Another C-drama - another pairing!!!

[amedia]

How can I be into multiple fandoms right now? I don't DO THAT. I MEAN WHAT. (Okay, I have a couple of fandoms that are always simmering in the background, like Barney Miller and Star Trek, but I'm usually *really into* just one fandom at a time.)

So right now, I'm still pretty wild about Rat Patrol. And I've gone head-over-heels for The Untamed. And I just finished watching Guardian, another C-drama based on a danmei (gay romance) novel.



Guardian is VERY different from The Untamed, which had very high production values (with one or two notable exceptions) and very complex world-building with lots of characters and relationships and subplots. A lot of people say it has a look-and-feel similar to LOTR and they're not wrong.

I've heard Guardian strays a lot farther from its original novel, which I know very little about. Compared to The Untamed, production values are a lot lower, a lot of things don't really make sense, and it's kinda like the "cheap sci-fi" (i.e., science fiction set on our planet, in our time, without a lot of SFX) that you often see on SyFy. Basically it's crack, but I say that with great affection. The closest approximation I can think of is Warehouse 13, if Artie and Claudia were a couple of hot thirtysomething Chinese guys who are constantly staring at each other with romantic longing.


"Artie" (Zhao Yunlan, chief of Special Investigations) and "Claudia" (Shen Wei, a professor who consults for the team)

But what I truly love about Guardian is not the main pairing, but a secondary one. (Ah, now Amedia is on more familiar territory.) Chu Shuzhi, in the TV show, is a good-looking sarcastic tough guy who is part of the Special Investigations team. Guo Changcheng is a brand new intern, introduced in the first episode, who is scared of his own shadow; Chief Zhao assigns Chu to keep an eye on Guo, give him some training and get him up to speed. (Remember that Chinese names are flipped from a Western perspective, so "Zhao" and "Chu" and "Guo" are their family names, like "Smith" or "Garcia.")

I figured out pretty quickly that I was going to love their interaction. They could hardly BE more opposite, and yet they clearly become fond of each other. As the series goes on, Guo becomes the only person on the team to address Chu as "Brother Chu" (everyone else calls him "Old Chu"). Chu becomes the only person on the team to address Chu as "Changcheng" (everyone else calls him "Little Guo"). No one else on the team does that. Everyone else on the team calls each other by their family names, or family name plus "Brother" or "Sister," but never by their personal name*. Not even the primary pairing, who have been in love for 10,000 years--even they keep calling each other by their titles or by their full names.

They also have hurt/comfort incidents out the wazoo. And there's a lovely moment when Guo is troubled about something during a team meeting, and Chu reaches over as if he's going to Gibbs-slap him, and instead he pets the back of his head and speaks to him kindly.



"Dumbass," by the way, is Chu-speak for "sweetheart."

Squeee!

__________

*(One of them does it once when she's under the influence of dark magic. But her doing that is a clue that something is wrong, since she would normally never do that.)

Comments

[dorinda]

HIGH FIIIIIIIIVE! :D

I love Guardian, and of course I adore Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan (so gorgeous, so nuanced, so epic and eternal), but Chu Shuzhi is my faaaaavorite. So skilled and competent, soooo handsome, go grumpy, but also so fragile inside, so that when his tough shell gets cracked he Falls Entirely Apart. I mean...canon sobbing-in-fetal-position-on-the-floor levels? Whoah.

So much delicious hurt/comfort and protectiveness and life saving. I mean, the episode in the enemy's giant science-freezer alone is like a Yuletide story come directly to life.

(vagued-up spoilers ahead!): I was rewatching just recently scenes from late in the series, once GCC has his power. And OH MAN such good stuff in there. GCC being so compassionate and skilled-- CSZ supporting him (including rubbing his chest and being worried about him). Plus that amazing moment early on when it doesn't seem like GCC can do it, and CSZ tries to interfere, and GCC actually shoves him away (!!) and dives back into this painful power of his. Sigh!

Anyhoo, should you ever want to squee about it, I am here. ♥____♥

[amedia]

I adore Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan (so gorgeous, so nuanced, so epic and eternal)

Oh, well said! They are a wonderful pair. When we finally get the "Kunlun" flashbacks toward the end, I realized they are a little bit like River Song and the Doctor, in that each of their "first meetings" is only a first meeting for one of them. I really liked how Chief Zhao's initial suspicion in the first few episodes was obviously already tempered with fascination, which turned into much more very quickly.

Of course, I gotta love the college professor, especially one who is hot and well-dressed. Come to think of it, the last show I watched with a college professor in it was Instinct, featuring a hot and well-dressed Alan Cumming. Between the two of them, I think I can safely say our image is coming up in the world!

So skilled and competent, soooo handsome, go grumpy, but also so fragile inside so that when his tough shell gets cracked he Falls Entirely Apart. I mean...canon sobbing-in-fetal-position-on-the-floor levels? Whoah.

Yessss. The last half of the series really showcased the fragility, but without losing the competence and strength. Even earlier, I was struck by his protectiveness toward Guo in the underground-fighting establishment, because my first thought when Chu said something to the ticket-taker about how he (Chu) would be responsible for Guo's safety, was that Chu had willingly made himself vulnerable by taking on that role.

so that when his tough shell gets cracked he Falls Entirely Apart. I mean...canon sobbing-in-fetal-position-on-the-floor levels? Whoah.

Oh man, that whole arc. I loved the epistemological aspect--from one scene to the next, you could never be quite sure what was real and what was a dream, and there was no way to tell for sure. And the beautiful Chu/Guo interaction was off the charts!

I really liked Chu's attempt to scare Guo off by claiming to have been a cannibal--and who was surprised that Guo *still* came back to try to help him? No one, I think! We see a lot of evidence of Chu's affection for Guo, but that was a nice example of Guo's loyalty to Chu.

The whole cannibal scene also reminded me of "dainty Chu" in the episode(s) where some of the team gets infected by a dark-energy thing that changes your personality. I got the impression that the actor who plays him REALLY enjoys throwing himself into the role, especially when there's a chance to go over the top!

I mean, the episode in the enemy's giant science-freezer alone is like a Yuletide story come directly to life.

THIS!!! So much this. :-D I could hardly believe the level of fanservice there. It was also telling that Chu was able to be a lot more expressive toward Guo when the latter was unconscious. But as the series goes on, Chu opens up more and more.

GCC being so compassionate and skilled-- CSZ supporting him (including rubbing his chest and being worried about him). Plus that amazing moment early on when it doesn't seem like GCC can do it, and CSZ tries to interfere, and GCC actually shoves him away (!!) and dives back into this painful power of his.

YES! I thought it was a wonderfully apt power for GCC to acquire because of his kindness and compassion. Of course, it's also a very painful power for him to use that power, for the same reason (and, I get the impression, also because of how he acquired it). The way CSZ supports him is so beautiful, and I love it especially because the impetus this time for him to help GCC is *not* that GCC is being weak or clumsy or foolish, but that GCC is using his strength, that painful power as you so accurately & elegantly describe it.

So happy to have another fan to squee with! I had forgotten that you mentioned Guardian on your DW, but when I started reading CSZ/GCC fic (as soon as I got done with the series), I saw the name "dorinda" as the recipient on one of the stories and thought, "hey ..." So my "yay" became a double-yay, or more like yay-squared!!!

[dorinda]

my first thought when Chu said something to the ticket-taker about how he (Chu) would be responsible for Guo's safety, was that Chu had willingly made himself vulnerable by taking on that role.

I love that observation! To be protective of him is to be vulnerable--and even though CSZ started out earlier in the show by rolling his eyes, we start to see the vulnerability come to the surface, like in the training scene in ep 14. He's so (privately) pleased and proud and even moved by seeing that GCC was able to break the energy string! His feelings are getting involved.

I like the scene between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan about that right at the start of the fighting-club storyline, where ZYL remarks on how CSZ and GCC are always together now, and are they too attached--it reminds us of how far they've already come (and we haven't even gotten to the freezer yet :D ).

We see a lot of evidence of Chu's affection for Guo, but that was a nice example of Guo's loyalty to Chu.

Yes indeed! I do love a 'I must chase you away to keep you safe' trope, answered by a resounding "hell no". And yes, good point--it does seem like we see more of CSZ's feelings about GCC than the reverse, or at least they're more pointed up. GCC's seem to be expressed more subtly--like that moment in the fight club right before CSZ goes into the ring, when GCC touches him and just says "...Chu-ge :( " (and of course CSZ knows what he means, aww). Until of course later in the series when things get more heightened in general, like the intense scenes where CSZ heals GCC with the Longevity Dial! GCC's little speech there is made of hearts. ♥___♥

Speaking of which--

It was also telling that Chu was able to be a lot more expressive toward Guo when the latter was unconscious. But as the series goes on, Chu opens up more and more.

Yes yes! So interesting to compare the freezer scene with the later Dial-healing scene--how CSZ's expressiveness, and articulation of his feelings, goes further up, and how he's able to have those feelings in the latter even once GCC is awake. Someone is learning and growing!

and I love it especially because the impetus this time for him to help GCC is *not* that GCC is being weak or clumsy or foolish, but that GCC is using his strength

I adore that whole sequence, and that's one of the big reasons! I love GCC having developed his own spine and his own power, while still being very much himself, with his strength in being self-sacrificing and gentle and compassionate and open. And now, as you say, CSZ's protectiveness is focused on supporting GCC in his own power and heroism, which is such a delightful angle. I would love to read more about GCC using his power with CSZ as his support--like a battlefield medic with his protecting soldier.

[amedia]

I like the scene between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan about that right at the start of the fighting-club storyline, where ZYL remarks on how CSZ and GCC are always together now, and are they too attached

OMG! I forgot about that bit! Clearly I need to do some rewatching. :-)

like the intense scenes where CSZ heals GCC with the Longevity Dial! GCC's little speech there is made of hearts. ♥___♥

That is such an incredible scene. I mean, if it was in a gen fan story, the beta might say, "you know, this bit right here--isn't it a little OTT if they're just friends?"

how CSZ's expressiveness, and articulation of his feelings, goes further up, and how he's able to have those feelings in the latter even once GCC is awake. Someone is learning and growing!

That's an excellent point. It's more obvious that Guo is gradually coming into his own in various ways--especially becoming braver and more competent. Chu's learning and growing is more subtle, but it's definitely there. And so much of it, for both of them, stems from their interactions with each other.

Another tidbit I had forgotten until I saw this music video: Wicked Game, which included it, was the scene where Guo, being his genuine sunshine self, talks about how it makes him happy when others are happy, and Chu is clearly astonished. That's something Chu learns as well, that there really are people like Guo in the world, for whom being altruistic makes them happy. It's a way of being that I'm guessing he didn't see in the Underground, which seems very dog-eat-dog, and I think he gradually goes from disbelief to appreciation.

I would love to read more about GCC using his power with CSZ as his support--like a battlefield medic with his protecting soldier.

Eeee! That would be splendid. There needs to be more GCC/CSZ fic in general. There especially needs to be more of it that's as good as "To Awake as Living Flame." (And I need to write a comment for that, but it'll take a while, because there is SO MUCH to love!!!)

[dorinda]

OMG! I forgot about that bit! Clearly I need to do some rewatching. :-)

I've enjoyed rewatching very much! The scene I mention is right toward the end of ep 17, at about 40 minutes in.

Guo, being his genuine sunshine self, talks about how it makes him happy when others are happy, and Chu is clearly astonished

I love the way CSZ looks in that scene! It might have been the first time we saw him go soft, obviously affected by something.

It's a way of being that I'm guessing he didn't see in the Underground, which seems very dog-eat-dog, and I think he gradually goes from disbelief to appreciation.

Yeah, I agree with the dog-eat-dog--Zhu Jiu the bad guy says something like that to Ya Qing the crow at one point, saying that Dixing makes its people tough. I suspect the only other person Chu Shuzhi ever met with that optimism/altruism was Nianzhi, and look what happened to him.

It makes me wonder--we hear (tho granted it might be in CSZ's dream, so those memories might or might not be entirely accurate) that Nianzhi wanted to go work in the Palace. But we also see that the Regent is pretty terrible. What would it have been like for someone as seemingly sweet and not-tough as Nianzhi to work there? He seemed to think it would be safe, but I'm extremely doubtful about that.

And I'm so glad you liked the story! :) :) :)

[amedia]

The scene I mention is right toward the end of ep 17, at about 40 minutes in.

I went and looked at it, and oh ... Zhao Yunlan looks so puzzled, and Shen Wei just gets this ... positively goofy! ... smile. ♥ ♥ ♥ I don't think I've ever been in a fandom before where the primary pairing shipped the secondary pairing!!!





ETA: I just had to go and post this on my DW!!! So squee-worthy. But you saw it first, right here. ;-)

[dorinda]

I've commented over there, but in any case I was glad to see it! Isn't it great. :D

[amedia]

Thank you! I have been luxuriating in all your lovely replies, and I will answer them soon - temporarily snowed under at the moment. *hugs*

[amedia]

And I'm so glad you liked the story! :) :) :)

I loved SO MUCH about your story! Honestly, it stands head and shoulders over a lot of the available fic for the pairing. I feel like I ought to start a rec list so people can find the really good stuff right away.

There's so little for this pairing that I've even tried to read some of the fics written in Chinese using Google Translate. Let's say I generally get a vague sense of what's going on, but that's about it. The weirdest thing is that while GT has trouble translating people's thoughts and feelings, when they get down and dirty it seems to have NO trouble describing exactly what gets put where! Even when it isn't clear to whom said body part belongs.

[dorinda]

That's so kind of you to say! And I admire you for attempting the Chinese-language stories--verrry interesting about the strengths of Google Translate. :D

[erinm_4600]

Conversely.. I feel like I'm in too many fandoms for not contributing anything :( I need to get out of this rut!

[amedia]

As Milton would (sort of) say, "They also serve who only stand and squee." Don't be hard on yourself. ♥ ♥ ♥

[china_shop]

Guo Changcheng is one of my favourites (I wrote the post for him in the character discussion series on sid_guardian), and I love his relationship with Chu Shuzhi, aww. Initially I was a bit wary because I tend to avoid power imbalances and age gaps, but Changcheng is so brave and determined even when he's terrified and Chu Shuzhi is so isolated and emotionally closed off that it evens out pretty quickly, imo, and I just really enjoy how sweet a lot of the fic for them is.

This is a great post, and the comments, too. (And I 100% agree that "To Awake As Living Flame" is amaaaazing! :-)

[amedia]

I tend to avoid power imbalances and age gaps

You know, that is so interesting, because I usually do too! And I didn't really consciously work through that, but the way you lay it out makes complete sense to me.

And thanks for your kind words about the post! I'm tickled it's gotten so many great comments.