30 Days of Guardian

[extrapenguin]

11. Favorite headcanon
Shen Wei, bioengineering professor, can actually use a computer! But not Windows or a Mac. No, Professor Shen is one of those people who have philosophical objections to GUIs and boot up their Linux installs straight into a heavily-customized emacs. He also doesn't have a phone because phones are a tracking device and he teleports about on the regular and goes on visits to Dixing, and would rather not be that conspicuous.

As for why the SID doesn't know this, well, Shen Wei really doesn't know how these "icon" things or mice work, let alone smartphones, so that part is true enough. But mostly it's just that Zhao Yunlan got the misapprehension that Shen Wei is a fossil who cannot computer at all, and Shen Wei knows he can only set him right once, so colossal troll he is, he's waiting for the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his ability to use tar from the command line and demonstrate his abilities. Alternatively, he read a women's magazine's advice on how to lure a man, and it said "pretend you need help on something he can help you with".

1. Favorite episode
2. Favorite case
3. Least favorite case
4. Favorite Holy Tools arc
5. Least favorite Holy Tools arc
6. Which character would you resurrect?
7. Favorite SID member
8. Favorite guest character(s)
9. Favorite piece of worldbuilding
10. Favorite rarepair
11. Favorite headcanon
12. Least favorite headcanon
13. Favorite main villain
14. Favorite case villain
15. Villain you’d like redeemed or whose redemption you liked
16. Favorite conversation between Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei
17. Favorite Dixing power and/or power you want to have
18. Least favorite villain
19. Least favorite character
20. Most appealing point for a canon divergence AU
21. Favorite character moment
22. Favorite badass moment
23. Favorite soft moment
24. Favorite team moment
25. Thoughts and feelings on the ending
26. Rec a fanfic
27. Rec a vid
28. Rec a fanart
29. Rec a meta post
30. Prompt for a fanwork

Comments

[phyrry]

I will never believe that even on another planet, someone can get an engineering PhD without computering in a place that has ubiquitous computers and smartphones -- but, that said, academia is very kind to the people who like weird unusable computers and have philosophical objections to normal people tech. I had a couple of math professors who, in retrospect, did the emacs-only thing, and it worked fine for them.

Someday I'll write the casefic where SID needs a Fortran programmer for an emergency and Shen Wei steps up after Lin Jing and Cong Bo (and maybe Ya Qing) fail. Someday.

[extrapenguin]

I will never believe that even on another planet, someone can get an engineering PhD without computering in a place that has ubiquitous computers and smartphones
This, basically. Or, even if he were somehow god's gift to experimental procedure and managed to get a PhD in biology, he'd never make it to Professor. The application forms are online! As is all the funding!

Someday I'll write the casefic where SID needs a Fortran programmer for an emergency and Shen Wei steps up after Lin Jing and Cong Bo (and maybe Ya Qing) fail. Someday.
This sounds hilarious and I support it wholeheartedly.

[phyrry]

Right?? It's a cute idea but the 'cannot computer' professor trope doesn't work. Cannot Windows/Mac/GUI, now...

I'm HOPING the Fortran thing makes an exchange-friendly shortfic because otherwise it'll have to go on the end of the list, and the list is getting very long.

[extrapenguin]

I'm HOPING the Fortran thing makes an exchange-friendly shortfic because otherwise it'll have to go on the end of the list, and the list is getting very long.
You could steal the plot of the xkcd I linked in the main post, or perhaps tie the FORTRAN into the Merit Brush arc somehow?

[phyrry]

"Character Known To Be Unable To Computer Is Actually A Linux / Emacs / Fortran Expert" is now on my exchange prompt spreadsheet for Guardian. ❤️

(And so is "Villain Redeemed By Eating All The Politicians".)

[trobadora]

Someday I'll write the casefic where SID needs a Fortran programmer for an emergency and Shen Wei steps up after Lin Jing and Cong Bo (and maybe Ya Qing) fail.

OMG, please do! That would be awesome. :D

[phyrry]

We will see what the flash exchanges bring!

[maggie33]

But mostly it's just that Zhao Yunlan got the misapprehension that Shen Wei is a fossil who cannot computer at all, and Shen Wei knows he can only set him right once, so colossal troll he is, he's waiting for the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his ability to use tar from the command line and demonstrate his abilities. Alternatively, he read a women's magazine's advice on how to lure a man, and it said "pretend you need help on something he can help you with".

LOL I love both of these idea and would love to read fics based on them. :D

[extrapenguin]

...would you like to write them? :P /is 45k deep in an 60k+ WIP, plus other commitments

[maggie33]

Me? Noooo.... I just want to read it. ;) And more seriously, I wish I could go back to writing Guardian fics, I have two started that I would love to finish, but my brain refuses to cooperate and only wants me to write for teeny-tiny fnadoms now. :)

[extrapenguin]

Noooo.... I just want to read it
#relateable

Let's hope your brain will cooperate! There's nothing more annoying than a WIP that one can't finish.

[forestofglory]

This just makes so much sense! Because as others have said you need to use computers to do biological engineering.

[extrapenguin]

Yup! Hell, every aspect of academia requires computers for at minimum answering e-mails and submitting grades online. Shen Wei's inability to computer makes no sense.

[trobadora]

I love your headcanon and want to read the fic. :D

[extrapenguin]

I mean, it's more phyrry's to start with, but yes, I share it. I've already included the phone tracking concerns in my monster WIP – let's see if I can include the computer stuff somewhere!

[clevermanka]

I love this and am 100% adopting it, thank you. Emacs, good lord. I'd nearly forgotten.

[extrapenguin]

Yay, more emacs user Shen Wei, befuddled by GUIs but capable of writing complex command line orders! Zhao Yunlan's *face* when he finds out.

[clevermanka]

I'm real tempted to throw this into my Canadian Shack fic that I can see *squints eyes* out there, somewhere, eventually.

[extrapenguin]

\o/

[tinny]

the phone tracking thing is definitely my headcanon, too. Makes too much sense!

I love the secretly Lunix geek!Shen Wei theory, as well. That's a new one for me. :D

[extrapenguin]

He can use old stationary payphones, so he should be able to use the old flip-phones at the very least, ergo he must object to them instead of just being too much of a fossil! And from there it's a small step to privacy nut Linux geek Shen Wei, especially given his canonical job...