Recs and Crafts and Cats and Babble

The 2021 Chocolate Box collection is open for perusing. There's a lot of good things in it this year, as always. I only managed to write one fic but for various reasons the last few weeks have been terrible here in Chez Donut so oh well.

I haven't been crossposting the recs I've made to recthething here so here goes, have a zillion MDZS/Untamed recs (fic and art):

Wayfinding by bumblebeesknees (14k)
summary: It hasn’t even been a full day since he's been back in Lan Zhan’s company and already Wei Wuxian knows he’s been wrong. Turns out it really is quite easy to pretend he’s content with what he has when what he doesn’t isn’t right in front of him, as steady and wonderful and unattainable as ever. (probably the sweetest post-canon get together for WWX and LWJ that I've read)

as i stumble homewards by the_pretzel (27.5k)
Summary:Six years after the siege at the Burial Mounds, the Jiang Sect looks to Yiling once more as rumors of a young demonic cultivator and the restless spirit which trails behind him reach their ears. Luckily for the two in question, Hanguang-jun has heard the same rumors, and comes trailing behind. A-Yuan, in the meanwhile, is not pleased at having his life disrupted, especially by a man who has mysterious intentions towards his Xian-gege (really interesting AU where A-Yuan was raised by WWX's ghost)

Resonant Bonds by nirejseki (4k)
Summary Snippet: Wei Wuxian had been obsessed with the idea of a resonant bond ever since he first learned about it... A bond that would mean he need never fear abandonment, to never need to worry about someone going out only for a little and then never coming back. It would be amazing, he thought - right up until he punched Jin Zixuan in the face for insulting his shijie and something just –Clicked. (A really interesting WWX and JZN accidentally bonding AU fic)

There's a Baby Loose in the Burial Mounds! by ScarlettStorm (3k)
Summary snippet: People think Wei Wuxian somehow cleansed the resentment of the Burial Mounds for the Wen survivors, but actually, the ghosts did it as babyproofing. (utterly delightful outsider POV here the ghosts of the burial mounds are a little more aware than we were led to believe)

The Lotus Defense Society by mondengel (3.5k, archive locked)
Summary: Jin ZiXuan and Lan Wangji bond over their inability to woo their beloved's and accidentally start a cult in their honor. (absolutely hilarious)

every breath that comes before by tardigradeschool (10k)
Summary: Su She is 10% stupider. Lan Wangji has a terrible day. Revelations are had. A Qiongqi prison break fix-it feat. core-destroying poison. Or, what if that cup of wine Wei Wuxian drank for Lan Wangji after the Phoenix Mountain hunt wasn't just wine? (Really great canon divergence. WWX still saves the Wen but everything goes very, very differently after it.)

Marital Prospects by Vamillepudding (19k)
Summary: Jin Ling's birth is the happiest occasion of Jin Zixuan's life. But every gold spoon has some rust: Wei Wuxian has taken up residence too. However, Jin Zixuan has a fool-proof plan to get Wei Wuxian out of his life for good: he's going to find him a spouse. And he's got the perfect person in mind: Nie Mingjue. Lan Wangji has resigned himself to losing the love of his life without saying a word. (Hilarious no war AU. JZN's plan goes very, very wrong but also very right at the same time)

kick at the darkness 'til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf and tardigradeschool (75k)
Summary snippet: The young man blinks at him. Wei Yuan doesn’t spend much time staring at his own face in the mirror, but he knows his reflection well enough; the dark eyes, the straight nose, the round face that comes to a pointed chin. This boy could be his exact double.

“Who are you?” the Lan boy facing him asks, tilting his head. He’s got a hand on his sword, but he hasn’t drawn it yet. There’s a faint frown on his face. “Some kind of face-stealing spirit? A demon?”

“Pretty rude to go around calling people demons,” Wei Yuan protests. (aka the Parent Trap AU that you never knew you needed but will absolutely love)

the stars in the hazy heaven tremble above you by cicer (64k)
Summary snippet: In which Wei Ying, a fugitive from justice, sneaks into the palace, steals from the imperial family, and eats his words. AKA, yet another Cinderella AU. (This takes place in a very interesting magic/sorcery world rather than cultivation one and is a delightful read)

love at frost sight by scribblemetimbers (1.6k)
Summary: In which Wei Wuxian and his two favorite kids just wanted to help his younger brother chill through the power of pint-sized hugs (from the kids) and projectiles aimed straight at Jiang Cheng's face (from Wei Wuxian), but he fails to take into account the importance of aiming and decent observational skills. (absolutely, incredibly adorable modern AU)

art:
🍃🛶🍃 by Alana (title is a leaf emoji, canoe emoji, then another leaf emoji)
Summary: always the bridesmaid never the bride (Adorable little Wen Ning being the eternal third wheel to Wangxian art)

Ghost General by suarhnir
Summary: Just some random art of a cinnamon roll in all his bamf glory...(Excellent Wen Ning art)

Blackened melody by Valeska
Summary: Fanart for fytheuntamed’s Untamed Fall Fest 2020 on tumblr: Day 31 - Wei Wuxian (excellent resentful energy effect with WWX playing Chenqing)

Unmasked (The Untamed Fanart) by H0riz0nMenthe
Summary: Mo Xuanyu no more. A pencil sketch of a fallen mask and blood splatter. (check out all of H0riz0nMenthe's art actually, it's all amazing)

A gorgeous "A-Yuan 'through the ages' gif" on tumblr
An adorable junior quartet drawing, also on tumblr

Generally speaking, I'll only rec things that are complete when recced (unless they are a series where at least some of the fics are complete and the stories in them feel finished) and also not already recced all over the place or appear in the first page or so of kudos/bookmarks (if I notice that; so while Grow- a WWX deaged fic- is one I've reread a bunch and absolutely love, I won't rec it on the comm since I figure anyone looking about for fic will have found it already).

I am frustratingly between craft projects now that I finished another shawl (aka used up the yarn I had):

It's 65"(ish) x 45"(ish) and I haven't blocked it and probably should, but.. effort. And lack of space.

That's actually the second shawl I made with that yarn, I frogged the first because while I liked the texture in the pattern, it was MUCH more like a scarf that just happened to sort of have a vague triangle shape than a shawl.

I have more sheets I can turn into rugs (why I have boxes and boxes of crappy sheets, I don't know but I do) but there is a limit to the number of throw rugs you can have in a house so I don't know if I want to make more or not. And I don't need more shawls and I don't think the yarn I have in my stash is really enough of any one type (or combinable) for an afghan, which I don't need another of anyway so... no idea what to make next. SIGH.

I've started watching the Cdrama Guardian. I'm just over halfway through and it's interesting to see how much I'd osmosed/remembered right or wrong about it from when it was all over my dash a year or two ago. I'm liking it so far although I know it doesn't really end happily and is much less related to the novel its based off of in comparison to Untamed/MDZS. It's making me actually curious to read the book. (I am also considering reading MDZS, but for some reason knowing the differences are much more radical for Guardian, it makes me more interested in it.)

Anyway, Santini says "hi" and yes, he knows he's not supposed to play with my shawls, but he also doesn't believe in following rules.