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The Fic Trope That (Apparently) Represents Me Best
Via a recent post by ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
trobadora . According to this particular quiz I'm:
So my initial reaction was: "Okay, no, what the hell? I don't even like that trope!" But then I read the description, and, well... In the rare event that I do ship, this actually describes me perfectly. I'm not a shipper in general; I usually just take the canon pairing(s) as given but don't bother to pursue them or the popular non-canon pairings, which is why I only have a handful of fandoms for which read fic or interact with the members. (Out of the maybe couple hundred series I've come to love during all my years of fiction consumption, there're only about 10-15 for which I have a ship at all XD)
But when I do ship? I'm incapable of multishipping, to the point where I can't even read, say, for-fun fic where members of my OTP(s) are paired off with other people (though exceptions can be made for canon relationships which are imperative for character development, or pre-OTP OC ships mentioned only in passing). I'm greedy as hell for all manner of AU's, provided the characters I ship end up together and their characterisations and relationship dynamics aren't altered unreasonably. Save for one or two notable exceptions, I don't ship protagonists with antagonists because I don't like it when lovers/love interests treat each other and/or their friends/family/allies/species poorly... There's more, but these are the most relevant points, I think. So, yep. Looks like Soulmate AU is actually perfect for me. Who'd have thought?
Yeah, I know, I know. It's probably a good thing I rarely ship, because it turns out I'm secretly the world's most annoying shipper 😅
Oh, and I just noticed: Oddly - considering my terrible luck with regards to pretty much everything else ^^ - I'm pretty lucky when it comes to online quizzes. The answers I get are often spot-on.
(And I gotta say it: why did they ruin the picture of that cute ginger kitty with that terrible excuse for a filter!? Ugh.)
trobadora . According to this particular quiz I'm:So my initial reaction was: "Okay, no, what the hell? I don't even like that trope!" But then I read the description, and, well... In the rare event that I do ship, this actually describes me perfectly. I'm not a shipper in general; I usually just take the canon pairing(s) as given but don't bother to pursue them or the popular non-canon pairings, which is why I only have a handful of fandoms for which read fic or interact with the members. (Out of the maybe couple hundred series I've come to love during all my years of fiction consumption, there're only about 10-15 for which I have a ship at all XD)
But when I do ship? I'm incapable of multishipping, to the point where I can't even read, say, for-fun fic where members of my OTP(s) are paired off with other people (though exceptions can be made for canon relationships which are imperative for character development, or pre-OTP OC ships mentioned only in passing). I'm greedy as hell for all manner of AU's, provided the characters I ship end up together and their characterisations and relationship dynamics aren't altered unreasonably. Save for one or two notable exceptions, I don't ship protagonists with antagonists because I don't like it when lovers/love interests treat each other and/or their friends/family/allies/species poorly... There's more, but these are the most relevant points, I think. So, yep. Looks like Soulmate AU is actually perfect for me. Who'd have thought?
Yeah, I know, I know. It's probably a good thing I rarely ship, because it turns out I'm secretly the world's most annoying shipper 😅
Oh, and I just noticed: Oddly - considering my terrible luck with regards to pretty much everything else ^^ - I'm pretty lucky when it comes to online quizzes. The answers I get are often spot-on.
(And I gotta say it: why did they ruin the picture of that cute ginger kitty with that terrible excuse for a filter!? Ugh.)
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Surprising twitter finds and related epiphanies
What with the new bts content showing up yesterday, I did something I hadn't since last November/December: clicked around Guardian twitter for an entire evening.
The actual bts content was fun, and have been linked by people much more well-versed in the Real Person side of the fandom than myself. But what I wanted to put down here are a few fandom opinions that I'd never even realised existed before:
( Note that I don't link to any of the tweets mentioned. This is all in good fun, so... )
Are we gonna talk about the fact that it's nearing the end of 2020, everyone else has already gone through at least three other fandoms, and I still only ever post about Guardian on this journal? Nope! 😁
The actual bts content was fun, and have been linked by people much more well-versed in the Real Person side of the fandom than myself. But what I wanted to put down here are a few fandom opinions that I'd never even realised existed before:
( Note that I don't link to any of the tweets mentioned. This is all in good fun, so... )
Are we gonna talk about the fact that it's nearing the end of 2020, everyone else has already gone through at least three other fandoms, and I still only ever post about Guardian on this journal? Nope! 😁
Tropes, tropes, tropes
clevermanka recently linked to that site where you can make yourself a grid for fanfic trope preferences. Since this DW has effectively become the receptacle for all my fandom-related ramblings, I'm posting my own grid here. The tiles under each category are arranged in alphabetical order.
I felt like some fairly important/common tropes hadn't been offered, but, hey, gotta work with what you've got, right?
I felt like some fairly important/common tropes hadn't been offered, but, hey, gotta work with what you've got, right?
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My Guardian fic ideas
Over the months, I've come up with various ideas for Guardian fan fic, which have mostly been posted as replies to other people's comments/entries. I wanted to collect them here for (1) Posterity and (2) Accountability, in the (very unlikely) event that I'd one day want to do something with them.
(1) ( Inception AU )
(2) ( Gang AU )
(3) ( Wild West AU )
(4) ( Incubus!ZYL AU )
I'll probably update this post if/when I come up with new ideas. In the (extremely unlikely) event that anyone sees these and feels inspired, I'd appreciate it if you'd run it by me before using the bunny/ies in a fic, though I wouldn't make a scene or anything even if you didn't. On the one hand, it's not like these are the world's most original plots, and OTOH, if I posted them publicly then I gotta accept the fact that they're not really my property any more, right? 😅
(1) ( Inception AU )
(2) ( Gang AU )
(3) ( Wild West AU )
(4) ( Incubus!ZYL AU )
I'll probably update this post if/when I come up with new ideas. In the (extremely unlikely) event that anyone sees these and feels inspired, I'd appreciate it if you'd run it by me before using the bunny/ies in a fic, though I wouldn't make a scene or anything even if you didn't. On the one hand, it's not like these are the world's most original plots, and OTOH, if I posted them publicly then I gotta accept the fact that they're not really my property any more, right? 😅
Either/Or meme
It feels kind of pretentious to ramble about my personal opinions when I'm not a distinguished person in fandom, because who even cares about what I like? But then again, I'd love to come back to this page 10 years into the future (or something) and see how my tastes have changed over time, if at all, so for once I'm making a post for/about myself!
And, yep, this is the Either/Or Meme that was first posted by @solo here and has been making its way around.
( Long-winded rambling under the cut... )
And, yep, this is the Either/Or Meme that was first posted by @solo here and has been making its way around.
( Long-winded rambling under the cut... )
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Is this something that usually happens?
First time making a non-Guardian-centric post here. This is not a trend I intend to continue, but I'm sufficiently confused that I consider it justified.
Anyway!
Today I got an email which said, "Someone has chosen to upgrade your Dreamwidth Studios account."
My first thought: It's spam mail. Went and checked my profile. It now says "Paid Account, expires on 2020-12-06."
Second thought: OMG, I accidentally bought an account while sleep-surfing the web! (Sleep-surfing is something I really do. Granted, I'm just incredibly drowsy, not actually asleep ^^) Went and checked my debit card balance: still intact. Phew! (The exchange rate is at its most brutal these days, and I can't afford to spend a single USD)
Third: Christmas promo from DW. But if that's the case, they'd have said so in the email, right? Plus, I joined only in April so they have no reason to reward me with anything.
Fourth: Someone actually... Gifted me a paid account!? Having spent 18 years on the interwebs and receiving nothing more than a handful of compliments and/or critiques on my meta/review-writing skills means I found this the hardest to believe, somehow ^_^
So! If this isn't a fluke and someone did gift me: Thank you very much! I'm honoured!
If it is a fluke: lucky me, I guess? Lol. Hope they don't/can't revoke it!
But now I have a different problem: I have no idea what to do with a paid account. Maybe I can finally post that "Guardian characters' Hogwarts houses" poll I've been dying to make... Though everyone here is probably a bit too mature for Harry Potter, so more than just my inability to create a poll has been holding me back. (I literally grew up with HP: the 7th book came out barely 5 months before my own 17th birthday, and I unironically adore everything about those novels - have no interest in seeing the movies - although there seems to be a universal agreement among fantasy fans that it isn't all that. I rarely read/watch western fantasy, so I have no idea whether they're right or not ^_^)
Oh, and! I'm not sure whether acknowledging anon gifts in public is against Dreamwidth etiquette. If it is, I hope someone will let me know so I can delete this post. ETA: I guess not? Okay, then!
Anyway!
Today I got an email which said, "Someone has chosen to upgrade your Dreamwidth Studios account."
My first thought: It's spam mail. Went and checked my profile. It now says "Paid Account, expires on 2020-12-06."
Second thought: OMG, I accidentally bought an account while sleep-surfing the web! (Sleep-surfing is something I really do. Granted, I'm just incredibly drowsy, not actually asleep ^^) Went and checked my debit card balance: still intact. Phew! (The exchange rate is at its most brutal these days, and I can't afford to spend a single USD)
Third: Christmas promo from DW. But if that's the case, they'd have said so in the email, right? Plus, I joined only in April so they have no reason to reward me with anything.
Fourth: Someone actually... Gifted me a paid account!? Having spent 18 years on the interwebs and receiving nothing more than a handful of compliments and/or critiques on my meta/review-writing skills means I found this the hardest to believe, somehow ^_^
So! If this isn't a fluke and someone did gift me: Thank you very much! I'm honoured!
If it is a fluke: lucky me, I guess? Lol. Hope they don't/can't revoke it!
But now I have a different problem: I have no idea what to do with a paid account. Maybe I can finally post that "Guardian characters' Hogwarts houses" poll I've been dying to make... Though everyone here is probably a bit too mature for Harry Potter, so more than just my inability to create a poll has been holding me back. (I literally grew up with HP: the 7th book came out barely 5 months before my own 17th birthday, and I unironically adore everything about those novels - have no interest in seeing the movies - although there seems to be a universal agreement among fantasy fans that it isn't all that. I rarely read/watch western fantasy, so I have no idea whether they're right or not ^_^)
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Shen Wei and Guilt vs Responsibility
Just this morning, I was thinking about Guardian while lazing in bed and repeatedly snoozing my alarm, as you do, and kept dwelling on one of the common fandom interpretations of Shen Wei that I puzzles me whenever I see it: the tendency to see him as prone to excessive guilt, self-flagellation, and considering himself "unworthy" of Zhao Yunlan. I can certainly see how that interpretation came about, but at the same time, it's markedly different from my personal reading of his character.
( Hella long post ahead! )
Phew! That got a tad too long and rambly... But if you want to blame something, blame Guardian for inspiring the kind of Feels I haven't had in years. (If I didn't put this out there I felt I might explode, so I do feel pretty accomplished right now, and can't sincerely apologise for boring or annoying anyone!)
If someone actually managed to get this far: you're a champ, and I'd love to hear your thoughts, whether you agree or not or are somewhere in-between!
( Hella long post ahead! )
Phew! That got a tad too long and rambly... But if you want to blame something, blame Guardian for inspiring the kind of Feels I haven't had in years. (If I didn't put this out there I felt I might explode, so I do feel pretty accomplished right now, and can't sincerely apologise for boring or annoying anyone!)
If someone actually managed to get this far: you're a champ, and I'd love to hear your thoughts, whether you agree or not or are somewhere in-between!
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30 Days of Guardian: Day 30
30. Prompt for a fanwork
I know there's not much point in my doing this, since I don't really have anyone to prompt, and - more importantly - no time/energy to offer anything in return. But I figured it'd be as good a chance as any to put one of my favourite fanfic/AU scenarios out there. (By the bye: I've never visited the Plot Bunny Farm, so any overlap is purely coincidental)
( Read more... )
I know there's not much point in my doing this, since I don't really have anyone to prompt, and - more importantly - no time/energy to offer anything in return. But I figured it'd be as good a chance as any to put one of my favourite fanfic/AU scenarios out there. (By the bye: I've never visited the Plot Bunny Farm, so any overlap is purely coincidental)
( Read more... )
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30 Days of Guardian: Day 29
29. Rec a meta post
There's plenty of excellent meta here on DW, butrheasilvia 's timeline for the show and likealeafonthewind 's followup post strike me as particularly useful - not to mention impartial, so safe to rec to anyone regardless of their headcanons, ships, interests, etc.
There's plenty of excellent meta here on DW, but
rheasilvia 's timeline for the show and likealeafonthewind 's followup post strike me as particularly useful - not to mention impartial, so safe to rec to anyone regardless of their headcanons, ships, interests, etc.Entry tags:
30 Days of Guardian: Day 28
28. Rec a fanart
Oh, come on, only one!? But it's true that if I start, I may never stop, so I'll go with this one. Chibi renditions of iconic scenes from the drama, very SFW and incredibly cute.
I can't find the original art no matter how much I try - Chinese websites are difficult to navigate, anyway - so the link above leads to a post on Tumblr, with the artist credited.
Oh, come on, only one!? But it's true that if I start, I may never stop, so I'll go with this one. Chibi renditions of iconic scenes from the drama, very SFW and incredibly cute.
I can't find the original art no matter how much I try - Chinese websites are difficult to navigate, anyway - so the link above leads to a post on Tumblr, with the artist credited.
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30 Days of Guardian: Day 27
27. Rec a vid
Another instance where Guardian proves itself the exception to my rules: I've watched dozens of fan videos and even a few behind-the-scenes clips for it, whereas I usually stay away from that kind of content.
This video by NodeZero really stood out to me because it's one of the rare ones which focus on Zhao Yunlan's feelings instead of Shen Wei's. There's really no need to prove the depths of Shen Wei's devotion, since we see innumerable instances of it in canon. But when I think critically about the canon evidence we have re: Zhao Yunlan's reciprocation, I feel it's a bit lacking in comparison, and often more "take it as you will" than anything concrete. This is not unique to Guardian: pretty much any story with a human-non-human relationship** - platonic or romantic - tends to portray the non-human's devotion much more intensely and obviously; it's particularly glaring when they're more powerful and/or longer-lived than their human partner. Part of this is likely the impracticability of trying to make a mortal's capacity for commitment measure up to an immortal's, while the other part is, well, definitely human arrogance.
Anyway, that's why I picked out the above vid: it brought up some nice points about Zhao Yunlan's love that tend to get buried under the absolute deluge of Shen Wei's.
** The novel doesn't have this problem, since that version of Zhao Yunlan isn't fully human himself, and is eventually revealed to be older and more powerful than Shen Wei, which allows him to fully understand - and reciprocate - Shen Wei's dedication and devotion. Drama!Yunlan is a much cooler, more heroic character than his novel counterpart in the present time, and I approve of that wholeheartedly, but I can't help but wish he'd been allowed to be sincerely affectionate now and then, instead of only teasing and flirtatious. The change was mostly for the benefit of the censors, I know, so what truly puzzles me is that they didn't make a corresponding change in Shen Wei when they adapted him; heck, the lack of overt possessiveness actually makes drama!Shen Wei's love sweeter. But since it's his devotion - not Yunlan's - that drives the plot of the show, it wouldn't make much sense to tone it down, I guess.
Another instance where Guardian proves itself the exception to my rules: I've watched dozens of fan videos and even a few behind-the-scenes clips for it, whereas I usually stay away from that kind of content.
This video by NodeZero really stood out to me because it's one of the rare ones which focus on Zhao Yunlan's feelings instead of Shen Wei's. There's really no need to prove the depths of Shen Wei's devotion, since we see innumerable instances of it in canon. But when I think critically about the canon evidence we have re: Zhao Yunlan's reciprocation, I feel it's a bit lacking in comparison, and often more "take it as you will" than anything concrete. This is not unique to Guardian: pretty much any story with a human-non-human relationship** - platonic or romantic - tends to portray the non-human's devotion much more intensely and obviously; it's particularly glaring when they're more powerful and/or longer-lived than their human partner. Part of this is likely the impracticability of trying to make a mortal's capacity for commitment measure up to an immortal's, while the other part is, well, definitely human arrogance.
Anyway, that's why I picked out the above vid: it brought up some nice points about Zhao Yunlan's love that tend to get buried under the absolute deluge of Shen Wei's.
** The novel doesn't have this problem, since that version of Zhao Yunlan isn't fully human himself, and is eventually revealed to be older and more powerful than Shen Wei, which allows him to fully understand - and reciprocate - Shen Wei's dedication and devotion. Drama!Yunlan is a much cooler, more heroic character than his novel counterpart in the present time, and I approve of that wholeheartedly, but I can't help but wish he'd been allowed to be sincerely affectionate now and then, instead of only teasing and flirtatious. The change was mostly for the benefit of the censors, I know, so what truly puzzles me is that they didn't make a corresponding change in Shen Wei when they adapted him; heck, the lack of overt possessiveness actually makes drama!Shen Wei's love sweeter. But since it's his devotion - not Yunlan's - that drives the plot of the show, it wouldn't make much sense to tone it down, I guess.
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30 Days of Guardian: Day 26
26. Rec a fanfic
There's no way I can pick just one, so here are my AO3 bookmarks for Guardian. I'm diligent about adding tags and bookmark notes, so this can easily stand as a rec list.
There's no way I can pick just one, so here are my AO3 bookmarks for Guardian. I'm diligent about adding tags and bookmark notes, so this can easily stand as a rec list.
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30 Days of Guardian: Day 25
25. Thoughts and feelings on the ending
The answer to this is two-fold. Would I have loved it if they'd defeated Ye Zun with minimum collateral damage and not a single sacrifice, and the story ended with, "Then the SID and the Black-Cloaked Envoy overhauled the whole political structure of Dixing, renegotiated the Treaty, worked towards dispelling anti-Dixingren/Yashouren attitudes among Haixingren (and vice versa) and worked towards creating a world where all three species could live and let live in relative harmony"? Hell, yes! Do I think it was feasible for the show writers to have pulled that off if they'd really wanted to? Also yes. However...
( I thought I could get away without a cut, but who am I kidding? )
The answer to this is two-fold. Would I have loved it if they'd defeated Ye Zun with minimum collateral damage and not a single sacrifice, and the story ended with, "Then the SID and the Black-Cloaked Envoy overhauled the whole political structure of Dixing, renegotiated the Treaty, worked towards dispelling anti-Dixingren/Yashouren attitudes among Haixingren (and vice versa) and worked towards creating a world where all three species could live and let live in relative harmony"? Hell, yes! Do I think it was feasible for the show writers to have pulled that off if they'd really wanted to? Also yes. However...
( I thought I could get away without a cut, but who am I kidding? )
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30 Days of Guardian - Day 24
24. Favourite team moment
I've been missing way too many days lately, so today it's two for the price of one!
The Reunion Festival Dinner is a shoe-in for favourite team moment. The whole gang's together (even Lao Li!), they're all triumphant re: their recent heroics and enjoying themselves with good food, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are doing one of their best "Dad and Dad's husband" impressions, and their silly banter - followed soon after by one of those awesome couple moments where they're basically alone in a crowd - is sheer joy to witness.
I think Guo Changcheng said it best: "So nice... This must be what family feels like!"
It was a very short-lived peace and happiness, sure, but all the more poignant for that same reason.
I've been missing way too many days lately, so today it's two for the price of one!
The Reunion Festival Dinner is a shoe-in for favourite team moment. The whole gang's together (even Lao Li!), they're all triumphant re: their recent heroics and enjoying themselves with good food, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are doing one of their best "Dad and Dad's husband" impressions, and their silly banter - followed soon after by one of those awesome couple moments where they're basically alone in a crowd - is sheer joy to witness.
I think Guo Changcheng said it best: "So nice... This must be what family feels like!"
It was a very short-lived peace and happiness, sure, but all the more poignant for that same reason.
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30 Days of Guardian - Day 23
23. Favourite soft moment
There are lots of excellent candidates for this, but I decided on the one that leapt to my mind when I first saw the question, almost a month ago: The Bench Scene. Zhao Yunlan being so very himself, Shen Wei's indulgent-but-amused-against-his-best-judgement smile, and the way they both just...sat there, content with each other's company in a rare moment of calm at the eye of the storm, is something that will stay in my heart for a long, long time. And seeing Shen Wei lean against the seatback, close his eyes and relax, if only briefly, despite the memories of his ordeal in Dixing and the knowledge of what's surely about to happen soon, made me incredibly wistful for all the things I wanted him to have, though I suspected from the start he wouldn't get them.
There are lots of excellent candidates for this, but I decided on the one that leapt to my mind when I first saw the question, almost a month ago: The Bench Scene. Zhao Yunlan being so very himself, Shen Wei's indulgent-but-amused-against-his-best-judgement smile, and the way they both just...sat there, content with each other's company in a rare moment of calm at the eye of the storm, is something that will stay in my heart for a long, long time. And seeing Shen Wei lean against the seatback, close his eyes and relax, if only briefly, despite the memories of his ordeal in Dixing and the knowledge of what's surely about to happen soon, made me incredibly wistful for all the things I wanted him to have, though I suspected from the start he wouldn't get them.