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sophia_sol) wrote2023-11-30 10:31 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2023-11-30 10:31 pm
Recs from November: fic, vids, short stories, and novelettes
In November I started doing a thing where whenever I read a story or a fic that I enjoyed, I quickly wrote up a brief rec for it and posted it directly to my mastodon account. I am amazed at how much I'm enjoying doing this, and how well it works for me! But this means that I have now built up a backlog of recs that I want to share to my dreamwidth and tumblr as well. So I think going forward I'll post a roundup once a month of the past month's recs, so that y'all can see them as well!
Here's the November ones! Featuring:
7 TGCF fics
13 SVSSS fics
1 MDZS fic
1 NiF fic
1 Persuasion (Jane Austen) fic
2 multifandom vids
5 short stories
3 novelettes
TGCF RECS
Digging for Orchids, by betts
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/28058367
- Over the last couple days I reread this fic and was reminded just how GOOD it is
- modern AU hualian
- roommates! out of work actors! pretending to be husbands!
- hualian are canonically both just so weird about each other and so over the top about everything to do with each other always, and this fic captures that dynamic beautifully
- the author's careful attention to the physicality of scenes is so good and so important
- xie lian is living with chronic pain after a fall and it's so real about how that affects his life
- there are so many funny and on point observations of various characters and their relationships with each other!
- I had many feelings
- LOVE WINS.
On Our Way to Fall, by etymologyplayground
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17357930
- a cute quiet small domestic scene in puqi shrine in the middle parts of book canon
- see hua cheng as a cat! hear hua cheng's theory about breathing being sexy! enjoy hua cheng and xie lian being completely smitten with each other! also lady windmaster is a real pal as always
- it's super adorable
- 6k words in length
Celestial Confluence/Cultivation Cross, by pengiesama
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18333068
- a silly funny fic about hua cheng causing chaos in heaven by creating a trendy new gacha game
- xie lian, bewildered, ends up on shi qingxuan and ming yi's livestream about the game
- hua cheng is absolutely willing to get distracted from the game by gege
- there's some excellent comic timing in here!
- 6k words in length
The Heart and All its Chambers, by etymologyplayground
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18994888
- modern au where hualian are lesbians
- xie lian has never had an orgasm, and hua cheng offers to help by loaning her a toy
- obviously the help ends up going further than that
- it's just so cute and sweet how much xl and hc love each other and take care of each other and are clearly SUPER into each other!
- and how good they are about each other's weird hangups about sex!
- 19k words in length
Stick in the Mud, by etymologyplayground
TGCF, beefleaf
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045469
- beefleaf before the beefleaf arc goes down
- having sex with a strap-on and definitely not having any undercurrents of emotions about anything, what are you talking about, beefleaf would never
- god, the note it ends on!!
- 4k words in length
beloved in your sight, by olivers_box_of_raisins
TGCF, mulian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51811684
- mu qing pov from the xianle trio era
- ft. class issues and teen relationship drama
- xie lian is an enormous martial arts nerd and a naive but shining prince; mu qing is pining but hyper-aware of class boundaries and how everyone sees him; feng xin is ready to judge
- it's so great and succeeds so well at what it's doing, I love it
- I love the last scene, which it ends on, about xie lian's appearance after he ascends. perfect ending to the fic
- 7k words in length
Your Sweet Breath On My Dice, by Siamesa
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51901651
- canon divergence story where ghost king hua cheng manages to catch up with his god in a different way
- that way: xie lian accidentally triggered a curse and now he's swapped bodies with a mysterious ghost....?
- (INCREDIBLE premise)
- I love xl and hc's very different reactions to finding themselves in each other's bodies
- I think my favourite part though might be poor yin yu doing his best to handle the situation, between hc's firm instructions on how to treat xl, and xl's equally firm opinions on what to do
- a very fun read overall!
- 6k words in length
SVSSS RECS
ars adeo latet arte sua, by lavenderandrue
SVSSS, bingqiu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51396358
- post-canon bingqiu experimenting with roleplay
- in which they pretend that lbh is a statue in a museum and sqq is the museum caretaker who understands the statue's true value more than anyone else
- yes obviously they're both extremely horny about it and also feelings-horny about it
- the asides about the various lbh figurines sqq had in his old life are so funny
- I love seeing them able to just be happy and have fun exploring their sexuality together, after all the woes of canon!
- the word count is 6969, nice
bereft, bestowed, by sixthmoon (seventhstar)
SVSSS, moshang
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51521683
- cute fic about mobei-jun being hounded by his advisors to get married, but he's uninterested in the various eligible women being presented to him
- shang qinghua suggests that mbj set a task that anyone who wants to marry him must fulfill
- I think you can guess how this ends :D
- 3k words in length
in the thin winter sun, by goshkiki
SVSSS, moshang
https://archiveofourown.org/works/50250829
- rule 63 post-canon moshang from mbj's pov, featuring a pining mbj who can't understand why sqh doesn't seem to be interested in being her queen even though sqh is happy enough to have sex with her
- gorgeously desperate and despairing, lyrical and in love and hopeless about it
- mbj's pov is amazing, and so is seeing sqh through mbj's eyes
- note that the fic ends with the pining situation unresolved, but the author is planning a sequel, and the fic is satisfying as it is as well!
- 17k words in length
Tale Within A Tale, by BrilliantLady
SVSSS, bingqiu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/50181103
- an au where sqq does his best to communicate to lbh prior to the Immortal Alliance Conference, despite having his words held back by the system; so he tells a series of meaningful stories and hopes lbh will draw the right conclusions
- the fic is from lbh's pov and I love how earnestly and carefully he tries to put together the clues sqq is giving him! the CONCLUSIONS he draws!!
- I screamed internally with delight at multiple points while reading the fic. it's such a delightful read!
- 32k words in length
Come With Me, by acernor
SVSSS, bingliu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/47481487
- modern au, liu qingge's ex-fiance yue qingyuan is marrying luo binghe's ex shen jiu
- lqg & lbh have an ill-advised hookup at the wedding of their exes, and then keep on having ill-advised hookups
- both of them are completely incapable of being emotionally self-aware, even as they spend more and more time with each other, most of it framed antagonistically
- oh my god they are both so fucked up
- the draw and the attraction they both feel toward each other is so well-shown
- truly impressed with them for managing to make a happy ending for themselves out of all this!! <3
- 63k words in length
Cold Blooded Rivalry (Just Add Heat), by acernor and hyphendots
SVSSS, liubingqiu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51783706
- liu qingge gets hit with a fuck-or-die monster venom! shen qingqiu and luo binghe are here to help him out
- the vibes are SO good, from the prickly antagonism between lqg & lbh at the beginning, through the awkward unspoken interest in sqq, to the way lqg goes all melty and floaty at the end
- it's SO soft from lqg's pov once the cure is embarked upon and I love it so much
- 7k words in length
The Cost of Sacrilege, by Prim_the_Amazing
SVSSS, luo binghe & the old palace master
https://archiveofourown.org/works/45835300
- lbh is having a totally chill time of it having a breakdown after his shizun dies
- the old palace master of huan hua is ALSO having a totally separate chill breakdown about once again having a disciple under his control (....he thinks) who looks like su xiyan
- when their breakdowns intersect, no prizes for guessing who wins lol
- It's Time For Binghe Angst
- such a good view into what might have happened at the very beginning of the 5 year period where sqq is dead!
- 5k words in length
The Dark Is Full of Your Voice, by straightforwardly
SVSSS, bingqiu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268171
- post-canon au where post bing-ge vs bing-mei fight, it's bing-mei who returns to sqq
- prompts that inspired this fic included “Technically awful attempts at comfort are actually very comforting” and “Comfortee flaunts their hurt in order to get more comfort” and it's perfect actually, I love how THEM it is
- sqq having zero clue what to do that's Actually Helpful when someone's injured is soooo funny tbh. but his fussing is what really matters!
- 2k words in length
shen yuan and original luo binghe’s epic adventure in the modern world, by tshirt
SVSSS, bingyuan
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22929727
- shen yuan definitely didn't intend to buy this body pillow of luo binghe what are you talking about
- he also definitely didn't involve his "essence" in an accidental ritual that summoned the real luo binghe
- however luo binghe is now here and he needs to do SOMETHING about that
- extremely funny, tshirt is always so good at the comic timing
- the airplane cameo is also perfect
- 4k words in length
if you don't have your own boyfriend, rented is fine, by nyoomerr
SVSSS, bingyuan
https://archiveofourown.org/works/47862913
- I feel sure I've talked about this fic before but I can't find it in my tags?! I've been following it as a wip and it's now DONE!
- the premise: bing-ge transmigrates to our world, and shen yuan thinks he's an attractive but incompetent and down on his luck cosplay-boyfriend-for-rent and takes pity on him
- sy tries to reform lbh and turn him into someone who's not terrible at being a boyfriend. meanwhile lbh is slowly discovering that maybe.....it's possible.........for someone to care about him and be nice to him just because they like him?? sounds fake! but what if?
- every single aspect of their relationship (and everything else in the fic!!!) is a COMPLETE delight. I love to see how much sy's sharp-mouthed peerless cucumber side is out in full force, and how feral lbh is, and how the two of them play off each other
- 86k words in length
commodity fetishism, by tshirt
SVSSS, moshang
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26961457
- tshirt is a genius, this is SO funny, I'm dying
- modern au where mbj is a trust fund baby who's lost access to his trust fund, and what is he going to do, WORK for money?? no.
- enter sugar daddy sqh, or possibly findom mbj's paypig sqh
- 3k words in length
bro you posted cringe, by tshirt
SVSSS, cumplane
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24281209
- yes more tshirt fic, can't stop won't stop
- this one's about shang qinghua and shen qingqiu arguing about whether sqh's sex scenes are at all believable
- which of course leads to a hands-on demonstration
- during which OBVIOUSLY they don't stop arguing
- it's so funny and so in character and it's amazing
- the excerpts from pidw that are read aloud as evidence are also peak comedy
- also it's rule 63
- 3k words in length
is she, you know, a disciple of xian shu?, by tshirt
SVSSS, mingying
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22519507
- liu mingyan and ning yingying's developing relationship as they find ways to open up and be real with each other
- it's so cute!!
- I love how it talks about the experience of gender, how nyy likes that with lmy she isn't expected to be a demure flower, and lmy likes that she doesn't have to be perfect, and none of that excludes them from belonging as a woman who loves women
- and also they bond over writing RPS, obvs
- 3k words in length
MDZS RECS
Disrupt, Corrupt, and Interrupt Me, by hansbekhart
MDZS, lan wangji/su minshan
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26068588
- I love fic that takes Su Minshan seriously as a character, it's a rare delight whenever I come across one
- Lan Wangji/Su Minshan during the disciple era, before the guest disciples arrive
- lwj is a fuckboy and sms is delighted to discover evidence that lwj despite his airs is the same as everyone else
- they fuck about it a lot
- content note for nonconsensual somnophilia
- PERFECT ENDING omg.
- 3k words in length
NIF RECS
all around us are cliffs (close your eyes and fall), by plalligator
NiF, mei changsu/mu nihuang/xiao jingyan
https://archiveofourown.org/works/50350402
- canon divergence au where after the destruction of the chiyan army, mu nihuang takes her army back to yunnan to set up as an independent ruler, and prince jing disappears
- mei changsu, hearing that nihuang has taken a husband and nobody knows who he is: right so I'm going to yunnan
- cue identity shenanigans, of course!
- the wip is at 5 chapters and 12k words right now, and it's left unmarked what the expected final length will be, but I am HERE for the ride wherever it goes because everything it is doing is delicious to me
- it's tagged with mei changsu/mu nihuang/xiao jingyan so I'm assuming that's the endgame ship, which, yes, take me to there
PERSUASION RECS
An Officer and a Gentleman, by cedarboots
Persuasion, Anne/Frederick
https://archiveofourown.org/works/40000401
- a rewrite of Persuasion featuring butch 4 butch Anne/Frederick
- god it's so GOOD and I am so EMOTIONAL about it
- I love all the ways in which it is both the same and different, the ways their identities affect the things they do and the choices they make
- and I mentioned in an earlier post how meaningful it is to be able to see gender non-conforming people like me in historical fiction, living their lives, finding ways to be happy, finding their community. shaking hands with them across time. I see you and you see me.
- making Persuasion specifically be the story told is so perfect too because of how it's about getting to know yourself better when you've had time to grow up more
- also there's lots of excellently-researched historical content
- and lots of feels
- READ IT READ IT READ IT
- it's such a lovely ending and I nearly cried about it
- 47k words in length
MULTIFANDOM RECS
Masculine Women, Feminine Men, by Tafadhali
multifandom vid
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785647
- fanvid about queer movies from mostly pre-Code hollywood days
- a fascinating window into the way queer themes were portrayed in that era
- fun and thoughtful at the same time
- 3 minutes in length
We Kiss in a Shadow (I Have Dreamed), by Tafadhali
multifandom vid
https://archiveofourown.org/works/41005497
- a follow-up to the pre-code vid I just recced, this one is about queer themes in 1950's-60's hollywood
- very different vibes, and the contrast says a lot when you watch the two back to back
- this one does really good understated yearning and unspoken secrets.
SHORT STORY RECS
Brincando Charcos (Jumping Puddles), by Ben Francisco
Short story
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/brincando-charcos-jumping-puddles/
a beautiful story about fear and trauma and being latino in the USA, and queer romance and the wisdom of the people who love you, and how something that can help save you and that can bring joy and fun in your life can also be an unhealthy coping mechanism if you take it too far. I loved reading about Javier and Mateo as they developed their relationship!
4k words in length
The Long Mural, by James Van Pelt
Short story
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/vanpelt_11_23/
- about a stowaway on a generation ship
- also about art and being part of a community of amateur artists whose work is worthwhile
- I loved the details about the problems with microbial growth in a closed system full of humans who are constantly shedding skin particles, and that the main character sees it as an important job to be part of the clean-up
- the future is unknown but worth being a part of
- 7k words in length
The Dying Lover of Nogorod, by R. K. Duncan
Short story
https://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/the-dying-lover-of-nogorod/
- fantasy story about wizards and dragons and power, and being queer, and being horny for a dragon who is also your death
- deliberately written in a higher register, which can too easily feel stilted or cold, but here works to give the whole thing a sense of dignity and depth
- 5k words in length
To Carry You Inside You, by Tia Tashiro
Short story
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/tashiro_11_23/
- sci-fi story about a woman with a port-drive into her brain that allowed her to be a great child actor when she was young, and gives her a career as an adult of plugging in the mental backup of a dead person to visit bereaved families who want their beloved dead back again
- about identity, embodiment, and not knowing how to want things
- also about body-sharing
- in second-person pov which works so well for the things this story is about and the things it's doing! the main character is someone who spends most of her time being someone else, after all
- it's so compellingly written!
- has the perfect ending, which can be so hard to pull off right
- 7k words in length
- this is the first published story by this author, and something this great is her first; I am excited to think of where she might go from here!
Nextype, by Sam Kyung Yoo
Short story
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/nextype/
- a short story about a young woman who was given a neural implant to improve her abilities and skills in school to be able to get a good job
- about parental expectations and abusive control
- trying to figure out who you are and what you care about when you've never been given the opportunity to be anything but obedient
- I had feelings
- 4k words in length
NOVELETTE RECS
The Year Without Sunshine, by Naomi Kritzer
Novelette
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-year-without-sunshine/
- an urban neighbourhood handling an ongoing collapse of systems in a climate crisis by banding together and forming supportive community
- doesn't ignore things like temporary and permanent disability
- believable amounts of hopeful
- 10k words in length
Over My Dead Body by shukyou
Novelette
https://www.shousetsubangbang.com/mirror/over-my-dead-body/
- content notes for ummmmmmm body horror? body grossness definitely. also, murder, plus sex with weird consent stuff going on. drug use. probably other stuff too.
- but it's not, like, horrifying and depressing about any of that! it's remarkably sweet!
- an absolutely incredible piece of original fiction about bodyswap/bodysharing that really makes its home in exploring the weirdness of the situation from the inside. What Is Embodiment. How to have a relationship with the body you're in. Bodies have a lot going on! The brain is part of the body.
- probably this story isn't for everyone, but if it is for you then you are in for a TREAT. I adored it.
- 14k words
Black are the Waters, by Ten Tzeng
Novelette
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/black-are-the-waters/
- about the difficulties of being a teen girl whose dad just died, and who is trying to figure out her identity as an othered visible minority, with a large and close-knit multigenerational family whose older generations are more connected with traditional culture and who want her to be too
- the traditional culture is selkies
- yeah it's a GREAT premise and I love how carefully and believably the selkie culture is imagined, and what the experience of being part of a landed selkie family would be
- very emotionally affecting too!
- 8k words in length
Here's the November ones! Featuring:
7 TGCF fics
13 SVSSS fics
1 MDZS fic
1 NiF fic
1 Persuasion (Jane Austen) fic
2 multifandom vids
5 short stories
3 novelettes
TGCF RECS
Digging for Orchids, by betts
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/28058367
- Over the last couple days I reread this fic and was reminded just how GOOD it is
- modern AU hualian
- roommates! out of work actors! pretending to be husbands!
- hualian are canonically both just so weird about each other and so over the top about everything to do with each other always, and this fic captures that dynamic beautifully
- the author's careful attention to the physicality of scenes is so good and so important
- xie lian is living with chronic pain after a fall and it's so real about how that affects his life
- there are so many funny and on point observations of various characters and their relationships with each other!
- I had many feelings
- LOVE WINS.
On Our Way to Fall, by etymologyplayground
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/17357930
- a cute quiet small domestic scene in puqi shrine in the middle parts of book canon
- see hua cheng as a cat! hear hua cheng's theory about breathing being sexy! enjoy hua cheng and xie lian being completely smitten with each other! also lady windmaster is a real pal as always
- it's super adorable
- 6k words in length
Celestial Confluence/Cultivation Cross, by pengiesama
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18333068
- a silly funny fic about hua cheng causing chaos in heaven by creating a trendy new gacha game
- xie lian, bewildered, ends up on shi qingxuan and ming yi's livestream about the game
- hua cheng is absolutely willing to get distracted from the game by gege
- there's some excellent comic timing in here!
- 6k words in length
The Heart and All its Chambers, by etymologyplayground
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/18994888
- modern au where hualian are lesbians
- xie lian has never had an orgasm, and hua cheng offers to help by loaning her a toy
- obviously the help ends up going further than that
- it's just so cute and sweet how much xl and hc love each other and take care of each other and are clearly SUPER into each other!
- and how good they are about each other's weird hangups about sex!
- 19k words in length
Stick in the Mud, by etymologyplayground
TGCF, beefleaf
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24045469
- beefleaf before the beefleaf arc goes down
- having sex with a strap-on and definitely not having any undercurrents of emotions about anything, what are you talking about, beefleaf would never
- god, the note it ends on!!
- 4k words in length
beloved in your sight, by olivers_box_of_raisins
TGCF, mulian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51811684
- mu qing pov from the xianle trio era
- ft. class issues and teen relationship drama
- xie lian is an enormous martial arts nerd and a naive but shining prince; mu qing is pining but hyper-aware of class boundaries and how everyone sees him; feng xin is ready to judge
- it's so great and succeeds so well at what it's doing, I love it
- I love the last scene, which it ends on, about xie lian's appearance after he ascends. perfect ending to the fic
- 7k words in length
Your Sweet Breath On My Dice, by Siamesa
TGCF, hualian
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51901651
- canon divergence story where ghost king hua cheng manages to catch up with his god in a different way
- that way: xie lian accidentally triggered a curse and now he's swapped bodies with a mysterious ghost....?
- (INCREDIBLE premise)
- I love xl and hc's very different reactions to finding themselves in each other's bodies
- I think my favourite part though might be poor yin yu doing his best to handle the situation, between hc's firm instructions on how to treat xl, and xl's equally firm opinions on what to do
- a very fun read overall!
- 6k words in length
SVSSS RECS
ars adeo latet arte sua, by lavenderandrue
SVSSS, bingqiu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51396358
- post-canon bingqiu experimenting with roleplay
- in which they pretend that lbh is a statue in a museum and sqq is the museum caretaker who understands the statue's true value more than anyone else
- yes obviously they're both extremely horny about it and also feelings-horny about it
- the asides about the various lbh figurines sqq had in his old life are so funny
- I love seeing them able to just be happy and have fun exploring their sexuality together, after all the woes of canon!
- the word count is 6969, nice
bereft, bestowed, by sixthmoon (seventhstar)
SVSSS, moshang
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51521683
- cute fic about mobei-jun being hounded by his advisors to get married, but he's uninterested in the various eligible women being presented to him
- shang qinghua suggests that mbj set a task that anyone who wants to marry him must fulfill
- I think you can guess how this ends :D
- 3k words in length
in the thin winter sun, by goshkiki
SVSSS, moshang
https://archiveofourown.org/works/50250829
- rule 63 post-canon moshang from mbj's pov, featuring a pining mbj who can't understand why sqh doesn't seem to be interested in being her queen even though sqh is happy enough to have sex with her
- gorgeously desperate and despairing, lyrical and in love and hopeless about it
- mbj's pov is amazing, and so is seeing sqh through mbj's eyes
- note that the fic ends with the pining situation unresolved, but the author is planning a sequel, and the fic is satisfying as it is as well!
- 17k words in length
Tale Within A Tale, by BrilliantLady
SVSSS, bingqiu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/50181103
- an au where sqq does his best to communicate to lbh prior to the Immortal Alliance Conference, despite having his words held back by the system; so he tells a series of meaningful stories and hopes lbh will draw the right conclusions
- the fic is from lbh's pov and I love how earnestly and carefully he tries to put together the clues sqq is giving him! the CONCLUSIONS he draws!!
- I screamed internally with delight at multiple points while reading the fic. it's such a delightful read!
- 32k words in length
Come With Me, by acernor
SVSSS, bingliu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/47481487
- modern au, liu qingge's ex-fiance yue qingyuan is marrying luo binghe's ex shen jiu
- lqg & lbh have an ill-advised hookup at the wedding of their exes, and then keep on having ill-advised hookups
- both of them are completely incapable of being emotionally self-aware, even as they spend more and more time with each other, most of it framed antagonistically
- oh my god they are both so fucked up
- the draw and the attraction they both feel toward each other is so well-shown
- truly impressed with them for managing to make a happy ending for themselves out of all this!! <3
- 63k words in length
Cold Blooded Rivalry (Just Add Heat), by acernor and hyphendots
SVSSS, liubingqiu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/51783706
- liu qingge gets hit with a fuck-or-die monster venom! shen qingqiu and luo binghe are here to help him out
- the vibes are SO good, from the prickly antagonism between lqg & lbh at the beginning, through the awkward unspoken interest in sqq, to the way lqg goes all melty and floaty at the end
- it's SO soft from lqg's pov once the cure is embarked upon and I love it so much
- 7k words in length
The Cost of Sacrilege, by Prim_the_Amazing
SVSSS, luo binghe & the old palace master
https://archiveofourown.org/works/45835300
- lbh is having a totally chill time of it having a breakdown after his shizun dies
- the old palace master of huan hua is ALSO having a totally separate chill breakdown about once again having a disciple under his control (....he thinks) who looks like su xiyan
- when their breakdowns intersect, no prizes for guessing who wins lol
- It's Time For Binghe Angst
- such a good view into what might have happened at the very beginning of the 5 year period where sqq is dead!
- 5k words in length
The Dark Is Full of Your Voice, by straightforwardly
SVSSS, bingqiu
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268171
- post-canon au where post bing-ge vs bing-mei fight, it's bing-mei who returns to sqq
- prompts that inspired this fic included “Technically awful attempts at comfort are actually very comforting” and “Comfortee flaunts their hurt in order to get more comfort” and it's perfect actually, I love how THEM it is
- sqq having zero clue what to do that's Actually Helpful when someone's injured is soooo funny tbh. but his fussing is what really matters!
- 2k words in length
shen yuan and original luo binghe’s epic adventure in the modern world, by tshirt
SVSSS, bingyuan
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22929727
- shen yuan definitely didn't intend to buy this body pillow of luo binghe what are you talking about
- he also definitely didn't involve his "essence" in an accidental ritual that summoned the real luo binghe
- however luo binghe is now here and he needs to do SOMETHING about that
- extremely funny, tshirt is always so good at the comic timing
- the airplane cameo is also perfect
- 4k words in length
if you don't have your own boyfriend, rented is fine, by nyoomerr
SVSSS, bingyuan
https://archiveofourown.org/works/47862913
- I feel sure I've talked about this fic before but I can't find it in my tags?! I've been following it as a wip and it's now DONE!
- the premise: bing-ge transmigrates to our world, and shen yuan thinks he's an attractive but incompetent and down on his luck cosplay-boyfriend-for-rent and takes pity on him
- sy tries to reform lbh and turn him into someone who's not terrible at being a boyfriend. meanwhile lbh is slowly discovering that maybe.....it's possible.........for someone to care about him and be nice to him just because they like him?? sounds fake! but what if?
- every single aspect of their relationship (and everything else in the fic!!!) is a COMPLETE delight. I love to see how much sy's sharp-mouthed peerless cucumber side is out in full force, and how feral lbh is, and how the two of them play off each other
- 86k words in length
commodity fetishism, by tshirt
SVSSS, moshang
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26961457
- tshirt is a genius, this is SO funny, I'm dying
- modern au where mbj is a trust fund baby who's lost access to his trust fund, and what is he going to do, WORK for money?? no.
- enter sugar daddy sqh, or possibly findom mbj's paypig sqh
- 3k words in length
bro you posted cringe, by tshirt
SVSSS, cumplane
https://archiveofourown.org/works/24281209
- yes more tshirt fic, can't stop won't stop
- this one's about shang qinghua and shen qingqiu arguing about whether sqh's sex scenes are at all believable
- which of course leads to a hands-on demonstration
- during which OBVIOUSLY they don't stop arguing
- it's so funny and so in character and it's amazing
- the excerpts from pidw that are read aloud as evidence are also peak comedy
- also it's rule 63
- 3k words in length
is she, you know, a disciple of xian shu?, by tshirt
SVSSS, mingying
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22519507
- liu mingyan and ning yingying's developing relationship as they find ways to open up and be real with each other
- it's so cute!!
- I love how it talks about the experience of gender, how nyy likes that with lmy she isn't expected to be a demure flower, and lmy likes that she doesn't have to be perfect, and none of that excludes them from belonging as a woman who loves women
- and also they bond over writing RPS, obvs
- 3k words in length
MDZS RECS
Disrupt, Corrupt, and Interrupt Me, by hansbekhart
MDZS, lan wangji/su minshan
https://archiveofourown.org/works/26068588
- I love fic that takes Su Minshan seriously as a character, it's a rare delight whenever I come across one
- Lan Wangji/Su Minshan during the disciple era, before the guest disciples arrive
- lwj is a fuckboy and sms is delighted to discover evidence that lwj despite his airs is the same as everyone else
- they fuck about it a lot
- content note for nonconsensual somnophilia
- PERFECT ENDING omg.
- 3k words in length
NIF RECS
all around us are cliffs (close your eyes and fall), by plalligator
NiF, mei changsu/mu nihuang/xiao jingyan
https://archiveofourown.org/works/50350402
- canon divergence au where after the destruction of the chiyan army, mu nihuang takes her army back to yunnan to set up as an independent ruler, and prince jing disappears
- mei changsu, hearing that nihuang has taken a husband and nobody knows who he is: right so I'm going to yunnan
- cue identity shenanigans, of course!
- the wip is at 5 chapters and 12k words right now, and it's left unmarked what the expected final length will be, but I am HERE for the ride wherever it goes because everything it is doing is delicious to me
- it's tagged with mei changsu/mu nihuang/xiao jingyan so I'm assuming that's the endgame ship, which, yes, take me to there
PERSUASION RECS
An Officer and a Gentleman, by cedarboots
Persuasion, Anne/Frederick
https://archiveofourown.org/works/40000401
- a rewrite of Persuasion featuring butch 4 butch Anne/Frederick
- god it's so GOOD and I am so EMOTIONAL about it
- I love all the ways in which it is both the same and different, the ways their identities affect the things they do and the choices they make
- and I mentioned in an earlier post how meaningful it is to be able to see gender non-conforming people like me in historical fiction, living their lives, finding ways to be happy, finding their community. shaking hands with them across time. I see you and you see me.
- making Persuasion specifically be the story told is so perfect too because of how it's about getting to know yourself better when you've had time to grow up more
- also there's lots of excellently-researched historical content
- and lots of feels
- READ IT READ IT READ IT
- it's such a lovely ending and I nearly cried about it
- 47k words in length
MULTIFANDOM RECS
Masculine Women, Feminine Men, by Tafadhali
multifandom vid
https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785647
- fanvid about queer movies from mostly pre-Code hollywood days
- a fascinating window into the way queer themes were portrayed in that era
- fun and thoughtful at the same time
- 3 minutes in length
We Kiss in a Shadow (I Have Dreamed), by Tafadhali
multifandom vid
https://archiveofourown.org/works/41005497
- a follow-up to the pre-code vid I just recced, this one is about queer themes in 1950's-60's hollywood
- very different vibes, and the contrast says a lot when you watch the two back to back
- this one does really good understated yearning and unspoken secrets.
SHORT STORY RECS
Brincando Charcos (Jumping Puddles), by Ben Francisco
Short story
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/brincando-charcos-jumping-puddles/
a beautiful story about fear and trauma and being latino in the USA, and queer romance and the wisdom of the people who love you, and how something that can help save you and that can bring joy and fun in your life can also be an unhealthy coping mechanism if you take it too far. I loved reading about Javier and Mateo as they developed their relationship!
4k words in length
The Long Mural, by James Van Pelt
Short story
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/vanpelt_11_23/
- about a stowaway on a generation ship
- also about art and being part of a community of amateur artists whose work is worthwhile
- I loved the details about the problems with microbial growth in a closed system full of humans who are constantly shedding skin particles, and that the main character sees it as an important job to be part of the clean-up
- the future is unknown but worth being a part of
- 7k words in length
The Dying Lover of Nogorod, by R. K. Duncan
Short story
https://www.beneath-ceaseless-skies.com/stories/the-dying-lover-of-nogorod/
- fantasy story about wizards and dragons and power, and being queer, and being horny for a dragon who is also your death
- deliberately written in a higher register, which can too easily feel stilted or cold, but here works to give the whole thing a sense of dignity and depth
- 5k words in length
To Carry You Inside You, by Tia Tashiro
Short story
https://clarkesworldmagazine.com/tashiro_11_23/
- sci-fi story about a woman with a port-drive into her brain that allowed her to be a great child actor when she was young, and gives her a career as an adult of plugging in the mental backup of a dead person to visit bereaved families who want their beloved dead back again
- about identity, embodiment, and not knowing how to want things
- also about body-sharing
- in second-person pov which works so well for the things this story is about and the things it's doing! the main character is someone who spends most of her time being someone else, after all
- it's so compellingly written!
- has the perfect ending, which can be so hard to pull off right
- 7k words in length
- this is the first published story by this author, and something this great is her first; I am excited to think of where she might go from here!
Nextype, by Sam Kyung Yoo
Short story
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/nextype/
- a short story about a young woman who was given a neural implant to improve her abilities and skills in school to be able to get a good job
- about parental expectations and abusive control
- trying to figure out who you are and what you care about when you've never been given the opportunity to be anything but obedient
- I had feelings
- 4k words in length
NOVELETTE RECS
The Year Without Sunshine, by Naomi Kritzer
Novelette
https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-year-without-sunshine/
- an urban neighbourhood handling an ongoing collapse of systems in a climate crisis by banding together and forming supportive community
- doesn't ignore things like temporary and permanent disability
- believable amounts of hopeful
- 10k words in length
Over My Dead Body by shukyou
Novelette
https://www.shousetsubangbang.com/mirror/over-my-dead-body/
- content notes for ummmmmmm body horror? body grossness definitely. also, murder, plus sex with weird consent stuff going on. drug use. probably other stuff too.
- but it's not, like, horrifying and depressing about any of that! it's remarkably sweet!
- an absolutely incredible piece of original fiction about bodyswap/bodysharing that really makes its home in exploring the weirdness of the situation from the inside. What Is Embodiment. How to have a relationship with the body you're in. Bodies have a lot going on! The brain is part of the body.
- probably this story isn't for everyone, but if it is for you then you are in for a TREAT. I adored it.
- 14k words
Black are the Waters, by Ten Tzeng
Novelette
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/black-are-the-waters/
- about the difficulties of being a teen girl whose dad just died, and who is trying to figure out her identity as an othered visible minority, with a large and close-knit multigenerational family whose older generations are more connected with traditional culture and who want her to be too
- the traditional culture is selkies
- yeah it's a GREAT premise and I love how carefully and believably the selkie culture is imagined, and what the experience of being part of a landed selkie family would be
- very emotionally affecting too!
- 8k words in length
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Ogiwara Saki though is a name that's not familiar to me, and checking the archive, they haven't published with sbb since 2014, alas. But I'll have to check out their old stories!
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So many goodies!
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