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Do you have trouble remembering the difference between Deathbringer the Adorable and Fluffy the Terrible?

Do you have trouble recognizing when you've written a Zero-Context Example?

Not sure if you really have a Badass Bookworm or just a guy who likes to read?

Well, this is the thread for you. We're here to help you will all the finer points of example writing. If you have any questions, we can answer them. Don't be afraid. We don't bite. We all just want to make the wiki a better place for everyone.


Useful Tips:

  • Make sure that the example makes sense to both people who don't know the work AND don't know the trope.
    • Wrong: The Mentor: Kevin is this to Bob in the first episode.
    • Right: The Mentor: Kevin takes Bob under his wing in the first episode and teaches him the ropes of being a were-chinchilla.
  • Never just put the trope title and leave it at that.
    • Wrong: Badass Adorable
    • Right: Badass Adorable: Xavier, the group's cute little mascot, defeats three raging elephants with both hands tied behind his back using only an uncooked spaghetti noodle.
  • When is normally far less important than How.
    • Wrong: Big Bad: Of the first season.
    • Right: Big Bad: The heroes have to defeat the Mushroom Man lest the entirety of Candy Land's caramel supply be turned into fungus.
  • A character name is not an explanation.


Other Resources:


For best results, please include why you think an example is iffy in your first post.

Also, many oft-misused tropes/topics have their own threads, such as Surprisingly Realistic Outcome (here) and Fan-Preferred Couple (here). Tropers are better able to give feedback on examples you bring up to specific threads. We don't discuss Complete Monster or Magnificent Bastard examples; please don't bring them up.

Edited by SeptimusHeap on Jul 17th 2025 at 8:59:01 PM

ElRise I fix my examples all the time from The Dying City (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
I fix my examples all the time
#25776: Feb 9th 2023 at 10:41:47 PM

Does the following example in Characters.My Hero Academia League Of Villains fit The Psycho Rangers?

Graffiti Wall
NitroIndigo ♀ | Small ripples lead to big waves from West Midlands region, England Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
♀ | Small ripples lead to big waves
#25777: Feb 9th 2023 at 10:55:02 PM

[up]It doesn't have much context.

MrMediaGuy2 Since: Jun, 2015
#25778: Feb 9th 2023 at 11:14:48 PM

From Disney Animated Canon.

  • Sequel Displacement: Later Disney films (especially from the Disney Renaissance and the Disney Revival) tend to get wider cultural recognition than the Walt-era Disney animated films. Factors like financial success, iconic characters, and a greater marketing push play a part: The Lion King is still the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, while Frozen and Frozen II are two of the highest-grossing animated films of all time.note  The success of the Disney Princess franchise has also contributed to greater prominence of these characters, though reception can be more mixed.

This feels wrong to me. The early Disney films like Snow White and Pinocchio are just as iconic and well-known as the more recent Disney films.

StewieGriffin34 from Sea ice (Season 2) Relationship Status: Buried in snow, waiting for spring
#25779: Feb 9th 2023 at 11:32:35 PM

[up]Agreed. I will say it’s not an example.

He/they | Mostly here on my free days
Speedchesser Since: Feb, 2012
#25780: Feb 10th 2023 at 1:03:40 AM

[up][up]Also agreed. That era's iconic (Bambi and Lady and the Tramp are basically synonymous with specific tropes, even for people who haven't seen them), and treating Frozen as a sequel to Snow White seems like a reach anyway.

Ayumi-chan 3rd happiest man in Connecticut from Iacon City (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
3rd happiest man in Connecticut
#25781: Feb 10th 2023 at 1:24:21 AM

bumping this.

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
m-95 SauaS GoodooG from my place of residence Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Loves me...loves me not
fragglelover Since: Jun, 2012
#25783: Feb 10th 2023 at 7:51:29 AM

Hey, I found this on Samurai Jack:

Old Shame: In a way. After the show moved to Adult Swim for its fifth season, it's been reclassified as an Adult Swim show completely, even the original four seasons. As a result, Cartoon Network has rarely ever talks about the show on air or on social media and its likely they never will again.

Even considering that Old Shame is now In Universe Examples Only, this feels more like Exiled from Continuity.

Just wanted to make sure I was right before I move it to that trope.

Sorry if it's not...

BigBadShadow25 With my last breath, I curse Zoidberg. from Basement at the Alamo (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Desperate
With my last breath, I curse Zoidberg.
#25784: Feb 10th 2023 at 7:55:09 AM

[up]Sounds right. Might be a better trope but it sounds right for now.

Would Hit-Monkey from Marvel Comics, more specifically the 2021 animated adaptation, count for Maniac Monkeys? He’s far from evil, but he is violent and vicious towards his enemies and he has guns for crying out loud.

Edited by BigBadShadow25 on Feb 10th 2023 at 10:55:21 AM

You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.
gjjones Musician/Composer from South Wales, New York Since: Jul, 2016
Musician/Composer
#25785: Feb 10th 2023 at 8:08:19 AM

From Trivia.Sailor Moon Cosmos:

Does this count as an example?

He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
Arawn999 Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#25787: Feb 10th 2023 at 8:22:38 AM

@ Yellow Peril [1]

Weaselly "arguable"/audience reaction language aside, it's not just about uncivilized Eastern villains. There are specific appearances, personality traits, and abilities associated with the stereotype.


@ Professional Maiden Name [2]

Honestly, I don't know what that example is trying to say ("Implied to be zigzagged" is not promising phrasing). Since Agatha was (I'm assuming) using the Heterodyne name for Lucrezia in context of that side of her family (I don't know what Castle Heterodyne is but that's what it sounds like), it might just be saying she was nee Heterodyne, like when I say my aunt was born [lastname]. It doesn't seem like there is enough to make an inference about how she treated her maiden name


@ Character Outlives Actor does not exclude The Other Darrin. I and likely others am not familiar with that work so you should explain why that might not be an example.

Edited by Synchronicity on Feb 10th 2023 at 10:25:51 AM

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#25788: Feb 10th 2023 at 9:19:10 AM

Jones@ With the exception of Usagi, every character were Darrin. So I honestly don't think it counts since the role would of been given to someone else.

worldwidewoomy (Plucky Ensign) Relationship Status: I miss my wife, Tails
#25789: Feb 10th 2023 at 10:13:36 AM

bumping this since i’m still not sure what to do about the first one.

ElRise I fix my examples all the time from The Dying City (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
I fix my examples all the time
#25790: Feb 10th 2023 at 10:29:20 AM

Do these examples in Characters.The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious Deities And Heroes qualify?

  • Jerkass Gods: Downplayed. While genuinely well-intentioned, she's fairly arrogant as she frequently gets irritated at Seiya for refusing to treat her as a goddess. She's also somewhat impulsive and overconfident, decrying Seiya's careful tactics, even after they prove themselves to be invaluable in the Death World that is Gaeabrande. Unfortunately for her, Seiya's having none of it, and Rista's the one who usually ends up humbled by him instead of the other way around.
  • Proper Lady: She tries really hard to behave like a goddess should, staying calm and dignified. Except, Seiya's overcautious nature frustrates her so much that she loses her temper and uses crass language unbefitting of a goddess.

Graffiti Wall
m-95 SauaS GoodooG from my place of residence Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Loves me...loves me not
SauaS GoodooG
#25791: Feb 10th 2023 at 12:14:35 PM

[up](x4)

Honestly, I don't know what that example is trying to say ("Implied to be zigzagged" is not promising phrasing). Since Agatha was (I'm assuming) using the Heterodyne name for Lucrezia in context of that side of her family (I don't know what Castle Heterodyne is but that's what it sounds like), it might just be saying she was nee Heterodyne, like when I say my aunt was born [lastname]. It doesn't seem like there is enough to make an inference about how she treated her maiden name

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I agree that "Implied to be zigzagged" is bad phrasing, and it's my weird tendency to edit things like that which led me to post here.

Honestly I mostly just want to know if Professional Maiden Name is for when a woman doesn't adopt her husband's name at all, or if it's when she does but she uses her maiden name in normal conversation anyways, or if it can include both.

If it's one of the latter two, I can re-word it and it'd work fine, but if it's the first then I'd remove it.

JustForFun.How To Be An Anti Hero
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#25792: Feb 10th 2023 at 12:34:38 PM

[up](x3) That sounds like a proper example of Sensory Abuse to me since it involves an ear-splitting scream. It also doesn't sound too general to me since it involves one scream. That said, the way it was worded was a bit odd to me.

[up][up]The Jerkass God (yes, that's a functional redirect) sounds fine to me because it involves a goddess with jerkish tendencies. However, I don't feel the final sentence is needed because it doesn't provide context. I'm not too sure about the Proper Lady one, though.

rmctagg09 The Wanderer from Brooklyn, NY (Before Recorded History) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
The Wanderer
#25793: Feb 10th 2023 at 1:36:53 PM

Not sure if this in VideoGame.Fire Emblem Engage is a true example or if it'd be better covered by Schizo Tech:

  • Anachronism Stew: People still fight with medieval weapons and live in villages and castles, but there are some elements that clearly don't fit into this otherwise-normal fantasy setting:
    • Most character's casual clothes are unusually modern-looking, and some of them feature zippers. Zippers were first conceived in the mid-nineteenth century, and didn't gain widespread recognition until WWI.
    • Café Terrace has a "Music Box" that' actually clearly a record player. The record player was invented in 1857, but Somniel's model looks like something from the 1930s.
    • The game's incarnation of "Longbow" (otherwise an actual medieval weapon) is actually a compound bow, a type of bow that wasn't invented until 1966.

Hugging a Vanillite will give you frostbite.
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#25794: Feb 10th 2023 at 1:37:19 PM

Honestly I mostly just want to know if Professional Maiden Name is for when a woman doesn't adopt her husband's name at all, or if it's when she does but she uses her maiden name in normal conversation anyways, or if it can include both.

It is for the specific situation where a woman adopts her husband's name in personal use, but keeps her maiden name on the job. To not adopt her husband's name at all is an aversion. The latter might apply if said "normal conversation" is relevant to her established career.

One in-the-news example is Jennifer Lopez who legally changed her name to Jennifer Affleck after marrying Ben, but you are not going see "Jennifer Affleck" in the credits of Shotgun Wedding (2023), nor is anybody in Hollywood or online discussions about Hollywood going to call her that.

Edited by Synchronicity on Feb 10th 2023 at 3:38:03 AM

jOSEFdelaville Since: Dec, 2018
#25795: Feb 10th 2023 at 2:10:43 PM

[up][up] Fire Emblem isn't supposed to take place in our world, so it's not an anachronism if this universe's technologies didn't follow the same advancement as ours. In three words: It's a misuse. The last example don't even count as Schizo Tech in my opinion.

Edited by jOSEFdelaville on Feb 10th 2023 at 11:12:15 AM

Malady (X-Troper)
#25796: Feb 10th 2023 at 2:11:16 PM

Repost from previous page:

Curves in All the Right Places: This isn't the exact stock phase, but is it close enough to count or not?

  • Dungeon Keeper Ami: In "An Awkward Talk'': From the Love Interest's thoughts of the protagonist:
    There had been nothing objectionable about her curves that he had been able to make out,

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
m-95 SauaS GoodooG from my place of residence Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Loves me...loves me not
SauaS GoodooG
#25797: Feb 10th 2023 at 2:19:11 PM

[up](x3)

It is for the specific situation where a woman adopts her husband's name in personal use, but keeps her maiden name on the job. To not adopt her husband's name at all is an aversion. The latter might apply if said "normal conversation" is relevant to her established career.

Alright, that's too specific for what I'm going for (I don't think "supervillain" counts as "established career"). I've removed it from Characters.Girl Genius Antagonists as a result. Thanks.

Edited by m-95 on Feb 10th 2023 at 5:22:30 AM

JustForFun.How To Be An Anti Hero
selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#25798: Feb 10th 2023 at 2:27:19 PM

~El Rise, There's no equivalent good team that contrasts the whole league of villains; just individual characters that fight with and are contrasted with the individual characters of the league, so it's a shoehorned example.

[up][up] No, that doesn't qualify as an example. The trope is about the specific cliche of describing women's curves as being in all the right places.

Uncanny Valley Hot Babes in Your Area Are Looking To Know YOU! Click Here to Sign Up for FREE! | Not quite back tbh. Don't expect much.
Malady (X-Troper)
#25799: Feb 10th 2023 at 3:10:18 PM

[up] - So, these wouldn't count? - Curves in All the Right Places

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#25800: Feb 10th 2023 at 3:57:03 PM

[up]I think those are vague enough on what they're referring to count as Curves in All the Right Places.


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