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wexhappyxfew · 2 months ago

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the silver bullets but if they were a baseball team

hi and hello my friends. as u all know (and possibly see from my page) i've grown up a huge philadelphia sports fan all my life, and with the nfl season starting up and mlb season coming to a close (and my phillies in the postseason!) i decided that this was necessary as a development for the silver bullets girls as we have a big enough crew to get a full starting lineup and starting pitcher (along with our coach/manager birdie faulkner, rip queen!) PLEASE ENJOY!!!

silver bullet's team (baseball) manager: birdie 'cap'n' faulkner

no doubt birdie faulkner (in this AU i guess?!) would be alive and well and a damn-good manager for the silver bullets ball club. she's a natural-born leader, would probably actively fight any other team if someone messed with her girls and is undoubtedly someone who wants to do whatever it takes to win. when she used to play, she was one of the most efficient players at first base. in her 5th year as manager for the silver bullets. the girls call her cap'n - she's the leader of this time in every way possible.

(main) pitcher: carrie 'bergie' achterberg

1st starting rotation pitcher for the silver bullets is carrie achterberg, affectionately known by the team, her fellow players, and the fans as bergie. when bergie is up on the mound and pitching for her team, defense knows they can win if they can put up the numbers on offense. bergie is reliable, a fan-favorite despite her obvious stubbornness that is apparent even on the TV screen or radio (if you were to say, when the fans see bergie like that, they know she's passionate about her team and about winning). in her 4th year of a 10 year contract with the silver bullets. a pretty efficient left-hand pitcher (LHP) on the mound.

1st base: bessie 'bes' carlisle

1st basemen bessie carlisle is one of the voices of the team that's been there ever since birdie faulkner got the group together. originally was in the minor leagues for a few years before the silver bullets organization picked her up for their AAA (Triple A) minor league. she played a few games, put up some good numbers, was efficient at the plate, and consistently driving in runs. she played out the rest of her second season in the majors for the silver bullets and was signed to a major league contract for 5 years thereafter. in her 4th year of her 5 year contract with the silver bullets. bes not only is beloved by the fans, but her jersey usually is in the top three with sales! leads an organization that raises money to get kids into baseball, softball, etc...!

2nd base: marjorie 'margie' harlowe

2nd basemen majorie harlowe had one of the most productive rookie seasons after getting drafted by the silver bullets 3 years prior. a few years in the minors did her well and after successfully getting called-up into the majors with high expectations, she soared. still on her rookie contract, she continued to have productive at-bats through spring training and has high expectations for the new season. she quickly gained a large fanbase, is usually in the clubhouse with the best playlists for postgame wins or practice, and had one of the most memorable postgame interviews where she proceeded to tearfully recall the double ground-out, final out, (in which she caught the ball, got the out at second, threw the ball to bessie carlisle and proceeded to scream with joy) that sent the silver bullets into the previous postseason, while equally rambling and interjecting with a thousand different ways to say 'oh-my-god'. safe to say, margie is a fan-favorite. in her 2nd year with the silver bullets, on her rookie contract.

3rd base: vivian 'viv' ratcliff

tall, lean, a bit quiet, but one of the most improved of the team, 3rd basemen vivian ratcliff led the league in the previous season in RBIs and hopes to make the same impact moving forward into the season. she spent multiple years in the minors, before getting called up a few seasons back when one of their infielders went down and was injured the rest of the season. she stayed on a rookie contract for a few years, before she was signed onto a 4 year contract. is most widely known for her defense at third base, along with her rather hilarious postgame tweets that the fans can't seem to get enough of. in her 4th year of her 4-year contract with the silver bullets. viv has joined multiple pregame and postgame interviews and usually has quite the opinion on batting practice - key-word 'just hit the damn-ball'.

shortstop: kennedy 'kenny' farley

shortstop kennedy farley was once told as a kid that she couldn't play shortstop - it was too hard, it was the hardest defensively to play, and she wasn't good enough for the spot. she played her way into the draft, through the minors and became one of the most efficient shortstops in the league. longtime boyfriend, john egan, always says how he knew she'd be one of the best (and she usually tells him off, but secretly appreciates it more than anything). passionate player, has great at-bats, leads the team in homeruns (HRs), and has gotten in a FEW near-fights with other teams (usually defending other members of the silver bullets). in year 3 of her 4-year contract with the silver bullets. kenny has the second-highest selling jersey of team history! best friends with margie harlowe - people call the two sunshine and storm duo!

catcher: annie 'the LT' bradshaw

just signed onto a 5-year contract with the silver bullets and traded from her previous organization, the RPs, catcher annie bradshaw finds herself in a new position - not only needing to gain the trust of her teammates, but of her pitchers. not only needing to call a game, but call a winning game with her pitchers. the silver bullets signed her because of her intelligence at the plate, her ability to throw people out caught stealing bases, and her rather productive at bats that get pitchers throwing full counts, before sending a ball into the field. and she easily reads a field and communicates that with her pitchers. in her 1st year of her 5-year contract with the silver bullets. affectionately called the LT, or lieutenant by the girls because of her willingness to lead and step up to the plate, while also being focused, alert, and disciplined. highly respected around the league.

left field: marianne 'mari' salinger

outfielder marianne salinger was brought up from the minor leagues when left-fielder matilda kerkering went down with a torn achillies. on her rookie contract, mari assisted with getting the silver bullets into the postseason previously with her ability to turn a few hits into big moments, with RBIs or base-hits whenever she can make it happen. through her second year, she struggled with her at-bats and was sent back to the minors for assignment. she worked hard, improved and came back with a huge fan reception and succeeded highly throughout the rest of the season. in her third season, injury plagued her capabilities to play and she finished out the season only playing 1/8 of the games. now in her fourth year, and having just signed a 3-year contract, she's hoping to make a bigger impact and big a key-player for her teammates. close friends with francis montez, having both started in the minors together, with francis being called up a few months previous. in her 4th year with the silver bullets, in the first year of her contract. mari gave the spring training hype speech for the training and finished it off far-too emotional and it sent the team into tears.

center field: judy 'rib-ee' rybinski

rookie outfielder judy rybinski is one of the fastest outfielders of the league. she catches pop-ups and fly-outs that you see on TV and think 'yeah there's no way you can catch that' - and she DOES. it is her first year in the majors, after having been drafted by the silver bullets two years ago and spending some time putting in the work in the minors. now, in her first major league season, she's already put up efficient numbers and given solid at-bats. her stellar defense from the minors has already shown itself on the field, but at times she's struggled to really see the ball and gets far more strikeouts than she would've liked. BUT, she works hard before games, usually having batting practice by herself or with guidance from bradshaw and carlisle. she's a fan favorite, with many tweets trending after games simply stating 'JUDY RYBINSKI MUST BE PROTECTED', and currently has the highest selling jersey on the team, along with high expectations. in her first year of her rookie contract. rib-ee comes from her childhood tee-ball league when she consistently hit the most RBIs or RIB-Es. it seemed to stick! :)

right field: paulina 'pauli/stag' stagliano

outfielder paulina stagliano, admittedly, has more of a carefree, nonchalant, possibly too-sarcastic personality for baseball, but she makes it work??!?! she finished her contract on a previous team, became a free agent, and signed with the silver bullets on a 5-year contract and didn't really meet the expectations she was supposed to have in her first year. poor at-bats, occasional injury, and struggles in the outfield. she worked through the offseason and spring training and found her stride and in her second-year, in the first game, hit a walk-off homerun that gave one of the most beloved postgame interviews constantly recalled by the team and by carrie achterberg herself [achterberg stating she'd never seen pauli or the stag so emotional yet pissed off at the same time while having the gatorade cooler dumped over her head]. a beloved player by the fans, leading an established organization for veterans like her father needing support for aid, housing and food, she finds herself heading into her 3rd year of her 5-year contract with the silver bullets.

DH: francis 'monty' montez

designated hitter francis montez stepped up to expectations and succeeded them in full. back in college, she quickly rose through the ranks as a freshmen and got first spot as DH over the original DH who'd been on the college team for a few years. with such high expectations, she got much more hate than was bargained for - therefore, she continued to work, develop her character, her capability to play ball, her work at-bat and at the plate, and got drafted by the silver bullets and quickly got called up to the majors after a few months in the minors. a natural spokeswoman for the silver bullet screw, she signed an 8-year contract with the silver bullets and has entered her 4th year on the team. affectionately called monty, the TV and/or radio announcers typically call 'THERE GOES MONTY' every time she hits a homer that's out of the ballpark. yeah, there's shirts with the quote, signs, kids usually have her sign it on jerseys and shirts, too. they even have a drink in the ballpark called the monty - alcoholic and nonalcoholic. increased revenue for the sillver bullets exponentially because of both her character, her fame and her fanbase at the ballpark that couldn't wait to come see what monty could do at the plate!

yeah....THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN!!!!! :D

#please don't mind this #i just had the idea spur and I NEEDED TO SCRATCH THAT ITCH IN MY BRAIN #AND I LOVE THE OUTCOME #not entirely an AU but....kinda ig? first AU for the SB girlies?#because like this just makes SO MUCH sense to me i feel #every position for these girls (AND A BIRDIE FAULKNER APPEARANCE?!?!?!)!!!#yes i am obsessed #annie being catcher makes SO MUCH SENSE #like everyone's position just...it makes SENSE #AHHHHHH #i hope if u read through all my chaotic rambling u enjoyed!!!!#this was just for a little fun side-project haha #ENJOYYY #silver bullets #mota writings #the SB girlies #SB baseball AU #(tagging as such ig?! <-)

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wander-wren · 2 years ago

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Ok, here goes! I wanna preface this by saying that I've been in a serious writing rut for like the past six months, to the point where I've pretty much given up on my WIPs. It's not that I don't want to write, or that I don't have ideas, but the actual work of sitting down and getting words on the page feels like pulling my own teeth out. So I'm conducting research on writers I admire to see if I can learn anything from their processes. And so, without further ado:

How long have you been writing?

Do you start out knowing what's gonna happen in the story, like with a plot chart and everything, or does the story take shape as you go along?

Do you write in big chunks or a little bit at a time?

How many drafts do you typically do? Is your first draft usually like word vomit or something a little more polished?

Do you have a beta reader?

What's your editing process like?

Is there a certain time or place where you prefer to write?

What do you consider the hardest part of writing?

Have you ever struggled with perfectionism in your writing? Do you have any tricks for bypassing that "EVERYTHING MUST BE PERFECT" wall in your brain and just get words on the page?

That was a lot lol. Of course you don't have to answer all of them, but any insight you're willing to give will be greatly appreciated!

Thank you very much <3

woo okay let’s tackle this!! under the cut bc Long. strap in folks

How Long Have You Been Writing?

in any shape or form: since maybe 6 years old? but i started writing fanfiction at 12, started getting serious about writing in general at 15, and threw myself full tilt into fanfic at 17, so currently i haven’t written original fiction Really since june. which is a complicated answer. you didn’t specify if this is about original stuff or fic, but i’ll try to answer from both perspectives bc my process for each is wildly different.

Plotter or Pantser?

for both original fiction and longfics, i’m solidly in the middle; i usually start with a list of things i want to happen, and i always need some idea of where i’m going to end, even if it changes later. from there, i start writing the first few chapters. when i feel like i have a more solid grasp of where i’m going, i outline chapter-by-chapter through one “section” of the story, however i define that. once im done that section, i outline again. this gives me a lot more freedom to change things as i go and adapt to new decisions i make. i also add random ideas to my masterlist of stuff that i might want to include further down the line as i go.

with oneshots i never, or almost never, have a plan beyond the premise/summary, so they frequently get away from me and do all kinds of random things.

Big Chunks or Little At a Time?

i’m gonna say big chunks? i have adhd so i frequently hyperfixate on my projects and can work on them for hours and hours on end, which i don’t exactly recommend, but it happens. at any given time i have a “main” wip or two that i work on pretty much daily, and then others scattered around that i might pick up for a few hours if i get bored. but i try to finish fics as fast as possible bc if i move on there’s a 50% chance i won’t come back, at least not for months.

How Many Drafts?

for fanfic? one. every once in a while if something is REALLY not working i’ll rewrite sections, so that’s like 1.5 drafts, but it’s free labor i do for fun so while i take pride in it and want it to be good, i’m not going to expend THAT much energy, yknow?

for original stuff, like if we’re talking novels…at least three drafts? i haven’t gotten that far with most of my projects so i’m still learning about myself, but my general process seems to be that the first draft is about getting the main story beats and the emotions down. my first draft is always very heavy on the angst and catharsis, sometimes overdramatically so, bc there’s less plot to hold it up. then my second draft is more about plot and realism and structure, but i tend to lose some emotions in trying to do that. my third draft is about combining the two and continuing to polish stories/characters. i haven’t written any fourth drafts, so i’m not sure whats beyond that.

and my first drafts tend to be very polished. i wrote a little rant explaining the history of that aspect of my writing not long ago, so i won’t get into it again. part of that is just how i’ve always been, part of it is practice. i do feel sometimes that i write pretty enough to cover up structural/realism/continuity issues, which can be frustrating when looking for critique from people who can’t see past it.

Beta Reader?

yes! i have a small group of writer friends that i share things with, but that is pretty much always for cheer-betaing and minor critiques unless i ask for actual criticism, which i only do with my original stuff when i get to the second/third draft, partly bc it’s not ready before then, and partly because it’s a lot of mental work for the other people. shoutout to my main bnha betas, @rangerlexi and @spacetime-enthusiast, who are, as i said, mainly cheer betas, tho mav is also my resident bakugo expert bc he’s very hard for me to write sometimes. getting better tho!

can’t recommend finding betas enough, even if just to cheer you on. hell, i can’t make promises about super long works or original fic, but i’m always down to read fanfiction. i don’t even bite, i swear. obligatory note that you do gotta trust ppl tho yada yada thieves exist and mean people exist etc etc

Editing Process?

for fanfic: typically i reread one or two times right away while all my thought processes are fresh in my head. i’ll make spot edits and add or delete things here and there. then depending on how impatient i am, i wait a day or a few to send it to my betas and/or reread and edit again myself. then i post and i’m done!

for original works: i don’t bother to edit first drafts, or even second drafts sometimes. when it’s time to prep for a second draft, i reread and make notes on what i want to keep and what i want to change, then use those notes to make my next skeletal outline. usually my stories change drastically from one draft to the next, but the last time i did a third draft, i wanted it to be pretty close to the structure of the second, so instead of outlining at all i just did splitscreen and wrote the whole third draft while looking at the second, sometimes basically retyping a page word for word, sometimes going “well, that chapter is pointless” and skipping it entirely. when it came to line editing, i used hemingway bc i don’t trust computers to do my editing, BUT the different colored highlights were helpful to break up the monotony. hemingway is a lot more focused on concise/readable sentences and cutting adverbs than anything else, which was good for me as an overwriter. i cut 22k words the last time i used it, from a 130k draft.

Best Time or Place?

not really? i write everywhere and constantly. the advice about finding your niche of productive time never seemed to work for me because, as long as i’m not blocked/stuck, i pretty much always kind of want to write.

Hardest Part?

DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS OH MY GOD IT’S THE WORST. sorry. i hate. doing that. becoming friends? becoming family? falling in love? god. kill me. i love all [thing] to lovers in reading but in writing i tend to drift toward best friends to lovers bc then it’s kind of close. i love writing about people in relationships, tension and banter and softness and fights, but getting there is so awful.

Are You a Perfectionist? Tips?

hm. gonna try to answer this honestly and in the least asshole-ish sounding way possible lmao.

i’m not really a perfectionist? not in writing, anyway, idk about other stuff. but also it’s just like…i know i’m good at what i do. not perfect—i can see flaws in things i wrote even a few months ago—but good. More Than Satisfactory. sometimes fics just don’t work and i abandon them, sometimes it takes me a while to figure out what i’m doing, but i’m not generally paralyzed by the need for anything to be perfect because i’m happy where i am?

that’s a hard mindset to get to, though. and you will for sure feel good about something and then dislike it in a few months or years. that’s just the nature of improving your craft. i think if i had any tips, though, i would say a few things.

watch this video essay, the whole thing but specifically 5:39-9:20. i love cj the x and i agree with many of his takes on art, so. some of his other essays might be helpful as well but that one i know talks specifically about perfectionism.

or if you don’t want to, just have this quote that melted my brain a little when i heard it. “perfectionism is not an inherently bad impulse. but you have to earn that. you don’t get to be a perfectionist if it is unproven up to this point if you can even make a thing.”

read bad stories. like genuinely i’m such a petty spiteful person oops so. i don’t really seek them out much but reading like, really really badly written work is like “well, if that’s the bar, at least i’ve cleared it.” obviously don’t go attacking creators or posting the work to make fun of it, but read it. maybe make notes of exactly why it’s bad for yourself, even, it might help you get better at identifying problems in your own work if you can figure out why things are bad beyond just “i don’t like it.” there, that sounds less mean, right?

just post your shit, tbh. put it out there. most people on the internet, in fandoms, they’re nice, if you curate your space properly. it’s a confidence boost! put something out there that’s less-than-perfect, get a couple of kudos and realize the world didn’t implode, and maybe, maybe it’ll be easier to start/finish next time.

you kinda just gotta accept that you need practice, my dude. like. you can’t closer to perfect without work!! we know this!! just do it. i know i just said to post things but also if you hate what you made no one!! else!! has!! to!! know!! it can be a secret. it’s okay. this coming from a chronic oversharer lol i have the worst time trying not to shove my stuff at people….which, actually, kinda worked better as motivation for me, bc i couldn’t share something unfinished, so i had to Do The Thing in order to get validation/feedback/critique like i wanted. so either way, whatever works better for you.

The End

so yeah, those are my answers, i guess? i hope that makes sense and helps and everything!! i’m really sorry you’re in a rut, that’s the worst. if you have any more questions or just wanna chat about what you’re writing feel free to come say hi again!

#a little birdie asked me #wooo this was fun #i love talking about writing and as such ive already infodumped to most of my friends :((#i love how my approach to og stuff is like so much more meticulous and then fanfic is like #it exists? cool my work here is done #not that i dont care a shitton about my fic. i absolutely do #but i got better things in life (read: more fanfiction) to be working on #i cant be agonizing over here #esp for 0 american dollars lol #wren wrambles #always forget the longpost tag

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