I'm looking for a good read ~ HELP!

H0PEFUL

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PLEASE HELP!!!

I LOVE to read, and I've been reading LN/WNs and manga, and watching anime for a LOOONG time, but lately, like over the past couple of years, they all just make me sick - shounen especially, as they're all the same. I'd like something that just plain makes sense. These are some of my biggest peeves, but I can deal with one, or two:

Skill levels? Come one. How many of us, "You can't beat my driving! I'm a lv 43 Bus Driver!" "I'm a lv 32 elementary school teacher." "Oh, I just jogged around the block and looked at my soulboard, and my stamina has risen to level C." "I just swung this hoe once, and now I've got the farmer class and became a level 4 farmer!" It's all so stupid - UNLESS it's fora novel that's in the gaming element genre.

Also, UNLESS it's a story about getting pulled into a game (Game Elements genre) like SAO, Overlord, and Log Horizon, it's stupid as hell and makes no sense what-so-ever. I mean, when I go deer hunting, the deer doesn't drop items like its hide, meat, coins, armor, potions, magic stone, and a gun. Also it's body doesn't disappear into little lights, nor does it get swallowed by the earth. No, if I want material, I have to skin it, and process the remains for the meat (why would a deer have potions and currency, or even metal weapons?). Also, how many times have you killed a mouse and gotten a bunch of carrots from it? I shit you not, there was a LN where EVERYTHING, including produce came from dungeon drops! Have you gotten iron ore from a rabbit lately? So unless the MC is in a VRMMO, or magically gets pulled into his game, keep that crap out.

The thing about gods gets my goat the most - gods are supposed to have no restrictions - that's what makes them gods. There is no, "I'm not allowed to..." or "I'm unable to..." No, it should be, "I can, but I won't...", or "I'll only allow..." Seriously. Now if there's a hierarchy of gods, and it's explained that the God of all gods doesn't allow something, then that makes sense. Also it'd make sense if the god is in disguise of a servant of himself, saying that he won't allow this servant to do so and so.

Also the thing I hate most about most of the isekai I read that involves a god is that they are made out to be so damned racist, so they make no sense what-so-ever. It's "The Japanese this," and, "the Chinese that." A god of another world would call the being, "a person of Earth." After all, when you kill an ant do you say, "My house is infested with ants," or do you say, "My house is infested with red Colombian Ants."? To a god, especially of another world, race/ethnicity wouldn't matter because a human from Earth would be just a human from Earth.

Then we have stories with a god for everything. I kid you not, I read one LN where there was a god for every job in existence. I so wanted to see the god of rectal thermometer testing. I dropped that one quicker than Rosie O'Donnell a carrot. I can understand having up to a dozen gods - any more than that kills the story for lack of interest. The Greeks and the Romans each only worshipped 12 gods. Native Americans worshipped over 200 and Hindism contains over 300 million (500 of which are more known), so no one cares about any of them, like the vegetable section of the grocery store to Michael Moore.

Then we have the MC compared to the rest of the world. I understand the path of the OP MC, but making the rest of the world out to have every body else being completely incompetent and useless. Yes, I read one WN where the average villager would be overpowered by a simple field mouse, and everyone was in such awe when the MC eliminated the mouse - yeah, I threw up and deleted said novel (what's sad is the huge following that novel has).

Okay, and the MC is OP, but you know, there should be masters in other fields. A master bowman. A master spy/thief. A master magician. Yeah, some novels do have them, but the majority, don't, and everyone else is an idiot, incompetent, or both. (I just read a novel where a lady knight, swordswoman, female archer, and a female mage, smart enough to find a demon king's general, and knew their tactics, and were listed as class C adventurers, yet the knight couldn't swing her sword, the swordswoman couldn't draw hers, the archer couldn't even draw, and the mage knew no spells - dropped) Then, what about training to become OP. Oops, I sneezed, now I'm a rank SSSSS Dark Sage, where my buddy has been training for 50 yrs to be a rank F ditch digger? Let's get real.

And why does EVERYBODY have to be flabbergasted by EVERYTHING the MC does. Jeez, you'd think they never seen another person pick up a beer and drink it. And I find it stupid as hell when the MC brings in corpses to be processed, and it's like none of the other adventurers have ever seen one before, let alone brought one in. What do they do all the time, just stand around and drink? Where do they get the money to do so? It makes no sense.

What's really sickening and overly used is the killing gazes by EVERY male because the MC has one, or more, women around him. Me, I'd think, that guy must be really nice, treat them well, or is rich, but I the thought that killing someone because they are more fortunate than me has NEVER crossed my mind. I don't even see that in middle school boys with their RAGING hormones. A guy has a cute girl, the other guys think, "So jeally! How can I get a girl like that?" Even they know that beating up the fortunate guy would gain nothing, and only drive the girl away... No. They might scheme on how to break them up, or make themselves look better to drive her to their own arms.

I love isekai. I love fantasy. I love adventure. Just make it something that's not so childish, and makes actual sense.
For example: The Bermuda Triangle claims another plane - it's a wormhole, or dimensional portal that sends planes and ships to another dimension, or world - and that plane tears apart while going through it, and a girl gets knocked out in the chaos and wakes up in another world, or stands before a goddess and gets sent to another world.... Then she has to learn the language, train for her profession, winds up OP at it, and defeats the demon lord, or wins at life - BUT, not everything is on a silver platter with the end at the beginning.

Does ANYBODY know of any good reads, or am I doomed to read only immature children's stories? (Even Seinen are very childish nowadays) Geez. They don't even have to be about a hero. Some of my favorites have been about a skills/trades master. I'm hoping there are some on this site, as there seem to be a lot of authors here. Maybe one, or more, are creating exactly what I'm looking for. :)
PLEASE send me some recommendations.

A couple of my faves:
The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer Keep Sci-Fi out of Swords and Magic, unless the story is about an Imperial Galactic Officer who crash lands on world of swords and magic. Best part yet, the MC HAD to LEARN the language and its literacy. Great novel when it's not a frikkin cookbook.
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship Another great SciFi Isekai novel, but TL caught up with author, so gotta wait for new releases.
 

BenJepheneT

Light Up Gold - Parquet Courts
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It's not isekai, and the whole world is basically anthropomorphic animals with only a couple of humans in the mix. The MC may be OP at something but it's not the point of the story.

It's hard to explain what it is at the moment but I got two glowing reviews in it so why not give it a shot?
 

Noxious

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Yo, I'm going to shameless plug here and recommend my novel. It's an isekai/reincarnation novel to a fantasy world. I'm not trying to BS you or anybody else reading this, so I'll hit all the points you brought up.

Skills: Not gonna' lie, my story has them. However, instead of this LvL 69 swordsman thing, the levels of skills are based in stages: Low, Intermediate, etc. And just because you don't have a skill, doesn't mean you're absolute dog**** at whatever you're attempting. Above all, I try to keep everything grounded in reality, not some game-y world where skills and levels are everything.

Drops: See the above statement about the novel being grounded in reality.

Gods: There's six in my novel, and they represent ideals rather than miscellaneous objects. To your possible chagrin, the gods of my world can't act however they want. BUT, there's in-universe explanation about this. Currently, it's fairly ambiguous, but it will become clearer as the story progresses. And the racist god thing? Yeah, no.

MC: He's just a dude. Sure, he acquired a few things during his reincarnation, but he's not the be-all-end. He can lose, and he does lose. The world's a big place, and he knows he's not at the top of the food chain. However, that won't stop him from trying his best to get there.

Romance: My story has/will have it. But I'm not writing a harem novel, and women aren't just there for the MC to screw. I intend to do my best at fleshing out relationships, not just including them for horny viewers. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I don't like harems in general, so MC won't have more than one partner. Sorry if that's a turn-off.

Misc. Points:

MC isn't a goody-to-shoes, so if you're looking for a white knight character, I'd recommend not checking it out.

The story also has mature themes, so innocent eyes should steer away.

Finally, and most unfortunately, I only have nine chapters out right now. However, the total words is something like 38,000 at this point if that helps assuage your disappointment.


Anyway, if you're interested, you can check it out here
 

High-in-the-skys

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A couple of my faves:
The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer Keep Sci-Fi out of Swords and Magic, unless the story is about an Imperial Galactic Officer who crash lands on world of swords and magic. Best part yet, the MC HAD to LEARN the language and its literacy. Great novel when it's not a frikkin cookbook.
I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship Another
Hmmm..
Perhaps you're interested in creation novels? I mean my recommendation list contain 'The galactic officer becomes an adventurer'.

Just look at my signature below and click the recommendation list
VVV
 

LordAstrea

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First time I have ever done a shameless self-plug. Lol. It just matches up too well with the post. Another I'll mention is one that is pretty dark fantasy that I believe is done extremely well. Called "Reincarnated as a King." It has a cute catgirl.
Mine also has beastkin/demihumans.

My MC was actually taught how to hunt so is competent with a bow. He focuses on being a stealthy scout class because of his previous lifestyle. He has a focus on his group as a single unit rather than relying on just himself.

The stats in my world simply give a boost (strength, dexterity, etc.). Most of the focus is on natural gain and ability. If you want to be good with a sword, then you need to practice sword techniques. Stats aren't going to help enough. There are no health bars or hit points. Active skills are there but they are very rare. There are hardly any blue boxes.

The MC is not overpowered because he is in an isekai world where the natives know how to use mana better and such. He receives a precarious, unique gift, but I added a twist to it that is actually very detrimental.

They aren't chosen by a god or reincarnated through death. They are sent to this other world on purpose from Earth.

The story focuses on many individuals to push events that may involve the MC, but the world does not revolve around him. I have many points of view. There are also mysteries to uncover.

Character development and slow building romance (they need to get to know each other a bit and all). I like throwing in some doses of fluff since some characters are demihumans and sometimes behave with their animal traits. I have a lot of focus on character interaction.

I also do a lot of research to try and make combat more realistic and have characters make intelligent decisions while also maintaining human flaws.
The story is a slow burn with some things but it just seemed to fit. It's below in my signature. "Beastkin of GRIM."
If you end up trying it, I hope you like it! :)
 

H0PEFUL

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Seems like you're the perfect audience for my novel. Down there on the banner.
Thanks.

Yeah, I remember reading some of this one. I think I got to where the boy killed the parents and ran away. I forget why I stopped there. If I can remember what chapter that was, I may pick it back up. I liked the romantic curves in it. I left out that was one of my requirements.... I NEED romance, even if it's wincest. (Though my fave type is an older woman with a shota (teacher/student?)).
Hmm.... I've seen isekai with classmates, childhood friend, and even mother, and sister, but never with teacher (not unless in group with class)

I'll look it up again.
 

H0PEFUL

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It's not isekai, and the whole world is basically anthropomorphic animals with only a couple of humans in the mix. The MC may be OP at something but it's not the point of the story.

It's hard to explain what it is at the moment but I got two glowing reviews in it so why not give it a shot?
Okay, I'll give it a go. ;)
 

Jaxxson

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Going to shamelessly plug my new xianxia novel Wan Lin. https://www.scribblehub.com/series/235608/wan-lin/

Synopsis: Wan Lin, a 16 year old street urchin, joins an immortal sect, as a lowly janitor because he doesn’t have a dantian. Through an unfortunate event, Wan Lin acquired a dantian and can finally cultivate. Join Wan Lin as he walks the path of immortal cultivation.
 

H0PEFUL

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Yo, I'm going to shameless plug here and recommend my novel. It's an isekai/reincarnation novel to a fantasy world. I'm not trying to BS you or anybody else reading this, so I'll hit all the points you brought up.

Skills: Not gonna' lie, my story has them. However, instead of this LvL 69 swordsman thing, the levels of skills are based in stages: Low, Intermediate, etc. And just because you don't have a skill, doesn't mean you're absolute dog**** at whatever you're attempting. Above all, I try to keep everything grounded in reality, not some game-y world where skills and levels are everything.

Drops: See the above statement about the novel being grounded in reality.

Gods: There's six in my novel, and they represent ideals rather than miscellaneous objects. To your possible chagrin, the gods of my world can't act however they want. BUT, there's in-universe explanation about this. Currently, it's fairly ambiguous, but it will become clearer as the story progresses. And the racist god thing? Yeah, no.

MC: He's just a dude. Sure, he acquired a few things during his reincarnation, but he's not the be-all-end. He can lose, and he does lose. The world's a big place, and he knows he's not at the top of the food chain. However, that won't stop him from trying his best to get there.

Romance: My story has/will have it. But I'm not writing a harem novel, and women aren't just there for the MC to screw. I intend to do my best at fleshing out relationships, not just including them for horny viewers. MOST IMPORTANTLY, I don't like harems in general, so MC won't have more than one partner. Sorry if that's a turn-off.

Misc. Points:

MC isn't a goody-to-shoes, so if you're looking for a white knight character, I'd recommend not checking it out.

The story also has mature themes, so innocent eyes should steer away.

Finally, and most unfortunately, I only have nine chapters out right now. However, the total words is something like 38,000 at this point if that helps assuage your disappointment.


Anyway, if you're interested, you can check it out here
Sounds good. I'll definitely check it out.

About the goody goody MC, I don't like that. The MC should be human - capable of mistakes, and that has been another turn off of a lot of the novels I've been reading. Lately, I've been reading some ominous revenge type, Nidome no Yuusha being one of my favorites, to counter the flooding goody goody factor. And, MC must be real and relatable whether dude, or dudette.

Romance, gotta have, and don't mind harems, as long as it is serious romance like in World Teacher and Rule Breaker where the MC, and one of the other leads, has serious relationships and wives.

If your gods have restrictions, as long as you explain why, and it makes sense, then it passes.

Gotta have the mature themes, as I'm not a child looking for a bedtime story, and I'm tired of them - like I said, I've read too many of them, and they're all the same.
It's on my list.

Thanks
 

LimitBound

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Don't have a story to recommend because I forgot all of them all of the sudden, I just wanted to say I had a ton of fun reading your post lol.
 

H0PEFUL

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Don't have a story to recommend because I forgot all of them all of the sudden, I just wanted to say I had a ton of fun reading your post lol.
Thanks. Didn't mean to write a novel myself. I must admit, I did cut it short, as there were a few other points I wanted to mention, but didn't want to bore everyone, or come off too frikkin prudish.
 

wildan1197_

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A couple of my faves:
The Galactic Navy Officer Becomes an Adventurer Keep Sci-Fi out of Swords and Magic.
Ahh, that may favorite webnovel too. But unfortunately, that novel has no new chapter since early 2020 in Syosetu :cry:

You can read "Legendary Mechanic" btw. :cool:
 

H0PEFUL

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https://www.scribblehub.com/series/198988/master-of-ceremonies/



Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but a Goddess destroyed a City in the first arc..... And yeah, this is my novel.
Thanks. I'll add it to my list. Sounds interesting - I want to find out if it was on accident, or on purpose. PLEASE don't let her be another Aqua like in Kona Suba I HATE that one with a frikkin passion. But I can see a god like entity slipping up and atoning. Even God repented after the flood. Zeus was ALWAYS atoning for his mess ups.
 

H0PEFUL

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Ahh, that may favorite webnovel too. But unfortunately, that novel has no new chapter since early 2020 in Syosetu :cry:

You can read "Legendary Mechanic" btw. :cool:
Yeah, according to the TL team at LNT (Light Novels Translations) the author has stopped the WN to work on a LN. I'm crying at heart too.
 

Alkareel

Cuisses de Grenouille
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Here's mine if you want to try it, which I hope you do :3
Land of Erden
A fantasy story following the life of the two main characters (as well as other POVs).
It is quite slow-paced as we follow them as they grow, learning about the world and the fantastical elements, as well as the plot that slowly unfolds.
Might be too slow-paced for some people, but does have a relaxing, adventurous vibe, sometimes even kind of slice-of-lifey, even if there are more serious plot elements.
 
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