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Because large amounts of free authority floating around (in non artonans at least) seems to be a world-destroying problem, given how hard earth works to get it affixed asap. So optimal for a specific person would be to affix when their free authority is high, but optimal for the universe is to affix when it's low.
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Jan 5, 2024 02:07
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LLSix posted:Based on how painful it is and "Mother's" generally honest and helpful advice being to "take the largest affixations you can," I think it probably hurts too much to want to do it more often than absolutely necessary. The Artonans presumably programmed Earth to minimize the risk of Avowed turning into abominations. Without an authority sense to let them know if they are getting close to the tipping point, not "emptying the tank," as it were, frequently could lead to some of them going boom when out on mission away from a system.
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Jan 5, 2024 02:07
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LLSix posted:Based on how painful it is and "Mother's" generally honest and helpful advice being to "take the largest affixations you can," I think it probably hurts too much to want to do it more often than absolutely necessary. Alden is still totally on a path to speedrun as much affixation as possible, just with that "in as large chunks as possible" condition. And without any way to mitigate or cope with the pain, it might indeed get harder rather than easier as he goes through it again and again.  I read that "take the largest affixations you can" to be in the context of maximizing growth, but it can go either way. Probably both, in hindsight.
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Jan 5, 2024 02:13
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I'm not sure being somewhere without a system is something that happens very often, unless you're on like, Alis-art’h's team where you're out for 2 years putting a buggered planet back together. But yeah, seeing as Earth is recommending he affix between 10-20%, it's leaning very conservative. I wonder if her team is getting bussed back every now and again to get sorted out. I guess Alis-art’h keeps an eye on them.
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Jan 5, 2024 02:15
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Avowed going abomination is common enough even with their precautions that Stuart didn't seem to think Alden's potential need for extermination was unheard of. Things like being in a high chaos zone combined with a large amount of free authority probably make the risk much higher. Thegund was said to be a "light chaos breeze" as these things went, so it can get way worse.
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Jan 5, 2024 02:39
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Has Nexus Awakened come up in this thread? (There's a descriptor in the title I'll mention in a moment, but I want to talk about something else first.) I did a thread search and nothing came up, but with stuff using the [url] code not being searchable I can't be guaranteed it hasn't. Nexus Awakened is a bit of a rough recommend, but I'm going to do it anyway because of the likely small number of people like me that would be interested but haven't heard of it yet. It's long, currently 504 chapters (3,489 pages on RR), and I'm only on chapter 89 myself, so maybe there will be something that changes my mind down the road. That's not why it's rough to recommend, though. It's because you kind of have to have a certain mindset going in, otherwise you're just going to be lost, possibly get frustrated, and likely get overwhelmed. The problem is, the reader is kept in the dark just as much as the MC, but this is a deeply confusing and violent world that isn't presented as well as it should be by the author. You have to be interested in the main hook, even with as confusing as it is, to power through the rough spots. Being interested in what heavily inspired Nexus Awakened can be a big help, too. (It is in fact a primary motivator for me.) See, the author leans on the works of Project Moon, a Korean game company who themselves were heavily inspired by the SCP Foundation, Warehouse 13 and Cabin in the Woods in their first game, Lobotomy Corporation, and then went crazy with their new world in future works like Library of Ruina. (I don't know much about their 3rd game, Limbus Company, since it's a gacha game and I avoid those like the plague since I get sucked in too easily.) While not fan fiction, Nexus Awakened uses a lot of the same structure to tell a different story in a different world. If you're familiar with Project Moon stuff, it's going to be a lot easier to not get overwhelmed by a confusing world that doesn't have a game to focus on while the lore pulls you in. How much "structure" does it use? Here's some, but not even close to all, examples: Corrupted are Abnormalities, in fact the first Corrupted is inspired by a combination of Big Bird, Judgement Bird and Punishing Bird, but is not Apocalypse Bird, and the arc its in takes place in the Black Forest. There's stuff like this: quote:< PARADISE LOST > The Colors are a thing, though they aren't the same characters, or so far as I can tell even references of them beyond being Colors. The Nexus has Floors of (Concept), like Judgement, Amalgamation and Hope, and floats over a gigantic, Capitalistic, dystopic/utopic city that is split across five specific 'fingers.' Now that I've covered the inspiration, about the descriptor in the title: (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story). Being heavily inspired by a series of games, the LitRPG aspect should make more sense. The Isekai aspect, not so much, but there's something going on because (spoilers). Finally, and the part I particularly think could be better, is "Gender Bender." It's not handled badly, like it's not fetishized or anything like that, it's just kind of ... there. Frost wasn't a trans woman, at least as far as her missing memories have revealed up to where I am, and there's some moments of apparent dysphoria and call-outs of her acting a bit more masculine, but the MC pretty quickly accepts she/her pronouns and doesn't overly react to having a woman's body. The author has said there's more to it, and that they should have started foreshadowing earlier, so I'm not fully sure what to think about it yet, aside from being conscious about it. A final thing I wanted to mention. I'm usually not a fan of darker stories, but this is one of the exceptions. The world is dark. It's a violent hellhole filled with horrible situations, sometimes not handled as well as they should be (the Anid...). The characters, though, particularly Frost and her companions, are not, and that goes a long way towards making it palatable for me. They're beat down and aren't quite human (you can't really be the Archetype of Amalgamation and completely remain human), but they're also bright and pissed off about the horrible state of the world and seek to change it, with allies in the wings. If that changes across the next 400+ chapters I have yet to read, and stays changed, I'll likely wind up dropping the story, but so far I'm hooked. Onean fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Jan 5, 2024 |
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Jan 5, 2024 05:13
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Wittgen posted:SupSup 120: I just realized that if Lute had kept shaper, he wouldn't have lost his eye. Only the chainers were included in the gloss, good and bad. SupSup 120: I'm fairly sure that's wrong - from the chapter from Aimi during the Gloss it's hitting the entire family, not just the family.
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Jan 5, 2024 11:31
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SoupSup 105: Reading through the chapter again, and this line hit me: “Congratulations, Alden,” it said. “You’ve progressed. Your power has grown, and you’ve gained a greater understanding of the gifts you’ve been granted as an Avowed.” Oof. In no way is his affixation a gift. Even if he didn't have an authority sense, it still wouldn't be a gift. It's payment for being tied into a lifetime of servitude, at best.
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Jan 5, 2024 15:31
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Nothingtoseehere posted:SupSup 120: I'm fairly sure that's wrong - from the chapter from Aimi during the Gloss it's hitting the entire family, not just the family. I'm fairly sure I'm right. Hazel wasn't glossed up. Since the gloss was being deployed for her benefit, why wouldn't she be included? Because she didn't have chainer and only the family chainers were glossed. Nettle Soup, regarding that line from 105, good observation. I do think it's using the word gifts to mean abilities. Certainly avowed abilities are gifts in that sense. I think that's actually a great example of how well the System can deceive without lying.
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Jan 5, 2024 17:16
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Nothingtoseehere posted:SupSup 120: I'm fairly sure that's wrong - from the chapter from Aimi during the Gloss it's hitting the entire family, not just the family. SupSup 120: The family tattoo requires the person to let Aulia cast the gloss on them. So anyone with that tattoo, whether avowed or not, would be subject to it. Ch 114 quote:He didn’t have his hands on the class yet, but this sounded like it all added up to Aulia sowing confusion about how their powers worked so that people thought she was more special than she really was. And to hide some weaknesses from her enemies. For example, the Gloss—the big trump card that Lute was now obligated to allow her to cast on him, with certain conditions
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Jan 5, 2024 17:27
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Onean posted:Has Nexus Awakened come up in this thread? (There's a descriptor in the title I'll mention in a moment, but I want to talk about something else first.) I did a thread search and nothing came up, but with stuff using the [url] code not being searchable I can't be guaranteed it hasn't. Thanks for writing this up! Lobotomy Corporation and Library Of Ruina have been on my to-play list for a while. I'll give this a read after I check them out, maybe.
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Jan 5, 2024 17:28
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I'd like to share a RR webseries I've been reading for over 2 years now. Elder Cultivator This is my favorite bed time story. It helps me fall asleep. The writing style is incredibly dry and boring, even when cool things happen. Perfect for winding down at the end of a day. The author has been diligently updating 5 days a week and is now on chapter 844 without having missed a day or taken a break. Usually only getting a handful of comments on each chapter. I'm really impressed by their dedication. Now that I've thoroughly scared you off, let me talk it up a little. It has none of the usual horrible tropes of Cultivation stories. The MC actively fights against slavery and at no point owns any slaves. Women are treated with respect and dignity. There is no harem. The good guys consistently attempt peaceful solutions before resorting to killing all the bad dudes. Even after conflict breaks out, the good guys remain good guys and don't indulge in warcrimes. The last few months the author has been improving. Some of their new chapters are even exciting. This has rather ruined its utility as a soporific, but it's nice to see someone's hard work pay off this way. Nettle Soup posted:SoupSup 105: Reading through the chapter again, and this line hit me: Heck, yeah. Represent!
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Jan 5, 2024 17:31
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I have been enlightened in a dream. Learn and cultivate the Dao.. through litrpg basketball in a US prison It's like that football manager story except more heartwarming probably
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Jan 5, 2024 17:56
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LLSix posted:I'd like to share a RR webseries I've been reading for over 2 years now.
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Jan 5, 2024 17:59
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LLSix posted:I'd like to share a RR webseries I've been reading for over 2 years now. This isn't damning with faint praise, this is scathing condemnation for the surrounding genre. Hella hosed up that those are noteworthy points to make.
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Jan 5, 2024 18:12
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Onean posted:Has Nexus Awakened come up in this thread? (There's a descriptor in the title I'll mention in a moment, but I want to talk about something else first.) I did a thread search and nothing came up, but with stuff using the [url] code not being searchable I can't be guaranteed it hasn't. LLSix posted:I'd like to share a RR webseries I've been reading for over 2 years now. I can't tell if these are endorsements or warnings
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Jan 5, 2024 18:22
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elder cultivator is quite good. i think the "dryness" of it conveys the difference in the main character's perspective from the typical xianxia dude pretty effectively, honestly
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Jan 5, 2024 18:22
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Lone Goat posted:I can't tell if these are endorsements or warnings Oh, but the current thread title is so good
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Jan 5, 2024 18:23
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I can't wait for the Evanescence arc chapters in that story. Gonna be so good.
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Jan 5, 2024 18:31
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LLSix posted:Based on how painful it is and "Mother's" generally honest and helpful advice being to "take the largest affixations you can," I think it probably hurts too much to want to do it more often than absolutely necessary. This is probably the biggest reason for Alden specifically. One thing that confuses me a little though is that, IIRC, (non-patreon, only really spoiling this to be on the safe side)Joe gave similar advice. But it actually seems like the "optimal" option for a normal Avowed who isn't traumatized by affixations would be "wait until the last minute and then more frequently take very small affixations," since that would maximize the time you spend with a more even ratio of bound to unbound authority. Griddle of Love posted:Alden is still totally on a path to speedrun as much affixation as possible, just with that "in as large chunks as possible" condition. And without any way to mitigate or cope with the pain, it might indeed get harder rather than easier as he goes through it again and again. On a basic psychological level, going through the same horrible pain multiple times causes it to be worse (or at least your ability to mentally cope with it becomes worse). (which is why I really hate when stories act like the complete opposite is true - that you being "numb" to horrible pain/suffering after experiencing it enough) Ytlaya fucked around with this message at 22:30 on Jan 5, 2024 |
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Jan 5, 2024 22:23
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Ytlaya posted:One thing that confuses me a little though is that, IIRC, (non-patreon, only really spoiling this to be on the safe side)Joe gave similar advice.
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Jan 5, 2024 22:55
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Foxfire_ posted:I think Joe's advice is concerned with what you're buying, not growth rate. You might grow faster by frequently rebalancing to stay 1:1, but to do that you're buying lots of little piddly enhancements. Joe is suggesting saving up to get fewer but bigger things. Even if you're getting authority xp at a slower absolute rate, it's better in terms of getting impactful abilities With regard to that, Joe was specifically talking about how Alden can induce the Earth System to offer him the proper BoAB/LMTYL upgrade paths rather than shiny baubles it normally offers Avowed, not optimizing authority growth.
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Jan 5, 2024 23:01
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Foxfire_ posted:I think Joe's advice is concerned with what you're buying, not growth rate. You might grow faster by frequently rebalancing to stay 1:1, but to do that you're buying lots of little piddly enhancements. Joe is suggesting saving up to get fewer but bigger things. Even if you're getting authority xp at a slower absolute rate, it's better in terms of getting impactful abilities That's true, I wasn't thinking of that. You'd be stuck never getting anything else good with the method I mentioned, even if you'd technically level faster. Maybe it could work for Brutes? I think they mostly put their authority into foundation points*? In that case it might make sense, if you don't rely on picking up other high-rank Skills in the future. * speaking of foundation points, I forget exactly how they work. I remember it was explained fairly recently. The "bonus" they get actually doesn't use the Avowed's own authority, and is in fact an "enchantment" by the System (so it's a genuine "bonus" instead of a scam like Alden initially thought). And that this means their benefits disappear if you're not exposed to a System. But I'm guessing other foundation points actually are modifications made using the Avowed's own authority (and that Brutes mainly become stronger via investing in them, plus some core functional Skills)?
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Jan 5, 2024 23:54
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Ytlaya posted:
I think you have mixed a few things up. Foundation points are a way of turning authority into permanent increases to basic capabilities. The signing bonus is something that Avowed get if they sign up for the contract. There were a few options for the signing bonus available to Alden. He chose to get three foundation points. Those three foundation points were some kind of permanent enchantment or soul bolstering that was performed on Alden. They worked even without a system. However, the chaos blasting broke down that initial enchantment. He is still entitled to an equivalent improvement though, so Mother redid it but sturdier. The three points he has now would also still work outside of a system. Presumably they would hold up longer in chaos miasma. Some of the other signing bonus options would not have worked without a contract. The rabbit wardrobe spell is fully system managed. Exactly how foundation points work has not been fully explained, but I agree with you that it must be using the Avowed's authority somehow. It's notable that foundation points don't cause existential pain to Alden, in stark contrast with his skill and trait.
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Jan 6, 2024 00:11
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I'm hoping one of Alden's friends gets called up and we get to go on an adventure again
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Jan 6, 2024 00:19
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Ytlaya posted:* speaking of foundation points, I forget exactly how they work. I remember it was explained fairly recently. The "bonus" they get actually doesn't use the Avowed's own authority, and is in fact an "enchantment" by the System (so it's a genuine "bonus" instead of a scam like Alden initially thought). And that this means their benefits disappear if you're not exposed to a System. But I'm guessing other foundation points actually are modifications made using the Avowed's own authority (and that Brutes mainly become stronger via investing in them, plus some core functional Skills)? The Earth system explained it in 105 but iirc that's basically correct, with some notable caveats most "foundation points" are indeed accomplished through authority affixation, the initial "signing bonus" is a different thing but uses the same scale/terminology for the permanent physical enhancements you might opt to take for convenience/obfuscation/etc. the system has two ways of providing "foundation points" that are not dependent on affixation of the recipients own authority: first, for early/initial changes (i.e. the "signing bonus" window), the system can offer "foundation points" that give you ~10% improvements in a given stat by making direct changes to your base biology/physiology - it supposedly prefers not to do this because many of those changes can be replicated through exercise and/or having a competent avowed or wizard healer tune you up secondly, as in Alden's case, it can grant you a lifetime right to a certain level of "permanent" enhancement magic that essentially grants you "free" points - the caveat I'd make to your characterization here is that its unclear whether those enchantments actually need much in the way of system exposure or maintenance, but they do potentially break down when exposed to Chaos (which is what happened to Alden, and why his replacement is supposedly more robust - but regardless he'd get re-enhanced when exposed to a system because the "signing bonus" was the right to a given level of enhancement rather than a one-time application) e;fb LGD fucked around with this message at 00:25 on Jan 6, 2024 |
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Jan 6, 2024 00:22
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I'm not going to spoil this because it's in chapter 105 and visible to all RR readers. The implications that Mother redid his signing bonus to be extra chaos resistant and Earth going "make of that what you will" is that Mother fully expects Alden to be engaged in the front line fight against chaos in the future. Which, I mean, as a story we the readers know that's pretty obvious since it's what makes it interesting. But I'm sure Alden was not overly pleased to hear that.
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Jan 6, 2024 00:33
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He already knows though. He knows that the Primary has put him on the shortlist for people who would be useful in chaos zones, so it's going to happen at some point or another.
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Jan 6, 2024 00:35
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Nettle Soup posted:He already knows though. He knows that the Primary has put him on the shortlist for people who would be useful in chaos zones, so it's going to happen at some point or another. Longlist, not shortlist. Primary was planning on checking back in after 30 years originally. That was before Alden survived the moon and made friends with his son though...
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Jan 6, 2024 00:58
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Wittgen posted:I think you have mixed a few things up. Foundation points are a way of turning authority into permanent increases to basic capabilities. The signing bonus is something that Avowed get if they sign up for the contract. There were a few options for the signing bonus available to Alden. He chose to get three foundation points. Ah, thanks - that explains the stuff about the signing bonus. I had thought that "it goes away when there's no system" seemed weird. Maybe it also depends on the type of foundation point, since don't some make actual physical changes to your body? It makes sense for chaos to get rid of "echantment that makes you have better coordination" (or whatever), but not "increased vocal range." Maybe stuff like the latter is simply never offered as a signing bonus.
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Jan 6, 2024 01:35
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Nettle Soup posted:He already knows though. He knows that the Primary has put him on the shortlist for people who would be useful in chaos zones, so it's going to happen at some point or another. Mother said that the Primary was going to check back with him when he's 30 years old before he got lost on a moon and presumed dead, though as LLSix said, I'm sure Alden is making himself much more interesting even with his fake profile to the upper knights. Plus remember that Alden has had panic attacks a couple of times at the prospect of people getting teleported away for jobs with the Artonans. Like that Rabbit driver while he was in the cab. He does not want to get thrown back in the blender. A large portion of the reason he's still going to hero school isn't to be a hero, but instead because he's terrified of getting summoned again and being told to fight a terrible monster like he was on his first assignment. Nitrousoxide fucked around with this message at 01:51 on Jan 6, 2024 |
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Jan 6, 2024 01:49
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Skill Thief 35 just came out. I'm very excited to find out what happens when Adam and Eric reach the Emperor. I genuinely have no idea what's going to happen. I have guesses about what Eric's deal is, and this chapter narrows it down a bit in a way that preserves my best guess. I'm thinking Adam's paintings failed because Eric genuinely doesn't have negative/deceptive feelings towards Adam. I think he stole Adam's painting because winning the content was his ticket to "be an overpowered person in the Painted World," and he's always been self-centered/narcissistic. I'm guessing Eric genuinely wants to be friends with Adam and have them both serve the Emperor. But this will obviously result in conflict, since Adam's two closest friends he's met since arriving both have deep conflicts with the Emperor (who by all accounts is a huge piece of poo poo). So when it comes time to choose between Adam and the power/prestige he gains as an imperial Hangman, Eric will choose the latter and become an enemy. But I have no loving clue how Adam and company will survive/escape if something goes down when they meet the Emperor, since they don't stand a chance in any sort of fight.
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Jan 6, 2024 07:40
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LLSix posted:I'd like to share a RR webseries I've been reading for over 2 years now. Hey listen, this is dry? but it's good. Thanks for the rec.
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Jan 6, 2024 07:55
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Bog Standard Lumina Interlude: I wondered how Lumina could postpone her trip to the bog when Brin's life is in danger but forgot her oath was not nearly as strong as Hogg's: Brin isu Yambul, I also adopt you as my son, should your current guardian agree, and on my Class and levels I swear to fulfill all duties and obligations… that I can. “My current state as an apprentice doesn’t give me much freedom in that regard, unfortunately, but if you get the [Mage] Class, come to the tower. They will be forced by law to take you in, regardless of how you do on the entrance exam. I know it’s not much, but it’s what I can do. Oh, you’ll also inherit my possessions, should I perish. They are not inconsiderable.”
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Jan 6, 2024 22:50
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Alright, some data for you all. Assuming discord doesn't start being a pain... Big raw data dump:  Podium add-on:  Totals (First is everything spent, second is what I get - roughly):  Pretty chart:  Lifetime Amazon:  I was too lazy for lifetime Patreon. Tax breakdown:  Willing to answer most questions whenever I circle back round here.
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Jan 6, 2024 23:01
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Huh. Am I reading those tables correctly and seeing that non-KU Amazon revenue exceeds KU revenue? That’s quite surprising to me. Thanks for sharing.
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Jan 6, 2024 23:07
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What was going on at that Norway trip?
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Jan 6, 2024 23:26
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Selkie Myth posted:Alright, some data for you all. That's really cool, I am very jealous! I am still curious about this, circling back to when we were discussing if taking books off KU to get more RR readers again was worth it: Megazver posted:That would be very interesting. What did coming back to RR the last time accomplish for you, in terms of numbers/sales, other than losing the KU money?
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Jan 6, 2024 23:28
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I'm assuming the spikes in ebook revenue correspond to volume releases. Any idea what the (smaller) spikes in Patreon revenue connect with? Or for that matter the huge paperback spike last month compared to any previous one?
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Jan 6, 2024 23:47
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From the comments on SupSup 105: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/chapter/1464279?comment=10671394#comment-10671394 SomewhatSleepy posted:3 days ago That's a really interesting idea.
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Jan 7, 2024 14:04
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