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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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dycouza said:
The Intensive Focus skill is what allowed us to hear the Music marching drums of the Shishigui army a month ago, in an application that we hadn't really predicted. I don't think we need another skill yet since the one we've got already works with the themes of HDW's Music, RME's Clairvoyance, general Qi sense, the feel of Wind and Mist etc. and other basic senses. Intensive Focus is really interesting when we have multiple methods of perception because it allows us to use the best one in every situation like hearing from far away, seeing in great detail or perceiving a chaotic battlefield with out Mist and Music. Just as we wouldn't have heard the Shishigui without some specialization in hearing, there are many things we couldn't do if we solely relied on hearing over sight and more esoteric tools. While I'd love to create a tight-knit skillset I don't think the way is to discard some senses over others, but rather to unite them as a cohesive whole.

I liked the Wind chimes idea because it can be different things narratively. It could play Music that expands our perception where it reaches, it could hear distant sound and enhance it to our ear, play at the disturbance of Wind as someone sneaks up on us or act as an alarm where the talisman lets every sound or movement of wind play on it to draw our Intensive Focus to what disturbs its chiming. For such a simple design it covers an array of facets of our perception, and that gives Yrs more to work with.
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it is not like Intensive Focus would be removed by getting another skill. Also, switching to a music/hearing based perception art and even skills doesnt turn us blind. The general Qi sense would still be there and so on. Meizhen for example also still has her other senses besides whatever she uses to taste things.

And while Intensive Focus is decent enough flavour as something to support another perception skill, i would argue that having it be the 'main flavour' for our Perceptionis less ideal, especially since the more advanced skills derived from it would likely follow the general theme of the predecessor skill. and all that theme really is is 'focusing really hard on one specific thing'. That is a lot less impressive than something like Vanishing, Sable Grace or Dream Step. There is also an argument to be made that we dont want to have tunnel vision focus all the time, sometimes we want to have a 'broader' perception. We want it sometimes, and we still have it for that, but as far as main flavour goes Intensive Focus doesnt seem too impressive.
 
naths said:
it is not like Intensive Focus would be removed by getting another skill. Also, switching to a music/hearing based perception art and even skills doesnt turn us blind. The general Qi sense would still be there and so on. Meizhen for example also still has her other senses besides whatever she uses to taste things.
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That's not this straightforward though. For example, our other advanced skill - Sable Grace, has been dropped almost completely from narrative when we swaped SCS for Wind Thief. Do we still use its bonuses? Probably, but you wouldn't guess we can dodge things like that just from narrative.
 
Varder said:
That's not this straightforward though. For example, our other advanced skill - Sable Grace, has been dropped almost completely from narrative when we swaped SCS for Wind Thief. Do we still use its bonuses? Probably, but you wouldn't guess we can dodge things like that just from narrative.
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we are still using Sable Grace. It wasnt even that long since we upgraded SCS to Wind Thief (Wind thief is a successor art, so it kind of 'expanded on' SCS instead of swapping with it) and even if it hasnt been mentioned explicit, we can assume that her dodging still involves the skill
 
And, like, Sable Grace was always basically "dodging - SCS style". They've always kinda been blurred.

edit: though actually yeah, I can see the point - getting WWS which is a perfect dodge that involves us exploding into shadow and teleporting kind of overlaps so much with Sable Grace's "turn insubstantial and short-distance teleport to dodge" thing that you end up with a situation that in order to clearly illustrate WWS Sable Grace ends up not really being "used".
 
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naths said:
we are still using Sable Grace. It wasnt even that long since we upgraded SCS to Wind Thief (Wind thief is a successor art, so it kind of 'expanded on' SCS instead of swapping with it) and even if it hasnt been mentioned explicit, we can assume that her dodging still involves the skill
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We are. It's just not shown.

Now, when LQ dodges it's always about wind, about flying and dissapearing in thin air. Sable Grace was different. It was "move a centimeter to the side" or "your bodyparts turn insubstantial". It was about dodging without moving, like a creepy horror monster. TW is more usual style of dodging.
 
Silence is winning, so I guess we will see Emerald Seas inner politics soon in all its ugly beauty. I can think of only one anime theme music that would be appropriate here.
 
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Adhoc vote count started by Lena27 on Aug 13, 2020 at 7:45 PM, finished with 290 posts and 126 votes.
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I wonder what Six thought of the star child, he only saw us as an enemy when laying eyes on us so moon spirits might have the same reaction as a hate at first sight.
 
ParticipantAward said:
Only way I'd see talking to an Elder win over Cai would be if the Elder was Jiao or Xin.
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I kinda actually wanted the vote to be much more difficult, but it's apparent that the Sect made a poor showing. Instead, the circumstances of this vote have just forced us further into the arms of the Cai faction. Thinking back, I wonder how much the Sect's current weakness has to do with behind-the-curtain politicking or skullduggery. I wouldn't be surprised if Cai mom set them up to fail indirectly, like if she wanted to consolidate power by discrediting rival regional power centers.

It's unfortunate because the current consensus doesn't exactly create space to talk about the motivations and aims of our supposed benefactors, or LQ's role in all this craziness. I'm hoping there'll be more opportunity later to reflect on our role as basically a high-ranked Cai enforcer, and even as a citizen of the Empire. Like the original debate about staying in the Sect vs. going with Cai in the first thread.
 
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If we're gonna continue the trend, would Shenhua Unravel? Maybe even scatter herself/threads to the ends of the kingdom.
 
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