(no subject)
There was no definitive winner in the first poll, so lets narrow it down. If there's a tie after all members vote, we'll do a final vote!
This poll is closed.
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 8
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 8
What Should We Name Our Island rnd 2
Fading Eclipse Enclave
1 (12.5%)
The Burning Refuge
2 (25.0%)
Luna Regia
4 (50.0%)
Leave it as it was found: The Fractured Isle
1 (12.5%)
(no subject)
Poll #31379 Island name
This poll is closed.
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 8
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 8
What Should We Name Our Island
Fading Eclipse Enclave
2 (25.0%)
Luna Rubrum
1 (12.5%)
The Burning Refuge
2 (25.0%)
Lunatum
0 (0.0%)
Isle of Burning Tears
1 (12.5%)
Luna Regia
3 (37.5%)
Ashpile Cay
0 (0.0%)
Dark Sun Atoll
1 (12.5%)
Lunae Insulae
1 (12.5%)
Leave it as it was found: The Fractured Isle
3 (37.5%)
[Island Quest] The Fractured Isle
Who: The Raiders of the Lost Arts Crew
Status: Semi-Closed; If you have CR with anyone in the crew and want to participate, poke them OOC to confirm that they'd be up for inviting you IC; as long as that's true: come join in!
Where: The Fractured Isle
What: The Raiders of the Lost Arts are claiming an island
Warnings: none atm, but players should put warnings in subject lines if something does come up
Notes: per the island quest rules, this quest is worth 12pts for members of the Raiders of the Lost Arts and 4pts for non-members
( Island Questing )
Status: Semi-Closed; If you have CR with anyone in the crew and want to participate, poke them OOC to confirm that they'd be up for inviting you IC; as long as that's true: come join in!
Where: The Fractured Isle
What: The Raiders of the Lost Arts are claiming an island
Warnings: none atm, but players should put warnings in subject lines if something does come up
Notes: per the island quest rules, this quest is worth 12pts for members of the Raiders of the Lost Arts and 4pts for non-members
( Island Questing )
Island Visuals/Inspiration
The Island: View from the Sea - Main Reference picture
The Ruins: (Lava-Scarred)
Volcanic Grottos
Floating Islands:
The Ruins: (Lava-Scarred)
Volcanic Grottos
Floating Islands:
The Flora-Fauna
Sheep!
Whales that make the volcanic waters their home, perhaps?
Fresh-water fish in the ponds that have formed in the ruins and look like flowers:
Peacock the size of a tree?
Or made entirely of flowers
plants/animals
'Dark' Questions Meme | Shamelessly Stolen From Plurk
"Dark" Questions to ask about Daqiang.
Will link as they're answered.
( Shamelessly stolen from plurk )
Will link as they're answered.
( Shamelessly stolen from plurk )
Escordvi | Items, Inventory, and Locations
In Use/Worn
Qiankun Sleeves (Hammerspace)
Personal Cabin on Phantom Moon
Donated to the Shipboard Library on the Phantom Moon
Starter Home in Nogard
Pets
Fast Travel Locations Unlocked
Other Misc Items (Gifted or in the Care of Others)
Misc Supernatural Blessings and Spells
Additional Ships, Islands, and Locations Belonging to Dongfang Qingcang
Qiankun Sleeves (Hammerspace)
Personal Cabin on Phantom Moon
Donated to the Shipboard Library on the Phantom Moon
Starter Home in Nogard
Pets
Fast Travel Locations Unlocked
Other Misc Items (Gifted or in the Care of Others)
Misc Supernatural Blessings and Spells
Additional Ships, Islands, and Locations Belonging to Dongfang Qingcang
Escordvi | Powers and Restrictions
Notes: This is copypasta from his app, but I thought might be easier to read as standalone. Permissions post here.
Demonic/Immortal Physiology - Dongfang Qingcang is a member of the Moon Tribe, who are decedents of a fairy that split off from heaven thousands of years ago. As such, he is a 'Heavenly Demon' (demon/devil descended from a former heavenly immortal/fairy/god) or 'Devil'. He is a born immortal with the lifespan and physical/spiritual abilities that come with being one.
True Immortality and General Immortality -Having achieved true immortality, his body cannot be destroyed and his primordial spirit cannot be destroyed by outside forces nor sent into the cycle of reincarnation. He can be depleted of energy and knocked out and his primordial spirit scattered as a means of neutralizing him, but he cannot be killed unless he has chosen to kill himself.
General Immortality Abilities that other accomplished immortals can also do:
Magic - Dongfang Qingcang is practiced at magic and can learn spells, create seals, and use magical artifacts that require magical knowledge to use. Magic includes:
Qi - Personal energy that every living being has and can be cultivated to greater and greater power. The manifestation of his spiritual power for various effects that are not magical (magic is a separate ability), but can be similar to, and mistaken for, magic.
He uses it for most qi and magic-adjacent abilities common to the xianxia genre not otherwise mentioned in this list. This is stuff such as creating a ball of light with his qi and using qinggong steps and other such powers.
Fire - Natural fires react to his emotions and moods (what little of them he has) and will flare up or mellow down without his conscious decision on the matter. He doesn't tend to control other fire directly, as his Hellfire is more powerful, but he can manipulate fire in his vicinity for any and all fire-related effects. [Reduced to the ability of a very powerful fierbender from AtLA/Korra; Hellfire remains more powerful]
Teleportation and Flight - Dongfang Qingcang can travel between locations within the same Realm in an instant, honing in on a person's qi as a target point or just generally teleport to a location. He can also fly or hover in space and travel that way. Teleportation is usually used to travel long distances within a Realm, while flying is used for shorter trips.
Hammerspace - He has the ability to store items in a pocket-dimension that generally substitutes for literal pockets. Mostly he stores his personal belongings and a few important items within.
Sight, Sound, and Scent Invisibility - In addition to being able to hide his spiritual presence, he can also make himself completely invisible to the sight, hearing, and olfactory senses of other beings.
Item Manipulation - He can alter the physical appearance and location of items, objects, and buildings:
Self-Healing/Fast Recovery - Dongfang Qingcang can circulate his qi to heal himself and recover from injuries (grievous or barely a scratch) and maladies with no more than an overnights rest.
Transfer Energy - A standard of xianxia settings, Dongfang Qingcang can pass energy to other people through touch, or empower spells or objects by channeling his power into it
Enter Dreams and other Metaphysical Spaces/Manipulate Memories - Accomplished Immortals can send a part of their consciousness into a person's dreams, their Sea of Emotions/Heart Sea, and other such metaphysical spaces, including mirror realms.Most immortals can erase and manipulate the memories of mortals, but have to rely on the strength of their cultivation to erase the memories of other immortals.
Notes: These descriptions of his powers are what they do/look like without the influence of the Xilan Heart Curse, which can mess with his powers in odd ways and is entirely dependent on Orchid being present to have a direct effect.
Xilan Heart Curse [Not active without Orchid around]
The Xilan Heart Curse binds Dongfang Qingcang to Orchid by leaving a trace of her primordial spirit within him.
The passive effects of the curse are that Dongfang Qingcang is forced to feel and experience everything Orchid does:
---
Permissions post here.
Demonic/Immortal Physiology - Dongfang Qingcang is a member of the Moon Tribe, who are decedents of a fairy that split off from heaven thousands of years ago. As such, he is a 'Heavenly Demon' (demon/devil descended from a former heavenly immortal/fairy/god) or 'Devil'. He is a born immortal with the lifespan and physical/spiritual abilities that come with being one.
- Excessively long lived - he was at least 8,000 years old when he was imprisoned and even 30,000 years later looks somewhere in his mid-to-late twenties (as far as mortals measure it)
- Supernatural Senses (Natural) - his five senses are all supernaturally enhanced when compared to mortals. Other immortals using magic or martial techniques can fool and hide from his five senses.
- Supernatural Physicality - he is naturally stronger and faster than mortals, has more endurance and is more difficult to injure.
- Sixth Sense - He can naturally sense the spiritual presence of other beings and what general kind they are when they aren't attempting to hide their pretense
- Linguistics - he can speak to, be understood by, and understand all sentient beings, but especially those who have some form of spiritual presence or intelligence. He can 'hear' any such being if their physical speech capacity is limited. This functions in the same way as telepathic communication, but does not let him listen in on thoughts that aren't meant to be heard aloud. [can only get a general sense of moods from the leviathans]
- Shape shifting - He can control his appearance in most instances and transform his body to take on the form and appearance of another being, including specific people. His ability to take on the appearance of another person is due to training his natural ability to control his form. Acting skills not included.
Item Creation - he can create items from his blood and body that are imbued with a small fraction of his power for very specific purposes (for example the 'bone orchid' that turns into a bracelet and can protect Orchid from physical danger while she's wearing it by covering her in a shield made of Hellfire.)- Always clothed - When cultivated spirits become enlightened enough to take on a mortal (human) form, they manifest with clothing that reflects their true self. Born immortals also manifest clothing that reflects their spiritual and metaphysical being. This appearance changes as they age. Enlightened beings don't walk around naked, that would be absurd. They do also enjoy wearing clothing and accessories that have been created by hand, but in Dongfang Qingcang's case, he tends to stick to his manifested clothes about 70% of the time, over which he will wear a more elaborate over-robe for formal occasions. The rest of the time is in specific outfits he carries on his person in his hammerspace.
- His manifested clothes include:
- an organic shaped crown that sits across the back of his head and looks like a twisted piece of dark wood that as been burned to a char
- a black, high collared inner robe that is dusted with dark gold beading or appears to be made of thin, black on black brocade pattered with geometric designs and/or stylized flowers
- a black middle robe that has a spray of gold stitched and beaded embroidery extending along the hems from the middle of the waist to create an understated starburst effect when folded closed, or a sheer gathered robe that doesn't close across the chest, but provides a nice counter-pattern effect for the inner robe
- a sheer black outer robe with sleeve slits to the shoulders, creating a cape-like effect when belted.
- several belts of similar style that match the specific combination of his manifested clothing
- his battle armor, which is the most heavily layered combination of his manifested clothing, includes an additional over-robe that sports thick, long sleeves, as well as a chest piece that looks like a gnarly piece of charred black dead wood with the still-smouldering parts a glowing gold that wraps around his shoulders, and a golden crown that twists upwards from his head like the untamed flame of a bonfire.
- When his primordial power is being drained, his manifest clothing will peal away into simpler and simpler combinations as the energy to maintain them is stripped away.
- At his absolute weakest, his hair turns white, his crown disappears, and he is left in a double layer set of black robes that hangs loosely on his frame and is secured with a simple knot at the waist.[This is the appearance he will take on during the death coma.]
- His manifested clothes include:
True Immortality and General Immortality -
- [Effectively mortal for purpose of death mechanics]
General Immortality Abilities that other accomplished immortals can also do:
He has no need to eat or drinkHe can go without sleep for months, but only by mortal measureTime passes differently for mortals and immortals. He needs a normal day's rest for his race, but that is something like a one-to-one Immortal Hour-to-Mortal Month conversion. So for every 24 hour immortal day, two years pass in the Mortal Realm.This means that by mortal measure, he also has to occasionally sleep for eight months straight.
He does not need to breathe underwater or in space, but can share his breath with others who might need toCan talk in space as if there were airCan reveal other enlightened being's origins/true forms- [Must eat at least once a day; Can go longer without sleep, but still needs it regularly; Can hold his breath for longer than normal, but must still breathe.]
Magic - Dongfang Qingcang is practiced at magic and can learn spells, create seals, and use magical artifacts that require magical knowledge to use. Magic includes:
- Anything referred to as a spell, curse, seal, or ritual
- Using magical objects for their intended purpose
Altering a magical object to do something different that what it's purpose is- Detect magical signatures and traces of magic specifically
- [can learn/use spells, curses, and seals; will drain energy proportional to the power of the spell, easier for anything fire-based; not guaranteed to succeed on higher level spells and rituals; untyped magic gains fire type]
Qi - Personal energy that every living being has and can be cultivated to greater and greater power. The manifestation of his spiritual power for various effects that are not magical (magic is a separate ability), but can be similar to, and mistaken for, magic.
He uses it for most qi and magic-adjacent abilities common to the xianxia genre not otherwise mentioned in this list. This is stuff such as creating a ball of light with his qi and using qinggong steps and other such powers.
- Can temporarily enhance his supernatural senses and supernatural physicality
- Supernatural Senses enhanced this way can potentially detect illusions
- Dongfang Qingcang's qi is intertwined with Hellfire and as such, often manifests with the appearance of blue fire. His eyes will light up with it, it will surround objects he summons to him, and his sword burns with it when he powers it up.
- He can completely erase his qi's presence from the supernatural senses of anyone less powerful than he is.
- When not surpressing his qi:
- Those who can sense energy can feel a traditionally 'demonic' - but not evil - flavor to his energy. The lack of Evil(tm) can be recognized as a spark of divinity. This applies the same to anyone from a western canon with a western Heaven and Hell. He is 'Hell' flavored otherwise.
- His power feels oppressive and laced with an unnatural heat.
All of the following specific powers are qi-powered:
Hellfire - literal hellfire. It's power is mixed so thoroughly with his own qi that it is his as much as it is a separate force others have failed to master. It's power is in everything he does. As someone whose spiritual root is fire, it enhances his natural energy and boosts his power to the point that he is immune to damage from all lesser fires. Neither is he troubled by extreme heat, nor does the cold bother him - both due to his own inner fire burning hotter than even the sun.
Hellfire - literal hellfire. It's power is mixed so thoroughly with his own qi that it is his as much as it is a separate force others have failed to master. It's power is in everything he does. As someone whose spiritual root is fire, it enhances his natural energy and boosts his power to the point that he is immune to damage from all lesser fires. Neither is he troubled by extreme heat, nor does the cold bother him - both due to his own inner fire burning hotter than even the sun.
- Hellfire burns bright blue and wounds from it cannot be healed - they will continue to burn for the rest of the victim's life. When they are reincarnated, no matter how many times, the wound will come with them in the form of a hideous burn scar in the same location and shape as the original would. [can be healed]
- When in use, those who can sense energy, particularly anyone from a canon that has its own version of Hellfire (and know what that feels like), can recognize it for what it is.
In and out of combat, he can use Hellfire and Qi to:
- Create stationary energy shields
- Block or redirect attacks
- Surround himself with Hellfire as a deterrent and a threat
- Manifest a dragon-shaped plume of Hellfire to attack his enemies
- Lob balls of Hellfire at a target
- Crush/destroy/implode objects at a distance
- Break through magical and spiritual barriers
- Empower his sword and body for melee attacks
- [He can do all this but at effectiveness and damage within the bounds of a very powerful superhero rather than someone who could literally destroy heaven with it]
Fire - Natural fires react to his emotions and moods (what little of them he has) and will flare up or mellow down without his conscious decision on the matter. He doesn't tend to control other fire directly, as his Hellfire is more powerful, but he can manipulate fire in his vicinity for any and all fire-related effects. [Reduced to the ability of a very powerful fierbender from AtLA/Korra; Hellfire remains more powerful]
He can control the Sun.
Weather Control - Dongfang Qingcang can turn the weather from sunny to stormy (or back) in a localized area near him, including indoors.
If he creates a storm, he can create a lightning storm (without rain or hail) and use it to call lightning.He can empower such storms with Hellfire so that every time thunder cracks the Hellfire flares and every lightning bolt that strikes will explode with Hellfire on contact.He can prevent the storm from dissipating naturally so long as he remains in the general area near it, which is about a city sized span of distance from the storm.Can cut open the sky to force the sun to appear at night without causing the sky to experience daylight. Just the sun glaring down with obvious menace from a star-studded night sky.- [Can create a fire storm; 'Ultimate' ability - no more than once every seven days, heavy qi drain]
Teleportation and Flight - Dongfang Qingcang can travel between locations within the same Realm in an instant, honing in on a person's qi as a target point or just generally teleport to a location. He can also fly or hover in space and travel that way. Teleportation is usually used to travel long distances within a Realm, while flying is used for shorter trips.
- Dongfang Qingcang's teleportation is accompanied by a burst of black smoke laced with angry orange and red sparks that expand out from his position in a fully-spread bird-wing-like pattern. The smoke disburses quickly, after. This occurs on both arrival and departure when he teleports.
- [Teleportation requires he follow the fast travel rule of having visited the place first]
Hammerspace - He has the ability to store items in a pocket-dimension that generally substitutes for literal pockets. Mostly he stores his personal belongings and a few important items within.
- [He can't store anything bigger than his sword this way, and can only store seven items total]
Sight, Sound, and Scent Invisibility - In addition to being able to hide his spiritual presence, he can also make himself completely invisible to the sight, hearing, and olfactory senses of other beings.
- He can extend this ability in a small dome that surrounds him in a seven foot radius when he wants to include another being or beings that is not able to make themselves invisible in the same manner. [Invisibility lasts for up to a total of 5 minutes per day.]
Item Manipulation - He can alter the physical appearance and location of items, objects, and buildings:
Make one item take the shape of another (i.e. turn a flower into a stone bracelet)Change the color or decoration of an item (i.e. make a blue dress white)Dry off or clean items that are dirty (must not be caused by a magical or spiritual effect)Repair items (i.e. restore a wall he just broke through to the condition it was in prior to being exploded)Create mundane items that can be created in the Mortal Realm of any appearance and material
Self-Healing/Fast Recovery - Dongfang Qingcang can circulate his qi to heal himself and recover from injuries (grievous or barely a scratch) and maladies with no more than an overnights rest.
- Sleeping it off tends to be faster for Dongfang Qingcang
- [Speeding up healing will drain him of energy proportional to how extensive the damage is. If magical effects or poisons are involved, he will take a factor of seven to regain the energy used; if something took an hour of meditation to heal, it will take him seven hours to recover the energy; one day takes seven days, etc.]
Transfer Energy - A standard of xianxia settings, Dongfang Qingcang can pass energy to other people through touch, or empower spells or objects by channeling his power into it
- Passing energy can help others heal faster but also just give them a power boost
- Energy transferred can be either Qi or his Primordial Spirit, depending on the potency needed
- [Energy transferred is energy drained; Energy is recovered by a factor of seven as with the self-healing; Qi recovers faster than Primordial Spirit]
Enter Dreams and other Metaphysical Spaces/Manipulate Memories - Accomplished Immortals can send a part of their consciousness into a person's dreams, their Sea of Emotions/Heart Sea, and other such metaphysical spaces, including mirror realms.
- While inside such spaces, the immortal can manipulate what they find there - including attempts at harm [Entirely plot and permissions dependent]
Can erase specific memories related to encountering/seeing him from those of a lower power level than himCan create mirror realms - pocket dimensions where anything can be built and the rules of the dimension follow that of the builder; has no effect on the outside world other than being connected to an entrance of some sort. Entrances can be created in liminal spaces - doorways, paintings, the surface of a specific pool of water, etc
Notes: These descriptions of his powers are what they do/look like without the influence of the Xilan Heart Curse, which can mess with his powers in odd ways and is entirely dependent on Orchid being present to have a direct effect.
Xilan Heart Curse [Not active without Orchid around]
The Xilan Heart Curse binds Dongfang Qingcang to Orchid by leaving a trace of her primordial spirit within him.
The passive effects of the curse are that Dongfang Qingcang is forced to feel and experience everything Orchid does:
- If she's sad and starts crying, he'll start crying involuntarily; If she's happy, he'll feel a curl of happiness warm him up; If she's hungry, he'll feel hungry; If she's sleepy, he'll feel sleepy; If she's injured, the exact same wound appears on his body; If she dies, he dies
The active effects are that if she gives him a direct order, or an indirect order with conviction and intent, he must obey it
- I.e. at one point, Orchid was half awake and protesting being told to get up, and told him to leave her alone and go count the flowers in her garden. He spent the next three hours counting every. last. one.
---
Permissions post here.
Escordvi | Permissions
OOC
Backtagging: Yes
Threadhopping: Yes
Sensitive Topics: Please warn for Suicide and Cannibalism
Smut: Yes
IC
Physical Contact: Yes - but he might retaliate.
Conflict: Yes - he's easy to get into conflict with.
Physical Violence: Yes - please discuss what the desired goal/outcome is beforehand. Combat tags are not my strength and I'd prefer to have a general 'script' for the fight worked out ahead of time so both players are aware of the 'beats' that need to be hit, and are agreed on the fallout/winner/loser/tie/etc.
Kissing: Yes - he actually kind of likes kissing. He's both emotionally repressed and a forceful kisser.
Sex: Yes - please discuss ahead of time what expectations for the thread are. He's not sexually active (he's a 38(thousand) year old virgin) and not likely to initiate or continue intimate contact without an outside influence or reason (sex pollen or determined to be the best course of action for a quest, for example) until his emotions have come in more. But he is a fast learner and an eager student once he decides he wants to master a new skill.
Powers
(full powers and Escordi specific restrictions here)
Dongfang Qingcang has wide variety of powers. Other than the usual combat and xianxia bullshit powers, he has a few that need input from players beyond the usual check in for a specific thread. The four under 'Passive' are ones that don't directly affect other characters, but do allow him to learn information about characters. The one under 'Active' is one that can directly affect other characters and as such will not be used without seeking direct permission for those involved every time it may come up.
Passive
Sixth Sense
Dongfang Qingcang can naturally sense the spiritual presence of other beings and what general kind they are when they are not attempting to hide their presence. This works much the same as any other senses - sense of smell is probably the best comparison. Everyone has a scent and some are more sensitive to them than others. Everyone who is sentient has a spiritual presence and he can sense them in an area around him comparable to his other senses. It's like background noise to him.
Everyone falls under one or more of the following general categories:
For all other cases, all he can tell is that a character falls within that category. All 'dead' feel the same to him regardless of power level, all mortals feel mortal, and demons are some sort of enlightened non-human, non-born immortal.
The more 'odd' a spiritual presence is, the more likely he is to investigate it. If someone reads as 'dead' but doesn't look it, or if someone reads as both 'demon' and 'mortal' (half-human, half-something else), he'll be more interested in pestering the character to find out what they are and why they feel the way they do.
If a character does not yet have a tattoo, they will likely read as Mortal, Odd-Mortal, or Demon due to the lack of non-magical powers if they are still among the living.
Magic Sense
Dongfang Qingcang has, separately from spiritual presence, the ability to detect magical signatures and traces of magic. This is due to his magical training and is not a natural sense. If something catches his eye or he's on alert for whatever reason, he is likely to scan the area for the presence of magic, but it's not automatic the way his Sixth Sense is. If a character does not have a tattoo yet, he is not going to be able to feel their own magic that is currently blocked, but could potentially sense any magical items on them if they aren't hidden somehow. If something magical has a means of being undetected - non-detection spells, etc - they will work to prevent him from sensing them.
Shape-shifting
Dongfang Qingcang can make himself look however he wants, including taking on the physical appearance of others. He is not a good actor, he will not be a convincing copy if anyone attempts to talk to him for more than two seconds.
Linguistics
Dongfang Qingcang can speak to, be understood by, and understand all sentient beings, but especially those with some form of significant spiritual presence or intelligence. He can naturally 'hear' any such being if their physical speech capacity is limited (yes, he can talk to semi-intelligent animals). This functions in the same way as telepathic communication, but does not let him listen in on thoughts that aren't meant to be heard aloud.
Active
Metaphysical Exploration and Manipulation
Donfang Qingcang has the ability to send a part of his consciousness into a person's dreams, their Sea of Emotions/Heart Sea, and other such metaphysical spaces. While inside them, he can potentially manipulate what he finds there - altering memories, attempts at harm, etc. - This ability is entirely plot and permission dependent and will not be attempted without first seeking permission with all involved parties every time.
Please respond to this post with answers to the following regarding his passive abililties:
What type of spiritual presence does your character have? Please pick at least one or more: Dead, Living but not (yet) spiritual creature, Mortal, Immortal/Cultivator, Immortal/Born or Cultivated from a Non-Human, Odd-Mortal, Odd-Immortal, Demon
Can he sense your spiritual presence power level? Is it over 9000?
Can he sense any magic on your character if he has reason to scan for magic near them? Magic items, a character's own innate magical ability, etc. This is for casual sensing - if there's a specific plot or quest need for something more specific or thorough, it can be discussed at the time of the plot/quest/encounter.
Can Dongfang Qingcang assume your character's appearance if he decides it's the best course of action? Imagine the most dismissive and bored look of contempt your character could pull, that is the face he will give them.
Is your character and/or creature companion unable to speak with a mouth or have limited speech, and can Dongfang Qingcang communicate with them using his linguistics ability? As a reminder, he cannot listen in to thoughts not specifically meant for him to hear when communicating in this manner.
Backtagging: Yes
Threadhopping: Yes
Sensitive Topics: Please warn for Suicide and Cannibalism
Smut: Yes
IC
Physical Contact: Yes - but he might retaliate.
Conflict: Yes - he's easy to get into conflict with.
Physical Violence: Yes - please discuss what the desired goal/outcome is beforehand. Combat tags are not my strength and I'd prefer to have a general 'script' for the fight worked out ahead of time so both players are aware of the 'beats' that need to be hit, and are agreed on the fallout/winner/loser/tie/etc.
Kissing: Yes - he actually kind of likes kissing. He's both emotionally repressed and a forceful kisser.
Sex: Yes - please discuss ahead of time what expectations for the thread are. He's not sexually active (he's a 38(thousand) year old virgin) and not likely to initiate or continue intimate contact without an outside influence or reason (sex pollen or determined to be the best course of action for a quest, for example) until his emotions have come in more. But he is a fast learner and an eager student once he decides he wants to master a new skill.
Powers
(full powers and Escordi specific restrictions here)
Dongfang Qingcang has wide variety of powers. Other than the usual combat and xianxia bullshit powers, he has a few that need input from players beyond the usual check in for a specific thread. The four under 'Passive' are ones that don't directly affect other characters, but do allow him to learn information about characters. The one under 'Active' is one that can directly affect other characters and as such will not be used without seeking direct permission for those involved every time it may come up.
Passive
Sixth Sense
Dongfang Qingcang can naturally sense the spiritual presence of other beings and what general kind they are when they are not attempting to hide their presence. This works much the same as any other senses - sense of smell is probably the best comparison. Everyone has a scent and some are more sensitive to them than others. Everyone who is sentient has a spiritual presence and he can sense them in an area around him comparable to his other senses. It's like background noise to him.
Everyone falls under one or more of the following general categories:
- Dead - Fully Dead/Undead creatures of any type (ghosts, vampires, zombies, etc)
- Living, but not (yet) spiritual creatures - non-sentient plants and animal life that are still alive
- Mortal - Humans without any non-magical powers
- Immortal/Cultivator - Humans with non-magical powers, especially those with qi(ki) powers
- Immortal/Born or Cultivated from a non-human - Gods/Spirits/Devils/Anything that doesn't fall into the other categories and has non-magical superpowers (divinely granted, natural, forced-upon, etc all count so long as they aren't defined as 'magic' in their source canon. Technology of a significant level to imitate magic counts as spiritually active enough to put someone in this category - Thor or Loki, for example, but not Dr. Strange)
- 'Odd-'Mortal or Immortal - Non-Humans who are humanoid and not significantly physically different from humans in most respects (Elves, Dwarves, Hobbits, etc)
- Demon - Non-humans that are more animal/plant/mechanical/very not-humanoid read as this regardless of the presence (or lack thereof) of non-magical superpowers (catgirls, transformers, talking teapots, Groot, etc). If they have significant spiritual presence, he will often also read them as Immortal/Born or Cultivated from a Non-human.
For all other cases, all he can tell is that a character falls within that category. All 'dead' feel the same to him regardless of power level, all mortals feel mortal, and demons are some sort of enlightened non-human, non-born immortal.
The more 'odd' a spiritual presence is, the more likely he is to investigate it. If someone reads as 'dead' but doesn't look it, or if someone reads as both 'demon' and 'mortal' (half-human, half-something else), he'll be more interested in pestering the character to find out what they are and why they feel the way they do.
If a character does not yet have a tattoo, they will likely read as Mortal, Odd-Mortal, or Demon due to the lack of non-magical powers if they are still among the living.
Magic Sense
Dongfang Qingcang has, separately from spiritual presence, the ability to detect magical signatures and traces of magic. This is due to his magical training and is not a natural sense. If something catches his eye or he's on alert for whatever reason, he is likely to scan the area for the presence of magic, but it's not automatic the way his Sixth Sense is. If a character does not have a tattoo yet, he is not going to be able to feel their own magic that is currently blocked, but could potentially sense any magical items on them if they aren't hidden somehow. If something magical has a means of being undetected - non-detection spells, etc - they will work to prevent him from sensing them.
Shape-shifting
Dongfang Qingcang can make himself look however he wants, including taking on the physical appearance of others. He is not a good actor, he will not be a convincing copy if anyone attempts to talk to him for more than two seconds.
Linguistics
Dongfang Qingcang can speak to, be understood by, and understand all sentient beings, but especially those with some form of significant spiritual presence or intelligence. He can naturally 'hear' any such being if their physical speech capacity is limited (yes, he can talk to semi-intelligent animals). This functions in the same way as telepathic communication, but does not let him listen in on thoughts that aren't meant to be heard aloud.
Active
Metaphysical Exploration and Manipulation
Donfang Qingcang has the ability to send a part of his consciousness into a person's dreams, their Sea of Emotions/Heart Sea, and other such metaphysical spaces. While inside them, he can potentially manipulate what he finds there - altering memories, attempts at harm, etc. - This ability is entirely plot and permission dependent and will not be attempted without first seeking permission with all involved parties every time.
Please respond to this post with answers to the following regarding his passive abililties:
What type of spiritual presence does your character have? Please pick at least one or more: Dead, Living but not (yet) spiritual creature, Mortal, Immortal/Cultivator, Immortal/Born or Cultivated from a Non-Human, Odd-Mortal, Odd-Immortal, Demon
Can he sense your spiritual presence power level? Is it over 9000?
Can he sense any magic on your character if he has reason to scan for magic near them? Magic items, a character's own innate magical ability, etc. This is for casual sensing - if there's a specific plot or quest need for something more specific or thorough, it can be discussed at the time of the plot/quest/encounter.
Can Dongfang Qingcang assume your character's appearance if he decides it's the best course of action? Imagine the most dismissive and bored look of contempt your character could pull, that is the face he will give them.
Is your character and/or creature companion unable to speak with a mouth or have limited speech, and can Dongfang Qingcang communicate with them using his linguistics ability? As a reminder, he cannot listen in to thoughts not specifically meant for him to hear when communicating in this manner.
Escordvi | Application
PLAYER INFO
CHARACTER INFO
ARMADA SELECTION
SAMPLE
Player: Autumn
Age: 30+
Invited by: Xae
Contact: DM character journal
Current Characters: N/A
Age: 30+
Invited by: Xae
Contact: DM character journal
Current Characters: N/A
CHARACTER INFO
Character: Dongfang Qingcang (aka Daqiang) | Dongfang Qingcang has no surname, Dongfang Qingcang is his personal name
Canon: Love Between Fairy and Devil aka Cang Lan Jue (2022 cdrama); Episode 13; before Shangque finds him to tell him about Xunfeng's attempted coup.
CRAU N/A
Age: 38,000+
Background Information: Series and Character Reference - on my journal because there is no English language wiki for information.
Dongfang Qingcang is the current Moon Supreme of the Moon Tribe and ruler of the Cangyan Sea (Hell). He became the Moon Supreme when he was a child (somewhere between 2,000-6,000 years old; human equivalent of 10-12), after killing his father, taking the throne from him, and defeating all challengers to his position. His patricide was forced upon him by his father, who had learned that of his two children, his eldest son had the potential to wield Hellfire. His father, desperate for a weapon that would help the Moon Tribe stop losing ground in the war against Shuiyuntian (Heaven), tortured Dongfang Qingcang for centuries to turn him into the weapon his people needed. It was believed that only those who had no emotions (specifically the Seven Emotions of Joy, Worry, Sadness, Pity, Love, Hate, and Jealousy) could control Hellfire. This was ritualistic torture of physical, mental, and magical means. Because of how much love Dongfang Qingcang had in his heart, and how long it would take to kill that love otherwise, his father determined that the only way to ensure Dongfang Qingcang's emotions were well and thoroughly severed, was to force his son to kill him. That killing him would kill his Seven Emotions Tree, freeze his Heart Sea, and and make him the perfect, emotionless ruler with only the motivation of loyalty and protection of his people remaining. It worked. Dongfang Qingcang is not aware of that motivation and believes his father tortured him as he did - to kill his emotions and make him a perfect weapon - because he was disappointed that the 'wrong son' had the ability to wield Hellfire.
Dongfang Qingcang took his fathers throne while his father's body was still warm and over the course of a few thousand years grew to have total control of Hellfire and cultivated into one of the only true immortals in existence. He became the most powerful being in the Three Realms - Heaven, Hell, and the mortal realm (Yunmeng Lake). The war between the Cangyan Sea and Shuiyuntian came to a head and, in a battle with 100,000 immortals on both sides, Dongfang Qingcang was finally defeated. Shuiyuntian's God of War, Chidi Nuzi, sacrificed her life to encase all of the Moon Tribe soldiers in stone and kill Dongfang Qingcang. However, she only managed to push his primordial spirit out of his body and scatter it into seven parts. His body was unable to be destroyed or killed and, even with the primordial spirit scattered, the pieces were still powerful enough that Shuiyuntian was forced to imprison them in such a way that they could not return to his body to awaken him. But this was only achieved through the Haotian Matrix, and a constant, vigilant, re-powering of the seal on his prison.
After 30,000 years, a young, nameless orchid fairy of Shuiyuntian, who was apprenticed to Si Ming, the God of Fate and keeper of the Books of Fate, intervened in the fated death of the Second God of War while the seal on Hoatian Tower was being renewed. She fell into the tower and Dongfang Qingcang's prison specifically. Using her body as a vessel, the seven pieces of his primordial spirit gathered to her, brought her to his body, and forced her to channel them into him through a kiss. This kiss also triggered a means of self defense within the fairy that she was unaware of and cast the Xilan Heart Curse upon Dongfang Qingcang. They switched bodies for a short time, then switched back, and he was able to break free from the prison, but he was also physically and magically bound to the fairy: any emotions she felt he would feel and any wounds she took he would also take.
When he realized this, he decided he would have to protect her just to protect himself until he could find a way to remove the curse. What he did not realize at the time was, because of the fairy's heart curse and her mingling with his primordial spirit, that she had begun to thaw his Heart Sea and heal his Seven Emotion Tree. Over the course of the week that followed his release (10 days), his own emotions recovered enough that he, unknowingly, began to feel again in small ways: happiness at a good meal, enjoyment in a good book, frustration at Orchid's antics, jealousy towards the man that Orchid has feelings for, and, with an entirely unnecessary underwater kiss (after having shared his breath with her) the first glimmerings of love.
Personality:
1) Tell us about who your character is and what someone’s first impression would be upon meeting them.
Dongfang Qingcang is regal and imposing, aloof and domineering. Everything about the way he holds himself, talks, and walks, indicates he's used to being the most powerful person in the room and getting his way: either because it's what is due him in his position, or because he could kill everyone without breaking a sweat. He uses the very formal 'benzuo' to refer to himself, which is an archaic form of the possessive 'I/me/my/mine' used by figures of great importance or power and is often translated as 'this venerable one'. It can be considered equivalent to the royal we in many contexts, so even if someone hadn't gotten the impression of 'self-important jackass' before he speaks, they'll likely get it as soon as he opens his mouth. He is obviously and openly self-centered.
He is very straightforward. He has little need for posturing and will be very direct with speaking to someone. He rarely sees any reason to lie and tends to talk around the truth when he needs to be deceptive rather than outright lying. This does not preclude him from lying, but it's not a common tactic.
He is, also, a bit emotionally erratic in that he goes from hot to cold very quickly and will take actions that seem counter intuitive to what a logical course of action may be - which if questioned he will find a way to justify as perfectly logical and reasonable for the situation. He displays curiosity for things he doesn't understand, and will find excuses ("reasons") to partake in activities that are done purely for enjoyment or allow him to spend time with others that he doesn't see as a threat. This is because his emotions have begun to be revived and he is not yet aware of this. He believes he is fully emotionless and any emotions he does feel are due to outside influences - namely Orchid, but if there's some obvious increase in their intensity, he will also blame a spell/artifact/something outside himself for such feelings to exist within him. Despite having a means of blocking the emotional connection (but not the physical) once he returned to Cangyanhai, he has chosen to only use it occasionally and allow himself to indulge in the emotions he gets from Orchid. He excuses this as needing to know what's on her mind so he's ready to save her if he feels her fear and panic from being in danger.
Because of how he acts, the way he speaks, and his general 'I'm better than you and that's a fact, not an opinion' attitude, it is easy to assume that he believes his ideas and thoughts to be superior to all others and will brook no argument. However, his lack of emotions for over 30,000 years has left him with only logic and the overall "pros and cons" of an action and its outcomes to base the majority of his decisions on. He will often judge violence and overwhelming force as the optimal solution for most obstacles as, in his experience, it uses the least amount of effort and leaves the least amount of enemies (or potential enemies) alive to challenge him.
When met with an obstacle he cannot solve with his own power (by destroying it) or knowledge (eventually destroying it or using it), he will seek out sources of information and attempt to educate himself on new or alternative methods. Preferably to destroy it, but he'll work with what he can. When argued with, or if someone gives him enough push-back that it becomes a waste of time continuing in such a manner, he will allow himself to 'lose' and find another means of obtaining what he wants or getting to his goal. Thus far, only Orchid has done this consistently, but he also listens to Shangque (his right-hand/bodyguard/general/black dragon subordinate) when Shangque presents a disagreement or alternate viewpoint. He simply doesn't have the emotional investment in most things to care one way or the other for too long - unless it's avenging the shame and hatred of the Moon Tribe, or upholding the rules of the Cangyan Sea.
2) What is a driving force your character has? What goals do they have, what motivates them, etc?
His purpose is the liberation of his 100,000 soldiers trapped in stone in the Xuanxu Realm and the destruction of Shuiyuntian as the enemy of the Cangyan Sea. His loyalty is to his people as their ruler and their most powerful weapon. Prior to encountering Orchid, these were his primary motivations. He now, also, prioritizes the safety and happiness of Orchid because his own life literally depends on it. Additionally, he is driven by the need to break the Xilan Heart Curse that binds him to her.
Within the world of Escordvi, he will desire to find a way back to his own world because of his duty to his people. But if he can find a way to break the Xilan Heart Curse while he's here, he will allow himself that goal without deeming it a distraction from his purpose. Time flows differently in this world and he will do all he can to use it to his advantage.
3) What are their flaws as a character? What is something they've messed up, or have done that they regret?
Daqiang's biggest flaw is that he doesn't understand emotions and considers them a weakness that he has been purged of. This perspective was forced on him through the trauma of torture and the death of his Seven Emotion Tree, but he just doesn't see the value in emotions and making decisions based on them - and is unaware that he has begun to do just that because of his Seven Emotion Tree beginning to recover. Emotions having any value is not a perspective he will consider without outside prompting.
Daqiang is also very used to getting his way and being obeyed. If he says jump, people are expected to jump. He does not consider that he might have to ask someone to do it, nor is he usually prepared to be told 'no'. He has no sense of the personal space of others or that he might be invading it, but does care if his own person or property is messed with. He doesn't care about whether someone likes him or dislikes him and can easily tolerate a great deal of anger and insubordination thrown his way so long as the person (or persons) don't take actions that will purposely hinder his goals or attempt to usurp his position as the Moon Supreme. He is considered a tyrant - one his people accept as their ruler because the way of the Moon Tribe is one of might makes right and anything is fine so long as you are loyal to the Moon Tribe and its ways - and he does not disavow this view or opinion.
Because of these factors, he doesn't put value on the lives of anyone who is not one of 'his people' and will not take action to help others in need unless an outside force pushes him to have to do so or he finds an excuse he can justify to do so. Generally, if he weighs the pros and cons of helping someone, and there are are no logical pros which will help him or his people in some way achieve their goals or fulfill their purpose, he will choose not to help because it will be considered not worth his effort.
He is also completely uneducated on how mortals actually live. He knows enough about how they worship the immortals - because that relates to him and other immortals - but beyond claiming the lands as his during his initial conquering phase, he's never had a reason to really visit and see how mortals live. He doesn't understand mortal money, mortal pursuits, or how mortals do anything if they don't have magic and cultivation powers to assist them.
4) Optional: What is something unique and interesting about them, or what is a fun little tidbit that sets them apart from the crowd?
He will never look down on a gardner again.
~three days later~
Skills:
Dongfang Qingcang is a skilled guqin player and calligrapher, considered a master scholar, experienced dragon-rider (Chinese dragon), and a warrior with over 8,000 years of active battle experience. He is, however, more used to channeling his powers through his sword than engaging in any strict weapon-only fights. So, while he can be considered a master with the jian (chinese double-edged straight sword), he is not likely to win against someone of otherwise equal skill and power who has more experience fighting without powers involved. He is skilled at the art of learning - he knows how to study and to dedicate himself to mastering a skill once he decides to put in the work. He is especially naturally talented and inclined towards learning magic and qi abilities.
Powers:
Demonic/Immortal Physiology - Dongfang Qingcang is a member of the Moon Tribe, who are decedents of a fairy that split off from heaven thousands of years ago. As such, he is a 'Heavenly Demon' (demon/devil descended from a former heavenly immortal/fairy/god) or 'Devil'. He is a born immortal with the lifespan and physical/spiritual abilities that come with being one.
True Immortality and General Immortality -Having achieved true immortality, his body cannot be destroyed and his primordial spirit cannot be destroyed by outside forces nor sent into the cycle of reincarnation. He can be depleted of energy and knocked out and his primordial spirit scattered as a means of neutralizing him, but he cannot be killed unless he has chosen to kill himself.
General Immortality Abilities that other accomplished immortals can also do:
Magic - Dongfang Qingcang is practiced at magic and can learn spells, create seals, and use magical artifacts that require magical knowledge to use. Magic includes:
Qi - Personal energy that every living being has and can be cultivated to greater and greater power. The manifestation of his spiritual power for various effects that are not magical (magic is a separate ability), but can be similar to, and mistaken for, magic.
He uses it for most qi and magic-adjacent abilities common to the xianxia genre not otherwise mentioned in this list. This is stuff such as creating a ball of light with his qi and using qinggong steps and other such powers.
Fire - Natural fires react to his emotions and moods (what little of them he has) and will flare up or mellow down without his conscious decision on the matter. He doesn't tend to control other fire directly, as his Hellfire is more powerful, but he can manipulate fire in his vicinity for any and all fire-related effects. [Reduced to the ability of a very powerful fierbender from AtLA/Korra; Hellfire remains more powerful]
Teleportation and Flight - Dongfang Qingcang can travel between locations within the same Realm in an instant, honing in on a person's qi as a target point or just generally teleport to a location. He can also fly or hover in space and travel that way. Teleportation is usually used to travel long distances within a Realm, while flying is used for shorter trips.
Hammerspace - He has the ability to store items in a pocket-dimension that generally substitutes for literal pockets. Mostly he stores his personal belongings and a few important items within.
Sight, Sound, and Scent Invisibility - In addition to being able to hide his spiritual presence, he can also make himself completely invisible to the sight, hearing, and olfactory senses of other beings.
Item Manipulation - He can alter the physical appearance and location of items, objects, and buildings:
Self-Healing/Fast Recovery - Dongfang Qingcang can circulate his qi to heal himself and recover from injuries (grievous or barely a scratch) and maladies with no more than an overnights rest.
Transfer Energy - A standard of xianxia settings, Dongfang Qingcang can pass energy to other people through touch, or empower spells or objects by channeling his power into it
Enter Dreams and other Metaphysical Spaces/Manipulate Memories - Accomplished Immortals can send a part of their consciousness into a person's dreams, their Sea of Emotions/Heart Sea, and other such metaphysical spaces, including mirror realms.Most immortals can erase and manipulate the memories of mortals, but have to rely on the strength of their cultivation to erase the memories of other immortals.
Notes: These descriptions of his powers are what they do/look like without the influence of the Xilan Heart Curse, which can mess with his powers in odd ways and is entirely dependent on Orchid being present to have a direct effect.
Xilan Heart Curse [Not active without Orchid around]
The Xilan Heart Curse binds Dongfang Qingcang to Orchid by leaving a trace of her primordial spirit within him.
The passive effects of the curse are that Dongfang Qingcang is forced to feel and experience everything Orchid does:
Canon: Love Between Fairy and Devil aka Cang Lan Jue (2022 cdrama); Episode 13; before Shangque finds him to tell him about Xunfeng's attempted coup.
CRAU N/A
Age: 38,000+
Background Information: Series and Character Reference - on my journal because there is no English language wiki for information.
Dongfang Qingcang is the current Moon Supreme of the Moon Tribe and ruler of the Cangyan Sea (Hell). He became the Moon Supreme when he was a child (somewhere between 2,000-6,000 years old; human equivalent of 10-12), after killing his father, taking the throne from him, and defeating all challengers to his position. His patricide was forced upon him by his father, who had learned that of his two children, his eldest son had the potential to wield Hellfire. His father, desperate for a weapon that would help the Moon Tribe stop losing ground in the war against Shuiyuntian (Heaven), tortured Dongfang Qingcang for centuries to turn him into the weapon his people needed. It was believed that only those who had no emotions (specifically the Seven Emotions of Joy, Worry, Sadness, Pity, Love, Hate, and Jealousy) could control Hellfire. This was ritualistic torture of physical, mental, and magical means. Because of how much love Dongfang Qingcang had in his heart, and how long it would take to kill that love otherwise, his father determined that the only way to ensure Dongfang Qingcang's emotions were well and thoroughly severed, was to force his son to kill him. That killing him would kill his Seven Emotions Tree, freeze his Heart Sea, and and make him the perfect, emotionless ruler with only the motivation of loyalty and protection of his people remaining. It worked. Dongfang Qingcang is not aware of that motivation and believes his father tortured him as he did - to kill his emotions and make him a perfect weapon - because he was disappointed that the 'wrong son' had the ability to wield Hellfire.
Dongfang Qingcang took his fathers throne while his father's body was still warm and over the course of a few thousand years grew to have total control of Hellfire and cultivated into one of the only true immortals in existence. He became the most powerful being in the Three Realms - Heaven, Hell, and the mortal realm (Yunmeng Lake). The war between the Cangyan Sea and Shuiyuntian came to a head and, in a battle with 100,000 immortals on both sides, Dongfang Qingcang was finally defeated. Shuiyuntian's God of War, Chidi Nuzi, sacrificed her life to encase all of the Moon Tribe soldiers in stone and kill Dongfang Qingcang. However, she only managed to push his primordial spirit out of his body and scatter it into seven parts. His body was unable to be destroyed or killed and, even with the primordial spirit scattered, the pieces were still powerful enough that Shuiyuntian was forced to imprison them in such a way that they could not return to his body to awaken him. But this was only achieved through the Haotian Matrix, and a constant, vigilant, re-powering of the seal on his prison.
After 30,000 years, a young, nameless orchid fairy of Shuiyuntian, who was apprenticed to Si Ming, the God of Fate and keeper of the Books of Fate, intervened in the fated death of the Second God of War while the seal on Hoatian Tower was being renewed. She fell into the tower and Dongfang Qingcang's prison specifically. Using her body as a vessel, the seven pieces of his primordial spirit gathered to her, brought her to his body, and forced her to channel them into him through a kiss. This kiss also triggered a means of self defense within the fairy that she was unaware of and cast the Xilan Heart Curse upon Dongfang Qingcang. They switched bodies for a short time, then switched back, and he was able to break free from the prison, but he was also physically and magically bound to the fairy: any emotions she felt he would feel and any wounds she took he would also take.
When he realized this, he decided he would have to protect her just to protect himself until he could find a way to remove the curse. What he did not realize at the time was, because of the fairy's heart curse and her mingling with his primordial spirit, that she had begun to thaw his Heart Sea and heal his Seven Emotion Tree. Over the course of the week that followed his release (10 days), his own emotions recovered enough that he, unknowingly, began to feel again in small ways: happiness at a good meal, enjoyment in a good book, frustration at Orchid's antics, jealousy towards the man that Orchid has feelings for, and, with an entirely unnecessary underwater kiss (after having shared his breath with her) the first glimmerings of love.
Personality:
1) Tell us about who your character is and what someone’s first impression would be upon meeting them.
Dongfang Qingcang is regal and imposing, aloof and domineering. Everything about the way he holds himself, talks, and walks, indicates he's used to being the most powerful person in the room and getting his way: either because it's what is due him in his position, or because he could kill everyone without breaking a sweat. He uses the very formal 'benzuo' to refer to himself, which is an archaic form of the possessive 'I/me/my/mine' used by figures of great importance or power and is often translated as 'this venerable one'. It can be considered equivalent to the royal we in many contexts, so even if someone hadn't gotten the impression of 'self-important jackass' before he speaks, they'll likely get it as soon as he opens his mouth. He is obviously and openly self-centered.
He is very straightforward. He has little need for posturing and will be very direct with speaking to someone. He rarely sees any reason to lie and tends to talk around the truth when he needs to be deceptive rather than outright lying. This does not preclude him from lying, but it's not a common tactic.
He is, also, a bit emotionally erratic in that he goes from hot to cold very quickly and will take actions that seem counter intuitive to what a logical course of action may be - which if questioned he will find a way to justify as perfectly logical and reasonable for the situation. He displays curiosity for things he doesn't understand, and will find excuses ("reasons") to partake in activities that are done purely for enjoyment or allow him to spend time with others that he doesn't see as a threat. This is because his emotions have begun to be revived and he is not yet aware of this. He believes he is fully emotionless and any emotions he does feel are due to outside influences - namely Orchid, but if there's some obvious increase in their intensity, he will also blame a spell/artifact/something outside himself for such feelings to exist within him. Despite having a means of blocking the emotional connection (but not the physical) once he returned to Cangyanhai, he has chosen to only use it occasionally and allow himself to indulge in the emotions he gets from Orchid. He excuses this as needing to know what's on her mind so he's ready to save her if he feels her fear and panic from being in danger.
Because of how he acts, the way he speaks, and his general 'I'm better than you and that's a fact, not an opinion' attitude, it is easy to assume that he believes his ideas and thoughts to be superior to all others and will brook no argument. However, his lack of emotions for over 30,000 years has left him with only logic and the overall "pros and cons" of an action and its outcomes to base the majority of his decisions on. He will often judge violence and overwhelming force as the optimal solution for most obstacles as, in his experience, it uses the least amount of effort and leaves the least amount of enemies (or potential enemies) alive to challenge him.
When met with an obstacle he cannot solve with his own power (by destroying it) or knowledge (eventually destroying it or using it), he will seek out sources of information and attempt to educate himself on new or alternative methods. Preferably to destroy it, but he'll work with what he can. When argued with, or if someone gives him enough push-back that it becomes a waste of time continuing in such a manner, he will allow himself to 'lose' and find another means of obtaining what he wants or getting to his goal. Thus far, only Orchid has done this consistently, but he also listens to Shangque (his right-hand/bodyguard/general/black dragon subordinate) when Shangque presents a disagreement or alternate viewpoint. He simply doesn't have the emotional investment in most things to care one way or the other for too long - unless it's avenging the shame and hatred of the Moon Tribe, or upholding the rules of the Cangyan Sea.
2) What is a driving force your character has? What goals do they have, what motivates them, etc?
His purpose is the liberation of his 100,000 soldiers trapped in stone in the Xuanxu Realm and the destruction of Shuiyuntian as the enemy of the Cangyan Sea. His loyalty is to his people as their ruler and their most powerful weapon. Prior to encountering Orchid, these were his primary motivations. He now, also, prioritizes the safety and happiness of Orchid because his own life literally depends on it. Additionally, he is driven by the need to break the Xilan Heart Curse that binds him to her.
Within the world of Escordvi, he will desire to find a way back to his own world because of his duty to his people. But if he can find a way to break the Xilan Heart Curse while he's here, he will allow himself that goal without deeming it a distraction from his purpose. Time flows differently in this world and he will do all he can to use it to his advantage.
3) What are their flaws as a character? What is something they've messed up, or have done that they regret?
Daqiang's biggest flaw is that he doesn't understand emotions and considers them a weakness that he has been purged of. This perspective was forced on him through the trauma of torture and the death of his Seven Emotion Tree, but he just doesn't see the value in emotions and making decisions based on them - and is unaware that he has begun to do just that because of his Seven Emotion Tree beginning to recover. Emotions having any value is not a perspective he will consider without outside prompting.
Daqiang is also very used to getting his way and being obeyed. If he says jump, people are expected to jump. He does not consider that he might have to ask someone to do it, nor is he usually prepared to be told 'no'. He has no sense of the personal space of others or that he might be invading it, but does care if his own person or property is messed with. He doesn't care about whether someone likes him or dislikes him and can easily tolerate a great deal of anger and insubordination thrown his way so long as the person (or persons) don't take actions that will purposely hinder his goals or attempt to usurp his position as the Moon Supreme. He is considered a tyrant - one his people accept as their ruler because the way of the Moon Tribe is one of might makes right and anything is fine so long as you are loyal to the Moon Tribe and its ways - and he does not disavow this view or opinion.
Because of these factors, he doesn't put value on the lives of anyone who is not one of 'his people' and will not take action to help others in need unless an outside force pushes him to have to do so or he finds an excuse he can justify to do so. Generally, if he weighs the pros and cons of helping someone, and there are are no logical pros which will help him or his people in some way achieve their goals or fulfill their purpose, he will choose not to help because it will be considered not worth his effort.
He is also completely uneducated on how mortals actually live. He knows enough about how they worship the immortals - because that relates to him and other immortals - but beyond claiming the lands as his during his initial conquering phase, he's never had a reason to really visit and see how mortals live. He doesn't understand mortal money, mortal pursuits, or how mortals do anything if they don't have magic and cultivation powers to assist them.
4) Optional: What is something unique and interesting about them, or what is a fun little tidbit that sets them apart from the crowd?
He will never look down on a gardner again.
~three days later~
Abilities & Inventory:
Inventory:
Inventory:
- His sword
- A dark blue heavy silk hunting outfit
Skills:
Dongfang Qingcang is a skilled guqin player and calligrapher, considered a master scholar, experienced dragon-rider (Chinese dragon), and a warrior with over 8,000 years of active battle experience. He is, however, more used to channeling his powers through his sword than engaging in any strict weapon-only fights. So, while he can be considered a master with the jian (chinese double-edged straight sword), he is not likely to win against someone of otherwise equal skill and power who has more experience fighting without powers involved. He is skilled at the art of learning - he knows how to study and to dedicate himself to mastering a skill once he decides to put in the work. He is especially naturally talented and inclined towards learning magic and qi abilities.
Powers:
Demonic/Immortal Physiology - Dongfang Qingcang is a member of the Moon Tribe, who are decedents of a fairy that split off from heaven thousands of years ago. As such, he is a 'Heavenly Demon' (demon/devil descended from a former heavenly immortal/fairy/god) or 'Devil'. He is a born immortal with the lifespan and physical/spiritual abilities that come with being one.
- Excessively long lived - he was at least 8,000 years old when he was imprisoned and even 30,000 years later looks somewhere in his mid-to-late twenties (as far as mortals measure it)
- Supernatural Senses (Natural) - his five senses are all supernaturally enhanced when compared to mortals. Other immortals using magic or martial techniques can fool and hide from his five senses.
- Supernatural Physicality - he is naturally stronger and faster than mortals, has more endurance and is more difficult to injure.
- Sixth Sense - He can naturally sense the spiritual presence of other beings and what general kind they are when they aren't attempting to hide their pretense
- Linguistics - he can speak to, be understood by, and understand all sentient beings, but especially those who have some form of spiritual presence or intelligence. He can 'hear' any such being if their physical speech capacity is limited. This functions in the same way as telepathic communication, but does not let him listen in on thoughts that aren't meant to be heard aloud. [can only get a general sense of moods from the leviathans]
- Shape shifting - He can control his appearance in most instances and transform his body to take on the form and appearance of another being, including specific people. His ability to take on the appearance of another person is due to training his natural ability to control his form. Acting skills not included.
Item Creation - he can create items from his blood and body that are imbued with a small fraction of his power for very specific purposes (for example the 'bone orchid' that turns into a bracelet and can protect Orchid from physical danger while she's wearing it by covering her in a shield made of Hellfire.)- Always clothed - When cultivated spirits become enlightened enough to take on a mortal (human) form, they manifest with clothing that reflects their true self. Born immortals also manifest clothing that reflects their spiritual and metaphysical being. This appearance changes as they age. Enlightened beings don't walk around naked, that would be absurd. They do also enjoy wearing clothing and accessories that have been created by hand, but in Dongfang Qingcang's case, he tends to stick to his manifested clothes about 70% of the time, over which he will wear a more elaborate over-robe for formal occasions. The rest of the time is in specific outfits he carries on his person in his hammerspace.
- His manifested clothes include:
- an organic shaped crown that sits across the back of his head and looks like a twisted piece of dark wood that as been burned to a char
- a black, high collared inner robe that is dusted with dark gold beading or appears to be made of thin, black on black brocade pattered with geometric designs and/or stylized flowers
- a black middle robe that has a spray of gold stitched and beaded embroidery extending along the hems from the middle of the waist to create an understated starburst effect when folded closed, or a sheer gathered robe that doesn't close across the chest, but provides a nice counter-pattern effect for the inner robe
- a sheer black outer robe with sleeve slits to the shoulders, creating a cape-like effect when belted.
- several belts of similar style that match the specific combination of his manifested clothing
- his battle armor, which is the most heavily layered combination of his manifested clothing, includes an additional over-robe that sports thick, long sleeves, as well as a chest piece that looks like a gnarly piece of charred black dead wood with the still-smouldering parts a glowing gold that wraps around his shoulders, and a golden crown that twists upwards from his head like the untamed flame of a bonfire.
- When his primordial power is being drained, his manifest clothing will peal away into simpler and simpler combinations as the energy to maintain them is stripped away.
- At his absolute weakest, his hair turns white, his crown disappears, and he is left in a double layer set of black robes that hangs loosely on his frame and is secured with a simple knot at the waist.[This is the appearance he will take on during the death coma.]
- His manifested clothes include:
True Immortality and General Immortality -
- [Effectively mortal for purpose of death mechanics]
General Immortality Abilities that other accomplished immortals can also do:
He has no need to eat or drinkHe can go without sleep for months, but only by mortal measureTime passes differently for mortals and immortals. He needs a normal day's rest for his race, but that is something like a one-to-one Immortal Hour-to-Mortal Month conversion. So for every 24 hour immortal day, two years pass in the Mortal Realm.This means that by mortal measure, he also has to occasionally sleep for eight months straight.
He does not need to breathe underwater or in space, but can share his breath with others who might need toCan talk in space as if there were airCan reveal other enlightened being's origins/true forms- [Must eat at least once a day; Can go longer without sleep, but still needs it regularly; Can hold his breath for longer than normal, but must still breathe.]
Magic - Dongfang Qingcang is practiced at magic and can learn spells, create seals, and use magical artifacts that require magical knowledge to use. Magic includes:
- Anything referred to as a spell, curse, seal, or ritual
- Using magical objects for their intended purpose
Altering a magical object to do something different that what it's purpose is- Detect magical signatures and traces of magic specifically
- [can learn/use spells, curses, and seals; will drain energy proportional to the power of the spell, easier for anything fire-based; not guaranteed to succeed on higher level spells and rituals; untyped magic gains fire type]
Qi - Personal energy that every living being has and can be cultivated to greater and greater power. The manifestation of his spiritual power for various effects that are not magical (magic is a separate ability), but can be similar to, and mistaken for, magic.
He uses it for most qi and magic-adjacent abilities common to the xianxia genre not otherwise mentioned in this list. This is stuff such as creating a ball of light with his qi and using qinggong steps and other such powers.
- Can temporarily enhance his supernatural senses and supernatural physicality
- Supernatural Senses enhanced this way can potentially detect illusions
- Dongfang Qingcang's qi is intertwined with Hellfire and as such, often manifests with the appearance of blue fire. His eyes will light up with it, it will surround objects he summons to him, and his sword burns with it when he powers it up.
- He can completely erase his qi's presence from the supernatural senses of anyone less powerful than he is.
- When not surpressing his qi:
- Those who can sense energy can feel a traditionally 'demonic' - but not evil - flavor to his energy. The lack of Evil(tm) can be recognized as a spark of divinity. This applies the same to anyone from a western canon with a western Heaven and Hell. He is 'Hell' flavored otherwise.
- His power feels oppressive and laced with an unnatural heat.
All of the following specific powers are qi-powered:
Hellfire - literal hellfire. It's power is mixed so thoroughly with his own qi that it is his as much as it is a separate force others have failed to master. It's power is in everything he does. As someone whose spiritual root is fire, it enhances his natural energy and boosts his power to the point that he is immune to damage from all lesser fires. Neither is he troubled by extreme heat, nor does the cold bother him - both due to his own inner fire burning hotter than even the sun.
Hellfire - literal hellfire. It's power is mixed so thoroughly with his own qi that it is his as much as it is a separate force others have failed to master. It's power is in everything he does. As someone whose spiritual root is fire, it enhances his natural energy and boosts his power to the point that he is immune to damage from all lesser fires. Neither is he troubled by extreme heat, nor does the cold bother him - both due to his own inner fire burning hotter than even the sun.
- Hellfire burns bright blue and wounds from it cannot be healed - they will continue to burn for the rest of the victim's life. When they are reincarnated, no matter how many times, the wound will come with them in the form of a hideous burn scar in the same location and shape as the original would. [can be healed]
- When in use, those who can sense energy, particularly anyone from a canon that has its own version of Hellfire (and know what that feels like), can recognize it for what it is.
In and out of combat, he can use Hellfire and Qi to:
- Create stationary energy shields
- Block or redirect attacks
- Surround himself with Hellfire as a deterrent and a threat
- Manifest a dragon-shaped plume of Hellfire to attack his enemies
- Lob balls of Hellfire at a target
- Crush/destroy/implode objects at a distance
- Break through magical and spiritual barriers
- Empower his sword and body for melee attacks
- [He can do all this but at effectiveness and damage within the bounds of a very powerful superhero rather than someone who could literally destroy heaven with it]
Fire - Natural fires react to his emotions and moods (what little of them he has) and will flare up or mellow down without his conscious decision on the matter. He doesn't tend to control other fire directly, as his Hellfire is more powerful, but he can manipulate fire in his vicinity for any and all fire-related effects. [Reduced to the ability of a very powerful fierbender from AtLA/Korra; Hellfire remains more powerful]
He can control the Sun.
Weather Control - Dongfang Qingcang can turn the weather from sunny to stormy (or back) in a localized area near him, including indoors.
If he creates a storm, he can create a lightning storm (without rain or hail) and use it to call lightning.He can empower such storms with Hellfire so that every time thunder cracks the Hellfire flares and every lightning bolt that strikes will explode with Hellfire on contact.He can prevent the storm from dissipating naturally so long as he remains in the general area near it, which is about a city sized span of distance from the storm.Can cut open the sky to force the sun to appear at night without causing the sky to experience daylight. Just the sun glaring down with obvious menace from a star-studded night sky.- [Can create a fire storm; 'Ultimate' ability - no more than once every seven days, heavy qi drain]
Teleportation and Flight - Dongfang Qingcang can travel between locations within the same Realm in an instant, honing in on a person's qi as a target point or just generally teleport to a location. He can also fly or hover in space and travel that way. Teleportation is usually used to travel long distances within a Realm, while flying is used for shorter trips.
- Dongfang Qingcang's teleportation is accompanied by a burst of black smoke laced with angry orange and red sparks that expand out from his position in a fully-spread bird-wing-like pattern. The smoke disburses quickly, after. This occurs on both arrival and departure when he teleports.
- [Teleportation requires he follow the fast travel rule of having visited the place first]
Hammerspace - He has the ability to store items in a pocket-dimension that generally substitutes for literal pockets. Mostly he stores his personal belongings and a few important items within.
- [He can't store anything bigger than his sword this way, and can only store seven items total]
Sight, Sound, and Scent Invisibility - In addition to being able to hide his spiritual presence, he can also make himself completely invisible to the sight, hearing, and olfactory senses of other beings.
- He can extend this ability in a small dome that surrounds him in a seven foot radius when he wants to include another being or beings that is not able to make themselves invisible in the same manner. [Invisibility lasts for up to a total of 5 minutes per day.]
Item Manipulation - He can alter the physical appearance and location of items, objects, and buildings:
Make one item take the shape of another (i.e. turn a flower into a stone bracelet)Change the color or decoration of an item (i.e. make a blue dress white)Dry off or clean items that are dirty (must not be caused by a magical or spiritual effect)Repair items (i.e. restore a wall he just broke through to the condition it was in prior to being exploded)Create mundane items that can be created in the Mortal Realm of any appearance and material
Self-Healing/Fast Recovery - Dongfang Qingcang can circulate his qi to heal himself and recover from injuries (grievous or barely a scratch) and maladies with no more than an overnights rest.
- Sleeping it off tends to be faster for Dongfang Qingcang
- [Speeding up healing will drain him of energy proportional to how extensive the damage is. If magical effects or poisons are involved, he will take a factor of seven to regain the energy used; if something took an hour of meditation to heal, it will take him seven hours to recover the energy; one day takes seven days, etc.]
Transfer Energy - A standard of xianxia settings, Dongfang Qingcang can pass energy to other people through touch, or empower spells or objects by channeling his power into it
- Passing energy can help others heal faster but also just give them a power boost
- Energy transferred can be either Qi or his Primordial Spirit, depending on the potency needed
- [Energy transferred is energy drained; Energy is recovered by a factor of seven as with the self-healing; Qi recovers faster than Primordial Spirit]
Enter Dreams and other Metaphysical Spaces/Manipulate Memories - Accomplished Immortals can send a part of their consciousness into a person's dreams, their Sea of Emotions/Heart Sea, and other such metaphysical spaces, including mirror realms.
- While inside such spaces, the immortal can manipulate what they find there - including attempts at harm [Entirely plot and permissions dependent]
Can erase specific memories related to encountering/seeing him from those of a lower power level than himCan create mirror realms - pocket dimensions where anything can be built and the rules of the dimension follow that of the builder; has no effect on the outside world other than being connected to an entrance of some sort. Entrances can be created in liminal spaces - doorways, paintings, the surface of a specific pool of water, etc
Notes: These descriptions of his powers are what they do/look like without the influence of the Xilan Heart Curse, which can mess with his powers in odd ways and is entirely dependent on Orchid being present to have a direct effect.
Xilan Heart Curse [Not active without Orchid around]
The Xilan Heart Curse binds Dongfang Qingcang to Orchid by leaving a trace of her primordial spirit within him.
The passive effects of the curse are that Dongfang Qingcang is forced to feel and experience everything Orchid does:
- If she's sad and starts crying, he'll start crying involuntarily; If she's happy, he'll feel a curl of happiness warm him up; If she's hungry, he'll feel hungry; If she's sleepy, he'll feel sleepy; If she's injured, the exact same wound appears on his body; If she dies, he dies
The active effects are that if she gives him a direct order, or an indirect order with conviction and intent, he must obey it
- I.e. at one point, Orchid was half awake and protesting being told to get up, and told him to leave her alone and go count the flowers in her garden. He spent the next three hours counting every. last. one.
Additionally, If they are hit by lightning while kissing, their souls swap bodies
ARMADA SELECTION
Corsairs
He largely doesn't care about anyone or anything outside what he has decided is his, so he's not going to be inclined toward what he sees as false crusades and 'bettering the world' lies the Paladins are attempting to sell. He has seen the evils of a society painted in blue and gold and holding itself as the example for the world to follow while it's corrupt heart rots it's core. He's also seen the beauty in the darkest, emptiest places where people cheat and steal but make no claims be other than the criminals and survivors they are. He'd much rather walk with those he perceives as honest about their motivations - be it selfish, and greedy, and individualistic, or for a specific very limited group - than walk with those that are not.
He largely doesn't care about anyone or anything outside what he has decided is his, so he's not going to be inclined toward what he sees as false crusades and 'bettering the world' lies the Paladins are attempting to sell. He has seen the evils of a society painted in blue and gold and holding itself as the example for the world to follow while it's corrupt heart rots it's core. He's also seen the beauty in the darkest, emptiest places where people cheat and steal but make no claims be other than the criminals and survivors they are. He'd much rather walk with those he perceives as honest about their motivations - be it selfish, and greedy, and individualistic, or for a specific very limited group - than walk with those that are not.
SAMPLE
Test Drive Sample: Top Level at the TDM with Nimona and Toge and Rem Tokimiya
Questions: Please double check the power nerfs to make sure I didn't miss anything you asked for; if you see something that needs to be updated/clarified, let me know and I'll fix it right up. Thank you again for the opportunity to app!
Questions: Please double check the power nerfs to make sure I didn't miss anything you asked for; if you see something that needs to be updated/clarified, let me know and I'll fix it right up. Thank you again for the opportunity to app!
Powers and Abilties
Skills
On a scale of: bad > average > above average > skilled > master > savant
Powers and Abilities in Detail
This is a listing of powers he is explicitly shown to have and how they manifest, as well as general rules for how they might feel or come across by others.
Demonic/Immortal Physiology - Dongfang Qingcang is a member of the Moon Tribe, who are decedents of a fairy that split off from heaven thousands of years ago. As such, he is a 'Heavenly Demon' (demon/devil descended from a former heavenly immortal/fairy/god) or 'Devil'. He is a born immortal with the lifespan and physical/spiritual abilities that come with being one.
True Immortality and General Immortality - Having achieved true immortality, his body cannot be destroyed and his primordial spirit cannot be destroyed by outside forces nor sent into the cycle of reincarnation. He can be depleted of energy and knocked out and his primordial spirit scattered as a means of neutralizing him, but he cannot be killed unless he has chosen to kill himself.
General Immortality Abilities that other accomplished immortals can also do:
Magic - Dongfang Qingcang is practiced at magic and can learn spells, create seals, and use magical artifacts that require magical knowledge to use. Magic includes:
Qi - Personal energy that every living being has and can be cultivated to greater and greater power. The manifestation of his spiritual power for various effects that are not magical (magic is a separate ability), but can be similar to, and mistaken for, magic.
He uses it for most qi and magic-adjacent abilities common to the xianxia genre not otherwise mentioned in this list. This is stuff such as creating a ball of light with his qi, using qinggong steps, pulling items and/or people to him, and other such powers.
Hellfire - literal hellfire. It's power is mixed so thoroughly with his own qi that it is his as much as it is a separate force others have failed to master. It's power is in everything he does. As someone whose spiritual root is fire, it enhances his natural energy and boosts his power to the point that he is immune to damage from all lesser fires. Neither is he troubled by extreme heat, nor does the cold bother him - both due to his own inner fire burning hotter than even the sun.
Fire - Natural fires react to his emotions and moods (what little of them he has) and will flare up or mellow down without his conscious decision on the matter. He doesn't tend to control other fire directly, as his Hellfire is more powerful, but he can manipulate fire in his vicinity for any and all fire-related effects.
Hammerspace - He has the ability to store items in a pocket-dimension that generally substitutes for literal pockets. Mostly he stores his personal belongings and a few important items within:
Sight, Sound, and Scent Invisibility - In addition to being able to hide his spiritual presence, he can also make himself completely invisible to the sight, hearing, and olfactory senses of other beings.
Item Manipulation - He can alter the physical appearance and location of items, objects, and buildings:
Self-Healing/Fast Recovery - Dongfang Qingcang can circulate his qi to heal himself and recover from injuries (grievous or barely a scratch) and maladies with no more than an overnights rest.
Transfer Energy - A standard of xianxia settings, Dongfang Qingcang can pass energy to other people through touch, or empower spells or objects by channeling his power into it
Enter Dreams and other Metaphysical Spaces/Manipulate Memories - Accomplished Immortals can send a part of their consciousness into a person's dreams, their Sea of Emotions/Heart Sea, and other such metaphysical spaces, including mirror realms. Most immortals can erase and manipulate the memories of mortals, but have to rely on the strength of their cultivation to erase the memories of other immortals.
Note: These descriptions of his powers are what they do/look like without the influence of the Xilan Heart Curse, which can mess with his powers in odd ways and is entirely dependent on Orchid being present to have a direct effect.
Xilan Heart Curse
The Xilan Heart Curse binds Dongfang Qingcang to Orchid by leaving a trace of her primordial spirit within him.
The passive effects of the curse are that Dongfang Qingcang is forced to feel and experience everything Orchid does:
On a scale of: bad > average > above average > skilled > master > savant
- Being Full of Himself - savant
- Book-Learning - skilled
- Calligraphy - master
- Cooking - bad
- Cujo (type of soccer) - skilled
- Drawing/Painting - skilled
- Guqin - skilled
- Intimidation - master
- Killing/Murder - savant
- Kissing - above average
- Learning New Magic, Martial, and Qi Abilities - savant
- Martial arts, jian specialist - master
- Social/Emotional - bad
- Sounding Romantic on Accident - skilled
Powers and Abilities in Detail
This is a listing of powers he is explicitly shown to have and how they manifest, as well as general rules for how they might feel or come across by others.
Demonic/Immortal Physiology - Dongfang Qingcang is a member of the Moon Tribe, who are decedents of a fairy that split off from heaven thousands of years ago. As such, he is a 'Heavenly Demon' (demon/devil descended from a former heavenly immortal/fairy/god) or 'Devil'. He is a born immortal with the lifespan and physical/spiritual abilities that come with being one.
- Excessively long lived - he was at least 8,000 years old (probably more) when he was imprisoned and even 30,000 years later looks somewhere in his mid-to-late twenties (as far as mortals measure it)
- Supernatural Senses - his five senses are all supernaturally enhanced when compared to mortals. Other immortals using magic or martial techniques can fool and hide from his five senses.
- Supernatural Physicality - he is naturally stronger and faster than mortals, has more endurance and is more difficult to injure.
- Sixth Sense - He can naturally sense the spiritual presence of other beings and what general kind they are when they aren't attempting to hide their pretense
- Linguistics - he can speak to, be understood by, and understand all sentient beings, but especially those who have some form of spiritual presence or intelligence. He can 'hear' any such being if their physical speech capacity is limited. This functions in the same way as telepathic communication, but does not let him listen in on thoughts that aren't meant to be heard aloud.
- Shape shifting - He can control his appearance in most instances and transform his body to take on the form and appearance of another being, including specific people. His ability to take on the appearance of another person is due to training his natural ability to control his form. Acting skills not included.
- Item Creation - he can create items from his blood and body that are imbued with a small fraction of his power for very specific purposes (for example the 'bone orchid' that turns into a bracelet and can protect Orchid from physical danger while she's wearing it by covering her in a shield made of Hellfire.)
- Always clothed - When cultivated spirits become enlightened enough to take on a mortal (human) form, they manifest with clothing that reflects their true self. Born immortals also manifest clothing that reflects their spiritual and metaphysical being as they age. Because enlightened beings don't walk around naked, that would be absurd. They do also enjoy wearing clothing and accessories that have been created by hand, but in Dongfang Qingcang's case, he tends to stick to his manifested clothes about 70% of the time, over which he will wear a more elaborate over-robe for formal occasions. The rest of the time is in specific outfits he carries on his person in his hammerspace.
- His manifested clothes include:
- an organic shaped crown that sits across the back of his head and looks like a twisted piece of dark wood that as been burned to a char
- a black, high collared inner robe that is dusted with dark gold beading or appears to be made of thin, black on black brocade pattered with geometric designs and/or stylized flowers
- a black middle robe that has a spray of gold stitched and beaded embroidery extending along the hems from the middle of the waist to create an understated starburst effect when folded closed, or a sheer gathered robe that doesn't close across the chest, but provides a nice counter-pattern effect for the inner robe
- a sheer black outer robe with sleeve slits to the shoulders, creating a cape-like effect when belted.
- several belts of similar style that match the specific combination of his manifested clothing
- his battle armor, which is the most heavily layered combination of his manifested clothing, includes an additional over-robe that sports thick, long sleeves, as well as a chest piece that looks like a gnarly piece of charred black dead wood with the still-smouldering parts a glowing gold that wraps around his shoulders, and a golden crown that twists upwards from his head like the untamed flame of a bonfire.
- When his primordial power is being drained, his manifest clothing will peal away into simpler and simpler combinations as the energy to maintain them is stripped away.
- At his absolute weakest, his hair turns white, his crown disappears, and he is left in a double layer set of black robes that hangs loosely on his frame and is secured with a simple knot at the waist.
- His manifested clothes include:
True Immortality and General Immortality - Having achieved true immortality, his body cannot be destroyed and his primordial spirit cannot be destroyed by outside forces nor sent into the cycle of reincarnation. He can be depleted of energy and knocked out and his primordial spirit scattered as a means of neutralizing him, but he cannot be killed unless he has chosen to kill himself.
General Immortality Abilities that other accomplished immortals can also do:
- He has no need to eat or drink
- He can go without sleep for months, but only by mortal measure
- Time passes differently for mortals and immortals. He needs a normal day's rest for his race, but that is something like a one-to-one Immortal Hour-to-Mortal Month conversion. So for every 24 hour immortal day, two years pass in the Mortal Realm.
- This means that by mortal measure, he also has to occasionally sleep for eight months straight.
- He does not need to breathe underwater or in space, but can share his breath with others who might need to
- Can talk in space as if there were air
- Can reveal other enlightened being's origins/true forms
Magic - Dongfang Qingcang is practiced at magic and can learn spells, create seals, and use magical artifacts that require magical knowledge to use. Magic includes:
- Anything referred to as a spell, curse, seal, or ritual
- Using magical objects for their intended purpose
- Altering a magical object to do something different that what it's purpose is
- Detect magical signatures and traces of magic specifically
Qi - Personal energy that every living being has and can be cultivated to greater and greater power. The manifestation of his spiritual power for various effects that are not magical (magic is a separate ability), but can be similar to, and mistaken for, magic.
He uses it for most qi and magic-adjacent abilities common to the xianxia genre not otherwise mentioned in this list. This is stuff such as creating a ball of light with his qi, using qinggong steps, pulling items and/or people to him, and other such powers.
- Can temporarily enhance his supernatural senses and supernatural physicality
- Supernatural Senses enhanced this way can potentially detect illusions
- Dongfang Qingcang's qi is intertwined with Hellfire and as such, often manifests with the appearance of blue fire. His eyes will light up with it, it will surround objects he summons to him, and his sword burns with it when he powers it up.
- He can completely erase his qi's presence from the supernatural senses of anyone less powerful than he is.
- When not surpressing his qi:
- Those who can sense energy can feel a traditionally 'demonic' - but not evil - flavor to his energy. The lack of Evil(tm) can be recognized as a spark of divinity. This applies the same to anyone from a western canon with a western Heaven and Hell. he is 'Hell' flavored otherwise.
- His power feels oppressive and laced with an unnatural heat.
Hellfire - literal hellfire. It's power is mixed so thoroughly with his own qi that it is his as much as it is a separate force others have failed to master. It's power is in everything he does. As someone whose spiritual root is fire, it enhances his natural energy and boosts his power to the point that he is immune to damage from all lesser fires. Neither is he troubled by extreme heat, nor does the cold bother him - both due to his own inner fire burning hotter than even the sun.
- Hellfire burns bright blue and wounds from it cannot be healed - they will continue to burn for the rest of the victim's life. When they are reincarnated, no matter how many times, the wound will come with them in the form of a hideous burn scar in the same location and shape as the original would.
- When in use, those who can sense energy, particularly anyone from a canon that has its own version of Hellfire (and know what that feels like), can recognize it for what it is.
- Create stationary energy shields
- Block or redirect attacks
- Surround himself with Hellfire as a deterrent and a threat
- Manifest a dragon-shaped plume of Hellfire to attack his enemies
- Lob balls of Hellfire at a target
- Crush/destroy/implode objects at a distance
- Break through magical and spiritual barriers
- Empower his sword and body for melee attacks
Fire - Natural fires react to his emotions and moods (what little of them he has) and will flare up or mellow down without his conscious decision on the matter. He doesn't tend to control other fire directly, as his Hellfire is more powerful, but he can manipulate fire in his vicinity for any and all fire-related effects.
- He can control the Sun.
Weather Control - Dongfang Qingcang can turn the weather from sunny to stormy (or back) in a localized area near him, including indoors.
- If he creates a storm, he can create a lightning storm (without rain or hail) and use it to call lightning.
- He can empower such storms with Hellfire so that every time thunder cracks the Hellfire flares and every lightning bolt that strikes will explode with Hellfire on contact.
- He can prevent the storm from dissipating naturally so long as he remains in the general area near it, which is about a city sized span of distance from the storm.
- Can cut open the sky to force the sun to appear at night without causing the sky to experience daylight. Just the sun glaring down with obvious menace from a star-studded night sky.
- Dongfang Qingcang's teleportation is accompanied by a burst of black smoke laced with angry orange and red sparks that expand out from his position in a fully-spread bird-wing-like pattern. The smoke disburses quickly, after. This occurs on both arrival and departure when he teleports.
- He can also teleport other people, creatures, and items that he can sense the spiritual presence anywhere within a generous radius of his position.
Hammerspace - He has the ability to store items in a pocket-dimension that generally substitutes for literal pockets. Mostly he stores his personal belongings and a few important items within:
- His sword is always stored there when not in use and can be summoned from it either with a simple flick of the wrist or a more complicated power-up to flood it with energy right out the gate.
- A dark blue hunting outfit as an alternative to his manifest clothing.
- The Xilan Clan scroll detailing many known techniques, abilities, and Xilan Clan specific knowledge (including how to care for a Xilan Orchid)
Sight, Sound, and Scent Invisibility - In addition to being able to hide his spiritual presence, he can also make himself completely invisible to the sight, hearing, and olfactory senses of other beings.
- He can extend this ability in a small dome that surrounds him in a seven foot radius when he wants to include another being or beings that is not able to make themselves invisible in the same manner.
Item Manipulation - He can alter the physical appearance and location of items, objects, and buildings:
- Make one item take the shape of another (i.e. turn a flower into a stone bracelet)
- Change the color or decoration of an item (i.e. make a blue dress white)
- Dry off or clean items that are dirty (must not be caused by a magical or spiritual effect)
- Repair items (i.e. restore a wall he just broke through to the condition it was in prior to being exploded)
- Create mundane items that can be created in the Mortal Realm of any appearance and material
Self-Healing/Fast Recovery - Dongfang Qingcang can circulate his qi to heal himself and recover from injuries (grievous or barely a scratch) and maladies with no more than an overnights rest.
- Sleeping it off tends to be faster for Dongfang Qingcang
Transfer Energy - A standard of xianxia settings, Dongfang Qingcang can pass energy to other people through touch, or empower spells or objects by channeling his power into it
- Passing energy can help others heal faster but also just give them a power boost
- Energy transferred can be either Qi or his Primordial Spirit, depending on the potency needed
Enter Dreams and other Metaphysical Spaces/Manipulate Memories - Accomplished Immortals can send a part of their consciousness into a person's dreams, their Sea of Emotions/Heart Sea, and other such metaphysical spaces, including mirror realms. Most immortals can erase and manipulate the memories of mortals, but have to rely on the strength of their cultivation to erase the memories of other immortals.
- While inside such spaces, the immortal can manipulate what they find there - including attempts at harm
- Can erase specific memories related to encountering/seeing him from those of a lower power level than him
- Can create mirror realms - pocket dimensions where anything can be built and the rules of the dimension follow that of the builder; has no effect on the outside world other than being connected to an entrance of some sort. Entrances can be created in liminal spaces - doorways, paintings, the surface of a specific pool of water, etc
Note: These descriptions of his powers are what they do/look like without the influence of the Xilan Heart Curse, which can mess with his powers in odd ways and is entirely dependent on Orchid being present to have a direct effect.
Xilan Heart Curse
The Xilan Heart Curse binds Dongfang Qingcang to Orchid by leaving a trace of her primordial spirit within him.
The passive effects of the curse are that Dongfang Qingcang is forced to feel and experience everything Orchid does:
- If she's sad and starts crying, he'll start crying involuntarily; If she's happy, he'll feel a curl of happiness warm him up; If she's hungry, he'll feel hungry; If she's sleepy, he'll feel sleepy; If she's injured, the exact same wound appears on his body; If she dies, he dies
- I.e. at one point, Orchid was half awake and protesting being told to get up, and told him to leave her alone and go count the flowers in her garden. He spent the next three hours counting every. last. one.
General Series and Character Reference
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, there is no easy English-based wiki source to provide a fully series synopsis or information on the canon at large. As such, this guide is based on my own understanding of the cdrama and how much of it translates into English, primarily from watching the show, referencing the appropriate Baidu entries, and familiarity with Chinese media laws surrounding live action period dramas. I have tried to be as factual as possible and provide context for why I may have interpreted something one way or another. If you have seen the show, are familiar with Chinese media laws, the xianxia genre, and/or have a decent understanding of Chinese and feel something is incorrect or needs adjustment, please feel free to comment in the notes.
Everything in this post contains spoilers.
Love Between Fairy and Devil
aka
苍兰诀
[Cang Lan Jue]
(It's about gardening)
Setting and Censorship
LBFAD is a modern xianxia cdrama. It mixes traditional xianxia tropes and expectations with western elements and relies on the watcher to be familiar with many of these as xianxia is a specific genre of fiction. Detailed information on the common terms and tropes for wuxia, xianxia, and xuanhuan (which overlap in terms of genre expectations) can be found here.
Because of Chinese Censorship laws about how morality is allowed to be portrayed in live action series, a lot of little changes were made in how various parts of the traditional cosmology is spoken about/referred to, as well as what kinds of beings and creatures inhabited what locations. The source material did not have to obey these restrictions as it was an original web-novel.
The world is primarily a fantasy ancient China that uses most of the traditional xianxia tropes and cosmology of the genre with the following changes:
Shuiyuntian, (Water Cloud Heaven) the Water Heavens/Heaven Realm
The Netherworld
The War Between Heaven and Hell and the Death of Chidi Nuzi
"Hatred is the origin of the Moon Tribe." "Only a tough general who never gives up on hatred is the key to survival of the Moon Tribe."
Yannv and Conghua were lovers in Shuiyuntian. They broke up and each side of matter blames the other for betraying them.
In the fallout of this, Yannv abandoned Shuiyuntian and crossed the Memory Loss River with her people to settle the Cangyan Sea. At this time, she set a rule that the Moon Tribe was forbidden to intermarry with fairies. Yannv also became the first to kill her emotions and take control of Hellfire. Because of the method developed to acquire it, and the potential for burning one's own primordial spirit to ash in the process, control of Hellfire became a 'forbidden art'.
From the time that the Moon Tribe was established, the fighting and wars between Shuiyuntian and the Cangyan Sea grew in fierceness. Every battle, every death, and every wound exchanged between them adding to the debt of hatred they had for each other. Over the millenia, Shuiyuntian began to gain the advantage. With the leadership of the first God of War, Chidi Nuzi, and the power of their soul-shattering arrows, Cangyan Sea began to lose ground and were unable to regain it fast enough to hold the line.
Dongfang Qingcang's father, desperate for some way to protect his people and return the suffering caused by Shuiyuntian, agreed to begin testing the people of the Cangyan Sea, particularly the royal bloodline, for the ability to control Hellfire. His two sons were the first to be tested and his eldest child, Dongfang Qingcang, was determined to have the gift for doing so. This broke his heart but his dedication to his people and the desperate state of the war, drove him to systematically killing each of Dongfang Qingcang's emotions and leaving only loyalty to the Moon Tribe. While Dongfang Qingcang was still a pre-pubescent child, he was subjected to torture and abuse for thousands of years and pushed into the despicable position of killing his own father as the final means to kill the Seven Emotions Tree and cause his Heart Sea to freeze over (these outcomes are both metaphorical and literal).
Dongfang Qingcang took the throne of the Moon Supreme while his father's body was still warm and became a child tyrant with the sole purpose of conquering the Three Realms and wiping out the fairies to avenge the Moon Tribe's ancient grudge. He spent several thousand years growing in power and mastering Hellfire and became a True Immortal in the process. He successfully recovered the lands that had been lost in the war and his Hellfire burned the fairies soul-shattering arrows before they could touch any of his people.
In the decisive battle that resulted in the death of the first God of War, Chidi Nuzi killed herself. She detonated her primordial spirit in an attempt to kill both herself and Dongfang Qingcang as she had no other way of defeating him. In doing so, she trapped 100,000 Moon Tribe soldiers in stone within the Xuanxu Realm (the Realm of Mystery, which was often used as a battlefield between the two). Dongfang Qingfang, being a True Immortal, could not be killed. His body was not destroyed, but Chidi Nuzi's sacrifice was able to force his primordial spirit from his body and scatter it into seven parts long enough that the surviving fairies could imprison both his body and the pieces of his spirit within Haotian Tower. They used a powerful seal that required the strength of almost all senior immortals in Shuiyuntian to recharge on a regular basis.
To demoralize the enemy and bolster the moral of their own people, Shuiyuntian spread the lie that Dongfang Qingcang had died in that battle along with Chidi Nuzi. In the 30,000 years that followed, Cangyan Sea fell into infighting and Shuiyuntian was successful in taking over most of the territory Dongfang Qingcang had claimed prior to his defeat.
Hellfire
Until the end of the series, when a new power is 'discovered', Hellfire is considered the most powerful energy in the world. Someone with the power of Hellfire can defeat 10,000 heavenly soldiers by themselves. It is so powerful that wounds created by it never heal, even as far as remaining as a scar on the body of each reincarnation of the soul it burned. Only two people in history have ever been able to master it and make it a part of them to call on and control - Yannv and Dongfang Qingcang. Both of them had to kill their emotions to do so and it is believed that is the only way to maintain control of it.
In LBFAD, Dongfang Qingcang does eventually 'lose' his Hellfire, in the sense that his control becomes imperfect and he cannot always call on it at will, in the time after his Tree of Emotions has recovered. But the times that he does use it without any trouble are when it is thematically clear his sense of purpose and his emotions are not in conflict. There is evidence to support a reading that it is the fact that emotions are complicated and often conflicting that prevent a clarity of purpose and focus required to command such a dangerous power. Because there are only two people to successfully control it, and not many people with either the gift to try or the willingness to risk burning their primordial spirit to ash, there is very limited in-universe research on the topic. LBFAD does not provide a venue for exploring the topic within the bounds of the story being told.
At his canon point, Dongfang Qingcang still has perfect control over his Hellfire - his emotion tree has only just begun to recover and his Heart Sea is still fully frozen over.
Dongfang Qingcang
Name
东方青苍 | Dongfang Qingcang
东方 Eastern
青 nature's color; green or blue; greenish black; youth; young (of people)
苍 dark blue; deep green; ash-gray
Meaning likely intended to be along the lines of, "Azure Blue/Green/Gray of the East", due to his name being one character off from the Azure Dragon of the East (东方青龙 ) one of the four Mythical Creatures that symbolize the Chinese constellations and four cardinal directions.
-
Like many immortals, particularly within the Moon Tribe, Dongfang Qingcang has no surname. His full (personal) name is Dongfang Qingcang. Orchid mistakes 'Dongfang' as a surname and it is likely treated as one within Shuiyuntian, and is also treated as such at later point in the series when visiting the mortal world, but once the story moves to the Cangyan Sea, neither Dongfang Qingcang's brother Xunfeng, nor his father, the prior Moon Supreme, are addressed using Dongfang as a surname. Additionally, his Baidu profile states that he has no surname and that is the primary series reference being used outside of watching the show.
History
Born the first of two sons, Dongfang Qingcang was favored by his father and the court for most of his early life. He regularly played with his father, kicking around the Cujo ball and practicing sword forms with laughter on his lips. When he was still young, likely between 2,000-6,000 years old (around the human equivalent of 10-12), it was discovered that he had the potential to wield Hellfire. Shortly after, his father went from loving and doting to cold and abusive. He experienced ritualized torture in the Fuju cave inter-spaced with regular fights with his father where his father attempted to force Daqiang to kill him. The torture was endured for 'thousands of years' until Dongfang Qingcang got to the point where he wasn't actually skilled enough to kill his father, but he was finally willing to not pull the blow. (Dongfang Qingcang would not learn that his father let him kill him rather than defend himself on that day until over 38,000 years later)
With the death of his father, the last of Dongfang Qingcang's emotions were killed: his emotional roots thoroughly withered and his Heart Sea frozen over. Thinking he had managed to kill his father out of his skill, he then went on to face the other lords and kings of the Cangyan Sea in battles as they challenged his claim to the throne and the title of Moon Supreme. While he had not even begun to master Hellfire, the fact that he could call on it at all put his power above that of all challengers. When all that dared to question him had been beaten, he was accepted as the Moon Supreme by the people of the Cangyan Sea.
From that time and to the time of his fateful defeat by Chidi Nuzi, Dongfang Qingcang mastered Hellfire and the arts of war. He took his soldiers to 'burn, kill, and steal' all over the Three Realms, conquering lands that had been lost to Shuiyuntian in the past and becoming an almost unstoppable force in his relentless march towards the heavens.
After his defeat by Chidi Nuzi, who could only wound and weaken him enough to be captured despite detonating her soul in a devastating suicide, Dongfang Qingcang's body was locked inside Haotian Tower. His primordial spirit, which had scattered and attempted to return to him, was also captured and a seal placed that prevented his primordial spirit and his body from being joined. Despite this, his primordial spirit, even scattered, was still powerful enough to attempt to break the seal on Haotian Tower and force the fairies of Shuiyuntian to regularly empower the seal over the course of the next 30,000 years. Meanwhile, the 100,000 soldiers under him were trapped as stone statues.
After 30,000 years, we come to the start of canon:
Dongfang Qingcang awakens to a kiss while his primordial spirit channels into him from the fairy kissing him. They are struck by lightning as his powers reawaken and return and when he next opens his eyes he finds himself in the body of that same fairy. They argue for a bit, but eventually figure out that to swap back they would need to kiss. They argue more about this but the kiss eventually happens and Dongfang Qingcang returns to full power. He attempts to choke the fairy to death and ends up choking himself in the process. She is freed and runs away and he then escapes Haotian Tower.
Dongfang Qingcang eventually realizes that he's been cursed to share the experiences of the fairy - a nameless orchid spirit - and should she die, he would die. This puts him in the position of having to watch over her and take care of her. As part of this, he finds a destiny book belonging to Chidi Nuzi. Chidi Nuzi's primordial spirit should have been turned to ash when she detonated herself, but a small piece of it was saved and entered the cycle of reincarnation where she spent 30,000 years experiencing life after mortal life of suffering and hardships. Unfortunately, while trying to figure out where Chidi Nuzi was in her cycle of reincarnation, the destiny book became badly damaged as Orchid fought with Dongfang Qingcang over it. Knowing that only her primordial spirit can unlock the spell holding his soldiers captive, Dongfang Qingcang is also forced to care for Orchid in an attempt to get her power to recover so she can fix the destiny book.
Between both goals - protecting himself and repairing the destiny book - Dongfang Qingcang spends the next week (10 days) living in Orchid's home being a very rude houseguest who becomes more and more supportive and helpful. He comes to the conclusion that to help Orchid regain her health and power, he has to nurture her heart, not just her body. So vows to 'make her the happiest woman in the world' (derogatory, threatening, with killing intent).
During the escape from Haotian Tower, when the curse was placed on him, his Seven Emotions Tree was given a spark of life by Orchid, who has the ability to heal any plant no matter how dead it appears to be. As he experiences emotions through Orchid, his own begin to recover and he starts to show signs of having a personality beyond just cold and distant. He also starts to (unknowingly) fall in love with Orchid.
At one point, in a completely unnecessary attempt to protect Dongfang Qingcang, Orchid grabbed Daqiang and jumped with him off of her home and into the Four Waters of the World that Shuiyuntian floats above. Under the water, she runs out of breath and Dongfang Qingcang has to come to her rescue and share his breath with her. After he has done so and she has pulled away from him, he pulls her back into another kiss. Immediately after they leave the water and Orchid runs off to get changed, the first, very tiny, very tentative, green buds of potential leaves sprout on his Seven Emotions Tree.
Not long after that, Orchid's origin as an orchid spirit is called into question during the assignment ceremony that would determine her initial ranking among the Fairy Immortals. Guards attempt to capture her and a bracelet that Dongfang Qingcang secretly hid on her wrist activates a shield of Hellfire to protect her. She is then accused of being a spy for the Moon Tribe. In an attempt to prove she wasn't, she took off the bracelet. Immediately after, the Fairy Emperor chained her up and began publicly torturing her in an attempt to get answers that she didn't have. Being bound to her as he is, Dongfang Qingcang quickly became aware she was in danger and teleported to her. In the subsequent five minutes or so, he releases her from the chains, shields her with Hellfire, and then beings indiscriminately throwing Hellfire around the Fairy Court - hundreds of fairies are killed during this, though the most powerful among them remain alive. He stops his assault only because Orchid tells him to.
He then leaves Shuiyuntian with Orchid and takes her back with him to Cangyanghai. She becomes first his 'honored guest' and then quickly his prisoner because she refuses to cooperate with him in repairing Chidi Nuzi's destiny book. After some bodyswap shenanigans where the two of them have to pretend to be each other for three days because Orchid doesn't know how to use Daqiang's power to summon lightning for a quick swap back, Dongfang Qingcang heads to a secluded place in the nearby forest to wait for a thunderstorm and natural lightning. They are caught by Chengheng and Ronghao, who were looking for Orchid to save her. When it's revealed that Orchid and Dongfang Qingcang are in each other's bodies, Ronghao suggests killing Orchid's body to kill Dongfang Qingcang and taking Orchid's spirit back to Shuiyuntian to grow a new one for her. Since she's a plant spirit, they could basically plant her in soil and wait. Orchid chooses to save Dongfang Qingcang and runs over and kisses him just as lightning strikes their position. The swapback works, Dongfang Qingcang is once again too powerful for Chengheng and Ronghao to defeat, and Orchid has basically declared herself politically aligned with the Moon Tribe - all but proving the accusations of being an agent for them true.
This is Dongfang Qingcang's canon point for this journal.
Relationships
Orchid
The current bane of his existence and also the light of his life.
Orchid, a nameless orchid spirit, accidentally fell into his prison within Haotian Tower, accidentally united his scattered primordial spirit, accidentally revived his Seven Emotions Tree, accidentally switched bodies with him, and not-so accidentally freed him in the attempt to switch their bodies back. He immediately attempted to kill her for the crimes of being annoying, making his body cry, talking back, and being a fairy. He quickly found that trying to choke her also resulted in the sensation of himself being choked and he released her. She ran away, he shrugged it off and went to call Shangque, and likely would have never given her a second thought if he hadn't had wounds appear on his body from an unknown source and realized he would have to not only save her from whatever was hurting her, but also continue to protect her.
This resulted in him moving in with her and becoming a reluctant gardener for the most delicate and rare orchid in existance. He struggled to deal with the fact that he couldn't force her to do anything, had to follow her orders instead, feel everything she felt, and not be able to throw Hellfire at every problem she had because it would make her sad and he really, really, really hates feeling sad. Tears suck.
He also, unknowingly, had his Seven Emotion Tree begin to revive in small ways and start feeling things on his own. Mostly anger and frustration, but also satisfaction, the small joys of a good meal, and the discomfort of jealousy as he began to fall in love with the little flower demon.
Shangque
8,000 years prior to the battle that killed Chidi Nuzi and saw Dongfang Qingcang secretly imprisoned, Dongfang Qingcang came across the black dragon Shangque and 'rescued' him from the abusive situation he'd been in. Shangque was an orphan who had been 'taken in' by a series of people who only did so because his scales, bones, and blood were highly valuable commodities. He had been used in this fashion a few times before meeting Dongfang Qingcang and Shangque credits the Moon Supreme as having 'rescued' him when he took him as his servant. When Dongfang Qingcang escaped Haotian Tower, his first stop was the cliffs along the Memory Loss River where Shangque slept in waiting: to return his sword and serve him once more.
Shangque is both loyal and honest and Dongfang Qingcang regularly has him perform important and sensitive tasks, and asks him for advice or uses him as a sounding board for ideas. He treats Shangque as servant, bodyguard, advisor, and confidant, going so far as to letting Shangque be the only one who knows the full nature of the Xilan Heart Curse and how easy it would be to kill him with it. Dongfang Qingcang trusts Shangque will not betray him due to Shangque's nature and their long history.
WIP
Everything in this post contains spoilers.
Love Between Fairy and Devil
aka
苍兰诀
[Cang Lan Jue]
(It's about gardening)
Synopsis (from wikipedia)
Dongfang Qingcang, the Lord Devil, created chaos in the realm of the gods with his demon army. The Goddess of War, Chidi Nuzi, sacrificed her life to seal Dongfang Qingcang and his battalion. A prophecy predicts Dongfang Qingcang will be unsealed and only Goddess Xi Yun will be able to stop him. Goddess Xi Yun is reborn as Xiao Lanhua, but unwittingly sets him free. During Dongfang Qingcang's awakening, Xiao Lanhua unknowingly casts the "One Heart Curse". The curse links their experiences, sharing injuries, emotions, and death. Dongfang Qingcang protects Xiao Lanhua while he searches for a cure, but begins to fall in love with her.
Dongfang Qingcang, the Lord Devil, created chaos in the realm of the gods with his demon army. The Goddess of War, Chidi Nuzi, sacrificed her life to seal Dongfang Qingcang and his battalion. A prophecy predicts Dongfang Qingcang will be unsealed and only Goddess Xi Yun will be able to stop him. Goddess Xi Yun is reborn as Xiao Lanhua, but unwittingly sets him free. During Dongfang Qingcang's awakening, Xiao Lanhua unknowingly casts the "One Heart Curse". The curse links their experiences, sharing injuries, emotions, and death. Dongfang Qingcang protects Xiao Lanhua while he searches for a cure, but begins to fall in love with her.
Setting and Censorship
LBFAD is a modern xianxia cdrama. It mixes traditional xianxia tropes and expectations with western elements and relies on the watcher to be familiar with many of these as xianxia is a specific genre of fiction. Detailed information on the common terms and tropes for wuxia, xianxia, and xuanhuan (which overlap in terms of genre expectations) can be found here.
Because of Chinese Censorship laws about how morality is allowed to be portrayed in live action series, a lot of little changes were made in how various parts of the traditional cosmology is spoken about/referred to, as well as what kinds of beings and creatures inhabited what locations. The source material did not have to obey these restrictions as it was an original web-novel.
The world is primarily a fantasy ancient China that uses most of the traditional xianxia tropes and cosmology of the genre with the following changes:
Shuiyuntian, (Water Cloud Heaven) the Water Heavens/Heaven Realm
Most of the immortals and gods are in-universe referred to as fairy immortals (仙子) rather than gods (神) - even those with titles that indicated a status as a god, or share the same name and role as actual gods - because the fairies of Shuiyuntian are in conflict with the male lead of the story and referring to them as actual gods under the purview of the of the Jade Emperor would have bad connotations. There is no "Jade Emperor" as a title, either. There is an Emperor of Shuiyuntian. Shuiyuntian and the fairies are, however, synonymous with the Celestial Court.
Yungmengze, (Lit. "Cloud Dream" Pond/Lake)the Mortal Realm/Human WorldThe Mortal Realm plays much the same role in LBFAD as it does in other xianxia settings. The gods of the Heavens visit it for fun and tribulations. While no outright worship of deities is referenced in LBFAD (though there is a line at one point where a certain immortal of Shuiyuntian is sentenced to have his name stricken from the books and worship of him forbidden), that the mortals worship various gods and spirits and have temples for them can be assumed as part of the genre expectations.
Cangyanghai, (Blue Salt Sea) home of the Moon Tribe/Earth Realm/Demon RealmThe biggest change is that the Netherworld equivalent in LBFAD is separate from both the traditional Underworld and Demon Realm portrayals. Cangyan Sea is the home of the Moon Tribe. Moon Tribe is a common way of referring to the Demon/Devil race that is the opposite of the gods in the Celestial Heavens when the Demon/Devil race is not Inherently Evil(tm). Cangyan Sea, as home to the in-world Demon/Devil race, holds a mixed role of the traditional Demon Realm and a more westernized concept of Hell - not as the underworld/realm of the dead or a place of punishment, but as the opposite of Heaven and the angelic beings within. The Cangyan Sea shares similarities with westernized idea of angels leaving heaven and becoming demons and devils: in LBFAD, the Moon Tribe was created when Yannv (the first Moon Supreme) led her people out of Shuiyuntian and across the Memory Loss River (which separates the Yellow Springs/Underworld/Diyu from rest of the three realms) to make a life in the Cangyan Sea. The setting also shares similarities story-wise with the Hades/Persephone Myth: Dongfang Qingcang is the Lord of Hell and Orchid is the nature goddess that he steals away and drags across the Lethe (Memory Loss River) and imprisons (briefly) in his castle before making her his Queen. The Cangyan Sea is actively volcanic and is where Hellfire originates. It is also the home of many other types of fire, including some that can never be doused.
The Netherworld
The afterlife prior to reincarnation, and all it's associated realms, are largely kept to the bottom of the Memory Loss River and is not a part of any other realm. Because of it's existence on the edge of all realms, its possible to hide within the waters of the Memory Loss River without actually entering any of the associated netherworld realms hidden in its depths.
Evil Realm(s)
There is no realm for evil beings. Evil is embodied in the Evil Spirit, which can be created by sacrificing the Primordial Spirits of various beings and cultivating their pain in a specific cauldron. This is the method of spreading pain and suffering preferred by the primordial evil, Tai Sui. While all beings can commit terrible actions, none are inherently evil except Tai Sui.
Other Realms
Many other realms and dimensions exist outside of the Three Realms and can be entered or used as needed by various gods, devils, spirits, and humans. They are part of the cosmology, but not as important to the continued existence of the world as the Three Realms.
The River of Stars and the Destruction of Heaven
Existing outside the Three Realms, the Destruction of Heaven (lit. "The Ruins of Ten Thousand Heavens") is the place that exists past the River of Stars (the Milky Way) and those who cross over to it have no way of returning to the Three Realms without outside guidance. The Destruction of Heaven is the endless depths of space that exist outside of time and over which the Three Realms have no sway.
The War Between Heaven and Hell and the Death of Chidi Nuzi
"Hatred is the origin of the Moon Tribe." "Only a tough general who never gives up on hatred is the key to survival of the Moon Tribe."
Yannv and Conghua were lovers in Shuiyuntian. They broke up and each side of matter blames the other for betraying them.
In the fallout of this, Yannv abandoned Shuiyuntian and crossed the Memory Loss River with her people to settle the Cangyan Sea. At this time, she set a rule that the Moon Tribe was forbidden to intermarry with fairies. Yannv also became the first to kill her emotions and take control of Hellfire. Because of the method developed to acquire it, and the potential for burning one's own primordial spirit to ash in the process, control of Hellfire became a 'forbidden art'.
From the time that the Moon Tribe was established, the fighting and wars between Shuiyuntian and the Cangyan Sea grew in fierceness. Every battle, every death, and every wound exchanged between them adding to the debt of hatred they had for each other. Over the millenia, Shuiyuntian began to gain the advantage. With the leadership of the first God of War, Chidi Nuzi, and the power of their soul-shattering arrows, Cangyan Sea began to lose ground and were unable to regain it fast enough to hold the line.
Dongfang Qingcang's father, desperate for some way to protect his people and return the suffering caused by Shuiyuntian, agreed to begin testing the people of the Cangyan Sea, particularly the royal bloodline, for the ability to control Hellfire. His two sons were the first to be tested and his eldest child, Dongfang Qingcang, was determined to have the gift for doing so. This broke his heart but his dedication to his people and the desperate state of the war, drove him to systematically killing each of Dongfang Qingcang's emotions and leaving only loyalty to the Moon Tribe. While Dongfang Qingcang was still a pre-pubescent child, he was subjected to torture and abuse for thousands of years and pushed into the despicable position of killing his own father as the final means to kill the Seven Emotions Tree and cause his Heart Sea to freeze over (these outcomes are both metaphorical and literal).
Dongfang Qingcang took the throne of the Moon Supreme while his father's body was still warm and became a child tyrant with the sole purpose of conquering the Three Realms and wiping out the fairies to avenge the Moon Tribe's ancient grudge. He spent several thousand years growing in power and mastering Hellfire and became a True Immortal in the process. He successfully recovered the lands that had been lost in the war and his Hellfire burned the fairies soul-shattering arrows before they could touch any of his people.
In the decisive battle that resulted in the death of the first God of War, Chidi Nuzi killed herself. She detonated her primordial spirit in an attempt to kill both herself and Dongfang Qingcang as she had no other way of defeating him. In doing so, she trapped 100,000 Moon Tribe soldiers in stone within the Xuanxu Realm (the Realm of Mystery, which was often used as a battlefield between the two). Dongfang Qingfang, being a True Immortal, could not be killed. His body was not destroyed, but Chidi Nuzi's sacrifice was able to force his primordial spirit from his body and scatter it into seven parts long enough that the surviving fairies could imprison both his body and the pieces of his spirit within Haotian Tower. They used a powerful seal that required the strength of almost all senior immortals in Shuiyuntian to recharge on a regular basis.
To demoralize the enemy and bolster the moral of their own people, Shuiyuntian spread the lie that Dongfang Qingcang had died in that battle along with Chidi Nuzi. In the 30,000 years that followed, Cangyan Sea fell into infighting and Shuiyuntian was successful in taking over most of the territory Dongfang Qingcang had claimed prior to his defeat.
Hellfire
Until the end of the series, when a new power is 'discovered', Hellfire is considered the most powerful energy in the world. Someone with the power of Hellfire can defeat 10,000 heavenly soldiers by themselves. It is so powerful that wounds created by it never heal, even as far as remaining as a scar on the body of each reincarnation of the soul it burned. Only two people in history have ever been able to master it and make it a part of them to call on and control - Yannv and Dongfang Qingcang. Both of them had to kill their emotions to do so and it is believed that is the only way to maintain control of it.
In LBFAD, Dongfang Qingcang does eventually 'lose' his Hellfire, in the sense that his control becomes imperfect and he cannot always call on it at will, in the time after his Tree of Emotions has recovered. But the times that he does use it without any trouble are when it is thematically clear his sense of purpose and his emotions are not in conflict. There is evidence to support a reading that it is the fact that emotions are complicated and often conflicting that prevent a clarity of purpose and focus required to command such a dangerous power. Because there are only two people to successfully control it, and not many people with either the gift to try or the willingness to risk burning their primordial spirit to ash, there is very limited in-universe research on the topic. LBFAD does not provide a venue for exploring the topic within the bounds of the story being told.
At his canon point, Dongfang Qingcang still has perfect control over his Hellfire - his emotion tree has only just begun to recover and his Heart Sea is still fully frozen over.
Dongfang Qingcang
Name
东方青苍 | Dongfang Qingcang
东方 Eastern
青 nature's color; green or blue; greenish black; youth; young (of people)
苍 dark blue; deep green; ash-gray
Meaning likely intended to be along the lines of, "Azure Blue/Green/Gray of the East", due to his name being one character off from the Azure Dragon of the East (东方青龙 ) one of the four Mythical Creatures that symbolize the Chinese constellations and four cardinal directions.
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Like many immortals, particularly within the Moon Tribe, Dongfang Qingcang has no surname. His full (personal) name is Dongfang Qingcang. Orchid mistakes 'Dongfang' as a surname and it is likely treated as one within Shuiyuntian, and is also treated as such at later point in the series when visiting the mortal world, but once the story moves to the Cangyan Sea, neither Dongfang Qingcang's brother Xunfeng, nor his father, the prior Moon Supreme, are addressed using Dongfang as a surname. Additionally, his Baidu profile states that he has no surname and that is the primary series reference being used outside of watching the show.
[“东方”非姓氏，全名无姓，别名“大强” "Dongfang" is not a surname, the full name has no surname, and the alias is "Daqiang"]
Soundbites
Age
We are never given Dongfang Qingcang's canon age, but we know he is at least 38,000 years old at the start of canon:
- Voice sample of (mostly non-spoilery) lines can be watched on youtube here. He almost always speaks in the same even, coldly bored tone regardless of most situations.
- Character Theme: Son of Cangyan Sea
- Battle Theme: Cut Off Love
Age
We are never given Dongfang Qingcang's canon age, but we know he is at least 38,000 years old at the start of canon:
- At the start of the show it was established that he had been trapped in Haotian Tower for 30,000 years.
- Later in the show, Shangque, his right-hand/bodyguard/general says that he has been with Dongfang Qingcang for 38,000 years, ever since Dongfang Qingcang rescued him and took him into his service. We are never told when in Dongfang Qingcang's life this occurred, but it was likely after Dongfang Qingcang became Moon Supreme due to the circumstances surrounding how he became Moon Supreme: anyone Dongfang Qingcang showed emotional connections to were removed from his service, usually through death.
- Dongfang Qingcang looked to be around the human equivalent of 10-12 years old for the duration of the "thousands of years" his father tortured him in the Fugu cave, which occurred in the lead up to taking over as Moon Supreme.
Personality (from Baidu)
(my translation, using several online translation tools and my own limited understanding of Chinese)
The Time Without Love
Dongfang Qingcang, as the most powerful being in the Three Realms, is effectively a God among gods. He is naturally talented at magic and martial abilities and has honed both over the course of thousands of years. His most significant achievement in such arts being the mastery of Hellfire, making it a part of himself to call on and control at all times. It is so suffused with his being that when he uses his qi for even the most basic of tasks, his qi lights up with its flames. His immortal root is yang based and specifically of the element of fire. This gives him control over fire that is not Hellfire, as well as lightning and thunder, all of which will react to his moods.
In addition to his unique ability wield Hellfire, as a Devil and True Immortal, he has the general run of powers common to gods and immortals in xianxia settings. This is everything from being able to survive without food, water, or sleep for effectively eternity, to teleportation, to the manipulation of matter for the creation of mundane items, to shapeshifting, to telepathy and sending his consciousness into dreams, to being able to sense and determine the type/source/power of various beings immortal, mortal, or somewhere between. [Because of the Xilan Heart Curse, he has begun to feel hunger and the need for sleep again, because Orchid is not strong enough to go without and he feels what she feels.]
Additionally, as a true Immortal, he is only able to be killed by his own efforts. His body is indestructible and his primordial spirit cannot be destroyed, only scattered, by outside forces. He stands outside the cycle of reincarnation and cannot reincarnate. For him to die, he would have to completely exhaust or burn his primordial spirit to ash. [Because of the Xialan Heart Curse, this is only true when attempting to harm him directly. Killing Orchid would also kill him, since he is now bound to share all her experiences.]
Even without Hellfire, he can still be considered the most powerful immortal/demon in the Three Reams as he is able to resist and carry the Evil Spirit without injury until he chooses to use it, when other powerful immortals of Shuiyuntian are shown to be injured by it immediately and will go as far as not touching even the smallest amount directly when there is a chance to do so.
These are his powers up to this canon point. Full power listing can be found here (semi-WIP because there's a lot to cover)
Notes: The element of his immortal/spiritual root being fire is headcanon, but canon compliant as we are never given his spiritual origin outside of being a member of the Moon Tribe. As a genre convention, all immortals have a spiritual root consistent with their origin, particularly if they are enlightened yao (i.e. plants can usually be counted on to be a wood or water root). Born immortals - those that did not have to cultivate to reach immortality and are part of an immortal race - have the potential to have any type of spiritual root. When born immortals cultivate their power, they obtain the strongest results through cultivating with elements, activities, and energy types that match their spiritual roots. Dongfang Qingcang became a true Immortal within 8,000 years of meeting Shangque (his general) while most other immortals have not been able to become a True Immortal even after 30,000 years. Based on his powers, abilities, and the fire-related imagery he is associated with, it is a safe guess that his spiritual root is based in fire.
[断情绝爱期
拔情绝爱，没有七情六欲不懂感情，故谁也不放在心上。法力三界第一无敌手，因而对人对事肆无忌惮，霸道强势，自视甚高唯我独尊，高高在上蔑视他人。
除了战斗时会有些许兴奋和对无法掌控的事生气外（七情树已复苏），其他时候面冷、情绪淡漠、漫不经心，还有些口嫌体正直。对于自小背负为月族报仇的艰巨使命、被拔情绝爱的东方青苍来说，他的冷酷背后是无边的孤独。
爱好读书，一个人呆着时总是书不离手，擅长弹琴。儿时喜欢做木工雕刻东西，和父亲踢蹴鞠等。
恢复七情中
七情树刚开始复苏发芽，常常不懂小兰花话中的深意。吃醋心痛却不自知，误以为是受同心咒被小兰花的心绪所影响。虽然爱生气却也很好哄 ]
(my translation, using several online translation tools and my own limited understanding of Chinese)
The Time Without Love
(pre-canon/start of canon)
The removal of love, (he is) without the seven emotions and six desires, (he does not) understand feelings, (he does not) treat them seriously (with any importance).
The removal of love, (he is) without the seven emotions and six desires, (he does not) understand feelings, (he does not) treat them seriously (with any importance).
He is the most powerful and invincible being in the Three Realms, he acts without honor or principles towards others (nothing is taboo for him) , he is domineering and powerful, thinks very highly of himself and puts himself first, and looks down on others (treats them with contempt)
While he gets excited during a fight and angry about things he has no control over ( because his tree of emotions has awakened), at other times he is cold-faced, emotionally indifferent, careless, and somewhat unrighteous/unethical. For Dongfang Qingcang, who has been shouldering the arduous mission of avenging the Moon Tribe since he was a child, and has only known betrayal by those who loved him, underneath his cold demeanor is an endless loneliness.
He likes reading and always keeps books in hand when he is alone. He is good at playing the guqin.
When he was a child, he enjoyed woodworking, woodcarving, and playing Cuju (form of soccer) with his father.
When he was a child, he enjoyed woodworking, woodcarving, and playing Cuju (form of soccer) with his father.
Restoring the seven emotions
(in the first arc)
His Seven Emotions tree has just begun to revive and sprout, and (he) often does not understand the deep (emotion-based) meaning of what Orchid talks about. Feeling jealous and heartbroken but unaware of it, he mistakenly believes his own feelings were due to Xilan Heart Curse and he was only being affected by Orchid's moods.
His Seven Emotions tree has just begun to revive and sprout, and (he) often does not understand the deep (emotion-based) meaning of what Orchid talks about. Feeling jealous and heartbroken but unaware of it, he mistakenly believes his own feelings were due to Xilan Heart Curse and he was only being affected by Orchid's moods.
Although he is (often) angry, he is also easy to coax.
This is Dongfang Qingcang's personality at his current cannon point:
He is often moody, angry and frustrated with his situation and experiencing emotions he has not felt for over 30,000 years and cannot control. He has begun to experience emotions of his own that he does not recognize as originating with him and he often cannot 'hold on' to them. He reverts back to a near-emotionless state more often than not and cannot understand how emotions are anything but a hindrance and distraction.
He is, however, easy to 'coax'. Because he has no emotional attachment to any particular strategy, he will often take the easiest route to his goal. He uses overwhelming force to quickly eliminate his enemies so there isn't a drawn out fight and defaults to overwhelming force, violence, and destruction as his first choice for approaching a problem. When faced with being unable to force an issue through threats or violence, which isn't often outside of Orchid and the Xilan curse, he will often declare 'forget it' and attempt to find another way to get what he wants that is less troublesome.
---
After his emotion tree recovers further, his full personality emerges and he acts as a strict ruler with a strong sense of honor and fairness, but is often playful and a bit mischievous with those he is close to. He trusts more and attempts to begin mending his relationship with his brother, he sees value in sympathy and kindness and, while he is still a pretty murderous about his enemies, he is more open to exploring other solutions first and doesn't just jump to violence as the best option. He is willing to humble himself.
Powers and AbilitiesHe is often moody, angry and frustrated with his situation and experiencing emotions he has not felt for over 30,000 years and cannot control. He has begun to experience emotions of his own that he does not recognize as originating with him and he often cannot 'hold on' to them. He reverts back to a near-emotionless state more often than not and cannot understand how emotions are anything but a hindrance and distraction.
He is, however, easy to 'coax'. Because he has no emotional attachment to any particular strategy, he will often take the easiest route to his goal. He uses overwhelming force to quickly eliminate his enemies so there isn't a drawn out fight and defaults to overwhelming force, violence, and destruction as his first choice for approaching a problem. When faced with being unable to force an issue through threats or violence, which isn't often outside of Orchid and the Xilan curse, he will often declare 'forget it' and attempt to find another way to get what he wants that is less troublesome.
---
After his emotion tree recovers further, his full personality emerges and he acts as a strict ruler with a strong sense of honor and fairness, but is often playful and a bit mischievous with those he is close to. He trusts more and attempts to begin mending his relationship with his brother, he sees value in sympathy and kindness and, while he is still a pretty murderous about his enemies, he is more open to exploring other solutions first and doesn't just jump to violence as the best option. He is willing to humble himself.
Dongfang Qingcang, as the most powerful being in the Three Realms, is effectively a God among gods. He is naturally talented at magic and martial abilities and has honed both over the course of thousands of years. His most significant achievement in such arts being the mastery of Hellfire, making it a part of himself to call on and control at all times. It is so suffused with his being that when he uses his qi for even the most basic of tasks, his qi lights up with its flames. His immortal root is yang based and specifically of the element of fire. This gives him control over fire that is not Hellfire, as well as lightning and thunder, all of which will react to his moods.
In addition to his unique ability wield Hellfire, as a Devil and True Immortal, he has the general run of powers common to gods and immortals in xianxia settings. This is everything from being able to survive without food, water, or sleep for effectively eternity, to teleportation, to the manipulation of matter for the creation of mundane items, to shapeshifting, to telepathy and sending his consciousness into dreams, to being able to sense and determine the type/source/power of various beings immortal, mortal, or somewhere between. [Because of the Xilan Heart Curse, he has begun to feel hunger and the need for sleep again, because Orchid is not strong enough to go without and he feels what she feels.]
Additionally, as a true Immortal, he is only able to be killed by his own efforts. His body is indestructible and his primordial spirit cannot be destroyed, only scattered, by outside forces. He stands outside the cycle of reincarnation and cannot reincarnate. For him to die, he would have to completely exhaust or burn his primordial spirit to ash. [Because of the Xialan Heart Curse, this is only true when attempting to harm him directly. Killing Orchid would also kill him, since he is now bound to share all her experiences.]
Even without Hellfire, he can still be considered the most powerful immortal/demon in the Three Reams as he is able to resist and carry the Evil Spirit without injury until he chooses to use it, when other powerful immortals of Shuiyuntian are shown to be injured by it immediately and will go as far as not touching even the smallest amount directly when there is a chance to do so.
These are his powers up to this canon point. Full power listing can be found here (semi-WIP because there's a lot to cover)
Notes: The element of his immortal/spiritual root being fire is headcanon, but canon compliant as we are never given his spiritual origin outside of being a member of the Moon Tribe. As a genre convention, all immortals have a spiritual root consistent with their origin, particularly if they are enlightened yao (i.e. plants can usually be counted on to be a wood or water root). Born immortals - those that did not have to cultivate to reach immortality and are part of an immortal race - have the potential to have any type of spiritual root. When born immortals cultivate their power, they obtain the strongest results through cultivating with elements, activities, and energy types that match their spiritual roots. Dongfang Qingcang became a true Immortal within 8,000 years of meeting Shangque (his general) while most other immortals have not been able to become a True Immortal even after 30,000 years. Based on his powers, abilities, and the fire-related imagery he is associated with, it is a safe guess that his spiritual root is based in fire.
History
Born the first of two sons, Dongfang Qingcang was favored by his father and the court for most of his early life. He regularly played with his father, kicking around the Cujo ball and practicing sword forms with laughter on his lips. When he was still young, likely between 2,000-6,000 years old (around the human equivalent of 10-12), it was discovered that he had the potential to wield Hellfire. Shortly after, his father went from loving and doting to cold and abusive. He experienced ritualized torture in the Fuju cave inter-spaced with regular fights with his father where his father attempted to force Daqiang to kill him. The torture was endured for 'thousands of years' until Dongfang Qingcang got to the point where he wasn't actually skilled enough to kill his father, but he was finally willing to not pull the blow. (Dongfang Qingcang would not learn that his father let him kill him rather than defend himself on that day until over 38,000 years later)
With the death of his father, the last of Dongfang Qingcang's emotions were killed: his emotional roots thoroughly withered and his Heart Sea frozen over. Thinking he had managed to kill his father out of his skill, he then went on to face the other lords and kings of the Cangyan Sea in battles as they challenged his claim to the throne and the title of Moon Supreme. While he had not even begun to master Hellfire, the fact that he could call on it at all put his power above that of all challengers. When all that dared to question him had been beaten, he was accepted as the Moon Supreme by the people of the Cangyan Sea.
From that time and to the time of his fateful defeat by Chidi Nuzi, Dongfang Qingcang mastered Hellfire and the arts of war. He took his soldiers to 'burn, kill, and steal' all over the Three Realms, conquering lands that had been lost to Shuiyuntian in the past and becoming an almost unstoppable force in his relentless march towards the heavens.
After his defeat by Chidi Nuzi, who could only wound and weaken him enough to be captured despite detonating her soul in a devastating suicide, Dongfang Qingcang's body was locked inside Haotian Tower. His primordial spirit, which had scattered and attempted to return to him, was also captured and a seal placed that prevented his primordial spirit and his body from being joined. Despite this, his primordial spirit, even scattered, was still powerful enough to attempt to break the seal on Haotian Tower and force the fairies of Shuiyuntian to regularly empower the seal over the course of the next 30,000 years. Meanwhile, the 100,000 soldiers under him were trapped as stone statues.
After 30,000 years, we come to the start of canon:
Dongfang Qingcang awakens to a kiss while his primordial spirit channels into him from the fairy kissing him. They are struck by lightning as his powers reawaken and return and when he next opens his eyes he finds himself in the body of that same fairy. They argue for a bit, but eventually figure out that to swap back they would need to kiss. They argue more about this but the kiss eventually happens and Dongfang Qingcang returns to full power. He attempts to choke the fairy to death and ends up choking himself in the process. She is freed and runs away and he then escapes Haotian Tower.
Dongfang Qingcang eventually realizes that he's been cursed to share the experiences of the fairy - a nameless orchid spirit - and should she die, he would die. This puts him in the position of having to watch over her and take care of her. As part of this, he finds a destiny book belonging to Chidi Nuzi. Chidi Nuzi's primordial spirit should have been turned to ash when she detonated herself, but a small piece of it was saved and entered the cycle of reincarnation where she spent 30,000 years experiencing life after mortal life of suffering and hardships. Unfortunately, while trying to figure out where Chidi Nuzi was in her cycle of reincarnation, the destiny book became badly damaged as Orchid fought with Dongfang Qingcang over it. Knowing that only her primordial spirit can unlock the spell holding his soldiers captive, Dongfang Qingcang is also forced to care for Orchid in an attempt to get her power to recover so she can fix the destiny book.
Between both goals - protecting himself and repairing the destiny book - Dongfang Qingcang spends the next week (10 days) living in Orchid's home being a very rude houseguest who becomes more and more supportive and helpful. He comes to the conclusion that to help Orchid regain her health and power, he has to nurture her heart, not just her body. So vows to 'make her the happiest woman in the world' (derogatory, threatening, with killing intent).
During the escape from Haotian Tower, when the curse was placed on him, his Seven Emotions Tree was given a spark of life by Orchid, who has the ability to heal any plant no matter how dead it appears to be. As he experiences emotions through Orchid, his own begin to recover and he starts to show signs of having a personality beyond just cold and distant. He also starts to (unknowingly) fall in love with Orchid.
At one point, in a completely unnecessary attempt to protect Dongfang Qingcang, Orchid grabbed Daqiang and jumped with him off of her home and into the Four Waters of the World that Shuiyuntian floats above. Under the water, she runs out of breath and Dongfang Qingcang has to come to her rescue and share his breath with her. After he has done so and she has pulled away from him, he pulls her back into another kiss. Immediately after they leave the water and Orchid runs off to get changed, the first, very tiny, very tentative, green buds of potential leaves sprout on his Seven Emotions Tree.
Not long after that, Orchid's origin as an orchid spirit is called into question during the assignment ceremony that would determine her initial ranking among the Fairy Immortals. Guards attempt to capture her and a bracelet that Dongfang Qingcang secretly hid on her wrist activates a shield of Hellfire to protect her. She is then accused of being a spy for the Moon Tribe. In an attempt to prove she wasn't, she took off the bracelet. Immediately after, the Fairy Emperor chained her up and began publicly torturing her in an attempt to get answers that she didn't have. Being bound to her as he is, Dongfang Qingcang quickly became aware she was in danger and teleported to her. In the subsequent five minutes or so, he releases her from the chains, shields her with Hellfire, and then beings indiscriminately throwing Hellfire around the Fairy Court - hundreds of fairies are killed during this, though the most powerful among them remain alive. He stops his assault only because Orchid tells him to.
He then leaves Shuiyuntian with Orchid and takes her back with him to Cangyanghai. She becomes first his 'honored guest' and then quickly his prisoner because she refuses to cooperate with him in repairing Chidi Nuzi's destiny book. After some bodyswap shenanigans where the two of them have to pretend to be each other for three days because Orchid doesn't know how to use Daqiang's power to summon lightning for a quick swap back, Dongfang Qingcang heads to a secluded place in the nearby forest to wait for a thunderstorm and natural lightning. They are caught by Chengheng and Ronghao, who were looking for Orchid to save her. When it's revealed that Orchid and Dongfang Qingcang are in each other's bodies, Ronghao suggests killing Orchid's body to kill Dongfang Qingcang and taking Orchid's spirit back to Shuiyuntian to grow a new one for her. Since she's a plant spirit, they could basically plant her in soil and wait. Orchid chooses to save Dongfang Qingcang and runs over and kisses him just as lightning strikes their position. The swapback works, Dongfang Qingcang is once again too powerful for Chengheng and Ronghao to defeat, and Orchid has basically declared herself politically aligned with the Moon Tribe - all but proving the accusations of being an agent for them true.
This is Dongfang Qingcang's canon point for this journal.
Relationships
Orchid
The current bane of his existence and also the light of his life.
Orchid, a nameless orchid spirit, accidentally fell into his prison within Haotian Tower, accidentally united his scattered primordial spirit, accidentally revived his Seven Emotions Tree, accidentally switched bodies with him, and not-so accidentally freed him in the attempt to switch their bodies back. He immediately attempted to kill her for the crimes of being annoying, making his body cry, talking back, and being a fairy. He quickly found that trying to choke her also resulted in the sensation of himself being choked and he released her. She ran away, he shrugged it off and went to call Shangque, and likely would have never given her a second thought if he hadn't had wounds appear on his body from an unknown source and realized he would have to not only save her from whatever was hurting her, but also continue to protect her.
This resulted in him moving in with her and becoming a reluctant gardener for the most delicate and rare orchid in existance. He struggled to deal with the fact that he couldn't force her to do anything, had to follow her orders instead, feel everything she felt, and not be able to throw Hellfire at every problem she had because it would make her sad and he really, really, really hates feeling sad. Tears suck.
He also, unknowingly, had his Seven Emotion Tree begin to revive in small ways and start feeling things on his own. Mostly anger and frustration, but also satisfaction, the small joys of a good meal, and the discomfort of jealousy as he began to fall in love with the little flower demon.
8,000 years prior to the battle that killed Chidi Nuzi and saw Dongfang Qingcang secretly imprisoned, Dongfang Qingcang came across the black dragon Shangque and 'rescued' him from the abusive situation he'd been in. Shangque was an orphan who had been 'taken in' by a series of people who only did so because his scales, bones, and blood were highly valuable commodities. He had been used in this fashion a few times before meeting Dongfang Qingcang and Shangque credits the Moon Supreme as having 'rescued' him when he took him as his servant. When Dongfang Qingcang escaped Haotian Tower, his first stop was the cliffs along the Memory Loss River where Shangque slept in waiting: to return his sword and serve him once more.
Shangque is both loyal and honest and Dongfang Qingcang regularly has him perform important and sensitive tasks, and asks him for advice or uses him as a sounding board for ideas. He treats Shangque as servant, bodyguard, advisor, and confidant, going so far as to letting Shangque be the only one who knows the full nature of the Xilan Heart Curse and how easy it would be to kill him with it. Dongfang Qingcang trusts Shangque will not betray him due to Shangque's nature and their long history.
Xunfeng
WIP
Prior Moon Supreme
WIP
Lord Changheng
WIP
Chidi NuziWIP