Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
[X] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.
 
[X] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.

Crafting is what Cai Shenhua does, and is what will increase how soon we earn head-pats.
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
[x] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
[X] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.
 
I was leaning towards playing it passive, but @Huo Yuhao convinced me and reminded me that this is a thing we're trying to get better at: being actively interested in the people around us and not just zoning out to listen to the Cultivation Gremlin chatter inside her head.

[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?

Also, with regard to Meizhen/Qingling, I ship it super hard for the following reasons:
  • It is so rare that autistic characters get representation in romance plots in the stuff I read and I am 1000% here for it, I'm on Team Sensory Sensitivity Girl Should Have Nice Things
  • IF MEIZHEN AND QINGLING FALL IN LOVE AND WE BECOME BETROTHED TO QIAN THEN MEIZHEN AND QI WILL BE SISTERS-IN-LAW SORTA/KIND OF/NOT REALLY AT ALL BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY GET TO POINT IT OUT IN A SMUG CALLBACK TO THE CONVERSATION WHERE SHE EXPRESSED DISCOMFORT WITH CALLING US SISTER
 
It must be noted, however, that they haven't attacked Meizhen. They are waiting for Ling Qi's mark to descend. Unless Meizhen's counters have suddenly changed, then the counters would begin when the phantoms actually attacked, not when they had formed. After all, Meizhen counters attacks not things waiting to attack.
That's a fair point, but there's still the issue that counters weren't obviously seen when Ling Qi did attack. If the tail slap was a counter, then Meizhen can instant-reaction single target debuff before the counter resolves, which is OP and more Renxiang's bag than her own, especially considering she eats initiative penalties with some of her arts. The glare might have well have been a counter, but it's unlike what's previously been seen of her counters.
 
[X] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.

I don't really have a strong preference, but I did vote for this option to see Meizhen and CRX interact.
 
I was leaning towards playing it passive, but @Huo Yuhao convinced me and reminded me that this is a thing we're trying to get better at: being actively interested in the people around us and not just zoning out to listen to the Cultivation Gremlin chatter inside her head.

[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?

Also, with regard to Meizhen/Qingling, I ship it super hard for the following reasons:
  • It is so rare that autistic characters get representation in romance plots in the stuff I read and I am 1000% here for it, I'm on Team Sensory Sensitivity Girl Should Have Nice Things
  • IF MEIZHEN AND QINGLING FALL IN LOVE AND WE BECOME BETROTHED TO QIAN THEN MEIZHEN AND QI WILL BE SISTERS-IN-LAW SORTA/KIND OF/NOT REALLY AT ALL BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY GET TO POINT IT OUT IN A SMUG CALLBACK TO THE CONVERSATION WHERE SHE EXPRESSED DISCOMFORT WITH CALLING US SISTER
I don't think there is an option that's ignoring people? I'd break it down like this:

Option 1: practice speech(more), learn more about Cai Renxiang
Option 2: practice sewing(more), learn more about what the two discuss

I'm more interested in the second for a few reasons. One of them is it looks like an actual healthy middle ground between obsessive pursuit and totally ignoring a subject, which is rare for Ling Qi. Ain't nothing wrong with some hobby embroidery.
 
Obviously since Meizhen's there, she will take part of the conversation. Option 1 is merely a matter of Ling Qi being more proactive in participating, meanwhile Option 2 is observing how CRX and Meizhen interact with each other in free time. Of course, it's not like she's non-existent and excluded from the conversation so she can still join in; she just wouldn't be as active as option 1
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
I still think slipping in an extra move between an attack you receive and a counter is OP. Counters ought to be as immediate narratively as they are mechanically.

Not that I'm saying that's what happened.
My personal guess is that Meizhen was effectively holding her action.

The first use of her ribbon blades were to parry our Domain Weapon:
Then Meizhen's right hand twitched, and ribbons of metal screamed as they caught and deflected Ling Qi's singing blade and flung it away.
The second use was to counter-attack our FSS attack after a block using her Mantle:
Through her flute, she sang, and falling curtains of rain shattered as she flew through their newly solid forms. Meizhen's free hand rose in warding as her refrain reached its crescendo, and black water froze and shattered, leaving red ice burns across her friends palm.

Slashing ribbons carved through her verdant armor in response...
Only after we finish closing the distance are we, as you said out of a normal sequence, hit with the glare immediately followed by the tail.

I could certainly believe that Meizhen has an art that allows her to forgo a direct attack on what would be "her turn" to allow her respond as an Immediate with a normal action. Meizhen's spar with us seemed to be her seeing how her Poison AoE stacked with her Bai arts and her new Ribbon talisman allowed her to force ranged opponents into her Glare/Counter-Attack range.
 
[X] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.
 
Look i'll be honest. Not a huge Cai fan. Like I dont dislike her but she doesn't really have any 'oomph' as a character to me. Its 'Justice' and like, okay sure but what else? I dont find her interesting, or fun to read in scenes.

[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?

...so Im open to taking chances on places where she can show something more than the justice-golem mantra we've always hearing.

Also ling qi is funny when she fits her foot in her mouth.
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
Inserted tally
Adhoc vote count started by Killer_Whale on Sep 21, 2019 at 12:41 AM, finished with 75 posts and 40 votes.
 
[X] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
Back
Top