"Works About X" indexes

Yeah, that won't happen. We've closed any of the old TRS bypass threads because the mods don't think it's OK.

Well, it's either that or we clog the TRS up with half a zillion individual threads.

Edited by StarSword on Jan 5th 2024 at 12:56:40 PM

...Or we do batch TRS threads. Which is a thing.

More specifically, I think we need a crowner with three action items:

1. Formally define the Works by Subject index as being for organizing works by their genre.
   • If #1 is adopted, should we rename the index Works By Genre or something to that effect.
2. Permission to create a project outside of TRS to prune the current Works by Subject index under the new definition.

And if we can't bypass TRS, then #1 is a possible single-thread solution.

Edited by StarSword on Jan 5th 2024 at 1:02:08 PM

We already have Genres.

Works by Subject was created to house existing indexes that were listed on Genres despite not meeting that definition, e.g. Asian-American Media.

Well, then, that discussion needs to be revisited.

What discussion? If you mean the discussion leading up to the creation of Works by Subject, that would be the discussion on the TLP draft.

I think Works V By Subject is fine as a concept, the problem is that is has become clogged up with many non-tropes.

African-American Media is a valid concept to group works by due to all the ethnic and racial backgrounds making it different from media written by white Americans, for example. The various Animal Fiction indexes, more often than not, are not.

It's a matter of cleaning up the non-significant indexes while leaving the ones that are actually meaningful groupings.

Or we start evaluating carefully how many of these TRS queue things really need TRS.

I mean, if there's things that shouldn't go to TRS then by all means point them out; but I don't really agree with shortening the list solely to fill it with indexes that honestly could just go on a batch thread, given their problems are identical and no wick cleaning would be necessary.

Okay, let's do the easy one first then. I think we're all more or less agreed we should deal with the animal-related ones all in one go, correct? I think we can essentially reuse the reasoning for Shark Stories: "determined to be redundant with Animal Tropes".

Hang on, this isn't what I meant by "batch thread", Star. I meant a TRS one. So that instead of taking all the slots, it takes one. And there's been no go-ahead to do things here.

Edited by WarJay77 on Jan 5th 2024 at 2:12:05 PM

Since I wasn't as clear as I thought I was, I'm agreeing to go through TRS unless the mods say otherwise. I was just suggesting where to start.

Edited by StarSword on Jan 6th 2024 at 3:04:51 PM

Do you think we should add Works by Subject to Tropes Needing TRS under "Products of problematic trope trends"?

All right, that works then.

So, how about this as an OP:

The index Works by Subject was ostensibly created in order to house existing indices of works with significant commonalities in subject matter and themes. These indices were previously listed on Genres; however, the argument was made that many, such as Queer Media and Asian-American Media, did not actually meet the definition of a Genre.

Since then, as discussed in this Wiki Talk thread, a number of indexes went through the Trope Launch Pad whose definitions can largely be boiled down to "work prominently includes 'x' eponymous thing in it", which has a couple of problems:
* It contributes to Index Bloat on the wiki, i.e. overly long blocks of indices that could potentially cause the page's indexing to break altogether.
* There is concern that many of these indices are essentially an end run around the Trope Repair Shop's ongoing cleanup of tropes on what was formerly Everything's Better With Indexes (now Garnishing the Story).

Largely prompted by a Troper Critical Mass on the since-discarded TLP for Ursine Fiction, the thread previously voted to impose a moratorium on new Works About "X" Indexes. We have previously removed Samurai Stories and Shark Stories as redundant to existing tropes, and there is a lot of agreement to do the same to the "Animal Fiction" category; however, we have since agreed to create a thread to deal with the entirety of Works by Subject in one swoop.

Options proposed in Wiki Talk:
* Cull redundant or otherwise unnecessary Works by Subject indexes.
* Merge Works by Subject into Genres (not mutually exclusive with cleanup of unnecessary indices).

TLP Archive for Works By Subject

Input?

Fair enough, I just thought that would be funny. Removed.

Added.

Edited by StarSword on Jan 17th 2024 at 1:13:59 PM

I don't think the pothole to Game-Breaking Bug belongs there because TV Tropes isn't a video game, but other than that, .

Looks good. I'd also like to get pinged when that gets a thread.

EDIT: And for the part with index bloat, feel free to link the sandbox I made. And anyone can add to that.

Edited by GrafVonTirol on Jan 17th 2024 at 9:34:16 AM

3x Looks good to me, just a typo "Cull" here.

Added to the TRS Queue.

No, that's correct use. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cull

Looks good too.

Edited by callmeamuffin on Jan 18th 2024 at 6:58:07 AM

Too bad we have to wait for a while for this page getting a thread

I mean, while they're up at least they're not actively hurting the wiki. We just need to get other stuff closed. As always, handling the backlog is the only way to speed it up.

I'm really curious how we going to discuss them in TRS

Edited by StalkerGamer on Jan 17th 2024 at 9:41:44 AM

My guess is we're gonna crowner every index on the page to see which one is worth keeping or not. Or it will be a case by case basis. Idk.