Huā Chéng 花城 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deadvotional) wrote2020-06-23 04:49 pm
deadvotional) wrote2020-06-23 04:49 pm
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Player Information
Name: Gray
Age: 30+
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
talkincodes
Other Characters: Percy de Rolo (gunsmithed)
Character Information
Name: Hua Cheng
Canon: Heaven Official's Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu)
Canon Point: After the Black Water arc
Age: 800 or so
History: Wiki
Personality: On the surface, Hua Cheng is a mystery, a terrifyingly powerful Devastation-class ghost who appeared from nowhere out of the kiln of Mount Tonglu. He instantly made a name for himself (namely Heaven's Scourge) when his first action was to challenge 33 Heavenly Officials, defeat them, and when they refused to follow through on their agreement to descend from heaven upon a loss, proceeded to burn every one of their temples down in a single night. The lesson was learned immediately, Hua Cheng is not to be messed with. No one is sure of his history or where he came from, what his motives are, or even what he truly looks like. He seemingly cares for nothing and no one, content to rule the Ghost City he created and to act only in his own interests and for his own amusement.
And yet, the Heavenly Officials who do find themselves interacting with him tend to find themselves surprised to be faced with less a god-killing force of nature and more a figure mostly comprised of sarcasm, mischief and a definite streak of pettiness. He's clever and sharp-tongued and has no problem showing both off, and enjoys teasing, flustering, and embarrassing anyone around him whenever the mood takes him. One of his favorite games is letting people make fools of themselves, especially when he's annoyed with them. He's a big proponent of giving people just enough rope and then standing back to watch.
Which does not mean he isn't still a force to be reckoned with. The unquestioned and extremely charismatic ruler of the Ghost City, Hua Cheng is both feared and beloved by his ghostly subjects who know exactly what he's capable of and also that he likely won't extend that power unless pushed. As much dread as he inspires in the Heaves, there's also a certain amount of awe for a being the Heavenly Emperor decreed they should avoid angering. He's even occasionally worshipped by humans, for all his demonic state. Hua Cheng might be extremely arrogant, but it is very well earned.
But for a powerful being sustained by rage, resentment, and love, Hua Cheng is surprisingly neutral, not as evil has his demon king state would suggest but not particularly altruistic either. He's certainly capable of both cruelty and kindness--essentially wiping 33 Heavenly Officials out of existence on one hand and protecting a group of humans accidentally caught up in a demonic battle royal on the other--it's just that for the most part he can't be bothered. He is genuinely largely indifferent to most people, and why shouldn't he be? It's not like they've ever done anything for him. Even the few he mostly gets along with tend more towards 'tolerantly civil' than 'friendly'. He respects loyalty to a certain extent, but rarely seems to expect it, even if betrayal is one of the quickest ways to start getting him angry. He just doesn't have a particularly positive view of any of the three realms in general; contempt for the Heavens, disinterest for the Human and grudging acceptance of the Ghost.
The reason is actually fairly simple--once upon a time an abused and mistreated child had his life saved by the Crown Prince of his kingdom, at the cost of interrupting an important festival, and the child instantly latched on (literally) to the first person to ever show him kindness. Later, after the Crown Prince's ascension to godhood, when that same child stood in an out of the way temple and wondered what was the point of living when everything in his life was so miserable, and the god once again broke rules to tell the child that if he had nothing else to live for, the child should live for him. The child proceeded to take him very, very literally.
The boy who would become Hua Cheng formed his life around his love and devotion for His Highness, Xie Lian, to the point of telling the god himself that even if every other person turned their backs on him, he would still follow him. This certainty has never changed, not after his own death and hundreds of years. His love for Xie Lian kept him from moving on after death, and his rage and resentment at being forced to watch Xie Lian be brutalized turned him from a simple ghost fire to a much stronger malicious ghost. Everything he's done since then has been about making himself strong enough to protect and support his highness, his most devoted follower even for the long centuries where Xie Lian was forgotten by the rest of the world.
That single-minded devotion can come across as more than a little unsettling, but Hua Cheng has no expectation of it ever being returned. As powerful as he's become, a part of him has still internalized the abuse of his childhood and being informed that he would only ever bring misfortune to himself and others, even if he no longer entirely sees himself as hideous monster he was told he was. He does believe that he is in no way worthy of Xie Lian's affection in return, and is content to simply aid His Highness however he can.
Xie Lian might be the only beneficiary of Hua Cheng's unexpected soft side, but Hua Cheng is perfectly willing to make a statement to any and everyone that there is one person in all three realms that has his respect. If Hua Cheng has earned his arrogance, then Xie Lian has earned his absolute loyalty, and he doesn't care who knows it.
Abilities & Skills:
Spiritual Power - Has a almost-inexhaustible reservoir of spiritual power, enough to nearly effortlessly subdue even gods, especially when he's in his own domain. He can also cast and destroy arrays, as well as creating other magical items, such as the Distance-Shortening Dice which can allow the user to travel to different locations, and can transform others into inanimate objects (though they still seem aware of their surroundings).
Wraith Butterflies - An extension of his power in the form of silver, translucent butterflies, and their appearance is one of the most widely-noted signs of Hua Cheng's presence. They can be used for both physical attacks and defense, record both audio and video, can sense illusions, and due to their glow can be used as a light source. They can attach unnoticed to others, letting Hua Cheng listen to whatever is in the area, though he can't communicate back through them. He can also disperse his entire physical form into a swarm of butterflies and disappear.
Shapeshifting - Can appear in almost any form he wants, including mimicking other people, to the point where not even gods can see through the illusion. He can also hide any and all signs of being a ghost, if he chooses to.
Luck - Hua Cheng is insanely lucky, to the point where he can use it almost as a minor form of fortunetelling-- if he throws dice and rolls low, things are about to get bad. He can also transfer pieces of his luck to others.
Swordsmanship - In life he was noted for his skill with a saber even as a young teenager, and as a Ghost King he is a good enough fighter to defeat Martial Gods and can even go toe-to-toe with the Heavenly Emperor.
Intelligence - Is noted as being extremely clever, and is good enough at debating to defeat Literature Gods. He also taught himself a dead, forgotten language with a different writing system by noting the characters that seemed familiar to him and attaching them to objects he could recognize and expanding from there.
Artistry - Incredibly skilled at both painting and sculpture. On the flipside, his handwriting is so bad that it's barely recognizable.
Inventory/Companions:
E-ming - A long, thin saber with an eye crafted into the hilt that is powerful enough to have it's own sentience. Inflicts cursed wounds that can poison, as well as giving Hua Cheng the ability to reopen them even after they've healed. (Depowered)
Distance-Shortening Dice - Pair of dice that he can use to transport to different locations when rolled. (Depowered)
Red Pearl - Braided into his hair on one side of his face.
Red Umbrella
Choice: Fae (Secondary: Vampire)
Reason: Hua Cheng has an innate connection with butterflies, but he also has more than a few things in common with fae lore. He's a capricious and mischievous personality, acting primarily in his own interests and playing small tricks for his own amusement (and out of occasional stunning pettiness). As a powerful shapeshifter, he frequently takes on other forms and appearances for no reason other than that he can and to play up his aloof and mysterious nature, to the point where it's said that no one's ever seen his true form because he changes so often. He also puts significant weight on keeping one's word--his own and other people's. Do not make a deal with him if you don't intend to follow through, he will make you regret it.
Secondary: A Ghost King, Hua Cheng is already dead, and has been for a very long time. He's noted to have a very low body temperature, unless he's making a concerted effort to appear human, and he's extremely pale in his true form. For all his similarities though, being forced to survive off others will be a very new experience for him, and one that's bound to make him both frustrated and uncomfortable.
Sample: Here
Name: Gray
Age: 30+
Contact:
Other Characters: Percy de Rolo (
gunsmithed)Character Information
Name: Hua Cheng
Canon: Heaven Official's Blessing (Tian Guan Ci Fu)
Canon Point: After the Black Water arc
Age: 800 or so
History: Wiki
Personality: On the surface, Hua Cheng is a mystery, a terrifyingly powerful Devastation-class ghost who appeared from nowhere out of the kiln of Mount Tonglu. He instantly made a name for himself (namely Heaven's Scourge) when his first action was to challenge 33 Heavenly Officials, defeat them, and when they refused to follow through on their agreement to descend from heaven upon a loss, proceeded to burn every one of their temples down in a single night. The lesson was learned immediately, Hua Cheng is not to be messed with. No one is sure of his history or where he came from, what his motives are, or even what he truly looks like. He seemingly cares for nothing and no one, content to rule the Ghost City he created and to act only in his own interests and for his own amusement.
And yet, the Heavenly Officials who do find themselves interacting with him tend to find themselves surprised to be faced with less a god-killing force of nature and more a figure mostly comprised of sarcasm, mischief and a definite streak of pettiness. He's clever and sharp-tongued and has no problem showing both off, and enjoys teasing, flustering, and embarrassing anyone around him whenever the mood takes him. One of his favorite games is letting people make fools of themselves, especially when he's annoyed with them. He's a big proponent of giving people just enough rope and then standing back to watch.
Which does not mean he isn't still a force to be reckoned with. The unquestioned and extremely charismatic ruler of the Ghost City, Hua Cheng is both feared and beloved by his ghostly subjects who know exactly what he's capable of and also that he likely won't extend that power unless pushed. As much dread as he inspires in the Heaves, there's also a certain amount of awe for a being the Heavenly Emperor decreed they should avoid angering. He's even occasionally worshipped by humans, for all his demonic state. Hua Cheng might be extremely arrogant, but it is very well earned.
But for a powerful being sustained by rage, resentment, and love, Hua Cheng is surprisingly neutral, not as evil has his demon king state would suggest but not particularly altruistic either. He's certainly capable of both cruelty and kindness--essentially wiping 33 Heavenly Officials out of existence on one hand and protecting a group of humans accidentally caught up in a demonic battle royal on the other--it's just that for the most part he can't be bothered. He is genuinely largely indifferent to most people, and why shouldn't he be? It's not like they've ever done anything for him. Even the few he mostly gets along with tend more towards 'tolerantly civil' than 'friendly'. He respects loyalty to a certain extent, but rarely seems to expect it, even if betrayal is one of the quickest ways to start getting him angry. He just doesn't have a particularly positive view of any of the three realms in general; contempt for the Heavens, disinterest for the Human and grudging acceptance of the Ghost.
The reason is actually fairly simple--once upon a time an abused and mistreated child had his life saved by the Crown Prince of his kingdom, at the cost of interrupting an important festival, and the child instantly latched on (literally) to the first person to ever show him kindness. Later, after the Crown Prince's ascension to godhood, when that same child stood in an out of the way temple and wondered what was the point of living when everything in his life was so miserable, and the god once again broke rules to tell the child that if he had nothing else to live for, the child should live for him. The child proceeded to take him very, very literally.
The boy who would become Hua Cheng formed his life around his love and devotion for His Highness, Xie Lian, to the point of telling the god himself that even if every other person turned their backs on him, he would still follow him. This certainty has never changed, not after his own death and hundreds of years. His love for Xie Lian kept him from moving on after death, and his rage and resentment at being forced to watch Xie Lian be brutalized turned him from a simple ghost fire to a much stronger malicious ghost. Everything he's done since then has been about making himself strong enough to protect and support his highness, his most devoted follower even for the long centuries where Xie Lian was forgotten by the rest of the world.
That single-minded devotion can come across as more than a little unsettling, but Hua Cheng has no expectation of it ever being returned. As powerful as he's become, a part of him has still internalized the abuse of his childhood and being informed that he would only ever bring misfortune to himself and others, even if he no longer entirely sees himself as hideous monster he was told he was. He does believe that he is in no way worthy of Xie Lian's affection in return, and is content to simply aid His Highness however he can.
Xie Lian might be the only beneficiary of Hua Cheng's unexpected soft side, but Hua Cheng is perfectly willing to make a statement to any and everyone that there is one person in all three realms that has his respect. If Hua Cheng has earned his arrogance, then Xie Lian has earned his absolute loyalty, and he doesn't care who knows it.
Abilities & Skills:
Spiritual Power - Has a almost-inexhaustible reservoir of spiritual power, enough to nearly effortlessly subdue even gods, especially when he's in his own domain. He can also cast and destroy arrays, as well as creating other magical items, such as the Distance-Shortening Dice which can allow the user to travel to different locations, and can transform others into inanimate objects (though they still seem aware of their surroundings).
Wraith Butterflies - An extension of his power in the form of silver, translucent butterflies, and their appearance is one of the most widely-noted signs of Hua Cheng's presence. They can be used for both physical attacks and defense, record both audio and video, can sense illusions, and due to their glow can be used as a light source. They can attach unnoticed to others, letting Hua Cheng listen to whatever is in the area, though he can't communicate back through them. He can also disperse his entire physical form into a swarm of butterflies and disappear.
Shapeshifting - Can appear in almost any form he wants, including mimicking other people, to the point where not even gods can see through the illusion. He can also hide any and all signs of being a ghost, if he chooses to.
Luck - Hua Cheng is insanely lucky, to the point where he can use it almost as a minor form of fortunetelling-- if he throws dice and rolls low, things are about to get bad. He can also transfer pieces of his luck to others.
Swordsmanship - In life he was noted for his skill with a saber even as a young teenager, and as a Ghost King he is a good enough fighter to defeat Martial Gods and can even go toe-to-toe with the Heavenly Emperor.
Intelligence - Is noted as being extremely clever, and is good enough at debating to defeat Literature Gods. He also taught himself a dead, forgotten language with a different writing system by noting the characters that seemed familiar to him and attaching them to objects he could recognize and expanding from there.
Artistry - Incredibly skilled at both painting and sculpture. On the flipside, his handwriting is so bad that it's barely recognizable.
Inventory/Companions:
E-ming - A long, thin saber with an eye crafted into the hilt that is powerful enough to have it's own sentience. Inflicts cursed wounds that can poison, as well as giving Hua Cheng the ability to reopen them even after they've healed. (Depowered)
Distance-Shortening Dice - Pair of dice that he can use to transport to different locations when rolled. (Depowered)
Red Pearl - Braided into his hair on one side of his face.
Red Umbrella
Choice: Fae (Secondary: Vampire)
Reason: Hua Cheng has an innate connection with butterflies, but he also has more than a few things in common with fae lore. He's a capricious and mischievous personality, acting primarily in his own interests and playing small tricks for his own amusement (and out of occasional stunning pettiness). As a powerful shapeshifter, he frequently takes on other forms and appearances for no reason other than that he can and to play up his aloof and mysterious nature, to the point where it's said that no one's ever seen his true form because he changes so often. He also puts significant weight on keeping one's word--his own and other people's. Do not make a deal with him if you don't intend to follow through, he will make you regret it.
Secondary: A Ghost King, Hua Cheng is already dead, and has been for a very long time. He's noted to have a very low body temperature, unless he's making a concerted effort to appear human, and he's extremely pale in his true form. For all his similarities though, being forced to survive off others will be a very new experience for him, and one that's bound to make him both frustrated and uncomfortable.
Sample: Here