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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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Hm. I think people are misreading what it means that the Smothering White spirit is the one that reminds her most of Zeqing. They're all similar to Zeqing. They're of the same broad class of spirits.

But if you look at how they do, the Wind one blows around constantly, way more than Zeqing did, who was often pretty sedate. And the Glacier acts in a different scale, more directly exemplifying the inevitable End and working to grind the mountains themselves to dust. Smothering White's got the most similar, and most relevant to critters scampering around on the rocks perhaps, frame of reference. The smothering aspect could also hint at being more possessive than the others, but that'd be a guess.

Drawing other conclusions about their, hrm, personalities seems premature. Especially when trying to connect it to the likelihood of spiking Hanyi's trauma over her mother. Being the most like Zeqing doesn't mean being like Zeqing in any way that matters to what transpired between Hanyi and Zeqing. Besides, that ship has already sailed, imo. The intro to these spirits existing was that scene with Hanyi out in the snow. Narratively, we've been set up for wading through Hanyi's emotional issues no matter what we pick.

Which is a good thing. Can you imagine if we could accidently avoid Hanyi character development here? It'd be awful.


Erebeal said:
The question we should also ask perhaps is what would be most helpful for actually passing through...

From one angle, the glacier could be seen as a road, and if it's cool with us then that could be helpful. From that angle it could be seen as the safest path to just have to deal with one not particularly aggressive spirit. Otoh, would it stop the storm and snow from making our lives difficult? Hard to say. If we don't go on the glacier ofc then it's not a problem and could be ignored.

The storm and and the snow appear somewhat interrelated. On one hand, the goodwill of one might allow us to pass through safely. Otoh, talking to one might draw the attention of the other and complicate matters...
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So what you're saying is there's a chance for two snow aunties, instead of one!?
 
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It might not be as helpful as you think. Aside from Zheqing Hanyi never met any other ice spirits, so she would know even less about them than we do.
 
Nervaqus987 said:
I think the Yukionna is probably the most dangerous one to interact with for Ling Qi. Because her experience with such things is with Zeqing who was not very standard for her kind. Going in expecting Zeqing probably wouldn't end well.

That said, I'm also not too sure she'd be wanting to nom on Ling Qi and Hanyi. They probably don't have the same "Those are mine" quality that made them so tempting to Zeqing.
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Found the relevant bit, it's from a bonus chapter actually that I'm not sure was posted in thread:

It would make her less lonely if her daughter was born, Xin had said.

She had been right, Zeqing could acknowledge. But it was so difficult. Even as she observed Hanyi, skipping along a cliffside ahead of her avatar, Zeqing felt the stirring of her Truth, stirred by the warmth in her core.

She wanted to devour her.

Separated from Zeqing, the piece of self she had invested in the child called out, urging her to return to wholeness. To cease risking the loss inherent in allowing her daughter to exist.

And it was only growing worse. Now there was a second. She recalled the first time she had met Ling Qi a human child who bore a sliver of Winter in her core, born from cold memory. She had offered tutelage on a whim, convinced, as Xin had said, to 'try something new'.
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From: bonus chapter: alone

EDIT: in general it's a great chapter to get what the perspective of a spirit like Zeqing looks like.
 
AbeoLogos said:
Hm. I think people are misreading what it means that the Smothering White spirit is the one that reminds her most of Zeqing. They're all similar to Zeqing. They're of the same broad class of spirits.

But if you look at how they do, the Wind one blows around constantly, way more than Zeqing did, who was often pretty sedate. And the Glacier acts in a different scale, more directly exemplifying the inevitable End and working to grind the mountains themselves to dust. Smothering White's got the most similar, and most relevant to critters scampering around on the rocks perhaps, frame of reference. The smothering aspect could also hint at being more possessive than the others, but that'd be a guess.

Drawing other conclusions about their, hrm, personalities seems premature. Especially when trying to connect it to the likelihood of spiking Hanyi's trauma over her mother. Being the most like Zeqing doesn't mean being like Zeqing in any way that matters to what transpired between Hanyi and Zeqing. Besides, that ship has already sailed, imo. The intro to these spirits existing was that scene with Hanyi out in the snow. Narratively, we've been set up for wading through Hanyi's emotional issues no matter what we pick.

Which is a good thing. Can you imagine if we could accidently avoid Hanyi character development here? It'd be awful.
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I'd disagree that they're in the same class of spirit, though maybe we're using different definitions. I'm not sure what you mean by it, unless you're just referring to realm.

Zeqing's type of spirit felt pretty intricately tied to life and the living--I don't know that we've ever seen Zeqing feed, but Hanyi definitely preys on things, and I wouldn't expect a glacier or the wind to do so. More than that, winds and glaciers are inherently indifferent to people in a way that the embodiment of Things Dying In The Snow is not. They'll go where they go regardless of whether or not things are living there, while a predator is much more reactive.

If there's any classification system at all (in the sense of "it matters to the world" and not "imperials group them for educational purposes"), I'd expect "does it care about you" is one of the bigger differentiating factors, because that feels pretty definitional to a Way. So maybe the wind and glacier go in the same class of spirit, but not the yukionna.
 
I wouldn't be that concerned about the yukionna trying to eat us. The reason why Zeqing was tempted was because Hanyi was her child and we were approaching that status ourselves. This spirit has no such relationship with us and so shouldn't care to anywhere near the same degree.

Regarding threat analysis...

Looking at our party, we are skewed pretty heavily towards offense and all have pretty solid spiritual defenses in one way or another (with the possible exception of Meng Dan, but even he probably does). On the other hand I feel like we (excluding LQ and maybe GG) are vulnerable to being ground down over a long period of time?

The glacier seems like a powerful physical threat with stupid amounts of defense. Glaciers are also really goddamn treacherous in reality so this probably isn't nearly as safe as it might first appear.
The storm is likely a highly mobile glass cannon, which would harry us.
The snowstorm is, if at all like Zeqing, a primarily spiritual attacker.

I don't think any of these spirits are likely to actually attack us in earnest but even their indifference would be a deadly threat. Of the three, I feel like the snowstorm is the danger we are most suited to overcoming.

When it comes getting their assistance...

The glacier is probably the hardest to get a blessing from but it can almost certainly handily defend us against the storm.
The storm's blessing is probably the most useful as it is the biggest threat to our success.
The snow's blessing is of unclear value but it is associated with the storm and might be willing to intercede on our behalf, maybe.

As for the spirits' personalities...
The glacier is going to be pretty straightforward. It has a desire, it is acting upon that desire, and while any particular danger might come out of nowhere, its not going to try to trick us about what it is doing.
I don't trust the storm at all. It could easily agree to help us and then betray us just because.
The snow spirit is almost certainly going to have all manner of tricks up its sleeve but, if we can earn its respect, it will probably honor that agreement.

As such my vote is for
[X] Seek the smothering white.
 
[X] Seek the smothering white.
PrimalShadow said:
Did friction between them come up in a previous update? TBH I don't recall that piece of characterization happening...
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No, it's all stuff happening off screen and we are only getting glimpses of its progression by observing Xia Lin's interactions.

It's somewhat logical guess though based on
A: Xia Lin wants to make a good impression on Cai Renxiang, with probable hopes to get taken on as a retainer.
B: Cai Renxiang is sorta ambivilent on Xia Lin, whom is picking this up
C: Xia Lin feels redundant in the group.
D: Gan is a loud shouty boy who can be a lot to take in if you're weak and a square if you don't know him well.

Edit: we had an option to possibly see this friction begin, but Renxiang and Xia Ren interlude won out
 
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Adhoc vote count started by NoxOfUmbra on Dec 26, 2020 at 9:32 PM, finished with 65 posts and 13 votes.
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I was not going to post the tally but then saw this beautiful 8 6 4 and just had to
 
Great bonding opportunity, or a chance to interact with and learn from something different.
Best case: LQ gets to go "No, not yours; Mine"

[X] Seek the smothering white.
[X] Seek the stolid glacier.
 
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