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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 43m

It's even more so when Lara or Cerel's brother Jer are also involved. I wish there were room to include the slapstick part with the too-big knife. Drisal was bracing himself for pain. Fun to write scenes like this; problem is they don't move the plot like at ALL so they get axed.

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 5h

#WIPSnips #fantasy #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #prize

Rush’s slapstick demonstration of the wrong one has finally come to an end.

A lighthearted look the dynamic between Rushak Cerel and Drisal.

- Brother’s Keeper, book one of my fantasy WIP about two brothers bound by a misunderstood power.

"Hurry up," Cerel muttered under his breath.
Rushak cleaned the fish carefully so all the
children could see. "Well," he said, rinsing the knife clean. "Bey was right. Small fish, small knife. It's always important to use the right tool for the job-any job—and the biggest tool isn't necessarily the best one." That made Drisal cough, and both burst into laughter when Rushak glanced up at them along
with the children, wearing the same bemused
expression. He got to his feet amid a dozen protests. “We're done for the day." He tossed the PRIZE to Bey. “Take that to your mother. I'm sure she'll find something to do with it." The children scurried off, and Rushak joined his brother and Cerel.

"That was some performance," Cerel said,
punching him.

"At least Lyn can't say I did not contribute
anything to the feast now."

Drisal raised an eyebrow. "One tiny fish?
That's really it?"

Brother's Keeper darling outtake

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Samantha Boo-reaux @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 5h

Prize = Treasure

A quiet evening for Spencer and Wren.

From my romantasy wip about a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingPrompts #WritingCommunity #Wrencer

Father Horace’s penmanship was truly awful. Words blurred in the flickering light as Spencer squinted at the page. The faint scent of Wren’s jasmine soap lingering in the air did nothing to help his concentration. Nor did the sounds she made while reading the battered novel she’d pulled out of her blankets after giving up on the compendium. Every snort and chuckle and soft harumph yanked at his attention, dragging him back to the memory of Wren’s hand pressed over his chest, burning through his shirt. With a heavy sigh, Spencer closed his book again, conceding defeat.

“What are you reading?”

“Something called Rendezvous with the Smuggler King.” Wren flipped a page, the corner of her mouth twitching up sharply. “Near as I can tell, the real treasure was what he was smuggling in his breeches.”

“Did you find that in the attic? I’ve told Mrs. Privens a dozen times to stop throwing her old boudoir novels in the donation basket.”

“Not the attic. It was under my mattress.” Wren stared intently at Spencer, arching a suggestive brow. “Someone had quite the stash of bodice rippers tucked away.”

“Not me,” Spencer protested. “Elton has my old room.”

“Likely story,” she snorted, letting her eyes fall back to the battered pages of her book.

I could spend every evening like this and be content.

It was a silly notion. Wren was trapped in his home, a prisoner of circumstance. As soon as those circumstances were resolved, she would sail back to Portsbridge. It didn’t matter that she had plastered over all the hollow spaces of Spencer’s heart, leaving him feeling unexpectedly whole. Wren had worked hard to build herself a life free of the Blackboot’s shadow. She was not going to give it all up for a creaky old rectory and a priest with a pet skull.

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Blue Sonja @licoricemint.bsky.social · 12h

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #lesfic #sapphic #QueerWriters #LicoriceAndMint

From Tales from New Darpana Bay Volume 2: The Butcher in Tent Four

archiveofourown.org/works/52568455

She had no words left to give. Not to him, not to anyone. So she simply reached into her poncho and produced the cleaver. It was a dull, ugly thing in the dim light, save for its edge. That was so sharp, she would have sworn it could cut the air around it. The Butcher sighed, the way one might when greeting a long lost son, and gently held out his hand. Marty put the cleaver into his meaty palm and watched him clutch it lovingly to his chest.

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Finn McLellan @saranadosfiction.com · 9h

#WIPSnips | prize

Viola having a perfectly reasonable reaction to Avebury's existence, especially since she's currently having to pretend that he's successfully recruited her over to his side of the war

( saranadosfiction.com/2021/09/18/s... )

She was right, of course, not that it made Viola any happier about the situation. *I know, I know, the last thing we need is me blowing both our covers, causing a scene, oh, and very possibly getting thrown out of the university in the bargain. But hells, if I cared even a little less about the consequences…*

It was Avebury’s expression that’d done it. The fact that he was talking with Fest was workable, even if it made the back of her neck crawl. The fact that he’d apparently manipulated the apprenticeship assignments to ensure that he and Fest were assigned to the same place was… if not workable, then at least something they could probably use to their advantage even while they were working behind the scenes to discover how in the name of all the ancestors he’d managed to pull thatoff. But the smug little I’m-smarter-than-you-and-I-know-it smile that he’d not even been trying to hide – *that* was what had set her hackles up and her jaw clenching as she fought back the impulse to stride over, grab him by the collar, and put him bodily through the nearest sodding window. For a start.

*Oh ancestors, give me the chance once we’re done with this bloody blackmail situation and the bastard’s down as expendable. Please.*

She had a strong suspicion she’d be going up against Sabbat for that particular contract, but if that was the case then the assassin could sit down and wait his sodding turn. She’d a good deal more personal reasons to want Avebury dead than he did, after all.

*Nobody treats me like a fucking* prize *and gets away with their throat intact. Nobody.*

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Brambonius @brambonius.bsky.social · 9h

For the #WIPsnips
The wilderness in The Nation can be interesting.
Pyra thinks life is a game sometimes, and the feral mammoth (from an old de-extinction project, and then a zoo escape during the rebolution) doesn't care at all while ppor Ronan almost dies of shock..

Finally they saw the beast itself appear from out of the trees, a huge mountain of tusks and hair with a trunk that moved around like a hyperactive snake, and legs like stomping treetrunks.
‘It seems like we’ve won the main prize.’ Pyra grinned, grabbing his hand to pull him off the road, and then pressing him to a nearby tree stem. They could feel the ground tremble with every step it made.
The beast followed the same trail they were following, and probably even had helped making those weird paths on the wilderness that they were using now, now that he came to think of it.
‘This is not a game, Pyra. That thing is even bigger than the elephant in the zoo in Ninth city.’ He whispered when the animal reached them.
he almost died of holding his breath while his heart exploced. Luckily it just ignored them, as a gentle giant which didn’t care for two little humans. It only looked at them for a second, but clearly had better things to do than bothering with two little humans. It passed them by ostentatively, and walked off to wherever this path was going.
They looked at the back of the animal while it finally disappeared into the forest again.
‘Why do they even have elephants here?’ Ronan said when his heart had calmed down a bit. She let go of his hand to investigate the gigantic tracks the animal had left, and picked up a bit of reddish brown wool from the ground.
‘Oh, it’s just a feral neo-mammoth. But this one was an old megatusker.’
‘Only that?

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Sage like the Pumpkin Spice @sagecollins.bsky.social · 8h

All that stands between Jack & Mother Nature’s powers is a golden seed on the ground while he’s up in the sycamore tree that it fell from

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity
From Summer’s Cruel Warmth, Winter’s Gentle Chill ❄️🏆

Black text, green background, “prize” highlighted blue

Ray snaps his eyes down as soon as he realizes I've spotted him, and instead he begins his search among the achenes for the golden one. I scramble from branch to branch to get down before he can find it, raising another ice barrier to buy me some time. Ray places his hand on it, and it melts. He doesn't have that in-his-element glow that I saw in Winter or yesterday in the library. He's not sucking the heat from the room to build up his power. I let out a painful exhalation. I've misjudged him completely.

Not willing to give up, I place barrier after barrier between him and the golden seed, slowing him down as we both race for the PRIZE, him from the ground and me from above. The seed is right below me if I dare to make a dive for it. I'm still ten feet from the ground, but what's a broken leg compared to a thousand years of a healthy heart, an appeased kingdom, and the end of the blight of global warming. I jump.

A heated wind intercepts me and knocks me sideways. I can't help the cry that releases from me as my back hits the ground, sending shockwaves of pain through my body. Between that and the stifling heat, the barrier around my heart shatters. My heartbeat falters for a second, and I grasp at my chest as if I can stop the vise-like grip seizing it.

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K.A. Hela ✨ Prepping for edits...again✨ @jundlife.bsky.social · 7h

Live for the day.
From "The Strangers' War"
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #WIPSnips

The next morning the two trail mates awoke by their fire. The ram was strung up, skinned and drained. Its large skull was separated and preserved. With one horn for each of them, they would make fine trophies. Meat was being smoked for breakfast, between hunting and their own wild celebrations afterward they had burned an excessive amount of calories and the need to replenish was primal.
They were becoming increasingly feral, giving into their base desires and existing only for the here and now. They both knew they probably did not have a future anyway, so why not take as much as they could from each day they were given. This was a philosophy Cayha had always lived by but now he had a partner to share it with. He just wished he had more time to enjoy it.

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L.M. du Plessis 🇳🇦 🇺🇦📚💙 ‪✨Drafting New Project✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 7h

G'morning #WIPsnips. Typing left handed today, right arm been going down the drain all week, put it in an old sling just so it could get some downtime. Ow.
Had to stretch to get this one in last night.
#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

“That’s good to hear at least,” Joey says, still staring off into the void. “There are still a lot of details here that are absolutely vital yet still missing. I have one question for you though, Jennifer.”
“Yes?”
“Exactly what possessed you to join in on his? Partner up with aliens you just met, establish a merc squad? I mean, what the hell? What’s in it for you? What’s your payoff here?”
This time it’s my turn to freeze as I consider the words carefully. The question is troubling, and I struggle to put my thoughts on the subject into words.
Why am I entertaining this insanity? What the fuck am I doing?
What’s in this for me?

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Kira of the Wind (Erika McCorkle) @kiraofthewind.com · 7h

#WIPSnips #WritingCommunity

Just a small anecdote of Grilled doing shenanigans

“Damn it, your brother’s coming down here.”
Grilled grabbed the Encyclopaedia Daemonica out of Aubergine’s hands and shoved it into a lock box. Another recent procurement. Traveling merchants always had lock boxes. Grilled had gambled with a jewelry merchant with the prize being one of his lock boxes and the key if he won. Grilled’s win was inevitable; the game was rigged with trick cards and he had cheated. But he’d only gambled against that merchant once, so as to not arouse suspicions.
Grilled’s hands were back on his wrists before the wall spun to allow Garlic in.
“What are you doing here?” Grilled asked.
“What are you doing here?” Garlic huffed in annoyance.

Anime style pic of Grilled, a character with long silver hair and detachable hands. He's wearing a brown waist coat, brown pants, and black and silver boots. He's also wearing a fedora hat. One of his hands is detached and pouring wine from a bottle into a glass in his other hand while he leans against a bar.

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The Dicepool Tavern @thedicepooltavern.bsky.social · 6h

#WIPSnips 10/10: Prize -> reward -> fruits of labour -> fruit

'Thanks to pears being completely natural, and therefore technically considered compost instead of litter, Ryder threw his finished fruit as far as he could, wondering if the animals would like what little was left.' - #WitchChild

✨#WIPSnips✨ A Daily Writing Share Tag @wipsnips.bsky.social · 4d

Here are the #WIPSnips words for October 6th through October 12th.

They're not quite as fun as last week. 😂

Sorry for the super late post.

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

The WIPSnips words for October 6th through October 12th.

October 6 - miss; October 7 - safe; October 8 - dungeon; October 9 - battery; October 10 - prize; October 11 - welcome; October 12 - hope

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 5h

A poignant moment!

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Erika Arivett @erikaarivett.bsky.social · 6h

I think this was a #WIPSnips word kinda recently? I didn’t use prize at all. I had one use of “treasure,” which I used last time, so today it’s “win.” #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy

“Are you getting skittish in your old age, Nii-san?” Kuro turned at the rare teasing and saw the slightest grin under the brim of Shima’s straw hat. It took him back to days that were nearly forgotten, when his little brother had laughed and played in their father’s garden—before this hardened fighter, this yokai-man had taken his place. They were both different people then.
“Skittish or not,” he replied, indulging a slow smile, “we both know who will win in a fight.”

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Holliday Vermont @hollidayvermont.bsky.social · 6h

It wouldn't be a good story if the protagonist was always having a comfortable time and you'll often see Delilah put to the test.

#writesky #WIPSnips #fantasy #indieauthors #authorsky #booksky #fantasyauthor

The Far Lake was taking her. Sharpe might come out and find her here, but he would not have his prize. All he would find was the ruined husk of a woman. An empty doll, given to the past, drowned in the waters of her failures.

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Indie Book Spotlight @bookspotlight.bsky.social · 1d

📝 400+ pages
🥀 urban fantasy
🌃 set in washington state
🔥 slow burn
🤍 romance and angst
🗡️ demons and vampires
📕 first in a duology

🔖 universal link: mybook.to/D3rL5
💌 itch.io link: rebecca-crunden.itch.io/the-wish-and...
📖 goodreads: www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...

Cover for The Wish and the Demon, book one in the Half Swallowed by Shadows duology, by Rebecca Crunden. Cover shows three men's silhouettes standing in the middle of a road in winter. There's dark red trees and snow on the ground. One figure is approaching the other two, surrounded by shadows.

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 14h

Aww thanks so much!

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 14h

that must happen isn’t good for him.

The brothers’ relationship/dynamic is altered significantly.

Cerel grows as a person, as a leader, and changes from a person who sees things in black-and-white to many different shades. He is, however, a little grimmer. (3/3)

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 14h

out he’s much stronger than he thought, and faces his future with clearer eyes. He knows better how he can and cannot protect those he cares about and how he positively and negatively affects the world. This does not mean he’s happy.

Drisal is more resistant to change, and resisting change (2/?)

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 14h

#AwesomeCharacters
Rushak undergoes life-altering changes. Emotional. Mental. Physical. The answers he finds to the needs that drive him forward are very traumatic, and traumatically arrived at. His fundamental understanding of himself is radically altered. He’s more self-sufficient, has found (1/?)

Charlie Delta (has been a ghost this whole time! 👻) @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 19h

Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

Let's talk about growth!🌱

Does your character change a lot over the course of the story?

If so, what about them do you think changes the most? Is it for the better, or for the worse?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 14h

A hard lesson to learn.

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 16h

Unfortunately I'm not to the beta reader step yet.

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 17h

And it's so hard to cling to the good we believe in as children. What a triumph to be able to hold onto who you actually are.

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 19h

👍 I want to see it, hear it, smell it, feel it. And when it happens through beautifully crafted imagery it’s the best! ❤️

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 1d

#WIPSnips #fantasy #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

They were paid. Still looks like exploitation to Cerel, for … reasons.

- Brother’s Keeper, book one of my fantasy WIP about two brothers bound by a misunderstood power.

Circle = #battery (a small group with purpose) AND vibe: gem power!

"You now know the Kudrum assault the
Forest. They moved in strength while we toiled here to what end we knew not. Therefore we march, even
at midnight. You have shown great courage in battle in the face of bitterness, homelonging, and death. Now show courage of another kind, for with it we can reach home in time. The Edin and the Ra'am have
given me blessing in this time of need to exercise the power manifested through me by Maledin-Iryla to open a portal." Lord Shelwon raised his fist, casting the light of his Shammeth-stone, pale for now, over the company. "Rälm-wielders, assemble!"

Drisal gasped; his eyes widened as the twelve
lords and antler chiefs formed a circle, their shining emeralds upraised. Cerel understood. Here'd be the greatest test of the brothers' arduous nights of labor.
His lips tightened. They'd get not a pinch of credit for its success, and likely all the blame if it failed.

Brother's Keeper
A.C. Turek

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Amanda Turek👻Headless Horsewoman @acturek.bsky.social · 19h

They need inner conflict and change.

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