There is already one
but it was never hooked because the options were too vague
Another Bumb
Perhaps what we need to do is rewrite the crowner options
1. Change the defintion to (insert link for the proposed definition)
2. Remove examples to prevent complaining and Thread Mode
3. Rename the trope to something more clear and less snow-clone-y
New crowner
. Let's hope the mods will deem to hook it this time.
If we vote up the rename, would simply Designated Protagonist be one of the options? It's still not perfect, but I think the primary problem of the title is just the "syndrome."
Also, another vote for the definition tweak.
edited 8th May '14 12:27:32 PM by Discar
Writing a post-post apocalypse LitRPG on RR. Also fanfic stuff.There's a concern about it being being confused for Designated Hero, though, since people often use hero and protagonist interchangeably...
Also, the "Designated X" snowclone family tends to mean "supposedly X but doesn't actually look/act like X", and is pretty much universally an Audience Reaction bordering on complaining. It only really fits the proposed redefinition if you squint, and the snowclon-i-ness serves more to misdirect than clarify, in my opinion.
For some reason, these come to mind:
This tread's whole position seems misguided. From the crowner...
edited 11th May '14 2:16:11 PM by IndirectActiveTransport
Buldogue's lawyer
Because this trope is never intended to be an Audience Reaction, but it's misused as such. The point of the discussion is how to fix the page so that it wouldn't attract such misuse. We're not even looking to remove the page.
As for the rename, I personally like Vanilla Protagonist best. Foil is not clear because it's not indicative of who/what the protagonist should be a Foil to (not to mention, I don't think that's the correct meaning of Foil).
edited 11th May '14 4:57:42 PM by theAdeptRogue
This certainly sees like the trope. Plain everyman protagonist with strange eccentric supporting characters. Many of these examples seem intentional. This isn't listed as an example, but this is basically the entire point of Emmet from The Lego Movie. Designated and syndrome make it seem like a bad thing, but it's a rather useful tool.
Crown Description:
The trope attracts too much complaining about "Protagonists some tropers don't like"

Can someone make a crowner for this one? I think a crowner would help. Also,![[up] [up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png)
![[up] [up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png)
I think that is better, but can be even clearer. I will work off of yours and make it even more neutral if you don't mind.
Could be even even more clearer. :) But I like it.
Here is my first attempt at simplifying and neutralizing the revised description further:
A Designated Protagonist is a protagonist whose characteristics and background are plainer or simpler compared to the rest of the cast. This type of protagonist thus serves as a window by which the audience may experience more varied and colorful supporting characters.
The designated protagonist will typically be familiar and easily relatable, giving the audience the opportunity to step into their shoes. They will usually not be too much of anything, or vanilla so to speak. The DP acts as foil for other more unique characters the audience will encounter through them. In other words, the other characters drive the story, and the DP is simply the vehicle (Bonus Points if the DP has no voice).
In video games, when the protagonist is the player character, this can make the main quest line (when it revolves around the protagonist) less appealing than side quests or side-character-related quests.
Since these characters need to be relatively flat by their own merit, they may be unpopular with the fan base. However, Tropes Are Tools, and having a lead who is a flat or static character isn't necessarily a bad thing if done well; in video games, for example, it can give a player freedom to shape their character, or to think outside the box. This trope is not for complaining against heroes one may dislike.
Not to be confused with Designated Hero, which is a character who the story plays up as being heroic, but comes off as being distinctly unheroic. Compare the Pinball Protagonist, which may result if this trope is done poorly; the poor sap is simply dragged around the plot by the stronger and more developed characters around him.
edited 14th Apr '14 6:42:45 PM by Lakija