SVSSS Read Along

[x_los]

excaliburedpan and I both happen to be reading this danmei book at the moment, so I thought I'd throw up a post for any comments if anyone wants to read along now or later, and shove my locked-twitter read-along thoughts somewhere more accessible. I'm going to break it up by blocks of chapters, then do an Overall Thoughts subsection. Assume spoilers. 

There are 81 novel chapters, then Extras. 

Comments

Re: Chapters 51-55

[x_los]

I think it's interesting that in his original world, Yuan was really alienated from his own desires: an intelligent person rendered detached and quite unambitious. IN SVSSS, however, he grows out of a lot of his laziness (and much of that wasn't quite quite laziness so much as a lack of purpose) and grows up: this transmigration absolutely gives Yuan himself.

He does well enough as a teacher that NYY and MF are both way more trained than they ever used to be and fervent in his defence. We know from the dream sequences that SQQ trained Binghe extensively. (Mari suggests there was a fair amount of group training as well, because in the extras other students know his teaching methods.) He 'read a lot', and a lot of what he read was: bestiaries, which come into play. (Mari comments that the time skips make it very easy to undermine SQQ's work.) He launches himself back into the pitch of cultivation world drama the second he has a new body, on behalf of Peak students.

I feel we can't trust the majority of SQQ's commentary on himself, about his feelings or his actions. Instead we're left relying on the evidence of the text: how the world reacts to him, and the consequences of his actions. For me, the whole crux of the narrative is that SQQ doesn't know himself well and constantly underplays his own importance. I struggle to think of plot events where he's not very engaged and active, except while in mourning (he's even a bit mad at NYY for not mourning LBH enough) and, arguably, in denial about what's coming directly pre-Abyss. If he's deeply in denial about his feelings/others' feelings for him, I think you have to accept that as a phenomenon with a lot of other related ramifications for him.

Even a thought like 'oh I can get Binghe to cook for me' is always sliced through with guilt and embarrassment, and something of a joke at his own expense, even as it's earnest: something he wants, and something Binghe wants to do, and potentially a good idea to build a bond between them and make him safer (people are compassionate towards those they've helped--there's a chance Binghe would later feel taken advantage of because he'd done this, but largely people are inclined to be kind to and see good in others' they've aided).