（novel) scum villain's self-saving system

[fruittea_che]

So I made a poor health decision and decided to binge SVSSS all night... A lot of people say they prefer this over MDZS which I loved so I wanted to give it a shot! The initial chapters, like other novels really didn't capture me so I had to force myself to continue but (also as usual) I couldn't put it down when the ball started rolling.

Scum Villain Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Translation by ExR

This novel is about Shen Yuan, an avid reader who is transmigrated into a totally cliche and trashy novel's villain, Shen QingQiu. The novel follows the hero Luo Binghe as he transforms from a meek disciple into an OP ruthless demon hell-bent on revenge with a huge harem of girls. Most importantly, he brutally murders the his scummy cultivation master, Shen QingQiu!

Shen Yuan is forced to cooperate with the "System", an otherworldly function that wants him to improve the shitty plot-hole-riddled story while in-character, and follow the main story points to push Luo Binghe into hell. Little does Shen Yuan know, Luo Binghe's relationship with "Shen QingQiu" has changed in a certain way due to his change of character...


General Thoughts About the Novel, out-of-context spoilers
So unfortunately I did come in with the expectation to be wowed, and I was not. This is a great first novel for an author, and not a terrible read, but honestly I was mystified by how so many people prefer this over MDZS! Just frankly, I didn't really enjoy it even if I kept reading, kind of like how our Peerless Cucumber couldn't help but read that shitty novel :P

Now this was by far not a shitty novel. Just not my type of story maybe?
There are many things I really enjoyed, even over MDZS which came out later, but often after chapters I was just left with a feeling of "meh".

Some things I enjoyed though, as I DID feel it was a page-turner.

I love the writing style and it was quite humorous. I laughed quite a few times. I love the main character, it's too bad he was trapped under the Shen QingQui cold exterior! I think it would have been really nice if he could let that out more as the story went on. But no complaints yet... Anyways he was hilarious. Much needed tsukkomi!

I enjoyed kind of the overall set-up, the established relationships between characters, and how Shen Yuan really did use his knowledge of the novel. It really did have those kind of "meta" feel. I also thought it was really interesting the parts where Shen Yuan lamented that none of the characters knew he was not "Shen QingQiu", but I wished there was more development and closure on that.

There were some genuinely heart-twisty moments where my chest literally hurt because aiya this is so :( tragic!! And I love me some good old misunderstandings. They felt justified, so it was less frustration over miscommunication and more like "Ack this is so unfortunate...". Without going into too much depth most of such scenes involve the two main characters Luo Binghe and Shen QingQiu, and a few side characters I ended up caring about. Indeed part of what the System wants is for Shen Yuan to flesh out the 2-dimensional characters, and it does.

I really liked the Dream World and how fleshed out bits of the setting were. And of course the action is always exciting to read... Just like in MDZS I could really visualize what was happening! Very descriptive without being too flowery or bloated. Love it.

And the drama. Sweet. Tasty. Delicious. Drama. I really loved how intense moments could be like I can't really describe it with words. You can really feel the biting emotions. Now one thing I don't like about MXTX's style is that sometimes she like really bluntly points out the thing that I feel would be better left subtly, but anyways very gut punchy at times. But not too tragic for sake of tragedy. At one time Airplane said the most tragic characters are the most popular and tbh was he wrong lol?

I also loved one of the twists at the end bit where it turns out the author of the in-universe novel actually didn't want it to be a shitty filler-filled stallion YY novel, but he actually originally intended to have them be gay in the first place!! I would have loved more information about Airplane Towards the Sky and his intentions with the novel, but it was really interesting how his omitted details were still a part of this world they transmigrated into...

Now good things being noted! Here is where I felt disconnected from the SVSSS and couldn't wholeheartedly enjoy it.

One of my issues is how forced events often felt even given that is a major plot point, the System is forcing things to happen in certain ways. At first this was interesting but since it was this arbitrary... thing it could just be used to do whatever. I wish the story had established more information and rules about the System at the beginning of the story.

I also wish that there was more elaboration on Shen Yuan and who he is. Like, he was really perfectly able to become Shen QingQiu and the cultivation stuff... which feels really weird to me even if he got a tiny bit of OOC training from the system previously. Why was it okay to go OOC later? And through the whole story he pretty much stays in the SQQ persona so his romance with Luo Binghe is kinda ehhh for me you know? Like he's pretending to be another person... even if he is softer than the original and stuff. Again would love some elaboration on this. He got good at being calm okay sure but he's still pretending to be SQQ until the end and that's a little sad? I thought when he got the Sun and Moon Dew Flower Seed Body he would be able to break out of that more but nope got reset. Also I don't know if I missed this and I went back to check, but exactly when was the Poison Without a Cure fixed? It eventually stopped being mentioned...

Speaking of Luo Binghe... Now knowing this is a danmei and the official couple is Luo Binghe x Shen QingQiu... I never supported this couple the whole way through!! In fact I unfortunately started shipping SQQ/SY with like. Many other characters. Like Liu QingGe. I wanted it so bad, but I knew all along it would be Luo Binghe.

He for sure is a pitiful, sympathetic character.
... But he is way too feral and yandere! Like, obsessive and clingy to a fault. It was so uncomfortable and one-sided. The whole time through I couldn't see this ending up happy or healthy. People describe him as a puppy and a cinnamonroll and Im sorry I don't care if his past was sad. It got to be too much. He is too clingy and overrprotective, disrespects Shen QingQiu's wishes... I just couldn't see this as a viable CP. He tortures Shen Yuan and then gets forgiven because he is a crybaby? Nah.

Hell Shen Yuan was terrified of Luo Binghe most of the series. Like some of it was a misunderstanding yeah, but also Luo Binghe literally. LICHERALLY. Tortures him, sexually assault "even if he would never go through he only wanted to scare Shizun", makes him drink his demon blood that allows LBH to control/monitor/track/cause excruciating pain/etc extremely possessive... Nah man. I was not into it. I understand he's demonic and insecure but I really needed to see him acknowledge his behavior and fix it. Like Shen Yuan says "You cry I'm sorry I'm sorry every time but what is the point if you don't change?".

He's tragic but it doesn't excuse being a scumbag lol. He never really makes a change it keeps cycling and then eventually for some reason Shen QingQiu is suddenly in love with Luo Binghe too and forgives. Ugh... I just couldn't really get into it.I can appreciate a complicated past and development and I was eating that angsty shit up but when it comes down to it yeah... And again this is Shen Yuan pretending to be SQQ it's just kind of. Yeah anyways considering this entire series is focused on them it wasn't exactly entirely engaging for me...

I can accept how Luo Binghe fell for Shen QingQiu but I can't really see the other way around. IMO it kind of feels like Shen Yuan mostly felt guilty about Luo Binghe and had a masterly/fatherly protective feeling for him and eventually mixed this up with "love" when he felt bad about Luo Binghe being so madly in love with him.

I think they also needed a proper communicative session other than LBH going "Wahh Shizun hates me..." and SQQ being like "when did this master ever say something like that"... and i understand if SQQ has misgivings about talking about the system or something but i wish we got a moment where he like. maybe not mention the system but actually explained why he did what he did??

And the papapa (aka sex). EHHh... the only sex scene that doesn't happen in the extras I still don't understand why it happened. Shen Yuan used a scenario forcer to do Papapa to save the world or something and calm LBH from being overwhelmed by the Heart Demon sword but ehhhh... it felt like it happened just for sex to happen? Again it just feels weird. I think it would have been a better development for the sex to happen to neutralize the poison as mentioned earlier and without the poison SQQ could use his spiritual energy to calm him down or something. IDK. Just my take on it...). MXTX also really likes this whole painful and forceful thing. I think it kind of works here, better than MDZS and as a couple obviously LBH is trying to work on it they're just both virgins for gay sex

So closing general thoughts... if people like it that's great but I didn't really enjoy it that much. I think some parts got a bit messy or weren't touched on enough. I don't want to compare it to MDZS as that's unfair and MDZS came later so I did my best not to. Plus I'm not into yandere-type love interests. But yeah... personally couldn't really enjoy the end and it doesn't feel as conclusive to me as it should. But the good news is that writers are always improving, so I really look forward to Heaven's Official Blessing when I get around to starting that!




Squiks
I'll kind of be curt on this i guess?
-LBH x SQQ couple seems kind of toxic and major issues felt brushed over by the wrap-up of the story. felt like they needed a "real" conversation or something but i don't really feel like we got a proper one

-LBH is 13/14 at the start of the story and SQQ is an adult and kind of sort raised him? and has this master/disciple thing going on of course It at least doesn't feel like grooming??? but that might be uncomfy for some. I didn't mind too much but it kind of made me confused on how Shen Yuan eventually fell for him

-don't feel like Shen Yuan falling for LBH and forgiving him was well developed

-the first sex scene is really hard to read like it's obviously painful. i think that it's okay in the story, but might be hard for some to read. they work on doing it better in the extras... it's sweet

Not a lot of squiks on this but again I think I don't really have the same sex kinks as MXTX because I don't really enjoy most of the sex stuff she writes...