the visionary.

• there's more than meets the eye for someone like him — with a solemn and broody exterior, he only really expresses himself through his art. there are beautiful things happening in his mind and how he sees reality, but it'll rarely ever be translated through words. the only exception to this is that his eyes will change colour based on his mood — something that he’s unable to control.
• he's a genius at his craft, arguably one of the best artists of his time, but that's not a statement he'd ever associate himself with. his brilliance and mastery comes with much humility and the belief that he could always do better.
• but this kind of commitment comes with sacrifice, as seen through his dedication to painting causing a lack of care in his somewhat disheveled appearance despite possessing an air of sophistication. the time and effort he puts into his art leaves him little time to pay attention to how he looks to the outside world; regardless of how he looks, he'd prefer people to focus on the art rather than the artist.
• he doesn't concern himself with thoughts about needing to properly present himself to the public eye, he simply does what he wants — and he would readily give everything up just for his passion.
• the early years of his life were spent in a temple on the tiny ionian island of koyehn, where he diligently worked at mastering the art of painting. this artistic temple in a small mill town was a popular spot for pupils to learn the precision and balance necessary to wield the power of artistic magic. but when hwei attempts to combine his intense imagination with his talent for painting, the temple masters tell him he must rein in his abilities in favor of more traditional practices.
• he ends up hurting people with the force of his expression, but is darkly intrigued by that same force to stop and feels the artistic drive to explore it. so he lives out his life in this duality between painting what is expected of him and what he's learned versus painting alone in his extremely expressive and emotional style that he desires. but because his imagination is ceaseless, he practiced his true art in secret, fascinated and fearful of his own power. it all stays behind closed doors while he remains a well-respected member of the community, hiding the full extent of his power.
• later on in life, another remarkable artist arrives at the temple to hone his craft who grows close to hwei over the course of his time on koyehn, but this story ultimately ends with death and betrayal that forever altered his path. 
• blinded by admiration, he wasn't aware of jhin's true nature until it was too late. he was conflicted up to the very end in how he should feel towards jhin, even following the incident — jhin had betrayed him and wasn't at all who he thought he was, but at the same time, he witnessed and understood his art on a level that he hadn't allowed anyone to before, and showed him something that only further empowered it.
• after jhin's attack on the temple, hwei found himself to be devastated. he wanted answers, setting out into greater ionia to seek out closure to ease his mind about his misplaced trust. though despite him trying to make sense of his experiences, he remains kind and empathetic through an intense, confrontational exterior.
• he experienced a major loss in his life, but emerged out of it still as an artist, and not as an avenger or a cynic. using his art as a medium, he navigates his deep sorrow and inner turmoil through it all. he's complex by nature as he possesses a darkness within himself which jhin recognised as limitless expression, yet still he clings to the light in hopes of never losing his humanity.
• ( more will be added soon )
• backstory!

( profile under co. )