My latest Guardian fanworks
Nov. 30th, 2025 07:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
facethestrange posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
sid_guardianTwo Weilan fics (drama and novel) + Zhubai ficlet and drawing. :)
sweeter than dreams (1295 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Oral Fixation, Fingers in Mouth, Lollipops, Facial Hair Kink, First Kiss, First Time, Oral Sex, Blowjob through clothes, Clothed Sex, Coming In Pants, Resolved Mutual Pining, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings
Series: Part 6 of All the different first times for YOHE Weilan
Summary: Shen Wei can't look away. Maybe he's too tired to keep himself in check, the long day weighing on him too much. He could always look away before, with enough effort, but now he just stares; he has apparently missed Kunlun's question too, because Kunlun is looking at him with a concerned frown, and Shen Wei— Shen Wei leans in and licks at the tiny bit of glossy sweetness clinging to Kunlun's chin.
make a fine shrine in me (1484 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, Obsession, Shen Wei's Kunlun Shrine, Stalking, Thirsty Zhao Yunlan, Anal Sex, Top Shen Wei (Guardian), Bottom Zhao Yunlan, First Time, First Time Bottoming, Bruises, Marking, Possessive Sex, Biting, Blood Drinking, (brief and not explicit), Blushing, Wall Sex, Zhao Yunlan is extremely into Shen Wei's obsessiveness, Zhao Yunlan Being Zhao Yunlan, Tenderness, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary: Zhao Yunlan should really feel confused, or concerned, or maybe even terrified. He just found out that he's a mortal incarnation of a god — mortal being the unexpectedly relevant keyword here — and Shen Wei has spent an indescribable amount of time feeding his own obsession, and now this all-powerful entity has full access to him in a room that no one else can enter.
Instead he feels flattered, and exhilarated, and absolutely, mind-blowingly turned on.
You're Worth It (100 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Character Bleed, Sleepy Cuddles, Soft, Bittersweet, Drabble
Summary: "You're worth it," Shen Wei will say tomorrow.
"You're worth it," Long-ge says now, as they run their lines late into the night again, at first facing each other properly, and then all tangled in a sleepy heap in the hotel bed.
Side by Side by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong
Additional Tags: cheek kiss, Soft, Fanart, Drawing
Series: Part 12 of Zhubai ~canon~ but with more kissing
Summary: A soft karaoke smooch. :)
sweeter than dreams (1295 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Ye Olde Haixing Era, Oral Fixation, Fingers in Mouth, Lollipops, Facial Hair Kink, First Kiss, First Time, Oral Sex, Blowjob through clothes, Clothed Sex, Coming In Pants, Resolved Mutual Pining, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn with Feelings
Series: Part 6 of All the different first times for YOHE Weilan
Summary: Shen Wei can't look away. Maybe he's too tired to keep himself in check, the long day weighing on him too much. He could always look away before, with enough effort, but now he just stares; he has apparently missed Kunlun's question too, because Kunlun is looking at him with a concerned frown, and Shen Wei— Shen Wei leans in and licks at the tiny bit of glossy sweetness clinging to Kunlun's chin.
make a fine shrine in me (1484 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, Obsession, Shen Wei's Kunlun Shrine, Stalking, Thirsty Zhao Yunlan, Anal Sex, Top Shen Wei (Guardian), Bottom Zhao Yunlan, First Time, First Time Bottoming, Bruises, Marking, Possessive Sex, Biting, Blood Drinking, (brief and not explicit), Blushing, Wall Sex, Zhao Yunlan is extremely into Shen Wei's obsessiveness, Zhao Yunlan Being Zhao Yunlan, Tenderness, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary: Zhao Yunlan should really feel confused, or concerned, or maybe even terrified. He just found out that he's a mortal incarnation of a god — mortal being the unexpectedly relevant keyword here — and Shen Wei has spent an indescribable amount of time feeding his own obsession, and now this all-powerful entity has full access to him in a room that no one else can enter.
Instead he feels flattered, and exhilarated, and absolutely, mind-blowingly turned on.
You're Worth It (100 words) by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Character Bleed, Sleepy Cuddles, Soft, Bittersweet, Drabble
Summary: "You're worth it," Shen Wei will say tomorrow.
"You're worth it," Long-ge says now, as they run their lines late into the night again, at first facing each other properly, and then all tangled in a sleepy heap in the hotel bed.
Side by Side by facethestrange
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018) RPF, Chinese Actor RPF
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bai Yu/Zhu Yilong
Characters: Bai Yu (Actor), Zhu Yilong
Additional Tags: cheek kiss, Soft, Fanart, Drawing
Series: Part 12 of Zhubai ~canon~ but with more kissing
Summary: A soft karaoke smooch. :)
(no subject)
Nov. 30th, 2025 11:43 amatamascolilyThe Tokyo Zodiac Murders was a DNF, but I did get all the way through Soji Shimada's Murder in the Crooked House. I picked it up mostly for the eponymous house, but didn't feel like it lived up to the hype - the house was weird, but I wanted it to be weirder and more of a character (as in Ayatsuji's Bizarre House Mysteries). The detective, Kyoshi Mitarai, is an interesting character, but doesn't show up until the third arc, and is filtered through his assistant because he already knows/suspects everything and the assistant is not very interesting. The solution is extremely clever, but I feel like my reaction was lacking due to the set-up and execution.
Deeplight by Francis Hardinge got hyped on tumblr, so I gave it a shot - YA set in an island chain previously haunted by eldritch cephalopods with humans harvesting their corpses for powers. Great worldbuilding, but the central relationship between the protagonist and his "friend" are so blatantly abusive that I got frustrated with how long it takes the protagonist to realize this and do something about it. At least there was no overt romance plot.
I'm increasingly coming to the realization that most recent YA is not for me - which is a little frustrating, since older works that were originally JF but got rebranded as YAF still work fine, and I can't tell if something's changed over the intervening years, it's me, or some combination of the two.
Deeplight by Francis Hardinge got hyped on tumblr, so I gave it a shot - YA set in an island chain previously haunted by eldritch cephalopods with humans harvesting their corpses for powers. Great worldbuilding, but the central relationship between the protagonist and his "friend" are so blatantly abusive that I got frustrated with how long it takes the protagonist to realize this and do something about it. At least there was no overt romance plot.
I'm increasingly coming to the realization that most recent YA is not for me - which is a little frustrating, since older works that were originally JF but got rebranded as YAF still work fine, and I can't tell if something's changed over the intervening years, it's me, or some combination of the two.
November recs: 3x Hermitcraft 1x Life series
Nov. 30th, 2025 03:08 pmschneefinkI'm sick (uuugh), but it's November 30th and I don't want to fail my monthly rec challenge now. So you get four Hermitcraft recs without a larger theme. 1 art & 3 fic (1 space AU & 2 admin power games, one of them a Life series crossover.)
I don't think canon knowledge is required for any of them: definitely not the first two, and I think the important parts of the other two become clear very quickly.
in too deep by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
modest_starr
digital art, Geminitay
Summary: additional tags: Imminent Character Death, she is literally drowning, Hallucinations, Eye strain, highly saturated colors, Hermitcraft Season 10, Anthropologist Geminitay, Sea Monsters
Why I like it: The tags say "hallucinations" but I also really like the idea of scientist Gem looking too deep. Very cool colors.
Why is everyone sucking Farlands' dick over their new ship??? byKaesa
6k, SF AU, implied Scar/Grian, social media outsider PoV with in-universe RPF
Summary: Hey, uh, what's with everyone losing their minds over Farlands' Good Times? I thought we all agreed Farlands was evil incarnate? Last big colony mission they launched, even half the people at Brave Voyages were like "wow so sick of Farlands' bullshit, hope Farlands explodes," but this thing has been around for less than a year and people HERE are like, writing romantic poetry about it? Can someone explain? Obviously I too am fascinated by whether they're using tuned mass dampers or something else to keep the gravity steady, and the reflex rewiring they have to do to the pilots to get something that big through hyperspace is wild, but uh. This is not that.
A forum thread from the future.
Why I love it: Reccing part 2 here so I have a good reason to rec the series when it's done; I also recommend part 1 but I like this one even better. Scar is a Pilot, which means he controls a spaceship with his brain, and Grian is his doctor. Very cool worldbuilding and very funny.
feeling a gold hand unfolding on me byspringbeetle
3.3k, Grian & Xisuma, non-sexual kink (body modification, admin powers)
Summary: It was daylight, not that you could tell from the enclosed room Xisuma had teleported Grian into. A bright, fantastic Hermitcraft day, his friends bustling about the server engaged in activities, cheerfully oblivious to what Xisuma and Grian were about to do in this room together. To what Xisuma was about to do to Grian.
Most Hermits weren’t big on tradition, when you got down to it. They’d been around too long, seen enough of the universe to have set preferences about their bodies, or they had their own plans for each season. Scar and Cub had recently finished with their predatory ConVex business, for instance, and Cleo kept her zombieness– zombitude? Zombiehood?-- firmly under her own control, and the less said about Joe’s usual brand of shenanigans, the better.
So it had been unusual, having a new player such as Grian bring the concept up in the roundabout fashion he had, side-eyeing Xisuma like he wasn’t sure whether Xisuma would just snatch him up one day, like he was checking off a box on some haphazard to-do list-- like he’d smacked himself on the helmet and gone oh, silly me, that’s right! I forgot to modify Grian to my personal preferences last month!
Why I like it: Wonderful take on admin Xisuma taking care of his player even with an unusual request. I like how Xisuma needs the encouragement and reassurances to keep going but he does enjoy getting into his evil role when he feels comfortable and he is good at it, too. And Grian is very good at prodding him just enough and having to admit he doesn't not want this, delicious.
a weave that can be unpicked bystrifetxt
3.4k, Scar&/Grian, Third Life
Summary: Grian's eyes widen. “Wait, did you think I’d made a plug-in to force players into turning hostile?”
Scar blinks. “Didn’t you?”
“Wh— No, of course not!”
“Oh.” Scar deflates, but then, just as quickly, perks back up. “Could you though?”
Or: Scar has some ideas to make Third Life more fun. Grian has some concerns.
Why I like it: Excellent recursive fic of the above, and another case of a player prodding an admin into using their powers on them. I love the intimacy of the admin power used on a willing subject.
I don't think canon knowledge is required for any of them: definitely not the first two, and I think the important parts of the other two become clear very quickly.
in too deep by
digital art, Geminitay
Summary: additional tags: Imminent Character Death, she is literally drowning, Hallucinations, Eye strain, highly saturated colors, Hermitcraft Season 10, Anthropologist Geminitay, Sea Monsters
Why I like it: The tags say "hallucinations" but I also really like the idea of scientist Gem looking too deep. Very cool colors.
Why is everyone sucking Farlands' dick over their new ship??? by
6k, SF AU, implied Scar/Grian, social media outsider PoV with in-universe RPF
Summary: Hey, uh, what's with everyone losing their minds over Farlands' Good Times? I thought we all agreed Farlands was evil incarnate? Last big colony mission they launched, even half the people at Brave Voyages were like "wow so sick of Farlands' bullshit, hope Farlands explodes," but this thing has been around for less than a year and people HERE are like, writing romantic poetry about it? Can someone explain? Obviously I too am fascinated by whether they're using tuned mass dampers or something else to keep the gravity steady, and the reflex rewiring they have to do to the pilots to get something that big through hyperspace is wild, but uh. This is not that.
A forum thread from the future.
Why I love it: Reccing part 2 here so I have a good reason to rec the series when it's done; I also recommend part 1 but I like this one even better. Scar is a Pilot, which means he controls a spaceship with his brain, and Grian is his doctor. Very cool worldbuilding and very funny.
feeling a gold hand unfolding on me by
3.3k, Grian & Xisuma, non-sexual kink (body modification, admin powers)
Summary: It was daylight, not that you could tell from the enclosed room Xisuma had teleported Grian into. A bright, fantastic Hermitcraft day, his friends bustling about the server engaged in activities, cheerfully oblivious to what Xisuma and Grian were about to do in this room together. To what Xisuma was about to do to Grian.
Most Hermits weren’t big on tradition, when you got down to it. They’d been around too long, seen enough of the universe to have set preferences about their bodies, or they had their own plans for each season. Scar and Cub had recently finished with their predatory ConVex business, for instance, and Cleo kept her zombieness– zombitude? Zombiehood?-- firmly under her own control, and the less said about Joe’s usual brand of shenanigans, the better.
So it had been unusual, having a new player such as Grian bring the concept up in the roundabout fashion he had, side-eyeing Xisuma like he wasn’t sure whether Xisuma would just snatch him up one day, like he was checking off a box on some haphazard to-do list-- like he’d smacked himself on the helmet and gone oh, silly me, that’s right! I forgot to modify Grian to my personal preferences last month!
Why I like it: Wonderful take on admin Xisuma taking care of his player even with an unusual request. I like how Xisuma needs the encouragement and reassurances to keep going but he does enjoy getting into his evil role when he feels comfortable and he is good at it, too. And Grian is very good at prodding him just enough and having to admit he doesn't not want this, delicious.
a weave that can be unpicked by
3.4k, Scar&/Grian, Third Life
Summary: Grian's eyes widen. “Wait, did you think I’d made a plug-in to force players into turning hostile?”
Scar blinks. “Didn’t you?”
“Wh— No, of course not!”
“Oh.” Scar deflates, but then, just as quickly, perks back up. “Could you though?”
Or: Scar has some ideas to make Third Life more fun. Grian has some concerns.
Why I like it: Excellent recursive fic of the above, and another case of a player prodding an admin into using their powers on them. I love the intimacy of the admin power used on a willing subject.
Unseen
Nov. 30th, 2025 12:50 pmextrapenguinI've been feeling melancholy for – well. The calendar says it's almost December, the Christmas lights are up here, etc, but the weather says it's the start of October. And also, as it is still my first year in Paris, I have been basically sick nonstop. Last weekend I got the influenza or something.
Last year, I read a book that changed my life (or, at least, how I approach other people). The book's analysis of appreciation and how it is and isn't given thus lurks at the back of my mind; less "living rent-free" and more like a structural element.
My job is ... well. Theoretically, it's interesting. In practice, it feels like nothing I do matters – no-one admits to being in charge, the person I thought was my boss is too busy doing project administration paperwork to supervise me and has informed me that she's actually not my boss at all, I do not know who my boss is, and the piece of equipment I was promised would arrive in September has been delayed to February at best. I do not know who my boss is.
(Also this is not a job for a postdoc IMO? I really think they should've hired a PhD student instead, and only got a postdoc because they only have two years of funding...)
In short, the management is shit. I've tried giving feedback, but the problems with this group run deep, apparently, and also I'm not officially a part of the group. (The least wrong answer to "Where do you work?" is "It's complicated.") Like. It's one thing to be self-directed, but frankly, I feel self-employed, except with none of the good parts.
(Also Paris fucking sucks, y'all? Pollution so bad you can taste it, the sheer noise of the masses, all the grocery stores have more restrictive opening times than the fucking alcohol monopoly in Finland, and the locals are all "omg you live in the bad part of town???" my dude your entire fucking city is sketchy af! All of Paris is "the bad part of town"!)
Oh yeah and I've been suffering with bedbugs. I hired the pros the moment I found them, buuuuut I think they've been coming through the vents. I recently covered them with fabric (and duct tape), but ofc there's the residual population. I sleep with no skin uncovered so they cannot feed and multiply. I do a final sweep of visible surfaces before bed and exterminate all I can find. There are bloodstains on my ceiling and a hatred in my soul.
Last year, I read a book that changed my life (or, at least, how I approach other people). The book's analysis of appreciation and how it is and isn't given thus lurks at the back of my mind; less "living rent-free" and more like a structural element.
My job is ... well. Theoretically, it's interesting. In practice, it feels like nothing I do matters – no-one admits to being in charge, the person I thought was my boss is too busy doing project administration paperwork to supervise me and has informed me that she's actually not my boss at all, I do not know who my boss is, and the piece of equipment I was promised would arrive in September has been delayed to February at best. I do not know who my boss is.
(Also this is not a job for a postdoc IMO? I really think they should've hired a PhD student instead, and only got a postdoc because they only have two years of funding...)
In short, the management is shit. I've tried giving feedback, but the problems with this group run deep, apparently, and also I'm not officially a part of the group. (The least wrong answer to "Where do you work?" is "It's complicated.") Like. It's one thing to be self-directed, but frankly, I feel self-employed, except with none of the good parts.
(Also Paris fucking sucks, y'all? Pollution so bad you can taste it, the sheer noise of the masses, all the grocery stores have more restrictive opening times than the fucking alcohol monopoly in Finland, and the locals are all "omg you live in the bad part of town???" my dude your entire fucking city is sketchy af! All of Paris is "the bad part of town"!)
Oh yeah and I've been suffering with bedbugs. I hired the pros the moment I found them, buuuuut I think they've been coming through the vents. I recently covered them with fabric (and duct tape), but ofc there's the residual population. I sleep with no skin uncovered so they cannot feed and multiply. I do a final sweep of visible surfaces before bed and exterminate all I can find. There are bloodstains on my ceiling and a hatred in my soul.
Look! I remembered to post before December started this year!
Nov. 30th, 2025 02:42 am![[staff profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user_staff.png){kind=small}
denise posting in ![[site community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/comm_staff.png){kind=small}
dw_newsHello, friends! It's about to be December again, and you know what that means: the fact I am posting this actually before December 1 means karzilla reminded me about the existence of linear time again. Wait, no -- well, yes, but also -- okay, look, let me back up and start again: it's almost December, and that means it's time for our annual December holiday points bonus.
The standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.
( The fine print and much more behind this cut! )
Thank you, in short, for being the best possible users any social media site could possibly ever hope for. I'm probably in danger of crossing the Sappiness Line if I haven't already, but you all make everything worth it.
On behalf of Mark, Jen, Robby, and our team of awesome volunteers, and to each and every one of you, whether you've been with us on this wild ride since the beginning or just signed up last week, I'm wishing you all a very happy set of end-of-year holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, and hoping for all of you that your 2026 is full of kindness, determination, empathy, and a hell of a lot more luck than we've all had lately. Let's go.
karzilla reminded me about the existence of linear time again. Wait, no -- well, yes, but also -- okay, look, let me back up and start again: it's almost December, and that means it's time for our annual December holiday points bonus.The standard explanation: For the entire month of December, all orders made in the Shop of points and paid time, either for you or as a gift for a friend, will have 10% of your completed cart total sent to you in points when you finish the transaction. For instance, if you buy an order of 12 months of paid time for $35 (350 points), you'll get 35 points when the order is complete, to use on a future purchase.
( The fine print and much more behind this cut! )
Thank you, in short, for being the best possible users any social media site could possibly ever hope for. I'm probably in danger of crossing the Sappiness Line if I haven't already, but you all make everything worth it.
On behalf of Mark, Jen, Robby, and our team of awesome volunteers, and to each and every one of you, whether you've been with us on this wild ride since the beginning or just signed up last week, I'm wishing you all a very happy set of end-of-year holidays, whichever ones you celebrate, and hoping for all of you that your 2026 is full of kindness, determination, empathy, and a hell of a lot more luck than we've all had lately. Let's go.
Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 7, part 1
Nov. 30th, 2025 04:53 pmchina_shop posting in sid_guardian
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 7, up to 24:30
Summary
Shen Wei starts to get serious with the muggers, but just then Zhao Yunlan shows up and "rescues" him... only to be caught unawares with a metal bar. They go to Shen Wei's place for first aid and verbal sparring.
Zhao Yunlan asks Shen Wei to be an official consultant to the SID, and Shen Wei refuses. Zhao Yunlan accidentally implies he's been in Shen Wei's place before. The next day at the SID, Lin Jing is telling ghost stories when a call comes about a new case: one of the muggers is dead. When the SID review nearby CCTV footage, they don't see much, but rewinding to earlier reveals that Zhao Yunlan met up with Shen Wei in that alley. Zhao Yunlan unconvincingly laughs this off. The "bears" call: Zhu Hong grudgingly conveys a laptop to Shen Wei for a Zoom call with Zhao Yunlan and the others. After Shen Wei's extensive and illustrated lecture on different kinds of bears, Da Qing pipes up to suggest the attacker might be a Youchu; Shen Wei produces a relevant sketch. Zhao Yunlan, Lin Jing and Chu Shuzhi visit the surviving mugger in hospital; he's out of his wits, babbling about a monster. Lin Jing sees the crime scene photos and makes the connection with his favourite web novel.
Quote
Shen Wei: There are some questions that, out of principle, I cannot answer. But when the safety of people around me are at stake, I will surely not watch from the side and hide information from you. You can count on me for that.
Detail
The moment they're inside his apartment, Shen Wei
Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 7? Do you think Zhao Yunlan's arrival at the mugging was coincidence, or had he been tailing Shen Wei? Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers? Shen Wei doesn't show any surprise at the job offer -- do you think he was expecting it? Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"? We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he? We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them? What do the others think is going on when they see Zhao Yunlan with Shen Wei in the CCTV footage? Did Zhu Hong volunteer to take the laptop to Shen Wei for the video call, or was she assigned to do it? Why a video call instead of Zhao Yunlan paying a visit? At the hospital, why is Chu Shuzhi so grumpy? Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?
Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?
(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 -- if you can, please sign up to host a post!
Weekly proof of life: media, an appliance, and chicken and cabbage
Nov. 29th, 2025 03:10 pmumadoshiReading: Since last weekend, I've finished reading Rebecca Mahoney's The Memory Eater and read Susan Cooper's Over Sea, Under Stone and Aster Glenn Gray's The Wolf and the Girl, and scruloose and I finished listening to Network Effect. (One Murderbot audiobook left to go! At least until whenever the new one comes out next year.)
I'd never read any of The Dark is Rising [series] before, but a while back I got the whole set in an ebook bundle, and this week I remembered to actually ask around about which part of people read seasonally (or if it's the whole thing) and confirmed that winter solstice is indeed the season in question. So I expect to take a stab at reading The Dark is Rising [book] in a few weeks.
Seasonally related: Llinos Cathryn Thomas has a new seasonal novella out, All is Bright, which I understand can just be read like any other book but is written to work as an Advent countdown, one chapter a day. Hopefully I'll remember to start that on Monday, alongside whatever else I pick up next.
Watching: Having finally finished Network Effect,scruloose and I dipped back into Silo season 2 last night. Three whole episodes down now!
I also succumbed to anticipatory fandom hype and watched the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry. I can't say I'm in love, but it looks like it's only six episodes total, so I expect I'll keep on with it. [Content note: the sex scenes are fairly graphic, at least by my fuzzy impression of standards for a mainstream show.] I have zero familiarity with the book, so no idea what's going to happen or how it is as an adaptation.
[Via The Rec Centre: "How ‘Heated Rivalry’ Became the Internet’s Favorite Show — Before It’s Even Aired".]
Householding: We've ordered a new upright freezer for the garage, since the current one is still being cranky. Once we've swapped the new one in (ETA: next weekend),scruloose may take a stab at repairing it; that might've been the first step if it had been an appliance that's not full of food that needs to stay frozen, but with no idea what we would've done with said food during the attempt and troubleshooting and repair, and given how busy they've been lately, it wasn't a good choice right now. If they're able to fix the old one, we should be able to rehome it with someone who needs one.
Cooking: We did indeed make the Smitten Kitchen Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Cabbage last weekend, and it was really good. I've been pleased about how many vegetables it turns out I can find palatable in some situations, but I think this was the most actual enjoyment I've had from one. (The cabbage didn't do as well as a leftover the next night as the chicken itself did, but was still fine.)
scruloose and I finished listening to Network Effect. (One Murderbot audiobook left to go! At least until whenever the new one comes out next year.)I'd never read any of The Dark is Rising [series] before, but a while back I got the whole set in an ebook bundle, and this week I remembered to actually ask around about which part of people read seasonally (or if it's the whole thing) and confirmed that winter solstice is indeed the season in question. So I expect to take a stab at reading The Dark is Rising [book] in a few weeks.
Seasonally related: Llinos Cathryn Thomas has a new seasonal novella out, All is Bright, which I understand can just be read like any other book but is written to work as an Advent countdown, one chapter a day. Hopefully I'll remember to start that on Monday, alongside whatever else I pick up next.
Watching: Having finally finished Network Effect,
scruloose and I dipped back into Silo season 2 last night. Three whole episodes down now!I also succumbed to anticipatory fandom hype and watched the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry. I can't say I'm in love, but it looks like it's only six episodes total, so I expect I'll keep on with it. [Content note: the sex scenes are fairly graphic, at least by my fuzzy impression of standards for a mainstream show.] I have zero familiarity with the book, so no idea what's going to happen or how it is as an adaptation.
[Via The Rec Centre: "How ‘Heated Rivalry’ Became the Internet’s Favorite Show — Before It’s Even Aired".]
Householding: We've ordered a new upright freezer for the garage, since the current one is still being cranky. Once we've swapped the new one in (ETA: next weekend),
scruloose may take a stab at repairing it; that might've been the first step if it had been an appliance that's not full of food that needs to stay frozen, but with no idea what we would've done with said food during the attempt and troubleshooting and repair, and given how busy they've been lately, it wasn't a good choice right now. If they're able to fix the old one, we should be able to rehome it with someone who needs one.Cooking: We did indeed make the Smitten Kitchen Roast Chicken with Schmaltzy Cabbage last weekend, and it was really good. I've been pleased about how many vegetables it turns out I can find palatable in some situations, but I think this was the most actual enjoyment I've had from one. (The cabbage didn't do as well as a leftover the next night as the chicken itself did, but was still fine.)
Weekly Chat
Nov. 29th, 2025 01:56 pmdancing_serpent posting in c_entThe weekly chat posts are intended for just that, chatting among each other. What are you currently watching? Reading? What actor/idol are you currently following? What are you looking forward to? Are you busy writing, creating art? Or did you have no time at all for anything, and are bemoaning that fact?
Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or
Whatever it is, talk to us about it here. Tell us what you liked or didn't like, and if you want to talk about spoilery things, please hide them under either of these codes:
or
@thefridayfive 251128
Nov. 29th, 2025 04:48 pmhalfcactus1. What were some of the smells and tastes of your childhood?
General scents: Mosquito coils; the colorful chemical paste that you'd smear on a little stick and blow up into a plastic balloon; the smoke from the (now discontinued) toy revolvers that you "reloaded" with red plastic bullet rings; White Flower oil
Star margarine
Hometown dimsum, my beloved for life.
Hometown "street" food: grilled scallops, grilled pork, lemongrass-stuffed native chicken, puso (rice boiled in pouch of woven leaves). And ngohiong, a five-spice-based ('ngohiong' is just 五香) spring roll that never grew on me but is everywhereeeee in my hometown.
Mango tarts, which I just realized that I haven't seen in a decade, at least not in the exact way I remember. It's the kind that has a round shape, a crimped crust, a custard base, a layer of mango slices and a layer of colorless gelatin (I forget in what order), and they'd be sold in solo sizes.
Eucalyptus leaves, dampened to release a minty scent and cooling sensation (we had a tree).
Santol (cotton fruit) - I haven't had one since we moved to the capital. I only liked the pulp around the seeds anyway lol, I haaaated having to eat the sour outer rind to get to the sweet cottony center.
Kamunggay (moringa). My mom hasn't cooked with these since we moved to the capital. I guess because they're not leaves that are worth spending money on (we used to have a tree).
The whole sensory experience of inasal (roasted suckling pig, more commonly known as lechon outside my hometown) we'd have at Christmas/New Year parties. The meat was soft, succulent, and salty, the way only my hometown can do it. The skin was a glossy, deep red shell. It made a satisfying crackle when you broke off pieces with your fingers and shattered them with your teeth, a full ASMR experience. I am not a lechon enjoyer (I prefer them in leftover form), but adults were always putting cuts of it on my plate and telling me to tryyyy the skinnnnn because it was apparently just That Important to them. Is it any wonder that those relatives developed cholesterol and blood sugar issues over years.....
2. What did you have as a child that you do not think children today have?
Winamp skins and piracy skills!
3. What elementary grade was your favorite?
None, elementary and high school are a blur to me.
4. What summer do you remember the best as a child?
The summer my parents shipped my brother and me to different households in my hometown. During that period, I watched Prince of Tennis, got bundled into an overnight ferry for a beach trip (snorkeling) with my cousins' cousins (my relatives had plans and couldn't just leave me behind), and got yelled at and insulted a lot by my aunt who hated girls bc of generational trauma.
5. What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self, and at what age?
IDK, I guess do more extracurriculars, learn to network, and hang out/do things with other people more? But probably more extracurriculars, I didn't really have any.
This question unlocked something inside me
2. What did you have as a child that you do not think children today have?
Winamp skins and piracy skills!
3. What elementary grade was your favorite?
None, elementary and high school are a blur to me.
4. What summer do you remember the best as a child?
The summer my parents shipped my brother and me to different households in my hometown. During that period, I watched Prince of Tennis, got bundled into an overnight ferry for a beach trip (snorkeling) with my cousins' cousins (my relatives had plans and couldn't just leave me behind), and got yelled at and insulted a lot by my aunt who hated girls bc of generational trauma.
5. What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self, and at what age?
IDK, I guess do more extracurriculars, learn to network, and hang out/do things with other people more? But probably more extracurriculars, I didn't really have any.
Me-and-media update
Nov. 29th, 2025 02:25 pmchina_shopPrevious poll review
In the Making friends with chatbots poll, 66.1% of respondents hadn't used AI in the last seven days, as far as they were aware, and 8.9% had used it for work. A quarter of respondents had used it against their will. Once again, I'm left wondering how representative Dreamwidth denizens are. My people!
In ticky-boxes, alpine octopuses practising their yodelling came a distant second to hugs, 41.1% to 67.9%. Thank you for your votes!!
Reading
( Read more... )
Kdramas
( Read more... )
Other TV
( Read more... )
Audio entertainment
Tons of Tech Won't Save Us, which is really good. Argh, everything. /o\ Most of the available episodes of new Aotearoa NZ political podcast Cross Party Lines (in the vein of and inspired by The Rest is Politics), which is really good -- intelligent and informed, of course, and I appreciate that the right-wing representative has zero time for our current government. Writing Excuses. Letters from an American. One episode of Fansplaining. A couple of episodes of The Life Indigenous, and the start of an episode of The Tongue Unbroken: Language Revitalization & Decolonization.
Online life
Constantly running to keep up, partly because I haven't been around as much. | I need to not compare my Yuletide productivity with last year's -- finishing my assignment is enough! Anything else is jam. | Thesid_guardian Slo-Mo Guardian Rewatch continues to be wonderful!
Writing/making things
A few bits and pieces inspired by the Slo-Mo Rewatch, a few flashfics. It's time to roll up my sleeves and dig into my Yuletide fic: so far I have 360 words and a scene list. I'm in a reasonably good writing headspace, so I expect it to be funif I can keep from second-guessing my prose. *knock on wood*
Life/health/mental state things
( Read more... )
Link dump
Ryan Coogler gives a speech at Chadwick Boseman's posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony (viaminoanmiss) | ![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
dyk-tv-theme-song | wordhippo.com is my current thesaurus of choice | The Old College Try (Feel Good (TV) fanvid) by periru3 | Japanese heavy metal (who linked to this? the video is amazing) | From Now on I’m Taking All of My Storytelling Lessons From This Wild Epic About Love, Loyalty, and Necromancy by Kali Wallace (via starandrea) | !!!!! Did you know you can search across all sign-ups for events on AO3? !!!! :D
Good things
Meerkats and kangas and lemurs, oh my! Sunshine. TV. Dumplings. Biking. Yuletide and Guardian. Dreamwidth. Haircuts (I had 8 months' worth cut off, and when I stood up, there was a MOUNTAIN of clippings on the floor). Coloured pencils. Podcasts. Libraries.
In the Making friends with chatbots poll, 66.1% of respondents hadn't used AI in the last seven days, as far as they were aware, and 8.9% had used it for work. A quarter of respondents had used it against their will. Once again, I'm left wondering how representative Dreamwidth denizens are. My people!
In ticky-boxes, alpine octopuses practising their yodelling came a distant second to hugs, 41.1% to 67.9%. Thank you for your votes!!
Reading
( Read more... )
Kdramas
( Read more... )
Other TV
( Read more... )
Audio entertainment
Tons of Tech Won't Save Us, which is really good. Argh, everything. /o\ Most of the available episodes of new Aotearoa NZ political podcast Cross Party Lines (in the vein of and inspired by The Rest is Politics), which is really good -- intelligent and informed, of course, and I appreciate that the right-wing representative has zero time for our current government. Writing Excuses. Letters from an American. One episode of Fansplaining. A couple of episodes of The Life Indigenous, and the start of an episode of The Tongue Unbroken: Language Revitalization & Decolonization.
Online life
Constantly running to keep up, partly because I haven't been around as much. | I need to not compare my Yuletide productivity with last year's -- finishing my assignment is enough! Anything else is jam. | The
sid_guardian Slo-Mo Guardian Rewatch continues to be wonderful! Writing/making things
A few bits and pieces inspired by the Slo-Mo Rewatch, a few flashfics. It's time to roll up my sleeves and dig into my Yuletide fic: so far I have 360 words and a scene list. I'm in a reasonably good writing headspace, so I expect it to be fun
Life/health/mental state things
( Read more... )
Link dump
Ryan Coogler gives a speech at Chadwick Boseman's posthumous Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony (via
minoanmiss) | starandrea) | !!!!! Did you know you can search across all sign-ups for events on AO3? !!!! :DGood things
Meerkats and kangas and lemurs, oh my! Sunshine. TV. Dumplings. Biking. Yuletide and Guardian. Dreamwidth. Haircuts (I had 8 months' worth cut off, and when I stood up, there was a MOUNTAIN of clippings on the floor). Coloured pencils. Podcasts. Libraries.
Poll #33888 Subscriptions
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 42
Have you cancelled any subscriptions for political reasons, lately?
View Answers
yes
11 (26.2%)
no, but I'm going to
0 (0.0%)
no, but I'm thinking about it
3 (7.1%)
no (too hard, don't have any, or other no)
21 (50.0%)
other
2 (4.8%)
grar at everything
15 (35.7%)
ticky-box full of hard copy media
18 (42.9%)
ticky-box full of instant gratification takes too long (Carrie Fisher)
14 (33.3%)
ticky-box full of lemurs locked together like lego pieces
13 (31.0%)
ticky-box full of the dishes are done!
12 (28.6%)
ticky-box full of fairies "helpfully" filling all your cups and mugs with snowdew and honeyflakes
14 (33.3%)
ticky-box full of hugs
28 (66.7%)