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incognito-lionbeast · 2 years ago

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@cum-villain

Honestly, pretty much as soon as Liu Qingge made his decision during the initial confrontation? It was all over for Shen Jiu. True be it that Liu Qingge didn’t quite know what to make of things at first, and he sorta hoped that Shen Jiu would make an effort on his own after the initial offer of support? Well, he sort of gets that wish. Not quite in the way he’d wanted but damn if he’s letting that stop him.

Because the one thing Liu Qingge is very good at socially is being blunt. Something Yue Qingyuan has thus far somewhat failed with. Not that he hasn’t explained things to the best of his ability, but that’s precisely the problem! So, Shen Jiu later corrals Shang Qinghua (who suspiciously knows far too much) & Liu Qingge to Discuss™ Shen Qingqiu & other such happenings while he was away.

He’d really rather leave the relationship part of that mess alone, but he has. >:| Other Questions. And would like alternative perspectives, and no he can’t just ask Shen Qingqiu.

--but this leads into my response to that last tag. :3c

There are at least four people who are willing to support him existing, because Shen Jiu’s gonna find out that Shang Qinghua also counts! Not quite as enthusiastically as Yue Qingyuan or Liu-Shidi, but-! Shang Qinghua’s response to inquiry is that like? He never really hated Shen Jiu before either, so... Look, compared to a lotta other things he was going through at the time, Shen Jiu didn’t even place on his top ten list of People To Be Worried About.

Sorry?

Luo Binghe is torn, I think. He’s very happy that Liu Qingge is spending time with someone else. Unhappy that it’s Shen Jiu, whom he dislikes. Then Indifferent because Luo Binghe didn’t much like Liu Qingge to begin with. Yet, Unhappy again, because shizun does & is feeling rather bittersweet about the entire affair (happy for them, still concerned that his relationship with his dear shidi has been irreconcilably altered. Which is technically true, but only technically! Like everyone else, it’s more a matter of navigating the fact that Shen Qingqiu is actually someone else now?).

This is far too complicated for Binghe.

--on a somewhat related note, Binghe was a bit put-out that Shen Qingqiu admitted to being happy to see Shen Jiu, because hello??? Husband?? Why are you happy to see the man who made him miserable? He doesn’t understand & Shen Qingqiu has the damnedest time trying to explain, but he does manage to relay that he is Definitely Unhappy with that part. It’s just.. yknow.

Shen Qingqiu spent some time living with the fact that he’d involuntarily killed a man & taken his place-- a man that was important to his Shixiong. And that Sucked, because... well, he could tell. And, no matter how much he’d come to care for Yue Qingyuan, there was nothing he could do to remedy things.

Though I’m not sure how this would come up, I feel like asdfgh Somehow this is the least surprising thing he’s learned about Shen Qingqiu so far. After all, he’s married to Binghe, so being attracted to men is... a given?

--what would be more surprising is Liu Qingge's opinion of Shen Qingqiu. Because it’s Very Positive & it’s not impossible to determine that he is, perhaps, a bit Jealous Of and/or Irritated With the whole BingQiu situation. Though, for better or worse, they could definitely bond over being mutually mistrustful of Binghe. Oops.

He’s a very good shidi! And I honestly think that Liu Qingge still calls Shen Jiu “Shixiong” when there aren’t other disciples around. Or perhaps even sometimes when there are... >>;; deciding not to react to his mistake / correct himself, causing the both sets of disciples to look at them Very Oddly. Like it’s odd enough that Liu Qingge has singled out This One Disciple already, but calling him Shixiong, too........

On the other hand, I imagine it galls Shen Jiu somewhat when he’s forced to call him & the other Peak Lords “Shishu” -- in the same way that he’s hesitant to call Yue Qingyuan his Shizun. Thankfully, there’s a work-around for Yue Qingyuan, being sect leader n all. It’s perfectly appropriate to just call him that. >u<

But yeah!! There are, in fact, people who Like & Want You Around, sir. Maybe it’s complicated, messy, and even uncomfortable at times? Still true. Gonna have to learn how to accept that...

#could I just copy+paste the tags? yes #is that less fun? also yes #accept my blurry images tunglr #bay replies #SVSSS #Shen Jiu #Liu Qingge #Shang Qinghua #Shen Qingqiu #Luo Binghe #SJ AU

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delicioussshame · 1 year ago

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Look, sometimes you need to write shit with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. It's set in the AU where SY is sleeping with both father and son and it's vaguely D/s TLJ/SY porn. Do with that what you will.

Shen Yuan should have pulled a “Not tonight, I have a headache.” He’s in no shape to handle anyone tonight, not with Binghe having taken advantage, taken all of the advantages, of his father’s business trip so thoroughly, probably to stop Shen Yuan from doing exactly what he’s doing right now. What Shen Yuan needs is a week of uninterrupted sleep by himself to restore his strength, his health and his sanity. It’s what he told Binghe when he left his boyfriend’s apartment.

But Tianlang-Jun had called the next day, fresh off the plane, not even bothering to hide how much he’d missed Shen Yuan, and he had found himself unable to say no to Tianlang-Jun’s very suggestive tone. Acquiescing to whatever Tianlang-Jun demanded of him was second nature by now.

So Shen Yuan had said yes, he’d be right there, and so here he is, with Tianlang-Jun’s tongue in his mouth and his hands down the back of his pants. It shouldn’t be possible for Shen Yuan to light up like this, to burn like, like he was Tianlang-Jun, eager to put behind him three weeks of abstinence. Shen Yuan hasn’t even enjoyed a full twenty-four hours of it yet! Still, he twists under Tianlang-Jun’s touch like his sore body wasn’t protesting, like it wasn’t dreading the path those hands seemed intent on following.

Shen Yuan desperately curses biology. Did both of them need to be that well endowed? They didn’t even have the decency to have something they needed to compensate for! He has no idea how to tell Tianlang-Jun that he’s too sore for a proper welcome. It’s not like he can build a proper argument when he’s like this. Tianlang-Jun will laugh out any attempt at resistance, will talk circles around him until he’s begging to be fucked, having forgotten everything but the need he was being fed. After all, he said yes.

He’s doomed. He has to accept he won’t be able to leave the bed tomorrow.

Might as well enjoy it as best he can.

So Shen Yuan doesn’t protest when Tianlang-Jun removes their clothes with a bit too much haste, a lack of control uncharacteristic of him. Any other time, Shen Yuan might be amused. He might dare to tease, knowing it would result in him being put in his place and relishing every moment of it.

Tonight, he knows better. He can’t afford the extra workout. It’ll take all he has to come out of the tamest version of their usual encounters in one piece. He prefers to remain pliant, to be as good as Tianlang-Jun wants him to be, so that he’ll be rewarded and, hopefully, taken cared of properly.

His breathing is ragged by the time Tianlang-Jun’s finger finds his opening, but all the desire in the world can’t stop him from wincing.

Tianlang-Jun stops at once.

Shen Yuan also freezes.

When Tianlang-Jun tries again, Shen Yuan manages to hold back the exclamation of pain.

He cannot, however, stop himself from tensing.

Gone are Tianlang-Jun’s dulcet tones. “I see my son has kept you busy.”

It is utterly ridiculous that Shen Yuan still isn’t immune, but it is what it is; he can’t help blushing bright red at Tianlang-Jun acknowledging Shen Yuan and his own son’s sex life. He’s not the one related to either of them, how come he’s the most embarrassed by it! If he had the power to impose anything on them, he would forbid both his lovers from even thinking about the other during sex.

He tries to get himself back together long enough to answer. “Did you expect anything else?”

Tianlang-Jun sighs, his voice softening. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have. You, however, should not have let me get away with it. I have no desire to hurt you.”

He knows that. He’s more than aware that for all of Tianlang-Jun’s pushing, he has his wellbeing at heart. He would never inflict pain when it could be avoided.

But. “I said yes.”

“You should not have felt obligated to.”

Did he? Is that why he said yes?

No. He said yes because Tianlang-Jun had the power to make him lose all reason. A power he and his son share.

Shen Yuan had been doomed from the start. “I didn’t.”

“Then why did you come in this shape, without even informing me?”

His cheeks are still burning. He wants to answer, instinctively want to respond to Tianlang-Jun’s kind but firm request in a way that would please him, but words die on his tongue before he can make it move. How could he explain what he can’t admit to himself?

Lips press against his, cutting off any potential response.

Shen Yuan leans into the excuse gratefully.

Tianlang-Jun’s eyes meet his, and Shen Yuan knows he doesn’t have to speak to be understood. The hands still resting on his ass change their trajectory to cup his cock, still hard despite the light pain of the intrusion.

This time, the sound Shen Yuan lets out is of another nature entirely.

He hides his face in the crook of Tianlang-Jun’s neck, hoping the sounds he’s making so close to his ear aren’t deafening.

He’d want to do better than this, to be more than a trembling mess barely able to hold himself together, only good for taking what he’s being given gratefully, but at the moment it takes all he has not to shatter in pieces under Tianlang-Jun’s hands. Not to falter from the mere brush of the man’s untouched erection against him, threatening and yet calling to him even in this state.

Tianlang-Jun pulls at him just so, and he’s the one breaking like a dam, like he had been waiting for an eternity for exactly this.

It takes him a few minutes to piece himself back together.

Tianlang-Jun holds him through it, his soiled hands a comforting weight on his back.

He wouldn’t call the weight of the cock straining against his thighs comforting, but it certainly is familiar.

Once he’s certain he has regained enough muscle coordination for it, he slides off Tianlang-Jun’s lap until he’s kneeling on the floor by the bed, his intent clear enough even before he licks his drying lips. He might be too sore to enjoy a proper fuck, but he can still offer his throat.

It is all it is; an offer. He has never been, nor would he want to be, the one making the choices here.

Nails brush lightly against his scalp before fingers curl around the back of his head, soft but unrelenting. Shen Yuan closes his eyes and opens up as wide as he can, welcoming the heavy weight on his tongue until the cock lodges itself all the way down the back of his throat.

At first, the mere idea he could manage this would have seemed laughable to him, but he was taught that with patience and the right guidance, very few things are impossible. He can now handle to the girth and length of his partners if he so wishes.

This, too, can be demanding, but Luo Binghe has spared him this, so it is easier to handle at the moment.

He breathes when he can, unmindful of the tears pearling in his eyes, and remains open and docile for his partner to use as he sees fit, mindlessly responding to each caress or soft-spoken word to please his partner just as he wants to be pleasured. He was trained to be good, and this is what he will be. Surely Tianlang-Jun deserves nothing less.

The grip on the back of his head tightens.

Hopefully, it will leave marks Shen Yuan will still be able to feel tomorrow.

He’s pushed deeper onto Tianlang-Jun’s cock, his taste turning saltier as more precome spills inside him. Shen Yuan readies himself for what he knows is coming, tightening his lips as much as he can to keep his master’s essence from escaping. He feels the warm skin pulse in his mouth before come fills him, leaving him with the deep satisfaction of knowing that even when tried and used, Shen Yuan can still be good, as he always should be.

Shen Yuan stays where he is, his lips still loosely wrapped around the head of Tianlang-Jun’s cock. For all that his body is tired, not ready for another round yet, his partner’s situation is very different. He knows the night is far from over. If Tianlang-Jun so wishes, in a few minutes Shen Yuan will once again take in as much of his partner’s cock as he is able to, until he feeds Shen Yuan his come once more. He doesn’t mind. He never has. Tianlang-Jun likes finding his limits and pushing past them until they’re completely obliterated. All Shen Yuan has to do is let him.

In another life, he might have complained. In this one, he sees no reason to. There is nothing as peaceful as these moments, where the world is simple and the path forward, clear. How could he say no to it?

So he ignores the strain in his knees and stays in place, ready to be useful when it is demanded of him.

#The Scum Villain's Self Serving System #Scum Villain #Tianlang-Jun/Shen Yuan

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oddishblossom · 2 years ago

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Tag People You Wanna Get to Know Better

Tagged by the wonderful and lovely @lans-rabbit-glade 😊💖! Thanks for tagging me izzy! I loved reading your answers :)

Relationship Status: It’s just me here (single pringle)

Favorite Colors: Pink & Red

Song Stuck in My Head: Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys… I’ve listened to that song probably a million times and I’m still not tired of it nor will I ever be 💖. I’m definitely not looping it for writing inspiration or anything (also izzy I see your song choice and I am tempted to roast you for being a mobile gamer 😜)

Last Thing You Googled: “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball.” I was looking up song lyrics (I listen to other artists besides arctic monkeys, I swear 😅)

Time: 11:47 PM when I’m writing this. But I usually queue most of my posts so it’ll be 10 AM when I’m posting this :3

Dream Trip: Hmmm, idk. I’m not much of an explorer lol. Maybe Japan or New Zealand? Just to say that I’ve been there before. Honestly, as long as I can go either shopping or to an amusement park I’ll be happy as a clam.

Last Thing You Read: It’s rare, but sometimes I want to read a cute high school AU with a love triangle. So the last thing I read was a tyrus fanfic called Of Course by CaithyCat & imnotanauthor. I’ve been rewatching Andi Mack, an old comfort show of mine. I know it’s a disney show “for kids” but sometimes I just feel like watching disney or nickelodeon shows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Also this one in particular I started watching when I was bedridden for a month so it’s very dear to me :)

Last Book You Enjoyed Reading: Believe it or not, I actually read a paperback book last week. I was looking for a quote, so I opened my volume 2 of *cough* Scum Villain’s Self Saving System *cough*. And then I found the quote. And then I just kept reading until I was halfway through volume 3 and it was like 3 in the morning. Seriously, that book makes my brain go a little bonkers. The scene where Shen Qingqiu tries to hide Luo Binghe from Zhuzhi Lang nearly made me cry from laughing too hard.

Last Book You Hated Reading: Excluding fanfics, I can’t think of one… Maybe Tokyo Ghoul/:re back in 2017? I remember really hating that manga. Honestly, I’m really picky when choosing something to read so the stories I end up disliking I tend to just drop them and then completely forget they ever existed.

Favorite Thing to Cook/Bake: I’m kind of a terrible chef ngl. But the reviews are in and I make a pretty stellar spaghetti. Whenever my niece visits, she always asks me if I can make her my spaghetti because it’s way better than any she’s ever had. Getting that kid to eat anything is a struggle, so I’m really glad that she not only eats my food, she asks for seconds.

Favorite Craft to Do in Your Free Time: When I think of the word “crafts”, I imagine, like, art projects made by hand, so I’m not sure I can include writing and gif-making on this one. So excluding those, does drawing count? Even before I got a drawing tablet, I used to doodle all the time even on scraps of paper. I’m not really good at it, but it’s always been something I do just to kinda get my brain to chill.

Most Niche Dislike: Hmm. You know, it’s funny that you mentioned nail polish, izzy, because the first thing that popped into my head was long nails. I have tried to be that girl who gets a full set at the nail salon and I never did it again because the sound of my nails clacking against things bugged me. Like, I can’t even stand the feel of my own natural nails when they’re the slightest bit too long lol.

Opinion on Circuses: Never been to one. But, clowns slightly freak me out so I don’t have the best opinion of their home turfs.

Do You Have Any Sense of Direction: I’d say I do. Or maybe I think I do by association? My parents both have a pretty bad sense of direction and I used to help them a lot by printing out maps and searching for streets in relation to where we were. One of my older brothers used to always assign me as designated navigator because I’m good at keeping an eye on where we are and how to get back on track should we get lost

I liked this tag game! It was fun and refreshing. Gonna tag a couple of you, but please no pressure to respond! Only if you feel like making one 😊 @bioerin @kimievii @koujaaku @ashinlae @wallynorthbynorthwest @fluffyrabbitofdoom @apocalyptickoala @theraincanttouchus @mdzs-rabbithole + anyone who sees this and wants to make one 💖

#tag game #oops that was long #guess i felt like oversharing 😅

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hanascrisis · 3 years ago

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A REVIEW: Scum Villain’s Self Saving System (MXTX)

I. GENERAL OVERVIEW

LENGTH: 81 Chapters and 20 Extras

GENRE: (BL) Chinese Cultivation Novel - Historical Period

MAIN COUPLE: Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu

BRIEF SUMMARY: After binge reading legendary harem stallion web novel “Proud Immortal Demon Way”, Shen Yuan (a millennial increasingly frustrated by the story’s outrageous and senseless plot) dies choking on food and transmitigates into the novel... as the villain shizun of the main protagonist, Shen Qingqiu. Shen Yuan, now Shen Qingqiu, must navigate through the original PIDW’s plot points to gain the favor of the original protagonist, Luo Binghe, to avoid being tortured and cut into a human stick. However, in doing so, Shen Qingqiu eventually finds that the original plot changes, awakening new feelings in the protagonist previously unexplored.

II. CATEGORICAL RANKING & BREAKDOWN

This was my second danmei novel I had ever read, and one that really helped. familiarize me with the ins and outs of the typical cultivation novel tropes. With Shen Qingqiu’s unfortunately relatable inner monologging complete with millennial, largely inappropriate vocabulary AND emoticons was undeniably very entertaining, and I spent the majority of the book laughing along with his misfortune. It was a book in which the reader got to experience the stereotypical romance, adventure, and fantasy tropes through the lens of a character living out these tropes with a mindset not so dissimilar from our own. With that, let’s move on to my personal categorical rankings for this novel.

1. CHARACTERIZATION ~ Rated 7/10

With every single character within this book, I can confidently say I really liked their characterization. Each character’s personality was constructed in a way that did not adhere to one stereotype, and the interactions between characters never felt stale or forced (especially in a book where Shen Qingqiu has a sudden change in personality, I was worried these interactions with characters such as Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge would be strange, but it was indeed quite cute and funny). Even with the minor characters that seemed to be the main antagonists Tianlang Jun, their characterizations and relationship still had a familial sense of warmth that made them feel a lot more human. However, due to the length of the book, not all the side characters were really flushed out in terms of backstory.

With the main protagonist, Luo Binghe, as to deviate from the original “black hearted protagonist” of PIDW, his back story and past abuses led to his motivations as a person being a lot more complex, deeper, and especially tragic. Through the novel we are able to see that the original protagonist crafted from resentment started out as a boy too naive, with a heart full of warmth and kindness, only to be bludgeoned and abandoned over and over again. Even by the end of the book, in interactions with Shen Qingqiu, we can still evidently see Luo Binghe’s past emotional trauma within his feelings of inadequacy and his villainization at the peak. I personally really liked this new depth of character that gave me a new perspective on his actions and motivations. Generally, I also love the change in Binghe’s demeanor when he’s around Shen Qingqiu vs. anyone else, and one can easily forget how manipulative, cunning, and overpowered he is as the “protagonist”. He is endearing and I love him so much, but that’s deviating from the original point.

As discussed previously, Shen Qingqiu’s character, while having a. fairly distinct personality, is almost a self-insert character that the reader can. project on directly. While I THOROUGHLY enjoyed his narration throughout (which served as much needed comic relief), I personally wished there to be a little more character development, especially regarding the paradigm shift that occurred in his mindset and attitude towards the other characters in the book. At the beginning of the novel, there is a certain subconscious wall Shen Qingqiu creates, where he thinks of the other people as strictly “character from PIDW with concrete fates and personailites”, which is especially evident in the way he treated Luo Binghe post-Immortal alliance conference. But overtime, there is a subtle shift in which by the end of the book, we see Shen Qingqiu resolve some misunderstandings (to an extent) and see him start to regard the characters around him as true people that he can build deep relationships with. I personally wanted this aspect to be highlighted a little more and that this had good potential in being an essential piece of plot could have led to more resolution (discussed below).

2. WORLD BUILDING ~ Rated 9/10

From my perspective, especially in cultivation novels, world building becomes exceedingly important in order to aid the reader in understanding the power structure and dynamic of the cultivation world, which reflects in the interactions between characters of different factions. Because of Shen Qingqiu’s commentary as a “reader of PIDW”, I felt the author was able to do a stellar job in explaining the different dynamics within the sect and between the different peak lords, as well as major conflicts between demons. Hence, it was really easy to understand and follow how the world revolved around each of the conflicts, as well as justify some of the characters’ motivations within SVSSS.

3. PLOT DEVELOPMENT ~ Rated 8/10

What I found extremely compelling about the plot of this book in particular is that it is a lot more complex and darker than the audience originally grasps. With my first read, I found the book hilarious through and through, and couldn’t get enough of the comedic aspects and commentary that seemed to seep through to even the most serious moments. But as I started to think back on some of the events that ended up transpiring, I came to the realization that the plot itself is extremely tragic. If one were to think about the book from Luo Binghe’s perspective, as a child abandoned with no one to care for and love him, to then finding someone who cherishes him and believes in him, only to have that very same person push him off a cliff and have him experience hell for the next 5 years; frankly the plot is really devastating. That’s also what makes it such an interesting book to read and then reread.

Another aspect of the plot that is notable is how outrageous some of the events are, especially when thinking from a logical perspective. From Shen Qingqiu dying and growing a new body underground, to the thousands of elephant demons (?) that Luo Binghe gathers, one is simply overwhelmed by how random the book is sometimes. Even better, we get to witness this exact reaction through Shen Qingqiu, as someone to transmitigated into this nonsensical book. Hence, somehow the book manages to be completely unrelatable, yet also very relatable, hitting both extremes in a perfect equillibrium.

My main reservation/criticism of the plot is personally~ I felt that it lacked a little bit of resolution in some of the major plot points, such as “Bingge”, as well as the Bingqiu relationship. A lot of the original misunderstandings and misgivings between Shen Qingqiu during and after the 5 years (pre-relationship) weren’t really resolved. It sort of left me wanting some more development from Binghe where his is able to heal from his past to a certain extent. Regarding Shen Qingqiu, I also wanted to see more development with him in terms of his obvious shift in mindset from viewing the people around him as characters from the original PIDW, to actual people whose fates aren’t predetermined. It could be a fun idea to explore more. But these are just small things that really don’t take away from the experience that is reading SVSSS.

III. FINAL THOUGHTS

RECOMMENDATION: YES I DO RECOMMEND IT , especially for people who enjoy comedy, modern humor mixed with ridiculous xianxia plot points, and an action filled BL cultivation novel. It really is an absolute joy to read and all the characters are so endearing in their own way - Luo Binghe with his selective duality and various complexes, Shen Qingqiu with his alleged “straigtness” and internalized heteronormativity, Tianlang Jun with his desire to be a malewife, the misunderstandings in the relationship between Shen Qingqiu and Zhuzhi Lang, etc. etc. It is really a fun read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This concludes my first casual book review haha.

#danmei #mxtx #mxtxnovel #svsss #scumvillainsselfsavingsystem #shenqingqiu #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #book review #hanashonestreviews

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nyerus · 4 years ago

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Hi....how are you? If you don't mind me asking, who is your favorite love interest in MXTX three novels (luo binghe, lan wanji, or hua cheng)? And why?

And who is your favorite protagonist in MXTX three novels (shen qingqiu, wei wuxian or xie lian)? And why?

Sorry if you've answered this question before....

Hello again, and thank you very much for sending in another ask!~ I love answering these as a little break from work, so no worries! <3

I think I mentioned before that Hualian are my fave characters and my fave couple, so I guess that answers both questions haha. But I do always love a chance to talk about why I love them so much, soooo....

As for some of the reasons why Hua Cheng is my fave love interest:

He is very extreme in his devotion. He doesn't just love Xie Lian, he is 100% comprised of his love for Xie Lian. It's incredibly intense, and I really like seeing this type of impossible intensity in fiction. I have a very pragmatic view of real-world relationships, but this type of all-encompassing and unconditional love is super fun to read!

His aura is unmatched! Not only is he sexy as hell, but he's also a sweetheart and sometimes like a spoiled brat vying for gege's attention! It's not even two sides of him -- he's both at once, and it's really wonderful to see that duality. Towards Xie Lian, he is a stalwart sword and shield; towards others, he's a dangerous threat.

He's not afraid to be affectionate towards Xie Lian. He is supportive, caring, and just so open with how happy he is to be around his beloved. Plus, he is mindful of Xie Lian's boundaries, and if he ever oversteps, is quick to apologize. He has his moments of insecurity, but they are never about how he feels, but rather what he thinks he deserves/doesn't deserve. He is always sincere in his actions.

Even though we don't get much of it, I really like his backstory. What we do have is enough to piece together something very concrete and heartbreaking. And despite the hardships he faced, Hua Cheng didn't let that define him -- though it is indeed something that will be with him forever. He took matters into his own hands, and decided to carve out a path for himself, and no one could stand in his way. If I had even 1/10th of his conviction, in anything, I think I'd be rich lmfaoooo!

And then coming to darling Xie Lian as my fave main:

I tend to adore calm and sweet characters in most media. (Actually if I don't like the main character in a story, I don't tend to really get into the thing!) Xie Lian is also reckless in his good deeds, which is wonderful. At first I was afraid that he would be a bit of a doormat, or a damsel, etc -- but he's not! He's very cognizant of his choices. He's not perfect, but nor does he try to be. He just wants to do good. There are times where he doesn't even want to do certain things/gets annoyed/has reservations/etc, but he does so anyway because he decides it's the Right thing to do. And I think making those choices, while still being true to yourself (even the ugly parts), is incredible. You can't have perfect thoughts all the time, but you can decide what you're going to do/react to a given situation.

He's actually very snarky and funny -- and I looooove him for it! At the same time, you can tell there is a lot of repressed trauma lurking behind every corner in his present-timeline inner narration, and it's... idk? Realistically heartbreaking? In a way that doesn't feel forced, I mean. Xie Lian ignores a lot of his own stuff because he knows there is nothing else he can do about it. Normally we'd say that it's unhealthy to do that, but the trauma in his past is in fact *so* bad that he really doesn't have a choice, does he? And it's less that he hasn't confronted it, but more that he's decided there is no point for him to dwell on it. "Why would I think about how I was horribly butchered when I can instead think about the delicious meat bun I had for dinner?" His attitude of looking for the small pleasures in life, amidst all the sorrow and anguish, is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking in all the right ways. He's just incredibly well-written.

His character progression is pretty amazing. He learns a lot -- maybe even too much -- over the course of his story. He starts out as a noble but naive prince, raised in the lap of luxury, not understanding of the true plight of the common people he wants to help. And he ends up knowing what it really means to save someone, to help others, and why it's personally important to do so. His biggest failing was that he was too young, and too inexperienced to understand how the world worked. Xie Lian's heart was ALWAYS in the right place (he was even abnormally progressive, even daring to challenge heaven -- which may seem par for the course for us readers, but is like... assassination-worthy for his time), and proved that he was not all talk. He genuinely believed in what he said, unafraid to defy the powers that be, and was ready to face whatever consequences resulted.

As someone who gets easily flustered and doesn't know how to handle overt affection too, I relate to him a lot hahaha!

These are super disorganized thoughts, but I hope they make sense! I just love these two to bits, and don't see myself getting off the Hualian train anytime soon~

#asks #thanad-zid #as u can tell... i lob them.... xD

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akatsuki-shin · 4 years ago

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Review: Scum Villain’s Self-saving System (SVSSS)

Notes:

(Very) long post ahead

Contains spoiler

This is my personal review and does not represent the entire audience, you are free to agree or not agree with what I’ve written here

Feel free to reply/send me a message if there are things you want to discuss

Summary:

SVSSS tells the story of Shen Yuan, an avid web novel reader - particularly the stallion genre - who died suddenly from food-related incident after having just finished reading a famous (yet controversial) web-novel "Proud Immortal Demon Way".

Upon his wake, he discovered that he had been transmigrated into the world of that very novel, moreover into the body of the story's most-hated scum villain, Shen Qingqiu.

In his previous life, Shen Yuan had frequently criticized the "Proud Immortal Demon Way" and its author, "Airplane Shooting towards the Sky", for he found the web novel full of wasted potentials. Now having been sent to live in that novel's story, a mysterious system assigned him with a mission to fix the very plot he had been denouncing - and of course, to save himself from the tragic end of the original Shen Qingqiu, who was fated to be mutilated into a human stick by the story's protagonist, Luo Binghe, his own disciple.

STORY: 7/10

I personally have not read a lot of "isekai" stories. However, what makes SVSSS interesting to me, compared to most transmigration stories I've seen in the past, is because the main character was not thrown into a completely strange, unknown world, but rather into the universe of a novel he had been closely following up until the very last second of his life.

And what's more? He does not have complete freedom in modifying the story however he wants, but supervised by a mysterious system that will reward him for correct decisions, and punish him for wrong choices - with being deported to his original world as the ultimate punishment should his points fall below the set limit (a.k.a. he would really lose his life because he is already dead in his original world).

The fact that Shen Yuan, now living as Shen Qingqiu, possessing complete knowledge of the original story, yet still unable to foresee what butterfly effect his actions will cause to the plot and characters is perhaps the most appealing aspect of this novel.

Shen Qingqiu in his previous life was no different than us - a normal, modern young man from the 21st century. His thoughts and opinions on the situation, the way he reacts on certain matters, his internal monologues are all realistic and easily relatable. It feels as if I myself have partly become Shen Qingqiu, as well, looking at how the story progresses from a first person point of view, because if I were to be in his shoes, I would probably react in the exact same way as a modern person thrown into an ancient fantasy world.

Nevertheless, this "omniscient reader" point of view is not without a flaw. Although Shen Qingqiu himself is gradually blending in, accepting his new life in the ancient cultivation world and no longer seeing the other characters as mere "fictional characters", because his mindset is that of a modern man, I find it difficult for myself as the reader to perceive the world of SVSSS as an actual, stand-alone world. Until the very last page of the story, I still feel like I'm looking at a fictional world, feeling detached to the universe and characters because I'm not "living" in it.

Another aspect that I think could've been improved is the romance development between Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. I have full confidence that post-story Shen Qingqiu loves Luo Binghe with all his heart, but I seriously have no idea when and how he reached that point.

In the first half of the story, upon having accepted his new life as Shen Qingqiu, his feeling towards Luo Binghe is more like fondness and endearment. Perhaps he does like the character Luo Binghe, and considering that he, along with the rest of the web novel's readers, hated the original Shen Qingqiu to the core, of course he wants to treat Luo Binghe and the other characters better (otherwise, how could he save himself from that nightmarish fate as a human stick).

Later on, he learns of his mistake, how he could've made better decisions, and tried to understand Luo Binghe better, redeeming himself. Perhaps his love towards Luo Binghe began to grow along this path, but I honestly don't see it being told to me, as the reader. All of a sudden he is willing enough to "offer" himself to calm the maddened Luo Binghe. He's been proclaiming himself as a straight man all this time and never once did I see him agreeing with himself that he is going to accept his feelings for Luo Binghe. When I read this later part, I feel like I've just jumped over a huge chunk of development. Because up until that point, Shen Qingqiu still only gives me the feeling of a teacher who adores and cares for a special disciple of his.

All in all, if I were to summarized the plot, I think SVSSS is an interesting, curious story. The fact that Shen Qingqiu was tasked to fix the original novel's flaws makes me want to continue reading for as long as I can. What change is he going to make? What effect will be caused and what chain of events will follow? Furthermore, if you're looking for comedy, then you've come to the right place. With an internet-literate modern man experiencing living in an ancient, fantasy novel, Shen Qingqiu's reactions will never be boring to see. Even the banters and exchanges between characters are so realistic to the point that it is almost possible to imagine them visually.

Also, BingQiu is cute, I take no criticism.

CHARACTERS: 6/10

The distribution of that overall score of "6" is actually as follows:

3 --> Shen Qingqiu

1 --> Shen Jiu

1 --> Luo Binghe + Yue Qingyuan

0.5 --> Liu Qingge

0.5 --> Everybody else

Notice that in the previous section, I barely talk about any other character than Shen Qingqiu? It's not just because he is the main character, but because the other characters are seriously that un-interesting. In fact, I regret to say that personally, I think the characters are this novel's weakest point.

Or to be more precise, the characters' depth.

Shen Qingqiu by himself is a great character. He is calm, logical, knows when and where to put his "omniscient reader" knowledge to good use. He is effortlessly hilarious even if he himself doesn't realize it, but at the same time, despite the mountain of curses he often uses, he is still a good person at heart. I think he is the sole reason that the story could remain interesting until the very end.

But sometimes he is a bit too ideal, almost always having the correct solution and/or countermeasure to every situation even if the plot has changed massively from the original web novel that he knows. Especially when it turns out that he has discovered a way to revive himself after self-destructing at Huayue City, it makes his initially heartbreaking sacrifice less......touching. Because it feels as if he's been scheming this to be freed from the current ordeal, maybe to escape the system, as well.

Furthermore, no matter how much of an expert he was of the "Proud Immortal Demon Way" universe, he still just passed away and was transmigrated into a foreign world. Although the system initially banned him from being OOC, other than some panicky internal monologue, there was almost no trace of him looking distraught when being faced with the unthinkable situation.

Plus, Shen Yuan was different from Airplane Shooting towards the Sky who, even if he were to return to his original world, would have nobody waiting for him. The description of his family was pretty clear. Not only he comes from a well-off household, his family seems to be quite a happy and harmonious one (especially how he used to dote on his younger sister). How come there is not one single moment when he thinks about the family he has left behind and simply carries on with his new life as if nothing happened?

Now Luo Binghe, the second main lead and the one paired with Shen Qingqiu.

Before he fell into the Eternal Abyss, his character actually seems pretty solid. But post-darkening, I don't know why I can't get a good grasp of his character.

The "clingy, crybaby boyfriend" aspect is pretty clear, no complaint there (although the moments of his crying feels too comical for me). Other than that, I don't really feel the "powerful Demon Lord" vibe from him.

Yes, there are descriptions of how powerful he is, how frightening he can be. But it's just not solid enough for me. I understand that he is supposed to be a character with unstable mental, but there are simply not enough part where he is shown to be a proper, powerful Demon Lord because he keeps breaking down each and every single time. The "glass heart maiden" aspect isn't bad, but when it's used in an overly comical way, the character simply loses the charm he's supposed to have.

Even Yue Qingyuan, who's only a minor character, had such a strong charm that slaps you with the biggest plot twist in the whole story when it was revealed (to us, the readers) who he actually is.

Ironically, the original Luo Binghe (Bing-ge) was able to present the character's true image and complexity even if he only appear in less than 10% of the entire story.

And even more ironically, the original Shen Qingqiu a.k.a. Shen Jiu, is probably the most complex character to have ever existed in there (and he only appears in, what, a couple of extra chapters).

(You know what? If MXTX just goes with the original Luo Binghe x Shen Qingqiu, including all of their complexity, I think the development, conflict, and resolution could've been more deep and complex - but yeah, it ain't gonna be "Scum Villain's Self Saving System)

Liu Qingge is okay and actually quite lovable. It's just that I feel it's too easy for him to appear anytime, anywhere there is a problem, as if he's some easy way out.

Other than those I've mentioned above, I literally don't have anything to comment on the other characters because... I don't even know if there's anything to comment. They really come and go just like that and leave no big impression on me.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS: 6/10

This here is basically just some technical things that were a bit unfortunate, because if only they were improved, the story could've been better.

1. The story is clearly written from Shen Qingqiu's point of view, but it will suddenly switch to Luo Binghe's inner thoughts every now and then, making it inconsistent.

2. Description of time and environment. Sometimes it's really difficult to tell in what kind of place the scene is happening, whether it was day or night, whether the characters still remain in the same place or have move elsewhere. Transition when switching locations is also not described enough.

3. As much as I love the story, I feel like it's progressing too fast without any significant crisis. It just ends like that with no massive ordeal or mystery to be solved. I think this is related to Shen Qingqiu's "omniscient reader" point of view because it makes me feel like "hmm yeah, it's just another part of the story, they're going to go through this just fine"

Still, I understand that this is MXTX's first novel. In fact, most of the aforementioned issues (including the characters) have undergone immense improvement in her second novel (MDZS), so I don't think I have anything to worry about.

OVERALL SCORE: 6.3/10

It's worth to read, really. If you just want to enjoy a cool, funny, and cute "isekai" story, I can definitely recommend this. But don't expect some deep philosophical shit, because half of this novel is made of shitpost (I shit you not).

Moral of the story though?

See how market demand kills content creators' freedom and creativity.

Airplane Shooting towards the Sky, the author of the controversial stallion "Proud Immortal Demon Way" literally told Shen Qingqiu at the final chapter of the main story:

He's actually written deep, aesthetic stories before, but they were all unpopular. Only when he wrote this harem novel full of fan-service - disregarding plot depth, plot holes, cheap characterizations - did he finally gain popularity and was able to obtain sufficient income to feed himself.

He was grateful to Shen Qingqiu for "messing" up the plot of his novel, changing it into how it is now, because it allows everything he originally wanted to write - but couldn't - to come true.

In previous chapters, he also said that he actually wanted to make the original Shen Qingqiu into a three-dimensional, more complex characters, but the netizens didn't appreciate it and were complaining instead. Hence he was forced to make the original Shen Qingqiu into a plain old scum villain with no redeeming quality at all - even though in his original script, this character has a complex background that causes his current known personality.

Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua might be talking about it in their usual, funny bantering, but who dares to say that this isn't an issue being faced by almost all content creators in the whole world?

How many content creators have been forced to sacrifice the creativity value and quality of their work in order to satisfy the taste of majority?

How many content creators have been made to revise their works by editors in order to fit into a certain agenda or market trend?

Unless you're a massively popular creator or a powerful individual, chances are you will never have the chance to create a content you truly want to make for a living.

In any case, there may be other authors who are better than MXTX in this world, but I love her works because despite the fictional content, the comedy, the silliness, etc, there are still at least one aspect that reflects the situation of the real, current world, and when you realize it, the realization can be quite a slap to the face like "hey, wait a minute, she's right you know?" See less

#Scum Villains Self Saving System #SVSSS #BingQiu #Shen Qingqiu #Luo Binghe #Review #Danmei #Mo Xiang Tong Xiu #MXTX

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tossawary · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 27: “The First Day” of “pride is not the word I’m looking for” quotes and commentary. Not a full list of favorite quotes or full commentary.

Right now, deep into the safety of darkness, Shang Qinghua thinks about how he never actually expected to be lying in his bed with Mobei-Jun. No, there’s a reason his sofa is comfortable enough to sleep on! That was by design too! Sure, Shang Qinghua had lots and lots of bed-related fantasies, but he had no expectations of those fantasies ever coming true. He didn’t dare to have expectations.

It’s kind of weird, lying in bed with Mobei-Jun. It’s definitely weird lying in his bed partially on top of Mobei-Jun. With the way things were headed, Shang Qinghua was admittedly fostering some hopes about those bed-related fantasies, but he still didn’t think to mentally prepare himself for the practical details. He really wasn’t mentally prepared for the softness of Mobei-Jun’s hair, for the thickness and the weight of the man’s arms, or for the coolness of his skin against the warmth of the blankets.

Fuck, now there is no way that Shang Qinghua is going to be able to see Mobei-Jun with a plunging neckline without thinking about touching the man’s bare chest. It’s a nice chest! It feels great underneath Shang Qinghua’s hands now.

He can feel a steady heartbeat beneath his fingers.

He can feel the gentle rise and fall of it with the man’s slow breaths, as the man’s eyes have fallen comfortably closed.

Shang Qinghua has never seen Mobei-Jun this relaxed.

AN: Moshang in bed together is very good. I loved writing Moshang cuddles. I think it’s really nice when they’re allowed to be soft and relaxed, and everything is understood between them. Mobei-Jun at this point has learned to treat Shang Qinghua like a particularly anxious cat sometimes - if he just stays still and relaxed, eventually Shang Qinghua will calm down and chill with him.

Shout out to Mobei-Jun and all those years he spent trying to get some hint as to how human social everything worked, only to get nearly no help from Shang Qinghua. In this fic, part of the idea is that Shang Qinghua has been a slightly better communicator. Mobei-Jun can be a good listener when he doesn’t feel hideously embarrassed over his fuck-ups.

“I had made plans to speak with you at some point about… this,” Mobei-Jun agrees. “But that was not why I had come to see you that day.”

“Ah, what… what was it, then?”

Mobei-Jun sighs. “I had come from a gathering of demon lords, hosted by my father at their request. They have loosely agreed to each contribute to an attack on the next conference of human cultivators,” he explains, apparently annoyed at just having to recollect this event. “My uncle encourages my father to force my involvement. He must have trouble planned… or see an opportunity for it.”

Shang Qinghua processes this, then sits bolt upright in bed. “What?!”

Mobei-Jun frowns up at him.

“There’s a demonic alliance to attack the next Immortal Alliance Conference?!” Shang Qinghua demands, leaning over the demon lord beside him.

“Yes.”

“And you waited to tell me this?!”

“There are years left before this event,” Mobei-Jun points out.

Shang Qinghua stares at him.

Sure! But he feels like he should start planning now! He already knew that there was going to be a demon attack of some kind - the seal on Luo Binghe’s powers has to be broken - but demon lords getting involved is bad news! Multiple demon lords who are important enough to be socializing with Mobei-Jun’s father is worse news! Demon lords potentially including Mobei-Jun’s shitty father and shitty uncle is the worst news of all!

“You should warn your people,” Mobei-Jun says, dryly.

AN: Mobei-Jun doesn’t care about the sects, but he cares that Shang Qinghua cares. Mobei-Jun and Shang Qinghua really are villainous in SVSSS. Shang Qinghua just so happens to sometimes be on the protagonist’s (Shen Yuan’s) side and Shen Yuan has romanced a budding tyrant who has MBJ as a loyal minion. But, oof, I didn’t want to go that route with this fic.

I mean, I considered it! I considered having Shang Qinghua be forced to bring a demon invasion down on the sect he’s come to care about and his own nephew, but that felt a little too angsty for me. It totally could have been good, I was just like, “I can’t handle that.” Plus, with the world update, it felt fitting to jazz things up a little bit - to up the ante by inviting more demon lords and also have a little role reversal by letting Mobei-Jun be the spy. This way, I think, it really feels like Mobei-Jun is on Shang Qinghua’s side.

Shang Qinghua isn’t on the demons’ side. Mobei-Jun isn’t really on the humans’ side. But they are on each other’s side. They’re a team!

Again, what’s more romantic than your demon boyfriend actually doing the work of growth on his own? Moshang can be a little rough and with a lot of sharp edges (on both sides, they’re both kind of mean people) sometimes, so it’s sometimes nice to remember that they can support each other too.

Also, I’ve always been kind of curious about what Mobei-Jun’s family thinks of his relationship with a human. Mobei-Jun’s father is still alive throughout SVSSS, so it’s fun to think about ice demon politics, power and influence and loyalty in that court, and whether that factored at all into Mobei-Jun’s extremely slow-moving courting timeline of a human.

The person at the door knocks a third time, and Shang Qinghua feels the person beside him stir. He can feel a not insignificant amount of weight shifting, a low and unhappy grumble, and cool skin brushing against his own as that person makes to get up. Possibly to handle the person at the door? Shang Qinghua here abruptly remembers many important details about his current situation that make the sect potentially being on fire seem like a not-so-bad emergency.

“Demon invasion,” Shang Qinghua finds himself thinking. “Mobei-Jun. Fuck.”

“No, no, no! Don’t get up! I’ll get it!” Shang Qinghua cries, throwing off tangled blankets and flying out of bed. “I’ll handle it, my king! Sorry! Ahhh, sorry! I’ll take care of it, you can just stay where you are-”

Shang Qinghua, now on his feet, pushes firmly down against Mobei-Jun’s chest. He’s not expecting the man - a very, very strong and very, very stubborn demon lord - to go back down under his hand without any resistance at all. This easy obedience, this willingly being pushed down, leads to a surprised Shang Qinghua overbalancing and catching himself hard on Mobei-Jun’s chest and shoulders.

As though Shang Qinghua is actually pinning the man down.

Mobei-Jun stares up at him, eyes low-lidded, and raises his eyebrows.

Ah.

Wow.

Shang Qinghua is going to… well, he’s going to think about this for the rest of his life, probably.

AN: Mobei-Jun is so self-conscious in SVSSS that it’s kind of hilarious. So it’s fun to let him be a little more confident (rather than arrogant and lashing out defensively). Mobei-Jun probably thought to himself here, “You know what’ll be funny here? If I just go down now.” I feel it in my heart that Mobei-Jun is a teaser, especially when he’s relaxed and happy.

Shang Qinghua takes the time to fix up his appearance a little more - to get rid of the “I slept with a demon” smell - because if the asshole at his door has kept it up this long, they can wait a little longer. It turns out that he didn’t really need to bother, because it’s his fellow transmigrator and most dogged critic, Peerless Cucumber.

“Bro,” Shang Qinghua says seriously. “Do you have a deathwish?”

Peerless Cucumber - Shen Yuan, Shang Qinghua has to remember to call the kid by his real name - lowers his hand with a scowl. “...One of your disciples told me to knock on your door and keep knocking until you answered,” the other transmigrator says defensively. “After I said you said to meet you in the morning.”

“...Which one?”

“Wen Shufen, I think?”

“Ah, just for that prank, Sticky Fingers is going to be hauling fertilizer for Long Sheng Peak for a month,” Shang Qinghua says tiredly. “Bro, do not believe half the things your martial siblings here tell you. They’re pretty much all liars, cheats, and thieves.”

“Then why keep them around?”

“Ah, well, sometimes you need someone to lie, cheat, or steal.”

“...It’s nearly not morning anymore, you know.”

“Eh, I guess you get a pass this time, since I did tell you we’d have a nice long talk about things tomorrow morning. Come on in.”

AN: I don’t know if this vibe is coming across, but Shen Yuan feels a little ignored and neglected. They just got back from a mission and Shen Yuan has already been shooed off like twice. Shang Qinghua is so busy. Shang Qinghua is so experienced and so established here. Shen Yuan has latched onto SQH as his lifeline, though he’s trying very, very hard to be independent, and yet Shang Qinghua kind of has SY on the back burner most of the time.

Not only is Shang Qinghua the author of this world, but he’s also an important figure in this world. Shang Qinghua really lives here and if the plot wasn’t looming over them, SQH would be very happy here. This place feels 100% like Shang Qinghua’s | Airplane’s world and brand new transmigrator Shen Yuan feels like an unwanted intruder. SY is still lonely and scared.

“...Are you going to try to activate it now?” Shen Yuan asks.

“Hmmm… no, not right now,” Shang Qinghua decides, standing up off the dusty stool he was sitting on. “Cucumber, bro, I’m just not awake enough for tackling anything serious right now. Let me get a few texts and tools together first to test this thing properly, alright? Some safety equipment! Aprons and face shields! Thick, fireproof gloves! I’m still trying to figure out how to safely ask Duan Tianyu what he knows about this map the System apparently made him send me, when he might not even know what the fuck I’m talking about! Maybe he can give us some hints.”

“Who?”

“One of my Huan Hua not-disciples,” Shang Qinghua answers. “I picked up some extras a few deadly missions back. They’re good kids. All grown up now! Less naïve than they used to be! Duan Tianyu is teaching back at Huan Hua Palace now, so maybe I’ll have to be the one to wander over there on some pretense.”

Shen Yuan agrees that getting as much information as possible is probably the better course of action. Shang Qinghua ushers the kid out of his secret basement and his fellow transmigrator goes easily enough. Shang Qinghua complains about his shitty, no-good System on the way up for forcing them to do all the work by themselves.

“It must think everything is more ‘authentic’ if I don’t know what the fuck is going on,” Shang Qinghua suggests, removing his spiritual seal and causing the door to the secret basement to vanish. “Ah, I’ll admit that’s kind of cool to watch.”

AN: Throughout this conversation, SY is kind of reaching out, giving himself or Airplane excuses to let him stay. It’s not that he doesn’t want to cultivate, but SQH represents a sort of safety and familiarity SY doesn’t have right now.

In SVSSS, Airplane was always pretty direct with Shen Yuan, from what I remember, but he wasn’t necessarily open. He was direct about some potentially vulnerable or personal topics, like Luo Binghe’s insanity or his own general fear of his character’s planned death, but that’s not the same as actually being vulnerable. They snap at each other, they’re pretty direct about their personal goals, but they don’t actually get vulnerable with each other by confessing their personal fears and new relationship developments.

So I’ve tried to adopt that here, while making Shang Qinghua a little kinder and slightly more vulnerable, thanks to the efforts of Luo Jiahui. But Shang Qinghua still isn’t necessarily open here and neither is Shen Yuan. He’s just like, “Hey, it’s shit and I don’t like it either, but what can you do?” He’s not actually seriously talking about his breakdown or just how scared he is of his own plot.

For some people, there’s a certain kind of openness in confessing things to a stranger, so it’s kind of like that too. Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan have fallen into kind of familiar dynamics, because there’s nothing else to really do, and they are kind of acquaintances, but they’re still not friends yet.

I think I want to have SY and SQH actually address this soon. SY feels that SQH has been kind of dropping the ball when it comes to honestly helping his fellow transmigrator, though SY, being SY, can’t quite put his finger on the lack of emotional intimacy and affection that he’s starved for right now.

The day-in-day-out of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect can’t get him down today! He feels kind of like he’s walking on air! Sure, the work never stops and there are some fucking terrifying things ahead, but he just had a very successful mission overall! He just had a really, really successful conversation with Mobei-Jun! He and Mobei-Jun are romantically entwined and Mobei-Jun was very explicit about the fact that he expects them to be romantically entwined… pretty much indefinitely!

“There is no one else,” Mobei-Jun had said. “There will be no one else.”

Shang Qinghua fostered a lot of hopes over the years! More hopes than he felt that he should have reasonably fostered! And to have those hopes unexpectedly fulfilled like this is… really something! It’s really, really something! Mobei-Jun really isn’t the type of character to say that - to say any of the things he said, and wow, he said a lot of things back there - without meaning it completely.

Shang Qinghua doesn’t really know what to do with that.

Forever is a long time.

He understands, of course, that some things really do last an impossibly long time. He used to be pretty certain that all love matches faded eventually - that people were genuinely wildly in love… that people were sincerely in love with each other, sure… up until they inevitably weren’t anymore - but now he can’t really imagine Liu Qingge or Luo Jiahui ever getting tired of each other. Liu Qingge keeps bringing Luo Jiahui new recipes to try and rare ingredients to interest her, so she can make dishes for the two of them or her family as a whole, and Shang Qinghua can easily imagine the two of them doing that pretty much indefinitely.

Shang Qinghua can’t think about this for long, before he has to focus on greeting his disciples (it’s just Peng Hongpeng and Chen Xuan in here at the moment) and getting to work. “Good things last while they last!” he decides for now, because thinking about things not lasting kind of makes him feel like he’s dying.

AN: Shang Qinghua can’t quite bring himself to believe in a relationship lasting forever right now. Part of it is his commitment issues, but another part of it is his persisting inability to see past the looming plot. He’s still worried about Luo Binghe and the Eternal Abyss, so he’s having difficulty seeing past that hurdle, even though things like Luo Jiahui’s marriage and his new relationship with Mobei-Jun are forcing him to confront the fact that there’s still a life outside of and beyond the plot.

For Shang Qinghua, it’s kind of a “I’ll think about that later if we all survive” thing when it comes to him and Mobei-Jun.

“He made a mistake with good intentions and got a small injury for it,” Shang Qinghua says, as reassuringly as he can. “He’s fine! He’s in trouble with his shizun for it, though, but I’ll see what I can do about bringing you up to meet him or bringing him down here as soon as possible. I’ll do my best to make it happen!”

Luo Jiahui leans into Shang Qinghua’s side and admits, “I miss him.”

“He misses you.”

“I miss you too,” Luo Jiahui adds.

“...Ah, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” his sister-in-law says warmly. “I’d miss you even if you visited every day.”

Shang Qinghua is holding her hands, but it feels like she’s got an extra one wrapped around his heart. “Where’s that husband of yours? Doesn’t he come down the mountain every day? Should I be telling him off? Sorry I ran off with him for a little bit!”

“What does Qingge have to do with you and me?” Luo Jiahui demands. “It doesn’t matter how often I see everyone else, I still miss you and Binghe the most.”

“Hm, that’s a point! That’s a point.”

What else can Shang Qinghua do but admit that he misses her the most too?

AN: It was fun to follow up Shang Qinghua’s romantic developments with a return to his most important and longest relationship: the one he has with his “fake” sister. Luo Jiahui is and always will be important to Shang Qinghua and who he’s become. They have such a lovely relaxed feeling that’s nice to revisit. I’ve missed Luo Jiahui these past few chapters, as things get twisted up more and more in sect business.

It would feel dishonest to the rest of the fic if Shang Qinghua’s other relationships disappeared in favor of his new romantic relationship. They all have their own importance. Mobei-Jun and Liu Qingge don’t make Shang Qinghua and Luo Jiahui any less important to each other.

I am looking forward to making Mobei-Jun and Luo Jiahui meet again, and tackling some of Mobei-Jun’s thoughts on Shang Qinghua’s relationship with his family. Mobei-Jun has a really shitty family, so it’s interesting thinking about what family means to him and how loyalty/love plays into it.

While he's busy plotting around the plot, there’s a hum of power behind him, the cool whoosh and crackle of a portal opening, the faint hair-rising warning of demonic energy. Shang Qinghua finishes tapping at his own face in thought, looks up at the looming shadow standing behind him, and smiles. He kind of feels like he should run away, but it's too late for that now. He held on long enough that he made it too late for himself.

“Hello,” he says.

AN: I took this almost exactly from the first chapter of Part 3 of this fic. I can’t remember the chapter number, but it was the one titled “The Inevitable Plot”.

Parts 3 and 4 of this fic blend together a little. Part 3 of this fic kind of ends here, but I have a couple more chapters that I want to tackle before I feel that I can say we’re for sure in Part 4? I have some things I want to accomplish before we go into a slight time skip towards the Immortal Alliance Conference.

#tossawary commentary #tossawary svsss #pride is not the word

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natsunoomoi · 4 years ago

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So a BL Chinese novel?

So I started watching and reading Scumbag System or Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System in the last day because I saw a really adorable nendo of Shen Qingqiu and was like, “OMG What is this cute little thing and why is it freaking out at a screen?” Found the first ep of the series on Youtube on the WeTV channel and got hooked. Googled for the original novel, and I’m I think like 15 chapters in. It’s SO GOOD though.

I was really surprised and intrigued about the premise because I got into reading some Chinese novels lately, but of the romance fare, but the intro and like the frustration Shen Yuan has over some of the writing even though I’m not reading a stallion novel (cuz that doesn’t appeal to me) I just related to because I feel that frustration for some of the developments that happen in the romance novels I was reading.

Like a bit of a tangent, but Thorny First Marriage turned into a shit show the last few chapters where the main character suddenly got really stupid and like threw what she had out the window and basically lost everything, and then it hasn’t had new chapters added to it in weeks even though it still says “To be continued”. It’s just so frustratingly dissatisfying right now and I don’t know how they’ll write themselves out of the hole they made and I’m not really that interested. The Bossy Ghost Husband one got better-ish, but the main character is still stupid and I like predict plot points several chapters before she even thinks of it and it’s painfully slow on the MC realizing it.

But that tangent just to say, I understand the MC of SVSSS’s frustration. I think his is worse because that “original work” he talks about sounds like a huge frickin’ shit show, but the story of him trying to fix it is so good because I can relate to being frustrated with character’s shitty decisions that don’t make sense.

Also, Shen Qingqiu is kind of cute.... Like I dunno, why but I have an odd weakness for his look in general for some reason that probably dates back to old movies I used to watch with my Dad when I was growing up. Kind of saddening that the premise of him is that he originally was a huge asshole with a pretty outside but awful, pretentious inside.

But then this is also apparently a BL novel? Like I’m early into the novel and it reads like a totally normal story, which is great for me since I’m ace and I kind of don’t really like so much how Japanese BL manga tends to shove the sexual stuff down your throat almost immediately a lot of the time. Every time I’ve ever seen it, but I don’t dabble in BL often and I have a small sample set so I’m giving the benefit of the doubt that there’s probably a few out there that have a slow burn too and actually develop the relationship, which is so nice.

Like I’m not normally into BL at all, just because of the overt sexualization kind of makes it more similar to trash smut than a good story, and I’d rather read a good story that happens to also be BL. It seems few and far between. Recently I took a bit of an interest in Titan’s Bride because I thought the premise was interesting, but even checking that out the MC in the manga gets pantsed in the first chapter just to highlight how he has a huge dick and he jacks off when he gets transported into the other world. Like apparently the two characters gradually get to know each other and all, but they like jumped into the sex part like immediately. The story is still better than most fare to an extent, but I mean, do you need to jump into it that quickly? Not to mention in a way that’s like not exactly consensual?

So given that, I’m finding SVSSS to just be way more delightful and the starting premise where the MC has to try to change the hero’s opinion of him so that he doesn’t die being the impetus for their relationship developing is just so fascinating and also sweet. You can like literally see the little things that Binghe notices as their closeness starts to develop, and it doesn’t really seem like there’s going to be anything that starts out non-consensual.

I have a lot of questions though. It’s probably because I’m Asian but grew up in the West. Like in some ways it’s really nice that Asian cultures are more open and accepting of representation of same sex relationships in media and literature, but for Japanese BL it is a bit disturbing that it’s so hyper sexualized cuz homosexuality is just about love. Like there’s a hint of deviance in it and that’s saddening. I know Japanese BL has a specific social purpose too for it being a representation of equal relationship fantasy rather than being faithful literature representing same sex relationships, but it comes on SO STRONG that I’ve always been really concerned about the messaging and kind of uncomfortable with things like Yaoi con and stuff just because it’s like the glorification of something that objectifies same sex relationships more as a commodity than a representation of love and a caring relationship between two people who happen to have the same sex. Still, I remember in my studies that homophobia is more of a Western idea since Confucianism back in the day technically glorified homosexual relationships in some ways and the modern condemnation is more of an import idea reflecting Western Judeo-Christian ideals. In that respect the contrast on a society level and how we got to the situation we have now in modern times is interesting and baffling when you see prominent politicians in like Japan condemn it. But I mean, also from living in Japan it’s kind of interesting in that before arriving I was told many things about how Japan is more sexist, but like in Asian countries in general including Japan girls can cut their hair into cute bobs and no men in their alives are entitled enough to publicly object to it because they are less sexualized with shorter hair. That happening back home was appalling to me because why are you even looking at young girls like that in the first place? It’s nice to be in an area where no one gives a shit about that.

I dunno if it just happened to be coincidence in some of the media I saw, but I saw some people even visit a restaurant in China owned by a couple and like, it seems even a bit more normalized? I usually don’t keep up on modern day Chinese social issues so I don’t really know how it’s thought of there, but it kind of seems like it’s a bit more normalized, which is nice.

But then that also leaves me to the questions I have about SVSSS. Like I love the development of the relationship, but also I’m a bit confused about what the bigger meaning would be of the hero in the supposed original story having a harem solely of women, but with a few story changes starts a relationship with Shen Qingqiu? Like just in principle. I suppose he could be bi, but then wouldn’t his original self have had some men in his harem? I mean, the story is being rewritten so I suppose you could argue that there’s room for him discovering his fluidity or even turning out pan or something, but it seems just a bit different from the idea that you are born with a sexuality. We don’t really know what the original contents of the “original work” were though exactly. We just get snippets than Shen Yuan tells us about and of course it’s a ridiculous stallion novel as well, but I mean, I kind of feel like the ultimate kind would be that he’s such a stallion that even men admire him too? Instead it seems like the lousy original work was too hyper masculine so I suppose you could argue the original shit author was just not good enough to consider even the complexity of sexuality in his characters and that’s why he focused on the other males only being jealous, but still it kind of strikes me as a little uncomfortable to imply that anyone could “change” in the right circumstances instead of just being born that way.

That’s pretty much my only real concern as I embark on reading this story though. Everything else is much improved from my other experiences with BL. I guess the student teacher thing is also a little worrying because of age difference and power dynamics, but also the situation isn’t exactly that either cuz of the reality of the series being someone rewriting the story, but yeah.

The animated series sometimes has a bit of uncanny valley with some of the movements and the fact that the characters are more like 3D versions of a Chinese painting rather than more photorealistic, but it’s beautiful. The parts that it did in 2D animation though were a bit more comfortable with the no uncanny valley triggering.

Anyway, this is basically what’s been on my mind regarding this in the last day. It’s literally been a day since I started this journey and these are my first impressions.

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grandmasterofwangxiancultivation · 6 years ago

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SV ch.49

not even new years eve’s preparations can stop me from reading this. and it begins with women bickering and lowkey fighting over lbh! ptf- ladies, he is gay for sqq. end of the story :3

EDIT: sqq analysis of the female characters is GOLD, like a true reader!

Looking at it from this perspective, Luo Binghe really… is doing quite miserably!

Dignified Stallion novel male protagonist, are you still okay in that department?

SQQ MAKING ME LAUGH IS THE BEST LAST GIFT OF 2018 THANK YOU. why do you think that’s the case, babe? lbh is waiting for someone special GUESS WHO. GUESS.

omg is someone going to tell him how gay lbh is for him? he even KEPT HIS CORPSE FORGODSAKE-

EDIT 2:

Could it be that the male protagonist’s coolness level was now no longer tied to him? Or in other words, was the male protagonist’s “coolness” no longer here?

(THEY ARE TIED TO YOUR A- uhm.)

This… Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but look up at the gloomy Luo Binghe, and suddenly felt like he couldn’t stare straight.

(he can’t stare straight a.k.a. how sqq became gay)

Oh no, could it be that he has committed a sin by raising a perfectly good Stallion novel protagonist… into an asexual?!

*chokes*

EDIT 3:

He had clearly just been curiously onlooking in the Huan Hua Palace. How did he unknowingly walk into a bamboo forest? And no matter how he looked at it, it was a quite familiar bamboo forest….

(...WHAT THE hell? why is he in a forest, i’m confused-)

Cang Qiong Mountain, Qing Jing Peak.

(b u t- did he teleport himself there or something? WHAT IS HE DOING THERE, WHAT’S HAPPENING, EXPLAIN-)

EDIT 4:

System: [Your current location: Luo Binghe’s dreamscape.]

When Luo Binghe’s consciousness was unstable and wildly fluctuating, bystanders would often be affected. They would be sucked into this dreamscape as immense as a deep-sea whirlpool. In other words, they would get screwed by falling into his immeasurably vast “brain hole.” See the beginning of the original Dream Demon encounter transcript for details.

omg OMG LBH’S DREAMSCAPE I KNOW WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN, I THINK I KNOW, I THINK I READ IT SOMEWHERE OMG ARE THEY REALLY GONNA KISS? i don’t rembember where, but i saw a fan art with the two of them- OKAY BETTER KEEP READING

EDIT 5:

Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but lament: It’s been a long time since he last saw such a little fresh sunshine youth Luo Binghe.

(aaaaaah teenage lbh gives me life alkfdpokajefpioeq but why do i feel like that’s a trick?)

As he strode over, Luo Binghe called out in high spirits: “Shizun!”

Shen Qingqiu was hidden in the dark, so this was naturally not directed at him. He turned his gaze and indeed saw someone wearing a green robe standing at the end of the stone-paved road.

(OMG I’M SHIVERING, sqq watching himself an lbh together, pls, gayness, pls can you SPARK RIGHT NOW-)

Luo Binghe obediently tried again. As a result, this time Luo Binghe did not ram into him. Instead, with a slip of his feet, he directly hugged Shen Qingqiu’s waist.

(such a clever little shit, look how cute he is hugging his beloved shizun :3)

EDIT 6:

In the dreamscape enchantment that Luo Binghe created for himself, he would certainly only choose memories he felt were the most beautiful. If the memories of Qing Jing Peak could occupy a place here, they should be related to Ning Yingying. Why would there be this section?

(I- *sighs and throws her arms in the air* I give uP, I GIVE UP HOW CAN HE E THIS OBLIVIOUS? THE ANSWER IS IN THE QUESTION!!!! if the memories he feels are the most beautiful are those with you, wHAT DO YOU THINK THAT M E A N S-)

Thinking like this seemed a little vain, but…… probably… perhaps… just maybe… this section of master-disciple affection was placed a bit higher in Luo Binghe’s heart than Shen Qingqiu had imagined?

(COME ON SHIZUN, COME ON, YOU CAN DO IT! THAT’S THE RIGHT DIRECTION!)

EDIT 7:

Suddenly, a thread of chilly air crept up Shen Qingqiu’s neck, as if there was a both cold and hot line of sight climbing up along his spine.

(SHIT HE IS HERE. HE IS HERE.)

Shen Qingqiu’s first reaction wasn’t to take to his heels and start sprinting for it, but to stay in place and adjust his facial expression to his most natural.

(i love that he doesn’t really fear him. i love this, so much words can’t even begin to convey it. PLS LET LBH KNOW IT’S YOU. PLEASE)

EDIT 8:

Shen Qingqiu braced himself and met his gaze.

After a long while, it was Luo Binghe who first sighed.

He murmured: “Being able to dream… is still nice.”

(OKAY WHAT DOES IT MEAN, LBH THINKS THAT SQQ IS PART OF THE DREAM? WHAT. BIG, POWERFUL DREAM LORD, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THAT’S THE REAL THING!! ODIJGOEIJGFIER THESE TWO WILL BREAK ME-

also, lbh pls don’t be so sad and anguished, or else i’ll feel like dying-)

Seeing him leaning against the bamboo and staring blankly, Shen Qingqiu remembered his dazed appearance on the head seat during the day, all alone. Then upon comparing this version of him with the impressive commanding splendor of the original work, Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but feel a little sad.

(omg my heart, mY HEART. PLS SHIZUN. YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN GIVE HIM HAPPINESS.)

EDIT 9:

Luo Binghe said: “I wonder if Shizun could have a word with me.”

Shen Qingqiu’s heart was currently filled with sympathy for Luo Binghe, so he pleasantly and amiably replied: “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

He didn’t expect that after he spoke up, Luo Binghe instead froze. He instantly stood up straight and left the bamboo, a trace of disbelief showing on his face.

Oops. Shen Qingqiu thought: Does he think this reaction isn’t right?

(ANXIETY

sqq stop talking bullshit, what you are feeling is called love, not sympathy-)

After remaining silent for a while, Luo Binghe spoke up: “In the past, Shizun never even bothered to look at me, just walked off on his own, don’t even mention talking with me. Perhaps my imagination today is a little too beautiful.”

Shen Qingqiu’s heart stirred.

(OMG I FEEL LIKE CRYING, HOW LONELY HAD MY BABY BEEN UNTIL NOW, THIS IS SO UNFAIR, PLS GIVE HIM HIS SHIZUN, BE HIS SHIZUN AGAIN SOHVCOIWJFIOW)

EDIT 10: sqq patting lbh’s head gives me the same chills that wwx’s calling lwj “er gege” gives me.

He had barely patted twice when all of a sudden, Luo Binghe raised his arm, his left hand gripping Shen Qingqiu’s left wrist.

Shen Qingqiu’s expression solidified as he thought: Isn’t this a bit too close?

(AND IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING IS HAPPENING OMG)

Immediately afterward, his right wrist was also firmly grasped. Suddenly looking up, Shen Qingqiu felt his vision blur.

As if gently touched by feathers, his cheeks were swept. A strange sensation came from his lips, both soft and slightly cool.

His eyes opened wide, meeting Luo Binghe’s dark pupils. His throat bobbed with difficulty.

He wanted to speak but had no way to open his mouth. Because his mouth was bitten.

(omg OMG YES-)

EDIT 11: LSKFNPISJOPKDGPOKSROPGKWRO

EDIT 12:

What ultimately breached his state of complete breakdown was a system reminder accompanied by its own celebratory BGM: [Coolness Points +500! Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Important things must be said three times! ]

THE SYSTEM GIVING HIM COOL POINTS FOR BEING GAY IS LIFE

Shen Qingqiu: “What. The. F***——————?!?!”

He finally understood why Luo Binghe had not pushed down a single girl to the point where not a single shadow of the 3000 harem beauties had been seen, yet the coolness points had never decreased.

Because he had used Shen Qingqiu to make up for the coolness points aaaaaaahhhhh!!!

FINALLY. FINALLY GUYS, FINALLY, I CAN’T BELIEVE I FINALLY UNDERSTOOD!!! WHAT A BEATIFUL WAY TO END THE YEAR, THANK YOU SO MCH MXTX!!!

SQQ DON’T BE AN IDIOT ABOUT IT AND K I S S H I M B A C K omg i need ch.50 NOW

#sv #the scum villain’s self-saving system #scum villain #scum villain’s self saving system #sv novel #sv fangirling mode #sv ch.49

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