It's something that's occasionally on my mind when I consider this franchise. Considering these days there's a lot more expected from children's TV, a reboot touching on the right points about what makes this franchise in general enjoyable and appealing to even people in their adult years, does, at least theoretically, have the potential to be a great success.

As it happens, I'm looking to be a professional writer and am studying screenwriting at university, and so if I make it big in the world of film and television (reasonably big anyway...) it would be of a personal delight to me to launch a new LBT TV series that's still kid-friendly but doesn't shy away from more complex storylines and darker themes which are healthy for children to get exposed to.

So - let's here your thoughts. What were the good things about the LBT sequels and TV series that were worth expanding upon that were unfortunately neglected.

Here are my 3 main factors:

1. Chomper. By far the most popular character outside of the original movie, he is also my favourite, and there is so much potential for a character study involving an existential crisis and struggling to put his personal commitments above his instincts. I'm not saying his isolation hasn't been covered, there's just much more to go on.

2. The arc with Red Claw. Both the TV series and fourteenth movie seriously neglected an interesting, engaging story arc concerning two young dinosaurs appealing to the Great Valley to help with essentially a dictator beyond the mountain walls. With the right tools, there's no reason this shouldn't be a story worth considering.

3. Cera's family life. The real redeeming factors for me in the movies beyond number 10 were the subplots concerning Cera dealing with new additions to her family. It's an issue that may be close to home for many children and I think it needs serious looking at. Cera being a character of emotional vulnerability and possibly abandonment issues isn't entirely unique, but definitely a healthily developed character to introduce children to - as it happens, she is my favourite of Don Bluth's original five.

What do you guys think?

So, for all those who write fanfiction, I personally think it would be a great idea for volunteers with alluring voices and reasonable acting abilities to do podcasts for certain fanfictions...

If they want to of course...

Just an idea, I'll leave it at that...what do you think?

Hi all!

Right, first and foremost, I bloody promise to finish VV. At the moment, I am in the midst of exams, and so have not found any time to write and plan. I do however, finish on the 17th, and won't have anything more to do for about three months. So, hopefully there will be relatively rapid updates after that!  

But I have been going over the plot several times in my head, and it's just come to me that I may have to pull something towards the end that I never thought I'd do in an LBT fanfic.

Romance is a tricky issue that I've wondered about as I wrote this. Part of me feels I'm just too sentimental a person not to include romantic elements, but another part of me finds dino romance and little...odd...but I think I'm now firmly in the camp of 'screw it, let's have romance' and one thing that I've found out when considering the plot is that, completely unintentionally, Cera and Ruby have fallen in love.  :blink:

Whilst developing their characters, everything just seemed so fitting. They've had more intimate moments, they've discussed their family, their roles in the Valley, and they just seem like perfect foils and compliments to each other.
I wasn't sure about this, until I remembered something which would just make the Cera/Ruby couple even more perfect. Ruby's species name is Oviraptor philoceratops. That second part? Yeah, it means 'lover of ceratopsians.'
Now, originally this was a reference to the belief that Oviraptor routinely stole the eggs of Protoceratops, but you can interpret it however you like.  

But what do you think about it? I think, whatever your opinions are, I'll probably just go ahead and include it. I hope this is a forum of tolerant people, who won't object simply to having a same-sex couple in this. LBT is all about diversity and tolerance.

Yes, they are different species. But so are Lini and Al, and the size differences will be considerable when older...so, over to you! What do you think?

Hi to people who remember me, and those who are new and don't.  

Yeah, I haven't been on this forum for a considerable amount of time, so I thought I'd make a reappearance. Things have been very busy with me recently, cutting down my time to write. Not really in the best place at the moment, but nevertheless have a new computer and will be getting down to interacting more on the forum. Should also be continuing to write my fanfiction Venatione Venatus. For those who haven't read it, it's never too late to start.  

So, yeah, my regards and best wishes to you all.

Hi guys!
Those who enjoy my fanfic Venatione Venatus may be glad to know that now all my exams are finished, and therefore, have plenty more time to write. Hopefully, the next VV chapter will be up some time in the next few days. In the meantime however, to get myself back in the swing of things, here is a little tale I had the inspiration to write just this morning.

The title may seem familiar, and that's because it is - it's a sharptooth cautionary tale about greed and the Grand Cave Network that Seizon and Pyron briefly summarized for Chomper just before they went into said network. It is the legend that Nott felt he should jealously defend, and therefore keeps his cronies guarding the stash of shiny stones in Headache Cave, where a certain hero met his end...

I do hope you enjoy it...a story within a story is something new to me, so it might be a little amateurish, but try to enjoy anyway! For reference, this story is to VV what the Tales of Beedle the Bard are to Harry Potter.

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Far back in the stretches of time, hundreds of cold times before you or I had hatched, there was a fastbiter who was treated with caution by his fellow kin and repulsion by many others. His mother knew not of it, at least not in his earlier days, when he along with his sisters would gorge on the flesh she brought them, displaying in full focus his healthy appetite.

But all this were to change - whilst his siblings grew fond of each other, and would share generously the equally generous meat their mother brought them, he began to drag his away, to eat it in a secluded corner of the nest, his jealous eyes scanning his siblings with judgemental caution as he ate, and should another nestling approach him, all they would receive would be a furious assault from teeth and claws. This habit would never vanish from him, and in fact, it persisted to a far greater extent as time went on. And so, from that moment on, this little fastbiter was known only as Stingy. All his siblings called him Stingy, his mother called him Stingy, fellow sharpteeth knew him as Stingy...and Stingy didn't care. All he wanted was to have everything for himself.

Soon it came upon the time, as in the life of many young sharpteeth, for Stingy and his siblings to be taken upon their first hunt.
"Make sure you all stay where I can see you," their mother told them sternly, as all youngsters followed curiously in her wake. "And pay close attention to how I hunt, for you will be following my example."
Upon hearing this, Stingy's defiance mounted. He hurried to be in step with his mother and gave a bold declaration:

"I desire this prey for myself! Won't this be the case once we are all hunting alone?"

His mother gave him a look of deepest disappointment.

"It is not in the nature of a fastbiter to hunt alone," she told him firmly. "We work as a group."

But this did not appeal to Stingy, or even register within his stingy brain, and even as he followed in his mother's footsteps to be a successful hunter, he did it with a selfish and jealous relish.

And therefore it was from a distance, where his mother watched him a trifle sadly as he wolfed down pieces of meat, completely alone, and not wishing to be any other way.

She gave a great sigh and tried to tell herself it would only be a phase.
How tragically wrong she was.

As Stingy grew older, his defining nature didn't change. Whilst he was forced to work within a pack to bring down the larger prey it would not be long before he turned on his fellow fastbiters in a fit of rage, nearly annihilating the pack to get the prey to himself...to him, there was nothing more important than this. At least, some thought, this would be the only thing he would ever jealously and violently hog.
How tragically wrong they were.

When he wasn't eating, Stingy would take long wanders into far-flung places, completely on his own naturally, as he always rejected company. And it was upon one day when he was strolling through a small canyon when he noticed a small bellydragger. Normally, such a sight would not interest him in the slightest, but as his eyes swept past the other sharptooth, they caught a glint of something bright the latter was carrying in her mouth.

Upon looking closer, Stingy noticed that this was in fact a shiny stone, something often sought for aesthetic purposes, and something that appealed to Stingy too. His eyes glinted like the stone he desired as a great wave of greed rose up within him and he twitched with the discomfort of the thought of the bellydragger having access to all the stones. But Stingy was cunning. It occurred to him that this bellydragger may have even more than just the one she carried in his mouth. And so, he gave a subtle pursuit.

Stingy's assumption was correct. This bellydragger had gathered a huge pile of shiny stones, and was adding the latest to her collection. Envy had taken ahold of the fastbiter who desired everything that everyone else had. He couldn't think straight as his muscles gave spasms of frustration. All he knew was that he wanted the shiny stones more than anything else. He would have to act upon it.
And so it wasn't long before the bellydragger's blood ran across the ground, which Stingy walked delightedly across with his prize in his arms.

Over the next few days, Stingy continued to gather these stones from other potential owners, many suffering the same fate as the bellydragger, but Stingy cared not for these lives - his concern was for the stones he gathered. The power he felt from their glistening in the light of the Bright Circle, how much importance he felt from possessing them! These were all his. Nobody else had rights to them.

But it was upon one morning as Stingy admired his collection that a sharptoothed flyer watched him from a nearby tree. This flyer had known the bellydragger well, and like many before him had grown to despise the stingy fastbiter. As though wishing to claim back at least some of what his friend had lost, he swooped down upon Stingy with expert precision and after knocking him sideways onto the dusty ground, took off in a flourish, carrying the largest of the stones in his mouth.

The rage that Stingy felt combined with his frustration of being able to do anything burst from him in a piercing scream that rattled the bones of every creature in the nearest five miles. Stingy raged and howled and growled and snarled and stamped and scratched against the earth, every nerve burning with hatred for the animal that had escaped him so easily.

Eventually these loathsome a terrifying screeches reached a minimum, and Stingy stood there, seething, his mind working fast. He gazed back around at his collection of shiny stones, now desiring more than anything else for them all to stay with him.
"They are too exposed here," he told himself. "There must be an area I can find to hide them, keep them safe from any unworthy thieves." He smiled to himself. "And when I find that perfect place, there will not be a force in the world to challenge me or take ANYTHING from me!!"
How tragically wrong he was.

It took only a day of travelling for Stingy to find the place that seem to have come from his dreams. A massive network filled with caves, one he dubbed a Grand Cave Network. He assumed no force could challenge him as he lay his plundered collection within the deep bowels of the cave network.
But he had forgotten the forces of nature.
As he attempted to leave the collection behind him, secure in the knowledge no more would be taken, up rose the water. A great river, lying hidden in wait for him, seized as he attempted his escape. As he thrashed, gurgled and yelped, the water began to rise faster and faster up until it threatened to submerge him. He cried out for help - but who was there to help him? He had never cared for anyone, and so naturally, nobody cared for him.

"This is it!!!" he screamed in a fear he could no longer repress. "I will drown here! This Cave Network will become my watery tomb!"
How tragically correct he was.

And so, I ask all you patient listeners out there, to take care of your desires, and do not have the same greed as this Stingy Fastbiter did. Take note of how we all need each other, and learn to be harmonious with others, not to be selfish for everything in your life. As your greed as selfishness destroys others, so it will destroy you too.

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And so, there it is!
Not much to say...just tell me what you think! And remember, the next VV chapter is coming soon!

Yes, I was in that kind of mood.   So, out of those deaths that have occurred on VV (Venatione Venatus) so far, which has been the saddest of the lot? I'd be interested to hear your opinions also on which has been the most influential death, with the biggest consequences for the rest of the story. Because hey, I'm not a mindless killer!

I just decided to create this for the opportunity of sharing a few jokes. I shall start with a dinosaurian one.  

I have this job of filling out forms for dinosaurs, and I get interesting results when they sign their signatures. In the case of Deinocheirus, I could hardly read its writing, but what can I say?
Terrible hand...

OK, the basic point of this is the idea that we can domesticate and make use of prehistoric animals the same way we do modern ones. Seriously, who hasn't wanted a pet dinosaurs once in their life?   So, let us explore...

For me, the ideal pet dinosaur would be Incisivosaurus - not only do I love oviraptorids, it seems to be the only one who wouldn't severely damage something. Its smaller than most of its relatives, so would be safe around the house, its beak won't do as much damage as its buck-teeth, which would only create a gnawing problem. And I can tolerate it...its even child-friendly!

You know, in fact, I'll go buy myself one right now...

Oh, and if you're planning to start a farm, bear in mind the English countryside is full of Dollodon and Cetiosaurus, ideal animals to farm for great tender steaks. Of course, if you don't live in England, there are still so many options available to you...

Or perhaps you'd prefer to keep pterosaurs? I've heard Dimorphodon are very popular at the moment. That goes without mentioning the challenge dog-lovers face when they've got an Epicyon in their kennel...

Oh, and try to avoid the swimming pool for a while, that's where my labyrinthodont lives, sorry...

  Over to you!

OK - basically...
I'm on holiday at the moment, in a place called Winchelsea. Hate it, absolutely hate it. I cannot express how much I hate it. I suffer from neophobia - fear of new places, things or experiences, and this new place feels like its messing with my head. Its having a horrible effect on my writing too - critical writer's block which I sincerely hope will get resolved soon. However, I'm sorry, but there will be a delay.  
And there's no internet connection! The Wi-Fi I'm using now is someone else's who very kindly allowed me to use it. I don't know how often I'll be able to, but I hope its soon.
Sorry if this has been a bit dreary, but I know all of you are patient wonderful people. I'm so lucky to be part of the GoF because you lot are like a family. I love you all! I'll be back on regularly on Saturday!
Regards, Toby.

Seven deadly sins, huh? Well, if you've seen them applied to characters on all sorts of different fiction, how convenient is it that LBT has seven main characters?  

Now, I'm going to try and apply the seven deadly sins to each of the main characters, and see which one represents them the most. Even though I've thought about this carefully, don't take it too seriously!   I'd also be interested to hear if you think this should be different.

Littlefoot - Wrath. This is a rather interesting one to give him, you'd think, wouldn't you? We all know Littlefoot as playful, caring and good-natured. But if someone wrongs one of his friends, such as making a remark against them, then he does get quite angry, and in that sense he's got a shorter temper than some of his other friends.   Take, for example, when Doc was making those remarks about Chomper, or, on the fifth film, when Mr Threehorn was acting out of line with his grandfather? Not to mention when Cera directly insulted his mother on the first film... Sure, its all righteous anger, but anger nonetheless. I think he represents this rather well...

Cera - Pride. Its a rather obvious one - even the narrator agrees with me!

'Cera was still too proud to admit she'd gone the wrong way.'

Not only is she overly proud about being a threehorn, but she insists, in every situation that she's always right - will never hear a word against her own opinions! It all stems from pride.  

Ducky - Greed. This is only going from one occasion, but if you've seen the TV episode, 'The Search for Sky-Colour Stones' (yeah, I'm spelling it the British way), you'll know EXACTLY what I mean. They say everyone has a dark side, and even though Ducky hides it well, if I'm honest, I think some form of greed actually suits her - as she's already told Cera, she's not very good with wrath...now, if she were ever to find any more sky-colour stones...

Petrie - Sloth. Apart from Spike, he seems to be the heaviest sleeper of the lot. Whilst I'm still trying to think up evidence for this as I write, I notice that he's tendency for perching on someone as supposed to walking himself is rather absolute. Sure, he can fly, but maybe that's easy than walking? I don't know!   But please bear in mind how it took several rocks and a melon to wake him up in the tenth film. Not to mention how he decided to sleep against a SHARPTOOTH in the same film without checking to see what it really was...and you never know, perhaps he only pretends to be scared of doing adventure/really wild things, because he's actually lazy...? :unsure:

Spike - Glutton. Come on, I really don't need to explain this one... :blink:  

Chomper - Envy. Even though he's well loved by his friends, and indeed loves them back, Chomper seems to have a built-in sense of paranoia, and always feels somewhat unattached to his friends leaf-eater lifestyles, maybe even becoming envious of them? Poor lad, he even wanted to go and befriend sharpteeth in the mysterious beyond. Maybe he just wanted his friends to think higher of him, if he felt they still mistrusted him somehow?  

Ruby - Lust. OK, apart from the fact that it was the only one left, I am going to try and think of reasons why Ruby represents this one of the seven deadly sins. Umm... :unsure:
She's got a glamorous sort of appearance, that could be seductive under the right intentions, not to mention her glamorous personality - trying to motivate the rest of the gang to do wild things, impressing people with her philosophical wisdom and knowledge and whatnot...seductress? Of course not!! But I'm trying to find links here!  

OK, now over to you - which characters would you apply to the seven deadly sins and why?