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Misused: Unintentional Period Piece

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TMH-Sir-Iron-Vomit The clown of STEEL from Ichnusa Since: Mar, 2024
The clown of STEEL
#226: Feb 1st 2025 at 3:19:57 PM

Darth Wiki doesn't strictly mean "dark and fucked-up", just things that are unfit for the main Tv Tropes pages; in Darth Wiki's case, they do reference the more negative sides of troping, such as Complaining About Shows You Don't Like and nitpicking.

And one thing we realized early in this thread, is that very few works are made to be timeless. The reason Unintentional Period Piece constantly attracted nitpicky shoehorns, is that all works age, and technically, anything can be an unintentional period piece. And while examples weren't always made to complain, some definetely were.

Moving it to Darth Wiki isn't so far-fetched.

[down]My intention wasn't a place when people could genuinely bash about works, just clearly fake bashing, in the vein of Tv Tropes Will Ruin Your Life.

However, it also depends on if we should delete all existing examples of Unintentional Period Piece, or move them as well. If the latter, then Just for Fun may be better (but not by much, given that they weren't originally written to be just for fun).

Edited by TMH-Sir-Iron-Vomit on Feb 1st 2025 at 12:32:57 PM

Oo oo ah ah
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000)
#227: Feb 1st 2025 at 3:21:59 PM

"such as Complaining About Shows You Don't Like and nitpicking"

...Which is what I meant by inherently negative. We don't want to give people free reign to complain with UPP. JFF is neutral - people can more or less do what they want but can't outright bash.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Lymantria Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph from Toronto Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph
#228: Feb 1st 2025 at 5:09:47 PM

We still can’t seem to decide what to do here, so crowner?

Join the Five-Man Band cleanup project!
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000)
#229: Feb 1st 2025 at 5:11:13 PM

That's why we're discussing it, we don't need to jump to a crowner every time.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Lymantria Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph from Toronto Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph
#230: Feb 1st 2025 at 5:11:36 PM

When would be time for a crowner, then?

Join the Five-Man Band cleanup project!
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000)
#231: Feb 1st 2025 at 5:13:20 PM

When the discussion is done. Just let it play out.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
#232: Feb 2nd 2025 at 2:50:52 PM

I noticed that there's Sandbox.Unintentional Period Piece, which hasn't had any non-cleanup edits in two years. Is it relevant to the current discussion?

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
#233: Feb 2nd 2025 at 3:05:14 PM

[up] The creator of the page hasn't been active in a while, but I'll page them just in case.

~crazysamaritan

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
DebbieOppenheimer Since: Nov, 2013 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#234: Feb 3rd 2025 at 3:46:34 AM

Again, it's more a fun thing to do so JFF is best.

What would be the place for the separate to UPP moments such as in Drop the Dead Donkey where Damien Day think's Henry Davenport's 'unsettling rumor' at the gentleman's club is about Jimmy Savile — that people knew what Savile was doing even if not the full story. Even if many now make a pretense of otherwise.

NitroIndigo ♀ | Small ripples lead to big waves from West Midlands region, England Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
♀ | Small ripples lead to big waves
#235: Feb 14th 2025 at 11:33:50 AM

Does this trope have too many inbounds to be cut?

PyreneesLover1 Since: Sep, 2022
#236: Feb 14th 2025 at 4:41:48 PM

Examples unrelated to something that couldn't have been predicted at the time of the work's writing should be allowed to stay, even if this trope would require a rename.

MathsAngelicVersion Ambassador of Eurogames and Touhou Music from Gensokyo Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Ambassador of Eurogames and Touhou Music
#237: Feb 15th 2025 at 12:08:16 PM

[up][up] This page has 33,401 inbounds. Per Administrivia.Trope Repairing Guidelines:

Some pages are off-limits to solutions that involve a drastic change in the page's status (i.e renames, cuts, merges and disambiguations). If a page has more than 10,000 inbounds and/or is in the top 1000 most popular pages, we cannot make these drastic changes unless administrator and moderator approval is granted. Pages that are in the top 500 popular pages and/or have over 20,000 inbounds are off limits to drastic changes.

IIRC it is still possible to make changes to a page with more than 20,000 inbounds, but only under exceptional circumstances such as misplaced Analysis/.

HalfFaust Since: Jan, 2019
#238: Feb 15th 2025 at 12:59:39 PM

Yes, a cut or rename is therefore (probably) out of the question.

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
#239: Feb 15th 2025 at 1:07:04 PM

I believe Definition-Only is OK though. Septimus indicated he was in favor of that option — as am I.

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#240: Feb 15th 2025 at 1:09:06 PM

I vote Definition Only.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
MathsAngelicVersion Ambassador of Eurogames and Touhou Music from Gensokyo Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Ambassador of Eurogames and Touhou Music
#241: Feb 15th 2025 at 2:55:29 PM

Ideally I'd want a solution that lets us list genuinely interesting outdated elements without enabling nitpicking about people using an iPhone from 2023 instead of 2024. But how would we pull that off? Maybe making this definition-only and creating pages with stricter requirements to catch legitimate examples?

bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#242: Feb 15th 2025 at 6:39:59 PM

If we're going to set ground rules, another rule should be that the dated element must be relevant to the work, to avoid a repeat of the Payless ShoeSource incident.

2025: the year it all ends?
Lymantria Tyrannoraptoran Reptiliomorph from Toronto Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Historians will say we were good friends.
bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#244: Feb 15th 2025 at 6:41:45 PM

A now-defunct shoe retailer appearing in the background of (I believe) an MCU film.

2025: the year it all ends?
MathsAngelicVersion Ambassador of Eurogames and Touhou Music from Gensokyo Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Ambassador of Eurogames and Touhou Music
#245: Feb 15th 2025 at 7:00:22 PM

I like the "relevant to the work" requirement. It would catch most interesting examples and ban most nitpicky examples.

StarSword Captain of USS Bajor from somewhere in deep space Since: Sep, 2011
Captain of USS Bajor
#246: Feb 15th 2025 at 7:36:54 PM

Yeah, that's a really good idea.

Trust me, I'm an engineer!
JustaUsername Weredragon | he/him from Melbourne, Australia Since: Jul, 2009
Weredragon | he/him
#247: Feb 15th 2025 at 7:42:41 PM

[up][up]I agree, that would really pin it to a period rather than something easily shaken off by the casual viewer.

Some people say I'm lazy. It's hard to disagree.
TMH-Sir-Iron-Vomit The clown of STEEL from Ichnusa Since: Mar, 2024
The clown of STEEL
#248: Feb 16th 2025 at 1:20:25 AM

I would rather phrase it as "a now outdated element of the premise". "Relevant" is not specific enough to prevent the misuse we want to avoid.

Oo oo ah ah
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#249: Feb 16th 2025 at 1:29:54 AM

[up] This is the best.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
#250: Feb 16th 2025 at 1:42:25 AM

[up][up]We already have that trope. It's The Artifact.

Ukrainian Red Cross

18th Apr '25 1:29:12 PM

Crown Description:

Unintentional Period Piece has long been heavily misused, frequently attracting examples that list literally every single dated thing in a work. This crowner will determine how best to fix this item.

Total posts: 398
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