If Survival Demanded a Price
No heroes. No easy choices.
There’s a version of the story we all crave.
The one where the right thing is clear.
Where the villain is obvious.
Where good triumphs.
Where the hero walks away clean.
But that version rarely survives the real world.
Because sometimes, survival demands a price.
And there is no “right choice.”
Just consequences—some immediate, some that echo for years.
I’ve always been drawn to the in-between.
To the moments that split a soul down the middle:
Do you save your flesh and blood, knowing the cost will make someone else call you a monster?
Do you keep your hands clean—or do the thing no one else is willing to do?
What if no matter what you choose…
you’re branded the villain?
There are no clean wins in these moments.
Only the weight of them.
And maybe that’s why these kinds of characters haunt me.
Not because they’re perfect.
But because they’re presented the impossible.
And still—they choose.
The question isn’t “What would the hero do?”
The question is:
What would you be willing to lose… to protect your family?
Or worse—to save yourself?
And who would you become if the cost was everything?
That’s the tension that lives in the quiet corners of my work.
The question beneath the magic.
No right. No wrong. Just… choice.
And the price that follows.
— C.S. Evermore
The Nixian Chronicles: The Awakening
There’s a version of the story we all crave.
The one where the right thing is clear.
Where the villain is obvious.
Where good triumphs.
Where the hero walks away clean.
But that version rarely survives the real world.
Because sometimes, survival demands a price.
And there is no “right choice.”
Just consequences—some immediate, some that echo for years.
I’ve always been drawn to the in-between.
To the moments that split a soul down the middle:
Do you save your flesh and blood, knowing the cost will make someone else call you a monster?
Do you keep your hands clean—or do the thing no one else is willing to do?
What if no matter what you choose…
you’re branded the villain?
There are no clean wins in these moments.
Only the weight of them.
And maybe that’s why these kinds of characters haunt me.
Not because they’re perfect.
But because they’re presented the impossible.
And still—they choose.
The question isn’t “What would the hero do?”
The question is:
What would you be willing to lose… to protect your family?
Or worse—to save yourself?
And who would you become if the cost was everything?
That’s the tension that lives in the quiet corners of my work.
The question beneath the magic.
No right. No wrong. Just… choice.
And the price that follows.
— C.S. Evermore
The Nixian Chronicles: The Awakening
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message 1:
by
Potya
(new)
May 20, 2025 03:18AM
Well, like you said, it is really all about 'choice' and no matter the choice, the branding remains the same 'villain'. So if I am at any one turn in life given only the 3 choices: Save my flesh and blood, knowing the cost will make someone else call you a monster? Or keep your hands clean—or do the thing no one else is willing to do, then obviously I will choose to go down in history as the monster. Because it is better to not to disappoint your judges - the judges and besides, fate is rarely kind anyway, so doing what no one else is willing to do is a sacrifice to demanding. Villain is the easiest.
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Potya wrote: "Well, like you said, it is really all about 'choice' and no matter the choice, the branding remains the same 'villain'. So if I am at any one turn in life given only the 3 choices: Save my flesh an..."You really did see the heart of it.
When every path leaves a scar, people often stop looking at the why—they just see the outcome and name you “villain.”
And like you pointed out… sometimes, no matter the choice, the label sticks anyway.
Also—“Better not to disappoint the judges”? That line is gold. If you’re going to be branded, might as well go down in history with flair.
I’m really glad you felt that weight with me. That means a lot.
