#good ficwriters are precious and must be treasured

[benevolenterrancy]

What are your thoughts on Shen Jiu?

Honestly, I don't have a ton of thoughts on him as a whole (っ- ‸ - ς)... Maybe it's because he essentially dies off-screen before the story starts? or maybe just 'cause he's genetically engineered to be off-putting ahahaha

I like him as a function of the plot, and he certainly adds to the concept of real people being more complex and messy than a two-dimensional character on paper. Airplane ultimately made him a flat villain and he filled a specific role in PIDW, but as long as Shen Yuan treats him like a flat character while existing in that world he really fails to understand the nuance that goes in to making someone the way they are. It highlights just how much Shen Yuan treats himself like a passive observer and the other people around him as characters without agency. His tendency to do so really does cause him problems through the series, a not understanding or sympathizing with Shen Jiu's past is definitely a part of that.

Ultimately, as he is, Shen Jiu's a rather reprehensible character, but the more you read the more you understand why he is the way he is. You understand why he felt so insecure, you can see why he didn't get along with Liu Qingge, and why he had a complicated relationship with Yue Qingyue, and what might have made him feel more comfortable in a brothel than on the mountain, and why he was stuck in his cultivation while Shen Yuan was able to move past it fairly easily... it's fun to dig at little clues like that in a book to try to flesh out a side character. And the Shen Jiu extra was good for that too, it gave a lot more depth!

Which is all a very long winded way to say: I think he's a vital character to the plot of SVSSS and really neatly summarizes some of the book's main themes, but also I don't find him all that interesting on a fandomy level (ᵕ—ᴗ—) ...Though I will fuck around with the occasional Shen Bro or disciple!Yuan fic because it can be fun to see how a good writer goes around giving Shen Jiu a chance at redemption / a better life!