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

[thevetia]

User names:Thevetia
Pronouns:she/her
Language(s):English. A little German. A teensy bit of Japanese.
How did you first get into Guardian fandom?It's all sakana17's fault! For which I am endlessly grateful. We were on a holiday together, she had a USB drive with all the episodes, there was a TV in the hotel room, and she had been mentioning it was a good show. I wanted to see what it was about. My memory is that I demanded we keep watching because I needed to know what was going to happen next, and who was that gorgeous guy with the glasses? Apparently my enthusiasm was not expressed very well and I didn't take instantly to Zhao Yunlan. (And I've been paying for that ever since. I was wrong! He's adorable and utterly awesome!) But the show started hitting every fannish button I have within the first few episodes.
What is one thing you love about the show?Its sense of morality. (Well, I love WeiLan above all, but that's kind of obvious.) The show points out that acts can have their gray interpretations, that evil can be acknowledged and even atoned for, and that even the most awful of villains is ultimately just a failed human being.
What is your favourite terrible special effect?I can't have a favorite terrible effect. I love a lot of the effects: the ball of dark energy in Shen Wei's hand that looks like a tiny universe; the amethyst portal, the stop-time effect. When the effects are bad I just do the work and handwave them.
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. Of course. They hit such a button of mine: they love each other, they would die for each other, but they would both choose the greater good over their love. They are such heroes!
Do you have a favourite character?It was Shen Wei at first, but Zhao Yunlan is so awesome, and now I can't really choose between them.
Do you have a favourite villain?Has to be Ye Zun. Nobody else is even close. Zhu Yilong clearly has a twin brother who is also an actor and he's fantastic! So evil! So sympathetic and understandable in his evilness! I wonder what else that actor has done?
Talk to us about one (or more!) of your favourite Guardian-related canons: I'm trying to collect the full set! So far I've seen half of Granting You a Dreamlike Life, and Luo Fusheng is absolutely the best! Kitten deserves everything wonderful! Also, by contrast, I've seen about a third of Border Town Prodigal, and oh, Fu Hongxue, baby, you need help! But so pretty... For Bai Yu, there's Detective L, which is a fun and engaging show and he's so handsome in it; and I've just finished watching Fairyland Lovers, which is a Zhu Yilong level of acting tour-de-force for Bai Yu.
Do you like RPF? Once upon a time I thought it was faintly icky; now I'm all into it. I can't explain it, but ZhuBai opens such a world of interesting ideas to pursue.
Do you have a favourite ad campaign (such as Bai Yu's rentboy photoshoot or Zhu Yilong's ReFa ads)? The ReFa ads don't leave much to the imagination, do they? So I can't use them to work up an unusual idea for fic. Time Engraver is wonderful. And I have a soft spot for ZYL's Thermos ads.
What other fandoms are you in or have you been in? I've been in fandom since before dinosaurs roamed the internet so I've been in a few, though I'm quite the mono-fannish serial monogamist. Lately it's just Guardian 24/7. In the more recent past it's been Person of Interest, Aubrey/Maturin (Master and Commander books), and Stargate SG-1.
What are some of your general fanwork likes:Historical or derivative AUs, old-school tropes, angst, smut, I appreciate a lot of stuff. I like more things than I dislike.
Where can we best find you to squee more about this thing or other things?I'm on Dreamwidth (and twitter and Discord) as Thevetia, though I don't post much. I'm trying to change that!
Anything else you want to say?I haven't had such fun in a fandom for a long, long time. Guardian makes me so happy!

[yantantether]

I haven't had such fun in a fandom for a long, long time
I know that feeling! This is such a wonderful fandom ♥♥♥

[sakana17]

I happily take credit for your fall! :D

Zhu Yilong clearly has a twin brother who is also an actor and he's fantastic! So evil! So sympathetic and understandable in his evilness! I wonder what else that actor has done?

Yeah, they were really lucky to cast his twin! Haven't seen him in anything else, though... XD

Zhao Yunlan is so awesome

*wipes hands* My work here is done. (I can't take credit, though. It was alllll Bai Yu's doing.)

Fairyland Lovers, which is a Zhu Yilong level of acting tour-de-force for Bai Yu.

I think so, too. He was fantastic in it.

[naye]

Yay for sakana17 getting you in here! :D

Zhu Yilong clearly has a twin brother who is also an actor and he's fantastic!
Right?! It's the only possible explanation.

[clevermanka]

even the most awful of villains is ultimately just a failed human being
Yes! I'm one of, like, three people in this fandom who recoils from sympathetic Ye Zun stuff, but! it's important to remember that evil people are still people and Guardian did a good job of that.

[rheasilvia]

I didn't take instantly to Zhao Yunlan. (And I've been paying for that ever since. I was wrong! He's adorable and utterly awesome!)

He is all of that and more, but it took me a little while to realize, too! I still remember that I didn't find him particularly attractive at first - which is something I am now honestly at a loss to explain. ;-)

Its sense of morality. (Well, I love WeiLan above all, but that's kind of obvious.) The show points out that acts can have their gray interpretations, that evil can be acknowledged and even atoned for, and that even the most awful of villains is ultimately just a failed human being.

This is very true - and it's definitely something I also appreciate about the show. Just like the way some of the most tragic events in the series are triggered not by malice or misunderstandings, but by regular, flawed people on both sides.

the ball of dark energy in Shen Wei's hand that looks like a tiny universe

I love the way you put that. That's so true, and gives me a lot of fascinating ideas about Dark Energy...

I've been in fandom since before dinosaurs roamed the internet

A lot of fannish dinosaurs seem to congregate in Guardian fandom, for some strange reason. I'm also one! :-)

[umadoshi]

The show points out that acts can have their gray interpretations, that evil can be acknowledged and even atoned for, and that even the most awful of villains is ultimately just a failed human being.

This is so true and lovely. *^^*

Zhu Yilong clearly has a twin brother who is also an actor and he's fantastic! So evil! So sympathetic and understandable in his evilness! I wonder what else that actor has done?

It's a mystery that he doesn't seem to have a longer list of credits! He clearly deserves infinite good roles, just like his brother does!

[solo]

The show points out that acts can have their gray interpretations, that evil can be acknowledged and even atoned for, and that even the most awful of villains is ultimately just a failed human being.

This! And also, how the show points out that those we fear as 'other' are really just like ourselves.

Stargate SG-1

I love that too, though I never got truly fannish about it.

Hi from another primordial soup fan!

[asya_ana]

I loved what you said about the show's sense of morality. I like the way we glimpse the backstory of the characters to understand how they became the way they did, and I love Ye Zun and Shen Wei coming back together at the end. (Of course SW after settling YZ somewhere immediately returns to ZYL OBVIOUSLY.) Guardian arrived for me after years of not really feeling that fannish, so I identify with your sentiment of the delightful surprise of how fun it is to be in this fandom!