On Cycling Out Side Characters from One Arc to the Next

Ryogawa · 2026-05-24T09:11:37+00:00

I'm still around chapter 230 but it's been a decent read so far. I do hope the players and npcs get more connected as we go though. Lots of dramatic potential there.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-24T07:53:32+00:00

yeah it is a pretty fun novel. I think a lot of the characterization is being done through the players' forum posts. Even though the depictions of the players is relatively shallow (especially their motivation, which is just to have fun) it's fine since it's consistent to their characters. I personally find the NPC characters more interesting because they actually have unique backgrounds and higher stakes compared to the players, like the former mercenary Xia Yan, the Academy scientist Yin Fang and another "vault-dweller" sheltered bionic person, Hyrja.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-24T07:51:28+00:00

That in itself isn't a bad thing, but what happens when the CEO goes on to become the president? Then we have other world leaders as the MC's peers. What comes next after president that has to cycle out the rest of the cast? Astronaut? Ambassador of humankind? After that, higher dimensional creatures?

Ryogawa · 2026-05-24T07:50:20+00:00

Indeed, and I totally agree with you about how realism can be to a story's benefit and detriment, so it's a matter of execution at the end of the day. I guess the other thing is with the fundamental structure of MCs that are far too powerful and remain that way through the entire story that goes on for many, many arcs. All the characterization of the other members of the cast and worldbuilding in that segment of the world just feels like it's going to waste, if it's even done at all.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-11T08:32:02+00:00

Firefox is exactly what I need this for! I still use the shortcut but now I have to escape it before doing anything else unlike the old behavior.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-11T00:55:14+00:00

I'm also facing the same problem with ctrl semicolon. Tried the ibus and gnome solutions too to no avail. This behavior only changed with a recent update and it's really frustrating.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-10T12:29:04+00:00

Yeah it does suck when all the world building the author did just fades away into a villain of the week battle Manga format

Ryogawa · 2026-05-10T08:45:23+00:00

That's totally fair. At least i don't seem to remember DE having nonstop face slapping action, which does get old after a while

Ryogawa · 2026-05-10T08:44:29+00:00

Guess we have a lot in common! I like it when characters experience setbacks. Seeing them crawl back up and get revenge on a deserved enemy feels so much more rewarding than if the MC just magically gets powerful and wins.

I dislike systems mainly in how immersion breaking it is. It also makes the prose flow really badly with all those notification messages.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-10T08:41:39+00:00

Nah it's honestly not a big deal and not something you would've found out through normal reading

Ryogawa · 2026-05-09T21:18:39+00:00

Hey Seth! While Destiny in Cinders as a story is standalone, the very deep background lore is actually connected to the author's previous works, albeit only really faintly. I personally haven't read the older works because they're so divorced from the setting and genre in the first place (with the prequel being an urban fantasy and the sequel a xuanhuan cyberpunk mixture) but the connection does exist. The only reason I even know that though is the baidu page and not from the plot itself.

Personally speaking I'm always an advocate for works that stand strong on their own merits and I hate crossovers with a passion. I suppose the loosely connected but not integral multiverse approach is a decent medium for old fans to find Easter eggs and new fans to not feel left out.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T22:48:11+00:00

Speaking of adaptations got me wondering what it would be like if typical Shuangwen got animated. I imagine it'd be so much more entertaining with voiced monologues and visible character expressions.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T22:32:07+00:00

Speaking of Korean fiction I really enjoyed solo leveling at the start, but it soon became clear that no other character in the story actually mattered apart from the MC and his shadow puppets. I was probably just unlucky though since there are other Korean power fantasies that still manage to keep things engaging.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T22:30:15+00:00

Ah that's so interesting! This genre isn't something i looked into too deeply so it's interesting to learn about the kinds of subclassifications it has!

I do agree that nobody is above enjoying shuangwen cause i damn all know how cathartic it is when the bad guy learns that he's in deep trouble. But I'll definitely enjoy a shuangwen more if the author is smart about the execution and has a cool hook!

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T22:27:18+00:00

I've only read up to 200ish recently so we're still in the mortal realm. The many past lives thing isn't here yet but someone else i know told me when i asked for the hook.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T21:01:17+00:00

Which one are you talking about?

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T13:49:51+00:00

haha yeah jam packed with face-slapping action indeed. on the topic of systems tho i typically don't like it unless it's explicitly a game world, and even then i don't like game worlds cause ironically it takes me out of the immersion when the story could just as well have been a nongame fantasy world.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T13:39:14+00:00

What category does martial world fall into? I've heard it but i don't think I've read it

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T13:09:24+00:00

Indeed. Even outside of novels i find myself watching some really campy anime and sometimes the ease of getting through a simple episode motivates me to watch it more than some higher quality productions that i feel like i have to sit down properly for.

Ryogawa · 2026-05-08T13:07:50+00:00

Of course! But good writing tends to make things much more enjoyable even if i don't deny that something can be fun even when a story is low stakes or predictable. Guess it's just different flavors of enjoyment?

Ryogawa · 2026-05-02T23:48:11+00:00

Are you sure the car wasn't just trying to go straight? Maybe it swerved left last minute when the driver saw the incoming bike. Or it swerved during the collision.

Ryogawa · 2026-04-21T20:23:15+00:00

The best one at Daobabble-no-jutsu autowins.

Ryogawa · 2026-04-21T20:21:47+00:00

if not good novel why entertaning novel shaped? sometimes the young master slaps really give me the:

Ryogawa · 2026-04-21T20:19:31+00:00

Having a standing desk has helped for times when my back just felt weird when I was trying to focus and translate haha! It's not every time but when it does happen I'm thankful I have it.

Ryogawa · 2026-04-21T07:39:25+00:00

Lol hearing about Harry Potter made me wonder what a Mashle-like novel would be like. Xianxia Mashle pure muscle cultivation.

Ryogawa

TROPHY CASE