#Elenothar

[quotablefanfiction]

“I swear, if one more journalist attempts to ask Master Windu whether the Jedi Order was aware of Palpatine’s affiliation with the Sith he’s going to kill someone.”

Anakin to Obi-Wan (chp. 1)

who cares about your lonely heart by Elenothar (AO3) Star Wars – Teen – Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker #Alternate Universe #Wingfic #Asexual Character #Developing Relationship #Fix-It #They all need some mental health days

After the Battle for Coruscant, Obi-Wan has wings, a Sith Lord to handle, and a former Padawan who's still not following a code of conduct for the Jedi. Facing the Sith Lord might be the easy part.

Inspired by, and a sequel to, What's An Angel? (AO3)* by dogmatix, norcumi. *a restricted story

[harleykeener]

lay down your sweet and weary head

Thorin dies. Thorin wakes up. He is understandably confused by this, especially since he appears to be in the Erebor he knew as a young dwarf, about to be attacked by a dragon.

[achray1]

I’m so happy to hear that you’ve got a few plot bunnies hopping around your head! While they may certainly be enemies in the show, they’ve demonstrated the ability to work together if needed. Cang Xuan promised Xiang Liu and his men a mountain. Xiang Liu promised to save the life of the woman Cang Xuan cared about the most. They would be the greatest enemies to reluctant friends to lovers and you know they’d fall love kicking and screaming, all while saying that they’re in a relationship only for Xiao Yao. The denial…the angst…. They’re both traumatized from their past so you know they’re coming in with so much baggage that putting them together would be soooo good.

Also on a more shallow note, imagine Xiang Liu as part of Cang Xuan’s harem. All the palace harem drama!!! 😂

anon, I am very shallow. This may not be what you were thinking of in relation to palace harem drama, but it's what I'm thinking of.

pre-slash snippet, Lost You Forever, Cang Xuan/Xiang Liu, canonical gender switching (yes there is canonical gender switching in this show, and that is one of many reasons why all the rest of you should watch it XD)

“Fetch the newest concubine, the one who just arrived,�� Cang Xuan ordered. He wanted to pace the room, waiting; instead he deliberately made himself stand by the window and look out at the night, thinking through tomorrow’s strategy meetings. 

When he heard the door open, he turned around. The woman who had entered, escorted by a servant, had her eyes cast down demurely. Her figure was slim yet voluptuous, just as Cang Xuan—he wrenched his gaze away, to the ceiling. 

“My lord,” she said, with a bow so perfectly executed that it seemed deliberate. “How may this humble one serve you?”

“You can stop that,” Cang Xuan said, irritated. 

The woman fell to her knees. “If I have offended…” She blinked at him, appealingly, her red lips parted. Her eyelashes were very long.

“Get up,” Cang Xuan said, very conscious of the wide eyes of the servant. “Leave us,” he ordered him. 

“I seek only to please you,” the woman murmured, a tremble in her voice. 

The doors closed behind the guard. 

Cang Xuan blew out an irritated breath. “Is this really necessary?” 

Xiang Liu stood up, gracefully. She—he—was a very attractive woman. All her—his—movements were convincing: it was very disconcerting. 

“You are the one who refuses to let me take Xiaoyao under the sea, where no assassin could ever find her,” Xiang Liu said. 

“And if we don’t find the assassin, when would she come back?”

Xiang Liu’s eyes glittered at him. “You know my thoughts about using Xiaoyao as bait. You might at least let me sleep in her room.”

Cang Xuan snorted. “The answer is still no. And can you—I can’t talk to you like this.” He made a loose gesture towards Xiang Liu. “Turn back.”

Xiang Liu’s lips curved. Cang Xuan turned away, somehow feeling it was indecent to witness this transformation. There was no discernable noise or motion, but when he turned back, Xiang Liu was in his male form, mask in place, and still smirking at him. 

“I asked you here to see if there was anything to report,” Cang Xuan said, stiff. 

Xiang Liu shrugged. “No. I have only been here a day. Things among your women seem…as usual." 

How would he know, Cang Xuan thought, and then instantly dismissed the thought. He wanted to ask Xiang Liu to behave with…propriety, but it seemed futile. He’d known he and Jing would regret this idea. Though watching Xiang Liu’s sharp gaze round the room, and remembering what it was like to fight him, at least he was man enough to acknowledge that he could hardly have found anyone stronger to protect Xiaoyao from credible threat.

“Then if there is nothing to report…” he said. He could get back to his plans, it wasn’t that late. 

Xiang Liu arched his eyebrows at him. “Didn’t you want your people to think we were fucking? If I leave now, won’t that seem unusually quick, even for you?”

“You—” Cang Xuan started, clenching his fist. He found, to his horror, that he was blushing. 

Xiang Liu cocked his head. “Perhaps we should make some convincing sounds, too. For the effect.”

“Don’t make me kill you,” Cang Xuan said, through his teeth.

“As if you could.” Xiang Liu’s eyes gleamed red, for a moment, and then it was gone. 

Cang Xuan made himself take a deep breath. “Fine. I have work to do. You may amuse yourself for…an appropriate amount of time.”

As he busied himself with his papers, he found himself glancing across the room. Xiang Liu was half-sprawled over his window seat, seemingly meditating. His head was tipped back, his eyes closed. Cang Xuan traced the line of his jaw with his gaze: was it the same, when he was a woman? Then he noticed what he was doing, and looked back down at the papers, unseeing. 

This had been a terrible mistake, and now he was stuck with it, for as long as it took an unknown assassin or assassins to make their move. He almost wished it would be soon. 

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

So last month I was doing some statistics to find the "top Bagginshield fics" and I thought I would post my findings. First, I'm going to explain my process. I looked at the top 25 fics for hits, kudos, and bookmarks in the Bagginshield tag. Some of these overlapped which gave me 40 fics to work with. I then used these stats to rank the fics in 3 different ways: Rank by Stat, Rank by %, and Rank by Monthly Stat.

Rank by Stat- I assigned each stat a numerically value. So for example, the highest hit would get a score of 40, the second highest hit would get a score of 39, so on and so forth, the lowest getting a score of 1. For each fic they got a numerical value for hits, kudos, and bookmarks. I then added these numerical values together and ranked each fic from highest to lowest score. This tended to favor long running multi-chapter fics.

Rank by %- I divided the kudos by number of hits, and the bookmarks by number of hits. I turned these values into a percent. I then combined the two percents together. I ranked the fics from highest percent to lowest percent. This tended to favor short running one-shots.

Rank by Monthly Stat- Finally, I divided each stat (hits, kudos, and bookmarks) by the number of months that fic has been "live". So from the month the first chapter was posted until December of 2024. I then repeated the process I did for for Rank by Stat with the numerical values and ranked these fics from highest to lowest as well. This tended to favor the "younger" fics, but the 40 fics I worked with were mostly made around the same time so this really became a buffer score of sorts.

I then averaged these three ranks and that's what made the list below. It's definitely not a perfect method. For one thing, my sample bias was to only choose the top 25 of each category to begin with which didn't allow for a lot of newer fics to have the opportunity to be ranked. But this is the list I created! I would love to hear in the comments which of your favorites made the list and which didn't. I certainly had a large number of fics in my personal top 25 that didn't make the cut.

Top 25 Bagginshield Fics Statistically

You Got Me by drunkonwriting

Planting a Hobbit by northerntrash

Para Bellum by RyuuzaKochou

lay down your sweet and weary head by Elenothar

Safe and Distant by Lindzzz

A Shot in the Dark by Silver_pup

Call You Home by northerntrash

An Eye For Quality by Linelen (Linelenagain)

Sansûkh by determamfidd

A Passion For Mushrooms by Chrononautical

The Color of Possibility by lindoreda

Comes Around Again by scarletjedi

The Naming of Hobbits by Margo_Kim

An Expected Journey by MarieJacquelyn

Something Blue by Lapin

Gardening by The Feels Whale (miscellea)

An Unexpected Addition by karategal

The "Dying" Hobbit by Resacon1990

A Most Sensible Idea by HildyJ

Growing Dwarves (And Kingdoms) by Lumeleo

Made and Remade the Necklace of Songs by pibroch (littleblackdog)

Burned To A Cinder by ferretbaby

The Mediator by Mynuet

Hearts Will As Hearts Must by determamfidd

The Riven Crown by BeautifulFiction

[hms-tardimpala]

Goldsickness collection

So I bound a collection of goldsickness-centered fics and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. This post is about the binding, and I'll do the fic recs in another post so they can be found separately later, but I'll still say a huge THANK YOU to the authors here for writing these and replying when I reached out!

A list of the fics:

As Befits a King by @ladysisyphus

Chains of Gold by Plooby

What was promised by @stillparanoidnolongerafridge

Lay your troubles down by @avelera

Covet by @pomgore

Red Lines in Dark Stone by @elenothar

Of Monsters and Men by MsThunderFrost

Burning with a magnificent madness by EmilianaDarling

My intention with this binding was to make a book that could look like a jewel in Thrór's treasure hoard. I wanted it to evoke opulence, so it's voluntarily very busy for the eye. The fabric is holographic golden pleather (which is so hard to take a picture of, the book actually looks darker and truly gold, but the camera shows reflections from every angle), it looks like it's shifting in the light (and it gives me a headache if I stare at it too long, but I want to stare at it, which echoes the gold getting to Thorin's head nicely). The endpapers are sparkly like silver and diamond dust, and I gilded the edges for the first time. Notice the black headbands and blue ribbon as a callback to Thorin's hair and eyes.

This fantastic fanart and its colors were part of my inspiration.

Mistakes What I learned this time

The book has flaws, of course. The main problem is that I did a straight spine instead of a round one as I usally do: I misjudged the size difference between the text block and the cover, it should have been bigger because of the added thickness of the spine. I used a fabric that's very thick and unwieldy and not made for bookbinding, so I have big prominent corners. And since this is the first time I use a guillotine, I need to loose some habits I had when typesetting to get my margins to look good without cutting. This time, I actually could cut, and it was too tight. The acrylic paint gilding isn't great either.

But!

It's fine. It's a small book, but all the text I wanted to preserve is there, it's beautiful to me, and I'm very proud!

Materials:

Holographic pleather, 30x20 cm, amazon

Clairefontaine A4 paper, ivory color, 80g/m², bought in store

Acrylic paint Créalia, "matt silver pearl", cultura

Gray cardboard, 2mm thick, apg reliure

Ribbon, 6mm, amazon

Headband, amazon

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Idea #98: DSC, but make it Established Relationship

Here's the thing: Star Trek: The Next Generation was my very first fandom. If someone told me that I imprinted on Jean-Luc Picard as a child, I wouldn't be surprised... But despite my great and overwhelming love for all things Trek, I've had a monumentally hard time getting into Star Trek: Discovery. When giving it another shot, I stumbled across the works of Alethia and Elenothar and this bun was born.

Or: What if Michael Burnham and Christopher Pike were in a relationship prior to the events of Discovery?

aka the How Long Is Forever fic

Bear with me:

Everything broadly follows canon thru S2 of Discovery, with two exceptions:

1) c. 2245, shortly after Pike becomes XO of Enterprise, Michael accompanies Sarek on one of his diplomatic missions, for which Enterprise plays transport. Michael and Chris meet and become friendly acquaintances. Their relationship evolves from friendship to romance over the course of comm calls and shore leaves, and they decide to marry six months after Michael's posting to the Shenzhou, c. 2250; and

2) Rather than decide carte blanche which of his children would enter the Vulcan Expeditionary Group, Sarek discussed the matter with Michael, rightly assuming that her relationship with a member of Starfleet might influence her to join the other group when all the facts were laid out. This leads to Michael having a much better relationship with her foster parents (enough so that Sarek is somewhat bemused when Spock decides to follow his sister into Starfleet regardless).

Just Imagine It:

Michael and Chris are private people. They don't hide their personal lives, but they don't exactly go around sharing details either - especially given their respective positions and backgrounds. Therefore very few people realize either is married, let alone who their spouse is.

What follows is your basic 5 + 1 (or in this case, 10 + 2, with Chris and Michael each getting half) that hits any and all tropes that can be used in service of the theme. I have startlingly few specific details for these, but the highlights are:

Shortly after Chris becomes captain of the Enterprise, one or more crewmen overhear him turning down the alien princess of the week by mentioning he's already in a relationship. None of the crewmen have ever heard mention of of said relationship before and his service record at the time lists no spouse, so they assume it's a ruse to gracefully decline unwanted advances. Word quietly spreads around the ship about Captain Pike's "relationship". When Chris realizes why he's receiving fewer propositions from curious aliens and libidinous crewmen alike, he thanks the crew in such a way that they think he's playing along with the joke. (Number One does realize the misunderstanding, but finds it so amusing she never clarifies and several times goes out of her way to encourage it.)

A year into her tenure on the Shenzhou, one of the more daring crewmen ask Michael why she doesn't socialize with the crew, Michael makes a comment about how Vulcans are traditionally monogamous and how even if they were not, she has no desire to stray from her marriage. This, when filtered through ship gossip and a Xenoanthropology 101-level understanding of Vulcan culture, leads many to assume Michael is married to a Vulcan in the Vulcan fashion. Some, not knowing the specifics of her upbringing, even assume she's married to Spock.

By the time Spock joins the Enterprise, ship gossip has been chewing on our devastatingly handsome captain had to make up a girlfriend to get people to stop hitting on him for years; when a particularly persistent alien princess pushes the matter regardless, those crewmen who overhear Spock say, "The Captain is already bonded. Indeed, he has been married to my sister for several years now," assume him to be playing along. Spock's sister acquires Girlfriend in Canada status and Spock is assumed to have a much better sense of humor than first suspected. (Number One cackles when she learns of this and continues to manipulate the gossip so even parts of the Admiralty are amused that a highly-decorated tactical genius needs to fake a girlfriend to get out of uncomfortable social situations.)

Rumors abound after Chris takes temporary command of Discovery, because Chris and Michael are consummate professionals... who just happen to stare meaningfully at each other and have a lot of intimate discussions for people who are theoretically committed to different people. Some say affair. Some say both were lying all along about their relationship statuses. One or two are aware of Enterprise's whole Spock's sister is the captain's Canadian girlfriend thing, but never consider there might be some truth behind it.

Maybe a bodysnatcher episode where Chris realizes something is wrong with Michael because of behavioral changes a la "A Little Push" by Alethia?

Maybe Michael and Chris having to go undercover as married for an away mission and everyone being surprised by how well they pretend to be married?

Maybe shore leave on Risa? Away mission gone wrong where one is thought to be dead by the other? Vulcan marriage practices being misinterpreted by humans? Dealer's choice on the details, though there should be some level of crack treated seriously throughout.

The truth comes out after the end of DSC S2 - where instead of traveling to the future, Discovery stays in the present captained by Saru and Michael follows Chris back to the Enterprise. Perhaps it's as simple as Pike's yeoman completing the commander’s transfer paperwork, going to assign her quarters, and realizing she and Pike are already married... Or maybe it's another trope, where on one of their first missions together Michael and Chris encounter their Kid From The Future and when someone mentions how awkward the situation must be, Michael counters, "Why? The Captain and I have been married for over a decade already," and not understanding why everyone is surprised by this.

Bonuses include:

All the tropes. Seriously. Alternate timelines. Mirror Universe. Transporter incidents. Call-Backs. Call-Forwards. Energy beings. Time loops. Time travel. Bodysnatchers. If it can be done, do it;

Neither Chris nor Michael having made any real attempt to hide their relationship. They are discrete and in retrospect it should be painfully obvious, but never once is it actively hidden by either party. After the initial misunderstanding, their crews are guilty of confirmation bias. (And a meddling Number One);

One crew member on Discovery who think Captain Pike and Commander Burnham would be cute together, plotting to get them together, and being very quickly shot down by other crew members; and

Chris managing to subvert his canon doom by accepting it. Like all prophecies, the time crystal didn't give him the full story - which, in sidestepping actual canon, is him getting seriously injured but being healed by alien medicine that's only available because of the Federation's relationship with one of those alien worlds whose princess Chris gently sidestepped the advances of in the early days of his relationship with Michael.

And that's all I've got. It's very little to do with the actual canon plot and a whole lot of playing with common Trek tropes, but feel free to adjust as necessary. Just link back if you decide to do anything with it.

More Terrible Fic Ideas

[the-marron]

✨ weekend wip exposure club ✨

rules: post 7 sentences/a snippet of an unfinished work

Tagged by @dual-domination, thank you! 😁 I said I don't have any wips lying around and was in the meantime reminded that I do - they are just not meant for publishing so I disregarded them for the purpose of the game.

However, since I have the permission (thank you, @baiyubai 😘) to share, here it is:

Heixie [Weilan derivatives], Indiana Jones au:

“You are tiring yourself out with all that thinking, young master,” Hei Qi suddenly says, still looking at the road ahead. He seems tired, and with the darkness around them, he is most likely to lose his focus soon. Wu Xie decides to prove himself to be a good teammate and keep him awake.

“I am just speculating about your experience, Master Hei.” Hei Qi gives him a quick annoyed look.

“Stop pretending to have manners.”

Wu Xie makes himself more comfortable under the warmth of the blanket and smiles. 

“So, Hei Qi, you say you don’t remember anything about the lady. Do you kill a lot of people?” The bluntness of the question makes the mercenary cackle, and well, Wu Xie is not complaining - he certainly looks more awake. 

“More like I do things and people sometimes get killed on the way,” he says, his eyes returning to the road. There is a cocky smile playing on his lips that makes Wu Xie even more interested. 

“Are you a spy?”

“Stupid question. If I was, I would either lie or kill you.”

Tagging: @chaosgene, @a-worthy-mystery and @elenothar. @forerussake is already tagged, but I want to tag you either way 😂

[qpjianghu]

10 things for 10 people I'd like to get to know better

tagged by: @lunarriviera <333!!!

last song: I've been listening to "The Eye" by 白鲨JAWS pretty much on repeat since Link Click: Bridon Arc started airing and then regretting all of my life choices when I get to that one line and it makes me weep -- but wait STOP NO NO DON'T LISTEN TO IT. You need to go watch the show instead (start from season 1). The song is pretty spoilery which is why it makes me cry because it is fully centered around the tragedy of [REDACTED]. If you need some non-spoiler-y convincing, here is the post that got me to watch the show.

Have fun! ^_^

favorite colour: all of them

last book: Just finished Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton and The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain (lol, I'm old), and I'm in the middle of The Sympathizer by Thanh Nguyen. In the danmei space, I was reading Stars of Chaos, but I sTRuGgLEd through vol. 3 so after abandoning about five different Priest series I think I just have to resign myself to her stuff not being for me.

last movie: The War of the Rohirrim, which was.... meh. The animation was gorgeous, but it was definitely war-heavy (I mean, it IS right there in the title) so I got bored quickly. I'm also very much over Spunky Female Protagonist Is Good at Boy Stuff and Therefore Is Badass!! as a wholeass character profile.

last show: Under the Skin 2, while also still rotating The First Shot and Desire Catcher in my head. And I'm about to watch the last episode of Towards the Truth. Which is. So incredibly gay. The plot is absolutely unfathomable due to the awful AI-generated subs. But I'm enjoying the view....👀

Aaaaanyway after that I'm gonna probably finally catch back up with The Spirealm now that it's on Viki, see what y'all are on about...

sweet/spicy/savory: sweet all the way, sometimes savory, never spicy (imma baby wimp)

relationship status: severely aroace. One time I tried to kiss someone and my whole body went, but WHY?

Last thing I googled: "ride of the rohirrim movie" lmfao I couldn't even remember the name of it

current obsession: Link Click. Link Click. Please watch Link Click!!! Join us in hell!

looking forward to: Life-wise, I'm gonna be joining my martial arts group on a trip to Japan this summer to compete in a wushu competition where I will participate in a group sword routine, thereby living out all my wuxia dreams!!!!! In the meantime, though, I will marinate in extreme travel and performance anxiety, while soothing myself with my bottomless Asian dramas list and Andor season 2. Amen. More immediately, knowing I'll get to go to bed and snuggle up with @elenothar's Under the Skin 2 fic, @lunarriviera UTS 2 fic, and @hidey-writes's The First Shot fic is literally what has been getting me through each work day. <3

tagging: @lquacker @comic-lover @fromhereonblind @wouldyoulikeacupofteadear @xiaobaosnoona @yeliuxi @endrega23 @wuxia-vanlifer @thesilversun @inkstainsonpages but no presh obviously!!!

[veryace-ficrecs]

Mission Impossible Fic Recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

Elevator Music by inmyriadbits - Rated G

Julia is pretty sure most people don't have to worry about running into their exes like this.

Afterheat by simplecoffee - Rated G

It's a hard job, averting the apocalypse; harder to remember how to breathe again after. Sometimes, after all, it's an apocalypse that began with you.

Flu Protocol by ariadnes_string - Rated G

“Poison,” Benji had declared, when he and Jane and Brandt had started sneezing almost simultaneously. Which had seemed unlikely—who would choose a poison designed to basically ache and sniffle and annoy you to death? But then the four of them getting sick at the same time had seemed pretty unlikely too.

Out of Nine Lives I've Spent Seven by ariadnes_string - Rated G

Ethan had five or six hours before the poison kicked in. Plenty of time to complete the mission, right?

The First Law of Nature by BlackDog_66 - Rated G

His life would be so much easier if Hunt wasn't a trouble magnet with a malfunctioning sense of self-preservation and an unhealthy adrenaline addiction.

don't ask me what I want by Elenothar - Rated T

Twelve hours later, when Luther informs him that he’s hacked a Russian satellite without authorisation, Ethan is hanging off the side of a rapidly rising A400 Airbus, and Benji completely fails to understand the basic concept of what constitutes a door as opposed to, say, a loading ramp, Will wonders why he even bothered trying. (Pre Rogue Nation)

ribcages, and other things that need help to heal by chockfullofsecrets - Rated G

“Did I ever tell you that Ethan is ticklish?” Luther blinked. Julia, sitting across from him as she types up Ethan’s worryingly long medical report, blinked innocently back at him. In which a plot is hatched regarding the mighty Ethan Hunt and a very particular weakness. Edit: now containing revenge and, somehow, a Fallout coda. Go figure.

you get eyes like flashlights by CaptainKyburz (orphan_account) - Rated M

“What’s the mission?” Brandt has kept the phone close at hand since Seattle, more than half prepared for whatever the IMF is throwing at them this time. “Oh, good, you took the phone. Was hoping you would,” Benji—who is decidedly not Ethan—says. “And yeah, fair warning, Ethan doesn’t just call with missions. He’s a big fan of spontaneous rock climbing as a team-building exercise.” Figures.

Live in this Moment by capsilvers - Rated G

Ethan Hunt is a one man army, no one could deny that. But even he has limits and after the events of Fallout, his team takes a moment to watch over their friend to make sure he returns to proper health.

And one person get's to say goodbye, one last time.

Follow You (To Your Deepest Low) by ValorousLeader - Rated G

Luther has only known this kid for a few days, but there's something about him that Luther can't help but want to protect.

Child's Play by why_am_i_pluto - Rated T

Benji finds himself playing 'dad' to three toddlers who wind up in his care. This should be a cinch with his teammates to help, right? Not when his teammates ARE the toddlers. And this is only the start of the tech's worries.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder by SpaghettiCanActivist (orphan_account) - Not Rated

It's Benji's turn to seduce the rich guy.

[quotablefanfiction]

“Well, that could’ve been worse,” Obi-Wan groaned and promptly lost consciousness.

Obi-Wan is typical Obi-Wan (chp. 1)

who cares about your lonely heart by Elenothar (AO3) Star Wars – Teen – Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker #Alternate Universe #Wingfic #Asexual Character #Developing Relationship #Fix-It #They all need some mental health days

After the Battle for Coruscant, Obi-Wan has wings, a Sith Lord to handle, and a former Padawan who's still not following a code of conduct for the Jedi. Facing the Sith Lord might be the easy part.

Inspired by, and a sequel to, What's An Angel? (AO3)* by dogmatix, norcumi. *a restricted story

[extraordinarilyextreme]

6, 7, 13, 43 for the ao3 wrapped game:D

hehe thank u for the ask~

6. your most written for fandom this year

surprising nobody, it's 异人之下 I Am Nobody 🤭🤭🤭

7. your most read pairing this year

also surprising nobody, it has to be Wang Ye/Zhuge Qing lol

13. your personal favorite fic you read this year

ooo... i'm indecisive, so here's a few in no particular order... (yes, i read some of them for the first time in 2023 but i reread them this year and loved them just as much 😊)

好久不见 by @/做不成好人了 on lofter

棋魂 Hikaru no Go: Chu Ying/Shi Guang

post-canon fix-it

握瑜 by poorbuggy on AO3

一人之下 Hitori no Shita: The Outcast: Zhuge Qing/Wang Ye

Republican Era wuxia AU

又逢春 by buerzi on AO3

一人之下 Hitori No Shita: The Outcast: Wang Ye/Zhuge Qing

post-canon, ZGQ "dies"; HE

into the blue by @elenothar on AO3

猎罪图鉴 Under the Skin: Du Cheng/Shen Yi

post-canon feelings realisation

the warmth of our doorways by calmthestorms on AO3

Witch Hat Atelier: Olruggio/Qifrey

post-canon, angst with a happy ending

Bolt From The Blue by @rongzhi on AO3

狂飙 The Knockout: An Xin/Zhang Biao

pre- and post-canon (i didn't even watch this show but i've reread this fic so many times 😭😭😭)

if i could, in our corner of the world by @yilan-meiyuan on AO3

莲花楼 Mysterious Lotus Casebook: Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua

missing scene

动心是真正的爱之马杀鸡 by Qinghewildest on AO3

一人之下 Hitori no Shita: The Outcast: Wang Zhenqiu/Zhang Chulan

missing scene after manhua ch. 466

43. non-canon pairing you read the most this year

same answer as above, it has to be yeqingye 🤭🤭🤭

[guardianbingo]

Fest Recap

It's hard to believe it's been TWO YEARS since Guardian Bingo launched. In that time, we issued 138 cards and more than 100 badges. There are 456 works in the AO3 collection and many other posts on tumblr with art, edits, meta, fanARTifacts, and other creations. While it's now time to say goodbye (at least for this fest - the story will keep on going), I didn't want to leave without recognizing the people who made this fest so amazing. First, a HUGE thanks to @highlynerdy, who created all of the gorgeous fest graphics (banner, icon, cards, and badges) and @sasamelons, who provided invaluable help with initial prompts and then supplied each month's bonus prompt. Without them, this fest wouldn't have happened. They have been awesome co-mods!!! Second, a massive thank you to everyone who participated!!!! It's been so great to see all the amazing creations that the prompts inspired. Guardian fandom, you are truly talented!!! To celebrate everyone's creations, I'm loading the queue with reblogs of fills from the past two years.

Below the cut, I've posted a list of badges claimed. (Not everyone who participated claimed a badge.) I'm only tagging people once with the highest badge they earned. (So if you earned a Lit Guardian Lantern, your name will only appear in that list since earning that badge means you also earned the others.) Users that aren't tagged aren't on tumblr. I think I have everyone, but many apologies if I missed you.

I hope you've all enjoyed this fest and that it was fun and low-stress. In a week or so, I plan to post a few cards in case anyone is looking for inspiration. While we won't be issuing more badges or posting new bonus prompts, I am leaving the AO3 collection open and will periodically check the fest account. If you create something based on a card prompt, @ us in your post and we'll reblog it. Guardian Bingo, it has been a BLAST!!! Thank you all for making this a fabulous fest!!!! mod @tehfanglyfish

First Fill @unforth Lit Guardian Lantern (Blackout)

@tinypinkmouse @miss-ingno @the-marron @stupid-lemon-eater @buriedbybooks @theworldisabrokenbonebutitishome @flamingwell velithya @forerussake @jayswing101 @bladedweaponsandswishycoats @programmedradly @avaantares @tehfanglyfish Unlit Lantern (Two Lines) @elenothar Mountain-River (One Line) @mimosaeyes @sasamelons @justacoyote

Longevity Dial (One Fill) @yaaurens @missfangirll @crystalinn @true-unicorn-queen jade @spicymayoblandketchup @presumenothing @drjezdzany samarium @dancing-out-in-space @evnissyn @lacommunarde @silvandar

[violettavonviolet]

Clint Barton/Tony Stark fic recs

hey guys, I've apparently decided I'm back to making fic rec lists so have this one!

All fics are completed, the word count goes up as you scroll. show the authors some love and do mind the tags! If you any requests for lists, shoot me a DM or an ask!

Come on Over, I'll Cook

Westgate (Harkpad)

Summary:

Clint impulsively invites Tony over to his apartment for dinner. He only has three hours and he'd forgotten the state in which he left his apartment. Plus, it's his apartment. Tony Stark has three mansions. Clint Barton has three rooms. What the hell was he thinking? For his part, Tony is quite pleased to hang out at Clint's apartment even though he's a bit disturbed at the complete lack of even a Roomba.

Teen and up, 2.5k

Bright Eyes

NotEvenCloseToStraight

Summary:

After being hurt in a fight, Tony ends up temporarily blind and tries to hide it from the team so they don't worry. 

Clint is the only one to notice, and an honest conversation between the two about exactly how much Tony matters to the team leads to unexpected kisses.

Teen and up, 3k

Sixty Dollars and a Grad Student Zombie

Tahlruil

Summary:

Clint has always been a people watcher - he likes things better from a distance, after all. Hanging out in the Student Center with Nat supplies him with a primo lookout and fodder for stories. He's learned a lot about college students since they started hanging there - he can spot a freshman or a grad student from a mile away.

One in particular has really caught his eye lately. Not because he's attractive - though he is - but because he's both adorable and clearly a Grad Student Zombie. It really gets his protective, mother hen instincts up. Clearly something must be done.

Gen fic, college au, no powers, 4.7k (start of a fantastic series!)

Mangled and Marred

Akira_of_the_Twilight

Summary:

Clint zeroed in on the tattered tattoo below Tony’s heart.

The tattoo was barely recognizable, beheaded not only by the arc reactor but also torn and stretched apart by the valley of scar tissue across Tony’s chest. Through it all though, Clint could see the three gears that formed a crescent together. He saw the two large feathers that the gears nested in and the arrow that shot through the center of the gears like cupid's arrow shot through hearts.

The tattoo–-the mark–-was painfully familiar. It matched the same mark that appeared right below Clint’s heart too. His soul mark; the very same mark Clint was destined to share with his soul mate.

Tony Stark was his soul mate.

Soulmates, 5k, gen

New Ground (And Second Families)

Elenothar

Summary:

Five times Clint Barton accidentally runs into James Bond, and one time they meet on purpose.

Or the one in which Clint finds out that a shared love for explosions isn't the only thing he has in common with MI6's most notorious agent.

00q , teen and up, 6.5k , crossover

Try to Freeze Time

thepartyresponsible

Summary:

The circus has a way of evening people out. Everyone looks the same when the lights center on the stage. The whole audience, just blank shadows, staring in. Everyone looks like nothing. 

Someone like this, though. Someone like��him. They’ll throw off that nothing before they get back to whatever pampered bed they crawled out of. Everyone else stays nothing, but, for people like that, it’s just a temporary state. 

Clint doesn’t mean to watch him. It’s just that he keeps catching Clint’s eye.

Mature, 6.8k , pre-ironman

A Short Engagement

27dragons

Summary:

Clint called his ma back, and now, somehow, he and Tony are... engaged?

This is why he doesn't call home more often.

No powers, explicit, 7k

I Love You. Until Death Do Us Part.

anxious_soul

Summary:

Clint and Tony's life together as a married couple. A mostly secret married couple. 

AKA Tony and Clint meet in 2008 and things kick off from there.

Gen fic, secret relationship, 9k

Take A Shot

ChibiSquirt

Summary:

When SHIELD decided they were going to send an agent to assess Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, the Black Widow was their first choice to do the assessment.

Unfortunately (or maybe not so unfortunately), they would have to go with their second choice, instead.

Teen and up, during ironman, 9.6k

Posh

NotEvenCloseToStraight

Summary:

Clint is a bartender from the poor side of town, while Tony is spoiled, rich and maybe just a little oblivious. 

Immediate attraction leads to to dating and lots of kisses, but eventually the differences in their lifestyles start to pull them apart when Clint's not comfortable at fancy parties and Tony hasn't ever eaten fast food. 

Clint's too head over heels for his posh boyfriend to let him go, is Tony head over heels enough to meet him halfway?

Mature, 10k , no powers

Never Have I Ever

Princess_Aleera

Summary:

"Never have I ever," Tony says with a wolfish grin, "battled motherfucking aliens."

Clint and Tony (and the team) get drunk, fall into bed together, fall out of it, and fall back in again.

Never have i ever, teen, 11k

No Heart For Me Like Yours

FannyT

Summary:

Everyone is born with a number visible on a random body part, a number that only exists twice—on yourself and on your soul mate. 

Tony, famous from birth, was brought up to always hide his number from everyone around him in order to protect both himself and his soul mate from kidnapping and extortion. Clint, meanwhile, had his number obliterated by an accident when he was young and now only has only his own memory to rely on, having no records of his number from before. 

Then, one day, Clint accidentally sees Tony's number.

Soulmates, teen and up, 12k

A Different Kind of Knight

jenny_wren

Summary:

Clint's soulmate's first words to him will be 'Oh shit. You gotta help me hide the body.' Clint's not sure why everybody thinks this is a bad thing.

Teen and up, soulmates, during ironman and after, 21k

Pen Pals

Red_Phoenix_Fyre

Summary:

Agent Clinton Barton has had a lot of soul mates in his time. Writing to them was always interesting, but soon became boring. When his latest pen pal wrote back to him, he expected it to follow the rather predictable pattern.

Nothing about Tony was predictable.

Mature, soulmates, 31k

[hms-tardimpala]

Goldsickness collection: the recs!

Dragonsickness is a theme I love, it resonates with me with very much, and I had a great time reading fics to make this collection. Here are the eight I love the most and that make up this 376-pages-book.

As Befits a King by Ladysisyphus (explicit, 4,7k)

It was all too much to think about, so he thought about Thorin's hands.

This fic strikes a good balance between angst, hope and hot possessive sex. Thorin is teetering on the edge of madness here, despite Bilbo's best efforts.

Chains of Gold by Plooby (explicit, 4k)

He had not been in the king's chambers since their arrival, not since his youth, and the massive gilt doors opened only with groaning reluctance under his hands.

This is actually a sequel to the fic above, the authors worked on a series together. It's just as brilliant, hot and well-written. You can see the old Thorin under the madness.

What was promised by Paranoid_fridge (unrated, 6,9k)

Perhaps Bilbo is being selfish. But even though he knows that Thorin's mind has grown clouded from cursed gold, he is unwilling to give up on the intimacy they share. And when Thorin - with his mind still bespelled - asks for his hand, Bilbo does not decline either. With armies before the gate and a battle to come, things must come to a head.

Interesting concept: Thorin and Bilbo get married while Thorin is dragonsick. It raises the question of consent. The battles scenes are great and Bilbo is a badass.

Lay your troubles down by Avelera (explicit, 24k)

An extended version of "the acorn scene." Bilbo sees his chance to snap Thorin out of his madness, and takes it.

This fic is a great, slow deconstruction of Thorin's illness by Bilbo. The author goes all the way to the bedrock of the character to start healing him, and there are setbacks and false starts (which is what I prefer in fics where Thorin heals).

Covet by Pomgore (explicit, 33,3k)

"How is he?” Bilbo asked softly, trying to keep the worry from his voice. Balin’s face went dark, and he sipped thoughtfully on his tea. “... It’s slow, but his fever has begun to break,” he said. “Still, it’s the worst I’ve seen him. I think it’s the worst he’s ever had.” ~~~ Thorin recovers from both physical and mental afflictions. As with all recovery, the path of healing is non-linear and agonizingly difficult.

This is also a fantastic healing fic (this one post-canon) that treats dragonsickness as a mental illness, with relapses in the recovery. I loved that portrayal, I recognized myself in it. And the fic scratches some specific itches of mine.

Red Lines in Dark Stone by Elenothar (mature, 4,3k)

After BOFA Thorin is wrecked by guilt, convinced that most of the bloodshed is his fault (see: the arkenstone debacle). As king and responsible for Erebor, he decides that he will do anything to stop himself from succumbing to the gold sickness again, even if it means hurting himself. When his family and friends find out, they don't react as he'd expected them to.

Self-harm is another theme that's dear to me. This is an excellent portrayal of self-harm, the author got it perfectly right. It's good to read a post-canon fic where, even when he's past the goldsickness, Thorin still suffers its consequences.

Of Monsters and Men by MsThunderFrost (mature, 1,3k)

Thorin will protect Bilbo from everything. Even if that includes himself.

Look, I love dark and twisted stuff, so this fic was an absolute bitter candy for me, I dig it. Heed the warnings!

Burning with a magnificent madness by EmilianaDarling (mature, 7,3k)

Thorin’s madness had been like a dam bursting; fast and brutal and incomprehensible, like water rushing out and devastating everything in its path. For Bilbo, it’s more like a slow trickle over the course of a lifetime. Out of sight and out of mind - and almost imperceptible until he’s already drowning.

This is an incredibly moving study of madness in Thorin's and Bilbo's lives, caused by the gold and the One ring. Bilbo's life is really tragic and it's heartbreaking to see him sink into addiction to the ring. Prepare tissues.

[hils79]

DMBJ Entry Level Fanwork Recs

Following on from this post a few people asked for some recs for fanworks they can read to get a better handle on the fandom and the characters if they don't know much about what DMBJ is about

This is by no means a definitive list, and I'd suggest checking the tags on any fanworks to make sure it's something you'd enjoy before you dive in.

I have my own personal preferences when it comes to favourite characters and ships and while I've tried to throw a bit of everything in here this is a fandom that loves its rarepairs and poly ships so I can't cover everything.

Please, by all means drop me an ask or a reply if you have any questions. I'm always willing to drag new people into the pits with me

A couple of things to start off with:

@foxofninetales has written a very useful list of possible entry points to the fandom

And if you want a very brief overview of the main players (this franchise has So Many characters it's totally okay to be confused) I wrote one over on Dreamwidth at the start of the year

Okay, to try and organise this in some sort of coherent way I'm going to break it up into canon fanworks and AU fanworks. Sometimes an AU is a better way to get to know the characters, or you might want to get a feel for the canonical settings. Reader's choice.

Then I'll break it down into ships in case Fox's guide has got you interested in something specific

Canon

Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling

Keepsakes Box by ShenWeiLightning

When Zhang Qiling loses his memories, the Zhang family attempt to whitewash Wu Xie from his world. Only the box he instructed they give him as a precaution was never checked for compartments and some of the pictures hidden inside, lead to certain conclusions...

The POV character has amnesia so you learn things along with him

Tabula Rasa by xantissa

Zhang Qiling forgets. Then he comes to some interesting conclusions regarding his relationship to the man named Wu Xie.

Another amnesia fic so same thing applies as above. I'm pretty sure this was the first fic I read in this fandom myself.

Visible to All But Me by Hils

“To the merging of the Wu and Zhang families,” his uncle toasts with a raise of his glass. "It's not what I'd hoped for in terms of securing the future of our family, as you know, but at least it's better than nothing."

Wu Xie blinks at him and raises his glass to take a drink while he tries to figure out what’s happening. There aren’t that many members of the Zhang family that his uncle has had dealings with. Xiaoge would have mentioned something if he’d entered into some sort of arrangement with his uncle. Perhaps his Ershu has made some sort of business deal with Zhang Rishan.

OR

Five times Wu Xie didn't know he was dating Zhang Qiling but everyone else did, and one time he figured it out (with some help)

Yes, it's probably poor netiquette to self-rec but this is hands down my most popular DMBJ fic and it's mostly just about Wu Xie being oblivious with no real ties to the canon plot

Liu Sang/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling

Cat's Paw by Merinnan & Xantissa

While some very basic knowledge of The Lost Tomb Reboot is needed for this, you mostly find out what's happening through Liu Sang's perspective so it's not entirely necessary.

Wang Pangzi/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling

A Distracting Effort by elenothar

“Teensy tiny favour,” Hei Xiazi starts, with the kind of grin that says he knows he’s about to stir some shit and is looking forward to it. “I need someone to distract Zhao Ji and you” – he points at Wu Xie – “happen to be exactly his type.”

Wu Xie blinks. That’s… not what he’d been expecting.

Next to him Pangzi looks like he’s readying himself to bristle in protective outrage at any moment now and across the room Xiaoge’s relaxed sprawl has turned into something rather more threatening.

or

Hei Xiazi has opinions on Wu Xie's wardrobe, Wu Xie has opinions on interior decorating, Pangzi has opinions on Wu Xie's flirting and Xiaoge lurks protectively (and pointedly).

While this is not about tomb raiding it is exactly the sort of nonsense that happens in canon on a regular basis

Reunion to Rain Village by achray, hils, teyla and fangirlishness

A series of stories that are all standalone but are all set in and around our shared version of Yucun. The stories are not connected beyond some background themes and characters.

The only thing you really need to know is that the canon franchise ends with the three main characters retiring to a country village to run a restaurant and live in a house that Wu Xie designed and built for them. This series is set during that time but apart from that no canon knowledge is needed.

Hei Xiazi/Xie Yuchen

Why does it have to be you? by blackwatervial

It’s common knowledge that, if a delicate flower finds itself in a dire situation, a knight in shining armour will come to the rescue. Only that Xie Yuchen is no delicate flower, and his knight in shining armour is more of an overpriced mercenary.

This fic is only short but it perfectly covers everything you need to know about their relationship

Gen

Cascade by frith_in_thorns

Liu Sang didn't need looking after. Absolutely not. It had only been a small stabbing.

Unfortunately, Wu Xie overrode him.

Even more unfortunately, that was only the start of everyone's problems.

An excellent tomb raiding adventure with plenty of whump, misunderstandings and tomb nonsense

Take a Cup Of Kindness Yet by fox_of_nine_tales

There are several reasons Liu Sang doesn’t drink, and all of them are true.

I'm trying not to make this rec post entirely about Liu Sang because, as I mentioned in my DW post he's really only in one of the dramas/books. But he's very popular in my corner of the fandom so...

AU

Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling

Those who fear darkness have never seen what light can do by Merinnan & Xantissa

When Wu Xie was seven years old, he snuck away from his guardian during one of the digs that Sanshu took him to. Only things went wrong, the entrance collapsed, and it took a week to dig the child out from the near collapsed tomb.

They expected a body. They prayed that the child had somehow survived, but seven days without food or water for an adult would have been deadly, a child had no chances of survival at all.

They found Wu Xie deep in the tomb, sleeping on his little backpack. He was warm and healthy, confused at why the adults were yelling, looking like he’d just stepped into the tomb five minutes ago.

An alternate first meeting where Zhang Qiling is a supernatural creature.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by slutspeare

Yincangui is Where Lost Things Return, and Wu Xie, captain of the Wushanju , has been trying to find it since his uncle went missing fifteen years ago. The only thing is that no one is quite sure that it actually exists, except for Liu Sang, who manages to finagle his way onto Wu Xie's ship and into their quest. Without any solid proof or idea of where they're going, it seems like Yincangui is always going to be a lost dream... unless the crew of the Wushanju can unravel the threads of the universe and lead themselves to what they've been searching for.

Absolutely stunningly written space AU where no real prior knowledge of canon is needed.

Liu Sang/Wu Xie/Zhang Qiling

Catch and Release by Merinnan & Xantissa

After weeks of being on the run from the people who'd been experimenting on him, Liu Sang was cold, hungry, and still hiding as a fox. When he came across a live capture trap in a large garden, baited with good, good food, he decided it was worth the risk. Then kept coming back again. And again.

Wu Xie just wanted to catch and socialise a feral cat into a pet. He hadn't planned on a fox deciding the trap he'd put out was a convenient and consistent source of food.

There's a lot of fics in this fandom where Liu Sang can turn into a fox. It's entirely down to this Liu Chang photoshoot so I figured I'd put one in here as a taster. Plenty more where that came from if you like it

Hei Xiazi/Xie Yuchen

Ad Hoc Services by fox_of_nine_tales

If assumptions make an ass out of you and me, well, why let a perfectly good ass go to waste?

In which Hei Xiazi is mistaken for a prostitute and his evening just gets better from there.

This might be an AU but it perfectly encapsulates how ridiculous these two idiots are

Vids

If you're more of a visual person these vids are a taster of what the fandom is all about (also linked in my DW post if you've already looked at that). It's a mixture of general fandom vibes and ship specific vids (and one solely about Pangzi because I love him)

This is just a very small sample to get you going. If you're not in the fandom and this has piqued your interest feel free to let me know and I can try and put together a more specific rec list for what you like

If you are in the fandom, feel free to reblog with any additions that you think should be on the list. This is only intended to be a sampler.

[the-marron]

Rules: you will be given a word. then you share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of your word!

tagged by @forerussake, thank you! 🥰🥰🥰

My word is FINDS

Let's see if I have anything that meets the criteria in my staggering two wips 😂 (one of which is actually not a wip, just unpublished but shhh, it counts)

F - Fan Wei is here on a borrowed authority and he doesn’t want anyone to notice. Doesn’t want anyone questioning him, that’s why he starts with disrespect. ‘I can treat you this way’, that’s the message Mu Ge is supposed to get here. That complicates things.

I - “I didn’t say yes,” Jiang Yang protests. “I am not taking favours from-”

“-But you are, Procurator Jiang,” Luo Qingeng interrupts pleasantly.

N - “Not a bad deal then,” Jiang Yang's boss says with a shrug. “As long as he doesn’t ask you to ruin files in exchange…”

Jiang Yang nods, hiding his expression. 

With the way it’s going, he can guess what Luo Qingeng will ask of him next time.

It won’t be files.

D - “Don’t mention it. You promised me you will go to sleep.”

Jiang Yang vaguely recalls that.

“I have to be at work-” he starts, but is stopped by the way Luo Qingeng’s body tenses, his entire posture radiating anger.” - I will take a day off,” Jiang Yang amends.

“Thank you,” Luo Qingeng replies drily. 

S - “Sexy,” Mu Ge repeats, deadpan. 

Fan Wei shakes his head. 

“Yes, she is not warm and inviting enough. Doesn’t seem like a heroine anyone would pay a ticket for.” 

This heathen. 

Lol, it's mostly dialogues, oh well... And yeah, I am still in weilan derivs pit but I think I found a new drama of interest, finally, so who knows maybe I will have a wider repertoire next time around 😓

Tagging: @babischlong-six, @chaosgene, @elenothar and @lacommunarde, and the word for you is CARD

All the best in 2025!!!