Added note:
there are stories that can handle multiple plot lines well. That’s what makes a compelling story. But in this case, this story has failed to confidently pick an actual side plot that is relevant to the characters and their growth. (Because what is a story if not the growth of a character through the events that occur?)
This is why a lot of readers are confused by the plot which is now a hot mess. It doesn’t mean that the readers are dumb. It means that the author has failed to be clear with their intentions from the beginning. It’s not multitasking.
It is a failure in storytelling when you aren’t able to lead your readers.
I agree. I was so confused about the sudden change in plot without any explanation and story progress of how it is related to her cooking.
Anyway i kinda like you lol i wish we were friends tbh i love talking to people like you bc i can talk about things in wide perspective
Can I just say I love your food metaphor? It's like describing my life too.
I really love how you explained everything (๑•ㅂ•)و✧
Aww thanks you guys! You’re too sweet.
⁄(⁄ ⁄·⁄ω⁄·⁄ ⁄)⁄
I agree with you 100%!!! I thought it would be about her cooking and her bonding with the family while falling in love, etc but it took a weird turn about portals and magic. She’s too much of a Mary Sue right now. She can cook, open portals, might marry the prince in the future lol. It’s like they added extra stuff the story didn’t need
i would find the problem source a bit different ?
So far it was bad family meet cooking show : that’s hardly enough for a story, as her true relatives are easy to become benevolent - cooking show part is page taxing, and hardly involves any plot and has no intrinsic quality (And by that i mean i was never written in an interesting manner, contrary to some bizzare but excellent manga or anime that managed to bring tension an character development, but contrary to that : she already « knows « , so there’s no story, just a « display of abilities - it has no narrative value)
Story wise : nothing is hard to follow - in fact, it’s rather the opposite : it’s too simple ! Adding to it it kind of a must - as she gets out of the house the universe can legitimately expand - that is rather logical -
( Well admittedly it would make the cooking show worthless : but when hasn’t it been ?)
To me, the messy parts would be the over abundance of reasons to define an absurd main character - the overthinking of everything she does (and why) -
if you were to remove half of that, the story expending would feel both natural and welcome ?
There’s a sum of exaggerated background to build up a messed up untrusting, calculating, self centered girl - she is impossible to relate too - i don’t think the calculative part makes her smart, and i don’t understand the need to pile up that much tragic past - it neither explains nor justify some of her twisted nature ( i get it, this type of self centered characters are rather in fashion) - but the accumulation of flash back, and explanation is burdensome
There’s a difference between a complex story and a messy story. A complex story is carefully crafted and intricate. Sudden reveals don’t feel out of place and adds to the world as a whole. A messy story is an attempt to make a complex story but lacks depth and thought in crafting the basics. This is a messy story.
The sudden reveals of magic, portals, slavery, and human experimentation feels too disjointed from the initial plot. What could have been interesting developments feel tacked on for the sake of ‘complexity’. This would have worked if all those elements were showcased or hinted to in the first chapters when setting up the world. This is because all of those things are actually common knowledge. Since we, the readers, are privy to the main characters thoughts and actions it is expected to know these things as well.
There are cases where the main character tricks the reader by withholding information, but this isn’t that story nor does it fit the genre. When done right, the unreliable narrator adds to the story and it’s message. When done wrong, as in this case, it comes off as cheap, confusing, and messy.
Just because the world was not explained, doesn’t mean that you can throw in whatever you want. These elements feel like afterthoughts thrown on top of a shaky foundation. One that is starting to crack.
This could have been a simple but compelling story of a girl who uses her cooking to gain the love and recognition of her family while achieving her independence. Now it’s starting to stray into some kind of magic-saintess-political-war-drama(for the sake of drama)-romance with cooking sprinkled in between the hyphens.
I shall end on a food metaphor because we deserve more food:
What could have been as simple and delicious as apple pie has now turned into an apple pie mixed with spinach, sardines, and too much cinnamon that attempts to tie the flavors together. All while sitting in an oven that is on fire on the outside.