I got an ask post prompt from @nottherailtracer which involved fic recs and the post got so damn long that I decided to post it separately.
IN THE END ALL OF THESE REVOLVE AROUND LING AND/OR LAN FAN AND/OR XING BECAUSE I AM VERY BIAAASSSEDDD. None of the oneshots are shippy or overtly shippy.
Those Who Live Forever by @missmungoe
Oneshot. At the risk of overhyping this, I have to say this is probably the one FMA fic I go back to read over and over again if I want something quick. Taking place before the promised day, Greed wants to coax at least one interaction from Lan Fan that isn’t flagrant distrust and ends up conspiring with Ling to get her to talk about their childhoods. The mood becomes melancholy as Greed starts to think more deeply about the situation of these Xingese kids he inadvertently got entangled with. This is a oneshot, and not a very long one either, but interaction and character study just hits me right in the feels in the best way. This is basically anything I would want out of these three interacting.
There is a Number of Small Things by Kougyokus
Warning: this is not a happy story. It’s technically unfinished, but the author stopped at one chapter and it actually works very well as a oneshot. It’s one of the few fics I’ve ever found that dared to depict Xing as becoming war-torn by an uprising after Ling becomes emperor. The fic deals with an aftermath where Ling has gotten things under control, but the victory is bittersweet, especially in what it means for Ling, Lan Fan, Al, and Mei, as well as their relationships, because politics suck. I love happy endings more than anything, but I also appreciate a sense of realism, and boy does this lay out very believable complications for the Xing kids.
Faithful Wounds by @sarcasticdebate
Oneshot. Not as depressing as the rec above but still lying on the bittersweet end of the spectrum of ‘fic happiness rating’. Character exploration centered on Lan Fan and her life over the years after Ling becomes emperor. It showcases Lan Fan’s various important relationships among the FMA cast, while also describing background events going on in Xing in the meantime, both the good and the bad. Fanfics that focus on Lan Fan are rare, and I always love anything that tries to explore Xing post-series, so this was a much appreciated read for me. The path Lan Fan’s life takes in this fic isn’t a stereotypical ‘happy ever after’, but there’s still a lot of good in her life that she can enjoy.
The Heist by @mander-draws
Multichapter. I had a ton of fun reading this. A modern AU where Ling is the son of a wealthy, influential, and corrupt businessman that he’s trying to take down. In the process he ends up crossing paths with Lan Fan, a girl missing one arm who takes up a job bodyguarding him - but not everything is as it seems. It’s fun to see where the fic makes use of and places other canon FMA characters in a modernistic setting. It also managed to write a scene that made me so giddy with laughter I had to get up for a little while to process it.
After All The Misery by @lunaarcanaauthoress
Multichapter. I’ve already recced this before on this blog but honestly I’ll rec it a million times if it means someone new ends up reading the fic. Xing and the characters that come from it are woefully, woefully underexplored in the FMA fandom and this fic puts so much love and detail into painting a picture of Xing both before and after Ling & co visited Amestris, including giving and fleshing out family members for Ling and Lan Fan while also giving screentime to some of the other beloveds of the FMA cast. It is a LingFan fic, but its worldbuilding and plot goes far beyond the ship.
also while you’re at it check out her Astronaut AU starring Ling as a shipwrecked astronaut and Greed the hapless ground control guy trying to help him. The dialogue is golden.
