Remove ads

Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Reader mode
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)
[X] She would make her successor a song of the early chill, the cold snap in spring, the cold that surprises and reaps the unprepared, a thing as much of wind as cold. (+2 Expression XP, Sets the Successor toward themes of Anti-Perception and Motion.)
 
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)
 
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)
I like having a hammer to smash people with...
 
[x] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)
 
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)
 
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)
 
[X] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)

For every ending, a beginning.

For every beginning, an ending.

When the Nightmare of Forever rears its ugly head, promising an eternity of hellish toil - that is what an ending is for.

I don't necessarily want to say any option is wrong narratively, since they all draw from her relationships or experiences and no doubt can be written well by Yrsillar (I don't want to argue that we have to write the story for him), but I think this strikes me as being the most natural continuation of the themes and meanings that have been drawn from Ending over the last few in-game months (including earlier this one, but mostly just because the Nightmare of Forever is extraordinarily cool).

I will say that when it comes to combat, I think that Option 1 seems like probably the worst pick to me; something that is Ling Qi's primary offensive art probably shouldn't have a focus on being used at the surprise start of combat, because she's probably going to need to use it throughout, even if the art wouldn't be useless otherwise.
 
[X] She would make her successor a song of the early chill, the cold snap in spring, the cold that surprises and reaps the unprepared, a thing as much of wind as cold. (+2 Expression XP, Sets the Successor toward themes of Anti-Perception and Motion.)
[X] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)

While I still prefer #3, given Yrsillar's deeper descriptions I'm willing to accept #1 as a runner-up.
 
Last edited:
[X] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)
 
I'd also like to remind people of the advice we had from a literal shard of Ending Herself:

"Bold child, happy child, don't poke so deep, Looking so deep that you miss the surface," Grydja scolded, wagging a frostbitten finger at her. "Your ending is a thing of men and beasts and cities and rivers and mountains, and so is this old woman's. Who would old Grydja be, in dead and empty lands scoured by stars, even a strict grandmother is fond of her get, oh yes. Even if the cold always takes some."

"My apologies Grandmother," Ling Qi said shakily.

The spirit eyes her, the stirring of the stew slowing. "You trouble yourself because you keep wishing to poke behind the curtain despite your masters warning. If you wish a tidbit of wisdom poppet it is this. Ending is not of the sun or the the moon, the earth or the sky. We are born from…"

"Time," Xuan Shi said. "Forward motion, Causality, disparity, when the Father and Mother made beginnings, so too were endings born."

Ling Qi quietly warmed her hands over Zhengui's glowing shell. Her little brother had shuffled over glaring defiantly at the greater spirit as he placed himself between them.

"That's the one. You call it Brother Time, but it bears no name you could withstand, little one," the crone cackled. "Ending as transition, as transgression if you'd like to play with spice, you have this, and should build upon it, if you want an old woman's opinion."

"This one thanks the Honored Grandmother for her advice."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Specifically, 'ending as transition or transgression', and 'not looking too deep'.

To me, 1 or 3 cleave much closer to this advice, whereas 2 just kinda disregards it.
 
Last edited:
yrsillar said:
Okay, so I'm going to expand on all of the options here, or at least detail my thoughts my clearly.

1. The first option is about early winters and cold snaps, the sort of cold that appears suddenly and ruins the overeager or underprepared. Its about making the art more focused on swiftness and suprise and thematically leans into and pairs with wind thief.

2. The second option is the closest to how the art funtions now, its about whiteouts and blizzards and deep unrelenting cold that can only be withstood in groups and within static defenses, this is more leaning into Ling Qi's field effects and domain abilities, it pairs well with her isolation tech for example. Thematically it holds steady on winter being a cold and terrible, it remains fully in the wheelhouse of being Ling Qi's weapon of war.

3. Is about the the end of the year,its winter as punctuation and erasure, purifcation of the world and return to zero, after which comes renewal and growth. Thematically it leans into the cycles thing you've all been poking at and leans toward the new beginnings bit of your insight, and support elements of Ling Qi's arts.

Finally, this is only the first vote, whatever is chosen you still have more choices on aesthetics and effects coming up.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Even more reason to pick 3. 2 is just sticking to FSS, when successors are about making arts fit *us*, instead of just being generic lessons. With the way Ling Qi's way is going, that's option 3. It's making the art truly *ours*.

2 is just...not learning anything. Ling Qi says the best way to pay respects is to make something new. Like, making an art about renewal, endings and beginnings, on the day that marks the ending of our master and the beginning of our family with Hanyi. There's literally nothing more thematic than that. Nothing that really highlights that your first successor is SPECIAL and shows how your Way is going.

We already have our Domain for whatever 2 does. We have UGM for its themes: Persistence and Power. I don't want to turn FSS+ into Domain+ They don't even have different themes, like with SNR, LFWT, and TRF's differing views on Defense. It's the same damn approach and exploration.

I want FSS+ to be new, and truly highlight Ling Qi's burgeoning Way, to show her progression and a steady direction, like with our PLR insight. 2 just doesn't fit that growth.
 
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)


this is very specifically our only real direct killing art, and not everything needs to be happy and nice.
 
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)
 
LimitlessMemes said:
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)


this is very specifically our only real direct killing art, and not everything needs to be happy and nice.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


3. Is about the the end of the year,its winter as punctuation and erasure, purification of the world and return to zero, after which comes renewal and growth. Thematically it leans into the cycles thing you've all been poking at and leans toward the new beginnings bit of your insight, and support elements of Ling Qi's arts.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'm not sure 'purification and erasure' via death, cold and ice counts as happy and nice, and I really wish people would stop framing 2 as the only DPS option.

It's not. They're all damage options.
 
[X] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)

There are endings and Endings. Let us clear away the old so that something new can be made.
 
[X] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)
 
LimitlessMemes said:
this is very specifically our only real direct killing art, and not everything needs to be happy and nice.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
? Option 3 isn't happy and nice. Option 3 is lethal as fuck. From Yrsillar's clarification:
3. Is about the the end of the year,its winter as punctuation and erasure, purification of the world and return to zero, after which comes renewal and growth. Thematically it leans into the cycles thing you've all been poking at and leans toward the new beginnings bit of your insight, and support elements of Ling Qi's arts.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Punctuation, erasure, return to zero. It sounds like something Yao, He Who Became Death, would approve of.
 
[x] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)
 
[X] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)
 
[x] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)
Admittedly this one does lean a little too hard toward Zhengui's purview, but hear me out! The abominations of the northern gates seem pretty irritating in classic Cthulu vibes, like, 'why won't it die?!' kind of vibes. Getting a bigger hammer would be nice, except there's no guarantee that said hammer will ever be big enough. Thus, I don't really think Persistence and Power would be the best. After all, Ling Qi is a control specialist.
On the other hand, combining the concepts of Anti-Perception and Motion with the potential thief shenanigans of The Wind Thief would be nice. Still, Ling Qi seems to be basing some of her insights around not just the horror of winter/endings/isolation/want but also the other side of it, like hearth/family/bonds. And she... doesn't really seem to have anything to represent that. Seriously, besides the more awesome Domain effects she can use, Ling doesn't seem to use the second half of control, not just debuffing enemies, but buffs and heals even for allies. I might be wrong about that, though. Even still, Yrs said we can tweak these more with more votes later, and trying to double down on the damage or speed seems like wanting every sword to be a swiss-army halberd because of 'versatility good'! But we need more than that; we need to let our friends be good at what they are and support them too. Zhengui combos are rare, and Turtle-Snek Son deserves more love.
 
[X]She would maker her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)

This sounds the most fitting as an FSS successor.
 
[X] She would make her successor a song of the years ending, the cold that puts the old world to sleep, that it may be born anew in the spring flooding, a thing of waters and rebirth. (+2 Expression XP, sets Successor themes toward Purification and Renewal)
 
[X]She would make her successor a song of deep winter, the cold that cannot be banished without hearth and kin, a thing of purest dark and cold(+2 Expression XP. Sets the Successor themes toward Persistence and Power.)
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top