#MLC fic

[a-memory-a-distant-echo]

ok, i'm being so brave and making the rec post that i told anon i would do like three days ago.

the obligatory caveats. this is not comprehensive—i haven't read all the fic in this fandom, and i've barely looked at anything not in english. my reading habits are pretty broad—i'll read almost any pairing, and am generally willing to suspend my disbelief to do so. i am not usually an au person, though this fandom is doing its absolute damndest to prove me wrong on that point.

also i have…more…fics that i felt i should rec somewhere, so probably this is rec post one, but ten felt like enough and also saying things in public where people can hear me is, it turns out, absolutely excruciating. please no one be mean to me about this post, especially if you wrote one of these fics, because if you are i will simply fill my pockets with rocks and take to the sea, ok? ok.

excited to find out what i manage to do that ruins the formatting, links the wrong fics and/or people, or otherwise breaks things in this post. please tell me if i've fucked up, or if your fic is on this list and you would rather i keep your name out of my mouth, or whatever.

first, a very special mention to the mlc reference guide by @yletylyf. this is such an incredibly comprehensive and generous resource. you want a timeline for this show that does an incredibly poor job of maintaining its own timeline? it's here. you want episode summaries? they're here. you want all the people and places? they're here. if you're writing fic, you want this guide, because it's so much easier and faster than scanning episodes or subs files to figure out the name of one specific guy or whatever. it also means that at least occasionally you work on the thing rather than accidentally rewatching the same scene five times, or hypothetically watching two to four episodes without even really thinking about what you're doing. the reference guide is the unsung mvp of fandom.

beyond porch and portal, difanghua, teen, by willowdream. this is the vampire au that i didn't know i wanted? the author posted it and their note was like 'i'm trying to be the change i want to see in the world,' and i was like ok sure, i'm not really convinced that the change i need is vampire aus, but i'll give it a go, and then i did and was like, oh shit, i'm eating fucking glass about this vampire au, i'm chewing on my own fucking fingers, i'm so fucking normal about this, i need another hundred thousand words of this and also seventeen more vampire aus in my inbox by monday morning. i literally finished reading it and scrolled right back to the top to read it again. i have no idea why this fic hits so hard, but it took me out at the knees. the voices are perfect. something about it is just impossibly compelling.

不安的遠離，再无歸期 | restless distance, without return, fang duobing/qiao wanmian, mature and teen, by @difeisheng. this is technically two fics but they're short and you should read both of them because they're such a brutal, perfect encapsulation of grief, and a really beautiful acknowledgement of the ways that fang duobing and qiao wanmian can be read as reflections of each other, separated by a decade, and it just fucking guts me. i dunno. it's about the grief! it's about the yearning! it's about someone who understands parts of you that you wish didn't exist! i think i've reread this like once a week for the last six weeks and i feel like it gets overlooked because it's not A Ship but like. it could be. it should be.

dance the silence down, fanghua and feihua, explicit, by @momosandlemonsoda. this fic. ugh. ok. i'm breaking my own rules. i had two when i started writing this post: no works in progress, and no reccing things that i haven't left a comment on, like a goddamn grownup. this one fic is breaking both of those rules and i feel bad about it and will hopefully spend like, all day tomorrow just commenting on every chapter or something, but i have to do this. this fic is so good. this fic ruins me. this fic is 63k, still a work in progress, and also if i were losing the whole internet tomorrow and i got to keep one fic in all the world and it was the only fic i could have for the rest of time, it might have to be this one, even as a work in progress. i ignored this fic for so long—by which i mean probably two of the four months since i first watched mysterious lotus casebook—because i was like, i don't like aus, and i especially don't like rock star aus. (or sex work aus, and you're never gonna fucking believe what else this author is writing and what else i absolutely cannot get enough of—this is a sneaky bonus rec for all i wanna do is wrong, another fic that i feel so so so normal about!) but then i was like okkkkkkk but. maybe i'll try it. people seem to be nuts for it. and then i read it and i was like OH HOLY SHIT PEOPLE ARE FULLY CORRECT TO BE ABSOLUTELY UNHINGED ABOUT THIS and normally, honestly, i wouldn't bother posting a rec like this because it's like 'oh haha have you read the five most popular fics in this fandom?' and it feels so redundant, but i know for a fact that a friend of mine who finished watching the show yesterday is reading this post, and even if everyone else has read it, she has not! anyhow as a former music person and a former diner cook, this fic like. i don't know. i feel like it broke me but also fixed me? i literally criticise writing professionally and every time i try to talk about this fic i find myself speechless because it's so perfect to me. i am deeply unwell about this fic. every time a new chapter comes out i sit down and read the whole thing again, yes, all sixty-thousand-plus words of it. some nights you go to bed and you're like 'what's the fucking point?' and then you're like 'no wait, there will eventually be more of dance the silence down,' and somehow that makes things suck a tiny bit less. my wife has made me take out like six sentences from this rec because they're too intense and too weird about it but i need you to understand: you have to read this fic.

in this dream, there is a lover to share this life with, fanghua, g, by @lianhuajing. alternative ending for the end of episode 27, in which li lianhua—precious man who has yet to discover a hill he's not willing to die on—apologises to fang duobing the only way he knows how, and it's wildly upsetting for everyone (but it's ok and it doesn't end miserably, no one panic). this is a delightfully angsty treat, and i love how conflicted fang duobing is in it—i feel like it's not something that i've seen explored a lot, but this poor boy really fuckin goes through it—his best friend and his childhood idol are the same person but are lying to him about it, and his dad's not actually his father and has been lying to him about it, and his best friend/childhood idol may have killed his father, and—yeah, is lying to him about it. like? someone give this poor man a hug and a cup of tea and a snack and a blankie. i love that we get to see some of his internal conflict in this.

quintessence of dust, feihua, teen, by justthereforit. this plays with one of my very most favourite tropes in the world, which is the one where the heart is a physical object and a physical form of trust and control and surrender and—like. this is so good. it's set in episode 13, which is, for me, one of the absolute peak angst points, and it absolutely nails it. di feisheng who's upset and vulnerable and frustrated and angry, li lianhua who knows he's going to die and can't bear the thought that he's going to take anyone else down with him, and they're both just so fucked up. chef kiss. i love it when everyone is emotionally wrecked and continually like 'ok no, i can take one more knife in my soul to protect someone else', and this absolutely delivers on that.

under moonlight, we change our futures yet again, feihua, explicit, by @thesilversun. the wedding room! obviously we have to have a wedding room fic, right? i'm not going to lie: i'm willing to suspend a lot of disbelief for wedding room fics, but in this one, it's actually a wonderfully, horrifyingly plausible setup. it walks a really fine line of keeping people in character, and acknowledging the inherent horror and seriousness of the situation, and also providing some desperately hot sex, and also managing to get the emotional beats of it, too. it has a sequel, which imo really has to be read as the conclusion to this fic, and it's just as good. it's possible that some of what i'm saying here is 'i love vulnerable-inside crusty-outside di feisheng' but like. i do. i love it so much.

what's sealed away, feihua, teen, by @bbcphile. AMNESIA FIC yessssss, a-fei my beloved, fics that handle brain damage/memory issues/amnesia well my beloveddddd. i love the a-fei arc, but i also have had a number of brain injuries and some other stuff that means that my own memory is…not so great, so i sometimes really struggle with how often amnesia in fiction is played off either as nothing to worry about or as a funny thing where everyone's in on the joke except the person who has amnesia. this fic is a great and sometimes very visceral exploration of a horrifying experience, and a really fantastic study of a-fei/di feisheng as a character, as well as the relationship that he has with li lianhua. a-fei trying to balance the trust he has in the sense memory of his body with his understanding of his relationship with li lianhua with li lianhua's reaction to—everything, really—is really well done and wonderful/terrible to read.

我只愿面朝大海 | i wish only to face the sea, g, by foreverstudent. ok so you wanna fuck yourself up some more? go read this. this is canon divergence from episode 39, and fang duobing has learned too well the lessons he's been taught, and sees the shape of things before li lianhua ever touches the wangchuan flower—so he sets about making sure that he won't be able to throw it away. this is agonising and gorgeous and maintains the canon relationships while developing the narrative differently. i wept literal tears. i was like 'ok that's it the worst part is over!' and then i remembered that there was another part coming and then i started crying. anyhow, it is—as ever, with me—about the devotion.

我住長江頭, 君住長江尾 -- i live upstream, you live downstream, fanghua, teen, by @rimbaudofficial. ok so this is Not a fic that i should like, because i am a massive academic failure and despite being in my forties have regular nightmares about having to re-engage with academia for like. any reason. HOWEVER. as noted, i read indiscriminately, even when i'm like 'reading this is a terrible idea and will be upsetting for me personally!', so i was like 'well, how bad of an idea can it possibly be?' and then instead! it was. incredibly charming? it was so fucking cute? the fang duobing characterisation in this is somehow just perfect to me—he's simultaneously confident and vulnerable, and also just so deeply committed to the weird clueless guy who he's decided is meant for him. di feisheng and li lianhua have a perfect weird-bros friendship. i would read another ten chapters of this and i would love it.

[philologicalbat]

"Tall Drink of Water"

Pairing: Di Feisheng/Fang Duobing Rated Mature Word Count: 2k Tags: Omorashi, Humiliation, There Was Only One Bed, Well there's two but Li Lianhua isn't sharing, Past Di Feisheng/Li Lianhua Summary: He has a faint sense-memory of being flung over Di Feisheng’s shoulder and carried bodily upstairs. He winces. Buries his face in Di Feisheng’s same shoulder and then, realizing what he’s done, recoils. They share a bed, yes, but they do not—well. Strictly speaking, Fang Duobing does often wake up curled up against Di Feisheng, but that’s because Fang Duobing’s sleeping body doesn’t know it’s Di Feisheng, demon lord of the jianghu. It just knows that he’s warm.

Read it on AO3.

[junemermaid]

[fic] the taste of pomegranates (2/3)

Fandom: Mysterious Lotus Casebook Pairing: Di Feisheng x Fang Duobing x Li Lianhua Rating: E Word Count: 5,600 for this part (10,800 total) Tags: Porn with Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, Complicated Emotions, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sex As A Vehicle For Emotional Honesty, Post-Canon, Established Relationship Summary:

You are a blade for my hand. Do not forget your place. An ordinary day carries Di Feisheng back to the past—and, with a little help, reminds him of the promise of the present.

-> read part 2 on ao3.

[orchisailsa]

It's here! The first installment of the DiFangHua collaboration I've been working on with @saki-the-cup-bearer-blog is now posted on ao3! Please come take a peek at my fic, and her gorgeous artwork, and let us know what you think! (Now, onto part 2!)

[bbcphile]

WIP Wednesday

It's somehow Wednesday again! Enjoy DFS and FDB trying to comfort LLH during a nightmare.

(You can find more excerpts here.)

A-Fei cut himself off, head whipping around to look at Li Lianhua. “Xiangyi?” All trace of the storm had vanished, leaving only worry in its wake.

Fang Duobing sat bolt upright. “What’s wrong?” 

Li Lianhua’s hand twitched.

Huli Jing whined and shifted to drape herself across Li Lianhua’s knees.

“Where’s the incense?” a-Fei snapped, glancing frantically around the room.

“What?”

“Incense,” a-Fei bit out. “From the parcel. Find it. Now.”

Fang Duobing bit back his demand for details. “On it,” he said instead, yanking the parcel from his robe and tugging at the strings. Damn it, why had he tied them so tightly?

“Xiangyi, it’s alright,” a-Fei said, his gruff voice gentled. He tapped Li Lianhua’s pulse point repeatedly. “You’re in Lotus Tower. You’re safe. It’s time to wake up.”

A nightmare? He should have known. Of course a-Fei would have something for treating them, and of course he wouldn’t have wanted to talk about–

“–No,” Li Lianhua mumbled, “no, don’t–”

“You’re safe, Xiangyi,” a-Fei said more urgently, squeezing his wrist and giving it a shake. You’re free. Now stop fighting and open your eyes!”

Oh, shit, if he was dreaming of whatever happened earlier, and he tried to destroy his heart meridian again–

“–I can’t wake him up,” a-Fei hissed. “Hurry.”

“Understood.” Fuck it. Fang Duobing snapped the string in half and tore the packaging open. Dried herbs spilled on the ground like tears. 

“Don’t do this,” Li Lianhua begged, his voice breaking.

“It’s not real,” a-Fei said, gripping his shoulder, “whatever you’re seeing, you already survived it. It can’t hurt you. Follow my voice and open your eyes.”

Duobing’s fingertips finally bumped something long and thin. “Found it,” he said, jumping to his feet. Fuck, where was the incense burner? He’d stowed it when he’d driven the Lotus Tower here, which meant it was–“The kitchen. Hang on, Xiaohua’er,” he said, sprinting to the front of the Lotus Tower.

Fuck fuck fuck. He yanked cabinet drawers open, feeling around the pots and pans, until–

“–I got it,” he called out, rushing back into the room, shoving the incense stick into the burner as he went. 

A-Fei had shifted to his knees, his dao abandoned on the bed, and had one hand splayed over Xiaohua’s chest, preemptively radiating qi, and the other wrapped around his wrist, fingertips to pulse, hovering close to his lips. “Light it,” he snapped, not taking his eyes from Xiaohua. “Xiangyi,” he murmured, “Lianhua. Xiaohua. I’m here. Xiaobao’s here. No one else. We won’t let anyone hurt you again. It’s a dream, alright? Just a dream. Open your eyes.” 

Fang Duobing shoved some clutter off the nightstand, slammed the burner in the newly cleared space, and fumbled in his robe for his flame stick.

Xiaohua thrashed wildly. “Stop! Please stop!”

Fang Duobing lit the incense, capped the flame stick, tossed it somewhere, and rushed to the bed. “It’s ready!” he said, holding it out to a-Fei.

“Bring it here,” a-Fei said, twisting to the side to make space while still keeping a hand on Xiaohua’s heart. 

Fang Duobing sat on the edge of the bed, against Xiaohua’s hip, hovering the incense burner over Xiaohua’s chest, and tried to waft the fumes closer with his free hand. “Like this?”

 “Let me go,” Xiaohua sobbed, “Please, Shiniang, let me go!!”

Wait, then the healer was his shiniang? Shit, of course, why hadn’t he thought of that before? That would explain everything–

–Why did a-Fei look like he’d just been stabbed? 

“A-Fei?” he whispered.

A-Fei blinked, and the raw devastation on his face turned into cold, consuming rage. “She’s not here. We won’t let her hurt you again.”

Oh. Oh no.

“It’s ok, Xiaohua’er,” Fang Duobing said. “We won’t let anything happen to her.”

A-Fei shot him a look of such abject hatred Fang Duobing was vaguely surprised he didn’t gut him with his dao on the spot.

“Trust me,” Fang Duobing mouthed at him. “We won’t let her sacrifice herself for you. We promise.” He grabbed Xiaohua’s free hand and squeezed it. “You saved her, ok? You’re both safe. No one has to die. You’ve done enough. You can rest now, alright? Just breathe. That’s it. Nice, deep breaths.” 

He stroked Xiaohua’s hand, keeping up a steady stream of encouraging murmurs, until the faint tremors coursing through his arms had stopped, until his breath evened out, until his face had once again gone slack with restful sleep.

Fang Duobing gave Xiaohua’s hand another squeeze, placed it carefully back on top of the blanket, and forced himself to release it. “Sleep well, Xiaohua’er,” he whispered, tucking a flyaway wisp of hair behind Xiaohua’s ear.

A-Fei hadn’t made a sound since Fang Duobing had started speaking, other than the rustle of fabric when he changed position, removed his hand from Li Lianhua’s chest, and slipped back into his earlier post in the corner. 

Maybe his headache was acting up again?

A-Fei looked mostly normal: the dao was back on his lap, his legs were crossed, and he seemed to be meditating again. The only difference from earlier was that now he was holding Li Lianhua’s wrist in both hands, and his head was ever so slightly bowed over it.

He thought back on how gutted and horrified a-Fei had looked when Li Lianhua had shouted his Shiniang’s name. How furious he’d been when Duobing had promised to keep her safe.

There was no way he was as fine as he was pretending to be.

[anndramarama]

mlc fic: Shackle

I was super inspired by my dihua exchange gift, Tether, by @tiny-breadcrumbs and had to write a companion for it!

This fic is based on a headcanon I think a lot of mlc fandom shares, that 1) Di Feisheng saw Li Xianygi's sword dance, and 2) it fcuked him up.

Here's a link to Shackle on AO3. There's canon-typical awfulness so please read the tags.

@tiny-breadcrumbs I hope you don't mind/aren't horrified, but I couldn't get the image of DFS trying to hang onto the red thread while being held down by all the darkness in his life out of my head ...

[madamadragon]

Currently writing a new Mysterious Lotus Casebook fic with Di Feisheng as the last dragon lord who lost his memories after the east sea battle and Li Lianhua who was looking for him for 10 years because hey that's his husband ft a clueless Fang Duobing who love to follow Li Lianhua and has strange feeling for him

A mix from The Untamed, Back from the Brink and Mysterious Lotus Casebook

I don't know what i'm writing

[adorablecrab]

barely a week after this show ruined my life i wrote a ficlet, this is unprecedented, please enjoy.

[xthelastknownsurvivorx]

WIP Wednesday

saving up tags has basically become my brand at this point, thanks for all of them over the last few weeks @adreamareads, @14carrotghoul, @inexplicablymine, @read-and-write-, and @happiness-of-the-pursuit!

after finishing reincarnation au I'm hoping fandoms for a bit and write something a bit different, so I have some mysterious lotus casebook words to share today, taken from moments before the disaster of the apocalypse hits (but if you're here for rwrb stuff, know that I have stuff planned for the eras tour event)

"You seem rather focused, what's so intriguing on your phone?" Li Lianhua looks up to see Qiao Wanmian from HR standing in front of him, a teasing smile on her face. He forces a casual laugh. "Ah, it's nothing. Just waiting for something. What about you, Qiao-xiaojie? You aren't a regular subway commuter." "I suppose I'm not," she admits. "I usually prefer to ride my bike to work, but I couldn't because my asthma is sensitive to changes in air quality." "Mmn, the pollution was a bit bad today," says Li Lianhua mildly, mentally filing away the information for later. "A shame that you had to take the subway instead." "No worries, it means I can practice my Spanish now and exercise later." "Ah, Spanish…" "Yes, it's the second-most spoken language in the world," she explained, though Li Lianhua hadn't really been asking. Then, "Can I sit?" Li Lianhua nods. "Of course, please." As she does, Qiao Wanmian's lightly scented perfume drifts over to him. She smiles brightly, and he's reminded of why everyone at the office has a crush on her. She's exactly the type of girl he would have pursued at age 17, a perfect match for his younger self. The two of them, a pair of shining people fit to be the main characters in any story. But those days are long over, and Li Lianhua has no more interest in being the protagonist. He just wants to finish the last chapter of his favorite light novel.

Tagging @bidoofenergy, @affectionatelyrs, @cricketnationrise, @formorewishes, and @bbcphile, though probably for next week since I'm doing this a bit late

[asterdust]

*this barbie is delusional and hanging onto a liu yuning ost*

the final lotus case by asterdust

[a-memory-a-distant-echo]

ok, you know what, fuck it, fic recs post. historically i try not to rec works in progress or things i haven't commented on and i'm throwing that fully out the window for this because honestly, fucking whatever.

if you're on this list and i haven't been fully unhinged at you in the comments, please know that it's because (1) i'm the worst and (2) i'm trying desperately to calibrate so i hit 'enthusiastic' and not 'kind of frightening, actually'. i swear that i have written at least several sentences of a comment for every fic on this list, it's just that i'm genuinely impossibly slow, sometimes. it's me, not you.

my previous rec post is here, in case you missed that. as a bonus, special for this rec list and as a concession to the horrors, i am attempting to guess how much any given fic will fuck up the average person. obviously this is a ymmv kind of situation, but i'm trying, at least?

everything else under a cut because i am longwinded.

and found by @dangerouscommiesubversive, explicit, every possible combination of di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua | li xiangyi; bless, but i am not typing all that out. starting off with a wip where i haven't left a comment in like four fuckin' chapters, breaking those rules real good. this fic is a fucking ride. i will admit that i wasn't entirely convinced by the premise when i saw the blurb, but i am nothing if not willing to admit when i was wrong, and i was—once again—totally wrong. this is the fic where i was like 'ok but…is anyone really, like, desperate for gen z li xiangyi?' and then i read it and i was like 'ohhhhhh fuck yeah, ok, i get it, i was actually fully desperate for gen z li xiangyi.' he is. such a little prick. i love him. there has been something unexpected and delightful in every single chapter of this so far, plus a number of impressively memorable one-liners. this fic is fun and distracting and at least as of chapter seven, i'm gonna say it's not even gonna fuck you up. (please note that this is only through chapter seven!)

and the days are bright red by @junemermaid, explicit, di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua. rip to my beloved tumblr mutual @junemermaid, because they're getting called out twice in this list, but: tough. this fic is so delightful. featuring: memories of slut era li lianhua, the mortifying ordeal of being known, an entire box of historically accurate sex toys, fang duobing and di feisheng communicating (sometimes silently) in a way that unsettles li lianhua (back from his months-long sojourn), some very hot sex that is both very much about sex and also about trust and being perceived, casual intimacy, and fledgling tenderness. there are Emotions in this, and they get moderately intense, but it's a very kind and surprisingly gentle feel-good fic.

a drink under a clear window by @momosandlemonsoda, explicit, di feisheng/fang duobing and fang duobing/qiao wanmian. a fic that tackles the dreaded v-shaped polycule and makes it work. it seems like perhaps it shouldn't: fang duobing as the hinge, with di feisheng and qiao wanmian on either side, but actually it works perfectly, and is a lovely little glimpse at who they could become and the relationships they could have. i love the thought of qiao wanmian having come into her own as a leader in her own right, as more than just the representative of the ghost of li xiangyi, and this does a wonderful job of letting her be her own person. also, yes, ok, passing fang duobing back and forth like a party favour. this is a post-canon fic in which li lianhua is dead, but the fic itself a straightforward delight that is not at all fucky uppy.

the floating clouds, no resting place, again by @junemermaid (not sorry), technically gen and no ship, but functionally pre-di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua. the hair-washing fic. ohhhhhh. i started jotting notes for this post the day that i finished this fic, and i really thought that they were in any way comprehensive, but instead, what i typed and left as a note to myself was this:

and honestly. you're right, hypothetical reader, that doesn't totally make sense, but i stand by it regardless, because i apparently had that thought in [checks date i last saved the file] fucking august, and i'm still nodding along with myself. that is that this is like. this fic is very beautiful and will make you ache and will leave you slightly better at the end of it than you were at the beginning. it may also make you cry; this seems to me a fair enough trade.

the floating lotus by @anndramarama, not rated, di feisheng/li xiangyi. pre-canon stuff doesn't always work super well for me, but i really enjoyed this one, featuring di feisheng and li xiangyi when they're both so young and arrogant and full of themselves—and stupid and naïve and young and almost hopeful in a way that they're often not, in fic, for all that they were barely but children at the point of the donghai fight. they just seem…vulnerable, i guess, in this, in a way that i find touching. seasonal bonus: a ghost story, of a sort. given that this is set pre-canon, i think it's hard to come in any softer than bittersweet, which this very much is.

from here one's hand could pluck the stars by @howlingmoonrise, explicit, di feisheng/fang duobing. sex pollen fic! also featuring, a little surprisingly, given the premise, incredibly explicit and enthusiastic consent. look, this does what it says on the tin. di feisheng gets sex pollened. fang duobing is left to stay with him. the obvious ensues. unfortunately, it is also devastatingly charming? fang duobing is earnest and sweet; di feisheng is suffering beautifully terribly and trying so hard not to impose on fang duobing. they're both trying so hard to be respectful of what the other person needs, but they're also still bratty and argumentative and exasperated/exasperating, and it's very entertaining. this will fuck you up none percent, and may even make you laugh.

my war is done by @orchisailsa, explicit, di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua. another wip, with the first of three chapters posted, but please understand that this chapter is nearly 15k and so fucking good and compelling. li lianhua lives! and returns to find that things have changed in his absence, and perhaps that he has also changed in his absence, and now wants things that he had told himself he didn't mind not even having to lose. bonus: road trip and—delight!—only one room at the inn. also some other stuff that i'm not spoiling, but that made me absolutely gleeful. this is definitely a work in progress, and while i don't think there's anything particularly upsetting in the chapter, it does end on something of a cliffhanger. i personally do not feel that this is an upsetting cliffhanger, given the information about the fic that's presented in the tags, but it is technically a cliffhanger.

awkward paragraph break, but it's also important, i think, to mention the absolutely stunning (and not at all safe for work) companion piece to my war is done, you'd be there calling my name, by saki the cup bearer, who i don't think is on tumblr. it's fucking incredible; i am very decidedly not an artist but i cannot begin to imagine how much effort went into this. just. holy shit.

not unlike him in shape and form by @philologicalbat, explicit, fang duobing/li lianhua. ok look. i fucking love when things are deeply emotionally messy, and this is so emotionally messy. li lianhua who's been attracted to fang duobing and not doing anything about it, then discovering that fang duobing is shan gudao's son and is very much going to do something about it. he wants in this, and he's cunty and manipulative and mean about it, and sometimes also almost sweet, almost tender, and i love that, because i feel like li lianhua is very often an object of desire and very rarely gets to desire. i love how human he gets to be in this fic. this is not a sweet or gentle fic, but it does end in a moderately tender place that is tentatively hopeful, i think.

unbecoming heir by @bettercostume, explicit, di feisheng/princess zhaoling. i am taking your hand in mine and begging you to trust me. i know what this fic looks like. it's noncon and a weird pairing and you might look at it and expect it to go in the obvious direction and: it does not. this fic is so good that it makes me angry. it makes me miserable and everyone in this fic is trying so miserably, miserably hard, and it's fucking devastating. i spent literally thirty minutes earlier today yelling at my wife about it. i cannot rec this fic strongly enough. this is not a happy fic, but it is a good fic. it will absolutely fuck you up. this is very complimentary but also you will be fucked up.

until you are its primary evidence by @ilgaksu, mature, di feisheng/fang duobing/li lianhua. the single most effective use of what is effectively a prologue that i've ever seen in fic, are you kidding me. this fic is nothing at all like what i expected it to be, and is something far better than what i could have imagined. it's fang duobing's point of view, which is a rarity already, and it's so well done, and it allows him so much humanity and so much anger and grace alike. there are so many tricky things about this fic—the prologue, the fact that it's set in the amnesia arc, fang duobing's pov, the fact that it actually addresses canonical disabilities and illnesses without being fucking weird about it, the tension between the three of them—and it's all balanced so well. this has some emotionally heavier moments but ends tentatively happily; tentative only because it's set during the amnesia arc, and, well. we know what comes next.

as a final note: if you wrote one of these fics and feel that i've wildly misinterpreted the emotional tenor of the ending, please message me in whatever way you prefer and i will correct it. i would not normally presume to guess how things are likely hit people, as i am in many ways not anyone's ideal reader, but today it seemed like it was kinder to at least try.

[philologicalbat]

"A Place Not Unlike Home" by A Philological Batman, illustrated by Saki The Cup Bearer Pairing: Di Feisheng/Li Lianhua Rated Explicit Summary: A little too soon, too impatient to keep away, Di Feisheng drops by Lotus Tower to check on Li Lianhua’s recovery.

Read it on AO3. Check out Saki's gorgeous art here. Excerpt:

The moment Di Feisheng silently alights on the top step of Lotus Tower, Li Xiangyi’s head twitches just a hair’s breadth to the right to catch sight of him in his peripheral vision. Di Feisheng knows he’s been noticed—the farthest away Li Xiangyi has managed to sense him yet—but he keeps up the pretense of sneaking in, anyway. He times his attack so that Li Xiangyi’s grip on both pot and spoon effectively neutralizes his ability to swat Di Feisheng away. Then, Di Feisheng wraps his arms around Li Xiangyi’s waist and squeezes.

“I felt you coming,” Li Xiangyi says, not even turning to look at him.

“I know.” Sweeping Li Xiangyi’s hair out of the way, Di Feisheng presses a kiss to his neck. He slides a hand down to Li Xiangyi’s abdomen, straight toward his lower dantian where Di Feisheng can feel the faint hum of qi, a little stronger than the last time. Always a little stronger each time Di Feisheng sees him.

Immediately, Li Xiangyi throws an elbow at Di Feisheng’s diaphragm, and Di Feisheng dodges back to avoid it. He almost has to put effort into it. Soon, he might actually have to.

[bbcphile]

WIP Wednesday

It's Wednesday, which means it's time for another excerpt from my Mysterious Lotus Casebook longfic!

This week, enjoy Fang Duobing trying to get Di Feisheng to take care of himself by explaining how it will help Li Lianhua take care of himself. (AKA. FDB's Caretaking 101 for DFS). (You can find earlier excerpts here.)

**

Fang Duobing sniffled, picked up the cloth once more, and got to work. At least the cabinet was almost blood-free. Only one stain left. 

“What did you mean about Xiangyi and help?” a-Fei asked on Fang Duobing’s third pass over the stain.

Fang Duobing’s hands stopped mid-scrub. Did a-Fei even have any caretaking experience? Either giving or receiving? Or had he just always used qi to heal everything, so recuperation was never an issue? Starting from the most basic level and working up to the question was probably the best move.

He started scrubbing the stain again, willing his hands and voice to be steady. “Li Lianhua will need rest, right? And sleep, and food, and medicine.”

“Obviously. He’s healing.”

Well, at least a-Fei knew that much.

“It took me a decade to recover from my duel with Xiangyi, Duobing,” a-Fei said, his tone as dry as the basin was wet. “I’m familiar with the process.”

A decade? So he really had been in seclusion all that time. Wait–Li Lianhua had injured him that badly and he wanted another duel? How did that make any sense? He mentally shook himself and tried to find the thread of the conversation again before he could spiral off in a different direction. “Alright. I’m assuming the Medicine Demon or someone was overseeing your healing. Did you actually follow his orders?”

“Of course,” a-Fei said, as though he were the sort of person to take orders from anyone.

He was kidding, wasn’t he? Fang Duobing craned his head over his shoulder to take a look. No annoyingly attractive smirk or eyebrow raised in challenge in sight. Huh. He’d try to make sense of that later. “Well . . . good for you,” he said, facing forward again. “Li Lianhua won’t. He wouldn’t even before the situation with his shiniang. It’s not only giving away qi he couldn’t spare to heal people. He tries to squirm his way out of receiving help all the time, and always pushes himself too far, long past any reasonable limit.” Sound like anyone else you know, a-Fei? “I don’t think he knows how to do things any other way. So instead of accidentally encouraging him to hurt himself, what if we do the opposite? Practice accepting help, even if we don’t need it to survive, so he feels less guilty about needing it?”

Silence. He forced himself to keep scrubbing and wait. If a-Fei needed time, then that’s what he’d give him.

“What are you suggesting?” a-Fei asked at last.

Fang Duobing blinked at the cloth in his hand. “Um,” he said, frantically casting around for something to follow it, as all his ideas fled. “It doesn’t need to be anything big. Simple things count. For instance, you could ask me to hand you something if it’s nearer to me. Or tell me to go away when you need alone time. And I could ask you to make me medicine if I wasn’t feeling well. Or meditate when we’re low on qi, sleep when we’re worn out. That sort of thing.” He winced internally. No wonder his Niang liked to say he was as transparent as water. 

Well, since he’d come this far, he might as well commit. “All I’m saying is that it might help Li Lianhua as well as yourself if you don’t try to push yourself to your absolute limit. Just because you can doesn’t mean you have to. Or that you should. And you don’t need to, because I’m here. And you shouldn’t if you don’t want Li Lianhua to think he needs to do the same thing. He deserves to rest. And if we can show him what that looks like, then isn’t that the responsible thing to do?”

A-Fei made a faint hum that could have meant anything from ‘excellent point, Xiaobao’ to ‘I think you’re an idiot.’

Who was he kidding? It was probably the latter.

Fang Duobing squeezed the handkerchief over the bowl. The water turned purple as the paint and blood mixed together. He waited.

No new sounds from a-Fei. Just the whisper of his fingers through Huli Jing’s fur.

Fang Duobing swallowed back a sigh. At least he’d tried. “I’m going to go dump this,” he said, standing up. “I’ll be back soon.” He started for the door.

“Wait.”

Fang Duobing stilled. “What?”

A-Fei stared at him for a long moment, something complicated lurking under his almost neutral expression. “Clean the blood off your face first,” he said at last.

“Oh. Good point.” He dug out his own handkerchief from his robe–the other one had splinters in it now–dunked it, and wiped it across his cheek. “Better?”

“Almost,” a-Fei said, pointing to a spot near his temple and another across his forehead.

Fang Duobing wiped wherever a-Fei pointed until he finally nodded his approval. “Thanks.” He was about to leave, but then the candlelight hit a-Fei’s cheekbone in exactly the right way to make the teartrack from earlier glisten. Of course a-Fei hadn’t taken the time to clean up, either. “Did you want to–”

A-Fei shook his head. 

So much for acknowledging limits or asking for help. “Right. Never mind.” He left without waiting for a response.

[ssantisheep]

Just finished my mlc fic... Pretty happy about it but now i need to édit. I Guess it is an ask to people : if you feel like beta ing a Time Travel fix-it fic with girl!duobing as a catalyst well... You Can dm me??

[madamadragon]

My insomnia has struck again, here's what came to mind in the middle of the night. Sorry for the mistakes but it was two in the morning, enjoy my lil fic!

------

Drama in the drama

"I told you not to touch it!"

"I wasn't touching it, I was examining it"

"It's the same thing, you idiot"

As Li Xiangyi regained consciousness he heard voices arguing. He slowly sat up and then shook his head trying to free himself from the numbness. The last thing he remembered was sneaking out of the sect again to meet Di Feisheng. The two were having a pleasant battle with their swords when a strong white light blinded them.

He blinked, focusing on the room around him. It appears to be a huge pavilion with dark walls and chairs positioned in front of a white cloth affixed to wall. Then he noticed the people next to him. A-Mian had just woken up and Yun Biqiu was helping her get back on her feet, not far from them the other members of the Sigu Sect were looking around lost. However, there was no trace of his shixiong.

At the other end of the room was the one he recognized as He Xiaohui, master of Tianji Hall and wife of Finance Minister Fang, together with her son. The child couldn't have been more than eight years old but he didn't seem scared, he stood silently next to his mother holding the hem of her dress tightly in his fist.

As he scanned the small crowd a hand entered his field of vision. He looked up and met the eyes of the boy he had started seeing secretly over the last year. Di Feisheng was leaning over him with his hand stretched to help him. The infamous director of the Jinyuan Alliance who offers help to the Leader of the Sigu Sect, a rather strange vision given that all of Jianghu considered them enemies.However, Li Xiangyi knew who Di Feisheng really was and without thinking twice, placed his hand on his. The Leader of the Jinyuan Alliance effortlessly picked him up, asking with his eyes if he was okay. The young Sigu Sect leader nodded.

"Li Xiangyi!” Qiao Wanmian's graceful voice called him back.

Di Feisheng instantly retreated and hid in a dark corner of the room.

The most beautiful girl in Jianghu, together with the others, joined him.

"Are you all ok?" The young leader asked, looking at those present.

Everyone nodded. Master He then approached them.

"Leader Li, considering the situation, I hope we can stick together to avoid danger," the woman said, putting her hands together and bowing respectfully.

They were in an unknown place and she had her son with her, it was better to join forces. Li Xiangyi understood well what she asked.

"Certainly"

Suddenly a commotion caught their attention. They turned to find themselves face to face with five individuals older than them. Instinctively Li Xiangyi stood in front of the members of the sect ready to defend them in case of danger, his hand stretched out towards the hilt of his sword.

"Gentlemen, it seems we are not alone" noted the only woman in the group. His companions turned and stared.

"Look A-Fei! Xiaobao was so cute!" The man dressed in green with a wooden hairpin shaped like a lotus flower exclaimed fondly. The child caught by surprise hid behind the mother. “I forgot how adorable he was at that age.”

"You've only seen me once" snorted the younger man with blue robes and hair pulled back in a ponytail, crossing his arms over his chest.

The crowd was visibly confused at that statement. Li Xiangyi looked from the boy to the child and noticed a certain resemblance. That he was...But this was impossible!

"He had that stupid face even as a child," the man dressed in red and with broad shoulders sneered.

The boy tried to kick him but was blocked by the man dressed in green who patted his chest to calm him.

"Sect Leader Li, it seems we have confused our guests" declared the last man of the group dressed in black and with a lock of white hair, scanning their reactions.

"You're right, it would be better to introduce us" the woman agreed and then smiled towards A-Mian.

"Okay! I'll start" the boy offered "My name is Fang Duobing, son of He Xiaohui, master of Tianji Hall, and finance minister Fang, Li Xiangyi's only disciple" he said, clasping his hands and bowing.

Master He widened her eyes turning towards her son. He couldn't believe that this young man was her Xiaobao. He was so healthy and strong and apparently Sect Leader Li's disciple but how could this happen? She had done so much to keep him away from Jianghu.

Li Xiangyi, on the other hand, didn't imagine that he would have a disciple one day, after all, he had only founded the sect a year ago. Apparently his fame would grow enough over time to have a disciple but why only one?

"My name is Yun Biqiu, director of the Baichuan Court and member of the Sigu Sect" then introduced himself the charming man with the white locks.

The young Biqiu wasn't that surprised, he knew that he would stay by Li Xiangyi's side but he wondered what the Baichuan Court was.

“Hey, I must say that Yun Biqiu was handsome when he was young,” Fang Duobing said in surprise, looking at him. “Not that you aren't now, Director Yun,” he chuckled.

“Yun Biqiu has always been charming, both in body and spirit” the green-robed man agreed, nodding.

Yun Biqiu blushed at those words.

"I don't think it's appropriate..." He murmured in embarrassment.

"It would be better to continue" the woman interrupted them smiling "I am Qiao Wanmian, Sect Leader of the current Sigu Sect" she announced with a slight bow.

Young A-Mian was stunned, how could she have become the Sect Leader? She slowly turned to look at Li Xiangyi. Had something happened to him? In fact, among his future selves she did not recognize her beloved. Her eyes filled with tears.

“If you are me…” she whispered with a lump in her throat “Then where is Li Xiangyi?” A dead silence fell. "He's..." The girl sobbed, staggering in understanding. Then something had happened.

Li Xiangyi wrapped an arm around her shoulders supporting her. He glared at the group.

"Hey, don't look at them like that, it's not their fault" the man with the lotus hairpin admonished him then took a deep breath "My name is Li Lianhua, miracle doctor who can bring the dead back to life" the broad shouldered man snorted "before my name was Li Xiangyi, former leader of the Sigu Sect"

At that revelation everyone opened their mouths in amazement. There was a long silent pause. How could that man be Li Xiangyi? His facial features were different.

“Hey, Li Lianhua, I think you broke them,” Fang Duobing laughed, “And you still haven't told them that you are Di Feisheng's husband.”

A loud gasp was heard at the side of the room. Li Lianhua looked in that direction and sneered.

"Still in the shadows huh? Hey, little Di Feisheng, why don't you join us?"

The young leader of the Jinyuan Alliance emerged from the shadows with an angry expression on his face.

"What you say are lies" he accused, grabbing his machete.

Li Lianhua shook his head and then patted the red-robed man on the shoulder. The latter rolled his eyes and said:

"I am Di Feisheng, Director and co-founder of the Jinyuan Alliance" the young A-Fei was taken aback by what he had said, the doctor urged the man to continue "Li Xiangyi's husband" A-Fei concluded through gritted teeth .

Li Xiangyi and Di Feisheng exchanged glances. Was theirs more than a friendship? The feeling that had blossomed recently was something unknown to both of them but now they had confirmation that one day they would get married. Strangely enough, Li Xiangyi felt that it was right.

Li Lianhua chuckled.

"It wasn't that hard was it?"

Di Feisheng turned to him, his facial features softening.

"It was classified information"

Fang Duobing snorted in amusement.

"But if all of Jianghu knows about it"

Di Feisheng took a threatening step towards him, making the boy step back in fear.

"Ah! Li Lianhua, A-Fei is mad at me again!"

The doctor sighed in exasperation as he stepped between them.

"Be good, you two"

Those present could not believe their eyes.

"This is ridiculous!" A Sigu Sect member exclaimed indignantly.

"How can we believe you?!" said another.

“That can't be Sect Leader Li, he looks like a crazy doctor,” someone else shouted again.

"We can't trust it! The director of the Jinyuan Alliance is here, they might be accomplices!" The room filled with voices full of doubt. Panic was slowly spreading through the crowd.

“SILENCE,” Li Lianhua thundered. At that moment he seemed like a different person. With his shoulders straight and his voice confident, he exuded a solemnity that only the leader of Jianghu possessed. Then a sly smile appeared on his face. "Well, now that I have your attention, how about we split up and try to figure this out?"

------

After restoring order inside the room and both parties having explained that a talisman had brought them there, one found inside the Lotus Tower and the other in the Sigu Sect, they decided to divide into small groups and search the pavilion. Fang Duobing, accompanied by Xiaobao who was thrilled by his adult and strong version, approached the strange white cloth. It didn't seem to have anything special but underneath it were two buttons, one with a triangle pointing to the right and one with a drawing of a man.

Suddenly the light that had blinded them and brought them there came back.

“Fang Duobing!”

"Fang Xiaobao"

"It was him!" The boy and the child exclaimed in unison, pointing fingers at each other.

"What is going on?" A familiar voice asked, a voice that made the blood boil in Li Lianhua's veins. He slowly turned towards the newcomer while a huge smile spread across Li Xiangyi's face.

“Shixiong!” The young leader rejoiced, running towards him followed by the members of the Sigu Sect.

"Shidi" Shan Gudao called him affectionately, placing his hands on his shoulders but he didn't seem the same Shixiong as when he left that morning before finding himself there.

“Leave the boy immediately,” A-Fei warned threateningly, unsheathing his sword.

"Ah, I see you're all here," Shan Gudao sneered, sinking his fingers into Li Xiangyi's flesh. The young leader of the Sigu Sect could barely suppress a grimace of pain, His shixiong had never been so brutal. Qiao Wanmian hurriedly pulled the others away from that man.

"What are you doing?!" Fang Duobing asked worriedly, he didn't like the way he was holding the smaller, disoriented version of Li Lianhua.

Suddenly Li Xiangyi found himself with a blade at his throat. That was definitely not his shixiong.

“I should have ended your life when you were still a kid,” Shan Gudao growled.

Di Feisheng moved towords them but A-Fei stopped him. The young man looked at him angrily but the other shook his head letting him know to wait and so Di Feisheng withdrew.

"Look at you, so young..." Shan Gudao whispered, grabbing Li Xiangyi's face with one hand "Your skin has always been so soft" he caressed the boy's cheek with his thumb, causing him to shiver with disgust, that man was not the shixiong he knew , he was an empty shell of his former self.

"Don't touch him!" A-Mian shouted disgusted by that gesture. Shan Gudao looked at Li Xiangyi with a mixture of jealousy and lust.

"Your anger led to your death" Li Lianhua began to say as he advanced towards them, Shan Gudao stepped back holding Li Xiangyi tightly "Do you want to repeat the experience?" And in an instant, the young Sigu Sect leader felt himself being pushed forward.

Fang Duobing grabbed Li Xiangyi while Li Lianhua together with A-Fei pinned Shan Gudao to the ground. With quick movements they had managed to free the young leader while landing the shixiong. An extraordinary display of skill from their future selves.

"Are you OK?" Fang Duobing asked examining Li Xiangyi's neck from which a small amount of blood was dripping. The young leader nodded as he watched his older self tie his shixiong to a chair. He didn't know what would happen in the future but it certainly wasn't anything good.

"Let me see,” Di Feisheng's voice woke him from his thoughts.

The young leader of the Jinyuan Alliance had moved Fang Duobing by taking his place and examining the wound on Li Xiangyi's neck. That gesture seemed to confirm that there was something between the two of them.

"You've known each other for a long time, haven't you?" A-Mian asked shyly, handing Di Feisheng a handkerchief to dab the wound with. The young leader of the Jinyuan Alliance took it without glancing at her and remaining silent.

“A-Mian, I…” Li Xiangyi wanted to explain the situation to her but couldn’t find the words to do so.

"Don't worry, I understand everything, he's the young master thet you meet in secret" the girl smiled at him. Of course, she didn't expect Li Xiangyi to like boys but she knew that their relationship wasn't destined to last. He needed someone around who might be able to follow his greatness, she wasn't that person. A-Mian patted his hand in understanding and then left them alone.

"Damn it A-Fei, were you born with those muscles? It hurt when you pushed me away," Fang Duobing muttered as he rubbed the arm that Di Feisheng had hit to move him.

“I train hard unlike someone” A-Fei replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You...!"

"Enough now," Li Lianhua admonished him.

They had just finished tying Shan Gudao and he began to feel a pain at the base of his head. They had to find a way to get out of there, one of the buttons Fang Duobing pressed could bring people into the room, the other one they still didn't know what it did. Furthermore, he had the feeling that Shan Gudao's appearance was only the tip of the iceberg and that more dangers would come.

“Fang Xiaobao, I told you not to touch anything!” Master He was heard shouting.

Everyone turned in their direction and saw that little Xiaobao had pressed the other unknown button. Suddenly a writing appeared on the white cloth.

Mysterious Lotus Casebook

[ropebunnykant]

love me or leave me

Instead they shared a home. They shared a bed. A bed they sometimes had sex in. But they’d been broken up for three months, right?

Complicated. That was what it was.

Or.

Alan and Wen's six year anniversary that never was.

Can be read on AO3 here.