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With that out of the way: Let's discuss some ideas.
Edited by MacronNotes on Feb 27th 2022 at 1:49:11 PM
possible trope idea: Angry Animal Behavior
I asked about this in a Trope Finder thread, and was told it was a "chairs" kind of thing and therefore not tropable. But the idea keeps coming back.
Short version: the use of easily-recognized behaviors in a story to show when an animal is feeling angry/aggressive.
Longer version: At least among mammal predators, there's a fairly consistent set of behaviors that show aggression: ears flat back, bared teeth and/or claws, fur bristling, and distinctive warning sounds. Both in-universe and to the audience, these behaviors say "aggressive/dangerous", while the absence of them says "not aggressive/dangerous." This is how you know the Angry Guard Dog is angry, and one way an Evil-Detecting Dog might show there's something evil in the vicinity.
It's been hard for me to think of examples I've seen outside of nature shows, but I came up with a handful:
- Ronin Warriors: Ryo's white tiger White Blaze is basically a giant housecat around the Ronins' allies Yuli and Mia. However, the instant he sees/senses an Evil Dynasty soldier, he bristles and starts growling or snarling. In one or two cases, the tiger's aggressive behavior is the first sign that there are Dynasty soldiers around.
- Subverted in The Thing (1982): A normal dog put into a pen with a pack of strange dogs would act either dominant/aggressive or submissive/friendly. The husky from the Norwegian camp does neither, which is the first sign that it's not a dog at all. Too bad none of the main characters notice...
- Subverted in-universe in White Fang: When White Fang's new owner trains him for dogfighting, he rapidly learns to attack right away, without showing any of the usual signs of aggression. The result is a "fight" that is over before it starts, because White Fang strikes to kill while the other dog is still posturing. The spectators don't like that very much - they want a long and bloody fight, not a single-stroke battle.
- In an episode of Law & Order, the owners of a fight-trained dog are on trial for murder because the dog escaped their apartment and killed someone. Their defense is that they didn't know the dog was so aggressive. Prosecutor Jack Mc Coy brings the (muzzled) dog into the courtroom and lets the jury see for themselves how aggressive it is, after which the jury finds the owners guilty.
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: With the predatory wolves, cats, and bears that roam Skyrim, you can tell when they notice you because they start bristling, snarling, and/or roaring. A predator that hasn't seen you yet, or that has been "calmed" by magic or the "Kyne's Peace" Shout, doesn't do any of those things.
What do y'all think? Tropable, or not?
"Narn, Centauri, Human, we all do what we do for the same reason: it seemed like a good idea at the time." - Ambassador G'kar, Babylon 5This was based on a post on Trope Finder regarding a special genre branching from Looter Shooter. Used to describe games such as Escape from Tarkov, Hunt: Showdown and others that are more on the premise of going in the battlefield, looting from said area, then extracting to ensure you have the loot. Credit to jormis29
:
Get In, Get Loot, Get Out
A variation of Looter Shooter, Get In, Get Loot, Get Out takes the premise of its parent subgenre and twists it with various gameplay changes that makes it stand out from a mechanic standpoint. These games are a hybrid of Player Versus Player and Player Versus Environment, dubbed PvEvP where the player is thrusted into the battlefield and must fight their way through the level against NPCs and Players, all fighting for loot, though some examples usually have it exclusively to PvE. However, this is where the similarities end as once the loot is gathered, the player now must escape in order to actually keep the loot in their inventory, hence "extraction". This means the player, especially with full loot is still vulnerable as they attempt to escape and keep the loot. If they die, the opponent gathers the loot and the process repeats until all players are dead, though this will not deter them from danger such as NPCs catching them off guard while escaping. Often considered a "sweet spot" between Battle Royale Game and Looter Shooter, combining the scope of players (minus the player standing) with a timer and loot aspect of the latter.
Most variations of these games sport or even borrow certain mechanics from both Looter Shooter and Battle Royale Game:
- Players will start with basic gear and will get stronger as they progress through the game. They are represented by a Grid Inventory that includes their body status, seeing what part of their body is heavily wounded or needs medical attention, which loot is in their inventory and equipment availability. This includes supplies such as armor, medicine and bullets which can be used and accessed any time, provided the player stays out of combat due to a lack of a pause button.
- Squads are very common in these types of games, emphasizing teamwork together with friends. If not, you will either be teamed with randoms or you can even attempt to solo in the session.
- Loot much like from its parent genre is varied through an Item-Drop Mechanic based on the enemy's loadout and what they are carrying. Because of the variety of items and enemies present, expect the loot to be randomized for every refresh of the map. Said loot will be guns, medical equipment, armor and clothing and special in-game quest items that you need to escape with if you are following that quest.
- Enemy NPCs will often be found in certain areas of the map. This means loot is far more valuable in that location and is often a source of firefights. The enemies in question can be lightly armed or exceptionally armored to the point that players, even when engaging each other may team up in the middle of the fight to take them down. These includes minibosses, who wield valuable gear that can be used after killing them, or killing the person who looted their corpse.
- Permadeath. It is very common in these type of games to feature permanent death, making your performance tantamount when in a session. This makes medical supplies all the more important as there will be no respawn timers, spots or any sort. Some games will tone down the feature but will instead compensate with fewer respawns, often done when certain conditions are met in the map.
- The game does not end with you reaching the center of the map, it ends when you are notified of an extraction point located on the part of the map. You will need to travel there with your loot to even keep it in your inventory or account, and as such will make you a feisty target to certain players if they manage to kill you, making an emphasis on survival. Expect people to spawncamp these areas if notified as well. You can also treat the game as a BR Game by killing all competitors but that would risk injuries that will deter your extraction and will lose you the game.
- Finally to keep the spirit of PvE and borrowing heavily from MMORPGs, there are various in-game quests and factions you can fulfill by gaining loot or doing said quest requirements to earn special equipment. However, because of the nature of these games, if you die in the battlefield with said special equipment, you will lose it as well.
- As an added bonus, because of the importance of gunplay (or melee depending on the type of game), weapons in these games tend to have attachments you can equip for maximum efficiency. Gun Accessories is often a main highlight in these types of games as certain optics, stocks, grips and even certain ammunition can decide your fate in these games.
These type of games are usually labelled under Looter Shooter due to the heavy emphasis of loot in gameplay but have different mechanics that allow these games to stand out, such as no respawns, required escape spots, minimalist HUDs and often, a lack of "arcadey" elements such as hitmarkers or even a minimap. The game that stood out first was Escape from Tarkov and as such, games that emulate it are often called Tarkov-clones.
Examples
- Escape from Tarkov (2017)
- Scavengers (2018)
- Hunt: Showdown (2019)
- Vigor (2020)
- The Cycle: Frontier (2022)
- Battlefield 2042 (2022) - A mode called Hazard Zone was introduced as a gamemode.
- Marauders (2022)
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022) - A mode called DMZ was introduced as a gamemode.
Edited by HamanaHamanaHamana on Dec 4th 2022 at 10:40:20 PM
I swear Loid, you can't draw worth shit!Is there something to a Wedding Funeral Juxtaposition or a broader Wedding/Death Juxtaposition? The contrast between a happy celebration of love and the tragedy of death...maybe someone dies at a wedding, or a wedding cuts directly to a funeral/vice versa (Love Actually does this with an Interscene Diegetic)? Sister to Birth-Death Juxtaposition, Super to Widowed at the Wedding, Wight in a Wedding Dress?
Sounds tropable. Blood-Splattered Wedding Dress also seems relevant.
Here's a possible trope idea: Storm Montage!
It’s a montage of a storm wreaking havoc across the area! Thomas & Friends has two examples of this: Emily’s Adventure and Calling All Engines.
"Happy Halloween, I suppose..."This art has some meaning, but I'm not sure what. Something like "Invoking (the season of Spring / the outdoors) as a symbol of peace"?
- Shantae and the Seven Sirens: Beginner Mode, a.k.a the easiest mode, literally described as "You can't lose!" is represented in the Mode Select screen by Shantae smiling and flying a kite with a butterfly flying and a plant in bloom on grass.
Edited by Malady on Dec 5th 2022 at 5:37:48 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576I've had an idea for a trope of some kind: how would Enslaved Mages (working name) work as a Sub-Trope of Superhuman Trafficking? The idea's been on my mind for a while and I think that it's specific enough and distinct enough from the aforementioned super-trope to possibly benefit from a split. After all, Superhuman Trafficking is moreso used for superheroes than anything else, so it could potentially benefit from a separate category for a similar but fundamentally different prospect. I can at least definitely name one to wit.
I think according to the trope definition, I think Mage Species shouldn't count so much as magic being openly oppressed and held down as a wholesale. What do you think?
Edited by LordTwibill on Dec 6th 2022 at 10:10:17 AM
Superhuman Trafficking doesn't really strike me as being a systematic trope, so I'd definitely argue what you're proposing is distinct.
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- Thanks, Note to Self: Make an example and test it out on "Is This An Example?"
...
Another Shantae idea:
Buy-only shops. Most RPG-s allow the player party to buy new gear and sell Vendor Trash and old gear, but some games only allow buying? Is also something about playing a game with only one character, no Player Party?
- The two Shantae games I've played.
- BioShock
- Most Roguelikes like One Step From Eden and Spelunky?
Jumping Puzzles is a redlink that might be a good idea?
Edited by Malady on Dec 5th 2022 at 9:46:46 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576Stock Animal Name lists fictional creatures with and out-of-universe Theme Naming, like Water / Sea-themed Mermaids.
Would splitting the Fictional Species Theme Naming off, be TRS or just TLP? We also have Werewolf Theme Naming, so snowcloning that is the trivial solution?
Edited by Malady on Dec 7th 2022 at 9:51:24 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576I was just watching the Confuciusornis episode of Dinosaur Train, and I'm wondering if there's a trope in early birds having their more "dinosaurian" features exaggerated, such as having hands, not folding their wings, and showing their teeth a lot. The only other example I can think of are Archen and Archeops from Pokémon Black and White, who can't fly very well and have rounded, toothy mouths. Then again, stock animal appearance tropes are on their way out.
Do we have a trope for the thing where a parent pulls their kid away from a scary-looking (but usually heroic or harmless) person in public as a way to show they're being discriminated against?
- Zootopia: During the predator/prey race war, prey animals become terrified of predator animals for fear they'll snap and start mauling whoever's nearby. A mother rabbit, her kit, and a male adult tiger (who is quietly minding his own business) are sitting on opposite ends of the same subway bench, and the mother rabbit pulls her kit closer.
- Unwind: Starkey was a "storked" baby — that is, a baby who was left abandoned on the doorstep of his adoptive parents and legally required to be taken in. He remembers a neighbor who would always make his kids go inside whenever he saw Starkey in the neighborhood.
- Frozen: After Elsa accidentally shoots ice at the Duke's guards while running from her disastrous coronation ceremony, the crowd backs away from her in fear, including a mother with her baby who had asked her if she was alright just a few seconds ago.
- Cats: Grizabella is an old cat who is being shunned by the Jellicle tribe. Some of the kittens curiously try to approach her, but are held back by the adult cats.
Edited by Snowsky on Dec 8th 2022 at 6:42:18 AM
No, but it sounds like something related to All of the Other Reindeer.
I couldn't seem to find similar ideas, so I want to ask about the idea of a trope around gods or guardian deities that decide that the mortals they are normally responsible for do not need them and are better independent. Could be an inversion of God Is Displeased. This can be an answer to Have You Seen My God? or why God's Hands Are Tied as well. Has potential to be spoilery.
Some examples from the top of my head:
Cursed Trilogy: The Golden Ending of Cursed 3 has Luna, a benevolent goddess, change time so that gods like her and her enemy Malus no longer exist. Her motive is her belief that humans are better off fighting for themselves instead of for a god.
Epic Battle Fantasy 4: Godcat wanted to destroy the human civilizations for being the dominant race instead of cats, but the protagonists' ability to resist them in the final battle impresses them enough to let them be, moving on from the original world they created.
Lunar: The Goddess Althena chose to be reborn as a mortal for her own reasons, but she believed that it was fine because humanity didn't need a goddess like her to thrive, deeming that Humans Are Special. The Big Bad of the first game, Ghaleon, disagrees with this stance due to believing Hobbes Was Right and that humanity needed a god to guide them.
KILL CONSUME MULTIPLY CONQUERA trope where both members of a (usually same sex) couple plan to propose at the same location. Normally shown visually by both of them bringing rings. I think a name like Mutual Proposal would work.
I remember seeing this in a soap opera (Maybe Emmerdale), and it is a thing that happens in real life too.
Edited by PresidentBrit on Dec 9th 2022 at 11:06:32 AM
TV Tropes ruined Faust's lifeI've seen it a few times, don't think it's necessarily more common for same-sex couples. "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S9 E23 "The Big Mac Question"" is one example.
Is All Just A Simulation (the reveal that the entire story up to this point was some sort of VR simulation, like the Don't Worry Darling third-act reveal) sufficiently covered by Proscenium Reveal? It seems like a "Cut, that's a wrap!" is different in tone and execution from "you're actually trapped in a simulation".
Thanks for the example and the feedback, I'll take them into account for the eventual draft.
Coming over from trope finder. I think I have an idea for a trope about makeup products beings used to conceal/store something (In the spy genre usually because thing being concealed is illegal and/or confidential) due to makeup generally being an inconspicuous item for women. Unfortunately, I only have one example at the moment, but I feel it's one of those things where you've Seen It a Million Times...
- The Spy Who Dumped Me: At one point, Audrey cuts off Duffer's thumb and stores it in her lipstick tube so that the group can still access his iPhone.
Sarah Jane in The Sarah Jane Adventures disguises her sonic device as a lipstick. She appropriately calls it the Sonic Lipstick. She also uses it when she appears in the revival era of Doctor Who.
If you're after trope names, Concealer Carry just popped into my head.
Edited by PresidentBrit on Dec 9th 2022 at 10:59:35 AM
TV Tropes ruined Faust's life![]()
I think the idea has promise, but you'll want to think about how to distinguish it from Makeup Weapon.
Edited by walking-wolf on Dec 9th 2022 at 8:55:38 AM
"Narn, Centauri, Human, we all do what we do for the same reason: it seemed like a good idea at the time." - Ambassador G'kar, Babylon 5![]()
That is good, but I'm worried it would get confused with Makeup Weapon in that case with the "Concealed Carry" pun.
I think the major difference would be that the new trope would only allow examples of non-weapons, like a piece of paper or a flash drive being put in a blush or eyeshadow compact. If it was a tube of lipstick that could fire a sleep dart or had some sort or gas or spray that could be released, that would be a weapon. I was thinking they'd be sister tropes.

We don't, but you have a good point, and I agree that such a concept is probably a better place to begin.
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