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