Fulcrum (A Pseudo-Cultivation Quest)
- Pronouns
- He
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Damn now I think about it plan heaven-shaking genius dude has a lot of common with Aizen, and damn that guy that cool the dude already have the traits to be a freaking great leader and strategist. Whereas, plan not protagonist seems to ineffective to lead effectively he is not very inspiring. If we want to really change Fulcrum it will require more then brute force, and plan heaven shaking genius really has both the compassionate modern perspective and the leadership and extraversion to make valuable freinds unit and work as a time. Power and friendship and all, the vision as well, would be there due to the intellect. While, plan protagonist doesent seem to have any synergies as well, as well as an introvert I want to have a social charecter for once since it is so rare in a Maz quest would be a breath of fresh air. We have had guy wanting justice with Ken already.
- Location
- USA
Who is the Heaven-shaking Genius?
He certainly isn't a bland isekai protagonist for sure. He was born/discovered at the site of an explosion without a scratch on him. Strange and different from the start. Constantly shuffled around from foster home to some facility to foster home again. A constantly repeating cycle that contributed to the feeling that he never belonged. Strange dreams would stalk his sleep and people's attention just wouldn't linger on him. He had no distant relatives to speak of, no wealth to his name. But he had a genius to him unlike anyone else that he encountered. Able to learn things in an instant that his peers would struggle with. Along with that genius he also carried a physical ability that touched the realm of excellence. Forged by hard and long training to be the best it could be. And with that came pride in our excellence. Pride, beauty and confidence that drew our peers to us. We were a gem that all the our peers wanted to be around but always momentarily. We were different and never truly fit in. Even the brief lustful encounters with the opposite gender were akin to two ships meeting in a port. The constant moving did no favors. A deep and strong yearning for connections and people to call our true friends. We pushed ourselves to greater heights in mental, physical, and social aspects constantly filled with greed for that lasting connection. If we became great enough would we finally have bonds that would never leave us? If our social status, fame, and wealth was higher would people stick around? And so greed was nurtured in our heart.
And then we find ourselves in Fulcrum. A brutal world where might is right and conflict of all sorts is carried in the open and hidden corners of the world. Powerful clans struggle for ever greater strength and the weak cower in fear of getting swept up in the storms. It is a world with a siren call that entices the Heaven-shaking Genius. Here, unimaginable power, wealth and fame can be achieved should one struggle hard enough. But many are the paths to power. Some are quicker but require one to stain their hands with betrayal, murder, and theft. Others are longer and harder but free of turning your back on your morals. The genius must choose what path he shall take.
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I think it works as an interesting character even if Maz doesn't exactly go with this. The point is that the genius is more than just his genius and physical abilities. They are talents he has that allow him to progress faster than others can but they are not all of who he is. Yes, his talents shape him especially with regard to his pride but that isn't a bad thing. A character who has pride in his abilities but is so very alone. Constantly hunger for that which can rid his loneliness. Believing that achieving greatness can bring him closer to what he wants. It's fine and works well I'd say. Not a typical genius character in some random Xianxia protag who becomes a murder-hobo.
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Again, I think that the biggest weakness of the Protagonist Bait vote is the lack of strong social. It's actively negatively affecting our social. We actually gain points for picking which indicates that we won't be making too many friends. With how many points the social options cost I think that everyone should recognize just how many doors that will open for us. Becoming an introvert, while not a bad thing, closes many many doors for us. We really need good social I'd say. Especially since that build votes so heavily to be Justice oriented in a brutal world without much or any justice...
@Kian @auduni @Qazplm @veekie @moon_bear @cedeelbe
Can you all reconsider? Heaven-shaking Genius isn't some bland option where we focus on growing ever stronger and all. Yes we will grow quickly but that in turn gives us more free time to focus on other things including social. Our genius, looks, and social abilities should easily allow us to become a leader among our peers. Just imagine the possibilities. So many times we merely have a protagonist who is usually a loner with maybe one or two close friends that traverses the lands by himself to accomplish his goals. That's the path of a protag bait in a way. We would be someone someone who is content to be alone with a small circle of friends. The Heaven-shaking Genius? He would be someone at home going and making friends and his talents set him as a potential leader. What could he do with that? Perhaps form a group or organization of his own and use it to bring change to the world. Not a king quest or anything like that, but a group with similar values going out and about bringing change. It'll be a quest where friendships and alliances can play a big role. Imagine that rather than some sect stealing the MC's waifu to refine and the MC going there alone to rescue her...the MC brings along his friends and alliances to bring the fight to that sect. It'll require way less bullshit than the MC being able to tackle a sect all by himself.
He certainly isn't a bland isekai protagonist for sure. He was born/discovered at the site of an explosion without a scratch on him. Strange and different from the start. Constantly shuffled around from foster home to some facility to foster home again. A constantly repeating cycle that contributed to the feeling that he never belonged. Strange dreams would stalk his sleep and people's attention just wouldn't linger on him. He had no distant relatives to speak of, no wealth to his name. But he had a genius to him unlike anyone else that he encountered. Able to learn things in an instant that his peers would struggle with. Along with that genius he also carried a physical ability that touched the realm of excellence. Forged by hard and long training to be the best it could be. And with that came pride in our excellence. Pride, beauty and confidence that drew our peers to us. We were a gem that all the our peers wanted to be around but always momentarily. We were different and never truly fit in. Even the brief lustful encounters with the opposite gender were akin to two ships meeting in a port. The constant moving did no favors. A deep and strong yearning for connections and people to call our true friends. We pushed ourselves to greater heights in mental, physical, and social aspects constantly filled with greed for that lasting connection. If we became great enough would we finally have bonds that would never leave us? If our social status, fame, and wealth was higher would people stick around? And so greed was nurtured in our heart.
And then we find ourselves in Fulcrum. A brutal world where might is right and conflict of all sorts is carried in the open and hidden corners of the world. Powerful clans struggle for ever greater strength and the weak cower in fear of getting swept up in the storms. It is a world with a siren call that entices the Heaven-shaking Genius. Here, unimaginable power, wealth and fame can be achieved should one struggle hard enough. But many are the paths to power. Some are quicker but require one to stain their hands with betrayal, murder, and theft. Others are longer and harder but free of turning your back on your morals. The genius must choose what path he shall take.
---
I think it works as an interesting character even if Maz doesn't exactly go with this. The point is that the genius is more than just his genius and physical abilities. They are talents he has that allow him to progress faster than others can but they are not all of who he is. Yes, his talents shape him especially with regard to his pride but that isn't a bad thing. A character who has pride in his abilities but is so very alone. Constantly hunger for that which can rid his loneliness. Believing that achieving greatness can bring him closer to what he wants. It's fine and works well I'd say. Not a typical genius character in some random Xianxia protag who becomes a murder-hobo.
---
Again, I think that the biggest weakness of the Protagonist Bait vote is the lack of strong social. It's actively negatively affecting our social. We actually gain points for picking which indicates that we won't be making too many friends. With how many points the social options cost I think that everyone should recognize just how many doors that will open for us. Becoming an introvert, while not a bad thing, closes many many doors for us. We really need good social I'd say. Especially since that build votes so heavily to be Justice oriented in a brutal world without much or any justice...
@Kian @auduni @Qazplm @veekie @moon_bear @cedeelbe
Can you all reconsider? Heaven-shaking Genius isn't some bland option where we focus on growing ever stronger and all. Yes we will grow quickly but that in turn gives us more free time to focus on other things including social. Our genius, looks, and social abilities should easily allow us to become a leader among our peers. Just imagine the possibilities. So many times we merely have a protagonist who is usually a loner with maybe one or two close friends that traverses the lands by himself to accomplish his goals. That's the path of a protag bait in a way. We would be someone someone who is content to be alone with a small circle of friends. The Heaven-shaking Genius? He would be someone at home going and making friends and his talents set him as a potential leader. What could he do with that? Perhaps form a group or organization of his own and use it to bring change to the world. Not a king quest or anything like that, but a group with similar values going out and about bringing change. It'll be a quest where friendships and alliances can play a big role. Imagine that rather than some sect stealing the MC's waifu to refine and the MC going there alone to rescue her...the MC brings along his friends and alliances to bring the fight to that sect. It'll require way less bullshit than the MC being able to tackle a sect all by himself.
- Location
- Nargothrond
First off, Fuck off, the mention system is not for bitching about other peoples votes. Second off I chose the plan because I dislike the excact character you're describing, you are describing pretty much every bland murderhobo xianxia mc. Like holy shit he's good looking, a genius without parallel, a social butterfly and he can read, how absolutely unique. I would rather play a blind, hideous idiot than this shit.
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How unique an angry loner with a justice boner , never seen that one before.
- Location
- Nargothrond
If you've ever read xianxia you'd know how uncommon that actually is lol. Tbh i would have preffered to not take the introvert trait, but ugly instead. But it was the closet to what I wanted.
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What is with this "uniquenes" boner, stories have been going on for a thousand nothing is truly "new and different" it is the execution that really matters. Guys are talking as if genius already makes this a stomp fic, but why would maz give the options if it ends in a Mary Sue, who would want to write that?
[X] Plan: It's totally not Protagonist Bait
[X] The Lost Quarter
While I am sure Maz could make the other option interesting as well, I prefer this as a change of pace from the usual Xianxia roflstomp of all opposition as someone who is not at the top of the pack and instead must rely on luck and social smarts to survive against ardent opposition will be far more novel all else being equal.
I admit this is not optimal from a power prospective, but to be blunt an overt focus on raw power to the exclusion of character interaction and growth is one of the major flaws of the genre, so I do not mind this at all.
[X] The Lost Quarter
While I am sure Maz could make the other option interesting as well, I prefer this as a change of pace from the usual Xianxia roflstomp of all opposition as someone who is not at the top of the pack and instead must rely on luck and social smarts to survive against ardent opposition will be far more novel all else being equal.
I admit this is not optimal from a power prospective, but to be blunt an overt focus on raw power to the exclusion of character interaction and growth is one of the major flaws of the genre, so I do not mind this at all.
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Ironic that people want a larger focus on charecter interaction when they picked the angry introvert, who cannot learn things as fast therefore he has less time to interact with others and form bonds due to his lack of focus on social it seems more like a lone wolf combatant build. Hmmm, even sounds a bit like a murder hobo funny that.
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- Location
- USA
I'm not sure where you got the impression that I was bitching about anyone's vote. I was just making an effort to try to change people's minds.
Actually, I would say that Heaven-shaking Genius is the one that doesn't focus on overt raw power to the exclusion of character interaction and growth. It is the one that allows character interaction and growth the most out of the two main options. With regard to character growth...I think that the virtues of the protag bait are more inclined to put him on a crash course with Fulcrum's society and given the type of character people would go for with that I think that majority of the growth there would be towards deepening the dislike/hatred of Fulcrum's society. Genius on the other hand doesn't have as much soft restrictions on him and he can be taken in a number of directions more easily. He has grown up with Earth's culture so he should at least be aware of how "bad" Fulcrum's society is but dude to his greed he can be tempted by it. Our choices will help shape him and at times I imagine it might be a struggle between doing the right thing or the easy thing more clearly than for the protag bait.
As for relying on luck and social smarts to survive....I believe Genius also beats out the Protag Bait in this regard as well. Both have luck going for them in equal measure but the Genius is far better at social ability. Remember that the Protag Bait is an introvert and is unlikely to be as good with social skills givven that Introvert gives you points to spend. It's closer to a drawback even though I would say that being an introvert is not a bad thing at all. I am one myself. The Genius' extrovert perk requires one to spend points and presumably makes him fairly capable at social. More than the baseline at the very least which is better than the introvert by an unknown amount. Given that the Genius is likely to grow and learn quicker than others there is a good chance that we would have more time to focus on social aspects and the like. By reducing the worry of struggling to grow in power (by being a genius that grows quickly) we can more easily turn our attention to other things among with building friendships and alliances if part of.
Also, I do not believe that the Genius would be a rolfstomp of all opposition. Maz is unlikely to write such a thing. Our quicker growth in power will just result in tougher challenges.
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- Location
- Virginia
[X] Plan Heaven-shaking Genius
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Heaven shaking genius sure sounds fun, would be nice to have a social charecter for once.
[X] Plan: It's totally not Protagonist Bait
[X] The Lost Quarter
[X] The Lost Quarter
- Pronouns
- Male
[X] Plan Heaven-shaking Genius
- Location
- France
[X] Plan: Unlucky hero
-[X] (-1) Attractive
-[X] (-3) Gifted
-[X] (-5) Extroverted
-[X] (+5) Slow-Learner
-[X] (+7) Cursed
-[X] (-10) Friendship is Magic
-[X] (+5) Formidable Foe
-[X] (-1) Prudence
-[X] (-1) Fortitude
-[X] (-1) Fortitude
-[X] (-1) Fortitude
-[X] (-1) Temperance
I don't know what justice imply so might change some part. I'm also hesitating removing one fortitude and replace Attractive with Ideal.
[X] Unity
-[X] (-1) Attractive
-[X] (-3) Gifted
-[X] (-5) Extroverted
-[X] (+5) Slow-Learner
-[X] (+7) Cursed
-[X] (-10) Friendship is Magic
-[X] (+5) Formidable Foe
-[X] (-1) Prudence
-[X] (-1) Fortitude
-[X] (-1) Fortitude
-[X] (-1) Fortitude
-[X] (-1) Temperance
I don't know what justice imply so might change some part. I'm also hesitating removing one fortitude and replace Attractive with Ideal.
[X] Unity
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Never been tagged to change my vote before. I think I'm just gonna skip out on this quest. Y'all are way too much.