Tropescilloscope: Real Life
Reality, described as a TV show or video game. (read more at tvtropes.org)
More Tropes
Broken Bird
Kick the Dog
Not So Different
Papa Wolf
Kubrick Stare
Here We Go Again!
Betty and Veronica
The Hero Dies
Get Out!
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
Berserk Button
Film Noir
The Faceless
Back from the Dead
Dirty Coward
Breaking the Fourth Wall
Properly Paranoid
Based on a True Story
Foil
Silence Is Golden
Getting Crap Past the Radar
The Mole
Beauty Is Never Tarnished
Posthumous Character
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Tempting Fate
Karmic Death
Big-Bad Ensemble
The Mafia
Arc Words
Corrupt Corporate Executive
Character Development
Reality Ensues
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness
Be Careful What You Wish For
Slasher Smile
Reality Has No Subtitles
Friend to All Children
One Steve Limit
For Want of a Nail
The Voiceless
Unreliable Narrator
Evil Plan
Greater-Scope Villain
Made of Explodium
Cluster F-Bomb
Gratuitous English
Dying Moment of Awesome
Idiot Ball
Disproportionate Retribution
Sexy Discretion Shot
She's Got Legs
Not So Above It All
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Rasputinian Death
Ship Tease
Animal Motifs
Cain and Abel
Never Trust a Trailer
Nice Hat
Ambiguously Gay
Names to Run Away from Really Fast
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Major Injury Underreaction
Animated Credits Opening
Homage
Insistent Terminology
Race Lift
A.I. Is a Crapshoot
Mystery and Detective Films
20 Minutes into the Future
The Big Guy
Recycled IN SPACE!
No-Sell
Retirony
Word of God
Romantic Comedy
Rape as Drama
Gainax Ending
Mood Whiplash
Hidden Depths
Gorn
Face Death with Dignity
Adaptation Name Change
Death Glare
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
Laser-Guided Karma
Shipper on Deck
Never Trust a Trailer
aka: Trailers Always Lie
Better to Die than Be Killed
Twist Ending
In Medias Res
Evil Laugh
Vampire Fiction
Punny Name
Not Even Bothering with the Accent
Attempted Rape
How We Got Here
Ungrateful Bastard
Villain Ball
Fantastic Racism
Antagonist Title
Ghost Fiction
Meaningful Name
Cool Old Lady
Only One Name
Mr. Fanservice
Mercy Kill
The Film of the Book
A Minor Kidroduction
The Sociopath
Alliterative Name
Red Herring
He Knows Too Much
Fatal Family Photo
Narrator
What You Are in the Dark
Blonde, Brunette, Redhead
Retcon
Abusive Parents
Revenge
Psycho for Hire
Evil-Detecting Dog
As Long as It Sounds Foreign
Eiffel Tower Effect
Red Eyes, Take Warning
Failed a Spot Check
Moment Killer
Title Drop
Soft Glass
The Stinger
Bullying a Dragon
Video Credits
The Load
Evil Is Petty
Conspicuous CG
Awesome, but Impractical
Overprotective Dad
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Daylight Horror
Undying Loyalty
The Cameo
Epic Movie
Auto Erotica
Epic Fail
Manly Tears
Manipulative Bastard
The Chick
The Stoic
After the End
Cold-Blooded Torture
Chewing the Scenery
Wounded Gazelle Gambit
Sole Survivor
Pragmatic Villainy
Took a Level in Badass
Toplessness from the Back
Police Brutality
Take That!
Unwitting Instigator of Doom
Well-Intentioned Extremist
Establishing Character Moment
The Alleged Car
Spared by the Adaptation
Kick the Son of a Bitch
Male Gaze
Deliberate Values Dissonance
Index of Film Westerns
Loophole Abuse
Fingore
Grey and Gray Morality
The Un-Favourite
aka: The Un Favorite
What the Hell, Hero?
Big Eater
Big Bad
Chekhov's Skill
Country Matters
Gory Discretion Shot
Improvised Weapon
Blood Knight
Would Hurt a Child
MacGuffin
The Ditz
Drill Sergeant Nasty
Sequel Escalation
Novelization
Pimped-Out Dress
Artistic License Biology
Depraved Bisexual
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
Five-Man Band
World of Ham
Adaptational Badass
This Is Gonna Suck
Disney Death
Sir Swears-a-Lot
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
Hair-Trigger Temper
Bittersweet Ending
Mooks
French Films
Pet the Dog
No Celebrities Were Harmed
Bi the Way
Non-Indicative Name
Hollywood Darkness
Soundtrack Dissonance
Horror Films
timeperiod
Pre-Mortem One-Liner
Visual Pun
Scare Chord
Fiery Redhead
Needs Wiki Magic Love
Adaptation Distillation
The Dog Bites Back
Stylistic Suck
A God Am I
Suspiciously Similar Substitute
Bond One-Liner
Mundane Made Awesome
I Have Your Wife
Framing Device
Black and Gray Morality
BFG
Children Are Innocent
Eyepatch of Power
One-Word Title
Affably Evil
The Atoner
Body Horror
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome
Dramatic Gun Cock
Fan Disservice
Stock Footage
Dutch Angle
Neck Snap
MayDecember Romance
Plucky Comic Relief
From Bad to Worse
Famous Last Words
Determinator
aka: The Determinator
Adult Fear
Coming-of-Age Story
Exact Words
Black Dude Dies First
Irony
Room Full of Crazy
Blackmail
Totally Radical
Distracted by the Sexy
Hate Sink
Gender Flip
Aside Glance
Artistic License Physics
Adaptation Expansion
Truth in Television
The Musical
All There in the Manual
Taking the Bullet
Intrepid Reporter
Knight Templar
Bavarian Fire Drill
Hong Kong Films
One-Man Army
Death Seeker
Only in It for the Money
Noodle Incident
Superhero
Fanservice Extra
True Companions
Rule of Symbolism
Stalker with a Crush
Drugs Are Bad
Evil Brit
Death of a Child
Fun with Acronyms
Fantasy Films
Defrosting Ice Queen
Blatant Lies
Dramatic Irony
Silent Movie
Man on Fire
All for Nothing
Scary Black Man
The Place
The Ghost
Badass Longcoat
Advertised Extra
Would Hit a Girl
My Beloved Smother
Those Two Guys
Kids Are Cruel
Authority Equals Asskicking
Big "NO!"
Product Placement
Cool Guns
Random Events Plot
War Is Hell
Canon Foreigner
You Have Failed Me
Insult Backfire
Despair Event Horizon
Very Loosely Based on a True Story
Bound and Gagged
Tagline
Unspoken Plan Guarantee
Actually Pretty Funny
Gilligan Cut
Arch-Enemy
Too Dumb to Live
Wham Line
Disney Villain Death
Improbable Infant Survival
aka: Infant Immortality
Armor-Piercing Question
Artistic License Gun Safety
Contrived Coincidence
Deal with the Devil
Fish out of Water
Gone Horribly Right
Evil Sounds Deep
Television Movie Index
Improbable Weapon User
Defiant to the End
Serious Business
Killed Mid-Sentence
Cowboy Cop
An Aesop
Obfuscating Stupidity
Dissonant Serenity
Missing Mom
Politically Incorrect Villain
Pyrrhic Victory
Screw This, I'm Outta Here!
Closed Circle
Jitter Cam
Shown Their Work
Reckless Gun Usage
Sanity Slippage
The Ace
Morality Pet
Martial Arts Movie
Does This Remind You of Anything?
Villainous Breakdown
Hero Antagonist
Bar Brawl
Unusually Uninteresting Sight
The End... Or Is It?
Cat Scare
All There in the Script
Fanservice
Once More, with Clarity!
The Cavalry
The Starscream
Market-Based Title
"Where Are They Now?" Epilogue
You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!
Demoted to Extra
Music Stories
Biopic
Red Right Hand
Dark Action Girl
Suddenly SHOUTING!
Blood from the Mouth
O.O.C. Is Serious Business
Ripped from the Headlines
Film Series
Bad "Bad Acting"
Show Within a Show
Never My Fault
Animal Title Index
In Name Only
Accidental Murder
The '90s
Together in Death
Fainting
From Nobody to Nightmare
Ascended Extra
The Hero
Cloudcuckoolander
Combat Pragmatist
Public Domain Feature Films
Race Against the Clock
Abhorrent Admirer
Cool Old Guy
Adaptational Villainy
Woman Scorned
Mr. Exposition
Hope Spot
Belligerent Sexual Tension
Domestic Abuse
Mistaken for Gay
Put on a Bus
Gold Digger
Evil vs. Evil
BrotherSister Incest
Works Set in World War II
NO INDOOR VOICE
Bald of Evil
Mad Scientist
Immune to Bullets
Cassandra Truth
Meet Cute
Dull Surprise
Good Is Not Nice
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
Chiaroscuro
Yandere
Real Life Writes the Plot
Really Gets Around
And Starring
Beware the Nice Ones
Freudian Excuse
Villain Protagonist
Have a Gay Old Time
Femme Fatale
The Smart Guy
Artistic License Geography
Up to Eleven
Groin Attack
Rule of Three
The Vamp
Heroic BSoD
Crazy Jealous Guy
The Great Depression
An Axe to Grind
Even Evil Has Standards
HeelFace Turn
Happily Married
Real Life
Central Theme
Ass Shove
Scenery Porn
The Un-Reveal
Military and Warfare Films
Dies Wide Open
Empathic Environment
Improbable Aiming Skills
Not Quite Dead
Pragmatic Adaptation
Toilet Humour
aka: Toilet Humor
Italian Films
Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene
You Killed My Father
Bury Your Gays
Bowdlerise
It Will Never Catch On
Diabolus ex Machina
Training Montage
More Dakka
Book-Ends
Reasonable Authority Figure
Dirty Cop
Evil Is Hammy
As Himself
Cruel and Unusual Death
Darker and Edgier
Didn't Think This Through
Costume Porn
German Films
Due to the Dead
Naïve Newcomer
Credits Gag
Badass Normal
Rule of Cool
Demonic Possession
It's All About Me
As the Good Book Says...
Apocalypse How
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife
There Is No Kill Like Overkill
Drowning My Sorrows
Bunny-Ears Lawyer
folderlabel
Leitmotif
Stealth Hi/Bye
Kill 'em All
Even Evil Has Loved Ones
B-Movie
British Films
The Reveal
Dual Wielding
Spiteful Spit
Historical In-Joke
Cat Fight
Off with His Head!
Downer Ending
Cool Shades
Straight Gay
As You Know
The Alcoholic
I Just Shot Marvin in the Face
Extremely Short Timespan
Love Triangle
Shirtless Scene
Shoot the Shaggy Dog
Lock and Load Montage
Fourth Date Marriage
Madness Mantra
The '50s
The Chessmaster
Driven to Suicide
Woman in White
Loads and Loads of Characters
Heroic Sacrifice
I'm a Humanitarian
Russian Films
Stuff Blowing Up
Final Girl
Break the Haughty
Broken Aesop
No Name Given
Curse Cut Short
Butt-Monkey
Red Shirt
The Bad Guy Wins
Not What It Looks Like
Nice Guy
Bad Boss
Expy
Victoria's Secret Compartment
Action Girl
Taking You with Me
Villain Song
Crazy-Prepared
Bloody Hilarious
Re-Cut
Darkest Hour
Adorkable
Henpecked Husband
Badass Boast
Faux Affably Evil
In the Back
Alas, Poor Villain
Big Brother Instinct
Guns Akimbo
Large Ham
Vomit Indiscretion Shot
Big Applesauce
Bottomless Magazines
Ax-Crazy
Oh, Crap!
Historical-Domain Character
Award-Bait Song
Precision F-Strike
Dumb Blonde
Bring My Brown Pants
Historical Hero Upgrade
Australian Movies
Meaningful Echo
Heroes Want Redheads
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer
Dark Is Not Evil
Drives Like Crazy
Outrun the Fireball
Pre-Asskicking One-Liner
Recap /
RiffTrax
aka: Riff Trax Movies
Implacable Man
Department of Redundancy Department
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
An Arm and a Leg
Genre Savvy
Fate Worse than Death
Determinator
Every Car Is a Pinto
Adapted Out
Freeze-Frame Bonus
Eureka Moment
Hoist by His Own Petard
Our Zombies Are Different
Horror Comedy
Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Everyone Has Standards
Parental Abandonment
Mama Bear
Small Name, Big Ego
Disguised in Drag
Destination Defenestration
Never Found the Body
Deconstruction
No OSHA Compliance
Pretty Little Headshots
Pretty in Mink
Chase Scene
Flashback
Air-Vent Passageway
Spell My Name with an "S"
Dwindling Party
Riddle for the Ages
The Lost Lenore
Asshole Victim
Time Skip
Adults Are Useless
The Bully
Intergenerational Friendship
Dark and Troubled Past
Make It Look Like an Accident
Creative Closing Credits
Fat Bastard
Comically Missing the Point
Amoral Attorney
Grievous Bottley Harm
Covers Always Lie
Arranged Marriage
Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy
Double Entendre
Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
Green-Eyed Monster
The Stoner
Sassy Black Woman
Developing Doomed Characters
Logo Joke
The '60s
Bare Your Midriff
Wrong Genre Savvy
Anguished Declaration of Love
Lighter and Softer
"Shaggy Dog" Story
Anachronism Stew
Humiliation Conga
Card-Carrying Villain
Punch-Clock Villain
Important Haircut
Mexican Standoff
Daddy's Girl
Beta Couple
Ironic Echo
Fatal Flaw
Redemption Equals Death
Crapsack World
Rousing Speech
A Father to His Men
Cool Car
Pay Evil unto Evil
Slashed Throat
Left the Background Music On
Meaningful Background Event
Men Are the Expendable Gender
Not So Stoic
Babies Ever After
Humans Are Bastards
Police are Useless
Sinister Minister
Four-Temperament Ensemble
It Can Think
Karma Houdini
Foregone Conclusion
Dramedy
Thriller
Eldritch Abomination
Badass Bookworm
The '80s
Girl-on-Girl Is Hot
Rated M for Manly
Shout-Out
Broken Pedestal
Affectionate Parody
Canadian Movies
I Need a Freaking Drink
Take a Third Option
Vomit Discretion Shot
The Dragon
Badass in a Nice Suit
Storming the Castle
Funny Background Event
Calling the Old Man Out
She Cleans Up Nicely
Easily Forgiven
Fire-Forged Friends
Does Not Like Shoes
Extreme Doormat
Guile Hero
Spanner in the Works
Batman Gambit
Adaptation Dye-Job
Badass Grandpa
It's Personal
Historical Villain Upgrade
Psychopathic Manchild
Roger Ebert: Great Movies List
Instant Death Bullet
Lampshade Hanging
Call-Back
Star-Crossed Lovers
Brainless Beauty
Hell Is That Noise
Skewed Priorities
Reality Is Unrealistic
Smoking Is Cool
All Just a Dream
And I Must Scream
Catapult Nightmare
What Happened to the Mouse?
Ambiguous Disorder
Shell-Shocked Veteran
Captain Ersatz
Chekhov's Gun
Accidental Misnaming
Off-into-the-Distance Ending
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil
Not Using the "Z" Word
Black Comedy
Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Offscreen Teleportation
A Date with Rosie Palms
Scenery Gorn
Sacrificial Lion
Dropped a Bridge on Him
Action Genre
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
Insane Troll Logic
Documentary
Eye Scream
Line-of-Sight Name
The Quiet One
Maybe Ever After
Creepy Child
Christmas Movies Index
Running Gag
Those Two Bad Guys
Eagleland
Plot Hole
Last-Name Basis
Naked People Are Funny
Hypocritical Humor
Playing Gertrude
Captain Obvious
Bilingual Bonus
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
Crucified Hero Shot
Early-Bird Cameo
Sci-Fi Horror
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Refuge in Audacity
Peek-a-Boo Corpse
Romantic False Lead
Villain Opening Scene
The Remake
Becoming the Mask
Match Cut
Science Fiction Films
Informed Ability
Author Appeal
Facial Horror
Ominous Latin Chanting
Curb-Stomp Battle
Unresolved Sexual Tension
Evil Counterpart
Male Frontal Nudity
Took a Level in Jerkass
Big Fancy House
Bait-and-Switch
Neck Lift
Death by Sex
Boom, Headshot!
Only a Flesh Wound
Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
Action Prologue
Throwing Your Sword Always Works
Genre Shift
Married to the Job
Worthy Opponent
Fake Shemp
Self-Deprecation
Artistic License Military
Setting Update
Celebrity Paradox
Sadistic Choice
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?
Wicked Cultured
Amusing Injuries
Heel Realization
Dark Reprise
Manchild
Faking the Dead
The Dreaded
Handicapped Badass
Suspiciously Specific Denial
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing
Paper-Thin Disguise
La Résistance
Kill It with Fire
Death by Adaptation
Brick Joke
Danny Peary Cult Movies List
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"
Artistic License History
Pun
aka: Incredibly Lame Pun
Monumental Damage
The '70s
Slap-Slap-Kiss
Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
Obstructive Bureaucrat
Light Is Not Good
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience
aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience
Imagine Spot
All Men Are Perverts
FaceHeel Turn
Trailers Always Spoil
Alpha Bitch
Corpsing
Wham Shot
Offscreen Moment of Awesome
My God, What Have I Done?
Jump Scare
Early Installment Weirdness
Slasher Movie
Mind Screw
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
For the Evulz
Overly Long Gag
Only Sane Man
Death by Irony
Bloodless Carnage
Interrupted Suicide
Brutal Honesty
Red Oni, Blue Oni
Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism
"Awesome McCool" Name
Rewatch Bonus
The Power of Love
Agony of the Feet
No Ending
Hollywood Law
Our Vampires Are Different
Damsel in Distress
Motor Mouth
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
The X of Y
Anachronic Order
Vacation Films
Retired Badass
Enemy Mine
Adaptational Heroism
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold
Villain with Good Publicity
Sequel Hook
Ambiguous Ending
Parental Neglect
Protagonist Title
Jerkass
Creator Cameo
Super Strength
Bond Villain Stupidity
Obviously Evil
Deadpan Snarker
N-Word Privileges
Anti-Hero
Mighty Whitey
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
Stealth Pun
Shower Scene
Tranquil Fury
The Lancer
Heterosexual Life-Partners
Knife Nut
Mythology Gag
Bolivian Army Ending
Funny Foreigner
Age Lift
Adaptational Attractiveness
Genre Throwback
Vitriolic Best Buds
Parental Substitute
Deus ex Machina
He Who Fights Monsters
"The Reason You Suck" Speech
All Girls Want Bad Boys
Wretched Hive
Roaring Rampage of Revenge
Car Fu
Made of Iron
Your Cheating Heart
Stepford Smiler
Serial Killer
Rich Bitch
Laughing Mad
Smug Snake
Token Minority
Unusual Euphemism
Let's Get Dangerous!
Screw the Money, I Have Rules!
Jerkass Has a Point
The Oner
Parental Incest
Composite Character
Casting Gag
Anti-Villain
Aluminum Christmas Trees
Dirty Old Man
Dogged Nice Guy
Camp Gay
The Smurfette Principle
Deliberately Monochrome
Disappeared Dad
Love at First Sight
I Did What I Had to Do
Jerk Jock
Hypocrite
Chekhov's Gunman
Those Wacky Nazis
Dressing as the Enemy
Japanese Films
Frame-Up
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
My Greatest Failure
Black Comedy Rape
And the Adventure Continues
Break the Cutie
Hero of Another Story
Catch-Phrase
Author Avatar
Honor Before Reason
Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
Half the Man He Used to Be
Only Known by Their Nickname
Mugging the Monster
Zombie Stories
Annoying Younger Sibling
Camera Abuse
Redshirt Army
Poor Communication Kills
Sports Stories
Spiritual Successor
Nothing Is Scarier
Double-Meaning Title
Rule of Funny
Older Than They Look
The Brute
Whole Plot Reference
Beard of Evil
Flipping the Bird
Psychological Thriller
Ms. Fanservice
Anyone Can Die
Did Not Get the Girl
'80s Hair
"Well Done, Son!" Guy
Tap on the Head
Action Survivor
Bloodier and Gorier
Same Language Dub
Your Head A-Splode
Earn Your Happy Ending
Film Noir Index
Expository Hairstyle Change
Decoy Protagonist
Big Damn Heroes
Continuity Nod
Sealed Evil in a Can
Malevolent Masked Men
Call-Forward
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Translation Convention
Actor Allusion
Artistic License Law
The Casanova
Big Bad Duumvirate
Black Best Friend
Shut Up, Hannibal!
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane
Leave the Camera Running
Almost Kiss
Bland-Name Product
Say My Name
No Antagonist
Foreshadowing