Reading

Entry tags:

Fannish September

Work stress continued, so the fluff-binge-watching did, too.

TV new (finished)

I went through all 56 (!) episodes of Love Like The Galaxy, a costume drama starring Wu Lei and Zhao Lusi. I like them both, but the drama is so much not my cup of tea that I was ranting about it to my friends the whole time. If you want to subject yourself to it, it's on viki (and youtube). I really just finished it for Wu Lei's face, which I was able to enjoy even in period costume for a change. The drama itself is about a young noble lady with little education or grace but a knack for physics and construction who falls in love with a young general traumatized by his whole family getting killed and bent on revenge. The characters are all cardboard cutouts and/or comic relief, the conflicts are all people being mean to each other in increasingly devious and despicable ways, and the love story is larger than life and blown this way and that by the superficial plot only meant to evoke maximum emotion from the viewer without much regard for logic. For some reason, none of this kept me from watching it to the very end, all just to see Wu Lei smile. My priorities, I show you them. This left little room for anything else this month.

HPI ended! *sob* The last four episodes all aired in September, and I enjoyed them all, especially 5x07, which was a shipper's delight from start to finish. I also liked the last episode, and it leaves us with a nice ending to a wonderful show. 5 stars no comments.

TV new (ongoing)

Oh, I forgot about Dream Within a Dream! A transmigration parody that immediately endeared itself to me by parodying Love Like The Galaxy in its first episode. :D I posted the comparison here. I have by now seen three eps and find it pretty funny! It parodies all the tropes, which is the best thing you can do with tropes, anyway. :) It's on viki.

TV continued

Phineas and Ferb, season 5. Slowly going through this instead of more meaty things (see work stress), and enjoying it. It's really still just as good as it's always been, it makes me laugh a lot. I also very much enjoy how many *friendly* scenes between Doofenschmirtz and Perry there are. (Yes, I ship them, who doesn't?)

TV (dropped)

Shine. Maybe later. I made it to ep 5 and then couldn't be bothered to continue.

Future

Things I looked at (like 20 minutes each) but did not really pick up (yet) :

Remembrance of Things Past - a short cdrama with Zhou Yutong

My Youth - a kdrama starring Song Joong Ki who I really like and would enjoy seeing in a romance (I hope?)

Dongji Rescue - screeners in terrible quality, I will wait. (But what I saw so far was very good. Better than I expected.)

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Purrcy in autumn sun; Blogcomment: Chinese textile taxes

Purrcy was loving being petted while being as close to outside in the lovely fall sunshine and smells as he could get. Even though we're in NJ, we have *coyotes* as well as foxes, Great Horned Owls, & motor vehicles--it's much safer to be indoor-only, as well as better for the birds.

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby lies on his back in the sunlight on a window ledge in front of a screen, looking up lovingly at his human. His pupil is only a slit in his light green eye, his nose is very pink, his whiskers long, his paws are folded like a bunny's, his belly looks VERY soft. You can tell the window is low to the ground, blurry leaves, stones, and a few plants are visible outside it.

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby lies on his back in the sunlight on a window ledge in front of a screen, looking up lovingly at his human. His pupil is only a slit in his light green eye, his nose is very pink, his whiskers long, his paws are folded like a bunny's, his belly looks VERY soft. You can tell the window is low to the ground, blurry leaves, stones, and a few plants are visible outside it.

This week (well, last week) Bret Devereaux continued his series on "Life, Work, Death and the Peasant" with Part IVd: Spinning Plates, about women's traditional work: household textile production. Devereaux's expertise is on Rome, broadening to the Meditteranean and premodern European more generally. I commented:

Women's textile production was *even more important* in China than in western Eurasia, believe it or not. The saying "Men till, women weave" was the classic expression of the gendered division of labor for more than 2000 years. Since the time of the Han dynasty at least both men and women were subject to taxation. Depending on the dynasty, either the household had to provide both grain and textiles, or each adult male was assessed an amount of grain, each adult female, textiles.

The cash value of the grain & textile taxes tended to be roughly equal (see, e.g. Francesca Bray, Technology and Gender: Fabrics of Power in Late Imperial China, p. 186), but it's rare to see either primary sources or scholars admit it: the life-or-death significance of the grain tax, and the grain harvest, absolutely dominates everyone's thinking. But (as Bray shows) up until the Single-Whip Tax reform of the late 16thC (after which all taxes were rolled into one, to be payed in silver) women's textile production wasn't just a foundation of the home, it was a foundation of the *state*.

As is usual for premodern technology, most of the technical innovations Dr Devereaux mentions above were invented in China several centuries (at least) before they appeared further west. Originally, Chinese tax textiles were hemp in the north, silk in the south. Cotton became important starting around the time of the Yuan (Mongol) dynasty, and spread rapidly. I don't know enough about the workflow for hemp and cotton textile production to know how much of it went to spinning. The workflow for silk production is very different: silk is "reeled", because it comes off the cocoons as long threads, several of which need to be twisted together to make a workable floss.

I linked to my comment on Bluesky, and suggested that Chinese peasant households were probably more *efficient* at producing textiles than West Eurasian ones were, because they HAD to produce surplus to the household's needs: enough for the family, plus enough for taxes.

I also pointed out that although, unlike in the west, Chinese women's labor was a crucial & explicit part of the state's tax system, and the marriage system relied on bride prices, not dowries (which are supposed to be better, maybe?, for women's rights)--yet neither factor gave women rights, respect or control.

I also got to tell someone about how Iceland used to use cloth as currency.

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An epilogue of sorts

Congratulations!! (829 words) by VeetVoojagig
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Characters: Chu Shuzhi, Guo Changcheng, Lin Jing (Guardian), Zhu Hong (Guardian), Wang Zheng (Guardian), Special Investigation Division | SID Ensemble (Guardian)
Additional Tags: self indulgent nonsense, (the best kind), someone brought cake, Protective Chu Shuzhi, oblivious guo changcheng, someone lost the office pool and might have been a little salty
Series: Part 2 of Chu-ge is done with this bullshit
Summary:

He prowled over like a tiger on the hunt, lithe and deadly. Not that any particular skill was needed to see the cake set on the top of the desk.

Sooooo I had this idea and it wouldn't let me go...

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!event

One week till Guardian Wishlist reveals!!

A gifting fest for Guardian and related fandoms: guardian-wishlist.dreamwidth.org

guardian_wishlist reveals are on 6 October, no earlier than 7am UTC. That's just one week away!

Help make sure everyone gets a gift!

If you're working on something, the sooner you post, the better idea we'll have where things stand, but gifting will continue right up to reveals.

Go forth and make stuff!

If you're willing to help out, please spread the word! You can reblog our Tumblr post, or use the promo graphics, text, and link to our Carrd we've assembled for your convenience - including a new reminder graphic with text, or feel free to write/make your own. Help us get the word out!

The spreadsheet tracks gift numbers, and all wishlists are tagged for fandoms and media.

Wishlist comments are screened. Gifts must fit the requests, but prompts are optional. There are no minimums. Gifts must be unique to the recipient. Mods aren't reviewing gifts, so please check before you post that you haven't included any DNWs.

For posting guidelines, links to the AO3 collection, and more information about the fest, please check the Rules/FAQ post

A reminder: We've noticed there are a few gifts in the collection that don't have corresponding comments on their recipient's Wishlist yet, or are missing a recipient on AO3. Please can you double-check that you've 1) commented for all your gifts - just commenting with the AO3 URL is okay, if you don't want to say more - and 2) added the recipient's AO3 name in your work on AO3? Many thanks! <3

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2 sets of Purrcy; blogcomment record: the demographic transition in France

An empty jacuzzi is an ideal spot for wild! shenanigans! And it's also great for slowly sneaking toward mom, like the mighty predator you are.

A slightly blurry action shot of Purrcy the tuxedo tabby in the empty jacuzzi bathtub, twisting around after his tail

A slightly blurry action shot of Purrcy the tuxedo tabby in the empty jacuzzi bathtub, twisting around after his tail

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby has crept to the inside rim of the tub and is staring up with his big, light green eyes, very much like a stalking tiger. Beware!

Purrcy was very concerned, walking hunched and close to the floor, because there had been the distant sounds of a *very* large growling something out there in the sky earlier ... he REALLY hates the Thunder Growler, this is his Sad Face about it

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby is standing on a wood floor, looking up with his head cocked. His whiskers are rather droopy, his pupils wide, his expression deeply worried. He is very concerned that the Thunder Growler may show up again.

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby is standing on a wood floor, looking up with his head cocked. His whiskers are rather droopy, his pupils wide, his expression deeply worried. He is very concerned that the Thunder Growler may show up again.

My new icon is Clio, the Muse of History, from this painting by Dutch Golden Age artist Johannes Moreelse, because she doesn't look *at all* like a Greek goddess picking heroes, she's a young woman taking notes on your stupid-ass behavior.

Last week Bret Devereaux's Friday post was On the Use and Abuse of Malthus, and I commented:

The standard description of the demographic transition has a important counterexample. Birth rates in France started falling in the 18th century, before industrialization or a drop in infant mortality. Guillaume Blanc's 2023 paper, The Cultural Origins of the Demographic Transition in France, begins with a quote from Malthus, in fact. Blanc presents preliminary evidence that France's demographic transition was the result of secularization & anti-clericalism.

A reasonable level of birth control could be achieved using only materials found in the home (mutual masturbation, coitus interruptus--not to mention oral sex, sodomy, or the other thousand & one fun activities that are not PiV), once French people stopped worrying what God wanted them to do. The assumption that premodern people *had* to have as many offspring as possible is not supported by this evidence.

Faustine Perrin (2022) suggests that the Enlightenment/the Revolution/anticlericalism led to a rising level of felt equality for French women in marriages, so that they were better able to assert their desire to bear fewer children.

In the present day, this ties into the work of 2023 Nobel Prize winner Claudia Goldin, whose article on The Downside of Fertility I just read because she talked about Bujold's Vorkosigan series in an economics podcast. TLDR: Bearing & raising children is hard work, labor even, and women are reluctant to do it if they don't have help.

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Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 2, part 2

Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purple sky with stars. Text reads, "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid_guardian.dreamwidth.org"

Hi, welcome to this week's instalment of the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch! Watch half an episode a week, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here is last week's half-episode. On to the second half!

Episode 2, from 22:11

Summary: Zhao Yunlan puts some puzzle pieces together and confronts Li Qian, accusing her of killing her grandma. She doesn't deny it. Gao Tianyu intercepts Zhao Yunlan's car, drags Li Qian out of it and attacks her. Li Qian's grandma's spirit comes out of the Sundial to protect her (and to scold her for admitting to what she didn't do). The Envoy takes Gao Tianyu away. Zhao Yunlan and Professor Shen have a moment at Li Yufen's grave. At the SID, Zhao Yunlan summons the Envoy, and they talk about the Sundial. Chu Shuzhi meets up with the Envoy and draws some parallels between him and Zhao Yunlan. Meanwhile Zhu Jiu plans his next move.

Quote:

Li Qian: When someone you cherish is dying in front of your eyes, what would be the main thought in your mind?"
Shen Wei: "I'm willing to exchange my life for his."

(Yes, I know this is iconic and maybe doesn't need quoting again, but it gets me every time!)

Detail:

One of my favourite details that I only noticed during the last rewatch: Shen Wei interfering with Gao Tianyu's attack on Li Qian from inside the car! There's a moment when it cuts to Shen Wei very conspicuously and intently narrowing his eyes - and then suddenly there's a brief blue shield effect flash, Gao Tianyu's hold on Li Qian breaks, and he's thrown back.

Questions:

What's your favourite moment in this half-episode? How much are you feeling for Li Qian? Do you think Zhao Yunlan had sufficient reason to accuse her of murder? Any thoughts about how this compares to the novel? Which of the many things Li Qian says on the rooftop resonates the most with Shen Wei? What does Zhao Yunlan think about the Envoy at this time?

(These are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in!)

And here is our schedule - please do sign up to host a post if you can!

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15 icons of shows I watched over the Summer for monthlyinspo

This month's theme at

monthlyinspo was very easy: describe what you did this Summer! I've mixed things I watched with non-fannish things I did. Here goes:

Teasers:

( icons - more or less Wu Lei related )

I'm happy to receive all kind of comments, including concrit! All icons shareable. Credit for brushes and textures I use can be found here in my resource post.

Previous icon posts:

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Poll: The Sundial and the Box (drama)

Changcheng nervously holding the mysterious box.

The Longevity Dial's computer schematics.

Zhao Yunlan pointing at Shen Wei, but laughing off to the side.

Poll #33654 Episodes 1 & 2

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 13

View Respondents

What is the deal with the little metal box in Li Qian's grandmother's couch cushions?

View Answers

the Shadow Man was hiding in it??
4 (30.8%)

it's a portal to Dixing
0 (0.0%)

the Shadow Man just happened to be lurking at Li Qian's house, looking for the Sundial, and sprang out the moment Changcheng opened the box
0 (0.0%)

Li Yufen used to keep the Sundial in the box, and it still smells of Hallow
8 (61.5%)

the Shadow Man recognised it as Hallow-adjacent, and that's why he pounced
5 (38.5%)

it smells of weed, and that's why the Shadow Man pounced
1 (7.7%)

it's an ancient artefact made of leftover meteorite
2 (15.4%)

it's just an ordinary cute little box, and the Shadow Man collects them
1 (7.7%)

other
0 (0.0%)

Where did Li Qian’s grandmother get the Longevity Dial?

View Answers

she had an affair with a Yashouren who took her to the Yashou Market, where she picked it up at a charms & jewelry stall (she has an interesting past)
3 (23.1%)

she had an affair with a Dixingren who gave it to her as a token of their star-crossed love (she has a tragic past)
1 (7.7%)

she found it while burying a body in her garden (she has a dark past)
1 (7.7%)

she found it while hiking in the mountains, near where the Mountain-River Awl was found (she has an outdoorsy past)
7 (53.8%)

other
4 (30.8%)

When the SID sees Li Qian wearing the Longevity Dial, Lin Jing brings up a 3D model of the Dial on his computer. Where did the computer model come from?

View Answers

free with Windows 10
1 (7.7%)

bundled with a particular flavour of Linux
4 (30.8%)

the Hallows don't want to be forgotten, so they send periodic reminders across space and time – like Netflix!
5 (38.5%)

a mysterious source (Shen Wei) provided detailed schematics on paper, and Lin Jing digitised them
6 (46.2%)

a mysterious source (Zhang Shi) created the computer models from memory
5 (38.5%)

other
0 (0.0%)

How do you solve a problem like Zhao Yunlan?

View Answers

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
4 (33.3%)

How do you keep a wave upon the sand?
4 (33.3%)

How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?
6 (50.0%)

other
5 (41.7%)

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!event

Two weeks till Guardian Wishlist reveals

Just a reminder that

guardian_wishlist reveals are in two weeks, on 6 October (Reunion Festival).

If you've been meaning to take a look at the requests and make a little something or two, all wishlists are tagged for fandoms and media and open for receiving gifts. (Previous years' tags are labelled with their respective years, so check the plain fandom and media tags at the bottom for this year's wishlists.) Wishlist comments are screened.

Gifts must fit the requests and not include any DNWs. Prompts are optional. There are no minimums. Gifts must be unique to the recipient.

For posting guidelines, links to the Wishlist Spreadsheet and AO3 collection, and more information about the fest, please check the Rules/FAQ post.

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My latest Guardian fanworks

Likely the last set of works before

guardian_wishlist gifts are revealed. :) ~~But who knows.~~

All fics, 1x drama Weilan, 2x novel Weilan, 1x Zhubai. :)

Peaches and Hope (1989 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Accidental Engagement, and intentional engagement too, Misunderstandings, Dixing Culture & Customs (Guardian), Lollipops, Kissing, Getting Together
Summary: "The sweet treat you gave me... What was it made of?"

Asking this simple question makes Shen Wei's heart race in a way that only the fiercest battles have ever managed to do before.

Not the Plan (1937 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian - priest
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan, Original Yao Characters
Additional Tags: Married Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Fluff and Smut, rated purely for smut, there's zero violence and no Crows get harmed, Porn with Feelings, Blow Jobs, Some Humor, Post-Canon
Summary: A couple of Crows with a nefarious plan are unlucky enough to interrupt the Soul-Executing Emissary's honeymoon.

At Last (970 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian - priest
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, Drunk Sex, (but the consent is not particularly dubious because it's Weilan), Drunk Shen Wei (Guardian), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Time, Grinding, Hand Jobs, Coming In Pants, Coming early, Rough Sex Turned Tender
Summary: Drunk Shen Wei finds a different way to slow things down, without throwing his entire self out of his body.

Love, Spilling Over (1672 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong
Additional Tags: Tenderness, Established Relationship, set during the promo tour, Crying, Light Angst, Hopeful Ending, Soft, Guardian Bingo
Series: Part 12 of Guardian Bingo 2025
Summary: "Tell me about that life," he murmurs against Bai Yu's skin. "Not what we can or can't have. The life you want."

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Three recent Guardian flashfics: one gen, two Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan

Title: Feathers and Stars (747 words) [General Audiences]
Relationships: Ya Qing & Original Dixingren Character
Additional Tags: Backstory, Playing with narrative voice, Bedtime Stories, inconclusive ending, Twinkle Challenge
Summary:

Dear one, settle down, and I’ll tell you a story.

And two for my Breakage and Repair 'verse (CSZ/SW/ZYL) which is Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives (mostly), Canon Divergence:

Title: Best Friends Forever (1523 words) [Teen and Up]
Relationships: Unrequited Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Additional Tags: Background Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei is dead for three years, So is Da Qing, (Then they come back), Grieving, POV Outsider, Unrequited Crush, Friendship, Bittersweet Ending
Summary:

Now Hei Pao Shi is gone, of course none of them can stay the same.

Title: Experiments in Dynamic Translation (9003 words) [Explicit]
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Chu Shuzhi/Hei Pao Shi
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Relationships with complicated history, Being closeted in some spheres, Domestic, Unplanned/Impromptu Kink, Identity Porn (literal), Dom/sub, soft D/s, Dom!Shen Wei, Envoy!Shen Wei, Sub!Chu Shuzhi, (Zhao Yunlan enjoys the show), Fealty, Orgasm denial/delay, Dark-Energy Sex Toys, Low-key impromptu bondage, Dixing-Powers Powered Sex, Anal Sex, Voyeurism, Frottage, Long Hair
Summary:

It’s been just over ten weeks since his and Da Qing’s return to the land of the living, and in that time, Shen Wei has not yet had occasion to don his robes of office in front of Shuzhi—or indeed, to conduct any Envoy business at all in his presence. He’s visited the SID once or twice on official matters, but only in Haixing clothes, and he’s been sure to keep his manner light and casual in the public areas. Formal liaising is for the privacy of Zhao Yunlan’s office.

Now, faced with the prospect of a Dixing state dinner, Shen Wei discovers he’s slipped into—not so much keeping secrets, as compartmentalising. Again.

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Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 2, part 1

Zhao Yunlan sprawled on a couch, grinning at his phone. The background shows a purply sky with stars. Text reads "Slo-Mo Rewatch. Guardian - half an episode per week @ sid-guardian.dreamwidth.org."

Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.

Episode 2, up to 22:11

Summary
Shen Wei heals his shoulder while the fish in his aquarium look on. Zhu Jiu plays chess and schemes to get the Sundial. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei save Li Qian from falling off the building, then she faints. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan take her to the hospital and discuss, among other things, Shen Wei's marital status. They make a lunch date. Lin Jing, Wang Zheng and Zhu Hong watch footage of the Envoy's appearance, until Chu Shuzhi makes them delete it. Guo Changcheng and cat!Da Qing stake out the hospital to protect Li Qian. Shen Wei shows up with food. Watching from the SID, Zhu Hong identifies Li Qian's necklace as the Longevity Dial, and Zhao Yunlan concludes Li Qian killed her grandmother. Changcheng tackles the hospital attacker, is knocked out, and then Shen Wei plain-clothes Envoys the attacker out of the ward just as Zhao Yunlan arrives. The hospital attacker and Chu Shuzhi fight in the street, and the attacker escapes.

Li Qian tearfully eating tofu skins.

Quote
ZYL: I'll treat you to lunch once this case is solved.
SW: No need... When that happens, it should be my treat.

Detail
I think this is the first time I've noticed that when Zhao Yunlan catches Xiao-Guo at the hospital, he repeats his "I've got your back" from earlier. Zhao Yunlan seems quite shaken, to me, realising he sent Xiao-Guo into genuine danger.

Questions
Do you have a favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 2? What is Shen Wei thinking when he sees Zhao Yunlan's graze? On a scale of 1 to 10, how sorry do you feel for Li Qian? How much bandage does a person need for a grazed arm? What do you think of Zhao Yunlan's management style? Were you surprised by the passing of time in this half-episode (at the hospital, we learn Li Yufen died two days earlier; at the SID, Zhao Yunlan says Xiao-Guo has been there for a week)? When Zhu Hong warns Zhao Yunlan about Shen Wei, do you think that's genuine suspicion or can she already tell which way the wind is blowing? Do you think Xiao-Guo manages to be successfully supportive at Li Qian's bedside? What's your impression of the hospital attacker, Gao Tianyu? Do you find him sympathetic? On a scale of 1 to 10, how hot is plain-clothes Envoy!Shen Wei?

If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares? The novel!SID team versus the drama!SID team? Anything else?

(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)

And here is our schedule, where you can sign up to host a post!

Entry tags:

Purrcy; grumbles; Murderbot

I have a set of baskets made to hold paper bags to collect paper for recycling. They're also a VERY useful for collecting cats!

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby looks up at the camera from inside a paper bag inside a basket. His eyes are wide, his whiskers spread.

Purrcy the tuxedo tabby looks up at the camera from inside a paper bag inside a basket. His eyes are wide, his whiskers spread.

One of our very best friends from college lives close to us. Or rather, we all still (or again) live close to college--I say that "like the salmon, we came back to spawn." She's had breast cancer, was in remission, now it's back ... metastasized. Kind of a lot. I've been to see her, she looks pretty good so far, we had a good time talking about my kids' life changes and about books. But I have a crushing pain in my chest, y'know? And I woke up this morning with my shoulders aching, and I've been *gnawing* on my night guard in my sleep ...

Meanwhile over on Bluesky there's an ongoing multiday ... thing ... because we're asking people to register for the #NoKings protest on Oct.18th, and a BUNCH of high-profile accounts don't understand why & are going on about OPSEC ... and I *do* understand why, I can explain, but it would take so much energy ...

One of the good things in my life is that

sholio has been posting Murderbot recs! I will double her rec (if you can stand WIPs) for Robbing the Hood by

Rilleshka, a canon-divergence Space Pirate!AU where Murderbot teams up with a *different*, non-verbal bot pilot before it ever meets PresAux, and things spiral from there. It gets particular praise from me because

Rilleshka addresses with the *big* implausibility in canon (shut up), which is that human neural tissue is actually incredibly fussy, & keeping it functional must involve, at minimum, *nutrition*.

So, where can I get some Murderbot icons?

Entry tags:

My first Guardian fanfic!

His Hands (2537 words) by VeetVoojagig
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
Characters: Guo Changcheng, Chu Shuzhi, Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Pining, Yearning, Lots of both, chu shuzhi has had enough of it, Hand Jobs, Semi-Public Sex
Summary:

He sighed softly, chin in his hand, as he watched Chu-ge drag a pen across a page from across the room. As steady in this mundane task as in fighting or manipulating his strings. What if Chu-ge was to set down that pen now, and walk across the office to Changcheng? What if that broad palm cupped his cheek, thumb brushing across his bottom lip? What if the other hand came to rest on his head, fingers threading into his hair? If the hands together tipped his face up to look into his eyes? Gazing down at him with the same want as his own?

Entry tags:

Fic

I'm attempting to make this post on my phone, because I want to share the fic right now, but posting from phone isn't quite so easy it turns out. But very importantly I just finished posting my college AU fic (it's still set in drama canon universe though), and I'm really rather happy about it!

A World of Its Own (38986 words) by tinypinkmouse
Chapters: 11/11
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei (Guardian), Wu Xiaojun
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, things diverge before canon starts, there are universities for dixingren, and everyone knows about dixing, Getting Together, Blow Jobs, Slice of Life, Worldbuilding, Drunkenness
Summary:

It's a stupid idea, but applying to a Dixingren university means Zhao Yunlan can say goodbye to any plans Zhao Xinci had for his future. And that has to be worth it, right? He really doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps.

Entry tags:

!event

Guardian Wishlist sign-ups are closed! All wishlists are live!

guardian_wishlist sign-ups are now closed! We have 21 wishlists covering a variety of Guardian canons and related fandoms and a wide range of media. Go forth and make gifts!!! :D :D :D

Wishlists are tagged for fandoms and media (previous years' tags are labelled with their respective years, so check the plain fandom and media tags at the bottom for this year's), and there's also a spreadsheet for your convenience.

Anyone can write or make gifts for any sign-up, right up to reveals on 6 October (Reunion Festival). All gifts must be hidden from public view until reveals. Post or link gifts in comments on the recipient's wishlist. (Comments are screened.) Gift comments can be anonymous or signed in. You don't need a Dreamwidth or AO3 account to gift.

Rules/FAQ/schedule | AO3 collection | Fandom and media tags | Spreadsheet | Promo text and graphics

Entry tags:

9 + 3 icons for retro_icontest

The current round at

retro_icontest provided three themes and I made three icons for each theme.

Enjoy!

( Dongji, Nothing But You, and Shine )

Every single comment is treasured. All icons shareable! Concrit welcome. Check out my resource post for makers of textures and brushes I use.

Previous icon posts:

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My latest Guardian fanworks

2 drama fics, 1 novel fic, 1 RPF drawing. (The last one has already been linked elsewhere in the comm, but I'm still putting it here for completion's sake. :))

Held (463 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Hands, Memories, Wedding, Domestic Fluff, Tenderness, Canon Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, Mild Sexual Content, POV Zhao Yunlan, Guardian Bingo
Series: Part 11 of Guardian Bingo 2025
Summary: He takes Shen Wei's hand in his, slow and solemn, and thinks of the handshake from what feels like a lifetime ago — all the longing and confusion and desperate hope in the firm grip, back when Zhao Yunlan didn't understand anything.

Taking What's (Not) Mine (1568 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Shen Wei/Ye Zun/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Ye Zun (Guardian), Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Threesome - M/M/M, Twincest, Dubiously consensual voyeurism, Mildly Dubious Consent, (as in: everyone consents but Ye Zun wouldn't exactly care if Zhao Yunlan didn't), POV Ye Zun (Guardian), Clothed Sex, Grinding, Coming In Pants, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Finger Sucking, Biting, Come Eating, Possessive Sex, Possessive Ye Zun, hand-wavy post-canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies
Summary: Ye Zun is welcome here, in Gege's bed, in Gege's home, no matter how Zhao Yunlan feels about it.

Show Me (1879 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian - priest
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen San/Shen Wei (Guardian)
Characters: Shen San (Guardian), Shen Wei (Guardian)
Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Oral Sex, Laughter During Sex, a bit of praise kink, Soft
Summary: "I want to show you," Wei says, breath warm against his skin, and Shen San makes a soft, strangled sound and nods wordlessly, the fire he has tried to keep in check all day rising and blooming in his belly.

Good Fortune by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong
Additional Tags: cheek kiss, Holding Hands, Fluff, Guardian Bingo, Fanart, Drawing
Series: Part 10 of Zhubai ~canon~ but with more kissing, Part 10 of Guardian Bingo 2025
Summary: The new crush is mutual.