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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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here come the arguments.

[] Loneliness (Starlight Elegy, Music)

I'm still at work, so I can't go into detail, but I think this dovetails most neatly with who we are and what we're about. Ling Qi's ambivalent relationship with loneliness and solitude is one of her most important character traits: she enjoys being on her own sometimes, but wants loved ones to come home to.
yrsillar said:
Was it her loneliness? The melody exemplified loneliness, and although the Traveler had chosen it, to Ling Qi his regrets were laid bare in the melody. The memory of nights alone in the streets and isolation amidst even the most crowded streets were not pleasant memories, but they were a core part of her. It was because of those memories that she worked so hard and clung to her friends so tightly. It was why Xiulan's leaving hurt so much, why spending time with Meizhen made her happy, and why she was so determined to break through to Cai Renxiang.
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I'm reminded of how, when she was receiving tutoring from Elder Ying, this happened:
"That is roughly correct," Elder Ying replied. "To summarize the rest of the tale, from their new understanding, the Mother and the Father found happiness and fulfillment for a time, but other spirits found their mingling of essence, the 'impurity' wrought by allowing oneself to be affected and changed by another being, to be repugnant and an abomination. The two were attacked and most of their first human children slain, but this proved a mistake, wrought by the other spirits' ignorance and incomprehension. The Father and Mother were mighty beyond compare, and the assault enraged them. They slew an uncounted number of their brethren and severed a vast section of the primordial chaos, reshaping it into the world we know today. They sacrificed everything, even down to their names, to forge a world where their children could live and prosper. This is why Great Spirits can no longer interact directly with the world, and its nature is no longer ephemeral but ordered and solid."

"If impurity came from the mixing of essences, does that mean that in order to reach the pinnacle of cultivation, you have to be alone?" Ling Qi asked.

Elder Ying gave her an approving look, but Ling Qi could see the hint of sadness in her eyes. "That is the contradiction of cultivation, yes. With each step taken closer to the divine, it becomes more difficult to maintain your connections, and it grows easier to isolate yourself as your peers grow fewer and fewer in number. After all, a Great Spirit is a unique existence, utterly separate from even other aspects of the same concept." The Elder shook her head, letting out a sigh. "Such things will be beyond you for some time. Instead, let us speak of how this knowledge relates to your cultivation and the cultivation of your connection with your spirit…"
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Our first question about the height of cultivation was about the fact that purity of essence necessarily entails isolation. That was where our mind naturally jumped. This concept matters in a really defining way, and I think it's worth affirming that.

EDIT: I also think it goes really well with some of our existing domain insights:
"Though a path might be hard and lonely, it has worth if you can present something of beauty to those you care for at the end."
"One person's desires cannot, alone make a home nor a family."

So I think it works better with what we've built so far and as a foundation still to come.
 
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[] Ambition (Dissonance of Night's Terror, Water)

Ling Qi is a very driven girl. She will raise herself, and she will help the rise of her friends. She choose a difficult path working directly for the Cai and so she will need the drive to reach the higher realms of cultivation to get everything she wants.

Edit: I just don't want Ling Qi to ever forget her ambition.
Also people, please don't vote on the defining of Ling Qi character with mechanical choices.
 
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[X] Loneliness (Starlight Elegy, Music)

The lack of virtues makes me sad, but I suppose that's the best that could be expected from FVM. Alas, Ling Qi doesn't cultivate many arts with a virtuous bent anyway.
I suppose we'll have to settle for baser motivations, such as the fear of loneliness (compare: desire for friendship. They are similar but not the same).
 
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picklepikkl said:
here come the arguments.

[] Loneliness (Starlight Elegy, Music)

I'm still at work, so I can't go into detail, but I think this dovetails most neatly with who we are and what we're about. Ling Qi's ambivalent relationship with loneliness and solitude is one of her most important character traits: she enjoys being on her own sometimes, but wants loved ones to come home to.

I'm reminded of how, when she was receiving tutoring from Elder Ying, this happened:

Our first question about the height of cultivation was about the fact that purity of essence necessarily entails isolation. That was where our mind naturally jumped. This concept matters in a really defining way, and I think it's worth affirming that.

EDIT: I also think it goes really well with some of our existing domain insights:
"Though a path might be hard and lonely, it has worth if you can present something of beauty to those you care for at the end."
"One person's desires cannot, alone make a home nor a family."

So I think it works better with what we've built so far and as a foundation still to come.
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If Ling Qi were so married to the idea of cultivation and changing her core self to better suit its needs, she would instead be choosing ambition, so from a Watsonian perspective your idea doesn't hold water.

I'd vote for greed myself.
 
Boi, all choices are pretty central to LQ. For both good and bad.

yrsillar said:
[] Loneliness (Starlight Elegy, Music)
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The, "I was alone and I dont want to be that any more". LQ had it rough she wants her friends and family around her now that she got em. Thankfully we have the advance insight and the Zeqing trial so she has moved on from trying to keep them around her forever. She is just going to become one of the biggest letter writers in the empire instead. :p

[] Ambition (Dissonance of Night's Terror, Water)
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The things that made LQ look at snek!aunt and Overlord fight and go "I want that". LQ loves cultivation and her ambition is great and tied once again in with an insight. It should be good to have because we dont want her to be only about family. "One persons desire can not make a family" includes LQ herself and not just other people ya know. Her desire must also be taken into consideration.

[] Want (Traveler's End, Dark)
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LQ is a greedy girl. This is known. Friends, family, power she goes to hell and back for it. She has stumbled sometimes but I think it has actually done much good. Hanyi lives, Meizhen did not hermit and get embittered.
 
I lean towards ambition. It's the ... purest of the three.

But maybe purity isn't what we want. Maybe the messiness of want is better.
 
Mors said:
If Ling Qi were so married to the idea of cultivation and changing her core self to better suit its needs, she would instead be choosing ambition, so from a Watsonian perspective your idea doesn't hold water.
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The question isn't "what feeling is most necessary for cultivation." Obviously it's ambition; not every cultivator needs to be motivated by loneliness or greed, but you cannot reach heights without ambition. The question is "what feeling is most important to Ling Qi's understanding of the FVM?" And I think that's pretty consistently been loneliness, her feelings about avoiding it while also enjoying it at times, and that that's been reflected in the votes people have been making about her domain.
 
Basically, what I'm seeing here is.

"What thought is it that Ling Qi clings to to keep going through all the bullshit that Cultivation makes you do."

Ambition is nice, Want is nice, but the biggest trauma Ling Qi has is that her life was miserable and she never wants to go back to that.

So yeah, I'm in favor of Loneliness.
 
yrsillar said:
The memory of nights alone in the streets and isolation amidst even the most crowded streets were not pleasant memories, but they were a core part of her. It was because of those memories that she worked so hard and clung to her friends so tightly. It was why Xiulan's leaving hurt so much, why spending time with Meizhen made her happy, and why she was so determined to break through to Cai Renxiang.
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My first thought was Want, but on reflection, Loneliness actually puts our bonds front and center in ways I love. Qi was alone for so long, and her bonds are irreplaceable.
 
Also Ling Qi like cultivation because it was an opportunity to change herself and Ambition reflect it the best of the three. Personally, I just feel that Loneliness and Want will turn Ling Qi into a bit of a clingy, needy girl. Ambition is more healthy for her I think.

Edit: Though I could be sold on Loneliness, I don't want Ling Qi to be solely defined by her greed in Want.
 
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Noxious said:
Man I just have to go for the Dark option. How can anyone resist giving Ling Qi the terrible Blade of Want.
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Want has more or less been her driving force for quite some time now. And tbh, I find it funny some people are condemning it as "greed" while touting ambition. I mean, you could fill a library with all the cautionary tales of unchecked ambition that have been written.
 
Asael said:
Want has more or less been her driving force for quite some time now. And tbh, I find it funny some people are condemning it as "greed" while touting ambition. I mean, you could fill a library with all the cautionary tales of unchecked ambition that have been written.
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Probably wont have to worry about unchecked ambition with LQ tho. Her aim and shackles are spelled out in the text. She is very on point with what she wants or desires.
 
[] Want (Traveler's End, Dark)

Just because of the Destiny themes. /Joking.

Honestly, all 3 are great 'cause FVM is such a goddamn great art. It makes it really hard to choose.
 
Qi's Ambition and Want are sourced from her Loneliness. Loneliness is what drives her, it's what pushes her to seek the heights of cultivation and power and makes her so desperate for connection. She is not ambitious for Ambition's sake, she wants it because she's terrified of being just another worthless girl among many and because she never wants to be alone again. What she Want is nothing less than to make the loneliness bearable, her greed just a lonely girls desperate hunger that can never be fulfilled. Loneliness might not be the healthiest of choices but it's the best and most interesting one for her cultivation, I feel.

[][Meridians] Lung x2, Heart x1
[][Meridians] Lung x1, Heart x2

What do we feel on this?
 
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