🦈🧁Merry🧁🦈

Merry | She/ her | Currently obsessed with SVSSS | SVSSS, MDZS, TGCF, DP |

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DP x MHA idea where Danny enrolls in the hero course of UA but immediately changes his application to general education upon discovering that space exploration has barely crawled forward since the appearance of quirks.

This world already has its own heroes to protect it, it's time for Danny to be something else.

Danny, discovering that being a hero is an actual, legal profession— with benefits!: This universe is amazing! *Submits his application for the hero course*

Danny, realizing he's technically a hundred years in the future of an alternate reality and excitedly googling how far humans have traveled into space: Have we made it to Mars? Has Pluto retaken her status as a planet?

Danny, discovering that there haven't been any significant scientific breakthroughs in astronomy or the realm of space exploration in well over a hundred years: W H A T

Danny, immediately changes his application to Gen Ed: This cannot be allowed to stand.

--

The Sports Festival in this universe would be a riot.

Danny has an absolute blast using his abilities, destroying the competition, and trolling the too serious hero students. He uses the attention he gets from his surprise win to promote the few space projects and space programs still around. Upon being asked why he doesn't want to transfer to the hero course and why he's so interested in something as obscure and niche (to them) as space, Danny responds that he's an alien that came to this world through a portal and wants to find a way to go home. Tsukauchi overhears this and chokes on his giant festival pretzel when his quirk doesn't even ping such an outlandish statement as a lie.

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This just made my day!

If I was a ring person, I would have already bought it. I love this so much!!

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Too Old for This S-...

What about a reverse-transmigration AU where Shen Qingqiu and Shang Qinghua are old as dirt so when they wake up back in their old apartments, they can't be bothered to care about whatever event the System is on about now. 

A quick reacquaintance with modern technology and a few DM's later, the duo are together again and ready to embark on the journey to get back home, whatever that journey may be.

It takes them some time—breaking the many laws of nature, the universe, and the time space continuum tend to do that—but the fabric of the universe can't handle going up against the whims of an incensed protagonist and a tired god of creation both single mindedly determined on going back to their respective cushy demon lord husbands.

Go figure, apparently the space between universes is a lot like outer space because neither man could hear the others' scream as they fall through the fabric of the universe after taking a metaphorical axe to the boundary between dimensions. From there, they aren't clear on the exact process of trans-dimensional travel but after being suspended in the Void for a period of time they ended up tumbling into what appeared to be their proper universe, so they figured it worked. They were in the middle of nowhere, sure, but they could tell they were home.

If home was a random overgrown forest with a weed problem.

Shut up, Airplane!

Before the transmigrator's returned to their husbands, they had one final order of business to take care of before the day was out: The System.

They had long since made a pact that if the System ever showed its ugly emoticon-filled mug to them again, they would find a way to Kill It. They only stayed their hands this long to ensure they could get home. Now it was the time to put their various System-killing plans into action.

But first, they needed some tea, trans-dimensional screaming was harsh on the throat.

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Thank you @aetherwakee!

The hoodie is so cute!

For some reason I wasn't expecting the backpack to open but it's absolutely adorable. I had way too much fun putting my Carmex and earbuds in it.

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They’re finally here!

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Pedagogy

The members of Cang Qiong Mountain soon find that the Qing Jing Peak Lord has changed. 

In many respects the changes are pleasant. Gentle, patient, and dare they say kind are now applicable to the once caustic man.

Good changes, they whisper.

The students of Qing Jing Peak know better.

Their teacher has only gotten worse.

Sure, his style has changed, seemingly retiring previous forms of instruction and punishment overnight, but it has only given rise to an increase in the expectations he holds for his disciples.

Any student that doesn’t match or exceed Shen Qingqiu's newfound Standards in their studies is meet with a heavy blank stare, their work torn to metaphoric shreds before their eyes.

Many a disciple have been brought to tears.

Screams of the damned now echo in the breeze of the bamboo forest; their souls forsaken to rewrite their assignments for the nth time, perpetually haunted by the visage of their Shizun.

Inexplicably, Shang Qinghua feels a strange sense of kinship towards the Qing Jing Disciples.  

Shen Yuan may have been forced into the role of Shen Qingqiu but he will always be Peerless Cucumber.

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You had a bad day

Bingge makes his way back to the SVSSS universe. Landing himself smack dab in the middle of Cang Qiong Mountain. 

His appearance fools no one and everyone, from the disciples to the stair sweeper, pounces on the trespasser who has the gall to wear Luo Binghe’s face in their sect.

Normally, Shen Qingqiu would throw a fit if they attacked his dreadfully much beloved husband. But… an imposter?

They're fair game.

Cang Qiong Mountain receives some self-care that day.

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Volume 3 has arrived!

Spoilers for volume 3

Velinxi’s illustrations are as gorgeous as ever!

I mean, look at Tianlang-Jun’s coffin introduction. It really incapsulates his “kingly grace” that “could make said coffin look like an emperor’s throne.” That line was always one of my favorite mental images from the novel so I'm ecstatic it was illustrated.

We even get to see Airplane flying off to go save his future husband.

Other than the beautiful illustrations, volume 3 has so many great moments it's hard to pin them all down, but this is a memorable one.

I love how even after Everything that just happened, Shen Qingqiu still manages to make me laugh. Way to lighten the mood with a mouthful of blood.

This scene, as well, is another one of my favorites.

You've got to love how no one can handle Shen Qingqiu's shameless declaration to the scourge of the cultivation world—right in front of them as they're trying to have a good time!—so instead everyone just ignores the pair or starts hysterically laughing to cope while Liu Mingyan takes mental notes.

As an honorable mention, the whole scene of Shen Qingqiu beating up Airplane on page 334 and being caught by Yue Qingyuan and Master Wu Chen who, having just witnessed him attack Shang Qinghua until he was "prone like a corpse" and about to dispose of the body in a forest, only comments on Shen Qingqiu being safe and sound, is absolute gold.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it hard to believe the main story's official translation is already complete? Time really flew by.

I eagerly await the release of the extras.

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Shen Yuan has a type

It took a while for Shang Qinghua to notice but Shen Qingqiu's obsession with Luo Binghe wasn't a coincidence: Shen Qingqiu had a type.

Through their monthly Snitch ‘n Bitch sessions, the Qing Jing Peak Lord had slowly revealed small facets of his old life, including his one and only romantic relationship before Luo Binghe.

While not immediately obvious, the more Shen Qingqiu revealed about his ex the more they began to sound like Luo Binghe. Albeit, a Luo Binghe that was far less insecure and much more willing to openly display their murderous side to Shen Qingqiu. 

And that was the thing about his bro’s ex-girlfriend. 

Based on everything he had heard, Shang Qinghua wasn't unconvinced that Shen Qingqiu's ex wasn't a serial killer in the making, if not one already.

Charming, intelligent, beautiful, affectionate, loyal, and strong were all words Peerless Cucumber used to describe her, but he also conceded that she was manipulative, vengeful, obsessive, possessive, and a very good actress when she needed to be. The last few descriptors quirked a nostalgic smile out of the man, bringing him to jovially shake his head in the negative while exhaling a short—amused—laugh; the same gestures he uses when discussing Luo Binghe’s more questionable actions as if to say, “what can you expect from a blackened protagonist.”

For them not to be a homicidal maniac when you're out of sight, Cucumber-bro! 

But out of everything he'd heard about the woman, it was the cooking that really concerned Shang Qinghua, tipping him off to the likely-murderous nature of his bro's ex-girlfriend. While no one could hope to beat the protagonist's legendary skills in the kitchen, according to Shen Qingqiu, his ex was a close second. He often lamented to him over never discovering how she prepared her food and instead used elaborate metaphors to articulate the unique taste of her dishes as they couldn’t be expressed in simple words, they were that good Airplane-bro. 

What he did describe, however, was a fridge constantly laden with a meat he couldn’t name. Coupled with Shen Qingqiu’s innocuous anecdotes about her fascination with knives, “private butcher,” future career as a surgeon, frequent unexplained late nights, fastidiousness, and, most tellingly, the disappearances of several people in his area, some of which eventually reappeared with several internal organs missing, led Shang Qinghua to read between the lines of his fellow transmigrator’s obliviousness.

Of course, leave it up to Cucumber-bro to date the second coming of Hannibal Lector, thought Shang Qinghua. But it does explain some of his more unorthodox and macabre knowledge. He well remembered his bro’s oddly explicit drunken anatomy lecture or his frightening proficiency with knives. 

Shang Qinghua really didn't want to be the one to break it to Shen Qingqiu about what—or rather, who—made up those delicious dishes from his past life.

Well, it's all in the past, and it isn't like the woman will ever be back in Cucumber-bro’s life, so I'll just forget that I ever learned this. Plan made, Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky resolved to never think about his bro's probably cannibalistic ex-girlfriend ever again. 

Shang Qinghua should have known better than to tempt fate, or rather a System that had run out of new material.

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There are many things Luo Binghe hates about himself. 

But the thing he hates the most is the reassurance he takes from Shen Qingqiu’s propensity for resurrection. It gives him a particular type of comfort to know that not even death can stop Shen Qingqiu from willingly coming back to him. 

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I can't get the idea out of my head that not too far into their marriage Luo Binghe tries to call Shen Qingqiu "Jiu" in the same way that Shen Qingqiu calls him "Binghe," and it doesn't go well.

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The volume 3 cover is gorgeous! 

They're holding hands! Shen Qingqiu has Xiu Ya out and murder in his eyes! He is ready to protect his man. Just look at Luo Binghe’s face!

This cover is everything. 

Spoilers for volume 3.

My money was on this cover being a scene from the Holy Mausoleum—more specifically when Shen Qingqiu is protecting Luo Binghe from being skewered by the Old Palace Master and Qiu Haitang—but this is even better!

The scene at Zhao Hua Temple heavily hits on a lot of Luo Binghe’s issues and insecurities with all of those cultivators talking hatefully about their perception of his conception, how he was spurned by Su Xiyan before he was even born for being a demon, and how they regret that fetus-Luo Binghe survived being poisoned, so Shen Qingqiu taking his hand, comforting him, and then defending him from their accusations and physical attacks is such a great moment to pick as this volume’s cover. 

I also love how the cover implies that Shen Qingqiu got five hundred satisfaction points for holding Luo Binghe’s hand. (Unless those points are in reference to the five hundred Shen Qingqiu earns when he hits Luo Binghe at the Bamboo House replica?) 

The full Luo Binghe family! (Minus the washerwoman)

Luo Binghe looks so similar to Tianlang-Jun except with the nose and eyebrows of Su Xiyan. I kinda wish we got a bit more of Su Xiyan’s face so we could see more of Luo Binghe’s resemblance to her, but *crosses fingers* I hope we'll get a full sketch of her in the bonus image gallery for this volume. 

I find it really funny how Tianlang-Jun is just given the title "heavenly demon" above his name and not something like "former junshang" while Zhuzhi-Lang is given full respect and labeled as a “demon general.” Even just Tianlang-Jun’s image screams “demon emperor” (as well as “cool dad”) with his breezy grin, single eyebrow raise, open robes, and his ability to somehow appear to be literally looking down at the viewer, even from the confines of an illustration. It reminds me of Shen Qingqiu’s comment about him being able to sit inside of a coffin and make it seem as if he were sitting on the emperor’s throne.

Just like with volume 2 of MDZS, I need to give kudos to whoever at Seven Seas wrote: “To save his sect from destruction, Shen Qingqiu has at last submitted to Luo Binghe—though he wishes people would stop saying it that way! Unfortunately, they’re not wrong.” That line is golden! The people who work on SVSSS know what’s up.

I’m also a bit surprised that a cup is the image on this volume’s spine. Am I forgetting something because the only cup I can think of that is relevant to this volume is the teacup that Shen Jiu tips over to dump tea on Luo Binghe in their first meeting. Is that it, or is it referring to some other cup?

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Can't Die Twice

What if the idea of "dead things can’t die twice" was applied to Shen Qingqiu?

(Spoilers for volumes 2 and 3) 

Shang Qinghua was basically reincarnated so he doesn’t fall under this, and since the PIDW/ SVSSS universe runs on spaghetti code and desperate "I-have-to-write-10K-a-day-to-keep-the-lights-on-I-forgot-if-I-killed-this-side-character-or-not" logic, people are allowed to come back to life a couple times. (Ex. The Holy Mausoleum, Sun and Moon Dew Flower) 

However, there’s a limit to that and well…Shen Qingqiu has long passed it.

Instead of having hundreds of Wife Halos™ condensed into a single Danmei Love Interest Halo™, as Shang Qinghua assumes, the reason Shen Qingqiu is an unkillable cockroach is because he has died so many times by the time post-canon rolls around that the universe no longer accepts it. The instant he dies the world simply duck taps his body back together, wipes him off, and then spits his soul right back into his newly not-deceased body.  

(Think: flip clocks) Metaphorically, I imagine that the universe’s [Shen Qingqiu status: Alive] flap doesn’t flip to [deceased] anymore because Shen Qingqiu has overworked the poor gear that does it. It's now, permanently, stuck on [Alive]. And nothing can change that.

So he lives, and lives, and lives.

At first, there’s nothing strange about that. He’s immortal and surrounded by overprotective Peak Lords with a devoted demon lord husband as the cherry on top, so of course he'd live. 

All the while things slip through the cracks. Moments of concern go unquestioned and fretful instances are waved off as a mistake—a trick of the light. Instances Shen Qingqiu really shouldn't have been able to walk away from. 

Even when people have doubts, Shen Qingqiu's propensity for surviving the unsurvivable is well-established and unparalleled, so it’s easy for people to put aside their worries. After all, there’s been an explanation in the past; there’s one now. Surely.

It's not like he is dying in obvious ways either. Not even Shen Qingqiu thinks too deeply on those moments when the world seems to shift on its axis, the tiny far too familiar nudge on his soul—It's nothing, he rationalizes. Nothing at all. 

Everyone lives Happily Ever After. 

But all good things must come to an end.

And the beginning of the end the beginning of despair starts with a lucky shot.

Shen Qingqiu gets hurt.

He gets hurt in a way that can’t be ignored. Not even by himself. It’s a blatant wound gushing blood that not even an immortal with heavenly demon blood on his side could possibly survive. Luo Binghe is far away, embroiled in a different battle, but he tries to save him, oh does he try, but it’s futile.

Shen Qingqiu closes his eyes for the last time.

He then pops them right back open and is miraculously back to full health. Wound not in sight…body in tip-top shape. Perfect fighting form.

Without any pain, he sits up and stares into the wide eyes of the one that inflicted his not-so-killing blow. Shen Qingqiu calls on Xiu Ya, taking care of the man. With that out of the way he notices that not only has his health been restored but his clothes are pristine. Under him the ground is only stained by his opponent’s blood, not his, like it should have been.

Before he can begin to panic, Luo Binghe arrives. Shen Qingqiu soothes him and makes up an excuse about the heat of battle leading Luo Binghe to be mistaken about his blood sending him signals of a life-threatening wound. He’s standing right here, perfectly fine, among a battle that’s just about finished. There’s nothing to worry about. Everything’s fine.

Shen Qingqiu only wishes he could believe that.

Nothing’s fine.

And he doesn’t think it ever will be again.

Because immortality is a misnomer. But this?

This feels a lot more permanent.

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Beware of Tutorial Mode

Post-canon. SQQ is enjoying the peaceful lull of his married Peak Lord life when, over the sound of his husband bustling around the kitchen to prepare an as always exquisite dinner and the disharmonious musical notes of his disciples, SQQ hears the dreaded voice of Google Translate for the first time in decades. 

[Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations! Important things must be said three times! Tutorial mode: Complete. Initiating Main Story. Executing regression process to Starting Point. B-points reset. Current B-points: 100. System wishes you good luck in overturning the original plot of Proud Immortal Demon Way and changing it into a magnificent, high-quality, first-rate classic!]

Before SQQ can properly process its words and call foul, the world turns black. 

"...Shidi? Shidi, can you hear me?" 

SQQ doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. 

All he can think is: "Stupid System, stupid novel!" 

(Time travel is one of my favorite tropes and I feel like the world needs more Time Traveler!SY. He's a man out of time two times over!)

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It's here!

Peerless Cucumber is the best iteration of SQQ simply because of his glorious beard. (And for how he literally does a Beatrix Kiddo, makes one decision—to help LMY—and then immediately gets himself embroiled in a strange mix of hot potato and keep-away between every guy that likes him, with his own other body as the prize. He's not even awake for a week and he already has both realms thrown into a tizzy.)

SQQ's face when LBH accidentally rips off his robe in Water Prison is also 10/10. It’s literally just :o

And look at Zhuzhi Lang!!

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The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation volume 2 cover is so pretty!

LWJ can't take his eyes off WWX and WWX is just flirtatiously looking back at him. I mean, just look at the little over-the-shoulder grin he is giving LWJ.

I love that while the main focus of the cover is on the two of them only having eyes for each other, little ominous details start popping out that foreshadow the vibe of the arc. Right between the two’s line of sight is the talisman WWX is holding, and from there the arch, the leaves in the wind, the thin bare tree branches, and the thick white fog surrounding them begin to stick out, creating a foreboding atmosphere that’s just perfect for this volume. (Not to mention the two figures on the back cover which really give it away.)

Yi City, here we come! (RIP to the mouths of the juniors. They're going to need it—WWX has no mercy for their poor taste buds.)

Someone needs to thank the lovely person over at Seven Seas who wrote "where [Wei Wuxian] must keep his enemies close and Lan Wangji even closer" on the volume’s back cover description because it is incredible. That's a fabulous summary and I have to give them serious props for it.

Anywho...Was it just me, or did anyone else have a moment where they saw the cover and got confused over why Chenqing was suddenly green? My first thought whenever I see WWX with a dizi is that it’s Chenqing, and it took my brain way too long to remember that this dizi is the one he hastily made after being resurrected.

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(The Drama of) Shen Yuan’s Soul

You know, SY's soul must look pretty funky.

I highly doubt that souls can get away from death without any sort of mark or imprint from the experience, even a soul that was kidnapped right afterwards by The System and put into a new body.

SY died and I feel like his soul should reflect it. And people should notice. This is an ancient cultivation world so some sect, demon, artifact, technique, or specifically skilled someone should be able to notice this fact about SQQ. And then cause all sorts of drama with the information. 

(Spoilers for those who have only read volume 1)

Since his second death was so public, this idea would work best (AKA have maximum chaos) if people found out before Jinlan City. 

If it is before the Immortal Alliance Conference people would be really suspicious about what caused his soul to look like he died. Since it isn't far removed from SJ's time, some unsavory rumors about using forbidden techniques, demonic cultivation, deal with demons etc. are flying around. Some people bring up the recent personality change SQQ went through and connect the two. The tame rumor is that SQQ had such a devastating qi deviation that it managed to have an impact on his soul similar to as if he had died and that's what caused the personality change the sect witnessed. The not-so-tame rumor is that SQQ really did die and that someone (everyone's money is on YQY) brought him back from the dead. That's why his soul looks like he died, because he did, and the experience of being brought back to life, along with whatever uber-powerful and forbidden technique that did it, had an influence and scrambled SQQ's personality into the new and improved version. It's a mess. The rumor mill is working overtime. Nobody confronts SQQ with any of this. They just stick to observing him to see if they can prove any of their theories right.

The opposite would happen if people found out after SQQ pushes LBH into the Abyss. There wouldn't be a million ideas flying around; just one. And it is universally accepted. It is literally the only thing demons and humans alike can agree on: SQQ's heartbreak over LBH "dying" was so strong that it left an imprint on his soul. For all intents and purposes, his grief killed him, and his soul reflects it. (People comment on how in those LBH-less years SQQ looked like "he had lost his soul" so you can't tell me that Cang Qiong Mountain wouldn't take one look at SQQ's death marked soul and collectively go "sounds about right." The comments about SQQ being a grieving widow after the Conference would take on a whole new—very literal—meaning.) This brings The Resentment of Chunshan into existence even earlier! It is even better worse than in canon. SQQ loses his mind when he finds out, but he also can't contradict the prevailing theory. Everyone notices how when he hears Chunshan SQQ gets this interesting look on his face and seems to come alive, and it just confirms their relationship to everyone. In reality SQQ is just ranting and raving in his head. With how widespread and widely accepted their supposed relationship (and secret marriage according to a popular rumor) is, SQQ gets called Widow Shen (is that a thing?) more than once while at some formal sect functions. Eventually SQQ is given his own title that basically translates into "eternally grieving spouse" or "soul shattered wife" or something similar. All of it just fuels Liu Mingyan's muse. You can bet she is having the absolute time of her life. Meanwhile, LBH is having a heart attack because as soon he exited the Abyss he started hearing snippets of Chunshan and thought that SQQ had lost his soul and died. And that he had inadvertently caused it! Once LBH finds out SQQ is, in fact, alive he is simultaneously over the moon and horrified. Over the moon that SQQ missed him so much it left a mark on his soul but horrified that he had any part in sort of soul killing his Shizun.

This idea would also be interesting post-canon. It would actually be even crazier post-canon because at that point SQQ has died a ridiculous number of times. Most people only die once but SQQ is extra in everything he does and dies a whopping three times.

1.) Dying from food poisoning and going from SY to SQQ,

2.) Self-destructing and going from SQQ to Peerless Cucumber,

3.) Having his soul ripped out of his plant body and thrust back into good ol' SQQ (this wasn't really a "death" in the same vein as the other two but considering how painful the experience is for SQQ and how his soul is forcefully being dragged out of one body and shoved back into another, he definitely received some type of mark on his soul from it)

Anyway, the moral of the story is that SQQ's soul looks like an absolute mess, and everyone is just confused. They know that souls aren't meant to look like that, even one that died once (to their knowledge) and came back. Everyone's also kinda horrified with this information. LBH, LQG and YQY especially. SQQ's soul has more death residue than any living person has any right to and yet somehow SQQ is perfectly calm about it. People have all sorts of theories about how it got this bad. It's sort of a mix and match of ideas from the earlier scenarios. Like, people posit SQQ's soul looks this deathy because of a combination of the infamous qi deviation, his grief over LBH, and then his self-destruction. Some people throw in a theory about LBH and Xin Mo doing some damage at Maigu Ridge but nothing is certain. People pester SSQ for an explanation and he is so done by this point in his (fourth) life that he plays along. Afterall, he has his Happily Ever After and he is going to enjoy himself by being an absolute troll and messing with the entire cultivation world. Sometimes he plays dumb, sometimes he uses his overpowered bullshitting ability to make his soul situation seem entirely reasonable, other times he makes cryptic and vague statements about dying (never when LBH, LQG or YQY are within earshot) in fantastical ways. He even brings in the Master of the Ridiculous and Nonsensical, The Great God Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky himself, to help him come up with the most outrageous ideas either of them can think of—ideas that not even PIDW logic can explain but they somehow manage to spin so well it gets incorporated into SQQ's mythos.