LINKDING

Summary: Cang Qiong Mountain Sect AU - no Binghe and no Shen Yuan, just the original sect siblings being fundamentally dysfunctional without any outside help. “Shidi.” Yue Qingyuan breathed. He would burn cities for him. Only he never did. Yue Qingyuan makes the mistake of inviting Shen Jiu back to his house for tea. Tea and emotional torture. Nothing is said. Nothing will ever be said. ➤ hello I am murdered by how on point this fic is, it's perfect and I adore it ➤ svsss au qijiu fic from og!sqq's pov ➤ (trans sqq, for those to whom that's enticement!) ➤ no lbh or transmigration, so the complex relationships between the various peak lords keep marinating over decades ➤ I love how the vibes are so much older, more grounded and more ground down at the same time. and still sqq and yqy are full of all their Problems ➤ I loved the evolving beliefs sqq had about what must have happened to fill yqy with endless guilt towards him! ➤ and the ways sqq treats yqy, before and after the reveals...how things do & don't change ➤ and the beautiful physicality the narrative has in details like the tea, and the hair, and how both yqy & sqq use clothing to hide things about their bodies they don't want noticed ➤ and of course the sharply perceived characterisation! ➤ LOVED IT ➤ 23k words

quote: Andrew was convinced the writer had been trans. By this point his friends were tired of hearing about it, but he had no one else to tell besides the internet, and he was too smart for that. That would be asking for it. ➤ short story about a trans man who's obsessed with the m/m novels of a dead historical novelist who he's convinced was trans ➤ and about the dreams he has where he meets her and talks with her ➤ it's a story that feels unsatisfying but like, in a satisfying way? ➤ idk how to explain! it makes me want to reread it 3 more times and think about the way one's relationship with oneself is mediated through the stories one reads and loves ➤ it's really good ➤ 6k words in length

quote: The last person in the world lay asleep at the top of the tower. She waited not in a bed of silk and roses for the kiss of a destined lover, but huddled at the foot of a steel door in the hope that she wouldn’t have to be the last person for more than a few hours, that if she stayed right where she was, her family would come to their senses and return to her. Her name was Lena. She was nine years old. ➤ post-apocalyptic novelette about a girl who's the only survivor left in a tower that protected her and her ancestors from the outside world ➤ the whole story is just Lena and her interiority as she faces the realities of her situation, as she grows and changes and develops the strength of will to do what needs to be done ➤ and it's so well done! I was captivated the whole time ➤ 10k words in length

Summary: A collage on He Xuan, Shi Qingxuan, and depths. ➤ this is a hella cool collage-based piece of art on the theme of beefleaf from tgcf ➤ highly recommend looking at it on a larger screen than just a phone screen if possible, as there's a lot going on ➤ it's composed so beautifully out of all these disparate parts to both look cool as a piece of art as a whole AND to have lots of details with meaning worth exploring when you look closer

Summary: <blockquote>The System offers Shen Qingqiu the ability to transport his consciousness back in time to fix past mistakes.</blockquote> ➤ due to System shenanigans sqq travels back in time to when he first encountered lbh in jinlan city post-abyss ➤ sqq does his best to make things go differently this time, within the parameters of the genre "h/c fic" which the system tells him he is now in ➤ I'm just! so delighted by so much about this fic! ➤ and I love how the fic plays metatextually with its own fourth wall in ways I haven't really seen much in svsss fic before! ➤ fic is a WIP; currently there are 14k words; satisfying to read as is at the moment

Summary: <blockquote>Qin Su is a surprise when Meng Yao brings her to Wen Qing, mid-war. Even more so when she stays.</blockquote> ➤ Wen Qing/Qin Su canon divergence fic! joining forces along with Meng Yao to spy on the Wens :))) ➤ Qin Su is a character who I always love to see being given more scope for complexities and personhood and decisions than we get to see in canon and this fic delivers ➤ also it really lets itself inhabit that period where Wen Qing is working for Wen Ruohan and everything that means ➤ the subtleties of how the relationships between Qin Su and Wen Qing and Meng Yao are portrayed in this fic are soooo good ➤ 2k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>Shen Qingqiu wakes up in his plant body after Huayue City. There is only one problem: Memory loss.</blockquote> ➤ an SVSSS bingqiu fanfic wherein sqq wakes up in his plant body with amnesia and makes a home in the small village nearby, blessing its crops ➤ lbh eventually comes through looking for his shizun, and sqq helps him ➤ trying to find the right words to describe the tone or flavour of a piece of writing can be so hard but imo that's one of the things this fic does best! it's got this like....distanced, fairy-tale, dreamy vibe that really drives home how disconnected sqq is from his life and his emotions here and it's so great ➤ (happy ending, of course!) ➤ 5k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>"I have regrets." - Lan Wangji</blockquote> ➤ wangxian fanvid set to "Hold On, I'm Coming" by Book featuring Ndidi O ➤ damn this vidder is so good at using the motion of clips with the music to create and build intensity! ➤ I love how clear the arc is of what the vid is doing, even with almost no words in the song ➤ thanks to lookitmychicken again for reccing this one!

Summary: <blockquote>In the wake of Shen Qingqiu's death, the Old Palace Master decides to take what he thinks is an opportunity. Luo Binghe makes him regret it.</blockquote> ➤ lbh is having a totally chill time of it having a breakdown after his shizun dies ➤ the old palace master of huan hua is ALSO having a totally separate chill breakdown about once again having a disciple under his control (....he thinks) who looks like su xiyan ➤ when their breakdowns intersect, no prizes for guessing who wins lol ➤ It's Time For Binghe Angst ➤ such a good view into what might have happened at the very beginning of the 5 year period where sqq is dead! ➤ 5k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>Eyes first. If I can get the eyes open, I’m good. If not, the meat’s too far gone, which means I have to try again, and I hate fucking trying again. This time’s okay, though. Eyelids roll up surprisingly easy, even if it takes the eyes themselves a minute. That’s fine, though; everybody’s eyes are different, even if nobody but me knows it, because how many eyes do you get to see through in your life? Me, I’ve lost count. The soft jelly settles, the focal centers slowly pull themselves into place. I can hear the pupils contract against the light. Eyes blink once, twice. We’re in business.</blockquote> ➤ content notes for ummmmmmm body horror? body grossness definitely. also, murder, plus sex with weird consent stuff going on. drug use. probably other stuff too. ➤ but it's not, like, horrifying and depressing about any of that! it's remarkably sweet! ➤ an absolutely incredible piece of original fiction about bodyswap/bodysharing that really makes its home in exploring the weirdness of the situation from the inside. What Is Embodiment. How to have a relationship with the body you're in. Bodies have a lot going on! The brain is part of the body. ➤ probably this story isn't for everyone, but if it is for you then you are in for a TREAT. I adored it. ➤ 14k words

Summary: <blockquote>I could make you want me, make you need me, make you mine.</blockquote>

Summary: <blockquote>Meng Yao rescues the first Jade of Lan and takes him into his home, becoming far more involved than ever anticipated. / The guards are getting closer; the man, likely Lan Xichen, tries not to curl in on himself. Meng Yao gives himself five seconds to consider the implications of getting involved before he swings his work bag off his shoulder and drops it rudely in the First Jade of Lan's lap. "I told you not to slouch," he says, a firm note of displeasure in his voice. / Stands alone from the prequel fic.</blockquote>

Summary: <blockquote>Chu Wanning has a thin face, and gets embarrassed easily. They both know this. Mo Ran loves it, as he does every part of Chu Wanning, even if the man himself will shy away from any verbal professions of affection. To Mo Ran, it’s endearingly infuriating how Chu Wanning will allow Mo Ran to do all sorts of filthy things to him, but draws the line at being complimented with tender words. So. A compromise. / Chu Wanning takes a potion that puts his body to sleep, but leaves his mind awake, so Mo Ran (2.0) can be as tender as he wants without Chu Wanning getting too embarrassed and running away.</blockquote>

Summary: <blockquote>In the aftermath of Guanyin Temple, Jin Ling has one question for Nie Huaisang.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"Gege," San Lang calls, his voice oddly strained. He isn't looking at Xie Lian's face, his eyes instead fixed pointedly over his shoulder. "You remember me?" Xie Lian takes a few tentative steps closer. "Of course," he says cautiously. "How could I forget San Lang so easily?" "But you said," he croaks, and then stops to clear his throat. He shakes his head, and then quickly walks over to meet Xie Lian halfway. "Gege," he whispers. "You said it wasn't happening to you." "I said what wasn't happening?" he asks, matching San Lang's volume. "Today," San Lang says, finally meeting his eyes. "Haven't you lived it before?" Featuring: a thrice-sealed coffin, an extravagant parade, and too many osmanthus cakes.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Elaine was what you might call an “experimental prototype,” a lovely chassis pre-loaded (courtesy of my code) with all the knowledge of Western art, history, and literature that any discerning mid-21st-century parent would expect of their child. There was no reason to make her a woman, other than some ancient Pygmalion-esque tech bro power fantasy. </blockquote>

<blockquote>WHO COULD THE ARRANGED MARRIAGE BE BETWEEN? IT'S A MYSTERY</blockquote>

<blockquote>Raleigh “Rally” King was Axial Conglomerate’s sweetheart. Redrender’s knight in shining armor. You’d watched him sweat in high definition all through season twenty-seven’s desert sequence, his sword gleaming in the sunlight. You’d watched him cry too—big tears rolling down his cheeks whenever someone died and he couldn’t save them. At the time, you’d rolled your eyes. Audiences love sentiment, so of course Rally would cry. The drones are always watching-cutting-streaming the tastiest morsels of Redrender for everyone at home. He’s faking it. It’s acting. You know better now, after eight seasons as a cast member on Redrender. The show gets inside your head. You can think you’re going to treat it like a game all through the psychological profiling and the camera tests. You can tell yourself it’s just reality television while signing away the rights to your DNA samples and signing the contract that agrees that termination is at the studio’s discretion. You can pretend it’s all fake until you’re shipping down to Redrender and then it’s not a game anymore. It’s your life.</blockquote> ➤ it's about an intense and important relationship of trust (platonic or not? not relevant) where they can't actually know each other in any real way because they're always having to play for the cameras! ambiguous ending but good

<blockquote>Generations after the events of the novel, Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao come out of retirement to investigate a series of mysterious fires targeting the watchtowers.</blockquote> ➤ the fic works well as is but I am still desperate to know what the solution might be that will honor yao-guniang's ambitions and keep her safe from yao-zongzhu at the same time!

<blockquote>An experimental medicine of Lin Chen's makes Mei Changsu dream his way back into the past. Dream, of course, of Lin Shu.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Her name was Ursule Javert, and she lived with the police inspector who was not her father. Once, she had been called Cosette, but that was in a time she tried not to remember.</blockquote>

<blockquote>This is not a “raising the protagonist” fic. This is a “raising the protagonist’s future wife” fic. Or rather, it’s Shang Qinghua trying to be a mentor to a teenage (demon) girl with anger management issues and bad decision making skills, and his debatable success.</blockquote> ➤ canon divergence from pidw, where the only transmigrator is sqh, and he ends up a kind of mentor for shl

<blockquote>They called her a queen, though she was not one: but the circlet of light on her head and the ceremonial robes she wore gave her the semblance of one to the Terrans in the city of Zsa, the Terrans who had been carried away from Old Earth when it was conquered by the Psyn. She was not a queen, but the Terran Liaison to the Empress of the Psyn; and now she was no longer that.</blockquote> ➤ OH WOW

<blockquote>Every good villain is the hero of her own story. On trial for the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon, Lieutenant Valeris tells hers.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Poe guesses he’s a little fucked-up now, more than before. He certainly has a lot of nightmares. He tries to take it in stride. It doesn’t really surprise him. What had he expected? (Dead, he thinks. You expected to be dead.)</blockquote>

<blockquote>Once there was a little girl who tried very hard not to be born. Her father the king and her mother the king’s wife had six children already – all sons. </blockquote>

<blockquote>Miss Wilhelmina Laurence never leaves Nottinghamshire, and certainly not in the winter of 1805. When the Reliant captures an exhausted Amitie on her way out of a storm, Miss Laurence is grimly preparing for a country ball. Usually a merry occasion even for a confirmed spinster, this particular event is soured by the presence of Bertram Woolvey, who is likely to make Miss Laurence’s particular friend and neighbor an offer and therefore deprive her of her most beloved company.  When the queer porcelain egg hatches, several weeks later, and the officers are gathered around with the reluctant sacrifice stepping forward nervously, the black dragonet ignores them all. It takes seven men to hold the creature down long enough to harness it, even though it is a newborn. The dragonet does not stay silent for long, protesting at its treatment quite vehemently in both English and French–but it pays no attention to any man in particular, and seems in fact to resent them all. The officers are relieved as well as unsettled. They do not name it, but make for Madeira with all speed. </blockquote>

➤ the one where Furiosa is Thor. UM YES PLEASE ➤ also on ao3 at http://archiveofourown.org/works/4061545

<blockquote>“The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn” by Usman T. Malik is a fantasy novella about a disenchanted young Pakistani professor who grew up and lives in the United States, but is haunted by the magical, mystical tales his grandfather told him of a princess and a Jinn who lived in Lahore when the grandfather was a boy.</blockquote>

<blockquote>A meeting at a ball on biopunk dystopia Verona.</blockquote>