#wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

Vaguely summarised WIP tag

thanks to @songsofsomnia for the tag! i'm going to pass this onto @charlies-storybook , @the-down-upside-finch , @saltysupercomputer and @mary-is-writing

Rules: Summarise your WIP with fifteen bullet points, using 2-3 words for each

I'm gonna try (?) and do this for Barricades, though god only knows how far I'll actually get

old friends

huge, untimely death

letter - wrong recipient

taking his place

long journey

nobody believes him

someone believes him

big, important announcment

spy mission

mission gone wrong

doesn't return alone

war is brewing

ambushed again

reclaiming the country

moving on

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades

[writerfae]

Happy 4th anniversary!

My current wip is called Brass & Barricades. It's a fantasy set in the late 19th century industrialist period, and centers around the start of a war as a young mechanic tries to get used to the idea of loss, while trying to prepare for the changes that the declaration has in store for him

Thank you! I like the setting of your story! Here’s the moodboard for you, I hope you like it :)

Here is Brass & Barricades by @aether-wasteland-s for you

#writer speaks #writeblr

[aether-wasteland-s]

Happy WBW! World map emoji - How many countries are there in your world? Feel free to dive into them as much/little as you want!

Oh shit wow, what a question! Sorry this is late!

I'm doing this full thing from memory because I don't have access to the map right now at half ten on a Friday night, so I'll update this tomorrow if I've gotten anything wrong

There are four countries on the brass dominoes map (name pending)!

Aelmor - the site of the historic siege. This is the country where the Custodes first formed, and where they dissolved. The Custodes went global, but the Gladesmen never did, and they're still based in the forests of Aelmor, even if they're getting less and less identifiable by the year. It's also home to Sante and Angelo, as well as two of the thieves three: Antony and Marco

Andrano - the current site of the Skian war front. People have been pouring in to the capital of Pallgarde, preparing for a war. It's a rather industrial place, and different regions tend to value different crafts (for example, the south coast where Copper and Stephen are from are renowned ship builders, but both Copperfields are mechanics that specialised in smaller scale projects like Stephen's land mine plans)

Skion - yeah, I didn't develop Skion as much as I could've because it's not location relevant... Simply the opposing force in this war I'm trying to write. I do know that it's rather big on transport and is run in a very military-reliant way, favouring that over the likes of a monarchy. That's why Paxham has as much power as he does, there's not a lot of people that can get in the way of a high ranking general...

There is also the fourth country that wasn't developed at all, because it was simply there and I didn't need it for anything (this map was a tangerine map to begin with, I quite literally took the online advice and drew around tangerine peel to make my map...) but I guess it's important enough? In that Cassian, his family, and Hawk Bennett all hail from there. It's name? Uhh...... Yeah I'll get back to you on that one....

#the void → askbox #under construction → wbw #wip: the domino effect #wip: brass & barricades #the name of the fourth country completely escapes me. im sorry granger family... im sorry hawk... #okay no ill come back to you on that one

[aether-wasteland-s]

Incorrect quotes tag

Thanks to @autumnalwalker and @sergeantnarwhalwrites for the tags! I'm passing this onto @two-days-late , @fictionalbullshitter , @authorivyljames , @lexiklecksi , @helathorloki and @the-stray-storyteller

the generator is here, and I'll be doing this for the Barricades squad in various different flavours

--

Mechanics:

Hawk: Firstly, how dare you use mathematics to make me look stupid!

Hawk: I’m actually very good at mathematics.

Hawk: Thirdly, I think you might be right.

-

Copper: I have very high standards, you know.

Dan: I can make spaghetti...

Copper: Oh no! You're meeting all my standards!

-

Copper: Hey, wanna help me commit arson?

Chrissy: What the hell!?

Copper: Oh, sorry, my bad.

Copper, whispering: Wanna help me commit arson?

Chrissy, whispering: Of course. What do you need?

-

Hawk: They... well, I wouldn't call it inheritance per se. What do you call it when you kill someone and get their stuff?

Ezekiel: Um, murder???

Dan: Adventuring!

Chrissy: Tuesday.

-

Copper: Don't quote me on this, but I believe murder is illegal!

--

Soldiers:

McAllister: How would you like your coffee?

Scout: As dark and as bitter as my soul.

McAllister, shouting to someone behind the counter: I need one vanilla latte with extra cream and sugar!

-

Klaus: If you see me talking to myself, go away! I’m self-employed and we’re having a staff meeting!

-

Klaus: I apologize for saying 'fuck' in front of McAllister.

Scout: You just said it again.

McAllister:

Klaus: I am not a role model.

-

Scout: You're not my friend anymore.

Klaus: I was your friend?

-

Scout: Did you have to stab them?

Klaus: You weren’t there. You didn’t hear what they said to me.

Scout: What did they say?

Klaus: "What are you going to do, stab me?"

Scout: That’s fair.

--

Bonus Mulder/Stephen content:

Mulder : But when all hope seemed lost, I had an epiphany!

Mulder , earlier: I'm going to throw myself into the sea.

-

-

Mulder: Look, Stephen, it's the third time this week you had a mental breakdown and its Monday.

Mulder: Truth or dare?

Stephen: Truth.

Mulder: How many hours have you slept this week?

Stephen:

Stephen: Dare.

Mulder: Go to sleep.

Stephen: I don't like this game.

-

Stephen: I can never give Mulder shit because I’m jealous of him. He looks at his life and says, “Sweet! This is perfect!”

Stephen: I look at my life and say, “Welp. Time to get drunk.”

-

Stephen: Why do you hang out with me?

Mulder: You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me!

Stephen: …

Stephen: I feel a bit sorry for you.

--

B&B taglist (ask to be +/-): @pluttskutt , @bardic-tales , @dogmomwrites , @did-i-do-this-write , @calloumii , @thyroidhormone , @a-writable-paradox , @kosmicposum , @k--havok , @lakeside-paradise , @angsty-prompt-hole

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades #the one about the coffee isn't even incorrect it's just true #these made me cackle so hard i love perchance.org so much

[aether-wasteland-s]

"What he's gonna do is alter the tides of a war."

"It's just a matter of whether or not they believe him..."

--

It all started with a letter sent to a dead man.

James Copperfield receives a letter addressed to his father, who has been dead for the last year. It's a strange matter, one that involves things that James has never before seen. There is the mention of a war, the introduction of a secret service, and a mysterious set of initials.

Before he knows it, he is roped into a world at war, with a mission to find the man who used to know his father. There is very little standing in his way, except, of course, the looming threat of being a trespasser on war torn land.

--

Genre: Fantasy

Word count: 30k

Status: in progress

Themes: loss, college friendships/romances, trust, war, ammendments, inter-generational craft

--

Main characters:

James Copperfield -a mechanic. Heir to a business and to a strange letter

Caiden Mulder - a general. The only man who can help James in his efforts to be believed. Holder of an old infatuation

Stephen Copperfield - an aspiring engineer. A father. A man with a lot of answers to a lot of questions

Patrick "Scout" Greenham - man of mystery. He has far more secrets than he lets on, and one hell of an interrogation tactic

Riley McAllister - the interceptor. The primary reason that James isn't expected. The man behind the ideas

#nova's crazy thoughts #wip: brass & barricades #fantasy story #steampunk #steampunk story #writeblr #writers on tumblr #wip intro

[aether-wasteland-s]

Last line tag

Thanks to @isabellebissonrouthier and @gummybugg for the tags! I'm passing this to @authoralexharvey , @dontjudgemeimawriter ,@autumnalwalker and anyone else who wants to join in!

--

“Very well. How would you feel about another contract, Arrow? That is how your lot works, is it not?”

“From in here?” Arrow glanced down towards his wrists and the cold metal that bound them. A wry smile crossed his face, as if he was hinting at something. “Might be a little difficult, sir.”

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

Heads up, seven up tag

Thanks to @sparrow-orion-writes and @angsty-prompt-hole for the tags! I'm gonna pass this back to @on-noon , @mitchell-nihil , @worldsfromhoney and @songsofsomnia !

Klaus made a quick series of adjustments to the page in front of him, and finally seemed satisfied by whatever he was seeing. He lit up. “Commander, a dispersion of eighty meters would work with the hundred and twenty placement I dismissed half an hour ago.” McAllister’s eyes widened, and he rushed the long way around the table to Klaus’ other side to assess the changes. “A hundred and twenty- yes... Yes! Copperfield, would that work?” Copper adjusted his glasses and leaned in, scanning Klaus’ notes. He was looking at a plot marked map displaying the front line that the Skians would be advancing from, straight from the beaches. To the best of his knowledge, the production line of mechanics had produced a few dozen of these landmines, so a placement of that length would mean overlap, so really, nowhere was safe as long as the mines lasted. “I think that would work. But, Commander, the production line gave you maybe twenty-five of these? Is that enough to work with?” “It should be more than enough,” McAllister confirmed, now twice as certain as Copper had seen him in a while. “We mean to delay the advance, weaken the force before they attack.” Satisfied, he glanced to Klaus. “That should do it, Mr Faryah. Thank you.” And with that, the Skian left the room, leaving Copper with the commander for the first time since he’d gotten intensely drunk and lamented about Scout. Copper heard Klaus’ footsteps draw further away, and then finally played to what was on his mind. “A Skian associate, commander? How did you manage that?” How do you know he won’t steal the information for himself and run back to his country with it?

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

Heads up seven up tag

Thanks to @italiangothicwriteblr and @k--havok for the heads up tags, and @sergeantnarwhalwrites for the last line. I'm gonna pass this on to @gummybugg , @dogmomwrites , @perasperaadastrawriting , @isabellebissonrouthier and anyone else who wants to!

"I've heard what they say. I heard what McAllister says. They're looking for a Skian escapee… not necessarily one who left Skion, but one who is Skian and escaped…"

For a moment, Scout thought. "Why would they be so desperate for your head?"

"That's the other thing." Klaus sighed. "Prior to our escape, I was offered a free pass out of prison. See, uh, by trade, I'm a contract killer. An assassin. Paxham had me in a corner, and there was only one way out. I was supposed to…" best to get it out of the way fast. At least the admittance would be there, as well as the open space for the fact that the contract was never carried out.

Scout managed to join the dots before Klaus could properly admit it, and felt himself grow disappointed for some as yet unknown reason. Was it the fact that Klaus had been all but willing to end his life, or the fact that the whole thing was one elaborate setup? "You were supposed to kill me, weren't you?"

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

Last line/heads up seven up tag

Thanks to @sender-paulson , @pluvia-b (twice, I believe), @digitalsatyr23 , @distortedsense and @cljordan-imperium (I think and hope that's everyone) for the tags from the last few weeks! Since it's been some time, I'm just going to pass it back to you guys if you want it, and leave it open otherwise

Nathan looked at him for a moment or two, and tilted his head. "Hey, Copper... Tell us again about your family?"

Copper faltered and blinked, trying to grasp what they were all so desperate to hear. "My family?"

"Your father." Chrissy corrected with a quick glance at the papers. "A mechanic like yourself?"

"He taught me everything I know, Mr Steele." A pause, and then, "Why'd you ask?” Chrissy pointed him towards the table, and after no more than a quick scan of the document, Copper cracked a grin. "Those are his, alright. I mean, you can barely read it... I've missed trying to work out his hand." A chuckle left him, sincere as it was teasing.

"I wasn't gonna say anything, but it is a little hard to read," Hawk admitted. "His lettering is so small."

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

i've genuinely been hit with the New and Shiny WIP Syndrome that hard that i don't think i'll be able to finish barricades. like, it's been three months since i said i'd work on it again, and the only thing the word count has done in all that time is gotten lower...

#nova's crazy thoughts #wip: brass & barricades #i'm not mad abt this tbh it had a good run in my brain #unfortunately the entire prospect of writing a podcast and darkness rising have completely consumed me #so.... i guess i've got enough to work on #but if the barricades obsession ever decides to come back i'll be ready #rn i'm just. really unmotivated to work on it at all

[aether-wasteland-s]

What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?

Ooo okay this is good! I have a lot of this! I love the entire "You understand don't you? Fear?" Exchange that's on this blog somewhere, that always manages to strike just right! But cos that's already around here, I'll give you one from Barricades

"I dunno about it yet, nothing's certain. There was a rather... Brisk turn of events back home, and I fear that if something goes wrong again, then I might have to return and not see the pleasant front of this place again."

"And your dream? What of it?"

"I'm holdin' onto it while I can, but if I can't make it-" he closed his eyes, a burning hot tear lining his eyelids. "Then maybe you can carry it for the both of us."

#the void → askbox #wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

hey! this is chance & here’s week 3’s prompt. share an excerpt that you’re very proud of from any of your wips.

Hello!! I went looking for this in my document especially, because I absolutely love the bit where Klaus and Scout first meet:

The man had developed a good eye for seeing in the dark, and had noticed him as soon as he’d moved. He had tried to ask the new arrival a question, but saw no semblance that he’d even been noticed, let alone heard. An unfortunate number of inmates within those walls were soldiers who had fought themselves deaf trying to protect their home lands, so he assumed that this man was in the same position. Thus, he leaned over and turned the dial on the only lamp in the room, casting a soft, rather dim amber glow across the space.

Scout saw that the silhouette now had a face, and he hastened to make himself believe that it was a kind face. His eyes were the colour of whiskey, and creased with age and laughter. His hair had grown out incorrectly, and now sat around his jawline in a mess of points and edges.

“So, is this Paxham's latest dealing? Should I expect more like you?” He asked, clarifying his earlier question in case the matter was that he wasn’t understood. He clearly tried to keep himself in good spirits, but such a thing was exceptionally hard.

#the void → askbox #wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

7 snippets, 7 people

I was tagged in this by @j-1173 , and the seven people I'm gonna give this to in return are @sender-paulson , @flock-from-the-void , @authoralexharvey , @on-noon , @cryptid-s-wips , @writingpotato07 and @red-pen-ally

--

B&B taglist (ask to be +/-): @pluttskutt , @bardic-tales , @dogmomwrites , @writingpotato07 , @did-i-do-this-write , @calloumii , @thyroidhormones , @a-writable-paradox , @kosmicposum , @k--havok , @lakeside-paradise , @angsty-prompt-hole

1:

He glanced at Caiden in a curious fashion. "Y’know, I caught you starin’... Dunno if you thought you was bein’ subtle, but you weren’t… Sorry.”

“What can I say?” Caiden shot back with a grin of his own. “Any man who spends as long as you did engrossed in academia is fascinating to me… You just happen to be the only one to have memorised the entire Dewey Decimal System.”

“A charmin’ bloke, ain’t you?” Stephen laughed.

“I try to be. The name’s Caiden, by the way,” he held out a hand, which was readily shaken.

"Stephen. The pleasure's all mine."

2:

James felt like a witness to a shocking revelation, one that he had little context for, but held enough to understand its importance. There was something about his father that he’d never before known. Something that would make him liable to receive confidential letters from men who knew about wars.

He would know the right decision when it came…

He- Stephen H. Copperfield- would know the right decision when it came. But Stephen was dead. Who would know the right decision now?

3:

He knew exactly who it was, as well. Some time in his youth, he had encountered a rare brand of genius that seemed all the more appealing to him. That brand only existed in one person, and that person was Stephen Copperfield.

Copperfield had been invited, of course, but that had been some days ago, and there hadn’t been so much as a word from him in response. Mulder was aware that they hadn’t spoken in a while- perhaps even over a year- but he’d had some hope that Stephen would’ve shown face. He was the single best mechanic that he knew, after all.

4:

Whispers followed him as he moved, no louder than an echo in the wind. It sounded like jeering, but he was sane enough to ignore the senseless words.

For now, anyway.

His head felt like it was in a thousand pieces, but his father’s hand was as sturdy as it ever had been. The same points, the unusual curves… It was almost grounding just looking at it.

Yes, this was the reason why he was here. He was doing maybe the craziest thing he’d ever do, but he was doing it to deliver answers and conduct research.

5:

“Well, y’see, the reason I’m here instead of him is cos my father’s dead, sir.”

Suddenly, everything stopped. Copper heard Mulder’s steps halt promptly, and he slowed down himself, turning around slowly.

Blood pumped through Mulder’s ears, momentarily making him feel as though he was drowning. Dead? Why was he so naive to believe that such a thing was impossible? How did that happen? He exhaled deeply, trying to streamline his thoughts. “Stephen’s dead? Wh-how? When?”

6:

“Why are you so concerned about him?”

“It.. Just doesn’t seem entirely… Legitimate, his case. That he shows up so late, and that he seems to know exactly which faction you were looking to expand upon…”

“Both of those things are justified, of course, but I can assure you and McAllister both that he is here in someone else’s stead, and that he is experienced within himself. I trust him.”

Those three words were enough to speak numbers to Scout, about not only the fact that Mulder trusted Copperfield enough to keep him as part of the team, but also the person he had come to take the place of.

7:

What happened?" Hawk asked again, softer.

"I got so… So fucking drunk…" Nathan barely had the strength to move his gaze. Deep shame welled in him; this was another thing he could blame himself for later. Well, at least he had options…

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice too close to breaking.

Hawk followed his glance and found not only the mess of torn paper, but the empty flask too. Nathan never let himself get drunk, especially not so much that he'd do something unthinkably stupid like this. So this was largely jarring, even for a man who was supposedly never surprised.

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades #apologies i have genuinely picked the most random b&b snippets #so theres a chance youve seen some of these before

[aether-wasteland-s]

Find the vibe tag

Thanks to @sam-glade for the tag!

Rules: share any excerpt from your WIP that fits the vibe of the given phrase.

The vibe I was given was: you have come too late.

I'm passing this on to @ink-fireplace-coffee , @lexiklecksi and @the-lighthouse-lit , with the vibe: [I/they] saved your life

“The letter?” James asked without thinking.

--

Scout regarded both James and the name he gave with exactly the same air. He knew that he was telling the truth, but he saw right through the attempt at bravery. "That wasn't so hard, was it, Copperfield?” He stepped back slightly, and just when James was about to take a breath in relief, he hummed. “You should be more careful where you direct your lies if you don’t want to get into trouble. Just a word of advice…”

“Yes. The letter to the general. Yours, I presume?”

“Well… Yeah, but that ain’t somethin’ you should know about…” A lot of things dawned on him at once. The letter, for one, had been intercepted, and that’s how he hadn’t made it to the general yet. Another was that this man clearly worked for the general, because no resistance would have the power to imprison a man. He didn’t know whether knowing that made his situation better or worse, and frankly, he didn’t really want to find out.

“Trust me. If there is something I wish to know, I will know it.”

“Why this?”

“You are several weeks late. If the general was truly looking for you, I’m sure you’d have arrived long before now.”

“There were… Complications.”

“Was there, indeed? Such as…?”

The patience of both men was wearing thin, and it wouldn’t be long before either one of them snapped and made things ten times worse. James was trying to keep his cool; pressure of the interrogatory sort was never his deal, and everything from the last weeks was suddenly weighing heavy on his mind. Scout, on the other hand, was waiting for another opportunity to remind this mechanic that he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was.

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

Last line tag w a twist

Thanks to @cljordan-imperium for the tag! Rules are here, share the last line of your WIP, and then tag as many people as there are words in the extract.

McAllister was just hoping that this particular mistake hadn't cost him his life...

Okay, so that is... 13 words, so I'm gonna pass this tag onto: @autumnalwalker , @saltysupercomputer , @writingpotato07 , @isabellebissonrouthier , @bardic-tales , @heymacareyna , @on-noon , @mjjune , @writingforevren , @traveler-of-realms , @dontjudgemeimawriter , @sender-paulson and @sergeantnarwhalwrites (is that 13? I hope so..)

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades

[aether-wasteland-s]

Heads up seven up tag

I was tagged by both @saltysupercomputer and @cljordan-imperium , thank you both!

Almost immediately, I picked up on my father’s peculiar hand. There was no doubt- either through that or through the intense amount of his character that shone through with every word- that he’d written this.

I suddenly thought that it was a perfectly good idea to venture to this warfront. Not only did Mulder call my father specifically to help, but perhaps I found myself curious enough to wonder what he would think of me.

In spite of my own thoughts, and in favour of what Delilah advised, I had made a decision:

I was going to send that letter.

What happened next was down to fate.

Tagging: @writingpotato07 , @eccaiia , @calloumii and anyone else who wants to join in

#passing the mic → tag games #wip: brass & barricades