#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! ♡♡♡

[worfs-glorious-hair]

Snippet Sunday… eh Monday

I was tagged by the fabulous @optimisticgrey to share a writing snippets and since time is relative and a social construct am I still posting something 💜

Tagging (in case you haven’t done it yet and have WIPs you want to share) @astarioffsimpmain @saintsandsorcery @ladylucksrogue and anyone else who wants to share their writing with the world 🤩💖

The following is a snippet from an OS currently titled “You are enough” and features druid!Tav with their own secrets, Gale and an enchanted meadow in act 2 👀

His brows furrow together and he is silent for a moment.

“You…”, he seems lost for words, I don’t think I have ever seen him speechless before.

“You have never been with anyone? You of all people? Apologies, I just assumed…”, he was trailing off, struggling for words.

“I’ve seen the way people look at you, the way our companions all wanted to invite you to private moments, sharing wine and bodies. I suppose I wasn’t so different to them after all. And I assumed since you must have had the world to choose from all of your life, judging from the behaviour of our companions that, well…”

Gale looked at me, eyes big and wet and his shoulders dropped.

“I am sorry I assumed details of your private life that are only your concern”, he said as his demeanour changed.

His eyes were suddenly burning into mine and he made a careful step closer to me.

I felt myself move towards him.

“What makes you think that I would want you any less after you would share this personal, intimate detail with me?”, he suddenly asks with a low voice.

“I haven’t said that”, I croak out but he is right, of course he is, this was my only fear.

“But your eyes have”, he said softly, a gentle smile dancing over his lips.

“I guess I was afraid”, I begin to answer. “Afraid that you would want an experienced lover, not some druid with the romantic experience of a fawn…”

He looks at me perplexed.

“I want you! Please, you have to know that I meant what I said – I am in love with you! All of you is what I adore, all the secrets you hide —“

This was my only secret, I promise”, I interrupt him and Gale shakes his head with a smile.

“And even if it wasn’t, they are a part of you, you, the one I love, you, the one I want to look at for the rest of my life…”, he answers and points to me on each ‘you’.

My heart races and my soul can not believe it’s luck and I smile, without my doing, without any control of my features.

Happiness is seeping out of me and into the world around me, I can not look away from Gale and his sincere eyes on me.

“And I also meant what I have said”, I tell him, “I am in love with you, too! And I will not allow you to blow yourself up, we will find another way! This will not be the end, not for you, not for me, not when we just found each other!”

[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

[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".

[rd-eternity]

🐺

🐺use the wolves of war 🐺

"I hated you."

Theo's eyes shift upwards to Malia's, hands pausing the bandaging he's doing around her leg. Her heart doesn't waver, she's not lying, but her chemosignals aren't afraid or angry, but something Theo can't quite recognize. The eye contact for only a moment is too much, and he ducks his head, resuming wrapping the long slash on her calf.

"Theo?"

He hums in response, not sure what to say. With all he did to the pack, with him being the reason they're here at all and the cause of her wounds today, there's nothing he can respond.

Her hand on his stops his movement, but he still doesn't look at her. "Theo, we're getting out of this, together." Her heart doesn't skip. "I trust you."

[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.

[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.

[tealeavesandtrash]

✨ Monday Snippet ✨

Thank you for the tags @magicbeings @quiethauntings !! Most of my wips are fest stuff so they’re hush hush at the moment, but I have been throwing about some ideas for a BS&FP sequel. So happy Moony Day!!! Have some book shop domestic fluff!!

No pressure tags: @marigold-hills @goldenprophetwrites @veganbutterchicken @diamondmeadow

“My dad’s coming to visit soon,” Remus says as he prepares dinner. “He wants to meet you, so consider this your two day warning to plan some last minute excuse to not be here.”

Sirius hums. He’s leant over the counter, focused on today’s crossword as he waits patiently for Remus to finish cooking (the one in the muggle paper because Remus has always found The Daily Prophet to be rather lacking in the puzzle department). Remus knows what he’s doing without looking, is so used to their combined routine by now.

“You embarrassed by me?” Sirius asks, but there’s a teasing in his tone—voice light and airy.

“No,” Remus corrects firmly. “It’s just…” he pauses, hand circling in the air as he tries to think of the word but fails to come up with anything.

Sirius pushes off the counter and Remus maps his movement by the sound of his steps, until Sirius comes to rest his chin on Remus’ shoulder, peering over to watch the sausages sizzling in the frying pan.

“I want to meet your dad,” Sirius says quietly when Remus’ words fail him. “I think it’ll be fun.”

[gaefandomlover]

Snippet tuesday

tagged by @thiamsxbitch and @ksbbb

---

Just as Chris parked outside of Theo’s house, his audio picked up the thud, confirming his suspicions that Theo was inside. Chris immediately sent a message to Liam.

“Theo’s inside. He just fell!”

Liam replied instantly, “I’ll alert Mason. We can be there in five minutes, maybe less.”

“My thermal camera is picking up Theo’s heat signature on the second floor. He has fallen and hasn’t moved. His condition is worsening, and we’ll need all the help we can get.”

“Should we dispatch our EMTs?” Liam asked,

“Hold off for now. Let’s wait until you and Mason are here before we dispatch them. We may not need them.”

“Copy that.” Liam replied, “Mason and I are gearing up now,”

npt or if you’ve already been tagged: @clairemcbear02 @axxxx13, @maxity @shinigamimailjeevas, @7upslut @fhaf123

[vulcanette]

🎥: @ bonnybonesknits

[thewintersoldierdisaster]

William has a size kink. As he pounds you into the mattress, he fucking loves that bulge on your stomach. "Do you feel me inside of you?" he'd ask, keeping his hand steady on your stomach. "Yeah, you're just gonna take it aren't you?". You'd moan in response, your body arching into his. He'd continue to thrust, your body trembling with pleasure. He'd reach down and grab a fistful of your hair, pulling your head back as he pushed inside. Somewhere in the distance Alex caught them again lol

oh god 😵‍💫

william is the size kink king!!! he absolutely loves seeing the bulge in your stomach when he’s balls deep in you, pressing down on the outline to drive you both crazy

he loves feeling like he has you caged in

the initial push of his cock head in your tight cunt is like ecstasy, when he has to stretch you out again after a few days of him being on the road? that’s his favorite because it always makes his cock swell and thicken inside of you

he keeps you pressed in certain positions that make you feel even tighter and when you clench around him it’s all he can do not to come in seconds

“big stretch, älskling, okay,” he coos as he punches into you in one quick thrust

“you can take it,” he murmurs when you whine that it’s not going to fit (your favorite game, pretending that this is the time you’re going to have to tap out) “take every inch of this dick”

he doesn’t care who can hear you when you’re moaning and shouting his name - the feeling of his cock being strangled by your cunt is too good for him to worry about anything else

(and alex, when he gets a little bolder, a little cockier, comments “y’know, i’m taller than willy, bigger in other places too, if you need more of a stretch”) ���

[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 >

[rd-eternity]

👓

👓death through red tinted glasses 👓

"What happened to you?"

Theo's staring, mouth agape, at Liam and Mason, the former of whom has eyes wide in confusion. Mason can't see Theo, after all he's dead, but so is Liam. No student at Beacon Hills High should be able to see any of the ghosts.

What makes Liam the exception?

[inafieldofdaisies]

Moodboard Monday | Tagged by @neonshrike

WIP: In Hope of Tomorrow / [Redacted Baby Boy]

“Get up.” “You're not here.”, was all he could muster as he tried to ignore her lurking in his peripheral. On most days he welcomed her presence, but not on that one. Not when he couldn't even keep track how long he had been underground anymore. Not when the Herald had taken great pleasure in rubbing that fact in. “It doesn't matter. Get up.”, she moved over to him soundlessly, a determined look on her face, “You promised. You promised you will live. You promised you will make him pay.”

Tagging, @socially-awkward-skeleton @strangefable @lilywatt @imogenkol

@killyourrdarlingss @katsigian @derelictheretic @carlosoliveiraa @voidika

@aceghosts @josephslittledeputy @josephseedismyfather @trench-rot

@theelderhazelnut @raresvtm @cassietrn @g0dspeeed @direwombat

@purplehairsecretlair @la-grosse-patate @elligatorrex @mkdecimation @simplegenius042

@simonxriley @cloudofbutterflies92 @shellibisshe and anyone that would like to do the tag 🤍

[dreamyelectronicmusic]

i just reread one word from you and it’s so fucking good i cried so much. thank you for blessing the word with that🙏

Thank you so much anon, you have no idea what this message means to me. I literally cried because of that fic today as well 😭 I don't know why I suck so much at finishing fics but I will finish this one if it kills me (it might).

Here's a snippet from the next chapter just for you, though whether it will make it to the final draft and when it will be out is anyone's guess.

Simon’s thoughts were probably headed in a similar direction, because after a moment of aimless stroking through an uneven patch of hair on Wille’s breastbone, he murmured, “How long can you stay?” Wille could barely contain the thrill that went through him at the words. Simon wanted him to stay. Even if he decided he preferred not to see him again after today, he wanted him to stay for now, and that was enough. “As long as you let me.” There was a meeting later this afternoon that he really should be at, given that it was about him, but if Simon still wanted him here by then, he would figure something out. He may never get another chance to spend time with Simon; he wouldn’t let this one slip through his fingers. Simon let out a little hum that was almost a laugh. His breath tickled the skin on Wille’s chest. “I’m serious.” “Me too,” Wille said, allowing his arm to curl around Simon’s shoulders a little tighter. “I’m not giving up a single second you’re willing to give me.” Simon lifted his head to look at him, emotions flickering across his face, and Wille thought with a pang that maybe he shouldn’t have said that. It was too much, too earnest. He didn’t want to make it hard for Simon to reject him, if that was what he wanted to do.

[ksbbb]

Several Sentence Sunday Monday

Tagged by @honestlydarkprincess

“Trying to freeze me to death?” Liam frowns, but he’s halfway into a smile and Theo perks up at his change of attitude.

“You did ruin my door.” Theo dramatically cringes, helping himself into the shower with Liam.

“That was you. Making a point without thinking it through.” Liam mentions, giving a small nod to move since Theo is in the way when he’s trying to get warmer now that the water isn’t freezing.

“Let's not fight.” Theo takes a washcloth and runs it over Liam’s shoulder, the gentle feel of the water caressing his skin.

“I’m not fighting.” Liam grumbles, as Theo gives him a look and nods.

Water trickles down Theo’s nose, mesmerizing Liam. He lets him lean in, licking the bottom of the chimera’s lip.

Tongues and warm mouths explore each other’s bodies, the electric pull of Theo still there, and warming all the right places.

“I will admit I think you’re the closest I’ve ever been to someone.” Theo says, a pleased groan echoing from Liam’s lips, and another twist of heat burning through his body when he meets Theo’s lips again.

“Maybe If you tone it down a bit it would help.” Liam laughs, as Theo narrows his eyes.

The shower turns into more of an exploratory shower than a real one, but he’s left shivering from it and not because of the cold this time.

Tagging @thiamsxbitch @maplesyrizzup @wolfboy88 @chasing-chimeras @theoceanismyinkwell @mmoosen @hemlocksandfoxgloves @fruchtfliege