If you've ever had in interest in creating fiction, then you've probably pained over the efforts of trying to make interesting characters to play roles in your little make-believe world. Want to do a little research on what kind of character types are out there already? Then visit TVtropes.org, a database created to celebrate tropes spanning most popular forms of media. =D

It seems there is a common misconception of the term "trope" being synonymous with "cliche." Cliches are overused stereotypes that have become trite; tropes however are simply character types or events that have a tendency of re-appearing across multiple forms of entertainment in media, not necessarily Cliches. =) I know a lot of us out there sometimes want to make completely original interesting characters, thus wanting to try to stay away from tropes, but how realistic is that? If it's a good idea, chances are that it's probably been done before, not only that but many tropes are popular because they are relatable and are based on real life events and experiences.

TVtropes.org is a funny and interesting site that can swallow you whole for long periods of time. It's so easy to jump from page to page because every trope page you read will reference other tropes that are somehow related to the one you're reading about and many times they will have funny and/or interesting names like Iron Butt Monkey or This Loser is You. Some of the tropes have rather distinct logical rules that differentiate them from other very similar tropes (If Trope A experiences Event X, it is instead called Trope B.) Some of them even have "natural behaviors" and "mortal enemies" listed as if it was an animal study or Pokémon. XD Fun stuff! =) If you have time to spare and like fiction, I suggest giving the site a whirl. ^_-