Fandom Snowflake Challenge: Fandom Recs
Mar. 17th, 2025 10:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rogueslayer452Challenge #12: Create a Rec Countdown.
This took a while to figure out how to format and get written out, but I finally did it. This is my own version of a recommendation countdown rather than what was instructed in the challenge, as this is mainly a fanfic rec post with a handful of individual media recs afterwards.
FANFICTION
01. Posterior Motives by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Shadaras
Fandom: Detective L
Pairing: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Luo Fei is barging through his waiting room and picking the lock into his personal office, which means he’s taken silence as an invitation, which means he’s bored. Therefore, Huo Wensi thinks, he’s here for sex.
My Comments: A delicious smutty fic, which is always appreciated, but moreover is the way this focuses on Huo Wensi, his ulterior motives, and the dynamic he has with Luo Fei. I like seeing the different ways that these two characters are with each other, and having Luo Fei go to Huo Wensi when he needed a distraction from his overworked or under-stimulated mind and Huo Wensi using such an opportunity to his advantage is so wonderfully written here. Then again, I'll eat anything up with these two, in whatever fashion presented.
02. Manoeuvre and Align byTrobadora
Fandom: Detective L
Pairing: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei
Rating: Teen And Up/PG13
Summary: Huo Wensi felt triumph when Qin Xiaoman called on him, telling him Luo Fei was asking for him - how could he not? After playing cold and prickly all through their renewed acquaintance, refusing his aid and resenting his presence, Luo Fei had been manoeuvred into having to ask for Dr Huo. Of course it was a triumph. Of course Huo Wensi feels it now, having reopened Luo Fei's poorly healed psychological wounds, seeing that hurt gaze look to him for succour.
My Comments: A canon compliant fic for the beginning of the tenth episode of the drama, and I just love the way Huo Wensi is written. He's such an enigma of a character, and seeing this interpretation of how his mind works, especially in regards to Luo Fei, getting underneath his skin and figuring him out on a psychological level, is utterly delightful.
03. I Have Left The Hearth I Know byTrueColours
Fandom: The Untamed
Pairing: Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng
Rating: Various
My Comments: This is an AU fic series centering around the arranged marriage between Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng during the Sunshot Campaign, in which Jiang Cheng doesn't get the golden core transplant. This series features something that I discovered that I like very much: pining while married/in a relationship. BONUS: scenes from a marriage bycelestialsuho is a fanfic series set in the universe of I Have Left The Hearth I Know, and is equally as good as an extension of the main fic series.
04. What You Call Love byaphilologicalbatman
Fandom: Meet You At The Blossom
Pairing: Jin Xiaobao/Zongzheng Huaien
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Huaien jealously dubcons a drunk Xiaobao at the brothel, and it turns out Xiaobao is really into that, actually.
My Comments: What initially got my interest with this fic was the "Jin Xiaobao Jingles During Sex" tag, which should absolutely be a used tag considering that he canonically does wear a jingling necklace, and I love that it was utilized in this fic, not as a main feature but just simply as a feature in some delicious crunchy smut of a "cut to black" scene in the actual episode. Despite the nature of the scene itself, this fic is beautifully written and adds more context to their time spent together in the brothel.
05. Like you're running out of time byfrith_in_thorns
Fandom: Guardian
Pairing: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Rating: Teen And Up/PG13
Summary: Zhao Yunlan is stuck in a time loop. Shen Wei is stuck on the outside.
My Comments: Guardian already features a time loop paradox canonically, but a repeated time loop of the same day? Such a good trope, even better when we see this time loop from the perspective of someone on the outside who then becomes aware and trapped in the loop itself. I love that this is focused on Shen Wei, someone who has witnessed and done so much to protect the love of his life, and how helpless he feels watching Zhao Yunlan suffer through something like this even after being caught in the time loop trap himself.
06. lick your exit wounds by Lise
Fandom: The Untamed
Pairing: Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Xiao Xingchen tries something new and turns the tables on Xue Yang, a little.
My Comments: Perhaps one of the first fics I read for this pairing, and fell in love with the author's writing, specifically the way they write for Xue Yang, getting inside his head, the violence yet yearning for something more, and getting that with Xiao Xingchen by getting wrecked with tenderness.
07. Your Heart Inside My Hands bywilliamshooketh
Fandom: The Untamed
Pairing: Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen
Rating: Explicit
Summary: It might be fun, Xue Yang considers, to get pure, gentle Xiao Xingchen to give him what he wants. Sure, one could do any number of things to him, but wasn’t there greater poetic justice in making him do it? And want to do it?
Or, Xue Yang bites off more than he can chew.
My Comments: This is yet another one of those fics that I adored when I first started reading fanfic for this pairing. It's smut, again Xue Yang getting wrecked by tenderness but with an added layer of vulnerability and longing and being scared because of that. It's quite delicious, and the end of this fic stuck with me for a long time.
A Television Show: Legend of the Seeker. For anyone who is looking for a less grimdark and more lighthearted and colorful fantasy show this is definitely one to watch. It is based off of the Sword of Truth book series by Terry Goodkind, however this is a rare instance where the changes made in the show are for the better, making it far more entertaining and enjoyable. Although cancelled too soon after two seasons, it does end on a happy and satisfying note. (Note: Legend of the Seeker was also created and developed by the same people who did Xena: Warrior Princess, including the same the composer and filmed in New Zealand, to give a good indicator of the similar vibes.)
A Movie: Kamikaze Girls. Adapted from the novel by Novala Takemoto, it follows the unlikely and unconventional developing friendship between two girls who couldn't be more opposite from one another, one who strictly follows the frivolous Lolita-fashion lifestyle and the other who is a delinquent and part of an all-girl biker gang. While campy and ridiculous in its own charming way, it's also heartfelt with its core message of staying true to yourself no matter what, this movie has been considered quintessential viewing for those who are part of or are interested in the Lolita fashion subculture (same with the book), but it can be enjoyed even for those who aren't.
A Book: The Southern Reach Series by Jeff VanderMeer. Weird fiction, especially weird science fiction, has become something that I've recently been enjoying and this series was probably the biggest jump start to my venture into this genre. It's bizarre and unsettling, yet hauntingly beautiful and oddly comforting at the same time. Jeff VanderMeer blends together cosmic and ecological horror in such a fascinating way. These themes and messages are found all over his works, especially with the emphasis of that sometimes you cannot fight nature, you have to learn to adapt and change with it, and what seems unnatural to us is just the natural state of the way things are. Those who have seen the Annihilation movie I highly recommend reading not just the first book it was (very very very loosely) based on, but the entire series.
A Song: "No More" by Dreamcatcher. The song comes from their only Japanese mini-album, and it demonstrates a more hardcore version of their j-rock influence in their sound style, something I wish they could've utilized more of, or at least done another Japanese album.
A YouTube Channel: Li Ziqi. Beautifully filmed, edited to calming music with minimal talking, her videos are calming and soothing, and her entire purpose is to show the different methods of ancient skills of Chinese culture and way of life. From cooking to making furniture and clothing (among many other things), her artistic vision of sharing these skills with us alongside sharing a piece of her life is heartwarming and inspiring.
This took a while to figure out how to format and get written out, but I finally did it. This is my own version of a recommendation countdown rather than what was instructed in the challenge, as this is mainly a fanfic rec post with a handful of individual media recs afterwards.
FANFICTION
01. Posterior Motives by
Fandom: Detective L
Pairing: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Luo Fei is barging through his waiting room and picking the lock into his personal office, which means he’s taken silence as an invitation, which means he’s bored. Therefore, Huo Wensi thinks, he’s here for sex.
My Comments: A delicious smutty fic, which is always appreciated, but moreover is the way this focuses on Huo Wensi, his ulterior motives, and the dynamic he has with Luo Fei. I like seeing the different ways that these two characters are with each other, and having Luo Fei go to Huo Wensi when he needed a distraction from his overworked or under-stimulated mind and Huo Wensi using such an opportunity to his advantage is so wonderfully written here. Then again, I'll eat anything up with these two, in whatever fashion presented.
02. Manoeuvre and Align by
Fandom: Detective L
Pairing: Huo Wensi/Luo Fei
Rating: Teen And Up/PG13
Summary: Huo Wensi felt triumph when Qin Xiaoman called on him, telling him Luo Fei was asking for him - how could he not? After playing cold and prickly all through their renewed acquaintance, refusing his aid and resenting his presence, Luo Fei had been manoeuvred into having to ask for Dr Huo. Of course it was a triumph. Of course Huo Wensi feels it now, having reopened Luo Fei's poorly healed psychological wounds, seeing that hurt gaze look to him for succour.
My Comments: A canon compliant fic for the beginning of the tenth episode of the drama, and I just love the way Huo Wensi is written. He's such an enigma of a character, and seeing this interpretation of how his mind works, especially in regards to Luo Fei, getting underneath his skin and figuring him out on a psychological level, is utterly delightful.
03. I Have Left The Hearth I Know by
Fandom: The Untamed
Pairing: Lan Xichen/Jiang Cheng
Rating: Various
My Comments: This is an AU fic series centering around the arranged marriage between Lan Xichen and Jiang Cheng during the Sunshot Campaign, in which Jiang Cheng doesn't get the golden core transplant. This series features something that I discovered that I like very much: pining while married/in a relationship. BONUS: scenes from a marriage by
04. What You Call Love by
Fandom: Meet You At The Blossom
Pairing: Jin Xiaobao/Zongzheng Huaien
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Huaien jealously dubcons a drunk Xiaobao at the brothel, and it turns out Xiaobao is really into that, actually.
My Comments: What initially got my interest with this fic was the "Jin Xiaobao Jingles During Sex" tag, which should absolutely be a used tag considering that he canonically does wear a jingling necklace, and I love that it was utilized in this fic, not as a main feature but just simply as a feature in some delicious crunchy smut of a "cut to black" scene in the actual episode. Despite the nature of the scene itself, this fic is beautifully written and adds more context to their time spent together in the brothel.
05. Like you're running out of time by
Fandom: Guardian
Pairing: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Rating: Teen And Up/PG13
Summary: Zhao Yunlan is stuck in a time loop. Shen Wei is stuck on the outside.
My Comments: Guardian already features a time loop paradox canonically, but a repeated time loop of the same day? Such a good trope, even better when we see this time loop from the perspective of someone on the outside who then becomes aware and trapped in the loop itself. I love that this is focused on Shen Wei, someone who has witnessed and done so much to protect the love of his life, and how helpless he feels watching Zhao Yunlan suffer through something like this even after being caught in the time loop trap himself.
06. lick your exit wounds by Lise
Fandom: The Untamed
Pairing: Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen
Rating: Explicit
Summary: Xiao Xingchen tries something new and turns the tables on Xue Yang, a little.
My Comments: Perhaps one of the first fics I read for this pairing, and fell in love with the author's writing, specifically the way they write for Xue Yang, getting inside his head, the violence yet yearning for something more, and getting that with Xiao Xingchen by getting wrecked with tenderness.
07. Your Heart Inside My Hands by
Fandom: The Untamed
Pairing: Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen
Rating: Explicit
Summary: It might be fun, Xue Yang considers, to get pure, gentle Xiao Xingchen to give him what he wants. Sure, one could do any number of things to him, but wasn’t there greater poetic justice in making him do it? And want to do it?
Or, Xue Yang bites off more than he can chew.
My Comments: This is yet another one of those fics that I adored when I first started reading fanfic for this pairing. It's smut, again Xue Yang getting wrecked by tenderness but with an added layer of vulnerability and longing and being scared because of that. It's quite delicious, and the end of this fic stuck with me for a long time.
A Television Show: Legend of the Seeker. For anyone who is looking for a less grimdark and more lighthearted and colorful fantasy show this is definitely one to watch. It is based off of the Sword of Truth book series by Terry Goodkind, however this is a rare instance where the changes made in the show are for the better, making it far more entertaining and enjoyable. Although cancelled too soon after two seasons, it does end on a happy and satisfying note. (Note: Legend of the Seeker was also created and developed by the same people who did Xena: Warrior Princess, including the same the composer and filmed in New Zealand, to give a good indicator of the similar vibes.)
A Movie: Kamikaze Girls. Adapted from the novel by Novala Takemoto, it follows the unlikely and unconventional developing friendship between two girls who couldn't be more opposite from one another, one who strictly follows the frivolous Lolita-fashion lifestyle and the other who is a delinquent and part of an all-girl biker gang. While campy and ridiculous in its own charming way, it's also heartfelt with its core message of staying true to yourself no matter what, this movie has been considered quintessential viewing for those who are part of or are interested in the Lolita fashion subculture (same with the book), but it can be enjoyed even for those who aren't.
A Book: The Southern Reach Series by Jeff VanderMeer. Weird fiction, especially weird science fiction, has become something that I've recently been enjoying and this series was probably the biggest jump start to my venture into this genre. It's bizarre and unsettling, yet hauntingly beautiful and oddly comforting at the same time. Jeff VanderMeer blends together cosmic and ecological horror in such a fascinating way. These themes and messages are found all over his works, especially with the emphasis of that sometimes you cannot fight nature, you have to learn to adapt and change with it, and what seems unnatural to us is just the natural state of the way things are. Those who have seen the Annihilation movie I highly recommend reading not just the first book it was (very very very loosely) based on, but the entire series.
A Song: "No More" by Dreamcatcher. The song comes from their only Japanese mini-album, and it demonstrates a more hardcore version of their j-rock influence in their sound style, something I wish they could've utilized more of, or at least done another Japanese album.
A YouTube Channel: Li Ziqi. Beautifully filmed, edited to calming music with minimal talking, her videos are calming and soothing, and her entire purpose is to show the different methods of ancient skills of Chinese culture and way of life. From cooking to making furniture and clothing (among many other things), her artistic vision of sharing these skills with us alongside sharing a piece of her life is heartwarming and inspiring.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-18 01:35 am (UTC)Also, thanks for reminding me that I still have to do this challenge too! 😬😬
no subject
Date: 2025-03-23 01:12 pm (UTC)I'll definitely check out Jeff VanderMeer. Have you read Ada Hoffman? I loved her The Outside. Which I would also classify as "weird science fiction".
no subject
Date: 2025-03-23 03:01 pm (UTC)I haven't heard of Ada Hoffman before. I'm always on the lookout for anything of the weird science fiction (and just weird fiction in general) genre, so I'll keep an eye out for her works.