WIP Challenge Check-in, Day 14 -- Saturday

[linaewen]

Sorry I'm late with the final check-in post for this week.  I was away all day in a place where I couldn't get to a computer.  I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend, and that some lovely writing-related time has been part of it so far!

What kind of day was it for you today, writing or otherwise?

Since it's the end of the week, I'm wondering how you are feeling about things in general -- on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best possible happy choice, how do you feel your writing has gone so far this week?  How about this month?

Last but not least, it's also time for our weekly general fic chat post.  Are you looking for a beta? Want to post a snippet of your WIP? Have other fic-related things you want to chat about? Are you getting what you need out of the community to help you with your writing?  Let the sharing commence!

Comments

[crowdog66]

I wrote a short story in the Lethe!verse, "Culmination" (a sweet and fluffy piece, but R for sexual themes, mention of threesome and sibling incest, which is something I'd NEVER thought I'd be inclined to write), plus ~1300 more words of plotting on "Lethe's Curse"... by God, I'd better have a readership for this story, because I've already done around 12k words of plotting on the bloody thing!

Not a lot of writing this week, but a helluva lot of plotting, so I'll give it a 7/10, with the same rating for the rest of the month thus far.

I'll take the risk of posting a bit of the middle of "Culmination", since it's the most recent thing I've done and I find it rather cute...

*********************************************************

Haskell nodded toward the courtyard two stories below. "There," he said, and out of the corner of his eye Nikara saw them stroll into view: side by side, Bob on Megabyte's right and thus on the side further from the Terrace, their heads inclined toward each other as they proceeded unhurriedly toward their destination. The virus's draconic facial structure made his expressions difficult for some people to interpret, but Nikara could make out the edge of what looked like a smile, and the Guardian was definitely looking immensely pleased with himself as he gazed up into his companion's face, his amber eyes half-lidded and his lips curved in a sly cocksure smirk that made his features appear even more foxlike in spite of his azure skin.

Something in the way their bodies related to each other, an subliminal quality that Nikara would have had to work to put his finger on, made the air between them practically incandescent. They were talking quietly together, although their voices came to the second story only as tones — Bob's words light and agile, Megabyte's words heavy and dark — and they appeared completely oblivious to the three spectators watching them from above. Glancing back to his lunch companions, Nikara saw Hask looking almost deliriously happy while Haskell appeared to take a glummer view of this turn of events.

"And this is new?" Nikara asked, turning his gaze back to the sprite and virus below.

"New since yesterday," Hask chimed in. "I guess one of them finally made a move."

"Only took them three months," Haskell grumbled.

"That wasn't Bob's fault," Hask said tartly, wrinkling her little nose in a way that Nikara found so absolutely adorable, he could have kissed it.

"Sure was."

Before the siblings could get into one of their arguments that consisted of Hask pouring out waves of eloquence that ran headlong against the immovable rocks of Haskell's monosyllabic rebuttals, Nikara intervened: "So when you say 'that's that', you mean…?"

"No more good times with Bob," Haskell said glumly, and turned his attention back to his hasparat salad, stabbing at the green leaves with unnecessary force.

"Aw, don't be so sour," Hask chided him, her gaze still following the clearly happy couple. "I'm glad for him. He's waited so long for this."

In spite of his personal resolution not to pry into the details of the sex life of the woman he was more than a little infatuated with, Nikara couldn't help asking: "Are you sure he's entirely out of play?"

"Yes," Haskell stated flatly. A bright sharp laugh drifted up from below — Bob's — and a deeper rumble of an amused reply, low and intimate in spite of the carrying quality of the voice that conveyed it.

"Bob's a one-man guy," Hask amplified, "when he's really in love. And if that's not love," she concluded, picking up her fork again and casting a final satisfied glance in the direction of the sprite and virus walking below with no attention for anything else, "I don't know what is."

[crowdog66]

... and of course I just caught an "an" where there should have been an "a". Corrected in the original document and the version on AO3, but not here, because I can't be bothered redoing the links in my post. D'oh!

[roane]

Awwww.

[linaewen]

This is excellent!

[roane]

Today was okay. Not a TON of writing, but I have a decent scene breakdown for the next chapter of the Sherlock is a rock star AU Pull the Stars from the Sky. I'd say it's been about a 9, both for the week and the month. I'm utterly IN LOVE with my WIP, and am getting some really good feedback on it. Annnd, from the latest chapter:

******

"There's nothing you can tell me that I don't already know," Sherlock said. "Nothing important, anyway."

"Oh Christ," said Greg, rubbing his face. "Sherlock—"

John glanced at Greg, then turned his eyes back to Sherlock. John's eyes were flint-grey and looked infinitely patient, belying the restlessness in his muscle tone. There was the faintest hint of a smile, or maybe a suggestion of bared teeth. A challenge, then. "All right. What do you know?"

Sherlock heard the chatter from the back of the van quiet, as the others heard what was happening. He smiled, turning to face his opponent, pulling his feet off the bench and crossing long legs. "Captain John H. Watson. I'd give that your age at... twenty-eight? Given your age and rank, you likely went in to the Army as an enlisted man as soon as you were old enough. No university for you. But you're not entirely stupid, so I'd guess money was a factor."

John looked surprised and looked over at Greg, who raised his hands. "I didn't tell him anything," Greg said. "He just... does this."

Sherlock continued, as though John had just confirmed his conclusion. "Needed to find a way to support yourself, then. You did well enough for yourself in the Army. But something happened, just a few months ago. How badly wounded was your left shoulder, Captain? I would say rather badly, if you were discharged for it. Your left hand shakes when you aren't paying attention to it. Not keeping up with your physical therapy, tch." Sherlock sped up as he got closer to the end. "You don't identify as homosexual or bisexual, but you definitely find men attractive, and have most likely moved beyond any schoolboy stage of experimentation. Likely a partner or two in the Army." He smiled as he reached the coup de grace. "And you're so attracted to me you can't think straight."

Sherlock heard the slight intake of breath from someone behind him, likely Molly. John's face remained perfectly neutral, giving nothing away. "And what," said John, "aside from your colossal ego, gives you that impression?"

"This morning, when you woke me. I caressed your hand and you got so flustered you practically bolted from the room. You left behind your coffee."

Sherlock watched as a faint shade of pink crept across John's ears and down across his neck.

"It was terrible coffee," John said, eyes flickering downward once in what Sherlock read as an admission of defeat. He sat back against the seat, still smiling. Game, set, match to Sherlock Holmes.

[crowdog66]

Oh, those last four paragraphs are absolutely PERFECT. :D

[roane]

I love these two. So much. I just hope they're as much fun once they actually get together. :)

[linaewen]

Terrible coffee, lol! :-D John is so transparent here. Such fun!

[roane]

Neither of them is precisely subtle. I think the rest of the gang is taking bets. :)

[pinstripefedora]

I've been forgetting to check in again. Oops. Well, 760 words today, yay! Today was about an 8. It might've been a 10 if I wasn't sick and therefore a bit mentally tired. I'm sure I'm going to reread it when I'm well and be horrified at how bad it is. But I'm pretty satisfied with the bones of it, even if it will need polishing.

This week has been a 10. Definitely. I've been blocked on this chapter for months, and this week I finally got everything to gel and I am banging out prose like a boss. I love that feeling of relief you get after overcoming a dry period. The month itself is probably a 6, because there have been quite a few days where I haven't been able to write at all. Which is annoying.

And I am definitely looking for a beta now! I'm looking for somebody who's familiar enough with the Negima manga to give my story a characterization check. Actually, come to think of it, I might need the whole package deal, because I happen to know my usual beta IRL and I don't think I'd be able to look her in the eye anymore if she read this fic. :/ But definitely characterization, if nothing else.

[pinstripefedora]

And here is an excerpt from the fic, where we are introduced to the (comic relief) B plot of the story.

(Also I would like some input on how the closing line reads. Does it sound like she's cursing at the situation, or at her new partner? Because the former is what I'm going for, and I don't think the latter would be IC at all, so if it comes across that way I need to figure out how to change it.)

--- --- --- --- ---

As soon as Setsuna emerged from the Chief's office, Mana knew something had happened - something that Setsuna couldn't tell her about. It was obvious from the way that Setsuna's eyes darted around the room and the way she shrunk back when their eyes met, as if Mana's gaze possessed the ability to lay bare her secrets. Not that Setsuna had any secrets; she was pretty much an open book. But at least the sentiment was there.

She watched as Setsuna made her way to her desk and fell into her chair, chewing on her bottom lip the way she did whenever she was weighing a serious decision. Then she reached into her pocket and produced the paper that contained the reservation information for her date with Kimiko. As she frowned at it, Mana realized with dawning surprise that she was actually seriously thinking of canceling. A date at a place like that was a surefire way to get laid - and if anybody ever needed to get laid, it was Setsuna. Whatever was going on, it must be serious.

Mana watched in rapt curiosity as Setsuna pulled out her phone and entered Kimiko's number, pausing with her finger poised above the send button. The moment dragged on for minutes, and Mana was honestly unsure as to which way things were ultimately going to go. Before she could find out, though, Eishun's voice returned her to reality.

"Tatsumiya-san, I'd like a word with you in my office," he said.

The words were enough to fill anybody with foreboding. But Mana wasn't just anybody. She fixed her steady gaze on him and nodded, rising from her chair. Leaving Setsuna to her personal dilemma, she made her way into Eishun's office and awaited further orders. She briefly wondered if this was going to have anything to do with whatever was causing Setsuna to freak out, but quickly decided it really wasn't any of her business either way.

"Tatsumiya-san," Eishun said, drawing her attention. "I will get right to the point. Sakurazaki-san is going out on special assignment."

Ah. So that was it.

"It is regrettable, as the two of you are quite an effective team, but there is a possibility she could be gone for a considerable amount of time. I don't want you to be without a partner indefinitely, though, so I've made some arrangements." He suddenly shifted his attention to someplace behind her left shoulder. "Nagase-san."

"Nin-nin!"

Mana's eyes widened without her permission - she hadn't detected the third presence in the room. Whipping her head around, her eyes landed on Nagase Kaede, who was lounging comfortably in a chair in the corner. As if on reflex, they immediately narrowed. How does she do that? Kaede offered a cheerful smile and waved. Mana ignored her. Kaede didn't seem to notice, slipping easily out of her position and stretching lazily before taking her station beside her.

"What's going on here, sir?" There was an edge to Mana's tone that seemed almost accusatory.

"Well, as luck would have it, Ku Fei-san just informed me that she will be taking a leave of absence, as she needs to return to China to deal with some family matters. So, since the two of you will both be down a partner, I took the liberty of reassigning you to each other."

"What." It wasn't a question. Mana never questioned an order. She just assumed that she hadn't heard him correctly. She couldn't have. The Chief wouldn't assign them to work together; not when they were so dissimilar. The reason that Setsuna and Mana made such a good team was that they were so much alike - at least where it counted. True, Setsuna's tendency to take every little thing so damn seriously could be a problem at times, but at least she could respect that. Kaede, though? Kaede never took anything seriously. She glanced over at her new partner, radiating disdain.

Kaede regarded her out of the corner of one barely-opened eye. "It seems we will be working together from now on, de-gozaru. Please take care of me," she said, not even trying to hide her smirk. "Partner."

Mana glared at her. This couldn't be happening.

Son of a bitch.

[linaewen]

Interesting passage! I have no familiarity with this fandom, but even without it, I can very much appreciate the drama here -- and the possible future comic ramifications. As for your question, it seems to me like she is definitely cursing at the situation, rather than the new partner.

If you don't get an offer for a beta as you have requested, my suggestion would be to repost your need as a new post in the community, just in case it gets lost in the shuffle here.

[bay_alexison]

Had written close to 500 words and wrapped up a scene for my help_japan fic. Now am mulling a bit how I want some scenes to come together. Might do a bit of outlining/planning tomorrow.

Overall perhaps an 8. Had edited and posted my god_tier fic and able to at least get a little over 1,l00 new words written for my help_japan. Would have written more if I wasn't stuck/distracted, but at least I made some new progress again.