meretricula | The Untamed: Wangxian Fic Recs Edition (Reply)

Hi friends! It has been... a while. (Significantly longer if you don't count "Dear Yulegoat" letters.) I'm doing okay; I've been working from home for the past seven weeks and nobody in my family is sick. It's lonely, I want to hang out with my friends, I hate conference calls, I don't like being cooped up with my younger brother nonstop and I miss hugs. I'm grateful that that's as much as I can complain about.

My attention span has been absolutely shot (not that it was much to write home about before) and I've been having some trouble sticking with books -- unfortunately, since this is my big chance to read through my absolutely massive TBR pile! I did get my paws on advance copies of the upcoming Cat Sebastian, Sarah Rees Brennan, and Naomi Novik books, all of which I managed to get into and thoroughly enjoyed. But mostly I just keep taking books off the shelf, reading the first page, and putting them back down again. It feels like my best coping mechanism has been taken away from me.

At this psychologically delicate moment, as you can probably tell, I decided that it was time to try reading some fanfic for this Chinese costume drama all my friends were yelling about. In the spirit of experimentation, I went through the entirety of the Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian pairing tag (Complete, English, Words > 10000) without having seen the show and documented my "safe to enjoy without any canon knowledge" recs. Incredibly (at least to me, since I don't think I've managed to watch 50 episodes of anything since college) I did eventually watch The Untamed and I kept adding things to the post here, so the Dreamwidth version got some significant structural changes but the original "no canon, no problem" version is still up on tumblr if you want it!

Anyway, without further ado, have a bunch of fic recs for The Untamed! I also have a vid rec post, and I'll do a rarepair post as soon as I have time.

Modern AUs

The Simplest Way Forward - they're student musicians in the same orchestra who get green card married so that they can adopt the kid who gets ditched at Wei Wuxian's door; I know everyone has recced this fic already but on the off chance that you haven't read it already, YES, it's that good
Window Shopping - they're quarantined in apartments opposite each other and A-Yuan wants to see Lan Wangji's pet rabbits. Comes with a sequel about the shenanigans in Lan Xichen's apartment that you can read or skip depending on your opinions about 3zun and then a very cathartic conclusion about what happens when quarantine is lifted and they can finally meet in person (includes a fairly detailed description of a panic attack, FYI)
Unstrictly Ballroom - they're competitive ballroom dancers but Wei Wuxian was unjustly banned from competition years ago and Lan Wangji has finally found him working in a strip club; I know it sounds cheesy but it is AGONIZING
A Keen Rabbit Lover - they are both women and grad school students and pining disgustingly for each other when everything gets disrupted by Wei Wuxian VERY BADLY misinterpreting Lan Wangji's drunken confession that she "likes rabbits"
your heartbeat, across the grass - Lan Wangji is a soccer superstar and A-Yuan wants to go to a game! I rec this with the caveat that if you know anything about professional soccer the bits about professional soccer are massively unrealistic
Year Of Night Call - they're extremely codependent trauma surgeons who share an on-call bed
And they were roommates... - they're both women and grad students and wind up living together after the Jiangs throw Wei Wuxian out
Out of the Bin and Into Your Heart - Wei Wuxian comes up with a ridiculous fake-dating scheme to throw off their admirers at the Chinese cultural center. Lan Wangji plays along for reasons that are blatantly obvious to everyone except Wei Wuxian
"Congratulations, Get Rich" - Wei Wuxian tries to start a tradition of kissing at midnight on Chinese New Year so he'll have an excuse to kiss Lan Wangji
one good thing - Wei Wuxian is a ghost haunting Lan Wangji's house and Lan Wangji just happens to come from a long family line of exorcists
Lifelong Confidant - Wei Wuxian has a happy, normal life as a barista-slash-music-teacher and two roommates he loves, except for the tragic past he never talks about -- which is obviously about to make a dramatic reappearance in the person of Lan Wangji, one of the judges of a celebrity baking show his roommates watch
how to fall in love with a catfish: a guide by wei wuxian (disaster rat) - college RA and all-around human disaster Wei Wuxian develops an improbable chat relationship with Lan Wangji, who he assumes is catfishing him by using a moderately famous actor's photos on Tinder but -- obviously -- actually is a moderately famous actor. I don't normally like college AUs but this one is solid and VERY funny
you've ruined my life (by not being mine) - Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji met during a study abroad program in China and start texting when they're back in the States but on opposite sides of the country. I also don't normally like high school AUs but this is ADORABLE, if you can stand an excruciatingly slow burn
the best of you - I am honestly on the fence about whether this fic can be considered "good" but if you're ever in the mood for some truly god-tier whump about Wei Wuxian getting physically and emotionally abused at every turn while Lan Wangji absolutely loses his mind over not being able to protect him, I guarantee this will hit the spot
walk my days on a wire - they're rival software developers who have a long history of kinky anonymous hotel-room hookups; they have both caught feels and this is uncovered in the course of some very intense pregnancy role-play so if that's too much don't click but if you're down to go where it's leading it is truly delicious! Now comes with a tooth-rottingly sweet and still very kinky sequel about them getting married and making a baby for real
i’ll be your girl - a deeply hilarious tale of queer board game nights and gender confusion in which Wei Wuxian thinks that Lan Wangji is straight and only hooked up with him because he was dressed as Britney Spears for a costume party, while Lan Wangji thinks that Wei Wuxian's insistence on dressing up in drag every time they have sex is maybe Wei Wuxian trying to tell him something
Give me your wild - fem!Lan Wangji tops the shit out of Wei Wuxian and then tells him that he's a good boy, that's it, that's the story, it's extremely hot
only missed midnight - short and surprisingly cathartic: Wei Wuxian has a minor meltdown over missing the ball drop on NYE but really over a lot of other things, Lan Wangji uses his words and also cuddles to make it better (the author has taken this fic down but hopefully it'll return later!)
underweight - Lan Wangji, dismayed by Wei Wuxian's poor eating and sleeping habits, somewhat accidentally -- but consensually! -- winds up taking control both in bed and out of it
Ticket to Ride - Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are stuck at the airport and Wei Wuxian catches Lan Wangji perusing his Grindr profile, from which romantic beginning springs a madcap and surprisingly sweet rescue mission to get Wei Wuxian home in time for his sister's wedding
puzzle pieces - oh my god, they were roommates! A cute little piece of tropey fluff that lives up to its premise
Two Unlucky Guys - Wei Wuxian, in possession of exactly one braincell, proposes that he and Lan Wangji have sex so that they can get losing their virginity out of the way before college. Lan Wangji, desperately in love with him and in possession of ZERO braincells, goes along with this stellar plan
your love is thick and it swallowed me whole - Wei Wuxian goes to a sex party for the first time and is shocked to encounter Lan Wangji, more shocked that Lan Wangji is a regular, and kind of overwhelmed when Lan Wangji offers to let him suck him off on the sofa. Sex tears and a very soft happy ending await!
After the Final Rose - Lan Wangji, much against his better judgment, helps out his brother's boyfriend by going on The Bachelor and falls for his cameraman instead of any of the actual suitors; the obligatory misunderstanding is AGONIZING but the catharsis is so heartwarming and I love all the side characters
oh, these are real things - a very soft and loving story about kink exploration, talking through your weird feelings about sex and your body, and Lan Wangji trying his very best to make Wei Wuxian cry in bed
baby let's take the long way home - Wei Wuxian needs an abortion, the nearest clinic that will take his insurance is an 8 hour drive away, and Lan Wangji (his work nemesis) has a car. There is so much going on in the background of this story -- magical academia! birth control in a world where (some) men can get pregnant! the subtle cultural distinctions between being Chinese in America and being Chinese American! -- but at its heart it's such a tender story about, like, being kind and decent to each other
speeding up my heartbeat - Lan Wangji does yoga at the same gym where Wei Wuxian plays basketball. Normally I prefer my fics to have a certain minimum of agonized pining and tragic misunderstanding but this one is just an immense amount of dressing increasingly sluttily for workouts and thirsting over each other in the gym locker room, followed by a lot of hot sex. And that's okay!
some impulse of delight - kissing lessons kissing lessons kissing lessons also there's an illegal bunny rabbit
say it's here where our pieces fall in place - do you want a simultaneously Soft and Incredibly Painful reading experience about Wei Wuxian falling in love with the man who adopted the foster child Wei Wuxian was absolutely devastated not to be able to adopt himself? Would you perhaps enjoy wallowing in how much Wei Wuxian is loved by the people around him, but unable to accept that love because he is 20 pounds of low self-esteem and abandonment issues stuffed into a 10-pound sack? Do you love domesticity and kidfic and perhaps a bit of background 3zun being adorable committed partners, as a treat? HAVE FUN
My Zhiji's On Broadway - Lan Wangji accidentally gets drunk at a conference in Seattle and Wei Wuxian spends the evening babysitting him through a series of impulsive adventures while pining his little heart out (yes, Lan Wangji is obviously pining too; yes, they're going to figure it out eventually)
(our friendship) up against the ropes - Wei Wuxian finds out that Lan Wangji, his best friend since high school, is not only sexually active but a legend on the NYC gay hookup app scene, and proceeds to lose his tiny little mind. The recurring motif of the feature film version of Pride & Prejudice (Wei Wuxian's favorite movie, with which Lan Wangji has comforted him through various breakups) was unexpected, but cute!
with your arms outstretched to me - Lan Wangji takes Wei Wuxian hiking on their first date, and Wei Wuxian sprains an ankle. Luckily, Lan Wangji has not skipped Arm Day once in his life, so he's able to carry Wei Wuxian back down. This is just soft soft SOFT and extremely cute!
For A Good Time, Call - Lan Wangji, who has been faithfully pining over Wei Wuxian for ten years, accidentally finds out that his best friend/secret crush makes (solo) porn, and makes a number of decisions that seem logical at the time. This is a very long and extremely self-indulgent story -- Lan Wangji getting together with the love of his life after ludicrous amounts of angst and mutual pining is obviously part of it, but there's also a big focus on exploring his gender, coming to terms with his sexuality, and getting a lot of therapy -- which I enjoyed a lot but have to be in the right mood for. Your mileage may vary!
Worship you till morning comes - a short and sweet meet-cute, followed by a truly adorable love-at-first-sight first date
live from new york - it's an AU where they all work for Saturday Night Live, yes, even Lan Wangji, yes, it works, yes, it made me cry (definitely also read the sequel where they decide to get married: swiss cheese theory) (DEFINITELY also read the AU where they're both women: wake up all in tangles)
a life in your shape - Lan Wangji overhears something he isn't supposed to and interprets it in exactly the wrong way. If you enjoy agonizing over painful misunderstandings but only for about 5k words instead of 50k, this is the fic for you!
Grace and a tender hand - Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian go on a disastrous first date (but don't worry, it's all going to turn out okay)
Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful - winter sports AU in which Lan Wangji is an Olympic medalist in skiing and Wei Wuxian is a professional snowboarder and they are jointly coaching the ducklings! There is huddling for warmth.
a baby rabbit is called a kitten and other fun facts - fluff fluff fluffy fluff in which Wei Wuxian is a single dad whose son is obsessed with Lan Wangji's YouTube channel about bunny care
Almost Lover - Lan Wangji, tragically pining for his best friend with benefits with zero plans to actually say anything about it, gets the wakeup call of a lifetime when Wei Wuxian is nearly killed in a car accident. Click for that sweet sweet caretaking and hurt/comfort content!
Love Cats - the cutest of all possible meet-cutes: Lan Wangji helps Wei Wuxian rescue a cat that's stuck in a tree
Our Eyes on the Road - ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP ROAD TRIP and the consummation of god only knows how many years of sexual tension
请兔子吃晚饭; treating a bunny to dinner - Wei Wuxian takes Lan Wangji out for Korean barbecue on their first date! They have a great time! One small problem: Lan Wangji is a vegetarian.
Chef's kiss - Lan Wangji is a chef, Wei Wuxian is a law student, they have a lot of scorching hot lesbian sex
can you feel it - this is a shockingly sweet story considering that the premise is "here's why you should never use a toy without a flared base for anal insertion"
my dreams are playing softer now - Lan Wangji gets drunk at a conference and Lan Xichen dumps him on Wei Wuxian for babysitting duties
new york, i love you - Gossip Girl AU :D :D :D
总有一天; a place to hide (can’t find one near) - Wei Wuxian tries to kill himself. He doesn't succeed, but the fic is obviously pretty heavy and the suicide attempt is pretty graphic, so take care of yourself and don't click if that's not something you feel okay to read! It's also VERY long and slow-paced, and the writing is a bit flowery for me in places, but when I'm in the right mood for slow burn hurt/comfort it hits the spot.
i didn't choose the van life (the van life chose me) - Wei Wuxian has a near brush with homelessness and an ongoing struggle with the soullessness of late capitalism, and consequently gets really into the idea of tiny houses and modding his van so he can live in it. That sounds kind of heavy but no bad things actually happen in this fic! He's going to be okay and so is Lan Wangji and they're going to live happily ever after in a tiny house by the sea!
i could bite my tongue - the first time lesbians Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian try to have sex goes badly, and they cuddle about it (follow-up in which the second time they try to have sex goes slightly better: wrap your arms around me)
on your marks, get set, bake! - Wei Wuxian is a contestant on GBBO and the college students he RAs for are absolutely losing their little minds watching the competition
Come Out and Level Up - Lan Wangji comes out to Wei Wuxian, who subsequently figures out that his own history of attraction is maybe not typical for straight people. If you don't like ace headcanons for these characters, don't click, but I found it adorable and very relatable!
dreaming and getting a glimmer - Wei Wuxian has a sexuality crisis in college over 1) an amateur porn site streamer, username wangji2397, whose face he has never seen 2) the guy he repeatedly sucked off through a glory hole in a bar bathroom, ditto, and 3) the very beautiful classmate who is helping him outline his paper on gender roles in the Song dynasty. There is a LOT of dirty talk in this one, including some pretty heavy humiliation, but it never feels mean -- only that Lan Wangji is maybe a little ahead of Wei Wuxian on the learning curve of "what gets Wei Wuxian off".
rainfall - Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji decide to try out 24/7 D/s
say all that you're feeling - slow burn rule 63 in which Lan Wangji (butch and very comfortable with it) is waiting for Wei Wuxian (baby butch and new on the scene) to sort herself out
Let's take a ride round the curves of desire - no plot only first time sex in a heat wave featuring extensive cunnilingus
Many happy returns. - they meet cute and fall in love and they're gonna spend their lives together, that's it, that's the fic, there's not really a whole lot of "plot" going on here.
Pull out game weak - rule 63 in which they start messaging on a hookup app. Lan Wangji is very toppy and mean both over text and during sex, which Wei Wuxian is definitely into but isn't explicitly negotiated, just FYI. I really enjoyed the twist halfway through the fic! (spin-off that goes AU from the twist and is definitely also worth reading: Extra Time)
hey girl (you are what i've been looking for) - SHENANIGANS at Mo Xuanyu's houseparty that Wei Wuxian didn't even want to go to but on the bright side she is maybe making progress on getting the very hot girl she just met to like her (make sure to read the sequel too!)
because you’re mine (i walk the line) - Lan Wangji tells Wei Wuxian he's not allowed to touch himself and Wei Wuxian proceeds to lose his mind thinking about what will happen if he disobeys. (warning for canon-typical consensual nonconsent)
today was a smoking sky - this is, I am not joking, a Princess Diaries 2 AU, but it works! significantly kinkier than the original plot source, just FYI.
Scenery Is Changing (The Jigglypuff Remix) - pining idiot best friends are brought together at last by the joys of Pokemon Go
fuck around and find out - extremely spicy lesbian PWP (painplay, sex tears, Wei Wuxian says no when she means yes)
petal-soft - very very very soft painkink & orgasm denial where Wei Wuxian plays with Lan Wangji’s nipple piercings to make her cry and tells her she’s a good girl throughout
Step right up! - they are dumbass teenagers and Wei Wuxian persuades Lan Wangji to go down to the boardwalk instead of practicing for their science class presentation and it's just. so cute.
like the paradise found - does “Lan Wangji finds her long-lost love working as a (very athletic and artistic) stripper” really need further context? I think not! We are not here to have deep thoughts, only to enjoy delicious tropey fluff.
ready to run - Wei Wuxian runs for president of the students' union at a university with a suspicious resemblance to Oxford. I am very very very picky about Oxford AUs but this one is great, and also features a lovely "Wei Wuxian unlearns compulsive heterosexuality" plotline.
all that and more - Wei Wuxian texts Lan Wangji to send nudes on a dare and unleashes the sexuality crisis of a lifetime

Canon Universe

my age has never made me wise - Wei Wuxian wanders off without either of them declaring their feelings and proceeds to pine GROSSLY when he hears gossip that Lan Wangji is planning a wedding
A Civil Combpaign - Jin Ling decides he wants to marry Lan Sizhui for "diplomatic reasons"; hilarity ensues
Content Warning: Romance - Wei Wuxian is easily embarrassed by praise, so Lan Wangji ties him up and tells him how wonderful he is. You will never look at praise kink the same again
the hidden source is the watchful heart - after a year of wandering on his own after the end of the show, Wei Wuxian finally comes home, and Lan Wangji has to wrestle with whether he can stand to let him go again
seldom all they seem - mild canon divergence in which Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are betrothed as children; definitely also read the sequel about Lan Wangji's beautiful kind-hearted fairy tale prince of a brother and the amoral scheming political mastermind who unfortunately adores him
The Absolutely True Story of the Yiling Patriarch: A Manifesto in Many Parts - Jingyi and the rest of the juniors publish a very popular romance about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in an attempt to rehabilitate Wei Wuxian's reputation, which is not unwelcome but is somewhat puzzling to Wei Wuxian since he is not actually in a relationship with Lan Wangji
Linger in the Sun - Wei Wuxian joins Lan Wangji on an educational school field trip investigating a series of hilarious curses, which becomes only slightly less hilarious when Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are the latest victims
come home to my heart - it can have a little bodyswap. as a treat.
anyway, here's wuji - a delightfully over-the-top and melodramatic story about Lan Jingyi watching Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian eventually get their HEA, and falling in love along the way
hunters seeking solid ground - Wei Wuxian, suffering from years of PTSD nightmares so bad that he may actually be dying of sleep deprivation, finally lets Lan Wangji give him what he needs and deserves. If you just want to read about someone Suffering, A Lot, so that someone who loves him can make it better, this is the fic and the catharsis is WORTH IT
Grand Pianos Crash Together - uncomplicated post-series get-together fic that's very charming and well done and features an unexpectedly hot first time
My Leaves Reach Ever for the Sun - canon divergence in which Wei Wuxian comes up with a madcap crossdressing scheme in order to attend Jin Ling's christening and inevitably ropes Lan Wangji in. This story really needs a beta but there are such sweet and lovely moments in it that I keep coming back to reread it anyway
A Crying Shame - canon divergence in which A-Yuan cries so much at Lan Wangji leaving them in the Burial Mounds that he just gives up and stays
grow - adorable genfic about Wei Wuxian getting de-aged and Sizhui and the juniors taking care of him
A Lot of Edges Called Perhaps - another sweet "Wei Wuxian finally comes home to Lan Wangji" story, only in this one Lan Wangji has managed to get himself badly injured and Wei Wuxian has to nurse him back to health while they both marinate in their unresolved sexual tension
Senseless - a variation on the "Wei Wuxian goes wandering" theme: Wei Wuxian realizes he's being a moron and comes right back
your horizon to chase - another variation: Wei Wuxian runs into Lan Wangji while he's on his walkabout and is finally persuaded to come home for good
no kiss, no gentle word - Wei Wuxian's new methods of using magic have extremely dire side-effects; Lan Wangji refuses to let them drive him away
With Absolute Splendor - several years after the dust settles, Jiang Cheng insists on planning Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's wedding, which is complicated since he and Lan Wangji absolutely can't stand each other
Attempting the Impossible - Jiang Cheng pays Wei Wuxian a visit in an attempt to reconcile with him, only to discover that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have been very busy expanding their family
Red Flower With One Hundred Petals; Smoke Carried on the Blue Dusk Air - canon divergence in which Lan Xichen successfully persuades an extremely traumatized Wei Wuxian to come back to Lan Wangji after the war. I think the latter half of this fic is a little weak compared to the opening but if you're in it for the hurt/comfort, the first half is a dream come true!
I hope that you will come and meet me - an extremely soft and gentle story about Wei Wuxian coming home to Lan Wangji and realizing Lan Wangji wants him to stay
It's Only Time - Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji write each other letters while they're apart; it's very sweet and VERY cute
build me no shrines - sometimes a girl just wants to read long plotty post-canon casefic in which Wei Wuxian gets badly whumped and Lan Wangji goes absolutely feral, and that's valid
Pigtail Pulling - short and adorable: Lan Xichen explains that Wei Wuxian is constantly pestering him because he wants Lan Wangji's attention, so Lan Wangji tries to get him to stop by... paying attention to him
you are my delightful intruder - post-canon, Lan Wangji has a PTSD-induced meltdown after waking up to find Wei Wuxian gone. Wei Wuxian comforts him and then comforts him if you know what I mean
Then There's No One There - mostly canon-compliant Lan Wangji POV of the three days Wei Wuxian was unconscious after the end of the Sunshot Campaign that packs a bittersweet wallop. Honestly most of the devastation is the author's note at the end telling you that the tiny bit of canon divergence is not going to be enough to change anything.
You, Asleep and Dreaming - post-canon, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian cuddle their way into a relationship. It's hard to describe this fic because the central structure isn't super visible -- it took me so long to clock that it was a "five things" fic -- but it's really darling and the alternation between understated humor and gut-punching anguish just gets me!
Yeah I Know How You Like It - Wei Wuxian accidentally acquires the ability to read Lan Wangji's thoughts, and is surprisingly (even to himself!) unsettled to learn that his husband thinks about fucking him constantly
Coming Back to Yourself - Lan Wangji gets cursed with a different genital configuration than he's used to. All he needs to do to get back to normal is achieve orgasm... except he doesn't know how. (Wei Wuxian also does not know how but he at least has some educated guesses.) Also comes with a lovely expanded/slightly alternate scene that you should make sure not to miss: Save a Sword
rather cruelly used and rather reserved - missing scene/very slight canon divergence set in the Cloud Recesses right after the Yi City arc, in which Wei Wuxian takes advantage of his down time to explore Lan Wangji's home and inadvertently learns more about what Lan Wangji got up to while he was dead
little days - Lan Wangji periodically regresses (mentally, not physically) to childhood when stressed; Lan Xichen and eventually Wei Wuxian take care of him. This is completely nonsexual and extremely soft
Give You What You Like - canon divergence in which Wen Chao figures out a great way to kill two birds with one stone during the dungeon scene at the Wen indoctrination camp, and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji have go forward with the rest of the plot while trying to deal with the trauma of what they were forced to do to each other. This is heavy even for "something made them do it" so please be aware of that going in
Teach Me The Ways - canon divergence in which Wei Wuxian ran away from Lotus Pier at age 13 to become a rogue cultivator and Lan Wangji is in the middle of preparing for an arranged marriage: Lan Wangji is worried he won't know how to satisfy his future spouse in bed and goes to Sexy Rogue Cultivator Wei Wuxian for lessons. Wei Wuxian's reputation is VASTLY exaggerated but luckily for both of them he's good at making things up as he goes along!
so full of love i could barely eat - a/b/o universe, Lan Wangji runs into Wei Wuxian and a clearly underfed A-Yuan in Yiling and (to his own mortification) starts spontaneously lactating. Obviously if you're not down with a lot of explicit descriptions of breastfeeding and/or the concept of a/b/o, with the implied fixation on pregnancy/fertility and gender essentialism, don't click, but I really loved this story! It's also the only one I've encountered so far that uses Chinese terminology rather than alpha/beta/omega, if you're curious
out to get you (to get you) - fairly major canon divergence in which the Wen attack about a decade earlier, completely changing the political landscape and destroying several clans, including the Lan and Jiang. Lan Wangji, an assassin posing as a courtesan, has been sent to eliminate the Yiling Patriarch. I loved the slow unfolding of what happened to Lan Wangji to put him on his current path, and the inevitable catching of feels for his target is exactly the right level of dramatic
can i look the other way - a sweet little post-canon story in which Wei Wuxian gets it into his head that he's taking up too much space in Lan Wangji's house, and decides to do the polite thing and move out
Strange Darling - after parting with Song Lan in Yi City, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji finally have a conversation about what Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen represented to them
Something Good - due to various forks in the road, Wei Wuxian has wound up as a servant in Cloud Recesses in punishment for turning to demonic cultivation, and is assigned the job of caring for eleven rambunctious orphans. That's right, folks, it's a Sound of Music AU!
the river and the sea - Lan Wangji meets his soulmate when he's six years old, and promptly loses him. I don't normally like soulmate AUs but this one is very sweet
watch the slow door - Lan Wangji arrives at Dafan Mountain just a little bit later, and doesn't hear Wei Wuxian play the flute, and thus spends the next several days losing his mind as he tries to figure out who Mo Xuanyu is. Brief but packed full of delicious (ultimately resolved) angst!
And I Will Call You Home - plotty casefic where Lan Wangji gets whumped and Wei Wuxian goes feral, for a nice change! The pining is extremely *chef's kiss*
Standing Engagement - canon divergence in which Lan Wangji assumes that there's an unspoken betrothal agreement when he and Wei Wuxian get out of the turtle's cave -- and then he accidentally spills the news to Jiang Cheng while Wei Wuxian is missing
every road leads back to you - just barely over 2k words of Wei Wuxian coming home to Lan Wangji and there's SO MANY FEELINGS packed in there
your problem as a mountain. - canon divergence in which the war never happens, Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian strike up a lively long-distance book club to discuss porn, and eventually start writing their own. Wei Wuxian's fantasies are super vanilla but they always seem to star a beautiful fellow cultivator with golden eyes and a ribbon, weird! Not that he puts any thought into this... until a mix-up with the mail means that all of his smutty letters get delivered to Lan Wangji instead.
Crack me open, pour you out - Lan Wangji gets cursed to say everything that goes through his head out loud, which is a problem when there's things that he's trying not to say to Wei Wuxian
the benefits of patience - post-canon rule 63 Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian engage in some mutually enjoyable orgasm delay/denial. Hot but also sweet!
The dreamers. - the telepathic bond in the turtle cave doesn't wear off as planned. This certainly isn't the only take on that concept but it's my favorite so far! Be warned that the fic takes a VERY sharp left turn in the third act, but if you like psychic bonds and dreamsharing the first two thirds are definitely worth it regardless of what you think of the twist.
The Rain in Gusu - sometimes I just want to hurt my own feelings and then wallow in them thinking about how Wei Wuxian doesn't know that Lan Wangji loves him and wants him to stay!!!
with intent - Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji get stuck in Cold Pond Cave and there is huddling for warmth
An Elegant Solution - extremely convoluted but very fun canon divergence in which Jiang Cheng arranges for Wei Wuxian to marry Nie Mingjue in order to rehabilitate his reputation and Lan Wangji gets stuck "chaperoning" his One True Love as he gets to know his future husband (eventual OT3 with Nie Mingjue, everyone is going to be happy about who they married!)

Not Modern, Not Canon

all your life you'll dream of this - vaguely canon universe but with some fairy tale elements, specifically Cinderella -- no, really! I swear it's good! Lan Wangji is Cinderella!
debt of a knife - Lan Wangji is a warlord who has just claimed Wei Wuxian as his captive bride; the premise sounds kind of dubcon-y but all the sex is consensual
turn towards the sun - Kushiel's Chosen AU in which Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are BDSM study buddies
let me hold it lightly - is it magical realism if the canon has magic already? Anyway, Wei Wuxian cuts out his own heart and gives it to Lan Wangji for safekeeping
the stars in the hazy heaven tremble above you - did we get blessed with a second glorious Cinderella AU? We sure did! This time Wei Wuxian is Cinderella!
this river runs to you - a delicious urban fantasy story in which Wei Wuxian is an underpaid curse worker with a canon-typical tragic backstory and Lan Wangji is his mysterious new assistant
hold me fast, fear me not - for variety's sake, a fairy tale AU that isn't Cinderella: Tam Lin AU in which Wei Wuxian (as the Yiling Laozu, with the Burial Mounds standing in for the Fairy Queen) is Tam Lin and Lan Wangji is Janet
If You Love Someone - Princess Bride AU heck yeah! Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are both women and Lan Wangji thinks the Yiling Patriarch killed Wei Wuxian. Needs a quick beta scrub but come on, lesbian Princess Bride
The Terminus of Gravity - space opera! Wei Wuxian is on the run, and Lan Wangji is hopelessly pining over his audio transmissions
The Lives of Lan Wangji - Chronicles of Chrestomanci fusion in which Lan Wangji travels between the worlds in search of a cat and ends up finding Wei Wuxian
the best good thing - time to have some feelings about Lan Wangji stranded all by himself in a broken spaceship at the end of the world getting rescued by human sunshine aka Wei Wuxian
a ghost is just a memory you haven't met yet - Wei Wuxian is a ghost haunting the library where Lan Wangji is doing research. Creepy but cute!
you're a bird in the water / i'm a fish on the ground - Wei Wuxian is a mermaid and after six whole months of marriage to Lan Wangji, he figures out they might be sexually compatible after all. Even if you don't normally read xeno, the "alien" perspective of mermaid!Wei Wuxian trying to figure out human genitalia is screamingly funny, and surprisingly sweet!
if you go chasing rabbits - adorable urban fantasy in which Wei Wuxian is a disgraced witch and Lan Wangji shows up on his doorstep one day asking to become his familiar
I feel like I win when I lose - cultivation is a competitive sport (kind of like magical dueling?) and Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are archrivals, also someone is trying to sabotage Wei Wuxian
tearing into me without teeth - a Queen's Thief fusion, which, if you've ever read Queen of Attolia, you'll expect to be just as agonizing as it is
Restraint and Revelation: or, The Necromancer of Yiling - I must confess I had never considered the gothic romance novel as a possible plot device to get Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji together, but you know what? Bring it on, Northanger Abbey AUs for everyone! Lan Wangji squirming as everyone tells him he should read the novel he wrote anonymously in order to cope with his feelings for Wei Wuxian is amazing and I commend the author for getting the register of the language just right.
spawn - monsterfucking in space! Lan Wangji is one of the last survivors of an alien species and Wei Wuxian is a volunteer member of the repopulation effort.
1931 - very interesting AU set in 1930s Shanghai. The timeline skips around, so it requires a little more brain power than usual to understand what's happening, at least for me!
bloody mary - uhhhhhhh Lan Wangji is a vampire and Wei Wuxian is on her period and it goes exactly where you think it will

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I hope you will enjoy these as much as I did! My methodical progression through the tag on AO3 is keeping me sane these days. I've also been trying to back up my vid collection as AO3 bookmarks, but I've gotten too far back in time and now it's very hard to find the vids online anywhere. Fics full of agonizing mutual pining are much more relaxing!