Iâve been trying to figure out how to frame this right every time I remember how irritated fictional monarchies make me. I think Iâve finally figured it out, so here goes:
So we all know a monarchical system of government is⌠bad, right? Like, history has countless examples of âhey maybe birthright rule is not the right way to run a countryâ AND YET many a fantasy will not blink twice at 'the good queen of the right blood replaced the bad king of the wrong blood and everyone was happy againâ ending, despite the obvious solution of the bad king not being a thing if we just got rid of kings. So many fantasies about princes and princesses and like⌠man, thereâs got to be other interesting fantasy characters out there not so beheld to holding up the status quo. Like, c'mon.
(Obligatory disclaimer, yes you are allowed to have monarchies in your fiction and no, you do not have to bend over backwards to point out that monarchies are bad or whatever, especially if your book is about something else. This is just my particular hill to die on.)
Letâs say we do want to point this out via a sympathetic villain character, because thatâs an interesting plot development. So say your bad guyâs like 'hey, monarchies suckâ and your heroâs like 'yes good point Big-Fat-Ugly-Bug-Face-Baby-Eating O'Brien but the theme of this book is recovering from trauma and thereâs just no room for the chaotic upheaval changing our entire government would cause.â
So what do you do? You canât change the system of government overnight in any realistic or satisfying manner. Big-Fat-Ugly-Bug-Face-Baby-Eating O'Brien might have a good point, but heâs also not going to make that point by eating babies. Well, you could try:
The Killmonger Method - The movie Black Panther did a pretty good job at having a villain with several good points about how Wakandaâs society was wrong, but went about proving them the wrong way. However, at the end of the movie, T'Challa came to see the value of those points, and started taking steps to correct it. He didnât throw out Wakandaâs entire system, but he did recognize it was time for change. Your characters could do the same.
The 'Hey, Other People Have This Point Tooâ Method - How do we avoid the issue of having a valid point wrapped in the cloak of evil (therefore making that point seem bad)? By having more than the villain make it. Maybe there are several people, groups, or organizations seeking change. They donât all have to agree, and they might not get what they want at the end of the book (especially if you donât have the page count to overthrow a system of government), but your hero becoming aware of them and opening up to change is worth exploring.
Progress Via Contact (not Colonization) - Your characterâs worldview expands as they discover other nations, other forms of governance, and other approaches to society. Forming alliances, relationships, and trading with these other nations could bring change on its own.
The Nuclear Option - You could just break everything. I know this seems like a bad idea now, but what if? What happens if the world is shattered, and has to be rebuilt? Can you find hope in that narrative? A way to make things better the second go-around?
Now Iâve made this very specifically about systems of government, but swap it out with systems of magic, societal structure, etc and it hopefully works the same. The main take away is that you donât have to change the world, but if the bad guy is actually right about change needing to happen, you at least need to leave the door open for that possibility. Even if the main character is the only one to realize that, even if that places a mountain in front of what seemed like a smooth path to a happy ending, it is worth exploring.
(Obligatory disclaimer the second: BIPOC and other marginalized folks who are only recently getting more opportunities to tell their own stories absolutely get a pass on the whole monarchy thing. Iâm very specifically talking about Generic Bland Fantasy that could take the opportunity to shake things up, but donât. Missed opportunities, is all Iâm saying.)
