TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

ContinuityPorn ambiguity

Go To

Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#1: Nov 14th 2024 at 10:25:37 PM

Right of the bat, the trope description is split into two polar opposite directions

  • "derogatory, most common type, only to resolve continuity problems without having a strong story of its own"
  • "affectionate, narrowly targeted nostalgia, where Continuity Nods became integral to the plot". Ironically, it's still described in a negative tone. Also, "Nobody likes stories where there's no continuity" is a biased statement.

"Drawing the line between good and bad continuity is pretty subjective for either type, though, since fans have different expectations of exactly how much continuity is a good thing for the series." sounds like Audience Reactions.

So which is it? I've thought it's "an installment that has a lot of references to the previous installments", but the description is overly negative and indecisive.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
taotruths Live Jet Reaction (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: I sleep in a big bed with my wife.
Live Jet Reaction
#3: Nov 15th 2024 at 8:10:36 AM

[up][up]I thought it was "an installment that has a lot of references to the previous installments" too, but then saw the usage of "Continuity Nods are used for a plot point" part and figured that it meant "this plot point is built off a series of bits of continuity that doesn't make this part standalone"

Edited by taotruths on Nov 15th 2024 at 8:10:50 AM

EmeraldSource Since: Jan, 2021
#4: Nov 15th 2024 at 10:22:01 AM

Yeah, "Continuity Nod but it's a plot point" doesn't really work as a distinguishing feature, any more than "Shout-Out but it's a plot point" or "Mythology Gag but it's a plot point." There isn't anything really preventing it from being a plot point to begin with, as many examples are as a simple as "After X happened we started making Crazy-Prepared plans." Call-Back is more or less the same trope but with a higher percentage of "This is almost a Sequel Episode to that event."

As mentioned, Continuity Porn is generally used as a high density of references, often to the result of Continuity Lock-Out because to non-fans it comes across like Mad Libs. Continuity Cavalcade is perhaps stronger because the focus is on a specific sequence dedicated to as many continuity reference they can squeeze in, like a superhero Trophy Room.

Edited by EmeraldSource on Nov 15th 2024 at 10:23:05 AM

Comics are just words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures.
NoName404 [Insert Title Here] from Sealand Since: May, 2024 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
[Insert Title Here]
#5: Nov 15th 2024 at 2:17:36 PM

Yeah the description is way too YMMV, and it seems more focused on describing whether the trope is good or bad than describing what the trope even is in the first place. I agree that the definition should probably be "Continuity Cavalcade but for whole installments instead of just specific scenes", although I don't think that it creating a Continuity Lock-Out should be an important part of the trope.

"This forum signature likes to refer to itself, as well as to the fact that it likes to refer to itself"
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
#6: Nov 15th 2024 at 2:18:43 PM

Wait wouldn't a definition change require TRS? Would TRS be needed here?

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
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)
#7: Nov 15th 2024 at 3:20:11 PM

Yes

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#8: Nov 15th 2024 at 3:23:43 PM

If the description is changed instead of cleared up, but that requires a good understanding what the definition is, which may also have to be at TRS.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
MorganWick (Elder Troper)
#9: Nov 19th 2024 at 4:56:18 AM

Oldest Internet Archive copy for reference. Note that it has always claimed to be a term originating from comic-book fandom, implying it's pre-existing Fan Speak.

Reymma RJ Savoy from Edinburgh Since: Feb, 2015 Relationship Status: Wanna dance with somebody
RJ Savoy
#10: Nov 20th 2024 at 1:20:03 PM

My understanding of any trope with "porn" in the name is that it's something gratuitous that exists for its own sake of pleasing some part of the audience. So on that basis I would expect that plot-relevant call-backs should not qualify. But that's clearly not what the examples are going by.

Looking over the examples, a lot of them seem to be Continuity Lock-Out instead: if a show builds on its own previous episodes, that means it has its own overarching plot. I would limit examples, at the very least, to when references are made to stories that were stand-alone at the time and there's a large gap until they are referenced.

A recurring theme is a single episode or a short run of them devoted to explaining away plot holes from way back that had been ignored until then. This could be made into its own trope.

Stories don't tell us monsters exist; we knew that already. They show us that monsters can be trademarked and milked for years.
MorganWick (Elder Troper)
#11: Nov 21st 2024 at 3:38:37 AM

"Porn" is not listed on Loaded Trope Word, and when I do a search for "porn" on the sitenote  the first page that comes up with "porn" in the name is Competence Porn, which also claims to be a pre-existing term. I think a common thread through both varieties of Continuity Porn, as framed by the description, is that of "something gratuitous that exists for its own sake of pleasing" the writer.

Add Post

Total posts: 11
Top