A Romantic Fangirl

I wrote two things for the 520 Day Guardian Reverse Exchange (my assignment and a pinch hit), both for the drama, both Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan.

Title: Trust Fall (6163 words) [Teen and Up]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Emotional and Physical hurt/comfort, Domestic Weilan, Clothes Sharing, Protectiveness, Weilan letting their guard down around each other, Shen Wei’s secrets and Zhao Yunlan’s feelings about them, Episode Related, Blindness Arc, Missing Scene, Getting Together, First Kiss, Zhao Xinci's A+ parenting

Summary:

Shen Wei’s grip on Zhao Yunlan’s arms tightened in line with the tension in his voice. “You didn’t tell Minister Gao.”

“What? This? Eh, why bother him with minor operational details during a holiday?”

“Details.” Shen Wei’s tone was flat, which probably meant his brow was stern. Not Envoy-forbidding, but something in the Mildly Disapproving Professor range.

Zhao Yunlan refused to be disapproved of. Why let worry flood in and wash away their victory?


Title: The Life-Changing Magic of a Home-Cooked Meal (7341 words) [General Audiences]
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Relationships: Lǐ Qiàn & Shěn Wēi, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, POV Outsider, Domestic, Politics, Dark Energy Science, Worldbuilding, Found Family, Sharing Clothes, Banter, Established Relationship, Long-Haired Shen Wei

Summary:

Li Qian peered past him down the hall, but there was no sign of Professor Shen. What should she do with her gifts?

“He’s in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. I’ll take you.” Chief Zhao opened the door wider, and Li Qian squared her shoulders and walked into the home of Professor Shen, Shen Wei, hero, public figure, and Ambassador of Dixing.

Chief Zhao seemed completely at ease. He took her coat and hung it on a coat-rack that was already thickly layered with wool overcoats and leather and denim jackets. She left her shoes on the floor below, next to a pair of fine leather shoes, some casual sheepskin boots and some heavy black ones with buckles.

Her initial base assumption that the Black-Cloaked Envoy would live in eerie, solitary splendour was starting to seem shaky.

Hi, and welcome to this week's installment of the Guardian novel readalong - in this post, we're talking about chapters 5 & 6 of volume 3.

Here are last week's chapters, and you can find all previous discussions in the schedule posts (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4), or via the !readalong tag.

This week's chapters:

Chapter 5: Zhao Yunlan, Zhu Hong, and Daqing discuss the Record of Ancient Secrets, a book found in the SID library. They go to the Netherworld to investigate its provenance, keeping Leaves of Illusion in their mouths to keep from being recognised as living beings. At a bookshop where they're making enquiries, the little-girl proprietor says Zhao Yunlan bought the book.
Chapter 6: The proprietor says the Zhao Yunlan who bought the book 11 years ago looked the same. She warns him to be careful. A double-faced ghost finds them and shouts that they're alive. They get mobbed by ghouls. They fight back, but they're vastly outnumbered. Zhao Yunlan protects Shen Wei's coat. In desperation, Zhao Yunlan sets the city on fire, and they run for the gates only to find them shut. Zhao Yunlan feels something awaken inside him. The Emissary arrives and saves them. Zhao Yunlan hugs him and tells him to come home.

The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation are chapters 83-84.

Excerpts:

( 1) Zhao Yunlan questions the name of his order )

( 2) The Netherworld is dangerous for living beings )

( 3) Zhao Yunlan is a repeat customer at the Netherworld bookshop )

( 4) They're accosted by a two-faced ghost )

( 5) Zhao Yunlan hugs the Emissary )

Questions:

What's your favourite worldbuilding detail about the Netherworld? Should Zhao Yunlan have left Zhu Hong back at the SID? Is Zhao Yunlan only polite to the bookshop proprietor because he wants something, or is he nicer to spirits when they're in their proper place? What is the deal with the travel diary that describes the Huangquan Road?! Do you think Zhao Yunlan carries Leaves of Illusion with him at all times, or did he stock up for the trip? How sad are you that we didn't get a Dixing bookshop in the drama? Any other thoughts about these chapters (and how they were adapted)?

(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 readalong!)

Our schedule for this round -- please sign up to host a post if you can!

Hi, I'm on a mini Taylor Swift kick, and yesterday I watched the OMV for "I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In". I know/suspect this song has already been vidded a lot, but for some reason, yesterday it immediately made me think of Guo Changcheng. So here is my "Guo Changcheng encounters trouble" poll, in the format of Cluedo (AKA Clue) guesses. :D