"So, what's the story then?" Jester asked. Pulling up a chair and sitting beside Vale. "We've got the village, the surrounding forest, and the four-level dungeon. And Nightclown, the hare protagonist."
"Neon." Daisy corrected him.
"Huh?"
"Neon. That's the name of the protagonist we've agreed with, isn't it?" She explained. "Don't call it like it is a horror story character."
"But it is..." Jester was about to protest. But he saw the two were looking at him pointedly. "Fine!" Jester sighed. "Neon it is."
Vale leaned forward. His green eyes were alight with creative energy. "A protagonist needs a problem to solve. The simplest narrative structure: a threat emerges, the protagonist responds. Given your exploration focus, the threat should originate from the Northern Dungeon."
"Okay, so what kind of threat?" Daisy asked. Multitasking without any problem. Talking while still manipulating the computer with her Ghostbird. "Something that can be shown with Jester's combat footage. But also has stakes for the village."
Jester thought for a moment. "Let's make it related to the Gloomfang Spiders. They're the darkest type of monster I've found so far. The most un-cartoonish and serious looking enough threat."
"The fourth floor BOSS..." Jester continued. "I assume it would be a greater type of Gloomfang Spiders too. It should be the main problem for the story."
"That should be fine." Vale declared. "Let's make it that way. A queen spider. This creature has grown powerful. It infested the dungeon, destroying the natural ecosystem there. And there was a risk for it encroaching on the village."
"Is that what makes Neon go to the dungeon?" Daisy interjected. "Not convincing enough, isn't it? Can there be something more specific that gives Neon a clear objective?"
"It's cartoon world with wacky logic." Jester commented. "Let's not make the problem too serious. Why not... resource acquisition? Let's just say a villager needs something from the dungeon. Glowing mushrooms or something like..."
He stopped midway. "No, no, no! Why don't we just make the protagonist a village kid obsessed with treasure hunting. He found a treasure map leading to the dungeon."
"Right!" Vale agreed. His eyes seemed sparkling. "You have several scenes of Neon opening treasure chests. That could work."
Daisy tapped a finger on her chin. Her Ghostbird flitting around Jester's monitor. Displaying various clips of Nightclown. "A treasure-obsessed kid. That's a good hook."
Jester leaned back in his chair. A small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, exactly. Let's say he's a bit awkward. An outcast. Maybe he's socially clumsy. The other people in the village might bully him... or just ignore him. He sees treasure hunting as his way to gain recognition."
"So, the story starts with him feeling misunderstood." Vale mused. Adjusting his position in his wheelchair. "So, how does he get to the dungeon? A treasure map?"
"That seems to be the logical way." Daisy affirmed. Her Ghostbird pulling up a clip of Nightclown opening a treasure chest. "Where does he get it? A dusty old book? A weird trinket he bought from the store?"
"Let's make him found it." Jester decided. "But, it shouldn't be a single map. Why don't we make it a book. Full of treasure maps. Let's say it belonged to... Great Treasure Hunter Jedava. It might need heavy editing though. I don't think there will be such thing in Toonworld."
"Book of treasure maps?" Vale prompted. "That is a reasonable way to make him go to many places. And find many treasure chests. But why Jedava?"
"Our names." Jester grinned. "Jester, Daisy, Vale. Neat huh?"
Vale looked at him flatly for a few seconds. And sighed. "Not exactly. But, whatever. It's just a name. Go on."
"Okay, so there's Mr. Gorhammer. The gorilla blacksmith." Jester began. Ticking off names on his fingers. "Night... Neon could go to him, asking to buy a sword to handle the dangers during the treasure hunt. But Gorhammer gives him the nunchaku instead. Saying he is too young for a sword or something."
Daisy's Ghostbird pulled up some clips of Gorhammer. Showing his imposing, muscular frame and gruff expressions. "That could work. You might need to take some more scenes with him though."
"Then, there's Mr. Croaker, the frog mage in the spell store." Jester continued. "Nightclown could visit his shop, looking for supplies. Croaker can play the role of the wise man here. A bit cryptic. Giving him a vague warning about the dungeon. Maybe a proverb about 'true wealth' not being found in gold. Something to foreshadow the theme."
"Good. It adds a touch of mystery." Vale nodded. "What about the ninja lizard?" He pointed at another scene on the screen.
"Ninzard." Jester said. Thinking. "He sold me some skills and ninja tools in Toonworld. But, in our movie, Neon could go to Ninzard. Hoping for some quick training and some ninja moves to help him survive."
"A mentor?"
"Yeah. But let's make Neon too impatient for steady improvement. Ninzard, being disappointed, refuses to teach Neon further. Telling him he needs to find his own path. And something like... to 'trust his instincts'."
"And this boar?" Daisy asked. Showing a scene where Jester was dueling against Razor, the punk toon boar.
"Razor, huh?" Jester tapped his cheek. "He's supposed to be Nightclown's rival. He could play the role of a bully, who constantly mocks Neon for his 'silly' treasure hunting. Let's see if I can meet him again. If we meet, I'll let him beat me for a bit before defeating him. It could show physical bullying too."
Daisy paused. Her Ghostbird hovering over a particularly boisterous clip of Razor. "Okay, it could work. But, I'm noticing something here, Jest."
She ticked her fingers. "Gorhammer, Croaker, Ninzard, Razor... They are all male. All are pretty much adult. Most of the Toons you've interacted with in the village clips so far are male and adults."
Jester raised his eyebrows. Realizing that she was right.
"If we want more audience to relate, or appeal to a broader audience, we need some female characters, some children." Daisy said. "Can you get footage of them?"
Jester winced. "Ah, right. My bad. I just rushed through the village. I can definitely make an effort. I'll spend some time specifically interacting with other types of Toons. A female shop owner, or a motherly figure, or even some Toon kids playing around."
Vale agreed. "We can weave them into the story. Maybe Neon accidentally helps a child recover a lost toy. Or a female Toon offers him some unsolicited advice or a kind word. It'll make his connection to the village deeper. And more complex."
"Right." Daisy nodded. "Let's make sure to include that. Even if it's just a short scene of Nightclown awkwardly trying to talk to a female toon, or being ignored by children who think he's weird, it adds to his character development and broadens the world without requiring extensive new plot points."
"So, Neon, feeling dismissed by the adults and ridiculed by his peer-rival, decides to set off anyway. Maps in hand." Vale summarized. Bringing them back to the plot. "He has to cross the wilderness to get to the dungeon entrance, right?"
"Yeah." Jester confirmed. "The wilderness is the first real challenge. A place where he can prove his nascent combat skills. He could encounter Stone Imps first. They're these small, rock-like creatures. Pretty easy to deal with."
"But I could probably go there again." He continued. "Pretending to do some clumsy fight. It should be good for showing Neon's initial, clumsy attempts at combat using his nunchaku. I can trip myself, or flail myself with the nunchaku. If necessary."
"And this huge bear?" Daisy asked. The screen was showing Nightclown fighting the Root Bear. "That's a bigger threat, isn't it? Something that would really push him."
"Definitely." Jester nodded. "It's a unique monster. So, there is no retake for that. We could put it in a much-later scene. Once Neon is much better skilled in the story."
Vale agreed again. "Yeah. Your way of handling this monster is too skillful. It won't work for early combat scene."
"Next, the North Dungeon." Jester said. "I had reached the fourth floor there. But, rather than having it exactly the same concept of one dungeon with many floors, I was thinking of something else. Can't we just make it different dungeons in different locations for each floor?"
"You mean..."
"To make Neon explore further. He could go to one dungeon, find the treasure hidden there. Then, he could move to different dungeon." Jester explained.
"Interesting." Vale commented. "It could help in pacing the story."
"Right." Daisy agreed. "So, which dungeon should he go first. The one with the balls?"
"Yeah." Jester replied. "The North Dungeon first floor is pretty straightforward. Lots of Bowling Bouncers. There are many chances to make it a bit comedic. And it can highlight his growing agility."
"And, the BOSS of the floor is a Bomb Bouncer." Jester added. "The problem is... I had defeated it before I got Cammy. I need to check whether it can respawn or not. If it can, I'll ask Cammy to record me fighting it again."
"Another thing you need to check?" Vale commented. "You've got a lot of chores to do, Clown."
"Next dungeon..." Jester continued. Ignoring Vale's comment. "This should be equal to the second floor. The enemy would be Furball Chompers. They look cute at first. Like fluffy little critters, but they've got rows of razor-sharp teeth and they're surprisingly aggressive once they get close. It should be interesting."
Jester continued explaining about his ideas of the story exploration progression. Matching his own experience in the Toonworld.
Daisy made a critical commentary. "Good progression. But, it isn't enough to make a good story. Neon should have non violent interactions during the exploration. Encountering non hostile characters. Or even returning to the Village."
"She's right." Vale nodded. "And we need to carefully design the tension building."
"Yeah. Unfortunately, you need to suffer some damage there Jest. To show real danger, real stakes for his journey." Daisy commented. Giggling. "Don't finish the battle too cleanly. Get injured."
"That was a terrible suggestion." Jester said with a dark face. "But, it made sense. In a way. I'll try to get injured..." He paused. "I can't believe I said that."
"Anyway, the story shouldn't just be treasure hunting, right?" Vale asked. Grinning widely at his friend's suffering.
"Yeah. The last BOSS." Jester confirmed. "It should be something that could become a threat not just to the dungeon's ecosystem. But potentially to the village itself, if it was to ever emerge. Neon should find out about it."
"So, the ultimate goal isn't just treasure. But stopping this monstrous threat to his home." Vale summarized. His green eyes were thoughtful. "And that brings us to a character development arc. Nightclown, the socially-awkward treasure hunter, risks his life to find wealth. But along the way, he realizes the true treasure isn't gold or jewels."
"Exactly." Jester said. Feeling a surge of satisfaction with how the story was coming together. "The epic final battle should push Neon to his limits. Maybe he even gets a moment of doubt. Thinking he can't do it. But then something reminds him of the village. It might be cliché. But it should work."
"And then what?" Vale asked. "After the big fight? Should he find a legendary treasure chest?"
"He should." Jester replied. "He finds a treasure chest. He opens it, expecting glittering gold, ancient artifacts... and inside, maybe it's something mundane. A single, perfectly polished, ordinary stone."
"Or a note that says something cheesy like...The greatest treasure is the journey, and the home you return to." Vale added.
Daisy chuckled. "Or maybe it's a mirror. And he sees himself. Finally understanding that he's the treasure, or his courage is."
"Yeah, a mirror works too." Vale agreed. "And he returns to the village. The end."
"Sounds like we have the plot of our first movie." Jester said. A sense of accomplishment swelling in his chest. "Now, for the hard part... making it."
Vale's eyes gleamed. "That's where the magic begins. And the music."