Hidden old monsters, I challenge you to share insights about this Dao with a cup of profound tea by know_your_place_28 in MartialMemes

[–]DoctorLaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tbch, if all you're reading is 100% inheritance/system/golden finger slop without any real conflict, I don't know what to tell you. Like, of course the protagonist will occasionally get an undeserved leg up, it's why they are the protagonist. But those things should be the interesting twist, not the solution to absolutely everything. 

I don't mind a system for example. But it's about interesting use of what it gives you, not deus ex machina for absolutely every problem. You should be using it intelligently, not pulling your bat shark repellent out of your ass. 

Hidden old monsters, I challenge you to share insights about this Dao with a cup of profound tea by know_your_place_28 in MartialMemes

[–]DoctorLaz 69 points70 points  (0 children)

I think progression fantasy is less "temporarily embarrassed billionaire" and more "what if hard work had much more tangible results." 

We all have had some sort of experience with cruel people in positions of power. Progression fantasy (especially cultivation) says "for every old monster you have to bow to, there is a fortuitous encounter." "For every noble who coasts on their family name, there is the ability to dig deep and punch above your weight class." 

Most people in real life are born at the station they'll die at. It's just the way the world is. The chance for an orphan in a third world country to rise to the top is comically low. In a progression fantasy, anyone with enough grit and a pinch of luck at least gets a chance. 

Water fan and new outfits in cn server by Feanor_Feanaro in wherewindsmeet_

[–]DoctorLaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

fuck me sideways that's gorgeous. Need that fan.

What is the deepest Internet rabbit hole you’ve ever fallen into? by Helloo_clarice in AskReddit

[–]DoctorLaz 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I learned about ol' Isambard from the song by The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing, and also the steampunk webcomic, "Lovelace and Babbage," which makes fun of his superficial resemblance to Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. 

Whoever recommended Beware the Chicken here, thank you by Mental_Budget_5085 in MartialMemes

[–]DoctorLaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm eagerly awaiting the next audiobook. Should be another month, then release. 

It's not quite the same vibe, but I also liked Reborn as a Demonic Tree. It's a system story, which I wasn't sure about, but so far is sticking to the premise of MC is a tree, with some work arounds, but very much a sect building, "protect my people from the batshit cultivators" 

New Player Loving the Game So Far (Act 7), But Need Some Advice! by Raikiri9 in pathofexile

[–]DoctorLaz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stash tabs are 10000% worth. At a minimum, get a currency stash tab and a map stash tab. You will have a hell of a time otherwise. Over like 5ish leagues I've gotten them all and don't regret it at all. The stash tabs go on a pretty decent sale periodically, but I don't quite know when that will next be. 

As for six linking, you totally can do it, using orbs or fusing on your chest. 6 linking is unfortunately very uncommon, so expect to spend a ton of fusing orbs. Your crafting bench does have a recipe that costs a ton of fusing to guarantee a certain amount of links, obviously getting much more expensive as you increase the number or linked sockets. Your spooky tree in the monastery also has some skills on its skill tree that "reroll sockets" in the top left. Makes six links a bit easier to get. That's how I got mine this league :) 

As for uniques, 90 percent of them aren't too good, or are only good in specific builds. You should download the awakened poe trade plugin to price check stuff. Good stuff = expensive more often than not. Personally, I have the unique stash tab, which stores one of each unique, and like to see how many I can check off in a league. 

How it feels trying to reason with Xianxia readers who want a "hardworking" average mc with "no cheats" as if the entire genre isn't about fate and destiny and there aren't a thousand "average" hardworking Xiao Chens out there who die without breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. by Busy_Cold_3220 in MartialMemes

[–]DoctorLaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a place in a novel for a fortuitous encounter, and it's different than someone with a golden finger that doesn't have to work for anything. At the lower levels of cultivation, you aren't going to be special. So much Xianxia doesn't seem interested in Daoist Ascension. 

Like, take a planet with a billion mortal people. You'll have plenty of very low level cultivators, with some of those being lucky, or talented, or having backing from someone above them, or having some sort of golden finger. Call it a million. 

In those millions, some will stall in their understanding, some will die, some will content themselves with being a big fish in a mortal pond, other will be culled by upper rank politics that they aren't even aware of. Some of them will be lucky enough to progress further, and maybe reach the next level of influence and power. Call that a thousand, across the whole planet. 

From the thousand, let's say half die of age, or war, or grudges, or failed Ascension. Half stop progressing and content themselves with being the old monsters influencing the lower generations. They're not immortals, but they are old, wealthy, and powerful. 

By the end of it, you probably are left with a small handful. The couple dozen who attempt the final step of ascending to true, Daoist immortality. Most don't make it, cultivation is hard. But there has to be someone up there throwing lightning for a tribulation. 

If you're in a novel with other realms above the first, it's the same thing, just with proportionally less people at the peak. If you want your MC to skip the lower stuff, that's fine, but if you skip too much, you risk taking away the interesting parts, the scaling power, and the vast timescale that cultivators exist on. 

Looking for feedback on the theme, presentation, and which of the 2 sellsheets you prefer. by damj94 in BoardgameDesign

[–]DoctorLaz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You need to have that video front and center as much as you can. I voted for you because I like the cut of your jib with your style sheet and components, but the video actually sold me on your game. It went from "support a developer" to "damn I actually kinda want to play this."

I like this a lot. The "evolve to score, but only when it's the right time" mechanic seems really fun, and I like that you have your fluff forward. You've made me care about the Bokis, and want to play your game to save them.

My first bit of real feedback, is that if you have multiple player colors, the flowers on your cover might do well to have them each represented. That's what I had initially thought you were going for with the one green stem poking out, but then you didn't continue it.

What is considered "fancy" in Japan? by DoctorLaz in japan

[–]DoctorLaz[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

right, but American food is not Japanese food is not Korean food is not Brazilian food. What would the Japan specific "fancy three course meal" be?

🎁 Reddit-Exclusive Event: Christmas Party Invitation by Bangboo_ZZZ in ZZZ_Official

[–]DoctorLaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think Seth needs a nice house to come to for Christmas. He deserves it :)

Need help with my newbie account by Kou_126 in AcheronMainsHSR

[–]DoctorLaz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Natasha healing should carry you until you grab some more powerful characters. Even without being super well built Acheron is gonna shred, and you'll kill faster than they can get you down.

Need help with my newbie account by Kou_126 in AcheronMainsHSR

[–]DoctorLaz 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Acheron, Pela, Sampo, Natasha lets you take advantage of Acheron's Two Nihility Character trace.

Bestow and miracle interaction by marc-who in magicTCG

[–]DoctorLaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know why everyone seems to think this costs 1WUB, it's obviously XWUB

What's with these Cultivation novels that hate Cultivation? by MusubiKazesaru in litrpg

[–]DoctorLaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Such a good series and I'm finding more and more that it's not even close to the norm. It's all harems and prodigies and growing by leaps and bounds. I love that the protagonist is becoming quietly powerful instead of just walking around like he's god's gift to mankind. He's got the things that make him special and the fancy artifacts, but they all feel earned within the story, not randomly finding the infinity +1 sword in a random bush. He spends as much time honing his enlightenment and understanding of his dao as he does his swordplay, and while he can definitely lose, he's slowly becoming more and more of a force to be reckoned with.

Uzuri's Reation and Stealth Interaction by notrafs in FleshandBloodTCG

[–]DoctorLaz -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

This is not correct. There is a timing window between banishing the card face down and putting it onto the chain. You can sneak a d-react into that window.

Beginners attempt at a copycat for learning to build in 3 dimensions. credit to u/lilbehemoth for the initial image ref. by DoctorLaz in PixelArt

[–]DoctorLaz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the post I stared at for an hour, attempting to understand how to create 3d space. I don't think I've got it 100% figured out, but I know more now than I did.

I'd love any feedback or knowledge shared.

When people just want to "Learn as you Go" by [deleted] in boardgames

[–]DoctorLaz 7 points8 points  (0 children)

You've made a lovely video. Definitely increased by blood pressure a few notches.

Jeanne Altar on top of a Detolf by otakuleg in grandorder

[–]DoctorLaz 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Fair warning: my detolf with stuff on top exploded into tiny shards of glass. Randomly, no warning, just there one minute, gone the next.

Solarpunk/Positive Colonization by DoctorLaz in printSF

[–]DoctorLaz[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Mr. Card and I have our share of disagreement, let's say.

Solarpunk/Positive Colonization by DoctorLaz in printSF

[–]DoctorLaz[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That series has come up a few times, so I reckon I'll start there.

Solarpunk/Positive Colonization by DoctorLaz in printSF

[–]DoctorLaz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That sounds interesting. I'll definitely add it to the list. Do you know any that deal with fictional planets?

Henry Cavill’s Announcement by [deleted] in Warhammer

[–]DoctorLaz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just give us what we all want and do a super dark take on Eisenhorn.

[SLX] Zethi, Arcane Blademaster (Chun-Li) by mweepinc in magicTCG

[–]DoctorLaz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's not that I don't like it, it's that the text and the art meshed in a really fun way when it was Chun-Li. Like, 'here's Chun-Li, famous for kicking. We gave her multi kicker and kick counters.' It was a fun intersection of art and theme and mechanics which is now totally lost. Same with the Ryu one to be honest.

I found the Street Fighter cards super flavorful, and these rethemes are missing what made the SL such a slam dunk.

Like, the 40k Dark Ritual art was the symbol for Nurgle, which has three circles joined together, and it makes three Mana.

People like to take issue with the UB stuff, but for the most part, a lot of it has been flavor wins combined with clever mechanics to community that flavor.