iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 22m

#WIPSnips Grilled and Garlic are looking at an alchemy book when they meet an unexpected visitor. A certain woman who snuck in, invisible, and made herself visible to make a deal with the boys... (this woman is Cookie, btw. This is her introductory scene)

Welcome to the Good Thyme Inn

“We’d love to have a Shroud potion, but we need a Lost potion first. Can you make that one?”
She nodded vigorously. “Oh yes! I brewed one not long ago for myself. This part of Aloutia is a good place to brew Lost. The ingredients are plentiful here. Mm, well, except for one. I may need to scout your markets. I do not think Neuropteran shield caps grow here, though it can’t hurt to check your forest.”
Garlic swallowed frightfully. “Be careful if you go into the forest. It belongs to the baron and his guards might arrest you if they think you’re poaching his game, logging, or collecting illegal plants. Wait, the ingredient isn’t illegal, is it?”
The Homopteran leaned over the table, elbows out at sharp angles. Her arm-strings glistened in the green chandelier light above. The boys imagined she was glaring, but those huge, round compound eyes never changed. Never showed emotion.
“That’s why I use Shroud potions when I travel. Nobody must see me. I am only allowing you to see me now because I saw you poring over that alchemy book and—well, I was hoping you’d let me take a peek at it if I offered to help you.”

Cookie and Cream from the Good Thyme Inn books. This art was made by Flaremarant. Cookie is a brown-chitin-skinned insect girl. She has compound red eyes, clear membranous wings, curly orange hair, and segmented limbs. Behind her is Cream, a fluffy white cat with four big blue eyes. Cream is equipped with a harness with some ingredients and a lantern with a white light. All around them, there are mushrooms of a variety of colors and shapes. Amanitas, morels, inkcaps, polypores, etc. It's a very colorful and awesome piece.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 1h

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "guardsman" -- The Ancients have an army of guardsmen who work magic for and protect them. They have been working with Invelisians to help rebuild after the last war. Radomir is the angry recruit here. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Josef’s calm shattered unexpectedly when one of his hardest workers threw his shovel to the ground and turned on a guardsman who was chanting near him.
“Would you just get off my back, man?”
Josef recognized the angry young man as one of their newest recruits, and despite his hard work, he had been giving them the most trouble.
An ancient guardsman halted his focus and slowly turned his head toward the agitated recruit. “I said nothing to you, young man.”

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L.M. du Plessis 📚💙 ‪✨Writing TLC Sequel✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 5h

G'afternoon #TFOTsnip! Milly not feeling all that stable after a bit of an encounter with some strange animal behavior. #writesky #writingprompts #writingcommunity

A flood of water invades my mouth and nose, and I splutter and cough back into consciousness in a panicked rush. I sit upright but feel a multitude of hands hold me stable on the back and shoulders, and moments pass before I’m able to clearly take in my surroundings. Those surroundings are occupied by my students standing in a circle around me, looking down on my sitting ass with far more concern than I deserve.
“What the- what happened? Everyone okay?” I ask, gaining me some confused looks.
“Yeah, we’re fine, are you okay?” Christine asks, clearly baffled and holding a dripping but empty bucket. I look at her, then set my mind to searching around my body for any sensory evidence of injury, besides the cold and wet from the water just used to revive me. Aside from soreness that I assume is from the fall, I don’t think I’ve been bitten by any of the snakes, although I’m unsure as to what that’d feel like.
Snakes.
Holy crap, we must be surrounded by snakes!

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TL Morganfield @stitchingfiend.bsky.social · 1h

Today's word is "stable". From the Bone Flower Trilogy. Some spoilery identity stuff about protagonist Quetzalpetlatl gets censored here, since this is from the last book of the trilogy. #writesky #writingprompts #TFOTSnip #writingcommunity

“I put myself out on a limb for you with Smoking Mirror, and now he thinks I’m some kind of fool!”

“Maybe you are.”

He flinched. “What did you say?” he hissed.

I tried to think of how the desire would have responded at that moment. “Are you a deaf fool too?”

Mextli flexed his hand, bringing a macuahuitl sword to his grip. “Do you want to die, [spoiler]?” he snarled.

“If you wouldn’t mind,” I said and raised my chin to expose my neck for the sword swipe.

But to my disappointment, he didn’t accept the invitation. Instead he stared back at me with ill-tempered confusion, but slowly the darkness leaked away. “Why would you say that?”

“Because nothing matters.”

He tossed aside the sword, and stepping up to me, he took hold of me by my arms. “What is going on, [spoiler]? Why are you acting like this? This isn’t you at all!”

“What does it matter?”

He gripped me a little tighter. “What happened?”

I shrugged. “I told her to go away, and she obliged me.”

“Told who?”

“The part of me that revels in performing disgusting, demeaning acts with humans; the part that takes pleasure in striking fear into hearts and takes joy in killing.”

He sighed. “Why would you do that?”

“What does it matter, really?”

The darkness crept back in as he said, “Because without her, you’re unbalanced. Yes, she’s extreme, but then so are you; you just tried to get me to kill you, for Mictlan’s sake! But together, you create one stable, balanced being. You need her, and she needs you.”

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K.A. Hela ✨ Finally Querying✨ @jundlife.bsky.social · 6h

Just some encouragement for all my peeps drafting and struggling with imposter syndrome. #writesky #writingcomminuty #witchsky

A witch pointing to the sky saying "it's always the muthafuckas with no magic trying to tell you what to do with yours"

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Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 3h

They quoted me in this New Yorker piece about AI today. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

“Let’s say there’s a world or time line I exist in where A.I. has been subject to regulation. It is ethical. It has no footprint environmentally,” the novelist Jeff VanderMeer, a prominent critic of A.I., told me over the phone. “With those guardrails in place, would I read an A.I. book? All I can say is no. And the reason is, in part, because I want to read something coming from a particular mind.” Using A.I., he said, “feels like a betrayal of the whole point of why you’re a writer.”

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Adregem ཐིཋྀ @adregem.bsky.social · 12h

This one is from All the King's Dead. Aneira and Rhodri are about to meet the Lich, and the guards they brought along "just in case" are proving to be not super brave. #WIPSnips #AmWriting #WritingPrompts #Writers #Writing #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #Fantasy #SFF #FantasySky

Cecil swept from the room, leaving them alone in the Lich’s study with two guards who were sweating like whipped horses and another one who was pale as unbaked meringue.
“Why did we bring them?” Aneira said from the corner of her mouth.
Rhodri responded with a spare shake of his head that said, “Quiet,” but before Aneira could feel the full breadth of the admonishment, heavy footsteps sounded in the doorway Cecil had just disappeared through.
The newcomer was four steps into the room before he noticed he wasn’t alone. He stopped walking, red-rimmed eyes drifting from one face to the next, landing on no one in particular.
“And where is Cecil?” he asked in a tired voice.

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🌱🫜 Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta 🦊🪻 @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 12h

September 30th – guard Conveniently, this picks up pretty much where yesterday left off! They probably should have just left the barefoot and hooded woman alone… #DawnsBlood #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

“Don’t be stupid.” Se’ul rolled his eyes. “We need to go.”
M’iol sighed. “Very well. You’re no fun, you know that?” Turning back to the girl one last time, he bent down and looked into her eyes. “Still, it’s a shame. Pretty thing like this, just going to rot in that tower for the rest of her life.”
At that, the woman leaned forward, ever so slightly, so that her lips touched his.
The guard seemed pleasantly surprised for a moment, returning the kiss willingly, but then it turned into something else. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him fast as he began to struggle, trying to pull away.
T’orrin watched, too stunned to even react, as the man’s struggle weakened and finally stopped. M’iol slumped against her, and she stepped back, letting him fall to the floor.
Se’ul shook himself and took a step towards the woman, drawing his blade. She turned and raised her hand, waving it almost dismissively. A flash of light arced between them, and the guard dropped to the ground.
She strolled over to the fallen man, pulled him up, and placed her mouth over his. This time, T’orrin didn’t mistake it for a kiss. It was closer to a bite, like she was consuming something, drawing it out of him.

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PJC Cahill @pjccahill.bsky.social · 12h

#WIPSnips -NICEF- Last snip for a while! Wish I could give more of the scene here, because it makes Blaire look weaker than she is. Alec may as well be royalty in the setting, and he's throwing his weight behind controlling her life. Buy: pjccahill.carrd.co

"W-well, if I'd been given the implant my doctors asked for, that neural-interface wouldn't have nearly killed me," Blaire managed with a little steel in her voice, but she was shaking, and it carried into her words. It infuriated her, but she couldn't overpower the fear completely.
"You were never going to be a pilot candidate, Blaire! Why would my family's company approve a combat-grade pacemaker? You're being foolish. Come, come, let me take you to Caduceus House. We'll get you proper medical care, and you'll be within reach if anything goes awry."
"I never agreed to this," Blaire rasped out, her shoulder coming up to instinctively guard against his presence.
Alec frowned, and abruptly grabbed the slack at her shoulder to wrench her to face him. She yelped, her fears flooding her mind as she stared up at his dark glare.
"Oh, so your family can afford that pacemaker after all? You got into Mercelo without my family's sponsorship?"
"I-I am fulfilling the obligation of the medical scholarship! You have no right to make me your fiance!" She tried so hard. She wanted her anger to give her strength, she put force into her words, but her heart was pounding through her chest, she was chilly with sweat, and she couldn't stop shaking.

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C Alexandra @nerdcactus.bsky.social · 12h

Just sneaking in here to actually post something for once before diving back into schoolwork. Help me. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writesky

Clara called for Eli’s help, wondering what was taking him so long. Eli motioned for Will to follow him and jogged the rest of the way to the Saloon, stepping through the doors like the sheriff in all the westerns. As if his presence alone would solve everything.

Judging by the way the room stilled and everyone looked up at him, Will had to wonder if it could. Clara knelt by a man, directing him to press a handkerchief into his side as she dug into her bag for whatever tools she needed. The bleeding man grit his teeth in pain but otherwise made no other concession to agony.

“It’s Al.” Another man called out to Eli. He was standing over the wounded man—the Albert of whom Eli spoke earlier, judging by the Union cavalry hat lying next him—preventing anyone from coming near. “Damned Reb stabbed him.” He gestured to the far end of the room, where a wiry fellow, whose pointed features rather reminded Will of a stoat, sat under guard by several of the townsfolk. “Went after Isaiah.” Another gesture, this time to a large black man in the near corner, tucked into the round table by the window. He had something against his eye.

Will’s stomach churned at the smell of booze and blood commingling in the air, but Eli made no sign of noticing it. “Jeb. Isaiah. Grab him. Clara, we’ll take him back to the homestead. Reverend, I’m going to need your gig. Everyone else, stand back. And keep Jeremiah still. He’s done enough damage this evening. We don’t need him doing anything to bring the Marshals down on us. Again.”

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Niki Bond @nikibond.bsky.social · 12h

#WIPSnips And just like that, Thavus was stuck with his dummy forever.

“Not like you gave me much of a choice,” Thavus mumbled. “But… I don’t mind being your friend.”

After taking a few deep breaths, Ifalde pulled away. A wide, wonderful smile had spread across his face, captivating Thavus in his electrifying might.

“I’m holding you to that,” Ifalde said, squeezing Thavus’ hand. “And I’m going to make you my bodyguard one day.”

His—

“H-hold on now!” Thavus protested. “You can’t just throw that on me! Even if I’m your friend now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to put up with your antics.”

“Sure I can. I’m the Conduit, remember? You get special privileges with me.”

“It isn’t a privilege if you’re the one deciding it.”

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Diane M. Johnson @caseyadamsstark.bsky.social · 12h

I’m reminded of the great Terry Pratchett with this #WIPSnips prompt, except my snip is nowhere near Pratchett-esque.

Then they arrived at the palenque gates. Conch shell horns bellowed. Signals were made, and guards pulled the gates open. Pedro paced through his stride with Smith by his side, then he caught sight of Esme stepping out from her garden in the distance. Pedro made the move to turn, to not face this dreaded responsibility, to walk away and to never look back. But Smith blocked him from behind.

Smith said nothing. Just a tilt of the head to coax Pedro’s resolve. Esmeralda was already closing in, demanding answers with her aggressive stride, until Pedro’s shoulders slumped. He shook his head, and she paused.

Esmeralda Le Francais closed her eyes. A deep breath. She met Smith at the center of the village plaza, chin up as he whispered details in her ear. The rest of the residents gathered, and Esmeralda ushered them to close in around her. "Our general claims victory," she shouted, and the community erupted with cheers.

She held her palms up to signal them to settle. Then, "Our captain is gone."

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J.M. Weaver 🪻🏳️‍⚧️🪻Savage as You is Out Now! @jmweaverauthor.bsky.social · 11h

#WIPSnips Another from my upcoming novella, Vitrified. In this scene, Helena is face to face with an entity we don't meet in Savage as You, known as The Gardener. I do so love designing monsters!

I dusted myself off, eyes fixated on the blade of the stone woman’s sheers. They less resembled a gardening tool than they did some kind of ornate version of typical stationery scissors, with pentagonal guards around the shanks and handles made of obsidian. Tall as a house, the statue-like entity carried the visage of a mourning woman donning a long veil that concealed her face, parted in the middle, although the face itself remained featureless, a crack jutting diagonally across. It wore a stone mourning dress, boots. The giant looked at me, fingers clenching around the sheers.
“Why have you come here, Human?” the statue asked, and as it spoke, a roaring flame flickered in the crack running across her face.

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Finn McLellan @saranadosfiction.com · 11h

#WIPSnips | guard Avebury's definitely up to something. The question is, what? ( saranadosfiction.com/2024/04/19/s... )

“Yes.” *Especially because, unlike Sabbat – and, apparently, Fest –* you *seem to be completely coherent.*

More evidence for his theory, that, and that wasn’t a good thing.

“Very well.” Another pause, and the sound of furniture being moved, and then the door swung open, revealing a barefoot and pyjama-clad Adam Avebury, wrapped in a dressing gown and with his loose hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. “There. Good enough for you?”

*What am I supposed to say to that?*

The Sinnlenst certainly *looked* sick – the dampness of his skin and the dark shadows under his eyes were proof enough of that – but there was something in the way he was behaving that didn’t entirely seem to fit that assumption, even leaving aside the fact that he was apparently capable of both being upright and knowing exactly where and when he was.

*But, then again, if he’s faking it, is that honestly a problem as long as he stays in his damn room?*

He didn’t like the idea of leaving Avebury alone up here, not with everyone else downstairs or otherwise occupied, but the idea of dragging him downstairs and into the same room as Fest and the others seemed like an even worse plan.

*We don’t have enough people to set a guard on him, not without arousing suspicion, and putting him anywhere near the kid he almost certainly just tried to kill* without *supervision is a fucking terrible idea.*

“You don’t look like you’re immediately about to keel over, I suppose,” he said, out loud.

“Good,” the Sinnlenst said, and slammed the door in his face.

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🫜Tara S Geir🫜 @tarasgeir.bsky.social · 11h

Alitzah tries to plan an attack but is talked out of it by her bodyguard, I’anthal. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

. All she had left were her sodden clothes and her brother’s dagger. Wilmot’s tastes had been more gaudy than practical; his amethyst encrusted dagger was no better than a letter opener. Certainly not sharp enough to slit a few Witherbeck throats as they slept.

She voiced that hope to I’anthal and he shook his head. The beads in his twin braids clattered at the motion. “They will have guards and you will do nothing worse than graze them,” I’anthal replied mildly. “My axe and short sword are no great weapons against them.” His deep blue eyes were wide open and honest. “We wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Then how will I rescue Arlais if all you'll let me do is follow?"

“Exactly,” I’anthal replied calmly. “We’ve seen their slaughter and we know what we have. Our lives and not much else. We can’t rush down, slaughter one maybe two. They will capture you, kill me and,” he gave her a lazy three fingered salute “I swore to the Three Mothers I’d protect you and I don't break my promises.”

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Silas Summers 🔞 @silassummersauthor.bsky.social · 10h

#WIPSnips - September 30, 2026 Daelan and Daxton are having a conversation about their life choices, specifically about children. Daelan is being a (loveable) shithead. #TheRomanticTalesSeries #OwnVoice #WritingCommunity

“You don’t strike me as the ‘have kids’ kind of guy. Or maybe I am mistaken.” His eyes widen as he starting stumbling on his words , “Sorry, that sounded awful. I’m not saying you would be a bad dad or anything and if you want kids, that’s super cool. You just never seemed like the type to want kids. But, I guess that would have changed in the last six years…” He is rambling and I find myself with a small smile on my face despite myself.

“Nah, you aren’t wrong. Child-Free by choice. I am a pretty good uncle, but I don’t think I want to have little me’s running around and making the same mistakes I made. Mom always said I was a terror in my toddler years, she said when I have kids they will pay me back in spades.” I let out a genuine laugh, which catches me off guard, “I think she is disappointed I decided not to have children, because now I won’t feel the terrible two’s like she did.”

He rolls his eyes, “You were a terror even when you were a teenager.” The smile on his face is subtle but I know he is teasing me, “It’s probably a good thing you don’t have children, you would age twenty years in the span of five years.”

I reach over and playfully shove him, “Fuck you, Daelan. I was a god damn gem. If I was so bad, why did we spend so much time together?” I give him a knowing look, a sly smile resting on my lips.

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Dr. Omega 🦞 @theomegageek.bsky.social · 10h

It's hard for Grace to claim the moral high ground about Kat's criminal connections, especially when she secretly finds the whole thing fascinating. #WIPSnips

Text reads: The silence was uncomfortable so Grace started talking. “Why did Mr. Chiang thank you for being honest about why you were there?”
“It’s like I said. That part of town is Huang territory and we have agreements in place. Me coming into their territory ‘cause Madame sent me, that’s alright. Me there as an Elephant, well, that’s going to mean trouble.”
Everything associated with Kat’s part of the world was so needlessly drastic, though it did sound a bit exciting. “He seems to know your boss well enough to send his regards, so would it really have been a transgression?”
Kat shrugged. “Depends on what it means to Mary. It could mean, ‘hope you’ve been well’ or ‘I know everything you’re up to and I’m watching.’ If he knows me face it’s probably ‘cause he’s seen us at a build up. Like the gathering last night ‘cept for our gang bosses,” she clarified, “Mary likes to take me to help guard the door, stand behind her with me arms crossed, things like that. It says she’s got some heavy hitters of her own, not just fancy ladies lifting lux goods.”

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Jan Karlsson @jangoeswriting.bsky.social · 10h

From: ‘With Sword and Hunger’ Prompt: ‘Guard’ #WiPSnips

“I’m telling you, I was there!” An unfamiliar voice boomed over the usual tavern bustle. “How’d you think I got these?”

The man held up a hand, the last two fingers missing and the stumps wrapped with cloth, and pointed at his scarred face, as though that explained everything, but his companions at the table laughed, nudging each other.

“Stealing, for the hand, and a whore’s fingernails for not paying up after you shot across her bows early for the scratches.” All three men were one’s Manes couldn’t name, but they worked for Lefu. He knew that much.

“They take the whole hand for stealing.” Another of the men laughed into his beer. “Probably a dog bit the fingers off … for not paying up after he shot early across its bows.”

“I was there!” The three-fingered hand hammered against the table. “I was there when General Morana slaughtered the King’s Guard and almost took the head of the king himself. Lef’ll tell you! We were all there! It was us as saved him. King hisself shook my hand.”

“Most of it, at least.” The laughter erupted again and Manes skirted past them, trying not to draw attention to himself.

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Samuel Clark @samuelclark3.bsky.social · 10h

#WIPSnips #GelmirStories www.amazon.com/dp/B0HL77RWP1

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Ewan Stone ✍️🔞 @ewanstone.uk · 10h

#guard from Far Worlds, Book Three of the Lonely Ship Saga. Girls' Night plans go awry when Elm remembers they need someone to watch their prisoner overnight. (Read Lonely Ship here! ewanstone.uk/110-2/) #writingcommunity #WritingPrompts #WIPsnips #spaceopera #erotica #nsfw

Talyn closed her eyes and nodded her head slowly, as if this was a wistful memory. “This shall make our fourth Girls’ Night on Ring City, making it our most common destination for revelry in the entire Forge.”
Frowning, Elm counted off on her fingers. And realising, Talyn cast her a disapproving shake of the head.
“Of course, you still do not remember the third time, Elm. I had to carry you home, so I remember it very clearly.”
“U-Uh, thanks Tal.”
“This sounds very exciting.”
At once, Elm’s mood soured. She breathed out a hot breath through her nose as she leaned around Sera and Talyn to set her sights on their prisoner, who was peeking out of medical with a stupid smile on his dumb face.
“Moron,” she told him. “The clue is in the name. You aren’t fucking invited.”
“A-Ah, right. I did guess that much.” Marcus laughed. “That makes sense. I hope you have a good night out.”
“Any time away from you is good,” she grumbled.
“I’m just checking, though. I’ll be staying here that night, and I’ll be… by myself?”
Elm frowned at him, uncomprehending for a moment. Then, her heart sank.
“You did not consider that one of us would have to remain on guard, did you?” said Talyn.
“Fuck.” Elm gritted her sharp teeth, then pointed a finger at Marcus. “You spoil everything, don’t you?”

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Erika Chandler @erikachandler.bsky.social · 9h

Which everything does Hiroshi know, indeed. 👀 #WIPSnips #amwriting #amquerying #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy

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Kamikaye @kamikaye.bsky.social · 9h

Nori is about to meet the central Consortium interface. Her superiors superior. In 'Cloudgazer' #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

Nori was nervous, she never talked to the central interface in person before. Embedded in a knotty wall of wood lay a round airlock door towering about 4 meters, it shimmered bronze in the tech lights off cables winding through living wood.
The door slowly opened with a low humm, a slight hissing of atmosphere exchange. The guards stood back and she stepped into the metal-plated yellow lit chamber. The door closed behind her so silently that she was only noticing it by the stop of positive airflow that seemed to be maintained inside.
She shivered despite the warm moist atmosphere. The inner door opened and her gaze swept through a huge round room with a brightly lit thick treetrunk in the middle. Countless small and large roots, cables leading towards it under golden lit water. The ceiling was invisible, obscured by fog, far away with golden and teal lights blinking busy.

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L.M. du Plessis 📚💙 ‪✨Writing TLC Sequel✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 9h

G'morning #WIPSnips! Milly and some of the gang in the middle of a *situation* here. #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Val runs towards Ignacio, kneeling on the floor beside the stricken student. He puts his hand on the wound and closes his eyes, whispering words I can’t hear. Not that I’m paying all that much attention at the moment as more hornets seem to be coming from everywhere. I look up and see that half the windows, above the protective first floor metal barrier, are open to let air in.
“When did this start?” I ask the two guardian girls as I move to keep vigil over Val to swat away any hornets that make it through the defences.
“Minute ago!” Christine barks without looking around. Good, keeping attention on the threat is good.
“Went straight for Ig!” Galilah adds on. Ig? Hmm. Not important right now.
One hornet does indeed make it through the defences by coming straight down from the ceiling above Val while both girls have their attention swatting aside other hornets. I intercept it mid-divebomb with a swipe of my talons, and pieces go flying away.
“This is too open, we need cover!” I nearly shout at Val even though he’s right next to me.

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Andrew Bruce-Lockhart @andrewbrucelockhart.co.uk · 8h

The #WIPSnips word for September 30th is "guard" A close-ish short one from Atlas Rising Rourke vs making an entrance #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

So here he sat, waiting for his cue, guarded and held back until the right moment. Like that troublesome uncle at a wedding whose arrival makes everyone just a little uncomfortable.

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Mel Waverly @melwaverly.bsky.social · 8h

From WIP 1 - These Words Remain Unsaid As a follow up to yesterday's WIP snip...it's still not going well #WIPSnips #QueerWriters #WritingPrompts #ATWRU #SapphicWriters #sapphicauthors #WriteSky #Sapphic

For a moment, it looked like Izzy was finally letting her guard down. Maybe she believed her. Maybe this was the first step towards repairing what Julie had broken. A flicker of something warm and familiar appeared in Izzy’s eyes.
“Julie…” Izzy began.
The soft, unguarded way she said her name made Julie’s heart and hopes lift.
Then it was gone. Izzy blinked, then straightened, and the warmth vanished, leaving only a cold emotional distance.
Julie felt the words before they were spoken, and her heart sank.
Izzy shook her head. “I don’t think so.” Her eyes lingered for a heartbeat too long before she turned away and continued packing her bag.
Mel Waverly - These Words Remain Unsaid, chapter 23

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Tina 🫜 is Querying! @tinaduncan.bsky.social · 8h

#WIPSnips - guard While trying to help Cassie find the Librarian, Chaos, true to his name, has been causing some havoc in the Red Palace.

“I see no danger here, but for the one you bring,” the Librarian said condescendingly. “Traipsing in here with your big boots and tridents. Slamming doors and leaving them hanging open to let in all the moisture of the day. The creature has a greater respect for this place than you two.”
The two guards looked to each other. The older of the two, the one who had bowed, gently lowered the glowing trident to the floor. It dimmed substantially as he let go.
“Regretfully, Ma’am, the King has ordered its recapture. We cannot simply leave without it. The creature is not merely a wolf.”
“Well obviously.”
I could almost hear the eye-roll.

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H.L. Fowler @hlfowlerbooks.bsky.social · 6h

How to win against someone trying to keep a low profile: make a scene 😂 The Sable Blade, coming to Patreon October 5! #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #BookBoost #WriteSky #Fantasy #BookSky #Romantasy #IndieAuthor #ReadingCommunity #Patreon 📚💛⚔️🪐📚🩷🧙‍♂️⚔️

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Eric Woldry (he/him) 🌈 @woldry.bsky.social · 6h

The beginning of the formal partnership between our dubious heroes, from my philosophical godpunk WIP "Laughter of the Hunted Gods." Using "protection" for "guard." #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

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Samantha Breaux is looking for ARC readers @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 6h

Bruce and Wren's (platonic) love language is bickering and threats of violence. From book 2 of my romantic fantasy wip about a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingPrompts #WritingCommunity #Wrencer

Bruce seemed to stay put with hardly any effort, the muscles beneath his tunic barely bulging as he gripped the leather handholds beside them. Dimples dotted his cheeks, taunting Wren from beneath the brim of a battered traveling hat.

It was hard to glare menacingly while being bounced around like a babe on a grandad’s knee, but Wren gave it her best effort. “Keep grinning at me like that and I’ll stab you again.”

“What happened to not murdering men over maybes?”

“No maybe about it.” The words rattled out of Wren through gritted teeth. “You’re definitely an ass.”

Bruce barked a laugh that echoed loud and sharp across the fenwaters, startling a pair of marsh weavers into flight. Rude. He could have at least pretended to be intimidated.

The road smoothed out beneath them and the coach returned to a steady rumble. No longer in danger of being pitched to the ground, Wren released her grip, leaning against the luggage with her arms folded over her chest. The straw hat she’d borrowed from Spencer dipped down as she eased back, sprinkling her arms with scattered pinpricks of sunlight. She watched the dusty road spool out behind them until it was swallowed by swaying grass and glinting water and tried to ignore the easy way Bruce lounged in her periphery.

He does this sort of thing all the time. Wren reminded herself. Probably has calluses on his ass from guarding coaches all over the continent. And loathe as she was to admit it, swapping seats with Molly had been a good idea. The thought of Harlan wedged between the sergeant’s biceps and Spencer’s disapproving glare was almost worth a bruised backside.

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Silver Falcon @zadafalcon.bsky.social · 6h

Guard Jeri the botanist spends her first night in a Zadan forest. It's noisier than she expected! #WIPSnips

"Is there... something out there?"
She heard the fox yawn. "Define 'something.'"
"Something that's going to eat us!" she hissed.
"No, there's nothing out there we need to worry about."
"How can you be so sure?" Jeri demanded. "It's so loud!"
"Okay. Sit up for a second." Jeri did so, curling her legs under her. "Reach out your hands, please." Jeri did, and flinched as she felt Renard's furry paws grip her fingers. "Okay, now, take a deep breath." Jeri just looked askance at him. "I saw that! Deep breath. Humor me." Fine. Jeri did, taking a deep breath in, and out. "Now, let me tell you what you hear. Insects, night birds, small mammals, frogs, bats. What do all these creatures have in common?"
"They're really noisy?" Jeri guessed.
She heard the fox chuckle. "That, sure, but they're also small. Small and vulnerable. And yet they feel comfortable making all that noise. Why do you think that is?"
"Um... they feel safe? Because they know there's nothing dangerous out there?" She suddenly felt rather foolish.
"Correct. They're doing their normal things. Looking for food, guarding their territories, calling for mates. They wouldn't be making all that noise if there was something lurking around that was likely to hurt them. A noisy forest is a safe forest. When the woods go silent, that's when you worry. Make sense?"
"Yeah. It makes sense. Sorry."
"It's fine. You're out of your comfort zone and things are scary. That's why you're here: to learn. It's okay. I'll be listening for danger. I'm a light sleeper. If the forest goes quiet, I'll notice, and I'll wake you up. For now, you should sleep."
"Right, okay." She lay back down. She wasn't sure how she was going to get back to sleep with all this noise!

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🍃sage nightmare owen 👻 @sageowenwrites.bsky.social · 6h

Imagine how much longer Lark could’ve been feeling like this if she hadn’t decided to hate him 😌 #WIPSnips "guard" from Song and Dance #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

Excerpt from song and dance, a sage Owen romance novel wip. Text as follows:

She'd wanted panting, cinematic sex, and they'd steamed up a car with a kiss. They'd warmed up more than that; Lark was as hot and bothered as sex had ever made her, from the work of a chaste embrace. Billy's hands hadn't strayed, one firm and too respectfully steady at her waist, the other moving from cupping her face into her hair, caressing her nape in a delicate sensual hold.

What a man. Since he'd cleaned up for Marlene's, his appeal was infuriating. He hadn't smelled cloyingly of campfire and pine, but instead a subtle clean fragrance she'd immediately liked too much. His hazel eyes were focused, kind, twinklingly lovely. She was unsettled by the plain unguardedness of his interest in her, and fascinated by it too.

His mouth was intent and patient and perfect. On the strength of that kiss, she'd have gladly gone home with him to see what else that mouth-and the rest of him-could do.

Lord, she was a disaster. It had taken, what? Four drinks? For her to turn a complete corner on Billy Mercer.

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Sandra Friend @sandrafriend.com · 6h

From Atomic Promise If Gordy hadn’t asked—if Ernest hadn’t agreed—Bob would have left the bounce tests to Kelso to handle so as not to interrupt recording. Perhaps Ernest decided a drop-out on monitoring Bea now and again wasn’t a risk, with a guard on duty. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

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mk 🦔 @mkwritesfic.bsky.social · 5h

From the first draft of CultWIP. Callix's POV. #WIPSnips #writingcommunity #writesky #writingprompts

“Good morning, Dalton,” he said as he passed the guard standing at the front door. “Lovely day we're having, isn't it?”

Dalton's eyes shifted only slightly to acknowledge Callix's presence. Otherwise, he was stiff, unmoving. “She's been waiting for you,” he said.

“Thank you, Dalton. I'm aware.” As he entered the base, a sharp pain shot through his skull, and he winced against the light. The smooth, polished white walls and tile floors were shot through with veins of gold, which caught the rays of the sun that shimmered through dozens of gilded windows thrown wide open to let the sun goddess breathe life into the building. Chandeliers dripping crystals were set in intervals, further brightening the place. Every surface was polished, pristine, meant to reflect S'kekshayra's light into every corner and cast out all the deep shadows.

Callix would do anything for shadows right now. His head was pounding insistently like a countdown, warning him it was about to explode. He felt like he was going to vomit again, and wouldn't that be the perfect finishing touch to his endless list of fuck-ups he was sure General Alveris was going to recite to him.

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MrOmega @mr0mega.bsky.social · 5h

#WIPSnips The first obstacle of the first heist… is beaten by a very low-tech solution. The extra cushioning will come in handy later in the job. #writesky #writingcommunity

The manor was in sight, and the guards were the optimal distance away. It was time to make my move. Running up to the wall, I was already reaching to my back, unzipping the pack and unrolling the contents inside. The first obstacle was a wall of enchanted ivy with supernaturally long thorns. The solution? Cover the thorns. I unfurled a thick blanket over the wall, using the thorns to hook it into place. Rostoyan's money made sure I was able to afford an extra thick one, and I scrambled to the other side of the wall like it was nothing. Low magic solutions were always preferable to needless uses of the arcane. Sure it was harder, but it conserved strength and had less of a chance of an unforeseen reaction. It took some yanking and flapping to get it off, and there were bits of it left on the wall, but nobody would be able to see it in the dark.

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Pythonmelon (Comms open) @pythonmelon.bsky.social · 5h

#WIPSnips from Bloody Terrible- there's hot gossip over here, too

Gabriel squinted at Renee, lip pulling back in an expression of disgust as if she had just caught a whiff of something rancid. "You're not palling around with one of those wannabe vampire perverts as a bodyguard, are you?"
“One of those what?” He leaned forward, hands clasped. “Gabriel, what have I missed?”
“It’s an ongoing problem.” She snorted, drowning the thought in one exasperated gulp of blood and liquor and embracing the change in subject.

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Jax Devora (is writing) @jaxdevora.bsky.social · 5h

#WIPSnips From TNS draft 7, tbh. Mick's first moments as a dragon are not exactly the smoothest, no. Eleanor is not helping. (Also: Queen's Guard = elite monster hunters and the queen's personal army.) #amwriting #writingcommunity

“Well, that answers that,” she sighed. “You’re definitely you. That was exactly how Mick Martin would react to this.”

“W-what?” Mick squeaked. “What’s going on?”

Eleanor hesitated, and Mick decided he didn’t like the look she was giving him.

“Ah, well . . .” She eased herself onto her knees before him. “It’s-it’s difficult to say. What do you remember?”

He looked at her. Even if he could think straight, he couldn’t answer that question. But as it stood, he could barely cling to words, let alone put them in an order that made sense.

“Right, right.” She rubbed her lips with her fingertips in thought. “Well. To recap, there was a troll, and then there was fire, and then you . . . turned into this. It all happened too quickly for me to grasp what was going on, but when you scooped me up and blasted your way out of the cavern with that fireball—”

He did what?

“—I knew some part of you was still in there,” Eleanor continued. “Ah. And . . . you might have attacked the Queen’s Guard.”

He did what?

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Scarlet Mitchell ⚒️ The Gerzean Blade out NOW!😍 @scarletvmitchell.bsky.social · 5h

#WIPSnips Nora finds a clue to a problem, and serendipitously, some decor for Bayle’s quarters.

"Where did you find this?"
"I was poking through storage. You said you admired the carriage-house, so I thought you might like that to brighten up your room.”
She gave him a friendly tap on the back of his hand and he had a flash of regret for his cotton glove.
"Oh... I... I hardly spend any time in there," he demurred.
"That doesn't mean it has to look like a prison cell," she scolded, severely, and Bayle found himself abashed, in spite of himself. He knew what a prison cell looked like after spending a year as a prison guard at Merlin's Hill, and his quarters on the Hermitage were quite cozy by comparison. Thinking of it through Nora's eyes, though, he admitted it was somewhat bare, and her care was touching.

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L.L. Stephens @triempery.bsky.social · 5h

#WIPSnips The word for September 30 is GUARD I used "unguarded" in this snip. It's a fun glimpse of early Kate vs. Oandah. Oandah has just abducted Kate and the two are in the earliest stage of their contentious alliance. Neither is happy about it. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #SFF

Text excerpt from NOMARA, a science fiction WIP by L.L. Stephens. Snip shows Terran Kate and Ibisian Oandah getting to know each other:

“Fool of a Terran!” Oandah’s voice crashed down, breaking the pre-dawn stillness. “This is not Eshuun! You have landed us on the lowland plain!”
Oandah’s warriors looked her way with sudden, fiercely watchful attention, but in her anger Kate vented every measure of pent-up rage she had stored since being abducted.
“Look, sister—that shuttle had pre-compted cords. It landed exactly where it was supposed to land, even if I had to do all the coordinating to bring it down. And you may not have to abide by Concordat rules, but I do—and it is against Concordat directives to land any Class C exploration craft near a populated area! Unless invited, which you know damn well we have not been. We have standing orders to stay out of sight. I would be setting myself up for court martial if I went against those directives, as good as drum myself out of the space service—and I’m not about to ruin my career, everything I’ve worked for, for the likes of you. You told me to bring you down . . . well, you’re down! You can walk from here.”
Oandah glared at her. “Terrans do not walk when they have their machines with them. Nor do queens walk into hostile lands unguarded and bearing their burdens on their backs.” She gestured to the shuttle. “You have a land vehicle. Use it.”
Kate grasped her meaning immediately. “The sled?” she exclaimed. “You’re parafinned! I can’t give you the sled.” Even if Oandah had somehow learned how to fly a hover sled, PES would throw a hype if a piece of advanced tech fell into Ibisian hands.
“And I will not return to Eshuun impoverished, without proof of the Terrans!” Oandah told her savagely. “If I must walk, you will walk with me. Indeed, it shall be my pleasure to make at least one Terran a bearer of burdens—”
A sudden shriek curdled the pre-dawn quiet.

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Isaac ⚔ Isaac @isaacxisaac.bsky.social · 5h

I should have used this for #WIPSnips "prime" a few days ago, but here, have it now!

“NO!” Alexander shouted; “don’t—” and he sprung to a crouch upon the seat; “KLEIN!” he shrieked, as he dove out the window in an explosion of lids, gloves, and fripperies—tossed the precious box he’d borne so carefully from Lincoln’s Inn Fields straight up in the air, drew his sword, and cut the man’s hand, all before landing on his feet in guardia prima.

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Aud Connelly: transcribing #Dogwood3 (65.2/95k) @audconnelly.bsky.social · 5h

Today's #WIPSnips is the very first paragraph of the #Dogwood1 prologue! I'll be doing HOUND FATALE snips through November to (hopefully not obnoxiously) let people know the book is available for preorder 🥰

When Owen was very small, before he was “Owen” at all, he lived in the old church in the woods with the other orphans, playing in the weeds amongst the crumbling headstones, eating cold tinned stew and peaches in syrup. They were wild things with dirty faces, but never truly without guardians, for the wolves watched them always from the woods encroaching like a rising sea.

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🦇 Chris 🐇 Searching for Beta Readers @luckofthevoid.bsky.social · 5h

In which my MC gets hit with yet another riddle connoisseur regarding the scary woods at the edge of town, rather than giving him a straight answer regarding the case he's trying to solve 🙃 #WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WriteSky

The boss thought over his words as he sipped the dark, amber liquid which swirled in his glass. “And what of the woods?”
“I… I’m sorry?” the question threw him off guard.
“Do you know what they’re called?”
“Briar Woods?”
“That is the technical name, I suppose. Isaac, what do the locals call the Briar Woods?”
“The superstitious ones refer to it as the Devil’s Forest. They say at the darkest hour is when the demons and monstrous beasts lurk through the trees. Your Mrs. Wayle must not have been a superstitious woman. Those who step too close, or wander its depths alone, always run the risk of forever disappearing into the night’s star specked embrace.”
“Are you a superstitious man, Mr. Herron?” Felix asked.
He raised the glass to his lips and gave a knowing grin. “There’s a few creatures who haunt the nights which I believe in the existence of.”

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Tempest Teapot ❌ 👑 🐸 @tempestteapot.bsky.social · 4h

#WIPSnips #amquerying #writesky #epicfantasy 💙📚 🪐📚 From Epic Fantasy WIP, Waking the Saints, a young horsegirl brings news of invasion to the privy council. Quimmick warned Lualih that other clans gathered & asked for a bride of royal blood to seal a treaty. Vetal wants nothing to do with demons.

“How did the Northmen get there so fast? They usually only have a few dozen raiders, mostly on foot,” Baron Vinkel asked. Lualih spared him from a glare as he knew the Northmen’s habits from defending his border barony.
“Fort Stronghold Horse Fair. Dozens of trade caravans camped outside the city walls.”
“Northmen, mounted. An army of invaders on stolen horses.” Baron Vinkel swept his hand through a ward against evil.
“What about the banners? How many, what clans? Cat, Hawk, Wolf…Bear?” Lualih asked.
Quimmick frowned at the name of his clan. His mouth flopped open to object before his better sense stopped him.
“One Wolf, three Hawk, too many to count of Cat,” Tam said. “If there were banners from Bear, they were on the other side of the city where I couldn’t see them.”
“Nor would you,” Quimmick said. “We have kept the treaty! Your Majesty, I warned you the Cat armies threaten us all. Your guard told us when the god-voice spoke, it meant the Cat chief is demon-eaten.” Gimmick waved a hand toward Vetal, who shook his head and backed away from the narrowed eyes of his fellow Blue. “Remember I offered you an alliance!”
“The price was too high,” snapped Lualih. Tepaya wasn’t desperate enough to accept the marriage yet. “But I agree the danger is real.”
Tauno patted the young girl’s back before striding to the head of the table. “We must assemble an army to drive the invaders out of Huxen.” The servants scrambled to pull out his chair, but he threaded through them to stand behind her. His hands rested on her shoulders, a warm weight that did little to calm her trembling knees hidden beneath her skirts.

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Garrick Blake @garrickwrites.bsky.social · 3h

Some things should be guarded. That's just science.

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Marine St. Jean @marinestjean.bsky.social · 7h

#WIPSnips Walter doesn't get paid enough for this. #lesfic #sapphic

A security guard with a nametag that read Walter ignored them both.

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cassieoakman.bsky.social @cassieoakman.bsky.social · 12h

Tilda and Kat have been translating long-dead Monique's diary, and it has been a painful process. As she leaves to return to England, Kat warns Tilda's father that Tilda will need plenty of support as she come to terms with what they have read. #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

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Jamie Rae Allan @jamieraeallan.bsky.social · 12h

A conversation between sisters in over their heads. #WIPSnips #Writesky

“We were all so young. Too young for war, really. And when someone is in a cage, and not pointing a weapon at you, you start seeing them as a person. You start connecting to them. These guards forgot the first thing they told us in training: never learn their names.”
“Okay… and?”
“And, if you want to connect to someone… or something, maybe ask its name? Or give it one. If nothing else, it would make this easier to talk about.”
Connect? Did she want to connect with this thing? This parasite that chewed her from the inside out.

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Mark Johnston 🍁 @markjohnston905.bsky.social · 6h

From the final book of my YA fantasy trilogy. Chapter is 'Butts and the Art of Diplomacy' and I promise the butt thing makes sense 😉 I love a dumb chapter title #WIPsnips #writingcommunity #writesky #writingprompts

"Shut your flap, Bert." She looked him right in the eyes. Her mouth was still smiling, but her eyes made her message clear.
He shut his flap.
"I am telling you to take a knee and bow to my father. That's what I am telling you." She paused a moment. "What I'm actually telling you is don't you dare do that. Refuse and don't back down. If he pushes you far enough, recount the words of the document we sent promising your safety. Loudly. Do you understand?"
"Sana. Touch my butt."
Quiet laughter escaped her mouth. "You freak. Your princess not taking care of you?" Still, she lightly ran her hand on his backside. She nodded. "Even better, pretty boy." She turned them back towards the High King. The man sat as if he was waiting for a ferry to arrive rather than dealing with the future of his realm.
"Well, boy," he spat. "To the ground with you. Take a knee. Did my daughter instruct you properly?"
"She told me to take a knee," Bert replied.
"Let's have it then."
"No," Bert said quickly. "I acknowledge you are the king of Ironwall, your majesty. However, you are not my king, and I am not here to beg something of you. I came at your request. I am here and ready to talk. I am not your servant."
Sana nodded just slightly enough that Bert was sure no one else noticed.
"Guards!" the king shouted. "Lop off this filthy boy's head and send it back in the boat. I'll take tea in my rooms."
Several guards approached from the edges, hands on weapons.

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🌱 El(iza)beth 🌬️ K 🔥 T 🌊 @arachnereid.bsky.social · 12h

always towing that line between open & losing control #WIPsnips

Letting her guard down at all meant weakened boundaries. Pleasurable human contact was not worth any loss of personal power or control.

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