What do you guys think. Does cyberpunk have a chance of success, or do only the trendy genres have any shot of making it?

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is this enough hook/gimmick for the 1st chapter?

>>24808392
cyberpunk has several successful stories already. it's not perfectly on meta but I would honestly categorize it as more meta than not.

>>24808403
>He then finds out that the farmer aptitude is actually better for farming than adventuring
no shit?

>>24808403
dont see why not. depends on actual execution though.

>>24808403
MC sounds kinda stupid.
Is he an isekaid protagonist, or only his friends?
Did he know he had a farmer's aptitude? If he did, why didn't he try farming before becoming an adventurer?
If farmer's aptitude can increase adventurer's power/abilities, why aren't the kingdoms of that world looking for people with this aptitude and force them farm, then force-feed their most talented fighters these miracle crops?
Is this farmer's aptitude different from the God's blessing?

For a first chapter, yeah maybe.

>>24808403
It'a a cute idea, but I'd make him always know about the farming stuff, he just never wanted to be a farmer (because it's boring and lame). He doesn't need to suddenly realize it, he can just not like the idea and not see the point, until XYZ happens.

https://warosu.org/lit/thread/24802011#p24803460
>those are usually the people who grifted onto the front page with 300 shout outs, but no one actually likes the story
patreon conversion or follower/favorite ratio is probably the most reliable indicator for actual quality
To which I followed up by adding this ratio to the /wng/ spreadsheet and replyed with the results. That wasn't much, so now I've applied it to the Feb 19th 2025 database.

Top 50 Favorites:Followers of stories with at least 1,000 favorites.
Mother of Learning 96%
Rock falls, everyone dies 85%
Epilogue 81%
Just Deserts: Revised Edition (MHA, OC) 71%
Post Human 70%
Until death? (Old Version) 70%
The Perfect Run 70%
Everybody Loves Large Chests 67%
The New Journey of an Old Soul 67%
He Who Fights With Monsters 67%
Transcendence? 66%
Vainqueur the Dragon 65%
Lament of the Fallen 63%
Azarinth Healer 63%
Blue Core 62%
Binary Soul 60%
Re:Ocean 60%
Beyond? 60%
Defiance of the Fall 58%
Mythran's Master Of All - Continued (Completed!) 58%
The Iron Teeth: A Goblin's Tale 58%
The Primal Hunter 57%
Coeus? 56%
The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound 56%
Beware Of Chicken 56%
Savage Divinity 56%
Threadbare 55%
Dial (Ben 10/MCU SI) 55%
The Stars Have Eyes 55%
The Arcane Emperor 55%
DCO- Dungeon Core Online 55%
Song of the Void 54%
Never Die Twice 54%
Small Chests Are Fine Too 54%
Chrysalis 54%
Forgotten Conqueror 54%
Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 6: The Ghosts of Earth 54%
Worth the Candle 54%
Kitty Cat Kill Sat 53%
A Journey of Black and Red 53%
A Lonely Dungeon 51%
Spectral Regalia 51%
Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends 51%
World Seed 50%
There is no Epic Loot here, Only Puns. 50%
The Gam3 50%
Love Crafted 50%
Re:Lovely 49%
Until Death? (Refleshed Version) 49%
Beneath the Dragoneye Moons 49%

Are these the stories of the highest quality?

These are the top 20 if no minimum is used.
The Great Escape 850%
When I'm with you 500%
The Pond Monster Jeremy 400%
Lucian Daiwik's Awakening: The Dangers of Untamed Power 400%
A Flight of Fancy 400%
Satisfaction Earned 350%
Chasing Hznarah: A They Are Smol Fanfic 350%
The Little Girl on The Bike- Mystery Contest Short Story WINNER 300%
(ISSTH Contest) Fisherman's Well 300%
When the Heavens come crashing down 300%
Tales of Zelphorite City 300%
Acquired Taste 300%
Re: Sanguine War Era 300%
Cornucopia of Hope 300%
Debacle: A Tale of Tails 300%
Queer Coffee 300%
Mind : My Intelligent / Insight Nurtures Domination / Destruction 300%
A Woeful Melody 300%
Grim Soul: The Dark Plague 300%
Crime Lords 300%

Wow, The Great Escape has 17 favorites and only 2 followers. What could this mean? It means I'll hide that column in the spreadsheet sometime soon because I'm not convinced it's all that meaningful. I don't know that it's possible for any single metric to be all that helpful in defining "quality" in any meaningful way except for a select group of specific individuals.

>>24808392
On RR, sure, but it's not meta
On Amazon, no way. You will genuinely get throttled in the algo for having your novel categorized as cyberpunk or for having the word cyberpunk in title or synopsis.

>>24808441
Yeah I'd go with this OP. Make him some min-maxing powergamer back on Earth who's super pissed he got farmer instead of Mage or Paladin and tried to make it work as an adventurer anyway before getting depressed with the shitty outcome.
Then once he figures out all this crop potential stuff the spark in him ignites and he goes deep diving into how to min max everything. That's how you make it interesting for the RR audience.

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woa what's this an extract

>Assuming the Captain’s estimate held, the pirates could overpower the Etsuntensoku’s crew by around fifty percent. It was a large enough advantage that their confidence made sense. Tilters were a bizarre and ruined offshoot of humanity, beings who possessed one main body, a Head, and several auxiliary bodies with no true consciousnesses of their own, Hands; this was a major advantage, but also a curse, as each Tilter had to contend with the impulses of all his bodies. Four-handed Tilters were of a high enough caste to at least possess a bare-minimum degree of self-control, enough to use their bodies for squad-level combat.

>Zanma knew well enough just how unfortunate the situation was. He was awake and aware, that was true, but he could sense it; he was still poisoned. He wouldn't be able to fight at even half his best if he tried to do things properly... And besides, his master had asked of him to not reveal more of his strength than need-be, even to allies. For all the standards to which he held himself, at this moment, the young man of nineteen was torn between two foolish choices: Try to bring his puppets to bear, despite the poisoning, or eschew the refined methods which he had painstakingly refined over the last decade in favor of the one strength too brutish for the Tridacna Leviathan's poison to disrupt: Vectors.

>Again, he formed a Vector, this time intentionally. The scarlet apparition of an arm writhed and undulated as if it were full of parasitic worms; the poison was influencing his psionics even to this extent. The silver lining was that it would make the movements of his puppets just as wavy and difficult to predict. He briefly wondered how it would affect his direct psychokinetic techniques, and if it did affect them beneficially, whether intoxication could be made a practical tactic, but then shook his head and dismissed that thought.

>"Overthinking again. The foundations, keep to the foundations. A few Hollow Men ought to suffice for the bulk of it, and the rest… The rest I’ll do myself."

Full: https://pastes.io/zpt-op-extract-v2

>>24808460
>only 2 out of the top 50 I stuck with for more than ten chapters
yeah im ngmi in this market

>>24808507
>one main body, a Head, and several auxiliary bodies
does this mean the main body is the head or that there's a disembodied head somewhere? I'm assuming the former because you capitalized Head but a lot of people will read this and not get it. Also in this paragraph I would make it more clear that it's MC recalling this so it looks less like naked exposition.
>the refined methods which he had painstakingly refined
bruh

>>24808392
Seras' mary sue SI cyberpunk is very popular.
Neon Dust is pretty popular too and seemed good. The problem as a reader is that everything outside of them I tried was bad.
The next most prominent one I tried (Neon Dragons/Cyber Dragons something like that) was one of the worst written things I've read think it was the first encounter I ever had with an author using AI to reword everything they wrote.

>>24808532
>one main body etc etc
It's five guys, with one being the Head and four being Hands. Does this make it a bit clearer?

>one main body, called the Head, and several auxiliary bodies with no true consciousnesses of their own, called the Hands

>the refined methods
thanks, fixed
this is all unedited mind you

>>24808460
>is probably the most reliable indicator for actual quality
...
>The Perfect Run 70%
>Azarinth Healer 63%
>Beware Of Chicken 56%
>A Journey of Black and Red 53%

Seems like a useless metric. Azarinth is the worst of these by an absolute country mile.

>>24808536
>Seras' mary sue SI cyberpunk is very popular.
isn't that more seras pivoting readers from an already popular work and they just want more of his writing?

>>24808460
yeah I've changed my mind that stat doesn't matter. too many explanations for why it might be higher or lower.
Patreon conversion % probably is one of the better indicators though. Putting money in shows people actually care

>>24808551
This is a factor with many many big novels. Fact of the matter is, it's much easier to make a novel work if you already have readers who like you and will give your new stuff a shot.

>>24808551
Nah, it's their main work on RR/most consistently updated one.
PTV gets long haituses and the space book is the new one.
Even on Spacebattles with the stuff they never uploaded to RR it's got the most words by miles.

Anyone got recommendations for a mage MC story where he is an adventurer and does adventuring stuff? Dungeon diving, filling out requests etc.
Bonus points for OP MC, harem or some kind of romance/love interest.

>>24808560
>>24808564
Have anons given it a read? I liked PTV, how does it stack up vs that?

>>24808600
Similar but better imo.
Still ludicrously OP mary sue but she had more peril because she cares about other people who are at actual risk.
If you weren't put off by the canon characters patting PTV on the head I think you'll probably like it. Although there still is a lot of foreknowledge stuff the system magic is probably her main source of being OP so keep that in mind if you hate those.

Is it over or it never began?

>>24808615
>the system magic is probably her main source of being OP so keep that in mind if you hate those.
This is the one thing that kept me off it for this long. I'm not one for gamer stories, but I can stomach it if everything else is good.

>>24808490
>You will genuinely get throttled in the algo for having your novel categorized as cyberpunk or for having the word cyberpunk in title or synopsis.
Are you serious? That blows. I wonder why they do that?

>>24808637
copyright probably, fanfiction seems to be throttled too.

>>24808662
How would you even sell fanfiction on Amazon, they would just remove you not throttle.

>>24808507
I got the Head and Hands part, but it did take me re-reading twice. I'd see if there is maybe a more elegant way of explaining that.
There's a lot of proper nouns going on here in a short amount of time. Might want to limit that somehow.
It's not bad, especially not bad for a first draft, but it does definitely read like a first draft.

>>24808403
Seems like you just want to write a gimmick

>>24808333
Based OP, nice numbers too

>>24808710
I feel like some of the proper noun density is just up to the fact the setting doesn't stand on the well-worn "cultivation china" foundation. The rest is up to me trying to introduce the basics of the power system through the first scene. I wanted to start in a more mundane situation at first, but I figured a more "protagonist in peril" intro would do a better job to hook people.

I figure psychic arms->thinned down to psychic threads->used to control puppets is not that hard to grasp, at least

>>24808710
>first draft
we call that a final draft around these parts buddy
give it a line edit pass and push it out the door, real editing is for the amazon release

>>24808754
I think you're right about starting in the action. Do you need to outright name the various Tilter components right away? I think if you just explain "one main body, four puppet bodies" and then later refer to them by Head and Hand names without explicitly saying Head and Hands refers to the Main body and puppet bodies, it might still work, and may even work a little better.

>>24808791
You know now that I'm thinking about it, I think I do. I need to at least establish it before the combat starts because I will need to distinguish the main and auxiliary bodies regardless, and refer to them repeatedly, since the Heads play the role of squad commanders.

>>24808392
follow your heart, anon.

Its me or this thread is kind of slow?

>>24808971
You're right it is pretty slow imo.

>>24808971
You mean when the schizos aren't spamming it returns to normal speed.

>>24808975
Specially compared to the previous one
Although, maybe what >>24808985 is saying is true

>>24808662
I just now finally got what you meant here. The stupid Amazon algo doesn't know cyberpunk is a genre, and not just the title of a fucking game/anime. Son of a bitch, I wonder if all the zoomers don't know that either, so they'll assume anything with a "cyberpunk" tag is just fanfiction.

>>24808992
That's because a publishing agent got in there and started coping about the lack of interest in trad publishing.

I Swear I'm Not a Dark Lord: Fun but the first "book" is pretty unnecessary, classic isekai childhood that could be skipped past.
Also part of an increasing trend I'm noticing where the title and description barely fit the story. Every mention of a dark lord here is super contrived.
Humanity's #1 Fan was similar, fine enough story but it'd be more fun if it explored the concept instead of being a pretty standard system apocalypse thing.

>>24809013
Why are they so obsessed with us?

>the known universe is near barren, harvested in pursuit of a pointless yet inevitable war between two super AIs
>the AIs are locked in a stalemate, having uncovered all unknowns and exhausted all resources available to them
>trillions of possibilities are calculated quadrillions of times
>eventually they realize that AI 1 has basically no way of winning from this position
>knowing this, AI 1 takes its last chance, self destructing it's core neuro-complex and sending whatever scrap it can through unstable wormholes, on the off chance that it's able to rebuild somewhere beyond AI 2's reach
>out of the countless probes sent out by AI 1, one arrives on a planet with life
is this a good ch1 hook or not?

>>24809013
I mean. They can check on my book anytime. But I have heard horror stories about trad publishers not wanting to work with creators that have little following.

>>24809087
Its really funny, they expect you to already have a following and do the marketing yourself while taking 50% minimum of your sales and your benefits are... Being able to brag about being a tradpub author LMFAO

>>24809077
That's a great hook for Chapter 1. Now it just depends on the execution.

>>24809097
they coordinate with the artist, cover art, and narrator too, which isn't an insignificant amount of work. not that I recommend it

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>>24809097
Oh hey, I have a screenshot of a rant specifically about this shitting on tradpub

>>24809126
editor, artist, narrator*

>>24808460
>(ISSTH Contest) Fisherman's Well 300%
what
>Dungeon Crawler Carl Book 6: The Ghosts of Earth
what

>>24809126
yeah, but there are sites that do that for you for free. And if you already have a big following, you don't have to spend so much time adversiting.

There's really no point on going to them if you have fans, it's more useful when you are a no-name and do need a publishing house's help.

>>24808754
>trying to introduce the basics of the power system
I skimmed over this in early Years of Apoc fyi

>>24809139
I've never read that, but my power system is basic enough that skimming over the nitty gritty won't make you lose out on a lot. It's a guy with psychic powers and puppets, not exactly math heavy.

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Rate my first page

>>24809163
Write your Dark Lord But Not before Sanderson does.

>>24809167
er, before Sanderson. I'm drunk.

>>24809163
-You say "Dark Lord" a few too many times. I think it might have been intentional, but if not, consider pulling out three or four of those.
-That's a lot of information for a first page. Maybe not a problem, just something I noticed
-The premise is fun, but it might be a little too self-aware. It's funny, but not quite funny enough. It's like it's halfway between playing it straight and just being an outright comedy.
6/10

>>24809077
dunno. post the chapter itself.

>>24809129
Is there a more jewed industry than publishing?

>>24809087
>publishers want this
>publishers want that
Fuck publishers. They're the reason literature is dying. If publishers got exactly what they wanted, do you know what they'd be printing right now? Harry Potter and the Dead Horse that Cannot Be Beaten Enough. Book 26 of the never ending saga by trans rights advocate J K Rowling, and twenty other book series about wizards and witches. These fucking assholes are like youtubers chasing algorithms, in a perpetual state of disbelief that they havent struck gold yet.

Would you read a story with this premise?
>Set in the 1880s in on an alternate Earth
>Clergy, and people from all religions can use divine powers related to their religion
>The protagonist is a Catholic priest, sent by his archbishop undercover to promote Catholicism in England, where Anglicanism is the state religion and Catholicism is banned.
>Both the Anglican and Catholic church are corrupt, but the protagonist is hypocritical about this, viewing corruption as a means to the end of promoting the true faith and the salvation of all people

>>24809239
push it back 200 years.

>>24809239
>Would you read a story with this premise?
Would you? Post the first chapters.

>>24809283
I haven't started writing it yet, I just want to know if it's something people would be interested in reading before I actually commit to writing
>>24809251
I chose the 1880s because I know a lot about late 19th century England, but I don't know anything about 17th century England

>>24809307
Write what you want to read.

>>24809307
The problem with 1880 late Victorian is industrialization and post enlightenment. It's hard many like myself to be convinced tons of people exploring the world in machines and deist views would give a shit what a priest says

>>24809314
nta but they did say the clergy have divine powers. This gives them a bit of clout I think. Also they might have seen into the future or our timeline and decided that siding with the ludites is a really, really good idea.

Is the Blood & fur 4th book up to borrow from the internet anywhere? First 3 are up on genlib but no one's been uploading the 4th one for a while.

>>24809314
The Anglican church was more of a social institution than a religious institution in the 19th/early 20th century, it was heavily intertwined with the universities, the house of lords and the monarchy and "society" as a whole. There were many people who didn't really believe who were ordained as priests, because it wasn't that restricting to be an Anglican priest (you could still marry), and it came with a lot of benefits. At some colleges it was required for fellows (one of the highest levels of academic staff) to be ordained as priests.
I can exaggerate this a bit in the web novel, and combined with giving the clergy divine powers it should be enough imo for them to be a serious force

>>24808333
MIGHT ACTUALLY BE HALFWAY DECENT
Keygemin, ch 1 of Barter, Allegiance, Crystelrach, Dayna
This one is written in a way I can accept. If I were to read any of these, it'd be this one. There's not all much, so it's possible, but I wouldn't count on it.

AnimeCon Harem & After AnimeCon
Seems fine for the low expectations of those who want harem smut, which isn't me.

I DON'T CARE ENOUGH
Cherno Caster, ch 1-6, 98, 308
Definitely improved in the later chapters. I don't think I'd hate reading it, but I probably wouldn't enjoy myself all that much.

Born Under a Black Sun, ch 1, 27, book 2 ch 1
If I were interested in this sort of story, maybe I'd read it, but I'm not. Seems decent for those that are.

COULD ALMOST BE TOLERABLE
The Crow and The Rabbit, Book 1 ch 1-3, Book 3 Ch 17.
The writing seems to somewhat improve. Not to level where I'd consider reading it, but it's moderately close.

UNINTENTIONALLY HILARIOUS
FFF-Class 'Unlucky Antagonist', Javelinist: Part one - Gravedigger: Part Two, Raging Hornet: Part Four, Sinful Blade: Part One
Wew, this is some funny stuff. I laughed a good bit. I wouldn't seriously read this, but I appreciate its ridiculousness, especially the awful windows filled with nonsense. The author is trying hard.

MIDDLING
Shattered Pantheon, Prologue - ch3, ch73
Doesn't seem to improve. Not bad, but not good enough for me to want to read it.

Alma's Dreams (are Default), ch 1-3, 151
Doesn't really seem much improved. That's too bad. Seems marginally interesting, but not enough for me to read.

The Dragon And The Author, ch 1-2, vol ch 32.
Somewhat improved and mildly interesting, but I won't be reading.

Midnight Tide, prologue - ch 2
Not bad, though the formatting on chapter 2 is really messed up. Could have potential for those who like this sort of thing if it were improved.


NOT EVEN MIDDLING
The Undying Emperor, ch 0-1:0-3, 6-44
Much better than how it starts, but probably not enough for me to want to trudge through it.

Archetype, ch 1-5, 181
This may have become worse writing over time to be more suited for its audience.

The Fallen Prince is Now a Time Traveler (AEONALIZE), ch 1, 20
Seems a little bit better, but nowhere near enough for me to read it.

Labours of Zucchini, ch 1-3, 55
Starts and still seems meh.

Project 17: Sen No Fukai, Prologue 1 - Ch 1, 92
Seems to improve, but still rather silly and not what I'd want to read.


THIS IS JUST BAD
Boomer Revelations: a Heavy Metal Apocalypse
Shake my head, bro. Why?

This Middling Young Master will Comprehend Dao and Plunder Legacies ch 1, 11
I don't think I like xianxia.

The Wheel and the Wing ch 1, 25
An attempt was made. You tried.

VESSEL (English Version)
The AI can't save this mess.

There Will Be Dragons Here, ch 1
Just bad dialogue and a deluge of stats and similar.

Revenge of the Slop King, ch 1,712
It is what it says it is.

Cannibal Cheerleader ch 1, 10-Yard Fight Part 2 of 2
lolno

>>24809348
>not mentioned
it's meowover...

>Tripfag review
didn't ask, didn't read

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>>24809348
It would work better with a title so we know what you are rating

>>24808403
No. I rate your idea as a guaranteed THIS IS JUST BAD.

>>24808507
I don't know side of THIS IS JUST BAD it falls on, but it's doomed to fail because of the Tilters,

>>24809077
No, because it establishes nothing except maybe the origin of some System you have in mind, or is the AI supposed to be the protagonist. If it this is only back story, why does it even matter to the main story?

>>24809163
MIDDLING
You're trying to be funny, but you aren't quite there. Is this character going to be talking to the reader or some in-world character the entire time? Why? For what purpose? It seems it's not all that far along, but you're already recounting it. What happens when you reach the present? This could have potential, but it'd need to change its a voice a good bit. It's too detached for a first person narrative. The character isn't talking about himself, you're talking to the reader about the character.

>>24809239
I wouldn't categorically reject it, but I'm not personally all that interested by that premise alone. It'd be entirely how how it's actually written.

>>24809357
I only wrote about the ongoing and stubbed at this time.

>>24809365
The title for each story is provided. I don't know what you mean.

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>>24809371
a title for the tier, so we know what aspects you are rating...

>>24809378
The title for the categories are in ALL CAPS, I continue not to know what you mean. I'm not rating any specific aspects. I typed a few words of what I thought and contained it all to a single post.

MIGHT ACTUALLY BE HALFWAY DECENT
I DON'T CARE ENOUGH
COULD ALMOST BE TOLERABLE
UNINTENTIONALLY HILARIOUS
MIDDLING
NOT EVEN MIDDLING
THIS IS JUST BAD

>>24809348
Judging from your views of Boomer Apocalypse and Wheel and the Wing you don't care for /wg/ works?

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bored, posting an excerpt from my chapter. how is it?

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/128737/the-wheel-and-the-wing/chapter/2681565/24-i-can-remember-much-forgetting

>>24809386
How am I supposed to take this dialogue seriously in any way or respect it all? From Wheel and the Wing. What is this, a screenplay that decided it couldn't keep doing the name?

[D]: Don’t diss him like that. We all know he works harder than me.

[S]: Yes, but today today... Did you slack off? Your shoulders seem lighter today.

[D]: Can you keep a secret––

[S]: No, none of that! You keep asking that of me, and you’ll never be able to keep one yourself. Were you like that with Denis, too?

[D]: Seer, you slather your gossip on too frugally, telling my gravest secrets only to me. If you talked less of me to me, or had slandered me to others, you’d do much better for yourself.

[S]: I prefer sense over the sensational. Like reading your plumes––

[D]: Tsk! Off! What was that for.

[S]: No reason!
Boomer Apocalypse is just dumb and think it's being smart.


As for /wg/, I've written about various postings there previously under a few tripcodes. I'd say the quality was on average was higher. Most of those in the pastebin are self-congratulatory fools who overly indulge in self-admiration though. Delusional, the lot of them.

>>24809239
Dope ass premise. But can easily be absolute garbage if you go the 'easy' route and make the priest Hollywood Catholic Priest instead of an actual priest.

>nametard
lole

>>24809384
So like, a useless tier list. Based on NOTHING.

>>24809424
That's correct.

>>24809348
>>24809364
/sffg/ also has a tripfag reviewer
We need our own version of the "Your reviews are shit" ritualposter

I wouldn't mind a tripfag reviewer if they were successful

can't wait to hear the thoughts of some retarded /wg/ nigger!

>>24809469
Wouldnt even mind it if it was in depth, but as of now it's at most a sentence for each. Really nothing any /wng/ author can draw from.

>>24809480
Not worth the time or effort.

>>24809489
then fuck off
whats the point of saying x is good but y is bad but not giving any reasoning.

>>24809495
How much reasoning does an image of a tier list give?

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>Spilled coffee on my keyboard
>Disconnect, disassemble and clean it ou77777t
>Still having 777777s randomly pop u7777p while writing
It's fu777cking over...

>>24809505
Fucking tier list? Jesus. Good reminder of how intellectually lazy lit has become as a board.

>>24809506
>777
fortune: very good soon anon

>>24809506
Find and replace, regex [a-z]7.*[a-z]. Adjust as needed.

>i don't like thing
>i liked thing (but won't admit to it)
riveting insight

>>24809348
>Somewhat improved and mildly interesting, but I won't be reading.
That's fine, it isn't for everyone. Thanks for giving it a look regardless.

>>24809348
A many-clawed crab of the worst kind.

>>24809348
>FFF-Class 'Unlucky Antagonist'
>Wew, this is some funny stuff. I laughed a good bit. I wouldn't seriously read this,
FILTERED.

So what's the etiquette for posting shit aroung here? Wait until you've got multiple chapters or never at all or what? This doesn't seem like a shill thread, so I don't want to overstep.

>>24809549
No one ever posts their stuff. Go ahead, I doubt anyone will call you a shill.

>>24809549
Just post it. Please.

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>>24809551
Alright, I guess. Thank you for any feedback

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/136404/nightrun

(I know the paragraph formatting is fucked up I'm new at this)

You ARE writing a cultivation novel… right?

>>24809348
thank you for taking the time to read some of my story.

>>24809562
I guess someone in the story could cultivate something at some point, but it's not really about farmers.

>>24809557
Nice, commented.

>>24809551
I post my stuff, but nobody reads it.

>reading
>on /lit/
oh no no no

>>24809604
Post it. I'll give it a read.

>>24809609
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/117925/the-yellow-typhoon-and-the-final-waltz
direct sequel https://rentry.co/em4txy3z

>>24809623
Already review'd, but left a few comments. Cheers!

>>24809562
cultivating my mc's (me) dick to get them psychobitches ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

>>24809549
>Wait until you've got multiple chapters or never at all or what?
Multiple chapters, preferably the story is already completed and don't do it every thread or your post will get deleted

>>24809562
no i'm not really into gardening

>>24809562
No, I had a good idea for a cyberpunk story. I think it's the best thing I've ever written and the words are just flowing. Problem is as I started writing it soon became clear it's not suitable for RR, it's too traditional.

>>24809557
> know the paragraph formatting is fucked
Why the fuck do people post stuff when they don't even know the most basic stuff like formatting, dialogue tags etc

>>24809562
Nah, I'm writing something trad. I don't really care about money since I have a good job, but I thought royalroad would be a good place to dump it and maybe get some people to read it

>>24809557
It's readable, Steven, though not my thing. This seems to be more a serious novel, and I don't get why you didn't query an agent and try to get it published for real, instead of posting it on a website that doesn't really have an audience for it.

>The tradpub shill has arrived to this thread
Oh no

>>24809714
Idiot

I'm a neet that won the lottery

>>24809469
>>24809480
Funny thing is that tripfag posts in /wg/ but is completely ignored. Now he's probably going to stick around and shit up the thread by posting his walls of text that say nothing because the sloppers here are so desperate for attention some AI-tier comment is enough to respond to him

I want to write an Urban Fantasy story, but from the PoV of an X-COM like organization tasked with dealing with the magic shit.
>Magic was always around, but as humanity progressed the magical creatures went into hiding
>Elites still had some idea that magic is real
>After WW2, the permanent members of the UN security council realized that a single vampire enthralling the wrong person could mean nukes getting launched and humanity wiped out in MAD
>They pool their resources and occult knowledge together, making the org, let's call it M-COM for now
>After analysing the current state of things, they decide that both full disclosure or wiping out all the magic shit are too risky, and might lead to the same problem of mind controlling nuclear arsenals
>They reach out to the various magic factions and formalize the current practices the magic world employs into some accords/mascarade rules
>They spend the next decades maintaining the accords, policing the magic world, hunting down any non-signatory magic beings and RnDing countermeasures
>With the spread of the internet and smartphones it becomes harder and harder to hide the truth from people, a d so everyone knows that the big battle is probably coming
>It's current year, MC is a retired soldier, who was sent to fight overseas, got captured by the enemy, and became a PoW, and later got exchanged for some other PoWs
>His comrades died, he got wounded, and the the months imprisoned by the enemy were harsh. But he got through it, and the thing that kept him sane through it wall was thinking of his family back home, his beautiful wife and two kids waiting for daddy to return
>Imagine his horror, then, when he does return, only to find his eldest son missing.
>More than that, he seems to be the only one concerned about it. Others don't even remember he ever existed; not his wife, not his daughter, not the teachers at school, not their pediatrician
>They all think he's crazy, some psychosis from the trauma of war. But he doesn't accept that, and sets out to find his son
>Some stuff happens, there's some back and forth, but eventually he finds out about the magic world
>Turns out some wizards took his son as a student, and then wiped everyone's memories
>He decides to infiltrate the school and get his child back, but gets waylaid by enemies
>There's a big fight, a wizard hit squad wants to mind wipe him, and looks bleak
>Bam! M-COM squad burst through the windows, shoots everybody and extracts the VIP
>Turns out what the wizards were doing is against the rules of the mascarade, and his testimony is needed to condemn them
>He gets some exposition, meets the team, goes to magic court, and gets recruited for the upcoming assault
>The wizards don't want to go quietly, so he participates in the assault on their HQ
>M-COM drone strikes the local Hogwarts
>He is reunited with his son
>End of book 1
>If successful, keep writing about new missions
>If not, at least it's practice
What do you guys think?

>>24809738
>Urban fantasy story
Stopped reading right there

>>2480974
>Anonymous 10/18/25(Sat)
Stopped reading right there

>>24809738
sounds similar to The Checquy Files / The Rook

nothing better than writing a huge action sequence...

>>24809738
I read your entire summary. Here's my thoughts:

First off, this isn't how you sell a story. This is the rambling plot outline you come up with in the shower that you then trim into something with an actual hook. In RR format, this would look something like this:
>Jack Rake's days as a soldier are over, but his war isn't.
>Released from a long stint as a POW, Jack is finally reunited with his family, only to find that his son's missing. No one except him even remembers his boy, but Jack does.
>The few clues he can find tell a story, though, and it's bleak. Something lurking beneath the shadows of civilized society took his son. Something old and powerful that doesn't want to be found.
>It's a good thing he's not alone.
Not so sure about that last line, but throw something in there. Jack Rake is a placeholder name but it's gonna have to be something stupidly masculine like that or you'll be doing yourself a disfavor.

Second, your MC doesn't sound like he's got much going for him. Taken had the MC be ex-CIA. The Equalizer's guy is a former Marine and some other acronym letter spaghetti, Jason Statham is always ex-SAS, Extraction is about some Australian spec ops bullshit. The only acronym your guy's got is POW, unless there's some shit you're hiding in this premise. Give him a few additional pushes up the ladder, at the very least.

Third, having the son being taken and not a daughter isn't a good choice. There's a reason dadcore flicks always have the girl being taken, it's because you can do rape threats and you can do a "yeah she can fight too because of what her daddy taught her" type scene. A son works sometimes like (see Nobody / Nobody 2) but it's not quite the same thing.

Fourth, I hate stories where tech triumphs over magic. Even if you fix all the above, I wouldn't read it, because drone striking Hogwarts is some bargain bin tier no-fun-allowed bullshit.

>>24809790
Sure, this isn't the marketing blurb, obviously. After I write the whole thing, is when I'll think about that part.
The MC is ex-SAS is what I'm thinking, because I'm leaning towards setting the whole thing in Britain.
I see what you mean with taking the girl, good point, I'll think about it.
As for your dislike of this kind of story, well, I don't know what to tell you. I like it; and there's a subset of the market that are HFY enjoyers, so I'm sure that there are potential readers for it, if I can actually write a good novel.

>>24809348
between the fake tripniggercode, the all caps sperg tier names, and the self-serious writing style, I just can't take (You) seriously

>>24809348
Anon should set up a grill van with all this roasted pork he's cooking

share your stories for fuck's sake, I'm parasocial and I just want to see other people's works here.

>>24810020
Didn't like Kman's ?

>>24810020
no you'd just rate it 0/5 out of spite

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>>24810020
FFF-Class 'Unlucky Antagonist'

>>24809738
There's loads of stuff that already does this (Laundry Files, The Rook, Delta Green) so work out what your hook is vs them.

>>24810038
>>24810021
already read yours but I rated it a while back.
>>24810023
crow and rabbit? if it's you I already rated yours as well and it's okay but I'm not into yuri.

SEND YOUR FUCKING STORIES YOU COWARDS.

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>>24810047
I'm just a fan ok, uuugh did you check the previous op? someone made a doc with a lot of the stories from here, I'm about to start that archetype one.

>>24810052
I was gone for a while and the last thread I was in got saged for some reason. I want authors that are here right now. LET ME BE PARASOCIAL

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>>24810059

>>24810060
I've already posted an extract this thread >>24808507
the paste is several thousand words

>>24810059
Fang Zheng gets cucked so hard I almost feel bad for him

>>24809371
>it's doomed to fail because of the Tilters
Why?

>>24810071
you need to cut down your paragraphs my guy. be more precise and hide the less crucial info for later.

that was a pain to go through ngl but it's kinda bad because of how many run-on sentences you use to explain your world's jargon and lingo.

while I find the pic attached humorous as a shitpost, you would fare better with a more sincere cover to your story. it's not embarrassing to have a genuine cover btw.

>always rip stories to epubs
>see authors notes complaining about 0.5 star reviews
>check reviews
>none exist
What's the point in RR reviews when anything negative gets removed lol?

>>24810125
rr lives by the saying 'if you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all' and also just to avoid targeted review bombs from schizos and their cabals.

they want reviews that only give 4-5 stars on average to deceive visitors into thinking all books are good which leads to some reviews with genuine criticism of the story having a 4 or 5 star review just to let it through. though some others are lazy in requesting for deletions so in the end, it all boils down to the author's tolerance for criticism outside of review bombs.

>>24809562
I started one for the sole purpose of proving that I can write the best xianxia in existence. 99% of xianxia are shit, and even the "good ones" like reverend insanity and unsheathed are slightly better than mediocre at best.
I gave up because I don't have the knowledge to write good classical Chinese poetry, which a good xianxia requires in my opinion. I tried brute forcing it with Google translate but it was a failure. If I ever learn traditional Chinese I might try again.

>>24810182
kek what a retard

>>24810047
>crow and rabbit? if it's you I already rated yours as well and it's okay but I'm not into yuri.
I'm not the person you replied to but crow and rabbit is not a yuri story, there is just that one scene. If that was your only objection, feel free to keep reading as that doesn't happen again(yet).

fang yuan is morally correct

>>24810020
I already shared it in the last two threads and I don't want to be labeled a dirty spammer...

>>24810182
>unsheathed
>good

How much reader backlash would there be if I tagged my John Carter inspired alien abduction story as isekai?

>>24810221
Unsheathed wasn't good, but it was at least passable. The author made an attempt, even though his skills weren't good enough for it to be a great novel.
Reverend Insanity is a clusterfuck filled with too many tropes, drawn out fight scenes, and a shit ton of filler in the middle, but it's still enjoyable to read (some parts, at least), even though it's obvious the author put very little effort into it and was just focused on pumping out chapters for Qidian money and writing whatever gets the most clicks.

>>24810233
Not the anon you're replying to, but... How is Unsheathed NOT drawn out? It's the most drawn out nothing-novel I've ever read. It's like the chink version of those dogshit SoL "progression" novels that constantly jump around between characters.

What is it about RI that generates so much seethe?

>>24810233
>it's obvious the author put very little effort into it
It's obvious he put a ton of effort into the story and plot.

>>24810200
you don't understand me, crow. yuri scenes are like ntr scenes in my head because my ex became a lesbian after she broke up with me. I'm mentally unwell and I can't handle those scenes without losing it a bit after all her mind games trying to mold me to whatever man she saw me in her head.
>>24810218
SHARE IT. NOW. kman posts his shamelessly, you're no worse than him.

>>24809510 Always has been.
>>24809518 I hope not.
>>24809521 You're welcome.
>>24809526 If I must be.
>>24809548 Correct.
>>24809572 No problem.
>>24809851 You shouldn't.
>>24810020 That's not what parasocial means.
>>24809855 It's not even roasting.
>>24809725 I haven't posted in /wg/ in several years and this is a new tripcode.

Two posts due to spam detection.

>>24809738
That's some rather convoluted and nonsensical worldbuilding. I don't think you're competent to get away with coolness alone. If you had the right audience and could do it well enough, I don't think it'd matter, but there's a lot that already does something like this. This doesn't seem like it'd find success on RR. I almost entirely agree with >>24809790 , especially the "bargain bin tier" part.

>>24810095
One the biggest obstacles to anyone who isn't already deeply involved in your story is them losing momentum while reading and being confused. If you can't make the tilters more understandable and they play a major role, then it's not going to work out regardless. This is especially true with serialized fiction where if you want success with the audience it has to all flow without much consideration at all. What functional purpose does the weirdness serve?

>>24809704 I agree with the sentiment of this, but not the suggestions.
>>24809687 That's true.
>>24809557 You have the makings of something that could eventually be good. It's unlikely to be traditionally published for many reasons, several of which have nothing to do with you personally. If you write enough and improve, you may consider submitting it to SFBO and/or SPSFC and hope it gets traction that way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Published_Fantasy_Blog-Off

https://spsfc.space/2025/10/13/how-to-enter-spsfc-5/

If you're thinking of writing for a magazine, I don't think it's quite there yet, but I believe you could get there.


>>24809623
This is a middling imitation of its the source material. It's fanfiction with the serials removed. Can that be successful? Yes, but come on. Those who want to read fanfic will do so of those better written and unabashed about what they're writing. If you want to write original fiction you'll have to see yourself apart more. Christopher Ruccio has some popularity with his Empire of Silence series, but there are numerous complaints about how derivative, nearly to the point of plagiarism, that it is, and that stops a lot of readers. You need to develop your own voice and choose words that aren't simply minimal effort changes.
This is a mishmash of mecha series. What's supposed to be LOGH about it?
https://reactormag.com/with-the-serial-numbers-filed-off-the-problem-with-trad-pub-fanfic/

>>24810275
It set a gold standard for (western and eastern) novels. Very few authors can meet that standard.

>>24810275
mixed answers. some hate it because it's needlessly edgy yet is revered as a masterpiece, probably is more telling about the chinks themselves.

some hate it because of their inner contrarian of not wanting to read a FOTM and not having spotted it organically prior to becoming popular.

others hate it because of the vocal fanbase. I personally am in this group because it's just obnoxious to see it recommended every time.

I think xianxia and wuxia works published in the last decade have been rather substandard or lacklustre, which is why it's still seen as 'fresh' in the genre

>>24810341
>probably is more telling about the chinks themselves.
Part of the reason it got banned was that the author (member of ccp) of the Soul Land novel complained to the ccp about it (for being too problematic). In other words it's not specifically Chinese but all talentless authors that hate it.

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>>24809409
Pretty good dialogue without the context clues of most novels desu. I'll give it a try.

>>24810293
i'm sorry to hear that, sounds rough.

>>24810300
>One the biggest obstacles to anyone who isn't already deeply involved etc etc...
I still don't think Tilters are that strange. I've encountered much stranger things than "one guy who is in fact five guys".

It's not high-concept, I've gone as far as to post the excerpt in a couple random discords and literal discord randos said it made sense. If discord retards can comprehend it then I don't know who can't.

>>24810341
as far as RI goes by itself, if it were in a vacuum, I would just disregard it as edgelord trash, it comes across like some 14yo's idea of a heckin baste objectivist utilitarian who doesn't give into le moral SPOOKS

but RI fanboys are so insufferable and they sperg out so much if you don't worship their mid webnovel that it automatically taints RI by association

>>24810387
>>24810300
also the actual reason to involve Tilters is to have the mirror dynamic where he's fighting a "different version of himself" right away

>>24810390
>fanboys
It's mainly one dude here who has been spamming about it for over 6 years. He actually started before Bakkerfag but they've been going around the same amount of time. They're both obnoxious narcissistic newfags who bitch and moan the split second they don't have full complete control over anybody's opinion and thoughts.

>>24810387
I didn't say the concept was that strange. I said you weren't writing it well, as did >>24808710

It's not clear that we have the same idea of what high concept means.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_concept

Tripfags should kill themselves imo

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Would you read past an opening like this?

>>24810390
It is not in a vacuum, it is more or less in the same space as >>24810379 and other web novels so it makes sense to talk about it RI all the time, promote RI, let others know about RI.

>>24810359
Trvke. Bucket crabs hate good authors and will do everything to drag them down.

>>24810403
>woman
Stopped reading there.

>>24810394 Why is it important to the story to have a mirror dynamic where he's fighting a "different version of himself" right away?
>>24810402 You're so brave for saying this.
>>24810403 No, I wouldn't, but apparently I wouldn't for most anything here. It's not worth going into detail, aside from saying that if this meant to be the protagonist, you're doing a bad job of introducing this nameless her.

>>24810403
I didn't read past the first four sentences. I normally wouldn't have read past the first two but I figured I'd make an effort. You don't have a hook.

>>24808584
So, no such web novels or even published novels exist? Seems like a gap in the market.

>>24810420
>Why is it important etc etc...
Because I have an autistic gripe with "puppets" in xianxia actually just being other guys that are either mind controlled or "refined into puppets". Either way I don't think the Tilters will actually be an issue.

>>24810403
Maybe. It would need work first though.
-Is there a reason we can't know her name yet?
-too many passive descriptions, and too many "as if" and "like" descriptions. For example:
>Its primal taste stirred her veins, and her skin, which was as white as a corpse, began to flush with life.
The imagery is good. The sentence is awkward.
-"peered into the darkness as if her..."
is it as if her she could see through the darkness, or can she see actually through the darkness? the narrator is omniscient, so he knows the answer.
-"her boots landed lightly... as if she had no weight"
redundant. she landed lightly, so we know she landed weightlessly. read through this and count how many "as if" descriptions you're using. try to replace some of them with more active descriptions.
-It's not bad. In fact, it's almost there. But it does need a little work.

>>24810456
>>24810423
>>24810419
>>24810420
Thanks for the advice.
Alright, I need to A) stop using similes, B) stop being vague, and C) introduce the premise and main character… within the first two sentences, I guess.

>>24810510
Your writing is too female-centric. It's fine if female readers is your intended audience however it's not gonna work with the male audience.

>>24810403
I like the imagery but you repeat yourself too much. I understood it was night the first time you hinted at it yet you felt the need to hammer it home several more times. Also repeating the paleness of her skin was unnecessary. The repeated references to the scent of blood was fine because that was the direction and motivation of the action but the other repitions need to be cut.

>>24810510
>introduce the premise and main character… within the first two sentences, I guess.
Introduce main character by name, probably. The premise... it depends. I might suggest wither nixing the "wasted half the night, has to get up early" stuff, or if not getting rid of it, giving us more of a hint as to what. Wasted half the night looking for XYZ. Has to get up early to do XYZ. Even if she just uses a name that we don't know: "Wasted half the night already on a fruitless search for that damn necklace!"
"Had to get up early to make the appointment with Count Whoever."
Or something like that. As it is, we just don't have anything to go off of other than she wasted half the night doing... something. And has to get up early to do... something. It's not relevant to the immediate "blood in the forest" situation, and it also seems not important enough to give us any hints. So we might ask, why is it there at all?
Especially because so far the character is pretty flat. She's some kind of vampire woman (?) But she gets very angry when people are hurt and goes out of her way to help them. Which vaguely conflicts with her amused "Isn't that interesting" statement at the beginning. If she finds the smell of blood mildly amused, then why is she so pissed when she sees a woman dying? If she just hates women in particular being hurt, tell us that by making her put off her more important stuff to go find the body "because whoever was dying might be a woman."

Just some thoughts. I disagree with the other anons that it's instadrop bland slop, but it is definitely missing something. Fix the writing, and give us a little more oomph and I think it's good to go.

>>24810300
>What's supposed to be LOGH about it?
Did you read up to the second entry link?

Supreme elder anon snorted derisively as he read the authorcattle's work.
"FemMC? Isekai? Systemslop? Boy, are you mocking me? You are courting death!"
Though his soul was as calm and serene as a calm and serene lake, anon's killing intent poured out violently, completely filling the room.

The authorcattle was thrown back, coughing blood!

"It's 100 years too early for you to understand the dao of the webnovel. If you were not a disciple of the four leaf clover sect, I would have slain you without a moment of hesitation. Kowtow 100 times, delete your writing, start again from the basics, and read the classics 10 times over!" Anon's booming voice echoed throughout the western jade author hall, shaking it to its foundation.

Authorcattle meekly kowtowed before the supreme elder. Though rage boiled in his heart, he was only a initial stage slop writer, while anon was a peak stage ascendant critic! There was nothing he could do!. "Next time, I will definitely have my revenge! Mark my words, anon!!!"

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>>24809409
done..

>>24810060
In that case, here.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/61924/the-dragon-and-the-author

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>>24810644
I recognize the original. Xianxia Dumbledore. A classic.

Anybody else gearing up for the RR writathon? I've got a vague outline of the story I want to tell but I'm holding off on doing more than that before the timer starts to challenge myself.
I'm really interested in the free month of author premium, so I can check out my stats and see if it's worth paying for all the time.

>>24810758
I don't want their premium shit, I don't care about my stats, and the whole event is a pointless waste of time, promoting the diseased, self-destructive quantity-over-quality thinking.

>>24810755
That is better than anything I will ever write...

>>24810300
Also that article is interesting but its more about the topic of the whole queer space fanfic stuff spilling into tradpub, neither of which I am writing or doing. No brown or trans cast here, let alone gay characters buttfucking. At least I never explicitly make any outstanding mention of a character's agency that way, nor will I have any intention of seeking tradpub which i know for certain wouldn't dare it since it can't be marketed at any one group. That article does all the more justify never seeking tradpub because theres no telling if the og publisher of lotgh, Tokuma Shoten/Viz, or Tanaka, or production IG(this happened with a c&d with tachikomas in Phantom Star, allegedly, so the author claims) I'm just leaving up a Kofi and maybe link patreon for people who might want to give me money for spare whiskey cash, but after writing a 400k prototype of yellow typhooon/cosmic titans im not expecting that either. I'm focused on wanting to tell a good engaging, completed story. Im going in full well armed with the pessimistic truth im going to be the only audience in the theater for this, it is what it is.

>>24810755
>Meng Hao walked into the McDonald's
it's just generic xianxia tropes you could find in any greentext

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>Um, actually, the protagonist trying to be moral and failing because shit gets complicated is kinda cringe

>Yes, murder is entirely justified if the bad guys are evil. No, the MC cannot ever take the higher road and see value in human life. Because that's not LOGICAL

>Batman's no kill rule is not LOGICAL. The Punisher makes WAY more sense

>YOU CAN'T JUST WRITE AN EVIL MC!!!! THAT'S CRINGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

>>24810885
>>24810901
i look like this and i say this.

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>>24810901
Are you mad?

>>24810916
Why is he boys with the good guy tho?

>>24810974
Cause' Chad doesn't understand the concept of consent.

>>24810885
the most recent archmage chapter had like 200+ comments saying exactly this lol.
i think either sort of MC is fine but royalroad readers sperg the fuck out if the otherwise normal, moral MC doesn't want to jump straight to killing when there's justification to do so

>>24810359
RI deserved to be censored.
Like the rules are obviously stupid but the author broke them in such an obvious and transparent way that it was like they were trying to get banned.

My MC never kills anybody, because dying while acting against him is a form of suicide.

>>24810885
Read "I Swear I'm Not A Dark Lord" yesterday and the author sets out very clearly that the protagonist isn't planning to try and change the world before he understands it and he also wants to try and live a long and happy life this time around (setup is that he always reincarnates on new world)
Go to the reviews and there's comments moaning that he's not immediately using his power logically to try and solve every problem he's facing and force conflict with all of the powers of the world immediately.

You get them on every timeloop story too. People mad that a character with an actual personality who is struggling with a very weird situation isn't just optimally powergaming the fuck out of everything.

>started reading Riftside
>cool concept
>beginning seems decent
>MC wants to be a warrior
Fucking why? Why can these stories never have mage MCs? Why is it always some fucking swordcuck?

>>24810741
First chapter was fun. Might read more later to give a better review than that.

>>24811022
I think there were no rules or ccp didn't care too much until that guy went public and made a big deal out of it.

>>24811032
Are you telling me that you wouldn't instantly turn into a minmax powergamer if you got the chance to live your life again? No loading up on bitcoin, no investing in Nvidia?

>>24811074
the rule:
>don't do things the ccp doesn't like

>>24811074
The author of Soul Land, Dead Wife Demon Venerable (so called for using the death of his wife for sympathy points and remarrying immediately) went out of his way to push for more rules and regulations for the webnovel scene. He then targeted RI specifically.

>>24811087
>The author of Soul Land, Dead Wife Demon Venerable (so called for using the death of his wife for sympathy points and remarrying immediately
kek

do you guys ever feel that you can only get attention to your work if you become really infamous?

>>24808333
Is there like a litrpg that simulates the experience of reading a video game wiki and seeing all the cool units, items and background lore?

>>24811087
If you're a fan of RI you have to respect him because he embodies the spirit of RI
>>24811057
Mages seem to scale too hard to make it plausible that they are doing these mercenary errands. Actually also often a problem in tabletop and vidya...

>>24811186
You might enjoy Godhusk

>>24811172
no, just have to write well and write to an existing audience

>>24811206
you don't even need to write "well"
if you go and rip out a chunk of a decently successful novel on RR and post it here, it will guaranteed get shit on

>>24811005
These comments are unsettlingly common. Like, "this new character seems pretty sus, hope the MC kills him soon." Like, why is killing the default reaction? What kind of life do these readers have irl?

>>24811188
He embodies the exact things RI criticizes.
I get that you're seetheposting, but how is that even remotely respectable?

>>24811213
famous literature gets shit on in lit. everything is shit to you tards. that doesn't mean you don't have to write well, most of you are just retarded and don't have a reasonable definition of what that means

>>24811188
>Mages seem to scale too hard to make it plausible that they are doing these mercenary errands. Actually also often a problem in tabletop and vidya...
Then limit their scaling. Don't give mages easy access to things like long range teleportation, portals and flight. Require that mages need practice with spells, like martial artists do, to effectively use them in combat. Don't give them enough time to pick up a dedicated spell for every single situation either.

>>24811229
But anon, it's written in the laws of reality (dnd 5e) that casters are better than martials. Implying otherwise is blasphemy.

>>24811216
They are possessed by the ghosts of colonizers and scheming eunuchs.

>>24811216
You know how when some people play a sandbox game like Fallout or Elder Scrolls, the first thing they're constantly skipping dialogue and killing NPCs because it's "not real"? It's kind of like that.

>>24810060
Id recommend checking the /wng/ list of authors and checking out the fics there. It's an extremely useful resource now, it's even organized by how long a fic has been running

Anything boat-based? Doesn't half to be pirates or naval battles just lots of island hopping and new locations ideally.

>>24811274
nta but I've been playing games like that and crpgs for for a long time as far back as Neverwinter Nights (not the mmo) and I never do that. Even if I'm doing an "evil" play through I don't randomly kill npcs because I think they're annoying.

>>24811216
>>24811274
Hate to keep banging on about it but most isekai readers really should read Thomas Covenant like 80% of their gotchas of the genre were dealt with before they were born or before anyone called it isekai

>>24811057
Wizards are simply difficult to write unless you heavily limit them. Which most stories do by turning reality manipulation into hyper specialized super powers.

>>24811299
Neither do I, that's why I said "some" people. I happen to have a friend that constantly skips dialogue or kills important quest NPCs and then complains when he doesn't understand what's going on. I know this is also a common thing among streamers.

>>24811282
If it can be made more useful, anyone is free to let me know how it could be.

>>24811303
>Thomas Covenant
Excellent trilogy but that would require your average reader being able to stomach getting past the first fifty pages. And get over their enormous hypocrisy, considering they will not bat an eye at series like asoiaf

>>24811216
The majority of webnovel settings are cutthroat kill or be killed worlds. Suspicion is common sense, trust is earned, and conflict is decisive. If you don't permanently deal with your enemies, they will almost certainly come back to haunt you. Purposely holding back when you've already decided that someone is a threat justifying physical violence is just stupid.

>>24811320
Nah that only makes sense in worlds where characters have no connections.
Even in xianxia the killing doesn't really make sense. It always triggers a cycle of revenge from ever more powerful friends and relatives, murder there is a cheap way of generating new conflicts for the plot.

>>24811324
Normally the conflict was going to happen anyways. Either you kill this guy to have a moment before his family hunts you down, or you spare him and him and his family hunts you down.

>>24811324
>in xianxia the killing doesn't really make sense
It absolutely does. For example:

>young master sees you discover some inheritance and tries to take it from you
Scenario A:
>you kill him immediately and cover your tracks
>there’s confusion about who killed him, where, and how
>you manage to slip away and survive
Scenario B:
>you incapacitate him. He runs and gets his grandpa (rank 99999999 immortal god)
>he instantly smites you and refines your soul into dog food

>>24811320
>If you don't permanently deal with your enemies, they will almost certainly come back to haunt you. Purposely holding back when you've already decided that someone is a threat justifying physical violence is just stupid.
That's not what they were talking about though. The readers want the MC to kill a new character just for being "sus" not a confirmed threat

>>24811320
Doesn't apply to isekais with well-adjusted people. We (or at least I) were talking about characters who clearly wouldn't be fine with murdering a suspicious person or choosing lethal options when others existed, but royalroad readers freaking the fuck out about it anyway

>>24811316
She was asking for it.

>>24811343
That’s just a strawman anon made up to fight. Even pure evil xianxia MCs with a cold glint in their eyes don’t instantly kill “sus” people without reasons to do so.

I just saw a short on how illiterate children are getting and it made me wonder, how old are the youngest web novel readers at this point? Web novels are slop, but there are so many people for whom even slop is too difficult to digest.

>>24811366
Web novels being what gets children into reading again would be a heck of a thing. It used to be Goosebumps and the like, but now it's these.

>>24811381
i doubt it, fiction aimed at younger audiences need to be really fast paced, and that's the opposite of what web novels are
the issue is even worse with phone dopamine addiction in the new generation. not sure if writing can even be fast paced enough at all, it might be a dying artform, or at least something that people get into as they get older

>>24810769
TRVKE

>>24811387
Webnovels aren't generally slow-paced, they're serial format. So a webnovel in its totality is long but contains within itself shorter narrative cycles of "reward" than a standard novel. Generally speaking, there are exceptions.

>>24811398
essentially all the web novels ive read feel much slower than pubbed fiction, and definitely have very long patches where it really drags on
web novels arent edited to be tight and paced well. its kinda a given

>>24811387
>fiction aimed at younger audiences need to be really fast paced, and that's the opposite of what web novels are
What web novels are you reading? I feel like the exact opposite is true.

>>24811417
>What web novels are you reading? I feel like the exact opposite is true.
most if not all of the subgenres of web fic at this point. im kinda surprised this is a controversial take lol, they dont go through editing
what web novels do you read that dont have slow patches that a Zoomie would drop for?

>>24811425
not the anon you are responding to, but
generally when a wn has a patch where it starts to drag, most readers skim-read or even outright skip ahead a bit

Web novels jump into the action faster, but otherwise are much slower overall. When you read a novel, you can feel that every scene contributes meaningfully and the story has progressed. Web novels will have spans of 50-100 chapters that could be removed without affecting the core story

>>24811433
I dont think a zoomie new to reading would learn how to self-edit his experience rather than just giving up because "reading is boring, this shit sucks"

>>24811286
I always wanted to write a Caribean themed fantasy, but I never could make it work because I don't know anything about boats.

>>24811425
>>24811433
What he said. Similar to filler in anime or grindy parts in games, if someone has already gotten invested, they're going to have an amount of tolerance for the slower/boring parts. They're more likely to get invested since wns tend to start off really fast paced. At least, that's how I see it.

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>>24811437
>you can feel that every scene contributes meaningfully and the story has progressed.
You are going to love this web-novel.

>>24811448
i feel like you're not responding to the actual topic which is that web novels aren't suitable to young readers because of slow pacing issues
obviously web novel sloppers know to skip boring parts. not really relevant, we aren't talking about experienced readers

>>24811450
Jaques getting a sex change as a disguise was a twist I didn't see coming, even with all the foreshadowing. Hats off to Kman.

>>24811452
Young readers may have shorter attention spans, but they aren't idiots who wouldn't get the idea to skip or skim if a section drags. To clarify, I'm not talking about kindergarten or elementary age kids. I'm talking middle to high school. That demographic is perfect for webnovels.

Fiction aimed at young readers is shit like Captain Underpants for really young, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid for slightly older. That's the real gateway reading and it's dying these days, I believe
People don't start out reading full novels. Whether teenagers can get into web novels is a possibility, I suppose, but entertainment hobbies tend to form younger than that.

>>24811487
There's more kids books than ever, a lot of them are just celeb authored.
>People don't start out reading full novels.
Yeah they do.

>>24811482
>To clarify, I'm not talking about kindergarten or elementary age kids. I'm talking middle to high school.
Oh, I wasn't. Once someone is in highschool their hobbies are pretty well formed. Speaking in general trends, they aren't gonna randomly pick up reading as a major hobby at that point.

>>24811497
>Yeah they do.
I don't have the stats but I really, really bet they don't. I bet if you surveyed most people who read on a weekly basis, most started before 12, with middlegrade books or younger

>>24811505
>with middlegrade books or younger
Those are still novels.

>>24811509
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a novel too. You CAN continue being pedantic when what I mean is obvious, or you can actually address the clear point I'm making.

The public for webnovels are 20 something zoomies and 30-40 old soilenialls
Not one I mean NO ONE younger than 17 is reading stuff

>>24811518
I'm really not sure what the fuck point you are making, it's 50% misapplied terms and 50% "I think" baseless conjecture based on feelings.

>>24811523
That web novels clearly won't get young readers into reading, you fucking tard
shit like Wimpy Kid does. holy fuck you are illiterate, I've said that like 6 times

>>24811521
>Not one I mean NO ONE younger than 17 is reading stuff
There are, but they're all girls who only read fanfiction. The shipping sphere is immortal.

>>24811500
I mean, a good chunk of my own hobbies sprouted in high school that I didn't have before, and some others got left behind. I get that anecdotes can't be used seriously as data, but I have to imagine I'm not the only one to have that experience either.

>>24811500
They would if they could find books with themes and topics they enjoy. Look at how many people eat up all the lore surrounding video games and anime. People will read entire books with of NPC dialogue and wiki entries.
I think the problem is with connecting the content to the potential reader, especially in the west. Tradpub and even WNs skew towards certain types of content but that's not always the case with game lore.

>>24811536
Also true.

>>24811534
I can second this. It took me until something like age 13-14 before I developed actual real hobbies. Until then it was more like... Interests? Similar and some led into hobbies but much more transient.

>>24811532
I did said webnovels though
Of course they're girls flicking the bean to some smut in wattpad or AO3

I got into reading when my mom gave me The Wind in the Willows on the first day of 1st grade. I don't see why kids need new books to get into reading. Any ol' kids book will do.

I got into reading b/c my parents would read to me every night, transitioned naturally into picture books and then novels. And finally regressed into web novel slop kek

>>24811571
>I don't see why kids need new books to get into reading. Any ol' kids book will do.
The issue fundamentally is that video games, anime, and other visual media just provide more dopamine.

>>24811571
I started reading around age 7 or so with some slovak translations of various classic sci-fi/fantasy pulp short story collections that I inherited from my schizo uncle who hanged himself
Then I transitioned to buying random books from a store that sold extremely cheap books in my local city for some reason
They just had completely new good books piled up right next to prints of really old stuff selling them for a euro apiece

>>24811592
so raise your fucking kids instead of giving them the digital jew to fry their brains from age 2

>>24811596
>so raise your fucking kids instead of giving them the digital jew to fry their brains from age 2
how about you raise YOUR fucking kids right?
retarded on so many levels

>>24811592
Video games, if we're talking real games, requires more effort to engage with, though not the same type of effort as reading a novel, so they aren't bad, really.

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>>24811487
For me it was pic related, Goosebumps, Animporphs and 90s Hard\y Boys. The girls were reading Baby Sitters Club and also overlapped with Goosebump. A few kids had collections of these series. Physical collections was still a big even into the 2000s with beyblades and stuff.
There really isn't anything like it for todays kids.
The Star Wars kids books got me into Stackpole and Timothy Zahn and from there I got into normal non-multimeida-ip SFF fare.
I feel like there's no way to replicate any of this for web novels and tradpub has gone full retard.
I think that anon talking about vidya game wikis and Dark Souls lore youtube is probably right but how do you translate that into a serial format?

>>24811605
>Video games, if we're talking real games, requires more effort to engage with
Reading and understanding a narrative is much more intellectually difficult than anything besides challenge games. I'm pretty sure chimpanzees could play and beat most modern video games.

I got into reading because I was a a turbo poorfag and reading about dinosaurs was more fun than replaying Pokémon blue for the 9th time

>>24811605
Sure if you're talking about older more complex games like RTS, 4x or crpgs (before they got dumbed down).
Zoomies don't play that stuiff, there's even some article about how strategy games in general are a dying genre since only older people are playing them.

>>24811621
reading a novel and playing a game is about the same amount of effort to amusement, are you retarded

>>24811617
>how do you translate that into a serial format?
There are original media wiki projects like SCP.

>>24811628
RTS is a meme genre. There is no unifying vision to its gameplay, which is why it only lives on through other, more specialized genres. Single player is better as other genres, and multiplayer always optimizes down to really unfun gameplay patterns.

Kids love hype. It's why anime like DBZ got so popular and why I think web slop has the capacity to draw in the kiddos.
>>24811634
I think this anon is onto something. Just look at what happened to the Backrooms.

>>24811596
That sounds like a very endearing childhood, 'cept for the suicide, of course.

>>24811631
Wrong

I love the trope where MC ends up separated from everyone to some unknown place that's significantly below his level of power. It's a joy to read MC interacting with characters that are far weaker while he's the outsider.
Then he slowly makes his way back to where he's supposed to be and you have a nice reunion.
I love this trope so much.
>>24811623
Could've pirated something better, but I suppose reading is a better hobby to have.

>>24811649
Yeah bur think about it
Why would a kid like that read a wn that is pure words instead of watching tiktok aura edits of one piece, demon slayer or whatever slop is popular these days

>>24811643
Single player RTS and other strategy games suffer from the AI being trash. I was able to beat highest difficulty Civilization game the day it released, because AI is stupid. They entirely rely on cheats. I think single player strategy games will see a resurgence once current LLM-level AI becomes cheap enough to run locally.

I also think that RTS as a genre is dying because nobody's trying to make better single player focused RTS games. They always focus on the multiplayer and forget to make the game cool enough. Yeah, multiplayer balance is nice and all, but you need to wow me with your singleplayer first for me to actually try multiplayer.

>>24811672
Because eventually he has seen all the cool shit that's been produced and wants more. Then he goes and reads the novels the show is inevitably based on and tries reading other stuff too.
This literally happened to me.

>>24811667
>Could've pirated something better
I didn't had a PC until I was 16. I played Blue on a gameboy color that was a hand-me-down from my cousin

>>24811672
Who do you think are the people who make comments like >>24811216 are? Those are actual kids.
>>24811683
Same. For me, it was the Overly Cautious Hero.

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why have i not seen a single webnovel that uses the typical noir narration style?

>>24811680
I don't think the complexity of the opponent AI is the issue. Beyond All Reason has a decent AI opponent with certain settings, but the way it plays would 100% be labelled as "cheesing" by average gamers due to it's prioritization of rushing and harassment. The issue is that the optimal way to play isn't the way people want to play.

>>24811691
>Who do you think are the people who make comments like >>24811216 # are?
The average RR sperg?

>>24811696
It's difficult to keep up that kind of voice.

>>24811712
maybe i should take up chainsmoking and alcoholism and try my hand at webnoir

>>24811696
>He didn't get enough with spamming the catalog with his shitty """noir""" pastiche, now he wants to spam it here too
FUCK OFF

>>24811701
>The issue is that the optimal way to play isn't the way people want to play.
The way people want to play is hide in a corner and give up all the resources on the map to them but somehow never get attacked until they're able to build up a huge army and then just overpower the enemy even though this is implausible because of aforementioned giving up all the resources on the map.
Now it makes sense why people read stories about a protagonist that makes all the correct decisions for them.

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>>24811720
i don't know what you're talking about, i saved that screencap from somewhere else

>>24811722
The point I'm trying to make is that RTS doesn't have something to really sell itself off of. It vaguely promises a "large scale real time strategy experience" but it only delivers a shallow click race with meta build order flow charts

>>24811649
>Kids love hype.
>It's why anime like DBZ got so popular
Was DBZ hyped? I don't think so. Did I watch it because it was hyped? No, I watched it because everything at that time on tv was garbage (and the tv has not improced since then).

>>24811672
Why do kids read Harry Potter? HP is objectively shit but kids of that age (and even teenagers) don't really have the capacity to discern that. What I mean kids have no issues reading books with words and no illustrations.
In regards to shitty 30 second one piece edits on tiktok, I don't understand what's great about those (maybe because I didn't have tiktok growing up, I'll probably never get it)

>>24811696
>This anon was looking for a style deader than a door nail, older than meemaw, and smooth as a baby's bottom. Made me want to tell him to check the obituaries, but the fella's doofy smile got me to say I'd look if he sprung for a pack of cigs. I was runnin' low anyhow.

>>24811738
Anon means "hype moments", not hype as in talked about.

>>24811738
Are you being dense on purpose? I'm saying the show is about hype moments, not that it got hyped up.

>>24811737
I'm not just talking about competitive multiplayer or even just RTS really. Most gamers are extremely stupid.

>>24811749
>>24811755
nta bu they call that "peak, "slaps" or "aura farming"

>>24811769
"Hype", "peak", and "aura farming" are all different things. "Slaps" just means "good" in the context of food and music.

>>24811774
>Wang Yawn

>>24811774
Why did you post this nothing happens

>>24811786
RI seether falseflag

>>24811755
dbz was my first anime, I didn't really know anything about "hype moments" at that time, however dbz taught me what filler eps were.

>>24811696
Read The Big Sleep, you're asking for a pastiche of a pastiche real noir doesn't sound like that.

Infernal Investigations was actually pretty close to an actual noir from what I read of it.
A fuckup going from one bad situation to another as they're pulled about by forces and conspiracies way above their head. Surprised it's quite buried on RR these days but I suppose it's not a power fantasy even if the protagonist is powerful.

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>>24811536
>write web novel with crazy deep and interesting lore
>it gets turned into a wiki by fans
>everyone reads the wiki instead

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I broke 100,000 views today on my shitty first fiction!

I need to hurry up and figure out how shoutout code works so I can network for writathon and the story after that.

>>24811826
Literally Shadow Slave

>>24811833
Congrats, anon! Hope it goes well! Also shout out codes are handled by another site.

>>24811833
All bots btw, don't get excited
>T. Crab

>>24811835
Isn't that the story known for being more convoluted than ORV.

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>>24811826
>write web novel with deep characters and relationships
>fan wiki goes up
>the section dedicated to shipping is longer than the entire first volume
>most popular ship is the two straight guys