#lotus tower memes

[lao-hulijing]

my small, humble selection of MLC memes thus far

[exitvelocities]

fic meme fill for @orchisailsa for the prompt: Post-canon DFS being uncharacteristically sweet and trying to kiss LLH in the kitchen to distract him while FDB sneaks behind them to try to salvage whatever he's attempting to cook

*

di feisheng waves smoke out of his face, frowning into lotus tower's kitchen. he doesn't know what exactly li lianhua is cooking up, but he doubts it's anything good. while his regular fare has improved, regaining his sense of taste has, if anything, made him more enthusiastic about his culinary experiments. di feisheng has even deigned to subject himself to some of them, mostly due to li lianhua's increasingly outrageous flirtations. while his indifferent mask and iron stomach are basically invincible, di feisheng can't say he's enjoyed the experience.

fang duobing, on the other hand, in the event of his visits, has neither of di feisheng's advantages and therefore is reduced to begging him for help. more often than not he plays along, simply because he enjoys having something to hold over fang duobing's head. today, fang duobing looks at him with pleading eyes and a series of hand gestures that make di feisheng scoff. still, he wades into the smoking kitchen and draws li lianhua away from the stove by the hips.

"xiangyi," he says, pulling li lianhua far enough away from whatever he's cooking to give fang duobing space to doctor it as he sees fit, "do you really have to go through so much trouble just because the brat is here?" fang duobing makes a face at him over li lianhua's shoulder, but di feisheng ignores him in favor of the bright smile beaming up at him from li lianhua's face.

"a'fei," he says, practically glowing, "i've told you before you don't need to be jealous of xiaobao. this is simply what a teacher should do for his student."

di feisheng purses his lips, mainly to keep from smiling. while he can't deny occasionally being possessive of li lianhua's time and attention, these little shows of jealousy are, more often than not, simply because they make li lianhua happy. "you've been cooking more every night he's been here," he says, because that's probably why fang duobing has reached the end of his endurance.

"his wife keeps him on a tight leash, he doesn't get to come that often," li lianhua says in his most reasonable tone, "i should spoil him when i can."

"are you sure that's what you're doing," di feisheng can't help asking, cognizant of the offended pause in fang duobing's frantic flailing at the stove even without looking at him directly.

"of course," li lianhua says, entirely sincere, "my shifu cooked for me every time i visited after i left yunyin mountain."

"ah," di feisheng says, because there's not much he can say to that.

"now stop distracting me," li lianhua says, starting to turn back toward the stove, "dinner will burn." well, that won't do.

"xiangyi," di feisheng repeats, and reels him back in to kiss. li lianhua relaxes into it after almost immediately, arms coming up to wrap around di feisheng's neck. he lets di feisheng's tongue nudge past his lips, sighing and tilting his head cooperatively, and for a moment they both indulge in the contact.

"what's gotten into you," li lianhua says, looking quite thoroughly kissed when di feisheng finally pulls back. behind him, fang duobing gives di feisheng a thumbs up as he scuttles out of the kitchen.

"nothing," di feisheng, letting his hands skim up and then down li liannhua's side before he reluctantly lets go. "can't i be affectionate?"

li lianhua laughs, presses another quick kiss to the corner of di feisheng's mouth, and turns back to the stove. he picks up the wooden spoon, tasting the contents of a steaming pot. "oh," he says, smiling, "not bad at all."

[thesilversun]

A little bit of something different for this WIP Wednesday - it’s not from Before the Dawn - although I am working part 8 of that. It’s also not the other fic - as that’s for an exchange and what I’ve written won’t be revealed for another month.

So here is a bit from the wip that I’ve mentioned in the wip fic memes a couple of times - the Difang to Difanghua fic.

The planned format for this will be three or four interconnected short (for me) fics of about 5k each. Planning on each being stand alone, so as not to keep people waiting for the next bit.

So this is currently a little bit from the start of it.

One month has passed since Li Lianhua had failed to appear on the beach.

One full month since that letter had been given to him on those wind blown sands.

One whole month, all the time that Li Lianhua had left to live without the Styx flower that he’d given away.

And still there has been no trace of him. Not alive and not, thankfully, dead either. All the same he is gone. He is gone and there is a hole in the world - in Fang Duobing’s world – it’s Li Lianhua shaped and no other can fill it.

It gapes like a raw, untreated wound. It wakes him gasping from sleep, turns food to ash in his mouth and makes his eyes sting with tears.

There is nothing left in his life but his search for him. It eats up every waking moment. Even sleep is no respite. Li Lianhua haunts his dreams, always one step ahead, just out of reach, leaving Fang Duobing chasing after him only for him to vanish like smoke in the breeze.

He has to find him. He has to. Because he doesn’t know what he’s going to do if he doesn’t. As long as he keeps looking, even he if doesn’t find him, then that is proof he is alive. Only a living Li Lianhua would be able to keep avoiding him and everyone else who is looking for him so thoroughly.

The full month of disappearance feels somehow symbolic, like it should be marked in some way. No that Fang Duobing can face that empty beach again, not yet. There is another place that’s equally fitting for this small anniversary: The Lotus Tower.

The winter’s afternoon is cold, but dry as he approaches it. Still parked where he left it weeks before, when he’d taken the horses to be stabled and cared for on a nearby farm. It looks forlorn as it waits, all closed up, beneath the trees bare branches. The shutters drawn, doors locked, dark and silent as an ancient tomb.

The fact that it is there at all hurts in a way that Fang Duobing had not expected it to. The fragile little hope that he’d not even realised the had, is shattered. Because if it were gone, surely it would mean he’d returned, that he’d picked up his life again. That he alive and well enough to travel.

Of course he’d be annoyed, he could stamp his feet and curse how annoying Li Lianhua is with all his tricks and lies. Then he’d chase after him, he find him sitting at his table outside enjoying the winter sun or in his kitchen cooking something of dubious edibility, acting like nothing had happened.

Hulijing would run over to him tail wagging, ready for a joyful reunion with her missing master.

Fang Duobing feels her nose at his hand, licking at it, before sitting quietly at his side.

He pats her head, a distraction against the how cold the evening air feels against his damp cheeks.

[bbcphile]

WIP Title Meme Answers (LLH's Plants)

Thanks for asking about my LLH's Plants reference/meta post for the WIP Title Meme, @fealiniel!

The short version is that, as far as I can tell, all of LLH's plants that we see in the Lotus Tower are vegetables rather than medicinal herbs. I have screenshots and IDs for them all (thanks to @eirenical and @the-surreptitious-albatross who both helped a lot!), and I have some thoughts about what this says about his approach to medicine vs using Yangzhouman, but I need to do more research into TCM to flesh that out. (I also want to read up on the various meals he serves and learn how they fit into the idea of food as medicine, re: nature/temperature, flavors/organ system associations, etc. to see if his bizarre meal creations are at all tied to that or if it's primarily because of his failing senses from Bicha (and/or because that's how his shifu cooked).

[lianhuajing]

the heart and ship meme—💘, for—well, whatever combination of the lotus tower boys that strikes your fancy. (coming up with a reason for all three of them to fake relationship might be hard. but...might be hilarious? 🤔)

💘 fake relationship / mutual pining / dared to kiss

"he's my fiance" li lianhua stated calmly, grabbing fang duobing by the chin and planting a wet kiss right on the surprised 'o' of his lips. he feels the quick swipe of a tongue against his, and all coherent thoughts leave him.

"i'm really sorry, miss su, but as you can see, i'm already taken and cannot accept your proposal."

fang duobing just nods his head, dazed and still thinking about the taste of li lianhua's sugary chapstick. he's not sure what he's agreeing to, but if it lands him more kisses, it can't be that bad, right?

--

di feisheng scribbles a little note on his hand, nodding at the display he just saw. maybe it'll finally get jiao liqiao off his case.

*some point later*

"i've given so much just to get a fraction of your affection! why can't you love me?" she cries, her tears making her red eyeliner run down her face like blood.

just as he's about to answer, someone awkwardly clears their throat. it was just like jiao liqiao to trap him in a public hallway. he looks over to see a familiar messy mop of hair he'd recognize anywhere and pulls li xiangyi close. any protest is muffled by the press of their lips, with di feisheng wrapping his arms around the smaller man's body so that he doesn't wiggle away.

"i'm gay," di feisheng deadpans, "i've never been interested in women."

li xiangyi just sighs, but he doesn't contradict him.

ask me :D

[adhdo5]

Official Twitter accounts of the Great Sects

Official Lotus Pier Twitter: barely ever used. They post things on Twitter for reach like once a month but Jiang Cheng refuses to participate in the twt circuit it's bad for his blood pressure and he has other shit to do than scroll TWITTER ALL DAY

Official Cloud Recesses Twitter: Also very businesslike and rarely used. Lan Xichen posts generally-addressed well wishes to everyone on it sometimes, but in moderation, and they're also very reserved and general. Our hearts go out to everyone in the wake of whatever tragedy type of shit

Official Carp Tower Twitter: Extremely businesslike in a different fashion. Posts five times a day at scheduled intervals. Cross-links other social medias. Glossy and extremely aggressive ad campaigning 100% of the time. Very obviously run by a sizable social media team

Official Unclean Realm Twitter: Nie Mingjue seems to think this is an actual communications platform. As aforementioned is constantly trying to make official complaints to the Carp Tower twt. If his increasingly un-genteel beefing wasn't enough Nie Huaisang is also using the account to post memes

[yumefag]

throwing my hat into the ring for @rexscanonwife 's meme! from the top, left to right

beau (beastars)

moth-man (atsv)

colby tonne (pizza tower)

corban rogers (stanley parable)

princess lotus / spring princess (adventure time)

sage lively/mcgill (brba)

zacharie/crybaby (inscryption)

harness (hxh)

[thawrecka]

First line meme

Tagged by @nemainofthewater:

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

In order from most recent to least:

"A few years before Dongfang Qingcang returned to life, Xiao Lanhua visited the mortal world to check on an old friend." [Journey's End], Love Between Fairy and Devil, DFQC/XLH/Changheng

"They find Li Lianhua on the beach. They also find a dead body." (I know that's two lines, ssh, I don't care) [As Many Chances as You Like], Mysterious Lotus Casebook post-canon fanghua

"The first time was after the first time they worked together." [After Last night], Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Shi Shui/Yang Yunchun

"The heady scent of thousands of flowers and the brightness of the sun crowded the room so heavily that it was overwhelming." [Flower Kiss], Love Between Fairy and Devil, XLH/Jieli

"The hundreds of flowers in Xiao Lanhua's greenhouse were all beautiful, all special, all lovely as they reached up to the light that suffused her home." [Sun is Coming In], Love Between Fairy and Devil, DFQC/XLH/Changheng wacky adventures

"When they found him on the beach Li Lianhua turned around and let them see his strange new form." [Floating Lotus], Mysterious Lotus Casebook post-canon genfic where the bicha poison turned Li Lianhua into a tentacle monster

""I have a method that might save his life," Di Feisheng said, one night during their long search, and revealed his plans." [One, Two, Three], Mysterious Lotus Casebook post-canon difanghua that is 90% shagging

"Fang Duobing was surprised when one of Li Lianhua's regular fond looks somehow led to them making out on the floor of Lotus Tower." [Lovers break not hours, unless it be to come before their time], Mysterious Lotus Casebook, fanghua drabble about premature ejaculation

"The moon was beautiful above them, and the wine they shared tasted better than any wine before." [Moon Viewing], Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Jin Youdao/Lu Jianchi drabble

"The weddings of the Chehu people aren't quite like that of the Han, but most weddings, no matter who married, didn't have the honor of a princess in attendance, clapping merrily." [A Long Awaited Wedding], Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Murong Yao/Chilong drabble

I feel like half my opening lines are incredibly plainn and the other half go on slightly too long, but a few are efficient and give you an idea what you're in for even without a summary. I think the only other thing in common is my particular writing voice. I have a tendency to fall into a bit of an old-timey childhood storybook tone, which is a bit awkward given some of the subject matter 🤣

Tagging: @popliar @proteinscollide @kaesaaurelia uh... anyone else who wants to, buggered if I can remember who all follows me 🤣

[roninhunt0987]

Kori Hamato's story

Kori Hamato's story By: Roninhunt0987

O.o alright this is where the b-day part for Umeko happens so ya.. X3 enjoy

Characters©belongs to their rightful owners

-Hospital-

Kori Hamato: -officially adopted as part of the family and also walking on krutches cuz got hit by Someone's car and her parents killed and only one survived and such and trips downstairs- WHOA!!

Jared: -catches her- got ya...

Kori Hamato: -quietly- thank you.. uhm.. can ya carry me plz

Jared: -gets her on his shoulders-

Suzuki: -smiles and pets the 16 year old Glaceon gal-

Kori Hamato; -smiles and purrs a lil- ^^ hehe

-at the house-

Kori Hamato: -watching tv as the b-day party has started as they surprised Umeko-

Lil Geni: -comes up to Umeko- X3 happy birthday Mommy

Umeko: X3 thanks Geni -nuzzles on her-

Lil geni: X3 hehe -walks on over and sits next to Kori Hamato watching tv with her and looks to Kori and does a raspberry- XP Pfft

Kori Hamato: -giggles at her niece there-

Raph: -snoozing-

Mikey: -tickles his nose-

Raph: -splats whip cream on his face- ARRRGGH MIKEY!!!

Mikey: -runs- XD HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Raph: -chases after mikey-

Gen'ichi: O_o;;;;;

Kori Hamato: does this happen a lot bro

Gen'ichi: .w. yup specially at the lair

Leo: -doing the animal poses with Gen'ichi jr and his sisters- this is the crane can ya do the crane

Gen'ichi jr and the others: -does so-

Leo: ^^ very good

Donnie: -does a magic trick and of course ends up turning eggman 2.0 into a rabbit-

Eggman 2.0: -as a rabbit- =w= not funny

Charcoal: -Kori Hamato's pet wolf and also being petting by Lil Geni and doing random grunt growling noises-

Lil geni: X3 heheheheeheheheh

everyone: -arrives finally for the party as they got Umeko's gifts and etc-

Umeko: -smiles as she already opening her gifts and such while the food is cooking

Sugar: ;3

Brevon: ;3 hey baby wanna go f**k

Multi: -towers over brevon anime style- STAY AWAY FROM MAMA YA BIOTCH!!! -kicks Brevon outside-

Brevon: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! -lands on Wario's car- SMASH!!!

Wario's Car: -insert meme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHrUJjS8qJU  -  SKI BIDI BOP MM DADA!! BLAM!!!

Wario: -runs outside- WHAT HAPPENED TO MY FRIGGIN CAR!!

Brevon: ouugghg... ouuugh

-Later that night after Kori found out Brevon was the one who ran over her and also killed her parents-

Kori Hamato: -on the couch still awake wondering who ran over her parents and her getting hurt-

Suzuki: -sitting next to her- hey can't sleep??

Kori Hamato: no...

Suzuki: hey ya did well kicking Brevon's ass for hurting ya and killed ya parents

Kori Hamato: -smiles a lil and nuzzles- thanks

Suzuki: X3 hehe

-hospital-

Brevon: -full body cast- .w.

Zack, Cal, Nero, TF2 Scout and Jet: XD DUMBASS!!!

Brevon: =w= go home folks

Scene: -small fart noise blacking out-

TFS Nappa: .3. the end

-XD END XD- -RH0987 PRODUCTIONS 2023-

@otakuneko-lotus

[robininthelabyrinth]

Prompt: JGY/WQ expansion from the Ship Meme fic you wrote--he does marry her and liberates the Dafan Mountain Wens.

ao3

The first Wen Qing heard of it was after they had already been rescued.

She’d been mindlessly heading to the Lotus Pier, desperate for help to find and rescue Wen Ning – Wei Wuxian would help her, she was sure of it; his sense of honor and obligation wouldn’t let him do anything else, and he was already so much of a social pariah in the cultivation world that it seemed impossible that anything he could do on her behalf would make his reputation any worse than it already was. She’d planned to throw herself at his mercy, then at his feet, and then, if that still didn’t work, to try to blackmail him with the knowledge she had, the story of what she’d done at his request, at what they’d both done to Jiang Cheng.

Only, when she got there, she didn’t have time to do any of that. Instead, Wei Wuxian raised her up at once and told her that it wasn’t necessary.

“They’re – safe?” she said blankly. “My family? A-Ning? They’re all safe?”

“There was a whole big to-do about it,” Wei Wuxian said. He looked apologetic. “You’re not wrong about the Jin sect using labor camps, prison camps, instead of resettling people like they’d promised – it’s just that it all already came out, causing a giant fuss. The Jin sect leader claimed he didn’t know and no one believed him, lots of arguing…the usual, really. Anyway, the remnants of the Wen sect, including most of what’s left of Dafan Wen, have all ended up actually resettled now. Lianfang-zun even asked for people from the Lan sect to make regular supervisory visits to make sure that they’re being well treated.”

“Lianfang-zun,” Wen Qing echoed. She’d never heard that name before in her life.

Wei Wuxian misunderstood her confusion and nodded. “It’s really rather impressive,” he said. “I mean, I knew he was impressive – Lianfang-zun was the one who killed Wen Ruohan in the end, after all, and I’m given to understand that his spying was very important to the Sunshot Campaign’s survival through some of the harder portions of the war, but it’s somehow even moreimpressive that he went up against his own father for the Wen sect’s sake. Even if it is the righteous thing to do, most people wouldn’t have, you know?”

None of those words made sense. The person who’d spied and killed Wen Ruohan had been –

“Meng Yao?”

Wen Qing remembered Meng Yao very vaguely. He’d been very polite to her any time they’d met, even when she’d been rude in return; he himself had needed medical services only very infrequently, a sign of how favored he was, and yet they interacted semi-regularly whenever she was called to assist in preserving the lives of some of the victims of the diabolical machines he’d invented to please her uncle.

There had been times when she’d been very rude.

Thinking back on it now, she thought she might have heard it said somewhere that Meng Yao was one of Sect Leader Jin’s bastards, the one that had gotten thrown out of Jinlin Tower with such dramatics that one time – she hadn’t thought much of it, other than that awkward time at the beginning where she’d incorrectly assumed his surname was Jin.

But none of that explained why he had suddenly taken the side of her kin. A man who did the work that Meng Yao had done was no righteous man, prone to irrational and impetuous acts of honor; he was a schemer, through and through – so what was his goal in doing this?

“Jin Guangyao, now,” Wei Wuxian corrected her. “He’s been officially recognized by the Jin sect, you’ll be happy to hear.”

“Happy?” she said blankly. “Why would I be happy?”

Wei Wuxian blinked at her. “Aren’t you two engaged?”

Wen Qing gaped at him.

“Oh, there’s no need to be shy! Lianfang-zun explained, everyone knows the whole story now – all about how you’d helped him with his spying in the Nightless City, covering up for him and helping him get out his messages out to our side to help out with the Sunshot Campaign, even helping save some of our people out of the Fire Palace, and of course all about how you two grew close at the time and swore that you’d marry once you both got out…” He trailed off, clearly seeing the disbelief on her face. “Am I getting something wrong?”

He was getting everything wrong.

Wen Qing had taken the coward’s way out of the war: she’d refused to bloody her hands by participating herself, but she’d done exactly nothing else to stop it or to stymie its effects. She’d even managed a Supervisory Office in Yiling, pretending that the forms she filled out were purely administrative and not the very real signs of the horrors her Wen sect’s soldiers were inflicting on the populace and that all the supplies she processed weren’t being used to feed and equip an army that was even now devastating the other sects; she hadn’t even messed up provisioning or sent people home instead of back out to fight…she hadn’t done anything that might have impeded their progress. Even Wen Ning had done more to oppose the war than she had – might have done even more than he had, if she hadn’t stopped him, afraid of the consequences that might fall on their heads if anyone found out about it.

She’d certainly never helped a spy pass messages back home. The closest she’d come to aiding the enemy was in helping Wei Wuxian with all that had happened with Jiang Cheng.

And she definitely hadn’t agreed to marry anyone!

“What exactly did Meng Yao say?” Wen Qing asked.

Wei Wuxian looked suspicious, but also confused, so he hesitantly answered: “He said just what I said, that you’d helped him and that you were engaged – he said that saving your brother and your people could be seen as his wedding gift to you.”

A chill slid down Wen Qing’s spine at that last bit. It wasn’t the lover’s declaration of faith that most people (including Wei Wuxian) were taking it as, she knew – since she knew, as they didn’t, that she and Meng Yao weren’tlovers. They had no oaths between them that needed honoring.

No – it was a threat.

Or rather, perhaps more accurately, it was an offer. It was as she’d suspected, Jin Guangyao being every bit as scheming as he’d ever been when he went by the name Meng Yao; it was only that she hadn’t expected to be the target of his latest scheme.

If she accepted and played along, her name would be cleansed through false acts that no one could disprove, her honor restored in the eyes of the cultivation world, her family safe and sound.

If she declined…

Wen Ning and Granny Wen and the rest were all still in Jin sect hands. Even with Lan sect ‘supervisors’, any number of terrible ‘accidents’ could happen….

The only thing she didn’t understand was why. Why would Jin Guangyao decide that he wanted to take her on as his wife? Based on what little she knew of him, he wasn’t the sort of person to have developed some sort of wild infatuation with her, though if he had she supposed he probably would have done exactly this – but he wasn’t, so it must be something that he thought she could offer him, something she brought to the table. Something so valuable that he was willing to go up against his sect and lose face in front of his father to get it for his own.

Her medical skills, presumably.

She supposed it made a certain amount of sense, in its own dark way. Back at the Fire Palace, Jin Guangyao had been a master of destruction – putting aside his machines, he still knew a thousand ways to kill a man, many undetectable; if he wanted to get his father out of the way in a believable way, he could do that all on his own, and none the wiser. But none of those skills in destruction would help him in getting into the good graces of his fearsome eldest sworn brother, whereas Wen Qing’s innovative approach to medical techniques might her invaluable to someone lingering on the precipice of a qi deviation. Her, and anyone who backed her.

If Jin Guangyao had decided to throw in his lot with Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen as his backing rather than Jin Guangshan, snatching her up to as a potential bartering tool to secure his place with them was perfectly logical.

It made sense.

Wen Qing didn’t have to like it, but it made sense. And that was something of a relief, in its own way. It meant that Jin Guangyao was acting logically, and logical people could be reasoned with – negotiated with. She might have to marry him, but she thought she stood a good chance of getting Wen Ning’s safety for real out of it.

Certainly a better chance than stealing him away with Wei Wuxian and trying to just out run everyone else would.

“…Mistress Wen? Is something the matter?”

“No,” she said, getting her emotions under control. “I hadn’t heard, that was all. I was just feeling relief. Could I ask you to take me with you when you go to see…to see Lianfang-zun?”

She put a smile on her face that she wasn’t sure she meant.

“I think we have a lot to talk about.”

[palimpsessed]

First Lines Meme

Rules: List the first lines of the last ten (10) stories you published. Look to see any patterns you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any. Then tag some friends.

Thank you to @captain-aralias @prettylightsbigcity @skeedelvee and @aristocratic-otter for the tags. As it happens, I have exactly 10 fics now, so I can actually do the full list! I’m a little surprised!

10. Slings and Eros

Great! O you, Muses, who create fine words, grant me, your supplicant, skillful tongue!

this fic opens with an invocation courtesy of epic poet Shepard, so also including first line of prose:

It's early when I get the summons.

9. Chamber by Chamber

Baz is squirming beneath me.

8. The Thrill of the Hunt

I’ve been doing better lately, I think.

7. It’s a Kind of Magic

I can tell it's happening almost before it does.

6. Sleeping with the Fishes

Oddly enough, Snow, that’s not the weirdest photo I’ve ever received.

this is the first text I wrote, rather than the first line of the fic, since this was co-written with @the-greater-grief. I’ll also include the first non-text line I wrote:

Simon Snow is an absolute fucking disaster.

5. Lotus-Eaters and Sirens

"Better tie you to the mast," he said, like I was Odysseus tempting fate with sirens.

4. To the Manor Borne

In the end, we wind up at Pitch Manor.

3. A Man of Letters

Dear Penny,

I know that you won't be surprised when I tell you that I do not like writing letters.

2. Use Your Words

I'm not sure how I'm supposed to do this.

1. At the Top of a Tower, With You

Strange that it should end here, where it all started.

I very clearly hate starting fics with any useful information unless it’s to do with setting a scene, and even that much is debatable. Short sentences, stating a fact, in the middle of a thought that won’t be explored in clarifying detail until at least the second sentence. This must be a method that works for me since it’s every single one. I think my style is usually slow build so this makes some sense.

No dialogue, except as one flashback/reflection, despite the fact that I love writing dialogue, and usually start working on potential character convos in my head prior to writing anything down. I guess this is good to know, that I’m not overly privileging dialogue.

POV-wise, we’ve got one Lucy, one Penelope, one Shepard, three Baz, and five Simon. One of those Bazes is the text fic where I’m only writing his parts, and the fic starts in Simon POV, so maybe it doesn’t count. I always feel most comfortable writing Baz, so it’s interesting to see I actually start with Simon most often, but he is our main character and most frequent canon narrator.

I will tag @the-greater-grief again and @bazzybelle @bloodiedpixie @stillmadaboutpetra @unseelieseelie @seducing-a-vampire @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists and @snowybank to do this or to say hi or both! 🥰🥰🥰

[exitvelocities]

a kiss out of envy or jealousy fic meme fill from discord. yes, there's almost definitely a threesome later. no, i'm probably not writing it.

*

upon stepping out of lotus tower on the thirteenth anniversary of the donghai battle, li lianhua registers three things at once: the moon is very bright, there is someone in the clearing wearing the flashy white and red of his own old sigu sect garb, and he is kissing di feisheng. "what's going on here?" li lianhua says, voice sharper than he means it to be. understandable, when one comes upon a stranger kissing one's husband.

li xiangyi — because that's indisputably who it is, once his face is visible — pulls away with a scowl, clearly displeased at being interrupted. di feisheng, for his part, looks faintly bemused. "what does it look like i'm doing?" li xiangyi says, chin lifted challengingly.

"kissing my husband," li lianhua says, tone acidic. "and you!" he turns to di feisheng, whose face is so carefully blank that he must want to smile, the jackal, "why were you letting him?"

"well, he wanted to kill me for your shixiong's body," di feisheng says, the corner of his mouth quirking in a way that's probably only visible to li lianhua, "so i had to explain a few things to him."

li lianhua turns back to li xiangyi. "and that made you kiss him why?"

"i don't see why only you should get to," li xiangyi says crossing his arms. "i have as much a right to him as you do."

"you do not," li lianhua cries. "you don't know what we've been through!"

"i do too, he told me," li xiangyi says.

"not all of it," di feisheng says.

li lianhua levels a finger at him, "you're enjoying this!"

di feisheng raises his hands placatingly, but li xiangyi cuts in before he can say anything. "why shouldn't he?" he says, "you can't even fight him anymore."

li lianhua sways like he's been struck, vision going white with fury. di feisheng is by his side before he can blink the anger out of his eyes, hand on his elbow holding him steady. "xiangyi?" he says softly and li lianhua shakes his head.

"you little brat," he says, waving a finger at li xiangyi. "just like always, you know nothing!" li lianhua grabs at di feisheng, pulling his head down and kissing him soundly. he feels di feisheng's eyelashes flutter against his cheekbones in surprise but he relaxes into it easily, lips parting for li lianhua's tongue. kissing di feisheng is familiar and comforting, and li lianhua loses himself in it for a moment before he remembers he's supposed to be teaching someone a lesson and pulls back.

li xiangyi looks like he's bitten into something sour. "well, whatever," he says. "you just have more practice than me right now, that's all." he turns and stalks up the steps of lotus tower like he owns it, ignoring hulijing's inquisitive bark. "i'm going to find something to eat."

"good luck," di feisheng mutters, but his gaze is soft when li lianhua turns to glare at him. "don't worry," he says, cupping the side of li lianhua's face tenderly. "i won't leave you. not even for a younger version of yourself."

"who said i was worried," li lianhua says with a sniff, eyes cutting away to hide the way his heart is full and trembling.

"i do still want to fight him, though," di feisheng says thoughtfully, and li lianhua swats at his face.

[thesilversun]

Writting patterns meme

Thank you @kingsandbastardz for the tag.

Although this is supposed to first lines of posted fic, I've already done that version recently - here

So these are from WIPs where I have something that will be probably be the first lines. Although this is first paragraph rather than first line.

New horizons sequel

Jinsha is a welcome sight, Song Lan thinks as the road descends from the wooded hills to the wide river valley, where the Juzhang river slowly winds its way eastwards.

2. Untitled beyond evil fic

The call arrives while Han Joowon is driving. The windscreen wipers fight against the incessant rain, while the headlights cut brightly through the winter night. The route and the reason for travelling is a familiar one these days. Manyang is like a second home, while the people there feel like the only real friends he's ever had

3. Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji stuck in the xuanwu cave AU

It had been a split second decision to push Wei Wuxian, self-sacrificing fool that he is, into the water. He had already managed to get himself branded, and Jiang Cheng absolutely doesn’t want to see what other foolhardy thing he might do if he isn’t promptly moved out of harm’s way

4. Sangcheng spanking fic

“Next time you should spank me.”

For a moment Jiang Cheng isn’t sure that he has heard Nie Huaisang correctly. They are both for want of a better word fucked out. Sprawled on Huaisang’s ridiculously comfortable bed, sweat drying on their skin, bodies relaxed and warm in the afterglow of sex.

5. Di Feisheng nightmares/headaches as past (pre Di Fortress) memories come back.

It starts slowly. Everything has been peaceful, in fact Di Feisheng can’t remember a time when he has had less to do or less stress in his life.

The three of them live in the Lotus Tower. They farm and cook, they repair what needs repairing, they add what needs adding - such a bed sufficient to accommodate all three of them on the nights where that is what they need

6. Set in same time line as Under Moonlight and Soft as Snowfall - Li Lianhua’s peanut allergy resurfaces now he’s no longer poisoned

While the bridge at Xinqiao village (新桥村) would once have been new enough to give the village its name, now it is old and in need of repair. So much so that it creaks ominously as three of them, closely followed by Fox Spirit, cross it.

Beneath its ancient wooden span the slow, wide river winds its way eastwards to the sea

7. Also set in same time line as Under Moonlight and Soft as Snowfall - basically - Li Lianhua wakes up, other parts of him are awake too - unfortunately dfs is away until and no one seems to want to give him a few minutes peace to deal with it himself.

Waking up warm and comfortable is still a novel experience after so many years of ill health. Laying cocooned and snug in his blankets, Li Xiangyi isn’t entirely sure what has woken him so early. Nothing bad at least. Neither in reality or within his mind. The fact that he’s alone in his bed this morning is less pleasing however.

8. Wuyan backstory

Hands tied together he stumbles along with the other boys that have been taken (stolen, ripped away, seen them slaughtered) from their families and homes. He’s one of the older ones at eleven, but he’s always been small for his age and can easily be thought a year or two younger. It’s this that has kept him alive

9. Sea in Storm (au from East Sea battle - dfs becomes aware lxy is poisoned during the fight)

The sword pierces Li Xiangyi’s shoulder, but he doesn’t stop. Di Feisheng pushes it in further, keeping him down on the rain soaked deck, trying to get him to admit defeat. It’s wide blade and the damage it will cause will be severe were to go all the way through, but Di Feisheng knows that if he is to subdue Li Xiangyi, to make him stop long enough to both admit defeat and to listen to what he’s got to say then it will need to be.

10. Untitled (a couple of months or so pre study arc, Lan Wangji accidental sees Lan Xichen and Nie Mingjue)

He hadn't meant to see them. He truly hadn't expected anyone to be down at the cold springs, not with night having fallen and the moonlight only just starting to spill silvered light through the trees and onto the water.

There on the water's edge, their bare skin illuminated in the soft light are his Xiongzhang and the young leader of the Nie sect.

-- Patterns

having a clear location where things are happening

rarely any dialogue in first paragraph

As a lot of people have done this one, I'll leave it as a free tag for any one who wants to have a go.

[bbcphile]

For the fic writers ask meme: 17 and/or 37

Thanks for the asks, @the-surreptitious-albatross , and sorry it has taken me some time to respond!

17. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

I usually write the scenes in order, from start to finish. The closest I come to doing things out of order is that sometimes I will jump ahead and do a detailed outline of a later chapter if I think of ways I want it to be in conversation with an earlier one (eg. if there are interesting parallelism, or thematic commonalities), and often my outlines start with bullet points and then end up basically being very rough drafts, complete with pages of dialogue and the emotional beats or notes on where to add descriptions. And I guess with my current long MLC fic, I wrote a few drafts of the first few chapters, then did 15k of outlines/incredibly rough drafts for later chapters, and then the other day realized what was bugging me about how I had written the first chapter, so I went back and completely rewrote it. So I guess in that regard, I jump around, because I might go back and totally reconceive of a chapter based on something I want to do with character development later. (This is why I don’t post fics on AO3 until they’re done; I do a truly absurd amount of rewriting.)

37: Talk about your current wips.

I’m honored that you want to hear about it! I actually have 4 for Mysterious Lotus Casebook fics (3 with absurdly detailed outlines, but only one that I’m actively drafting), so for now, I’ll just talk about the one I’ve worked the most on. 

Post-canon (OT3) Beach fic:

tw/cw: suicide attempt, off-page non-consensual medical procedure

When Li Lianhua’s shiniang tried and failed to sacrifice herself to save Li Lianhua against his will, he fled to the Donghai beach, intending to die before she could catch up with him because he can’t endure the idea that someone else he cared about might die for him. Di Feisheng and Fang Duobing find him first and save his life for the moment, but are horrified to discover the truth that Li Lianhua can’t lie his way out of: that the damage from the survivor’s guilt of everything he’s been through is just as dangerous as the damage from Bicha poisoning. With each of them reeling from the traumas of the past year (Li Lianhua from Shan Gudao’s betrayal and now medical PTSD from his shiniang’s procedure, Fang Duobing from almost losing Li Lianhua and being terrified to let him out of his sight in case he goes straight back to the water, and Di Feisheng from the abuse at the hands of Jiao Liqiao), they have to figure out how to face everything they pushed aside to save the country, and in the process, learn that the hardest battles aren’t fought with swords.

To read an excerpt, follow this link: (x)

I was going to write up synopses for the others, but I’m out of energy (and don’t want to sit on this ask for another week or so to write them out), so I’ll just do quick teaser/keyword summaries for the others:

Missing Scene Fic: Di Feisheng’s first night in Lotus Tower (featuring him finding the Yinzhou armor being used as a potholder, his feelings on having his meridians and qi blocked, and helping LLH after a nightmare so it doesn’t wake up FDB and give away his identity.)

Pre-Canon: Yinzhou armor backstory, Sigu sect waterfall spars, and LXY/DFS first time; set the evening after Shan Gudao resigned from the Sigu Sect

5+1: FDB and DFS sharing the Lotus Tower guest bed (from FDB’s POV, covering the entire show + post canon)

[xiyao-feels]

jin ling for the ask meme! 🙏👀

-Technically a Fairy fun fact, but: Fair is waist-high/half the size of a person!

-JL has seen both his uncles go night-hunting; at least before seeing LWJ fight at Yi City, he thought they were the best cultivators in the world.

-Since childhood, JL lived part of the time at Jinlintai and part of the time at Lotus Pier.*

-JGY gave Fairy to him when Fairy was still a puppy and JL was only a few years old.

*As you can see below, ER has when he was a child, but MDZS Translation has since he was small and in this case I favour the MDZS Translation.

Fairy's size and fur colour, ch. 20:

Exiled Rebels:

As he turned around to look, a black-haired spiritual dog of waist height went out of a corner, dashing straight at him. The cries of fear on the street came closer and closer, louder and louder, “A mad dog’s on the loose!”

MDZS Translation:

Turning his head, he saw a black-maned spirit dog half the height of a man swing around the corner and bound directly toward him. Along the street, the cries of fear grew louder and louder and nearer and nearer. “A vicious cur’s on the loose!”

JL on his uncles, ch. 38:

Exiled Rebels:

He had seen Jiang Cheng and Jin GuangYao go on night-hunts and kill beasts, which made him think that his two uncles were the two most powerful cultivators in the entire world.

MDZS Translation:

He had seen Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangyao in action during night hunts beheading monsters, and thought his uncles were the two most powerful cultivators in the world.

JL having grown up in both Jinlintai and Lotus Pier, ch 38:

Exiled Rebels:

When Jin Ling was young, he was brought up by two sects. He lived at the LanlingJin Sect’s Jinlin Tower half the time, and the YunmengJiang Sect’s Lotus Pier the other half, so he should be carrying belongings from both sects.

MDZS Translation:

Jin Ling had been raised by both clans since he was small. He would live at the Lanling Jin Clan’s Jinlin Terrace for a while, then live at the Yunmeng Jiang Clan’s Lotus Pier.

Fairy and JL's age when he receives Fairy, ch 110:

Exiled Rebels:

Fairy was waiting anxiously outside for his master, barking a couple of times. Hearing the barks, Jin Ling suddenly remembered that when Fairy was still a clumsy little puppy that couldn’t even reach his knees, Jin GuangYao was the one who brought it over.

Back then, he was only a few years old. [...]

[legendwrote]

100 Kisses Meme | status: open

@equessanctus​ asked: “7. forehead against forehead ( for Jingyi~ from Zizhen )”

  ⚍☯⚎ The night was warm, pleasant, a breeze wafting in through open windows rustling sheer curtains and causing a hanging chime somewhere on the grounds to twinkle as it passed. Lotus Pier was fragrant this time of year when the petals in the water unfolded and released their sweet gifts into the atmosphere, and as such the young males chose most often to visit Yunmeng in their time away from their duties during the Summer months and to stay with Jin Ling at his uncles’s stronghold. It was more peaceful here than at Koi Tower, and despite Sandu Shengshou not being the most friendly of hosts he allowed his nephew’s friends to accompany the young lord as long as they did not cause trouble. 

  Whether or not pilfering a pot of wine from the cellars and sipping on it through the evening while laughing and playing games in Jin Ling’s room counted as trouble, well... at least they were well-contained, were they not? 

  It was passed nine o’clock already, and Sizhui being the good Lan he was had drifted off to sleep first, lulled by the few meager sips he’d partaken in. Jin Ling was not far behind, finding that Jingyi and Zizhen were growing more intolerable the sleepier he became, particularly without Lan Sizhui to play the diplomat. This left the cunning pranksters in question sitting by themselves in the corner of the room, chatting between themselves with the empty jar between them. Jingyi was fortunate to have his mother’s blood in him to counterbalance the infamous Lan alcohol tolerance — or rather lack thereof. He might have been a bit belligerent earlier, but by now he’d coasted into a contented lull, listening to the wind rustling through the trees while they talked of Baling and Gusu and anything that came to mind. 

  He had not noticed the point in which his gaze had become vigilant, locked on the other’s face as Zizhen chuckled and rambled about something he’d lost track of some time ago, the moon having come out from behind cloud cover to cast its silver glow around the male and painting him oddly radiant. He’d always thought Zizhen had a good look about him, his laugh earnest, his clever wit giving him a glint to his eye. It was understandable that the girls in Baling favored him, he supposed, considering he was his father’s heir, but until now he had not fully appreciated what they saw in the male. Or at least he hadn’t admitted it. 

  They sat close already, shoulder to shoulder, arms pressed in order to speak without waking the others. He had not realized how close until he found the other male gazing up at him expectantly, perhaps waiting for an answer. Lan Jingyi was not sure what possessed him to lean in a bit further other than that it was easy. . . it felt natural to gravitate toward him like this, and he caught only a glimpse of curiosity in the other’s expression before he brushed his lips against the other’s own — faint. Barely a kiss. He would wait a moment to make sure he was not rebuffed before, as if drawn to the glow of him like a moth to flame, he kissed him again a little more assuredly this time, letting his lips linger on the other’s own until the red hot flush of self-consciousness crawled up his neck to his cheeks, forcing their lips apart with only their foreheads to press against one another. 

  He swallowed a tremor of breath, blinking a few times before he met the other’s eyes, whispering, “s-sorry... I didn’t hear the question.” ⚍☯⚎