˒⠀S O T T . . . 𝙲𝙰𝚁𝙳𝙸𝙸𝙰𝙲

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❛ JUST 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑷 YOUR CRYING,
IT'S A 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵 OF THE 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑺. ❜

the chosen one cliché!  ━━ no. 035
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     NO, THIS IS NOT ENTIRELY HARRY POTTER RELATED. Although, many popular books and movie franchises have used this "Chosen One" storyline.

     Essentially, the basic idea is that some seemingly random, ordinary, person-next-door type of character is actually, wait for it... a hero. Oh, my God, no way.

     Oftentimes, these heroes are prophesied or expected to fulfill a prophecy to sAvE ThE WoRLd and they're the OnLY oNeS wHO cAn. Some classic examples of this are Lord of the Rings (Aragorn), Harry Potter (Harry Potter), Divergent (Tris), The Hunger Games (Katniss and Peeta, sorta), Ender's Game (Ender), and a hundred others.

     Don't get me wrong, I'm such a hoe for a "Chosen One" storyline. These stories SLAP, most of the time, but a problem has arisen. Hence the "most of the time" comment.

     Here's the problem: the "Chosen One" has become a cliché.

     There. I said what I said. Sent tweet.

     Look, no one likes a cliché. If you do, that's great! I'm happy for you, really! But the majority of readers do not. They want something new and spicy, which can be really difficult for authors to write. After all, how are we supposed to write a story about a character, who is ultimately deemed the "Chosen One," without making it cliché? For one, they're meant to be this powerful, important, all-mighty person who saves the day, right? So, what flaws are they supposed to have if they're meant to save everyone?

     It's hard to answer those questions. Especially when there aren't really a lot of examples of "Chosen One" storylines that aren't a cliché.

     So, as writers, we really only have three options: to abandon, to copy, or to twist the cliché. I know it doesn't seem like much, but, in my opinion, there aren't that many other options. That's not to say though that there's anything wrong with any of those three. Tolkien, himself, straight copied the storyline from Medieval stories. However, there are a few suggestions I have if you're wanting to twist the "Chosen One" cliché and use it to your advantage.

     ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 𝟓 𝐓𝐈𝐏𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 ⸝⸝ ⇗
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀→ ⺌ This section is inspired by an article I found that has now been deleted. Credit for this portion goes to whoever the author was. Disclaimer: I have added my own words, advice, and paraphrased sections of the article.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟭. The prophecy was false/faked. The set up for this twist is still the same: there's a prophecy declaring that there would be a hero who would come and save the world from some evil force or oppression. But, what if the prophecy was either false or the evil force/oppression, itself, were the ones who created the prophecy for their own benefit? The hero could be raised in accordance with the prophecy and when the time comes, they could become a puppet and ultimately be controlled by the evil force/oppression. This could effectively destroy a rebellion or cause for the side of good to rise from the people, not the hero, themselves. There are multiple ways you could take this twist.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟮. The popular prophecy is not the real prophecy. If you take a look at history, you can tell that, at times, things become muddled and get messed up over time. So, for this twist, what if the prophecy was not passed down or deciphered properly over the generations? What if a part of the prophecy is deliberately taken away so the Chosen One can never fulfill it?

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟯. There isn't just one prophecy. There are multiple prophecies that span across multiple cultures. If the Chosen One is supposed to save the world, then why does only one culture have a prophecy about them? What about the rest of the world? Multiple cultures could have multiple versions of the same prophecy, but with different twists and each of them is missing a portion. The prophecies could appear to contradict each other when they actually don't. You can take this twist in many directions and create a really interesting plot, honestly.

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟰. The Chosen One is/becomes evil or abandons the prophecy. I've seen this done before and sometimes it works. However, it's quite difficult to maintain without having the Chosen One eventually going back to the good side at the end, which is a cliché, in my opinion. This twist can be seen playing out, a little bit, in the prequel Star Wars trilogy. However, this twist can most certainly be done better than how it was done in the movies and be done with more intriguing characters. (Sorry, Anakin.) What if the Chosen One doesn't want to save the world? What if they simply don't give a shit? Or what if they like having power and the upper hand a bit too much?

          ╰─── 𝟬𝟱. The Chosen One isn't who you thought it was. When it comes to "Chosen One" stories, it is typically very obvious and plain as to who it is. However, what if, for the majority of your book, you lead your readers to believe a certain character is the Chosen One when in reality, they aren't. For example, let's take the Harry Potter books and Sybill Trelawney's infamous prophecy, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..."

          The line, "Born as the seven month dies," tells Voldemort, in the books, that the person spoken of in the prophecy would be born at the end of July. Both Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom were born at the end of July, a day apart. The reason Harry was chosen instead of Neville is because of the line, "And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal." This part of the prediction is the one that defined history for these three characters because Voldemort was the one who chose his biggest enemy, Harry or Neville. In the books, Dumbledore once says, "He chose, not the pureblood (which, according to his creed, is the only kind of wizard worth being or knowing), but the half-blood, like himself." He solely chose Harry because of his blood status because that made them equal, in his mind.

          However, despite how much I love Harry Potter, his sassy comments, messy hair, and mild obliviousness, having Neville turn out to be the Chosen One would have been quite the plot twist and made for a really interesting storyline. I, personally, wish somebody would rewrite the series just so I can get that plot twist and see how they utilize it.

          Anyway, in order to do this twist, you would have to make the real Chosen One be a supporting character and not the main one. What if this is revealed right before the real Chosen One dies? Or at the very end? That could be a really fun twist and cliffhanger to do. Especially for readers who may go back and reread your book! They'll then be able to see all the clues and hints they missed the first time!

     I hope these were all helpful and if you have any questions or want more tips on this topic, let me know!

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❛ THEY TOLD ME THAT 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑵𝑫
IS 𝑵𝑬𝑨𝑹, WE GOTTA GET 𝑨𝑾𝑨𝒀
FROM 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴. ❜
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