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
I was thinking of making a thread on Wiki Talk to ask about this, but since the question is about wherever I should make something on TLP, maybe it's fine to ask here instead:
Would it be alright to make indexes for media for former countries? I wanted to hear opinions from others about it.
Today I found the page for Professor Balthazar, a Yugoslav animated TV series. I found it curious that we don't have a "Yugoslav Media" index where it could go. I looked around and discovered that we don't have indexes for media originating for former countries (eg. "Soviet Media" index).
I think it could be useful to have indexes for media specifically made during the Soviet Union, etc. This obviously would coexist with their other country indexes (eg. if a work was made in Moscow during the soviet period, it would get indexed as both "Soviet Media" and "Russian Media")
Soviet Media sounds workable for sure.
I've been toying with the idea of something like "even bullies have standards", where a bully refuses to cross a certain line towards their victim. A contrast to the typical idea of making bullies 1 dimensional and evil by having them not want to do anything TOO messed up. But...
Is it too close to tropes like Even Evil Has Standards? My thought is that bullies aren't necessarily evil, just jerks, and there may be something to the idea of them specifically showing concern for a victim if they're in a legitimately serious situation.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallI think that might work out. Evil and jerkass aren't interchangeable; one describes someone who, for example, is morally reprehensible and harms people for no good reason, whereas the other describes someone who's just mean in some way. Even Evil Has Standards basically means the villain has bad things he wouldn't want to do despite being evil himself, because that act is too evil even for him; in the case of a non-villain, perhaps they're not afraid to be a bully or jerk but understand some things are simply too far, e.g. they enjoy tormenting their target but won't revel in them getting hurt or killed.
I think I'll stick with my current title for now but if any better ideas come I'll change it. Making a draft while I'm still motivated.
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wallwhile doing a wick check for Author Phobia, I came across some entries that were just "author hates x thing". I cut those, but that got me wondering: could there be potential in a trope where an author includes something because they hate it, and want to mock it - an Author Pet Peeve, or something?
as an example, one of the wicks I came across was about a writer on Doctor Who writing an episode called Doctor Who S15 E4 "The Sun Makers", which is about a civilization that taxes people to death & was apparently inspired by the writer's own tax troubles.
I remember there was Author Unappeal?
If a creator that has had trouble with taxes then presents taxes in a negative light in a work, it can be Write What You Know, Reality Subtext or Author Tract.
Overall, I think this niche is already covered.
^^I'd say that falls under Write Who You Hate or Take That!
Have been thinking
Mystery Establishing Shot: A camera or dialogue focuses on a specific point as if asking the audience to keep it in mind going forward.
Drama Establishing Shot: After two characters interact, one is clearly unhappy. Await a quarrel in the future.
These may be some form of Foreshadowing or something generic, but I've noticed movies and novels have very awkward "the author wants you to take notes" pauses very frequently in the first act.
TroperWall / WikiMagic CleanupI think the latter is unnecessary. Mystery Establishing Shot has potential, as a sister trope to Meaningful Background Event and Conspicuously Light Patch.
Edited by IronAnimation on May 29th 2024 at 4:26:18 AM
Toying with an idea for a TLP— "Rage Games", as I have heard them called before, include intentionally difficult and intentionally unrewarding Deconstruction Games like Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy. I'm thinking there's potential for a draft to include similar games like The Game Of Sisyphus, Only Up!, and A Difficult Game About Climbing
If anyone knows of any more than these four, let me know. I am aware this might be Too Rare To Trope, but I know there's potential here.
Edited by DRCEQ on May 29th 2024 at 8:36:21 AM
The rock Climber one is A Difficult Game About Climbing
The "troll level" genre of Super Mario Maker might count, if not too general.
I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.![]()
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The Impossible Quiz counts as "intentionally difficult and intentionally unrewarding" but I don't know if it counts as a deconstruction. From what I remember, the correct answer is usually the Mathematician's Answer but sometimes it isn't.
We also have Unwinnable Joke Game, unless you're looking for making a "Winnable Joke Game".
Oo oo ah ahJump King is another such game. It's a game where the player character has to reach the top of a tower through a series of incredibly precise jumps, where one wrong move results in falling a long way down and losing a lot of progress.
Bigotry will NEVER be welcome on TV Tropes.Gotta love those Bennet Foddy clones lmao (no seriously they're hilarious)
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper WallI feel it'd be hard to define a "Rage Game" other than "unfairly Nintendo Hard", which is also subjective. Classic Video Game "Screw You"s was the closest before being TRS'ed.
While at it, Kaizo Mario World and I Wanna Be the Guy are one of early defined examples.
Edited by Amonimus on May 30th 2024 at 12:08:27 PM
TroperWall / WikiMagic CleanupHere's a possible example for Rage Games: From the same developer as Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy there's QWOP, which also has intentionally frustrating movement mechanics.
Edited by harryhenry on May 30th 2024 at 10:33:59 PM
Trope Idea: Foreign Language Distress Laconic: A character hears a language they don't understand, which distresses them.
- My sister's speakin' in fancy! - Applejack, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
When a character hears a language they're unfamiliar with, and freak out because they don't understand it. The reasons for this vary, and at worst it could be because they're an Absolute Xenophobe.
This becomes especially distressing if they don't have a bilingual friend to translate the dialogue.
Examples:
Anime & Manga- Pollyanna: In episode 31, Pollyanna goes looking for Chip Mack in some Italian-American dominated suburbs. When she hears two men speak Italian for the first time, she's so horrified she backs away slowly. She then finds herself cornered by three other Italian-American boys, and this conversation ensues.
Boy 1: Ma tu chi sei? Do dove vieni?TranslationBoy 2: Non capisco se é maschio o femmina.TranslationPollyanna: W-what are you saying?Boy 1: Ehi! Dimmi come ti chiami!TranslationPollyanna: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Someone come help me! (takes out her walking stick and begins waving it at them)
- Façade (2005): For whatever reason, the game's AI interprets the player typing in non-English languages as offensive, and Trip will kick you out if you do.
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: When Apple Bloom is affected by the Cutie Pox, for some reason she starts speaking in French. Hearing this, Applejack exclaims "My sister's speakin' in fancy!"
Edited by deerhornsaresopretty on May 30th 2024 at 7:06:06 AM
Regarding "Rage Games", it seems to me like an umbrella term that could apply to at least three different categories:
- Nintendo Hard games.
- Unwinnable Joke Games.
- A third type I'd suggest calling "Clumsiness Simulators". Games like QWOP or Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, where the difficulty primarily comes from overly granular, deliberately unintuitive controls and an unforgiving physics engine, often with copious Ragdoll Physics.
For that last one, there's an old TLP thread on the topic
, where the OP never updated the description but there are plenty of examples and good discussion over the definition in the comments below.
From that thread:
...actually, I think one of the traits is also that the game doesn't penalize you for being clumsy in anything like a realistic manner. You can "succeed" at surgery after stabbing the patient repeatedly in the face with a scalpel. You can knock over three tables and end up sitting on the lap of a customer while delivering cake and still have the waiters compliment your surprisingly skillful approach. Clumsy is expected and you never really get to the point where you can avoid it, so you basically just play on through no matter how many weird things happen because your feet move in the wrong direction or whatever.
Edited by MetaFour on May 30th 2024 at 7:46:17 AM

I guess in a way it also has associations with alternative counter-culture stuff? Like rebels don't care about society norms and so would be more accepting of different sexualities (and vice versa)?
Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall