Mature Plots and Events [18+]

[kyonides]

Mature Plots and Events

or
What should we do to make my story sound realistic and profound? [18+]

As of late I have been reading dozens of stories, mostly in comic book format, that are... lacking so to say. I do think that is a shame because stuff start looking as if everything happens either by chance or even the lack of literary experience of a given writer.

Nowadays people only care about gender ideology or the war in Ukraine and such irrelevant topics.

 What are you saying here? Are wars irrelevant now?

 That's not what I meant above. They are irrelevant but for our very specific concept of storytelling. You see, that does not involve special coverage of real life events taking place in Europe or elsewhere. We are talking about fake worlds, even if some of them claim to be set on planet Earth or Mars or even Jupiter's moon Io.

As of late people think that inserting an ideology that looks flashy into stories will make yours get better or even become famous. They are wrong, guys. What they are actually doing is coming up with a LAME plot, using it as a poor excuse of war porn or actual porn. This means they are offering their stories only to sell the UN or NATO ideology, or even some Russian or Chinese variant of them, and never cared about telling you something original.

Yes, they are writers that claim they were based on their personal experiences and the like. The truth is that is not really the case. In fact, you begin noticing how that is inaccurate the moment you find inconsistencies in their storyline or their characters' development.

Let us take a look at some crude example that will help me tell you what is my point here.

The Russian general ordered his men to steal food from supermarkets.
...
Russians are the bad guys!

Western media are lying about our military operation.
...
They are vile liars! They are the true war criminals here!

So we got two different versions being exposed here. What is wrong about them?

Well, they are not really informing us about events. As a matter of fact, they are just selling us their agenda. They turned the article into a mere war propaganda.

How can you tell they are not focused on spitting out simple facts? I guess, you missed their final claims there.  They clearly show you they only care about telling you, the reader, who they think the good guys and bad guys are. If given more details on the event, we will find even more contradictions. Sometimes they have even published rumors as verified facts.

 I know, sometimes both parties agree on a terrible misdeed like killing a certain number of civilians. It is a disgrace for humanity indeed.

Going back to storytelling, you can find the very same issues.

My next example is based on a discussion I had with some people on discord.

Let us say that a villain known as Trickster has invaded Kustom Kingdom and never  spared the lives of those that dared to criticize him or even made a silly attempt of opposing him. Here he did not care if his targets were either his allies or his enemies.

Then there comes a hero, hopefully not Aluxes aka Alexis!

So it would be the best moment where you should delve into the world of mature storytelling, if you do care about that.

Usually, RPG stories, especially in amateur games, simply skip a series of dilemmas or issues the hero, Aluxes?, should face at that specific point.

Why?  Well, most of the time I have noticed that they are childish (or even kiddos!) or they have NO moral compass either in real life or just as the mastermind behind the events transpiring in their fictitious worlds.

I have got no issue with the latter IF there is going to be an explanation coming up next or the consequences will be delayed by the author for some unknown reason.

Why do I care too much about that?

It is not just that I do care about it. This is about making your characters, especially Aluxes or Basil, care as well.

You see, if your characters are plain as an old RPG, I am truly staring at you Dragon Warrior!, then it does not seem to be necessary to dive into morals.

That does not mean that either heroes or antiheroes or even actual villains impersonating true heroes cannot make tough choices or simply do as they please.

Now we are getting to the core of this dissertation of mine.

Take a killing for granted at this point.

PARTIAL SPOILER ALERT!

If the villain is the killer and the hero has met his demise, a la The Killer Joke?, you would eventually come up with theories like it is the  hero's fault for making a huge effort to redeem his foe. Or probably you would say that he lacked some real world experience that could have changed his fate. Hey! He should have expected his enemy to show his true colors while facing jail time or imprisonment in a terrible place like Alcatraz. (Some villains might find this even worse than death itself!)

On the other hand, let us say Basil finally defeats Trickster. Everybody should be happy about it and would love to throw a party to celebrate the good news. Nonetheless, should Basil neutralize him at once? Just because? No discussion was ever needed?

END of Spoiler Alert

Alright, in this case Trickster would have become either a serial killer or a mass murderer as if he had slaughtered thousands of Ukrainians in the last few weeks. Yes, he should give you that disgusting impression by now. Otherwise the author would have been extremely lazy on his job description as THE villain.  

So what is Basil going to do with his foe then?
Should he forgive him and let him live the rest of his days in prison?
Or should Basil exterminate him for the greater good?

Warning! In real life, those people who did something like killing an enemy, strongly defend their position and dare to claim they did it for the greater good as well. Let me just name a few like Hitler or Stalin here. Both were convinced that they were making the world a better place for their people.

And you know how far fetched they claims actually were...

So now Basil should face the moral dilemma and take a terrible decision that will impact his life one way or another.

If Basil stabs Trickster then yes, he could save many innocent lives in the short term.
An RPG would end the episode right there and jump to another subplot right away.
A mature writer would see an opportunity to explore his mental issues.

Right then there are only three possible solutions to this issue.

1. Basil punishes Trickster and the latter leaves this world "for good" or so he thinks.
   This would be the Trickster Has No Rights Option.
   This decision is tyrannical by nature.
   
2. Basil takes him to the  judge or even the king and lets him study his case.
   This would be the Trickster Has (Some) Rights Option.  
   Such a decision involves some sort of legal or judicial system being (partially?) functional there.
   
3. Basil lets him live and Trickster even runs away...
   This would become the Trickster Did Nothing Wrong alias Quest for Redemption Option.
   Do not even dare to believe this is unthinkable!
    This woman here is the perfect example indeed.
   

Nevertheless, there is still a hidden option that is some sort of a combo of options 2 and 3.
 How the hell is that even possible?

 OK, you got to realize that there are external factors that should be considered here as well.
 What if the execution of a despicable man as Trickster sparks the flames of war or revolution?
Again, real life events should have showed you how such events can ignite the passion of thousands of soldiers and make them either invade or defend a territory for their own (selfish?) reasons.

In such an edge case, a case that is extraordinary or demands much of our attention, authorities like the king or even a  magistrate (Chief Justice in US) could suspend Trickster's sentence and also order his immediate extradition. (Here Trickster would be some kind of diplomatic envoy or even a nobleman from a neighbor kingdom that is well known for its intense thirst for blood...)

Writers or their characters are unable to think in advance or to even consider there should be any consequences besides celebrating the hero's undeniable victory. I guess this could be caused by their lack of experience, their immaturity or childish lifestyle or why not, their lack of any moral compass that could guide their conscience effectively. Rarely you might still find they were letting the so called hero fake his good intentions, hiding his true colors for a while, because they were waiting for the appointed time of their own rebellion or change of heart.

Do not waste your chance to make your hero deeply regret his decision! Or perhaps it would be more convenient to transform him into some lunatic, possibly a real psycho, or just a troubled yet honest champion of justice.

At this point, some people may claim that everything I have stated so far is just my opinions, my very own values. Yes, people, I do have my personal values, still, that does NOT mean they are not even remotely related to natural values or even some sort of basic common sense. In fact, several things are practically universal.

Minor Spoiler Alert!

For instance, SAO's writer could have created a male lead that lack any remorse or has simply forgotten everything that happened in an earlier season. Yet, that was NOT his case. The male actually thought he had overcome his past, only to find out he was running away from it. To be more accurate, his past was chasing him down, like it or not. And he had to seriously faced his moral and mental issues once for all.

End of Minor Spoiler Alert

 How did he, the guy that inspired the board tech administrator's avatar, do that?

He clearly did not share my mindset or all of my values! The only explanation would be that all cultures know that certain things deal a lot of damage to their victims. We all know about pain and some people like refugees and dismissed soldiers know it very well. It is facing the good and dire consequences of our actions what do tell us if we did something right or wrong. Later on you can add your personal beliefs if you wish and even religious values as well.

As a final thought on this topic, I want to mention another, err, side product of that killing here.

What if the hero would later get  so nuts as to start thinking that killing villains is OK?
How could he assure his protegees or townsfolk that he will not treat every villain as a serial killer?
You know, once you cross that line, it is quite hard not to wind up killing anybody ever again.
 Cops know that very well. They certainly face such cases every so often.

I hope I have managed to find a way to enlighten you, my dear readers, with some mature writer's common sense and creativity here.