Writing Tips and Reviews

Chosen One

I've had long talks about the chosen one. Especially about the ones who are also OP. The chosen one is for those types of stories that are based around a prophecy or just need a character to move the plot along. They can be given a power by someone, be born with a special power, found a special item or power, be important via prophecy, or do the LEGO Movie and everyone is special. Or anything else, it's a plot point that varies between stories.

There is however, a certain theme to this trope. The chosen one should be met with difficulties, they should have someone to go against them and they should be able to use their new found power or item. They can also rely on friends to help or do it solo, sometimes they can even reject the power/item. And a neat way I found out it to do it, is to have the character be consumed by it. They're not really the chosen and they're just being used for the antagonist's own gain.

The chosen one trope can be done wrong as all tropes can be. Giving too much to the character, making them defined by their power than who they are, forgetting the story completely and making the characters do whatever they want, or making the chosen one just because it's cool.

I'm not a big fan of this trope and am only doing it two times. Both with Daisuke Hiroyuki and Shiva Caste, the protagonist of Tales of Eylisia and an antagonist of Crest of Aspira respectively. Daisuke takes the "being used" route while Shiva does something I had the idea for when in my history of religions class. Shiva is the chosen one, but instead of turning against the antagonist, he continues the legacy. Now, usually the antagonist throws out the chosen one or tries to kill them, what I did, was make the antagonist keep Shiva and raise him.

These are just two ways of making the idea more fun and I'm sure there are many more, so go out there and make the idea fun for you and also something that will interesting for everyone. Because let's face it, we don't all like the same thing.