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The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

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Adraius said:
I think the Heart has an strong, classic artistic design and the Forge would absolutely be a grandiose work of art, but the View best exemplifies the unique artistry of the Kong style and best fits what I want Kong Zhi's personal style to be.
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Yeah, I'm not contesting that all the designs we're choosing from are cool, because they definitely are. I guess when I said "work of art" I was thinking more along the lines of, "Is this charm a fitting resting place for A Love Transfixed, whose original purpose was to be admired and treasured?"

Kong Zhi can never show off the Heart of Kong since it's literally inside him; he'd better hope it never goes on display! Likewise while I like the functionality of the Forge, I can't help but feel that there's an aesthetic mismatch going on--a sarcophagus to me speaks much more of death and dark earth than the life and light of its principle component, and I can't help but imagine it secreted away as a treasure in some forgotten tomb, deep underground. Which is neat and all, to be sure, but not really what I had in mind for A Love Transfixed.
 
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Adraius said:
@Wistways, your charm has the least detail in how it actually addresses our physical alterations. Do the constellations engender a physical change in us? Can you give an example of the sort of forms you envision?
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Hi!!! So short answer is: I don't know what forms, that sort of stuff is very much Ves's purview.

Long answer: I've been workshopping this charm for a while on the discord. (Shout out to all the peeps that helped!) I can say with a lot of confidence that whatever constellation we draw from will at Baseline remove the malus from our crafting and fighting. Depending on which constellation we draw on I can see the form having different effects.

Maybe when we are in the form that has a focus on learning and anam cycling we will get literal stars in our eyes. Hair starts to grow faster streaked with silver. When cycling we smile and it's effortless and our smile is a beacon drawing the anam in.

Maybe a more physical form for strength could have greater muscles, chains of glowing freckles wrapped around them. We are taller pretty sure and voice a bit deeper but also sounding further away.

This is all Aesthetic speculation, but I have faith in Ves to make it really interesting and good.

Also the constellations I suggested are very much examples. In the future as we upgrade the charm I imagine we will be able to designate and tailor the effects if the constellation more.

So yeah! That's sort of my thinking about a Fractal View. I'm delighted that so many of you like it!!
 
Wistways said:
at Baseline remove the malus from our crafting and fighting.
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Maybe I'm overthinking this. I actually like the aesthetics of Fractal View too, but the thing that's keeping me from voting for it is how unclear it is that it will restore our human limbs rather than just giving us benefits that surpass the maluses. Ves isn't around so I guess I'll ask you:

Do you see the baseline of Fractal as changing our limbs to be more human, or just making us better at using the inhuman ones?

I understand that Ves ultimately has final say, but I'd like your opinion on this.
 
Three1415 said:
Yeah, I'm not contesting that all the designs we're choosing from are cool, because they definitely are. I guess when I said "work of art" I was thinking more along the lines of, "Is this charm a fitting resting place for A Love Transfixed, whose original purpose was to be admired and treasured?"

Kong Zhi can never show off the Heart of Kong since it's literally inside him; he'd better hope it never goes on display! Likewise while I like the functionality of the Forge, I can't help but feel that there's an aesthetic mismatch going on--a sarcophagus to me speaks much more of death and dark earth than the life and light of its principle component, and I can't help but imagine it secreted away as a treasure in some forgotten vault deep underground. Which is neat and all, to be sure, but not really what I had in mind for A Love Transfixed.
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On the other hand, with The Heart of Kong he would literally be keeping ALT close to his heart for the rest of his days.


Wistways said:
Hi!!! So short answer is: I don't know what forms, that sort of stuff is very much Ves's purview.

Long answer: I've been workshopping this charm for a while on the discord. (Shout out to all the peeps that helped!) I can say with a lot of confidence that whatever constellation we draw from will at Baseline remove the malus from our crafting and fighting. Depending on which constellation we draw on I can see the form having different effects.

Maybe when we are in the form that has a focus on learning and anam cycling we will get literal stars in our eyes. Hair starts to grow faster streaked with silver. When cycling we smile and it's effortless and our smile is a beacon drawing the anam in.

Maybe a more physical form for strength could have greater muscles, chains of glowing freckles wrapped around them. We are taller pretty sure and voice a bit deeper but also sounding further away.

This is all Aesthetic speculation, but I have faith in Ves to make it really interesting and good.

Also the constellations I suggested are very much examples. In the future as we upgrade the charm I imagine we will be able to designate and tailor the effects if the constellation more.

So yeah! That's sort of my thinking about a Fractal View. I'm delighted that so many of you like it!!
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And to just make a note on this (not as a positive or negative, since it's a matter of opinion on whether it would be or not), while the first form we get will most likely remove the maluses we currently have, it's not necessarily going to be a restoration to Kong Zhi's previously normal human form. This is not to say it's going to be turning Kong Zhi's altered limbs into tentacles or something similarly weird, either, and I would expect things to go that far, but it won't necessarily be a return to normal. I do expect Ves would come up with something interesting, but it may or may not be everyone's cup of tea.

While the exact nature and mechanics of The Heart of Kong's combat form are uncertain, the one thing we can be sure of is that Kong Zhi's base form will be his normal human form.
 
glare31337 said:
All of the top three contenders are body modification charms. Maybe it seems less weird for the body to be modified while cultivating or using a transformation talisman as in Forge and Fractal respectively, but that doesn't change the fact that all three are KZ fixing himself with some sort of transformative charm.
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Enjou said:
If the fix enables him to have his original form except when he activates it, I don't see why he'd care all that much. He's having to use a charm to fix this regardless, it's just a matter of the method. I mean, A Fractal View is a charm that enables KZ to make yet more alterations to himself, with possibly other forms, so it kind of fits the same mold of "even more body modification".
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Yeah, and I'm not voting for these options either :)
 
glare31337 said:
Maybe I'm overthinking this. I actually like the aesthetics of Fractal View too, but the thing that's keeping me from voting for it is how unclear it is that it will restore our human limbs rather than just giving us benefits that surpass the maluses. Ves isn't around so I guess I'll ask you:

Do you see the baseline of Fractal as changing our limbs to be more human, or just making us better at using the inhuman ones?

I understand that Ves ultimately has final say, but I'd like your opinion on this.
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I can say I imagined them as more human. Way less grotesque and looking like claws and talons. I think that they would still look a little odd, because wiping away all evidence that this Trauma existed didn't seem right. Maybe we still have claws in one hand. But it's more like extra sharp human fingernails.
And the eye is still different but instead of bluging veins it fits the face and is a dark color.

The charm is about using the stars as inspiration and creating a form based on that that is natural to Zhi and incorporates those concepts.
 
Three1415 said:
"Is this charm a fitting resting place for A Love Transfixed, whose original purpose was to be admired and treasured?"
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Totally agree from that perspective. There's a reason Polestar of the Chrysalis, my entry, deliberately doesn't alter the gem at all; it was the crown jewel of a great and proud city, and already has been sculpted into peerless form, and has its own great story that should be respected. Our artistry should leverage and add to it's majesty.
 
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Knight-Radiant said:
Also, Heart would be high impossible to steal or lose.

Which considering we just started a new feud with Geng and Co.....
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Just want it noted that this charm is literally a small box that I specifically called out can only work with one person at a time. I'm not sure if that means it has Soulbound like properties like our treasure. That's mechanics. But it may!
 
I suppose it could also be put in the security box that it was delivered with, hidden at the Second of Eternity or stored in the Caretakers Warren.
 
Edkose said:
I suppose it could also be put in the security box that it was delivered with, hidden at the Second of Eternity or stored in the Caretakers Warren.
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We shouldn't bank on hiding anything in the Second. Remember what Siani said to Auntie Bi - Time wonders do not exist in a place, rather they exist in Time. The place we go to in order to find the Second may well just be an ordinary cave when we aren't there.
 
Edkose said:
I suppose it could also be put in the security box that it was delivered with, hidden at the Second of Eternity or stored in the Caretakers Warren.
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Not sure if we should store it in the Second. Last time we put a mat in a Wonder, it gained sentience.

And I'm not sure how cool Siani is with us claiming a space in the Warren without being a full Caretaker yet
 
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Enjou said:
I'll repeat that my biggest concern with A Fractal View is that it requires that we feed it more materials and possibly even Natural Treasures in order to unlock more functions. Unless we continue to invest in it further it'll be pretty much useless.
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We don't know the mechanics of it (or of any of the charms) yet but I'm sure the first form we unlock will have plenty of benefits.

And I like the idea of having a charm that grows and evolves as we continue down our path. We'll always be able to strengthen it, unlock more forms, figure out the best way to face the challenges in front of us. And as we grow stronger and more experienced, we won't face as much a strain on mats and sect points as we do now. Sect Jobs will get easier and I'm assuming we'll be doing more hunting with Nokai as well.
 
[x] A Fractal View
[x] The Forge of Idealization
[x] Spymaster's Pride
[x] Chrysalis of the Polestar
 
[X] A Fractal View
[X] The Forge of Idealization
[X] Spymaster's Pride
[X] Chrysalis of the Polestar

Haven't read any of the arguments, but from the descriptions these all seem appealing.
 
Remember, we chose to build a Heart Core. If we make the Heart Charm, well have 3 hearts!

Meat Heart, Core Heart, and Charm Heart!

 
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I know I've already stated this but I really don't trust folks not to stop making new charms in favour of upgrading the View.
 
In the end, despite having my own favorites, I do honestly think that we voters are absolutely spoiled for choice, and that charmmakers outdid themselves with their proposals.
 
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