SVSSS AU where Shen Yuan transmigrates as usual, except it's to find that his system is freaking out because it's been several years since Luo Binghe was supposed to show up at the sect trials to start his plot but so far there's been no sign of the protagonist, the Protagonist Halo Features aren't working correctly, and there's another transmigrator who arrived earlier, somehow hacked into the system, and erased its ability to track or punish him before disappearing into parts unknown (it was Airplane).
So Shen Yuan, now Shen Qingqiu, reasons that anyone who was trying to interfere with the plotline had either rescued or killed Luo Binghe while he was still young. Hoping for the former (but braced for the latter) he uses what scant knowledge the novel provided about Luo Binghe's origins, plus his new skills and some of the sect resources available, to track down Luo Binghe.
Turns out, in this version of events, some "random benefactor" showed up and gave Luo Binghe's mother some life-saving medicine. So she didn't die. But her health remained poor and Binghe never left her side, instead doing as much of her work as he was able to. So teenaged Binghe is basically a seemingly average, run-of-the-mill servant.
Shen Qingqiu is like "well this is pretty easy to fix actually" and approaches Luo Binghe as a wise immortal master type, says he sees Binghe's potential, and offers to take him on as a disciple. Luo Binghe is thrilled and kind of gobsmacked, but won't abandon his mother. Not a problem! Shen Qingqiu figured he wouldn't, so he offers to make arrangements to have Mama Luo comfortably set up in one of the villages at the base of the mountain. Sure, having her be alive and letting Binghe visit and write to her would be a deviation from the usual tragic backstory, but not a huge one! Shen Qingqiu is ready to mark this problem solved (and start dealing with all the other problems it creates for him) but the system is weirdly unsatisfied.
Turns out that even though Shen Qingqiu has found Luo Binghe (and a few discreet tests confirm that he has some sort of seal in place, and what are the odds of some other random orphan found on the Luo river, raised by a kindly-but-ill laundress, and named "Luo Binghe" exists in the same region?), the system still can't detect the Protagonist Halo Feature. The stupid glitching thing can't recognize the protagonist without it, so it keeps insisting that Shen Qingqiu locate him, even when he's kneeling right there and performing the tea ceremony for his initiation!
It's really annoying!
Especially since this means that the system won't actually safeguard Luo Binghe from harm. Which means it's up to Shen Qingqiu to make sure that his little white lotus disciple lives long enough to become the ruler of everything. This is easier said than done! Between the skinner demon side quest, and the demonic invasion, and various other side missions to build up the protagonist's potential, Luo Binghe is constantly getting into trouble and Shen Qingqiu keeps getting poisoned or injured trying to drag him back out of it in one piece!
Matters come to a head at the Immortal Alliance Conference (as they so often do). Shen Qingqiu is not planning to yeet Binghe, of course. Like this there's no guarantee of survival, and the system isn't even demanding it of him (because it still doesn't recognize the protagonist), but it seems to be demanding they turn up for the event anyway. Shen Qingqiu is a nervous wreck and fighting the urge to hover, because as expected, there is still a demonic invasion. Except this time Mobei Jun is there, and so is a mysterious cloaked figure who seems to be searching for something.
As soon as Shen Qingqiu claps eyes on the figure, the system chimes happily.
Protagonist Halo successfully located!
Turns out, part of Airplane's hacks involved stealing the halo and reassigning it to himself. Except that means that narrative destiny still wants him to hit certain plot beats, so he's been busily conquering the demonic realms -- in MBJ's name of course -- and mostly doing the bare minimum to satisfy the requirements while evading the system's efforts to regain contact. But now he's gotta go get Xin Mo somehow, except the minute Shen Qingqiu spots him so does the system.
The system, which immediately reassigns Airplane as the protagonist, and orders Shen Qingqiu to throw him into the Endless Abyss.
Which is like, better this rando than Binghe, so okay, but Mobei Jun is not cooperating plus the mysterious hooded stranger also seems pretty resistant to the idea (Airplane is NOT a heavenly demon, Protagonist Halo or no he's still actually a relatively squishy human cultivator, and he does not want to go into the hell pit), and between one thing and another Airplane manages to fall int the Abyss with Luo Binghe.
Not ideal. Which is to say, Shen Qingqiu is emotionally devastated and almost convinced that Luo Binghe has died for real and that Mysterious Halo Thief is going to come out somehow in a few years and chop off all his limbs, and Mobei Jun is extremely distressed because the man he intends to marry just fell into the Endless Abyss, and that seems like a difficult thing to somehow Evil Vizier your way out of.
The other peak lords arrive to keep Mobei Jun from killing Shen Qingqiu, and so everyone just kind of despairingly returns to their separate corners of the universe to wait and see what will happen.
Meanwhile, down in the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe has unlocked his heavenly demon blood and is now constantly trying to kill Airplane. But thanks to the transferred protagonist halo it just doesn't work. The system interferes and creates a last-minute unlikely survival route for Airplane every time. They eventually reach an impasse where Airplane can't die but only Luo Binghe is strong enough to actually fight most of the creatures in the Abyss, and all this "fighting" between the two of them (generous description) keeps attracting big monsters.
So, Airplane offers a deal. He knows things about this place. Including how to get out. If Luo Binghe helps him fend off the monsters, then he'll help Luo Binghe survive and escape as well. He even offers to help him get away from Shen Qingqiu and make a place for himself in the demon realms! Luo Binghe tries to kill him again for that, so he drops that line of attempted bribery really quick and switches tactics. He knows more things! Things about Shen Qingqiu's past! Secrets he'll share if Luo Binghe helps him!
Is this the start of a beautiful new friendship?
No.
Turns out Luo Binghe and Airplane have exactly the correct combination of shared traits and differences to find one another mostly intolerable. But not intolerable to the point of not being able to manage teeth-clenched teamwork. By the time they get out of the Endless Abyss, Luo Binghe never wants to hear about cup noodles or tax collection or Mobei Jun's tits ever again, and Airplane feels much the same about anything at all to do with Shen Qingqiu (and either Shen Qingqiu is a fellow transmigrator now or else Luo Binghe has inserted a shockingly vivid delusion over the scum villain he wrote). But they're both alive and in joint custody of an evil sword.
Unfortunately, due to the bickering and the complexities of Shang Qinghua's sketchy memory for his own plots, it takes them even longer to get out of the Abyss than it took PIDW Luo Binghe to manage on his own.
And, uh. Well.
They don't find things in great shape, considering how they left them...
687 notes
·
View notes
Bakugou finds himself trying to live up to an expectation he never thought he would have to—being some kind of sex god. He’s not really sure how this rumor started, or from who, seeing as most of his experiences were with close friends that he knew didn’t run their mouths about his sex life. But after so much ‘news’ being spread about his uncanny abilities in the bed, he finds himself trying to live up to its expectations.
Which makes sex with you…entirely too awkward. It’s not that he doesn’t wanna do it, or that he’s not attracted to you (couldn’t be farther from the truth, actually). It’s the fact that he’s sure you’ve heard the rumors, read the stories from tabloids and shitty Reddit posts. You must have, with the way you smile all sultry up at him and rub a hand down his bicep and grin all prettily at him.
It’s why he cusses extremely loud in the otherwise quiet room when he’s above you, and slips. He’s still not sure how it happened; you were laying beneath him and he was on his knees in between your legs, resting his weight on his hands beside your head. He knows it couldn’t have been a strength thing, with his arms giving out, but he’s embarrassed nonetheless.
Especially when the slip makes his head knock against yours.
You groan loudly, rubbing your head as Bakugou cusses again, pulling his body weight from on top of you as he sits on his knees. He’s irritated now, at his stupidity, at the weight of being better than he knew he actually was weighing on him so heavily, that it’s fucked up your first time together. He opens his mouth to apologize, ask if you want him to drop you off back at home, but he stops himself when he sees your wide grin and hears your quiet laughter.
“Me almost knocking you unconscious with my head is funny to you?” He asks accusingly, but he can’t help the small smile tugging his lips when his words only make you laugh louder. You nod at him, giggling all the while you pull him down on top of you again. He gives a little resistance before he falls onto you until his nose brushes yours.
“Yes, actually.” You chuckle, soft eyes searching his. “It’s nice to see that Dynamight is actually human, and still occasionally fucks up.” You whisper, smile diminishing but genuine all the while. It makes Bakugou soften, a huff escaping his nose as he mashes his lips against yours until you feel teeth and giggle again.
“I never fuck up,” he grunts against your mouth, smiling when he feels your smile against his own.
“Tell that to the knot on my forehead.” You snark back before he’s pulling you in again.
Realistic sex with him includes the time you both laughed when you released too much air while in doggy position and it made a funny sound. And when he accidentally stumbled while carrying you and you bit his lip too hard to be sexy. And when he collapsed from exhaustion on top of you after trying to initiate, instead finding comfort in pulling out of you so you two could just cuddle instead.
1K notes
·
View notes
I just had an idea, thinking about how S2 established that Aziraphale and Crowley are very much capable of creating embassies out of places they consider their own— and how much they've been trying to achieve that peaceful existence without compromising the life belonging on this planet.
I don't know how Aziraphale and Crowley would do it – surely they'd need something stronger than a 25 Lazarii miracle – but if they can share property over the bookshop and the Bentley, making it impossible for demons (angels too?) to cross over uninvited, maybe they could call the entire Earth their home? So that no one could go there with ill intentions, the Second Coming business or otherwise. And if they aren't powerful enough? The combined forces of the new Supreme Archangel and the new Duke of Hell, or even a former demon who was a high-ranking angel before the Fall, aided by f.e. Beelzebub and Gabriel would probably do the trick. Seems crazy, but really, they've been the protectors all along. And it's not like Earth would be permanently closed off; Aziraphale would simply stand on guard, like he was meant to do from the start. Just because She doesn't watch over anymore, doesn't mean they couldn't, and you have to admit there are no better candidates for the task.
113 notes
·
View notes
A fantastic thing about Wangxian is that they both have vast, bulletproof, towering edifices of self-esteem.
They know they're hot shit, they know almost nobody can compare; nothing changes their minds about this at any point. Even at their lowest they think highly of themselves; they're confident in their capabilities and judgments, and that they can outperform their peers.
They're arrogant, and they can back that shit up, and they have backed it up so often they're unshakeable on the subject of their own excellence.
This enormity of self-esteem is not at all incompatible with compromised self-worth, especially on Wei Wuxian's part, because the titanic self-destructive hubris that combination instills is the engine that drives his epic tragic backstory. But that's different! Thinking you're expendable and thinking you're inferior are separate judgements, that can certainly influence but don't force one another.
And one of the reasons this is cool is how the story holds them up against characters that are mostly pretty confident if not necessarily secure about their own value, but have very fragile self-esteem.
In varying ways, this is more or less what's up with Su She, Jiang Cheng, and Wen Chao.
Xue Yang also, but he's so weird about it it feels wrong to group him with those three.
Jin Guangyao is hard to place on this scale, because he shares wangxian's overweening sense of being better and more capable than other people as a rule, but he's not quite secure about it, and he shares Xue Yang and Su She's insane levels of conviction that he deserves to get what he feels is his due, at any cost to anybody.
But he definitely has a more complex relationship to that belief than either of them; su she's just like 'it's not fair!!!!!!!!!' about literally anything that doesn't go his way and xue yang is like 'obviously my finger is worth more than hundreds of lives because. it was mine.'
186 notes
·
View notes