Reverse Harem Story Ideas and Writing Prompts

Looking for enticing reverse harem story ideas and writing prompts? You’ve come to the right place!

Read on for ideas like a group of tenants crushing on their landlady, a witch with green thumbs being courted by the nature spirits who live in her garden, and many more!

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The Definition of Reverse Harem Story
- Criticisms
- How to write a reverse harem story
Reverse Harem Story Ideas
- Reverse harem picture writing prompts
More?

The Definition of Reverse Harem Story

A reverse harem story is a subgenre of fiction, typically in anime, manga, visual novels or otome games, in which a female protagonist is surrounded by a group of male characters who are all potential love interests.

The term “reverse harem” is a play on the term “harem,” which refers to a situation in which a male character is surrounded by a group of potential female love interests.

In reverse harem stories like Neck-Romancer, for example, the focus is on the female protagonist and her romantic relationships with the male characters. Often, the story centers on the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery and her growing feelings for the different men. The reverse harem story usually includes elements of fantasy, supernatural, romance, and comedy, and may also include a mix of action, drama, and fantasy.

Criticisms

While reverse harem genre may be popular among some readers, it has also faced criticism for a number of reasons, including its reinforcement of traditional gender roles, lack of character development and complex relationships, and lack of representation of diverse and marginalized characters.

Therefore, if you aspire to write a story in the genre, try to subvert cliché tropes, make sure that the leading lady has her own agency, and be sure to include a diverse characters.

How to write a reverse harem story

Writing a reverse harem story involves creating a narrative where one female protagonist is romantically pursued by multiple male love interests. Here are some tips to help you write a reverse harem story:

1. Create a strong and relatable protagonist: Your female protagonist should be a character that readers can root for and connect with, possessing a distinct personality, goals, and motivations that drive the story forward.

2. Develop unique male love interests: Each male love interest should have a distinct personality and background that sets him apart from the others. Consider giving them different strengths, weaknesses, and quirks to make them stand out.

3. Build romantic tension: As with any romance story, creating moments of tension and chemistry between the protagonist and her male love interests (through dialogue, actions, physical touch, etc.) is crucial.

4. Incorporate conflict: To keep the story engaging, introduce conflicts that threaten the relationship between the protagonist and her male love interests such as jealousy, external obstacles, internal struggles, etc.

5. Explore the dynamics between the characters: Create tension and conflict between the male characters as they compete for the protagonist’s affection or explore a polyamorous relationship dynamic.

6. Add other elements to the story: Many reverse harem stories incorporate other elements like fantasy, mystery, or action, which can add depth and complexity to the story and keep readers engaged.

Overall, writing a reverse harem story requires creating compelling characters and building romantic tension between them. By following these tips, you can create a story that engages readers and keeps them invested in the characters and their relationships.

Reverse Harem Story Ideas

Let’s dive in for some intriguing reverse harem story ideas and writing prompts!

I hope the ideas below are original. However, undoubtedly with the popularity of this trope, something similar could have existed out there already. But the smallest details and execution matter, and make all the difference!

Please note that the genders in these prompts and story ideas are just placeholders. It is not the intention to enforce any hurtful stereotypes or offend anyone.

Manuscript Critique

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1. The Apocalypse

Following a freaky apocalypse, the birth rate of female babies are declining. Women become scarce, but instead becoming precious commodities (which is so cliché, right?), women rise to the top of the command chain and societies are becoming matriarchal, taking up many partners and making most of the societal decisions.

2. The Promises

This is a more comedic take of the genre. A couple promises their daughter to more than one family’s heir in order to secure their own safety, hoping that somehow, some of those families would forget about the promise in twenty years or so, or would perish before they could collect on the promise. News flash: they don’t.

3. The Inheritance

(This prompt is based more or less on the traditional practices of polyandrous marriage in some cultures.) Fearing that his immense wealth would be torn to pieces when his children marry, a father specifies in his will that his children will only get their inheritance if they all marry the same woman.

4. The Bodyguards

A princess grows up among the children of the King’s bodyguards, and among those children, the male ones are trained to be her own trusted bodyguards. When she finds out that her betrothed is a cruel prince, her bodyguards (who are all secretly in love with her) help her escape the arranged marriage, and together, they establish an arrangement of their own.

5. The Landlady

Facing the threat of foreclosure, a woman has to lease out the rooms in her humongous house. Her house is close to the fire station, and so, over time she has accumulated a group of tenants consisting of solely firefighters. Single, too, at that. And due to her friendliness and charisma, all of them have a crush on her.

6. The Goddess

A supernatural story. In a certain kingdom, tradition dictates that the successor to the King is someone who is blessed by the Goddess who embodies a sacred tree that has been living in the palace courtyard since the conception of the kingdom. When the King passes away, all his heirs try to win the Goddess’ favor. But this time around, the Goddess is simply too enthralled by all her suitors that she doesn’t want to choose just one.

7. The Queen

The people has been wanting a King for their Queen for a long time to help her run the kingdom and attend to royal duties. But what they don’t know is that she has a close bond with all her royal advisors who have been by her side since the day she ascended to the throne.

Reverse harem picture writing prompts

A picture speaks a thousand words, so here are some intriguing reverse harem writing prompts and story ideas inspired by a picture. Please click on each picture to learn more about it.

1. When her mafia father passes away, a woman suddenly finds that she’s the only person capable of taking up the mantle left by her father. Facing opposition from a few of her father’s youngest righthand men, she challenges each of them to a one-on-one duel and comes up not only winning their loyalties, but also affections.

(Please click on the image for more information about it.)

2. A recluse witch with a gentle love for gardening gets the surprise of her life when, one day, the nature spirits in said garden make themselves known to her and profess their love for her.

(Please click on the image for more information about it.)

3. Following the sudden death of her estranged parents, a woman finds herself to be the sole inheritor of their castle, and debts. With the help of some of the castle staffs (who have been her childhood friends and have secret crushes on her), her new life, as well as the staffs, slowly grow on her.