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Poll: The Sundial and the Box (drama)

Sep. 25th, 2025 07:45 am
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
[personal profile] china_shop posting in [community profile] sid_guardian




Poll #33654 Episodes 1 & 2
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 4


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??
2 (50.0%)

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
2 (50.0%)

the Shadow Man recognised it as Hallow-adjacent, and that's why he pounced
2 (50.0%)

it smells of weed, and that's why the Shadow Man pounced
0 (0.0%)

it's an ancient artefact made of leftover meteorite
1 (25.0%)

it's just an ordinary cute little box, and the Shadow Man collects them
0 (0.0%)

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)
1 (25.0%)

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)
0 (0.0%)

she found it while burying a body in her garden (she has a dark past)
0 (0.0%)

she found it while hiking in the mountains, near where the Mountain-River Awl was found (she has an outdoorsy past)
1 (25.0%)

other
3 (75.0%)

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
0 (0.0%)

bundled with a particular flavour of Linux
1 (25.0%)

the Hallows don't want to be forgotten, so they send periodic reminders across space and time – like Netflix!
2 (50.0%)

a mysterious source (Shen Wei) provided detailed schematics on paper, and Lin Jing digitised them
1 (25.0%)

a mysterious source (Zhang Shi) created the computer models from memory
3 (75.0%)

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?
0 (0.0%)

How do you keep a wave upon the sand?
1 (33.3%)

How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?
1 (33.3%)

other
1 (33.3%)

anehan: Tezuka drinking tea (Tenipuri: Tezuka and tea)
[personal profile] anehan
Well, it's been a hot minute since I last did a reading roundup, the reason being that for about a month I read nothing but Red, White and Royal Blue fic. There's a lot more of it now than when I last checked. The movie effect in action, perhaps? Anyway, Henry/Alex ftw, even though I cringe every time Henry is called the Prince of Wales. Or a monarch. Or when he's said to abdicate.

Anyway. Books.

Recently read

  • Grace Burrowes, A Gentleman Fallen on Hard Times (The Lord Julian Mysteries #1). Historical sleuthing, with an MC who used to be an intelligence officer in Wellington's army, only to fuck up in a spectacular way. So, on top of having PTSD crowned with some more PTSD, he has to deal with being treated as a traitor by almost everyone who knows anything about him.

    The novel has a really high rating on Goodreads, and IMO it lives up to it. A low-stakes mystery in the sense that there's no murder, but high-stakes in the sense of the effect on the characters and their lives. Highly recommend.


  • Siiri Enoranta, Keuhkopuiden uni, which I read for a queer fantasy book club I recently joined. The cover copy describes this as a "mysterious and intelligent novel, decadent fantasy at its best". I beg to differ. It's a disjointed, confused mess that reads like an early draft. Not without interesting bits, but those don't make up for the utter boredom of slogging through it. It relies heavily on its dreamy, lyrical prose, but I think that if you write a book where stylistic choices are so central, you really need to make sure those choices work. (See my comment about it reading like an early draft.)

    The baffling thing is that it's got very good reviews from critics. It almost seems like it's one of those novels that you have to like because to not like it means you are too plebeian to understand it.


  • Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold, Death by Silver (Julian Lynes and Ned Mathey #1). I really liked Scott's Astreiant series, so obviously I wanted to read her mystery novels. And besides, historical queer mystery novels are right up my alley. This is a solid one, though somehow a bit clumsy at times. Still, I'll definitely read the second book in the series.


Currently reading

Uh, too many WIPs. Should probably pick them up again. It's just that I last read them over a month ago, on account of the fall down the FirstPrince rabbit hole.

Up next

No fucking idea. Finished Death by Silver last night, and now I'm at sea.

(no subject)

Sep. 23rd, 2025 08:19 pm
ysobel: (fail)
[personal profile] ysobel
Me: Dear brain, I know my mom is increasingly fucked, but obsessing in circles about what to do about that isn't helpful.

Brain: Okay what if I just dwell on the time in high school when you tried to be captain of the academic decathlon team, and the faculty sponsor gave y'all "practice questions" to work on that, when you got to competition, turned out to have been that year's actual questions, meaning you looked not just like cheaters but incompetent cheaters that didn't even have the intelligence to make it look plausible

Me: In actual fact, that doesn't help...

Grr. Argh.

Sep. 23rd, 2025 06:57 pm
jennaria: Sanzo from Saiyuki, aiming his gun at the viewer (Sanzo's pissy)
[personal profile] jennaria
I am not dead, but I currently hate everything. (Personal stuff, which is sufficiently embarrassing that I'm not going into detail. I am just flopped on the floor and screaming into a pillow. Metaphorically.)

I keep meaning to write up a review of the new SUPERMAN movie (which I did not hate), and K-POP DEMON HUNTERS (which I also did not hate), and perhaps plans for NaNo. But it ain't happening today. I am posting to vent, in a small way, and also I realized I hadn't posted since July, and here it is late September. So: not dead, vexed, grr.
china_shop: Donghee standing in the rain, in a peach-orange sweater, grinning in delight. (TTOF Donghee grinning in the rain)
[personal profile] china_shop
  1. keep up [community profile] fan_flashworks streak
  2. finish current wishlist gift (quickly!) and write 3 or 4 more (so many tempting prompts!!)
  3. finish two WIPs that are more than 4 months old, especially the Zhu Hong one)
  4. Yuletide & treats?


Speaking of Yuletide, I think it's okay to post what you've nominated? I've nommed a handful of Kdramas: The Time of Fever, Unintentional Love Story[*], Good Manager, While You Were Sleeping, and Family by Choice (the dads).

[*] I'm never sure if it's okay to nom The Time of Fever and Unintentional Love Story? The pairing is the same for both. Ot1h, the shows have very different vibes, and ULS has different other characters as well. Otoh, you could reasonably write "ToF" fic set during ULS, or "ULS" fic informed by ToF... Mostly I nommed them both because I didn't know what other people in the (tiny, tiny) fandom might offer/request if they signed up, and I didn't want to mismatch if they only offered/requested one show or the other.
tl;dr: Umbrella fandoms solve a lot of problems! ;-p
trobadora: (Guardian - SID team)
[personal profile] trobadora posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
Just a reminder that [community profile] 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.
umadoshi: (apples 02)
[personal profile] umadoshi
It's autumn! Or spring! Happy equinox!

And happy Rosh Hashanah to those celebrating! May the coming year be sweet.

It's not actually in honor of autumn's arrival, but we have a chicken marinating in the fridge for tonight's supper. food chat under the cut: very little more about the chicken, a bit about apples, and a bit about breakfast [read: banana bread] prep )

My latest Guardian fanworks

Sep. 22nd, 2025 12:17 pm
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop 2)
[personal profile] facethestrange posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
Likely the last set of works before [community profile] 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."
umadoshi: (cozy autumn blankets (verhalen))
[personal profile] umadoshi
Posted elsenet yesterday: Queen's Quality is the only manga I've worked on with a simulpub release (for the last few years of its run), and now I'm down to odds & ends and small corrections that need doing for its final compiled volume. Feels a bit strange, having properly said goodbye months ago when adapting the epilogue.

That's this weekend's work, which I'd hoped to get done sooner than this (due to the Dayjob crunch starting this week, not because I'm running late), but I don't have the translation for my next assignment yet anyway, so I guess it's worked out fine. I do hope I can get this done today, though. (And I wish I'd gotten that translation and could have started adapting it this weekend, given. >.<)

Queen's Quality is one of those series that switched publishers/titles partway through its run (very early, in this case), and there's always something a bit amusing about being like, "I'm working on vol. 25, which is the final volume. I've worked on this story for 27 of its 28 volumes." (Which is to say, in this case, that Queen's Quality was preceded by three volumes of an initial series called QQ Sweeper, and someone else adapted vol. 1 of that one.)

[personal profile] scruloose and I have been getting some household puttering done, which was desperately needed. We're both prone to letting piles of ~stuff~ slowly accumulate, and getting some of that beaten back before work swallows my life for however long is a relief. (Especially since that type of visual clutter is one of the sensory things that starts to bother me far too easily when I'm stressed. It starts to feel like I'm being loomed over.

[personal profile] scruloose also hung up a piece of wall shelving for displaying things in my office! I have no clear idea yet of what will wind up on it, as most small things that go on such a shelf are just sort of stashed around my office in bins or odd places. I'll have to dig through some drawers and see what surfaces.

(I see the usefulness of the "a place for everything, and everything in its place" concept, but am terribly unclear on how that actually works for most people in practice, given how many sorts of objects [that do in fact see use] don't really lend themselves to "this object resides here in the house". We're very much not minimalists, which doesn't help, but...yeah. Like what do you do with, say, a vacuum cleaner if you don't have some closet space that lends itself to being the vacuum's home?)

(A while ago my mother-in-law forwarded a couple of pics she'd come across of our place not long after we'd moved in, when we were unpacked and a bit settled. It's incredible how alien it looked--the original horrible paint colors, some furniture that's been LONG since replaced--but I think the biggest thing is the complete absence of anything cat-related.)
china_shop: Chu Shuzhi wearing a black face mask with a cat mouth and whiskers on it. (Guardian - CSZ cat mask)
[personal profile] china_shop
I posted my unexpected-kink fic for the Riddle round of [community profile] fan_flashworks, and today I archived it to AO3. It's part of my Breakage and Repair 'verse which is Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives (mostly), Canon Divergence, but all you really need to know is that it's early-relationship Chu Shuzhi/Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan.

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.




As I said in my end notes, it’s hilarious to me that my first E-rated fic in this ‘verse is something I usually DNW (D/s, especially when it leans into existing power dynamics). For some reason, it worked for me in this specific scenario.
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
[personal profile] china_shop posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
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.

Drew some Tomoko

Sep. 20th, 2025 12:16 pm
fennectik: Anime (Anime)
[personal profile] fennectik posting in [community profile] anime_manga
Recently found out about this lovable anxiety-filled character named Tomoko from Watamote, being quite late to the entire series as it is. Went on sketching her face.

(no subject)

Sep. 20th, 2025 10:10 am
nanslice: (Default)
[personal profile] nanslice
There is a decided lack of whimsy in my life and man, it's a huge bummer. Today feels especially damning, so I'm gonna make a post!

I'm waiting to sign the paperwork but I've got a job at a nationwide pet supply store. I'll start as a part-time bather and after at least six months and 200 baths, I'll be applying for the grooming academy. I never really thought I'd go back into dog grooming but I have experience, enjoy it, plus it's pretty AI proof, so. You know! Also I love interacting with dogs and breaking down my day into assignments will be good, I think! The hiring manager was off yesterday and will be off today and Sunday, so I'll probably have to wait until Monday to move forward with the paperwork (I got a verbal confirmation, we were just waiting on the background check, which came through yesterday). A little frustrating because I'm really eager to get the show in the road, but I will try to remain patient. ;3;

Related, was able to talk to my doctor about my extreme panic and anxiety, and she upped my prescriptions so here's hoping that helps! I would very much like for it to! I need to find an actual therapist but medication working would also be very good! This house needs an income.

Yesterday I went out and used the little wood chipper to chew up a ton of the old, dead blackberry vines we took out earlier this year. It's not hard but it's tedious and they're pretty stabby. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while so I'm glad I finally found the energy and attention to do it!

Today we're going to a farm fest at one of the local community gardens. It should be a nice little community event, I'm looking forward to music and food, lol.

I'm participating in Kinktober this year, is anyone else? I'm working off the official listWhich I'll put under here since it's explicit ) and I'm pretty excited! I've already started working on mine, since I'm very slow, lmao. They'll all be in black and white since I don't want to try to worry about colors (and I mean, it's a play on Inktober, and I know ink comes in all colors, the tradition is black) and I'm having so much fun. I'm also trying more dynamic poses. I'm planning on posting them daily on bsky, although they're updating their ToS to be pretty shitty towards pornography. :\ I'm so frustrated with how the internet is going (and also everything that is terrible that is happening) and I just want to be able to draw and post porn in peace. But that's not how things are going.

AT LEAST DW IS STILL HERE. <3 <3 <3 Once I'm getting a steady income again, I'm going to put a little towards DW like twice a month or something. We've got to try to protect the spaces we have left. I'll still be posting on Bsky for as long as I can, but. It's a bummer!
china_shop: Chu Shuzhi wielding his magic blue strings. (Guardian - CSZ strings)
[personal profile] china_shop posting in [community profile] sid_guardian
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.



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!

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