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.
Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
We don't have real details for a lot of them, but here is what I recall:
- Red is around a good hundred year
- Yellow is a couple hundred years
- Violet is around six hundred years
- White is a thousand years
- Location
- earth
Ahhh they're all tempting.
[X] Take the Dreaming Moon's suggestion
[X] Take the Dreaming Moon's suggestion
- Location
- the internet
[X] Take the Grinning Moon's suggestion
[X] Take the Hidden Moon's suggestion
I've decided to try to even out the odds since Dreaming seems to be winning so far. While I like this format where people vote for what they want to happen (this is my first time participating in any sort of quest), I really dislike how a lot of the votes of ended up in LQ making choices that were very out of character for her. The Grinning Moon option remains her most in-character option, it fits with her background and personality. All the choices she's made that are less "Grinning"-like for lack of a better word, are noticeably our choice, including her choice to side with Cai. She would have had more freedom and been happier if she chose the Sect option. There's never any real explanation as to why she made a choice that would tie her down more with obligations. Its very easy to see what choices we made for her through her uneven character progression. It lacks the smoothness of most character progressions in traditional fiction. I'm still enjoying the quest of course, regardless of these issues.
[X] Take the Hidden Moon's suggestion
I've decided to try to even out the odds since Dreaming seems to be winning so far. While I like this format where people vote for what they want to happen (this is my first time participating in any sort of quest), I really dislike how a lot of the votes of ended up in LQ making choices that were very out of character for her. The Grinning Moon option remains her most in-character option, it fits with her background and personality. All the choices she's made that are less "Grinning"-like for lack of a better word, are noticeably our choice, including her choice to side with Cai. She would have had more freedom and been happier if she chose the Sect option. There's never any real explanation as to why she made a choice that would tie her down more with obligations. Its very easy to see what choices we made for her through her uneven character progression. It lacks the smoothness of most character progressions in traditional fiction. I'm still enjoying the quest of course, regardless of these issues.
- Location
- Fabulously Rainbow Ireland
No it isn't, all the options presented are in-character for Ling Qi otherwise we wouldn't even have them as choices and she'd automatically choose like back in Lakegate.
Ling Qi is not a perfect static being, she grows and changes bit by bit in response to things.
Last edited:
Mmm, I'm going to disagree here. I would argue that while she has experience with the mode of the Grinning Moon, and can get a bit of a thrill from such activities, she isn't really that into them.
Being a thief was hardly something she got into by choice, or something she's particularly proud of. It's more an unpleasant part of her past. Similarly, she is notably risk averse. She prefers to take things carefully and make sure she's safe if possible. There's a reason we didn't do any Grinning Moon stuff until actively pushed.
I would argue that if you look at Ling Qi's motivations you see a strong desire for security and comfort. She wants to be strong so she can be safe. She looked for friends so she could be safer. In terms of her hobbies she enjoys hanging out with her friends, playing music, and cultivation. Friends and music sound fairly in line with Dreaming if you ask me.
Ultimately, I would argue that while Grinning is linked to some of her core tools, she uses those tools largely because she's good at them and sees them as a way to accomplish her goals without having to get in fair fights or confront people as much. She is not, however, keen on getting into trouble like Grinning wants. My feeling is that, as I believe @Arkeus noted sometime, Grinning and Hidden are more obviously linked to certain parts of her job, but Dreaming is closer to what she wants to be.
I kinda disagree, I am on the phone ATM, but Ling Qi genuinely enjoys sneaking around and outwitting people.
When Su Ling showed a vision to tempt her it was 'badly guarded loot', she snuck in and out of the spider cave and felt a giant rush during that one sect mission and even her repeatedly sneaking on Su Ling in the previous thread to startle her.
By contrast, Ling Qi is actually kinda of an introvert and views music as a way to communicate rather than art.
Last edited:
- Location
- Fabulously Rainbow Ireland
Things which either didn't have much risk or much expectation of risk.
Arkeus
Crazy cat guy
- Location
- France
Ling Qi does enjoy sneaking and being a sticky finger hurricane, but it doesn't seem to be to an inordinate degree.
Ling Qi viewed music, back in the streets', as her 'one respite', and in the sect she has slowly begun composing for fun and as a way to communicate. She often created songs while cultivating with Su Ling, or sent her mom her new creation, or created a song to explain her feelings to Meizhen, and so on.
- Location
- US
[X] Take the Hidden Moon's suggestion
Heavenly Body
In the Stars
- Location
- Out there
[X] Take the Grinning Moon's suggestion
[X] Take the Hidden Moon's suggestion
Heres hoping that dreaming moon doesn't win all of the votes in this arc.
[X] Take the Hidden Moon's suggestion
Heres hoping that dreaming moon doesn't win all of the votes in this arc.
[X] Take the Dreaming Moon's suggestion
- Location
- The Core
Oh boy, lots of stuff to unpack here. Great chapter, Yrs!
I think LQ made subtle, but significant progress facing the brothel, and the moon aunties were in fact as helpful as I hoped they'd be.
This is the first, important step for Ling Qi's process, in my book. Realizing that she has incredibly strong emotional reactions to certain things due to her past, and understanding them. It is the first step of recovery, I believe.
I'd also like to say that I found LQ's detached perspective on the brothel perfectly plausible, unlike some other readers, it seems. One can experience this in real life too, when revisiting a place that was important during childhood and has a lot of emotion attached to it, that one hasn't seen since then. It is the strange realization that a shift of perspective has occurred, and shows that LQ at this point is an adult.
Now, on the actual vote, first off, I don't want to dogpile you or anything, others have picked up the argument, but I am curious:
While I agree that due to the format, character growth is not as smooth as it might be in a novel, I would be curious to hear what choices in particular felt like they were out of character, to you? Besides the Cai one, I mean, which I feel safe to assume from your post. Because for me, there haven't really been any choices that felt genuinely jarring or character-breaking at all? I feel like Yrs has been doing a phenomenal job of providing subtle groundwork for any given option, and the voting mechanics are at worst the reason for Lin Qi's occasionally air-headed squirrelling, but in a way that feels kind of true to her character? Take the Cai choice, for example, I wasn't around back then but reading it, it wasn't the choice I would have voted for, but it made perfect sense for LQ to choose so? Not only was CRX poaching her pretty hard, with all the extra attention and big bags of money being dangled about, but LQ was on the fence for a long time and ultimately got convinced by all her friends agreeing that it is an excellent offer, and Meizhen herself telling her to take it? It felt like a difficult in-character choice, to me. The argument "but it was just because of a vote" applies to pretty much anything, is my point (including all the grinning moon stuff btw, one could just as well argue "but that was just people wanting loot"), so in my book, the question usually is "is this choice plausible for Ling Qi as a character?" and I can't think of any where I'd answer no. If you have moments where you felt that way, I'd be interested in hearing more, it seems like an interesting perspective
Moving on, I like all choices and want to take all of them, at once. Ling Qi is greedy!
Since I have to pick one, I am very curious about suppressed art forms, and I think the dreaming moon choice is the one that incorporates something of all three aspects the best (suppression of knowledge is a form of secrecy, and not getting caught spreading forbidden art is stealth, too), so my vote is
[x] Take the Dreaming Moon's suggestion
but as I said, I am interested in any of the choices available.
I think LQ made subtle, but significant progress facing the brothel, and the moon aunties were in fact as helpful as I hoped they'd be.
This is the first, important step for Ling Qi's process, in my book. Realizing that she has incredibly strong emotional reactions to certain things due to her past, and understanding them. It is the first step of recovery, I believe.
I'd also like to say that I found LQ's detached perspective on the brothel perfectly plausible, unlike some other readers, it seems. One can experience this in real life too, when revisiting a place that was important during childhood and has a lot of emotion attached to it, that one hasn't seen since then. It is the strange realization that a shift of perspective has occurred, and shows that LQ at this point is an adult.
Now, on the actual vote, first off, I don't want to dogpile you or anything, others have picked up the argument, but I am curious:
While I agree that due to the format, character growth is not as smooth as it might be in a novel, I would be curious to hear what choices in particular felt like they were out of character, to you? Besides the Cai one, I mean, which I feel safe to assume from your post. Because for me, there haven't really been any choices that felt genuinely jarring or character-breaking at all? I feel like Yrs has been doing a phenomenal job of providing subtle groundwork for any given option, and the voting mechanics are at worst the reason for Lin Qi's occasionally air-headed squirrelling, but in a way that feels kind of true to her character? Take the Cai choice, for example, I wasn't around back then but reading it, it wasn't the choice I would have voted for, but it made perfect sense for LQ to choose so? Not only was CRX poaching her pretty hard, with all the extra attention and big bags of money being dangled about, but LQ was on the fence for a long time and ultimately got convinced by all her friends agreeing that it is an excellent offer, and Meizhen herself telling her to take it? It felt like a difficult in-character choice, to me. The argument "but it was just because of a vote" applies to pretty much anything, is my point (including all the grinning moon stuff btw, one could just as well argue "but that was just people wanting loot"), so in my book, the question usually is "is this choice plausible for Ling Qi as a character?" and I can't think of any where I'd answer no. If you have moments where you felt that way, I'd be interested in hearing more, it seems like an interesting perspective
Moving on, I like all choices and want to take all of them, at once. Ling Qi is greedy!
Since I have to pick one, I am very curious about suppressed art forms, and I think the dreaming moon choice is the one that incorporates something of all three aspects the best (suppression of knowledge is a form of secrecy, and not getting caught spreading forbidden art is stealth, too), so my vote is
[x] Take the Dreaming Moon's suggestion
but as I said, I am interested in any of the choices available.
Last edited:
