By the time you figure out the rules I broke

PLAYER: Alice
ARE YOU AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD?: Yes.
CONTACT: talespinner| Discord: Mimarin#7493 | PM
CHARACTERS PLAYED: None.

NAME: Nie Huaisang (Western Order: Huaisang Nie)
CANON: Mo Dao Zu Shi
CANON REFERENCE: Nie Huaisang (Additional note: in a fan-translated interview, the author, MXTX, describes the character as someone who feigns uselessness. It's also missing some adaptation divergence information but the history's pretty accurate.)
Qinghe Nie Clan
Qi deviation (The glossary also covers other canon terms that might be helpful.)

This version is predominantly novel canon with some additional, non-contradictory details drawn from the other adaptations and interviews with the author and cultural research.
CANON POINT: Post-canon, after the Coffin-Sealing Ceremony.
CRAU HISTORY: N/A
AGE: 35
APPEARANCE: General appearance. Also, including his mobile game design because it shows more of his fashion sense and what he looks like with his hair down. However, this appearance isn't quite as common outside of relaxed or intimate company.
CONTRACT PAYMENT: Immunity from qi deviation for himself and all of his descendants.

QUESTIONNAIRE:

What does family mean to you and who do you consider to be family?

Many of Huaisang's beliefs on family are heavily influenced by Confucian ideals. in his eyes, family is vitally important to both the individual by giving them purpose and a place in the world and to society by being the foundation for civilization. The Qinghe Nie Clan represents the Daoist element of Earth which is strongly tied to the family and much Huaisang's story is deeply intertwined with his relationship to his family members, both living and dead. Many of his major life decisions are defined by filial loyalty.

For the most part, Huaisang considers his disciples and fellow members of the Qinghe Nie Sect to be his family. With his father and brother dead, he's the last of his clan until he can marry and produce heirs of his own. His sect elders are the main supportive adult figures in his life, giving him guidance and carrying out what instruction he can't do himself. A committed lover would be considered family; friends typically are not. Huaisang would consider those who swear loyalty to him and his clan in a formal, binding oath as a sworn brother or sister a family member. Generally speaking, he feels a kinship with his countrymen and those who share his culture while there is a bit of disconnect with those who do not. That doesn't mean that outsiders can't earn a place in his inner circle, they simply have to prove themselves useful and trustworthy. As a leader, he tends to consider his subordinates more like family he feels obligation and responsibility to for some degree.

How important is loyalty to you? What does it take to earn your loyalty? What extents are you willing to go through to maintain loyalty, and respect the loyalty others might have invested in you?

Loyalty is of extreme importance to Huaisang. It's the most important value he holds. It was loyalty to his brother, Mingjue, and the sect that drove him to sacrifice his dreams, reputation, personal happiness, and relationships to live a lie that would enable him to become an opponent capable of bringing down Mingjue's killer. Huaisang even sacrificed the core of who he was to become mentally and emotionally tough enough to make the painful and ruthless decisions necessary to unmask a dangerous, powerful man, regardless of the personal cost to himself or others that happened to stand in his way. He dedicated himself and ten years of his life into a solo investigation into the whereabouts of his brother's remains and the crimes of Jin Guangyao, all to avenge Mingjue. He went to some appalling extremes to bring Jin Guangyao to justice such as convincing a mentally ill man to sacrifice his body and soul to summon him the ally he needed, risking the lives of numerous innocents, including teenagers and children, and tricking a close family friend into murdering the man's best friend. For all his loyalty to his brother, Huaisang endured an oppressive relationship in which was bullied to pursue a path he feared and didn't want to tread. There are few, if any, lines that Huaisang won't cross for someone's sake out of loyalty.

As for how to win Huaisang's loyalty, it takes patience, persistent effort, and a gentle hand. After the traumatic murder of his brother and perceived betrayal by Mingjue's sworn brothers, he became deeply scarred and emotionally damaged. He's considerably more paranoid and mistrustful than he was in his younger years, forming very few deep or genuine emotional connections. As a result, many people who seem close to Huaisang are quite expendable to him in reality if he's forced into positions where he has to make ruthless, pragmatic choices. He's quite adept at feigning loyalty if necessary. Protecting him from harm or helping him out of trouble are good ways to earn his loyalty. Alternatively, familiarity or having common ground with someone will get him to relax his guard a bit.

How do you react to betrayal? How severe must a betrayal be for you to consider it such?

Betrayal is a very sore subject for Huaisang, considering his background. He takes betrayal very seriously. Those who do evil to him or his loved ones will be retaliated against with ice-cold, uncompromising fury. The severity of his wrath depends on the severity of the transgression but there's always a consequence for treating him or his loved ones poorly. Usually, he's likely to take a more passive-aggressive, covert approach to revenge. He's the type of man who puts a lot of thought into his vengeance, carefully preparing and plotting out a scheme while nurturing a grudge for varying lengths of time, before launching a precision strike at the worst time he can think of for his enemy. His vengeance can range from petty actions like mean, humiliating pranks to elaborate schemes to ruin a person's life before murdering them. Basically, he has an 'eye for an eye' approach. With more minor issues, he can usually be reasoned with but with more serious ones, he's more prone to obsessing and harder to talk down.

Huaisang doesn't really have any finer nuances when it comes to evaluating betrayal. Most of the beliefs center around a firm belief that both good and evil should be repaid to the sender and that if someone does evil to him, it's an insult to those who treat him kindly. it's rooted in Chinese revenge philosophy. Also due to his culture's focus on familial and community bonds, abhorrent acts committed against those he has ties with would also trigger retaliation from Huaisang in some form or another. Simply put, Huaisang would retaliate on the behalf of his fellow faction members against a common enemy, using the previously described methods.

Another thing of note, once his revenge is satisfied, Huaisang won't escalate the situation any further, considering it a done deal without further provocation.

What are your greatest regrets, if you have any? What would you have done differently?

Huaisang deeply regrets never reconciling with his brother, Mingjue, before his death. They spent their final days together in a heated argument over his inheritance of the sect leadership. This lack of resolution to their fighting, coupled with the trauma he'd experienced over his once protective brother growing increasingly intolerant and abusive toward him, ended up amplifying his grief to a level he never truly recovered from. This also contributed to his decade-long obsession with avenging him. If he'd had a chance to do it all over again, Huaisang would've applied himself to his cultivation studies more, worked harder at saber practice despite his genuine lack of talent, and just complied with Mingjue's demands without complaint. Before discovering ihs brother had been murdered, Huaisang had believed himself to be the cause of his brother's qi deviation by such a rebellious and disobedient little brother. The imprint of that misguided self-blame still lingers in him subconsciously.

Huaisang also regrets some of the decision he'd made during the course of his revenge scheme. Even though it'd been necessary, he feels remorse over enabling Mo Xuanyu's self-destruction and taking advantage of his intentions instead of doing more talk him out of it. He regrets forcing Jin Ling, the young heir of the Lanling Jin Sect, to inherit his position at a terribly young age, effectively ending his youth after a difficult childhood. He regrets not telling his old friend, Jiang Cheng, the truth about his operation against Jin Guangyao and letting their friendship decay over the years to practically nothing. He regrets putting so much faith in Wei Wuxian, only to be treated like a cold, unfeeling monster that played with people's lives instead of someone who had given him a second chance to right his wrongs and bring good things to their world. He, even, regrets killing Jin Guangyao to some degree because now that's it's over, he finds himself grieving the loss of his emotional support during his struggles as a sect leader and the close, innocent friendship they'd had in his youth. He's also lost the one person who truly showed him empathy and understanding of why he did what he did before dying. He doesn't know what he could have or should have done differently though. After his father's murder by Wen Ruohan went unpunished for so many years with the other sects' dismissing his brother's concerns over it, Huaisang felt that he had no chance of getting justice for his brother any other way than he did.

However, his deepest regret concerning his plan is sending the letter informing Jin Guangyao's wife, Qin Su, that she was his sister and their child, born by incest, had been killed by her husband. This reckless, short-sighted act resulted in an innocent woman being driven to suicide right in front of them and it never would have happened without Huaisang's involvement. If he could, he would have left her out of his plan entirely. Her death, due to a a miscalculation of the human element, on his part weighs heavily on him. Now, he's taking it as a lesson to never forget he's manipulating people, not chess pieces, and to take greater care with how he uses them.

POWERS & ABILITIES: Cultivation - Mystic disciplines practiced by spiritualists and martial artists (called cultivators) based on Daoist concepts and the real-life practice of qigong. The goal of cultivation is typically to understand the will of the universe while gaining supernatural powers, extending one's lifespan, and eventually ascending to immortality and godhood. The general idea behind cultivators is that they draw the ambient life energy that makes up everything natural around them, take it into themselves, store it, and refine it into a golden core which then becomes the internal source of his spiritual power. Cultivators also have the ability to sense and transfer this energy in others and give off a murderous aura when they have killing intent.

In his canon, Nie Huaisang is considered by most in the story to be a cultivator with a weak golden core and a poor martial artist incapable of defending himself. As such, his cultivation level is as high as it'll ever be so no immortality or godhood in his future. Across the adaptations, we don't see him use his cultivation for much of anything besides maintaining a youthful appearance into his thirties, slowing his fall from a deadly height in the live-action movie, or slightly augmenting his agility to evade attacks or falling debris in the animation but it's nothing that an athlete in peak physical condition couldn't accomplish within realistic human limitations. What makes it extraordinary for Nie Huaisang is that he seems capable of it without strenuous physical training or exercise. However, he displays a tendency toward low stamina, lack of muscle strength, and general inability to control his saber so he can't call it to him or fly on it like other cultivators can. His sect's style of saber cultivation harnesses resentful energy from slain beasts which eventually negatively impacts the mind and body, causing them to go mad and eventually die. Even if he did for some reason, take it up again, it would come with the same drawbacks.

He does seem to have some ability to mask his killing intent, as seen by no one picking up that he had intentions of killing Jin Guangyao.

Daoist Magic- Magic utilizing mystical symbols to produce various effects. These can be drawn or painted on paper talismans, in the air, over the skin, or in arrays on the ground. It's stated in the live-action movie, Fatal Journey, that Nie Huaisang is good at Daoist magic. Since the other versions say very little about Nie Huaisang's cultivation abilities and it fills in a blank, let's go with that. Not much is explicitly stated about his magic in particular aside from his explicit use of a maze array, a spell designed to disorient travelers who wander into its area of effect by making them lose their sense of direction. The only way to escape the maze array is to solve it by walking a specific path in order to pass through it. Some other commonly used spells by cultivators in canon are those used to repel and attract spirits, ignite flames, restrain targets through the use of talismans, ward against evil, and suppress spirits within a magic circle. All of Nie Huaisang's spells are limited by his weak core; he tires easily after casting them and only work on lower-level targets. Any entity stronger than him, whether they be a cultivator, a spirit, or someone else can resist his spells, break his wards, or simply not be affected by them at all. His skill is mostly in drawing and painting the talismans and arrays due to his artistic abilities, not being able to back them up with the power to make them genuinely useful.

Mundane Skills - Huaisang is a phenomenal and disciplined actor, managing to fool an entire society into believing him useless, including close family friends, one of whom he had a murderous grudge against the whole time. He's particularly skilled at feigning drunkenness, pretending to faint, and blending in with commoners in disguise when he chooses to. He's a natural spy, capable of gathering information without attracting notice or being perceived as a threat by others. While very gifted in this regard, he lacks any sort of formal training so his mental health can suffer in the long-term if he doesn't take proper care of himself or loses touch with his true self along the way.

He has a talent for leadership. As the leader of the Qinghe Nie Sect, Huaisang is skilled at politics and diplomacy, capable of maintaining control over a declining sect full of men with steadily worsening tempers and a violent cultivating style. He's said to organize and conduct rites as well as a senior, respected member of society. He's quite a skilled player at political chess, able to subtly and patiently maneuver pieces across a board against his opponents until he has the upper hand over them. Huaisang has notable skills with planning and long-term strategy. His plan to take down Jin Guangyao and erase his tracks while doing so over the course of ten years is an example. In general, he approaches politics with the same ruthless mentality and tactical approach that a military general might approach a war.

Huaisang coded as a scholar-gentleman of ancient China. He's skilled at fashion, calligraphy, painting to the point he's famous for his handpainted fans and well-dressed appearance. He's very informed in these subjects he's passionate about in addition to being the most knowledgeable in his sect about Chinese astronomy. He has some musical ability, mainly with the guqin, a traditional stringed instrument, and a dizi, a type of flute, but lacks remarkable skill in either.

Other miscellaneous skills he possesses are basic survival skills like hunting, fishing, and finding water resources. He's also competent at horseback riding.

Power Nerfing - Huaisang will be entering the game completely depowered. He'll be functionally the same as an ordinary human and reliant on his mundane skills. Eventually, he would regain his cultivation abilities, including his spells. His spells would also be reliant on appropriate materials to create talismans that would burn up after one use and arrays. Each spell would be regained individually or in small batches, depending on power level.

SUITABILITY: Mo Dao Zu Shi is a story full of violence and supernatural elements. There are some overlapping cultural concepts in this canon and Jigokucho's setting that would be interesting to explore. Most of these concepts are known to Huaisang under different names and are more ancient in nature than what he would encounter in-game. I just think it would be interesting for him to navigate a setting that's both very unfamiliar but has some recognizable element. He's also from a society that's organized into different sects or clans, each with its own philosophies and distinguishing traits. While the modern aspects of the setting would challenge him, navigating the conflicts, rivalries, and politics of the different factions in-game would be very comfortable and familiar to him.

FACTION SUITABILITY:The Shuten Clan - Huaisang would be a terrible fit for this clan. The emphasis on strength and willpower are very similar to his own clan's traditional focus area but the man himself has always been an outlier and the filial loyalty that binds him back home doesn't exist with this clan. The Shuten would remind him uncomfortably of his brother's final days and how saber cultivation transformed him into a tyrannical bully that railroaded his life until the day he died. He'd likely wind up reliving traumatic memories than doing anything useful in this faction that might push him to defy his contract or seek entry into a different one entirely. His shady ethics, habitual deception, and overall inability to fight wouldn't go over too well either. That said, he does enjoy a party and drinking so he might be able to fit in okay there. He might do better in the gambling sector but all in all, Huaisang really doesn't have much, if anything, worthwhile he could bring to the Shuten Clan. The only philosophical overlap they have is a shared belief that those with power have a community responsibility.

The Tamamo Clan - Honestly, Huaisang would thrive here. Of all the factions, this is the one he'd be able to do his best work in. There's a lot of overlap between the Tamamo Clan's core philosophy that resonates with honest belief he holds deep within his heart. Before he became the leader of his sect, Huaisang's wish for his own future was pretty much exactly what this clan is about - a carefree life of libertarian bliss. The pleasure-seeking and giving focus of the clan would be very recuperative for him and help him get back in touch with himself after years of hiding his true self from others and obsessively focusing on vengeance. Most of what the Tamamo Clan values and does comes to him intuitively and aligns so well with his talents and skills, he wouldn't even think of what he did for them as work because he wouldn't struggle with it. His formidable acting skills, long-term experience maintaining cover under pressure, and ability to compartmentalize his emotions in order to sustain close relationships makes him uniquely suited to host work. That he's fashionable and good-looking is a bonus. He'd also be willing capable of and willing to use this occupation for the purpose of subterfuge: gathering information on rival factions or spreading rumors or false information to them through his clients. The same goes for sex work. While Huaisang tends to be timid and doesn't have a lot of firsthand experience with sex, his contract payment serves as motivation to push him a little more out of his comfort zone. His easygoing persona and propensity for roleplay would make him a good worker in an image club or some other brothel focused on playing out specific fantasies.

The Sutoku Alliance - A lot of what the Sutoku Alliance is about lines up with what Huaisang does in canon. He has previous experience as an underdog unearthing the dark secrets of a powerful leader in his society and utterly destroying his life and reputation for generations to come. Despite this, I think that the technological learning curve as an ancient Chinese man in a modern setting would impair his contributions to the alliance somewhat. He would struggle with using computers and other modern tech to seek out information on targets It's possible that he could still gather information by interacting with others but he's not as likely to go at it with the same enthusiasm he would with the Tamamo Clan as a host or sex worker because those appeal to his hedonistic self-interest more. That said, Huaisang would fit in with the faction's philosophy. He, too, agrees that knowledge brings power even though he also feels it comes with its share of pain and respects those who wish to stay ignorant rather than learn the ugly truth. As a shady politician, he understands the value of pragmatism and establishing useful and powerful connections. They're definitely a faction that he could work with respectfully, even if he might not be the most enthusiastic recruit after just coming off a decade of investigating a crime, ruining a man in every way he could before seeing to his eventual murder. Information brokering would definitely be his realm of expertise though he might do well enough with real estate sales and management. He's good with words, emotionally intelligent and insightful, and could probably help them out with negotiating some trade deals or other negotiations. Just don't expect him to do any math or minding any books, his ledgers are going to be an incomprehensible disaster with his math. As a cultivator, he's also familiar with ascetism. He'd fit in better here than the Shuten Clan, for sure.

The Department of the Enma - Huaisang would fit pretty well with this faction. He's the leader of a cultivation clan and coded as a scholar-gentleman; politics and civil service are areas where he's adept. At the end of his canon, Huaisang starts to unmask himself and show his true competence and leadership abilities, a placement with this faction might continue that trend. It'd be a good work experience for him with his eventual goal of becoming the leader of his society. The chief cultivator's position is one of an elected diplomat that resolves conflicts between others and makes decisions for all when a consensus between clan leaders can't be made. He could do well as a negotiator, administrator, diplomat, mediator, or some other kind of peacekeeping occupation that doesn't rely on physical enforcement of the law. While he'd be motivated to work with them to obtain his contract goal, he might be provoked into forming secret alliances or resistances with those from other factions. Huaisang would be deeply bothered by the department committing abhorrent acts, potentially enough to break whatever loyalty he had to them, and drive to him undermine its efforts to enforce order from the shadows.

SAMPLES

TDM with Jiang Cheng
TDM with Wei Wuxian
TDM with Julieta Juris