falling til four in the morning by phnelt. MDZS, The Untamed, modern au, wangxian, T. 90s AU where lan zhan and wei ying meet through analog media. its been a while since i read it but i have a weakness for analog media, especially tapes, and these things really get to shine here.
widow‘s weeds by travelingneuritis. MDZS, The Untamed, modern cultivation, wangxian, wlw, comphet, E. very fun AU about wei wuxian being engaged to jin guangyao, and lan wangji, the landscape gardener wei wuxian hired for her wedding, suspecting that wei wuxian has been killing her former husbands (plural). jin guangyao has only a small role here but i liked how the author has written him and his incidental cahooting with wei wuxian!
but the wind keeps blowing by morwen. WOH pre-canon/canon divergence, wenzhou, amnesia, ghost valley, M. a man without a name wakes up in a place without a yesterday. on his travels to find out who he is, he picks up two interesting companions with their own agendas. a really cool stab at zhou zishu’s and wen kexing’s and gu xiang's pre-canon selves, and a look at how wen kexing‘s coup for the throne of ghost valley might have been like, now with zhou zishu thrown into the mix. i especially loved how the department of the unfaithful plays into this. this fic is written in german!
the remains of summer by nirenhuang. WOH modern AU, wenzhou, fluff, T. zhou zishu and wen kexing are students in the Berlin of 1920-30. this is a bilingual fic (german, english). due to the time this is set in, some of the places that show up here dont exist anymore, they were destroyed during the third reich or ww2. i loved how the author interweaves these aspects and creates this rich tapestry of culture, identity, language, queerness, and finding your crowd, in the years just before hitler comes into power. (politics have no impact, though.) this is a rewrite of a similar fic by the same author in mandarin, and there is a sequel! predominantly written in english with some german phrases!
🐞 recommend a favourite fic or several from one of your friends OR a fic author you really look up to!
how to be ravenous by caffeineaddict94. WOH modern au, Ride or Die AU, wenzhou, wlw, E. zhou zishu and wen kexing reunite after years of not speaking with each other. their complex relationship is unravelled over the course of wen kexing comitting murder for zhou zishu and their subsequent escape from the authorites. a story about want and yearning and these hidden things lodged deep inside that even if u dont acknowledge them, still have the power to ruin your life—or change it for the better.
one of the moments i cant stop thinking about:
Her fingers fit perfectly around Zishu‘s throat, right against her windpipe. Zishu studies Kexing‘s flushed face and vicious eyes with no reservations. Serenity washes over her like a deep ocean as her pulse beats rabbit quick beneath Kexing‘s fingertips.
“You didn’t have to get my hopes up,” Kexing seethes, grip tightening just enough to make it difficult to swallow. “I was over all of it. I was over you but you had to pop up again, you selfish asshole!”
“Kill me then.”
That throws Kexing off balance.
written by my wonderful, talented friend!!!! read it!!!! if u want to feel, like, a little gutted!!! for fun!!! read it!!!
🦗 recommend any fic, wild card!
so pretty but your heart‘s got teeth by livinginaworldofnoise. WOH modern au, wenzhou, crack, G. zhou zishu‘s terrible and chaotic neighbour wen kexing devises a masterful plan to woe zhou zishu, much to zhou zishu‘s chagrin. that plan includes feral kittens and lots of atrocious ignorance of boundaries. nothing at all goes wrong (lie). i reread this one recently and it was great :D
Based off the otome game Ikemen Prince, I've created an AU where the princes are (mostly) female, and MC is male. Several character names have been changed to suit their new gender (notes will be provided), and lore has been altered to work with the new setting and my accompanying headcanons.
Tags: Angst and Fluff, Violence, Sexual Themes
You can find the masterlist for this series here. You can also find the full fanfic on my ao3, along with a full list of tags. The entire fic is roughly 100,000 words through 30 chapters, making it 3.5k words per chapter on average (8-10 pages in a standard novel).
Chapter 14 - Things Left Unsaid (IkePri AU)
Over the next several days, gossip seemed to reach an all time high about Princess Leanne’s peculiar behavior around the palace. She had been discovered in various locations napping with a book in her lap. Each time it came up, the place she was found seemed more ridiculous than the last - the faction’s office, the grand entrance, then the kitchens.
Today, Leanne sat against a wall in the training hall, quietly studying the pages of a book. She looked entirely out of place while the air around her was filled with spirited yelling and the clang of weapons striking from the soldiers that were training hard. She seemed completely unaware of the pointed looks that both Leni and Jean were giving her. Her head occasionally slowly dipping and then jerking back up as a noise would shake her from the sleep that tried to claim her.
“Ugh, that’s enough, already! How am I meant to concentrate, Leanne?!” Yves snatched the book out of Leanne’s hands, and at last she looked up to see Yves leveling a glare at her.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Yves?” Her eyes went from his frown to her book he was holding. “I’m trying to read here. Could you give that back?”
Yves lifted the novel over his head out of Leanne’s reach. “I don’t suppose you noticed we’re in the middle of training?! I don’t care if you want to read, but do it somewhere else!”
“Yeah, but if I read anywhere quiet, I’ll fall asleep, so I don’t have much choice.” Leanne held out her hand in a request for the book to be returned, not making any other move to take it back. “I figured everyone’s so noisy out here that it might just be enough to keep me awake, yeah?”
Yves faltered. He brought the book down from over his head, and for a moment looked like he might return it. “Yeah– no!” Suddenly he clutched the book to his chest, once again out of Leanne’s reach. “Leanne, you’re our leader, and that means you have obligations to fulfill!”
“Now, now, Yves, there’s no need to grump like that.” Jean joined in, setting a hand on Yves’ shoulder. “Hey, Leanne, are you reading that for Emmit?”
“Yeah. I want to learn to like the things he likes.” She said easily and innocently, like it was the most natural desire in the world.
“So that’s how it is,” Jean smiled and rested a hand on her chest, covering her heart. “Ahh, I’m touched. I like a young woman ready to put in the extra effort.”
“Shut up, Jean.” Yves snapped. “Listen, Leanne, are you…” he trailed off, his eyes sliding away from Leanne. “I mean, well… How do I put this?”
Leanne watched as Leni wandered closer to their group. Jean’s smile grew into a grin at Yves struggling to find the words.
“Are you so focused on Emmit as a friend? Or is it, well, you know…” Yves looked incredibly uncomfortable even attempting to insinuate anything other than friendship between the two of them.
“Do you love him?” Leni asked plainly.
“Do you want to sleep with him?” Jean went straight to the carnal.
“Hey, hey!” Yves yelled, looking shocked the other two could be so blunt. “Leni, that’s too direct! And Jean, you can take a long walk and come back when you’ve cleaned up your mind!”
“I love him. I want to sleep with him.” Leanne answered with a placid expression.
Yves and Leni gave a start, their eyes growing wide and mouths hanging open. Jean’s eyebrows went up and her grin deepened. “Oh?”
Leanne burst into rich laughter. “So that’s how you’d react if I really meant that, huh?”
Beauty’s Time was slowly losing petals as the flower bloomed, counting down the days until a final decision needed to be made. More than half of its petals now sat discarded at the bottom of the display.
Emmit had been busy at work with his task as Belle. Suriyel had arranged for him to spend a day with each member of the royal family, following them through their official duties and activities. Over the last week, he had been busy from sunrise to sunset getting to know the prince and princesses and pouring through study materials when he wasn’t otherwise engaged.
Today, he was in a meeting with Suriyel in her office. She periodically held check-ins with Emmit to be certain he was getting the experiences he needed to uphold his duty as Belle. It was her job, after all, as the King’s Regent, to make sure he was well acquainted with the royal family, and armed with the knowledge he needed to make his choice.
“I see.” Suriyel recounted. “So you have reached out to each individual candidate, and listened to them tell you about their beliefs. Those captious–”
“Those captious siblings can’t have been easy to deal with!” Rina suddenly popped into my line of sight, interrupting Suriyel and looking cross for a moment. Then she beamed at me, bouncing over as she exclaimed, “You’re amazing, Emmit– but then, I always knew that! I’m so proud of you!”
I glanced at Suriyel to see if she was as surprised as I was to see Rina there, Suriyel smiled her usual proper and polite smile that still gave me shivers.
“Ahh, you really knew what you were doing when you chose Emmit to be Belle, Mistress!” Rina turned to look at Suriyel now that she was at my side.
Suriyel regarded our new arrival. “I will accept your praise, Rina. Now, tell me… what exactly are you doing here?”
“Good question! What AM I doing here? I don’t even remember.” Rina shrugged. “It’s like I just unconsciously gravitate to wherever Emmit is. But that’s love for you, I guess.” She took hold of my arm, hugging it and leaning her head against me.
Suriyel let out a noise of discontent. “...Hmph.” I had to try really hard to keep my jaw from dropping, I pressed my lips together as I looked from Suriyel to Rina, amazed that there was a person that could get the better of Suriyel.
Rina glanced up at me, “So, Emmit… have you decided yet who you’re going to pick to be the next on the throne? Am I right in thinking you’re going to pick Princess Leanne?”
“Uh… what makes you think that?” I tried to step away from Rina. She had always been cuddly, but it still felt awkward when she’d continue the contact longer than necessary.
“Well, you’ve spent the most time with her, and you two always seem to have fun when you’re together.”
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at her. “How… often are you… You know what? Nevermind that. Leanne has fun with everyone, she’s just that kind of person. And she has been nice enough to teach me things and help me out and guide me around the palace– but that’s all it is.”
That’s all it is. She has just been supportive.
Rina’s bright blue eyes stared up at me, and suddenly I felt uneasy and guilty like I had just lied to my best friend. It was different lying to myself, I could internalize the guilt and resentment. But I also knew I couldn’t speak the truth here. It wouldn’t be appropriate to explain how much I had enjoyed the time I spent with Leanne. It would look like I was letting my personal feelings sway my decision on who could bring Rhodolite the greatest prosperity and brightest future. And I was certain that wasn’t the case at all.
Leanne was amazing on her own no matter how I felt about her. I had witnessed her turn many situations around into something that brought more joy to the people around her rather than the dismay that could have occurred.
Unlike Chevalier… who killed all those people.
I tried to shake the thought from my head. Chevalier had her reasons and ambitions. Just because we didn’t align didn’t mean she was wrong for the actions she took.
I’m just not sure it’s the right path for Rhodolite right now.
“In other words, you have not yet fully determined who you wish to choose. Is that correct?” Suriyel asked.
“Yes, it is.” I admitted.
I knew that Beauty’s Time wouldn’t bloom forever, and that I needed to make my decision before the final petal fell. I also knew that with everything going on with Obsidian, the sooner I chose the next leader, the better. The longer Rhodolite was without a crowned ruler, the more dangerous it was for the whole kingdom.
But I still hadn’t cemented my choice in the matter. It was a big decision, one that needed to be fully considered to every extent possible. I was ready to dedicate the rest of the time I had here to weighing the possible futures to come. I had all the information I needed, I just needed to give it enough thought that I was sure, beyond a doubt, that my answer would be the best course for Rhodolite’s future. Because I wanted what was best for the country. I wanted this place to continue to be a place I loved.
The day was quickly fading into evening, pinks and orange giving way to purples and blacks as night approached. I began wandering through the gardens earlier in the day before the sun had started to set, but now with night coming soon I made my way back to the palace fearing that if I ended up in the gardens at night I might not find my way in the dark.
Unfortunately, I had been dedicating a lot of my thoughts to the future of Rhodolite, and hadn’t been paying as much attention to which turns I had made through the vast greenery. Peering down the heavily foliaged paths at another junction, I tried to remap my route in my mind, but my eyes caught sight of something peculiar.
Is that…
I took a path that was clearly leading me further into the gardens, the roses growing so thick that the scent was almost dizzying. Among this landscape of flowers and brambles, beauty and thorns, I found Leanne sitting on the ground, leaning against a column with her eyes shut and a book in her lap. She was sleeping peacefully, her expression gentle and relaxed.
I glanced back the way I came, wondering how far the palace was from where we were. I was loath to wake her, but I also wasn’t about to leave her outside all night long. Almost without thinking, I moved closer and knelt down beside her, admiring her delicate features that were made even more soft by the shadows that blanketed her as night rolled in.
Something stirred in my heart, and for a brief moment I entertained the idea that I might be able to see her sleeping face in the early morning light rather than the evening sunset.
Impossible, Emmit. Don’t be silly.
That sweet warmth that had started to grow a second ago was replaced by pain as I crushed the idea, refusing to let myself give into such a far-fetched fantasy. I bit my bottom lip and closed my eyes, willing my heart to harden.
I can’t give this feeling room to grow.
Taking a slow and steady breath, I opened my eyes and found Leanne’s amber gaze aimed at me. With a small start, I jerked backwards at the surprise of her suddenly being awake, nearly falling over. Her rich, hearty laughter filled my ears as she burst into a guffaw at my reaction.
“Leanne!” I shouted, grabbing at my chest with one hand. The fright had sent my heart racing and I didn’t need an additional reason for it to be pounding so painfully. “You startled me!”
“Good morning to you too, Emmit.” Leanne managed to huff between her fading chuckling. “Oh, wait– judging by the colors of the sky, I guess it’s good evening.”
“Were you even asleep?”
“Yeah. But I heard someone approaching and it woke me up.”
You were awake the whole time I was staring at you?!
There was absolutely no way I was schooling my face to keep the horrified embarrassment I was feeling off of it.
Please, let a hole just swallow me up right now.
“Okay, hey, I have some good news for you.” She was grinning amusedly, and while I appreciated the topic change, I wasn’t about to forget this feeling, or how blazingly hot my cheeks were at this moment.
“News for me?” I asked cautiously.
“Yeah. I finally finished reading this.” Leanne tapped the cover of the book in her lap, her smile smug.
Oh my god, you’re so proud and that’s so cute.
“That’s really something, Leanne! So, what did you think?” I dropped down from my knees to sit next to her.
“The ending really got me. You know the part when he saw his love, and thought she was dead, and drank the poison? Even I couldn’t put it down.” She was animated as she spoke about it, and I felt a warmth growing in my heart. It felt really good to have someone enjoying the same things I did. It felt even better because it was her.
“Yes! That scene is so tragic, but so beautiful, too! And it really wouldn’t have had the same impact if not for his desperate monologue as he lamented about his lost love.”
“Yeah, I liked it, too. Hmm. I just read it, what was it…” Leanne appeared thoughtful for a moment, then the words began to fall from her lips.
“‘Eyes, look your last.’” She set her warm, glimmering eyes on me. “‘Arms, take your last embrace. And lips, o you, the doors of breath’...” Her voice was velvety and sumptuous, and I forgot to breathe as it dipped to a murmur. “‘Seal with a righteous kiss’...”
Her amber-gold gaze held me captive, and I stared into those endless pools. I hadn’t even realized she had leaned in closer, but her breath was pouring over my lips, heating them. Time seemed to stop completely, and all I could think was that I didn’t want this moment to end.
“Hey, Emmit?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you let all the ladies get this close with a few lines from a book?” Her eyes wavered.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “I was just… really impressed by how well you remembered the lines. And you have such a great voice for it, too…”
Suddenly, Leanne drew back, glancing away. I felt like the spell I was under retreated with the distance she put between us. I quietly gasped in a breath and silently sighed while I watched her.
“Hmm. I appreciate the compliments.” When she turned towards me again, she was smirking mischievously. “Still, I hope you don’t space out like that if someone else tries that on you, like Jean. Or Jean. Or Jean…”
“Or maybe even Jean, huh?” I snickered and Leanne nodded in agreement.
“You’ll have to watch out for her.”
“I think I’ve managed well enough so far. Besides, there’s not much longer left on Beauty’s…” My chest constricted at the thought and the words died in my throat. Even Leanne’s usually warm smile had fallen from her face.
We sat in the silence of the night, staring at each other. The solemn stillness dragged on, eating away at the time we had left to spend together. A chill dread began to claw at the back of my mind at the thought that this could be the last time we sat like this.
“Tell me some other books you like.” Leanne’s voice was hoarse, but with her words the sullenness began to recede.
“Okay.” I said, but I couldn’t think of any at the moment. I had so many titles that I held dear, but all of them had vanished from my mind. “Uh, like… what?”
Leanne smiled. “I don’t know! That’s why I’m asking. Do you have anything with a bit more intrigue?”
“Intrigue, huh?” Slowly the names of several books were coming back to me. “What sort of intrigue are you thinking? There are court dramas, and murder mysteries, or we could branch out into romance adventures.”
“Hmm, let’s see.” She grew quiet, eyeing me as I waited for her to narrow down possible recommendations. “What about… a story where two people look exactly the same, and they end up swapping places and one of them becomes the ruler of a whole country?”
I blinked at how specific the request was. “You know, I’ve actually read a book with a story like that in it. Do you want me to find it for you?”
Leanne remained quiet for a second longer than felt natural and then she smiled and shook her head. “Nah, I don’t actually think it’s all that interesting, to be honest.”
I knit my eyebrows together, perplexed at the sudden change of heart. “Okay?”
“Anyway, clearly I don’t know what book to read next, so pick something for me, okay?”
“Okay,” I agreed, but I couldn’t shake the strange feeling the exchange left me with.
i sent an ask a While ago, but ive been thinking about it Again. and i am still compelled by betas being like. bettas. like fish - able to change genders according to need. like consider: if a pack needs a stablizing triarch influence? awesome! beta is On It. but also, ditto if a pack needs more omega or more alpha influence - cue a very much delayed (to much former? beta Plus? consternation) Something Very Much Like a presentation heat/rut, again, WELL into 'adulthood'. also pls consider the pun: fishgender not cisgender ❤️
This is SUCH an interesting idea. I also wonder if there could be tiers to it? Like betas would start pushing out alpha or omega scents/pheromones when needed but wouldn’t fully present as one unless truly needed?
I wonder what this could mean for poor Alfred in a world like that.
Set in the Battinson universe, a series of one-shots featuring the introduction of Dick Grayson.
in desolation, we find each other
Bruce Wayne is bullied into going to a circus. The Graysons fall.
not family yet
Dick Grayson finds the cave. Sorry, the Batcave.
Robin
Jim Gordon goes to Batman with a case when the cape giggles.
With these broken bones I'll build our home
The multiverse has proven that when there is a Gotham, a Batman will rise from its shadows. Bruce Wayne is Batman. Thomas Wayne is Batman. Terry McGinnis is Batman.
In this universe, Rachel Wayne is Batman.
The Cruelest Gift
Rachel Wayne is seventeen when she leaves Gotham. She is twenty-two when her entire world breaks once more.
Blue Eyed Birdy, Flying
Rachel relearns the lesson the world had taught her at the tender age of eight: life moves on, and the only thing you could do is to try and keep up.
Or:
Batman meets the Justice League. Rachel Wayne goes to a circus.
mother's love, mother's rage
Batman can't kill. Rachel Wayne can and will.
Or,
Sometimes, to keep your kids safe, you have the get rid of the people who endanger them.
this is me trying
Most people divide their life into the before and after, the action and its consequence. Significant change was at the centre of these divisions, like how they lived before they had the baby and the things that changed after the baby. The relationship dynamic before they got married, what happened after they got married.
Before and After. Good and Bad. Day and Night.
Rachel Wayne divides her life into periods of love and mourning, an endless cycle of trying.
Broken Hearts Cause Birds
holding hands with loss and victory
Tim Drake loses in life just as much as he wins. For everything he gains, there is something he must lose.
heart beats differently for the same eyes
Tim Drake's heart stops beating on the operating table. When it starts up again, it beats with fear at the thought of Red Hood.
Superfamily
Superman and Lois
Kon-El
Conner wakes up in a world that differs greatly from his own.
Conner
There’s a boy on the bleachers, a leather jacket straining against his broad shoulders, and Jonathan can’t help but think he’s familiar.
anywhere i want (just not home)
Kon wakes up. Sadly, he doesn't exist.
the heartbeat I long to hear
Sometimes, when he flies, Clark finds himself smiling to his right, expecting someone to smile back only to end up disappointed.
Jon invites his new friend over for breakfast.
worlds apart
Natalie Irons wasn’t stupid, but she was beginning to think the Kent family were.
It had taken her one introduction with Conner Drake to know who he was.
my daughter, i know you not
Natalie Lara Kent wakes up in a crater with no memory of how she got there.
Now she's stuck in a world that resembles her own, yet is so different. With parents who aren't her parents, brothers who weren't her brothers, Lara has to find her way home before her father brings done the wrath of the Justice League onto this Earth.
Also, where the hell is Conner?
How To Train Your Dragon
On The Backs of Dragons
Learning to Fly
Hela Horrendous Haddock was the strange daughter of the Chief of Hairy Hooligan Tribe and had the misfortune of being the most un-Viking-like Viking to be born on Berk. Small, weak, and clumsy, Hela doesn't fit in with what the tribe thinks a future Chief would be.
During one of many dragon attacks, Hela, determined to prove herself to her father, manages to sneak out and shoot down a dragon. However, due to the many, many, many instances in the past, no one believes her. Left to her own devices, she goes searching for it and finds herself unable to kill it, leading her down the most un-Viking-like path a Viking had ever walked before.
Or,
How To Train Your Dragon but Hiccup is Hela, Astrid is Aron, Toothless is adorable, and Stoick is just trying to connect to his daughter while running a village.
Fullmetal Alchemist
The Life of Eden
Simplicity of Life
Trisha Elric is a simple woman. She knows her daughter won't be.
her (father's) golden eyes
The world keeps spinning, Al grows, and Ed learns new things.
It is during the year of her fourth birthday that she learns a valuable lesson. It gets etched upon her heart with never-healing scars and tear tracks on her cheeks; out of sight but never out of mind. Of course, this lesson is taught by her father when he leaves in the middle of the night.
Star Wars
Luke Jade Skywalker
sun of the son
"She had always loved Anakin Skywalker. When he was the mirage of the desert dunes, sands of lies set to keep her safe. When he was a collection of war stories harshly sewn together by bloodied hands. When he had a heart singing the song of hatred, composed in the name of her death, metal hands bruising her skin, tearing her apart. She had loved him as a monster and man.
She had held him as he died a free man, alive once again. She saved him once, and now she's going to do it again."
The problem Luke Skywalker was currently facing was the fact that she didn't know she was Luke Skywalker. Instead, her mind is a mess of memories she doesn't remember living, and, unbeknownst to her, she is as far from home as one could get.
There are few things does know: she is a Jedi, and she would do anything to get back to where she was from, but as time goes by, Luke remembers and is faced with a mess of problems to solve that might save the galaxy.
Emphasis on might.
Luckily, she gets picked up by the Jedi Order. They, in turn, throw her into the front lines of war. The Clone Wars, to be precise.
Or,
Luke Skywalker in the Clone Wars as Obi-Wan's padawan.
Fandom: Chess - Rice/Ulvaeus/Andersson
Rating: General Audiences
Relationships: Svetlana Sergievsky/Florence Vassy, Anatoly Sergievsky/Florence Vassy, Frederick Trumper & Florence Vassy
found you at last
When Svetlana met Natalia, it felt like a miracle.
Natalia turned her world upside down. Natalia felt like a revelation, like everything had been leading to her. Men had looked at her with desire in the past, but she looked at Svetlana like she saw her—and she liked what she saw. Svetlana didn't stand a chance.
By the time Molokov knocked on her door, she’d had time to reckon with the whole thing. She’d had time to get angry.
happy secret santa @17yearcicada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Additional Tags: Hua Chengs canon gender shifting, Everyone is attracted to San Niang. Everyone, F!Hua Cheng, F!Xie Lian, tired HR rep ling wen, spoilers for the whole book
The ascension of a new god was usually a spectacle, for better or worse. The kind of fanfare that drew out the crowds to come see who the lucky new member of the group was.
And of course, to see if the new meat was of any use to them, but that was a little less openly discussed.
How strange it was then, to see an unfamiliar god roaming the streets of Heaven without any word at all of a new ascension. Ling Wen was certain she would have heard if somebody new had passed through the ascension gates. It was a pretty hard thing to miss, what with the tremors and bell chimes and whatnot.
And yet, an enchanting stranger in flowing red now walked the golden roads with her head held high, as if she had always belonged there. If the trappings of divinity rolling off her extravagant robes were anything to go by, then she certainly did.
How on earth did such a powerful god end up in Heaven without anyone noticing at all?
This would require investigation. It had been a while since Ling Wen had had a real mystery to play with.
--
A new god is causing trouble in Heaven. Ling Wen investigates.
