Misused: Extendable Arms

"Ambiguous Name" is also fitting for this thread. Anyway, this trope suffers the wonderful problem of people not reading descriptions and only going by the name, causing most examples to be misused as "characters with extendable limbs" instead of "Toon Physics gag where characters comically stretch their arms to reach something".

Results:

• Correct usage: 9/51
• "Character has extendable limbs" usage: 39/51
• ZCE: 6/51

You know when I started this I didn't think the correct examples would be utterly dwarfed by the misuse, but there ya go.

Luckily, I already have an idea on how to fix it:

• Rename Extendable Arms into "Elastic Arm Gag" (name pending, but it should make it incredibly obvious it's supposed to be a one-off joke)
• Make new trope to put misuse in
• Turn Extendable Arms into a disambig between the two

Edited by Crossover-Enthusiast on Jun 24th 2020 at 4:30:46 AM

Why not just use the current name for what the trope is being used right now ("characters with extendable limbs") and move examples of the old definition to the new trope? I honestly don't like creating disambig pages unless it's really necessary. The current name only has two primary uses anyway, so why have three pages for it?

Trope Transplant would be better than split and disambig.

I agree; "extendable arms" to me reads more like an ability than a one-off gag anyway, so trope transplanting to fit the misuse seems like the most straightforward option. Maybe make a new page for Extending Arm Gag while we're at it to accommodate the old trope.

That's an option? Yeah, that makes way more sense.

I vote to "transplant" it, then. We have to start an Extending Arm Gag draft on TLP, right?

Edited by FernandoLemon on Jun 24th 2020 at 1:58:13 PM

Transplant.

Yeah. I do think "Elastic Arm Gag" is a better name though, as it makes it sound separate from Extendable Arms.

Edited by Crossover-Enthusiast on Jun 24th 2020 at 1:00:55 PM

Hm, I don't know about "elastic", makes it sound like Rubber-Hose Limbs (also known as "noodle arms"). Perhaps "stretching" would work better?

Stretchy Arms Gag?

I agree with the transplant idea.

That works.

Do we put the current image on the new trope? I think it works better for the gag, and there are loads of images of actual stretchy-armed characters we could use instead for Extendable Arms.

Edited by Crossover-Enthusiast on Jun 24th 2020 at 12:30:14 PM

Transplant and name the new trope something along the lines of Elastic Arm Gag or Strecthy Arm Gag.

I agree on the transplant

Are there enough votes to go for a transplant?

I counted eight votes, since I wasn't sure if WarJay and Fernando's name suggestions were meant to be votes in favor of transplanting. If they're in favor of transplanting, that would make it ten, which might be enough; not positive.

I'm in favor. Sorry, should've specified.

I made two posts, in one I voted to transplant it, and in the other I suggested the new name. So yes, I'm in favor of transplanting it, but I'm not sure if you're counting me twice there.

What's the transplant option? What would be moved where?

The current definition and the examples that fit would be moved to a new trope, while Extendable Arms would be changed to fit the misuse via a new image and description.

Sure, I could get behind that. I’d be more for having the latter at Extendable Limbs and turning Extendable Arms into a redirect.

Edited by Twiddler on Jul 4th 2020 at 5:51:43 AM

I would too, honestly. Is Everyone cool with that or should we stick with Extendable Arms?

Why not have the Extendable Limbs as the redirect so that we don't need to change all the wicks to fit the new trope name? Tropes Are Flexible, and Extendable Arms should be broad enough to cover legs as well.

Edited by Adept on Jul 5th 2020 at 4:50:45 PM

Looks like my response got lost in the crash... Having more time to think on it, we can just make Extendable Limbs and Extendable Legs redirects, though I will say we still have to go through ~100 wicks anyway to swap all the "Toon Physics" gag definition uses to Elastic Arm Gag once the page launches.

Though thinking on it, Elongating Arm Gag would probably be a better name for the latter...

Edited by Crossover-Enthusiast on Jul 8th 2020 at 6:25:37 AM

Since all the wicks need to be checked anyway, I don't think having to change the wicks is a reason not to rename the trope.

I like Elongating Arm Gag.