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Preferred protagonist traits: situational


Clephas

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Everyone has their preferred protagonist personality traits... but have you ever considered what kind of situation you prefer the protagonist to be living in?

 

Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

 

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist? 

 

 

Feel free to infodump, lol.

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?-No-

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead? -Living-

How is his/her relationship with them?Good they live in the same house

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?Fantasy

 

Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?A little

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal? Normal

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?Free

 

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist?They don't care

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?

Yes, one Imouto who is lovely-dovly with him.

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?

Dead or non-existing.

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?

I like both.

 

Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

No.

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

Rich.

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

Free

 

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist?

They see him as a weirdo/eccentric.

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Hmm... I've never really though about these questions.

 

1)My ideal protagonist (assuming the story around him is well written and well executed) would not have siblings.

 

2)His parents can be alive or dead, but in either case he shouldn't have (or had) good relations with them.

 

3)I personally like more realistic stories so I would prefer no super powers be they Sci-Fi or fantasy. However by no means do I want a mundane self-insert protagonist. I want an interesting character who had rough experiences in his past that either made him fucked up, or that scarred him as a person.   

 

4) Rich! I want a story that has the main protag involved in the intrigues of upper society. I want him involved in economic and political manipulations.  

 

5) Generally speaking, I would want my protagonist trapped to circumstances that he wants to break out of. However if my wish from number 4 is granted, meaning that he is rich, then I would like him to be free.  

 

6) I want society to see him as a great person, but for him in reality to be a far more shady and complicated. I want him to use his good public image for deceptive means. 

 

7) Neither a scientist or a criminal. But I would like him to be a son of an oligarch, be he the son of a son of a wealthy politician or capitalist it doesn't matter which.

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings? Yes

If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?A big bro,big sis and a trap otouto

The protag really respected his big bro even though his big bro always made him his punching bag and guinea pig, The big sis is a Yankee kinda girl..and a lil bit tsun too. And the trap well...lets just say he have brocon and siscon. They r close to each other and always help each other. But human isnt perfect, sometime envy and jealously will be their main enemy.

 

What about his parents?Alive(both of em)   

How is his/her relationship with them?Estranged with their father...yet so close to their mom. Father who dearly love his family yet didnt know how to express his love and decided to made a lots of money for their family yet his sons and daughter have a big misunderstanding about him. The mom, a not so ordinary housewives, the true king of the house(The sis got her tsun attitude from her).

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Sci-fi, Let just say...our protag live in space age...where people already living in other planets and Colonies.(Spare the the Alien...i dont want my vn become an utsuge)

Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?​Nope....he have a big interest in Weaponry and he is a pervert..yes a pervert. 

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Rich.... everyone love money.

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?Restricted

 

How does society see him? ​A second successor of his father, however his brother is better than him thats why most people see him as an extra.  

 

Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist? Scientist....that's why his father rarely at home.

 

​I want my protag love interest is a Tsuntsun girl~~~~who like his big bro rather than him, but the protag wont surrender that easily.

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings? Yes

If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?A big bro,big sis and a trap otouto

The protag really respected his big bro even though his big bro always made him his punching bag and guinea pig, The big sis is a Yankee kinda girl..and a lil bit tsun too. And the trap well...lets just say he have brocon and siscon. They r close to each other and always help each other. But human isnt perfect, sometime envy and jealously will be their main enemy.

 

What about his parents?Alive(both of em)   

How is his/her relationship with them?Estranged with their father...yet so close to their mom. Father who dearly love his family yet didnt know how to express his love and decided to made a lots of money for their family yet his sons and daughter have a big misunderstanding about him. The mom, a not so ordinary housewives, the true king of the house(The sis got her tsun attitude from her).

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Sci-fi, Let just say...our protag live in space age...where people already living in other planets and Colonies.(Spare the the Alien...i dont want my vn become an utsuge)

Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?​Nope....he have a big interest in Weaponry and he is a pervert..yes a pervert. 

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Rich.... everyone love money.

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?Restricted

 

How does society see him? ​A second successor of his father, however his brother is better than him thats why most people see him as an extra. 

 

Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist? Scientist....that's why his father rarely at home.

 

You forgot being a trap

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?

Yes.

In fact all the characters in the story should be imoutos. And they all love their onii-chan.

How many? I'd say 3 is a nice number.

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

I really don't mind much either way.

Honestly i've grown kind of tired of "parents are away because of <insert convinient plot device>"

It'd be nice if there was at least a mom or dad with an interesting character, it could liven things up.

His relationship with the parents can vary but i'd prefer if they were on good terms.

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

Definintely sci-fi add-ons, a futuristic setting is just more interesting to me.

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

Normal is preferable.

But honestly I can deal with both poor and rich as long as he's a modest guy in both cases.

I don't like douchebag characters that flaunt their money for example

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

He's constantly restricted by his imoutos that always want to hog him to themselves   :P

 

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist? 

He has very little presence so society doesn't have much of an opinion on him due to lack of empirical evidence.

His father is a mad scientist *kyouma voice* (he doesn't break the law though) so expectations on him are high, but he still prefers to keep a low profile. His mom is a yandere housewife.

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?

Unless it fits into the story, no. And if it does help the story, they should certainly be female (unless it's Chinami).

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

No, and for the same reason as the previous question, which is that such relationships may detract from the story - at least, the pursuing heroines part of the story. I'm sure that many VN players, myself included, simply don't want any external factors interfering with their dokidoki life. If you take a handful of popular VNs, it's clear that the protagonist's parents are often either dead or separated in a very convenient and worry-free manner.

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

I find the first question kind of weird. Whether it's fantasy or sci-fi doesn't affect much for me. Onto the next question, I believe that there's a balance between mundane and interesting. Mundane protagonists, those with the personality of a background character, simply don't fit into the story. Nobody wants to read a book in which the protagonist is shaped by his environment; the environment should be shaped by him. However, there is a limit to VNs in particular. VNs are meant to create as interactive an interface as possible, such that the player can place himself into the protagonist's shoes. In Wanko to Kurasou, for example, I found Yuuichi to be too unique. No player is going to have such a complex background and personality, so it was difficult to feel as if I was forming a relationship with the other characters through my own accord. In short, the protagonist should be mildly interesting.

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

Any correlation that to the story, heroines, etc. is indirect in my experience. Therefore, I have no proclivities on this subject.

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

As with the previous question, this depends.

 

How does society see him? Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist?

Whatever is the makes him most relatable is preferable to me. I'd like to start with a blank slate, and get to know the other characters from there. So, he should have no peculiar reputation in society.

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Everyone has their preferred protagonist personality traits... but have you ever considered what kind of situation you prefer the protagonist to be living in?

 

Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

 

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist? 

 

 

Feel free to infodump, lol.

 

Not a p****.

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Hmm, what about trap on trap, like in Otomeido@cafe

Lets not derail he thread.

Anyway....as i told u..i dont want to become a trap. I want to gobble em up as a man....

though i dont mind 3some with traps.....however my point is..i dont want to become a trap.I want to enjoy them as a man...as myself.

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I like it when the protagonist lives alone, mostly because I tend to find family members (all of them. Imoutos and nee-san types included) incredibly annoying. Living with servants would be an acceptable exception, though. Having either a rich or a poor protagonist is fine (in the latter, he can struggle to get a place to live at all- maybe having to do dirty work for someone to be able to get a room in a run-down hotel or something), though I dislike them if they're too normal.

 

The dead parents cliché happens too many times, so I think I would prefer if the protagonist's family was alive. I'd love to see a relationship of mutual hatred- and either in the rich protagonist and poor protagonist scenario, they're quite easy to do.

 

I'd like society to see him as someone different. Being rich or poor can accomplish that- a quirky, narcissistic, control-maniac protagonist seen as an eccentric "noble" type is totally ok, and a shunned from society, good-for-nothing beggar would be fine too.

 

Yes, I prefer fantasy or sci-fi add-ons, though I like either of them the same amount. I really hate your ordinary faceless protag, and I tend to dislike your average student living a normal life with some character depth- give me all of the fights, mysterious encounters and abductions as you can, please.

 

I'd prefer it if they were reestricted. It helps to add to the tension- being able to go everywhere is boring.

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?

Yeah, I think 4 might be for the best. I want them to be very lovey-dovey, but not possessive.

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

Having parents around the Protag's going to limit what the Protag can do, so I don't think Parents are necesssary.

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

I want the Protag to be unique, so yeah, this'd be nice.

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

Poor, because It's kind of funny when I see poor Protag trying his best to be cheap.

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

Well, because I answered poor before this question, so I'm gonna have to choose restricted.

 

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist? 

I want the Protag to be condemned and hated by society.

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?

-No. I have enough of imoutos and what not. A older sibling figure is fine, but enough with all the siblings cliche.

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

-Dead. I like tragic protag. But not one who make a fuss about it. It has to stay as a background setting, and not got a mention every damn 10 minutes, so as to not pass as a desperate attempt to tragedized the protag.

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

-Any add ons is fine, as long it's not a cheap one. Don't like any setting slapped on the protag, it has to be integrated. If mundane = faceless, make-your-own-personality protag, then a big NO.

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

-An average income for a man living alone. Enough to lives by quite comfortly if he lives alone, but not if he has to take in anything bigger than a pet. It could also be used as a problem material for the storyline.

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

-Restricted to a personal code. Let's not torture ourselves with a protag with no solid principle. Any personal code is fine, even if he's a bastard, as long as he sticks to his principle.

 

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist? 

-He shouldnt be special or anything, cause he cant be 'the only one' in a world full of humans, but let's not make him use the "I'm just your average xxxxxx, I cant believe this is happening to me" every 10 minutes. The first time is fine, but the more he repeat that, the more he come across as an idiot who cant adapt.

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Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?

Preferably not. No siblings = no incest, and that's a good thing in my book.

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

This really depends on the story. Having no parents allows for more freedom, but if they're used in a good way, perhaps to create some interesting drama/motivations, then I'm all for that.

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

If the story is sci-fi or fantasy, there had better be some of those. The more interesting the protagonist, the more enjoyable the story is. The MC can even be interesting with some bad traits, as long as he just isn't boring.

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

Whichever provides for more interesting situations. But if I had to pick, probably the poor one.

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

Being restricted by circumstances seems to allow for a more tense story, so I'm all for that. It can also lead to some interesting character development, which I love.

 

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist?

I like anti-heroes, so being seen in the negative way is certainly a plus.

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Everyone has their preferred protagonist personality traits... but have you ever considered what kind of situation you prefer the protagonist to be living in?

Ok wall, go.

 

Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like?

There was one setup I liked where: sister (who is a bit of a brocon but completely platonic) died from some bullshit event, and the protagonist, being a magician (necromancer in this case) took his sister's soul into his mind as a stopgap while he searches for a way to bring him back.

 

Now the last part already specifies a plot line, but putting that aside, elements of this setup that I like are:

A mental connection: Words are fun, but a big part of serious dialogue is what the words collectively represent: someone's mental state, emotion and intent/conviction. A mental connection lets this happens constantly and as a matter of fact (as opposed to mainly in dramatic voiced scenes). AND as well you can touch on topics which a character would normally not talk out loud about. Also, there are fun shenanigans to prod at with this setup

A relationship where one side or both sides understand each other in and out: Good comedy and interplay can come from this. One of a kind drama can also come from these kind of relationships. Of course, to really utilize this trope you need decent characters.  (Either a somewhat straightforward personality, dotted with a number of minor idiosyncrasies OR a more complex personality.)

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

Usually out of the picture unless you know what you are doing as the author. In which case parent figures can be used to good effect. Basically, use if they are important for plot or for effecting the main character.

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

Considering the add-on as abilities, either is fine though I prefer fantasy. I like it when the protag is well versed in his abilities and can describe the in and outs of how it functions and reacts with other stuff. It's also interesting to see what they think about their abilities: is it a necessity, a prized possession, just a tool, a part of them (like a third hand.)

 

Protagonist cannot be mundane. A mundane protagonist basically scream "Ok, screw 2/3rds of the character interaction, now just focus your attention at the girls -- or the art -- or the plot." There are times which there is a good reason and that's precisely what you want to do, but almost never in a vn. God bleeping normality in Japanese culture. Then again, I suppose a bunch of MC's made to be unique but ultimately shallow would grate on the reader in exactly the same way.

The journey from ordinary to extraordinary protagonist, is something I'm reasonably open to (not sure if I've seen that before, perhaps Okabe Rintarou fits here a bit). But the extraordinary has to be the protagonist's conviction, motivations, thoughts, not just their powers.

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich?  Do you just want him to be normal?

Poor or rich on their own just changes the setting, which I'm fine with either way. If it ends up defining a part of the MC, and the their thoughts interact with the rest of the novel, I approve. (e.g. Caim in Eustia.)

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

Sometimes when characters are extremely restricted, the narrative becomes very unlike normal thought (e.g. MC of Saya). You can explore options or build notions which are normally don't' exist or aren't worth considering under normal premises. Probably not the best for use on a MC, but these things can define characters. (off topic, but this game has this as a key pillar: http://store.steampowered.com/app/290770/  )

 

Being trapped by responsibility, is alright too, but duty is a bit of a straight forward emotion. Guilt, less so, since it probably boils down to subjective morality.

How does society see him?   Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist?

Doesn't matter. Unless the story is crafted so that you are supposed to understand in and out "society' or demographic of "people" maybe sympathize with them (e.g, Eustia's Rougoku), the public's opinion doesn't matter. Sometimes heroines in stories are introduced as well-regarded and accomplished people, so personally I might go with the opposite: people who are despised, ignored, feared, etc. Bonus points if they still manage not to be that cynical. This is referring to both main heroines and MC's.

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Feel free not to be bound by the questions, as they were really only meant as suggested questions to ask yourself before posting, lol.

It's a good thing you provided them, it's hard to think of things off that bat since protagonists often are unemphasized and boring. Amd then the exceptional ones are, well, exceptional and I'm not sure if I could generalize to say I like their traits.

 

Practical Romantic Realistic with secondary ideals. Yeah. That's not asking too much is it?

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I like witty protagonists like Yuuji, Kenichi or Kotarou they're always fun and we never get tired of reading their thoughts, it's a really good point when the VN has some pacing problems. In addition he must have his own way of seeing things and his own way of reasoning in everyday life imo.

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That's an interesting thread, since myself i don't really have preference for the main protag (as fine he's not uninteresting or too mainstream), i'll try to participate.

 

Do you want your protagonists to have siblings?  If so, how many and what is his relationship with them like? Well, an Imouto who's always annoying but you actually care about her.

 

What about his parents?  Are they living, are they dead?  How is his/her relationship with them?

No specific preference.

 

Do you prefer fantasy or sci-fi like add-ons to your protagonist's personal issues?  Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

Sci-fi and/or Chunnibyou add-ons to my protagonist's personal issues, clearly i love sci-fi, and if you add to that a delusional personnality, i'll be in love with the protag.

 

 Do you prefer your protagonist to be mundane?

Never.

 

Do you prefer him to be poor or rich? 

THe middle, not poor nor rich.

 

 Do you just want him to be normal?

Absolutely not, i prefer non-mainstream characters.

 

Is he free to move about, or is he somehow restricted by circumstance?

Free to move about.

 

How does society see him?  

he society see him as a delusional harmless guy(or gal) who just mess around with chunni delusions.

 

 Is he the child of a criminal or maybe that of a brilliant scientist? 

His father was once a glorious mercenary, but my protag is intelligent, or at least master a field of science.

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