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.
- A character name is not an explanation.
- Wrong: Full Moon Silhouette: Diana
- Right: Full Moon Silhouette: At the end of her transformation sequence into Moon Princess Misty, Diana is shown flying across the full moon riding a rutabaga.
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.
For cleaning up examples of Complete Monster and Magnificent Bastard, you must use their dedicated threads: Complete Monster Cleanup, Magnificent Bastard Cleanup.
Edited by Synchronicity on Sep 18th 2023 at 11:42:55 AM
She / Her
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
(x3) I agree those don't count as What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway? since those powers aren't niche.
I disagree; inversions can involve the trope being reversed, and heroism being profitable is the opposite of it providing no income.
That's not an inversion, it's the exact opposite of the entire trope (heroism doesn't pay). It's an aversion (where the trope just doesn't happen), and as such, isn't notable.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
"Can you see what I see?"
Wrong thread, sorry.
Edited by JankyKong on Dec 3rd 2022 at 1:42:11 PM
Ever wanted to see the most inexplicably horrifying intro to a game ever?
She / Her
Inversions can involve the opposite of something or the trope's elements getting switched. The page Inverted Trope also says it's possible for the trope to be inverted in more than one way.
Inverting a trope requires swapping elements with each other, in this example there was nothing switched, it simply didn't happen. No part of the trope was fulfilled, no elements were taken and swapped, again, it simply did not happen.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
She / Her
The part about heroism providing no income was switched with it being profitable.
EDIT: Better wording.
Edited by RandomTroper123 on Dec 3rd 2022 at 11:09:05 AM
Swapped with what? What other element was switched out to invert? Inverting a trope doesn't mean just do the opposite and somehow it's the same.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
She / Her
The part about heroism being unprofitable. Also, Inverted Trope lists examples which involve one thing being switched out.
That's only one part, and it wasn't swapped. It was averted entirely by not happening. Again, it simply did not happen, which isn't notable.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
She / Her
Inverted Trope doesn't say more than one thing has to be swapped.
Barb / Temporary Kylo
From Bendy and the Ink Machine under the Ink Demon I found this.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Evil as he is, he didn't deserve having the Keepers torture him - Joey himself notes that it's his own failures that led to him being so malevolent in the first place
Isn't this a death trope? The Ink Demon did not die from this. Plus it's not accurate to the game. In the game the keepers notes say that only the demons alternate 'Bendy' personality felt pain. So the Demon did not feel the torture.
The First man
Lord of the Blue Star
Repost from here
—-
I posted this here on the Asshole Victim clean up forum four days ago but no one has even added more to it. Reposting here:
This is from Knives Out. I removed the spoilers for ease of assessment:
- Asshole Victim: Many, or none, depending on your views. In order:
- spoiler:Harlan behaves like a jerk to his whole family on his birthday (firing Walt seems particularly low) and then dies. He may be doing the "Cruel to Be Kind" thing, or he's just a prick]].
- spoiler:Walt worked for his Dad his whole adult life, and is left shocked and bereft twice when he's fired and cut out of the will. He's also the first to threaten Marta under a thin veneer of friendliness and familiarity]].
- spoiler:All of the family are cut out of the will and behave like roaring jackals to try and get what they see as their share back]].
- spoiler:Joni and Meg are supposed to be the most likable of the family, but the first is robbing her father-in-law and the second turns on her friend (Marta) at the first opportunity. Meg does seem to feel guilty immediately; but they're both still assholes who get left with nothing anyway.]]
- spoiler:Linda is one of the quickest to rage over whatever situation the family is in, but she's on good terms with her Dad. He disinherits her anyway; her son is (correctly) arrested for murder and she finds out her husband is cheating on her.]]
I don't know if any qualify. The opening line seems to play these as arguable, which tropes are not. And the "victims" I don't think meet the standard. Harlan was a jerk but that doesn't meet the repugnant standard.
he/him
From Music.The Hu:
- Barbarian Longhair: Jaya keeps very long, smooth hair.
- Braids of Barbarism: Both Gala and Enkush boast these.
Both of those tropes have (historical) Real Life sections, and The Hu put their Mongolian heritage on centre stage in live shows, music and videos, including several videos with historical costume/setting, but this still makes me a little twitchy.
I can't immediately see any other example where we've put a 'Barbarism' trope on a real 21st individual (and I think they'd need expansion to include the 'barbaric' bit and avoid ZCE, even if we did). Thoughts?
Edited by Mrph1 on Dec 4th 2022 at 11:54:21 AM
the Retromancer
If you mean if either is an example, both are blatant ZCE. The Hu not being warriors also makes me think it's a misuse anyway. And appearance tropes are inapplicable to musicians unless intentional.
Edited by Amonimus on Dec 4th 2022 at 2:54:25 PM
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
he/him
Yep. Edited post to acknowledge that they'd need significant expansion if we keep them.
I'm very inclined to cut. I can see the argument they play on it and do meet the trope in videos, but that's not what it says now.
Does that mean I should remove or take the example to the TRS thread?
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.
She / Her
(x6) That's not an example because, as you stated Alas, Poor Villain is a Death Trope and Joey did not die.
Dyslexic writer
Monster Prom
- Ear Worm: In Moster Prom 3: Monster road trip going to the Pancake diner and buying the cossets will change the music to the "Pancake Song" Pancake pancake pancake pancake pancake pancake song, even if you don't like pancakes you will have to sing along.
-
![[down]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_down.png "[down]")
Okay the songs backstory might make it still count I'll have to check it again when I can.
Edited by Shyhero on Dec 4th 2022 at 8:50:15 AM
the Retromancer
Ear Worm is In-Universe Examples Only. If it's not a character doing it, it doesn't count.
TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Does this example fit Beat Still, My Heart?
It seems to suit the name of it, but the heart doesn't really beat on its own after being removed. It only does so because one of the characters forces it to give a beat or two (using electricity), and the creature that it used to belong to is long dead.
the Retromancer
I'd say not an example.
- Reality Subtext: The first episode deals with the efforts of main character Reagan, a dedicated workaholic biracial woman, being overshadowed by Brett, who basically does nothing besides be white, male, and likable. Very ironic considering that the show itself was created, written, and helmed by Shion Takeuchi, but most of the praise almost automatically went to executive producer Alex Hirsch due to his high esteem in the animation community for his creation of Gravity Falls.
I doubt they were doing this on purpose, since they would've written the episode before all that happened, axe this right?
REALITY IS AN ILLUSION, THE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM, BUY GOLD BYEEEE! | She/Her
It seems rather much on the ramble side. Might be worth cutting down, if you're not going to cut it out entirely.
I fix my examples all the time
Found this example in Characters.Fire Emblem Fates Neutral Characters.
- Gold and White Are Divine: Azura's main color palette is white and gold, even her reclass option (Sky Knight) and either of its promotions share this color scheme. Additionally, she has Heavenly Blue as accenting in her outfit, just to drive the point further.
Heroism Won't Pay the Bills is about how being a hero isn't financially stable, and the examples are about how heroism is quite lucrative?? Not an inversion, it's just not this trope at all.
I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me