Character Type and Trope Thesaurus: The Chosen One

In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes���”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another.

Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and what role the nerd, dark lord, femme fatale, or monster hunter will play. As authors, we need to recognize the commonalities for each trope so we can write them in a recognizable way and create a rudimentary sketch for any character we want to create.

But when it comes to characters, no one wants just a sketch; we want a vibrant and striking cast full of color, depth, and contrast. Diving deeper into character creation is especially important when starting with tropes because the blessing of their familiarity is also a curse; without differentiation, the characters begin to look the same from story to story.

But no more. The Character Type and Trope Thesaurus allows you to outline the foundational elements of each trope while also exploring how to individualize them. In this way, you’ll be able to use historically tried-and-true character types to create a cast for your story that is anything but traditional.

The Chosen One

DESCRIPTION: This character is predetermined by fate, prophecy, or a higher power to save the world or do something equally heroic that no one else can do. They frequently possess special abilities���magical, supernatural, or symbolic���that set them apart from others.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Harry Potter (the Harry Potter series), Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Rand al’Thor (the Wheel of Time series), Paul Atreides (Dune), Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

COMMON STRENGTHS: Adventurous, Ambitious, Bold, Courageous, Enthusiastic, Focused, Honorable, Hospitable, Independent, Industrious, Observant, Persistent, Private, Resourceful, Responsible, Talented

COMMON WEAKNESSES: Apathetic, Cocky, Cowardly, Indecisive, Inhibited, Insecure, Uncooperative

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES
Having special birth circumstances or lineage
Being driven by purpose
Being highly responsible
Eagerly accepting new challenges
Being respected or well-liked by supporters and allies
Feeling like they were made for more
Having a powerful sense of duty
Being generally optimistic
Being especially gifted in some way
Working hard to achieve their goals
Having a strong moral code
Having a strong sense of justice
Self-sacrificing
Becoming a good leader over the course of the story
Taking on more personal responsibility than is reasonable
Developing their talents so they can complete their task
Having deep resources of strength (or developing them) to draw from
Willingly putting themselves in harm’s way
Accepting guidance and mentorship
Not caring if they garner recognition for their actions
Wanting to give up at times
Being too trusting of the prophecy that set them apart
Declining help when it’s offered
Struggling with personal flaws or demons
Resenting the burden they’ve been given
Showing an initial reluctance to take on the task

SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM
The death of a mentor
Encountering an obstacle outside the scope of the prophecy they’ve relied on
Doubting the loyalty of an ally (because of miscommunication, uncertain motivations, etc.)
Finding out the prophecy was meant for someone else
Discovering the prophecy didn’t mean what they thought it did

INNER STRUGGLES TO GIVE THEM DEPTH
Struggling with impostor syndrome
Doubting their abilities
Having a deep sense of responsibility but feeling unprepared or unworthy to face their task
Feeling as if they must do everything on their own despite needing wise guidance and help
Having to choose between the welfare of a loved one and the good of the many
Having to sacrifice a dream to save the world
Realizing that having personal relationships will always put those people in danger from the evil the character is fighting

TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO���
Thinks he was chosen to be a villain but ends up acting heroically instead
Initially fails to overcome evil and must develop as a person before succeeding
Is part of a team of uniquely gifted chosen ones who must work together to achieve victory
Learns new information that causes them to challenge the prophecy and attempt to redirect the outcome
Acts as a catalyst for mass change rather than being the sole hero of the story
Knows they aren’t the chosen one but takes on the role anyway
Has an atypical trait: Timid, flamboyant, weak-willed, foolish, scatterbrained, etc.

CLICH��S TO BE AWARE OF
An obscure farm boy who finds out he possesses magical powers and masters his abilities very quickly
An unskilled technician who receives overwhelming support as the chosen one with little resistance from others
A chosen one who wants to save the world by themselves but must accept the help of others to succeed
A too-specific prophecy that makes the plot predictable
A too-vague prophecy that generates no tension in the plot

Other Type and Trope Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (16 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

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