Writing, again
Nov. 8th, 2022 11:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ehydeI've been telling myself "hey, seems like you're moving on from MDZS and you know what, that's fine, you've read some great other books lately even if they have tiny fandoms," and I've been telling myself "yeah it's cool if I haven't been really in the mood to write in the past year, I'm enjoying other hobbies just fine" and while both those things are true...
...apparently I can still get hit by surprise inspiration for a wangxian sea monster au!
I set out writing this as a threadfic but then thought about the state of twitter and thought, let's not. But if I'm going to actually use DW as a fandom space, why not post it here?
Wei Wuxian was human, once. Now they call him the Emissary of the Abyss, and seek his favor to gain safe passage through the deep sea crossing. Most take him for merfolk of some sort, but were you to follow his tail down, down, down—
The kraken of the deep has uncountable tentacles—some thin as a man’s wrist, some thick as a man’s torso, some bigger still. And Wei Wuxian is one of them.
Lan Wangji first meets the Emissary of the Abyss when he is fifteen. It’s his first Crossing. The Wen clan, of the southern islands, is holding a grand conference for all the sects—something unheard of in previous generations.
Before there was an Emissary of the Abyss, there was only the kraken, and it rarely left survivors. Now, the Emissary asks only for a story, a conversation. It seems too good to be true, and the Lan held out with their skepticism the longest. Even now, as they approach the Crossing, Lan Wangji waits on deck with sword in hand. "Young Master Lan, you should go below," the captain says. "If he sees you take him for a threat—"
Lan Wangji shakes his head. He needs to see this, to confirm with his own eyes that it's true, that there's no hidden cost, no danger.
The sea is rough. The men don't seem afraid, but there’s a tension, an anticipation. And then—a voice. Not a resounding deep voice, like what what one might expect from a demonic arbiter of life and death, but a normal, human voice, faint due to the distance, calling out a friendly greeting. “Captain Zhang, is that still you up there?”
“That it is!”
And the tension evaporates, the sea calms. Lan Wangji steps to the edge, his curiosity getting the better at him. The—man, for it looks just like a man—appears to be treading water, although he takes no effort in doing so. Long hair trails down his back and spreads out in the water; his chest is visible, completely unclothed. He catches Lan Wangji’s eye as he looks down and grins at him with normal, human teeth, then continues his conversation with the captain, who’s telling him about the news from home, the birth of his daughter. A sailor asks if the Emissary of the Abyss would like to hear a new song, then belts out the most scandalous lyrics Lan Wangji has ever heard.
Surely this is not all there is to it? Surely this is not the newfound power over the deep that has ushered in the prosperity of his generation? “And what about the pretty one?” the Emissary of the Abyss calls up.
Lan Wangji freezes. Captain Zhang and all the sailors are looking at him. “Unnecessary,” says Lan Wangji.
The ship rocks. Suddenly the Emissary of the Abyss is facing him at eye level, risen up above the waves on a tail as black and sinuous as the myriad of tentacles now surrounding the ship on all sides. Something coils around Lan Wangji’s ankles, tipping him closer towards the edge of the ship, just as the Emissary of the Abyss sways toward him. “Unnecessary?” he asks. “You know the rules, don’t you?”
“I know that you trade entertainment for safe passage,” Lan Wangji returns. “I have never heard that you demand a story from everyone aboard.”
The other tentacles begin to retreat. The one holding Lan Wangji stays put, as does the Emissary of the Abyss. Watching him now, Lan Wangji can’t believe he ever thought he looked human. It’s not his form, but the way he carries himself—or rather, the way the kraken carries him. His face—that grin—says he’s in control, but his body moves like a puppet, like an appendage.
Focus on the face. That grin also says he is not going to sink the ship over this slight; it says—infuriating as the fact may be—that he is having fun. “If the Emissary of the Abyss were to demand a story from me now,” Lan Wangji says, “then it would be him who was breaking his own rules.”
“And you know all about rules, do you?”
“He’s a Lan, they’ve got three thousand of them!” a brave sailor speaks up.
The tentacles sway again and pull Lan Wangji fully over the side, so close to the infuriating Emissary of the Abyss he could touch him.
He's still holding his sword. He could—
He lets it fall into the water, hears the distant splash. "For a moment I thought you were going to use that," says the Emissary of the Abyss. "Instead, why don't you tell me all those rules of yours, and we'll call it good?"
Lan Wangji is going to report back to his brother and his uncle that the Lan clan must never, under any circumstance, have any further dealings with the Emissary of the Abyss. But in the meantime, he's on familiar ground. He can recite the rules.
After the first hundred, the tentacles release him back onto the deck. "Alright, alright, that's enough!"
The Emissary of the Abyss waves them on their way, and Captain Zhang makes ready to set sail, but Lan Wangji holds up a hand. "Wait," he says. He narrows his eyes. "You said all of them," he says, and continues reciting.
There's nothing stopping the Emissary of the Abyss from retreating beneath the waves, so Lan Wangji isn't sure why he's still there at the end, listening. He's even more at a loss to why he's smiling. Or why, as the ship finally begins to move once again and the Emissary of the Abyss descends beneath the surface, one last dark tentacle rises up to the deck and places Bichen back at Lan Wangji's feet.
(I didn't do fandom on LJ "in the old days" and the way some people would have it, no one used to post any hint of a fic until the whole thing was finished. But it's 2022 anyway.)
...apparently I can still get hit by surprise inspiration for a wangxian sea monster au!
I set out writing this as a threadfic but then thought about the state of twitter and thought, let's not. But if I'm going to actually use DW as a fandom space, why not post it here?
Wei Wuxian was human, once. Now they call him the Emissary of the Abyss, and seek his favor to gain safe passage through the deep sea crossing. Most take him for merfolk of some sort, but were you to follow his tail down, down, down—
The kraken of the deep has uncountable tentacles—some thin as a man’s wrist, some thick as a man’s torso, some bigger still. And Wei Wuxian is one of them.
Lan Wangji first meets the Emissary of the Abyss when he is fifteen. It’s his first Crossing. The Wen clan, of the southern islands, is holding a grand conference for all the sects—something unheard of in previous generations.
Before there was an Emissary of the Abyss, there was only the kraken, and it rarely left survivors. Now, the Emissary asks only for a story, a conversation. It seems too good to be true, and the Lan held out with their skepticism the longest. Even now, as they approach the Crossing, Lan Wangji waits on deck with sword in hand. "Young Master Lan, you should go below," the captain says. "If he sees you take him for a threat—"
Lan Wangji shakes his head. He needs to see this, to confirm with his own eyes that it's true, that there's no hidden cost, no danger.
The sea is rough. The men don't seem afraid, but there’s a tension, an anticipation. And then—a voice. Not a resounding deep voice, like what what one might expect from a demonic arbiter of life and death, but a normal, human voice, faint due to the distance, calling out a friendly greeting. “Captain Zhang, is that still you up there?”
“That it is!”
And the tension evaporates, the sea calms. Lan Wangji steps to the edge, his curiosity getting the better at him. The—man, for it looks just like a man—appears to be treading water, although he takes no effort in doing so. Long hair trails down his back and spreads out in the water; his chest is visible, completely unclothed. He catches Lan Wangji’s eye as he looks down and grins at him with normal, human teeth, then continues his conversation with the captain, who’s telling him about the news from home, the birth of his daughter. A sailor asks if the Emissary of the Abyss would like to hear a new song, then belts out the most scandalous lyrics Lan Wangji has ever heard.
Surely this is not all there is to it? Surely this is not the newfound power over the deep that has ushered in the prosperity of his generation? “And what about the pretty one?” the Emissary of the Abyss calls up.
Lan Wangji freezes. Captain Zhang and all the sailors are looking at him. “Unnecessary,” says Lan Wangji.
The ship rocks. Suddenly the Emissary of the Abyss is facing him at eye level, risen up above the waves on a tail as black and sinuous as the myriad of tentacles now surrounding the ship on all sides. Something coils around Lan Wangji’s ankles, tipping him closer towards the edge of the ship, just as the Emissary of the Abyss sways toward him. “Unnecessary?” he asks. “You know the rules, don’t you?”
“I know that you trade entertainment for safe passage,” Lan Wangji returns. “I have never heard that you demand a story from everyone aboard.”
The other tentacles begin to retreat. The one holding Lan Wangji stays put, as does the Emissary of the Abyss. Watching him now, Lan Wangji can’t believe he ever thought he looked human. It’s not his form, but the way he carries himself—or rather, the way the kraken carries him. His face—that grin—says he’s in control, but his body moves like a puppet, like an appendage.
Focus on the face. That grin also says he is not going to sink the ship over this slight; it says—infuriating as the fact may be—that he is having fun. “If the Emissary of the Abyss were to demand a story from me now,” Lan Wangji says, “then it would be him who was breaking his own rules.”
“And you know all about rules, do you?”
“He’s a Lan, they’ve got three thousand of them!” a brave sailor speaks up.
The tentacles sway again and pull Lan Wangji fully over the side, so close to the infuriating Emissary of the Abyss he could touch him.
He's still holding his sword. He could—
He lets it fall into the water, hears the distant splash. "For a moment I thought you were going to use that," says the Emissary of the Abyss. "Instead, why don't you tell me all those rules of yours, and we'll call it good?"
Lan Wangji is going to report back to his brother and his uncle that the Lan clan must never, under any circumstance, have any further dealings with the Emissary of the Abyss. But in the meantime, he's on familiar ground. He can recite the rules.
After the first hundred, the tentacles release him back onto the deck. "Alright, alright, that's enough!"
The Emissary of the Abyss waves them on their way, and Captain Zhang makes ready to set sail, but Lan Wangji holds up a hand. "Wait," he says. He narrows his eyes. "You said all of them," he says, and continues reciting.
There's nothing stopping the Emissary of the Abyss from retreating beneath the waves, so Lan Wangji isn't sure why he's still there at the end, listening. He's even more at a loss to why he's smiling. Or why, as the ship finally begins to move once again and the Emissary of the Abyss descends beneath the surface, one last dark tentacle rises up to the deck and places Bichen back at Lan Wangji's feet.
(I didn't do fandom on LJ "in the old days" and the way some people would have it, no one used to post any hint of a fic until the whole thing was finished. But it's 2022 anyway.)
no subject
Date: 2022-11-09 05:04 am (UTC)Oooooo I would! sexy
no subject
Date: 2022-11-09 05:08 am (UTC)I loved that! Making him (and the sailors) listen to ALL the rules!
I'm glad bichen got returned. I was worried for it. <3
no subject
Date: 2022-11-09 05:39 am (UTC)but now I'm worried for poor wwx, stuck as the kraken's puppet! will lwj free him with the power of True Love???
no subject
Date: 2022-11-09 10:24 am (UTC)This is great! I'm glad you're writing again. I know the feeling both of sudden inspiration (though that hasn't happened in years,) and the persistent feeling that you don't even want to write. Long may the writing last.
no subject
Date: 2022-11-09 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-11-09 05:00 pm (UTC)Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2022-11-09 04:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2022-11-10 12:33 am (UTC)