Discovering Tropes

This idea occurred to me recently. Looking back, have you noticed a trope (or the idea of tropes) before you came to TV Tropes?

Well, there is something that I knew was a trope long before I had heard of this site (or even the word "trope"): Traintop Battle.

Since I was a kid, I noticed the Hanging Judge trope. It seemed to me like every time fictional characters had a dream about being in court, they were almost always found guilty.

Loads of them. Mostly various character archetypes, superpower and ability related tropes, and many of the time-travel tropes (I've always liked time travel stuff.)

I think the Poochie episode of The Simpsons was one of my first exposures to Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking, thanks to Homer's list of recommendations. XD

"Poochie needs to be louder, angrier, and have access to a time machine."

Before I discovered TV Tropes, I noticed that there was a pattern where several children's TV shows contained an episode where a character learned a swear word and didn't realize it was a swear word. Looking into this is actually what led me to the first TV Tropes page I ever visited: Innocent Swearing.

Edited by SparkPlugTheTroper on Sep 13th 2018 at 10:22:10 AM

I remembered another one today. Actually, a three-for-one deal: Be Careful What You Wish For, Literal Genie, And I Must Scream. Whenever a character made a wish to become incredibly attractive, the genie would turn them into inanimate works of art.

I remember getting into a conversation with my mom about the philosophical (at least as philosophical as a ten year old can manage) implications about Always Chaotic Evil.

Bump. I just remembered this one. When we were kids, my friend Max said that the first two Warcraft games are a pretty good (or bad, considering what the trope is about ) example of Happy Ending Override, because no matter which campaign you play as in the first game, as the events of the second game show, the orcs always win.

I remember being 4-5 or so and complaining about the Damsel in Distress trope before I even knew what it was called or what a "trope" was. "Why is it always the GIRL having to be saved by the BOY? Why can't the girl save herself more often, do they want to have girls be helpless and needing a boy to save them?"

Edited by Zanreo on Sep 8th 2021 at 1:58:10 PM

Bump with another one I remembered. Now that I think about it, I think my younger brother inadvertently introduced me to the idea of "Funny Aneurysm" Moment. I remember when we were kids, he said that one of the things he likes about Lara Croft is that she's "violent." Yeah, about that...

It's hard to think of cases of this for me, since I've been going to this site for so long (2012 at least) that it's hard to say what I noticed pre-TV Tropes. I do remember noticing Mid-Review Sketch Show, since I was deep into the Angry Video Game Nerd and Channel Awesome-derivative reviewing "community" at the time, and it was something so many of those reviewers did (to the point where it was a common criticism for detractors who preferred just straight reviews to elaborate skits and storylines).

I still say the Seinfeld episode "The Summer of George" is my favorite Spoof Aesop. "Never name a season after yourself; it will only end in tragedy." XD