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

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)
 
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[X] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
For those curious as to my reasoning:

Every cultivator rises. They gain acclaim and status and power over the world as they prove their theory and eventual Law. But Ling Qi goes against the grind in many ways, and I feel as though that groundedness would make a nice compliment to isolation.
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)

This seems more in line with our concepts:
-Stagnation is death, stagnation is an easier pit to fall into when you focus your efforts upon resisting influence, and thus change from other powers, until you calcify and must be broken to change.
-Communication contains reciprocity. Accept that they can affect you, and you can affect them in turn.

Gonna give CRX's Purity fits though. There'd always be a little stain seeping through somewhere.
 
[X] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)
 
Hmm. There's nuances to both of these, and neither seems clearly superior to the other, imo.

[ ] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)

This one permits touching taller peaks, but the leak raises the floor on who can attend those meetings, excluding the weakest. At the same time, practiced by subordinates, this methodology affords a bit more independence in communing with middle-height entities, especially those less acclimated to human interaction. This isn't safe of course, not that any commitment to spirit-talking is "safe", but relying on this capacity routinely is more dangerous than not.

Appetites for danger vary, but as I see it allowing higher risk strategies among underlings is an advantage to this option, so to not use that capacity is leaving value on the table. Food for though, and I might be looking at this strangely.

Lastly, I was going to say that this approach looks a more Thief of Names-y in concept than the other, and the second choice is more Boundaries-y, but mid-sentence I changed my mind. They're both both, in different ways. Both choices play with the division between human and spirit to foster mutual understanding. This one follows a philosophy of attenuated immersion, while the other seems to almost reinforce boundaries to allow clear sight and controlled mingling, which is neat.

[ ] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)


This approach doesn't allow poking gribblies that are as large, but it allows more security for a retinue, and if I'm reading it right in situations where there's a large spirit with a lot of detached subordinates, or mixed spirit types. The lingering means we can focus on a big problem and not worry so much about underlings melting or getting chewed on by smaller threats in the vicinity. There's also the advantage of our mid-level agents being able to use this approach to acclimate newbies into the ranks of spirit-talkers, even when we're not around.

Mentioned it above, but this is an interesting kind of filter-barrier-esque effect. Like letting spirits occupy the same space but on different levels, maybe? Allowing greater understanding through something like protective gear stopping accidental negative reactions, for both parties, maybe? Conceptually interesting.

Ultimately, the choice is one of priorities and vibes. Both are fine, but I'd encourage thinking about what you want to achieve with the tool, and then independent of the tool and checking back to see if that first thought is really in line with your goals.

Also, the scene would imply that this choice has some bearing on our approach to managing high level cultivators, but my brain's a bit fried and not making any projections I can be confident in.
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)

I'm really surprised people are voting for the Dispersion one. It sounds like it's nerfing the art to me.
This one makes it stronger, more badass and more versatile.
 
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[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)
 
[X] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)
 
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[X] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)
 
[X] Dispersion, seek not negation but acclimation, one must be touched to understand (Bastion's negation may affect more potent environmental effects, but can never fully negate them.)

Alway good to be reminded of the dangers such beings possess.
 
[X] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)

You'll always have a little bit of Ling Qi with you.

Terrifying.

I love collecting as many passives as possible.
 
[X] Grounding, Through and out, world and spirit are one, understand and stand tall. (Bastion's negation may apply to more targets, and linger even without your maintaining attention.)
 
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