How to handle possible plot armor problem in LBT 25

[ChomperHugger]

(I don’t even have a LBT 24 done yet. I have a 23 idea and a 25 idea but still working out a 24 idea.)

My LBT 25 idea was basically to reveal that Littlefoot’s old herd had mostly all died from a mysterious virus that only affected Longnecks (note, I had this story idea for at least a year and likely over two years, so it was around long before the term “coronavirus” meant anything to most people.) It turns out that Littlefoot had assumed that all of his family on his grandfather and grandmother’s side, save his mother, had perished before he was born. But he eventually found out that he had an uncle, Kaha, who didn’t like being with non-Longnecks and was more racist than his family. Bron had hoped that he would help look after his sister, Littlefoot’s mother, and Littlefoot too, not wanting to leave his wife’s elderly parents with the burden alone. However, sometime after Bron had left, Littlefoot’s uncle had gotten into an argument with his sister and parents and had ran off in anger. For years, Littlefoot had never heard mention of him (his uncle had specifically asked his sister and parents NEVER to bring him up again as he didn’t want anyone to know he was associated with them.)

Anyway, out of the blue one year when Littlefoot is about 20 years old (though still not an adult, which I made 25 in dinosaur world, though Sharpteeth come of age at 20 and Egg Stealers and Omnivores at 22.5 or 23 (not sure which, though am leaning toward 22.5) and Leaf Eaters at 25.

At first, Littlefoot is angry at his uncle for leaving. However, something happens (not sure what) that would leave Littlefoot, his friends, Shorty, Shorty’s girlfriend Dayo, Rhett, Ali, and his uncle out in the Mysterious Beyond and they couldn’t quite come back due to the same plague that had wiped out Littlefoot’s old herd coming to the Great Valley. So they’d set out to go find it.

What I’m trying to figure out is how I can make it convincing that Littlefoot’s grandparents and the Old One would NOT die from the plague, even if it might be necessary to kill off some Longnecks in the Great Valley to make it convincing that this plague is NOT a joke and that they really do need to hurry.

(I have Littlefoot’s grandparents in LBT 26, the finale three-part movie and also have the Old One killed off near the beginning of the second part of LBT 26 and hence can’t have her die sooner.)

Also, I’d thought of bringing Doc and Dara into this movie too, though maybe I won’t, not sure. I’d think having Littlefoot’s old hero fall sick would increase the stakes for him even more, but since I also kill off Doc and Dara in LBT 26, pat 2, I cannot have them die here either, despite Doc at least being older himself (if he’s the Lone Dinosaur, which I kind of establish that he IS the dinosaur from the stories in LBT 26 part 1.)

I’m trying to think of a possible valid explanation as to why Littlefoot’s grandparents, the Old One, and maybe Doc all DON’T die (they might come close, but they don’t actually die) when it’s possible that younger healthier Lognencks in their prime might not be as fortunate.

(If the plague kills NOBODY, Littlefoot’s old herd will look pretty pathetic for having lost pretty much EVERYONE to it, so I’d lose believability on that side too if they all died from it but somehow nobody in the Great Valley died from it.

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