Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Suppose LQ deserves to de-stress after that event. Surviving an assassination attempt while rushing around trying to keep civilians, peers, subordinates, friends and family alive in a massive attack where her teacher was killed, her respected senior lost an arm and she passed out is a lot to put on a kid. Experimenting with a new art form could make for a nice scene.
[X]Plan: Painting with Sixiang
[X]Plan: Painting with Sixiang
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Black Noise
Curious
- Location
- About 1AU from Sol
I'm not sure why people are voting for art, we already have a solid base in Expression with Music as a primary and Dance secondary.
That Six and PLR offer +skill passives[1] is a pretty bad reason to focus on it when art (unlike the other two) has literally no narrative presence or Art support. It's not like we're rushing to pick up fire aligned arts to better fit Zhengui.
To try and make something useful of a skill like art we'd need to either integrate it into our already cramped art load out and training plans (and as a consequence dilute the build), or to try to swing it in a utility role, to which I'd ask why go for art when formations are a thing and the skill is already at C. (plus getting practical use out of art might require investment into craft).
Hobbies? Those are for mortals and people who have free time. Just rise to ever greater realms of skill to become a master of music and being a wraith-like faster than the wind.
[1] that literally don't do anything, change my mind.
That Six and PLR offer +skill passives[1] is a pretty bad reason to focus on it when art (unlike the other two) has literally no narrative presence or Art support. It's not like we're rushing to pick up fire aligned arts to better fit Zhengui.
To try and make something useful of a skill like art we'd need to either integrate it into our already cramped art load out and training plans (and as a consequence dilute the build), or to try to swing it in a utility role, to which I'd ask why go for art when formations are a thing and the skill is already at C. (plus getting practical use out of art might require investment into craft).
Hobbies? Those are for mortals and people who have free time. Just rise to ever greater realms of skill to become a master of music and being a wraith-like faster than the wind.
[1] that literally don't do anything, change my mind.
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Hidden Moon Gathering-A Meaningless detail
- Location
- Greece
ok, it seems like either plan Pokemon will win, or, even worse, plan painting with Sixiang . Yes, I approval voted Pokemon as a compromise, but I still would rather turbocharge war, and Pokemon will probably not even win. But... then I remembered that rather than being salty, I can make omakes. Not only that, I already had an idea for an omake. So @yrsillar ... omake for the omake throne.
This is part 2 of the hidden moon gathering saga. I kind of wanted to make it part 1 originally, but it was even more... apocrypha-ish in the liberties it took. In the off chance part 1 was declared a sidestory, I would either try to work with the QM to keep it canon, or I would create another canon to tell this story so that it could be apocrypha without messing with the canonicity of the hidden moon gathering. But as it isn't, I have no need to stay withing canon, and I can take liberties irreverently.
I also changed this story quite a bit from the form it would take if it was part 1, and, if I am being honest, I like the changes quite a bit preferable, as they help punctuate the point much, much better. So it all worked out in the end.
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Meng Wei cursed. They then took a bottle, put it inside the lake, and used their cleansing art. The bottle was filled with impurities. Thus, they could start another divination.
Lei Bo loved Zhan Yimu, but he knew their love was not to be. He vowed that no one would even find out about their love. Indeed, no one even did.
Meng Wei cursed again. Another meaningless divination, more time spent cleansing.
"Ancestor Meng Wei" a voice was heard. Oh yeah, they forgot, they were the ancestor of the Meng clan of the Emerald Seas. Such a pesky, time-consuming position. Then again... it was the least time-consuming position one could get, allowing them to spend most of their time "cultivating" . Well... it was technically cultivation to his arts, but cultivation was not really their aim. Not really why they wanted time.
"I was wondering if I could ask esteemed ancestor about an issue we have. I..."
"Hmph" replied Meng Wei to the man who interrupted him "I am trying to reach White before I die." he lied. He knew he couldn't reach White, he was just trying to use the time he had remaining in the best way he knew of "You are now the clan head of the Meng, you should figure it out."
"I know that, but... I could use the input of esteemed ancestor. It may affect the future of our clan, you see and..."
Figures. Clan head or not, anything important happens, they run straight to the clan's only Prism. It was, what, only 4 years since they last disturbed them? Bah, what a time-consuming position.
Liang Xuefeng hated rice. But her mom couldn't know, she was already struggling with finances. She couldn't burden her more with her picky tongue. So she kept that secret close to her heart, even if the taste of rice made her want to gag.
This damn art. They spend their whole life creating an art that could pluck secrets from the ravages of time, sacrificing family, gender, love and aspirations to their Way... Only to discover than the vast majority of lost secrets to even exist were not huge, groundbreaking affairs, but meaningless drivel about the life of mortals and low-end cultivators. Even worse, it only affected the purview of the Hidden Moon, meaning that he couldn't look outside the empire. So they had to try, try, try and try again for the chance of uncovering anything meaningful, but each try required a lake's worth of pure water, and each try turned the water impure.
So they had to roll the dice, purify, then reroll. An endless grind, again and again and again and again, that only extremely rarely yielded any results.
But they had to keep rolling the dice. They had to uncover new secrets. New, important secrets. Even if they had to sift through all the sand of an endless desert, big enough to stretch from Earth to the Moon, they would gain the diamonds hidden underneath. They would discover earth-shaking secrets no one knew.
That one... would be an interesting secret, if it involved anyone that mattered, he sighed. Who cared about a mortal murdering another mortal 2.744 years ago? No one. No one cared.
They knew they were cutting it close. Scholar Qī had a secret to reveal tonight. Unlike this damn gambling contraption he called an art, hidden moon gatherings were always good at revealing important secrets. Líng made sure of it, with the most light-handed method possible. But they had to do just one more roll. If... if it was a good roll, they could consolidate the visit to the gathering with Líng's test, killing two birds with one stone and gaining time for a few more rolls. And that was all that mattered.
Wu Yahui was cheating her husband, but what he didn't know couldn't hurt him. After all, he was away for so long and she was oh so lonely.
Maybe they had time for one more?
...
...
...
Bingo.
When their construct, who was also them, entered the hall, they uttered a half-hearted apology for being late. Immediatedly after they finished, they heard Líng's announcement immediately: "Gentlemen. It appears that the time of our meeting has arrived. As with the previous two meetings, scholar Sì could not make it. If he is unable to appear to the following two as well, I'll be forced to give his spot to someone more deserving"
Scholar Qi's secret was delightful, but not as delightful as theirs. They would usually be the first to leave, to return to the depressing gambling game others would surely call "heaven-defying divinations", with sincerity in their heart. It was as if reality was mocking him.
But not this time. This time, they approached scholar Líng right away, dodging scholar Èr's attempts to impose on their schedule.
"Scholar Líng, I came here to submit a secret for review"
"Right now scholar Jiǔ? Right after a gathering? " It was the first time they even saw scholar Ling dumbfounded. They couldn't understand why. The man was usually unfased by the strangest of things. And having gatherings within two successive months was rare, but there was a precedent, that one time 3468 years ago.
"Right now, I am not made of time" Meng Wei, known as scholar Jiǔ to the gathering, replied.
It was a testament to Líng's wisdom that, even with the final decision on the submitter's hands, most secrets didn't really pass muster. Líng's ability to ask questions and make statements that would obliterate any desire to reveal often hard-earned secrets was a prerequisite to getting the job of Líng.
"Shortly after the Mu dynasty ascended to the throne, a man was born. His name was Zhu ZhenKang and his talent was beyond legendary."
"Zhu ZhenKang wanted to be a man who was an island. He wanted to not need anyone, or anything. There were few men who had a clearer understanding of their Way before even creating it. Or maybe I am overidealizing stuff. Maybe it was a childish dream that, due to his talent, grew too fast to be critically examined, too fast to be doubted. Either way, at the young age of 11, he left his home."
"At the age of 12, he managed what many scholars considered impossible, and started cultivating with ambient qi. His technique is known to me, but it is useless, it requires someone whose talent defies even the concept of heaven-defying in order to use, and it requires no human interaction and willingness to deprive oneself of anything Qi can provide, to boot. I think Zhu ZhenKang had more talent as a child than any ascended cultivator even had."
"One mere month later, he reached Yellow. One month after that, Green. His cultivating speed, unsurpassable. He never left his cave. He avoided eating, drinking, even breathing, as much as he could. He wanted to rely on nothing but himself. He, alone, would do everything, a closed system that needed no help or input."
"At the age of 13, he reached Cyan. At the age of 14, when his talent was truly unlocked, he reached Indigo. At 18, Violet. At that point, he created a pocket space to train in, because he didn't want to rely on the space of the real world. And so, he imposed even less in anything.
"At the age of 25, he reached Prism. At the young age of 40, White. He wanted to ascend, but before that, he had to take care of unfinished business. He calculated what consequences every bit of food he ate, everything he drank, every mote of air he breathed, every piece of space he disturbed would have if he never was, and he also calculated what every person who knew him would do if he was never born."
"Then he used his powers to alter the world, a little piece at a time until everything was as if he was never born. As if he had never needed anything."
"Then, at the age of 70, practically a child still, he ascended into a unique Great Spirit, a spirit of absolute self-reliance. A new Spirit, not bound to any others, not relying upon any others" Meng Wei finished his story.
"I see" scholar Líng finally talked "well, this is interesting enough, but I have just one question. How is that secret any different than the meaningless secrets you keep complaining about?"
"W-what? I discovered secret arts and techniques lost in time, a man whose talent surpassed the Sage Emperor, a new Great Spirit. How could any of these be meaningless?"
"You discovered a lot of arts and techniques only 1 person could ever use. I suspect they can not be replicated, not even if someone sharing Zhu ZhenKang's talent gets born again. Too personalized."
"You discovered a man who did nothing. He took nothing, and he gave back nothing. I suspect the pie" he squinted at one of the papers that comprised the body of my construct. I suspect that was courtesy, to show where he was getting this info from, as a man such as him surely didn't need to squint "Kong Min ate affected history more. Who knows, maybe it would have made a difference in the rest of his family's nutrition, thus helping them better their fates. Or maybe he saved someone from one of those mortal food ailments. Or maybe Lei Bo's forbidden love drove him to do or not do something that affected something else, that affected something else until the Way of a powerful immortal was affected. Either way, we cannot know, but in the length of history, even the tiniest of actions may have held some meaning."
"Zhu ZhenKang's actions, however, held none. And even when he ascended as a Great Spirit, he became a Great Spirit with no connections, no way to interact with anyone or anything, no way to be worshipped. Most importantly, a Spirit that changed nothing in the world."
"In summary, you discovered pretty much nothing meaningful. History would be the same with, or without that man. Reality didn't understand his passing. His discoveries were meaningless. He harmed no one and nothing. He aided no one and nothing. So I repeat my question. How is that discovery not meaningless?"
Meng Wei couldn't really answer that question.
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If I am allowed to allocate my point immediately... put it to war, please. (edit: scratch that, it came to my attention we may not be training war at all, I'll be returning to spent it after the vote is concluded)
Also, hope everyone enjoyed my omake. Again, criticism welcome, I am an inexperienced author looking to improve.
This is part 2 of the hidden moon gathering saga. I kind of wanted to make it part 1 originally, but it was even more... apocrypha-ish in the liberties it took. In the off chance part 1 was declared a sidestory, I would either try to work with the QM to keep it canon, or I would create another canon to tell this story so that it could be apocrypha without messing with the canonicity of the hidden moon gathering. But as it isn't, I have no need to stay withing canon, and I can take liberties irreverently.
I also changed this story quite a bit from the form it would take if it was part 1, and, if I am being honest, I like the changes quite a bit preferable, as they help punctuate the point much, much better. So it all worked out in the end.
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Hidden Moon Gathering- A meaningless detail
Litle Kong Ning stole a piece from his mother's pie. No one would find out. Between his twelve brothers, he could escape incriminating himself forever. The mystery of the stolen pie piece was something no one would ever find out.
Meng Wei cursed. They then took a bottle, put it inside the lake, and used their cleansing art. The bottle was filled with impurities. Thus, they could start another divination.
Lei Bo loved Zhan Yimu, but he knew their love was not to be. He vowed that no one would even find out about their love. Indeed, no one even did.
Meng Wei cursed again. Another meaningless divination, more time spent cleansing.
"Ancestor Meng Wei" a voice was heard. Oh yeah, they forgot, they were the ancestor of the Meng clan of the Emerald Seas. Such a pesky, time-consuming position. Then again... it was the least time-consuming position one could get, allowing them to spend most of their time "cultivating" . Well... it was technically cultivation to his arts, but cultivation was not really their aim. Not really why they wanted time.
"I was wondering if I could ask esteemed ancestor about an issue we have. I..."
"Hmph" replied Meng Wei to the man who interrupted him "I am trying to reach White before I die." he lied. He knew he couldn't reach White, he was just trying to use the time he had remaining in the best way he knew of "You are now the clan head of the Meng, you should figure it out."
"I know that, but... I could use the input of esteemed ancestor. It may affect the future of our clan, you see and..."
Figures. Clan head or not, anything important happens, they run straight to the clan's only Prism. It was, what, only 4 years since they last disturbed them? Bah, what a time-consuming position.
***
As expected, the issue was trivial. They could now return to their lake.
Liang Xuefeng hated rice. But her mom couldn't know, she was already struggling with finances. She couldn't burden her more with her picky tongue. So she kept that secret close to her heart, even if the taste of rice made her want to gag.
This damn art. They spend their whole life creating an art that could pluck secrets from the ravages of time, sacrificing family, gender, love and aspirations to their Way... Only to discover than the vast majority of lost secrets to even exist were not huge, groundbreaking affairs, but meaningless drivel about the life of mortals and low-end cultivators. Even worse, it only affected the purview of the Hidden Moon, meaning that he couldn't look outside the empire. So they had to try, try, try and try again for the chance of uncovering anything meaningful, but each try required a lake's worth of pure water, and each try turned the water impure.
So they had to roll the dice, purify, then reroll. An endless grind, again and again and again and again, that only extremely rarely yielded any results.
But they had to keep rolling the dice. They had to uncover new secrets. New, important secrets. Even if they had to sift through all the sand of an endless desert, big enough to stretch from Earth to the Moon, they would gain the diamonds hidden underneath. They would discover earth-shaking secrets no one knew.
***
Everyone else will think he had an accident. Only Quan Ruogang knew that this was a murder.
That one... would be an interesting secret, if it involved anyone that mattered, he sighed. Who cared about a mortal murdering another mortal 2.744 years ago? No one. No one cared.
They knew they were cutting it close. Scholar Qī had a secret to reveal tonight. Unlike this damn gambling contraption he called an art, hidden moon gatherings were always good at revealing important secrets. Líng made sure of it, with the most light-handed method possible. But they had to do just one more roll. If... if it was a good roll, they could consolidate the visit to the gathering with Líng's test, killing two birds with one stone and gaining time for a few more rolls. And that was all that mattered.
Wu Yahui was cheating her husband, but what he didn't know couldn't hurt him. After all, he was away for so long and she was oh so lonely.
Maybe they had time for one more?
...
...
...
Bingo.
***
Meng Wei's way of travel was easy. They could create a construct out of papers where secrets unknown to anyone living but them were written, and they could create it anywhere beneath the purview of the hidden moon. When they devised that technique, they balked at the cost, as after the secrets were written, they would be known. Then they realized how cheap most secrets were.
When their construct, who was also them, entered the hall, they uttered a half-hearted apology for being late. Immediatedly after they finished, they heard Líng's announcement immediately: "Gentlemen. It appears that the time of our meeting has arrived. As with the previous two meetings, scholar Sì could not make it. If he is unable to appear to the following two as well, I'll be forced to give his spot to someone more deserving"
***
Scholar Qi's secret was delightful, but not as delightful as theirs. They would usually be the first to leave, to return to the depressing gambling game others would surely call "heaven-defying divinations", with sincerity in their heart. It was as if reality was mocking him.
But not this time. This time, they approached scholar Líng right away, dodging scholar Èr's attempts to impose on their schedule.
"Scholar Líng, I came here to submit a secret for review"
"Right now scholar Jiǔ? Right after a gathering? " It was the first time they even saw scholar Ling dumbfounded. They couldn't understand why. The man was usually unfased by the strangest of things. And having gatherings within two successive months was rare, but there was a precedent, that one time 3468 years ago.
"Right now, I am not made of time" Meng Wei, known as scholar Jiǔ to the gathering, replied.
***
The process of approval was very easy and very hard to pass at the same time. The scholar would reveal their story, and Líng would ask questions. If at the end of this, the scholar still thought their secret was worthy of being revealed under the two moons, they could go ahead.
It was a testament to Líng's wisdom that, even with the final decision on the submitter's hands, most secrets didn't really pass muster. Líng's ability to ask questions and make statements that would obliterate any desire to reveal often hard-earned secrets was a prerequisite to getting the job of Líng.
"Shortly after the Mu dynasty ascended to the throne, a man was born. His name was Zhu ZhenKang and his talent was beyond legendary."
"Zhu ZhenKang wanted to be a man who was an island. He wanted to not need anyone, or anything. There were few men who had a clearer understanding of their Way before even creating it. Or maybe I am overidealizing stuff. Maybe it was a childish dream that, due to his talent, grew too fast to be critically examined, too fast to be doubted. Either way, at the young age of 11, he left his home."
"At the age of 12, he managed what many scholars considered impossible, and started cultivating with ambient qi. His technique is known to me, but it is useless, it requires someone whose talent defies even the concept of heaven-defying in order to use, and it requires no human interaction and willingness to deprive oneself of anything Qi can provide, to boot. I think Zhu ZhenKang had more talent as a child than any ascended cultivator even had."
"One mere month later, he reached Yellow. One month after that, Green. His cultivating speed, unsurpassable. He never left his cave. He avoided eating, drinking, even breathing, as much as he could. He wanted to rely on nothing but himself. He, alone, would do everything, a closed system that needed no help or input."
"At the age of 13, he reached Cyan. At the age of 14, when his talent was truly unlocked, he reached Indigo. At 18, Violet. At that point, he created a pocket space to train in, because he didn't want to rely on the space of the real world. And so, he imposed even less in anything.
"At the age of 25, he reached Prism. At the young age of 40, White. He wanted to ascend, but before that, he had to take care of unfinished business. He calculated what consequences every bit of food he ate, everything he drank, every mote of air he breathed, every piece of space he disturbed would have if he never was, and he also calculated what every person who knew him would do if he was never born."
"Then he used his powers to alter the world, a little piece at a time until everything was as if he was never born. As if he had never needed anything."
"Then, at the age of 70, practically a child still, he ascended into a unique Great Spirit, a spirit of absolute self-reliance. A new Spirit, not bound to any others, not relying upon any others" Meng Wei finished his story.
"I see" scholar Líng finally talked "well, this is interesting enough, but I have just one question. How is that secret any different than the meaningless secrets you keep complaining about?"
"W-what? I discovered secret arts and techniques lost in time, a man whose talent surpassed the Sage Emperor, a new Great Spirit. How could any of these be meaningless?"
"You discovered a lot of arts and techniques only 1 person could ever use. I suspect they can not be replicated, not even if someone sharing Zhu ZhenKang's talent gets born again. Too personalized."
"You discovered a man who did nothing. He took nothing, and he gave back nothing. I suspect the pie" he squinted at one of the papers that comprised the body of my construct. I suspect that was courtesy, to show where he was getting this info from, as a man such as him surely didn't need to squint "Kong Min ate affected history more. Who knows, maybe it would have made a difference in the rest of his family's nutrition, thus helping them better their fates. Or maybe he saved someone from one of those mortal food ailments. Or maybe Lei Bo's forbidden love drove him to do or not do something that affected something else, that affected something else until the Way of a powerful immortal was affected. Either way, we cannot know, but in the length of history, even the tiniest of actions may have held some meaning."
"Zhu ZhenKang's actions, however, held none. And even when he ascended as a Great Spirit, he became a Great Spirit with no connections, no way to interact with anyone or anything, no way to be worshipped. Most importantly, a Spirit that changed nothing in the world."
"In summary, you discovered pretty much nothing meaningful. History would be the same with, or without that man. Reality didn't understand his passing. His discoveries were meaningless. He harmed no one and nothing. He aided no one and nothing. So I repeat my question. How is that discovery not meaningless?"
Meng Wei couldn't really answer that question.
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If I am allowed to allocate my point immediately... put it to war, please. (edit: scratch that, it came to my attention we may not be training war at all, I'll be returning to spent it after the vote is concluded)
Also, hope everyone enjoyed my omake. Again, criticism welcome, I am an inexperienced author looking to improve.
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Diomedea
A piece of the continent
- Location
- The interblag
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Reminder that art is a very broad skill, and includes things like poetry, which is kinda needed if we ever want to compose songs with lyrics.
Omake points are only applicable to what we're training (it boosts what we're already training). So unless a plan with WAR wins, it's not a valid option. I'd recommend sitting on it until the vote is over, or if you really want to spend it immediately, Spirit Ken (assuming pokemon doesn't win) would have only 1/6 chance of not-capping at that point.
Omake points are only applicable to what we're training (it boosts what we're already training). So unless a plan with WAR wins, it's not a valid option. I'd recommend sitting on it until the vote is over, or if you really want to spend it immediately, Spirit Ken (assuming pokemon doesn't win) would have only 1/6 chance of not-capping at that point.
- Location
- Greece
Oh really? We are not even training war this turn? Damn. Guess I am sitting on it.
[X] Plan: Pokemon
Okay dropping for two hour warning. Also thanks for the Omake @storryeater I am still looking to make time to review your series for side story status, so hang on.
Secondly, I will note that I am now accepting a limited number of comissions on patreon, since several people have requested it. Just follow the instructions and shoot me an e-mail if you are interested. I will note that in the unlikely event that I get too many requests some may have to be deferred or declined, so that my normal schedule is not adversely affected.
Secondly, I will note that I am now accepting a limited number of comissions on patreon, since several people have requested it. Just follow the instructions and shoot me an e-mail if you are interested. I will note that in the unlikely event that I get too many requests some may have to be deferred or declined, so that my normal schedule is not adversely affected.
Froyo Baggins
Sock Puppet
- Location
- NYC
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X]Plan: Painting with Sixiang
-[X] 2 Art***
-[X] 2 Art***
- Location
- United States of America, Michigan
[X] Plan: Pokemon
Missing a [ there.
- Location
- Greece
Apologies, then. Guess I jumped the gun.
So... seeing as I already have spent 1 point... I guess I can spend the apocrypha point and, should it be a side story, also gain 1 additional point per side story to spend? Asking because, should Pokemon win (its currently a draw between it and Sixiang), I'll want to spend one point right away.
I've made your first one sidestory, weird little anecdotes like that fit the overall flavour of the thousand year civil war period with the shang, will consider your second one, since I'm not sure about the ages involved. Sidestories get two points so yes, you have one additional one to spend
- Location
- Greece
I can edit the ages to be older, if that is the only problem. What year of ascension is good for such a genius? 100? 200? 300? the other breakthroughs will be adjusted accordingly. I scaled him off Shenhua, but I guess her hack accounted for more than merely >10 talent.
I thought making the Meng ancestor spent his day on gatcha would be the thing that would be obstructive.
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Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
Shenhua is a pretty much unprecedented-in-history genius, I think she's actually beaten the Sage Emperor in the speedrun to White, or at least is in the same ballpark.
- Location
- Greece
The point of that guy in my story is that he is such a genius he surpasses even Mary Sue tier characters, and yet he amounted to nothing... kind of like a poetic parable about the value of one's actions or smth, only it really happened. I didn't make him faster than everyone else just so that I could have "amazingly strong OC, donut steal", dude wasn't even that big part of the story by wordcount. Then again, slowing him down to "merely" the speed of other unparalleled geniuses does account for his lack of resources and does pass the same point accross.