afsosville

[afsosville]

Okay, so, as established in my previous meta post, Shen Jiu and Luo Bingge are parallels, right? And Scum Villain is all about how Bingge and Bingmei diverge based on the interference of a moderately responsible adult in LBH’s youth, riiight?

Thus, I must always promote one of my favorite dynamics: Shen Yuan transmigrating as a key adult figure in SJ’s childhood.

Like, just imagine it. SJ, the maladjusted little tyke. He's a tiny hungry terror of the streets, with a cute cherubic face that can cry on demand.

Then you've got him paired with SY, the exasperated caretaker. He’s a modern man out of his depth, but he copes with sarcasm and has a debilitating soft spot for abused little meow meows who grow up to commit atrocities.

It's my favorite fic flavor between them. Please they’d be so funny together, they’d piss each other off so much, they’d bond in spite of all their best efforts, it'd be good for the both of them, I’m obsessed with this idea, listen, okay—

[afsosville]

I feel like there should be a word for the opposite of woobification.

Does it already exist…?

Like, if woobification can be described as “softening a character’s canon flaws to make them uncomplicated (for stan reasons)”, the opposite would be “ignoring a character’s canon nuances to make them uncomplicated (for hater reasons)”.

The inverse of woobification…

Boowification?

[afsosville]

Usually when I say that my problematic faves need hugs it’s just cause I’m on my woobifying bullshit, but Shen Jiu canonically needs hugs. He lets everyone think he’s a brothel-obsessed sex pervert because he’s so ashamed of how deeply he craves reassuring cuddle time. No bullshitting necessary. Amazing.

[afsosville]

You got Rosa Liu Qingge, now take my Gina Shen Jiu agenda

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"I thought all snakes were able to swim. Since this master saved you, you owe your life to me, don't you little snake?"

Shen Jiu seems to have found a pet~ hopefully it's not a snake general who happens to be a demon lord's nephew.

(also am I the only one who has no idea what zzl (both snek and demon version) actually looks like??? He's always described as ugly and deformed and I'm like whaaaa so I just drew a regular danger noodle.)

[afsosville]

I’ve been thinking abt Tianlang Jun and Shen Jiu lately

[afsosville]

I know it feels natural to compare Shen Jiu and Shen Yuan, since they both end up occupying the same body, but comparing SJ and Luo Binghe (Bingge) makes so much more sense to me.

SJ has baggage that directly parallels LBG’s baggage: they both had abusive childhoods, they both hate themselves and feel unloved, and they use their trauma as an excuse to lash out.

SY, on the other hand, comes from wealth and modern comforts. His baggage is that he’s a transmigrator dealing with knowledge of the original book (also The System) (also a big case of the not-gays).

It’s why I can’t get behind the idea that SJ was born a monster while LBG gets acknowledged as a monster created from abuse. Saying that all of the original LBH’s crimes here were just SJ’s fault...it feels as dismissive as saying LBH’s abuse was Qiu Jianluo’s fault, you know?

(SY can be an unreliable narrator, but remembering details about PIDW is consistently one of his strengths. Projecting those details onto Bingmei, on the other hand...)

More ramblings and quotes under the cut…

On this subject of SJ and LBG, and the ways their misdeeds mirror and invert each other…I don’t speak Chinese, so I can only repost the raws here without a direct translation, apologies:

洛冰河道：“没有心，要肉体何用。”

尚清华心酸不已：洛冰河在他笔下，明明就是个只追求【哔——】欲的绝世种马，强【哔——】的妹子绝对有两位数吧……

From a combo of both MTL, Google, and remembering fan TLs before they were taken down: this section has Shang Qinghua lamenting Bingmei's "without his heart, what's the point of his body" stance, and talking about how the original Bingge was a proud stallion who forced 【censored】 on multiple women. 强【哔——】 was translated as r-【 beep— 】-pe in the official translation, in a separate context, so I think it's safe to assume that SQH is using a term for rape here (perhaps 强奸?).

This little excerpt makes the parallels between SJ and LBG even more interesting, since SJ is rumored to be a lecher (with doubts thrown on those rumors as we learn more about him) while LBG is confirmed here to have assaulted multiple women.

SJ is the villain, so his lechery is a signal to readers of his depravity. LBG is the stallion protagonist, so his lechery is just him fulfilling his role as the male readers’ power fantasy. Doesn't this feel like commentary on stallion novels…? Just me?

Anyways, it seems like SJ gets the vice of child abuser, while LBG gets the vice of serial rapist. Both SJ and LBG share a killer bodycount for their own reasons, though LBG’s is probably much higher.

I sorta wonder if it can be easier for fandom to overlook because:

some of what we learn about LBG is from the untranslated extras

the people who suffer are nameless nobodies

his protagonist halo protects him from all consequences (for example, nobody whose family was killed during one of LBG’s massacres gets to throw Ning Yingying’s bloody ribbons in front of LBG's face and laugh about it while torturing him to death) (just typing that out upset me Yingying baby I’m so sorry!!!)

Even SY comments here on how the Bingge from PIDW feels more alien to him after experiencing the world of Scum Villain and learning to understand Bingmei as his own person.

However, even with his flaws and crimes and whatnot, LBG is still complex, tormented, and sympathetic. He has traumatic reasons for growing up into someone who has done bad things, and he has more to him than just those bad things.

Which is also exactly what SQH says about SJ.

SJ and LBH are both influenced by self-hatred, which acts as another parallel between them. But that self-hatred, that belief that they were born inherently unlovable, doesn’t make them better people. In fact, if anything, it makes them worse.

Self-hatred is not ennobling in the Scum Villain universe. It is self-destructive, and it destroys everything that surrounds it as well.

Thus, I’d argue that these two have both truly earned the title of “poor little meow meow”.

In contrast, I feel like the Huan Hua Palace Master is the one who earns the actual “scum villain” title for SVSSS? He crosses off pretty much everything on the list:

a righteous cultivator who turns out to be a two-faced asshole

a lecher who lusts after his female disciple

has no tragic backstory to explain anything about him, nor any redeeming qualities nor relationships

gets turned into a human stick

dies horribly and painfully for the catharsis of the audience

Of course, this means that there’s a universe out there where someone’s gonna transmigrate into the HHPM and—okay okay I’ll stop.

As always, I'm curious to know other peoples' thoughts...

[afsosville]

Summary:

【 Welcome! System installation complete: Jade Body halo no BB no u UP system target Original Character Shen Qingqiu SS: 2473 】

【 Happiness-points are shared between all Users. Beginner Stage Mission (1) assigned. Revelation of system OR dissatisfaction of character Shen Qingqiu will result in Punishment Protocol being enacted. 】

【 All Users starting A-points: 50 】

OR: Eleven newly titled peak lords find themselves strapped with a system. It's only discernible motive? To make Shen Qingqiu happy.

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Hair study with Shen Jiu

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Water prison

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Locked and loaded is so insanely good the art..l the way it grabbed me by my metaphysical nuts and said I am going to be one of the best fanfics you have ever read. INSANE. I need to print it out and eat it. Incredibly cool concept, awesome writing and I’m sorry I keep saying insane but the whole time I’ve been reading this fic I keep going HOLY SHIT THATS COOL AS HELLL HOLY SHIT. I keep sending my friends this fic on discord. Anyways I love it so much than you for writing it

Thank you so much!!! I’ve been slightly demotivated lately since the next chapter is fighting me with all its strength, but I’m so glad people enjoy it so much! I may have been struggling writing it recently, but I have no intention on abandoning any time soon, specially not when it seems to mean a lot to a lot of people <33 Here, a little doodle as a show of my gratitude :))

[afsosville]

Ouhhhhh I had this same brainworm a while ago!

I imagined SQX's fate was given to SJ during the Blackwater Arc. We see HX take away SQX's fate, but I don't remember him actively giving to to another soul.

He did mean to give it to someone who had a wretched fate, and well, SJ fits the bill just fine. SJ spontaneously gains a fraction of the Wind Master's spiritual powers and uses it to escape the Qiu Manor and WY.

He runs into one of the wind and water temples when it's about to get burned down and stops it from happening. SJ put two and two together and thinks the Wind Master themself gave SJ their blessing, and he cherishes it with all his life. SQX and SJ eventually run into each other and SQX immediately takes on the gege role when he realizes that his fate was given to SJ.

And SJ's whole entire life is derailed, and he never gets to be the scum villain. And maybe SJ does end up ascending one day who knows.

But SJ and SQX bonding is so real tho <3

tgcf/svsss crossover

i can't stop thinking about sqx and sj bonding.

instead of sqx becoming mortal he's a banished god- so he's still immortal but needs to eat and sleep bc i say so. (lets say its a punishment he asked to have his divinity atleast partially sealed)

so imagine sj is begging and sqx is a traveller. sqx is staying at this city for some time and has gotten pretty familiar with the beggars and has gotten pretty attached to sj. then one day, he's gone.

at first, sqx thinks maybe he's in a different street but regardless of where he goes sj is. he sees some of the ppl who sj is around and he asks them. he finds out sj is being held against his will.

cue sqx asking for spiritual power and immediately going to save him.

so sj was there for abt 2 and a half weeks and sqx decides that it's best if they stick together.

sj is still aggressive but he's much happier. he wants to look for yq eventually, he's enjoying having someone who cares about him. though sqx is nice, he's quite odd. sj can tell he was once a noble or atleast very rich by the way he acts.

it worries sj sometimes, how carefree sqx is can be scary. sometimes sqx acts as though he doesn't care for his own well-being and acts recklessly. still, sqx clearly cares about him so sj is ready to be by his side.

no but imagine sj 'raised' by sqx. they would be so cute.

[afsosville]

Yes to all of it! I do enjoy it when Shen Jiu ends up being a good/competent shizun, but he's gotta learn those behaviours from someone else first. He's got to either cope well with his lost potential, or not have lost it at all by some miracle so that he's not projecting like crazy.

This is just an /opinion/ and I'm just tryna find ppl that agree with me.

I do not think having kids could quote on quote "fix" Shen Jiu, biological or otherwise. 1) A kid should not bear the responsibility to be that emotionally invested in the shit mental health of their caregiver. Don't make any child go through that. And 2) Nothing about any child could make Shen Jiu be a decent caregiver out of his own volition (sure, he was nice to NYY and probably did care for her, but that's about how far it went ejrrjf tho I'll gladly eat up AUs where he does treat her like a daughter when he knows how to care for a kid properly).

Good luck trying to make Shen Jiu get his shit together unless you're actually changing things about his past. The easiest "fix" imo is to give Shen Jiu an ADULT, heavy emphasis on this, an ADULT that could invest in his mental/emotional wellbeing when Shen Jiu is still a kid or a teen. How else do you expect Shen Jiu to be a responsible adult around kids when he's never had a responsible adult to care for him at all?

There's not a single authority figure in Shen Jiu's life that's ever done him good, not QJL, not WY, and SJ's own shizun, the prev. QJPL is up for debate but I have reasons to believe why they ain't shit too. And like hear me out, YQY doesn't count either coz SJ *thinks* YQY is another caregiver that gave up on him and didn't take responsibility for him. And obviously that's not true, but that's just how it is from his perspective sadly.

I still really like Shen Jiu's dark backstory, coz there's no Shen Jiu without it, buuuuuuuut if you really want a version of him that doesn't take that bullshit out on his disciples, do give him an ADULT, coz never a kid, give him and adult first, before you give him any kids, so he can LEARN HOW TO BE AN ADULT.

Ykwim???

Anyways, this is why older SY/ younger SJ is best Shen Bros dynamic don't try to change my mind.

Here's some Shen Bros fics that are like that >>

Locked and Loaded by Hellister

These Gentle Hands Will by anorangecarrot

Reversal of Fortune by Grace_Youya

The Shadows that Raised Me by Lbhs_left_tiddie

[afsosville]

This is just an /opinion/ and I'm just tryna find ppl that agree with me.

I do not think having kids could quote on quote "fix" Shen Jiu, biological or otherwise. 1) A kid should not bear the responsibility to be that emotionally invested in the shit mental health of their caregiver. Don't make any child go through that. And 2) Nothing about any child could make Shen Jiu be a decent caregiver out of his own volition (sure, he was nice to NYY and probably did care for her, but that's about how far it went ejrrjf tho I'll gladly eat up AUs where he does treat her like a daughter when he knows how to care for a kid properly).

Good luck trying to make Shen Jiu get his shit together unless you're actually changing things about his past. The easiest "fix" imo is to give Shen Jiu an ADULT, heavy emphasis on this, an ADULT that could invest in his mental/emotional wellbeing when Shen Jiu is still a kid or a teen. How else do you expect Shen Jiu to be a responsible adult around kids when he's never had a responsible adult to care for him at all?

There's not a single authority figure in Shen Jiu's life that's ever done him good, not QJL, not WY, and SJ's own shizun, the prev. QJPL is up for debate but I have reasons to believe why they ain't shit too. And like hear me out, YQY doesn't count either coz SJ *thinks* YQY is another caregiver that gave up on him and didn't take responsibility for him. And obviously that's not true, but that's just how it is from his perspective sadly.

I still really like Shen Jiu's dark backstory, coz there's no Shen Jiu without it, buuuuuuuut if you really want a version of him that doesn't take that bullshit out on his disciples, do give him an ADULT, coz never a kid, give him and adult first, before you give him any kids, so he can LEARN HOW TO BE AN ADULT.

Ykwim???

Anyways, this is why older SY/ younger SJ is best Shen Bros dynamic don't try to change my mind.

Here's some Shen Bros fics that are like that >>

Locked and Loaded by Hellister

These Gentle Hands Will by anorangecarrot

Reversal of Fortune by Grace_Youya

The Shadows that Raised Me by Lbhs_left_tiddie

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SVSSS/TGCf crossover where Shen Jiu, in the original work, become a supreme ghost and decide to ruin LBH's life.

And as LBH didn't have the ashes, he can't do anything against the ghost.

(because let's be honest, if a supreme ghost can kill gods, Shen Jiu as supreme ghost can kill a half demon)

I haven't read tgcf so i'm not the best person for this, but i fully support the idea of Shen Jiu coming back and beating LBH to death!

Have you seen this Ghost King Shen Jiu by the wonderful @afsosville?

And this Calamity SJ AU by the incredible @levemetal?

Both are amazing! You will love them if you like this idea! Go check them out!

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shit posts n the like

thanks @airplanecrashingdown for sending me some of these LMAO

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POV you’re Mu Qingfang and it’s a lazy morning. You see your husband Shen-Shidi with your outer robe like this, what do you do?

Jokes aside, Qian Cao SJ sketches from the AU from the other day!

He becomes the certified difficult patient wrangler. How he defeats and knocks out Liu Qingge on a regular basis is a mystery but nobody questions it cause it‘s much better for everyone involved. He is a cultivator and a healer, and much better off in this AU than in canon with possibly an almost untroubled cultivation so his strength and qi tricks are nothing to sneeze at. Just cause he‘s not peak lord doesn’t mean he can‘t kick Liu Qingge into submission to treatment. (Also he is very creative in the usage of random objects s weapons or ways to administer medicine. He‘d definitely slip them into your tea or food while you‘re not looking.)

Also don‘t let the second sketch fool you, SJ is just as much of a workaholic if not worse than Mu Qingfang. Perhaps even rivaling SQH and YQY (who also get dragged to Qina Cao Peak by him on a regular basis ao they stop overworking themselves. It’s a monthly expected ritual at this point). MQF probably returns the bullying-into-taking-a-fucking break favor too.