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Complaining: Vanilla Protagonist

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Deadlock Clock: Feb 27th 2014 at 11:59:00 PM
ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#76: May 12th 2014 at 9:59:13 AM

On Page Action crowners it's standard practice to implement all options that have 2:1 or more, unless they're mutually exclusive.

IndirectActiveTransport plays capoeira from Chicago (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Every rose has its thorn
plays capoeira
#77: May 12th 2014 at 4:47:26 PM

Lead You Can Relate To? Discuss.

Buldogue's lawyer
Rethkir Since: Mar, 2013
#78: May 12th 2014 at 9:05:28 PM

[up] Hmm… they seem closely related, though Lead You Can Relate To doesn't seem to be thriving. Second to last paragraph o that trope explains the connection and difference.

Compare Designated Protagonist Syndrome, which is about the more general use of ancillary characters who are more interesting than the lead; First-Person Peripheral Narrator, which is built on some of the same logic as this trope and also involves focusing on a character who isn't actually the protagonist;

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#79: May 13th 2014 at 8:55:24 AM

[up] Yes, it's related but I see a distinction in terms of focus. I don't think that any writer who use DPS is trying to make the protagonist relatable. It's something like the Inverse of Too Cool to Live. In this case, the protagonist is not supposed to outshine the supporting cast.

Lead You Can Relate To: The Protagonist is modeled after the target audience to better engage them in the story.

Designated Protagonist Syndrome (proposed redefinition): The Protagonist is blander than the rest of cast so that they do not distract from the cast.

edited 13th May '14 8:55:35 AM by ChaoticNovelist

ShanghaiSlave Giver of Lame Names from YKTTW Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: is commanded to— WANK!
#80: May 13th 2014 at 9:47:09 AM

I don't wanna play The Complainer here screw this pretentious disclaimer i am complaining, and probably wrong too, but prop 51 is basically Audience Surrogate meets The Protagonist.

In fact, a lot of examples in Audience Surrogate are already The Protagonist. So what's the difference? other than the fact that Audience Surrogate is written as a disambig and the proposition is an actual description.

maybe just merge this with Audience Surrogate instead.

rereading, it may not be the case. but that's certainly how it reads to me. "character is bland so audience 'can experience the story as him'" vs "protagonist is bland audience can focus on everything else" seems rather similar in purpose.

edited 13th May '14 9:54:53 AM by ShanghaiSlave

Is dast der Zerstorer? Odar die Schopfer?
ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#81: May 14th 2014 at 8:40:20 AM

[up]

Audience Surrogate-No personality at all but the plot focuses on them.

This trope: Possesses a personality but it is less elaborate/more bland etc and the main attractive is the colorful side cast.

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#82: May 17th 2014 at 12:30:56 PM

Bumb!

There is a 7.5:1 ratio for two options, the total votes are over fifteen and the crowner has been in place for over a month. Why hasn't this been called yet?

Willbyr Hi (Y2K) Relationship Status: With my statistically significant other
Hi
#83: May 20th 2014 at 7:52:17 PM

Calling for the two winning options: Change the description of the trope to the suggestion in post 51, and Rename the trope to something more clear and less snow-clone-y.

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#84: May 21st 2014 at 1:09:08 PM

I changed the description, purged misuse, and updated the laconic page. Now for the new name. Below are all the suggested names so far.

•Window Protagonist.

•Vanilla Protagonist.

•Plain Protagonist.

•Foil Protagonist.

edited 21st May '14 1:09:21 PM by ChaoticNovelist

DiamondWeapon Since: Jan, 2001
#86: May 22nd 2014 at 3:04:47 AM

I like Vanilla. It says the protagonists is a baseline that other characters stand out from, but without suggesting this is somehow bad or that it must be used in a narrowly specific way.

theAdeptrogue iRidescence Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
iRidescence
#87: May 22nd 2014 at 4:29:05 AM

I think I've also stated my preference for Vanilla Protagonist.

MorganWick (Elder Troper)
#88: May 22nd 2014 at 8:51:49 AM

<offtopic>*grumble*justbecausevanilladoesntchangethecolordoesntmeanitsneutralornoflavor*grumble*</offtopic>

Lakija Since: Jul, 2012
#89: May 22nd 2014 at 1:19:09 PM

[up] Sure. But vanilla also means default, regular, no bells and whistles.

And although vanilla ice-cream, i.e. the protagonist here, is delicious all on its own, it is the base of many other great flavors. It plays well with toppings and fixin's, i.e. the supporting cast, without being overwhelmed completely or disallowing the other ingredients from shining through.

I watch the Food Network too much. And now I want some vanilla icecream. :P

Rebochan from Kalevala (Y2K) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
MorganWick (Elder Troper)
#91: May 23rd 2014 at 3:44:02 PM

[up][up]I'm just griping about the fact that vanilla has come to mean "default, regular, no bells or whistles" when it is actually none of those things, but this probably isn't the place to wage that fight...

Lakija Since: Jul, 2012
#92: May 23rd 2014 at 4:26:02 PM

The English language is a monster that evolves all the time. After all, awesome is a prime example of word decay.

But we must live with this.

Think of Vanilla then not as default, but as deliciously simple, and elegantly unobtrusive.

edited 23rd May '14 4:28:52 PM by Lakija

ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#95: Jun 9th 2014 at 8:56:57 AM

Bumb. After six days, Vanilla Protagonist is a clear favorite. I say we call this one.

FastEddie Since: Apr, 2004
#96: Jun 10th 2014 at 9:15:21 AM

How is this different from Straight Man? That's the term I would use if I was talking about this.

edited 10th Jun '14 9:15:36 AM by FastEddie

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
theAdeptrogue iRidescence Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
iRidescence
#97: Jun 10th 2014 at 9:36:13 AM

Well, if I have to differentiate the two, I'd say...

  • Straight Man: The comedic foil to the resident joker, who doesn't get to do the silly antics themselves but their dynamic with the Plucky Comic Relief's antics makes the act more hilarious. The character doesn't have to be the protagonist or even a main character, and usually have a distinct personality that opposes the Plucky Comic Relief (e.g. The Stoic, Deadpan Snarker, etc).
  • Designated Protagonist Syndrome: The story's protagonist is deliberately not given any distinct personality so that the audience can relate to them better, and to emphasize the supporting characters' quirks.

FastEddie Since: Apr, 2004
#98: Jun 10th 2014 at 11:19:19 AM

Okay, I can see that. Like Joseph Heller's Something Happened. That protagonist sort of sleep-walked through his entire life doing nothing but absently observing the changes going on around himself.

Goal: Clear, Concise and Witty
ChaoticNovelist Since: Jun, 2010
#99: Jun 12th 2014 at 7:34:20 AM

I completed the rename and moved Laconic. When starting with the wicks I saw it was on Audience Reaction. Does this trope still count as one of those?

theAdeptRogue iRidescence Since: Nov, 2011 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
iRidescence
#100: Jun 12th 2014 at 7:54:08 AM

Well, it technically shouldn't be, but I think the audience is going to have different opinions about how "relatable" or "non-quirky" a protagonist is.

Oh, and can the comparison to Pinball Protagonist be tweaked? The current write-up seems to imply that Pinball Protagonist is "this trope done badly" — which it is not. (It's about Protagonist's lack of character quirks vs. Protagonist's lack of significant impact to the plot).

5th May '14 9:44:44 PM

Crown Description:

The trope attracts too much complaining about "Protagonists some tropers don't like"

Total posts: 120
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