I imagine the less you eat, the less you poop. At the point where you need to not eat at all, you need to not poop at all. However, as we are eating a pittance once a month, I imagine we are at the stage when we only poop once a year.
...Aaaand now I am imagining some green soul cultivator panicking, thinking he was accosted by some terrible illness, when in fact he just forgot his yearly poop. And then he realises he forgot how to poop.
I think yellows and greens, at least, have likely reached the point where they can extract all of the qi from the food they eat and so not produce any waste. So a cultivator's butt is essentially a vestigial trait that no longer serves any real purpose. It's useless, but it still exists, and that's the worst state.
I think yellows and greens, at least, have likely reached the point where they can extract all of the qi from the food they eat and so not produce any waste. So a cultivator's butt is essentially a vestigial trait that no longer serves any real purpose. It's useless, but it still exists, and that's the worst state.
But the organs are still there and functional until you begin to faze them out when around the point of cyan, technically your still mortal in green just very very superhuman but with fleshy bits that are tough as nails and can bend steel like putty.
To answer your question green 4-5 or so is when you no longer have to worry about producing waste as a human cultivator.
That said, sorry for the delay guys. End of the monthhas been kinda hectic with bills and taxes and dental appointments 'n shit, update will be out tomorrow.
A bit late, but I get the disconnect between our trains of thought now. My initial reading was that WHR is about the division between how you treat family (Protection, Warmth) and how you treat non-family (Coldness, Harshness, Unforgivingness), which is the kind of mindset that would both arise from ES politics and be an exacerbating factor in ES politics.
I much prefer your reading, though I suspect WHR could go either way depending on who's learning it.
Hoping WHR is like an old country song like poor mans poison or in the pines, to always be careful on the crossroads and old superstition's but at the same time oddly uplifting/peaceful.
Having recently caught up with the thread, and not having found an faq, I find I have a few questions:
1. Water is bad meme: source/logic?
2. Has there been any discussion about the idea that deep monsters might arise from/make use of the impurity expelled during breakthroughs?
3. Has there been any discussion about the possibility Teaching arts? I could see that being a way to resolve the current heart demon, but I could also see such a thing being setting breaking.
1) Already answered thoroughly, though I think the explanations so far missed that Sixiang also used to buff water until she got reformatted to Wind and learned to talk externally.
2) Implications so far are that impurity is one of those Lies To Children thing, the state of being human is to be an impure mixture of the Father and Mother primordial great spirits. The impurity expelled during breakthroughs are in effect, replacing elements of your meatbag body with more coherent forms of qi and ejecting the old randomly assembled stuff incrementally.
I'd note also that we never see impurities form from spirits and spirit beasts breaking through.
As such, its doubtful that Cultivator breakthroughs add significant amounts of impurity to the world, any more than turning a bucket of milk into cheese and skim milk increases the amount of milk in the world.
3) Theres the Guiding Moon, which is focused on that sort of thing. Ling Qi hadn't focused much on that though, her picks of Grinning, Dreaming and Hidden are already more than most.
1) Already answered thoroughly, though I think the explanations so far missed that Sixiang also used to buff water until she got reformatted to Wind and learned to talk externally.
This is your regularly-scheduled I Am No Fun And I Must Scream reminder that Sixiang's pronouns are they/their/them, not she/her; while Ling Qi's issues about men means that Sixiang usually presents feminine when dealing with her, they are not female and the text consistently genders them using neutral pronouns.
This is your regularly-scheduled I Am No Fun And I Must Scream reminder that Sixiang's pronouns are they/their/them, not she/her; while Ling Qi's issues about men means that Sixiang usually presents female when dealing with her, they are not and the text consistently genders them using neutral pronouns.
Wasn't it presented that Six was Ling's dream? So that makes Six Ling's brain baby making 3 kids but Six is a dream ocean which make she/he/them an it .
Family tree is gonna be weird if a few generations.
Wasn't it presented that Six was Ling's dream? So that makes Six Ling's brain baby making 3 kids but Six is a dream ocean which make she/he/them an it .
Family tree is gonna be weird if a few generations.
"It" is used in a more objectionable term, which....ain't as proper as using "they", so most definitely the correct term is "they" as it's used to address Sixiang more as a person.
"It" is used in a more objectionable term, which....ain't as proper as using "they", so most definitely the correct term is "they" as it's used to address Sixiang more as a person.
I know I'm just messing with ya, still I wonder what it'll take for Qi to realize she turned into a mother and stop denying it...
Unrelated how do I make SV stop looking tiny, not the text the icons to reacting to a post and user posters?
This is your regularly-scheduled I Am No Fun And I Must Scream reminder that Sixiang's pronouns are they/their/them, not she/her; while Ling Qi's issues about men means that Sixiang usually presents female when dealing with her, they are not and the text consistently genders them using neutral pronouns.
Come to think of it, this has been mentioned again and again, and I always have agreed with it but... thinking about it, is it true? I think, and I may be wrong, that Sixiang seems genderfluid more than anything else, which means the respectful way to address Sixiang would be by the pronouns of the gender Sixiang currently presents as, rather than with they/them pronouns, or am I failing to understand something?
Come to think of it, this has been mentioned again and again, and I always have agreed with it but... thinking about it, is it true? I think, and I may be wrong, that Sixiang seems genderfluid more than anything else, which means the respectful way to address Sixiang would be by the pronouns of the gender Sixiang currently presents as, rather than with they/them pronouns, or am I failing to understand something?
That's true, but the narrative convention is to only do this when Sixiang is being explicitly male or explicitly female, as opposed to the default "slightly feminine androgyne."
She still grasped Sixiang's hand, who now stood across from her, wearing antiquated gentleman's robes. They, no, his face had taken on a more masculine cast, and other arm was around her waist. They had joined the dance midstep, and only her quick reflexes allowed her to avoid trampling on the spirits toes. Some part of her wanted to shove them away, but it was just Sixiang. Masculine shape or no, it was all the same.
...
"That's the wrong question I think," he said quietly, and they separated for the next steps.
"It might be hard for you to understand, as a human," Sixiang mused beside her. The handles of their bier rested heavily on Ling Qi's shoulders. The muse had shifted to a female aspect now, slighter and softer than the face they had worn a moment ago. "It's not like I'm unfamiliar with the bad stuff you know? Nightmares are dreams too, and more than one artist has poured their fear and anxiety onto the page or canvas."
"Then why? I want to understand," Ling Qi asked, her voice muffled and quiet. The very air of this place seemed to disallow loudness.
"It's like…" Sixiang paused, searching for her words. "Like before I could think this is fear-of-death, and this is pain-of-loss, but it was like describing what the color something was, there wasn't really any understanding to it."
"Well someone has gotten brave," Sixiang complained as she tumbled head over heels beside Ling Qi. They plunged like falling arrows through the open azure sky. Below there was no ground nor clouds, only the endless sky, stretching on forever, above and below. Only the faintest outline of a nearly full moon marred the blue. The wind whistled past Ling Qi's ears and tugged at her gown, but the wind was an old friend.
Ling Qi righted herself, and still the grasping tugs of the wind that pulled at the hems of her gown, she grinned. "Quit messing around Sixiang."
The muse huffed, and their haphazard tumble ceased, her form flowed, smokelike until she once again faced Ling Qi, but her form had changed again. The Sixiang that looked back at her in irritation was wholly androgynous, their features a mix of sharp and soft, their multihued hair streaming above in the wind like a colorful scarf. "I appreciate the thought you know, but isn't what your doing a little high handed?" Sixiang said crossly.
Ling Qi gave them a suspicious look, but subsided. Sixiang was glad, they weren't sure they could put the truth of their realization into words that would not alarm her. They weren't afraid anymore because there was nothing to be afraid of. They weren't human, even if this incarnation ended, it wasn't their end. Even if Ling Qi…
Sixiang went from standard -> male and pronouns shifted to he, then from male -> female and pronouns shifted again to she, then from female -> androgyne and pronouns shifted again to they, but in the bit from Six's own perspective, they used "they." From this I conclude that the correct thing to do is default to "they"; it is both their standard mode of presentation and the pronoun their own narration uses for themself.
Sixiang went from standard -> male and pronouns shifted, then from male -> female and pronouns shifted again, then from female -> androgyne and pronouns shifted again, but in the bit from Six's own perspective, they used "they." From this I conclude that the correct thing to do is default to "they."
Replacing keywords in arts is one of the things you learn to do in Green as a precursor to creating your own arts.
And the name of the location where the art originates isn't the vital part of the arts, Lake is no more critical to the art than any of the other keywords, or rather they're all equally critical to the art as it currently exists.
Keyword replacement is something you do to a mastered art to reinterpret it somewhat from where it stands at the moment. We can 100% replace Lake by somewhat adjusting the way we understand the theme.
It's not a Water meme situation, it's just that we don't use Lake arts at all, so any Meridian assigned to Lake is a Meridian not used well as it can't pull double-duty and be available for multiple arts.
Darkness, Water, Moon, Music. We have several different arts for all of them, so we have a lot of flexibility without having to muck around realigning meridians.
Plus it also wastes available bonuses we have for training with out main elements.
I mean, it has been brought up multiple times that LQ needs to at minimum reach mortal mastery in all the 'Noble Weapons' or she'll have social problems. Really she *needs* to pick at minimum one of them as well that she learns an art for so she can use something in challenges where use of a 'Noble Weapon' would be socially mandatory and she can't get away with using her fantastic music skills.
It might as well be Blade as anything else, and Coldstar is honestly a decent fit for her.
It's either going to be Coldstar or else we'll have to do an archive dive at some point solely to pick up an art for another of them. (Not sure we have a full list of the 'Noble Weapons', bow is presumably one of them and it's one we have a few skill points invested in so it wouldn't be the worst alternative.)
really she *needs* to pick at minimum one of them as well that she learns an art for so she can use something in challenges where use of a 'Noble Weapon' would be socially mandatory and she can't get away with using her fantastic music skills.
This is unsupported speculation. We do not need a noble weapon based art. If I recall, Yrs implied that getting Blades up to C would be considered more than enough in terms of fulfilling that duty.
Also, challenges are currently suspended in lieu of war contributions, so we're better served focusing on our actual combat capabilities rather than playing around with niche arts.
This is unsupported speculation. We do not need a noble weapon based art. If I recall, Yrs implied that getting Blades up to C would be considered more than enough in terms of fulfilling that duty.
Also, challenges are currently suspended in lieu of war contributions, so we're better served focusing on our actual combat capabilities rather than playing around with niche arts.
Diomedon Two Lewds07/06/2019
@Yrsillar Some quick questions on the whole noble weapon thing.
1) Just to confirm, under the new system Sabers/Swords are under the Blades umbrella, and Spear/Staff are under the polearm umbrella (before specialized skills kick in)
2) Is Ling Qi expected to have a "decent foundation" with just one, or all four?
3) Does Ling Qi have a sense for a ballpark level of skill she should aim for to reach a "decent foundation?" Peak Red? Peak Yellow?
EDIT: so in essence we're already achieved the bare minimum and can safely shelve the issue until we don't have immediately better things to do, let alone train an entire art, which was never necessary or desired.
Replacing keywords in arts is one of the things you learn to do in Green as a precursor to creating your own arts.
Keyword replacement is something you do to a mastered art to reinterpret it somewhat from where it stands at the moment. We can 100% replace Lake by somewhat adjusting the way we understand the theme.
okay. But there are different effects based on which keyword you replace/add and what that keyword was doing in the art previously. Lake is one of the *conceptual* roots of the art, "as useless as trying to slash at the waters of might lake Hei" and the meditation on Dark and Lake is deriving Void keyword and likely Void qi. We know that greater specificity and unique-ness results in more focused but more powerful arts, and frankly I have no idea what we could replace Lake Hei or any of the 1000 lakes with that would connect the physical concept to the spiritual Void concept better than Lake can.
Dark and Water bonuses weren't getting double boosted from having both, and I believe so long as one part of the art is Dark or Water we get full bonuses right now. If something changes and we can get double boosts *maybe* we muck around but SNR is a *high* quality Ducal Art from the oldest Ducal Clan and it seems to be a primer for approaching Void as a Qi concept. I'm opposed to mucking around with this old of an art, especially if we don't have a direct replacement for the role the Lakes play in the philosophy of the art. We can't really afford to mess up our ultra-quality arts with our first attempt, but we also need to use an art we have mastered so we can't just use a disposable art if we want it to be potent enough to use.
We'll see how it goes when we get there, but my preference would be for a customized art "successor" for something on the border of being useful rather than part of our soon-to-be-core kit that will still be very useful at that point (likely at least. TRF lasted a long freakin' time and only now are we getting SNR to replace it)
Coldstar is from a Sect, which I believe was in Heavenly Peaks but I'm not 100% sure on that. We aren't using blades, and have no time to deviate or experiment at the moment. It seems like we are going to leave Blades behind, but there's a chance they come back from an odd angle (like Vocal Attack becoming Sung Blades or some such). Don't get your hopes up though.
There is a reason we havent tried keyowrd replacing yet: it only works with arts that we have completed
sure, we could train an art that we wont use because we dont have the stats for it and then replace the keyword to make the art useable until we need something more powerful soonish afterwards. ... or we could just train an art that we can use while we are training it instead
"I'm just a little unsure as to what I actually want I suppose," Ling Qi mused. She had a vague idea of what she wanted. A support art to bolster her music against people like Cai renxiang, who could wipe out her accumulated effects and force her to start over. An art which could synergize to some degree with Zhengui's bond, making use of the threads of wood and flame now rooted in her dantian. That was an awfully thin thread to select an art on however. She had come up with the idea of arts centering conceptually around the ideas of home and family, but…
Well, a little dabbling is usually fine," Ruan Shen said lightly. "So I'd normally suggest trying out a few of them."
"I can't…" Ling Qi began, frowning.
He raised a hand to forestall her. "But, I know your type now Junior Sis, you either can't or won't slow down. I get it, given your position, but that kind of path has its troubles too, you know?"
"...Yes," Ling Qi agreed. Between the Duchess' ultimatum, the onset of war and her own ambition, she found it hard to stop cultivating for even a moment. She made herself do it, told herself that other things were important too, but it couldn't quite kill that niggling itch. She loved her family, so she made time to help and spend time with her mother and sister. She loved Zhengui, so she promised to work even harder to make sure he wasn;t left behind. She loved her friends, so she did frivolous things.
She worked for Lady Cai, spent time with the nobility, went on d- dinners with people like Bao Qian, because she needed resources to keep going.
Ruan Shen glanced aside, a considering expression replacing his normal lax smile. "...That's why I don't push myself faster you know? Even if it means I won't get to the top, I've seen enough folks who push on, who set themselves in stone before their second decade. It's kinda scary you know?"
"Well aren't you brave," Yu Nuan said with a sardonic smirk. "You tryin to say something about the folks in charge?"
"Nothing of the sort," Ruan Shen shot back flatly. "It's just easy to lose things when you're in a rush is all."
"I get that," Ling Qi said, looking through her selections with a frown. Elder Jiao had spoken similar words. Her eyes lingered on the Frozen Lake Gleaming art, which seemed to fit her current paradigm the best, but it wasn't what she was looking for, she felt. No, in some ways, she felt like going to far in that direction might be a mistake. "But… it's too late to slow down, even if I did want to."
And she did not want to. Even if she was beginning to wonder if there shouldn't be some greater purpose, even if her spirits concerns were valid. She didn't want to stop. She didn't want to see Meizhen's back growing more distant again. She did not want to leave Cai Renxiang to walk her path alone, or feel the helpless terror of a mountain shattering before her eyes again.
There was a cough from her left, and Yu Nuan spoke up. "Might want to dial it back, you're frosting the table."
Ling Qi blinked and looked down, then grimaced, hastily brushing the forming frost off the table and scrolls as she restrained herself.
"Sorry bout that," Ruan Shen apologized. "I figure you have your reasons, and I won't pry. Well, not more than I need to to give advice. I guess I should ask… What do you feel like you're missing?"
"I already answered that," Ling Qi replied dryly.
"Tch, even I can tell that's not what he's talking about," Yu Nuan drawled, letting the sparking scroll wriggle out of her hands to flutter back to the shelves.
Ling Qi gave her a grumpy look. She knew that. "How about you then? And don't tell me it's just dye, what's with the sudden flip to thunder and lightning?"
Yu Nuan scowled at her, but glanced aside after a moment. "...Been stuck for awhile. Figured I've just been burning undirected."
"Well at least she recognizes it, girl's first song might as well have been a wildfire," Sixiang mused.
"Anger and passion are useful things, but being directionless is no good," Ruan Shen agreed.
"And what do you know?" Yu Nuan challenged. "Never even met you before."
"I like to keep track of any cute and talented juniors who show a spark for music," Ruan Shen replied smoothly. "And you certainly did last year."
The other girl's cheeks reddened, but her scowl only deepened.
"...And what are you looking to do, Senior Brother?" Ling Qi cut in. "I don't believe you're really holding back out of fear."
His smile faded. "Hm, will I get an answer in turn if I tell you?"
"...Yes," Ling Qi replied grudgingly
"Then for my shy Junior Sis, I'll give an answer," he chuckled. "I don't need something to blast or burn or overwhelm. I just have some conflicts I want to see settled and old wounds I want to see healed. Family isn't always a happy thing, you know?"
Ling Qi bowed her head a little… that… she wasn;t going to ask anymore. But, she appreciated it. They were not really close, but if he was willing to say that much, she could find words for the snarl in her own heart. A moment passed in silence as Sixiang helped her formulate the words.
"I've mostly been alone in life," Ling Qi said carefully. "Here, I've tried to work against that but… I really do default to doing things on my own." Had she not meditated on the way that loneliness was a keystone of her mind and spirit? A central drive to everything she did. "But I don't want to, I want to include other people, without having to consciously remind myself of it all the time. But even then, I can't stop either."
"Well, there you go. You've got a bit of a problem there, but… if I had to make a suggestion. This one," he reached across the table, tapping his finger against one of the scrolls. "Might be a good place to start. Sometimes you have to make sharp distinctions between parts of your life. Things you do, things you are. Clan and family. Wants and needs. Allies, enemies and friends too, of course."
Ling Qi took the scroll in her hands. Winter Hearth Resounding… an art of lessons on boundaries, in addition to bolstering the effects of songs and reinforcing the flows of techniques. She had picked it up because of the duality in it, which she felt might help her better understand Zhengui. The aid in parsing her techniques to exclude allies from their negative effects had also attracted her eye. It might be a useful contrast to the other art she was intending to cultivate when she left.
Boundaries to contrast connections huh? Maybe there was something to that.
"I guess I can give it a try," Ling Qi said with a nod.
***
They had spent a while longer at the archive, discussing lighter topics of cultivation and music. Ling Qi workshopped the songs she was intending to play at Lady Cai's next gathering, Ruan Shen was more helpful sharing some details of a composition he was working on as part of training with an elder which he had won through a trial before all of this started. Even Yu Nuan had been coaxed to share a few bars of a song she was working on for a visit to the Thunder Palace.
So it was with a light heart that Ling Qi found her way back home, to the balcony that overlooked the garden in her family's house to cultivate the Harmony of Dancing Winds. With the soft strains of that melody drifting through the house, Ling Qi found her awareness drifting. She could feel Biyu valiantly fighting sleep as her Mother read to her a story of a brave princess and her animal friends, questing against an evil spirit. She was aware of the servants, gathering in the kitchens to have their own meal, full of chatter and laughter, and gossip about their lives in the greater town. She felt the shadow of other households, warded by muting formations, and people in the streets returning home with one eye on the sky.
It was, in a way like a pond, where one set of ripples would spread and spread, affecting others, or perhaps, as her liege might say, a loom, where each individual was a thread, intersecting and weaving through others lives. The lessons of the Harmony of Dancing Winds arts slipped through her thoughts as she played, refining the notes to mastery. She wondered, what did all of that mean to her.
[] An interesting fact and a useful observation [No insight]
[] Even walking alone, footfalls echo beyond your hearing
[] One note never exists in isolation, its meaning is found in the whole composition
[] A song must have listeners to have value, music is a shared experience at heart.
30 omake points required, up to seventy may be refunded.
There lies a beauty in patterns, of spirits and men alike. This melody exults in the complex dance of winds which brings us weather and the seasons, and in doing, teaches the musician to see and pluck at the lesser patterns and connections in the world around. The harmony reveals the web which connects all things, if the players eyes are but sharp enough to see.
Potency: Green 3
Current Meridians: Head x2 (Windx2), Heart x2 (Music, Wind)
Keywords:
- Connections, Music, Wind, Yang.
- Empathy, Presence, Perceptiveness, Manipulation.
Max Level: 5
Passives
+10 to Social Perception
+10 to Combat Perception
+10 to Spiritual Hit
+10 to Spiritual Avoid
Spring Breeze Canto: D
Upkeep 3
Mastery of the melody has woven it into the background flow of the users Qi. While using any Music Art carries the musician's perception among her listeners out to Far Range, allowing her to clearly hear and see any one of them, regardless of distractions, so long as the songs echoes last.While the song lasts the users Social Perception is increased for the purpose of opposing Social Defense Arts. In combat Perception and Hit are increased instead. Once played, the canto lingers as an echo for several minutes with its full effect.
Summer's Day Rising: D
Duration: Long
This piece, embodying optimism and hope, speaks to the musician's bond with her listeners. Even the tenuous bond of casual acquaintance thrums with new vitality, bolstering allies significantly against spiritual attacks and deceptions. Those of stronger bond are bolstered still further, buoyed by their connection with the musician. For each ally affected the user receives a small boost to Combat Perception and Spiritual Avoid
Industrious Labors of Fall: C
Duration: Short
The third piece, which speaks of the labors made in preparation for the long winter, steadies the musicians audience and fills them with determination for the trials ahead. Bolsters the armor, health and Resist of listeners, up to a full rank at Bond 6.
Winds of Winter Yearning: C
Duration: Long
This piece is not played aloud for mortal ears, carried on the flows of the users qi, this soft and ephemeral melody is the music of winter winds rattling windows and tugging at roof tiles. No more than pleasant background to the listeners closest, but a song of exclusion to those outside. While active, the user and up to three allies in Immediate range are shielded from outside scrutiny, increasing their effective social defense against viewing arts.
[] Even walking alone, footfalls echo beyond your hearing
I like this one, a reminder that all our actions do have consequences beyond what we can see in the moment.
