No Buddhist has ever said anything that has motivated me to read Buddhist texts.It's like they're all color blind, and we try to point out Red (that without a first principle/universal unity all systems are arbitrary).
>>25213734>(that without a first principle/universal unity all systems are arbitrary).That's literally the point.
>>25214361>say there's no principle of unity>yet somehow unity returned
>>25213907I'm convinced it's only a handful and they just spam all day. Maybe they convinced their pastor that it should count as their Mission.
>>25213752>>lives a life of pure suffering sleeping on cold stone in the rain and living off mice and ratsIt's not suffering if you don't care
>>25213863> someone with a very materialism-adjacent interpretation of Mahayana.I literally last thread posted excepts from Karma Lingpa about ethics of meat eating, utilitarian weighing of the soul in afterlife and other topics and I was just flat out told it’s not Buddhist and Buddhists dont believe this stuff. Bla Bla Bla
Slopping Is Too Much EditionStubbed >>25203457>What is /wng/ — Web Novel General?A general for readers and authors involved or interested in the growing phenomenon of 'web novels', serialized English fiction posted to websites such as: Royal Road, Webnovel, Scribblehub, Wattpad, Archive of Our Own, Spacebattles, HFY, various personal author websites, and more>Why read web novels?Not for prose or tight editing or deep themes, frankly. As a whole, web novels are infamous for content sprawl and pacing issues. If you enjoy having millions of words to sink your teeth into to get to know the world and characters, though, you may be interested. Keeping up with other readers on a weekly basis to discuss the story's events unfolding is another perk, in the same way discussing an ongoing TV show might be.>Why write web novels?Ease of access & potential for Patreon earnings. Many successful authors gain an audience on their website of choice and funnel their readers into a Patreon. See graphtreon.com/top-patreon-creators/writing for an idea of what some are earning.Also, once an author has earned a fanbase, transitioning into an Amazon self-publishing career is several orders of magnitude easier than starting 'dry'.>/wng/ authors.Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>25214891Well first of all antagonists should have a reason to oppose the protagonist's goals, so that there's an interesting conflict. Even more so if you endear the readers to the antagonist and his motivations, or make him really cool.As for the power system, antagonist fights are a great way to introduce facets of the power system. Like maybe you have a little Dragonball Goku character who fights on instinct, so you have him fight a talented swordsman. Then someone using a mystical power, ki. Then he goes on a training arc. Then there's demons that are just physically stronger than humans and whatever the hell Goku is, so he has to use fighting technique and ki to overcome that gap.Then aliens show up and show how Saiyans are REALLY supposed to fight, then there's another alien, and Saiyans have a secret power, and so on and so forth.If you feel like this is derivative and bordeline stealing, it is. That's the secret of art. It's all stealing 90% of what you wind up making, but that 10% is where you're creative and put your own twist on things. JKR didn't write the first "boy discovers he's actually magic" or the first "boarding academy" story, either. But few would say she stole it all and isn't creative or original.
Would Anon's recommend writing out a 70-100k~ story before actually putting it out on RR or another website? It seems like a decent number of RR stories split chapters into section that are around the 2k-3k count, compared to LN's or even regular novels or books. Does writing the complete story, or at least, a book or two's worth, editing it, and then making a WN version to post in those constraints seem like a smart move, or, redundant instead?
>>25214936Strictly speaking you should have at least 20k words for the initial drop so that you can run an ad on day one. Then you want to post a chapter a day for the first thirty to sixty days depending on if/when you hit main RS. You may also want another 5-10 chapters to post on Patreon starting on day one, so between 10-20 chapters on day one, and then be prepared to write another chapter a day for the next two months. This is of course if you intend to make a real play to breakout and make money off your work.And don't forget to set aside time and energy to do shoutout swaps, and keep doing it once your'e on RS. ESPECIALLY once you're on RS. It's a waste if you don't. Keeping up shoutout swaps is how you'll keep growing your fiction after RS, too. They're more effective than ads and don't cost money.If you're not serious about playing the game then nah just write chapters when you want. Consistent posting will still get you an audience (small) even if you never run ads or actively shoutout swap.
>>25214891Just make mc a villain then he can fight law abiding authorities and their forces. They will have the reason to fight the mc and they will also use (mostly) common methods and power systems.
>Goth Mommy, Bone DaddyFinally, some quality literature in rising stars.
Let’s be honest. DFW hated misogyny. He was a Nice Guy and a white knight. He hated the porn industry because it was trying to force women to be whores, to bring out their essence, and that is as ontologically medieval.
>>25214695>”author” in bioliteral who
>>25214906DFW's ex. I don't think she's well known but she is a professor of literature.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Karr
>>25214681>DFWthrow him in the trash pile along with Gaddis, Pynchon, and Gass
>>25214953
>>25214687I dunno about all that. I think women are far too judgemental of men and one hand job to a lonely guy isn't the end of the world, toots.
That it is common to conflate his ideas with:1) that of existential nihilism retards like sartre & camus.2) might makes right aristocratic bronze age fascism like mishima & BAP.It's hard for the no-reads to understand he's really just a guy who's obsessed with culture. And morality for some reason. To read him if you're not really into western high culture would be like watching anthony fantano without having listened to the /mu/core albums.I hope this helps some tards to stop basing their opinions about thinkers on poor pop culture caricatures.Peace.
>>25212671>Nietzsche is doing either witty aphorisms or pop-psychology bullshit. Absolutely embarassing to read him after you're 15.>Hobbes, Hume, the Vienna circleHow does some say something so true and the something do retarded between a period
>>25212650No discussion of Nietzsche is worth having without acknowledging Wagner.
>>25214204>So here he again seems to be implying that any mercy at all creates resentment and revengeYes. Which is not, however, an argument against helpfulness/mercy. It is an argument that any help is an unfortunate and potentially-hazardous necessity, so it must be treaded with caution, anonymity and obfuscation:"If I must be pitiful, I dislike to be called so; and if I be so, it is preferably at a distance.Preferably also do I shroud my head, and flee, before being recognised: and thus do I bid you do, my friends!"" “Be shy in accepting! Distinguish by accepting!”—thus do I advise those who have naught to bestow.I, however, am a bestower: willingly do I bestow as friend to friends. Strangers, however, and the poor, may pluck for themselves the fruit from my tree: thus doth it cause less shame.Beggars, however, one should entirely do away with! Verily, it annoyeth one to give unto them, and it annoyeth one not to give unto them.""And not to him who is offensive to us are we most unfair, but to him who doth not concern us at all.If, however, thou hast a suffering friend, then be a resting-place for his suffering; like a hard bed, however, a camp-bed: thus wilt thou serve him best.And if a friend doeth thee wrong, then say: “I forgive thee what thou hast done unto me; that thou hast done it unto thyself, however—how could I forgive that!”Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
>>25214204>why is a culture's merit defined by the ability of a few at the top of his imagined pyramid to ...what, sit about and philosophize all day?To give you meanings of life and redeem your lowly existence."The highest caste - which I call *the few* -, being the perfect caste, also has the privilege of the few: this includes representing happiness, beauty, goodness on earth. Only the most spiritual human beings are allowed to be beautiful: only among them is goodness not a weakness. *Pulchrum est paucorum hominum* [Beauty is for the few.]: goodness is a privilege. On the other hand, nothing can be tolerated less in this type than ugly manners or a pessimistic look, an eye that *makes things ugly* -, or even an indignation over the way of the world. Indignation is the privilege of the Chandala; pessimism too. '*The world is perfect*' - this is how the instinct of the most spiritual people speaks, the yes-saying instinct: 'imperfection, every type of being that is *beneath* us, distance, the pathos of distance, even the Chand ala belongs to his perfection' . The most spiritual people, being the *strongest*, find their happiness where other people would find their downfall: in labyrinths, in harshness towards themselves and towards others, in trials; they take pleasure in self-overcoming: asceticism is their nature, requirement, instinct. They see difficult tasks as a privilege, they *relax* by playing with burdens that would crush other people ... Knowledge - a form of asceticism. - They are the most admirable type of people: which does not prevent them from being the most cheerful, the kindest. They do not rule because they want to, but rather because they exist, they are not free to be second." (A #57)
>>25214204>Why does he have this cynical view where every humble behavior is necessarily an underhanded grab for power?Why do you have this cynical view where power is something bad?"And this secret spake Life herself unto me. “Behold,” said she, “I am that which must ever surpass itself.To be sure, ye call it will to procreation, or impulse towards a goal, towards the higher, remoter, more manifold: but all that is one and the same secret.Rather would I succumb than disown this one thing; and verily, where there is succumbing and leaf-falling, lo, there doth Life sacrifice itself—for power!That I have to be struggle, and becoming, and purpose, and cross-purpose—ah, he who divineth my will, divineth well also on what crooked paths it hath to tread!Whatever I create, and however much I love it,—soon must I be adverse to it, and to my love: so willeth my will.And even thou, discerning one, art only a path and footstep of my will: verily, my Will to Power walketh even on the feet of thy Will to Truth!He certainly did not hit the truth who shot at it the formula: ‘Will to existence’: that will—doth not exist!For what is not, cannot will; that, however, which is in existence—how could it still strive for existence!Only where there is life, is there also will: not, however, Will to Life, but—so teach I thee—Will to Power!Much is reckoned higher than life itself by the living one; but out of the very reckoning speaketh—the Will to Power!” "Comment too long. Click here to view the full text.
How does one study with rigor without the structure of school?
>>25214462scheduling
>>25214462You can't I tried escaping my castle walls and did you know its illegal in 2016 to not attend high school in my State but it doesn't matter people are boring. I should have been a child prodigy but I was too autistic to "be myself desu". So I planted some seeds on the internet and now the whole world hates 4chan :D
>>25214462Is coffee good for you?
Choose
>>25214462Good lord what a hottie
Has anyone ever actually completed the Reddit Meme Trilogy? I got through a few pages of Ready Player One and couldn't stomach any more. And I know there's no way I could get through books described as "Ready Player One but in World War 2" and "Ready Player One but in space" so I was just curious if anyone's actually gotten through them all.
>>25210210They’re sentimental sure but I think Joyce pulls it off well enough. Circe is mostly just hilariously absurd until the moments with Stephen and his mother, and what you quoted there.
>>25211173wdym?
>>25197720Hijacking this thread to complain about Ernest Cline. Listened to the audiobook for Ready Player One, Ready Player Two, and currently trudging through Armada. The pop culture references in every other sentence are one thing, but then he has this other habit of summarizing what's happening in the story every so often, something he only has to do because his constant references keep dragging the reader out of the story. To add on, he only really has three things he writes about:>Vibeo gaymes>Daddy issues>Teenage girlsAnd the third one I would normally take no issue with, but they're always "girl power manic pixie dream gamer girls" and he tries to justify any and all potential attraction to them by acting like it's their stunning personalities that captivate him, when he should just come out and say "preteen titties, amirite?". And his main characters, always chosen one every mans. He never earns any of the emotional beats he tries to portray because the only thing he does to try and help the reader relate to the MC is saying >'member the 90's?Shit author and the fact he's a more prolific writer than me makes me suicidal.
Maybe everyone should just leave him alone.
>>25214245they think they can overpower anime. it's not my fault some people want to take gaddis and pynchon down. maybe they deserve it :^)
So you can just straight up copy Joyce and get published? Interesting...As shit as Pynchon is, at least the genre fiction slop he wrote is original.
>>25206498In order to "talk" about anything on this board, it has to start with OP being an assblasted faggot retard seething about the topic at hand.
>>25211190Compliments to the chef on the pasta. *mwah*
>>25214650What set him off? He’s been shitting up pynchon threads for awhile trying to derail them. I thought he was just a retarded weeb but then he bumped a Gaddis thread for months and has been spamming pynchon, gaddis, and dfw threads now. Did someone insult his anime?
>>25214717Something something got absolutely destroyed in an argument about Gaddis ripping off Joyce by some anon who people call the DFW drunkard or something. He was arguing for Gaddis ripping off Joyce but apparently he’s never engaged in argumentative discourse before because people say he couldn’t make a single effective point.
>>25214650>>25214717>>25214725>seethinganime wins :^)don't worry, i heard pinecone likes anime too. maybe he actually does have good taste in something (we all know writing's not his strength)
What's all the hub bub about this one?
>>25214870I plan to pair Sot-Weed Factor with son & xon, read them back-to-back.
>>25214916Why not add Vollmann's Argall to the mix?
>>25214921>3rd book in a seriesMaybe if it can be read standalone. It'd also be my first Vollmann.
>>25214928Yes, every book in that "series" is completely standalone. The only thing that connects them is the topic: encounters between European settlers and Native Americans.
>>25214916>son & xoni can't imagine reading that garbage, but you do you
>>25214809Yes and I did. I moved through three different states and took shit jobs to survive. It's cool but mostly miserable. "Adventure" as in being British and wearing a colonial hat while minorities bring you exotic food isn't really a thing anymore. For the rest there is "traveling" for fun or during holidays, which mostly consists in you eating and sleeping in slightly different places from where you live, and queueing to take a picture of cultural "landmarks". My takeaway is that the modern workplace is hell, and that one has more chance to experience adventures today by walking straight in a single direction for 7+ hours than by taking a plane.
>>25214809>My takeaway is that the modern workplace is hell, and that one has more chance to experience adventures today by walking straight in a single direction for 7+ hours than by taking a plane.Your advice reminded me of this passage by Chesterton from his essay “On Certain Modern Writers and the Institution of the Family”:>If we were tomorrow morning snowed up in the street in which we live, we should step suddenly into a much larger and much wilder world than we have ever known. And it is the whole effort of the typically modern person to escape from the street in which he lives. First he invents modern hygiene and goes to Margate. Then he invents modern culture and goest o Florence. Then he invents modern imperialism and goes to Timbuctoo. He goes to the fantastic borders of the earth. he pretends to shoot tigers. he almost rides on a camel. And in all this he is still essentially fleeing from the street in which he was born; and of this flight he is always ready with his own explanation. He says he is fleeing from his street because it is dull; he is lying. He is really fleeing from his street because it is a great deal too exciting. it is exciting because it is exciting; it is exacting because it is alive. he can visit Venice because to him the Venetians are only Venetians; the people in his own street are men. He can stare at the Chinese because for him the Chinese are a passive thing to be stared at; if he stares at the old lady in the next garden, she becomes active. He is forced to flee, in short, form the too stimulating society of his equals — of free men, perverse, personal, deliberately different from himself. The street in Brixton is too glowing and overpowering. He has to soothe and quiet himself among tigers and vultures, camels and crocodiles. These creatures are indeed very different from himself.
>>25214809Yes, when I was a kid. But now I understand I'm too much of a pussy for adventure. I did go on vacation, but it wasn't for me. I hate making plans and I'm not spontaneous, so I ended up just riding the train, walking around some new town for a few hours, then recording every minor thing that happened and every thought that popped into my head into my travel diary. In elementary school I remember all sorts of posters in the library saying you can go anywhere and do anything with books (stuff like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xM50OgjRKY). At the time it seemed like cope. But now I really do believe it. I would rather read a good book than travel.>Whoever has crossed all the seas has crossed only the monotony in himself. I've crossed more seas than anyone. I've seen more mountains than there are on earth. I've passed through more cities than exist, and the great rivers of non-worlds have flown sovereignly under my watching eyes. If I were to travel, I'd find a poor copy of what I've already seen without taking one step.Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet
My twenties were wasted in a haze of gaming and gooning. I recently had kids so I stopped doing those things and started reading instead. The brain fog slowly cleared and I realized the path that I want to take and the life I want to lead, but now it's unattainable because of my familial responsibilities. >What did you expect?
300 pages in…. When does it get good?
>>25206909When it becomes clear that Gately is actually the main character. You should be around there.
>>25211911Checked.
>>25211406All these people are pretty awful. Isn’t Toby Fox the undertale faggot? That’s as bottom of the barrel as one can get
>>25210447"wombnigger" is a new one
>>25214930Newfag
>obliterates theologians with one of the most popular books in existence
>>25213182I guess I'll ask chatgpt
>>25208890>thiefpostingIf you read the Voyage of the Beagle you will be pretty shocked to find basically zero evidence of antecedents of evolution except a few throwaway racist lines about abos. I have never seen a thinking with a more discontinuous train of thought supposedly leading to their magnum opus.For me, its all the evidence I need to convince me the accusation of plagiarism from Mathew is correct, though that evidence is considerable in its own right.
>>25208914Pagan aryan Europeans always knew this, it was your poisonous jewish god that turned the world into a sewer.
>>25212828based occultist
>>25213878you know you can google things without asking an AI, right?or at least you could... I guess that's out the window now
>long as fuck names for characters, places, concepts etc (had to write them down to memorize them)>weird non-flowing sentences>lots of poetry-ish sounding sentencesIt seems like the author literally translated ancient chinese slang into modern day english, its just difficult for me to read. Anybody else experience this?
>>25206947>English prose is usually bloatedThis anon knows...
>>25205476Sounds based, I wish more novels were like that.
>>25196196Lotm is clunky even in Chinese.
>>25194386The thing to keep in mind is the first third or so of it is pretty directly a parody of popular chinese fantasy fiction c. 2010. As it goes on it starts leaning less on that but if you don't know chinese fiction tropes you'll probably be lost well before that.
>>25213754What tropes?
I enjoy reading VNs more than books. What is your opinion on this matter?
>>25214523Is it moege?
>>25214898I’m gonna guess NTR nukige.
>>25214523I think you should kill yourself OP. You are retarded.
Miki thinks it's okay to like different things!
>>25214923
best books on biotechnology?
Why is it so hard to get good book discussions on dedicated book sites? I’ve tried Goodreads, subreddits, book forums, wikis, booktube, Facebook groups, discord servers, you name it. But the level of discussion seems to be low. People can’t read between the lines and often need you to spoon feed your analysis to them. You can’t just assume your interlocutor can follow a general argument, they want you to prove beyond reasonable doubt your interpretation makes sense to them, because you have to basically appease the other person and make them feel like they haven’t missed the point of whatever book you’re discussing. It’s particularly bad with readers who don’t read poetry.
>>25214435Maybe you’ll learn something.
normalfags only read the most megapopular bestselling trash then treat it like their religious belief and behave psychotically toward anybody who does not worship their favorite book series
>>25214435What does you being new to 4chan have to do with literature?
>>25214440>>25214807>thinly veiled seetheI tip my fedora, gentle johns.
>>25213259Oh wow… what a shelf haha.You show this to the girls you bring over? Just kidding lol, you’ve never talked to a woman in your life that isn’t your mother.
