Previous Entry | Next Entry

Guardian: Fic: Diverging Paths

  • Aug. 2nd, 2019 at 5:27 PM
Title: Diverging Paths
Fandom: Guardian
Rating: G
Words: 478
Summary: In one universe the SID arrives in time to protect a terrified student and her teacher. That universe is not this one.
Notes: Canon divergence right at the beginning, because why not.



In one universe the SID arrives in time to protect a terrified student and her teacher. That universe is not this one and Li Qian finds herself summarily... teleported? Or something? Into Professor Shen's office, the last thing she sees before she recognises the familiar surroundings is a human shaped shadow turned to ice and a glaive appearing out of nothing into Professor Shen's hand. What the hell?

"Stay here, please." Professor Shen rests his hands against her shoulders, a brief squeeze of reassurance and she nods slowly, brain still trying to come to terms with everything that isn't sheer terror. Then her professor is gone again and she's alone in the room, breathing slowly and trying to will her heartbeat to stop jackrabbiting in her chest. It works eventually and she sinks down onto the chair in front of Professor Shen's desk, relieved that her fingers are no longer trembling.

On the one hand, she thinks, she should still be terrified, because Professor Shen is certainly not as human as he appears. She could walk out of here right now and he probably wouldn't comment at all. On the other... On the other, this explains so much, and even if she walked out the door there was no guarantee something else wouldn't come after her, even if Professor Shen deals with the shadow.

She stays where she is. She's a scientist after all, curiosity has always been a weakness of hers.

Oh, that looks more like a portal of some kind, not actual teleportation. Interesting.

"Is that why you can't use computers?"

The words spill out before she stops to think and Professor Shen blinks at her in bewilderment.

"Computers?"

"Or any kind of technology," she adds. "Like the projectors. Or mobile phones."

He winces, moving carefully towards his desk and the chair behind it. Giving her space, she thinks. Room to run, if she wanted. If she wanted that, though, she wouldn't still be here. Besides, she knows there are stranger things in the world that what you can see. Her grandmother's life is proof of that.

"That... In a sense, yes." He sits down and just looks at her. It's his evaluating look, the one he gets when he's turning over things in his mind, looking for the weak spots in your arguments so he can poke holes in them until you reach a more comprehensive conclusion. "You're taking this very well, Li Qian."

"I think I hit the sheer terror barrier and came out the other side, Professor," she says honestly. "But I do have questions, if that's okay?" Really though. So. Many. Questions.

He stares at her again, then the corner of his mouth quirks up and he ducks his head slightly, the way he only does when he's truly pleased or happy about something. "Of course. Where would you like to begin?"

Comments

maggie33: Infanta Margerita - Las Meninas, Diego Velazquez (zhu yilong)
[personal profile] maggie33 wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 05:24 pm (UTC)
I love that Li Qian's first question is about Shen Wei and technology. Also now I'm trying to imagine Guardian, but with Li Qian knowing about Shen Wei. I wonder what would change? :)
firestar: (father and daughter)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 05:29 pm (UTC)
*laughs* It couldn't really be anything else, it had to be that question. XD

In terms of what could change, there's a thread here where me and [personal profile] extrapenguin worked through that idea a bit.

https://mekare.dreamwidth.org/124089.html?thread=659897#cmt659897
maggie33: Infanta Margerita - Las Meninas, Diego Velazquez (zhu yilong)
[personal profile] maggie33 wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 05:53 pm (UTC)
Thank you so much for that link. That was a great and very entertaining discussion. I love all the ideas. Especially the ones about Ye Zun's fate in this AU. :D
firestar: (found family)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 06:02 pm (UTC)
You're welcome. <3 It was a lot of fun to bounce back and forth.
extrapenguin: Badass professor holds his postgrad close and protects her from flying detritus. (protect the daughter)
[personal profile] extrapenguin wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 06:06 pm (UTC)
Yes! Excellent. I love this AU, and I love how Li Qian is so curious about who and what Professor Shen is, and thinks that this explains a lot about him.
firestar: (father and daughter)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 06:09 pm (UTC)
๐Ÿ˜˜ I've no idea where I'd take it next, but I love the idea.

And yes, it explains *so many things*. XD
extrapenguin: Badass professor holds his postgrad close and protects her from flying detritus. (protect the daughter)
[personal profile] extrapenguin wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 06:51 pm (UTC)
Obviously the SID turns up, late because they got caught in traffic, and Shen Wei and Li Qian have to lie about being saved in the nick of time by this dude in a black cloak! Then Zhao Yunlan does some sleuthing on this professor guy who has apparently practically adopted his PhD student...
firestar: (cute lord of cats)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 07:03 pm (UTC)
*cackles* Did they stop for Starbucks?

And Lin Jing is a bit o_O over the idea because that's not how phd student-thesis advisor relationships work? XD
extrapenguin: Northern lights in blue and purple above black horizon. (zhao yunlan spiderweb)
[personal profile] extrapenguin wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 07:13 pm (UTC)
I imagine it was more that there was a big traffic accident and they had to take the Very Long Way Around.

The investigation into Shen Wei's dodginess is based at least 50% on Lin Jing finding his relationship with Li Qian dodgy, yes. Then Shen Wei keeps being super overinvested about it. It even gives Wang Yike a more plausible motive for going after Shen Wei! She'd think that Shen Wei is being an ass and being sexually inappropriate with Li Qian, then try to kill Shen Wei as well. (An interesting option would be if Li Qian were present for the confrontation and Wang Yike accidentally touched her, so the SID came to a scene of Wang Yike being dark energy blasted to the other side of the hallway and Shen Wei pouring all of his healing energies into Li Qian. And because I'm a wuss, Li Qian would be completely 100% fine, but Shen Wei's secret would be out to the SID, Wang Yike, and Zhang Ruonan.)
firestar: (father and daughter)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 07:20 pm (UTC)
Definitely more likely, yes. XD

...I like this idea a lot. Also, this probably avoids Wang Yike accidentally sucking the life out of Zhang Ruonan, too. And yes, of course Li Qian is going to be fine. By the power of the BCE I declare it. >.>

Hm, would they talk to Prof Zhou about it? I mean, probably not, but also looking into that relationship could explain a lot about why Shen Wei is all MUST ADOPT AND TEACH etc.
extrapenguin: Shen Wei from Guardian looking down demurely and smiling. (shenwei)
[personal profile] extrapenguin wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 07:58 pm (UTC)
...I like this idea a lot. Also, this probably avoids Wang Yike accidentally sucking the life out of Zhang Ruonan, too. And yes, of course Li Qian is going to be fine. By the power of the BCE I declare it. >.>
Yes! She will be fine, and so will Zhang Ruonan, and Shen Wei will decide that since his Envoy-ness is already out, he might be persuadable to plead for Wang Yike's behalf if Li Qian and Zhang Ruonan ask for it enough. (Zhao Yunlan is very confused about how many Dixingians there are at the university.)

Professor Zhou doesn't already know, and he's part of the same research thingy as Ouyang, which is sort of presented as ethically dubious, so Shen Wei might hesitate. He must've been a very good influence on young Shen Wei/probably done a very thorough and passionate job mentoring him (basically adopting and teaching him all about life), so Shen Wei probably has a good view of him that he doesn't want to jeopardize. (Because I'm me, I want Professor Zhou to find out and be fine with it. And appreciate his academic granddaughter.)
firestar: (shen wei in purple)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 08:15 pm (UTC)
So many. There are so many. Not really, but it must seem like it. XD

Hm, I was thinking more of the SID checking in with him in terms of Shen Wei's possible shadiness regarding his grad student rather than anything else and them then realising that Shen Wei quite possibly adopted Prof Zhou's methods of Raising a Phd Student Properly from his own time as a phd student.

And yes, I also want Prof Zhou to know and be fine with it and also appreciate his academic granddaughter. XD
extrapenguin: Starry-eyed man looking upwards on a field of stars with the text ๅœฐๆ˜Ÿไบบ behind him (shen wei stars)
[personal profile] extrapenguin wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 08:28 pm (UTC)
I was thinking more of the SID checking in with him in terms of Shen Wei's possible shadiness regarding his grad student
Ooh, that has a lot of potential! And then Professor Zhou informs them that Shen Wei is the most honorable of honorables, hdu accuse him baselessly! He's just a bit more out of touch with social mores than the average academic, Professor Zhou practically had to raise him, but he raised him well! Insert a rant that's a bit too revealing about Shen Wei's non-present-day-Haixing upbringing.

Prof Zhou is part of the Shen Wei defense squad and very appreciative of his academic granddaughter! After all, this is Shen Wei's very first PhD student, Prof Zhou should probably be on call in case he wants advice.
firestar: (hands off the postgrad)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 09:46 pm (UTC)
Yessss. It probably starts out sounding like every time a dude's faced with a similar charge and is Mortally Offended, Good Sir, but then it gets *interesting* and Zhao Yunlan is intrigued.

And yes, definitely part of the defence squad, which was probably founded by Jiajia or something. >.>
extrapenguin: Shen Wei from Guardian looking down demurely and smiling. (shenwei)
[personal profile] extrapenguin wrote:
Aug. 3rd, 2019 11:13 am (UTC)
Actually, given Shen Wei's utter lack of consideration about how anything he does looks from the outside, he might just be super baffled, like he'd be if Zhao Yunlan accused him of having five heads. He might even completely accidentally come out as gay. And has to out himself as the Envoy to keep Zhao Yunlan from trying to summon the Envoy to deport him. At which point Zhao Yunlan has a headache but has managed to figure out that this teacher-student relationship is more reminiscient of a father-daughter one, and if the Envoy wants to be very protective of a Haixingian postgrad, he can go the hell ahead, Zhao Yunlan has some ibuprofin to consume.

...I should write this, shouldn't I.
firestar: (hands off the postgrad)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 3rd, 2019 11:21 am (UTC)
Professor Zhou would probably be offended on his behalf, I meant, but yeah, I don't think Shen Wei would be anything but baffled

And yes, yes you should. Along with everything else you're working on XD
extrapenguin: Badass professor holds his postgrad close and protects her from flying detritus. (protect the daughter)
[personal profile] extrapenguin wrote:
Aug. 3rd, 2019 01:52 pm (UTC)
*looks at pile of WIPs* ...fuck it, what's one more! :D
firestar: (father and daughter)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 3rd, 2019 01:56 pm (UTC)
As long as you're not drowning in them, anyway. Come up for air from time to time and all that. XD
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
[personal profile] china_shop wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 08:12 pm (UTC)
Awww! This is so great! *hearts*
firestar: (flirting level rising)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 2nd, 2019 08:16 pm (UTC)
Thank youuuuu. <3
kimboo_york: Weilun in profile (Weilun-faces)
[personal profile] kimboo_york wrote:
Aug. 3rd, 2019 01:51 pm (UTC)
Oh this is great! What a twist! I love Li Qian and so enjoy the idea of her ~knowing~ what's up with Shen Wei from the start!
firestar: (father and daughter)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 3rd, 2019 01:58 pm (UTC)
Thank you. <3 And yeah, same, I really like the idea of Li Qian being more involved than she was in the show.
winter_blossom: (Default)
[personal profile] winter_blossom wrote:
Aug. 3rd, 2019 02:16 pm (UTC)
Li Qian's my favourite female character in Guardian, and I love her relationship with Shen Wei, brief though their interactions were, so this was a nice read!
firestar: (father and daughter)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 4th, 2019 05:04 pm (UTC)
Thank you! <3 And yeah, I love their interactions too. <3
starriewolf: (ShenWei-serious)
[personal profile] starriewolf wrote:
Aug. 4th, 2019 11:00 am (UTC)
Hahaha I'm imagining Li Qian trying to join SID now (as in like Guo Changcheng, not her eventual capacity as a spy with Prof Ouyang).

Great AU!
firestar: (father and daughter)
[personal profile] firestar wrote:
Aug. 4th, 2019 04:55 pm (UTC)
I would love for her to be part of the SID, no lie. XD

Thank you. <3

About

[community profile] fan_flashworks is an all-fandoms multi-media flashworks community. We post a themed challenge every ten days or so; you make any kind of fanwork in response to the challenge and post it here. More detailed guidelines are here.

The community on Livejournal:
[livejournal.com profile] fan_flashworks

Tags

Latest Month

February 2026
S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios
Designed by [personal profile] chasethestars