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
Possibly because we have Protect This House?
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576I was thinking of making a trope about skateboarders as rebels, like in Lords of Dogtown, The Simpsons, OlliOlli World, Sk8 the Infinity, and Real Life, but I dunno if there's enough examples to make it a trope yet.
The Protomen enhanced my life.Is "Lovable Parent, Hateable Parent" trope a good idea ? It is Exactly What It Says on the Tin, one parent is a nice and lovable character, and the other is a Hate Sink.
I can think of one example (the Blights from Owl House), and even then it's downplayed. Many examples may overlap with Gentle Touch vs. Firm Hand?
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.I propose a subtrope of Insistent Terminology that would be Exact Number. Examples are Lester Freamon's 13 years and four months in the Pawnshop Unit, and Lefty's 26 hits, and then there's the subtrope I call And Thirty Five Cents where someone gets a really large bill and everyone always includes the cents at the end. Unfortunately I can't think of examples of that, but I know I have seen it a bunch of times.
Edited by JethroQWalrustitty on Sep 20th 2023 at 11:26:51 AM
Ludicrous Precision related?
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576Bortus (one of the main characters) and Klyden (his husband) from The Orville? Bortus is supportive of their child Topa while Klyden is disparaged by the human leads for fully buying into their race’s Gay Conservative mindset and walking out on them when Topa commits to being female.
Something I’m considering is a form of Boss Subtitles where a character on the wrong side of the law and we see their "Wanted!" Poster. Examples I can think of:
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: We see wanted posters accompanying the introductions of almost all the main characters (who are all notorious outlaws) with the exception Perrito who gets an “unwanted” poster and the Wolf, on account of him being Death.
- Looney Tunes: In one of the western shorts, Nasty Canasta is introduced standing in front of his wanted poster in the exact same pose.
- One Piece (2023): Each of the villainous pirates in the series is introduced with their poster flying at the screen with their bounty highlighted right before the character swats away or destroys the poster.
- Cats: Macavity is introduced transforming a sign in the city into a giant version of his wanted poster.
If anyone has any thoughts or a fifth example, let me know.
Edit: I just learned from Synchronicity that there’s a whole non-game specific missing subtrope to Boss Subtitles. Do we want to expand on this? I can work in this example from Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back:
Edited by BigBadShadow25 on Sep 20th 2023 at 11:24:29 AM
You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.
There's a non-games section of Boss Subtitles, and those are "Wanted!" Poster as you say. Neither of them are enough to cover those examples?
Edited by Tabs on Sep 20th 2023 at 10:40:00 AM
I forgot if I asked this yet. Do you think it's distinct enough to trope arcs where a couple is actively trying for a baby? It feels like a sitcom trope / drama trope, related to Law of Inverse Fertility but more about the narrative than the juxtaposition (since it could end with success or failure but it's more about the stress of the process).
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.I know Monica and Chandler went through it for a while. And obviously they did get hit with the Law of Inverse Fertility, but a big part of their arc was their efforts to have children and eventually adopt or find a donor.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallYeah! Haven't seen Friends but I knew they had a plot like that. I'm also thinking about Marshall and Lily and Princess Carolyn and Ralph, both of whom had season-wide efforts or longer to conceive (as well as completely different outcomes).
Edited by mightymewtron on Sep 22nd 2023 at 7:19:07 AM
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.When video game nukes are made much smaller than real nukes because of the scale the game is on. E.g. Satisfactory; nuclear nobelisks aren't weak by any means, but a RL nuclear warhead would level the entire island.
Have you seen my comic yet?Would splitting out the idea of "Magic can be learned by anyone" from Everyone Is a Super, be a good idea?
I feel that "Magic can be learned by anyone" says more about what magic is, than the people of that world. Especially when "anyone" includes the non-sentient wildlife.
Maybe call it Magic For Everyone? Mages Are Everyone? Fully Accessible Magic?
Something related to Training the Gift of Magic? Probably just that Knowledge Is Magic draft.
Edited by Malady on Sep 23rd 2023 at 8:57:27 AM
Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Local Odd Squad Connoisseur
I'm wondering if there's a trope idea in someone who is a Terrible Artist passing off a blank canvas as artwork, maybe in order to prove they're not a terrible artist. Usually they'll say it's something disguised in snow or covered in it, but not always.
Wuewuewuewuewueing my way to the bank.I definitely think there's a trope in that whole "polar bear in a snowstorm blinking" art joke.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.Is there a trope for something that would under normal circumstances would seem like a heartwarming moment, but due to context is actually sad?
Image Pickin' Backlog
Local Odd Squad Connoisseur
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Fridge Sadness and/or My Greatest Second Chance usually fit that.
What the change from HW to TJ is based on, though, varies pretty widely. If you were thinking of something like a cynical character celebrating a holiday they don't usually celebrate due to tragic reasons (a made-up example being that they need to use decorations as bribes for whatever reason), that could be interesting.
Edited by Coachpill on Sep 24th 2023 at 8:42:20 AM
Your goateed philistine is sashaying towards us. | 🧱
x5: Not sure if there'd be enough for specifically that, but I could see a somewhat broader "Terrible Artist deliberately invokes True Art Is Incomprehensible" trope working.

Why isn’t there a trope for the Home Invasion Thriller genre? Is it covered by other tropes?
You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.