- Location
- Earth
Why are 8 levels planned for FSS?
We only need 5 for the requirement, saving another 3 AP needed to create it, and some for maxing it out as well.
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.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
I gather that the pills in market suck even with our winfall of sect points?
Narratively FSS+ is the option with the most weight considering that we made the original first option, FVM, the groundpiller of our Domain instead. The art means a lot to LQ and her bond to Zeqing and Hanyi. Like with her ideas about endings and beginnings. TRF might have been an option but it does not seem like it would add any narrative now that we started on the gardening thing with Zhengui instead. PLR+ would be way later if we want it but could be an option. But I think we would like a music art first?
HDW is the odd one I seen thrown around... like the art that never shows up narratively and whose insight was kinda meh? I guess it would have a narrative connection with Hanyi and Six if you squint. Connections is also one of those things that seems to get overhyped more then anything. But feels more like the habit people got of saying "it got element X in it, it is clearly an art connected with X".
Also please dont paint it like going for FSS+ will ruin LQ´s Way forever due to Zeqing not teaching LQ LWM also. There where specific reasons for that true, but it was a danger because how unformed LQ´s own Way was and that learning such pure expressions could form her. Since then LQ has gotten her own Insights into the art that differs from the pureness that Zeqing had. It wont be an unformed and stumbling LQ picking up an art, it will be a mid Green LQ that already got her own nascent derivative of the lessons of FSS that she can work on and her own Domain and nascent Way.
Mechnanically getting a new damage art of the direct type like FSS is something we kind need. The current FSS will sharply fall behind in potency from now on. Beast king and Glacial march takes the slot FVM had and do not (atm/ever?) have the impact a CtE does. TRF´s spot is filled by SNR so there is no direct need for it.
Sad thing is, we are probably only getting one successor art for a very long time. So would be nice to get one that fills both narrative and mechanical points.
HDW is the odd one I seen thrown around... like the art that never shows up narratively and whose insight was kinda meh? I guess it would have a narrative connection with Hanyi and Six if you squint. Connections is also one of those things that seems to get overhyped more then anything. But feels more like the habit people got of saying "it got element X in it, it is clearly an art connected with X".
Also please dont paint it like going for FSS+ will ruin LQ´s Way forever due to Zeqing not teaching LQ LWM also. There where specific reasons for that true, but it was a danger because how unformed LQ´s own Way was and that learning such pure expressions could form her. Since then LQ has gotten her own Insights into the art that differs from the pureness that Zeqing had. It wont be an unformed and stumbling LQ picking up an art, it will be a mid Green LQ that already got her own nascent derivative of the lessons of FSS that she can work on and her own Domain and nascent Way.
Mechnanically getting a new damage art of the direct type like FSS is something we kind need. The current FSS will sharply fall behind in potency from now on. Beast king and Glacial march takes the slot FVM had and do not (atm/ever?) have the impact a CtE does. TRF´s spot is filled by SNR so there is no direct need for it.
Sad thing is, we are probably only getting one successor art for a very long time. So would be nice to get one that fills both narrative and mechanical points.
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- Location
- Earth
Aka for 8 Levels it would be 2+8+(8/3). (FSS is Green 2 aka Potency 8, 3 each in Red and Yellow, 2 in Green)
which is 12.666 AP, rounded up to 13.
There are only 10 AP allocated to the art creation in early and late water plan.
@naths @Black Noise your two posts don't work together.
DeusExBritannia
Red-White-Black-White
- Location
- Texas
It's because she had the least traumatic upbringing that she broke the hardest when faced with reality.
I think she would have tried to turn us into a yuki onna like her, and make us a part of her family. I can't remember where I heard that though.
- Location
- Elsewhere
The primary reason for choosing FSS as our art to make a successor for is its narrative presence. We want the successor to be for an art that has been significant to LQ.
HDW and ENM have nowhere near the narrative presence for that - we've even been considering breaking them to be an acceptable sacrifice in art modding! SNR seems like it will be much better, but it'll still be too new to develop as much as the others. The rest of the new arts don't finish early enough.
That leaves FSS and PLR. FSS, with Zeqing, Hanyi, and music, just seems a more natural fit. It's currently falling behind, and it's been too important a part of LQ's story for us to just drop it, as we risk happening if it falls that far behind. PLR is not at risk of being dropped if we don't make a successor now, and it can't be started for several turns longer, which makes it significantly more awkward.
I guess TRF is technically an option, but I'd rather do the SNR option - TRF's story thread was mostly about how it didn't fit us well, and SNR's just started off about how it was "far more natural" than TRF. As far as I'm concerned, SNR is something of a continuation already.
I wouldn't even have thought of Argent Mirror, but someone mentioned it. It's way behind, serves functions we don't need, and would be a pain to fit into our arts. It might have the narrative significance, but I don't really think so.
Going to spoiler that because it turned out long. Anyway, as it shows, we have 3 offensive arts, 3 defensive arts, 2 sensory arts, a resist art, and ENM. (Plus socials.) That's a bit heavier on offense than I'd prefer.
That said, there isn't really a fix. Giving SNR or PLR a successor and dropping FSS is only one stage of techniques, which should be about equal to FSS+'s defensive component anyway. Dropping FSS doesn't even give many meridians - we probably keep it slotted even at such low potency.
The good thing is that this is enough offensive options for us, so any expansions in the future should be defensive. (Or Utility.)
I have been tempted to see if I could fit an extra defensive art into our AP somewhere. (The answer is "Maybe, if we used all the free AP", incidentally.) We could add one after the tournament, of course. (Ironically, for all my dislike of a "Zhengui art" and concerns over thematics, a regen art actually seems the most helpful - it gives another layer/form of defense, lets us recover from alpha strikes, and gives us yet another form of attrition.)
HDW and ENM have nowhere near the narrative presence for that - we've even been considering breaking them to be an acceptable sacrifice in art modding! SNR seems like it will be much better, but it'll still be too new to develop as much as the others. The rest of the new arts don't finish early enough.
That leaves FSS and PLR. FSS, with Zeqing, Hanyi, and music, just seems a more natural fit. It's currently falling behind, and it's been too important a part of LQ's story for us to just drop it, as we risk happening if it falls that far behind. PLR is not at risk of being dropped if we don't make a successor now, and it can't be started for several turns longer, which makes it significantly more awkward.
I guess TRF is technically an option, but I'd rather do the SNR option - TRF's story thread was mostly about how it didn't fit us well, and SNR's just started off about how it was "far more natural" than TRF. As far as I'm concerned, SNR is something of a continuation already.
I wouldn't even have thought of Argent Mirror, but someone mentioned it. It's way behind, serves functions we don't need, and would be a pain to fit into our arts. It might have the narrative significance, but I don't really think so.
Because we want it to be as significant as possible rather than putting in the bare minimum. That is up for debate, I suppose, but "more FSS+ levels" was one of the primary stretch goals for a while, until enough space opened up that it just started getting slotted in by default.
This is honestly the only point that concerns me at all.
Offensive: BKSD, UGM, FSS - Each of these has a minor defensive component, whether that's passives, Incoming Pen reduction, or general's attendent, but they are mostly offensive.
Mobility/Dodge: PLR, LFWT - These are our dodge defense arts, but are complicated by providing speed and such as well, which means they aren't as focused on defense as armor arts. PLR has a minor offensive component with LW, but that is a CC effect and also falls under the same consideration as the defenses on offensive arts.
Armor: SNR - This is our armor defense art, not much to say.
Sensory: HDW, RME - These are our sensory arts, and our senses are still not very good. HDW has some buffs that are never used, and RME has an attack enhancer that is never used.
Resist: WHR - This is here mostly to stop dispels. It also has a nice Qi regen/drain for sustaining longer fights or helping drain enemies out.
Offensive Stealth: ENM - While LFWT is good for stealth in general, ENM is a supplementary offensive art that happens to work by stealth. It has some defensive or mobility applications, as usual, but it's mostly there to set enemies to unaware and stop them from defending against attacks.
We also have social arts, but they are mostly irrelevant for this discussion, especially because they're sideboarded.
Mobility/Dodge: PLR, LFWT - These are our dodge defense arts, but are complicated by providing speed and such as well, which means they aren't as focused on defense as armor arts. PLR has a minor offensive component with LW, but that is a CC effect and also falls under the same consideration as the defenses on offensive arts.
Armor: SNR - This is our armor defense art, not much to say.
Sensory: HDW, RME - These are our sensory arts, and our senses are still not very good. HDW has some buffs that are never used, and RME has an attack enhancer that is never used.
Resist: WHR - This is here mostly to stop dispels. It also has a nice Qi regen/drain for sustaining longer fights or helping drain enemies out.
Offensive Stealth: ENM - While LFWT is good for stealth in general, ENM is a supplementary offensive art that happens to work by stealth. It has some defensive or mobility applications, as usual, but it's mostly there to set enemies to unaware and stop them from defending against attacks.
We also have social arts, but they are mostly irrelevant for this discussion, especially because they're sideboarded.
That said, there isn't really a fix. Giving SNR or PLR a successor and dropping FSS is only one stage of techniques, which should be about equal to FSS+'s defensive component anyway. Dropping FSS doesn't even give many meridians - we probably keep it slotted even at such low potency.
The good thing is that this is enough offensive options for us, so any expansions in the future should be defensive. (Or Utility.)
I have been tempted to see if I could fit an extra defensive art into our AP somewhere. (The answer is "Maybe, if we used all the free AP", incidentally.) We could add one after the tournament, of course. (Ironically, for all my dislike of a "Zhengui art" and concerns over thematics, a regen art actually seems the most helpful - it gives another layer/form of defense, lets us recover from alpha strikes, and gives us yet another form of attrition.)
There's a clause about saving AP with narrative, and, IIRC, spare AP left open in the plans in case we don't manage to save the presumed 2.
She started as the most idealistic, and when faced with pure, pointless injustice like she did...she could either give up on it or triple down with making the punishment fit the crime.
Problem is that as far as offensive goes, FSS is our only option when we really need to take a target down. UGM and BKSD does have damage components, but against peers or harder targets we need to have an option like CtE. Or we are kind of back to early FoD where we could only bring FVM up and slowly kill stuff and we are probably back again looking for a FSA a turn or so later.
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I actually like the idea of TRF being put aside and Ling Qi tightening her thematics so that she more or less resembles everyone else in her coherence. TRF+ is... well, let's be real, it'd be for Zhengui and Zhengui alone and I'm not sure we'd be prepared for the consequences of putting him so far ahead of ourselves. Like I said, not a super fan of FSS+, but other options are less likeable.
(I still refuse to believe HDW is an art we learned, someone else mastered it.
)
FSS+ is odd on a few levels though. It's our killiest art and all of our narratively significant kills (traitor Bai and... some air nomads?) had it as our big gun. Ling Qi is notably ambivalent about using it as her killstick because she's not super on board with killing people. I guess its just more personal than FVMs soulcrusher, idk.
Anyway, it announces The End.
We would have to build on it conceptually, and I'm guessing that'd also involve having to respect the insight we obtained from it.
Which is... new beginnings? Not sure if I'm recalling that right. If I'm not disregard everything I write below and tell me what the actual insight is.
I feel like in order to do justice to that insight, we'd have to do something weird with the art, by either focusing inwards and making it (even more) vampiric or focusing outwards and have it be necromantic (something like Liao Zhu's simalcrulum art).
The thing is, the manifestation of such an art kind of goes against the spirit of the insight. Vampirism isn't what Ling Qi meant by every ending being a new beginning (or at least I hope not, feeding off the endings of others is very combat-y, thru that lens Hanyi is a spoil of war), and necromancy is a corruption of an ending as our own Ice!Mom learned to her sorrow.
Sure, we can try not to incorporate our insight into the new art, but like, there's no ah-ha! moment when I look at how it can grow and be given Ling Qi's personal spin on it. It really should represent a step forward, but its very nature is tied to endings so steps forward always end up looking like steps backward. If there is something that comes after the end... it's not the End anymore.
I mean the only way I can think to square the circle is death leaving behind a mark on Ling Qi, like we accept their grudge and gain some sort of insight or memory as to who they are... sort of like how ghosts are tied by their lingering regrets, only we speed that process up and just grab it.
But at the same time, this feels overly complicated.
(I still refuse to believe HDW is an art we learned, someone else mastered it.
)FSS+ is odd on a few levels though. It's our killiest art and all of our narratively significant kills (traitor Bai and... some air nomads?) had it as our big gun. Ling Qi is notably ambivalent about using it as her killstick because she's not super on board with killing people. I guess its just more personal than FVMs soulcrusher, idk.
Anyway, it announces The End.
We would have to build on it conceptually, and I'm guessing that'd also involve having to respect the insight we obtained from it.
Which is... new beginnings? Not sure if I'm recalling that right. If I'm not disregard everything I write below and tell me what the actual insight is.
I feel like in order to do justice to that insight, we'd have to do something weird with the art, by either focusing inwards and making it (even more) vampiric or focusing outwards and have it be necromantic (something like Liao Zhu's simalcrulum art).
The thing is, the manifestation of such an art kind of goes against the spirit of the insight. Vampirism isn't what Ling Qi meant by every ending being a new beginning (or at least I hope not, feeding off the endings of others is very combat-y, thru that lens Hanyi is a spoil of war), and necromancy is a corruption of an ending as our own Ice!Mom learned to her sorrow.
Sure, we can try not to incorporate our insight into the new art, but like, there's no ah-ha! moment when I look at how it can grow and be given Ling Qi's personal spin on it. It really should represent a step forward, but its very nature is tied to endings so steps forward always end up looking like steps backward. If there is something that comes after the end... it's not the End anymore.
I mean the only way I can think to square the circle is death leaving behind a mark on Ling Qi, like we accept their grudge and gain some sort of insight or memory as to who they are... sort of like how ghosts are tied by their lingering regrets, only we speed that process up and just grab it.
But at the same time, this feels overly complicated.
@FixerUpper
- There are endings and Endings, only the very last one is final. Just as winter ends in spring, small endings are new beginnings.
Yeah, the new beginnings insight.
Though reading it again, there seems to be room for it to become a friendship no jutsu, ironically enough.
Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
Personally I am not sure I trust Ling Qi to make a worthy successor of FSS with just 6 levels. Yeah, FSS is really really impressive and has six levels, but it's also noted as having had a significant impact on Ling Qi and it's a directly taught domain arts from Zheqing.
The arts we saw with 8 levels all seem to have a significant advantage over usual six level ones (FVM/SCS/LFTW/BKSD), and giving FSS another two levels to get there is good.
That, and I am really hoping that it having 8 levels means it ends in G6, not G5. That would make Ling Qi's end of sect much, much smoother.
Black Noise
Curious
- Location
- About 1AU from Sol
Counting a bit on narrative benefits which should be reasonable given how core to LQ music is and access to hanyi who has her own version of FSS and sixiang who's literally a muse.
As for why 8 levels and not 5, it's as @Mellithae said:
To add and clarify:
- More levels = likely ends at a higher stage, which means FSS++ needs to cover less levels or if it stretches into G6 we can potentially move to unique art creation outright, so long-term the AP cost for successors with more levels vs more successor "steps" is around the same.
- Effectively we're paying the marginal cost to get more power earlier, one of very few ways to do so; 1-2 extra trainable levels on what'll likely be our highest single-target "just fucking die" art, probably a new tech, plus plausible secondary power benefit to hanyi.
- First successor is a big deal, and while 8 levels is a bit of a luxury, I sure as hell don't want to do the bare minimum for a major milestone. Previous plans assumed 6 levels for this reason. Currently we're assuming 8 because we have more free AP, and a marginal cost of ~4AP is a good price for it.
The marginal free AP thing is a pretty big enabling factor imo:
- current plan with FSS+ 8 levels and G6 turn 18 has a minimum of 13 free, likely closer to 14-15 between things like not rushing SSC7 and stuff like greater vent or possible music dice. That's without using some of our SP on more AP-saving drugs.
- Going from 13 to 17 (or like 15 to 19) free AP is just not that impactful when our current contenders for them are things like level 5s in social arts, pushing bronze 6 earlier, and starting to work on a second successor art (which is hella expensive has pretty awkward timing, we only really have time to get finished on something like RME+ by turn 18).
For whatever its worth, my thought is that FSS+ could slowly build up hidden buff stacks as we use it and then CtE enables them and flips it into an AoE buff art. This would help symbolize our learning to rely on our allies. Maybe it even actually reduces our offensive ability (all damage LQ does is reduced a rank? A significant penalty to hit and penetration? I don't know) so that we are forced to rely on them.
We start off the fight as a lonely frost wraith and end it surrounded by a bunch of powerful allies. That seems thematically resonant.
Edit: I mean buffing Hanyi a bunch makes sure that the battlefield is a frozen hellscape anyway but its the thought that counts.
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- Location
- Germany
To bring another point to this discussion. Everyone I see seem to be arguing with the intersect tournament in mind. Please be advised that only looking for an art to upgrade by the time of the tournament could end horribly for the long term narrative. FSS+ is, as pointed out, not the way Ling Qi seems to like killing people.
Therefore I would put another art forth BKSD or Beast King`s Savage Dirge.
"It is said in legend that as the power of the Horned Lord and the Diviner waxed, the the eight Beast Kings who remained came together in council of war and united to bring down the conqueror once and for all. Their footfalls shook the earth and their savagery shook the skies, and though they were defeated in the end, echoes of that terrible march remained etched in the folklore of the Emerald Seas forever more. This art is part of a ballad said to have been composed for the last Weilu dukes, and though its origin is suspect, its power is not.
Potency: Green 3
Potency Growth: Green 4(3), Green 5(6)
Keywords:
- Beasts, Conquest, Illusion, Wood, Yang.
- Dark, Music, Presence, War.
Meridians: Lung x2, Heart x2; 1 dark 1 wood 2 music
- Growth: Lung(1,1,3,7), Heart(1,1,5)
Experience Needed: 400, 500, 700, 900, 1100, 1300, 1500
Max level: 8
Passive Effects:
+10 to Spiritual hit
+10 to Spiritual Penetration
+10 to Resist
+10 to War "
This Art unlike FSS has 8 Levels and unlike FSS has the war Keyword. Maybe this suits Ling Qi more longterm? Mind you, I am aware of the mathematic problem behind this, since prioritising this could make a good impression in the intersect tournament a horrible hope at best. As pointed out by FixerUpper FSS kills directly and Ling Qi is more used to ending fights through indirect means like FVM, which is in the Domain weapon now. BKSD, like FVM kills through Beasts and Shades.
Another Argument could be Spirit beast alignment. FSS is commonly practiced with Hanyi and we do not practice BKSD with Zhengui as far as I am aware. Our understanding of the End is certainly higher than of the Old Emerald Seas and Beasts. Could our understanding of the old Emerald Seas be used for the garden with Zhengui in the future? Could more levels/ called "conquests" in this Art help forge a more symbiotic destiny with Zhengui? Who knows?
A collective DIscussion is needed I think!
It is a long shot, but could BKSD be better for Ling Qi in the long term after the Inter-sect tournament?
If we determine it is indeed better, can we afford to risk our chances for this mystery box?
These are the Questions I would like have an answer for and since I do not remember every important Character moment of my heart I would like have YOUR opinion on this matter!
Thank you!
Therefore I would put another art forth BKSD or Beast King`s Savage Dirge.
"It is said in legend that as the power of the Horned Lord and the Diviner waxed, the the eight Beast Kings who remained came together in council of war and united to bring down the conqueror once and for all. Their footfalls shook the earth and their savagery shook the skies, and though they were defeated in the end, echoes of that terrible march remained etched in the folklore of the Emerald Seas forever more. This art is part of a ballad said to have been composed for the last Weilu dukes, and though its origin is suspect, its power is not.
Potency: Green 3
Potency Growth: Green 4(3), Green 5(6)
Keywords:
- Beasts, Conquest, Illusion, Wood, Yang.
- Dark, Music, Presence, War.
Meridians: Lung x2, Heart x2; 1 dark 1 wood 2 music
- Growth: Lung(1,1,3,7), Heart(1,1,5)
Experience Needed: 400, 500, 700, 900, 1100, 1300, 1500
Max level: 8
Passive Effects:
+10 to Spiritual hit
+10 to Spiritual Penetration
+10 to Resist
+10 to War "
This Art unlike FSS has 8 Levels and unlike FSS has the war Keyword. Maybe this suits Ling Qi more longterm? Mind you, I am aware of the mathematic problem behind this, since prioritising this could make a good impression in the intersect tournament a horrible hope at best. As pointed out by FixerUpper FSS kills directly and Ling Qi is more used to ending fights through indirect means like FVM, which is in the Domain weapon now. BKSD, like FVM kills through Beasts and Shades.
Another Argument could be Spirit beast alignment. FSS is commonly practiced with Hanyi and we do not practice BKSD with Zhengui as far as I am aware. Our understanding of the End is certainly higher than of the Old Emerald Seas and Beasts. Could our understanding of the old Emerald Seas be used for the garden with Zhengui in the future? Could more levels/ called "conquests" in this Art help forge a more symbiotic destiny with Zhengui? Who knows?
A collective DIscussion is needed I think!
It is a long shot, but could BKSD be better for Ling Qi in the long term after the Inter-sect tournament?
If we determine it is indeed better, can we afford to risk our chances for this mystery box?
These are the Questions I would like have an answer for and since I do not remember every important Character moment of my heart I would like have YOUR opinion on this matter!
Thank you!
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- Location
- Elsewhere
BKSD is actually impossible. It finishes in G5, so a successor would start in G6....which requires the successor to be reached in the first place.
I also have my concerns over the "LQ doesn't like killing with FSS" thing.
EDIT: To clarify, I disagree that she has a particular aversion to using FSS.
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Support arts are more useful for the intersect tournament. I look forward to having a good group fight.
Ling QI's got something of an aversion to killing period, provided she hasn't unperson'd her target. Don't think FSS has anything to do with it.
That said.
We're not building her up as a monster-slayer or assassin, so we might want to consider whether-or-not we actually want our first successor art to be a combat art in the first place.
Something social or artistic might be more appropriate.
Cecylene
Eternal Idea Engine
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Pronouns
- He/They
Getting to really watch a group of peers go to work with all the support and battlefield control we've built up will be an absolute treat.
I can only imagine what it'll be like for our friends to suddenly feel the live rush of how much we boost them in combat. Especially if we do get Meizhan on our team, since it's been a while since we've done a group combat with her and we have all new arts to show off.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
I just want to actually use stealth in combat which is much easier when we have allies to act as distractions.
How about a successor art to Ephemeral Nights Memory?
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BungieONI
Seven gremlins in a trench coat
- Location
- Lickwidget
- Pronouns
- She/Her
So the way I square this particular circle is to look at the insight and break it into two pieces:I actually like the idea of TRF being put aside and Ling Qi tightening her thematics so that she more or less resembles everyone else in her coherence. TRF+ is... well, let's be real, it'd be for Zhengui and Zhengui alone and I'm not sure we'd be prepared for the consequences of putting him so far ahead of ourselves. Like I said, not a super fan of FSS+, but other options are less likeable.
(I still refuse to believe HDW is an art we learned, someone else mastered it.
FSS+ is odd on a few levels though. It's our killiest art and all of our narratively significant kills (traitor Bai and... some air nomads?) had it as our big gun. Ling Qi is notably ambivalent about using it as her killstick because she's not super on board with killing people. I guess its just more personal than FVMs soulcrusher, idk.
Anyway, it announces The End.
We would have to build on it conceptually, and I'm guessing that'd also involve having to respect the insight we obtained from it.
Which is... new beginnings? Not sure if I'm recalling that right. If I'm not disregard everything I write below and tell me what the actual insight is.
I feel like in order to do justice to that insight, we'd have to do something weird with the art, by either focusing inwards and making it (even more) vampiric or focusing outwards and have it be necromantic (something like Liao Zhu's simalcrulum art).
The thing is, the manifestation of such an art kind of goes against the spirit of the insight. Vampirism isn't what Ling Qi meant by every ending being a new beginning (or at least I hope not, feeding off the endings of others is very combat-y, thru that lens Hanyi is a spoil of war), and necromancy is a corruption of an ending as our own Ice!Mom learned to her sorrow.
Sure, we can try not to incorporate our insight into the new art, but like, there's no ah-ha! moment when I look at how it can grow and be given Ling Qi's personal spin on it. It really should represent a step forward, but its very nature is tied to endings so steps forward always end up looking like steps backward. If there is something that comes after the end... it's not the End anymore.
I mean the only way I can think to square the circle is death leaving behind a mark on Ling Qi, like we accept their grudge and gain some sort of insight or memory as to who they are... sort of like how ghosts are tied by their lingering regrets, only we speed that process up and just grab it.
But at the same time, this feels overly complicated.
The little endings which are associated with spring and new beginnings.
And the final wintery End.
It is her killstick and what she's used to kill someone while she was right in front of them, in a very personal manner. It's also the art anchored in good memories with Zeqing and Hanyi and a point of commonality with Hanyi and reminder of who Zeqing was. In its structure it deals with many lesser endings, and then Ends things with Call to Ending. The art isn't just The End.
Ling Qi sees it as a motivator to gather close what and who she can and to protect it fiercely and to care for it while she can, even if it might get torn away because the attempt to gather things close has value.
One option for a successor that incorporates this insight is to gather her own strength and the strength of her friends, a slowly rising chord that ramps higher and higher, and supports them all. So supported they defend themselves from the things that would break apart their stability with the small endings, and then rise to a crescendo of the true End.
They all end in Green 5, so we can't, except for Bewitching Silver Maiden, which we haven't even touched and basically mixes ENM with a social art, being social stealth and a bit of actual stealth.
Except for anything we pick up training with Zhengui, anyway, since those are intentionally going to be low-power Arts that can be learned fast.
We're kinda short on anything but combat arts, but in many ways those are a right now thing, not a "long-term this is what Ling Qi is about" thing. I'm not calling for going looking for a non-combat art for the purpose of making it our first successor, but if one pops up, it deserves consideration.
And even if we're picking a combat art - we should think about the ones that do more than hit people real hard.
BungieONI
Seven gremlins in a trench coat
- Location
- Lickwidget
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The arts that we can master quickly in the cracks are Red arts. We'd likely have to make a successor for the successor to actually count for the purpose of this requirement.
- Location
- New Brunswick, NJ
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Yep. I just asked yrsillar how far advanced of a base art the successor art could be in terms of potency:
I think people are overly focused on FSS's DPS qualities and not enough on what it represents to Ling Qi. FSS+ picks up the narrative thread of Zeqing and Hanyi in a meaningful way. This is super valuable.
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