Is this an example?

Did you read the pages about those things? Example Indentation in Trope Lists and Word Cruft? They should explain most of it. If you have, try to write a properly formatted example and post it here.

The basic rule for Word Cruft is, "Can this part of the sentence be deleted without removing relevant information about how the trope is used?" If it can be deleted, delete it.

For indentations, the basic rule is to never have an example that has a bullet below it (a bullet level below, not a row below). If there's one example of a work, and you add another, move the first example down a level (to the second bullet level), and have just the work name on the first level. That's probably the most common detail to miss.

Thanks for the advice and the page links. I've been having some trouble with the indentation thing in particular, but what you said makes it a lot clearer.

~Chop Shop — try suggesting one or two examples here for advice on how to write them properly.

Okay so say I want to add an example of Sixth Ranger Traitor being double subverted and I type it out like this:

• Subverted in Made Up Thing; Alice joins the party only to seemingly betray them to take the MacGuffin for herself, but it's later revealed that she did so on Bob's orders.
  • Later double subverted when Alice turns out to be manipulating the party to kill the Big Bad so she can take the his weapon.

How/Should that be improved?

In that case, since it's multiple examples in one work it'd be

• Made Up Thing
  • Subverted when Alice joins the party only to seemingly betray them to take the MacGuffin for herself, but it's later revealed that she did so on Bob's orders.
  • Later Double Subverted when Alice turns out to be manipulating the party to kill the Big Bad so she can take the his weapon.

You could also potentially combine them into one example and have it all on one single bullet.

edited 24th Jan '16 5:08:18 PM by sgamer82

Thanks. One other thing I was wanting to ask while I'm here is a bit of grey area; when does humor in an example become cruft?

You can use humour while writing examples if it doesn't affect the understanding of the trope, or pad it out, but if you're not sure how to do it well enough, you should probably avoid it. Never use Sarcasm Mode in examples.

Ultimately, remember that the goal of the wiki can be summed up in three words: clear, concise, witty. Pay attention to the order they're listed, it's important.

To provide an actual response instead of just a joke, I would say this is clearly not an example, as it falls under the same prohibition as the one against "examples" of "character died, actor later died in real life".

(Also, while I've been guilty of it myself in the past, I'm pretty sure you don't "split" tropes like that, and you certainly don't do it when they closely overlap).

I saw this "example" on Edge of Tomorrow, and I don't think it counts, but I'd like a second opinion first. Spoilers removed for your convenience.

• Pre-Mortem One-Liner: An unspoken one is delivered by Cage. In the fight against the Omega, he is fatally stabbed by an Alpha and drops his grenade belt, which is then swallowed up by the Omega. He turns to face the Alpha and opens his palm, showing all of the grenade pins.

Shoehorn. He has to say something.

Obviously not an example from the lack of any actual lines being delivered. It could go as a Playing With subtype, if you really want to stretch things.

Thank you. I removed it.

Not sure if this is the right place to bring this up, but I saw on The Force Awakens:

• Ethnic Scrappy:
  • The Indonesian and Scottish gangsters coming out of nowhere can have this effect for some, ironically after all the buzz about the great strides the movie's made about positive ethnic representation among the cast.
  • The Indonesian gang is called "Kanjiklub". Japanese word.

I guess I'm a bit oversensitive to the covert and overt bashing entries the film seems to attract, but while I thought the gangs were definitely a Big-Lipped Alligator Moment, I'm not sure they fit that trope.

Like it's definitely weird because Star Wars generally has people with American or British accents (the latter typically evil) as well as aliens fitting ethnic stereotypes. This is probably the first time of having humans evoking specific cultures. But they're more like Generic Ethnic Crime Gang In Space than ethnic stereotypes.

What do you think? I do recognize that people are allowed to express different opinions on YMMV...

edited 26th Jan '16 9:39:58 AM by Hodor2

I agree; I think that is a serious stretch.

I also think it's a big stretch.

I mean by necessity, the Scottish ones evoke Violent Glaswegian and as the example indicates, the Indonesian one are sort of nebulous "Asian mob" types (I believe one or more of them are cast members from the film The Raid).

Also, I know tropes are broad, but doesn't Ethnic Scrappy generally involve racist/stereotypical comic relief characters?

Yes. They have to have enough characterization to be a Scrappy in the first place. These are just throwaway villains.

For Hilarious in Hindsight for Game Grumps.

• In Brian's Grumpcade introduction skit, he thinks he's joined Rooster Teeth instead of Game Grumps. A few months later, it was confirmed that the Grumps were going to contribute writing episodes for Season 14 of Rooster Teeth's Red Vs Blue.

Sources 1 and 2 if it matters.

So, can I go ahead and delete the example?

Do it.

Speaking of that page, wondered about this now added to Internet Backdraft:

• Just outright saying anything negative about the movie, regardless if someone made some good points or not, would result in the die hard supporters of the movie spew accusations of being a hater or a troll. Never since Man of Steel has there been this kind of split in fandom opinion.

What is it about this movie that attracts so much Vocal Minority? The Man of Steel comparison is particularly funny because that was extremely polarizing, whereas Force Awakens is/was generally widely popular.

Um, Internet Backdraft has no examples, quite deliberately. Where, exactly, is this example located? I would nuke it under general principles as Complaining About Complaining.

On The Force Awakens.

My point stands. That's not sourced; it's just complaining about people complaining. Nuke.