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Path of the Immeasurable Swarm [Worm/Cradle]

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TypicalVelocity said:
He became a Sage because of Eithan's direction, his absurd level of Willpower, and because of Sacred Valley.

Being a Sage fits Lindon far better than a Herald. It's literally set up in chapter 3 of the first book.

"But the foundation of any Path is learning to accept the world as it is, not as you wish or even observe it to be."
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I meant from a Doylist point of view.

Advancing Lindon to Herald was just a massive powerspike, whereas making him go Sage had some vertical progression elements to it… so
Sage was the obvious Doylist choice.
 
MercyXMiara supporting each other, YerinXLindon going on a romantic dinner-date at an all-you-can-eat/fight buffet, TaylorXHera with Hera being supremely careful putting Taylor back together as properly as she can, truly the last few chapters have been great for shipping.
 
Powering up Lindon, making a whole chapter proving Taylor is not needed, nerfing and weakening Taylor and purposely slowing down her progress for plot reasons during the most pivotal moment for the survival of what she supposedly cares about(literally hundreds of millions of people in danger).

This story really don't want to beat the allegations that Taylor is a useless side-character with a gimmick in her own story, it's impressive actually.
 
BloodElemental said:
Powering up Lindon, making a whole chapter proving Taylor is not needed, nerfing and weakening Taylor and purposely slowing down her progress for plot reasons during the most pivotal moment for the survival of what she supposedly cares about(literally hundreds of millions of people in danger).

This story really don't want to beat the allegations that Taylor is a useless side-character with a gimmick in her own story, it's impressive actually.
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The Yerin and Lindon powerup is kind of long overdue. They are a fair bit behind their canon selves. And Taylor just controlled a Dreadgod to make another Dreadgod flee during what was definitely a more pivotal moment for their survival. Giving the other characters a chance to shine as well does not make Taylor a useless side character. We had a whole bit from Shen how dangerous he considers her.
 
tortugato said:
Advancing Lindon to Herald was just a massive powerspike, whereas making him go Sage had some vertical progression elements to it… so
Sage was the obvious Doylist choice.
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That's every advancement that isn't Sage. It wouldn't really make a difference for Lindon to be a Herald first. Sure, all it does is grant him power but all going from Low Gold to High Gold does is grant him power.

The reason he became a Sage first is because it fit best with Lindon's established character and background. Had Lindon been more like Yerin, facing battles head-on instead of trying to always think and trick his way out of things, he probably would've advanced to Herald first.
 
DoorAlarm said:
I'm sorry, Miara the actual fucking Monarch is 'useless'? Or is it Mercy, who won the Uncrowned King tournament? What are you even talking about lmao
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To my knowledge:

The useless lesbian trope is not referring to competence or ability in practical matters, but the often used, and overused, trope of a lesbian or gay character being incompetent when it comes to emotional/people skills, such as "no way, they can't be into a g-g-girl!", turning into an idiot who doesn't realize it's reciprocal, and similar things where someone becomes "useless" socially/emotionally, with said situations being stretched ad infinitum. While elements of these sort of things happening is fine, it starts to become a problem when that's all there is.

Presumably, the complaint here is a warning that the beat of Miara and Mercy maybe being a thing should be resolved, and not danced around for the next [insert number of all remaining chapters minus 1].
 
BloodElemental said:
Powering up Lindon, making a whole chapter proving Taylor is not needed, nerfing and weakening Taylor and purposely slowing down her progress for plot reasons during the most pivotal moment for the survival of what she supposedly cares about(literally hundreds of millions of people in danger).

This story really don't want to beat the allegations that Taylor is a useless side-character with a gimmick in her own story, it's impressive actually.
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Bro, you have been reading and commenting on this fic that you claim to hate for over a year now. At this point I'm starting to think you've got some kind of tsundere deal going on or something. "It's not like I like your fic or anything, b-baka!"
 
Shard_486 said:
Presumably, the complaint here is a warning that the beat of Miara and Mercy maybe being a thing should be resolved, and not danced around for the next [insert number of all remaining chapters minus 1].
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Thanks for informing me, I wasn't aware of the specifics of the trope. Even then, I can't see how that applies to this story. There's not been any jumping around the relationship whatsoever because it's literally only just come up, and both Mercy and Miara are already too busy dealing with an end-game apocalypse scenario to focus on their relationship.
 
derivativeoflife said:
"Your help, meager as it was, was necessary for my success. Our oath holds. I will place a weapon forged from the Phoenix's core binding in your hands, and you will ascend."
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I'm utterly enthralled by how Northstrider, a traitor, is depending on a greater traitor to keep his word. I don't even feel like the former needs a comeuppance given how he's sealed his own fate by default.

I swear, there should be a Sage of Hindsight - they would be utterly invincible and have a shocked pikachu face as an icon.
 
Rule 4: Don’t Be Disruptive — Baiting
derivativeoflife said:
It's not like I like your fic or anything, b-baka!"
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I mainly skim read the chapters to check if Taylor became a monarch or if mercy is dead, etc. Trying to spot anything interesting happening.

Besides, I was here from the beggining when the story was just coming out, it was actually way better then.

I just don't really use the site in months and then check out the notifications and there's usually just one about this fic.
 
Loki The Accurse said:
I don't know if Taylor should be the one to talk about romance, since based on what I know, hers was a bit fucked from the start.
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She has SOME experience even if its two teenagers with limited positive contact that ultimately didn't work out due to divergent ways.

As opposed to the two with nobody they can consult and having to be wary of how everything they do might have spiraling repercussions.

derivativeoflife said:
He wouldn't have even cared that much if it wasn't for that never to be sufficiently damned Shadow Sage. The girl should have manifested the Cockroach Icon for how infuriatingly difficult she was to kill; it even would have been on theme. Reports from the Pride's Apex had been fragmentary, but he knew the circle maintaining his spacial lock had been sabotaged at a critical moment, and that had her grubby fingerprints all over it.
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Taylor does have a knack for being thst annoying gnat at the critical moment for godlike forces.
 
lostAncilla said:
I'm utterly enthralled by how Northstrider, a traitor, is depending on a greater traitor to keep his word. I don't even feel like the former needs a comeuppance given how he's sealed his own fate by default.

I swear, there should be a Sage of Hindsight - they would be utterly invincible and have a shocked pikachu face as an icon.
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lostAncilla said:
I'm utterly enthralled by how Northstrider, a traitor, is depending on a greater traitor to keep his word. I don't even feel like the former needs a comeuppance given how he's sealed his own fate by default.

I swear, there should be a Sage of Hindsight - they would be utterly invincible and have a shocked pikachu face as an icon.
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You (presumably accidentally) posted the same thing twice.
 
lostAncilla said:
I'm utterly enthralled by how Northstrider, a traitor, is depending on a greater traitor to keep his word. I don't even feel like the former needs a comeuppance given how he's sealed his own fate by default.
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So there's a thing in this setting called soul oaths or pacts or something. Its a generic enough concept that I forgot the name so sue me.

If you break such an oath, your power gets crippled because the oath is part of your soul and your soul is your power.

Northstrider presumably only agreed to betray Malice for a soul oath from Shen.

Now, if you'll excuse a light spoiler for some of the later books
Such a shame that Shen is immune to the drawbacks of soul oath breaking because he actually has the ghost of the Aurelius monarch take on the binding part of the oath and suffer the consequences when Shen breaks the oath.
 
derivativeoflife said:
Sesh doesn't dislike humans per se, he dislikes civilization specifically. As usual for Monarchs, his philosophy is basically just a way to justify his pre-existing biases. Here's his backstory from Uncrowned:

Information requested: Seshethkunaaz, King of Dragons and Monarch of the eastern Ashwind continent.

Beginning report…

Path: Wasteland. The Path of the Wasteland has aspects of earth and wind, and its techniques take the form of blowing golden sand. It is a versatile and adaptable Path, often used to call sandstorms, form complex shapes from sand at great distances, and scour flesh from bone.

Gold dragons have a natural affinity for fire and water aura, but Seshethkunaaz was born in the desert. An exile, he was left by the rest of his kind to die.
He was found by a group of human nomads, who saved the dying dragon and raised him as part of their family. He formed a contract with one of their children, providing him with enough pure madra to dilute his spirit. With time and great effort, he was able to change the nature of his madra and embark on the Path of the Wasteland.
He and his contractor were raised as brothers, and they advanced together at great speed. When he reached Underlord, he took on a human form like that of his contractor. His adoptive parents shortened his name to Sesh, introducing the two of them as twin brothers, and explaining Sesh's remaining draconic traits as part of his Goldsign.
For years, they remained content. Until Sesh's brother killed a child.
In a conflict between hot-tempered boys, Sesh's young contractor lost his temper. He struck a Lowgold, forgetting his strength as an Underlord. His victim perished instantly.
In many lands, an Underlord would not be held responsible for any actions against a Gold. But the laws of this nation prohibited the murder of anyone regardless of advancement, and the young victim was the descendant of a powerful clan.
Sesh's family fled in the night, but they were soon caught. Sesh's brother was executed for murder, reckless use of power, and fleeing justice.
To this day, the King of Dragons walks the desert in the form of a human boy, hair dark and skin tanned by the sun, wrapped in a cloak against the harsh wind. He admires humans, but hates human civilization, that collection of unnatural rules under which the weak are favored above the strong.
If power and survival were the only laws, he believes all would benefit. Even humans.
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Oh my fucking god. The fucking Dragon Monarch is a Return To Monke type.
 
lostAncilla said:
I'm utterly enthralled by how Northstrider, a traitor, is depending on a greater traitor to keep his word. I don't even feel like the former needs a comeuppance given how he's sealed his own fate by default.
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He thinks that he's extracted an oath Shen would not dare to break, unaware that Shen can bypass the normal cost of breaking a soul oath. He never made a soul oath to defend the coalition indefinitely, and whatever show he put on with Shen was enough to count if he made an oath at all.
 
I gotta ask about the usage of the 'it' pronoun for dragons. It seems like the only dragons who get a non-it pronoun when in dragon form are the dragon King, that one herald, and Sophara, even when they have speaking roles. It just seems very dehumanizing(whats the term for dehumanizing when its another species? Lol)? Like they're just monsters/mooks so they don't have a gender or personhood, despite clearly being sophant beings. I'm just saying that a singular they/them would make more sense for a sophant being that you can't easily discern the sex of at a glance.
 
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Celeritous said:
I gotta ask about the usage of the 'it' pronoun for dragons. It seems like the only dragons who get a non-it pronoun when in dragon form are the dragon King, that one herald, and Sophara, even when they have speaking roles. It just seems very dehumanizing(whats the term for dehumanizing when its another species? Lol)? Like they're just monsters/mooks so they don't have a gender or personhood, despite clearly being sophant beings. I'm just saying that a singular they/them would make more sense for a sophant being that you can't easily discern the sex of at a glance.
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I don't think the people of Cradle care for such thing enough to care that they are actually sapient and not animals. And the dragons themselves probably doesn't care enough to make it a point, since they still consider might make right, so if some of them want to protest the pronouns usage, they can do it by themselves, in the most obvious way possible (e.g. kill the offenders)
 
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Fast update! Great update! Good to see the aftermath from not-Taylor perspectives. It was pretty obvious that the battle for the Silent King's prison was going to be the thing that Shen used to enter the Labyrinth. Also, where is Eithan‽

Glad to see I was kinda right about how the Akura would hold and the losses (in Territory) that they would take. Though in true Cradle fashion it seems that we're getting a "Not as bad as it could have been" award for the rest of the Ashwind continent. And huge congrats to Yerin, our newest Sword Sage!
 
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