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.
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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
Do you think World of Kennys is a necessary trope, as a subtrope of They Killed Kenny Again? I feel like there’s a difference between examples like the trope namer or Hans Moleman compared to works like Happy Tree Friends or Spy vs. Spy where EVERYONE can die and come back with no problem.
Edited by lakeswirl on Jan 18th 2023 at 9:44:06 AM
Isn't that just Death Is Cheap?
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.I wonder if Mixed Bathing could be a trope, something. Maybe append "Shenanigans".
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576Doing clean up and thought of something like "Shining Bald Head Gag" for visual gags based off of a character's baldness reflecting the sunlight, often blinding those around them. It's one of those "seen it a million times, but can't think up an example off the top of my head" tropes.
Edited by amathieu13 on Jan 19th 2023 at 10:53:33 AM
King Neptune in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie jumps out at me immediately.
So, with Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Diablo III, there's two distinct cases of a character representing death and Dual Wielding sickles instead of a scythe. Are there any other cases of this to be had, or is this Too Rare to Trope?
Edited by Willbyr on Jan 19th 2023 at 10:12:59 AM
Hmm...they're both harvesting tools with an association with the supernatural so maybe it's just a "spice it up a bit" take on the scythe. Going deeper, it's suggested that the popular visual
of The Grim Reaper derives from the common conflation of Chronos (scythe) and Cronus (who either had sickle or scythe).
Not sure if this falls under that thought but I thought of how Hadestown uses "the seed and the sickle" to describe Hades and Persephone's cycle of seasons (planting and bounty when she is aboveground, harvest then barrenness when she is below). The protagonist of Hades II, Hades' daughter, wields a sickle and a dagger, though more promo material is needed to see if the association is "death" or "magic". Maybe we are looking at a general "harvesting tool = death" trope?
Edited by Synchronicity on Jan 19th 2023 at 10:39:46 AM
I've started working on a draft for Addicted To The Light, as a subtrope of Light Is Not Good and a missing supertrope for Alluring Anglerfish. Most the examples I have so far involve literally becoming addicted to light for supernatural reasons; should I also include more mundane examples? (Like the jokes in Gravity Falls portraying glitter as a G-Rated Drug that makes people see rainbows.)
ERROR: The current state of the world is unacceptable. Save anyway? YES/NOTrope Finder and I couldn't find a page for dramatic or realistic applications of roleplay. For example, an attorney (ethically or not) coaches a client on how to deliver their testimony or respond to the other party. Or a therapist guides a client through new behavior strategies.
One responder did find an example of a series of simulation video games that are designed to train real-world first responders. There are also training sims for surgeons, doctors, pilots, programmers, sysadmin, and many other technical professionals. This category certainly does fall under Simulation Games, but is also distinct because it is geared toward actually transmitting real-world skills whereas no one would think playing SimCity makes someone qualified to be a mayor.
The gist here is, roleplaying as a way to build real skills, not just playing.
Edited by IsaacsLaughing on Jan 20th 2023 at 8:28:14 AM
I'm wondering if there a trope for "employee that everyone else at the business hates." I feel like that such a concept is distinct from The Friend Nobody Likes because the dynamic between friends and between employees at the same company is different (the latter is generally more professional, and they are seeing each other outside of work as much). For a couple of examples:
- Pokemon Champion Geeta from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. These games treat the Pokemon League a lot more like a business, and the Gym Leaders and Elite 4 members generally dislike her for one reason or another.
- Stickler from The Cuphead Show!. He's one of the Devil's minions, and his boss and all the other minions find him obnoxious as all get out.
Edited by badtothebaritone on Jan 20th 2023 at 10:39:57 AM
You have to make it distinct from Boss's Unfavorite Employee and Hated by All the workplace/employee ver only, tho.
Uncanny Valley Hot Babes in Your Area Are Looking To Know YOU! Click Here to Sign Up for FREE! | Not quite back tbh. Don't expect much.
- It's different from the former because it's not just the boss that hates them. There's often overlap, of course, but not always.
- It's different from the latter because they aren't necessarily hated by people outside of their job. They could be beloved by most people as long as the people who work with them hate them.
That looks like a distinct trope to me. You could mine Hated by All for workplace examples.
Here's a very early writeup, a tentative name, and some more examples because I have practically zero experience writing trope descriptions.
Then there's these guys. Their coworkers generally do not like them.
The possible reasons are numerous: maybe they're a jerk, maybe they kiss up to the boss too much, maybe they are the boss and abuse the position, or maybe there's no good reason at all.
Note that a person need not be hated by everyone in the setting to count. A character that fits the trope can be beloved outside their workplace as long as the people inside it don't share those feelings of goodwill. If it's only the boss that hates the character, that's Boss Unfavorite Employee.
Examples:
- Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Paldea treats its Pokemon League far more like a business than other regions, and its main champion, Geeta, is unique among Pokemon champions in that most of Paldea's major trainers dislike her. They see her as demeaning, pushy, and prone to strong-arming people to get her way, as shown with both the Elite Four and Penny. Paldea's other champion, Nemona, is the sole member of the Paldea League to regularly have positive things to say about her.
- The Cuphead Show!: Stickler earns himself no love from anyone in the Devil's ranks nor the Devil himself, who all see him as grating and obnoxious. He himself is cheerfully oblivious to this.
- Inside Job (2021): Reagan Ridley starts off the series as a subject of contempt from the rest of Cognito Inc. Despite being one of the company's best employees, her lack of social skills, inflated ego, and high-strung nature alienate her fellow department heads, so the company hires Brett to help ease tensions. Once he joins, she develops an earnest friendship with him and starts to open up a bit to everyone else, allowing her to improve her standing with them.
- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power:
- Kyle, one of the Horde's cadets, gets scorned and picked on by the rest of its members, who view him as a screwup.
- Fellow Horde member Catra gradually earns herself more and more ire from the Horde as her mental health declines and she starts lashing out at everyone more and more. It gets so bad that Scorpia and the cadets all defect to the Rebellion because they get sick of her treating them poorly.
- The Simpsons: Mr. Burns is despised by most people who work at his nuclear plant because he constantly belittles his employees and cuts corners to an extreme degree, making the place a near-deathtrap to work at. The main exception to this reception is his assistant, Smithers.
I know some of these aren't about actual businesses, but I think the dynamics in villainous or military chains of command are similar enough that the trope might be able to cover those as well. Is that stretching it too far?
I specifically addressed the The Friend Nobody Likes comparison in
x4.
Edited by badtothebaritone on Jan 20th 2023 at 7:46:51 AM
I looked over the page for Hated by All and it has this line, "Could also overlap with The Friend Nobody Likes and Token Evil Teammate if the Hated by All character is part of a group."
Looking over The Friend Nobody Likes specifically and it seems to be what you're trying to go for
I am curious though if the employees that band against The Employee That Nobody Likes aren’t portrayed as friends anyway, as in a Work Com. The “proximity” subtype if The Friend Nobody Likes includes cast members who they maybe aren’t friends with anyway but are around due to circumstance.
Though now that there’s a draft this convo should be in the TLP. This thread isn’t for discussing those.
Edited by Synchronicity on Jan 20th 2023 at 8:23:33 AM
You're probably right. I think the "trope" probably is just the Proximity version of The Friend Nobody Likes, Bad Boss, or Mean Boss, depending on where exactly on the totem pole they are.
Edited by badtothebaritone on Jan 20th 2023 at 8:47:54 AM
That seems more like an unnecessary limitation of Comic Role Play than a need for a completely different trope. Whether or not it's Played for Laughs or Played for Drama doesn't seem to impact the base idea of "characters act out something as practice/preparation".
The trope only has 72 wicks too, despite being on the site since 2010. I think there's an argument for an expansion.
Edited by amathieu13 on Jan 20th 2023 at 12:56:55 PM
Played for Laughs and Played for Drama are Trope Tropes, so yeah, unless it's not The Same, but More Specific, then it should probably be TRS / expanded.
Edited by Malady on Jan 20th 2023 at 10:06:36 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576Does Marshmallow People work? It's trope I see when a character design has completely white skin, no nose, and usually no ears. Hair, clothes, genitalia, nipples, belly button, toes, etc. sometimes not being there. I couldn't find anything of worth through Trope Finder.
The main problem I have right now is the term for it. I don't know what it is.
Edited by CardboardBot on Jan 21st 2023 at 4:51:25 PM
Checking in on this account after leaving the site, MAN that is a cringy forum post history. Daaamn. Never again.Something like Super-Deformed, but even more simplified?
Edited by Malady on Jan 21st 2023 at 7:45:46 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576

That might work as a "funny backstory anecdote" type thing, I guess. Not so much leaning into the "still gives you questions", but more into "It's a funny snippet of something a character did or said in the past, giving an insight into the character, but not going in depth".
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