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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.


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    • 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.
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    • 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.
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    • Wrong: Big Bad: Of the first season.
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  • A character name is not an explanation.


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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

nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#3601: Apr 13th 2017 at 10:03:13 PM

@Crossover Enthusiast: Unless fans are passionately split right down the middle, it's not either one - they're more specific than just 'different fans have different opinions'.

edited 13th Apr '17 10:03:45 PM by nrjxll

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#3602: Apr 13th 2017 at 10:40:41 PM

Hmm, okay.

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SebastianGray (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#3603: Apr 14th 2017 at 3:02:39 AM

If I may ask, does a shield count as a weapon for the purposes of a Mix-and-Match Weapon? A punch dagger with a built in buckler shield for example.

AnotherDuck No, the other one. from Stockholm Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Mu
No, the other one.
#3604: Apr 14th 2017 at 6:56:08 AM

If it's an actual shield rather than an oversized guard it might qualify. Saying it's a buckler isn't enough context for that.

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AnotherDuck No, the other one. from Stockholm Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Mu
No, the other one.
#3606: Apr 14th 2017 at 8:30:44 AM

Now that I actually see it, I think those qualify as spiked shields. The thing about shields is that they're not entirely defensive as they are. Punching with a shield is a well-documented feature, especially centre grip shields like bucklers. On the other hand, if things like pole axes and halberds qualify, this probably would too.

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jameygamer Since: May, 2014
#3607: Apr 14th 2017 at 2:47:06 PM

@Another Duck Sorry for the late reply.

It's on the back of a hoverchair before it turns.

Another question about TMNT 2012. In this series, Splinter/Hamato Yoshi gets three Disney Deaths before he is Killed Off for Real. Does this count as Four Is Death? He's also killed at the end of Season 4.

As an added bonus, when he is killed, he's Impaled with Extreme Prejudice and tossed off a building. We see him falling, but not land, though we do see his body on the ground a shot later. Is this Disney Villain Death?

edited 14th Apr '17 2:57:30 PM by jameygamer

AnotherDuck No, the other one. from Stockholm Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Mu
No, the other one.
#3608: Apr 14th 2017 at 3:37:47 PM

That doesn't actually tell me anything about how much it's in focus. Is it in the foreground, main focus of the shot, or in the background? The point of the trope is that it should be hard to notice if you're watching casually, so if there's something that gives attention to it, it doesn't qualify, but if the main point of focus is elsewhere, it can qualify.

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jameygamer Since: May, 2014
#3609: Apr 14th 2017 at 3:52:52 PM

I don't think there is anything that calls it into focus at all. The focus is on tension with the character in the chair.

AnotherDuck No, the other one. from Stockholm Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Mu
No, the other one.
#3610: Apr 14th 2017 at 6:04:41 PM

Then it probably fits.

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jameygamer Since: May, 2014
#3612: Apr 14th 2017 at 8:41:09 PM

And this got lost in the shuffle, so I'm reasking it.

Does the fake Grail Donovan drinks from in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade count as a Poison Mushroom, a Chest Monster, or something else?

And, does Elsa's deliberate choosing of that False Grail count as her playing the You Have Outlived Your Usefulness card on Donovan?

Lastly, is Donovan an Asshole Victim?

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
jameygamer Since: May, 2014
#3614: Apr 14th 2017 at 10:03:44 PM

According to what I've read, and with the smile she gives to Indy and the look in her face when Donovan begins aging, yes, I believe she did that on purpose.

Merseyuser1 Since: Sep, 2011
#3615: Apr 15th 2017 at 2:24:35 AM

removed

edited 4th Aug '17 11:35:41 AM by Merseyuser1

TyeDyeWildebeest Unreasonably Quirky from Big Rock Candy Mountain Since: Dec, 2010 Relationship Status: How does it feel to treat me like you do?
Unreasonably Quirky
#3616: Apr 16th 2017 at 8:17:38 AM

There's a scene in the Hardly Working sketch "Cool English Teacher 3" that I think is an example of I Have This Friend, but I'm pretty sure it's not a straight example. Would you classify it as a lampshaded example, or a parody, or what?

Dan: The Catcher in the Rye... now what is it really about? Not a hypothetical; I'm asking for a friend. The friend is me. I've never read it. I'm treading water. If I finish this sentence, there'll be dead silence and you'll see how woefully unprepared I am, so I'm just gonna list my favorite numbers. One. Two. Three. Five. Ask me about four; it's kind of a funny story.

edited 16th Apr '17 8:18:25 AM by TyeDyeWildebeest

No beer?! But if there's no beer, then there's no beef or beans!
ReynTime250 Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
#3617: Apr 16th 2017 at 8:23:23 AM

  • Bonus Boss: It's the strongest Pokémon you can fight in the game, and can only be encountered after capturing all the Ultra Beasts. It's also at a frightening high level of 75.

I disagree with it being a Bonus Boss. It doesn't fit. It's a True Final Boss because it's after the final boss, it's the strongest opponent in the game and you have to do a sidequest to even get Necrozma in the game anyway. That's True Final Boss material because you have to do certain conditions of the aftergame to fight it.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#3618: Apr 16th 2017 at 8:38:02 AM

[up] Honestly that sounds more like Bonus Boss, assuming Necrozma is the Pokemon being referred to in the entry. Unless there's a story element that's not being mentioned here. Post-game or not, if there's nothing requiring you to go after it storywise, it's not a True Final Boss.

From Bonus Boss itself:

Compare True Final Boss, which is often (but not always) a Bonus Boss that, when found or unlocked, replaces or appears right after the normal Final Boss, requiring you to beat it in order to clear the game. However, a True Final Boss is generally not optional once triggered, while a Bonus Boss almost always is. A True Final Boss is also more likely to be integrated into the plot as The Man Behind the Man (unless it turns out to be a Giant Space Flea from Nowhere), and besting it may be required for a Golden Ending, while a Bonus Boss is just kinda... there (it might be hinted at in the main story beforehand, but its not a mandatory fight at any point and it's direct involvement in the plot may not extend further than the player seeking it out to kick its ass because they can).

By your description, Necrozma doesn't cover any of these points of comparison vs Bonus Boss.

From True Final Boss:

Contrast Post-Final Boss, which is an easier, post-climax fight that lets you cool down after the real climactic struggle, and Bonus Boss, which is an extra-hard secret unlockable boss that has no relevance to the game plot and only gives a Bragging Rights Reward for beating it.
A high-level Pokemon that you can only reach by capturing various other powerful Pokemon first and offers no reward besides the Pokemon itself sounds a lot closer to Bonus Boss. Again, unless there's a story element you or the entry are not including.

Honestly I'm wondering if that entry isn't a bit of a ZCE.

edited 16th Apr '17 9:10:58 AM by sgamer82

Gosicrystal Since: Jun, 2016 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
#3619: Apr 16th 2017 at 6:02:12 PM

Does Two Dun It cover cases where more than two people did it? I've come across this on the trope page:

  • Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials & Tribulations has between one and four antagonists for the final case of the original trilogy depending on how you count.

jameygamer Since: May, 2014
#3620: Apr 16th 2017 at 10:16:58 PM

My series of questions:

Does the fake Grail Donovan drinks from in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade count as a Poison Mushroom, a Chest Monster, or something else?

And, does Elsa's deliberate choosing of that False Grail count as her playing the You Have Outlived Your Usefulness card on Donovan?

Lastly, is Donovan an Asshole Victim?

Also, questions about TMNT 2012. In this series, Splinter/Hamato Yoshi gets three Disney Deaths before he is Killed Off for Real. Does this count as Four is Death? He's also killed at the end of Season 4.

As an added bonus, when he is killed, he's Impaled with Extreme Prejudice and tossed off a building. We see him falling, but not land, though we do see his body on the ground a shot later. Is this Disney Villain Death?

I think they do count, but I want confirmation.

edited 16th Apr '17 10:20:26 PM by jameygamer

AmourMitts Since: Jan, 2016
#3621: Apr 16th 2017 at 11:03:15 PM

I came across this example in Trivia.CrazyExGirlfriend...

  • Network to the Rescue: It is the lowest rated show on the CW, despite critical acclaim. Most people thought it would get cancelled. And then the CW renewed it for a second, and later third season.

Would that instead fall under And You Thought It Would Fail (which is YMMV)?

AnotherDuck No, the other one. from Stockholm Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Mu
No, the other one.
#3622: Apr 17th 2017 at 12:15:56 AM

[up][up]Can you please link the tropes you're asking about? Don't require others to search the tropes you're asking for.

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SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#3623: Apr 17th 2017 at 1:01:55 AM

Going by the German version:

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#3624: Apr 17th 2017 at 1:10:15 AM

I sort of feel most of the description of Asshole Victim inclines against Donovan being an example, as he is in fact an important villain of Last Crusade.

Karxrida from Eureka, the Forbidden Land Since: May, 2012 Relationship Status: I LOVE THIS DOCTOR!
#3625: Apr 17th 2017 at 2:37:09 AM

He's probably an Asshole Victim. The False Grail fucks you up in a cruel and unusual way.


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