#twsb!orv au

[pendwelling]

ORV x TWSB novel swap AU!

When the Reader Strikes Back

Omniscient Third Wheel's Viewpoint

[pendwelling]

Whenever I pass your orv x twsb art I can’t help but giggle because Dokja and Jesse are complete opposites and the way they’d act in each other’s places is so funny to me

I can imagine priest Dokja being the smarmiest little schemer (affectionate) and at some point just taking over politically

Meanwhile Jesse would have absolutely zero clue about what’s going on at any given moment and I think that’s funny

I GET YOU I LAUGH ABOUT IT SM TOO LMAO

Schemer Priest KDJ is exactly what I imagine he'd get up to—imagine Just A Guy with the purest ether imaginable but the way he smiles makes you feel like he'd scam you and your money for a single confession. He wears all white and should probably look saintly, but he mostly passes off as a sketchy cult leader. It's hilarious to me and KDJ should probably be grateful that the confessionals have screens between the Priest and Penitent boxes so that no one can feel suspicious of his smile (though his tone of voice, no matter how benevolent he speaks, would probably also just naturally arouse suspicion in some people LMAOOOOOO). But I do believe he'd be able to handle himself quite nicely after his transmigration—after all, "Kim Dokja" has had plenty of experience with rumours and preconceptions about his character. In his new life, at the very least, he can go through it with magical priestly abilities. Time to secure himself a leisurely life and avoid death!! (He's not gonna succeed.)

As for Yeseo, it's my personal headcanon that in an ORV/Star Stream AU, he would have left home for work that day after accidentally grabbing Eunseo's phone instead of his, hence why he'd even be able to have a .txt file of the original QPB story at all hahahahahah. You could also imagine an alternative AU where he goes in absolutely blind regarding the future, where he only has vague and biased memories from what little Eunseo has told him of the scenarios ahead wkwkwkkw. And though I portrayed Cédric as YJH in both that piece and my orv!twsb AU fic, the true YJH is Ham Ga-in Christelle haha, and I believe that her being the protagonist would greatly shape the atmosphere and tone of the following events. Chris, Cédric (who I like to compare to Lee Seolhwa LMAO), and their other companions would take good care of our Yeseo, and vice-versa!

Anyway yeah hahaha!! KDJ and JYS are such antithesis and their stories reflect that too (and yet, also share surprising amounts of themes and values despite such vastly different original tonal atmospheres), which is why AUs of each others' world work so well, in their own funny ways.

[pendwelling]

Dokja in the TWSB au is definitely all “the only reason Jonghyuk hasn’t killed me is because I’m his walking ether battery” meanwhile Jonghyuk is pining his ass off

(Dokja spends a lot of time researching resurrection once he gets access to research materials as a last ditch for if he can’t avoid his death)

Omg, now I’m wondering about Dokja’s kids in the au

What are Yoosoung and Gilyoung and Biyoo doing? I can’t imagine Dokja without his kids

(Also the imagine of Jonghyuk going to talk to Dokja only to find multiple children who are not happy to see him hilarious)

((I’m glad you like talking aus! I have so many scrambled thoughts and I love sharing them))

THAT FIRST PART IS SO TRUE WKWKKWKWKKW

Ohhhh and imo the kids would def be Juliette Palace attendants!! The webtoon (season 1 at least) made the attendants out to be older than they actually are, but in reality Prince Jesse who is a hostage was actually served by a bunch children (with Ganael is the oldest of them at 16 years of age!). So Biyoo, Yoosung, and Gilyoung would def fit really nicely into those roles haha (Biyoo can actually fit even better in another role [see: Lynn and Cerise] but idk how far into TWSB you are for those spoilers wkwkkw)

AND YES OMG.... I love the trope of KDJ and his overprotective kids who are wary abt the sooty bastard that keeps lingering around (LMAO)

[pendwelling]

Dokja’s biggest gripe with being a political hostage in the TWSB au is that he doesn’t have access to a book or story at any given moment

(Dokja can handle a lot of things, he can’t talk and scheme his way through politics and pain really is nothing to him but he is and always will be a reader first and foremost, depriving him of stories is like starving him)

SO TRUE THO

His attendants at the very least (Yoosung, Gilyoung, etc) could take pity him haha, so even if he doesn't have permission to enter the Imperial Library he could still have some books delivered to his room! Still, it would be nicer for him if he could actually step into a library and freely indulge in his unique novel tastes without having anyone to judge him (LMAO)

Hang in there Kim Dokja.......

[pendwelling]

Is see your TWSB!ORV au and all I can think of is Kim Dokja in the backless clothes you draw Yeseo on occasion

And I think he’d look so good in them, especially considering how damn small his waist is

(I wanna see people loose their mind over how pretty Dokja is)

HE WOULD LOOK SO GOOD

Webtoon KDJ has such an eye-catching waist so putting him in Yeseo's backless shirts would suit him really really nicely. He's too pretty for someone who is "just-a-guy"..... I see a lot of fics that describe him as "plain looking but is prettier the more you pay attention to him" and I think this would be rendered null the second you put him in a backless shirt.

His charm points would skyrocket, I fear... Whatever opinion anyone has on his face will be overshadowed by the appeal of his exposed and emphasized waist and back........ YJH might throw a fit, or heck, pull a Cédric and develop a new unique back fixation LMAOOO

[pendwelling]

You can’t tell me the first thing priest Dokja does when transmigrated to TWSB isn’t locking himself in the royal library and refuses to come out

(Crown prince YJH and Priest KDJ is the funniest image, and obviously HSY is in the background causing problems)

Meanwhile poor Yeseo is on the verge of a panic attack in ORV

(Yeseo trying to parse through his sisters tear filled rambles about her favorite book and therefore being the weirdest prophet know to man while Cedric and Christelle are just there wondering what is up with him)

OOOHHH KDJ locking himself in the Imperial library would be so KDJ of him to do HAHA, tho the main obstacle for that is to first get permission from the Crown 🥲 which, sadly for him.... would mean cozying up in some way to either whoever is the Cardinal and/or Empress/Emperor in this AU (it could range from Persephone and Hades, to Namgung Minyoung, or to even Kyrgios [but I think he fits Johann's role more], etc etc)

((Unsurprisingly I'm gonna go off on a tangent bc anything TWSB related makes my Freak™ show—)) (I JUST LOVE SOOKYM'S WORLDBUILDING SM.... IM SORRY I CANT HELP IT.....) 😭😭😭😭 but libraries—or rather books—actually have a rather important part to play in TWSB, or at least, in showcasing a noble family's strength, power, and prestige. In the Divine Kingdom of Venetiaan, the general populace has an incredibly purposefully low education and literacy rate (due to Queen Lilianne's plan of using the population's dumbification to manipulate their blind curated religious beliefs into having them conscript for her war), so owning books is seen as a symbol of wealth and high education, and the more wealthy a family is, the bigger they would represent that in their family's library. The Riester Empire is different in that education of the common folk is NOT something that they purposefully deprive them of (in fact, we've actually seen the Imperial Family invest in academies for different sorts of talents/skills that could accept even commoners as students), but the significance and importance of books and libraries is something both countries share!

ANYWAY, small tangent over wkdjdkd But all that is to say, a diplomatic hostage like Jesse Venetiaan (and KDJ in this AU) would not have casual permission to use something as precious as the Imperial Library sadly :')...... Which is unfortunate for our Reader bc in a lot of Fantasy AUs the library is a place that KDJ commonly escapes to WKWKKWKWK (IT'S ONE OF MY FAV TROPES NGL...... 😫😭 library lurker KDJ who eventually catches the eye of [usually Crown Prince or Duke of the North] YJH who is entranced by the peaceful figure KDJ makes, backlit from the light of the window and focused on whatever trashy novel he's reading......)

But assuming KDJ knows his chatacter's original fate in the original story (dying during the Riester-Venetiaan war), just like he does in ORV, I bet he would be the type to know exactly what to do and what to avoid, and how to achieve the perfect most "ideal" ending for the story. He's a scheming lil bastard and I trust his survival abilities (well..... until he dies. but he'll come back like the rat he is LMAO...) But considering his personality (at least with The Audacity that the Fourth Wall allows him to have), I think he'd head straight to scheming his way into the good graces of people that he could benefit from (and gaining access to the Imperial Library for some good reads def feels like an essential benefit wkwkwkk) with as much liberties as his complex position as a diplomatic hostage could allow him.

AND OHHHHHHHH YEAH..... POOR JUNG YESEO...... It's such a sad sad SAD image to think about, but also....the though of him frantically trying to organize hundreds of chapters of a repetitive regression scenario story VIA his little sister's tear-filled incoherent hyperfixated ramblings is. kinda funny in a very mean way (LMAO). CedChris would ask him/wonder if he's actually a prophet but when compared to /actual/ prophets like Camille Bacary, they'll kinda look at his sweating face and go "🤨😐 right... prophet huh....". Though it should be said that Yeseo is actually crazy smart when he wants to be/when the situation requires it, so I trust he could do his best to help his companions in an apocalypse with any valuable information he has absorbed thru osmosis via his sister. (And in the case of the "Acciddentally-took-Eunseo's-phone" scenario—canonically, Yeseo managed to get through all 302 chapters of QPB's part 1 in a few days, but it was mostly skimming haha but you can assume he'd be somewhat of a quick reader....... though the stress of scenarios would definitely make him a zombie over Eunseo's phone.) But regardless, considering the personalities of these kids, I still feel like an orv!TWSB(or rather QPB) would be more lighthearted(as lighthearted as it can be) to reflect its targeted Reader: Eunseo! Think of an Action Fantasy Regression novel with a persevering main character like Ham Ga-in Christelle who gets through difficulties with as much stubbornness and cheer as she can (though this would naturally dim throughout regressions, but the core of her character is still important). Idk how far into TWSB you are so I don't want to say much wkdjkdkd but yeah..... KDJ's relationship with TWSA and Eunseo's with QPB are SO similar and yet so different, and that difference can partly be traced back to the type of people they are, which is reflected in the type of genre their favourite respective novels are (which also reflects on the characters in said story too) TT

HAA.......... Somehow, I think I end up writing way too much in response to my Asks sometimes, but ANYWAY WKFJKDDKDKD

Thank you Anon for feeding into these AU thoughts, they're always fun to think about and hear what others have to say!!!!!! 🥹 SORRY THAT I KEPT GOING OFF TRACK. CERTIFIED TWSB YAPPER HERE....... 🥲

[pendwelling]

I feel like Shin Yoosoung and Lee Gilyoung would just straight bite people for trying to touch Dokja’s waist and back

They’re practically his mini feral bodyguards

(This was meant for the TWSB au and Dokja in backless tops bc I’m OBSESSED but frankly it’s just basically cannon no matter the universe)

I AGREE like first he has adult self-proclaimed bodyguards (just overprotective weirdos /affectionate) but the true forces of nature would, naturally, be his children 😩🫶

[pendwelling]

YJH would eventually just start throwing his coat over Dokja when he sees people staring at his back in those backless shirts

He does this because he has been repeatedly told that cutting our someone’s eyes for staring at Dokja is improper and a huge over reaction

(Han Sooyoung would probably jokingly call him a whore or something similar but would also be constantly staring at his waist and back)

As for Dokja’s appearance, given the fact that Fourth Wall censors his face and the fact that he is the most unreliable narrator of to ever narrate, I think it’s fully possible he is just really pretty as no one can see him and he would just go along with any insult to himself

YOURE SO REAL FOR THIS

[pendwelling]

I need you to know that your swap AU for TWSB and ORV was why i started TWSB and i UNDERSTAND why you did the swap now 🗣🗣🗣

WAHHHHH I HOPE YOURE ENJOYING TWSB SO FAR!!!!! ORV and TWSB are both so so so different, but in their core fundamentals, they share a surprising (or maybe not so surprising, in retrospect) amount of similarities. Just as TWSA was written for Kim Dokja, QPB was Jung Eunseo's, and in turn, ORV and TWSB are for all the "Dokjas" and "Eunseos" out there. It's very interesting how similar they are yet so very different due to their target reader, and I really love that about both series haha

I guess that's why it's easy to make AUs for them in the other's universe, but simultaneously why the tone shifts accordingly. It's really fun!!

[pendwelling]

Does TWSB in ORV mean Yeseo becomes a demon king?

HE DOES

There's more about my take on orv!TWSB AU lore in my fic and if you havent read it, essentially the idea is that—in line with original QPB canon—og!Jesse(Losna) decided to sacrifice himself for Ga-in Christelle and their companions, thus becoming the Demon King so that they could all advance in the scenarios.

So when Yeseo "transmigrates" (here his 4th wall censorship gives him Losna's appearance instead of just blurring his face haha), he will naturally also follow a similar storyline! "Demon King of Serenity" sounds really cool for a moniker too :')

((AND SOME SPOILERS for TWSB 301+))

Also imagine the aftermath of TWSB 301 but Demon King Selection...... Cédric going near berserk after Yeseo passes, Chris having to fight him back into clarity despite her own grief, Johann recovering his liege's corpse but there are only ashes, angst and angst and more angst..... IT HURRTTS

I still also firmly believe that KDJ and Eunseo are pivotal in shaping the atmosphere of their respective favourite novels (and by extension the type of main character that features it) so an orv!QPB universe shouldn't be this angsty in hindsight, but we all know TWSB wasn't all sunshine either WKFJDKKD so this amount of angst is still fitting.

[pendwelling]

Cedchris trying to figure out what is up with Yeseo in the ORV au because he’s most definitely not a prophet but he also absolutely knows things he probably shouldn’t and it’s the most random assortment of things that hardly connect at all

(For the he has his sisters phone version everyone keeps trying to figure out why he’s constantly hunched over the thing despite the internet not working anymore)

THE IMAGE OF HIM FRANTICALLY HUNCHED OVER EUNSEO'S PHONE WHILE TRYING TO DECIPHER HER MESS (AFFECTIONATE) OF A FAV NOVEL IS ALWAYS FUNNY TO ME LMAO. I like to think when certain events happen he scurries away to a corner for a moment before reappearing like ☝️🤓 "suddenly, I have a solution!" and when ppl question how he came up with some of his plans he just coughs and says some vague, sage words. His attitude makes him seem silly but the truth is, his plans wouldn't have worked out as well as they did if he weren't smart to begin with, so his companions just accept his quirks. (Sometimes it's easy to forget how crafty this guy can get.... his BoyFail Halo is rlly so strong lmao it overpowers his Law Student golden finger brain)

Oh even funnier is people wondering if he (the most un-prophet-like guy ever) IS a prophet, until they meet an actual prophet (Camille Bacary) and they get even MORE confused bc the prophet can suddenly No Longer Prophet when he's around Yeseo. An enigma.... the silliest enigma around.

Stay strong Jung Yeseo...! (Fake it till you make it 😩✊️)

[pendwelling]

The Omniscient— ....Third Wheel?

[pendwelling]

Who kills the Demon King of Serenity?

Is Yeseo put under the same fate as Dokja? Do one or both of Cedchris have to kill him? Does someone else he’s close to have to?

OH MANNNN

I'm not sure if I responded to something similar before but this can go either of two ways.

In the original, I suspect that og!Jesse (Losna) definitely knew what he was doing all along and would have intentionally made himself the next Demon King as per his own self-sacrificial tendencies and desire to protect Christelle and Cédric. Ultimately, he would be killed by a collaborative effort between everyone in their party, but I believe he probably might have wanted Cédric to land the final blow, since he wouldn't have wanted to place that burden on Christelle. Alternatively, Elise also could have done this, too (if you wanna be a bit more TWSB canon compliant haha, as it was Elise who, ultimately, accidentally killed Losna who was shielding Cédric). I think the sibling angst route is really good, but a part of me does prefer Cédric being the final blow..... It's equally angsty and tragic 🥹😫👍 When Cédric regresses it's probably partly because Christelle is so distraught by her close friend's death and sacrifice, and though they definitely don't let his death in vain, I feel at some point Cédric (who was also, of course, fond of Losna, too, even though they were somewhat rivals—he just wont admit it TSK), would want Jesse Losna to ALSO receive a happy ending. Why should Losna be left behind? When he so easily sacrificed himself for the group's advancement? It is unfair.

As for Yeseo's turn, he would probably clumsily try and follow the plot, emotionally driven by his intense homesickness and desire to return back to his siblings. He's probably have it in his head that, if he completes "Jesse Venetiaan's" role to its fullest, he could reach his "ending" and return back home. Of course, this desire becomes a bit wavered due to gardually forming genuine bonds with ChriCed and co., but at the same time, he'd definitely also wish to protect them, too, even if it means hurting them with his death. He'd probably come to understand Losna's mindset during this battle, knowing that it's a necessary evil. If feel, though, that unlike Losna who would have played a dedicated and peaxefully resigned performance as a Demon King, Yeseo woukd struggle more—unwilling to truly hurt his friends, but if he falters and shows weakness, they would, too, and so the fight would probably be even more miserable on both sides than it had been in original Demon King fight with Losna.

I still think Cédric would be the last one to land the blow, but I think it would equally be interesting if it was CHRISTELLE, as Cédric has an undeniable weakness towards Yeseo, and TWSB!Christelle has always been someone who dies what is necessary and pushes forwards. In the QBP round, Christelle would have also fought to her fullest, but Losna knows that deep down, she is also tender hearted, as such his love for her would not allow him to let her deal the last blow, so he leaves it to Cédric—a trusted friend and companion, even though they never outwardly call each other as such.

In the TWSB round/regression, however, I feel like Yeseo would want to protect Cédric's heart more, too. From what Eunseo has told him, he has always thought of Cédric as a cold and arrogant male lead who would do anything for his lover. But the truth is, after Yeseo becomes "Jesse", he would come to learn the full extent of Cédric's softness and subconsciously want to avoid hurting him. In TWSB canon, Yeseo also does express many times not wanting to hurt Cédric, particularly bc he knows how must lost Cédric has gone through as a child. In this AU, he would probably not want to "hurt Cédric" by letting him deal the final blow like in the original, and realizes that Christelle, too, actually has a stronger mental fortitude than Cédric in this case. It is unfair to all parties involved, but Christelle herself would probably even recognize she's the one who'd have to end things before they all hurt each other any further. Like in TWSB, Cédric probably goes berserk after Yeseo dies, and Christelle would do the same as she did in TWSB in this AU, and be the one who ultimately helps him recover from it.

TLDR!!!!!

In the QPB round, Losna's love for Christelle makes him want to avoid hurting her with the burden of his death. So, he passes this responsibility onto Cédric, who is someone who he can trust to support Christelle and the rest of their group in the aftermath.

On the flipside, in the TWSB round, Yeseo's affection and consideration for Cédric and his own traumas, would wish to not add to his burden. As such, he'd naturally turn to Christelle, who he'd recognize was unexpectedly not a mere "Female Lead" archetype who needed excessive coddling, and would come to mutually understand that she could deal with the burden better than Cédric pretends he could.

QBP goes the typical "2nd ML sacrifices himself for FL out of love yet simultaneously wishes to protect her heart so he turns to the ML for assistance", while TWSB is more of a "actually, these people are more than just their FL/ML archetypes, and both are respectively stronger (Chris), and softer (Cédric) than you'd initially expect".

I hope this makes sense!! I'm basing a lot of the TWSB return on ChriCed's actions, characterizations, and headspaces after Yeseo's canon death in the 300s (as well as earlier in the series, during the Pas-de-Trois theatre/opera Arc, where Cédric notably faltered in subduing the Esprit, only because it took on Jesse's form). Anyhow, it's super interesting, and I also love it when the ML and FL archetypes/tropes are turned on their head hahahaha

[pendwelling]

(not-so) omniscient third wheel

Pairing: Cédric Riester/Jesse Venetiaan | Jung Yeseo

9.8k words (oneshot series). ORV/Star Stream Scenarios AU (not a crossover), Modern Setting, Regressor!Cédric, Spoiler Friendly!

SUMMARY:

Congratulations on winning SRWAQ's raffle.

SENDER: Brigit <brigit@naver.com>

Date: March 18, XX:XX

Jung Yeseo-ssi,

Thank you for entering "How to Survive in a Ruined World After Quitting My Job"'s celebratory raffle.

Attached below is your prize. I hope you will find it useful.

I am also happy to announce that Part 2 will soon begin. Whatever happens, worry not. Just know that you, who is reading this, will survive.

The Modern Apocalyptic Romance-Fantasy webnovel, "How to Survive in a Ruined World After Quitting My Job", that Yeseo's younger sister adores has become reality.

With only the knowledge that his sister has imparted on him, Yeseo is determined to survive till the end of the scenarios so that he may hopefully return back to his actual universe upon reaching the ending.

(What Jung Yeseo doesn't expect is to have become his sister's favourite character, "Jesse Venetiaan"—not to mention, his immediate and unexpected encounter with the male lead, Cédric Riester, right at the very start.)

... The regressor seems to be very different from what Eunseo has told him???

[pendwelling]

I JUST SAW THIS REBLOG NOTE AND IM CRYING LMFAOAUAHRHFJJDGFKKDJ

ORV x TWSB novel swap AU!

When the Reader Strikes Back

Omniscient Third Wheel's Viewpoint