Per Ask The Tropers, this thread will be used to reduce the number of old, poorly written drafts on the Trope Launch Pad
. We don't want to discuss on the drafts themselves because that will bump them and mix them with active proposals.
Sandbox for the project: Trope Launch Pad Discard Project
Sandbox for discarded drafts but viable ideas: Trope Idea Salvage Yard
The first sandbox page above contains drafts proposed in the thread that are still pending and drafts that we've decided to leave alone, either with no action or a bump.
The second sandbox page is for awful drafts but viable ideas. According to moderators, badly written but interesting/tropeworthy drafts
should remain on the TLP. Rather than allow low-effort drafts to clog TLP, though, the salvage yard was opened to keep just the ideas behind them, in one place.
On this thread, we will mention which drafts we think are unworkable, add enough bombs, and discard (nuke) them. Discarding requires at least 5 bombs. Among the features of "unworkable" drafts:
- There have been no edits for a very long time, or at all
- The draft is low-effort, containing atrocious spelling and grammar and/or little to no examples, e.g. NEVER saw THAT coming (!)
, Nut-Chuks
- The draft was seemingly created so the sponsor could complain
- The topic is People Sit on Chairs, Too Rare to Trope, a search query created by mistake, etc. and therefore not tropeworthy
- The topic is already sufficiently covered by one or more tropes or is a duplicate of a better-written TLP draft
- The draft is problematic in other ways, such being closely tied to a page that has been historically problematic, e.g. Fetish Fuel, Complete Monster
- There's no discussion currently occurring in the comments to improve the proposal
If we decide to discard a draft after discussion via this thread, whoever does so must provide the discard reason in the comment section of the draft, for transparency's sake. Those looking at the discards section won't think it was nuked for no reason.
Also, check out the sister project, Trope Adoption Drive
, where good drafts put Up for Grabs or abandoned can be grabbed, given a bit more improvement, and launched.
Edited by Tabs on Mar 24th 2022 at 12:02:43 PM
Ehh, I don't want to be a debbie-downer, but I'm wondering if we need more consensus or at least more discussion before we discard things with 9 hats like that. Technically, if we apply the net-hat logic to bombs, we needed 14 bombs to discard that.
Granted, that draft had a ton of issues, and I'm not saying it shouldn't have been discarded. Just...let's not be impulsive.
Edit: To be clear, I'm talking about the Ms. Bitters draft.
Edited by WarJay77 on May 8th 2021 at 12:32:00 PM
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallOh, I'm not blaming anybody. I just wanted to bring up the issue before it becomes a bigger issue at some point.
In general, let's not just plow through these drafts, bombs a-blazing. If one of the drafts in a pile is genuinely salvageable or at least has something salvageable about it, let's address it. I just don't want us to be so discard-happy that we nuke viable drafts in addition to bad ones.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall- Shattered Delusion of Immortality
: Trope Finder query with no examples and last edited/commented on in 2011.
- More Angst, Less Clothes
: No examples, short description, no activity since 2011.
- If you see their faces they'll kill you
: Oddly named, only one example (which is averted as much as it's played straight), poorly formatted, and no activity since early 2012. Even the sponsor admits it's likely Too Rare to Trope.
- Suddenly Seen
: Already covered by Unseen No More.
- Just as evil as those Nazis
: Covered by Godwin's Law (comparing a bad person to the Nazis), short description, no examples, and no activity since 2012.
Edit: All five drafts have been nuked.
Edited by Shadow8411 on May 10th 2021 at 12:10:05 PM
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Oh, West Side Parody. Anybody catch that one was me?
(It was three years before ReferencedBy.West Side Story existed. Obviously I agree that it can go now.) I'll port those examples if nobody's done that yet.
EDIT: Examples transferred to the Referenced By page.
Edited by MonaNaito on May 10th 2021 at 12:26:24 PM
-
Mistaken for period piece
is a Misplaced TF query and a dupe of Unintentional Period Piece. -
Oh, Doug!
: Trope-Namer Syndrome, and is just Imagine Spot...but for crushes. -
Guardian of the Earth
: Descriptionless, ZCE-filled wonder. -
No Text
: Can't decide if it's about translators removing text, or characters not writing, or characters writing in Wing Ding Lish, and either way it's in poor condition. - Lust Drives Men Astray
might be a dupe of I'm a Man; I Can't Help It.
-
Intentional Inaccuracy
is In-Universe Factoid Failure. And a tropeless wonder. -
Human Surrogate Animal Character
is Funny Animal. -
Before You Say X
: ANOTHER attempt to trope this stock-phrase concept. Like before, it's also a stub. -
No forgiveness for the sound minded
: Awful grammar, and even back then the comments didn't think it was a trope. -
Planet Foorth
is a one-line wonder that just boils down to "funny name for an Alternate Earth". -
Criminal VS Victim in Court
: Holy Wall Of Text, Batman! Besides the overly long description, there's only one ZCE example. -
Aliens with Antennae
is an appearance trope, but for aliens. - Creative Cavemen
: Might be a yardable concept, but the draft is an abandoned stub.
-
Backstabbing Monster
: Stub draft with only ZCE examples. -
Numbered Neighborhood
: Might be yardable, but is a poorly formatted stub. -
Subculture Celebrity
: No examples, feels the need to tell people not to bash the celebrities, and calls itself "a real life trope". -
City Gait
: An abandoned stub with no examples. It also can't pin down the meaning. -
Cyborg Window Hallucination
: A bad trope namer stub with no examples, and I'm not sure what it's trying to trope.
Edited by WarJay77 on May 10th 2021 at 1:06:18 PM
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall-
Baseball Cap of Anonymity
: Covered by existing draft Standard Incognito Outfit
. -
Crying Cut Away
: Abandoned stub with no in-draft examples. -
Instant Heroic Comeback
: Heroic Second Wind. -
It all started with a joke
: Abandoned stub, probably covered by the draft Ascended Hoax
. -
Makeover Machine
: Abandoned stub with no description. -
Mistaken for a Beggar
: Dupe of the draft Mistaken For Homeless
. -
MySpace Music Era
: Abandoned and unformatted. -
Ominous Footsteps
: Decade-old one-line wonder. -
Radiation Is Lightning
: One-line wonder. -
Sister Installments
: Decade-old abandoned stub, seems very similar to Sequel Episode.
Edited by MonaNaito on May 21st 2021 at 8:06:01 AM
- Relationship Upgrade Pack
: Stub. The trope definition is essentially Relationship Upgrade combined with Serial Escalation.
- The Climax Performance
: A poorly-written draft, that hasn't updated for years, filled with Zero-Context Examples that didn't clarify how the song/dance number relates to the climax and lists only songs.
- Genius Without A Cause
: Draft hasn't updated for years and a poorly-written stub, definition possibly covered by Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life.
- Repeted Astronomical Damage
: Covered by Slap-on-the-Wrist Nuke.
Edited by AdeptGaderius on May 11th 2021 at 1:54:14 AM
I think that RUP is more "Romance Episode" in the same way that we have Beach Episode. I'm not sure if it's tropable, but I think that the discussion on it so far has gone on a bit of a snipe hunt.
I did bomb RAD, but I think the discussion there is also a bit far afield. I think that it's Stock Footage applied to Cut Scene. Not sure if noting that in the comments would help clarify in case others try to resurrect it later.
Found even more:
- Unspohisticated First Costume
: No edits, covered by Beta Outfit and Cheap Costume.
- Defrosted Fridge
: Covered by The Bus Came Back for characters Stuffed into the Fridge and Death Is Cheap.
- Witness Unprotection Program
: Low-quality draft with a very vague definition.
- Taken Through Hell
: The Same, but More Specific for Trauma Conga Line and Deus Angst Machina.
- Squeamish Villain
: Mistaken Trope Finder request.
- Finale Countdown
: Specific version of Race Against the Clock.
- Days of Future Past Cover
: Covered by X-Men and a ZCE magnet.
- All Invisible People Float
: Trope Finder request and a People Sitting On Chairs draft.
- Trust him when he says not to trust him
: Trope Finder request.
- Ridiculously Loose Acronym
: One-line wonder with no proper examples and no activity in 8 years. Nuked.
- The Failtown Suckynames
: Unfortunate Names, but for sports teams, gets its name from the long-since defunct trope Fail O Suckyname, no examples, and no meaningful activity since 2012. Nuked.
- Ace Pilot Fails Flying Test
: Only three examples, a short description, and no activity in 9 years.
- Higher Math Reference
: More specific form of Genius Bonus (it even uses the same page image), few examples, no activity in 9 years. Nuked.
Edited by Shadow8411 on May 18th 2021 at 6:01:34 AM
Haven't had a new batch in a few days, so here's some:
-
Boss Rematch
: If there is a meaningful distinction between this and Recurring Boss, I don't see it. -
Being Royalty Sucks
: The Chains of Commanding. -
Eyes Pried Open
: As written, this is The Ludovico Technique. -
Greatness Of The Small
: Very rambly Example as a Thesis description; OP was permabanned for TLP vandalism. -
New Zealand Films
and New Zealand Series
: Unsuccessful attempt to split New Zealand Media. -
Parasol Plane
: Abandoned stub with no in-draft examples. Could go to the Yard. -
Pet Vs House Guest
: One-line wonder. -
Poorly Timed Paranoia
: Long abandoned; OP was permabanned for hate speech. -
Run Gun Corridor Strafe
: Decade-old abandoned and unformatted stub. -
So Good He's Terrible
: Abandoned and unformatted with no description. -
Steal The Monument, Kidnap The People
: Abandoned stub with no examples; The Same, but More Specific of Monumental Theft. -
Suspiciously Similar Episode
: Recycled Script. -
What The Hell Were They Talking About?
: Abandoned with a stub description, a lot of overlap with Noodle Incident and Orphaned Punchline.
Edited by MonaNaito on May 17th 2021 at 3:25:42 PM
Some drafts that already had bombs (and no hats) when I found them:
- Misleading Sound Switcheroo
: All examples are identical to Bait-and-Switch Gunshot, no activity in 7 years, and the draft "has needed a better description" since its creation. Nuked
- Chekhov's Dud
: Subversion of Chekhov's Gun, few examples, no activity in 7 years, short description. Nuked
- EvolvingLyrics
: Misplaced Trope Finder query with only two examples, no activity since 2011, and the sponsor even admits that it's a more specific variant of an existing trope. 'Nuked
- Lives On In Memory
: Few examples (even less with context, at least one is functionally the same as Brain Uploading), no activity since 2012. Nuked.
- Arrogant Immigrant
: Pretty much every example is a ZCE, no activity since 2012. Nuked.
- Actor Cameo
: Only two examples, no activity since 2012, and even the sponsor admits they aren't confident that the draft can be made a trope. Nuked.
- Evasion of Responsibility
: Essentially Never My Fault by way of Weasel Words, only two examples, no comments, and no activity since 2012. Nuked
- Breakaway Prop
: Specific variant of Special Effects Failure and Conspicuously Light Patch, only two examples, and no activity since 2012. Nuked.
Edited by Shadow8411 on May 19th 2021 at 11:52:58 AM
-
Comedic Insanity
: Decade-old abandoned stub with no in-draft examples. -
Empty Coffee Cup
: One-line wonder. -
The Equivocator
: Abandoned for a decade, very similar to Playing Both Sides. -
Gold Beats Iron
: This seems pretty thoroughly covered by Elemental Crafting, Power Equals Rarity, and Gold-Colored Superiority. -
Hero Must Remain Childless
: Abandoned and unformatted stub. -
Humiliation Causes Breakup
: Abandoned stub by that same permabanned troper whose stubs we've encountered at least twice already. -
Likeliness Of Shipping
: Abandoned Just for Fun draft full of empty folders. -
Pale Blinded Eyes
: Prophet Eyes. -
Parody Sequel
: One-line wonder. -
Single Hemisphere Fantasy Globe
: One-line wonder.
Edited by MonaNaito on May 19th 2021 at 8:14:47 AM
Trope drafts with the 15 or more discards:
- 1. Queer Gaze (Bombs outnumber hats)
- 2. Racism is a special kind of evil (Bombs outnumber hats)
- 3. Cisgender in the adaptation (4 more hats than bombs)
- 4. Our Monsters are Unstereotypical (6 more hats than bombs)
- 5. Gender Non Conforming equals gay (11 more hats than bombs)
- 6. Plural Title (Bombs outnumber hats)
- 7. Signature Role (2 more hats than bombs)
- 8. Macabre Mediterranean (5 more hats than bombs)
- 9. Black Swordsman Substitute (Bombs = Hats)
- 10. Queer since childhood (3 more hats than bombs)
- 11. Better than source (2 more hats than bombs)
- 12. Trans in the Adaptation (5 more hats than bombs)
- 13. Forced Hate Sink (Bombs outnumber hats)
- 14. Doesn't understand sex (7 more hats than bombs)
- 15. Spring Break Plot (4 more hats than bombs)
Edited by magnumtropus on May 19th 2021 at 8:36:11 AM
Uh, we're gonna need links.
And a lot of discards doesn't necessarily mean the drafts need to be nuked.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallPlural Title OP here.
I think it's a trope.
It's a Super-Trope of Species Title at least.
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576Only the following have at least 5 more bombs than hats (with the total numbers provided below in the form of "hats-bombs"):
- Queer Gaze
: 19-33
- Racism Is a Special Kind Of Evil
: 21-33
- Plural Title
: 13-20
- Forced Hate Sink
: 9-16
Edited by Shadow8411 on May 20th 2021 at 12:05:46 PM
I'm working on my drafts that are closer to launching, first.
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576

Here’s a batch that already had a few bombs when I found them.
The Immortal Ms Bitters
: Trope Namer Syndrome. Concept of “teacher who has been teaching for a very long time” may be Yardable.You’re not in Geneva
: Stock phrase, Where Do You Think You Are?.I Hate It When You’re Right
: Stock phrase.Shield Slinging Soldier
: Shield Bash, Throwing Your Shield Always Works.For Each Man We Lost They Lost 100
: Stock phrase.Jaywalking, Jaywalking, and Jaywalking
: Exaggerated Poke the Poodle.100% Recycled Dialogue
: Covered by several other tropes, plus complaint magnet.West Side Parody
: Covered by ReferencedBy.West Side Story.Edited by Vandagyre on Nov 25th 2021 at 7:51:21 AM
Cave Johnson, we're done here.