Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
214,635
edits
(fix table (whitespace, dammit)) |
No edit summary |
||
(9 intermediate revisions by 5 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{
One of the first choices any writer has to make is how many protagonists will lead the narrative. Believe it or not, that number ''matters.'' Too many, and you can barely get attached to anyone, just one and [[Like You Would Really Do It|you'll never believe the author would kill them off]].
So, which is the lucky number for [[Ensembles]]?
Let's start at '''[[Solitary Tropes|one]]''' and work our way up. Lone protagonists are not some embryonic proto-cast that contains the traits of all Ensembles past and present, but rather has complete freedom to be whoever is needed for the story. Let's repeat that: ''lone''. While a one man hero doesn't have to be an [[Loners Are Freaks|antisocial loner]], they are very independent no matter [[Characters As Device|what kind of character]] they are. Even the wimpy [[Action Survivor]] is at least able to survive. Interestingly, the best lone heroes make up for a lack of permanent cast with a varied supporting (though temporary) cast and (hopefully) some internal struggles to add [[Hidden Depths|depth]]. The Man vs. Man type of dramatic struggle is common for the lone hero. Needless to say they are ''also'' invariably [[The Hero]] (well, let's say [[Character Calculus|protagonist]] to hedge our bets). Though it's kind of a "Duh" statement, read on.
* ''Common genres or stories:'' These protagonist can be in any story and are unweighed by a large cast, and so they can be [[Walking the Earth]] as [[The Drifter]]. Even if sedentary, they'll likely play the lone [[Action Hero]] against overwhelming opposition. What you ''won't'' see is either the typical drama with lots of long term character interaction, or a "stable" environment, these heroes will live and work in flux.
** '''Signature series:''' ''[[Kung Fu]]'', ''[[The Incredible Hulk]]'', ''[[Metroid]]'' (''[[Metroid Prime|Prime]]'')
From there the '''[[Duo Tropes|duos]]''' are [[Foil|an even split between two traits]]: Body and mind, and temperament. One will be [[The Big Guy]] to the other's [[The Smart Guy|smarts]]. And then you have [[Red Oni, Blue Oni|one emotional character versus a colder one]]. The duo implies a certain level of equality; it's entirely possible for both to "share the billing" and be equal heroes. They'll likely be [[Heterosexual Life Partners]], but if they happen to be different genders, it's practically a law there'll eventually be [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]]. If this sexual tension ''[[They Do|is]]'' resolved, then you have a [[Battle Couple]] (cue the shipping). Or for the more traditional dynamic, you have [[The Hero]] and their [[Sidekick]] or [[Love Interest]]. These duos are different in that the hero often serves as a [[Mentors|mentor]] to the sidekick and protector to the [[Love Interest]], though it's unlikely for the sidekick to graduate the role.
* ''Common genres or stories:'' Again, any; however, duos gain a certain level of stability as compared to lone heroes. The character interaction between them will often become deep and nuanced to a degree not often seen with other ensemble numbers. Duos are likely to be in [[Action Adventure]] shows, possibly playing Detective or [[They Fight Crime|fighting crime]].
** '''Signature series:''' ''[[The X-Files]]'', ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'', ''[[Hercules: The Legendary Journeys]]'', ''[[
When you get to '''[[
* ''Common genres or stories:'' A trio is downright homey, and not in the sedentary sense. Three is the number where a family of friends can be born; characters can become [[True Companions]]. Even if they don't see each other as a family, the dynamics between them will give viewers a sort of "safety net". Past this size, even when the group's adventures lead to them traveling the world (or galaxy), they will tend to work out of a base (or [[Cool Ship]]) which often becomes something of a character in its own right. Trios work best in genres where there's room to interact both between each other and the environment, from here on down an ensemble can hypothetically devote an entire episode or chapter just to the cast interacting. These guys are likely to be in an [[Action Adventure]] or [[Drama]]. Or both!
** '''Signature series:''' ''[[Star Trek:
The '''quartet''' is a challenge: just enough people for things to get convoluted, but not enough to lose track of anyone. The [[Four
* ''Common genres or stories:'' Drama is the order of the day for the quartet, though not always among itself. A quartet is likely to 'split up' in a given episode, giving each a chance to play off not just each other but dealing with the various aspects of the plot and the week's guest characters.
** '''Signature series:''' ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', ''[[Fantastic Four]]'', ''[[Stargate SG
The '''[[Five
* ''Common genres or stories:'' Though roving bands of extended casts are not unheard of, they ''will'' take home with them, be it a space ship, a [[Scooby Doo|Mystery Machine]], or merely [[Walking the Earth|the clothes on their back]]. These enormous ensembles practically write a Drama themselves, never mind having [[Hilarity Ensues|Hilarity Ensue]] due to outside events.
** '''Signature series:''' ''[[Power Rangers]]'' (5), ''[[Saved
Beyond seven, there are no fast and loose rules for the cast as a whole. However, even with [[Loads and Loads of Characters]], the cast members can be broken down into a [[Geodesic Cast]] or a set of [[Cast Herd
See also [[How to Gather Characters]].
Line 30:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| '''''Cast Members''''' || ''Role'' || ''Emotional-Temperamental'' || ''Combat'' || ''Weapons ''
|-
| '''One''' || [[The Hero]] || [[The Drifter]], [[Knight Errant]] || [[One
|-
| '''Two''' || [[Brains and Brawn]] || [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]] || [[Bash Brothers]] || [[Sword and Sorcerer]]
|-
| '''[[
|-
| '''Four''' || Add [[The Leader|"Leadership"]] || [[Four
|-
| '''[[Five
|-
| '''Six''' || Add either [[The Cutie]], [[Nerd]]/[[Geek]], or [[Cloudcuckoolander]] or [[Sixth Ranger]] || Add [[Token Evil Teammate]] || What varies from there and beyond are the types of [[Weapon Tropes|weapons]] and magic/skills, since every number past five will invariably get convoluted || The rules for Combat apply, probably with 10+ weapon types and no/loose rules for specific usage
|-
| '''[[The Magnificent Seven Samurai|Seven]]''' || || [[Comic Relief]], [[Kid Hero]], or [[The Stoic]] ||
|-
| '''Lots'''
|colspan=4| [[The Squad]]
|}
See also:
* '''One:''' [[The Drifter]]
* '''Two:''' [[Sensitive Guy and Manly Man]]
* '''Three:''' [[
** [[Comic Trio]]
** [[Freudian Trio]]
** [[Three Amigos]]
** [[Two Guys and
** [[With a Friend
* '''Four'''
** [[Four
** [[Four
* '''Five:''' [[Five
** [[Four
** [[Four
* '''Six:''' [[Six
** [[Five
* '''Seven:''' [[Magnificent Seven]]
* '''''Lots:''''' [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]
Line 75 ⟶ 76:
** [[Tomboy and Girly Girl]]
* '''Three'''
** [[Blonde, Brunette, Redhead]]
** [[The Hecate Sisters]]
** [[The Three Faces of Eve]]
* '''Four:''' [[Four
* '''More:''' [[Amazon Brigade]]
Line 84 ⟶ 85:
* '''Two:''' [[Evil Duo]]
** [[Those Two Bad Guys]]
* '''Three:''' [[Terrible Trio]]
* '''Four:''' [[Four Is Death]]
* '''Five:''' [[Five
** [[The Psycho Rangers]]
* '''Six or Seven:''' [[Five
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Ensembles]]
[[Category:
|