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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.


    Original OP 

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

wootzits (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#401: Feb 1st 2020 at 8:18:28 PM

[up]Birds of a Feather is a romance trope about characters who have many things in common falling in love; Commonality Connection is about rather different characters bonding after finding they do have something in common.

Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#402: Feb 1st 2020 at 8:20:58 PM

[up]I've seen Birds of a Feather be used for non-romantic pairs though. Is that misuse, then?

4tell0life4 Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#403: Feb 1st 2020 at 8:45:29 PM

[up] BOAF is a subtrope of CC, so yes

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MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#404: Feb 1st 2020 at 8:50:38 PM

Birds of a Feather's description says that it includes non romantic examples or at least it implies that it does. So might want to tweak the definition if they are supposed to be different tropes.

Edited by MacronNotes on Feb 2nd 2020 at 4:49:37 AM

Macron's notes
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#405: Feb 2nd 2020 at 1:38:14 AM

Best Friend and Just Friends are included as BOAF's subtropes.

Edited by Adept on Feb 2nd 2020 at 5:40:43 PM

4tell0life4 Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#406: Feb 2nd 2020 at 3:27:51 AM

[up] BOAF page says: "Popular Birds of a Feather dynamic tropes:"

It's not meant to be a subtrope list. They're simply tropes that can overlap with BOAF.

We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenza
eroock Since: Sep, 2012
#407: Feb 2nd 2020 at 4:22:18 AM

The description of both Birds of a Feather and Commonality Connection contrast each other by the number of similarities.

That clearly goes against the idea of romantic versus non-romantic which, I admit, also was my conception of what separates the two.

4tell0life4 Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#408: Feb 2nd 2020 at 4:30:36 AM

[up] Then we have to change them.

BOAF is clearly a romance trope while CC is not.

We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenza
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#409: Feb 2nd 2020 at 8:01:35 AM

[up],[up][up]To be honest, I think either distinctions are way too fine. The romantic/non-romantic split seems like The Same, but More Specific, while [up][up] seems like The Same, but More.

Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#410: Feb 2nd 2020 at 12:27:11 PM

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but is there anything that makes Used to Be a Tomboy anything other than Girliness Upgrade But More Specific?

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4tell0life4 Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#411: Feb 2nd 2020 at 1:57:46 PM

[up][up] I'd argue that "romance" is a meaningful enough distinction, it signifies a deep bond. CC can count just someone becoming friends or even simply "fellow X".

[up] Used to Be a Tomboy signifies growth in story. GU can happen in adaptations or retellings or reboots.

We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenza
Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#412: Feb 2nd 2020 at 2:04:16 PM

[up] A good amount of examples on Girliness Upgrade, as well as the description, include purely In-Universe changes.

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4tell0life4 Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#413: Feb 2nd 2020 at 3:51:35 PM

[up] UTBAT is the subtrope then.

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WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#414: Feb 2nd 2020 at 4:29:08 PM

[up] But why is it a necessary split?

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
4tell0life4 Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#415: Feb 2nd 2020 at 7:19:25 PM

[up] If I were to guess, seeing it happen in story can lead to plotlines or interesting character threads/implications?

We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenza
wootzits (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#416: Feb 2nd 2020 at 7:29:41 PM

I thought Used to Be a Tomboy is when a character is revealed to have been a tomboy in the backstory, while Girliness Upgrade is when the tomboy-to-girly-girl evolution happens throughout the main story.

MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#417: Feb 3rd 2020 at 7:06:59 PM

Is Forgettable Name distinct enough from the tropes on Who Is This Guy Again to justify a seperate trope page?

Probably the same as Accidental Misnaming come to think of it..

Edited by MacronNotes on Feb 3rd 2020 at 10:10:23 AM

Macron's notes
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#418: Feb 9th 2020 at 7:43:44 AM

The Resenter vs Green-Eyed Monster. Both of them seems to describe characters who hates another because they are jealous of them.

eroock Since: Sep, 2012
#419: Feb 9th 2020 at 10:04:04 AM

^ A Green-Eyed Monster commits evil acts fueled by their resentment. Other than that I can't see a tangible difference.

4tell0life4 Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#420: Feb 9th 2020 at 1:06:42 PM

"Resentment" isn't always about jealousy. It's more about "I feel this guy/thing/etc wronged me in some way" in general.

We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenza
Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#421: Feb 9th 2020 at 2:30:56 PM

Since no one replied to my other thread: what is the difference between Mundane Fantastic and Magic Realism? It seems like the main distinction is that MR is set in the "real world", but is that alone the only difference?

There are lots of duplicate examples between the two pages. The laconics are also very similar:

Fantastical things portrayed as though they were mundane and normal.
Magic elements are blended in an otherwise mundane, realistic atmosphere, and treated just as mundanely.

4tell0life4 Since: Mar, 2018 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#422: Feb 9th 2020 at 3:17:40 PM

[up] I thought I told you that there's a separate thread that talked about them.

That same thread, I recall, said that not even scholars IRL agree on what "magic realism" means.

We can never truly eradicate the coronavirus, but we can suppress its threat like influenza
Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
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
#424: Feb 10th 2020 at 9:11:54 PM

I don't see one. Canon Fodder claims to be a subtrope, but I can't imagine Fanfic Fuel that isn't Canon Fodder.

Okay, looking a little harder, Fanfic Fuel says the distinction is that Canon Fodder actually gets addressed at some point... "or the creators at least imply that they intend(ed) to tell these stories themselves at a later point". This doesn't really seem like a workable distinction.

Edited by wingedcatgirl on Feb 10th 2020 at 9:13:51 AM

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#425: Feb 13th 2020 at 7:25:38 AM

Both Accidental Aesop and Alternate Aesop Interpretation seem to be defined as "audiences observes a different aesop than what the work intends."


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