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.
- Location
- earth
Oh I'm really happy with 2-2. Love our hilariously abnormal Spirit Ken. It's one of the heaviest lifters of our skills.
- Location
- United States of America
This is from the additions to 2-2.
It's a pretty hilarious image in my head.
Hanyi is amazing. I can just imagine her being a ticket salesperson for a Ling Qi concert and telling people, "No, you're not special enough to hear my sister's songs!"
It's a pretty hilarious image in my head.
- Location
- Fabulously Rainbow Ireland
Just because Six hasn't had a body since before we bound them doesn't mean that their hilarious banter and commentary doesn't count as getting a sceneNoooooo, it's been so long since Best Husbando got a scene
- Location
- Third planet from the star named Sol
- Pronouns
- He/They
Sixiang isn't a Husbando though, they're a Waifando. Very different.Just because Six hasn't had a body since before we bound them doesn't mean that their hilarious banter and commentary doesn't count as getting a scene
- Location
- the internet
Well actually she's gender-fluid...If that's the wrong term, anyone, please feel free to correct me.
- Location
- United States
This is the core of it: a critical failure here has obvious horrible consequences while it's very unclear what Ling Qi could even gain from a critical success. We can guess, especially with information from an interlude, but it's still a very nebulous (and even dubious) reward versus a very obvious (and severe) risk.
And because it's not one of those stories (where success is guaranteed) the question "what's the worst that could happen?" actually has some scary answers. Obviously Ling Qi won't die, but the setup here allows for some tangible (and even severe) losses. I mean, MoonBro might have even been disappointed in Ling Qi and that's just horrifying.
- Location
- Staring into the void
Only to a small degree. She could change her gender when she had a body, but her default is female, and her concept of gender is closer to asexual than bi.
- Location
- Yes
I'm not surprised you don't remember him. We haven't seen him in a while.
- Location
- the internet
Wasn't it said somewhere that she appears more often as female because she's influenced by LQ's mind? I'm not sure if that's in-text or just a poster's speculation though.
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- He/They
Oh, I was just being an ass.
I call him Mr. "Would have been a competetive offer if we missed 2 crit success events".
- Location
- Chicago
- Pronouns
- She/They
I honestly kinda love Waifando as a non-binary relationship term.
I do think we would need to see Six's habits with a materialized body before we can really comment further though- genderfluid is likely, but not certain.
MoonBro is best husbando, I will accept no substitutes or inferiors.
I do think we would need to see Six's habits with a materialized body before we can really comment further though- genderfluid is likely, but not certain.
MoonBro is best husbando, I will accept no substitutes or inferiors.
Not quite, Six's been acting more feminine because she's aware that Ling Qi would be more comfortable with that. Sixiang hadn't really developed an opinion on the matter yet, unlike humans, Moon fairies have that box ticked as Optional
- Location
- Yes
Oh, I thought you were making a joke like I was.
Nice cloaks, if they can foil her senses that well. Ling Qi isn't super exceptional there but she's not bad at it, and for Yellows, and not all peak, the talismans must be doing good work.
One perk of the bandit mission is that Ling Qi now is certain of where she stands relative to 'normal' cultivators. If they aren't exceptional or of significantly higher cultivation she's pretty sure anything they can kill she can toy around with.
Water gun!
Interesting that the spirit remembers. The previous guy harvested the core right?
Or are the memories archived into the component water spirits so when they reform they remember?
The fish is a large ham.
Our kids are the best.
And need lessons in why other people matter
...did Ling Qi just recycle the song she used for River Eel?
Ah, music butters them up(especially the remote spirits who've never socialed anything in their existence are vulnerable to praise) but you need actual offerings to make it stick huh.
- Location
- Canada
I don't think that's quite true
Six is indeed gender fluid I believe
- Location
- Finland
You don't need a physical body to have a gender, nor does the body you have determine your gender.
I think Sixian is more accurately described as gender fluid because they can be any gender they choose to be.
They usually choose to be female, i think, but it isa choice which they can change on a whim.
I think Sixian is more accurately described as gender fluid because they can be any gender they choose to be.
They usually choose to be female, i think, but it isa choice which they can change on a whim.
Sixiang does not currently have a gender by default. They played around with things while they had a body, but it was temporary. I don't believe they're quite as flexible in quite the same way these days. It would be most accurate to characterize Sixiang as agender with hints of gender fluid. External "moon maiden" stuff like with the grumpy Luo uncle is just memes; it's not reflective of Sixiang's individual experience.
But seriously, the default as it stands with Sixiang is "nah", not "dude" or "lass".
But seriously, the default as it stands with Sixiang is "nah", not "dude" or "lass".
Snow
Doka
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Maybe he has a moon moth, like the one we didn't get.
- Location
- United States of America
So, I've been thinking about this quote for a little bit, and do you know what I think would be cool? If our specialized spirit ken, which I think we should work towards given Songseeker's Ceremony, incorporated music.
I think this would work wonderfully with what we know of Songseeker's Ceremony so far, and would be a really cool expansion on Ling Qi's musical skills. Not only does she beat people up with her songs, she also enables conversations and better communication with spirits. We've seen what a rushed song can do to appease an angry river spirit, just think what a proper spirit ken skill involving music could do!
We've seen that our mastery of music enabled us to understand the gist of what the earth spirits were saying without a proper social art to communicate, it just seems fitting to me to expand on that skill set of music so that we can properly communicate with a wide range of spirits and spirit beasts.
That's pretty much it yeah. Genderfluid suggests that they have a flexible gender identity, but Sixiang uses their presented gender as a tool rather than as their own nature. As any Muse does, they provoke reactions and emotions.
The closest approximation is probably an awakening AI, they don't have a determined gender because it wasn't relevant except as a tool to mediate interactions with others who do have one.
Interlude: Needle and Thread
Li Suyin allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction as she placed the last of the seeds into the jar of preservative and tapped the lip, activating the sealing formation on the container. Humming to herself she collected the discarded rind of the fruit and brushed them into the bin beside her work table, where they would be stored until they could be ground up and converted to feed for higher quality livestock, back at the Sect proper.
With that, she was done for the moment. With little medical work to do, she like the other crafting students in the supply train had been set to processing reagents collected by the armies foragers. It was simple, tedious work, but Li Suyin knew it had to be done, and she was happy to do it. Li Suyin glanced out of the back of the wagon at the passing landscape and took a moment to admire the misty valley that spread out below.
Idly, she drummed her fingers on the rough work table, the chitin claws that tipped the fingers of her new glove clicking lightly on the wood. It was strange, here working for the betterment of the Sect, she was more idle than she had been since her expedition with Ling Qi. She had been studying, dissecting, building and crafting almost nonstop for weeks, pausing only to finally make her breakthrough into the third realm.
The time had been fruitful though, the supply bags Ling Qi had taken were full of interesting things. Her glove was one of those innovations. Crafted from spider silk and the chitin of that third realm beast which had nearly collapsed the ceiling, treated with certain substances taken from that bag. Between the absorbing and consumptive properties imbued into the silk, Li Suyin was rather proud of the custom built venom injectors in the claws, which improved the efficacy of the arts which she had received from Zhenli's broodmother a great deal.
"All finished then, Li Suyin?" asked a voice from behind her.
Li Suyin turned to look at her work partner, seated at the bench affixed to opposite wall of the wagon. Du Feng was a tall boy, though shorter than her friend Ling Qi. With handsome aristocratic features, and dark blue almost black hair worn in a top knot, he was not the sort to stand out among their more colorful peers. The elaborate cut of his dark blue robes did give him a certain refined air though, Li Suyin supposed.
"I am, you are as well then?" Li Suyin asked pleasantly.
"Yes," Du Feng said idly cracking his knuckles as he glanced out the back of the wagon as well. "Are you still comfortable in your gown?"
Li Suyin was glad that there was no one else here, or she might have been embarrassed. However, the normally inappropriate question was only fair, since it had been a joint project. She glanced down at the flowing silk of her new gown, pale lilac with highlights of darker pink and purple. The glimmering hints of silvery filaments barely visible in the gowns resting state. She pulsed her qi and they twitched, sending a shimmering, hypnotic ripple through the silk. "Very much so, the wire has not chafed at all, it is truly lovely Du Feng. I cannot wait until I can use its full functionality."
"A gown can only be as lovely as the girl wearing it," he said lightly, looking at her over the narrow lenses of his spectacles. "And it could not have been half as well constructed without your help."
Li Suyin felt her cheeks color a little and glanced away. She was aware that Du Feng perhaps… fancied her, just a little. However, she was never entirely sure how to react in the face of that. She was hardly a beauty, and her disfigurement had not helped matters. She did not want him to make a mistake when he could do so much better than a petty, stubborn, and mediocre girl like her. "You are too kind," she replied evasively. "Really it is only your work that allowed the whole project to come together."
"I suppose we will just have to take equal credit then," he laughed. She thought that he had a rather nice laugh. "What do you make of this expedition so far?" He asked idly.
"I am sure they have a reason to bring so many auxiliaries," Li Suyin demurred. Even if it meant that they were left with little to do, having the workload split so many ways.
"Very much so. It would not do for artists such as us to have to risk ourselves. I am glad that the sect is so cautious," Du Feng said with a smile.
Li Suyin nodded, maintaining her smile. That… was the other rub. It was unfair of her, but… she had grown up with tales of chivalrous warrior poets, and brave and clever hero scholars. Though she had been disabused of the notion that the real world allowed for such pure images to exist, some part of her was still the little girl who had sighed over such stories and wanted a hero of her own. It was one reason why she had kept her latest project a secret, even from Ling Qi and Senior Sister Bao, it was just too embarrassing…
Before the conversation could continue, Li Suyin heard a noise and the wagon ground to a halt. "Disciple Li!" Called the voice of their driver. "We have an injury ahead. Proceed to the front."
She shot an apologetic smile to Du Feng. "It seems that duty still calls," she said.
"Of course," he agreed. "Do not let me hold you up. Stay safe Li Suyin."
"Thank you," Li Suyin replied, standing up to exit the wagon. She straightened up as she stepped outside, and began to walk toward the front of the train at a quick pace. Despite herself, her thoughts lingered on her project, back at her workshop growing under Zhenli's watchful eye. The viscous black seeds which she had taken from the bags had proved incredibly malleable, imprinting externally applied qi patterns with very little corruption, with a sacrifice of some of her own blood and a few of the plundered larval insects to provide a growth template, she felt that she was on the verge of something wonderful.
If the world was short on heroes, she would just have to make one herself.
With that, she was done for the moment. With little medical work to do, she like the other crafting students in the supply train had been set to processing reagents collected by the armies foragers. It was simple, tedious work, but Li Suyin knew it had to be done, and she was happy to do it. Li Suyin glanced out of the back of the wagon at the passing landscape and took a moment to admire the misty valley that spread out below.
Idly, she drummed her fingers on the rough work table, the chitin claws that tipped the fingers of her new glove clicking lightly on the wood. It was strange, here working for the betterment of the Sect, she was more idle than she had been since her expedition with Ling Qi. She had been studying, dissecting, building and crafting almost nonstop for weeks, pausing only to finally make her breakthrough into the third realm.
The time had been fruitful though, the supply bags Ling Qi had taken were full of interesting things. Her glove was one of those innovations. Crafted from spider silk and the chitin of that third realm beast which had nearly collapsed the ceiling, treated with certain substances taken from that bag. Between the absorbing and consumptive properties imbued into the silk, Li Suyin was rather proud of the custom built venom injectors in the claws, which improved the efficacy of the arts which she had received from Zhenli's broodmother a great deal.
"All finished then, Li Suyin?" asked a voice from behind her.
Li Suyin turned to look at her work partner, seated at the bench affixed to opposite wall of the wagon. Du Feng was a tall boy, though shorter than her friend Ling Qi. With handsome aristocratic features, and dark blue almost black hair worn in a top knot, he was not the sort to stand out among their more colorful peers. The elaborate cut of his dark blue robes did give him a certain refined air though, Li Suyin supposed.
"I am, you are as well then?" Li Suyin asked pleasantly.
"Yes," Du Feng said idly cracking his knuckles as he glanced out the back of the wagon as well. "Are you still comfortable in your gown?"
Li Suyin was glad that there was no one else here, or she might have been embarrassed. However, the normally inappropriate question was only fair, since it had been a joint project. She glanced down at the flowing silk of her new gown, pale lilac with highlights of darker pink and purple. The glimmering hints of silvery filaments barely visible in the gowns resting state. She pulsed her qi and they twitched, sending a shimmering, hypnotic ripple through the silk. "Very much so, the wire has not chafed at all, it is truly lovely Du Feng. I cannot wait until I can use its full functionality."
"A gown can only be as lovely as the girl wearing it," he said lightly, looking at her over the narrow lenses of his spectacles. "And it could not have been half as well constructed without your help."
Li Suyin felt her cheeks color a little and glanced away. She was aware that Du Feng perhaps… fancied her, just a little. However, she was never entirely sure how to react in the face of that. She was hardly a beauty, and her disfigurement had not helped matters. She did not want him to make a mistake when he could do so much better than a petty, stubborn, and mediocre girl like her. "You are too kind," she replied evasively. "Really it is only your work that allowed the whole project to come together."
"I suppose we will just have to take equal credit then," he laughed. She thought that he had a rather nice laugh. "What do you make of this expedition so far?" He asked idly.
"I am sure they have a reason to bring so many auxiliaries," Li Suyin demurred. Even if it meant that they were left with little to do, having the workload split so many ways.
"Very much so. It would not do for artists such as us to have to risk ourselves. I am glad that the sect is so cautious," Du Feng said with a smile.
Li Suyin nodded, maintaining her smile. That… was the other rub. It was unfair of her, but… she had grown up with tales of chivalrous warrior poets, and brave and clever hero scholars. Though she had been disabused of the notion that the real world allowed for such pure images to exist, some part of her was still the little girl who had sighed over such stories and wanted a hero of her own. It was one reason why she had kept her latest project a secret, even from Ling Qi and Senior Sister Bao, it was just too embarrassing…
Before the conversation could continue, Li Suyin heard a noise and the wagon ground to a halt. "Disciple Li!" Called the voice of their driver. "We have an injury ahead. Proceed to the front."
She shot an apologetic smile to Du Feng. "It seems that duty still calls," she said.
"Of course," he agreed. "Do not let me hold you up. Stay safe Li Suyin."
"Thank you," Li Suyin replied, standing up to exit the wagon. She straightened up as she stepped outside, and began to walk toward the front of the train at a quick pace. Despite herself, her thoughts lingered on her project, back at her workshop growing under Zhenli's watchful eye. The viscous black seeds which she had taken from the bags had proved incredibly malleable, imprinting externally applied qi patterns with very little corruption, with a sacrifice of some of her own blood and a few of the plundered larval insects to provide a growth template, she felt that she was on the verge of something wonderful.
If the world was short on heroes, she would just have to make one herself.
- Location
- Leeds
Disfigurement is basically just a sign of puberty, your body is changing and it scares but thats alright. You can ask Gui Xiulan if you need to talk to someone.
E: Despite her height Ling Qi's kind of a late bloomer.
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