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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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So, the point of a turtle shell is to cover their heart(and other core organs) yeah? Also, Xuan Shis gauntlets have always been metaphorically his shell. On a symbolic level that scene is romantic as hell.
 
It's amazing how at the climax of an intense intrigue and diplomacy arc, leading to being a lynchpin for a fight we are woefully underleveled for, potential carrying the fate of the entire border and maybe even the Meng clan on our shoulders... there is still so much shipping wars fodder GO TEAM TURTLE, BEST BOY GIVES BEST SHIELDS!
 
Really does comes down to this; every step of the way Qi's been working on bringing people together to build something real.

And now with the stakes are high and the chips are down, even though she's doing what only she can, Ling Qi has the support of those that trust her.
 
Not gonna lie, it does get somewhat grating that whenever any male character does anything, there's a dozen posts of "Wow so romantic, husbando husbando husbando".
 
Shipping is a plague and we have no cure (no, nuking it from orbit is not a way to be sure).
There is literally one person in the story courting Ling Qi, and he has near zero presence most of the time.
 
Valmond said:
Shipping is a plague and we have no cure (no, nuking it from orbit is not a way to be sure).
There is literally one person in the story courting Ling Qi, and he has near zero presence most of the time.
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I mean, Xuan Shi isn't officially courting her, but he's pretty clearly interested in her. Not to even mention Sixiang's whole... thing.
 
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Valmond said:
There is literally one person in the story courting Ling Qi, and he has near zero presence most of the time.
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This is a technically true but misleading statement. We do in fact know that Xuan Shi is romantically interested in Ling Qi. This has been commented on and noticed by a variety of people in-universe including Ling Qi herself, and also basically shown to be true from his perspective. Meng Dan is much more ambiguous, but there have certainly been hints he might be interested.

'Shipping goggles' are certainly a thing that exist in fandoms, but also, some characters actually do have romantic interests even if they have not formally started courting. Xuan Shi is definitely such a character and acting like that's not the case is willfully ignoring what's actually going on in the story. One does not need shipping goggles to think that a gesture from a character who is explicitly romantically interested in Ling Qi is a romantic gesture.
 
Yes, Xuan Shi has a crush on Ling Qi, and Meng Dan can be fairly safe to have one as well.
Neither are actually courting Ling Qi.
 
Wiggy said:
And that's relevant to people finding him giving up a valuablr treasure to protect her romantic... how?
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People find his (and almost any man of vaguely appropriate age) very existence within visual distance of Ling Qi to be romantic, which is the point.
As the person above my "shipping is a plague" comment said, it can get grating.
 
Valmond said:
People find his (and almost any man of vaguely appropriate age) very existence within visual distance of Ling Qi to be romantic, which is the point.
As the person above my "shipping is a plague" comment said, it can get grating.
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Xuan Shi is explicitly romantically interested. Refusing to acknowledge that some of his actions are, in fact, romantic is, frankly, at least as annoying. It's a complete denial of logic and refusal to see that which you don't want to see.
 
Valmond said:
People find his (and almost any man of vaguely appropriate age) very existence within visual distance of Ling Qi to be romantic, which is the point.
As the person above my "shipping is a plague" comment said, it can get grating.
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Kay, I suppose I can understand that. Still seems a bit unnecessary when people are reacting to a legitimately significant gesture.
 
DeadmanwalkingXI said:
Xuan Shi is explicitly romantically interested. Refusing to acknowledge that some of his actions are, in fact, romantic is, frankly, at least as annoying. It's a complete denial of logic and refusal to see that which you don't want to see.
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I am fully aware that Xuan Shi is interested, but i am also aware he is not pursuing that interest, and him choosing to aid his friend, and crush, being seen as purely romantic, like he would be unwilling to aid someone because they are merely a good friend he has gone through so much, lessens the value of what he is doing, and who he is.

Wiggy said:
Kay, I suppose I can understand that. Still seems a bit unnecessary when people are reacting to a legitimately significant gesture.
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Yes, the gesture is significant, but reducing it to being about romance, lessens it in my opinion.
Xuan Shi is not here to make a romantic gesture, or trying to woo a girl he hasa crush on, he is here to protect his closest friend.

I like Xuan Shi, and if he ever decides to get of his ass and actually pursue Ling Qi as a romantic partner (or the thread decides to pursue him), then sure, i have no problems with it.
 
Honestly there's a really strong thread of anti-romance running through a lot of fandoms. I'm one to be more irritated by 'who is stronger' discussions (which seem to be basically shipping goggles but for violence instead) who tend to push back on the subject as boring, but there's also the 'just be friends, don't make it gross' pushback. I guess because all the questions about power dynamics and personal preferences that come out with sex but can be swept under the rug for friendships? There's also the people who prefer that romance be strictly limited to blushing and handholding, between girls usually. (I saw a review of 'I fell in love with the villianess' recently that complained about how they expected yuri but it was too LGBT and they felt very angry over it, for a clue where I'm coming from...)

Either way the existence of those PoVs makes Ys's choice to actually have a heterosexual woman as a protagonist very unusual here. And something I think should be applauded. I've read a lot of aro/ace protags, or at least protags that simply never engaged with anyone in a romantic or sexual way. I've read a lot of nominally lesbian protags.

I have not read a lot of protags like Ling Qi, and I like how her feelings and relationships are being treated a lot.

But also I'm with Sixaing. Cultivating family and community without dealing with sex and sexuality is fundamentally flawed. It's wilfully ignorant of a huge part of the motivations behind community and reaching out to new people. So shipping and romance has, I think, been locked in by our own choices.

That said, I stan moon senpai, but I'm looking twice at Meng Dan too now. Turtle boy seems awesome, but too repressed, and maybe ashamed of his body to the point where it becomes about his expectations of her reactions, not about her actual reactions? Looking for more physical confidence. If we end up with a scene of shirtless turtle boy standing over an injured us and fighting all comers, I would be hard sold, I think.
 
Xia Ren is the Sword Which Rends History, wielded by the Endless Revolution that is Cai Shenhua. She is not capable of giving a shit about nuances in a military crisis, her whole point is that she is the Revolutionary General who will burns all threats to the ground and let others sort it out once she's won, because if she doesn't win there is any point in talking about subtleties.

That said, that is also why the entirety of Shenhua's Inner Circle more or less knows of the plan. They are self aware enough to know that the end result of their Way will lead to nothing good. But such as it is. Burn the fields, and let the ashes feed the future.
 
Deadly Snark said:
Xia Ren is the Sword Which Rends History, wielded by the Endless Revolution that is Cai Shenhua. She is not capable of giving a shit about nuances in a military crisis, her whole point is that she is the Revolutionary General who will burns all threats to the ground and let others sort it out once she's won, because if she doesn't win there is any point in talking about subtleties.

That said, that is also why the entirety of Shenhua's Inner Circle more or less knows of the plan. They are self aware enough to know that the end result of their Way will lead to nothing good. But such as it is. Burn the fields, and let the ashes feed the future.
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Wait, is that the case? I thought Xia Ren was the one person partially left out of fully knowing Shenhua's plans? Or am I misremembering?
 
agumentic said:
Not gonna lie, it does get somewhat grating that whenever any male character does anything, there's a dozen posts of "Wow so romantic, husbando husbando husbando".
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I'm not sure about others, but, for me, I'm just happy that I can finally ship in the first place. Ling Qi's trauma always made shipping feel awkward because well, she's not comfortable with the idea. So like, apart from adventure scenes and all, I didn't ship that much (compared to what I would normally do, both).

Now though, LQ's finally ready to look into romantic relationships, and Yrs even signalled the start of the husbando wars in Paying Respects, so like, the shipping goggles are fully on now.

Valmond said:
I am fully aware that Xuan Shi is interested, but i am also aware he is not pursuing that interest, and him choosing to aid his friend, and crush, being seen as purely romantic, like he would be unwilling to aid someone because they are merely a good friend he has gone through so much, lessens the value of what he is doing, and who he is.


Yes, the gesture is significant, but reducing it to being about romance, lessens it in my opinion.
Xuan Shi is not here to make a romantic gesture, or trying to woo a girl he hasa crush on, he is here to protect his closest friend.

I like Xuan Shi, and if he ever decides to get of his ass and actually pursue Ling Qi as a romantic partner (or the thread decides to pursue him), then sure, i have no problems with it.
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I think part of the reason was LQ's explicit fear of a romantic relationship when she found out about his crush. I'm pretty sure that, unless she tells him she's open to courting, he's not gonna say anything because he's respectful like that.
 
The Laurent said:
Wait, is that the case? I thought Xia Ren was the one person partially left out of fully knowing Shenhua's plans? Or am I misremembering?
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You know what you might be right. You are probably right, since after posting I told myself "Of course, a Sword that Rends History would not care for any history that comes after them".

So she probably doesnt know, but her existence is still a point towards why Shenhua is planning for her own overthrow.
 
I'm not sure if the other Heavenly Kings know about Shenhua's plans, apart from Diao Linqin. IIRC, Shu Yue learned Shenhua's plans when they first met her. That's what Shenhua said before taking them as an apprentice and giving them a face.
 
Sixiang, Xuan Shi and Meng Dan are climbing up the husbando charts something fierce. I'm impressed.

Bao Qian on the other hand might as well commit sudoku by this point. He's fucked.
 
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