[open post] NEW USER: Shang Qinghua

[greatmasterairplane]

Look, this clearly isn't Proud Immortal Demon Way. Shang Qinghua might not remember all the details of what he wrote—that's what his most devoted fans are for, to point out inconsistencies in the comments section so Shang Qinghua can bullshit some mystical explanation, hahaha—but he's sure he didn't write this Western-style mansion. The System, when he tries to question it, is silent. So maybe it's some kind of test?

If so, not fair! Arranging the invasion of the Immortal Alliance Conference was supposed to be his last thing. The original Shang Qinghua died shortly after that, so how much plot relevance could he have?? He was meant to be retired, living life in the lap of luxury (or drudgery in the employ of his king, but whatever). Why doesn't the System just reward him for all his many years of loyal service? Can they have a "being hand-fed melon seeds by a group of big scantily-clad men" event, please???

He skims through the welcome table materials. Okay, so a world between dimensions, people pulled in from disparate worlds and trapped for eternity, sure. Classic stuff. His king is bound to show up at some point and drag Shang Qinghua away by his collar like a tiger scruffing a kitten. Until then, he'll just try to stay out of trouble.

Comments

[greatmasterairplane]

"Madam Meiyin gave him a prophecy?"

[peaklordshen]

"No, no," says Shen Yuan, flapping a hand. "Madam Meiyin gave me a prophecy, and Liu-shidi got really mad about it for some reason."

[greatmasterairplane]

Even as drunk as Shang Qinghua is, it doesn't seem like a good idea to tell Shen Yuan that Liu Qingge is in love with him. For one thing, it's kind of like spoilers. That's, like, a plot element. Shang Qinghua can't just reveal it in some noncanonical sidequest. So he fully intends to drop that topic, but he's curious. "What was the prophecy?"

[peaklordshen]

"Oh, who knows," says Shen Yuan, and then mutters, "I'm destined to be with someone who I spend a lot of time with, who's really devoted and loyal, or whatever." He's flushed pink.

[greatmasterairplane]

Oh geez. "She said that in front of Liu Qingge?"

[peaklordshen]

"Yeah, for some reason it really seemed to piss him off," says Shen Yuan. He sips his wine, still directly from the bottle. "Do you, um. Do you think it could've been about Bingge? Like--we technically were spending a lot of time together, before--you know. Even if it wasn't the same Binghe. But how could Madam Meiyin have known I would meet a Binghe who doesn't want to kill me, here?" He has a thought. "Are you sure you made her up?"

[greatmasterairplane]

"Of course I did. But, like, if I say she has certain powers, then she has those powers, right? Like, whatever I write becomes reality. So one of her character traits is that she's always right about who someone is going to marry. And that has to be true. So, if being always right means, like..." He struggles to get his brain to address different planes of existence. "Accessing information that's not from PIDW. Then maybe she can? Because maybe the, the law of reality that makes everything I wrote turn real is stronger than the law that's—dividing different worlds."

[peaklordshen]

Shen Yuan takes another sip of wine while he puzzles through this. "Maybe," he says slowly, "but it's weird that it doesn't apply to all rules of reality that you wrote, or Binghe would be the protagonist of this reality, too, and everyone would be super into him, and they're weirdly not. Like, I haven't gotten any death threats for taking him off the market."

[greatmasterairplane]

"That is weird. It's kind of offensive, actually? Like, what's wrong with him? That's my perfect stallion!"

[peaklordshen]

Um, he's definitely Shen Yuan's perfect stallion now, Airplane has officially lost custody, but he's not going to be saying that out loud. "I know, right?? It's completely baffling. Like, him being only interested in me is it's, like, own totally insane thing, but no one has even tried to sleep with him since before I got here." He shakes his head. "Even though there are new people here all the time!"

[greatmasterairplane]

Shang Qinghua is officially drunk enough to opine on this. "It's not insane at all that he's only interested in you. I mean, it's insane that he's gay and monogamous, but if he was going to choose one man, it's completely predictable."

[peaklordshen]

Shen Yuan stares at him. "It is??"

[greatmasterairplane]

"Well, look what you did to Binghe in our world. He would have gladly put his hands down for you to walk on so your feet didn't touch the ground. And that was after a couple years with the original goods. Plus, there's, you know." He waves a hand vaguely.

[peaklordshen]

"The Binghe in our world is—was a good boy," says Shen Yuan, loyally. "I don't see what it has to do with me. And I don't know—like two hours¹ ago you were asking me if I was sure my boyfriend even wanted me, and now you're telling me it makes sense that I'm the only one he wants??"

¹ Two hours, several months. Same diff.

[greatmasterairplane]

"I didn't ask you that because I thought it wouldn't make sense for him to want you, I just didn't get why he wasn't fucking you six ways to Sunday! But it's, you know. The effect you have. On men."

[peaklordshen]

Shen Yuan blinks at him. "What effect I have on men??"

[greatmasterairplane]

"They get all protective and tender around you. I've seen it happen," he adds, even though he already decided the Liu Qingge thing is spoilers. And it's not just him, and not just Yue Qingyuan, who has his own reasons to moon over Shen Qingqiu. Even Mu Qingfang takes extra gentle care with Cucumber-bro, and Shang Qinghua is pretty sure he's straight. And didn't Cucumber-bro notice how Wei Qingwei acted when Xiu Ya needed repair? Hanging around the bamboo cottage every day to give Cucumber-bro personal updates? Does he think everyone gets that treatment? Well, he probably does think that, in the way that beautiful people always think the world is just a little kinder, their dreams a little more possible. "Not me, though, I'm immune."

[peaklordshen]

"Well, sure, obviously. Protective and tender aren't really your specialty," Shen Yuan says with a snort. "Also, you know that I'm just, like, some asshole." He really thinks Airplane is overstating this whole effect thing anyway. "I don't think it's about me, dude. I think people are just surprised I'm occasionally not as much of a dick as Shen Jiu was. It's not like I have that effect on guys here." He shifts. "Um. I mean. Aleksander did ask to kiss me, but that was—there were extenuating circumstances."

[greatmasterairplane]

"Definitely some of it is gap moe," Shang Qinghua says thoughtfully. "You know, everyone expecting you to be a bitch, and then when you're nice to them it feels special. You know who really likes to feel special, though? Luo Binghe." It's more than that, though, it's like a weird alchemy between Shen Yuan's internet weirdo personality and extraordinarily beautiful form. Like he has a hot person's body, but didn't grow up hot and doesn't know how to act like it. The full you-don't-know-you're-beautiful.mp3. And yeah, this is maybe not Shang Qinghua's first drunken meditation on what makes Shen Yuan like that. "I thought Shen Jiu was hotter, personally," he adds.

[peaklordshen]

There are about seven hundred things Shen Yuan wants to say to that, including protesting that if anything Binghe is the one who's gap moe, and of course he likes to feel special, he is special, but the last comment brings him up short. "That's disgusting, dude," he says. "Like, sure, the body, and I guess if you're into people who are mean to you—but you wrote him so irredeemable! He's, like, one-note evil. Doesn't that shit put you off?"

[greatmasterairplane]

"He is not," Shang Qinghua protests. "He's actually a complex character! I just didn't put that in the book because any time I hinted toward it, some people got really pissed off. It just seemed easier to make him fun to hate."

[peaklordshen]

"Of course I'm going to get pissed off if you're going to be an apologist about the guy," grumbles Shen Yuan. But—maybe it's because he's getting a little drunk, now, but he can't help be a little curious. "Fine, then. What kind of complexity was he supposed to have?"

[greatmasterairplane]

"Oh, so now you want me to talk about Shen Qingqiu? Well, this is a welcome change," Shang Qinghua says, before bursting into cackling laughter.

[peaklordshen]

Shen Yuan, having no fan to smack him with, makes do with shoving him, hard, though not hard enough to hurt a fellow Peak Lord or actually push him off the couch.

[greatmasterairplane]

"Okay, okay. So he was supposed to have this tragic backstory to explain why he's so evil. You know how he was supposedly a servant in the Qiu household, and engaged to Qiu Haitang? He was actually a slave, captured by slavers off the streets—that's why his name is 'Jiu,' it's just a number. So when he murdered the Qius, he was really striking back against years of abuse—kind of like Bingge did against him. It's, you know. Cycles."