Trope Series #12

TSTL Protagonists

The worst of all protagonists.
TSTL, for those who don't know, stands for Too Stupid To Live. These protagonists often do ridiculous things that show that these characters clearly lack any sort of common sense, even if they're described as intelligent.

Now, I know I've complained about this protagonist, but they're possibly the best example of a TSTL.
It's Luce from Fallen.
She's so thick and we're repeatedly told that she's got a 4.0 GPA. Which apparently means she's clever. I know there's a difference between book smart and street smart. But it's frustrating to be constantly told that someone is clever to see them do ridiculous things over and over again. And I don't read to be frustrated. It's been two years, so I'm going to stop now.

Free advice: If you want to make your characters likeable, try to avoid this, especially if your character if apparently smart.
You're welcome.

 TSTL protagonists covers both male and female protagonists (because Idek if there are any non binary protagonists; legit tell me if you know any)... probably. I don't tend to read books with male protagonists. It's a problem.
I feel like male and female protagonists would be TSTL in different ways due to how they're written differently because gender stereotypes are fun.
If I had to guess, which I don't, but lols then I'd say that female protagonists are more likely to be female because emotions get in the way and women are emotional or something. Also I feel as if female TSTL protagonists are more likely to do annoying things because they let their emotions cloud their ridiculous judgements.

What do you think about this trope? Who's the worst TSTL protagonists that you know? Comment below.

Last Trope Post

Next Trope Post