History SoYouWantTo / WriteAJungleOpera

Much like it's namesake SpaceOpera, JungleOpera is another subgenre of ScienceFiction that was also born out of Pulp and classic film, usually with more focus on fields like Zoology, Botany, Anthropology, Archaeology and Ecology more than other subgenres. Usually there are themes of discovery, humanitarianism, stewardship and loyalty, but not without layers of danger and suspense for the protagonist to encounter in a location lawless apart from eat or be eaten, and survival of the fittest. Although this is an excellent genre with great potential for adventure, it has fallen out of favor in recent years. It has been parodied so many times, the meaning and proper use of tropes has been muddied, and with the countless crossovers and using concepts completely foreign to the jungle, without any alteration from other genres, determining what fits or doesn't fit in the genre can be complicated. Most egregiously, most authors go for stereotypes especially where one fits AnAesop, rather than {{Worldbuilding}} unique concepts and cultures for their stories, which have hurt the genre and said Aseops alike. So below, you will find some tips to help you write this genre. Who knows? Maybe this genre or some PunkPunk version of it will be in the public eye someday.

1. There should be something valuable lost in a distant unexplored land.

2. And an outsider sharper than their blade, to hunt it.

3. This hero must encounter the most barbaric of places, peoples and creatures.

4. Skilled with weapons of wood and rope against magic and machines.

5. The scenery as breathtaking as it is wild with ancient rivers of crimson.

A helpful poem to explain an ideal jungle opera has been written based on the poem Brian Aldiss describing the ideal Space Opera.

2. And a stranger, sharper than their blade, to hunt it.

2. And a stranger, sharper than their blade, to hunt it.

8. To bind the hero as the sands of time sink like quicksand.

8. To bind the hero as the sands of time sink like quicksand.

1. There is something valuable lost in a distant and unexplored land.

2. And an [[FishOutOfWater outsider]], sharper than their blade, to hunt it.

3. This hero must encounter the most barbaric of creatures and peoples.

4. Armed with tools of wood and rope.

5. In scenery as savage as it is breathtaking, with blood flowing through its ancient rivers.

8. The sands of time sinking like quicksand.

1. There is something valuable lost in a distant and unexplored land.

2. And an outsider, sharper than their blade, to hunt it.

3. This hero must encounter the most barbaric of creatures and peoples.

4. Armed with tools of wood and rope.

5. Through scenery as savage as it is breathtaking with blood flowing through its ancient rivers.

8. The sands of time sinking like quicksand.

* Wuxia: Even if your story isn't set in TheShangriLa, a focus on cultural martial arts would be very intiresting to explore and follow the RuleOfCool.

Now we get to the hero. Heroes in this genre are usually always outsiders. Although many think that this is to push a MightyWhitey narrative, it's acttually the OlderThanFeudalism idea of living as [[FishOutOfWater A Stranger in a Strange Land]], so the BoldExplorer or a [[NatureHero Tarzanesque]] is usually from another heritage. Again, it’s not based on race. Kipling's tarzaneaque character Mowgli was foreign to the wolves that raised him despite being indigenous to India. The second part of this line indicates that they have more skills and wit to rely on then their brute strength. There is also the reoccurrence of hunting, since character cannot merely find something lost. They must track it.

* Jungle Episode: Though not a recognized trope yet, authors often like to introduce a HungryJungle setting with a JungleOpera esc plot for one ore multiple episodes. This happened in franchises like Franchise/''Doctor Who'' (multiple episode), Disney's ''Jessie'' (We Are So Grounded), ''Phineas and Ferb'' (Where's Perry), ''Duck Tales'' (multiple episodes), LetsPlay/{{DanTDM}} Custom Mod Adventures on Website/YouTube (Vacation Adventure).

* Jungle Episode: Though not a recognized trope yet, authors often like to introduce a HungryJungle setting with a JungleOpera esc plot for one ore multiple episodes. This happened in franchises like ''Doctor Who'' (multiple episode), Disney's ''Jessie'' (We Are So Grounded), ''Phineas and Ferb'' (Where's Perry), ''Duck Tales'' (multiple episodes), LetsPlay/{{DanTDM}} Custom Mod Adventures on Website/YouTube (Vacation Adventure).

* CosmicHorrorStory: The jungle is a mysterious place, so the AdventurerArchaeologist or TheProfessor accidentally discovering something otherworldly and horrible in the jungle isn't too far off. Expect them to encounter {{EldritchAbomination}}s, traverse {{EldritchLocation}}s, and explore crashed {{EldritchStarship}}s piloted by StarfishAliens.

** AmbiguouslyBrown or some other form of undefined race will be less risky in earth jungles, but would you rather NotQuiteHuman? The latter has been used in this genre since the beginning, because a branching HumanSubspecies is more likely to develop isolated in the jungle.

* CosmicHorrorStory: The jungle is a mysterious place, so the AdventurerArchaeologist or TheProfessor accidentally discovering something otherworldly and horrible in the jungle isn't too far off. Expect them to encounter {{EldritchAbomination}}s, traverse {{EldritchLocations}}s, and explore crashed {{EldritchStarship}}s piloted by StarfishAliens.

* PowerFantasy: Although the blatantly racist MightyWhitey is relatively uncommon in this genre today, making this genre feature a bordering MarySue or [[MartyStu Gary Stu]] can still be an easy pitfall.

* [[HereWeGoAgain Constant Aesop]]: Thiis genre commonly works well for episodic stories, but don't get hung up on one thing. You can make every episode about GreenAesop like several authors do, but than the audience will think its TooBleakStoppedCaring.

* RuleOfSymbolism: This is very important to start with for making characters, plots and ideas for a story in any genre, but most authors play it safe and go for what already works in this genre, but today very few JungleOpera stories truly resonate universally with audiences. Contrast to SpaceOpera, which is often very deep with universal religious and psychological themes. The latter was almost headed for a similar fate of fading out of pop culture as JungleOpera, that was until Frank Herbert and Gorge Lucas changed everything by taking their genre from just science fiction to epic myths. Jungle Opera has since largely remained in mere ScienceFictiion, even with all of the fantastical concepts it has. If you want your JungleOpera to be unique and timeless, focus less on making it more original by finding something from outside the genre and focus more on using universal {{Archetype}}s and giving your story meaningful concepts.

* Contentment vs. {{Greed}}. Contrast the EgomaniacHunter who is constantly looking for the next thing to find fulfillment in life, while a humble tribesmen, Tarzanesque or TheMissionary is happy with what they have.

* A cryptid story.

* HuntingTheMostDangerousGame: Fighting one {{EgomaniacHunter}} or multiple ones hired to hunt a character as HiredGuns or for competition.

** If you’re going outside of the jungle anyway, you are more than welcomed to think outside the box and do something more unique than a simple urban environment. The EvilColonialist might hail from a LayeredMetropolis, or HiveCity, especially in a {{Steampunk}} or Diesel Punk story.
** Since TimeTravel is part of this genre, and you are leaving the jungle anyway, FightingAcrossTimeAndSpace is more than welcomed. The Tarzanesque might even find themselves knowingly or unknowingly protecting their parents in the city. Also, TimePolice, ClockRoaches, PunkPunk and SpaceEpisode are all welcomed.

This character does not necessarily have to actively hunt the protagonist, they simply have to be an active threat rather than fighting from self defense. A story about a {{ranger}} or a Bounty Hunter tracking down a hiding dangerous EvilPoacher outlaw, who doesn’t act until his hunter gets too close, can be equally interesting to escaping an EgomaniacHunter.

'''Editor's Notice:''' This article (including its subpages) is solely for the purposes of exploring how to write a good story in this genre. [[BanOnPolitics This article is not to be used to spread awareness of important causes to save the jungle in RealLife]]. If you are making an addition to this article, please firstly consider why it would be interesting, what some alternatives to it are, how it can work with multiple themes and tones, or other similar variables.

Further information and links for writing and discussion can be found in and are welcomed in the discussion page.

'''Editor's Notice:''' This article (including its subpages) is solely for the purposes of exploring how to write a good story in this genre. Unlike the discussion page, this article is not to be used to spread awareness of important causes or serious crimes to save the jungle in RealLife. If you are making an addition to this article, please firstly consider why it would be interesting, what some alternatives to it are, how it can work with multiple themes and tones, or other similar variables. Also consult the BanOnPolitics page.

* Awaken the lost tribal spirit of courage and intelligence a tribe’s ancestors once had.

* Boot Of Authority vs. EarthyBarefootCharacter

** Avoid depicting herbavors as [[HerbivoresAreFriendly meek and peaceful]], and predators as mindless killing machines. In RealLife, herbivores can be equally territorial to predictors, and are more dangerous in many cases. In general, most animals have a diet that doesn't involve human unless they are starving or feel threatened.

Much like it's namesake SpaceOpera, JungleOpera is another subgenre of ScienceFiction that was also born out of Pulp and classic film, usually with more focus on fields like Zoology, Botany, Anthropology, Archaeology and Ecology more than other subgenres. Usually there are themes of discovery, stewardship and loyalty, but not without layers of danger and suspense for the protagonist to encounter in a location lawless apart from eat or be eaten, and survival of the fittest. Although this is an excellent genre with great potential for adventure, it has fallen out of favor in recent years. It has been parodied so many times, the meaning and proper use of tropes has been muddied, and with the countless crossovers and using concepts completely foreign to the jungle, without any alteration from other genres, determining what fits or doesn't fit in the genre can be complicated. Most egregiously, most authors go for stereotypes especially where one fits AnAesop, rather than {{Worldbuilding}} unique concepts and cultures for their stories, which have hurt the genre and said Aseops alike. So below, you will find some tips to help you write this genre. Who knows? Maybe this genre or some PunkPunk version of it will be in the public eye someday.

Two things here. The JungleOpera has a theme of hunting and discovery so the AncientArtifact or other MacGuffin is common in this genre in many of its forms. This can be anything from a lost tribe or animal to study or even civilization itself or a means back to civilization. Sometimes it’s even the protagonist, if they are wanted by a CannibalTribe or EgomaniacHunter. Whatever it is, it’s something hidden by the dense unexplored jungle that will make the protagonist go somewhere or move around. It also cannot have an easy path to it, as unexpected dangers add to the hunt. The second part of this line indicates that this takes place in a distant location from a distant country, to a distant planet, to a distant time to another dimension. Whatever it is, it’s barely explored or not explored at all.

Expect to see a lot of AncientArtifact, CursedItem, ArtifactOfDoom, MacGuffinLocation LostWorld, TrappedInAnotherWorld, DarkestAfrica and SingleBiomePlanet

2. And an [[FishOutOfWater outsider]], sharper than their blade, to find it.

Now we get to the hero. Heroes in this genre are usually always outsiders. Although many think that this is to push a MightyWhitey narrative, it's acttually the OlderThanFeudalism idea of living as [[FishOutOfWater A Stranger in a Strange Land]], so the BoldExplorer or a [[NatureHero Tarzanesque]] is usually from another heritage. Again, it’s not based on race. Kipling's tarzaneaque character Mowgli was foreign to the wolves that raised him despite being indiginous to India. The second part of this line indicates that they have more skills and wit to rely on then their brute strength.

2. And an outsider, sharper than their blade, to find it.

* Contentment vs. Greed.. Contrast the EgomaniacHunter who is constantly looking for the next thing to find fulfillment in life, while a humble tribesmen, Tarzanesque or TheMissionary is happy with what they have.

* HeroicSacrifice: A must for a story with a strong aesop on family of friendship. "Remember, Greater love hath no one, than he who lays down his life for his friend" -Bageera to Mowgli when talking about Baloo (quoting Jesus: John 15:13) -The Jungle Book 1967

Expect to see BoldExplorer, TheProfessor, TheMissionary, TarzanBoy (JunglePrincess), FishOutOfWaater, GreatWhiteHunter, and AdventurerArchaeologist

Expect to see a lot of, EgomaniacHunter, ReligionOfEvil, {{Outlaw}}s, HiredGuns, {{EvilPoacher}}s, HumanTraffickers, RuthlessModernPirates, CannibalTribe, EvilColonialist, EvilutionaryBiologist, and [[AdventurerArchaeologist Artifact Thieves]]

Hunting something and exploration is a major component to this genre, so it often involves a MacGuffin or CursedItem, but what that is varies a lot. Is it an actual relic, a lost explorer or kidnapped victim, an animal, monster or cryptid or is it a location like a lost city or a way back to civilization? Does everyone want it, or is it a unique desire of only your main hero or villain?. Simply making it about survival is also possible, but if it’s too focused on survival without real suspense or constant dangers, it can feel out of place in this genre. Additionally there is the location, where all that is really required is the unexplored and mysterious aspect of it. There have been very jungle opera esc stories set in more temperate forests or swampy climates, in space, in the far past or far future, but with the same kind of protagonists, villains and monsters.

They don’t have to be indigenous or even human. [[TalkingAnimal Talking Animals]] and exploring their cultures are a classic here. It’s also common to use NotQuiteHuman creatures for tribal cultures. Whatever you choose, make sure to explore the cultures and make them interesting. Often it’s only one culture and sometimes, it’s a series of different dangerous, but very distinct, animals encountered. It all depends on the author. Also, only two actual cultures have to appear for their interactions to be explored in the story, so the number of cultures and creatures explored depends on the author.

The level of technology used totally depends on the author, especially since this genre overlaps so much with science fiction. ‘’Film:Avatar’’ is a great example of how this genre has been depicted in science fiction. As mentioned before, {{Steampunk}} commonly overlaps with this genre, due to it’s themes of adventure, exploration and discovery. Naturally DieselPunk also has a lot of overlap, as both genres originated from Pulp and TwoFistedTales. Even with your indigenous cultures, the amount of BambooTechnology can range from RealLife bushcraft (which is actually more complicated than most people think), to using automata, vehicles and highly mechanical weapons running on pulleys and levers. For magic, it can be supernatural, or it might simply be alien science.

Who are your protagonist’s friends and family? Are they fellow archeologists and companions from the modern world or do they befriend a BadassNative? If they are raised in the jungle, are they accepted as one of them or a victim of prejudice? What about pets? [[TalkingAnimal Talking Animals]] are a classic here, but another alternative is having more realistic pets raised to gain natural bonds to the more human characters, or they can be trained for specific purposes like Falconry.

It’s okay to end the story or have a world ending event, then have that resolved, it’s just uncommon in this genre. As Star Wars and Marvel have demonstrated, sometimes leaving a story as ended is better than endless sequels, but sometimes an episodic adventure is fun. Also, it's okay for the villain to win every once in a while.

A GreenAesop might seem like it fits best here in the jungle where environmental crimes are common and not a medieval world of wizards and dragons and, yet one of the most beloved versions of this Aesop is in a world, theoretically completely sperate from our own, in J. R. R. Tolkien's Franchise/TheLordOfTheRings. A young farm boy picking up his father's magic sword to rescue a princess and save the universe fits only in a fairy tale in the middle ages, that was until Franchise/StarWars redefined how we see SpaceOpera entirely.
To be fair, this genre, specifically the Franchise/Tarzan Franchise, has seen several {{Crossover}}s, and these are admittedly fun on occasion, but using them as a means to be original will just be considered lazy writing. Audiences will be more intrigued by the Tarzanesque being a master detective than seeing the Tarzanesque meet Sherlock Holmes.
So in summary, don't go for an idea simply because it fits this genre. Instead tart with the RuleOfCool. Think about what kinds of stories you would enjoy reading in this genre, even take advantage of NinjaPirateZombieRobot. Don't let the Aesop drive the plot. Also, just because something does work in the genre and you want to use it, that doesn't mean it should not be used. As Creator/BrandonSanderson says, "Anything that has become a cliché, done well, stops being a cliché real fast, and starts being an advantage...It's a feature not a bug"

** Some potential character alternatives include, making your TarzanBoy or JunglePrincess more like a ninja than an ape man. Making your poacher a venturous smuggler. Making the Shaman a wizard. Making your WitchDoctor an EvilSorcerer. Making your cannibal tribe an literal cult or dystopia. Making your EgomaniacHunter a SerialKiller or one of the HiredGuns. More in Derpatments.

* AuthorTract: This genre often involves various highly political topics, so author tract is a common fail here. This is usually because actual motivations or the complexities of political topics are left out to make a point. GreenAesop has been used in examples. While it's not the only poorly handled Aesop in this genre, its the most commonly poorly handled.

** Avoid BrokenAesop, because some authors try so hard, that they make their theme fall apart. An author might want to discourage pollution, but that's not going to come off well if your EcoTerrorist causes more litter and pollutants that the corrupt corporation they are fighting. You might want to encourage being InHarmonyWithNature by heroes not killing dangerous animals, but giving them the ability to control said animals to stop an attack is going to take away from how people have to navigate helping dangerous animals in real life.

** Remember, writing only for adventure and stumbling on an AccidentalAesop is more than welcomed, but if you really want to teach the audience, you will need to, focus on characters fulfilling your Aesop positively as this is much more effective than beating up the villain, allow for moral ambiguity like vigilantism and extremism to be presented in a negative to balance out your Aesop, finally focus on character the audience can care about so they under stand things through your character's eyes. Allowing an Aesop to be allegorical or be a framing device is also more than welcomed. In general, make sure to show the audience why they should care rather than expecting them to already.

** Modernize them sometimes. Many hostile tribes historically traded for guns. They might study other languages or trade for books. They might even have access to [[SufficientlyAdvancedBambooTechnology. ancient futuristic technology]] that they reverse engineered easily.

* HulkSpeak: From Kipling to Burroughs, language has been a forgotten core aspect of this genre, with real {{Worldbuilding}} put into creating various languages, and often included a CunningLinguist protagonist. Languages, along with general {{Worldbuilding}} has been tossed to the side for the most part since the era of classic film though. Broken English that a toddler would cringe is very overused in this genre, even though it was originally not part of it to begin with. HulkSpeak is often used by the [[NatureHero Tarzanesque]] and any HollywoodNatives in this genre for no reason, and it is not only risky, due to portraying indigenous people as more childlike or less intelligent {{Noble Savage}}s, but it really hurts their characterization. Edger Rice Burroughs himself hated these portrayals of his own characters. Conlang or using authentic slang and accents are a much better alternatives.

** Characters have to fail and be helpless, at least for a little bit. Why worry about Tarzan if he is more than capable of BreakingTheBonds? ** Also, why worry about the JunglePrincess if all of the animals [[FriendToAllLivingThings obey her slavishly?]] BadassInDistress and DamselOutOfDistress are both welcomed in this genre.

* {{Fanservice}}: This genre is often bogged down by over sexualized things and the focus on RuleOfSexy drags down things like personalities, friends, personality, {{Worldbuilding}} cultures, having an interesting villain, etc. This is generally due to the stereotype from bad anthropology that says tribal or jungle dwelling communities are sexually liberated [[NobleSavage Noble Savages]]. This is completely false with real cultures often having very strict sexual taboos or Chasity values and many even have strict modesty standards, even if they are very different to our own. In addition, using AdaptationalModesty for a RealLife culture is much less risky as it keeps people from appearing objectified because of their culture. Additionally, the anthropology myth of sexually liberated noble savages is also very dangerous considering what human trafficking (a common crime in the jungle) used for. Additionally, many authors fetishize tropes in this particular genre, which takes away from their meaning and functionality for the story.
** {{Worldbuilding}} modesty standards can work very well for any fantasy culture. Modesty veries from culture to culture. Some of what we consider scandalous today was permitted in the middle ages, but a woman's hair was considered very immodest. Also, AdaptationalModesty makes sense to protect from the sun and dangerous insects and is considerably less risky,

* Another major problem with modern JungleOpera is that the HungryJungle is severely downplayed or averted, depicting the jungle as peaceful and friendly often nothing more than a fragile abstract DamselInDistress, threatened by [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters dangerous humans.]] You don't have to worry about a hippo because HerbivoresAreFriendly. You don't have to worry about a CannibalTribe, because the natives are all {{Noble Savage}}s living InHarmonyWithNature. Thee only crime you have to worry about are those who would dare hurt the ecosystem and its innocent creatures. These problems come from poorly researched GreenAesop, but are not tied to it specifically. Not only does this really limit the potential for {{Worldbuilding}}, but this portrayal is not very realistic and can be potentially dangerous, as it often creates as many problems as it tries to fix. It often promotes stereotypes and ignores complex factors.
** No matter how threatened the jungle is, the portayl of it as peaceful and defenseless is primarily a great disservice for a GreenAesop, because in RealLife, the jungle is a very dangerous place. Herbivores are often highly territorial and equally as dangerous as predators, Likewise predatory animals aren't inversely dangerous killing machines. They are still often quite dangerous, but they have a specific diet and often will not attack a human unless they feel threatened. They can even be domesticated. Additionally, the defense mechanisms of other wildlife can be very hazardous to humans ranging from a tiny thorn's cut to a dart frog's poison paralyzing and killing a person completely. It's important to recognize that real conservationists don't have the luxury of being a FriendToAllLiving things or being able to force the animals not to eat them with superpowers. Many of the challenges they face come from the dangerous animals they are trying to help. Not to mention the other dangerous plants and animals they aren't focused on. Despite these problems, you have to remember that just because animals are dangerous doesn't mean that one should immediately go for KillingInSelfDefense. Finding ways to stop a dangerous animal without killing it or magically enslaving it is always more interesting from a storytelling perspective. Also, KillingInSelfDefense as a last resort should also translate over to humans, no matter how serious their crimes against the environment are. Otherwise, your hero might come off as a {{Hypocrite}}.
** The jungle is also very lawless due to the lack of infrastructure and how difficult the terrain is to navigate for law enforcement, which allows for dangerous criminals to hide out in the jungle or commit serious atrocities against the local people. This is in addition to the factors of political corruption in these areas. Consequently, there are several other {{Outlaw}}s that people face. Many are not even remotely a threat to the ecosystem, but very dangerous and exploitative to people, Often an EvilPoacher is often the least of a conservationist's worries as far as dangerous criminals go.
** The concept of {{Noble Savage}}s, used to promote the virtue of living InHarmonyWithNature does a disservice to indigenous people as well. They don't worship nature because they are more moral and closer to it, but they respect it because they rely on local wildlife, local water, loacal plants to survive. They suffer directly when those resources are exploited. It's also potentially dangerous to see them all as perfectly moral. In RealLife, they are people like you or me. They are equally as capable as we are of being good or evil as a whole, and just like any other culture they have good and evil people in them. Of course these tribes are all very intelligent and a vast majority are often very hospitable, but they still face threats from other more hostile tribes in the area, While cannibalism was largely exaggerated out of proportion entirely in older works, {{Cult}}s exist in the jungle and are equally abusive there as they are in our countries. Many tribes have taboos that highly condemn [[IAmAHumanitarian Cannibalism]] and HumanSacrifice specifically because enemy {{Cult}}s have used these practices to abuse them in the past. To ignore all of these factors for {{Noble Savage}}s living InHarmonyWithNature might reduce any LostTribe to a PlanetOfHats and can be problematic in ignoring the issues that they face in RealLife. This is not to mention other threats they face, including dangerous {{Outlaw}}s, corrupt regional governments. They also struggle with starvation and disease which are both tied to health of the ecosystem, making them directly harmed by environmental criminals.
** This is not to say that you need to portray everything needs to be a social commentary on RealLife. Per the RuleOfCool and good storytelling, a good theme must always come from an interesting story rather than the other way around, and because this is ScienceFiction, unusual and anomalous threats are also always more than welcomed. It's also welcomed to have a beautiful jungle. [[SceneryPorn beautiful scenery]] and a RidiculouslyCuteCritter are also always enjoyable, and the latter makes for interesting threats. Always remember, it's better to deconstruct concepts rather than averting them for AnAesop, as doing so only results in a CluelessAesop that might come off as contrived, poorly researched and lacking nuance. At the end of the day NatureIsNotNice and the HungryJungle is full of good and evil people, just like anywhere else on earth with vast wilderness and limited law enforcement. Using these concepts to reinforce your ideas rather than averting them is always less risky, and more interesting. They also open up more opportunities for {{Worldbuilding}}.

* The word "dull" just means something is overused to the point of lacking depth and meaning, but is not necessarily risky, and that more[[Deconstructed Trope Deconstruction}} and {{Worldbuilding}} are highly advised.

This is a surprisingly big genre, and it's plots and tropes often pour over into other genres. Sure there are obvious ones like comic books, classic film and the like, but a few are a bit more obscure. Additionally, some genres have similar themes or tropes, or some mediums could git the open vastness of the jungle making them possible a potential good mix with this genre.

* Jungle Episode: Though not a recognized trope yet, authors often like to introduce a HungryJungle setting with a JungleOpera esc plot for one ore multiple episodes. This happened in franchises like Doctor Who (multiple episode), Disney's Jessie (We Are So Grounded), Phineas and Ferb (Where's Perry), Duck Tales (multiple episodes), LetsPlay/{{DanTDM}} Custom Mod Adventures on Website/YouTube (Vacation Adventure).

The JungleOpera genre has a long history of various Aesops and themes, usually involving things like Environmentalism, Colonialism and others. Of course there is noting wrong with politics in fiction. Think of George Orwell’s 1984 or Animal Farm. Revenge of the Sith had a backdrop about how democracies become dictatorships. The Lord of the Rings and many romantic works much earlier, had a strong GreenAesop as the writers reacted to the industrialization around them. It’s not so much whether the theme is political and more how it is handled. The JungleOpera is somewhat notorious for flat villains and all good heroes around very serious and controversial topics, painting a very black and white narrative with little room for discussion. In general, people don’t like to be preached to. Additionally, many of the these topics are much more complicated, related to stereotypes, traumatic events, terrorism or even simple social economic factors, making flat villains and ideal heroes more risky.

** Please avoid a BrokenAesop by means of superpowers. Sheena taught us that we should not fight dangerous animals because you can talk to them or control them to gem them to stop attacking. This has no bearing if you were to be attacked by a rare white tiger in RealLife. Additionally it hinders the Aesop further by failing to explore the challenges people really deal with while helping dangerous animals. It's also far less interesting than a character personally taming and training an animal to have a bond of friendship with them as their ActionPet.
** A good approach to this Aesop is to avoid the classic OnlyInItForTheMoney motive for environmental villains. A MegaCorp villain might be beyond money and now seeking total power and control over everything because they are too big to fail and DrunkWithPower. A secretly insecure egomaniac hunter might engage in unethical or even dangerous (to everyone including themselves) activities to prove something to the world. A warlord, one of the more underrated foes in this genre, might have a mind of metal to conquer the jungle, like Saruman did in the lord of the rings. As mentioned before, there are also complex reasons for environmental destruction in RealLife to explore. Alternatives like these are good for multiple reasons, especially making the villains more unique, they potentially focus more on the positive behaviors and beliefs of the heroes (as this is more effective than a villain the author disagrees with anyways), it makes them feel more humanized, but it also produces a good possibility that the villains will do far more based on their motives, beyond things in order to protect their operations from the law. If they return, expect them to have alternative schemes. If you do have them OnlyInItForTheMoney, a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor is not only more realistic, but also more than welcomed.
** Whether the story features a morally grey Han Solo esc character like the LovableRogue or VenturousSmuggler, or the story has a Captain America esc. IdealHero like the Conservationist or TheMissionary is totally up to the author. In any case giving heroes alternative motives is a good subversion for this Aesop as well. Maybe caring for an endangered animal because it was the favorite of a deceased loved one, or even an Outlaw or Tarzanesque simply protecting the jungle from something more direct because their one of the idiots who lives in it. Of course using redemption and character arc to show not tell is welcomed.**

** You can also try a green FramingDevice like in ''Wall-E'' or ''The Lord of the Rings'' For example, You can have your characters stumble upon the dangerous ruins of a culture that [[KarmicDeath wiped themselves out]] from apathy to their home]] like Tolkien’s Mines of Moria. Try having you Shaman fight an ancient monster released by an ancient civilization’s greed or something else from the RuleOfSymbolism. All of these will have a much better impact on the audience for practicing stewardship than having you Tarzanesque beating the absolute snot out of some poor poacher.

** Rousseau Was Wrong is an more than welcomed subversion. Expect more NatureIsNotNice, and ScienceIsGood, particularly contrasting how disease effects cultures. There is also likely to be HumansAreFlawed. Expect the BadassNative instead of the NobleSavage, as they can have more realistic motives and be morally good or evil for realistic personal reasons like any other character.

* CluelessAesop: This is common is this genre due to it often tackling political and controversial messages and then framing one side as good and one side as evil and to exist only to beat up. When your dealing with AnAesop, especially one that is highly controversial, you shouldn't merely say X is bad, Y is good. Things happen for more complicated reasons than mere greed or sadism. Cults, poaching etc. all happen for very complicated reasons, and often people are as much a victim and they are a villain. Sometimes things are a necessary evil> If your story expresses an important message in a way that turns out to be factually incorrect or blatantly biased, it will really hinder your Aesop. Therefore if you are going to make a point about a serious problem from RealLife, make sure you do your own research before tackling it.
** Try to romanticize things you hate and demonize things your love. If your Aesop is still standing at the end of that, then you have something truely worth saying.

* AGodAmI: if you’re villain is a WitchDoctor, EvilutionaryBiologist, an EvilColonialist or even MightyWhitey, this will probably describe them, along with any villain that thinks they’re above nature.

** If the story lacks the feeling of hopelessness and existential dread, then you have LovecraftLite, which is good if you're going for something less DarkerAndEdgier and more LighterAndSofter. However, it still has room to be terrifying.

* CosmicHorror: Lovecraft himself often used JungleOpera.

** Avoid the DesignatedVillain who disagrees with your worldbiew, even if they are doing something legitimately wrong. The audience is likely to disagree with you in the first place, especially if the Aesop is highly political. So consequently, having your protagonist beat the snot out of someone like the EvilPoacher will likely make people who aren't involved in conservation feel more demonized than compelled to take care of the environment. Additionally, a good villain needs better motivations and personality than mere greed and apathy. Also, don't have the hero swear vengeance on or kill the villain, as that's worse demonizing the audience.

** Characters have to fail and be helpless, at least for a little bit. Why worry about Tarzan if he is more than capable of BreakingTheBonds? ** Why worry about the Sheena if all of the dangerous animals [[FriendToAllLivingThings obey her slavishly?]] BadassInDistress and DamselOutOfDistress are both welcomed in this genre.

** Character designs should always explain the character’s personality. It’s really all about how you describe the character instead of what you describe about them. Consider the following descriptions for Sheena with the same character design:

* PowerFantasy: Although the blatantly racist MightyWhitey is relatively uncommon in this genre today, making this genre feature a bordering MarySue or [[MartyStu Gary Stu]] can still be an easy pitfall. [[Characters/StarWarsRey Rey Skywalker]] herself would kneel before Sheena with how the natives that worship her needlessly, the nature that obeys her like as if she were an actual goddess..

*** Firstly the AuthorAppeal version: “Sheena was a young woman of twenty years with an amazing body. Her golden hair fell on her naked shoulders kissed by the sun, and she was barefoot clad in nothing but golden jewelry and a skimpy leopard skin bikini that hugged her thin tanned physique in all the right places”
*** Now an alternative version that focuses more on MeaningfulAppearance; “After twenty years of survival in the Congo, Sheena’s face now bloomed like a rare jungle flower framing her emerald battle ready eyes behind an unkept curtain of golden hair. She was wearing several golden ornaments and gifts from her tribe, but she included her own handcrafted additions, like her cord of teeth around her neck, proudly displaying a trophy of each kill. She was clad in leopard skins, fastened to her body by thin straps and exposing her golden-bronze muscular build. From her belt hung a large hunting dagger, and she tightly gripped the long shaft of her spear at all times. Although she was barefoot, her stains and scares were a telling of her many adventures and perils”