"I'm a leaf on the wind...

Wow, I knew I'd kinda gone missing on DW but I didn't realize it's been a whole month. Oops? (Anyone who knows me from tumblr knows that I occasionally will drop off the map for awhile and then come back but to all the rest, uh, yeah, that's a thing for me.) So....part of the reason I disappeared is that I got sucked in Nirvana in Fire - binged the show, started reading the novel, joined the DW community, considered going back onto tumblr to reblog pretty gifs, started plotting out fic, started writing fic. Yeah....

Anyway, onto the Sunday Six! So, the reason I haven't been posting these snippets is because I've been almost exclusively writing my fic for wipbigbang, and it's gotten to the point that I'm worried about either spoiling it too much or that the snippets I can post are kinda boring on their own, because they're from scenes that serve as more worldbuilding and plot connecting than anything really exciting. (Also I'm not entirely sure I can post snippets from this fic before the bang ends? Shhh, nobody tell the mods.)

So instead, here are 6 7 lines from a MCS/Jingyan NiF fic that may or may not ever get fully written. 

---

A realization leaves him shaken to his core: Jingyan’s changed. He’s not the Jingyan that Lin Shu had known all those years ago, the one who was bright in soul and pure of heart, who made a promise to find an impossible pearl for a friend. He hasn’t been that Jingyan in probably the entire time that Mei Changsu has known him. But he hadn't seen that. He’d looked at Jingyan and seen only his old best friend, who he would tease and pull into pranks, who would go along with anything and everything he’d suggested with a good-natured huff and a roll of his eyes, who’d always say “only because it’s you, xiao-Shu.”

He can’t bring himself to look at Jingyan as Meng-dage comes to help support him down the steps of the Palace. He doesn’t want to see what Jingyan thinks of him now—of Mei Changsu, of Lin Shu. He hadn’t ever wanted Jingyan to find out, but especially not in this way. He thinks that he might just shatter to pieces if Jingyan hates him, and he must, because his childhood friend has become the very thing that he hates: someone who manipulates and uses people for their own purpose.

Writing the 520 fic made me remember how much I like writing short(ish), less plot-driven pieces so of course, as soon as I finished it, I started a new ficlet. :P This is based on the Hades/Persephone prompt left by bonibaru on the plot bunny farm, but with a twist. It's a novelverse AU, but with a younger ZYL (at the beginning at least); it's pretty barebones right now, but here's a snippet:

---

“You.” It comes out in a hiss, with a bit of a whistling behind it. The king stops. Opens and closes his mouth again.

Zhao Yunlan can’t tell if he’s searching for words or searching for sounds. He realizes that he hasn’t actually heard anyone speaking since he entered the underworld. Do they not talk around here?

“You…” the king starts again, louder. His voice sounds rough, like there’s broken glass rubbing against each other in his throat. “Shouldn’t. Be. Here.”

Zhao Yunlan has a complicated combination of reactions in which he winces in sympathetic pain for the king who sounds like he’s got the worst sore throat in the history of mankind and grimaces automatically at that hated word. He decides to refrain from commenting on the king’s voice because that’s rude and that glaive next to him looks mighty sharp. “Ah, ‘shouldn’t,’” he says instead, unable to keep the sharp bitterness from his tone. “My father’s favorite word, along with ‘can’t’ and ‘why won’t you.’”

The king just tilts his head a smidge and stares at him. Zhao Yunlan wonders if maybe he also hasn’t moved in a very long time.

520 Reverse Exchange: I'm done with the fic! And it's been posted! I managed to keep it relatively short - it's just a little over 3k words. Hopefully my recipient is happy with it. *crossed fingers*

wipbigbang: I had a minor freakout about this last week, because I thought the deadline was much sooner than it actually is (in July, phew!) but it's all good now. I've finally outlined my wuxia fic so I have an idea of what I actually have to write and how things get from point A to point B which is nice. There's just so. much. more. to. write.

current wordcount: 11,325 (that's inaccurate, though, because it's including the summary and my outline notes)

future fix-it/alien invasion fic: This one stalled a bit while I wrote my 520 fic and then had my freakout over the wipbigbang but hopefully I'll be able to get back to working on it now.

current wordcount: 15,605 (this is all fic)

I have managed (barely) to refrain from starting any more fics, but thanks to a plot bunny left by bonibaru I now have an idea for a novelverse Weilan fic loosely based on Hades and Persephone.... *facepalm*

( Anyway, have a snippet from my wuxia fic! )

A general update on this fic: I've reached the point where the action happens (i.e., when the alien invasion starts)! Huzzah! \o/

Current word count: 12,552 (it feels like it should be much higher but alas, me thinking about this fic a lot doesn't equal actual words written, lol)

Today's snippet is from an earlier scene, because I can't help going back and editing stuff I've already written. >.<

---

A statue of him. Holding the Guardian Lamp—the actual, real Guardian Lamp—over his head with an outstretched arm. His other hand is tucked into a pocket of his pants. He’s grinning widely and there’s a lollipop sticking out of his mouth.

“Oh no,” he breathes out, aghast. He covers his face with his hands. Dear ancestors.

I realized I haven't posted a snippet from this one for awhile, so here's a bit from the less-angsty fic.

---

Shen Wei takes a seat on a bench in one corner of the room. There’s no telling when the Crown Prince will come by, so he uses the time to focus on his breathing and steady his nerves. This is a little different than his usual missions but it’s well within his abilities to complete. Certainly he’s a better candidate for this than his brother, whose flair for the dramatic would get him into trouble from the outset. His insistence that everyone, including his own twin brother, call him only by his self-proclaimed title of Ye Zun for the duration of the war is evidence enough of that.

Some time later, a gentle knock against wood brings him out of his reverie. He can see three shadows through the screens on the doors to the guest pavilion that they’re waiting in. One of those is one of the Empress’ ladies, who announces softly, “Empress Shen, the Crown Prince Zhao Yunlan is here.”

I swear this is an actual fix-it. There's just some angst to get through first. :)

Anyway! I think it was naye who said that this doesn't have be exactly 6 sentences, so I decided to include more. The first snippet I posted for this is here.

---

“Yeah,” Zhao Yunlan agrees. Then, “Wait. Before you go—can I, just one more time—” He’s having trouble forming a complete sentence, putting his desperate desire into words, but Shen Wei understands what he’s asking.

Shen Wei steps up to him and cups a hand around the nape of his neck. Zhao Yunlan wraps his arms around his waist. Their lips meet softly. It’s a tender kiss, one that says ‘I’ll love you forever’ and ‘this isn’t the end for us.’ And then it says, ‘I’ll never forget you’ (which is a lie, because Shen Wei will forget him and they both know it). And then, finally, it says, ‘Goodbye.’

Inspired by galaxysoup 's Sunday Six post, because I love the idea. Six sentences from a current WIP: 

---

“Bet that no matter how long it takes, no matter where we go, there must be one day when we will meet again.” His eyes are resolute. It’s a promise that he’s making to Zhao Yunlan, and it’s one that he’s going to do everything in his power to keep. And ancestors know, Shen Wei is strong-willed enough and powerful enough that if anyone could do it, if anyone could beat the rules governing all of existence, it would be him.

Zhao Yunlan swallows. “Deal.”

Shen Wei breaks into a smile as tears fall from his eyes.

(Alright, I cheated. There's an extra sentence. But one of them is only one word!)