1. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    So, The Chosen one is Evil (Would this interest people?)

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by halisme, Jul 27, 2016.

    While discussing the traditional fantasy formula as well as standard YA fiction tropes with a friend of mine, I had a weird idea for a story that I think has been done before, but I'm not sure if it has, nor am I sure if people were to be interested.

    In the more cliche aspects of fantasy, the "Hero", normally born in a small village to absent parents, is prophesied to slay the dark lord and bring peace to the world and yadda yadda yadda. My question is, what if this trope was inverted, where the world is at peace, and the main character is prophesied to be the dark lord who brings ruin to it?

    I know as a basic premise its remarkably none specific and depending on your characters you could around fifty different plots, I ask has this premise been done before, and is it interesting to people?
     
  2. Midnight_Adventurer

    Midnight_Adventurer Active Member

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    Hello there!

    This reminds me of a particular character, what's his name. He's always wearing black...oh yes, Darth Vader. Anikan Skywalker was the chosen one who'd bring order and balance to the galaxy but plunged it into darkness instead. Way to go Anikan! :rofl:
    But seriously, to me it's an interesting idea, it would essentially be a story told from the antagonists p.o.v, correct? Would they even know/see themselves as evil? I am intrigued!
     
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  3. Mumble Bee

    Mumble Bee Keep writing. Contributor

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    Obi:You're going to bring balance to the force realm!
    Totally not Anikan: Seems pretty peaceful to m-
    O:Things are going to be so great once you fix them!
    TnA: Seriously, things are good, all we'd do is mess thin-
    O:I'm going to cut off yours legs, arm, and set you on fire some day.
    TnA:I... I'm going to go back to being a slave.
    O: O no you're not. I need me my TnA.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 28, 2016
  4. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    Anakin was still chosen to do good, he just went the long way round. I'm talking about a character who's told explicitly that their mission Is to be evil whether they want to or not.
     
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  5. obsidian_cicatrix

    obsidian_cicatrix I ink, therefore I am. Contributor

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    Okay then, how about Damien Thorn? He just about ticks all your boxes. :) Born under a bad sign; struggled as a child to come to terms with his destiny until various minions make themselves known to him, and guide him into that life. They make no bones whatsover as to his purpose, and it doesn't take too long before he starts to embrace the fact that he is the anti-christ.
     
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  6. Sniam

    Sniam Member

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    Almost every villain actually believe they are doing the right thing that no one else dares to do. You can't be a villain just because you're a bad guy,
    right ?
    Let's think about fairy tales : In Snow White, the evil witch is not that evil, if you consider that she's defending her hard won beauty against someone which didn't even try in the first place. In Cinderella, well the evil step-mother is not that evil given she's keeping Cinderella under her roof even if she's not her real daughter. Of course she would love her daughters way more. In the Lion King, Scar is actually trying to replace the king because he's not helping any other species than the lions, and that he wants equality between hyenas and other species. He would have been a good guy if his face wasn't sca(r)ry! and if he hadn't taken so much joy from killing his brother of course
    In almost every plot, the bad guy is not a bad guy if he's asked so. He's doing what is necessary - well, they are of course exceptions of chaotic bad people, but not that many. Hell, was Voldemort really a bad guy, trying to make every one understand that pure wizards were more powerful than mixed-blood wizards ? just kidding, his methods were awful don't get me wrong

    My point is, you could totally create a story where the Chosen One is convinced he's good but is actually considered as evil from most of the population. So, if he's promised to destroying the world, he'll try to do everything to avoid it but clumsily bring the world further to its end every time he takes action. "I'm gonna stay away from any villages and live in a mountain because I don't want to endanger people." One landslide later, he's the only one who survived. "Okay I'm going to stay in town but not make any contact with anyone." Plague begins to spread, he's the only one untouched. "Fuck it I'm going to act like an actual person." Random monsters show up and leave him be while gnawing on other citizens. "Fuuuuuuuuuuu-"
     
  7. CrusherBrooks

    CrusherBrooks Member Supporter

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    I've been playing with the idea for a while, though in my case it's a group of people who do what they believe is the right thing to do (ordered by the king etc) but over the course of the story realize they're bringing terror and destruction in the name of what is essentially a dark lord. There's quite a big problem with the dark lord statement on itself (in my world view where the majority of people are opposed to blatant acts of 'evil'); the conqueror gets to write the history books. Which means that the conquered gets depicted as the bad guy in pretty much every case. I'm pretty sure that if you're an orc, Melkor/Morgoth tells you about how awfully the elves treated him in captivity and how he's being hunted by the descendants of this insane religiously zealous Feanor. Plus, just to bug him and all his happy minions, they created the freakin' SUN. Not to mention that they killed Sauron. He's still ok though, just his body is dead. These little jewels I put in my iron crown which I mysteriously took with me while the Noldor are furious about the Silmarillions? Never you mind that little orc, I found them on my way over here. Silly elves froze to death and left these sparkles behind.
    Maybe better than setting up a reign of terror in an otherwise peaceful world, your dark lord can start out ambitiously trying to unite the warring kingdoms, but ending up an oppressive tyrant? There's a prophecy that gives him a large follower basis, but increasingly the MC finds that it's more effective to use fear and lies to reach his goals, eventually using every dirty trick in the book acted out by his zealous followers? He was supposed to unite the kingdoms... Nobody foretold how. That's how I'd do it.
     
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  8. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

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    "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, had the premise of "The Omen", except the future Dark Lord and an ordinary child got switched at birth. The Dark Lord grew up in a normal, loving household, while the ordinary kid had evil nannies trying to get him to manifest his powers and sacrifice goats and stuff (it's been a while since I read it).
     
  9. Sal Boxford

    Sal Boxford Senior Member

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    I like the idea, even if it has been done a few times. Still feels like there's plenty of potential in it.

    I'm also a big fan of the idea of people who believe they are doing the right thing but actually causing a lot of harm: probably how most of the evil in the world comes about yes? "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to be a bit confused about the situation." I have a story about this that I'm working on. In my story they're acting on their own initiative and never work out that they're wrong until it all goes to hell.

    @Iain Aschendale I wish I could read Pratchett. His premises always so so funny and so up my street but his style makes me want to punch people. I should get someone to 'translate' Pratchett for me.
     
  10. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    "Nobody is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart, for his purity, by definition, is unassailable."
    — James Baldwin

    I prefer this style of villain as well. They make the most sense.
     
  11. Sal Boxford

    Sal Boxford Senior Member

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    I hadn't heard that quote. Nice. And I agree these villains make more sense (and probably have the greatest effect on the reader because you know that could be you in a way that villains who get up in the morning and think 'What great injustices can I create today? Maybe I'll kick a small child?' couldn't).
     
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  12. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    Instead it's more along the lines of "Small children make unnecessary noises, promoting anger in people which increase aggression and accidents within society. Therefore, we must ban small children.
     
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  13. Sniam

    Sniam Member

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    From the Marvel series Daredevil, two vigilantes had a conversation that is relevant here. The Punisher is someone who kills bad guys while Daredevil bring them to justice. The Punisher says to Daredveil : "You're just one bad day away from being me. That's all it takes, one bad day."
    That could help you in building a villain character :)
     
  14. Iain Aschendale

    Iain Aschendale Lying, dog-faced pony Marine Supporter Contributor

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    I'm in favor of that :)
     
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  15. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    I currently have two ideas for plots which use the basic premise so:

    Plot A: MC is born into a society in which everyone's role in society is decided by prophecy. You go to a priest, they perform a ritual, and see aspects of your future. MC comes along, and the priest who sees, and has someone else come for confirmation. They're forced to run away, and the prophecy more or less becomes self fulfilling as he falls in with the local evil deity.

    Plot B: MC has a desire to bring back a parent dead parent, and they start dabbling in necromancy and things along those lines. Their teacher is aware of the prophecy as is the MC to a lesser extent, but as is traditional, most people will ignore things that make them look bad, and their are other people they think fit it better.
     
  16. Mumble Bee

    Mumble Bee Keep writing. Contributor

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    Plot C: MC accidentally completes a ritual that summons a very powerful demon, his castle, and a bunch of henchmen. The demon is all gungho on taking over the world, in fact that's part of their contract. If the MC stops actively trying to take over the world, the demon will possess him and/or bad stuff happens to him.

    Think of it like people who want unemployment. They have to seem like they're applying for a job, but they don't want to land one.

    I think it'd be funny to have an evil overlord, who everyone is terrified of, whose purposely trying to do a bad job, but can't do too bad of a job or hes toast.

    "I have to stay alive, because if I die, I'll be replaced by an even eviler and overlordier guy..."
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 28, 2016
  17. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    "Why does my armour have so many spikes on?"

    "Shut up Carl."

    If I was doing a comedy version, I would go for this, but it doesn't have the whole "chosen one prophecy element".
     
  18. Mumble Bee

    Mumble Bee Keep writing. Contributor

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    "But I want to seem evil, not unapproachable!"

    "Carl, you will wear the spiky armor, give an evil speech, sacrifice that goat, and enjoy every bit of it!"

    I mean you can always make him chosen, but it is up to you what you do, so I wont push it.
     
  19. Rita M Gardner

    Rita M Gardner Member

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    Is the chosen one evil and thinks (s)he's doing good, or is he/she evil and owns it in every way shape and form? I think the latter would be interesting, but at the same time, could send the wrong message to impressionable readers.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2016
  20. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    "But Jerry."

    "I told you, my name's not Jerry, it's Juraxus, destroyer of worlds and lord of the aether!"
     
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  21. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    Starting with the first and likely ending as the latter.
     
  22. Rita M Gardner

    Rita M Gardner Member

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    So
    Hm. I'm trying to think of how that would work. How would the character discover that what (s)he is doing is wrong? And will (s)he say "okay, that's cool, but this is what I'm supposed to do so I'm doing it."? I'm just curious how it would work. Again, it seems interesting, and I am interested I hearing more. I hope you move forward with it :).

    I'm wondering about the conflict the character will have with him/her self.
     
  23. Simpson17866

    Simpson17866 Contributor Contributor

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    I believe you're looking for the Anti Anti Christ

    EDIT read the rest of the thread:
    Then Let Me Be Evil ?
     
  24. halisme

    halisme Contributor Contributor

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    Be careful linking to that site. People get lost in there ;).
     
  25. Mumble Bee

    Mumble Bee Keep writing. Contributor

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    Ohh, write about the creator of a website who takes over the world through said website. One that sucks peoples lives in, has them compulsively posting on forums about things, using that outlet, instead of actually following through with their dream-

    Wait.

    I need to go lay down.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 28, 2016

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