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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

Timjames98 Since: May, 2014
#7501: Feb 9th 2019 at 12:59:54 AM

In the page for Tigress Queen, the trope Like Brother and Sister is used to describe the relationship between two of the major characters. However those two characters were legally adopted by the same man, which means they ARE brother and sister.

Should the Like Brother and Sister be removed from the trope list?

XFllo There is no Planet B from Planet A Since: Aug, 2012
There is no Planet B
#7502: Feb 9th 2019 at 2:21:53 AM

1. RE: Like Brother and Sister

[up] Yes, to my best knowledge.

The trope might technically apply if they were adopted later in life and some characters suspect then are more than brother and sister (if they have chemistry or behave like Flirty Step Siblings or what have you) but they would only consider themselves siblings. I'd remove it as ZCE and very probable misuse.



2. Faux Symbolism: YMMV.Kingdom Hearts III: CUT (my best understanding of the issue)


3. Magical Queer

Does Magical Queer cover any story where a LGBT person teaches a bunch of straight people a lesson about being more accepting or creative?

Hmm, the description does not mention it, but I feel it might very well be part of the trope. It is directly compared to Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope after all, which is all about being creative and opening up.

Is it used often? I skimmed through the examples in film and a couple of others. It doesn't help that there are many ZCE.

Edited by XFllo on Feb 9th 2019 at 11:24:00 AM

XFllo There is no Planet B from Planet A Since: Aug, 2012
There is no Planet B
#7503: Feb 9th 2019 at 2:29:24 AM

Trope Blonde, Brunette, Redhead is about a trio of beautiful women, added for visual appeal.

I cut it for not being a trio. They are not even the same animals and they most likely don't even act like a group. Can even white cartoon animals be considered blondes? Gray animal as brunettes seems like a stretch too, brunettes are dark-haired (brown or almost black).


It seems to me like the trope gets misused a lot.

  • Played with concerning the S-Class Mage; first, it's Laxus (blonde), Mystogan (blue) and Erza (redhead). Then, Mirajane (white), Gildartz (brownish) and Erza (redhead).

Does white count as blonde in anime/mange? I wouldn't know, I don't really watch any anime shows, but anime is known for techni-coloured hair and all crazy combination. Trios blond-blue-red trio and white-brownish-red seem quite far from the concept.

Or another possible misuse:

  • Mad Men: Blonde, Brunette, Redhead: Peggy Olsen is a brunette to Betty's and her Mother's blonde and Joan and Anitas' redhead.

OK, Peggy (brown), her mother (blond) and her sister (red) — they appear together for one or two episodes, so ok, they function as a trio.

However: Betty (blond), Joan (red), Peggy (brown) — they hardly are a trio, they as far as I know, never appear together and Betty doesn't even interact with them (I think she was in the office once). However, they might be considered as three important women in Don's life, though I'd hardly call them even the three most important women in Don's life.

I'd delete it for not being a trio or a compact group of three women.

Edited by XFllo on Feb 9th 2019 at 11:56:12 AM

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#7504: Feb 9th 2019 at 7:11:32 AM

Re: Like Brother and Sister

My understanding of the trope, and the reason I've removed it from pages in the past, is that the trope mainly applies when the dynamic exists in place of a romantic relationship.

Edited by sgamer82 on Feb 9th 2019 at 8:11:51 AM

Malady (X-Troper)
#7505: Feb 9th 2019 at 9:28:45 AM

Characters.The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time

The Six Sages + Princess Zelda, all have one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues entries.

Does that mean that the Sages in general, should get Seven Heavenly Virtues, and explain that?

I'm not sure if the Seven Heavenly Virtues was intentional, but does that matter?

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Pichu-kun ... Since: Jan, 2001
...
#7506: Feb 9th 2019 at 2:36:23 PM

From Accidentally Correct Writing:

  • The Legend of Zelda story Til the Sun Grows Cold and the Stars Grow Old was published in 2008, and hinged on the concept that Link and Zelda were the same characters, reincarnated many times over. A few years later, the Hyrule Historia was published with the revelation that this is (more or less) the case.

This hardly seems accidental. Zelda and Link being reincarnations was the main consensus by Twilight Princess' release. It was more of an I Knew It! revelation, if at that.

rjd1922 Best robot boy | he/him | Image Pickin' regular, from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
Best robot boy | he/him | Image Pickin' regular,
#7508: Feb 9th 2019 at 4:37:22 PM

I'm confused by this example in the "General" Sages folder on Characters.The Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time. All the Sages appear at the end of the game, unless it's implying they were reincarnated somehow?

  • Uncertain Doom: There are vague implications that at least some of them were killed on their way to awakening as Sages. Mido sadly accepts that Saria is never coming back, and he and King Zora are seen mournfully staying out of the festivities at Lon Lon Ranch in the ending. Darunia is also not seen when you pass the same boss door he passed, implying he was eaten by Volvagia. The fact that (some of) their counterparts in The Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild explicitly were killed also seems to imply that this is a Recurring Element that started in Ocarina of Time. However, there are certain chronologically subsequent games such as A Link to the Past, The Wind Waker, and A Link Between Worlds where the new Sages are either explicitly or implicitly the descendants of the Ocarina Sages, which would seem to indicate that they actually survived in this game.

Keet cleanup
Malady (X-Troper)
#7509: Feb 9th 2019 at 6:08:10 PM

Changed the Moving the Goalposts examples in VideoGame.Yandere Simulator.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Yinyang107 from the True North (Decatroper) Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
#7510: Feb 9th 2019 at 7:41:50 PM

[up][up] IIRC (but it's been a while), the sages don't interact with anyone during the ending, meaning they may well be ghosts.

rjd1922 Best robot boy | he/him | Image Pickin' regular, from the United States Since: May, 2013 Relationship Status: Love is for the living, Sal
Best robot boy | he/him | Image Pickin' regular,
#7511: Feb 9th 2019 at 8:41:17 PM

[up]They interact with Link when they give him their medallions. I think this is Epileptic Trees that doesn't belong on the characters page.

Keet cleanup
BlazingFlames88 Since: May, 2016
#7512: Feb 9th 2019 at 9:08:05 PM

Hello! I was just asking, would this image from the Dragons: Race to the Edge Episode Dire Straits count as a Separated By the Wall Scene, or a Window Love scene? Link Here: http://thetvshows.us/displayimage.php?pid=1553282&fullsize=1. Also, here is a You Tube Video Link to the scene from the episode. Link Here: https://youtu.be/KYSfAq5W1HI?t=45.

Thank You! :)

Edited by BlazingFlames88 on Feb 9th 2019 at 9:10:06 AM

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#7513: Feb 10th 2019 at 7:36:20 AM

From YMMV.Code Geass of Harsher in Hindsight

Luciano Bradley is the least liked member within The Knights of the Round due to his sadism and psychopathy, and having perverse taste in underage girls. His voice actor, Vic Mignogna, has recently gotten a heat for allegations involving unwanted affection toward younger fans and becoming the unfavorite among voice actors.

Should this be deleted because of role associated being to broad?

nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#7514: Feb 10th 2019 at 12:54:25 PM

Honestly, when in doubt, it's safe to assume any Harsher in Hindsight / "Funny Aneurysm" Moment entry relating to real life is a shoehorn.

Edited by nrjxll on Feb 10th 2019 at 2:54:37 PM

jamaicanst01 Since: Apr, 2018
#7515: Feb 10th 2019 at 1:10:31 PM

In The Secret of NIMH, there's this entry:

  • Didn't Think This Through: Jenner's plan is clever in theory: destroy the Brisby House and kill Nicodemus so that the rats are stuck on the farm and he can become their ruler. The flaw in the plan is that he won't be able to rule them for very long because soon the rosebush will be destroyed and they'll all die.
    • It's not so much he didn't think of that problem, as much as he is so stubborn (and somewhat unhinged) in his efforts that he refused to believe it when warned.
      • It's also implied that their success at thwarting the humans in the past have made him cocky to the point of being almost suicidally reckless — during the argument at the council before Justin interrupts, you can clearly hear one of the council members speaking of the danger of being found out by the humans, with Jenner's response essentially being "they can't kill us if we strike first."

Is this an example of the trope, or do the subpoints contradict it?

Primis Since: Nov, 2010
#7516: Feb 10th 2019 at 2:07:18 PM

Found this on Chameleon Twist:

  • American Kirby Is Hardcore: The International versions of Chameleon Twist 2 had the chameleons' appearances altered to resemble real chameleons, as opposed to their cartoonish/cutesy appearances in the first game. Davy's color was also changed to green, likely to match the colors of real life chameleons, while Jack became the blue chameleon. The Japanese version retained their original designs.

I'm not sure if this is specifically American Kirby Is Hardcore; that trope is about American box-art being Darker and Edgier than its original Japanese version, and the new character models in this game aren't "more hardcore" than the original, they just better resemble actual chameleons.

I don't know of any other "regional difference" tropes that it could fall under though.

11111001011 11111001011 from Peachtree City, GA Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Abstaining
11111001011
#7517: Feb 10th 2019 at 2:11:54 PM

I've been wondering. Would a female anthropomorphic animal who doesn't have a Furry Female Mane fall under Bald Women?

Help me!
crazysamaritan NaNo 4328 / 50,000 from Lupin III Since: Apr, 2010
NaNo 4328 / 50,000
#7518: Feb 10th 2019 at 2:14:41 PM

[up][up][up] Remove it on the basis of violating the Speculative Troping guidelines (the problems didn't actually occur in the work, these are speculations based on how events actually played out, while Jenner might have been able to accomplish his goals once he was in charge).


[up][up] I'd suggest Adaptation Deviation instead; the adaptation being regional changes.
[up] Sometimes. That's too general to use as an example.

Edited by crazysamaritan on Feb 10th 2019 at 5:17:14 AM

Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
Primis Since: Nov, 2010
#7519: Feb 10th 2019 at 2:40:08 PM

[up] Alright, I switched it to that trope.

11111001011 11111001011 from Peachtree City, GA Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Abstaining
11111001011
#7520: Feb 10th 2019 at 4:24:24 PM

@crazysamaritan What do you mean "sometimes"?

Help me!
crazysamaritan NaNo 4328 / 50,000 from Lupin III Since: Apr, 2010
NaNo 4328 / 50,000
#7521: Feb 10th 2019 at 5:57:32 PM

In Work A, a female rabbit without a Furry Female Mane is also a Bald Female. In Work B, a female rabbit has Ears as Hair instead, so she isn't a Bald Female. In Work C, all of the rabbits are drawn realistically, so none of them are considered bald. Does that help?

Link to TRS threads in project mode here.
11111001011 11111001011 from Peachtree City, GA Since: Dec, 2018 Relationship Status: Abstaining
11111001011
#7522: Feb 10th 2019 at 7:31:17 PM

Sort of.

Help me!
Pichu-kun ... Since: Jan, 2001
...
#7523: Feb 11th 2019 at 9:04:40 AM

If a fanon is confirmed, does it get removed? Several Loud House examples were removed off its fanon page because they were later confirmed.

TroperNo9001 Dragon in Waiting from the Dollhouse (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: I turn to stone when you are gone
Dragon in Waiting
#7524: Feb 11th 2019 at 5:34:39 PM

[up]Those would be moved to Ascended Fanon or I Knew It!.

Still waiting for someone to break him free...
Malady (X-Troper)
#7525: Feb 11th 2019 at 6:09:59 PM

From Critical Research Failure, this seems excessively wordy, especially when the notes are expanded?

  • In the "CWC's Love Quest Saga" sub-episode of Sonichu, while Chris-Chan is talking with a girl named Hanna, said girl mentions that she enjoys reading Chuck Palahniuk among other things. The problem is with the footnote at the bottom, which states that Chuck Palahniuk was the director of Fight Club - the director of the film adaptation was David Fincher; Palahniuk was the author of the booknote . To be fair, Fight Club is a case of Adaptation Displacementnote , but one can't help wonder how Chris knew about Chuck Palahniuk's involvement, yet didn't know he was an author.

Edited by Malady on Feb 11th 2019 at 6:10:24 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576

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