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@constalation-bored-anarchist replied to your post "Is anyone keeping up with Part 2 of Lout of Count's Family actually enjoying most of what's happening in the narrative at this point?":
Yeah-- that's how I felt after vol 1. I read the end of vol 1, read the side stories and was super hyped for vol 2--- but it felt off? The writing was not as interesting or thought out, anymore. At some point I had to drop because Cale didn't FEEL like Cale anymore but instead like a cardboard cut out of his more basic traits.
I can kind of see that, but that's not exactly the issue I've been having. It's a problem I tend to have with "next generation" stories in general, and which a lot of people who aren't the biggest fans of them have: you spend a lot of time getting to know and love a certain group of characters, and the story then tries to convince you to leave them behind (e.g., death, retirement, the characters are just busy doing other things) and love this new cast of characters. For many (myself typically included), this is not doable. I think Star Trek, for instance, only manages this so much because each different vessel feels so uniquely itself that it works. And obviously there is audience for these stories. I just don't tend to be among them. But if those characters aren't as relevant, suddenly the story isn't interesting anymore. Suddenly you spend most of the story going, "Okay, but what is [original protagonist/supporting cast] doing?"
(Spoilery for much of Part 2, given I've read up through Chapter 440, also a bit more critical of Yu Ryeo-Han's writing)
I don't particularly consider Yu Ryeo-Han's writing ability/overall quality to have worsened, nor do I feel that Cale is any different than he is in Part 1. He is still generally acting in ways he did in Part 1. In a way, I think Yu Ryeo-Han is actually showing how much she's improved as a writer by being able to have all these complex worlds with intricate casts (with names that also are not Bob!) set up in relatively small amounts of time (versus good chunks of Part 1, which took a lot of development). I think if she were writing them as individual novels of their own, or even just short stories of their own, she'd probably have an audience, even just from people who like LOCF and want more of that and are willing to give her other works a try based on that.
The problem is, this isn't a new story. The cast we've come to know and love for 800 chapters is still here, and still technically central to the narrative (at least, they're the reason we're in these new worlds at all). They've just largely been sidelined for this deluge of new people we're not given room to appreciate, and it undercuts appreciation for the familiar cast and the new one, because you want to see the old characters have relevance and can't form attachment to the new ones. Why would I care about the Tunka 2.0s or the Bud 2.0s when Tunka and Bud both exist and have ongoing plotlines that could be explored? And even if you try to like the new characters, well, Cale + Co are just going to move on to the next group at some point, and this cast will likely almost entirely be forgotten, or else randomly pop in to just be like "hey, we exist, remember us" while you're trying to do the same cycle with another new group of people. I literally stopped bothering to keep track of names the third time Part 2 did this because it was pointless and we're on the, what... seventh or eighth time now? More than that? I've long since lost track. Whereas I still remember Clope. I still remember Adin. I still remember freaking Bobe.
Another central issue is it's been about 1240 chapters and there's no clear resolution to a number of plots, while more things keep getting dragged in, and likely will keep doing so. There are multiple new planets with political drama, four tournament arcs, and a bunch of inter-faction drama to deal with. It's creating narrative fatigue and frustration. I don't think it's not as interesting because of writing quality or something. It's not interesting because the writing is training the audience not to care, and Yu Ryeo-Han seems to have moved on herself (or I guess thinks this is a good writing thing to do?). Aipotu in particular had things about it I should have loved a lot more, and there were things I really loved about it (e.g., anything that directly involved Eden, but solely because it involved Eden). Like a planet full of dragons??? Yes?? My jam?? We've spent so much of Part 1 wanting more dragons, being teased with Raon, Erhaven, Sheritt, Rasheel, Olienne, Mila, Dodori, even Eden, and now there's this whole planet of dragons??? Yes???
And yet Yu Ryeo-Han made that boring because it was just a deluge of new people, political drama that was unending and had little to do with existing plots, and the assumption this would shortly not matter once the plot was over and we moved on to the next massive new planet with a giant cast and a complicated plot. Worse (at least from a subjective standpoint), a critical part of the climax was a superpower that slowed things down. My issue was never really that not enough time is being spent on these worlds. My issue is we're being given crumbs of the greater plot and have to get through the rest of this first, while the main cast is sidelined. And now, because of the big boss superpower, we have to waste more time here. While the quite frankly single character I care about at this point is maybe dying/dead in slo-mo. Not to mention just how stupidly and unnecessarily dragged out his rebirth was after that. I was legitimately getting angry about that and it soured me a lot on how much Yu Ryeo-Han just wastes time in the narrative on introducing more characters and more random plots and more planets. Time other folks who are not me probably enjoyed, especially folks who don't care about Eden. But it was not a great experience.
You could argue this is no different than what's happened before, and therefore it must be a quality dip of some kind because it was fine before. After all, the characters traveled to multiple countries and even a second continent and a second planet in Part 1. I think the problem is that the new cast in each country tended to be a lot smaller than what we're getting in these similar arcs in Part 2, and it was always couched as part of the main plot (I mean we've only met four named whales! And know zero merpeople by name! And I think... two dwarves? Even Endable's named cast isn't as big as the smallest of planets in Part 2, which makes sense because it's a country, not a new planet, but it's still a lot). Heck, I had this issue when they went back to the dungeon Earth, as well. I was not a fan of the massive introduction of new characters while main plot was still happening. But it was relatively fine as a one-time thing, I thought. Heck, at least the trip to fantasy Earth was exploring Kim Roksu's backstory in a way we didn't have before. At least Albert showed up. At least Cale was central to the narrative. At least we learned about a lot of characters who had only been mentioned before, and it was tied into the story climax. Also, again, it was essentially a one-time thing. We didn't do it several times in a row.
I think the crux of it is, the story isn't worse written or rushed or anything. It's showing that existing problems with Yu Ryeo-Han's writing, which were largely tolerable before when the story was a bit more focused, are less tolerable when that focus is gone and the story has been going on for at least 300ish more chapters than it probably should. And I still think she just wants to be writing a different book and isn't for some inexplicable reason and that's why the story is currently what it is. And I wish she'd just finish LOCF and move on to a new story if that's what she wants to do. Maybe this is what she wants to do, and more power to her, and I'm happy for folks who enjoy it. But the ship has sailed on how bearable it is for me (and perhaps other people), despite arguably, in some ways at least, being better written. A favorite quotation of mine is from Fruits Basket: "Let us accept that things end."
Realizing one issue with this story is it's basically Proud Immortal Demon Way from The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System but without even sex to make it interesting lol And I don't even necessarily need sex to make it interesting (and certainly not the likely m/f sex that would exist), I just want follow-ups on the now hundreds of plots that have been dropped/ignored!
Anyway. Sorry. This got out of hand. TLDR; there's a lot of reasons I and I think other folks are having issues with Part 2. I made the post originally in mid-April, wondering if other folks were just over the moon with what's happening. Glad to know that's not entirely the case.
The way Ahn Roh Man got to marry Cale in front of everybody before Alver this diabolical ass win-lose situation for me (read the latest p2 chapter if you want to see Earth 3 Alver get on one knee and wipe the blood off Cale w his handkerchief proposal style) Damnit an older and more experienced edition of Alver is too overwhelming
Chapter 387 is truly insane. Never had the novel touched on the topic of marriage prospects before then—kicking off with Bud thinking about the delays in Alver’s coronation and wedding, while looking at him and Cale talk (which in itself might as well be an alcale in the eyes of others fic)—to Alver himself pondering said topic mid-conversation with Cale.
His inner monologue reeks of until he met Cale. Seriously, read it for yourself. We see how he had no plans of getting married, had no plans of ever showing his true appearance, and had no fucks to give about it altogether—because nothing and no one had ever given him that hope of being loved as he is. (Until he met Cale.)
He began to be more self-conscious, but also more considerate towards the possibility of being his true self in public.
And gradually—it’s getting there. His circle, of whom he thought would be limited to the dark elves, actually expanded—letting in people who never questioned his being. People who aren’t blinded by prejudice. All this he would have never imagined, until he met Cale.
This migraine on legs who speedran being on top of his vidcom device’s priority contacts list. This absolute crazy bastard of a man who is as cunning as he is foolish of his own wellbeing. This high maintenance dongsaeng that he had never accounted for in his financial roadmap.
And yet, for all the “annoying” late night calls, unnanounced visits, and audacity induced headaches—it isn’t until he met Cale that he began to envision a future beyond his original goal. A grander and kinder Roan Kingdom (slash likely Empire) to every existence, including himself.
Only willing to be romantically involved with someone he can show his rawest most vulnerable self to… Alver never pretends to be innocent, but he’s surprisingly innocent in strange places…(?
It’s been long enough so I can finally admit I genuinely thought Alver was gonna get mogged in part 2 chapter 369 😂
But! not only did he win, Cale and Raon also solely commented on him during the spar…
Of course you’re particular about your little husband… of course… also I liked the excerpt “the spear’s strength was distance”… anyways, for no reason in particular, I yapped about the compatibility of a spear and shield a while back 😵💫
But back on this chapter. It’s a nice reminder that Alver truly is a cold political beast, and it’s only cos we view him through Cale’s lovebrain moe lenses that he’s more silly cute than he should be… 😂
Eyes rolling to the back of my skull whenever I read the world's worst interpretation of Alver and Raonie's dynamic... beru straight up gets cuteness aggression having to hold back endearing grins whenever the baby so much as Speaks in his vicinity and you're telling me he (gunshots) (gunshots)
Alver's such a hardass I'm sure Cale's party already considers him a friend and yet he's still out here telling Cale like... "We should celebrate after all this... and invite only our Close Acquaintances..." 😭
I like how whenever there's a bumfuck loser in front of Cale one of the kids go Damn I miss the Crown Prince like it's seriously the funniest bits of part 2. Raonie will be like "Human, this guy SUCKS. If it were the Crown Prince he would have (facts) (factual) (absolute truth)" and Cale will nod solemnly. Sighs
Nah but Cale was straight up Tweaking the second he found out abt the missing dark elves... for once he didn't let raonie finish his sentence and just immediately jumped Sayeru w a water spear... then proceeded to call that hag a fatass while dragging him by the hair... Cale, w his eyes wide open, rlly said "You're quite heavy to drag. Shall I get rid of some weight?" phew menhera gfs have zero chill
Happy New Year, I am lowkirkenuinely losing my english abilities, I still like alcale an unhealthy amount, just slowly getting to reading everything on everywhere again
Ok but nearly 100 chapters of no Alver had yrhnim working hard on balance patches because all the Alver appearances in p2 does a little too insane for the shipper stockmarket... but somehow, it's a useless endeavor... our golden prince is so OP just breathing near Cale breaks through the roof
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