When it comes to the topic "Shen Jiu had the chance to be better, etc" the thing is... no he didn't. He never did. He is a fictional character inside another novel.
At the end of the day, Airplane wrote him like that, Shen Jiu never stood a chance. The world was built for LBH since he was the protag, even the system was centered around him mostly.
It's laughable how people get so offended and ready to attack SJ for abusing LBH when Airplane wrote for that to happen.
Anyways, people are free to interpret a character however they want, but pls refrain from "executing" a character for certain crimes when you gloss over the same crimes another one did. It's not fair, and honestly it only makes the fandom experience worse.
Look this is just an opinion not a fact don't get into such a tussle over a stanger opinion on a book of all things which are meant for entertainment. How I view this doesn't effect you nor do you take it as fact in fact youre free to disagree don't care.
It fucking says a lot about Shen Jiu as a character and the fandom as a whole in fanfics when the majority of them make him in fanfics having a better turn around in his life is always when a respected man is attached to hip usually( Liu Qingge) or acts as a voucher for people to even see him past his shell or his lies about the true reason he goes to the brothel goes out the window because otherwise he's a liar, a no-good and lecher and scum villain and because he's so emotional and volatile people do not respect him as a peakleader at all. He doesn't have a voice like it's telling me he's so female-coded cause ladies knows how dangerous people giving character assassination at your person could do tons of damage to your future prospects in future life and honestly I really like even though the ficwriters don't outright say it cause it subtle how majority every man and person in his life have taken away his autonomy and I find the most egregious example SY not actually giving a fuck about the person of the body he's inhabited and him not emoting at all when he saw the OG being abused and still validating LBG like if even the modern man from another era doesn't give a shit either someone who has to have sensible morals in society and even he doesn't care . This dynamic reflects a lot how society often undermines individuals who don't fit its norms, stripping them of their autonomy and dignity. SJ's struggle for respect and recognition in the story mirrors real-world issues of power and validation.
Everyone prefers SY. I'm not going to act as if I'm better though in real-life same I'd like him more too but his martial siblings barley tried. If they dislike him whatevs, but you guys are not at all suspicious about the 180 change in behavior how the kid he used to hurt and abuse is now being loved and pampered wtf??? Don't you guys owe him that much to investigate.
They could have tried to dig deeper aside from the one time they test him for possession but they didn't because they prefer the new and improved him". It actually so telling how the author chose someone of such a rich and idle pampered background to be transmigrated to the villain who's origin the very opposite of that and yet seemingly integrated himself better and incorporate better relationship with them then SJ.
The cultivation world, as well as the characters within it, reflect deep-seated classist attitudes. SJ's rough background and survival tactics make him an outsider, whereas SY, coming from a more privileged background, can navigate and be accepted more easily.
What does that actually say exactly that someone of a better background get along with the peaklords but not SJ because with our SJ he's a fighter and biter, he plays dirty to win in their eyes, he a lecher every inconceivable things is literally placed onto him just based on their perception of him. Is it that unconsciously they could tell SJ is not of of them or am I looking to deep haha??? The cultivation world is very classist is not news to anyone and that being the exploration in MXTX next book and how WWX background being how he literally met his end because of it says an actually lot how she took the things from this story and incorporate it into her next book.
The entire story had me retrospectively think hard how SJ voice is silent and yet to me at least he stills haunts the narrative because of it then when you get to the reveal about his backstory it makes you fucking think of him as an actual person and not just an object as a vehicle for the main character to just insert himself in because no matter the nature of a person it stills their body.
Like i've seen some fans even reflect this saying it not his fault that he transmigrated or he deserved it's technically his body and that he's a better person than SJ. At first, I agreed but then I took some time to process this. I don't care about SJ actions and his nature if it at the expense of his fucking body. SY can live for many many years but he's not SQQ unless he reincarnated like Airplane like it makes me want to me want to debates about transmigration. SY is his own person an adult with memories he has his own thoughts and feelings so when he transmigrated he took over the manual controls but that doesn't mean he's actually SQQ because he's not he's a pampered millennial.
In Otome Isekai (OI) stories, the original souls often face bad endings, while the transmigrators, who are modern characters inhabiting and thriving in these disliked bodies, desperately try to avoid such fates. They manage to charm the original male leads and are so focused on changing the story's trajectory that they can't accept its original path. This comparison to OI highlights how these characters' actions mirror Shen Yuan's (SY) predicament. The original person's identity and struggles are dismissed for the sake of the new character's journey, leading to the erasure of the original identity.
I don't vibe much with Shen Yuan because he seems very indifferent. The world revolves around him and his bias, much like many other transmigration novels where the MCs are similar. I find it hard to connect with a MC whose actions, even bold, lack a genuine foundation with other characters because they continue to see them not as people but character roles they're supposed to fulfill. He does everything to save himself, not from the sincere intention. His reaction to the death of GXY was cold af.
I don't like transmigration stories for this reason. They're often treated more as reader-inserts for fix-it fanfiction. We rarely learn about the characters' past lives, so we end up thinking of them as the person they transmigrated into, rather than who they were before. All we know of before was he was cyber-bullying and harassing the author and a troll so an asshole, basically.
If you guys don't know about OtomeIsekai basically we have bunch of modern day Koreans jumping into european white women bodies and inhabiting their bodies and living vicariously through them basically wish-fufillment bullshit trash . 9/10 nobody notices because this is a person who is widely disliked and despised and because no-one cared for the OG soul it easier to just go under the radar hell even the MC don't give a shit to so we have another MC that become so beloved in the eyes of the ML and how she bewitched everyone into loving her.
Transmigration is literal horror. " His Present" a short story I read from novel-updates where it literally based on this very concept where his loved ones preferred the imposter ugh made me bawl.
It makes me think about transmigration. Does it truly matter if the person who took over lived much longer than the original soul does that make them "THEM" ? I actually do appreciate SJ backstory being added but like now with transmigration just popping off on internet novels where the concept is everywhere where the original soul is discarded and the new one is celebrated, kinda adds a layer of tragedy and ethical dilemma to the narrative. It questions the validity of the new identity and the consequences of such an erasure. I'm always biased for the OG souls maybe that why a lot of SJ fics make him the character who is most suppressed by his role as scum villain succeed in making him heard to be listened to and mattered.
Are people not tired of reminding every day that Canon SJ is abusive?
We know. It's not a revelation, it's not new info, we know he is the villain and we know you still view him as a villain even after he paid for his sins. We get it.
Everytime I scroll down SJ's tag there are always posts about his abusive actions in the novel, and if it's not about that, it's about their disappointment about his characterization in fanfics.
As someone who likes SJ's character, I would like to read about him having a happy ending, to find happiness with or without redemption. I don't see you putting the same energy when LBG travels back in time and never compensates for his murder sprees and countless rapes.
If you want to trash fanon SJ do the same with the other characters as well. Thank u.
Just to clarify since I smashed 2 compl. in 1, what I mean to say is that posts reminding Canon SJ's abuse everyday while comparing him to LBH (who did worse) is unnecessary since both are cannonically fucked up. But many people gloss over LBH while pointing fingers only at SJ, as if saying "LBH is protag so he's forgiven, SJ shall remain a criminal no matter what." It's hypocrisy at its finest, and it serves only to exclude those who like SJ, as if intentionally trying to make them feel bad for siding with someone that it's not from the main cast.
Second, fanfiction is boud to change things around. Look at svsss, SJ was the villain in PIDW for mistreating LBG (protag), while in SVSSS the OPM became the villain, SY(protag) and LBH(ML) while SJ became no different from a cannon fodder. So, since Svsss changed the roles of the characts, same thing can happen in fanfics.
Complaining about SJ being written OOC by fans, doesn't make sense when Svsss LBH is a crybaby, a complete different person from PIDW LBH. Also, SJ wasn't born completely evil, through the novel he tried to do good, but it backfired, it's up to the writers if it ends bad or good. For instance, SY has internal monologues/lines where he objectifies women, and there was a line where he showed his transphobia (I think he used a slur or something), and many more. But in fanfics those things are not addressed.
Fanfiction and OOC go hand in hand. If you don't like it, don't read it. And if you read it and didn't like it, then pretended you never saw it. Just like I pretend the Canon never happened. Simple.
Are people not tired of reminding every day that Canon SJ is abusive?
We know. It's not a revelation, it's not new info, we know he is the villain and we know you still view him as a villain even after he paid for his sins. We get it.
Everytime I scroll down SJ's tag there are always posts about his abusive actions in the novel, and if it's not about that, it's about their disappointment about his characterization in fanfics.
As someone who likes SJ's character, I would like to read about him having a happy ending, to find happiness with or without redemption. I don't see you putting the same energy when LBG travels back in time and never compensates for his murder sprees and countless rapes.
If you want to trash fanon SJ do the same with the other characters as well. Thank u.
AU where SJ didn’t die but instead swapped places with SY… post-canon they swap back again only for SY to find himself leader of the Chinese Communist Party, because SJ has been busy.
In a world without cultivation, what’s the second best thing? Nuclear missiles, of course.
That "svsss is a horror" ask has me thinking. What if SVSSS is supposed to be a punishment for everyone.
I mean, SY is forever stuck in the body and shadow of a man he hates and unable to really be his true self ever again unless he risks massive backlash. LBH is basically married to a stranger, meaning he may be married to his shizun, but he never has the person he really wants. Then there's Bingge, who finds himself tormented by what is essentially an illusion of what he truly wants but can never have. Not to mention that if the SY reveal happens, it would become a political scandal of epic proportions.
How can Cang Qiong not realize that their martial brother is gone and replaced by someone else? They must either be incompetent or simply didn't care enough to do anything about it.
How can the demon emperor be so blinded to the true nature of his husband? He may not be fit to rule.
How can the entire cultivation world be fooled? Can they even be trusted to handle matters of the common folk if they can't even handle their own?
Competency is questioned, reputations are ruined, trusts are broken, relationships end, authorities are undermined, and suspicions and accusations all around.
(If Shen Jiu was really the villain, wouldn't this be the perfect revenge. He isn't there, but his presence is strongly felt. He haunts the narrative so well that his very absence leads to the hero's downfall)
What do you mean by Shen Jiu being female-coded? /genq
Hello! To preface, in a lot of fandom spheres calling any cis gendered character "[gender]-coded" tends to be negative, usually to highlight poor writing or usage of harmful stereotypes, i.e., male-coded women being arrogant and demeaning to other women or female-coded men being sensitive and the butt of jokes among other men. However, there are instances where it is done and, rather than promote negative gender stereotypes it rather... Emphasises a masculine and feminine natures that resonate with people.
I am not always good with words, but there is [gender]-coded that is basically thinly veiled sexism and there is [gender]-coded that is simply nature. Think along the terms of pre Christian colonialism, where many cultures and religions have masculine energy and feminine energy defined outside of biological gender.
I see SJ as female coded because of how the fandom reacts/reacted to him. We don't got a lot of info on him, canon wise, at least not without heavy (and unreliable) bias. But there is a stark difference to how fandom treats him compared to the other men in the story.
And I don't mean in the sense of "he deserved what he got/he deserved so much better" discourse that surrounds him, but how fandom understands him.
Depending on where you fall, the degree of SJ's childhood trauma could range from demeaning slavery with a historically usual amount of abuse and demands to underage sexual abuse and torture. Regardless, the common thread is that men have control over his autonomy. Men (and nobility) dictate what he does, how he dresses, what he will receive, and how others percieve him. This is something SJ does not escape, even when he becomes a Peak Lord, although the degree has lessened by this time. He fails not just because of his actions, but due to the words and judgement of people who only see him on surface level and, thus, scrutinise his every action as "evidence" to their preconceived judgement.
And boy does fandom run with this!
And it makes sense because, a huge portion of danmei demographics are women... Women who understand all too well the dangers a negative statement can have on their livlihood.
This is why Shen Jiu is female coded, to me. Qui Jianluo, Wu Yanzi, Yue Qingyuan, Luo Binghe, even Shen Yuan, etc etc all, in some way, have taken his autonomy. QJL and WYZ did it with their abuse and power over him, YQY did it by undermining him and placating him (while allowing the bad rumours and his bad behaviours to persist), LBH through his revenge (literally crippled him), Shen Yuan quite literally takes over his body and has no regard for its treatment for most of the story.
In fandom, I think its telling that Qi Qingqi, Mu Qingfan, and Liu Qingge also feature as a prominent antaongist that contribute to Shen Jiu's abysmal reputation. Unfortunately, the three kinds of people women should feel protected by and safe with- other women, doctors, and those who uphold justice- are some of the main contributors to the problems they face. They aren't taken seriously, they're ostracised or put down, they're ignored or labeled as over emotional.
Its also telling that, for most fanfics/discussions/art/etc where Shen Jiu is "redeemed" or given a second chance, the main reason why he suceeds is because others listen to him. They let him have a voice and respect it. He is able to advocate for himself and not be torn down or turned away. And if he is, usually there's a man that stands by his side and acts as the "ally" or "bridge" that gets people taking him seriously.
Or, him being attached to a well-respected man is enough for people to change their opinions. Fandom can't help but reflect real life in their works.
So, with all that being said... I understand that there's going to be people who think this is a "bad take" because I rely so heavily on how the fandom portrays Shen Jiu, and that's fine. There will always be Bible-thumpers in every piece of media we consume, and they're here for good reason. But I consume stories for the feelings they evoke and the influence they have on others. People make connections, that's just what we do, and this is the connection I made.
My hurdle in writing Shen twins/bros AUs is always the fact that a backstory which produces a Shen Jiu will never be a backstory that produces a Shen Yuan. You have to change fundamental parts of one of them if you want them to share an upbringing.
AUs that maintain the element of SY being a transmigrator work the best in that regard, because he can still have 20-some years of being a spoiled son, but even then, the more horrors of SJ's childhood that SY experiences, the more SY would be changed. SY thinking he's fine because it's just a story or because he's mentally an adult would not prevent SY from getting traumatized. Similarly, an AU where SJ grows up as the well cared for second Shen son is going to result in a very different man, because SJ is so heavily shaped by his trauma.
I think this is part of why I find them easier to write as parent and child; the fic conventions are that if SJ is SY's parent, then SJ has clawed himself to a higher position where he can offer SY comfort and stability, and if SY is SJ's parent, then SY changes SJ by giving him an un-traumatizing childhood. Either way, it makes sense for them to be those versions of themselves in that story.
You know, I love the thought of Shen Jiu being mourned if he was the one that died in the caves instead of Liu Qingge.
But, there is the very real possibility that his death wouldn't be mourned or simply brushed aside, maybe even celebrated (with the exception of YQY, who I firmly believe would burn the sect down if this did happen). With how hated he was, I wouldn't be surprised if his final act of kindness before his death was, once again, twisted into something it wasn't.
"He probably tried to kill Liu Qingge again when he thought he was at his most vulnerable. Clearly, he underestimated his shidi, and he was the one to end up dead."
"Ha! serves that scum right!"
It keeps me up at night tbh. The thought of everyone (with a few exceptions) talking about SJ death as if it was deserved, spitting on his sacrifice as if it was something dirty and meaningless. Thinking about this makes me feel like crying, but at least I can take comfort imagining YQY becoming feral and going scorched earth (literally and figuratively) on everyone (because he would if it's for his Xiao Jiu and I'll fight anyone on that).
I made a list with everything I've read and liked so far, hope this helps and can somehow make it up for my lateness! I tried to link the fics but tumblr is being a little bitch, so I had to remove them.
Also, this list includes smut as well, make sure to read the tags!
Liujiu (This is my fave couple, I dream of them like 24/7)
Ongoing
Twin Lotus by s_unfl0wer
The Orchid Grows Where Others Cannot by Iwannabe_lieve
The Wrath Of The War God by NazakiSama166
Devotion by NazakiSama166
Through The Well by NazakiSama166
To You On The Other Side by blackflowertea
Completed
'til death do us part by blackflowertea
The Sword And His Shield by blackflowertea
reluctant romance by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)
Bamboozled Into Parenthood by Renyo
Surrender by xpityx (Restricted)
Would you dual cultivate with me? by FakeAlice
talking is hard by technorat
Curse of the Black Moon Flower by cannon_fodder
skyfire circle by mercurials
night time, hide my eyes by technorat
One Night of Sleep by Otno (restricted)
Flower of Fondness by mohuji (togaki) (restricted)
Tainting You by scumshizun
A Necessary Darkness by xpityx (restricted)
push furniture in front of the door by formerlyknives (restricted)
Je te laisserai des mots by xnemone (restricted)
Utterance by EasternWarrior
spar with me by revesdelimonade
best laid plans by revesdelimonade
My annoying demon by FakeAlice
forever and ever and ever and ever by pennydaniels
Mamazun by shorimochi
An unexpected visitor by Parmse
Traces by shypersomniac
Give Me Your Best Scripts by Dandesamm
Guide Dog by FakeAlice
a trip around the ninth sun by ectocosme (restricted)
hustling for the good life by Chesra
Jingwei by xnemone (restricted)
Indebted by UmbrellaMartialGod
it's that talk again by revesdelimonade
you and i by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)
it’s a crime you’re not around most of the time by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)
Loving You is Easy by Anonymous
uh... you fight good. by saccharinings
behind the scenes and be vulnerable by Anzie (anzie)
The Downfall of Cang Qiong by Anonymous
Sweet Nectar by Anonymous
altar by fencesit
your long tongue runs along my heart by ectocosme (restricted)
The War God's Redo by GT_GoldenTrashbag
Convenience by Phnx
A Poor Choice Of Words by Pancakes_With_No_Clean_Fryingpans
Comfort by xpityx (restricted)
LiuJiu Week 2022 , Promise , Rewritten by xpityx ( all 3 restricted)
like real people do by revesdelimonade
This Omega Just Want His Off Days by shorimochi
In This World by Ehann
tag team carry romance by Chesra
an open/shut case by Chesra
Alcohol Free by Dandesamm
make sure i die first by pennydaniels
we should stick together by pennydaniels
you're my best friend, i'll love you forever by pennydaniels
Autumn Leaves by dead_leaves_fall_like_tears
Mirror of Truth by dead_leaves_fall_like_tears
Affection curse by FakeAlice
BREAKING NEWS by mohuji (togaki) (restricted)
be good to me by pennydaniels
As the West Wind Blows by demoniqt (restricted)
to tell you the truth by leviiio
Look Into The Mirror And What Did You See? by Invidia_Envy
you got a way (of making me feel insane) by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)
Gold Amidst Snow by ClearAutumnVibes
Evil Blankets and Senseless Shidis (These Maddening Delights Have Surprising Ends) by I_dont_know_anything_im_sorry
Marital Bliss by Aledono
Who had you was? I yes you would by technorat
Opposite by Ehann
Two Peak Lords Walk Into A Flower Field (you won't believe what happened next!) by Space_Samurai
Secondary When Compared To You by I_dont_know_anything_im_sorry
Old Ghosts Haunt These Hallowed Grounds by xnemone
Mu Qingfang / Shen Jiu (this one is kinky. You've been warned.)
Just what the doctor ordered by Space_Samurai
In the carriage by Sakuja
Poisonous Love or Mu Qingfang is a psycho bastard by Sakuja
Doctor's orders by Anonymous
Too Much But Not Enough by Anonymous
healer's prescription by ectocosme (restricted)
etch me a third eye to see deeper by ectocosme
make it hurt by technorat
Shen Yuan / Shen Jiu (This one is my guilty pleasure.)
Almost Perfect by kiseki_pop
Taboo by Anonymous
Captive by Anonymous
five times shizunyuan couldn't get off by YandereDay
I (26m) drank my best friend’s (28f) breast milk by Kasasagi (restricted)
the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated by zigur_zig_ah
Romancing the Villain for Dummies by Chesra
You're the pink in my cheeks (And I'm scared 'cause that means I'm a little bit soft) by BambooSpirit (restricted)
One Thing or Another by Ilthit
the places where others gave you scars by Blue_tea06, Chesra, SteamingOwl
I Don't Take Insults Lightly by D20Owlbear (restricted)
Perfectionist Complex by YandereDay
Dear You by YandereDay
A coat of copper and a bamboo fan by BambooSpirit (restricted)
Press A to romance the Scum Villain by BambooSpirit (restricted)
Tianlang-jun / Shen Jiu (The potential of this couple is honestly amazing.)
Tie Me Down by Anonymous
Seducing the Villain's Father by demoniqt (restricted)
Remarried Empress by demoniqt (restricted)
True Treasure by MissMegh
Spread your Wings by Araceil (restricted)
Gongyi Xiao / Shen Jiu (Cute. That's all I have to say about them.)
Home is With You by Anonymous
Plum Blossom by hasa3810
Honey Sweet by jeejaschocolate
Because I admire you Master Shen by IrisEvergreen
The Love Letter by shorimochi
Qiu Jianluo / Shen Jiu (pls don't judge me for this one, I am desperate for more Shen Jiu content.)
Mend, Scar by Anonymous
a whiff of coffee and healing, by im_sevenn
Dirty Laundry by im_sevenn
My Life in Your Hands by shorimochi
Target Captured by Anonymous
An unlikely savior by Midnight_illusi0n (not really Qiujiu, but I kinda hope??)
Xiu Ya / Shen Jiu (listen... desperate times calls for desperate measures, ok?)
I've only got Xiao Jiu for one day and if something happened to him I would kill everyone. Period by ectocosme
Through The Time by Invidia_Envy
Bingjiu (.... I have no excuse for this one. I am terribly ashamed.)
What it Means to Fall by xnemone (restricted)
youtiao by revesdelimonade
The Touch Of Your Hands, The Taste Of Your Lips by mercury_retrograde
Finally by Shireyaki
Spring Flowers by xpityx (restricted)
an inch of longing, an inch of ash by xpityx (restricted)
bigger, not better by backspacedintooblivion (Evil_and_I_know_it)
Matrimony by spearpoint
The Court of the Night King by 1V1
to break your teeth on love by dearly_anonymous (restricted)
Tale as Old as Time by mrblank8l, shorimochi
When the puppy met a little snake by FakeAlice
Satisfaction Guaranteed, I'm Your Sunshine by YandereDay
Where He Cannot Follow by bloodsongs
No thank you, next! by singlewheelrolling
The Adventure of Bingpup and his Tsundere Shizun by CrazyNekoChan
It's Not Much, Goodness Knows by Anonymous
You are not alone, not anymore by Elis98
Through the Looking Glass by FarawayDreamer (restricted)
and perhaps the greatest grief is being left in a universe where you are gone by sweetlolixo
the hands of fate (my achilles' heel) by Chesra
Soft Skills by beelzebaozi
Smug Kitten's Splurge-Spending System by Anonymous
I didn't put it on the list because it's the most popular and easier to find through the tags, but Yinhua is also one of my faves.
I think I covered everything?
If anyone has anymore suggestions for some other fics I can read, please let me know!!
Imma rant~ Apologies ignore and delete this if you want. I just want to get this off my chest.
I'm actually relieved you're not a fan of Yue Qingyuan either! It's quite rare to find someone who shares that sentiment. Shen Jiu is the only character I'd go to bat for as well, despite his limited presence in the story. I'm not particularly fond of Liu Qingge either, especially since many fanfics paint him as this overly righteous figure, which doesn't seem to align with his character's complexity. He's a PIDIW character of course he's head has a screw loose up in there.
If imma be honest Bingge was gonna be hated if he was in any man's peak including YQ and be loved in close proximity to females because of his system halo. The OG Luo Binghe greek tragedy truly wasn't the abuse that set him off it was his greediness he really wants to covet his cruel Shizun so bad he'd go to the Walmart version to pick it up. His longing for his cruel Shizun is so intense that he'd settle for a lesser version of him, which is quite telling. If his feelings toward Shen Jiu were purely hatred, he wouldn't have subjected him to such prolonged torture unlike palace master. It's evident that his emotions toward his Shizun are more complicated than simple animosity; there's something deeper there that he craves. It's almost a relief that the story didn't take a turn toward a "2HA" scenario, if OG Binghe decided a different kind of torture .
The number of fanfics that portray Shen Yuan as the sole reason for Luo Binghe's victory and love triumph over the protagonist is astounding. They often depict Shen Yuan's kindness as the catalyst for winning over Little Binghe's heart, when in reality, he wears a mask of a precious teacher. Thats it! He has his face. That what makes him special. If true kindess and loves from his wives didn't get him going what makes Shen Yuan different? I know most are MC bias but like... knowing MXTX works and identites and the fact this wasn't revealed made me go whaat ?
If that were true, the reveal would have happened already. Bingmei and Bingge are both undeniably deranged in both worlds, and he was a white lotus; I can't comprehend why so many reveal fics portray him as calm. He would have gone crazy and lose his shit, not calm, in all these circumstances, as depicted in these fics.
I dislike the other Peak Lords, but Yue Qingyuan frustrates me the most because of his ineffectiveness as a leader. His relationship is one I feel would have been better left unresolved with loose ends, much like with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng because some relationships are better left to be departed and let go . As a reader, I wonder how many times he can just fail before giving up and throwing in the towel. What angered me the most was Shen Jiu being tortured inhumanely for who knows how long, until his severed legs were sent to him, which finally spurred Yue Qingyuan into action. That is truly sickening! I can't help but imagine himself in that situation needing help and, and as a reader would resent YQ for it. Does his tragic death make up for it when his childhood friend was suffering? As a reader, I care less about Yue Qingyuan's personal struggles. I know he has trauma, but in such dire circumstances, how can he not push himself for Shen Jiu? He has all the power but limits himself, unable to move forward and often fumbling.
If SJ can drop and go 100% and he can't then it's relationship is unequal. I once came across a damn Tiktok talking about shit like if " YQ was a different person one day or acted strange Shen jiu would do his damnest to find out who it is he wouldn't just stop he'd keep going because of his heart and would be the same for the rest of the Peak Lords".
What infuriates me the most is that he owes him a life debt—one that he was deeply involved in, and yet Shen Jiu saved him. Despite everything, all Shen Jiu needed was for someone to believe in his good heart and see him as a good person, even if it was just one person. It would have meant the world to know that his big brother truly understood his nature, especially considering his deep self-loathing. If just one person believed in him, it could have greatly improved his mental health. Yue Qingyuan was saved by Shen Jiu and could have taken significant actions, such as clarifying the rumors and not appearing so guilt-ridden, which led others to misinterpret his relationship with his shidi. At the very least, even if he couldn't explain "why," he could have shown through his actions how much Shen Jiu meant to him. Shen Jiu saved him twice—how could he not find it in his heart to believe in him?
That was makes me so pissed off. YQ didn't so I see him as a disgrace. Like YQ passiveness is like seeing the stupid trainwreck of Jiang Fengmian and Madam Yu.
LQG for all his bullshit is weirdly the one I felt would work simply because of his personality and character dynamic with Shen jiu lol.
I have no idea how long this ask has been in my inbox. Sorry for the late answer!
Anyways, I agree with almost everything you said, except the torture part.
While I do agree that ripping apart someone's body is inhuman, it does align with the "historical" context of the novel. I did prepare a post some time ago about historical abuse in Svsss, but I didn't post it because I didn't want to fuel the fandom or create anymore beef.
I too don't think LBG loves SY. Or anyone really except maybe Zhuzhi-Lang? But as far as I personally saw in the book, everyone who took an interest in him was because he was in SQQ's body. That's my personal interpretation, I might be wrong, I might be right. Even LQG's interest, to me at least, seems to mostly be because he believed SY!SQQ to be SJ!SQQ. (I love Liujiu, I might be extra biased here. Not sorry.)
YQY had plenty of chances to come clean, like... you can't tell me he didn't know how possessive SJ was over him. Sj literally killed his demonic shizun to save him, and chose to follow him to Cang Qiong. I don't believe anyone who says "YQY didn't know". Let's not forget SJ almost fought a bunch of other kids for calling him their Qi-ge.
There's also this other thing that bothered me: YQY assuming the same thing as everyone else.
Like, he had the power, the position, the respect of everyone. If he went to the RWP to investigate the truth, with how highly respected he is, no one would say a thing.
Their relationship is so one-sided it hurts. I physically can't stomach canon YQY. I'm sorry. I prefer the fanon one.
The thing that bothers me, is that I can't even fully blame him. It's Airplane the problem. He wrote the characters that way. Had SY never transmigrated, disrupting the novel, YQY would have never revealed why he failed to save SJ.
I hate Airplane more than I dislike YQY 😤
Also, 2ha kina creeps me out. I wish someone told me what the books were about before I bought the first three volumes together. I regret investing my money in those books 🥲
They can barely make a friendship function.... let alone getting romantically together.
I can only speculate but I think SJ and YQ became a thing because YQ had been the only boy showing him some kindness. And SJ clung to it while YQ felt some sense of responsability toward him. Codependency, maybe??
But I wouldn't go as far as to consider YQ his "brother" or "soulmate".
