Untamed Recs

Real life success: going to bed at 11pm the last two nights! \o/!

Yes, part of being an adult is taking pride in the mundane little victories, but the difference of how clearly I'm thinking at 9.30am? It really is worth it. (Plus, I finally sent off a Big Task that has been hanging over my head for weeks now and there's a definite relief to getting back to jobs that take time, but I know how to do.)

We've also hit that point in spring where there's more daylight and the weather is warmer. Even though I still have the heater on, I also have external blinds open to work in daylight. (I keep thinking I should be doing more after work in the garden, etc, but at the end of the day, I'm tired and happy to go watch Netflix -- Young Sheldon, at the moment -- and read fic.)

In lieu of anything more useful, how about some Untamed recs of various lengths?

Short but it packs a punch, and sometimes it's just wonderful reading possible fix-its for canon:

Blood is compulsory (3515 words) by april_rainer
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén & Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo
Characters: Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo
Additional Tags: jin guangshan is the major character death, no other main characters are harmed, although a lot of background people die, meng yao and lan xichen both have various levels of feelings about killing lots of people, TW:, Suicidal Thoughts, (minor but there)
Series: Part 1 of The Many Deaths of Jin Guangshan
Summary:

Later they will joke about the laundry, the handling of money, the lighter things that Lan Xichen didn’t know. But the first skill Lan Xichen learns from Meng Yao is how to kill a man with a kitchen knife before he has time to scream.

Modern AU where Wei Ying and Lan Zhan know each other as children. It's adorable, yes, but what I love most of all is the Lan Qiren POV, the way that he is settled and single and the adjustment of trying to look after children -- and how he truly grows to love his nephews and future-nephew-in-law.

When we were small (7588 words) by deliciousblizzardshark
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén & Lán Qǐrén & Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Qǐrén & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, (Implied) Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Fēngmián & Lán Qǐrén
Characters: Lán Qǐrén, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Fēngmián, Jiāng Yànlí
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Kid Fic, Good Uncle Lán Qǐrén, Neurodivergent Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Baby Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Baby Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, Parenthood, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, POV Lán Qǐrén, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort
Summary:

The best things that ever happened to Lan Qiren were brought to him in the middle of the night by women with perms. First, his nephews, stricken with grief at the death of their parents, then Wei Ying, brought by a harried babysitter when his parents disappeared.

or

There’s no time or space for grief or anything. He takes the children to buy black suits, he leaves them behind in the apartment, twelve-year-old A-Huan assuring him he’s old enough to be left alone with his brother, to go to their house and oversee it being packed up, the furniture sold, the personal effects of his brother and his wife put in storage.

There’s no room for decisions or education. Only him sitting at his table with two children, eating in silence, only hearing A-Huan whispering to his brother in the middle of the night, only the three of them all tangled up together with grief and confusion and pain.

And the certainty that he isn’t… that he won’t be a good parent.

Modern AU 3zun, where Jiang Yanli can simultaneously be the best sister-in-law and totally evil (setting Meng Yao up with the perfect guy, who happens to already be married). Everyone is so very fond of each other in this, I really love it. (I also love Meng Yao and Jin Zixuan being good brothers. Kind of awkward and a little embarrassing, but brothers who genuinely care.)

Want the Lights On (18685 words) by Pip
Chapters: 4/4
Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén/Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo/Niè Míngjué, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén/Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén/Niè Míngjué
Characters: Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo, Niè Míngjué, Jīn Zǐxuān, Jiāng Yànlí
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, background Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zixuān, Established Relationship, Polyamory, Meet-Cute, Fluff and Smut, Ballet, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Spitroasting, Anal Fingering, jin zixuan is a good brother, Double Penetration, Double Penetration in One Hole, Creampie, Size Difference, Happy Ending
Summary:

Meng Yao's sister-in-law is following the Jiang tradition of being evil. Why else would she try to set him up with a married man?

“I’m pretty sure my sister-in-law is trying to ruin my life.” 

Lan Huan’s tone is one of genuine curiosity when he asks, “Why would she do that?” 

“I don’t know yet,” Meng Yao untangles himself from the barre and crosses his arms across his chest, looking up (and up, and up, curse Jiang Yanli for her knowledge of his tastes) at Lan Huan’s very handsome jawline. “But I need you to make less vigorous eye-contact until you bring me a notarized waiver saying your spouse doesn’t care about you hitting on me.”  

College AU Wangxian. Most college AUs don't feel anything like my uni experience -- here, most people live at home or flatshare while at uni (on campus living is only for regional/international students) and the sorority system doesn't exist, and college-AUs feel like watching American college movies -- an accepted fictional setting, like the Manhattan of Friends and Seinfeld. But this story actually felt familiar -- that hanging out with other kids at the queer space or the womyn's groups, the overlap of kids who politically care about something and how small that social group ends up being. The heady rush of feeling like you can make a difference and discovering other young people care about this stuff too.

like, comment, share & subscribe (22003 words) by detectorist
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén/Niè Míngjué, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín/Niè Huáisāng, (if you squint. wei ying does not want to squint)
Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Niè Huáisāng, Wēn Qíng (Módào Zǔshī), Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Luó "Mián Mián" Qīngyáng, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén, Niè Míngjué, Jiāng Yànlí, Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn, Xiǎo Xīngchén, Jīn Guāngshàn
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, YouTube, Social Media, Flirting, Humour, Banter, Getting Together, First Kiss, Texting, so much texting, Youtubers For Social Justice, The Gang Gets Political, Competitive Flirting Via The Medium Of Youtube, it's about the yearning, YouTube Rivals To Lovers, Wei Ying Contains Multitudes, nie huaisang is an enabler and jiang cheng hates his life, i just think mianmian should be given a loudspeaker to yell into. as a treat
Summary:

“Come on, A-Cheng!” Wei Ying says. “Think of all the hapless youths who are watching hanguang_jun’s channel and being duped into thinking that’s what university is like! It’s not fair on the kids!”

Jiang Cheng appears to be entirely unmoved by this highly logical argument.

—

Lan Zhan runs a popular studytuber YouTube channel. Wei Ying decides to parody his videos. Things escalate from there.

And the last modern AU... I've been following this one as a wip and reading weekly, but I really enjoyed it. I'm usually not a fan of switching POVs but I did enjoy getting to follow multiple relationships (wangxian, wen quin/jiang cheng, married jiang yanli/jin xizuan, and a little background 3zun) and this really close group of people that's basically a found family. It's genuinely funny at points and the pacing worked for me, and it's one of those AUs that's set in a really specific setting (a ren faire) and does a great job of building that setting and let you imagine living there.



Faire thee well (77622 words) by Scrippio
Chapters: 8/8
Fandom: 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín/Wēn Qíng, Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zǐxuān, Nie Mingjue/Lan Xichen/Jin Guangyao
Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Wēn Qíng (Módào Zǔshī), Jiāng Yànlí, Jīn Zǐxuān, Niè Huáisāng, Niè Míngjué, Mèng Yáo | Jīn Guāngyáo, Wēn Níng | Wēn Qiónglín, Xiǎo Xīngchén, Sòng Lán | Sòng Zǐchēn, Ā-Qìng, Luó "Mián Mián" Qīngyáng, Lán Qǐrén, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Renaissance Faire, Mutual Pining, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, No beta we die like wwx, Slow Burn
Summary:

In which Wei Ying does magic tricks, Lan Zhan sells flower crowns, and Mingjue is a blacksmith, because the whole gang works at the Renaissance Faire and no one quite knows how to function.