Dao Qizhan and the Challenge of Writing About Omnipotence
Creating a story around an entity whose power level surpasses all known scales poses a unique creative dilemma. This being does not compete; it simply transcends, making antagonists and their threats seem irrelevant. Dramatic tension dissolves when the outcome of any confrontation is an absolute certainty. 🌀
The Plot Beyond Physical Conflict
Dao Qizhan's strength is not demonstrated in battles, but in the pointlessness of posing them. If a character can erase realities with a thought, concepts of struggle or strategy lose all meaning. This places the narrative on a plane where obstacles must be of a different nature. The author must build the story from this omnipotence, not against it, seeking conflicts that withstand such definitive power.
Consequences of Unlimited Power:- Eliminates risk and the possibility for the character to grow or change through external challenges.
- Invalidates traditional power scales, where ideas like multiverses or higher dimensions cease to function as barriers.
- Forces a shift in focus to internal, ethical, or existential dilemmas to maintain interest.
A character like this could resolve the main plot of any novel in the first chapter, forcing the author to write seven hundred pages about why they decide not to do it.
The Abandonment of the Heroic Archetype
When the narrative universe cannot offer a credible threat, the classic role of the hero is emptied of purpose. Dao Qizhan stops acting as such because there is no longer a challenge that justifies his direct intervention. This is not a regression, but a logical evolution toward a state of observation and detachment. The story can then explore the implications of existing with such power and the emptiness it can generate.
New Axes for the Narrative:- Explore the psyche and morality of a being for whom nothing is impossible.
- Investigate relationships from a position of absolute power asymmetry.
- Develop the plot around deliberate inaction and its consequences.
Reinventing Conflict in Writing
Managing a character like Dao Qizhan forces the creator to reinvent the mechanisms of drama. Danger is no longer physical, but conceptual. The character's evolution is not measured by their strength, but by their decisions not to use it. The narrative must find its tension in philosophy, ethics, or the simple contemplation of a power so absolute that it redefines its own universe. That is the authentic and fascinating challenge. ✍️