Misused: Tastes Like Diabetes

To-do list:

• Move wicks for Tastes Like Diabetes that fit Sweetness Aversion (an Audience Reaction) or Sickeningly Sweet (an In-Universe Examples Only trope) and remove ones that don't.

Edited by MacronNotes on Aug 15th 2022 at 11:15:15 AM

Opening

I think this could be similar to Uncanny Valley. Split into In-Universe Examples Only (Something so cute or childish the characters get sick or angry looking at it) and Audience Reactions (Current use, A Sugar Bowl that actually annoys the viewers). I think there's enough distinction from Sweet Dreams Fuel. Also noting that Sickeningly Sweet and Saccharine are current redirects with the potential of being repurposed.

Edited by Amonimus on Mar 21st 2022 at 4:47:14 PM

That idea could work.

Does Sickeningly Sweethearts cover the relationship part of the idea of "characters get sickened looking at something too cute"?

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Mar 21st 2022 at 9:50:38 AM

I agree that splitting between an IUEO trope and an Audience Reaction could work.

Could become a Sub-Trope to what I had in mind. Also would resolve Sickeningly Sweethearts page being potholed to Tastes Like Diabetes despite not being YMMV.

A new trope for popular works that are overly cute and have mainly positive reception such as Kirby and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic could be created.

Edited by Nen_desharu on Mar 21st 2022 at 3:03:04 PM

Why would we need that? That's just sort of the norm with Sugar Bowl works, and are also covered under Sweet Dreams Fuel.

I'm good with the proposed split otherwise.

Thanks for the clarification and I am in favour of splitting.

Edited by Nen_desharu on Mar 21st 2022 at 3:07:13 PM

Looking at the page itself, I'm seeing many more works that are saccarine and successful, such as Super Mario Bros., Winnie the Pooh, and Toys/Sanrio. That's not meant to be a knock on the wick check, but a note that the 5% misuse in that category might be much higher.

There seems to be another massive issue. The description of Tastes Like Diabetes says it's for works as a whole, but many examples seem to pick out specific parts of a work.

Honestly, I'd support making an in-universe trope. The page quote is using the In-Universe definition and the page image is from the extremely popular Lisa Frank franchise, so the misuse has been around for a long time and is deeply entrenched. Originally, I suggested rewriting the description, but at this point we might be better off transplanting the correct usage to a new trope. (Audience Cuteness Aversion?)

Edited by VerySunshine on Mar 21st 2022 at 6:07:31 AM

...or Sweetness Overload?

Edited by Nen_desharu on Mar 21st 2022 at 12:34:08 PM

Sickeningly Sugary? Sickeningly Saccharine? Sickeningly Sweet?

Edit: Wait, the last one's already a redirect. That's easily splittable.

Edited by WarJay77 on Mar 21st 2022 at 12:35:47 PM

Splitting it is! I'm on team Sickeningly Sweet.

Sickeningly Sweet is a good name. It's a preexisting phrase in addition to being alliterative without sounding forced.

Sickeningly Sweet as the name

What would be the definition for Sickeningly Sweet? I like the name too, but it's not any more descriptive than the current title.

I think it is; it implies that the overwhelming cuteness of the work is literally sickening. I'm pretty sure we'd keep the current definition.

In the current definition, the work's overall overwhelming cuteness must cause the audience to reject it. That's still not clear in the new title.

Correction: I meant "definition used in the wick check", assuming the trope's definition was obscured by the rambling writing style.

Edited by VerySunshine on Mar 22nd 2022 at 1:56:21 PM

I mean, the current description mostly just meanders around and talks about how cute and sugary these works are, and otherwise doesn't describe what sort of reaction it is.

That's true. In fact, it says "Viewers react to this with anything ranging from cutesy cuddling to violent revulsion." The third paragraph implies that the sweetness should result in a negative reaction. "Keep in mind that levity and sweetness are not necessarily bad. With proper usage, it may result in an enjoyable series where the cuteness is somehow justified or just part of the environment." Commercial failiure is implied in "This cultural reaction [of western consumers not wanting to buy cute things] is also one of the core reasons why American Kirby Is Hardcore," but it's never stated directly.

~@Unicorndance and ~@themayorofsimpleton, how did you decide on the definition used in the wick check?

I went with its note on Tropes Needing TRS.

I went with what was on the wick check.

Sounds like the description wasn't very well-written and was confusing. That may have contributed to the problem.

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Mar 22nd 2022 at 4:59:49 AM

You know, considering there are three and a half times more in-universe examples than correct out-of-universe examples, I suppose one option would be to make the trope IUEO without splitting off a YMMV version. Renaming to Sickeningly Sweet would still be an option.

Actually, now that I think of it, had anyone decided how a split would be handled? Would we be using the current name for one of them and using the name Sickeningly Sweet for the other, similarly to how we're using the name Uncanny Valley for an IUEO trope and transplanting its out-of-universe examples to a new Audience Reaction?

Edited by GastonRabbit on Mar 22nd 2022 at 4:10:15 AM

I've considered using Sickeningly Sweet or a new name for IUEO, and coming up with something similar to TooSweetStoppedCaring, Too Crapsaccharine, or something related to sugar overdose (maybe just leaving Tastes Like Diabetes) for YMMV.

Edited by Amonimus on Mar 22nd 2022 at 12:29:18 PM

Too Sweet Stopped Caring or Too Sacchrine Stopped Caring might work for the out-of-universe version, and Sickeningly Sweet for the in-universe version.

I guess Audience Alienating Sweetness would be another option, but I'm starting to get tired of the "Audience-Alienating (whatever)" snowclone after the recent Audience-Alienating Era and Audience-Alienating Ending renames. (That's just me saying that as a user, not a mod; I won't strike it down if people would genuinely prefer that.)

Edited by GastonRabbit on Mar 22nd 2022 at 4:33:23 AM