#zhao yunlan is here but not really

[avaantares]

I decided the ficlet I'd hastily churned out for @guardianbingo prompt Frustration was going to take too long to polish before posting, so for the fill I thought I'd focus on the scene that inspired it instead.

During his early (re)acquaintance with Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei vacillates between three different states in his presence:

Everything's fine, I'm just a harmless professor, nothing to see here, why are you in my office again?

You are the most obnoxious creature ever to draw breath and I would strangle you if it wouldn't blow my cover

Why can't you be Kunlun, like you're supposed to be?

This scene in episode 3 passes through all three, but especially the last one. At some point, Shen Wei must have grieved over the promised reunion that didn't play out the way he'd expected, and the frustration and pain of having to repeatedly face a Kunlun who doesn't know him (and who can be supremely irritating when he's in deflection-detection mode) finally pushes him from his innocent professor routine into an almost accusatory observation of the human condition. It's a rare break in character for him at this point, and while Zhao Yunlan notices, he doesn't quite know what to make of the statement or the hard look he gets from the usually polite-but-reserved Professor Shen.

[ms-three]

Sketch.

Kunlun.

[yilian0203]

A weapon that has long borne his name

Duty that lies heavily on his shoulders

Searching in the night with his lonely heart

Carrying a soul that yearns for someone

A person who is able to set him free.

[fixaidea]

So here's the thing: I don't usually engage with or care about top/bottom discourse EXCEPT when I think it's funny, sooo...

Let's do some Science and examine Pingxie in a Very Serious Manner.

To do this, first let's take a look at some data gathered from all the danmei novels and shows I know (relevant for calibration you know, since they have actual canon top/bottom dynamics.)

SVSSS

Shen Qingqiu - Since his cause of death wasn't starvation we can assume - well, at least hope - that he can make instant noodles, if nothing else, but he will absolutely avoid having to cook if he can help it.

Luo Binghe - As the Protagonist he of course has to be The Bestest at everything (...except sex, apparently) and it's mentioned that both Bingge and Bingmei use their culinary skills to woo the people they want to sleep with. He's also the top, even though everyone involved would be better off if he wasn't.

MDZS

Lan Wangji - Becomes a pretty decent cook, as per the extras. Prefers to top.

Wei Wuxian - It's not like he's incompetent, he doesn't burn or undercook the food, it's just that his taste is so extreme that his dishes are basically inedible to anyone else.

TGCF

Hua Cheng - No special talent for cooking, but at least he's not actively dangerous. There's no on-page sex scene in the novel, but it's made obvious that he tops.

Xie Lian - Biohazard. Weapons-grade culinary anti-talent. Gastronomy's answer to Vogon poetry.

Golden Stage

Ulike in most of the other novels on the list, food doesn't really have much symbolic meaning and not much is said about either Fu Shen's or Yan Xiaohan's cooking skills, exept for a brief mention of Fu Shen pickling eggs to pass the time. This is a rare couple that canonically switches.

Guardian

Zhao Yunlan - This man considers instant noodles cooked with coffee an okay way to surprise a boyfriend. He really wouldn't mind topping, which he keeps lamenting throughout the book, but he's paired with Shen Wei who might just have the strongest set preference out of everyone on this list.

Shen Wei - Likes to dote on Zhao Yunlan by cooking for him and is genuinely very good at it.

Word of Honor (mind, I have only watched the show here)

Zhou Zishou - Can keep himself alive, but left to his own devices would probably make due with charred-and-yet-undercooked fish or something.

Wen Kexing - A competent cook. While obviously not detailed in the drama I looked it up (or asked someone, I can't remember) and he's the top here.

Erha

Chu Wanning - Perfected exactly one (1) dish, is rather... unfortunate otherwise. You could not pay this man to top.

Mo Ran - Excellent cook. Actually worked in a kitchen at one point in his life, giving and receiving food is basically his main love-language.

Now that we have examined these canon couples and have drawn all the relevant conclusions, let's apply what we learned to our non-danmei, might-as-well-be-canon-but-isn't ship.

Wu Xie - Can cook just fine both in the novel and the drama-verse even if it doesn't come up too often. In the first season he cooks up a pretty decent feast for his friends and in the Yucun books he helps come up with the dishes they would serve in their restaurant.

Zhang Qiling - The entire Thing of this poor sod as a character is that he knows how to survive but not how to live. Taking the time to prepare nice meals or cook anything beyond basic sustenance just... doesn't fit that picture.

So.

I rest my case.

[the-marron]

Confession: I like the ending of Guardian drama.

And yes, whoever just thought "because you like angst, you sick cryptid, you" - yes, yes, guilty as charged.

But there is more to it than just "my favourites die and I like that for some reason", and I would like to share my other reasons.

Now, those of you who don't like it because of the emotional impact it caused them - I hear you and I won't attempt to change your minds, it is upsetting when people who deserve everything don't get it, especially if it's because they are not the "correct romance". So this is not me trying to convince anyone that this ending is *happy*, far from it. Or that you should like it, you do you.

I just want to tell you what I see in it. Spoilers under the cut.

Sorry, no pictures because I will try to be concise.

See, Priest is a fascinating author who not only weaves amazing stories with endearing, complicated characters, but who also aims her pen at different injustices and flaws of the reality she observes. Whoever read Mo Du, or Guardian, probably noticed that she points out different social issues that she finds concerning or worth talking about. Some of them even made it into the drama, and got elaborated on.

An incomplete list:

- illegal immigration problem (Dixing/Haixing tensions)

- nepotism (ZYL, GCC)

- children left with elders not equipped to care for them (Li Qian)

- healthcare that depends on money and connections ( the Zu Ma arc, the entire Merit Brush arc)

Just to name a few.

Now, one of the things that is shown to be a big problem from the very beginning is the Xingdu Ministry - they want ZYL to stop causing trouble, to keep the existence of Dixing hidden, they conduct their own shady experiments on Dixingren and Haixingren too.

Now, when Ye Zun starts appearing in Haixing and the team already knows that his goal is to incite the Dixingren to attack, ZYL goes to the Minister and tells him that he wants to warn the people, to prepare them for what's coming and to try to dissipate the tensions before YZ comes.

The Ministry declines.

They try to cover it up, even when the Minister gets kidnapped, even when Zhao Xinci was kidnapped, the Ministry's policy is: deny, deny, deny. "Let's wait it out, let's not cause panic, let's not make any hasty movements"

Then Ya Qing uploads the files and reveals everything about the SID to the world and... Xingdu Ministry allows the hunt for everyone in the SID.

And then, the finale happens, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei give their lives to save the two worlds and...

Nothing changes.

Dixing and Haixing are separated, and yes Dixing gets light again, the clock starts, but these two worlds did not learn to co-exist, no.

The Ministry didn't change their tune any - they cover up the cost of victory. Shen Wei is no longer a concern anyone speaks about for long, and there is a stranger walking in Zhao Yunlan's body, assuring people a year later that everything is fine, that the crisis will not be repeated, that the heroes of the day, the SID, are still here.

That's the tragedy of the ending and also the part that points an accusing finger at the people in power. The real heroes are swept under the rug, the word 'sacrifice' is not uttered in the open, it's a 'victory'. Sounds familiar, if you look at history.

Lin Jing and Da Qing come to Yunlan's flat because this is the only place where they can still mourn, where they can say out loud "these people are no longer here and we miss them."

But the official narration is different.

According to the official version of events, there is no professor Shen and Zhao Yunlan is alive, the hero is still here.

Except he isn't. The drama ends up in a lie, Dixing changed but Haixing didn't. Officially there is no one to mourn.

I am aware that I am approaching it through the lenses of someone who watches propaganda pieces and analyses them for fun, but I find this ending really interesting, because it is a real tragedy consciously wrapped into a pretty present - "look, nothing happened! No one died, life goes on", but the inclusion of Zhang Shi walking around in ZYL's body with a heartbreak on his face is here for a reason, I believe.

This is a propaganda in the making, happening before our very eyes.

And I think it's a very Priest thing to do, to draw our attention to how horrible it is. Because we, the viewers, know the real costs - Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan, Sha Ya, Wang Zheng - we know these characters, we spent 40 episodes getting to know them and care about them. How dare you say they are acceptable numbers. How dare you say there were no sacrifices?

And yet that's what the Xingdu Ministry wants you to accept.

And yeah, we, the viewers should absolutely be angry about that.

[dual-domination]

I was here thinking that a guy like Zhao Yunlan, who has a talisman for everything, knows how to use a gun, dagger, whip, lighter, pocketknife, paper, evokes black magic with a piece of gum and a paper clip, can get out of any situation no matter how bizarre, absurd and dangerous it is, is really the MacGyver of Danmei.

(Get into account that the only MacGyver I know is the 1985 one. A true legend)

[mcrcki]

back at it again with a massive combination plotting / starter call !!! very excited to throw characters into this fantasy medieval nightmare time we created. i just love this vibe so much and i can't wait to see how everyone interprets things and makes their own spin on things -- anyways before i keep rambling , quick housekeeping for my call + threads ; please like for plotting, and reply for starters. each character will be capped at FOUR THREADS, and THREE PER WRITER. i may adjust this depending on out of fandom requests and plotted starters. if you do not plot with me and just request, i'll dm you just for quick ideas. you gotta specify who you want starters from or i'm deadass ignoring you xoxo. ** please know that i am taking this opportunity to clear out a ton of threads throughout the week. so i'll be dropping things as time goes on and then when the event starts, i'll be dropping anything left over and starting fresh for post event! (lowkey going on my honeymoon right when this ends so i wont be around for post event stuff until after anyways, hence the big cleanout) but because i ramble, we're gonna stfu now and finally get to character plots !!

alani desilijic tiure | star wars - 0 / 4

she/they pronouns - alani believes dc has always been in this time period since she arrived here, and they work for their father still as a mercenary and helping to slowly infiltrate into higher society. higher risk, higher reward! ➳ potential plots ; clients, nobles she tricks, people she can employ

charlie morningstar | hazbin hotel - 3 / 4

she/her pronouns - charlie also believes dc has always been like this since she got into the city from hell, and has fallen in line as whatever role the city deemed her to fill, which was a visiting princess from a neighboring kingdom. she's brought her court with her, as she's traveled here with her father. ➳ potential plots ; members of her court, friends within the castle, people she can help, someone to take her out into the world

starters : angel dust ( sunny ) , sir pentious ( britt ) , vaggie ( risa )

daniela dimitrescu | resident evil : village - 2 / 4

they/she pronouns - a harlot, deadass. she knows dc hasn't always been like this, and they think it's weird as hell, but they aren't going to question it too much. they're kinda having fun being a harlot and luring manthings to their death because ya know, a girl's gotta eat. ➳ potential plots ; people she can lure to eat, people they can menace, if you wanna be a harlot they can help ig

starters : evelyn serpeni ( anna ) , heidi volturi ( swan )

danika fendyr | crescent city - 3 / 4

she/they pronouns - knows dc is different, girl had a fucking gun like three hours ago and was on the phone texting bryce stupid ass memes, and now?? what?? the plague is an actual real problem and not just a joke they can say when they're too hung over? has found some work taking up bounties/monster hunting to keep supernaturals in line while they sort this out ➳ potential plots ; other people who know this isn't right, supernaturals she can track down, people with bounties, a drinking buddy

starters : jennifer check ( anna ) , zhao yunlan ( ollie ), baxian argos ( kasey )

elain archeron-vanserra | a court of thorns and roses - 1 / 4

she/her pronouns - elain is aware that something changed washington, but honestly, she's not really complaining. this is at least slightly closer to her normal life than modern dc was and she's alright with that. she's the sister of a noble lady, so she has just fallen into that world alongside her family. happy to still be doing her gardening and baking her spare time, but is definitely trying to help in some political capacity where she can. ➳ potential plots ; other nobles, friends within the court, anyone who knows anything about being a seer (pls girl is struggling with that)

starters ; satine kryze ( alex ),

juliette monrose benoit | the vampire diaries - 0 / 4

she/her pronouns - juliette has no idea washington has ever been different, when she arrived here nearly a year ago, it's always been this time period.. hasn't it? she's an innkeeper, and is just happy to offer a helping hand if anyone needs it. ➳ potential plots ; patrons of the inn, maybe a tax collector she owes money to, someone to help her with her son during the day

kaya dura | star wars - 1 / 4

they/she pronouns - a knight. did we expect any fucking less? girl got dropped here from space and immediately traded lightsabers for swords. they have no idea that dc has been modern before, and is just assuming this is how it's always been. they're happy though, they have no problem just falling in line with the castle guards and protecting people ➳ potential plots ; other members of the guard, a noble they're assigned to protect, some protestor/criminal they can arrest, people they have arrested

starters : kaul hilo ( ollie )

leia organa | star wars - 2 / 4

she/her pronouns - queen organa at your service. keeping life simple and having the presidency just shift to the royal family. leia does not things are different, she very much remembers modern dc, and would like to know how the magic there was able to accomplish this. but she grew up as royalty, this isn't a hard position for her to fill. if anything, it feels more natural than president. ➳ potential plots ; members of the court, other advisors, anyone else who knows something is wrong, citizens she can help, a failed assassination attempt (i don't want her dying i just like drama)

starters ; sheev/ahsoka ( kasey ) , xenia solo ( dee )

marley bishop | the vampire diaries - 2 / 4

she/they pronouns - local bog witch coming at you. marley is very much aware that things are not right, and thinks it's total bullshit. she just got used to modern dc and cellphones and now you're throwing her into fucking medieval times? she is taunting people to try and burn her at the stake because it's funny and this has to be some fucked up trip, right? ➳ potential plots ; others who think this is a fucked up trip or something, someone they actually convince they're some evil witch, someone who tries to get them to help them with magic, general menaces to society

starters ; dani bishop ( risa ) , mason bishop ( moon )

morrigan | a court of thorns and roses - 0 / 4

she/her pronouns - mor is completely unaware, both of her life back home in prythian, and of modern dc. she believes she's always lived here, a visiting lady of another nobles court, living within the castles court for years, rising in status with her ability to determine who is telling the truth and who is lying about their rumors and other gossip surrounding the court. ➳ potential plots ; people she's exposed, friends within the court, friends outside of royalty, someone to help her get her memories of home back, someone who hires her to spy for information

omega | star wars : the bad batch - 3 / 4

she/they pronouns - omega is also completely unaware of their life before dc, and they believe they've always been in this version of washington. they were an orphan here, until they were taken in by feyre, and has lived as a noble since. though, they still cling to some of those past tendencies, sneaking out and committing petty thievery, while occasionally taking on bounties under a different name ➳ potential plots ; their personal guard they escape from, someone who catches them stealing, bounties they've collected, friends within noble society that know about their other "hobbies"

starters : toph beifong ( sunny ), jorah mormont ( alex ) , mouse honrada ( moon )

rosemary winters | resident evil : village - 1 / 4

she/they pronouns - another one !! completely unaware !! rose still doesn't have their actual real life memories, and they also believe dc has always been like this. they're currently studying as an apprentice to an alchemist. has debated becoming a plague doctor but they don't think the outfits look comfortable enough ➳ potential plots ; the alchemist they're the apprentice of, someone to help them get their memories back, maybe other apprentices, friends

starters ; francis barton ( maria )

sella palpatine | star wars - 1 / 4

she/her pronouns - sella has no idea dc was ever different, and has lived in this world since waking up here. it was a strange adjustment at first, but honestly, she likes it enough to not complain. her father is a grand duke, and she follows whatever life he's lined up for her. while also still spending all the time she can be with a certain princess. ➳ potential plots ; friends in the court, her guard, artist friends they can paint with

starters ; serena van der woodsen ( dee )

sophie hatter | howl's moving castle - 2 / 4

she/they pronouns - sophie is aware that something is wrong, and dc has not always been like this, but doesn't know enough about portals and everything to figure out how.. still owns their flower/hat stand, and is happy to keep that for herself and their friends, while also bringing home whatever gossip people are spreading about their husbands castle in the woods. ➳ potential plots ; patrons of their stand/people to buy their hats, people who ask about the hidden castle in the woods, those who claim she's a witch, someone to help with morgan during the day, other employees of the stand

starters ; jesper fahey ( june ) , buttercup utonium ( maria )

sulpicia volturi | twilight - 2 / 4

she/her pronouns - add this to the list of things sulpicia does not like about this city. one moment it was modern, and the next? we're back in time to when she was a damn human? she's on edge, doing her best to hide in plain sight as a noble lady within the court here. ➳ potential plots ; someone who knows their vampire secret (good or bad), friends, the nobles she's in the court of, people they can drink from, perhaps an arranged marriage (she won't follow through with it she's already married but it might be funny)

starters ; phoenix volturi ( atlas ) , lucy westenra ( maria )

tatum riley | scream '96 - 4 / 4

she/her pronouns - tatum has no idea dc has been any different from this since waking up in the city, and she's doing her best to just make it through each day without making some comment about her home timeline that will label her as a witch. she's a tavern wench and like.. it's fine, she's fine, she just wishes corsets weren't so uncomfortable. ➳ potential plots ; patrons of the tavern, someone who over hears her talking about home and claims she's a witch, open to an arranged marriage situation

starters ; sanji ( alex ), lott jinrhu ( june ) , billy loomis ( britt ) , kol mikaelson ( moon )

vesta starkos | star wars - 0 / 4

she/they pronouns - vesta thinks dc has always been this way since she arrived, and is kinda loving it. it's so much easier to get people to be afraid of her little freak vibes in this time. she's mainly a thief, but also very much trying to convince people she's a witch just cause she thinks it'd be funny to try and get burned at the stake and then be able to escape :)) ➳ potential plots ; alright who's joining their cult? , people who are intrigued or put off from their awful vibes, someone who catches them stealing

victoria sutherland | twilight - 0 / 4

she/her pronouns - victoria showing up in dc, seeing the time period is exactly the same as when she was turned : i'm back in the fucking building!!! yeah, even though she's unaware, she also has no idea dc has been any different and man does she hate it. right now she's basically hiding in the woods, but if she can't find food from animals, she is debating just.. being a harlot to lure a meal to her ➳ potential plots ; whoever's getting her her memories back, someone she can drink from, a monster hunter who finds her in the woods

violet sorrengail | fourth wing - 1 / 4

she/her pronouns - violet is currently fully unaware, but once she wakes up here in this timeline of dc, her memories are going to smack right back into her. you can't exactly be a dragon rider and see a dragon and not immediately get vibe checked. she'll know dc is different, and is going to be spending her time trying to find her friends, and also attempt to teach people about dragons before they become ash.. will probably fall back into a scribe roll if she ever finds time for a job. ➳ potential plots ; someone she stops from getting fucking eaten by a dragon, other scribes, people who need help learning how to fight, just anyone confused and needing advice on creatures/procedures here in this time.

starters ; xaden riorson ( kasey )

[mejomonster]

Guardian really set my expectations of "censored bl cdramas" and man that was a high bar and probably not fair of me to expect.

Guardian really opens with Zhao Yunlan asking Shen Wei "are you married? You're such a catch. Can I take you out to eat? Here's my number A-Lan call me" which like even on face value id say thats called flirting (unless I guess ur so straight Straight blinders on that 2 men have to physically fuck in front of u to consider something gay)

Then of course there's shen weis pining shit but like, that's not Hammer down obvious to I guess the most oblivious person in denial

But Zhu Hong saying she likes Zhao Yunlan, Zhao Yunlan repeatedly refusing her and feeling bad about it, Zhu Hong repeatedly acknowledging he picked SHEN WEI over her (making it fairly clear it was a romantic pick and she Lost it to a guy) and shen Wei, brick that he can be at times, tells her it will only take a few years for the feelings to fade when she'll get over Zhao yunlan. The guy in love with him, instead of her. Yeah shen wei, she's definitely not wishing she could stab you for that insensitive remark. But she's too good of a person to.

Which. I'd say the above two points establish fairly overtly that: Zhao Yunlan is into men, that his colleagues assume he's also into women (if Zhu Hong thinks she has a chance), and that Shen Wei is Zhao Yunlans romantic pick. So Shen Weis sexuality? Well he doesn't dispute being Zhao Yunlans romantic pick, and Lin Jing assumes they're lovers with dialogue (yes he's saying opposite day stuff but his opposite day is just not being a liar and spy). So Shen Weis sexuality includes Zhao Yunlan.

And so like that's just. Fairly overt explicit stuff about their relationship. There's also the "a very oblivious person could argue its only implied" flirting. (And everything going on with Lao Chu and Xiao Guo, the side couple... oh my heart ;-; when they almost froze... the family dinner at Xiao guos... Lao chu admiring how kind Xiao Guo is, scaring him trying to say he's a cannibal and Xiao Guo not running away)

There's the coat sharing macho trying to be the man helping the damsel both of those fuckers do galore, shen wei moving in across the hall (which is either stalker or deeply in love or - as is true, both), shen wei implicitly moving in (this one's vague ill admit to be fair), the fucking "You're good with your hands" line from Zhao yunlan which is absolutely a porn line, every villain in the show viscerally aware Zhao Yunlan is who Shen Wei wants to protect, Ye Zun pretending to be Shen Wei by calling Zhao Yunlan cute names and asking if his outfit looks nice (and all of That), Zhao yunlans romantic ass hit me through the heart line of "if you're trouble I want a lifetime of you" at the wedding (not ever over it), the fucking lollipop scene in ye old haixing. Just a bunch of flirty type scenes, romantic tropes galore. And that's not even covering the actual genuine subtext of ALL the cases paralleling how shen wei and/or how Zhao yunlan feel implicitly (which are just subtext to be fair... how shen wei thinks he lost kunlun, how Zhao yunlan ISNT him so it hurts he's a stranger or he IS in which case he's a liar and shen weis grieving, the case where a dixingren and human love each other and Zhao yunlan notices he wants to be close to shen wei even though shen weis lying etc).

Like. They felt as canon as Tara X Willow in Buffy. Or at least as much as Xena x Gabrielle, the center relationship of the show where all stories of the episodes are always at least in some way about them.

[chaosgene]

Title: Different Union

Fandom: Guardian- Priest

Relationship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan

Rating: Mature

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: Alternate Universe- Dragons, Fantasy, they're all dragons in here, Shen Wei pines, Zhao Yunlan is flirty and thirsty, Courting Rituals, feral! Shen Wei, Implied Sexual Content, Fade to Black

Summary: Shen Wei rises from the ocean in hopes of soaking in the sun. Another dragon comes into his life and begins flirting with him relentlessly. Shen Wei does not know what to do and that was the scariest part of it; their encounters and Zhao Yunlan’s ambition to make him his.

“I haven't seen you around here before,” Zhao Yunlan said with a toothy grin. “a little elusive?”

“I am from the sea,” he replied instead. “You shouldn't flaunt your feathers so readily.” 

“Oh? Why do you think so?”

“It is inappropriate.”

I am back, with both art and fic for a new fanfiction for Weilan. 💖💖 Yes, they're dragons. I wanted to try something new with them and wondered how I could incorporate their personalities and life style as a dragon. Well, this one is it~

Special thanks to @the-marron for being my beta-reader! You're a life saver. 💖💖💖 Please give her fics some love, folks! They're really amazing 🥹

[buriedbybooks]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because I've already done it). Spread the self-love 💙💙

Thank you for the ask @jayswing101!!

I'm having a hard time with this one, so here's a smattering.

Tradition: Five times Parker tries to understand why people believe what they believe (and do what they do), and what she decides to take from it. This is still one of my favorite Leverage fic that I've ever written. It was one of the ones that I felt fit together really well, and it was also wonderful to find that the headcanon the entire fic was based on was written into canon in Leverage: Redemption.

Living Well: Eliot witnesses an unusual confrontation between his employer and a conman. My first ever crossover fic. It starts the Leverage-Warehouse 13 crossovers and was an absolute romp to write.

La gou gou: Five times Da Qing makes Shen Wei pinky swear and the one time Zhao Yunlan catches them at it. My first time really focusing on this dynamic in Guardian, and I had such fun with it. (and yes, it's another 5+1, how did you guess XD )

Negotiating Perspectives: Exploration of the changing relationship between Yè Zūn and Jiājiā after their first encounter when Yè Zūn returns to Haixing post-canon. The story is told from both points of view. I saw the cut scene from Guardian (yes, *that* one) and immediately needed to play in that sandbox. I wanted to see what would happen if they both survived in some fix-it universe.

A Slipper Lost in the Night: Chéng Xīnyán gets Shěn Wēi to express more of himself. He sees a familiar face and hijinks ensue. This AU has been the furthest outside of my comfort zone. It has been a joy to work on and stretched me as a writer.

Tagging: @eirenical, @piyo-13, @sasamelons, @parrishsrubberplant, @mockedspace

[baiyubai]

I found this reference and couldn't help from drawing my favourite boy

so have a soft Zhao Yunlan, saved from the inevitable OOCness by @the-marron (check inder the cut ✨)

It was strange. Mostly because, as Guo Changcheng supposed, it shouldn't be surprising at all. The whole SID knew that Chief Zhao and Professor Shen were living together, had for some time. And that after the whole 'saving Dixing and Haixing' business, professor Shen got even more insistent on Chief Zhao taking care of himself - he warned him not to take unnecessary risks, still appeared out of nowhere during the especially dangerous cases, starling their new recruits, and dropping by the station with warm food (in his full HPS get-up on one notable occasion). So, it wasn't really that shocking, all things considered. It was, logically speaking, not the weirdest thing Guo Changcheng had experienced on the job. And yet.

Chief Zhao had been called on his day off, drove here straight from home after the call and was now here. In a white, fluffy sweater, not in any way different from all the white sweaters of the world. But the perplexing fact remained: Their leather-wearing, tears-in-jeans Chief Zhao, who perfected the image of a 'gangster' to a perfection was telling them all how to find the suspect while standing there in a white sweater, looking for all intents and purposes like a home-husband.

Looking around, Guo Changcheng realized he was not the only one staring at the sweater.

It was so... soft.

"Eh... I see some things do not change around here, " Chief Zhao said with a sigh. "Yes, that's a sweater, yes, Shen Wei got it for me. Can you please concentrate now?" He asked, crossing his arms expectantly.

Guo Changcheng nodded with fervour. He was not the only one, but only Lin Jing was brave enough to say:" It really suits you, Chief!" Chief Zhao just sighed again, but it too, sounded somehow softer than usual.

[avaantares]

Wait, Zhao Yunlan's gun is actually a...?!

(I've never claimed production meta for @guardianbingo before, but after the amount of time and research I put in on this, I feel like I've earned the "Zhao Yunlan's Gun or Whip" square, haha)

SO. GUYS.

Maybe this is something fandom as a whole figured out back in 2018, but I, who didn't hear of Guardian until 2020, did not realize until now and I need to share the knowledge because when I finally noticed, I made an unholy sound.

I've tracked down where Zhao Yunlan's gun came from -- or at least, what it most likely started as. Not the in-universe dark-energy-maybe-uses-bullets-maybe-doesn't-device-that's-best-not-thought-about-too-long, but rather the actual fake-steampunk-revolver-that-is-best-not-looked-at-too-long-because-it's-awful prop.

Y'know, this disaster:

I was actually working on a different Guardian Bingo fill and needed to look something up for continuity, so I'd flipped through a couple of episodes at super high speed trying to find a scene. As luck would have it, one of my skips forward happened to land on the scene I screencapped above, when ZYL confronts Zhang Shi.

Normally we don't get this clear (or this stationary) a shot of the godawful gun prop. I'd assumed all along they had just taken a plastic gun, glued some extra bits and bobs on it to make it look fancy, and hit it with some dry brushing (fun fact: you can watch the paint flake throughout the series; check out the top of the barrel and the side of the cylinder in the above screenshot!) to make it look #steampunk like the abandoned aesthetic of 25% of the show (as I've said before, I have theories about what happened in preproduction, but that's another post). This sort of thing is exactly what I've done for cheap cosplay weapons or background props for film work that aren't going to be seen at HD detail range.

Anyway, since the detail showed up better here than in other shots, I paused the video to look at the random screws and hex bolts (why??) they'd glued on it, since I recalled that I had the aforementioned gun/whip bingo square to fill.

That's when I noticed a detail that had eluded me before: An inverted V shape at the bottom of the grip.

Only looking more closely, that's not an inverted V. It's a symbol that I've seen a whole series of variations of over the past 15+ years... every time there's a new installment of the Assassin's Creed video game series:

So I started hunting. The principal weapons in each game turned up no matches, but eventually I found a gun that looks almost exactly like ZYL's:

It's not a perfect replica, but the details are certainly all there: The stylized logo; the leaves and swirls on the grip; the feathers up the back; even the Victorian scrollwork beneath the barrel.

Now, what's really interesting is that this gun isn't actually from the AC game series. It's part of an elaborate fan project by artist David Paget that started as a class assignment back in 2014. Even though it gathered a bit of steam in the AC fandom and generated a couple of forum role-play groups, OCs and the like, nothing about this artwork was ever connected to a real Assassin's Creed title. So why would there be a physical version of a gun that was only someone's fanart?

This is where the smoking gun (*rimshot*) goes missing, because I can't prove any of this, and it's been long enough that digging through the archives of the internet to find answers is going to take way more time than I can afford to spend on a project I'm not getting paid for. But there are two likely possibilities:

Scenario A: Some employee in a toy factory somewhere in China got told, "This Assassin's Creed franchise is really big, so we need to be producing replicas from those games to sell. Work up some designs." So the employee Googles "assassin's creed gun," finds David Paget's very professional-looking art, and whips up a replica to mass-injection-mold without realizing it's not actually from a game. Later, someone on the cash-strapped Guardian production team needs a gun to mod, and finds a cheap toy revolver on clearance after several years of sitting in storage because there was little demand for a replica of a gun that was never in a game. They buy several, glue hex bolts on the cylinder for reasons unknown, and poof! Instant pseudo-steampunk!

Scenario B: Other fans were involved in the design. Someone did build a 3D model of David Paget's design that's still available on Sketchfab (screenshot below), and it's not unreasonable to assume that other fans could have thought it looked cool and built 3D printable models. Later, someone on the cash-strapped Guardian production team needs a gun to mod, and acquires the 3D print file of one of those models from the interwebs. They mod the file a bit, print some, glue hex bolts on the cylinder for reasons unknown, and poof! Instant pseudo-steampunk!

Personally, I find Scenario A far more likely than Scenario B, for two reasons: First, the hero prop looks more injection molded than 3D printed, especially given the technical state of 3D printing back in 2017-8. And second... Budget-challenged dramas do have a history of picking up bulk video game replicas and using them as cheap props. I made a post back in 2019 about the WoW Horde shields we spotted in a different drama...

Anyway, no firm answers about the source of the hero prop -- the world may never know! -- but we have now confirmed that in some alternate universe (possibly one of the first eighty?), Zhao Yunlan and/or Zhao Xinci is an Assassin.

Wait, wait, wait... *recalls mechanics of how the whole Assassin's Creed frame story is supposed to work* Uh... so... who wants to write a genetic memory explanation for the whole Kunlun -> [lots of lifetimes] -> Zhao Yunlan thing?

.

(I did actually check the catalogue of a friend of mine who makes replicas of props from various media franchises to see if he'd done a commission of the David Paget design, since a surprising number of his custom pieces actually do end up on film and television, but while he has a gorgeous replica of a revolver that actually appears in an AC game, it appears he has not done the Zhao Yunlan gun. I didn't really think it likely, since he's in the U.S., but you never know.)

[tinypinkmouse]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (except me because obvs I have done it). Spread the self-love ❤

Five is way too few and the fic far too many to choose from. At least I've been reminded how much I enjoy the majority of my fic, and that's a good thing. So this isn't some kind of top five really. On another day I'd probably pick five entirely different fics. But these are some of my favourites.

Rust in My Mouth, Guardian, Mature (for injuries/violence), Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan. This is a pre-canon story where Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan meet earlier (I love the basic premise of earlier first meeting and have written many different variations on that idea). This involves quite a bit of worldbuilding for Shen Wei and Dixing to give Shen Wei a hobby of underground fights. I felt like I was missing stories that focus on Shen Wei's fighting abilities. We don't really even mention him training or anything all that often, surely he must sometimes? This fic was mostly me trying to work out the worldbuilding of Dixing having some kind of fighting tradition, and then throwing in a first meeting on top. In retrospect I ended up liking the mood of it a lot and then wrote a sequel to it as well (I think there's another sequel lingering in my WIPs). The worldbuilding is not the most original, but I like it well enough. And I'm very happy with how I wrote the bits where actual fighting happens (I'm generally not very confident in writing that sort of action).

Like It's the Very First Time, Guardian, Explicit, Shen Wei/Ye Zun/Zhao Yunlan. (CW: incest) This is an AU where the twins are living together when Zhao Yunlan meets them. Also there's a few gender changes here, both Zhao Yunlan and Ye Zun are women. Shen Wei is a man, though his feelings on that could change. The twins come with shapechanging powers where they can change their body to fit their gender if they choose to. Honestly, other than including some of my ambiguous feelings on gender (a lot of it in my head, because it's from Zhao Yunlan's POV and she is not aware of what's going on with the twins and gender) I love this purely because of the complete bisexual disaster that Zhao Yunlan manages to be (I'm very proud of that).

Spiders Crawling, Guardian, Explicit, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan. This is a monster AU, because I love all of my various monster AUs and I have to include at least one. And I love spiders!Shen Wei to bits, so spiders!Shen Wei it is. He is made of lots and lots of tiny spiders, except for when he comes together and looks like Shen Wei. I don't even know what else to say about this, other than spiders!Shen Wei! Oh, yes, Zhao Yunlan will fuck that, because that's Zhao Yunlan and he can be horny about a bunch of spiders, thank you (it's a bit of an adjustment even for Zhao Yunlan). Writing the sex was interesting, and took me a bit of figuring out (how do you make a hoard of tiny spiders sexy) and yes I am extremely proud of it.

Be Who You Are, Embrace Again/The Fraud Love Group, Explicit, Yang Xiuxian/Ye Ziyang. I wanted to include so many weilan derivatives (I think I've written some of my very best stuff there) I love my weilan derivative fics to a ridiculous degree. In the end I went with this one because it might just be one of the best things I've ever written (at least in my opinion). Sure I'm extrapolating characters from a trailer (that's all that was out for Embrace Again at the time) and the about seven minutes where Yang Xiuxian appears in his movie, but hey, that's the fun of it all, right?

As Always, Just You, Beast Wars/Machines, G, gen. This is a very short post-canon thing where Cheetor is having feelings and contemplating his life as he grows closer to death. Quite an old thing to include and not exactly a huge fandom either (and definitely makes no sense without the context of canon), but it still makes me all emotional, even if it could have been written better.

[guzhufuren]

Hi Vlada! I just started reading Vol. 3 of Guardian last night and it just hit me that Xiaobao and Zhao Yunlan are quite similar. Two latent bisexual playboys who call their partner's their wives even though they're the ones bottoming and now I'm just over here giggling about it because I really seem to have a type when it comes to bl protagonists.

Eboni!💕 i have never moved further than 2 episodes of Guardian, but i do remember Yunlan well and you are so right goddamn.. silly bisexual husbands for real!!! give Xiaobao a lollipop immediately and put some jingles on Yunlan

god isn't it great to be a bl viewer when they offer quite a few men of your type? i'm having a blast with morally gray pretty girlboys this year personally

[fixaidea]

Right, come along with me for another useless thought experiment. I'm gonna rank the characters of my latest fandoms by how they would react to Woland and Co.

Old-timey Chinese novels:

No need to go into too much detail here, since no matter the individual character's reaction (ranging from none at all to unease to realising they're dealing with *some* sort of an underworld entity) nothing would really come of the encounter. They all fall outside of Woland's jurisdiction, he's not out to get them.

The TGCF cast would see an annoying neighbour who's trespassing on their turf.

Modern-timey Chinese novels:

Wu Xie is seriously alarmed, but can't explain why. He does see the large black cat walking on his hind legs that lurks around the Professor, but he explains it away as some sort of a mutant with a weird camouflaging ability, since most people's gaze seems to kinda slide off him.

Xiaoge, Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan all know exactly who they're looking at. Xiaoge is respectful but unconcerned (he's none of his business), Lord Kunlun and the Ghost Slayer are unbothered and unimpressed.

The Locked Tomb

You'd think that in a book so full of necromancers at least half a cast would clock him but nope. Most don't.

Camilla gets the creeps but wouldn't know why.

Palamedes, Harrow and Augustine can tell he's different and worse than anything they've ever seen, but can't tell who he is.

Abigail Knows.

So does Jod. He tries to convince himself he's not in trouble. He is.

Wizard of the Crow

Most of the people of Eldares wouldn't know who they're looking at any more than the good folks of Moscow did and the encounter would play out pretty similarly too.

Nyawĩra would notice something is wrong but she's too grounded in material reality to recognise him.

Kamĩtĩ Knows.

A Sweet Sting of Salt

Muirin and her family would be able to tell they are dealing with some sort of dangerous supernatural being, but would not recognise him

The rest of the cast would be none the wiser.

Beyond Evil

Han Joowon would not know who he's looking at but he WOULD spot the giant black cat and he WOULD believe his eyes. Whether he's personally any of Woland's business is unclear.

Lee Dongsik Knows.

[the-marron]

Hi Marron!! 👀 ✨️ 😭 for the fic rec asks if you're up for it!! :3

Ayyye!!! Thank you so much for the ask!!! 🥰 Let's go with Weilan, shall we? I think you might benefit from these recs the most 😁❤

👀A fic that you love a normal amount

Yeah, I won't surprise anyone: All-Consuming. It's a zombie apocalypse au that I've read five times? Maybe six already? In its entirety, it's amazing how the pacing, how the dosage of information, how the characterisation work there, it's that one fic I want to be able to write when I grow up 🤣

✨ A fic you wish you could read again for the first time

A Tolerance for Pain by @mcvices, I remember reading it for the first time, absolutely not knowing where it was going at the beginning but I was hooked - the odd behaviour of Zhao Yunlan paired with Shen Wei's silence acceptance that maybe this is what he deserves for the lies, with the case hovering over all these emotions... Also, this fic has one of the best openings I've read in a long while, so I would love to re-live the joy of not knowing again 🥰

😭 A fic that ripped your heart out (but it hurt so good)

Hmmm, probably Not All Those Who Wander. ZYL losing the sense of himself over the millenia touched something in me, you know? It has a happy ending, don't worry, but it's really nicely done, especially since ZYL himself doesn't seem to see how much he is losing on the way, but you, the reader, know. Really stellar work

Once again, thank you for the tag, I love sharing fic recs! If anyone else wants to play, here is the original post fic rec ask meme