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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! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#9376: Jul 30th 2019 at 6:30:32 PM

It's barely even contextual. It's just "Character is this, definitely, take my word for it."

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
IukaSylvie from Kyoto, Japan Since: Oct, 2017 Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
#9377: Jul 30th 2019 at 6:47:02 PM

Characters.My Hero Academia Shie Hassaikai:

I've already commented this out because there's no sufficient context. However, the reason why I'm bringing this up is that Kai Chisaki/Overhaul, despite his extreme Abusive Parents and Bad Boss tendencies, cares about his old boss enough to try to repay him by getting their dying Yakuza syndicate back to power no matter what he has to do. According to the trope description:
A Sociopath is physiologically incapable of experiencing a deep emotional attachment towards others but - being a Consummate Liar - learns early in life how to fake them. This shallow emotional life means that the Sociopath is unable to form sincere long-term relationships with anything or anyone, but will feign feelings of love and affection if they feel it serves their purposes. Most of the true feelings a sociopath harbors towards others, positive or negative, are rooted in an insatiable desire to dominate or control them. While narcissists desire to be loved or at least respected, sociopaths don't care whether others view them positively as long as they don't stand in the way of their own self-centered gratification. In the rare event that a Sociopath actually does form an "attachment" to another person, it rises no further than that between an owner and a possession and/or a valuable resource for advancing their goals. Thus, once such "friends" cease to be useful or entertaining, they will abandon them or, in some cases, even kill them without any hesitation or regret. Any emotional reaction to having committed a heinous act is met indifference at best and glee at worst.

[...]

One important thing to note is that even family members and long-term 'friends' are not excused from these behaviors. Even their own children mean nothing to the Sociopath. They too are tools to be used and tossed aside as soon as they reflect poorly on the sociopath or get in their way. If a character cares about anybody other than themselves; if they can hesitate, they may be terrifyingly, murderously ambitious, but they have empathy for others, and by extension they are not a sociopath.

With that in mind, I'd say that Akio Ohtori from Revolutionary Girl Utena truly counts because he's an abusive, Faux Affably Evil, manipulative, sadistic, selfish, and womanizing Bitch in Sheep's Clothing with an utter Lack of Empathy who blames other people for his own actions. Thoughts?

Edited by IukaSylvie on Aug 1st 2019 at 6:43:42 PM

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,
#9378: Jul 31st 2019 at 8:37:05 AM

VannaWhite just sent me a rather rude PM for removing Lapis and Jasper's Fusion Dance from Heartwarming.Steven Universe per this thread, accusing me of having anti-shipping goggles "welded to [my] face".

Keet cleanup
WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#9379: Jul 31st 2019 at 8:44:50 AM

[up]I tnink a mod would handle that.

AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#9380: Jul 31st 2019 at 9:01:04 AM

[up][up] Um... you arent supposed to remove anything from the moments pages.

EDIT:HOLY MOLY! That moment was bad.

Edited by AegisP on Jul 31st 2019 at 9:02:35 AM

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#9381: Jul 31st 2019 at 9:03:46 AM

[up]You can removed moments examples. I remember My Hero Academia's getting its example purge because it was more this person did that. Also, the Jasper and Lapis example treated a moment that isn't heartwarming since the fusion was done out of rage and self pity.

dsneybuf (Not-So-Newbie)
#9382: Jul 31st 2019 at 9:35:28 AM

On AndTheFandomRejoiced.Marvel Cinematic Universe, does it feel too early to call the ties between Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and WandaVision cause for joy? I think those ties might raise the possibility of Multiverse of Madness alienating moviegoers who either can't afford Disney+, don't want Disney+, or feel disinterested in WandaVision. (That last class could grow especially large if WandaVision ends up getting poor reviews and/or not that many hits.)

pikachu17 He-Who-Must-Be-Named from Somewhere Over the Rainbow Since: May, 2017 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
He-Who-Must-Be-Named
#9383: Jul 31st 2019 at 10:31:46 AM

^^^^^ Posted by Vanna White on Steven Universe E to M. under Fan Disservice

Lapis and Jasper's Fusion Dance in "Jailbreak". It's a short, pretty ballet-esque routine, but Jasper's Slasher Smile and Lapis's passiveness throughout the whole thing make it very creepy. Can be Fanservice to some people, including Lapis/Jasper shippers and Yuri Fans.

Should that bolded part be removed?

Edited by pikachu17 on Jul 31st 2019 at 10:37:23 AM

17 pikachus all in a row.
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,
#9384: Jul 31st 2019 at 11:12:37 AM

[up]Yes, definitely. VannaWhite sent me a one-sentence reply, and I told them to take it to this thread. Should I report them on Ask the Tropers, or wait to see if they post here? I read you shouldn't repost entire PMs; can mods see them?

Keet cleanup
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#9385: Jul 31st 2019 at 11:18:26 AM

For the record, moments can be removed, we even have entire Cleanup Threads dedicated to cleaning Moments pages. (One big one for Nightmare Fuel and a smaller one for all other Moments pages).

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
VannaWhite Little Leafy Loo-Loo from Yoyleland Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Brony
Little Leafy Loo-Loo
#9386: Jul 31st 2019 at 11:36:58 AM

Please accept that I'm a Lapis/Jasper shipper. I think that their dance looked romantic, and after all, Lapis did agree to fuse. She just regretted it after the fact. Also remember that she said "I miss her" about Jasper in Alone at Sea.

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#9387: Jul 31st 2019 at 11:42:50 AM

[up]There was no way that scenario was considered heartwarming since that fusion happened while Jasper wanted to kill the Crystal Gems and the fact Jasper forcefully grabbed Lapis as she tried to escape.

VannaWhite Little Leafy Loo-Loo from Yoyleland Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Brony
Little Leafy Loo-Loo
#9388: Jul 31st 2019 at 11:44:32 AM

How do you know she wasn’t trying to escape from the Crystal Gems that trapped her in a fluffing mirror? At least Jasper never did that.

VannaWhite Little Leafy Loo-Loo from Yoyleland Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Brony
Little Leafy Loo-Loo
#9389: Jul 31st 2019 at 11:45:02 AM

Well, left her in a mirror anyway. [up]

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#9390: Jul 31st 2019 at 11:47:44 AM

This is getting into the realm of speculation, which isn't really wanted on Moment's pages. They're supposed to be about what happens, objectively, in the work, not what may have been happening if you think about it for a while.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
VannaWhite Little Leafy Loo-Loo from Yoyleland Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Brony
Little Leafy Loo-Loo
#9391: Jul 31st 2019 at 11:49:01 AM

All right then. Shouldn’t have let my Shipping Goggles get in the way of information. Though I do still object to the dance being considered Fan Disservice. It’s honestly biased either way.

Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#9392: Jul 31st 2019 at 12:11:06 PM

Going off the description of Fan Disservice, I wouldn't call it an example of that. Fan Disservice is like subverted Fanservice, Fanservice made unsexy, but the moment has to have an element that, in another context, would be fanservice.

A fusion dance can have fanservice elements to it, but a fusion dance is not inherently fanservice. Imagine the dance with another pair of characters, who don't have an adversarial relationship. Would it be an example of fanservice? If not, then it can't be fan disservice either.

Malady (X-Troper)
#9393: Jul 31st 2019 at 3:14:13 PM

Just removed this from Start Screen since at least some of it is talking about Evolving Title Screen, but anything that could be salvaged?

  • Valve games (on PC anyway) have a 'load your game or access the options' screen that changes depending on where you saved last.
    • Oddly enough, almost all Source-based multiplayer FPS's have near-identical title screens (the exception to this being Team Fortress 2). The only thing that varies is the image in the background and the font of the menu text. The escape-key menu is this same menu with a few extra options and your current view in-game instead of a background image. Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 both seem to be the only games close to an exception so far, but even then they're still somewhat similar.

...

Also, this doesn't seem like an example either? ... OH, it even calls itself an Aversion.

Is it Automatic New Game? Or something else?

  • Averted in Wii Fit, which boots directly into the Wii Fit Plaza (where the players' Miis can be selected). If the game is booted for the first time, you instead get the Wii Balance Board introducing itself, followed by the usual procedure for adding a new player.


Oh god, that trope actually needs to be cleaned out. Maybe. There's a few Automatic New Game examples. And Evolving Title Screen.


Wait, do these even have a title / start screen? I removed, but should I add them back?

  • Braid: The game loaded directly into the gameplay, with Tim standing in shadow on a bridge underneath the emblazoned title. It's interesting to speculate how many players sat there for a good long while before realizing that A) there wasn't going to be a Press Start prompt or menu, and B) they could move.
  • In Psychonauts it's actually a level in itself, though a more generic in game menu is available as well.


Lastly, what kind of game is VideoGame.Pokemon Stadium, since I need to sort the games for Evolving Title Screen.

Edited by Malady on Jul 31st 2019 at 3:32:08 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
#9394: Jul 31st 2019 at 5:42:30 PM

From YMMV.Digimon Adventure:

According to the trope description, it refers to when the audience is "presented with a choice between supporting one of two equally horrible groups or hoping for one of two equally despairing outcomes." In the case of Digimon, the show has very clear protagonists and antagonists and ultimately ends on a happy note, so I'm not sure this applies.

Edited by costanton11 on Jul 31st 2019 at 8:34:16 AM

Bootlebat Since: Dec, 2012
#9395: Jul 31st 2019 at 6:23:20 PM

So I'm thinking of adding the Windrunner sisters from Warcraft to Nice, Mean, and In-Between. Sylvanas would be the mean obviously but I'm not sure about the other two or if the trope even applies here. Any suggestions?

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#9396: Jul 31st 2019 at 6:54:28 PM

[up][up]Yeah, that alwa3get misused.

Yinyang107 from the True North (Decatroper) Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
#9397: Jul 31st 2019 at 9:06:46 PM

[up][up] if which sister fits which part of the trope isn't obvious to you (who I assume is familiar with them), then it's probably not an example at all.

Primis Since: Nov, 2010
#9398: Aug 1st 2019 at 11:23:22 AM

Found this on YMMV.The Hobbit Film Trilogy:

I find this extremely difficult to believe. The Lord of the Rings is one of the most popular and influential books of all time, and while sure, The Hobbit isn't as popular as LOTR, if you've read LOTR you're probably at least aware that it exists, especially since the two are often bundled together.

Not to mention that the biggest criticism against the film trilogy was its Adaptation Expansion, something that should've been impossible if most people didn't know it was a book originally.

Edited by Primis on Aug 1st 2019 at 11:29:04 AM

HighCrate Since: Mar, 2015
#9399: Aug 1st 2019 at 11:59:56 AM

Also, The Hobbit is a much quicker / easier read than LotR. While AFAIK LotR is the bigger seller, I would be not at all surprised if more people have actually read The Hobbit.

dragonfire5000 from Where gods fear to tread Since: Jan, 2001
#9400: Aug 1st 2019 at 2:34:59 PM

I have a question about this Monster Hunter entry in Draconic Abomination:

Special mention should goes to the Fatalis. While looking like a fairly standard western dragon — unlike the more exotic Elder Dragons that were introduced later in the series — in lore it's stated that it single-handedly destroyed an entire kingdom by itself, and even other Elder Dragons are afraid of it. The White Fatalis, also called Old Fatalis due to its implied Time Abyss age and the "beard" that grows under its chin, is even worse, replacing the fire breath of the regular Fatalis with blue lightning and having a constant eclipse covering the arena as you fight it.

My concern is that the Fatalis does not look like an abomination. Sure, it's stated to be incredibly powerful, but surface-wise it looks like an ordinary dragon. According to the trope description:

This is for dragons that are otherworldly horrors with features that "normal" dragons don't possess — i.e. multiple eyes, multiple mouths, multiple heads, multiple wings, multiple tails, tentacles, regenerative abilities that make them virtually or completely immortal, etc — and otherworldly horrors that appear as dragons because that's the closest our puny brains can come to perceiving them.

With that in mind, I doubt the Fatalis counts because it really does look like an ordinary dragon. For reference, you can see what the Fatalis looks like on the Monster Hunter wiki.

"I squirm, I struggle, ergo I am. Faced with death, I am finally, truly alive."

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