#mdzs restaurant au

[peupeugunn]

an mdzs transmigration fic where the characters transmigrating into canon are just. the same characters from a different au. like, lan wangji transmigrates from a modern au where everyone's just normal*? or nie mingjue transmigrates from a chef au where he was a world famous chef and ran his own restaurant**. or wei wuxian transmigrates from a spy au where he had a torrid romance with a dangerous assassin***.

or jin zixuan, qin su, meng yao and mo xuanyu transmigrate from a dystopian au and honestly don't know how to feel about the fact that canon is worse. or lan xichen and jiang cheng transmigrate from a pacific rim au and are equally incredibly confused and elated by the flying on swords thing, and also cultivation in general.

bonus points for the transmigrator knowing literally nothing about the plot. extra bonus points if there's multiple transmigrators from different aus and all of them are desperately trying to act normal, which is fruitless because everyone who knows them is also a transmigrator and trying to act normal.

*lan wangji somehow becomes the most well adjusted person in the jianghu. literally no one was expecting that.

**he also finds out that being a sect leader is kind of like managing employees except for the horror movie elements of night hunts and people get scandalised when he wants to cook his own meals. nie huaisang figured him out within five minutes of conversation, which is slightly embarrassing but whatever. he also gets into a fierce competition with jiang yanli that he carried with him from his previous life.

***the assassin being lan wangji, obviously. wei wuxian is kind of confused about this new lan wangji being so morally upright but it's kinda endearing, in a way.

[a-sky-full-of-ideas]

My favourite jobs of MDZS characters in a modern AUs (that aren’t business men cause that’s too obvious) and why, in no specific order!

WWX

Graphic designer (XZ former job, freelancer)

Gardener (he loved it !!)

Athlete (all rounder)

Photographer, specifically landscape/storms or otherwise on site stuff (free/unbound)

Artist (freelancer and creative)

Flutist

Band member specifically bassist and lyricist

DJ (free)

Influencer (is he not basically that lol)

YouTuber

Journalist (he loves to annoy ppl and find things out that they’d rather not want)

Talk show host/interviewer

Stunt man (he loves the adrenaline)

Crazy scientist/engineer (achieve the impossible)

Basically anything that is full of freedom, where he can travel wherever, whenever he wants! Something unbound to a place and by his own rules.

LWJ

Vet (he loves those bunnies so much)

Classical musician

Music teacher (loves music/good with kids)

Fashion designer (have you seen his wardrobe)

Librarian/archivist (he likes order)

Judge on a music competition show (we know he loves to judge ppl but also bring out the best in them)

Influencer, doesn’t talk in his videos at all, just shows the skill, wether it’s cooking, martial arts or music

Journalist (helps ppl and cares for the uncomfortable truth, no qualms running to the end of the world for it)

Critic (wether it’s restaurants or movies, judgemental but eloquent and fair)

Anything traditional and well regarded but that is supporting one or more of his interests. Then again he can be a judgmental and rebellious.

JC

Architect ( “rebuild the Yunmeng clan to its former glory” or sth. Also fashion for buildings but very logical, precise and pragmatic and mostly a highly regarded job)

Fashion designer (have you seen his wardrobe?!)

Lawyer (dude loves to argue and scare ppl but also cares for the right ppl to be punished aka 2in1 for him)

Meteorologist (who best to read the incoming storm but the storm himself ?)

YouTuber, specifically cooking channel “cooking with juijui” aka for JL

Gym teacher (we see him train his new disciples)

Swimmer (best swimmer of YM or what ? Drowns out his thoughts and focuses on his body which at least he knows)

Librarian/archivist (he likes order and is stuck in the past)

Dog trainer

Vet/animal shelter owner (he loves those dogs so much and if he can’t have them he’ll at least treat them)

For him I love the two extremes of either sth that his parents will highly approve of cause it gets them money and status or sth that is completely just for himself and his interests, be it animals or his nephew

LXC

music teacher ( loves music and good w/kids)

Art teacher ( can draw and good w/kids)

Librarian (quite life he craves )

Professor

Flutist

Classical musician (traditional)

Yoga teacher

Voice actor for self help books and stuff

Judge (fair but steadfast)

Museum director (traditional and honoring the past)

Born a teacher I believe. Patience of a saint, not condescending at all and skilled at everything he does. Doesn’t need the fame of being a pro.

Some obvious ones

Wen Qing = doctor

JYL = Cook (Restaurant or celebrity with talk show)

NHS = fashion designer

NMJ = personal trainer

Feel free to add!

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

MDZS modern with cultivation AU in which WWX is a mukbang/eat with me type of youtuber/tiktoker who either eats his own insanely spicy foods or tries crazy combinations from various restaurants/fast food chains while talking shit about the cultivation world or describing inventions he's working on etc

LWJ finds LSZ and LJY watching (on the big 4k living room tv) enraptured as this very attractive man dumps a whole container of chilli flakes on his cheesy fries and talks about how to improve talismans and whatever

And he gets an immediate crush on him

[lansplaining]

For the AU meme: MDZS gang working at a fast-food restaurant

oooh love this

CONTRARY TO POPULAR AND INACCURATE FANON Jiang Cheng works the register because he's very good at it! He can do math quickly in his head, but he's also efficient, good at managing the line, and polite without taking up too much time about it. Branches across the city are desperate to have Jiang Cheng on the register when there's some dumb special release that goes viral.

One time there was a hurricane warning and regional manager Wen Chao came by and wrote up everybody he caught checking their phones for, you know, information about the storm and whether they'd be able to get home safely after their definitely-not-closing-early shift.* *based on a true story

There is one persnickety deep fryer that only Nie Huaisang can operate. He insists he doesn't do anything differently, which means that everyone else concludes it must recognize him and know his touch, and thus it is hopeless for anyone else to try to make it work. Nie Huaisang is absolutely not resigned to his fate.

Meng Yao's spying takes the form of undergoing a special (paid) management training course while simultaneously secretly organizing a union vote.

[evilhasnever]

any mdzs thoughts for previous jobs u have held for an au? (badly worded ask for the specific au ask game)

Private University AU:

Lan Xichen is an art history professor as well as the Dean's nephew, and he relly wanted to be an artist fulltime but his family never allowed him to entertain the possibility. Now he paints and does little solo exhibitions as a side gig, but he does not have nearly enough time to dedicate to them and he is almost... embarrassed about doing art halfheartedly, or so he sees it. Fortunately, he likes people though his feelings on teaching are simply neutral. Also, he can see Meng Yao every day... he tries to stay positive!

Lan Wangji doesn't want to be a professor, and fully expected nobody to sign up for his music theory classes because, for the most part, he does not speak - he puts his slides up on the projector and then plays the music in question. He is both shocked and strangely pleased when students consistently show up - not many, but the same little group every time. He overhears in the corridor that they think he is "the coolest".

Wei Wuxian works at the university cafe. LWJ finds it infuriating that he has no interest in pursuing a PhD, because Wei Ying's thesis on the psychology of music changed his life. (the big reveal is that WWX is still working on his research, just on his own time and using uni credentials to access the library and borrow sources because they never revoked his student account). The university cafe is open to the public as well, and some kids from the nearby elementary school wander in sometimes because WWX gives them whatever pastries are left.

Meng Yao is an assistant language teacher working for a multinational dispatch company. He works part time, but spends pretty much his entire day at uni prepping materials and doing his own research. Lan Xichen makes a point to invite him to eat in the student cafeteria with him every day (the first time he asked, he mentioned taking him to a restaurant right outside campus where he often eats, but Meng Yao looked terrified at the prospect of leaving campus even for 30 minutes, so LXC course corrected!) JGS keeps saying the family visa will come through eventually, but in the meantime he needs to get by on a provisionary work visa which means he literally cannot quit his job at the dispatch company or he will be deported. Lan Xichen doesn't know this, and thank god, because otherwise he would immediately offer to marry him for a spouse visa and things would get even more awkward.

Nie Huaisang has been a student for six years and still hasn't finished his bachelor's degree. In fairness, it's because NMJ chose it for him and would not allow him to switch majors! NHS's idea of passive resistance is to do the bare minimum to stay in uni, but waste as much time (and money) as possible in doing so. He spends all of his time in the cafeteria playing geocaching games and swiping dating apps without doing anything about it. Sometimes he goes to classes that are entirely unrelated to his studies (like Lan Xichen's) just to hide away and people-watch, and because he knows LXC would never rat him out. Also he may be writing rpf of LXC and Meng Yao because he sucks. ;)

[tossawary]

Rules: Share the first line of ten of your most recent fanfics and then tag ten people. Don't have ten? Not to worry, just share what you have. Tagged by @otakuchan449.

I did all of my fics, which are unsurprisingly all SVSSS, because I was curious as to the patterns. I usually like to name the POV character and illustrate their style of narration in the first paragraph, which is generally humorous, so people know quickly whether or not they're going to vibe with my style. I also like starting in the middle of a situation / inciting incident if possible, so we can hit the ground walking briskly if not running, and get to the good stuff.

23. Shang Houhua - someday unfortunately to be known as Shang Qinghua, once unfortunately known in another life as Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky - came back to himself abruptly. (if words could make wishes - WIP MBJ Time Travel AU from SQH POV)

22. If the System was to be trusted, which it generally was when it came to making Shang Qinghua’s life worse for no good reason, then today was the day! (Stepping Up - 90k Canon Divergence AU, An Ding Disciple LBH)

21. Shen Yuan was conscious when he was reborn, though he didn’t know what was happening at the time, because all he knew at first was pain and golden dust. (Sit With Your Soul - 61k SQQ & SY Daemon Fusion AU)

20. Shang Houhua was thirteen going on, uh, fourteen plus a whole other life that sometimes felt more like a dream than something that had actually happened. (hey, share the weight a little - 70k Canon Divergence AU, YQY/SQH)

19. “Shifu? Forgive the interruption, but there’s a woman here to see you?” (love to the ones I've never met - 83k Fic Companion, Dimension Travel)

18. Jiahui just needs to check that her restaurant hasn’t burned down. (forgiveness for whose sake? - 48k Fic Companion and Epilogue)

17. Luo Binghe knows he isn’t supposed to be doing what he’s doing, but given that he has no other way of getting answers, he does it anyway. (you had me at hello - 5k Non-Canon Fic Extra)

16. “My king, don’t touch that-!” (A Child Once - 101k Canon Divergence AU, Deaged SQH)

15. The world was dark, woven from a black so infinite that it looked flat, and it was full of light. (Catch a Falling Star - 122k Bingliushen Stardust AU)

14. Shang Qinghua woke up having a bad day - forget going through puberty twice, because in this transmigrator’s opinion, having to experience a new round of “first day of school” bullshit year after year was worse - and speed-walking through the Cloud Recesses wasn’t helping him get through it any faster. (Nothing to Me, Nothing to You - 60k Moshang MDZS AU)

13. Mobei-Jun’s search for Shang Qinghua had taken him to many strange places. (dreams that had never come true - 14k MBJ Time Travel AU)

12. It would be a lie to say that Shang Qinghua wasn’t too sure what had happened. (every haircut I've ever had has been a bad haircut - 5k Moshang Hurt/Comfort)

11. The situation was bad. (Babe in the Woods - 19k Canon Divergence AU, MBJ has a baby brother)

10. Shen Qingqiu was perfectly capable of piloting his own ship, but that day, like many others, found Liu Qingge leaning against a column by the hangar entrance, waiting for Shen Qingqiu as he prepared to leave Qing Jing Peak Temple. (this point of pale light - 18k Liushen Star Wars AU)

9. Liu Mingyan was the model of a refined and accomplished cultivator. (but that's fine because I like a hot mess - 3k Mingling Getting Together)

8. Shen Qingqiu had made use of many excuses over the years to avoid the presence of the man who was now his own sect leader, some of which had even been good. (the ability to remain sober and gracious - 4k Canon Divergence AU, Qijiu Xuan Su sword reveal)

7. Shang Qinghua’s head hurt and his eyes were watering and he was beginning, just maybe, to think that creating an experimental stimulant because he missed the non-organic goodness of energy drinks with an unreasonable passion had been a bad idea. (anxiety and caffeine are having a cockfight in my brain - 2k Moshang Hurt/Comfort)

6. The library’s front door flew open so violently that it could be heard even at Shen Yuan’s desk nearer to the back of the main hall, which sat in front of the way to the computer rooms. (Absolutely Ineffable - 10k Good Omens Fusion AU)

5. Once there was a summer in which upon arriving home from university, Shen Yuan was immediately told that he was being sent away to the heart of the country to stay with his distant uncle, whether he liked it or not. (The Red Cabinet - 7k Narnia Fusion AU)

4. It took… Shang Qinghua… a while to figure out that demons actually had horns in this realized version of his sellout stallion web-novel. (Horns - 11k MBJ has sexy horns AU)

3. So, apparently, a portal burning with demonic energy had opened up over Qing Jing Peak and another Shang Qinghua had fallen out of it, and the wound in the sky had unfortunately closed again pretty much immediately. (ever wonder if the person in the puddle is real - 7k Non-Canon Fic Extra, SQH meets AU SQH)

2. So, Airplane Shooting Towards The Sky, the dearly despised and fervently favorited author of Proud Immortal Demon Way, died in a vaguely humiliating fashion… and then he transmigrated. (it must follow, as the night the day - 26k Moshang Role Reversal AU, Demon SQH and Cultivator MBJ)

1. Shang Qinghua has not been having a stellar transmigration experience. (pride is not the word I'm looking for - 400k Canon Divergence AU, LBH's Mother Lives)

This serves as a pretty good round-up of all my currently posted fics! There are far too many in my WIP folders to begin including everything in there.

I've been a little out of touch with reading fanfiction lately, so please, if you wish, take this post as an opportunity to participate in this game and tag me in it! I highly recommend taking a moment to revisit and admire your own fan works! Look at all that cool stuff you did! If you only have WIPs, then I don't mind if you use WIPs. Sometimes our pieces of writing are full, intensely detailed paintings that take years to complete and sometimes they're just rough sketches we do to warmup or have creative fun when we have the time, and sharing both is nice.

And if you don't have your own fan works to pull from, then I'd still love to see a list of opening lines from some of your favorite fics by other people. Any fandom you like! Give me those fic recs! Give me the opening lines of your favorite published novels if there's one you've been itching to gush about.

[muttthecowcatridesagain]

My GOAT fanfic rec list

I was going through my bookmarks the other day and decided to make a greatest of all time fanfic rec list (at least in my opinion). These are IN ORDER - or at least I tried. They're all great so it's hard to choose. I want to bookbind all of these one day

Starburst by dracoangelic and GingerD - Stardew Valley, Shane/Farmer - Literally the best fanfic I've ever read!!! The author's OC is one of the main characters and is so well done! The world is expanded in the best way. The ending is perfect. I can't say enough!!!

Dresden by hedera_helix - attack on Titan, Eruri - Historical/WW2 AU - The 2nd best fanfic I've ever read and the best historical au. The setting fits so well with the characters. The grief of the war and of being queer during that time period. There's so much here

Victor Effing Nikiforov by shysweetthing - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri - My favorite YOI fic and the best oneshot! It's cute, funny and has a great plot twist!! Love

This is Not a Courtship by midnightsnapdragon - MDZS, Xicheng, unfinished - WOW this is a recent fic but there's so much sexual/emotional tension that builds up so gradually and is SO well done

Les Mignardises by idiopathology - Detroit Become Human, Reed900 - best chef au, I LOVE this fic, I love food and I love reading about characters who love food. The best chef/restaurant AU that I've ever read

Eighteen Wheels on an Uphill Climb by blackeyedblonde - Detroit Become Human, Hankcon, Trucker AU - once again an au that fits perfectly with the characters! as someone from the us south, this fic is nostalgic and fun. A calming read with a sweet ending

Beneath Your Bones by cloudsmachinations - Thor Series, Thorki - I'm surprised it's taken a thorki fic this long to show up on my list but like I said many tough decisions were made. This fic is SO GOOD. I won't call it a soulmate au, because it's not, it's a host? au I guess but so well done. LOVE and my favorite thorki fic

Beside the Dancing Sea by lily_winterwood - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, selkie au - wow my favorite mermaid/selkie fic of all time and a yoi classic, unfortunately it seems it got deleted from ao3 and is in the process of being uploaded again

On My Love by RikoJasmine - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, unfinished - there's not many unfinished fics that made the list but - this one deserves to be here. A "back in time" AU that's famous in the YOI fandom. It's SO SWEET and definitely worth the read.

Unwritten by kaizuka - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, Soulmate AU - my favorite soulmate AU of all time and a YOI classic. I'm pretty sure it was the first yoi fic I ever read. It's so good, sweet and fits perfectly with the series

Stormbreaker by ladylapislazuli - Thor Series, Thorki, unfinished - another "back in time" AU, Wow where do I begin, this fic is so well written and famous in the thorki fandom, the last and most recent chapter is my favorite, it hits so many emotions, shows so much character growth, Thor faces a lot of feelings about his family, unfinished but the feelings it expresses are worth the read

Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches by Reiya - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, Enemies to Lovers AU - I think this is the single most well known yoi fic and for good reason, a slow burn enemies to lovers Victuuri AU, it's just so good

Not in Peace and Not in War by justrae2010 - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, Historical/War AU - my 2nd favorite historical AU ever. The first chapter was originally written as a stand alone for a big bang and the writing in that alone is amazing!!

Animals by stereobone - Attack on Titan, Eruri, Prison AU - my favorite prison AU of all time, it fits so well with eruri and the burn is slow

The act of just being here by Euphorion - SVSSS, Bingqiu - a post canon fic, WOW I LOVE this fic, Shen Yuan having more character growth and letting himself love more, it's perfect, the writing is amazing!

What Gangsters Do by tristinai - Detroit Become Human, Reed900, gangster AU - this is a oneshot that's part of a larger series, however this particular fic is SO WELL Done, Nines goes from hating Gavin to loving him within a few paragraphs and just wow, that's writing goals right there

Just in it for the game by grim_lupine - Thor Series, Thorki, fake relationship AU - I LOVE this fic, it's hilarious, a post Ragnarok fic that's funny and sweet

A Matter of Cats by cato_universe - Detroit Become Human, Reed900 - this is a Nines centric fic and I LOVE it, such a comfort read, libraries, cats, and love

How long we were fooled by Ark - Thor Series, Thorki - famous thorki fic that looks at their relationship throughout the series and at thor's lightening powers, LOVE

Retrograde by bughnrahk - Detroit Become Human, Hankcon, failed revolution end - wow I LOVE this fic, it's so fast paced and thrilling

The Rules for Lovers by ADreamingSongbird - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, royalty AU - another classic yoi fic and one of my favorite royalty fics

Resplendent - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri, Hades and Persephone AU - this fic has been taken down but I still had to rec it, it's beautiful

No Ordinary Love by TheFlashFic - Marvel Captain America, Sambucky, Hanahaki AU - this is the best Hanahaki AU I've ever read, so well done

and this fire in my veins by citruspromenade - TGCF, fengqing - a fuck or die AU except not really and it's hilarious!! I LOVE this fic so much

a glide in your step by Yuu_chi - Yuri on Ice, Victuuri - another yoi classic, one of the sweetest fics ever

The Word Freedom by HopeaLumi - Attack on Titan, Eruri, teacher AU - the best teacher AU ever, based on the janitor!Levi teacher!erwin shorts

The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch by aubreyli - MDZS, Wangxian - wow it's taken me this long to rec a wangxian fic! This story is adorable, featuring the juniors and wangxian from the webseries picking up their romance

Soft Shocks by stereobone - Thor Series, Thorki, fake relationship AU - my favorite fake marriage au ever, thor and loki are so in character and the ending is so sweet

Take the Long Way Home by cavaleira - Thor Series, Thorki - a traveling? au, a comfort read and another thorki classic

And that's all of them!  Do you have any GOAT fanfic recs?

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

ghost stories AU outtakes--Xue Yang goes to Sephora

Hi, everyone, happy every dang holiday at once, I am so tired and my brain has been eaten by an enjoyable but also draining new fic that I'm working on and which I will not be posting until it's done. However, I wanted to put up something small and fun as a gift for Every Holiday At Once, and then I realized, wait, I have a bunch of cut material from various fics that I can share.

This one is a series of scenes from early drafts of "Hunger (Spiritual)," the short SongXueXiao interlude fic from my MDZS ghost story AU. In the final story, almost the entire thing takes place while Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen are still on the road with their new murder ghost. In earlier drafts, though, most of the action of the story took place in and around SL and XXC's home in Ardmore, PA, where they live because I'm self-indulgent. These scenes are from a scrapped sequence wherein they take Xue Yang out for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants and he ends up getting an eye makeup tutorial from a saleswoman at Sephora.

***

They drove into town, which even now was sort of a fun novelty for Xue Yang–he’d pretty much gotten the hang of motorcars as a concept, but seeing them everywhere was still pretty weird, and being able to ride in one basically whenever was very strange. He supposed he’d eventually get over it, but right now he was still riding the high of getting out of fucking Flashkill for the first time in a hundred and fifty years and being solid whenever he wanted instead of just when someone else wanted him to be. So sure, he’d spend a little bit of time staring bug-eyed at the sheer number and variation of motorcars in the little lot where they parked, he’d ogle those big chunky motorized bicycles, he’d smell the air and enjoy it. Why the fuck not?

Xingchen was staring at him. He tensed. “What?”

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself. It’s good to see.” Xingchen smiled at him, and his feet did melt slightly, although fortunately he was able to get it under control after a moment. “That’s an interesting necklace, also, which website did you find it on?”

Xue Yang blinked and looked down at the leather pouch hanging around his neck. “This thing? This isn’t from a website, I’ve always had this, I got it from my ma. It’s a family heirloom. Just had it under my shirt before.”

Zichen frowned faintly. “You’ve had it since before you died?”

“Yeah. Why? Is that weird? I haven’t exactly met a lot of other ghosts.”

“It’s unusual, yes.” Xingchen extended a hand and then paused. “May I look at it more closely?”

Confused, Xue Yang nodded, and then sort of fizzed all over when Xingchen’s hand brushed his chest while lifting the pouch up–apparently it had been visible, because Xingchen laughed softly and said something under his breath about some kind of movie. He handled the beat-up little thing very gently, turning it over in his hands, while Xue Yang stayed extremely still and tried not to think about being tethered to him by a cord less than two feet long.

“Ah, Zichen, this is very interesting, come here–may he? Thank you, Yang’er. Here, Zichen, touch it–you can feel the energy in it, right? It’s very old. Xue Yang, this is fascinating, would you be willing to tell me more about it later?”

“Sure, if you want. Last…” Xue Yang’s voice came out hoarse, and he felt warm, eerily so, like he was a kettle and someone had put him on the stove. “Last guy who got up close and personal with it, I killed him. He thought I had money in there.”

"Mm. I wouldn't have made that assumption looking at this, but I suppose more money was in coin form then? Here, though, let's get going, I'm actually getting hungry."

They started walking again, and Zichen caught Xue Yang's eye and tapped one of his ears. Frowning, Xue Yang lifted a hand to his own ear and–ah. He was leaking steam. From what he'd heard, most ghosts didn't have to deal with this cartoon shit giving them away every time they had a strong feeling; why the fuck did he have to be special?

*

Apparently there were stores now that sold nothing but face paints, which definitely wasn’t anything Flashkill had ever had, and they smelled incredibly weird. At least, this one did; Xue Yang hadn’t been in any others. Xingchen had bought him a bunch of candy, though, so for the moment he was cool with playing along as they then came into this place for some kind of “moisturizer” that Xingchen had remembered that Zichen was out of. He was squinting at an extremely colorful array of…stuff, trying to figure out how and where someone might put it on their face, when a cheerful voice next to him said, “Can I help you find anything?”

He looked up with a start, resisting the urge to manifest a knife, because Xingchen was always so disappointed when he pulled knives on people and it made his teeth itch. “What?”

A woman wearing all black was standing at his elbow. Her shirt had the name of the store on it, so she probably worked there, and generally she looked like she was a little bit older than he’d been when he died, but he was distracted by her hair, which was green. He kind of loved it. “Is there something particular you’re looking for, or–oooh, I love your eye look.”

“My…what?”

“The ice crystal effect is amazing, what brand of mascara do you use?”

Oh. She was talking about his ice. Which he hated people doing, but she apparently liked it? That was fucking weird. “It, they just…grow like that.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Ohhh. Trade secret, I’m guessing? Anyway, can I help you find anything today?”

“No, I’m not–I don’t know anything about this shit, I’m just waiting for them,” with a vague gesture to Xingchen and Zichen, who were talking about hand creams nearby. “Although, actually,” thinking of some of the more interesting pictures he’d seen online, “what’s…this stuff?” He gestured to his own eyes. “The black stuff, with the points at the corners.”

She blinked. “Eyeliner?”

“I guess?”

“All right, if you don’t know what eyeliner is then maybe I’ll trust that your eyelashes do just grow like that.” She glanced over at Xingchen and Zichen, looking thoughtful for a moment, and then said, more quietly, “Are they paying?”

He grinned at her. “Fuck right they are, baby.”

She grinned right back. “Then come on over here and I’ll give you a demo.”

A few minutes later he was sitting stone-still while she put “eyeliner” on him with a little brush, and while she was leaning in she said, in that same quiet voice, “So which one’s your date?”

“Aww, jiejie wants to know if I’m single?”

“I don't know what that word means, but I’m going to assume it's a good thing. And no, I’m, like, super married, and also not into dudes, but I thought those two were a couple, they always come in here together.”

He raised an eyebrow, focusing to keep the rest of his face dead still for her. “What if I said they're both my date?”

“I’d say you better lock that shit down quick, girlfriend, if the girls here find out those two are looking for a third there’ll be mass sectarian violence every time they come in to spend three hundred bucks on skincare. You are amazing at sitting still, by the way, have you modeled before? Wait, not modeling, you don't know what eyeliner is, were you raised by performance artists?”

He was about to answer when he was abruptly distracted by a pulse of wildly horny energy from one of his…whatever they were. Normally that meant it was about time to make himself scarce so they could fuck and he could get off on the transmitted sensation of their fucking. When he flicked his eyes to the side for a moment, though, all he could see was Xingchen looking at him.

Which.

Huh.

The shopgirl finished putting stuff on his face, took a step back, and nodded in satisfaction. “You look really good! Did you get the technique? Actually, here, hang on.” She pulled a business card and a pen out of her pocket, wrote something on the back, and then handed it to him. “This is me, that's my YouTube channel there, I do tutorials, and I put my email on the back–if you're ever interested in doing some modeling, I need some new material for my portfolio. I can't pay a lot, but I can pay. Hi, Mr. Xiao! It's nice to see you again!”

Xingchen beamed at her. “It's nice to see you as well, Lisa, how's your wife?”

“She's great, she got a promotion. Did you find everything you were looking for?”

“Oh, yes, just the usual. Yang’er, did you, ah, did you. Find something that interested you?”

The shopgirl–Lisa, apparently–caught Xue Yang's eye and winked. “Why don't you show him?”

Xue Yang turned around, met Xingchen's gaze, and felt steam start to build up in his head once more as he was hit by another wave of unadulterated arousal.

Lisa looked very pleased with herself. “So, the products I used to get this look for him were Urban Decay Primer Potion for prep, and then the eyeliner is Tarte’s Double Take…”

*

“You bought him eyeliner.”

“I bought him eyeliner,” Xingchen said into his hands.

Zichen was doing his level best to be a good husband and not laugh. “You also bought him a box full of plum onigiri and several pounds of candy.”

“He died starving, my love, he's ontologically hungry! How could I not buy him food?” Xingchen hadn't lowered his hands from his face yet. “And the eyeliner did look very good on him.”

“You are fully capable of choosing not to spend money on these things.”

“He’s so cute, though.”

“He’s a mass murderer.”

“A very long time ago!”

“And also recently.” Zichen frowned, counting on his fingers for a moment. “I think the total casualty count from Flashkill was eight? Five of whom were under eighteen.”

“Well, they shouldn't have been bullying A-Qing.”

“...I’ll admit, you do have me there, but that doesn't actually justify murder. Don't argue with me on this one, babe, you were homeschooled by a village full of aging mystics who all adored you. I was an autistic foster kid who attended exclusively public schools.”

“Oh, mon loup, I’m sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories.”

Despite himself, Zichen grinned. “It's fine, I was fine. Between being very tall and the fact that I was always hanging out with Zufu and Jii-san, the main rumor was actually that I’d died when I was ten and they’d resurrected me. Everyone called me Frankenstein.”

This, finally, was what got Xingchen to stop covering his face and look up. “But…Frankenstein is the doctor.” He sounded terribly, earnestly puzzled. “The creature's name is Adam.”

“See, there's the homeschooler again, you're expecting too much literacy from the average American public school student. We’re getting away from the topic at hand, which is your crush on the murderous ghost we’ve permanently attached to ourselves.”

Xingchen looked up at him helplessly. “I like him. He’s clever and interesting to talk to, and of course he's lovely to look at, and he's really very charming when he’s not being violent, which he hasn’t been for several months now. And it’s not as if he’s tried to kill anyone without having a clear reason for it, he’s not indiscriminate.”

Zichen sighed, thinking despite himself of Xue Yang’s quiet, “They could’ve fed me and they didn’t,” and his enthusiasm for any food they gave him, and the frost that spread out from his eyes at the slightest hint of tension. A hungry ghost, both in that he had killed and then risen again after death and also in the most literal possible sense–he had died starving, and now devoured whatever food he could get his hands on. An eternity of cold and hunger seemed like a terrible fate to visit upon anyone, even a murderer.

“There are still ethical concerns, but I’ll admit that I’m very fond of him,” he finally said, and then laid down properly and stared at the ceiling for all of two seconds before Xingchen was leaning over him.

“I do adore you,” Xingchen said, and bent down to kiss him absurdly on the nose. “I really don't know where I’d be without you.”

“Probably still in that swamp trying to fend off an alligator with…what was it? An empty Gatorade bottle?” Zichen wrapped an arm around Xingchen's shoulders and buried his face in Xingchen's hair. “Go to sleep, we’ll talk about things more in the morning.”

*

Xue Yang, curled up in the pocket of Zichen’s favorite hoodie on the back of the bedroom door, said, “Huh.”

[jaimebluesq]

🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

Thank you for the ask!!! :D

I came up with an idea for a modern day AU in my fandom that I've had an inkling to write as an original fic - the characters would be inspired by the fandom ones, but I'd change a few details and see how I could get it to work.

The idea: The story would follow the POV of a man, Chinese diaspora living in rural Ontario. Haughty, opinionated, even cruel in his thoughts sometimes - but only in his mind. Outwardly, even though he's not friendly at all, he's actually got a reputation as being dependable and always willing to lend a hand. He HATES it, but he does it because, as the reader discovers, he feels he has a penance to pay. And then one day he goes to the restaurant/bar and there's a face he knows, and before he can run off, the man notices him.

This is a problem... because people think he's dead. His family had been a serious Triad, and in other people's view, he went rogue and tried to turn on his family by going to the police, and then he was shot and killed. The man in the bar plays coy at first, but then not-so-subtly suggests that he could get word back home that the MC is still alive - but he could keep his silence if the MC does him a few favours. The MC has an inner conflict - his instincts are to immediately plan the man's death, but he refuses to go that route. He allows himself to be blackmailed - he figures it's part of his penance - but strangely, the other guy just starts out wanting a guide to the area, and then someone to help him find a place to stay, and get to harder-to-reach areas to go paint the natural landscapes. And the two get closer, however reluctantly, until the MC's loneliness and the presence of one person who knows his history has him end up in the other man's bed.

All this time, the reader learns the backstory little by little. That the MC had been the nephew of the Triad's leader, the muscle of the organization and always willing to kill whoever needed to be killed. And then there was a war between theirs and another crime family, and in the ensuing violence, the MC's cousin died - a cousin that he grew up with, that was like a brother to him, and one who was not suited to a life of crime, and who had actually been trying to get out of it. He became disillusioned in his mourning and began not just looking at his family's role in everything, but his own as well, and he couldn't let go of the fact that he was in part responsible for the falling dominos that led to his cousin's death. He talked himself into going to the police to give evidence against his family, but shortly after the process began, there was an attempt on his life. Of course his family had bought out someone in the police force. So he faked his death and left, using his connections to get a fake identity and documents that he used to leave for Canada.

And then the MC learns the other guy's story - that he's actually hiding as well, trying to get away from their shared past (his family wasn't Triad but had done business with them), because his brother had been murdered and he'd managed to kill the one who did it without getting caught, but he doesn't want to go back.

Neither of them are lovey-dovey soft emotion types, and the MC resents the other guy at first - even afterward. But they've forged this connection, and somehow, find a life together.

Haven't figured out other than that in terms of plot points or inciting incidents, but it's an idea I've had for a while and just haven't gotten the courage to try and make happen. (And I'm sure most of my CQL/MDZS mutuals have figured out who the characters are from the descriptions lol).

So yeah lol.

[wutheringheightsfilm]

actually the only modern au i would accept of mdzs/the untamed is a self insert i would write wherein i take wei wuxian to different latin restaurants so he can try all of the spicy foods latines have to offer

[ultfreakme]

Modern AU MDZS core transplant is Wei Wuxian drags Jiang Cheng away from a mobster's torture dungeon to the back of a tiny restaurant's storage room owned by Wen Qing and Wen Ning's family and Wen Qing is in her third year of a medical degree and has to do a transplant in the middle of said storage room while Wen Ning is wearing a white jacket and homding up a water bottle upside down with a straw(make believe IV)and they're all lying their asses off to a barely conscious jiang Cheng that he's in a totally high-end hospital with an expert team of surgeons don't question the cabbages lined on the shelves Jiang Cheng.

[mxtxdiaspora-may]

Diaspora story rec: lie down in the not knowing [series by sasamelons]

The one where everyone is Chinese-Canadian and lives in Toronto.

Part 1: intersections

General, no archive warnings, 2.7K

He had just made it to the streetcar stop when he heard his name being called.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying clattered his way down the street with his hastily-thrown on jacket and wild shoulder-length hair falling out of his ponytail. Lan Zhan had given up on trying to fight his way across the crowd before he left, had only managed to catch Wei Ying’s eye and wave from the other side of the room. His heart sped up at the thought that the other man had run out of the bar to say goodbye.

"Lan Zhan, Lan Zhan,” he said in between pants as he caught his breath. Despite his exhaustion and eagerness to get home only a moment ago, Lan Zhan had the sudden thought that he might be happy to stand on this street corner forever, if Wei Ying kept saying his name like that. “You’re leaving already?” -

Growing up, at five intersections.

Part 2: full

Teen+, no archive warnings, 4.2K

It smelled like A-Ma after a long day in the restaurant, and Jiang Yanli felt a tendril of steam caress her cheek. Across the table, Jiang Cheng was slurping with vigour, his earlier distress forgotten. Jiang Yanli followed his lead and bent over her soup. So warm, she thought, closing her eyes and letting the comforting heat spread through her.

“Do you want more?” A-Ma asked when Jiang Yanli set her bowl down. “Are you full?”

“Yes,” she smiled and answered. “Very full.”

—

Jiang Yanli — growing up, food, and family.

Part 3: definitions of home

General, no archive warnings, 5.5K

Things are good. He is good. He is happy.

He is. And yet —

And yet, there is something missing. The streets are quiet, lit softly by yellow lights. Heartwarming, yet he keeps looking for…

Wei Ying makes a detour to the Chinatown here, just to soak in some semblance of holiday spirit. It’s only when he is standing outside the glow of the restaurant windows, looking in on families gathered at the tables, that he realizes that isn't what is missing. That isn’t what matters.

-

Seventeen ficlets of the MDZS cast in a modern Chinese-Canadian AU, written for Lunar New Year 2021 and originally posted on twitter & tumblr.

This fic rec is part of our reclist, stories that spoke to us: MDZS fics & the Chinese diaspora experience. Reblogs are always appreciated.

[micamicster]

While you were sleeping au! You mentioned the subway and I think? The F line, a while ago. I’m curious which subway stops are the most important to the story. Also which NYC neighborhooods do you think matches the vibes of the various mdzs characters in this au/in general. Also if there’s anything you want to share I’d love to read it!

Hi honey thank you for asking! Yes we did decide on the F line, good memory haha

I've put a lot of thought into the route and setting of this story. I needed the setting to do a lot in terms of character (wealth, community, cultural background) and in terms of plot (need both my main characters to regularly take the same train a long distance), but luckily I think that neighborhoods and subways are equipped to do all of that!

I settled on both Wen Qing and Jiang Cheng regularly commuting in from Queens, but for different reasons. JC is coming from queens because his family has owned a large townhouse there for multiple generations, while Wen Qing, a more recent and more broke arrival to the city, lives out there because the rent is cheaper. Queens has its own massive chinatown, but it's more recent (comprised of a a newer wave of mandarin-speaking immigrants entering an older hokken-speaking population) compared to the historic Manhattan Chinatown (hundreds of years old, overwhelmingly cantonese-speaking). I have placed a lot of my action in the Manhattan chinatown, partly because it's historic and partly because it's most familiar to me. Both JC and WQ commute to the East Broadway stop on the F line, WQ to go to work at a nearby hospital and JC to go to his job (the Jiang family own a restaurant).

Here is an excerpt of a scene from the subway! thank you for being interested <3 <3 <3

The train shudders to a stop and they part to let people stand and push past them. He nods at the seat that’s appeared between them. “You should take it.”

“It’s fine.”

“Please. I know you’re about to be on your feet all day. Just take it, before some ass with no appreciation for essential workers steals it from you.”

“I can’t. I’m afraid if I sit I won’t get up again.” It’s the truth, but she didn’t mean to say it. There’s no reason to worry him about her. She’s stood on the train a thousand times, she can stand one more.

“I’ll get you up if you need it. Promise.” He nudges her forward gently. It’s just the drag of his knuckles against the small of her back, but she sways into the touch before she can stop herself. Hastily Wen Qing overcorrects the other way, and drops into the seat as quickly as she can.

At the next stop even more people crowd on, pushing him forward. He scowls and braces himself with one hand on the bar above them, back stiff and unyielding. She recognizes the stance from years of navigating the subway at rush hour—don’t take up more space than is your due, but don’t give an inch or the crowd will take a mile.

The train takes off with the familiar rocking of the crowd, as people lurch forward and back, renegotiating space and balancing against each other. It sends him stumbling right up against the seats, his leg knocking into hers for a moment before he catches himself.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

He looks at her carefully, like he’s searching for any sign she didn’t mean it. He steps closer, letting the people behind him expand into the extra space in the way that crowds are always so liquid. She shifts to let him even closer, his leg settling between hers, his knee braced against the hard plastic edge of the seat. Whenever either of them shift it sends the expensive wool of his suit dragging across the machine-starched stiffness of her fresh scrubs.

She’s in a strange sort of sleep daze, like maybe she hasn’t really woken up at all yet. Soon she’ll open her eyes to her cold bed, her dark room, her relentless alarms. But for now she’s warm. She’s still too tired and the train is too crowded, but sitting down she exists in a little bubble, with Jiang Cheng’s broad back curved over her and his arm above them.

[livingmeatloaf]

Writing Patterns Meme

Tagged by @iamwestiec (I agree, this should be called Opening Lines Meme or something lol)

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

Determination drove Liu Qingge away from his usual hunting grounds. (chapter 4 of A Worthy Suitor to the Crown - Scum Villain, monster hunt as part of ongoing courting, Mobei-Jun/Shang Qinghua/Liu Qingge)

They'd stayed at the restaurant, later and later, waiters pointedly clearing dishes and wiping tables around them before finally chasing them out with the vacuum. (stay the night - Scum Villain, modern AU date, Mobei-Jun/Shang Qinghua/Liu Qingge)

“Da-ge! Er-ge!” (A Future Bright As Gold, Warm As Flame - MDZS, happy Jin sibling au gen fic, minor Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan/Luo Qingyang, for westiec as part of the MDZS Gender Fuckery Mini Exchange, also completed for Finish What You Started 2023)

“Go back ten seconds please.” (Seasoned With Love - MDZS, modern au anniversary dinner, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan/Luo Qingyang, for frostferox as part of the Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan/Luo Qingyang Flash Exchange)

The move is so unexpected, Liu Qingge has no time to brace himself. (hold me down (so I can fall) - Scum Villain, platonic bdsm threadfic, Liu Qingge/Shang Qinghua)

The seasons came and went. (Chapter 19 of The Swift Fall of A Sharp Blade - Scum Villain, Beast Peak Shen Yuan AU threadfic, Shen Yuan/multiple partners)

It was his birthday. (Jin Zixuan's Special Birthday Party (in which he recieves a lucky present) - MDZS, canon first time pwp, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, for merelydovely for the Women of MDZS Flash Exchange)

Rich patrons were not a new concept to Meng Shi. (The Pearl Who Was Swallowed By The Carp - MDZS, Meng Shi character study, Meng Shi/Jin Guangshan, for merelydovely for the Women of MDZS Flash Exchange)

Teeth. (Anniversary Trip - Dracula, post-canon introspection, Arthur Holmwood/Quincey Morris/John Seward, for Polyship Week 2023)

They looked down at Shang Qinghua's left arm. (New Growth From Broken Places - Scum Villain, broken arm recovery threadfic, Liu Qingge/Shang Qinghua)

What have we learned?

I like short openers, whether dialogue or prose.

For non-dialogue, the opening line establishes a time frame or setting more often than not.

Usually start in media res

I typically write in close third person POV

Only one out of ten is in present tense, two unknown thanks to dialogue, with the remaining 7 in past tense.

Interesting, very interesting! That two postings are later chapters and three are threadfic muddies the style a little, but they are all more similar than I might have thought. I shall have to try purposefully varying my openers, just to try something new!

I tag @seventhstar @zizzani @breadandblankets @monroeknoxwrites and @crimsonrainseekingflower, and anyone else who wants to play! Tag me if you do, I'm very curious 👀

~

Bonus lines because I realize the ones I posted chapters of fall into the last 10 posted anyway lol

Liu Qingge barely heard the reports Yang Yixuan rattled off to him. (A Worthy Suitor to the Crown)

Shen Yuan was 10 when he remembered his life. (The Swift Fall of A Sharp Blade, the first chapter of prose after worldbuilding notes)

[nie-smh-my-head-huaisang]

lmao remember restaurant AU?

NHS is suffering.

[besanii]

Bakery/restaurant au for the 5 headcanons of an AU game?

LWJ runs the floor staff with an iron fist, everything is under complete control and everyone is thoroughly trained within an inch of their life and their customer service is impeccable

WWX is the sommelier who spends more time tasting wine than anything (at least, that’s how it looks to LWJ), but he goes to all sorts of competitions and wins all sorts of awards and the regulars love him

LWJ is usually the last to leave at night, but for some reason WWX is always there too (’I need to do the stocktake, Lan Zhan!’)

They spend a lot of time between sittings just sniping at each other (LWJ tells WWX off for having wrinkles in his uniform; WWX complains LWJ doesn’t understand the science of wine tasting)

Executive Chef!JYL makes an executive decision to lock them in the storeroom until they either make up or make out (or both)