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

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
I want to see Biyu's grudges! There probably isn't a lot to deal with right now but as she grows older there is a ton of room for there to be subtle grudges she holds that would be really interesting. Will she hold a grudge against her mother for forever staining her daughters with the reputation of her former profession, or will she resent the society that judges her and her household? Will she hold a grudge against Ling Qi for abandoning her mother all those years ago, or perhaps for her sister's insane amount of luck and talent that everyone judges her against? By the time Biyu is old enough to be having complex grudges like this we will probably have modified the art into something more fitting for our domain, but that just makes the potential tension even greater!

[X] His grudge is against the world. He is alone, and wears his isolation as a crown. He deems this strength. Every time he is proven wrong, his grudge grows. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against the world. He is alone, and wears his isolation as a crown. He deems this strength. Every time he is proven wrong, his grudge grows. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
Yan Renshu must DIE!!!!!

I usually agree that context matters, but all things are pointing towards Renshu being a horrible human being. Like, you can say he was wronged by Wen Cao, but then he's also using sweeping generalizations and using one experience to judge every other noble. He's just an echo chamber for himself.

Like, Suyin was in a worse position than him. She didn't even have a wealthy family to fall back on. But she didn't devolve to his level.

And really, because of him, my favorite character (Shen Hu my beloved (T_TT)) died so I shall face any arguments supporting him with hostility.

That being said, I'm not sure what to vote for. Both fit him perfectly, even though I think the first option is more correct.

[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)

[X] His grudge is against the world. He is alone, and wears his isolation as a crown. He deems this strength. Every time he is proven wrong, his grudge grows. (+1 Isolation XP)

[X] (Write-in without permission) His grudge is blind, a self-justified side-effect of his own frustrated wants and inability to fit in (+1 Want XP)


Also, neat. I thought Eyes of Grudges would be a personal action unlocked next turn, but it looks like we'll get it this turn! I guess it can still be a personal action where we actually use it, but still. Neat
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
The point here, I think, is that the social connections made by Ling Qi to the already powerful are not of any inherent worth. The choice provided by the Imperial community is more or less conform or die, which is not a legitimate choice. When the criteria for success are decided by the successful, you get a system with low mobility. Even the empire recognizes this, as they only foster talent at all to minimize Yan Renshu type threats.



I think that this view really encapsulates what it means to think like Yan Renshu.
That's cool and all, but the point isn't that The Empire Did Nothing Wrong, the point is that Baron Salty Rock Boy tried to frame a commoner who had done nothing to him and strip her of all of her friends and dreams, and then he had the gall to claim to himself that he had her best interests at heart in doing so.

He's not a narcissist because he reached the obviously correct conclusion that power structures are sometimes used for bad stuff, he's a narcissist because he has a wildly inflated sense of his capabilities, importance, and moral justification compared to everyone else, from nobles to commoners to his own family.

The precise morality/practicality blend which characterizes the social structures of the Empire is immaterial to the fact the Yan Renshu is a dick.
 
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[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against the world. He is alone, and wears his isolation as a crown. He deems this strength. Every time he is proven wrong, his grudge grows. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
Honestly, the way I see YR, he would quite like some of Nietzsche's teachings, elitistic as they are.
I think in this you are demonstrating the reason YR got off the rails. Because YR's beliefs are not actually what Nietzsche's thesis actually was. That thesis was, yes everything sucks and is a lie, doing good or bad is all meaningless in the end. And because they are both equally worthless in the end, then you might as well be better and do better in spite of that shit.

In other words, LQ, Meizhen and CR's worldview.

He would however be the time to completely misread the thesis and create the popular perspective of Nietzsche's works.
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against the world. He is alone, and wears his isolation as a crown. He deems this strength. Every time he is proven wrong, his grudge grows. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against the world. He is alone, and wears his isolation as a crown. He deems this strength. Every time he is proven wrong, his grudge grows. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
I think in this you are demonstrating the reason YR got off the rails. Because YR's beliefs are not actually what Nietzsche's thesis actually was. That thesis was, yes everything sucks and is a lie, doing good or bad is all meaningless in the end. And because they are both equally worthless in the end, then you might as well be better and do better in spite of that shit.

In other words, LQ, Meizhen and CR's worldview.

He would however be the time to completely misread the thesis and create the popular perspective of Nietzsche's works.

I am not sure I agree with your thoughts on Nietzsche, he never seemed all that benevolent to me (which your post ultimately alludes to). His Will to Power and rejection of standard morality is neutral at best.

The best that can be said about it is that his will to power doesn't require outward domination, after all, one can be a farmer happily tilling his field and achieve will to power.

However, that way lies derail.

And to be honest, perhaps my readings of these characters is incorrect, but I can't really seem to find much of Nietzche in the trio you mentioned.

Ling Qi feels like an existentialist, CRX more like traditional morality gal and Meizhen... i have no idea what Meizhen is.
 
Adhoc vote count started by Killer_Whale on Jul 26, 2022 at 8:21 PM, finished with 99 posts and 47 votes.
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
[X] His grudge is against the world. He is alone, and wears his isolation as a crown. He deems this strength. Every time he is proven wrong, his grudge grows. (+1 Isolation XP)
 
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[X] His grudge is against community itself. He thinks it's contracts and strictures as false and hollow as his own dealings. That he is superior for seeing this, where others do not. (+1 Community XP)
 
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