《The Concubine's Tomb: A Dungeon Core novel》Author's Interlude: On Revenge Stories
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No revenge tale ends well.
For such a story to be written at all, a terrible injustice must incite it. It begins with horror and loss of some sort. The particulars will vary, but the inciting event is one that cannot be undone or made whole. The main character of such a story is one who has been thrust into a world that, to them, is practically indistinguishable from hell.
The character who ends up seeking revenge has suffered an indignity sufficient to motivate them to become obsessed with it. Their life has permanently been marred by the inciting event, the Terrible Thing that occurred. Their life, their thoughts, their emotions, is dominated by it. There is no forgetting or forgiveness. The injustice that occurred, for the protagonist, is one that never truly ended. At some level, it continues, endlessly.
At every step of the way, a story of revenge is also, to some extent and inescapably, a story of trauma.
And the one(s) responsible for the Terrible Thing? They must exist in a revenge story, be they real or perceived. Without them, there is no tale to tell – or rather, the tale is one of tragedy, but not one of revenge. A revenge story must have its villain, because the main character in a revenge story must have an architect of their sorrow, an adversary whose downfall they can pursue. Very often, that adversary, that pursuit, is the only thing keeping the main character alive at the outset and through most of the story. Absent the goal of revenge, the main character has nothing, or so they believe with every fiber of their being – whether they admit or even realize it.
There are only three possible endings to a revenge story. First, the main character fails to secure his revenge. Second, they obtain it. Third, they abandon the quest. But in a very real sense, which of the three endings we finally come to is not so very important – because there is always, always the aftermath to contend with, and it never sees the main character made whole.
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If the character tries and fails to bring down their adversary, then we have an unadulterated story of defeat and injustice. The bleakness in such a tale is unrelieved. It is nihilism in literary form. I make no judgment regarding the literary worth of such a story, but I would point out the fact that it robs both the character and the reader of catharsis. And catharsis has always been the point of most every story told. The ancient Greeks didn’t create it; they simply recognized the fact.
If the character sees the defeat of his or her adversary, then at least some account has been made of the awful event that set the story in motion – but it cannot ever undo that event. The scars remain, the loss is not offset by gain, but by yet more loss – the costs paid by the main character to obtain revenge at the very least. At every step, the main character is in danger of becoming the thing that he hates, in order to obtain revenge. And if the main character does triumph, then she will have ended her reason to exist. Finding a new one is rarely a simple task. And the possibility of one person’s retribution being another’s Terrible Thing is very real. Too often writers gloss over the aftermath, the grim string of cause and effect that, in the real world, has given rise to endless bloodshed, generation after generation of it.
The third possible ending in a revenge story is the abandonment of the quest. In it, the main character comes to the personal realization that revenge is not worth the cost. They choose to go no further down the dark path they have been travelling, not out of fear or cowardice, but out of realization. They somehow, through internal strength or external grace, fight their way free of the hellscape their existence has become and reach toward something brighter, something better. But even then, they will forever carry the scars of what has been done to them, and whatever they have done in response. Though they may heal, they can never return to being who they were. They can never regain what was lost to them. All they can do is accept it.
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There are no happy endings, when it comes to tales of revenge. The only question a reader should have when embarking on such a journey is how badly will this end?
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My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror
Good things come to those who wait. Damien Vale didn't, and now he's bound to an Eldritch creature from beyond the farthest reaches of the universe. It's unfathomable, utterly evil, and likes to be called Henry. To Damien, none of that mattered. He was going to learn magic, and he'd be damned if he let something as small as this set him back. When Damien started his first year at a mage college, he didn't expect it to be easy. However, when he's assigned to room with a strange girl that has magic that even Henry is wary of, Damien realizes things might not be so easy. He sets out to accomplish his life goal of becoming a powerful mage, all the while dealing with a murderous professor, an eldritch creature that's created a persona to act like a teenager, and a new roomate that's far more perceptive than he'd like. As Damien struggles to deal with the rammifications of the monster within him, a disturbing fact comes to life: Henry might not be the only eldritch creature on the mortal plane, and he's the only one that can stop them. NOTE: This story is progression fantasy with some very basic litRPG elements (such as a wristband that shows a character's stats). It is not a full on litRPG - it's a progression fantasy story with litRPG elements. The story will contain some romance, but it will not be explicit nor will it take over the story. It starts off slow, but will pick up speed quickly around chapter 26. Enjoy! My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror was origonally started as a way to thank my patreons. I will be keeping the patreon updated 15 chapters in advance. Enjoy! Cover art by Skyedrun!
8 2662The Black God
An old archmage sees all his lifework destroyed in the flames of zealotry. His friends and fellows are killed, his home destroyed and he is consigned to eternal imprisonment. But its not the end for Gorren An-Tudok. The old mage has a last trick in his sleeve, one that will see him start a journey into a new world of power and possibilities. The research for revenge and survival will see him ascend to heights unheard of and to reach for divinity itself. From humble beginnings, through obstacles, victory and loss, friends and enemies and family. Facing himself, destiny and the world, moving through the mysteries of magic, will he manage to reach what he wish for? The odyssey of the Black God begins.
8 110The Arcanist Seer
An eye of which sees everything beyond the skies and heavens saw an embodying fate with reek of blood and greed. He who sees the future and yet is restrained by his own shackles of his destiny. An eye that serves a purpose but nothing in exchange for his freedom. Will he remain as a tool of his adversary or escape from his own shackles of fate? This is a story of two old men trying to free from the shackle of their destiny set in a future only to await their impending doom. This is a story of a dead god, and of a storyteller, trying to break from the bonds of the past. And as their stories go, one of them will face the events that unfold in their distant past, as the other one will unveil its mystery predicted by its future. Is it a mistake to challenge fate, after all? *** The world-building is set upon on the universal scale, with dungeon and old-style fantasy. It has a progression that follows with the consistency of a dungeon setting, although it's not what you call a dungeon, but a function of a crystal. There's a lot to take in this novel, but that's all within my intention. I have always enjoyed challenging conventional ideas. The cover is not mine, it's just temporary.
8 204ES Modern Dungeon
A sequel to the ES Organic Dungeon. Think off it as a Book 2 What would happen if a powerfull dungeon was transported into modern world? With a humanish body? Join Josh's adventures and find what would happen if an individual held untold power that could shake the planets and obliterate cities! Discord server link: https://discord.gg/anXeQu2ATX First book necessary to understand mc better: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/43878/es-organic-dungeon Cover made by wombo art app from prompt Wall of flesh in dark fantasy category. If you are reading this on any other site than Royal Road you are getting scammed. I only post here on Royal Road. If by any chance I decide to to post on any other site I will write it in a synopsis here.
8 86Riddick/ Against the Heavens
SUMMARY: In a world where magic and magical beasts are omnipresent, the nature's law of strong ruling over the weak is followed everywhere. Controlled by Immortals who transcended the limits of mortality this world has mages and warriors as it's elites, all with the same goal of becoming an immortal. In the vast universe this world is an unremarkable one with no treasures but countless dangers where mortals are seen as nothing but cannon fodder for the strong. Riddick was born in this world as a son of a mere mortal. Join him in his journey as he paves a path to the epitome of immortality. He starts his journey with a small dream but will soon realise his destiny as the fate shows its cruelty.IMP NOTE : My work has no relation to Vin Diesel's Riddick movie. This is not a Riddick fan fiction but some thing which will come under Xianxia genre. Edit #1 - Please understand that this is my first work and I have improved a lot till the current chapter. I have yet to rewrite the beginning chapters and I am aware that they aren't really good. Still I hope you can read past the book 1 so you can enjoy the book just like many others who wait for it.Edit 2 # - This is an initial draft and sooner or later, I will definitely rewrite it all into an authentic book.Thank you, Gsd reddy.
8 161The Alpha's Protector
Lena has lived her entire life knowing one thing and one thing only, protect the Prince of Wolves. She is a protector, one of the few in the world set cursed with the protector genes. She protects the supernatural world of wolves from afar, but as a Vampire King plots his revenge, she's thrust into the world a lot closer than she anticipated. Tyler, the Prince and only son to Ashe and Xander Marcus, and Class-A Player. Everyone expects him to save himself for his mate, but as his 15th birthday passes by and she has not found him, he gives up hope. When the Vampire King gets closer and closer, he threatens Tyler's mate, but who is Tyler's mate?A certain little stubborn Protector. ***Spin off from The Fox and the Alpha; can be read alone.
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