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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

jandn2014 SMILE! from somewhere in Connecticut Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Hiding
SMILE!
#8026: Feb 11th 2024 at 12:06:11 PM

[up][up] We already have Fast-Food Nation; not sure if your idea is distinct or not.

deerhornsaresopretty Since: Jun, 2023
#8027: Feb 11th 2024 at 12:54:15 PM

That's for fast food in general. This is about burgers specifically, thats what makes it distinct.

deerhornsaresopretty Since: Jun, 2023
#8028: Feb 11th 2024 at 12:55:13 PM

Moreover, this trope is more about America being viewed through the lens of non Americans.

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)
#8029: Feb 11th 2024 at 12:56:02 PM

See The Same, but More Specific. Narrowing it to burgers doesn't make a unique trope.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
deerhornsaresopretty Since: Jun, 2023
#8030: Feb 11th 2024 at 12:56:34 PM

A lot of the examples of that page are of tv shows/movies written by Americans eating unhealthy food, the burger itself is not symbolic of anything.

jandn2014 SMILE! from somewhere in Connecticut Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Hiding
SMILE!
#8031: Feb 11th 2024 at 1:36:06 PM

Just because many of the examples involve Self-Deprecation doesn't make it geographically-restricted. I'd argue that the burger already is symbolic; it's commonly depicted as a fatty, unhealthy food, and thus tends to be used to represent the stereotype. Out of the few examples you listed, Rammstein and the Trump example are the only ones which appear to be distinct from the stereotype; the former might already be covered by America Takes Over the World, and the latter Colbert Bump.

IronAnimation Since: Jan, 2012
#8032: Feb 11th 2024 at 2:51:53 PM

Yeah I think it's adequately covered already. I don't think the meaning is particularly different.

deerhornsaresopretty Since: Jun, 2023
#8033: Feb 12th 2024 at 3:00:40 AM

Hmmmm

What about "food represents nation" then? Hamburgers could work for America, while for Japan, it's sushi. And for France it's baguettes.

Unnerving_Posterior Since: Feb, 2019
#8034: Feb 12th 2024 at 9:46:49 AM

I noticed that in fiction, whenever some short tempered, trigger-happy world leader wants to unleash Atomic Hate on another country, they press the nuclear button. By "nuclear button", I don't mean the figurative term for exercising the power and authority to launch nukes. I mean a literal button. One often big and bright red in color, installed on the world leader's desk in their office, conviniently within arm's reach. I like to call it the Presidential Nuke Button.

There's no lengthy procedure the world leader has to do before launching the attack, which would give them time to really think it through. There won't even be any failsafes put in place to prevent accidental launches. All they have to do is push the button, and the sky will be instantly filled with the lights of a dozen nuclear missiles rising from their silos, while the horizon is soon decorated with ominous mushroom clouds. Cue World War III.

Need a demonstration? Gumball, Stimpy, and George Bush are happy to help.

This imagery obviously had its origins in the Cold War, when the idea of nuclear armageddon starting at any moment was a real and frightening possibility. The phrase "finger on the button" was commonly used in political discourse to refer to somebody being ready to start a nuclear warfare at the time. Thus, the Presidential Nuke Button thus became a symbol of the looming threat of the Cold War going hot at any moment's notice, and at the whim of an irate world leader from either side of the conflict, who might one day wake up and decide that world peace is overrated.

Maybe the page for Big Red Button covers this already. But still, I can't help but feel the "president with a nuclear button on their desk" trope should have its own article because of how common it is. These days, no political cartoonist worth their salt would go their entire career without making at least one satirical cartoon about the Presidential Nuke Button.

IronAnimation Since: Jan, 2012
#8035: Feb 12th 2024 at 11:20:01 AM

^ Covered by A Nuclear Error, which has a section detailing president's having a big nuclear button.

deerhornsaresopretty Since: Jun, 2023
#8036: Feb 13th 2024 at 10:28:06 AM

  • Trope Name: Lions Represent Africa.

Fiction tends to imply that Africa Is a Country, amongst other stereotypes. One common stereotype is that Africa is full of wildlife, mainly snakes, giraffes and most importantly, the lion.

This is somewhat Truth in Television - lions used to span all over the African contintent. However, as of the 1960s, they have been extinct in Northern Africa (except Sudan), and you're most likely to encounter them in specific regions in East and West Africa.

Historical records show that lions also existed in Iran, Pakistan, Southern Europe (Ancient Greece) and India, though sadly most of these countries state that the lion population has been greatly reduced. India is the only country where the Asiatic lion survives.

    open/close all folders 
    Anime & Manga 
    Mythology 
  • Legend has it that the founder of the Waalo Kingdom (modern day Senegal) was raised by lions and guided his people using the lion's wisdom.
    Web Original 
  • Isaac Samz is an African YouTuber who makes videos satirizing stereotypes of his continent. In the video What people think when I say am African💀😂, he's depicted as having a pet elephant, Jumbo, threatening to cook his pet lion, Simba, hunting with spears for food and drinking contaminated water. All while Zamina mina (Zangaléwa) plays in the background.

Edited by deerhornsaresopretty on Feb 13th 2024 at 3:17:53 AM

Filip04 Since: Nov, 2023
#8037: Feb 13th 2024 at 11:06:53 AM

^ I like your idea!grin I'm however confused why you didn't included Lion King...

Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
#8038: Feb 13th 2024 at 1:52:12 PM

[up][up]Mythology should go before Web Original.

Kirby is awesome.
deerhornsaresopretty Since: Jun, 2023
#8039: Feb 13th 2024 at 3:17:22 PM

Filip 04, I actually considered adding TLK, but I thought that would be redundant since it uses many different animals, not just lions, to represent Africa.

Nethilia Girl Gang Disaster (she and zie) (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
Girl Gang Disaster (she and zie)
#8040: Feb 13th 2024 at 6:05:27 PM

Would A-Cup Angst be aided by adding an additional layer of other people shaming or teasing a character for not wearing a bra yet? I think that would be a useful expansion to the trope rather than having a whole separate trope listing for something rather common in media but it pretty close to it.

I focus on obscure 1990s or graphic Middle Grade Literature novels and dolls. (She or zie, not they.)
IronAnimation Since: Jan, 2012
#8041: Feb 13th 2024 at 6:14:29 PM

If they feel bad about it, even if it's caused by teasing, I still think it counts.

If they themselves don't feel bad about it, then it's not this trope, although could probably be a subversion if it's expected they would feel bad.

Nethilia Girl Gang Disaster (she and zie) (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
Girl Gang Disaster (she and zie)
#8042: Feb 13th 2024 at 6:17:02 PM

In this case, they definitely feel bad about it. Would it be appropriate to add that to the trope then?

ETA: It also kind of falls under Uncool Undies, except it's a camisole, undershirt, or nothing where other characters are wearing a bra.

Edited by Nethilia on Feb 13th 2024 at 6:18:59 AM

I focus on obscure 1990s or graphic Middle Grade Literature novels and dolls. (She or zie, not they.)
IronAnimation Since: Jan, 2012
#8043: Feb 13th 2024 at 7:01:41 PM

You can probably mention that the insecurity can sometimes be spurred on by others. I don't think that alters the tropes meaning if you aren't going any further than that.

Edited by IronAnimation on Feb 13th 2024 at 7:05:00 AM

Nethilia Girl Gang Disaster (she and zie) (Life not ruined yet) Relationship Status: A gay little love melody
Girl Gang Disaster (she and zie)
#8044: Feb 13th 2024 at 8:02:45 PM

Thanks. I added some information to both pages regarding the "uncoolness" of not wearing a bra yet and the angst of being teased for it.

I focus on obscure 1990s or graphic Middle Grade Literature novels and dolls. (She or zie, not they.)
jandn2014 SMILE! from somewhere in Connecticut Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Hiding
SMILE!
#8045: Feb 14th 2024 at 8:17:59 AM

Alright, I’ll get this out of the way: I’m not a Taylor Swift fan. However, I saw the track list for her upcoming album, and noticed there was a song titled “Florida!!!”. Which makes me wonder: is it worth having a trope for when additional explanation or question marks are utilized to express the intensity of a statement? It’s definitely a case of Seen It a Million Times for me, as the only other example I can recall is some children’s book I read long ago that I’ll never remember the name of.

Edited by jandn2014 on Feb 14th 2024 at 11:18:15 AM

IronAnimation Since: Jan, 2012
#8046: Feb 14th 2024 at 9:00:00 AM

Sounds like a natural addition to the Use These Tropes for EMPHASIS! index. Although I think it's the kind of concept the TLP might not like unless it's very fleshed out from the get go.

jandn2014 SMILE! from somewhere in Connecticut Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Hiding
SMILE!
#8047: Feb 14th 2024 at 9:50:00 AM

Yeah, that’s precisely the issue: it’s something so common that it’s difficult to think of any exact examples. Digging through the example sections on some other pages might help, though…

Though I’m wondering how broad it ought to be, exactly. Should it encapsulate every time more than one punctuation mark is used at the end of a line? Or should there be a minimum amount? The former might be bit too broad, but I don’t want to restrain it too much either. And while exclamation marks are more common, question marks would fall under the concept as well, and “??” tends to be seen less than “!!”.

IronAnimation Since: Jan, 2012
#8048: Feb 14th 2024 at 1:36:15 PM

I'm thinking about creating Dimensional Anchor, for objects that let something from a different dimension manifest in the current dimension. If the anchor gets destroyed or disconnected, they are sent back from whence they came. Sister concept to Soul Jar.

I only have 2 examples.

Teekle from Young Justice anchors Klarion on earth.

And Time Medallions from Danny Phantom, which anchor people who are in the wrong timeline.

Can anyone think of a third example?

Edited by IronAnimation on Feb 14th 2024 at 1:37:20 AM

Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#8049: Feb 14th 2024 at 1:42:30 PM

The watch gizmos from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? You don’t get kicked out without one but you do “glitch”.

Edited by Synchronicity on Feb 14th 2024 at 4:43:13 AM

IronAnimation Since: Jan, 2012

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