![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Inuyasha | Rhapsody in Eight Movements
Title: Rhapsody in Eight Movements
Fandom: Inuyasha
Universe: Alternate (Modern day Japan)
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Rating: T
Warning(s): Mentions of death, the treatment of mental illnesses
Summary: When a mysterious man washes ashore on Halloween night, it becomes a race against time to uncover his identity – and the circumstances that left him there.
Links: DW | FF.net | AO3
...yeah, guys, I don't even know. Frankly, I'm just as surprised as you are to find myself with a new IY fic - but, here we are.
This is pretty much why I never say never to revisiting old haunts, as it were - I never know when I'm going to be bitten by the fannish muse.
I suppose it was inevitable, as I'm currently re-editing Fleeting in preparation for finishing it, and I'm working on a giftfic for my dear (if long-suffering) friend
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
janey_p. And, considering how deeply I've been into the nostalgia fandoms these last couple of years, it only makes sense that I'd start to feel nostalgic for my "first" fandom. IY was really my first time at the rodeo for this sort of organized, meta-rich fandom experience, and now that I've truly separated myself from the most toxic elements, I'm rather happy to be playing in this sandbox once again =)There may be one or two of you out there who actually remember the first version of this story - originally conceived as the response to a contest prompt for a long-defunct community, I never reposted the story (or its notes) anywhere else. I was kinda shocked and hurt by the response it received at said contest comm, which is why I tucked this story away in the first place. I had to find a place where I'd be happy sharing the story for what it is, instead of what people wanted it to be.
If you are one of those souls with an elephantine memory, please (1) realize the story has changed rather substantially from its original draft, and (2) don't reveal the surprise of the ending, as we're headed in the same direction - its just that the journey has changed. Significantly.
Also, I'm going to say it upfront: this is an experimental story. It will not be easy to read (or, perhaps, understand), because it will not be laid out in a traditional format. Basically, I'm going to give the pieces of the mystery to you, the readers, as the characters, themselves, will also receive it. This will make more sense as the next few chapters are published =)
So if you're lost and/or confused, that's more or less by design :P I'm not expecting to find any new readers with this; the more I've worked on this story and gathered up my research notes etc, the more I realize this is a personal endeavor.
But I digress.
As anybody familiar with music already knows, technically there is no such thing as a rhapsody with eight movements. According to El Wiki, a rhapsody is defined as
a one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, colour and tonality. An air of spontaneous inspiration and a sense of improvisation make it freer in form than a set of variations. (source)
The musical term itself is derived from the original Greek meaning of "epic poetry," and basically, I think this fic fits quite well into such a definition. It's a free-flowing, ever-changing story that will be told in eight chapters (hence, "movements").
The pull-quote is something George Gershwin said about the composition of Rhapsody in Blue, which did, indeed, partially inspire this story way back when and now. It's probably the most famous and well-known rhapsody in the American repertoire, and for good reason:
If your mind didn't immediately go there with the title of the story, I'll bet it went here, instead:
Bohemian Rhapsody would probably be a better example of what I'm driving at with the structure of this fic, as it has six distinct parts.
Now that the overall frame of the story has been set... =)
There isn't much to say about this opening chapter - it's a very short snippet, in first person limited POV, of what's going through our protagonist's mind as he swims for his life in the middle of the ocean during a raging storm. There are hints and clues of his circumstances, but first and foremost we see the immediate struggle that is fighting against the elements. It was an interesting experience, writing about a crisis so acutely, a literal fight for life when all the cards are stacked against you. It's not a thing we experience in the course of daily life, and for my mind to go there...yeah.
I suppose it's rather timely, too, given the fact that superstorm Sandy has been pounding the East Coast for the last few days, but that wasn't the impetus for me posting this :P Basically, chapter two takes place Halloween night, and its sufficiently spooky enough that I wanted to post it on Halloween. I've never written a Halloween story before, but its pretty much the perfect holiday for exploring the creepy and suspenseful, no? =)
This story is finished, and will be posted daily, barring total catastrophe - so you won't be held in suspense for long! If you decide to come along for the ride, make sure to keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.
You wouldn't want to lose a limb, now would you? ;)
no subject
Coolness. You go, girl.
no subject
no subject
I've always had a thing for stories like this one. Makes it feel more realistic to me, if I only know as much as the protagonist(s).
Looking forward to where you're taking this. And, of course, finding out which IY characters you've chosen as your main players. :)
no subject
no subject
And well... I'm not good at figuring out mysteries, so you're probably safe. *giggle*