scum villain, fic musings, in love with the villainess

[straightforwardly]

► The other day, I was thinking about how, whenever I’m feeling actively fannish about Scum Villain, I start viewing any other media I engage with not through the lens of “is there fic potential in this” (normal for me), but rather “is there Scum Villain fic potential here”, i.e. I’m mentally rummaging through it for potential inspiration for SV fics. Despite already having more WIPs for that fandom than I’m ever going to finish. Then I started thinking about how I’ve been playing through Phantasy Star II with my brother recently, and realized… it would not actually be that hard to make a Scum Villain AU inspired by it?

I view Rolf and Nei’s dynamic in the game as platonic, but it would be so easy to adapt their backstory for Bingqiu! Rolf saving Nei seven months before the start of the game = SQQ saving Binghe, thereby triggering the start of Binghe’s devotion. Then there’s everything about Nei being disdained by others for being part-human, part-monster versus Binghe in canon dealing with with being half-demon… Nei even has a doppelganger who both literally is her but is also much more terrible than her! It’s just begging for Bing-ge, obviously! Though, uh, preferably without Binghe having his own Aerith moment.

It also occurred to me that Rolf’s boss (can’t remember if he has a name or not) being on his side and covering for him when Rolf & co. are framed for sabotaging Mother Brain could also work as YQY indulging & covering for SQQ. (This is also where I currently am in-game, for the record.)

I also had some vague thoughts of Rudo as LQG, mostly because how valuable Rudo has been for combat for me, but then it made me picture LQG with a gun, which… help. I don’t think that actually works, haha, but it’s a wild mental image.

Finally, it’s just now belatedly hitting me… the final antagonist of Phantasy Star II is (almost certainly going to be) Mother Brain… the System. You could absolutely slot the System into that role. I cannot believe that I did not immediately consider that.

► I was looking at one of my old Scum Villain fic rec lists, and was reminded of The Shortest Hades/Persephone AU Ever Made. It's still one of the funniest fics I’ve ever read, despite being barely over a hundred words; even just seeing the title is enough to make me laugh, remembering. What a punchline <3

► I read the first volume of I’m in Love With the Villainess this week (finished it today), and it was okay? I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series, though I miiiight check out the anime (which was already one of the series on my Crunchyroll watchlist). Mostly, I think I’m just very, very, very tired of this “school for European-inspired nobility” type of setting, which—I knew before picking this up, but I was hoping the f/f aspect would carry me through. Unfortunately, while I was sold on Rae liking Claire as a character, I wasn’t sold on her genuinely being in love. There were some aspects of the story I was intrigued by, and am a bit curious about how they’ll play out (things like how the Claire/Thane thing is going to resolve, whether Rod will end up being an antagonist or ally, etc etc)… but not enough for me to actually want to buy the next volume.

Predictably, reading this did have me turning over some f/f Bingqiu thoughts… maybe something something Punishment Protocol-related? f!Binghe trying to win over an OOC-locked (potentially amnesiac?) f!SQQ due to System machinations? Potentially during the five year period of SQQ’s death? f!Binghe, not knowing any other world than the PIDW/SV setting, suddenly being thrust into an otome game where f!SQQ is the villainess?

Comments

[scytale]

OMG the hades/persephone AU is amazing. I laughed and linked it to all my friends. What a thing of beauty and so perfectly IC.

Also being into a fandom enough that everything else becomes fic fodder for it sounds like great fun! Congrats!

You know, I think there's something there about Villainess Bingqiu! And probably interesting things about different genre contentions but also the way harem wish fulfillment OC genres can stay the same...

[straightforwardly]

I'm delighted to hear that you've linked it to more people! It's so fun and funny; I feel like everyone (who knows Scum Villain) should get to see it.

Also being into a fandom enough that everything else becomes fic fodder for it sounds like great fun! Congrats! Thank you! <3

Villainess Bingqiu could be SO good. You're right; it lends itself well to reflecting on the differences/similarities in genres + the harem wish fulfillment aspect! It could be so fun. Realistically, I'm probably never going to actually do anything with the concept, and I think I'm probably more interested in reading it than writing it, but there's still a part of my brain whispering, "well, you did say that you want to write more f/f bingqiu...", haha.

[scytale]

Yes! Such a clever commentary on the characters and also the AUs, lol.

It would be fun! And the way gender and gender roles play into it... I think it's also interesting that the villainess wish fulfillment genre frames itself as a subversion but really at this point it's really just... Not.

And the way gender and gender roles play into it... Thinking of the version where they're in a villainess transmigration novel where Luo Binghe is the character transmigrated into the villainess who will fix everything and Shen Qingqiu is the naturally evil original heroine of the novel Luo Binghe transmigrates into... Both of those series having the elegant, beautiful but secretly evil character, but I feel like Shen Qingqiu would be expected to go heart eyes at the male leads and manipulate them instead. Meanwhile. I think these series usually demand a kind of moral perfection from their protagonist - if she's doing something wrong it's because everyone else is Terrible and Totally Deserves It, or else she accidentally stumbled into poetically fitting vengeance, and I could see that being a genre convention Binghe breaks! And also she's not waiting around for the male leads and they all need to stop interrupting her damn it!!

(ETA: omg I'm still thinking about this and I love the idea that they both transmigrate from SVSSS? But this is before the ending and during the awkward fake death breakup phase so LBH is throwing herself wholeheartedly at SQQ (who from her perspective!! Has come back to life!!) and SQQ is like, haha there's no way this is the original LBH she doesn't want to kill me.)

[straightforwardly]

I think it's also interesting that the villainess wish fulfillment genre frames itself as a subversion but really at this point it's really just... Not. Right??

One thing I've been increasingly struck by is how rarely the villainess feels like an actual villainess, with even the "original" often turning out to be someone who was wronged rather than actually terrible, at least in many of the examples I've read. Which makes me start to wonder what the point is of calling her a "villainess" at all, outside of marketing.

Thinking of the version where they're in a villainess transmigration novel where Luo Binghe is the character transmigrated into the villainess who will fix everything and Shen Qingqiu is the naturally evil original heroine of the novel Luo Binghe transmigrates into omg omg omg, I was just thinking about a standard "SQQ as the villainess everyone loves", but no, this is way better—an absolutely galaxy-brained concept! I am making so many heart eyes at the thought. SQQ not as the titular "supposedly a villainess, but not actually one at all", but rather "the heroine who is, plot twist except really not at this point, the REAL villain"... I'm really into that. The idea of SQQ's expected dynamic with male leads is also so interesting in the context of SQQ's canonical habit of accidentally winning people over. And yesss, Binghe really would be so bad at being a morally pure villainess-heroine, in a way that's truly delightful—and would have absolutely no patience for the male leads getting in the way of her winning over Shizun vying for her attention!

and I love the idea that they both transmigrate from SVSSS? But this is before the ending and during the awkward fake death breakup phase so LBH is throwing herself wholeheartedly at SQQ (who from her perspective!! Has come back to life!!) and SQQ is like, haha there's no way this is the original LBH she doesn't want to kill me.) YESSS YES YOU GET THE VISION <3 <3 <3 This is a big part of why I think it'd be so much more fun for something like this to be jumping off from canon rather than being a full-blown AU! The emotional dynamics are just sooo much tastier in this kind of context <3 <3 <3 And I also think there's something fun about transmigration happening to a character (LBH, in this case), who doesn't have any familiarity with the concept. There's a few fics out there where Binghe has to deal with a System of his own, for whatever reason, which I find that compelling for similar reasons.

[scytale]

I appreciate all of this and I love all our variations on this theme!

And I also think there's something fun about transmigration happening to a character (LBH, in this case), who doesn't have any familiarity with the concept. And I also think there's something fun about transmigration happening to a character (LBH, in this case), who doesn't have any familiarity with the concept. There's a few fics out there where Binghe has to deal with a System of his own, for whatever reason, which I find that compelling for similar reasons.

But also oh yes. I think it's interesting how the transmigration can juxtapose with SQQ's (and there's something narratively and shippily satisfying about juxtaposing the two of them and letting them have similar-but-different experiences?) Also Binghe with a System is delightful because constraints, on Binghe??? He would hate it so much. At the same time I feel like he would make a very excellent transmigrator... PIDW!Binghe basically does that!!