User blog:AustinDR/Is Lincoln a Vanilla Protagonist?

Mmm, vanilla.....No, the term "vanilla protagonist" doesn't mean that the character is made of ice cream. Basically, it's a term that refers to the main character being written as intentionally bland in order for the supporting cast to get more focus. Now, my problem with Lincoln. I understand that Lincoln is the main character of the show, that in itself goes without saying. However, if I have to be honest with you guys, I find him completely boring. Sure, he's relatable and all that good stuff, but in terms of personality, he isn't really interesting. He lacks any traits that makes him unique...he's just there. Much like with how I initially stated with my retrospect on Lori, I feel that I don't like Lincoln as much because he acts like how a typical boy would act. It's boring.

My other complaint with Lincoln is the fact that he tends to hog all of the spotlight. Yes, I get it, he's the star, so of course he is always upfront. Sometimes, I felt that if he could be written out of an episode that isn't remotely about him, nothing would change the episode. Much like with "Patching Things Up," Lincoln didn't need to be in the episode as his subplot didn't contribute anything to the episode which was primarily about Lola and Lana trying to get their badges. If you felt that Lincoln needed to be in the episode, you could've either had Lincoln train the girls in the beginning of the episode and devote the rest of it to the girls, or you could've have him tell them good luck, and then that would be it. I don't know; sometimes I just want to see how the girls go about their lives, or maybe see an episode from their perspective.

As for any of the "torture episodes," I do feel bad for Lincoln to a degree - especially when he did nothing to deserve it - but at the same time, many fans tend to forget that Lincoln could be as bad or worse than his sisters in a few episodes. "Out on a Limo." I couldn't stand Lincoln in that episode; he was a grade a jerk. He treated his sisters badly, he became a snob, he was insufferable...Even when his time was over, I still was unable to feel bad for Lincoln. I know that Tetherby was a bad influence on him, but that doesn't excuse much. Or then there's the "Green House" wherein he bribes his sisters into decreasing their carbon footprints with a poster of a polar bear whilst he secretly plays an online game with his friends. Then there's "Toads and Tiaras" in which he tries to force Lana to be prim and perfect all so he could win those tickets to Dairy Land. There are countless examples of Lincoln acting like a jerk, so much so, that it makes me lose a bit of sympathy for him. And then there's fan works...

Some fan works either paint Lincoln as saintly while his nasty, nasty sisters, are the wrathful demons from the pit of eternal darkness. I'll say this now; the sisters are not perfect. In the given situation, they could either be good, bad, in between, etc. That, and I felt that some of the sisters listed as nice or mean didn't make too much sense. There are some I agree with from both sides, but I feel that characters like Lucy or Lisa could fall under "neutral" since they kind of don't fall on either definition. With better fan fics, I still have some issues with them. Requiem for a Loud....I appreciate the story for what it was trying to say and for being thought-provoking, but I feel that it somewhat fails in some areas. Some parts of the story came off as contrived, cheesy, or questionable. Mainly, I have gripes with how Lincoln is presented in the story; I'm sorry, am I reading a Loud House fanfiction, or the Crucifixion story? Really, I feel that Lincoln is too perfect in that story; yes, it is depressing to see that a young boy is due to take that eternal dirt nap, but it kind of neglects to mention that Lincoln had made some mistakes before all this. Admittedly, I am no longer saddened by the premise of the story for a number of reasons. Mainly, a lot of stories about Lincoln dying had arisen over the few months, some that are cliched. If I had a dollar for every time that Lincoln tries to kill himself, I would practically be a millionaire by now. My issue with this is that it's not only cliched, but it comes off as a poor attempt at trying to invoke emotions from the reader. The only story that I liked in which Lincoln attempts to off himself  is Inadequate; in it, it deconstructs Lincoln's butt monkey status by making him clinically depressed, and his attempt at killing himself was built up. All it took for him to try it was when Lori rants at him for accidentally breaking her perfume jar, saying that her life would be easier if she only had nine sisters. Even with stories that I like like Syngesophobia,  I do have complaints about it, though in part because of how the writer tries to make you feel sympathy for the girls. I'm sorry, but no: I will never feel sorry for the girls. They deserved everything that they got. I'm not saying this to be a sadist. I am not a sadist (well as long as you stay away from my more NSFW stories; they employ certain subject matters). In all seriousness, though, I really can't feel sorry for them. They regret what they did to Lincoln, but they must know that all actions have consequences. They brought it on themselves and there is no one else to blame.