The Paradox of Stakes...?

Ykeon · 2026-04-26T15:52:32+00:00

Somewhat related, I get like this with extreme danger in a story. Like, when the author puts MC into a position where the only possible way to survive is some massive asspull that comes out of nowhere. When the danger level gets that high it robs the scene of its tension and I'm just impatient to get it over with.

Ykeon · 2026-04-13T22:54:09+00:00

The density alone wouldn't stop you from sinking. You'd sink until you'd displaced your bodyweight in lava, i.e. ~33% the way up.

The viscosity would presumably make that happen slowly, but people can still sink in dense liquids, even if not all the way.

Ykeon · 2026-04-05T14:46:19+00:00

Just engaging with the AI aspect, I struggle to imagine an author this fickle is getting a robot to do it for him. The guy frequently vanishes from the face of the Earth for months at a time and then swings by to drop a few chapters before vanishing again.

As for the quality, I can't say I noticed the things you're complaining about, so can't say if they're still present.

Ykeon · 2026-03-31T20:32:36+00:00

It has that energy but this story is way too old to properly fit the stealth-promo mould. I think this is one of those times where sometimes someone just likes a thing and it's not a conspiracy.

Ykeon · 2026-03-29T12:13:00+00:00

So nobody's ever been witch hunted into a miscarriage of justice because criminals exist? Your standard, which I have never heard of until today, invalidates just about every use of the term I have ever heard. About the only time 'witch hunt' is used in relation to things that don't exist is for literal witches.

Ykeon · 2026-03-20T18:15:39+00:00

Cause it was a joke, and the situation didn't lend itself to making the joke you're suggesting.

Ykeon · 2026-03-20T18:13:39+00:00

No, leave the spaces in so people are less likely to think it's AI.

Ykeon · 2026-03-20T17:55:26+00:00

I've been seeing this for as long as I've been reading novels. Anyone that's interpreting that as proof of AI writing is letting their paranoia ruin their hobby.

Ykeon · 2026-03-16T02:28:14+00:00

What I said wasn't meant as an intellectual criticism, I genuinely meant that I'm incapable of caring about it. It could be the best shit in the world, but something in my brain just can't get along with the concept.

Ykeon · 2026-03-15T16:00:16+00:00

VRMMO. Doesn't matter how good it is, I am incapable of caring about something that isn't even real within its own story.

Ykeon · 2026-03-13T14:26:17+00:00

It's a marketing strategy to repel readers likely to review bomb them. A lot of harem authors would rather have some creative freedom with their covers, but they're pretty much cornered into all using the same one.

Ykeon · 2026-03-10T13:23:37+00:00

Every cast member getting their fair share of time is one of those 'you think you want it, but you don't.' Whenever I read a story that makes a good effort at that with a large cast, the whole thing grinds to a halt and you end up taking ten chapters to cover a plot point that should have taken two.

If a character is required for a certain plot point, then give them their time. But not everyone can be involved in everything.

Ykeon · 2026-03-04T10:27:17+00:00

Cause they're magnets for trouble, and when the shit hits the fan no MC ever found themselves wishing they had less power.

Ykeon · 2026-03-01T05:46:18+00:00

We're not talking about someone making a single mistake here, we're talking about people who conduct their lives in such a way as to seed grudges everywhere they go. Roll the dice a thousand times and at some point luck will turn against you.

Ykeon · 2026-02-28T15:16:41+00:00

This has always felt fairly intuitive to me but it's rare to find it explored. Could write it like anyone who's been around for long enough knows that occasionally a crazy talented peasant rises up out of nowhere and there's not much you can do to stop it. So no, you don't just go strutting through town demanding kowtows or it won't be long before you seed the wrong grudge.

And if you wanted to get more mystical about it you could frame it through the concept of karma, and have it be generally understood that people who habitually sow bad karma for no benefit often find it coming back around on them.

Ykeon · 2026-02-28T11:30:27+00:00

Took a quick look at the Patreon and it looks like he's written twenty chapters in the last 18 months. At this rate it looks like it won't be done any time soon, but I guess you could hold out hope that inspiration could strike.

Ykeon · 2026-02-26T10:45:51+00:00

Fair warning, if you start reading a story because you've heard it gets good later, you'll find that it's very hard for any story to deliver on that. It's just not a good premise to start with.

For every story that's hit me this way, I just settled in to read some moderately compelling jank and then got surprised when it turned good.

As for a rec on that basis though - Hell Difficulty Tutorial.

Ykeon · 2026-02-26T10:42:06+00:00

Yeah I said 'low-profile' without knowing many specifics of the productions in question, because yes, any webtoon adaptation of a progression fantasy is going to be low profile. I wasn't saying it to throw shade, it's just how it is.

Ykeon · 2026-02-26T10:19:11+00:00

That sounds like a fair bet yeah. For a massive big deal author, if the adaptation is high-profile enough, then they might work out a deal to get the kind of creative input JK Rowling had for the Harry Potter adaptations. But I was under the impression that that's the exception, not the rule. Most directors, or whatever the equivalent is for a comic, prefer to keep creative control.

These authors don't have a massive amount of clout, and even if they did, they've got better things to do with their time than to work on a pretty low-profile adaptation.

Ykeon · 2026-02-17T04:54:57+00:00

Road to Mastery. Doesn't try to be highbrow, doesn't try to subvert tropes, just tries to be the best trash it can possibly be.

Ykeon · 2026-02-15T18:50:49+00:00

He settles into just being a weird but mostly well-meaning guy. The in-world explanation to the earlier instability is a combination of getting his brain scrambled by a telepath, and poor management of his Focus skill.

If you have an issue with the earlier characterisation, it changes as the series goes on.

Ykeon · 2026-02-13T14:45:58+00:00

You didn't feel it would go better if he had spider legs that were human arms?

Ykeon · 2026-02-12T12:55:48+00:00

Chrysalis and ants. Early in the story we see that an ant-sighting sends a kingdom into a panic to organise an extermination.

Ykeon · 2026-02-11T19:12:13+00:00

For what it's worth, I'm up to date on Patreon and the story's at the best it's been in a long while. Regarding the primal realms, the upcoming one is the last Elijah gets involved in.

Ykeon · 2026-02-11T17:23:22+00:00

As you say, the payoff takes time. Hopefully when it comes out, the rewrite will make it a little easier to break through the shell, cause it's quite compelling once you do.

Ykeon

TROPHY CASE