#mbj and sy: SHUT UP

[fanfictionroxs]

Nothing just give me Mobei-Jun and Shen Yuan fighting over who gets to be Shang Qinghua's sugar daddy. Shen Yuan does NOT trust that icicle to not take advantage of the hack author under the guise of being a sugar daddy (does sy even KNOW what a sugar daddy is? also the hack author would very much like to be taken advantage of.. please ravish him mobei, his balls are bluer than you are) while said icicle is turning into a puddle of seething vinegar. Also, Binghe is crying in the background for obvious reasons.

[coolshadowtwins]

The story starts with SQQ and LBH, post canon and extras, accidentally dimension hopping. I don’t care about the why, or the how. If I did, this would be a full fanfic instead of ramblings on here!

What other dimension do they land in? Why, PIDW of course. Specifically, the PIDW that they had already met. Bingge is just… standing there, in the throne room they landed in, because it turns out the two had gotten transported to his palace!

LBG: Uhg. You.

LBH jumps up, pulling his sword and getting between LBG and SQQ.

LBH: Did you bring us here?! To take my Shizun?!

SQQ: No one can just ‘have me’ because they kidnap me-

LBG: Of course not! I don’t need you anymore! I have my own nice Shizun now!

LBH is pretty sure that his Shizun here was dead. SQQ was completely sure that LBG’s Shizun here was dead, and that there was no way SJ was anyone’s ‘nice Shizun’.

And then! Walks out! Shen Yuan! Pre-transmigration- shorter, thin, glasses, with hair being grown out and fancy robes.

SY: Binghe? …two Binghes?! And- the scum villain?!?!

LBH: wha- don’t call my husband that!

LBG, smug: Don’t yell at my husband then.

SQQ is freaking out in the corner at seeing his old face.

Bingqiu is stuck there for like… a week or something. SQQ hates being around SY. LBH is a bitch to SY at first, for the snide comments he makes to SQQ, then he starts to see some… similarities between SY and SQQ.

And then he starts thinking about it. How LBG didn’t get a nice Shizun, because his Shizun didn’t change when he was 14, and there was seemingly no reason for the difference, and now here SY was, so similar to his husband and has LBG wrapped around his finger.

He doesn’t want any more miscommunication between him and SQQ, so he just goes up to him and asks him if SY was him.

SQQ isn’t alone. SY and LBG were there. LBG, of course, already knew that, but SY sure didn’t! Before SQQ could answer, SY says that he could never be LBH’s mean teacher! The scum villain!

SQQ, having enough of his younger self, then argues back that he has done the best he could! And he wasn’t that mean, after everything! So maybe you should just shut up, huh?!

Many way, SY and SQQ are now having a full blown argument. LBG and LBH are just watching, really not wanting to get between the two if it doesn’t devolve into silence.

And then LBH asks LBG, “What about Shang Qinghua?”

LBG: What about the traitor? He’s dead.

LBH: I think he’s like Shizun. And he’s married to MBJ so…

This ends with SQQ and LBH going home, and having a nice long talk. LBG and SY live happily ever after. And LBG brings Airplane over for MBJ, which I think is an hilarious concept that I will write about later.

[phoenixcatch7]

Every so often I drift back to the overlord anime but I can never stay for long because it's a good 70% smut with the succubus and 20% side character drama that never goes anywhere. It's a similar premise to svsss, in that a modern guy accidentally gets sucked into a fictional fantasy world he was obsessed with as the villain with a group of people and a place he rules over and wants to protect, and his paranoia/procrastination combo strategises his way to victory.

So of course I thought, 'let's get our dear old scum villain (affectionate) in here'.

Cuz i'mma be real sy would make an infinitely more interesting panicking lich king. Take off that emotion nullification, for starters.

A) pidw was a vr mmorpg with a vast, overarching storyline of the rising emperor lbh, whom players could battle or wed for rewards. A respawning final boss of such strength it took a world wide unified invasion of top players to fell. When sy gets pulled into pidw and all the npcs come to life, so too does lbh, who is very confused as to what happened but remembers sy as one of the players who fronted the invasion (having dug up every nugget of lore on lbh and using that vast knowledge in strategy) and carries an immense grudge that eventually turns into love as he gets to know sy. Sqh is there too, of course, the uncredited game dev who made lbh and his right hand man mbj, who's own base in the north got retaken when mbj also resurrected and is having his own worrisome love story.

B) sy and sqh are in the same guild, named cq, and the demons are sqhs overly detailed npc. Lbh works as the guardian overseer, aka the head npc, and as they wait for the game to shut down sy sneakily makes a joke in lbhs character sheet about him loving sy. They get sucked in, the characters come to life, and sy spends the time he isn't using panicking about the situation, five dimensional politicking, or protecting the base being in denial about the whole lbh thing (and his no homo) and feeling DEEPLY guilty (and hiding it from sqh). Lbh, of course, now having free will, thinks about it a bit and decides to fall madly in love with his kind, gentle, soft hearted lich king boss in spite of his loyalty to his creator. Sqh goes 'dude, wtf' and so goes a very long back and forth as sy tries and fails to come up with the right code of ethics to deal with this insane situation he inadvertently created, meanwhile lbh is strategising how one could feasibly get railed by a skeleton and being the Best Housewife Right Hand Man Ever. And get headpats in the process.

C) sy was part of the xianxia themed cq guild, and everyone (the peak lords) got sucked into either ygddrassil (overlord world) or pidw (svsss). Basically, all the peak lords are millennials old friends running around trying to deal with the consequences of their role play and finally getting to try out the fancy food and drink. I love this one because everyone would be really comfortable with each other, lots of slang and in jokes, a well oiled team stuck in a crazy situation together with ridiculously powerful characters each and every one, and you could have sj as a member! Sy could be the beast tamer peak lord. It'd be so interesting to see what they'd class and subclass as. Sy might still be a lich, but Yqy would be a really interesting choice! Him and sj would definitely still have history though... Hulijing, wood elf, bamboo spirit, human, who knows!

D) sy spent a few years as the lich king guild leader in ygddrassil (I'm definitely not spelling it right), bored by the lack of anything interesting, before the system intervened (maybe as a remnant of the original game interface?) and whisked him off to svsss. Post canon he gets either revealed as an imposter or there's some past life wife plot (some animal that was a boobacious beauty in its past life getting cursed to switch between them?) that turns sy into his old big bad lich overlord form, which is hilariously incongruent with his personality but utterly terrifying and anathema to the jianghu, but lbh is now having to crane his neck back and desperately trying to figure out how to get dommed. Everyone is fully convinced this is sy's og body, and not some modern human one they don't even get to see.

E) sy gets yoinked by system and when lbh (and maybe some others?) catch up a few years later he's in the skeleton body in ygddrassil dabbling in world domination and very eager to see them. The npcs get introduced and draw many incorrect conclusions.

[zykamiliah]

Cosplay day at Cang Qiong High host club Everyone wears traditional costumes and wigs. Sqh begs Mbj to participate

Mbj: "Why me."

Sqh: "I have the perfect costume for you!! Please try it, senpai!"

They're on the same year. Sqh just feels that calling him senpai is appropriate. Mbj is secretly pleased by this.

Mbj is wearing something different from the others, he's supposed to be some kind of Northern nobleman—

Mbj: "A king."

Sqh serves him tea. "Of course you can be a king, senpai."

Mbj: "and who are you?"

Sqh: "Me?"

Mbj: "You have to be someone."

Sqh: "Hmmm well… thinks for a bit I could be a subordinate from the East kingdom, working under Shen Yuan…"

Mbj looks displeased at this. Sqh is instantly fussing over him, attentively pushing his favorite snacks towards him.

"or, oh, maybe I am a subordinate from the East kingdom that's actually working as a spy from the Northern kingdom!"

SY from his table: "So you are a traitor? I thought we weren't doing anything with plot today."

Sqh: "Change of plans!! Anyway, senpai, in the end, I'd be your subordinate."

Mbj: "Your king."

Sqh: "Yes… My king."

Sqh swallows. They look at each other for half a minute. Mbj's eyes shine with a strange, heated fierceness.

Sqh: "S-so… My character would say something like 'My king, I will follow you for the rest of my life!'"

Mbj, nods, satisfied, and drinks tea: "Qinghua is mine."

Sqh: "…"

SY, who is not so discreetly eavesdropping: "…....."

The whole club, blatantly listening in, specifically the moshang fans: 👀👀👀👀👀

Mbj: "…That's what my character would say."

Sqh: "Ah… Of course, of course! Ehem. My king?"

Mbj: *nods* "Qinghua."

Sqh: "My king…"

Mbj: "Qinghua."

Sqh: "…My king???"

SY, already sick of them and this close to flip the table: "Shut up and drink your tea unless you want me to kill your traitorous character in this story."

--

@mitchievousness

@elf-kid2 tagging you bc you wanted more moshang!

[saysong91]

twitter fill prompts (5)

Moshang + Coming back together + sharing a bed (modern au)

SQH is fumming, a drink in hand and trying to get out of his expensive clothes.

He knew, from the moment SY gave him the invite, that HE would be there.

Of course he knew and still he decided to go.

Fuck it, he doesn't care about MBJ anymore!

Why would he?

It was MBJ who kissed him first.

It was MBJ who asked him to stay.

And it was MBJ who broke up with him, who suddenly decided he didn't love him anymore, who turned his life upside down once again.

Why would he care about him?

But he did, as he left his miserable job and finally started writing what he wanted, finally achieving what he dreamed of. Out of spite. A 'fuck you' to his ex boyfriend, to their decade-long relationship.

He accepted the invite to SY and Binghe's party, buying a beautiful and expensive cheongsam, knowing MBJ would be attending. He had no time to look for a plus one, but he had enough to look attractive. If MBJ dared to attend with anyone by his arm like he used to...

But he didn't.

Oh no.

MBJ dared to go, alone, in a three piece suit, no tie, open shirt and long dark hair falling graciously over his back.

Exactly how he knew SQH had loved.

And a teasing smile over his flute of champagne. Watching him in that way that used to give him shivers (that still makes him tremble).

The same way MBJ made him feel wanted, desirable, no matter if he wore an old hoodie or a gown. The same way MBJ ignited the fire growing between them before pining him to the nearest surface and making him giggle when his fingers accidentally tickled him.

It makes him furious!

Because how dare MBJ look at him like that?! Following him from room to room, in the gardens, being always near him. The scent of his lotion, the same SQH used to buy for him, following him all night. No matter if he wanted to flirt or talk or bask in the attention of

those who loved his work, MBJ was always within earshot.

Shutting up anyone who tried to talk (probably flirt) with him, saying he was only admiring as his eyes landed on his exposed back.

He had no right!

"Fuck!", he sits on the bed in one of the many guest rooms, frustrated. His hands tremble from rage and hurt and a lot of alcohol.

He hasn't seen MBJ in almost a year, and yet the man still holds his heart on his palm. A single look and he becomes a mess of feelings again.

He hates him!

"Fuck fuck fuck", he tries to unbutton the collar, feeling the anxiety coming. Why did he come here? He should've stayed away from this fucking city, from MBJ. He can't do this all over again.

The heartbreak that consumed him for months... A decade together, of love and passion and a lot of stupid fights, yes, but nothing serious enough to make him think that MBJ would just toss him away like he was nothing.

He can't unbutton his stupid dress, can't even get up to remove his make up, can't even find the energy to find SY and just beg for a lift to the nearest bus station.

Instead,SQH hides under the covers, hoping for his feelings to go away, for MBJ to leave the party early even if they are in the middle of nowhere.

He hears the door opening, softly. Unlike MBJ ever did, always giving him a heart attack when he came into his study.

Must be SY.

"What?"

He hates how his voice sounds, weak and hurt, a testament to the tears he keeps drying with the luxurious sheet.

"Qinghua", and his breathing stops.

Because why is MBJ inside the room?!

"Go", he can't bring himself to talk and show him how pathetic he is.

They broke up a little more than a year ago!

He left MBJ's apartment, his job, the city behind!

He should be okay by now! He thought he was until MBJ appeared at the party.

He isn't ok and he hates that MBJ knows.

"I've been wanting to talk with you," he comes closer, he can just feel his presence behind him, smell his lotion. It makes him weak, sadder.

"Why? What do you want? I left everything you gave me, we don't need to talk about anything anymore", he hides, closing any gap.

He left every gift MBJ gave him. Every photo, every memory together. By know, surely everything is nothing but trash.

"Qinghua"

"Stop saying my name", he hates it...because it reminds him of another time, of being loved and wanted.

"No. I need to.. I want to" MBJ sits.

He's so close, he can feel him through the sheets. His weight is familiar and a part of him wants to be buried under him again.

It's infuriating.

"No, you don't!", he sits, the covers falling at his side, nothing to hide the mascara falling down his cheeks. "Fuck off, MBJ"

He means it. And not.

MBJ stays anyway.

"Let me talk, Qinghua"

"You've said enough already. What else do you want?", he's trembling, looking at the man of his dreams, the one he loved (loves) and still crushed his heart. "Want me to beg for you and toss me away again?! You think you can just walk into my life like nothing happened and just.." just what? He doesn't know, doesn't care, and he needs to convince himself of that.

"Qinghua"

"Fuck you! You left me, you made me feel like shit and now you walk into my room?! Is this all I am to you?"

"No. Just listen to me!", MBJ's hands, despite his tone, are careful. He wipes away his tears, holds him close. He wants to move away, but it hurts. He knows it, always knew it, how weak he is for MBJ.

"I hate you"

"I know. I hate me too"

He scoffs, a smile spreading against his better judgement.

"Why?", he bats MBJ's hands away, breathing, trying to calm his weak heart.

"I let you go"

"You threw me away. I wasn't going anywhere", his chest feels heavy just remembering that day. When MBJ broke up their relationship like it had been nothing but a bussiness deal.

He was gone before MBJ came home the next day.

"I know. I'm sorry, Qinghua. I shouldn't..I didn't want to", he's never said so many words, it feels sincere but rehearsed.

"You wanted to. You've never done anything against your wishes, Mobei."

"My uncle was trying to kill you", and his world stops. What nonsense?

"Stop blaming your uncle for everything. Just leave me alone", he says, anger seeping through his bones again.

"Qinghua. Had you stayed with me, he would've killed you already. I couldn't protect you.."

It sounds stupid. An excuse.

But MBJ has never lied to him like this. And his scummy uncle is actually that awful.

"So you threw me away? Wow, thanks, my savior."

"Qinghua, what else was I supposed to do? Watch you die?!", and that's the MBJ he knows.

And loves.

"Yes! Watch me fucking die for being with you instead of killing me like this! You think you did me a favor?!" He can't help pushing MBJ out of the bed, angry for the same and different reasons. If this means this infuriating man still loves him...

"You think I want that? You think I'll risk your safety just so you stay with me?", MBJ leans in, closer, grabbing his wrists. "You think I could live with myself if you died like that?"

The hurt in his eyes, his very beautiful and hypnotizing eyes, is palpable, he can feel it in his body, devouring him with a truth he never got to see before. Desolation at the mere thought of losing him so completely.

"I rather die of heartbreak than live in a world without you, Qinghua", MBJ's hands tremble, leaving his wrists to cup his face, like he'll shatter in an instant. "I need you by my side, Qinghua. He's gone, he won't hurt you...I won't hurt you anymore...", his breath tickles his skin, so close, his scent intoxicating him. "Please, Qinghua.. come back with me"

It's foolish, he knows it is, to forgive him like this. But MBJ has never asked for anything unimportant. He's only said please when he asked him for a date, for a kiss, for him to move in with him...

He shouldn't give up so easily, but his lips answer for him, his hands clutching MBJ's lapel and pulling him closer.

The kiss itself is intoxicating, growing hunger the more their lips collide. A year without this, without MBJ and his heart... He can't take it anymore.

"Come back", MBJ asks, between kisses, laying on top of him. His hands caressing his legs, his back. "Please, Qinghua"

And he wants to, he really does, but he won't be tossed away again.

"Then marry me, and I'll go back, Mobei", he demands. He's never been demanding, not like MBJ is. "You won't throw me away that easily again", he warns, looking at the eyes he's missed so much.

And MBJ nods, kissing him again, his tear stained cheeks, his hands... his left hand, cuddling him.

"I'll marry you in the morning," he promises, showing him a little box. "I really want you back, Qinghua", he whispers, nose bumping his shoulder as if to prompt him to open the little box. There's a ring inside.

It slides perfectly on his finger.

"You better not leave me again or I'll take everything you own, Mobei Jun", he warns, laughing.

"It's a deal", he feels a kiss on his hair, the warmth of a body he's missed, and the weight of a promise on his finger. He'll hate MBJ only a little bit if that gets him some noodles in the morning, prepared by his future husband.

(fin)

All Prompts

[friendlylifecherry]

So I was at work and I got an idea for a musical based around a modern Moshang wedding and all the clusterfuck surrounding that, because their families are both messes and shit will be tense, with the POV character being SQH's oldest half-sibling, who we'll call "Shang Reqi" (based on the word "hot air balloon" in Mandarin), with hits such as:

"Shut Up" (one of the few songs by MBJ telling LGJ to keep his bitterness shut up during the wedding; with a dark reprise when MBJ and SQH arguing about their very turbulent early relationship at the wedding rehearsal),

"Your Greatest Critic/The Only One Who Cares" (sung by Shen Yuan, acting as Airplane's best man about him being a blackpowder fan and yet somehow got the best man gig anyway because he's Airplane's best friend),

"Nostalgia" (villain number where LGJ can bust his chops and let's it known that his extra bitterness towards his nephew right now is because this is where MBJ's mother got married, first to him and then to MBJ's father)

"Shizun Says" (fun song by LBH, catering and MBJ's best man, about all the things SY says about what makes a great wedding, with a running gag through the show about everyone threatening to kill LBH if he dares to actually propose at the wedding even if he would never do that),

"For Once" (fast paced, almost pleading song from SQH that his parents, for once, actually bother being happy for him)

"What's with Da-Ge?" (Song with all of SQH's half-siblings asking why they hardly ever see him and why he doesn't really look happy when their parents are around; with an angry dark reprise between Reqi and their dad rehashing the old argument of why they hardly ever get to see Airplane, with some very scathing remarks that culminate in Reqi's summation that they never see Airplane because dad can't take any reminder of his ex-wife, not even his oldest son)

"Won't/Can't/Doesn't Want To See You (Your Excuse)" (an ensemble piece where, after the wedding rehearsal where shit went to hell as they always do in act 2, SQH is crying in SY's arms in his arms in his room, MBJ is trying to get past the rest of SQH's coworkers/wedding party to talk to him, SQH's parents and stepparents are arguing with each other about their neglect of SQH because he's been living in a crappy apartment pretty much alone for years, having to work crappy odd jobs and write out terrible porn to survive, and even was abused by his groom-to-be before dumping him back in high school when he was still living with them and none of them had noticed and they're playing the blame game, and LGJ is just drinking up what's left of the bar and cackling like a specter of shame and anger)

"Making Things Right" (a personal song with MBJ about making things right, both in terms of noodles and as a metaphor for him learning how to have a healthy relationship with SQH, with LBH as accompaniment as they make the noodles together for the wedding dinner and a serving for MBJ to offer as an apology for being such a brute at the rehearsal)

And finally "Can't Write Love Into Reality" (SQH's personal song about how he's been alone for most of his life and how even if he's a romance novelist (a claim that makes SY snort in disdain because his writing isn't much good), he can't just make love happen, which turns into a duet song at the wedding itself where MBJ and SQH admit that marriage is work and stuff that they're willing to put in to make things work) Look, I thought this through a lot, there's only so much to think about during manual labor. Shame I got like no musical talent whatsoever

[tossawary]

Hey, I just had a thought, and since you write SQH so well, I wanted to know what you think and how you might write this. So, I headcannon SY as very sick in his last life but also from a wealthy family so he has plenty of money to spare. So since we know Airplane was writing for money, what if after the first few chapters that Airplane posted, before too much had to be sacrificed for papaya for money, SY sent a comment or something that basically said, you were doing so good, the hell is this? Are you trying to write for money? Because I will pay you to keep your writing the way it was. And since SQH had said before that he hadn't wanted to sacrifice so much of his story for money, he takes SY up on it. I mean, at first, he was sarcastic back to SY since he didn't think SY would actually follow through. But they work something out and SY basically is Airplanes patron, with the caveat that they never meet. So they still eventually transmigrate but into more of how Airplane wanted his story to be. What do you think?

Thanks! I think that’s an interesting concept and a fun setup! How I would go about it would totally depend on the main character and the main relationship(s) of the fic, and what I wanted to explore with those characters and that relationship. It sounds like either Airplane or Shen Yuan would be the MC here and that Cucumberplane friendship at least would be present. 

There’s really lots of different fics present in that premise! 

Just the backstory itself might make a fun one shot. Like, a couple thousand words about these two assholes somehow manage to form a genuine human connection over stallion novels on the internet? I think that could be funny and oddly sweet. With some fun themes about how wish fulfillment and past resentments come out in stories and our perceptions of them. 

But I could also see Shen Yuan deciding not to engage in a real relationship with Airplane at all. Like, not just them not meeting in person, but maybe Shen Yuan decides to back off because he doesn’t want to “take over” Airplane’s creative process? Denying them a potential friendship? Maybe he’s partly embarrassed over the fact that he basically “keeps” an artist, except he’s the patron of the author of tropey web-novels. (Shen Yuan: “No offense, Airplane, but I would rather tell my parents I’m paying for an expensive new drug addiction.” Airplane: “Little bit of offense taken, but also, haha, I get it.”) 

So, going into the transmigration, the way I’d approach it would definitely depend on the relationships I wanted to explore. If it was about LBH and SY, it would probably be about Shen Yuan unable to cope with knowing Luo Binghe is destined to be a bitter and alone “man who has everything”. And Shen Yuan (idk whether he’s SQQ in this one) clumsily trying to lead Luo Binghe away from that sad ending of trusting no one, despite the harsh world. 

I am assuming that MBJ and SQH would not be the forefront of this idea because I don’t think their situation would change that much? 

The relationship popping out at me here is Cucumberplane (which I could see being done platonically or romantically) and the question is whether or not you want to give them the same canonical transmigration time difference. I would personally find it a little difficult to pull off a romance with the decades-long difference if they weren’t actually friends before transmigration, otherwise I imagine Airplane would have moved on from that acquaintance-ship. 30-40 years is a long time to be without someone. 

I guess whatever the situation, if the focus was SY and Airplane’s relationship, then it would be the two of them versus Airplane’s depressing worldview. Like, yeah, it was kind of interesting to read, but do the two of them really want to live that sort of story? And you could do some fun stuff with two shut-ins actually engaging with a fantasy world and trying to discover for themselves what the best parts of life are. That is, if they have any ability to manipulate the plot when they arrive, and it’s not just “mission objective: survive” time for them. 

[midnyghtmadnes]

Thoughts

So... I finished SVSSS. Gonna just stream out my thoughts. Will be long cause I wanna cover all my final opinions. Then I’ll shut up about it lol.

So, all in all, the novel was enjoyable and fun. Definitely can't say I have the same emotional investment in the characters as I do in MDZS though, except SY, he's my favorite.

To start, I guess this is where fanfics will come into play, but I want more SY and Airplane interactions. They're the only two that can truly understand the other's situation and I think that’d make for a lot of interesting and fun interactions. Though at the same time it's also funny how they have that understanding but their current relationship is basically just like, not a love-hate relationship. But a.. somewhat camaraderie I'll help ya out maybe if you need it-but I also don't particularly like you, relationship. Still, I am falling onto the Cucumberplane wagon (not in a shippy way though).

As for MBJ and Airplane.. I just wish the novel went into the status of their relationship after everything that happened. SQH was constantly stressed out by him and seemed to have had his share of beatings from MBJ. I saw shipping stuff with them as I was reading it and I was like.. ehhhh? At that point the only connection I knew was that MBJ was the one who was supposed to kill him, so I was like ?? Where did that come from. By the end of the extras, I wanna say I'm on board with it lol, but I just wish we saw more.

Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang... :( I love them and am really sad for them. And yes, I do constantly forget that ZZL killed Gongyi Xiao (who I liked a lot), but come on. He's snek Wen Ning and you can't tell me otherwise. I also actually like Shen Jiu's character. Which is kinda funny thinking about it, cause for example I know many ppl find JGY to be a sympathetic villain, and while I can understand, I still hate him lol. But SJ, who feels very similar to JGY in some ways, I find him really interesting and want to explore him more (that's what fanfics are for ayyy). Funny how all the antagonists of this story caught my eye lol. I didn't care for any of the villains in MDZS in terms of nuance (not that they were poorly written, but they just weren't the Type™ I fall for). But SV managed to get me to want to know more about all of them.

Bingqiu final assessment.... complete indifference. It wasn't as terrible as it could've been, and the extras did make it better, but idk. I flipped flopped a lot as I was reading regarding whether I was okay with it. The 50s chapters, no. Then it got better. Then chapter 80 happened and I was just.... it was genuinely painful getting through that chapter lol. I was constantly pausing and just.. collecting myself. Then the extras and I was like, hmmm it seems.. ok I guess. But I still think it's not the healthiest relationship. You can’t tell me his spiel in chapter 79 isn’t still a total guilt trip. Xin Mo exacerbates his negative emotions, it doesn’t make them up. He’s also constantly jealous even in the extras, making comments of suspicion on the slightest things and just wanting SQQ’s attention for himself. His whole world revolves around SY, and that’s just not a healthy thing for any relationship. It’s undeniably obsessive, and while I don’t see LBH acting on his jealousy, I think that’s only because “it’d make Shizun sad” and not because it goes against his morality. I think LBM is just as capable of doing messed up stuff (murder, torture, etc.) as LBG.

I also just feel like there's something that just doesn't connect between SY in the whole novel, and SY in the extras. By chapter 78 he still did not seem particularly reciprocative of LBH's advances. And even within the extras he's very no-touchy and anti-PDA. He tends to refuse LBH’s requests for intimate moments (until the crocodile tears guilt him into doing what LBH wants) and overall is easily embarrassed, like he's not confident in this relationship. I think at the least more lines of buildup should’ve been added, particularly in moments where it was just the two of them.

And you know what also kinda bugs me about it? I dislike how much the story pushed on that SY was confidently straight since birth. If you want to convince me that the initially ‘straight’/uninterested character ends up falling for another guy, just don’t push it so hard in my face contradicting that. Wei Ying flirted with girls, cool yeah. But the novel never gave the impression he was completely closed off to the idea. With how WY is written, I can totally see him being bi. But SY is more like, well I somehow ended up raising the ML as gay but hey that’s not so bad I guess, at the last minute. I can't say I ship LiuShen either, but I can definitely see the appeal when the canon alternative may easily not float your boat. Nothing beats Wangxian in my heart though 💕

As I expected, am sad with how the relationship with Cang Qiong Mountain ended up. I mean I guess it wasn't necessarily on bad terms, but basically his other disciples are left without their shizun and the sect's whole familial relationship is scattered. I guess it's because I appreciate Wangxian staying in the Cloud Recesses, having this space of theirs and the Jingshi that they can call home. I read the fanfics that have LWJ making WY a lotus pond out front and just their beautiful domestic post-canon life. I love that they can go out night hunting with the juniors. They can go out and travel, just the two of them, when they want. They could retire one day if they wanted. But they'll also always have a family to come back to. LQR begrudgingly accepting WY in time. The bread and butter that is Yunmeng bros reconciliation. Bingqiu.. doesn't really have anything like that. For instance, Liu Qingge and LBH are on terms that I don't feel could ever be recuperated the way WWX and JC could. I don't think Bingqiu could ever stay at CQM in complete comfort. So that's just a little sad.

Also is it just me who, when reading, would always imagine TLJ with short hair, even tho nobody ever has short hair in these novels lol.

Anyway lol, I think that about covers everything I can think of. If you got this far, you the real one ✌🏼

[tossawary]

i know SQH has a super biased view of himself based on his low self esteem and also his meta knowledge of who 'Shang Qinghua' supposedly is as a character, but i would be super curious to know your estimate of where he actually stands in terms of like, stats/power/influence/skills?

Hm, that’s a really interesting question. 

In terms of fighting prowess, I don’t actually know. He’s a master cultivator and a Peak Lord, so he must be capable of fighting, but we only ever see him come up against extremely OP characters (his martial siblings as a group, Zhuzhi-Lang and Tianlang-Jun, and Linguang-Jun), where his main strategy seems to be to shamelessly convince them that he’s not worth fighting and that he couldn’t possibly cause them any trouble. (Pretty smart move, honestly.) 

I think that if he was given the appropriate resources and time to prepare, he could actually take out almost any character in SVSSS, even the OP ones, by making them underestimate him and orchestrating a trick. But that sort of thing only really has one shot, before he needs an escape route, a foolproof defense, or some form of knock-out dart up his sleeve that could take out a heavy-hitter demon or the like. If I had to make an estimate, I would (generously) probably put him on par in terms of fighting skills and general cultivation skills with SQQ|SY, whose dignity doesn’t allow him to pull the “I’m too pathetic to fight and my cultivation is sooooo weak for a Peak Lord, pity me” schtick. 

(Which seems to annoy the fuck out of Mobei-Jun, actually. Which has led me to believe that Mobei-Jun, by the end of SVSSS, sees straight through Shang Qinghua acting pathetic and doesn’t understand why SQH acts this way. Like, it made sense when you were 17, man, but you’re a Peak Lord now and you still do it and WHY DO PEOPLE BELIEVE YOU?! You’re an extremely dangerous spy! I want to tie your life to mine and your bullshit reflects on my taste!) 

His skills generally seem mostly dependent on his motivation, on whether or not he actually cares to pull something off. Shang Qinghua seems most often motivated, in my opinion, by doing things for other people. I’ve always imagined him to be floating on a wave of apathy before Shen Yuan shows up, going through the motions of his logistics job and his spying for Mobei-Jun. If he cares, he can be capable, but first you have to get him to care. 

I’ve also wondered about the possibility of Shang Qinghua having mental blocks due to his particular traumas, on top of the “oh, I can’t do that, it’s not my place” mindset holding him back. 

In terms of political influence, he probably could have been extremely dangerous, but I think he sacrificed most of his reputation for the “underestimate me” schtick, betraying the sect for MBJ and LBH, and because he didn’t bother to form real relationships with all the powerful people in his life. He can definitely be dangerous from the standpoint of someone in charge of logistics for the most powerful/famous sect in the world, he’s got a lot of leverage there to fuck up the lives of entire cities and sects, but that’s dependent on Yue Qingyuan or one of the other Peak Lords finding out and maybe shutting him down. His influence in the Demon Realm is dependent on MBJ (and LBH). 

Ultimately, I like Shang Qinghua because he’s an unreliable narrator (on multiple levels) and a character with a lot of untapped possibility. I also like him because he ultimately doesn’t want to be dangerous. He complains about not being the protagonist, but he doesn’t actually want the pressure. He just wants to stare at MBJ’s pretty face, hang out with his Cucumber Bro, write dramatic nonsense that never comes true, and get recognition for dabbling with inventing, like, soap and fertilizer, maybe.