The Coffee House
  • Community Intro
  • Staff Intro
  • Rules
  • Search
  • Members
  • Calendar
  • Awards
  • Old TCH
Login or Register Hello There, Guest! Please Login or Register to gain Full Access!
Login
Username/Email:
Password:
Lost Password?
 

  1. The Coffee House
  2. Recreation and Media
  3. Entertainment
  4. 'Flanderization' of characters
Pages (2): 1 2 Next »
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Threaded Mode
'Flanderization' of characters
Kyng
Thomas the Twonk Engine
Owner
Posts: 216,996
Threads: 17,110
Joined: May 2018
Reputation: 89
Original Join Date: 3rd December 2009
Real Name: Christopher

Coffee Credits: 383,500CC
#1
01-05-2020, 07:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-05-2020, 07:36 PM by Kyng.)
If you're a member of a pop culture fandom (or you just enjoy wasting time on TV Tropes), you may be familiar with the term 'Flanderization'. However, if you're not, it's explained on this page on the aforementioned TV Tropes: when a character is first introduced, they'll often have some minor quirks to their personality; however, these quirks will grow and become exaggerated over time, until they completely consume the character. The term derives from Ned Flanders, who had this happen to him in The Simpsons: he started out as a relatively normal guy who happened to pay attention in church (to contrast him with Homer), but more and more attention was paid to his religiosity, until eventually, he ended up becoming an obsessively religious nutcase :P .

A lot of characters in creative works are vulnerable to this (both in pop culture and in amateur hobbyists' works) - and, I'll admit I'm no exception to this. Take, for example, Nestor: he started out as a firm-but-fair father figure, who occasionally lost his concentration and got into clumsy accidents (both for comic relief and to make him seem less intimidating). However, both traits got exaggerated over time: he ended up getting needlessly strict and authoritarian (to the point of being downright abusive to his own subjects), while his clumsiness reached a point where he couldn't walk five yards without toppling over or crashing into something -_- .

I suppose this isn't automatically a bad thing: the linked page does explain that it can work well in comedies, where a cast of goofy and exaggerated characters may be more comedically interesting than a cast of realistic and believable characters. However, if 'realistic and believable' is what the show is going for (or if it's what you're going for in your own creative work), then it's definitely an easy trap to fall into -_- .

So, have you seen any examples of this in creative works that you're a fan of - and, in your opinion, does it make those characters more or less interesting? And if somebody does want to avoid having this happen to their own characters, then how should they go about that?
[Image: Train_lover_userbar.png]

Board Information and Policies
Affiliation | Coffee Credits | Ranks and Awards | Name Changes
Account Deletion | BBCode Reference


Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights. :hehe:

(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Detective Osprey for the sig!)
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1 x2 x2 x5 x3 x1 x3 x8
My Items

  •
Website
Quote
Options

Kyng
Thomas the Twonk Engine
Owner
Posts: 216,996
Threads: 17,110
Joined: May 2018
Reputation: 89
Original Join Date: 3rd December 2009
Real Name: Christopher

Coffee Credits: 383,500CC
#2
11-08-2021, 06:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-08-2021, 06:04 PM by Kyng.)
Well... I'm going to be honest here, and own up to the fact that some of my characters are quite susceptible to this :lol: .

Probably the most extreme example is Jonathan, from the Superman RPG that Tiger Eyes and I have been playing. So far, his character progression has been as follows:

  • Page 1: Jonathan is an ordinary farmer, who owns a tractor.
  • Start of page 2: Jonathan takes pride in his tractor, and gets upset when it is scratched. However, he still cares first and foremost about his family.
  • End of page 2: Jonathan's thoughts are dominated more and more by his tractor, to the point where his family relationships are growing awkward because of it.
  • Page 3: Jonathan is now fully obsessed with his tractor - and his ambition is to become a "NASTRACTOR" driver.
  • Page 4: Jonathan gains a new superpower: the ability to conjure tractors out of thin air.

Probably not the kind of "character development" I should be proud of - but at least he's unique, if nothing else :lol: !!!!
[Image: Train_lover_userbar.png]

Board Information and Policies
Affiliation | Coffee Credits | Ranks and Awards | Name Changes
Account Deletion | BBCode Reference


Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights. :hehe:

(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Detective Osprey for the sig!)
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1 x2 x2 x5 x3 x1 x3 x8
My Items
[-] The following 2 users Like Kyng's post:2 users Like Kyng's post
  • Shiny Star, Tiger Eyes
Website
Quote
Options

Tiger Eyes
You Gotta Have Faith!
Ruby Members
Posts: 4,104
Threads: 123
Joined: Mar 2019
Reputation: 13
Real Name: Vicki

Coffee Credits: 16,926CC
#3
11-08-2021, 07:46 PM
I honestly think once his powers continue to devlop, he won't be as one dimensional. He is coming along.
[Image: wJQ6N5d.gif]
Set made by Me! [Image: mlKMLVa.png][Image: diXNLAq.gif][Image: lpXFTAU.png]
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1
My Items
[-] The following 1 user Likes Tiger Eyes's post:1 user Likes Tiger Eyes's post
  • Kyng
Quote
Options

Kyng
Thomas the Twonk Engine
Owner
Posts: 216,996
Threads: 17,110
Joined: May 2018
Reputation: 89
Original Join Date: 3rd December 2009
Real Name: Christopher

Coffee Credits: 383,500CC
#4
11-08-2021, 08:00 PM
(11-08-2021, 07:46 PM)Tiger Eyes Wrote: I honestly think once his powers continue to devlop, he won't be as one dimensional. He is coming along.

Thanks :) !

And indeed he will. I expect he'll acquire new skills; face new challenges; and learn that there's more to life than tractors :P .
[Image: Train_lover_userbar.png]

Board Information and Policies
Affiliation | Coffee Credits | Ranks and Awards | Name Changes
Account Deletion | BBCode Reference


Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights. :hehe:

(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Detective Osprey for the sig!)
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1 x2 x2 x5 x3 x1 x3 x8
My Items

  •
Website
Quote
Options

Tiger Eyes
You Gotta Have Faith!
Ruby Members
Posts: 4,104
Threads: 123
Joined: Mar 2019
Reputation: 13
Real Name: Vicki

Coffee Credits: 16,926CC
#5
11-08-2021, 08:07 PM
LMAO

He will start being trained in using his powers also by his dad.
[Image: wJQ6N5d.gif]
Set made by Me! [Image: mlKMLVa.png][Image: diXNLAq.gif][Image: lpXFTAU.png]
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1
My Items

  •
Quote
Options

Kyng
Thomas the Twonk Engine
Owner
Posts: 216,996
Threads: 17,110
Joined: May 2018
Reputation: 89
Original Join Date: 3rd December 2009
Real Name: Christopher

Coffee Credits: 383,500CC
#6
11-09-2021, 06:42 PM
(11-08-2021, 08:07 PM)Tiger Eyes Wrote: LMAO

He will start being trained in using his powers also by his dad.

Sounds fun :D !

(Of course, he won't give up on tractors altogether. He's not going to end up like the guy from this silly joke :lol: !!!!)
[Image: Train_lover_userbar.png]

Board Information and Policies
Affiliation | Coffee Credits | Ranks and Awards | Name Changes
Account Deletion | BBCode Reference


Moonface (in 'Woman runs 49 red lights in ex's car')' Wrote: If only she had ran another 20 lights. :hehe:

(Thanks to Nilla for the avatar, and Detective Osprey for the sig!)
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1 x2 x2 x5 x3 x1 x3 x8
My Items
[-] The following 1 user Likes Kyng's post:1 user Likes Kyng's post
  • Tiger Eyes
Website
Quote
Options

JHG
Mr Historian
Diamond Members
Posts: 19,590
Threads: 399
Joined: Jun 2018
Reputation: 20
Real Name: Jeffrey

Coffee Credits: 154,837CC
#7
11-09-2021, 07:01 PM
Yoda used to only do the ‘bad grammar talk’ to annoy Luke in the original trilogy. The prequels had him only speak in bad grammar leading to lines like “Around the survivors, a perimeter create!”
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1 (2017) x1 (2016) x2 x1
My Items
[-] The following 2 users Like JHG's post:2 users Like JHG's post
  • Kyng, Shiny Star
Quote
Options

JHG
Mr Historian
Diamond Members
Posts: 19,590
Threads: 399
Joined: Jun 2018
Reputation: 20
Real Name: Jeffrey

Coffee Credits: 154,837CC
#8
02-20-2022, 07:12 AM
Denothor ARGUABLY got hit with this in the Lord of the Rings films compared to his book counterpart; In the books, he's not nearly as nasty and is actually a brilliant ruler who while not king has what it takes to be a king. Faramir being Tolkien's favorite character was definitely a sign Denethor wasn't supposed to be completely sympathetic even in the book. Addiction to use of a Palantir also messed with him. The film version just has Denethor bad to the bone from the moment he's introduced.
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1 (2017) x1 (2016) x2 x1
My Items

  •
Quote
Options

JHG
Mr Historian
Diamond Members
Posts: 19,590
Threads: 399
Joined: Jun 2018
Reputation: 20
Real Name: Jeffrey

Coffee Credits: 154,837CC
#9
06-24-2022, 08:12 PM
Batman used to be a bit wealthy before he was a Justice League member and then, he turned into a multi billionaire and one of the richest men in America.
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1 (2017) x1 (2016) x2 x1
My Items

  •
Quote
Options

Tiger Eyes
You Gotta Have Faith!
Ruby Members
Posts: 4,104
Threads: 123
Joined: Mar 2019
Reputation: 13
Real Name: Vicki

Coffee Credits: 16,926CC
#10
06-30-2022, 11:46 PM
I may sound out of line in saying this but I feel one character from "Legacies" possesses one of these quirks. This is her obsession with Landon. She is completely obsessed with him and it isn't healthy to be this caught up over a guy. At least in TVD Elena temporarily got over hers for a while.
[Image: wJQ6N5d.gif]
Set made by Me! [Image: mlKMLVa.png][Image: diXNLAq.gif][Image: lpXFTAU.png]
Quote
My Awards
x1 x1
My Items

  •
Quote
Options

« Next Oldest | Next Newest »

Pages (2): 1 2 Next »


  • View a Printable Version
Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

About Our Community

Discuss about various topics in our community and have fun while doing so. Welcome to The Coffee House

Quick Links



Reach Us

Contact Us  Meet Our team

Powered By MyBB. Crafted by EREE and Android BG. Based on Purple Origin by Detective Osprey. Character and item imagery copyright Nintendo. View our Privacy Policy.
Smilies provided for free by Mazeguy Smilies and JoyPixels
Linear Mode
Threaded Mode