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

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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Ahh, it's always nice to see our resident terror snake in action. We have clouds and rains of poison, terror of incredible potency, and a pillar of water to relax upon as the world is slowly warped and corroded by your anger.

Also, good on Meizhen for slowly exploring a friendship and what it means to her. Too bad the Bai archives don't really deal with matters of the heart, unless those matters involve how to terrify it or carve it out of your enemies.
 
AbeoLogos said:
There's also the issue that what FVM does, if codified in our Domain Weapon, would call into question the legitimacy of significant portions of our other art suite. Portions of BKSD and PLR most prominently. We have to look at whether we're engineering useful redundancy or the irrelevance of our own investments.
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Mmm, I would actually argue the opposite. I've been thinking that potentially sticking FVM into our Domain Weapon would actually be very helpful there. The basic problem with, for example, PLR is that it really wants to be used the same way as FVM - as the field that we use as the background element to the rest of our strategy. In theory, yes, they actually stack well. In practice, if we try to layer everything we start running out of actions, and getting to the "just attack them already dammit" point.

Off-loading FVM responsibility to our domain weapon would mean that we could just have that spewing out as our background element, and then we personally start building up PLR/BKSD. This allows us rapid buildup of either defensive or offensive field effects when we need them, and by allowing us to focus on our new arts helps them get more focus and presence, rather than being pushed to the side by FVM.

Depends how the whole system works of course. If we're just sticking a single tech in there, then just MotV would be bleh.
 
[] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
[] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.

On one hand we have a chance of drawing out something Renxiang actually personally enjoys while on the other we get to see how these two girls are with each other. Then again we don't want to disrupt their thing but their thing might also just be two ducal scions overly prone to being formal.

I imagine this little trio could be a close knit group. They could have tea while Qi compose, Meizhen fish and Renxiang reads, all doing what they enjoy while spending carefree time with friends which is something each of them desperately needs. So this choice would be whether to make this more familiar at the risk of their enjoyment or keep it quiet and relaxed but risk not achieving that level of closeness we want.
 
Ok while I really like our current relationship with Meizhen this last update is just begging for an omake from the universe where Ling Qi did have an interest in women.

The fishing for compliments bit was so cute.
 
yrsillar said:
Ling Qi cracked a grin and laughed. "Seriously though, it seems like I really can't catch up, no matter what I do."
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This is the refrain.

This is the sentence that will be repeated for the entire time we are in the sect. It does not matter that keeping up is called exceptional, it does not matter that those behind us are in awe of us, it does not matter that we have succeeded wildly beyond the expectation of our betters. It does not matter that we've climbed further, with no house and no legacy, then anyone else in our peers.

We are going to claw for the summit of the three princess's for as long as we live, and anything less is failure.
 
[] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.

Ling's social I don't think has improved much and there's value in just sitting back and enjoying the ambiance.
 
[] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?

This is a great time to step out of our comfort zone. Cai with correct any mistakes we make so they aren't repeated in public and Meizhen is our friend. This is as safe a social situation as we could get.
 
[] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.
Sure being comfortable and open with those close to her would be great but I'm more curious about seeing how they normally are together. Plus we can't be overly informal, CRX is still LQ's boss and the three together is a pretty new dynamic.
 
Mmm, value as a Ling Qi character action aside, the virtue in asking Renxiang about what she was reading likely puts the focus on her ideals and goals, and continues our goal of trying to get closer to her.

Also, tbh, 50% odds that Renxiang *wants* to be asked about the book so she can use it as a metaphor or something.
 
yrsillar said:
In the same moment, Ling Qi bent low, allowing the silvery edge of Meizhen's domain weapon pass through the air above her with a muffled boom, carried on the leading edge of a fan of water that carved a meters deep cut into the wall of the arena behind her, and exploded into motion, soaring over the lake that churned beneath Meizhen, growing with every drop of rain that fell. Through her flute, she sang, and falling curtains of rain shattered as she flew through their newly solid forms. Meizhen's free hand rose in warding as her refrain reached its crescendo, and black water froze and shattered, leaving red ice burns across her friends palm.
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I have to say, we've really improved if we are now able to leave some ice burns on Meizhen. She has some crazy defenses going on here, but we were still able to punch through it for a score.

It brings me back to the time when we sparred with Meizhen in FoD and weren't really capable of doing any damage to her, even with FSS. Now though... now we are keeping pace with her which is fantastic.
 
Erebeal said:
Mmm, value as a Ling Qi character action aside, the virtue in asking Renxiang about what she was reading likely puts the focus on her ideals and goals, and continues our goal of trying to get closer to her.

Also, tbh, 50% odds that Renxiang *wants* to be asked about the book so she can use it as a metaphor or something.
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I mean, who hasn't had a favorite book or book series that they wanted to talk about with friends but didn't want to just randomly bring it up?
 
[] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.

It's less for the conversation coup out and more to see the interaction between two of our important friends. It's also probably the best way to have something important pop up.
I mean comparatively to CRX favorite book series;
 
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Pathos said:
I mean, who hasn't had a favorite book or book series that they wanted to talk about with friends but didn't want to just randomly bring it up?
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And then it's turns out to be a book of law, and LQ spends the next three hours trying to escape by gnawing off her own arm or something to avoid being compelled to listen to the driest recount of imperial law in history.

:p
 
Thor's Twin said:
I have to say, we've really improved if we are now able to leave some ice burns on Meizhen. She has some crazy defenses going on here, but we were still able to punch through it for a score.

It brings me back to the time when we sparred with Meizhen in FoD and weren't really capable of doing any damage to her, even with FSS. Now though... now we are keeping pace with her which is fantastic.
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Arguably we're even catching up, as you said that wound if a first for us (at least as far as i remember).
On the other hand, the fight also shows, again, we're relying pretty heavily on Six for our spiritual defense, and if s/he finally decides to go away we'd be pretty screwed.
 
Ayashi said:
It's less for the conversation coup out and more to see the interaction between two of our important friends. It's also probably the best way to have something important pop up.
I mean comparatively to CRX favorite book series;
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I mean, we've been specifically invited now. I assume there's something they want to talk about involving us, and this vote is just providing a backdrop and character development action.

And I would say that getting closer to Renxiang is one of our key goals this year. Gotta rack up those friendship points while we've got her to ourselves without Gan around! :V
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?

This is better from a character and narrative perspective in my opinion. It involves Ling Qi stepping out of her comfort zone, an action which is now a part of Ling Qi's domain due to SCS's insight. There's no risk either as CRX and Meizhen both know Ling Qi well so there's nothing Ling Qi could realistically say here that would hurt her relationships with them. Staying quiet here also won't help us get closer to CRX, as Erebeal said.

Also, we definitely did a lot better against Meizhen here than we did in FoD. We're actually catching up based on what we see here, not just keeping pace.
 
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[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
[X] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.
 
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[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
[X] Take the lead in conversation, ask Cai Renxiang what she was reading. You are trying to be more outgoing. What could go wrong with asking about her literary interests?
 
[X] Focus on your needlework and watch your friend and liege, you've never actually seen much of their interactions, and you aren't sure you want to blunder into another difficult conversation.
 
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