Crimson Rain Sought Flower – Hua Cheng
This is a meta that’s been in the works a while now, and yesterday I posted it to Twitter for Hua Cheng’s birthday! It’s June 10th in my timezone now, so here it is reformatted, tweaked, and with a few additions for Tumblr.
This is quite the long thread, so grab some snacks! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ
Hua Cheng and Morality
First, we need to understand Hua Cheng’s origin. He is a reject of society. He was cast aside by the world, and thus in return, holds zero esteem for it. He couldn’t care less what happens to the world, apart from the one person left in it who treated him with compassion and humanity. However, Hua Cheng is not ever intentionally cruel. He is not a cruel person, yet he’s also not a particularly nice person. He’s neutral. He has known severe poverty, and has suffered at the hands of hypocrisy and injustice—so he hates these things too.
That is why he’s sincere in his actions (even if they are not always “good”), and a man of his word. That is why he rules Ghost City with an iron fist, yet is fair. He does not abuse his power, and is always clear about terms in an agreement, but is not very forgiving. If you cross him, or try to swindle him, you will be put in your place. Pray to him with less-than-honest goals, and he will ignore you. Or if he’s in the mood, ruin your life to teach you a lesson. Wrong his beloved, and there will be hell to pay—full stop.
Meanwhile, he will protect innocent humans trapped in Tonglu, not only because that’s what his God would have done, but because those people are helpless. Hua Cheng knows helplessness. Especially to use them for his own gain is a hypocrisy he cannot accept for himself. And then, he will build a city for other ghosts (serves also to keep them in line), so that they won’t be taken advantage of like he was as a small ghost fire. He will give shelter to a ghost who got revenge on her rapist, and even for animal spirits who seek their vengeance.
These can be seen as benevolent acts, yet it’s more accurate to say that Hua Cheng’s hatred of bullies and the abuse of those who are vulnerable is the basis for whatever moral code he has. It’s an eye-for-an-eye (sorry) ideology. Rather than kindness or righteousness, it’s about balance.
[CONTINUED UNDER CUT DUE TO LENGTH.]
