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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?

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  • 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

Wafer Troy Verde from the Banjo-Tooie world, meditating (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: Non-Canon
Troy Verde
#36601: Nov 1st 2025 at 7:23:10 AM

Does Mid-Review Sketch Show also apply to written works (mainly fanfic MSTs that also have a story along with it)?

Guys how cool would it be if Super Megaforce had a green ranger...
Ayumi-chan 3rd happiest man in Connecticut from Iacon City (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
3rd happiest man in Connecticut
#36602: Nov 1st 2025 at 6:03:03 PM

Found this on Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves:

There isn't anything describing an actual relationship being held, just two attractive women bumping boobs, which to me feels like a fairly common fanservice trope. Any thoughts?

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#36603: Nov 1st 2025 at 7:19:02 PM

[up][up] In theory yes, but it's hard to find written examples.

2025: the year it all ends?
RavenWilder Since: Apr, 2009
#36604: Nov 1st 2025 at 11:57:28 PM

[up][up] Girl-on-Girl is Hot is meant to be for when characters in-universe get turned on by women interacting sexually with each other. Using it to describe real life fan reaction is misuse.

Ayumi-chan 3rd happiest man in Connecticut from Iacon City (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
3rd happiest man in Connecticut
#36605: Nov 2nd 2025 at 8:59:30 AM

I found this on YMMV.Dispatch:

  • Win Back the Crowd: Dispatch is a Creator-Driven Successor to the adventure games released by Telltale Games in the 2010s. After that studio shut down due to a number of factors, it was thought that the style of game was dead and buried. But Dispatch addressed a lot of the common complaints with the format, allowing Dispatch to become a success.
    • A common thread of discussion during the era of Telltale was whether or not your choices actually mattered, as it was so often proclaimed by the studio. While characters would leave or enter the story, and mild changes would occur depending on what the player did, the general overarching narrative and gameplay loop would never really be affected, leaving certain plot beats feeling like they lacked any impact. Thus, the games were criticized for only given the illusion of choice, when the player was actually unable to do anything meaningful. Dispatch takes a crack at remedying this via the actual management sections starting in Episode 4: depending on which choice the player made in the last episode, Sonar or Coupè will be completely absent from the party for both shifts, forcing the player to work with fewer resources and a rebellious Malevola or Punch-Up. They then have to choose between adding Phenomeman or Waterboy to their roster, both of whom play completely differently from each other (Phenomeman being high-risk, high-reward; Waterboy awful at first but able to grow stronger). This leads to much more unique experiences based on who leaves and who joins during dispatching thanks to the added layer of party building, as well as much different strategies.
    • This only applies to the initial release, but another common critique was that the Telltale episodes would take months between episodes. The first installment of The Walking Dead: Season One, the game that put Telltale on the map, had its first episode released in April 2012, with a wait of at least two months between each episode except for the fifth and final episode, which came out one month after Episode 4, being released in November of that same year. Still, that was a release schedule of seven months for episodes that took only a few hours apiece to play though. Dispatch fixed this problem by releasing two episodes at a time with a wait of only one week between each pair of episodes on its initial release. This means the wait between each episode pair to see what happened next was relatively brief, and ensured that players would still have most of the details fresh in their minds when the next episodes came out.invoked

Honestly, these do feel more like Improved Second Attempt (which is where it was listed before being moved) since the game is effectively a Creator-Driven Successor to Telltale's style of storytelling.

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
taotruths Live Jet Reaction (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: I sleep in a big bed with my wife.
Live Jet Reaction
#36606: Nov 2nd 2025 at 10:16:52 AM

Bumping a previous query I had about this re-arranged example:

From Manga.Sonic And The Blade Of Courage, it was originally written under Martyr Without a Cause, I'm not sure if this example is that or if it's simply Chronic Hero Syndrome, along with the following quote:

Sonic: ...What the... why the heck did you do all that?
Yuuta: Huh? They all looked like they could've used some help. Doing nothing about it instead is scary right? If I can help someone not be sad, I will.

For comparison, I rewrote the example as Chronic Hero Syndrome like so:

  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: Yuuta. His reason for helping others is solely based of being scared of not doing anything if someone looks like they need some form of help, even at the smallest act. In just the first chapter, he places a baby's shoe on top of a brick wall to make it easier for a mother to recover it, helps an old ladycross the street, makes a silly face to cheer up a crying child, gives a direction to a lost deliveryman, and more, despite him being late for school.
    Sonic: …What the… why the heck did you do all that?
    Yuuta: Huh? They all looked like they could've used some help. Doing nothing about it instead is scary right? If I can help someone not be sad, I will.

If it does fit the former, I can move it back.


I also thought this example fit Self-Serving Memory instead of Character Exaggeration (which I initially put it under):

  • Self-Serving Memory: Played for Laughs when Charmy is telling his side of the story about how they solved the case: Vector is louder than usual, even saying things like "fuhgeddaboudit", Espio is even more The Comically Serious than he already is, and Valdus frequently has to remind everyone how old and evil he really is, to the point that Charmy tunes out most of his Motive Rant with a Blah, Blah, Blah. Both Vector and Espio chime in by noting how highly embellished they are by Charmy.

It was then moved back to Character Exaggeration with the reasoning:

I think THIS is the right trope. Self-Serving Memory is for when a character remembers things in a way that makes themself look better or more sympathetic, or makes people they don’t like look worse. Charmy doesn’t do that here.

To my understanding, Character Exaggeration is adaptation-exclusive thing, so is it okay to use it in-universe like this?

Edited by taotruths on Nov 2nd 2025 at 12:46:44 PM

Keane2005 Since: Oct, 2024 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#36607: Nov 2nd 2025 at 11:54:36 AM

Pretty sure Character Exaggeration applies to over time things as well (for example Vegeta is listed as he was a lot more pragmatic in combat on Namek but afterwards he kept letting bad things happen for personal reasons)

Nightchicken Since: Nov, 2022
#36608: Nov 2nd 2025 at 12:06:16 PM

I noticed this on the YMMV page for Transformers (2007)

  • Special Effects Failure: While the special effects have held up extremely well even after 18 years, there are a few awkward moments.
    • During the desert village fight, a few shots of Scorponok aren't too convincing as the model doesn't blend into the environment properly. The result looks like something from the Star Wars Prequels.
If the special effects of Transformers 2007 aged so well (in spite of the Special Effects Failure it suffered from at times), the shouldn't it also be an example of Visual Effects of Awesome for Pete sake?

Rabbitearsblog Movie and TV Goddess from United States Since: Jan, 2014 Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
Movie and TV Goddess
#36609: Nov 2nd 2025 at 12:16:49 PM

Bumping this.

I love animation, TV, movies, YOU NAME IT!
Aeon1337 (Decatroper)
#36610: Nov 2nd 2025 at 12:46:00 PM

From God-Emperor:

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope is considered to be this, as while he's not considered a literal god, he is viewed as a semi-divine figure in the sense that he holds a title that was established by Jesus Himself, according to Catholic tradition.

The God-Emperor trope is talking about a sovereign who is claimed to be a god. From my understanding, neither the Pope himself nor the Catholic laity ever claimed that the Pope is God, let alone a "semi-divine" figure, and I suspect the example is stretching it.

What do you think?

Filip04 Since: Nov, 2023
Ayumi-chan 3rd happiest man in Connecticut from Iacon City (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
3rd happiest man in Connecticut
#36612: Nov 2nd 2025 at 7:44:39 PM

Bumping

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
gjjones Musician/Composer from South Wales, New York Since: Jul, 2016
Musician/Composer
#36613: Nov 2nd 2025 at 10:06:19 PM

Bumping.

He/His/Him. No matter who you are, always Be Yourself.
CompletelyNormalGuy Am I a weirdo? from a place where folks put cream cheese on hot dogs (Oldest One in the Book)
Am I a weirdo?
#36614: Nov 2nd 2025 at 10:19:24 PM

[up]That feels like misuse.

Bigotry will NEVER be welcome on TV Tropes.
MamaLadilla Since: Nov, 2020
#36615: Nov 3rd 2025 at 5:04:55 PM

This entry from Grim Fandango

  • "Magic A" Is "Magic A": So, when is a skeleton soul considered "dead"? They are technically all dead, yet they can be "killed" again (the text in the sequences' titles even describes them as "dying"!). This gets a Lampshade Hanging: in the Petrified Forest, Manny and Glottis have to cross a barrier of soul bones, and Glottis says that he feels guilty about rolling on them. Manny replies they won't care because they're dead. Glottis reminds Manny that he is dead, and Glottis wouldn't want to roll over him. Manny says that's because they "are friends". There's obviously a distinction between "dead" as an inhabitant of the Eighth Underworld and "dead" as someone whose bone-soul-body has been completely destroyed.
    • Manny cannot inflate a deflated balloon because he doesn't "have the lungs for that", and yet, he is shown several times blowing smoke when smoking, and the Angelitos too blow on crystals when they are working.
    • The human souls are described as not needing to breathe (which is the reason why they can stay underwater indefinitely). And yet when Meche and Manny are locked in a vault-like area, she tells him to use up the oxygen in another room. Maybe she just wanted to get Manny out of her face.

This is definitely not "Magic A" Is "Magic A", but I can't remember a trope that would fit this. Something about setting rules being context-sensitive.

Nightchicken Since: Nov, 2022
#36616: Nov 3rd 2025 at 6:07:36 PM

Is Literature/Musashi an example of Late Export for You? Kodansha USA's English translation of the novel is already a Doorstopper at a whopping 984 pages. However it's heavily abridged from the 4000+ page Japanese original serialization, which has been compiled into 8 volumes (each being about 500 pages long). The original Japanese serialization lasted from 1935 to 1939. The abridged English version came out in 1985. As for an unabridged English translation, Tuttle Publishing you covered with an upcoming release that is spread across 3 books, all three of which will be released on March 3, 2026 (approximately 90 years after the original Japanese serialization).

bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#36617: Nov 3rd 2025 at 6:44:15 PM

Being localized decades after the fact definitely counts as a late export.

2025: the year it all ends?
FSharp Resisting a rest Since: Jan, 2019 Relationship Status: I wanna know what love is
mousegold Since: Sep, 2015
#36619: Nov 4th 2025 at 7:12:22 AM

I noticed the trope repair thread for Mechanically Unusual Fighter, specifically a comment about how it should be limited to a minority of characters in the game, and it reminded me that the examples in Dragon Ball: The Breakers have gone out of control and labeled almost every Raider outside the initial releases as mechanically unusual. Just wanted a second opinion on whether to cut the whole thing or if any can be salvaged. (I'm personally stuck between a full cut and keeping the Gammas for having the most significant unique aspects, and my answer feels different every time I think about the question.)

  • Majin Buu. His first form is controlling Spopovich and Yamu to gather energy, and they have to manually make their return to Buu's prison to unseal him upon getting enough energy to free him. He also has a very unique fourth form; instead of transforming into Kid Buu right away, Super Buu swallows all of the survivors, forcing them to either contend with Super Buu in a small, cramped area that favors him or free Fat Buu, which then releases them and turns Super Buu into Kid Buu. Gimmick: Unusual evolution methods'
  • Great Ape Vegeta also functions much more differently than the original three Raiders. The Saibaman needs to kill only one Survivor via self-destruct, complete with the Yamcha Pose, to bring out Nappa, OR if it's defeated in combat by the Survivors. If the Saibaman is able to self-destruct, Nappa will gain it as an Assist Character, but if it's defeated in combat, he will not. Nappa in turn can fight Survivors and Civilians for evolution energy, but also gains energy from landing blows on Survivors, encouraging him to actively seek out opponents. If Nappa can earn enough energy to bring out Vegeta, then Vegeta will be able to call on him in turn as an Assist Character much like the Saibaman can be, with the same caveat that defeating Nappa in battle will cost Vegeta this ability (with Vegeta being the one to take out Nappa the same way that happens in the Saiyan Saga). Finally, Vegeta cannot gain evolution energy from Survivors or Civilians and must instead wait for his Great Ape ability to charge, which normally takes 540 seconds, but can be lowered by dealing damage and by being leveled up, to a minimum of 220 seconds. Once the ability is charged, he can activate and change into his final, monstrous form. This makes fighting the Saibaman or Nappa a double-edged sword as while it will only serve to bring out a more powerful combatant, you can also hobble them slightly by depriving them of one of their abilities if you do.
  • The Ginyu Force takes the formula of the last two Raiders and runs with it. Each form is a separate character, and dying will skip to the next, while gathering the energy needed will allow you to summon them as Assist Characters for the rest of the match. With Captain Ginyu, he can use Body Change to switch his body with a Dragon Changed Survivor's, keeping him in said change for the rest of the game while being able to summon his surviving teammates. Probably safe to cut when combined with Vegeta, the two are similar when it comes to assists
  • Super Broly continues the trend of Raiders mixing things up, starting from the moment he enters a match. Broly has no level 1 form, he immediately hits the ground at level 2. To make up for Broly not getting an Area Destruction from leveling up to level 2, his level 4 Full Power Super Saiyan form gets access to two extremely fast Area Destructions that allow him to rapidly wipe out the map. Gimmick: Unusual evolution progression
  • Goku Black and Zamasu function quite differently from previous ally-based Raiders. Unlike the Ginyu Force and Nappa, defeating Zamasu doesn't prevent him from allying with Black to scout out the area since he's immortal, it just delays him for a while. Also, Black can instantly teleport to Zamasu's location whenever the latter sees a civilian, something that Ginyu can't do. Zamasu also helps Black during Area Destruction and can teleport to his aid when the Super Time Machine is summoned. So it does feel like they're two Raiders in one instead of a main Raider and an assistant. In addition, they technically have five evolutions as Fused Zamasu can end up Half-Corrupted although the game treats this form as a Level 4 Raider in practice. Gimmick: Invincible assist character
  • Baby doesn't kill people. He infects them with his eggs, possessing them. When he infects civilians, they will patrol the map and alert Baby of their location if they run into any Survivors, but when he infects Survivors, he can summon them to help him fight, similar to previous Assist Characters. Gimmick: Reforged into a Minion player characters
  • The Gammas are both practically identical to each other, besides Gamma 1 being the stronger of the two, and like Zamasu their third form is Gamma 1 with Gamma 2 acting as support. Also, because of their superheroic personas, they'll rescue civilians instead of killing them and can't perform Area Destructions. Instead they can find and carry the Time Machine Keys and bring it back to Hedo's Lab, which significantly delays the boot up sequence. (Up to a 0%, which means all progress to charge the time machine will have to be manual.) That's not what's so strange about them; what's odd is their fourth form, where Magenta reveals himself. He's purely geared towards stealth and evasion in order to avoid the survivors so he can reach Hedo's lab and unleash Cell Max onto the survivors as the last raider form. Even Magenta's spawn condition is peculiar, as either the Gammas have to die (not unusual at all for an auto-evolution) or Hold the Line until the game reaches a certain state, upon which Magenta can show up regardless of the current evolution level of the Gammas, making him the first Raider who can skip Level 3 and go straight to Level 4. Gimmicks: Reversed Raider/Survivor relationship through Magenta, alternative Super Time Machine slowdown method, unusual evolution method
  • Broly (Z)'s announcement reveals him to be the first raider with two evolution paths, allowing the Broly player to change their tactics depending on what they need: They can either go for a quick evolution by allowing Broly to go berserk by either turning on Paragus or allowing him to die or charge up the evolution gauge twice to keep Broly in his Restrained form. Additionally, Paragus is the first Raider without a direct attack. Instead, Paragus commands the mind-controlled Broly to strike in his stead. Gimmick: Puppet Fighter level 1, Unusual level progression
  • From the Survivor side, Fortuneteller Baba. Her crystal ball has her exchange her jump and sprint for the ability to levitate as high as she wishes. Gimmick: Unusual movement

Edited by mousegold on Nov 4th 2025 at 11:12:48 AM

Keane2005 Since: Oct, 2024 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#36620: Nov 4th 2025 at 7:33:00 AM

If everyone's a Mechanically Unusual Fighter, no one is. Agree with your point, maybe the Gammas can stay if they're the most unique, but they're all different as is so the others can all be cut.

TrendingToon1 Since: Apr, 2015
#36621: Nov 4th 2025 at 9:51:29 AM

Is this right on Recap.The Ghost And Molly Mc Gee S 1 E 35 Out Of House And Home?

  • Forgot to Pay the Bill: The McGees successfully rank up enough cash for the hospital bill...but forgot to pay their monthly mortgage for the house.

bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#36622: Nov 4th 2025 at 10:58:45 AM

Yes, that's a good example.

2025: the year it all ends?
BoltDMC Since: May, 2020
#36623: Nov 4th 2025 at 4:00:13 PM

Bumping.

Question. The trope Halloween Episode includes a number of standalone entries (such as movies) that are set during Halloween and are not part of a series. How flexible is this trope — specifically, how literally should "episode" be taken?

Thanks.

FirstAidRules He/Him from House (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: Singularity
He/Him
#36624: Nov 4th 2025 at 4:50:28 PM

From ALF Crossover:

I know most people don't like Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue but there's got to be a better way to phrase that.

Hi!
bwburke94 I am mad scientist! It's so cool! from 1.048596% (Y2: Electric Boogaloo) Relationship Status: She does the things you do, but she is an IBM
I am mad scientist! It's so cool!
#36625: Nov 5th 2025 at 12:35:27 AM

At the very least, the title of the crossover should be mentioned!

2025: the year it all ends?

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