Live Surgery Room : Episode 21

Fastest Growing Fandoms on AO3 This Week (04/15/2024)

Every week I pull data on how many fics are in each fandom and compare to the previous week, then calculate the percentage increase to determine fastest growing fandoms.  Since this naturally skews towards smaller fandoms, I have included the same data filtered to Over 1k, 5k, & 10k fics.

Overall:

Over 1,000 Fics:

Over 5,000 Fics:

Over 10,000 Fics:

Source: AO3 Fandom Dashboard

I don't know who designed this fanart, but it's amazing HAHAHAH

(This was drawn by @berry-muffin )

What made you start shipping Thorinduil?

O hey! Thanks for the ask! ^^

Um, basically, when I first watched The Hobbit like 10 years ago? x'''D I really liked Thranduil but literally fell asleep during the other parts of the movie (yea I literally woke up just for Duil x'D) so shipping wasn't a thing for me back then which is why I'm so late to things

But that's not the question!

(Going under a cut cuz this got stupid long xD;;;)

At first, I just wanted to ship Thranduil with anyone--cuz he deserves love, damn it--so I just looked up ALL the ships [and yes I got scarred by a few... not mentioning which but it happened] and I actually started with Elrond, believe it or not, cuz who DOESN'T want to see the two hottest elf dads find love and comfort in each other.

This same idea is what led me to at first be good with Barduil because it's literally two hot dads but one's an elf and the other's a human. After like a week or something of reading fics for them and seeing pics (cuz, at this point, I was still working with just the first movie and what I remembered from the second when I watched it a decade ago) I actually found myself temporarily confused because in some fanart Bard and Thorin look pretty much the same (both short males with dark wavy hair and beards) and I got them mixed up a lot lmafo until I realized the best way to tell them apart is the beard thickness and Thorin's braids vs Bard's half-ponytail thing...

Then I saw THIS by @rinnirrinnir and I just... Q~Q

I suddenly remembered that this HAPPENED: Thranduil has always been Thorin's weak spot--he trusted and believed in this person so much that when he DIDN'T come to their aid that day his whole WORLD just... sort of fell apart (and not even because of Smaug but really because the person he put so much faith in just walked away and I imagine it must have been like watching your hero leave you--tho I doubt Thorin would ever admit that)--to the point that, even 100 years later and even with his company seeing him as their king and even with all his barbs and insults and blames and ire, he's still soft and in love and so easily rendered VULNERABLE by Thranduil that his elf sees right through him during the whole interaction even tho it's literally been like 200 years and Thranduil shouldn't KNOW HIM as well as he does; but like the same is also true for Thranduil because Thorin not only ignites his elf's own ire, forcing him from his calm and distant iciness to get all passionately up in Thorin's face, but also, literally, (re)opens his old wounds--his SCARS--and seriously for Duil to do that, to drop his walls--his illusion of perfection--like that...

Idk, as soon as it clicks that they've been vulnerable with each other CANONICALLY and that all their arguing really stems from this... "Once I trusted/relied on/believed in you and you let me down" and "Once I had hopes that we could build something beautiful together but reality reminded me that I'm old and ugly and not good enough (for you) so I thought it best to let you go when I should've held you" type thing... Pretty much any other pairing for Duil seems... bland?

And just the idea of them finally RECONCILING with each other and becoming the loving couple they could totally be >v<

Also, no lie, half the appeal of this is how well Thorin fits Mirkwood: like, he looks so lovely with all his earthy browns and metallic grays and lake blues accentuated by Thranduil's forest like he was MEANT for it... and you KNOW Duil would deck him out to highlight that--how well his dwarven mate actually fits into his beloved home--and, really, for all that Thorin fought to get back Erebor, I think him and Mirkwood would actually be a good fit because Thranduil's Halls ARE underground enough to satisfy a dwarf's need to be buried while still being open enough for an elf (which Erebor is NOT; seriously)

There's also the family situation--cause one of the appeals of Barduil, for example, is them banding together to parent their four kids--which: first of all, The Thranduil and Dis Sisterhood; second of all, Legolas (plus all his adopted siblings) and Fili and Kili as brothers (kinda, I know the dwarflings are Thorin's NEPHEWS but still) learning to be all kinds of mischievous shites together~; third of all... Thranduil sharing what he's learnt since the Last Alliance about fatherhood and childrearing with Thorin, Thorin validating all of it because he can see how strong and skilled all of Thranduil's kids are (even if they're all struggling at least a BIT with emotional displays because they've all been wounded somehow and rendered reserved--which Thorin could probably help with cuz canonically he's skilled af at getting Thranduil to come out of his icy shell and FEEL again; so: chances are he could easily do this with any elf, including Duil's kids), Thranduil getting farther validation by bonding well with Fili (because Fili strikes me as the more understanding of the two AND, since Legolas is the youngest elf of all Duil's kids, Fili being a big bro with him despite their ages [which make Fili much younger than Las] seems like it'd totally happen and be so flipping cute if it did~ >v< Duil would also totally love seeing that as Fili's Thorin's Honored Heir and if THEY can get along then there's real hope for the north's future) and eventually Kili (I could see him being more influenced by Thorin and his centuries of hatred [born out of his betrayed love] of Duil and, if you wanna keep the [annoying] romance plot he has with Tauriel then he'd probably also resent Duil for that too before realizing Thranduil literally cut all ties with his adopted daughter so she could BE with Kili even if their love story is so painfully contrived it hurts), and Thorin actually being adopted by all the elflings Duil adopted plus Las plus his few humans (let's face it: Aragorn is so Duil's too; that's why he's also Las' babysitter: they're really brothers lmao) PLUS all the Elder Elves that see Thranduil as both their king AND their son (because they adopted him and Oropher back when they first arrived after the fall of Doriath--some even taking on the role of grandparent) so suddenly Thorin goes from having just his sister and sister-sons left to having numerous parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, kids, etc-- Just: the family dynamics that could happen here are so sweet.

ANYWAY

The long and the short of it is really the throne room scene and realizing what their actions in that moment really meant~

Thanks again for the question! =D Remembering this was really fun All my love~!

Stairway to the moon  by SCHINAKO MORIYAMA

Somehow I really love blossoms in adversity, just love how they’re all just so fast with everything without wasting time on unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings, good communication between main leads, and just everyone basically having a “I don’t give a fuck” attitude loool

I can't believe I am about to say this, but ep 21 showed to me that FL completely picked right to hook up with head of secret police. This is a man with USEFUL skills and attitudes to have around in her life.

When her evil aunt hung herself in front of FL's house to create issues, ML was the first and only one to see (it was the middle of the night.) He had no particular reaction and just calmly, quickly, and efficiently moved the corpse and quietly hung it in front of aunt's equally evil husband's house so now evil husband is being investigated, that household is covered with scandal and our FL's family is oblivious since he didn't even bother mentioning it to anyone and just went to bed after this to sleep like a baby after moving and staging a middle-aged lady's corpse.

Later, when FL wonders if she's been too mean to cut off said evil aunt (still not knowing her boo just lugged around said aunt's corpse!) and is her family too much trouble in his eyes, he responds that hey, his grandpa killed a bunch of his own kids, his uncle killed a bunch of his brothers, and his father killed his mother, so nothing she does even registers for him and she could do way worse/have way more troublesome family and he wouldn't be bothered.

I kinda choked.

PS Girl, you are gonna have a hell of a dinner with the in-laws, someday.

Sterek Encounters:

Derek mates meets Stiles for the first time. 

AKA Where will you be when The Gay hits?

Qiubing Chinese Fic Recs: What if rewrites

Sharing some more Qiubing fic recs from Lofter! Remember, these fics are written in Chinese, and so if you want to read them, you'll have to suffer some terrible MTL (or be able to read Chinese).

This round is focused on some of the (many) 'what if?' themed rewrites, which I'm currently obsessed with (in case you missed my first rec). Most of these involve rebirth / time-travel / consciousness returning to a previous part of the timeline. (Reborn here means to have been reborn into an earlier time.)

Note: Lofter is similar to Tumblr, and authors post chapters in individual blog posts. To find later chapters of the same work, just navigate to the author's page and search through blog titles with the same title (usually they'll number it somehow). Also, these titles tend to be more descriptive like a prompt rather than function like AO3 poetic titles.

Disclaimer: Crappy title translations and rough synopsis are mine... don't judge too hard 🤣). These synopsis notes are more for me to remember what the story is about... Also, my criteria for good Chinese fics is simply not being too OOC, and NO easter egg BS (i.e. the author basically tries to make money off of their fic by hiding majority of the story behind a paywall). My Chinese is too crappy to pick out good prose vs. bad prose haha.

Title TL: Sickly kitty, acting mode is on (WIP)

(AKA: What if Li Bing had returned to Shendu after those three years still sickly and with white hair, if he never entered Dalisi, but knew a lot of things?)

Synopsis notes: Mostly a canon rewrite, but with a LB who has white hair and prone to illness. LB still ends up involved in all the cases, but there's slightly less animosity between our favorite pair and more of QQZ trying to look after LB.

Title TL: Reborn before any tragedy occurs; this time we must have satisfaction (WIP)

(AKA: What if Li Bing's consciousness returns to a time when no tragedy had yet occurred?)

Synopsis notes: LB returns back to before their country started the war, before his father died, and before he parted with QQZ. He implores his father and QQZ to investigate the suspicious nature of the war, and thus they embark on more investigations. Features a stubborn LB, protective but indulgent QQZ, LB crossdressing as a woman because Wang Qi isn't there, redeemed Chen Jiu...

Title TL: What if after General Qiu died, Li Bing was reborn? (COMPLETE)

(AKA: What if LB returns to when he first took up his post as the Vice Minister of Dalisi?)

Synopsis notes: LB returns to when he first returned to Shendu and took on the Vice Minister post. Features a calm and shameless tease LB and a QQZ trying his best to remain unaffected and maintain a charade. LB keeps sneaking into QQZ's room in the middle of the night...

Title TL: If you eat (my) Li family's bing (cake), then you become my (Li Bing's) person (WIP)

(AKA: What if QQZ's consciousness returns to when he first met LB?)

Synopsis notes: QQZ returns to when he first met LB and tries to cue him into the conspiracy earlier and prevent all tragedies from happening. Features QQZ centric POV, which is a fresh take! Of course, doting and indulgent QQZ as always...

Title TL: A reborn Li Bing will definitely force Qiu Qingzhi to spill the beans (COMPLETE)

(AKA: What if LB was reborn to three years prior as QQZ returns from war and manages to force him to speak the truth instead of avoiding him?)

Synopsis notes: LB returns to when QQZ just returned from war and stubbornly refuses to let the guy ghost him. Featuring an alive and doting papa Li, sickly and fragile LB (no cat form), doting / protective / occasionally teasing QQZ, Yi Zhihua becoming bffs with LB (much to QQZ's chagrin), and everyone is happy.

Title: it ends or it doesn't // 奈何吟 [Read on Ao3]

Fandoms: 莲花楼 Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV)

Warnings: Rated E.

Relationships: 笛飞声 Di Feisheng / 李莲花 Li Lianhua

Words: 5,480, one-shot

Summary:  

When Li Lianhua left behind Lotus Tower, Hulijing, and everything he'd ever owned in Fang Duobing's care, he had been fairly certain that nobody would be able to find him if he didn't want to be found — except apparently someone with the considerable resources of the Jinyuan Alliance at his fingertips.

But all Di Feisheng says when he finds him is, "Were you planning to run away and hide like a sick dog to die alone?"

Missing scene from Ep40

Dual Cultivation

the mortifying ordeal of being known

you know what really hurts? the fact that up till the end, Qiu Qingzhi was still trying to protect Li Bing.

Over here Yi Zhi Hua reveals that from the very beginning, Qiu Qingzhi's motivations had simply been to protect Li Bing. He never meant for Li Bing to turn into a half-cat.

Even in the letter to the Empress he gives all the credit to Li Bing to ensure that he still remains in the Empress's favour

most of the letter just lists the motivations and crimes of Yong'an Elders, and concludes with QQZ giving the credit to LB, from what I can tell (source: trust me do not in fact, trust me)

He enters the secret room before anyone else to get the stone on the dagger for Li Bing: the only medicine that can turn him back into a human.

I enjoy the changes that the live action White Cat Legend made to the story but I'm glad that they kept the core of Li Bing (man who has been turned into a demon by magic) stubbornly insisting that there's no such thing as demons or magic

Fic: You're taking my heart by storm

Fandom: White Cat Legend (大理寺少聊游)

Relationship: Qiu Qingzhi/Li Bing

Chapter 1/? [read it on ao3]

A/N: based off the scene in episode 29, where Lai Zhongshu tries to wreck everything.

Lai Zhongshu storms into his estate with his stupidly loyal men held captive behind him, demanding that he do something about them, and the last piece of the puzzle that is Qiu Qingzhi slots into place.

The memory of Qiu Qingzhi staring down the shaft of the arrow at Yi Zhi Hua as if they knew each other resurfaces, unbidden. The way Yi Zhi Hua seemed almost afraid of Qiu Qingzhi–

(There was also the way Qiu Qingzhi had shielded him from the arrow, why he had doggedly kept at their tails during the Black Rakshasa investigation, demanding to have the case).

Ah, Li Bing thinks. This is why you were striving so hard for a promotion. This is why you distanced yourself. This is why you changed so much in three years.

He had once asked Qiu Qingzhi what it was that twisted him beyond recognition, what it was that took his childhood friend– his childhood love– beyond his reach. Li Bing could no longer understand the Qiu Qingzhi that returned from the war.

The one person he once thought he understood better than his own soul was now turned stranger, a puzzle that he could not solve.

But now he has been handed the last piece. Qiu Qingzhi morphed himself into one of them–

To protect me? Just how much have you suffered, you moron?

He nearly unravels right there, overcome by the realisation.

He would have, if it were not for Chen Shi’s uncertain call of “Li-ye?” grounding him to reality.

Instead, he straightens his shoulders, fixing Lai Zhongshu’s smug expression with an equally impassive one as he calls out, “wait.”

What else could he do, other than to send them away for their own safety, lest they get hurt again on his behalf?

It is a heartbreaking realisation to come to, that Qiu Qingzhi might have been right to distance himself.

(Except that they differed in one area.

Li Bing had been involved in this from the start, he chose to fight against whoever it was orchestrating all this. These men were innocent. They had nothing to do with this, before everything spilled over and dragged them into it.

He would just have to prove to Qiu Qingzhi that he, too, has changed. He is no longer the sickly youngster who needed his protection, he could hold his own against the world, even if he was alone).

Qiubing Xianxia AU

I’ve been rewatching love you seven times because of Ding Yuxi, and it gave me this xianxia AU idea for qiubing.

The drama version of Qiu Qingzhi had been nerfed a lot in comparison to the manhua and donghua, cause he’s supposed to be very very strong to the point he can decimate a whole army all by himself, so, Qiu Qingzhi is definitely the strongest God of War from the Heavenly realm.

As for Li Bing, I really like the demon realm storyline in love you seven times, so, Li Bing is a cat demon who managed to become the new Demon King after defeating the previous King.

After the last great war, the Heavenly and Demon realm have been at peace for thousands of years. They don’t usually interact with each other, and both have currently been fighting a common enemy from the Devil realm.

One day, Qiu Qingzhi got hurt after being ambushed by some assassins from the Devil realm and he accidentally fell to the Demon realm. Li Bing found him, then help to nurse him back to health. This is how they got to know each other.

After getting nursed back to health, Li Bing found out that Qiu Qingzhi is very strong, and for the first time in his life has met someone that can defeat him and also manhandle him with ease. Which, he’s really, really into, so… yeah.

As for Qiu Qingzhi, he really feel thankful, and swore to always protect Li Bing in return, but also, this cat demon is really really pretty, and his cat form is very cute, and also, the sound he made when being manhandled is very… ahem… interesting.

Qiu Qingzhi did eventually return to the Heavenly realm, cause he’s the God of War, and he’s got tons of work to do. But he will sneak out to go to the Demon realm from time to time to hang out with Li Bing, and they also often help each other in dealing with troubles caused by the Devil realm.

One day Qiu Qingzhi has to go and do his mortal trial. Li Bing sneaked in to find him and give him a protective amulet, but accidentally fell in to the pool of rebirth with him. And so they are both being reborn as humans and has to do a mortal trial together.

So, it’s basically a xianxia AU where white cat legend drama universe is their mortal trial lol.

Yeah, well, this idea just somehow got into my head and I just had to get it out somehow.

Hi loved your quibing fics .

Prompt is yi zhi hua forcefully brings back Qiu Qing Zhi with quibing feels

A/N: I know you said 'forcefully' but... :D

--

"Let me save him."

The words hang like a heavy cord in the air. Inside, Yi Zhi Hua feels his stomach churn. There's a familiar tinge of something sour in the back of his throat -- an unnameable feeling with connotations he has pushed aside into the darkest reaches of his memories where he has locked and bolted the door shut, and thrown away the key.

If he had to hazard a guess, Yi Zhi Hua might have called it desperation.

Li Bing turns his red-rimmed eyes up at him, dark lashes wet with tears and for a moment, Yi Zhi Hua understands just a fraction of the allure and the spell this man has on Qiu Qingzhi. He's beautiful. Fragile and strong in a way that few beauties he has ever seen are. Looking over at the dying general, he envies them to have had this measure of love that was returned triple fold.

"I can save him," He repeats. Funny enough, his voice is steady and calm. "No tricks." And he means it, too.

Li Bing frowns, hands gripping on to the man in his arms so tight, his knuckles have gone white. "Why would you even do that?"

Yi Zhi Hua contemplates throwing out a quip. Something nonchalant like that would make light of the way Qiu Qingzhi was fading and fading fast, but none of the lightness and sharp barbs come to him.

What trips off his glib tongue is a slow and measured, "Because as important he is to you, he is to me, too. So, let me save him."

Li Bing doesn't stop him when he turns the dagger on his wrist. Does little else but flinch when he presses the wound to Qiu Qingzhi's lips. It hurts. It always does. But the gratifying part of knowing it worked; when Qiu Qingzhi's eyes shoot wide open, glazed over gold, grunting as he chases more and more of Yi Zhi Hua's life-giving blood, is euphoria indeed.

He takes the general into his own arms, cradling him as he feeds. The shrivelled up thing in his chest that was once a heart throbs in the delight of having this man connected to him like this.

Leaning in, he presses his smile to the shell of an ear.

"The game's not over yet."

this is the ending that we deserve, qiu qingzhi survived and they live happily ever after, catbing deserves to sleep on his hubby’s lap lol

there HAS to be a reason for this