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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

Bullman Enid Sinclair Since: Jun, 2018 Relationship Status: Longing for my OTP
ElRise I fix my examples all the time from The Dying City (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
I fix my examples all the time
#24877: Dec 31st 2022 at 8:36:00 AM

Found this example in Main.Loners Are Freaks.

  • Averted in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. Nocturne's protagonist and his scattered friends all start the game proper alone, each doing their own thing. Out of all of them, he's the only one who ends up more or less stable(depending on the player), even having the option of readily accepting a puzzle game challenge from a kid.
    • Nocturne deserves some expansion - see, there's even a whole philosophy of existence you can embrace to recreate the world, Musubi. Its leader, one of said friends, is not only a Hypocrite of the first order, but will mercilessly use you and mock you for your dedication to Musubi as he succumbs to madness. Another philosophy, Yosuga, is a Might Makes Right world - albeit one with serious paranoia complexes, in which you can never cease looking over your shoulder, never rest, never relax. Yosuga's leader, another of your friends, also goes insane. Both of them lose their marbles and will die whatever you do. When the option to just go into absolute Omnicidal Maniac mode and trigger a Z-Class Apocalypse How starts looking good, you gotta reconsider whether being alone is worth it.
I don't get what the above is saying. What should I do with it? Cut for violating the "aversions should not be listed 99% of the time" rule?

Graffiti Wall
jOSEFdelaville Since: Dec, 2018
#24878: Dec 31st 2022 at 9:05:08 AM

On the YMMV page of Breaking Bad:

  • Narm: The scene where Walt collapses to the ground in tears after the death of Hank has been so overused by memes that some people can no longer take it seriously when they watch it again in context.

I tought that Narm was for scenes that were hard to take seriously for the way they are handled. This example talks about a scene that people can't take seriously because of memes that were made from that scene, but it doesn't say that the scene itself is narm-y by the way it was filmed. Should it be deleted?

AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#24879: Dec 31st 2022 at 9:10:47 AM

Yes.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
Usterman Since: Dec, 2022
#24880: Dec 31st 2022 at 9:51:44 AM

Will tropes "Good Is Not Nice" and "Good Is Not Soft" intersect in this example?

Example: Jake lives a difficult and suffering life in Crapsack World, populated entirely by scum, idiots, perverts, photos and a few complete monsters. Jake himself is an Only Sane Man, kind, conscientious, incorruptible, not devoid of compassion, tactful, collected and very serious. However, he is a very reserved, sullen and antisocial person who does not want to communicate with people and have friends and can tell even the most disgusting truth without hesitation. He is also too dedicated to work and most of the time he is busy with it. He is very strict, tough and ready to commit severe retribution against evil and dangerous people.

Edited by Usterman on Dec 31st 2022 at 9:53:10 AM

gjjones Musician/Composer from South Wales, New York Since: Jul, 2016
Musician/Composer
#24881: Dec 31st 2022 at 9:55:19 AM

Reposting from the previous page.

From Trivia.Avatar The Way Of Water:

Is this a valid example?

He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#24882: Dec 31st 2022 at 10:07:30 AM

[up]I do know the skit in question, but I don't remember Papyrus being a source of snark for the movie (I remember a lot of other complaints, but not a peep about the font).

But let's say that it was, this example then says that they are still using it in the subtitles, which would mean the author didn't "save" anything. Not an example.

I didn't choose the troping life, the troping life chose me
Mrph1 he/him from Mercia (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: This is not my beautiful wife!
he/him
#24883: Dec 31st 2022 at 10:10:13 AM

[up] Agreed. And from the linked article:

Though the “Papyrus” sketch seemed like the trigger to change the font for the sequel, the Avatar team had already started to pivot away from Papyrus.

So one person (Fannin) says it was due to the sketch, but the production team says it wasn't. Not really an example, other aspects aside.

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#24884: Dec 31st 2022 at 11:06:02 AM

@24880

  • Not Nice: he is a very reserved, sullen and antisocial person who does not want to communicate with people and have friends and can tell even the most disgusting truth without hesitation. He is also too dedicated to work and most of the time he is busy with it.
  • Not Soft: He is very strict, tough and ready to commit severe retribution against evil and dangerous people.

RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
She / Her
#24885: Dec 31st 2022 at 11:31:10 AM

~El Rise I'd cut it because it's an aversion and Loners Are Freaks isn't used omnipresent enough. It also doesn't read as an example to me.

selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#24886: Dec 31st 2022 at 12:27:27 PM

Is this an example of Perpetually Shiny Bodies? The trope needs more wicks and on-page examples, and I want to add examples to it confidently.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/psb_nami.png

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.
Khoshekh6 Since: May, 2022
#24887: Dec 31st 2022 at 12:56:11 PM

Does she always look like that? It sounds like the "perpetual" part is required

selkies TOO serious! from Guess, guess, guess Since: Jan, 2021 Relationship Status: Star-crossed
TOO serious!
#24888: Dec 31st 2022 at 1:11:32 PM

No, but that's not what asking about (tho thanks for pointing this out). I'm asking if this is enough to qualify or does it need to be her full body that's glistening.

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.
Agentofchaos A God Am I from Somewhere in the Universe Since: Dec, 2021
#24889: Dec 31st 2022 at 4:08:06 PM

On Chrono Trigger: The Musical

  • Casting Gag: A Played for Drama example - Queen Zeal is played by Lindsay Bolin, who previously played Toriel in Undertale the Musical, another character who was also a mother and a queen, and is using a similar voice. This makes her performance as Queen Zeal especially unnerving for people who are familiar with the previous musical.

This seems like shoehorning, any thoughts?

"We'll meet again" | 🏳️‍⚧️
SoyValdo7 I mainly fix indentation issues from La tierra de lagos y volcanes Since: Sep, 2022 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
I mainly fix indentation issues
#24890: Dec 31st 2022 at 4:36:31 PM

[up] I agree with you. It doesn't seem to add anything truly dramatic to the current work other than to state that Lindsay already plays a queen.


From Characters.The Owl House Emperor Belos:

    Emperor Belos 
  • Mythical Motifs:
    • In his monstrous form, Belos has quite a bit in common with a Wendigo:
      • He is a huge, humanoid monster who is horrifically emancipated. He even sports a pair of antler-like growths, reminiscent of the deer-like pop culture take on Wendigos. ► This is fine.
      • Wendigos were an Anthropomorphic Personification of greed and starvation, fitting Belos' feasting on palismen to sustain himself and his gradual transformation into a monster by doing so, along with his monstrous form being almost skeletally thin and emaciated-looking. Wendigo are also heavily associated with cannibalism and, while Belos isn't technically a direct cannibal, his predatory modus operandi towards palismen —which are carved from wooden trees grown from the flesh of the dead titan — and later, Human Realm wildlife is arguably just as disturbing to see. He even restores his body to full strength by draining Hunter's life essence through his possession, with the ugly-losing scars left behind on the boy making it clear that extended possession would have reduced his body to mere bones. ► The comparison with cannibalism feels shoehorned in.
      • Wendigos were formerly human, but became cannibalistic monsters due to their greed and selfishness. Belos also was just a regular human, but as Luz herself pointed out, in his mad pursuit of witch genocide, he eventually stopped being a human altogether, both figuratively and especially literally.► This is fine.
      • As previously said in Animal Motifs, Belos shares a bird of prey motif with a lot of the cast. Coincidentally, rather than with deer as pop culture will tell you, Wendigos in the original folklore were sometimes associated with owls, even sharing the same term in some Native American dialects.► This is fine.
      • Wendigos originate from Native American legends, and Philip started out living in America. ► This a huge stretch
      • Wendigo habitants are usually considered to be dark caves or woods where they make their lairs and hunting grounds. Several important revelations about Philip's true nature are revealed whilst inside of darkened cave formations like the inside of the Titan's skull, and Luz and Hunter discover his true psychotic nature whilst inside the darkened and twisted woods of his mindscape, where he possesses a Home Field Advantage that almost renders them powerless before him.► This a stretch
      • Some legends state that Wendigos fear or are vulnerable to fire, because their hearts are made of Ice. Though subtle, Belos has demonstrated an aversion to fire throughout the series, most noticeably, in "King's Tide" his confidant and calm demeanour briefly falters when Luz nearly hits him with a fireball, and his suppressed facial disfiguration, which is demonstrated to be tied to his emotions, is shown to have slightly broken as a result. Having a 'heart of ice' also neatly describes Belos' true nature quite accurately. ► I think anyone would react the same way if they had a fireball thrown in their face.

Edited by SoyValdo7 on Dec 31st 2022 at 8:24:51 AM

Valdo
JohnRore Since: Apr, 2021
#24891: Dec 31st 2022 at 8:28:49 PM

Just wanted to check right quick: it doesn't count as Doesn't Like Guns if the character in question is a pacifist in general? e.g.,

  • Sammo Law does count for this because he wouldn't shoot you but he would hit you over the head with a stop sign or whatever else he can get his hands on,
  • but Professor Dubotu (Ben Guillory) doesn't count for this because he's opposed to all violence in general, right?

laserviking42 from End-World Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
#24893: Dec 31st 2022 at 9:43:15 PM

[up]I think the example as written is incomplete, or missing some context. Honor Before Reason is for characters who put honor before everything else, including their own safety. The example does indicate there is no need to complete the assassination, but will carrying out the contract have serious negative consequences for that character, or is it just a dick move? The former is this trope, the latter is not.

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
#24894: Dec 31st 2022 at 10:19:35 PM

[up](x3) The first paragraph of Doesn't Like Guns says the character is fine with other methods to kill people, so I'm leaning on saying that that doesn't count.

Usterman Since: Dec, 2022
Fidor Since: Aug, 2022
SeaRover (Long Runner)
#24897: Jan 1st 2023 at 4:12:45 AM

Copying from a thread that didn't gain any traction:

March 5, 2022

Recently, I added a bunch of examples to Animated Sitcom, going by its most basic definition of "situation-driven comedy". A lot of these were all the anime examples currently there, and a few more that I went on to delete after realizing that they might actually not fall under the genre.

Along with some of said anime examples, I also went on to delete BoJack Horseman, which is loosely considered a sitcom but is in fact driven much more by story than by individual situations.

Just yesterday, I revisited the trope, and found out that two of the western examples I added had been removed a week ago. I'm willing to concede Animaniacs as out-of-genre, even though I did read on Uncertain Audience that The Looney Tunes Show experimented with and eventually settled on a more sitcom-like format than the original cartoon shorts. However, I would compare the other show, Garfield and Friends, at least in format, to others familiar to me that were already there, including Doug, Rugrats, Arthur, Hey Arnold!, and Beavis and Butt-Head. They're all driven by random comedy-driven situations, and I really fail to see what was any different about Garfield.

Anyone else think some discussion is in order here, before I re-add that show?

Update

Someone later deleted Animaniacs, but without deleting similar works such as The Ren & Stimpy Show and Tiny Toon Adventures. I re-added it.

Someone else later re-added BoJack Horseman, which I went on to delete again.

And just hours ago, someone added Star vs. the Forces of Evil amongst some other shows. Assuming originally that superhero shows are basically their own genre, I read Wikipedia's summaries for a few episodes, and conceded that it could stay.

Went on to compare Bojack, and so far, it does not seem all that similar; it seems much more story-driven than anything.

As far as anime goes, I had gone on to re-add The World of Narue after watching that in full, and Himouto! Umaru-chan, since I can't imagine much of a story to that show.

Also added Nekopara, after watching that in full; wasn't going to originally, due to Cacao's opening storyline suggesting more of a story to come, but I had only seen five episodes at the time.

Two shows I still chose not to re-add were Haganai and Love Chunibyo And Other Delusions. Rewatched those shows' first seasons recently, and while there are individual situations, they are meant to serve the shows' main plots in one way or another.

I know Tropes Are Flexible, but just how flexible is the concept of a sitcom? Flexible enough to include such shows as Pokémon or Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, which we'd normally think of in relation to other genres, as long as they're at least 50% driven by random self-contained situations?

Edited by SeaRover on Jan 1st 2023 at 4:42:48 AM

Avenger09 Since: May, 2014
#24898: Jan 1st 2023 at 8:03:53 AM

Well later Runaan does successfully kill King Harrow, but the rest of the Moonshadow Elves on his team, save Rayla, die in the process, and he's taken captive.

Edited by Avenger09 on Jan 1st 2023 at 4:04:45 PM

Malady (X-Troper)
#24899: Jan 1st 2023 at 11:09:04 AM

Luck-Based Mission: Angry Birds is deterministic, IIRC, so does this count?

  • The hardest levels of Angry Birds can often become this, with victory hinging on the direction a singular block falls.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#24900: Jan 1st 2023 at 11:11:21 AM

Can't recall without example context.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup

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