I posted this in another thread, but I feel it needs to be said again

Quote Originally Posted by MicahZerrshia View Post
they have established that no matter how great of a threat we are facing, we know that the main cast is going to come out clean it takes away from the story. It removes all tension and doesn't give you that moment where you unconsciously hold your breath because you are actually scared you may lose a character you love. Antagonists get disposed of all the time and that is another thing, we know that eventually the big bads, esp the sympathetic ones, are going down or changing sides.

If they would have off'd one or two of the main scions in a meaningful way it would add some much needed tension back into the story because we would not know from patch to patch if someone was actually going to face the consequences of their actions, which makes a story more thrilling in a way. Sure they offed a few characters, but we barely knew them or they were just completely faceless which still takes away the tension.

It's like playing a game with god mode on. You may have a little fun running through, destroying anything and everything in your path without having to worry about anything, but that also takes a lot of the fun, the thrill and the enjoyment out of a game. When a writer or writers turn god mode on for a character it does the same thing. You may enjoy the story but it completely removes a lot of the thrill and makes anything and everything they do somewhat meaningless.

Think about it this way. We had a powerful dude, who could destroy worlds and manipulate the life stream like it was a stream in his back yard, who could easily swat the scions aside with a snap of his fingers and yet, even when it came to the final showdown, when he had the upper hand, he attacked them and missed every single time. In fact they were so well off after that battle with this demi-god they were able to swim their way across an entire ocean and crawl up right off the coast of a major city. Now if they would have established that the scions were mortal, they could be killed, think of how dramatic that scene would have been knowing that not all of the scions were going to be safe, compared to how it was. Did they need to kill anyone in that showdown? No. But the knowledge that they could be, is what matters the most. It gives you that moment where you hold your breath, your heart begins to race and you feel real genuine fear and panic, which is just as important in this sort of story as the feelings of relief and joy you get from other situations.

That is why covering your main cast in plot armor is so terrible and a crutch for so many writers. It takes away more than it gives.