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The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)

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Tremble in fear mortals, for Chui Dao has been named!

It shall reach such heights as to scrape the heavens themselves, and shall grow roots to drink from the wells of the Deep.
 
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The ALT Vote
  • Apocrypha
    • Alright, people! With that vote, that wraps up most of this last week. The only thing left is the Time/Ichor thing and I'm saving that for a bit. Mostly I'm saving it because I don't want to just put the weekly plan vote off on it's own, but also I'm holding off because I want to see you suffer. What can I say? It makes me happy.

    But in the meantime, we have some other things to handle! Namely, the vote I mentioned a few updates back: the one focusing on the use of A Love Transfixed. As I mentioned, the plot will stop for no one, and I have been getting the sense that the material is being seen as too good. Cliff notes version of my long post from before: people keep trying to save it and other things until everything is perfect, everything is never going to be perfect, so I'm kicking you in the pants now to prevent future salt and rage.

    So here's what's going to happen: from now until I think you're out of ideas (24 hours minimum), I'm calling everyone who has a plan for the use of A Love Transfixed in a charm to post it up with a plan name. There are only two rules:
    1. The charm must involve A Love Transfixed and other materials that Zhi has on hand. You can't write in a plan involving Mats not in our wonderful protagonists possession; I'm trying to prevent gridlock here, not change the shape of it.
    2. The charm must be designed to heal or at least help Zhi deal with his alterations. This was sent to Zhi by his family for the very specific purpose of letting him use it to both heal himself. Zhi knows this, and Zhi would never dare insult his family by using the material for some other reason. The charm can do multiple things, but first and foremost it must let him get his leg, arm, and possibly eye back to a functional state.
    Easy enough, right?

    So yeah, write up your plans and post em up! If you've already done so, do it again! Discuss them. Talk about your favorites! And when discussion dies down and enough plans are posted, I'll throw up an actual vote. The winner of that will be whatever Zhi is making out of ALT.

    Have fun!
     
  • Apocrypha
    • I would like for Zhi to use this irreplaceable resource to create something that will continue providing him with substantial benefits even after he is finished compensating for the disruptive changes to his body. Could we create a charm that simply makes it possible for Zhi to make changes to his body? The immediate use would be for Zhi to reverse the damage but he could then go on start making improvements.
     
    Vesvius said:
    Materials on Hand: A Love Transfixed (Blood/Star 42), Shell Fragment (Beast 14), Still Growing Sapling (Wood/Life 13), Vestige's Ice (Ice 8), A Still Shaking Anvil (Steel/Force 7), Flowing Feathers of the Camel Turkey (Wind 4), Everbloom (Life 6), Ifeagrass (Blood 3), Brass Knocker (Force 3), Wool of a Verdant Ewe (Beast 2), Snake Mother's Skin (Beast 14), Desiccated Poison Sacs (Poison 15/Hunger 5)
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    These are all the materials we have currently available, everyone.
     
    Hm, Star is an inspirational aspect... Perhaps something that transforms KZ into an idealized version of his body - which would fix the arm, leg, and eye, but also provide upgrades of some sort.

    For materials, we have a fair amount of Life mats around - that seems like it could be relevant.

    Not sure on how the finished product would look - I'm not great with that kind of design.
     
    Armor that we absorb, we can use the snake mother skin for a skinsuit and shell fragments for armor pieces and the Blood star mat to bring it all together and power up Zhi's desire. Maybe the armor takes the shape Kong zhi wants? Wearing it his arm and foot is back to human. Just a thought.
     
    The Starlit Forge (Blood/Star/Steel/Force)

    [A Love Transfixed, A Still Shaking Anvil]

    Hammer down the Anvil into a flat steel altar-style sleeping mat and fit half of the Love onto a built-in headrest. Decorate it with faceted fragments of the other half of the Love in constellation patterns radiating out from the headrest within a vaguely body-shaped outline to direct anam throughout the user's whole body.

    The user channels anam into the charm and falls into a deep trance.

    Blood destabilizes the form.

    Star guides it into the ideal shape.

    Steel reforges it.

    Force makes it stronger than ever.
     
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    Remember everyone, anam aspects are really permissive in terms of creativity, so go wild. They aren't just the physical material, but also the concepts they represent.

    Fire and Smoke can create a burning Archer technique, but it can also create a smoke that invigorates and refreshes the mind. Water can be used to make anam batteries, and it's definitely not the only aspect that can do that sorta thing.

    Steel and Life can be a healing technique that doesn't turn you to steel because you'd be using the enduring nature of steel. I'm sure you could also draw on the nature of Steel to be forged and reforged for a different charm.

    Ves gave a good one relatively recently, with Fire burning but also being able to enrich soil. Beast can be wild ferocious power, but it can also be the camaraderie of the pack.
     
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    Charm Concept: The Heart of Kong
    Materials: A Love Transfixed, Everbloom, Ifeagrass
    Anam Types: Blood/Star/Life
    Construction: A Love Transfixed is carefully split in half. The inside is carved and faceted, with runes places inside. Sap boiled and mixed with the Ifeagrass and some of Kong Zhi's own blood. It is used to become amber in which the Everbloom will be preserved and then carved to fit into the inside of A Love Transfixed. Angel Tears are then used to fuse the two pieces of A Love Transfixed back together. A silver mounting is constructed to go around the seam, which is decorated with smaller gems made from the parts taken from the inside of the ALT. Runes carved on us it use dust

    This charm could either be implanted inside Kong Zhi as a second heart, or be made into an amulet. I prefer the former, as it's the neat and weird kind of shit that the Kong method allows for.

    Effects: This charm allows Kong Zhi to transform parts of his body between his human state and the Gifts of Tiaoyue freely. Ideally, this transformation is fairly quick (be that instantly, or a few moments) so that the swapping out can be done conveniently (can swap in battle, or at least in advance of a battle that is about to occur). In addition, the charm could provide healing, as it is righting Kong Zhi's form in one way or another.
     
    Vesvius said:
    I'll put more in the next update, but Star Anam is an advanced aspect. It's not quite as esoteric as time, and certainly more common, but it is not something that most Artists walk around with in their core. It is also nebulous as hell. It has direct connections to Light, Fire, and Night, but can also be related to (in various forms) Heavens and Discovery. It is a guiding aspect, like sailors use stars to guide their way home. It can inspire; some Star Artists cycle their anam before writing some of the world's most beloved poetry. But it is also a cold aspect; though Star is connected to so many others, it stands apart, part of a crowd yet not being touched by it. It is the aspect of the brave explorer and the aloof poet alike.
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    Here's Ves's post on Star anam if people can't find it, by the way. I think it'd be good for prospective idea-makers to give this a read. Might serve as some inspiration.
     
    CedeTheBees said:
    Starlit Forge (Blood/Star/Steel)
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    I do like this, but it does mean we'll need to go shopping for new Steel mats, and take a refining action. As such it'll increase our action load, when we already have Mo Hanying's thing, crafting, finding wonders, working on techs, and Caretaker duties.

    Still my favorite idea so far though, and having it be one of KZ's attuned aspects is very thematic.
     
    • Charm Idea, The Second Heart
    • Mats: A Love Transfixed (Blood/Star 42), Everbloom (Life 6)
    • Skill: Craft (Jewelry)
    • Form: A Medallion/orb made by splitting the Gem of ALT in half, and making a faceted cavity in which we place the Everbloom, sealed with a resin made of amber, Kong Zhi's Blood, Angel Tears, and Ground Gem dust. A rim of gold/silver is added to hide the join line and contains the runes for the charm along with the pieces of ALT we removed, recut into individual gems.
    • Effect:
      1. Using the Life Aspect, the charm bonds with the body of the user, allowing it to either fuse with the users skin, or even implant it within his body as a true "second heart"
      2. It will allow him to shape his body using the blood aspect with the guidence of the Star aspect. Making changes as he wishes, though it will be a somewhat slow process at first as he gets used to how to use his Second Heart
      3. Later on, when more skill is acquired, it will allow him to make improvements to his body such as increasing the strength of his muscles (Str), the durability of his bones (Con), his fine motor control (Dex), etc. (a slow process that would be guided by the Star Anam and fed by Zhi's Anam) and as he gains greater proficiency with it it will allow him to heal himself and purge poisons from his body.

    Credit for the original idea goes to UlseDovThur. Tho I did add my own tweaks both to the design and effect.

    The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest) Original

    While I would prefer we wait until we kill Taioyue and see what materials we pull off of its corpse if for some reason we make the ALT charm before then this is my preferred idea; -The Second Heart- -Materials: A Love Transfixed, Still Growing Sapling (Refined to remove its Wood Anam thus...
    forums.sufficientvelocity.com

    -Edit-

    ninja'd by Enjou lol
     
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    Snakevine Prosthetic Plan
    Combine the Snake Mother's Skin with the Still Living Sapling, and A Love Transfixed to make kind of full-body cast. A sapling is still growing, and a snake always sheds it's skin, and A Love Transfixed can help guide the body into a state helpful to us. The goal is to become a living tree man with properly formed limbs and snake skin, as the cast merges with the wearer. Ideally this can be removed and put back on, under certain conditions.
     
    Alright I've got a bunch but the simplest one is just ALT by itself so I'll lead with that. I know there are a bunch of others that have been banded about for a while so I'll leave those to their respective creators.

    Plan A Fervent Wish
    - Since man first turned his eyes towards the stars, the firm belief of something bigger and greater than us took hold deep inside. Something beyond our circumstances, reach, or even understanding. A fervent wish for something more. This charm takes that desire and pulls it down to earth, nurtured within in a more literal sense than ever before.
    - Form: A bloodred gemstone cut and faceted into the shape of a radiant star, with pinpoints of light twinkling in its deepest depths hinting at hidden strength.
    - Effect: Channels the firm wish of its holder into an effect on the body, slowly over time becoming their ideal self.
     
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    CedeTheBees said:
    Starlit Forge (Blood/Star/Steel)

    [A Love Transfixed, A Still Shaking Anvil]

    Refine Force out of the Anvil and use Chui Dao to convert what remains. Render it down into a heavy steel choker and fit the Love into the center.

    The user channels anam into the charm and falls into a deep trance.

    Blood destabilizes the form.

    Star guides it into the ideal shape.

    Steel reforges it and makes it stronger than ever.
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    Heads up, but that anvil is as large as an anvil. That's not going to work for a choker, unless if you want to use it as a tool of execution I suppose.

    The jewel is as big as Zhi's fist, but honestly that part is perfectly fine. I'm just worried about the anvil's worth of metal.

    Cool idea though.
     
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    ReaderOfFate said:
    Heads up, but that anvil is as large as an anvil. That's not going to work for a choker, unless if you want to use it as a tool of execution I suppose.

    Cool idea though.
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    Yeah... even a small anvil will still be bigger than Kong Zhi's head and weigh several hundred pounds.

    And like with the Night Timbers, we gotta use most of the material. Even if we split it in half when we refine it, that's still FAR too much material for a necklace.

    Maybe a breastplate, or another large piece of armor, But not a necklace.

    Sorry dude 😞
     
    Honestly my best idea is to use the Beast mats. Hear me out in kinda typing at work so not really that good. But I'm imaging using the snake swing and shell processed together and with the Love Transfixed as a sort of core. A full body bracer beating with Anam in tune with the users heartbeat.

    The effect I am basing on the nature of our transfiguration. Spirit based body modification to fit animalistic themes of body performance.

    The effect of the charm would be esoteric, bringing beastial or foreign changes 9n the body inline with its nature shaping the body to its original gorm while at the same time breaking the modification into its idea(ideal) and integrating it with the 'natural form of the user.m trough continuous cycling through thr charm and the effect.

    Basically rendering the forced modifications into proper techniques instead of the disfigurations they are currently.

    Put in the requirement that it isn't instant but follows the general cycling/training requirement that a technique would have just now with the Charm just assisting and extending this to forced transformations and conditions.

    Not really s<re how to put that as a proper charm write in but thats what I've got.
     
    Knight-Radiant said:
    I have one issue with this, and ANY idea that goes for an Ideal Self change.

    Kong Zhi is a teenager.

    Now, look back at what you thought was cool when you were a Teenager.... imagine being stuck like that FOREVER
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    Nah see, this isn't a single use charm. It'll be with us until we outgrow it and thus we can keep using it to make tweaks. At least, in theory.
    If he runs into negative effects then he will no doubt quickly be made to understand it by his friends and move to change in some way.
     
    CedeTheBees said:
    Starlit Forge (Blood/Star/Steel)

    [A Love Transfixed, A Still Shaking Anvil]

    Refine Force out of the Anvil and use Chui Dao to convert what remains. Render it down into a heavy steel choker and fit the Love into the center.

    The user channels anam into the charm and falls into a deep trance.

    Blood destabilizes the form.

    Star guides it into the ideal shape.

    Steel reforges it and makes it stronger than ever.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    My personal opinion is that we should not be mucking about with Mughi for this, because the amount of Steel in it is somewhat randomized. This is a project that directly affects Kong Zhi's body, and so

    Also, the anvil is the size of an anvil. That's A LOT of Steel. That's waaaay too much material to make a choker out of, or even an amulet. You're looking at something like this:



    And want to change it into jewelry. It doesn't work.
     
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    ReaderOfFate said:
    Heads up, but that anvil is as large as an anvil. That's not going to work for a choker, unless if you want to use it as a tool of execution I suppose.

    The jewel is as big as Zhi's fist, but honestly that part is perfectly fine. I'm just worried about the anvil's worth of metal.

    Cool idea though.
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    Changed it to be less likely to kill its user lol
     
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