Sexy new way to boost forum coolness. (The Herald Thread)

Hi there, [troper handle], welcome to our cosy little section on Anime and Manga.

As the name implies, this section is dedicated to media coming out of Japan. This message's just here to let you know how things work 'round here.

1. First, as always, the regular rules that apply elsewhere in the forum apply here as well. Probably shouldn't need to be said, but since the mods don't tend to come in here until somebody summons one, sometimes people forget.

2. Of special note are the rules against NSFW images and sex-related stuff (Hentai, etc.). Namely, for the former, absolutely no linking to it without marking it as such, and linking to explicit images (even if you also post a warning) is prohibited, and repeatedly doing so can be grounds for banning. For the latter, don't talk about it here, as that sort of talk belongs in the fetishes thread over thisaway. Keeping things vaguely PG-13 is the main point, here. While I'm on the subject, if you're an anime fan, you're likely aware of some fansub and/or scanlation sites. If you do, don't link to them. It's not great to link to illegal stuff, right?

3. Now let's talk about dedicated threads. Belian's thread on stuff that already has a thread is of particular note; if you want to talk about one of the series listed there, go to the linked thread instead of starting a new thread, though be warned that if you're not up to date with the series in question, there will be spoilers. The general unofficial policy here is that the five posts discussing a new episode/chapter will be spoiled, and nothing else.

4. Additionally, we also have a general thread for each new season, and the Chatterbox for any miscellaneous thoughts or observations you might have. It's also frequently used as a spoiler-free venue for sharing your opinion of whatever you happen to be in the middle of.

5. Don't get too intimidated by all these rules; we're actually a fairly relaxed and free little community here. I'm just walking you through it as a way of easing you in.

If you have any other concerns, feel free ask me or any of the mods via PM. It's what I'm here for, after all.

The main page is found here. The blue text to the left of the trope name is the title of the thread, and should summarize what's wrong with it. If it has a checkmark next to it, that means you have not read the most recent post. Next to that you will sometimes see a star; this indicates that there is a crowner attached to the thread, which is how voting is done. If there is an asterisk next to the name, that means a decision has been reached, and the work just needs to be done. You can click on the thread name to be brought to the first post you have not read; attached crowners will always be at the bottom.

Anyone can create a new thread for any trope or work, though the forum is currently capped at [500]. Just be sure to summarize what you believe is the problem and suggest a few possible solutions in the first post.

The forum rules apply in TRS just as much as anywhere else; they basically just boil down to “don't be a dick.” There are a number of moderators who help enforce these rules; the full list is here. Shimaspawn is the one mostly in charge of Trope Repair Shop, so you'll see her around a lot. You can contact the mods at any time by clicking on the yellow triangle next to any post. That will open the mod holler box, where you can describe the problem (the thread is done and can be locked/clocked, we need a crowner, this poster is being rude, etc).

That's most of what you need to know, and you can probably pick up most of the rest with time. If you want more detail, keep reading.

There are five main types of repairs you should know about. Most of them are simple enough, but TRS regulars will throw the terms around without explanation, so it can get confusing.

First is renaming. When something has been determined to be wrong with the current trope name, people suggest changing it. Things get a little heated on both sides of the renaming crowd (especially on bigger tropes), so just try and keep it civil. Everything You Wanted To Know About Changing Names will help with understanding most of the arguments.

Splits and merges are next up. A split is performed when a trope or work is determined to be covering too broad an area. For example, a trope might be split if it's decided that the male and female versions are fundamentally different, and a work might be split if the sequels are different enough in story and/or gameplay to merit their own sections. A soft split is a segregation on the same page, while a hard split moves everything to different pages. A merge is pretty much the exact opposite; if several tropes are determined to be the same thing, they can be merged into one page, usually with the most popular name becoming the main one, and the others becoming redirects.

Cleanups are a little tricky. You're allowed to fix any bad examples when you see them, but sometimes there are so many that one person can't do it alone (in which case you need to take it to Special Efforts), or maybe the bad examples are uniform enough to deserve their own split-off trope. Generally, when you see cleanup threads pop up in TRS, the original poster is trying to make sure that there is actually a problem with the examples that requires cleanup. Sometimes they've misinterpreted the trope, or maybe there's another answer.

Last is cuts. A cut is distinct from the other types of repairs because the page in question is completely deleted. This means any link to the page from the wiki becomes a dead redlink, and any links from outside the site find themselves on an empty page. This is a last-ditch resort for anything with even a small number of wicks (internal links) or inbounds (external links). Generally, its a better idea to make that page a redirect for another instead.

Hope that helps. Welcome to the Trope Repair Shop, and we hope to see you around.

As you might know from the name, Writer's Block is TV Trope's hangout for writers. Specifically, writers of fictional prose, comics, and sometimes other media. Despite the name, this sub-forum can be used to ask questions, discuss writing craft, request or do critiques, post parts of your story—or as a procrastination tool. Your choice.

If you're wondering, World Building is Writer's Block sister sub-forum. Its main focus is Worldbuilding, of course, and it's where you can present elements of your story. However, much of the writing community lays in Writer's Block.

First of all, if you haven't already, introduce yourself in Writer's Block Daily. This thread is the sub-forum's main hub, where you can post updates concerning your writing, talk about writing, or go off on minor derails.

Ask short questions at Random Questions or hang out in the General Writer's Block thread.

Want a critique? Post part (or all) of your story in the Troper Critique Club. Want a beta reader? Enlist in Uncle Drunkie's Writer/Critic Dating Service.

If you want to take your character on a test drive, join the latest Character Development Thread. Just drop in, and state your intention to join in the discussion thread.

Finally, contests are held every few months. You write a short story centered around a theme, and a group of volunteer judges score the entries. Prize? Bragging rights.

Writer's Block follows the general forum rules. However, there is a set of rules:

1. Be polite, friendly and encouraging.
2. Discussion and critique is encouraged, but never make it personal, stick to the topic or piece of work at hand. Conversely, be objective about a subject of your work, a mere expression of dislike or disagreement on a topic is not reflective of that person's opinion of you.
3. Where necessary agree to disagree to keep the peace. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
4. We are loose about brief thread derails, but if a topic seems to be garnering a lot of discussion, please move that discussion to a new thread so the old thread can get back on track.

In short, be respectful to your fellow writers.

Any other questions? Don't be afraid to ask. Again, welcome to Writer's Block. Keep on writing!

Some of these comics are fairly conventional, while others use Flash content and other internet tricks to full effect. Some include long passages of nothing but pure text. Needless to say, webcomics are a diverse bunch, and may overlap with other media. As a rule of thumb, if the creator says it's a webcomic, it's a webcomic, regardless of the content.

Like all the different forums, these have their own set of rules and guidelines. In this case, these are:

1) Be polite, don't be offensive. The standard forum rules apply here. Also, remember that (perhaps more than any other of the media forums) a large number of webcomic creators like reading, and sometimes participating, in the threads about their work. Keep that in mind when you post.

2) If you are such a webcomic creator, don't be overly aggressive about promoting your webcomic. We appreciate your enthusiasm, but TV Tropes is not here for services like that. If you want to promote your work, you can post in this thread.

3) If you are posting links to a NSFW (Not Safe For Work, meaning nudity and/or extreme violence) comic, be sure to warn other tropers of such in the same post. If you're making a thread on such a comic, it's probably best if you put a warning in the thread title.

4) When creating threads, try to make sure that there isn't already another active thread on the subject or work. Duplicate threads, unless the original has been inactive for a long time (i.e. several months), will typically be locked by a forum moderator.

5) If you're looking for new webcomics to read, don't make a thread asking about it. Work recommendations have their own forum. Go to this thread instead.

That's it, really. If you still feel confused about something, go ahead and ask.

So dive on in, and be sure to enjoy yourself. After all, there are so many webcomics, and so little time...