#wip: biting the bullet

[vyuntspakhkite-l-darling]

I love seeing people ramble about their stories so, can you ramble about Biting the Bullet?

Totally! I recently decided to pause my first draft because I got stuck and do a dummy draft instead so it'll be nice to just talk about it a little. <3

Originally it was going to be a silly story about a military fireteam during a war in a fantasy universe. It. It was going to be silly. It was going to be an action-comedy. It is.... not that anymore. All the world conflicts started getting into the mainstream media and I began seeing more military recruiters in my school and I kind of began projecting my anxieties and frustrations and stuff onto the story and honestly I think that made it a lot stronger.

I have three options I'm still not sure which to pick for the POV. I'm doing it in 3rd person past tense for sure, but I'm still not sure if I'm going to switch between all four of the main characters' perspectives, just Sibatol and Arsioly, or just Arsioly. For the first draft I'm rotating between all of them and we'll see how I feel after that.

I think my favorite thing about this story is the decisive character moments I have planned. My characters will develop gradually, but their biggest developments come from moments where they have to make big choices, whether to stay in their old ways or grow as people. Visralion, the team's medic who usually puts others before himself, says no when Arsioly first asks to be his boyfriend. Because even though they both like each other, Arsioly is a pretty shitty person to everyone but Visralion at that point, and Visralion recognizes that if they got in a relationship it'd just end up with him trying to fix Ari and that's not his job. This is also a big moment for Arsioly- he can choose to be awful about the rejection or he can choose to look at his own behavior and improve as a person. He chooses to improve himself.

Ari probably had the most of these and I can't say one of them bc spoilers but another one he has which is more subtle but still important is when Estera, the girl his fireteam finds on a mission and basically adopts bc she has nowhere else to go, wakes him up in the middle of the night to cuddle because she had a nightmare. His immediate reaction is to tell her to suck it up and leave him alone so he can sleep. But he chooses to be compassionate to her and it really makes him realize how much better it feels to be nice to people (and helps teach him the value of a life bc he almost shot her and is now seeing that all the people he's carelessly killed could have gone on and had moments like these but shh...).

Most of Virava's are more spoilery but they revolve mostly around her being terrified about her past repeating itself, and she ends up overcorrecting and taking several steps backwards before she finally stops bearing all her feelings by herself and actually talks to people about her fear.

Talking about Sibatol under the cut because his portion of this revolves around be talking about him being promiscuous, if hearing abt that will make you uncomfy don't read further :3

The one I can think of for Sibatol is a bit less straightforward than the previous ones but bear with me. He struggles with hypersexuality for most of the story due to trauma from when he was young. Sleeping around causes a lot of problems for him but he just can't stop and he really struggles in situations where he can't just fuck his way out of it. Most of the moves he makes hurt him or make situations worse or just generally dig him deeper into this hole he's dug for himself. But I'm not the person that's gonna give you a character like this and then tell you that the way they become a better person is by being less of a slut. His turning point (I won't be too specific bc spoilers) is when he learns how to use his sexuality in a more strategic way, a helpful way that makes things easier for people for once, which is a gateway into him changing his mindset abt his sexuality and he's still as promiscuous by the end of the story but he doesn't just use it as a distraction from bad feelings anymore, he approaches it in a healthier way.

[starrystevie]

steve who got a lower back tattoo on a drunken dare in his late 20s and forgets it's there most of the time. steve who stretches one night at a party and his shirt rides up exposing the swirling lines that peek out from under his belt line. steve who doesn't think anything of it and forgets to pull his shirt back down as he leans forward on the couch while talking with the group, basking in the welcomed burn of a certain pair of eyes locked on him.

eddie who's sitting next to him, gripping the back of the couch cushion where his arm is slung around his long term crush like it's the only tether he has to planet earth because not only does steve have a tattoo, but it's right there. eddie who takes in a shuddering breath and can't pull his gaze away from the ink that spreads low over tanned skin that he longs to explore. eddie who digs his other hand into his knee to keep it from doing anything stupid like running his fingers over the tattoo or pulling steve up to go to the spare bedroom.

steve who shoots frozen-in-place eddie a knowing smirk after a few seconds as he leans over even further before standing up and holding out his hand in invitation anyway. eddie who finds out later in the night that he doesn't have to wonder what the tattoo feels like under his fingers for much longer.

[calyssmarviss]

inspired by that one time it really looked like those idiots were sharing one locker

[filialdisciple]

tangcheong animatic attempt because they drive me crazy

[vampire-lord-garfield]

Found an old fic wip. Where there's some kind of big reception at the Phantomhive estate (maybe for Christmas, maybe because they were trying to lure out a suspect. Idk, past me was sure I'll remember).

And in the middle of it for supernatural reasons Sebastian is slowly loosing grasp on his human disguise. It starts standart with eyeglow and sharp teeth. Then progresses to extra eyes on his face or neck. Then it starts getting freaky (aka extra limbs, gaping snake like maw etc). He is also has this flashes of not quiet being in control of himself mentally. So after each episode he will will any changes away but it slowly gets more and more out of hand.

Which is not good, considering the whole manor is pact full of very important and very mortal people.

The bastard is too prideful to show that anything is wrong to Ciel (but also it's not like he can shoo the whole party away. That would greatly damage the earl's reputation. So what's the point?) . You know who notices? Servants that are right there and can see the whole thing even if he is doing his best to hide it. They already kinda know that he isn't a normal human. So Baldroy just goes:

"yeah, that's weird. But we are working with human snake hybrid and child human experiment. We figured that the immortal twink that never talks about his past is freaky too"

And then they all work together in insuring that the event goes smoothly. Why keeping seb from the public and trying to keep him in check.

Idk. Maybe I'll be brave and finish it. Or maybe this plot bunny wip is entertaining solely to me and me alone.

[unnonexistence]

new year, new WIP post! at the end of 2024 i had 8672 words edited and marked as Done on the Big WIP. now i'm up to 8865

[jumpscaregoose]

Chpter...4....

winter break has been kicking my ass fr... pinky swear it's actually like 90% done... I just need to like... finish it

and figure out road infrastructure because I took a history of car culture course and now know too much. there is an academic paper about 1960s canadian drive throughs on my moodboard. send help

literally every time I get one of these asks I just want to dump all the crap from my moodboard on you but like. does anyone want that. I will do it. to tide you over

[smallchaoscryptid]

maybe i should post a little snippet of my current wips for yall to nibble on

[dol-dee]

There are people who prefer dry wines.

I’m so forgetful it took me a hot sec to remember the context for this djdjdgngnjjd. That’s really sweet of you to say but It’s less a conscious decision and more that I don’t know how to write differently

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

And now, some quick summaries of each below the cut:

Before the Last Petal Falls

A character study on Scarlet Briar; who she was, who she became, and how she got from point A to point B. Told from the fractured perspective of a mastermind who died burning the world she once used to love. Warnings for character death, blood, psychological horror, severe dissociation, unreality, and other related topics.

Hello World

Ceara returns to Lornar's Pass to fix another wrong of her past. Her steam creatures are still running amok even after all these years, and she's going to put an end to that-- one way or another. What she doesn't expect is to see just how far her creations have come. Maybe the dreams she once held weren't so far out of reach after all.

I Saw You Burning Like a Fallen Star

Set partway through Secrets of the Obscure, once Saoirse and Pirkko find themselves in Nayos for the first time. The more things change, the more they stay the same-- but sometimes new scenery can bring a fresh perspective, too, even on all the things you thought you knew.

The Illusion of Choice

Only one dragon remains; the great beast of the jungle, Mordremoth. Ceara knows now that it's all gone exactly according to its plan, but she never knew just how deeply they've all fallen into its claws. Nothing could have prepared her for what comes next. Mordremoth knows what her friends don't: Ceara's always been a monster... And now she knows it, too. Warnings for blood, death, implied cannibalism and psychological horror.

Every Genius's Dream

After living in an old Aetherblade Hideout for years in relative peace, Ceara has gotten quite used to turning away unexpected-- and generally unwanted-- guests. But this time the answer isn't quite so simple. One of the Commander's friends is knocking, and this one actually seems sincere. Or: Taimi and Scarlet finally have a much-needed talk about their history and where to go from here.

Loose Ends

Commander Pirkko doesn't get it. Saoirse could have killed her. Why did Scarlet's ghost stop her? What did she care? The spirit is a contradiction in every possible way, and her motives make Pirkko's head hurt. But as it turns out, the ghost doesn't intend to leave her without answers-- even if they aren't quite what she expects to hear. Warnings for dissociation, abstract violence, and unreality.

A Match Made in Hell

Ceara and Saoirse have no idea who these people camping on their front lawn are, but they aren't impressed. Gendarren Fields is supposed to be the middle of nowhere, what's their business here? Worse yet, they're weirdly perceptive of the pair and won't give any answers... And then the Commander shows up. That's when they know things are about to get interesting. Or: Ceara and Saoirse try to break into the Ward's camp at the beginning of Secrets of the Obscure and get a little bit more than they bargained for. Warnings for death, violence, and mild horror.

[bumblingbriars]

"Bird in the Garden" is the working title of the Kessam fic. I plan to post the first chapter tomorrow (god help me) two of my favorite scenes as sneak peeks under the cut

Don't expect too fast updates, I'm mainly posting it for validation (I know I shouldn't, and I get plenty from my friends, but I don't want to sit and write like 25 chapters of slice of life only for people to hunt me down in the streets AKSJAKSJ) but also just to dip my toes into writing and publishing fanfic again. A large percent of what I've written in my writing career goes largely unpublished and sitting collecting dust and I want to try and see if I still have the spark. I haven't published a new fic in... I think 3 years now or so beyond something like oneshots, so I want to see how it feels again without waiting around (plus I haven't published an oc x canon fic in a much longer expanse of time, as cringe culture decimated me and it's detrimental effects on me still lingers to this day)

I hope everyone who has interest in my silly blorbos I make kiss will stick with me. What I have written so far I'm proud of and I really hope it'll be a good fic to serve up as a warm meal. Thank you to the friends so far who have read any percentage of this fic and still found it interesting, yall know who you are and I appreciate you so so much.

[digitalpix13]

brain hat progress !!!!! this pattern has been my introduction to so many knitting skills and techniques. i’ve knit in the round for the first time ever (i used the magic loop method) and im doing my first i cord!

[blood-mocha-latte]

maybe if i spent half as much time writing wips as i do making moodboards for them they wouldn't be wips anymore

[argonianfeather]

i wanna download mod companions for Moonlight but the problem is she is. mildly upsetting to be around for uh. good aligned/decent people (a majority of the followers i wanna download)

[xoxogeorgiegirl]

Just wanted to let you know about the motorhomes thing you mentioned in the note at the end of your fic!

A hotel room in Sepang is spot on - they only use the motorhomes in Europe, where they can be driven to the circuit (Marc's dad used to drive his and Alex's one, don't know if he still does!) - there used to also be temporary/rentable ones for riders who didn't have their own. But they def use hotels and/or airbnb's outside of Europe, and it's actually a real pet peeve of mine when people set stories in and around motorhomes on flyaways because it just isn't accurate 😆

So you nailed it! Amazing fic, i loved!

omg anon thank you for the info! in hindsight that makes sense - i know a bit more re: f1 logistics and they do the same thing there - but i was second guessing badlyyy

[deciphered-narrator]

chapter 1 of ateobr is the eternal source of my problems because a) it's one of the most interesting chapters, b) it ends on a cliffhanger, and c) it takes a lot of context to get back to resolve the cliffhanger. so anything in chapter 2 will just feel like treading water until you get back to that cliffhanger, but chapter 2 needs to get through a lot of exposition first, and it's exposition that the reader will not be very interested in because of that cliffhanger