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Have an idea for a new trope, but don't know for sure if it's a good idea? Did Trope Finder give you similar concepts, but not exactly what you wanted? Are you just looking for a focus to a broader idea?

You've come to the right place!

On this thread, you can share your ideas with the masses before making that TLP draft, so if there's any lingering uncertainty about the validity of your idea or you just want some help pinning down a good idea, ask away and help others out, too!

A related sandbox I need to pitch is the Trope Idea Salvage Yard. If you've an idea but can't personally work on it, you can add it to the yard and let someone else create the draft. Or you can browse it yourself if you need more draft ideas, whether or not you feel they should be mentioned here first.

Got ideas for non-trope pages you need help with? Never fear, the New Page Workshop Thread is here!

With that out of the way: Let's discuss some ideas.

Edited by MacronNotes on Feb 27th 2022 at 1:49:11 PM

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (3,795/50,000)
#2776: Sep 15th 2021 at 4:21:50 PM

I think it's worth a shot.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#2777: Sep 15th 2021 at 7:26:55 PM

I'm surprised that's not a thing already.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#2778: Sep 17th 2021 at 3:53:29 AM

Is there a Smoke Out version without the "out" or "in"? A lot of enemies, especially in the military or with shadow magic, use a smokescreen as a makeshift cover to a full invisibility to pick off the opponents one by one.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
MylesHenryVigilSr Uni-Horn Goat from New Mexico Since: May, 2021 Relationship Status: I-It's not like I like you, or anything!
Uni-Horn Goat
#2779: Sep 17th 2021 at 9:54:03 AM

Since there are already tropes about animals that talk, posses sapience, and walk on two legs, should there be a trope about animals having opposable thumbs? Koalas having one thumb instead of two could work as an inversion as well.

Driving in Albuquerque is like driving on Rainbow Road in Mario Kart.
NoUsername she's only programmed to be very nice Since: May, 2012
she's only programmed to be very nice
#2780: Sep 17th 2021 at 1:03:12 PM
MylesHenryVigilSr Uni-Horn Goat from New Mexico Since: May, 2021 Relationship Status: I-It's not like I like you, or anything!
Uni-Horn Goat
#2781: Sep 17th 2021 at 8:18:25 PM

^ Oh, okay. Thanks. My apologies for not looking around the website better.

Driving in Albuquerque is like driving on Rainbow Road in Mario Kart.
SimbafanA1 Since: Aug, 2019
#2782: Sep 18th 2021 at 2:03:22 PM

I've often noticed how dimetrodon (and, in some rare cases, other animals of the same scientific family) at times tend to be portrayed as a vicious and dangerous predator much in the vein of other Prehistoric Monster types like Savage Spinosaurs, Ptero Soarer, Raptor Attack, and whatnot. Does anyone think that this could be a tropeable idea?

ImperialMajestyXO Since: Nov, 2015
#2783: Sep 18th 2021 at 4:01:01 PM

Would "Anachronistic Accent" be tropeworthy? An example that comes to mind is a Jewish character in I, Claudius having a Yiddish accent centuries before such an accent should have existed.

Unicorndance Logic Girl from Thames, N.Z. Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Logic Girl
#2784: Sep 18th 2021 at 9:47:01 PM

I'd like to make a draft for when a work begins with it zooming in from the sky. I've seen it in the intros to The Jetsons, Rolie Polie Olie, and the "Madlenka" skits from Sesame Street, however, I'm not sure how to answer the "What does the trope mean?" question.

For every low there is a high.
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#2785: Sep 18th 2021 at 11:37:06 PM

[up] Do most first scenes from Star Wars movies count? Inversion of "Pan Up to the Sky" Ending? Pan From The Sky Opening?

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
MrMagolor from Western NY Since: Mar, 2020
#2786: Sep 19th 2021 at 7:44:46 AM

How about "Enigmatic Enemy"? That situation in a game that completely averts Interface Spoiler; Mission Control doesn't know what to say, the UI is useless, you're going up against something completely unknown. May cross over with My Name Is ??? . Could also possibly apply to non-game works.

The shomrim remain unbilefful
NitroIndigo ♀ | Small ripples lead to big waves from West Midlands region, England Since: Jun, 2021 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
♀ | Small ripples lead to big waves
#2787: Sep 19th 2021 at 8:30:39 AM

[up]Rika's Digimon scanner thing failing to recognise Guilmon in Digimon Tamers springs to mind.

Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#2788: Sep 19th 2021 at 9:31:31 AM

[up][up] I like the idea, but can't come up with examples. Sounds like a You Cannot Grasp the True Form applied to Enemy Scan when the scan just doesn't work.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#2789: Sep 20th 2021 at 2:13:14 AM

Referenced Limited Wardrobe? I feel like there are enough Lampshade Hangings of Limited Wardrobe it could be its' own trope.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
windleopard from Nigeria Since: Nov, 2014 Relationship Status: Non-Canon
#2790: Sep 20th 2021 at 4:32:59 AM

Stealing Is Saving

A character either steals back something that was wrongfully taken in order to return it to the rightful owners or steals an object that is targeted by the bad guys in order to protect it.

Examples of the former:

  • Around the World in 80 Days (2004): Lau Xing robs the Bank of England to take back the jade Buddha that was stolen from his village and given to Lord Kelvin by Fang in exchange of British weapons. He accompanies Fogg on his trip to circumvent the world in 80 days so as to return the Buddha back to his village.

Examples of the latter:

  • Jackie Chan Adventures: Jackie tries to steal the snake talisman from a museum in order to protect it from the Dark Hand.

PurpleEyedGuma Since: Apr, 2020
#2791: Sep 20th 2021 at 7:32:55 AM

How common is the thing where an anthromorphic octopus or squid is portrayed with all the tentacles as the hair? (Examples: Inklings, Takoyama, Mimic the Octopus)

Context might be an issue because it’s a personal appearance.

Edited by PurpleEyedGuma on Sep 20th 2021 at 10:40:31 AM

Malady (X-Troper)
#2792: Sep 20th 2021 at 7:52:56 AM

Some relation to Alien Hair.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#2793: Sep 20th 2021 at 8:01:45 AM

[up][up] We have Hair Wings and Prehensile Hair, but not Tentacle Hair? You can also add some Koro-sensei's associates and Inanis

Edited by Amonimus on Sep 20th 2021 at 6:02:35 PM

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
magnumtropus Since: Aug, 2020
#2794: Sep 20th 2021 at 8:42:12 AM

Should there be a distinction for when a non-Woobie-esque character becomes a Woobie in a specific situation / episode / installment?

The example that made me think of this was Psychs Santabarbaratown duology (Henry in part 1, Shawn in Part 2). I would hardly call either character "Woobies". However, in the first part, Henry learns that 2 of his teammates were corrupt, which distresses him to the point that he quits his job. When he goes to break the bad news to his third teammate, he learns that said teammate was also corrupt and ends up getting shot by him. This leaves Shawn an emotional mess in part 2, as he drops his normally smug and hyper attitude and becomes extremely obsessed with finding his dad's shooter.

The main distinction is this - A normal Woobie is one because of:

  • Something they experience on a regular basis
  • A Humiliation Conga
  • A past event (preceding the time frame of the work) still having significant ramifications on their present

Here, they aren't necessarily a Woobie to begin with, but a particular situation pushes them into the Woobie realm.

Snowsky (Life not ruined yet)
#2795: Sep 20th 2021 at 2:03:54 PM

Do we have a trope for the sun being considered male and the moon being considered female? Something like Male Sun, Female Moon?

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#2796: Sep 20th 2021 at 2:21:42 PM

We have Night and Day Duo for sun/moon pairings in general.

"Feminine moon" was previously pitched, see up to next page.


When figuring out how to clean Ukefication and Alpha and Beta Wolves, realized there is content better suited for a page on omegaverse fanfic. Would this be better suited for a Fan Speak Main/ page, or a Useful Notes page?

Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#2797: Sep 20th 2021 at 4:13:54 PM

Why not a regular trope page? It's a genre.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#2798: Sep 20th 2021 at 4:18:57 PM

Maybe cuz it's usually NSFW?

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#2799: Sep 20th 2021 at 4:21:07 PM

9 times out of 10 (at least from my experience browsing AO 3 fandom tags), if it's omegaverse, it's smut or eventual smut, so a Fan Speak term is probably the best to avoid P5 shenanigans

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#2800: Sep 20th 2021 at 4:54:28 PM

There's potential for SFW worldbuilding in the premise, but fandom being fandom, this potential is not much explored.

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.

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