The gods are bastards is back, but only villains do that is on hiatus.

[halfeye]

Off hiatus:

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/72...ook-1-prologue

The webserial that followed it, is going into hiatus, so this may or may not last. I'm now off to binge this for a however long it takes because I don't remember where I'd got to and the original site seems to be down.

Seemed good to me the first time through, but that was at least a couple of years ago.

[ecarden]

Hmmm...been a long time, but I remember enjoying the start of that series quite a bit and hitting some point that actually caused me to stop reading?

I can't remember exactly what it was...maybe something to do with the 'drow' or 'quasi-pirates'.

There was some very unpleasant sexual violence I didn't care for...bur writing this, I think the main issue was that a big deal was made of trying to cast the central power of the setting as an expansionist imperialist power and threat, both moral and physical (in a very grey way) but its military only showed up to get crowned in order to show how serious the threat actually was?

Very bland (especially compared to the other powers on the continent) and bad case if the Worf effect, which when combined with it being where we spend most of our time left me just too annoyed/confused by the world building to continue?

[halfeye]

There was some very unpleasant sexual violence I didn't care for...

There's not much of that, but still way too much, it's done by bad guys and they're either told off or punished. Still not good.

bur writing this, I think the main issue was that a big deal was made of trying to cast the central power of the setting as an expansionist imperialist power and threat, both moral and physical (in a very grey way) but its military only showed up to get crowned in order to show how serious the threat actually was?

Very bland (especially compared to the other powers on the continent) and bad case if the Worf effect, which when combined with it being where we spend most of our time left me just too annoyed/confused by the world building to continue?

I don't recognise that at all. The empire is as I understand it not expansionist, and there are threats all around it, from expansionist neighbours but more critically from various gods, religious figures and demons. Some of which were still in the process of being explained when it entered hiatus.

I think I would characterise it as a very convoluted spy story with magic, if I absolutely had to charecterise it, but I would prefer not to.

[Rynjin]

I was a bit torn when the announcement was made. On the one hand, I really enjoyed TGaB, after the not very good (and mercifully short) first book anyway. On the other, I thought OVDT was overall better written and put together, and was massively enjoying it. I crave S H O W T I M E.

But anyway, I'm re-reading all of TGaB because I don't remember any of the finer details of the plot, and Webb is a very detail-oriented guy. Interested once I catch up to see if the new TGaB material ties into OVDT since we know the universes are connected.

There was some very unpleasant sexual violence I didn't care for...bur writing this, I think the main issue was that a big deal was made of trying to cast the central power of the setting as an expansionist imperialist power and threat, both moral and physical (in a very grey way) but its military only showed up to get crowned in order to show how serious the threat actually was?

Very bland (especially compared to the other powers on the continent) and bad case if the Worf effect, which when combined with it being where we spend most of our time left me just too annoyed/confused by the world building to continue?

A lot of non-human races (most notably dragons and elves) see the Empire as a potential FUTURE threat; some blow them off as another "flash in the pan" domain of the short-lived humans.

But the entire point in general is that humans are weak individually, but massively outnumber the other races and are on the cutting edge of technology which is rapidly closing the power gap.

That's more of a setting backdrop than anything. The Empire is NOT the (or even a) villain of the setting. The Universal Church fits closer to that role, or more accurately its leader, but the Empire is presented as...a government. Sometimes it's in the way, sometimes it helps, and overall it's ruled by very practical and sensible people.

[Dragonus45]

Can't stand either story at all, but I am happy to hear things are going better personally for the author. I was starting to think they had been outright cursed or something things were going so poorly. Here is hoping everything stays nice and stable through the ending.

[halfeye]

Can't stand either story at all, ...

I thought while it was running originally that TgaB was the *best* webserial, I would place TWI ahead of OvdT, but it's definitely still in the upper half of the webserials I read.

There is some threat of sexualised violence in TgaB, and any of that is way too much, but in this story it's mainly to make clear who the people who need to improve are, and to set up some villains for a comeupance. There is also quite a lot of non-sexualised violence, which may not be to everybody's tastes, but I can live with it.

[Rynjin]

I

There is some threat of sexualised violence in TgaB, and any of that is way too much,

I'm a bit confused by that, exactly. I understand the objection when sexual violence is played for pure shock value or (worse) titillation, but neither is the case in TGaB, and the most prominent example of it is used to not only show "Shook is a bad dude" but "society, as a whole, does not brush this **** off anymore". He has multiple world powers come down on him like a sack of bricks just for threatening said violence (it remains ambiguous whether he was even planning to follow through) and continually just spirals deeper and deeper into a hell of his own making because of it.

Not really sure why that is "too much" in a story like this.

[ecarden]

A lot of non-human races (most notably dragons and elves) see the Empire as a potential FUTURE threat; some blow them off as another "flash in the pan" domain of the short-lived humans.

But the entire point in general is that humans are weak individually, but massively outnumber the other races and are on the cutting edge of technology which is rapidly closing the power gap.

That's more of a setting backdrop than anything. The Empire is NOT the (or even a) villain of the setting. The Universal Church fits closer to that role, or more accurately its leader, but the Empire is presented as...a government. Sometimes it's in the way, sometimes it helps, and overall it's ruled by very practical and sensible people.

Like I said, been a long time since I read it, but your description strikes me as more accurate, though I've got vague memories if talk of future control/conquests or something but the problem was, as in most of these stories, the government basically has to fail for our heroes to act, and Imperial forces basically only show up to be defeated, which basically made the setting not really work for me as it wasn't at all clear how the Empire survived without our heroes (yes, yes things are getting worse hence the return of Paladins) but it ended up not working for me.

On sexualized violence, I somewhat recall the internal threat within our thieves guild (and the authors commitment to keeping almost everything grey is impressive) but I'm also remembering a bunch of stuff with succubi/incubi which just wasn't my cup of tea? But again, been a long time since I read it.

[halfeye]

it remains ambiguous whether he was even planning to follow through

Having just reread this section, he had form for at the very least threatening, according to Style, and he went off talking in a misogynistic way before going.

Not really sure why that is "too much" in a story like this.

As I said, any is too much. It triggers me, if it doesn't trigger you, good for you, but you don't get to police what triggers me.

[Dragonus45]

I thought while it was running originally that TgaB was the *best* webserial, I would place TWI ahead of OvdT, but it's definitely still in the upper half of the webserials I read.

There is some threat of sexualised violence in TgaB, and any of that is way too much, but in this story it's mainly to make clear who the people who need to improve are, and to set up some villains for a comeupance. There is also quite a lot of non-sexualised violence, which may not be to everybody's tastes, but I can live with it.

It's not the subject matter, I generally don't really care or judge a story based on that. I just don't think Webb is a good writer. Still no one deserves the amount of crap they have had to put up with so I'm happy to hear they are back on track.

[halfeye]

It's not the subject matter, I generally don't really care or judge a story based on that. I just don't think Webb is a good writer.

There are occasional typos, but I have seen a lot worse.

The plot keeps twisting and twirling, I don't ask for much more than that myself.