The City Application

[xiaoxiuya]

OOC INFORMATION.

NAME: Drake

CONTACT: PM or my discord: SilverDrake#1436

AGE: 30+

OTHER CHARACTERS: N/A

IC INFORMATION.

BASICS

CHARACTER NAME: Yuan Shen, aka Qingqiu Shen
(Please note that as this character is Chinese, his name normally follows the Family Name first, Given Name second convention; I have followed this convention except where directly asked to do otherwise while writing this application, as it feels more natural to do so while discussing his actions and canon history.)

CANON: The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System (novel version)

CANON POINT: Halfway into Volume 2, immediately after his apparent suicide via core self-destruction; he gave all of his spiritual energy to deuteragonist Luo Binghe in order to prevent the latter suffering a qi deviation, and shortly afterward died in Luo Binghe’s arms.

AGE: Late 20s to early 30s. Shen Yuan’s inner monologue alludes to his having completed university, which in mainland China usually begins at 18 and takes four to six years. Therefore his minimum age at the beginning of volume 1 would have been 22; seven years pass in canon before his apparent suicide in volume 2, so his minimum age at that point would have been 29. It’s possible he was older at either point, but for convenience I play him as no older than 33 at the time of his “second death.”

BACKGROUND

HISTORY: Shen Yuan was born into a wealthy family, in a world like ours. Although he had a privileged childhood, he doesn’t mention any close relationships outside of the family circle, or a job, or any passions from webnovels: specifically fantasy, isekai, and stallion novels. The last novel he ever read – evocatively titled Proud Immortal Demon Way – was the most popular “book of the year” on its publishing website, but Shen Yuan’s descriptions of it are surprisingly negative. He complains about the book’s length, its pacing, the number of plot holes and the low IQs of antagonists and love interests alike. It seems that the only quality PIDW had that he approved of was its protagonist, Luo Binghe, and Shen Yuan spends paragraphs upon paragraphs praising Luo Binghe’s coolness, his intelligence, his martial prowess, his masterful manipulative skills and the size of his penis. Indeed, it seems like Shen Yuan’s biggest complaint about PIDW is that it’s an unworthy setting for the glittering gem of an antihero that is Luo Binghe.

Naturally he was outraged when PIDW finally staggered its way to an inglorious end, taking its protagonist down with it. We’re never told about the ending in detail, but Shen Yuan was so angry about it that he spent hours ranting and raving on the hosting website, and that he was so busy typing up complaints that he literally failed to notice his own body weakening from a sudden bout of food poisoning. He literally died cursing the author’s name (well, handle) – and that was how he attracted the attention of the System.

The System is a mysterious entity of unknown origin, but it has an interest in stories and tropes. It implants Shen Yuan’s soul in the body of one of the characters near the beginning of PIDW’s storyline, and charges him with improving the plot and side characters until it becomes a “true classic.” Shen Yuan is horrified; not only has he died, but he was put in the body of one of Luo Binghe’s first and most loathsome antagonists: his abusive teacher, Shen Qingqiu! Not only does Shen Qingqiu’s role in the story end when he is literally ripped limb from limb and left to die of starvation and infection in a dark dungeon, but Shen Yuan himself was one of the readers clamoring for him to be castrated after he was accused in-universe of trying to groom one of Luo Binghe’s future wives, fellow disciple Ning Yingying! The irony is palpable, and he throws many a fit about it in the privacy of his own mind before finally resigning himself to…some of his fate.

After this point in the story, Shen Yuan adopts the Shen Qingqiu name and identity, but he doesn’t forget his own backstory, or his foreknowledge of the plot. At first he thinks that if he’s nice to Luo Binghe instead of abusive, maybe he can change the story enough to avoid painfully executed. So for three years he spoils Luo Binghe rotten, giving him hours of personal training and attention, along with enough gentle affection to make any onlooker believe that he and Luo Binghe will be joined at the hip for life. But the demands of the plot are not to be denied: when Luo Binghe is seventeen, a rift into the hellish Endless Abyss opens, and Shen Qingqiu must choose between throwing his disciple inside, or allowing the System to “close his account;” a move that would certainly spell certain death.

He chooses to live, and betray Luo Binghe.

After that, Shen Qingqiu thinks he’s done for. What does it matter how nice he was to Luo Binghe? The suffering he’ll be forced to endure in the Endless Abyss will certainly blacken his heart, and when he comes back out he’ll certainly want to pay his wicked master back with blood! So Shen Qingqiu develops a second plan: he’ll die, and escape the plot completely.

Of course he’s not really suicidal! But he happens to remember a certain magical fungus from one of PIDW’s many overwrought story arcs, described and then cast aside, that under the right conditions could be used to grow a living vessel for a cultivator’s spirit: a back-up body, in other words! Growing one of these bodies and transferring his spirit into becomes Shen Qingqiu’s next goal, and though it doesn’t go off without a hitch, at least one of the fungal bodies is ready in time for Luo Binghe’s return from the Abyss; and a good thing too, because not only does he come back early, but he immediately begins taking steps to isolate and imprison Shen Qingqiu!

Despite Shen Qingqiu’s best efforts to escape and avoid direct contact with Luo Binghe, he is eventually cornered and the two of them fight, at which point Shen Qingqiu realizes that things are even worse than they appear. Although he obtained his legendary sword Xin Mo in the Abyss, Luo Binghe has yet to master it, and Shen Qingqiu realizes that the sword is feeding on Binghe’s turmoil over his master’s betrayal and worsening his spiritual injuries. A qi deviation is imminent – and Shen Qingqiu had already had quite enough of watching Binghe suffer for his actions. He destroyed his own core, passing all of his borrowed body’s spiritual energy into Binghe’s veins – and died in his arms. The last thing Shen Qingqiu said to his heartbroken disciple was, “For all that has passed, I replay you today.”

And then…he woke up elsewhere.

PERSONALITY: Answer three of the following questions. Limit this section to 500-1,000 words in total, or 150-300 words per question.

What impression does your character give when meeting someone for the first time? How does the first impression differ from your character’s true nature?

How does your character handle stress? What do they do in an emergency?

Shen Yuan is at his best and most impressive when he doesn’t have time to think. In situations where he has the chance to carefully plan his course of action or worse, decides there’s no need for him to get involved at all, he will frequently be paralyzed by confusion and indecision while the chance to fix things slips by. In an emergency, however, especially when lives are at risk, he is able to quickly pull together disparate pieces of information and put into action plans that his opponents almost never anticipate. In volume 1, for example, when he, Luo Binghe, and another disciple are kidnapped by a Skinner Demon, Shen Yuan quickly realizes that he is not capable of defeating the demon on his own. However, he also knows that as the protagonist, Luo Binghe cannot be seriously harmed or killed by anything in the story. After confirming this with the System, Shen Yuan taunts the Skinner Demon into striking Luo Binghe on the head – but before the blow can land, a “brand new” beam suddenly falls out of the ceiling, knocking the Skinner Demon to the ground and “coincidentally” loosening Luo Binghe’s bonds. He immediately steals Shen Yuan’s sword back from the stunned demon and frees Shen Yuan, who finishes the demon off with a palm strike. It was the first time he’d ever killed anyone – though he quickly tries to assure himself that it doesn’t really count. After all, the Skinner Demon is just a character in a book.

What are some of your character's regrets? How is your character impacted by them?

Without a doubt, Shen Yuan’s biggest regret is throwing Luo Binghe into the Endless Abyss. Although he knew for certain that Luo Binghe would survive and grow stronger, and that he himself would definitely die if he refused, he still feels that he did something terrible in betraying Luo Binghe’s trust, and his guilt and regret color every action he takes for the rest of the book.

In the immediate aftermath he is acutely depressed and nearly falls into a dissociative fugue: he wanders around his home in a daze, barely eating or speaking to anybody. The only project he engaged in with any degree of attention is erecting a sword mound for Luo Binghe in his backyard, and he is heard calling for his lost disciple several times. Those who saw him during this period describe him as acting “like a bereaved widow,” a description that embarrasses him but which he notably cannot bring himself to openly deny.

Once Luo Binghe returns, Shen Yuan is terrified of him, and believes that just as in the book, Luo Binghe means to make him suffer before he dies. To avoid this fate he lies, betrays people, and even attempts to fake his own death, further breaking Luo Binghe’s heart in the process. It doesn’t matter how many hints the protagonist drops that actually, all he wants is an apology: Shen Yuan refuses to see them, until finally a new, unprecedented revelation – that Binghe actually wants to bone him – shocks him out of his rut and gets him to see the protagonist in a new light.

What are your character’s ambitions/goals? Why are they important to your character?

What are your character’s fears? How do they hinder or challenge your character?
Apart from his fear of being tortured to death by Luo Binghe, Shen Yuan's greatest fear is letting down or endangering the people he cares about. He quickly forms strong bonds with the other members of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, especially the disciples and peak lords Liu Qingge and Yue Qingyuan. During the period when he is a wanted fugitive, he twice exposes himself to danger in order to protect disciples of CQMS, a fact Luo Binghe exploits in order to draw him out of hiding a third time and finally capture him. He overcomes his terror of Luo Binghe to protect Liu Qingge in battle against him twice, and when Luo Binghe lays siege to CQMS Shen Yuan finally surrenders himself to Binghe rather than see CQMS come to any harm.

In the collectivist, Confucian-derived society of a Chinese martial sect, this isn’t seen as a noble sacrifice, but rather a grave insult. Liu Qingge addresses Shen Qingqiu: “You fear becoming a burden to Cang Qiong Mountain, but Cang Qiong Mountain fears not your burden.” In this understated way, he is begging Shen Qingqiu not to surrender to Luo Binghe; to trust in his martial family’s loyalty and their ability to protect him.

But in the original PIDW, Luo Binghe slew every one of the peak lords and razed Cang Qiong Mountain Sect to the ground. Shen Yuan cannot bear the thought of seeing it happen again. He turns his back on his sect and leaves with Luo Binghe.

POWERS

SKILLS/ABILITIES: Shen Qingqiu possessed all the normal skills expected of an immortal cultivator. He was an expert martial artist and swordsman, and could generate cutting blades of light from the edges of his sword or fan. He could imbue random objects such as fallen leaves with his qi and turn them into aimable flying blades, or use his qi to heal injuries on himself or others. He could leap great distances and fly on his sword. He was able to draw talismans with magical effects useful for exploration and exorcism.

NERFING: At 20% strength Shen Yuan’s abilities are like those of a martial artist in a non-magical setting, such as a Bruce Lee movie or the manga Lone Wolf and Cub. He is strong and has excellent reflexes, and could easily defend himself against another human being. However, he has no supernatural abilities and would find himself outmatched against opponents with superhuman abilities.

WEAKNESSES: N/A

SAMPLES.

Write or link to a minimum of two, maximum of four samples that effectively convey your character's voice. There is no required minimum comment or word count, but choose samples that adequately demonstrate your grasp of the character. A mix of prose and dialogue is advisable and samples can be brackets or paragraphs. At least one sample must be dated within the previous 12 months. Texting or AU threads are not accepted, but we will accept samples from other games as long as the entries are unlocked.

Writing sample 1: TDM thread with alloriginalheavenlypillar.
Sample 2:second TDM thread with alloriginalheavenlypillar.
Sample 3: TDM thread with zewu_jun.
Sample 4: TDM thread with scaldingsands.