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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

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#2851: Oct 1st 2021 at 9:47:47 PM

Because we're trying to avoid Trope Namer Syndrome.

The idea also feels like One Mario Limit - which was turned into a Just for Fun page, by the way - but for animals

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#2852: Oct 1st 2021 at 9:50:57 PM

Yeah, this could easily fall victim to Fan Myopia. Besides, there'd probably be a ton of overlap with Seldom-Seen Species.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Piterpicher Veteran Editor IV from Poland, for real (Series 2) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Veteran Editor IV
#2853: Oct 2nd 2021 at 12:46:52 PM

Thoughts on an Old-Timey Cinema Countdown trope? A black-and-white number going down every second, often when a full circle happens, and usually won't actually reach the end. I've Seen It a Million Times, but can only recall examples from All Grown Up! and Police Quest IV: Open Season right now. Something like this.

Edited by Piterpicher on Oct 2nd 2021 at 9:58:41 PM

Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#2854: Oct 2nd 2021 at 1:03:13 PM

[up] I like it, but like you, I can't name any. I recall there was one flashback into the 20/40's and this was used as a screen transition.

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Piterpicher Veteran Editor IV from Poland, for real (Series 2) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Veteran Editor IV
#2855: Oct 2nd 2021 at 1:10:42 PM

Thanks for feedback. I just remembered another example from Quack Pack... I'll probably start the draft for it soon.

Edited by Piterpicher on Oct 2nd 2021 at 10:14:34 AM

Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
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
#2856: Oct 2nd 2021 at 4:11:06 PM

The door intro thingy in Mystery Science Theater 3000 is meant to call back to the cinema countdown thing. So there's an example that could use serious polishing up by people who aren't half asleep rn but that's not important

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#2857: Oct 2nd 2021 at 4:35:23 PM

I believe IMAX movie intros begin with an homage to that too.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#2858: Oct 3rd 2021 at 12:06:05 AM

Double post but there's an idea I've had for a while and I'm startled if we don't have a trope for it yet.

It's a related trope to Will They or Won't They? and Am I Just a Toy to You?, but when a couple refuses to label themselves as any particular kind of relationship. Usually they're more than Friends with Benefits, but won't call each other boyfriend/girlfriend yet.

There's an episode of Superstore in which Garrett and Dina spend an entire episode trying to classify their relationship for a corporate form, and there's a lot of lines in the Comedy Central era of Futurama where Fry and Leela (mostly the latter) just use any way to avoid saying boyfriend/girlfriend or confirm they have a relationship (i.e. Leela referring to their relationship as "whatever it was that you and I had together").

I've looked in related love tropes for it and I'm wondering if it's a distinct enough concept. The focus isn't so much on their ambiguous relationship and more on the way the characters themselves dance around describing it. "Unlabeled Relationship" or something?

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
RLH4 Cool Loser from Midgard Since: Sep, 2019 Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
Cool Loser
#2859: Oct 3rd 2021 at 8:26:15 PM

@ Akatia, I think that might work, maybe call them a Lost Race? It would have to be a super-trope/sister trope to Precursors, but if there was a race that had gone extinct but wasn't particularly advanced then there would be a place for them.

Clown To Clown Handshake Initiating...
Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#2860: Oct 3rd 2021 at 9:19:25 PM

We don't seem to have a Full-Party Finale trope yet, do we? For when a video game goes out of its way to make sure you use every playable character, Arbitrary Headcount Limit be damned, for its final stage or boss?

I can think of a few games that do so (Miitopia, several Trails games, Sonic Adventure 2) but not enough for me to feel comfortable adding yet, especially since I've never done this before in all my years here.

Edited by Anomalocaris20 on Oct 3rd 2021 at 12:33:34 PM

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#2861: Oct 3rd 2021 at 9:27:23 PM

Feels related to Back for the Finale but differs, especially in a video game context.

South Park: The Stick of Truth has a mechanic like that as well, where you use all your buddies in the final fight.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Amonimus the "Retromancer" from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the "Retromancer"
#2862: Oct 3rd 2021 at 9:31:43 PM

Could be a Final-Exam Boss that forcibly switches (and brings them to the fight if they were abscent) your playable characters. Sonic Heroes and Octopath Traveler did that. The final puzzle in Ghost Trick also uses everyone.

Edited by Amonimus on Oct 3rd 2021 at 7:32:47 PM

TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Snowsky (Life not ruined yet)
#2863: Oct 4th 2021 at 12:25:11 PM

I don't think we have a trope for this yet - Nobody Likes A Tattletale: Young children can't or won't go to adults with their problems (especially bully problems) for fear of being labeled tattletales.

Every kid the world over knows that Adults Are Useless, especially when you're dealing with a bully who steals your lunch and shoves you into mud puddles at recess. Nobody likes a bully, but the problem is, nobody likes a squealer, either. Even from a young age, children are concerned about how they look in front of their classmates, and the last thing you want is a reputation as the class stool pigeon who'll go squealing to the teacher at the slightest provocation.

In some cases, this trope is reinforced by a teacher, parent or other authority figure who's tired of the kids tattling on each other for everything and anything, but it can backfire. The child may interpret it as not being able to talk to an adult about any problem at all for fear of being labeled a tattletale, even one where an adult would be able to help. Many times, the end result is the child taking matters into their own hands, sometimes with disastrous results.

Sub-trope of Adults Are Useless.

  • American Girls Collection: On Halloween, Molly's brother Ricky ruins her and her friends' costumes and treats by spraying them with a hose. When Susan wants to tell Molly's mom about it, Molly initially doesn't want to tell her mom because she doesn't want to be a tattletale.
  • Diary of a Wimpy Kid: When Greg and Rodrick were little kids, they used to tattle on each other so often that their mom gave them a toy turtle called the Tattle Turtle that they could tell their problems to instead of her. It worked in Rodrick's favor, because he could do things like steal all the money from Greg's piggy bank and Greg couldn't tell their mom.
  • Don't Squeal Unless It's a Big Deal is a children's picture book that explains when it is and isn't necessary to ask an adult for help solving a problem. The teacher asks her students not to tell on each other for small things like pulling pigtails and stealing markers, but a situation happens in which it's necessary to run and get an adult — that is, when the teacher slips on some spilled food and hits her head on the floor.
  • Ramona Quimby: The Trope Namer. When Mrs. Griggs' first-grade class is making paper bag owls, Susan copies Ramona's owl and the teacher praises it in front of the whole class. Ramona is upset, but she feels she can't tell Mrs. Griggs what Susan did, because earlier, the teacher had said to the class, "Nobody likes a tattletale." So, out of frustration, she crumples up Susan's owl and gets in trouble.

Edited by Snowsky on Oct 4th 2021 at 12:37:51 PM

miraculous Goku Black (Apprentice)
Goku Black
#2864: Oct 4th 2021 at 6:37:56 PM

I was kinda wondering about launching a supernatural drowner trope. For all the big drowner villains in fiction. Draugur, sirens, vodnik, kelpies, etc.

Could be a super trope.

It's a pretty common idea of monster that lures people to their watery doom. What do you guys think?

"That's right mortal. By channeling my divine rage into power, I have forged a new instrument in which to destroy you."
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#2865: Oct 4th 2021 at 7:21:36 PM

Is this distinct from the tropes for these specific monsters, such as Our Sirens Are Different and Our Kelpies Are Different?

Edited by mightymewtron on Oct 4th 2021 at 10:21:50 AM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
#2866: Oct 4th 2021 at 7:39:26 PM

Does the final boss fight in Final Fantasy VI count for Full-Party Finale?

Kirby is awesome.
Malady (X-Troper)
#2867: Oct 4th 2021 at 9:42:28 PM

^^ - Well, IIRC, not all of them are about drowning...

But, the drowers who aren't those, are likely Making a Splash...

Then there's literally bringing their opponent into their environment, be it water, sky, ground, sand, or lava?

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
magnumtropus Since: Aug, 2020
#2868: Oct 4th 2021 at 10:01:30 PM

Would Overshadowed By Unfortunate Implications be a valid trope? I've noticed many Overshadowed by Controversy entries that talk about the Unfortunate Implications of the work, and this trope is a combo of the two. It shouldn't affect the other two tropes because there are many works that are OBC without UI (eg - Electric Soldier Porygon) and UI without OBC (eg - The MCU's treatment of Black Widow)

Edited by magnumtropus on Oct 4th 2021 at 9:02:08 PM

Anomalocaris20 from Sagittarius A* Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: Love blinded me (with science!)
#2869: Oct 4th 2021 at 11:28:36 PM

[up][up][up]I dunno. Would it? I've never played that game.

You cannot firmly grasp the true form of Squidward's technique!
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#2870: Oct 4th 2021 at 11:48:21 PM

[up][up] That sounds like Overshadowed by Controversy But More Specific, and both OBC and UI are difficult enough to maintain without allowing a loophole for more complaints.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#2871: Oct 5th 2021 at 12:42:19 AM

Yeah, I'd be a little iffy on making more iterations of that type of "trope" that just seems to attract problems.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
#2872: Oct 5th 2021 at 12:04:16 PM

[up][up][up]Regarding Final Fantasy VI, in the Very Definitely Final Dungeon, you have three parties of four members each (out of a total of 14 members if you rescue them all). Just before the Final Boss, you get to prioritize all the party members in the three parties with the top four being active (they do not have to be in the same party). The Final Boss has four phases, and after each phase, the members who are incapacitated are replaced with the next highest available members to ensure that you have four members fighting each phase.

It's quite close to a full-party finale, especially given the technical limitations of the SNES.

Edited by Nen_desharu on Oct 5th 2021 at 3:06:34 PM

Kirby is awesome.
SkyCat32 The Draftsman of Doom (Five Year Plan) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
The Draftsman of Doom
#2873: Oct 5th 2021 at 12:45:30 PM

@Snow: The tattle-trope may be covered by The Stool Pigeon.

Merseyuser1 Since: Sep, 2011
#2874: Oct 5th 2021 at 2:37:38 PM

Hoss Delgado from WesternAnimation.The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy was the inspiration for this trope, unless we have it, the text taken from High Turnover Rate:

  • Being a freelance mercenary has one of the highest attrition rates of any job, and there is an epic list of reasons for this. 1. The work is illegal, so no protections or benefits. 2. Places where you do work suck. 3. The work is often very boring. 4. People who go in for this are often unpleasant if not vile, and fuckups to boot. 5. The pay is not great. 6. Boredom will make you 'crave' anything for stimulation. 6. Employers like to exploit and underpay. 7. You can literally get killed doing this. 8. All the stresses of being in a war with none of the perks of being a 'real' soldier. 9. Most mercs are highly opportunistic. If you find yourself with a band that consistently pays what they promise on time, isn't full of people who spend more time addled than sober, and actually participates in combat operations, it's a keeper. There is a reason why old-school "wild geese" are dying out and replaced by Private Military Contractors, who offer much better job prospects for recruits.

Haven't got a name for it, apart from Wild Goose Mercenary maybe?

JKalver Since: Mar, 2021
#2875: Oct 5th 2021 at 4:40:25 PM

Someone with an unhappy face that looks happy


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