Ah, that mostly makes sense. What sort of toys would work?

There's a lot a lot, too many to compactly list. There's a few ones that just give you the results directly, a few that you just sort of dump energy into a get a weak associated effect, that sort of thing. 

Yeah. At least you see it. I've had people claim their "friendly offers" were perfectly natural and that it was insulting to ask what they got out of it. Cui bono, y'know?

Mostly, it's a "Once you have enough savings, why not get more fun people involved in the cool stuff of our lives?" There's a thing in the cultivator community with the cycle of ancestors and forebearers, but I doubt that would sound convincing to you. 

There's a lot a lot, too many to compactly list. There's a few ones that just give you the results directly, a few that you just sort of dump energy into a get a weak associated effect, that sort of thing. 

Hm. I'll have to check some out at some point. Be pretty great if an affinity or something else about cultivating made it easier to spend more time in storms, especially windy ones. The storms are the one thing I really miss about Louisiana, honestly. The ones up here just don't compare.

Mostly, it's a "Once you have enough savings, why not get more fun people involved in the cool stuff of our lives?" There's a thing in the cultivator community with the cycle of ancestors and forebearers, but I doubt that would sound convincing to you. 

[sighs] Honestly, coming from y'all, that might even work this time. Something about the literal supernatural seems to throw my whole usual math off for this sort of thing. Either that or I've got a high from this thread.

Hm. I'll have to check some out at some point. Be pretty great if an affinity or something else about cultivating made it easier to spend more time in storms, especially windy ones. The storms are the one thing I really miss about Louisiana, honestly. The ones up here just don't compare.

If nothing else, even just cultivating the 24 flowing fists will mean that you don't have to worry about a lot of the normal risks of them from the basic upgrades to the body? It's decently likely there will be something more specific for that, though - considering it is a reflection of what is natural for your soul. 

[sighs] Honestly, coming from y'all, that might even work this time. Something about the literal supernatural seems to throw my whole usual math off for this sort of thing. Either that or I've got a high from this thread.

snort It's perfectly natural to be a little thrown off. That being said, you don't need to worry about getting a high from it any more then you would need to about mundane exercise and meditation. That being said... 

Have you read senior TTT's warnings about starting on the path? 

If nothing else, even just cultivating the 24 flowing fists will mean that you don't have to worry about a lot of the normal risks of them from the basic upgrades to the body? It's decently likely there will be something more specific for that, though - considering it is a reflection of what is natural for your soul. 

That would be pretty amazing~

snort It's perfectly natural to be a little thrown off. That being said, you don't need to worry about getting a high from it any more then you would need to about mundane exercise and meditation. That being said... 

Have you read senior TTT's warnings about starting on the path? 

I have. You talking about the caution against mundanely-intense spiritual and meditative experiences?

I have. You talking about the caution against mundanely-intense spiritual and meditative experiences?

A little? I was more talking about the bit about psychiatric disorders and such - I'm nearly certain you didn't really hit any novel state, since you were following the path of the technique, but it can still be somewhat more intense and 'cleared up' to work properly, if there was something holding you back, but that's a somewhat seperate concern.

A little? I was more talking about the bit about psychiatric disorders and such - I'm nearly certain you didn't really hit any novel state, since you were following the path of the technique, but it can still be somewhat more intense and 'cleared up' to work properly, if there was something holding you back, but that's a somewhat seperate concern.

Would "ran away from an abusive adoptive home and can't really trust anyone but somehow trusts y'all anyway" count for that? I'm pretty sure there isn't and wasn't any actual high going on, nor anything resembling one, was mostly just making a joke about how different it feels to trust someone ever, and how unexpected it is. Pretty sure that trust thing is the closest to a disorder I've got.

Would "ran away from an abusive adoptive home and can't really trust anyone but somehow trusts y'all anyway" count for that? I'm pretty sure there isn't and wasn't any actual high going on, nor anything resembling one, was mostly just making a joke about how different it feels to trust someone ever, and how unexpected it is. Pretty sure that trust thing is the closest to a disorder I've got.

...Yes of course that counts on the abuse side.

sends hugs

fussily pets

Basically, if you are dramatically 'off' in some way, the body tempering process will deal with that and well...

It doesn't matter if it's been 'officially diagnosed' or it's any particular disorder.

adds to the hugs if that helps

I'm really sorry to hear that...

Trust can be weird - feel free to just try to get to know us better, first? I know that can help a lot to make things seem real.

[tentatively leans into all the hugs and pets] Yeah, I guess that makes sense of it. Well, damn. Guess maybe I'd been underestimating how much the bastards fucked me up? Oh well. All this madness only increases my ability to stay well and truly gone.

[sighs shakily] Okay then. So... what sorts of things do y'all do for fun?

Obviously, we cultivate.

affectionately pokes Steely Student

We do, but that's not a good place to start :p

Trying out gymnastics as a cultivator is just really really fun.

Yeah~!

it's also surprisingly fun to just... go out adventring, even if it's just for the sights, and it's fun to work on my singing arts and chat with lingering ghosts. There's so many different perspectives to explore when you can get a chance to explore like that. 

...I like window shopping and experimenting with pills, I suppose? 

It's always nice to get something working with materials you didn't know could work, and it's definitely a relief on my budget :p

Obviously, we cultivate.

affectionately pokes Steely Student

We do, but that's not a good place to start :p

Hehe, it's not the worst idea. I've enjoyed what little I've done so far~

Trying out gymnastics as a cultivator is just really really fun.

Oooh. This is a good thought, I should go do some gymnastics and a bunch more parkour! Running back was so much fun, for all that I was exhausted on a non-physical level.

it's also surprisingly fun to just... go out adventring, even if it's just for the sights, and it's fun to work on my singing arts and chat with lingering ghosts. There's so many different perspectives to explore when you can get a chance to explore like that. 

Oh my, exploring? Adventuring? Meguca Woman after my own heart there, Topaz.

Grin

That's a good form of address~

There's a lot of basic exploration and calibration that you can do to get that better, but doing things that you are used to will generally be ok~

Curious what you are thinking of wanting to do, as a cultivator? 

Grin

That's a good form of address~

I'll keep that in mind~

Did she really just tease back? With a flirty playful little tilde?

Curious what you are thinking of wanting to do, as a cultivator? 

To a certain extent I don't know my options very well. As far as I can just extend or pivot from how I enjoy spending my time already, I cook, I run an awful damned lot of parkour, and I try to get to high and windy places with it whenever possible. I'm currently in college studying Atmospheric Physics to become a professional storm chaser, though I don't know whether holding on to mortal world educations and career goals is worthwhile. I have traveled pretty far from my "hometown" (though I'll never consider that place "home"), and would love to have more of a chance to travel pleasurably instead of for escape.

In short, if it involves storms and sky and wind and going fast and exploring, I want it. Likewise cooking, though that winds up waiting for when I stay still long enough.

I think I saw mention of alchemy and pill-making? And something about immortal cookery? Those both sound interesting. Really everything sounds interesting, but those sound like they might extend from something I already have non-zero skill in.

Heavens, she was really just gushing. Was this what she would've been like if she'd had actual friends, and hadn't grown up with —

Oh well. Nothing for it now but to just be more of herself, whoever she was growing into — and growing much further than she would have, with the opportunities provided by cultivation...

To a certain extent I don't know my options very well. As far as I can just extend or pivot from how I enjoy spending my time already, I cook, I run an awful damned lot of parkour, and I try to get to high and windy places with it whenever possible. I'm currently in college studying Atmospheric Physics to become a professional storm chaser, though I don't know whether holding on to mortal world educations and career goals is worthwhile. I have traveled pretty far from my "hometown" (though I'll never consider that place "home"), and would love to have more of a chance to travel pleasurably instead of for escape.

In short, if it involves storms and sky and wind and going fast and exploring, I want it. Likewise cooking, though that winds up waiting for when I stay still long enough.

I think I saw mention of alchemy and pill-making? And something about immortal cookery? Those both sound interesting. Really everything sounds interesting, but those sound like they might extend from something I already have non-zero skill in.

Ooooo~? 

Cooking is a good place to start! 

Alchemy tends to relate mostly closely to skill with chemistry, but cooking knowledge and instincts can transfer, a little, though it's not much more of an advantage then having a decent fire affinity for working the flames. 

Places with weird weather can exist in all sorts of interesting spiritual groves, and there's divinatory work that uses the weather and stuff like that for omens and portents? Not sure if that's what you have in mind. It's ok to have mortal ambitions it's just... often kinda trivialized by cultivation stuff, you know? Can even get dragged along with comprehension work, too. 

I'm the best Immortal Chef on the server, feel free to ask me anything you'd like to know about it! 

@Transcendant Tourmaline Trapmaster 

Can I get to do the testing for her? Please...?

shy excited smile

@Mindful Master Maid 

Yeah sure. 

Thank you senior!!

Hmm. From that, it definitely sounds like cooking's more my speed. I'd love to learn more about what it's like to be an Immortal Chef. Is it mostly figuring out how spiritual plants and spices work together, like painting in the same spectrum with a different palette, or do spirit plants add new fundamental tastes to the five (or six, if you count fatty separately) mortal ones? Are there other things to balance, like do ingredients have affinities? Can you taste affinities? Oooh, does the wind have a taste? Like as an affinity? Can you taste the spiritual energy in foods? Does it impact your cultivation? Do you have to go weird places to find rare ingredients? Do you grow them yourself? What's it like?

Did she really just —

Um. Ahem. Well.

Yes, I'd like to learn some more about it from you. And exploring places with weird weather sounds like a lot of fun. Weather-based divination sounds interesting too.

[hides]