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.
- Location
- Leeds
I can do better.
[X] Sneak up on the Kid, show them why you don't try and spook a stealth cultivator.
IKR, it's never indiscriminate arson or bear traps when you'd need them most
I mean, in this case the shifting took its form in forcibly displacing the worshippers, breaking tradition and desacrating the shrine (melted statue). This whole thing seemed designed to piss the spirit off. Even under Imperial model, breaking deals and the forms of worship is bad, as seen with the sabotage during Hanyi´s tour.
Last edited:
- Location
- UK
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Sixiang is awesome, deserving of this show of respect and should more often get the deciding vote. I approve.
Mysterious kid is mysterious but this is Su Ling's trip so I'd rather follow up on the creep that's caught her interest. What's the worst that can happen if we continue to ignore whoever wants our attention?
Mysterious kid is mysterious but this is Su Ling's trip so I'd rather follow up on the creep that's caught her interest. What's the worst that can happen if we continue to ignore whoever wants our attention?
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
Bountiful Earth is apparently the GS that Tsu became when he ascended. DId not know that.
Awesome update. Loved the little tidbits about the MoI finding the two girls.
Also I'm definitely voting for fox kid. Cool lore though.
[X] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
This is almost definitely the memory of a Hui talking to a Diao. IIRC they basically considered the Diao their pets when they raised them to counts, and basically got them to loath their hill tribe roots.
Also I'm definitely voting for fox kid. Cool lore though.
[X] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
Last edited:
For whatever its worth, the Nine-Tailed Fox being worshiped here is probably a reference to Huxian, a very popular traditional deity in Northeast China and who fulfills a similar role to the Japanese Inari.
Huxian - Wikipedia
Huxian - Wikipedia
- Pronouns
- he him
I'll be the first to say I know very little about how exactly similar myths are different in separate cultures but doesn't Sun King's mother seem to be more similar to the Korean Kumiho?
[X] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
I don't think that Su Ling is going to find anything satisfying in the shrine. The dissrespect and corruption of the old Hui, some parable about the Little God's rebellion. I think her inability to clearly answer "what do you hope to find" is an answer by itself.
I think turning away from it means something. She is right. None of it changes the wickedness, or justifies the actions. Better to turn away and find other things.
I don't think that Su Ling is going to find anything satisfying in the shrine. The dissrespect and corruption of the old Hui, some parable about the Little God's rebellion. I think her inability to clearly answer "what do you hope to find" is an answer by itself.
I think turning away from it means something. She is right. None of it changes the wickedness, or justifies the actions. Better to turn away and find other things.
Last edited:
[ ] Keep teasing memories from the shrine, there's definitely a deeper something here.
My thoughts at this point in the exploration:
My thoughts at this point in the exploration:
Last edited:
The article I linked to earlier is about religion, not myth. The Huxian religion appears to "enjoy such popularity to be worshipped by almost every household in north China and Manchuria". My understanding is that this is the region that the Emerald Seas is a reference to.
[X] Keep teasing memories from the shrine, there's definitely a deeper something here.
[X] Keep teasing memories from the shrine, there's definitely a deeper something here.
- Location
- foraging for beans
So since the whole point of this dream adventure is to help Su Ling get some perspective on her ingrained self loathing/anti-fox racism, I'm going to ask how these options help address this.
And then promptly answer the question with my the Correct and Definitively True Opinions(TM).
[ ] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
The kid option here seems to be the approach from empathy. Get some hands on experience with a non-evil trickster fox in the form of a cute kid. And I fully expect to get the full on trickster fox experience here. On the plus side, if it works, it'll probably work really well. Who doesn't love cute fox-kid antics. On the minus side, Su Ling has opinions about foxes, and they ain't good, so her hackles will be up. It also runs the risk of shoving her trauma in her face. So the higher reward, higher risk option. Also, probably far less lore, and we didn't pick Mother Moon so who cares about the kid.
[X] Keep teasing memories from the shrine, there's definitely a deeper something here.
This seems to be the approach from reason and history option. We'll probably find out that fox spirits aren't inherently evil and rapey, and in fact can be a force for good. Su Ling's mom is just like that because the Hui (fuck the Hui) convinced the local count clan (probably the Diao, which explains their interest in Su Ling's spirit blood) to break the old Weilu agreements with the fox spirits. So on success, the narrative in her head becomes less "foxes are bad", and more "actions have consequences." More likely to succeed because the Su Ling will be less on guard, but a success won't be as dramatic. We would get some lore about the fox spirits, the way the Diao practiced Weilu culture with the fox spirits, and probably some explanation for why Su Ling's mom has been running around untouched for 500 years without anyone doing anything though.
I'm inclined to go with option 2, because I want the lore, it's the Hidden Moon option, and I think it's the better approach for Su Ling. I'd rather not risk shoving her trauma in her face.
And then promptly answer the question with my the Correct and Definitively True Opinions(TM).
[ ] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
The kid option here seems to be the approach from empathy. Get some hands on experience with a non-evil trickster fox in the form of a cute kid. And I fully expect to get the full on trickster fox experience here. On the plus side, if it works, it'll probably work really well. Who doesn't love cute fox-kid antics. On the minus side, Su Ling has opinions about foxes, and they ain't good, so her hackles will be up. It also runs the risk of shoving her trauma in her face. So the higher reward, higher risk option. Also, probably far less lore, and we didn't pick Mother Moon so who cares about the kid.
[X] Keep teasing memories from the shrine, there's definitely a deeper something here.
This seems to be the approach from reason and history option. We'll probably find out that fox spirits aren't inherently evil and rapey, and in fact can be a force for good. Su Ling's mom is just like that because the Hui (fuck the Hui) convinced the local count clan (probably the Diao, which explains their interest in Su Ling's spirit blood) to break the old Weilu agreements with the fox spirits. So on success, the narrative in her head becomes less "foxes are bad", and more "actions have consequences." More likely to succeed because the Su Ling will be less on guard, but a success won't be as dramatic. We would get some lore about the fox spirits, the way the Diao practiced Weilu culture with the fox spirits, and probably some explanation for why Su Ling's mom has been running around untouched for 500 years without anyone doing anything though.
I'm inclined to go with option 2, because I want the lore, it's the Hidden Moon option, and I think it's the better approach for Su Ling. I'd rather not risk shoving her trauma in her face.
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
[X] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
[X] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
Su Ling is a good person, she's emphatic and looks out for the little persons too small for cultivators to notice. If we want her to gain some perspective on her hatred for her own kind, then this is the optimal route. Not every fox she meets will be a evil trickster deserving of death, and when she's now the bigger person instead of the underdog, how will she change her morals and perspective?
Su Ling is a good person, she's emphatic and looks out for the little persons too small for cultivators to notice. If we want her to gain some perspective on her hatred for her own kind, then this is the optimal route. Not every fox she meets will be a evil trickster deserving of death, and when she's now the bigger person instead of the underdog, how will she change her morals and perspective?
- Location
- The Space Between
ohohoHO how very interesting.
So Su Ling's mother is a direct product of Imperial Meddling, which cares enough to force hands to break old covenants, but not enough to properly handle the fall out.
Sounds familiar to that old Masons' War hmm? When the Imperial Ways clashed with the Old Covenants to a disastrous result.
Would it be justice to kill a spirit which was forced into man-eating by Imperial hands? Left to fester and feed by the negligence of Imperial cultivators?
Much has been said about how Ling Qi steals things from their context, yet here we see something much different. We take Su Ling, and bring her to context. We show her perspectives and sides she wouldn't have found near as quickly on her own, if ever. Su Ling hates her lineage, her mother, but she also knows nothing about her. Would she hate another of her lineage, just for their blood? Where's the Justice in that?
Interesting to see a Nine Tailed Fox of Dawn here, as well as some new information. The Bountiful Earth is the patriarch spirit of the Emerald Seas and born of Tsu hmm? Fascinating. I suppose it makes sense that the children of Tsu were not all necessarily human. The Bai of that era were naga, after all.
Bringing up a spirit born of Tsu is especially interesting because I don't think we've heard mention of a single wife of Tsu have we? Imperial Dogma states that only a man and woman may procreate, thus the Weilu couldn't have been the children of Tsu and the Horned Lord directly. Yet Cai Tienli proves that to be false. There's actually an interesting harmony there between the Sage Emperor and Tsu, with Tsu's child the Bountiful Earth and the Sage Emperor's child "Immaculate Angles". Both took on primarily Earth elements, and are seemingly vital to the support of that which their fathers made.
Although, perhaps The Bountiful Earth is what Tsu "ascended" as. I think calling them a "child of Tsu" might not be wrong though, as Great Spirits certainly aren't the humans that formed them. Questions for another time I suppose
All this talk of ancient spirits reminds of Zeqing. Zeqing is a cyan spirit who chose to break her Way for her daughter, and is now in the process of being reformed anew. Not as Zeqing, no, but somone similar. I feel that may be one benevolent end for Su Ling's mother, breaking down so that she may be renewed later. Which makes me wonder if the Horned Lord can possibly go through a similar process. I know Sublimes aren't "spirits", but still. It feels wrong that such beings can "disappear" from the world without trace. Returned to the earth, maybe, but disappearing entirely? It's just strange.
In any case,
[X] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
Su Ling is an empathetic person that cares for even the mortals, and even if it's a trap we can always investigate sludgy beings another time. It seems likely that such sludgy things will be common for us to run into, in the many wounds of the Emerald Seas. Even if it's not the exact same sin, the slimy sins are probably lingering all over the place.
So Su Ling's mother is a direct product of Imperial Meddling, which cares enough to force hands to break old covenants, but not enough to properly handle the fall out.
Sounds familiar to that old Masons' War hmm? When the Imperial Ways clashed with the Old Covenants to a disastrous result.
Would it be justice to kill a spirit which was forced into man-eating by Imperial hands? Left to fester and feed by the negligence of Imperial cultivators?
Much has been said about how Ling Qi steals things from their context, yet here we see something much different. We take Su Ling, and bring her to context. We show her perspectives and sides she wouldn't have found near as quickly on her own, if ever. Su Ling hates her lineage, her mother, but she also knows nothing about her. Would she hate another of her lineage, just for their blood? Where's the Justice in that?
Interesting to see a Nine Tailed Fox of Dawn here, as well as some new information. The Bountiful Earth is the patriarch spirit of the Emerald Seas and born of Tsu hmm? Fascinating. I suppose it makes sense that the children of Tsu were not all necessarily human. The Bai of that era were naga, after all.
Bringing up a spirit born of Tsu is especially interesting because I don't think we've heard mention of a single wife of Tsu have we? Imperial Dogma states that only a man and woman may procreate, thus the Weilu couldn't have been the children of Tsu and the Horned Lord directly. Yet Cai Tienli proves that to be false. There's actually an interesting harmony there between the Sage Emperor and Tsu, with Tsu's child the Bountiful Earth and the Sage Emperor's child "Immaculate Angles". Both took on primarily Earth elements, and are seemingly vital to the support of that which their fathers made.
Although, perhaps The Bountiful Earth is what Tsu "ascended" as. I think calling them a "child of Tsu" might not be wrong though, as Great Spirits certainly aren't the humans that formed them. Questions for another time I suppose
All this talk of ancient spirits reminds of Zeqing. Zeqing is a cyan spirit who chose to break her Way for her daughter, and is now in the process of being reformed anew. Not as Zeqing, no, but somone similar. I feel that may be one benevolent end for Su Ling's mother, breaking down so that she may be renewed later. Which makes me wonder if the Horned Lord can possibly go through a similar process. I know Sublimes aren't "spirits", but still. It feels wrong that such beings can "disappear" from the world without trace. Returned to the earth, maybe, but disappearing entirely? It's just strange.
In any case,
[X] Check up on the Kid, if they are up to something, better to know.
Su Ling is an empathetic person that cares for even the mortals, and even if it's a trap we can always investigate sludgy beings another time. It seems likely that such sludgy things will be common for us to run into, in the many wounds of the Emerald Seas. Even if it's not the exact same sin, the slimy sins are probably lingering all over the place.
Last edited: