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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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adaer said:
My longest-term, probably never going to happen hope from this quest is the Empire breaking apart, CRX's mom ascending or dying, and helping our liege build a less awful, more just Empire from the ashes. All that in mind, I don't mind losing out on the chance for imperial opinion to try and get the tiniest bit more support from what might be our base of power.
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TBH, the current empress is already trying to improve the lot of mortals and works epspecially hard on breaking down the privileges of the old clans. She is paying for that now by having united the ancient clans(Zheng and Bai guaranteed, maybe Xuan too) against her, her two main ducal supporters (Sun and Cai) losing trust in her and is in danger of provoking a civil war at worst or more likely her rule coming to a sudden and unfortunate end, with with a more pliable emporer taking her place.

The Rules for Rulers problematic is sadly just as applicable to a more realistic fantasy realm, like the one that the Destiny series is set in, as it is in reality and the "fixfic" mentality while feeling very wholesome and soulbleaching is sadly leading to just as much of a disastrous outcome as in real life.

The important thing, i guess, is to keep being positive and improving the lives of those arround you and trying to affect change on a personal and communal level. Just because gaining and using power is often a no win scenario for an idealist (either you compromise on the scale of your vision or you have to compromise your ideals) doesn't mean that idealistic actions, in moderation, shouldn't be taken and that the concept of trying to improve your people quality of life should always be the end goal of governing even if it can not always be a means of governing.
 
We also dont know fully why Jiao, the new Empress' supposedly most likely supporter left and is now in the Argent Sect. I know its most likely due to the now Ascended Emperor, but why would Jiao just leave the Empress?

The way things are being presented right now, there doesnt really seem to be many powerhouses on the side of the Empress. She lost/is losing many of her Keys to Power.
 
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TimEd said:
We also dont know fully why Jiao, the new Empress' supposedly most likely supporter left and is now in the Argent Sect. I know its most likely due to the now Ascended Emperor, but why would Jiao just leave the Empress?

The way things are being presented right now, there doesnt really seem to be many powerhouses on the side of the Empress. She lost/is losing many of her Keys to Power.
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There are a lot of hints and references in the sect promotional and other pieces that this may not be the case. The Empress has the vast majority of the people of worked with her father and is forcing through the repairs of the mountain forts in the peaks thus preventing any attempt at armed rebellion there. She is also pushing through health and education reforms for all strata of society. There is more to the empress than we have been officially been told, and Jiao is a baised actor.
 
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Isn't the Empress slowly squeezing the Sects with lower funding? Aside from those who align with her pet projects I mean.
 
TimEd said:
Isn't the Empress slowly squeezing the Sects with lower funding? Aside from those who align with her pet projects I mean.
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The Empress wasn't increasing the budget of the southern sects because it was a quiet front. Every group wants more money, so I wouldn't say that she was squeezing the Sect by refusing to increase funding.
 
[X] Focus on refining her theme with Sixiang (+Music, +Art, +Presence for Hanyi, improved reception from Weilu leaning listeners.)
 
The empress is still very politically savy and competent, though. I mean, in the Jiao interlude we heard that Prince An and Sima Jiao couldn't save Prince An's wife. SJ attributed the murder to the Bai, likely as a family matter IIRC, this would make the wife a Bai and the Empress a half Bai.

Later on she sacrificed one oh her sons, the seventh prince, who IIRC had a reputation as a scumbag and deviant, to engineer the execution of Meizhen's mom, who, if I understood the Bai Suzhen Interlude correctly, was some kind of spy misstress/ internal police head for the Bai clan. She was weakening the clan publically (the public execution), internally (losing their spymistress and stability) and getting revenge for her mother and getting rid of a son who was not in line with her ideals in one fell swoop.

I'm currently at work and can't look up all my IIRCs so please take the above comment with a metric ton of salt.
 
[X] Focus on refining her theme with Sixiang (+Music, +Art, +Presence for Hanyi, improved reception from Weilu leaning listeners.)
 
Adhoc vote count started by EternalObserver on Sep 16, 2020 at 6:57 AM, finished with 99 posts and 65 votes.
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[X] Focus on improving her technical skill with Ling Qi (+Vocals, +Manip for Hanyi, improved reception from Imperial Leaning listeners.)
 
[X] Focus on improving her technical skill with Ling Qi (+Vocals, +Manip for Hanyi, improved reception from Imperial Leaning listeners.)
 
Gonna vote for the losing option, since I haven't managed to choose between the two.

[X] Focus on improving her technical skill with Ling Qi (+Vocals, +Manip for Hanyi, improved reception from Imperial Leaning listeners.)
 
[X] Focus on refining her theme with Sixiang (+Music, +Art, +Presence for Hanyi, improved reception from Weilu leaning listeners.)
 
[X] Focus on refining her theme with Sixiang (+Music, +Art, +Presence for Hanyi, improved reception from Weilu leaning listeners.)
 
[X] Focus on improving her technical skill with Ling Qi (+Vocals, +Manip for Hanyi, improved reception from Imperial Leaning listeners.)
 
Kian said:
Later on she sacrificed one oh her sons, the seventh prince, who IIRC had a reputation as a scumbag and deviant, to engineer the execution of Meizhen's mom, who, if I understood the Bai Suzhen Interlude correctly, was some kind of spy misstress/ internal police head for the Bai clan. She was weakening the clan publically (the public execution), internally (losing their spymistress and stability) and getting revenge for her mother and getting rid of a son who was not in line with her ideals in one fell swoop.
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That wasn't her though, it was the Emperor himself. At least I remember it being so.
 
Kian said:
The empress is still very politically savy and competent, though. I mean, in the Jiao interlude we heard that Prince An and Sima Jiao couldn't save Prince An's wife. SJ attributed the murder to the Bai, likely as a family matter IIRC, this would make the wife a Bai and the Empress a half Bai.

Later on she sacrificed one oh her sons, the seventh prince, who IIRC had a reputation as a scumbag and deviant, to engineer the execution of Meizhen's mom, who, if I understood the Bai Suzhen Interlude correctly, was some kind of spy misstress/ internal police head for the Bai clan. She was weakening the clan publically (the public execution), internally (losing their spymistress and stability) and getting revenge for her mother and getting rid of a son who was not in line with her ideals in one fell swoop.

I'm currently at work and can't look up all my IIRCs so please take the above comment with a metric ton of salt.
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Varder said:
That wasn't her though, it was the Emperor himself. At least I remember it being so.
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We don't know what happened with Bai Meilin, but as far as we know she didn't sacrifice her son, though she might have taken the chance of his assassination to blame Meilin.

It can't have been An, as Meilin is Meizhen's mom, and An ascended 40+ years ago.
 
[X] Focus on refining her theme with Sixiang (+Music, +Art, +Presence for Hanyi, improved reception from Weilu leaning listeners.)
technical skill is not important. emotion and artistic craft is what is important.
 
[X] Focus on improving her technical skill with Ling Qi (+Vocals, +Manip for Hanyi, improved reception from Imperial Leaning listeners.)
 
I love Hanyi's song and what it says about her. Where Zeqing was the blizzard, Hanyi sees the peacefulness of a snow covered landscape. Zeqing was about dying to the cold, Ling Qi is about the struggle for survival, but Hanyi is a lady. To them warmth and life is something to drain but to her it's a nuisance that is in the way of the perfect beauty. She doesn't like the heat or the noise, the enduring and dying of life, but prefers the peace after death, not withering flowers but ones frozen at their most beautiful. She's content in the stillness of eternal winter as opposed to her mother and sister's hunger for warmth.

[X] Focus on refining her theme with Sixiang (+Music, +Art, +Presence for Hanyi, improved reception from Weilu leaning listeners.)
 
I'm sure that 180 went over really well with the Bai, a clan known for its ability to hold a grudge.

You know, all this rehash regarding the Empress is making me wonder why exactly did Shenhua decide to ally with the Bai?
 
yrsillar said:
Something so bright and whimsical seemed an odd thing to make for her main piece.

Hanyi twisted a strand of her hair between her fingers. "Well, there's no point in just copying. You and Momma's songs are always so…"

Ling Qi frowned and Hanyi trailed off uncomfortably.

"It's fine Hanyi. I think Zeqing would be happy that you're branching out. It's just… not the way I'm used to thinking of things," Ling Qi said hastily.
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Her true nature is rather cheerful at the core.
This is good actually if appealing to those interested in nature spirits.

Cold spirits tend to be dour, seductive or murderous.
Hanyi performs more like a Wind/Sun type.
yrsillar said:
"Like I said, your song was very pretty."

"I get it. But, winter is really pretty you know? It's not all gloomy stuff. Its fields of white, glittering as far as you can see, and sledding down the cliffs and listening to the wind and the snow blowing through the ravines," Hanyi said quietly. "It's home, you know? I want people to know how nice it was."
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This seems significant. Perhaps a usable insight in there?
Even a frozen field is somebody's home.

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder.
yrsillar said:
"You miss it though huh?" Sixiang murmured. Their face reflected in the hanging sheets of ice. "Guessing just hopping up to the mountaintops not the same huh?"

"It's not, 'cause Sis' home is down here. Everything is just so noisy, you know, with the bugs and the birds and the people. And it's always so hot. I just miss Momma's peak sometimes," Hanyi huffed. "I just want to make a song about how nice the cold can be."

Ling Qi supposed that perspective could really change even the most fundamental meanings.
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Also pretty interesting here, Hanyi's baseline environment is silent and lifeless.
She just genuinely needs space.
yrsillar said:
. "So that's what was bothering you," she mused. "And here I was worrying that you were worried about the battle and your wound."

"Huh?" Hanyi asked, blinking. "I mean, it was scary, but it's done now, why would I worry about that?"

Sixiang snickered, and Ling Qi sighed.

Hanyi shifted from foot to foot, not quite meeting her eyes. "I mean, I know I have to help you out Sis, but fighting kinda sucks you know? If your food can fight back, that's no fun at all."

Ling Qi gave Hanyi a searching look, and found that there really was no deception in Hanyi's words. Her thoughts on battle were really that simple. It reminded her that despite her appearance, Hanyi really was a spirit. She really didn't think anything of battle and death, except that she didn't like getting hurt.
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Hah, a right proper elegant lady type!
The whole combat thing is just a chore to her, in contrast to Zhengui's craving for relevance.
yrsillar said:
"I guess not," Ling Qi said wryly. "You're not much of a hunter huh?"

"Well duh," Hanyi scoffed. " A real lady shouldn't have to traipse around and pick fights like that."

Ling Qi's lips quirked up, and Hanyi's eyes widened.

"Not that Sis isn't a lady!" Hanyi defended quickly. "You're super cool and elegant! It's okay for people to have weird hobbies!"

"I dunno, I think you kind of have a double standard there," Sixiang chuckled. "And elegant? This dork?"

Ling Qi swatted away the wisp of wind that poked her in the side.

"You take that back," Hanyi pouted, glaring up at the ice that reflected Sixiang's visage. "Sis is totally elegant when she tries!"

Somehow, Ling Qi was really feeling attacked here.
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Oo-of.
It hurts more that she's trying to help.
yrsillar said:
"It's fine Hanyi," she said, before Sixiang could goad her again. "Anyway, you were just worried about your song?"

Hanyi nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, it's nothing like what Momma or you perform, so I was kinda nervous. And um…"

"And what?" Ling Qi asked curiously.

"I think I want to try some stuff other than singing," Hanyi said, before waving her hands. "Not now obviously. It's way too late to start something new, but like after this, I want to try out some instruments and stuff."
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Diversity is good for a musician, and at least she's a lot more willing to come out with her wishes now. Too reluctant to impose perhaps?
yrsillar said:
Ling Qi hummed to herself. "You know that we're going on a journey soon. There probably won't have time to shop around for talismans."

"I know, I'm not dumb." Hanyi said. "But I've been studying! You can get mortal practice stuff super cheap, and I should get at least a little bit of money after this right?"
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Oh Ling Qi.
Mortal instruments don't even exist to you anymore, anymore than mortal clothing huh?
yrsillar said:
"I suppose so," Ling Qi allowed. "But when we're traveling we'll have to be careful, alright? No practicing with noisy things if I'm not around to damp the sound."

Sixiang made an extremely fake sounding cough, concealing a word that sounded like it started with an 'M'. Ling Qi ignored them.

"I'll be good," Hanyi said. "But anyway! For the last verse, I wanted your advice Big Sis, I'm stuck on the last verse, and I wanna clean up the rest too, can you and Sixiang help?"
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Yes Mom.
 
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