156: Cooking
Added 2026-01-25 14:15:36 +0000 UTCComments
Thank you for the chapter!
Metafy
2026-01-25 21:01:56 +0000 UTCWe love you but hate them dang cliffs
Slashman1
2026-01-25 20:15:56 +0000 UTCLily and Liane are best friends and haven't realized it yet: they are both fiercely protective of Trev, they are lazy, they love food, stealth, and shadows
granndfunk
2026-01-25 19:32:53 +0000 UTCSo, I will address some of your points, and for the rest, I'll share some stats. Trevors cooking abilities are my expectation for a 1st year apprentice and their ability to cook in the real world I base this off my 16+ years as a chef and training dozens of kids this age to cook, I would after a couple weeks of training have them at a stage where they are able to cook basic dishes, like the ones Trev is cooking without Crisplet's assistance with an almost 100% success rate especially if they didn't have a phone to be distracted by. The reason for this is that all dishes trevor has cooked are incredibly basic, or he's following a recipe. Today's chapter is entirely following a recipe, so yes, I would expect them not to mess that up. This is a cozy story, and at the end of the day my goal was not, and is not to have a teenage boy suffering and wallowing in self-pity because life's not been fair to him. your points that 'everyone loves him' I would say are just false, it's completely disregards all the people who don't love him, ones that you even mention by saying exiled from a city is a reward, that's not a mentor who loves him. Now, in my day to day as an Aussie, I deal with pleasant people daily, people who will have a chat, say hello, be kind, and in general have a positive experience, even strangers. Perhaps that's unique to here. You're seeing that through the page. Again, people don't want to see a teenager get kicked around and treated like shit in a cozy story. If I were writing an edgy teen wanting revenge story, sure... too humble, and you mention everyone needs to reassure him, that believe it or not is another flaw, that you mention, lack of self-confidence stemming from being treated like shit for 10 years, again this happens in real life, and it is a flaw. He's getting ripped off because he's not educated and doesn't understand real life. Throughout book 1 when he had no money, he was still getting ripped off, so I don't understand this argument? and yes in 6 months all this has happened, which again is not a good thing for him you're saying this is an amazing reward, but if I dumped a bunch of responsibility on a 15/16 yr old kid today, even with money, how's that gonna go? You say everyone becomes a mentor; he's realistically had 4 across the whole series, Martin, Geo, Milo, Liane. People like Hari and Jen are there, and sure they might scold him a little and be friendly to him, but at no stage have they actively been his mentor... And finally, am I going to fully rewrite the books before June when they are published? No, I'm not going to. There are edits, there is some rewording, some minor restructuring, but I won't be changing the core structure of the book. However, I believe there are flaws there you're not giving credit to. I think you're glossing over a lot of events where things didn't work out for him. I believe you're ignoring all the people who don't actually like Trevor, and there are some, yes. You're expecting cataclysmic failures and abandonment, which I'll be upfront won't happen. I would have bombed my story if in book 2 I was like "Crisplet, after gaining independence, vanished with Lily and never returned. Trevor went to work at an inn and wallowed in self-pity for the next 10 years." Cozy stories by design are lower stakes so statistics time, and I say all this with I respect your opinion, but... Currently, Arcane chef has the 3rd highest retention rate (higher % of people moving on to the next chapter) on Royal road, only behind Syl and Paranoid mage, so people are not throwing in the towel because he didn't burn a roast. And you're not the first person to make the mary sue claim, and yeah, in some ways I agree, in others I don't. I believe in the chaos of the world right now, a low-stakes, feel-good, easy to read bit of fun is what many people actually want. Do I think this is going to rival the greats? Absolutely not, and nor should it. This is my first book; I'm just learning to write. But I want people to have fun while reading it, and feel good after reading, and maybe gain a little bit of love for food.
T J Ward
2026-01-25 19:29:33 +0000 UTCDays since Trevor, the complete cooking novice, has made an inedible dish: β Honestly mate, I've signed up for a year here so I'm in it for the long haul. I like the story overall, but I seriously hope you go over it before it's published with anything like audible and gives the MC some actual flaws first. Let's quickly tally up what Trevor has got going for himself: First, unearned powers: OP rare class without having done anything to earn it. (First in academy history) OP protector in the form of Lily without doing anything to earn it. Immunity to pressure from powerful aura without doing anything to earn it. Got the attention and blessing of a God without doing anything to earn it. Then his relationships: Everyone that spends more than 10 minutes around him loves him and/or becomes his mentor/protector. Found a team of ultra loyal adventurers dedicated to mentoring and protecting him. Unearned competence: Somehow never fails at cooking anything despite having no prior experience in cooking. On consequences: Almost all consequences are actually rewards. When the consequence to Trevor isn't a reward, it's usually made inconsequential to Trevor in the next chapter or two. (At most) (Examples: Forced to flee town means he gets the adventurer life he's always dreamed off, nearly killing himself means learning advanced skill as literally everyone worries and cares for him. His 'companion' Lily indirectly causes the destruction of a city and he gets rewarded for it.) On "flaws": He's too humble (everyone constantly has to reassure him he's amazing) His rare class is so powerful he struggles to level it for two whole weeks He attracts too many mentors and protectors who solve his problems His fire elemental is so loyal it refuses to leave even after gaining independence He's got so much money he doesn't even notice when he's being ripped off. Timeline Note: All of this happens in less than 6 months. (if I get the passage of time correct.) In that time, Trevor goes from "level 1 orphan who can't figure out how to level" to "noble who has the King making house calls, can ignore royal protocol, and has two continent destroyer "beasts" protecting him. Sure it's primarily Lily, but Syltharin is clearly willing to help out if needed. Now, I'll not mince words. These are the textbook characteristics of a Mary Sue, which is a label that fits Trevor perfectly. If you're fine with that, then that's of course not a problem, but it stops your story from being much more than a 'guilty pleasure'. You've got an interesting world and you're creative in how you're handling things, but it doesn't stop Trevor from completely undermining what would otherwise be a much more compelling narrative. I actually have to say I'm curious here. Do you plan to polish any of these patterns before you get published? Because right now, Trevor has no meaningful obstacles left. He's rich, titled, has continent-destroyer protectors, and can ignore social consequences. Where's the dramatic tension supposed to come from?
Swinter
2026-01-25 18:52:28 +0000 UTCAlways leave us hanging on the buffs lol
David Zimmerle
2026-01-25 16:35:06 +0000 UTCTyftc
Jaklelope
2026-01-25 15:11:42 +0000 UTCLily is going to get Buffed like hell πππ Godzilla Lily incoming
Alex V
2026-01-25 15:06:47 +0000 UTCHis friends need to up there game or they won't be able to eat anything he makes.
Hammy
2026-01-25 14:58:31 +0000 UTCCliff hanger I know, but, you wont need to wait too long another chapter should** be out tonight as well to make up 5 for the week since I missed Friday <3
T J Ward
2026-01-25 14:22:55 +0000 UTC
