I Think The Last Anon Meant If Shen Yuan Transmigrated To Become Literally The Endless Abyss Not A Resident

I had the most hilarious thought!

A reverse transmigration AU, only it’s Bingge’s wives that keep popping into the modern world.

Shen Yuan is house sitting at his parents’ place while they’re on an extended trip. A few days in he discovers Ning Yingying wandering around the place, in her full Xianxia wife-of-the-emperor garbed glory!

She’s confused, Shen Yuan is confused, and they haven’t a clue how or why she’s there.

A display of spiritual powers manages to convince Shen Yuan she’s not just some insane cosplayer, so he does his best to be a polite host and accommodate his sudden guest. Surely Binghe will show up to ‘save’ her eventually so Shen Yuan wants to ingratiate himself, but in a polite, platonic way, so he doesn’t get himself killed as a kidnapper or for seducing Binghe’s wife.

Then the next day, Liu Mingyan shows up. A few days later, Sha Hualing is there. Then Qin Wanyue. Then the little Palace Mistress. Etc.

This is going to be a problem!

Is there some sort of dimensional leak in PIDW’s inner palace? Why do all of Binghe’s wives keep showing up??? How is Shen Yuan supposed to entertain all these people and keep them from wreaking havoc on the city and/or destroying his parents’ house? He’s just a regular guy!

Thank god his parents' staff are on vacation, and they have guest rooms to spare, but still. The food delivery services are giving him weird looks, and surely his parents will eventually review his credit card statements and notice all his sudden odd purchases of women’s clothing.

I’m not sure what all the modern interests of the wives would be, and where Shen Yuan would take them on outings, but he’s for sure a much better host then he realizes. He ends up encouraging them all to expand their horizons in ways they never would have while stuck in the harem with its expectations and politicking. (For two I have thought of: Liu Mingyan definitely finds meimei’s danmei stash in her old room at some point, and it would be hilarious if Sha Hualing was introduced to online PVP games and became the queen of epic gaming trash talk).

Bingge does show up eventually, and it turns out he had been trying to break into Shen Yuan’s world himself the whole time, only some type of misfire or portal issue kept nabbing the various wives instead.

Pretty much all the wives stuck in the modern world adore Shen Yuan by that point, so of course they’re all fine with Binghe bringing him back to join the harem. He’s great! Binghe had better treat him well though, or else.

when your son looks like his father 💁

For Scum Villain fandom specifically I have to say that the deciding factor in whether I adopt a headcanon or not is whether I think it's funny.

Do I think Shen Yuan was ill in his first life? Yes, because I think it's extremely funny if he was ill in his first life, got a brand new life with superpowers (cultivation) and boosted health, and then immediately got slapped with another fucking chronic illness (Without-A-Cure.) I think that is the funniest sequence of events and thus the correct one.

Do I think that Shen Yuan was on the very low end of his twenties, barely college-age, when he transmigrated? Yes, because I think it's hilarious if the rest of the Peak Lords have unknowingly been "shixiong"ing a fuckin sophmore

And lastly, do I think that Shen Jiu never went to the brothels for sex and ultimately died a virgin? Yes, because that sets the stage for SY!SQQ to later trip over some kind of virginity-detecting critter or plant (you KNOW the PIDW setting has to have these somewhere, c'mon), not even knowing that it's something he has to think about avoiding, and whoops getting outed as a virgin in front of the entire cultivation world, and that would be hilarious

I still think one of the funniest experiences of my life was watching American Psycho with my sister and afterwards we both went "okay. Lets do something more lighthearted now" and put on the dubbed version of Howl's Moving Castle and we both lost our minds when we heard Howl start talking

When Shen Yuan transmigrates in his definitely-not-favorite novel, he’s ecstatic. Sure, dying sucked, but he got a second chance! In a body that looked exactly like his, only healthy and with a perfectly good golden core, too!

He’s a rouge cultivator now, with a cool sword, enough money, long-ass hair and zero actual responsibilities!

So, all in all, Shen Yuan hit a jackpot. He travels, makes notes of monsters he sees and sometimes fights, collects rare herbs and flowers and feels just great.

He feels decidedly less great, when after defeating a Six Eyed Spider Viper in some nameless, remote village, he receives a bride as a payment. It shockes him into a stupor for long enough for the villagers to think he actually agreed, so as soon as he can talk again, he blurts out the first thing that comes to his mind:

“This one is already married!”

It doesn’t work as well as he hoped.

“So Nie Rong can be a second wife.” An auntie, possibly Nie Rong’s mother, waves her hand dismissively at him.

“No, no,” Shen Yuan scrambles. “This one wasn’t being clear enough. This one is not in position to take wives! He is- is, uh.”

“Master is a wife?” Nie Rong chrips, her cheeks reddened.

“Uh. Sure. Yeah.” Shen Yuan would like to leave the village immediately. A thrill of defeating a cool fucking monster wasn’t even worth the embarrassment!

“Master’s husband must be quite powerful to get such a cultivator as a wife.” One of the villagers says, eyes glinting with suspicion. “Who’s he?”

“This one’s husband is indeed very powerful.” Shen Yuan squeezes out of himself, taking a step back. “Very possessive, too.”

“How come he lets his husband travel so far?”

“Oh! It’s easy, really. This one’s husband’s harem is big enough to slip away for a week or two!”

An agitated murmur passes through the small crowd. Shen Yuan sighs, feeling the control of the situation slipping through his fingers.

“He doesn’t sound like a very good husband.” One of the aunties says. “Maybe you should divorce him and marry our Rong-er after all.”

“This one’s husband is not someone one just divorces.” Shen Yuan takes another step back. “Thanking everyone for kind words, but-"

“Oh.” Nie Rong says, eyes downcast. “It’s the Emperor, isn’t it? That’s why Daozhang can’t leave?”

“Yes!” Shen Yuan yelps before he can really think. “So you can see how the situation is difficult for this one.”

It’s a shit solution to a problem. Might be the worst, actually. But then again, Luo Binghe would never know and Shen Yuan gets a perfect excuse if something similar ever happens again.

And it does happen. Quite too often, if Shen Yuan is honest — shouldn’t all the girls belong to the protagonist anyway?!

So, Shen Yuan uses his perfect excuse: No, he cannot marry your pretty little daughter, he’s an Emperor Luo’s husband. And: No, fellow rouge cultivator, he will not share your bed, he’s spoken for!

Everything works without a hitch, until one day Shen Yuan walks into an inn where he’s been staying for last couple of days and comes face to face with the Emperor of Combined Realms, Lord Luo himself.

Shit.

Isn't it soooo sick and fucking twisted that like...

Sj hated binghe a lot for being similar to himself and yet having all the things he craved the most (meaning a loving mother, starting cultivation at the right age etc), right?

But like. If he saw bingmei, wouldn't he lose his fucking mind??

The same kid, getting spoiled rotten by a version of himself that never faced any troubles, reaping only the benefits that someone else fought and literally died for???? That little beast, coddled into shamelessness and remaining just as feral after spending so many years on his Qing Jing Peak???? And despite how absolutely unbecoming it is, in the end it gets everything it wants: all the power, the world at its feet, and worst of all it gets his obsession reciprocated. The entitled impostor that took over sj's body loves that thing back and keeps giving in and in and in, giving it everything it wants.

And oh, if he ever noticed the parallels between what him and yqy went through vs. how the story unfolded for bingqiu..... Maybe he won't notice. After all, those pampered fools have nothing in common with him and yue qi. But if he ever were to notice how the same story beats repeat. The betrayal, the separation, the misunderstanding, the guilt, the reunion. If he were ever forced to see his body play yqy's role in his own story. Piloted by some clueless young master who never worked a day in his life, using all he has to over indulge some lost, snarling animal. And then get a happy ending. Crushing everything he ever stood for so decisively. Would he not prefer his original fate after all?

Maimed, humiliated, used as a play thing of a man-child god emperor for who knows how long. But in the end he never truly succumbed to him, did he? And yes, yqy's horrible, stupid death did crumble anything human that was left in him at that point. Still going against his wishes, always too late, never listening, same old same old. But perhaps at least in death he repaid his broken promise. Instead of wasting away, faced every day with a stranger he was supposed to know. And oh isn't it all the more horrible that sy got to finally hear yqy's explanation from his own mouth? Another mercy sj never got. Another thing stolen from him.

As horrible and violent as pidw is to sj. Svsss doesn't seem to be any kinder. We as readers get a better perspective on him and can finally understand him and his motives. But he would not want our pity. I know it in my bones that he would spit on our pity. If he wanted his story known, he could have explained and exposed himself at any point in the original storyline, but he did not want the world to pity him and to look down on him. He could have opened up his heart to other people, make some new friends, it shouldn't have been impossible. But he weighed his options and chose to keep his cards close to his chest. And even if that's very much the source of his tragedy, it was his choice to make. And it would be kind for any narrative he's taking part of to honour that choice.

Im afraid that despite it all, sj might just choose to stick to his original fate. Wronged and misunderstood, at least he went out on his own terms, without being perverted into something beyond recognition.

As much as he is willing to bite and scratch and kill and maim, no matter how much mud he drags himself through, i do think that there are some things that he is not willing to compromise on. I think even as a street rat, doing anything to survive, he still had a certain sense of integrity. Even in shamelessness, no matter how bad things got. And the older he became, the more he achieved, this sense only heightened. To the point where when sy takes over, he has a perfect hold on the mask of the lofty immortal, despite all the rumours. Seeing his hard work ripped from his so callously, appropriated casually and then used for the most inane purposes.....

Idk where im going with this but it does break my heart to think about how even in the new and improved version of the original plot, sj (and yqy for that matter) is treated as an acceptable sacrifice, never knowing peace, never getting closure. And we're supposed to just accept that and move on? As if his life doesn't shape the entire story?

In pidw, it was his cruelty that made binghe who he is. He's the main reason for the unification of the three realms under one rule. His petty, personal motivations indirectly shape the entire world. And in svsss, he is actually the titular scum villain. The main character wears him as a suit over the course of 4 books. He refers to himself as shen qingqiu exclusively throughout the novel. He may be dead for the entirety of svsss, but he haunts the narrative tenaciously. He is not one to be ignored.

More specifically, it is his suffering that shapes the world he's in. I think all mxtx novels have worlds that are explicitly unkind. And for svsss, sj is very much the embodiment of that pervasive cruelty. Both victim and abuser, the cycle of violence wearing human skin. Load bearing world building element, rather than chatacter. What am i saying. Take my phone away.

Favorite underappteciated svsss dynamic of mine has to be original Luo Bingge and SQH. Specifically tho, the fact that the second they meet SQH is instantly clocking him as the original goods. No matter how good he is at acting the part of his SVSSS counterpart, he just can't get past the man who created him.

Personal favorite tell to think about is that Bingge refers to (his) SQH as some sort of title, like "advisor." So he meets SQH and the first thing out of his mouth is smthn along the lines of, "ah, the advisor :)" and just. INSTANT dread and oh fuck this is THE Luo Bingge on SQH's end

And thus proceeds the "oh god oh fuck act natural be NORMAL don't let him know you've caught on but also BITCH RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!!" struggle.

Luo Bingge realizing he's been found out and being genuinley curious and delighted at what gave him away, bc he even managed to trick SQQ for a while, so how could you tell so quickly...?

In general I just really like thinking ab the possible interactions between the traitorous rat (but now with visible anxiety issues) LB knows and the Original Demon Emperor(tm) and protag who SQH wrote into existence. Theres a lot of potential there and idk I just really love to see it. Just about every direction they can go in rings with some sort of fun

Anyways Im gonna be real, I'm p sure I've read a scene like this in a fic somewhere like. Over a year ago now. But I don't remember what or where, so. But disclaimer!! I am most likely accidentally stealing this from the depths of my own memories

SV AU where Shen Yuan is fourteen when he transmigrates.

Nothing else is different. It just turns out that the hate-reader dunking on Airplane's shitty sex scenes and worshiping Luo Binghe like it was his life's calling, and clearly repressing the hell out of some queer inclinations was, in fact, a literal teenager. He still ends up in adult Shen Qingqiu's body as the Qing Jing Peak Lord scum villain who's doomed by the narrative.

In fact the plot goes more or less exactly the same. Nothing significant in the main story changes.

But Luo Binghe and Shang Qinghua both have A Time in a post-canon identity reveal scenario.

SV AU where Shen Qingqiu manages to convey to Luo Binghe, before sending him into the Abyss, that he's not rejecting Binghe it's just that his Heavenly Demon heritage means that he absolutely MUST go into the Abyss and do something (not particularly defined) because Binghe is the only person who could possibly do it and it is related to his destiny and the fate of the whole entire world, somehow.

So naturally Luo Binghe takes this to mean that there is an Extremely Important Mission that he must accomplish in the Abyss, and that he can't come back until he figures out what it is and does it.

It can't just be Binghe's own trial-by-fire training, because how could that be important to the fate of the rest of the world? (Binghe does not know he is the protagonist of a novel.) So it also can't just be making it to Xin Mo and then getting back out again, even though leaving and going home is what Binghe personally desires most, because how could there be any purpose to him going if he just rushes through and does nothing except try to leave?

End result: Binghe takes longer to leave the Abyss because he concludes that his reason for being there is to end the eternal suffering of its inhabitants by changing the nature of the domain to be less rampantly hostile. Which, it turns out, is harder than just escaping.

Shen Yuan who collects a harem a lot of Luo Binghes-

It's not intentional!! He, well, he's actually happy with his boyfriend. Twenty-something Shen Yuan had a hard time coming out and all, but, hey, Luo Binghe is a wonderful guy. And he loves him. He is his best friend, his favorite person, his most precious, his boyfriend and (he thinks) his future husband.

Then one day a xianxia version of his boyfriend appears at his door? Who calls him Shizun and demands retribution for being mistreated by him in the past? What the hell?

Okay, the resemblance is undeniable. Admittedly, he can only be an out-of-universe version of his boyfriend. With very long hair and xianxia drama robes. And a sword that gives off a lot of bad vibes.

And the Luo Binghe xianxia is here to stay.

This xianxia Binghe and his boyfriend Binghe's relationship is tense. Shen Yuan had to put in a couple of threats here and there to keep them from hitting each other (one is clearly non-human, one is completely human. That alone can lead to ICU visits!!!), and after a few weeks, the dynamic... holds. Hardly.

Xianxia Binghe demands to take Shen Yuan as his wife and empress, and his boyfriend-Binghe cries a little thinking that an orphan like him doesn't have much to offer Shen Yuan, and that he should just accept him. Shen Yuan gets angry with both of them. He's not going to marry any emperor or take control of any kingdom. No thanks! He doesn't even want control of his parents' company shares!

The tension continues, fights, arguments - which literally end one day when, through God knows how, another Luo Binghe appears. But he's adorable! A sweet little fourteen-year-old Xianxia Bunhe full of trauma!

And now, Boyfriend-Binghe and Xianxia-Binghe have a common enemy: Xianxia-Bunhe who clings to Shen Yuan with teary eyes and looks at them maliciously and superiority when Shen Yuan is not in the room. That damn shameless guy!!

Well, at least Shen Yuan is pleased that these two seem to be getting along better now. No matter what the circumstances are.

Other Binghes begin to appear: a Binghe disciple of Bai Zhan without so much trauma but terrible communication problems, a crown prince Binghe spoiled by his father Tianlang-jun (who is easily reduced in a fight against Xianxia-Binghe and Bai-Zhan-Binghe for treating Shen Yuan disrespectfully), a completely Demonic-Binghe, a very Old-Binghe, gray-haired and tired, even a Raised-In-Brothel-Binghe who looks uncomfortable wearing anything but sheer clothing!! Many Binghes, all with their emotional baggage and traumas, giving in to him like little lambs in need of love!!

Shen Yuan doesn't understand anything. He just... Look, he's living with his boyfriend, the original Luo Binghe for him, he WANTS privacy, not to have so many alternate versions of him in his house!! Even if they are adorable, or arrogant, or irritating!! Shen Yuan wants his life back. With his boyfriend!! To do boyfriend things and... That's it!! Is that so hard to understand!?

Then, fuck it. If there are SO MANY Binghes from so many universes... There must be more of himself in their own universes!! Just... They need to take a look!!! Open their eyes! The sword of Xianxia-Binghe can clearly traverse universes, they can search for their own Shen Yuan!!

... But they all confirm that they have not been able to find someone like him in their respective universes. Shen Yuan takes a breath, has a chat with his boyfriend about interdimensional vacations, and says, fuck it. We're going to go to all your universes and find your own other me.

Even if it means going through universes and confronting all their dramatic plots! Shen Yuan will recover his chill life with his boyfriend or perish in the attempt!!