#no transmigration au

[flowersdiceandlove]

Inspired by @sunderwight cosplaying Shen Yuan posts

No transmigration. cumplane.

People obviously take pictures of him when he goes to cons and posts them. They get a lot of attention. People are always in awe at the accuracy and amazing quality of his costumes. The people he commissioned them from get a lot of business afterwards. He pulls off the crossplay really well because of his pretty face and slim body. He just has to add padding in the right areas and learn makeup from his meimei and online tutorials. Sometimes people really can't tell he's a guy it's so good. Especially his Liu Mingyan cosplay that he does the most. She's his favorite of the wives after all and one of the few he thinks close to worthy of Binghe. He's done multiple different outfits for her. He never cosplays Luo Binghe, though. He doesn't think he could pull it off, Binghe is just that amazing. (But obviously he can pull Binghe's peerless beauty wives off.)

His PIDW cosplays make their way to the forums and people talk about them. It is a known fact in those forums that Peerless Cucumber will roast them to hell and back for their inaccuracy and shoddy craftsmanship. So, it is very strange that he never comments on these cosplays. Yes, they're amazing, but surely Peerless Cucumber could find at least one thing wrong with them. Eventually someone tags him in the comments or makes a post asking about them. He replies with something like "I'm the one who designed those. do you really think I would go out like that without them meeting my expectations?" but with more scathing remarks and saying he's not like the others who are fine with cosplay inadequacy.

That spurs many people to go look back through all of this cosplayer's previous cosplays, not just the ones from PIDW, and collectively think "oh wow, he's so pretty." It's a total shock through the entirety of the PIDW forums and fandom. They all thought Peerless Cucumber was some ugly dude behind a computer screen. They're a mix of feeling bad about themselves because when Peerless Cucumber tore them a new one in the forums they comforted themselves with thinking "You're just like us! Just some dude reading trashy novels! Nothing special! You're just mean cause you have nothing going for you!" and also the Peerless Cucumber fanclub growing because he is just that pretty and going feral over it.

His gender comes into question because a good number of people are convinced he's actually a girl. When he catches wind of that he responds with "Of course I'm a guy you idiots!! WTF!? Have you gone blind after reading all of Airplane's stupid writing!?" He's giving gender envy to a lot of people.

Some people are still unconvinced that the cosplayer is actually Peerless Cucumber because how can someone that pretty be Peerless Cucumber? They think he's just trolling everyone or something.

In the newest arcs of PIDW some very pretty ladies with cutting words and biting insults and criticisms are introduced. The ladies all have very high expectations of what their spouse should be like and have turned away every man seeking their hand in marriage. Of course when Luo Binghe enters the scene he meets all their expectations and requirements and sweeps them off their feet. A lot of readers who are keeping up on the Peerless Cucumber cosplay saga make the connection. Shen Yuan does not, and tears the new wives apart about how mean they were to Binghe at first, and then about how weak and pathetic they are, and then their clinginess, and so on. With every new day, Peerless Cucumber's criticisms are rectified as the arc continues, but he always finds something new wrong with the women. The other readers have varied reactions to this development. Some think that Peerless Cucumber should just shut it and let the Great God Airplane do his thing. Some of the people who Know about the cosplay saga and made the connection just want this time of Airplane making Peerless Cucumber into one of Binghe's wives to be over because this is a stallion novel. They don't want to read about Bingge seducing fem fantasy Peerless Cucumber. Just give them the normal women back. Other readers who Know are excited for the eventual sex scenes. Shen Yuan is just happy that his critiques are finally being taken into account, hoping that maybe at this rate Binghe will get an actually good wife and not just another useless beauty to throw into the harem garden.

Eventually Shen Yuan starts criticizing even the current to-be-wife's name, and so Airplane goes on and asks "Well what would you name her then if you've got so many ideas?" and generally just trying to bait him. It works, and Shen Yuan give a very beautiful name actually that fits her character and background. It is revealed in the next chapters that the name they've known her by so far isn't her real name and her actual name is the one Peerless Cucumber came up with.

The seemingly endless amount of chapters continues and the pretty but scathing wives get added to the harem and the story goes on. However, those wives get brought back out to go on adventures with Binghe and are otherwise reoccurring characters in the story. If one was paying close attention and looking for it, they would notice that the wife makes an appearance after Peerless Cucumber makes a particularly harsh comment or scathing criticism. People take to trying to bait Peerless Cucumber into doing it so they get more of those wives and especially the one he named which is becoming a fan favorite. Fanart gets made of her and people tease Peerless Cucumber about it. He critics all the fanart with his known ruthlessness about canon accuracy.

Some people have dropped it cause they don't want to see Peerless Cucumber get wifified any more, some people get even more invested because of that. A good number of people still don't think Peerless Cucumber is the cosplayer.

It comes to a head with an upcoming con in a few months. Airplane has a panel there. People are also asking if Peerless Cucumber will be going in cosplay. He says he's thinking about it and has some ideas on what character to go as, but is still deciding. Of course people instantly hone in on that and tell him he should go as the wife he practically made. He says no at first, but then Airplane comes on and says he'd really like to see him do that cosplay. Shen Yuan decides to take that opportunity. You see they have met, briefly, in the past at cons, but Airplane always finds a way to bail when Shen Yuan really starts laying into the critiques. Shen Yuan wasn't in cosplay those times and he had a face mask on so he wasn't recognized that way but no one could mistake Peerless Cucumber's reviews. Airplane also doesn't do cons very often, choosing to focus on writing the story instead.

And so, the following conversation occurs in the forum:

Peerless Cucumber: I will if you stop running away from me at cons.

RandomUsernameI'mTooLazyToComeUpWith: oh shit, oh great god airplane do it! do it!

RandomUsernameI'mTooLazyToComeUpWith2: yeah i gotta se this fuck itll be so hot

Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky: you got a deal. you wear that cosplay and you can say whatever you want for however long you want. it'll even be in character.

RandomUsernameI'mTooLazyToComeUpWith: oh hell yeah!!! whooo!!!

Peerless Cucumber: You better mean that because I will bring printouts with notes and highlighted sections.

Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky: bring whatevr you want so long as you wear that cosplay.

With that, the PIDW fandom holds even more excitement for the upcoming con because not only with the Great God Airplane be there they'll also get a peerless beauty of a cosplayer in a sexy outfit. The wife in question's outfit isn't the most revealing of the wives because Peerless Cucumber always critiques the practicality of that, but it's still the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way so there is some skin showing.

The con rolls around and the PIDW fans are on the lookout for someone dressed as That Wife. For the first couple days, Shen Yuan makes rounds to booths, not in cosplay, getting merch and volumes as he goes because he has a lot of things to say to Airplane and wants to get the bulk of his shopping done first so they have time and he doesn't hold up the line of people to see Airplane.

On the last day of the con is when he dons his cosplay of That Wife and get his character-accurate bag with the printouts and evidence of Airplane's failing as an author in it. He still makes stops at other booths on his way to the official PIDW one. He gets stopped to take photos and gets compliments on his cosplay. Eventually the PIDW fans find him go even crazier about it. Some say things like "I can't believe it's really you!" and word gets around the PIDW fans that Peerless Cucumber is here and he is in That cosplay and he does look fucking hot. Shen Yuan stays in character of the icy beauty as he interacts with the fans which only fans the flames. Before he even makes it to Airplane's booth he gets swarmed with PIDW fans, some are mean to him and want to knock him off his high-horse, but they get a verbal smackdown from Shen Yuan (still in character) and shoved aside by his own fans who start calling out their online handles asking for Shen Yuan's honest thoughts about them. And he does so either tearing them apart with words, saying they honestly didn't leave enough of an impression for him to even know, and in very rare instances offer some praise.

Shen Yuan finally makes it to the PIDW booth Airplane is at later than he wanted, but he makes it there with an entourage wanting to see the showdown. There are also guys hanging around the booth who have been waiting for this. When Airplane finally sees Shen Yuan in his cosplay, he thinks "Fuck. He's even hotter in person." and is more than happy to listen to all of Shen Yuan's complaints and looking at the highlighted parts of his novel and citations showing how historically inaccurate that is and the discrepancies within his own body of fiction.

Shen Yuan is still going and isn't even close to being done when they announce that the venue is closing and asking for everyone to start making their way out. Shen Yuan glares up at the intercom, still wanting to continue his triad.

"Well, I did say you could keep going however long you wanted so long as you wear that cosplay. I didn't say it had to be at the con," Airplane says, and Shen Yuan looks at him with considering eyes.

"Hmm. That is true, and I still have a lot to go through..."

They end up going to a restaurant for dinner (Shen Yuan's treat), and Shen Yuan continues all through the meal. When he still has more to say when the restaurant says that it's closing, he gets the most expensive suite at the most high-end hotel in the area with his richboy money because that's the only room left with the con going on. Shen Yuan figures that after spending so much time with Airplane today (along with reading so much of his writing) he has a pretty good grasp on the guy and doubts he's gonna get murdered by him so gets the hotel room. Airplane is in awe at all the fancy shit and money that Shen Yuan spends like it's nothing.

They stay in the main living room of the suite where there are couches. Shen Yuan lays his printouts out on the table, and even pulls up webpages on the rooms tv. There are pjs among other items reserved for the high-end rooms. Airplane ends up changing into the pjs and marvels over them being silk. Shen Yuan ditched his shoes and some smaller parts of his cosplay, but keeps the bulk of it on due to the agreement. Despite the dinner, Airplane also snacks on the room's food while Shen Yuan continues his verbal assault.

At one point, though, Airplane interrupts Shen Yuan, clutching his arm, looking at him with tears in his eyes. "Bro... Cucumber-bro... You... You're like an actual angel, dude. I died and this is heaven."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Shen Yuan asks, annoyed at the interruption, he was just about to connect another point.

"The food. This room. The silk pjs. Bro. This is heaven."

"No it's not. And stop crying!"

"Bro..."

Shen Yuan ends up patting his back for awhile while Airplane cries on his shoulder. His hand migrates up to Airplane's head and pats his fluffy head of hair that is actually really soft (Airplane took a shower and made sure his hair looked good since he knows how scathing Shen Yuan is and hot he was gonna look in the cosplay).

They eventually start drinking a some of the alcohol in the suite's fridge, but don't get too drunk. Nothing really happens, but they do end up sleeping in the same bed and cuddling in it because they fell asleep while Shen Yuan was still criticizing him.

The next morning Shen Yuan finally can't take the cosplay and makeup anymore and takes a shower while Airplane sleeps in. Airplane wakes to the sight of Shen Yuan in a hotel bathrobe, finishing drying his hair with his glasses on(he'd been wearing contacts and only switched to his glasses late into the night), and the sunlight from the window shining on him.

"Oh, fuck," Airplane says, staring at him.

"What?" Shen Yuan asks, not sure why Airplane is staring. He's not doing anything weird! He's just drying his hair! There's nothing wrong with wanting a shower after being in that getup for so long! He's just a normal dude right now! What's with that blank stare!?

"It's not just the makeup..." Airplane mumbles and face-plants back onto the bed with a groan. Shen Yuan is left confused, but eventually throws a room service menu on the bed asking what he wants for breakfast.

Before his shower, Shen Yuan had called home and asked his family's butler to bring him a change of clothes because he doesn't want to put all of his cosplay back on. This is why, after breakfast, Airplane sees Shen Yuan dressed in another well-tailored outfit, this time much more modern and male, made up of pale greens and creams looking like he just walked off a fashion runway.

"Brooooo... How do people like you exist?"

They end up exchanging some contact info because even though Shen Yuan talked until they fell asleep, he still has more to say. Airplane does agree to listen and says Shen Yuan only has to be in cosplay for the really harsh stuff.

Clips fans had recorded of Shen Yuan's triad at Airplane at the con get circled around and the PIDW fandom is on fire with it. People are going crazy over it. Shen Yuan's Peerless Cucumber inbox gets flooded with people requesting different cosplays along with sexual jokes and comments. The next chapter of PIDW has a dedication at the top to Peerless Cucumber and thanks. The next arc in the story is about Luo Binghe getting stranded in a place where fighting is outlawed, without any money, strict societal structures, and needing to recover from a battle. The love interest who helps Luo Binghe in his time of need is the daughter of a very wealthy family who starts off as cool and astute that can give a verbal lashing better than anyone is slowly revealed to have a soft spot for Luo Binghe in his weakened state. She takes care of him and even takes to giving him gentle pats on his head. When Binghe ends up getting into a physical fight with one of the villains of the arc, she comes to his defense against the society's court vouching for his good character. They place him in her custody due to her family's good name and she sets him up in a lavish living space with anything he could possibly need. When they find out that the love interest has a younger sister only a few years younger and not just two older brothers, the fans think she's gonna get haremed as well, but, surprisingly, the little sister doesn't join the harem with her elder sister. Peerless Cucumber praises the decision to leave the little sister be, happy that Luo Binghe is finally showing discernment of who to let into the harem.

After a couple more arcs, Airplane posts a notice that says he'll be slowing the pace of updates as he starts planning out the arcs leading up to the end of the story and hopes his fans understand. While the updates do lessen in frequency, the word count of each chapter does not and the quality improves, plot holes being filled and storylines being flushed out.

Within a well-furnished and kept apartment in the city is where Airplane works on all of this having moved there on Shen Yuan's dime when Shen Yuan learned the reason for the atrocious writing was that he was trying to make money to live and had to pander to his readers. The fridge stocked and living space confirmed, Airplane is now able to actually write quality verse the quantity. He even has a brutally honest beta reader who seems to spend more time here than at his family's estate.

While Shen Yuan never says it, Airplane is pretty sure they're dating, even if they aren't that physical with each other other than Shen Yuan running a hand through his hair while he reads, leaning against each other, holding hands when their out "so they don't get separated in the crowd"(there is no crowd Cucumber-bro), a hug when meeting and leaving each other, and the occasional cuddle session when Airplane is having a Time of it or Shen Yuan is dealing with medical issues or Shen Yuan spends the night and they a share the bed. He feels this suspicion is confirmed when Shen Yuan introduces him to his parents and they ask Airplane to take care of their son. So Airplane takes to hugging Shen Yuan more and despite a little grumbling about clinginess, doesn’t stop him and will even pat his head or arm or shoulder or even hug back.

Once PIDW is completed after a harrowing four years, Airplane takes a break to plan out his next story then shocks everyone by writing a fantasy novel featuring two men as the main couple. The writing itself is so different from PIDW with well thought out storylines, character backstories, and complex characters and settings. It gets in the top five on the website it's posted on and Airplane even gets a contract with a publisher. Shen Yuan couldn't be prouder of him.

Shen Yuan still cosplays. He even commissions outfits to be made of Airplane's not yet published characters so Airplane can see how they look irl and Shen Yuan can prove a point that something is not realistic.

They also have a deal that if Shen Yuan is gonna give some especially scathing constructive criticism that Shen Yuan has to wear a cosplay of Airplane's choosing and stay in character for it. It's a good thing that characters that aren't afraid to give a good verbal beatdown are becoming a common occurrence in Airplane's novels.

[i-will-cry-you-a-river]

Part 1

No matter what Er-ge might think, it really was an honest-to-god mistake. He really did not intend to land himself back in the hospital! He was trying to keep himself out of it, in fact! It wasn't his fault that when he ate while hate-reading his most despised web novel, he accidentally sent it in the wrong pipe. It was just an accident!

Then again, maybe if he hadn't tried to stuff his mouth at the same time he had been furiously ranting about the latest Proud Immortal Demon Way update, he probably would have still been in the comfort of his home. No matter - his er-ge would never let him forget if he would admit that he was at fault. So, no; it was an unavoidable accident!

He didn’t remember much, only his meimei’s desperate attempts to do the something-something maneuver to save his life, the loudness of the sirens, and suffocation. Sure, it was painful, but the scariest part was the knowledge that he was going to die. That he would never hug his family ever again, that he would never drink a chai latte ever again, and that he’d never have the opportunity to create something, instead of destroying it. He’d lost consciousness with the heavy feeling of wasted opportunities.

But he got a second chance. If it weren’t for his meimei, he wouldn’t have made it - but there he was, recovering in the quiet hospital room, having one more chance to be the person he always wanted to be. Kind. Helpful. Somebody who creates. Somebody, who is not a shut-in coward, afraid of opening up to people and to new experiences. A better version of himself.

However, he was stuck in hospital for a while - until his er-ge, Shen Jiu, told him he was finally free to go. So, with more free time than responsibilities, he turned to that one piece of media he’d ever regretted allowing to stay how it was: Proud Immortal Demon Way.

He just couldn’t stay away from that dumpsterfire. He was too deep into it.

He should have hated it! He should have stayed away from it, if nothing else, to avoid almost dying again because of that piece of trash. Yet, he couldn’t do it. He just loved it so much. Well, not it; he loved what it could have been, if the author, Airplane Shooting Towards Sky wouldn’t have been determined to drive him absolutely insane with his priorities. So much papapa, and for what?! What about the world-building? What about character depth and development?! It was so promising at first! Airplane’s cultivation world was unique, the flora and fauna - except for the overwhelming number of sex pollen - were absolutely breathtaking to read about! The characters were interesting; all of them had some mystery in their backgrounds. And the protagonist? At first, he was the best protagonist Shen Yuan ever read about! He continued to be, even after the trauma, the blackening, the hundreds of wives, but… Shen Yuan had to admit: his favorite protagonist, instead of going through a character development, went through the reverse. And it was too painful for Shen Yuan to allow it.

So, he decided to do something about it. Opening up his alternative fanfic account - he didn’t want anybody to know what he, as Peerless Cucumber, was reading when he wasn’t criticizing PIDW -, he allowed himself to enjoy the freedom. With his fanfiction account, he never interacted with the fandom outside of the occasional comments on other people’s works, so the quasi-anonymity gave him the push he needed: he finally started to write Saving the Scum Villain, fixing all the glaring flaws, inconsistencies, and outright discrepancies.

He thought about all the wasted potential in PIDW (the world-building that got overshadowed by endless explicit scenes, the underdeveloped characters who could have had so much more depth, the storylines that were abandoned in favor of cheap, overused tropes), and found the way how to correct them: save the Scum Villain, save the White Lotus, save the story! He could write the version he wished the author would have written.

However, it was easier to be said than to be done. Sitting on his bed in his hospital room, Shen Yuan felt the cursor was taunting him as it was blinking on the blank screen. He could feel the familiar restlessness of the anxiety settles in his stomach. He could almost hear the echoes of his er-ge’s disgusted voice in his head: “Fanfiction? You are writing fanfiction?”

Running his hand through his hair, he huffed, “You are just as much of a coward as you’ve always been.” It was a vicious cycle; the longer he hesitated, the heavier he felt, and the less equipped he felt to really write his dream PIDW.

But then he remembered the feeling of wasted potential, how it had haunted him after almost dying. How much he wanted to improve both his own life, and the world of Proud Immortal Demon Way. He started to ask something else from himself: “But what if I could make it better?” He took a deep breath and wrote his first few words.

<The vibrant market stalls were brimming with colorful fruits and fragrant spices, the laughter of children playing nearby mingled with the distant sound of a guqin, weaving a melody that echoed the simple joys of life. Yet, for a little boy, this lively scene felt like a world apart, a painful reminder of everything he had lost and never had. As he huddled in the shadows of the bustling marketplace, the rich colors and joyful sounds became a cruel backdrop to his existence - a constant reminder of his hunger, the gnawing emptiness that churned in his stomach. Envy twisted in his gut as he watched the children run freely, their faces lit with laughter, while he navigated the harsh reality of the life of the less fortunate. Each day was a battle against the bitterness that threatened to consume him, leaving him grappling with the hopelessness that came from simply existing on the streets, where kindness was as scarce as the food he desperately sought.>

While he knew it was only a draft, with each sentence, Shen Yuan felt more comfortable. He planned to introduce his story in a different way Master Airplane had done, but to make the necessary changes, he needed to go back to the roots of his fanfiction: canon PIDW. Just as he started to immerse himself in the first chapters of the web novel, ready to take notes on all the tiny details Airplane had ever hinted, a knock interrupted him.

“What are you doing, san-ge?” His meimei asked, peeking into the room.

Shen Yuan shrugged, “You know, just saving the world! No big deal.”

Meimei raised an eyebrow, a slight smile twitching at the corner of her lips. “Whose world are you saving?”

“Luo Binghe’s,” Shen Yuan admitted. His sister gave an understanding noise. She has heard him rant about that web novel, countless times.

“That explains everything,” she nodded wisely, sitting down next to the sickbed. “What a hero…”

“Right? I can’t let a bunch of characters with great potential wallow in bad writing forever! It would be a crime against humanity or something.”

His sister laughed at his excitement, but she felt like something unknotted from her heart. It was lovely to see her brother finally be so lively and full of light as he was ranting about his plans on how to improve the story. Shen Yuan didn’t notice how many hours he was talking about his outlines and ideas, nor the way his sister's smile was a bit wobbly at the corner of her mouth.

When she had to leave, she made him promise that he would keep up with the story. Shen Yuan didn’t understand why she thought it was so important for her, as she never read PIDW - nor would he ever recommend it to her! -, but it was something he could definitely promise. He would write his revised PIDW until the very end!

-*-*-*-

The first chapter he posted, was technically not even a chapter, only a comprehensive guide to the main characters, the canon structure of the cultivation world, and the lore behind the key elements that would affect his version of the story. He introduced some of the peaks Airplane never spoke about in details, he clarified each peaks’ and sects’ core motivations and values, and the differences between spiritual, physical, and demonic cultivation. He explained the structure of the demonic world and its hierarchy, and who were the key players. He was pretty sure nobody really read it, especially not the PIDW fans who wanted nothing except for papapa, but it was for his own peace of mind anyway. He wanted to make a guide to canon; after all, he didn’t want to make a completely new story - he just wanted to elevate the already existing one! He wanted to expand it, and play with it; figuring out the lore behind everything to make it make sense! Giving characters complex motivations, relationships, and arcs that weren’t abandoned for more senseless papapa! Building up a protagonist, who wasn’t just a power fantasy, who survived because the Plot said so, but a flawed, yet relatable individual who worked on his own perceptions, ambitions, and insecurities!

And so, the second - well, first - chapter was born. It wasn’t perfect, as he had to get used to writing again after so many years, but it was something. Something, that told a story of a young orphan boy living in a difficult situation, and who lost the only person he’d ever loved in a tragic fate. Only when he reached the conclusion of the chapter, did he name his character: Shen Jiu. The Scum Villain.

After all, if you save the Scum Villian, give him a relatable background, and make sure gets the push he desperately needs to change, you can save the best protagonist ever: the cute little bun that was Luo Binghe. And the best part was that everything he wrote was built on the teeny-tiny crumbs Airplane left between two torture fantasy scenes.

For a moment, he imagined Airplane reading his story, learning from it, and turning PIDW into a classic novel, but then he snorted. Only in his dreams. Probably that hack of an author would lean more on the sex scenes if he’d ever learn about StSV as a fuck you. At least he would never know that it was his biggest hater, Peerless Cucumber was writing it…

The usually boring and tiring hours in the hospital turned more exciting while creating something. He forgot how much it meant to him when he was younger, stuck in the hospital, he found writing to cope with pain and boredom. It was much better than just allowing the nurses to stick him full of needles and read shitty web novels all day.

The only other thing that made his days more interesting was the guy in the other room.

He remembered hearing one of the nurses telling her colleague, “Poor guy. He accidentally electrocuted himself with his computer. It is a miracle he survived!”

At first, he wasn’t interested in the guy, but then they met in the hospital’s garden. Shen Yuan had been outside for his daily walk out in the fresh air when the guy was trying to figure out how to use the wheelchair alone. He looked way too pale to be healthy and was clearly exhausted, his hands trembling with each movement.

Feeling concerned, Shen Yuan approached him, slowly, as if he was moving closer to a wild beast. Or more like, to an overly anxious hamster.

“Hey,” Shen Yuan said with a smile. “Would you like me to help you?”

The guy blinked, his wide, brown eyes darting towards Shen Yuan - oh, he had such beautiful eyes! -, before quickly flicking away. Shaking his head slightly, he denied it. “I’m fine,” he whispered.

He looked anything but fine.

But Shen Yuan knew it better than to push. The guy was obviously scared, maybe even panicked, so he didn’t need a stranger crowding him. However, he didn’t want to leave the poor guy alone, because who knew what could happen to him, so he stayed.

Walking a bit farther away, he sat down on the bench; even though he needed to rest for a bit. Almost dying was not a fun experience, nor a quick way to be healthy again.

“Okay, but if you need anything, I’m here,” he stated. The guy didn’t respond. He didn’t even look up. But Shen Yuan could clearly see his distressed posture. He waited a moment, then added. “You know, I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty good at being a distraction! You know… if you ever need someone to divert your attention from something. If you wish to.”

The guy tensed, but then, hesitantly, glanced back at Shen Yuan.

“A… distraction?”

Shen Yuan nodded. Grinning, he said, “I’m good at talking about random stuff. About books, K- and C-dramas, Western series, making fun of conservatives, fun facts about animals and mythical beasts… Hell, I can even tell you about most of the famous K-pop band’s lores, if you want me to! Or you can listen to me ranting about fantasy and Xianxia world-building and the numerous ways an author can screw up the economy and livability of their world! Basically, I can talk about anything.”

For a moment, the guy just stared at him, his expression showing the same incredulity everybody always looked at him. Shen Yuan wondered if the guy would be the same, and rather choose anxiety than the infodump Shen Yuan could provide for him, but then…! A miracle happened! The man’s lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smile!

“I’ll keep that in mind.” It wasn’t an ask for help. But it wasn’t a rejection either.

They stayed relatively silent for a while, but when the nurses came for them both, they parted with a smile and the unspoken promise that they would meet again.

Even just thinking back to that first meeting filled him with warmth. He wished they could talk more the next time, or at least just interact again. Until then, however, he had his fanfic to occupy his mind, time and energy.

While the first few chapters didn't gather much attention at first, slowly, but surely, he started getting comments and compliments, people wishing him to continue with his work.

Amongst the few comments, one was standing out. It wasn't the usual “pls more!” or “when will you update???” or “this sucks. You should write more about qjl pushing sj down and- [redacted]”. Instead it was thoughtful, even enthusiastic.

Fallingfromsky1: I really like the way you’ve fleshed out the cultivation world! The attention to detail with the sect politics and partly ancient, partly modern, partly created customs is exactly what PIDW was missing! It makes the story so much richer. Can’t wait to see where this goes!

Shen Yuan blinked, a little surprised. Other than the above mentioned ones, most of the comments he’d seen on fanfiction in the PIDW fandom were either thirsting over characters or begging for more smut. This... this was different. It wasn’t just a compliment; it was someone who cared about the same things he did.

Without thinking too much about it, Shen Yuan replied:

NobodysShizun: Thanks! That’s exactly what I was going for. I thought PIDW’s world had a lot of potential, but it was wasted on... well, you know. I hope you will continue to like it even when I shift the focus to Luo Binghe. I want him to feel like a real person, not just a sex-crazed stallion for readers to project onto.

Almost immediately, Fallingfromsky1 responded:

Fallingfromsky1: Oh, definitely! I can't wait to read it! That’s one of my biggest complaints too. The characters in PIDW could be so much more, but it’s like the author keeps sacrificing depth for... other things. I think what you’re doing here is amazing. Even the Scum Villain feels much more relatable.

Shen Yuan felt a weird sense of validation from those words. It was like Fallingfromsky1 understood exactly what had driven him to write this fanfiction in the first place. For the first time, Shen Yuan felt like he wasn’t just ranting into the void.

His interactions with Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky were a completely different beast. They were nothing like his conversations with Fallingfromsky1, which had become comfortable and almost... reassuring. No, when it came to Airplane, things were prickly from the start, like a battleground full of grenades.

The web novel that had driven him to the edge of frustration - and, let’s be honest, the brink of insanity and death - was something he continued to read even after he’d started writing his own fanfiction. For one, he needed to know how canon progressed to be able to improve its quality. For another… he would have read it anyway. There was just something infuriatingly addictive about the terrible plot and ridiculous characters, not to mention the endless papapa scenes. He was hooked and not even his much better story could fulfill his need of bad literature.

After each new chapter, Shen Yuan found himself unable to stop from leaving biting, sarcastic comments on the story under his usual handle, Peerless Cucumber. He wanted to keep his accs as far as he could for as long as it was possible.

Peerless Cucumber: Great. Another fight resolved with the power of an inexplicably sudden increase in the protagonist’s cultivation without anything at all. There weren't any helpful flowers around him! He didn't even dual cultivate! Then pray, tell me, how the fuck did his cultivation get better so suddenly?!

Shen Yuan hit send, feeling deeply irritated with the author. Sure, he had long since proven that consistency and thinking wasn't his strong suit, and Shen Yuan's come to accept that nothing about PIDW was ever going to make logical sense, but at least venting in the comments helped ease his annoyance.

To his surprise, not long after, a reply popped up.

Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky: Hey, it’s called plot progression, Cucumber-bro. Maybe read a book on narrative structure instead of whining in the comments?

Shen Yuan blinked. It was quite sudden; Airplane never responded to his comments before. This was new. And... well, a little thrilling. Exciting. It felt strangely like a secret.

Peerless Cucumber: Oh, trust me, I’ve read plenty of books on narrative structure. Maybe you should try that sometime instead of churning out nonsense every other chapter.

Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky: At least I’m consistent in said nonsense. What's your excuse for staying with me after more than 400 chapters?

Shen Yuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud at his phone. He never would have expected that Airplane was so snarky and that he would ever talk with him like this. He was quite excited to explore whether it was going to be the beginning of something new - leaving snarky comments on PIDW, only to have Airplane respond with just as much sass. He hoped it would continue.

He hoped Airplane would enjoy it as much as he would.

Next

[revesdelimonade]

girl like me

written for the SVSSS gotcha 4 gaza event. thank you for donating @lunarbirdbrain 🫶

💄rated e, 2.3k words 💄fem!cumplane with comphet!shen yuan 💄in which the lines are blurry between Shang Qinghua and Shen Yuan, but Shen Yuan insists she's straight. Shang Qinghua, well... she'll take whatever she can get.

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55513270

[archerdepartures116]

Ill post this au( inspired by tweet above) i started on my twt on Tumblr too

First part

more comic panels below

Second part

Third part

Fourth part

Shenanigans side extra

this is currently an ongoing series, if this does well here, I will continue posting these in bulk (～￣▽￣)～

feel free to ask me ab this au and give your suggestions!

[feeshu09]

I'm on a "give SJ a happy ending" agenda where kid SJ reverse transmigrated into the modern world and subsequently gets adopted by kid SY. In this au, SY happens to be an only child who desperately wanted a sibling. He found a feral skrunkly SJ and imprinted on him (right after SJ tried to pickpocket him).

Would probably add more to this au in the future

(more of my "happy beginnings au" : next)

[diushek]

One day, Shen Qingqiu comes from the city with a little baby in his arms. He says: "His mother died during childbirth and I am taking care of him." He names the child Shen Yuan when he is old enough to give him a name, and the child grows up in Qing Jing.

Everyone, absolutely everyone, believes that Shen Qingqiu is the biological father of that child. Only have to LOOK at them both and see the resemblance: the same eyes, the same hair, the same facial structure, the same lips, even the same angry pout. Rumors - Shen Qingqiu had a child with a prostitute who died and now he is taking care of him!! - are open secrets.

Shen Qingqiu, as usual, ignores them. He cares for his little one, raising him with the closest thing other Peak Lords can call love. Impeccable robes, the best meals, the best early education. Shen Yuan grows up as a polite, gentle, kind-hearted, sweet-faced child. He frees insects before killing them, isn't afraid to dirty his robes if he must go after someone, and has an avid interest in beasts and monsters beyond comprehension. The Peak Lords jokingly think: this child has taken his father's face and surely the good heart of his mother, may she rest in peace.

When he comes of age, he doesn't even have to dig a hole to be chosen for Qing Jing Peak - everyone knows that Shen Qingqiu has already made a place for him there. However, Shen Yuan insists on doing it on his own! He wants to earn his place. The Peak Lords respect him for it, and there are various interests, but he still ends up in Qing Jing Peak.

And Shen Yuan becomes Shen Qingqiu's clear first disciple. He is a skilled scholar, excellent martial artist who is not afraid to tear someone rude with foul words, but with an almost natural disposition to be kind, sweet and gentle with those who deserve and require it.

It is then that Luo Binghe arrives at Qing Jing Peak.

The Peak Lords hear of the rumors and they spread them like pollen in spring: apparently there has been a HUGE discussion between Shen Qingqiu and his spoiled son! Something involving a child with water burns, a beating, and a woodshed. No one understands what happened, but a day later, Shen Yuan completely disappeared from the Cang Qiong Sect.

And he has taken a young disciple with him.

Shen Qingqiu begins to act as if he never had a son - as if his whole life has been all about him, hostile and unpleasant. His mood is worse than ever and his cruelty is undeniable. No one understands what has happened between father and son, but these are rumors that even if whispered, bring the very bad faces of Shen Qingqiu. And no one wants to be behind Shen Qingqiu's wrath when it is unleashed.

(Shen Yuan had transmigrated. Into a baby! Into Shen Qingqiu's son! Yes, indeed his memories had been gradually unlocked, thank god. It would have been so weird to be a baby with the mindset of an adult... And he had believed, for a long time, that perhaps Shen Qingqiu could change. That loving him and caring for him would make him better when Luo Binghe reached Cang Qiong.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

So, Shen Qingqiu can hate him for this reason if he wants! But Shen Yuan has to leave there and take Luo Binghe with him. He will teach him cultivation and do everything to make him become a powerful cultivator before his demonic seal is unleashed, he will do everything possible to prevent him from the Endless Abyss, and will prevent Shen Qingqiu from being turned into a human stick.

Probably, a single night of punishment and humiliation wasn’t enough for Luo Binghe to want revenge so hard. Actually?? He just would save the lives of all his martial uncles and his father in the process to kindly educate Luo Binghe and make him as powerful yet happy as possible. They should thank him!! He's sacrificing himself, his comforts, and his reputation to save everyone's asses!!!)

...

(Although Shang Qinghua had wanted to give Shen Qingqiu a son - a magical pollen pregnancy between Yue Qingyuan and Shen Qingqiu, which Shen Qingqiu would NEVER tell Yue Qingyuan was his child until the very last moment - for the drama and secondary revenge and angst 7/9, that had been a damn draft!!! He didn't even get to develop the background of Yue Qingyuan and Shen Jiu!!! And now that son ran away with his Protagonist!? System, what's going on!? Why do HE make sure the Endless Abyss arc be completed!? He doesn't even fucking know where the protagonist is!!! System have mercy on AND HELP!!!)

[lurkinginnernarrator]

Shen Yuan should be surprisingly good at makeup. Like, we all know that Shen Jiu could draw eyeliner sharper than Cheng Luan, but Shen Yuan had a meimei.

Imagine she has a school dance or something, and maybe a mean girl at school said something that made Shen-mei decide she was going to wear makeup for the school dance.

Now, of course, Shen Yuan and his geges make sure to tell her that the girl was just mean, and she's beautiful when she's comfortable and happy, not because of makeup etc etc it's all very good intentioned.

Even so, she says, she still wants to wear makeup.

So she buys some, and starts practicing. She's ... Not the best. Shen Yuan finds her crying in the bathroom with crooked eyeliner, mascara transfer marks on her cheeks, foundation and concealer in the wrong shade, contour that looks like a 5'o'clock shadow, overfilled brows, blush that won't blend...

He helps her take off the cakey makeup and bundles her into the living room, comforting warm drinks in hand. They spend the night watching makeup tutorials.

Step-by-step Shen Yuan learns along with his meimei how to do a full face of makeup.

The school dance goes perfectly, Shen-mei was the most beautiful resplendent girl in the school and had a wonderful time with her friends.

Shen Yuan and Shen-mei don't stop watching makeup videos and doing makeup on each other though, it becomes a shared hobby. Every few weeks, even into adulthood, they'd meet up, turn on some makeup influencer and take out their makeup brushes.

It was their special thing, something that just the two of them shared.

Cut to post-transmigration, during a visit for planning the 'garden', Shang Qinghua idly asks Cucumber-bro how he manages to draw the huadian perfectly every single time.

(I don't know the correct term, I tried looking for the proper terminology because what I believe Shen Qingqiu wears is some sort of scholar's mark? But I couldn't find anything. Please let me know if anyone knows the correct term!)

Shen Yuan shrugs and goes 'not like it's hard, you probably just suck.'

This leads to an argument wherein Shen Yuan decides to demonstrate his superiority.

They did forget that there was a Peak Lords meeting, and so Shen Qingqiu strolls in with flawless eyeliner, lips, huadian, the whole combo, and Shang Qinghua walks in with a red face and smudged eyeliner (it does look good though, fits his messy vibes).

Liu Qingge feels a little faint when he watches Shen Qingqiu absentmindedly press his fan to his lips, leaving lipstick marks on the fan. (SY wonders why at that moment, the System lets him know that his fan has leveled up.)

Luo Binghe is trying to figure out a way to get Shizun to teach him to do makeup... The thought of Shizun taking the brush to his lips, concentration furrowing his brows, letting Luo Binghe admire his face even more unabashedly then usual ...

Qi Qingqi changes her tune faster because she has to know how Shen Qingqiu got his eyelashes so perfect.

[confuzing]

Luo Binghe is waiting at the base of the mountain for the entry exam to start when he meets and befriends a rich noble boy who's also planning to enter.

His new friend A-Yuan insists that Binghe eat with him and stay with him at the inn and the boy's servants just kind of nod and go "of course young master."

And like, Luo Binghe might be biased, but A-Yuan is like... Really Pretty? He didn't know boys could be that pretty...

They even walk up the mountain together and settle in to dig their holes side by side.

Meanwhile Shen Qingqiu is pretending to pointedly ignore the other Peak Lords at the selection while instead eavesdropping so hard because apparently Liu Qingge's youngest brother is an applicant this year, but the brute isn't planning on picking him because "A-Yuan doesn't like fighting" he says, strangely fond. Shen Qingqiu was not aware Liu Qingge was capable of being fond of anything.

When Liu Qingge singles out Luo Binghe Shen Qingqiu jumps on it- and then the boy sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder with the urchin looks up and my, isn't the family resemblance remarkable? The boy even has a beauty mark, though his is on his chin.

"That one too," he tells Ming Fan. He can feel Liu Qingge's eyes boring into his back as he approaches the two boys. He still gets the urge to dump his tea on Luo Binghe, but before he can Liu Yuan hugs the other boy and tells him "my mama is dead too." And that mollifies him. The boys are sent away dry.

Liu Qingge is furious and suspicious of course- that was the whole point. And Shen Qingqiu decides he'll just let the boy sink or swim on his own. No doubt the brute will be butting in to make sure his precious baby brother isn't mistreated.

Liu Yuan swims of course- that boy loves learning- and drags Binghe along in his protective wake. And maybe after his thirty-something stop in to check on A-Yuan Liu Qingge and Shen Qingqiu start like, maybe respecting each other a little bit more. They definitely don't like each other. No. Never.

Edit: More here

[the-booty-crusader]

Had an idea for a video game reverse transmigration AU so here goes:

There’s a popular online cultivation game called Proud Immortal Demon Way that’s been making the rounds recently due to a new encounter players might run into that was unlike anything they’d ever experienced in other games.

In this encounter, the atmosphere would dim out of nowhere and from a distance, a boss character would start approaching them. Suddenly, their character would be grabbed out of nowhere by the incredibly handsome and imposing figure with red and black robes, a black sword and a full mane of hair. The man would look at their character before dropping it while clicking his tongue, usually saying something like, “Another empty husk…” before turning to the player’s screen and staring at them for a few moments. Even if the player tried to attack the boss character, it would ignore the attacks, hardly gaining any damage at all.

Then the character would furrow their brows and turn away. “You’re not the one.” he would say, and he would leave through a portal made with his sword.

The encounter happened only once per account, and the only hint that it was about to happen was a small voice calling out “Shizun?” from off-screen.

One day while Shen Yuan, under his somewhat popular streaming name PeerlessCucumber, was grinding enemies before a big raid, he heard the iconic and long-awaited “Shizun?”.

Rather than run away or attack like most players did, Shen Yuan was excited to finally, FINALLY get to see this legendarily unbeatable and good-looking NPC for himself and happily ran up, chattering happily to his viewers as he wanted to show them what usually happened when one encountered this particular boss.

The boss started his usual routine, picking the player character up and tossing it aside with an annoyed mumble before turning to the screen— no, to Shen Yuan.

His head tilted then and that— that wasn’t part of the routine.

A somewhat unsettling smile made its way onto the character’s face as he approached the screen, seemingly getting closer to Shen Yuan.

“Found you, Shizun.” he said.

That was the last time anyone saw the boss in-game. There was a video clip roaming around of PeerlessCucumber’s facecam, where an arm reached from off-screen into his room, strangely from about where the man’s screen should have been.

Then the stream cut and PeerlessCucumber hadn’t streamed for over a year.

When he came back, however, he introduced his new husband, Luo Binghe to his viewers. His new husband looked strangely familiar to anyone who'd played Proud Immortal Demon Way.

If anyone feels like expanding on the fic feel free, this brainworm was stuck in my head and I have too much homework to write anything longer than this 😅

[shizunitis]

no cause it’s better that it was shen yuan who was born in the modern world instead of binghe. imagine his unhinged ass in the forums. his fandom legacy.

the “What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals” type copypasta he’d bestow upon the most innocent of mischaracterisations (of shen qingqiu, of course) in the comments.

there would be t-shirts sold of his handle. how he secured ‘heavenly pillar’ we cannot prove but highly suspect wasn’t without bloodshed.

he would not think himself above dabbling in fanfiction, both enjoying it and writing it. he would absolutely re-write the entire novel if airplane dared do what he did to pidw to shen yuan’s story, and he’d win. he would overtake airplane in the rankings, and his stories aren’t even monetised.

he doesn’t need the money. hell, he’s probably offered to pay airplane to just fix the story but was dismissed as a troll!

he’s doing this for shizun, his own entertainment and to punish the gaggle of idiots that try to ragebait him.

oh, you said shizun is one-dimensional and stupid just for the fuck of it? very funny! here’s your 24-hour live location and the last transactions registered on your bank account. godspeed🙏🏻

he keeps getting banned and yet his handle remains the same whenever he pops back up.

airplane is too afraid to drop the story and wash his hands of the whole thing. last night he got an email from an unknown address and he needs to work up to opening it

[tossawary]

I've been toying with a "third transmigrator" AU for SVSSS in which the third transmigrator is a teenage girl who ends up in Luo Binghe. This teenage girl tried to read PIDW because someone else liked it, but didn't get far because she didn't like it.

Disinclined to follow the plot, the teenage girl decides to transition, because fuck it (crying breakdown), she doesn't want to be a guy. Ning Yingying is initially the only one in on it (and then some Qian Cao Peak people). This new Luo Binghe knows JUST enough about the plot of PIDW to avoid Shen Qingqiu's attention as much as possible and so swears Ning Yingying to secrecy regarding the transition. She intends to hide it until the Transmigration System lets up on the missions and restrictions a little.

Meanwhile, Shen Yuan is like, "How am I supposed to improve my relationship with the protagonist if i never see him? Did he just jump out a window to avoid me?! Also, hmph, the bullies are all calling him 'Luo-Shimei' now? Just because he's pretty??? I had better go tell them off for it!"

(Shen Qingqiu, please, your students are getting the impression that you're transphobic!!!)

If Luo Binghe's transition comes out before the Immortal Alliance Conference, Shen Yuan is going to 1) think it's his own fault somehow and 2) be more than a little weird (and a little transphobic) about it.

Shen Yuan (internally): "Oh, shit, NOT abusing the protagonist turned him into a girl??? How does that work???"

The endgame relationship here is a messy love triangle between Luo Binghe, Ning Yingying, and Ming Fan. Ming Fan is like, "What do you do when the shidi you hate falls down the stairs and nearly dies, and then apparently can't remember you used to bully him and expects you to be a good shixiong, and becomes best friends with the girl you like but also starts turning into a cute girl too??? But you can't tell Shizun any of this otherwise the girl you like will kill you???" Ning Yingying is like, "I was so caught up in the thrill of makeovers and having a new sister that I forgot to examine why, when she's approached by guys, I want to tear their throats out with my teeth. Ming-Shixiong is not good enough for A-Luo!!!" And Luo Binghe is like, "Wow, Ning Yingying is such a good friend. And so pretty. I could stare into her eyes for hours. Ming Fan is kind of a jerk sometimes, but he's cute, I guess. He needs to shape up if he wants to win Ning Yingying's heart someday! She married a guy, so she's definitely into guys."

This third transmigrator isn't paying too much attention to their own love life partially because they're too busy 1) trying to survive, 2) trying to do right by their friends, and 3) trying to figure out if Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge are in a "toxic yaoi relationship" and, if so, which one of them tops more frequently and where Yue Qingyuan fits into things.

If you haven't guessed yet, this third transmigrator is actually Shen Yuan's younger sister, who transmigrated at like 16 years old at the oldest. This identity reveal comes out at the Immortal Alliance Conference, seconds before disaster (the push into the Endless Abyss), and no earlier. It does not go well. The Transmigration System is mostly to blame.

Live Shang Qinghua Reaction: "Oh, fucking yikes, bro."

This Luo Binghe hands a lot of control over to Meng Mo to get out of the Endless Abyss. An inadvisable amount of control, really, even if Meng Mo is soft on the girl. Afterwards, they sort of stumble into the arms of Huan Hua Palace. Shen Yuan's sister did not read far enough to know pretty much anything about this sect, especially not that it's a terrible idea to be here while being both a Heavenly Demon and (post-transition) looking like even MORE of an identical clone of Su Xiyan.

(Tianlang-Jun and Zhuzhi-Lang ARE both going to be kind of awful and weird about it, yes, at least initially.)

Gongyi Xiao, after showing basic kindness to this poor young woman: "Hey, why are those two Qing Jing Peak disciples glaring at me like they want me dead?"

[masteri-0]

Suddenly wondering if anyone out there has written a fic or had ideas about an au where SY (either no system or just more lax) just decides to reveal his transmigration status from the get-go?

Like, sure, reading about transmigration was cool and all, but suddenly finding himself in this exact scenario? Where he'd have to deceive an entire mountain of people and assume the role of this presumably dead man? Not so fun after all. No thank you.

He doesn't even have to say anything far-fetched. Just smt along the lines of: yo uh, I'm not SQQ? I think I died and suddenly appeared here? SOS pls help, I'm not evil don't kill me. Just like, weird soul displacement things.

I mean, they're in a cultivation world filled with ridiculous wife plots and bizarre qi deviations that could regress a person to their child self, it's not that unbelievable. Possession is a real thing here! This one is just, not malicious. I wonder how the plot would turn out and what would be the reactions of the peak lords? How'd they go about trying to fix it? What do they do in the meantime? So curious.

[i-will-cry-you-a-river]

Part 1

Part 2

The hospital was a lonely place. Shen Yuan's only real distraction outside of the online world was the guy from the next room. It was weird. He wouldn't say they were friends - he didn't even know his name for fuck's sake! - but he wouldn't say they weren't friends either. He quite liked the guy. He was cute in a nerdy way, quiet and awkward with perpetually stressed expressions, and for Shen Yuan, he was so perfectly friend-shaped. Boyfriend-shaped even, but he could barely admit that to himself. There was just something endearing about him that Shen Yuan felt attracted to.

So much so that he wasn't only thinking about the guy when they bumped into each other on their daily walks, but when he didn't see him as well. Whenever he didn't see the guy for half a day, he would ask after him from the nurses, making sure the guy had the best possible care. And if that meant that he paid out of his pocket for better food for the guy, or for softer blankets and pillows, that would forever be his and the nurses' secret. 

The act of kindness became a habit. Shen Yuan didn’t know why he cared so much - maybe because the guy reminded him of himself in some ways, stuck in a situation he hadn’t asked for, frustrated and anxious -, but he did. He was quite sure that the guy didn't even notice (or if he did, he didn't know it was thanks to Shen Yuan), but that was okay.  Shen Yuan just couldn't help him; the guy just made him want to take care of him. 

For the first few times, when he tried to chat with the guy, he would just avert his eyes, his shoulders stiff, saying, “I’m fine”, or “Nothing much”.

Which, sure, stung a lite. Not that Shen Yuan expected anything, but… he just hoped the hospital guy would open up for a bit.

And he did!

The more they met, the less strung-up the guy seemed. He didn't want to push for conversation, but he was always present, trying to make himself available. Ever since the first time, he noticed that when he thought no one was looking, his face would scrunch up in frustration and in pain. It made Shen Yuan want to do something, want to help ease that tension.

 And one day, one fateful day!

It was a lovely day outside; quite chilly, but the sunshine was warm and the air was fresh and clear. They were sitting next to each other, and Shen Yuan felt like he would suffocate if he had to read that shit without loudly complaining. So, he did.

It wasn't PIDW, but a more “mainstream” webnovel he was reading between reading canon and writing his own PIDW fic. It was more popular - BUT IT DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE SAVING GRACE OF BEING CREATIVE! Where's the world building?! The fascinating beasts and plants?! The compelling characters and hinted tragic backstories?!

“What the fuck. What the actual fuck. Listen to this-” he turned towards the guy, not caring that he probably didn't care about web novels, narrating the part he was hate-reading. “The protagonist just took over the entire sect that was secretly practicing demonic cultivation. There was a big fight, epic and there were some cool powers used, yet after all that fighting, the author fucking decided that it would be the perfect moment to have an orgy with the female cultivators to - and I quote -, ‘save their meridians from the harmful effects of demonic cultivation’. Who the fuck does that?! He doesn't have a magic pillar, like L- other protagonists have! He can't just heal them with some papapa! He doesn't have the ability to do so!”

He was so enraged, for a moment he forgot he wasn't alone. And the guy, instead of telling him to shut up, just chuckled and murmured, “Sounds like a performance issue.”

Shen Yuan stared. The guy stared back. And that was how their real friendship started. With a terrible, horrible, no good web novel. Shen Yuan started to notice a pattern…

And now, any time they met, the guy would ask him wether he read anything bad, and Shen Yuan would happily criticize all the stereotypical, badly written, awful novels he encountered. (Except for PIDW. He wanted to say he was the biggest hater of that stupid novel and the even stupider author, yet… he felt weirdly defensive about it. It was shitty, but. It was his shitty webnovel and his shitty author. It had potential!)

“I fucking knew it! The author thought they were sooooo smart to make the shy older sister the villain, but it was soooo obvious, omg! Like! It wasn't even mystery! Only the protagonist thought she was a victim! And it was only because he wanted to fuck her! Grrrr, I just can't!!!” Shen Yuan would rant, and instead of being put-off by him, his hospital friend would encourage him. He would shake is head, smiling, and ask why would he read it when he hated it so much.

And Shen Yuan would answer every time, “Because I hope it will be better. Because there's this one web novel I read that has so much potential, and sometimes the author even shows his brilliance, and I hope that other authors would be the same. But every time I have to be disappointed, because none of these can measure up to that work.”

Every time it earned him a small, genuine smile. Every time a new butterfly was born in Shen Yuan's stomach. It was awful - it was amazing.

The problem was that the guy never really showed much of himself. He didn't offer his name - he only heard the nurses to refer him as A-Hua or Xiao Hua -, nor did he say anything about his interests. He was funny and witty and his replies always made Shen Yuan's days, but. It never felt enough. It always made him question their friendship, if he read too much into their interactions. He hated that feeling.

Thankfully, not every friendship he made felt like that! That one commenter who was so sweet, continued to read his fic and comment on each chapter. Fallingfromsky1 became a regular, always first to comment, always first to leave him praises and thoughtful insights that helped Shen Yuan understand even more the characters. He wasn't sure whether Fallingfromsky1 was a psychologist or something, but those insights always made so much sense when Shen Yuan was stuck at trying to understand what made Shen Jiu into the villain. Turns out, if you abuse somebody for his whole life, leave him behind, traumatize him constantly and then not acknowledge anything that happened to him as bad, it would lead to him seeing the world through his own biases. Moreover, qi deviations - not managed qi deviations! - were Bad. Like really really really Bad. Like, changing one's personality and making them more prone to hallucinations and muddled senses Bad. Who would have thought…

(Not Shen Yuan, not through Luo Binghe's eyes. But it all made so much sense. And it painted a very different picture about the whole sect. Because they didn't only fail Luo Binghe - no, they failed Shen Jiu. They created Shen Qingqiu, the Scum Villain. Sure, his background didn't help. But it was the whole Cang Qiong Mountain Sect that instead of healing him, made him even worse. And that was just fucking engaging.)

Some people didn't like the humanization of the Scum Villain, they said Shen Yuan was just a villain-fucker, but it wasn't that he wanted to be an apologist - he just wanted to show the whole picture! And thankfully Fallingfromsky1 encouraged him. Shen Yuan found himself looking forward to their interactions - maybe even more than the actual process of writing. Maybe.

Probably.

It was just… Fallingfromsky1 was just so sweet! He noticed even the smallest details - and he knew PIDW just as much, or maybe even more, than Shen Yuan did! He always noted that he was amazed how NobodysShizun picked up the tiniest clues between the bad papapa.

NobodysShizun: I’m glad you noticed! I was worried I was going overboard with the villain’s backstory, but I really wanted to make him more than just a typical power-hungry antagonist. PIDW’s villains are always so shallow. They have no reason for being evil other than ‘because the plot needs it,’ y’know? There's so much more in Shen Jiu/Qingqiu than what meets the eye! So I’m trying to avoid being shallow. Also, I’ve been meaning to ask - how do you feel about the pacing? I’m worried I’m dragging it out too much.

He never had to wait for long for the replies. It made him feel warm that the other person was just as invested in the story as Shen Yuan was. And if Shen Yuan wished Fallingfromsky1 was not only interested in the fic but in him as well, it was his secret to hide.

Fallingfromsky1: No, I think the pacing’s great! It’s definitely slower than PIDW, but that’s not a bad thing. It gives the characters the opportunity to grow, to just be people. The world feels more immersive that way. Honestly, if PIDW had pacing like this, it would be a completely different story - in a good way. Are you planning to explore the protagonist’s relationship with the side characters more? I feel like there’s so much potential there. Especially with YQY. Those ‘Xiao Jius’ and ‘Qi-ges’, and the whole dying scene for both of them make it seem like there was more in their relationship than it seemed.

Shen Yuan grinned, his heart doing a strange little flip at the praise. Why did Fallingfromsky1’s opinion matter so much to him? Maybe it was because Fallingfromsky1 actually got it - they cared about the same things, wanted to see the same changes. It was like they were on the same wavelength, not just about PIDW, but about storytelling in general. Even their suspicions were similar!

After a moment’s hesitation, Shen Yuan typed a reply that contained something a little more personal:

NobodysShizun: Of course I'm going to explore it even more. We all suspected that they both were slaves, that they knew each other when they were children, and if you think about it- Jiu and Qi? There was definitely a connection that Airplane failed to utilize!

NobodysShizun: You really seem to understand what I’m going for. It’s nice, y’know? Most of the feedback I see online is just... not like this. Are you a writer too?

There was a pause; a longer one than usual. Shen Yuan waited, wondering if he’d said something wrong, or maybe made things too personal. But then, the reply came.

Fallingfromsky1: I used to write a little... but nothing like what you’re doing. It’s just refreshing to see someone care so much about the things that matter in a story. It’s rare to find a writer who focuses on world-building and character development like you do. To be honest, I’m kind of envious.

Shen Yuan blinked at the screen. Envious? Of him? Of his silly little project that was more of a personal vendetta against Airplane's shitty plots than a real attempt to write? He didn't really create something new. He just rewrote something existing. It was just… copying in a way. Even after almost dying with the guilt of never doing anything worthy, he still didn't really do much. Yet, there Fallingfromsky1 was, telling him it was something to be envious of.

It was baffling.

Before he could think it through, he typed back:

NobodysShizun: Envious? No way, you’ve been leaving such good feedback! Every time I feel like I'm stuck with something, you always know what part I'm missing. I’m pretty sure you’d be a great writer if you tried. What kind of stuff did you write? Do you write fanfiction too? If you are comfortable with it, I would like to read some of your works! (Even if it is just smut, or gory one-shots, or maybe danmei or something. You don't have to be afraid, I wouldn't judge!)

This time, the pause was even longer. Shen Yuan checked the time on his phone, wondering if maybe Fallingfromsky1 had logged off. If they were in similar time zones, then it wouldn't be surprising - it was quite late, that's for sure. Or early, honestly, as the evening and the morning nurses just switched. Their last and first thing was to tell him to go to sleep. (He did not go to sleep.)

But then, finally:

Fallingfromsky1: Mostly silly things... I guess you could say I never had the confidence to really go through with it. But I like thinking about it. Maybe one day I’ll try again. Maybe I'll even show it to you.

Shen Yuan smiled softly at the reply. There was something endearing about Fallingfromsky1’s modesty. Whoever they were, they seemed kind, thoughtful, kinda sarcastic and grumpy at times... and a little shy. It reminded him of-

He shook his head. There was no way he had a type.

-*-*-*-

As the days went by, their comments started to spam the whole comment sections. So much that even other commenters started to chime in with their ‘go to room you two!’ and ‘why don't you slide into their DM?’ comments. It was a bit embarrassing, but at least it lead Shen Yuan to take the next step: ask for Fallingfromsky1’s - or Fall’s - private contact info.

Getting it, ‘slide into Fall's DM’ he did. It was both a curse and a blessing, because if he thought Fall was lovely just by reading his comments, he quickly figured out that Fall was pretty much his ideal man. They talked constantly - the only time they parted from each other was when they were sleeping, or when Shen Yuan had his daily dates walks with A-Hua. The Hospital Guy. 

They talked about everything under the sky; PIDW, for sure, about his fic and the characterizations, but they talked about so much more. About their world-views, their dreams and wishes…

But yeah, mostly about PIDW.

Shizun: Sometimes I wonder what the author is thinking. It’s like they’re more interested in pandering than actually telling a coherent story. I mean, the potential is there, but they keep wasting it on pointless smut scenes and filler. It’s maddening.

Fall: I get that feeling too. It’s like... the author had big plans but lost sight of them along the way. It’s frustrating, because the world and the characters could be so much more. But hey, that’s why fanfiction exists, right?

Shen Yuan grinned at his screen. There was something so satisfying about talking to someone who understood his frustrations. It was like Fall…

Well. It was like Fall was literally perfect for him.

But that would be silly, wouldn't it? He was just a friend, one he met online, so the probability of them ever meeting was close to zero.

Still… It felt so good to be understood.

Next

[star-mail]

part 1 part 2 [ extra: 1 & 2 ]

did i mention noodle bites alot (he loves me i swear)

[archerdepartures116]

This is such a stupid idea 😭

Previous posts for context:

<parts 1-4

Luo Binghe's good ol days on Baizhan

Btw do you guys want more frequent updates or wait longer for more mass posts cause I'm trying to abandon my twitter and I don't think I can reach ppl who are interested in this dumb au on bluesky

[feeshu09]

When you've been a stranger to kindness your whole life...

I just want all of them to be happy 🫠

(more of my happy beginnings au: first | prev | next)