#lumensis' characterization & death + the revelation of ludgers desire were extremely anticlimactic

[aroacettorney]

when will aup sidestories return from war and stop leaving me bitter about how the main story ended

#lumensis' characterization & death + the revelation of ludgers desire were extremely anticlimactic #700+ chapters of building up only to have the resolution forcefully/hastily crammed into. what. 2 and 1/2 chapters? #and am i supposed to care for his relationship with his mom when it didnt come up in 99% of the novel? #tbh it had *many* opportunities to come up but the author wanted to keep ludgers desire as mysterious as possible #and so it lost its chance to have any emotional buildup #well other than the implications of regrets which were frankly a bit oversaturated in the novel #(again. what happened to the 'show dont tell' principles) #honestly even occasional flashbacks to ludgers mom teaching him about all kinds of myths and lores when its relevant #would have helped in this aspect plus showcased his growth and development over time even when its off screen #(doesnt make his vast knowledge look like it conveniently came out of nowhere) #while also greatly enhancing the world building of his game breaking 'real magic' #anyway i think ludgers reconciliation w his mother would have been more impactful if ludgers past life came up more often #hell it would have done wonder in exploring his depth if we are going with framing his past lifestyle as a flaw #the thing about ludger as a character is that his past (in both worlds) is much more interesting than his present #bc its the only way we can see how he mentally changed in comparison as his changes are nearly non existent in the present timeline #(a part of the reasons why ludgercaseys relationship over time is an appealing topic is that it showcases both of their changes) #(reading about a protagonist who has no mental changes over the course of the story is no different than watching... a nature documentary) #im still v salty about how we never get to see arpas and bettys reconciliation btw #so do emotional closures between ludger and other characters #those are literally the meat of the story that would be worthy of their own arc #sayren why the hell did you rush through them and put them off screen #in the end instead of proving that he has finally learnt his lessons by confronting his emotions ludger chose to run away from it yet again #even if we are to assume that is whats gonna happen post epilogue why is his change accomplished by a goddamn last minute timeskip #(that is also lowkey a failed suicide attempt in disguise) #instead of what could have been... idk... a banger novel named aup #good christ #rant