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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

Lindo-Honorindo WOOOOOOW Since: Apr, 2020 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
WOOOOOOW
#1301: Dec 4th 2020 at 1:11:27 PM

[up] Fair point. In which case no new trope is needed.

My favorite sci fi enemies are the giant sexy depressed women
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)
#1302: Dec 4th 2020 at 2:20:19 PM

I'm thinking of something along the lines of "Stock Spooky Sounds": The sounds injected into a work specifically to scare the audience and sometimes the character as well, pretty much always something unexplained and jarring and deeply unsettling for the situation, such as:

  • Distant crying or moaning
  • Screaming
  • Laughter
  • Scraping / Scratching noises
  • Thuds / Bangs

If these things are more tropeworthy as individual tropes that could also be done.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#1303: Dec 4th 2020 at 2:45:09 PM

[up]Sinister Scraping Sound exists as precendent...

Edited by Synchronicity on Dec 4th 2020 at 10:45:17 AM

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)
#1304: Dec 4th 2020 at 2:47:06 PM

As does Ominous Knocking, which would count as another subtrope.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#1305: Dec 4th 2020 at 4:03:32 PM

I was wondering if we had a trope for "comedic best man speech" but looking through Wedding and Engagement Tropes, I don't think we even have a general trope for best man / maid of honor stories. Could an "overly stressed best man / maid of honor" trope be worth a damn?

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
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)
#1306: Dec 4th 2020 at 4:14:33 PM

Closest I think we have is Bridezilla, who'd cause them to be stressed.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Dghcrh You can't escape this monster from Small country that looks like a fish Since: Dec, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
You can't escape this monster
#1307: Dec 4th 2020 at 4:16:53 PM

[up][up][up][up][up]Would the laughing sound used in the intro of "Fraidy Cat" from Tom & Jerry count? It certainly haunted my nightmares for years.

Edited by Dghcrh on Dec 4th 2020 at 2:17:46 PM

I'm mainly a fan of underrated media.
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)
#1308: Dec 4th 2020 at 5:00:47 PM

[up] Maybe? I don't know of it.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
raspberryred99 pobody's nerfect Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
pobody's nerfect
#1309: Dec 4th 2020 at 5:56:29 PM

For Stock Spooky Sounds, a related trope would be Creepy Children Singing.

A Just for Fun page about songs you associate with characters...is that anything? I'm not sure if JFF pages are exactly encouraged and I know it's kind of specific. Maybe it'd be better as a forum thread.

(Sorry if this is the wrong thread to bring up JFF ideas)

Edited by raspberryred99 on Dec 4th 2020 at 8:57:21 AM

You can call me Red.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#1310: Dec 4th 2020 at 6:18:04 PM

[up] That sounds more fitting for a forum thread.

Edited by mightymewtron on Dec 4th 2020 at 9:18:12 AM

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#1311: Dec 4th 2020 at 6:56:43 PM

Would there be merit in making a Portmanteau Fusion Name trope, or is it too common/not separate enough from regular Portmanteaus?

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
AmourMitts Since: Jan, 2016
#1312: Dec 4th 2020 at 7:23:34 PM

I had three trope ideas in TLP at one point, and all of them were discarded:

What are your thoughts on these?

Taxima ADHD Villain from Buried under a word count (Ten years in the joint) Relationship Status: That's rough, buddy
ADHD Villain
#1313: Dec 5th 2020 at 9:59:49 AM

I hope you don't mind me dropping in with a random trope recommendation. I've been following as well as I can with the guides and figured I'd try here first.

Digging around, I never found a trope page for the trope of someone, usually with Super-Strength, weaponizing a Bear Hug outside of accidental cases like And Call Him "George".

What I'm thinking of is different from Deadly Hug because the hug is usually a distraction for the killing implement like a gun or knife. In this case, the hug itself is the weapon.

I wanted to create a trope for it, something like "Killer Bear Hug". Think of characters like Kingpin from Spider-Man: The Animated Series, or that scene in Overlord 2012 when the main character killed someone by crushing their midsection. Basically, wrap your arms around someone and squeeze until bones or the spine breaks, they suffocate, or internal bleeding gets them.

mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#1314: Dec 5th 2020 at 10:52:55 AM

I think Deadly Hug is broad enough to cover that.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#1315: Dec 5th 2020 at 1:53:27 PM

So I think my next draft will be a theater-related trope. I've discussed two concepts already:

  • "Flexible Theater": A theatrical production has spots that are frequently changed in alternate productions, either because the references are dated, localized, or are simply available for improvisation. Similar to Harpo Does Something Funny, but theater-specific, and not necessarily left blank from the beginning.
  • "Filmed Play Production": A trivia trope, documenting whenever a production has an official filmed release (not counting The Film of the Play).

I'll probably start on the first one first cuz I have more examples and I want to flesh it out more.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
logichan Since: Aug, 2020
#1316: Dec 6th 2020 at 2:27:16 AM

I have an idea for a fandom and/or YMMV trope that I see semi-frequently, but haven't seen discussed, named or codified.

ANY work of fiction can be interpreted as somebody's daydream, actual dream, power fantasy, and/or hallucination as they lay dying. Even if it doesn't make sense or adds nothing to the story. Star Wars? Hallucination of a dying child who was obsessed with space and science fiction. Cat in the Hat? Hallucination of a dying child with strict parents. The Godfather? Somebody fell asleep watching a gangster movie and the entire saga is their power fantasy. Superstore is just what happens when a retail worker dreams about their day-to-day life. Any sitcom featuring a group of friends is actually a lonely person's invented fantasy world.

This trope would be specifically about All Just a Dream being read into a work post-hoc, which would be YMMV because it could be incredibly deep and meaningful to somebody and completely transform the work for them... even if it's patently ridiculous.

The codifying example IMO would be the fan theory that Super Mario Bros. is just Mario's misadventures as he trips on hallucinogenic mushrooms. If the Mushroom Kingdom is a hallucination, it's a very benign, internally-consistent one that occurs with startling frequency.

Crossover-Enthusiast from an abaondoned mall (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Chocolate!
#1317: Dec 6th 2020 at 4:54:00 AM

I believe that's Delusion Conclusion, which funnily enough was launched earlier this year. You'd think something so prominent in fan speculation would've gotten a page here sooner.

Jawbreakers on sale for 99¢
AdeptGaderius Otaku from the Anime World Since: Nov, 2018 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Otaku
#1318: Dec 6th 2020 at 5:01:44 AM

I am thinking of creating a trope called Dystopian Video Game. Its definition is basically a recent trend in video games to create stories that involve dark and mature themes like Spec Ops: The Line.

wingedcatgirl mys. minty from the silly dimension from lurking (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
mys. minty from the silly dimension
#1319: Dec 6th 2020 at 8:04:04 AM

What, precisely, makes a "Dystopian Video Game" different from a Dystopia in the video game medium?

Suddenly I'm... still rotating Fallen London in my mind even though I've stopped actively playing it.
Synchronicity (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#1320: Dec 6th 2020 at 8:43:29 AM

And "dark/mature content" =/= "dystopian". "Dark/mature content" is also not really tropable by itself.

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)
#1321: Dec 6th 2020 at 11:10:17 AM

Dystopian fiction is, specifically, about failed utopias- they're not just any Crapsack World. So there's no difference between a work of Dystopian literature or a Dystopian video-game, and it's definitely not just "dark and gritty".

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Malady (X-Troper)
#1322: Dec 6th 2020 at 6:55:58 PM

Taking this here because it's not... err... fleshed out enough and solid enough for the Salvage Yard...

"(Sexy / Suggestive) Censorship", for Hand-or-Object Underwear where the user is deliberately being sexual, not being a panicked covering up like the page image...

For example:

[1] and [2]

Not sure if there's a way to apply to audio censorship... Ah. Using things like The Immodest Orgasm to censor other sounds... Not sure if that's actually done...

Lastly, there's text censorship... Would that be Mills and Boon Prose or some use of Sexual Euphemism??

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
mightymewtron Word Up from New New York Since: Oct, 2012 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Word Up
#1323: Dec 6th 2020 at 8:20:54 PM

We have Censor Decoy if that's anything.

I do some cleanup and then I enjoy shows you probably think are cringe.
Malady (X-Troper)
#1324: Dec 6th 2020 at 8:26:01 PM

That's quite a bit different, since Censor Decoy's basically Getting Crap Past the Radar by overwhelming it.

It's effectively Trivia?

Edited by Malady on Dec 6th 2020 at 8:27:05 AM

Disambig Needed: Help with those issues! tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13324299140A37493800&page=24#comment-576
NoUsername she's only programmed to be very nice Since: May, 2012
she's only programmed to be very nice
#1325: Dec 7th 2020 at 1:06:49 AM

Unusual Euphemism covers the text variation of what you're describing, and Something Else Also Rises usually covers the occasional visual metaphor. the images you linked don't seem particularly suggestive, either, more just averting a Panty Shot by way of having their legs cover it. i'm not sure if that's common enough of an occurrence to make it into a trope.


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