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Not sure if you really have a Badass Bookworm or just a guy who likes to read?

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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

Agentofchaos A God Am I from Somewhere in the Universe Since: Dec, 2021
#18851: Feb 28th 2022 at 10:55:37 AM

Found this on Dishonored

  • Old Shame: Harvey Smith and others are proud of the game on the whole but they did express regret about some of the choices made for representation, and especially the sleazy and gratuitous Male Gaze of Callista, the "non-lethal" fate of Lady Boyle, and the portrayal of women in general. He specifically took it to heart for Dishonored 2 which had a more fluid portrayal of gender and a playable female protagonist:
    Harvey Smith: "At first you take some criticism and you go, ‘Wait a minute,’ and then you go look and it’s like, ‘Wow, every woman in Dishonored is either a servant, a prostitute, a witch, a queen, a little girl, or a mistress. We had a mistress. That was not our intention..."

Is this actually an Old Shame or a case of Creator Backlash?

"We'll meet again" | 🏳️‍⚧️
laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#18852: Feb 28th 2022 at 11:33:05 AM

[up] I think Old Shame fits, if indeed the creators still stand by the game, save for their treatment of women.

Creator Backlash is more for when a creator actively hates an old work or character.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
dmcreif Vault Dweller from Vault 33 (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Vault Dweller
#18853: Feb 28th 2022 at 1:18:24 PM

From Luke Cage (2016):

  • Finger Firearms: When Diamondback introduces himself to Shades' associates, he pulls out his right hand from his jacket like he's drawing a gun, points it around with the Finger Gun gesture, and then seemingly uses said hand to "fire" a live bullet into one guy's shoulder. Turns out he'd pulled a real gun with his left hand and fired that from the hip while everyone was distracted, his not-so-subtle way of explaining that they shouldn't look for Luke Cage in the most obvious of hiding places.

I think this is obviously not a straight example of the trope and more like a subversion, but I'm not sure.

Edited by dmcreif on Feb 28th 2022 at 4:18:47 AM

Okey Dokey!
Vilui Since: May, 2009
#18854: Feb 28th 2022 at 2:08:30 PM

Not an example at all. Finger Firearms is the use of fingers either to contain or to conceal weapons, and neither comes into play in this example (as written; I don't know the work).

Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#18855: Feb 28th 2022 at 2:32:46 PM

Are these Hartman Hips examples?

  • RWBY: There are two examples that are downplayed since they are made to be more realistic, but they do stand out by the standards of the show.
    • Harriet Bree of the Ace-Ops has a very muscular lower body, with most of her physical strength in her legs. This results in a noticeable pear-shaped figure.
    • Willow Schnee's hips are slightly larger, and she has a notably large butt. Animator Adele Kraus admitted this on Twitter and mentioned that her hips had to be moved up into her body in some shots since her butt would be sticking out too much otherwise.

Apologies for the offsite links, but I don't know any on site links that give a good enough image.

  • Harriet Bree official concept art. Harriet's appearance is sporty, not feminine or mature. She's an augmented unarmed combat fighter with natural Super-Speed.
  • Willow Schnee official concept art. Willow is designed to look like a mature woman who has been worn down by life.

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.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#18856: Feb 28th 2022 at 2:33:52 PM

I notice several examples on Sex Sells are referring to inexplicit sexual jokes and innuendo Played for Laughs, not Fanservice (mostly those examples moved from Radar.Advertising). Does this still count?

Edited by mightymewtron on Feb 28th 2022 at 5:34:12 AM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Malady (X-Troper)
#18857: Feb 28th 2022 at 2:47:41 PM

Cleaning out The Last of These Is Not Like the Others, using The Runt at the End for when its talking about characters, not in-universe lists, so this should be undeleted, right?

And this Green Goblin one too?

Then I gotta remove the ones on this page, and this one, although that last work is very low info...

Edited by Malady on Feb 28th 2022 at 2:49:13 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#18858: Feb 28th 2022 at 2:51:27 PM

[up][up][up][up][up] Unless his finger was an actual weapon, Finger Firearms does not apply. Personally don't even think this is a subversion, though not having seen the scene can't say for sure.

[up][up][up] Feels like deja vu with the Hartman Hips again. but those don't look like examples. Hartman Hips is supposed to use small waistline and wide hips to convey femininity and maturity without sexualizing the character. A lot of tropers seem to see "wide hip" then toss HH out there and call it a day.

[up][up] Sex Sells can certainly be laughed at and parodied, but I think to count it has to contain the core ideal of using sexual imagery to advertise a product that wouldn't be sexual to begin with.

Edited by laserviking42 on Feb 28th 2022 at 5:51:51 AM

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
dmcreif Vault Dweller from Vault 33 (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Robosexual
Vault Dweller
#18859: Feb 28th 2022 at 2:59:13 PM

While doing some further editing on the Luke Cage page, I'm convinced these two examples of Celebrity Paradox are misusing the trope by being too indirect.

Okey Dokey!
laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#18860: Feb 28th 2022 at 3:09:33 PM

[up] Pacino once co-starred with a character from another series that did a crossover with Cage? Definitely not an example.

The second one ... if I follow that second example correctly, there is a poster of a movie that De Niro starred in. De Niro then made a whole other movie that Cox was a cast member of. Cox plays Daredevil in yet another different series that much later would crossover with Cage. It's not quite seven degrees of Kevin Bacon, but close enough. Cut it for misuse.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
Noaqiyeum we must dissent (it/they) from across the gulf of space (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
we must dissent (it/they)
#18861: Mar 1st 2022 at 12:35:21 AM

[up][up] ...the idea of Celebrity Paradox applying to buildings or sets is certainly interesting, though. Like a film where the University of British Columbia is used for California Doubling, that also mentions the U of BC existing in-universe.

I have no idea if that counts or not, and ultimately this kind of trivia doesn't matter to me, but if a character looking like their actor is a paradox then a setting looking like its film location seems exactly as notable.

ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NO
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
#18862: Mar 1st 2022 at 9:06:56 AM

~Andre added this (behind comment tags because they weren't sure it was allowed... which is definitely not allowed...) to Perth's folder on Characters.Freefall:

  • Designated Villain: Lampshaded. He's considered the bad-guy on the station because he drives up costs in the course of running the station.
    Perth: I keep saying we need black hard hats and fake mustaches to twirl, but it's hard to get something like that approved in the budget.

We're almost 100% sure that this isn't Designated Villain; the guy is portrayed as a Reasonable Authority Figure, and the only reason Sam is calling him "the bad guy" is that Sam is trying to figure out who's "driving up costs" on the space station, and this guy technically qualifies because he's blocking the manager from replacing all the human workers with cheap robot labor. The strip itself seems to be clear that this is a silly position for Sam to be taking, and one he might not even be holding in complete seriousness.

Do we even have a trope for the thing this actually is?

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
Malady (X-Troper)
#18863: Mar 1st 2022 at 9:26:41 AM

Parodied Trope is a page that exists...? That might be the Trope Trope that's needed, for Mustache-twirling villain and stuff...

What it's exact relation is to Designated Villain, I'm not sure.

Edited by Malady on Mar 1st 2022 at 9:27:36 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#18864: Mar 1st 2022 at 9:38:29 AM

[up][up][up] I"m not sure where sets or buildings were mentioned in the Celebrity Paradox example?

[up][up] Pre-commented out examples are a big no-no, hopefully you PM'ed the troper in question. Designated Villain is an audience reaction/opinion trope, so you really can't lampshade it. Not familiar with the strip, but unless this character is actually the antagonist, I wouldn't say they count.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#18865: Mar 1st 2022 at 10:12:47 AM

From Kill la Kill - Kiryuin Conglomerate:

  • Almighty Mom: Ragyō Kiryūin is a stellar example. No matter how powerful and charismatic her daughter, Satsuki, is, Ragyo is always a full tier above her, overstripping her in both power and authority, the former of which she displays consistently through the latter part of the series. Even when Satsuki rebelled and Ryuko was revealed to be her daughter as well, she has absolutely no problem putting everyone including both her daughters back in their place. The downside is, she's also the villain. And a horrible mother.

For the record, this is clearly misuse. The reason I didn't remove it? I already did, explaining in my edit reason why. However, someone re-added it. Should I revert this? If no, was I incorrect to have removed it?

EDIT: Also, just in case this needs to be mentioned, the entry means "putting everyone... back in their place" in sense of overpowering them.

Edited by RandomTroper123 on Jun 28th 2022 at 12:26:52 PM

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#18866: Mar 1st 2022 at 10:22:38 AM

Looking at the Almighty Mom page, it describes mothers who are so strong willed that they can tell off anyone. This entry appears to be describing a character's mother who is stronger and more accomplished, so that their children are overshadowed by their parents. Based on that, I do not think this is a proper example (with the caveat that I know nothing about the work in question).

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
Libraryseraph uu~ from Canada (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Raising My Lily Rank With You
uu~
#18867: Mar 1st 2022 at 10:24:13 AM

[up] I do know the work, and I agree. Raygo is an overwhelmingly powerful big bad who is also the evil mom of two main characters

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FOR MARIA
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#18868: Mar 1st 2022 at 12:15:05 PM

Thanks for the Hartman Hips feedback.

This is a Critical Status Buff entry for a character in a non-video game work (it's on her character page). She is the trope in terms of how she functions, but she's in the wrong type of work (WebAnimation.RWBY). There are no non-game examples on the trope page, so should I remove her from the character page, or add a non-gaming folder to the trope page?

  • Critical Status Buff: The more damage Yang's Aura is forced to sustain in battle, the more powerful she gets. Her Semblance converts that attack power into strength, empowering her to strike back even harder than before. She can wreck hardened objects like an Atlesian Paladin when powered up in this manner.

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.
Malady (X-Troper)
#18869: Mar 1st 2022 at 12:28:20 PM

Sorta like Energy Absorption? Seems to be it, given this entry on the page?

  • Yang Xiao Long can absorb kinetic energy from the hits she takes, so the longer a battle goes on, the stronger she gets. After getting smashed through several concrete pillars by a Mini-Mecha, she is able to No-Sell the Mecha's next attack before punching it to pieces.

Edited by Malady on Mar 1st 2022 at 12:29:51 PM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#18870: Mar 1st 2022 at 2:53:43 PM

Yes, that trope works. Shall I use it on the character page instead of Critical Status Buff?

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.
Malady (X-Troper)
#18871: Mar 1st 2022 at 4:24:14 PM

Totally, especially since how it's not an binary state like a critical STATUS is. It's based on total energy absorbed / damage.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
harryhenry It's either real or it's a dream Since: Jan, 2012
It's either real or it's a dream
#18872: Mar 1st 2022 at 6:47:11 PM

I'm working on a work page for a webcomic (whose title I'm not mentioning for the sake of spoilers), and I'm trying to figure out how to classify the final strip: It's set ten years later, and is mainly written as a letter explaining what's happened to the cast in those ten years. This would make it a "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue... except there's a full dialogue scene at the end with the two main characters. Does that scene push it into Distant Finale territory, or does the letter being the majority of the strip keep it as Where Are They Now?

Edited by harryhenry on Mar 2nd 2022 at 3:52:52 AM

Ferot_Dreadnaught Since: Mar, 2015
#18873: Mar 1st 2022 at 8:01:01 PM

[up]Duplicate tropes cleanup might be able to help because I'm wondering how they're supposed to be distinct myself.

The following (spoiler-heavy) Ass Pull example was deleted from YMMV.Sly Cooper Thieves In Time as it had the following Foreshadowing:

    Examples (Spoilers) 
  • Ass Pull: The reveal of Penelope's Face–Heel Turn comes out of nowhere nor fits what's been established. She wanted to eliminate Sly Cooper (and possibly Murray) for holding her genius boyfriend Bentley back, it being implied she only "loved" Bentley out of planning to use him for making billions in weapon designs and/or world domination, and is shown to be a massive scheming sociopath. The previous game portrayed Penelope as a straight-up Nice Girl even compared to the other thieves Sly teamed up with, guilt-ridden when Murray was captured due to her plan, and despite seeing Bentley's genius firsthand only showed romantic feelings toward him after he rescued her from pirates. She even held a genuine crush on Sly for most of the game. Even in this game, Sly had retired from crime by this point and thus wouldn't be holding them back; in fact, Penelope giving time travel to Le Paradox causes Bentley to regroup the Cooper Gang and leads directly to Sly un-retiring, the opposite effect of what she supposedly wanted. While there was foreshadowing such as her disappearance prior to the beginning of the game and the mouse emblem throughout the level where the twist is revealed, nothing in this game or Honor Among Thieves hinted she's angry and bitter at the Cooper Gang instead of being held against her will and forced to assist Le Paradox.
  • Foreshadowing: There are several hints that she is the Black Knight:
    • The title of the episode itself "Of Mice and Mechs" is a subtle hint of what the chapter is all about: Penelope, a mouse, created the machines and turned against the Cooper Gang.
    • The Black Knight's armor has what looks like an icon of a mouse on it, which turns out to be Penelope herself.
    • When Bentley researches information on the Black Knight, he finds no information. In the same Episode beforehand, Penelope is brought up again as Bentley wonders where she is once again. Penelope is in the medieval era, disguising herself as the Black Knight.
    • This isn't the first time that Penelope went under an alias with the word "Black" in the title. The last time was in the third Sly game under the alias "The Black Baron".
    • The text color of the Black Knight is purple, the same color of Penelope.

The Ass Pull wasn't their Face–Heel Turn which was foreshadowed, but it was their motives and personality behind it which contradict everything shown/established about them the prior game and seemingly the flimsy explanation this game gives. Is that not enough to count? Character Derailment and Fan-Disliked Explanation are already listed under their respective pages covering this, those or and anything else a better fit for this issue?

Also asked Sly Cooper forum.

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#18874: Mar 1st 2022 at 8:23:07 PM

Would this count for Surprisingly Realistic Outcome for The Righteous Gemstones?

In the second season finale, The Lissons attempts a surprise attack against a group of assassins by having Lindy hide inside a crate which Lyle pushes out of the second floor house. A move they saw on tv. The act utterly fails since being thrown out caused the grate to break apart and her being dazed, making her an easy target to kill.

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#18875: Mar 1st 2022 at 8:34:32 PM

[up][up][up] I'm not entirely sure of the difference myself after looking at them. I think the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue is for after the end of the story while Distant Finale is the end of the story. Make of that what you will.

[up][up] Ass Pull is for a less than graceful Plot Twist that viewers feel comes out of nowhere without proper Foreshadowing. It is YMMV, therefore an opinion, so if a significant portion of the fandom feels it's an Ass Pull, it is. It's not exclusive with Foreshadowing, because another significant portion of the fandom may feel it was properly foreshadowed. (The word foreshadow has now lost all meaning to me)

[up] Surprisingly Realistic Outcome went through another round of TRS recently, and I'm not sure where (if anywhere) they ended up on it. It is supposed to be for events, that take place in a setting that doesn't unfold realistically, that do happen realistically. The realistic event is unexpected (hence the Surprisingly part), especially in contrast to a more cartoony world physics. I've been meaning to get around to watch righteous gemstones, so I don't know if the trope would fit or not.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me

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