Read That Again

You've just posted your Tropetastic masterpiece in the Trope Workshop. It's witty, it's Genre Savvy, and with a bit of polish and some more examples it's about ready to go.

Then along comes a fellow Troper who brusquely informs you that your trope is basically identical to another.

Except it isn't, they're as close as Bullet Time and Hammer Time. You guess what they've done - they've picked one word from the title or laconic that vaguely reminded them of another trope. Or maybe they just skimmed the first line and decided that since it is about ice and Slippy-Slidey Ice World is about ice they must be exactly the same. They may even dismiss it as People Sit on Chairs simply because they haven't taken the time to grasp what you mean (though consider if you made a mistake before linking them here).

There are plenty of those who are quick to write off new tropes by claiming that they are identical to one (or more!) that have been previously established, and do so without taking the time to read and understand one or both of their descriptions (and thus compare them erroneously). If this is the case, tell them to Please Read That Again - even though you know they didn't the first time (but hell, we have to be polite to the little crabsacks, right?).

If you have been linked to this page it is likely that the trope author thinks that your comparison is hasty and very obviously wrong, and that the two are simply not comparable (though they themselves should read both to make sure!).

Note to trope creators: please think carefully and take time to compare the tropes yourself before linking to this page! If you have read both thoroughly and they are very, very, definitely not Ridiculously Similar Tropes then go ahead, but bear in mind that they may be reacting to a new trope that is simply too unclear, or too poorly worded, to understand (don't despair! The initial Trope Workshop post is just the first draft!). In all cases, please ask for clarification before making comparisons.