A thread discussing similar tropes.
Note that two tropes being distinct in theory does that mean they are distinct in practice. If 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. A a wick check demonstrating redundancy will likely be required, though.
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 Synchronicity on Aug 8th 2024 at 5:29:57 AM
The descriptions, at least, seem to agree with you.
...
I'm wondering what's the relation between Thirsty Desert and Shifting Sand Land, and if Crossing the Desert is a subtrope of either of those and shouldn't be listed with them.
Edited by Malady on Nov 18th 2019 at 5:58:28 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576Begging the Question seems awfully similar to Circular Reasoning. Whats the distinction between the two?
I'm a little unclear on that myself, but both are pre-existing terms, so theoretically you could ask someone who's into formal logic. I'm pretty sure Begging the Question is a subtrope of Circular Reasoning, though.
Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.Help me understand:
- Every Device Is a Swiss-Army Knife: a device has a lot of functions
- Magic Tool: Just The Same But More Specific?
- When All You Have Is a Hammer…: something (a tool/weapon/power) has only one function by design, but the user uses it for multiple different situations
- Swiss-Army Weapon / Swiss-Army Superpower: a weapon or a power has more than one functions by design
Am I getting it right?
Edited by 4tell0life4 on Nov 23rd 2019 at 11:32:11 AM
We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenzaDifference between Out-of-Character Alert and O.O.C. Is Serious Business? Is the former an intentional effort by a character to let others know something is wrong, or...?
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallOut-of-Character Alert: This character is doing something they wouldn't plausibly do. They must be under duress/an imposter. Must be addressed by the characters.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: This character is doing something they wouldn't ordinarily do. They're definitely doing it of their own volition, because of the significance of current events. Often only implied that the characters notice.
Few weeks ago we have launched the trope Comic Book Continuation, which is about comics that are written to follow up on other media. As it turns out we have Sequel in Another Medium, which seems to be a Super-Trope, but it is a Trivia item. What's the best way to reconcile this?
Make Comic Book Continuation a trivia, too.
We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenza
The problem is that Comic Book Continuation seems like The Same, but More Specific to the older trope.
From what I can understand, Thirsty Desert seems to be a more realistic, deconstructed/dramatic version of Shifting Sand Land.
Make it so we never die, and take the pain awayToo Powerful to Live is an objective trope for villains.
Too Cool to Live is a YMMV item for heroes.
... But as far as I can tell that's the only distinction between them? They're both too similar and too precisely differentiated.
Edited by wingedcatgirl on Nov 30th 2019 at 10:10:09 AM
Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.Twelfth Night Adventure seems to be specifically a plot where the crossdressing character uses their disguise make the society more tolerant of their true gender.
Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.Well, I only read the description, since I've never heard of this trope until today.
Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.Is Ground Punch and Ground Pound sufficiently different? The one is slamming the ground with a fist (or both fists), either for intimidation or for making it shake and causing damage, the other is doing the same but with the entire body (jumping and then landing to shake the ground). The two names are very similar (especially since "pound" can also mean hitting something with a fist), and the effect is often very much the same, so I think it may be a good idea to merge the two.
From my understanding, Ground Pound is a supertrope to both Ground Punch and Belly Flop Crushing.
We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenzaHow does Gut Punch relate to Shocking Moments?
I'm also gonna ask the difference of Chekhov's Gunman and Small Role, Big Impact. That is, I know they're different, I just don't know the way to word it right.
Edited by 4tell0life4 on Dec 13th 2019 at 5:46:22 AM
We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenzaFrom Gut Punch itself: "This is about a single moment that instantly and clearly establishes that the tone of the work as a whole is fundamentally darker than what the audience has been led to expect."
... Odd name for that trope.
Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.Bringing back "Blind Idiot" Translation discussion... What's the difference between that and Lost in Translation?
Especially as their descriptions don't crosswick...
Edited by Malady on Dec 13th 2019 at 8:34:40 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576"Blind Idiot" Translation is about a translation being overly literal and awkward.
Lost in Translation is about information present in the original work failing to appear in a translation.
A "Blind Idiot" Translation might still contain all the necessary information. A case of Lost in Translation may still read perfectly smoothly. (Kingdom Hearts I has a lot of the latter, due mostly to having been localized under the assumption that it would be a standalone game.)
Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.

I think Arsenal Attire is weapons hidden inside clothing, while Clothing Combat is the clothing itself used as a weapon (without any knick-knacks)?
I'm asking here for confirmation.
We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenza