Oh yes, perfect

[branchandroot]

So, thanks to getting bunnied in re Shen Wei's relationship with his own body and senses, I've been turning over drama-canon. Because this would be a very different story if I set it inside the Changes fusion. And I was tripping over the line about searching for Kunlun for 10k years, because dirtnap. But! It just occurred to me that there is a felicitous (at least for my purposes) answer to this:

What if Shen Wei was marginally aware all that time?

Not awake, not conscious, but... aware enough to be mentally/spiritually reaching out, searching for Kunlun. What if the reason he wakes up so abruptly is that the object of his search has gotten old enough to finally trigger recognition, psychically speaking? Say late teens, his personality starting to settle and take on the shape of his adult capabilities?

*beams*

This also puts a nice double-edge on his eagerness to bugger off to the surface despite leaving a frankly shifty dude in charge of his people. On the one hand, I can imagine him being very reluctant to look at conquering his own damn people (again, still, more), and on the other I can also imagine him wanting /very, very badly/ to re-secure his emotional support ally before diving in to figuring out how to fix things (again, still, more).

And then... nothing. For, what, another ten years or so?

*beams some more and buffs her Evil Author badge*

And then, of course, canon. Oh yes, this could work.

Comments

[edenfalling]

Oooh!

[branchandroot]

Torturing characters--half the fun of writing. ^_^

[glymr]

This is perfect! That line always bothered me, too. I'd considered something along the lines of him 'searching' in a psychic sense, but I'd never made the mental connection that he'd woken because Zhao Yunlan. Brilliant! I can't wait to read it!

[branchandroot]

And it totally makes sense of the abruptness of the waking up, if that's a moment of "Kunlun!".

[stultiloquentia]

Is it creepy if ZYL has his weird little moment of deja vu when they meet because he's been sensing that search beam in dreams since he hit his majority?

[branchandroot]

Well, I mean, when we're talking about a couple who seem to feel that spy-cams and sleep-surveilance are appropriate forms of courting, you have to figure a little "oh hey, stalker located!" would disappear into the background...

[stultiloquentia]

Pfft. Point.

[umadoshi]

he's been sensing that search beam in dreams since he hit his majority?

*loves*

*agrees with what branchandroot said*

[umadoshi]

What if Shen Wei was marginally aware all that time?

This is a thing I've thought of before, and would love to see it explored.

[branchandroot]

Coming at this whole bunny from the sensory angle is giving it an interesting spin.

[winter_blossom]

This is a theory I rambled about a lot in one of my 30 Days posts: that Shen Wei and Ye Zun were at least partially aware, though probably only on-and-off with perhaps decades in-between, throughout that time; which would explain both Ye Zun's over-the-top craziness and hatred and Shen Wei's "I've searched for you for 10 000 years."

My personal headcanon is that Shen Wei awakening, Ye Zun starting to stir up definite trouble and Zhao Yunlan being born were all in reaction to the Hallows becoming active again. (I tend to blame the Hallows for a lot of things, lol) I guess it all hinges on when, exactly, one assumes Shen Wei woke up and came to Haixing. My estimate was at least 25 years before the current time, but it's true that there's no evidence against it being later.

I do remember them saying/implying that Shen Wei went to Haixing to search for the Hallows and act as the Dixing-Haixing liaison with the SID because of the increased Dixingren activity up-top? I also kind of thought he must have spent more time down in Dixing - or at least visited more regularly - before he met Zhao Yunlan again and started hanging around the SID all the time, cos I seem to recall the Regent saying something like, "You're rarely here these days, My Lord." (Though I could be misremembering!)

Your idea about Shen Wei's "search beam" touching young!ZYL and leaving him with that sense of familiarity is a lovely one, and I'd love to see your take on it!

[branchandroot]

I like the idea that Ye Zun was actually more aware than Shen Wei, because it does so well explain his complete craziness.

I keep waffling back and forth on the timeline (which canon seems to do to, I have to say). I kind of like the idea that they basically swap roles in the time loop, and that Shen Wei is significantly older than Yunlan in current time, but I also kind of like the parallelism of having them meet at pretty much the same age in current time. *waffles a little more*

[winter_blossom]

...the idea that they basically swap roles in the time loop, and that Shen Wei is significantly older than Yunlan in current time

I've always thought of it this way, not least because the gulf of difference between YOHE!Shen Wei and our Shen Wei would require, I think, a good amount of time being disillusioned re: the world/people in general and Haixing-Dixing in particular. A few decades of working with the Regent + SID chiefs like Zhao Xinci and trying to make peace with an increasingly-batshit Ye Zun seems like a thing that could achieve that ;D