#and yes wild ships are included in mdzs

[inimitablereel]

2023 Fic+Vid recs

A variety of things I liked this year, made this year. Once again, this got long, so fic recs and fandom-specific recs for dmbj are below the cut. But first a few miscellaneous vids

[vid] Cockroach Motherfuckers by eruthros, thingswithwings multifandom Immortal queer characters multi-vid! This is exactly as much fun and hopeful as it sounds. I've seen maybe 2 of the sources so you know, you don't have to have seen them all.

(We) Didn't Just Come Here to Dance [Fanvid] by FairestCat fandom: Newsies I haven't actually seen newsies, but I really liked this vid. Taking the (very dramatic) musical theater dancing and putting it to a Carly Rae Jepsen song works SUPER well, visually very fun time. Also, unions!

[Vid] Oceanographer's Choice by absternr fandom: Heroes (cdrama 2022) Bai Choufei, Su Mengzhen, and Lei Chun's fucked up relationship(s)/falling apart bad times. This vid is deeply upsetting, just a real exploration of sometimes caring a lot about each other makes everything worse. For maximum sad times, this goes well with absternr's other heroes vid, hey, I just met you, which is the meet-cutes that led to this whole mess.

[AMV] The Draw by Lovely Goblin fandom: Revolutionary Girl Utena Black Rose Arc! I've watched this vid so many times really good weird and creepy black rose arc vibes really good parallels between all the different duelists

Also blanket rec that if you've seen Everything Everywhere All at Once, consider looking for vids for it. There's a bunch on ao3 (which can be easier to navigate than youtube, though there are definitely more total vids on youtube) and they're pretty much all spectacular? I was going to include one or two in this rec post and couldn't decide

The wild phonemes of 40 Eridani Keid by astronicht Fandom: Star Trek (aos/tos mashup canon) relationship: Spirk ~10k words rated E You know if you'd told me a year ago I'd be reccing a spirk fic in 2023 I would have been a bit surprised. This is not particularly my fandom wheelhouse. But you know, they're always good, and this fic is really great. This is almost an episode-fic except that nothing really happens plot-wise. But instead of a plot we get a lot of musing about geology and diplomacy and clever references to current events as history in that very trek kind of way and Spock being bitchy just for fun.

fuori dal mondo by bladedweaponsandswishycoats fandom: Qi Ye relationship: Beiyuan/Wu Xi, Beiyuan/Zhou Zishu (more plot than ship focused) ~60k words rated E This is a retelling of Qi Ye except Beiyuan is... some kind of eldritch horror, part-time. It pretty much goes beat for beat through canon (which I appreciate, I loved that book and do not like any of the current tls enough to reread) but with the added layer of whatever is going on with this eldritch thing, which is very cool and tied into canon so don't let me spoil it for you.

We're Leaving Our Shadows Behind Us by lady_ragnell fandom: Tortall - Protector of the Small relationship: Kel/Neal/Yuki ~70k words rated T Canon retelling of Squire and Lady Knight but from Neal's POV. This fic really digs into Neal as a character and the details of the worldbuilding of Tortall, especially the chamber of the ordeal. Also somewhere along the way it sold me on this ship, which I wasn't exactly rooting for when I read the books the first time.

The Untamed/MDZS

a harmony between qin and se by Alaceron relationship: Wangxian ~60k words rated E This is a gender-bent (to make it a het romance) no magic historical drama au where Wei Wuxian is a woman who's arranged to marry Lan Wangji. Honestly this is pretty far from the untamed, especially in terms of themes, though some plot elements will be familiar, but mostly it's just a really great compellingly written historical drama, that happens to have main characters with some familiar characteristics.

Like a Game of Chess by countingcr0ws relationship: Wangxian ~40k words rated T Modern au: influencer Wei Wuxian runs into Lan Wangji on a trip to Taiwan and they travel around together. I love all the little details of their trip - it's like getting to see a new place without going anywhere. Also sometimes I forget that wangxian are very cute? They're a good ship brant

The Epic Highs and Lows of High School Zine Production by el_em_en_oh_pee relationship: Jin Ling & Jiang Cheng, Jin Ling & the mdzs juniors ~7k words rated G Modern au: High schooler Jin Ling has big feelings about a lot of things, including zines, gender, and family. One of those juniors-centric fics that makes me say oh they are Teens huh.

DMBJ

A Little Hole in the Wall by MountainRose gen, Liu Sang centric ~8k words rated G Honestly I would rec this fic even to people who know nothing about tomb shows. One thing that really draws me to a book is descriptions of food (I have read multiple food memoirs this year), and this restaurant au has AMAZING food (and food prep) in it. Not too plotty, mostly just descriptions of delicious things and characterization via cooking.

green with an attitude by ilgaksu relationship: heihua ~8k words rated T If you are in the English language dmbj fandom and you care at all about heihua you probably have already checked out ilgaksu's fic, which has basically defined heihua for the English language fandom. My favorite heihua moments are when other people show up and give you that foil to realize how weird they are, and this fic has that both via Xiuxiu and Wu Xie. Also, a fic about dancing!

making anything last, keeping anything safe by A (mumblemutter) relationship: Wu Xie/Xiao Bai (background pingxie) ~8k words rated M Post canon Xiao Bai takes Wu Xie to explore a tomb that should be perfectly safe... (They set off a sex pollen trap.) I don't particularly ship this, but this fic was extremely well done and kind of sold me on the ship. Fun tomb, really fun characterization for everyone involved.

A World Made Over, Fresh and New by Thimblerig gen, iron triangle, Wu Xie & Li Cu ~1k words rated G If you've ever gotten specific dmbj fic recs from me, it's probably included something by Thimblerig, they're amazing at pulling in very specific canon snippets in under 5k words and I'd generally recommend going through their work by tags if you're looking for fic with underloved side characters or fic set during a part of canon that isn't UN or post-canon, which are generally easier to find. That said, this particular fic is in fact the fandom staple of post-reboot let's go look at a tomb and pulling in a big ensemble cast including some reboot folks. But it's a staple because it's a good vibe, and this is a really well done sliver of friendship and relationship building and perhaps even a tomb trap?

[Vid] Still Into You by absternr iron triangle ot3 This vid is a bop! Multi-tomb show iron triangle being in love, through the years! I've got this bookmark tagged as "joyful"

[vid] When He Died by teyla Wu Sanxing-centric This vid really leans into the weird tomb nonsense and conspiracies and builds to something quite odd, meant in the best possible way. A concentrated version of what tomb shows want to be at their best, from a horror/strange spooky things perspective. Mind the tags.

[Vid] Before I Do by absternr Xiuxiu character study A vid all about Xiuxiu being a badass - she's so clever and cunning and she will figure out and surpass her family history.

[lotusjwy]

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[natcat5]

Wangxian playlists - the untamed

Yes, I am back on my bullshit with more mdzs/the untamed playlists. it was only a matter of time to be honest. 

So this is all one playlist on my phone, but since no one can read my mind and know which song I was attaching to which person, I split it into three playlists on spotify.

This love like a fire, a flood, a fear - Disc 1

Wangxian from Wei Wuxian’s pov. Which is, actually, a daunting task considering how oblivious he is for most of the story. As a result, in the first half of the playlist there’s a heavy lean towards songs about feeling like a terrible person and keeping someone at arm’s length. 

but don’t worry! the rest of the playlist is more mushy and about, you know, coming back from the dead into someone’s waiting arms. and not to toot my own horn but, im very used to crying about lan zhan’s feelings for wei ying, so i was pleasantly surprised when this playlist made me cry about wwx’s feelings for lan zhan! excellent 10/10 would make myself cry again.

19 songs! hozier is here, there’s a smattering of obscure indie songs, and a surprising amount of sleeping with sirens.

This love like a fire, a flood, a fear - Disc 2

Wangxian from Lan Wangji’s pov. Easy! Effortless! Every sad love song in the history of love songs was written for Lan Zhan. The man invented yearning AND devotion. the songs are loosely chronological from ‘oh no i love him’ to ‘oh no im losing him’ to ‘oh no i lost him’ to ‘he’s back and i am NOT letting him go this time’. not to toot my own horn but listening to this all the way through for the first time did make me take emotional psychic damage.

26 songs! obviously celine dion is here, and then a truly wide variety of artists from various genres (though mostly indie/alternative adjacent). i’ll be honest, if you were in a fandom that shipped two sad boys from 2010-2017, you’ll probably recognize a lot of these songs.

This love like a fire, a flood, a fear - Disc 3

Wangxian from dual pov. The other two playlists benefit from a clear chronology, whereas this one is a little looser. it’s sort of ‘come home/we can’t be together’ to ‘you’re gone’ to ‘you’re back and it’s us against the world’. I will say, it is overrall the least sad playlist. 

22 songs! this truly has a varied assortment of songs and genres. there’s at least one country song, one r&b song, tons of alternative of course, even some punk rock! it’s a fun time. we’re having a fun time here, chasing down that happily ever after no matter what.

random ignorable song choice notes below: 

Disc 1

in the embers probably works better for a wwx character playlist than a ship playlist, but I already made one of those and didn’t put it in. so im putting it here instead. i have no justification other than it makes me sad in a good way and fits the vibe of this playlist anyways. wait! I thought of an explanation. it’s all about the oath, the lantern promise, wwx and lwj pledging to do what’s right, uphold justice, live valorous lives. there we go, that’s the explanation, it fits.

it’s wild that there are a whole 4 sleeping with sirens songs on this. listen. I only meant to include scene one, which is the only sws ive ever listened to. but in adding that one I saw the full album for the first time, and was really charmed by all the other song titles and gave them a listen!....and then the entire album snaked its way into these playlists. 

Disc 2

safe & sound definitely leans more towards novel canon than drama canon. it is very much lan zhan defending wei wuxian at burial mounds. actually that whole stretch of songs - safe & sound, sleepyhead, off by heart, you - is very much lan zhan desperately defending wei wuxian’s feverish body at the burial mounds. sure, you can translate it to drama canon easily enough, but...this particular section of the playlist is definitely more attuned to novel canon.

The hero dies in this one comes right after a string of sad, soft songs so even though the lyrics and the title fit perfectly, the tone change is so violent i really thought hard about taking it off. but i like to keep old/obscure songs on playlists if i can. and the lyrics and title really do fit! it’s just...really jarring tone change

in a perfect world there would be space for stray italian greyhound on this playlist...because it truly is a lan zhan song about wei ying...however this playlist started out Too Sad to handle that song. alas. that song is for modern aus where lan zhan only pines for months instead of years. 

I didn’t intend to stick the other wangxian playlist i made, i.e. the one consisting entirely of 10+ year old pop ballads, on the end of this one. but what happened was, this playlist became depressingly top-heavy? like 17 songs leading up to wei wuxian’s death, and three songs post resurrection. so yes, I did essentially tack on the other wangxian playlist I made to the end of this one, because I needed some happy/triumphant love songs to end it off. don’t criticize me, just enjoy the mariah carey and shania twain.

Disc 3

sick of losing soulmates - spotify has rights because the first time I listened to Disc 2 all the way through, this song autoplayed as one that was recommended. i’d never heard it before, but it is, of course, the most accurate wangxian song on all of Disc 3. 

west & new constellations - obviously these songs are specific to the untamed, where lan wangji, being the only adult cultivator left in possession of a braincell, takes over the chief cultivator position and he and wei wuxian separate. the last scene of the show implies they reunite after some time has passed, which is why these aren’t the last songs on the playlist.

pillowtalk - and this of course, shifts back over to novel canon! everyday means everyday, and all that fun stuff

at first I was like ‘dual pov playlists are naturally harder to make specific, and so will feel less meticulously catered to the characters’. and then i was like, ‘actually, that sounds like excuses made by a quitter’, and then I massively cut down the list of songs, to try and make it more specific to the characters. hopefully it worked! Disc 3 is definitely not as dare I say, perfect for the characters the way Disc 1 and 2 are. but, you know, i think it’s fine.

[merinnan]

MDZS/CQL Star Trek AU

* The Lans are a Vulcan family. Like Sarek did a century or so earlier, Qingheng-jun married a human woman. It...did not work out as well as it did for Sarek and Amanda.

* Xichen and Wangji were both encouraged to suppress their human side. Wangji was far more successful at that, while Xichen realised that both his human and Vulcan sides were important and he wanted to balance them.

* Wangji meets Wei Wuxian at Starfleet Academy. Wuxian is a a genius and a troublemaker who is almost expelled several times, but each time manages to - just - successfully argue against the expulsion. It drives Wangji insane, not that he’d admit that this human is making him ~feel emotions~. If they were at the Vulcan Science Academy, there’s no way Wuxian’s shenanigans would be tolerated.

* They graduate and get assigned to different ships. Wangji develops a reputation as an excellent and reliable officer. Wuxian’s reputation as a wild genius remains. Comparisons get drawn to the famous James T. Kirk...

*...right up until Wuxian finally goes too far, and interferes in a war between two alien races that the Federation was on...shaky...terms with, had been specifically keeping out of, and that Starfleet ships had been ordered to keep away from, because the Federation could not be drawn into this conflict.

* His interference results in the destruction of his ship and the loss of a most of the crew, including his sister and his brother-in-law.

* At his court-martial, Wuxian argues that the ship he intervened to save was carrying civilian refugees. But all the records say it was a military transport. He gets dishonourably discharged from Starfleet.

* Before anything else can happen, Wuxian disappears. Rumours start flying around that he was brainwashed to be a spy, was actually a legit traitor, and that the Wuxian who returned was an imposter surgically altered to look like him and the real Wuxian is dead.

* Wangji is determined to find out the truth, but there is surprisingly little information other than the court martial. He tracks down Wuxian’s surviving crewmates, but most of them can’t tell him any more - the crew who did see what was actually on the ship all died.

* A decade or so later, Wangji is captain of his own ship, near the border of the races from that old war. No-one has seen members of the losing race in years.

* Wangji’s ship gets attacked, but is then rescued by a squadron of ships. They’re tiny, seem to incorporate design elements of a few races but nothing to identify them as a particular race, and pack on HELL of a punch. No-one’s ever seen anything like them before.

* Wangji’s ship is heavily damaged, but the aggressors are defeated. The lead rescue ship hails him and...it’s Wuxian.

* Wuxian guides Wangji’s ship to an unrecorded settlement on a previously uncharted planet. The settlement is made up of the civilians that Wuxian rescued all of those years ago - the ship had been a military transport, yes, but it had been commandeered by a pair of siblings - Wen Ning and Wen Qing - who knew the war was unwarranted and unjust and were trying to escape to safety with as many of their people as they could. Other members of the settlement include a few of Wuxian’s old crew who were rescued by the Wens, and a few other maverick idealists who didn’t fit with their respective peoples.

* Once Wangji’s ship is repaired enough to leave, Wangji tells them to leave without him and that he’s submitting his resignation to Starfleet. Wuxian and his people start making preparations to abandon their home and find a new refuge, because they fear what will happen when their settlement becomes known.

* Several of Wangji’s crew, such as his younger cousin Lan Jingyi (who has become good friends with one of the Wen, Yuan), choose to follow Wangji and join Wuxian’s people.

* There is a lot of outrage over the news, and...I’m not actually sure what happens next. But, in the end, Wuxian and Wangji and their little settlement finally all get the peace and safety they deserve (and want), and Wangji learns that human emotions aren’t so bad after all (especially when Wuxian is involved)

[acesgroupchat]

Feedback Bingo: Wrap-up and Recs!

It’s finished! At long last! One of my favorite things about doing this festival is all the awesome fics I read for it (SO MANY AWESOME FICS). It also made me do a bunch of things I wouldn’t have otherwise done, and all of them were great fun. So if you’re thinking about doing it, do it! This is a list of everything I read for this, because it was all awesome and y’all should def give some of these a try! (Under a read more because I read a LOT of stuff for this thing, and I have a lot of feelings about it)

The Best Birthday Present by Kimboo_York: 

for: rarepair, and all works from a creator

This one is GREAT. It is both super funny and super earnest. I was totally charmed. I don’t actually ship Meng Zhi/Mei Changsu, but I fully did while I was reading this.

Choices by Kimboo_York:

for: recent work, and all works from a creator

You know who I DO ship though? I ship Lin Chen/Mei Changsu like a FIEND and this was EXACTLY what I wanted for that ship. It’s sexy, it’s heartbreaking, it’s snarky. It’s exactly them and I have already read it five times.

Things Lin Chen Never Says by ofsevenseas

for: work rated gen, 2+ year old work, long comment (tbh there were a LOT of long comments in this challenge but this was the first)

by now if you follow me you know that I live for Lin Chen. This fic WRECKED me. So full of grief, so wistful. If you want to get destroyed by feels in 300 words or less this is the fic for you.

Deux Banquets by Oceanna

For: different language, <2 comments (woo first!), engage in a discussion

If you have any French at all I recommend reading this fic. It’s great! a fascinating and unexpected crossover with MDZS, and a shitwack of awesome identity porn to boot. 10/10 would read again.

South of the Summer by Saliencense

for: femslash, <5 comments, 3 works in 1 day

This one is just so sweet and beautiful! It has a very “last moments of youth” feel. Very breathless and atmospheric.

Shape of My Heart by Anchorpoint

for: Non-text work, re-comment on an old fave, 3 works in 1 day

A video! More Lin Chen of course. This is a delicious little angsty thing and a huge part of the reason I watched Surgeons. re-incarnated Lin Chen trying AGAIN to save MCS in the modern era? Yes please.

So I Heard You Broke Sima Lei’s Leg by @convenientalias​

for: 3 works in 1 day, recommend on a different platform

I rec’d this one before, but I will again here. Mu Qing! Is! So! Cute! This is the good good sibling content you’ve been looking for, and a fantastic missing scene from the early show.

Fighter and Lover by @convenientalias​

for: recommend on a different platform, 5 day streak (and everything previously but this was the one that clinched it)

Even more good Mu Qing content! This one is extremely charming and a fascinating look at what an adult Nihuang/Xia Dong courtship might look like.

Birth of a Year by @convenientalias​

for: Live blog reactions to a work, Free Square: comment on a fic the day it comes out

This one made me laugh and then it totally wrecked me with Yujin feels. The conversation between Marquis Yan and Yujin had me on the edge of my seat. Also a ton of awesome cameos by our beloved supporting characters, and a fascinating look at the kinds of familial relationships in the show.

The Measure of Guilt by hongliu

for: every chapter of a multi-chapter work, cheerlead a WIP.

Ok this one? is SAD AF. Truly heartbreaking. PEAK tragic Lin Chen content. Will 100% make you cry. Angst of the highest order. 10/10 would wail again.

Ever Onward by @aboxthecolourofheartache​

for: visual transformative work, @ a creator on another platform

I spent literally every day of the challenge worrying about how I was going to get the visual square because I don’t draw AT ALL. And then I realized Lin Chen is just a vulpix and got WAY too invested in the idea of Ever Onward GO. @aboxthecolourofheartache​ is the best and most indulgent audience for my endless dumb ideas about her work, and I had a LOT of fun making weird screenshots for this. Will we ever see Gyrados!Jingrui? stay tuned to find out!

Seriously though if you haven’t read Ever Onward yet, drop everything and do that RIGHT NOW. Cancel your plans for the next week because it’s a Long Boy, but it’s gripping and fascinating and every possible kind of fun. 10/10 will screech forever.

The Purple Cup by @convenientalias​

for: include a link in a comment

I read this one in lecture (I’m the TA so it’s ok if I’m not always paying attention) and I had to work REALLY hard to keep my look of HORRIFIED delight off my face. This is such a wild concept and goes SO MANY cool places. Also the look inside the mind of Prince Yu is fascinating and frightening in all the right ways.

It also sent me on a completely inexplicable early Taylor Swift spiral. Which I then felt compelled to share.

the mist that cloaks the river, the clouds that hide the stars by @sovinly​

for: text-based transformative works, feedback using something other than words

Parts of this work feel like looking in a mirror, and it haunts me in the best way possible. Sovin’s ICONIC Fem!Yujin longfic will absolutely rock your world. Honors the experiences of a MUCH broader swath of women than canon, and the fix-it for Xie Qi that I never knew I needed but needed DESPERATELY. Go read it right now. Bring tissues and remember to hydrate.

To celebrate the last day of bingo I decided to write a double drabble (my first!) based on this, because that Xie Qi fix-it brings me so much comfort and joy, and I still think about it even a year after this fic ruined me.