Themes for Tvtropes Writing Contest: Electric Boogaloo! (The Fifth)

Okay, so last time's crowner was a disastrous failure and a reminder to us all why submission to a grand overlord is far preferable to democracy, so I don't think we're going to have one this time.

Instead, this is going to be more of a brainstorming thread. Whoever shoulders the responsibility of hosting the contest also gets to choose the theme, right? Kthen.

In the final pages of the last contest, snowfoxdeath suggested that...

which I think is actually a fantastic idea. So, themes that we've gathered so far...

• Second Chances
• Entire story must take place in one hour
• this.

Okay, troper hivemind, brainstorm away.

I like the first and third ones.

By the way, the second one would fall under Extremely Short Timespan.

I don't like the second one, but that could just be me.

What's Second Chances?

As in "You messed up, but you have a second chance." It can be a story of redemption, redemming, or anything that involves second tries (like Peggy Sue).

Ah, thank you.

I propose the themes: two men carrying a pane of glass across the road and/or Firework safety.

I don't think those are very second-chance compatible.

Fairy tales must be involved somehow in a meaningful way.

edited 10th Aug '11 8:32:10 PM by snowfoxofdeath

A secret.

I propose deconstruction/reconstruction as themes

Rockadillo. My suggestion from last time was "encountering something new." First day of school, first contact with aliens, or anything in between.

I also thought it might be fun to do something that's a little more of a stretch, like Alternate History.

edited 10th Aug '11 11:34:44 PM by jewelleddragon

I like the Harris Burdick suggestion, but just to throw something else out there:

Ordinary Person In Unusual Situation

or possibly

Unusual Person In Ordinary Situation

Genre Shift, of any manner, method, and style as the author pleases. As a possible additional challenge, perhaps we should stipulate that it be significant Genre Shift:

• Slasher horror to Survival Horror would not be acceptable.
• Slasher horror to Cosmic Horror Story would be acceptable.

That's just me, though...

^I like that idea.

Third'd.

I support the fairytale theme.

I like the pictures in the first post, and the fairy tale theme.

Personally, I actually do enjoy extremely short timespans but I like the fairytale option a whole lot, especially if we combine it with the "second chances" option.

And as for those pictures I am horribly biased against them because they were a total waste of time in junior high and I resent them for it.

But I won't bow out if we pick them.

Combining multiple themes also makes this a good place for themes that, IMO, don't work as well as stand-alones, like the dialogue-less story idea.

I like fairy tales, encountering something new, and Genre Shift.

Throw my vote in for Genre Shift too.

^^^ Hmm...then how about, as a generally broad theme that wouldn't really work well as a standalone, betrayal?

And, for something a little more specific, writing about the End of the World always seemed fun to me.

Give people a starting sentence, or a sentence that they have to include somewhere. (This is also a fun game on its own.)

@ an earlier proposal, alternate history is definitely a stretch. I like it, but what about other people? The worldbuilding involved can be somewhat...yeah.