LINKDING

Summary: Two birders with an intracommunity beef with each other are the only guests on a pelagic trip. It's Nie Huaisang's first, and he's very excited. Until he wants nothing more than to go home. ➤ a cute modern au sangcheng fic where they're both birders and end up on the same pelagic boat trip ➤ I especially loved all the birding details! ➤ 3k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>Even from the bar's parking lot, Lan Wangji could feel the presence of the spirits inside. This place was haunted. There was evidence of demonic cultivation everywhere from the wards to Wei Wuxian's bed. Lest he crawl back into it, Lan Wangji unsheathed Bichen and climbed on.</blockquote> ➤ mdzs wangxian modern-with-cultivation au where lwj is a trans man and wwx is a trans woman ➤ and ahhhh it just makes me so emotional about how GREAT wangxian are!!! ➤ wonderfully integrated characters/plot into a world they inhabit where friends and work and weird tastes in books are part of their lives, and also, lwj and wwx find each other and are immediately obsessed with each other, finding something in each other that allow them to best be themselves ➤ so many very funny details also, at the same time that it's many feelings ➤ 10k words in length

summary: <blockquote>“If you died,” Huaisang started, not knowing quite where he was going with this. “I mean, you did die, da-ge, but if someone had killed you… what would you want to happen next?” / In the wake of Nie Mingjue’s death, Nie Huaisang realises how much he’s been left in ignorance. How could the artsy little brother be left to run their ancestral asteroid-mining clan? What other secrets are hidden in his san-ge’s past? And how should he get revenge? Maybe having da-ge’s personality backed up on a server was supposed to help with all this. Maybe.</blockquote> ➤ mdzs space au about nie huaisang and his years-long project in avenging his da-ge ➤ a repeated theme throughout the fic is nhs visiting and talking to back-ups that had been taken of nmj's personality before death, and the way that this makes literal how HAUNTED nhs is by his brother's absence is just sooooooo good ➤ the worldbuilding is great, the things that are changed from canon due to this different context are great, the anguish and monofocus of nhs are great ➤ I AM ALL EMOTIONS ;_; ➤ 8k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>In which Lan Zhan makes a friend at a quilt show.</blockquote> ➤ a super cute modern au where wangxian are quilters! I love how much the author is clearly familiar with quilting and is able to imbue the fic with insider perspectives on the art/hobby ➤ I love when writers port "these characters are super skilled at The Thing The Show Is About" into a completely different domain like this, especially when it's a domain that doesn't get much attention from fandom usually! ➤ the dynamics between wwx and lwj are also so fun, the way they click so easily, and push each other, and inspire each other, and love each other ➤ also I dearly want to see all the quilts that are described in the fic lol ➤ 5k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>Thinking about wlw Wei Ying wearing skimpier and skimpier outfits to do her early morning workouts in the living room of the apartment she shares with Lan Zhan. She’s never worked out so much before, but Lan Zhan looks so good with delicately flushed ears and a flat startled look.</blockquote>

Summary: <blockquote>“I think the member coordinator saw our Chinese names and was like, ‘Better send all the Chinese Jews to these guys,’” Ning said. “All the better!” Wuxian said, grinning. “Double holiday for everyone!” / The Wens host Sukkot/Mid-Autumn Festival.</blockquote>

Summary: <blockquote>“Wait,” Wei Wuxian said, goggling at Jin Guangshan and not caring one bit that he was being incredibly rude by interrupting the other man’s announcement, nor the fact that he was implicitly challenging Jin Guangshan on his own home territory, being as virtually the entire cultivation world had returned to Lanling City for the feasting following the Phoenix Mountain hunt. “Wait, wait, I’m sorry, are you trying to tell me that you think Teacher Lan – and just to make sure we’re being precise here, we’re talking about rule-abiding, rigid, stubborn, boring old nerd Lan Qiren, the one who used to lecture me all the time about even thinking about something unorthodox – is the Lan sect’s secret demonic cultivator?!”</blockquote> ➤ the one where lqr becomes a demonic cultivator instead

Summary: <blockquote>Jin Ling didn't mean to commit zine fraud. Surely you get a free pass if you didn't know how taxes work?!</blockquote>

Summary: <blockquote>In which Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng are very much not married, but everyone thinks they are. Or: 5 times Jiang Cheng gets injured and 1 time Wen Qing does</blockquote> ➤ sort of pretend relationship

<blockquote>The next time he saw the seal, his searching gaze found no more certainty in the pattern of mottled black spots in the sleek, short fur, but there was no question that it was the same seal. It rolled before diving, showing a flash of the same brand that had marred the chest of the sealcoat and made it cheap enough for him to buy. / Years after their marriage, Wei Wuxian returns from the sea.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Transcript of video interview of Dr. Jiang Yanli, textile historian at the California Institute for Magic and Cultivation.</blockquote>

<blockquote>“Show me his picture,” Yanli says. She keeps her fingers wrapped close around the cooling mug. Xue Yang types and swipes on his massive phone, then turns it around.</blockquote> ➤ arranged date I guess? tagged as arranged marriage because that's like, the closest thing I've got

<blockquote>“Lan Zhan here really surprised me. When we first met, I thought ‘now here’s a guy who could probably bite my head off if I annoy him,’ but then he didn’t? You know, all of our friends in Seoul would say I’m the shameless one, but I have no idea what they’re talking about, like, have they met Lan Zhan? Gege, you’re kind of crazy.” “Mn,” says Wangji, sounding very pleased. “It’s okay though, I like crazy. Hey, Xichen-ge—can I call you Xichen-ge?—anyway, do you mind if I add a little something to my tea?” “We do not imbibe alcohol in this house,” Shufu seethes. “It’s not alcohol,” Wei Ying corrects like he expected to hear this at some point. Xichen glances at Wangji, who’s making an expression Xichen has never seen before: unbridled exasperation and fondness. Then Wei Ying pulls out a pack of what Xichen is pretty sure is chili powder. / Basically a modern AU where lwj and wwx both take a semester abroad while in college. They were originally in different colleges and never met before. They meet in this new college and being the weirdos they truly are, fall in love and get married within one semester.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Mianmian sets her drink down on the floor with a clink. “If she’s that perfect, it’s no wonder she can put up with you two.” The room goes silent. Across the room, Wen Qing’s expression has morphed from this might be a crisis to this is absolutely a crisis and we need damage control, stat. Jiang Wanyin bristles, opens his mouth to say something mean in response. Lan Wangji is more worried about Wei Ying, who has gone very, very still beside him. He knows that Wei Ying’s relationship with his adoptive family is complicated—a web of obligations and resentment that might never be untangled; he knows that Wei Ying constantly felt like a burden, and that Jiang Yanli was the only one who offered unconditional affection. / or, lan zhan reflects on sibling relationships while wei ying scrambles to get his jiejie the perfect birthday gift</blockquote> ➤ unfinished, possibly abandoned, but the one chapter stands alone just fine

<blockquote>untamed social media au but they're all in an unrelated fandom and it's way more focused on their opinions than their interpersonal drama</blockquote>

<blockquote>“You’re about to tell me you’re going to marry him someday,” Jiang Yanli said. “Uh,” Wei Ying replied. His hesitation had not been what she was expecting. He had been sounding so sure! “Well. I suppose.” “You suppose?” “It’s true that I am going to marry him someday, if by ‘someday’ you mean, specifically, yesterday.” / A sober woke-up-married-in-Vegas fic</blockquote> ➤ woke up married (but totally remember what they did and are on board with the decision), the outside pov is for the first half

<blockquote>Wen Qing rubs her cheek against Wei Ying’s shirt—in the way a cat might when pretending it's not about to bite you—and says absently, “Your tits are almost bigger than mine.” Through the haze of Grandaddy Purple, something clicks into place in the rat maze of Wei Ying’s brain and a sincere, “I wish they were,” falls out before he can stop it. / Wei Ying wants tits and has some Gender about it.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Lan Zhan finds A-Yuan lost in the railway station. He maybe finds more than he bargined for. Some mornings you leave for the office and come back with a son (and possibly a husband too). cw. lost child and the fears that surround that, but nothing bad happens to A-Yuan. Loss and grief lightly touched on.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Today, with a formal missive from Koi Tower in hand and Zonghui staring at him with open concern, Nie Mingjue throws his head back and laughs and knows that no request will ever bring him such joy: Sect Leader Jin Guangshan has been brutally assaulted and, due to a conflict of interest, the Jin sect begs the assistance of the Honorable Sect Leader Nie Mingjue in the search for justice. / Wei Ying was raised in a brothel in Yunping, and Sect Leader Jin is having a very bad day.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Of all the goddamn people in this city, it's Jiang Cheng she runs into at two in the morning. "Your sister is going to kill you," Wen Qing says, instead of, I'm sorry you gave me your number and I never called.</blockquote> ➤ Sweet and soft and warm ➤ series consists of: a wish right now a place much simpler another hand after you fold

<blockquote>“Okay!” says Wei Ying, already taking another customer’s order. “I’ll find you later! Remember, though, you have to be nice about my act – I thrive on praise!” Wangji finds a table for three. He sits down, maintaining a white-knuckled grip on what remains of his virgin pina colada. He stares at it, morose and – for the first time in his life – unbearably horny. I am also a virgin, he thinks, as though a non-alcoholic beverage is in any way capable of reciprocating his sudden kinship with it, and tries not to think about other, considerably more naked contexts in which Wei Ying might be said to thrive on praise.</blockquote>

<blockquote>A half-Vulcan and a half-Klingon walk into a dorm room. No, this isn't a xenophobic joke; Xichen is starting his first year at Starfleet Academy and his roommate turns out to be the tallest, broadest (kindest, handsomest) Klingon he's ever seen. . Three snapshots of settling into life on earth feat. culture shock and going to the gym for fun, profit, and gay pining. (No background Star Trek knowledge required!)</blockquote>

<blockquote>“She’s read more books than me! She’s told me that gender is a performance so many times. She knows theory words for things and she watches all those YouTube essays. Why is it a surprise to her that all of this stuff is work? None of it is natural or fun.” “None of it?” Wen Qing asks, her tone suspiciously neutral. Yanli narrows her eyes. “What are you saying?” Wen Qing’s eyes shift to the right, avoiding Yanli’s stare. “I guess I think some of it is fun.” Yanli sits back in her seat. “Huh.”</blockquote> ➤ ahhhhh t4t jyl/jzx is so good, and it's so believable the relationship jyl has with gender here!

<blockquote>“No. This is fucking insane. You can’t just move across the country for the first guy who says he likes you.” Jiang Cheng’s words hit Lan Zhan like the figurative wrecking ball. The first guy. Does that mean what it sounds like it means? “I’m telling jie,” Jiang Cheng says. There’s a ‘bloop’ as he removes himself from the voice channel.</blockquote> ➤ sequel to "the earthquake in the room"

<blockquote>Lan Zhan shuts his eyes in exasperation. Lan Huan’s “Head Up and Heels Down,” shirt is confusing enough to the average person without being actively suggestive. (Every time Wei Ying sees it he proceeds to sing, “Heels down, head up, that’s the way we like to fuck!” under his breath, so the line for “actively suggestive” is… mutable.) He can’t imagine the kind of top stampede his extremely gay brother would cause by going out of the house in a t-shirt announcing, for all intents and purposes, his desire to be the star of an orgy. He tries very hard not to picture either the stampede or the orgy. “Why would you even want sixteen hands between your legs, anyway?” Wei Ying asks the room at large, sounding genuinely curious. “What would they do? I feel like at a certain point there’s, like, diminishing returns, right?” Ah. The mental image of Lan Huan’s Top Stampede has been replaced with a mental image that is both better and worse: Wei Ying as the centerpiece of a nine-person orgy. Or: A Horse Girl throw pillow, and what comes after.</blockquote> ➤ I love all the yes -anding absurdist humour, how well lwj&wwx clearly know each other, the affection and delight they have in each other!

<blockquote>lan jingyi needs a fucking break by-jingY33T getting a phd in 3 things at one time sounded like a great idea when i started out | tired but hella wired | 21+ he/they views my own Location: probably the microfiche archives Website: uni.edu/cartographicfolklore Joined: August 2012 324 Following 5,678 Followers ------------- lan jingyi needs a fucking break by-jingY33T 6/8/22 LISTEN UP YOU HISTORY-LOVING FUCKS HAVE I GOT A WILD FUCKING THEORY FOR YOU: THE YILING LAOZU PROBABLY ACTUALLY EXISTED AND MAY HAVE BEEN A HUUUUUUGE SAPPY ROMANTIC: a 🧵 [1/?]</blockquote>

<blockquote>Wei Ying looks back at him now, a furrow between his eyebrows. Lan Zhan reaches out and smooths it away with his thumb, then trails his hand down to rest on Wei Ying’s cheek. Lets it rest there, feeling the heat beneath his palm. Do you understand? “Yeah.” Wei Ying closes his eyes, leans into the touch. “Okay, Lan Zhan. Sorry.” Lan Zhan nudges Wei Ying’s face and shakes his head. No apologies. The whole thing is, as Wei Ying had said, weird. Lan Zhan is used to not speaking. He’s only realized now that it was nice to have the option. (Or: Lan Zhan and Wei Ying have been together for twelve days, and Lan Zhan is cursed.)</blockquote> ➤ "the Softness is the plot actually" as one of the tags says and YEAH actually!! which is really cool!

<blockquote>Wei Ying makes his voice bright and says, “Well, take this one!” and deposits A-Yuan into Mo Xuanyu’s arms, and this time the look on his face isn’t just an almost smile. A-Yuan fists a chubby hand in his hair and gazes that way babies do, open and amazed. “Gah!” he says. “Gah!” Mo Xuanyu says right back. / Or: Mo Xuanyu finds a home for himself.</blockquote> ➤ love wwx's voice in this fic

<blockquote>Hanguang-jun is dating a mild mannered, non-cultivator named Wei Wuxian. The Yiling Laozu rolls up to a nighthunt on a motorbike, no relation at all to the previous statement.</blockquote> ➤ love the confidence with which this story is itself

<blockquote>Lan Zhan, on the other hand, is a delicate flower from Shanghai, yet he wakes up every morning to go jogging around the campus in a tracksuit that Wei Ying is sure he would find sexy if he was ever awake to observe it. In contrast, while Wei Ying is technically the more winter-savvy, he beat Nie Huaisang at fourteen days without leaving the hodge-podge of tunnels and walkways connecting the university’s sprawl, even if it was only because Huaisang’s professor wouldn’t answer his email last week.</blockquote>