sid_guardian | Entries tagged with type: picspam

I was watching a YouTube video about how to write snappy dialogue (banter) by

heyjameshurst. The creator used examples from The Princess Bride, The Empire Strikes Back, His Girl Friday, and The West Wing to illustrate that good dialogue is like a tennis match, a playful competition, and in each volley the tension escalates to "a sudden, sharp reveal of truth."

Afterwards, I was thinking about it in terms of Guardian, and the first scene that came to mind was the kitchen knife scene. Wow, this is a stellar example of what the video talked about! It's dynamic because every line fires back in a way that is difficult for the other person to respond to. (Often they're reacting to the subtext -- or actually, what they perceive the other's subtext to be -- rather than the words, and sometimes slightly at cross-purposes, so lines that could be non-sequiturs feel seamless.) And the truth is forced out of them. It's so impressive!

( Transcript from Viki subs. )

china_shop

The Envoy extends the hand of friendship to Chu Shuzhi.

( more pics behind the cut )

Poll #32991 Chu Shuzhi & Shen Wei

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 18

View Respondents

Best Chu Shuzhi & Shen Wei moment

View Answers

first rendezvous in the park with the Envoy (ep 2)
6 (33.3%)

interrogating Professor Shen (ep 4)
2 (11.1%)

second rendezvous in the park with the Envoy (ep 4)
4 (22.2%)

Chu Shuzhi awkwardly delivering Zhao Yunlan's banner (ep 6)
2 (11.1%)

post-Envoy reveal, "I will support you unconditionally" (ep 21)
13 (72.2%)

the Envoy rescuing Chu Shuzhi from the Regent (backstory) (ep 36)
4 (22.2%)

other
1 (5.6%)

china_shop

At the beginning of episode 37, Guo Changcheng is upset about his new power, and Shen Wei and Chu Shuzhi comfort him with shoulder clasps.

Wide shot: Xiao Guo is despondent; Shen Wei is facing him; Chu Shuzhi is sitting on the table, facing away from camera.

Wide shot: Xiao Guo is despondent; Shen Wei is facing him; Chu Shuzhi is sitting on the table, facing away from camera.

( More pics behind the cut. )

Poll #32961 Comforting Xiao Guo

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 15

View Respondents

What's the best thing about this scene / these screen caps?

View Answers

Shen Wei comforting Guo Changcheng
4 (28.6%)

Chu Shuzhi comforting Guo Changcheng
5 (35.7%)

Newly powered Guo Changcheng being mentored by two Dixingren
8 (57.1%)

Changcheng gathering his courage to accept his power
4 (28.6%)

the old-fashioned map of Dragon City, with red string and photos pinned all over it
6 (42.9%)

other
1 (7.1%)

Guo Changcheng's best inspirational speech

View Answers

comforting Li Qian in the hospital
2 (13.3%)

comforting Ji Xiaobai about his missing Weiwei
1 (6.7%)

talking back to Zhao Xinci during the loyalty test
7 (46.7%)

convincing Fourth Uncle to let Zhu Hong stay at the SID
1 (6.7%)

convincing his own uncle to let him stay at the SID
5 (33.3%)

honorary mention: insisting to Zhu Jiu that Ye Huo needs first aid (incl. agreeing to give his own life)
2 (13.3%)

after their Dial exchange, telling Chu Shuzhi, "You're not scary at all"
2 (13.3%)

passing on the last wishes of the dead via livestream
4 (26.7%)

breaking his hyponosis to tell Ye Zun, "I will never be your weapon to hurt others!"
9 (60.0%)

other
0 (0.0%)

abyss_valkyrie

Don't hate me, guys! I've been wanting to do something like my old post with the mustache one when I got this urge to try on snapchat filters on Guardian.
Here's just one picture but the rest and the shorts are on my page here.

trobadora

In episode 36, Ye Zun visits the Inspectorate, dressed up to the nines in Maximum Drama Costume™, white suit and golden mask and cane and all, provoking/menacing/trolling Minister Gao and Professor Ouyang under the guise of "building bridges".

I love everything about Ye Zun in this scene: his little pony tail, his pimp cane, the suit, the way he moves, his head-tilts, leaning against things or towards people, his facial expressions (especially his grin). The bow at the end! His playful arrogance and generally unhinged air that makes him all the more threatening. And the way the camera supports the way everything about him is off by adding its own tilt. So here's a collection of Ye Zun looking fabulous! (As usual, click for full size.)

Ye Zun leans against the door frame, his hands on his cane

( lots more Ye Zun looking fabulous )

( Bonus: Shen Wei & Zhao Yunlan react )

Questions:

How are Ye Zun's and Shen Wei's faces the same face?! That doesn't sound right!

What's your favourite bit about Ye Zun in this scene? Here, have a totally unbiased poll:

Poll #31658
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 17

View Respondents

Favourite Ye Zun thing in this scene:
View Answers
the ponytail!
4 (23.5%)

the suit-mask-cane outfit
5 (29.4%)

LEANING INTO THINGS
10 (58.8%)

dramatically popping into Minister Gao's chair
5 (29.4%)

the grin!
8 (47.1%)

that BOW
5 (29.4%)

EVERYTHING
13 (76.5%)

other (see comments)
0 (0.0%)

Did you ever notice how much Ye Zun has his eyes closed in this scene? Or how much he plays with his cane? All his provocations are delightful. :D

How do you think Ye Zun chose his outfit? Is this actually his taste in suits (as opposed to his poor imitation of Shen Wei's taste when he impersonates him), or is this chosen purely for effect?

Is Ye Zun having as much fun as he seems to be having? In a kinder world, would he have been a performer?

Current Mood: YZ being predatory

sakana17

I chose this scene for a picspam because I'm weak for scenes in Zhao Yunlan's apartment. And also because this scene has some extremely reactive Shen Wei looks I've always been fascinated by, when Zhao Yunlan plays the mini voice recorder of Zhu Hong reading from the Ancient Secret Tales book.

( Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan in the apartment in episode 21 )

tehfanglyfish

While I know there's (rightly!) a lot of focus on Shen Wei's outfits, I decided to look at Lin Jing's fashion choices for my picspam post. Partially because he makes some great choices and also just because I love Lin Jing as a character.

Just look at him - this is man who can not only rock his own unique looks, but also develop brilliant scientific breakthroughs while doing so.

Lin Jing Snoop Dogg - Lab

( Read more... )

And that's my picspam walk through some of Lin Jing's fabulous fashions! If you have a favorite outfit, insights into why he wears what he does, or any other thoughts on Lin Jing, I'd love to hear them <3

trobadora

All right, let's start this off with a poll - don't look under the cut (or beneath the poll) before voting:

Poll #31407

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16

View Respondents

During episodes 1 & 2 (the Li Qian case), how many separate times does Zhao Yunlan encounter Shen Wei?

View Answers

fewer than 6 times
3 (18.8%)

6 times
2 (12.5%)

7 times
4 (25.0%)

8 times
3 (18.8%)

9 times
1 (6.2%)

10 times
2 (12.5%)

11 times
0 (0.0%)

12 times
0 (0.0%)

13 times
0 (0.0%)

more than 13 times
1 (6.2%)

( and the answer is ... )

Questions:

How close were you to guessing the actual number of encounters? Were you in the right approximate region, or completely off? Are you surprised to hear the actual numbers?

Which of these encounters is your favourite? Can you even choose? (It's hard! I know! But if I absolutely had to, right now I'd pick the cat-and-mouse game in the hospital corridor. Possibly because it's been on my mind a lot, writing my 520 Day fic. *g*)

Do you think Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei actually went out for a meal after this case? Has anyone written fic about it? (In the scene, it's mostly both of them signalling their interest/suspicion won't stop with the end of this case, but that won't prevent us - or them - from taking it literally too, right? *g*)

When Zhao Yunlan accuses Li Qian on the rooftop, Shen Wei is clearly taken aback - but since they arrive together, Zhao Yunlan must have told him something about his intentions. Any thoughts about what?

Finally, a random thing I somehow never quite registered before: during the scene at Li Yufen's grave, Shen Wei says there were no further incidents after Li Yufen's funeral, which means this scene isn't her funeral, and some time must have passed. So what exactly is this graveside gathering? Does anyone know what it might be?

china_shop

trobadora already did a gorgeous Da Qing picspam; I want to focus on just one particular aspect of his character: talking to kittens!

Episode 14, 38:33 in an alley, being spied on by Cong Bo.

I told you many times, don't touch that rubbish. The cat is the most superior creature in the food chain. We should always maintain our elegance and pride. This way, people will come to ingratiate you.
我跟你们说了多少次了那么脏的垃圾少去碰猫是食物链上最顶层的我们要时候保持着优雅和骄傲这样才会有人类来献殷勤

Cong Bo spies on Da Qing crouched down talking to alley kittens at night.

Cong Bo spies on Da Qing crouched down talking to alley kittens at night.

( More behind the cut. )

Questions

When Da Qing schools the alley kittens and asks them about Kunlun, does he expect them to understand him? Does he think he'll be able to make sense of their replies?

Standing there in patched and worn overalls, he tells them cats should maintain their elegance and pride. What does he really mean by this principle?

Does he talk to adult cats, too? If not, is it because he's ashamed of his language loss and doesn't want to lose face, or for some other reason?

When Da Qing miaows at Shen Wei in the street in episode 34, is he speaking actual Cat? Maybe a single word or phrase he remembers without realising?

If Da Qing used to speak Cat, does that mean Ya Qing can speak Crow and Fourth Uncle can speak Snake? Do you think Yashou treat their non-Yashou counterparts as lesser or just different? How do Flower Yashou feel about salad?

Any other thoughts about Da Qing speaking Cat? Any fanworks showing him talking to kittens? Self-recs welcome!

sakana17

Zhao Yunlan's last visit to Dixing. 😭

( Episodes 38-40 )

When I gathered all the screencaps together for this post, I was struck by how one could follow Zhao Yunlan's whole final journey from the images alone. It's all in his facial expressions and body language.

trobadora

Shen Wei protects Li Qian: close-up of his eyes

Because he's ( glorious to behold )

What's your favourite flavour of angry Shen Wei? The immediately protective kind? The cold fury at people like Ya Qing or the Regent? The slam-his-hand-against-something frustrated fury? Something else? I have to say my own favourite flavour is the angry nose-wiping he does to Zhao Yunlan. :D

Current Mood: enraged

china_shop

We had a great discussion on Fu You's character post a few years ago, but I felt like doing a picspam for her, too. She doesn't get a lot of screentime, but I find her likeable and capable, as well as confident in her leadership position.

Note: I slightly lightened some of the interior screencaps. And I've tried to put them in her personal chronological order, but they got a bit jumbled in my screencaps folder so I had to guess which scenes a couple of them were from. Fingers crossed I got that right!

Fu You and Ma Gui during the first Hallows transmission, surprised.

Fu You and Ma Gui during the first Hallows transmission, surprised.

First Hallows transmission (ep 38), surprised to see Da Qing.

( More caps behind the cut. )

Come and talk to me about Fu You! Do you like her? Do you have any favourite fanworks about her? Any theories about her place in the Allied Forces hierarchy, or speculation/head canons about what she did afterwards?

sakana17

Zhao Yunlan's first visit to Dixing (episodes 15-17) is an impactful experience.

( A brief pictorial tour. )

Zhao Yunlan doesn't have a nice time in Dixing, but he looks great anyway. ♥ I hope you enjoyed this picspam!

awanderingcoyote

One of my favorite flavors of Weilan is prior to Zhao Yunlan finding out Hei Pao Shi = Shen Wei. Because of that I decided to watch the first 11 episodes, since technically Zhao Yunlan realized HPS = Shen Wei at the end of the episode.

The snippets I gathered amounted to 125 pics and then I ruthlessly pruned it down LOLOLOL. So here is the best of the best. Also, some of the pictures are blurry because of the transition of frames/how quick it was, but I wanted to include it either way :D

( Onward to the pics! ) ZYL looks on an unconscious Shen Wei.

Phew that's a lot of pics :) I hope you enjoyed the picspam! I don't have a lot of thoughts, I just wanted to share some snippets from the first eleven episodes between HPS and ZYL prior to ZYL realizing HPS and SW are same.

I hope everyone enjoyed! :D

awanderingcoyote

I wanted to do a picspam of Ye Zun pretending to be Hei Pao Shi in episode 39. It’s one of my FAVORITE YE ZUN moments!!

Let us begin!

( Onward to Pretty Pics! )

Points of Interest and/or Thoughts:

Do you think Zhao Yunlan knew immediately it wasn’t Shen Wei?
What is your favorite Ye Zun impersonating his twin moment?
I love all of Ye Zun’s micro expressions and the music to really clue in that something isn’t right here!!!

I hope everyone enjoys these pics. I know I did :D

Thank you!! :D :D

trobadora

For an object with such significance (both for Shen Wei and for the drama *g*), we actually see very little of it!

Close-up of Shen Wei holding his pendant

( the pendant with Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan )

Talk to me about the pendant! Which is your favourite pendant scene? Did I forget any important moments? Please share! ♥

trobadora

Picspam/Quiz: Whose shoes? - answers

And here are the answers to the shoes quiz!

There were a lot of excellent guesses, and ultimately almost all characters and scenes were guessed in some fashion. The only one where no one came close to guessing the scene was 3f, the Ya Qing one, not very surprisingly given its lack of distinctive scene characteristics. Our winner is

sakana17, with an amazing 61 out of a possible 72 points - one point per image for identifying the character(s), and one for identifying the scene. Congrats! :D

( answers behind the cut )

And that's it! Thank you all for playing! ♥

trobadora

During the rewatch, one thing I started noticing more and more was how many shots Guardian has of someone's shoes/feet - and not in a fetishy kind of way. *g* Sometimes it's for mystery's sake (who is this?), sometimes it's because there's something relevant happening at ground level, but very often it's simply a part of dramatically presenting a scene.

I wanted to do something with all of these shots, so I thought, why not ring in the new year with a quiz?

The challenge: identify who's being depicted, and which scene it is!
Hard mode: without looking at the comments first. :p

Sometimes it's easy to say who, but the characters appear so much, it's hard to say when. (Partial points for each!) Sometimes once you know who, you can immediately tell when. *g*

Without further ado (as usual, click for full size): ( 36 pics to identify! )

I'll post the solution next weekend. Good luck, everyone! And happy new year! :)

china_shop

Zhu Hong leaning on Lin Jing's monitor, smirking, while he looks into a microscope.

This is our introduction to their dynamic in episode 1. Lin Jing is tearing his hair out, analysing some evidence, and Zhu Hong mischievously feeds him a dried fish and then concern trolls him: "Do you dare to steal deputy chief's food? He definitely won't spare you once he gets back."

( More pics of Zhu Hong and Lin Jing. )

So -- what do you think of their friendship? Do you like the dynamic? Have you ever shipped them romantically? (I spent my first viewing half-expecting them to be friends-to-lovers by the end, because coming from other media, I interpreted Zhu Hong's teasing and threatening as pigtail-pulling.) (ETA: These days I don't really see them that way.) What's your favourite Zhu Hong expression? (I love her glare!) How about Lin Jing's? What great moments between the two of them have I missed? Do you know of any fanworks about Zhu Hong & Lin Jing? Any other thoughts about them?