china_shop: Tight frame on Shen Wei drinking Zhao Yunlan's wine (even though he knows it will make him fall unconscious). (Guardian - Shen Wei drinking)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote in [community profile] sid_guardian2025-05-08 10:10 am
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Poll: Shen Wei's Clark Kent moments (drama)

Poll #33087 Ordinary
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 27


What's your favourite of Shen Wei's lies, obfuscations and misdirects?

View Answers

"I am an ordinary person. I have no right to interfere with these things." (ep 1)
2 (7.4%)

holding his hip as Jiajia helps him out of the bushes, after he fell off the biology dept (ep 2)
10 (37.0%)

climbing to his feet, rubbing his very lower back in the hospital (ep 2)
5 (18.5%)

being trapped in the car while the hospital attacker goes after Li Qian (ep 2)
3 (11.1%)

"I really was at the wrong place at the wrong time," during the interrogation (ep 4)
6 (22.2%)

pretending his arm wasn't just bleeding a second ago (ep 4)
3 (11.1%)

deliberately pricking his finger to make it bleed (ep 4)
8 (29.6%)

don't ask me about Dixingren; let's talk about bears (ep 7)
12 (44.4%)

"I have a magical sixth sense." (ep 8)
3 (11.1%)

the innocent smile from the balcony, during the Hanga arc (ep 11)
6 (22.2%)

"To be honest, I'm just a normal person who happens to be unlucky. I don't know why, but I somehow became involved in these strange cases. And that's all there is to it." (ep 12)
3 (11.1%)

"I work out a lot." (ep 13)
14 (51.9%)

in the car, post-Envoy reveal, "I'm just an ordinary..." *trails off* (ep 14)
10 (37.0%)

other
4 (14.8%)



Thanks to [personal profile] trobadora for help compiling the list. :D
autodach: Brain floating in space (Default)

[personal profile] autodach 2025-05-08 06:31 am (UTC)(link)
So many good bits! Some convincing, some very much not, haha.

I went with the hanga arc balcony. Because I think for just a moment there, Zhao Yunlan was (almost) buying it. He just found Zhu Hong asleep and confused, and assumed that meant Shen Wei would be gone - but here he is! Waiting for him. Still wearing Zhao Yunlan's jacket! How domestic :)

The bears are an all-time favourite of course. I wonder how far Shen Wei's interest in them goes. He had those drawings ready, after all.

The Working Out A Lot is a special case, because imo it's not trying to be convincing at all. Rather, this is Shen Wei trying to communicate he cannot reveal the truth right now, by telling a lie they both know is a lie, and they both know they know.

I also like the last one, where Shen Wei starts to lie purely out of habit XD
autodach: Brain floating in space (Default)

[personal profile] autodach 2025-05-08 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you for this lovely poll! ♥

Hi, I was thrown off a building, and now my hip is slightly sore

He isn't used to getting hurt by something as trivial as falling off the roof! And so he doesn't know how to fake that either XD

Like, he's just so amused that anyone would be worried about this little cut, but also maybe a little happy that ZYL is the kind of person who takes responsibility when someone gets hurt on his watch. <333

Awww♥♥♥

the entire mugging

Oh yes, the mugging is an entire scene of pretending to be a weak academic! I especially love when Shen Wei steps back a little to give Zhao Yunlan space to brawl.
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
POLL yay! :D ♡♡♡

And it's one of those where I just want to click everything, or very nearly everything. :D So I just went ahead and did that, obvsly. And apparently a lot of them come down to 'SHEN WEI'S FACE THO *heart eyes*' /pretends to be surprised ;D And some of them included a tumblr deep dive to get the right gifs. :D

The lower back one - it's directly because of this gif:

(From this post, and originally from a crack video that is linked in the post. :D)

The other two from ep 2 - HIS FACE THO ♡♡♡

Pricking his finger - I LOVE concerned Zhao Yunlan, and Shen Wei being all adorable and 'why??' ♡♡♡

Magical sixth sense - because it's ep 8, I feel like I'll just always vote for everything from ep 8, it's just a thing. :D :D

The balcony smile - I LOVE THEIR FACES, I love Zhao Yunlan's smile too, so much.

I work out a lot - it's largely because of this tumblr post, especially whatever he's doing with his jaw at the very end:


And also these tags:


Other - the mugging, because this time I read the comments before voting. :D
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 08:58 am (UTC)(link)
"I can say what I like about them, but it won't explain why those things versus the others."

Yepp, same. :D This is such a fun list, all vibes. :D ♡

"Also, just the whole "Hi, I was thrown off a building, and now my hip is slightly sore" thing is awesome. :D"

Hahah, now that you say it like that, it's so precious, lol aw! ♡ He picked a random-ass consequence and committed to the bit. :D

"Like, he's just so amused that anyone would be worried about this little cut, but also maybe a little happy that ZYL is the kind of person who takes responsibility when someone gets hurt on his watch. <333"

AW, yes, this! ♡♡♡

"(Oh no, now I've thought of an "other" that I should have included in the poll, which is the entire mugging, where Shen Wei is very deliberately letting himself get robbed and letting ZYL rescue him. Awwww.)"

I added 'other' to my vote because of your comment. :D I love this scene so much, and btw I don't even think Zhao Yunlan should be embarrassed about it at all - he wasn't fully informed, but he did so well with what he knew. :D Unlike the whole thing with giving SW the books, which was just objectively ridiculous and unnecessary, lol.

"This is just paper-thin and adorably ridiculous. He knows ZYL won't believe him, but he has to try. (And, like, if ZYL did believe him, it would be a dark-energy power, right? So that's incriminating in another way.)"

I just vote for everything from ep 8 because I love it so much, but also yes this, that's such a good point! ♡
facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan gesturing)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 10:37 am (UTC)(link)
"For all of thirty seconds, lol."

Hahah, falling off the roof only hurts a tiny little bit. :D

"It's the same as CSZ treating Professor Shen the way he did; he was a convincing part of SW's cover, even if he didn't know it!"

Exactly! Plus a really great compliment, in CSZ's case, when he says that SW can never compare to... himself. xD

"Hahaha, aww! It was just the lie that was terrible. Imagine if he'd managed to tell the truth!"

Lol yeah, unfortunately his brilliant plan included the lie. :D It would have been so sweet if he just told Shen Wei that he got him a gift, AW. ♡ (Tho it's still kinda sweet the way it is - he's so in love that he's a total dumbass about it. :D :D)
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 10:49 am (UTC)(link)
"Shen Wei's spontaneous/incredulous little laugh is the BEST!!"

♡! :D

"I feel like a lot of his expression is, "I've chosen my course and I'm sticking to it, but ZYL is about to explode at me again." braces for impact You know?"

Lol aw, I rewatched right now, and even all the adorable blinking doesn't work on ZYL, so at one point he just completely stops doing it. xD
autodach: Brain floating in space (Default)

[personal profile] autodach 2025-05-08 11:05 am (UTC)(link)
he's much better off with a super-powered battle boyfriend

Indeed he is! Wouldn't have it any other way♥

The whole subtext of that scene is "Will you please just accept that I can't say it?" / "No!"

Exactly this. I think Zhao Yunlan knows what's being communicated here, but the difference between a blatant lie and an honest "I can't tell you yet" matters to him. Lying to someone is a disrespect; asking for patience is trust.

I wonder exactly how many people he's claimed to be ordinary to

The more he does it the more suspicious it gets. Hello fellow humans I am an Ordinary Person just like you.
autodach: Legend of Zelda heart container (Heart)

[personal profile] autodach 2025-05-08 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
Bwahaha a great gif indeed! I had not seen that video yet.
And the rapid blink of distress, lol XD
tinypinkmouse: (Default)

[personal profile] tinypinkmouse 2025-05-08 12:09 pm (UTC)(link)
I voted for bears and I work out because how could I not. Those are iconic. But also holding his hip. Because that his hilariously fake, and Shen Wei, you just fell off a roof!
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 12:15 pm (UTC)(link)
"but here he is! Waiting for him. Still wearing Zhao Yunlan's jacket! How domestic :)"

I like how your described it, AW. :D And I just love the way they smile at each other!

"The bears are an all-time favourite of course. I wonder how far Shen Wei's interest in them goes. He had those drawings ready, after all."

Hah, I always just thought the pictures were for one of his classes, but I can totally see why it's fanon that Shen Wei loves bears. :D (I just rewatched the scene btw, and now I kinda want to vote for it because of so many of these tiny moments that are so funny and perfect, like Zhu Hong being so done, and DQ and GCC being adorable, and ZYL's giant face on the screen. xD But that's not directly related to Shen Wei lying his ass off, so it probably doesn't really count. xD)

"Rather, this is Shen Wei trying to communicate he cannot reveal the truth right now, by telling a lie they both know is a lie, and they both know they know."

Yeah, and I kinda love that somehow they still communicate so well and clearly even when it seems like they're at odds. ♡
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 12:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Hee, yay, glad you enjoyed. :D
facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 12:56 pm (UTC)(link)
"I especially love when Shen Wei steps back a little to give Zhao Yunlan space to brawl."

Ikr, it's precious. :D :D Oh, there's this meme about it, and now I'm wondering if it's from the same crack video I just linked for the other gif because it's the same style (I didn't rewatch the video when I linked it). :D

facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan gesturing)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 12:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"And he's surrounded by elderly academics who probably all have joint and back problems, lol."

Hahah, it would be so funny if he's emulating that. xD :D
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 01:02 pm (UTC)(link)
"(But really, he's much better off with a super-powered battle boyfriend. ;-p)"

Facts. :D :D And not just that, but also SW can finally openly be who he is. ♡

"And in fact, in the very first conversation we see him have, with Professor Ouyang, he says, "I am just an ordinary scholar. I study and teach only." I wonder exactly how many people he's claimed to be ordinary to..."

Ahh, true! So it's not really the lying itself that's a habit, it's specifically reassuring people how super ordinary he is. xD
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 01:03 pm (UTC)(link)
"The more he does it the more suspicious it gets. Hello fellow humans I am an Ordinary Person just like you."

*SNORT IRL* So true. :D :D
facethestrange: (guardian: xiao wei lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 01:07 pm (UTC)(link)
It's so adorable how fake it is. :D And now I'm wondering if he really doesn't know/care how to make falling off a roof more realistic, or if it's all just because he doesn't want to worry Zhao Yunlan. ♡
autodach: Brain floating in space (Default)

[personal profile] autodach 2025-05-08 01:19 pm (UTC)(link)
It is from that video!
facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan lollipop)

[personal profile] facethestrange 2025-05-08 01:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, cool, thanks! :D That's such a neat coincidence for both of them to come up in the same post, but I guess Shen Wei's lies lend themselves to crack. :D
trobadora: (Shen Wei - BEARS)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-05-08 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
My picks:

BEARS first, because it's one of my all-time favourite troll!Shen Wei moments. It's so glorious, here ZYL is insisting he must know something, and SW doesn't, so what he's going for is Maximum Troll. And he's not budging an inch, keeps heaping bear upon bear while Zhao Yunlan gets more and more exasperated. :D :D :D

(As soon as he does know something and can contribute to the case, he does - as we see with the youchu - but before that, it really is ZYL just poking in the dark, and SW isn't having it, so SW ends up poking the BEARS. So much love!)

Second is the finger-pricking in the park, it's such a lovely slow deliberate move on SW's part, diverting ZYL's attention from his suspicions because SW couldn't hide that blood earlier, and I love everything about it - SW making that move, ZYL's exasperated-worried reaction, and SW's amusement at that reaction. All a delight!

Third choice: "other", because like others here, I have read the comments first, and OMG how did we forget about the mugging? That scene is so awesome, with SW determinedly-stoically letting himself be mugged RIGHT until the moment the muggers go one step too far and go for his pendant - and then just as he's about to unleash himself, ZYL appears and he immediately pulls it all back and steps back into his Professor Shen role. So much characterisation in there! So good!
Edited 2025-05-08 17:40 (UTC)
trobadora: (Shen Wei - duality)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-05-08 05:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hi, I was thrown off a building, and now my hip is slightly sore"

I love how you put that! It's delightful, yeah. :D

Like, he's just so amused that anyone would be worried about this little cut, but also maybe a little happy that ZYL is the kind of person who takes responsibility when someone gets hurt on his watch. <333

YESSSSSSSSS, that was one of my picks too! So much love!

That reflexive defence really shows a) how used he is to hiding, and b) how much he wishes he still was

Yeah, he's extremely used to hiding and deflecting, and he didn't get to choose to come out; circumstances made that decision for him. And at this point IMO he's still not sure it's a good thing, though ultimately it is.

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