- Location
- Somewhere
A letter from Lanlan!
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.
Guo Xinyan sounds more like she'll be visiting rather than staying there in any long term capacity.
PowerLeca
Rapidly aging
- Pronouns
- She/Her
dpara
slightly confused ascendant
Also likely to further overheat the rumor mill XDI know right!
Getting unexpected mail from a BFF like
..LQ received a personal package delivered by who??
Aw, she thinks of Lan Lan as a friend
Reminder, that 'friend' in noblespeak can mean many things. From having exchanged a pair of letters to being closeted lovers.
Here it seemed like rote piece of etiquette, instead of actual friendship admission.
Though, per JttE, Xinyan did feel kinda close to Xiulan...
Ha, I'm imagining the crafters (woodworker girl and clay girl) being given a tour of Shenglu alongside a member of a ducal clan and the imperial family itself, and it's absolutely hilarious.
The nervousness would have devolved to downright terror.
- Location
- Washington
My understanding of the political situation is that although the livability situation is too all-hands-on-deck for anyone in the golden fields to actually go out and preemptively crush overmighty vassals, that doesn't mean they don't have political judgements about overmightyness, and there's a simultaneous view that the Han are verging on too overmighty for the Guo's taste while at the same time the Gu are verging on too overmighty for the Han's taste.
From the Guo's point of view, the Gu rising up high enough that it really no longer makes sense for them to be vassals of the Han is an almost perfect solution to cut the Han down without actually weakening the strength of the golden fields as a whole.
Where I'm going with this is there's a very real possibility that Xinyan was explicitly told she should befriend Xuilan, either as an explicit political agent or just so that in the future her own natural inclinations will fit the Guo political agenda.
- Location
- Finland
Too late, she used the word, and by transitive property she is now our friend.
Prepare to be assimilated.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- They/Them
She might have to prepare for worse than assimilation. New friend means needing to find a new Tribulation to drag them into.Too late, she used the word, and by transitive property she is now our friend.
Prepare to be assimilated.
Hm... Remind me, we did chose to get some scholars from GF in contact with the white sky while we prepped for the summit, did we not?
Did anything come of that? Or will that be at least mentioned in future chapters?
- Location
- FR
- Pronouns
- He/Him
The GF are a bit busy right about now, so i wouldn't be surprised if that only happened after the Yith war arc
We asked Han Jian about it and he said he'd pass it along but like barty said, GF is busy with the whole zombie uprising and sudden encounter with foreigners
Should be interesting to see Luo Yaling's approach, as a pure wind cultivator with maybe a dash of thunder.
Ling Qi's introduction to more metaphysical movement was through the darkness of shadow with the Sable Crescent Step art. At first by using shadows to dodge around the full dimensionality of spaces and objects, and then later by using the shadow plane, for lack of a better word, to shortcut distance itself. In a fully technical sense, realms like that which spin off of characteristics of the physical world quite tightly probably do count as "the liminal". Which we often think of as layers extending into the deep, but which is really all sorts of overlapping strata extending in various directions.
Later, we familiarized ourselves with lunar Dream qi and used it futz with the physical laws of the material, and then learned to dance around in the Liminal/Dream itself with it as our touchstone context. We've also since learned to use Wind in the same ways we were using Darkness, bypassing physicality, teleporting, etc.. But we haven't brought those two understandings into harmony, arguably, except incidentally in metaphor while in the liminal.
Pure wind sounds fascinating, even if I expect a healthy dose of "well, it makes sense to me" cultivator logic.
Ling Qi's introduction to more metaphysical movement was through the darkness of shadow with the Sable Crescent Step art. At first by using shadows to dodge around the full dimensionality of spaces and objects, and then later by using the shadow plane, for lack of a better word, to shortcut distance itself. In a fully technical sense, realms like that which spin off of characteristics of the physical world quite tightly probably do count as "the liminal". Which we often think of as layers extending into the deep, but which is really all sorts of overlapping strata extending in various directions.
Later, we familiarized ourselves with lunar Dream qi and used it futz with the physical laws of the material, and then learned to dance around in the Liminal/Dream itself with it as our touchstone context. We've also since learned to use Wind in the same ways we were using Darkness, bypassing physicality, teleporting, etc.. But we haven't brought those two understandings into harmony, arguably, except incidentally in metaphor while in the liminal.
Pure wind sounds fascinating, even if I expect a healthy dose of "well, it makes sense to me" cultivator logic.
I would assume she is mostly wind with a dash of metal qi, maybe evolved to a specific one like silver or Iron like how the Bao do Gold Qi. Just going by all the descriptions of metal hair and teeth. Which probably helps keep her grounded and giving her that bit of sense that the Guo compliments her on.
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Year 46 Month 1 Arc 5-7
"I will turn the question. How would you describe your method?" Luo Yaling said, gesturing to them to follow. By the direction of her steps, it seemed she wanted a drink. "Not to be obnoxious, but to know what… metaphor you use to describe the experience."
Ling Qi hummed, following her; she fell in beside Meng Dan, letting the back of her hand brush against his. "You spoke of dancing earlier, so I know there's common ground. I began with darkness. In learning motion without moving. This allowed me to think in more directions. To me, it is a matter of finding the right rhythm: I dance, I turn, and I step in a direction that is not up or down, left or right, or anything in between."
Luo Yaling nodded thoughtfully, grabbing up a prepared cup of rich spiced cider from a passing server's tray. It looked like glittering liquid amber. "I see, I see. Well, we at least use the same metaphor of movement, of a motion that allows you to transcend the material world. For me, it is running. Speed. The roar of the wind in my ears. Until the details blur away until there is no difference between the wind in my hair and the earth passing under my feet, everything that exists is moving, no matter how still it seems to us; nothing is truly solid, so it is not so hard to pass through when you learn that the barrier is but an illusion."
Ling Qi listened; it was not her way, but… she could understand it; it brought her back to the memory of letting herself fall from the tower without Qiyi, only the wind to catch her, untethered and without concerns beyond the very next moment.
It was very much what one would expect from one wholly dedicated to the Grinning Moon.
"How do you solve the problem of identity bleed?" Ling Qi asked curiously. "I had the benefit of my muse, Sixiang, helping reinforce my mind and self. For me, it's a meditation on boundaries and patterns."
"I didn't at first," Luo Yaling said, sipping from her cup. "When I returned from my first real run, I did not even remember my mother's face, the memories of what I was told was my favorite hound or half of my formal education. I had picked up a great many tricks and valuable but disjointed skills and bits of spiritual ecology in their place, though. My cultivation was disordered for months!"
Meng Dan glanced at her, and she knew she was staring. She had always known, intellectually that she was on a dangerous path, but it had never been so starkly laid out.
"Ha! You are looking at me as if I had admitted to having an arm lopped off!" Luo Yaling laughed. "Well, that fits around what Sir Meng has said about you, too. These things are all replaceable, you know?"
No, they really, really weren't.
She didn't say that out loud, but something in Luo Yaling's eyes told her the other girl recognized the thought.
"You can't be the only one who gets to peek behind the covers a bit," Sixiang said. "Well, its mostly in your eyes in this case."
"Ah, ah, no pity. I shan't say my thoughts on one who had the cusp of freedom in their hands only to take back their chains willingly, and you shant go thinking me a sad and lonely thing for running free, neh?" Luo Yaling scolded.
"My apologies, Lady Luo," Ling Qi said. "I meant no offense."
"And I'll take none the first time. I dislike being looked at with such eyes, is all," Luo Yaling said. "Hoh, you should try this cider!"
Ling Qi blinked slowly, taking a moment to collect a cup herself. That had been a profound irritation in one moment and it was gone in the next. She'd thought she'd sincerely offended Luo Yaling for a moment there.
And she supposed she had. She had just met someone even better at letting go of grudges than she.
"You've balanced yourself pretty well on three phases; you got a good tug of war between hoarding secrets and carefree curiosity, ya know?" Sixiang said. "Like you gotta stop and think about how weird ya are sometimes Qi."
She would take that as a compliment
"But, to get back to your question, for me, keeping myself, or at least the parts of myself that are important, safe…"
"You did not forget our expedition start date because of your runs; you are simply scatterbrained. I could see that you remembered after I reminded you," Meng Dan said into his cup.
"...It is a matter of choosing what to let go and what to let in! The wind ebbs and flows, but where it carries me and where I channel it is my choice!" Luo Yaling said loudly, pointedly ignoring his words.
"...I see. You control what bleeds and what is let in more by… prioritizing the core than outright stopping it?" Ling Qi said slowly, letting the byplay pass her by.
"There is the point you are seeking. How you get there, the path, the costs, these things you can choose from moment to moment, the distant goal is the core; wrap yourself around it and hold onto what is vital for the striving," Luo Yaling said agreeably.
Ling Qi… could never countenance such a method. She was simply too greedy; she valued too much. But She supposed there was something to be said for studying how her steps could be made a little faster, how she could make herself lighter, without losing anything important, to fly where the wind guided.
She wondered if that was what she had been missing, why she had stagnated a bit with her understanding of the art of the Wind Thief. Lately she had been giving far more attention to her bonds than her wings.
…It was something she was going to have to address soon, she supposed.
+1 Motion Xp
"Thank you for sharing your insights," Ling Qi said. "It has been some time since I really focused on my cultivation of the wind, and the grasping hand of its thief."
"Hoh, now there is quite a little name to drop," Luo Yaling laughed. "You'll make our friend swoon, hinting at ancient history like that!"
"I have no doubt Lady Ling will share her stories in time," Meng Dan said dryly. "And honestly, I do have an inkling of that one; it is a bit too far back to seriously describe as 'history."
"I appreciate the warning, though it is good to see you recognize the words. Do you practice it as well?"
"I do not; the Wind Thief is more a central valley and hilltop tale," Luo Yaling said. "I practice in the tradition of the Gale Princess, who freed the headwaters of the river Jing from the old gods and carved its route north in her flight to freedom. I will probably be questing into the mountains myself in the future!"
Ling Qi nodded. She wasn't too familiar with the tale but… "Thou canst not bind me, with iron collar, with driven nail, with woven words. O frozen god, oh god of trapped waters, for thee this songbird shall never sing."
"I cast off my pierced hands; I cast off my crushed feet; I cast off my soiled heart. Formless in the way of Father, I shall ever be, and never again shall I bear unwanted touch. My wings be my blade, perish o Keeper of Chains!" Luo Yaling finished for her. "Haha, I did see that play too; it is not so bad, though I think the writer is of Xiangmen, it is a bit too clean for my tastes and places too much emphasis on her role as the Mother of the River Jing, when his birth was incidental to things."
"That is a matter of some debate; depending on the region in question, the sources are unclear which version came…"
She waved Meng Dan off. "Nope. they are wrong."
He gave a put-upon sigh.
Ling Qi gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, only to almost pause awkwardly when she realized what she had done, but she completed the motion with only a split-second hesitation.
"Totally smooth Qi."
She knew Sixiang could sound more convincing if they wanted.
"Sure could."
"Something else to chat about," Ling Qi said. "Do you write letters?"
"From time to time," Luo Yaling said, "I shall see if I can remember to write you one. But we should probably stop ignoring your guest."
They had all felt them in the last minute or so, Ling Qi was sure. No one else in the garden did. But she had seen Meng Dan's eye twitch, saw Luo Yaling's stance stiffen. She had no such reaction herself. After all, appearing behind was just what Shu Yue did.
"Teacher. Is it time already?"
"It is," Shu Yue said.
They loomed behind, compressed down to their most human, their pale round face framed by long dark hair that hung loose past their slightly stooped shoulders, their hands hidden the depths of voluminous sleeves.
"Thank you for the company tonight, Meng Dan; I have to take my leave from the reception now, though," Ling Qi said, bowing to her companions.
"Of course. I enjoyed the night greatly. I wish you well. Master Shu, I hope you have also found the night agreeable."
"It has been, though it grows too noisy for this one to enjoy," Shu Yue said, amused. Their eyes fell on Luo Yaling.
The girl stared at Shu Yue like a smaller hound, cautiously inspecting one twice its size. "First apprentice, I am pleased to meet you."
It was said after a long pause, and Shu Yue tilted their head.
"Young miss Luo. I am pleased as well. The both of you have a pleasant night."
Ling Qi bowed once more and then turned to follow Shu Yue, hurrying in the wake of their long stride. She didn't miss the way the crowd opened for them, without ever seeming to so much as notice their passage, even as they passed beyond the center of the well-lit fields, as they passed beyond the quiet perimeter of security…
They took a step, passing through the palace and all its defenses. She could only sense the slight flicker of Shu Yue's qi rippling outward to meet the vast and ancient array's attention.
On the next step, they stood beside the yawning entrance down into the trunk district, the lights of the Cloud District glittering behind them.
Ling Qi took a deep breath, glancing back toward the palace.
"Do you feel any regret for your choice?" Shu Yue asked conversationally.
Ling Qi considered the ugliness she had seen in the vase, the no doubt vile things she would feel as they immersed themselves in the lesson below.
"I might have enjoyed spending the rest of the night at the reception," Ling Qi said. "But, no. Let's begin, teacher."
Ling Qi hummed, following her; she fell in beside Meng Dan, letting the back of her hand brush against his. "You spoke of dancing earlier, so I know there's common ground. I began with darkness. In learning motion without moving. This allowed me to think in more directions. To me, it is a matter of finding the right rhythm: I dance, I turn, and I step in a direction that is not up or down, left or right, or anything in between."
Luo Yaling nodded thoughtfully, grabbing up a prepared cup of rich spiced cider from a passing server's tray. It looked like glittering liquid amber. "I see, I see. Well, we at least use the same metaphor of movement, of a motion that allows you to transcend the material world. For me, it is running. Speed. The roar of the wind in my ears. Until the details blur away until there is no difference between the wind in my hair and the earth passing under my feet, everything that exists is moving, no matter how still it seems to us; nothing is truly solid, so it is not so hard to pass through when you learn that the barrier is but an illusion."
Ling Qi listened; it was not her way, but… she could understand it; it brought her back to the memory of letting herself fall from the tower without Qiyi, only the wind to catch her, untethered and without concerns beyond the very next moment.
It was very much what one would expect from one wholly dedicated to the Grinning Moon.
"How do you solve the problem of identity bleed?" Ling Qi asked curiously. "I had the benefit of my muse, Sixiang, helping reinforce my mind and self. For me, it's a meditation on boundaries and patterns."
"I didn't at first," Luo Yaling said, sipping from her cup. "When I returned from my first real run, I did not even remember my mother's face, the memories of what I was told was my favorite hound or half of my formal education. I had picked up a great many tricks and valuable but disjointed skills and bits of spiritual ecology in their place, though. My cultivation was disordered for months!"
Meng Dan glanced at her, and she knew she was staring. She had always known, intellectually that she was on a dangerous path, but it had never been so starkly laid out.
"Ha! You are looking at me as if I had admitted to having an arm lopped off!" Luo Yaling laughed. "Well, that fits around what Sir Meng has said about you, too. These things are all replaceable, you know?"
No, they really, really weren't.
She didn't say that out loud, but something in Luo Yaling's eyes told her the other girl recognized the thought.
"You can't be the only one who gets to peek behind the covers a bit," Sixiang said. "Well, its mostly in your eyes in this case."
"Ah, ah, no pity. I shan't say my thoughts on one who had the cusp of freedom in their hands only to take back their chains willingly, and you shant go thinking me a sad and lonely thing for running free, neh?" Luo Yaling scolded.
"My apologies, Lady Luo," Ling Qi said. "I meant no offense."
"And I'll take none the first time. I dislike being looked at with such eyes, is all," Luo Yaling said. "Hoh, you should try this cider!"
Ling Qi blinked slowly, taking a moment to collect a cup herself. That had been a profound irritation in one moment and it was gone in the next. She'd thought she'd sincerely offended Luo Yaling for a moment there.
And she supposed she had. She had just met someone even better at letting go of grudges than she.
"You've balanced yourself pretty well on three phases; you got a good tug of war between hoarding secrets and carefree curiosity, ya know?" Sixiang said. "Like you gotta stop and think about how weird ya are sometimes Qi."
She would take that as a compliment
"But, to get back to your question, for me, keeping myself, or at least the parts of myself that are important, safe…"
"You did not forget our expedition start date because of your runs; you are simply scatterbrained. I could see that you remembered after I reminded you," Meng Dan said into his cup.
"...It is a matter of choosing what to let go and what to let in! The wind ebbs and flows, but where it carries me and where I channel it is my choice!" Luo Yaling said loudly, pointedly ignoring his words.
"...I see. You control what bleeds and what is let in more by… prioritizing the core than outright stopping it?" Ling Qi said slowly, letting the byplay pass her by.
"There is the point you are seeking. How you get there, the path, the costs, these things you can choose from moment to moment, the distant goal is the core; wrap yourself around it and hold onto what is vital for the striving," Luo Yaling said agreeably.
Ling Qi… could never countenance such a method. She was simply too greedy; she valued too much. But She supposed there was something to be said for studying how her steps could be made a little faster, how she could make herself lighter, without losing anything important, to fly where the wind guided.
She wondered if that was what she had been missing, why she had stagnated a bit with her understanding of the art of the Wind Thief. Lately she had been giving far more attention to her bonds than her wings.
…It was something she was going to have to address soon, she supposed.
+1 Motion Xp
"Thank you for sharing your insights," Ling Qi said. "It has been some time since I really focused on my cultivation of the wind, and the grasping hand of its thief."
"Hoh, now there is quite a little name to drop," Luo Yaling laughed. "You'll make our friend swoon, hinting at ancient history like that!"
"I have no doubt Lady Ling will share her stories in time," Meng Dan said dryly. "And honestly, I do have an inkling of that one; it is a bit too far back to seriously describe as 'history."
"I appreciate the warning, though it is good to see you recognize the words. Do you practice it as well?"
"I do not; the Wind Thief is more a central valley and hilltop tale," Luo Yaling said. "I practice in the tradition of the Gale Princess, who freed the headwaters of the river Jing from the old gods and carved its route north in her flight to freedom. I will probably be questing into the mountains myself in the future!"
Ling Qi nodded. She wasn't too familiar with the tale but… "Thou canst not bind me, with iron collar, with driven nail, with woven words. O frozen god, oh god of trapped waters, for thee this songbird shall never sing."
"I cast off my pierced hands; I cast off my crushed feet; I cast off my soiled heart. Formless in the way of Father, I shall ever be, and never again shall I bear unwanted touch. My wings be my blade, perish o Keeper of Chains!" Luo Yaling finished for her. "Haha, I did see that play too; it is not so bad, though I think the writer is of Xiangmen, it is a bit too clean for my tastes and places too much emphasis on her role as the Mother of the River Jing, when his birth was incidental to things."
"That is a matter of some debate; depending on the region in question, the sources are unclear which version came…"
She waved Meng Dan off. "Nope. they are wrong."
He gave a put-upon sigh.
Ling Qi gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder, only to almost pause awkwardly when she realized what she had done, but she completed the motion with only a split-second hesitation.
"Totally smooth Qi."
She knew Sixiang could sound more convincing if they wanted.
"Sure could."
"Something else to chat about," Ling Qi said. "Do you write letters?"
"From time to time," Luo Yaling said, "I shall see if I can remember to write you one. But we should probably stop ignoring your guest."
They had all felt them in the last minute or so, Ling Qi was sure. No one else in the garden did. But she had seen Meng Dan's eye twitch, saw Luo Yaling's stance stiffen. She had no such reaction herself. After all, appearing behind was just what Shu Yue did.
"Teacher. Is it time already?"
"It is," Shu Yue said.
They loomed behind, compressed down to their most human, their pale round face framed by long dark hair that hung loose past their slightly stooped shoulders, their hands hidden the depths of voluminous sleeves.
"Thank you for the company tonight, Meng Dan; I have to take my leave from the reception now, though," Ling Qi said, bowing to her companions.
"Of course. I enjoyed the night greatly. I wish you well. Master Shu, I hope you have also found the night agreeable."
"It has been, though it grows too noisy for this one to enjoy," Shu Yue said, amused. Their eyes fell on Luo Yaling.
The girl stared at Shu Yue like a smaller hound, cautiously inspecting one twice its size. "First apprentice, I am pleased to meet you."
It was said after a long pause, and Shu Yue tilted their head.
"Young miss Luo. I am pleased as well. The both of you have a pleasant night."
Ling Qi bowed once more and then turned to follow Shu Yue, hurrying in the wake of their long stride. She didn't miss the way the crowd opened for them, without ever seeming to so much as notice their passage, even as they passed beyond the center of the well-lit fields, as they passed beyond the quiet perimeter of security…
They took a step, passing through the palace and all its defenses. She could only sense the slight flicker of Shu Yue's qi rippling outward to meet the vast and ancient array's attention.
On the next step, they stood beside the yawning entrance down into the trunk district, the lights of the Cloud District glittering behind them.
Ling Qi took a deep breath, glancing back toward the palace.
"Do you feel any regret for your choice?" Shu Yue asked conversationally.
Ling Qi considered the ugliness she had seen in the vase, the no doubt vile things she would feel as they immersed themselves in the lesson below.
"I might have enjoyed spending the rest of the night at the reception," Ling Qi said. "But, no. Let's begin, teacher."
*****
A small afterward, If you enjoy the quest, please consider dropping a few dollars to the patreon or for a fun bit of merch. For patrons even as quest followers you get early access to commissions, full access to Journey to the East as well as the new sidestory featuring Meizhen's trip in Zhengjian is complete as well as first access to new stories as I make them!
Check out them out!
Patreon
and
Destiny Store
Thank you your readership and participation in the Quest!
*****
In addition, currently launching a Bluesky account Join me there for news and such if you wish!
A small afterward, If you enjoy the quest, please consider dropping a few dollars to the patreon or for a fun bit of merch. For patrons even as quest followers you get early access to commissions, full access to Journey to the East as well as the new sidestory featuring Meizhen's trip in Zhengjian is complete as well as first access to new stories as I make them!
Check out them out!
Patreon
and
Destiny Store
Thank you your readership and participation in the Quest!
*****
In addition, currently launching a Bluesky account Join me there for news and such if you wish!
- Location
- Space between realms
- Pronouns
- He
Interesting...I guess those who follow the wind tend to loose themselves to the exhilaration of the experience. But of course, we do not judge, we applaud. Each person's choice is their own, even if it's not the one we'd make.
It's a good reminder that LQ's abilities with things and dream walking is abnormally good. Also people do things their own way and while that has costs if they're comfortable with it it's their choice to live how they want.
We judge a little, as a treat.
I think the problem with such a path is that it would be hard to grow your core identity. If you accept that you will lose some part of yourself on a regular basis, then why should you try to grow? Everything will be lost at some point anyway. It seems like the road might stagnate, where the gains you find are matched by the losses you take. Not good for long term growth.
- Location
- CA
It's a Way that could hit White, but you'd need your "core" to be so overwhelmingly important to you that you could cut away everything else and still want to progress toward it, and you'd be very inhuman at the end. But if you're the type to be fine with the losses even at Green, then I imagine you'd also be fine with the ending.
She does seem to have a sort of centre where she prioritizes what to keep and what to lose. Nothing prevents her from keeping the same thing all the time.
And imperial cultivation is as much carving out as it is building up. I imagine the ability to just let troublesome insights and heart demons dissolve out of your being can be a growth advantage in its own right.
It's a way that has hit white, and ascended. The wind thief/gale princess was almost certainly someone once, who became (an aspect of) the grinning moon.
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- Location
- Space between realms
- Pronouns
- He
Exactly, they'd need to be inordinately willful and self-reflective to counter any erosion.