Basic Trope: A show's setting is ambiguous, and sometimes even changes around as the plot demands.
- Straight: The show "Tropetown" never really makes it clear as to where the titular town is.
- Exaggerated: "Tropetown" could take place anywhere from Colorado, India, New Zealand, the Moon, or Ohio.
- Downplayed: "Tropetown" is stated to take place in the Midwest, but which state it's in is left ambiguous.
- Justified:
- "Tropetown" takes place in an alternate universe where such an ambiguous town exists.
- "Tropetown" is five-year-old P.O.V. Character Alice's entire world.
- Inverted: It's very frequently stated in the show that it takes place in Chicago, Illinois.
- Subverted:
- Someone finally decides to ask where Tropetown really is, and begins to get an answer...
- It seems like Tropetown has various different settings, but it turns out that it was part of a Road Trip Plot.
- Double Subverted:
- Only for the answer to be interrupted somehow.
- The answer is given, but doesn't make much sense.
- The Road Trip Plot was only once.
- Parodied:
- A sign outside of Tropetown states that Colorado, India, New Zealand, the Moon, and Ohio can all be followed by the same exit.
- The show gives intentionally impossible answers, such as saying the Chad Lake is only 12 miles away from Alberta.
- Any attempt to input Tropetown into GPS or Google Maps causes invalid results before blowing up the computer.
- Zig-Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- The show takes place in a real town.
- It's a fictional town, but they make it clear that Tropetown is in southern Wisconsin.
- Enforced:
- It's a fictional town, why not make it ambiguous as to where it is?
- The actors are often forced to film in different locations.
- It's just not important to state where the show takes place.
- Lampshaded: "Come visit Tropetown! It's... uh... kinda hard to find on a map, but you'll know it when you see it!"
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: Because of the town's commonly shifting setting, characters can save lots of money on travel by just going around town and checking things out.
- Defied: The sign outside of Tropetown says "Tropetown, Wisconsin".
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: "Why do so many shows make it ambiguous as to where it takes place?"
- Deconstructed: Tropetown is revealed to be an Eldritch Location located at literally every Tropetown on earth. Companies tried to exploit that property for shipping once before swearing it off after encountering something bad.
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