Start of Darkness' contradictory descriptions

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Psychopompos007 Since: Apr, 2011

#1: Dec 23rd 2022 at 2:58:14 AM

(Apologizes if it's redundant or a stupid question already answered elsewhere, the forum search engine is awful to use and doesn't bring useful results)

There's a contradiction between Start of Darkness's decription on its main page and its summary on Square Peg, Round Trope.

Start of Darkness' description:

Because almost every character began their life as someone good, the moment where that changes is a powerful beat in the story. Typically this moment happens early on^note, to establish why there's a conflict in the first place, but it can also be established via Origins Episode or Flashback later in the story^note. This is the moment when a character who could have been on the side of Good (or at least not taken any actions) decides that the only way that they can get what they want is to become a villain.

SquarePegRoundTrope.Q To Z:

Start of Darkness refers to prequels^note revealing a villain's backstory when that backstory wasn't shown in the original work. Most tropers seem to just use it to mean "any villain backstory", even if the backstory is shown within the same work that introduced the villain^note. Other times, it's shoehorned for the first evil thing a Fallen Hero or otherwise soon-to-be-villain does to cement that status; you're looking for Face–Heel Turn or Jumping Off the Slippery Slope there. Stories wherein good or neutral characters gradually become villains but aren't necessarily set up as prequels fall under Protagonist Journey to Villain.

What's supposed to be the "canonical" use? I usually use Square Peg Round Trope as a reference, but I want to be sure it is reliable as one.

Edited by Psychopompos007 on Dec 23rd 2022 at 12:01:32 PM

SebastianGray Since: Apr, 2011

#2: Dec 23rd 2022 at 8:23:50 AM

The description for Start of Darkness was changed via TRS earlier in the year. I'm guessing nobody thought to change the Square Peg Round Trope entry as well.

Edited by SebastianGray on Dec 23rd 2022 at 4:24:28 PM

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