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Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#1: Aug 16th 2023 at 8:47:51 AM

I've been wondering, whats the point of putting notes in caption listing the characters appearing on a work page image. It feels weird and redundant, especially when the work has a character page with individual character pictures.

Like, no other wiki really does that? And it gets weirder when the note feels the need to add characters who are "not pictured". If they arent on the pic why bring them up?

Some examples (And im limiting myself to pages who also have character pages with pictures):

  • Baldur's Gate III (Also lists characters not on the picture)
  • Any of the Star Trek series page so just gonna list two
  • El Goonish Shive: Literally just the entire caption?
  • The Avengers (2012): Which feels particularly funny considering how big the MCU is that people need a caption to know thebig guy in green is the Hulk and the dude with the american flag all over him is Captain America, not Ironman. It's also like, the 10th most profitable film of all time.

Edited by Ghilz on Aug 16th 2023 at 11:50:12 AM

Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#2: Aug 16th 2023 at 8:50:30 AM

I expect it's "Just in case"

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MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#3: Aug 16th 2023 at 8:52:23 AM

I assumed that they were for the benefit of people who don't know much about the work (which might be the majority of readers depending on how known the work is). I don't care about them either way.

Macron's notes
andrewthetroper from ...mislim, iz Srbije Since: May, 2022
#4: Aug 16th 2023 at 8:59:46 AM

For people who don't know that much about the work to know who's who immediately from the work page, because that is where most people get introduced to a work when they're introduced by our website. (I'm also wary of the "it's the 10th most profitable film of all time" point because we don't presuppose knowledge of a work when we describe it - but that's off topic.)

Edited by andrewthetroper on Aug 16th 2023 at 6:02:17 PM

The pessimist sees a dark tunnel, the optimist sees a light, the realist sees two lights and the engineer sees three idiots.
Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#5: Aug 16th 2023 at 9:10:06 AM

Again, I dont see the point?

Wikipedia doesnt feel the need to label every character on a poster. Why does TV Tropes?

Heck, Fan wikis dont do this. And as mentioned we do this on works who are literally the some of the best selling works ever made.

Also how does labeling characters NOT in the poster helping anyone lol.

Edited by Ghilz on Aug 16th 2023 at 12:11:15 PM

Ultimatum Disasturbator from The Wiggle Room (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Disasturbator
#6: Aug 16th 2023 at 9:15:29 AM

I don't see the issue really,its making a mountain of a mole hill

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Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#7: Aug 16th 2023 at 9:16:47 AM

I don't like their tendency to encourage Sinkholes because a lot of them simply link a character name to a trope with no context, but other than that I don't feel strongly enough about them to argue for or against their removal.

Edited by Synchronicity on Aug 16th 2023 at 11:17:14 AM

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#8: Aug 16th 2023 at 10:43:50 AM

Yeah, the sinkhole ones need to burn but the non-link-based ones are okay, like they don't hurt anything.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Orbiting Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#9: Aug 16th 2023 at 3:39:59 PM

Yeah, I don't see the problem either

themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#10: Aug 16th 2023 at 4:00:27 PM

I don't see the problem myself, but I definitely think the ones with sinkholes attached to the names need to be cleaned up, which we have a Sinkhole cleanup for.

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
EmeraldSource Since: Jan, 2021
#11: Aug 16th 2023 at 6:09:36 PM

I think it is largely harmless, especially when placed inside a note bracket to avoid information overload on a roll call. But I do think it helps for people both familiar and unfamiliar with the work, as characters may be obscure or it comes from a small sub-franchise.

I am thinking of Crippling Overspecialization, as the picture is great for the trope but it links to Spider-Man with no name for the character. Someone has to do a few extra steps hoping to find out more about them if they are interested, which feels like a failure on our part.

Comics are just words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures.
Tremmor19 he/him (Y2: Electric Boogaloo)
he/him
#12: Aug 16th 2023 at 8:55:17 PM

[up] yes, thank you! its one thing if its a single work (like, fine, a picture of dumbledore links to the page for harry potter, makes sense. If I want to find that character, I should read the book), but its super frustrating in a bigger franchise if I am curious about the character pictured and they could be from anywhere in the massive franchise with dozens of character pages and hundreds of works. Who are you, page image guy???

Edited by Tremmor19 on Aug 16th 2023 at 11:55:52 AM

Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#13: Aug 16th 2023 at 9:47:52 PM

Stating who is in the photo is basic courtesy

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#14: Aug 17th 2023 at 12:03:58 PM

I am thinking of Crippling Overspecialization, as the picture is great for the trope but it links to Spider-Man with no name for the character. Someone has to do a few extra steps hoping to find out more about them if they are interested, which feels like a failure on our part.

I was specifically mentioning work pages. On trope page it's fine coz it fulfills an actual purpose.

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