spatz | June recs

Again, pretty much entirely The Untamed, plus one lovely WIP for The Goblin Emperor that finally finished up. Also like my May set, I read and loved too many things (despite going back to work), so I’m doing a top five and then the rest under the cut.

Wearing Down Every Bone by CSHfic & VSfic

“Sizhui, tell me,” Wei Wuxian says. “Does this feel... familiar to you?”
or, After running into Lan Zhan on a night hunt, Wei Wuxian is cursed to live the same day over and over and over.

In which Wei Wuxian runs into Lan Wangji and the juniors on a night hunt, and gets cursed to repeat the day. Time loop fic, casefile/curse fic, post-canon romance, AND a haunting ghost story, intertwined exquisitely. And just beautifully written, I enjoyed every second of it. Highly, highly recommended.

The Fire Lapping Up the Creek by notevenyou

Wei Wuxian travels to Lanling for his nephew’s one-month celebration alone, without Wen Ning.
Lan Wangji lives with the consequences.

In which Wei Wuxian is badly injured and presumed dead at Qiongqi Way and Lan Wangji goes to the Burial Mounds. I described this to a friend as ‘very hurt, very comfort’ and I stand by that. It’s eventually a fix-it and a happy ending, but there’s a lot of great emotional and physical agony along the way. Loved it.

I hope that you will come and meet me by feyburner

The second time Lan Zhan said Wei Ying, come back, Wei Wuxian did.

Excellent slow-build working-out-their-issues get-together. I’m trying to think of something pithy to say about it, but it’s just a lot of great character work and unfurling intimacy, in the newfound peace after the end of canon.

this rivers runs to you by sundiscus

In which Wei Wuxian is a curse worker secretly searching for a lost dragon, Lan Wangji is his new assistant, and the two things may not be entirely unrelated.

Wonderful modern AU with magic - I loved the worldbuilding for how the war and the cultivation world work in a modern setting (plus the dragons), the cursebreaking work, and also the truckload of feelings this fic dumped directly onto my heart. Also, DRAGONS.

SanRen by Kyogre/@kyogre-blue

Leaving YunmengJiang in an effort to curb the tensions in the Jiang family, Wei WuXian becomes a rogue cultivator.
Even without the support of a sect, he is a rare genius whose name will become known across the cultivation world and whose techniques will influence the course of a war.
However, what influences his own fate is a chance meeting that becomes the first step toward love.

Great canon-divergence long read with tons of action and pining. Distinctly book-canon in style and content, but without any of the things that I usually dislike about that.

And then twenty-one more Untamed fics plus one Goblin Emperor rec under the cut:

POSTCANON

grow by cafecliche - cursed-on-a-nighthunt de-aged Wei Wuxian from Lan Sizhui's POV. Darling and full of feels.

Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste - in which Jiang Cheng goes to reconcile with Wei Wuxian and discovers his uncle duties have expanded. Funny, touching, and made me actually forgive Jiang Cheng for the length of the fic, which is nigh miraculous.

The Guests of Cloud Recesses by cafecliche - a gorgeous ghost story that brings out some lingering questions between WWX and LWJ about the time he was dead.

No more looking, I’ve found home by @annadream - adorable epistolary fic, in which WWX writes letters to LWJ, but takes a bit to realize they're love letters.

Salt in Our Sentences by hansbekhart - an unsettling knifeblade of a story about Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji’s emnity and broken friendship. Sometimes, relationships can’t be fixed, and this story digs into that truth with a combination of flashbacks and a post-canon rescue.

CANON DIVERGENCE AUS

Strange Darling by etymologyplayground/@megafaunatic - in which they talk post-Yi City about Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen, and end up actually communicating about their feelings, whoops.

Child Surprise by Ariaste - only marginally an AU, in that the Law of Surprise (from The Witcher) is gently added to canon like a heartwrenching cherry of destiny centered around A-Yuan, but things otherwise are the same. Lovely.

a stone to break your soul, a song to save it by rikke - very long, very epic book-canon arranged marriage AU that deals with the physical effects of WWX’s demonic cultivation in a fascinating and wonderfully angsty way, plus loads of cool worldbuilding and adventure.

A Series of Hasty Excuses by @tanoraqui/NevillesGran - originally posted on Tumblr and therefore written in bulletpoints, but a completely hilarious AU where Nie Huaisang accidentally acquires some Wens and grows into his Slytherin powers in a less traumatic way.

Losing My Mind by pupeez4eva - in which Jiang Cheng overdoses on a lust telepathy potion at the Cloud Recesses lecture and inevitably discovers Lan Wangji’s epic crush and has to DO SOMETHING about it before he loses it. RIP, Jiang Cheng.

Innocence by snowberryrose - in which A-Yuan is left with Wei Wuxian when the Wens go to Carp Tower, and WWX raises him. The writing is rough and could use a good beta, but it’s a sweet and thoughtful AU.

MISSING YEARS/MISSING SCENES

Criteria by incendir - in which some brave but oblivious people try to hit on sad widower Hanguang-Jun, and Sizhui is not a fan of it.

After & Then by tellthemstories - a lovely pair of stories about Lan Wangji grieving but parenting Sizhui, and then Sizhui’s perspective.

sing to that lonely child by ravenditefairylights/ @child-of-the-fairy-folk - in which Sizhui tries to figure out what his mother was like from the gaps and scraps and grief left behind, and is pretty confused and conflicted when his father falls for Mo Xuanyu. (note that despite the Untamed tag, this seems to draw on the book events post-resurrection)

MODERN AUS

save a sword, ride a socialist by sysrae/@fozmeadows - in which Lan Wangji fake-dates Wei Wuxian after his uncle a) tries to arrange his marriage and b) is incredibly homophobic when he explains he’s gay. Light and fun and charming, with just a dash of coping with their shitty parental figures.

i’ll be your girl by plonk - I don’t think I can improve on the author’s summary: “At Nie Huaisang’s Halloween party, Wei Ying hits on noted heterosexual Lan Zhan. Successfully.” or the tag for ‘idiots to lovers’. Very hot, frequently hilarious, gloriously queer and kinky, and while they are definitely dumbasses I thought the specific misunderstanding was entirely in-character for them.

Just So by airinshaw - YouTube artists AU, entirely made of warm fuzzies and good porn.

Also I can’t resist a shameless self-plug for a fight you can’t win, my modern AU porn-with-feelings and self-destructive Wei Wuxian angst-with-a-happy-ending fic.

VIDS

hhhhmmm???.mp4 by @dukeblobfish - I laugh more and more every time I watch this.

A Love That Won’t Sit Still by Aria/@thedaisiestdaisy - Am I weak for fanvids to this song? Sure am. Is is still a great Wangxian vid? Sure fucking is!

two by @orestesdreams-pyladesloves - I will love you without any strings attached. Hello, all of my Lan Zhan feelings.

(THE GOBLIN EMPEROR, Csevet/Maia) A Birthday Present for Maia Drazhar by Zhisanin - based on a kinkmeme prompt where Varenechibel sends a courier to his fourth son as a “birthday gift”, with all the gross implications of that. The courier is, of course Csevet - but Maia, of course, is the best and Csevet falls for him hard and fast. Bittersweet but hopeful look at Maia’s life at Edonomee, cozy and hot in turns.