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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

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#9401: Aug 1st 2019 at 3:01:20 PM

[up]Going by pictures, it doesn't look that abomination and does look like a regular dragon.

nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#9402: Aug 1st 2019 at 3:57:32 PM

That example seems like it's misusing the trope as merely "very dangerous dragon."

dragonfire5000 from Where gods fear to tread Since: Jan, 2001
#9403: Aug 1st 2019 at 4:00:20 PM

Permission to remove the example? Looks like the only Monster Hunter entry that fits is the Xeno'jiiva one, which I think can stay because Xeno'jiiva is essentially an alien dragon.

"I squirm, I struggle, ergo I am. Faced with death, I am finally, truly alive."
IukaSylvie from Kyoto, Japan Since: Oct, 2017 Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
costanton11 Since: Mar, 2016
#9405: Aug 1st 2019 at 6:03:28 PM

Any other thoughts on the Digimon example, or should I remove it?

Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
#9406: Aug 1st 2019 at 9:27:10 PM

Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome

  • Though it doesn’t happen until the end, ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagicaTheMovieRebellion'' has [[spoiler:Homura, a protagonist who'd been trying to save Madoka from dying or being turned into a witch for the entire series, literally become [[SatanicArchetype the devil]] and overthrow [[PhysicalGod Goddess Madoka]] [[{{Yandere}} to protect her forever]]]], to [[BrokenBase predictable]] [[FanonDiscontinuity reactions]].

If it takes the whole movie, the point of which was to depict the fall and reasons for it (thought it's not evident until the ending and hindsight), is it really "Sudden"? The YMMV at the end suggests it's more complaining than example.

Silverblade2 Since: Jan, 2013
#9407: Aug 2nd 2019 at 1:25:24 AM

[up] Yeah if it's not sudden, I don't think it counts thought I'm not familiar with the series.

WesternAnimation.Love Death And Robots

I'm not sure if the title is descriptive enough....

Malady (X-Troper)
#9408: Aug 3rd 2019 at 6:05:08 AM

Stone Wall doesn't count as Strength, does it? Because it's based around being good at Defense, but bad at Offense?

Balance, Speed, Strength Trio:

Edited by Malady on Aug 3rd 2019 at 6:05:22 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#9409: Aug 3rd 2019 at 8:02:53 AM

[up]If they are both have high str and def, they are more Mighty Glacier.

HighCrate Since: Mar, 2015
#9410: Aug 3rd 2019 at 8:07:08 AM

[up] Slight correction: Mighty Glacier is "very strong, but very slow." Defense doesn't really enter into it, unless it derives from strength (e.g. they're so strong that they can wear heavier armor than others).

[up][up] Balance, Speed, Strength Trio is explicitly Jack of All Stats, Fragile Speedster, Mighty Glacier, so Stone Wall would not count as "strength" for the purposes of the trope.

Edited by HighCrate on Aug 3rd 2019 at 8:11:19 AM

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#9411: Aug 3rd 2019 at 9:29:39 AM

Can Incompatible Orientation be apply to Asexuals? In BoJack Horseman, Todd is Asexual and Emily is heterosexual who is love with Todd. While Todd is willing to date, he just not interested in sex while Emily is a sexual person.

wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#9412: Aug 3rd 2019 at 11:01:10 AM

I think Incompatible Orientation would apply only if it prevents or ends the relationship, which I'm unclear about from the information you've given.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#9413: Aug 3rd 2019 at 11:28:43 AM

[up]The two did dated before and did had sex. But they ended it afterwards. At first it seems its because Todd might be gay but he was revealed to be asexual. There seems to be some feelings between the two, though it might be because its hard for them to find someone because of their preference. The problem though is Todd is fine with dating but doesn't care for sex but Emily is a very sexual individual.

Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#9414: Aug 3rd 2019 at 1:06:30 PM

Sounds like it was a relationship ender to me, so I'd say it fits.

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#9415: Aug 3rd 2019 at 1:56:32 PM

Found this on OvershadowedByControversy.Western Animation. I plan on deleting it, I just wanted to put it here for posterity.

  • "A Star Is Burns" become controversial because it was a Crossover with The Critic and Matt Groening thought it was just a way for James L. Brooks to promote another one of his shows. He even went so far as to have his name removed from the episode. episode. Despite this, it is still considered to be one of the best cartoon crossovers ever made.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#9416: Aug 3rd 2019 at 3:50:36 PM

It seems more like it explaining why it's not an example

Bootlebat Since: Dec, 2012
#9417: Aug 3rd 2019 at 4:35:42 PM

Can video game sidequests be Big-Lipped Alligator Moments? Obviously not every non-mandatory quest would count, but if a sidequest is both completely unrelated to the main plot and seems out of place would it count.

wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#9418: Aug 3rd 2019 at 6:48:03 PM

I would say there's nothing inherently disqualifying them, but since they're optional the standard of weirdness is much higher.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
Malady (X-Troper)
#9419: Aug 3rd 2019 at 7:22:04 PM

How Fragile does a Fragile Speedster have to be? The Valkyrie isn't the most fragile ship there is, but it's the Fast One

There's 3 levels of shield levels, based on multipliers. Loki has 1x, Azrael and Valkyrie have 2x, and Heimdall and Odin are 3x.

Cube Colossus:

  • Fragile Speedster: A.M.U-03 Valkyrie, which has Low Shield, High Speed, but Medium Attack.

Edited by Malady on Aug 3rd 2019 at 7:28:16 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
MrMediaGuy2 Since: Jun, 2015
#9420: Aug 3rd 2019 at 7:30:40 PM

I have problems with this example under Seasonal Rot in YMMV.My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic.

  • Season 8 is possibly the most contested season of the bunch, with the entire School of Friendship concept being criticized as a shallow attempt to change the show's dynamic, Neighsay being little more than a Straw Character, and having episodes ranging from forgettable, to some of the most hated in years ("Non-Compete Clause", "A Matter of Principals", and "Yakity-Sax" as examples). It's telling that a decent amount of fans considered "Best Gift Ever", an off-season Christmas Episode, to be the best thing MLP produced in 2018.

I've seen a lot of people saying they liked the School of Friendship concept, a lot of people thinking Chancellor Neighsay had more depth than the usual bigoted villain (since he was more naive than evil, had understandable reasons for his racist views, and later made a Heel–Face Turn), and there's a lot of well-liked episodes in that season like "Horse Play", "The Washouts", and "Sounds of Silence".

Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#9421: Aug 3rd 2019 at 7:37:03 PM

Considering how often Franchise Original Sin has been misused, can someone take a look at this example from Elizabeth Town?:

LadyErinNY Since: Sep, 2014 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
#9422: Aug 4th 2019 at 5:43:00 AM

YMMV.Duck Tales 2017

  • Narm:

    • Lena wasn't killed in the first season finale but trapped in the "Shadow Realm." It is physically impossible for the generation who groaned their way through every use of this phrase in the English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! to take that term seriously.
    • Scrooge's line to Dewey and Webby in the season 2 premiere in response to Dewey questioning why they're even friends when they keep bickering with each other, all building to him saying "You're not friends - you're FAMILY!" as though it were some big whammy. Except it's both incredibly obvious what he's going to finish with the moment he starts this dialogue, and it sounds incredibly similar to a line from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.
There is something about both of these entries that just don't feel right.

Edited by LadyErinNY on Aug 4th 2019 at 5:43:22 AM

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#9423: Aug 4th 2019 at 7:03:12 AM

Probably because neither fits the trope's first paragraph of "Narm is a moment that is supposed to be serious, but due to either over-sappiness, poor execution, excessive Melodrama, or the sheer absurdity of the situation, the drama is lost to the point of surpassing "cheesy" and becoming unintentionally funny."

The first one could work, except it has nothing to do with Ducktales itself and relies on another work entirely too qualify.

The second isn't at all, because it doesn't establish why the delivery is narmy, and reads more like Captain Obvious. Predictable =/= narm. It also relies on a separate work to qualify, if to a lesser extent than the first one.

wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#9424: Aug 4th 2019 at 7:13:31 AM

So an example on guide-dang-its from Pokémon reads something like "Wurmple evolves into either Silcoon or Cascoon, at random, based on a stat you never see called personality values". Given that you also can't influence PVs, it is essentially random but fixed, and entirely out of your hands. So since knowing this information doesn't actually help, does that disqualify it from being a Guide Dang It!?

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
razorrozar7 Migrated to Chloe Jessica! from Chloe Jessica Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Hooked on a feeling
Migrated to Chloe Jessica!
#9425: Aug 4th 2019 at 7:27:01 AM

[up]i think it still qualifies as an example. every other branched-evolution Pokémon is left to player choice, so the fact that wurmple evolves completely at random, unlike any other evolution across all the games, is itself a guide dang it because it runs counter to the established pattern.

Migrated to Chloe Jessica!

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