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

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I feel like the sun would follow one of the other important numbers. Either three (can be both good or bad, associated with life, but also parting which seems fitting for a celestial body that comes and goes), or five (associated with the elements, and the emperor).

Three would be something like Rising Sun, Setting Sun, and Pinnacle Sun.

Five I would prefer something like Dawn, Rising Sun, Zenith, Setting Sun, and Twilight. It seems better than including a night or eclipse aspect (eclipses are so rare that it's weird for it to be an aspect, and it's not like the moon gets an aspect representing when no moon is around, just hidden moon where it's still there but you cannot see it).
 
Reading the comments on Royal Road is rather amusing.
Especially the 'I hope she kills that guy!' and 'Ling Qi should definitely poison that person.'

Seems those more familiar with the standard Xianxia formula have taken notice, which is just going to get more hilarious as time goes on.
 
JowKeen said:
The lack of rivers in Golden Fields is curious. It implies that they historically got their water from the North and East, while now they get it mostly from the Emerald Seas. It would help explain why the devastation is so deep beyond even the magical taint, the weather systems were broken and now the water for their fields only comes from us. A wind from us that travels on the far side of the Ebon Rivers mountains and thus rains for the habitable areas. Like, with the Grave being probably lower pressure than the Fields beyond, it probably traps any wet air from the East and draws the Northern ocean air to itself as well. Now that we're dabbling in The Diviner's weathermancy I would love to scribble some meteorological flow charts haha big <3's to you @Xephiria
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actually by wog the Golden Fields always started to become a desert as you ventured out eastward
the fertile part of the golden fields was side facing the Empire

it was probably supported by big rivers coming from the mountains south or similar
once the Purifying Sun detonated those rivers were boiled away into nothing
 
commando2341 said:
You couldn't have written this at a better point in time. Been trying myself to figure out some greater Sun spirits but could only think of the four Equinoxes for whenever my negaverse gets to the point of Solar being a big influence, apart from a standard 3 of sunrise/midday/sunset.

And it's entirely possible those equinoxes might not exist in this worlds funky weather and orbital systems (is the planet round?).

Are you happy with me using these spirits in my omake series?

And as to your first point we're sure there are Sun spirits that are direct because Sixiang grumbles sometime in the first thread about 'pushy Sun spirits'.

Edit: ah here we are
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Diomedon said:
I feel like the sun would follow one of the other important numbers. Either three (can be both good or bad, associated with life, but also parting which seems fitting for a celestial body that comes and goes), or five (associated with the elements, and the emperor).

Three would be something like Rising Sun, Setting Sun, and Pinnacle Sun.

Five I would prefer something like Dawn, Rising Sun, Zenith, Setting Sun, and Twilight. It seems better than including a night or eclipse aspect (eclipses are so rare that it's weird for it to be an aspect, and it's not like the moon gets an aspect representing when no moon is around, just hidden moon where it's still there but you cannot see it).
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I think the Dawn, Rising Sun, Zenith, Setting Sun sound cool except I'm not sure if I would include Twilight. Dusk is cool though. I think it would be cool to consider how these things would be combat applicable rather than just their alternative to the Moon phases in terms of arts--I like the idea of Truth aspect for Solar, as opposed to the "mysterious" aspects of Lunar paths. But I don't really know how the carpentry/ building aspect would be applicable in battle. The Truth aspect could be used for perception during combat and to see through illusions. I also don't think the Sun aspects have to be such literal opposites to the Moon ones--you don't have to limit it to forms of artistic expression/performance like magicians or circus performers. (I don't think magicians would be appropriate anyway. Don't they depend on a sense of mystery and secrets to their tricks, in order for the performance to be successful? Mystery and secrets sound more like the Moon aspects we've seen.) I imagined Sun aspects to have a lot in common with Fire-associated traits we know of--passionate, sometimes to the point of aggression or hotheadedness. In a lot of mythology, sun gods are also gods or patrons of war. Sometimes its the other way around, with gods or goddesses of war also being associated with the sun. If I were imagining aspects and paths involved with Sun or Solar qi, I would take inspiration from that mythology.

Maybe the corresponding mindset wouldn't necessarily be aggression but I would imagine that it would have to do with passion, charisma, determination/ optimism and being direct as opposed to the Moon themes we've seen, like subtlety and trickery. I'd imagine that Solar combat arts would be pretty flashy and would have the effect of rousing allies' spirits, perhaps bolstering their resolve via solar rays. I feel like the latter effects would be appropriate for Dawn or Rising Sun. The brightness of such a technique might burn away debuffs affecting user and allies.
 
Maybe Rising Sun for inspirational arts, kinda like the leadership buffs that Han Jian uses? Clears mental debuffs on self/allies, enhances attack...

Zenith Sun for enduring hardships? Like, either self or group buffs to resiliency, stamina, defense stats...

Setting for recovery stuff, like direct heals, diagnostic arts, or regen buffs?
 
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Lena27 said:
I think the Dawn, Rising Sun, Zenith, Setting Sun sound cool except I'm not sure if I would include Twilight. Dusk is cool though. I think it would be cool to consider how these things would be combat applicable rather than just their alternative to the Moon phases in terms of arts--I like the idea of Truth aspect for Solar, as opposed to the "mysterious" aspects of Lunar paths.
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Yrsillar confirmed in the discord that he'd thought of 5 primary Sun spirits for the day cycle, though he hadn't put much thought into their aspects.
Since it's obviously relevant to me, I came up with this set after some chat in the discord over it.
Dayspring Sun
• Creation
• Birth
• Cleansing/Renewal
Ascendant Sun
• Festivities
• Travel
• Performance
Apogean Sun
• War
• Challenge
• Honour
• Discipline
Descendant Sun
• Growth
• Rest
• Healing
Eventide Sun
• Closure
• Finality
• Truths

I'm not super happy with the aspects for the afternoon sun (Descendant if it wasn't obvious). It was meant to be the one related to harvests, but someone also suggested 'afternoon naptime' and that got added because I was struggling for anything else thematically.

I like Truth as well (burn away the lies using the light and all that) but not sure where to put it.

Midday (Apogean) works well for the strength of the sun at that time of day but I quite like personifying Eventide as the old wise grandpa stereotype dispensing nuggets of knowledge and truths.

charysa said:
Maybe Rising Sun for inspirational arts, kinda like the leadership buffs that Han Jian uses? Clears mental debuffs on self/allies, enhances attack...

Zenith Sun for enduring hardships? Like, either self or group buffs to resiliency, stamina, defense stats...

Setting for recovery stuff, like direct heals, diagnostic arts, or regen buffs?
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Interestingly, they'd be reversed in mine. The Apogean sun strikes your banners and calls your men to war, increasing morale and such whilst the Dayspring cleanses and renews your flagging stamina, bolstering it with the freshness of a new dawn.

edit: ooh I can perhaps roll Healing into descendant, introducing a theme of recuperating rest.

edit edit: Changed Nascent and Fading to Dayspring and Eventide. The names sound more fantasy-like which is setting appropriate.
 
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commando2341 said:
WOG that there's 5. Dawn, Rising, Noon, Descending, Dusk.
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I prefer this I think. As much fun as I had trying to come up with non-mystery counterparts to moon aspects, I think this is a case where novelty of 5 phase sun is definitely more interesting and there's not much value in them being similar (and so with difference little is lost and more is gained).

query said:
Reading the comments on Royal Road is rather amusing.
Especially the 'I hope she kills that guy!' and 'Ling Qi should definitely poison that person.'

Seems those more familiar with the standard Xianxia formula have taken notice, which is just going to get more hilarious as time goes on.
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I enjoyed the one in chaos 4 where someone was hoping Ling Qi could attract a Lunar Moth spirit to bind, though they'll never get to enjoy the irony of their lost hopes if they only read the royal road version because Sixiang will just show up and no mention of a moth option will appear.

I am looking forward to Royal Road's reactions to so many things. To Kang Zihao's arrival, and to Cai and Gan and to Li Suyin's thunderdome experience....

I do kind of wish Zou Chen's name was mentioned here in chaos (previously thunderdome1) as I feel like the payoff in tournament part 6 when Ling Qi has so thoroughly surpassed him would be better for me as an audience member. Though I don't think his name should be mentioned in thunderdome3 when she threatens him for info on Gu Xiulan's location (IIRC) as that would be less impactful than tournament part 6.
 
larkins said:
I am looking forward to Royal Road's reactions to so many things. To Kang Zihao's arrival, and to Cai and Gan and to Li Suyin's thunderdome experience....
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What chapter do you think is going to have the saltiest comments? :p

I'm thinking the ones where they find out Li Suyin lost an eye, Ling Qi becoming a vassal of Cai or the Sun Liling ambush.
 
CrimsonOddball said:
actually by wog the Golden Fields always started to become a desert as you ventured out eastward
the fertile part of the golden fields was side facing the Empire

it was probably supported by big rivers coming from the mountains south or similar
once the Purifying Sun detonated those rivers were boiled away into nothing
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me.me.here said:
Or the region's fertility was always qi-based rather than physics-based, so as soon as a widespread qi disruption occurred the fields all went "Holy shit - I just realized there's no water here!" and died en masse.
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[Skims over world map]
...Goddamit lol.

@yrsillar
Golden Fields is literally Ancient Chinese Egypt isn't it?
Lots of Savannah, which supports nomads and some big game(bigger since xianxia), lions, tigers and elephants. Which we know the savannah incrementally collapsed into part of the Sahara desert over history as they were increasingly overgrazed or clear cut/irrigated for failed farming projects.

The breadbasket part would be the part bordering the not-Nile, running from the mountains with the massive amounts of rainfall which would be captured by the southern mountains, with water carried over the savannah.

In which case the Grave of the Sun would fuck it up good as the old river is probably dry from the giant thermal upwelling in the middle of the former savannah interrupting the windflow.

Imagine egypt, except the Nile suddenly shut down one day.
 
Lena27 said:
Lmao it would've been so unrealistic if she'd won that fight, I can't even :rofl::lol:rofl:
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I'm more worried about how they'll view Ling Qi's tactical decision of "not using enough stealth" or "she should've done this differently instead of getting facepunched".

*Remembers how the thread argued back and forth in tournament arc*
 
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Actually, I do think the weakest bit in the narrative of Forge is the Sun fight and resolution as a direct result of the game aspect of quests. If the dice favored us just a bit more and we had taken out dhariti, it would have felt like a real victory to the reader. Sure, Liling would have utterly smashed us in response, but it would have felt like a meaningful sacrifice on Ling Qi's part to win advantage for Meizhen's fight.

Instead, it just kinda...happened, and the real climax became Meizhen's fight but without much obvious influence from our protagonist, who suddenly felt just like a spectator retroactively in her own story.

Like, Liling struggled and was seen to struggle, but the narrative doesn't really spell that out as a win, only a loss for Liling (which isn't the same thing). It ends up feeling like a pointless gesture in place of what should be the climax of the book and Ling Qi's character arc. I really think for the RR version Yrs needs to do something different with it, be that fudge the fight slightly in Ling Qi's favor or demonstrate Liling having to struggle with Ling Qi left her shaken for the Bai fight, or reframe it.

I think reframing the fight to be more clearly an internal conflict for Ling Qi, acknowledging more firmly that it probably wont even help Meizhen, making her reluctance to fight and fear and antipathy of Liling stronger for the fight, and then her standing and fighting anyway a culmination of how she has changed herself over the course of the book be the focus is the best way to return it to a real climax without having to retcon any of the facts.
 
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