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
- Beware the Silly Ones: They look/act silly, but are surprisingly dangerous.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: A flawed or goofy character steps up their game when things get dire.
The former is a character trope (a facet of one's personality), while the latter is a plot trope (something that happens under certain circumstances). Let's Get Dangerous! also doesn't apply to exclusively goofy/silly characters, but also ones who are generally flawed.
So looking back to my editing research, I have discovered that examples of tropes Evil Counterpart, Foil, Mirror Character, and Shadow Archetype are frequently overlapping with one another. However, it leads to a lot of confusion on whether the example listed her does count or is misused.
We already know that:
- Evil Counterpart: A villainous/good character, that is both similar and contrasts protagonist/antagonist
- Foil: Character that heavily contrasts the other one
- Mirror Character: Character that is highly similar to the other one
- Shadow Archetype: A character that shows the other one what they could’ve become if they let their darkest traits corrupt them.
As far as I remember, Foil and Mirror Character are natural opposites of one another, so technically speaking they should not overlap with one another, and if they do, then it should be Evil Counterpart at very least. But Shadow Archetype is highly similar to Evil Counterpart so they can overlap. So the point is I would like to ask all your help in sorting the confusion surrounding these tropes out and find when they can be distinguished from each other, as well as to tell which of these tropes can overlap with one another (especially the last part).
Just to clarify, I agree that all tropes are separate and deserve to stay, but the issue I have with them is how to know which of these tropes can overlap with one another
- Evil Counterpart means similar but on opposite sides.
- Shadow Archetype doesn't necessarily require they be evil or have the aspects to fit Evil Counterpart.
Foils and Mirror Characters are not necessarily evil. They could be The Rival, an alternate universe counterpart, even their best friend. Also as I understand it the foil heavily contrasts a character but has a similar character arc, while the mirror character is similar but has a contrasting arc.
If Aquaman is "Nobody's favorite superhero", then I am Odysseus. (They/Them) (Troper Wall)
As I understand, that's the difference, yes, but it's not necessarily an arc but some character traits. It seems to me that there is a blurry line when someone becomes a Foil from a Mirror Character.
So, I just launched Drawback-Mitigating Mechanic... and only today I (and others, I assume) remembered that One Hero, Hold the Weaksauce exists.
Oo oo ah ah
If you have concerns about redundancy, you can go to this thread
and request for it to be unlaunched.
Edited by Allisterarch on Feb 17th 2025 at 8:13:24 AM
If Aquaman is "Nobody's favorite superhero", then I am Odysseus. (They/Them) (Troper Wall)I could unlaunch it... not before I have enough consensus from other tropers.
And yes, there's the important distinction that Drawback-Mitigating Mechanic is a, well, game mechanic-centric trope. One Hero, Hold the Weaksauce focuses more on how it fits in the narrative.
Oo oo ah ahWhats the distinction between Platonic Writing, Romantic Reading and Ho Yay?
Ho Yay is specific to same-sex interpretations, if I recall correctly, whereas Platonic Writing, Romantic Reading isn't. I do know there's a Ho Yay Cleanup thread (found here
) that might be able to clear things up a bit more.
Yeah, Ho Yay is specifically about people reading gay subtext where none was meant to exist.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallIs there a proper distinction between Didn't Think This Through and It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time? I assumed it was because the latter was a stock phrase... but then it turns out both of them are categorized under Stock Phrases.
Thanks for playing King's Quest V!I'm not really sure why Didn't Think This Through is categorized as a stock phrase; the page describes a situation, not a phrase, and a vast majority of examples don't appear to involve the title verbatim (even if it could be used as a Stock Phrase, it almost never is). The same can't be said for It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, though that one seems to have always been intended to be broader than just "this specific phrase is uttered".
From what I can glean, the actual distinction is:
- Didn't Think This Through: A character concocts a plan or something similar, only to realize later on that it has a crippling flaw.
- It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: A character does something with good intentions that they later realize unintentionally had negative consequences.
Both can theoretically overlap (Bob hatches a plan to steal a jewel from a museum with Alice, but when they finally reach the jewel, they discover that the glass is nigh-unbreakable; Bob admits to Alice that just smashing it with a hammer "seemed like a good idea at the time"), but the former seems to emphasize "coming up with an idea, but later realizing you overlooked a significant drawback" (Bob plans to just smash the glass with a hammer, but doesn't consider that it would likely be very sturdy), while the latter seems to focus more on "making a singular action, then later realizing that action was ultimately for the worse" (Bob brings just a hammer to the museum, not considering bringing more effective tools).
Edited by jandn2014 on Jan 21st 2025 at 10:11:40 AM
Screw This, I'm Outta Here! and Villain: Exit, Stage Left at the very least seem often confused for one another.
What is the difference between them according to this thread.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here!: A character abandons a task they set out to do
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: The villain escapes capture
I thought similar, but nearly every case of a villain leaving an area or luring the heroes to a definite battlefield is labeled Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here!:
- At the end of the second part of stage 2, Hornitron is defeated last, then blinks in and out, and escapes from the screen.
- Inverting the movie's plot, it's Ivan Ooze/Hornitron that makes a strategic escape to space in stage 6 when his life meter is almost down, not the Rangers' Ninjazord.
Just off the top of my head, in both these examples on Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie (Mega Drive), the villains leaves a battlefield for pragmatic/understandable reasons and continue their evil plot.
There's also Not What I Signed on For being listed in the page description of Screw This, I'm Outta Here!, when again a job going against one's moral principle seems like a valid reason to quit something.
^ I think those two examples are a better fit for Villain: Exit, Stage Left.
Hollywood Autism vs. Hollywood Intellectual Disability? I know the former has definition issues but how much do the two overlap? Is it just one being autism and one being all intellectual disabilities, or is there more overlap? I'm collecting info for a future TRS and I also want to know if the former is covered by the latter.
Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Jan 24th 2025 at 9:37:01 AM
Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper WallI would expect Hollywood Autism to have a broader range of impacts, including behavioral/emotional/social aspects.

Let's Get Dangerous! vs Beware the Silly Ones?
I’ll lift my face, and run to the sunlight.