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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

gamerzillasaurusrex2000 Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#26501: Mar 16th 2023 at 6:00:18 PM

Here's an idea for a future trope example in Queen Narissa's folder on the Enchanted "Characters" subpage:

  • Scaled Up: During the climax, Narissa transforms into a dragon, kidnaps Robert, and carries Robert up the Empire State Building during a thunderstorm, no less, forcing Giselle to gender-invert Dragons Versus Knights by lethally stabbing Narissa with a magic sword and rescuing the kidnapped Robert that way.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#26502: Mar 16th 2023 at 6:19:22 PM

It looks fine — the description includes dragons. You don't have to bring every example to this thread unless you're unsure about it counting.

[down] Oh okay, I figured it was maybe a ban issue but I usually don't see people testing examples here instead of in EB itself.

Edited by mightymewtron on Mar 16th 2023 at 9:52:06 AM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
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)
#26503: Mar 16th 2023 at 6:22:14 PM

Gamer is currently edit banned; they were told to practice how to use tropes properly.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
JustNormalMusicLover Just one media nerd (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: Abstaining
Just one media nerd
#26504: Mar 16th 2023 at 7:25:36 PM

I would like to get help on how to rewrite this example. Actually I had asked about this one in P Ms with Amonimus, and if it's going to be a change for greater good is to be encouraged, I can't help about it, because someone or someone else will probably change it instead of me if I didn't speak about it here. And before I forget this, I asked this before in this post.

First part, Expy cannot be based more than one character. However, I figured what is the most likely case and reason in Fire Emblem On Forums Wonderful Blessing:

Miria has a similar hairstyle/clothing/appearance to Leafa, while having the personality of Konosuba's Darkness (that is, practically a masochist). As for Fantine, her similarity to Megumin is pretty obvious in which she is a Chuunibiyou and her usage of specializing on fire magic mimics Megumin's devotion to explosion spells. (I don't get where the part is related to Anette, but might been due to being the studious type in academy, and having to deal with Miria's antics.)

Nothing solves a day of depression better than a warm smile.
Malady (X-Troper)
#26505: Mar 16th 2023 at 7:59:06 PM

Is this a Waiting Puzzle or something else?

  • Fairune Origins: To get the flower needed to melt the tundra, a seed must be planted and watered before leaving and returning to its room three times.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
#26506: Mar 16th 2023 at 9:59:08 PM

From Not So Similar:

  • Dragon Ball:
    • Piccolo and Vegeta, two evil aliens who first opposed and then became friends with Goku. Piccolo initially saw Goku as an obstacle to Take Over the World, Vegeta just had an obsession with becoming the strongest and Goku's existence just got in the way. Also, Piccolo's friendship was genuine, even if he hated to admit it. Vegeta didn't bury the hatchet until the entire universe was at great stake. Piccolo at one point has to explain Vegeta's own problems to him. Zig-Zagged: by Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return! and Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods he appears to actually enjoy Goku's company and they're able to hang out in social settings with little conflict.
    • Surprisingly, Goku Black is one to Turles, despite both being Evil Knockoffs to Son Goku, as well as the former being an expy to the latter. Both have a dark motif, but Black thinks he's doing the right thing, while Turles relishes in his villainy. Also, Black has absolute disdain for Saiyans while Turles takes pride in being one. Their body structure is quite different too, as the former is thinner, while the latter is much bulkier.

These sound incidental as opposed to deliberate. Piccolo and Vegeta might count as they interact, but not sure if "Piccolo at one point has to explain Vegeta's own problems to him" is them calling out their differences. Goku Black and Turles seem definitely unintentional as the latter was only in a Non-Serial Movie around 20 real life years prior to Black's arc, so no interaction or reason to think it was deliberate.

Does Not So Similar require it be clearly intentional such those should be cut? It's counterpart Not So Different was renamed "Not So Different" Remark because it's supposed to be in-universe comparisons, so does/should that also apply to Similar? ATT said to cut if not intentional but said ask here first.

badtothebaritone (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Snooping as usual
#26507: Mar 16th 2023 at 10:25:58 PM

From Adaptational Curves:

  • May in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire has an average sized chest for someone around middle school age. Her counterpart in Pokémon the Series is infamous for changing sizes often, though it's usually at minimum a cup larger than she should - especially for a 10 year-old. When she reappeared in Diamond and Pearl they sized her down to be more similar to the game version.

I don't know about this one. While the above is all true, I feel like the constantly changing sizes between episodes make it seem more like Off-Model than an intentional design choice. Additionally, May is never sexualized, nor does she really bring attention to her looks the way someone like Misty might (IDK how relevant this is, though). Thoughts?

AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#26508: Mar 16th 2023 at 10:32:54 PM

I want to cleanse this and my mind with holy fire. I really dont like that entry, its too lurid.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#26509: Mar 16th 2023 at 11:58:56 PM

Looking up on Bulbapedia, May doesn't look that different between the games and anime in terms of "curves."

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#26510: Mar 17th 2023 at 12:23:29 AM

Thank goodness a woman came to dispel the evil of that post. I really didnt want to give anything to say so I am glad you came lol.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#26511: Mar 17th 2023 at 1:55:16 AM

Merge Dragons has this:

  • Ascended Glitch: Non-programming example. The Midas Ducks weren't actually supposed to be ducks. A studio in Ukraine was hired to do the art of this Dragon, and they were titled "Midas Drakes". In English, "drake" is often used as a synonym for "dragon", but “drake” and “hen” are also the terms for male and female ducks, so “drake” is sometimes translated to "duck" in other languages. So Midas Ducks were created instead, and the developers liked it anyway, hence we got Midas Ducks instead of Midas Dragons.

I'm sure this is something, but not an Ascended Glitch. Would Throw It In fit better? (Although this should be reworded regardless, because apparently it's copy pasted from the wiki/Fandom page.)

Edited by Adept on Mar 17th 2023 at 4:18:34 PM

Malady (X-Troper)
#26512: Mar 17th 2023 at 5:16:01 AM

Incidental Multilingual Wordplay or Woolseyism?

Also, since this is so physics based, does it count as the former?

  • One of the riddles work exactly the same in English and Japanese: "A truck carrying pumpkins, eggplants and tomatoes approaches a sharp curve; what drops?" "The speed." One of the riddles work exactly the same in English and Japanese: "A truck carrying pumpkins, eggplants and tomatoes approaches a sharp curve; what drops?" "The speed."

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
gamerzillasaurusrex2000 Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: Abstaining
#26513: Mar 17th 2023 at 5:50:01 AM

Here are some ideas for future trope examples in Slender: The Arrival:

  • Easier Than Easy: On easy mode, you have Infinite Flashlight power, a great deal of physical stamina, and not-so-aggressive enemies to worry about, allowing you to complete the main campaign in less than 20 minutes in some cases.
  • The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: As evidenced by the following quote, Slenderman always knows what you're doing in the game, including when you glitch through the map:
  • Harder Than Hard: On hardcore mode, your flashlight power completely runs out in no more than two minutes. You have barely any physical stamina at all, and your enemies are ultra-aggressive. To make matters worse, the third level also makes you collect gas canisters before activating the generators, causing you to die countless times before completing even a single level.
  • Hell Is That Noise:
    • The distorted screams heard throughout the game can easily frighten you if you aren't paying any attention to your surroundings.
    • At the beginning of each level, you hear footsteps that aren't your own, but you never see the entity making the aforementioned noises in the first place.
    • The ominous drumming, low droning, loud wind, and mysterious and unnerving beeping sounds from the original game all make return appearances in the second level, and if you haven't already gotten used to them, they'll most certainly frighten you again once you hear them in all their terrifying glory.
    • The "Chaser" (aka Kate) constantly makes zombie-like growling and hissing noises that can make your skin crawl if you aren't ready for her to come after you.
  • Infinite Flashlight: On easy mode, no matter how long it takes you to complete a given level, your flashlight can absolutely never run out of power.
  • Ten-Second Flashlight: On hardcore mode, your flashlight completely runs out of power in no more than two minutes while playing through a given level.

techno156 from Lost in the wrong part of the internet (Private) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#26514: Mar 17th 2023 at 7:33:08 AM

Does Blank White Void also include other kinds of blank voids, or is it a blank white void specifically?

Was thinking of adding the other similar kinds of Janet Voids from The Good Place, but only the Good Janet void fits that name exactly.

The others would be the Neutral Janet Void, which is a Blank Beige Void, the Bad Janet Void, which is a Blank White Void with bits of junk littered around, and the Disco Janet void, which is more of a Blank Disco Void (complete with disco ball and coloured floor panels).

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#26515: Mar 17th 2023 at 9:20:10 AM

The description implies other colors are okay, it's more about the space. I know functionally other Janets have the same void but I'm unsure if the stylistic differences would push them put of being the trope, i.e. Bad Janet's being cluttered and thus not "blank." (Maybe a downplayed trope then?)

Edited by mightymewtron on Mar 17th 2023 at 12:20:28 PM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#26516: Mar 17th 2023 at 9:22:40 AM

Reposting from the bottom of the previous page:

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.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Mar 17th 2023 at 4:23:08 PM

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.
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#26517: Mar 17th 2023 at 9:26:03 AM

The explanation you gave for why you don't think it is an example is confusing and relies a lot with familiarity of the work so I might be misreading it, but it honestly looks like one to me:

  1. Character has had fantastical experiences
  2. Character thinks this specific fantastical experience is implausible

Edited by Synchronicity on Mar 17th 2023 at 11:44:41 AM

STARCRUSHER99 The Moron from one of my unhealthy obsessions (Captain) Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
The Moron
#26518: Mar 17th 2023 at 9:31:17 AM

I also think that RWBY example fits for what it’s worth

jOSEFdelaville Since: Dec, 2018
#26519: Mar 17th 2023 at 10:19:16 AM

Bump

From the Underused Game Mechanic page:

  • Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U:
    • The inclusion of Little Mac as a new fighter proves that Assist Trophies can be Promoted to Playable in later games...but he was the only one ever promoted in 4, and even Ultimate didn't promote that many more, just Dark Samus and Isabelle, and neither game saw Assist Trophy promotions via their DLC.
    • This game adds several alternate costumes more elaborate than Palette Swaps, such as gender options for various characters, Wireframe and Hoodie costumes for Little Mac, and costumes that replace Olimar and Bowser Jr. entirely with Alph and one of seven Koopalings. Most of the costumes in both 4 and even Ultimate, however, are still palette swaps, and even with DLC adding more costumes for Mii Fighters, they are the only fighters to get DLC costumes. To be fair, part of the reason why this feature would be "underused" is because three characters meant to be costumes, Dr. Mario, Dark Pit, and Lucina, were turned into Moveset Clones late into development, and the latter two were then used as a base for Echo Fighters, which are mentioned below.
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
    • Strangely enough, Echo Fighters. While "clone" characters in Smash were seen as contentious due to many people accusing them as being a "waste of a character slot" that could've been reserved for whatever new character the fandom mob wants to promote, rebranding them as Echo Fighters managed to help turn favor around towards them, being seen more as a creative way to add characters that might be too similar or niche from an already represented series. While some people were hoping more Echo Fighters to be added to the game, there were only five Echo Fighters added to the game on release, and none for the DL Cs.
    • If there's only one or a small number of fighters that fall under a certain category, fans of other characters in that same category will wish Smash had more of them playable. For example, Sheik being a playable Zelda one-off makes Zelda fans wish to see more of them like Midna and Skull Kid, while Sakurai lampshading Terry's lack of familiarity among certain Smash fans by saying characters should be fun to play and not just recognizable gave hope to fans of other B-list third-parties, only to have every third-party in Fighters Pass 2 come from highly-recognizable franchises (Minecraft, Final Fantasy, Tekken and Kingdom Hearts).

Not only these examples sound complain-y, I doubt they even count as "mechanics".

Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#26520: Mar 17th 2023 at 10:46:50 AM

At Creator.Yuji Naka

Naka was reported to go the extra mile to achieve his vision, such as insisting on larger ROM sizes (which led to Phantasy Star being the largest console game of its time), demanding a lot from the devs and opposing to the changes done by the games' localizations (see below). He also tended to prefer to work on new games over sequels to keep things fresh, so he had to be coaxed into working in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 despite the franchise's unprecedented success. This led to him taking a break from series behind during the Saturn era to focus on new IPs, and eventually culminated in him leaving Sega to found his own company.
Was moved from Doing It for the Art to Attention Deficit Creator Disorder. I believe Attention Deficit Creator Disorder is "multiple projects at the same time" and I don't think it fits now.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#26521: Mar 17th 2023 at 12:38:23 PM

The explanation you gave for why you don't think it is an example is confusing and relies a lot with familiarity of the work so I might be misreading it, but it honestly looks like one to me:

  1. Character has had fantastical experiences
  2. Character thinks this specific fantastical experience is implausible

Not quite. It's more like:

  1. Characters learn that some of their fairy tales are based on historical events that occur within their own world, but none of those fairy tales suggest anything other than their own world exists.
  2. Characters do learn a secret about their mentor that indicates people do go to an afterlife after they die and that there is some kind of white void between the living world and the afterlife, but this remains very human-oriented. Their knowledge of this void is so limited that they think it's a safe place to take refugees.
  3. Characters suddenly fall through the previously-assumed-to-be-safe void into The Wonderland, thereby discovering that alternate dimensions exist where fairy tale creatures live in fairy tale landscapes (one of the landscapes looks like it's made from ice-cream and sweets), and humans do not exist.

It's also just a single conversation in a single scene, where two characters object to the idea and both of them are quickly convinced by the end of a fairly short conversation. The entry is only about one of those two characters.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Mar 17th 2023 at 7:54:29 PM

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.
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#26522: Mar 17th 2023 at 12:50:59 PM

[up]There's no time requirement for Arbitrary Skepticism, it can be as quick as "you spent last night hanging out with a ghost but now you doubt fairies?" "oh, good point". Experiencing the afterlife and then experiencing another dimension are both fantastical, whether or not one is "human-oriented".

[up][up]I think only the first part of that is relevant to Doing It for the Art, you're correct that ADCD needs at least multiple projects going on.

Edited by Synchronicity on Mar 17th 2023 at 2:52:38 PM

Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#26523: Mar 17th 2023 at 12:55:21 PM

Okay, then it needs to be rewritten to cover the fact that it was two characters affected, not one.

Suggested rewrite:

  • Arbitrary Scepticism: Team RWBY have learned, and even witnessed, that a number of fairy tales are based on historical events and real people, such as "The Girl in the Tower", "The Two Brothers" and "The Story of the Seasons". However, when Blake suggests they've fallen into a fairy tale, Weiss and Ruby are reluctant to believe it. Ruby initially doubts that falling into a fairy tale is possible, even though a Talking Animal is sitting on her shoulder, while Weiss struggles to rationalise their situation and states the Ever After is a make-believe world from a children's book. Once Little confirms that this world is indeed the Ever After, and Blake summarises the story's plot to point out the similarities to their current experience, both Weiss and Ruby are convinced.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Mar 17th 2023 at 8:07:56 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.
Mrph1 he/him from Mercia (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: This is not my beautiful wife!
he/him
#26524: Mar 17th 2023 at 2:47:58 PM

Just double-checking this, as it's a bit different to my usual queries here:

From Pobol y Cwm:

  • Babysitter from Hell: One child's regular babysitter slaps him, and steals money and alcohol from the house. She coldly blackmails the boy into not telling his parents until he develops night terrors and bed wetting.

…but this is for a soap opera with over 8,000 episodes that's been running since the 1970s. And none of the characters are named.

(There is now a note on the page saying please add years and be clear about character names, but this was there first)

In such a sprawling work, I think that leaves it too vague to work as a valid example. What do you think?

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#26525: Mar 17th 2023 at 2:57:31 PM

[up][up]That makes sense

[up]It's unfortunate that the characters are unnamed, but that has enough context to stand.


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