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.
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
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?
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.
I think I've also stated my preference for Vanilla Protagonist.
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
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
Window Protagonist, Vanilla Protagonist, Plain Protagonist, Foil Protagonist
Observer Protagonist, Unobtrusive Protagonist, Discreet Protagonist, Unnoticeable Protagonist
Let's make a crowner with these.
EDIT
Done. I'll holler for a hook.
edited 28th May '14 7:33:37 AM by ChaoticNovelist
Bumb. After six days, Vanilla Protagonist is a clear favorite. I say we call this one.
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 WittyWell, 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.
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).
Crown Description:
The trope attracts too much complaining about "Protagonists some tropers don't like"

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