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

[X] Sharing of historical texts and information. Strengthening the purported cultural ties will go a long way toward mollifying grumbling from more conservative factions in both parties.

Lotta good reasons for not transfering people have already been mentioned: we've already given too much to the meng; it will make the story too complicated; we probably won't get someone we know; we will be giving up our cute nerdy goth boy, etc. So I don't want to do that. Instead I want this because hopefully we get some headpats for going above and beyond when we return. Plus by doing this we should have plenty of reason to stay involved with this nation long term. I think it will be good for us and the Ling clan to be a linchpin of this hopefully very profitable relationship.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

While sharing history sounds nice on paper it doesnt actively promote cooperation. Meng Dan, who is very much as scholar invested in history, is willing to stay behind just to bring that human touch. A person can speak up to bring attention to their agenda, while a bunch of text cannot.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

fictionfan said:

Well also means good chance of promotion.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Jiao 100% does not want to deal with any of that shit he just wants to fuck around in his garage and troll disciples and avoid impregnating his wife. He's supposed to be retired.

He'll probably have to take over in the interim but Shenhua's probably gonna insert somebody to try to take over.

Orkus Majorkus said:

He'll probably have to take over in the interim but Shenhua's probably gonna insert somebody to try to take over.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

She'll try, but it isn't like 6-7th realms are thick on the ground and they are generally already committed somewhere.

[X] Sharing of historical texts and information. Strengthening the purported cultural ties will go a long way toward mollifying grumbling from more conservative factions in both parties.

[X] Sharing of historical texts and information. Strengthening the purported cultural ties will go a long way toward mollifying grumbling from more conservative factions in both parties.

I'm always partial to sharing stories first, people second. On the other hand I acknowledge that during times of war and strife bonds can be forged more easily (They also lead to lashing out at those considered other)

yrsillar said:

In his ancient chest, heat burned and on his forehead heavenly light blazed, the power of a storm lashing out against the confines of his upper dantian. Though a nomad's hands had done the deed, those beasts were what had truly taken his successor from him, the man he had raised in his blood brother, Guan Zhong's place.

They had taken his boy. The last proof of the true family he once had.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

That... implies either intelligence gathering spirits/rituals revealing weakness in enemy organization/leader. Or someone who knows a lot about Sect inner workings and, for example, decided to replase successor for the Sect.

I mean it one thing if they killed Elder and absolutely another if successor thing is literal.

[X] Sharing of historical texts and information. Strengthening the purported cultural ties will go a long way toward mollifying grumbling from more conservative factions in both parties.

First mollify then exchange people.

[X] Sharing of historical texts and information. Strengthening the purported cultural ties will go a long way toward mollifying grumbling from more conservative factions in both parties.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

Orkus Majorkus said:

Jiao 100% does not want to deal with any of that shit he just wants to fuck around in his garage and troll disciples and avoid impregnating his wife. He's supposed to be retired.

He'll probably have to take over in the interim but Shenhua's probably gonna insert somebody to try to take over.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Officially, Sects are under the management of the Throne and its various Ministries. Jiao did want to get far away from the Celestial Peaks after losing his Way when Emperor An Ascended, yes, but there's no way a Prism would be allowed to just wander off wherever he wants. Out of all the Sects in the Empire, the Argent Sect is:

• Is smack dab on the edge of the borders, which is quite literally as far as you can go from the central powers and their intrigues.
• Going to lose its Prism Sect Head in a few decades.
• Integral to repelling barbarian invasions.

It's likely that there was an understanding between a very important person, possibly the Empress herself given that she was part of the Ministry while Jiao directly served her father and was the Minister, and Jiao as to where he was retiring and how he was retiring. Given the rarity of Prisms, Jiao is probably going to be the Sect Head in the future. Having him be the future Head is more interesting narratively than bringing in a random Prism and more logical than promoting a Violet.

It's also a good hook for the alternate universe where we chose the Sect over Cai and ended up closer to Jiao, if anybody wants to write that omake.

Riperino in peperoni ancient not!chinese xianxia electro whitebeard.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

I think there's a whole host of information that will get lost in translation if we just use historical texts. It's one thing to say we've got a bunch of trees, it's another to show a someone a forest that's hundred miles across. Point being, historical documents can only reveal so much about a different culture, the practicalities of daily life, the political hierarchy, etc. At some point you have to actually live among the people and observe it directly and frankly, Meng is almost tailor-made for such a task.

Moreover, we're still at an early stage where each party is trying to figure out to what extent they should pursue trade and mutual relations. Trying to mollify the conservative elements of either faction is kinda pointless imo, since they've effectively already made up their mind. If we do mollify them, what would that accomplish? Are they going to commit resources to establishing trade? Nah, I reckon they would simply grumble less.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

Historical documents to me is barely better than not doing anything at all. It doesn't really have an effect. And I'm kind of disappointed in us for not wanting to give Meng Dan this opportunity to establish a deeper connection between the Emerald Seas and White Sky. Are we to jealously hoard the entire Polar Nation for ourselves? We have a bond with Jaromila that I doubt Dan will be able to surpass and we'll nominally be the handler of the exchange student who I can't imagine will be anyone other than precocious (i.e. rapidly cultivating) Sveta and thus we'll have the two respectively influential and powerful young women tied to us. Meng Dan can share his knowledge but we are the one with connections and an integral role for any trade which will benefit greatly from his contribution. We'll have to bring others into this anyway and an exchange of people will do far more to build ties than an exchange of documents.

We've come a long way socializing with the nobility, we're on our way to actually get good at it this noble thing and this is our chance to develop into an actual Emissary to different cultures and tribes while forging the diplomatic and trade connection that could define Ling Qi and her clan for centuries. This is Ling Qi showing the Emerald Seas that her connection to the Bai wasn't a fluke, she's amazing at charming everyone from Old Tribes to spirits and foreigners. C'mon people! This is the path we've been wanting to take as a diplomat all this time!

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

[X] Sharing of historical texts and information. Strengthening the purported cultural ties will go a long way toward mollifying grumbling from more conservative factions in both parties.

[X] Sharing of historical texts and information. Strengthening the purported cultural ties will go a long way toward mollifying grumbling from more conservative factions in both parties.

[X] Sharing of historical texts and information. Strengthening the purported cultural ties will go a long way toward mollifying grumbling from more conservative factions in both parties.

Convinced otherwise. Humanization is indeed the antidote to Xenophobia- The fear of the others, also known as strangers.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.

What are we more interested in, learning about the Polar Nation and their culture or forging personal relationships with their people? Because that's what this vote is about. Both choices are things Ling Qi is interested in in their own ways and both are valuable, but I personally like her more as a diplomat than a scholar. I like the opportunities more, and feel like the characters and contemporary ideas they have is more interesting than documented lore, and definitely believe it'd lead to be better connection between our two nations that'd lead to us gaining prominence as the main Emissary between us. Yrs isn't going to punish us for bringing an exchange student and if there's challenges then it's better to deal with them now and learn from it than just push it forward. But if we don't try to be the bridge between the Empire and Polar Nation we won't be.

[X] Push for an exchange of people. You can't stay, but in speaking with your companions Meng Dan has volunteered and assured you his aunt would approve. Bringing back someone nobles of the Emerald Seas can see and speak too would surely help.