Trope Idea Sounding Board

We actually just made a short-term project thread to run through the Salvage Yard and make sure all the entries there are valid. Maybe you can ask there?

Though it sounds like this idea is tropeworthy, you just want a draft for it.

Edited by WarJay77 on Apr 30th 2021 at 5:11:16 AM

Here's something I thought of in the shower: "Mass Sanity Slippage", for when an entire group all simultaneously lose their minds and chaos ensues. It could be literal Sanity Slippage, or just a mob going nuts at the drop of a hat, but the key is that the group goes wild and things will inevitably get destroyed. Normal Sanity Slippage usually takes time and is a process, and just focuses on the individual slowly losing touch with reality. This happens a lot faster, involves more immediate chaos, and usually has one or two characters stuck to the side witnessing it all. It can also show the impacts of mob mentality.

I'm also wondering about something like... "Sanity Slippage Catalyst", for the external source that makes characters lose their minds.

Both ideas came from me thinking about The Cry of Mann, in which an art show turns into chaos when everyone overreacts to Jack making art of phones, to the point where the episode ends with them screaming and smashing everything (or in Frank's case, laughing like a maniac). In that show, the characters who started to lose their minds were affected by Humanoid Abomination Gergiev, either through direct manipulation or as a result of everyone else going crazy.

The first idea also reminded me of mother! (2017) and Don't Hug Me I'm Scared.

Both ideas remind me of Nightfall (1990), about a planet with several suns that only experiences night every 2000 years or so. Every time it happens, the entire population loses their minds and civilization is destroyed, leaving the next civilization to rise from the ashes clueless about the past and doomed to repeat it.

"Sanity Slippage Catalyst" also makes me think of Brown Note, but the Nightfall example doesn't really fall under that — it's more mass hysteria plus Go Mad from the Revelation.

I do feel the first idea has more of a distinction, though the second one could definitely work in the right hands.

So, I'm making the draft, but I'm not sure about a title. I'm thinking about calling it "Mass Psychosis", but I don't want to inadvertently mock real-world medical diagonses, even if I add an explanation at the end of what the real-life meaning of the phrase actually is. But it also seems to be more fitting than "Mass Sanity Slippage" or similar. I'll go ahead and post the draft as Mass Psychosis, and see how people feel about it.

How "mass" is Mass?

Is it Societal Breakdown?

Or something describable by Suddenly Nonsensical People?

Here's the draft, see for yourself: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=njcuipxsbirb8mpsnaap0v78

It's probably closer to the second one, but the core is just that it's an entire group. It doesn't matter how big or small the group is, as long as pretty much the entire group suffers at once.

Here's a quick trope idea. Vibrating Broomstick, Merchandise that has unintentional sexual use or association. Named in honor of the infamous vibrating broomstick from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Basically a list of items in real life, or in media that were not intended to be sexualized but basically will set off people's filters or just be used for unintentionally perverted things.

I can only think of a few examples off the top of my head, but we all know well enough that with some time and effort it would be extremely easy to make an extremely comprehensive list. This stuff is somewhat infamous online after all and occasionally pops up in media for laughs.

Many examples of such seem like they could already be covered by Video Game Perversity Potential.

Given the content policy, I also don't think we should have a trope about real-life cases of using nonsexual objects in a sexual manner.

Fictional examples, maybe, cuz I can think of some examples, but it still feels questionable.

In any case, "Vibrating Broomstick" would be a pretty bad trope namer.

Almost any non-sexual object can be used as sexual objects, such as waterbeds, body pillows, and even giant plush toys based on non-humanoid characters from children's media won in an amusement park.

It would very much be people sitting on chairs.

Is jumping on the bed considered "people sitting on chairs?"

Since this is less about the Salvage Yard...

How many Spiritual Medium, a.k.a I See Dead People tropes do we have?

I know two:

• Magnetic Medium
• Medicate the Medium

...

Unhappy Medium seems not spirit medium specific and punny.

Edited by Malady on May 3rd 2021 at 4:29:45 AM

Yeah, jumping on the bed by itself has no meaning or narrative significance. Jumping on the bed is usually seen as childish and immature especially when people other than small children do it soo maaybe you can work with if you have any specific examples in mind.

Trope Finder is the place to look for tropes. I think this thread is more for when you have an idea that you think is tropable but you know it's not covered by existing (if I am not wrong)?

Buut since you asked... I don't think there are any other medium specific tropes or anything with medium/spirit medium in the title than the tropes you listed. A lot of tropes associated with mediums can be found on Paranormal Tropes, so maybe you can look there?

Edited by MacronNotes on May 4th 2021 at 2:38:50 PM

- Thanks! Still not sure what to do about Spirit Medium as an idea still...

As you know...

But how about something a bit less drawing from other threads, and dealing with existing drafts...

Nominal Coauthor TLP: I just made Coauthored Literature to cover its supertrope, the idea of Coauthor in general...

But CL is Literature specific. Not sure if Coauthor is of note by itself... I Am the Band, Indie Game, for cases where solo-or-low numbers of people are relevant...

Indie Film doesn't seem to be a trope... No Budget exists...

Strange that Indie Film isn't a trope yet.

How does one make a trope about pencil thin, 1990s style eyebrows?

With great difficulty, considering it's an appearance trope.

Also a lot of animated characters have pencil thin eyebrows, which isn't so much an issue of stylization so much as just being easier to draw than Big Ol' Eyebrows.

Hmmm, drawing thin eyebrows does look easier to draw. Spongebob seems to have pencil thin eyebrows Plus some villains like Ursula and the Queen from Snow White has high-arching thin brows.

Also, I do think thin eyebrows had its roots on theatre, and it became popular among silent and early Golden era film actresses due to its theatre roots. Plus, thin eyebrows were a thing in the 1990s as a reaction against the 1980s bushy brows.

Edited by alnair20aug93 on May 5th 2021 at 6:24:20 PM

For the record, I was arguing that it wouldn't be tropeworthy for animated characters because many characters have very thin brows just due to a simplified art style, and there's no trend beyond that.

I thought of making a trope which boils down to "a character is confused to find a group of others celebrating". It could mean:

• They forgot their own birthday, Christmas, Halloween, etc. because they're stupid or easily distracted or too busy to keep track of time.
• They're an alien, a time-traveler, or come from a city or country that doesn't celebrate that holiday.
• Alternatively, everyone else is an alien or a Quirky Town local, and they're celebrating a Fictional Holiday.
• Everyone else made a Celebration Miscalculation.

Forgot Their Own Birthday covers the first bullet.

I suppose it'd be a trope with a few Sub Tropes already...

Locked Out of the Loop person...?

... What relation to Surprise Party?

Edited by Malady on May 5th 2021 at 8:49:56 AM

Okay, so here's a concept I've seen like everywhere, but we don't have a trope on? Either to show danger or a character being pissed, their eyes will change into four point stars, usually with either the rest of the features on their face disappearing or their entire body being rendered in shadow.

Scary Shiny Glasses? But without glasses?