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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

Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
BoltDMC Since: May, 2020
#14852: Feb 26th 2021 at 7:30:56 PM

I'll message the troper and remove the example.

Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
#14853: Feb 26th 2021 at 11:05:59 PM

After seeing a Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist example removed I question this example:

  • Starlight Glimmer from My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. In "The Cutie Map – Part 1" and "Part 2", she rules over a town where she collects the villagers' Cutie Marks, which removes their individual special talents — sometimes taking them forcefully, then brainwashing the ponies into accepting their place in her kid-friendly Harrison Bergeron cult. Ostensibly, Starlight does this because she believes true friendship can only come through perfect equality, which in turn is only possible when everyone is equally (in)competent. But she retains her own considerable talent for magic, suggesting that she's really more interested in power than in equality. When called out on this hypocrisy, Starlight claims that it was necessary, because her own magic is needed to equalize everyone else. It's debatable whether she actually believes this, or is just covering her ass. And then Starlight reveals her past in "The Cutie Re-Mark – Part 2'': she was heartbroken when her childhood friend, Sunburst, earned his Cutie Mark and moved away to pursue his special talent in magic, leaving Starlight behind as a result. Because of that, she blamed Cutie Marks for what happened between her and Sunburst and became a cult leader just to ensure that any other friends she made would never be taken away by their Cutie Marks and leave her behind again. She possibly straddles the line between this trope and Well-Intentioned Extremist, depending on how much she believes her own lies — a point the show is ambiguous about.

I'm fairly sure she was supposed to genuinely well-intentioned, the issues being weak writing as opposed to intent, for the following:

  • She's genuinely remorseful and becomes The Atoner after seeing the consequences of her actions and learning a better way. A NSWIE would be too selfish to ever accept such.
  • "Re-Mark" shows Starlight sincerely believed her rhetoric.
  • She's Easily Forgiven by said village which wouldn't have happened if she were meant to be as unsympathetic as NSWID is meant to imply.
  • "She possibly straddles the line" sounds like Weasel Words.

This sounds more like Secretly Selfish which I believe is different from NSWIE in that the character is still presented sympathetically.

I'm also asking MLP cleanup, but am asking here to as general question about how to separate genuine Well-Intentioned Extremist going too far and losing sight of their goals from Not-So in the event of ambiguity. Many WIE are shown as fully in the wrong despite their intent like Starlight so that doesn't seem enough to make a NSWIE.

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#14854: Feb 27th 2021 at 8:05:21 AM

This is listed on Film.Promising Young Woman and a similar entry (with a Word of God citation that it was intentional) is on Trivia.Promising Young Woman under Playing with Character Type:

  • Casting Gag: Most of the younger male actors in the film — Bo Burnham, Adam Brody, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chris Lowell and Max Greenfield — have made careers out of playing affable and slightly goofy (actually) nice guys. The film flips it by casting them as guys who turn out to not be as nice as they think they are.

Is it more appropriate as Casting Gag or Playing with Character Type? Is it an example of both?

Edited by Synchronicity on Feb 27th 2021 at 10:06:24 AM

themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#14856: Feb 27th 2021 at 8:35:54 AM

By latter do you mean leave it as Playing with Character Type? Or keep it on both?

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#14857: Feb 27th 2021 at 8:39:31 AM

I've got a "spirit of the trope but not the letter" situation. Specifically, a possible example for Unfinished Business I want to vet. It doesn't involve ghosts, as the trope is described, but it otherwise seems to follow the same idea, so I wanted an opinion on if the trope was flexible enough for this:

  • Granny Girl Hinata-chan: Hinata, a little girl who remembers her past life as a grandma, has never given a great deal of thought as to why she and Sakuya retain their Past-Life Memories; Sakuya has and theorizes it's because of unresolved issues from their past life and that dealing with them will cut their ties to their old lives. For this reason, when Sakuya is provided the opportunity to resolve her unfinished business once and for all, she tells Hinata "good-bye" in a way that suggests they won't see each other again. A week later, Sakuya has cut her hair short and, when Hinata speaks to her, shows no recollection of what she had done the last time they were together nor any sign that she remembers her past life any longer. Hinata realizes that, with her old business finished, her friend has now fully become first grader Sakuya and Hinata is left wondering what will happen when her own lingering ties vanish.

Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#14858: Feb 27th 2021 at 9:34:11 AM

Are the following examples from War On Everyone being used correctly?:

  • The Alcoholic: Terry Monroe spends most of the movie with his BAC well above the legal limit. He's also usually the driver...
  • Cool Car: Terry's 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo, whose all-steel body is substantially more durable than newer vehicles.
    Terry: I love this car, man! It's fuckin' indestructible!
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Terry implies that he had an unpleasant childhood when he's getting roughed up by Mangan's goons: "You gonna beat me some more? You gonna cut me? You gonna rape me? Ain't nothin' you can do to me ain't already been done."

GrigorII Since: Aug, 2011
#14859: Feb 27th 2021 at 12:17:36 PM

(repost) Blob, from Ultimate X-Men, killed the Wasp. When his lover Henry Pym discovers that, he immediately kills him. Does it count as Hoist by His Own Petard?

Ultimate Secret Wars
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#14860: Feb 27th 2021 at 12:23:51 PM

I don't think so. If it did then any revenge killing, ever, would count. If the Blob's actions were intended to provoke a reaction out of Pym and its precisely because of that reaction Blob dies, then it might count.

For example, if the killing was meant to drive him into despair and that very despair removed any qualms about killing. If it's just "my name is Hank Pym, you killed my Wasp. Prepare to die.", that's not a Hoist.

Edited by sgamer82 on Feb 27th 2021 at 12:26:39 PM

fishysaur Good for nothing Since: May, 2018
Good for nothing
#14861: Feb 27th 2021 at 12:34:17 PM

There's a debate for this trope

  • Uncertain Doom: Her and the orphans' final fates are never explicitly confirmed, only told through the reactions of others. It's implied that Linlin ate them all, judging by the circumstances, bystander reactions, and Big Mom's unexplained inheritance of Carmel's powers right after she disappeared. Given the horrific and graphic nature of that implication, it's unlikely that it'll ever be shown in detail. Complicating matters is that Oda went on record in volume 16's SBS that eating Luffy would not grant someone his powers. An inconsistency, or a hint that not all is as it seems?

I don't think it applies because the character is 100% dead since Linlin has the same power of Mother Carmel note . The troper who keep readding says that it's the matter of the death that is mysterious, but even that it's pretty clear: Linlin, at six years old, was a very big and voracious, but benelovent child. On her sixth birthday, Mother Carmel and the other orphan made a special food (it was a kind of sweet, don't remember the name) for Linlin. The little girl proceeds to devour the delicious food and goes into an eating craze, during which she devours everything next to her without realizing. When she stops, the food is gone, as well as the other orphans and Mother carmel, while the table is half-eaten, basically, it is heavily implied Linlin has accidentally eaten everyone, but is not shown because it would be too graphic for a series aimed at young teens, while the shocked/disgusted reactions of a couple of passing people seems to futher confirm it. Shortly after, Linlin finds out to have Mother Carmel's power, implying that she gained it by eating her.

The last part of the entry goes into speculation, as Oda said that, if someone eat Luffy he wouldn't gaining this power, as a way to say that Mother Carmel wasn't eaten by linlin, because Linlin couldn't have gained it by eating her, so it seems Mother Carmel's way of death is unknown, and is the reason the other troper keep readding it. However, there are two counter points to this:

  • Mother Carmel would've died, her power would've been transmitted to a close fruit and Linlin would've eaten the fruit basically shortly after Linlin ate her sweets, which seems pretty unlikely and contrived
  • said SBS is from volume 16, while the events listed in the trope are from volume 86, which was published 17 years later, so it's possible the author didn't remember that SBS from volume 16 or simply retconned it

What do you think? Is it an example or not?

There isn't an impossible dream, there are only people who give up
themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
#14863: Feb 27th 2021 at 1:38:10 PM

[nja]

Edited by Ferot_Dreadnaught on Feb 27th 2021 at 1:38:32 AM

Lord-Jaric Since: Feb, 2015
#14864: Feb 27th 2021 at 2:24:36 PM

Would this count as Limited-Use Magical Device?

A device that has stored magical energy over many lifetimes having just used up most of that energy in a single attack but it still has some energy but is unlikely capable to use such a grand attack again within the shows time frame.

MasterHero Since: Aug, 2014
#14865: Feb 27th 2021 at 3:15:43 PM

The YMMV pages of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Superman & Lois share the same Harsher in Hindsight entry, which reads:

"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice saw Martha Kent (who infamously became the subject of the movie's most infamous moment) unable to say goodbye to her son thanks to him being killed by Doomsday, left to grieve with only the support of Lois Lane and left in deep financial troubles afterwards. Superman and Lois tragically reverses the roles, as she dies from a stroke before Clark is able to say goodbye, leaving him grieving with the support of Lois and his twin boys as he takes on a deep financial struggle in the aftermath of her funeral."

I have to ask, is this valid?

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#14866: Feb 27th 2021 at 3:56:16 PM

[up]Not HIH. Its just tragic situation.

Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#14867: Feb 27th 2021 at 10:49:49 PM

Can Duo Tropes apply to more than two people? e.g. using a Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling when there are three siblings, or having a single character form a Red Oni, Blue Oni dynamic with more than one other person (e.g. a Hot-Blooded character has a more serious sibling, and later gets a Love Interest who is similarly serious).

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#14868: Feb 27th 2021 at 10:50:06 PM

Doing some cleanup for Characters.Friday Night Funkin and need help with some example validity:

In The Girlfriend's folder:

  • Ms. Fanservice: Long brown hair, red dress and high heels like Jessica Rabbit, curvaceous figure... let's just say The Boyfriend hooked up with her for more than just her personality.

In the Girfriend's Parents' folder:

  • Silver Fox (the Dad): He shows his age better compared to the Mom, but by no means is he depicted as unattractive.
  • Ambiguously Evil (the Mom): Earlier updates had it somewhat unclear how evil she was, specifically how bad she is compared to The Father. While Week 5 showed she is obviously not a good person by having zero qualms about her husband threatening a mall Santa, she otherwise wasn't described or displayed as sharing his sense of Disproportionate Retribution about dating her daughter. The ambiguity was clarified for the most part with the Week 6 update that introduced week titles, as hers being called "Mommy Must Murder" makes it obvious she's just as much of a Knight Templar Parent as her husband.

In Skid and Pump's folder:

  • Ambiguous Situation: When they were initially added to the game, nobody knew exactly why they're rapping against you. Maybe they're just celebrating Spooky Month. Or maybe they do legitimately want to get with The Girlfriend. Phantom Arcade briefly elaborated in one of his stream about how they came to challenge the Boyfriend; As it turns out, during Halloween they stop for trick and treating in the Girlfriend's house and ask her to be the treat. Why? The Monster attempted to trick the duo into capturing the Girlfriend and delivering her to them as his "treat" before he personally steps in to challenge the Boyfriend (which was ultimately Dummied Out).
  • Dem Bones: Skid's seen almost exclusively in a skeleton costume.
  • Dissonant Serenity: On the health bar at the bottom, Pump will frown with X's in his eyes when The Boyfriend is winning. Skid will also have X's in his eyes, but his icon still shows him smiling.
  • Hyperactive Sprite: Like everyone else, but they just don't stop dancing unless it's their turn to rap.
  • Pumpkin Person: Pump wears a pumpkin on his head as part of his costume; it's his usual attire all year round.

In The Senpai's folder:

  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: His rude behavior during "Roses" is the result of his programming being unable to handle loosing to the Boyfriend and not being the center of attention.
    Phantom Arcade: As a character who's just made to be in a game where you just get loved[...] all of a sudden just not being loved and loosing and not being perfect... it doesn't jive with him.
  • Loving a Shadow: Phantom Arcade equates his love for the Girlfriend to how a Love Interest of a protagonist loves the player: by proxy, simply because they are playing as the character they actually love.
  • Uncertain Doom: The cutscene for "Thorns" has him convulsing uncontrollably and clutching at himself before the Spirit bursts out of his face. He then disappears for third song, and the name of the audio file for the groaning noises he makes during this sequence indicate he legitimately did die. However, his status as an In-Universe video game character means restarting/reloading the save file or even selecting a new one would bring him back to life — the matter would then fall on if the Girlfriend would want to do that after what they just went through.

In The Spirit's folder (spoilers, marked here but not on the page itself):

  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Exploited: The game not knowing how to handle the Boyfriend winning against the Senpai weakens his bonds, allowing him to break free and fight the Boyfriend.
  • Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: While his prison is the game itself, he was chained to the Senpai specifically, and him breaking free involved the Senpai in turn painfully dying.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
DayBreakChannel Since: May, 2019
#14869: Feb 27th 2021 at 11:03:26 PM

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/GenreKiller/Film

"Titanic's success itself created a very specific epic romance subgenre of "big-budget love story used to chronicle a historical disaster", which was followed by the first imitator in Pearl Harbor sending it six feet under. A belated imitator that arrived some years later, Pompeii, only confirmed that it wasn't coming back."

I... really do not think this counts

Even the example itself states that the genre was dead before it could begin, so honestly, there was no genre in the first place

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#14870: Feb 27th 2021 at 11:07:49 PM

[up] ???

Cut that, please.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#14871: Feb 28th 2021 at 12:18:34 AM

[up][up][up][up]Pretty sure a character can be part of multiple duos to highlight the contrast in various ways, so I'd say yes to that, but I'm unsure about what happens when it's not a duo. If multiple members serve as one unit a la The Dividual to contrast against the other person, maybe? I know I listed an instance of Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl under Total Trauma that referred to one person's relationship with two people because the dynamic was clearly there, and even lampshaded, but it was a threesome rather than a couple. (It was also three guys but I don't think the gender dynamic of the trope is set in stone.)

[up][up] That's more just a failed case of Follow the Leader.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#14872: Feb 28th 2021 at 1:06:10 AM

[up][up][up][up] No to Ms. Fanservice (too goofy chibi-looking), Silver Fox ("not unattractive" =/= attractive), and Dem Bones ("skeleton costume" is not the trope).

Vandagyre I think I just got AC team loyalty from Dacardia (Fifth Year at Tropey's) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
I think I just got AC team loyalty
#14873: Feb 28th 2021 at 5:03:43 PM

Many Pokemon anime characters have Elemental Powers listed as a character trope when said powers belong to the type of Pokémon they specialize in, with additional tropes related to the types of moves their Pokémon use being listed in sub-bullets. Are either of these aspects proper usage of Elemental Powers?

Cave Johnson, we're done here.
Libraryseraph uu~ from Canada (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Raising My Lily Rank With You
uu~
#14874: Feb 28th 2021 at 6:18:03 PM

[up]I'd say no. They don't have those powers themselves. For gym leaders who are very characterized by their type of choice you might be able to justify the subtype (Playing with Fire for a fire leader, etc) but even that'd be a stretch

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOR MARIA
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#14875: Feb 28th 2021 at 6:24:20 PM

I have been musing on that myself. Perhaps type specialists are closer to Elemental Motifs? But “commanding Pokemon” functionally *is* a power within the games...

Either way, the examples that are like “Alice has one Pokemon that knows Bubble” should go.

Edited by Synchronicity on Feb 28th 2021 at 8:24:29 AM


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