Fic/Art Recs: Wings!

[velithya]

Hello everyone! I hope you're all recovered from guardian_wishlist because I'm coming at you this weekend with a themed rec list for wings!

These are in no particular order and are all fantastic :3

Please click through to AO3 for complete list of tags/etc for each work.

ART RECS

Title: Shen Wei with wings
Artist: c_art
Rating: G

I really love the colours! Gorgeous work.
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Title: Winged Shen Wei
Artist: d_c_m
Rating: G

I love the crisp feather details on the wings! Note in case you're at work, Shen Wei is shirtless in this <.<
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Title: weaving this life with iridescent strands
Artist: yue_ix
Rating: G
Summary: Shen Wei isn't used to kindness. When he hurts his wings, Zhao Yunlan steps in to help. Can Shen Wei's heart heal along his wings?

I love the colours and holographic effects - and Da Qing quietly in the foreground making his own fun :3
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**Note: Some of the following recs have NSFW summaries. Please browse safely!**

FIC RECS - SERIES

Series Title: Dragon Wings
Author: starandrea

Part 1: Learn the Light
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 3,341
Summary: Shen Wei hasn't been home in three days, and Zhao Yunlan wants to know why.

Part 2: Love the Light
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 4,243
Summary: Shen Wei’s new wings only glow when he's trying to hide them, which is unexpectedly helpful when he decides to practice flying at night. Zhao Yunlan is more surprised to be invited than he is by the wings themselves.

Shen Wei grows wings unexpectedly, and Zhao Yunlan has some unexpected feelings about it. I love the relationship dynamics!
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Title: Still Learning
Author: Fangirlishness
Rating: E, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 1,500
Summary: He’s pounding away into Shen Wei, who is on his hands and knees, pushing back wantonly every time Zhao Yunlan pushes forward. Sweat is dripping into his eyes, and the bed is creaking, and the rhythm is perfect. Shen Wei is making the most wonderful noises, loud in his ears even through the sound of his own gasping breaths. Zhao Yunlan bites his lip, trying to hold out just a little longer.
Suddenly Shen Wei tenses and shouts, “Wings! Wings!”

This is in the series section because it follows on from starandrea's series above. The sex is scorching! *fans self*
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Series Title: Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through hell with you
Author: shadowlancer_95
Summary: Guardian Wingfic AU
The one in which everyone has wings - except the Yashou - and somehow this changes everything.

Part 1: fly with me (I can't)
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 4,673
Summary: Across both Dixing and Haixing, if there was one thing that both cultures shared – it was the reverence of a person’s wings. Every wing was different from person to person, much like fingerprints. It was also known that a person’s wings were sacred.
Or,
That Wingfic AU I didn't realize I needed.

Part 2: scars (show me all the ones you hide)
Rating: G, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 4,518
Summary:Zhao Yunlan had fantasized about Shen Wei’s wings.
Of course he had, anyone with a pair of working eyes and some common sense would take one look at Professor Shen and wonder just what kind of wings he had. Zhao Yunlan spent much of his time alone – both in the secrecy of his office and at home – coming up with different types of wings for Shen Wei. From the moment their hands touched, Zhao Yunlan had felt as though something inside him had slotted into place, like finding the missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle, except he hadn’t ever realized that he was missing anything.
Or,
The sequel to the Wingfic!AU because more angst is always a bonus.

Part 3: show me the truth (I don't believe you)
Rating: G, Shen Wei & Ye Zun
Word Count: 1,570
Summary: He remembers the feathers.
Even ten thousand years of captivity and solitude hadn’t been able to dull the image of those feathers, the memory of its shape and texture stamped brilliantly in his mind.

In this AU everyone has wings. It's packed full of emotion and the resolution in part 2 is excellent :3
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Series Title: Angels in the Windows
Author: tinypinkmouse

Part 1: A Dirty Little Backyard
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 4,472
Summary: Look, Zhao Yunlan knew what kind of tripe people believed about Exalted being these perfect beings, or whatever, but the truth was most of them looked just like any ordinary human, just with a pair of gold wings stuck to their backs. This though, this might actually be the perfect being standing right here in front of Zhao Yunlan.

Part 2: Virtue's Pay
Rating: M, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 1,186
Summary: Da Qing is worried. Da Qing also has the worst timing.

Part 3: We May Not Buy Wings
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 2,672
Summary: Of course, Shen Wei trusted him. How could he not? This man that would one day be the Kunlun he remembered.

Early series retelling in a world where some people have wings. The getting together makes me grin like a idiot, I love it!
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Series Title: Wingspan
Author: ShippersList

Part 1: Come with me and I'll make you soar
Rating: E, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 5,608
Summary: When Zhao Yunlan defeated Ye Zun with the Longevity Dial, he didn’t go blind. No, he grew wings.
And they’re driving Shen Wei crazy.

Part 2: I promise I can make you fly
Rating: E, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 13,694
Summary: Zhao Yunlan gets thrown into the past and meets the young Shen Wei. And the rest is history—or future, depending on how you look at it.
OR
…just how did Shen Wei learn all the tricks to reduce Zhao Yunlan into a desperate mess?

Part 3: I clipped my wings but the winds shall carry me on
Rating: E, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Ye Zun/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 17,499
Summary:How do you cope when two timelines collide in your mind? How do you reconcile with yourself and your brother when your whole existence is based on a lie? (Also, how can anyone enjoy sex when it’s about humiliation and pain?)
OR
Ye Zun tries to cope with trauma. And gege and gege’s human who, for some reason, wants to make sure Ye Zun knows what consent means.

Zhao Yunlan grows wings after the Longevity Dial, and Shen Wei has a lot of feelings about it <.< I love the way the POV changes with each instalment so we get insight into everyone's head!
Note: if you're not into Ye Zun, Parts 1 and 2 can stand alone.
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FIC RECS - STAND ALONE

Title: Fall
Author: frith_in_thorns
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 510
Summary: Zhao Yunlan falls. He doesn't die.

This is short but oh so good! So many emotions *wriggles*
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Title: Shrouded by the Sky
Author: Shadaras
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 3,103
Summary: Zhao Yunlan couldn’t stop thinking about the Envoy and his wings.

Take one pinch of seamlessly meshing AU into canon, two pinches of emotions, and one pinch yearning, and you get this extremely satisfying fic!
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Title: Fly not where we would
Author: UndeadRobins
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 909
Summary: Our words have wings, but fly not where we would. -- George Eliot

Also has a podfic: Fly not where we would [Podfic] read by tinypinkmouse_podfics

This sits somewhere alongside canon, just a gorgeous little slice-of-life. (Also, Zhao Yunlan in a wet T-shirt. *ahem*)
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Title: Crowing Up
Author: Shadaras
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 3,131
Summary: Zhao Yunlan has wings.
When they first manifest, this is a trial. By the time he's grown up and found his husband, they're a gift.

Shadaras wrote this for me so I am definitely biased but I love everything about this! Zhao Yunlan is half Yashou, and this fic is a great exploration of how that could have gone (and gets in some finale fix-it and post-canon bliss at the same time!) :3
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Title: [Fanfic] Clipped Wings
Author: flamingwell, Mo_on_raccoon
Podfic: [Podfic] Clipped Wings read by flamingwell
Cover Art: [Fanart] Clipped Wings by Mo_on_raccoon
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 4,015
Summary:The strange weights move along Shen Wei's back. Heart hammering in his chest, he reaches backward and cannot swallow a cry of surprise that echoes off his narrow prison.
His wings.
His wings are back.
But Ye Zun is nowhere to be found. Zhao Yunlan isn't here either.
And Shen Wei is trapped.

How many times can you say OH, SHEN WEI? This collaborative work has both emotional and physical hurt/comfort and it's exquisite :3
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Title: Changing like the Seasons
Author: Elenothar
Rating: T, Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Word Count: 3,336
Summary: Sometimes, out of the corner of his eyes, Zhao Yunlan sees the colour of Professor Shen’s wings shift.

This fic was also written for me so once again I am definitely biased but I also love everything about this! This is a canon AU where everyone has wings and the worldbuilding is delicious :3
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You are more than welcome to join me in the comments with any fan works I've missed, your favourite thing about wing AUs, the shameful imbalance between the number of works with Shen Wei with wings versus Zhao Yunlan with wings, what kind of wings you think any of the Guardian characters would have, and/or just wing AU ideas in general! ♥

Comments

[velithya]

I'LL START

Did anyone read the "Catwings" books by Ursula K Le Guin when they were small? Because *waves hands* DA QING WITH WINGS

[shadaras]

YES! :D Catwings is very important! <333

Da Qing with wings would get into SO much trouble, as befits a cat. <3 He'd also be glorious! (as befits a cat.)

[velithya]

I didn't realise until like - last week? serendipitously! - that the Catwings books I enjoyed as a youth were written by Ursula Le Guin, I always thought of her as a fantasy author but not as a kid's author, you know? AND NOW I KNOW BETTER

Da Qing would get into the BEST trouble hahaha
OH WAIT but - YOHE-

Can you imagine bb kitten Da Qing tumbling around on his newly fledged wings??? Just taking a complete header into a bush and stalking out a few seconds later all offended grace and "I meant to do that" like cats do and Zhao Yunlan just dying trying not to laugh too hard

[shadaras]

I read them very young and then completely forgot about them for years while retaining the concept of winged cats in my own head, and then someone mentioned them and I was like "OH THAT'S WHERE IT CAME FROM :D" and was unsurprised, somehow, that it was le Guin. :) (Similar vibes to when I learned that Dogsbody was written by Diana Wynne Jones.) It's funny that you didn't think of her as a kid's author, when le Guin's Earthsea books are absolutely marketed as a children's series, but yeah people tend to talk about her Hainish Cycle books a lot more nowadays...

Kitten Da Qing! :D Aw, baby Da Qing with useless wings and then fledging and needing to learn how to fly, that must've been full of so many mishaps for him. <3 Adorable! (tbh even more adorable in novel!verse to me, because then he's more often in feline shape there.)

also fat adult cat Da Qing who is like "I'm not fat, I can still fly" and ignores the fact that it's all magic anyway that lets him do this. xD

[velithya]

I've read Earthsea too but retained much much less of the detail (and I think while they might have been written for younger readers there's a lot of nuance that must have gone right over my head) whereas even having read it like 20 years ago, I could probably re-tell you the first Catwings book entirely from memory ^^;;;

Heh, I assume that taking a cat to an outdoor countryside shoot would have been a recipe for disaster, so I just make up all the times Da Qing would have naturally been in cat form in YOHE :3

There would definitely have to be some magic involved! Either that or Da Qing's wings would be comically oversized for his kitty body hehehehe

Love that the SID has such high ceilings, I wonder how many times Da Qing pounces from above? ... Xiao Guo learns to look up when entering the main office very, very quickly :D :D :D

[shadaras]

Ahhhh an excellent theme! :D Love the recs! <3

For guardian_wishlist last year, I wrote yue_ix some headcanons about what wings I thought each of the main Guardian characters would have!

the shameful imbalance between the number of works with Shen Wei with wings versus Zhao Yunlan with wings

haha, the fact that I'd written a winged!SW fic already is why I wrote you winged!ZYL for the exchange. :) I think it's super interesting to posit worlds where ZYL is the one with wings because he spends so much time attempting to be grounded and "normal" that revealing that he's actually not baseline human is fun. (Plus, sudden wing reveal for ZYL in dramaverse feels like a fun mirror to the ZYL-Kunlun connection in the novel.)

[velithya]

Hehehe I knew I wasn't going to be the only wing enthusiast in the room *high-fives*

Thank you for linking to your HC wings! I love the way you describe Ye Zun and Zhao Yunlan's wings, esp for ZYL seeming ordinary at first because we all know he loves to lean into the "underestimate me based on your assumptions about my appearance" misdirection :3

You had to achieve parity, of course! ^_~ And yeah, Zhao Yunlan is transcendent in so many other ways, why not this too? Fun seeing him try his usual misdirection bullshit when he's got six feet of feathers hanging off his back!

[shadaras]

Yeah! :D <3

the point at which I realized YZ's wings were just seagull wings I was torn between loud sighs and cackling laughter. then I decide he deserved it. xD; I'm glad you enjoyed them!

I did need to achieve parity! :D How much the wings would impede his misdirection bullshit depends entirely on how common wings are in the AU, of course, but I agree it's very fun to see him try it regardless. :)

[velithya]

I mean, seagulls are super annoying but seagull WINGS are quite pretty! :3

Oh yeah, and how much involuntary movement wings have with emotions etc, how well that can be controlled, etc etc etc. Zhao Yunlan is so careful with his body language a lot of the time, so it would be great to see either how he's marshalled his wing language to match or how it occasionally doesn't quite do what he wants it to...

[awanderingcoyote]

I love the idea of wingfic but also that the wings potentially determine some of what you do society wise. I have a host of notes and thoughts outline based on the five wing shapes that are typically seen in nature; elliptical, hovering, high speed, active soaring and passive. It’s just so interesting and I have done way too much research on it lololol.

My hc for this particular wing au is that SW illusions his normal wings to something different since wings are king of like fingerprints and ppl have seen HPS’ wings 😄

ZYL def has high speed wings 🤣

I love seeing everyone’s different ideas and canons about wings.

[velithya]

oooh I did not know that there were different types of wing shapes! It makes perfect sense that Zhao Yunlan would have high speed wings hehehe he just go zoom zoom zoom! What wing shape do you HC Shen Wei having? :3

[awanderingcoyote]

Right! ME either until I started googling things and researching XD XD XD

Here's my HC for the SID crew and wings:

HPS/SW - I've gone back and forth in my brain between passive soaring and active soaring and I think I lean towards active soaring for HPS. This gives him both stamina and a little bit of speed (though nothing like high speed wings XD) which I think would give HPS the stronk (strong) vibe he gives off. When he's SW I HC that he illusions his wings to elliptical.

CSZ - active soaring though not as stronk as HPS XD

ZYL - High speed wings. As you said so much zoom zoom zoom XD

GCC - hovering wings (like a hummingbird XD XD XD XD) because all that nervous energy!

Lin Jing, Wang Zheng and Sang Zan - Elliptical

I keep going back and forth about whether the Yashou should have wings XD XD

But that's my HC right this moment :D What wings do you usually see SW with?

[velithya]

oooh, very interesting! HPS should definitely have a lot of stamina and some speed, for sure! *nodsnods*

Ah, I haven't done a lot of research into birbs so in my brain they're just BIG, classically feathered, the colour of dark energy (black/blue/glossy and if the light catches them just right, silver highlights). It's more a vibe than anything actually rooted in nature ^^;;;

[awanderingcoyote]

YESS I also envision the whole black/blue/glossy feathers and with silver highlights perfection!!! :D :D :D Love it!

[velithya]

especially in YOHE with his flowing robes and flowing hair and gorgeous wings snapping open in a swirl of feathers I-

[awanderingcoyote]

RIGHT. Yes that is ALL ALL GOOD.

And listen listennnnnnnn feather decorations that point out your allegiance to someone XD XD XD Like say Kunlun.

While beads over feathers would be impractical I'm gonna go impractical and say some of Kunlun's beads threaded on his feathers!

But also for practical feather decorations, maybe they paint specific feathers a person's colors to show their relationship XD So for Kunlun it could be blue, since his outfit is various shades of blue and gray and Shen Wei has specific feathers (primaries feathers maybe?!) dipped in a blue dye.

/random thoughts :D

[velithya]

feather decorations??? okay I know you went with Shen Wei wearing beads on his feathers BUT WHAT IF KUNLUN DECKED OUT IN SHEN WEI'S FEATHERS?? Feathers woven into his hair next to the beads??? kjdnfksjdnd

I love Shen Wei with two primary feathers the colour of Kunlun's robe, and Kunlun with Shen Wei's midnight sky / dark energy feathers woven into his hair :D :D :D

[awanderingcoyote]

EEEE. YES YES. I love this visual too!!! akjlds;ja;ljdfka;d

And maybe with those feathers braided into his hair, that allows Shen Wei to track him in a rudimentary way because his feathers are imbued with dark energy and it's his dark energy.

Then he can always make sure Kunlun is safe. AHH XD I love all of this!

[velithya]

Okay I love that? I mean we all know that Shen Wei has lojacked Zhao Yunlan in modern times but I love that it started with Kunlun wearing Shen Wei's feathers :D

OKAY WHAT ABOUT THIS (for angst): Shen Wei braids feathers into Kunlun's hair and he's MEANING to dye his primaries blue but then the declaration of war comes and they have to go retrieve the Hallows, Kunlun leaves, etc etc, and when Shen Wei wakes up one of the first things he does is dye his feathers because Kunlun PROMISED

Bonus if Dixingren don't do that anymore so ZYL pre-time travel is just like ??? I guess HPS has a couple blue feathers? And then after YOHE he's like OH SHEN WEI

[awanderingcoyote]

WHAT I AM DED DED! I mean I'm not really, but YES YES. I love this.

KUNLUN PROMISE HE SO DID. And SW knows Kunlun wouldn't break a promise.

OH OH and maybe Chu Shuzhi realizes what those feathers mean, because he old, and maybe it had died out early enough that Chu Shuzhi's generation still knew about it and he's all just like silently judging ZYL because it's obvious by HPS/SW wings he is a taken MAN. AHAHAHA.

But yes to the OH SHEN WEI. YES. Completely.

PS: I also loved that we can say lojacked and we all know it means SW keeping dibs on ZYL XD

[velithya]

the way he keeps showing up when ZYL is about to touch the Hallows + the way he knew when a) Ep 19/20 when YZ was attacking ZYL and b) he was on the pillar that ZYL was in danger = he's definitely lojacked him hahahaha

Chu Shuzhi knowing all this and yet still not telling Zhao Yunlan because like... it's Lord Envoy's business but also Lord Envoy is perfectly capable of telling ZYL to fuck off if he wants to and he hasn't?? Chu Shuzhi not sure how to feel about all of this

The day Zhao Yunlan shows up with a discreet feather tucked into his hair, nearly hidden behind his ear, is a huge relief

[awanderingcoyote]

Oh my gosh he did always show up when ZYL would be like: Maybe I should touch the hallows XD XD

And ahahah, yes, I love that thought about Chu Shuzhi XD

Ahh, now I'm envisioning a little fluffy feather tucked into his hair, behind his ear. Maybe like a semiplume feather! (I have probably thought about this too much XD)

Either way this is an awesome post! Thank you so much for posting this!!

[velithya]

You are so welcome! I've really enjoyed talking about wings with you! Thanks to you as well ♥

[elenothar]

I do so enjoy both wingfics/art and a good rec post <3

Unfortunately for me, I've read all of these already, but that's no fault of your excellent post, just of my voracious reading habits 😅

I always find it really hard to articulate why I like specific tropes/AUs - I think with wings it's something about the potential for showing emotions in different, physical ways. And I enjoy the thought exercise of coming up with colours etc for my favourites.

[velithya]

I didn't go searching outside of AO3 but it seems so unfair there were only a few arts?? We need more wing arts for sure! ;_;

Ah, I feel you! When I searched on the tag I was really hoping to discover something new but alas OTL Clearly we will just have to continue making our own food! *firm nod*

Yesss reflecting emotions is a good one!! I also like the trope that wings are super sensitive *ahem* if you know what I mean <.<

[china_shop]

I also like the trope that wings are super sensitive *ahem* if you know what I mean <.<

Hee! That's definitely the trope I've seen most often.

[velithya]

I'm certainly in favour of it being included in more works *grins*
<.<

[miss_ingno]

There's a couple of these I haven't read yet, looking forward to it! I sadly don't have anything to add, but I would love more wingfic (and wingcare! Wing symbolism!😍)

[velithya]

Yay! I hope you enjoy! :3

Wingfic is such a good trope!! I have a couple of sentences for a wingfic idea that I jotted down last month so maybe at some point that will get written... *crosses fingers*

[miss_ingno]

Fingers crossed!!!

Honestly, this whole rec list has given me some inspiration too 👀 I doubt it's going anywhere fast, considering my stack of WIPs, but...

Zhao Yunlan lost his wings when he was too young to remember.

[velithya]

ooooooooooooooooooooh 👀 Missyyyyyyyy *chinhands* I am ~listening~ 👀

[china_shop]

You know, given there are canon bird shapeshifters (and I have a personal penchant for bodyswap), my first go-to if I wanted to write wingfic would be to have someone bodyswap with a Yashou crow. Maybe one of those crow darts has an unexpected effect on ZYL, and he has to figure out how to reverse it (while also getting into the whole "have wings, will travel" side of things)? I guess that doesn't give you the same human-body-with-extra-appendages wingkink situation, though...

[velithya]

bodyswap is also delicious!! I've seen ZYL and SW bodyswap, and ZYL and DQ bodyswap, but I'd never considered ZYL bodyswapping into a random crow, how intriguing! The DQ bodyswaps I've seen ZYL generally doesn't know how to work the Yashou transformation so he gets stuck as a cat; him figuring out how the transformation works would certainly be a change of pace - and of course my brain is screeching "THERE'S A RANDOM CROW IN THE SID" but given ZYL has a fairly specific way of behaving, if he woke up from a crow dart being ~veeeery shifty~ hopefully the SID would be onto that pretty quickly.

You're right, though, I didn't include any "shapeshifting into things that can fly" fics (of which there are many given all the dragon AUs floating around! - ooh, another rec post for a future Round??) since they don't really fit the brief for a Wing AU.

.... maybe ZYL doesn't quite figure out the Yashou transformation and gets stuck halfway? That would certainly fit... <.<

EDIT: OR, after bodyswapping back, accidentally retains a touch of dark energy that lets him replicate it? HMMMM

[china_shop]

.... maybe ZYL doesn't quite figure out the Yashou transformation and gets stuck halfway? That would certainly fit... <.<

EDIT: OR, after bodyswapping back, accidentally retains a touch of dark energy that lets him replicate it? HMMMM

Ooh, yes!! Either of those! (BOTH of those!!!) ♥____♥

[velithya]

well no promises but I've made a note of it in my ideas folder so... maybe one day!! hehehe

[china_shop]

*has encouraging pompoms on standby* <333

[velithya]

♥

[tinypinkmouse]

I don't really have anything to say on the wings, but I wanted to stop by and say how wonderful it is that someone is taking the effort to make rec lists. <3 And I hope more people will be inspired to do the same.

[velithya]

Thanks Tiny! I already have a good idea for what I'll be doing for my next rec list, too! :3
♥

[fangirlishness]

Thank you so much for reccing my fic! <3

I haven't read all of the others yet, either, nor had I seen all the art. Thank you! \o/

Some of the following recs have NSFW summaries.

That's mine, oops. It only occurred to me way late that while the summary is a good hook for the story, having a nsfw summary pop up isn't everyone's cup of tea. /o\

[velithya]

You're very welcome! ♥ And I'm glad I could put some new fic on your radar! :3

And please, no need to apologise! My note was merely a PSA, not a criticism. And to be fair - your summary really does sell your fic very well! hehehe