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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

Malady (X-Troper)
#7051: Jul 23rd 2023 at 8:43:28 PM

[up][up] - So, sorta a Justified Did You Just Have Sex??

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
amathieu13 Since: Aug, 2013
#7052: Jul 23rd 2023 at 9:02:35 PM

[up]They're related, though my idea isn't limited to characters who don't normally have sex like that trope is.

Eievie Since: Feb, 2014
#7053: Jul 23rd 2023 at 10:19:26 PM

Is some pairing of autism and STEM a trope? Like hyperfixations and skills in the math and science area? I feel like that's a bit of a trope. And maybe related to the male-prototype model of autism, since STEM fields are fields that more men than women are interested in, autism notwithstanding?

"I wish I was an autistic boy. They love trains."

When I try to think of examples, though, I'm drawing short, and mostly coming up with autistics interested in creative fields — possibly influenced by the fact that Most Writers Are Writers, and so people in creative fields are more likely to come up with characters that are the same?

Edited by Eievie on Jul 23rd 2023 at 10:43:50 AM

amathieu13 Since: Aug, 2013
#7054: Jul 24th 2023 at 12:25:49 AM

^Idiot Savant is basically that idea.

When Hollywood uses Savant characters, the most frequent talent the character will have will be something to do with mathematics.
The term "Idiot Savant" is actually outdated, since the term "idiot" itself is no longer a medical term. The term "savant syndrome" is more correct. It refers to someone—usually someone with a developmental disorder, often autism—who has one or sometimes more extremely high abilities that are disproportionate to their normal level of functioning.

Edited by amathieu13 on Jul 24th 2023 at 3:26:54 PM

Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#7055: Jul 25th 2023 at 2:51:33 AM

re Post-Sex Glow

my idea isn't limited to characters who don't normally have sex like [Did You Just Have Sex?] is.

I get the feeling Did You Just Have Sex? is used more broadly than that to mean "character notices other character's post-sex glow".

Here's (last panel) an example of discussed figurative glow. It actually comes right after this comic which is listed in the examples of Did You Just Have Sex?.

amathieu13 Since: Aug, 2013
#7056: Jul 25th 2023 at 3:03:18 AM

[up]If it is, it shouldn't be. First sentence:

"This is when a character not known for their active sexual life acts differently enough (usually more cheerful or mellow) for other characters to notice and question it."

Also that comic doesn't really say whether or not the chick in black typically has sex or not. She could (as in, in other comics that's part of her characterization), but that comic alone isn't conclusive one way or the other for me to say it's misuse.

ETA: One more thing, my idea isn't specific to another character noticing. A character can have sex and be shown literally glowing afterwards by themselves and it'd still count. A discussed example would overlap, though.

Edited by amathieu13 on Jul 25th 2023 at 6:08:44 AM

Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#7057: Jul 25th 2023 at 4:16:27 AM

Yeah, it probably needs a wick check.

Looks like your idea would be a supertrope.

I wonder if this example would count as a variant:

Collectors: In "Couleur", Takako and Shinobu remember the morning after they slept together for the first time and how blue the sky was that day. Shinobu recalls thinking that Takako was the reason the sky looked so blue.

(Not sure whether she thought that Takako was literally the cause of the gorgeous weather or she was attributing her perception of the color to her feelings for Takako, but either way romance-tinted glasses are either in play or assumed to be.)

amathieu13 Since: Aug, 2013
#7058: Jul 25th 2023 at 6:49:07 AM

[up]I wouldn't say so, personally. The idea I have is more about how a character physically looks.

cwallace135 Since: Oct, 2022 Relationship Status: Singularity
#7059: Jul 25th 2023 at 7:07:50 AM

Here’s an idea I came up with: Stepford Villain. Let’s say you have this villain who acts like a Card-Carrying Villain, but the reality is that they are actually depressed and genuinely believe that Being Evil Sucks. However, they continue being evil for whatever reason. The villainous version of Stepford Smiler, the inverse of Faux Affably Evil, or the typical subversion of Card-Carrying Villain and/or For the Evulz. What do you think? Thank you!

Malady (X-Troper)
#7060: Jul 25th 2023 at 8:37:18 AM

Might be Forced into Evil.

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
BigBadShadow25 With my last breath, I curse Zoidberg. from Basement at the Alamo (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Desperate
With my last breath, I curse Zoidberg.
#7061: Jul 25th 2023 at 8:43:56 AM

Are there any tropes for when the flight attendant on a flight gives the whole safety speech? Because I can’t find a trope for it but I have the examples.

You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.
Malady (X-Troper)
#7062: Jul 25th 2023 at 8:47:23 AM

Might be like a Don't Do This Cool Thing, enforcing real life warnings?

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BigBadShadow25 With my last breath, I curse Zoidberg. from Basement at the Alamo (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Desperate
With my last breath, I curse Zoidberg.
#7063: Jul 25th 2023 at 8:49:10 AM

Yeah, but I mean in universe. That is more a YMMV thing.

You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.
Malady (X-Troper)
#7064: Jul 25th 2023 at 11:41:06 AM

I see. Fantasy Helmet Enforcement is a better comparison.

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AxolotlFan Goo from telefragged in that wall (Troper Journeyman) Relationship Status: You cannot grasp the true form
Goo
#7065: Jul 25th 2023 at 11:54:46 AM

Segments of fences can be rotated like a pinwheel, especially when someone runs into them at high speeds.

Edited by AxolotlFan on Jul 25th 2023 at 12:02:55 PM

Signature, schmignature!
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#7066: Jul 25th 2023 at 3:25:55 PM

[up] I've seen that before, but I don't remember where.

I think there's a broader trope here about things in cartoons opening/closing/moving in unrealistic ways, mostly for Rule of Funny.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#7067: Jul 26th 2023 at 1:35:47 PM

I'm wondering if there's potential in a trope for plots where romantic couples move in together being treated as a massive milestone, or if there's too much overlap with Roommate Drama and Moving Angst.

[down] No, because they still remain romantic but get more committed, it's a different form of progression. Feels like its own thing.

Edited by mightymewtron on Jul 27th 2023 at 6:07:00 AM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Malady (X-Troper)
#7068: Jul 26th 2023 at 2:41:24 PM

Sounds like PlayingWith.From Roommates To Romance - Inversion or related to that.

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AegisP Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man Since: Oct, 2014 Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
Kindhearted SSSSSNAKE Man
#7069: Jul 26th 2023 at 3:24:48 PM

I am sorry if I sound pushy but can someone say something on my Vindicated By Streaming idea? I had heard it does just count for Vindicated by Reruns which already exists, but there are almost no Streaming examples and the description does not say it streaming counts or even mention streaming at all.

As long as this flower is in my heart. My Strength will flow without end.
JohnDiFool Soaring Seeker from Eight Miles High (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Soaring Seeker
#7070: Jul 27th 2023 at 5:43:41 AM

Here's one I got from an NCIS ep. I watched last night. A Navy guy is on a ledge threatening to jump. Gibbs however manages to convince him not to. As soon as the guy starts to move to get off the ledge tho, he is shot.

But he also had the core of Gibbs' team at his mercy. But didn't shoot them too. Despite that the perp MUST know of their prior conviction record, either through the evildoer grapevine or from the media. Yet they remained totally oblivious to the fact that THIS group would be coming for his ass, led by a Determinator himself, and won't stop until they have him in custody.

IOW somehow one of the most successful teams of crimefighters in the country, who pretty much EVERY week gets a case equivalent to those which typically explode into the public consciousness in our nation, can continue to work completely anonymously. No reporters ever show up asking for interviews, are never around when the team is out in public closing a case, and not a single perp has even the slightest idea of their activities and reputation before committing their crimes.

Yes, it seems to be particular to these crime dramas, incl. Bones and the various Law and Orders. Traditional superhero media typically avert it however, and even often have the hero's civilian identity working for a media outlet.

Stuck on a title: No Public Profile, Inexplicably Anonymous Crimefighters, The Law Enforcers That Nobody Knows About...

amathieu13 Since: Aug, 2013
#7071: Jul 27th 2023 at 7:00:40 AM

[up][up]I'd say streaming is the same as reruns, it's just a different medium. I also think it's in line with Better on DVD, especially as DV Ds are fast becoming a relic because of streaming services. It's the same concept in practice though: getting the boxset vs having all the episodes available on demand via streaming.

Actually, the more that I think about it, I'm not quite sure why Better on DVD, Vindicated by Cable, and Vindicated by Reruns are even separate tropes considering that the differences between them seem to be so slight as to be negligible (they're basically just "Vindicated by History + different medium"), especially with the advent of streaming and the dying of live tv. Perhaps a convo for a different time, but in any case, I think either Vindicated by Cable or Better on DVD cover the idea.

Edited by amathieu13 on Jul 27th 2023 at 10:02:01 AM

Ayumi-chan 3rd happiest man in Connecticut from Iacon City (Experienced Trainee) Relationship Status: I like big bots and I can not lie
3rd happiest man in Connecticut
#7072: Jul 27th 2023 at 2:37:35 PM

I mentioned this while back but I’m thinking if making a male-version of Town Girls (a trio of men; one is very masculine, one is very feminine (or otherwise very sensitive in the context of Sensitive Guy and Manly Man) and one is in-between). To quote the Gender-Inverted example on PlayingWith.Town Girls: “Bob from out-of-town is a buff, brash Manly Man, Charles from uptown is a sweet, sensitive, flamboyant boy who is very In Touch with His Feminine Side and Aaron from downtown is a Ridiculously Average Guy who isn't interested in stuff that's too manly or too feminine.”

She/Her | Currently cleaning: N/A
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#7073: Jul 27th 2023 at 2:39:24 PM

If you try it, you have to be very diligent about what examples you accept. Many ensemble tropes simply collect random characters regardless of whether or not they have any sort of group dynamic, or they shoehorn groups to fit these roles.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
amathieu13 Since: Aug, 2013
#7074: Jul 27th 2023 at 3:03:36 PM

[up][up]tbh, given the issues with trio/ensemble tropes being shoehorn, misuse, and ZCE magnets, I don't really recommend doing so. I've actually been meaning to look at Town Girls for some time now, given that unlike The Hecate Sisters and The Three Faces of Eve, Town Girls doesn't seem to come from an actual theory that exists outside of the site yet they cover very similar territory. I've been wondering about whether it's redundant in practice.

Also, I am not really sure what the difference is between Town Girls and Masculine, Feminine, Androgyne Trio, other than the fact that this is an all girl group, which doesn't seem like a meaningful specification to the basic concept as it doesn't really change the basic concept of the trope.

Edited by amathieu13 on Jul 27th 2023 at 6:05:44 AM

Malady (X-Troper)
#7075: Jul 27th 2023 at 10:30:24 PM

I wonder if there's a trope that's not just Justified / Obvious No Ontological Inertia for songs that grant superpowers, or something, to stop its effects immediately when the song ends.

Edited by Malady on Jul 27th 2023 at 10:30:47 AM

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