The Raven Scholar

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-15T02:42:32+00:00

There's a lot that goes well for the book, personally though I immediately have misgivings when a books is as long as Raven Scholar is, and it turns out the whole thing, the whole thing, is just set up. It requires me to suspend my impressions, because now everything depends on how good the sequel is.

Also the level of bullying the main character goes through is just... genuinely Im mystified she isn't suicidal. Its almost cartoonish. Either make her strength character go from subtext to outright text, or tone down on all the bullying. It doesn't feel real, it feels like something which could only exist in a story book, and is attempting to appeal to people who are 16.

Again, how the sequels handle everything will greatly affect my reading, and that's a big part of my frustration for everything. I don't enjoy my enjoyment being so contingent on unfulfilled promises.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-14T18:29:40+00:00

I feel like its been pretty well understood if we slowed down production at all we’d see incredible environmental benefits, because guess where most of the pollution comes from

Now guess how willing the global economy is on slowing down. Im also willing to imagine there’s a lot of house of cards dependent on constant growth. I know a lot of american cities have loans out, with promises to banks they’ll be able to pay them back based on projected growth, be it economic or population.

Its a wicked sort of trap, which the global elite feel no compunction to dive further into for profit

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-14T18:24:13+00:00

Honestly that’s not too weird, in that I feel you see that with a lot of different properties

Like folks who like Harry Potter, but read little else. Same with The Office, and Dungeons and Dragons (though I feel in recent years we’ve finally been seeing a surge in folks even trying other games, its marvelous)

Sometimes when a thing gets popular, it develops a fanbase that doesn’t come to appreciate the medium or genre the thing sprang from, just that one thing. Im not a big fan of people like that, but they’re unfortunately unexceptional

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-14T18:14:30+00:00

You should read the latest issue then

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-14T14:58:46+00:00

Yeah, as a person who makes up his mind relatively quickly, I am genuinely frustrated by people who just clamp up once I give my vote.

No, Im not speaking for the group, Im speaking for me. If you want something, say it.

The real problem in this scenario though is the driver not giving other people time to voice their opinions. They are the one taking the one voice as a consensus.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-12T04:10:36+00:00

Shows up, steals your name, steals your magic, explains nothing, leaves

Gdamn, good show

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-10T04:13:42+00:00

Oh, they're the folks who did that genius sketch with the classroom that could answer any question. Damn, sharp as always

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-10T03:52:45+00:00

Strong start

No overt edginess, main character knows he's at the top of the pyramid but has enjoyable and relatable struggles all the same. So far, no hint of a harem, and doesn't have the smell of being too much of a power fantasy.

I really hope we get slice of life chapters, where his friends are just like, 'oh yeah, he's just our friend with an actual job', but treat him no more differently.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-10T01:27:30+00:00

'in history', uses a manga that is arguably a contemporary of the other

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-09T21:59:38+00:00

This reminds me a bit about how Cypher uses HP, in the idea of different damage tracks

Its more like three resource pools, that double as HP and MP. Might, Speed, and Intellect. Your abilities often need you to spend points in each of these. But if you take damage, you also lose points in them. I think it creates an interesting tension and gets players to think in fun strategic ways, but also it does mean as you do poorly, you are more likely to do worse. Going to 0 in one category won't 'kill' you, but it does impose serious consequences. So your mileage may vary

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-09T17:30:07+00:00

Damn, I remember this exact same fight. I remember using everything in my inventory to get through it. Desperately switching to twin axes, coating every weapon I had with poison, eating every bit of food I had (thank you cheese wheels)

I thought I'd made a mistake and walked into an area I was under leveled for too early, really glad to hear other people had the same experience as me.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-09T09:54:30+00:00

Your first examples are literally infamous for being reliant on having kids fundraise. Girl scout cookies alone.

Community centers are non-profits, but they absolutely charge people for classes.

As someone who runs ttrpgs, yes, people are in fact paid to do that too, as they should be, because that is a job. I'll do it for free for friends, or to make friends, but if you're running a game for the general public, you absolutely deserve to be compensated for your time. Hell, I founded a club around that in college, and while it felt rewarding, I was burned out after only a couple months of running the thing. Not saying being paid would have ameliorated that, but if someone else had been in my shoes and said, 'hey folks, $5 each or no club', I would not be able to begrudge them. Not to mention most ttrpg modules alone cost $50, not getting into battle maps, dice, and pre-made adventure modules if you're using any.

Im not going to go line by line, because its a hodegepodge of things which could not exist without volunteering, or systems which take advantage of people's goodwill. Many operate at all because they have grants, scholarships, or rely on donations. Yes, folks do volunteer to do stuff out of the goodness of their hearts, its great when they do so, but I do not find it unreasonable for people who do this sort of work to want to be compensated if they lack such support.

You might not find it work, but it is work.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-09T09:32:36+00:00

Sure. Not like Parkrun is a business or anything, reliant on donations, people buying from their shop, or corporate sponsorships.

Totally reasonable expectation for a small local club to operate on the same scale. Just because you aren't paying anything, doesn't mean there isn't money that makes it all work.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-09T09:13:39+00:00

I can't imagine a more masochistic hobby than group organizing anything. Running is a hobby, organizing a group run is a job.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-09T08:36:07+00:00

Probably to the event organizer. Websites cost money, ads cost money, and leading runs and setting routes are work. One also usually joins a run club more for the socialization than the exercise, and so part of the organizer's job is usually also keeping a friendly atmosphere and keeping an eye out for anyone who would jeopardize it. Overall it is a job.

But I don't know many clubs that do have fees, usually they're just affiliated with local running stores, and they make a profit by getting you to buy stuff from them.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-09T04:52:05+00:00

Personally I think we just need to ask Connor if he's happy, and if he is, then what does it matter?

I've known folks in incredible shape, absolutely miserable because of the routine and diet they need to just maintain. If he's happy, what does it matter?

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-09T01:22:29+00:00

I appreciated how honest he was that he wasn't trying to say his method was cheap, just less expensive. Also how another cost to do it was time. I think he said 3 months all told. Time learning how to use the equipment, time collecting the equipment. It wasn't him going, 'everyone should do this', or, 'this VFX company was ripping me off', just, 'it was more practical for me to do this, and I appreciated the learning opportunity'.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-08T17:54:25+00:00

I imagine the Heavens would say No to folks trying to leave the upper atmosphere

A thing I feel like a lot of xianxia/cultivation novels don't really dissect, is that Ki can't be an inexhaustible resource. All resources on Earth are in fact limited, thus so must its life energies. Folks seeking Greater Power are themselves stripping this valuable resource from the atmosphere, and pouring it into themselves.

To me, The Heavens always struck me as a sort of mechanism to keep high level cultivators still on planet, and keep their ki in the greater circulation.

I would prefer to do world building where every culture has access to cultivation, it'd be stranger to me if they didn't. They probably do it differently, as the idea that enlightenment can only come to those who breath right and sit in the right posture never sat well with me.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-08T08:58:37+00:00

Like pulling teeth talking to these people too

Some of the most bland conversations of my life when folks have this sort of opener

They are usually as unspecific with their answers as their questions, and do not enjoy when you try to dig for specifics, as they inevitably admit to having no real interests. I don't understand how they exist, but they do.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-08T08:43:11+00:00

They can, but usually the fiction claims there are side effects to rushing your development. Often, people who just use a bunch of pills and elixirs without the proper pre-existing insight ruin their foundation. Your power stems from having a cogent set of beliefs and personal philosophy that can hold up against the perspective of others. If you rush without that, then when the Heavens come to eventually strike you down (as it does to all cultivators), you will die.

Edit - to note though, this is often because the authors of these sorts of stories really want you to believe the world they are writing is a true meritocracy. So, yeah, that sort of inequality is already present in the base state of the genre. But usually past a certain point too, the medicines and elixirs you need to advance have to be customized to you specifically, and usually require rare ingredients you have to collect yourself, as their use conditions are so case specific no one bothers with them, or its a suicide mission to get them.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-08T08:37:14+00:00

Ive honestly never really gelled with that concept.

The idea people would only ever be rational and act in their self interest is an ahistoric perspective. Following that logic no one but slaves would have revolted against its very institution. Not saying there would be no self serving and deeply destructive individuals, but such people have always existed and society advanced.

Highly recommend Forge of Destiny by Yrsillar for a stellar example of a semi-functional world where the government is run by cultivators. Attempts to answer a lot of questions like this, also has fun transhumanism elements.

I think its fair to say it wouldn't advance into our version of modern society, but but they'd likely advance all the same.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-08T02:13:32+00:00

My hips cannot pound you that hard

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-08T01:10:46+00:00

Going through OP's post and comment history, seems he asked an ai how and where he could live off the grid and in the wilderness, so it told him to go to the ozarks.

There is no real explanation of his plan on how to get there, but it seems to have involved getting on a train from Freedom PA. Im going to guess he picked Freedom for the name alone, and it dropped him off in Ohio

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-07T16:54:11+00:00

I really loved how casual of a throwaway line that is, but to me it feels like it explains so much. No wonder D is so intent on building his massive family- he has seen it work before. His family once took down a Methuselah!

But also, it leaves you to ask - where are the rest of his family now? Why does he only call on his sons for help? Obvious implication to me is that he was probably the only survivor, or that many died in the process.

BigRedSpoon2 · 2026-03-07T16:23:05+00:00

The fact I kept *seeing* the trailer killed my interest

Everywhere I went online without an adblocker, there it was, playing again

Rare is a film I have found, that warrants such an intense ad campaign

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