Unclear Description: The Bus Came Back

So The Bus Came Back states that the term means a "main" character is brought back after being Put on a Bus. Put on a Bus does not specify that it has to be a main character. It just says character. Can the description of The Bus Came Back be changed to remove the "main"? The trope fits recurring characters too, not just main.

While I agree that there seems to be no particular reason to make The Bus Came Back solely about main characters, this doesn't seem enough of a redefinition to require a TRS topic. That said, I'll allow this if we can move it along expeditiously.

Well I thought I could just edit the description and remove the "main" part. I asked in ATT if that was ok, but I understand that I can't just go changing the description as I see fit.

I think the "main" part of both tropes is a little bit significant, since I don't think a one-shot character in a long series would qualify for the trope. Needs to be at least a recurring one, so their presence is in some way missed. So "main" is overstating it, but "recurring" would be more accurate.

So how about changing it to main/recurring characters on all the bus tropes? That covers all the relevant bases.

I have to conclude that this is not a very interesting topic. Oh well, if everyone is ok with the trope as is, then so be it.

I think a one shot character makes sense if they're actually Put on a Bus.

What I tend to see this used as is "someone hasn't been seen in a few episodes. Then they reappear!" In shows with Loads And Loads Of Characters, it gets kind of silly.

But even if a character is written as a one-shot character, if they're intentionally written out of the show in a way to preclude their reappearance, them showing up again later is notable.

I would say possibly. If they're written out in a way that implies they won't come back at all. Not just something like going on a vacation or temporarily Reassigned to Antarctica for any period shorter than their reappearance time. That was it's notable that they actually come back, rather than that being something expected.

I'm not saying we should be bound by this, but my original intention when making the page was "a character gets written off the show, but later shows up for one more episode, and then gets written off again (probably more permanently)." It looks like there's been a *lot* of trope decay since then (e.g., the whole third paragraph of the description is describing a totally different situation than that). Probably because the name sounds broader...

edited 15th Jan '15 9:26:21 AM by Micah

So what should be done? The thread has stagnated. Should the description be changed or left alone?

This is one of those tropes that kind of decays into meaninglessness. "Main character is written off the show, then returns"—well, ok, I guess that's a trope. "Any character is seen again after not having been seen for a while", which is what this has decayed into, is meaningless.

Actually, "Returns for good" (emphasis mine) is a different Trope. It could technically be a Sub-Trope to this, but it's still distinct enough to merit one, IMO.

As an example, in the Pokémon anime I would not use this Trope for Brock when he came back in Johto (or Hoenn), even though he would leave at the end of Sinnoh, because he was returned as a Regular Character. I would use it for Misty and Gary since they just appeared in a few scattered episodes in Hoenn/Frontier and Sinnoh respectively.^note Though not enough to even merit Recurring Character status, due to them being in roughly 2% of the respective saga's episodes. (And, yes, May and Dawn for their respective arcs.)

EDIT: As for the OP: No, a one-timer coming back for another one-time episode (like as happened often in mid-Johto) is not this Trope. It's either a Sequel Episode if it's related to their first appearance or a Bit Character if it's not. (Given the number of Longrunners, we do need a Trope for that step between One-Shot Character and Recurring Character.)

edited 28th Jan '15 7:49:44 AM by DonaldthePotholer

For what it's worth, the trope Commuting on a Bus specifies "major character", which implies both the main characters as well as recognizable secondary characters. Main -> major ?

Would a vote work? I think we agree that a one shot character is not who Put on a Bus and the other Bus tropes is referring to. We agree that main character is definitely part of the bus tropes, now what about recurring characters? All in favor, sound off. maybe we can get a consensus either way. Also ^ the "major" suggestion might be a viable alternative to writing main/recurring in the description. Again, sound off if in favor.

I would say that a recurring character can qualify for this trope.

Oh, definitely. If the Bus character only gets fished from Oblivion once or twice, that's Commuting. A critical parameter of Came Back is that the character that was originally dismissed gets pulled back into the mix, even if the role is minor. Which by definition makes the character recurring.

No, Commuting implies multiple appearances, just at a reduced frequency, while "Came Back" is the "once or twice" version. The reason why I have Misty and Gary in the latter is that their reappearances were sporadic and constituted a (very) small percentage of the anime afterwards (getting smaller all of the time).

And my inclusion of Gary implies that Recurring Characters who move the plot needle (such as rivals) definitely qualify for "Bus" Fare. The key issue I have is the broad range for "Recurring", in that it seems to include anyone who comes back for a second episode regardless of importance or frequency, though that's an issue for another topic.

The point is that in order to qualify for this family of Tropes, the character involved should have been either a Main or a Semi-Regular, have gone on hiatus, than have come back for:

• "Came Back": one or a couple of episodes or a mini-series
• "Commuting": a significant [number of episodes in/part of] a season.

If a One-Shot Character comes back as a (Semi-)Regular, we have an Ascended Extra, Ensemble Dark Horse, Chekhov's Gunman, or another such Trope.

edited 29th Jan '15 10:06:45 PM by DonaldthePotholer

So Commuting is the trope for when the character comes back permanently?

I'm also wondering if anything else needs to be done to discourage misuse of Came Back for anything more than a brief period of time (because I know there's a lot of it, and I predict doing nothing else will increase the misuse again).

edited 29th Jan '15 10:15:15 PM by Leaper

That's getting off topic. We're voting whether recurring should be included in the description. Yay or Nay?

A commutting character was never Put on a Bus in the first place, they are just downgraded from "major character" to " somewhat unimportant recurring character, but not Demoted to Extra levels".

edited 30th Jan '15 8:58:46 AM by Karxrida

oneuglybunny, DonaldthePotholer, Leaper, Karxrida

Votes?

edited 30th Jan '15 9:18:52 AM by muddycurve424

My vote is yea. Since the character in question is getting a reprieve from Oblivion, then he'll be a recurring character, simply because he's not being thrown back on that Bus again. "Recurring" should stay.

Yes to having recurring being part of the definition.

All those who voted have been in favor of adding "recurring character" to the description. Is that enough to make the change?

I mentioned it a while before as well that it needs to be at least a recurring character.

edited 3rd Feb '15 8:48:29 PM by AnotherDuck