TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Is this an example?

Go To

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

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#16076: Jun 9th 2021 at 7:30:22 PM

I don't want to add [up][up][up][up] without getting any feedback.

Edit: pagetopper... huh.

Edited by Crossover-Enthusiast on Jun 9th 2021 at 10:30:48 AM

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
BlackFaithStar [Hiatus til March] from 🇲🇾 (UTC plus 8) (Less Newbie) Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
[Hiatus til March]
#16077: Jun 10th 2021 at 3:33:24 AM

What I thought to be an example I typed up for a TLP draft was most likely not up to the standard of that 'trope' so I was thinking this is Accidental Truth instead, but now I'm unsure if it is.

  • BoBoiBoy: When Adu Du and Probe host a talk show in an effort to defame BoBoiBoy, Probe offers viewers to share their experiences of being victims of BoBoiBoy by giving a number for them to call: 1-200-300-400. Moments later, someone does call that number, BoBoiBoy's grandfather, who was displeased with what they were saying about his grandson. Adu Du chides Probe for sharing their actual phone number.

When you're alone I'm reaching out to let you know that you're far from strangers, like the savior
Merseyuser1 Since: Sep, 2011
#16078: Jun 10th 2021 at 5:30:12 AM

Are these examples from WesternAnimation.The New Scooby Doo Movies OK?:

  • Deus ex Machina: Shaggy normally does not have an allergy to hay or hayfever, but in "The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall" he has one, and it's never mentioned again in the series. In previous episodes, he functioned normally around hay.
  • The Mountains of Illinois: "The Weird Winds of Winona" is set in Winona, Montgomery County, Mississippi, but that part is not mountainous in any way; the closest mountain in Mississippi is in the northeast of the state.
  • The Punishment Is the Crime: In "The Haunted Horseman of Hagglethorn Hall", villains-of-the-week the Duke of Strathmore and Cyrus Wheedly had to dress up as the Haunted Horseman and Moat Monster in a form of Kayfabe, effectively making this one of the few times a "Scooby-Doo" Hoax was done to the public.

nw09 Since: Apr, 2018
#16079: Jun 10th 2021 at 11:13:38 AM

This example from ParentalBonus.Calvin And Hobbes:

  • After a week-long camping trip suffused by rain from beginning to end, only for the sun to appear immediately after everything was packed up, the final panel combined a Noodle Incident and an implied Cluster F-Bomb. Of course, given the father's reaction when he drops something heavy on his foot, it may simply have been a cluster Angrish bomb.
    Calvin: (eagerly) Do you know what any of Dad's words meant?
    Hobbes: No, but I wrote some of them down so we can look 'em up when we get home.
Does this count as Parental Bonus? The joke is that Dad said some bad words, and that wouldn't be too difficult for kids to understand. Being an adult wouldn't really let you know what the specific words are or what they meant.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#16080: Jun 10th 2021 at 11:15:04 AM

[up]Yeah that probably doesn't count. Both a kid and adult could recognize that bad words simply exist.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Delibirda from Splatsville Since: Sep, 2020 Relationship Status: I wanna be your dog
#16081: Jun 10th 2021 at 11:19:38 AM

From Guppy Love:

Absentee Actor: Pinkie Pie and Twilight are completely absent from the story.

1. They are referenced 2. Even if they were not, this is an AU, Rarity is a MERMA Id for God's sake! There are no prior installments in this AU, and since no reference equals no excistance, then how could they be "absent"?

(Apologies for the bad wording)

"Listen up, Marina, because this is SUPER important. Whatever you do, don't eat th“ “DON'T EAT WHAT?! Your text box ran out of space!”
underCoverSailsman Peeks from Under Rocks from State of Flux Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Peeks from Under Rocks
#16082: Jun 10th 2021 at 12:22:31 PM

[up]x4 The Deus ex Machina is wrong. That's always a solution to a problem. It might count as a minor Diabolus ex Machina, or maybe an inverted New Super Power or New Powers as the Plot Demands... Not sure if it's really any of those, though...

Edited by underCoverSailsman on Jun 10th 2021 at 2:22:53 PM

WoodKnapp94 Since: May, 2020
#16083: Jun 10th 2021 at 12:23:57 PM

This is from WolverinePublicity.Video Games, a few of these sub-bullets are kinda questionable:
  • Pokémon:
    • Charizard's case probably most closely resembles that of the Trope Namer. In many circles, it ended up becoming one of the (if not the) most popular Pokémon and overshadowing Series Mascot Pikachu for being the series' definitive Rated M for Manly character, just as Wolvie himself ended up overshadowing Marvel's mascot Spider-Man in similar circles. As a result, from 2013 onwards, it started getting a ton of gratuitous anime (including Ash's being shoehorned into the second half of Best Wishes! in an attempt to soften the Dork Age), manga and merchandise appearances (many of them in starring roles), acting as the franchise's backup Spotlight-Stealing Squad not named "Pikachu", and getting two Mega Evolutions while other Pokémon (except Mewtwo, who is also an example of this trope) only get one. They even managed to work Charizard into Pokémon Sun and Moon, despite it not being in the regional Pokédex (it appears as a "Ride Pokémon" and it allows players to fly from area to area). Then, in Pokémon Sword and Shield, it shows up not only as Leon's signature Pokémon, Charizard is one of the returning Pokémon to get a Gigantamax form with an exclusive new move, and its family is not only the sole returning Kanto Starter, but the sole returning Starter, period (discounting Pikachu and Eevee). In fact, a strong case can be made for Charizard being more aggressively marketed than Pikachu during this period, largely due to Game Freak's efforts to appeal to older Pokémon fans.
      • In the case of the Super Smash Bros. series, Charizard started out as a Pokémon that can be summoned through the Poké Ball item. In Brawl, it becomes a playable character through the Pokémon Trainer, alongside Squirtle and Ivysaur. Then, in the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U installments, Charizard returns as an independent character, while Squirtle and Ivysaur appear only as collectible trophies. Luckily for the latter two Pokémon, they came back alongside the Pokémon Trainer, with Charizard going back to being one of the Trainer's Pokémon, in Ultimate.
      • Mega Charizard X in particular has been getting this treatment, being marketed much more heavily then its Y counterpart. It's made multiple anime appearances, on top of being the form utilized in the 2014 Super Smash Bros. games, whereas the latter ended up only showing up in the Kalos League of the X and Y anime... where it gets beaten by Mega Charizard X.
    • Pikachu is the best-known example, appearing in almost every single piece of merchandising available (you wouldn't even know that it's actually a fairly rare Pokémon species, and unobtainable via normal gameplay in Pokémon Black and White or their sequels). It was the franchise's poster boy for this trope for the longest time, until Game Freak decided to change its marketing strategy.
    • The cute "Pikaclones" (Pichu, Plusle/Minun, Pachirisu, Emolga, Dedenne, and Togedemaru) tend to get a lot of focus, especially in the anime, where it's become a tradition since generation 4 for one of the main characters to own the one introduced in the current generation of games.
    • Lucario was the first widely-noted example of this after Pikachu. One got to star in its own movie, and also appeared prominently in every single aspect of the franchise (including a playable appearance in every Super Smash Bros. game since Brawl). It ended up getting even more attention after receiving a Mega Evolution in X/Y.
    • Then after trying again and failing with Zoroark (an Expy of Lucario), the Pokémon Company noticed how popular Zekrom was, and proceeded to give it a prominent appearance in nearly everything (including as the main Pokémon in Pokémon RéBURST and Pokémon Conquest).
    • Similar to Charizard, Blaziken received a Mega Evolution and a distribution event when X and Y came out, with no word of its counterparts Sceptile and Swampert getting a similar treatment until Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
    • Goomy also ended up with a lot of representation due to its unexpected popularity for being an "underdog", Ugly Cute, and evolving into a pseudo-legendary. The anime even has a Character Arc dedicated to the little Dragon-type, which includes Ash catching and fully evolving it.
    • Greninja ended up becoming the most popular of the Kalos starters. Much like Charizard and Lucario, it was made a playable character in Super Smash Bros. and was even given a new Mega Evolution-like transformation that was invented for the anime. This form, dubbed "Ash-Greninja" in that it slightly resembles Ash's design for the X and Y anime, was later added to Pokémon Sun and Moon as part of the playable demo.
    • Legendary Pokemon usually receive most of the promotion and publicity, despite being the rarest and most difficult 'mons to obtain in-game. The most prominent example is Mewtwo, who is largely perceived as a Single-Specimen Species and is regarded as much as a singular character as the human characters (as opposed to an entire species as most Pokemon are). Part of the reason why the 16th Pokemon movie was disliked was due to the fact that it took away that distinction by introducing a second Mewtwo. Mewtwo is still highly regarded enough to get two Mega Evolutions (a distinction shared only with Charizard) and made available as a DLC character for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
    • Starter Pokemon received plenty of marketing due to being the "ambassadors" of the game (they are the very first Pokemon that players start out with). When a new generation is revealed, marketing switches to the newest starters while the previous generation starters are swept under the rug. That being said, Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle are still marketed like crazy (Pokemon X/Y having them as a second set of starters probably helped with this), sometimes even appearing alongside Pikachu.
    • For the Pokémon GO 2017 Halloween update, a new hat item resembling Mimikyu was added. Mimikyu is from generation VII and not available to capture, while the game was only on generation II.
    • Eevee began getting this treatment during Generation 5. It's a rare Pokémon in most regions and there are usually only one given out per game. It was popular for years but eventually Game Freak really began noticing how cute and popular it is. It also helps that Eevee is a gender-neutral Pokémon liked equally by boys and girls. As a result, Eevee has essentially become the second mascot of the franchise. It has a lot of merchandise and regularly appears in the anime (with May, Serena, and Lana even having one each). Eevee even received a game alongside Pikachu where it's a starter Pokémon.
    • Among the fully-evolved Alola starters, Incineroar gets this treatment, appearing in the 20th movie and in several episodes of the Sun & Moon animated series, under the ownership of Professor Kukui/The Masked Royal. It also appears as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

I know for a fact that Charizard, Pikachu and Eevee definitely count, and I can see why Lucario, the legendaries and the starters also count. But I also know for a fact that Goomy, Zekrom and the "pikac****s" (I hate that word) are nowhere near as popular as the others. Blaziken and Mimikyu are really popular, but I don't think they belong on the same level as Charizard and Eevee... Should I do anything?

I posted this earlier and didn't get a response.

underCoverSailsman Peeks from Under Rocks from State of Flux Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Peeks from Under Rocks
#16084: Jun 10th 2021 at 12:39:11 PM

[up]TL;DR Maybe post just the ones that you are questioning, with a line about what concerns you?

MrMediaGuy2 Since: Jun, 2015
#16085: Jun 10th 2021 at 2:42:10 PM

About the Calvin and Hobbes example, when I was a kid, I couldn't tell the joke was Dad swearing offscreen. I assumed Calvin and Hobbes were talking about Dad's "I had enough. What a rotten week!", because they assumed it was some sort of magic phrase that could make the rain stop, and they were going to look it up to see which of those words was the magic rain-stopper.

I couldn't tell what the intended joke was until this site pointed it out.

Edited by MrMediaGuy2 on Jun 10th 2021 at 2:42:32 AM

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#16086: Jun 10th 2021 at 4:09:41 PM

This is Reality Subtext, right?

  • Spooky Month: "Unwanted Guest" has a running joke about Skid and Pump celebrating Spooky Month despite it being the middle of June, referencing how production of "Unwanted Guest" began in June.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#16088: Jun 10th 2021 at 8:04:36 PM

Does a character faking "mental distress" count as Obfuscating Disability if they don't claim to have a specific mental illness, just mental problems in general?

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Merseyuser1 Since: Sep, 2011
#16089: Jun 11th 2021 at 4:28:04 AM

Not sure on these examples from Series.Dash And Lily:

  • Crapsaccharine World: Downplayed. It looks like A Hallmark Production in tone, but things are depicted more realistically than some of that genre. But it's by no means a grimdark place.
  • Good vs. Good: In keeping with No Antagonist, the biggest conflicts are largely between good characters and are internal rather than villain-based.
  • No Antagonist: The main conflict comes from how compatible the main characters are, rather than any Big Bad or major villain, and although there are Jerkass characters, it's a Crapsaccharine World in part, but there's no central villain to defeat. The conflict is all internal for the characters.

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#16090: Jun 11th 2021 at 8:59:44 AM

I recently removed those, not knowing you'd bring them here. Anyway, No Antagonist is fine, but it's really not an example of the other two:

  • Crapsaccharine World: The setting is an idealized/romanticized New York City. While the characters have problems, they are mundane/personal and the society is never shown to be dystopic/dark/etc underneath.
  • Good vs. Good: There are no conflicting factions, just people living their lives.

nw09 Since: Apr, 2018
#16091: Jun 11th 2021 at 9:04:27 AM

@Mr Media Guy 2 Maybe you could add that under Alternative Joke Interpretation.

Edit: Now that you say it, I actually remember thinking that myself.

Edited by nw09 on Jun 11th 2021 at 9:11:37 AM

nw09 Since: Apr, 2018
#16092: Jun 11th 2021 at 9:20:53 AM

There's a related Calvin and Hobbes example from the same page (for Parental Bonus):

Again, we don't know what the word is, and Watterson may not have intended it to be what the last sentence implies.

Edited by nw09 on Jun 11th 2021 at 9:29:20 AM

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
#16093: Jun 11th 2021 at 9:30:02 AM

"Only one word" is definitely an exaggeration. And it'd still have to be a word that could appear in a book Calvin — a six-year-old — would have access to.

The joke doesn't rely on being able to figure out what the word is, so Watterson probably never even actually picked one.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#16094: Jun 11th 2021 at 9:44:59 AM

This example from UnbuiltTrope.Literature feels a little bit like a stretch, but I'm not 100% sure:

  • Christine is about a nerdy teenage boy who, as a result of his pop culture fixation (in this case, his classic car and '50s Rock & Roll culture), falls into a downward spiral that turns him into a misogynistic, bullying jerk who grows alienated from family and friends. Worse, the object of his fixation is communicating with him and bringing out his worst impulses as a person. Read today, in the wake of various stories about white supremacist and "incel" groups infiltrating geek culture in order to recruit lonely, disaffected young men online, the scariest thing about Arnie Cunningham is how much he resembles the sort of person who, thirty years later, might be seduced by the alt-right.

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
themayorofsimpleton Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him from the Island of Koridai (Captain) Relationship Status: I won't say I'm in love
Short-Term Projects Herald | he/him
#16095: Jun 11th 2021 at 3:44:25 PM

Nevermind my previous post. I've been DMing with another troper who has stated that they do not want to participate in this thread, but agreed to have me ask for them.

What would the difference be between a Continuity Snarl and a Series Continuity Error?

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Jun 11th 2021 at 6:44:33 AM

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
MrMediaGuy2 Since: Jun, 2015
#16096: Jun 11th 2021 at 7:24:55 PM

This was just added to YMMV.Happy Tree Friends.

  • "Weird Al Effect: The show is WAAAAYYYY more popular and famous than Care Bears, which is what the series tries to parody in terms of art style. Not to mention, several characters overshadow what they were based off of (For example, Lumpy is way more known than Bullwinkle).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think both Care Bears and Rocky and Bullwinkle are just as well-known today, if not moreso, than HTF.

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#16097: Jun 11th 2021 at 7:36:02 PM

[up] I... what?

Get rid of that, please.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#16098: Jun 11th 2021 at 8:23:29 PM

I just added this, but realized it might not be a valid example. Does this qualify as I Know Mortal Kombat?

  • Black Jack Justice: In "Death and Taxes", Jack brings Freddy the Finger along on a job that involves staying the night in a deserted and potentially haunted house. Freddy tells Trixie that he is a student of the occult by virtue of having seen every Abbott and Costello movie, and Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy three times. He even compares one of the odd noises to the sound heard in one movie before Boris Karloff jumped out at Bud & Lou.

I added the entry after re-listening to the episode, but then realized it may not count if he doesn't actually have the skill (the episode features Freddy playing Costello [or Shaggy for familiarity's sake] to a Gambit Pileup of Scooby Doo Hoaxes.

gjjones Musician/Composer from South Wales, New York Since: Jul, 2016
Musician/Composer
#16099: Jun 11th 2021 at 9:16:33 PM

So, all of the actors playing the main characters in Enchanted (namely James Marsden, Amy Adams, Timothy Spall and Susan Sarandon) provide the voices for their animated counterparts. Does this fit under the Acting for Two trope?

Edited by gjjones on Jun 11th 2021 at 12:17:30 PM

He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
MrMediaGuy2 Since: Jun, 2015
#16100: Jun 11th 2021 at 9:17:29 PM

[up] No, because it's the same character in different forms.


Total posts: 36,620
Top