TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Trope Idea Sounding Board

Go To

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

Vulcan64 Since: Sep, 2023
#7451: Sep 27th 2023 at 10:15:53 AM

Would something like Gameplay-Induced Dark Horse make a good trope? That is, a video game character who becomes well-liked mainly for gameplay reasons more than anything else, perhaps because they're a Game-Breaker or have an interesting style of gameplay. I feel like if Low-Tier Letdown is a trope, the inverse should be too.

"Be woke, be cool. A calm spirit is smarter." — Goombape
JethroQWalrustitty Since: Jan, 2001
#7452: Sep 28th 2023 at 12:34:26 AM

Flag On The Wall, the interior decoration equivalent of Wearing a Flag on Your Head.

Has many variants. If it's the national flag, this usually signal patriotism, from moderate to extrme. The flag of a different country signals the character's immigrant background and pride of national identity. A ranbow flag, or some other LGBT flag is a quick way to demonstarte a character's sexal orientaiton or gender identity. Then there's political flags like the Confederate battle flag or the Swastika.

AnntAgonizer Mann of Annts from Some Annt hole Since: Aug, 2023 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Mann of Annts
#7453: Sep 29th 2023 at 10:41:30 PM

A bit of a random question, but are YMMV tropes allowed on here? Are their any specific precautions or anything similar they need to endure in order to be labeled as YMMV, or even be made at all?

🐜
Tabs Since: Jan, 2001
#7454: Sep 29th 2023 at 10:50:26 PM

YMMV "tropes" are launched via TLP, just like tropes. They get labeled YMMV by being about subjective stuff.

StalkerGamer That's All, Folks! Since: Dec, 2021 Relationship Status: Love is an open door
#7455: Sep 30th 2023 at 8:04:35 AM

Is Sexy Biker (a biker who is attractive) good for trope or is it too chairs ?

Edited by StalkerGamer on Sep 30th 2023 at 12:05:34 PM

MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#7456: Sep 30th 2023 at 10:09:27 AM

Isnt that what the now Badass Biker redirect Biker Babe was about? If so, I don't think it can stand on it's own. "X but attractive" tropes already have a lot of issues as it is.

Edited by MacronNotes on Sep 30th 2023 at 1:10:50 PM

Macron's notes
shatterstar Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: I wanna know about these strangers like me
#7457: Sep 30th 2023 at 6:23:01 PM

There is a frequent association in fiction of moons with madness. I am trying to start a draft but cannot find enough examples and what to actually to put in the draft. Moon Knight is the only examples I can think of right now.

MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#7458: Sep 30th 2023 at 6:24:28 PM

That seems to be covered by Lunacy. Not sure if it is worth splitting off.

Macron's notes
shatterstar Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: I wanna know about these strangers like me
#7459: Sep 30th 2023 at 6:25:55 PM

I guess I can make a draft and then seeing if the people think it would worth splitting off? There are plenty of portrayals of lunar magic that isn't involved in insanity

Edited by shatterstar on Sep 30th 2023 at 6:26:44 AM

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#7460: Oct 1st 2023 at 10:33:58 AM

FTR there was some sentiment in Biker Babe's TRS that "motorcycle fanservice" is workable, but the usual precautions about fanservice tropes would apply.

Coachpill Taxidermy (he/him) from Gen Z Since: Aug, 2022 Relationship Status: Baby don't hurt me!
Taxidermy (he/him)
#7461: Oct 1st 2023 at 10:52:13 AM

I was thinking of a trope where the Red and Blue Onis argue about the shortcomings of another character and whether they should intervene, with the Red Oni saying (one or more of the following):

- the character suffers from a lack of belief in something

- they struggle with faithfulness (personally, in tandem with a partner or the other way around)

While adding on that they're all involuntarily waiting for fingers to be pointed.

The Blue Oni argues more single-mindedly (for better or worse) that slumming while treating the character to something better is the only thing that would cross any unique background for the character to ponder about, while allowing them to open up about their issues simultaneously, and if that doesn't work quickly enough there's nothing the two of them can do.

Does Good Angel, Bad Angel/Right Way/Wrong Way Pair already cover something like this, or could this stand on its own? I'm almost positive that I've seen it in works before, though I'm not sure how common it is.

Your goateed philistine is sashaying towards us. | 🧱
Electrite Damnably Inscrutable from Solla Sollew (Handed A Sword) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Damnably Inscrutable
#7462: Oct 2nd 2023 at 10:10:19 AM

Restating an idea I had a while ago, but phrased better:

Genius Omniglot: Speaking multiple languages is used to convey a character's intellect or talent.

Example: "I Speak Six Languages" from The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

fun fact: pro tip: breaking news: life hack: i can't find a good signature
Malady (X-Troper)
#7463: Oct 2nd 2023 at 2:08:45 PM

Is there some sorta of supertrope / idea that covers Endless Winter, Endless Daytime, The Night That Never Ends, and other time periods made constant, that usually aren't?

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
Prfnoff Since: Jan, 2001
#7464: Oct 4th 2023 at 5:39:48 PM

Comically Insensitive Marriage Proposal: Bob, who has been together or just on and off with Alice for a while, proposes to Alice, but in a way so inconsiderate that she can't help but take it the wrong way. Inspired by this Real Life anecdote, but one fictional example also comes to my mind.

TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#7465: Oct 5th 2023 at 9:55:52 AM

I asked this earlier but got no feedback. Would Narcissistic Artist (an artist of usually poor skill who makes art depicting themselves almost exclusively) be a viable trope?

Once Upon A Time.
MacronNotes (she/her) (Captain) Relationship Status: Less than three
(she/her)
#7466: Oct 5th 2023 at 12:08:49 PM

^^ I think there's a more general concept in "marriage proposal at the wrong time" or just "bad proposals".... Awkward Wedding Proposal. I don't think we have that but I haven't looked.

^^ Sounds like a workable concept.

Edited by MacronNotes on Oct 5th 2023 at 3:09:03 PM

Macron's notes
Unicorndance Logic Girl from Thames, N.Z. Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Logic Girl
#7467: Oct 5th 2023 at 2:26:33 PM

Would it be tropeworthy the idea of "Nonsense Word Rhyme", where a word is rhymed with a made-up word? Not necessarily a Painful Rhyme since another character finding it bad is not a necessity. You often see it in Dr. Seuss books.

For every low there is a high.
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#7468: Oct 5th 2023 at 2:31:24 PM

[up] Rhymes on a Dime covers that.

Once Upon A Time.
Twiddler (On A Trope Odyssey)
#7469: Oct 5th 2023 at 2:36:06 PM

[up] Rhymes on a Dime is about characters who speak in rhyme.

Necromancer10 Purple Necromancer from Crakcarz, the Continent of Wacky Necromancers Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Browsing the selection
Purple Necromancer
#7470: Oct 6th 2023 at 11:13:49 AM

I haven't seen a trope for this exact concept, so point it out if I'm wrong:

False Blunder: A character pragmatically does something that appears to be an incompetent mistake, or appears to hold the Idiot Ball, to provoke another character to attempt to take advantage of it. This is mainly performed to fool other characters into thinking they've made themselves vulnerable or caught off-guard when the performer is very much not, and notably effective against an Opportunistic Bastard.

This would be related to but not exactly Obfuscating Stupidity (that is appearing dumb in general to hide being smart, but this would be even used by an infamous example of The Trickster to fool even cautious but opportunistic adversaries), and Defensive Feint Trap would be a subtrope of this. On another note, I Meant to Do That would be an example of someone pretending to perform this trope idea.

Edited by Necromancer10 on Oct 6th 2023 at 2:16:08 PM

KILL CONSUME MULTIPLY CONQUER
Malady (X-Troper)
#7471: Oct 9th 2023 at 5:29:15 AM

Payment Seals The Deal: Only know two examples where taking offered payment (of a single coin) means they agree to the job:

  • Dungeon Keeper Ami: From "Escape from Arachne's Dungeon", Ami's Keeper instincts on how hiring works tells her that payment is the key part:
    Instinctively, she knew that she should symbolically pay her prospective underlings to seal the deal, and summoned three gold coins from her treasure chamber. "No need for some elaborate ritual. Just take a coin each if you want to enter my service."
  • The Palaververse: The Commander's Shilling: Pansy taking the titular shilling turns her from just a pegasus named Pansy, into Private Pansy.
    The candle flared. And Pansy gathered her breath. “Yes, Commander. Yes, absolutely, with all my heart, yes.”
    “Then, Pansy, you’re exactly the sort of madpony the warflock needs.”
    And with that, Hurricane slid over the shilling. Pansy picked it up in one trembling hoof

Edited by Malady on Oct 9th 2023 at 5:33:30 AM

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.
#7472: Oct 10th 2023 at 6:17:50 AM

This one I’m suggesting is more of a creator page. It’s for The Roku Channel, who should probably have a page by now if they don’t, considering they have Die Hart, the Weird Al biopic and Deadline says they picked up the Spiderwick Chronicles series from Disney Plus. I might need help with it because it’s gonna have a bit of history, specifically a section for the Quibi app it got a lot of its content from…

You’re Gonna Carry That Weight.
Chilachinchila Since: Dec, 2021
#7473: Oct 10th 2023 at 5:28:03 PM

I find it curious Dark Elves haven't gotten their own page. They only have one paragraph in Our Elves are different which is to little to account for their prominence and popularity. Not only do they show up a lot but they have their own distinct tropes affiliated to them. I think they deserve to have their own "our dark elves are different" page.

Eievie Since: Feb, 2014
SkyCat32 The Draftsman of Doom (Five Year Plan) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
The Draftsman of Doom
#7475: Oct 11th 2023 at 8:22:19 AM

Predator in a Trusted Position?

Pervert in a Trusted Position?

Edited by SkyCat32 on Oct 11th 2023 at 11:22:56 AM


Total posts: 11,344
Top