Valerie Swanson

[Tea Ess]

Yes. Most characters they make are not so over-the-top. It seems like someone just randomly added Valerie to make a problem, and then other writers use her for the same thing. The problem is that they all use her differently, and don't give us background because she's a stick-in-character. My opinion is that they should tweak her voice, give us some background and her motivation for wrong-doing, and make her a little more human and realistic. Then she might not be such a pointless character. Other than that AiO does a great job. They could use some re-tuning here and there, but other than that, they do some amazing work.

I'm compiling a list of all the episodes Valerie is in, and naming her purpose in it. So far I have:

Anger Mismanagement - In this episode, Valerie is portrayed as a spoiled brat
You're Two Kind - Valerie is the cold class beauty
How To Sink a Sub - Valerie is the immature school troublemaker
Kidsboro Series - Valerie is the devious mastermind and nitwit who proposes government services for her own gain

See what I mean; Valerie is like a superhero with secret identities. Or maybe she suffers from a multiple personality disorder. That's another episode they could make explaining her randomness! Are there any other episodes with her?

[Wretched Sinner]

Yes. Most characters they make are not so over-the-top. It seems like someone just randomly added Valerie to make a problem, and then other writers use her for the same thing. The problem is that they all use her differently, and don't give us background because she's a stick-in-character. My opinion is that they should tweak her voice, give us some background and her motivation for wrong-doing, and make her a little more human and realistic. Then she might not be such a pointless character. Other than that AiO does a great job. They could use some re-tuning here and there, but other than that, they do some amazing work.

I'm compiling a list of all the episodes Valerie is in, and naming her purpose in it. So far I have:

Anger Mismanagement - In this episode, Valerie is portrayed as a spoiled brat
You're Two Kind - Valerie is the cold class beauty
How To Sink a Sub - Valerie is the immature school troublemaker
Kidsboro Series - Valerie is the devious mastermind and nitwit who proposes government services for her own gain

See what I mean; Valerie is like a superhero with secret identities. Or maybe she suffers from a multiple personality disorder. That's another episode they could make explaining her randomness! Are there any other episodes with her?

That's a great list.

[Tea Ess]

Valerie also apears in the Clubhouse magazine, in the 'detective' corner. Again, she is mostly just what the writers want her to be: thief, liar, drama queen..You name it, and she will emulate that personality.

Does anyone else have thoughts on this?

[C-guy]

Agreed. I a spoiled, rotten to the core, brat of a girl.

Do we get a prize if we read your huge comment T.S.?

Advice, break those kind of comments into smaller comments, so people are more likely to read everything you write. Also, how many words per minute do you write? I'm somewhere in the 40's.

[EugeneforPresident]

Maybe the writers made her to show kids someone they should not want to be.

[Tea Ess]

No, she doesn't even do that, because she is so inconsistent and they don't tie her into the story well enough.

C-guy, I will personally give you a smiley as your prize:

That may work, but it would be harder to connect each post and topic and clincher sentences would be a disaster. I have no idea how fast I type. Somewhere in between 7 and 400 words per minute.

[Pound Foolish]

Um, hi u two. This is my first time posting. U rose so many points, I don't wanna try to knock them all down, so I'll focus on the biggest. Valerie is NOT inconsistent, not very. This is a mistake made often with new characters. In Forgiving More or Less, we learned she can be a funny, annoying pig. In How to Sink a Sub, we learned she has a brain, (thus your "criminal mastermind statement?) That she has a brain doesn't CONTRADICT that she's a stereotypical popular snob, it just means she's BOTH! Valerie is here to be funny and be an antagonist. And, frankly, she makes me and all MY sibs laugh. Everyone has a slightly different sense of humor, so it's kinda ridiculous to say a character's not funny. Finally, you accused her of being gratuitous. Hmmm. How can she be gratuitous when, in every show she's appeared in, she's been a plot point? That's kinda contradictory. As to her meanness, and her failing to draw attention to the antagonists, lets be frank: there are people like her in real life. lots of us know people like them. And they need to be understood. If we say these kinds of people are such terrible blights they are unworthy to ever be in entertainment...
Aren't WE being snobbish?

[The Old Judge]

Those are very good points, and it's good to have you, Pound Foolish!

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

Um, hi u two. This is my first time posting. U rose so many points, I don't wanna try to knock them all down, so I'll focus on the biggest. Valerie is NOT inconsistent, not very. This is a mistake made often with new characters. In Forgiving More or Less, we learned she can be a funny, annoying pig. In How to Sink a Sub, we learned she has a brain, (thus your "criminal mastermind statement?) That she has a brain doesn't CONTRADICT that she's a stereotypical popular snob, it just means she's BOTH! Valerie is here to be funny and be an antagonist. And, frankly, she makes me and all MY sibs laugh. Everyone has a slightly different sense of humor, so it's kinda ridiculous to say a character's not funny. Finally, you accused her of being gratuitous. Hmmm. How can she be gratuitous when, in every show she's appeared in, she's been a plot point? That's kinda contradictory. As to her meanness, and her failing to draw attention to the antagonists, lets be frank: there are people like her in real life. lots of us know people like them. And they need to be understood. If we say these kinds of people are such terrible blights they are unworthy to ever be in entertainment...
Aren't WE being snobbish?

Do we get a smiley prize for reading your long posts too? Just kidding, your first ever post was quite enlightening! My first post was pretty long too. (It was in The End of Odyssey.) And where was Valerie in Forgiving More or Less? Are you thinking of You're Two Kind?

[gabbygirl17]

Valerie is annoying. I usually skip the episode Anger managements

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

Valerie is annoying. I usually skip the episode Anger managements

Oh my gosh, that episode was bad! In my opinion, it was the worst episode in Albums 53, 54, and 55 combined. (Opposite Day was worse.)

[gabbygirl17]

Valerie is annoying. I usually skip the episode Anger managements

Oh my gosh, that episode was bad! In my opinion, it was the worst episode in Albums 53, 54, and 55 combined. (Opposite Day was worse.)

I didnt like it only the parts with Wooten

[Tea Ess]

Um, hi u two. This is my first time posting. U rose so many points, I don't wanna try to knock them all down, so I'll focus on the biggest. Valerie is NOT inconsistent, not very. This is a mistake made often with new characters. In Forgiving More or Less, we learned she can be a funny, annoying pig. In How to Sink a Sub, we learned she has a brain, (thus your "criminal mastermind statement?) That she has a brain doesn't CONTRADICT that she's a stereotypical popular snob, it just means she's BOTH! Valerie is here to be funny and be an antagonist. And, frankly, she makes me and all MY sibs laugh. Everyone has a slightly different sense of humor, so it's kinda ridiculous to say a character's not funny. Finally, you accused her of being gratuitous. Hmmm. How can she be gratuitous when, in every show she's appeared in, she's been a plot point? That's kinda contradictory. As to her meanness, and her failing to draw attention to the antagonists, lets be frank: there are people like her in real life. lots of us know people like them. And they need to be understood. If we say these kinds of people are such terrible blights they are unworthy to ever be in entertainment...
Aren't WE being snobbish?

On technicality, a couple of your points could be correct. However, it is an entirely differing matter in a continuing story, which is, essentially, what AiO is. A nice, smooth flow, without sudden bumps or turns, is perfect to convey a point. Valerie does not provide this. Did you see my list? I have four major points, not including the clubhouse magazine articles. Four personalities is too many, especially when thy clash, and are presented without explanation. In regard to your question about my meaning with 'evil mastermind', Sink a Sub is not what I am referring to. I am mainly pointing to Valerie's role in Kidsboro, when she plotted an essential government takeover, using her knowledge of blackmail and enlightened persuasion. As for 'gratuitous', it's very definition is 'without justification'. I am attempting to explain that we are given no justification for Valerie's ill-doing. We have no background on her life, and no reason for her motivation. A mystery is never solved until we know why the criminal did what they did. We have no clue as to Valerie's motivation. Thus, we have no justification for her actions, or for Valerie as a character. I fail to see how my statement is contradictory.

Did you mean 'protagonist'? Valerie would Be the antagonist. Finally, you seem to be mixing real life and AiO. Adventures in Odyssey has always strived to include doses of the real world, without conforming to it. I am not condemning any real-life Valerie's, I am making an observation that she is too loud and obnoxious to let someone else convey a point. Also, keep in mind that I never said Valerie should be definitely removed; I said that she needs repair work, or she will continue to bring the show downhill. I honestly wouldn't mind keeping her, just so long as we are given justification for her actions. To help you see this, I have included some of the past posts on this topic.

My opinion is that they should tweak her voice, give us some background and her motivation for wrong-doing, and make her a little more human and realistic. Then she might not be such a pointless character. Other than that AiO does a great job. They could use some re-tuning here and there, but other than that, they do some amazing work.

As for the next dilemma, I have a Bible verse to share.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
- Philippians 4:8

My simple question is: Does Valerie help us to do this?


On a slightly more positive note, I would not have full justification for these arguments if I did not suggest a solution. I feel that there are a few courses of action that can be used to mend the wake of destruction left by Valerie.

1) Dump her character and instead use a wider selection of the kids at their school. For example, one person causes a problem, we learn just a little of their story, and then they hand the spotlight to a main character. However, a wider variety of 'bullies' could result in disorientation.

2) Complete Valerie's character. Finish the baking process. Give us some background, some reason for her motivation, and some of the consequences of her choices. Let us know why she acts the way she does, and wrap up the ending so we are left with a feeling of completion and satisfaction. In all, help her to give up the spotlight for the main character.

3) Fill in her role with Vance or possibly Jay. Let Vance take over the 'school troublemaker' role again. However, he would not interact with the girls as well, so there would still be a gap. The combination of Jay and Olivia could be used more at school.

4) Replace Valerie with another girl. This would be the most complicated solution. Maybe instead of using a pointless person, they could introduce a mellower girl who causes trouble occasionally, but without such a strong personality.

5) Do nothing about her. This would eventually lead to Valerie
a) Taking over the school (just kidding, she may get expelled)
b) Fizzling out
c) continuing to randomly cause trouble
Any one of these would be a source of confusion and distraction, and will only go downhill from there.

Over all, I feel that Valerie is a dark splotch on an otherwise clean board, but I still feel that she is not beyond resurrection. There is still hope, provided that there is change, SOON![/quote]


It is nice to meet you. I look forward to future conversations.

P.S. what were your other points? Would you like to discuss them?

[Pound Foolish]

Thank you for so thoughtfully and carefully replying to my arguments! I apologize if I sounded too grumpy, I forgot to say I ACTUALLY LIKED YOUR CAREFULLY MADE POST! I would say you've convinced me Valerie may, just possibly, need some reworking. Going into her past would be very fascinating. I am all for it. While we're wishing, I'd like Mitch to marry Connie. But seriously, just because Valerie is bad, and doesn't shine a light on more major characters, doesn't mean she's inconsistent with that Bible verse. The fact is, though we shouldn't focus on evil, Valerie ISN'T. She's friends with some people at school, is attractive, and has a strong will. And she's MUCH less of an insufferable, downright abusive jerk than in Kidsboro. I'd say she has a lot of potential. Admittedly: potential isn't perfection.

[Tea Ess]

Thank you. That cleared things up. I understand your position better now. I accept your apology. I'm sorry, I was too defensive. You're last statement is very true. Valerie does have potential. I feel that strengthening her character would be the best course of action.

I don't think I've formally introduced myself, except that tidbit on the last post. It's nice to meet you (as best as we can online). I look forward to future conversations. You seem like an intelligent, and thorough, person. I like your position, but I still feel that Valerie is distracting from the main theme. She come off a little strong, and I think that embellishing her character would help this. You are right (along with Wooton, the commentor), Valerie is not evil. Slightly devious, but not evil. Oh, and my wish would be another story arc with Dr. Regis Blackgaard. (sorry I am putting you through this again, all of you older people!)

[Pound Foolish]

Pleased to meet you. Thanks for accepting the apology, and I can in all honesty return you compliments. Your posts and topics are impressive, and certainly intelligent, (better than most of mine, certainly.) I am intrigued by art and posses a LOT of talent at it but little skill. I am VERY slowly attempting to teach myself a little piano. I am mad about writing, mostly fantasy. I READ, READ, READ, mostly classics. No, not for school: for fun. Odd, i know. Pride and Prejudice (huge Austen fan), LOTR, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Hurts-Like-Charles-Dickons. (Jacques Henri, anyone?) It's a pity we can't meet as properly as we could in real life, you are a very serious AIO fan. And, indeed, here's to Dr. Regis Blackgaard. (Wow, you ARE serious: you spelled his whole names instead of just Blackgaard.) Oh, and very well argued with Valerie! I've had to rethink my position QUITE a bit. Well, see you later.

[The Old Judge]

Pound Foolish, it's good to have you on the SS. It will be good to have someone to debate with T.S. because, though I don't always do short posts, I don't us ale 1,000 word posts on a regular basis. Not to be a fuddy-duddy, but please introduce yourself in the "Hi Nice to Meet U!" topic. There you can find out who the rest of us are.

[Pound Foolish]

I haven't even seen that one yet. Thanks! That sounds fun. (Note: this was not a thousand word post. I CAN be less long-winded. )

[Rosy]

Yes. If there was one person I wouldn't want in the show it would be Valerie.

Now, I agree that Valerie is a brat who really shouldn't be on the show, and I would love to see her go, but I would reserve this spot of Maureen. Valerie is annoying and all, but she didn't go off and marry Mitch. Ok, now back on topic, we do know some of Valerie's home life: Her little brother is Nelson, and she loves to bet him up (Hey, I never said we knew much ) Maybe why she acts like she does is because of Nelson's smartness. Her parents and everyone else go on and on about how smart he is, ect. She wants some of the spotlight, too! So she does all sorts of things to get attention.

[Pound Foolish]

Nicely put, Underseasie. Old Judge: HELP! Call me blind, but even though I've looked at all the forum for the "Hi, Nice to Meet U!" Topic and couldn't find it anywhere. Call me blind, but could you tell me which forum it's in? Thanks!