Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
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Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
If Renshu lives we have to the the AS to make up some lost rep going for over them with the White Sky.
Also, am I the only one who's noticed some interesting parallels between Suyin and Renshu?
Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Plus, Yan focuses on puppets while Suyin focuses on constructs and the two both use Abyssal reagents in their craft.
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@yrsillar corrections
[X] Accept Pan Xi's proposal, and observe Yan Shenyi's movements and actions over the next few days before moving to make the arrest. (60% success, may grant better intelligence opportunities.)
So ... that's a bridge burned. -4 is not the kind of number that I can see recovering on any sort of timescale.
The good news is: we managed to avoid losing reputation with the Weilu Conservatives anywhere. Our strategy here needs to be to change the politics of the clan so that the Reactionaries aren't a significant threat.
We need to extend an olive branch to the WCs, try to get them to at least 0, and give the Reformers a political success so they have more influence. Remember that changing the reputation number isn't the only thing that's possible - the percentages can also change.
Elsewhere ... we really need to avoid antagonizing the ICs further. -3 is already going to be a source of constant irritation, but -4 from them would significantly complicate our plans, especially if it happens before we can demonstrate success in our long-term projects. Remember that it's not just their in-province presence, but their connections to other provinces - we will always have to deal with significant numbers of them.
Once we start seeing some sort of returns on our radical ideas, I can actually see the ICs going up a point, contrary to LQ's thoughts - success is hard to argue with, even if it's not the success they'd prefer (but such an increase could never go above 0). But it will be a delicate balance until that point, and we need to look for some sort of common ground before then. OOC we just thought about Sun Shao ... if the Western Territories can get away with that much, surely we are so much better than them!
Keep in mind that Yan Renshu was only a -3, and we all know how much trouble he was. All the opposition we've faced for our big plans so far was only the result of -2s!
(also a reminder that Xuan Shi, at rank 3, is the only husbando candidate above rank 1, since we've sunk the Wang Chao ship, and others have claim on GG and Han Jian ... honestly that relationship should probably decay to 1)
Edit since there were a lot of new posts since I started this.
Keep in mind that the "60% success" does not mean "40% chance of a low green escaping". It means "40% chance of a low green either suiciding or having an escape route prepared by his backer".
I just noticed that Lao Keung is in the personal relationships list twice, Xia Anxi has lowercase "rank", and Cao Chun has just a number (in the faction relationships the presence/absence of "Rank" is very random). And to avoid pinging you for something that trivial, I found a few other corrections in the latest post.
Commas are definitely wrong, but the correct choice depends on rephrasing. Either remove them all or put them around "but even"; this is not a case where "that" allows a comma.
The rule for comma before conjunctions is: comma required if connecting clauses (as here), optional if connecting predicates (i.e. not repeating the subject), forbidden if connecting anything else (unless some other rule also applies).
better without comma
always hyphenate
remove "of"; "opposite of" is only valid when "opposite" is a noun or in rare post-adjective constructs.
W
wonder, you
by, replaced
poor "and" balance, maybe add an adverb?
knew
. 'Specially (apostrophe since it's a contraction in casual speech - make sure it is not an open single quote)
comma, otherwise we are putting the weasel upright.
not an adverb I'd use ...
it's 'our,'" Sixiang (mumble mumble I hate styles other than Programmer's English)
distant antecedent
Awkward due to just how many things commas can be used for. I'd make multiple changes: "the one, a smaller city on the" or even replace the remaining comma with a period/semicolon.
it's
"
always hypenate
run-down or rundown; "run down" is only a verb
remove "the"
awkward; perhaps replace "preceding" with "in preparation for/of"?
Law's
two-meter-high
low-ranking
guards[,] and, to
particular?" Ling Qi asked,
I'd say "things: improved" but see the next point.
This is awkward whether the preceding period goes away or not. Fragment-heavy prose should be minimized outside of dialogue.
was, as
I suppose this is fine, but it triggers error signals. Maybe hyphenate "big-shot"?
Again this is fragment-heavy.
Commas are definitely wrong, but the correct choice depends on rephrasing. Either remove them all or put them around "but even"; this is not a case where "that" allows a comma.
semicolon, since both sides are sentences
Just quoting this because it's an example of inserting numerous bits of information without any fragments.
well-off
fourth-ranked
titlecase
forty-year
listening, but
The rule for comma before conjunctions is: comma required if connecting clauses (as here), optional if connecting predicates (i.e. not repeating the subject), forbidden if connecting anything else (unless some other rule also applies).
Awkward word reuse. Remove "on top", and if you really needs its meaning to survive, change to "the <topmost/main> dossier" or something.
she
run-on sentence
The gerund feels wrong here, possibly tied to the voice. Perhaps "case to pass to" or "case being passed to"?
"so to speak" should always be set off by commas. But this makes the implied thought-quotation awkward, so further rephrasing may be a good idea.
[X] Accept Pan Xi's proposal, and observe Yan Shenyi's movements and actions over the next few days before moving to make the arrest. (60% success, may grant better intelligence opportunities.)
So ... that's a bridge burned. -4 is not the kind of number that I can see recovering on any sort of timescale.
The good news is: we managed to avoid losing reputation with the Weilu Conservatives anywhere. Our strategy here needs to be to change the politics of the clan so that the Reactionaries aren't a significant threat.
We need to extend an olive branch to the WCs, try to get them to at least 0, and give the Reformers a political success so they have more influence. Remember that changing the reputation number isn't the only thing that's possible - the percentages can also change.
Elsewhere ... we really need to avoid antagonizing the ICs further. -3 is already going to be a source of constant irritation, but -4 from them would significantly complicate our plans, especially if it happens before we can demonstrate success in our long-term projects. Remember that it's not just their in-province presence, but their connections to other provinces - we will always have to deal with significant numbers of them.
Once we start seeing some sort of returns on our radical ideas, I can actually see the ICs going up a point, contrary to LQ's thoughts - success is hard to argue with, even if it's not the success they'd prefer (but such an increase could never go above 0). But it will be a delicate balance until that point, and we need to look for some sort of common ground before then. OOC we just thought about Sun Shao ... if the Western Territories can get away with that much, surely we are so much better than them!
Keep in mind that Yan Renshu was only a -3, and we all know how much trouble he was. All the opposition we've faced for our big plans so far was only the result of -2s!
(also a reminder that Xuan Shi, at rank 3, is the only husbando candidate above rank 1, since we've sunk the Wang Chao ship, and others have claim on GG and Han Jian ... honestly that relationship should probably decay to 1)
Edit since there were a lot of new posts since I started this.
Keep in mind that the "60% success" does not mean "40% chance of a low green escaping". It means "40% chance of a low green either suiciding or having an escape route prepared by his backer".
Last edited:
- Location
- UK
[X] Accept Pan Xi's proposal, and observe Yan Shenyi's movements and actions over the next few days before moving to make the arrest. (60% success, may grant better intelligence opportunities.)
kfrar
Aspiring Encyclopedia
Put together a few thoughts on the political implications of our stunt, and how we can manage the different culture groups going forward.
Weilu Reformers: Our friends, our pals, the Best Meng. Our stunt didn't earn us as much support from them as it did enmity from the Reactionaries, but while we've clearly shown our willingness to put our money where our Weilu Reformer mouth is, we haven't quite demonstrated our ability to back our reformer intent with success yet. So, you know, fair - it's poor business to go all-in on such an untested and risky investment. Still, these people are our allies, and we can reliably work together with them at least. Getting them to throw more active support at us - when they're already going to be busy spinning things with the Weilu Conservatives and culture warring with the Weilu Reactionaries - is either going to require us to earn enough successes to show we're a stable investment, or to more directly tie ourselves to them by marrying Meng Dan.
Weilu Moderates: The Luo Moderates liked our show, while the Wang Moderates were more neutral towards it. This is pretty reasonable - while Weilu Moderates might enjoy seeing some more Weilu stuff happening in the mainstream and won't be too picky about how heretical it might be, they're still Moderates. Weilu is not an end unto itself for these people, and cultural outreach will only take us so far with them. Truly winning the Weilu Moderates over will require us to demonstrate that the Weilu side is the winning side because our side is the winning side. Earning more merits, demonstrating success on a personal and factional level, and making genuine progress with the Ice Ladies will provide our moderate cultural brethren all the motive necessary to support us.
Weilu Conservatives: These are the people who mourn for the decline of the Weilu ways and fiercely defend what is left of them, but who no longer try to grow the Weilu's influence themselves. Crucially, if someone else were to trigger a Weilu Renaissance, well, we might need to talk out some of the details of exactly how heretical we could get with it, but they wouldn't have an inherent objection to a external resurgence of Weilu influence. And since they didn't experience a rep hit with this play, we know that our Heresy Budget is actually pretty substantial for this faction. So if we use things like Hanyi's concerts to manage our cultural outreach right, prove to them that we are a 100% Legitimate Weilu Noble, and show that we're reversing the steady decline of the Weilu? Throw in some of the aforementioned successes to prove we're not going to immediately fail them, and we could absolutely bring them to our side.
Weilu Reactionaries: These people have a very specific view of what Weilu means and how and by whose hands it should manifest in the world, and we directly attacked that. We will continue to attack that; our entire gameplan is built around a Weilu Reformation, and they won't abide that. So we can't afford to abide them. Weilu Reformers, Conservatives, Reactionaries are both Meng exclusive right now, and we're going to need to work with our Reformer allies to win over the Conservatives and strangle the Meng Reactionary faction before they manage to strangle us.
Imperial Moderates: These guys are honestly pretty simple to deal with. They don't care about our heresy, and they don't particularly object to our provincial culture or our cultural squabbles. Success or failure is the only thing that will sway them, and while they will never be a core part of our support base it is possible for us to win approval from them.
Imperial Conservatives: They only care about our heresy in that it shows the depths of our commitment to inferior backwater cultures, as well as our most undraconic tendency of wanting to get along with people. Given our genuine commitment to both Weilu culture and Barbarian diplomacy, there are no levers we can use to win these people to our side. However, they are, by and large, a minority - only 10% of the Luo and Wang, and not enough to swing our rep with the Diao. (They may be responsible for the dip with the Bao, but the Bao can be won over with money). So long as we don't directly attack the Imperial Conservatives like we're attacking the Weilu Reactionaries, we can focus on starving them out on a factional level by raising the stars of the Weilu/Moderate factions and decreasing the attractiveness of hard Imperial positions in the Emerald Seas. A declining minority faction which merely Dislikes us can be weathered until it fades away.
Weilu Reformers: Our friends, our pals, the Best Meng. Our stunt didn't earn us as much support from them as it did enmity from the Reactionaries, but while we've clearly shown our willingness to put our money where our Weilu Reformer mouth is, we haven't quite demonstrated our ability to back our reformer intent with success yet. So, you know, fair - it's poor business to go all-in on such an untested and risky investment. Still, these people are our allies, and we can reliably work together with them at least. Getting them to throw more active support at us - when they're already going to be busy spinning things with the Weilu Conservatives and culture warring with the Weilu Reactionaries - is either going to require us to earn enough successes to show we're a stable investment, or to more directly tie ourselves to them by marrying Meng Dan.
Weilu Moderates: The Luo Moderates liked our show, while the Wang Moderates were more neutral towards it. This is pretty reasonable - while Weilu Moderates might enjoy seeing some more Weilu stuff happening in the mainstream and won't be too picky about how heretical it might be, they're still Moderates. Weilu is not an end unto itself for these people, and cultural outreach will only take us so far with them. Truly winning the Weilu Moderates over will require us to demonstrate that the Weilu side is the winning side because our side is the winning side. Earning more merits, demonstrating success on a personal and factional level, and making genuine progress with the Ice Ladies will provide our moderate cultural brethren all the motive necessary to support us.
Weilu Conservatives: These are the people who mourn for the decline of the Weilu ways and fiercely defend what is left of them, but who no longer try to grow the Weilu's influence themselves. Crucially, if someone else were to trigger a Weilu Renaissance, well, we might need to talk out some of the details of exactly how heretical we could get with it, but they wouldn't have an inherent objection to a external resurgence of Weilu influence. And since they didn't experience a rep hit with this play, we know that our Heresy Budget is actually pretty substantial for this faction. So if we use things like Hanyi's concerts to manage our cultural outreach right, prove to them that we are a 100% Legitimate Weilu Noble, and show that we're reversing the steady decline of the Weilu? Throw in some of the aforementioned successes to prove we're not going to immediately fail them, and we could absolutely bring them to our side.
Weilu Reactionaries: These people have a very specific view of what Weilu means and how and by whose hands it should manifest in the world, and we directly attacked that. We will continue to attack that; our entire gameplan is built around a Weilu Reformation, and they won't abide that. So we can't afford to abide them. Weilu Reformers, Conservatives, Reactionaries are both Meng exclusive right now, and we're going to need to work with our Reformer allies to win over the Conservatives and strangle the Meng Reactionary faction before they manage to strangle us.
Imperial Moderates: These guys are honestly pretty simple to deal with. They don't care about our heresy, and they don't particularly object to our provincial culture or our cultural squabbles. Success or failure is the only thing that will sway them, and while they will never be a core part of our support base it is possible for us to win approval from them.
Imperial Conservatives: They only care about our heresy in that it shows the depths of our commitment to inferior backwater cultures, as well as our most undraconic tendency of wanting to get along with people. Given our genuine commitment to both Weilu culture and Barbarian diplomacy, there are no levers we can use to win these people to our side. However, they are, by and large, a minority - only 10% of the Luo and Wang, and not enough to swing our rep with the Diao. (They may be responsible for the dip with the Bao, but the Bao can be won over with money). So long as we don't directly attack the Imperial Conservatives like we're attacking the Weilu Reactionaries, we can focus on starving them out on a factional level by raising the stars of the Weilu/Moderate factions and decreasing the attractiveness of hard Imperial positions in the Emerald Seas. A declining minority faction which merely Dislikes us can be weathered until it fades away.
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Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Xuan Shi Superiority!!!! Honestly, I'm okay with Qi Dan too just because of the memes, but Ling Shi has the best parallels to me and I can't wait to find out more about XS!!!
- Location
- United States of America
Sixiang confirmed sibling . Sixqi route is officially over . Rejoice brothers . The heresy has been burned
- Location
- Earth
[X] Accept Pan Xi's proposal, and observe Yan Shenyi's movements and actions over the next few days before moving to make the arrest. (60% success, may grant better intelligence opportunities.)
- Location
- Spain
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Damn!! Hivemind
- Location
- United Kingdom
Honestly, our main in we have atm with the Imperial Conservatives and Moderates is Cao Chun.
Impressing him during the summit is the best way I can see us making any inroads on those factions.
That's a really insightful analysis.
The simplified conclusion is that success with our fief and the diplomatic effort (economical, cultural and border security) will increase most of our Emerald Seas rep.
The Reformers will be quick to shoot up to +4 and eventually to +5. It's "our" group now.
The Moderates of both sides will increase easily as well. The Weilu will obviously be faster and higher capped, with the added benefit of converting them into Reformers themselves, funding that faction in other counties.
The Imperial Conservatives, as you said, will never get over 0 rep. They will always look us with their noses up. However, it's not like they have an actual grudge against us, so it shouldn't be impossible to steadily raise their rep to that 0 limit and commerce with them. As long as we don't directly antagonize them as we did with the Reactonaries.
The Reactonaries are the faction we have to "defeat", our success will actually reduce our rep with them even more. And we will not stop succeeding.
The Weilu Conservatives are the battlefield of the battle against the Reactonaries. The Reactonaries are going to try pulling them to their side and converting them, and so must we. This is the one group that requieres active involvement from our part to gain their support. The result of this battle will decide the stand of the Meng as whole.
We should undertake this quest as soon as possible. Then the Wang and last the Diao, though the order of those can change.
- Location
- CA
I would say the Han Jian-Ling Qi relationship resembles a 1 relationship from the outside with regards to how often they interact and how their interests align, but both of them are sentimental people that share a fair amount of regret about how that whole situation went down. So in practice those lingering sentiments will probably make this a very, very slowly decaying 2 by 2 standards, even as they continue to not interact.
CedeTheBees
Probably high right now
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- They/Them
That is how in-laws work. It's a little early to be calling Ling Qi their spouse, but I vibe with it
Oliver_Twister
Idea-Man, He Who Shits Ideas
- Location
- West Africa
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Six is going to commit heresy, but this is not it. They're rather going to court Gan's sun spirit (ewww) instead and bring back the Twilight/Eclipse!!!That is how in-laws work. It's a little early to be calling Ling Qi their spouse, but I vibe with it
They did have the whole "promise to remember you when I make it big" conversation. They're not close but there's a bond there.
Sing Qi
