LINKDING

summary: Jiang Leizhu had no intention of becoming the Peak Lord of Xun Shou Peak. But that was the curse of competency, she supposed. She had, when Ma Zelui first approached her about the position, turned her shizun down. Running a peak, after all, would take time away from her passion project. She was content to end up an ordinary master on the peak, with ordinary expectations of her contributions in time and effort back to the sect for its part in feeding and housing her. All her saying so had earned her was a smack to the head that left her ears ringing for the rest of the day, and a month mucking out the stables with the outer disciples, with the expectation she would move into the head disciple’s cabin at the end of that month with a properly grateful attitude. But at least it meant she got to meet Shang Qinghua. Even if that wasn’t how she got to know him. ➜ svsss fic, sqh/the beast peak lord ➜ the author is on a mission to write a fic for each of the peaks, about the peak lord's relationship with sqh, which is amazing. this one is for the beast peak, and canon provides no info about that peak lord! ➜ I love the character created for this role, her competencies and obsessions are great, and the kind of relationship she develops with sqh! ➜ deeply weird but oddly sweet, which is such a good approach to this ship <3 ➜ 10k words long

Summary: Harriet explores the unexpected landscape of marriage. ➜ yuletide fic - for the Lord Peter Wimsey books ➜ Harriet's POV on v-shaped polyamory negotiations, Harriet/Peter and Peter/Bunter ➜ the voice is so well done, of Harriet's whole pov but also every line of Peter's dialogue is dripping with the exact right kind of piffle he likes to talk, with all the casual references and so forth ➜ and the way they work out the relationship dynamics between the three of them, what is and isn't said, and what each of them is looking for, feels so right too! ➜ 10k words in length

Summary: Richard Merrill has a conversation with his mother. ➜ yuletide fic - for Mairelon the Magician ➜ set mid-canon, a conversation between Mairelon and his mother about the realities of Kim being out in society and the male attention she'll attract ➜ Mairelon's oblivious focus on Kim's magical education and inability to follow where his mother is going with this line of questioning is so fun and so him ➜ what a cute and fun fic! ➜ 1k words in length

Summary: It was easy to want what you couldn't have. Ever since her father had told her that she was destined for the royal harem, Jian Lan had been confident she'd make it to the rank of consort. But she'd also known that, in the meantime, she'd be having a passionate love affair with some unsuitable man around the palace. ➤ TGCF fic about the era after xianle falls to yong'an, when Jian Lan finds work in a brothel ➤ Jian Lan's perspective on her developing relationship with Feng Xin ➤ I love the sharpness, the awkwardness, the quiet ground-down miseries - and yet the grasping onto what hope and beauty and love that can be found in the midst of it all ➤ Jian Lan and Feng Xin are doing their best! I'm emotions ➤ and I love the gentle femdom that Jian Lan leans into when Feng Xin's women issues make it challenging for them to have sex <3 ➤ 5k words in length

Summary: In 1580s London, apprentice grocer John Heminges decides to revive an ancient guild mystery play and ends up getting married, finding a new career, and meeting a friend who will change his life. ➤ a prequel to Nameless, which I just recced, about 17th century theatre actors associated with Shakespeare (and Shakespeare himself) ➤ the viewpoint character begins as an an apprentice grocer in the grocer's guild, and his first taste of acting is in reviving the guild play ➤ like Nameless, a really thoughtful and interesting look at this period of history, with many excellent historical details ➤ the development of John's understanding of what it is to act, and what it is to be part of the world of actors (different things!) is so well done ➤ and I love the quiet, solid romance of trust between John and Rebecca ➤ 10k words in length

Summary: She was going to blame the wine in the morning. ➤ beefleaf prior to the black water arc ➤ sqx and her bff ming-xiong go to a party together! sqx explains to the hostess why ming-xiong is such a good friend, and it's definitely not about sex! ➤ they absolutely do have really good sex sometimes though. including at this party. ➤ the dynamics between sqx and hx are soooo good ➤ and ditto sqx having a great time being a beautiful woman at multiple after-parties, after the mid-autumn banquet ➤ what a delightful little gem of a fic ➤ 2k 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>This is alarming; he has always been a solid cultivator, master of his senses and body and spirit, etcetera, as rigorously forged as his sword. Even in his deepest grief Sandu Shengshou will run in a straight line. It is not alarming. Hasn't he, hasn't the entire cultivation world, been through a shock? / Jiang Cheng attends Wen Qing's execution because he must. And then he learns about his passenger.</blockquote> ➤ after wen qing's execution, she ends up sharing jiang cheng's body! ➤ they're both dealing with so MUCH at this point in the narrative, and they're so careful with each other now that they are tied together like this, and it's so gorgeous ➤ 3k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>Your unfaithful husband has defected back to the USSR, and been returned to you in poor health, both physically and mentally, having apparently been tortured due to a clerical error. You don’t char-havechar- to pick up the pieces, but you are curious to see whether among the unwelcome emotions you are experiencing there hides the one you used to label ‘love’.</blockquote> ➤ fic about the musical Chess! ➤ Anatoly/Svetlana navigating their relationship in the aftermath, in all its complexities ➤ navigating the feelings and the realities of their lives and what they are and aren't capable of being for each other, but being connected on some level despite it all! ➤ second person pov ➤ 6k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>In which Vucub-Kamé is worried, Hun-Kamé is in denial and Casiopea Tun is perfectly happy. (post-canon)</blockquote> ➤ fic for Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Gods of Jade and Shadow ➤ such a fun pov choice to have it from Vucub-Kame's perspective! ➤ I loved the arguments between Vucub-Kame and Hun-Kame, and between Hun-Kame and Casiopeia! ➤ 2k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>Her wedding to Philip is the happiest day of her life. Then why, Louise wonders, does she have to keep reminding herself of that?</blockquote> ➤ post-canon fic from Louise's perspective! ➤ Philip is haunted by the ghost of Rachel! ➤ Louise struggles to keep up the mindset that of COURSE she must be happy to be married to Philip! ➤1k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>Qi Rong learns that Xuan Ji has set up a forest of upside down corpses for him. He goes to pay her a visit. (This ended up diving way more into Qi Rong's head than I expected)</blockquote> ➤ qi rong/xuan ji fic, 4k words in length ➤ there are some details that irritate me about the fic, but overall it's an intriguing piece and I enjoyed some of what it was doing with qi rong's voice! and it's a very galaxy brain ship too tbh

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