#so then its binghes turn to be baffled

[oh-wow-im-still-here]

I saw a post once talking about a bingqiu scott pilgrim au where LBH had to fight all of SQQ's suitors, which is a cool concept and all, but have you considered the comedic potential and insanity of a bingyuan Scott pilgrim au where SY has to defeat LITERALLY HUNDREDS of bingge's exes??

[xiulric]

On SV fics and jin lan city AU fanfics

Jin lan city is one of my fave arcs in SV bc we have all this wonderful tension coming to a head. Sqq's devotion to binghe turned over its head, into fear and animosity

meanwhile binghe laboriously built himself up, meticulously planned and manipulated his way into a favorable political position both in the demon realm and as a huan hua disciple

despite his anger and resentment. he thinks this will prove to shizun that hes still valuable. bc xin mo digs its claws into binghes insecurity: sqq either rejected him bc of his demon heritage, or worse. sqq found him unlovable, the person who knew him best, saw the core of who he is, found him insufficient

hell. maybe this was a long con years in the making, sqq hated him since they met, and then only pretended to be nice to binghe so that sqqs betrayal would hurt more

and all this planning bites him in the ass!!!! it makes shizun resent him more!!!

some fics make the mistake of dissolving this tension too early. for the sake of speeding up the bingqiu cuddles

and like i think thats a waste bc those same misunderstandings, when resolved with good storytelling, lead to a satisfying conclusion that makes bingqiu feel deeper, with a stronger connection ! 

so anyway theres so many ways the jin lan meeting post abyss couldve gone. RIPE with potential for a variety of fun fanfic scenarios!!!

ive seen truth serum jin lan city aus, or obedience spell aus. even ones where sqq forces a soul connection so binghe. cant kill him without hurting himself

point is!! SO MANY OPTIONS

but my absolute favourite jin lan city aus, the most ironic, juicy, and hardest to execute imo :

aus where Binghe realizes something baffling about his shizun. the key to successfully manipulating SQQ and resolving this post-abyss misunderstanding.

its not through demonic power, prestige, manners or huan hua palace.

it's by binghe showing the most unlovable, weak side of himself. that makes sqq crumble like wet tissue paper IN AN INSTANT

if binghe in jin lan city cries, if hes hurt or sick, sqq will be there to help him immediately despite sqqs fear of binghe

sqq is so so weak to white lotus binghe that he would risk getting mauled by the demon emperor. bc he cant hold back his own need to coddle binghe

a sub point to this same weakness sqq has; jin lan aus where binghe pushes the limit of "how far will shizun go to pamper me?"

that one is tricky bc. it can sound OOC if written without believable buildup

disciple white lotus binghe is aware that sqq favours him; sqq vastly prefers binghes cooking over any other food. sqq got without-a-cure for binghes sake. binghe is head disciple.

but its not always that binghe realizes how FAR sqq would go to coddle binghe, and worse, sqq justifies it and lies to himself about it. "its only what binghe is owed! hes the protagonist! this world was built for him!"

so in some delicious jin lan aus, binghe goes; ok ok. shizun hates me now. but when i hug him.. he doesnt push me away? when i kill all the sowers, and jin lan proclaims me a hero, and i ask for shizuns hand in marriage... he doesnt DENY it to me??

shizun doesnt look happy. but he goes along willingly!?!?!?  WHAT IS GOING ON

basically it leads to more misunderstandings before a resolution BUT ITS SO JUICY!? SQQ's love for binghe vs his lying to himself about loving binghe! a truth he can hardly admit in the privacy of his mind !

and binghes confusion blending with his delight and the stinging betrayal of 3 years ago!!! CHEFS KISS

example below of this dynamic; from Sadie Hawkins fic by X_los

[serotocin38]

Title: Behind Closed Doors Author: Serotocin38 Rating: Teen and Up Warnings: No Warnings Apply Summary: Demon lord Luo Binghe returned from the Mortal Realm with some human on a leash.

Rumors spread like wildfire around the Demon Realm about Luo Binghe's new "servant" and about his strange preferences of human over demons, men over women.

Of course, the rumors were all wrong, especially about the "servant" part.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24873415

When Luo Binghe returned from his trip to the Mortal Realm months in advance and came back with a human on a leash, the Demon Realm went into a panic.

Luo Binghe ruled the entirety of the Demon Realm, and as its great lord, many young, unmarried women sought to try their chances at becoming his wife. But Luo Binghe turned his nose up at them all, showing no interest whatsoever.

The closest anyone had ever gotten to Luo Binghe’s side was Sha Hualing, who started out like all the other females looking to seek a lifelong companion in the new demon lord, but ended up as a trusted subordinate he kept at strictly arm’s length.

And so the rumors started stirring that perhaps this new lord preferred men over women. And along came the line of men ranging from princes to peasants, but none of them sparked Luo Binghe’s interest either, not even for a night in bed.

The Demon Realm was baffled at this point. For a few years, they tried figuring out the reasoning behind Luo Binghe’s stubborn abstinence. Many demon lords and kings all had a few wives and a couple of concubines on the side. Someone of Luo Binghe’s status as a Heavenly Demon should have an entire harem of women or men!

As it turned out, perhaps they had been throwing the wrong species his way.

Ever since the Demon Realm grew in power by leaps and bounds, the Mortal Realm had submitted quite quietly. For many years, there was somewhat of a peace between the two realms now that the roles had been reversed. While the cultivation sects stuck to their old-fashioned beliefs of “bad demons very bad”, the normal people had more or less accepted it after finding there was not much of a change to their daily lives.

Surprisingly, business also started thriving between the realms, one of which being the exchange of human “servants”.

In the Demon Realm, most humans that were bought to be used as servants in the richer demon households. Some were even paid for their work and were allowed to buy their freedom after a few years. However, it was common knowledge that some of these “servants” were also bought for other services, particularly the pretty ones.

And since the great demon lord Luo Binghe had no shortage of demon servants at his every beck and call, to come back with a human, and a man at that, it could only mean one thing!

READ ON AO3

[evoniusreilupeli]

Hello and Happy New Year,  @nyankocatnyan ! Here’s your gift for the Scum Villain Gift Exchange. I’m sorry for being late with it, but I hope you’ll like it! ;w;/

Pairing: Luo Binghe/Shen Qingqiu

Summary: Luo Binghe combs Shen Qingqiu’s hair and pines for him.

Word count: 1686

Genre: Fluff

Rating: T

It was a peaceful and beautiful summer morning. Sunlight had crept its way through the light curtains on the windows, dazzling Shen Qingqiu’s eyes behind his closed eyelids, waking him up from his meditation.

He heard Luo Binghe, his disciple, already finishing his daily morning housework.

Since everything had been good and peaceful at Qing Jing Peak, Shen Qingqiu had allowed himself a much-needed day-off to relax and take everything easy for once, between teaching his disciples and stressing about advancing the plot and the points and what-not. Even the System had left him alone for a good while, which he was extremely grateful for.

But there was one thing that could maybe be a threat to his relaxation.

The thing was that while cleaning, Luo Binghe had been stealing glances at him the whole morning. Which wasn’t that strange in itself, but he appeared as though he wanted to speak about something, but didn’t quite dare to. The tension in the air was barely noticeable, but still enough for Shen Qingqiu to be mildly annoyed by it. He decided to get straight to the point and opened his folded fan before addressing his most adorable disciple.

”Binghe, you look like you have something on your mind. Is there anything you want to talk about?”

Hearing his name, Luo Binghe tensed, but turned around to face Shen Qingqiu. He took a couple of shaky breaths.

”Shizun…” Luo Binghe was faintly fidgeting, but Shen Qingqiu pretended not to notice.

”Yes?”

Some more nervous fidgeting.

”Shizun, I have already cleaned the rooms and I’ve been doing my studies diligently every day… so…”

Shen Qingqiu quietly nodded and waited for his disciple to finish.

”W-would it be alright to make a request?” he stammered and his gaze shifted slightly to the direction of the floor.

Shen Qingqiu was honestly surprised and a little bit worried. What could Luo Binghe possibly want? Shen Qingqiu’s mind drew a blank, and suddenly he was dying to know what his cute disciple was having in mind. Of course Shen Qingqiu waited patiently on the outside but internally he was screaming. What is it!? Hurry up and tell me!

”What is it?”

A pink tint rose to Luo Binghe’s cheeks.

”Can- can I - this disciple wants to, Shizun’s…”

Please! Shen Qingqiu already thought exasperatedly. Out with it already! Stop being so bashful, too much is simply too much!

Not letting his curiosity show through, Shen Qingqiu controlled his voice and gently urged his disciple to continue.

”Yes?”

Luo Binghe took a deep breath closing his eyes, and when he opened them Shen Qingqiu could see a sudden determination in his eyes.

”I want to comb Shizun’s hair!”

That Shen Qingqiu didn’t know to expect. At all. Part of him was left positively dumbfounded and the other part of him wanted to yell. So that’s why you have been antsy this whole morning?! And who do you think you are, my mother?!

While Shen Qinqiu was quietly ruminating over this unforeseeable twist, his disciple was already ready to give up on his request, looking embarrassed having even thought he could comb Shizun’s hair.

Shen Qingqiu opened his fan to hide his face as he briefly thought over the situation. Where was the harm, seriously speaking? Maybe it was a bit embarrassing, but wasn’t it best to make some happy memories for the protagonist to later look back to? Maybe this particular scene would be the reason for Luo Binghe to show him some mercy later. Wasn’t this actually a win-win situation?

To hell with it, let’s do this!

Shen Qingqiu sighed before saying, ”Go ahead, then”.

Luo Binghe’s eyes immediately lit up, and he nearly scrambled to get the combs from a side table. Shen Qingqiu was torn between rolling his eyes and smiling gently at his disciple’s antics. Was he really that excited from simply been granted permission to comb his hair? Was it really that big of a deal?

To Luo Binghe, it truly seemed to be.

In Shen Qingqiu’s previous life his mother had been the only one who had combed his hair, besides himself of course, so he couldn’t exactly see what was so special about it.

But Luo Binghe had been a bit weird after having moved to the shed next to the bamboo house, so it was nothing new, really.

Luo Binghe found two beautifully ornate wooden combs, one fine-toothed, and the other wide-toothed. He slowly stepped behind Shen Qingqiu, who was already sitting by the table. Shen Qingqiu closed his eyes and waited for his disciple to start with his hair. But nothing happened for a while. In the quiet room, Shen Qingqiu could hear Luo Binghe’s uneven breath. Shen Qingqiu briefly considered turning around to see what Luo Binghe was waiting for, but decided against it, and instead said,

”Binghe, you may begin”.

He could hear a small gasp and a sigh behind him.

”Y-yes! Thank you, Shizun.”

Luo Binghe gently grabbed Shen Qingqiu’s hair and started to carefully untangle the hair with the fewer-toothed comb, starting from the tips, and gradually continuing from further up.

Shen Qingqiu felt quite relaxed. Having fingers occasionally brush through his hair and massaging his scalp, he really could feel the tension melting away from his muscles. If having someone combing his hair felt this good… Shen Qingqiu thought he could definitely get used to it.

 Luo Binghe, on the other hand, was having the time of his life, in both good and bad.

He desperately tried to force his breathing steady, and stop his hands from trembling so much. Shizun didn’t seem to notice though, so it was probably alright.

Probably.

But at the same time Luo Binghe was so happy he thought he was going to pass out any moment now.

I’m touching Shizun’s hair, I’m touching Shizun’s hair and combing it, I can die happily now!

Luo Binghe heart sang in joy and he almost missed a small tangle. Shizun’s hair felt smooth under Luo Binghe’s fingers, and the dark hair contrasted beautifully the light skin. Of his neck. That Luo Binghe tried not to think of touching, or maybe (maybe!) even… kissing!? But Shizun would definitely kill him for that! Strike him down at once!

Mulling over the situation, Luo Binghe got careless, and his hand slipped and he combed down rather hard. Poor Luo Binghe felt like his heart had stopped cold, and he was ready to apologize one hundred times, but Shizun didn’t say anything at all.

So Luo Binghe continued his work, this time even more carefully, as he really didn’t want to risk hurting Shizun in any way.

Luo Binghe checked Shen Qingqiu’s hair for any hiding knots and tangled clumps of hair one last time before swapping the wide toothed comb for the finer one. He once again started to comb from the tips and then from the top of the head, every stroke making Shen Qingqiu’s black hair truly shine in the shimmery sunlight.

Luo Binghe didn’t want this very special moment with Shizun’s hair to ever end, so he slowed down, savoring every stroke. He felt brave enough to to just appreciatively run his fingers through Shen Qingqiu’s softly combed hair and just enjoying the feeling on his fingertips. Shizun’s hair feels so soft!

He decided to push his luck, and lightly grazed his pinky against the behind of Shizun’s earlobe.

Luo Binghe held his breath and waited for Shizun’s reaction, his heart beating anxiously. But nothing happened?! He combed couple of slow strokes before trying again. This time he took a part of the earlobe between his thumb and index finger, and gave it a light tug. Still nothing.

”Shizun?” Luo Binghe tried.

Said man didn’t answer, only breathed evenly in silence. Luo Binghe felt a little baffled about this turn of events. Shizun had… fallen asleep?!

Upon understanding the situation at hand, Luo Binghe almost died from happiness that swelled in his heart. Having the great, unattainable Shen Qingqiu just casually falling asleep before him, what a day!

What an opportunity, some would say.

Luo Binghe’s heart was racing like crazy as he set the comb in his hand aside. Now he could get a good look at his Shizun’s face. Binghe admired his beautiful features for a while, before deciding to comb the rest of his dear teacher’s hair before he would wake up and see his disciple slacking off.

One last stroke from the top of Shizun’s hair and he was finally ready! Once more did Luo Binghe run his fingers through the hair, which was as smooth as it could ever be. The cascading hair ran easily between his fingers, Luo Binghe didn’t ever want to stop! Then he dared to come up with another idea.

In the heat of the moment Luo Binghe took a couple of strands in his hand and after making sure they really were alone, he lightly pressed his lips against them. Shizun smelled warm and sweet and the fragrance made Luo Binghe’s head spin. He wondered if he could ever be this close to Shizun again. Probably not, he somberly thought. He wanted to be by his Shizun’s side forever and ever, he didn’t want them ever to separate. Luo Binghe’s young heart ached, and he yearned to hug Shen Qingqiu.

But before he could decide whether it would be too insolent towards his master, Shen Qingqiu sighed and stirred in his sleep. Luo Binghe could only put his hair to his usual hairstyle before retreating quietly into the kitchen. The sun was already high. They had surely taken their time.

It was a while before Shen Qingqiu’s eyes opened slowly and soon he was completely woken up by the delicious smell coming from the kitchen. It seems he fell asleep, how embarrassing! But he didn’t lament that for long, for he felt rejuvenated and unusually relaxed. Luo Binghe appeared by the room’s door and called,

”Shizun! Food is almost ready!”

Shen Qingqiu smiled, feeling content and quite happy.

”Shall we ask the others to join us too?”