#mlc fic

[bbcphile]

WIP Wednesday

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

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

**

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

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

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

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

“Obviously. He’s healing.”

Well, at least a-Fei knew that much.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who was he kidding? It was probably the latter.

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

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

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

“Wait.”

Fang Duobing stilled. “What?”

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

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

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

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

A-Fei shook his head. 

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

[madamadragon]

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

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

I don't know what i'm writing

[adorablecrab]

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

[xthelastknownsurvivorx]

WIP Wednesday

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

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

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

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

[asterdust]

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

the final lotus case by asterdust

[deepbluewithyellow]

I won't abandon my fic, it's just my mind stuck on maths and not producing words (plus being super busy with my thesis).

logic keeps you busy with the reasoning behind every decision and calculation of stuff (e. g. distance, time) :")

I'm still reasoning on how a kidnapped person can be saved :") sorry for being this slow and lazy :"

[akkpipitphattana]

love me or leave me

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

Complicated. That was what it was.

Or.

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

Can be read on AO3 here.

[dlanadhz]

Author: DLanaDHZ Beta: @jessicamdawn and @seekingidlewild Rating: T for mentions of homophobia Fandom: Moonlight Chicken Pairing: Heart/Li Ming Chapters: 1 Word Count: 1,740 Additional Tags: Self-Reflection, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Homophobia, helpful boyfriends, Introspection, Eye Contact, Physical Disability, Canon Disabled Character, Boys In Love

Summary: For a long time, Heart resented being deaf and the way it limited his world. When he met Li Ming, his silent world suddenly became so much larger and louder. Heart found happiness with Li Ming, and he loved the other boy so much, but sometimes he worried he was holding Li Ming back with his deafness. But sometimes Heart understood that being deaf was a protection Li Ming didn’t have.

While out on a date, Heart realizes something is bothering Li Ming. Something only he can hear, but Heart can’t.

Read on AO3

When Heart was thirteen, he was pretty average. Well, as average as he could feel when he was realizing he wasn’t the same as his friends - that he didn’t care about flirting with the girls at school or fantasizing about what it would be like to marry or have sex with the hottest actresses and models.

He remembered laughing with his friends about a new movie and then making an offhand comment about how hot the main actor was. The jeers and teasing that went up around the circle immediately told him he’d said something not-normal, and he played it off as heterosexually as possible. None of them guessed that he wasn’t joking.

When Heart was fourteen, he got really sick while traveling abroad during break. First, his whole body ached. Lights felt like daggers to his eyes. The doctors thought it was the world’s worst migraine until the fever struck him down a day later. When sounds started to seem faded or distant, he cried with fear. His parents were panicked. The doctors were nervous.

When the medication started to work on the virus, everyone else seemed so relieved, but Heart wanted to die. His world had gone silent, and there was nothing he or his parents’ money could do about it.

At first, his mother had been a fighter, determined to try anything and everything to help him regain his hearing. While she argued with experts, Heart learned sign language. When his mother wrote down words to ask how he was, he lied and told her he was fine and that he was hopeful about getting his hearing back. But he knew it was hopeless. The doctors didn’t lie to him. It was only his mother in denial.

After a few months, it became clear that this was his life now. He tried to teach his mother basic signs, but she always found a reason to be too busy to watch his hands. His father, also, was too busy with work to dedicate any real time to his newly disabled son. More than ever before, it seemed both of his parents had more to do outside the house than in it. And Heart was no longer allowed to go out to meet them or anyone else.

His once bright world became the quiet solemn loneliness of his house.

Heart was resentful of his solitude, of his illness, of his parents. Eventually that resentfulness turned to sorrow and acceptance. He had not died on the trip at fourteen-years-old, but he had lost his life all the same.

Then, on a completely ordinary, boring day three years later, a delivery of chicken and rice startled Heart into a whole new life all over again.

Li Ming was so loud that Heart could hear him even without sound. He was so bright that Heart could notice him even without looking directly at him. His joy and his anger and his passion were all so intense that it forced Heart’s stagnant world into motion.

Li Ming learned sign language for Heart and helped him communicate. He helped Heart find others in the deaf community, helped him get out of the house and experience life, helped him find a university and convince his parents to let him apply, helped Heart through grief and mended his relationship with his parents. The other boy did so much for Heart that Heart often worried he was nothing more than a burden.

Except Li Ming smiled at him and looked at him like something precious. Li Ming made sure to touch Heart even when they had nothing to talk about, to let Heart know he wasn’t alone. Li Ming called him “boyfriend” and kissed him. He seemed so happy when he was with Heart, and that was usually enough to assuage Heart’s fears.

Heart still wished he could do more for his boyfriend.

Soon they would be in a new country, with only each other to rely on, making their way in the world as a couple and as individuals. They were on the cusp of a whole new world. It was thrilling. It was terrifying.

For the first time in years, Heart looked forward to his birthday. He was turning eighteen, he’d been accepted into the university of his choice, and his parents were throwing a party for him that included all of Heart’s new friends. It was so normal and happy that Heart could almost forget his three years of lackluster celebrations.

More than the party, however, Heart was excited for the afternoon before it. He and Li Ming were going to the movies and then walking down the boardwalk. Movies with Li Ming were always fun, and if Li Ming didn’t have to be his subtitles, they held hands and crossed ankles during the show.

Heart loved playing with Li Ming’s fingers, feeling the soft skin and remembering the joy he felt when he realized this crazy delivery kid was really making an effort to talk with his hands just so Heart would have someone to talk to at all. He loved Li Ming’s hands so much. Sometimes he missed parts of the movie because his eyes stayed on them too long, but that was okay. He just wanted to be near Li Ming.

After the movie, they held hands as they walked out of the mall and down the street toward the beach. Li Ming talked a lot, his hand making what gestures it could, Heart making up the rest by reading his lips and body language. If the sentence was too complicated, Li Ming would text it to him instead and then buzz with energy while he waited for Heart to read it. Stopping by the entrance to the beach, Li Ming typed a long message.

“My uncle bought me a new suitcase yesterday. He said my old one was no good. He also wouldn’t let me refuse it. Apparently it counts as your birthday gift?”

Heart chuckled. “He’s making sure you can come with me to America. Thank him for the gift.”

The message sent, was read, but no typing bubble popped up. That’s when Heart realized Li Ming had also stopped buzzing with excitement. His grip on Heart’s hand was normally lax, but it suddenly grew tight. When he looked up to ask Li Ming if he was okay, he found the other’s eyes intense and focused on nothing.

Heart put his phone in his pocket and tried to sign “what?”, but Li Ming’s eyes darted away from him before he could. His normally happy face was pulled into a tight frown as he tried to look around at people and yet not look at them at the same time. His jaw was tight. His fingers tensed again.

When they’d first met, Li Ming would let his anger take over. He was quick to defend himself and wasn’t afraid of conflict or consequences. Over the year, however, he’d cooled down. He picked his battles and tried not to fight if he could help it. But something was bothering him now. He looked like he wanted to fight. He looked like he wanted to cry.

Heart glanced around, trying to figure out what might have set his boyfriend off. It was obviously something Li Ming had heard, and Heart had no way of guessing where it was coming from or what it had been.

There were many people walking around this close to the shops and the beach, and Heart had to guess it was something to do with one of them. He scanned the crowds and found a group that kept glancing at the two young men. They were talking, their eyes sliding over Heart and Li Ming like a dirty secret, and then looking back at each other as they spoke. But their body language didn’t suggest they were whispering.

When they angled properly, Heart could read a little of their conversation. Mostly it was useless words, filler stuff, but he caught enough. Gay. Disgusting. Gross. Creepy. And they laughed about it. No wonder Li Ming wanted to fight them.

Heart tugged on Li Ming’s hand and the other glanced sharply up at him. He looked shocked, like maybe he hadn’t realized how distracted he’d been by the words he’d heard. He pulled his hand away from Heart’s so he could properly sign “I’m sorry” while his mouth moved too fast for Heart to read.

There was no sound. Heart couldn’t hear a thing, and yet Li Ming’s heart was screaming in front of him. He was trying to play it off and pretend, but Heart knew him better than that. He could see the truth in his eyes, in his mouth, in his hands. Li Ming was trying to protect him from the nasty words he’d heard, but it wasn’t Heart who needed the help. He hadn’t heard anything, after all.

Carefully, Heart gave a pointed stare to the group, so that they and Li Ming knew he understood, then he directed all of his attention on Li Ming’s face. Before his boyfriend could really get started on trying to explain the group, Heart gently placed his hands over Li Ming’s ears and held him in place.

He looked straight into Li Ming’s eyes while he blocked out as much sound as he could, and it seemed that, for a moment, the world was quieter for Li Ming too. Like somehow, the peace that came with Heart’s disability was able to reach him through this small gesture. He placed his hands calmly over Heart’s and rested there.

Li Ming had been acting as Heart’s ears for a year and had helped him in so many ways. Sometimes Heart forgot that he helped ground Li Ming too. He pulled Li Ming out of his head and reminded him about the good that came with being still sometimes.

Under his hands, Li Ming began to smile again, and this time it was real. He lowered his hands and signed, “Thank you.”

Heart dropped his hands as well to sign “For what?”

Li Ming shrugged. “Everything,” he said. “I love you.”

Catching his breath, Heart pressed a hand to his chest and smiled warmly. “I love you,” he signed back. He motioned to the beach. “Do you still want to go?”

Nodding emphatically, Li Ming snatched up his hand again. Even without sign language, his answer was loud and clear. “Absolutely!”

[lei-llustrations]

“李相夷已经死了。。。李莲花也快死了” - Episode 38 of Mysterious Lotus Casebook (莲花楼）

When even rebirth isn’t enough sometimes

please read Three Autumns by @rageprufrock

[bbcphile]

WIP Wednesday (Huli Jing Edition)

It's Wednesday again, so here's some comfort for a change: an excerpt where Huli Jing helps ground Di Feisheng--thanks to Xiaobao). (You can find earlier excerpts here.)

Swallowing back a groan, Di Feisheng forced himself upright again and braced himself for the sound of chatter.

The dog whined by the bedside instead.

He dragged his eyes open and looked around. 

No overeager puppy in sight. Just Huli Jing. 

Huh. 

Xiaob–

–Xiangyi’s Xiaobao was actually giving him space. Peace and quiet–

Huli Jing wagged her tail at him expectantly.

–And also a dog.

It was a good compromise the brat had come up with: Di Feisheng had needed a break from him, so he’d sent in the quieter, tamer surrogate. And that way, Xiangyi would get comfort from Huli Jing, even in his sleep. 

He huffed a laugh. It looked like even human pups could learn new tricks. 

At least his hand was responding to his commands now, since he couldn’t even manage a click of his tongue in his current state. 

He patted the bed at his feet, then let himself slump back against the wall, eyes closed.

The bed shifted as Huli Jing hopped up. 

He waited for Huli Jing to turn in a circle before lying down by Xiangyi’s feet.

There was a pause.

The blanket rustled under the weight of paws, but not by Xiangyi. The rustles were getting closer. And closer. Maybe she was going to rest her head on Xiangyi’s chest. He’d heard dogs did that sometimes.

A wet nose sniffed at his hand.

What the–He opened his eyes. Huli Jing gazed back at him, her head tilted slightly.

No treats here, he thought, and turned his empty palm up to show her.

She licked it.

That’s not–He shook his head, wiped his palm on his outer robe, and scritched her several times behind the ears. There, he thought, patting her on the back and resting his hand on his lap again. I’ve said hello. Now go to Xiangyi. He needs you more.

She whined, lay her front legs on his lap, and nuzzled his hand, her tail wagging.

Insistent little thing, aren’t you? He rolled his eyes, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips. Fine, he thought at last, scratching her under her chin. But only this hand. I’m not letting go of Xiangyi.

She nuzzled into his hand again and then lay her head on his leg. He huffed out an amused breath. Compromise accepted, then.

[madamadragon]

Chapters name reveal of my new fic

Chapter 1: the meeting and the escape

Chapter 2: I bring golden statues back to life

Chapter 3: A detective and a doctor enter a bar

Chapter 4: I find my husband in a cave

Reading only the titles what do you think? I'm finishing writing the second chapter, once I get to the fourth I'll publish the story on ao3 (if I can haha)

Stay tuned for OUTSIDE MOUNTAIN

[peridot-tears]

The year is 2024 and a team of archeologists have excavated a strange grave in an old seaside village. The verdant green skeleton of a man who died in his 50s next to the bones of a dog. Alongside them are the bones of two men who passed well into their 90s. DNA testing shows that at least one of them was the ancestor of several prominent imperial families throughout the dynasties, and yet he was buried in this unmarked grave instead of with his family. None of them were related. All of them were buried decades apart.

[mx-myth]

Liansanjiao is so wild. One of them is a dom and also a pillow princess. Another one is a brat tamer and a submissive. The other one is a service top and a brat. They're all asexual. They're all horny all the time. They're all aromantic. They're all battle-sexual. They're all dating. They're all fighting. They're all in a qpr. They're all friends. They're all oh whoops you looked away for one moment now they're taking down the jianghu and they're going to remake it. Oh nevermind they're leaving.

[asterdust]

.

[qpjianghu]

Outcast, fallen angel, you are loved. You are forgiven. You are redeemed. You are loved. -The Exorcist [insp]

Li Lianhua | Mysterious Lotus Casebook

[deepbluewithyellow]

I wrote a thought map for my fic and it got so huge that scared the hell out of me :)) Thought I'm gonna reach the end in a month but I guess it takes waaaaay longer :")