're far from duplicates.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Can shapeshift (probably)
Difference between The Kindnapper and Kidnapped by an Ally?
Silver and gold, silver and gold
the Retromancer
The Kindnapper isn't necessarily an ally and Kidnapped by an Ally sin't necessarily kind is more of a plot twist trope.
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Jews Love to Argue and Jewish Complaining? Of the 42 works that reference Jewish Complaining, 20 of them also mention Jews Love to Argue. That's some unhealthy overlap. Is complaining versus arguing worth a split?
i'm at the combination she and it
regarding the previous page's talk of Overlord Jr. and Daddy's Little Villain, they've been discussed before and they're on Tropes Needing TRS, so there's generally a consensus that they're duplicates and need to be merged, but the thing holding them back is that i think many people feel like it would be a massive undertaking to merge them
the Retromancer
Even if 1531 is merged with 708, we have larger wick renaming projects.
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Can shapeshift (probably)
Difference between Too Many Babies and Surprise Multiple Birth?
Silver and gold, silver and gold
Angry babby
Surprise Multiple Birth can just be twins or triplets, and is about the surprise of not knowing you had multiples, regardless of how well you adapt to it afterwards; Too Many Babies is about the stress of having multiples, whether you knew beforehand or not.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
the Retromancer
Angry babby
Wangst vs. Angst Dissonance? I didn't even know the latter existed until today.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
OG Troper
Since there's a new launch pad entry for "Hidden Storage Compartment", I'd like to bring up that I for the life of me, cannot tell from the description or examples what is the functional difference between Hidden Supplies and Emergency Stash.
[ed.] from A Safe Index to Hide:
- Emergency Stash: A character has stashed supplies in case of an emergency.
[...]
- Hidden Supplies: A character has prepared by hidden weapons, money and/or other sundries
That is the same sentence just reworded.
Edited by JethroQWalrustitty on Jan 18th 2024 at 12:20:29 PM
the statement above is false
The only difference I could make out at a glance is that Hidden Supplies is about hiding the spares while Emergency Stash is for openly placed but locked supplies. Candidates for a merge, IMO.
Is there an easy way of differentiating between Accidental Innuendo and Double Entendre?
I mean, while one of them is subjective (YMMV) and the other is objective, are there other factors that help separate them?
Another thing that made it difficult for me to know if an example of either from them may be misused... is the fact that neither the pages of Accidental Innuendo and Double Entendre directly mention the other.
With Great Power, Comes Great Motivation
Innuendo Tropes has both of them inside, and if the characters in-universe react to the entendre, then it's Double Entendre.
Also Accidental Innuendo potholes Double Entendre in "single entendre".
Edited by Malady on Jan 18th 2024 at 6:47:10 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Angry babby
Accidental Innuendo also has to be assumed, well, accidental, while Double Entendre is for stuff that's more blatant.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
As I understand it, Accidental Innuendo is not intended by the author, Innocent Innuendo is intended by the author but not by the character, and Double Entendre is intended by the character.
The universe is under no obligation to make sense to us.
the Retromancer
Is Who Needs Enemies? just Nominal Hero / Token Evil Teammate who's on the same team as an actual hero?
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Can shapeshift (probably)
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I think it's more about subverting involuntary team-ups (like through The Mole) even though the only impression we get for a while/a certain amount of time is the fact that they're still allies. I mean, it's a Narrative Device.
Joke Exhaustion just seems to be "Overly Pre-Prepared Gag, but slightly more self-indulgent." Silver and gold, silver and gold
Should Foil be relegated to a Supertrope and not be used as an example anymore?
As I understand it, Foil is just a contrast, Good/Evil Counterpart is specifically a villain made to contrast a hero or vice versa depending on who debuted first in real time, and Shadow Archetype is a character that represents a road not taken.
That said, I've seen them be used as synonyms or as redundant entries—an Evil Counterpart by definition is a foil to someone else who came first, for example.
For example, Steven Universe's character page listed off several characters as both foils and Evil Counterparts, most notably Jasper as compared to Garnet. Same with the Transformers Prime page, or a lot of the character specific trope pages.
How should these be used in the future?
Big Catch, Sparkle Edition
Foil is already a supertrope. But you can use most supertropes, as long as a subtrope isn't in play.
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
What's difference between Child Eater and Eats Babies?
Edited by Kuprin on Jan 24th 2024 at 11:46:44 AM
Child Eater is a being that goes out of their way to prey on children and infants. Eats Babies is a villain who is just "repugnant enough to eat one if the chance comes up".
Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.
the Retromancer
Child Eater is a proper cannibal, while Eats Babies is like Moral Event Horizon. Eats Babies is probably worth checking for ZCE and misplaced examples.
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Is Right Place, Right Time, Wrong Reason a mix of Accidental Hero and Nominal Hero? The description makes me think the character has to be committing a crime of some kind, but examples lean closer to Spanner in the Works.
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup