My personal fannish corner

Just like last year, I used Nano as an incentive to edit the Guardian novel faster than I otherwise would have.

It worked even better this year than last - mostly because all the tricky and time-consuming mythological stuff was already done last year. :D

But this meant I got more words this year: I edited 7 chapters (98 to 104) and over 25K words this November! \o/



Here's the detailed wordcount: https://fangirlishness.dreamwidth.org/33633.html

I still have almost two chapters to do and then some cleanup jobs and then we'll be done with the whole novel! \o/

Magic Cock (4088 words) by Fangirlishness

Beta: glymr, elenothar, achray
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Experimentation, Body Modification, Size Kink, Anal Fisting, Multiple Betas - we die like fen
Summary:

When Shen Wei tells him that one of his powers allows him to transform his own body, Zhao Yunlan has a few ideas about how to use this power for good. And by good he means sex.

I never participated in Nanowrimo before, because deadlines actively hinder me in my writing, and I don't need to make my life harder.

This year, I've decided to use the Nanowrimo momentum to help me work on the Guardian novel editing. So my goal is to make the novel my top priority for November.

Usually, I edit two chapters per month. My Nanowrimo goal is six chapters. I have gotten up to mid-chapter 74 and I want to finish the 71-80 document, which means editing 16169 words.

(This may not sound like much, but it's slow going. What we do is look at the original Chinese and put it through an automatic translator to check if the existing translation is missing anything. The existing translation is not usually *wrong*, just missing a lot of details, and occasionally whole sentences. So the work consists of comparing the translations, then manually translating what's missing and adding it back in.)

17758 of 17758 words + 430 words extra
+


Chapters 74-80: Chapter 80 finished


p.s.: Because that is always a point of contention when talking about translation: of course we have help from Chinese native speakers. If we can't figure out the translation on our own, we leave comments for them to finish it up. So rest assured, the translation is good. (I just mentioned this here because it's important to say. It doesn't really make a difference for my wordcount or speed.)

p.p.s.: I didn't realize that the fact that there are details missing would lead to a steadily increasing wordcount. The initial wordcount was 16169 words. In the end, I ended up with: 17758.

p.p.p.s.: I also didn't realize that three of those chapters were a retelling/reinvention of the Chinese creation myth, and I spent about two thirds of my time researching that instead of/in preparation for editing. /o\ I posted a summary here: https://sid-guardian.dreamwidth.org/324988.html

---

Result: I did it! I finished the 71-80 document, and managed a few (430) words into chapter 81. Success! \o/

So ineffablebfs made this beautiful drawing of Kunlun and Shen Wei, and mentioned that we're welcome to color it. So I did!




drawn by ineffablebfs, colored by me


It was a lot of fun to color! I really love the composition with the plum blossoms. Hair is always a slog, but it looks so pretty afterwards. :D I am especially happy how I managed to make their hair and skin shades slightly different. Success!

So we were talking about which was the "funniest" Guardian fic we've read. And this stumped me.

I don't rate fic by how funny it is, but by how hot it is. So I came up with lots of fic in the "hottest" category. (I'll save those for the next rec post.)

But I did remember some funny ones after all:

1) Lin Jing self-cest

spoilers don't do as they're told (3153 words) by Teaotter
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Additional Tags: Time Travel, Humor, Guō Chángchéng POV, Timey-Wimey, Lín Jìng POV, non-explicit sexual innuendo and content between versions of the same person, For Science!, Zhù Hóng POV
Summary:

Wherein a second Chief Zhao arrives via wormhole just as the team summons Hei Pao Shi, and things get very, very confusing.

2) The story that made me laugh the most this year
(Note that I am not impartial about this fic. Because I liked it so much, I offered to beta it 8 chapters in, and she took me up on it. <3)

ready, set, game on (62524 words) by synonemous
Chapters: 14/19 WIP!
Additional Tags (a selection): Alternate Universe – Modern Setting, Gamer/Streamer AU, How Many Times Can I Write "Daddy" Without Having to Add the Daddy-kink Tag?, Slow Burn, Happy Ending
Summary:

“Boss, wait –”

Hei Lao-ge, the post on Zhao Yunlan's Weibo reads, thankfully still sitting in his drafts, slide into my DMs if you’re watching.

Zhao Yunlan lowers his phone. “Seriously?”

“Before you delete it,” Da Qing says, not even looking remotely sorry, “I’m just trying to help you.”

“Help me,” Zhao Yunlan echoes in disbelief. “With what, exactly?”

“Scoring your internet crush!”

3) THE Chef AU - staple of the fandom

my heart broke loose on the wind (6246 words) by sarahyyy
Rating: Mature
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Chefs, Social Media, Pining, First Kiss, Getting Together, team shenanigans, ye zun/lin jing tagteam 神助攻 lbr
Summary:

If Yunlan is going to learn how to make actual food that requires more effort than just boiling water and putting hot water into stuff, he’s going to have to take all the notes.

“Right,” he says to himself. “How hard can it be?”

He watches all twenty-two minutes and fourteen seconds of Chef Shen's video without fast-forwarding. When it comes to an end, he clicks on the replay button.

He ends up taking zero notes, and the only thing he manages to learn from the whole exercise is that Chef Shen -Shen Wei- is really fucking beautiful when he smiles.

4) Cracky self-rec

Easter (1170 words) by Fangirlishness
Rating: Explicit
Additional Tags: Fluff and Crack, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Established Relationship
Summary:

Zhao Yunlan paints Shen Wei.

5) Da Qing plays matchmaker

Mission: Matchmaking (18063 words) by TimeTravelFreak
Rating: Not Rated
Additional Tags (a selection): Alternate Universe - No Powers, though there are still animals who can shift into human form, Alcohol, Family Fluff, Horrible Puns, Slow Burn
Summary:

Da Qing is looking for a mom wants to find a new lover for Zhao Yunlan, who is depressed after a bad break up.

Only Zhao Yunlan won’t cooperate, so what else is a cat to do but to matchmake?

It’s been three days since Zhao Yunlan was dumped and he’s still in an awful mood. Usually Da Qing would stay with him and snark at him until he snaps out of it, but Zhao Yunlan’s temper has been so bad that not even Da Qing can take it anymore.

After the first day Zhu Hong took leave because of “personal reasons” but Da Qing rather doubts that’s actually true. She probably didn’t have the patience to deal with their Chief throwing a tantrum, not that Da Qing can blame her.

mabyn wrote a wonderful Chinese Opera AU:

The Singer (Chinese Opera AU) (29625 words) by mabyn
Chapters: 9/9
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shěn Wēi/Zhào Yúnlán
Characters: Shěn Wēi, Zhào Yúnlán
Additional Tags: Chinese Opera, Chinese Countryside, Factory workers, Bathhouses, Romance, building family, Heteronormativity, HEA, Alternate Universe, Angst, Anonymous Sex, 1990s, Sneaking Around, References to the Cultural Revolution, Semi-canonical violent past deaths of parents, Chinese New Year
Summary:

The one where Shen Wei is a Chinese opera performer and Zhao Yunlan is a smitten factory worker from the countryside.

And I wrote a remix from Shen Wei's POV, incidentally adding some porn:

The Farmer (2918 words) by Fangirlishness
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Zhao Yunlan/Shen Wei
Additional Tags: Remix, Unreliable Narrator, Chinese Opera, Alternate Universe, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, all the plot is in the original fic, for more tags see the original fic
Summary:

When he runs into him at the baths, purely by chance, the first thing Shen Wei notices about him is how gracefully he moves, and he tells himself not to stare. But Shen Wei is alone in the dark doorway leading from the showers to the pools—all the other bathers have come earlier than Shen Wei—so there’s nobody to see him, and he can’t quite restrain himself.

Remix of the first three chapters of mabyn's 'The Singer' from Shen Wei's POV.

Only my third Guardian fic, and the second remix. Apparently I love writing remixes. Surprise! :D I'm very happy that this fandom is so accommodating and that the authors allow me to remix their ideas.

This was the fastest story over 1000 words that I ever wrote.

My first Weilan fic! And it's crack inspired by Easter egg painting:

Easter (1170 words) by Fangirlishness
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Zhao Yunlan/Shen Wei
Additional Tags: Fluff and Crack, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot
Summary:

Zhao Yunlan paints Shen Wei.