#gemma talks WIPs

[gemmahale]

Started writing something about Dom Soap being a herding dog (if we insist on applying the dog metaphor to him.)

A hand on the small of your back, maybe your hand wrapped in his, at worst his hand on the small of your neck to guide and direct you. He doesn't need to nip at your heels to get you to go where you should.

A nip at your earlobe followed by a growl of "Behave yerself" just barely above the din. A soft kiss along your jawline to apologize; to anyone else it looks like he's telling you a secret, but you know it's a reminder that he is in charge and you'd best listen.

A pinch - maybe the inside of your thigh or arm, or the soft, cushiony part of your hip - when you step outside of pre-determined bounds. A reminder that he's here to protect you, even if you can't detect the threat yourself.

He's subtle in the way he displays dominance. He knows his job is to protect and keep you in line, and he intends to do at least that much. He'll showboat in other areas (and does). But this power exchange between the two of you is his.

....I lost the dog metaphor there a bit. Sorry not sorry. Yes, you'll probably see a lot of this in Museum Muse. Maybe Brix. Bite me. (I'll like it.)

[gemmahale]

Thank goodness for this post because I just had to go back and change 4 paragraphs to the right tense.

Better 4 paragraphs than 4 pages.

You should only write in present tense with extreme caution.

not because it's bad or anything but because if you do it even once you're going to be editing the bits where you shifted tenses out of your writing for the rest of your life

[madstronaut]

WIP WRITES RIGHTS NOW! I SAID WIP WRITES RIGHTS NOW

blahblahmaster rant list link blahblah dont look at me

PSA when you only just discover a moot is a prolific writer you run to read all her writing and comment in excruciating detail cc: @gemmahale

blorbo x named oc fans, this one’s for you (it’s me, im talking about me)

please see below a random and incomprehensive ramblelist of my stream of consciousness as I sampled from gemma's works:

Feylands WIP

I find the content warning tags extremely titillating (also I have not seen such a prolifically well organized tag list AND color coordinated to boot like gemma’s blog???? putting my outlook inbox/work docs/excel sheets to shame!!!) and I don’t even read/like fae stories (yes I never read ACOTAR and I don’t plan to anytime soon, I missed that booktok ship, most likely cos im not on the tikky tokky as the children like to say, i watch the reposts on instagram like a proper mlllenial)

Josephine’s heart pitter-pattered at the compliment, heat climbing up her cheeks as she mumbled a thanks, their eyes locking again. 

🥰🥰🥰NOT THE PITTER PATTER

my inquisitive ass is already like “what’s gary’s real name” and “hearing aid = soap b/c of all the damn bombs he blows up?” “but i headcanon gaz with freckles, maybe it’s gaz? gaz = gary?” “or maybe ghost = gary?” GEMMA GIVE US WIPS I MEAN HINTS PUT ME OUTTA MY MISERY

Call of the Wild WIP

I love the little note gemma included about this being inspired by @deadbranch (shoutout to branchy btw my beloved) - honestly floored at all the beautiful fic/headcanon/drabbles/askfills ive read that are the brainchilds birthed from love for other creators’ brainchildren

also equally floored at how many of writers here are like “this incredibly layered/moving/tender/spicy/nasty fic came to me in a dream”

also SUBVERTED TROPES SUBVERTED TROPES SUBVERTED TROPESSSSS

Kyle cleared his throat, shifting his stance. “She prefers to be called a wolf.”

AHAHAHAHAHAHA GODDDD THIS WAS A ZINGER

“Please!” Kyle called back, face half covered in shaving cream.

i need fanart of this right fucking now let me, i mean shannon, sorry oops but haha..unless? finishing shaving you bby

and FUCKING ROACH IS IN THIS FIC HOLD ME BACK OR YOU *WILL* GET CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE OF ME TEARING APART THE BARS OF MY ENCLOSURE BECAUSE MY BRIEF HYPERFIXATION ON ROACH IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE FROM THIS SMALL SNIPPET AND IN THIS 500 PG DISSERTATION I WILL-

also THAT PROLOGUE APPETIZER SLAYED ME

“The way I see it, you’re fucked either way. You don’t make it out of here, you’re fucked. You become mine, you’re fucked - but in the good way.”

this + the mention of bulge + damp cheek definitely brought a visceral IRL memory for me (affectionate/horny)

also sidenote: it’s the little things that matter and gemma i see you gurl and salute you - incorporating things like hearing aids, mentioning roach is HoH/using sign language, shannon using a shower cap for her curly hair - 😘👌

Corporal Distraction WIP

holy MOTHER OF FUCK THIS SHORT LITTLE EXCHANGE IS FUCKING HOOOOOOOOOT

The captain moved closer to her, gently lifting her chin up with his finger. “So you’re the bird that’s got my sergeant distracted.”

“Sir?”

“Been trying to figure out what’s got Gaz so twisted up lately. Figured it was a partner, didn’t think it was a Corporal under him.” He didn’t release her chin, now holding it between his thumb and finger. “Has good taste, at least,” he muttered, eyes shifting to the Lieutenant, who only huffed in response.

any premise that fucks with/frustrates/sleep-deprives soap has my heart 🥰

Flowers From My Love WIP

the bit where they discuss the casserole perfectly encapsulates each of the boys imho - price grunting out a response, soap eagerly asking about the food (such youngest of the group/im baby vibes), gaz picking up on the note and name/# left, ghost grumbling and ofc he fucking HAS to bring up manchester- 

and the MOODBOARD!!!! God I fucking love when writers flesh out a bit of their worldbuilding with related art, moodboards, face claims, etc etc etc i WILL lick up every crumb from the floor like a starving doggo- fun fact, one of my first interactions in cod fandom was requesting a moodboard from @the-californicationist (also shoutout to cali my beloved)

and PEPPER THE SERVICE DOG OH MY LORD PLEASE GOD IF THE 141 MEN CAN’T BE REAL LET PEPPSY BE REAL PLEASE GOD IF I HAD TO ASK FOR ONE THING FROM THIS CURSED HELLSITE-

Palace Hallways WIP

my mind blacked out at artificer soap and knight kyle and druid ghost - I also just finished a campaign with my homegroup IRL not too long ago and we’re taking a long break before the next game while our DM preps and this is making me miss playing with them ;-;

Edge Dressing WIP

KATE KATE KATE KATE KATE KATE that’s it that’s the tweet

“She did, did she?” Kate murmured, scratching at Letty’s scalp and smirking as the woman went boneless against her.

yes only natural, i too would also go boneless if laswell was scratching my scalp and giving me a massage mommy? sorry. mommy. sorry? mommy. sorry?

Embroidered Secret WIP

if someone told me a year ago when I wasn’t into regency shows/fics that reading some COD AUs - yes fucking CALL OF DUTY, the military propaganda first person shooter video game - would change my mind - well id be more shocked than if someone flashed some ankle at my victorian pearl clutching ass

also please i love every single trope listed here

141 Studios WIP

“Our sweet soft girl Samantha (plus size rep ftw!) finds her niche quickly as the resident camgirl - creating a new set of films called "Tip of The Tongue", where she (and others) commentate on the scenes being filmed in a behind the scenes way.”

fuck i would read an entire multiseries for this premise alone???

Crew scramble around to clean up the sweat and cum streaked across the couch to reset for another scene.

fun fact - i briefly interned as a PA in college and one of the producers i worked with mentioned offhand that he once rolled up to a set that was cleaning up after a porn shoot and claimed they were rolling away literal barrels of lube 👀

“You the new girl?” His voice was deep, rumbling like stones cascading down a mountain.

NEW GIRL, OLD MAN, BLUE BIRD, CLOWN WITH A BUCKET HAT, I WILL BE ANYTHING FOR YOU PS!SIMON

A Protege’s Trust WIP

The most titillating tag of all..an empty one! lol jk im just messin with ya gemmy but actually yes i don’t see any posts with this tag

Museum Muse WIP

ahem you already know my rabid thoughts on this but noticed this new post re: multiple timelines and tbh do I know what’s going on? absolutely not - do I want to dive into this museum muse multiverse regardless? absolutely yes

Brix WIP

Re: “If it’s a story about learning to be loved again after a series of devastating losses, can that story then end on another loss? (And should the epilogue soften that loss by allowing them some sort of reprieve?)”

YES! i need to be in a certain mood to read angst but GOD WHEN I AM IN THE MOOD DOES IT HIT THE SPOT/FEEL SO CATHARTIC

also re: these comments - “Also, a bit of catharsis for my shitty experience working in the orchard industry.”

“It's less of a love story and more of a healing story. It's also a bit of a middle finger to the orchard that nearly hospitalized me. 🙃 (It's healing not only for the characters lol.)”

i find these types of fics are some of the best ive read when the writers have IRL experiences bleed into their writing - just has a certain je ne sais quoi about em

also i could be knee deep in sewage sludge and if i sensed soap within a 1 mile radius i would throw myself at him, brb busy handforging a trophy for annabeth for having enough willpower to continue working while JOHN SOAP MACATAVISH WHINES ABOUT WANTING TO COP A FEEL

Squeamish Stitches WIP

✨GLITz!!!! ✨fucking love this name

“God, I’d die here a happy man,” he grumbles into your thigh as you adjust your balance. 

His hands wrap around your calves, grunting as the treads dig into his shoulders. “No, between your legs.”

Ghost interrupts. “Keep it tactical, Sergeants.”

THE FUCKING BANTER? GHOST COCKBLOCKING GAZ? FUCKIGN SCREAMINNG

Useful Girl WIP

you had me at “we gonna get nast-ay kink-ay” and also got strong “secretary” with maggie gyllenhaal + james spader vibes 

also i had to look up ‘brown bottle flu’ as i’ve never heard that term before! ✨i learn somethng new with fanfic daily✨

She felt the breeze as the door opened behind her, the whiff of cigar smoke and cologne causing her to shift in her seat and sit up straighter.

if you’ve ever smelled/heard someone before you saw them it is *quite* the experience

“It's the prickle of the mountain's oncoming storm. It's the flapping of the flag in the howling wind. It's the explosion of lightning hitting a tree, splitting it open, part charred and part living - two states diametrically opposed to each other. It's the sigh of relief when the clouds finally part and the rain pours out. It's the breath of fresh air when the storm dissipates and everything is left clean.

It's yearning so hard for something that it leaves one fundamentally changed when they achieve it.

...I really ought to make moodboards for this fic. 😅”

this was an incredible fucking paragraph to read, fucking poetry right here, also incredibly erotic? though that might just be leftover brainworms in my head from watching shogun and a scene where one of the main charas describes an orgasm as “clouds parting after rain” 

Highland Tartans WIP

She reached her hand into his wool, petting him. “He comes from a good line and all, he’s just young.”

MacTavish laughed, sliding his hands to rest on his waist. “Aye, young and dumb. I know the type.” 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

PLEASE GOD GEMMA

I CANNOT CHOOSE FAVORITES BUT SPARE A THOUGHT FOR MY FREE TIME AND WORK HOURS WHEN YOU POST MORE OF THESE AND AT LEAST SPREAD THEM OUT SO I CAN KEEP MY JOB AND PAY MY BILLS INSTEAD OF GORGING ON YOUR WRITING

anyway to sum up i am fully convinced the multiverse lives inside of gemma’s brain because goddamn i am convinced once day some god-tier epic space opera multiseries is gonna spring out fully formed like athena from the gemmamind (yes I compared you to zeus, a mythical god, deal with it)

[pfhwrittes]

Talk Shop Tuesday:

What piece(s) has (have) been most influenced by friendships you've formed here, and how is that reflected in your work?

hi gemma, i love you 💜

(and heads up, this is going to get long)

oh boy, so many of my fics have been inspired by my friends here!

it's absolutely mental to me that i started this blog because i wanted to yell at @391780 on tumblr instead of in her ao3 comments. so i think we can all say thank you to the lovely early for being my entry point into the cod fandom (her work The Arrangement was one of the first fics i read in the fandom - and one of the fics i've mostly recently re-read. i finished it up around 7.30 this morning).

in fact the entirety of the Retail Hell AU was inspired by this ask which came off the back of a post of hers talking about john price working in retail post-141 life.

in fact, a lot of my Masterlist is the result of me going "EARLY I'VE HAD ANOTHER IDEA!!!" in her DMs. she has my eternal love and gratitude for being such a fantastic writer and cheerleader for my writing.

next up, the lovely @kaadaaan is the sole reason i have so many john "soap" mactavish is a Certified Freak posts in my Here Be Kink Masterlist (heed the tags with that one, it's 18+ for a reason). most notably my most recent fics featuring slightly pathetic!johnny x pervy housemate!reader (part one and part two or on ao3 here).

vi is the WORST for letting me run my mouth on her posts or in her DMs. i have a whole document of notes on how i want to expand those fics into a truly depraved universe (rip to kyle, he's about to get put in the middle of the weirdest threesome of his life while simon slowly loses his mind over the fact that his stolen t-shirt is now a cum rag for the most disgusting couple he knows).

then there's @syoddeye. i found For the Record on ao3 and fell in love with the way they write the messy reality of living with addiction and being kind of stalled out in your life. it dragged emotions i hadn't felt for years out of me and i think as a result it's given me the courage to be vulnerable in my own writing in a way that i wasn't confident enough to do when i first started writing for the fandom.

it's really fucking scary to leave parts of yourself in your writing, intentionally or not, but the fact that they continue to pour love on my kyle x transmasc!reader fic from my Binders and Boyfriends series and have called it a comfort fic just means the absolute world to me.

and finally, there's you cariad! yes that's right, you of @gemmahale fame! you have been one of my biggest and brightest cheerleaders for anything involving our beloved kyle "gaz" garrick. it has been an absolute joy to yell in your DMs over The Contract (and some other stuff 😉). i would apologise for going "wait, what about if we did THIS...?" and accidentally turning our lovely self-contained demon au into an entire universe BUT that would be a lie. i am deeply in lesbians with your brain and ideas.

i can't pinpoint a specific fic (aside from some still unseen stuff) that you've had the most influence over but much like sy has, you've encouraged me to trust my instincts with my stories. oh and to never ever scrap a single piece of a wip, just to put it in the odds and ends section at the bottom 😉.

special shout outs go to @greatstormcat, @mortuarywriting, @dragonnarrative-writes, @eilidh-eternal, @ceilidho, @secretsynthetic, @sentientcave and so many other fantastic people that i've seen pop up in my notes just to cheer me on and grace us all with their fantastic writing. every single one of you that i've mentioned (and some people that i'm sure i've forgotten) have encouraged me to keep writing, or to be conscientious and considerate in regards to keeping this little corner of the fandom i inhabit a diverse and welcoming space to ALL readers. from the bottom of my very mushy heart, thank you 💜

Talk Shop Tuesday

[goldenkisscs]

after a long hiatus, i am looking to get back into rp !! i only do discord 1x1. below the cut i will list some plots i am interested in doing and some fc's i am interested in using (i do have a muse page that's a WIP but am always up for making new muses!!) if anything below interests you, please read my rules here and either like this post or shoot me a message ! they are pretty general so we can customize everything and scheme together <3 if none of these interest you but you still want to plot together, feel free to reach out still !! i love plotting all the little details and screaming headcanons about plots, so if that interests you then let's get to plotting !!

muse a and muse b have been best friends since they were kids. while muse a went off and became a famous musician, muse b stayed behind in their small town. they have remained the best of friends despite all of muse a's fame and everything that comes with that. they also happen to hook up anytime muse a comes home or muse b goes to visit muse a. the catch? they always act like it never happened and pretend that they're just friends.

muse a and muse b hooked up this past summer and were hot 'n heavy. muse a thought things were great and they were getting serious, only to be blindsided when muse b broke things off to get back together with their ex. muse a pretended they weren't upset and they pair never talked about things again. except, muse b is single again and muse a? well, they just can't resist going back to their bad habit.

muse a and muse b are famous singers. they were always in each other's social circle, and always laughed it off when fans would ship them together. everything changed one night when they shared a drunken kiss. ever since then, muse a has been completely smitten with muse b. and while muse b knows they have muse a wrapped around their finger, they try their best not to take advantage of them - too much. their relationship is currently under wraps, but how will they be able to handle it when they finally go public?

muse a and muse b are polar opposites - muse a has always been a goody two shoes while muse b has been a troublemaker for as long as anyone can remember. proving opposites attract to be true, the pair can't stay away from each other and soon get together. muse a's friends are constantly warning them that muse b is just going to break their heart, but muse a doesn't want to hear it. meanwhile, muse b is constantly torn between treating and caring for muse a the way they know they deserve and proving muse a's friends right. can muse b truly change their ways?

muse a and muse b met when they were in college. a drunken hook up turned into a pregnancy, and due to pressure from both their families to "do the right thing" end up getting married. they aren't in love with each other, but they do grow to love each other and their little family a lot. over the years, muse a realizes that they have actually fallen in love with muse b, and decide they're finally going to tell them. the only issue? the same night they decide to break the news, muse b tells muse a they feel they've been "missing out" and want a divorce.

muse a and muse b are both famous celebrities in their own right. they've been fuck buddies for a couple of years, and they both had the understanding that they were just friends and the other could date/hook up with whoever they wanted. while that's still true, muse b has started to realize that they have deep feelings for muse a and want to become exclusive. the only problem is muse a has been burned in many relationships before and is too scared to commit to muse b.

fc's i want to use/have muses for (but am open to suggestions): cindy kimberly, sabrina carpenter, avan jogia, mason gooding, nailea devora, janet guzman, thomas doherty, laura harrier, nico hiraga, luke mitchell, mia goth, gemma chan, henry golding, adria arjona, charles melton, camila morrone, diane guerrero, priscilla quintana, sydney sweeney, madelyn cline, cillian murphy, emily ratajkowski, phoebe tonkin, alexa demie.

[gemmahale]

Oooh this seems fun!

From The Contract. (I wanted to share more than one sentence, so have a snippet.)

“Lin, what the hell happened to you?” Lin looked up in the mirror, catching her coworker Kayla’s eyes. “Took a spill on the tube, got my coffee all over myself.” She frowned at the sink as water rushed over the coffee stained fabric. “Trying to get as much of it out as I can before it sets.”  Kayla nodded, coming over to look at the damage. “Shit, was that the whole mug?” “More or less,” Lin responded, turning the water off.  Kayla finished washing her hands, drying them off with a towel. “You okay otherwise?” Lin nodded with a shrug, “Yeah, it wasn’t too bad of a tumble, just embarrassing. Someone was kind enough to help me up, get me sorted.”  “Oh good.” Kayla turned to leave, before hesitating. “Oh, Dustin was looking for you. Something about checking his reports?”

I had to go through 4 WIPs before I found "turn" - not return, not Turner, not nocturn, not turnip - augh.

This week’s word is…

✨ TURN ✨

Find the word in any WIP and share the sentence containing it. Reply, reblog, stick it in the tags, tag us in a new post, or keep it private. All fandoms, all ships, all writers welcome.

[justahappycloud]

thank you @duquesademiel bestie for tagging me and giving me the chance to say "i'm back, baby".

The Rules: If you're tagged, make a new post and share one or two sentences (or lines for artists) from your most recent unposted WIP with zero context

“Right,” Gemma narrows his eyes. “Okay. Sure. Let’s pretend I believe we’re talking about your goat here. What exactly are you talking about?”

tagging @enchantedlandcoffee, @wishingforloushair and @babyhoneyheslt because i lost track of them and i wanna know what y'all are writing T-T

[goth-automaton]

Okay, you know what? Fuck it. Fuck it, fuck it, fuck it. I'm not burning bridges with my old writing.

I'm nuking them.

Also, I feel extremely bad for that handful of people, who were into my mafia AU, especially, since I left literally when shit was about to hit the fan, so. Yeah. I'll tell you, what I planned.

Before I start, two things.

Primo: if you weren't with me in that old fandom, please, don't read this. I mean, you can, I'm not going to stop you, but I doubt you'd understand (and pls don't judge me).

Secundo: please, DO NOT write a continuation, whether be it using my plan or anything else. And don't feed my writing to genAI too, please. (I mean, I'm not your parent, so if you write more, fine, but just know I'll be upset if I know. And I will know). (Gemma, you and your current WIP don't count here, so no worries).

Okay. So. Tactical tags for @another-sun @lnights and @mondscheinprinzessin 'cause you both were really into this series. (I can't remember more people, I'm sorry).

Everything's under the cut. And once again: I'm sorry for never finishing it. I had my reasons.

So. 3rd multichapter aka Shit Starts Getting Serious. The title was supposed to be "Momentum". I'll do a summary in points.

The story starts with Joel and Tommi attending a funeral. Turns out Ilari has kicked the bucket and definitely not from natural causes. What happened? Fuck knows, but, as Joel notes, it's better this way, 'cause "if anyone was to drag this mafia down, it'd be him".

Joel's father wants to talk. Ilari was supposed to have some mission in Italy, to make a deal with mafia there, and now Joel has to take over it, much to his surprise.

Joel comes home with Tommi. Aleksi was supposed to stay there with Olli, but they got bored and invited Joonas and Niko for board games. Joel walks ideally in the middle of an argument between Olli and Joonas, if "laparotomy" can be used in Scrabble, 'cause only Olli and Aleksi knew this word. Aleksi is enjoying the circus, Niko is confused, Leila is chilling.

More confusion, 'cause wtf, Joel is sent abroad? Weird. Also, Aleksi needs documents.

Little time skip, Joel is in an office in the headquarters, reading documents about Italian mafia, while Aleksi is taking a nap on a couch. There was supposed to be a long description of how Joel loves Aleksi, punctuated with "even if Jason Statham himself barged into the room and proposed, Joel would tell him to go fuck himself". The work is interrupted by Kaapo, who's pissed off, that it's Joel, who got the job. He threatens him and then leaving slamming the door (and waking Aleksi up).

In the meantime, Niko is going to get Aleksi's documents from the forger. Enter new character: Feuer, Mira's enbyfriend from Austria. Feuer is a complete opposite of their girlfriend, being loud, bold and not giving a single fuck. Also, they have red hair and sidecuts. And own a very spoiled pitbull.

At their place Niko notices Feuer is painting a new artwork – they make money on the side as an artist. He asks, if they'd be okay with painting a portrait of him and Joonas. Feuer agrees to send him their commission sheet, but adds, that he should hurry, 'cause in a couple of weeks they and Mira are moving to Austria – after Ilari's death the situation in the mafia is pretty unstable and Mira is scared about her life.

Niko gives Joel and Aleksi new documents, Aleksi starts crying seeing, that he has Joel's surname on them.

Time skip, the gang is on an airport. Shenanigans ensue, with Joel overthinking everything, Leila being a little furry shit and refusing to stay in a carries, Niko and Joonas getting everyone coffee (of course Aleksi's has so much whipped cream and caramel in it, that it'd give a normal person instant diabetes). Olli is asleep.

The squad arrives in Italy and is in awe of the house that mafia arranged for them. Joel and Tommi leave to meet the head of the operation, Niko and Joonas are unpacking, Olli is checking on Aleksi and they talk about anime (turns out, Tommi cries like a little bitch at movies). Leila is Leiling.

Joel and Tommi arrive at an impressive mansion and are greeted by Ethan – a secretary of mafia boss' son, Damiano. Damiano is supposed to make the deal, as soon his father will retire. Ethan shows the guys the way to Damiano's office, cue a comedic scene with Damiano mistaking Tommi for Joel's husband.

The meeting goes well, Damiano is nice. While talking, Damiano requests Ethan to bring some coffee for the guests. Joel notices, that something is not right, 'cause, despite the heat, Ethan is wearing above elbow gloves, he also seems to have problems holding the tray. He kinda reminds Joel about Aleksi, when the latter was working for Lauri. At the end of the meeting Damiano invites the whole squad for a party he'll be hosting in the garden.

Joel is suspicious, but agrees.

Aleksi isn't sure, if he should go to the party. He consults it via Skype with Robin, who insists he should. He also reminds Aleksi about how they once hitchhiked through the whole country to see the sea and adds, that Aleksi should enjoy being in Italy. At one point the conversation is interrupted by Kitten trying to chew on Johny's new shoes.

The gang is preparing for the party, Joel is so nervous his hands are shaking, Aleksi helps him with eyeliner.

During the party Damiano introduces our mains to his own squad, Victoria the sniper (who immediately becomes besties with Joonas) and Thomas the tactician. Ethan is silently following Damiano, hands in gloves. Joel notices, that his fingers are under weird angle, looking like claws. Later Aleksi gets tired and he and Joel spend rest of the party by the koi pond.

Later Aleksi runs a bath for Joel and, while he's massaging Joel's arms, Joel is venting about how weird everything seems.

In the morning Tommi wakes first and finds Aleksi rummaging through the fridge, clearly frustrated. They go to a nearby open-air market. Tommi notices, how Aleksi, despite not being able to talk AND not knowing the language, is capable of communicating with sellers without any problems.

The deal is, of course, about weapons. Joonas and Niko are sent to the magazine to check, if everything's going smoothly. They come to a total chaos, with a lot of yelling. Thomas tries to play it cool, but Victoria accidentally blurts out there had been a break in. However, nothing was stolen, so it's alright.

Joonas and Niko find rest of the quad at the beach, with Olli arguing with Joel about sunscreen ("I'm not gonna remove another suspicious mole on your arm at the kitchen table again!"), Tomi is sunbathing, Aleksi is collecting seashells, Leila is chilling. They tell Joel about what happened.

On the next day, Joel, Aleksi and Tommi go to talk to Damiano. They find him in the mansion's greenhouse with exotic plants and butterflies. The butterflies swarm Aleksi. Damiano jokes, that Aleksi is a butterfly whisperer. He then asks Ethan (another notice of gloves, the greenhouse is hot and humid as fuck) to show Tommi and Aleksi the fountain. When he and Joel are alone, he asks Joel, if everything's alright with Aleksi, 'cause the butterflies surrounding him are drawn to the smell of blood. Joel brushes it off and asks Damiano, wtf is going on. Damiano, visibly nervous, reassures him everything's okay,

Italy shenanigans. Joel and Aleksi are sitting in a cafe (with Olli and Tommi at another table), Aleksi is devouring ice cream, Joel is worried.

At night, Joonas, Niko, Victoria and Thomas go to a club. Victoria and Joonas get drunk and sing the worst karaoke in the world ("Total Eclipse of the Heart", to be specific). On the way home, a couple of people attack the four. They get shot, but Victoria is hurt – not much, but she needs stitches. She's taken to Olli, who's definitely not happy he was woken up. Joel reaches his limit with suspicions.

In the morning Joel, Tommi and Aleksi go to Damiano to ask, wtf is going on. Cornered, Damiano finally tells them: there used to be a rival mafia family. Ethan was a son of the boss. At one point Damiano was captured for ransom, but Ethan let him go. Later he came to Damiano to ask for help: his father learnt about his betrayal, burned his hands as a punishment and wanted to kill him. To prove he means no harm, Ethan told Damiano's father all his mafia's secrets, which led to that rival mafia being eradicated. Damiano's father still wanted to get rid of Ethan ("he betrayed his father, he'll betray us"), but Damiano promised he'll keep an eye on him.

Once Damiano finishes, everyone notices, that Ethan, who was with him, is missing. They split to look for him. Aleksi finds him at the fountain in the greenhouse, surrounded by butterflies – he has his gloves off, showing horrible burns. Ethan explains to him, that he fell in love with Damiano. He then breaks down crying, that he's an idiot, 'cause he's risking his life despite knowing, that Damiano won't love him back. Aleksi hugs him and tells him he's not dumb. He then brings him to Damiano, who comforts him.

(wtf Tumblr has a character limit for a block? Weird).

At home, Joel is torn between telling his father about the lie (which means the deal will be cancelled and both Damiano and Ethan will be fucked) or keep it secret and risk his and Aleksi's lives. Aleksi points out, that he and Damiano are the same – they both lie to keep the ones they care about safe. In the end Joel decides to keep the secret.

In the morning Joel, Tommi and Aleksi go to Damiano to talk to him. When Joel and Tommi are with Damiano, Aleksi has a little bonding moment with Ethan: they have iced coffee together, Ethan asks him, if he's enjoying Italy etc. He then takes Aleksi to the koi pond.

Joel tells Damiano about his decision, Damiano is shocked, but relieved. Later they and Tommi look for Ethan and Aleksi. They find the two at the koi pond, with Ethan enthusiastically explaining, how to take care of koi.

The deal is done, the squad is going home. At the airport Ethan gives Aleksi a farewell gift and promises they'll keep in touch. On the plane Aleksi shows the gift to Joel. It's a bracelet made from this leather straps and colourful beads.

THE END OF PART 3. (Also, I planned a little running joke with Joel randomly finding dry cat food in his pockets and in the end learning, that Leila puts it there).

Here I planned a little interlude about Aleksi and Robin's hitchhiking adventure. Typical shenanigans: being picked up by scary truckers, getting caught in the rain, while looking for a motel, making out on the beach.

4th multichapter was supposed to be the last. Title: "Negentropy".

Starts with Joel at a meeting. The boss explains the mafia is supposed to get in contact with Yakuza and, that the head's daughter, Rin, will come here soon. Joel is tasked with taking care of her.

After the meeting a new receptionist is introduced: Samy. Despite his looks, Samy is pretty quiet and timid. Most mafia members don't like him, but he's the only receptionist since Mira's leaving, who hasn't quit after one week.

Samy tells Joel there's some woman waiting for him in one conference room.

Big reveal: Joel has a twin sister, Natasha. He had no idea about her existence until a couple months before the fic starts, when she contacted him to ask for help: their mother (who, after giving birth to the twins, tried to run away to Eastern Europe, but could only take one child, so she left Joel behind) was murdered and Natasha is sure it's their father's doing. Joel tells her off for coming to the headquarters and tells her to meet him later at his place.

In the evening, Joel is on the phone, when Natasha comes. Cue a very awkward moment with Aleksi and her sitting in the living room and having no idea, what to do with each other. Leila is chilling.

When Joel's finished, Natasha tells him she needs someone to break into their mother's laptop – she was messaging with someone before her death and Natasha is sure there's some evidence in the mails. Joel reluctantly agrees to take the laptop to Robin.

Robin breaks into the laptop and indeed, the woman was messaging with mafia boss – he told her he wanted to reconcile, lured her into a meeting and had her killed.

Joel tells Natasha, she's furious. She asks him to help her get revenge. They argue, she tries to pull the "she was your family!" card and Joel tells her, that he never met her, she left him and she and Natasha aren't his family. He then arranges for Natasha to leave.

Time skip, another meeting, preparations for Rin's visit. After the meeting Joel is attacked in the lobby by Kaapo. With a gun. Kaapo yells at him, that it's unfair it's him, who got this job and threatens to shoot him... But in the end he shoots himself.

Panic. Chaos. Joel finds Aleksi in the reception, trying to calm very distressed Samy (who's not used to such situations).

Turns out Samy's boyfriend, Arttu, is a nurse at the same hospital Olli works at. Joel calls Olli to ask him to get Arttu and then he, Tommi and Aleksi bring Samy to the hospital. Later Olli tells Arttu to take Samy and leave the country, 'cause shit's fucked.

Some time later Joel learns, that Joonas and Niko are moving to Sweden. He goes to their place to talk. While Niko is quietly packing their things, Joonas explains, that it was an honour to work with Joel and the rest, but the mafia is collapsing and he's too concerned about his and Niko's safety. Something, something, rats escape the sinking ship. Joel is upset, but understands.

Time skip, Rin arrives with her bodyguards (all women). She turns out to be a lovely person, very polite, she also brings gifts for Joel and Aleksi: some traditional sweets, incenses and porcelain.

Short time before Rin has to leave, the boss tells Joel he's dissatisfied with the deal and wants to kidnap her for ransom, with Joel being the one doing the kidnapping, since Rin seems to trust him. Joel is mortified.

Joel decides he won't do that. He tells Rin about everything and arranges for her to leave earlier, so she can inform her father. At the same time, he lies to his father, that he's acting according to the plan.

On the day Joel is supposed to bring Rin to the boss, he packs his and Aleksi's (and Leila's of course) stuff and tells Tommi that, if he gets killed, he has to take Aleksi, Olli and Leila and gtfo out the country. He then goes to face his father.

Surprise, Heino is there too. At one point both he and Joel draw guns: Joel aiming at their father, Heino at Joel.

While the boss is yelling at Heino to shoot Joel, Joel tells Heino about what happened to their mother. Heino, who, as the eldest, knew her the best, is devastated. He shoots...

...the boss. And then tells Joel to go away and never come back.

Joel goes back to Tommi and starts hysterically laughing.

Epilogue, a couple of months later: Joel, Aleksi and Leila left to Japan, where, as an act of gratitude for saving his daughter, the Yakuza boss arranged protection for them. Joel does translations of mafia documents, Aleksi gives piano lessons to Rin's little sister, Leila is chilling. Also, Aleksi became best friends with their neighbour, an elderly widow, whose husband might or might not have been in Yakuza. They bond over their shared love for cooking. As for rest of the gang: Joonas is back to being a freelancer, Niko is a househusband, Olli and Tommi fucked off to Germany, where Olli had started his own successful brand of boutiques (also, they're getting married soon and everyone's invited) and Robin and Johny started their own band with Kitten being its mascot. The mafia went to shitter, with Heino desperately trying to save it. The fic ends with Joel and Aleksi dancing and Joel remarking internally, that it's the first time he feels truly safe and happy.

THE END OF THE SERIES.

Once again, I'm really sorry for not finishing it. I hope this will give some closure to... Actually, everyone.

I'll probably delete this post later, but if anyone wants to screenshot it as a keepsake, then be my guest.

I love you all. 💜

[gemmahale]

WIP Wednesday - 10/16

I'm scheduling this on Sunday night because I can, I guess.

Have some Omegaverse Lore for Palace Hallways. (Omegaverse was not in the initial plans, but y'know what? Why the hell not add more complicated relationships to the mix.)

I'm letting myself play fast and loose with this one, and I'm trying not to get too bogged down with the details.

Fandom: Call of Duty Modern Warfare Reboot

Working Title: Palace Hallways Relevant Hashtag: #Palace Hallways WIP

Alternate Universe: High Fantasy

Pairing: Kyle Garrick, Johnny MacTavish, Simon Riley x OFC 'Petal'

Rating: E (For Explicit)

Story CW: Omegaverse, Dubcon, Sex. There's more but I haven't written it yet, sorry. (I will update as appropriate.)

Snippet CW: Implied coitus and masturbation, Possessive Alpha behavior

Synopsis: It's not awful being the newly crowned Queen's lady-in-waiting. What is awful is the attention you've unintentionally garnered from Sir Garrick. What's even worse, is the Royal Artificer and Royal Druid seem to be paying you the same kind of attention. You're a mess, and no one will do anything about it. (I need to update this, I'm realizing.)

Divider by @/thecutestgrotto

For now though, you’ve been sent to procure a number of comforts for her rut - fruity and herbal teas to sustain her when she rests, soft woven blankets and towels to wrap around her body and drape around her room to mark her territory, and some specific delicacies from one of the visiting merchants to sate her hunger when she’s coherent. You know the artificer has some tools he’s been experimenting with - things to help alleviate the cramps and facilitate her climax, reducing some of the more manual and involved labor you and her other chambermaids must do to coax her through her rut.

When she’s married, it will likely become the role of her spouse, but for now the duty falls primarily on you.

Her acidic cranberry scent bleeds into your nose as you duck under a branch - she insisted you wear her cloak to the market, so others know that you have been chosen by an alpha, even if you are not claimed. Were her clothes able to fit you, you imagine she would have insisted you wear a gown of hers. As it is, her insignia is branded visibly across the olive green fabric, reinforcing the scent and marking you as chosen.

As an omega lady-in-waiting, to be claimed is not in your cards. You made your peace with that during your second heat. Now, you suffer through the week, barricading yourself in your meager chambers and dulling the pain with teas and herbal concoctions. Your fingers and a flared dildo from the artificer are sufficient to quench the thirst for a knot. You will remain unclaimed, but chosen and tied to your Lady Alpha.

[gemmahale]

I’ve found when I’m writing, I almost picture it like a play on the stage.

I’ve usually nailed down the tone of the scene first. I have a rough idea of what’s going to happen - usually general dialogue tone and a few key actions.

I block out the action first (A swings left hook, B dodges down and away). I add in speech and sounds as appropriate to the scene, usually between action shots. (I find they end up linked together with action because people are always moving.)

Then I add in flavor text (impact, smells, emotions) to slow the action down and give the reader a bit of a breather before the next bit of action.

Pacing is hard, but I’ve found ramping it up and then slowing “the camera” down with emotions really helps with keeping me engaged as a reader.

ok i have a question, for readers and writers

writers - do you have any tips or tricks around writing an action sequence (a scene that involves like running/fighting/intense movements, things like that)? what are you thinking about when you write an action sequence?

readers - what takes you out of an action scene? like, is there something that when you read it (like too much focus on the character's internal feelings for example), just bores you or takes you out of the moment?

[builtyouahousefromabrokenhome]

WIP title challenge

Thank you so much @littleobelia for tagging me in this challenge!!! ♥♥♥

Show the titles of some (or all!) of your current WIP docs! Let people send you asks about them, if you dare 👀

Currently my only actual WIP that exists in a document is ALIWC :3 I have some loose ideas floating around in the back of my head, that may or may not become fics some day. But knowing myself I'll end up writing something completely different, and maybe just incorporate little pieces from these loose ideas here or there ...

1. A Life I Would Choose

2. Uni AU or something else where Harry would be starting out in life and close to Gemma: Louis is Gemma's friend, Gemma is worried/annoyed that Harry only wants to hang out with her and her friends all the time, instead of making his own friends … but he just wants to see Louis!

3. They meet at a sex addicts treatment/anonymous meeting, finally have someone that matches their freak, and live happily ever after??? (Probably someone else could write this better, but it's based on a funny and endearing real life story ♥)

4. They Were RoomFlatmates

I'm happy to talk about ALIWC if anyone wants to, while the loose ideas are much too loose to talk about yet :3

[kingsofeverything]

HIIIIII please to share about the ouija wip!! 😀

Hellooooooo! That’s one I started for the 666 fest last year and didn’t finish because I wrote too many words 😆

Basically Harry and Gemma are messing around with a Ouija board and Harry’s moving it and messing with Gemma and describing the spirit they’re talking to and then Harry meets Louis and Louis is that spirit/guy

[parmahamlarrie]

Happy December! Once again, I had no time to read, but here is what I enjoyed most when I did manage to find some time!

Dicked Down in Europe || @greeneyesfriedrice || 40.4k Canon, Established Relationship, Travel I can't really read WIPs but I read this as it was posted and has such fun with it!

stay another day or two || trackfive || 17.6k Canon, Hurt/Comfort, Sick Fic, Christmas I've been reading this whole series, a wonderful time! x

and marshmallows || @briannamarguerite || 10.7k Strangers to Lovers, Professor Harry, Mentions to History, Christmas

The leaves are buried under six inches of white || loha28 || 8.7k Married H&L, Chef Harry, Christmas, KidFic

Sweet Talk || The_Dizzy_Pixie || 8k Talk Show AU, Canon, Humor, Fluff This was SUCH a unique premise! I've never seen anything like it!

when did I first know? I always knew || @payne || 7.7k SHIALL, Christmas, KidFic, Side Larry, Side Ziam I don't know if I've ever rec'd a non Larry fic (just felt not what this list was for?) but this one... blew me out of the water. I loved it. So... enjoy! Plus, Larry is there and they're adorable.

it's so sweet, knowing that you love me || moonsongouis || 6.3k Established Relationship, Fluff and Smut, Idiots in love

A Boyfriend for Christmas || chelseafrew || 5.5k Christmas, Fake Relationship, Gemma's Brother Trope

Mistletoe Cove || @wabadabadaba || 4.8k Enemies to Lovers (light), American AU, Winter

I gotta get better! || @dystopianharry || 4.5k Soulmate AU, Online Dating, Kink Exploration

To boyfriends everywhere - Fuck you || Rosa_000 || 3k Canon, Drunk Harry, Established Relationship, Humor

Advent Drabbles || @berzerkshires || 2.5k Canon, Christmas, Fun/Fluff/Humor/Mild Smut The only advent fic I could keep up with! And I thoroughly enjoyed every word!

Kitten Around || @homosociallyyours || 2.3k Established Relationship, New Pet

written all over your face || rebarboa || 1.6k Established Relationship, Canon, Humor and Smut

Gray hair is our forever || @beardyboyzx || >1k Established Relationship, Fluff

[gemmahale]

I hate these quizzes, but for you, Alex, I'll take it.

To be clear, I hate these quizzes because terms are not defined and are left open to individual interpretation. What's a "detailed outline"? - are my 5 paragraphs of general plot points detailed? I don't have every beat, but I know where I'm going. (Yes, I'm neurodivergent, why do you ask? 🤣)

APPARENTLY I'm an intuitive panster.

I took it again, and it put me at Intuitive Plotter. 😆 Fuck's sake.

HOWEVER. I disagree based upon reading the descriptions.

I think I'm closer to a Methodical Plotter - I have a plan, I put a ton of work into my stories. Just because I don't ascribe to "write every day" or a regular schedule doesn't mean I don't have a plan. I choose things specifically as callbacks or references. My outlines are messy, but I have a (slightly hazy) view of where I'm going.

I think someone likened it to gardening - I have a general idea of what plants go where, but I'm okay if things change a bit over time.

I'm not tagging people because I'm sulking. (Jk - this is an open tag, if you're curious, do it.)

which type of writer are you?

stealing this from a post by @/defeatistwriter

take this quiz

tag people: @salstray @therealgchu @sehrgefaelltmir @solivagantingrebel (if you want to only ofc) and anyone who wants to try it ~

[daechwitatamic]

Jo, feel free to save and answer this ask whenever you have the time, but I love your writing style so much and I'm curious to know what your favorite books are? I used to be such an avid reader as a kid, but I find it so hard as an adult to find books that really hook me. It's like I need something more enjoyable than Faulkner but not anywhere near as formulaic as Nicholas Sparks, but those are the type of books that fill up many recommendation lists!

I love a nice, long novel that follows a character and their development over timen (can you tell why I like your work?). Some of my favorites are East of Eden, Vanity Fair, and I Know This Much Is True.

What have you read that you couldn't put down?

🌴

ohhhhhhh what a question. This is gonna need a read more.

I will admit to being a huge fan of young adult lit, despite being 33. A group of my friends and I go to YALLFest every fall to shout at our favorite authors. Some of my favorites from this category are Taherah Mafi (specifically her stand-alones "An Emotion of Great Delight" and "A Very Large Expanse of Sea"), Libba Bray (The Diviner's Series!!!! The Gemma Doyle Trilogy!!!!), Leigh Bardugo (specifically the Six of Crows duology and the Ninth House series), Sarah Dessen (though I'll admit this is mostly out of loyalty and nostalgia at this point and I think if I read her books fresh as an adult i would not love them like i did growing up), Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles!!!!!!!!!! but another that idk if i would love if i read them NOW instead of at 20), and E. Lockheart (WE WERE LIARS!!!!!).

As far as fiction meant for real adults lol I haven't been a fan of any of her books since the early 2010s but Jodi Picoult was really formative when I was a teenager and is honestly the reason I went for a writing degree. I thought I'd be her when I grew up (haaaa). I really liked Sara Gruen (EXCEPT for the one about monkeys WHO LET HER WRITE THAT), Tara Conklin, Kevin Brockmeier, Margaret Atwood (i once tripled the page assignment for a paper on Handmaid's Tale about a decade before it was a show and got a B for going over the page limit >:( true story). I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of Brunonia Barry - can't recommend The Lace Reader or The Map of True Places enough!

Ok, for my ults - in the YA category it's Maggie Stiefvater (Raven King series, again - not sure how this will read as an adult person but I read them first in my early 20s and I was DEEPLY attached and she's one of the smartest, most wonderful people and I've met her several times and gone to her writing seminars and she's just..... a god tier human and great writer).

For adult fiction ult... N.K. Jemisen. I named the Professor in MFFMHH after her!!!! Nora is like........ literally a genius in our generation. Her trilogy The Broken Earth Trilogy fucked up my brain so bad I'll never recover (and it's also the key inspo for This is a Love Song, my WIP! It's technically a crossover of parts of the world from this series, plus bangtan lmao). It's a GUTTING analogy of colonization, racism, slavery, oppression... hidden behind an almost sci-fi/apocalyptic backdrop. It is SERIOUSLY so so so so so so so good but it will break your brain and fuck you up.

let me know if you end up reading any of these!!!! i love to talk about books!!!!

<3 <3 <3 <3 i hope you're having a good week!!!!

[pfhwrittes]

What's a soup worm that's been wheeling around in your brain stew lately that looks maybe ready to surface?

What part of your WIPs are you the most proud of from this week?

Gemma! Bore da, cariad! 💜

A nearly ready soup worm...? Uh, hm. I don't think any of the soup worms are ready yet 😅 I want them to be ready but this seems to be a lonnnnng slowwwwwww cook.

I feel like I've done a terrible job on my WIPs this week, aside from yelling at @syoddeye in their DMs about Preston "C'mere Lover Boyyyyy" Garvey and a non-binary Sole Survivor. So the part I'm most proud of doesn't actually belong to me at all, it's all Sy's wonderful angsty idea!

Talk Shop Tuesday