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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

RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#26476: Mar 14th 2023 at 2:51:29 PM

[up][up]Yeah, that's misuse since Was Once a Man requires the character to have been a human.

[up]I don't think Short-Lived, Big Impact counts. Not only does it have a Administrivia.Chained Sinkhole, I don't feel it covers the "Big Impact" part. I'm leaning on saying He Also Did doesn't count either because it doesn't cover him doing something far beyond what he's best-known for.

Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#26477: Mar 14th 2023 at 3:19:57 PM

longWriter - I'd describe Out of the Silent Planet as a downplayed example. Subversion is an overused term and implies more of a surprise twist, e.g. Malacandra seems not to understand but turns out to have been pretending for some reason. In-story, Malacandra's interrogation of Devine and Weston feels almost like morbid curiosity, where he knows what they were trying to do but needs their rationale to determine whether they knew what they were trying to do, and every question he asks exposes a level of genius and folly he hadn't anticipated.

Edited by Noaqiyeum on Mar 14th 2023 at 10:20:17 AM

ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NO
Malady (X-Troper)
#26478: Mar 14th 2023 at 6:22:51 PM

Characters.Ace Attorney Victims: He's also a spree killer, but the greyscale isn't because he's evil?

  • Grayscale of Evil: He's long dead by the time Case 1-5 starts, and is only seen in black-and-white photographs and pictures.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#26479: Mar 14th 2023 at 6:41:53 PM

Shoehorn; all the images are in black and white.

Avenger09 Since: May, 2014
#26480: Mar 14th 2023 at 7:13:04 PM

God of War Series – Kratos

  • Genre Refugee: Literally, having fled from the Greek tragedy he caused in his homeland and landing in the middle of a Norse Saga. Despite the centuries between both eras, Kratos still conducts himself like a character from a Greek epic, speaking very composed and formally, (when he speaks at all that is), making him noticeably stand out among the casual and crass Norse cast he interacts with.

Edited by Avenger09 on Mar 16th 2023 at 1:18:57 PM

Tylerbear12 What you see is what you get, just a guy. from The Green Hills. Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
What you see is what you get, just a guy.
#26481: Mar 14th 2023 at 7:36:39 PM

On YMMV.Sonic The Hedgehog Archie Comics

  • Unintentionally Unsympathetic: While Sonic had enough reason to hold a grudge against Silver for pointing fingers at his allies, his refusal to help Silver over a grudge (essentially sentencing him to stay stranded in the past) was placing the future (both distant and near) in potential threat. In their final argument prior to the reboot, Silver, despite being apologetic about his lack of tact, does angrily snap back at Sonic for not treating any of this with weight when he childishly refuses to listen to him. He has a very long history of not taking things seriously and other people paying for it, after all.

I don't know about you, but I feel if Silver angrily snaps back at Sonic and calls him out over his grudge, then I don't think this really counts since at that point, Sonic's attitude against Silver (as understandable as it was) is deliberately painted in an unflattering light.

What about you guys?

Edited by Tylerbear12 on Mar 14th 2023 at 9:41:50 AM

SoyValdo7 I mainly fix indentation issues from La tierra de lagos y volcanes Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
I mainly fix indentation issues
#26482: Mar 14th 2023 at 8:22:49 PM

[up] I agree, cut it.

[up][up] What appears to be the problem Avenger 09?

Valdo
randomtroper89 from The Fire Nation Since: Nov, 2010
#26483: Mar 14th 2023 at 11:56:13 PM

From Doom (2016): Demons

  • Too Dumb to Live: Grav has the gall to talk back to the Doom Slayer as he’s pointing a shotgun at him. It costs him his life.

Uh, I don't no if it counts given the Doom Slayer would have killed him either way.

gamerzillasaurusrex2000 Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#26484: Mar 15th 2023 at 8:27:09 AM

Here's an idea for a future In the End, You Are on Your Own example:

Edited by gamerzillasaurusrex2000 on Mar 15th 2023 at 9:58:45 AM

Avenger09 Since: May, 2014
#26485: Mar 15th 2023 at 9:05:08 AM

No problem. I just want to know if it fits before adding it to Kratos' page.

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#26486: Mar 15th 2023 at 9:09:31 AM

[up][up][up]This will be dependent on familarity with the character; movies have people hold others at gunpoint with no intent of shooting.

[up][up]Misuse of Enforced Trope, which is for when factors other than the writers necessitate the usage of a trope.

SoyValdo7 I mainly fix indentation issues from La tierra de lagos y volcanes Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
I mainly fix indentation issues
#26487: Mar 15th 2023 at 12:12:07 PM

From Recap.Evil S 1 E 4 Rose 390:

This breaks the Administrivia.Repair Dont Respond (and has a bad indentation), however I'm not sure if I just delete the second bullet or delete the whole entry since the second bullet kind of justifies this trope.

Thoughts?

Edited by SoyValdo7 on Mar 15th 2023 at 1:12:29 PM

Valdo
MasterHero Since: Aug, 2014
#26488: Mar 15th 2023 at 2:43:55 PM

[up] If writers can't find a way to fix the entry, they should just leave it there. We don't need an addendum.


YourEternalTroper added Can't Un-Hear It to Superman's YMMV page with the following context:

"It's hard not to read Superman's lines using the voice of George Newbern, who is the very definitive voice of Superman since the Justice League cartoon."

This is obviously a subjective statement, since there are people who prefer actors like Tim Daly, Bud Collyer and even Jason J. Lewis.

Thoughts?

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#26489: Mar 15th 2023 at 4:08:01 PM

[up]Other then maybe rewrite it to include the other voices. Though, on average, most reader might think of the DCAU voices and or Christopher Reeves.

gamerzillasaurusrex2000 Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#26490: Mar 15th 2023 at 4:54:31 PM

Here's an idea for a future trope example in Avatar: The Way of Water:

Side note: As for my previous post, I've now replaced "enforced" with "justified" so it'll no longer have to be considered "misuse" like it did earlier today.

SoyValdo7 I mainly fix indentation issues from La tierra de lagos y volcanes Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
I mainly fix indentation issues
#26491: Mar 15th 2023 at 5:01:41 PM

[up] I don't think that counts. The trope specifies that they need to live in space because Space Is an Ocean. What you describe is just alien whales.

Valdo
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#26492: Mar 15th 2023 at 5:46:16 PM

Er, pretty sure it's still not a Justified Trope, either. Please read what the definitions on Playing with a Trope actually are.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#26493: Mar 15th 2023 at 10:33:12 PM

Characters.Brickleberry Main Characters has this in Steve's folder:

* Too Dumb to Live: It's amazing he manages to stay alive in spite of his monumental stupidity. According to "Two Weeks Notice", he has contracted multiple STDs from injecting himself with a syringe he found in the trash, eating a homeless man's sandwich in exchange for five dollars, and becoming blood brothers with a bunch of African tribe members.
However, this is misuse because that requires the character to die. Cut? (I deleted another TDTL entry before the pages split and I don't know if it would count as an Edit War for me to cut it without consensus or not.)

randomtroper89 from The Fire Nation Since: Nov, 2010
#26494: Mar 15th 2023 at 11:40:25 PM

@Synchronicity: To explain, the Doom Slayer ruthlessly hunted down the Hell Priests, killing them on sight, also killing hundreds if not thousands of demons in the process.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#26495: Mar 16th 2023 at 12:15:24 AM

[up][up]Don't near-death experiences count? I guess having an STD and not dying from it or even coming close wouldn't count.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
gamerzillasaurusrex2000 Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#26496: Mar 16th 2023 at 5:23:29 AM

Here are some ideas for future The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard examples:

  • In Alien: Isolation, hostile humans can shoot you from over 100 feet away in dark areas, but unless you're a master at the game, you'll likely have a hard time shooting back at said hostile humans from far distances in the dark. Also justified in-universe due to anyone left alive aboard Sevastopol having to be an exceptionally great shot if he/she wants to escape the station with his/her life.
  • Minecraft:
    • Skeletons will spin and shoot you with pin-point accuracy and a reaction time no human could ever achieve.
    • Even if a monster isn't looking at you, it'll still lock-on to you if you get close enough.
    • Piglins can detect broken and trapped chests, shulker boxes, barrels, and chest minecarts, even with solid walls standing in between said Piglins and said storage containers.

RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#26497: Mar 16th 2023 at 5:33:02 AM

[up][up]Near-death experiences don't count. I also agree that the entry isn't valid and thanks for your input.

Malady (X-Troper)
#26498: Mar 16th 2023 at 7:47:15 AM

This is You Say Tomato, because pronunciation is being discussed, right?

  • Sunset Overdrive: When looking through binoculars at the nuclear power plant, the Player comments on the pronunciation of "nuclear":
    Player: Whenever I hear people say 'nukuler,' I feel bad for them, because life is hard enough without being stupid too.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#26499: Mar 16th 2023 at 2:58:18 PM

I've got a bit of an Edit War situation to clean up.

I removed the following RWBY entry with the following edit reason.

  • Arbitrary Skepticism: Weiss is reluctant to believe that the realm they've landed in is the Ever After from "The Girl Who Fell Through the World" on the basis that it's nothing more than a bedtime fable, despite her having previously viewed the real events and figures which inspired "The Girl in the Tower", "The Two Brothers" and "The Story of the Seasons".
    • Edit reason: They knew that there were fairy tales based on real events that occurred in the history of Remnant. That's very different to discovering that alternate dimensions exist where the worlds from fairy tales have magically come to life and are living their own existence. None of them had any reason expect anything like that.

The troper who added the original entry has added it back, rewritten and with the following edit reason:

  • Arbitrary Skepticism: Downplayed. When trying to rationalize the situation Team RWBY have found themselves in after the end of Volume 8, Weiss immediately dismisses "The Girl Who Fell Through the World" as pure, childish "make-believe" with no basis in reality when Blake syggests they're in the story's alternate world; despite Team RWBY having previously become privy to the real events, figures and supernatural beings that strongly influenced several other children's fables on Remnant ("The Girl in the Tower", "The Two Brothers" and "The Story of the Seasons").
    • Edit reason: Feedback on the previous entry taken. Let's put in a few minutes' effort and brainpower to try to adjust it, and see if this fits.

So, since the troper has entered an Edit War situation, and I don't believe they addressed the reason I removed it, I'm bringing it here to see if it's an example.

The scene in question is as follows:

The heroes know that some fairy tales were based on historical events that occurred within their world, Remnant. However, they've just fallen through the Void Between the Worlds into The Wonderland (yes, they're in an Alice Allusion situation). They only recently learned there was even a Void Between the Worlds at all, and that was in the context of the living world and the afterlife when they learn how the gods brought their mentor back from the dead. They know nothing about alternate dimensions or other worlds until they fall into... this one.

Only one of the four girls concludes they're in a fairy tale (Blake) and, when she suggests that, both Weiss and Ruby initially dismiss the idea. Ruby's objective is stifled when it's pointed out she's been walking about with a Talking Animal sat on her shoulder, and Weiss's is when she attempts to rationalise everything away, realises she can't and concedes there may be a point. Then Blake suggests they're in the Ever After, to which Weiss does say that's a make believe world in a children's book. But the Talking Animal confirms that's the name of their world, so Blake summarises the story beats of the original fairy tale. By the time she's finished summarising, all four girls have been convinced, and Weiss is actually the first person to ask whether they should try and find the original fairy tale heroine or attempt to leave the realm the same way she did. So, it's one scene of the four girls coming to terms with their situation at different speeds, while giving the audience an insight into what the original fairy tale was.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Mar 16th 2023 at 10:03:20 AM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#26500: Mar 16th 2023 at 4:25:03 PM

I watched Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio and there's a quick bit early on where the priest takes Carlo's hat and sniffs it quite oddly. I thought this was a subtle allusion to the Pedophile Priest trope, but the movie never really elaborates on it, so I wanted to run it by other people to see if I'm looking too into things. I don't know why else that would be included, but maybe it's a cultural/time period thing I just missed, or I just misread the scene in some other way.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.

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