Thread:SirGawain8/@comment-31322722-20180830142605

Okay, honestly, I think your main problem in storytelling is how you create conflict.

No no, hear me out. I’m trying to let you know about this one flaw some of your creations will have.

Remember when we were talking about if PBS KIDS made an event for Kart Kingdom that would include Princess Wonderful, and all your suggestions painted her as the villain, and I said “not everything has to be because of malicious intent”? I really meant that.

The problem with a lot of your stories is that they all have conflicts that arise simply because someone is evil. That’s it. They just are. And that’s fine, it’s perfectly acceptable. I mean, the Barbie movies have been doing that for years, and they haven’t gotten any less popular, although the trope gets old really fast. However, most of the characters that play the villain role in your stories do the same exact thing. Occasionally, we’ve done things different (Finding Dash was about a conspiracy), but for the most part, every single character that became a villain did the same thing; mind control, taking over the world, etc, etc. and quite honestly, it’s a cliche.

Not that it’s a bad cliche. I mean, a story can have a cliche plot and still be amazing (The Lego Movie), as long as it adds something of its own. It’s fine if the villain of the story doesn’t have an extremely complicated scheme or a complicated motive. But, I’m every single one of your stories, the moment a character becomes a villain, they tend to lose all characterization and become the same character trope. While this was all leading up to something during an arc of KKFOREVER, you constantly make this mistake, and it isn’t one that you want to make.

It’s like the Rainbow Magic books; sure, they’re fun, but once you’ve read one, you’ve read them all. And you don’t want to have your audience click away with that feeling. Because then, there’s no hook to reel them in for the next chapter/episode/story. What makes people keep coming back to Disney movies? They’re all different. Sure, they’re the same in some ways; a main character duo, polar opposites, hate each other, then become friends, then make a mistake that results in them parting ways, only to team up again for the finale. Except for a few, these tropes are pretty much everywhere. But each character is different. Judy Hopps is hopeful and determined, Nick Wilde is cynical and sarcastic, and they show just what about their past makes them that way. And it contributes to the overall message about racism. And the villain? Assistant Mayor Bellwether, who tries to use fear to gain control, by farting predators with a formula that makes them violent and aggressive. Up? An old man, Carl Frederickson, holds on to the memories he shared with his late wife, but is about to be taken to a home. Eventually teaming up with a little boy named Russel, he goes on the greatest adventure of his life, while unfortunately losing his house in the process, but that helps him grow as a character. In Wreck-It Ralph, Ralph is the villain who wants to be a hero, and Vanellope is the main character of a game that was hacked, and all she wants to do is race. You get the idea. They’re all different.

Of course, there are movies where there’s no villain. Take Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs for instance (actually one of the only good Sony films). The main character makes a mistake, but benefits from it, and, thanks to others around him, he starts to become less wary of the dangers of his invention. He eventually owns up to his mistakes and saves the day.

Basically, when it comes to writing, there are two options for this category: either create a villain with individuality, or don’t make the conflict the result of malicious intent. Having a villain isn’t always the correct way to go. 