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
is there a trope that talks about, say, a bitter/cruel/selfish character who turns into a better/mellower person due to the influence of a pure child entering their life?
Not exactly that they turn into a hero, but the relationship with the child (often can turn into a parental relationship) showcases depth or character development previously unseen in this character. or takes them down a more heroic path.
Example: Valjean and Cosette from Les Mis, Batman with Robin in many incarnations, the Ice King with Marceline in Adventure Time, Wolverine with his female protégées in most X Men media, Iyami with the flower girl in Osomatsu, Impmon and his tamers in Digimon Tamers...
It's kinda a mix of Badass and Child Duo Meets a Redemption Arc.
I've been slowly working through this idea for a new trope that I'm currently calling Better Partner Assertion.
I have a decent first draft ready (except I only have two examples
) but I figured I'd run it through here first before I post it in TLP. If anyone wants to see the draft itself, I can copy it to my sandbox or put it in a folder here, just let me know.
Basically the gist is this: Character(s) in a perceived Love Triangle attempt to solve the triangle by listing off reasons they are better than their romantic rival. Sometimes it's a whole dissertation and other times, it's as simple as "I'm better than him/her/them". How truthful these statements are doesn't usually matter, usually because this little stunt doesn't work. It can be Played for Laughs if the reasons given are way out in left field or if the situation is presented in a comedic way.
A step down from Cock Fight (and also not Always Male) as this (potential) trope can only involve one suitor or simply is a verbal altercation. Although, it can escalate into a Cock Fight. Also not related to Homosocial Heterosexuality as this involves two men trying to convince the woman to enter a relationship with them, rather than focusing on their relationship dynamic.
Edited by Hello83433 on Jun 6th 2022 at 7:17:24 AM
CSP Cleanup Thread | All that I ask for ... is diamonds and dance floorsWar Jay, I think Crowd Reaction Shot is tropeable if it's a split from Reaction Shot, which can be for a single person, whereas Crowd Reaction Shot can be for multitudes of people. My two cents.
Thanks. I might give it a shot if I can remember enough examples. I know I've seen it a million times, just need to scrounge together the details.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallTournament Arc raid? Usually the audience reacts as a group??
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576Eh, maybe. For some reason I was thinking more about like musical performances and stuff. Not that tournament arc battles can't count, they absolutely can, they just weren't on my mind because the reactions that all inspired this idea had to do with music or theatre.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallDoes Burger Fool have a Missing Supertrope in Soul Sucking Restaurant Job (waiters, line cooks, hosts for non-fast food restaurants)? In Fire Island the narrator repeatedly flashes back to a posh brunch place where he was treated horribly.
Edited by Synchronicity on Jun 6th 2022 at 3:58:23 AM
Reminds me of the "Raining Salesmen" inverse trope we were discussing at TRS, where customer service workers are the ones being bombarded and abused.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallAny feedback on my idea or should I just go ahead to TLP? (I did manage to find more examples so I hit the threshold
)
I wonder if Knives are a common weapon for kids, because it fits their small hands? Or for mages, because they're not as physically strong? Also women, a bit, because Chastity Dagger?
- Fortune Summoners: Stella, a Child Mage who puts her Elemental Stone in a book, unlike Sana, who has hers in her Magic Staff, and so uses a dagger to deal melee attacks.
- Weird and Unfortunate Things Are Happening: Dottie, a twelve-year-old Child Mage who's made to mainly use magic attacks, but has knives as a backup.
Edited by Malady on Jun 7th 2022 at 5:50:45 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576So this
misplaced TF query reminded me of my earlier idea, a specific kind of Alternate Universe Fic that relies on For Want Of A Nail. I've known a few fics that do this, change one small moment in canon that spirals into a variety of other consequences. Twinning With a Twist is one example (because Sugar steals Sammy's parachute, she ends up on a different team than her sister, which changes how the competition progresses). I think it's a specific enough fanfic genre to differ from FWOAN but I could be wrong...
The Butterfly Effect is the same as FWOAN, and all of those tropes listed refer to stuff surrounding FWOAN. I'm talking about a specific genre of fanfic where canon is tweaked by only changing one event.
Edited by mightymewtron on Jun 7th 2022 at 11:00:02 AM
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.Something involving The Stations of the Canon?
- God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
...
- Whateley Universe: "Rises the Sun: Part 2"
:
The truest mark of a wise man, is to recognize his limitations, and act accordingly. - Cube Colossus: The end of the new game cutscene. Must start new game to see.
Pronoun Confusion, not Pronoun Trouble, a.k.a Perplexing Pluripotent Pronoun Potential:
- "Chapter Nineteen"
:
Of course, that just made it harder on Harry when he betrayed him.”
Edited by Malady on Jun 7th 2022 at 7:54:12 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576@War Jay 77 I don't know if what you're describing is the same thing as Universal Group Reaction, but at the least there might be overlap.
See, in all the examples I can think of it's about individual reaction shots. By "crowd" I meant people in the audience of an event, not a literal group reaction.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallI've noticed that a lot of Mons Series have a Mon with many evolved forms - Pokémon has Eevee, Temtem has Tuwai, and Monster Sanctuary has Draconov. Is this a common enough archetype, or is this too specific to trope?
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- Well, it's something like a permanent Mutually Exclusive Power-Ups, or Skill Tree-s... Err, Tech Tree?
Edited by Malady on Jun 9th 2022 at 8:34:15 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576Was reminded that Abnormal Ammo is what we use for Alternate Ammo in general, even if it's not abnormal, apparently, such as Armor-Piercing and Incendiary Rounds.
Splitting out "variant ammo" from "strange ammo" and allowing for overlaps like the following... Or is it bad enough a deviation that it's more TRS?
- Hot Tin Roof: The Cat That Wore A Fedora: Jones uses a Webley Mark 2/3 because it fires a variety of non-lethal ammunition. It starts off with Thud rounds (good for breaking boxes) and progresses to Bubble rounds, a grappling hook, and more.
I was wondering if there could be a trope about totems and totem poles and their representations in media/mythologies. Their symbolism, rituals, powers, designs, etc. Also tikis (don't know if they could be related or not), besides the Terrifying Tiki trope.
Edited by UzarNaimBer15 on Jun 9th 2022 at 11:57:57 AM
Eat your vege-tables (┳━┳) and drink sum milk

Are there enough examples distinct from Artistic License – Paleontology and the like?
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.