#scum villain's self-saving system

[dyed-indigo]

idk what this post is just take these

[verycharismaticdragon]

Since not everyone can be Luo Binghe (the meme, the legend)...

please vote for Hua Cheng in @the-ghost-bracket!

EDIT2: next round has begun, so the link above now directs there! And Hua Cheng is also currently in a competition for the title of the best leader.

[shrimpchipsss]

cucumber bro "gets forcefemmed"

[sunderwight]

SVSSS fic where Shen Yuan transmigrates into SQQ's disciple days, and accidentally ends up saving Tianlang Jun and preventing Su Xiyan's death by exposing the whole Huan Hua Palace debacle before it can blow up (he didn't even realize this was part of Luo Binghe's origin story at first, since it's not like Airplane ever went into any great details about it. He thought he was just one-upping a rival sect and exposing some sketchy behavior towards the female disciples!)

So, while the system docks him a truly staggering number of points and blaring alarms into his head, SY kind of misses Tianlang Jun telling him that as thanks for his heroic intervention and to solidify the alliance between the human and demon realms, he can marry their firstborn, who TLJ is certain will be a beautiful daughter who will look just like him! SY sort of distractedly prevaricates and TLJ gets the wrong (right) idea and then suggests he could also marry his son, if the brave young cultivator's preferences are more that way, and SY (still distracted) just sort of answers on autopilot that this would be fine, right, TLJ's son, he's sure to be an excellent person who will make his parents proud, and Tianlang Jun is just like "that's settled then! our child will repay our debt to you in twenty years time!" and heads off into the sunset with Su Xiyan.

Shen Yuan is kind of like "well good luck to them I guess?" because it's not like he can un-fuck the hero's tragic backstory at this point. At least he hasn't been killed by the system yet? Although he's getting a lot of notifications about a "genre shift" to compensate, which is worrying...

Anyway. Arranged Marriage AU, anyone?

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Luo Binghe- Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Wei Wuxian- Mo Dao Zu Shi/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

[irrealisms]

svsss and sexual violence pt. 1: shen yuan's realization of himself as a target

it's been a while (read: two months) since my last Big Meta so it's time for another one! this one is about my reading of svsss as in large part About sexual violence but it's gonna be in multiple parts; this one is about 1k, with a lot of quotes from canon, and is focused on Shen Yuan realizing that he has been put in a position where he is a target for sexual violence.

standard disclaimer at the beginning: i am not saying that this is the Only thing svsss is about, or that other readings are invalid; i am not intending to character-bash most of the characters here (while i will freely admit to thinking e.g. old palace master or qiu jianluo are pretty one-dimensionally shitty, lots--probably most--of the characters in this series who i mention as perpetrating SA are characters who do have depths & who i in fact like a lot! despite this meta, or perhaps because of it, my second-favorite character is luo binghe, and i am in fact a bingqiu shipper!); and, obviously, huge fucking CW for sexual abuse and adjacent topics.

(also: shoutout to @rooses40stepskincareroutine for motivating me to actually write all this out haha)

TABLE OF CONTENTS pt 1: shen yuan's realization of himself as a target (you are here) pt 2: gender and homophobia pt 3: non-bingqiu sexual violence pt 4: shen qingqiu's body pt 5: we live in a society

When we first meet Shen Yuan, he's oblivious to the idea of himself as a sexual object. He's attracted to others and at times has to deliberately be respectful and not stare, but he never considers the possibility that others might be attracted to him--much less that men would be attracted to him, and certainly not that he would be a target of sexual violence due to this desire. I could get quotes/proof on this but honestly I think this is pretty uncontroversial.

The first point at which this becomes interesting to me in the context of sexual violence is when Luo Binghe returns from the abyss. here's how the choking scene goes:

“During the day, Shizun was so intimate and gentle with Gongyi Xiao, and this evening you lit a lantern, waiting for Liu-shishu until late into the night. What sincere affection. Why, then, are you so distant when it comes to this disciple?” [...] Under the streaming moonlight, Luo Binghe looked even more peerlessly beautiful, as if his silhouette had been carved from ice and jade. He pressed very close, and he spoke with slow deliberation. “After so many years of separation, we meet amidst golden wind and jade dew, yet Shizun incessantly calls someone else’s name. That truly saddens this disciple a little.”

Luo Binghe is jealous of Shen Qingqiu talking about other people, so he "pressed very close" and starts choking Shen Qingqiu out. This is not explicitly sexual--yet--but it has some overtones. And I don't think this is accidentally sexually charged-- bingqiu is in fact our primary ship, which we are supposed to be reading as sexually charged! It becomes more and more explicit that Luo Binghe is jealous of SQQ's relationships with others not just in general but also on a specifically romantic/sexual level! And later in the same scene we get this line:

Luo Binghe looked at him, then said pityingly, “Shizun, that would require someone to believe you.”

I'll be talking more later about what svsss has to say about sexual violence being allowed and supported by society but right now I just want to really emphatically gesture at the above quote.

And then in their next interaction, in the water prison, the system (we will be talking more about the system's role in all of this later) progresses the scene by causing LBH to physically tear SQQ's robes, and we get this section:

That doesn’t mean you should tear my clothes! Shen Qingqiu clutched the remaining fabric tightly and indignantly said, “What are you doing?! Is this your only method of humiliating others?” “It was clearly Shizun who humiliated me first!” 【 Satisfaction points +50. 】 You can add points for that too?! Gross! Why does this feel so sick?!

But notably--even though Shen Qingqiu notices feeling sick and gross and humiliated about having his clothes ripped off--Shen Qingqiu, even here, does not yet recognize any threat of sexual abuse! Gongyi Xiao sees him and instantly assumes that Shen Qingqiu's been raped by Luo Binghe--the torn clothes, the panicked desire to get out and away from Luo Binghe--but Shen Qingqiu has no idea that this is the assumption being made; Shen Qingqiu is, in his narration, still primarily afraid of more physical threats from LBH, a la PIDW; he's trying to figure out why LBH isn't as good at getting wives as in PIDW, and a couple chapters later he's worrying that LBH is asexual. He's been flagged by the narrative (diegetically, even!) as a target of sexual violence--but he hasn't realized this yet.

this doesn't change for a while; while I have things to say about LBH and LQG fighting over SQQ's corpse under this framework, they're not relevant to my current point. SQQ becomes aware of his role as a sexual object when LBH sexually assaults him in the dream world--it's a kiss, so it's something that SQQ is unable to dismiss as a more platonic form of violence:

Shen Qingqiu’s worldview repeatedly collapsed and re-formed, collapsed and re-formed, cycling infinitely at the speed of light.

Suddenly, Shen Qingqiu is being made very, very aware that he is a target of sexual desire, and that people who desire him can force sexual violence on him. He tries to kick and push at Luo Binghe to get out of the kiss--he's described as "struggling with all his might"--but Luo Binghe, who is stronger than Shen Qingqiu and able to overpower him “even though their builds were similar”, keeps him trapped in the kiss. Shortly afterwards, we get this section, which is perhaps the most important section in the whole book for my reading of Shen Qingqiu's arc, which is SQQ interacting with ZZL:

That touch trailed downward until it was at Shen Qingqiu’s chest and abdomen. For some reason, the places he touched felt a bit better. Shen Qingqiu sucked in a breath, and he couldn’t help but say, “Eh, my friend, where…are you touching?” Even a few hours ago, he genuinely wouldn’t have cared where others (especially those of the same sex) touched him. They could touch wherever they liked, please go ahead. But ever since Luo Binghe had opened a series of gates to a new world for him, Shen Qingqiu’s worldview, which had been set for the past twenty-plus years, had suffered a heavy blow. From now on, he needed to look at this world with a new gaze and more sensitive attitude. Especially on the issue of befriending those of the same sex!

for twenty-plus years, shen qingqiu hadn't thought of himself as someone who could be sexually desired by men; for twenty-plus years, shen qingqiu hadn't thought of himself as someone who sexual violence can happen to. and for shen qingqiu, these realizations are the same. suddenly, he's looking at the world differently: he worries about (and imo is afraid of) being touched places where he is normally clothed, even touch that feels good. and specifically--he is touched in a way that he would have previously assumed was nonsexual due to being same-sex and he is no longer comfortable assuming that. which ties heavily into my later post in the series about gender & homophobia & how this interacts with his experiences here! but we'll tie this post up for now.

[elanorpam]

Qiu Jianluo would have never described himself as a tragic hero, but he cannot help but feel like the star of some kind of play.

Fandom: 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù Characters: Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu, Yue Qingyuan, Qiū Jiǎnluó, Shang Qinghua, Original Cang Qiong Mountain Sect Peak Lord Characters, Qiū Hǎitáng Additional Tags: POV Outsider, Time Travel Fix-It, Shěn Jiǔ | Original Shěn Qīngqiū Gets a Happy Ending

[ifidogaysomyself]

me and my friend were talking abt this and didnt arrive at an answer so im turning to tumblr because its funny so worst guys ever fight

jun wu propaganda: devised a supervillain ass scheme just to mentally shatter a teenager for saying live laugh love to his face (because he hates things that remind him of himself)

shen jiu propaganda: have u fucking seen his disciples. none of them turned out well. he kept throwing hands with a 12 year old (because he hates things that remind him of himself)

[kukuandkookie]

Finally found some energy to draw something...for the first time this entire new year akfgdsjgf (happy belated new year!).

But yeah, drew this to make me feel better! Wish I had a LBH to take care of me while I'm sick too 😔

[littleartbot]

pumpkin spice~ 🎃

[dyed-indigo]

the bingyuan server had a new year's gift exchange, so here's some mushroom body shen qingqiu for @runecel!

[verycharismaticdragon]

okay so since nobody else jumped to make this, here we go

(there's a 'see results' option for those who did read svsss at the end of the poll btw!)

(also i ask humbly to reblog if this poll caught your fancy. because most of my followers are from danmei fandoms and likely have read svsss)

[shrimpchipsss]

the professors shen should never have been forced to share an office

wasn't professor shen the senior being associate professor shen the junior's PhD advisor enough?

[snailtrain]

If you dont mind me going again xD liushen 1D?

interpretation: local idiot realizes this is kinda gay, news at 11

skyguy, mud sent so many pls do not feel bad for sending another, i love SVSSS 🥒💖

this is a response to this meme

[bloomingapricots]

The Cunning Cat and Lazy Fox

Updated here first at AO3

I wrote this at work and I’m hella tired so sorry if a bit of my unhingedness bleeds in this

Might change the chapter title later

Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 (Here) | Chapter 5

Chapter Four | The Hamster’s Polar Bear Meeting the Fox and Fighting the Cat

Your date with Shen Jiu went well. The banquet at the village chief’s home was delicious and everyone in Peony village was so kind and generous. Shen Jiu ate a lot on the insistence of the kind aunties and you were able to encourage him to dance with you. Currently, both of you are sitting at “Lover’s Lake” which is a short walk from the village chief’s house and it is a popular spot with couples as there is a tradition of couples releasing boat lanterns with their names written together onto the lake. And even though the lantern sunk once it reached the middle, it is said to be a good thing and not a bad thing as it means the lantern will stay at the bottom forever which means the couple’s love will remain forever.

“A very typical couple spot,” You commented after releasing a lantern with Shen Jiu on the lake and then sitting at a bench nearby.

“Agreed,” Shen Jiu replied.

“At least the boat lanterns are made of peony petals instead of paper and the candles are made from soybean so the land’s balance isn’t thrown off,” You added. “And it is interesting that as long as the boat lantern sinks in the middle, it is not a bad fortune for the couple,”

“And our boat just reached the middle,” Shenn Jiu stated.

“Yeah,” You replied. You and Shen Jiu watched intently as your boat lantern floated in the center of Lover’s Lake and slowly sank to the bottom. There was a brief ripple of light from the center of the lake. You and Shen Jiu remained quiet as the both of you stared at the lake as other couples’ boat lanterns arrived at the center, sunk, a rippled of light appeared, and repeated again and again. “I guess this is what makes Lover’s Lake different from the water couple’s spot,”

“... A-Duzhe,” Shen Jiu called out after a moment of silence.

“Yeah,” You replied.

“A-Duzhe must… better stay with Jiu-er or he will imprison you, A-Duzhe is after all responsible for Jiu-er,” Shen Jiu stated after grabbing your right hand.

“Ahahah alright, A-Duzhe will stay with Jiu-er till he no longer needs me,” You replied, locking your fingers together with Shen Jiu. The two of you sat at the lake till the banquet came to an end.

—

After returning to Cang Qiong Sect then Qing Jing Peak and giving your report to you Shizun. You gave him his herbs and a bag of white peony tea leaves as a souvenir from your trip with Shen Jiu.

“Has disciple Shen Jiu seduced you enough?” Your Shizun teased.

“Is that rumor still going around?” You huffed.

“Getting caught by disciple Liu Mingcheng and the gossip spread by disciple Qi Ziyuan and her martial siblings has done large damage to his reputation. Head Disciple A-Duzhe should have nipped it in the bud,” Your Shizun stated.

“This disciple understands his wrongdoing, this disciple will collaborate with Shen Jiu-shidi to strategize scheme to make that rumor disappear,” You bowed to your Shizun.

“This master is looking forward to it,” Your Shizun smiled. Tomorrow you will have to be more proactive in getting Shen Jiu the reputation, achievement, and skill to surpass you into becoming the head disciple of Qing Jing Peak.

—

What started out as a normal day. Waking up with Shen Jiu in bed with you, training your junior siblings, doing your errands for your Shizun, tense tea time with Yue Qi, and trying to hang out with Shang Huaisang. When you went to hang out with your hamster of a junior brother to talk strategy for fixing Shen Jiu’s reputation at a small house you had built just for your rendezvous with Shang Huaisang, his wet dream of a man happened to be there. It did not end well, in fact, you just fucked yourself to the demon world and your one-way home is ready to kill you. The future Mobei-jun is glaring at you as the two of you are cramped in a small cave hiding from his uncle. Just your luck, at least you know you will at least get something noteworthy at the end of this.

“For fuck sake, Xiao Bei, did you really think you would not be discovered when you visit my Shang-shidi?” You cursed in English before glaring at the chest in front of you. The cave was really small as you were pressed right up against Mobei-jun, you have started to call him Xiao Bei since he is not the northern desert king yet and to be a little menace, as well as the irony because of his demon heritage he was really tall. Your face is inches from his chest, no doubt Airplane-bro will whine when he hears this from you.

“Yours?” Xiao Bei questioned.

“Yes mine, Shang Huaisang is my Shidi and friend,” You tilt your head up with a challenging glare at Mobei-jun. “You better listen to my Shidi well, he is overworked as it is,” You felt his demonic qi swirl around you.

“And why should this prince listen to a lowly cultivator?” Xiao Bei questioned, you felt a claw hand at the back of your neck.

“This one is no lowly cultivator nor are they a righteous one either,” You replied, aiming your sheathed dagger at Xiao Bei’s family jewels. As you and Xiao Bei had a tense standoff, you both heard the sound of footsteps and looked over at the opening of the cave.

Appearing at the mouth of the cave was one of Linguang-Jun’s henchmen, you quickly unsheathed your dagger and launched it at the henchmen with far too much strength, the dagger sliced the henchmen’s head clean off. As you crawled out of the small cave, Xiao Bei following you, you carefully looked around for any more of Linguang-Jun’s henchmen. As you heard steps coming closer you ready your dagger but you were grabbed by the back of your uniform and dragged into a portal as you felt an arrow scratched your arm. Despite the scratch being small, you felt as if your whole arm was lit on fire and spread to the rest of your body. As you blackout from the pain, you feel cool hands on your back and under your knee.

—

As you awoke to a wail, you slowly opened your eyes. It’s really cold, you thought. As you sat up, the first thing you saw was Shang Huaisang sobbing and pacing.

“Shang-shidi?” You groaned.

“Duzhe-shixiong!” Shang Huaisang yelled and in the blink of an eye appeared by your bedside. “Shixiong! Are you okay? You no longer feel poisoned are you?” He asked.

“Ah…” You recalled an arrow grazing you as you presumably Xiao Bei pulled you with him through his portal and the feeling of being burned. You circulate your qi “No, I’m fine now,”

“Great,” Shang Huaisang sighed in relief then stared at you with dread “Now please calm down Shen-shixiong as he is in the Northern Deseret Palace, arguing with my prince and is very much about to fight him,” As you stare into your junior brother's eyes, a part of you did want to see what would happen but you can see how stress he is and you promised Shen Jiu that you would be there for him.

“Lead the way,” You sighed.

—

As you entered one of the gardens of the Northern Deseret Palace, you heard swords lashing.

“Oh no!” Yelled Shang Huaisang and he grabbed your wrist to hurry you along. In the middle of a destroyed patch of frosted willowing silver wisterias was Shen Jiu attacking Xiao Bei while Xiao Bei was just defending himself. You quickly notice that Shen Jiu now has a spiritual weapon.

“Ooo has Jiu-er gained Xiu Ya sword?” You questioned.

“YES! After accidentally entering the demon world with my prince and then getting poisoned, you were in a coma for…”

“Ah,” You can guess the sequence of events that happened while you were recovering. “I assumed I was in a coma for a concerning amount of time and you had to go to Jiu-er to help me?”

“Yeah, you were in a coma for almost three weeks. After a week of your poisoning and I as well as my prince having no idea what kind of poison it was, I went to Shen-shixiong. He was not happy, at all, but since it came to you, he agreed to cover for us and figure out the antidote.” Shang Huaisang paused for a moment and spoke more softly. “However, after giving you the antidote and still not waking after a week. I accidentally stumbled upon Shen-shixiong during a private emotional moment as he was screaming and sobbing for you to wake up as well as other things,” He sighed. “I was, of course, caught and somehow was able to comfort him, and he isn’t angry at me anymore but since you are awake now, please calm him down before he rips off my prince’s head,”

“Alright, I’ll go save you dream man,” After digesting Shang Huasiang’s info dump, you agreed to stop the one-sided battle.

—

Thinking back to this time, you were glad to be poisoned as it was the start of Shang Qinghua and Shen Qingqiu getting closer and later sworn brothers, as well as Shen Qingqiu being comfortable in his role as a senior brother. You were pretty sure Shen Qingqiu was friends with Mobei-Jun by now, even if neither wanted to admit it, as Mobei-Jun would spend time with Shen Qingqiu when neither you nor Shang Qinghua was available. Or it could just be Shen Qingqiu threatening Mobei-Jun to come to learn politics and strategy so that Mobei-Jun won’t rely heavily on Shang Qinghua and overwork your already overworked junior brother.

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Mobei-Jun- Scum Villain's Self-Saving System/Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Nicky Hemmick- All For The Game by Nora Sakavic

Kieran Kingson- The Dark Artifices trilogy by Cassandra Clare

Vanya Schmidt- Little Thieves by Margaret Owen