Untamed fic recs

The Untamed fic recs

This morning, I posted some fic recs to Tumblr. Because I am too lazy to do that copying and pasting again (Tumblr posting gives me such a flashback to WYSIWYG editing in MSWord -- like, Geocities days of highlihgting things and trying to get them to look right. I much prefer my very basic html tags, thanks), I'm going to try the DW Rich Text editor. Let's see how badly this fails.

In very rough themes.

 

Post-canon stories

With Absolute Splendor (43533 words) by Lise
Or: the one with sibling reconciliation, brother-in-laws from hell, and Jiang Cheng trying to sort through his feelings while acknowledging them as little as possible.
JC insisting that if WWX is going to get married, then he’s going to do it right – even if that means JC has to organise it himself. (Honestly, all the Yunmeng Bro feels, and I take a weird joy from JC and LWJ absolutely not getting on.)

but love is impossible & it goes on despite the impossible (25413 words) by gaystcr

Jiang Cheng is planning on avoiding Wei Wuxian after things blow over, but life has a way of fucking plans up, and so Wei Wuxian comes to tell him that he’s getting married to Lan Wangji. By throwing himself into half-planning a wedding and having conversations with his nephew(s) and other members of Wei Wuxian’s found family, Jiang Cheng navigates through his complicated feelings and realises that something new can be built with his brother, and that he is far less alone than he had thought.
(Because the only thing better than one JC-plans-WWX’s-wedding story is two!)

Five Dogs, One Cat (13443 words) by ryfkah
People start gifting JC with puppies. This is as adorable and hilarious as it sounds. It captures so many characters so well.

everyone else is spring bound (18353 words) Lise
This is a gorgeous post-canon look at JC and finding a way to repair his relationship with WWX. Just… oh, I can never get enough of post-canon Yunmeng Bros.

some good mistakes (18348 words) Lise
Wei Wuxian has been wandering alone for six months when he suddenly stops writing. This is deeply concerning to at least a few people. Jiang Cheng is not among them. No, really, he’s not.
WWX stops writing, so LWJ and JC go out to save him. So much bro-in-law squabbling and JC being my favourite crankypants.

little a-ying (16556 words) by byeollie
A night hunt goes awry and WWX gets turned into a four year old. An adorable four year old. Basically, this story is an excuse for the juniors and LWJ to be utterly charmed by little WWX.

hunters seeking solid ground (23633 words) by Attila
“Hanguang-jun,” Wei Wuxian repeats. His heart clenches. He wants—but he’d really meant to have this nightmare stuff down before they met again, so he wouldn’t find himself relying on Lan Wangji’s nearness. He’s not supposed to go back yet. But he’s so tired, and his will crumbles. “Yeah,” he says. “All right. Take me back to Gusu with you.”

Linger by the Door (I’ve Always Been Yours) (78447 words) by piecrust
Wei Wuxian travels the world alone, finding homes in unexpected places, and loving Lan Zhan one letter at a time.
There’s a lovely slow pace to this one. I do love getting to see WWX figure out his own feelings and then return to LWJ.

your words upon my lips (17831 words) by uchiuchi
(In which Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji investigate a curse and get cursed instead. Everything they try to say comes out of the other person’s mouth. It can only go downhill from there.)
I love the viewpoint in this, how WWX may play at being shameless but he takes his responsibilities to the juniors very seriously, how much he adores LWJ and also recognises how much more there is to LWJ than the reserved, graceful surface that the juniors see.

 

Arranged Marriage AUs
Because this is a canon where marriages are arranged for political reasons, but that doesn’t actually make it easier for people to figure out they’re in love.

seldom all they seem (24930 words) by Fahye
He bows to Wei Wuxian, sword in hand, sleeves falling properly. Wei Wuxian bows in return, and the sect leaders begin the opening courtesies, and for all of ten minutes Lan Wangji is under the impression that he is betrothed to a boy who is perfectly normal and acceptable apart from an unfortunate tendency to fidget with his clothes.That impression does not last.
Even knowing you’re betrothed to someone doesn’t make it easier to get through everything. It does make WWX leaving with the Wens even more heartbreaking, though.

a stone to break your soul, a song to save it (180247 words) by rikke
When the entire cultivation world turns against Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng comes up with a plan to save him and arranges a marriage between his brother and the Second Jade of Lan, Lan Wangji.
Long and involved and surprisingly plot-focused, this starts as JC arranging a marriage to save WWX reputation and the Wens at the Burial Mounds. Honestly, these two are champions at managing to marry someone and then yearn for them.

Canon-divergent AUs / Fixits
This is a canon where there are so many spots where someone could have done something differently and everything would have worked out? (Or would have hurt in different ways, sometimes.)

The Fire Lapping Up the Creek (66299 words) by notevenyou
Wei Wuxian travels to Lanling for his nephew’s one-month celebration alone, without Wen Ning. Lan Wangji lives with the consequences.
The idea of LWJ joining WWX inthe Burial Mounds and helping with the Wens makes me so happy, and this story does a lovely job of exploring that.

And Time Is But a Paper Moon (139032 words) by sami
Time-travel fic. Or more accurately, WWX finds a way to travel back into his own past and tries to fix events. (My favourite part of this is how much earlier LWJ/WWX would have happened if WWX didn’t spend their teen years laughing all the flirting off as a joke. A little bit more courage and steadiness, and they would have come to an understanding much earlier.)

 

Vaguely Fairytale Yiling Patriach stories
Look, I love a good fairytale, and it turns out that there’s a few set in the Burial Mounds/Yiling Patriach setting that I find lovely. I say fairytale, but these are set within the cql/untamed universe. They just… follow familiar patterns of stories.

what else is there? (12917 words) by mme_anxious
Jin Guangyao transforms Lan Wangji into a swan. Only an act of love will break the curse.
This is really good. And while it’s an old Swan Princess retelling, I completely believe that there probably are curses that can transform people and this is exactly how LWJ would react – determined and annoyed.

the shadow of a name in skin (8995 words) by iliacquer
Wei Wuxian doesn’t let the Wen Remnants hand themselves over after Jin Zixuan’s death. Instead he makes one last sacrifice to ensure they survive. Months later, a Lan cultivator kneels at the edge of the Burial Mounds, ready to offer himself to the feared Yiling Patriarch.
Or: Sacrifice is an old magic, but love is even older.

the stars in the hazy heaven tremble above you (64362 words) by cicer
In which Wei Ying, a fugitive from justice, sneaks into the palace, steals from the imperial family, and eats his words.
Cinderella AU, where WWX sneaks into the palace to steal (so the Wens can survive the coming winter) and unintentionally falls for the Second Prince. Honestly, it’s delightful.

 

And this last one is a cheat. It’s not set around the Yiling Patriach time, but who can really resist LWJ as Cinderella, sneaking out of Cloud Recesses to see WWX before he marries someone else?
all your life you’ll dream of this (22668 words) by Attila
Lan Wangji should refuse. He should. He looks back down at the mask. Beneath it is the soft creamy paper of the invitation. He could present this at the door and slip into the palace and—
“Go see him, Wangji,” Lan Xichen says quietly, and Lan Wangji feels his resolve crumble beneath him.