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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

Mattman_the_Storyteller Since: Aug, 2018
#20951: Jul 2nd 2022 at 8:36:14 AM

Reposting my question and examples for Kick The Son Of A Bitch:

  • Bravely Default: In the True Ending, after Airy fails to kill the heroes one time too many, Ouroboros grows tired of healing her and decides to eat her alive, telling the heroes that she is merely cattle to him. While this is still portrayed as a horrific act, Airy is a despicable liar who has manipulated countless heroes into linking the worlds together so Ouroboros can devour them and bring ruin to the Celestial Realm, causing the Great Chasm to appear in those worlds and bring about a wide swath of destruction. The false ending even has her cruelly taunt the heroes for being blindly obedient while pretending to be possessed just to mess with Agnes, calling them lambs to be slaughtered, so it's hard to say that Airy's death isn't well-deserved.
  • The Witch and the Hundred Knight: Heinz discarding Belda and sending her to her death is a mix of this and Kick the Dog. On one hand, Belda was absolutely devoted to him because he was the only person nice to her, so this treatment shows just how low he's willing to sink. On the other hand, Belda has remorselessly committed all sorts of atrocitiesnote  just to earn his favor, even when it's clear he's just using her, so Belda isn't really a sympathetic person at all. The fact that she hasn't changed for the better even after being resurrected along with nearly everyone else certainly doesn't help her case.

gjjones Musician/Composer from South Wales, New York Since: Jul, 2016
Musician/Composer
#20952: Jul 2nd 2022 at 9:21:35 AM

From Lacus's section in Characters.Mobile Suit Gundam Seed ZAFT:

  • Smarter Than You Look: Whether it's Obfuscating Stupidity or not is somewhat debatable, but Lacus being a pretty teenage Idol Singer with a sweet, quirky and seemingly extremely naive personality then baffles everyone who discovers just how effective and intelligent she really is. It works a little too well on Patrick Zala, who keeps insisting her father Siegel must be to blame for her deeds.

True example?

He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
Malady (X-Troper)
#20953: Jul 2nd 2022 at 11:59:36 AM

Is this a Psychic Nosebleed in a mundane world, since the description allows eyes or ears to bleed instead? Or not the right trope?

  • Ravirn: Cybermancy:
    She wasn’t going to be happy, but then, with her thesis defense scheduled in seven weeks, how would that be any different from her base state? Lately she’d been so stressed, I half expected her to start bleeding from the ears.

Edited by Malady on Jul 2nd 2022 at 11:59:42 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
RustBeard Since: Sep, 2016
#20954: Jul 2nd 2022 at 12:16:41 PM

Does The Haunting of Hill House count as an example of Paranormal Investigation. The premise is that a group of people are spending time in a haunted house to look for signs of the paranormal.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#20955: Jul 2nd 2022 at 1:10:46 PM

[up]Sounds like it to me, especially since the description says they were specifically recruited for the job.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Malady (X-Troper)
#20956: Jul 2nd 2022 at 5:53:29 PM

Does this look like a Aladdin Shout-Out to anyone else?

  • Ravirn: Cybermancy: To Genie's "PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER! Itty-bitty living space!":
    But hey, that’s [Zeus] to a tee, astronomical energy harnessed to teensy-weensy processing capacity.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
nw09 Since: Apr, 2018
#20958: Jul 2nd 2022 at 6:14:29 PM

On Hollywood Law, there's this Sponge Bob example:

  • There is also the episode where Plankton accidentally steals a modern art piece (don't ask). First, the Police chase Plankton well out of their jurisdiction, even up to the International Space Station, which is mainly Rule of Funny. But that excuse can't be given for what happens next. Plankton tries to evade the authorities by breaking into Spongebob's house and claims he would be arrested too since he is harboring a criminal. Except he wouldn't, as Plankton broke in and proceeded to use this threat to get him to cooperate, which is the exact opposite.
This seems more like a statement on Plankton's part. If the police treated it that way, then it would be an example. Anyone who's seen this episode know?

WanderingBrowser Since: Jan, 2001
#20959: Jul 3rd 2022 at 9:42:07 AM

On the Anime & Manga subpage for Surprisingly Realistic Outcome, there's an entry for the infamous "Japan's SDF invades a magical world and conquers it" series Gate which declares the SDF's curbstomping the fantasy world's natives is an example of this trope. I've copied the exact entry below, but I have to ask if this is actually an example? You can't say "technology dominating magic is realistic", in my opinion, because magic isn't real in our world. We can't throw fireballs at people just by chanting the right words, but how does that automatically translate to "grenades are better in a world where you can throw fireballs"?

  • Gate might as well be renamed Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The Animation. So many times in fiction, there's something of a "Technology is inferior to magic," theme — look at how many anime have super-advanced technology fall to "Spirits," or people with guns falling to a single man with a sword. Here? Modern technology — even that which is upwards of half a century out of date in our world — reigns supreme on the battlefield.

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
#20960: Jul 3rd 2022 at 9:48:58 AM

You are correct; there's nothing realistic about how technology interacts with magic, no matter how any given work chooses to portray that interaction.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
CSS1 Since: Mar, 2021
#20961: Jul 3rd 2022 at 11:05:02 AM

Should probably be listed as one of the Deconstruction tropes, then.

moo
BKelly95 Tame Racing Driver (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Tame Racing Driver
#20962: Jul 3rd 2022 at 12:41:18 PM

For the purposes of Trailer Joke Decay, would the opening credit sequence of a television series count as a trailer?

In the third season of Reno 911!, Travis Junior appears in the opening credits getting electrocuted while grabbing a microphone and tumbling off of a stage at a school assembly. This doesn't happen until well into the season.

Albert3105 Since: Jun, 2013
#20963: Jul 3rd 2022 at 11:52:33 PM

From Mega Man ZX:

  • Happy Ending Override: Downplayed to the Zero series. Zero 4 ends with Zero's Heroic Sacrifice to kill Dr. Weil, which brings humans and Reploids together at long last after centuries of fighting. ZX shows that Mavericks and world-destroying threats are still around, but the 200 years of relative peace between the series is all but stated to be some of the best times for humans and Reploids to live in, and things never get as dark in ZX as they did in Zero.

"Conflict appears in sequel" seems too trivial of grounds to list under this trope.

Edited by Albert3105 on Jul 4th 2022 at 3:15:26 PM

Malady (X-Troper)
#20964: Jul 4th 2022 at 8:47:33 AM

Beauty Is Never Tarnished

  • Downplayed in the Maria-sama Ga Miteru fic Fake (Vega62a). Sei asks during a car trip if anyone needs to go to the bathroom. More precisely, she asks "Whose bladder is full?". Her ojou-esque friends are embarrassed but in the end, they all, as it's stated, admitted they owned a bladder.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#20965: Jul 4th 2022 at 9:14:37 AM

[up][up]I don't think that is an example.

[up]What? That's basically "people need to pee". Nothing to do with any beauty being tarnished or lack thereof.

WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#20966: Jul 4th 2022 at 9:17:25 AM

So I'm wonder if this count for Reality Subtext for V Shojo for Kson origin story.

In it, she created a gang of close friends that over time left the group as they grew and that she had to find a new path.

The subtext is that the person behind Kson was once part of another VTuber company that she graduated from, but not before some controversy. And that she had to leave the close friends she made over there.

Edited by WhirlRX on Jul 4th 2022 at 12:18:47 PM

NoUsername she's only programmed to be very nice Since: May, 2012
she's only programmed to be very nice
#20967: Jul 4th 2022 at 2:54:15 PM

[up][up][up] maybe OP confused it with Nobody Poops? either way yeah cut it as misuse

RustBeard Since: Sep, 2016
#20968: Jul 4th 2022 at 3:35:18 PM

This is on Monochrome Casting:

  • Wizards of Waverly Place: Aside from Theresa and her family, everyone is at least half-white. Considering they live in New York, this is a little strange.

My understanding of this trope is that it's for when the cast is entirely or overwhelmingly of one race. If you breakdown the races of the main cast of Wizards of Waverly Place you have two white characters, one hispanic, and three mixed race (half-white and half-hispanic). Now this doesn't match the demographics of New York, but I don't think you can say that the cast is entirely of one race.

Malady (X-Troper)
#20969: Jul 4th 2022 at 3:52:59 PM

Manga.Cross Game:

  • Through a Face Full of Fur: In the episode, "Secret Weapon", Senda gets blue-faced in reaction to eating a meal that Aoba prepared for him.

https://cross-game.fandom.com/wiki/Keiichirou_Senda

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Wyldchyld (Old as dirt)
#20971: Jul 4th 2022 at 6:22:32 PM

This is currently commented out on the Recap.RWBYV 8 E 14 The Final Word page, but it's misusing the trope (the audience knows exactly what Neo's motive is, Ruby doesn't). Neo isn't keeping her agenda secret, Ruby just hasn't had a chance to learn what's driving Neo yet. Can I remove it?

  • Hidden Agenda Villain: In-universe. It's finally brought up this Volume that Ruby has no idea why Neo wants to kill her so badly, though she doesn't particularly care. The audience of course knows the reason is that Cinder lied that Ruby murdered Roman to get Neo to cooperate with her.


Also, this was added to Characters.RWBY Ice Queendom, but it seems like shoehorning. The original show introduces Semblances (personal super-powers) a couple of episodes after the pilot episode fight, whereas the anime spin-off introduces the Semblance immediately in the pilot fight. The entry seems to be trying to turn styalistic differences between the two shows into this trope, the example of "defending against" versus "dodging" seems like nitpicking to me.

  • Adaptational Wimp: Downplayed, but her initial fight with Torchwick and his goons is altered so that she is forced to use her Semblance to fight them off, also being forced to defend against Torchwick’s feint instead of hopping over it.

Edited by Wyldchyld on Jul 4th 2022 at 6:25:43 AM

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.
WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#20972: Jul 4th 2022 at 7:16:49 PM

[up]The last one is misuse. Remove.

WanderingBrowser Since: Jan, 2001
#20973: Jul 4th 2022 at 7:27:38 PM

The Lawful Stupid page, in the Western Animation folder, lists an entry for Beast Wars, proclaiming that Silverbolt is an example of Lawful Stupid. But there is no evidence as to why this is the case, the entry instead talking about how he gets away with being Lawful Stupid because he's also stupidly lucky. The thing is, I can't remember any examples of Silverbolt being obsessed with rules; his gag was that he was a Knight in Shining Armor stereotype, which the other bots around him found campy. Whilst he could maybe be a little Stupid Good, most of Silverbolt's more foolish actions were seen in his interactions with Blackarachnia, and even those are called out as being because he was infatuated with her (is Love Makes You Dumb a trope?) and not because he was normally stupid.

So, yeah, is this an example?

Agentofchaos A God Am I from Somewhere in the Universe Since: Dec, 2021
#20974: Jul 4th 2022 at 10:09:18 PM

How old does something need to be to count for Ancient Evil?

The King of crows from The Diviners (2012) was "born when America first sinned" so he's a couple centuries old at least, he was at the Salem witch trials, is he old enough?

"We'll meet again" | 🏳️‍⚧️
WhirlRX Since: Jan, 2015
#20975: Jul 4th 2022 at 10:12:11 PM

[up]I would assume somewhere in BC or maybe 1000 years old at minimal.


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