History SoYouWantTo / WriteAJungleOperaDepartments

** A good modern approach is making him a YouTuber, filming their adventures and discoveries in the rainforest.

** If you insist on having them hunt game, a risky, but not as bad approach is having them hunt legally and only for food, which would put them at odds with an EvilPoacher or EgomaniacHunter who threatens a population that they use. How this variation is depicted as being in the wrong depends on the moral views of the author, but at the very least they won’t be malicious.

This genre has threats more Predatory than a tiger. The villain is a very important aspect of any real jungle opera, even if the antagonist is simply the hostile environment itself. This genre does have a long history of stereotypical or controversial villains but many can be reworked to be intriguing. Remember a villain needs more than disagreeing with the author to be a compelling threat, and aspects like [[LaugablyEvil comedy]], [[TheDreaded threatening presence]], [[ItsPersonal history with the cast]], [[HeelFaceTurn potential for redemption]], etc. all add depth.

* DarkActionGirl: An interesting subversion for the JunglePrincess, but [[LadyLand Tribes of amazon warriors]] are very common in this genre, often as villains.

** They don't have to be from the jungle either. Having someone from a foreign country, who doesn't entirely understand issues like the jungle dwellers, or a mad alien on a quest to balance the universe are both welcome.

* GranolaGirl: A stereotypical hippie, and possible wanna be JunglePrincess, but without half the martial arts prowess, and possibly not the brightest bulb in the box too.
** Apart from the usual depiction of this character, but far from necessary. Maybe it’s downplayed to a quirky girl that really likes Tie-Dye and has more neutral or sensible beliefs, promoting stewardship without being clueless or preachy; someone who takes a more academic approach to the environment instead of blindly worshiping nature. Weather she is used to depict how people should live or the flaws of how people often try to live InHarmonyWithNature, is up to the author.
* GreatWhiteHunter: They goes out looking for adventures with the intention of hunting game, but often their adventures they find involve using their skills in other ways. They can be of any background despite the name. Most likely due to controversy around hunting, this character might be more of an AntiHero or LovableRogue, but you can still consider the following subversions.
** They might be a hired to protect a character from dangerous wildlife, or to capture a foreign animal to prevent it from spreading disease and overpopulating or to capture it for research purposes, or they might be hired to stop a dangerous monster attacking a village or town. The less risky InstantSedation is more than welcomed here.

** If you insist on having them hunt game, a risky, but not as bad approach Leia having the hunt legally and only for food, which would actually put them at odds with an EvilPoacher or EgomaniacHunter who threatens a population that they use, or they might be a proponent of some level of humane hunting for food, which again puts them at odds with the criminals. How this variation is depicted as being in the wrong depends on the moral views of the author, but at the very least they won’t be malicious.
** This character is often depicted as a LovableRogue, so it could be very fun if they are a straight up criminal like a RoguishPoacher. (See VenturousSmuggler below) Keep in mind that poaching doesn’t actually require direct cruelty, so they might only be a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin smuggler.]] This character will still likely be at odds with the EvilPoacher and EgomaniacHunter, because their ScoundrelCode gives them contempt for the more cruel practices done for reasons other than merely getting by. This is assuming that they aren’t after the price on each other’s head. There is a lot of GrayAndGrayMorality here, but they will most likely experience a character arc, but sometimes the author likes to keep them a scoundrel, which is risky but can still be fun.

* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Many of these character have evil counterparts, and because many have an OnlyinItfortheMoney or PunchClockVillain nature, traditional villains like HiredGuns, the EgomaniacHunter, RuthlessModernPirates, many {{Outlaw}}s, or even the SinisterMinister can be allies when it suits them or assist as PsychoforHire.

* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Tarzan has met several characters and monster from outside the genre.Parodies or recreations can work very well.

*** Which is better: Classic Conan, or a Tribe of Barbarians in the mountains? Frankenstein’s monster or an EvilutionaryBiologist putting together a monster made from corpses in native burial grounds and animal parts trading with poachers? Wear wolves or wear big cats.
** RuleOFCool says merging different concepts that don’t make sense at first can really work. Does a [[NatureHero Tarzanesque]] ninja cyborg sound ridiculous? Of course. Is it cool? Definitely with sufficient effort and careful writing.

** The same approach applies to HollywoodNatives The trope is fine because it can be forgivable if the natives are explicitly a [[NotQuiteHuman Fantasy Race]] such as Ewoks, but a massive opportunity for {{Worldbuilding}} culture.
* EcoTerrorist: GreenAesop is more than welcomed in this genre of it’s done well, but having your “heroic” characters kill the EvilPoacher (Apart from KillingInSelfDefense) or destroying the property of a big corporation in a way that puts lives at risk, it’s very risky and it’s going to come off very poorly to the point of having the opposite desired effect on your Audience. It will also quickly become a BrokenAesop, due to ideas like “All life, even carnivores animals, deserve to live, except humans when they hunt animals” or “Polluting the rainforest is bad, except for the litter and collateral damage that the NatureHero causes fighting a big corporation”
* AnimalWrongsGroup: The AnimalLover is absolutely more than welcomed in this genre, but if they care more about animals than humans, especially the native tribes, it’s going to come off very poorly, especially if the AnimalLover is white and only has MightyWhitey friends apart from their animal friends. (More on GreenAesop back on the main page)

This genre has threats more Predatory than a tiger. The villain is a very important aspect to any real jungle opera, even if the antagonist is simply the hostile environment itself. This genre does have a long history of stereotypical or controversial villains but many can be reworked to be intriguing. Remember a villain needs more than disagreeing with the author to be a compelling threat, and aspects like comedy, threaten9ing presence, history with the cast, potential for redemption etc. all add depth.
A big pitfall can be adding something outside the genre or supernatural simply because audiences supposedly don’t enjoy realistic villains. In reality people simply don’t enjoy being preached to, so villains centered around political corruption, hurting ecosystems or human trafficking can come off as a mouthpiece for the author’s worldview rather than a nuanced thought provoking character if an author isn’t careful. Additionally, the jungle is such a hub of corruption and crime that finding inspiration for a unique villain from history or present day is far from hard. Of course a good EldritchAbomination or crossover is welcomed in this genre, but they should still fit the tone or themes of the story the author is trying to tell.

* TinTyrant: Possibly a SufficientlyAdvancedBambooTechnology robot, a armored leader of the VestigialEmpire or a CyberneticsEatYourSoul EvilColonialist.

* TinTyrant: Having an EvilColonialist or an employer of the Evil Colonialist, who is more machine than man, might be interesting.

* TheWarlord: Likely a former colonial, military or indigenous leader who is hellbent on control and genocide, who will forcibly take over local power. They also have no regard for the rainforest and will rule it with a mind of metal to build up their armies and gain more power.

*** The other version is far more extreme, but are willing to stop when they can rest and watch the sun rise on a grateful jungle. They see humans as expendable or even cancerous and they are willing to [[ThePurge Execute Order 66]] in order to "save their jungle."

* EgomaniacHunter: A sociopathic hunter, who will track, capture, kill and display anything and everything for purely for fun, for greed and for pride, and they usually dabbles in a little bit of [[HuntingTheMostDangerousGame murder and kidnapping]] as part of their sport, because they enjoys a good challenge. This is a classic in this genre, and he works very well because of how much of a direct threat they are to the protagonist, but due to how often they have been used, consider the following subversions.
** One very important aspect of this character that people often miss. Firstly, while having them trick and deceive their prey makes them more evil, it can make them less interesting. One of the reasons this character is so terrifying and enjoyable is because they believe in hunting "The way God intended. Sportsmanlike", as Andre the Giant puts it. They want a challenge and they refrain from cheating in order to challenge themselves, and when they succeed in outsmarting their opponent without cheating it makes them more terrifying. They also need to crave a bigger kill. Gaston had The Beast, Sanger Rainsford had man.
** Instead of having this character new to HuntingTheMostDangerousGame or simply disposing of witnesses, this character a would make an excellent SerialKiller. They would still poach of course and they can still enjoy the chase of the hunt with their targets, but having them target and hunt down specific innocent people would be a welcomed subversion.
** You can have him overlap with PsychosForHire, using his hunting skills to make more cash than just poaching, especially if they hunt humans anyway. They might also be [[ImAHumanitarian cannibal merchant]], who enjoys the chase more than usual.
** Give them a hobby or aesthetic other than poaching, something they can use as a calling card for their big crimes. The Joker was a clown for instance.
** HuntingTheMostDangerousGame is pretty standard with this character, and some poachers-turned-rangers have described poaching for entertainment as an addiction, so this can be a JustifiedTrope, as addicts become more deviant over time to get a high, which would eventually include hunting people, for things like genocide (see ThePurge below) or to provide both animal and human specimens for the EvilutionaryBiologist. Since they are already CruellaToAnimals, they are naturally unstable to be cruel to people around them that they aren’t hunting. Psychologically, how someone treats animals directly correlates to how they treat people. It's also more than welcomed and logical for them to become sociopathic to commit humanitarian crimes. They could be part of a group that also cheats or exploits people and has some connection to local politics. They could even be masking a much bigger smuggling operation for something dangerous like stolen relics, weapons or drugs under the appearance of legal hunting. Having this kind of character as HiredGuns at least can be very fun.
** Remember there is more to hunt in the jungle than animals. An Egomaniac Gold Miner or Egomaniac Archaeologist and the like are all welcome subversions, distinct from regular outlaws by their still having a focus on instincts. Even the ordinary egomaniac hunter can engage in other crimes if they are really interested in money without caring about the law. They might even use forced labor.

** Related to but distinct from the EvilPoacher. The EvilPoacher is an {{Outlaw}} often more focused on smuggling. The EgomaniacHunter kills anything for sport and is much more explicitly insane.

** Making them a techno feudalist corporation or Corporatocracy is more than welcomed.

** Contrary to the name, they don't have to be white, they just to be of a [[NotQuiteHuman fantasy race]] or some other group with a [[{{Pride}} massive superiority complex.]] They can even be an AbsoluteXenophobe, ready to ''"EXTERMINATE!"'' anything different from them.

** They can also be a general race or faction adding to the overall {{Worldbuilding}}.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Politics are messy, so this guy (from any background) can play a big role in several problems. Typically the most they will get is a slap on the wrist, obviously because they are the senate.

* [[PsychoforHire Psycho for Hire]]: Many villains in this genre are OnlyInItForTheMoney, so they can preform brutal tasks for someone else if they are offered the right price.

* ClockworkCreature: Obviously in a {{Steampunk}} story you would want cool automata, but you could also make them another piece of BambooTechnology; a robot running on warden pulleys and rope.

* GiantSquid: This and other tentacled monsters are classic.
** Keep in mind underrated aspects of biology here. Octopuses for example have blue copper based blood.

* SinisterStingrays: Another Amazon river monster.

* MightyWhitey: (Also called MarySue when it's related to gender instead of race) In general, you want to avoid PowerFantasy in general for all of your main characters, as making them powerful takes away from the danger and excitement of the story. Additionally, having the other characters worship them is important to avoid, especially if said worshiping characters are natives.

** Depicting your EgomaniacHunter, EvilPoacher or even the more heroic VenturousSmuggler as one of these is more than welcome.
** They may work as [[BountyHunter Bounty Hunters]]. After all, bounty hunters are often OnlyInItForTheMoney. They may hunt other villains and do the right thing for all the wrong reasons. If they are a PunchClockHero, expect them to be a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.

** They can even be allies on occasion if they are hired to take down a criminal. However, they may betray the heroes to either claim the bounty for themselves, or because cashing in on the heroes' bounty is much more profitable.
** They may overlap with EgomaniacHunter, being a PsychoForHire who enjoys HuntingtheMostDangerousGame.

* CompleteMonster: Despite how a villain in this genre needs to be directly threatening and dangerous, that does not mean that they should be depicted as only completely evil, quite the opposite actually. Allow them to be AffablyEvil, allow them to be LaughablyEvil, let them have [[EvenEvilHasStandards standards.]] Completely evil villains are still more fun, but that does not mean that you cannot give them more depth.
* "{{Greed}} equals CompleteMonster": A villain who is OnlyInItForTheMoney being [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor heroic on occasion villain]] depending on who is paying them, is much more fun.

* ClockworkCreature: Obviously in a {{Steampunk}} story you would want cool automata, but this is theoretically another piece of BambooTechnology; a robot running on warden pulleys and rope.

* StarfishRobots: Always more than welcomed in any ScienceFiction setting, even JungleOpera.

** Giving the EgomaniacHunter or EvilPoacher a bow is a good alternative due to the overuse of both wielding rifles in fiction and the number of real-life big-game hunters and poachers that do use bows.

* {{Badass Native}}s: Of course having them in the jungle is a must. They are likely to be highly skilled in martial arts, CombatParkour and tracking. They will probably understand multiple languages, including foreign languages like English if TheMissionary has been there.
** The NobleSavage is very risky and stereotypical, but that doesn’t mean this character has to be evil either. These HumansAreFlawed, just like in any culture, so use actual {{Worldbuilding}} on their values. For instance, it would make more since values will likely be tied to community and family as a tradition that has helped them survive in the HungryJungle for generations. Also be sure to include some {{Hypocrite}}s or even make a few malicious, like any other group of people.

** Be sure they don’t become stereotypical {{Noble Savage}}s or simply childish people. As characters, they should have their own motivations and personalities. Distinguishing them from each other is crucial. Don’t forget to [[{{Worldbuilding}} Worldbuild]] their culture.
** While making them {{Noble Savage}}s is not recommended, making them noble based on personal convictions or deep moral traditions, like any other noble or IdealHero character, is more than welcomed. Just be sure to show them choosing this path and struggling with it, and show some of their culture breaking it. Remember, motive is key.
** Like anyone who relies on renewable natural resources, indigenous peoples are amazing conservationists and it is only natural as they have relied on the land to grow food, fish, hunt and gather herbs. However, one must be sure to not stereotype this as meaning they have a peaceful co-existence as they still need to hunt, fish, and farm and the jungle is still the HungryJungle with all manner of dangerous creatures, dangerous plants, and dangerous terrain. That’s not even mentioning how neighboring tribes can be courtier and hostile, even if they also conserve and rely on the land. Additionally other values like loyalty to the tribe and protecting each other will probably be considered more important as it will likely have helped them survive. They can survive a few days without food, but they won’t fair as well in situations of warfare or self defense without these values.
** No HulkSpeak. Try giving them Conlang, or translating things completely for the audience when they talk to other native speakers. Also, if TheMissionary frequents their village, they might be fluent, or at least almost fluent in English. An authentic accent is a must.

** Give them a hobby or aesthetic other than poaching, something they can use as a calling card for their big crimes.
** They can be hired to hunt people, either as one of many HiredGuns, for genocide (see ThePurge below) or to provide both animal and human specimens for the EvilutionaryBiologist. (See Also: HumanTraffickers)

** Does not even have to be human. A member of a ProudHunterRace is more than welcome. In which case, they may be a PredatorPastiche. This character may also be an evil TalkingAnimal, like Shere Khan.
** They could be part of a group that also cheats or exploits people and has some connection to local politics. They could even be masking a much bigger smuggling operation for something dangerous like stolen relics or drugs under the appearance of legal hunting.
** Some poachers-turned-rangers have described poaching for entertainment as an addiction, so this can be a JustifiedTrope, as addicts become more deviant over time to get a high, which would eventually include hunting people.
** Since they are already CruellaToAnimals, they are naturally unstable to be cruel to people around them that they aren’t hunting. Psychologically, how someone treats animals directly correlates to how they treat people.

* OurGiantsAreBigger: Having the classic small people based on the pigmies is extremely risky, but going the opposite direction would be a welcomed alternative.

* {{Pirate}}s: The jungle often has RuthlessModernPirates like the River Rats of the UsefulNotes/{{AmazonRainforest}}, and being from the jungle, they are likely SalvagePirates. but more unusual alternatives from outside of the jungle are more than welcome. Whoever they are, they tend to engage in several crimes of terrorism, trafficking, smuggling various contraband and the classic RapePillageAndBurn.

* PredatorPastiche: A very formidable opponent if you want a science fiction element, especially for PlanetaryRomance.

** This also can be fun to make a villain a HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.

* HarmlessVillain: Even villains that are causing serious problems often feel harmless in modern JungleOpera stories, with out of place villains that don’t fit the tone of a traditional Jungle Opera. This is because hunting is a major theme to the point that Jungle Opera would not only not feel like JungleOpera without tracking down something like an [[Ancient Artifact]], and being hunted by a relentless predatory villain. Around the 1970s however, JungleOpera shifted heavily towards GreenAesop far more due to increasing environmental awareness, which although not a bad idea and already part of the genre to a degree, was not executed well for villains. Things like exciting storytelling and even actual ecology fell by the wayside for political agendas. Instead of the relentless, [[{{Sadist}} sadistic]] antagonists the genre was known for, there were more regular criminals that can easily be avoided and reported. Of course this turned into a CluelessAesop, because these stories not only failed to acknowledge the existence of several RealLife humanitarian problems, but also that they often caused or effected enviromental crimes in very direct ways. To say one or the other Aesop fits the genre best is inaccurate because both ecological problems and humanitarian problems are deeply connected and equally prevalent in the jungle.
This problem primarily stems from a myth is writing villains, if they commit crimes that are very serious in real life, then they will automatically be fun to hate and should be used become they raise awareness of real world issues. This perspective couldn’t be further from the truth. Consider protagonists like Walter White, who makes dangerous meth and Glinn Quagmire who repeatedly kidnaps, raped and tortures people. Although these are serious issue in RealLife, neither of these characters are someone audiences LoveToHate, because they weren’t written to be that way. On the villains side, Darth Vader never had to hurt the environment as a show of villainy and Thanos actually fights in its favor the environment in his own twisted way. The worst environmental crime Joker had were the immissions his flaming pyramid of cash let off. In fact, there are countless phenomenal villains that are only petty and rude, and don’t even break any actual laws. The reason a villain works has nothing to do with being more evil by participating in serious RealLife issues. A good villain only has to be a threat the the hero’s goals or the heroes themselves. How far they are willing to go and how dangerous they can be is what will sell them as a threat. The reason classics like the EvilutionaryBiologist, EgomaniacHunter, WitchDoctor and Cannibal Tribe all work well is because they are terrifying. You can't simply go unnoticed by them and find a ranger because they are out to kidnap, kill or even torture you. Even if your poacher is killing the last rhino on earth or an illegal mine worker is poisoning a river, if the main characters are not directly effected by it, it will not mean much to the audience and feel out of place in this genre. Additionally, if a villain is defending themselves because they are attacked unprovoked, then that has the danger of making them look like a JustifiedVillain. If anything, hurting the environment and being CruellaToAnimals, though both welcomed, should be the [[KickTheDog icing on the cake]] to a villain's evil in this genre, not the main course. Here are some tips to make the more predatory:

* {{Exposition}}: Instead make sure you ShowDontTell. There should be no lip service to how evil a villain is.

* MonsterOfTheAesop: A villain that is evil because they don't follow the Aesop is a bad idea, especially for very complicated topics.
** It's also very unwise to make the villain evil primarily because they contribute to current issues that are serious in RealLife. It will immediately put a time stamp on your story, and the villain won't feel like they matter much as cultures and values change. Your story can grow outdated quickly. Keep in mind that people disagree with you on most everything. You rebels fighting a colonialist in country x might feel like someone's terrorists in country y. The heros exploring new lands and teaching its natives about the world one year will be an evil invasion next year. Instead, it is better to focus on basic values and [[{{Archetype}} Universal Archetypes.]] This isn't to say that the EvilPoacher or the CorruptCorporateExecutive are bad villains, but they need something far beyond being used to highlight the issues of the present day.
* DesignatedVillain: A villain who is only evil because the author says so, but is otherwise perfectly decent is going to come off as lazy.

* OutsideGenreFoe: This has always been a problem, as characters like the [[NatureHero Tarzanesque]] would fight villains like vampires and werewolves, even in the jungle, but they would be no different than the vampires and werewolves we know on the outside. Although the occasional {{Crossover}} is fun, the genre works far better with NinjaPirateZombieRobot, so it's best to try to reimagine something from outside the genre to work in a way familiar to the setting, rather than pulling something from outside. Instead of Mr. Hyde, consider TheProfessor with a dangerous alter ego. Instead of a classic vampire, consider a vampire race living in an ancient tribe or empire that reproduces by feeding off the local population and turning into them, even to the extent of CapturedByCannibals involving drinking blood instead of eating the whole person. Instead of a werewolf, try a [[PantheraAwesome werebigcat.]] You get the idea.

** While typically applied to non-white ethnic groups, the first examples of the NobleSavage originate in AncientRome and were applied to the very white Germanic tribes. Also, in multiple places in RealLife, anomalous white tribes have been discovered. Some theorize that they are dissentients of a LostColony, possibly predating Columbus. While the NobleSavage is not recomended, Natives do not necessarily have to be non-white.

** It's also very unwise to make the villain evil primarily because they contribute to current issues that are serious in RealLife. It will immediately put a time stamp on your story, and the villain won't feel like they matter much as cultures and values change. Your story can grow outdated quickly. Keep in mind that people disagree with you on most everything. You rebels fighting a colonialist in country x might feel like someone's terrorists in country y. Instead, it is better to focus on basic values and archetypes. This isn't to say that the EvilPoacher or the CorruptCorporateExecutive are bad villains, but they shouldn't primarily be used to highlight the issues of the present day.

** It's also very unwise to make the villain evil primarily because they contribute to current issues that are serious in RealLife. It will immediately put a time stamp on your story, and the villain won't feel like they matter much as cultures and values change. Your story can grow outdated quickly. Keep in mind that people disagree with you on most everything. You rebels fighting a colonialist in country x might feel like someone's terrorists in country y. Instead, it is better to focus on basic values and archetypes. This isn't to say that the EvilPoacher or the CorruptCooperateExecutive are bad villains, but they shouldn't primarily be used to highlight the issues of the present day.

** It's also very unwise to make the villain evil primarily because they contribute to current issues that are serious in RealLife. It will immediately put a time stamp on your story, and the villain won't feel like they matter much as cultures and values change. Your story can grow outdated quickly. Keep in mind that people disagree with you on most everything. You rebels fighting a colonialist in country x might feel like someone's terrorists in country y. Instead, it is better to focus on basic values and archatypes.