Sundial Exchange Love and Friendship meme!

[sundial_exchange_mod]

Happy March or Happy Leap Day, depending on where you are in the world!

We’re still glowing from the lovely energy that the exchange created, thank you all so much for making it such a wonderful experience for everyone! It exceeded our wildest expectations in both number of fanworks and type of fanworks, and we are so honoured to have been able to create a space to make that possible 🥰🎉✨

At asya_ana’s suggestion we are hosting a Love and Friendship meme for Guardian and Guardian-related canons. You can use the form in the textbox below if you like or go wild!

<strong>User names:</strong> <strong>Pronouns:</strong> <strong>Language(s):</strong> <strong>How did you first get into Guardian fandom?</strong> <strong>What is one thing you love about the show?</strong> <strong>What is your favourite terrible special effect?</strong> <strong>What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship?</strong> <strong>Do you have a favourite character?</strong> <strong>Do you have a favourite villain?</strong> <strong>Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons:</strong> <strong>Do you like RPF?</strong> <strong>Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)?</strong> <strong>What other fandoms are you in or have you been in?</strong> <strong>What are some of your general fanwork likes:</strong> <strong>Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things?</strong> <strong>Anything else you want to say?</strong>

There is also an ongoing Guardian fandom friending meme over at sid_guardian, for more of your meme needs✨

Comments

[glymr]

User names: glymr
Pronouns: she/her
Language(s): English! Some Japanese and a TINY bit of Chinese
How did you first get into Guardian fandom? I think I first encountered it at Escapade 2019, when I saw some vids, including bonibaru's. I forgot about it for awhile, then saw a fandom explainer for it in the Rec Center, which included the info that there were fansubs for it, and finally got off my butt and downloaded it. It was love at first ep.
What is one thing you love about the show? The secret identity shenanigans. I'm WEAK for identity porn. <3
What is your favourite terrible special effect? Probably Da Qing's transformation? I know it's not very convincing, but I still liked it. Either that or poor Ziu Jiu's terrible wig. XD
On the other hand, there are some effects I think don't get enough credit. Zhu Yilong's STELLAR acting differentiating his various characters, the excellent camera angle work, the beautiful soundtrack...
What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship? I love that Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are such a strong, devoted couple so early in the show. I love 'getting together' stories, but this one is particularly special because we get to see that but we also get to see after the characters ARE together, when they're an amazing power couple!
Do you have a favourite character? Shen Wei Shen Wei Shen Weiiii <3
Do you have a favourite villain? Ye Zun
Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: I've seen Detective L, Fairyland Lovers, and most of Granting You a Dreamlike Life. The Story of Ming Lan is next on my list!
Do you like RPF? Yes! I didn't until this fandom, but then I fell HARD. I like reading it and writing it.
Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? There are a lot of wonderful ones to choose from that are very beautiful, but I think my favorite for the amount of worldbuilding and incredible storytelling in three and a half minutes has got to be Time Engraver.
What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? I started in Sailor Moon fandom, and from there branched out into Cardcaptor Sakura and D.N.Angel. Around 2011ish I got into DC comics fandom in a BIG way and wrote a lot for it, some of which still isn't archived on AO3. I was into Dresden Files for a little while in 2018 (about 6 years too late for the big rush) and Detroit: Become Human in 2019, until I watched Guardian.
What are some of your general fanwork likes: I enjoy reading and writing smut. Favorite tropes are probably identity porn, sex pollen and genderswap, though there are plenty of other things I love as well!
Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? Dreamwidth is great, but I'm also on Twitter at glymrs and Discord at Discord at glymr#7185,and AO3 at glymr. Please feel free to follow me at any of those places! Be warned that I do post smut on Twitter, DW and AO3, though!
Anything else you want to say? I love making friends! Feel free to send me a message if you're looking for a beta or if you want to talk about Guardian. You'll make me really happy!

[winter_blossom]

User names: winter_blossom

Pronouns: She/her

Language(s): Apart from my mother tongue (which is so obscure there's no point in mentioning it), I'm pretty fluent in English. I have some passing knowledge of spoken Japanese that's been cobbled together from extended exposure to anime and manga, and can read katakana, hiragana, and maybe 10-20 kanji.

How did you first get into Guardian fandom? Guardian is the first (and currently only) C-drama I've watched, but I do watch the occasional J-drama. A fansubber for one of those J-dramas mentioned the show, though she was mostly being critical in the vein of, "Just watch it for the two MCs' acting and chemistry, everything else sucks." But I took one look at its KissAsian page and fell head-over-heels for, to quote my comment to my sister, "That ridiculously handsome glasses guy who's definitely dead-loyal to the protagonist and who'll probably end up dying for him." And the rest, as they say, is history.

What is one thing you love about the show? I like the whole setup, actually. Sure, the execution could have been smoother, but the premise and the world are both fascinating to me. I also love how well-developed and likeable the main members of the supporting cast are.

What is your favourite terrible special effect? I rarely pay attention to SFX and didn't really notice them enough to hate or like them. I tend to focus more on plot and characters anyway.

What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship? Obviously, the relationship between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan. I like how quickly they went from the "courtship" phase to the "old married couple" phase, and I love how mature and sensible they were about it. (Extended pining and angst is one of my major issues with most romantic pairings.) Also, they're a power couple, with Zhao Yunlan's wit and brains and manipulativeness perfectly complementing Shen Wei's supernatural abilities and his more cautious, straightforward and reserved approach to things, to the point where even my notoriously hard-to-please competence kink was satisfied.

Do you have a favourite character? Obvious answer is obvious XD Shen Wei, all day, any day.

Do you have a favourite villain? I like Ye Zun as an antagonist. But I'm not interested in seeing him being redeemed and I'm definitely not interested in shipping him with anyone. If that still counts, then yes, Ye Zun is my favourite villain.

Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: I have a policy of not following actors into shows if the premise of the show itself doesn't strike me as something I'd like. So as of now, I'm waiting on Lost Tombs 3 with all fingers crossed, but I haven't watched any of Zhu Yilong's or Bai Yu's other shows (though I have read some meta, squee, etc., just for fun).

Do you like RPF? Not really. I've read a couple of total AU's where they aren't actors and have different personalities from their real ones, plus a few Guardian derivative fics (all of which were lovely), but I don't tend to seek out RPF as a general rule.

Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? The L'Oreal Time Engraver ad's the only one that really captured my attention. (Beyond the "Wow, so pretty!" factor, anyway!)

What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? BBC Sherlock, Inception (2010), BBC Merlin, X-Men Alternate Timeline Movies, Welcome to Night Vale (podcast), Les Miserables (2012) and Clamp-verse (anime and manga) are the series I've read a lot of fic for, but Guardian is actually the only fandom I've interacted with to this extent.

What are some of your general fanwork likes: I'm a complete and utter plot-whore. I love action, suspense/mystery/thriller, psychological, horror, supernatural/fantasy, sci-fi, etc. I'm an avid fan of total AU's, both powered and mundane. I have a huge competence kink and my greatest joy is seeing my favourite characters being BAMFs. I don't like fluff or smut in general, but Guardian is the very marked exception to that rule.

Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? My Dreamwidth is practically devoted to Guardian, since I made it specifically to join sid_guardian. I'm also on LJ as sylphaen1637 and on AO3 as Tree_Peony.

Anything else you want to say? I think I've babbled enough already? XD

[asya_ana]

User names: asya_ana

Pronouns: she/her

Language(s): English, studying Chinese

How did you first get into Guardian fandom? The evil rheasilvia posted a really compelling Guardian primer at a time when I was apparently vulnerable. Within the first 15 minutes of episode one, I was toast.

What is one thing you love about the show? It's very earnest and it tries hard to do a good job. I find the visibility of this comforting. I also love how openly the entire show as well as Bai Yu and Zhu Yilong embrace the intense commitment between Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. (I know you asked for one thing, but... ) Plus I'm a sucker for both the fun romance tropes the show trades in (e.g., cooking dinner for each other) with the meatier, angstier themes of a love so enduring it transcends time. 

What is your favourite terrible special effect? There are many to choose from, and they're all wonderful, but I continue to be impressed by the pretty sequence where the sky darkens when the BCE makes his first appearance, and all the smokey fanfare when he arrives during the early episodes. Zhu Yilong looks so badass in that cloak against those stormy clouds and/or emerging from smoke! 

What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship? Look, I'm here for Weilan. I love them to pieces with a fiery passion. But since that is obvious, I really adore the cozy found family of the SID, and I'm really *interested* in Zhao Yunlan's relationship with his father and the effect that has had on him (and how he's managed to become a very different person from his father despite that influence).

Do you have a favourite character? I feel very warm and fuzzy about most of the main characters, and I couldn't choose between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan if I tried. They're both wonderful characters in their own ways and perfect for each other. The characterizations are one of the best things about this canon.

Do you have a favourite villain? I like complex, shades-of-grey villains, and I thought the show made some noble attempts at that. I would have loved them to more fully explore the greyness of Ye Zun especially. I think they carried off the moral greyness of the Regent most successfully. I find it difficult to put a finger on what's going on with him. I can't entirely condemn or excuse him, and I like that.

Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: I'm not very good at watching TV, so I've never seen another of their shows outside of an episode here and there. I do, however, immensely enjoy the gifs. :D

Do you like RPF? YEp

Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? For sure it's Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot. It took me a really long time to assimilate those images. I'm probably ok now, but it was a near thing.

What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? At the moment I'm also fairly taken with Nirvana in Fire and Sha Po Lang, although nothing is as intense as Guardian for me. I'll probably always think about Merlin as being my forever fandom home, and I was also active to some degree in XMFC and Teen Wolf. I was very fannish (but not active) in a few others, including Inception and Eagle.

What are some of your general fanwork likes: In fic, I like to be swept away by the writer, so I forget myself or that I'm even reading something. How the writer achieves this is a very mysterious thing to me. The specifics of plots, tropes, etc. don't matter as much because I've found this can be achieved with almost anything, although I'm here for romance so I do like the romance to be central.

Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? Dreamwidth!

Anything else you want to say? Yay!

[asya_ana]

Oooh you were one of the Escapade victims. Excellent! I remember when that was going on and we were all hoping some new people would be seduced. LOL. Also, yes, for identity porn! I forgot to mention that in mine. But when I look back on my fandoms... um yes. That has been a trend. :D

[clevermanka]

User names: clevermanka, pretty much everywhere.

Pronouns: she/her

Language(s): English

How did you first get into Guardian fandom? mekare posted fanart and talked about the show and it seemed relevant to my interests, especially after I watched a couple vids. Took me a while to get into it, but once I did, hoo boy.

What is one thing you love about the show? The absolute devotion of the entire crew to make this show what it was.

What is your favourite terrible special effect? Um...any attempt to tone down the romance?

What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship? Obviously I am head over heels for Shen Wei + Zhao Yunlan but I adore the relationship Zhao Yunlan has with Da Qing. It's cozy but not soft. I love seeing various aspects and possibilities of their relationship explored in fic.

Do you have a favourite character? Other than the main leads, I'm 100% team Zhu Hong, and it kills me that I don't have anyone to ship her with.

Do you have a favourite villain? I actually enjoy how much I hate the Regent, which is something I can't say for the others whom I find either annoying or enraging. Seriously, I just can't with Ye Zun. Like, at all.

Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: I only watched the first three episodes of Detective L--loved it, but am at a place right now where I need satisfying endings, so...I'll probaby watch the rest of it eventually, but not yet. Other than that, just the constructed reality vids from their various productions.

Do you like RPF? I didn't until Guardian! It's gotta be AU type stuff, though, because my heart can't take thinking about them in love when they can't be out about it.

Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? Bai Yu's Addicted Blue shoot vid paired with Schwarzkopf Color. Also the Thermos Magic Cottage.

What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? Currently, History 3: Trapped and due South, although I hung out in Sherlock fandom for a while *sad trombone*. Haven't been able to even re-read old fics since Season 3 tho. I still read ACD and Ritche!verse Sherlock Holmes, as well as Will/Hannibal, Arthur/Eames, Kirk/Spock, Marcus/Esca, and occasionally I peek at what the Venom fandom is up to. I also love Resonant's Brian/Bender fic (Breakfast Club) and Transfigurations (the only Harry/Draco fic I'll ever need).

What are some of your general fanwork likes: Honestly, I came to fanworks for the smut and that hasn't changed. Guardian is the first fandom that's pulled me in enough to read Gen or T. I like pining, angst with a happy ending, and porn with feels.

Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? Here on DW since it best facilitates conversation, but I'm also clevermanka on Tumblr and Twitter.

Anything else you want to say? Fandom is my life, not even joking. Kinda wish I was, but I'm not. A million thanks to the fandom friends who helped me limp through last year and here's looking at y'all who're gonna help haul my ass through this one, too. Gold star medals for everyone.

[yantantether]

User names: yantantether
Pronouns: She/her
Language(s): English is my first language. I read and understand reasonably well in French and Spanish and speak both badly. And I'm learning a bit of Chinese, but not really in any kind of organised way.
How did you first get into Guardian fandom? I watched this video by AvenueX, somehow managed to persuade a friend to watch the show even though I hadn't yet, and then she pimped me into it.
What is one thing you love about the show? They're so!! in love!! UGH
What is your favourite terrible special effect? 😂

What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship? OBVIOUSLY Weilan. But I also love Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing's friendship - I love that they're so casually physically affectionate with each other, and they're super fun to write.
Do you have a favourite character? I am stupidly and ridiculously in love with Zhao Yunlan's flirtatious, lolling, orally-fixated, brave, loyal self.
Do you have a favourite villain? I'm not really a villain fan, but Zhu Jiu at least has entertaining hair.
Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: I love Detective L, because Bai Yu has never been more beautiful, the clothes are amazing, and I love period detective stuff in general. Also, Qin Xiaoman is a tiny brawler and I adore her. I've never managed to get into anything else Zhu Yilong has done, but I'm looking forward to Lost Tomb 3!
Do you like RPF? To PIECES omg
Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? My brain just went into shutdown here because I started thinking about Zhu Yilong tenderly stroking his finger down a phallic object, so there's your answer!
What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? I love Nirvana in Fire, but I'm not really active in the fandom at all, although I've written a couple of fics. Bandom was the fandom of my heart for a long time, and the one that made me create a journal, stop being solely a lurker, and start making fannish friends.
What are some of your general fanwork likes: Pining! Fluff! H/C but with a LOT of comfort! Identity porn! Regular porn! This fandom was made for me.
Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? I love twitter (yan_tan_tether) and spend WAY too much time on there. Right now I'm tweeting a lot about my current rewatch - up to ep 9! And my fic is at yantantether (ETA: and Dreamwidth too lol.)
Anything else you want to say? I love the Guardian novel a LOT and am unbearably excited that the translation is almost finished!

[yantantether]

I actually enjoy how much I hate the Regent
This is a great shout! He's such an entertainingly dreadful weasel.

[yantantether]

Within the first 15 minutes of episode one, I was toast.
I *love* that it got you so fast <3

[asya_ana]

I'm such a disaster. *ugly crying*

[clevermanka]

"Weasel" is a perfect descriptor for him! (no offense to weasels, a species I'm quite fond of, tbh)

[tinny]

User names: tinny
Pronouns: she
Language(s): English and a few more, I studied Chinese for 10 years and can cobble together bits and pieces, but have no listening comprehension to speak of. I love the language, though, and got back into studying it through Guardian and related cdramas.
How did you first get into Guardian fandom? The gifs on tumblr, and my friend simboo, who kept reccing me other Asian BL. I first didn't want to watch it, because it's not explicit BL, but I caved in the end. I have no regrets, other than that being in the middle of a fandom is stressful. But I'm not really complaining. *g*
What is one thing you love about the show? How much Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are in love.
What is your favourite terrible special effect? The monsters in the mountains, because I love to see Shen Wei fighting them.
What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship? Weilan all the way. I also adore the way Zhu Hong can be in love with Zhao Yunlan and still her own person (and his friend), and the episode where he lets her down gently is one of my favorites in the whole show.
Do you have a favourite character? I have trouble with Shen Wei's insistence to sacrifice himself, otherwise I would say Shen Wei.
Do you have a favourite villain? Ye Zun. Zhu Yilong is amazing in everything he does.
Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: I have watched all of their works that are not historical dramas and that I could get my hands on. So I guess I could make an informed decision here, but... really, the one I care most about is Luo Fusheng! Literal Kitten! Dreamlike Life is so terrible (like most of Zhu Yilong's shows), but his character Luo Fusheng is absolutely adorable and I want him to have all the good things.
Do you like RPF? Oh boy, yes. It is what still keeps me hooked on this fandom.
Do you have a favourite ad campaign? Nope. I hate ads, and I don't like the prevalent opinion in Chinese fandom that the endorsed products must be supported/bought. I could do without the ads (especially the ReFa ones, because they trigger my embarrassment squick on Zhu Yilong's behalf).
What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? Actively: only The Librarians. I was a passive onlooker in other fandoms, starting with X-Files in the 1990s, and hitting on SGA, SPN, Doctor Who, and Sherlock on the way. My fave will always be Farscape. I'm into fantasy/sci-fi in general.
What are some of your general fanwork likes: Smut. Art. Icons (which I make myself, a lot.)
Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? Here on dw. My journal has almost exclusively Guardian and adjacent content, and about half of that is icons.
Anything else you want to say? I love this fandom ditch.

[glymr]

Right there with you! For me it was the handshake, and then the "I've searched for you for ten thousand years" completely sealed the deal! I think, if one isn't completely sucked in by those moments, one probably won't ever love Guardian to the degree us rabid fans do.

[clevermanka]

the excellent camera angle work
They did GREAT work with the cinematography for this show.

[clevermanka]

That ridiculously handsome glasses guy who's definitely dead-loyal to the protagonist and who'll probably end up dying for him
Ha ha ha WELP.

[clevermanka]

FARSCAPE! \o/

[yue_ix]

User names: Yue-IX
Pronouns: She/her
Language(s): French, English
How did you first get into Guardian fandom? Kalakirya made compelling h/c arguments, then Fayjay wrote some porn.
What is one thing you love about the show? How often Zhao Yunlan is unconcious. Close second is Zhao Yunlan's inability to not sit on things.
What is your favourite terrible special effect? The never-burning lava.
What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship?

Da Qing & Zhao Yunlan - I love how "cat and his pet human" they are.

Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan because it's extremely domestic yet full of tension in every way.

Hurt/Comfort because it's this undercover relationship that just spans the whole show, and it's so established that often the show just assumes they happened. I really love how we as fan just caught on it and explored this relationship in fanworks.

Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan/Ye Zun because it's hot.

Do you have a favourite character? Zhao Yunlan, probably.

Do you have a favourite villain? Ye Zun, hands down. He's.. so much.

Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: I can't stop thinking of yantantether's universe from this PWP story featuring Bai Qi from Fairyland Lovers and Fu Hongxue from Border Town Prodigal crossover universe. Despite knowing nothing but thirsty gif from both canon.

Do you like RPF? Yes. I've created fanworks for it, too.

Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? All of them? They're so wild and fun sandboxes. The ReFa ones are sending me around the bend with how NSFW they are for an so-called G-rated product.

What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? lots of manga/animes (CLAMP supplied most of my favourite tropes), Merlin BBC, Teen Wolf, Stargate Atlantis, Good Omens, Sarah Monette's Labyrinth series, Venom (2019 movie), podfics.

What are some of your general fanwork likes: hurt/comfort, wings, altered states, bondage, tentacles

Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? private Twitter for PWP thirst is yue-ix, my public fanart account is yuedraws, yue_ix on AO3, Yue on Discord or here on DW where I don't really post but can leave comments.

Anything else you want to say? Hi! I'm not good at reading a lot of words but I love drawing and listening and short texts like Tweets. Always happy to squee or throw plot bunnies at people before running away.

[yue_ix]

Those CGI naked monster butts are really something!

UUUUUUUUUNF The ReFA ones. It's been almost a week and I still cannot compute them.

Your fanwork likes really work wonderfully with the show. XD

[yue_ix]

Competence kink! You're so right about how Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei complement each other's strengths and are immensely competent and in-sync when working together towards a goal. It is immensely satisfying.

Glad to see a fellow CLAMP fan, too! Loving their works so much really prepared me for BAMF characters bleeding prettily and being extremely devoted, body and soul, to their SO. All of which are extremely relevant to Guardian... :3

[yue_ix]

That episode with Zhu Hong is one of my favourites too! I must admit I was unsatisfied with most character development for the women of the show (...those that weren't gratuitously dead...) until that episode. It redeemed a lot of how I perceived the handling of Zhu Hong's affection so far, provided backstory, and was wonderful emotional labour for many characters.

Your icons are a delight!!

[sakana17]

User names: sakana17, sakanaoneseven
Pronouns: she/her
Language(s): English; some rusty Japanese and German; and 2 years of Mandarin back when dinosaurs roamed the earth
How did you first get into Guardian fandom? ranalore wrote a post about it in April 2019 and it sounded exactly up my alley but I didn't watch it until June/July 2019
What is one thing you love about the show? Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan and their eternal love for each other (but I love so many other things about the show, too!)
What is your favourite terrible special effect? I don't think the special effects are as terrible as everyone else thinks... but my least favorite effect is the youchu
What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship? Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan. Hot for each other. Competence Couple. Domestic scenes of care taking. They are not always perfect, they do not always make the best choices, but they love each other so much.
Do you have a favourite character? I can't choose between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan
Do you have a favourite villain? Ye Zun
Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: Granting You a Dreamlike Life is not a good show, but Luo Fusheng (Zhu Yilong's character) is *everything*! KITTEN! Detective L is a good show, sadly too short, and Luo Fei (Bai Yu's character) is *awesome*! So naturally I want to slash the two Luos. *g* I'm currently watching Zhu Yilong as Lian Chengbi in Shaw Eleven Lang which is a cracktastic fun supernatural martial arts drama. And I loved Bai Yu's drama Fairyland Lovers.
Do you like RPF? Oh yes!
Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? I enjoy looking at them in the ads, but I don't know if I have a favorite. The ReFe ads are certainly... thought-provoking. *cough*
What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? Too many to list. The main ones in the past were Dong Bang Shin Ki OT5 RPS (K-pop), Stargate SG-1, Master & Commander (Aubrey/Maturin). Currently it's Guardian and adjacent fandoms 24/7 but I've just started my first rewatch of History3: Trapped.
What are some of your general fanwork likes: Competence, equality, hurt/comfort, m/m porn with feelings, casefic, domestic life as a couple, unreliable narrators, past tense
Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? Here on Dreamwidth or on Twitter: sakanaoneseven. I occasionally post Guardian screencaps to Tumblr and I check Discord at least once a day (I'm sakana17 on both of those)
Anything else you want to say? I am really enjoying this fandom! I'm intimidated by all the talented authors and fanwork creators - but I love all the wonderful stories and creations!

[sakana17]

Seconding the delight for your icons! :D

[umadoshi]

User names: umadoshi.

Pronouns: She/her.

Language(s): English only, alas.

How did you first get into Guardian fandom? By early summer or so last year it felt like so many people on my DW list were in love with it that it seemed like the obvious next thing to try from my to-watch list (many of you know that my media-to-consume lists are terrifying and already way too long to ever be gotten through in my lifetime), so I gave it a try...and it took me quite a while to bond, in large part because the YouTube subs kept completely jarring me out of it. I lasted about ten episodes before I cried for help on Twitter, and after that I enjoyed it a lot more. But for me it was still a very gradually-then-suddenly tumble into being in love with the show, although there's still no specific moment or episode I can point to where I knew it had me by the heart.

I also really enjoyed what I read of the novel (and am looking forward to reading the whole thing, and hoping to someday get an official English edition), although the drama is what I'm in love with.

What is one thing you love about the show? Its dedication to showing us Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's relationship for what it is + Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu's ludicrous chemistry together.

What is your favourite terrible special effect? I don't think I have one? (I know which one makes me cringe the most. ^^;)

What is (one of) your favourite relationship(s) on the show (either romantic or friendship) and what do you like about that relationship? Weilan! I love how they're so many things to each other--friends, lovers, partners, brothers-in-arms--and the depths and varied manifestations of their trust and intimacy. I love that it's such a bedrock-solid connection that simultaneously has genuine and understandable conflicts and tensions.

I also have a special love for Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing's relationship, with all its deep familiarity and comfort and squabbling.

Do you have a favourite character? If I have to pick, it's Shen Wei. He's so very much my type of character. But on paper, Zhao Yunlan doesn't tick many of the boxes that tend to go with characters I especially love, and I completely love him anyway, so that's more remarkable than my love for Shen Wei. *g* (And in terms of the supporting cast, I love Zhu Hong and Da Qing best.)

Do you have a favourite villain? Hmm...the Regent is the one I most love to hate? But probably Ye Zun, really, thanks to Zhu Yilong's unfairly good acting and the number of people who write him in a persuasively sympathetic way in fic. The show set him up with all the notes to make me feel terrible for him, and Zhu Yilong made them feel real enough that the fleshing-out in fic works for me.

Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: Alas, the only other one of Bai Yu or Zhu Yilong's shows I've seen all the way through is Fairyland Lovers, and I didn't really bond with it. I'm hoping to love Detective L when I get back to it (I've only seen three episodes) and am excited for Zhu Yilong's Lost Tomb series.

Do you like RPF? In general? It's never been my thing. But then this series. And those two. And so many fic writers doing interesting things...! So in practice, what seems to be happening is that I don't go looking for Zhu Yilong/Bai Yu RPF but so much of it crosses my radar that sounds interesting that I'm reading and enjoying a fair bit of it anyway. ^_^

Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? Not at this time, no, although I very much like looking at the pretty pictures.

What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? As many people in this comm know, I'm very monofannish and only move into new fandoms occasionally (although I love plenty of shows/books/etc. that I don't feel fannish about). My primary online fandoms before Guardian have been Sailor Moon ('90s anime), Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime), Fruits Basket (manga), and Mira Grant's Newsflesh trilogy (English novel series); my secondary fandoms have been Evangelion ('90s anime), X (manga), and Warehouse 13 (English TV series). The Untamed should probably be on the secondary-fandom list now too, although I've had zero impulse to write fic for it. And to make this really quite exhaustive, in childhood/adolescence I was fannish about New Mutants, X-Men, and ElfQuest comics.

What are some of your general fanwork likes: Having it be character focused and intensely emotional are the key things for me, more than any particular tropes or genres. Vividly intimate and emotional smut is amazing.

Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things? Here on Dreamwidth is my favorite place, and on Twitter my outright fannishness is mostly on MermaidLure . (I'm also ysabet_m, but that's where I do tons of RTing and talk to manga-industry folks and stuff.)

Anything else you want to say? Only that this is a marvelous fandom and I'm so glad to have wound up here. ^_^

[winter_blossom]

I think they carried off the moral greyness of the Regent most successfully. I find it difficult to put a finger on what's going on with him. I can't entirely condemn or excuse him, and I like that.

You know, you're so right about that, that I realised I don't even think of the Regent as a "villain." He's just a politician, and a pretty successful one at that, considering he alone remained comfortably in his position of power at the end of everything... Darn, I should just have picked him for my own answer!

[yantantether]

I guess it's not really fair of me to call them a terrible special effect, because they're technically quite well-rendered terrifying shiny monster bums :D

[winter_blossom]

...BAMF characters bleeding prettily and being extremely devoted, body and soul, to their SO.

The best description of both CLAMP and Guardian I've seen in a while ;D