#snippet Monday

[basiatlu]

Snippet Monday

Thanks for tagging me @squintclover and a very merry belated birthday to youuuuu 🥰🥳

Lots of cropped goodies to show!

I shall tag @littlewinnow @mono-chromia @kk1smet @drarrargh and anyone else who would like to take part! ♡♡♡

[drarrargh]

monday snippets

thank you!! for tagging me @littlewinnow and @basiatlu !!! you guys are so rad

here are some monday snippets that are in fact wednesday snippets. they are maybe a little funny

tagging my beloveds @spacesaz @storiestoldbytime @appleslightning @handledwithgloves and @tinygxrilla :DD

[appleslightning]

weekday snippets

ty for tagging me beautiful @drarrargh!!!!!

here are some snippets that make NO SENSE together, im cracking up just looking at them

taggin @itsphantasmagoria @valushk4 @faiell @amomorii !!!!!

[radioactivepeasant]

Fic Prompts: Snippet Monday

A short scene that doesn't have a story to go with, and is therefore free to incorporate into just about whatever.

Viper

"-look, all I'm saying is we need a break!"

Damas paused to listen to the voices floating up from the elevator shaft. Ah. He'd been beginning to wonder when, exactly, the boys had been planning to turn in their report on the sandstorm evacuation. He stifled a smile and went back to watering the date palms nearest the window as he listened to them arguing.

"A break? Dax, just being here is a break!"

"...you've been out in the sun too long, pal. You seem to have forgotten the life-threatening nonsense these people keep putting us through!"

Jak's laugh grew louder as the elevator rose higher. "So? We have entire days where we don't have to go anywhere or do anything! And we get to go wherever we want! C'mon, Dax, you can't possibly tell me this place isn't like a vacation compared to Haven."

The elevator locked into place and Jak ambled out, looking perfectly at home amid the artificial streams. He lifted a hand in irreverent greeting when he spotted Damas, and made his way across the stepping stones. And if he seemed to be making a game of skipping every other stone, well, Damas wouldn't tell anyone.

"All scouts accounted for!" Jak announced cheerfully as he landed on the last stone, right at the foot of the dais. "Oh hey, the Crawler's making some weird noises though. I think you should have Kleiver do some maintenance on it."

Damas raised a brow. "Hm. A mobile sandstorm shelter won't do us much good if it breaks down. I'll make a note of it."

He set down the pitcher he had been using to water the tree and made his way back to his throne, looking for one of the data recording devices he kept to hand.

"I don't have any other work for you at the moment. If you can find a way to amuse yourselves that doesn't involve violent destruction of private property, the rest of the afternoon is yours to spend as you wish."

Daxter snapped his fingers in a pretense of disappointment. "Darn, well, that rules out all your plans, doesn't it, Jak?"

"Swimming doesn't destroy private property," Jak suggested, bouncing his shoulder.

"Not during a storm," Damas cut in. "I don't want to hear that someone had to take a boat out there and haul you out of a rip current."

Jak was about to argue when he felt Daxter go rigid on his shoulder. Following Damas’s surprised gaze, he found his friend squinting around the room. His ears swiveled and rotated like satellites, as if trying to catch a specific sound.

"Dax? What's wrong?"

"Say, uh, Jak?" Daxter piped up nervously, "Anyone else hear hissing?"

Hissing? Jak frowned and scanned the room, wondering what his friend was hearing. As his eyes swept across the dais, something caught his attention. It wasn’t that noticeable, just the barest hint of motion. But when Jak reached for just a hint of dark eco, suffusing his sclera in darkness, it stood out as clear as lightning.

Instinct took over and Jak had a knife out of his boot before he could even process what he was seeing. In an instant he'd hurled the dagger at the throne, just missing Damas’s calf.

"Jak!" Damas snapped, "Watch it!"

With a pained squeal, something began to thrash beside his foot. Pinned to the leg of the throne by Jak's knife was a massive snake. A Dust Demon viper, slowly losing its camouflage as death throes sent it thrashing in pain.

Damas examined the creature impassively, then slammed down his boot, putting it out of its misery.

"I thought something felt different," he remarked, entirely too calmly. "Next time, aim for the head for a cleaner kill. There's no need to make it suffer."

Daxter’s fur stood on end like static electricity as he clung to Jak’s shoulder in an arch.

"How long was that there?!" he demanded, "Is this a regular problem for you?!"

Damas prodded the still twitching viper with the butt of his staff. "Hardly."

His eyes narrowed in thought, and lowered himself into a crouch to examine the animal. "This little one did not get here on its own power."

Jak was already thinking on the same track.

"Someone brought it here," he realized, and his face twisted into an angry, inhuman snarl.

He jumped up onto the dais to crouch beside Damas and glared at the offending creature.

"So...so what? This was an assassination attempt?"

"Hm. That is very likely," Damas agreed. He didn't seem particularly bothered.

Glancing up, he directed a smile at Jak and Daxter. "Very well done. I commend the both of you. This will not be forgotten."

Daxter perked up, glowing at the praise like he'd had a spotlight shone on him.

Jak missed the praise entirely. He was fully focused on the words assassination attempt. Who would try to kill Damas? And in such an underhanded way? If someone had a problem with the king, there was a perfectly good Arena to settle the dispute in!

Well. To be fair, Jak supposed that would be a fight the dissenter wouldn't walk away from. He wasn't even sure he could beat Damas in a fight. So what did that make this? Cowardice?

Jak hated it. It reminded him of the backstabbing he used to see among the prison guards under Praxis's reign.

Jak glowered at the dead snake, and jerked his knife out of it. He just missed Damas’s approving nod when he bent to clean the blade on his boot before sheathing it again. The snake lay sprawled in unnatural angles, no longer twitching. With dark eco rumbling in his chest like a warning growl, Jak reached down and picked the viper up by the tail.

"I'm gonna find out who did this," he vowed, looking Damas in the eye, "And they're gonna pay."

He started to stand, but a hand on his arm anchored him in place.

"Leave it," Damas commanded. He stood and jerked his chin towards the foot of the throne. "Let everyone who enters this chamber see it there."

"Why?" Jak furrowed his brow and stood to follow, viper dangling from his hand. "Won't that just show the assassin they should try something else?"

Damas settled into his throne with a scoff. "No no, think, Jak. What did I teach you about choosing battles?"

Jak blinked. Was this a test of some kind? He looked to Daxter, who only shrugged. Damas had that secretive glint in his eye, which meant it probably was a test. Jak closed his eyes and tried to think.

He's not facing this head-on, or at least not the way I would. Which means he's probably taking a more subtle approach. Jak, admittedly, was not very good at "subtle". He wracked his brains for an answer, looking between the snake, the throne, and the doors before realizing that Damas was watching his facial expressions intently.

Oh.

"You're...going to watch everyone's reactions? When people come in, right? If...if the assassin or an accomplice comes in, seeing the snake will send a message. Or...or it might spook them into giving something away?"

The answer lacked his usual brash confidence. Jak hoped the king wouldn't pick up on that, but at the same time he knew it was unlikely that he wouldn't. But he couldn't help a little trepidation! Damas clearly expected him to know the answer and he didn't want to get it wrong!

To his relief, Damas dipped his head and smiled proudly.

"Excellent! That is precisely what I intend to do -- so I can't have you running around the city to threaten people with a dead snake."

He gestured to his right meaningfully.

"And as you have no other tasks for the afternoon, I think this would be a good opportunity for you to hone your observation skills. After how quickly you two picked up on the viper's presence, I can think of no better choice to help me suss out our would-be killer."

This time Daxter wasn't the only one to light up and stand a little straighter in response to the commendation. Jak may not have been familiar with ranks and hierarchies, but he understood the gesture of trust Damas was extending to them. And he understood that being asked to stand by at the right hand of a warrior like Damas was no small thing. Damas was asking them to help him find an assassin in the ranks as though he hadn't the slightest doubt that they would be successful.

Jak squared his shoulders and nodded sharply. "We won't let you down," he said firmly.

Damas returned his nod with an almost fond smile. "I know."

Jak leaned on the pillar right of the throne and considered the viper thoughtfully before tossing it to land closer to Damas’s feet. Then, after perhaps a minute of silence, he asked,

"Can I have the fangs though?"

Damas let out a startled laugh. "The fangs?!"

"Yeah," Jak shrugged, suddenly sheepish. "It's- I have a- there's a thing. I need them."

Daxter translated with narrowed eyes. "He means his horrible, horrible, bone collection that he's been making jewelry out of."

Leaning back, Damas laughed again. "Then by all means." He smiled indulgently, gesturing, "Take the fangs! Just be careful of the venom."

"I will." Jak waved off the warning just a touch too nonchalantly. "How long do you think before people start showing up?"

Damas checked his data device. "Four meetings this afternoon, two more after evening meal. The next one is in approximately twenty minutes."

Daxter hopped down and settled into a more comfortable position on the dais steps. "Welp. Sounds like we're gonna be here a while. Jak, you brought snacks, right?"

"We could eat the snake if you're hungry enough," Jak teased.

Daxter made a disgusted sound and looked to Damas, pointing an accusing finger at Jak.

"Will you please do something about him?!"

"Don't eat the evidence, Jak," Damas snorted. "Go get some roasted crickets out of the kitchens if you're hungry. You have a few minutes."

"CRICKETS?!" Daxter shrieked. He clasped his paws to his head in horror. "You're an enabler! Jak! Don't listen to the man!"

Jak pushed off of the pillar and rolled his eyes at Daxter. "If you'll eat a decapod, you can eat a hexapod. Besides, they're good! Damas, you want me to bring you some?"

"Naturally."

Daxter groaned and pulled his ears down over his eyes. "Great. Lunatic and Lunatic Junior are sharing meal plans now. Goodbye, normal diet!"

Jak looked just a little too smug about being labeled "Lunatic Junior".

[fangbangerghoul]

Snippet Sunday Monday

Thank you so much for the tag @roguishcat ! I enjoyed your snippet! It reminded me I really should get on the ball with my own BG3 fic but lately Starfield and now Dragon's Dogma 2 has been on the brain.

I just posted a chapter update today for Heavy Metal Lover but this photo has been speaking to me since I had captured it the other day.

I'll tag: @bearlytolerant @lisa-and-shadow and @arisenreborn since they are my current dd2 content creators atm. No push to post. I know y'all have already, but I figured I should tag somebody. Anyone who reads this and wants to participate is welcomed to join and tag me.

Below the cut the scene that popped into my mind from the photo:

Eric the Viking x Ghoul content (arisenxpawn)

“You know I trust you, Arisen.” Eric said with subtle apprehension. There was something on his mind and Ghoul could see it float like starlight in his eyes.

“And I trust you, Eric.” She reassured him, hoping to ease out of him to speak his mind. Any other time he gave his thoughts freely and unapologetically so she was concerned about the sudden hesitance. It was in his stance, his shoulders, his tight grimace. Eric has proven to be fearless over and over again within their travels. More fearless than even Ghoul herself could be sometimes; so, she wondered what ate at him this way.

“Then perhaps we should continue a different path.” He let out with a breath of relief as if it had pained him to hold it in for so long. “The Queen Regiment’s games are no fool’s play. The way they watch you here. It is a cause of concern.”

“Concern?” Ghoul absorbed Eric’s warning. He was usually the first to claim within the group he knows not of what the next step they should take but it seemed the large pawn used his ignorance as a defense. “Do you no longer believe in me?”

“What?” Eric broke his stare at the wanning fire and turned his blue glacier eyes onto her. There was a flash of pain that decorated his face. “I stand by you and only you. My thoughts are only of you, Arisen.”

“What a plague it must be then.” Ghoul muttered softly. She closed the space between them and reached towards his face, naturally Eric leaned in freely allowing her touch. Her fingers gently moved a stray of hair that hung near his eyes. “You should think of other things. Your health. Your safety.”

“A plague that I will let consume me with pleasure. Forgo my health and my safety. It does not matter if it hinders your success.” His large hand wrapped around her wrist to hold her in place and Eric continued his gaze into her golden eyes. His eyes spoke more than his lips did and she was curious of the exact thoughts that plagued her pawn. “I believe in your destiny and I will protect you till the end. But if I were to speak so freely, I do not recommend our current path. I do not wish to see ill fall upon you, my master.”  

“When will you call me by my name?” Ghoul scoffed softly in amusement. She had told it to him on many occasions at this point. She knew he knew it.

“Are you not hearing my words?” Eric asked with an edge of annoyance. There was his usual attitude, quick to change like the season.

“I do. I do.” Ghoul slowly pried his fingers off of her and he let go only to cross his arms against that broad stone chest of his. “I hear you.”

The writing bug has hit me today. It's long overdue. I have missed writing creatively.

[mirrorthoughts]

Snippet Monday

My dear @aurevell tagged me for a Snippet Sunday, so have a The little things snippet, even if it's late xD

He took a deep breath. "Okay… you'd need an Alpha though, right?" A nod. Stiles pressed his lips together. "And how would you… uh… bind yourself to a new Alpha? And how permanent is that? I mean. Can you leave your Alpha if you don't want to be bound to him?" He stopped in his pacing, brushing his hand over his short hair and wishing he hadn't shorn it quite as much. He'd always liked the sensation of hair tickling over the back of his hand. It was calming. "You have to submit to him." Derek sounded as if Stiles was trying to pull out his teeth. To be honest, Stiles also felt like he was pulling out Derek's teeth, one after another, weird fact after weird fact. "That doesn't sound pleasant," he admited, but to his surprise Derek shrugged. "It is pleasant to have an Alpha. To give someone control over you for what they provide." Alright, that sounded too much like some kind of BDSM-shit for Stiles' taste. Definitely not his kink. Weird to think of it as something that knitted a whole family group together. Even if BDSM wasn't strictly only a sexual practice - as far as he knew, which wasn't much because he had yet to fall down that special rabbit hole and now the questions were scratching at the back of his head to lure him into research. His eyes flickered over to the computer. Nonononono! He had more important things to do!

No tagging today, because Mondays are rough enough (mine included - somehow today is just one of those days for me), but have a great weak my lovelys! 💕

[greyeyedmonster-18]

(belated snippet sunday, tagged by: @sequinhaze)

“For God’s sake, Lupin! What the hell is going on out there!” Coach Moody shouted, as the football beaned Longbottom in the back of the head, instead of going over the defensive line into the hands of Regulus over by the 30 yard line.

Everyone who had a whistle blew it, everyone who had a voice used it, and every player with a set of arms, shoved Remus for the boneheaded mistake.

Maybe the radio hosts were right in that without the adrenaline, Remus couldn’t make heads or tails of anything. There were too many bodies. Too many sounds and Remus could barely see over anything.

“What are you doin, son?” Coach Potter asked loudly, standing in front of Remus and Remus tried not to look as dazed as he felt through the bars of his face mask.

“I-I didn’t see the linebacker.”

“Didn’t see him? He’s bigger than my backyard, Lupin!” exclaimed Moody, blowing his whistle again for emphasis.

[justallihere]

“You’ve been the queen of Tyrrendor for two months, Violet. You’d think your tolerance for betraying Navarre might be a bit higher by now.”

[ghcstao3]

dragon shifter!ghost is indeed being written <3

[rollercoasterwords]

monday snippet

@fruityindividual ty 4 the tag posting here of course tho…here’s a bit of wfrau ch 25 (spoiler warning etc):

“Alright,” Sirius says, again, once Potter finishes speaking. He turns towards the door, expectantly—the wards are still up, and he’ll need Potter to remove them to get out. But the other man hesitates, seeming suddenly unsure.

“Hang on,” he says, haltingly, “There’s…here.”

He’s pulling something out of his pocket. An envelope. He passes it over, and Sirius accepts, automatically. The name Remus is written on the front.

“It’s a letter,” Potter says, though Sirius is only half-listening. “You left it for him, but he didn’t…well. I thought you might want it back. Might help fill in some of the gaps.”

“Thanks,” Sirius hears himself say.

no-pressure tags…if any of u r writing something & you’d like 2 share etc: @steelycunt @sectoren @twisted-tales-told @pretentiouswreckingball

[persephoneflouwers]

Sunday Snippet

LIKE CHERRY BLOSSOMS by PERSEPHONEFLOUWERS

Written for the @omegaharryfest , coming soon.

“Look at that. Still in the realm of the living, then” Zayn runs a hand through his hair, and confidently strides towards them. The threatening shield peeks out from behind his shoulders. “The ungifted Prince.”

Louis snorts. Was it supposed to sound like an insult or something?

“Don’t say that, Z.,” Harry whispers. He sounds out of breath and seems unsure. Louis smells he’s getting more nervous by the second.

“Why, H? It’s the truth.”

“Zayn,” Louis interjects. He knows very well he can defend himself. “Did you forget that I don’t give a shit about that, huh? I thought you could come up with something more…creative.”

Louis's eyes flicker over to Harry, his gaze lingering for just a moment. His alpha kicks in his chest, when the smell of Harry's distress reaches the subtle scent of unease wafting through the air. Without saying a word, Louis knows that it should be his turn to step in, to offer comfort and protection.

“None of this creative nonsense, Louis,” Zayn says, “You’ve never been worthy.”

And this might as well be said inside his mind, because he feels the world grow suffocatingly quiet, as if the air itself has been sucked away. Shadows creep along the walls, devouring any trace of light.

Aracne.

TAGS: Ex married to lovers, Royalty with mentions of superpowers, mythology, mythological creatures as pets/weapons (lmao), Infertility, mpreg, mating cycles, side ziam, side shiall, mentions of war, dual POV, war and fights, plot twist, main character death (or is it??? Not sure how to say this), non traditional ABO dynamics which means omegas are not simply cute pretty little things, but bad ass intimidating warriors and alphas are basically the commoners lucky enough to marry them :)

[hippolotamus]

Moodboard Monday

share a moodboard as well as a snippet from the fic it’s for! Also using this as my Tease Tidbit Tuesday.

Thanks for the tag (and game!) @gayedmundodiaz

From my unnamed Lutalia fic. Prev snippet here. NSFW snippet under the cut 😉

This Lucy can do. She’s confident about her abilities and desires in the bedroom. Or wherever she happens to be. She also recognizes Natalia believing she wants control. But Lucy knows better, knows Natalia prefers taking orders rather than giving them. That much had become clear the very first time they fucked in a single occupancy bar bathroom.

Lucy shivers, recalling how beautifully obscene Natalia looked leaning over the sink, gripping the porcelain edges while Lucy ordered her to watch in the mirror and stay quiet. The way Natalia’s perfect mouth hung open, contorted in pleasure as Lucy played with her nipple, rubbing her through damp lace panties until she came with a silent cry.

God, Nat was so good for her. So fucking obedient kneeling on the floor, eating her out while Lucy held her loosely by a handful of unruly curls.

It was possibly the closest thing Lucy ever had to a religious experience and what made her seek Natalia out again and again until they agreed to exclusively fuck each other.

no pressure tagging @thewolvesof1998 @disasterbuckdiaz @daffi-990 @wikiangela @ladydorian05 @malewifediaz @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @stereopticons @elvensorceress @giddyupbuck @monsterrae1 @spagheddiediaz @spotsandsocks @chaosandwolves @wildlife4life @heartshapedvows @loserdiaz @your-catfish-friend @statueinthestone @buddierights @hoodie-buck @the-likesofus @fionaswhvre @barbiediaz @eowon @honestlydarkprincess @spaceprincessem @pirrusstuff @jesuisici33 @apothecarose @watchyourbuck @weewootruck @exhuastedpigeon @underwater-ninja-13 @messyhairdiaz @fortheloveofbuddie @jamespearce9-1-1 @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @callmenewbie @vanillahigh00 and anyone else who wants to share

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippet Monday: Blackmail au

Prologue

"Travel the stars with us," the Precursors said, "Become one of us."

"I will," answered the hero, "but only on one condition: in the next iteration of this endless cycle, let the child have his family. Let at least one iteration of us know his father."

"If we allow this," said the Precursors, "you will still be the chosen hero. You will still hold the blood of Mar. And you will still suffer. But for one lifetime, we will let the child be a separate person, in exchange for your service in this lifetime."

"Then it is agreed," said the hero, and so the wheel of time turned, changing direction ever so slightly.

Part One: The Bargain

"Ah, there he is, right on schedule." Krew chortled as Jak slipped through the pub door.

There were a lot of people at the bar, all Wastelanders. Tess shot a worried look at Jak, but kept her bubbly smile up. What was going on? Were these friends of Sig’s? Jak wasn't so sure, considering the concerned grimace Sig was sporting.

One of the newcomers, a broad, scarred man with a drooping mustache, stood up and approached Jak slowly.

"Yep," he drawled, circling the boys, "Nipper's got the eyes alright. Same jaw, too." He snorted. "Heh. And here I was afraid you was losin' your touch, Krew. Right. We'll take 'im."

"Excuse me?" Daxter sputtered.

"Sorry, Jak," Krew said without the slightest shred of sincerity, "But after that little racing stunt of yours, I had to do some thinking. I've got a lot of money riding on Errol winning that final race. I'm afraid you've just become too expensive to keep on. No hard feelings, eh? It's just business."

"Ok?" Jak eyed the Wastelanders suspiciously. "And that's supposed to keep me from racing because...?"

"Because you're under new management, shall we say." Krew gestured to the Wastelanders. "Don't think of it as being fired! Think of it as a transfer of sorts."

Daxter bristled. "You wanna run that by us again, Morning Breath?"

Instead, the Wastelander turned on his heel to face Krew. "Now, you an' me, we both know you're askin' too high for the state the brat's in. Come on, Krew, you ain't fed him this whole time?"

Jak went rigid and began to back towards the door. Whatever was happening here, he wanted no part of it.

"Well it's wholly up to your lord's discretion, of course," Krew said, oily smooth, "If you can't come up with the price, I'm sure the Baron would pay fairly for a soldier of Jak's caliber."

One of the women at the bar laughed meanly. "Lordship said you might say that. He also said to remind you that you could do that, but only if you feel like being hanged with your own entrails."

Krew fanned himself and hovered higher. "Oh dear me, that sounds like bad blood, doesn't it? Speaking of blood, you'd best get moving if you don't want to lose the boy, there. I'm not responsible for losses incurred during pickup."

Jak had barely gotten out the door before they were on him. Someone grabbed Daxter from his shoulder, and four more sets of hands pinned his arms. These weren't weak, exhausted Havenites. Or indolent KG looking for excitement. These were real Wastelanders, and they were more than a match for Jak's struggles.

"Let him go, rot you!" he snarled, lunging for the woman holding Daxter by the scruff, "Get your hands off him!"

"Easy, boy, easy." The woman took a step back. "Just gonna hang onto Shorty here as insurance."

Sig finally managed to push his way through the crowd and elbowed one of Jak's captors in the gut, hard. As the man doubled over, Sig ripped his hands off of Jak's arm.

"Hands off my rookies," he hissed.

"Sig, w- what- what- what-" Jak could barely speak. Rage and terror constricted his lungs, his throat.

"I don't know, cherry." Sig shook his head grimly. "But I'm gonna find out. No matter what happens, you stick close to me and do as I do, okay? We're gonna get you through this."

Then he shoved the rest of the Wastelanders away, one by one. They parted like wheat before the wind, like they knew Sig. Like they respected him. The second he was free, Jak had to lock his knees to keep from collapsing. He couldn't even bring himself to be angry that they could all see him trembling uncontrollably. Krew had sold him to Wastelanders like a piece of meat. Like a slave. What would happen to the search for the Tomb if he was imprisoned in the Wastes? Would The Shadow force the Kid to search in Jak’s stead? He wouldn't put it past him, not after the jobs they'd sent him to do.

"Oh, I do so love facilitating family reunions!" Krew cooed, hovering at the door, "It warms the heart! And me wallet!"

He waggled his fingers meaningfully and cast greedy eyes over a trunk the one called Kleiver kicked in his direction.

"Mmyes, tell your liege lord I'll keep me eyes peeled for the smaller brat, eh?"

Jak's already chilled blood froze. He lunged for Krew, barely restrained by Sig at the last second.

"Don't touch him!" he growled, "Don't you even look at him! I'll kill you! I'll rotting kill you!"

Jak didn't see the Wastelanders around him, even Sig, suddenly exchange extremely grim looks. But when Sig tugged him away from the bar and towards the waterfront, he knew something had changed.

"Quiet, cherry," Sig hissed in his ear. "You're gonna have the Guard down on us with that yelling, and I don't want to give Krew any ideas about collecting that bounty on you!"

They had to physically drag him into the air train, and even that was only possible because the woman holding Daxter captive went in first. Cursing Sig every step, Jak struggled in vain to get his arms free.

"Jak!" Sig finally exploded, "Knock it off! We're trying to save your ass, here!"

"I didn't ask for your help!" Jak aimed a kick behind him and met hard metal armor. Memories of the prison clawed at the edge of his mind, threatening to pull him back into a dark place.

"You have no right-! You can't buy- you- you-"

His breathing became rapid and labored. "I am not a thing!" he screamed, finally breaking free.

Seconds too late. The hatch was closed.

"Jak! Jak, look at me, kiddo, look at me!" Sig desperately tried to grab his arm.

"I don't know what's going on, you gotta believe me. But I know Krew wasn't joking about selling you to Praxis, and I'd die before I let that bastard get his hands on you again."

Kleiver curled his lip at them from across the hold. "Paid a ransom that coulda fed a garrison for a month and this is the thanks we get? Ungrateful brat is what you are."

Sig glared at him. "Ransom?! You walked in there talking like an auction! Who's ransoming Jak?"

The woman holding Daxter spoke up.

"Lord Damas wants him. Krew contacted him, month back. Said he had proof the Heir of Mar abandoned a bastard son during the coup and if nobody came forward to "take responsibility", he'd out him to Praxis."

Jak went very, very still. Was Krew using him to defraud someone? Wouldn't be out of character. But where had he gotten the idea to pass Jak off as the lost Heir? And did that mean little Mar was abandoned? If he was, Jak knew he was going to make this so-called lord in question pay in blood for it.

"Jak? Bull. Damas lost the baby in the coup. He didn't abandon him." Sig snapped.

"Not on purpose, at least," Kleiver snorted. “If you was carryin’ a deposed king’s brat during a hostile takeover, would you say anything?”

Sig tightened his jaw and said nothing.

Jak didn't know how long they were in the air train. He'd blocked everything out. The Wastelanders, Sig, even Daxter. He'd shut them out and retreated into the one corner of his mind where the darkness couldn't touch him. The place where he remembered the sound of the ocean, and warm waves against his ankles. He was free there, and they couldn't take the sea from him.

When they landed, he didn't even notice until a blinding light pierced the hold-

Along with the smell of salt air.

Jak raised his head slowly, squinting through hanks of hair into the light. His free place in his mind didn't have the smell of the sea. Why did he smell salt?

"Everybody out!" Kleiver bellowed, "You know I don't like monks, so let's get this over with, yeah?"

Sig wrapped an arm around Jak’s shoulders and pulled him to his feet. "Stay close, kids," he murmured, and Jak finally realized that now he had Daxter. "I...don't know what to tell you. But I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep you two safe, okay?"

They exited onto a spire of rock, high above what seemed like an endless stretch of desert on one side, and a turbulent sea on the other. A Precursor temple sat before them, surrounded by ruined columns and porticos. Three zoomer-like vehicles were parked near a tiny natural waterfall, which seemed to mean something to the Wastelanders.

"Welp. He's already here." The woman in the yellow turban sighed. "Fingers crossed this checks out, everybody."

She waved to Sig.

"Get him inside before noon, huh? I don't feel like losing a layer of skin to the sun, thanks."

It was nearly ten degrees colder inside the temple. Personally, Daxter thought the weird people dressed in rubber emanated half the chill themselves. One of them approached Sig, holding a small plastic cup. Their eyes flicked to Jak, and they held out the cup with a bored expression.

"Blood or saliva sample," they said flatly.

Jak balked. "What?"

Sig cringed. "They want to...to see if you're who Krew claimed you are. Just...spit in the cup, kid. Their computer will tell them if Krew was lying or not."

When it became clear that the monk wasn’t going to leave until they got what they were after, Jak begrudgingly spat into the cup. The monk exited the chamber without a word.

Jak spent the next three hours huddled in an alcove, behind a small Precursor statue. He clung to Daxter like a lifeline, glaring out at the monks and Wastelanders watching him and whispering amongst themselves. Any time one came close, Jak scooted further back into the cloister. None of them looked small enough to get around the statue at the mouth. They couldn't reach him here.

One man in particular wouldn't stop staring at them. He had a commanding presence, despite not being the tallest or broadest in the room. Scars decorated his face and arms, and sharp points of Precursor metal had been set into his skull. Which was admittedly kind of badass. He watched Jak with dark, piercing eyes and a hard set to his jaw. When a monk placidly paced forward and presented the man with a datapad, murmuring, "Positive match, sire," the man's eyes darkened further.

He turned on his heel and disappeared through a door.

"Sire?"

"I'm going to pray," the man snapped in a rough voice. "Leave me. And get the boy some water, for the gods' sake!"

Was that the man who had supposedly paid a ransom for him? Jak retreated into the very back of the cloister and buried his face in Daxter's fur.

"Rot this day. Rot this whole rotting week," he mumbled.

"You said it, pal." Dax wrapped his arms around Jak’s neck and tried to comfort him. "Hey, they made me spit in a cup too! You think their computer will tell them I'm an ottsel? Or a human?"

Jak blinked. "Uh....how smart are computers supposed to be?"

"Like. As smart as Vin, I think?"

Jak shrugged, grateful for the distraction. "Maybe. That'll freak ‘em out, huh?"

"Oh yeah. So what do you think is up with Spikes? Wrong answers only."

"Wrong only? Uh...he just found out he's part marmoset."

"Or his application for a piercing refund was rejected."

"Or," Sig interrupted flatly, "he just found out he had a kid he didn't know was alive, and he's dealing with a lot of guilt right now."

Sig crouched at the mouth of the cloister and looked in at them. He seemed to have aged years since that morning. He held out a hand and sighed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.

"Come on out kiddo. We're gonna get you some food, some-"

He closed his eye and shook his head. "Volcan's bones. I...I didn't know- none of us did...gods, he must've snatched you the same year we lost Mar-"

"Mar?" Jak interrupted sharply, "What do you know about Mar?"

When Sig looked up again, Jak was shaken to see tears in his eye.

"I ain't talking about the founder of Haven, cherry. And I don't think you are, either."

He sniffed and cleared his throat. "Little thing. So...he's so- he was so small. Sweetest little kid you ever met, always getting into trouble."

He cleared his throat again and tapped his cybernetic eye. "Only takes a moment. You look away one minute. Not even one full minute. And that's all it takes for the world to end. Praxis sympathizers ambushed us. Shot out my eye and took- took Mar. We never saw him again. But...but I think you did."

Jak's stomach churned, and the world began to spin. Mar? The little boy he'd been so desperate to protect? This had to be some kind of trick, they were trying to trick him into giving up Mar's location so they could get to the Tomb. Daxter's claws dug into his arm, pulling him back to earth before the dark eco could take over.

"I have to go back-" Jak croaked, "You have to take me back- take me back! Take me back! I can't leave him alone!"

Sig shifted and looked up at someone just out of sight.

"I was right," he said heavily, "He knows something."

Next >

[puddleslimewrites]

Day Off

A throat cleared behind them and Villain turned, arms spread in a grand gesture of welcome. "Ah, Hero. Just who I-"

"Why are you causing trouble on my day off?"

Villain blinked at the abrupt interruption. Frowning, they took a moment to observe Hero's appearance.

They were dressed in pajamas. Though it was approaching noon, their sleep clothes were wrinkled, hair tossled like they just rolled out of bed. The sturdy boots they wore with thick soles were replaced by a pair of fuzzy pink bunny slippers. All in all, they looked wildly out of place. In fact, the only indication that they were on duty was the badge on their chest that cleared them to bypass the police baracade and step onto the crime scene.

Hero crossed their arms, waiting.

"Erm..." Villain hadn't been expecting this attitude. This wasn't a part of their script at all. Scrambling to regain their stance, they drew themself up to their full height. "I needn't explain myself to you. However, I will let you kn-"

"A hostage? Really?"

The eyebrow raised in their direction left Villain feeling insulted. How dare they! They put so much work into setting this all up, and what do they get? Hero barely spared them a glance and now-

Villain saw the punch coming but they could swear that Hero seemed to move faster in those damned fuzzy flip flops than they ever had in their suit.

~

It didn't take long for Hero to subdue them. They dusted off their hands and glared down at the villain, now bound and held in place by two of the responding officers.

"Anything to say before I go?" It was gracious of them, really, to hear their enemy out. Their free time was still slowly dwindling down, after all.

Villain refused to meet their eye. They were most certainly not pouting as they grumbled, "If you were busy, they could have sent Other Hero."

Other Hero wouldn't have been ideal - they'd staged all this to catch Hero's attention - but Hero didn't need to know that.

Hero shook their head, the scowl from earlier quickly returning to their face. "Other Hero is still injured from their last fight, so I had to take the call with no one else in this sector."

Villain looked absolutely pitiful the way they wilted under Hero's gaze. Hero knew not to fall for it - this villain was known for their trickery on top of the theatrics. Still, they offered them a small appeasement as they turned to go back home.

"Next time, pick a Monday," they said off-hand. "I never have those off."

They didn't see the way Villain's face brightened and paid no attention to the shouts of alarm from behind them as they left the scene. With their badge shoved deep into the pocket of their pajama pants, Hero squinted up at the sun. They still had some time left. Good.

As far as they were concerned, they were done for the day. They showed up and took care of the threat. Now they were going back to sleep.

[amethystpath-writes]

Bread and Eggs

(NOT A PR0MPT)

******

It started with the ringing of Villain’s phone. He wasn’t surprised to see Hero’s name pop up. He admired the too-small circle with her picture on it. It was impossible to tell by looking at the emblem, but Villain knew it was a picture from their first date.

To think it had been five years ago...

Villain’s picture on Hero’s phone had been a more recent photo, one from their engagement. An image of him kneeling with the classic black velvety case. It was warm the day of their engagement- Villain didn’t dare propose on a cold day; it would have led to an obvious refusal.

He used to joke that warmth was the only reason Hero even liked him. “You scorn me constantly,” Villain would tease. “You only like me because of the heat I so generously produce.”

“As if you have any control over it! You can’t help that you’re so warm, but it is definitely a plus,” she would ultimately agree.

Now, they were married- and, oh, hadn’t it been a dream? Looking for homes, buying a home, getting groceries, coming home to one another, holding each other at the end of the day. It was all Villain wanted in life, and for so long, it seemed impossible. Yet, here they were; her joyful face was beaming at his under the name ‘Love of my life’.

Answering the phone, Villain jokingly began, “Yes, honey, I remembered to get the bread and eggs.”

The voice that answered wasn’t Hero’s.

***

[theicarusconstellation]

monday snippet

thank you for the tag my kit @ninety-two-bees <3

They lay in silence, James’ fingers still running through Regulus’ hair, and eventually, Regulus does fall asleep. It is only for a short while, but it rejuvenates him more than a full night could due to James’ presence. When he stirs, James has not moved. He still studies Regulus with a tender gaze and waits attentively as he wakes.

“Good morning. Again,” he teases. Regulus wrinkles his nose and blinks the sleep from his eyes.

“Kiss please,” he mumbles, still half-asleep. James chuckles, tugging him closer and giving him a long, deep kiss as he sits them both up and pulls Regulus into his lap. Regulus protests the movement, but the feeling of leaning his back against James’ chest is quite nice, and he gives in to the protective embrace.

fic: and though i burn, how could i fall?

npt: @ecstarry @regscupid @magswrite @spacexcowgirl @bellaxisworld @drowninginthoughts27 and anyone else who’d like to join <3