Doot doot new recruit

[ratbones]

I have finally, FINALLY succeeded in a campaign to recruit someone into the Guardian fandom! My cousin, who I'll call L for now, watched episode 40 last night. According to L, this is the second fandom I've lured them into. Both of us have been fans of Ace Attorney for a very, very long time, and I suppose maybe I introduced them to the games when they were, erm, a bit young, although I have no recollection of doing so. (They think Mia Fey is the hottest character. I contend that it's Franziska von Karma.)

Anyway, Guardian. Specifically, Guardian fic. I've provided a few recs already, but I'm very bad at keeping records of what I've read, or remembering anything ever. I should probably use bookmarks, you know, the thing built into AO3 for this purpose.

But for now, please someone help me with fic recs. Here's what L is looking for right now:
-Fluff, or pining/angst with a happy ending
-Shorter fics (say, under 20k or so)
-SW/ZYL in particular, but gen and other pairings are okay
-For bonus points: get-togethers, DTR talks, or early-relationship talking about feelings

Also, if you have anything that doesn't quite fit those parameters but you think is very good and important for a newbie to read when they're sad after the finale, hit me with those too!

Comments

Some to start with

[extrapenguin]

Courtship Rituals by nightwalker is the fluffiest relationship-feelings talk fic ever, and while it's 21k and technically a WIP, the current final chapter is a good enough place to end and it is so, so fluffy. SW/ZYL.

Turn Your Watch Back by demitas is a silly time travel gen fic starring Lin Jing, where he ends up in YOHE and accidentally fixes everything.

Black Cloak Reversed by kyrilu is ... lemme quote the summary. Chief Zhao is a little too friendly with the Black-Cloaked Envoy. The members of the SID worry that he's being emotionally disloyal to Professor Shen. 3k, SW/ZYL, lots of fun.

What are L's opinions on Ye Zun redemption and E-rated fic?

Re: Some to start with

[ratbones]

Whoo, thanks for coming through so quickly! #1 is one of the first things I sent them (so good!), but I must have read #3 back in 2018 and have missed #2 entirely, so I guess I have some (re)reading to do myself!

L liked the twins' postmortem reconciliation, so I think Ye Zun redemption is on the table. I sent them a question about explicit content, but they might be asleep now, lol. I'll get back to you on their preference.

Re: Some to start with

[extrapenguin]

Okay, I went through the Shen Wei & Ye Zun tag; there were less amazing reconciliations there than I'd remembered, but I think some of that fic might be in the twincest tag and/or only in my head. I don't suppose L would be into SW/YZ/ZYL? :P

Adaptation by draconicsockpuppet; time loop-enabled reconciliation.

Jagged Edges by demitas is a sort of post-reconciliation thing?

A Big Enough Bed for Science by draconicsockpuppet is more of a fix-it, and a very thorough and low-key one, but also twin reconciliation and Shen Wei using a laptop for Science! in bed.

Further into the realm of fixit:
Back to the Middle by china_shop; series of time-travel fixits. All stand at least somewhat alone. My favorites are the Lin Jing and Ye Zun ones, but if your friend has a SID fave, maybe look at that one instead/as well.

Re: Some to start with

[ratbones]

Well...I suspect that the overlap between Ye "Gege is number one in my heart, and I'm gonna tie him up, flog him, and eat him" Zun sympathizers and twincest/threesome shippers is pretty significant. But let's assume that L is in the non-shippy minority of that Venn diagram. I don't want to overwhelm them completely, lol.

Thanks for the recs! (I've been reduced to CTRL+F'ing for my own name in the kudos to see whether I've already read something.)

ETA: L says they're fine with explicit scenes as long as they're not the central focus of the fic. So, basically, no PWP.

Re: Some to start with

[extrapenguin]

Okay! I think at this point, I'd wait for them to read the things and then ask for their opinions for more targeted recs. All the E-rated fics I've bookmarked are PWPs (I ... don't use bookmarks that much, though), and I got in what I wanted to rec anyway.

[xparrot]

Congrats on dragging another one in! \o/

As for recs -- these are all WeiLan fluff:

Get You A Man Who Can Do Both by marycrawford -- 10K, Da Qing's POV on their getting together

How to Lose a Black-Cloaked Envoy in 10 Days by qikiqtarjuaq -- 6K, adorable and hilarious canon-AUing.

A vow set in stone by naye -- 20K, another canon AU with arranged marriage and more ridiculous pining than you can shake a stick at.

he listens to you (to his heart) by sobsicles -- 9K, getting together pining fluff guest-starring all the SID, who know just whose finger Zhao Yunlan is wrapped around...

The unofficial newsletter of Dragon City University (BioEng Dept) by frith_in_thorns -- fluffy stories starring Shen Wei's poor beleaguered grad student Jia-jia, all under 4K long.

[ratbones]

Yes, I'm so pleased to have added to our ranks! :P

Thanks for the recs! I've read most of those and can confirm that they're really, really cute. Perfect.

[winter_blossom]

Okay, so I dunno whether doing this is weird or not, but I made several lists on my journal of Guardian fic recs for my sister, and have been updating them fairly regularly. There are different lists for plot, fluff/romance/angst and miscellaneous (PWP's are on a separate list in case they want to avoid that), so I think it'll be pretty helpful for your cousin?

Here's the link. The posts are public, so no need to have a DW account to view them.

(Er. I hope this doesn't come across as shameless self-promotion or something? I just figured, since they're already there, might as well be of use to someone, right?)

[ratbones]

I just figured, since they're already there, might as well be of use to someone, right?
Absolutely! I'd seen your lists before at some point but hadn't paid too much attention because, well, I don't really need recs, with my reading habits. I had no idea how extensive they were, or that you'd been updating them! That's super helpful; it'll give my cousin a nice selection to browse through. (Also, it seems you've recced a couple of fics by someone called, how is it pronounced, Rat B. Ones? Perhaps L would be interested in those in particular? Shameless self-promotion WHERE. :P)

[winter_blossom]

Also, it seems you've recced a couple of fics by someone called, how is it pronounced, Rat B. Ones? Perhaps L would be interested in those in particular? Shameless self-promotion WHERE. :P

😁😉

[clevermanka]

You don't list fix-its in there so I'm not sure if this is appropriate, but galaxysoup's Come On Baby Light My Fire helped me a lot in my post-episode 40 recovery. as did Nerjaveika's we-really-need-a-different-term-for crack vids (there are three, but that's the link for the first one).

[ratbones]

L isn't looking for fix-its in particular, but that one's short and sweet and not full of suffering, so I think it'll appeal to them! And I, for one, watched Nerjaveika's third crack vid literally on a loop while soaking half a box of tissues with my tears after the first time I watched episode 40, so, yeah, good rec. Thank you!

("Crack" has such specific connotations in fandom...if we want to coin a new term, I feel like it still needs that sense of irreverent naughtiness, just without the potential to harm? Some of the alternatives I've seen proposed make me feel like I'm being scolded by a hall monitor for making drug references in school, so I really can't see them sticking. Argh, I wish I had a better idea to offer.)

[clevermanka]

I'm still mad about the fact that it doesn't refer to Cracked magazine, honestly.

[ratbones]

Hah! I remember vids being called "(show title) on crack" when I was a kid, but honestly, the word "crack" refers to so many things and it's such a specific art form in fandom that I never connect it to that in my head unless it's specifically pointed out.

[cyberbrain]

Since I did most of my reading on anon, I also don't have a record of what I've read, but here are some things that stayed in my memories:

truths told by starlight by anecdotalist - 2.3k, G fluffy weilan, set in Old Haixing.

Like you're running out of time by frith_in_thorns - 9.6k, T, hurt/comfort with a happy ending, Zhao Yunlan is stuck in a time loop.

For a more concerted victory by china_shop - 3.7k, G, post-canon, Chu Shuzhi travels back in time and goes to talk to Shen Wei.

Hmm, there are some AUs that I really, really love. Are AUs okay?

[ratbones]

Thanks for these! This post is having the side benefit of reminding me of good fics I've read a while ago that really deserve a reread (that first one is so SWEET.)

Please, share the AUs as well! L is open to anything we think might be relevant to their interests.

[cyberbrain]

Yay, AUs!

The White Umbrella by willowcatkin - 3.1k, G, angsty with a happy ending. Zhao Yunlan meets Shen Wei at a bus stop but there's something strange about him.

Love binds gods and men by weilongfu - 4.4k, G, God!Shen Wei and Mortal!Zhao Yunlan, who fall in love, happy ending. Shen Wei is a minor god, who looks after the Zhao family. (I love this fic but I gotta warn that the author spells it "Zhao Yun Lan")

Bartender Shen Wei AU (a series) by sarahyyy - 7k, T, modern AU, getting together, mild angst, mild hurt/comfort, happy ending. Zhao Yunlan is a cop who frequents Shen Wei's bar.

The next two are a bit longer but I'm a big fan, so I'll rec them.

The Singer by mabyn - 30k, E, Chinese (Beijing) Opera AU. Shen Wei is the lead singer of the troupe and Zhao Yunlan is a farmer who falls for him. It has references to the cultural revolution but it's a happy ending.

If Life Was A Movie We'd Have a Better Soundtrack Than This by galaxysoup - 46k, T, no powers AU, case fic, angst and humor, getting together, happy ending. Shen Wei is a professor and Zhao Yunlan is a cop and they take down a crime ring.

[ratbones]

Oh gosh yes, those two longfics are amazing! I think I might have missed one or two of the shorter ones myself. Thanks for the list!

[naye]

Whoo, congrats on roping someone new in! That's always fun! \o/

I am super lazily just going to leave this link to my fic rec collection which I've sorted into various topics (but also not updated since November 2019 whoops).

[ratbones]

Yes, I'm really happy! I first told them about the show (and showed them all the beautiful actors) 11 months ago. It was a war of attrition.

Well, your list will contain older fics, then, which would probably be harder for a newbie to find, so that's kinda the opposite of a problem. Thank you!

[plingo_kat]

10/10 Would Marry is absolutely hysterical and a charming epistolary-style fic. SW/ZYL.

...I'm now realizing that most of my bookmarks are smut or longfic. I should really be more liberal with bookmarking stuff I enjoy...

[ratbones]

Oh, yes, that one's SO FUNNY, pretty sure they'll love it. Thank you!

Yeah, most of the fics that I can immediately call to mind in order to rec are longfics. But at least you have some bookmarks! Unlike some people.

[umadoshi]

I have finally, FINALLY succeeded in a campaign to recruit someone into the Guardian fandom!

Excellent work! ^_^

[ratbones]

Hee, thanks!

[glymr]

This is NOT what you asked for! It's 53k, and it's not fluff. But it's my favorite fix-it I've read so far, picking up directly where the canon left off and going from there:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22972228/chapters/54915844
"When the Light Goes Out" by janonny. Absolutely wonderful, with an ultimate happy ending that answers all questions and fixes everything, but not without struggle along the way. This is the first fix-it I recommend to new Guardian recruits. <3 I wrote a longer rec post singing its praises here: https://merit-brush-recs.dreamwidth.org/24812.html

A good way for sounding out their feelings on twincest threesomes would be to give her the link to FayJay's Guardian Gothic and then ask if she read the DVD extras or not. XD

[ratbones]

Well, I, personally, love that fic intensely! And although it's not fluff, it's not overwhelmingly angsty, either, so I think it might work for L if/when they're up for longer reads. Janonny is just a fantastic writer. Thanks for the detailed rec post, you make a great case for the fic.

Haha, the Guardian Gothic bonus material would be a good idea if they liked smut, but I don't think they can be easily tempted with that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯