Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
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Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
- Location
- India
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[X] Do not take insight from MoSS
How many insights are we lacking for advancing our cultivation to the next stages of Green?
Also, @yrsillar, I was wondering, when you are in the 3rd realm, how does physical cultivation even work anyway, considering physical exercises will not really have any effect at this stage? And are there any techniques that works with physical cultivation instead of depending on the spritual cultivation like all our techniques?
How many insights are we lacking for advancing our cultivation to the next stages of Green?
Also, @yrsillar, I was wondering, when you are in the 3rd realm, how does physical cultivation even work anyway, considering physical exercises will not really have any effect at this stage? And are there any techniques that works with physical cultivation instead of depending on the spritual cultivation like all our techniques?
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The next stage? None. The stage after that? I believe 2, not counting this one (if we take this one it would be only one). And then I think we're good through the rest of Green.
We explicitly asked, Advanced insights count into the 10 insights necessary minimum, so we already are passing all insight checks.
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Oh did we? My bad, must have slipped my mind. In that case yeah, we're already good to go for the rest of Green.
Welcome to the Ocean
Lord_Nib-Knob
Destroyer Of Worlds
- Location
- Linix Galaxy
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- He/Him/Me/You
Welcome to the Ocean
Omake by me, Obviously
Lindon was very firmly decided... that he wasn't really sure about anything. Really, moving to some new Fief on the Frontier, near some strange new Barbarians, under the Duchess' Heir?! Lindon was barely a young man, he'd only just earned a spear and his lines from his father before for some reason decided that moving from their cozy little village in Wang lands was a good idea. Let alone the rest of it. His old man, burned around his eye and stoic as always had brushed off his concerns.Omake by me, Obviously
'No whinin' now, lad! Beyond honor or oaths, this pond of ours is too small for you,' his father, Zuko, scorned.
As any dutiful son would, he'd stopped bothering his father and gone to his mother to cease this madness instead. She'd been thrilled to move south... Never-he-mind that they were moving south, towards the Wall, she'd even started teasing him about finding some new girl to try and court, which was, something to consider at least. Not a good enough reason in Lindon's mind to be moving closer to Barbarian territory. Some other Imperials may have sneered at his darker skin, but Lindon was firmly of the idea that he had no need to meet his 'ancestral brothers' honestly enough. They'd probably kill him like they would any Imperial, and it wasn't like many Imperials had any respect for a 'savage' like himself. At least back in the village everyone already knew about him, so, that was something. He had one or two... could Lee be called a friend? The guy was really just the local loudmouth so, maybe not? ... Most unfortunate, that.
Anyway, actually arriving had been a nightmare all its own. His father may have had a good job fishing from the shore, even if some of the fish and crabs around were... strange. Proper Immortals may have sneered at a Red Realm fish, but for young men who'd seen only the occasional fish the size of a man's arm, Jade Helms were terrifying. Mortal or not, falling into the Lady Lake Snowblossom, could have consequences. Who knew what kind, Cultivators were so bloody strange.
Lindon's mother, bless her soul, didn't begrudge his desperate desire to never follow her to work again. It was, objectively, and reasonably, an honor for his mother to be a trusted scribe under the orders of the Cai Heir. He could understand that, could easily respect the Lady Cai herself for her lawful and honorable nature, much like her mother was said to be. Absolutely wonderful, all told, even. The fish were plentiful (and quite possibly, and unfortunately, even moreso soon), the houses were warm, and the neighbors were kind. The other lads up the slopes apparently had great fun riding the flying sheep, however that had started. But still, even so, Lady Cai glowed. In her presence, Lindon was quite certain there had been not even a speck of dirt, let alone disorder. It was... oh so very strange, to have his mind start to self organize itself, as if some grand plan to conquer the day with diligence and certainty had gripped him by the shoulders and shaken him.
This did not even begin to speak of the others. No matter how amenable or reasonable Xia Lin of the local White Plumes was, Lindon was certain her weapon was glaring at him. He avoided the training yards after that point, but that was too easy. No matter the utter serenity with which Lady Ling had greeted him in the few times he'd seen her by the lake while fishing, he wasn't serene when the woman suddenly appeared somewhere despite supposedly being 'crippled' by strange immortal standards. Sir Gan, bless his virtuous and boisterous soul, certainly inspired a certain joy in oneself, only, why did the man just balloon in size like that?! Nowhere was safe, Lindon realized, from Immortal strangeness.
With almost thoughtless movements, he sat at the edge of his little boat, made from some of the local wood, pale as the moon above. He wasn't sure why these thoughts kept coming back around to him. Wasn't sure why the Reflective Moon seemed so bright against the lake water. He lunged, a moment without thought, lost in contemplation of the strangeness of a new world, as his spear of ancient white ash wood and bone speared a fish. A Jade Helm, large too, its strength just a bit too much to pull from the water, but Lindon knew this play from start to finish. With his lines, woven from some old silk that his father had given to him, earned from his father and so forth, he held tight.
The fish thrashed, fighting as it would, and this was fair in Lindon's mind. Who wanted to be dinner really? This, the game, the play to be waged. If Lindon couldn't hold tight, he'd lose the lines, his spear, and if he fell in the Snowblossom Lake who knew what else? But the fish would thrash, as they always would, a fight to prove its right to be. But a conundrum arose. Lindon was a mere young man on a boat, on the surface of the water, with spear and lines bit into a quite absurdly large fish. This of course, to those who'd never done so, would seem so simple. But of course, it never was. Anything was easy to say, doing was always worse. Lindon had to keep his balance, in his small boat, as the fish tossed, turned, dived, and splashed, never letting the lines drag out too much, adjust his footwork upon the boat for best leverage, change his grip on the lines for a better heave, and so much more.
So Lindon did as his father taught him. He let his thoughts ramble, moving meditation of sorts.
'Let your mind be as the lake's surface. Unbothered, unbroken. The surface may writhe or stumble with thought, but these, as all things, will pass.'
*****************************************************
AN: About a thousand words or so. Not sure what to call this, might never mess with Lindon's perspective again, but I found it fun. If he were to be a cultivator (absolutely theoretically) then his elements would be, as probably noted, Lake and Moon. Specifically the Reflecting Moon, said to be focused on contemplation and togetherness. The Lake, for much of the same, since in his life, as a young man (think late teens), the Lake really is where all things come together. The village, the celebrations, the food, and so on. But its also contemplation, a literal quiet place where, at night, he can go out and fish up something or just stare at the water and think about stuff. A bit of barbarian heritage and blood (darker skin, the spear and his lines), thanks to the Wang doing there whole... cultural (transplant?) things, with captured prisoners/barbarians.
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We are, but as long as we don't choose poor Insights adding more probably makes it easier to survive higher Realms (at the cost of a harder Domain Name Quest iirc, but not sure about this) without cutting something off that shouldn't be cut off?
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Oh definitely. I voted to take this Insight, and will continue to do so for any I think are good and appropriate, but it's worth bearing in mind that we're past the point of actually needing more Insights nonetheless.
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Taking more insights in Green gives us time to adjust them while we're still flexible. If we need and get more later they wouldn't permit as much tweaking.
Also no mention on relation to domain name quest difficulty, I'm pretty sure someone just made that up.
[X] Do not take insight from MoSS
I am fine enough with spy part of insight since I enjoy the narrative shift from spy to diplomat LQ is in and I will actually prefer proper spy stuff is moved over to a new retinue member if possible(Meng boy maybe) and LQ is entirely diplomat.
my problem with the insight is dominancy part and the clash with empire power structures. unlike the majority of the thread I do not consider the existing power structure in the empire inherently bad. Social and governmental structure doesn't rise from void either IRL or in destiny . It rises from how power is enforced. the current cultivation system of empire doesn't work with huge changes to the existing social structure. there are scope for change and some changes are necessary but dominance of high level cultivators over low level+ mortal is unavoidable. we can work it into the legal and social structure and improve the protection on low level+mortals but it can not be ignored or.
I am fine enough with spy part of insight since I enjoy the narrative shift from spy to diplomat LQ is in and I will actually prefer proper spy stuff is moved over to a new retinue member if possible(Meng boy maybe) and LQ is entirely diplomat.
my problem with the insight is dominancy part and the clash with empire power structures. unlike the majority of the thread I do not consider the existing power structure in the empire inherently bad. Social and governmental structure doesn't rise from void either IRL or in destiny . It rises from how power is enforced. the current cultivation system of empire doesn't work with huge changes to the existing social structure. there are scope for change and some changes are necessary but dominance of high level cultivators over low level+ mortal is unavoidable. we can work it into the legal and social structure and improve the protection on low level+mortals but it can not be ignored or.
Yeah, but it's been shown pretty clearly that there is more than one functioning solution to this problem (ex: Polars), and I'm not sure what this Insight has to do with not being able to further tweak the Imperial solution to this particular problem?
I think I remember something like that in discord from yrs but can't trust my memory so will need to be verified by YRS. there must be a some drawback on why people doesn't do that? maybe the time it takes is one of the drawbacks but it is weird we still haven't had any in-text explanation on why people doesn't spend time on green peak getting more insights. At least the genius who hit peak green near 20,25.
Vikram
!!FUN!! Containment Officer
- Location
- New Delhi
A little hard to read, given that it's been copied from Discord-
It's a very old-fashioned insight, one that feels out of its time
Tsu was around when large scale society was still forming even, let alone the sheer dizzying hierarchy of the Empire
That time required establishing the kind of baseline trust at a personal level, because no system really existed
But the empire is very different, the levels of intrigue and double-speak involved are far higher
Neighbours is not a conception that will work here, there are rivals, hidden enemies, competitors, and more. Aggressive, self-prompted action and espionage may well be called upon
It just seems completely unsuited for what the Cai need right now
The point is it places a big glaring weakness in the intrigue toolset of LQ. Literally any hidden enemy would be able to take advantage.
Tsu was a social tank. He could simply take the hit, wait for his enemies to act, and then give them enough rope to hang themselves. Additionally, the capacity for harm in the social and intrigue spheres simply was not that high in his era, compared to a long-standing feudal structure like the Empire. It was more of a spiritual and physical battlefield.
We do not have his advantages, this is being extremely foolhardy. The Cai is a ducal clan with 3 members and 2 retainers. The duchess is a time bomb.
Even looking back at the quest, initiative has been LQ's immense advantage each time
It's a very old-fashioned insight, one that feels out of its time
Tsu was around when large scale society was still forming even, let alone the sheer dizzying hierarchy of the Empire
That time required establishing the kind of baseline trust at a personal level, because no system really existed
But the empire is very different, the levels of intrigue and double-speak involved are far higher
Neighbours is not a conception that will work here, there are rivals, hidden enemies, competitors, and more. Aggressive, self-prompted action and espionage may well be called upon
It just seems completely unsuited for what the Cai need right now
The point is it places a big glaring weakness in the intrigue toolset of LQ. Literally any hidden enemy would be able to take advantage.
Tsu was a social tank. He could simply take the hit, wait for his enemies to act, and then give them enough rope to hang themselves. Additionally, the capacity for harm in the social and intrigue spheres simply was not that high in his era, compared to a long-standing feudal structure like the Empire. It was more of a spiritual and physical battlefield.
We do not have his advantages, this is being extremely foolhardy. The Cai is a ducal clan with 3 members and 2 retainers. The duchess is a time bomb.
Even looking back at the quest, initiative has been LQ's immense advantage each time
polar cultivation system is entirely different to imperial . Polar social structure didn't come because they considered both counsel system and nobility and find one socially superior. it came due to polar power system having more inactive higher levels than imperial system and mantling promoting the role of emissary.
difference between polar and us isn't social . its the change in cultivation system. difference between society's that rise around the systems are secondary. to make a major change to imperial power structure needs a major change to cultivation system
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This Insight does preclude certain kinds of initiative, but does it block the "you know will cause problems, sure as the sun will rise the next day" kind of initiative? (Duchess falls into this category)
dpara
slightly confused ascendant
I see way more advantages than disadvantages. That it cedes initiative, so what, LQ has repeatedly blissfully walked into the den of the beast and walked away with profit.
[X] A good neighbor listens without spying, speaks without demanding, takes without dominating, gives without submitting. Respect is the foundation of community.
Tsu was the most based MF around.
[X] A good neighbor listens without spying, speaks without demanding, takes without dominating, gives without submitting. Respect is the foundation of community.
Tsu was the most based MF around.
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it does not cover your commerce clerk's altered tax records.
I think I understand this insight now
If we want to romance the clerk, we must let them commit tax fraud
This insight won't stop us from acting against enemies, or planning for the duchesses eventual way implosion. The big thing this insight will interfere with is changing the status quo.
The emerald seas has been a mess for thousands of years, and we are trying to unify it. To forge a cultural identity, based around Weilu beliefs, and yes attitudes just like this insight.
So what happens if someone says "No thanks, the lack of unity is better for me!"? Or more likely "Hmm, change is scary, I'd rather not." Well, as long as they are still being a good neighbor, we are out of luck. We can keep trying to convince them of course, but being polite only gets us so far.
Forging a unified Emerald Seas will involve making people unhappy. It will go directly against many people's ways. There will be some people who need to be dragged kicking and screaming into a better tomorrow. And there will always be people who choose the success of themself or their family over the success of the Emerald Seas as a whole.
I really like the message of the insight. It's a great attitude for living life, and being a good neighbor.
Making a better tomorrow where everyone can be good neighbors is more important than that.
(Note: I don't think this insight will make it impossible. Just that it will be much harder, and we will likely need to rely on other people to be the ones applying pressure.)
The emerald seas has been a mess for thousands of years, and we are trying to unify it. To forge a cultural identity, based around Weilu beliefs, and yes attitudes just like this insight.
So what happens if someone says "No thanks, the lack of unity is better for me!"? Or more likely "Hmm, change is scary, I'd rather not." Well, as long as they are still being a good neighbor, we are out of luck. We can keep trying to convince them of course, but being polite only gets us so far.
Forging a unified Emerald Seas will involve making people unhappy. It will go directly against many people's ways. There will be some people who need to be dragged kicking and screaming into a better tomorrow. And there will always be people who choose the success of themself or their family over the success of the Emerald Seas as a whole.
I really like the message of the insight. It's a great attitude for living life, and being a good neighbor.
Making a better tomorrow where everyone can be good neighbors is more important than that.
(Note: I don't think this insight will make it impossible. Just that it will be much harder, and we will likely need to rely on other people to be the ones applying pressure.)
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[X] Do not take insight from MoSS
