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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

PurpleEyedGuma Since: Apr, 2020
#12826: Sep 9th 2020 at 9:15:22 AM

I thought Lethal Joke Characters were separated from Joke Characters by being mechanically good.

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
#12827: Sep 9th 2020 at 9:50:21 AM

I never did get an answer to my question about the Platinum Angel/Abyssal Persecutor situation. Can ~Spark 9 or anyone who knows Magic: The Gathering confirm or deny the existence of a rule forcing the game to end in that state (and therefore it's technically not Unwinnable by Insanity)? If so, I think it would be a candidate for Obvious Rule Patch.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
Serac she/her (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
she/her
#12828: Sep 9th 2020 at 10:08:18 AM

The relevant rule, Rule 104.4b, states "If a game that's not using the limited range of influence option (including a two-player game) somehow enters a 'loop' of mandatory actions, repeating a sequence of events with no way to stop, the game is a draw. Loops that contain an optional action don't result in a draw." I'm not a judge, but I think the intention with the "optional action" part is things like Curiosity that say, for example, "Whenever enchanted creature deals damage to an opponent, you may draw a card." Loops with Curiosity typically involve putting it on a creature that says "Whenever you draw a card, this creature deals 1 damage to any target." Thus, you are allowed to stop the loop at any point by choosing to not draw a card off of the Curiosity trigger.

With that whole scenario, even though the person who's controlling the Angel and Persecutor technically has an optional action they can take (choosing whether to attack or not), this action won't break the loop. I would argue that the game ends in a draw once this happens.

Edited by Serac on Sep 9th 2020 at 12:08:49 PM

Bubblepig Steve from Minecraft (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#12829: Sep 9th 2020 at 12:41:59 PM

Since no one went to Wham cleanup. I just post here since I think it also count as "is this a example?". Ok so in Wham Shot film page I found some examples that I think doesn't count as Wham Shot. For some examples:

(shot of Mowgli standing before a truly massive snake) Kaa: And trusssssst...in me.
  • The trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) shows a brief scene depicting Burning Godzilla.
  • The 1968 cowboy western Shalako opens a scene with a bunch of cowboys loudly and raucously whooping and making noises at a cougar to scare and drive it off, then cuts to, of all people, Brigitte Bardot!! dressed in fancy, European hunting clothes and a silk top-hat and wielding a rifle, which she fires and kills the cougar.
  • Jesus Christ, it's Henry Fonda!
Do you think some of them count as Wham Shot or not?

Edited by Bubblepig on Sep 9th 2020 at 12:42:32 PM

"CHICKEN JOCKEY!"
Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#12830: Sep 9th 2020 at 2:33:07 PM

Is this example being used correctly, seeing how the film did flop:

  • And You Thought It Would Fail: A sequel to the legendary Blade Runner has long been considered a bad idea by fans of the film. The fact that said sequel was in Development Hell for so long certainly didn't help matters, but there was still confidence in the project here and there given Denis Villeneuve's great (and still growing) reputation as a filmmaker. The film reached 88% on Rotten Tomatoes (compared to the 90% of the original) and scored 81 on Metacritic (89 for the original), and eventually won two Oscars for Cinematography and Visual Effects. Definitely not bad for a sequel that had a lot riding on it. However, this is somewhat mitigated by the fact that, like the original and despite its success with critics and fans, the film had a less than stellar box office performance, especially when compared to its budget ($150 million).

Malady (X-Troper)
#12831: Sep 9th 2020 at 4:52:01 PM

Quite sure that Definite Article Title and other Title Tropes are for the names of works only, so these don't count:

But do we have a trope about game segmentation?

[down] - Thanks!

Edited by Malady on Sep 9th 2020 at 5:18:47 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Vilui Since: May, 2009
#12832: Sep 9th 2020 at 5:17:20 PM

Idiosyncratic Episode Naming covers cases where all the chapters of a work follow a pattern.

MrMediaGuy2 Since: Jun, 2015
#12833: Sep 9th 2020 at 5:54:45 PM

So, I'm a little confused at these examples from the YMMV page for the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episode "Winter Wrap-Up".

  • Awesome Music: "Winter Wrap-Up." The beautiful music (especially that acoustic guitar and mandolin) and bittersweet "out with the old, in with the new" lyrics make it one of the most emotional songs in the whole show.
  • Tear Jerker: The title song, not only Twilight's melancholy verses about feeling left out but also happy tears at the almost spiritual concept of re-welcoming Spring, doing away with the old and welcoming the new.

The examples make it seem like the song is melancholy and emotional, but if you listen to it here, it's pretty upbeat and cheery for the most part, even if there's a few low-key parts.

Bootlebat Since: Dec, 2012
#12834: Sep 9th 2020 at 10:04:31 PM

Never got an answer about the difference between Mr. Vice Guy and Jerk with a Heart of Gold. I think the first is mostly a Nice Guy with a major flaw, and the latter is mostly a Jerkass who is sometimes nice.

Edited by Bootlebat on Sep 9th 2020 at 10:04:45 AM

antenna_ears from California Since: Apr, 2020 Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
#12835: Sep 9th 2020 at 10:13:14 PM

[up] Yeah, basically. You can count on a Jerk with a Heart of Gold to be good when push comes to shove. The JWHG has pet the dog moments to establish that they're not a complete jerkass.

Lermis Purposefully Untitled from Out of touch with reality Since: Nov, 2018 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Purposefully Untitled
#12836: Sep 9th 2020 at 11:41:38 PM

Hey guys, I just found this example:

  • Cast from Hit Points: He figures out how to transform memories into MP, which gives him a functionally limitless supply since even the taste of a particular drink is enough to max out his gauge.

I'm pretty sure that Cast from Hit Points is NOT the correct trope for this, because the example (memories to MP) has nothing to do with hit points (which is another value in the setting). What would be more appropriate?

Edited by Lermis on Sep 10th 2020 at 10:33:07 PM

SpaceBattles.com fanworks (now oficial) index in my Sandbox.
Spark9 Since: Nov, 2010
#12837: Sep 10th 2020 at 1:00:55 AM

~wingedcatgirl I suppose that answers your question? I agree that "if the game would last forever, it's considered a draw" is an obvious rule patch, too.

Spark9 Since: Nov, 2010
#12838: Sep 10th 2020 at 1:01:32 AM

[up][up] That example appears to be "Cast Indefinitely For Free", whereas the trope is "Cast from a finite resource other than magic points".

Lermis Purposefully Untitled from Out of touch with reality Since: Nov, 2018 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
Purposefully Untitled
#12839: Sep 10th 2020 at 3:12:09 AM

[up]I thought that Cast from Hit Points was specifically about - well, Hit Points. Which can be regenerated, so it's not necessarily a finite source. I think the "memory" aspect of the example is too important to ignore, somehow.

SpaceBattles.com fanworks (now oficial) index in my Sandbox.
Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#12840: Sep 10th 2020 at 7:01:29 AM

Do the following examples from Blade Runner 2049 look like they have enough context?:

  • Cult Classic: Like the original film itself, it already has a dedicated following.
  • Even Better Sequel: Some critics came to the extent to consider this movie as even better than the original. Opinion among ordinary moviegoers is decidedly more mixed.

And from the same work, given that this looks like a deliberate example shouldn't it go under Fan Disservice:

  • Fetish Retardant: The ad campaign version of Joi, despite still being played by a gorgeous and nude Ana de Armas, has overtones of this. She shows up shortly after K's version of Joi dies, and clumsily flirts with K. Her dialogue's peppered with hints that K's Joi was just a really lifelike program, and not actually in love with him, to depress both K and the audience.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#12841: Sep 10th 2020 at 7:02:38 AM

I don’t see how we can judge something to be a Cult Classic a year after its release.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#12842: Sep 10th 2020 at 7:06:45 AM

[up]Technically, it's been almost 3 years since it's release.

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#12843: Sep 10th 2020 at 7:12:30 AM

Still too young.

Edited by WhirlRX on Sep 10th 2020 at 10:49:26 AM

joanofdirt from Reactor 4 Since: May, 2020
#12844: Sep 10th 2020 at 7:31:48 AM

Hi~ Is Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster an example of Short Title: Long, Elaborate Subtitle, or is the subtitle too short?

Vilui Since: May, 2009
#12846: Sep 10th 2020 at 9:58:38 AM

From the Even Better Sequel page: "the Even Better Sequel, which are largely (if not unanimously) thought to top the already-good original". So it's not worth mentioning if it's just a few critics who thought so. If opinion was divided, there are better tropes available for saying so.

Bubblepig Steve from Minecraft (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#12847: Sep 10th 2020 at 11:14:25 AM

Can someone please check on my post here? I'm been waiting for long time. Thank you.

"CHICKEN JOCKEY!"
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#12848: Sep 10th 2020 at 11:45:05 AM

[up] This one? That last one is a ZCE. And the second last one doesn't seem like an example. Not sure about the other two.

Bubblepig Steve from Minecraft (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#12849: Sep 10th 2020 at 12:36:17 PM

[up]Well for me I don't think the first two belongs to here because it's from a trailer. Well I'm going to remove the last two.

Edited by Bubblepig on Sep 10th 2020 at 12:53:05 PM

"CHICKEN JOCKEY!"
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#12850: Sep 10th 2020 at 1:35:51 PM

I don't think trailer material counts as Wham Shot. It's advertising, it's supposed to make you wanna watch the film, so shock helps in that regard. Something is only a Wham Shot if it alters the story.


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