X Never Marks the Spot

So a lot of my BTS fanning is about the music, but of course it's also all about the feels for these random Korean guys. And last week was an exciting one in boraland. June always is -- their debut was June 13, 2013, and they make a big event out of the anniversary. This Festa was extra special, though, as we got our Jin back! As the eldest member, he was the first to start his mandatory military service back in December 2022, and on June 12th he was officially discharged.

Which was a joyous countdown celebrated around the world. And the other members (who are all doing their own service now) took leave to be there at the base when he got out, so we got a minute of sweet reunion hugs and some amazing looks-photoshopped-but-it's-real shots:



courtesy of Namjoon, who was PLAYING THE SAXOPHONE for the entire time??

Yoongi due to his civil service wasn't on the scene, but they posted a pic with all seven of them later that day. And Jin did a fan meet the very next day (at his insistence, because you can't spell BTS without "overachiever") and then a couple days later Namjoon put up this group selfie:



It's hard to explain how much this last pic meant the fandom, especially when it's so far from what anyone pictures as "idols," just a bunch of ordinary guys hanging out? But it's the first pic we've gotten of all of them together and unmasked since 2022. And just seeing them so casual and comfortable with each other...

It's funny because a while ago I was talking about my BTS fanning with a friend (longtime media fan but, like me until now, not into RPF), and she mentioned something about how with idols you only ever see them made up and posed -- when that's actually one of the reasons I really starting fanning on BTS? ( Read more... )

When I got into BTS, I was expecting to have fun with silly variety shows and blatant fanbait, and to appreciate their dancing (which I have and I do!). I seriously was not expecting to love their music as much as I do.

I also assumed that however much I enjoyed myself, I was too old to become one of those fans who gets all excited because their bias* changes his haircolor.

Then there was the sound I made when I went on Instagram yesterday...

(but it's black! it's never black, he always bleaches! awww! :D :D :D)

* One of the things I've liked from the first is the use of "bias" instead of "favorite" -- while I'm not sure it's the intent, to me it carries the implication that you don't have a favorite; of course they're all your favorites! Just that you have a bit of a lean in a certain direction. But after being in fandoms where picking favorites led to fandom rifts *cough*SPN*cough* I very much appreciate the prevailing opinion that true ARMYs love** all seven.

** I will spare you (for now) the extended ramble about parasocial relationships and the differences of having favorite characters in a fictional creation vs having emotional investment in real human beings who you know on a one-sided, controlled, commodified basis...but guys, being into RPF is so interesting!

(and he looks so cute with black hair!!!)

The sundial_exchange went live last Friday and now is up to an incredibly 171 works and counting! Guardian had a great showing but The Lost Tomb came in a strong second.

My gift was amazing:

A Tolerance for Pain (18470 words) by marycrawford
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV 2018)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Characters: Shen Wei (Guardian), Zhao Yunlan, Da Qing (Guardian)
Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Presumed Dead, Not Really Character Death, set after Episode 23 (the one with the Kitchen Scene), Canon Divergence, Magical Exhaustion
Summary:

Shen Wei faced the storm and let it break around him. In the center of catastrophe, he closed his eyes. He could hear no heartbeats, could feel no life around him other than his own.

Zhao Yunlan. Where are you?

18K of presumed dead!!! and other angst!!! Shen Wei being totally metal and then getting to nap (in Zhao Yunlan's arms, of course) -- I could not have asked for more (actually I didn't, I totally forgot to put "presumed dead" in my wants, but marycrawford is a mind-reader among her other skills and knew just what I want!) Plus the resolution of the antagonist is just what I like (Zhao Yunlan, you softie) and there are tasty bits of headcanon for flavor throughout -- so good!


And I also! got treats?!

Cover art for my story "How to break up with your boyfriend" by naye
Such an adorable image, with the blog title and everything, and HAH Zhu Hong! Such the perfect attitude!

Fanart: Traces in the snow by yue_ix
Gorgeous Zhao Yunlan h/c that manages to tell a whole story in a single image (Shen Weeeeiiiii come rescue your boyfriend stat!!)


I wrote a The Lost Tomb Reboot post-canon fic for laireshi, who has the most excellent taste in h/c, and Xiaoge hides pain with the best iron woobies (until he can't):

Nor Shall the Flame Scorch You (11546 words) by Xparrot
Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV), 盗墓笔记 - 南派三叔 | The Grave Robbers' Chronicles - Xu Lei
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling, Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling
Characters: Zhang Qiling, Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Action/Adventure, Post-Canon, Poison, Fever, Peril, just constant peril, Xiaoge Has a Bad Day, Tombs Are Very Dangerous, especially when your resident badass is down for the count, (technically it's a temple but who's counting), Iron Triangle feels

The bronze needle was tiny, not three centimeters long and without even a tuft of feathers to mark it. Zhang Qiling closed his fingers around it, plucked it from his biceps and tossed it away.


I've been working through the rest, should do some recs later!

--But don't miss naye's TLTR vid! I've been waiting for this one to come out since she finished it. If you know the Iron Triangle, here is 3 minutes of solid squee; and if you don't know them yet, find out why you should if you're an h/c fan:

[vid] I'll Wait (314 words) by Naye Visuals
Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling
Characters: Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi, Zhang Qiling
Additional Tags: Fanvids, Iron Triangle feels, Any configuration you want them, It's all about the love, Also about the whump and the holding, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Love, Video Format: Streaming, Video Format: MP4
Summary:

3-minute fanvid celebrating the love the Iron Triangle have for each other.

I'll wait, I'll wait to be the one
To catch you when you're falling
Always, always, I'll be the one
To answer when you're calling

This is basically just copied from my signup for sundial_exchange, but I'm making a post so I'm able to add to it if need be!

( Read more... )

Writing has been less than happening so I don't have a Sunday snippet, but I did post a short fic last week for DMBJ/Reunion:TSotP/The Lost Tomb Reboot (the last seems to be sticking the most in English-speaking fandom, as "TLTR" but who knows if that will last!)

--And I need to post a longer thing on that, because s1 ended and it was completely ridiculous and I didn't enjoy the second half nearly as much as the first, but what I love in the show I REALLY love, making everything else worth it, and I want the second half so badly, you have no idea.

In the meantime, fic! Extremely gratuitous gen h/c, and yes it feels as comfortable as an old pair of slippers.

a place of refuge (2113 words) by Xparrot
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie, Wang Pangzi & Wu Xie & Zhang Qiling
Characters: Wu Xie (DMBJ Series), Wang Pangzi, Zhang Qiling
Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Gratuitous Wu Xie Whump, Nightmares, migraines, Holding, all I want is Iron Triangle cuddles okay?, Present Tense, Podfic Available
Summary:

Wu Xie has nightmares. Fortunately he also has friends.

[Podfic read by Naye]

Also Lucifer s5 dropped -- only have seen a couple eps but it's definitely still Lucifer and so I'm enjoying it -- and we're finally catching up with s2 of the new DuckTales and it makes me happy. And we watched The Mandalorian and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it, not only because Baby Yoda was so cute I was in paroxysms of squee every time he was on screen, but also it proved to be in a genre that seems to be growing in popularity, of shows that have the trappings of grimdark and then are actually not that, because the supposed antiheroes are really just heroes and completely, catastrophically fail at pretending to be otherwise. The Expanse is like that, too, and I hope to see more like it!

It feels like we've been waiting for this show forever, but last week it finally dropped, and guys...guys, it is so good???? Ten episodes in (yes we signed up for VIP access) it's fun and funny and has already had more h/c scenarios than many shows manage in three seasons. I have no idea how they're going to escalate from here and I can't wait to find out. Whatever else the show had going for it, I was assuming Zhu Yilong would look gorgeous and act wonderfully, and I was hoping for some whump -- and it's got all that and then some; but I wasn't expecting it to be THIS friendshippy, I was not prepared.

I'd recommend this to any fans of the Stargate series -- in particular, if you enjoy the parts of Stargate that are "a team of huge dorks run around poking at alien things that they should know better than to touch and getting in trouble and surviving by the skin of their teeth." It's basically Chinese Indiana Jones, about a trio of guys raiding ancient tombs that are filled with priceless treasure and magic artifacts and also the usual assortment of diabolical traps, animate mummies, and creepy supernatural monsters.

Wu Xie (trying to buck up his friends after they land in like the 5th life-threatening peril in as many hours): We have two things to rely on: luck, and our tacit understanding!

Pangzi: Do we really have a tacit understanding? Didn't we just get by so far on luck?

The chemistry between the Iron Triangle is fantastic -- they feel like guys who have been friends forever, they've got their own secret language and everything. Still, how they've survived their job/hobby is anyone's guess because they're complete idiots (okay, two idiots, one wildly skilled immortal badass who is constantly getting in trouble too because he has to save his idiot BFFs). The show is pretty much all action-adventure all the time -- action-adventure as written by a fanfic writer. Ten episodes in we've already had: ( spoilers for tropes )

For the record, while like other cdramas I've talked about, this show is adapted from Chinese webnovels, in this case it's not a danmei (m/m romance) book but a straight action/horror series. ...That being said, Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling is apparently one of the more popular slash ships in China. Though honestly I'm not even shipping them that hard, because I am enjoying the friendship of their trio so much. I love how for both Pangzi and Qiling, Wu Xie is probably their most important person, but this doesn't engender any jealousy between them; instead they're completely united in Team Wu Xie Is Precious And Must Be Protected, And Seriously He Is So Challenging To Keep Alive, Like an Orchid Or Something, Our Lives Are Very Hard.

The show does come with a few caveats: ( cut for mildly spoilery warnings and squee-harshing )

There's only 10 episodes out so far (out of 30+ this season and another 30+ to come, all already filmed) so I don't know where it will be going from here, but I'm definitely looking forward to it (is it Wednesday yet???)

You can watch it (legally, for free, with English subs) on Iqiyi's site. (the first four eps are available to everyone, with 4 new ones a week).

(Ahh I need an icon!)

equalityauction is running a fandom charity auction for Black Lives Matter charities. (here are Guardian offers!)

There is currently a lot of discussion going on re: racism in fandom and the OTW's past and present failures to support BIPOC fans. Most of it is happening Twitter so if like me you're rarely on that platform, you can check out naye's recent summaries and roundups:

What's up with the AO3 and racism?
June 18th Roundup on Racism in Fandom
June 19th Twitter Roundup on AO3 & Racism

goss is looking for other BIPOC fans on Dreamwidth

There's also:

Open Letter to the OTW on Racism in Fandom

I signed the above; if you use AO3, or Fanlore, or anything else with the OTW, I urge you to read it and sign it too.

(In all honesty I don't have much faith that internet petitions do much beyond create a momentary sense of comraderie and shared purpose. But that's what the whole OTW was founded on anyway, so it feels like maybe this could mean something.)

( a few more thoughts on the OTW )

Posted a new fic! More of the porn I was mysteriously writing; like the last, this is in the Dixing flowering continuity, but a sequel rather than a prequel so less angsty. It's not the actual main sequel I have started (which may or may not happen, depending ^^;) but while I was working on that, this came up. Because I can never get enough of exploring aftermaths, and they have a lot to deal with...

A Measure of the Receding Tide (2809 words) by Xparrot
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shěn Wēi/Zhào Yúnlán
Characters: Shěn Wēi, Zhào Yúnlán
Additional Tags: Porn with Feelings, Comfort Sex, Established Relationship, Aftermath, Recovery
Series: Part 3 of Dixing Pon Farr
Summary:

A sequel to "Deep Waters Closing Over Our Heads"

Weeks after the flowering, Zhao Yunlan noticed, but he wasn't going to push it. He was just so damn grateful that Shen Wei still wanted him. And they had time—Shen Wei could take the time, as much as he needed.

--With the usual caveats that I have no business writing smut or any idea what I'm doing; I don't know if any of this is hot, but hopefully it's sweet, at least? ^^;

Joined Camp NaNo for this month to continue the 'write every day' trend started last month, and sticking to a low wordcount goal still is working; I finished another fic!

It's a prequel to Deep Waters Closing Over Our Heads, the mating heat fic that doesn't actually have any sex and is all about hurt/comfort instead, because that's the way I roll. But the questions and issues raised by the scenario were something I've wanted to further explore.

Beseech the Storm (9960 words) by Xparrot
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Shěn Wēi/Other
Characters: Shěn Wēi, Original Character
Additional Tags: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Consent, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Dixing Pon Farr, Superpower Sex, dark energy, Old Haixing Era, (pre-Kunlun), POV Original Character, Present Tense
Series: Part 2 of Dixing Pon Farr
Summary:

"I chose to come to you," Xia Zhu says, as Fu You instructed him to. Not seductively but plainly; that, she'd told him too. "I asked for this honor."

Hei Pao Shi advances another step. He's near enough now that Xia Zhu can smell leather and sweat—like any soldier, though there's an underlying musk; different than the burning braziers, sweet like incense yet sharp in the nose like frost. "It's not an honor," Hei Pao Shi says.

To clarify those tags, there is sex (for me it's explicit, but probably not very by most standards); none of it is noncon; but the situation is complicated (feel free to ask me for more details).

And for the record, if you liked the first story but this one doesn't sound like your cup of tea -- I get you; honestly, if I hadn't written it, I wouldn't be reading this myself, between the pairing and the rating. ^^; Even if I do more fic in this series, this one wouldn't be required to understand it. All the same, I'm quite pleased with how it came out (and for what it's worth, I consider it OTP compliant in spite of the pairing). (Also as always <333 to naye, who spoils me rotten with prereading comments and then goes above and beyond with beta advice; none of this is her fault, but it is so much the better for her!)

--And yeah, I've made it a series because I'm likely writing more for it (though what I've got so far is rather different in tone from any of this before it...)

I started writing this last month, when I needed some escapism from life getting stressful, and now just about everyone can use a little escapism, so...

Flowers & Grass (9820 words) by Xparrot
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Shěn Wēi/Zhào Yúnlán
Characters: Shěn Wēi, Zhào Yúnlán
Additional Tags: Action/Adventure, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Altered Mental States, Magic Pollen, not exactly sex pollen, much to Zhao Yunlan's disappointment
Summary:

Zhao Yunlan studied Shen Wei's face in the flashlight's reflected glow. "Just how high are you right now?"

Shen Wei blinked. "We're quite deep underground," he pointed out.