#corb teasers

Happy WIPSday! Thanks to @confused-bi-queer, @johnwgrey, @takitalks, @urban-sith, @artsyunderstudy & @bookish-bogwitch for the tags!

FINALLY got some movement on my CORB. Thanks to @bookish-bogwitch for being my big brain buddy and helping me work through some trouble points (AND for giving me a new plot mindworm that’s gonna haunt me for awhile).

Here. Have some (referenced but not described) sex ritual:

Two hands lay out a blanket over the drawn symbols. Two bodies lie upon it, the book at their feet.

Twelve figures turn to give the two at their centre some privacy. A woman (the woman) giggles.

“You’re not supposed to laugh, Winifred.”

“It’s awkward, Lew! I’m allowed a moment to consider the complete and utter oddity that is making a baby while your closest friends chant an old poem.”

Bonus COBB because it’s still my baby:

Seeing a lot of “my lord, is it Wednesday?” and I am here to add to that chorus. But okay, the general consensus seems to be yes, it’s Wednesday, so thank you @basiltonbutliketheherb @martsonmars @urban-sith @facewithoutheart @artsyunderstudy @tea-brigade @sillyunicorn @fatalfangirl @prettylightsbigcity @moodandmist @cutestkilla for the tags! I will go feral over your posts shortly.

First, another teaser for my piece for @carryon-reverse-bang, officially titled The Smokescreen. It will be two chapters with the first being one of the art pieces, and that one will be posted later this week when I get my shit together and write a summary. The second chapter will be posted when I get my shit together and write the rest of the fic. May 28th at the latest!

In the meantime:

The moon had already made its climb by the time he stepped through the station’s front door. His feet stuck on the stoop like it was wet concrete.

Baz Pitch was leaning against the side of the building with a cigarette on his lips. It flared red against his fingers, the weak moonlight falling on closed eyes, stretching shadows of his lashes on his cheeks.

Simon let out a long breath and cast a look along the abandoned street. He’d come alone. Or was taking care to look like it.

He shoved his hands in his pockets. “You here for a confession?” 

Baz’s eyes fluttered open and landed on Simon, a curl of smoke snaking from his mouth. “I saw my priest just this morning, I’m afraid.”

I’m not gonna lie, folks. I am searching for motivation, because this CORB needs writing and I am struggling to provide. So here, a sample of my wares:

Baz smiled, cocking his head in thought as he took a step around Simon. “What did he say first when you showed it to him? His exact words, if you please.”

Simon resisted the tickle at the back of his neck that urged him to keep Baz in his sight, tried to shut him out entirely as he reached for his conversation with Smith.

“He said ‘where did you get this’.”

Baz hummed, the vibration breaking into goosebumps down Simon’s spine.

“And you?” he asked as he circled. Simon dug his nails into his palms; he didn’t turn. “What was your first thought when you opened it?”

“‘Cheeky prick,’” Simon answered, and Baz laughed, low and warm.

“Your second thought, then.”

He considered it, fought through the distraction of Baz’s breathing and focused on the look of the first page he’d read. “‘What is this’.”

Hello I have been struggling to write this fine Sunday, but I’m here at 11:48 pm to post anyway because I’ve found a solution and it’s great.

See, the problem is that there’s so much blocking to deal with, and Baz has so much to say nonverbally and it’s such a pain, so I decided — in the interest of not getting hung up on it every five seconds — to just add some brackets to return to later, which for now contain the essence of what we should take away from literally everything he does in this fic.

Three samples, if you like:

Baz looked at him [conflicted hesitant idk looks off to the side and heaves a sigh and we can see it in the streetlight and it’s very sexy of him]. “I don’t know.”

-

Baz nodded, eyes flicking back to Simon. “You didn’t find it interesting?”

“No,” he said. It was the least interesting thing he’d found on him. He hadn’t given it a second thought. Baz nodded again, a [something something. It’s probably very sexy of him.] 

-

“What’s the other thing you would say to him?” Simon asked.

Baz considered him [for a while idk. It’s very sexy of him].

And then I can just spice it up later! How exciting! I’m definitely not posting this because it’s not working!

Well well well, if it isn’t @martsonmars @bookish-bogwitch @facewithoutheart @cutestkilla @artsyunderstudy @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @urban-sith providing amazing wonderful WIPs again.

As for me, I’m here to share something I’ve grown to hate for the sheer number of times I’ve been forced to accidentally reread it when I open the third chapter of my COBB fic, ostensibly with the goal of working on it, and actually with the result of glowering at it.

Baz hated his upstairs neighbors. 

There were only two people in the apartment, but they still managed a constant cacophony of clattering. It was a ruckus that could only be reasonably explained by their dedicating their lives to setting up and activating an apartment-wide Rube Goldberg machine, and then having sex on it.

In the two years he lived there, it never got less annoying. Which is why the intrusive thought that he nearly misses it is so upsetting. (Only nearly. Definitely not fully.)

But it’s too quiet here. His mind is trying to fill the silence.

I have also started on my CORB and I’m getting sort of excited for it, but alas, I woke this morning feeling like a full Broadway production was dancing the mambo at the base of my skull, so we’re probably not getting anywhere today. But have some bullets from my brainstorm doc, as a treat:

Anyway inciting incident: that. It makes Simon quite sad. And mad. The injustice! But this is Baz’s bullet point so who cares.

And:

Baz begins this confrontation somewhat surprised and puzzled.

Like okay give me .5 seconds to adjust to Man Yelling At Me before you expect me to understand, k

He waves off [redacted] because this is so unexpected and quite interesting. He listens to Simon’s accusations/threats for a sec and then politely cuts him off like “who are you”