Remove ads

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

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Reader mode
"What do you want?" Ling Qi shot back, growing irritated for some reason she couldn't place. "Who are you?"

"Hm, well, that's a hard question," The figure mused, tapping a finger thoughtfully against her lips. "I'm you of course, but also not really? You wouldn't understand," the older-her shrugged. "As for what I want… I guess you could say I'm curious? You aren't exactly what I was expecting. The determination is good, but you've gotten so uptight. You hardly do anything fun anymore."

Ling Qi narrowed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking…" her thoughts seemed to clear a bit for a moment, and a spark of understanding took root. "I don't have any reason to waste my time doing things like that anymore."

Other her frowned back at her, crouched amid the flowers. "That's a lie. You just don't want to look bad in front of your little friends," she accused. "It's still there, you know. The part of you that enjoyed the challenge of theft and trickery. Don't lie. You aren't happy just letting things go either. What happened to your fangs little rat? Have the snake and the tiger plucked them out?"

Ling Qi shook her head, remembered indignation from the slights she had suffered bubbling back up. "It's… not important, and I have too much to do. They aren't worth my time. Not anymore."

"You're afraid," the moon spirit replied, eyes no longer blue, but rather solid pools of silver. "Afraid of what others will think of you," she said, sounding disappointed. "Afraid of being who you are. Do you remember what you felt when you saw that boy's face as he fell into the well?"

Ling Qi remembered the satisfaction and delight at her success well enough, even if it had been quashed by other things shortly thereafter. "I…"

"Life is boring without risk," the spirit continued. "What is the point to a trick or a scheme that has no chance of failure? If all you do is plan and train, you may as well stay home in bed. Or cultivate in a cave until you are old and grey," the figure was growing indistinct, more a shadow than a human shape now. "You have enemies now, ones you can't dismiss as beneath you. I wonder if you will have more excuses… Or if you will remember how to live free, and how enemies deserve to be treated."

"I remember," Ling Qi replied, scowling at the dissipating mist. "I just remember my other priorities too." Still, she remembered now, everything that had happened… maybe she would have to look into getting some payback. Even if she didn't steal… some humiliation might be in order.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Rereading the earlier story and came across this back and forth after Ling Qi got smacked to the shadow realm by Sun Liling. With the results of the vote in, and Grinning Moon Art winning, I think it's important to keep this conversation in mind. That is, remember to live free and enjoy the ride, rather than just grinding away at cultivation. Once we get the new Art down, we should plan a bit of fun for Ling Qi. Some darkly delightful mischief as a show of thanks to our Grinning Patron.
 
Go_Magikarp said:
Rereading the earlier story and came across this back and forth after Ling Qi got smacked to the shadow realm by Sun Liling. With the results of the vote in, and Grinning Moon Art winning, I think it's important to keep this conversation in mind. That is, remember to live free and enjoy the ride, rather than just grinding away at cultivation. Once we get the new Art down, we should plan a bit of fun for Ling Qi. Some darkly delightful mischief as a show of thanks to our Grinning Patron.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm all for spending some down time relaxing, but what I want is for Ling Qi to spend some time with the family. The banter between the spirits and the interactions between LQ and her previously mortal family are my highlights in the story. All I want from this world is a chapter of LQ reading a story book to Biyu or something else adorable like that
 
Go_Magikarp said:
Rereading the earlier story and came across this back and forth after Ling Qi got smacked to the shadow realm by Sun Liling. With the results of the vote in, and Grinning Moon Art winning, I think it's important to keep this conversation in mind. That is, remember to live free and enjoy the ride, rather than just grinding away at cultivation. Once we get the new Art down, we should plan a bit of fun for Ling Qi. Some darkly delightful mischief as a show of thanks to our Grinning Patron.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I really agree. I mean all we have been doing is cultivate recently. It's fun for both her and the players when she stealths and steals. Have we done that with the new system? Also I wonder who target of opportunity should be? Not even sure what we should aim for. Drugs? Either way it'll be fun. Good usage of new art most likely too.
 
Leosky00 said:
I really agree. I mean all we have been doing is cultivate recently. It's fun for both her and the players when she stealths and steals. Have we done that with the new system? Also I wonder who target of opportunity should be? Not even sure what we should aim for. Drugs? Either way it'll be fun. Good usage of new art most likely too.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Once we work on this new art a bit, we could maybe do a stealth challenge the way we did a music challenge? We can't be the only thief/rogue training in the sect.
 
Wysteria said:
Once we work on this new art a bit, we could maybe do a stealth challenge the way we did a music challenge? We can't be the only thief/rogue training in the sect.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That sounds really good and smart. If we master the art it's very unlikely we will lose. It's going to be super high quality and not many people have that level of quality. At our current rankings it's unlikely someone will be able to outstealth us. Unless I'm reading it wrongly.
 
There's arts cultivation for Music, Poetry, Speech and Dance. I've been wondering if maybe there's one for Visual Arts?? It obviously couldn't be used in battle but maybe it could be used the way formations are, to make traps as means to guard things or something. A qi-infused hyper-realistic painting for instance would work as an illusion. Once you look at the painting you'd be transported somewhere else if its a landscape. In reality, you'd just be standing there but you think you would be somewhere else entirely and would be totally lost. Unless your spiritual buffs are high enough, there would be no fighting this mental illusion.
Edit: I know that there's crafts in this universe that allow talismans to be made. But crafting (knitting/crocheting, fashion design etc.) is different from visual arts like drawing and painting. Now that I think about it, the Yan Renshu's puppets and Li Suyin's constructs can kinda be compared to sculpture/installation art.
 
Last edited:
You are ignoring content by this member.
I'd like a switch to single transferable vote, this way tactical voting isn't an issue, and final results will be truer to the will of the voters. I'll even happily code it myself if people are comfortable with a completion date late june- mid july.
 
Froyo Baggins said:
I'd like a switch to single transferable vote, this way tactical voting isn't an issue, and final results will be truer to the will of the voters. I'll even happily code it myself if people are comfortable with a completion date late june- mid july.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Im sorry, what?

"True will of the voters?"

Most of us are plenty satisfied with how things have turned out thus far.
 
Froyo Baggins said:
I'd like a switch to single transferable vote, this way tactical voting isn't an issue, and final results will be truer to the will of the voters. I'll even happily code it myself if people are comfortable with a completion date late june- mid july.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Tactical voting isn't really an issue since you can approval vote things, plus the vote tally allows you to vote "[] someone" and it'll count as you voting the same at them.
 
I know we just got a new Art, but what are the thoughts on looking for an Archery Art as a Falling Stars successor? Not sure if it would be too awkward with our current offensive music build to shoehorn it in though...
 
Go_Magikarp said:
I know we just got a new Art, but what are the thoughts on looking for an Archery Art as a Falling Stars successor? Not sure if it would be too awkward with our current offensive music build to shoehorn it in though...
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
what are the thoughts on looking for an Archery Art as a Falling Stars successor?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
looking for an Archery Art
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
*shivers* the arguments are coming back, the arguments are coming back.

In all seriousness, it's been debated extensively, and general thread opinion is to shelve archery as a combat skill.
 
Go_Magikarp said:
I know we just got a new Art, but what are the thoughts on looking for an Archery Art as a Falling Stars successor? Not sure if it would be too awkward with our current offensive music build to shoehorn it in though...
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I think I'd file that under 'nice, but only if it comes up/we have time'? It would be neat, and LQ likes archery, but it's more important right now to improve her basic arts to the next tier - stealth/movement, offense/defense buffs, music. Like we have music arts we've collected but not learned, who knows what's in the Cai arts.... Maybe something for LQ to do as fun hobby time, not core build stuff.

That said we do have Fleeting Zephyr, which is tagged Archery/Blades Yellow 3, so it wouldn't so much be 'looking for it' as 'choosing to work on it.'
 
Go_Magikarp said:
Must have missed the debate, but yeah, it makes sense. I guess we'll just have to settle for a Heavy Polearm Art /s.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

In my most ideal world, a music-created-illusion of arrows or other misc sharp things. All the pointy objects of archery, none of the extra things to carry around.

Alternatively, a song titled And Then I Hit Them With A Big Stick for all your polearm needs.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top