All The Tropes:New User Introduction: Difference between revisions
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You must be at least 13 years old in order to edit on our site, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Okay, strap the belt in securely, because this ride is about to get started! |
You must be at least 13 years old in order to edit on our site, unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. Okay, strap the belt in securely, because this ride is about to get started! |
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For our purposes, a "[[trope]]" is simply a pattern that occurs in [[media]], for good or ill. Sometimes things feel overused and become [[cliche]], but are you seriously going to take your five-year-old daughter to a movie that doesn't end [[Happily Ever After]]? Tropes are simply tools for storytelling, and like a [[ |
For our purposes, a "[[trope]]" is simply a pattern that occurs in [[media]], for good or ill. Sometimes things feel overused and become [[cliche]], but are you seriously going to take your five-year-old daughter to a movie that doesn't end [[Happily Ever After]]? Tropes are simply tools for storytelling, and like a [[Superpower Lottery|superpower]], they can be used for good or evil. |
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[[File:gilligancutdonald_7697.jpg|link=Gilligan Cut|frame|[[Donald Duck]] demonstrates the [[Gilligan Cut]], courtesy of artist [[Don Rosa]].]] |
[[File:gilligancutdonald_7697.jpg|link=Gilligan Cut|frame|[[Donald Duck]] demonstrates the [[Gilligan Cut]], courtesy of artist [[Don Rosa]].]] |
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We're now entering the section of tour going through the [[Tropes of Legend]]! |
We're now entering the section of tour going through the [[Tropes of Legend]]! |
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If you look off to your right, you can see one of the very first tropes added to the wiki, the [[Gilligan Cut]]. This trope is named after the many times that the Skipper on ''[[ |
If you look off to your right, you can see one of the very first tropes added to the wiki, the [[Gilligan Cut]]. This trope is named after the many times that the Skipper on ''[[Gilligans Island (TV)|Gilligan's Island]]'' would vow to never buy into a harebrained scheme one minute -- followed by him enacting the hairbrained scheme in the very next scene. |
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While some tropes are a case of art imitating life, this is not always the case. That trope relies on the medium (television) to create the comedy -- real life doesn't cut from one scene to the next that fast. Well, not without ridiculous amounts of sedatives, and those aren't allowed on this ride. We definitely want to avoid sedatives, because we're coming up on [[Chekhov's Gun]]. |
While some tropes are a case of art imitating life, this is not always the case. That trope relies on the medium (television) to create the comedy -- real life doesn't cut from one scene to the next that fast. Well, not without ridiculous amounts of sedatives, and those aren't allowed on this ride. We definitely want to avoid sedatives, because we're coming up on [[Chekhov's Gun]]. |
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{{quote|If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off.|Playwright Anton Chekhov}} |
{{quote|''If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off.''|Playwright Anton Chekhov}} |
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This describes a story element that is inconspicuously introduced now, but becomes extremely significant later. But that doesn't mean everything is important in a story; mysteries are full of [[Red Herring]]s. |
This describes a story element that is inconspicuously introduced now, but becomes extremely significant later. But that doesn't mean everything is important in a story; mysteries are full of [[Red Herring]]s. |
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Speaking of tropes that are the standard for the [[genre]], consider [[Finagles Law]] (a.k.a. Murphy's Law) is a feature of just about every Horror movie out there. And sorry folks about the delay in the tour, just hold on a minute while I get this motor restarted. Oh, good, we escaped the [[Undead|zombies]] in the nick of time, and only lost one passenger! |
Speaking of tropes that are the standard for the [[genre]], consider [[Finagles Law|Finagle's Law]] (a.k.a. Murphy's Law) is a feature of just about every Horror movie out there. And sorry folks about the delay in the tour, just hold on a minute while I get this motor restarted. Oh, good, we escaped the [[Undead|zombies]] in the nick of time, and only lost one passenger! |
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A lot of our tropes have funny names, and the [[MacGuffin]] is no exception. This name was popularized by [[Alfred Hitchcock]], and describes an object that everyone in the story wants. Not that it actually matters what the object is -- it can be a [[Briefcase Full of |
A lot of our tropes have funny names, and the [[MacGuffin]] is no exception. This name was popularized by [[Alfred Hitchcock]], and describes an object that everyone in the story wants. Not that it actually matters what the object is -- it can be a [[Briefcase Full of Money]], and [[Artifact of Doom]], or a [[I'm Dying Please Take My MacGuffin|mysterious gift from a dying man]]. |
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Our site isn't all about traditional media, either. As we pass into our [[Video Games]] section, you can catch a glimpse of our [[Distressed Damsel]] tied to a post. (No, you don't have slay that dragon to rescue her, she's just an actress.) Often a princess in need of saving through some magical quest |
Our site isn't all about traditional media, either. As we pass into our [[Video Games]] section, you can catch a glimpse of our [[Distressed Damsel]] tied to a post. (No, you don't have slay that dragon to rescue her, she's just an actress.) Often a princess in need of saving through some magical quest, she's almost always attractive, but is completely unable of saving herself. |
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But this leads us to an important point: the social message of tropes isn't always a good one. In modern society, we want women to be the equals of men, and not to be helpless. Yet extreme examples of [[Distressed Damsel]]s still persist, often relics of a bygone era. This leads to what we call [[Values Dissonance]]: where morals and mores from different times and cultures clash and make you, the viewer, cringe a little bit inside. |
But this leads us to an important point: the social message of tropes isn't always a good one. In modern society, we want women to be the equals of men, and not to be helpless. Yet extreme examples of [[Distressed Damsel]]s still persist, often relics of a bygone era. This leads to what we call [[Values Dissonance]]: where morals and mores from different times and cultures clash and make you, the viewer, cringe a little bit inside. |
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If you have an opinion on a trope, don't be afraid to share it. We're not about long-form blogging here, but snarky fan commentary is definitely our oeuvre. |
If you have an opinion on a trope, don't be afraid to share it. We're not about long-form blogging here, but snarky fan commentary is definitely our oeuvre. |
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In addition to having pages about tropes here, we also have pages about [[works]] -- particular things in the media like [[Television]] shows, [[Web Comics]], [[Films]], [[Anime]], and more. This wiki is a great place to talk about the entertainment that fits your life, and the tropes and plot from which they are constructed. |
In addition to having pages about tropes here, we also have pages about [[works]] -- particular things in the media like [[Television]] shows, [[Web Comics]], [[Film|Films]], [[Anime]], and more. This wiki is a great place to talk about the entertainment that fits your life, and the tropes and plot from which they are constructed. |
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Because stories are more than just a way to pass time -- they create our culture. David Morgan-Mar of ''[[Irregular Webcomic (Webcomic)|Irregular Webcomic]]'' suggests that ''[[Star Wars (Franchise)|Star Wars]]'' may be the world's most well |
Because stories are more than just a way to pass time -- they create our culture. David Morgan-Mar of ''[[Irregular Webcomic (Webcomic)|Irregular Webcomic]]'' suggests that ''[[Star Wars (Franchise)|Star Wars]]'' may be the world's most well-known fictional work, and the first one to be known by a majority of the world. ''[[The Wizard of Oz]]'' occupies a similar place in our global imagination. Even ''[[The Bible (Literature)|The Bible]]'' is full of tropes, and it has influenced the style and substance of countless other works. |
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And finally, we talk about [[creators]]. Creators of cool stuff, like [[Joss Whedon]]. There are a lot of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy]]'' fans around here. Creators are real people, so we need to remain nice on their pages. Feel free to criticize the book all you want, but try to remain civil with actual people. As they say, hate tha playa, not tha game. |
And finally, we talk about [[creators]]. Creators of cool stuff, like [[Joss Whedon]]. There are a lot of ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy]]'' fans around here. Creators are real people, so we need to remain nice on their pages. Feel free to criticize the book all you want, but try to remain civil with actual people. As they say, hate tha playa, not tha game. |
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* [[Help:Editing]] is the starting point for learning the wiki code used by our software. |
* [[Help:Editing]] is the starting point for learning the wiki code used by our software. |
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* [[Wiki Sandbox]] is a place that you can feel free to edit without worrying about completely trashing it. |
* [[Wiki Sandbox]] is a place that you can feel free to edit without worrying about completely trashing it. |
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* [[The Forums]] are a great place to ask basic questions, and get to know fellow [[ |
* [[The Forums]] are a great place to ask basic questions, and get to know fellow [[Troper]]s. |
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== Editing Quick Start == |
== Editing Quick Start == |
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Those few things will deal with about 80% of the markup on the wiki -- check out [[Help:Editing]] for more when you need to know it. |
Those few things will deal with about 80% of the markup on the wiki -- check out [[Help:Editing]] for more when you need to know it. |
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== Notes == |
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{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
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