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.
Furthermore we've already kinda traded favors with him before. He forgave a little slip of our tongue about his family(qingling) and asked us to forgive a slip of his tongue.
- Location
- The Maple Syrup Mountains
"Owe Bao Qian a favour" reads to me like "Give yrsillar a plot hook for the next Bao Qian arc"
And I like Bao Qian, so I'm perfectly okay with that.
- Location
- Earth
Famous last words of Xianxia protagonist before some Rival/evil fuck gets him to do him a small favor that only a little bit unlawful before using it as a chink in the armor against her fully "I AM THE LAW" liege to lead her down a slippery slope of bullshit.
Or using it as an in with the protag to get her into business where her small favor is seen as something completely different by a third party, which is just classic for the setting. Like asking her to go on a date with him, that creates a narrative that she's already chosen a preferred suitor and fucks with her negotiating position for said suit as well as other potential suitors, or is used against her when arguing with her Lord about who she should marry.
Like so: "Well, what about that Bao fellow, they're getting along nicely, why just last week they went to the theater together."
Manipulators getting a lot out of you for little is their whole stick.
Even if we don't choose to pursue Bao Qian I think 'further entanglements' would still be a good thing. The only thing it costs us is that we'll likely have to spend another arc doing his favor when he asks for it, spending an act on him being something we'd do anyway one of these days, and this way we can play hard(er) to get. In exchange we slightly improve our economy by diversifying our sources of income and gain a friend that can help us make money in the future. Even if we don't marry him he'd still make a good ally since we don't have anyone else with a specific talent for funding a growing girl.
Personally Bao Qian seems to me like the best option for a husbando if Ling Qi can't overcome her discomfort with men and sex, which I honestly like about her character. Like, fuck it, she'll just have a platonic romantic relationship with Meizhen, have a shitton of family and friends, and a husband she loves but not loves. It's a viable option for her characterization.
Personally Bao Qian seems to me like the best option for a husbando if Ling Qi can't overcome her discomfort with men and sex, which I honestly like about her character. Like, fuck it, she'll just have a platonic romantic relationship with Meizhen, have a shitton of family and friends, and a husband she loves but not loves. It's a viable option for her characterization.
- Location
- Finland
Ling Qi is not a complete moron to do a "little bit unlawful" favor in return for a completely above the board favor.
Like, the amount of paranoia you are showing here would, if applied consistently, lead us to never talking to anyone about anything because that could lead to <insert the worst possible thing here>.
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- He/They
No thanks.
She's easy to manipulate, I'm not putting a window into her soul out into the public.
Blah blah, parenting, blah blah, "thank me when you're older".
Also, the fact that selling the music is a favor from Bao implies there's not much market and it's a vanity press. She'll figure that out eventually.
[X] Reassure Hanyi that you'll find another way for her to help. [Better negotiating position in Zhengui arrangement. Avoids further entanglements with Bao Qian. Sad Hanyi.]
She's easy to manipulate, I'm not putting a window into her soul out into the public.
Blah blah, parenting, blah blah, "thank me when you're older".
Also, the fact that selling the music is a favor from Bao implies there's not much market and it's a vanity press. She'll figure that out eventually.
[X] Reassure Hanyi that you'll find another way for her to help. [Better negotiating position in Zhengui arrangement. Avoids further entanglements with Bao Qian. Sad Hanyi.]
- Location
- foraging for beans
Eh, I'm not a huge fan of taking a worse deal on Zhengui's ash. Xuanwu are legendary spirits, and Zhengui has an elemental alignment that is unique in the setting, so his ash is going to be a valuable product. Getting a bad price for it at the start means that all prices we negotiate from that point on are going to be in reference to that bad deal. It's an error that will compound itself too, since the ash is going to get more valuable as his cultivation improves, and the improved prices are set based on previous prices.
Weakening our bargaining position here just feels like, potentially, a significant long term blunder economically. We can always get Hanyi a recording deal later, but we only get one shot to set the market rate from Zhengui's ash.
It's not like this is the only way for Hanyi to make money either, she could always just hunt spirit beasts and have LQ sell the cores for her.
[X] Reassure Hanyi that you'll find another way for her to help. [Better negotiating position in Zhengui arrangement. Avoids further entanglements with Bao Qian. Sad Hanyi.]
Weakening our bargaining position here just feels like, potentially, a significant long term blunder economically. We can always get Hanyi a recording deal later, but we only get one shot to set the market rate from Zhengui's ash.
It's not like this is the only way for Hanyi to make money either, she could always just hunt spirit beasts and have LQ sell the cores for her.
[X] Reassure Hanyi that you'll find another way for her to help. [Better negotiating position in Zhengui arrangement. Avoids further entanglements with Bao Qian. Sad Hanyi.]
Last edited:
- Location
- UK
I really want to disagree because pop-idol Hanyi, but you're right, and furthermore, Hanyi is regardless of anything else still a green level combatant.
Surely she can just hunt a few yellow spirit beasts if she wants to buy some dresses? I don't know how expensive these dresses she's looking for are but if it takes more than a week of hunting for a green to buy a single one I'm really not sure if it's wise for her to own an entire wardrobe of the things anyway.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Agree to talk to Bao Qian [Gives Hanyi income. Owe favor to Bao Qian. Reduces asking power in Zhengui negotiations]
I'm not really worried about having our asking power reduced that much, and I'd like Hanyi to be able to do things of her own offscreen. And I don't mind the idea that we might owe him a favor; the favor we owed to Yu Nuan led into a fun little arc. In general I support options that empower other characters to be able to exercise independent agency, instead of only doing stuff when Ling Qi gets around to paying attention to them.
I'm not really worried about having our asking power reduced that much, and I'd like Hanyi to be able to do things of her own offscreen. And I don't mind the idea that we might owe him a favor; the favor we owed to Yu Nuan led into a fun little arc. In general I support options that empower other characters to be able to exercise independent agency, instead of only doing stuff when Ling Qi gets around to paying attention to them.
[X] Agree to talk to Bao Qian [Gives Hanyi income. Owe favor to Bao Qian. Reduces asking power in Zhengui negotiations]
- Location
- Greece
[X] Reassure Hanyi that you'll find another way for her to help. [Better negotiating position in Zhengui arrangement. Avoids further entanglements with Bao Qian. Sad Hanyi.]
- Location
- Earth
This is literally a thing that has already happened and a lot of her skills involve doing exactly that kind of thing. We already did this back during the outer sect, and when we told the person we did this for we wouldn't be doing it again now that we were in the employ of the Cai.
Remember that little sabotage mission for the crafters? So the crafter on the council who was working as co-spymaster could get a better position? Asking Ling Qi to use her skulking skills is exactly the kind of favor she can reasonably expect. To spy on someone, or betray the trust of someone she does not care for, or steal from someone.
Cai thought about hiring Ling Qi for that very purpose. Only later decided her talents were more Music then Darkness.
[X] Reassure Hanyi that you'll find another way for her to help. [Better negotiating position in Zhengui arrangement. Avoids further entanglements with Bao Qian. Sad Hanyi.]
Guys, we cant assume that we know better than Hanyi on whether or not to record stuff. Yes she is a child in our care, but that doesnt mean we should assume that we know better on this. This is something many musicians do (including us once) and she has the right to do so. From her personality, we know she loves showing off her music and its a better way of being brash and bold than her bullying spirits.
Furthermore, its something unique and different than what she normally does. This can potentially really help her become more than what she is now, and grow to be stronger.
And on the weakening the Zhengui deal part. Zhengui doesnt care about maximizing our income, he cares about contributing. He wants to be seen and appreciated. He also really cares for Hanyi as well. We know he relates to her wanting to be more powerful and more seen. They both share this desire. He wouldnt want to be used undermine Hanyi's desires here. He cares about her as well, and its for similar reasons that he wants to sell ashes that she wants to sell her songs
[X] Agree to talk to Bao Qian [Gives Hanyi income. Owe favor to Bao Qian. Reduces asking power in Zhengui negotiations]
Furthermore, its something unique and different than what she normally does. This can potentially really help her become more than what she is now, and grow to be stronger.
And on the weakening the Zhengui deal part. Zhengui doesnt care about maximizing our income, he cares about contributing. He wants to be seen and appreciated. He also really cares for Hanyi as well. We know he relates to her wanting to be more powerful and more seen. They both share this desire. He wouldnt want to be used undermine Hanyi's desires here. He cares about her as well, and its for similar reasons that he wants to sell ashes that she wants to sell her songs
[X] Agree to talk to Bao Qian [Gives Hanyi income. Owe favor to Bao Qian. Reduces asking power in Zhengui negotiations]
- Location
- Chicago
- Pronouns
- She/They
I'm kinda curious what we actually offer to Hanyi besides a connection back to her mom. It seems like pretty much everything since has been either her wanting to do things and us ignoring her until she did things on her own (that we then yelled at her for), or her being sulky as we built relationships with others.
Basically, we owe it to her to either give her more attention or more freedom. Starving her of both out of 'good intentions' seems almost abusive.
[X] Agree to talk to Bao Qian [Gives Hanyi income. Owe favor to Bao Qian. Reduces asking power in Zhengui negotiations]
Basically, we owe it to her to either give her more attention or more freedom. Starving her of both out of 'good intentions' seems almost abusive.
[X] Agree to talk to Bao Qian [Gives Hanyi income. Owe favor to Bao Qian. Reduces asking power in Zhengui negotiations]
Last edited:
