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[art-gelato]

Twice as Shiny (5)

5. your own personal waterloo

Dreadwing hesitates. Starscream commits.

Dreadwing had always found Soundwave an admirable mech—he was a skilled warrior, a brilliant tactician, and his loyalty to Megatron was unparalleled. He was also the easiest mech aboard the Nemesis to get along with. Whenever their fueling schedules overlapped, they would sit in placid silence in the commissary as they refueled. When their allotted time was up, they would return to work. No need for even a greeting or farewell, just simple camaraderie.

Sometimes during particularly harrowing debriefings with Megatron, Dreadwing would think longingly of those quiet lunch breaks, but he’d fall on his own sword before ever admitting to that.

Now, luckily, he and Soundwave were the only ones on the command deck of the Nemesis. They were each settled into their own projects—Soundwave monitoring Earth for spacebridge activity, and Dreadwing continuing the search for the Autobot base.

Soundwave had already directed the Nemesis’ route southwards, away from their position over a Canadian forest towards the south-west United States. As a result, they were only two hours away from the coordinates that suddenly lit up with the revealing power surge of an activated spacebridge.

[continue on ao3]

[art-gelato]

A Heart's a Heavy Burden (2)

cleaning day – hearth and home – ring the doorbell – a silver tree – castle-top – the forge – another accord – taking account – responsibilities – amber in sunlight – things unsaid

Vex wakes up to a beam of sunlight slicing across her face from a crack in the curtains, and she groans and buries her head under the pillow to escape the offending ray. Her mind creaks into gear, and a few moments later she shoots upright, propped on her hands. “What the fuck was that?” she asks the headboard.

The dark, polished wood has no answer for her.

She finishes sitting up, folding her legs under her. Combing her fingers through the remnants of her braid, she starts untangling her hair. She feels relatively well-rested in spite of that absolutely miserable spell in the middle of the night. The dream still nags at her, but… While she’s no stranger to nightmares, that one felt different. It was vivid in in a way her bad dreams never are—she can recall it like a memory, rather than a fading illusion.

Yet another problem out of her control, another mystery for which she can only wait to see if the next clue presents itself. Hair now loose around her shoulders, she slides out of bed. She’d slept in the same clothes again, too tired to change the night before, and she regrets it now. She feels disgusting, grimy from hiking and sticky from the cold sweat she’d woken in earlier.

There’s another door in this room that she’d somehow missed in her investigation the night before, and to her relief there’s a washroom on the other side of it. She takes the first proper bath she’s had since leaving Syngorn, and leaves the washroom feeling like a brand-new woman in clean clothes. After putting her hair in a fresh braid, she goes to rustle up some breakfast.

[continue reading on ao3]

[art-gelato]

the mystery which binds me still (1)

For the first time ever, the Nagi Mystery House is being opened to an array of paranormal investigators in the hopes that at least one of them can properly exorcise the property. Among their number are Ayase Momo, an experienced spirit medium, and Takakura Ken, a small-time ufologist looking for aliens in a haunted house. But there are forces at play neither of them have reckoned with before, and they’ll have to work together if they want to make it out alive.

chapter 1: facade

facade 1: the front of a building 2: a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect

The Nagi Mystery House is a strange, sprawling mansion—the result of multiple generations of building upon building upon building. Whatever it may have originally looked like is lost to time, buried under construction and reconstruction. The true mystery of the house is not the endless halls, the stairs that go nowhere, or the rooms within rooms. It’s not even the whispered tales of disappearances on the property, rumors of fatal construction accidents, or claims of shadowy figures just barely glimpsed.

No, the real mystery lies in the Nagi family’s inherited compulsion: that every new head of the house would, inevitably, continue the nonsensical work of their predecessor.

The house has been quiet for some time now, uninhabited and unworked-on. The last member of the Nagi line had passed on fifty years ago, with no clear heir left behind. Since then, the house has languished in real estate limbo, with the occasional attempt to sell it that always falls through. Sometimes maintenance crews go into the house; sometimes they come out a man short. There’s always some new rumor.

So when word gets passed around the spiritualist community that they’re opening the Nagi Mystery House to a group of randomly drawn mediums and paranormal investigators, of course Ayase Momo has to throw her hat in the ring.

[continue reading on AO3]

[art-gelato]

Just read all the chapters from the 'as if there is some rightness in the universe' series(again) and wanted to come say hi!

I know you haven't posted anything in quite awhile but I hope you're doing alright!

Also, thank you for all the chapters!

thank you!! im still rotating that fic in my head but ive been swamped w school/life/etc and it’s been hard to write anything lately. but hopefully i will regain my energy and return, i have some fun things planned :3c

[clumsyclifford]

questions for fic writers

a collection of questions i, as a writer, would love to be asked !!!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now!

6. What’s one fact about the universe of [insert fic] that you didn’t get a chance to mention in the fic itself?

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

9. How do you find new fic to read?

10. How do you decide what to write?

11. Are you partial to a certain character/pairing or are you more equal-opportunity? If you are partial to any character/pairing, why do you think that is?

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

13. Are there any tropes you used to like but don’t anymore?

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

18. If you wrote a sequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

19. If you wrote a spin-off of [insert fic], what would it involve?

20. If you wrote a prequel to [insert fic], what would it involve?

21. If you wrote a “missing scene” in [insert fic], what would it be?

22. Who is your favorite character in [insert fic] and why?

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

24. Are there any easter eggs in [insert fic], and if so, what are they?

25. What other websites or resources do you use most often when you write?

26. Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue?

27. How long did it take to write [insert fic]? Describe the process.

28. Does anyone read your fics before you post them? If so, who?

29. What songs would be (or are) on a playlist for [insert fic]? Explain your choices if you want!

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

31. What’s your ideal fic length to write?

32. What’s your ideal fic length to read?

33. If you write chaptered fics, what’s your ideal chapter length to write? Is it different from your ideal chapter length to read?

34. What aspects of your writing are inspired by/taken from your real life?

35. What aspects of your writing are completely unlike your real life?

36. Do you visualize what you read/write?

37. Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

40. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

43. If you take/write prompts: what’s your favorite prompt fic that you’ve written?

44. If you take/write prompts: do you prefer dialogue or scenario/narrative prompts?

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic?

46. Do you prefer writing on your phone or on a computer (or something else)? Do you think where you write affects the way you write?

47. If [insert fic] was a pair of shoes, what kind would it be? Describe the shoes.

48. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

[art-gelato]

In the Same Device (2)

a stone’s throw from the precipice, paused

Vex and Percy navigate a quantum conundrum, their pasts, and each other.

The first time Percy finds himself back at his sink, he doubles over, phantom pain in his bones and the ghost of a metallic tang in his mouth. He spits, half-expecting to see red flow down the drain with the running water.

But the memory of injury fades. All he tastes now is the minty afterglow of toothpaste. He spits again anyway, and turns off the water. Leaving the bathroom, he finds his neatly made bed. On top of it is his shirt, his jeans, and his gun.

“Okay,” he murmurs, and gets dressed. He does everything again—checks his gun, tucks it away, gets his jacket, locks the door, stows the key beneath the mat, and leaves. Through it all, unease itches under his skin.

On the stairs, Keyleth calls.

“You’re checking on me,” he says by way of greeting.

“Yeah, you never answered my texts,” she replies, vaguely baffled. “Everything alright?”

[continue reading on AO3]

[art-gelato]

In the Same Device (2)

a stone’s throw from the precipice, paused

Vex and Percy navigate a quantum conundrum, their pasts, and each other.

The first time Percy finds himself back at his sink, he doubles over, phantom pain in his bones and the ghost of a metallic tang in his mouth. He spits, half-expecting to see red flow down the drain with the running water.

But the memory of injury fades. All he tastes now is the minty afterglow of toothpaste. He spits again anyway, and turns off the water. Leaving the bathroom, he finds his neatly made bed. On top of it is his shirt, his jeans, and his gun.

“Okay,” he murmurs, and gets dressed. He does everything again—checks his gun, tucks it away, gets his jacket, locks the door, stows the key beneath the mat, and leaves. Through it all, unease itches under his skin.

On the stairs, Keyleth calls.

“You’re checking on me,” he says by way of greeting.

“Yeah, you never answered my texts,” she replies, vaguely baffled. “Everything alright?”

[continue reading on AO3]

[annaxbolina]

Reblog if you are a fanfiction author and would like your readers to put one of your fic titles in your ask + questions about it

[phoenixyfriend]

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

2: What scene did you first put down?

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

5: What part was hardest to write?

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

7: Where did the title come from?

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

11: What do you like best about this fic?

12: What do you like least about this fic?

13: What music did you listen to, if any, to get in the mood for writing this story? Or if you didn’t listen to anything, what do you think readers should listen to to accompany us while reading?

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

[art-gelato]

posting a snippet of the perc’ahlia tam lin au i’m working on bc i’m excited abt it but idk how long it’s gonna take me to write the whole thing, esp since i’m working concurrently on like 4 fics for these crazy kids. anyway enjoy

...

Percy settled as comfortably as possible on a nearby log and busied himself with sketching. He enjoyed the close observation that revealed all the little details—how the leaves’ edges grew jagged, how thin veins webbed the lighter green undersides. He could not attest to exactly how much time he passed this way, only that the sun was descending from its zenith when he was at last satisfied with his drawing. Mild hunger panged his stomach, and he decided he would eat his sandwich and then head back.

Before closing his sketchbook, he reached for one of the leaves. He could press and preserve it, perhaps start a record of the variety of plants he finds in the area. It would be something to do until his workshop was finished, at least.

“I’d recommend against that, darling.”

Percy snatched his hand back and whipped towards the voice, every nerve in his body alight. He felt himself reflexively reaching for the rapier at his hip, though he was at a poor angle to draw it.

A woman leaned against a tree a few meters away, watching him impassively. Her long dark hair was pulled into a braid and woven with vines, and a pair of fresh green leaves were tucked into the locks behind her right ear. She was dressed somewhat plainly in earth-toned clothes that fit loosely around her for ease of movement.

But Percy’s attention snagged on the bow she held casually in one hand. He couldn’t help thinking about how fast she might be able to draw from the quiver on her back, how good her aim might be.

Diplomacy, as ever, was his first recourse. Still, he kept his thumb on the guard of his rapier, out of her line of sight.

“Indeed?” he asked.

She smiled, though her expression was void of mirth. “Indeed,” she replied. “Unless you’d like a nasty rash, of course.”

His gaze had wandered to her face, but movement snapped it back to the bow. She’d made no motion to raise it, though—the bow itself seemed to have an eerie life, the vines he’d taken for intricate etchings twisting and resettling. Ah, he realized. And now that he was looking for more oddities, he could see fine lines of faint green meandering along her exposed skin, as if she had vines in lieu of veins.

He forced himself to meet her dark eyes. “And it would have nothing to do with stealing from a faerie’s wood?”

Her smile sharpened. “That might have its own consequences, yes.”

Oddly, this eased his nerves. There were rules here—strange, dangerous rules, but rules nonetheless. Full of quicksand as it may be, it was a field he was familiar with. “I hope I’m not trespassing, at the least.”

“Not by my ken,” she said. “Though I hear there’s a new lord at the manor.”

Percy wet his lips. “I have his permission,” he said. “I should like yours, as well.”

Her eyes raked up and down him, considering. There was an edge to her, a hunger, like a void that could never be filled, and it made Percy feel distinctly hunted. It set his heart racing in a way he didn’t entirely mind.

At last, she said, “Well, you do seem to know your manners. Continue to mind them, and I’ll allow it.”

“Is there anything else I ought to mind?” Percy asked.

She tapped her chin in thought, though he had a feeling she already knew. “Stay out of the darkest woods,” she said. “Where even noonday sun struggles to reach through the leaves.”

Ominous. He liked it. “Very reasonable,” he replied. “This is a lovely forest, and I am grateful to have your leave of exploring it.”

She acknowledged this with a hum. “If you’re to be here regularly, we may as well have some proper introduction. What might I call you?”

It wasn’t outright asking for his name, but Percy still knew better than to give it. She was testing him, seeing if he’d let down his guard now that they’d struck an accord. In a fit of daring he was previously unaware he possessed, he answered, “I believe ‘darling’ will do.”

Delight sparked in her expression, cracking through the cool mask she’d worn so far, and she threw her head back and laughed. She kept laughing as she disappeared back into the trees, her light chuckle echoing like the call of a magpie long after she was gone.

[art-gelato]

new listing on my etsy! come get your transformers pride charms

[art-gelato]

okay so i just read 'if you’ll be my bodyguard, i can be your long-lost pal' and I'm just??? it's so good?? how you portray Orion is so cool and the fact ur using his canonical backstory as a feral bitch that grew up in the wilds is just amazing and I'm obsessed, and how yeah, he might be a bit trusting, but he still obviously understands that he can't 100% trust starscream !! i dunno dude, I'm sleepy and i don't really have the words to describe how i feel, but i just love your story so much!!

thank you!! i'm really glad ur enjoying it <3 i do hope to finish writing it someday, when the hyperfixation swings back in that direction haha

[art-gelato]

In the Same Device (1)

into the sea, you and me

Vex and Percy navigate a quantum conundrum, their pasts, and each other. 

Vex stares at her reflection, shaking off the memory of metal crumpling in around her, and she thinks, Why did he look familiar?

She turns on her heel and slams open the bathroom door. “Super High Intensity Team emergency meeting!” she bellows over the music.

-

Eventually, everyone important is rounded up around the island in the kitchen. Vex plants her hands on the granite countertop and considers her assorted friends. She only has the full attention of Vax, Gilmore, and Pike; Scanlan is trying to catch the eye of an attractive brunette through the doorway to the living room, and Grog is preoccupied with licking the last few drops out of his bottle of beer.

It's good enough.

“Alright,” Vex says. “Have any of you met a guy around my age with white hair?”

This snags Scanlan’s interest, sort of. “Are you thinking of someone specific, or did you just suddenly get a craving?”

Vex glares at him. “Someone specific,” she says. “He’s got glasses. Anyone? I’m trying to figure out where I’ve seen him before.”

Before anybody can ask any questions Vex doesn’t want to answer (such as “why?”), Grog looks up from his bottle. “Like Percy?”

[continue reading on AO3]

[art-gelato]

(screeches) a howl’s moving castle perc’ahlia au!!!!???!!? Are you kidding? And it kicks ass? Holy crap. Uh. I’ll be over here trying not to weep.

thank you, i'm glad you're enjoying it! :3c

[art-gelato]

A Heart’s a Heavy Burden (1)

On a desperate mission through the wilderness, Vex’ahlia hitches a ride on a moving castle.

1: breaking and entering – ominous portents – an accord reached – your safety, my sanity – without a list – a surfeit of names – ill dreams

Vex is hiking along a ridge that overlooks a deep valley when she hears it—a deep, laborious groan accompanied by a rhythmic chuffing. Too aware of the dangers the Stormcrest Mountains contain, she pauses to search for the source. She sees the smoke first and almost thinks there’s a fire, but then her gaze tracks it to its origin, and her eyes widen.

It’s a castle, sort of. As it draws closer, ambling along the side of the valley on four massive iron legs, she can see that it must have once been a castle, but the structure had been pulled apart and slapped together again in great shifting segments. Its clawed feet move with surety, digging into rock as easily as earth to find purchase on the slope, and inky black smoke billows out of its chimneys.

She has five thoughts in quick succession: it’s getting dark soon; shelter may be hard to find; this contraption is going the same direction she is; this contraption is going faster than she is; and surely nothing in there is worse than whatever is out here after the sun goes down.

[continue reading on ao3]

[art-gelato]

A Long Story Involving Multiple Deaths

“Look a little more worried, darling,” she says. “If you hadn’t noticed, we’re about to die.”

(a perc’ahlia russian doll au)

Vex is crammed in a crowded elevator, propped up in the back corner and struggling to keep her eyes open. Beside her is a young man she'd noticed when she first got on, if only because of his unusual white hair. He stands ramrod straight, staring at nothing. His vacant intensity creeps her out, and Vex lets her eyes fall shut so she'll stop looking at him.

The elevator shudders, and the small burst of adrenaline that elicits finally wakes her up for real. A low murmur runs through the other passengers, then the lights flicker and the cab jolts. Someone yelps.

The elevator drops.

[continue reading on AO3]

[nomettesbizzareadventure]

Fanfic Writers: Director’s Cut

Reblog this if you want readers to come into your ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines. 

Or, send in a ⭐star⭐  to have the author select a section they’ve been dying to talk about!

[art-gelato]

help support a queer artist and get some cool bling while you’re at it! right now i only have these two listings on my etsy, but i’m planning on adding more in the future. check it out here!