#highlynerdy makes

[highlynerdy]

I have been working on this ouroboros block for an actual eternity and it's still nowhere near done. It's legit the hardest block I've ever carved.

Sadly, I really think I need the smallest size tool Pfeil makes to get some of these lines done...

But even though I'm not remotely close to done, I still wanted to do a test print anyway just to see how it was looking. It is looking pretty dope,I think?? That's motivating at least.

It's based on an illustration (from an old book as far as I can tell) that I found on Pinterest.

Seriously and truly I think I started this when @swanfloatieknight was visiting me last October! ETA: I've been told that Swan visited me in September. So I'm doing great.

Am I doing this for any particular reason other than a challenge? No, of course not.

[guardianbingo]

Guardian Bonus Bingo FAQ

Welcome to Guardian Bonus Bingo 2025!

This is a very low stakes, low pressure fest meant to be fun and inspire more Guardian fan creations. Whether you’re returning after having participated in the original Guardian Bingo or are joining for the first time, we’re happy to have you here!

How Does It Work?

We’ll issue three prompts per month over five months (three new prompts every month), starting on 1 June.

While we're posting three prompts per month, you only need to make a creation for one of them to earn a fill for that month. (You do NOT need to fill all three unless you just want to!)

You'll have the entire month to create and post your fill. When a new month beings, three new prompts will be issued. This cycle repeats until we make it through all five months.

We’ll also have a grace period at the end for prompts you might have missed earlier in the fest.

What Do I Earn By Completing Fills?

A sense of accomplishment, the adoration of your fellow fans, and the fun that comes with creation.

Completing all five earns you a bingo, a badge created by the amazingly talented @highlynerdy, and your name on a shoutout post at the end of the fest.

Can I Fill Multiple Prompts With A Single Work?

Maybe. The single work will need to be composed of multiple parts.

As one example, a multi-chapter fic where each individual chapter is inspired by a different prompt would work. A one-shot would not.

Similarly, multi-panel art with each panel inspired by a different prompt would work while a single piece of art would not.

If you have something in mind but aren’t sure, check with a mod.

Is There A Signup Period?

Nope. You are welcome to join at any time up until the end of the amnesty period.

What Works Are Accepted?

Pretty much any new creations, including, but not limited to:

Fanfic

Fanart

Edits/Gif Sets

Vids

Moodboards

Playlists

Rec Lists

FanARTifacts (tangible creations, crafts, etc.)

Podfics (with original author’s permission and a link back)

Translations (with original author’s permission and a link back)

Meta Analysis

If you have another idea, check in with the mods but it very likely works.

What Are The Length/Content Requirements?

None! This is meant to be fun, not stressful.

Want to write a 500k multi-chapter epic? That’s a tall order for five months, but we’re cheering you on! Want to only post drabbles? Also wonderful!

The same applies for non-fic creations.

The point is to make stuff, not worry over min/max requirements.

Is This Fest Novelverse Or Drama?

Either or both! It’s totally up to you. All prompts will work for both.

What About Ships And Ratings?

All ratings and any ships (or no ships) are allowed, though works should be appropriately tagged.

Crossovers, Weilan Derivatives (Other Characters Played by Bai Yu Or Zhu Yilong), Other Priest Novels, And RPF?

While the fest is Guardian themed, all are allowed. Just tag appropriately.

How Do I Interpret The Prompts?

However you wish! They're meant to be a source of inspiration and a starting off point. You can adhere to them as strictly or as loosely as you'd like. Follow your muse and have fun!

Can I Use A Creation For This Fest And Another One?

So long as the other fest has no objections, you are good to go!

Ok, So What Isn’t Allowed?

Old works previously posted

Plagiarized works

Harassment/abuse of other participants

Works created through the use of AI

Sounds Great! Where Do I Post My Creations?

The AO3 Collection

Tumblr – Tag @guardianbingo in your post or DM us for a reblog (you can also tag it #guardianbingofest but Tumblr’s tags are very wonky so that might not work well)

If you happen to post elsewhere (Dreamwidth, Bluesky, etc.), that's ok too. You can list the link on the claiming form when you claim your badge. You do not have to be on Tumblr to participate.

Will The Mods Keep Up With My Fills?

No. Since people may be posting on platforms other than Tumblr, it’s up to participants to keep up with their fills so we don’t miss anyone.

If you’d like to claim a badge and a bingo shoutout, please complete the fills reporting form.

What If I Still Have Questions?

Ask away on Tumblr, or email guardianbingofest@gmail.com

Email may get a faster response.

Fest Coordinators

Logistical Coordinator & Fest Contact - @tehfanglyfish

Graphic Designs and Badges - @highlynerdy

Original Guardian Bingo Prompt Coordinator - @sasamelons

[mayonnaisetoffees]

Pick your tropes!

Tagged by @mistchievous (hey look I actually remembered to do one in good time!!)

coffee shop or flower shop | au or fix-it I enemies to lovers or childhood friends | angst or and fluff | love at first sight or pining I modern au or historical au I break up & make up or proposal & wedding I get together or established relationship | soulmates or unrequited I fake dating or secret dating | obvious pining or domestic fluff | hurt/comfort or crack | meet the parents or meet cute

Tagging (if you want to of course) @insane-ohwhyfandoms @thefollow-spot @highlynerdy @queerofthedagger @feuxx @emryses @magicinavalon @glaftwlet @idyllic-idioms and anyone else who sees this and wants to (not least because I'm crap at remembering urls)

[earlgreyinpajamas]

any himbo arthur fics? fics where arthur is just a complete babygirl himbo r my true loves

1.  Brambles or Flowers by MerlinLikeTheBird           

Arthur doesn’t need practice.

He has natural talent.

~~~

he's so stupid i cannot

2. perfect plan by radioactivesunflower

Arthur was back. It was the 21st century and two men can marry. So Arthur has a plan to marry Merlin. Everything works out according to plan, right?

aka the fic in which Arthur plans his wedding but forgot to ask something important

~~~

sdfjkhdsakjh i love them sm in this fic. the ending we deserved

3. Am I The Clotpole? by highlynerdy (@highlynerdy), tehfanglyfish

Business is booming at the Rising Sun thanks to a new game called “Am I The Clotpole?” The rules are simple: people write in with their interpersonal disputes, an anonymous arbiter determines who was the clotpole in those disagreements, and tavern goers enjoy a night of gossip and reasonably priced drinks.

Even though his mouthy manservant proclaimed him a clotpole years ago, King Arthur loves the game, as it gives him an excuse to spend more time with Merlin.

The game is bringing people closer, including Arthur and Merlin, and all seems to be well until Merlin starts disappearing on Sundays, refusing to tell Arthur where he’s gone or what he’s been doing. When Arthur’s curiosity gets the better of him, he makes several unexpected discoveries about the man he’s been secretly in love with for years.

Will Arthur handle these revelations with grace and confess his own secret, or will he earn the title of Camelot’s biggest clotpole?

Words by tehfanglyfish Art by highlynerdy

~~~

for a longer fic, i'd highly recommend this one!

[hils79]

Monday Fic Recs

Zhao Yunlan/Shen Wei (Guardian)

Anywhere Beside You Is A Place That I'll Call Home  by highlynerdy & tehfanglyfish

Zhao Yunlan didn’t realize how much he hated the Hallows until they threw him nine decades into the past. With no other options, he and Shen Wei can only wait on the SID to get them back, settling into an apartment that affords them a place to stay, but with limited privacy. They manage to make the arrangement work, but the longer Zhao Yunlan lives with Shen Wei in the past, the more he finds himself dreaming of a home they might share in the future.

This was such a soft and gentle read. Lots of domesticity and sweetness with minimal angst and drama.

any hope for the love that i hold back by mumblemutter

"You remembered," Shen Wei says, the smile turning softer. Quietly pleased. He's gotten up to join Yunlan at the edge of the outcrop, his face bare and his hood down. Beautiful.

"Who could forget this view," Yunlan says, spreading his arms to encompass the dark scenery before them. The tree tops below, the camp just near enough to keep watch, the stars all around them.

Nothing like the night sky in Dragon City.

This is so soft and tender and lovely

Wang Pangzi/Zhang Qiling (DMBJ)

Only by looking at your eyes I can tell Whatever may happen I want to know this emotion by bimingjue

Zhang Qiling has never been interested in kissing anyone, not even his boyfriend. But when he finds out just about everyone he knows has kissed Pangzi except for him, he wonders if he's missing out on something.

I love fics about asexual characters and this was so good it made me tear up

Hei Xiazi/Xie Yuchen (DMBJ)

not making peace by chancellorofxtrash

Geya didn't plan to eavesdrop

This is so sweet and so perfectly them

Liu Sang/Wang Pangzi (DMBJ)

You’re like the summer without the overbearing heat by bimingjue

When Liu Sang arrives in Wushanju, Pangzi is giving Ouxiang a manicure. After seeing how messed up Liu Sang's nails are after his latest job, Pangzi insists to give him one too. While he's working on him, Ouxiang gives Pangzi a well deserved pedicure. Liu Sang is jealous, but not for the reason they think.

This is so fun. Cute, and a little bit spicy.

[dangermousie]

#oh my god yes#it was super manipulative#his master saw him wavering and decided to be as brutally manipulative as possible#forcing him to relieve his trauma to stir up the hatred in his heart as he said#and like.#I'm sure in his masters mind he probably thought that this was the right thing to do#because he has watched Zang Hai strive for revenge for over a decade now#and he was maybe worrying that he was losing sight of that#BUT BUT.#this was the same person who earlier was like. are you sure you want to go through with this???#you COULD lead a normal life#so what happened huh??#why would he inflict this pain on him NOW#is it something specific to it antu being the reason Zang Hai was wavering?#this show is so fucking good y'all I'm still just so impressed by#xiao zhan#legend of zang hai

@highlynerdy yes to your tags!

I am just so suspicious because they keep saying there is a third person and they are mysterious and sure it could be random Noble N5 who we'd meet an ep before the reveal, but it seems narratively unlikely - they want it to hit. (And it obviously can't be Antu herself or anyone else from the younger generation because they were all ten at the time; it has to be an old timer.)

I do not trust that master (or the mask dude) as far as I can throw him.

PS I am still not over the insanity that they did to him at the start of his training either - let's surgery your face and then as you are recovering let's make you try to deal with a maze you die in of thirst and starvation if you don't get out as we watch. Nothing about that screams benign. Even Spartans would be a little "ehhh?" at this.

OK, it's official, his master is shady as fuck and probably the third guy who was involved. Because I am sorry, in what universe is this a normal response to poor ZH wanting some hope for a normal life after his revenge is over (it's not like he's dropping it, he just perhaps would like a future with a pretty girl he likes after it's done) to drive him to the site of his family's massacre so he'd get retraumatized and abandon thoughts of any future but vengeance and death?

That was a hell of a performance by Xiao Zhan as he relives the horror.

But also, if you think about it - in addition to the fact that I can assure you his family would much rather he lived happy and healthy (because it's not like vengeance is needed to keep that talisman from bad guys which dad thought was worth dying for; talisman is lost anyway) and at the very least had some hope for a future - why DID the master (and the mask guy and self-immolator) took ZH in? I doubt it was out of the goodness of their hearts that they trained him up and spent all the resources. Best case scenario, they were bros of dead dad and/or causeheads who want revenge/talisman to remain buried so they are not exactly out for ZH's welfare are they, but just using him as a tool and of course don't want him to deviate? Orrrrrrr...they want the talisman for themselves.

Because right after he shoved him head first into a pit of worst trauma, his master is all:

Really?! REALLY?! That is so incredibly, blatantly manipulative, I can't!!!

And of course ZH goes:

It's like they want to keep him in a cult and so block all avenues out that aren't theirs. (Mixed metaphor or w/e.) Because I keep getting stuck on the fact that there is nothing to dislike in Antu in terms of her being a person who'd put him in danger or loves to mistreat poor people or wants to use him (except in the sexy sense heh) or interfere in his revenge or even in her asking for marriage or peacing out of revenge EXCEPT for the fact that she's someone not dedicated to/being used as integral prt of revenge/finding talisman (she's outside that scheme entirely) and it's like - they do not want him to see any process or way or future except what they make him see and to have anything interfere with his being a death soldier of sorts.

[spicymayoblandketchup]

*breathes heavy into mic* i’d like to thank my producer, and my fans, and most of all i’d like to thank%534 // 

[temporoyales]

Thorin and Bilbo on their journey (there and back again?).

The third and final collaboration I did for this year’s @tolkienrsb with the great @highlynerdy! I’ve had a blast discussing this piece and the fic with you- thank you so much for making the process so enjoyable! 

Please look forward to the fic when the TRSB collection on AO3 opens September 5th!

[queerofthedagger]

Thank you for the tag @softest-punk <33

Favourite Colour: Oh god please don't make me choose; cyans and turquoises and purples and dark reds and. yeah

Currently Reading: I'm about to finish Anne Carson's 'Eros, the Bittersweet,' and apart from that I just started Terry Pratchett's biography 'A Life in Footnotes' by Rob Wilkings, am slowly making my way through Whisnant's 'Queer Identities and Politics in Germany 1880 - 1945', and fight with Foucault's 'Discipline and Punish'...

Last Song: Chuck Ragan - Rotterdam

Last Movie: ... this is the point where I out myself as the person who never watches anything huh? 😶I genuinely have no idea, the last thing I watched at all was the Sandman....

Sweet/Savory/Spicy?: Savory and/or spicy, I don't have much of a sweet tooth tbh

Currently working on?: Editing and writing my last few Merlin Bingo fills, finishing up the bit of NaNo prep I tend to do, and very purposefully ignoring the 35k Dreamling fic that's done but still not edited... 😬😂

Tagging: @highlynerdy @marshmallowmcgonagall @seadeepy @feuxx @shana-rosee @mykingdomcomeundone @magicinavalon @kairenn-n @atlantablack-chaotic @aeonthedimensionalgirl and anyone else who'd like to! <3

[highlynerdy]

Tried out some sgraffito (ish) designs with some speedball underglaze on my latest batch of pots and they should hopefully be out of the bisque kiln today! I hope they turned out well 🙏

[guardianbingo]

Bonus Badges Sent

If you claimed a badge for Guardian Bonus Bingo, it's been sent to the email address you provided on the form. In the event you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If it's still not there, please let us know so we can get it to you.

A huge thank you goes out to @highlynerdy for making the gorgeous badges. They look amazing!

Congratulations to everyone who earned a Bingo! We'll post a full shoutout post in the next day or so.

[toboldlynerd]

Fuck it Friday

Sweet beloved Frida @leothil tagged me to post whatever I want to and I got a little inspired.

A dear friend has awoken the need to start working on poetry again lately and this one was one of the first tries that I actually finished. It still feels a little unpolished but hey, that's poetic too sometimes

A bumblebee in flight

When I see sun shine through the bare tree trunks

so tempered and warm

When I smell the flowers that come to me

as a surprise

so soft and fondly

When I make plans to meet friends at last and miss them when they leave

so human and happy

When I remember kindness is a better medicine than hatred

so rational and true

When I eat so I am no longer hungry

in baby steps

When I drink so I am no longer snoddy

in toddler steps

When I clean so I am no longer dusty

in childish steps

When I launder so I can wear my favorite sweater again

In half-grown steps

When I cut my hair shorter again so I am happier with myself

In still-young shoes

When I see the first bumblebee of the year

drunken in her search for food and shelter

too cold to think fully yet

too warm to be kept from flying about

I see her and I know.

I'm made from exploding stars

Alive against stupendous odds

Thinking, loving, dreaming

As one of many visions of the future

Drinking in the present moment

I'm tagging @poebin @fraddit @lilolilyr @flowercrowngods @hattalove @observethewalrus @swanfloatieknight @highlynerdy

[earlgreyinpajamas]

merthur fic recs: oblivious!arthur

1. Am I The Clotpole? by highlynerdy, tehfanglyfish

Business is booming at the Rising Sun thanks to a new game called “Am I The Clotpole?” The rules are simple: people write in with their interpersonal disputes, an anonymous arbiter determines who was the clotpole in those disagreements, and tavern goers enjoy a night of gossip and reasonably priced drinks.

Even though his mouthy manservant proclaimed him a clotpole years ago, King Arthur loves the game, as it gives him an excuse to spend more time with Merlin.

The game is bringing people closer, including Arthur and Merlin, and all seems to be well until Merlin starts disappearing on Sundays, refusing to tell Arthur where he’s gone or what he’s been doing. When Arthur’s curiosity gets the better of him, he makes several unexpected discoveries about the man he’s been secretly in love with for years.

Will Arthur handle these revelations with grace and confess his own secret, or will he earn the title of Camelot’s biggest clotpole?

Words by tehfanglyfish Art by highlynerdy

~~~

arthur misses the most obvious clues in this fic and i love him for that. he’s so precious it’s insane.

2. Curling. For Camelot! by ravenwilds (@ravenwilds)

 Not for the first time, Merlin is late for training. He really hadn’t meant to be, but he’s had a very disturbed morning. He’d been woken up at five o’clock by the sound of Arthur singing “I feel pretty and witty and gay,” in the shower. It was a brave choice for the captain of a men’s curling team, and for a Crown Prince – but then Merlin had to admit Arthur was brave in his own way – brave or crazy – one of the two.

At the age of twenty-one Prince Arthur is proud that his men’s curling team are the first people from the tiny country of Camelot to ever compete in the Olympic games. He just wishes his rag-tag teammates – and one very distracting team member in particular – would take the whole thing more seriously.

Meanwhile, Merlin can’t believe he’s at the Olympics – he didn’t even know what curling was a year ago! This would be the trip of a lifetime, if only he didn't have to share a room with his very bossy, very attractive, prat of a team captain.

~~~

adhjfjkfhdakjf merlin literally confesses and arthur goes “hm he must find me disgusting. shame”

3. Destiny by diner_drama (@diner-drama)

"Merlin," yelped Arthur, outraged and relieved in equal measure. "What on earth are you- Is this what you meant by powerful, ancient magic? You can make your eyes go sparkly and then fix people's clothing?"

Merlin stopped short and rubbed the back of his own neck awkwardly. "Among other things, yes."

"And you've been moping around all day about this?"

"You didn't believe me! I was baring my soul to you and you were so arrogant that you just-"

"You told me that you'd saved my life a hundred times with the mystical power of your warlock skills," said Arthur, wiggling his fingers as though casting a spell. "Not that you were hiding the ability to dress me more efficiently."

~~~

arthur himbo is my fav trope

[dangermousie]

This is such a wonderful addition and yes yes yes YES

Also, I am gonna steal @highlynerdy tags too - because I love them and because they feed into it:

#this this this!!!!#People seem to think that good = boring#but that's not what i've found#all the characters mentioned here are fascinating#BECAUSE they have remained good and true and honorable#in an often cruel and unforgiving world#and there's something really precious to me about watching that#because our own world is often unforgiving and it's easy to lose hope#watching characters flat our REFUSE to succumb to greed or murder or ruthless cruelty#is satisfying because we hope that maybe we would also remain steadfast#and it's frankly just amazing to watch these characters#find ways to utilize their goodness as a kind of shield#or better yet as a kind of weapon#all these characters are so beloved to me okay

It's that tension - of being good despite the cost - of there being a cost or at least a moral weight - of this being a conscious choice instead of just a passive default - that makes it work.

Rudyard Kipling is understandably not a favored writer nowadays due to issues with his real life attitudes but his poem If really encapsulates what I find compelling in hard won goodness done well:

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

There is nothing boring about this type of person in fiction. But it is really really hard to do well.

I've made a few posts lately ranting about how I like grey secondaries in cdramas over good mains/I miss when mains were allowed to be darker so I just want to add a corollary:

GOODNESS IN FICTION CAN BE GREAT.

It does not automatically mean boring.

Fan Xian in Joy of Life is an avalanche of goodness - he's terrifyingly compassionate, ruthlessly idealistic. He is as capable, as smart, as unhinged as the Emperor but with an unshakable moral center. And yet he's a live wire to watch, by far the most interesting character in a narrative full of compelling characters. (Side note - you know he will always make the moral choice but deliciously never know what form of action that will express in.)

Or look at 17 in Lost You Forever - so good it's downright unworldly, refusing to feel hatred or seek revenge is his form of revolt, the bedrock of his character, his refusal to give in.

Xie Xingchen in currently airing TBL is another great example - he is basically xianxia boyscout and I adore him and his honor and his dry sense of humor. I am excited to see the unhinged demon daddy version but I do not think XXC himself is in any way inferior.

Or think of Xing Zhi in Shen Li - the duty-driven, duty-bound god, willingly restricting himself for millennia.

Or Zhuo Yichen from Fangs of Fortune - a man so good it changes the universe, doesn't it? He is capable of changing his views, but his moral center remains unshaken - not loss, not becoming a demon, not outcast status, nothing shakes his moral certainty. And I love him so.

Think of Xiu or even more Si Yilin from Eternal Brotherhood - SYL especially is just so dedicated to doing the right thing, to being a good person. And I watch him and Xiu in their dark world, rooting for them.

Etc etc etc.

You CAN make a deeply moral, deeply good ML interesting and someone I can root for. It helps when there are real stakes and/or a dark dark world - because then there is a lot of tension watching a deeply moral person navigating a deeply amoral world, the push and pull and the pressure (or with stakes, there is so much danger to them) but even that is not per se necessary - this is a modern but I loved eg ZXC's character in Go Ahead and it was a slice of life.

But I do think it requires better writing and acting to make me invested than if it's just a grey character because then the interest comes from uncertainty of the set up itself and it's just easier.

So basically my wish? If cdramas won't let us have many grey MLs, at least pls write the deeply good ones better.

[sasamelons]

OH this is such a fun idea, thanks @highlynerdy​ for tagging me! So, ten characters I fell in love with in 2021 (in chronological order). As you can see, I was (almost) completely swallowed by cdramas this year.

1. Shen Wei (Guardian drama) - I’m gonna channel Zhao Yunlan here and say I fell for Shen Wei FAST and HARD. Just like, MY BABY 🥺🥺🥺

2. Zhao Yunlan (Guardian drama & novel) - When he first crashed in on his bike, I was like, sure, seems like a cool guy. And then the longer he stuck around (and especially after I started writing fic), the further I fell. More than once, I’ve laid awake in bed not being able to sleep bc I was thinking about this adorable disaster of a human being and (in the drama) his stupid traumatized ass 😭😭😭

3. Da Qing (Guardian drama & novel) - He’s a snarky cat who solves mysteries and loves to eat, what’s not to love?

4. Wen Kexing (Word of Honor) - Did someone say murder baby? WKX introduced me to the urge of wanting to wrap someone in a bear hug while watching him cut people down

5. Luo Fei (Detective L) - Yes he’s quirky and smart and secretly soft-hearted, but most importantly he is the HOTTEST version of Bai Yu I’ve seen, like damn

6. Kim Jun-wan (Hospital Playlist) - Ok so this is kinda a cheat because I saw the first season of Hospital Playlist in 2020, but I remember liking Ik-jun a lot after that. Idk if they turned it up this season but honestly Jun-wan’s cranky antisocialness plus secretly hating to be alone is such a 2021 mood

7. Ye Xiaolang (The Bond) - I KNOW I KNOW I CAN HEAR Y’ALL SCREAMING ALREADY. Yes she is TERRIBLE to Yicheng and very selfish but if I’m being honest, despite loving and empathizing with the siblings through the series, Ye Xiaolang is the character that stayed with me. This entire series is amazing for making its characters feel real, even when they’re doing terrible things. Maybe it’s her self-contradictory drives for both independence as well as for a home that connected with me. Maybe it’s bc her emigrating from China in the 90s, looking for a better life Out There, reminded me of my parents. But yes, I still think about Ye Xiaolang months after finishing the show

8. Li Dabao (Medical Examiner Dr. Qin) - It seems like the season of Qin Ming that most people have seen is the one with Liu Haikuan bc, you know, LHK. But honestly I recommend the first season from 2016. The quality of the cases vary, but Qin Ming, Lin Tao and Li Dabao (who is Qin Ming’s assistant) in this is true OT3 material. Li Dabao especially is smart, badass, hilarious, and has impeccable fashion sense. I don’t know if I’m in love with her or if I want to be her, but 😍😍😍

9. Lu Bixing (Cancipin) - I liked him as the lovestruck idealistic baby, but by the time Book 5 hit I was GONE. I was in TEARS. OH BB BIXING 😭😭😭

10. Zhanlu (Cancipin) - Look, he made me love Popcorn the Python and I have a serious phobia of snakes, that’s how much I love him

So uh...I wrote even more than you Gracie oops hahahaha. Tagging @ishipallthings @elenothar @buriedbybooks @flamingwell @t-eyla if you feel like doing it!

[roundtableroundrobin]

Welcome to the Merlin Round Table Round Robin master post!

Every post in this collection is a different chapter of a single fic, each one contributed by a different creator to produce a fun and unpredictable story. This fest runs from September 2020 through January 2021, so check back each week for updates.

Chapter 1 - Keeping Secrets by @fervidasaflame

Rating: G

Summary: Arthur’s keeping a secret and Merlin is determined to find out what it is.

Chapter 2 - Wayward Magic by @undercardboardstars

Rating: G

Summary: Merlin enters the room, knowing full well there could be consequences… like accidentally revealing his magic to the king. Would Arthur remain oblivious enough?

Chapter 3 - Temptation by @highlynerdy 

Rating: G

Summary: Merlin struggles with his magic acting out and with the powerful temptation to return to the mysterious artifact he discovered.

Chapter 4 - Euraidd ac Arian by @aeonthedimensionalgirl

Rating: G

Summary: Merlin is blessed with two gifts to help Arthur.

Chapter Five - Spilling Secrets by @queerofthedagger 

Rating: G

Summary: Merlin learns that divine intervention is a double-edged sword. Or, as the goddess would say–the finalization of the first step.

Chapter 6 - Complications by @schweetheart

Rating: G

Summary: Merlin's decision to reveal his final (biggest?) secret takes an unexpected turn when Arthur reveals a secret of his own.

Chapter 7 -  Cold by @admiralsushishin

Rating: T

Summary: Arthur knows his greatest secret. But this is Merlin: he has secrets within secrets, and he's not ready yet.

Chapter 8 - Dawning of a New Day by @loanmeadragon

Rating: T

Summary: Merlin rushes to Arthur, afraid something terrible is about to happen...

Chapter 9 - A Light in the Dark by @jayswing101

Rating: T

Summary:  Arthur is safe (for now) but the druids are in danger. Will the king and his warlock make it to them in time? 

Chapter 10 - Together or Not at All by @magicalmischel

Rating: T

Summary: Merlin and Arthur help Iseldir and finally get some answers. (This, of course, doesn't go without awkward blushing, clearing throats and thank yous.)

Chapter 11 - Magic and Might by @fuckyeahsnackables

Rating: T

Summary: Arthur and Merlin prepare for a fight like they've never fought before: back to back, as equals.

Chapter 12 - Endings as Beginnings by @boonkii

Rating: T

Summary: The fight continues, and Arthur must make a difficult choice. When Merlin decides for him, all seems to be lost.

Chapter 13 - A Jewel From Darkness by @achrilock-atmospheric

Rating: T

Summary: While Arthur fights for Merlin, Merlin goes on a journey and learns the origin of the jewel given to Arthur by the visiting delegation of druids.

Chapter 14 - Warmth by @unmarkedinlife

Rating: T

Summary: The battle is finally won. The aftermath involves recovery, revelations, and hope for romance.

Chapter 15 - New Beginnings by @leaootori

Rating: G

Summary: Merlin sighed, hands stilling on Arthur’s face. “Arthur,” he began, breath barely above a whisper as he drew closer. “My love for you has never been conditional, even when it should have been.”

Chapter 16 - Let Me Take Care of You by @tehfanglyfish

Rating: T

Summary:  Arthur finally gets around to making a proposal.

Chapter 17 - A Happy End by @futuralien

Rating: G

Summary: Merlin and Arthur's wedding