Sandbox / Title Tropes

A sandbox to classify Title Tropes depending on whether they have relevant context (and can therefore be handled with the current example rules) or the work's title is the context. There are also potential search-generated indexes and special cases (when the trope is not restricted to work titles).

Made for this Trope Talk discussion.

Legend:

• *titled after narrative devices
• **titling format
• ***context is a list of installments, but can be rephrased into paragraphs

Update: The second category is going to be soft-split between title tropes that are just "title is formatted this way" and tropes that have some storytelling significance. Reasoning will be provided.

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Have Relevant Context

• Adaptation Title Change: context is what the original title was
• Alliterative Title: context is what phonemes are being repeated. While it's obvious most of the time, something like "wrong righting" is alliterative without the words being spelled with the same starting letter.
• Artifact Title: context is explaining how the work moved from what the title initially meant
• Appropriated Title: context is what title the work is most known for and where it comes from
• Celebrity Song: *, context is who the alluded celebrity is and whether the work has something to do with the celebrity's life as this is not always the case
• Censored Title: context is what the original title was and how/why it was censored
• Character in the Logo: context is what character and in what pose appears in the logo, plus whether it's the usual logo or in some special edition/derivative work's
• Codename Title: context is where the codename comes from (the operation), non a search-generated index because titles don't have to include the word "codename"
• Completely Different Title: context is how the new title has nothing to do with the original and which dub has done it
• Complete-the-Quote Title: context is the quote the title is referencing and whether it was modified
• Cross-Referenced Titles: context is how the titles reference each other, some examples are ***
• Deceptively Silly Title: context is the work's darker undertones and (maybe) what the title initially suggests
• Double-Meaning Title: context is indicating both the apparent and alternate meanings
• Episode Finishes the Title: context is what episode answers the title
• Episode Title Card: context is when (right after the title sequence, when The Namesake is made clear, etc.) the card appears and in what format (just text on-screen or something fancier)
• Epunymous Title and Pun-Based Title: context is explaining the pun, always useful to non-native speakers
• Event Title: mostly used as * but actual context is what event (in-universe or real-life) the title refers to
• Foreign Language Title: context is in what language the work is versus in what language the title is, non-relevant context is a translation of the title
• The Foreign Subtitle: context is what dubbing added what subtitle, additional info is why
• Franchise-Driven Retitling: context is when the subtitle was added and how it matches the subtitles of other works in the franchise
• I Am Not Shazam: context is what the actual protagonist's name is and what the work's title refers to
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: context is explaining what the installments' titles have in common, some examples are ***
• Inherited Illiteracy Title: context is who misspells the title in-universe
• Iconic Character, Forgotten Title: context is what iconic character has overshadowed the work they come from
• Intentionally Awkward Title: context is what makes the title awkward plus explaining the double-entendre
• Ironic Episode Title: context is explaining the irony
• Justified Title: context is what contrived, in-universe thing justifies the work's title
• Literary Allusion Title: context is what work the title is referencing, non-relevant context is what that has to do with the work (it's a parody, Shout-Out, etc.)
• Market-Based Title: context is what dubbing has changed the title, what the new title is, and why is more marketable in that country
• Metafictional Title: context is what In-Universe thing the work is named after, additional context is what role that thing plays in the story
• The Namesake: context is how the title appeared to be non-indicative and when its connection to the story got revealed
• Never Trust a Title: context is why the title has little to do with what the work is actually about
• New Season, New Name: context is in which installments the work has gotten a new title and whether it matches the season's themes
• No Title: looks like zero context but examples reveal there are a lot of ways to not title a work/chapter
• Officially Shortened Title: context is what the title was shortened to afterward
• Onscreen Chapter Titles: context is what "chapters/arcs" the work is split into that appear on-screen
• Parallel Porn Titles: context is what non-porn work's title the porn work spoofs
• Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: context is what pop culture tidbit the pun comes from, and also explaining the pun
• Portmanteau Series Nickname: context is what portmanteau is used to shorten the work's title
• Portmantitle: context is what words made up the portmanteau, as it might seem obvious for native speakers but not so much for everyone else
• Post-Release Retitle: context is what the original title was and when the work was retitled
• Premature Encapsulation: context is how a work's title also fits (or fits better) a work that came later
• The Problem with Pen Island: context is how the phrase can be spelled differently
• Protagonist Title Fallacy: context is who the character the title refers is and who the actual protagonist is
• Publisher-Chosen Title: context is what entity exactly chose the title
• Recycled Title: context is what works reuse a particular work's title
• Refrain from Assuming: context is what line is mistaken for the song's title
• Retronym: context is when the title was retroactively changed and what thing shares its name with (i.e., what caused the retitling)
• Rhyming Title: **, context could be explicitly saying what phonemes rhyme or what type of rhyme the title employs, especially if the rhyme is only present in the original work or a dub.
• Sarcastic Title: context is explaining the sarcasm and what it says about the work
• Self-Referential Track Placement: context is which song is named after its placement and what name exactly it has
• Sequel Number Snarl: *** but examples are already in paragraphs; context is how the numbering is weird
• The Something Song: context could be how the song approaches the topic it's named after, but I'm not entirely sure whether that's relevant
• Spoiler Title: context is what the title spoils about the story
• Syndication Title: context is what changes has the title suffered
• Temporary Name Change: context is what the new name is and for how long the work is titled that way
• Title by Number: context could be how the number in question is related to the work, as it's indicated by the laconic, otherwise it's just **'
• Title Confusion: context is what the confusion is about
• Title Drop: context is when and how the title was dropped in the work
• Title Drop Anthology: context is which story from the anthology was picked to title the whole anthology
• Title Drop Chapter: context is when the work's title is dropped — at the beginning or the ending or midway through
• Titled After the Song: context is what song the work's titled after
• Title In: context is what dates/places/times are used and, sometimes, whether they appear in chronological order
• Title Scream: it's full of zero-context examples but context could be when the title is screamed and by who
• Translation Matchmaking: context is what dubbing changed names and what works appear related as a result
• Trivial Title: much like Artifact Title, context comes from why the title is trivial
• Un-Installment: from skimming through the examples list, context seems to be what installment is missing and why
• Visual Title Drop: context is how/where the title is visually displayed
• Word Sequel: ***
• Work Info Title: context would be to indicate what info is the title giving, like it's a trilogy and the title has "saga" in it
• Working Title: context is what the first title was vs. the current title

Title is the Context

Formatting Tropes

• Annual Title: **
• The Backwards Я: **
• Colon Cancer: **
• Compound Title: ***
• The Crime Job: **
• "Double, Double" Title: **
• Enter Eponymous: **, unsure whether this one is a search-generated index
• Excited Title! Two-Part Episode Name!: **, it also looks like The Same, but More Specific to Idiosyncratic Episode Naming
• I, Noun: **
• In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: **
• Letters 2 Numbers: **, context could be the title spelled without numbers
• Lettered Sequel: ***
• Lucky Charms Title: **, sometimes the special characters replace letters but I don't know if that counts as relevant
• Mononymous Biopic Title: context is whether the title is using the work's subject's first name, surname, or alias; other than that, it doesn't to have much meaning
• N+1 Sequel Title: ** and ***
• Named After First Installment: ***
• Non-Appearing Title: context is just listing the work, it needs further discussion due to there being relevant context in some cases (e.g., the title does not appear but a synonym does); it only has meaning in regards to songs
• Oddly Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo: **, indicative of the sequel having a Denser and Wackier tone but it's wildly misused
• The Original Series: **
• One-Word Title: **, it can be argued that its meaning comes from minimalism but this needs further discussion
• One-Letter Title: **, same as One-Word Title
• Questioning Title?: **
• Running Time in the Title: **
• Self-Titled Album: **
• Sequel: The Original Title: *, it only has meaning if carrying the previous installment's title translates as both being part of the same Story Arc or something like that, which is not always the case

Meaningful Tropes

• Antagonist Title: *, sets the work's overall tone, as a story that focuses on the work's antagonist is going to be very different than following The Hero's antics
• Character Action Title: **, gives away the work's premise
• Character Name and the Noun Phrase: **, tends to announce the MacGuffin or be part of idiosyncratic titling (on franchises and sagas)
• Character Title: *, sometimes indicative of a story being more character-driven, others, done for marketing purposes
• Adjective Noun Fred: **, the adjective and noun parts tend to give away the main character's occupation or the general premise
• Either/Or Title: **
• Episode Zero: The Beginning: **, not sure if indicating what pre-plot events the prequel work narrates counts as relevant, but it definitely has significance — it explicitly tells you that this is a prequel
• Family Title: *, it tells you that the work is probs a Dom Com or centered around a family's ordeals and relationships
• The Fantastic Trope of Wonderous Titles: **, it confers a feeling of the work being old-fashioned, it often also gives away the work's MacGuffin or the character that sets the plot in motion
• Finale Title Drop: I see it as The Same, but More Specific for Title Drop Chapter; it could be reworked so it only applies if the Title Drop explains why the work is named that way
• Gory Deadly Overkill Title of Fatal Death: **, it gives the work a feeling of hamminess, as if the work doesn't take itself seriously or it's a parody
• In Which a Trope Is Described: **, summarizes the work or episode's contents
• Initialism Title: **, it gives the work a techy or military/police feeling
• Job Title: *, it gives away the character's role or occupation during the work, which also sets up the tone
• The Joy of X: Just listing all of the snow-cloned titles after the original one is enough, though it can be noted whether they use similar plots/concepts or are just Rule of Cool; the significance is that these are shout-outs but in the title
• MacGuffin Title: * but context could be what kind of MacGuffin is (a place, an object, etc.); this kind of title tells you that the story is plot-driven
• Mad Lib Thriller Title: **, it gives a feeling of being about crimes, spies, or legal stuff, maybe merge with Ominous Legal Phrase Title?
• Multi-Character Title: *, it tells you that all of the characters listed are almost as equally important instead of there being just one protagonist
• Name and Name: **, same as Multi-Character Title as it says the characters listed are deuteragonists
• The Noun and the Noun: **, the nouns tend to give away the work's premise or themes, which helps establish the overall tone
• Noun Verber: **: like Adjective Noun Fred, it indicates the character's role or occupation, which are both related to the premise
• The Noun Who Verbed: **, it indicates something important the mentioned character or object did, which gives away the premise
• "Number of Objects" Title: **, the number of objects (which are usually MacGuffins) sometimes tells something about the story's structure and premise
• The Place: *, if the work isn't an One-Word Title, then context could be what kind of place it is (a city, a continent, a galaxy, etc.); also, does it count as relevant explaining what role the place plays in the story?; it's meaningful because it tells you that the location as a whole is more important than the characters/plot or that it's key to their development
• Ominous Legal Phrase Title: **, it can be added what the legal jargon means but I don't think that counts as relevant; meaning is the same as Mad Lib Thriller Title, as it's characteristic of some genres
• Prepositional Phrase Equals Coolness: **, gives away the work's premise
• Protagonist and Friends: **, indicates that the work revolves around the protagonist's interactions with secondary characters
• Protagonist Title: *, indicative that the protagonist is the most important element (so, there's probs Protagonist-Centered Morality in play; other characters and the plot are connected by the protagonist) and is very easy to market
• Recycled with a Gimmick: **, indicates a change of setting (aka the gimmick)
• Revenge of the Sequel: **, it indicates the sequel's plot is reactionary in regards to the previous installment's events
• Role Called: **, puts emphasis on the character's occupation while giving away the protagonist's name (needs discussion as to whether is the same but more specific to both Job Title and Character Title)
• Secondary Character Title: *, indicates that the secondary protagonist has been given a Day in the Limelight (if it's an episode) or is some sort of Adaptational Protagonist; it could also mean that we are seeing the story from their POV but the protagonist is still the one calling the shots

Unsorted

• Similarly Named Works: does it count as relevant context listing what works share a similar or even the same name?
• Subtitle: the only context needed is the subtitle itself
• Super Title 64 Advance: **
• Short Title: Long, Elaborate Subtitle: **
• Species Title: *
• Spotlight-Stealing Title: **
• The Talk Show with Host Name: **
• Team Title: *, albeit it can be added what kind of team the title alludes to — a Five-Man Band, a Four-Temperament Ensemble, etc.
• Terminology Title: **
• The "The" Title Confusion: it's just trivia about people not knowing where a title has a "the" or an "a" article at the beginning, so listing works seems to be enough
• Third Is 3D: **
• Time Title: **
• Title1: **
• Title: The Adaptation: **
• Title by Year: **
• Title, Please!: tropers often add context but I don't think it's that relevant, not always, at least
• The Title Saga: **
• The Titling: **
• "Untitled" Title: **
• Untranslated Title: does it count as relevant putting the title's translation?
• Vehicle Title: *
• Verbed Title: **
• Verbing Nouny: **
• Versus Title: **
• Weapon Title: *
• Word Purée Title: **
• Word Salad Title: **
• The X of Y: **

Search-Generated Indexes

• Age of Titles: **, subtrope of The X of Y
• American Title: **
• Ballad of X: **, subtrope of The X of Y
• The Case of...: **, subtrope of The X of Y
• The Eponymous Show: **
• The Full Name Adventures: **
• Instructional Title: **
• The Last Title: **
• The Legend of X: **, Subtrope of The X of Y
• The New Adventures: **
• Something Blues: **
• Title of the Dead: **
• Title: Requiem: **

Special Cases

• The Adjectival Superhero: **
• Artist and the Band: **
• Doomy Dooms of Doom: **, sometimes subtrope of The X of Y, potentially a search-generated index
• Double X: **
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin
• The Something Force: **
• Something-Nauts: **

Already TRS'd

Fixed

• Magic Ampersands: I can understand The Noun and the Noun being a common format for RPG tabletop games, but slapping ampersand on it doesn't seem exclusive to them. So, it looks like People Sit on Chairs. Renamed to Alliteration & Adventurers
• Scary Animal Title: *, indicates a "man vs. nature" type of conflict, which sets up the tone and, roughly, the premise. Cut and merged with Antagonist Title

Cut

• Excited Show Title: **
• Long Title: **, lengthy titles tend to give away the work's premise so the reader/audience knows what they are about to encounter
• A Noun Referred To As X: **

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