The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

Will of Steel/Will of the Tyrant

Materials on Hand: A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7), Ifeagrass (Blood 3), The Phantom's Hide (Steel 21), The Monster's Bones (Steel 16), Brass Knocker (3 Force)

A very large ax, the hide tanned and wrapped around the handle, the bones used as decorative spikes.

Like Metal, the User's Will is firm, persistent and strong. The user is determined and forceful.
This axe supports the user in forcing their will on the world.
Allows the user to cleave through defenses.

Trying to brainstorm for a main theme of steel, with the aim of an almost steel only axe, and a secondary aim for metaphorical associations with steel.

Thank you Wikipedia
 
An Exercise of Control (Steel/Ice/Force)
Materials: The Monster's Bones (Steel 16), Vestige's Ice (Ice 8), A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7)
Design: A simple design with no decorations, its monstrous size speaks for itself. The head of the axe, formed from the anvil, almost appears to be imperceptibly shaking, sealed only by the ice that binds it to the shaft, formed of bone.
Function: Should the user will it, any momentum of the axe will be stopped, and instead be transferred to the metal of the Still Shaking Anvil. The properties of Steel and Ice work together to bring the kinetic energy of the axe under control and preserve it, allowing the axe's head to absorb the force in its owner's stead. Should the axe head absorb too much energy, the two aspects likewise work together to quell any disorderly shaking.
Purpose: Offensively, it could allow the user to use reckless force in each of their blows with little drawback should they miss, or perhaps to do a particularly convincing feint. Defensively, it may prevent the axe from being knocked out of the user's hands by an untimely blow, or absorb an overwhelming force.

Not really sure what to do for design, but I wanted to incorporate the opposite aspects of movement from A Still Shaking Anvil and stillness from the Vestige's Ice. I decided to use the ideas of order in Steel and preservation in Ice to control Force. At first, I wanted to use the idea of storing Force, then releasing it, but I think that's been covered pretty well in other charm ideas already. Ideally, the effect of this axe would require no anam, or be precharged to absorb a certain amount of force.
 
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The Everchanging Axe
Are you aware of the source of color? If so, you are wrong. Forget everything you know. The truth is sinister.

Materials: The Monster's Bones (Steel 16), Ifeagrass (Blood 3), Ghastly Horns (Deception 18),

Design: An axe whose color shifts, fading into nighttime sky, shining like the sun, mellow like the grasslands. Nobody is sure what it's true appearance is, not even it's maker/

Effect : The Axe starts off in it's present state. However, as the battle progresses the axe turns more and more red the more injured the oppponent becomes. Growing more barbarous, looking less and less like an axe and more of an instrument of a monstrous butcher. Each cleave hitting harder, the axe delighting in the carnage inflicting greater physical damage. Should the opponent approach death's door from a swing from the axe, their very body turns a bright maroon. If the opponent is under mental damage, the axe undergoes a different evolution, turning black like cosmos, it's forum growing more unsettling as the very axe appears to be alive and hungry. The axe whispers into the enemy, of dark secrets and the unknowable, inflicting mental damage.. What is its true color, red or black, or something more insidious.
 
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Well, I'll throw my hat in the axe ring along with everyone else.

An Oak, Falling
Still Growing Sapling (Wood/Life 13) - Making up the haft.
The Phantom's Hide (Steel 21) - Cut into strips and used to bind the haft and head.
A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7) - Reforged into an axe head.

It looks like a large woodcutter's axe, like the sort of thing you'd use to split logs.

Reflecting the growth of the sapling, channeling anam into the axe causes it to grow dramatically for just a moment. This lets you swing it while it is still a more manageable size, enlarge it just before impact, and then allow it to shrink once more. The ample steel anam makes it sharp and sturdy, and the modicum of force anam helps it swing just that little bit harder when you are using its growth feature.
 
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Just FYI, Alot of us have made designs with this type of enhancement for a simple reason.

If you look back at the Moloth fight, Jai Fa ended up throwing her mundane axe aside because since it couldn't hurt the Vestige, it was dead weight slowing her down.

So.... giving Fa an axe with a built in Passive Effect that lets her hurt things like Vestiges and Kukuni solves that problem. Whereas giving her an Axe with a Big flashy built in tech, but is just an ordinary Axe when not being used for that effect....

Well, Fa only has so much anam.

What is more useful? Giving her a way to fight when her anam is low? Or giving her another Technique equivalent that costs anam to use? Especially since in the Last Weekly Prompt it said she went and got a ton of stuff from the Archives.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Passive effects may seem a bit boring, but they may end up being more useful to Fa in the long run.

-Edit-

And Just FYI, there is no guarantee that an Axe that is a Charm will be able to hurt Spirits/Vestiges/Etc just because it's a Charm. For instance, Jin made a 30 BT charm who's whole effect is "Allows user to hurt spirits with physical techs"

So it's not likely we're gonna get that passive effect as a freebie.

Plus, If we've learned anything from Crafting VR, it's that Charms that out and out serve as tech replacements get outgrown FAST. Whereas Charms that combo with Techs like our Summoning Box, have much better longevity
I strongly disagree, at least regarding priorities.

What I'm most scared of is that we choose a design that's boring, but practical, because Fa is (on the surface) a practical person, and we're designing a weapon charm.

I think this is shooting ourselves in the foot.

We're a member of the Kong Clan, a clan renowned and reviled for making custom, artisanal charms that combine materials in unexpected ways and achieve unreplicatable results. We have a near shamanistic connection to our crafting in that we listen to the anam of the materials and combine them in ways no one has thought of. Ves has, in the past, given an example of a Kong torch charm as being a lantern full of fireflies. When talking about Vitriolic Retort, he has mentioned a proper Kong Archer charm would be a hive of electrified bees. What does that tell us? One, that Ves really wants to see a swarm of insects used in a charm. Two, that Kong charms are at their best when they're pushing the envelope. The proposed charms for A Love Transfixed included a sarcophagus, a magical crystal puzzle and an implanted second heart. That's our guideline. That's our brief for the assignment.

Now, we have constraints. We have to make an axe. We have to use Steel. But aside from that? We have permission, nay, a duty, to push the envelope and go as wild as possible. The more Kong-ish our charm is the stronger it will be. The stronger the charm is, the happier Fa will be.

We should be making axes that grow wooden axe heads so we can attack while we attack. Beast-headed axes that roar from resonant steel-drum voiceboxes. Axes that litter the battlefield with exploding ice flowers. That's where our specialty is. That's what Fa asked for when she asked a Kong to make her weapon. If she wanted a +1 Axe of Hitting Things, she could have gotten that from the market or the Garden.

Let's be a Kong.
 
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I strongly disagree, at least regarding priorities.

What I'm most scared of is that we choose a design that's boring, but practical, because Fa is (on the surface) a practical person, and we're designing a weapon charm.

I think this is shooting ourselves in the foot.

We're a member of the Kong Clan, a clan renowned and reviled for making custom, artisanal charms. We have a near shamanistic connection to our crafting in that we listen to the anam of the materials and combine them in ways no one has thought of. Ves has, in the past, given an example of a Kong torch charm as being a lantern full of fireflies. When talking about Vitriolic Retort, he has mentioned a proper Kong Archer charm would be a hive of electrified bees. What does that tell us? One, that Ves really wants to see a swarm of insects used in a charm. Two, that Kong charms are at their best when they're pushing their envelope. The proposed charms for A Love Transfixed included a sarcophagus, magical crystal puzzle and an implanted second heart. That's our guideline. That's our brief for the assignment.

Now, we have constraints. We have to make an axe. We have to use Steel. But aside from that? We have permission, nay, a duty, to push the envelope and go as wild as possible. The more Kong-ish our charm is the stronger it will be. The stronger the charm is, the happier Fa will be.

We should be making axes that grow wooden axe heads so we can attack while we attack. Beast-headed axes that roar from resonant steel-drum voiceboxes. Axes that litter the battlefield with exploding ice flowers. That's where our specialty is. That's what Fa asked for when she asked a Kong to make her weapon. If she wanted a +1 Axe of Hitting Things, she could have gotten that from the market or the Garden.

Let's be a Kong.
See, you can hype up these affects as much as you want.

But the fact of the matter is, if Fa has a tech that can do the equivalent of what our charm can do, then why lug around a 30lb hunk of metal?

We could have made VR shoot a cloud of acid Bees, but we would have still outgrown it just the same.

And I resent the suggestion that making something practical for long term use means Boring. Is our Dance at the Midnight Crossroads Boring? FUCK NO! It enhances several of our techs, and even as we grow stronger has proven to be useful.

That's what I want to make for Fa, something that will be valuable long term.

That, and I feel like treating the Axe as just the shape of a the charm is a huge mistake, work the function of the charm into the shape! Fa is gonna hit things with the axe, so add functions that benefit from the axe hitting things, or make the Axe hit things better.

My worst fear, is that we hand Fa what is essentially a Wand of Fireballs, that happens to be Axe shaped, because the moment Fa learns how to make her own fireballs, the charm becomes dead weight.

-Edit-

Another thing? While you bring up how Ves wants fancy effects and all... I remember the criticism we got from the Judges after our Charm duel. Specifically about how all of our charms required tons of anam from their user, and how that was a flaw we needed to work on.

I don't want "being a Kong" to mean "Do what you want, and don't listen to constructive criticism"
 
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See, you can hype up these affects as much as you want.

But the fact of the matter is, if Fa has a tech that can do the equivalent of what our charm can do, then why lug around a 30lb hunk of metal?

We could have made VR shoot a cloud of acid Bees, but we would have still outgrown it just the same.

And I resent the suggestion that making something practical for long term use means Boring. Is our Dance at the Midnight Crossroads Boring? FUCK NO! It enhances several of our techs, and even as we grow stronger has proven to be useful.

That's what I want to make for Fa, something that will be valuable long term.

That, and I feel like treating the Axe as just the shape of a the charm is a huge mistake, work the function of the charm into the shape! Fa is gonna hit things with the axe, so add functions that benefit from the axe hitting things, or make the Axe hit things better.

My worst fear, is that we hand Fa what is essentially a Wand of Fireballs, that happens to be Axe shaped, because the moment Fa learns how to make her own fireballs, the charm becomes dead weight.
There's lots of ways to make something longterm, and it's not fair to assume that just because the charm has an active effect, it will be outgrown quickly.

Bottom line? I trust Ct and Ves, that if we make up a really cool charm design, they won't make it something that Fa will outgrow. Our job is not to worry about the mechanics here, whether the charm adds dice to techniques or gives dice that are rolled as techniques. Ves has been experimenting with all sorts of stuff in regards to mechanics. For example, A Citadel of Hawthorn might add dice to a physical tech because the enemy can't dodge effectively.

What we should focus is on making the coolest charm possible. Let Ves and Ct worry about implementation. They are more likely to reward us for making something cool than making something dull.

As to "boring"? You used that language. In your post.
 
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Name: The Verdant Edges
Materials: The Monster's bones (16 Steel) The Still Growing Sapling (13 Life/Wood)

We havent had a description of the sappling but in this case it's white birch.

The bones are bleached and provide an intricate latticework that provides the frame for the two blades of the axe. The glyphs and runes on the blades are arranged in such a way that it resembles leaves. In addition the bones are decorated with sharp metal shaped like leaves. The Sappling is used as the shaft and connected to the bones so that the entire axe resembles a birch.

Effect:
This charm imbues the strikes of the user with the mystical powers of the trees and the penetrative power of the roots of a mighty tree. In addition the charm has the ability to change its shape, according to how it's wielder uses it, much like how a tree develops differently depending on it's environment. This is ensured by the malleability of Steel, adaptability of Wood and evolutionary
nature of Life.
 
Passive effects may seem a bit boring, but they may end up being more useful to Fa in the long run.

As to "boring"? You used that language. in your post.
I said passive effects may "SEEM" Boring. You said-

What I'm most scared of is that we choose a design that's boring, but practical, because Fa is (on the surface) a practical person, and we're designing a weapon charm.

I think this is shooting ourselves in the foot.
That you were scared of making a boring but practical design in response.

I don't think making a charm whose function is based around being good at Axing, has to be boring, Hell look at some of the ideas posted. Alot of them are cool ways of making sure the axe lands hits like optical illusions and stuff.

My Worst fear, is that people are going to be so afraid of making a "boring" charm like VR that they overcorrect and make something that, while cool in concept, is impractical to use or is outgrown quickly because Techs can grow but charms cant.
 
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Since it's one suggestion per post, second one here. I'm going to be very silly and put the Meat of a Spirit Deer in this one, even though that probably doesn't work.

A Beast's Right Hand
The Monster's Bones (Steel 16) - Carved to make the haft of the axe, including joints.
Meat of a Spirit Deer (Immortal Chef Material, Steel 12) - Surrounding the bone haft, like muscle, except for a small part at the handle. Preserved.
Snake Mother's Skin (Beast 14) - Wrapped around the meat.
Shell Fragment (Beast 14) - Carved and sharpened into a blade.

The axe looks like a monstrous arm, with the blade resembling a curved claw. When held, the skin, bone, and flesh in the axe extends and subsumes your arm, making it less a weapon and more a part of your body. It has joints and muscle, and can move in ways a simple axe could not, and adds its strength to yours. When you want to drop it, the flesh retracts and frees your original hand.
 
I said passive effects may "SEEM" Boring. You said-


That you were scared of making a boring but practical design in response.

I don't think making a charm whose function is based around being good at Axing, has to be boring, Hell look at some of the ideas posted. Alot of them are cool ways of making sure the axe lands hits like optical illusions and stuff.

My Worst fear, is that people are going to be so afraid of making a "boring" charm like VR that they overcorrect and make something that, while cool in concept, is impractical to use or is outgrown quickly because Techs can grow but charms cant.
It seems we have different fears that may or may not be irreconcilable. Let's hope a design manages to bridge the gap.
 
And Just FYI, there is no guarantee that an Axe that is a Charm will be able to hurt Spirits/Vestiges/Etc just because it's a Charm. For instance, Jin made a 30 BT charm who's whole effect is "Allows user to hurt spirits with physical techs"
No it also turned her stuff into an archer tech, and added dice to it. The callback gloves made it reusable for archer stuff, but it's definitely not just for hurting spirits.
 
Additionally, I'd like to make note that KZ is a steel artist too! I think it's fit & proper to do things like using the Deer bones for the axe haft etc, however I think that leaving some materials for KZ's personal use is warranted, maybe even non-negotiable.
^ This please.
It is likely that we'll want to make ourselves some kit using Steel.
 
Collection #1
Grabbing all these now so it's easier for Ves and CT to dig through later. Highest BT so far is 58, lowest is 23, average is 36

KinOfTheMountain has smashed the record, with a BT 75 charm. If I recall correctly, this is better than our own A Fractal View (pre-Double Down).

Materials Used: Shell Fragment (Beast 14),, A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7), Brass Knocker (Force 3), Snake Mother's Skin (Beast 14), , The Phantom's Hide (Steel 21), The Monster's Bones (Steel 16),
 
I just dislike the notion that subtle, effective, and useful enhancements are suddenly not good enough for a Kong. That a charm is useless if it doesn't have PIZZAZ

A Moment's Respite is one of the most useful Charms in our inventory, it's not flashy, has a simple yet useful effect and does it's job.

There is nothing wrong with Charms like that and I am sick of people saying otherwise.
 
Rigor Ferrous (Steel/Poison)
Construction: The Desiccated Poison Sacs are refined to remove Hunger, and implanted into an axe head carved with venom channels. This head is then fitted to the Monster's Bones.
Effect: When the axe draws blood, it also injects a poison that inflicts the immobility and weight of Steel. Victims find themselves struggling to move anything near the affected area, and with any affected limb weighing them down; enough of the venom may even render the subject too rigid to breathe, or too heavy for the ground to support them.
 
I just dislike the notion that subtle, effective, and useful enhancements are suddenly not good enough for a Kong. That a charm is useless if it doesn't have PIZZAZ

A Moment's Respite is one of the most useful Charms in our inventory, it's not flashy, has a simple yet useful effect and does it's job.

There is nothing wrong with Charms like that and I am sick of people saying otherwise.
A Moment's Respite was made during the alpha phase of this quest. I don't think Ves knew what Kong Style was at that point.

I'm trying to go with what we've been given. I like simple stuff too, but this doesn't seem like the right quest for making it. Ves's example Kong charms were electrified bees and a firefly hive. Vitriolic Retort was penalized because Ves and Ct felt it was boringly designed. I don't know what to tell you.
 
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I just dislike the notion that subtle, effective, and useful enhancements are suddenly not good enough for a Kong. That a charm is useless if it doesn't have PIZZAZ

A Moment's Respite is one of the most useful Charms in our inventory, it's not flashy, has a simple yet useful effect and does it's job.

There is nothing wrong with Charms like that and I am sick of people saying otherwise.
The word you're looking for is ~aesthetic. That's what our charms need to have.

Take your Possessed Axe write-up - the effect is perhaps a little on the boring side, but it has some cool description vibes and a gripping (heh) active effect that rescue the idea, and that's important.


Given this is obviously a hugely subjective thing, you're never gonna get universal agreement on where the line is. Better accept that than arguing till you're blue in the face and getting sick of it.
 
I'd rather not use Deception anam for Fa's axe. It's really not her vibe. She's incredibly blunt, direct, and forceful. I feel like her axe should match that aesthetic.

Also, Deception seems rare. Let's save it for somewhere it's a better fit.
 
I feel like the idea that everything needs to push the envelope with weirdness and have an out-there effect is misunderstanding Kong style. Kong style seems to be:

1. Personal
2. Unique
3. Inspired

A Kong axe doesn't need to look like a kaleidoscope and sprout a head that whispers dark secrets on everything it hits. It can just be an awesome axe that hits real good if:

1. We made it that way because it's genuinely what our friend wants and needs.

2. It's a one of a kind piece designed exclusively for our friend

3. We were inspired to make it that way based on our friend's personality / our relationship with her / a special moment with her / some other significant idea that is driving the design.
 
Tyranny's Indomitable Progress (Steel/Blood/Force)
Materials: The Monster's Bones (Steel 16), Brass Knocker (Force 3) , A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7), Ifeagrass (Blood 3)
Design: The Knocker and the Anvil are melted down, using some small parts of the metal and Chui Dao's own unique properties to fuse and shape the monster's various bones together into an appropriately sized and shaped axe haft. From there there will be scrimshaw and metalworking done depicting the story of a warrior who faced the world's trials and travails with graceful equanimity and sure stride, never being pushed around but allowing other to lead, for a time, until the warrior needed otherwise. The story carvings will likewise have metals from the anvil and knocker added in certain points to add bits of color and make the art more vibrant. From the Haft comes a Blade forged from both the majority of the metal of the knocker and the anvil, transitioning in color from the anvil's steel until it reaches the edge laden with the knocker's Brass. The handle of the haft will be plan and only adorned with lfeagrass to improve the grasp on the hilt, as while this is art, it also must be a functional weapon.

Function: The axe by default is simply a large and well balanced Axe, heavy for a normal human but well done for a cultivator. It's real functions are revealed when the bear drips a little bit of blood onto the Lfeagrass of the handle, activating the charm and bringing it to life. This in turn allows the axe to do two principle things. The is that it collects the blood, or in cases of those without it, the vital essence serving as blood, of those that have tasted the Axe's blade. There are two things that can be done with this in turn, heal the wielder, or to be swung into the earth, a wall or some other sort of terrain to discharge it into said terrain, after which a geyser of blood made blades erupts from the terrain, impaling and lifting a foe, before retracting just as violently slamming them down. The second principle power of the axe is perhaps less showy, but more useful. It augments the Blood and Steel techniques used by the wielder, granted them more force behind blows and reducing the force at which their defenses are hit when they defend.

Purpose: The Axe is primarily used to damage the enemy and augment the intended wielder, named Jai Fa. The other affects are too enhance staying power in a fight and too otherwise give Fa an alternative and unexpected means to strike at foes who believe she is reliant on warrior and defender techniques solely.

My Idea for the Axe. Only thing we might want to do is add a second lfeagrass to make sure that Chui Dao is unable to fully contaminate the anam.

Edit: Spaced for easier reading.
 
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Companion of Steel

Materials on Hand
: A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7), The Monster's Bones (Steel 16), Brass Knocker (3 Force), Vestige's Ice (8 Ice).

Function: Kinetic energy (the force) dealt by and to the wielder of the axe is stored within it, as a battery of sort, and the user can unleash it, partially or completely, in a variety of ways.

The catch?

The energy taken in by the axe always manifests as steel.

Fa wants to add extra strength to her attack?
Big steel gauntlets cover her arms as she attacks.

She wants to protect herself from incoming attacks?
Solid honking blocks of steel bar the way.

She wants to be faster?
Her feet become clad in gleaming greaves that make her go faster or the surrounding ground becomes as burnished steel, increasing her speed.

She wants to release the stored energy as a ranged attack?
It's unleashed as a barrage of giant steel balls, spikes and shrapnel.

The limits of her versatility (can Fa say make out of the energy a steel cage that traps her and the enemy, or chains that hinder her opponents?) will likely depend on the final BT.

The force materials conceptually serve as the "receiver", the ice material as the "battery", the steel materials serve as the "output" and "mainframe".

Form: A gleaming and gargantuan two-handed and twin-headed axe, its core is that of reshaped monster's bones, within which the Vestige's ice is cleverly hidden and made to fit.
The core is covered by the thick steel obtained from the shaking anvil, fully encasing it, and it's further completely covered in an additional thin layer of brass, made from the melted brass knocker.
The Axe is burnished to a shine.

PS. The usual ingredients, but hopefully an interesting effect.
 
When quizzed on KZ's favourite charm that his father had crafted by Ame Jinchong, KZ chose the (somewhat) pedestrian 'Unseen Quills'.

"...the Unseen Quills," you finish. "If I had to pick one favorite charm, it would be the Unseen Quills."

Ame Jichong doesn't show any reaction. Instead, she stands, and puts yet another bar of metal on the coals. Once she's seated again, she starts hammering a rhythm on the red-hot bar before her. On her eighth stroke she asks, "So? What are the Unseen Quills?"

"Oh," you answer, shaking your head. Of course she hasn't heard of them. The Unseen Quills were no great marvel like Winding Night and no prince's prize like Dawn Over the Desert. By Father's standards, they were simply pedestrian. Word of them would not spread on it's own like it would on the others. You'll have to spread the word for it. "The Unseen Quills are a collection of throwing knives my Father created for my cousin, Kong Na, as a gift for her wedding. They number thirty-four in total, and each and every blade among them is different."

"Different?" Ame Jichong parrots. "How so?"

"Each one is crafted in a different style," you continue, and you're vaguely aware of the breathless enthusiasm that's creeping into your voice. "The first was a normal knife crafted to the Radiant Army's specifications. The second was a duelist's make, with a longer blade and curved thumb guard. The third was cold-forged using stones from the stomach of a spirit asp, and it was created to resemble a blade from the Trackless Marsh. Then there was a stone blade of a similar make to those used in the wastes. Then-"

Ame Jichong sighs. "Fine, yes, I get it," she huffs out. "I do not need to hear the life and history of all thirty four blades. And I get the 'Quill' part of that charm. But what makes them 'Unseen'?"

You bite your lip, barely restrain a torrent of criticism. Instead, you're able to hold yourself to glowering at the forge and muttering, "You asked." Why do people get so annoyed when you try and list the virtues of the Unseen Quills?! It's fascinating!

But you successfully hold back and content yourself with pumping the bellows extra hard. "The Unseen portion of the charm comes from its sheath," you manage to grit out. "It appears to be a simple sheath holding one knife. But when that knife is drawn, it is always the knife that the wielder wanted. And when they drop the knife, it instantly returns to the sheathe. They appear to have one weapon when in reality they have thirty four."
So the idea that Kong charms, and even particularly KZ's favourite/ideal charm style has to be flashy or have potent anam effects is directly contradicted textually.
 
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