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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

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#16476: Jul 16th 2021 at 10:18:41 AM

[up] Yeah that's pretty much it. Ambiguous Ended resolves some things but leaves a lot of concepts up for interpretation.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#16477: Jul 16th 2021 at 10:39:23 AM

Hmm, I guess my earlier example leans more towards Ambiguous Ending then.

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.
Orbiting Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#16478: Jul 16th 2021 at 10:50:33 AM

Does A Boy and His X apply to adoptive siblings who are different species?

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000)
#16479: Jul 16th 2021 at 10:51:37 AM

That's pretty vague but my guess is no? It's a trope about a very specific plotline, so from the surface the set up you described doesn't sound likely to fit.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Orbiting Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#16480: Jul 16th 2021 at 10:59:56 AM

It's from the Undertale cleanup- there's a lot of shoehorning on the page, and the example as written was pretty bare of details to explain why it fit. If more context would help, a human child was Happily Adopted by a family of nonhumans, and especially became close to their adoptive brother. Both children ended up dying tragically; the example lists the non-human brother as the Boy and the human child as the X.

Edited by Orbiting on Jul 16th 2021 at 11:01:01 AM

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#16481: Jul 16th 2021 at 11:01:15 AM

I loosely know the context, and I'm pretty sure their dynamic is more like siblings than the owner/pet dynamic of the trope.

Edited by mightymewtron on Jul 16th 2021 at 2:01:37 PM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Orbiting Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Giving love a bad name
#16482: Jul 16th 2021 at 11:04:03 AM

Thank you- I'll cut the example.

Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#16483: Jul 16th 2021 at 11:08:40 AM

Reposting from the bottom of a page in case it was missed.

Is a villain doing something to themselves that has a consequence of making them vulnerable to a monster-slaying power the hero has, an example of Man of Kryptonite? The entry is:

  • 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.


Also, a question about Word of Gay: if it's confirmed outside the work that a character is LGBTQ+, it's Word of Gay. However, what about an on-going work, where the show does bring it into play in-universe. Would it still be Word of Gay that now no longer applies, or would it just be premature troping?

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.
selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#16484: Jul 16th 2021 at 11:21:52 AM

If the character's gayness isn't left ambiguous or gets addressed in the work itself, then it's not Word of Gay anymore.

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.
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
#16485: Jul 16th 2021 at 11:40:12 AM

Reposting from an earlier page:

This entry was added by me to The Jetsons after I happened to passively see it on a TV rerun. Is it accurate?

  • Company Cross-References: In the episode "Miss Solar System," George Jetson compliments the disguise of the character Mr. Spacely by telling him that "as Yogi Bear would say, [he's] smarter than the average bear!", referencing another character created by Hanna-Barbera.

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Jul 16th 2021 at 2:40:19 PM

Works That Require Cleanup of Complaining | Troper Wall
selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#16486: Jul 16th 2021 at 1:32:04 PM

Is singing and dancing to a real song a Shout-Out (to the singers), or is it just not a trope?

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.
Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#16487: Jul 16th 2021 at 9:23:35 PM

Is this a Double Meaning or a Pun/Stealth Pun?

  • VS Sunday: In the cutscene to "BI-NB", Sunday states the song is a pride song and it means a lot to them. In response, Boyfriend simply says "bi", to which Sunday asks how he knew Sunday was bi; while seemingly just a joke about Sunday misinterpreting his gibberish beep-boops, Boyfriend is also bisexual.

Edited by Crossover-Enthusiast on Jul 16th 2021 at 1:02:33 PM

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
Merseyuser1 Since: Sep, 2011
#16488: Jul 17th 2021 at 4:36:21 AM

Video games can't be non-serial movies, so this is blatant misuse, from VideoGame.Dragon Ball Fighter Z ?:

  • Non-Serial Movie: The story mode can be considered a Spiritual Successor to the Dragon Ball movies as it is a "what if?" scenario that takes place explicitly within the events of Dragon Ball Super but without any clear indication of exactly what point.

Also, Webcomic.Dragon Ball Multiverse probably misuses this trope:

Edited by Merseyuser1 on Jul 17th 2021 at 12:40:02 PM

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#16489: Jul 17th 2021 at 6:05:43 AM

[up][up] Sounds like Alternative Joke Interpretation.

Edited by mightymewtron on Jul 17th 2021 at 9:05:48 AM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#16490: Jul 17th 2021 at 7:45:39 AM

On Diary of a Wimpy Kid:

  • Blooper: In The Long Haul movie, Rodrick says that their mom doesn't know what it's like to be a kid in the 20th century, even though it obviously takes place in the 21st century. Of course, this is Rodrick we're talking about here.

I haven't seen the movie, but through context, this sounds like it could have been an intentional joke since the character's a dumbass.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Tomodachi Now a lurker. See you at the forums. Since: Aug, 2012 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Now a lurker. See you at the forums.
#16491: Jul 17th 2021 at 7:58:56 AM

[up][up][up] I'm the one who put Non-Serial Movie in Fighterz. I don't think is a misuse because the story is clearly a what-if story taking place during a canonical storyline.

The second is a misuse...kinda. It's talking about how the webcomic interpreted the non serial films.

To win, you need to adapt, and to adapt, you need to be able to laugh away all the restraints. Everything holding you back.
WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#16492: Jul 17th 2021 at 8:41:32 AM

Mersey@ They are both misuse since it only deals with movies and how they don't fit nearly to canon.

Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
#16493: Jul 17th 2021 at 9:41:19 AM

I found this entry from WhatHappenedToTheMouse.Video Games, which seems really questionable...

  • The sex scenes in Kanon suffer from this. They happen and then they're never mentioned again (beyond the screen immediately afterwards), even if the follow-up scene would warrant a mention. Particularly glaring in Shiori's and Ayu's scenarios, where one of the characters reminisces about everything they've done together and mentions everything except the sex. Makes it kind of easy to make the clean version, huh?
    • It's very possible Key/Visual Arts wrote the sex scenes like this to make it easy to make the clean versionnote . This applies to AIR as well.

Edited by Adept on Jul 17th 2021 at 11:41:41 PM

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#16494: Jul 17th 2021 at 11:05:04 AM

Coitus Ensues if it's really sudden might be what their looking for.

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
Malady (X-Troper)
#16496: Jul 17th 2021 at 2:12:28 PM

Is Go-to-Sleep Ending flexible enough for sleep being how chapters of a work ends, instead of just the final ending?

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#16497: Jul 17th 2021 at 3:12:55 PM

Given the line about Insomnia Episode, it covers episode endings.

gjjones Musician/Composer from South Wales, New York Since: Jul, 2016
Musician/Composer
#16498: Jul 17th 2021 at 3:13:12 PM

Not too long ago, I discovered that Kick the Dog is not always an Establishing Character Moment. Does this apply to other tropes such as Pet the Dog and Bait the Dog?

He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#16499: Jul 17th 2021 at 3:16:44 PM

Yes.

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.
GrigorII Since: Aug, 2011
#16500: Jul 17th 2021 at 5:05:47 PM

In Avengers Disassembled

  • Darker and Edgier: The story itself isn't all that much darker than the average Avengers-story, Downer Ending aside, but it marked the start of Marvel taking a more openly deconstructive direction in their storytelling, with the Superhero community more consistently divided and fighting each other. After this story, there was at least one Crisis Crossover every few years, including such optimistic tales as House of M, Civil War, World War Hulk, Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign. Even after a break from this pattern with the Heroic Age line of comics, Marvel soon started putting out more of these stories such as Avengers VS X-Men an Axis and Civil War II, finally culminating in Secret Empire. Simply put, this story set the early catalyst for several major heroes to try and take a more large-scale approach towards doing good, and they repeatedly bungled up and fought amongst themselves because of it.

in short, "not an example, but..." followed by complaining about other, later works.

Ultimate Secret Wars

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