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