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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

Delibirda from Splatsville Since: Sep, 2020 Relationship Status: I wanna be your dog
#16426: Jul 12th 2021 at 9:23:23 AM

No. They are Sex Sells if anything. A thirst trap is defined as an erotic social media post.

"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!”
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#16427: Jul 12th 2021 at 9:27:31 AM

Also, I propose renaming Fanservice to Fanservice Tropes or sumfin' like that.

I thought it was Fanservice Tropes... guess I remembered it wrong, and that's just a redirect.

Edited by mightymewtron on Jul 12th 2021 at 12:28:40 PM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Boaz Since: Mar, 2021
Shyhero Unmotivated dyslexic writer. from Sofa Since: Jun, 2020 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Unmotivated dyslexic writer.
#16429: Jul 12th 2021 at 9:48:03 AM

Val and Isaac

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
#16430: Jul 12th 2021 at 9:50:13 AM

[up] ZCE, Weblinks Are Not Examples. I'd say cut, but I know nothing about this media so I am requesting other opinions.

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#16431: Jul 12th 2021 at 10:01:57 AM

Judging from the linked page it is an example, but it's a wrongly-written example for the reason mentioned above. Rewrite with correct context or comment out.

Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#16432: Jul 12th 2021 at 10:22:24 AM

Does it count as Full-Name Basis if a character calls another by their first and middle names but not the last name?

GrigorII Since: Aug, 2011
#16433: Jul 12th 2021 at 12:56:19 PM

A prisoner does not have any privacy in the prison, because there are cameras everywhere and the authorities follow every step the prisoners do from the camera room (even in the showers). Does it count as Big Brother Is Watching, if limited to just a secure structure and not happening in society at large?

Ultimate Secret Wars
Anddrix Since: Oct, 2014
#16434: Jul 12th 2021 at 6:11:20 PM

Reposting from a couple of pages ago:

Does this example from Black Widow (2021) look like it's being used correctly, as I'd assume Moody Trailer Cover Song only applies if the song is in the trailer not part of the movie itself?:

Does this example from Jem and the Holograms (2015) violate Examples Are Not Arguable, since it says it might be unintentional?:

  • Reality Subtext: Possibly unintentional, and a truly sad example at that. Aunt Bailey's financial woes are eerily similar to Ringwald's fall from grace since her days as a member of the Brat Pack.

Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#16435: Jul 12th 2021 at 6:14:46 PM

[up]The first one lacks context since it doesn't explain how the song is reprised with "dark, atmospheric music". Not sure about the second one.

Tabs Since: Jan, 2001
#16436: Jul 13th 2021 at 5:31:14 PM

[up][up] I'm wondering why the sponsor for this trope decided this was only used for trailers.

Bubblepig Steve from Minecraft (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#16437: Jul 13th 2021 at 7:45:14 PM

I have a question: Is having a questionable choice of music for a serious scene consider to be Narm-y? Because I found this YMMV page example from Sweet Home.

  • Narm: The very, very questionable music choices. In particular, certain scenes (particularly the fight scenes) are scored with "Warrior" by Imagine Dragons, with unintentionally comical results.

Edited by Bubblepig on Jul 13th 2021 at 7:50:35 AM

"CHICKEN JOCKEY!"
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#16438: Jul 13th 2021 at 8:01:43 PM

[up] If it makes a serious scene funny it could count, but that entry's not very clear on why it's funny.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Bubblepig Steve from Minecraft (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#16440: Jul 13th 2021 at 10:12:06 PM

I'm wondering why the sponsor for this trope decided this was only used for trailers.

Because for a while trailer covers were absolutely a thing, to the point that many articles were written about it. Less so moody credits cover music.

There is also Softer and Slower Cover for the general concept.

Edited by Synchronicity on Jul 13th 2021 at 12:12:28 PM

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#16441: Jul 13th 2021 at 11:36:58 PM

Does it count as a subversion of Gave Up Too Soon if the ones who gave up end up getting what they were after anyway?

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
gjjones Musician/Composer from South Wales, New York Since: Jul, 2016
Musician/Composer
#16442: Jul 14th 2021 at 3:31:38 AM

In One Piece, the Germa Kingdom was once a member of the World Government, but the WG eventually expelled them after learning about their failed alliance with Big Mom. Does that count as a true Broken Pedestal or would a different trope apply here?

Edited by gjjones on Jul 14th 2021 at 6:35:42 AM

He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
dsneybuf (Not-So-Newbie)
#16443: Jul 14th 2021 at 5:39:21 AM

Even though The Mandalorian already has 24 nominations, could I add this to the YMMV page for Chapter 15?

  • Award Snub: In a year when the Emmy judges seemed uncharacteristically respectful to Sci-Fi shows, fans expressed disappointment that Rick Famuyiwa and Bill Burr didn't get nominated for Outstanding Writing or Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Pedro Pascal's supporters also pointed to his convincingly mortified performance as an exposed Din Djarin as proof that he deserved an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series nomination, robbed from him yet again.

Edited by dsneybuf on Jul 14th 2021 at 7:40:32 AM

MasterHero Since: Aug, 2014
#16444: Jul 14th 2021 at 12:30:20 PM

Ok, I have to ask: is Superman really a Pinball Protagonist in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Superman is registered under the context that he rarely does anything active in the movie unless he is manipulated by Lex Luthor and/or provoked by Batman, to the point they actually have more dialogue than him, but a character can only be considered a Pinball Protagonist if and only if the character can be completely removed from the entire story, with little to no impact on the actual events or characters. Since Superman's confrontations with Batman and Doomsday are crucial to the story, does he really qualify as a Pinball Protagonist?

selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#16445: Jul 14th 2021 at 9:55:39 PM

Guys, is this an example of No Ending or Ambiguous Ending?

Extracurricular: The whole series is left dangling. Ki-tae catches Ji-soo in his apartment, and stabs him in the gut a few times before Gyu-ri shows up and knocks Ki-tae unconscious. A gut-stabbed Ji-soo makes it to the stairwell, leaving a trail of blood, where Gyu-ri finds him. When Detective Lee makes it to the apartment complex, all three—Ki-tae, Gyu-ri, and Ji-soo—are gone. The fourth main character, Min-hee, has been whisked to the hospital after taking a Staircase Tumble, but the series doesn't reveal her fate either.

As I've seen the show, their situations are deliberately left up to the viewers' interpretation, but its plot is known for having no resolution or catharsis.

Edited by selkies on Jul 14th 2021 at 9:59:15 PM

Uncanny Valley Hot Babes in Your Area Are Looking To Know YOU! Click Here to Sign Up for FREE! | Not quite back tbh. Don't expect much.
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#16446: Jul 14th 2021 at 11:01:28 PM

[up] What's the work? Without that info, that's a Self-Fulfilling Spoiler.

Edited by Twiddler on Jul 14th 2021 at 11:03:01 AM

Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#16447: Jul 14th 2021 at 11:11:27 PM

[up]No Ending is for when the story ends without wrapping up/resolving the plot points it brings up. Ambiguous Ending is when there is some sort of resolution, but it is an Ambiguous Situation kind of thing where you're not really sure what actually happened in that resolution.

selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#16448: Jul 14th 2021 at 11:57:55 PM

Not a famous one, but it's extracurricular. It's not really an Ambiguous Situation since it's the ending, and you can still make a guess about their fates. The show is known for following a cause-and-effect plot without a resolution or anything going right for the characters; it's somber and frustrating. Does this help? smile

Uncanny Valley Hot Babes in Your Area Are Looking To Know YOU! Click Here to Sign Up for FREE! | Not quite back tbh. Don't expect much.
Akriloth2160 a.k.a. Artemy Musha from the UK Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: Hounds of love are hunting
a.k.a. Artemy Musha
#16449: Jul 15th 2021 at 6:22:06 AM

Found this example on the YMMV page for Lamentations of the Flame Princess that's been on the page since last August and upon seeing it, I'm really not sure it fits:

  • Overshadowed by Controversy: In July 2020, amidst all of the political upheaval of the Black Lives Matter movement, the author of the Blood in the Chocolate adventure disowned it, labeling it as loaded with political and racial insensitivity that the author just didn't knew was so awful at the time of writing and even going so far as swearing the adventure would never see a reprint once the rights came back to them in 2021.

The original version of the example did mention that it supposedly led to attention being called to discussions of racial tone-deafness in tabletop RPGs, which said:

"This is one of various events that called to attention a degree of racial tone-deafness in the tabletop roleplaying movement that affects even classics like Dungeons & Dragons' Ravenloft setting."

However, that last part got removed from the example at the end of May by a different troper with no explanation given, and now on its own, it comes off as more of an Old Shame example, which I already added to the trivia page back in February. Besides the lack of a source proving a direct link between the discourse and that module, does it need the explanation on the end, or is it not an example of Overshadowed by Controversy regardless?

Ronnie, Ronnie
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#16450: Jul 15th 2021 at 9:52:05 AM

Is this a Man of Kryptonite example, or shoehorning?

  • Man of Kryptonite: Near the end of Volume 3, Ruby is revealed to be this to the Creatures of Grimm. She is part of the Silver-Eyed Warriors, an ancient lineage of legendary warriors who possessed special abilities through the usage of their namesake, and are incredibly deadly to Grimm. Ruby's first usage of these powers petrify the Grimm Dragon and critically injure Cinder, who is revealed at the end of Volume 5 to have a Grimm arm.

Grimm are creatures of darkness, Ruby was born with the power of Light 'em Up. However, Light 'em Up isn't required to destroy Grimm, it's just an easier way of doing it. This seems like shoehorning to me.

Regarding the Cinder entry: Ruby is The Heroine and Cinder is The Heavy. Cinder has a Grimm fused with her soul, which makes her vulnerable to Ruby's power. Normally, humans aren't affected by the power at all (it only works on Grimm). The trope is normally a villain affecting a hero; can it be the other way around? I'm wondering if this is actually Logical Weakness instead of Man of Kryptonite — if you fuse yourself to a Grimm, of course you'll be vulnerable to a Grimm-slaying power (it's also been troped as Cinder's Achilles' Heel).

Note: the Badass Transplant pothole is Speculative Troping and therefore needs removing either way (we don't know if the Grimm arm was grown from the Grimm she's fused with or whether it was transplanted from somewhere else).

Edited by Wyldchyld on Jul 15th 2021 at 5:53:59 PM

If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.

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