#gfdi Ruixiong lmao

[sins-of-the-sea]

“I can show you where the treasure is.” [Maiden nooo, orehorde]

"Whoa!! A dragon?! Offering me where to show me where the treasure is?" Uh, Rui, you're tasked to find several treasures, so which one?

"All right, the Heavens have smiled upon me! Luck and fortune is finally coming my way! Take me to where the treasure is, and I'll follow!" Not an ounce of humbleness in this man.

[sins-of-the-sea]

Abatina, Anemone, and Chamomile for Ruixiong, Hibiscus and Lotus for Giovanni, and Gladiolus for both 🌿

❥     𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

For Ruixiong!

abatina :   is there anything in life your muse has changed their mind about over time   (  due to becoming more educated on the topic ,   certain experiences  ,   etc . ) ,  or that they   would   change their mind about under certain circumstances ?

The idea that he is NOT the hero of some novel in progress, that not everyone would get to know his exploits, that he is NOT the most famous bandit in China (or the world). It would take him centuries and being hammered onto the head that the one whom he made a contract with and sold his soul to is not some divine creature of Heaven or a benevolent spirit who wants Ruixiong to be the best at everything he could be. How he comes to this realization changes between encounters in RP, but in canon it's through meeting with Helen Heyder and her family that this realization comes in like a runaway truck with broken brakes on an oil-slicked freeway.

anemone :   how does your muse view the world ;   as a cruel   &   unforgiving place ,   a land full of wonders ,   or something in - between ?  where does that world view come from   ( what experiences ,   life lessons ,   etc . ) ?

Somewhere in between. Ruixiong has the mistaken belief that, as the protagonist of some novel in progress, he is this heroic figure who robs from the rich and gives to the poor, or something to that effect (in actuality, he never actually does that). While there are definitely shitbags he'd like to antagonize, he has his standards on who to bully, and he'll never go after someone who is clearly vulnerable and needy. He has to look heroic, after all!

Worth noting, of course, as a running gag--Ruixiong has a very sinocentric point of view, so anything not (Han) Chinese is barbaric. It's all a front for this imaginary novel-in-progress, of course--he won't admit it, but he thinks Venice is a beautiful nation, that French cakes are the best desserts in the world, and Helen is the most beautiful girl in the world, even with her half-German heritage. Though naturally, if you ask Rui anything about China, 90% of the time he'll probably get it wrong, as he was an uneducated bandit whose reading skills aren't any better than a foreigner's.

chamomile :   what is your muse likely to take away from a painful experience ? are they one to be haunted by adversity ,   or to use what they’ve gone through to become stronger ?

On the surface he looks like he's gotten stronger, even boasting or bragging that his spirit can't be broken and he's a far better person than this. But of course, beneath his macho bravado is a delicate ego that cracks under pressure easily, and adversity can and will haunt him. He just won't admit it, and even if he blatantly acts on it, he'll lie to your face saying it's not happening. "Denial" may as well be tattooed on Ruixiong's forehead (though to be fair he always wears that red bandana, pfff).

For Giovanni!

hibiscus :   how does your muse view the gentler ,   daintier things in life ? as things worth preserving   &   caring for ,   or things only bound to wither   &   disappear ?

Definitely both. Giovanni knows full well that the gentler, daintier things like flowers, puppies, friendship, and love will wither and disappear overtime, so he does everything in his power to keep and preserve them until the time comes. Even if it's something that can be long-lived... because as immortal as he is, he knows his time on Earth is still limited. It's just a matter of time until the Master gets his Eye.

lotus :   has your muse ever felt as though they’ve been reborn ? have they ever desired the feeling of a fresh start ,   or a better understanding of themself and/or the world around them ?

Sadly... no. He has not. As far as he knew, being removed from the basements of Ca'Vespucci and away from his abusive family only took him from one level of Hell to another. He still thinks he doesn't deserve a fresh start, or a right to existence, as he still strongly believes his existence in itself is a sin and a pox to all that is good and right with the world. He just has to be careful in not making things worst with his desire for love and friendship.

For both!

gladiolus :   describe a moment from your muse’s life that they will never forget .

Giovanni is a sinophile?? Ruixiong wants to see the City of Canals which Marco Polo came from? SERENDIPITY. Ruixiong taught Giovanni how to speak Mandarin, what foods are part of Ji cuisine, and (albeit his own interpretation of) Chinese martial arts, thus having Giovanni be the only of the European half of the Crew to rely almost predominantly on unarmed combat when it comes to a fight. Meanwhile, when they go to Venice, Giovanni dumps down Venetian history and customs, showed him the different Districts and other landmarks, introduced him to the Carnivale and mask culture, and their own food and language. Of the Seven, only Ruixiong can pick up any Venetian that'd slip from Giovanni when he argues with Captain Frascona, and he uses his knowledge of Venice as to brag to others as a worldly Chinese traveler, and thus, a cut above any other bandit.

Some things are not meant to happen in a cultural exchange, however....