Entries tagged with guardian

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May recs

So May turned into my biennial swing through Naruto fandom (have I ever seen a single episode? nope), during which I managed to fall down the Madara/Tobirama rabbit hole - which is a very fun time if you enjoy extreme competency and enemies-to-lovers! Also I've got some Kakashi/Iruka fic, and a couple of Guardian fics for Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan. More recs at Pinboard as well!

NARUTO - FOUNDERS ERA

As Is the Sea Marvelous by blackkat

Tobirama is willing to give absolutely anything for Hashirama and his dream.

AKA the fic that started me down this rabbit hole. Blackkat is so dangerous with the gateway drug fics like that - this is a great canon AU aimed directly at my id where Tobirama surrenders to the Uchiha in hopes of stopping an escalation of the war after he wounds Izuna.

and all the fire's at your fingertips by pandaflower

Tobirama is elbow deep in a stealth mission in Wind Country when he runs into a shinobi squad toting a stolen Uchiha child. Tobirama disapproves.

Charming gen competence porn/kidfic adventure.

With Enemies Like These by sarkasticfics

After a serious and devastating attack, the Uchiha are in desperate need of a sealmaster. Unfortunately for them, the best candidate happens to be from the Senju clan. Fortunately for them, he doesn't seem all that inclined to act like an enemy.
Which is lucky because, as it turns out, there are plenty of other adversaries making moves in Fire Country - both the clans will need to make new friends to survive.
Madara would have been content if his new husband tolerated him and helped his clan stay safe. He doesn't quite know what to do with the fact that his husband doesn't stop there.

Jam-packed with competence and tropes, just the way I like it - and there's some incredibly lovely moments as they reconcile with their clans' bloody pasts.

Count Your Blessings by madmothmadame

The war is over. Tobirama ended it when he put his sword through Izuna's center mass. But where war had united the Senju behind their leader, peace threatened to tear them apart. And who better for the warmongers to look to as a leader than the greatest killer of Uchiha they had ever seen?
There were only two problems with that plan. One, Tobirama would never, ever, betray his elder brother.
Two, he may or may not have a surprisingly not dead Uchiha Izuna in a coma in his guest room, hiding the secret of resurrection that Tobirama needs with everything he is.
Now if only he would wake.

Deliciously epic. The inciting incident is very hand-wavey (having been inspired by another fic), but the follow-through in worldbuilding around Konoha's founding, the metric truckload of feels, and the twisty political intrigue makes for a great read. Be warned, there's like 250K of hurt before it gets to any sort of comfort, so maybe save it for a long rainy day if you don't want to suffer (like me). Also, the ship is pretty background, so don't expect much romance - but the gen relationships are fantastic and crunchy.

NARUTO - CANON ERA

for the record by ohwickedsoul

Asuma looks from Anko, who is laser-focused in a way rarely seen outside missions, and Iruka’s bewildered face.
“Holy shit,” he says. “You’ve seen Kakashi’s face.”

The ending is TRUE ROMANCE, OKAY. And hilarious!

It's Amazing Who You Stumble Into (along the road of life) by vulcanhighblood

Hatake Kakashi and Umino Iruka have been part of each other's lives for a long time. A lot longer than Iruka realizes, anyway. Kakashi recognizes this is something of a problem, but only once it's too late to do anything about it.
OR How To Make Your Secret Identity Friend Your Real-Life Boyfriend: A Shinobi's Guide To How Not To Romance

In which they keep running into each other over the years, complicated by Kakashi being ANBU for the first half of it. I loved the varied assortment of meetings, and the way they kept trading off on helping each other (physically, medically, emotionally).

GUARDIAN

Breaking Point by musicalluna & nightwalker

Zhao Yunlan is having a really terrible week, and it just gets worse when he starts to think Shen Wei has gotten tired of his bullshit.

Fantastic post-canon piece where the boys really need to communicate, and the universe/work is not helping. Excellent characterization and some brutally good relationship fights - but they figure it out in the end.

However deep the Lake by elenothar

Zhao Yunlan finds out a lot earlier that the Envoy isn't as invulnerable as he seems.

Classic h/c story where they're taken captive together in Episode 4.

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April recs

About half and half Batman and Guardian recs this month (yeah, I don't know what my brain's up to lately either. They both...investigate crimes in weird fictional cities? I guess??). The Batfam fics are all gen, the Guardian fics are all Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan. Enjoy!

BATMAN

cards on the table by @wesslan

Tim's parents faked their deaths and fled the country years ago, but neglected to take him with them. He spent some time on the streets, and now at 16, he makes a living as a fortune teller, stalking and hustling the shit out of Gotham's elite by telling them eerily accurate fortunes based on the information he gathers about them.
His life is peculiar but he wouldn't change a thing. When he gets booked for the big Wayne Halloween party, however, he finds himself getting all tangled up with the Waynes, and the more fortunes he tells, the tighter the snare becomes.
or: Tim just wanted to scam Gotham's elite, not end up on the Batfamily's watchlist. But it seems they just won't leave him alone…

Completely delightful, except where it's heartbreaking. Oh, Tim.

when the man comes around by julodinae_sunsets / @pyrras

Alfred’s love is pressed shirts and warm food. And his love is a gleaming knife, too.
He would bleed for his boys. He would make others bleed for them. And so he does.
(Or: the Joker must die, and Alfred Pennyworth is not a man who waits on others to do his work.)

Sometimes a girl just wants to read about the Joker getting killed, you know? And Alfred's POV is so sharp and well-written in this.

nightcall by TheResurrectionist / @frownyalfred

Carter played the recording for a third time. Red Hood’s lips pursed.
“I don’t know what the fuck Nightwing was talking about,” he said. “That’s not a Thai dialect. He’s always had the worst ear for Kra-Dai languages.”
(or, the one where an enterprising GCPD member uses the batsignal to ask the local vigilantes for translation help, and the Batfamily knows WAY too many languages)

Ah, my darling weirdo nerds. ❤

GUARDIAN

Following the rhythm of indulgence and delight by naye

"Your messages were terribly inappropriate," Shen Wei tells him.
"Oh?" Zhao Yunlan asks on a rapid breath.
"Yes. You didn't say 'please'," Shen Wei admonishes. In his arms, Zhao Yunlan gives a full-body shudder of excitement.

Sweet, hot (with side of established kink play that I loved), and domestic.

Won't be waiting alone by velithya

"That was DCPD," Wang Zheng says. "A missing person matching our last ID has just been reported – from Dragon City University, a Professor Shen Wei."

I do love Shen Wei being vulnerable and hurt - which is hard to manage because he's such a OP badass - but this different-first-meeting AU nails it.

Support Network by Prosto_Dasha

Most Dixingren living in Dragon City know him as Lan-gege, the guy who one of the first welcomed them in this unfamiliar realm and helped them get their bearings. Zhao Yunlan is very careful about keeping his identities separate, but it's all useless when the Black Cloak Envoy appears just as he is trying to evacuate a newly-manifested Dixingren from under the SID's nose.

Charming AU with solid worldbuilding where Zhao Yunlun rebels against his father in an entirely different way - and runs smack into Shen Wei while he's at it.

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August recs

August was far too hot, so I stayed inside and read fanfic! I’m too tired to pick out my favorites, but I’ve got The Untamed up front, then recs for Guardian, Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, KJ Charles’ Society of Gentlemen, and a Leverage crossover under the cut. Enjoy!

THE UNTAMED

CANON & CANON AUS

in this place where we don't have a prayer by Cerusee & Mikkeneko - REALLY interesting Qiongqi Pass AU where Wei Wuxian actually gets killed - but doesn’t stay that way for long. Very innovative, with an absolutely wild Jin Guangshan showdown, occasionally emotional gutting but ultimately happy. (gen+Wangxian)

Better, Greater, or Otherwise Different by ChloeBYoung - darling outsider POV from a teenaged visiting disciple who runs into a friendly weirdo in the back hills and makes friends with him, not realizing he’s the Yiling Patriarch. A great OC and outsider POV, plus some interesting stuff dealing with WWX’s depression post-canon. (gen, background Wangxian)

to each their own road (a lost sheep goes rogue) by yesterdaychild - fantastic Mianmian fic following her from leaving the Jin Sect through her daughter’s birth. Grounded and lovely, with just the right mix of happiness and regret. (gen)

A Purrfect Day in Gusu by DrJLecter - I am eternally weak for the ‘character [LWJ in this case] gets turned into a cat’ trope and this is a very fun one, combining lectures-era Wei Wuxian mischief and some neat casefile work. (Wangxian)

go where the stolen roses grow by @stratisphyre - in which Lan Qiren realizes that his brother’s wife is not in Cloud Recesses or married or having children willingly, and helps her escape with Cangse Sanren’s help. Definitely takes the worst scenario for that problematic marriage, so fair warning. Also this ship is totally out of left field but weirdly great. (Lan Qiren/Cangse Sanren/Wei Changze)

The First Siege | Safe & Sound by dangocheeked - oh boy, wanna be emotionally devastated by an animatic about Wei Wuxian hiding A-Yuan at the Seige of the Burial Mounds and then growing up as a Lan? Just click on this link! (vid, gen)

MODERN+OTHER AUS

The Right to Care by travelingneuritis - In which musician Lan Wangji and nanny Wei Wuxian fall in love but hit some major roadbumps on the way. This modern AU is just jam packed with tropey goodness, and it’s the rare story where a misunderstandings plot really worked for me. Be warned that A-Yuan does have a rough time on the way to the happy ending, if child harm is a no for you. (Wangxian)

Want the Lights On by Pip (Moirail) - hysterical funny and very thirsty modern AU where Jiang Yanli manuevers Meng Yao into Lan Xichen’s line of sight, Lan Xichen immediately calls his husband Nie Mingjue to alert him to a potential threesome sex partner, and Meng Yao demands a notarized waiver to ensure that this insanely hot married man’s spouse isn’t being cheated on. And that’s just the OPENING. (Meng Yao/Lan Xichen/Nie Mingjue)

the place where you are by BlackWiresOnHerHead - space AU! In order to take on a time-urgent research mission, Lan Wangji’s team is forced to travel on Nie Huaisang’s beat-up deathtrap of a spaceship. Featuring Wei Wuxian as the brilliant but not very reassuring mechanic, tons of found family, lots of competence, and a dash of wonder. (Wangxian)

( Guardian, Sleuth, SoG, Leverage/Push )

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October recs

Bit late this month - I got a TAD distracted by the election - but here we go! I finished watching Guardian, so it's about half-and-half recs for The Untamed and Guardian. This month’s favorites first!

(Untamed) I feel like I win when I lose by so_shhy

Wei Ying is at his first Grand Final, rated fifth in the solo cultivator rankings, with the Qishan and Lanling silver medals tucked away in his sock drawer, and he’s about to walk into the arena for a match that everyone knows he’s going to lose.
A modern competitive cultivation AU.

I had so much fucking fun reading this story! Wangxian’s rivalry transitioning to friendship and romance is pitch-perfect, the fights are immensely creative (and occasionally hilarious), I loved the plot with the Wens and Wei Ying’s backstory, and the worldbuilding, and the Jiang siblings kicking ass, and and and... Far and away my favorite fic in this batch - I’m resisting the urge to read it again right now.

(Untamed) say it's here where our pieces fall in place by Lirelyn / @ginnymoonbeam

“It’s okay that you miss him,” said Lan Wangji, a familiar litany to them both by now. “Do you feel sad?”
“I feel sad,” A-Yuan repeated, shoulders hitching with tiny hiccuping sniffs. “When is he coming back?”
“I don’t know. I am not sure where he is.”
But this seemed to frustrate A-Yuan. “Xian-gege! I miss him! Please, baba?” He looked up at him with wet cheeks and a wide, quivering frown. “Please baba can you ask him? I really miss him!” He sobbed again, heartbreakingly.
It stabbed straight through him, cracking open the reservoir of loss and helplessness that was all his own. His child’s grief did that, sometimes. It always took him by surprise. He caught his breath sharply and gathered A-Yuan into his arms, holding him tight until the pain ebbed.
“I will try,” he said softly into A-Yuan’s hair, when he could speak again. He never made uncertain promises and tried not even to raise uncertain hopes, but his son was hurting. His son believed he could make it better. He couldn’t not try.
Wen Qing might at least know who this “Xian-gege” was. He would text her in the morning. It would be a start.

Modern AU where Lan Wangji has adopted A-Yuan, and also has a crush on the waiter at his regular diner, and doesn’t realize those people are linked. Oof, beautifully direct hit to the feels, with a great handle on Wei Wuxian’s issues and their effects on the people close to him.

(Untamed) out to get you (to get you) by iliacquer

In order to kill the Demon of Yiling, assassin Lan Wangji pretends to be courtesan. Falling in love with Wei Wuxian is an unfortunate complication.
(Or: the courtesan-but-actually-assassin!LWJ fic)

Fantastic dark AU where the Wens started the war earlier, and they’ve been defeated but the war is dragging on due to Lanling Jin’s ambitions. Iliacquer always writes stuff that emotionally hooks into my gut, but doesn’t always stick the landing plotwise - but this one definitely nailed it, twisty and aching and smart.

(Guardian) Now Lie in It by @xparrot

Ten thousand years before he's even born, Zhao Yunlan falls in love, all over again for the first time.

My absolute favorite ‘ZYL spent a while in the past’ fic, with ZYL falling ever more in love with older Shen Wei at the same time he's loving younger Shen Wei, because he finally understands. Plus, great worldbuilding and h/c around the war.

More recs under the cut: 12 for The Untamed, 9 for Guardian!

( Read more... )

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September recs

I went on a two-week roadtrip to California and back last month, so this month's reclist is small in quantity and heavy on the modern AUs. Also I couldn't decide on a top five, so I'm doing all the recs short-style this time: eleven Untamed, one Guardian, one The Mummy, and one Band of Brothers/Books of the Raksura fusion. *jazzhands

CANON BASED DOMESTICITY

This One Shadow by LTLJ - great missing scene where they find an inn after Wen Ning shows up covered in mud.

Take Root, Come Home by piecrust - post-canon story where Lan Zhan notices Wei Ying isn't really unpacking any of his things at the jingshi, even though he lives there. Short but precisely emotional.

rather cruelly used and rather reserved by x_los - slight AU in which Wei Wuxian wanders around the jingshi and discovers a few more secrets than he was expecting.

PLOTTY & CASEFILES

The storm comes and goes (and I keep walking) by Naamah_Beherit - sweet but lightly unsettling AU where Wei Wuxian survives (albeit with side-effects) the Burial Mounds siege with A-Yuan, becomes a rogue cultivator, and adopts some strays.

lovers be lost (but love shall not) by la_muerta - look, apparently I have a weakness for ghost marriage as a trope/weird historical fact? 1910s Shanghai AU where Wei Ying agrees to ghost-marry the dead second Lan brother so his spirit can find peace - but to no one's surprise, he finds a mystery instead.

Keep Track of Losing Days by giraffeter - in which Lan Zhan is a police detective in love with his antifa neighbor Wei Ying, and then gets assigned the case when Wei Ying abruptly goes missing. Great plotty casefile, lots of pining. Obviously having a cop character is a tough subject these days, so ymmv, but I was very satisfied with the parallels between how LWJ in canon struggles with the sects' corruption and how he comes around to the ACAB perspective in this one.

MODERN ROMCOM AUS

speeding up my heartbeat by plonk - in which Wei Ying and Lan Zhan both go to the same cultivation gym for different activities, and spend about half the story long-distance eye-fucking before moving on to the actual fucking. Pure lust-drenched kinky hilarity, packed with clever modern-cultivation worldbuilding in the background.

My Zhiji's on Broadway by ScarlettStorm - in which Lan Zhan gets drunk at a cultivation convention in Seattle, and Wei Ying attempts to corral him while pining. Charming, funny and hot. (I'm also loving this author's current long WIP For A Good Time Call, if you like this shorter piece you should check it out)

Let's Play Pretend and Live Our Lives by Tassos - based on an actual advice column piece, Wei Ying realizes he hasn't told anyone he adopted A-Yuan ages ago, oops, and on Nie Huaisang's advice decides to just pretend he told everyone already. Except then LWJ calls his bluff, escalates, and sets off an epic game of...domesticity chicken, I guess? I was so sure this was going to hit my embarrassment squick but I trust the author, and I was pleased to find that it was just a thoroughly charming, rollicking fun read.

baby let's take the long way home by plonk - in which Wei Ying needs a ride to get an abortion, and accidentally gets his work nemesis Lan Zhan to agree to drive him to the appointment. Reminded me of Obvious Child (both fitting in the narrow 'abortion romcom' genre), except with roadtrip shenanigans instead of standup comedy.

OTHER MODERN

Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by sysrae - in which Wei Wuxian gets hit by cars bizarrely often, which he laughs off but Lan Zhan does not find amusing. Then he finds out a little more. The premise and opening make it SEEM like it should be in the romcom category, but it's not. Really good, though.

OTHER FANDOMS

(The Mummy) Travelers By Night by 20thcenturyvole - in my usual tradition of finishing reading Yuletide fic from last year when this year's noms come up, I finally read this delightful look at Jonathan after the first movie, going to visit Evie in England and then back to Egypt for a probably-cursed dig. Very sharp characterization, great story.

(Band of Brothers/Raksura fusion) From the Court of Gale and Iron by Muccamukk - this WIP finished and it was SO GREAT for me and the three other people who know both fandoms. *laughs* But maybe you're one of us, so enjoy! Wayward consort Nix gets mistaken for a rare beast, captured, and held in a zoo in Fortress Currahee, and ends up falling for Winters, a soldier trying to get through a long war. Set before the Raksura series events so no spoilers other than worldbuilding.

(Guardian) Like you and me by china_shop - Cute piece about Dr. Cheng talking to her girlfriend about Zhao Yunlan's blindness, and finding out they went to high school together. Just an excellent outsider POV, with a nice queer take on a recurring character I liked.

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August recs

Once again, mostly recs for The Untamed, plus two for Guardian and one original story! My favorite five-ish fics on top, and another seventeen below.

Friendly reminder to leave a comment or kudos if you’ve got the energy, or if you’re feeling shy you can try reblogging this post on Tumblr and tag which stories you liked so more people check them out! (I also like to see what stories people agree with me on, as well *g*)

a life without sun by thankgodforpandas

A great calamity fell upon Qishan Wen. It's said that some of the Wens still live, surviving on turnips and raw hope, but Jiang Cheng has not thought of Qishan Wen in years. He has enough on his mind with securing a lecture for Yunmeng Jiang, and somehow, dealing with Wei Wuxian's nauseating affection for Lan Wangji.

Compelling AU where even with no war, there’s still a lot of Jiang family emotional damage to deal with. Fantastic Jiang Cheng character study with a very different set of challenges for LWJ/WWX.

the final cut by wildehack

A boy is going to die.
The only question is: what is Huaisang going to do about it?

I cried during most of the fic and for about half an hour afterward, so, you know, save it for a time where you're emotionally ready for that -- but it is WORTH IT. Hands down the best Nie Huaisang characterization I've read anywhere, an incredible story following him and his complicated relationship with Mo Xuanyu over the years as he investigates and gets increasingly obsessed with his revenge on Jin Guangyao. Also the richest Mo Xuanyu portrayal I've read anywhere - he's so doomed (see: the summary), but he has depth and agency, and holy SHIT the ending is STUNNING and BRUTAL and BRILLIANT, I love it SO MUCH.

Call and Response by x_los

After three years of planning, the young Lan brothers play Inquiry for their mother. Unfortunately Inquiry compels answers and prohibits lying, and Madam Lan had plenty of secrets.

This obviously leans into the ugliest interpretation of the Twin Jades’ parental relationship (which I find sadly plausible), but it’s very powerfully written, and you can see the brothers’ different reactions to the information shapes their future characters. Also the bit about LWJ’s courtesy name (and their birth names) was sharp as hell.

I’m gonna cheat and also rec The Same Cloth here (linked by a series to Call and Response but per the author, it’s not technically in continuity), in which post-canon Lan Wangji meets Madam Lan's family for the first time while traveling with Wei Wuxian. It’s still full of edges but is much more healing and sweet, and has a great set of OCs and lots of feelings about family, for both Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

I could drink a case of you and still be on my feet by failedcharismacheck

Looking between Lan Zhan, so clearly pleased with himself, and the orange in his hand, Wei Wuxian cannot help but burst into a fit of poorly-contained laughter.
"Ah, what a hearty meal you've provided for me, Hanguang-Jun!" he sighs as the giggles subside. As far as Lan Zhan’s drunken preoccupation with giving away food goes, this is a bit of a downgrade from two whole, extremely fresh chickens. Or perhaps Wei Ying has simply become spoiled.
(Wei Wuxian comes back from his walkabout. Lan Wangji gives Emperor's Smile another try and worries for his friend's dietary habits.)

Again, not the first story to deal with WWX wanting to stay with LWJ but worrying he’s an imposition while LWJ feels he can’t ask for things like that from WWX, but a very soft and delicate and charming way to resolve that dilemma. Featuring Emperor’s Smile and adorable-drunk!LWJ, feeding your crush oranges, and hiding under the blankets from your hangover.

Look Not With The Eyes by Spodumene

Wei Wuxian returns from his travels to join Lan Wangji on a routine night hunt, but when things take an unexpected turn, Wei Wuxian will have to fight for what he's really looking for.

In which Lan Wangji gets hit with a love spell (in the ‘everyone who sees him falls in love’ mode) while on a nighthunt with Wei Wuxian, who is, SO MYSTERIOUSLY, unaffected by the spell. *g* (Yes, I love this specific trope variation, why do you ask?) Both a well-crafted casefile and a lovely get-together.

( More recs beneath the cut! )