LINKDING

excerpt: When Irena was young and strong and still the third-most beautiful girl in Březina, she could walk from her mother’s cottage to the birch grove in only an hour—even if she stopped to cool her feet in the creek or fill a basket with blackcurrants. But she is not so young and not so strong now, not for all her wishing, and the journey eats up the morning and a slice of afternoon, too. ➤ a lovely short story about a human woman who loves a woodmaiden ➤ about choices, and appreciating your life for what it is, and the passage of time ➤ and old women dancing together in a birch grove in a forest ➤ 3k words

Summary: <blockquote>The sensation of being ignored by someone playing with enough magic to blow up the castle had been outright soothing to Alex, by the end of it all.</blockquote> ➤ yessss ➤ a Tortall fic set during the era when Duke Roger is dead the first time, from Alex of Tirragen's pov ➤ omg I am OBSESSED with this minor canon divergence au that takes seriously the question of what Alex's motivations are ➤ the fucked up relationships between Alex and Delia, Alex and Roger, Alex and Thom! Alex's obsession with and failure to understand Alanna! Roger continuing to be horrible from beyond the grave! ➤ HELLO I AM HERE FOR ALL OF THIS ➤ 5k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>OK, what I’ve just realised is: I’m not the only one this can ever have happened to, right? I mean, if swapping bodies through time and space like this is a Thing, then surely it can’t only be me and poor old Kim So Yong who ever aligned just the right way to trigger it? So, I’ve decided to write all this down in case maybe someone finds it and it’s useful. You know how in science fiction and fantasy dramas in like the second act the hot geeky member of the team will be like ‘Oh, I went into the archive and found this document that conveniently explains all the plot events so far and tells us what to do next’? This will be that document. You’re welcome, hot geek.</blockquote> ➤ have I watched Mr Queen? no I have not. but I HAVE had friends tell me about it and that's nearly as good, in that it means I could read this fic and understand and appreciate it ➤ Jang Bong Hwan is writing down maxims about how to survive the experience of bodyswapping through time and space, for reference for future people in the same situation ➤ Jang Bong Hwan gets a little off topic. a lot. ➤ Jang Bong Hwan loves Cheoljong so much! ➤ delightful and charming throughout, such an engaging and endearing narrative voice ➤ 7k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>He saluted her in that way he sometimes mockingly did, as a loyal general ought to greet the sagest of chief ministers. “Come on, now,” she said. “You can do better than that.”</blockquote>

<blockquote> The truth was that from the beginning Cottia had wanted desperately for Esca to like her. He was British, a Brigantes warrior of the blue war shields, and she wanted him to see the Britishness in her; she was afraid of what it would mean if he didn’t. </blockquote> ➤ ahhhhh the complexities of the relationships between the three of them as they navigate making a household together is SO good. It does feel though that it ends kind of abruptly without working anything out but I can at least imagine where it might go from here

<blockquote>"Lucky for you," Wei qianbei says, the laughter once more in his voice like the sun breaking through storm clouds, "the last desire of these particular ghosts is one you should be able to actually grant. You'll probably want this, though." He rummages in his sleeve and tosses something small Zizhen's way. Zizhen catches it, still reeling a little. When he opens his hand, he finds a stoppered jar of... salve? Ouyang Zizhen fucks around (summons a bunch of horny ghosts) and finds out (fucks a bunch of horny ghosts)</blockquote>

<blockquote>With Temeraire and Tharkay gone, Jane proposes that Laurence help manage things at her estate awhile. Then Tharkay returns. Laurence had no idea Tharkay disliked the admiral so much.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Marcus had told her about the land, their house—small but well-made, and easy to add to should the need arise—his plans. They had not spoken of the wedding, which both of them cared little for, but only of the life that would come after. And in all their plans, Esca was there too, as she had known he would be.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Prince Jing needs an heir but needs some help getting there... if only he had a trusted advisor to guide him, wink wink now with added Feelings (TM)</blockquote>

<blockquote>Eleven years after Nihuang's fiance died at Meiling, the emperor arranges another marriage for her.</blockquote>

<blockquote>“Who the hell are you?” Renfri asks, wrinkling her nose. The boy sitting by the fire looks up, looking surprised. They told her in town there was a witcher with white hair out here. They hadn’t mentioned anyone else. “Jaskier,” he says. He’s holding a lute, oddly. “At your service, assuming your service isn’t either murderous or boring. Who are you?” “Renfri,” she says, eyeing him critically. “Where’s Geralt?”</blockquote> ➤ Au where Renfri lives

<blockquote>The man was nothing more than a crumpled heap in the shadows when Obi-Wan first saw him. A little further down the street, Owen and Beru bickered about which merchant had the best ration prices, and which had the highest quality. Obi-Wan only distantly heard their voices. His attention was fixed on the man, the ghost, who had come to Tatooine to haunt him. Cody. Here.</blockquote> ➤ love the ship dynamics!

<blockquote>Prince Nicolò is marrying Lady Nile for the good of the kingdom, and everybody has to make the best of it. Or: wlw/mlm solidarity is conspiring with your boyfriend’s wife’s girlfriend to help them produce a royal heir.</blockquote>

<blockquote>“Jingyan, pour the tea,” ordered Lin Shu, stretched sweating on the scorched grass. “Pour it yourself,” said Jingyan. “I can’t, I’m dead. Nihuang has killed me. Murdered by his fiancée when he was still a beautiful young gentleman, that’s what they’ll say. A tragedy! Anyway you should do it, you’re the waterbender.</blockquote>

<blockquote>It turns out that having the right name and piles of cold hard cash means you can buy almost anything. Happiness, however, isn’t for sale, but Daphne is lucky enough to know the recipe.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Mary Shelley is the final girl.</blockquote>

<blockquote>When Cara asked if such things are ever crafted from beskar, he recoiled as if she had blasphemed.</blockquote> ➤ I have zero context for any of this but idk, it was fun

<blockquote>Padmé never should have told Anakin about her newfound and very embarrassing crush.</blockquote>

<blockquote>A moment's awkward silence fell in the room, before Beru said brightly, "Well, if you're staying, we should have a trade." Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow at Beru. She understood his silent question, standing up from the table and beckoning him over to their couches. "It's a…call it a tradition. Custom. When you're a guest, especially the first few times you stay with a person, it's customary to trade—well, stories. Bits of news, things you might have heard, something interesting that happened. It's how we turn strangers into people we know. And a way to pass on information." "It's also an excuse to break out the good booze." Owen smiled as he re-entered with a bottle and three glasses.</blockquote>

<blockquote>When UNCLE learns of a chemical weapons laboratory in the French Antilles, Gaby, Illya, and Napoleon are dispatched to investigate and shut it down if at all possible. They discover that THRUSH's scientists are developing an extremely powerful aphrodisiac - and their mission doesn't quite go as planned. Basically: sex pollen.</blockquote>

<blockquote>A little POV Outsider ficlet, because I love POV outsider in general but I love it even more when the characters being Observed From The Outside are all complete fuckin' weirdos. :D</blockquote>

<blockquote>Renee is just helping Kim adapt to her new life as a toff. Why is Mairelon so skeptical of that? Set between the books.</blockquote>

<blockquote>“What are we going to do with the people who did this to him, that’s what I want to know?” demanded Nora. Her voice rose in pitch and volume. “Why, those low-down, dirty, cowardly – well, I’ll tell you what I’m going to do!” And then she marched out, without, in fact, telling anybody what she was going to do.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Don was helping Kathy make dinner that evening when it burst out. “I’m not sure what you meant about Cosmo. We’ve never been like that, him and me.” She looked at him for a long time. “Why not?” she asked, finally.</blockquote>

<blockquote>The watching crowd parted, and the two men within turned to face Shamhat. She swore silently. Not just ‘big’ visitors—the biggest. She barely kept herself from bowing to Gilgamesh. As a temple’s head priestess, even here in Uruk’s most distant village with more hunters and herders than farmers, she was his equal in honor. But she did approach the king for the second time in her life. “In the name of Morning Inanna, welcome.”</blockquote>

<blockquote>Five times Ivan and Gregor had sex.</blockquote> ➤ I love Ivan

<blockquote>By the time we got to Bernal Island and the Wrong Headed community, I was in love with Juya, deeper than I’d ever felt with anyone before. Juya up and left Bernal a week and a half later, because zi got bored again, and I barely noticed that zi was gone. By then, I was in love with a hundred other people, and they were all in love with me.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Fenella meets Queen Gold-tree on her wedding day, and meets the king at the same time. Gold-tree becomes a friend, and when she dies, Fenella and the king are left to pick up the pieces together.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Threesomes solve everything. (Threesomes do not solve everything. But sometimes they're fun.)</blockquote>

<blockquote>You can absolutely deal with the realities of life after the book and make the boys bisexual war veterans in a triad with Mary, but dear God, you have to make it tonally resonant with the original. SIT DOWN I WILL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED TEN YEARS AFTER THE SECRET GARDEN</blockquote> ➤ I've never actually shipped the ot3 from this book but fics like this might make me reconsider