A new year means a new start! As we roll(play) into 2022, we’d like to begin with a new collection of character interaction squares to keep things interesting.

For the next ten days, we’ll be collecting trope ideas here on this thread. Brimming with ideas? Throw ‘em at us! At the end of the month, the card generator will be cleaned up and refreshed with a new set of tropes to help inspire your RP.

As a reminder, the ideas you submit are for squares that participants would be working towards in their role play, and should focus on character interactions and/or similarly small goals. Try to create prompts for little moments—for example, sharing an umbrella with someone or buying someone a cup of coffee.

You may only receive one Golden Ticket total, but you are welcome to submit as many square suggestions as you like!

This thread will close on 1/27 at 11:59pm ST.

Here’s my 5!

Two future lovers meeting at a coffee shop.
Whodunnit style murder mystery
Villain letting the protagonist/ hero go after realizing none of their friends came to actually rescue them
Young child goes off to live with mysterious relative
two people who look like long lost twins swap places to see what each other’s life is like. (Prince and the Pauper style, pr maybe they get transformed into each other via magic to walk a mile in each other’s shoes if they don’t look identical) 

1. Two characters stare into each other’s eyes
2. A pun is made
3. Two characters reach for the same thing at the same time —oops!
4. A character can’t think of…what was that word, again?
5. Two characters share a dance

*starts thinking*

1. Character A loves to cook but is very horrible due to being impatient and/or forgetful and/or mixing up instructions/ingredients. Character B has a crush on Character A so they don’t want to hurt Character A’s feelings when they offer them food.

2. Character A and Character B somehow wind up trapped in a small box/cupboard/chest/room/etc. They have barely enough room to move.

3. Character A farts and then attempts to blame it on Character B.

4. Character A and Character B go to the same Halloween/costume party. However, they can’t pick their own costumes. The other person does.

5. Character A and Character B move into a haunted house without knowing it. They don’t discover this until a week later when the ghost(s) make their appearance.

A is about to leave (airport or something). B runs after them but thinks they are too late. When B turn around they see that A didn’t get on the vehicle
Enemies become friends/lovers after a common struggle (eg. trapped somewhere together)
Luggages/hats/umbrellas get swapped
Caught in pouring rain
Has-been reluctantly starts coaching/helping underdog

- characters act like couple to reach a goal, actually fall in love with each other
- characters go to an abandoned cave/building and something spooky happens
- insecure character meets extrovert and they become friends
- character smiles to themselves reading a message/text and gets caught doing so
- characters share a blanket to keep warm

1) Someone goes for a walk, jog, or run during inclimate weather.
2) Receive a written correspondence (letter, text, email, dm). Reply.
3) Forget to introduce yourself to someone.
4) Try a new food or drink together.
5) Experience unfamiliar weather.

- Buy something second-hand.
- Lose a bet (minor, moderate, or major).
- Something in the environment triggers a memory or flashback.
- A character expresses an anxiety to another.
- Someone asks a local for the news.

- A character asks for directions (or instructions).
- The weather changes suddenly or unexpectedly.
- Someone needs a blanket.
- A character finds a diary or journal.
- A character can’t find something they routinely carry or use.

- Get a new hat, scarf, or gloves.
- Character A meets Character B’s family, or long-term friends.
- Character A mishears Character B.
- The characters have an outfit change.
- A character writes, or receives, a greeting card.

- The characters celebrate a birthday or holiday together.
- Character A asks Character B if they can borrow an item, or finances.
- The characters discuss the futures they hope to have.
- Character A doesn’t realize Character B left the area, and continues the conversation without them.
- The characters discuss a sensitive topic from one of their pasts.

- The character explore an unfamiliar activity together.
- One character introduces the other to a hobby or craft.
- An act of nature happens nearby.
- A character feels like someone might be watching them, and reacts accordingly.
- Someone intentionally misspells a name.

- A character hides an object before the other finds it.
- The characters find treasure (or something they just really like or want).
- One character deceives another.
- A character appears to be genuine when it would be more self-beneficial for them to be deceptive.
- A character notices something that the other doesn’t, and has to decide if they should point it out.

- The characters investigate a strange or unexpected sound or smell.
- The characters improvise by using the wrong tool to accomplish an outcome.
- A character cannot afford a proposed activity.
- The characters get lost in somewhere new.
- Why did the lights go out?

- Where is that smoke coming from?
- One character becomes concerned about rejection from the other.
- A character tries to make a joke to relieve an uncomfortable emotion in the room.
- One character isn’t sure that doing this is a good idea.
- A character asks if another character is feeling okay.

- A character starts doing something before they know what they are supposed to be doing.
- A character realizes something they overlooked earlier is suddenly important.
- The characters overhear someone sharing secrets or rumors that impact them.
- One character tries not to let an emotion become obvious to another.
- whatever that was, it tasted nasty.

- A character tries to talk, but keeps being interrupted.
- A character’s intentions get called into question.
- Something in the dark looks alive.
- A character talks about feeling sick lately.
- Jumpscare.

- The characters discuss, or tell, scary stories.

-two characters who have always been hostile/competitive (siblings, schoolmates, etc) find that they have more in common than they realized
-(gasp) and they were roommates!
-two characters who don’t really know each other are thrust together by a disaster and have to find a way to survive together
-a random toddler shows up in the middle of literally any situation and needs help finding their parent who was right there just a minute ago
-all you want to do is nap, but the universe is dead-set against allowing that to happen

While I’ve read some of the suggestions — and they all look like a lot of fun — I haven’t read them all. I apologize if there are any duplicate suggestions in mine. :’)

• One character gives another character a new nickname
• A character scolds another character for perceived misbehavior
• One character bites another
• A tense situation is successfully deescalated
• A character falls unconscious
• Two or more characters exchange contact information (e.g., phone numbers, addresses)
• A theft occurs
• One character kisses another (platonically or romantically)

1. Have an emotional conversation (or a plotwist is revealed) on a rooftop as the sun sets
2. Character A is overwhelmed with emotion and Character B struggles to comfort them
3. Characters go on a parkour run of the area
4. Character has a quiet moment to themselves and resolves a grief that has been haunting them
5. A Character perceived as cold and stoic apologizes for their actions toward another character and professes their hidden admiration/affection for them

-Characters go daaaancing in the rain~
-Characters realize that their ethics directly conflict each others’
-While in an antique shop, characters come up with stories for some of the items
-The characters assign each other DnD alignments
-Character A purposefully gets a song stuck in Character B’s head

-One of the characters gets ahold of water balloons
-Character A’s pet hates Character B
-Characters go to see the city lights at night
-The characters play monopoly. It ends in salt
-Character A hangs out with Character B at their job

And then I did some larger plot threads for funzies :P

-As it turns out, one of the characters has been hiding their real identity this whole time!
-Hey, that’s illegal! Characters go on the run
-That can’t be right—there can only be one Chosen One! It’s in the name! How are there two of you?
-A very valuable item is stolen from the mob, and they will level cities to get it back
-The lighthouse isn’t abandoned, can’t you hear it?

- Catching character as they faint/lose balance
- Character is clearly not fine but insists they are fine
- Character expects anger/blame/doubt; receives concern/care/trust
- Character refuses to leave other character alone
- Character hides injury/illness
- Character draws negative attention onto themself
- Character protects other character in a fight

-Character drops a bag full of items everywhere, someone comes to help
-Something embarrassing happens to character in front of a large crowd
-Two characters play a competitive game
-Two characters both can’t sleep, a late night conversation.
-First day at school/work/etc. Two characters meet.

1) Character A offers to pay for Character Bs drink in front of them but Character B now insists on paying as a motion of kindness and the poor cashier is just “who is even buying what can we settle this there’s a line”
2) Character A is buying plants in a greenhouse and Character B is sneaking around trying to buy the same things because they don’t know anything about plants and trusts the first person knows what they’re doing
3) Character messes up a recipe they’ve made successfully so many times before
4) Character is trying to buy a gift for someone they know nothing about
5) Character’s new hobby is consuming their life

1. A character’s cell phone dies and they try to come up with an alternate means of distance communication.
2. A bird lands on a character’s head.
3. An emotional moment is interrupted by a pack of drunk - if friendly - college students.
4. A character starts a conversation about the merits of a silly or inconsequential topic. Another character disagrees with their logic and presents their own argument.
5. A character spies a perfectly-formed snowflake.
6. A character shows off an unexpected skill.
7. A character pretends to be less intelligent than they actually are in order to accomplish a task.

No idea if any of these are duplicates, I didn’t read what’s already posted.

1. Character A gets Character B’s order wrong.
2. Magical girl (or any gender) transformation.
3. Character A sneaks a pet into the house. Again.
4. Someone finds an old item, a flood of memories overwhelms them.
5. Someone has an allergic reaction to something unusual.

1. Two characters get lost in an unknown section of the Cave (likely after a floor collapse)
2. Two characters are trying to meet for the first time… but neither has any idea what the other actually looks like.
3. Two characters team up to pull a prank on a third character.
4. A character delves deep into the Cave to find the perfect gift for a friend (or lover)
5. A character tries to emerge from the shadow of another character.

1. two characters have an argument over something small
2. character A apologizes, but character B does not know what the apology is for
3. character A is accused of something, character B must clear their name
4. character A loses their train of thought and character B correctly finishes their thought without effort (or by completely guessing correctly). character A reacts to how well character B can predict them
5. character A encounters an event or issue that makes them extremely uncomfortable. character B navigates the encounter and gets character A out of the situation with care and expertise

1. Something very unexpected falls out of the sky/air and lands near the character(s)
2. Character A needs Character B to stay away from the room they’re in for a while, so comes up with an on-the-spot fib to get them to leave.
3. Character A gets a small injury and hams it up for sympathy.  Character B is not impressed.
4. The characters discover they know the same obscure song/band/show!  But one of them likes the song/band/show, and the other one does NOT.
5. Character A pushes character B, but it was harder than they meant to.

1. a character goes exploring and runs into another character
2. a character relentlessly teases another character but in an affectionate way
3. character teams up with another character to take a mutual enemy down
4. character pretends to hate other character but secretly adores them
5. clumsy character spills something on another character

1. Character A and Character B receive invitations to.. Character C and Character D’s wedding!? But C and D hate each other, don’t they..?

2. A character finds a strange glowing orb..

3. Characters A and B go into the woods in search of a cryptid(along the lines of Bigfoot or something)

4. Character A wakes up in the morning to find a rocket ship on their front lawn, piloted by Character B..

5. Characters A and B hear a spooky sound coming from the basement..

1. accidental hand brushes that leave both characters a little flushed
2. A is really nervous and being prickly but B mistakes it for A just being mean
3. character whose hair is usually up is now down (or vice versa)
4. a thundercrack with excellent comedic timing (eg. “what else could go wrong? *thunder* welp”)
5. A is looking at a natural wonder (stars, meadow, sunset, etc) and unaware B is looking at them with a lovesick expression

Asking to share a table at a busy cafe.
Both witness something momentous (like a car accident, natural disaster, or shooting star, etc) from different angles.
Two characters’ shopping bags or luggage are mixed up.
Riding a tandem bicycle.
Meeting another character’s parent(s) or child(ren) for the first time.
One character sees themselves as the other character sees them.
One character finished the other’s sentence, rightly or wrongly.
Someone misses an important deadline.
Sharing a look across a crowded room.
One character is about to say something that would help/harm another character, and then chooses not to. (e.g. “look out!”)
Something they do together goes viral.
One character frames another!
A character is unexpectedly unable to pay for something.

- a character tells a story about a friend or family member
- a character finds a stray animal and wants to adopt it
- a character says or reads something in another language
- a character makes an assumption about another character
- a character excuses themselves for a moment

- a character stops mid-sentence to say hello to an animal
- a character apologizes to an inanimate object
- two characters tell each other about their favorite things
- a character names an inanimate object and creates a detailed backstory for it on the spot
- a character attempts something they have never tried before

- a character finds an unconventional use for a common object
- a character asks another if they can borrow something for a moment
- a character asks another for help with a task
- a character washes or cleans something that belongs to another character
- a character decides whether or not to call out another character for not paying attention

1. One character’s accessory, bag, etc. gets snagged/caught on the second character
2.  One character vents their emotions
3. One character lashes out (verbally or physically, etc. at their subject of choice. An object person, etc.)
4. One character shares a secret they have with another.
5.One character reveals something personal about themselves to the other character.
6. One character hides something from the other character.

[I’ll be adding as I go]

• A character gives someone a balloon.
• A character mishears a word as their name.
• The characters try a new food together.
• A large object falls and nearly injures a character.
• A character starts a fire, to much dismay.
• A character starts a fire, to much applause.
• A dog interrupts the characters in the middle of an important conversation.
• The characters meet a strange figure from one of the characters’ past.

1. Character A tells/dares Character B to do something Character B previously said they’d never do.
2. Character A does something that repulses character B.
3. Character A takes the fall for something Character B did/lied about.
4. Character A feels betrayed by the actions/words of Character B, but Character B was only doing/saying it to protect Character A.
5. Character A starts acting out of character (for instance, there’s a knife pressed into their back or something) to try to convey to Character B that they’re both in trouble but can’t say that out loud to them.

-the characters have to fake a kidnapping
-a deus ex machina suddenly resolves the current conflict
-“theres no way in hell id ever do that” *smashcut to them doing exactly that*
-it suddenly starts pouring rain. oops!
-“does this have lemons in it? haha its not a big problem im just deathly allergic” “what”

- Character A falls off a cliff into (something) and pulls Character B with them.
- Character A has to walk Character B through an extremely complicated situation that Character B doesn’t know how to do. (Re: Defuse a bomb, fix an engine part etc)
- Character A and Character B have a mock fight. (Could be training, or a show they are putting on)
- Character A teaches Character B how to (Insert something here)
- Character A tells Character B a secret!

1. Character A walks into a coffee shop. Gets in line and orders a coffee.
2. Character B pays for A’s coffee.
3. They sit down at a table.
4. Talks about each others day.
5. Character A offers B with their phone number, Character B accepts and go on with their day.

(Hopefully I did it right.)

-Ruins the Bingo.