A thought I had, may or may not write it at some point, but I was hesitating between two similar but slightly-different premises and just wondering which scenario you guys liked best.
I was thinking of maybe writing a story loosely inspired by Kiera Cass’ The Selection. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a YA novel where thirty-five girls are chosen to participate in a competition to become the next Queen/seduce the prince.
I was thinking of potentially doing a vaguely similar premise, where each candidate has to participate in various trials to prove their skills as the next ruler. They can be straightforward and try to win through your skills alone, plot and backstab others, or instead just focus on appealing to the prince/princess’ feelings and marry for love instead.
Now, the part I was unsure about is this:
Would you prefer to be one of the candidates that has to participate in the competition itself and try to claw your way into royalty? Or would you rather be the royal at the very top that gets seduced by everyone else/has to choose their spouse from the available candidates?
A candidate story would be focused more on climbing to the top, fighting other candidates for supremacy through various means, and potentially choosing to not really participate at all despite being chosen–instead opting to aim for another position at court altogether, forming alliances and skills to benefit you in other ways, or even just deciding to romance other candidates or workers instead of aiming for the royal you’re supposed to be aiming for.
A royal story would be focused more on juggling the current political situation, remaining in stable position of power amongst the various factions and groups and dodging any potential coups or assassination attempts, while also gauging and judging each candidate to see which one you think would suit your ruling style best, or which one you prefer as a person in general. You can also choose to throw it all away and instead aim for something more unconventional, like changing the established status quo or romancing a non-candidate… at your own risk, of course.
What do you guys think?
- Be one of the candidates participating in the competition
- Be the royal that has to choose their spouse