Not Thriving: Re Ditto

The core idea of this trope— a character starts out as an adaptation, spinoff, or in some other way related to an existing character, with clearly defined points of distinction, but those points of distinction are minimized as time goes on until the character is nigh-indistinguishable from the original— has a certain amount of potential.

Unfortunately, the description confuses the issue by making statements about authorial intent that would be very hard to definitively establish with most examples. The example section is a mess, with over half of them forgetting about the part where the differences have to be minimized over time. And both the description and the example section have a distinctly complain-y tone.

An analysis of the example section:

• Post-Crisis Superboy: Example seems valid enough, but there's a nattery lone second-level bullet point that needs to be merged or deleted.
• Bart Allen / Impulse: Valid
• Spider-Man Clone Saga: Misuse (describes the characters being different but never re-converging), also has bad Example Indentation.
• Ultimate Marvel: Misuse (Examples Are Not General), although the badly-indented Doctor Doom example could be valid if the complain-y tone is fixed.
• Black Adam: Misuse; the character still has significant differences. Also note the Weasel Words ("had a minor case")
• Moon Knight: Misuse (describes Divergent Character Evolution but no re-convergence)
• Jason Todd / Robin: Misuse (describes Divergent Character Evolution but no re-convergence)

Valid Examples: 3 (with two of them needing editing for Example Indentation or tone before they would be acceptable)

Misuse: 5

Excluding indices and appearances on PlayingWith.Divergent Character Evolution and JustForFun.I Read That As, there are only three wicks, so let's take a look at those too:

• Characters.The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls Master Collection: Zero-Context Example
• Ultimate Fantastic Four: Valid
• Recap.Supernatural S 08 E 06 Southern Comfort: Misuse (describes Divergent Character Evolution but no re-convergence, and doesn't describe how the characters were ever supposed to be similar in the first place)

Like I said, the concept has potential, but in practice it's a mess. I'm in favor of cutting this; it can go through TLP from scratch if someone wants to try to rehabilitate it.

Edited by HighCrate on Mar 21st 2019 at 3:47:30 AM

If that's all the examples we have, then that's definitely an issue.

Anyways, judging by the misuse, I can support a cut.

In 6 years, it's only accumulated 8 wicks, 7 examples, and 32 inbound links. I can definitely support a cut.

Cut.

Cut. Take to TLP if it's a thing.

Considering that the thread is unanimously in favor of a cut, do we need to go through the formality of a crowner? I move we just cutlist it and be done, unless there are any objections.

I wouldn't mind a crowner. We just need a few more votes anyway.

[Sorry, new accounts cannot post external links.]

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/SingleProposition/ReDitto?openall=yes#n4f6l6oh

Thank you.

I hollered for the crowner to be hooked, since the thread is clocked.

Going to call crowner, since we got a unanimous decision. Let's get ready to cut.

Wicks cleared, article cutlisted.

Okay, will process the cut, then close.