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No on-page examples on They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot

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UchuuFlamenco Since: Jul, 2017
#1: Jul 28th 2024 at 4:46:20 PM

Why is it that They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot doesn't allow on-page examples? It feels like a pretty arbitrary decision, especially given that They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character allows them.

The on-page disclaimer reads:

No examples on this page, please. This easily overlaps with Fan-Preferred Cut Content, not to mention it is a matter of personal tastes for some, and examples could easily get excessive.

But I don't get this reason. There actually isn't that much overlap with Fan-Preferred Cut Content, and "it's a matter of personal tastes" is something that applies to all YMMV, yet others accept on-page examples just fine.

The no on-page disclaimer has been there since at least 2013 but I can't find what exactly prompted this decision.

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)
#2: Jul 28th 2024 at 4:50:20 PM

There's no link to when the decision was made and the history is younger than it.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
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
#3: Jul 28th 2024 at 4:52:11 PM

It seems like it might have either been made before Eddie stopped purging old page histories/forum threads, or was done unilaterally (less likely IMO).

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VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
#4: Jul 29th 2024 at 1:29:42 AM

The decision was made between 07 November and 08 December 2012. The reason is that the examples tend to spiral out of control.

I wasn't able to find anything in the archived discussion pages or forum threads about how the decision was made.

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Reymma RJ Savoy from Edinburgh Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Wanna dance with somebody
RJ Savoy
#5: Jul 31st 2024 at 1:35:55 PM

I was on the side of making the trope DO at the time, on the expectation that wicks would also be cut. But now that the trope is more clearly defined and we have a proper cleanup going, it should be feasible to open it up to examples again.

Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
AFan Since: Nov, 2022
#6: Aug 3rd 2024 at 2:57:53 PM

I think it makes sense for the trope to be a YMMV trope, since it can depend on the individual if something in the plot wasn't used properly

Reymma RJ Savoy from Edinburgh Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Wanna dance with somebody
RJ Savoy
#7: Aug 3rd 2024 at 4:08:24 PM

[up] But we are trying to move away from that. It's now defined not as "plot wasn't used properly" but as "plot wasn't followed up at all after being set up".

Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
NoName404 [Insert Title Here] from Sealand Since: May, 2024 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
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)
#9: Aug 3rd 2024 at 4:36:07 PM

Not really. There's the difference between "setting something up but ultimately going down a different path" and "completely dropping something".

Besides, Aborted Arc is for, well... arcs.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
UchuuFlamenco Since: Jul, 2017
#10: Aug 3rd 2024 at 9:31:09 PM

This is YMMV already, though. That has nothing to do with on-page examples, since other YMMV items allow them.

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