No More Good, No More Evil

At last.

When the concepts of good and evil are not present in a story. The story of a good Hero fighting an evil Villain is one that has been reiterated countless times for millennia. This ancient formula in storytelling has lost its effectiveness in the eyes of the modern audience who desires something greater. That isn't to say that good-and-evil stories are now rendered obsolete. Writers who lack innovative imagination will spew out the same vapid content the world has witnessed since the dawn of man. If a creator wants to leave an impression on their audience, they'll have to reform the modes of fiction at large that have been stagnant for generations.

The very beginning of No More Good, No More Evil stems from the Hero and Villain, the two most central characters in a franchise. The most unimaginative stories portray the Hero as a do-gooder who has to fight the wicked Villain because Good's Gotta Good. If the Hero is partnered up with others, they'll all have the same basic motive as their probable leader. Meanwhile, the Villain cooks up a boring plan like World Domination, Kill The World, or Destroy All because Evil's Gotta Evil. Today, creators are gradually beginning to drop this age-old layout for their stories in favor of ideas with the power to create even a spark of intrigue in their audiences. One of the methods of updating the Hero and Villain is tackling their end goals and ways of reaching them. Starting with the star of the franchise, the Hero should stray from the traditional definition of "good" and "heroic". It could be that they're selfish, inept, systematic, or even ethically questionable. If they have friends, the Hero could be careless or cold enough to direct them into danger. With the Villain, their position of antagonist may only be due to how they're in confrontation with the leading protagonist. A So-Called Villain is the kind of antagonist to not have any "evil" intentions against the world. Their actions inconveniently harm the people around them, which can be considered deliberate to those not close to them. They may not show remorse for how they've hurt others, but this can be due to how they were unaware of the consequences of their ways. As just explained, switching up the alignments of roles can throw the audience's expectations for a loop. It also helps if those under the Hero and Villain see such changes. The Good Guys can be driven by hatred for the Villain and desire nothing but watching them squirm on the doorstep of their defeat. If they really are this cruel, they may be Chaotic Neutral. Meanwhile, the Villain's Henchmen might be ignorant of their master's true intentions and think they're helping people by serving the Villain. After they gain awareness, however, they might threaten to leave the Villain unless they modify their plans to be less crooked. The Villain's Henchmen in this situation are Neutral Good.

No More Good, No More Evil is an extremely desirable storytelling tool at the moment. Just about every market in fiction has been junked up with unstimulating, pathetic tripe that audiences have long grown tired of. In real life, there are no such concepts as "good" or "evil". The closest to the pair reality gets is with right and wrong. Suspension Of Disbelief isn't possible to an audience member who is aware of this and wants to see the fact reflected in the stories they experience. When the Hero is defined as an absolute good and the Villain an absolute evil, it makes their actions predictable as they act within the boundaries of their respective roles. The presence of good and evil affects the rest of the protagonists and antagonists as well. If they work with the mascot of their side, they'll do everything they can to provide assistance and show an unreal level of loyalty and bravery. If the non-starring characters were to show hints of uncertainty, cowardice, or betrayal, the audience would keep an eye on them for the moment they snap. In addition to roles, several UnTrashes are provided more room to stretch, breathe, and evolve. Some like Good Always Prevails, World Domination, Destroy All, and Sacrificial Move are intrinsically connected to either good or evil. That is to say only protagonists or antagonists are ever seen playing these UnTrashes, which makes them predictable by nature of knowing who's going to do them. Taking one of the most hated UnTrashes in the realm of fiction, World Domination, it would blow audiences away to see the Good Guys be the ones to pursue the plan rather than yet another SMCE Villain up to their old, old,  old  games. The protagonists can explain their plan by claiming conquering the world would ensure the safety of all the good people in it. With so many "good" patrollers on the streets, it'd be impossible for evildoers to arise in such a near-perfect society. The Villain could be opposed to this absurdly flawed scheme and challenge the Good Guys to end their madness before it begins. In this reversal of anticipated UnTrash players, there have been three missions accomplished in one action. The first is a beautifully reimagined approach at an F-tier UnTrash no one could otherwise take seriously. The second is reeling the audience in with a story delivering an unprecedented premise. Finally, the power statuses of the Good Guys and Bad Guys have been swapped, which leads viewers questioning how the Villain could pose a threat now that they're the one on the weaker end.