「r e v i v e 」

Independent OC based on「Mo Dao Zu Shi」 Penned by Yuan Sideblog to Illusiive

[rcvivalfan-a]

Movin’ this boy to a main blog! Shuffle shuffle.

same great url, same disaster child.

@rcvivalfan

i’ll continue threads from over there too!

[rcvivalfan-a]

https://picrew.me/image_maker/41329

Made Ruan in this one... and my half-fox Souta, too. Such sweet boys.

[rcvivalfan-a]

Greek Loves | Result: Bad Agape

All agape types are organized around bestowal and attuned to instinct and inspiration. Agape types are spontaneous and mythopoetic lovers who charm others by making them the recipients of a free-spirited and joyous bestowal that escapes all conventional means of appraisal and evaluation and which is itself without limits. Agape is truly a love which freely gives and forgives, and which precedes the rational, confounding it, and charms less inspired natures to relinquish their everyday sensibility in order to play along to the joyful tune of its carnival. As a love, agape is truly "that good which has no end and is its own measure" and for which every conventional standard of value is too small a receptacle for the joys that it has to offer. As for bad agape, it is a fine line between hero and fool; charming and obnoxious; alpha and tryhard, and in love relations and social affairs, you find yourself walking that line more often than you would like. In your attempts to be the maverick, you have a tendency to transplant behaviors, idioms, and memes that you have witnessed the fortuitous use of elsewhere, but without the cognitive resources to adapt them to the specific situation. Hence, your straightforwardness and gregarious behavior may often be found wanting in charm. Like all agape types, you operate off a primordial combination of instinct and naivete, yet in your case, having not had a sufficient supply of joyous responses from the world, you yourself lack the joy that your attention-grabbing behavior would seek to bestow upon others. Your journey towards good agape will be excessively difficult (indeed the most difficult of all the treks from good to bad variants of the Greek loves). But it most likely involves a change of social circle – new friends, co-workers, or a new significant other – who will be less judgmental and more sincerely appreciative of the maverick qualities that you dohave to offer. From the forgiving bedrock of a more lenient social circle, you will most likely be able to relax more and to let go of the contrivance and unease that is the source of many of your more obnoxious behaviors. Famous Greeks who have Agape: Homer, Diogenes the Dog. Your ideal partner is someone who has Nomos.

[rcvivalfan-a]

xueyaang‌:

Ruan’s offer sparked interest in Xue Yang. From where he sat, he turned his head to look over and up at the other man. An eyebrow started to drift upward towards his hairline while the other furrowed. He was not unintelligent - the timing of this offer and his complaints about being paid were coordinated. It wasn’t that he was in a rush himself to get this test done, but the sooner it was complete and observed and all loose ends tied off the faster he could move on to the next idea. 

But if he was offering to buy him dinner… 

Xue Yang’s eyes lit up with the smile that pulled at the corners of his mouth. If he wasn’t holding a brush dipped in a small pail of treated blood, then he would look quite like a normal teenage boy. 

“Ooh, Sis - is this a date~?” he teased in a playful drawl as he set the brush on top of the pail’s rim and stood. Bending at his waist, he brushed the dirt from his knees and made his clothing orderly once more. “Only if little brother get to pick where.”

This contrast of almost innocent-looking boy holding a bloody brush before a half-finished array was amusing indeed. Lia Ruan found himself wondering if he looked nearly as odd when working, or if he managed to retain more of an elegant air about him. He sure as hell hoped the latter, he didn’t put this much effort into his appearance for nothing.

“You wish someone of my caliber would date you~.” He teases in return before turning towards the town. “Anywhere you’d like. There’s roughly about two hours until sunset, so plenty of time.”

After that, who cared? As long as he didn’t interact or get attached to anyone here it didn’t matter what happened anymore. Before he starts back towards the path he folds his fan and tucks it inside his sleeve - then turns back to Xue Yang.

“Just try to not break big sister’s wallet~. That’d be too cruel.”

[rcvivalfan-a]

jadesofgusu‌:

{ ❧ } Having been keenly aware of the disturbance of the tomb even from his remote seclusion, Lan Xichen had set out in secret, a rising dread making his blood run cold. Making a beeline for the location, he had been mentally preparing to encounter whatever– or whoever– had disturbed the tomb before they had gotten too far. Having tailed lingering energies for some time, he had finally caught up with the culprit, or so it seemed. 

He had been listening for only a few moments, nearly on the cusp of drawing Shuoyue, when he decided to step forward. He had wanted to say something when he entered the clearing, but his words were stolen from him at the sight that met his eyes. He wasn’t sure what was more shocking; Nie Mingjue’s fierce corpse in the open air, standing and staring intently at him with milky, sightless eyes… or the man next to him. Bedraggled and shaken, missing a limb and bearing grievous injuries to his face… despite all of this, he could not mistake whose face it was.

“This… can’t be…”

Shuoyue, having drawn merely an inch, slid softly back into its sheath. The Lan Sect leader stood stock still, the serene countenance he was known for now all but shattered completely in shock.

“… Jinyu?”

There’s a few things Lia Ruan can be grateful for, though on the surface he’s not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that the wandering Lan Xichen had found them first -- and that he seemed to completely miss Ruan’s presence among all this.

Despite him leading the way like a sleep-deprived peacock.

Casually he steps between the white-robed man and his shaken senior, once more hiding his expression behind his fan. Swallowing his nerves he chooses to speak first, wanting to see if he could clarify the situation before things got weird.

In amusement, he turns to Jinyu first.

“Glad to know I’m as invisible as ever. No wonder I’ve never been caught. So... now that we’ve found your Zewu-jun, mind explaining your grand idea? Or do I have to sit through a sappy reunion first?”

[rcvivalfan-a]

Tools of Lia Ruan’s trade

Like other cultivators, Lia Ruan has devised a few tools over the years to help him with his work. Many of these compensate for things he cannot do normally, or is not very good at.

Fuxing - His signature tool and weapon, a fan engraved along its guard with the sigils used to reanimate and control the dead. It doubles as a weapon, the edges of the fan hardening to a sharpened edge that he can slice with should anyone dare get close. Although he will not admit it to others, the sigils must be refreshed with blood every few uses.

Needle & Pins - An thus-far unnamed kit of sewing tools, primarily a large sewing needle and matching pins devised to hold together and properly mend body parts. Inspired by normal medical tools, these are enchanted to fasten in place while he works -- meaning the pins can be used to effectively pin people or things to each other as well.

Crimson thread - To go with the above. Conjured from the needle and his own resources, he creates a sturdy thread to sew things together. While two things could be ripped apart once stitched, the thread itself likely will not break in the process unless sliced by a powerful sword, making the experience painful.

Thousand Autumns - His sword. It doesn’t have any outstanding properties as far as cultivational swords go. Despite having the opportunity to receive a decent education, his golden core is mediocre and as a normal cultivator his abilities are nothing special. 

[rcvivalfan-a]

xueyaang replied to your post “xueyaang replied to your post “I’ll give someone half my coin pouch...”

��

“Go die. Better yet, go visit him and tell him you’re a demonic cultivator. Maybe he’ll be too distracted trying to torture Wei Wuxian out of you to notice me.”

[rcvivalfan-a]

fellprice replied to your post “I’ll give someone half my coin pouch if they go call Sect Leader...”

i'll do it

“Just don’t tell him it was me.”

[rcvivalfan-a]

xueyaang replied to your post “I’ll give someone half my coin pouch if they go call Sect Leader...”

"Hm. Half a coin pouch, is that all you got?"

“Do I look like I have money to you? I can give you this apple.”

[rcvivalfan-a]

“I’ll give someone half my coin pouch if they go call Sect Leader Cheng a bitch to his face for me.”

[rcvivalfan-a]

“I broke my mirror... Erm... and by that I mean I dropped it and it fell down the rocks. It’s scraped right down the middle...”

[rcvivalfan-a]

forgottengoldfeathers‌:

Eyebrow slowly raised once Lia Ruan spoke. 

Jinyu then glanced over to Nie Mingjue’s corpse for a moment, only to notice that now it had been looking over to him- despite not having much of a conscience, it seemed like it knew things. Odd. He wasn’t going to question it for that it wasn’t harmful. A sigh left him, he was well aware he couldn’t drag him around, but he wasn’t even sure where he could hide him.

“Let him tag along for now- I’ll send him off once we get close to the cloud recesses.” He replied, taking a glance over his shoulders, over at the other. “We might as well get going, though, before it ends up night.” He added after a moment before starting to walk away, soon followed closely by the fierce corpse.

(It wasn’t that he didn’t want to send him off now, it was more about needing something to defend himself.)

While he had agreed for the most part, it didn’t mean that he would lower his guard so easily. A hand went to hold onto his other sleeve without Jinyu really realizing it, far too used to the habit of doing so.

“I don’t mind working in the dark, but it is more suspicious.” And the amount of spirits - or worse, cultivators chasing them - could become problematic. With a swift nod, Ruan steps past Jinyu and begins to lead the way.

Showing his back to that person is nerve-wracking but he casually reminds himself once more the man is dead and he has ways of defending himself now. Fierce corpse or not, Nie Mingjue had an intimidating presence...

“I’m amazed you have such powerful connections. If you don’t mind my asking, what is it that made you leave the Wen sect? Not that I feel it’s any mystery... they went down hard for a reason.” Neglecting young cultivators, wiping out small sects and oppressing others... they had quite the history. It had made Ruan feel grateful he was no one of any note. His daydreaming and lack of focus had meant he scored terribly as a student, and his golden core hadn’t developed to be particularly powerful.

Maybe if he’d been born into a better family but he was lucky to receive any instruction, let alone the opportunity to study with his sworn sister...

Oh, how he missed how simple those days had been.

“Nevermind that, actually. If you know Lan Xichen, did you ever meet someone by the name Lan Xianhua? She would be about my age.”

[rcvivalfan-a]

forgottengoldfeathers‌:

He watched the other, waiting. A sigh left his lips at Lia Ruan’s words. All of this and he was going to turn tail the moment it wasn’t going to be going how he wanted, huh? He gazed toward the fierce corpse for a moment, fully knowing that if he went to seek someone out, he could not be seen with it. Where would he even put him..?

Jinyu gave a light shrug. He’d figure something out.

“I will try my best to not get us in trouble. My only issue is..” He paused, closing his eye. “…we’ll need to find a way to enter the Cloud recesses.” He added after a moment, turning on his heels, almost as he was going to leave to head there already but he did not walk forward. 

“I do believe you are familiar with the two jades of Gusu Lan, yes? The man that I am looking for is Zewu-jun.” There was a hint of a smile upon his lips as he spoke- just like the old days, he would always smile when talking about Lan Xichen. Hopefully, Lia Ruan wouldn’t be too.. alarmed by the fact that he wanted to talk to no one else but him.

After all, Lan Xichen had been one of the only few people that had taken the time to get to know him, and he feared that the man probably thought that he, too, was dead all along..

“I...”

Returning to the Cloud Recesses... that was a thought that was (almost) terrifying to him. Although he’d never been a particularly disruptive person in his time there, he’d been making a point of avoiding a certain person and the corpse he’d left with her. It had been much better to not get them caught up in more of his... well, everything.

“I... know someone who might let us in, if Zewu-jun is still there.” Truthfully, Lia Ruan had been so self-absorbed as of late he hadn’t paid too much attention to who was supposedly where or what had been happening in the world around him. Normally he just carried about his days in a daze of sorts, one hour at a time.

“But I still don’t think it will help. If you really must go, tell your friend there to hide in the forests while we’re gone. If he won’t listen, I’ll command him instead.” Which would be... well, to say the least he didn’t want to be the one commanding the fierce corpse of Chifeng-zun. There was no way in this realm or the next that would look even remotely okay. (And with as riled up as the man could be, there was a high chance he would retaliate and attack. Also a big no!)

“He’ll probably listen to you though.”

[rcvivalfan-a]

forgottengoldfeathers‌:

Lia Ruan’s reaction was expected.

But it did not seem to faze Jinyu. Instead, he seemed more calm about it than the other. A light chuckle left his throat before he shook his head, clearly a little amused by the other’s reaction. Ah, he knew. He was well aware it wasn’t wise if he brought someone else in this but it wasn’t anyone- it was the other person that he had trusted the most.

“You are quick to offer but also quick to deny.” He had raised his hand, covering his mouth with the tips of his fingers. “I’m well aware of the possibilities of all of this failing, of me losing this only chance I have, but it is not anyone that I want to ask- I want to ask a dear friend of mine.. if he still remembers me.”

(Oh the shock he would cause once he would show up.)

“I have no means to call out to Mingjue’s soul but I know.. someone who has the means to try.” He paused, hand slightly lowering, index finger tapping against his chin as he tilted his head to the side, looking thoughtful. 

“Just give me one chance at this, it’s all I ask. If it doesn’t work, then so be it.” If he thought that was a bad idea, it already had been one since the day he dug up the corpse.

Arms crossed, Lia Ruan frowns deeply at Jinyu’s determination. No matter what he tries it’s likely to be a failure... but if it makes him feel better, perhaps it’s best to go along with it.

He’s never known Jinyu to be  anything but an honest person, but as time passed Lia Ruan learned it didn’t matter how honest you thought someone was if you’ve never seen them when they were cornered. He had no idea what to think about this quite yet.

“Alright...”

Letting Nie Mingjue’s corpse out of his sight would be a bad idea, especially with Jinyu in this state. It wasn’t that he cared too much about the population... but he did still care a bit. Depending on the day he waned from being properly compassionate to just plain apathetic. Either way, he had to see what Jinyu was hoping to try.

“I still think it’s foolish, and if it turns out you’re going to get us in trouble I’m gone. I won’t stick around to save you, understood?”

[rcvivalfan-a]

forgottengoldfeathers‌:

He had fallen silent, his fingers gripping at the end of his sleeve. However, he seemed to pay attention to Lia Ruan’s words, eyebrow raising. All of this, it sounded as if he had followed a similar path to Wei Wuxian- not that he was going to judge, of course. While he knew how vile it could be, if one wanted to go that way, they could, he just simply wasn’t going to go try to save them from it.

(After all, he was already dumb enough to go out and dig up this damned corpse..)

Head lowering, hand raising to take a hold of his chin, the ex-medic pondered for a bit over the other’s words. It felt like he was forgetting something, but he wasn’t sure what. While he knew that without a soul, this body would just be as good as nothing, he wouldn’t mind paying the price- but only if it was the last option.

“I.. do not mind that price. It might be the last thing I have left, but at the point I am at, is there even something left to lose?” He spoke out, a question at the end but his tone was enough to show that he was not going to take an answer to it. His hand dropping down, a jade green eye gazed back over to Lia Ruan.

“I will only accept it if it is my last resort.” He paused, giving the fierce corpse a quick glance. His pause was longer than one would think- for that it suddenly came to his mind, a little something that he remembered from back then. 

(Yet a wave of dread washed over him.)

Jinyu had kept his profile low, not showing a single soul that he had been alive and as well as he could be all those years.. Would now be the right time to finally show his face, after people believed him to be dead? He frowned.

“..Ah, would you be willing to try something, first? I may.. know someone that would be able to help. Though, I am unsure of if he’d be alright with.. this.” His last word was emphasized with a vague wave of his arm- mostly gesturing at this whole situation.

The suggestion of getting someone else involved sends a sudden shiver down Lia Ruan’s spine and he shifts back a half-step, the reaction as involuntary as the widening of his eyes.

“No!” He exclaims sharply.

Regaining his composure after the outburst takes the demonic cultivator another hot minute, the younger man tugging at his sleeves as if consumed by an overwhelming urge to straighten them out. 

“I... uhm... it.... it would really be best to not get other people involved!” It’s far too suspicious to do so! If someone else is let on to what’s going on here it could be the end of both of them. Never anyone mind the cultivational world seemed to come to terms with one certain individual, people like them were still outcasts and considered dangerous.

“It’s not like there’s any other method. Do you know how many conscious fierce corpses exist in this world? Aside from the Ghost General, there’s one other. Such a feat isn’t easy, and not just anyone can help with it. Even if my method is most certainly better, it’s not something to be taken lightly, you know. And if you let other people in on it, who knows what could happen. They might just kill him again right away and exorcise his soul entirely. Then what...!?”

Please let Jinyu realize this is a dangerous idea, he begs silently. Though he stops and covers his mouth with his fan again after such fearful rambling, it can’t be hidden how the cultivator shivers slightly.

“I just don’t think it’s a good idea...”

[rcvivalfan-a]

forgottengoldfeathers‌:

The sudden silence from the other told him enough. But Jinyu, being the person he was, would wait until he’d get some kind of answer- he knew. He just knew that it wouldn’t be left without another word being said. A soft sigh leaving him, his only visible eye would light up at the mention of his name, soon returning its gaze toward Lia Ruan. 

Pretend to like him?

That wasn’t something Jinyu would even accept from anyone- he’d rather have them express their true feelings over simply faking it. He had been well aware of Nie Mingjue’s reputation and had dealt with a few in the past showing their distaste toward how the sect leader held himself, stern and with an iron fist.

(It wasn’t something made for everyone- so he did not blame them for hating it.)

Not a lot of people had succeeded in piercing that cold exterior, thus never truly saw how the man thought. However, at the mention of being able to help, Jinyu found himself frowning. What did he mean by that? 

“..Help me?” He echoed those words, tilting his head back slightly before he took a step forward. “With what? He can’t be brought back, he’s just an empty shell.” He murmured, the denial in his voice rather clear. 

(He did not want to believe that.)

He was a fool and well aware of it, but he was stubborn, too. While his mind accepted everything, his heart refused, believing that all of this was but a nightmare and that he would eventually wake up from it.

“You.. can’t simply bring him back, can you?”

“Simply...? No.” It was never simple if he intended to make real, lasting progress. In fact, he swore he’d never do it again after the toll bringing back Jin Yang had taken on him. The process was far from simple and in order to create a result that wouldn’t crumble in half a moon’s cycle Jinyu would need to be willing to give up a lot as well.

Lia Ruan had a feeling that, with the way Jinyu was now, he’d probably jump to it far too quickly.

“He’s in there, just sleeping. You cannot awaken a fierce corpse without its soul, that’s one of the key requirements. No soul, no movement.” He makes no move to approach, lest he startle Jinyu again. A man so desperate, so broken would be jumpy at the very least. Dangerous, at the most.

But he knew Jinyu wasn’t the fighting type. It was the corpse next to him that was the problem. The corpse that stood silently, as if it understood the person it was with. Carefully regarding the corpse from behind his fan, Lia Ruan nods again.

“I feel your connection is enough that I can at least try. You’ll have to accept the risks and cost, though...” How to explain...

“I’ll need a few things from you, and there is a very real chance it will wear on your own soul. Your lifespan will probably shorten in exchange as well... If you really want him back for good it’ll be impossible if I don’t have these things. Otherwise he’ll become worse than he is now in only a couple of weeks.

If you can accept that... I can try. As payment for your teaching me when I was just a dumb kid.”

[rcvivalfan-a]

forgottengoldfeathers‌:

“..Say that however many times you want, it isn’t going to change that I am unable to trust anyone this easily anymore.” After all, it cost him dearly to have been so trusting in the past, he did not want to risk it once again- or ever again. Perhaps, his current appearance would emphasis on what he meant with his words for now. Taking a step aside, he would now stand next to the fierce corpse, his hand raising to gently lean against its arm- causing it to stand back properly.

“My reason… behind this, is because Mingjue wasn’t just my sect leader or the man that gave me a second chance to what I had wanted to accomplish, but..” He trailed off for a moment, closing his eye as he shook his head. Eyelid slipping open, he found himself gazing at his feet. 

No one else knew. Would he be able to trust Lia Ruan with this?

He wasn’t even sure about it.

“…He was more than just that, to me.” He finally spoke out after hesitating for a while, gazing back up, a frown on his face. “He meant the world to me, and to be robbed of this.. I simply can’t allow it, not after losing everything twice.” He could feel himself trembling slightly, simply from those feelings that he had kept bottled up for so long. Biting his lower lip, he shook his head again before gazing away once more.

“I don’t care if he’s dead, I just want him back. I don’t want to be alone, anymore..” 

Lia Ruan found himself unable to move for a moment. Regardless of his hate for Nie Mingjue the pain in Jinyu’s voice was too clear, too real. It... his voice, the way he stood, everything about his former ‘teacher’ (as brief as their time together had been), all of it reminded Lia Ruan too much of how he had been. How he could still be , some nights.

(and he hadn’t even lost a romantic love, though brotherly love was stronger, right?)

So even considering the situation he couldn’t find the strength in him to be angry. Lia Ruan was indeed a selfish individual but when it came to a pain so alike his own, what could he feel but sympathy? It made him wonder briefly how many people the sect leader’s death had affected, how many people hurt. How many more than Jin Yang, who was forgotten so soon.

“Jinyu...” He starts, barely above a whisper.

“I... Jinyu...”

How does one approach this? An eye for an eye, was it? A life for a life. Balance had been restored and all that was left was the suffering of those remaining.

“I won’t pretend I like him, I can’t. But... uhm... I like you. I owe you a lot, you know. If you hadn’t helped me learn back then, I wouldn’t have been able to help my brother when it mattered most.” Fan opened once more, he resumes hiding his expression behind it. 

Had Jinyu at all heard the rumors about him? Maybe, it was hard to say. He was hardly as infamous as the Yiling Patriarch and there was that other kid, Xue Yang, who wiped out entire clans. A wandering ‘medic’ who left a few deaths in his wake was hardly as noticeable in this world.

“...and I can help you too, if you’ll let me.”