LINKDING

Summary: The Institute of Religious Studies was housed in one of the oldest structures at the university, an ornate hipped-roof building that overlooked the campus from the foot of the northern peaks. Aside from the narrow drive that wound up the rise from the other side of campus, the only access was via a steep staircase or a switchbacked path that took twenty minutes to ascend. Most people on campus called it the Mountain. ➤ songxuexiao t4t4t modern au where they're grad students in china ➤ I had the pleasure of getting to see this fic as it came together, and the thought and care verity puts into their writing is always so evident in their beautifully written and beautifully constructed stories! ➤ from song lan's pov as he watches creepy stalker xue yang entwine herself into his bff (and object of pining) xiao xingchen's life ➤ sl DOESN'T trust xy, he DOES find it super hot to put her in her place and have sex with her, he DOES struggle to be fully vulnerable with xxc despite everything she is to him ➤ the vibes are so good, I love how real and present each character and their complex emotions about each other are, and I love the way the theme of the weather runs through the whole fic holding things together ➤ highly recommend! ➤ 12k 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>“Tell you what,” said Yushi Huang. “I’ll make you a deal, Ling Wen Zhen Jun.” Almost no one used her title at all, even fewer with respect. She couldn’t quite read Yushi Huang’s tone. “If you can tell me exactly what this is,” she nodded to the creature curled in the corner, "and what it does, I will turn it in the moment we get back for tagging and proper categorization." Ling Wen raised an eyebrow. So the enigmatic Rain Master already knew the creature's properties. "And if I don't?" Yushi Huang smiled, infuriatingly gentle. "Admitting defeat so soon? How unlike you." Ling Wen drew herself up and inclined her head, knowing herself to be rising to bait but seeing no real reason to resist. "I accept your terms."</blockquote> ➤ tgcf space au featuring ling wen/yushi huang, HELLO ➤ yushi huang's deliberate mysteriousness, and the way she uses it to flirt and get the upper hand with ling wen! ➤ ling wen enjoying having something to research that's for FUN instead of for work! ➤ the interesting development of the setting, and ways the characters and backstories have been tweaked to fit! ➤ LOVED IT. ➤ 4k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>When Shen Yuan dies and transmigrates into Yue Qingyuan, he's happy to improve his favorite story without the axe of human stick-hood hanging over him. It’s kind of a surprise that he can rescue the protagonist so quickly, but he isn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. And Liu Qingge’s presence, however sticky, means that he can spar in this strong body any time he wants – life at Cang Qiong really is good! Meanwhile, if Shen Qingqiu had been more willing to discuss his past with the only person who was part of it, then perhaps it would not have taken him three full years to realize that his childhood friend is gone. When the only other option is living without Qi-ge, he devotes himself to hunting down his soul. Unfortunately, this is pretty difficult when the man wearing Yue Qingyuan’s face has ordered that he not leave the mountain. (It’s not really a surprise when he begins hallucinating Qi-ge.)</blockquote> ➤ svsss au where sy transmigrates into yqy instead of sqq ➤ the fic is in two parts: first, from sy!yqy's pov as he tries to change events within the parameters the system allows him, and then the second from og!sqq's pov follows where the first part left off, with sqq trying to deal with the fact that yqy is so different now from the one he remembers. ➤ the two parts are different in tone and both excellent, both really fitting the kind of character and person the pov character is, and what it is they want the most. I loved it! ➤ 11k words in length

Summary: <blockquote>“What do you think about,” Wei Ying said aloud, before she could stop herself, before she could even think twice about the repercussions. “When you.” She finally found Lan Zhan’s eyes, molten in the low light, and swallowed in a tiny, audible gulp. “You know.” On Wei Ying, Lan Zhan’s gaze didn’t waver even a fraction. “Giving head,” she said. Wei Ying was certain she’d misheard. “Getting head?” “No,” said Lan Zhan. / After a surprise party gone awry, Wei Ying surprises herself.</blockquote> ➤ i loved the unusual detail of them being swimmers/divers, and all the water stuff worked into the prose

Summary: <blockquote>“How are you even supposed to enjoy going on a date with your boyfriend if you’re acting like ‘Olympic gold boyfriend material’ is too mediocre for him! I’m surprised you two manage to have enjoyable sex!” There is an awkward pause, and Meng Yao only realizes too late that it’s one that he let sit too long. He sets the dysfunctional hair straightener in the sink, unplugging it, but the noise of busywork comes too late to stop Wei Wuxian. “Are you not even having decent sex??” “It’s,” Meng Yao stutters, “—okay?” / Or: Meng Yao and Lan Xichen have been dating for a while, now, and everything about their relationship is perfect. Meng Yao makes sure of it, just like he makes sure that his annual performance review at Jin Corp is impeccable, that Madam Jin never catches his surreptitious, short visits to deliver gifts to Jin Ling, and that Lan Xichen gets a mind-blowing orgasm at least three times a week, even if they're too tired for sex for five days straight and Meng Yao has to chain them back-to-back until his jaw is sore. Everything is going great, until he makes the mistake of genuinely befriending Wei Wuxian.</blockquote> ➤ series consists of: Meng Yao's Guide to Sex and Love Meng Yao's Guide to Sex and Sensibility

Summary: <blockquote>In which Lan Wangji attempts to reconcile who he thought he would be with who he is.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Shang Qinghua accidentally brings Luo Binghe in as a disciple of An Ding Peak instead of Qing Jing Peak. Thankfully, there don't seem to be any requirements that he step up and become the new villainous mentor figure, so he decides to ignore the problem until further notice. Luo Binghe looking up to him is a dangerous sign. But as long as he keeps young Luo Binghe and Mobei-Jun away from each other, everything should be fine, right?</blockquote>

<blockquote>Jonathan’s life was fine. He didn’t need other people. He studied them instead, like fire ants on the abandoned edge of the playground; carefully, with a stick and good shoes, watching their patterns and keeping his observations to himself, figuring out which ones to leave alone and which ones would make good surprises in bullies’ backpacks. Other people were tools, in the multiple definitions of the word. He used them. He didn’t like them. He didn’t need them. He was fine. All in all, it wasn’t difficult to stay a virgin until he turned thirty. A JGY-centric, Cherry Magic-inspired AU.</blockquote> ➤ (Jonathan is jgy's english name) ➤ I loved how so many of the characters in this fic have different relationships with sex (and intimacy and touch in general!) in ways that don't line up with societal expectations but are still all very different from each other ➤ series consists of: Point of Contact Cabin Pressure

<blockquote>Lan Zhan stops in front of one of the bespoke duplicates— a male figure, small, creamy-skinned and lithe. The name on the plinth reads Mo Xuanyu. Lan Zhan tested it on his first pass through the room. The doll was empty. No signals bouncing around its artificial brain, no operating programs queued to autostart. Not even a blinking dormancy light. "Hey big guy," says Mo Xuanyu, chrome eyes sparkling with fun. "Who do I gotta fuck around here to get unplugged?" / Wei Ying is a rogue AI come to life. Lan Zhan is… handling it.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Shen Qingqiu stood at the edge of the cliff, his back lit up by the fiery light of the Endless Abyss. The blood from the wound on his chest spilled out between his fingers, splattering onto the shattered remains of Xiu Ya laying at his feet. When he looked up, his expression was half-wild with the heat of battle, shoulders heaving with his ragged breaths, and his eyes, which were normally like green jade, glowed blood red- -The very same red shining from the demon mark etched onto his forehead. Or: Shen Qingqiu is the protagonist of PIDW</blockquote>

<blockquote>Shang Qinghua wasn’t a protagonist. He was barely even a side character. The sum total of his dialogue never surpassed ten lines, which puts him just above cannon fodder. His death, sudden but not unexpected, was less than a paragraph in the epic of Luo Binghe: The conspicuous absence of the man who could be considered Mobei Jun’s shadow was then explained to Luo Binghe. Just days ago, Shang Qinghua—whether by accident or a final act of loyalty—took a fatal blow meant for Mobei Jun. Scarcely did he have the time to draw a single breath before succumbing to poison potent enough to fell a great demon on the verge of becoming king. In his previous life as a reader, Mobei Jun didn’t have any reason to pay him much attention. Things are different now.</blockquote> ➤ au where mbj & sqq are the transnigrators into a novel written by sqq

<blockquote>Wei Wuxian has been left largely to his own devices on his planet's lighthouse, with only his trusty android friend W3N Qing for help. But a "surprise" site inspector is coming, probably to check if he's been breaking any intergalactic statutes in his work. And so he's preparing for the inspector's arrival. What he's not prepared for is Lan Wangji.</blockquote> ➤ space au with cultivation

<blockquote>Fatima foresees a terrible future if Güyük becomes Great Khan, and Töregene makes a different choice: history diverges.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Sansa finds it difficult to look at Jon’s face, with its weathered lines and cragginess. It is the face of the North and a face that northerners trust; the face of Sansa’s brothers and her father, who had been loved and respected by their tenants as their forefathers had been when they were kings. How can Sansa feel anything but resentment, looking into that face and knowing that all of her years of hard work will never earn her the respect that that profile engenders within seconds? But she does. It is a small, burning coal of something that must be smothered.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Very few jobs give you the perfect storm of moral high ground, manic energy, and being a huge dick to people on the regular that Wei Wuxian finds so satisfying about trauma surgery. However, they don't call it trauma for its psychological wellness. A year of q2 36 hour call would be unbearable if Lan Wangji weren't the other fellow that he shares a call bed with. A "What If All The Cultivators Were Surgeons?" AU.</blockquote> ➤ This fic is the epitome of Take Your Fandom To Work, making wonderful use of how closely the author is familiar with the context of the au setting and really bringing it to life.

<blockquote>The war is over and Bodhi Rook has been away from Jedha for too long. It’s time to go home. He winds up with an unexpected passenger. A love story between two people and a place, about all the different meanings of home.</blockquote> ➤ (and then a sequel about finding & rescuing Rey, and then a meta post describing the events that led to this au) ➤ Series consists of: Stone and Sand Different Deserts For Those That Read Stone and Sand

<blockquote>Arya is the only one of them to have met the Targaryen’s Young Dragon, and even then it had been a short battlefield acquaintance when the Ironborn had tried to take the Rock and a hasty alliance had been formed to push them back. Arya had come back from the south covered in blood and filth and said, he’s adequate, I suppose, which meant he probably was the greatest living swordsman.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"Ripley." She turned her head slightly. The voice, flat and synthesized, came from a small speaker set into the side of her pod. "Yes," she said, with some difficulty: her tongue felt strange and thick. "Yes, this is Ripley. Who is this?" There was a pause, followed by a click. "This is Bishop, but I'm speaking to you on behalf of the Sulaco. There's been an accident." Under normal circumstances, Ripley knew, this statement would have produced a series of emotional and physiological reactions: alarm, adrenaline, fear, galvanized limbs, dread. But the effects of the hypersleep were still gripping her body, keeping her numb and apathetic, and instead all she felt was a faint curiosity. "What kind of accident?" She sat up. The room seemed to spin. "A fire. I think. It's hard to tell." </blockquote>

<blockquote>Pierre Vorrutyer leaves the countship to his cousin By -- if he can be persuaded to take it.</blockquote> ➤ Stands well on its own but I'd love to have more in this au!

<blockquote>When he brings Owen and Beru their nephew, Obi-Wan collapses at the Lars farmstead instead of exiting stage left to a hide-out in the Jundland Wastes. Several things go quite a bit differently, after that.</blockquote>

<blockquote>"No, see, we've all been trained a certain way. The training system is traditional; it's centuries old. Nobody taught you. You ballist like it's got nothing to do with war at all." A sleepy, extraordinary smile crawls over Victor's face. "Nobody else does it like that. That's why we're going to win."</blockquote> ➤ I don't know if it quite works for me as a YoI fic, but as an origfic it's GREAT, I adore the worldbuilding, I would read more set in this world! (and in fact can and have, the sequel is Gravity, ft. arranged marriage for Otabek and Yuri P.!)

<blockquote>In a world where a certain submarine never arrives, Burt Gurney and Hobie Doyle play a cat-and-mouse game.</blockquote> ➤ charming

<blockquote>confluence. noun. - the joining of two rivers, especially rivers of approximately equal width. - an act or process of merging. They are the blazing sun and the surrounding sea, life force and lifeblood. They are everything and everything is theirs.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Minerva navigates the family politics of Olympus Worlds, Inc. as she investigates a promising developer who may have something very interesting to add to the company's shared-world virtual reality systems.</blockquote>

<blockquote>In which Methos finds Richie first.</blockquote>

<blockquote>In which Galavant knows more than four chords, Isabella and Sid are long-suffering, and Madalena and Richard are actually the worst. Or, the origin of indie legend Rock Paper Scissors.</blockquote> ➤ yessss

<blockquote>Cosette/Eponine, dragon AU</blockquote> ➤ in which Cosette is a human and Eponine a dragon

<blockquote>In 1823, in the small, bare yard behind the inn at Montfermeil, there was a wolf on a very short chain. M. Thénardier maintained this wolf so that he could tell people it was his wolf-brother, from his days fighting with the armies of the Emperor; and tell how it had helped to carry a great general to safety amid the carnage of Waterloo.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Directed-verse Gen Kill. Because conversations with surexit result in things like this.</blockquote>