I wanna story where the "chosen one" says - No thanks. Then walks into the sunset with his dog. (Cause you ain't killing scruffy either.)
Not the standard "try to refuse but end up pressured into it" but a full-on "Nope. Not going to happen." And s/he stands by it and lets the world burn, and isn't even sorry. I like it! It could be the start of a new sort of post-apocalyptic series!
The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind is a good example of well done "Chosen One." My problem with the "Chosen One" is simply that it reveals to you the ending before you even started. It's like going to the movies to see The Usual Suspects and the person you're with telling you that Keyser Soeze is actually Spoiler: Blank Kevin Spacey as soon as he pops on screen. Besides that, many of the issues aren't necessarily mandatory. Your hero doesn't have to be arrogant, all-powerful, or even overly succussful. Your "Chosen One" can be enslaved and forced to watch everyone close to him/her die. Through a direct result of his/her actions they could have people that had depended on him/her caused irreparable damage. It doesn't have to be peaches and cream, but any "Chosen One" story that deviates too far from reality (not talking about being set in a fantasy world) is worth having the book tossed in a corner to gather some dust.
I'm also a fan of the idea of someone who refuses to be the chosen one. Alternatively, I like the idea of being the chosen one, but that by taking on the role the individual also destinies themselves to sacrifice something/someone dear to them, or they question their role along the way. To stretch this idea in a story somewhat, in Darren Shan's The Thin Executioner the main character puts himself into the role of the chosen one, under the pretense that they would sacrifice another human in order to gain great power from their God. This trope is played with later on... Spoiler: Continuation At the end of the story, the protagonist has befriended the sacrifice, and has issues accepting what he must do because it will result in the loss of one of his only friends. Basically (in my opinion) being a Chosen One is fine, but it's more bearable to readers nowadays if it plays with the trope in a way that isn't the standard way of it working.
I'm so sorry @Lea`Brooks, but I feel the need to just leave this here as the theme song to this thread: To answer your question though, personally I can't really get behind 'chosen one' stories. Similar to what @Tenderiser said - I feel that it is sort of a cop out. It can make character motivations redundant because their choice and freedom to decide is revoked - because it is prophesied. Everything that happens in the story can then unfold simply because it is foretold and not because of plot points x, y and z. On a really personal note though, I find most chosen one stories happen in high fantasy stories, and I'm really not a fan of the genre so I guess that does make me a little biased. However, I will say that I do enjoy a good trope subversion, and if you can find a way to turn it on it's head a bit and add a bit of a new spin on it then go for it, I think that's what modern audiences would want to see.
I want one where somebody is hailed as a Chosen One, things are going good for a while, and then...they fail, bringing ruin on the people they were supposed to save. So basically a story with the Bar Kokhba Revolt as its inspiration. Probably couldn't do the "Chosen One" as the protagonist; maybe the protagonist could be some important figure who is initially skeptical, sort of comes around at the height of good fortune, and then has to pick up the pieces after the supposed Chosen One has failed. I've tinkered with the idea a bit, but never settled on specifics that I felt worked.
I did like the Mistborn series. In that one Spoiler: Super Secret Stuff The "Prophesized one turns out not to be the character you expected the whole time. The prophesies were well crafted to point to one character but they could easily point to another. It totally kicked ass. Don't read that spoiler if you ever plan on reading the series.
I am going to ask a herethical question: Does the Chosen One have to be chosen by some higher power? What if he/she decides themselves to be such a one? Aside from that.. I am a fan of personal decisions. It is so much fun to see my MCs mucking up
"Oh to hell with you and all your prophecy nonsense. I know you want me to engage in some epic showdown with evil mister scary pants. Well screw that, I have a much better idea. We find out where he lives, kidnap his evil ass in the middle of the night while he is sleeping. Then we feed him through a wood chipper feet first. There hows that sound." "Well outside of the whole wood chipper thing you speak of I like it." 72hours later... "What is that infernal device, it done ate my feet. Ahhh, my evil vile feet, AHHHHHHH..." (High Five) and done. "Wanna grab a brew?' "Yeah sure, that worked out better than I thought."
I think, as a writer, it's your responsibility to take care of your audience. There is definitely an audience that responds to chosen ones. So, make that your audience and aim to wow them.
"Damn it George! You keep coddling the boy and he will never grow up to be a man. Timmy pack your shit, we are going off to join the service, you get to learn what it is like to grow a pair of balls and be a real man. Cause your father would rather just say you're 'special', and I will have none of that shit filling my boys head. What a disappointment you are George. Call me when you find you manly bits and can act like it." Sorry, you set it up so well, it tempted me.
My work in progress has a chosen one but he isn't the protagonist, he is in fact the love interest. He loves the hell out of being the chosen one while my main character is trying to be a hero in her own right. The chosen one stuff isn't even the focus of the book. I not completely sure whether its working well but its there at the moment. I imagine him like Harry potter from this bit.
There`s nothing wrong with the chosen one within it`self it`s done a lot and for good reason. People like and not just because were predictable, but it appeals to a sense of, there`s something greater for us waiting out there to whisk me away from my job at Mcchucklefingers. One of the reason one of the first comics I ever picked up was Spiderman (interestingly enough I know live in the hometown of his cocreator. Conidince but interesting none the less) is because I could relate to it and I could or rather wanted to see myself as Parker. I was young, and nerdy without a lot of friends like most versions of teenage Peter the idea of one day becoming something else, something greater it`s appealing. You`ll find it in chosen ones superheroes, myths, religion, and a slew of other places. As for whether or not it can be done right, anything can be. The shows are all subjective, arts in the eye of the beholder and yada yada. I`ve always been a proponent, on even if the idea isn`t original at first if you can make it your own it`s still a success. My own two cents, however, is happenstance. I`ve been fond of happenstance chose ones for a long time. No prophecy's or blood lines but there chosen because it has to be them something occurs that mean no one else can do it. Radioactive spider bit Peter on the arm bam, wham, and shazm he`s spiderman and is the chosen one because he`s been giving powers that allow him to do things others can`t thus making him the hero. He was chosen but by dumb luck (well ok...you could argue fate...if you wanted to.) I`ve never liked the idea, that the spider bit Peter for any special reason or that his genes were encoded for the mutanoin....no. It just happened and changed his life, that happens in real life all the time. Maybe not to that degree but many life changing events aren`t foretold of by Wisemen they just happen. Same thing in Mass Effect, sure Shep was being evaluated for Spectres and was an accomplished marine by that time but what really made her aware of the reapers, willing to hunt down Saren, able to understand Prothen vi`s, and etc was the beacon. Well ok, the cypher allowed him to understand Prothen but the beacon is why he needed, the cypher. The message didn`t scan him and deem him worthy, heck he/she was pushing a squadmate out of the way. If Shep had reacted a few seconds slower, Kaiden or Ashley would have been the chosen ones. Yes Shep was a chosen one, only one capable of taking out the reapers is said again and again in me3 and maybe 2 I don`t recall every little bit of dialogue. There was even a prophetic message, well ok it was technically a warning message, but it served prophetic function story wise. Sheps skill set allowed him/her to actually accomplish their missons without dieing but the thing made them specil was the beacon, that just locked onto to whoever was near. That`s more realistic in my eyes, sure there still chosen ones in a way but the life changing events didn`t pick them out by scanning their soul. Happenstance, an event happened that was unforeseen and just so happened to occur to the person thus changing their life. Those happen all the time in real life, though maybe at a smaller scale than alien beacons and radioactive spiders.
Ok, so I've just realized that most of these responses (my first one included) focus on being the chosen one as a plot device and motivation. What about when characters gain traits because of them being the chosen one? @Lea`Brooks mentioned earlier in the thread that she wanted her character to be given a specific skill because she is the chosen one- what do people think of that notion? Personally, I think my reaction to it would depend on the delivery of the story more than anything else. I'd probably want to know why the gods chose her specifically, or if they distribute powers of different types to multiple people. Would they make backup chosen ones with the same skill, just in case one of them fails to achieve their desired purpose? It could also be used as a source of conflict- how do the gods react when their chosen one defies their destiny, or misuses their given abilities, or tries to prioritise other goals above their destiny?
No no, I'm cutting out all the boring stuff (like character and relationship development) and just leaving the sex scenes. That way intelligent people can enjoy it as well as silly romance fans! I am genius.
One of the few books I literally couldn't get past Chapter Three (maybe it was a bit further, but I did end up packing up well before the middle) was like that. The Chosen One had many wonderful attributes. Any that she didn't have were filled by her brilliant (but inexplicably called-away on business more urgent than Saving The World) father, who had a friend in every conceivable speciality willing would drop everything and come running to help CO. So, the Chosen One and her team of advisers isn't a guarantee against Chosen One haters. Incidentally, is it a coincidence that both the CO I hated and your CO are female, and both have a team of helpers? Is this putting out the message that only a man can be a Chosen One alone?
I want to read a story where a Chosen One goes to confront the bad guy...only to join his/her ranks to play detective and find out what made the person do what he/she does. When he/she is discovered, the villain tries to woo the Chosesn One.
By the power of the mighty penis! Alternativly, it could be in a society that recognises everyone has their own strengths and that no one can do everything makes it so the hero needs help. While one that believes a male person is capable of doing everything needs help.
If they're not chosen by someone else, they're not the chosen one, they're just the main character. The whole point of the 'Chosen One' is that they didn't get to decide, they were Chosen. As for the original question, it's partly because the story has been executed so poorly, so many times. There's no problem with a higher power choosing the main character to have some special ability, or to be the only one who can accomplish something. The problem comes when, rather than being the only one who *Can* do something, they become the one who automatically *Will* do something. Harry Potter is the only one who can kill Voldemort, but Voldemort can kill Harry Potter right back, so that's okay. When Anakin Skywalker is destined to 'Bring balance to the Force', no matter what else happens, then it stops becoming a tense story and starts becoming 'How long is this going to take? I have a dinner date.'
Because she's a time jumper! Or will be..... She does her stuff in the present, then go back in time and does her stuff in the past. So this group of people who worship the gods give the power to my MC at her birth (per direction of the gods), and it's going to turn into an wonderfully confusing and hopefully humorous exchange about why they gave her the power. "Why me?" "Because they told us to." "But I hadn't done anything to deserve it." "Not yet." "Wha-- I was just a baby! Why couldn't you have just given it to someone else?" "Because it had already been given to you." "Just because that was me in the past doesn't mean you couldn't give it to someone else in the present." "The past cannot be changed." "I'm not talking about the past, I'm talking about when I was born!" Well, not exactly like that, but close. And this conversation won't happen until all goals have been accomplished already. My MC is going to live her life thinking she received her magic in a fluke, not through divine intervention. And there's no prophecy to tell her what to do, so she has to rely on her own judgment and the advice from her friends to make decisions about her path. And, there's no hint that she's the person from the past. She finds out all at one time, after the big bad has been defeated. I dunno, I really like it. lol I know it's a little confusing, what with the time traveling and all. The gods granting her the power in the present because they saw how much she accomplished in the past. But I'm going to leave it a little unresolved. I think it's more fun that way. Thanks for all your input, guys!
But Anakin still turns back to the light in the end, and fulfills the prophecy. I'm talking about one where the suspected Chosen One turns out to be completely and totally false. The prophecy itself might or might not be true and eventually fulfilled, but that person was not the one it spoke of. So yeah, Simon bar Kokhba is basically what I'm thinking of here.
