User blog comment:Powerhouse411/Tropes of the Ship of Fools/@comment-3392155-20140506153534/@comment-4080028-20140506184947

I think he may have gotten this idea from me, and I in turn got this idea from another user on another fan wiki (Dragon Planet Wiki, which deals with Dragon Ball.)

As for what tropes are, well, I'm not sure if I can explain them properly. The way I see them, they're like storytelling tools and tips that both writers and readers can rely on to better understand and appreciate a story.