Old Magnificent Bastard thread
Welcome to the Magnificent Bastard (MB) cleanup thread! This thread is where we clean up or cut already-existing entries.
If you're looking to add new entries, please see the approval thread.
IMPORTANT: Before you begin any discussions on this thread, please see the Frequently Asked Questions and Common Requests List
Here, you'll find explanations of the criteria for the trope as well as our rules/procedures for approving and cutting candidates.
What goes through this thread?
- Cut requests. If you believe a MB has been approved and they do not count, this thread is where you propose their removal. To know how to go about this, please see the FAQ folder on the Administrivia page, where the process is explained in detail.
- If we ever need to consider cutting multiple examples without individually reviewing them (e.g. if we discover widespread plagiarism with a particular troper's MBs), the initial discussion will be on this thread and we'll then escalate to the mod team (as described here) to get a formal consensus if we decide to recommend a mass cut.
- If an entry was put on the wrong subpage/YMMV page, you may propose where they should be moved to.
- Full rewrites of existing entries, including expansions, trims, and ground-up rewrites. If your rewrite is approved by the thread, feel free to add it to the drafts page so that other users can check grammar and the like before it is included with the rest of the weekly swaps.
- If an entry on a work's YMMV page doesn't match the entry on the media subpage, you can bring it here to discuss which entry works better.
What does not go through this thread?
- New candidate proposals - as stated before, those are done on this thread.
- Unapproved wicks - if a Troper encounters either of these kinds of wicks, they can be cut with no approval.
- Any MB link on a non-YMMV page - as a YMMV trope, it should not be linked on those pages regardless of any cleanup effort. The only exception is if the wick is being used within the definition of another trope.
- If an MB link on a YMMV page refers to an unapproved character. If it refers to an approved character on any such page, the wick can stay. On the other hand, if the unapproved character being linked to sounds like they might have promise (and you don't feel like checking it out for yourself), feel free to mention it on the approval thread - someone may already know why they don't count, or it could invite a brand new discussion!
- Proposals for images, quotes, and videos of already-approved MBs - quotes and images are proposed on the approval thread, while videos can be uploaded normally as they are screened for approval by the moderation.
- Crosswicking examples to YMMV pages - if an example has already been approved and added to the main page, you do not require any special permission to add the example to a work's YMMV page (assuming the work has a page already). If a YMMV page doesn't exist yet, then you can make it yourself, but either way, feel free to just add the example without asking.
- Small changes to existing entries - these can simply be done on a Troper's own prerogative with no approval.
- Spelling and grammar fixes.
- Pothole changes.
- Minor rewordings.
- Spoiler tags.
While these changes do not require any kind of approval, it is requested that should you make any of these changes, you do one of the following:
- Make the same changes on the relevant Sandbox page, then add the Sandbox to the list at the bottom of the drafts page. This will add the Sandbox to the weekly swaps and ensure that the edits end up on the relevant locked page. If the Sandbox is already listed, then once you make the edits, your job is already done!
- If you don't know how the Sandboxes work or simply don't have the time to find it, then you can simply post on the thread about the changes you made. Someone else can then make the edit on the relevant Sandbox and add it to the weekly swaps.
- Alternatively, you can simply request that the change be made directly to the locked page on the Locked Pages thread. Members of this thread keep track of that one, so we will ensure that the changes are made in the Sandbox so that it doesn't get deleted during the next swap.
Again, these changes don't require any approval, but we prefer to keep the entries on the YMMV pages and the locked pages the same in order to avoid any miscommunication or errors between entries, so if you do make the change, we would greatly appreciate it if you could ensure the change is made on the locked page as well.
As a final note, we do not care what other sites have to say regarding whether or not a character counts. We have our own criteria and they have theirs for their MB equivalents; while they are similar, they are not exactly the same and should not be treated as such. Another site removing a character from their equivalent should not be a reason why a cut is proposed here, and if this is the case, it will likely lead to mod intervention.
Other than this, once again, welcome to the cleanup thread, and we look forward to your contributions!
Edited by Mrph1 on Jan 14th 2024 at 11:36:43 AM
I'll agree that Magnificus played no role in freeing Grimora, she outright asks P03 where Magnificus is and has no real clue how to help them escape. Both of them specifically set out to free Magnificus since he's the only one with a plan to overcome Leshy.
Think you're tough because you made it through Lord of the Rings? Real men survive The Silmarillion.
No that’s much better than the first, you can add that to the drafts.
The Salesman’s Stolen Mask
Alright, this is a rewrite for General Shepherd from the original Modern Warfare 2. Shepherd himself is undoubtedly a keeper and one of the best villains in the franchise, but his entry is rife with grammatical errors, so here’s my cleaner version:
- General Shepherd is the charismatic leader of Task Force 141, who— after losing 30,000 soldiers from a nuke detonated in the Middle East— vows to reinvigorate the U.S. military and remind the world of the cost of freedom. To this end, Shepherd gives up Private Allen's identity to Makarov, resulting in Allen's death during the airport massacre and kickstarting World War III. Receiving unlimited soldiers and resources to support his manhunt for Makarov, Shepherd uses his funding to form his own faction, Shadow Company, before betraying Task Force 141 and personally killing Ghost and Roach to tie up loose ends. When Price and Soap arrive at his base, he orders its self-destruction and leads them on a lengthy chase, skillfully using Shadow Company's full might to slow them down. After that fails, Shepherd brutally fights the two head-on, unafraid to die since he'll be remembered as a hero, while they will be branded fugitives.
Feedback is welcome and appreciated.
Edited by Remnant43 on Dec 10th 2022 at 7:29:15 AM
Balls idk
Cross-wired freak
Looks good to me
Listen to my podcast
Caesar
I approve of the Shepherd and 47 rewrites, nice work y'all!
WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY!
Just call me Solemn.
I'd like to rewrite the Crash Bandicoot candidates' writeups, but there's something I'd like to address with Dr. Nefarious Tropy first. Of course, it's not his crimes in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time pushing him to Complete Monsterdom — I know this writeup is for his actions in the original timeline.
In the portion summarizing his scheme in Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced, it mentions that it would've succeeded "had it not been for Aku Aku's intervention and [N.] Trance mistaking Fake Crash for Crash". However, in the cutscene following Fake Crash's defeat, N. Trance has the following to say after Tropy admonishes him:
Assuming Trance is speaking the truth, is this too big a blunder for Tropy to keep his MB credentials? Is using the hypnotized bandicoots "to great effect" as his writeup puts it, him bouncing back sufficiently enough? I'm not quite sure myself, and I'd like to hear your take on this.
Otherwise known as SolemnStormcloud.
as the guy who EP’d Shepherd, I approve of his new write-up
Classy, Refined, Unstable
![[tup]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thumbs_up_emoticon_3268.png "[thumb up]"){kind=small}
To 47's and Shepherd's rewrites there.
As for N'tropy, obviously apologies if I'm incorrect but the time twister plan in Crash 3 wasn't his either? He's the creator of it but I don't recall him orchestrating the plan. All he says is this (apart from dialogue in the boss fight):
Was he integral to the plan? Yes, Cortex says that without him the time twister machine will be volatile (hence the true ending) but the game treats as Uka Uka being the mastermind behind the plan, with him bringing N tropy along.
Edited by WetFlannels on Dec 10th 2022 at 3:04:05 PM
Yes, yes, old boy, we'd like nothing more than to stay and be a part of your primitive, barbaric society, but duty calls, duty calls...
Woagh
Oh hey, Tropy.
As the guy who did the original, I should probably mention that the narrative treats Fake Crash as completely identical to Crash, and that the mistake was more or less justified because of it. Even then, he still made the backup move of putting himself in a hidden location that Crash litteraly couldn't reach without Aku Aku, and he's completely fine with squaring up with Crash when cornered.
Also if it helps, Twisnsanity takes place after this game (N. Tranced was planned for a reappearance), and there he stays one step ahead of Crash and company only being beaten by something he couldn't have predicted. A fairly solid last appearance there.
NOISE IS CALLING, PICK UP PHONE
I’m for keeping Tropy.
Keep N'Tropy.
You can only write so much in your forum signature. It's not fair that I want to write a piece of writing yet it will cut me off in the mid
Just call me Solemn.
@DoodSlayer136
Thanks for clearing things up! Without further delay, here are my rewrites for the Crash Bandicoot MBs.
Dr. Nefarious Tropy
- The original writeup mentioned that he "fights the Bandicoots" in Warped, even though he can only fight Crash. Even in the N. Sane Trilogy remake where Coco is playable, she can't fight any of the bosses outside of N. Gin in Warped — which was the case in the original version of the game as well.
- I added mention of his congratulations to the player in Crash Team Racing. Charm is an important part of a Magnificent Bastard, after all.
- To my knowledge, him and N. Trance are never stated to be friends. Though a blurb from the instruction manual of N-Tranced states the two have met prior to the events of the game, it doesn't hint at any sort of Villainous Friendship between them. In the game proper, Tropy merely calls Trance "just the fellow for the job" and "[his] secret weapon" when introducing him...and also a "blundering idiot" upon realizing they kidnapped and hypnotized Fake Crash instead of the real deal. Some friends they are.
- Per Aku Aku's line "This vortex must be the work of N. Tropy," it was him who kidnapped the Bandicoots and not Trance.
- I also made some minor grammatical fixes and tweaks to improve the flow.
Dr. Nitrus Brio (Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back)
- A good chunk of the original writeup was dedicated to his role in the first Crash Bandicoot, when the writeup is only supposed to be for his role in Cortex Strikes Back and he doesn't do anything notably cunning in the first game. Context is fine, but keep it to a minimum.
The Viscount
- All I changed here was the capitalization of "Tasmanian Devil", as the name of the animal isn't usually capitalized as such.
If there are any problems with my rewrites, let me know and I'll try to address them!
Edited by ShootingStar7X on Dec 11th 2022 at 6:38:23 AM
Otherwise known as SolemnStormcloud.
Gotta love Jaws!
The Shepherd, Agent 47, Tropy, Brio and Viscount writeups all look good to me!
Edited by Amanofmanyinterests on Dec 10th 2022 at 9:12:09 AM
"For a second there, I mistook ya for a threat... but you're just a dirty little man!"
Keep Tropy
Cut Mikado and Edwards
Unsure on Leshy and Magnificus. Holding off my vote pending more discussion.
Edited by DemonDuckofDoom on Dec 11th 2022 at 2:10:54 AM
Oh yeah keep Tropy and cut Mikado and Edwards
47's rewrite has been put on the page sandbox, if that's alright.
TRS Wick Cleaning
Just call me Solemn.
I'm waiting for some more feedback on my Crash Bandicoot rewrites. Since these are more substantial rewrites, should I post them to the drafts, or should I edit the YMMV page and then request the same edits be made to the Magnificent Bastard namespace in the Locked Pages thread?
Otherwise known as SolemnStormcloud.
The Moron
I think in this case the drafts might be a bit better just so that they can get grammar checked, potholed, etc. and then they’ll get swapped in later.
Just call me Solemn.
Ah, okay. I'll just wait for some more feedback and I'll add them. I'm mainly interested in trimming N. Tropy's writeup while retaining my changes.
Otherwise known as SolemnStormcloud.
Goku Black
Okay so here's the In death stuff. Acw has two of his own but he can do them after the threads for eping are live. For now so pending can be cleared.
- In Death:
- Origin in Death: Deena Flavia is a clone created to be the perfect spy by the Evilutionary Biologists Dr. Wilfred B. Icove and Dr. Jonah D. Wilson, who rebelled against her masters. Before the series, Deena reinvented herself as a stylish thief and hitwoman and plotted to take down her abusive creators and save the rest of her "sisters" (the other clones). Deena pulls off perfect assassinations against the various members of the conspiracy using various methods: pretending to be a client to take one off-guard and murder them by surprise, using the spouse of another to trick him into being defenseless before striking and using a disguise to infiltrate the building of one of her other targets. Deena also gets a rare win for a bad guy in the series, being able to die peacefully with her mission complete and using her last words to clear her conspirators from trouble.
- Concealed in Death & Desperation in Death: Sebastian is a relentlessly charming thief and conman who helps protect the street children. Sebastian helps train them as thieves and pickpockets, yet also actually does care about them and goes out of his way to ensure they get to live happy lives, even being willing to help police detective Eve Dallas go after far worse monsters to do it. Sebastian is also able to manipulate others with just a few words and helps to dispel threats to both himself and to those under his care.
Thoughts?
"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Lies and Violence!
Write ups look good.
Once again, glad to be back, and once again sorry I missed the discussion. I've been throwing myself into another obnoxiously long work—well, works plural—and while it will have nowhere near as many as PGTE (and thank God for that), let's just say I'm very excited for discussions to open back up.
Welcome back, writeups look good mir and what am I cutting... just Mikado and Edwards, correct?
Echoing Star on rewrites beyond simple changes, it'll be easiest to run through drafts for the stated reasons.
Also I know Golden wasn't a fan but I rather liked the end to 47's original entry: "often bringing nothing less than justice on some of the most corrupt people in the world for the right price" anyone else have qualms with re-adding that?
Edited by 43110 on Dec 11th 2022 at 3:09:26 PM
Caesar
Nice work mir, I dig the Bandicoot rewrites and yes 43, I say keep that ending to 47's!
WHAT A WONDERFUL DAY!
~Tropers/43110 RE 47 rewrite: Alright, here's a slightly-longer version:
This is about as much as I feel like it needs to be fleshed out at the moment, and even then I fear there may be too much detail. To be honest, I'm not all that keen on the blow-by-blow nature of some of the write-ups on the Hitman page right now. I'd help with those, but it's getting kinda late right now.
TRS Wick Cleaning