TV Tropes Wiki

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TV Tropes Wiki is a wiki-style catalog dedicated to defining and categorizing tropes used in fiction. Originally dedicated exclusively to television shows (hence the name), it has expanded to include movies, comic books, literature, plays, and video games, along with articles on the cultures surrounding these. It is written in an informal style, without a neutral point of view and explicitly mentions on the front page that it is not Wikipedia (who is referred to as "the other wiki" internally). There is a specific clause to the effect that "There Is No Such Thing As Notability",^[1] meaning that any example which fits the criteria can be included in an article. However, certain examples (often anything related to religion or politics) will sometimes be removed to prevent flame-wars, due to the "Rule Of Cautious Editing Judgement".^[2]

The wiki's subject matter and humorous tone have led to its popularity in certain niche communities, including the forums associated with the Giant in the Playground webcomic site, as well as among television and film writers; several of the latter are known to be among its regular contributors (who are as a community referred to as "tropers"). References to the TV Tropes Wiki and/or its entries have shown up in Irregular Webcomic,^[3] the television series Lost,^[4] and numerous comic books.^{[citation needed]} Also, at least one teacher has been known to use the site as part of his class curriculum.^[5]