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

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Mmm, while I like SixQi as a ship the current setup here definitely makes things kind of awkward?

Like I do agree that given LQ's LQness and that she's currently just gotten into formal courting with her suitors it probably isn't something she'd push for right now? Like, if this wasn't the situation, I could absolutely see LQ getting together with Sixiang and then refusing to give up her relationship once she got married. And, tbh, she's going to live for hundreds of years. There are legitimate reasons why discreet flings and affairs are common for the nobility and why the Zheng think that getting married and trying to pretend you'll have one relationship for centuries is silly. I could also see her sleeping with Sixiang in the future if this wasn't a quest.

I would be all over fanfic of this but in terms of the main story I'm not sure.
 
[ ] Sixiang the confidant, the friend, the fun older cousin to her other spirits. Things might not be the same, but that was the path she wanted to walk.
 
[ ] Sixiang the confidant, the friend, the fun older cousin to her other spirits. Things might not be the same, but that was the path she wanted to walk.

I just like them more as friends/siblings.
 
One thing I'm also not comfortable with is sixiang basically becoming a boy , even if they occasionally change back and forth , for lqs comfortability / the ship becuase lq at the end of the day is straight and likes guys which goes to reason as shown in this chapter Sixiang will either fully commit to becoming a boy or slowly change into the gender lq prefers .


I hate that. I loved my queer non binary gender shifting muse spirit that could be a twink menace or a fairy pretty gal or raver chick . Feels like a loss to me tbh
I'd like to think that yrsillar would handle it more gracefully than that. Leaving aside the fact that ling qi has yet to really decide if "neither boy nor girl" is acceptable on a romantic level, theres room within a romantic relationship for sixiang to not be romantically/physically attractive to ling qi at all times. From their first appearance sixiang has shown that they (mostly) switch gender presentation as an aspect of what feels most appropriate to the context and vibes of their interaction with...well, mostly ling qi, but theoretically other people as well :p (Which incidentally is very interesting dynamic in that it sorta makes sixiang... temporarily very traditional in gender norms? "girl mode because ling qi was leading in the dance" and "boy mode because i'm being assertive to ling qi" being the two initial examples iirc).

Like, even if it were a hypothetical "only lq and sixiang, they eloped and ignored all the reasons that wouldn't work with the narrative" relationship, there would be times and conversations that weren't romantic. Honestly, even some of the romantic ones could be non-boy-mode exclusive, if they're the kind where physical* attraction isn't totally relevant. The 'default' would still probably be in the they/them section(s) of whatever specific spot on the gender spectrum(s), and then when scenes or conversation topics shifted sixiang would--as they already do--periodically switch to girl or boy mode as they see fit. Just, in one vote choice the amount of "switch to boy mode" would increase proportionally, and in the other it would decrease, because i have to imagine if things switch to full platonic they'll at least avoid going boy mode while ling qi is, say, dancing with meng dan :p

*err. also spiritual i guess. the cultivator equivalent of what in real life we'd narrow down to physical attraction :V
 
[x] Sixiang the confidant, the friend, the fun older cousin to her other spirits. Things might not be the same, but that was the path she wanted to walk.
 
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Oh dear. What a decision point . . .

I mean if it's purely a "do you ship" check my answer is "no" for many reasons. I think the root of it's that Sixiang was very literally and not figuratively made for us. That's tough.

One of the things I like most about Ling Qi's journey so far is progressing from "starving beggar grabbing two handfuls of social interaction at a veritable feast" to "setting healthy boundaries and settling into less overwhelming but still very wholesome found family dynamics"

I'm glad that Six is here. Love that muse. But I'd rather set the strong boundary down. I hope they'll find more love and more things to tie themselves to existing as we both grow <3
 
On the bright side … if we establish Sixiang as family….

That just gives us another member of our family to use to bring in more members into our clan ! /s

Sixiang must seduce a mu prince/princess . The ling shall ck2 this shit into a perfect achievement playthrough
 
If these preliminary answers are any indication, im rather surprised. Is it because of people already having ships they prefer, or purely a disinterest in Sixiang as more than a friend?

Personally im indifferent and could go either way on this one and I will be happy regardless. Though it would be nice if Sixiang did manage to find romance regardless of the outcome of this particular vote.
 
If these preliminary answers are any indication, im rather surprised. Is it because of people already having ships they prefer, or purely a disinterest in Sixiang as more than a friend?

Personally im indifferent and could go either way on this one and I will be happy regardless. Though it would be nice if Sixiang did manage to find romance regardless of the outcome of this particular vote.
This is why I want to add subvotes to the vote for polling purposes. Something like:

-[] because I don't like the Sixiang/Qi ship
-[] because I don't want poly/harem
-[] because I don't feel the situation works here
-[] because I feel they have a better relationship as friends
 
This is why I want to add subvotes to the vote for polling purposes. Something like:

-[] because I don't like the Sixiang/Qi ship
-[] because I don't want poly/harem
-[] because I don't feel the situation works here
-[] because I feel they have a better relationship as friends

You just want data you nerd, for the number cabals consumption .
 
[ ] Sixiang the confidant, the friend, the fun older cousin to her other spirits. Things might not be the same, but that was the path she wanted to walk.

This.
 
"I do still feel it, even now that I've been away from ya. I honestly don't know love, that kind of permanent love, not just the fleeting infatuation of a tryst or a dream… I don't know how that works. I just know I don't want to leave you, and I don't want to let you go." Their voice was a few tones deeper, and th-he looked over at her with a longing look.

Ling Qi felt a skip in her heartbeat, a slight heat that wanted to rise in her cheeks. It wasn't quite what she'd felt around meng Dan when he started laying on the charm, but she wouldn't lie and say there was nothing there. But it was stifled by the… confusion around…

"But… I know that you feel something like that with your fam too, yeah? I've felt it, looking at them out of your eyes."

Around that.

You know, this actually reminds me of the aftermath of lakegate, where Ling Qi couldn't quite put into words what she actually felt (ie. that really deep platonic/familial love) and ended up stringing poor Meizhen along unintentionally. It's a little more romantic here by the subtext, but it feels like almost the same thing.
 
You know, this actually reminds me of the aftermath of lakegate, where Ling Qi couldn't quite put into words what she actually felt (ie. that really deep platonic/familial love) and ended up stringing poor Meizhen along unintentionally. It's a little more romantic here by the subtext, but it feels like almost the same thing.
Oh so we should defiantly vote in favor of it then. Lakegate sparked ALOT of discourse and discussion. :D
 
[ ] Sixiang the companion, the friend… and perhaps something more, it would make her already tricky situation trickier, but… she felt she could try.
 
[ ] Sixiang the companion, the friend… and perhaps something more, it would make her already tricky situation trickier, but… she felt she could try.

I don't want to set limits on this, and I'm a little reluctant to push Six away from the huge chunks of 'muse' and 'dream' that are about romance and lust. It... It feels a little bit too imperial in the "make spirits safe for us" motive.

But most of all I think that for someone who cultivates 'family', Ling Qi is extremely reluctant to fit into reciprocal roles for those she has made part of it. She was unable to admit to being a mother to our turtle prince, unable to be a daughter for our mother, unable to flirt with our dreamy muse. I think that her internal desire for family to be nothing more than close friendship, for the non-platonic bits to be excluded from the safety of the inner circle, is warping her understanding of family in the same way that only seeing the desire to survive in desire warped that.

I want her to understand that it's ok to be more than just friends sometimes, and that desire can be good and constructive instead of just threatening and destructive.
 
Gah, so many feelings. OK. Personally, I'm a huge fan of completing the triangle as a romantic resolution, and more poly is always great to see, especially in fiction I actually enjoy reading. Plus, the image of Ling Qi and Sixiang engaged in a relationship that's queer on basically every level as Sixiang supports Ling Qi in the Husbando Wars, their relationship shifting between more platonic and more romantic as Sixiang shifts gender is just squee-worthy. Also, the prospect of future chapters where Ling Qi, Sixiang, and Ling Qi's future husband navigate their relationship makes me practically salivate in cozy anticipation.

That being said, I have reservations, and they are not small. To start with:

"But… I do think there are things I might like to stick around for… I just don't know if they'd be enough without you as my anchor," Sixiang said. "I was kinda… made for you, even if I've grown past that a little."

And there is was, a thing that caused her some discomfort. She knew Sixiang could see it on her face, too, the way his expression dropped.

Sixiang was a dream that came into existence based on what Ling Qi needed (or at least what the Dreaming Moon thought she needed). They've already grown tremendously beyond that, but it's a much better foundation for a confidant than a lover. If we put aside any ethical questions on the issue, that fact of Sixiang's existence also makes Ling Qi uncomfortable, but is fine with Sixiang, which would be a stressor on their already complicated relationship, as they struggle to see things from each other's point of view.

"One way or the other, we need to decide what we want to be," Sixiang said, shaking his head. "I'm not gonna compete with those guys, you know? That feels weird to me… nightmare-y. I know humans might think it strange, but I think you're cute with them. I don't know how any one of 'em would react to a plus one, though."

Even with how far she had come, Ling Qi felt very uncertain around the idea herself. She certainly couldn't even imagine entertaining the idea with anyone but Sixiang. But, all the same…

Sixiang brings up a good point here, we don't actually know how any of our suitors would feel about this situation. Ling Qi is being pressured to get married given her status as the heir's right hand, and she's considering it despite her issues with intimacy because it would be a major boost for her goals. Whoever she marries has to be an advantageous match, and has to support Ling Qi when Cai Renxiang rises against her mother. In addition, Ling Qi wants a close family, which means she wants a love match. She has a lot of criteria and something of a time crunch, in terms of bringing someone in early who can then start laying the groundwork for the revolution. Adding more criteria is not ideal. Also, on a personal level, Ling Qi is a bit of a stick in the mud when it comes to relationships. She's very accepting of others, especially people with different lifestyles, but she's shown to be very conservative in her own love life, even beyond her issues with intimacy. Her being uncomfortable with a poly relationship is, again, a stressor on her nascent romance with Sixiang.

"But… I'm not going anywhere either way. If you just want to be friends… be family, that's fine. I do… I got other things," Sixiang said. "So. What do we want to do?"

Sixiang finds the idea of not being in a romantic relationship with Ling Qi painful, or sad, or regretful (honestly, not enough to go on here to make a definitive statement), but they also acknowledge that they would stay either way and that they could live with it. I think they've learned their lesson when it comes to keeping their feelings bottled up after the tribulation with the Emerald Mourner, but I can still see easily see a future where Ling Qi and Sixiang pursue a romantic relationship, and Sixiang reflexively hides any negative emotions out of fear of losing this new thing with Ling Qi that Ling Qi isn't totally comfortable with.

Finally, on a personal note, I'm not sure a romantic relationship with Ling Qi is good for Sixiang. We don't actually know what's going on in Sixiang's head, but to a certain extent, it seems like Ling Qi is Sixiang's whole world. They have good relationships with Hanyi and Zhengui, and they enjoyed their time at the sect with Li Suyin and Xin, but Ling Qi is their deepest connection, and for most of their current existence, she has been "the only real thing that mattered". If Ling Qi and Sixiang get together, I can also see a future where Ling Qi is their everything, both their lover and their only true friend, Bloodfall toxic yuri style. Making a clean break here on the other hand, pushes Sixiang out to find romance elsewhere. Given that they decided not to return to the Dream, and have only continued to reinforce that choice every time it is presented, I can't imagine they wouldn't choose to do so in time.

I'm not sure if I got all my thoughts out, but it's as good as it's gonna get.
 
Kongyou being involved sounds like a plus to me. I love to see them faceplant when they predict inevitable doom and failure. If they whisper to Shi that Ling Qi and Sixiang's thing makes his efforts doomed, and this turns out not to be the case, it would be delicious.
Very much agreed.
[X] Sixiang the companion, the friend… and perhaps something more, it would make her already tricky situation trickier, but… she felt she could try.
 
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"But… I'm not going anywhere either way. If you just want to be friends… be family, that's fine. I do… I got other things," Sixiang said. "So. What do we want to do?"

Sidenote, it is one of the great frustrations/limitations of the written word that I can't tell if Sixiang was about to say "I do ____" as in "I do have" or if they stopped themself in the middle of saying "I don't".
 
If I'm being honest with myself I always have seen Six as LQ's cousin. My reaction may very well have been different if they weren't related, but they are. That doesn't change how Six feels though, and I feel like it's not right to tell someone they should edit their strong emotions because I would find it more aesthetically pleasing if they were different? The romantic love subplot with Six has been really challenging for me to imagine a way forward.
 
[X] Sixiang the confidant, the friend, the fun older cousin to her other spirits. Things might not be the same, but that was the path she wanted to walk.
 
[ ] Sixiang the confidant, the friend, the fun older cousin to her other spirits. Things might not be the same, but that was the path she wanted to walk.

Can't say I have rational argument for this, just vibes
 
[X] Sixiang the confidant, the friend, the fun older cousin to her other spirits. Things might not be the same, but that was the path she wanted to walk.

Its now been 2 hours
 
But most of all I think that for someone who cultivates 'family', Ling Qi is extremely reluctant to fit into reciprocal roles for those she has made part of it. She was unable to admit to being a mother to our turtle prince, unable to be a daughter for our mother, unable to flirt with our dreamy muse. I think that her internal desire for family to be nothing more than close friendship, for the non-platonic bits to be excluded from the safety of the inner circle, is warping her understanding of family in the same way that only seeing the desire to survive in desire warped that.

I want her to understand that it's ok to be more than just friends sometimes, and that desire can be good and constructive instead of just threatening and destructive.

I think she does understand that family is more than "just friends" though? She admitted "big sister" wasn't the correct word for Zhengue to use even before she outright called herself his mother with Kohatu. With her mother, she's been (slowly) letting her into more of her life including welcoming the worry it brings when she's reckless. With Meizhen she offered to do a blood/sworn-sister ritual because that's what Meizhen is to her, regardless of the "best friend" label.

LQ is slow about her relationships, yeah, but I do think she views all her familial relationship as more familial then platonic.
 
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