Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
[X] Plan Communication
[X] Plan Communication
Wonder if we can be spooky with it, hehehe
Wonder if we can be spooky with it, hehehe
NoxOfUmbra
Shadow of the night
- Location
- Colombia, South América
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Plan Communication
-[X] Presence
-[X][new] Communications
-[X] Presence
-[X][new] Communications
- Location
- Staring into the void
It seems the only slight disagreement is on which keyword to swap out.
Consider how different planning would have gone in the caldera fight if we knew how well CRX had been doing at any given moment, or could take opportunities for shots at each other's opponents.
There's good reason to want battlefield comms.
Edit: hopefully they'll be functional for heists, too. Probably will be, since that's how Ling Qi thinks about battles.
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- Location
- All around you.
- Pronouns
- Lord/Master/God
little art, isn't it […] Bian […] It's
Oh wow, there was only one instance worth editing in this update.
[X] Plan Communication
-[X] Presence
-[X][new] Communication
This is a terrible idea. Perceptiveness is our current only and main use of the Art. It's the last keyword we should be thinking about replacing. You should rather drop Empathy or Manipulation.
On that note, I'll approval vote an alternative plan with that in mind:
[X] Plan Straight Communication
-[X] Manipulation
-[X][new] Communication
:Ü™
Fair point on the phrasing.
The update was enjoyable. I especially liked how the two didn't immediately hit on "success" with their project. But it was quite brief and lacked nuance because of it. The scene is simply an introduction and it reads like one. The concern though is that an introduction should naturally be followed by the body of a work, and that won't be happening in this case. I agree with you that the substance of the scene even seems more like an intro for a same-turn arc than a next-turn arc, and this won't even be that.
Yes, Sixiang is planning something mysterious to "keep the momentum going", but I can't really think of what. Maybe I just lack imagination, but Sixiang's literally made of the stuff, so it would have been nice to have a helping hand on what the plan actually is.
Some kind of virtual dream garden seems beyond Sixiang's capabilities, it would be jarring for them to develop the capability during a Zhengui-focused arc with subtle rewards, and even if they had it it wouldn't be appropriate since the development would be necessarily literally occurring through Sixiang's interpretive lens, rather than a product made between Ling Qi and Zhengui. Maybe some kind of plant journal? I'm honestly not clear on what we can do during the Part of me wonders if @yrsillar couldn't just dip into some of what he had planned for the stealth training to give them something to do on the journey. Full disclosure, I voted for that at the time, but that's not why I'm tossing the suggestion at the board. There's grounding in the update to just Do a Thing With Him in this line "However, rather than stressing over those things, maybe she should have been seeking ways that they could interact all along," and stealth hunting is a plausible thing to attempt. Throwing ideas at the wall. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Lastly, yeah your point on the thematic linkage is more relevant than my head was at, even. One of the dominant threads of conversation on which garden theme was the pursuit of thematic links. It's a bit weird for the intro scene to have Ling Qi basically musing that thematic links to Zhengui don't matter. I'd just note it as odd and move on without fussing if we were moving into the arc further, but we aren't and won't be for quite some time. Meanwhile, time is ticking, there's a number of huge year-end events foreshadowed, and the current trajectory of character musings doesn't seem all that related to our heart demon. Which I just remembered was a thing.
I am pretty sure thst the heart demon was solved
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
I am not sure that is a good idea. Those refer to the Atribute and Skill of the same name: Manipulation is actually our ability to express ourselves succesfully and convince people and Empathy is our skill at determining meaning and intent from what people say. Since we want this as a communication art, those seem important too.
The cutest part of the update, imo, is a bit of fridge logic that struck me much later. Ling Qi musing to herself that just spending time together is fine and fulfilling while she uses that time together to compose a song thematically linked to their shared efforts, which is literally cultivation for her.
Not to my recollection. The last time I remember there being reference to issues clearly identified as related to it was back when Zhengui and Wang Chao were sparring for the first time in turn... 8, I guess? There might have been a twinge of discomfort or two since that I'm forgetting. It's honestly tough keeping track of which of Ling Qi's emotional and interpersonal issues are related to the heart demon and which aren't. She has a number of them competing for space, and they're not exactly labeled clearly since they're emotions and junk.
- Location
- Somewhere
Tfw the quest is so good you login to your account that you almost had forgotten the existence of
Also been reading the RR version on the side while trying to catch-up here. It's really amazing how different Ling Qi was at the beginning.
Pull Zhengui in to the Dream with Ling Qi, easy.
Oh wait, she sleeps once every 2 months or something, oh well
Also been reading the RR version on the side while trying to catch-up here. It's really amazing how different Ling Qi was at the beginning.
Pull Zhengui in to the Dream with Ling Qi, easy.
Oh wait, she sleeps once every 2 months or something, oh well
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- Location
- All around you.
- Pronouns
- Lord/Master/God
Yeah, but what else could we drop without breaking the entire art if we don't want to drop Presence? My primary vote is still going to the original plan, I've just added an alternative based on Anderein's assumption that Presence is critical :Ü™
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
I feel like there would've been a big indication had it actually been solved
(aka it is not solved yet, we still have a cultivation penalty from it)
Bakkasama
There is always a greater fool
- Location
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Pronouns
- He/his
Well, the art has a music keyword twice. I think it is supposed to be once for the skill and one for the theme but do we know what happens if we replace one and keep the other?
(Just to be clear, I don't feel like it should work, I am asking just in case)
[X] Plan Communication
And how much of regular diplomacy is building to obfuscate your motives and demonstrate superiority over the other party.
You can't just settle into a a position. Got to stay in motion.
Though I imagine most of them settle into some kind of cycle rather than keep flying about randomly
Or both?
Everything fixates on and around the war, even to the detriment of your ability to contribute to it.
Not that Ling Qi would consider said circumstances to be anything but the most dire of failings on her part. Or that resolve of the instant matter all that much in the face of lacking motivation to pursue practice and motivation isn't enough in a battle(oddly inverted at higher cultivation)
Home is a sanctuary. A warm hearth.
Especially when many of those spirits aren't even there to witness the rite, but do get mad if the rite is not upheld.
The Winter that clears and rests the land for new growth.
Not the kind of dramatic great progress that some might be hoping for, but the more mundane one - simply put aside other concerns and just talk frankly and casually.
Whereas there had been a long stretch where Ling Qi and Zhengui mainly communicated as part of training, combat or wandering off to do their own thing.
They needed this, seeing as both seem to have let superhuman insight take the place of of actually communicating, and thus they have strong understandings of each other in a series of snapshots, but not a strong picture.
Just how did that happen?
And Ling Qi dessicated the area so its ready to burn.
She likes making numbers go bigger. Progress bars.
...push the garden halfway into Six's Liminal space so they can work on it even while away?
Its probably not defeat in battle, she's largely accepted she's the most fragile member of the team.
Thus they feel comfortable about going right up to the fence and having a chat, while she overcompensates by ensuring its as far away as possible and hoping that its far enough.
Funny how Ling Qi liked diplomacy a lot more when its used to forge connections rather than maneuver for advantage.
And how much of regular diplomacy is building to obfuscate your motives and demonstrate superiority over the other party.
Ah, the woes of cultivating Moon.
You can't just settle into a a position. Got to stay in motion.
Though I imagine most of them settle into some kind of cycle rather than keep flying about randomly
Hmm, how's the invisible spectrum work here? Particularly the near visible range UV/IR which many animals can detect normally.
...is Six experimenting with narrowing down Qi's specific strike zone or just playing?
Or both?
Growing up in a war can skew what you perceive as normal a great deal.
Everything fixates on and around the war, even to the detriment of your ability to contribute to it.
We might be surprised yet. Qingge seems to me to be likely to have circumstantial strength - she'd fight only in rather specific circumstances.
Not that Ling Qi would consider said circumstances to be anything but the most dire of failings on her part. Or that resolve of the instant matter all that much in the face of lacking motivation to pursue practice and motivation isn't enough in a battle(oddly inverted at higher cultivation)
A sharper, more object lesson than Jiao's warning I think. If you make of yourself a sword, then you can only be wielded.
Zhengui's sensory modes remain a point of curiosity. Gui seems to be particularly good at sensing spiritual composition, while his conventional vision is notably poor, while Zhen seems to have excellent binocular, color vision(which doesn't seem to map to normal snakes, so might be his Fire element being more sensitive to colors?)
:3
Well, I suppose you could imitate beauty without much of a theme, but it'd be derivative and we got a literal art spirit and cultivator here.
Meizhen: "Hmph!"
Home is a sanctuary. A warm hearth.
And then Gui pops the philosophy, Zhen just likes sparkles
Huh, we should have expected this. Theres lots of shrines and rituals to worship spirits in order to placate them, it seems like it'd make sense that spirits get something out of worship beyond the ego stroking?
Especially when many of those spirits aren't even there to witness the rite, but do get mad if the rite is not upheld.
You know, this brings to mind just how young Zhengui is, he's not really experienced the full spread of seasons had he? He only got properly aware in Yellow, and so might have some AWARENESS of Spring, but not experience?
Oh yeah, not fading indeed.
The Winter that clears and rests the land for new growth.
Considering what happened later, this amuses me.
Funny thought is that Renxiang passing through might either bleach it or add extra sfx.
Progress!
Not the kind of dramatic great progress that some might be hoping for, but the more mundane one - simply put aside other concerns and just talk frankly and casually.
Whereas there had been a long stretch where Ling Qi and Zhengui mainly communicated as part of training, combat or wandering off to do their own thing.
They needed this, seeing as both seem to have let superhuman insight take the place of of actually communicating, and thus they have strong understandings of each other in a series of snapshots, but not a strong picture.
That was...a nice trick?
Just how did that happen?
A source of heat, a source of cold and water and you do have a water cycle.
Insufficiently anchored mudslides. Probably want a tree or a shrub to anchor hillsides but its funny that they all just didn't realize rainclouds accumulate static electricity.
And Ling Qi dessicated the area so its ready to burn.
And that's one angle that they do need work on - Ling Qi doesn't need to be warded from every bit of blame. Affection doesn't equate to immunity.
I'm now morbidly curious what the "worse" looked like.
She likes making numbers go bigger. Progress bars.
Overfocused on the incompatibilities such that the ways they could make being different work out does lie as one of the big aggravating factors in their relationship. Its not a root cause or anything, but a lot of the earlier struggles were just how one of them could better change to fit the other, while still being true to themselves.
Sixiang has a Solution.
...push the garden halfway into Six's Liminal space so they can work on it even while away?
:3
Hmm...think Ling Qi is hitting the wrong beat there about why Hanyi is distressed.
Its probably not defeat in battle, she's largely accepted she's the most fragile member of the team.
Mostly because the nobles have their boundaries well established and fortified. Nothing they don't want done would be done And the gutter-girl had no protection for her boundaries.
Thus they feel comfortable about going right up to the fence and having a chat, while she overcompensates by ensuring its as far away as possible and hoping that its far enough.
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I really hope our next mission(after the delegation of course) will be with meizhen. We barely seen her on screen since the war started, and we had no mission with her so far, and she is Ling Qi first friend and probably the best.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
That's because Meizhen isn't being sent on war missions. Her clan is holding her back.
Well, then I will just have to hope we will have some other arc with her
Hmm.
I wonder how that will hold up as she advances in Realm and her progress slows down. How little progress can she get and still see it as a reward?