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.
- A character name is not an explanation.
- Wrong: Full Moon Silhouette: Diana
- Right: Full Moon Silhouette: At the end of her transformation sequence into Moon Princess Misty, Diana is shown flying across the full moon riding a rutabaga.
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.
For cleaning up examples of Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard, you must use their dedicated threads: Complete Monster Cleanup, Magnificent Bastard Cleanup.
Edited by Synchronicity on Sep 18th 2023 at 11:42:55 AM
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
I get the sense that a true example of RSWA would have a comparison to lower-ranked and less powerful people. As is it reads like Action Politician
He/Him
Found this in Beau Is Afraid
- Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Beau is this to Annie from Hereditary. Both are mentally ill adults going to therapy who have troubled relationships with their powerful abusive mothers they tried to remain in contact with, receive word early in the film that their mothers have died, and struggle with their mixed feelings towards the woman now gone. Both are also preyed on and manipulated by a cult-like group started by their respective mothers, on their mother's orders, and end up dead as a result. However, Beau is a Half-Human Hybrid man living alone in a crappy apartment in a Crapsack World where people get murdered and left out on the streets, despite his therapist's efforts to draw him into it he won't admit aloud to the fear and hatred he has towards his mother, has an extended fantasy about having children of his own and happily reuniting with them after a long separation with Tears of Joy, and has never has never been in a relationship before because of the Paralyzing Fear of Sexuality he's had since childhood from his mother telling him how his father died. Annie is a fully human woman with a successful career in art as a miniaturist living in a Big Fancy House in a normal neighborhood, she opens up more about her conflicted feelings about her mother in a group therapy session, she has two children she herself has trouble parenting but genuinely deeply loves only for one to be graphically killed and have an extended nightmare where her relationship with the other breaks down further, and she is married to a therapist who genuinely loves her, understands her difficulties, and tries to support her.
- For that matter, Mona invites comparisons to both Annie and her mother Ellen. All three women showed some care for their children even with their glaring flaws and sometimes willful malice as mothers. Mona is positioned in the story to be like Ellen as a Posthumous Character, and like Ellen has dark secrets about an inhuman entity she made an arrangement with, pre-arranged a conspiracy to use and potentially kill her child, and took the protagonist's sibling from them (Mona locked Beau's twin in the attic and made him repress the memory of him, Ellen tried to use her son as a vessel for a demon and caused his death). Unlike Mona, Ellen is not shown outside of photos and she doesn't have screentime showing her with her daughter before her death. The greater focus on Mona's complex dynamic with her son is similar to Hereditary exploring new and old issues between Annie and her son, but unlike Annie, who at heart truly loves Peter, wants to protect him even at the expense of her own life, and ultimately dies a tragic and sympathetic character, Mona is shown to have had an epiphany that she actually hates Beau, spends the entire movie (and his entire life) feeling slighted by him, and turns out to survive despite two fake-outs while condemning her son to death.
Beau is Afraid isn't a sequel to Hereditary or Midsommar. Ari Aster's films don't exist in a Verse nor is it some sort of anthology franchise.
Edited by AudioSpeaks2 on Apr 28th 2023 at 7:52:22 AM
Art Museum Curator and frequent helper of the Web Original deprecation project
No, cut that.
"Cool. Coolcoolcool."
So anymore opinions on this? Should I cut it as it is more adaptation than spin off?
I don’t think as many people read the novelizations as watch the film. So I don’t think it’s even “more popular”, in addition to not actually being a spinoff.
From AllThereInTheManual.Anime And Manga
- Devil May Cry: The Animated Series:
- The anime doesn't bother to fully explain Dante's connection to Trish or Lady, their respective histories being found in the first and third games, amongst other backstories that are more fleshed out in the game.
- The Devil May Cry series has an Anachronic Order and this adaptation is sandwiched in between (DMC3 > DMC1 > TAS > DMC2 > DMC4 > DMC5), so missing out on the games does indeed leave you with a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to the anime series.
Both examples seem like they fit the YMMV Continuity Lockout instead? Should these be cut from All There in the Manual and salvaged to that YMMV item? With Great Power, Comes Great Motivation
I'll agree the source material is not a manual. Continuity Lockout if not having this information detracts from the experience (not just from the POV of lore purists), and Adaptation Distillation or Compressed Adaptation for the general "we simplified some stuff/excised things to save time and make a more streamlined adaptation".
Edited by Synchronicity on Apr 28th 2023 at 11:16:23 AM
Musician/Composer
From Mace Windu's section in Characters.Star Wars Jedi Council:
- For Want Of A Nail: Raising his lightsaber to dramatically kill Palpatine instead of just stabbing him allowed Anakin to intervene while his emotions were conflicted, thus causing Mace's death, Anakin's Face–Heel Turn, and The Purge of the Jedi.
Does this example fit?
Edited by gjjones on Apr 28th 2023 at 3:43:59 AM
He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
No, that's just 'plot happens' with some speculative troping (surely there were a ton of other, bigger things that could have also prevented the purge...).
I'll start on that For Want Of A Nail wick check now, actually...
Edited by Synchronicity on Apr 28th 2023 at 3:46:21 AM
Reposting this, on RWBY under Memetic Psychopath
- Ruby became this when she finally reaches her Rage Breaking Point in Volume 9 and sarcastically congratulates her sister's new relationship with Blake, thus sparking memes that she's homophobic and spewed out slurs when that didn't happen. A few memes go so far as to turn her into a Nazi.
Does this actually count?
REALITY IS AN ILLUSION, THE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM, BUY GOLD BYEEEE! | She/Her
I don't think homophobia = Ax-Crazy killer as required by Memetic Psychopath.
Cut. Memetic Psychopath is meant for fandom portrayal leaning towards homicidal mania, not whatever hateful conduct this entry tries to be.
Edited by AnoBakaDesu on Apr 28th 2023 at 7:49:46 AM
"They played us like a DAMN FIDDLE!" — Kazuhira Miller, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
I found this example on Characters.D 4 DJ Peaky Pkey and am wondering if it's a shoehorn (on top of being a ZCE).
- Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Kyoko (brunette), Shinobu (redhead, although her hair is light pink), Yuka (blonde), Esora (brunette, although her hair is dark green)
As long as everything goes well, it'll be fine!
The minimum description for Blonde, Brunette, Redhead is that specifying who is a Brunette, who is a Blonde and who is a Redhead.
A pink hair color can be substituted for a redhead, though it's more ambiguous and it's possible to be representing the blonde if there's a more clearly red-haired character (which in this case, isn't).
EDIT: Now that think of it, I changed my mind. It would be best to put for only exact trios - so yeah, misused. That's unfortunate, and given that the same trope on D 4 DJ - Happy Around's character page was removed for misuse.
Edited by JustNormalMusicLover on May 2nd 2023 at 9:04:05 PM
How many games got ported into Nintendo Switch? A lot of them.
I mainly fix indentation issues
Not yet
Edited by SoyValdo7 on Apr 29th 2023 at 2:17:53 AM
Valdo
I mainly fix indentation issues
From Characters.The Owl House Emperor Belos:
- Mythical Motifs:
- Philip takes several elements from the biblical Cain himself, such as his mostly normal human appearance having a large band of green rot running across his face, complete with black holes digging into his skull, akin to the 'mark of Cain' that God placed upon him so that all would know who Cain was on sight, what his crimes were, and would not grant him the mercy of death. As Belos, this mark persists even when he covers it up with his mask and Glamour abilities as a small scar on his face, that rapidly expands into its discoloured state whenever Philip is angered, letting his true nature show. Additionally, "For the Future" showcases that his monstrous slimey true form is poisonous to the touch, draining the life out of whatever Belos touches and corroding the earth he walks on, even as he desperately seeks more sustenance out to continue of his never-ending quest to kill all the witches and 'reunite' with Caleb. Cain similarly was cursed by God to forever wander the Earth and be denied sustenance from it and its bounty for his crimes. ► I can see the similarities between Belos and Cain, but I think this example is picking the wrong ones. The bible never mentions what Cain's mark looked like and the mark wasn't a curse, it was to protect Cain from others who wanted to kill him to avenge his brother, Abel. I think the example should focus more on the fact that after murdering their brothers, both ran away and ended up building a city.
Genesis 10-12: And He said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil. And so, cursed shall you be by the soil that gaped with its mouth to take your brother's blood from your hand. If you till the soil, it will no longer give you strength. A restless wanderer shall you be on the earth."
- In his monstrous form, Belos has quite a bit in common with a Wendigo:
- He is a huge, humanoid monster who is horrifically emancipated. He even sports a pair of antler-like growths, reminiscent of the deer-like pop culture take on Wendigos.► It fine
- Wendigos were an Anthropomorphic Personification of greed and starvation, fitting Belos' feasting on palismen to sustain himself and his gradual transformation into a monster by doing so, along with his monstrous form being almost skeletally thin and emaciated-looking. Wendigo are also heavily associated with cannibalism and, while Belos isn't technically a direct cannibal, his predatory modus operandi towards palismen —which are carved from wooden trees grown from the flesh of the dead titan — and later, Human Realm wildlife is arguably just as disturbing to see. He even restores his body to full strength by draining Hunter's life essence through his possession, with the ugly-losing scars left behind on the boy making it clear that extended possession would have reduced his body to mere bones. ► The lack of actual cannibalism affects this one a bit, what it describes is true for almost any type of monster.
- Wendigos were formerly human, but became cannibalistic monsters due to their greed and selfishness. Belos also was just a regular human, but as Luz herself pointed out, in his mad pursuit of witch genocide, he eventually stopped being a human altogether, both figuratively and especially literally. ► It fine
- As previously said in Animal Motifs, Belos shares a bird of prey motif with a lot of the cast. Coincidentally, rather than with deer as pop culture will tell you, Wendigos in the original folklore were sometimes associated with owls, even sharing the same term in some Native American dialects. ► It fine
- Wendigos originate from Native American legends, and Philip started out living in America. ► That a huge strencth.
- Wendigo habitants are usually considered to be dark caves or woods where they make their lairs and hunting grounds. Several important revelations about Philip's true nature are revealed whilst inside of darkened cave formations like the inside of the Titan's skull, and Luz and Hunter discover his true psychotic nature whilst inside the darkened and twisted woods of his mindscape, where he possesses a Home Field Advantage that almost renders them powerless before him. ► It fine
- Some legends state that Wendigos' hearts are made of ice. Having a 'heart of ice' also neatly describes Belos' true nature quite accurately and he ends up melting by the end of the series after being pulled out of the heart. ► It fine
- Additionally, Belos also has some points in common with the native American depiction of a Skin Walker.
- Skin Walkers were shapeshifting beings that were thought to be created when a benevolent medicine man abused the indigenous magic of the land for evil purposes, and in turn gained mystical powers to be used for evil purposes. Though varying from tradition to tradition, one common power was the ability to turn into or possess animals or people. This fits with how Philip abused the native Glyph magic of the isles for his own purposes and gradually turned into a monstrous form that needed to forcibly disguise itself into a human form in keeping with his delusional perceptions of his own humanity. Whilst deceiving Luz and Hunter within his mindscape his inner self makes extensive use of shapeshifting to appear either as a benevolent guide or to underscore his revelation to Luz about his true identity as Philip Wittebane. Once trapped on Earth, Philip reconstitutes his body by possessing and feeding on the life-force of both animals and eventually Hunter. ► It fine
- It was believed that anybody could become a Skin Walker if they committed some sort of deep-seated taboo. Philip's near-biblical Sibling Murder of Caleb, down to getting his own 'Mark of Cain' from holding tightly to the Fantastic Racism of witches that turned him murderous towards his brother for 'betraying' him for them, would fit that criteria. ► It fine
- It was believed that Skin Walkers were near-impossible to kill, unless with a bullet or knife dipped in white ash, and Belos' current form has proven to be capable of surviving physical trauma that would have killed a normal man easily. ► It fine
- In "Watching and Dreaming" his pose on the Titan's heart being a Crucified Hero Shot implies that he's trying to deliberately make a parallel with himself to Jesus, when he's really more of a Satanic Archetype like Lucifer, who in Dante's Inferno is ultimately trapped in Hell by his own mistakes and his futile desire to escape only furthering his imprisonment. ► a little bit weird, but it can be true
- Philip takes several elements from the biblical Cain himself, such as his mostly normal human appearance having a large band of green rot running across his face, complete with black holes digging into his skull, akin to the 'mark of Cain' that God placed upon him so that all would know who Cain was on sight, what his crimes were, and would not grant him the mercy of death. As Belos, this mark persists even when he covers it up with his mask and Glamour abilities as a small scar on his face, that rapidly expands into its discoloured state whenever Philip is angered, letting his true nature show. Additionally, "For the Future" showcases that his monstrous slimey true form is poisonous to the touch, draining the life out of whatever Belos touches and corroding the earth he walks on, even as he desperately seeks more sustenance out to continue of his never-ending quest to kill all the witches and 'reunite' with Caleb. Cain similarly was cursed by God to forever wander the Earth and be denied sustenance from it and its bounty for his crimes. ► I can see the similarities between Belos and Cain, but I think this example is picking the wrong ones. The bible never mentions what Cain's mark looked like and the mark wasn't a curse, it was to protect Cain from others who wanted to kill him to avenge his brother, Abel. I think the example should focus more on the fact that after murdering their brothers, both ran away and ended up building a city.
Edited by SoyValdo7 on Apr 29th 2023 at 2:38:24 AM
Valdo
Don't look back, something may be gaining on you
I posted this on Ask The Tropers and was reminded these queries belong here.
I was looking at Secretary of Evil, and it has The Calculator listed as one of these in the DC Comics universe. My concern is that Calculator is considered a supervillain in his own right, and usually acts as a gatherer/distributor of intel, planner, and is highly skilled at manipulating others and being a Chessmaster. He is not, as the trope description states, someone "who serves the will of their employer absolutely". He may work with other supervillains but doesn't serve them unquestionably, does not act like or is regarded as a "secretary", and will put his own priorities first.
Wanted to check to make certain I'm not barking up the wrong tree before I deleted it. It's the only entry under the Comic Book folder for that trope.
Edited by Traveler123 on Apr 29th 2023 at 3:47:00 AM
A question I thought of after seeing this ATT thread. Digimon Ghost Game has a Seasonal Rot entry, even though it technically only has one season, albeit one with 67 episodes. Is it eligible for this trope?
Edited by costanton11 on Apr 29th 2023 at 7:48:10 AM
From the real life section of Engineered Public Confession:
Often, whenever a public figure or celebrity decides to confess to committing an action, it is only because someone else has discovered it and is about to release the details. A prime example is Tom MacMaster, who decided to reveal that his blog A Gay Girl in Damascus was a fraud only after his identity was uncovered by Electronic Intifada.
While "we know everything you might as well fess up" fits the literal definition of Engineered Public Confession, I don't think it quite fits the spirit.
Edited by randomtroper89 on Apr 29th 2023 at 10:20:20 AM
Musician/Composer
In Tetris (2023), Roger Allam portrays the Corrupt Corporate Executive Robert Maxwell. Given his previous portrayal of E.P. Arnold Royalton, a corrupt automobile racing executive, in the 2008 film version of Speed Racer, does this fit under the Actor Allusion or Casting Gag trope?
Edited by gjjones on Apr 30th 2023 at 2:11:34 PM
He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
Angry babby
That might just be him being cast in two similar roles, not necessarily an allusion.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
She / Her
That sounds too coincidental to me to count. I could be wrong though, especially if there's Word of God or Word of Saint Paul to prove me otherwise. (I know that that isn't a requirement, though.)
I fix my examples all the time
Need some feedback on whether this example from Characters.Fire Emblem Fates Corrin is correct.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: He or she is the Lord unit, after all. According to Garon at the beginning of the game Corrin is almost on par with Xander; who is considered the best warrior in all of Nohr. By the end of all three routes, Corrin becomes the World's Strongest Man.
I'd like to know if this potential example I am thinking of adding is an example of Genre Blindness.
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: In the episode, Mistaken Identity, Will and Carlton are driving the car of Phil's legal partner when they are pulled over by a cop. Will tries to advise Carlton on this type of situation by telling him what is going to happen (With Carlton dismissing him as watching too much T.V.), but since Carlton's never been in it before, he makes the mistake of telling the officer that it isn't there car, in which Will accurately states that he we ask them to get out of the car.
That is not genre blindness, that is naivete at how the world works.
Discord: Waido X 255#1372 If you cant contact me on TV Tropes do it here.