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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

Grey-ghost Since: May, 2021
#34126: Feb 27th 2025 at 10:54:27 AM

There are some examples in Reality Subtext that sound like other tropes. Or maybe it's just me, hence why I ask you here. As a starter, the page quote about the game font sounds like a production gag or some kind of a memento.

  • Barefoot Gen is basically an adaptation of Keiji Nakazawa's life in Hiroshima before, during and after the atomic bombing as he and his Author Avatar Gen were raised in a house of outspoken and ostracized pacifists and both of them lost nearly all their family members from his burning house except for his mother, elder brothers, and infant sister who died from malnutrition stemming from food shortages.

The one above sounds like Write Who You Know or Based on a True Story or even Roman à Clef

  • The Spectre: According to the introduction to the Fleischer/Aparo trade, the only reason the Spectre was revived as a character at all was that then-DC editor Joe Orlando was mugged and the thief got away. This left him longing for a superhero who punished the wicked after every legal recourse has failed. A little research into The Golden Age of Comic Books later, he found some early Spectre stories that were just up that alley, and voila.

And that one sounds like Inspiration for the Work or Catharsis Factor

  • Doug Walker shaved his goatee to appear on a PBS comedy special. To explain the lack on facial hair in his shows, he stated that The Nostalgia Critic and Ask That Guy with the Glasses had placed bets that require them to shave if they lost and that Chester A. Bum had shaved in order to fit in with the other two.

  • One of the innumerable executive nightmares surrounding the film's production was Martin Sheen having a heart attack due to the stress from filming, suspending filming of all his prominent scenes and making his brother double for him.

And those two examples (the latter from the live-action film section) sound like Real Life Writes the Plot or Serendipity Writes the Plot

TroperNo9001 Dragon in Waiting from the Dollhouse (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: I turn to stone when you are gone
Dragon in Waiting
#34127: Feb 27th 2025 at 12:22:16 PM

Reposting.

Still waiting for someone to break him free...
Malady (X-Troper)
#34128: Feb 27th 2025 at 4:20:03 PM

Spin to Deflect Stuff or Orbiting Particle Shield or something else?

Dramatic Irony? Something else?

Roll likes the quiet of Yumland, but that's because everyone died.

Edited by Malady on Feb 27th 2025 at 5:00:43 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
TrendingToon1 Since: Apr, 2015
#34129: Feb 27th 2025 at 6:28:22 PM

Is this correct for Sofia the First?

  • Genius Bonus: Sofia pronouncing Cedric's name as "See-dric" throughout Season 1 is an alternate pronunciation of the name used by the English in the 15th century. Sofia is technically right.

underCoverSailsman Peeks from Under Rocks from State of Flux Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Peeks from Under Rocks
#34130: Feb 27th 2025 at 6:32:24 PM

[up][up]Regarding the Royal Wrecking Ball: Probably neither, as the example is listed as an Offensive move. No context to claim otherwise.

Dramatic Irony? That one's a total ZCE.


Ayumi-chan re: post 34122 Pants-Pulling Prank: Yeah, that's pantsing. (Are their trousers Made of Explodium? They just kind of vaporise.) Use your own judgement on if it's also Prank Punishment - I didn't watch the whole scene, but it kind of feels that way.

Edited by underCoverSailsman on Feb 27th 2025 at 8:33:03 AM

Malady (X-Troper)
#34131: Feb 27th 2025 at 7:06:14 PM

Whoops, had context, was checking my facts, but didn't update.

Dramatic Irony:

  • Mega Man Battle Network 2: If Roll is talked to in Yumland 2 before Lan boards the plane back to Electopia, she mentions how Yumland is "nice and quiet... I love it here!". Given that Yumland was "known for having the largest population of Navis", the quiet is probably due to the recent massacre that changed that fact, making the quiet more haunting than "nice" to those in the know, like the audience.

Edited by Malady on Feb 27th 2025 at 7:06:24 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#34132: Feb 28th 2025 at 4:10:01 AM

Something that I plan on adding to Kendrick Lamar:

  • [trope]: Parodied in the video for "Not Like Us". During the scene where Lamar beats up an owl piñata, text at the bottom of the screen says "DISCLAIMER: No OVHoes were harmed during the making of this video."

Is the proper trope for this No Animals Were Harmed, No Celebrities Were Harmed (since "OVHoe" is a diss directed at Drake lampshading his music label OVO Sound and his use of owl imagery in his marketing), or just Content Warnings?

Edited by Willbyr on Feb 28th 2025 at 6:10:43 AM

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
#34133: Feb 28th 2025 at 4:12:49 AM

[up][up][up] The lady slashed their pants away with a sword but the animation didn't fully show that.

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
Mariofan99 Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#34134: Feb 28th 2025 at 6:32:49 AM

Would the following count as a Hostile Show Take Over, Dark Reprise, or both?

For the first two seasons of ReBoot the following Opening Narration is given by The Hero Bob:

"I come from the Net, through systems, peoples and cities to this place - Mainframe. My format: Guardian. To mend and defend. To defend my newfound friends, their hopes and dreams. To defend them from their enemies."

To reflect Bon getting Put on a Bus to Hell in the Season 2 finale the intro is instead delivered by Megabyte for the start of Season 3:

"I come from the Net, through systems, peoples and cities to this place - Megaframe, my domain. My format: Virus. To corrupt and conquer"

Malady (X-Troper)
#34135: Feb 28th 2025 at 8:45:31 AM

Inconsistent Dub seems like it's things changing names from line to line, instead of voiceover / text mismatch?

VideoGame.Final Fantasy XII:

  • Inconsistent Dub: In that subtitles and spoken dialogue often come out very different, due to the voice actors ad-libbing their lines sometimes. Though it's rare, sometimes the two just don't match up.
    Cid (dialogue): Alas, the hour of your return is late.
    Cid (subtitle): Alas, your return is too late.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
MB74 Since: Feb, 2024 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#34137: Feb 28th 2025 at 9:21:04 AM

[up][up] Dubs and subs barely mismatching lines is not Inconsistent Dub. This can be removed.

2025: the year it all ends?
SamCurt Since: Jan, 2001
#34138: Feb 28th 2025 at 10:50:22 AM

Shy Blue-Haired Girl:

  • The Academy of Magic: The blue-haired Aura is aloof and closed-off, and has a tendency to be very blunt. She is initially very put off by Faith's attempts to befriend her, finding her enthusiasm grating.

Can that trope be stretched to introversion in general?

Scientia et Libertas | Per Aspera ad Astra Nova
underCoverSailsman Peeks from Under Rocks from State of Flux Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Peeks from Under Rocks
#34139: Feb 28th 2025 at 10:53:53 AM

[up]X6 I know. It was a snarky side comment. The animation made the pants pop like an animated balloon. Not at all relevant to the trope in question.

ElBuenCuate Since: Oct, 2010
#34140: Feb 28th 2025 at 3:49:57 PM

I found this in The Big Bang Theory:

Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Penny To Raj, Leonard and Howard.

Besides the zero-context, can this trope have such a skewed proportion? We are comparing one woman to three men.

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
#34141: Feb 28th 2025 at 5:42:46 PM

[up][up] Oh apologies, I'm kinda blind to sarcasm.

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
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
#34142: Mar 1st 2025 at 1:35:01 AM

Bumping

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
DoktorvonEurotrash Lex et Veritas from Not a place of honour (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#34144: Mar 1st 2025 at 5:32:32 AM

[up]x4: the Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy article stipulates that it be about a pair of characters, so you're correct.

Mariofan99 Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#34145: Mar 1st 2025 at 7:45:50 AM

To be a Base-Breaking Character do they need to be polarizing EVERY region or can divide come from between regions? I know Americans Hate Tingle exists but I don’t know if they’re allowed to overlap

For example The Shaymin in the 11th Pokémon movie is hated in English speaking territories

Or how about Cameron from the Unova Anume ? He’s divisive in Japan but more or less universally reviled in several other territories

bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#34146: Mar 1st 2025 at 9:26:11 AM

If a character breaks the base in one region, they can qualify for Base-Breaking Character.

2025: the year it all ends?
king15 Have Faun Since: Mar, 2024
Have Faun
#34147: Mar 1st 2025 at 10:46:52 AM

This entry under Continuity Snarl for Cheers:

  • Frasier's mother visits him during his engagement to Diane, and is almost psychotic at the thought of her son marrying a mere barmaid. This doesn't fit in well with Frasier's claims to be an orphan, or her posthumous characterization in Frasier, and raises the question of when, exactly, she died.
Frasier only claims to be an orphan after introducing Diane to his mother, therefore the implication is that she died a short time after that point (with the only lie being that Frasier's father is in fact very much alive). This continues into Frasier, where his mother having died is a major part of the backstory. As for her characterisation, whilst it's certainly Characterisation Marches On, Frasier's mother threatening Diane is referenced in an episode of Frasier, meaning it hasn't been retconned or forgotten about (and that episode as a whole suggests that his mother's personality was a middle-ground between the horrible person Cheers presented her as and the all-loving person Frasier presented her as).

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#34148: Mar 1st 2025 at 1:13:48 PM

[up]Yeah. No real snarl since those aren't concrete contradiction that are easily explained. Cut.

themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#34149: Mar 1st 2025 at 1:45:10 PM

Question: can a Springtime for Hitler situation qualify for In-Universe Creator's Apathy? I was going to add an In-Universe example for the former's Trope Namer to the latter but I'm not sure if it fits — I believe Creator's Apathy is about uncaring directors, not directors who made an intentionally bad product.

Is my understanding correct?

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
underCoverSailsman Peeks from Under Rocks from State of Flux Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Peeks from Under Rocks
#34150: Mar 1st 2025 at 2:43:19 PM

[up]That's going to depend on their motivation. I'd say that The Producers does not crossover. They care about their results. A Lot. On the other hand, I pulled this one off of the SFH Real Life page:

  • According to crime novelist Val McDermid, the author of Wire in the Blood, this is basically what happened when she wrote her children's picture book My Granny is a Pirate. For a while there was a trend of celebrities writing children's books, and McDermid's publisher wanted her to write one too, and refused to listen when she said that this was a particular skill she didn't possess, so she sent her a poem she had made up for her son when he was younger.
    McDermid: But eventually, she just kept going on and on and on, and the only way I thought to shut her up, was to send her something. [...] So I had written this, well, I had made up really, I hadn't even written it down to begin with, this poem about my granny being a pirate. You know: "My granny is a pirate! She sailed the seven seas. She's captured many pirate ships, but was always home for tea." And I sent this off to my publisher thinking; at least she'll shut up and leave me alone now, but no. No no no. She called me and said, "Darling, we love it! We want to publish it, darling!" And I'm like, Oh, for Christ's sake...

And that, I'd think, would fairly cross over with CA.


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