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

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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To me, this vote asks how we define lineage, how we define family. What matters more, famous genetic donors that we have never met? Or mentors that shape our lives?
And going forward, is family those who are born to our name or those whose lives we influence in turn?

However. Pretty darn significant urge to poke the thing because who wouldn't poke the thing??
 
Elsecaller said:
Yrs said this in discord:

So I kinda doubt that this is a vote that'll drastically change the story if we do it. And I think Qi has the curiosity to check it personally.
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I think this is more establishing whether Ling Qi is still has the curiousity to have one of the Hidden Moons as one of her triple patrons. This whole thing has been a bit of a Hidden Moon quest with Meng Dan, and I really think we should continue to take the pro-Hidden Moon options.
 
Coddiwomple said:
To me, this vote asks how we define lineage, how we define family. What matters more, famous genetic donors that we have never met? Or mentors that shape our lives?
And going forward, is family those who are born to our name or those whose lives we influence in turn?
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And that's why I'm annoyed about there being no "learn, but don't dwell on it unless strictly necessary" option.
 
I'd like to remind everyone of our Songseeker Ceremony:

A cultivation art unique to Ling Qi, developed with the aid of three phases of the moon. Dreaming, Grinning, and Hidden combine to form the nascent steps of Ling Qi's own path. The cultivation art rewards feats of daring, self expression, and dealings with the spirits of the world. It is the art of one who seeks the powers hidden in the world, and the beauty of songs old and new.

Potency: Green 4
Potency Growth: Green 5(6), Green 6(8)
Keywords:
- Cultivation, Night, Moon, Stellar, Yin.
- Art, Beast Handling, Dexterity, Manipulation, Music, Perceptiveness, Qi, Spirit Ken, Stealth, Wits.
Experience Needed: 1100, 1300, 1600, 1900
Max level: 8

+60 dice to Spiritual Cultivation until Green 5
+60 dice to Physical Cultivation until Green 5
+55 dice to the cultivation of Yin Arts
+50 dice to the cultivation of Moon Arts
1/8 of XP gained through permanent cultivation bonuses added to Domain XP
Grants the user 2 virtual Green Stone per week(8 per turn)
Allows the User to Bind Spirits up to Grade Three
Reduces Upkeep of Spirits by 4 per spirit
10 Qi cultivation dice per turn up to S Rank
-Increases growth rate of bound spirits(effects increasing with Bond Level)

Fifth Song 186/1100
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I feel like the past few turns we've been on a very artistic, Dreaming Moon bent, but we shouldn't forget that indulging in curiosity is still an important part of Ling Qi's path, and the Hidden Moon is just as much Ling Qi's patron as the Dreaming Moon. Xin, one of Ling Qi's major mentors, is a Hidden Moon spirit of secrets, who would absolutely be encouraging us to explore this. Even if it doesn't ultimately really matter much to Ling Qi (I don't think Yrsillar is going to drop that we're a sekrit Weilu princess) it is still important for Ling Qi to want to learn things.

And frankly I think Meng Dan would be disappointed in us and we'll lose some approval if we don't. I mean, he'll respect our decision, but we'll get more rapport with him as a scholar and fellow (at least partial) Hidden Moon cultivator if we take advantage of the opportunity to get more information. He just showed us information that is by his own claim restricted to the innermost part of his clan, so it would be kinda rude not to share the same.

Also this is, ya know, our reward for a dangerous fight against a corpse immortal and looting a decaying spatial ring. It seems like a baffling choice to loot this and not bother to test it out.
 
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Yeah, I am pretty intrigued by the possibility of secret knowledge. I think we'll have future options on how to relate to that, but if our whole thing is family, it might be good to know, at least, a little bit about distant relatives. Even if we won't define them as "our" family because they haven't been around for us at all.
 
I like the Hidden Moon part of our self. I like curiosity, and I like Ling Qi learning stuff. Plus it would be weird if we reject this just after getting it.
 
Our teachers and our mother are our ancestors, the Bai and Cai our future.

[X] There was no need for it. The character for Ling meant 'Zero' and that is what she had started as. If there were any lineage she would claim, it was her teachers, claimed through her own effort.
 
"I guess I just don't really care about the fading ghosts of clans a hundred years dead."

Remember this? It's the main reason I love the idea of Qi deciding that she doesn't care enough to find out. Exactly as she has been this entire time, she will grow according to what she has earned with her own two hands. Especially if the lineage comes from our mystery father, in which case I definitely don't even want to find out or utilize in a political arena.
 
I'm just really not interested in giving any narrative space to any ideas about our ancestory at all. I just don't see it as important or beneficial to the story - indeed, given people's historical obsession with the idea that our father is special or something, quite the opposite.
 
Erebeal said:
I'm just really not interested in giving any narrative space to any ideas about our ancestory at all. I just don't see it as important or beneficial to the story - indeed, given people's historical obsession with the idea that our father is special or something, quite the opposite.
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On the one hand yes. On the other hand Xin would want us to indulge curiosity.
 
ChronOblivion said:
"I guess I just don't really care about the fading ghosts of clans a hundred years dead."

Remember this? It's the main reason I love the idea of Qi deciding that she doesn't care enough to find out. Exactly as she has been this entire time, she will grow according to what she has earned with her own two hands. Especially if the lineage comes from our mystery father, in which case I definitely don't even want to find out or utilize in a political arena.
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Er except that was meant as a taunt to make Chu Song angry, and behave in a foolish manner?
"It is," Ling Qi agreed. "I guess I just don't really care about the fading ghosts of clans a hundred years dead."


Ling Qi felt a little bad as her opponent's expression twisted into fury, but her words had the desired effect. Thunder boomed, rustling the leaves of the trees overhead, and Chu Song launched herself toward Ling Qi, her massive slab of a greatsword appearing in her hands.
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ChronOblivion said:
"I guess I just don't really care about the fading ghosts of clans a hundred years dead."

Remember this? It's the main reason I love the idea of Qi deciding that she doesn't care enough to find out. Exactly as she has been this entire time, she will grow according to what she has earned with her own two hands. Especially if the lineage comes from our mystery father, in which case I definitely don't even want to find out or utilize in a political arena.
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"Even if you do not fit us very well just yet, it is never wrong to cultivate curiosity," Xin said gently. "And, the seeds are there, did your pulse not quicken, at least a little, when you reached the bottom of the tomb?"

Ling Qi nodded slightly, thinking back to that day. She had never really been able to afford curiosity before, in Tonghou, she couldn't afford much of anything beyond immediate gain.

"There you go then," Xin said with satisfaction. "Nurture the wonder of discovery, and you might grow to be a scholar yet,"
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Remember this? LQ not been allowed to be curious because of circumstance. And now we finally got a chance to nurture discovery as Xin told us to do once long ago.
 
It seems like the only dangerous consequence of this is that touching it now lets Meng Dan see whatever's revealed. I don't think we've got any foreshadowing of family lines so Persona Non Grata that Ling Qi will be marked ritually unclean by the connection, so... Yeah, I don't see any real reason not to poke it?

Especially since, if Yrs uses the stated voting reasons as an influence, the full extent of her feelings will be 80% "MYSTERY BOX!" and 20% "...fuck it, why not?"
 
Honestly, unless we get a surprise "our dad was the true heir to the Hui", I don't see a way this goes wrong.

And if that does happen? Well, I ain't gonna vote to betray CRX.
 
Erebeal said:
I'm just really not interested in giving any narrative space to any ideas about our ancestory at all. I just don't see it as important or beneficial to the story
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Our main cultivation art is literally a partial product of the Hidden Moon, a spirit of secret knowledge, curiosity, and learning. It's an aspect of Ling Qi's character we can give up on and lose that aspect as a patron, but it's absolutely important to the story and Ling Qi right now.
 
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