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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

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#29226: Sep 3rd 2023 at 12:29:46 PM

If anything I've heard complaints that Newt feels completely disconnected from the events of this new movie series; he's there for the beasts and otherwise doesn't actually have a personal stake in defeating Grindlewald; he's just... sort of pulled in by Dumbledore and the others.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
TroperNo9001 Dragon in Waiting from the Dollhouse (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: I turn to stone when you are gone
Dragon in Waiting
#29227: Sep 3rd 2023 at 1:37:37 PM

Reposting one more time.

Still waiting for someone to break him free...
JDMA12 He/Him from the 31st Century (Troper in training)
He/Him
#29228: Sep 3rd 2023 at 2:19:06 PM

[up]All on-page examples are Fanfic, so probably misuse? Idk what Adaptation trope it'd fit if any though

AudioSpeaks2 Since: Apr, 2022
#29229: Sep 3rd 2023 at 2:21:57 PM

[up][up][up], [up][up][up][up][up]

In that case, I’m pulling the example. I actually like Newt, but since it's not a popular opinion it doesn’t count as More Popular Replacement.

Edited by AudioSpeaks2 on Sep 3rd 2023 at 5:22:05 PM

wootzits (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#29230: Sep 3rd 2023 at 4:16:48 PM

On Pokémon: Generation VIII - Grookey to Hatterene, there is this for the Scorbunny line:

  • Kick Chick: Females of the species qualify for this trope by their nature; Raboot is explicitly stated in Shield to use berries to practice its kicking skills, and the Pyro Ball attack involves kicking a flaming object at the target. Being a starter species, this is appropriately rare.

The problem with this is that Scorbunny/Raboot/Cinderace are a species that comes in both genders, and males fight with their legs just as much as the females; it's a species-wide characteristic, not a gender-exclusive one. Delete?

Edited by wootzits on Sep 3rd 2023 at 12:17:07 PM

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#29231: Sep 3rd 2023 at 4:19:52 PM

Cut. I've never been a fan of tropes on Pokemon pages that are just "well, this species has this move..."

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
BKelly95 Tame Racing Driver (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Tame Racing Driver
#29232: Sep 3rd 2023 at 7:13:58 PM

I posted this to Accent Relapse today, but afterwards I wasn't sure about it:

  • Played for Laughs on The Pretender. The second season sees the introduction of Mr. Lyle and his enforcer Brigitte. She speaks with a British accent for most of the season. But during a battle with Miss Parker, she tells her something with said accent to which Parker responds "Why don't you drop the accent? No one's buying it." Brigitte then says "Yeah, too much work anyway." in an American accent.

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
#29233: Sep 4th 2023 at 2:57:34 AM

I'm wondering if Tropes Are Flexible covers these examples. I've read the trope summaries, and except for A Dog Named "Dog" note , they really only discuss animals or animal-esque characters. A Lizard Named "Liz" seems like straight up misuse.

CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floors
homogenized Since: Oct, 2009
#29234: Sep 4th 2023 at 10:31:20 AM

Would a politician who is guaranteed to follow through on their campaign platform due to being a demon, and thus would be contractually bound if elected, be an example of The Incorruptible?

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.
#29235: Sep 4th 2023 at 12:25:51 PM

[up] Is this from something specific?

You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#29236: Sep 4th 2023 at 1:36:23 PM

Is this misuse of Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work? The entry isn't talking about the villains doing something that benefits the heroes because the heroes cannot do it without being seen as unheroic. It's just talking about how various villains died in ways that have nothing to do with the heroes at all.

  • A majority of the villains in the series, if it's not a case of their own hands, then at the hands of villains. Two notable examples include Lionheart, a traitor who helped contribute to the fall of Beacon, being killed by Salem and Jacques, Weiss's abusive father, meeting his end via Ironwood's BFG. There's tons to count that it's easier to count how many villains did die by RWBY's hand: One: Adam Taurus.

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.
Arawn999 Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#29237: Sep 4th 2023 at 5:54:58 PM

I have three points:


If no-one has any further input on the Sadly Mythtaken example, shall I just take the two or three people who've said it looks valid as a reason to re-add it?
From The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:

  • Non-Indicative Name: The Secret Stones aren't exactly secret, given there's no attempts to hide them or their abilities.

Going by what I've seen discussed a few times on that page, the Secret Stones' name is derived the "Secret Art" byname for magic, so does it still count?.


From Digital Abomination:

  • Portal: GLaDOS is the hateful, misanthropic AI placed in charge of the Aperture Science facility. Fortunately, her hatred for humans comes in the form of insults, belittlement and passive aggression. Unfortunately, before the installation of her morality cores, she flooded the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin within a picosecond of her initial activation.

I'm inclined to say it's not an example since theres nothing particularly eldritch about GLaDOS... at all.

CompletelyNormalGuy Am I a weirdo? from a place where folks put cream cheese on hot dogs (Oldest One in the Book)
Am I a weirdo?
#29238: Sep 4th 2023 at 6:35:11 PM

[up]I agree that calling GLaDOS a Digital Abomination is a huge stretch.

Bigotry will NEVER be welcome on TV Tropes.
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)
#29239: Sep 4th 2023 at 6:42:35 PM

I have to assume it was conflated with her local omnipotence as a digital Genius Loci, but even by -Abomination standards that's pretty bad.

ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NO
MyFinalEdits Delete message from Parts Unknown (Spin-off Series) Relationship Status: Cast away
Delete message
#29240: Sep 4th 2023 at 6:45:54 PM

[up][up][up]I don't think that Zelda example fits, TBH.

135 -> 180 -> 273 -> 191 -> 188 -> 230 -> 300 -> 311
homogenized Since: Oct, 2009
#29241: Sep 4th 2023 at 9:03:31 PM

[up][up][up][up][up][up]

It's about Lady Deathabyss from Interspecies Reviewers. In that setting, demons are not inherently evil; rather they take Deal with the Devil and run with it, treating any agreement as a contract to be followed to the letter, and have no compunctions over taking advantage of poorly thought out or worded "contracts" but also won't weasel out of decisions that turn out to be to their detriment, not even life threating ones.

Lady Deathabyss runs on a platform promoting magical (fantasy equivalent of technological) development for the progress of society and makes it clear she intends to use most of the government budget and resources toward that end. After Deathabyss wins the position of mayor of Magic City, the societal-stability focused ex-mayor grumbles that people like Deathabyss soon fall to corruption, but is reminded by her secretary that as a demon Deathabyss will not breach the contract she has made with the electorate.

So would this be an example of The Incorruptible?

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
#29242: Sep 4th 2023 at 11:17:42 PM

On Trivia.Cassette Beasts under Queer Character, Queer Actor:

  • Leader Ianthe, who is a lesbian, is voiced by non-binary actor Liz Morey.

The actor is queer in a different way to the character, so I'm not sure this counts. I swear there's been discussion about this before.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#29243: Sep 5th 2023 at 12:51:52 AM

I would say that's misuse unless they're also a lesbian.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
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
#29244: Sep 5th 2023 at 12:54:48 AM

Removed.

TroperNo9001 Dragon in Waiting from the Dollhouse (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: I turn to stone when you are gone
Dragon in Waiting
#29245: Sep 5th 2023 at 4:32:07 AM

Is this proposed example of mine for The Magic School Bus Rides Again proper use of Actor Allusion/Actor-Shared Background?

Keesha is raised by her two mothers, while her voice actress from the original show is WLW.

Also, is this example in YMMV.Work It Out Wombats valid?

* Accidental Innuendo: According to Urban Dictionary, JunJun is Filipino slang for a man's penis. In the context of the show, the name likely means 'junior,' but still.

Not only is Urban Dictionary an unreliable source, but as a Filipino myself, this is the first time I've seen that word being used as sexual slang.

Edited by TroperNo9001 on Sep 5th 2023 at 7:55:59 PM

Still waiting for someone to break him free...
Kuruni (Long Runner)
#29246: Sep 6th 2023 at 3:39:26 AM

Is lacking of a feature count as Scrappy Mechanic? Here's an example YMMV.Castlevania Circle Of The Moon

  • There is no "suspend" feature. Coupled with the lack of save point density, playing this game on short breaks may not be such a good idea. Konami would learn their lesson come the next game, however. The Advance Collection version fixes this by introducing savestates.

Consider it's about a feature not present, I've feeling that this is misused, especially since it's a feature never present in previous games either.

ForgoLight The Ultimate Lifeform Since: Oct, 2022 Relationship Status: In Lesbians with you
The Ultimate Lifeform
#29247: Sep 6th 2023 at 6:42:17 AM

I meant to bring this up a lot sooner but over on The Owl House Camila Noceda, someone deleted this entry for her:

  • Ambiguously Bi: In her Season 3 design, she wears a rainbow striped heart pin. While her attraction to men is certain considering her late husband, it's unclear if the pin is meant to represent her own sexuality, or Luz's, since Luz came out to her during the timeskip. There is also a bi pride pin on her refrigerator in "Yesterday's Lie" as that was months before Luz actually came out to her, which could either belong to Luz or Camila.
Now their reasoning was this "the bi magnet on the fridge was just an Easter egg, not indicative of Camila's sexuality. the rainbow pin doesn't make her queer either, since it is very obviously to show allyship to Luz. She is clearly shown to be a straight ally, since she had to buy a book about how to raise an LGBTQ child" which I find particularly confusing and here is why. The entry said she is "clearly a straight ally" when she anyone can see that she isn't clearly anything. She could be an ally or she could be queer herself. Just because she had to read a book on how to specifically raise a queer child, doesn't mean she isn't queer herself in some way, as she wants to know all the best ways to support her daughter. After all, being Bi yourself and raising a Bi kid are two completely different propositions... Not to mention that as the original entry itself stated, that bi pride fridge magnet was from before Luz came out to her. Anyone else agree that I should put the entry back?

"Us weirdos have to stick together!"
matruz (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#29248: Sep 6th 2023 at 7:30:16 AM

Can something with a lot of Foreshadowing also qualify as an Ass Pull?

I'm talking about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and entries about Bode and his betrayal, since the main page has an extensive list of instances of Foreshadowing it, and the YMMV has one under Ass Pull that basically says that "it comes from out of nowhere".

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#29249: Sep 6th 2023 at 7:32:20 AM

[up]I can agree with keeping an Ass Pull with very light foreshadowing, but if the Foreshadowing entry is very extensive, then it's probably not one.

[up][up]I don't know the work, but having a rainbow something doesn't really seem to be "evidence" on its own. I don't think the bi flag one is strong enough evidence either since they pointed out it could've belonged to her daughter even if she wasn't out yet

Edited by Synchronicity on Sep 6th 2023 at 9:34:23 AM

ejmenendez Since: May, 2015
#29250: Sep 6th 2023 at 7:47:16 AM

I found this on Mother 3:

Complaining about spoilers aside, does Marth Debuted in "Smash Bros." apply to the original work where the character actually debuted (in this case Mother 3), or just the work where said character was added (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)?


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