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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

Malady (X-Troper)
#12076: Jun 25th 2020 at 12:15:52 PM

How to rewrite the "recent"-ness of "so far"?

Unfortunate Implications - Advertising:

  • Complaints were brought against a 2012 campaign in Atlanta, GA that used such slogans as "It's hard to be a little girl if you're not." Childhood obesity is a genuine problem in the U.S., but so far it seems to be an impossible one to sensitively address.

Edited by Malady on Jun 25th 2020 at 12:17:56 PM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
PlasmaPower Piece of Cake. Since: Jan, 2015
Piece of Cake.
#12077: Jun 25th 2020 at 12:22:36 PM

[up] It's also kind of a ZCE. It doesn't really explain how it's offensive.

Thomas fans needed! Come join me in the the show's cleanup thread!
MrMediaGuy2 Since: Jun, 2015
#12078: Jun 25th 2020 at 1:13:27 PM

So, is the SpongeBob example I mentioned valid?

jandn2014 SMILE! from somewhere in Connecticut Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Hiding
SMILE!
#12079: Jun 25th 2020 at 1:39:06 PM

[up] I’d say no. Like you said, it doesn’t fit the actual theme of the episode.

Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#12080: Jun 25th 2020 at 3:20:34 PM

Reposting from the previous four pages, so it doesn't get lost:

Is the following example from the Film section of Trivia.Artemis Fowl being used correctly as it seems closer to Detractor Nickname than Fan Nickname which I believe we don't allow because it's just an excuse for complaining:

  • Fan Nickname: Much like Percy Jackson, fans of the books refuse to associate with an In Name Only adaptation, giving the movie, and by extension the titular character, bootleg-esque nicknames, the most popular being "Apollo Bird", though "Apollo Poultry" also pops up sometimes.

And along the same lines is this example from the Film section of YMMV.Artemis Fowl being used correctly?:

nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#12081: Jun 25th 2020 at 6:12:49 PM

Re: the What Measure Is a Mook? entry from the previous page - I feel like it's a bit of a stretch. IMO, the trope really needs more than just "no sympathy".

(Also, IIRC there was a scene where "Wrong Hordak" attempted to proselytize to his fellow clones after his Mook–Face Turn, although it was played for laughs).

Malady (X-Troper)
#12082: Jun 25th 2020 at 8:27:05 PM

Easy Impersonation is not this, but some other trope, because they do look similar?

  • In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, when the Scoobies mistake the Buffybot for Buffy she gets very angry that they can not tell the difference. To be fair, the 'Bot does really look like her....until it opens its mouth, of course.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#12083: Jun 26th 2020 at 3:46:50 AM

Does Non-Human Sidekick apply if it's a humanoid character with an explicitly non-human sidekick?

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
dsneybuf (Not-So-Newbie)
#12084: Jun 26th 2020 at 5:09:57 AM

Does this look worth adding to the "Breaking Out of the Ghetto" section of Minority Show Ghetto, or should the folder only list works in which POC portray humans from Earth?

  • The Mandalorian seems like the most racially-diverse live-action Star Wars property, with plenty of POC in both the cast (headlined by Pedro Pascal in the title role) and the crew (five of the first season's eight chapters boasted nonwhite directors). Among Star Wars fans, the first season became the best-received live-action product of the Disney/Lucasfilm merger, while its warm reception among the general public turned it into an early hit for the Disney+ steaming service.

Edited by dsneybuf on Jun 26th 2020 at 8:04:23 AM

fragglelover Since: Jun, 2012
#12085: Jun 26th 2020 at 12:09:01 PM

This is on Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird

  • "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: After Big Bird is locked in a cage, he asks two kids to call Sesame Street and tell somebody where he is. Too bad he didn't think of this sooner. It's somewhat justified in that he initially thought it would only be a three hour walk, but as soon as he learned it would more likely be three weeks, he should have called somebody. Even if it's an issue of needing to stay put somewhere while waiting (over a day at least), he could have done this during the time he spent with the kids.

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#12086: Jun 26th 2020 at 12:23:08 PM

[up]I believe Big Bird is treated as a child and i dont think there were any other time he could of call them.

dragonfire5000 from Where gods fear to tread Since: Jan, 2001
#12087: Jun 26th 2020 at 5:04:39 PM

This is on The Last of Us under Abby's folder.

  • Karma Houdini: Downplayed. Whereas Ellie loses everything in her ultimately failed quest for revenge, Abby not only gets hers but walks away in the end, free to start a new life with Lev. However, Abby also loses all her closest WLF friends (some at the hands of Ellie and Tommy) and doesn't feel any better for having killed Joel.

My understanding of Karma Houdini is that it's supposed to be for when characters dodging karma completely, and this entry reads more like "The character wasn't punished enough." Is my understanding of Karma Houdini correct?

"I squirm, I struggle, ergo I am. Faced with death, I am finally, truly alive."
Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#12088: Jun 26th 2020 at 5:13:04 PM

That is correct.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
MasterHero Since: Aug, 2014
#12089: Jun 26th 2020 at 7:48:03 PM

Barry Allen has earned himself quite the lengthy entry at the comic book section of Designated Hero. It reads:

"Barry Allen, the Silver Age incarnation of the character, has largely became this upon being brought back and pushed as the main Flash.

  • Upon returning, he created the Flashpoint incident while trying to undo the meddling of his arch-enemy, Eobard Thawne/Reverse-Flash, who had altered Barry's past to give him an angstier backstory involving his mother getting murdered. However, rather than work with other heroes who are experts on this kind of thing, like Booster Gold or even his own former protege and Superior Successor Wally West (who unlike Barry, could run through time-and-space unaided and understood their powers on a much greater level), he did this by himself, resulting in a distorted Darker and Edgier timeline. While his motivations were sympathetic, the sheer idiocy of his blunder and how easily it could have been avoided, especially as he was warned prior during the Prelude to Flashpoint about what was going to happen and did it anyway.
  • When he realised what he did and undid it, the result still didn't fix his mistake, resulting in a new timeline that was still Darker and Edgier, only everyone was also Younger and Hipper on top; while Barry's life in this new timeline wasn't bad, his friends were made miserable with both marriages and people erased, including Wally West, Wally's kids, and also Jay Garrick, Jesse Chambers, and the rest of the Flash Family. Though all of this was because Executive Meddling was in play (co-publisher Dan DiDio wanted the rest of the Flash family erased due to his personal dislike of Wally West and his belief that the franchise should be simpler, as well as his preference for Darker and Edgier stories and belief that True Art Is Angsty), it essentially meant that in-universe, Barry was personally responsible for erasing his nephew and family from existence, essentially killing them, while making everyone else he knew miserable and lonely. Meanwhile, Barry in this new timeline? He was a young, happy single with a cute Adorkable girlfriend, largely beloved by his city, with nobody knowing or remembering what he did.
  • The Rebirth era didn't help with this matter, even after Wally West returns. During a team-up with Batman, he discovered Wally wasn't the only forgotten speedster when he meets Jay Garrick in the Speed Force. Rather than working tirelessly to save Jay, as you would expect a hero like Barry to do, he seemingly forgets about it to instead focus on other stuff. Then, Wally has his memory of his kids restored to him, and he calls Barry out on not even informing him about other trapped speedsters; he claims he was working with Batman to investigate it off-panel, but they were clearly not sparing much time looking into this, which could have been resolved by informing Wally, who not only wasn't busy with anything thanks to having his life erased, and also understands the Speed Force to a much greater extent than Barry and would be better suited into looking into it. Then, after the two are manipulated by Hunter Zolomon, Wally has a breakdown over the memory of his kids, so Barry sends him to a mental health facility where he never visits him, trusting instead that the facility can help him. It doesn't. Meanwhile, after sending Wally away, Barry could take this as an indication he should put more focus into finding the lost speedsters, but instead, he starts a different investigation into the "Other Forces", something he could have left up to his new ally, Commander Cold while he continued searching for Jay, Jesse, and Max. While his lack of focus on this could be chalked up to not remembering the other speedsters, it still looks callous of him to know people are suffering and to do nothing, even when told these people are his family."

Okay, I gotta ask: is this valid? I know that some people still have grievances towards Barry even after the end of Comic Book/Flashpoint and I do admit that I don't have the best knowledge on Barry's history, but this entry is so long and descriptive that it comes off as opinionated writing. What do we do with this?

Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#12090: Jun 26th 2020 at 11:39:08 PM

The Unintentionally Unsympathetic in Lilo & Stitch (2002) seems to be arguing with itself, with both bullet points listing citations from a number reviewers about why the main characters are not sympathetic, and counter arguments against their points. I'm pretty sure entries aren't supposed to be written like this, but I'm not sure how to fix this:

Edited by Adept on Jun 27th 2020 at 6:16:57 PM

dragonfire5000 from Where gods fear to tread Since: Jan, 2001
#12091: Jun 27th 2020 at 12:01:31 AM

[up][up][up]Thanks for the input. Someone else had originally added a Karma Houdini entry to Abby that I removed for that very reason, but then some other troper added the entry back (though worded differently). I've sent that troper a notifier about their misuse.

"I squirm, I struggle, ergo I am. Faced with death, I am finally, truly alive."
Merseyuser1 Since: Sep, 2011
#12092: Jun 27th 2020 at 3:38:05 AM

I added these to WesternAnimation.Cupcake And Dino General Services but would like someone to check these fit the tropes:

I especially want to make sure the last entry makes sense for this, as I'm slowly giving this a full rewrite on tropes.

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
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
#12094: Jun 27th 2020 at 7:56:16 AM

I do realize Unintentionally Unsympathetic is YMMV, but those both seem to be going out of their way to present the examples as "this blogger who said a character is unsympathetic is wrong wrong wrong and a fool!!"

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
GalacticDriftwood now @ worldwidewoomy from inkopolis Since: Jun, 2017 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
now @ worldwidewoomy
#12095: Jun 27th 2020 at 10:35:17 AM

Hey! Was told to come here from an ATT post I made so I’m copying my stuff from that.

So I want to add an example for Self-Destruct Mechanism from a You Tube series I’m really into at the moment, and I just want to make sure it’s a-okay before adding it.

The Final Minutes - Zombie Plague: The Path’s compound locations are fitted with a Magno Loop, an underground ring that acts as the compounds’ defense system. It’s also fitted with Complete Destruction mode, which causes the loop to cycle through all of its defense modes before detonating and vaporizing anything in a 25 kilometer radius.

Here’s the part that the info comes from, the self destruct mode gets more detail at the 37:13 mark. Fair warning, though- the video is LONG.

Does this look good?

Edited by GalacticDriftwood on Jun 27th 2020 at 10:37:33 AM

flag edit: nonbinary flag but Luigi
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
#12096: Jun 27th 2020 at 10:39:48 AM

If that's not a Self-Destruct Mechanism, I don't know what is.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
VulgarBee I AM KING OF THE BEACH!! from End of the Other Side Since: Jun, 2016 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
I AM KING OF THE BEACH!!
#12097: Jun 27th 2020 at 4:20:36 PM

Hey is this right for Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods?

  • Been There, Shaped History: As a Running Gag, Beerus off-handedly mentions having played major roles in multiple areas of the manga's backstory behind the scenes. He was the monster that sealed Elder Kai in the Z-Sword, he caused King Kai's planet to be the tiny ball we know it as, he approved Frieza's destruction of Planet Vegeta, and he caused the near-extinction of the dinosaurs on Earth.

Edited by VulgarBee on Jun 27th 2020 at 7:21:47 AM

GalacticDriftwood now @ worldwidewoomy from inkopolis Since: Jun, 2017 Relationship Status: RelationshipOutOfBoundsException: 1
now @ worldwidewoomy
#12098: Jun 27th 2020 at 5:27:04 PM

Me again. I added on a little more to my Self-Destruct Mechanism example and wanted to make sure it was given the greenlight before adding.

The Final Minutes - Zombie Plague: The Path’s compound locations are fitted with a Magno Loop, an underground ring that acts as the compounds’ defense system. It’s also fitted with Complete Destruction mode, which causes the loop to cycle through all of its defense modes before detonating and vaporizing anything in a 25 kilometer radius and even expose the Earth's mantle. This is ultimately what happens near the end, as the Tokyo Confederacy and the Commonwealth of United Territories not only reject The Path's airborne virus cure, but betray each other and start fighting.

The Path: There is no hope. Our communities are being destroyed. The Earth must be returned to the heavens. Total Destruction mode is authorized.

(Sorry if this comes off as rambly. I love the Final Minutes series so much.)

flag edit: nonbinary flag but Luigi
fragglelover Since: Jun, 2012
#12099: Jun 27th 2020 at 5:58:12 PM

This is on Inside Out:

  • Designated Hero: Joy, she is shown to be the one to make Riley happy, but she acts like she's the only one Riley needs to be functional and to stay happy only and not any other emotion can take over but her and she comes across as really selfish, but in the end, she learns she's not always the center of attention

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#12100: Jun 27th 2020 at 6:15:14 PM

[up]The film goes to show that Joy is inadvertently hurting Riley by keeping her happy.

Edited by WhirlRX on Jun 27th 2020 at 9:15:16 AM


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