Cloud Flayer Worm
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
- Chicago
- Pronouns
- She/They
As a note, I think yrsillar does a wonderful job from wildly inconsistent ingredients- I loved the 1-on-1 we got this update, for example, and it got us a strong in with the lieutenant who was positively disposed towards us. I'm hoping we get something similar this next update (moon-wolf bois plz!) but much as I love the outcomes the voter's logic is worth contesting.
Tl;dr- love the story, side-eye the vote reasoning.
Tl;dr- love the story, side-eye the vote reasoning.
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- He/They
I for one, am very for it. Throw some good dice at Speech and/or Empathy and we should be in shape to potentially get a Social skill at B the turn after.
I was kinda underwhelmed by the interaction. It was okay, but the value is all future, speculative value. There was very little we can lay claim to as a benefit we own, you know? That is, the valuable stuff we got is all things that require future investment to have any pay off.As a note, I think yrsillar does a wonderful job from wildly inconsistent ingredients- I loved the 1-on-1 we got this update, for example, and it got us a strong in with the lieutenant who was positively disposed towards us. I'm hoping we get something similar this next update (moon-wolf bois plz!) but much as I love the outcomes the voter's logic is worth contesting.
Tl;dr- love the story, side-eye the vote reasoning.
Edit: Which is fine, but we're swamped with that stuff. And people. Mud boy, turtle boy, etc. People who aren't of routine value, only niche exceptional circumstances.
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TimEd
Meteor maker
we didnt go with Full Band build though, sadly. That would have been the Night Parade Art giving us two background drummers.There is a sense in which we are building a band. Imagine: the cloud barbarian invasion arrives and crushes the sect- the survivors scatter. We collect everyone with rank 2+ social with is and run as a pick-up platoon.
- Location
- the internet
The Night Parade Art. 😭 The Art I will always crave but never see in use. Alas.
TimEd
Meteor maker
Alas, it was not meant to be.The Night Parade Art. 😭 The Art I will always crave but never see in use. Alas.
Now we are some sort of a mess Theme wise, though it is slowly getting 'fixed' with the new Arts supposedly.
- Location
- the internet
Yessss. Laughing Wind Thief and Starless Nights FTW!
Edit: and ENM too. Its in theme and while I had reservations, I've come around. It may not be as epic as Evanescent Night Parade but what can you do.
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TimEd
Meteor maker
Yeah. And its kinda cool how we incorporated the two Spirits who were influences in the path of Cultivation.
We're basically Peter Pan (or tinkerbell). Noe if we can only find a way to have Zengui fly...
Naw, we know that unless you have heaven shaking talent(i.e. 8+ naturally), what happens if you go hermit for a few centuries is that you progress exceedingly slowly, have crude, if powerful self-invented arts, soliphistic insights, crappy foundations, and have decreasing amounts of motivation to actually go out there and do stuff, once you know, you're used to hermitage. Hermitage is great for opening meridians, and raising base cultivation, but without arts to learn(or for late Greens, the experiences to forge into arts), resources to consume or people to interact with the rest of their build is incredibly weak.
The Clan Elders can afford hermitage because they have their clan funneling them resources and the arts of their ancestors to try to push to breakthrough.
A reasonably powerful cultivator walking the land without attachments on the other hand, is not acceptable. They're a disruptive influence moving around, will develop insights and Ways which are effective, and while ancient caches and spirits are rare out there(since the land HAS been throughly searched for loot at some point), the Empire is not exactly fully settled within its borders. They'd either be pressured into joining something, flee the Empire(which would require them getting to Cyan unnoticed to actually have a decent chance of survival) or eliminated by ninjas.
We asked before, Su Ling's mother is intelligent enough to figure out the Empire's resource allocation priority and OODA cycle time, she never hits anything or anyone important enough to make a fast response before moving on.
Chapter 67- Sect Work 2 - Forge of Destiny
Thankfully, searching for the vulpine girl was not nearly as onerous as searching out Gu Xiulan. Ling Qi simply had to head out to Su Ling’s cave home (...)www.royalroad.com
Of course, maybe Su Ling doesn't realize how impossible her dream is, but on the other hand her mother has gotten away with being a serial murder hobo for hundreds of years.
I think it can be done, but you have to keep a very low profile and try hard to avoid Imperial attention.
Not exactly low profile, but she's just inefficient to chase down, unless theres someone powerful enough(Cyan+) and impetuous enough to say "fuck the priorities, I want her tails".
Which given how these things work, WILL happen eventually. A few centuries isn't THAT long in terms of viable cultivator strategies after all.
Odds are good that eventually one of her prey's(and she has a LOT of prey) relations will hit Cyan and hunt her ass down with a personal stake.
Heck, the Empire would even back such an effort, if all they have to do is allow it to happen. Su Ling ideally wants to enter one of the Ministries or the Sect for that.
Do remember not to oversimplify traditionalists. With the Emerald Seas mess, you have Weilu Traditionalists...AND traditionalists from each of the successor dynasties, AND the pre-Weilu traditionalist/assimilated clans.
The traditionalist conservatives should consider the Bai as a foreign power AND at some point in the long history they've fought the Bai fringes. Close relations with the Bai are a reason to be wary of actions, and also suspicious because of the Bai reputation.
So look to the axis that the five main Emerald Seas blocs are split across:
-Culture: Ancient/Traditionalist/Old/Imperial - Or as the thread prefers to simplify it Pro-Spirit/Pro-Human
-Foreign Policy: Isolationist/Conservative/Open/Expansionist
-Centralization: More of a sliding scale but really just "do you like it better under Shenhua?" because of her sheer political gravity.
And thats before factoring in the old feuds, anyone who shares a border has histories of conflict for sure, unless across the border is inhospitable enough that nobody wants the clay.
- Location
- Finland
Yes, my post is a groos over simplification.
I was mostly working from the idea that traditionalist would be either neutral or vaguely positive simply out of "atleast they're not pro imperialist" point.
The ones at the border might be either more in favor, or completely opposed, depending on how their relations with the Bai and their vassals.
Those who have no dealings with the Bai, would be atleast happy that Bau are not pro imperial control, even if they might not like the Bai, as long as they are not actively hostile to Bai, alliance should be atleast acceptable, for now.
Naw, traditionalists are not at all unified.
The Bai and Zheng still hate each other for instance, because of ancient feuds literally nobody else even HAS recorded history for. Its only NOW, that they realize "oh fuck we're the last ones left of our lot" and...not actively sabotage each other. For now.
The Bai and Zheng still hate each other for instance, because of ancient feuds literally nobody else even HAS recorded history for. Its only NOW, that they realize "oh fuck we're the last ones left of our lot" and...not actively sabotage each other. For now.
It's tradition at this point for every overlooked art toThe Night Parade Art. 😭 The Art I will always crave but never see in use. Alas.
I'm different from them, because Crimson Flowing Art is objectively the best and choosing That Dumb Wind Art will eventually be Ling Qi's downfall and no I will not sit down you can't make me leave this is a free countr-
Fu Xiang
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
Alright, now unto the next art (which honestly I could've finished 2 days ago but lazed about)
We have Fu Xiang, aka Not!Kabuto, our one and only shady as hell info broker who may or may not sell us out for the right price in the future /jk. Haven't seen him in a while. Wonder how he's doing.
I remain as always terrible with hand drawing
@yrsillar here's my next one, oh and juuuust in case you missed it, here's the link to Xepheria's colorful art on Cloud barbarian.
We have Fu Xiang, aka Not!Kabuto, our one and only shady as hell info broker who may or may not sell us out for the right price in the future /jk. Haven't seen him in a while. Wonder how he's doing.
I remain as always terrible with hand drawing
@yrsillar here's my next one, oh and juuuust in case you missed it, here's the link to Xepheria's colorful art on Cloud barbarian.
Red cultivators aren't super obvious until they do something mildly superhuman, but I suppose someone sharp eyed would notice that they tend to move and breath a little differently due to their superior physicality and cultivation methods.
Uncanny valley effect kicks in? People are surprisingly likely to notice that sort of thing
Not really to intensely, I'm talking like reactions that are a little to quick and never getting out of breath. Plus the uncanny valley effect is an evolutionary behavior, since cultivators have pretty much always a thing, even if its noticeable it doesn't tend to cause the same squeamish uneasy reactions that we associate with the concept.
Formation: Dawn
- Location
- the internet
Alright, @yrsillar --this my first attempt at an omake! Hope everyone enjoys... 😰
There was a scuffling noise outside, in the temple's garden.
Chao Bo sighed and opened his eyes. This was the third time. The third time his morning prayers had been interrupted by this little urchin. Visiting hours were not until later and even then, he frowned upon unsupervised children tramping through the gardens. Really, he thought, shaking his head as he stood. Had no one taught this child to leave alone what was not theirs?
Chao Bo exited the altar room, walking staff in hand. He quietly stepped toward the temple entrance and opened the door an inch. He peered through the crack searched for the source of noise. The song of larks greeted him and early morning light shined through the temple gardens. He scanned the sundrop bushes, looking among the yellow buds for that troublesome child. This time, he was going to catch her. He knew she had to be around here somewhere and--ah.
There she was, scurrying between the fangrose crops and a sundrop bush. Chao Bo slipped through the door silently and crept across the pavillion. He walked silently to the pavillion's edge. He did not think the child would notice his approach regardless, as she was entranced by the beauty of some fangrose buds. The little girl reached forward to pluck a vermillion petal, a look of awe in her round, brown eyes.
"Ahh!" The child's yelp echoed in the morning quiet as she cradled her now bloodied fingers in her other hand, having snatched it from the flower's maw.
"Serves you right," Chao Bo chuckled.
The girl whirled around to face him. Chao Bo only had a split second to take her features in--her eyes wide and her dirty face turning pale--before she bolted. Having already played the game of chase twice this week, Chao Bo knew better than to try grabbing her. He headed towards the gates, his staff aiding him in keeping a fast pace. He quickly unlocked the gates and strode out onto the street. Chao Bo headed to the small hole in the temple wall. He did not know how this child dug such an opening in what he had believed to be solid stone but after finding the hole yesterday morning, in the wake of the child's escape, he was determined to find out. He reached the small opening, where the little girl was already struggling to get through. Chao Bo watched her squirm and squeeze her way through, marveling at how small she was. The hole should have been only big enough for a small animal to climb through. This girl could not have been any older than 6 years old. It must help, Chao Bo thought, that she was quite underfed.
She finally yanked herself through the hole. The child barely had a second to stand up before Chao Bo scooped her into his arms. She gave a yelp of surprise and immediately tried to squirm out of his grasp. Chao Bo held on tight though, unperturbed by the child's struggles. "Calm down," he said soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you." She did not seem to be listening though.
Chao Bo carried the fitful girl back inside, nudging the door shut behind him. He gently set her down and was unsurprised when she ran for the door. Chao Bo summoned his firmest tone, strengthened by the power of the Sun spirits, and said in a deep voice "stay."
The child froze, her tiny hands on the door. Chao Bo used his staff to straighten up and turn around. He regarded the girl seriously, taking her in. She was clearly underfed and dirty but not as much as urchins he had seen in other parts of the city. Her long black hair was tangled with brambles from the temple garden and he could see that she had picked flowers and stuffed them in her robes. Someone should have taught this child better than to desecrate the temple gardens so, he thought grumpily.
He looked at her, eyes wide and frightened, and felt his irritation fading. I'm getting too old to chase around small children, he thought wearily. There was a reason Chao Bo never had children of his own. "I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated, in the gentlest tone he could manage. He turned and pointed with his staff to a pair of mats on the floor. "Sit."
Chao Bo took one of the mats for himself, sitting down heavily. The child approach the mat cautiously and sat down. There was a moment of silence as the two regarded each other. "Do you know what this place is?" Chao Bo asked. The girl shook her head hesitantly. "This is a Temple of Sun, where Sun spirits and their cousin-spirits of Light and Life are honored daily. The gardens which you so admire are cared for by myself, for I am the caretaker of this temple. I may not be as learned as a priest but I devote myself to care of these gardens, of the temple's walls and alters.
"It is in grave error to descrecate any part of the temple. And that includes," he intoned, "picking flowers."
The child quailed under Chao Bo's heavy gaze. However, she clutched the petals and flowers in her pockets covetously.
"What is your name, child?"
"L-Lai Meixiu" she responded in a small voice.
Chao Bo grunted. "Hm. That is a lovely name. Well, Lai Meixiu. You must ask the faces of Sun for forgiveness. Come with me." He stood slowly, leaning against his staff, and walked to a doorway at the back of the room. Lai Meixiu hesitated and then followed him. He led her to a sequestered room which he opened with a key.
Lai Meixiu gasped. Chao Bo glanced at the child and saw her gazing in the scene, astounded. The room was full of windows and mirrors. Beams of morning light shined through the glass and bounced off of various glass surfaces. Some of the window panes were kaleidoscopes of colored glass that refracted the sunlight in a breathtaking array. In the center of the room was an altar. As she approached the altar for a closer look, Lai Meixiu thought it looked more like six altars that were all interconnected. It seemed that the mirrors were all strategically placed to redirect the sunbeams to one altar, leaving the others in relative shadow. That one altar was also made up of smaller mirrors as well as structures made from both stained glass and clear glass. The bottom of the altar was a shallow pool of water which glimmered in an almost mesmerizing fashion.
Though it was more difficult to see the details of the five other altars, Lai Meixiu could see that they all shared similarities and yet were also unique. The one most covered in shadow had some sort of mist hanging about it. The painted glass gave it an almost dusky quality. However, Lai Meixiu found her eyes drawn toward a different altar, one whose mosaics gleamed in the reflected light, giving off hues of crimson, burnt orange and deepening yellow. The little girl's eyes drank in the details greedily, trying to memorize the beauty before her.
Chao Bo cleared his throat. The child reluctantly looked away from the altars to give him her attention. He motioned her forward. "Stand in front of the Dawn altar. You desecrated this temple just after Dawn's awakening, in it's light. Therefore you must ask the face of Dawn forgiveness." He waited until she was in position. "Now return what you took from the temple," he said sternly, pointing to the altar.
Lai Meixiu breathed in sharply, her little hands balled into fists within her pockets. She looked at Chao Bo sullenly, with a pouting lip. His stern gaze did not waver and she looked down at the floor.
Lai Meixiu slowly brought up handfuls of flowers from her pockets. She held the crumpled petals in her hands and after a pained moment, scattered them before the altar. Many of them fluttered to the bottom and floated on the shallow layer of water. However some of them never came down. Amazed, Lai Meixiu watched as some petals seemed to disappear into the sunlight. One ochre petal passed through one beam and seemed to disintegrate. For a moment, all the altar's light was suffused with a similar shade of ochre before returning the white light of dawn.
Chao Bo watched with a thoughtful expression on his lined face. "It would seem that Dawn has forgiven you, child. I thought as much, for she is far more forgiving then some of her more fierce, warrior brothers. Now that is done with, we must confront other matters. Come with me."
He hobbled out of the room, taking Lai Meixiu by the hand. She followed reluctantly and looked behind her at the breathtaking altars one last time.
Chao Bo studied the small child who sat across from him at the table. He had sat her down while he made some tea and food for them both. When he came back into the room with the meal, he found her rapt attention on the food in his hand. He now watched as she dug in. The child was scarcely taking the time to swallow. He was surprised she had not choked yet. He left her to eat and came back with a bandage and some cleansing ointment. She barely looked up until he took her hand. Lai Meixiu watched as he bandaged her finger where the rosefang flower had cut her. She almost immediately returned to her meal. Chao Bo watched and wondered who had taught the girl her manners, or lack thereof. No thanks given for the meal or for mending her wounds, he mused. "Where," he began, "are your parents?"
Lai Meixiu looked up at him mid-bite, a guilty expression on here face. "N...not here."
"Clearly" he responded dryly. There was a beat of silence. "Where are they?"
**To be continued**
Formation: Dawn
Chao Bo bowed before the altar in the pale morning light. The altar dedicated to Dawn, one of the Sun's aspects, was a sculpted work arrayed with mirrors. Sunbeams streamed in, bouncing off of mirrors of varying sizes, wreathing the altar in glorious sunlight. It was during these quiet hours of the morning that Chao Bo felt most in awe of the Great Spirit he worshipped. While the other faces of Sun were equally magnificent, there was a certain serenity and grace in the Dawn that both humbled him and inspired him to do better. With eyes closed, he murmured prayers to both the Dawn and the Sun as a whole.
There was a scuffling noise outside, in the temple's garden.
Chao Bo sighed and opened his eyes. This was the third time. The third time his morning prayers had been interrupted by this little urchin. Visiting hours were not until later and even then, he frowned upon unsupervised children tramping through the gardens. Really, he thought, shaking his head as he stood. Had no one taught this child to leave alone what was not theirs?
Chao Bo exited the altar room, walking staff in hand. He quietly stepped toward the temple entrance and opened the door an inch. He peered through the crack searched for the source of noise. The song of larks greeted him and early morning light shined through the temple gardens. He scanned the sundrop bushes, looking among the yellow buds for that troublesome child. This time, he was going to catch her. He knew she had to be around here somewhere and--ah.
There she was, scurrying between the fangrose crops and a sundrop bush. Chao Bo slipped through the door silently and crept across the pavillion. He walked silently to the pavillion's edge. He did not think the child would notice his approach regardless, as she was entranced by the beauty of some fangrose buds. The little girl reached forward to pluck a vermillion petal, a look of awe in her round, brown eyes.
"Ahh!" The child's yelp echoed in the morning quiet as she cradled her now bloodied fingers in her other hand, having snatched it from the flower's maw.
"Serves you right," Chao Bo chuckled.
The girl whirled around to face him. Chao Bo only had a split second to take her features in--her eyes wide and her dirty face turning pale--before she bolted. Having already played the game of chase twice this week, Chao Bo knew better than to try grabbing her. He headed towards the gates, his staff aiding him in keeping a fast pace. He quickly unlocked the gates and strode out onto the street. Chao Bo headed to the small hole in the temple wall. He did not know how this child dug such an opening in what he had believed to be solid stone but after finding the hole yesterday morning, in the wake of the child's escape, he was determined to find out. He reached the small opening, where the little girl was already struggling to get through. Chao Bo watched her squirm and squeeze her way through, marveling at how small she was. The hole should have been only big enough for a small animal to climb through. This girl could not have been any older than 6 years old. It must help, Chao Bo thought, that she was quite underfed.
She finally yanked herself through the hole. The child barely had a second to stand up before Chao Bo scooped her into his arms. She gave a yelp of surprise and immediately tried to squirm out of his grasp. Chao Bo held on tight though, unperturbed by the child's struggles. "Calm down," he said soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you." She did not seem to be listening though.
Chao Bo carried the fitful girl back inside, nudging the door shut behind him. He gently set her down and was unsurprised when she ran for the door. Chao Bo summoned his firmest tone, strengthened by the power of the Sun spirits, and said in a deep voice "stay."
The child froze, her tiny hands on the door. Chao Bo used his staff to straighten up and turn around. He regarded the girl seriously, taking her in. She was clearly underfed and dirty but not as much as urchins he had seen in other parts of the city. Her long black hair was tangled with brambles from the temple garden and he could see that she had picked flowers and stuffed them in her robes. Someone should have taught this child better than to desecrate the temple gardens so, he thought grumpily.
He looked at her, eyes wide and frightened, and felt his irritation fading. I'm getting too old to chase around small children, he thought wearily. There was a reason Chao Bo never had children of his own. "I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated, in the gentlest tone he could manage. He turned and pointed with his staff to a pair of mats on the floor. "Sit."
Chao Bo took one of the mats for himself, sitting down heavily. The child approach the mat cautiously and sat down. There was a moment of silence as the two regarded each other. "Do you know what this place is?" Chao Bo asked. The girl shook her head hesitantly. "This is a Temple of Sun, where Sun spirits and their cousin-spirits of Light and Life are honored daily. The gardens which you so admire are cared for by myself, for I am the caretaker of this temple. I may not be as learned as a priest but I devote myself to care of these gardens, of the temple's walls and alters.
"It is in grave error to descrecate any part of the temple. And that includes," he intoned, "picking flowers."
The child quailed under Chao Bo's heavy gaze. However, she clutched the petals and flowers in her pockets covetously.
"What is your name, child?"
"L-Lai Meixiu" she responded in a small voice.
Chao Bo grunted. "Hm. That is a lovely name. Well, Lai Meixiu. You must ask the faces of Sun for forgiveness. Come with me." He stood slowly, leaning against his staff, and walked to a doorway at the back of the room. Lai Meixiu hesitated and then followed him. He led her to a sequestered room which he opened with a key.
Lai Meixiu gasped. Chao Bo glanced at the child and saw her gazing in the scene, astounded. The room was full of windows and mirrors. Beams of morning light shined through the glass and bounced off of various glass surfaces. Some of the window panes were kaleidoscopes of colored glass that refracted the sunlight in a breathtaking array. In the center of the room was an altar. As she approached the altar for a closer look, Lai Meixiu thought it looked more like six altars that were all interconnected. It seemed that the mirrors were all strategically placed to redirect the sunbeams to one altar, leaving the others in relative shadow. That one altar was also made up of smaller mirrors as well as structures made from both stained glass and clear glass. The bottom of the altar was a shallow pool of water which glimmered in an almost mesmerizing fashion.
Though it was more difficult to see the details of the five other altars, Lai Meixiu could see that they all shared similarities and yet were also unique. The one most covered in shadow had some sort of mist hanging about it. The painted glass gave it an almost dusky quality. However, Lai Meixiu found her eyes drawn toward a different altar, one whose mosaics gleamed in the reflected light, giving off hues of crimson, burnt orange and deepening yellow. The little girl's eyes drank in the details greedily, trying to memorize the beauty before her.
Chao Bo cleared his throat. The child reluctantly looked away from the altars to give him her attention. He motioned her forward. "Stand in front of the Dawn altar. You desecrated this temple just after Dawn's awakening, in it's light. Therefore you must ask the face of Dawn forgiveness." He waited until she was in position. "Now return what you took from the temple," he said sternly, pointing to the altar.
Lai Meixiu breathed in sharply, her little hands balled into fists within her pockets. She looked at Chao Bo sullenly, with a pouting lip. His stern gaze did not waver and she looked down at the floor.
Lai Meixiu slowly brought up handfuls of flowers from her pockets. She held the crumpled petals in her hands and after a pained moment, scattered them before the altar. Many of them fluttered to the bottom and floated on the shallow layer of water. However some of them never came down. Amazed, Lai Meixiu watched as some petals seemed to disappear into the sunlight. One ochre petal passed through one beam and seemed to disintegrate. For a moment, all the altar's light was suffused with a similar shade of ochre before returning the white light of dawn.
Chao Bo watched with a thoughtful expression on his lined face. "It would seem that Dawn has forgiven you, child. I thought as much, for she is far more forgiving then some of her more fierce, warrior brothers. Now that is done with, we must confront other matters. Come with me."
He hobbled out of the room, taking Lai Meixiu by the hand. She followed reluctantly and looked behind her at the breathtaking altars one last time.
Chao Bo studied the small child who sat across from him at the table. He had sat her down while he made some tea and food for them both. When he came back into the room with the meal, he found her rapt attention on the food in his hand. He now watched as she dug in. The child was scarcely taking the time to swallow. He was surprised she had not choked yet. He left her to eat and came back with a bandage and some cleansing ointment. She barely looked up until he took her hand. Lai Meixiu watched as he bandaged her finger where the rosefang flower had cut her. She almost immediately returned to her meal. Chao Bo watched and wondered who had taught the girl her manners, or lack thereof. No thanks given for the meal or for mending her wounds, he mused. "Where," he began, "are your parents?"
Lai Meixiu looked up at him mid-bite, a guilty expression on here face. "N...not here."
"Clearly" he responded dryly. There was a beat of silence. "Where are they?"
**To be continued**
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- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- He/They
Burning Heart Art forever.
Seems like the opposite reaction might be an adaptive trait, since upon identifying a being of higher cultivation, avoiding their ire seems important.
- Location
- PA
I can see that but I figure that sort of 'cultivator' tirelessness just becomes another factor alongside say, having bigger muscles that someone might watch out for. The other issue is that Red is probably not quite powerful enough to truly be overwhelming, and the folks that ARE that high in cultivation, well.
Consider Ling Qi seeing a rock flying at her face, 'flickering' as the rock somehow passes through her. Or Bai ducking a knife thrown at the back of her head without even looking at it. A.K.A if someone is a high-level cultivator they'll probably demonstrate it via deeds, or alternatively via walking around dressed in glamorous clothing.