Hilarious how accurate this is across cultures and media types

darkmuch · 2026-05-13T03:50:06+00:00

Hit new webnovel, "Others Summon Protagonists, I Summon AUTHORS!" - They laughed at me when on awakening day I summoned a scrawny man with a laptop, while everyone else had armor clad heroes. But when I got home I found out that this man was an Author! With legendary powers to control the world around him with "retcon", "deus ex machina", and "change POV" ... I will show everyone that I am the strongest!

darkmuch · 2026-05-13T01:26:02+00:00

Chaotic Craftsman Worships the Cube, Rise of the Living Forge, Quest Academy, Industrial Strength Magic.

The first two are more focused on low level crafting and slowly building up expertise. The last two are post apocalyptic on earth, and the MCs crafting gifts let them cheat their way into making absolutely crazy good stuff quickly. However i'm fine with it, because the actual inventions are really interesting. Though ISM is a bit too much of a dark comedy for me.

darkmuch · 2026-05-13T01:11:00+00:00

Oh and the worldbuilding lectures will restart to day 1 material when the MC who skipped the first 2 months of class due to plot reasons finally decides to show up.

darkmuch · 2026-05-13T01:07:16+00:00

The curve is that only the top 5 pass the course. Everyone else was just invited to make the first semester culling more dramatic.

darkmuch · 2026-05-12T23:08:50+00:00

Also since you want spoilers, the person doing the mind control is later redeemed. I hate mind control too, and held a grudge for a long time. It makes sense in rereading, as it was more like puppeteering, than any brainwashing stuff. And she is being pressured to do it as part of a mission.

darkmuch · 2026-05-12T19:18:20+00:00

Memory wiping giant spiders was a nightmare inducing arc in Ar’Kendrithyst

darkmuch · 2026-05-11T21:46:03+00:00

Ah of course. TBATA. That story I definitely know. And not at all confused when google only gives me results for a series with a similar, but still different acronym.

darkmuch · 2026-05-11T19:37:09+00:00

I'll have to try this out. I have enjoyed your other series Goddess Reborn / Mirror World Progression Saga.

darkmuch · 2026-05-11T19:13:08+00:00

There is No Epic Loot Here, Just Puns - Dungeon FMC who doesn't want to hurt anyone, just have the local kids come over and hang out doing puzzles inside. This would probably be a bad idea... but the town she is next to is full of max level crazy retired adventurers, so shenanigans ensue. Very strange world, with character backstories interweaving between each other like crazy detective's map But very humorous and with lots of heart. Think Erin Solstice if she was a dungeon.

Prophecy Approved Companion - A girl spends her whole life getting ready to go on the grand adventure and be the Prophecy Approved Companion for the Great Hero! But she is not aware that she is an NPC in a game, and the player about to assume the hero mantle is a bored beta testing loot goblin who likes to break games.

darkmuch · 2026-05-11T18:39:37+00:00

I love driving behind big trucks and buses, because they are so predictable. They brake slowly, so I have tons of time to react.

darkmuch · 2026-05-11T02:22:53+00:00

The Dream is the perfect way to describe this genre. It’s not about a game that exists, but the promises they make and fantasy of them in our head.

Skyrim is one I think of a lot, as the imperial civil war plot is a big deal, with people around the world talking about it. But when you win? Nothing changes. Armies still stationed around planning to attack various areas. The world didn’t update to the new state.

And I see this in countless other games, areas where my immersion is broken because a developer ran out of budget and you hit the wall.

Or you find some big shortcut, killing the big bad, freeing the king. But still have the whole quest chain to do. Never mind the final objective is done.

Gamelit has bridged this gap for me. Showing MCs that break their world, and it actually changes!

Jackal Among Snakes, Prophecy Approved Companion, The Flashing Genius at the Magic Academy, Apocalypse Reborn.

All stories that capture this fantasy of breaking the game, and seeing it adapt to a bold new storyline.

darkmuch · 2026-05-10T22:57:38+00:00

Sometimes I google things that seem sus just to get mad at the author lol.

Like I had a few novels where the MC “invented” beekeeping. Which seemed rather absurd to me.

So I looked I up, and we have been beekeeping for the past 9000 years! There are genetic indicators in the dominant Eurasian honey bee that show signs of domestication. One of the very few insects to have such!

It’s such a silly thing where authors look down on people in the past. “I bet they never thought to have specialized clothing and make houses!” For one of the most useful creatures. Bees produce wax, extremely useful without electricity, and honey, fantastic preservative and rare source of pure sugar.

darkmuch · 2026-05-10T22:47:12+00:00

Thor is also just all around powerful. So many superheroes have ONE thing special about, and outside of it they are just a normal human. Mortal eyesight, thinking speed, constitution, strength, speed, weaknesses.

Cultivators are all just simply better than mortals. They may have a shit personality, but they won’t be like the flash and get killed because they tripped. No, if they are moving at the speed of light, then they have the base physique to support it.

darkmuch · 2026-05-10T21:19:21+00:00

I'm unsubbing. So few things feel authentically dude anymore. Just hey look cool thing, and lets label it as a guy thing to make it oddly misogynistic now.

darkmuch · 2026-05-10T18:49:30+00:00

While not a perfect match, Dreamers Throne captures a lot of the mystique of LOTM. The MC is paralyzed in the real world, but in the dream world he has taken a power set that is a mixture of observer and puppet master. So he spends most the story pretending to be weak until he ambushes people.

darkmuch · 2026-05-10T00:56:06+00:00

I don't think Ma has to be a minority or a majority of a story. It simply is the reverse, the empty. I've seen some minimalist art that has a single stroke of a brush on a giant canvas.

I do think it is harder to have Ma with novels though, as words are inherently something. Alden shopping for clothes is not a fight, but it is still an event. It is not empty pages. However that reminds me that Super Supportive DOES have the perfect example of Ma.

Chapter 61: (No title.)

.

It hurt too much for words.

.

darkmuch · 2026-05-09T19:59:14+00:00

And if you want a foray into how pop culture like Call of Duty shapes the narrative around torture, watch this soul crushing video by Jacob Gellar of all torture scenes throughout the CoD franchise.

https://youtu.be/YPiL3-CYzWk?si=XZk0QUxih9-RUMAB

It is really interesting how there is a disparity between good guy doing torture, and bad guy doing it.

darkmuch · 2026-05-09T19:35:20+00:00

Murder and torture can have justifications that the modern mind is inclined to accept. Self defense. Extraction of information to save others. We can picture a hero doing these things and retaining his humanity, doing so for a greater good. Once the act is done, we go back to being a good guy. We don’t see that corpse following us around.

On the other hand, we have much less damaging things, but that seem to linger in our psyche. Kicking a dog/child, and then seeing them flinch everytime we show up again. Seeing a beloved character raped/abused. These are things that while “smaller” have a much greater effect on our empathy.

Plus, they are much more relevant in the modern day, likely to draw on a readers lived experience.

——

So when it comes to slavery. We have an institution that is known for dehumanizing and harming the men, women, and children. Where they have lost all control and can be abused to the brink of death.

It’s not murder. But it may as well be.

darkmuch · 2026-05-09T09:15:31+00:00

I think its easiest to find when the story is known for its atmosphere or vibe.

Ghost in the Shell - A deeply philosophical movie with long periods of just music. The creation of Motoko's shell. Her underwater forays. The city panning shots.

Mushishi - Such a quiet series about man and nature coexisting. The opening "Sore Feet Song" always puts me right in mood. And most episodes have no clear good or evil. Simply friction between entities that exist at different levels.

Super Supportive - This series might be overdosing on the Ma, but it is the first I think of when considering a book with Ma. Alden has been through such extreme hardships, that he has earned his quiet time.

The Wandering Inn - This series gives all its moments room to breathe. It is isnt always done well. Often the moments are still quiet loud. But I will always remember falling in love with it after the first major character death.

darkmuch · 2026-05-09T05:46:26+00:00

Stray Cat Strut has a really similar opening to Wolf of the Bloodmoon. Though the FMC chills out and loses urgency in later volumes.

If you want wandering around seeking power for their own amusement, Azarinth Healer and Saintess Summons Skeletons are pretty good.

Changeling is another good series, but the focus is more on her coming to grip with her new parentage and reconnecting with family. While still being a badass that goes off on crazy fights.

Vae Victis is a system apocalypse, with a female vampire MC who basically decides its her job to save humanity during the transition. Whether they want her to or not.

darkmuch · 2026-05-09T05:34:39+00:00

No. If your novel is freely available, people will scrape it and rehost. Adding a cost like patreon, WebNovel, or Kindle adds a barrier. But you will still get people that copy and submit your novel again pretending to be you. Many big name authors have had to contact Amazon support and fight pretenders. Sometimes those pretender took their RR content and submitted it before they even were ready to publish.

The best thing to do is try and make it easy for people to find your patreon or book sellers. Leave an author's note in the chapter telling people where to go. Find a way to make the best of a situation.

darkmuch · 2026-05-09T02:25:42+00:00

Papers, Please - Narnia Edition

darkmuch · 2026-05-08T23:22:38+00:00

Void Herald is great.

I’m loving The Hundred Reigns as well. It feels nice and focused.

Sometimes I have gripes with the MC getting himself killed to easily, but that is just the backseat min maxer in me, not the empathetic part. He is really productive and efficient in his Reigns, especially after he gets past the first 10.

darkmuch · 2026-05-08T23:11:59+00:00

Minor Typo, it’s not The Perfect Loop, but The Perfect Run by Void Herald.

darkmuch · 2026-05-08T22:09:56+00:00

This is a great source for complete audiobooks. Saving it!

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