Story Lab: TV Tropes

Exploring the world of TV Tropes turned out to be much more exciting than I would have initially thought. Especially since I did this with my boyfriend and his roommates. Reading through various tropes, having discussions about what makes a trope a trope, and listing different examples proved to be hilarious, especially when someone was able to guess a trope before I found it on the list.

Some of the tropes that we found hilarious, in no particular order:

How many sitcoms operate. (Source: TV Tropes)

In a simple explanation, the idiot plot is a plot that occurs solely because everyone is an idiot and doesn't question what's going on. According to the article, this can be done intentionally (and can come off very well when done so), and can also be done unintentionally. In the cases of the latter, usually the intelligent question is ignored in favor of driving the plot forward.

Those explanations that aren't really explanations (Source: TV Tropes)

The Voodoo Shark trope is when the creators of the show catch a plot hole, but roll with it anyway for reasons. Usually there's an acknowledgement of the hole in some or fashion, either by explaining it with nonsense or having the characters question it without getting a reason (see the example in the picture).

Those episodes that "tackle" the tough issues (Source: TV Tropes)

Everyone knows what a Very Special Episode is: where the characters go through something tough and difficult, but through the love of their friends and family pull through. The episodes that have issues like eating disorders, drug abuse, abuse from a loved one, death, etc. Although more often than not, especially in sitcoms, the entire thing is portrayed completely inaccurately. 

I don't even know if this one needs any explanation (Source: TV Tropes)

Hahaha, mental illness is hilarious! (Source: TV Tropes)

This is a trope that is basically using "schizophrenia" for humor (the quotes are there because it's just what the creators labeled schizophrenia. Rarely is it what would actually be diagnosed as). While once in a while it might be handled tastefully, more often than not it's better left alone.

"No way that's real, it looks so different in the movies!" (Source: TV Tropes)

This is kinda the whole, "Truth is stranger than fiction" mindset. People don't think something is portrayed accurately (even when it is) because it doesn't fit what they think is real. An example would be saying an Main Actor's accent sounds fake, and that Other Actor has a better accent, even when Main Actor has that accent in real life and is from that Country, while Other Actor isn't. 

Overall this was very fascinating, and it's very easy to fall down the hole and get lost in the website. As the website states on its front page, tropes aren't necessarily bad! If done correctly they can be very good. They're needed to make a story, no matter what in the end. Hopefully I can use this site in my stories to make sure I don't follow a trope incorrectly.

Reading Notes, Part B: Khasi Folktales, The Leap of Ka Likai

In a similar tone to Greek/Roman myths and the Grimm Brothers tales, The Leap of Ka Likai, from K. U. Rafy's collection of Khasi folk tales, features a stepparent jealous of a child and some cannibalism.

Reading Notes

• The Leap of Ka Likai is the name given to a waterfall in India.
• It's very pretty, but it's known for giving off a loud, angry sound where the water hits the bottom of the mountain. 
• This story is about why it gives off such a sound.
• In a village on the hills above the falls, Likai was happily married with an infant daughter.
• But when her husband died, Likai ended up marrying again, mostly for the sole purpose of making sure her daughter would be cared and provided for.
• Her new husband, not the best man to begin with, was angry at the attention his new wife gave his stepdaughter, and when he found out that Likai married him solely to ensure care for her daughter, he swore to hurt the child in some way.
• So the man refused to do any work and made Likai go out, and when left at home would abuse his stepdaughter.
• One day, when Likai had to leave for a longer period of time than usual, the man killed his stepdaughter and cooked portions of her into a dinner.
• When Likai came home, she was suspicious of her husband's seemingly generous mood, but accepted his excuses for the child's absence and ate the dinner without question.
• Afterwards, she went to chew on a betal leaf as she usually did, and found her daughter's severed hand in the basket. 
• She questioned her husband, who told her everything, including that she had eaten the flesh of her daughter.
• Likai went mad with grief and threw herself over the falls; the sounds that echo up from the bottom are said to be echos of her cries.
• Her story is also used as a warning for any widows with children who are considering marrying again.

The Nohkalikai Falls in the East Khasi Hills (source: Wikipedia)

Reading Notes, Part A: Khasi Folktales, How the Dog Came to Live with Man

Stories that tell the origin of something are always pretty interesting to me, so naturally I was drawn to the Khasi Folktale about How the Dog Came to Live with Man, from K. U. Rafy's collection. This is something that a lot of cultures visit a lot, but I like this take on it. It implies that the dog is crafty, which is usually not the case in other stories.

Reading Notes

• The most important fair of all has arrived, and according with degree, each animal must bring something of some sort of value that can be sold.
• Man was an enemy of the animals, so he wasn't invited.
• The dog, being ironically lazy, didn't want to make something himself like the others, but instead decided to wander the countryside all day looking for something he could pass off as his own.
• At the end of the day, he chanced upon a house where a family was eating fermented Khasi beans.
• Being nice, the wife invited the dog to eat with them, which he gladly did.
• Afterwards, realizing he could take the Khasi beans to the fair, the dog bargained with the family and ended up leaving with a clay pot of beans strapped to his back.
• On the way to the fair, he bragged so much about his jar that the other animals were all very curious to see what he had.
• Unfortunately, when the dog finally uncovered the jar, a bad smell came out; all the other animals made fun of the dog, and eventually destroyed the pot and trampled the food into the ground.
• The dog tried to get the governor of the fair, the tiger, to intervene, but was just told off.
• The dog eventually lost his temper, cursed all the animals, and ran away, where Man consoled him and offered the dog a place in his home.
• The curse worked, because the stench of the food clung to the other animals, and so the Dog was able to track them for Man when out hunting.
• Later, when Man had tamed Pig, he noticed Pig and Dog being lazy and decided to put them to work, sowing furrows in the field.
• The Pig did a lot of the work, while Dog lazied around and jumped all over the furrows the pig had made.
• Eventually the pig got tired of this, and complained to Man, who was loath to believe that Dog would be so lazy.
• When Man inspected the work that had been done, he found the tracks of Dog all over, while only a few tracks of Pig's
• Man decided that Pig had lied, and to punish him, made him sleep in a small separate shack and eat slop while Dog got to stay in Man's house and eat a normal dinner.

Ktung rymbai, also called tungrymbai; it's made from fermented soybeans (Source: Treebo)