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