#and the way zhao yunlan is just like <3 okay that just happened <3
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Oh my god the changes they made
I'm gonna scream
In opening of Justice in the Dark
Okay so 1. No worries idk if this is good or bad yet. I'm assuming this is like many cdrama adaptations in the sense I should just treat it as an Alternate Universe of the story, so i imagine it won't be a perfect adaptation (akin to When The Fates Collide compared to normal xena, or Xmen Evolution cartoon compared to Xmen First Class as way different ways to adapt xmen).
2. I'm losing it cause the Special Investigation Division (SID) is in the credits lmao. You know. The group that investigates mutants ("dixingren") in Guardian? That Zhao Yunlan leads!
3. Which just made my crossover headcanon I'd been hoping to write about Guardian/Silent Reading even fucking easier oh my fucking God. I had already assumed in a compatible little crossover Fei Du would be a mutant (and hide it) and Luo Wenzhou would be a detective still aware or it but helping to hide it cause he saved the kid when Fei Du was young like in SR book and just wants a normal life for him. But Fei Dus powers help him solve crimes (also suit his desire to help solve crimes and be a nosy bitch) so he still ends up trying to join Wenzhous crime investigation group. Well if their group is ALSO SID lmao? Then Luo is aware of mutants full on, and just SID chief in another city, and maybe him and Zhao call each other on business calls lol (I'm ignoring the 2530 time period or whatever). (Also Fei Dus power in my head is usually if he touches blood on a crime scene or on a person or anywhere - which he has a phobia about seeing - then he can see what the victim saw/thought before they died, or what the bleeding person if still alive saw/thought when they were bleeding that spit left behind). It seems like it'd suit his personality and give him just more ammo to insist he help at crime scenes.) Anyway I had always assumed I'd need a murder to happen in a plot, then Zhao Yunlan is investigating mutants and realizes Fei Du is on Haxing when it's illegal for them to be (unless they're in SID like Lao Chu or Shen Wei the Hei Pao Shi exception), and Zhao Yunlan wants to pretend he doesn't notice cause he often lets that crime slide since it's unfair, but because of all the murders and Fei Dus shady connections he thinks Fei Du is genuinely a credible suspect so he's gotta arrest him and take him to Dixing. Which Luo Wenzhou adamantly resists up to blatant lying Fei Du is human, not a mutant, and under his jurisdictions protection, and Luo says he'll help Zhaos investigation to prove Fei Du isn't involved. But of course, with Fei Dus nosy ass self he still ends up Looking Involved because he keeps investigating on his own and it looks bad on him.
If in the show lol Luo is ALSO a SID chief then this crossover just gets easier to write. ToT
#rant#justice in the dark#silent reading#mo du#guardian#writing#YEAH SO I BEEN SITTING ON THIS AU IDEA FOR AGES
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[id: gifs from the television series “Guardian.” They show the character Ya Qing pinning Zhu Hong up against a tree and choking her. The leader of the Snake Yashou says, “You chose this big day to ruin the mood. Are you planning to separate from us and make do on your own?” Ya Qing responds, “So what?” Ying Chun then runs up and says, “Sister Qing, are you crazy?” Ya Qing responds, Ying Chun. I realize that you don’t understand my intentions.” She then throws out a hand and attacks the leader of the Snake Yashou with dark energy. Suddenly, Shen Wei runs into the scene, holding a blind Zhao Yunlan’s arm. Shen Wei throws dark energy at Ya Ching and propels Zhu Hong towards Zhao Yunlan, yelling, “Catch!” Zhao Yunla asks, “Catch what?” and then startles when Zhu Hong comes barreling into him. Both Ying Chun and the leader of the Snake Yashou run to their sides, and Zhao Yunlan looks around in a stunned manner before patting Zhu Hong on the shoulder. /end id]
#my crow gf.........................#guardian#ya qing#zhu hong#shen wei#guardianedit#ying chun#my gifs#also this is funny in like nine thousand different ways#FIRSTLY the way ya qing is choosing to choke zhu hong in the most awkward way possible#like you have no lever arm like that babe <3#Also. the way shen wei is literally dragging him along#and he thinks 'catch' is the appropriate amount of information to give him... god#and the way zhao yunlan is just like <3 okay that just happened <3
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I have approximately zero idea about what Guardian is about, but I am unexpectedly extraordinarily invested just from the gif sets that you reblog, with exactly zero context. I may not know what’s happening, but the way these beautiful people gaze at each other I can *feel* it. Damn! What’s going on and how do I actually watch it?
THAT GAZE IS EVERYTHING IN THIS SHOW. They sell it so hard, and it's hard not to be ride or die with them basically from the moment they see each other in Episode 1. The show has a couple of phases, basically a monster of the week phase early, with character development and relationships building in the background, then major plot emerges and sort of overtakes Monster of the week, and then BIG CONFLICT, punctuated by a couple of digression arcs, some more compelling than others.
I'm going to put this behind a cut because I got excited. Anon I'm so excited for youuuuuuuu.
Okay, so you have that well-dressed man in waistcoats, suits and glasses:
This is Shen Wei, upstanding professor with some secrets and a lot of capacity for pining. i'm not going to say a lot about him except he's delightful and I don't want to spoil anything. I think 2/3 of the show's budget went to his wardrobe and I think it was a good call.
Also he wears these arm garters, that ... shouldn't look that good but. Anyway, this is my favorite pair, so.
The more casual guy with an oral fixation (those damn lollipops), motorcycles, and a lot of insouciance is Chief Zhao Yunlan
He's the head of a secret government task force/police force of people whose job is basically to investigate mysterious crimes, (think X-Files), especially ones where powers might be involved, with the added understanding that the gov't knows about people with powers but the average person doesn't, and there are tricky diplomatic issues involved bc one faction of them aren't really allowed in Haixing (where our characters live). He has issues with authority and is very competent. He is also a slob, and his deputy chief and roommate is a cat who roasts him regularly.
Most of his team is powered but he's vanilla human in the show. There’s a strong found family element to the team which is pretty great.
Okay, so it's on both YouTube (ep 1) and Viki (ep 1)with English subs. I've also seen downloadable files, I think on DW.
I will tell you RIGHT NOW that the first episode feels like a fever dream, largely bc there's a lot of bonkers exposition in the first 10 min and then basically every major character introduction is like a punch in the face. Part of the reason the exposition is so wild is that the censors had to change a lot of major characters’ backgrounds so they aren't ghosts anymore, so they're uh. descendants of aliens, and that's why they have powers that definitely aren't supernatural. This will be mentioned in the first 10 minutes and never come up again.
After the first episode, basically the episodes move into MOTW format, but, since the town they live in is apparently 6 blocks long, a lot of the characters they run into in these episodes come back or are still around, which I like--it feels a lot more organic than a lot of episodic shows where people show up for an episode and then disappear forever.
The CGI is terrible, costuming all over the place, most of the villains look like conceptual rejects from Hot Topic, and YET IT IS SO COMPELLING. The two main characters stay with you and honestly make the show.
I hope you like it and come talk to me about it! It's not a huge fandom but a nice one!
#guardian#anon I'm jealous you get to watch it for the first time#but also#it's super rewatchable#don't stop when you see the puppet#you'll know
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Guardian rewatch: Episode 3
First of all, wow. When I decided to post those online, I was expecting that they would be read by two people, both of whom I personally know. It was in equal part surprising and terrifying that so many of you ventured here. Thank you for reading, I really appreciate it.
Episode 3 is probably my favourite case. It’s not perfectly strung together, there is little actual investigative work in it, but it’s a beautiful story of boundless love and devotion, which echoes through the relationship between our protagonists
Professor Shen is looking at some materials that are looking suspiciously like research into something supernatural, when Zhang Ruonan makes an appearance at his office, claiming that she is absolutely fine, while clearly being very far away from fine. This is something Shen Wei can certainly relate to, because he is the king of hiding his ailments from others.
Zhu Hong’s one-sided affection for Zhao Yunlan starts to show already in this episode: while he has the cold, she nags him to take care of himself, shoves tissues into his hands, and presses him to drink his meds. It’s easy to imagine even this early on that she will be the woman drunk dialling him one day.
I know this could be seen as straightbaiting, but I honestly thing that the actual purpose it serves in the show is the opposite; I’ll talk more about it when we get there.
Zhao Yunlan spends a lot of this episode in Shen Wei’s office, starting with this scene, in which is obviously flexing. Not only does he sneeze all over the office, he goes to eat Shen Wei’s cake after specifically being told not to eat it. He also takes his opportunity to mix questioning with flirting, as is his usual way. He keeps eye contact while spooning cake into his mouth, as he explains, jovially, that another mysterious death on his campus cannot possibly be a coincidence. And, to be fair, he is not really wrong. We are meant to believe that this is all set in motion by Zhu Jiu, aka the least scary villain in the history of villainy, and an owner of your staple baby goth wig. I will not mention him again until the plot makes it impossible for me not to do so.
Zhang Ruonan comes in, and Zhao Yunlan introduces himself as Shen Wei’s good friend. Which is half-way between a flex and an act of kindness. On one hand, he could have said he was from the police - which would be absolutely true - and risk tarnishing the professor’s good name. On the other hand, he could probably look less pleased with himself. Shen Wei, at the very least, looks neither grateful, nor amused.
Zhao Yunlan asks her if she new the victim and she looks incredibly shifty as she flees. He is right to think that something is up, and he correctly assumes trauma, rather than guilt. We can now start to see that he is very very good at reading people. It must be equal parts thrilling and disconcerting for him to have met something who he decisively cannot read. Shen Wei vouches for the woman, partly, surely, because his Hei Pao Shi sense is tingling, letting him know that someone is eavesdropping.
Despite feeling uneasy, Shen Wei still offers Guo Changcheng, who is left to collect various paperwork from his desk, a little smile. He has a reason to like Xiao Guo, of course: he was the one to see the young man’s kindness and understanding, and he is already growing protective of him, way before he will start seeing members of the special unit as his people. This reminds me of how many months later, he will subtly, but decisively stop a barrage of verbal abuse against Xiao Guo by dropping a pair of chopsticks.
Zhao Yunlan is taking Xiao Guo with him on the case rather than anyone else, partly, supposedly, because of Guo Changcheng’s familial connections. The young man looks more sure of himself, asking correct questions, dutifully records answers. He also tries to look after his Chief by asking him to go home and rest. He does phrase it badly, but Zhao Yunlan has a thing against his own health and well-being, so he reacts extra poorly.
Soon after, Zhao Yunlan’s at Shen Wei’s office yet again, as Shen Wei tries his best to ignore him, in the hope that he… well, maybe not goes away, but does not ask him anything that will require him lying. Instead, Zhao Yunlan is asking Shen Wei why he is bad at reading people, which is a very strange thing to ask. Shen Wei answers his question with a question, “Will seeing through people really lessen the hurt and disappointment?” Adding, “Many tragedies were destined from the beginning”. He looks well.. like this as he says it.
This is loaded. On first glance, it’s a pretty good set-up to the way this story will unfold, as a tragedy of two individuals who let their devotion to each other nearly ruin each other’s life. A fragile human and a dangerous powered Undergroundian: what else is that, but a tragedy, waiting to happen? But this story - this one right in front of us - will not end tragically, at least not for the two people it enters around. It could do so, but it will not. Maybe, this truly is the first hint that this entire narrative, so carefully set up from the very first time Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei meet, is destined to be a tragedy. Moreover, that it must be one, for some cosmic reason.
(… I apologise while I go have a little cry in the corner. Damn you, Guardian, why do you make me hurt so much?)
Da Qing inexplicably morphs from black cat to a human in white t-shirt while doing night shadowing, and promptly falls asleep on patrol. Why is he being sent to stake anyone out? He is least suitable for it. He is literally a cat. He sleeps 16 hours a day.
Surprisingly, when pressed, Zhang Ruonan comes clean very easily, revealing that she was a victim of the three students she failed (two of which are already dead and one one standing right next to them), who lured her out at night, which left her vulnerable to be attacked. Zhao Yunlan listens to this story, and instead of… oh I don’t know, perhaps asking her the identity of the third student, leaves to go find that out for himself. It is heavily implied that he does it on purpose, which is definitely not okay.
Moreover, he goes and... asks Shen Wei. This makes me suspect that he’s not really thinking with his head at this point. As he does so, he is brandishing a letter opener.
Shen Wei is looking even less impressed with him than he did during their last few conversations.
Zhao Yunlan is a little bit flippant when it comes to students’ lives this episode. And yes, they have done something really quite horrible to another human being, but that's not a very good excuse to let the last of them just die. As it happens, the situation Yunlan created - perhaps on purpose - did lure out Zhao Ruonan’s murder girlfriend, but it also cost a student his life. Which is far from ideal, but is somehow never even mentioned. Instead of being aghast, he sits on the table as he goes into full interrogation mode. (As he will continue to do a lot. Sometimes he crouches on tables instead. There is no further point here, apart from: I like this character quirk. It’s a nice character quirk.)
He brings some of his team in at this point, and asks Zhu Hong to continue interrogation. It would be a nice gesture is he did not interject two questions in.
“How do you regard your relationship with Wang Yike?”
“We are family.”
They are definitely, decisively not going for sisterly bond here. Which is kind of incredible. This is one of the moments the amorphous being that show is looks at the censors, wiggles its battered low budget eyebrows at them, and then proceeds to flip them off. Well done, Guardian.
Wang Yike calls Zhang Ruonan, saying there is one more victim she needs to take care of, and Lin Jing traces the call back to campus. Zhao Yunlan, who did not even bat an eyelid at a dead student earlier, now looks decisively worried
“Oh no. Professor Shen.”
The only reason Shen Wei is attacked is jealousy. Wang Yike does not know this of course, but trying to kill him is a bad move, because a) he has long ago given his heart away, and is definitely not interested; b) this is probably the only thing she could do to make the man on the case very very upset; c) Shen Wei’s immune to her powers.
“Someone like you will never understand what she means to me!” Wang Yike shouts eventually. “As long as I can protect her, my life has worth!” And, even as Wang Yike has no way of knowing it, these are the words that ultimately save both her and her loved one. Because Shen Wei does in fact understand what Zhang Ruonan means to her. His own endless and ultimately self-destructive devotion is his main driving force.
Shen Wei pretends to be hurt, again, which earns him a half-hug from the object of his devotion. If Zhao Yunlan does notice that Shen Wei should really come out of this attack grey haired and dead, and not just mildly inconvenienced, he chooses not to say anything.
Worried about her murder girlfriend, Zhang Ruonan rushes in and accidentally touches her. Zhao Yunlan Freaks The Hell Out. Shen Wei does, too, but in his own, reserved, way. They are both emotionally invested in those two people, although for very different reasons: Shen Wei is acutely feeling resonance of his own past in their story, and Zhao Yunlan, I think, wants to fix it, he wants to be able to make it better. Instead, Shen Wei fixes it for him, turning the tide on this tragedy, and giving it a happy ending. He heals Zhang Ruonan right in front of the officers of SID, albeit with much subtlety. (“Have someone saved her right under our noses?” Zhu Hong will snort the very same evening, and she will be 100% correct.)
Shen Wei also lets Wang Yike go despite the undeniable fact that she did kill three people. Here, he is looking at the picture of this human/Undergroundian couple, surviving despite all odds, and touches his only reminder that Kunlun really was in his life.
He then burns the picture as the only evidence that Wang Yike was not punished by him for her crimes.
In the end, Guo Chengcheng is making first of his many diary notes about the events, recounting a conversation between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan we had not witnessed, in which Shen Wei mentioned a relationship based on devotion that can last a thousand years, and Zhao Yunlan called such a relationship “guarding”. Finally, Guo Changcheng hopes that he can become a guardian of all.
And this is making me think that this absolutely should be a set-up for him becoming a wick of the guardian lantern, as per every single other decision that was made prior to the last two episodes. Right? This is a perfect foreshadowing, and mentioning it here, so early in the show would not make any sense if it were a deliberate subversion. So, was Guo Changcheng meant to become the wick after all before... what, some rewrites happened? What made the final episode be what it was in the end?
(This is a genuine question by that way, if anyone has any insight on the matter.)
The episode would end here, if this was a western show, with a familiar monster of the week structure, but it does not. At least, the way it ends is reminiscent of a cliffhanger, with Zhao Yunlan catching Shen Wei in a middle of a crime scene, and looking betrayed.
Next episode: Lynchian Nightmare, aka people without faces.
PS.
I did not have a seamless way to stick this in anywhere but... Shen Wei’s technological ineptness at the max: he does not know how to use a Polaroid camera. Help him, he is so lost.
——
Second point of housekeeping to say a few things:
I don’t think I will be consistent with certain things being transliterated versus translated. I am more likely to use Hei Pao Shi rather than Black Cloak Envoy (because the later reminds me of Tuxedo Mask, which makes me inwardly giggle every time) but at the same time I am also more likely to use Underground/Undergroundian rather than Dixing/Dixingren. I am more likely to use Xiao rather than Little, but have called Chu Old rather than Lao before. I hope that’s not grating, but do tell me if it is
My recaps are Shen Wei-heavy. I have no real explanation for this, apart from.. I like Shen Wei.
I realise that there will definitely be things here that are head canon and speculation rather than flat observations; this show is a work of fiction and a work of art, which cannot be interpreted objectively. If you have alternate takes on anything I write in the future, let me know!
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I’m seeing so many posts lately on how problematic and fetishising danmei is and I feel very discouraged...danmei has helped me feel more confident in my own sexuality and I never thought it was a bad thing. Can you elaborate on what some people think is wrong about danmei? Thank you
disclaimer: my response is specific to my own experiences so it’s def not a universal thing but perhaps can hopefully be considered as another perspective. and whelp im on mobile so i cant add the read more function, imma edit this when i wake up
I think this is almost the same “issue” with JP yaoi genre and how much the West have vilified the term “fujoshi”. This issue has a long af history so let me just redirect you to this short collection of threads about it. Anyhow, connecting it to danmei which now deals with CN culture on the take of BL, I think it’s a lot about outsiders to said culture demanding they be put in the spotlight aka if it’s not THEIR standard then it’s “wrong” and is therefore ~problematique~. This kind of baby activism which is performative at best mainly takes root in the Western ideology/society. I’m not saying all Westerners are like this but that a large chunk of the really loud ones are most often than not — them. I’m not even going to touch the whole fiction vs reality mentality yet (again, the relationship between the two is CORRELATION and NOT CAUSATION) but would focus mainly on nuances.
An example on why they call danmei ~problematique~ is calling the “shixiong/shidi/etc” relationships as “incest” bc they “practically grew up together”. Martial siblings in CN cultural context are NOT the same as regular siblings. A very specific example I can think of is MDZS’ Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian (disclaimer: i don’t personally ship them romantically) who have the dashixiong-shidi relationship and are “martial siblings” but NOT (blood) siblings. Wei Wuxian is technically still an outsider to the Jiang family bc he isn’t theirs by blood. And trust me on this — relationship by blood is a BIG DEAL for this cultural context.
One of the examples on why they call danmei ~fetishizing~ is when the couple goes beyond the fluff aka having sexual intercourse of any kind. At the top of mind, the most recent discourse I saw was how antis were trying to cancel STARember (tgcf manhua artist) for making Hua Cheng sucking out the poison from Xie Lian “too sexualized” (whatever their standard is) even if it actually happened in the novel but you don’t see the same comments when they read the novel. This reminded me of when fans in EN fandom who are fluent in CN mentioned that Xie Lian gave Hua Cheng a blowjob in the temple when the ghosts were lowkey losing their shit and even gave “evidences” of it and a lot in the fandom got mad because of the same reason. These are cases of people demanding that LGBT+ content should only be “palatable” when it’s not always sunshine and daisies otherwise they’re going to brand it “fetishizing”.
Another example is the anger for when one half of the couple calls the other “wife” because it’s “forced heteronormativity” plus “fetishization”. For one, I personally know gay people who call their partners “wife” bc it’s their term of endearment and yknow most of the time it’s as simple as that. In addition to danmei context, we don’t really use or have a rule that the one being called “wife” (from those what I’ve read – 老婆) as something equal to “bottoming” but more on a ‘personality trait’ for the lack of a better word. A very specific example in mind is how Zhenhun’s Zhao Yunlan calls Shen Wei his “wife” bc Shen Wei is the one who can cook, actually cleans, etc. Note that Zhao Yunlan IS the shou/bottom which is even more contrary to the argument that wife = bottom. Of course there’s context to each story so this is not a blanket rule but just goes to show a sound point against those making a universal statement of anger against the term “wife”.
There’s a whole lot more and I definitely did not cover deeper cultural nuances but the answer got too long already haha
OKAY SO MAIN POINTS:
1. Danmei is a genre with thousands of titles under its belt — some may be considered “bad” or “good”, etc much like how in English Literature, we have “good” and “bad” ones. I bet you that those who make universal blanket statements against it hasn’t even read more than 10 novels.
2. A lot don’t understand that it’s more than okay to not like certain tropes or certain novels without having to justify it with “woke” issues. My friends have some novels I’m not very into and I have some novels they themselves are not very into. It’s normal. Human beings are, after all, different from each other in a lot of ways. What’s not okay is propagating hate over fictional preferences. Trust me, literally everything can be ~problematique~ if we try to reach hard enough.
3. MOST IMPORTANTLY — your experience with danmei is not going to be the same with the rest of the world AND YOU ARE VALID. It’s not totally about the content we consume but majorly on how we process it that matters the most. If you’re able to be more accepting of yourself with it, then that’s amazing! If others don’t feel the same then they should drop it and leave others alone who had better processing.
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Ad astra per aspera
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Fandom: Guardian
Relationship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Da Qing/Ye Zun
Tags: Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-it, Getting Together, First Kiss
Words: 2504
Summary: The one with a lot of talking.
Read on AO3
- - -
Four days.
For four days Da Qing thought he had done a fairly decent job of hiding how he felt after their not-talk that morning. He hadn’t been to the apartment either, sleeping on the office couch as he had done with Zhao Yunlan so many times before.
His feelings were a mess he couldn’t - and didn’t want to, for that matter - untangle, and so, like too many colors mixed into one resulted in an ugly brown, all he felt was a suffocating numbness, a vague unease that filled every cell of him and made it hard to breathe. Still, he tried to uphold his usually cheeky behaviour, teasing Xiao Guo and annoying Lin Jing, hoping the hollow feeling in his chest would eventually subside.
After four days of this, however, on a lazy morning in the office, Zhao Yunlan suddenly jumped up from where he was slouched on the sofa and marched over to Da Qing’s desk. Before the cat could even think of dodging, he felt himself grabbed by the scruff of his neck, like Zhao Yunlan sometimes did when he was angry with him, only that Da Qing normally was in cat form for it.
Before he could voice any protest, Zhao Yunlan had dragged him into his office and kicked the door closed behind them, then unceremoniously dumped the cat in the visitor chair and leaned against his desk, looming threateningly over Da Qing.
“Talk,” he demanded with a stern gaze that Da Qing recognized from interviews with suspects. He couldn’t suppress a wince, stubbornly avoiding the other’s eyes.
“I have nothing to say,” he snapped back, ready to get up from the chair and flee, when he felt Zhao Yunlan’s hand on his shoulder and looked up. The other’s gaze was soft, gentle, despite the harsh demeanor earlier, and Da Qing felt the fight leave him. With a groan, he sank back into the chair, closing his eyes. Zhao Yunlan’s hand left his shoulder, but he still stayed close.
���Tell me what’s wrong,” he said, more softly this time. “I know you better than anyone and I can see something is bothering you, so tell me. Please,” he added like an afterthought and Da Qing opened his eyes at that, smiling wryly.
“Please?”, he teased, but Zhao Yunlan just shrugged. Da Qing sighed. “It’s,” he began, then faltered, trying to sort through his thoughts and feelings. Zhao Yunlan stayed quiet, patiently waiting for him to continue.
“What would you have done,” he asked finally, “if the Professor hadn’t accepted your advances?”
Zhao Yunlan stilled, then levelled such a scrutinizing gaze at him that it took all of Da Qing’s self-control not to turn cat and bolt. After a moment, Zhao Yunlan huffed, then turned around to pull his office chair next to Da Qing’s, sitting down facing him.
“I don’t know,” he admitted finally, his voice quiet. “Haven’t thought about this, but I’d probably have been devastated if he had rejected me. Wait,” he turned to the cat again. “Were you…?”
Da Qing shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said slowly, “we… didn’t talk… about it.” Under the other’s stare he felt the need to defend himself. “I haven’t done this before, okay? I have no idea how this stuff works and you are not an expert in healthy relationships either.” Before Zhao Yunlan could protest, he continued. “I just, I don’t know, I asked if something meant anything and they didn’t say anything and then I said it means nothing and--”
“Wait a minute,” the other interrupted, looking confused. “Nothing means anything? What is that supposed to mean?”
The cat shrugged. “Nothing, apparently.”
Zhao Yunlan groaned, letting his face sink into his hands. “Da Qing,” he began slowly, “I may not be the best example concerning relationships and all that,” he paused to look directly at the cat, “but even I realise that you need to talk about this. With each other.” Seeing Da Qing roll his eyes, he shoved him slightly. “I mean it, cat. What’s the worst that can happen? No, don’t answer that, I know, I know, but on the other hand, what’s the best that could happen, hm?”
With a grin, he stood up from his chair, leaving a stunned cat behind in the empty office. Da Qing pulled his feet up on the chair, leaning his chin on his knees, closing his eyes. Zhao Yunlan was right, he thought. He would have to talk to Ye Zun eventually.
- - -
As soon as Ye Zun opened the apartment door, he immediately sensed another presence in the kitchen and tensed reflexively. Da Qing has come back , was his first thought, but he would have recognized the cat’s aura everywhere, even without dark powers, and that was not Da Qing sitting at the small table, even though this aura was equally familiar. With a sigh, he relaxed his tense shoulders a fraction. Shen Wei.
Strolling into the apartment, he tossed his backpack on the bed, nodding to his brother. Before he could plop down on the couch, Shen Wei wordlessly moved the opposite chair in a clear invitation, and Ye Zun noticed a steaming mug on the table. Sighing, he let himself fall down onto the chair, grabbing the large mug in front of him. Expecting it to be Shen Wei’s special occasion feel-better-soon-tea, he took a large gulp, only to pause and stare at his brother.
“Gege,” he said cautiously, “this isn’t tea.”
Shen Wei nodded.
“This is hot chocolate.”
Another nod.
“You.. That’s what you give children when they’re unhappy,” he said incredulously. “How old do you think I am, gege?”
Shen Wei looked down at the table, saying nothing. Ye Zun hastened to reassure him. “But it’s okay, gege, I’ll drink it anyway.”
Shen Wei nodded again, then looked up at him.
“Are you?”
Ye Zun raised an eyebrow. “Am I what?”
“Unhappy.”
Ye Zun choked on a mouthful of liquid. After the coughing fit, he gingerly placed the mug back on the table, his eyes watery.
“Why do you think that?”, he asked when he felt he could breathe again.
His brother sighed, then looked directly at him, his eyes kind and caring. “Didi.” Ye Zun ignored how the word still sent a happy shiver down his spine every time Shen Wei said it and hummed vaguely.
“Didi,” his brother repeated. “Don’t hide from me.”
Ye Zun’s breath caught and he reached over the table to grab Shen Wei’s hand. “I’m not,” he tried to explain, “but I… it’s complicated,” he finished lamely. Shen Wei raised an eyebrow. “What is?”
Ye Zun took a deep breath to steel himself. “Say, if Zhao Yunlan hadn’t behaved the way he..” He made a vague gesture. “You know, would you…?”
Shen Wei blinked, then slowly raised an eyebrow. “Would I have taken the initiative?” Ye Zun nodded, sinking further into his chair. This wasn’t a conversation he was fond of having, definitely not. His brother thought for a moment, then said, “I don’t think so. I didn’t know if he remembered or if he would remember in the future, and I couldn’t risk the timeline. But,” he added quietly, “I would have regretted it.”
Ye Zun looked up. “Why?”
“Because I always thought of the possibilities, of what could have been. I couldn’t risk the future, so I protected the past, but all the time I thought, what if that past is all we get?” Shen Wei trailed off, as if he had said too much already, and Ye Zun tightened his grip on his brother’s hand. Biting his bottom lip, he tried to find something to say, when Shen Wei added, “I don’t know what happened, but if I learned something from the last months,” he smiled wryly, “then that a heartfelt conversation can solve a lot of problems before they get overwhelming.” Ye Zun almost snorted, but he had to admit the truth behind that statement. “Thank you,” he said quietly, which made Shen Wei smile in return, a real smile that made his eyes crinkle, and he nudged the mug in front of Ye Zun. “I made a whole pot, do you want some more?”
Smiling back, Ye Zun nodded.
- - -
Later that evening, Shen Wei had long portalled home, Ye Zun caught himself staring at the door. He had been feeling increasingly apprehensive the later it got, and now he felt downright queasy. With a groan, he made to get up from the couch, when a dull thump from the open window startled him. Before he could move, a large black cat squeezed through the gap, paused for a moment on the windowsill, then leapt gracefully onto the table.
Ye Zun swallowed. “Hi,” he managed hoarsely, trying to hide the tension in his voice.
Da Qing tilted his head, but didn’t say anything. Ye Zun inhaled shakily. “I..,” he tried, but faltered, unsure how to start. “We-”
“We need to talk,” Da Qing said at the same moment, and Ye Zun winced, but nodded. Then, with a fit of the old, familiar anger bubbling up, he snapped at the other, “But I’m not having this conversation when you’re like this." He gestured at the cat who was still perched on the table. Da Qing raised a furry eyebrow - how he did that while in cat form Ye Zun wasn’t entirely sure - and jumped onto the sofa, transforming mid-flight. He hit the cushions with a thud, turning to Ye Zun, eyebrow still raised. I changed back, it seemed to say, now what?
Now what indeed.
Ye Zun took another deep breath, then began. “That night… when we… you know…” He trailed off, sinking into the sofa, turning away from the other’s intense gaze. This was harder than anything he had ever done and he already felt exhausted. Da Qing sighed.
“My question is still the same,” he said softly.
Ye Zun blinked at him. “What question?”
“Did it mean anything?”
Oh .
Ye Zun’s heart skipped a few beats, then proceeded to thunder in his chest, so loudly he was convinced the other would hear it.
Did it mean anything?
That night had been exhilarating, even though, objectively, nothing earth-shattering had happened. They had just slept next to each other, but to Ye Zun it was different. He had never been so close to anyone, literally and figuratively, had never trusted anyone enough to open his heart, let them in. He had never held anyone’s hand, never woken up to someone’s arm around his waist. It had felt hot and searing, blinding and numbing, but at the same time it was calming, soothing. Never had anything felt this good, and he had never been this afraid either.
It was complicated, to say the least, and he couldn’t voice any of this. How could he tell Da Qing he wanted nothing more than to curl up into his embrace, to press so close there wasn’t any space left between them, to feel the other’s hands on his skin. He wanted him close, but at the same time every fiber of his being told him to run, to hide, to hate, to fear. He had survived this long precisely because he didn’t trust anyone, but now he wanted, and the conflicting emotions inside his heart almost paralyzed him.
Clamping his mouth shut, he tried to fight back the feelings that threatened to overwhelm him: frustration, fear, desire, hope.
Da Qing turned to look at him, probably sensing Ye Zun’s turmoil. Reaching out a hand, he cupped the other’s cheek and turned his face slightly upwards. “Hey,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “Look at me.”
Ye Zun shook his head frantically and kept staring at the other’s collarbone. Da Qing sighed again and, with his free hand, brushed an errant strand of silver hair behind Ye Zun’s ear, eliciting a full-body shudder.
“Did it mean something?”, he asked again, and this time, Ye Zun gave a tiny nod, hearing Da Qing’s breath catch.
He saw the other’s throat move as he swallowed hard, then inhaled deeply. The hand on Ye Zun’s cheek moved to weave in his hair, gently caressing his nape, the other reached around his waist, resting on his lower back. Slowly, carefully, Da Qing tightened his grip, enfolding him in an embrace.
There wasn’t that much of a height difference between them, but in that moment, Ye Zun suddenly felt overwhelmingly safe, held, and cared for. With a strangled sob, he hid his face in the other’s neck, his arms around Da Qing’s back. Tilting his head slightly, Da Qing leaned his cheek against silver hair, breathing slowly.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered, barely audible, and Ye Zun’s breath hitched dangerously. He tightened his grip on the other, burying his face deeper in the crook of his neck. He felt a hand caress his back, slowly, gently, and bit his bottom lip in an attempt not to sob.
After a while, when Ye Zun felt calmed down enough to face Da Qing, he leaned back a bit, his hands stilling on the other’s waist. “I’m sorry,” he began hoarsely, but the cat just shook his head. “Don’t,” he replied, “don’t be. Not for this.”
He gave Ye Zun a shy smile, then brushed another strand of hair behind his ear. Resting his hand on Ye Zun’s cheek, he wiped at the wetness under the other’s eye.
“If you let me,” he began, his voice wavering slightly. Looking directly at Ye Zun, his gaze full of emotion, he went on, “if you let me, I’ll take care of you.”
Ye Zun’s inner voice snorted at that, he was able to take care of himself, has done so for centuries, thank you very much, but at the same time, that sentence made his heart flip. Yes, he wanted to scream, I am so tired of being alone, but the other voices almost drowned him. With a groan, he tried to raise a hand to hide his face, but Da Qing caught it.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said softly, slowly caressing the knuckles with his thumb. “Just… Let me… Let me take care of you.” He paused, his hand still enveloping Ye Zun’s fingers. “Let me love you,” he said finally, quiet and hopeful, and Ye Zun couldn’t help but look up. Their eyes met, and Ye Zun found the same emotions he had been struggling with in Da Qing’s gaze: fear, hope, desire. In a fit of courage he himself didn’t quite understand, he leaned in and pressed his lips against Da Qing’s. The other’s eyes widened, then his grip in Ye Zun’s hair tightened and he kissed back, hungry and desperate.
When they had to part for breath after a while, Da Qing leaned back a fraction to look at him, a soft smile spreading over his whole face. Ye Zun watched with bated breath as it reached his eyes, the fear and hesitation from before long gone. He couldn’t help but smile back, closing his eyes.
They would figure it out.
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heads up 7 up
post the last seven sentences of your latest project (meta, fic, any other writing)
Thank you for the tag, @vishcount! These are always fun to do!
I’ve got a few WIPs on the go at the moment, though most have been paused while I work on the current monster. I’ll only post lines from WIPs that haven’t been posted at all yet, rather than ones like The Rescue Job or Nevermore.
Speaking of the current monster, it’s a pingxie AU that @xantissa and I are co-writing for the Small Fandom Big Bang. Since we’re co-writing, I’m going to post the last seven lines I wrote, rather than the last seven lines currently written (because those are xan’s!)
“Okay, great, you viewed her like your own granny or whatever,” Pangzi snapped. “What were you doing there, and why did you lie about it?”
Wu Xie flinched, and Zhang Qiling had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t entirely an act for their benefit. “I can’t tell you,” he said.
“Tianzhen...”
“I can’t tell you,” Wu Xie repeated, clearly enunciating each word. “It was...personal.”
This one is my Guardian reincarnation fic that I really will finish, I promise! People...may have seen these lines in a previous meme >.>
The other boy looked up in surprise, then stopped to clutch his chest as he began to cough. Once he'd finished coughing, Zhao Yunlan and Dead Cat were perched on the end of his bed.
"I'm Zhao Yunlan, and this is Dead Cat." He held up Dead Cat, moving one of the paws to wave hello. "What's your name?"
The boy wiped his eyes again. "Shen Ye."
Another reincarnation AU, this time from MDZS
“Ridiculous.”
***
It was almost a week later before Wei Wuxian was able to deploy the magazine that Nie Huaisang had given him. It was a good magazine, he had to admit, and he’d spent more than a few nights, uh, appreciating it. It really would be a shame if Lan Wangji reacted to it the same way he did with the book the first time around, but Wei Wuxian supposed that if he did, at least modern-day magazines were much easier to replace.
There were several times during that week when he could have slipped the magazine into Lan Wangji’s bag, or slid it in front of him during a moment when his attention was elsewhere, but none of them had seemed quite right. None of them were close enough to the original prank, and Wei Wuxian had come to the conclusion that that had been the problem so far – Lan Wangji’s memories weren’t being triggered by anything yet because Wei Wuxian hadn’t recreated these incidents closely enough. He couldn’t recreate detention supervision, unfortunately, given that they weren’t in school anymore, but he could try to recreate everything else.
And my MDZS My Best Friend’s Wedding AU! Again, some of you might recognise these lines from other memes ^_^
Not how would a marriage happen, but how was Nie Huiasang getting married? Nie Huaisang, his best friend since childhood. Nie Huaisang, who could flirt as well as he did, and who, like he did, had never had a relationship last beyond the third date. They’d commiserated with each other over their terrible love lives often enough. It’s what had lead to their deal, after all.
“Huaisaaaaang,” he finally whined, flinging himself onto his bed and transferring his phone to his other hand. “You said you were going to marry me.”
Oops, almost missed this one! Guardian/Mo Du crossover!
“Fuck me!” Luo Wenzhou exclaimed, staring at Da Qing. The rest of the Criminal Investigation Team were also making various exclamations of surprise at hearing - and seeing - a talking cat. Zhao Yunlan just smirked, sticking an unlit cigarette in his mouth to chew on until he could get somewhere where he could light it, and amidst the commotion he almost missed the soft “Okay, shixiong” from Fei Du, a mischievous gleam in the youngster’s eyes as he looked at the team’s captain. In fact, Zhao Yunlan would almost have thought he’d imagined it had not Luo Wenzhou’s ears turned red, and the man reached out to flick Fei Du’s forehead.
“Shameless brat,” he scolded, his voice a mix of gruffness and affection.
I have a few more WIPs, but none of them are far enough along for me to be able to post seven sentences from them, I’m afraid. Maybe next time! (and maybe next time I won’t be posting the same lines for the other ones...)
Tagging @cosmic-existential-crisis because I still have not given up on making the gremlin actually write out some of her ideas <3
Also @xantissa @rosethornewrites @1ebilcat and whoever else would like to!
#dmbj#daomu biji#the lost tomb#guardian#zhen hun#mdzs#cql#mo du#silent reading#the light in the night
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Helllu! I see you've been watching lots of chinese/korean dramas. Can you rec your favs?
Hello!! Of course I can n.n (sorry it took so long to answer, I kept making changes to this aha). I’ve decided to list my current top 3 favourites, because apparently I’ve watched a lot.
Okay guys, here goes.
Chinese dramas:
So lately the past year or so of my life has been consumed by cdrams (and recently kdramas by extension), but here are some of my faves that I’ve watched.
The Untamed
Anyone who follows my blog knows my crazy obsession with this amazing show. It’s based off of a novel called the Grandmaster of demonic cultivation (has an anime with the same name– s2 is slowly being released right now). The story takes place in a world ruled by the evil Wen Sect. Wei Ying and Lan Zhan cross paths and become good friends (hardcore bromance). Wei Ying tries to save innocent Wen from death, and in the end, he lost almost everything. After going missing for 16 years, the pair find each other again and try to find the real villain.
It’s full of action, mystery, adventure, heart ache, supernatural ghouls, longing, whumping, and an amazingly attractive cast that should honestly be illegal. If you’re looking for a show with lots of emotional pain that will swallow you whole, then you’re in the right place.
P/s. the 2 mains sing their love song which makes it that much more beautiful/painful.
Ps/s. IT ALSO JUST GOT PUT ONTO NETFLIX GUYS. No excuses not to binge it, and when you do, dm me so we can fangirl together.
Guardian
Another drama based off of a novel, with gay bros, longing, and adventure. Shen Wei is an immortal (kind of), and currently a university professor that has been waiting centuries for his lover/friend (Yunlan) to repay him for what he gave Shen Wei and will do anything for him. Zhao Yunlan is the head of the SID, a department that solves mysteries and crimes with supernatural origins. Together they help save others, solve mysteries, and save the world from Shen Wei’s evil twin brother.
All I can say about this one is that if you haven’t seen it, you’re seriously missing out (but warning, the cgi is horrible lmao). It was also super amazing seeing Zhu Yilong in a main role like this. The king of micro-expression seriously doesn’t let us down.
Legend of Fuyao
This show had consumed my soul for about a full month and a half until I finished it. When I finished watching, it left me sad that it was over. Got to be honest, the ending is still a bit confusing, but is still worth the watch. This is an epic love story about Fuyao, an orphan looking for adventure, but gets caught in a fight between kingdoms and destiny. Along the way, she meets the Crown Prince and they fall in love, but destiny has their fates already decided. They are on the opposite sides of good and evil and need to decide whether one lives and the other dies. It’s got amazing fight scenes and a really attractive male lead (his first lead in a show I believe). Super amazing acting, because let’s be real, any show with Yang Mi is an automatically good show. She’s just too amazing.
Other honourable mentions: Granting you a dreamlike life, Eternal Love, Untouchable Lovers, the Rise of Phoenixes, Detective L– were amazing shows I could rewatch until I die.
Side note: I am super excited for Xiao Zhan’s Jade Dynasty. So hopefully that movie will be available to us soon.
Korean Dramas:
All right guys. I’ve only recently started watching korean shows about half a year ago or so, so I haven’t seen too many, but the ones I have seen I’ve fallen into a deep love with that keeps me going lol.
My Country: The New Age (ongoing)
This show only has 8 episodes so far and I can’t tell you all how amazing this show is. Words can literally not even describe how much it’s consuming every waking second of my life right now. I think the main reason is Seon ho, who started off as someone you respect, but is constantly doing bad shit. He tries to salvage good things from the wrecks he keeps making, but who knows how long that will last. He is ambiguous and slowly turning into a villain. He is slowly turning into the things he wants to destroy and it’s heartbreaking. My heart aches for him and Hwi all the damn time. I just want them to be bff again and stop fighting, but of course this won’t happen. This show has political turmoil and a country at war with a royal family and council who just wants to watch the world burn. Of course, this means manipulating everyone to get what they want, but both Hwi and SH are trying to play their own game, accidentally putting themselves against each other constantly. Watch for heart break, friendship (sometimes), and very attractive male leads aha.
Also, the music is 1000000 thumbs up. All I can say is PLEASE WATCH IT AND FREAK OUT WITH ME.
It’s on netflix, so guys, no excuse lol (DM me to fangirl with me
Black
I don’t want to spoil too much about this show because it’s honestly an experience. It’s about a girl who can see when people are going to die because of the shadows that follow them. She meets a childhood friend, who has a secret, and he asks her to help him solve crimes and protect people from dying, but of course he has his own plans. Get ready for a funny and badass female lead guys.
It’s the first korean drama I watched and will always be one of my faves. It’s an incredible murder-mystery story with more layers than a damn onion. It’ll keep you on your toes and the ending makes me cri evry tiem.
Arthdal Chronicles
At first I thought this show was kind of weird, but an episode in and I was hooked. This show is difficult to explain, but it starts with a war between Arth and the Neanthal. 2 legendary babies get separated and live in opposite parts of the country. This show is hard to describe but it follows the 3 mains, Eunsom, Tanya, and Saya (and Tagon/ Taelha lol) and their fight through tragedy, and sometimes hell on Arth (lol – like hell on earth – am I funny yet). It’s all about a fight for power and revenge among the tribes. Every single character in this show has a different reason, but they all want power to get revenge, basically.
The fantasy aspect of this show and the different ‘species’ are incredible. It does get very political, but the fun of it is all the plotting, and how the characters fix their plans that don’t work out. Half way through I kept screaming at my TV for the mains (Tanya/Saya specifically) to just fkking talk to each other ughhh. Also, Saya will be my favourite unstable boy forever.
It has 18 episodes on netflix so far, but just signed up for 2 more seasons (thank god because if they stopped at 18 eps I’d pull a Rosa Diaz and kill everyone and then myself -.-”). I can’t wait for it to come back. GIVE ME MORE CONTENT.
Other honourable mentions: Hwarang, Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (not finished it yet, which is why it’s not up in my top 3), Missing 9, W Two worlds, Warrior Baek Dong Soo.
Thanks for reading and requesting!
I am always looking for new shows to watch, so send me recs too. I find my favourite ones are the historical dramas. But let me knoww!
#the untamed#cql#mzds#guardian#guardian cdrama#legend of fuyao#cdrama#kdrama#my country the new age#black korean drama#black#arthdal chronicles#my country a new age#chinese drama#korean drama#rec list
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Rewatching Guardian - Episode 07 Part 1/3
Episode List || Episode 06 || Part 2 | Part 3
SPOILERS for upto episode 40, SPOILERS for the novel.
The translation is by AvenueX. Youtube decided to not translate for me today.
A pity, I think the youtube translation had soomething like “a beauty named Shen Wei”. xD
Ah... I am a fool. At the end of the last episode, I mentioned how Shen Wei had a droopy quiff because it was the end of the day. But after Zhao Yunlan came, Shen Wei’s quiff went back to its former glory. xD
I really wonder how it would’ve gone down if Zhao Yunlan hadn’t turned up. Shen Wei could’ve obliterated these two without a sliver of dark energy.
Shen Wei looks too pretty. WAY too pretty.
Everyone isn’t full of suspicion like you, Zhao Yunlan. xD
But okay, Zhao Yunlan’s acting just a tiny bit strange. xD What, you’re worried Shen Wei would realise you were maybe following him for no reason except for your crush on him? And that maybe you did wanna show off just a little bit to him??
He’s just so automatically defensive here.
First of all, I absoulutely failed at getting screenshots for the fighting but just... I implore you to zoom into Zhao Yunlan’s face in the very last screenshot. xD Look at his eyes lmaooo
It’s too funny not to include.
I get that the SID isn’t regular police but even if Zhao Yunlan can’t arrest these two, shouldn’t he still at least hand them over to regular police? They’re muggers. Why is he leaving them here with only a warning?
“Become a consultant for the SID.” “No.”
Absoulutely zero hesitation. xD Poor Zhao Yunlan’s like “??????”
I guess this is because 1) Shen Wei’s identity would endanger Zhao Yunlan and the other members of the SID. Specially if they aren’t aware of who he is, and also 2) I’m just guessing, but this might be because of alliances or something. SID itself is clearly its own entity at this point under Zhao Yunlan’s leadership. But on paper, it’s under Xingdu Bureau. Hei Pao Shi working for the SID would be like saying, yeah, Hei Pao Shi (at least partially) answers to Xingdu Bureau, which he doesn’t. And also, it ends up looking like the SID, Zhao Yunlan more specifically, has ambiguous loyalty or is being influenced by Dixing. But I’m not sure.
Working for the SID as a consultant would obviously be ideal because it will allow the SID and Hei Pao Shi to work together more closely to do their jobs right, and it would allow Shen Wei to remain close to Zhao Yunlan.
So once it becomes obvious to Shen Wei that Zhao Yunlan and the SID will be exposed to danger regardless of his identity known by them, and that his ‘Professor Shen’ identity it only hindering his efforts to help them out, and once Zhao Yunlan figures out his identity, point (1) becomes meaningless. If point (2) is actually an issue/being considered by Shen Wei, then it would be outweighed by the pros of working for the SID as a consultant. Hence, Shen Wei takes Zhao Yunlan up on the offer later on.
When Shen Wei’s massaging that thing on Zhao Yunlan’s arm, I know that despite whatever that reaction of Zhao Yunlan’s looked like, it’s meant to be a grimace of pain, because that’s what it was when they were rehearsing the lines in a behind-the-scenes video.
But still, it looked like what it looked like. xD And added with the comment about Shen Wei being good with his hands it’s just too much to ignore. ͡°‿ ͡°
Zhao Yunlan’s adorable and he’s such a flirt oh my poor
I have this idea that the OST used in a scene is often from the POV of the character(s) the show wants the audience to pay attention to/sympathise with, if that makes sense.
I’ll have to do a little digging to find the name of the OST used in this part. (Sorry guys, I didn’t find it :/ But it plays at 5:12 - 6:39 in the episode) The OST is very melancholic, life if repressed longing was music or something like that.
The OST is clearly from Shen Wei’s POV because at this point Zhao Yunlan has no reason to be thinking/feeling this way.
Basically the OST was wrecking my heart and soul and I didn’t want to be repetative and say the OST really made this scene for me and gave me all the feels but that’s exactly what happened.
Shen Wei... TT~TT
Also, I’m fairly certain that Shen Wei discretely used his healing powers to partially heal Zhao Yunlan’s arm just enough to get away with it without alerting Zhao Yunlan.
First of all, where the hell was that bedroom even? Just in case, I went back where the cat brothers break into Shen Wei’s home, and yep, no bedroom, no bed. His apartment looks less structured than Zhao Yunlan’s, and looks more like a big room with furnitures than a big space compartmentalized for specific functions.
In that scene, I didn’t see a bed, or even see Zhao Yunlan go into a “room”. Now, this doesn’t mean that Shen Wei’s apartment doesn’t have a bedroom for sure, just could be that we didn’t see it. But we followed Zhao Yunlan’s POV in that scene and the entire time he spent in Shen Wei’s apartment was shown. So if we didn’t see a bed or a bedroom, neither did Zhao Yunlan.
So what’s up with that?
Anyway, my man just dug his own grave and jumped in it lol
Once again with the ominous music though. It stopped me from realizing before just how funny this scene is.
Another example of Zhao Yunlan goofing up in Shen Wei’s presence. xD
And then the stuff he says to try and salvage the situation are also gold because if Zhao Yunlan had been in any state to calmly think about what he was saying, he’d have noticed the window he was talking about faces the opposite direction to the one in his apartment.
Also, I checked and the two apartments are very different even if you remove all the furnitures, so there’s that. Shen Wei wouldn’t know because he hasn’t gone to Zhao Yunlan’s apartment yet. But still.
Slightly unrelated, neither of the two apartments seem to have any washrooms. I didn’t see any doors leading to one anywhere. I also didn’t see a kitchen in Shen Wei’s. He has a balcony where Zhao Yunlan’s apartment has a kitchen. And there goes out collective headcanon about Shen Wei’s beautifully clean kitchen.
Back to Zhao Yunlan’s blunder.
Shen Wei knew it was them to begin with and would’ve probably never mentioned it.
But then Zhao Yunlan the Disaster made such a dumb mistake and then realkized himself. At that point, it was too obvious for Shen Wei to ignore. In fact ignoring it would be more suspicious. Oh my god. xD
And when Zhao Yunlan’s flailing and making further fool of himself, Shen Wei’s sarcastic nod and his smile lmaoooo He seemed so amused xD
On the other hand, Zhao Yunlan looks so uncomfortable xD Poor man’s heart’s probably about to sprint out of his ribcage. He’s so cute istg.
Shen Wei just handing the entire bottle to Zhao Yunlan because he doesn’t need it and can’t heal him himself but can’t leave him be either. Ugh. So extra and so tragic.
Zhao Yunlan just taking it though... That’s not quite the normal response here... is it? Like, shouldn’t there be some protest to taking it at least for the sake of being polite? These two didn’t meet all that long ago and aren’t that close yet as far as Zhao Yunlan’s knows.
Like, politely refuse and buy one of his own later, or try to refuse at least; isn’t that what’s meant to happen here?
Idk. Zhao Yunlan’s response seems odd to me. I can’t tell if he’s just like that or if this is him being uneasy and in a hurry to get out of there after his slip-up.
Shen Wei TTATT
Well, both of their hearts are about to sprint out and away to Cold City now for two completely different reasons.
(Continues in part 2)
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How hot is: 1) Tony Stark 2) Zhao Yunlan (hey, you did it to me!) and 3) Lan Xichen
Tony Stark
Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY| I WOULD LAY MY LIFE DOWN FOR HIM
Look, this shouldn’t be news to anyone at this point, but I love me one disfunctional genius super-hero. I’m not saying that his emotional issues are a big part of the appeal but I’m not not saying it either.
Also I love the heroes who are just people the best. It’s why the Robins are some of my favorite heroes ever, and it’s why I like 616 Clint so much too.
Zhao Yunlan
Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY| I WOULD LAY MY LIFE DOWN FOR HIM
Okay look. LOOK. I did not expect this to happen, and frankly I’m still pretty mad at @flange5 about it, but Zhao Yunlan is my new dude. I want to cuddle him and strangle him at the same time. His butt is fantastic, and his mouth is the sort of thing that gets people in trouble if they spend too much time thinking about it. No wonder Shen Wei called dibs on him, who wouldn’t?
Also he gets hurt a lot and you know I love that.
Lan Xichen
Not My Type | Alright | Cute | Adorable | Pretty | Gorgeous | LORD MERCY| I WOULD LAY MY LIFE DOWN FOR HIM
I’m sorry, Xichen, but you are too mature and responsible for me. I only deal in hot messes, apparently. And so do you, judging by your taste in men.
I like Lan Xichen - he’s a good character, but unfortunately he’s flawed in the ways that make him a little less attractive to me? So I kind of want to hold his hand and yell at him, but not in the sexy way like I do with Zhao Yunlan.
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Guardian rewatch: episode 4
While patrolling at night in civvies, Shen Wei gets caught by Zhao Yunlan and his merry band of misfits. You’d think that he would maybe quickly morph into his black-cloaked persona, because we know that the can just transform into Hei Pao Shi, magical girl style. Instead of summoning that disguise however, he dons his glasses (a very different kind of mask, but a mask nonetheless), and turns around, bracing himself for what’s to come.
This is going to be fun.
(Spoilers for the future episodes)
Let’s look at the situation from Zhao Yunlan’s perspective. What does he really know about Shen Wei? The man is polite, but strangely intense. He is undeniably intelligent, both learned and perceptive, but he is also way too knowledgable on the topic of alien-mutant-demihuman/supernatural for a civilian. He also, as far as Zhao Yunlan knows, walked away unscathed from at least three fights, two of which should have definitely been lethal. He could fall off the roof, and not even look disheveled afterwards. After being connected with two cases, he has now been lurking at a different crime scene entirely. And with all that, Shen Wei is also courageous, kind, compassionate, and understanding. He pushes back when Yunlan gets into his space. I don’t think there is a single moment, not even in this, very soft, episode, when Zhao Yunlan does not know that there is more to Shen Wei than meets the eye. He just doesn’t want professor Shen to be the big bad, and thinking he might be one is making chief Zhao worried and confused.
Back at the SID interrogation room, Shen Wei is preparing to evade enough so that he does not have to lie too much. Thankfully, he is good at this sort of thing.
Part 1. Zhu Hong.
Zhu Hong is the first to interrogate Shen Wei, and her approach is by the book. She is impassive, but not unfriendly. She asks reasonable questions, such as “why were you so far away from your place of work and your abode in the middle of a night?” and “aren’t you a little bit too composed in face of death and spooky things for a professor?” Those are technically right things to ask. It’s exactly what should he asked in this scenario. Shen Wei, being much more of a sly bastard than he was letting on, turns it around completely and instead of answering anything plainly, talks about the Snake Tribe, implying that Zhu Hong must be a disappointment to her people.
Zhu Hong storms off. Instead of being concerned, this time Zhao Yunlan is... endeared at the power move of cosmic proportions. It’s almost like he enjoys this man’s ability to use people’s weaknesses against them.
Part 2: Chu Shuzhi
Lao Chu approached the problem of Shen Wei by trying to scare him: he brings in his brother/puppet, and pretty much ignores the man. For Shen Wei this is an easy one, which is extremely unfair. He knows Chu Shuzhi and his past, which means does not need to find an opening; he just pounces right away, commenting on how Chu’s puppet seems alive, even trying to grab at it. His willingness to exploit his knowledge of his colleague’s dark past is kind of eerie.
“You confidence and composure remind me of someone I know”, comments Chu Shuzhi. And now, now Shen Wei purses his lips. He thinks, as do the viewers, that he must be speaking of Hei Pao Shi. But then Chu Shuzhi states that that other man is much more worthy than Shen Wei, we are to understand that he is talking is about Zhao Yunlan. Shen Wei stares at the chief through the mirrored glass, noting that whoever that person is, they must be truly righteous.
Lao Chu very rarely speaks highly of his chief, so it’s nice to see some of that admiration here. If you squint, his comment could even be read as protective: he is neither deaf, nor stupid, and Zhao Yunlan must talk about Shen Wei a lot.
Part 3: Zhao Yunlan
Zhao Yunlan does not try to intimidate, pressure, or follow any reasonable protocol. Instead, he just asks Shen Wei to be honest with him, and say whether there is a connection between him and the cases. Shen Wei startles at this, his eyes going big and vulnerable, and does, in fact, tell him the truth. Well. Sort of the truth. It’s closer to the truth than it is to a lie. It’s complicated.
It’s hard to say for sure whether this perfect kicked puppy expression is an act. I, for one, choose to believe that he just sometimes cannot control his face when he’s in the vicinity of the man who will become his Kunlun.
Zhao Yunlan counts his eyelashes, and lets him go. Just like that. No surveillance, no further questions. Shen Wei is just free to leave.
The following day marks Guo Changcheng and Chu Shizhu being on the case together for the first time.
It’s not remarkable, apart from being the first very tiny step from the least likely working duo to the most important people in each other’s lives. They would not get along for a while, however. It will take time for Guo Changcheng to find resilience through his weaknesses, and for Chu Shizhu to start admiring this young man’s ability to throw himself into danger he cannot possible handle.
As this happens, we get to meet a righteous youth which is Lin Yusen. He lost the girl he likes to the face snatcher, and is prepared to do a lot of stupid things to avenge her. He’s noble, brave, extremely reckless, and a bit of an idiot, all of which are characteristics which should actually make him very suitable for the SID. I believe Zhao Yunlan when he agrees to take the boy on board after graduation. It’s a shame that he needed to die to create a plot device.
Zhao Yunlan and Lin Yusen run into Shen Wei. Or rather, Shen Wei plants himself right next to SID, in order to calmly ask to tag along. He does not actually have a good reason to do so, I don’t think. It makes more sense to get involved as Hei Pao Shi than as Shen Wei, especially if he wants to keep pretending that he is a normal human.
What Zhao Yunlan should so is keep the man he arrested the night before very far away from the case. What Zhao Yunlan does do is express vague concern for Shen Wei’s well-being, and then agree for him to join in, because, apparently, when Shen Wei is determined, there is no way to refuse him. Yunlan’s got it really really bad for this man, and it shows. He is rewarded with one of Shen Wei’s little secret smiles.
Okay, now, can we talk about how they are literally touching as they walk by each other?
I thought maybe this was a forced perspective thing, but no, they walk perfectly side by side, and so close their arms are rubbing together as they do so. It’s been a very long time since I have walked with anyone closely side by side (2021 feels), but I’m pretty certain you can’t achieve this accidentally.
They find the victim who is not the victim, and Shen Wei is jumped by the perpetrator who is not the victim’s boyfriend, getting scratched hard enough to draw blood. Unfortunately, by the time Zhao Yunlan shows up, his skin has already repaired itself, leaving Shen Wei to pretend like the blood, crusting over what clearly used to be scratches, is not his.
You’d think that while spending several decades pretending to be human you would learn to not accidentally heal yourself.
The perfect “what the hell are you?” face.
Instead of addressing it, Zhao Yunlan moves to shout his head off at Lin Yusen for getting involved, even though he was not the one who got attacked. I love the double standards at play. Shen Wei, in his mild, compassionate way, references the youth of his own name, reminding him to rely on other people for strength. I am sure this is a literary reference, incomprehensible to a foreign viewer; it sounds insightful and beautiful.
As with many things, Shen Wei will learn a wrong lesson from this in the end, hyper focusing on his name, rather than remembering that going at it alone can get you killed. Shen Wei’s special power is learning, apart from when he is learning the wrong thing.*
As the two men proceed to interrogate the woman, and Zhao Yunlan figures out that the victim is not the victim via the misogyny: he does not think that a young woman could fend off an attack, or that she would be comfortable strolling around the day after. He makes his conclusions in front of slender Shen Wei, who has been attacked by things and people seemingly stronger than him and shook them off with ease.
The thing is, Zhao Yunlan is not an idiot, he remembers that Shen Wei should have died on him at least twice, and is staring intently at where blood should definitely be soaking Shen Wei’s jumper. He is not really letting him off the hook for this. But he must see as plainly as we do that they work well together, and he makes a clear, deliberate decision to trust the man either way. He proceeds to discuss the case with Shen Wei, who also concludes that the victim is not the victim.
It’s lovely to see SID squad in action, staking out the perpetrators. Zhu Hong is set up as bait, with Da Qing and Chu Shuzhi having her back, and Lin Jing being their eye in the sky. There is a strange anti-yashou thing happening with the team however, which I find quite hard to understand. Lin Jing is giggling at her applying makeup, Da Qing saying that he is excited to see her pretending to be a lady. Come on now, guys, I know she is probably eating raw meet in her spare time, but she is also a beautiful, elegant young woman. I mean, look at her!
While the team is staking out the Undergrounder perpetrator, their boss is having a lovely evening stroll through the park with Shen Wei, talking about merits of intimate friendship. We can assume that they spent the rest of the day together.
“Does Wei in your name have a deeper meaning?”
“It does. Someone very important gave me that name.”
I assume Zhao Yunlan hears the same thing in this as every sane person would: “my parents gave this name to me when I was born”, as opposed to “the love of my life who looks like you, sounds like you, acts like you, and has a thing for candy, gave me this name ten thousand years ago”. So, Yunlan starts talking about his family, makes a comment that his mom would have loved Shen Wei. The conversation is quiet and honest. There is some flirting, naturally, but there is no digging and no games; just the two men getting to know each other.
Zhu Jiu ruins their stroll, and at the same time the face stealer and her boyfriend, Jia Hui, walk around the surveillance, capturing Zhu Hong. The team then does not call their Chief, presumably because they don’t want to disrupt his date.
Shen Wei’s solution to throwing Zhao Yunlan off his scent is pretending to be hurt once more: this time drawing blood by prickling his finger on one of Lin Yusen’s trap. While it will not work in the long run, Shen Wei breathes a sigh of relief at Yunlan’s overreaction, and agrees to go to A&E with him to get a tetanus shot, as if it’s a thing people do every time they have a minor cut.
We then meet Wang Xianyang pre-evil, and his pregnant wife pre-dead. Good times.
Guardian’s insistence on making Zhu Hong a damsel in distress is slightly grating. She should not need help to be rescued: she is not a human, and she shown to have a number of powers in this very episode. I almost wish her reliance one Zhao Yunlan could be read as an excuse to be close: I would prefer that to her being side-lined because she happens to be a woman.
If those recaps continue, I will start focusing more on fight sequences when they happen, because one of my jobs is in stage violence. This episode, we only get one fight, however, and it’s only four moves long. It’s more of a capture, really: Chu Shuzhi blocks a left hook and puts Jia Hui’s arm in a lock, then does the same thing on the other side. We are to understand that Jia Hui never stood a chance here. This lock would have looked better and more vicious if the elbow was more bent, putting the hand higher on the back. Also, continuity, what continuity?
Shen Wei, who probably teleported out of the A&E, goes back to patrol the streets against Zhu Jiu, still in civvies, because being caught once was not enough for him. After a brief stand-off, he fails to capture the baby goth villain, who taunts Shen Wei with his only visible weakness: Zhao Yunlan.
Being distracted thus, Hei Pao Shi does not arrive in time to save Lin Yunsen, who runs in to save the SID team from the face stealer about to take them all out. On top of that, Hei Pao Shi also informs Zhao Yunlan that he’s taking the young man’s body away with the perpetrators, citing the peace treaty violation on his part. Needless to say, Yunlan is actually incredibly angry and upset at this turn of events, even though he probably could have summoned Hei Pao Shi if he wanted to; and must know that the Envoy is just doing his literal job. As he is storming off, Shen Wei stares at his back with naked longing.
Zhao Yunlan does not know that Shen Wei took Lin Yunsen away to spare his feelings as the young man was forcefully turned into a mixed-energy bomb. This episode is when we discover that being mixing dark and light energies together leads to adverse effects for the carrier, resulting in a spectacular explosion. Shen Wei will use this knowledge in the future in ways I don’t care to remind myself of. That said, I do like is well-structured narratives, with a decent amount of foreshadowing, and elements are set-up in good time, so it’s satisfying - in an abstract, detached, sort of way - to see that that particular plot device is already present in the story.
At the end, we are treated to another sneak preview of the past: this time with the naming scene. Shen Wei vouches to keep his promise he once gave Kunlun to bravely march onwards, despite everything, and chooses to step aside. For now.
(By which I mean while he will temporarily stop inviting himself along to solve cases with Zhao Yunlan, he will still get an apartment across the hall from the other man to better stalk him.)
I would also like to note with a hint of sadness that the first onslaught of dubbing glitches happens this episode. I thought those would not start until later in the show.
Next up, Episode 5: The Butler Did Not Do It
*I don’t actually remember if his special power being learning is something explicitly stated in the show canon, or if I have just absorbed this through fandom osmosis.
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Rewatching Guardian - Episode 03 Part 2/3
Episode List || Part 1 | Part 3
SPOILERS for upto episode 40, SPOILERS for the novel.
What do you mean by “what happened that day”??? Isn’t it meant to be “what we did that day”, you scumbag? Istg ugh
See that blurry red blob behind the pole in the last screenshot? That’s Wang Yike again. *GOOSEBUMPS*
Scum 2 (I’m numbering them in the order of their deaths heh), Wang Ziqian, was so close to death tonight and he had no idea.
Yeah Chu Shuzhi’s there, but the most that’d happen from that would be Wang Yike getting caught red handed, scum 2 probably would’ve still died since Wang Yike’s power seems to kill almost immediately.
Chu Shuzhi’s actor, Jiang Mingyang, has a very beautiful face and black suits him really REALLY well- hweeeee
... What impeccable timing, Zhao Yunlan. O_O
Chu Shuzhi was about to run after scum 2, but in that exact moment Zhao Yunlan texts him telling him not to.
Zhao Yunlan doesn’t have any devices in his ears, and he’s not watching what’s happening through a spy device or something either because he’s in front of Shen Wei at the moment. He’s also no where near any windows so he really isn’t watching what had been happening.
The timing is way too freaking perfect.
Zhao probably did end up at Shen Wei’s office because of the cases, but no one can convince me that Zhao Yunlan didn’t also just want to take the opportunity to hang around the pretty (suspicious) professor.
Why Shen Wei is saying this is either because 1) he can’t do any of Hei Pao Shi work or Dixing related work with Zhao Yunlan right in front of him. Pretty sure Hei Pao Shi also has his own fair share of sitting behind his desk and investigating to do before he dons his cloak and mask to apprehend Dixingren.
And also because 2) he can’t do any proper university related work either because Zhao Yunlan’s very existence is probably the best worst distraction for him. Poor thing.
No, “studies of human beings” is more Zhao Yunlan’s forte. I also like to think it would’ve been Ye Zun’s forte too if that fucker hadn’t destroyed his mind.
Shen Wei is Not Okay™.
This is about Ye Zun again.
But it could also be about be about his disappointment and hurt after realizing that the man that had been his anchor to life doesn’t remember him or the promises that were made, and is suspicious of Shen Wei.
Shen Wei is not a benevolent god/spirit, nor is he a saint. Not even drama!Shen-Wei. Thinking of him like that would be discrediting him. It’s only natural for him to be upset at the universe or even Zhao Yunlan at this point.
No matter how logical a person Shen Wei is, or how much he loves Zhao Yunlan, his feelings won’t listen to logic and there will be a lot of hurt there. Even if he’s figured out there being a possibility of time travel, my point still stands.
Though I still think this is more about Ye Zun than anything else. I was just throwing my ideas out there with the last three points lol. xD
QAQ
Shen Wei nooooo Q’n’Q
As much of a forshadow as this is,I think this sentence was his way of coming to terms with the beat-down that was his entire life up until this point. He wouldn’t have known about what was to happen in the future after all.
Like, he convinced himself that it wasn’t possible for him to have had a better life, and he was destined to suffer tragedy after tragedy like he did.
I wonder what Zhao Yunlan is thinking at this point. They just met a few days ago! And Shen Wei just drops a deep bombshell like that.
Btw, how is Bai Yu this beautiful from any and all angles??
Da Qing noooo! xD
Aaaaand scum 2 is dead. Good going, Da Qing. n_n;;
Zhang Ruonan deserved none of this. No one deserves what happened to her.
Zhang Ruonan knew Wang Yike was hunting them down. Her telling him to run could be seen as a threat. But that’s not how I see it.
This, to me, looks like she’s warning him to run far away so he doesn’t get killed.
She sought out one of the people that instigated her rape to save his life. The scum didn’t listen, that’s not on her.
She definitely wasn’t doing this for Wang Ziqian’s sake, it was so that Wang Yike doesn’t dirty her hands any further. But even so, this is proof of her strength and kindness.
She didn’t deserve this.
Also how dare scum 2 and 3 have the nerve to approach her, let alone ask for forgiveness after what they’ve done? And only now that their lives are in danger, ugh.
They reaped what they sowed. Both with their grades and their deaths.
Sorry, this makes my blood boil. o_o;;
Oh my god--
Are you freaking kidding me rn-- Shut the fuck up.
The audacity-- my brain can’t actually comprehend this---
What, you think she has something to hide? You think she won’t say anything because she’d be ashamed? Ashamed of what? Being unfortunate enough to be your teacher?
Hell, and I thought them shamelessly asking for forgiveness to save their crusty lives was infuriating. Ugh.
(I had forgotten all about this bit.)
Zhao Yunlan, that does not give off the right impression here.
It looks like he’s threatening Shen Wei, but he really doesn’t need to because he would’ve given him the file anyway.
Also, this looks pretty flirty from Zhao Yunlan’s end. He’s somewhat interested in Shen Wei and he stumbled in front of him here in this instance.
(When I first watched it, I didn’t think of this at all but after reading the novel, I got a better idea of how gone Zhao Yunlan was for Shen Wei from the very beginning and the goofy things he did to impress Shen Wei, not really thinking quite straight (hah!) when it comes to Shen Wei.)
(And yeah, I still stand by my opinion that novel!Zhao-Yunlan is different from drama!Zhao-Yunlan but drama!ZYL is still based off of novel!ZYL. Same goes for Shen Wei. Besides, the difference between the drama version and novel version is less drastic when it comes to Zhao Yunlan.)
Shen Wei is not impressed. He’s just a little fed up at this point. ^-^;;
This scum is so disgusting-- I can’t.
“Then who will spare me?” - She. Did not. Deserve. Any of this.
“I don’t want to die” - Well, tough. She also didn’t wanna get raped but no one listened then.
(Continues in part 3)
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Rewatching Guardian - Episode 08 Part 1/2
Episode List || Episode 07 || Part 2
SPOILERS for upto episode 40, SPOILERS for the novel.
The first translation is by AvenueX. The second translation is from the episode on Youtube.
Just the title of this episode is giving me second-hand embarrassment. I give you no guarantee whatsoever that I won’t skip this bit.
I forgot all about this! This is so wholesome! Q~Q
Even Chu Shuzhi is clapping and smiling UGH my heart is mush
I genuinely have no clue how seriously I should be taking the SID barrier. It stopped Zhu Jiu, but it has no effect with Shen Wei or Ye Zun.
And also, does it only stop Dixingren? What about Yashou? What about humans? Cuz I’m pretty sure they don’t want a random person to come into the SID with the Hallows there, even if this person is a mere human with no powers or anything.
If the barrier only reacts to dark energy then it’s supposed to stop Yshou and Dixingren. In that case, what’s stopping Zhu Jiu from tricking a human in a vulnerable position into stealing the Hallows for him from the SID while everyone else is busy? The SID barrier really wouldn’t work as their primary security measure then.
About what Wang Zheng said, they’re taking into consideration that the human SID members might become something not human? Then that’s really weird cuz they’re still not meant to know anything about Ouyang’s research, and it’s just.. supernatural doesn’t translate well to sci-fi at all holy shit
This is just such a terrible idea xD
Xiao Guo will be too scared of this thing to learn to control it xD
Lin Jing is a genius gremlin lol
THIS MOFO REALLY WENT “I’m his Xiao-Zhao” OH MY GOD
Again, the OST I can’t find. This is so sweet and adorable in the sense that Zhao Yunlan’s acting lik a school boy that has a crush and this is precious.
But damn, watching this idiot dig his own grave is making me wanna skip the entire thing
Even watching the first time, I could sense the second-hand embarrassment coming from a mile away.
Just look at this idiot’s happy smile when he’s talking about how fun it is top work with Shen Wei TT~TT
The dumbass really did throw all that money away lmao
[I didn’t take any screenshots hhh]
NOPE I CAN’T DO THIS
I skipped through it. I’m not taking screenshots. NOPE.
Lemme tell you something. Each bit I comment on, I go over it 3 - 4 times.
Once just to watch it, second time to take screenshots and note down the timestamps (just in case I accidentally lose the screenshots), sometimes I need to go over a couple more times for this to get the right screenshots. And the third/fourth time, I write down my thoughts and feelings in order and any particular dialogue.
I am NOT going over this embarrassment 3 - 4 times! I can’t handle stuff like this!
I completely forgot that Ding Dun appears this early on.
Like, my earliest memory of him is from the episode where Zhao Yunlan visits Dixing. Then, it was like the show was expecting me to recognize Ding Dun as someone somewhat significant, except I don’t remember this scene at all, not his face anyway.
A lot happens between the two incidents.
Ding Dun is probably the child of the captain of the squad that Wu Tian’en was in that was dispatched to Haixing 20 years ago, the one mentioned in episode 5. I can’t think of something else that Shen Wei is investigating at the moment that the audience is meant to know about.
I’m not 100% sure but this bit with Hai Pao Shi asking “what’s wrong?” is significant in some way. I’m just not entirely sure if it’s significant in the way I think it is.
Zhu Jiu just standing there touching leaves on the side of the street.
This is simultaneously hilarious and very sad.
So, plants aren’t much of a thing on Dixing and neither is fresh air.
Also, from the way they interact, it’s like Ding Dun and Zhu Jiu are of similar importance to Ye Zun.
Not exactly important for this scene, and I’ll elaborate on it properly sometime later, but I’m starting to think Zhu Jiu’s whole wannabe-Ye-Zun act has more to it.
What if that’s a permanent side effect of long-term/chronic brainwashing?
Just a thought.
What even is this soundtrack, it’s so nice TT~TT I can’t find it (18:53 - 19:32 of the episode)
Also, like... Ding Dun’s dead, but he was clearly alive enough to steal and destroy the Dijun booklet and then stab Zhao Yunlan with scissors. Gotta actually remember this Ding Dun this time around for long enough to understand the explanation for this if we do get one. :/
So which is it? It might not be important here because we already know that Shen Wei won’t use his full powers on Haixing and endanger his identity. We know Zhu Jiu also knows. But still. That’s some difference.
The first translation is in the ‘English’ captios, the second in ‘English (United Kingdom)’
I won’t be trying to take screenshots of the fight sequences, as usual, but I loved them so much okay. One good thing about Zhu Jiu is he helps show off Shen Wei’s awesome close combat skills.
Also, it’s been two whole months since the Zhang Danni impersonator case??? What????
Cuz that was when Shen Wei hurt Zhu Jiu, and he just said he’s fully recovered now after two months. A timeskip and I had no idea there was one at all until now.
Ugh I somehow find the Yashou so confusing. Their neutrality, their normal lifespan, how integrated to human societies they really are, why they’re fine with being on Haixing for so long despite having dark energy, etc.
Yashou came with Dixingren, so Yashou should have dark energy too. And I think Zhao Yunlan’s anti-Dixingren gun works on Yashou too. But they’re all living on Haixing in background white energy. Does this not effect the Yashou? Or do they have a way to deal with it?
The use of the term “gods” is again a reference to the novel
Or not, but it feels like it.
Here, Shen Wei sounded so young and soft and just... My heart breaks for him.
Also, “loved one”. Very subtle. Bromance indeed.
I wonder if this particular flower tribe Yashou has any idea who Shen Wei is beyond Professor Shen the nice Dixingren.
It’s the way she’s talking to him that makes me think. She seems to be acting in an older sister manner. She’s also pretty casual and borderline rude with him. She hands him honesty free of fear or reverence. She worries for his safety, something no one did until Zhao Yunlan and until he started getting significantly weaker. At this point, he doesn’t really need to be worried for, if that makes sense. If she knew he was Hei Pao Shi, she’d know that he’s crazy strong.
And then there’s how Shen Wei’s talking to her. There is none of his commanding Hei Pao Shi attitude, or that cool detachment. He’s being just Shen Wei with her. He isn’t like with anyone who knows he’s Hei Pao Shi, except for Zhao Yunlan later of course.
And then there’s the fact that later when Zhu Hong’s fourth uncle meets Shen Wei, he knows immediately who Shen Wei is and treats him with the appropriate respect. But then the other members of the snake tribe has no idea. So the chiefs of the tribes know only.
Shen Wei has something akin to friends on Haixing Q~Q His Yashou friends Q~Q
(Continues in part 2)
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Hello! I’ve been seeing a lot of tweets on twitter regarding “Guardian” and was wondering if you could tell me whether that’s a novel or show? I’ve seen a show version I think, but I doubt it’s the same one everyone’s talking about. Thank you in advance, you’re always of great help!
Am I ashamed to admit these asks made me get out of bed so I can get to my laptop and answer this while feeling the keys as I cry over how much I love Zhenhun/Guardian and weilan??? nope
BASIC DETAILSZhenhun/Guardian (i will mostly refer to is as zhenhun) is one of Priest’s (a popular danmei writer) early works dating back 2012 - so it is, originally a novel. It got a live action adaptation last year summer of 2018.
DRAMA/LIVE-ACTIONDue to loads of censorship issues (got pulled out after ep 6 then back again then pulled out for a while when it ended then back again) especially since Zhenhun’s canon story revolves around gods, ghosts, REINCARNATION (pls tell me you felt my tears there), and the like then this was completely scraped off and made way to some mutant/alien thing. OKAY tbh I haven’t met anyone who went to the drama for the plot hahaha I’m gonna go ahead and say it - plot is sht (understandable w/ censorship concerns but still), ending is sht (so bad that priest had to write a mini fix it in her 4th extra about it), cgi is sht (this one was bc they originally had a very rich company sponsoring them hence the amazing OSTs aka pre-prod stuff but then the company went bankrupt whelp soooo), etc. WE ALL STAYED BECAUSE OF WEILAN. Zhu Yilong (played Shen Wei - left in blue suit) and Bai Yu (played Zhao Yunlan - right in uhh rugged clothing lol) had such amazing chemistry!!! They seriously couldn’t have found a better pair to have portrayed our main pair!!! Let me fangirl for a bit bc I love them sfm and I thank their ancestors for reproducing.
And sooo quick facts:
Zhu Yilong: a bit shy and gentle but was actually a delinquent student in the past and he’s super strong af like he does muay thai, boxing, and in short he can snap us in half despite his super duper beautiful face (his face was like made by god as a personal project while mine was passed down to an intern - that’s the hierarchy around here)
Bai Yu: rowdy af bb pls sit still for a moment but was actually a model student who did archery, calligraphy, etc in the past and lol he’s actually weak af don’t let the facial hair fool you hahaha he has delicate looking hands and fans have noted his thin af arms and very noticeable slim waist (bai yu w/o facial hair: literal babey // bai yu w/ facial hair: UNCLE)
Lemme just throw in some of my fav stuff of them:
shen wei at episode xx with an in-love look: this must be.....brotherhoodme, behind my screen: BINCH NO???????
lol that even their script (and da qing) cant handle them
ALSO the producers and staff AND both zhu yilong and bai yu read the novel and worked around the censorship issue really good like that part where zhao yunlan changes his hairstyle midway-ish of the show bc usually when a woman marries, they change their hairstyle so yeah tiny things like that
fans: ugh cant believe weilan cant get married in the dramaharper bazaar photoshoot: we got u fam
It has 40 episodes and ngl I ended up ff so many things starting ep 25 unless my dads were on screen. Oh, and you can watch it HERE. ANYWAY i have to shut up about them now so i can continue on to the most important part aka.....
THE NOVEL*breathes in* I binged the novel so fast it rivaled my MDZS reading hence this is how i know im as obsessed lmao It’s currently being translated HERE by rainbowse7en. THE NOVEL IS EXTREMELY SUPERIOR IN ALL ASPECTS IM GOING FERAL!!!!!!! The novel is waaay more intense and darker and tbh I’m still crying over the fact that Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu could have definitely done novel version had it not been for censorship issues bc they’re that good!
Okay, anyway, back to the novel so quick summary is that gods of the past existed, there’s hell and afterlife whom the Special Investigations Department (SID) deals with and the chief of that unit is Zhao Yunlan. There’s a lot of supernatural and fantasy elements here which is kind of a spoiler if I discuss so I’m letting that go. Anyhow, so any case that’s supernatural is given to SID and we open with a case in a university where *drum roll* Professor Shen Wei is teaching. And so our pair meets and we get intense emotions from Shen Wei who obviously has deep affections for Zhao Yunlan but won’t get close to him. Thing is, Zhao Yunlan is a shameless SHAMELESS VERY THIRSTY man (canonically bi lol) who’s out for this very beautiful Professor Shen.
One of the things about Priest is you get a challenging time who’s the top and who’s the bottom and I was speculating the entire time and yet only getting “;)” responses from my friends who’ve read it before me. Not gonna say much but when it got revealed who was who I LOST IT HAHAHAHA im still laughing about it tbh. THERE’S FOUND FAMILY FEELS FOR SID!!!!!! they’re so dysfunctional and are easily ordered around by Zhao Yunlan when he threatens to cut off their bonus. Every single SID member fantasizes on beating up their shameless boss and tbh I sympathize haha But heyyy, they also love and care for each other. AND YOOO DA QING IS A CAT!!!!!!! i love cats and esp with how he deals with his “useless master” aka our shameless chief is funny af i love their brotp the most!
A disclaimer on my end - as this is one of Priest’s older works, I feel like the explanation on what happened in the final showdown part is lacking. I talked about it briefly HERE regarding the angst of the novel and I still stand by what I said there. It was mostly funny for me when I read it bc Zhao Yunlan’s thirst is an entity of its own. And since a lot of you here already know, I’m a weaksht and cant handle angst so rest assured that anything I recommend has a happy ending~
BC IM SHAMELESS - i had my drama livethread HERE + novel livethread HERE + listen i love weilan sfm i gotta put small novel thoughts HERE
*****
If you’re a visual person like me, I suggest you watch the drama first or even select episodes (again, as I said I’m very bad at watching dramas bc i always fall asleep so at the latter half i ended up doing loads of ff esp since it’s barely useful in the novel). Here’s what’s non-negotiable - if you’ve watched the drama, you can’t not read the novel! It’s extremely waaay better! It fed me the reincarnation trope I thirsted for (im still shaking FIVE THOUSAND YEARS!!!!! and that shen san extra ahhhhhhh) and weilan’s characterization yoooo esp for Shen Wei whom we get to see is [redacted] and yet no matter what Zhao Yunlan would always [redacted]!!! istg this is the abriged version of my thoughts hahaha
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