#mxtober

[annaisu]

MXTober Day 6 - Death

Shen Qingqiu knew that he should fear death, and he did! He was going to do something utterly terrible, despicable, unforgivable, in order not to be sent back to his probably long-since rotted corpse! But… when there was a situation in front of him, any situation where the people he cared for could be hurt – he just… forgot, okay??? It's not a death wish!

Luo Binghe knew that death would not take him; not now, and not for many years yet. He hadn't suffered enough to be allowed to leave; he hadn't succeeded yet, and he refused to let himself fade before he accomplished his goals. (he wanted to die, he wanted to die, it was all his fault his Shizun was dead but he had to keep trying, had to bring him back, had to had to had to-)

Shen Jiu was familiar with death; it was an old friend, a companion following in his wake. Wu Yanzi had brought it with him when he'd arrived, but Shen Jiu had watched it visit before – the streets were no place to live, nor was the place of a slave. So, he felt no fear even as he gave death the offerings his master picked out – he only wondered if he were to die, would he follow Yue Qi?

What was death to a slave, to a sect leader? Yue Qingyuan's sword was stained with the blood of others – often demon, but not always. Still, he did his best to avoid any casualties – but if anyone truly threatened his Xiao-Jiu, all bets were f***ing off.

Shang Qinghua knew that he should be more bothered by death, by the often deadly lives surrounding him and that he wrote.

Shang Qinghua knew that most people would be more bothered by death, by so easily pledging allegiance to a demon who'd just messily killed his sect-siblings, but. He didn't care, really? They were just a**hole extras from the death-filled book he wrote, bullies who'd tried to get him killed, so why should he care?

Luo Bingge had long since grown tired of death, of indiscriminately dealing it out to his enemies and those under them. He still felt the buzz of satisfaction, the hum of power as their blood sated his blade, but… It was so empty, so pointless, and he was starting to wonder why he was still going through all the motions.

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[annaisu]

MXTober Day 5 - Love

Shen Qingqiu completely understood why all the girls loved Luo Binghe – just look at him! His not-so-little disciple was growing more and more handsome every day; his smiles, ever more beautiful. His roguish charm and clever wit, combined with his excelling in every skill he attempted, would surely cause every soul he met to fall for him!

Luo Binghe luxuriates in the love he feels for his Shizun, for the joy he feels every single day that he gets to accompany and assist the man he loves. He doesn't know what the future holds, but he'll hold onto this halcyon life for as long as he can. To make the food his Shizun eats, to wake just a room away and then go to wake his love when the time came, to savor the treasured intimacy of brushing his Shizun's hair… (As if they were already a real couple!!!)

Shen Jiu knew that only fools dared to love. To love was to invite pain and weakness into your life, to give another person power over you, the ability to destroy you. To love was to hurt, and Shen Jiu was the biggest fool of them all.

Yue Qingyuan knew that with love came pain, but it was a price well worth the cost. Even though the one he loved seemed to view it as a paltry offering, it was still something he wished to offer… If only he had the words to give.

Shang Qinghua surprised himself when he realized how much he loved this world – this world! That he wrote! He'd somehow found a life here, somehow found people who cared about him (though neither showed it well, tsunderes that they were) and people he cared about in turn! He was still overworked, yes, but – he'd found happiness, and comfort, and home.

Luo Binghe knew that love was real in this world, no matter how little he felt or was shown it nowadays. All he had to do was think back to his mother and remember the life they shared together – a life of poverty, but a life of love nonetheless. When he felt hopeless and small, tired and angry and lost, he thought of his lost pendant and those long-ago days, and felt warm.

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[annaisu]

MXTober Day 4 - Trust

Shen Qingqiu knows that he cannot trust anybody in his new life. He is a pretender, and imposter; a body-snatcher and thief, stealing someone else's body and life. He knows that he'll do his best to do best by the world, but does that really make up for - no, the original was scum, it doesn't matter; can't matter.

Luo Binghe wishes he could trust his husband, he really does. In some ways, in many ways, he doses - he trusts Shen Qingqiu to be on his side in battle, to always offer him support and ad if necessary, and maybe even to love him - but. His beloved Shizun is built of so many inconsistencies and oddities, of decisions that make no sense and the absence of any explanations, even now. Yet still Luo Binghe puts his trust in this man, tries his best to believe him and believe in him, and he knows that trust will be richly rewarded in the end.

Shen Jiu trusts nothing and no one; it's a childish concept, just like safety and love and family. Such a fragile thing - no matter how easily given or difficultly earned, it can take only a moment to shatter forever. (Sometimes it takes years and years of waiting, draining away even as you try to hold fast, only to shatter when you finally see and realize-)

Yue Qingyuan wars in his heart with whether he can trust Shen Jiu- Shen Qingqiu. He can trust him in many things - to always act himself, to stand firm to his beliefs beyond all reasonable logic or sense, to remain stubborn and steadfast once he's chosen an opinion or action... But he cannot trust Sen Jiu to watch out and care for others, and even though he knows he should care - knows that he is leaving people unprotected and vulnerable to Shen Jiu's unfeeling cruelty and jealousy - he feels too guilty to do anything but leave him be.

Shang Qinghua doesn't trust his king, and his king doesn't trust him, and that's okay! What else could he expect from the relationship between a demon lord and his human retainer, ahaha? Aside from, y'know, that gruesome, almost entirely off-screen death coming up probably sometime soon in the near future.

Luo Bingge could always trust in others to be self-serving, to watch out for themselves first and foremost, then sometimes their friends and family second. Oddly enough, he found demons more trustworthy than humans - demons were far more straightforward most times, and you generally always knew where you stood with them. That didn't mean he actually trusted anyone farther than his weakest wife could throw them, of course, but it was always good to understand the motivations of those around him.

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[annaisu]

MXTober 2022

*shows up hours late with Starbucks*

So, as a writer and not an author, I wasn't quite motivated by any of the Inktober lists I could find. I have realized, however, that I could simply create my own! Thus, trying not to think too hard and trip over myself, I came up with words I associate with MXTX's 3 amazing series!

I've been trying not to overthink it (say hello to anxiety+ brain!), so... here! If anyone else wanted to use this list (or save it for next year, since it was late), please feel free!!

I'll start writing and uploading my own tonight - and here are the "rules" I use.

Pick several characters - 4 to 7 of your favorites. Write three sentences for that character, using the word of the day. Only three. No more, no less

(or. You know. Pick the number that works best for you. I like long sentences that pack a punch. Maybe you don't; maybe you like a full paragraph. Maybe you only want one line. Up to you!)

(Image text under cut)

MXTober

1 - Scar

2 - Silk

3 - Blood

4 - Trust

5 - Love

6 - Death

7 - Friend

8 - Trapped

9 - Power

10 - Sword

11 - Music

12 - Loss

13 - Resentment

14 - Ghost

15 - Prayer

16 - Faith

17 - Story

18 - Rules

19 - Ribbon

20 - Hunger

21 - Lust

22 - Patience

23 - Devotion

24 - Longing

25 - Suffering

26 - Sacrifice

27 - Edge

28 - Pain

29 - Insanity

30 - Tears

31 - Acceptance

-AnnAisu

[annaisu]

MXTober Index

For each day, six people have three sentences centered around whatever each word invokes for them. The same word can, and often does, result in wildly different results for different people. All words were inspired by MXTX's 3 amazing series, but the characters only come from one: The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System.

Shen Qingqiu (Shen Yuan), Luo Binghe, Shen Jiu, Yue Qingyuan, Shang Qinghua, and Luo Bingge (The original Luo Binghe). Though there's no set time these pieces pull from, and it's normally somewhat self-evident when they are if it matters, the characters generally pull from these times:

Shen Qingqiu - Post Meng-Mo, Pre-Abyss - The Disciple Days Luo Binghe - Disciple Days or Post SQQ's Sacrifice Shen Jiu - After becoming head disciple, but before the fever (Warning, this one's normally pretty bitter!) Yue Qingyuan - Pre-fever Shang Qinghua - Before being revealed as traitor Luo Bingge - A nebulous time pretty well into his rule - no crossover extra, and he's slightly softer bc I'm privately working on a PIDW au that really influences how I see him. Not to say that he isn't a ruthless demon lord, but that's not really the aspects of him I focus on.

Link to the post (The person who first inspired the word of the day) - and a bonus sentence!

Day 1 - Scars (Luo Binghe) - No matter the trials he'd suffered through, the only scars he allowed to linger on his skin were the ones gifted to him by the person he admired most (even when it hurt).

Day 2 - Silk (Xie Lian) - Silk, born of life, born of death - forever by his side, in both penance and protection.

Day 3 - Blood (Hua Cheng) - He was known not only for the blood that spilled from the heavens as he walked by, but by how he stopped to shelter a flower.

Day 4 - Trust (Wangxian) - To follow by his side was the best choice he ever made; he could trust him to always go the right way, no matter the difficulties.

Day 5 - Love (Everybody) - To live, to die, to mourn, to adore - there was nothing that was too much to face in the name of love.

Day 6 - Death (Shen Qingqiu) - The first time he faced death, there was only rage in his heart; the second, guilt, and the third, love.

Day 7 - Friend (Shang Qinghua, fanon) - He knew that his best friend would never admit to what they were, but it was the truth - somehow, this author and his greatest critic had become each other's closest friend.

Day 8 - Trapped (Xie Lian) - LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT OH GOD PLEASE LET-

Day 9 - Power (Hua Cheng) - Every spec of power, every grain of gold; he gathered it all, and hoped that one day, he could share it with his beloved.

Day 10 - Sword (Xie Lian) - When he saw the armory, he nearly spun around with glee as he darted from sword to sword, from one weapon to the next, and almost without thought he began to speak of the tales belonging to them all.

Day 11 - Music (Lan Wangji) - To most Lans, music was almost another language; heartbreak, joy, solemnity, tranquility, inquiry... he spoke them all, and hoped that one day the one he loved would understand.

Day 12 - Loss (Wei Wuxian) - His mother, his father, his childhood, his home, his core, whatever innocence he had left, his place, his family, his sister, his new family, his life, his death - he smiled, through the loss of it all.

Day 13 - Resentment (Wei Wuxian) - For all the energy that he used, there was no resentment in his heart.

Day 14 - Ghost (Hua Cheng) - He could never be upset at becoming a ghost, because it meant that he could become even stronger in aid of his god.

Day 15 -Prayer (Hualian) - He smiled as he listened, feeling the warmth of worship as he headed home to his praying husband.

Day 16 - Faith (Hua Cheng) - They asked him how he stayed fast for eight-hundred years; he asked them if they truly thought he had so little faith in his god.

Day 17 - Story (Shang Qinghua) - Really, when all was said and done... he quite liked what his story had somehow become!

Day 18 - Rules (Lan Wangji) - He lived his life by a set of rules that guided his every action; it was comforting, to know there was something to help him keep along the straight path.

Day 19 - Ribbon (Wei Wuxian) - He really, really couldn't help it - he really wanted to tug on that forbidden ribbon, its ends dancing tantalizingly in the wind above silk-smooth hair!

Day 20 - Hunger (Wei Wuxian) - When a person is hungry enough, they'll eat anything (and yet, what he hungered for the most was love).

Day 21 - Lust (Lan Wangji) - He was so utterly furious with the ridiculous boy - how dare he make him feel such- such- no!

Day 22 - Patience (Xie Lian) - He smiled, closing his eyes, and waited patiently (he might be a slow learner, but he'd had far too many years to learn).

Day 23 - Devotion (Hua Cheng) - His heart sang of devotion, his mouth spoke of praise; his hands created worship, and he would love for all his days.

Day 24 - Longing (Hua Cheng) - Every year that passed without word of his Highness increased the longing in his heart; every moment that he wasn't by his side was a punishment for his failures.

Day 25 - Suffering (Xie Lian) - Ah, could it really be called suffering, when he knew his San Lang was with him?

Day 26 - Sacrifice (Wei Wuxian) - The cultivation world would always demand a sacrificial lamb; he'd sacrificed so much already, so what else was new?

Day 27 - Edge (Luo Binghe) - He knew that, beyond the edge of the abyss, he'd crossed beyond the edge of many things - but if it could ever bring his Shizun back to him, it would all be worth e v e r y t h i n g.

Day 28 - Pain (Xie Lian) - If you went through enough pain, it eventually stop hurting quite so much! (he lied)

Day 29 - Insanity (Luo Binghe) - He didn't understand - he couldn't understand, and it was driving him into insanity - first he beat him, then he loved him, then he threw him to his death, then he sacrificed himself - he'd only ever wanted-

Day 30 - Tears (Shen Qingqiu) - Why was his face so - he reached up to touch, and was startled to find tears still falling from his own eyes.

Day 31 - Acceptance (Shen Qingiu) - In the end, it didn't matter; he accepted his disciple, accepted his love, and looked forward to their future together.

[annaisu]

Day 1 - Scars

Shen Yuan – no, Shen Qingqiu – tried to track the history of his new body through its scars, but cultivation had long since wiped away all but the most grievous of its wounds. A faint line here, the smallest raised skin there; that was all there was to see, and yet he would swear that he could feel invisible lines tracing beneath his skin, nerves either overly sensitive or deadened. Despite this body's previous occupant's efforts, there was no denying the truth: this body once belonged to a slave.

Luo Binghe treasured the only scars that he allowed to remain on his body. They were a curse, a blessing; a gift, from the one he loved and wished to be loved by. Even in his darkest hours, he could tell – they're a sign that the man who gave them to him, never truly wished to kill him. (After all, if that were so – there would be no scars, for he would simply be dead.)

Shen Jiu hated, hated, hated his scars. Each and every one of them was a memory of pain, humiliation, failure and worthlessness. (And if the most painful scars were the ones that never left a physical mark, well. At least no one else would ever see.)

Yue Qingyuan cared nothing about his own scars, but each mark left on Shen Qingqiu's skin is a sign of how much he failed him. He knew the stories of some, of the first scars that they gained together on the streets, but the rest – oh, it ached to not know, but it pained him worse to imagine. Even then, those visible marks are nothing compared to what life has done to his Shen Jiu's mind – a fact hammered home when Shen Qingqiu seemingly forgets those scars and becomes a better man overnight.

Shang Qinghua, despite his clumsy nature, has somehow managed to avoid gaining many scars at all, somehow? His cultivation was more than enough to heal all the little cuts gained in computer-less paperwork, his king healed the frostbite that scarred the first time he visited the Northern Palace, and the demons his king sends to help kept him from ever scarring on his missions? How does he have less scars in a world filled with swords and monsters than he did in a world of cars and computers???

Luo Bingge's skin is flawless, perfect; untouched by any scars or blemishes. His wives enjoy running their hands along his smooth skin as he holds them close, pressing their warmth deep inside himself and delighting in their touch. All too soon, though, they will leave, and any warmth will grow cold; nothing and no one to ever leave a permanent mark upon him.

(Prompt here)

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[annaisu]

MXTober Day 2 - Silk

Shen Qingqiu wasn't sure about many aspects of his new life as Shen Qingqiu, but he had to admit – the clothes felt nice on his skin, for as much as a pain they were to put on. Made of silk in whites, teals, and greens, he could almost feel like the Immortal he was now supposed to be. For all of his hidden venom and terrible life choices, he had to admit that the original goods otherwise had decent taste.

Luo Binghe hummed happily as he smoothed out his Shizun's silks, adjusting the robes so that they were neat and properly put away. He'd had to beg his Shizun for the privilege, but it was an honor to be the one to take care of his Shizun's robes, to clean the fabrics that would drape over that blessed body. To be the one who cared for his Shizun in all ways; big and small ways, ways both life-ending and life-changing, or ways unnoticeable and unmentionable; anything and everything his Shizun could ever possibly need or even dream of wanting.

 Shen Jiu always took care with his appearance, his image; his posture, his decorum, his accoutrements. He wrapped himself in fine silks and simple yet expensive finery, luxuriating in the splendor even as he felt the imposter. His younger self could barely even dream of such luxuries, and yet – even as he felt himself surrounded by them now, he missed the honesty of the streets and the happiness of having someone beside him. (Now his life was a lie, and he was alone.)

Yue Qingyuan felt awe and shame the first time he wore robes of fine silks. It was an honor, a reward, a privilege for working so hard and reaching this position. Yet even as he put on the finery, all he could see was Xiao-Jiu in rags.

Shang Qinghua was Peak Lord of An Ding Peak – the "janitor" peak, as he once heard it called; he should have no need for silks then, right? Yet have them he did, for official meetings, for negotiations, for socializing at parties – and for the Northern Palace??? It was too cold to wear them there, but his king would thrust robes of furs and silks into his arms, so – he couldn't not wear them, what if he upset his king???

Luo Bingge had a closet full of fine silks and fabrics, satins and jewels, but his favorite clothes were made of common cloths. He enjoyed standing before his subjects and wives and delighting in their awe, basking in their admiration… but he favored the simple clothes of adventure, more. He somehow felt more himself in the quiet of the woods, traveling along dusty roads, exploring the paths of the world – until, of course, something new demanded his particular brand of "attention".      

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[annaisu]

MXTober Day 3 - Blood

Shen Qingqiu's nightmares are full of blood – of other's, of his own, of Luo Binghe's. He can smell the iron tang in the air, can feel it dripping down his chin from his oddly hollow mouth as he watches Luo Binghe laugh and laugh, tears of blood running down his perfect face, as bodies of the people he now knows lie in dark puddles all around. When he wakes – please let him always be able to wake, please let this scene never be more than a dream – he can still taste the blood in his mouth. (Oh – he'd bitten his tongue to hold back his screams.)

Luo Binghe stared blankly down – Shizun was dead. There should be blood. His hands, his body, should be dyed an accusatory shade of red – marking him for all to see the sole reason for Shen Qingqiu's demise.

It took days for Shen Jiu to clean off the last of the blood from the Qiu household. It took only hours to get rid of the last traces of his master's latest victims. It would take an eternity to even begin to clear the red from his soul, as he stared at the shattered remnants of Yue Qi's sword.

There was so much blood on the cavern's floor, in his hair, in his eyes. Yue Qingyuan bowed down again and again, slamming his head into solid rock in obeisance as he begged for forgiveness, for the ability to leave and fulfil his promise. But the heavens had no mercy to spare, and the abandoned Shen Jiu, even less.

Shang Qinghua really wasn't all that fussed about the blood his king routinely spilled. As long as it wasn't anyone he knew or cared about (ha!), he wasn't that bothered by death. Now, it was a b//ch and a half to clean up, but that was a price well-worth paying in order to see his king covered in the blood of their enemies – so cool, so powerful and majestic!

Luo Binghe's life was a steady mixture of blood and sex: defeat the enemy, get the woman, then start all over again and again. The sex had come somewhat later in his life, but the blood had been with him since birth – the only question was whether that blood was his, or that of others. These days, he freely spilled the latter so that it would never again be the former.

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