#sol gets warm blankets and hugs instead of soup

[espithewarlock]

🚂💖💛❤️💖💛❤️choo choo! It's a love train! Send this to all the blogs you love! Don't forget to spread the love🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶 (optional/ no pressure😊)

sol, I love you so much and can't thank you enough for being a purely amazing individual. 💚 (I'd send this right back to you but then this train would be going in circles...)

[megsblackfirewrites]

I’ll Protect You

AO3 Link: I’ll Protect You

“Hey, how’re you feeling?” Gabriel asked as he walked into his and Jack’s shared room.

Jack didn’t respond. Gabriel could just faintly hear his ragged breathing as he huddled under his blankets. He walked over to Jack’s bunk and gently peeled the blankets back. Dazed blue eyes rolled up towards him out of an ashen face. Sweat dripped down Jack’s face and he was shaking uncontrollably.

“Still not good, huh?” Gabriel sighed as he knelt down.

He pushed his fingers through Jack’s sweat-slicked hair, trying to find something to encourage Jack. The doctors weren’t holding out any hope. It was only their first injections and Jack’s reaction to the chemicals made them positive he was going to die. Gabriel didn’t want to believe that, but he was hard pressed to find some way to make the skinny little kid get better.

“C-cold,” Jack stuttered out.

“Ssh,” Gabriel soothed as he pressed his lips against Jack’s forehead.

Jack was burning up. It actually hurt to touch him. Gabriel pulled away and licked his lips, trying to think of anything that could save his friend. He didn’t want to think about losing him; he was the only person in the entire program that Gabriel felt comfortable around.

They had gravitated to each other when they were all brought into the same room to wait for briefing. Gabriel had six years of service on the skinny little eighteen-year-old from rural Indiana and probably two hundred pounds of muscles, but it had felt right to feel Jack leaning on his arm as they waited. It felt right to stay quiet while everyone else loudly talked to one another. It felt right when Jack shot him a look and arched an eyebrow and quietly asked how long he had served. It had felt right to reassure him that Jack’s inexperience wouldn’t hinder him too much since they were all losing their rank.

He ran his hand over Jack’s cheek before gently pushing him back. “Hang on,” he murmured before in climbed onto the narrow bunk with him. “Let me help you warm up.”

Jack huddled against Gabriel’s chest, whimpering as he hid his face in Gabriel’s neck. Gabriel curled protectively around Jack, holding him close as he wrapped the blankets tightly around Jack’s shaking body. Chest to chest, Gabriel felt something stir between them. He closed his eyes as Jack let out a soft sigh.

He pushed his hands into Jack’s hair and kissed his cheek, murmuring soft encouragement. Jack hugged Gabriel tightly around the chest and fell asleep almost instantly. Gabriel smiled before he rested his cheek on the top of Jack’s head and let himself to drift off.

He woke to the spot next to him empty. It was still warm, so Jack was here only a short time ago. Gabriel sat up, scared and worried about where his roommate had gotten to. He heard the door open behind him and got to his feet, ready to demand answers from the commanding officer that was no doubt going to tell him that Jack was dead. Instead, he gawked at Jack as his roommate brought two trays of food into the room.

“Enjoy your sleep?” Jack asked.

“How are you feeling?” Gabriel asked as Jack set the food down.

“Not one hundred percent,” Jack admitted. “But not like I’m going to drop dead.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Gabriel smiled before he pulled Jack close and kissed him.

Jack turned a lovely shade of red before he ducked his head and squirmed. “Wow, Gabe. Where the hell did that come from?” he laughed nervously.

Gabriel shrugged and held Jack close. “I was scared I was going to lose you,” he murmured. “I think I would have perished too.”

“Gabe,” Jack tucked his head into Gabriel’s chest. “What are you saying?”

Gabriel hugged Jack tightly, pressing that adorable blond head between his pecs. “I think we’re soulmates.”

Jack shivered before looking up at him. “Oh, so you felt it too?” he asked with a shy smile. “I thought it was just a result of the fever.”

“No,” Gabriel smiled, “I felt it too.”

Jack shifted against his chest, purring happily as he blushed more. Gabriel chuckled as he held Jack close, humming softly before he pulled Jack down onto the bed so they could actually eat.

Jack woke to pain. Pain and agony and the understanding that something was very, very wrong. He felt like soup, like his entire being had been reduce to some sort of slop. He couldn’t scream. He couldn’t even think properly. Everything was disjointed and happening all at once inside of his head, like he was shooting off in a million directions at once and unable to keep a hold of one thought at a time. What was happening to him?

“Jack’s awake!” an unfamiliar voice shouted. “Angela! Come see!”

Jack felt something vibrating behind him; what even was behind when he was little more that sentient slop? He tried to open his eyes, tried to figure out which way was up, but he couldn’t. He surged outwards, screaming internally as something shoved him back down.

“Jack, Jack, listen to me,” Angela’s voice broke through his fear. “You’re safe! It’s okay! We have you in an experimental regeneration tank. You’re okay.”

Jack felt himself slide backwards into himself with a sickening sensation. This was not okay, Angela! This was the opposite of okay! HE WAS SOUP! SOUP WAS NOT OKAY WHEN IT WAS THE HUMAN VARIETY! Humans weren’t supposed to be soup! They were supposed to be solid! Mostly, because the whole ‘70% water thing’, but that was beside the point!

“Jack, please, calm down! The nanites can’t do their job if you don’t keep a level head,” Angela soothed.

Nanites? Oh fucking hell, she was experimenting on him with the same fucking thing she’d pumped Gabriel full of. Just. Fucking. Great. He tried to struggle, tried to think of some way to get everything working properly. He was not a science experiment, Angela! This wasn’t fucking ethical!

“Angela, open the container,” Gabriel’s voice snapped. “I told you to keep him sedated until he solidified.”

“I didn’t think he would panic like this,” Angela snapped.

“He’s little more than smoke at this point; of course he’s going to fucking panic,” Gabriel snarled. “Open the damn canister.”

Jack shivered as something billowed over top of him. He arched into it, purring somehow as he was wrapped in something warm and familiar.

“Ssh,” Gabriel soothed as he billowed around Jack. “Ssh, I’ve got you, Jack. It’s scary, I know, but I’ve got you now. You aren’t alone.”

“Gabe,” Jack sighed out. “What did she do to me?”

“You were dying,” Gabriel murmured in his ear. “Talon got you good and you were barely recognizable. I managed to wraith you to the medical bay, but Angela didn’t think you were going to make it.”

“I don’t remember that,” he murmured.

“Good; you were a mess,” Gabriel shivered and coaxed him closer. “I gave her permission to add the nanites to your bloodstream. You were melted almost immediately and I might have panicked. And threatened Angela’s life. And the bodily functions of Lúcio. And make Zenyatta meet the Iris in pieces.”

“Oh, Gabi,” Jack laughed as he snuggled into Gabriel’s essence. “You violent, overly protective bastard.”

“You’re my soulmate; of course I’m going to violently protect you,” Gabriel snorted. “The same way you violently protected me when the UN came for us in Zurich. Still amazed that you blew up a building.”

“That was an accident,” Jack huffed before he felt himself solidifying. “Gabe? Is this container big enough for two supersoldiers?”

“I made sure it was,” Gabriel chuckled before he swam into focus above him. “You feeling okay?”

“Like the world’s spinning,” Jack murmured as he reached up to caress Gabriel’s cheek. “And I hurt all over.”

“You get used to it,” Gabriel smiled sadly before he gently started kissing over Jack’s palm. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a choice, mi sol.”

“I don’t mind,” Jack smiled and snuggled against Gabriel’s chest. “So long as I’m with you. And you help me not turn into Morrison soup all the time. Because that was fucking terrifying.”

“It looked terrifying,” Gabriel agreed before snuggling against him, billowing himself out to hide Jack from view. “Do not worry, my soldier, I will keep you safe.”

“I know you will,” Jack smiled up at him. “You always do.” 

[espithewarlock]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

@duquesademiel making me do words on Tumblr instead of writing fic (love you!!! 😘)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 30 posted, 1 complete in drafts, and [redacted] anonymous 😈

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 

according to the stats page, 440k! (but the one I have in drafts will get me over 500k and I'm thinking about doing a giveaway when I hit that milestone?)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Formula 1 RPF!!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I’ve Got a Feeling That I’m Not Complete Anymore, Take Me With You, The Boy With the Storm-Colored Eyes, Another Deep Dive All The Way Down, Croissants in Aub Dhabi

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Very very rarely. I use comments as a metric and adding my own makes it feel like I'm artificially increasing the count. Plus, if I start thanking one person I feel like I have to thank them all and then that spirals out of control. (Not to mention I have so much anxiety over reading comments and sometimes the brain just goes eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I tend to prefer 'angst with a happy ending', but probably Another Window To Break Out from my 1016 week fics.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably With You Around Me It’s Just So Easy To Be In Love. This whole series is just fluff. Everything else tends to have some angst along the way, though I think the series A Nymph's Heart also has a stupidly happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yeah, I got some on I’ve Got a Feeling That I’m Not Complete Anymore, but it's also my most-kudos'd (at least, until I get 3 more on Take Me With You) so I kind-of assume those were anomalies? It definitely sucks that I can't go back and read those comments since I haven't (and won't) delete the bad ones and I know there are lovely people who left me nice comments.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes. The sort of smut that has too much exposition, plenty of aftercare, and frequently bondage. There has to be feelings involved with my smut and, in my opinion, that's the best part of the smut.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! (I hope...)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Well...technically there's one in-progress but my co-conspirators are too busy and have too many other projects so it's on the back-burner and I'm too shy to ask them if it's ever going to get done but I'm sure it will someday and I'm patient and I don't want to bother them about it and I'm perfectly happy posting my own stuff and...

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

That is so difficult to answer. In F1 RPF it's easily Piarles. I used to read a fuck-ton of Drarry but Harry Potter anything gives me the ick these days, even fanfiction. If I had to pick an All-Time favorite, it's probably SuzaLulu from Code Geass. (Honestly I haven't touched the fandom in years but I might go check what's on AO3 these days hmmmm.....)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I'm good about finishing my WIPs...eventually. The good thing for anyone who likes reading my stuff is that I do not post unless it's finished so you'll never have an unfinished work from me!

(That being said, I was writing some [redacted]!Charles and it was hitting a little too close to home so I might not go back to that one...)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Fantasy worldbuilding. I love the setup and introducing a strange new place. Actually probably worldbuilding in general, fantasy or not.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Resolutions. I often *hand wave* over an ending and it's just...yep! everything's good here! all done!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I am hopelessly monolingual so I will not. I will use commonly-known endearments (Calamar, mon amour, schatz, etc.) but no actual dialogue.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

You will have to pry that information from my cold, dead hands.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Bittersweet, That Glitter and it's not even fucking close. It's just...everything to me. The world, the characters, the story...it's so fucking good.

I have exactly zero clue who else has answered this already so @golden-fairylights, @hrhgeorgerussell, and @your-littlesecret if y'all haven't and want to play along??

[espithewarlock]

omg 🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲 i want to know

hi sol!!! 💚

This may surprise you, but you are a Trickery Domain Cleric. You have a mischievous streak a mile wide and I don't think everyone realizes exactly how much you embrace the chaos. Magical power off the charts, nobody knows if you're using it for good or for evil.

[espithewarlock]

Thank you @car-bo-hydrate for the tag! 💚

star sign: and tell you what part of the year my birthday is?? lmao.

favourite holiday: I really love Thanksgiving. Getting everyone together and cooking a big fucking tasty meal. (Well, that, and anything that gets me a day off of work)

last meal: Grilled Cheese & tomato soup! A perfect warm comfort dinner when it's cold and snowing outside.

current favourite musician: I'm currently listening to a lot of Green Day in prep for their tour. Fall Out Boy is also never a wrong answer.

last music listened to: Stay Frosty Milk Tea by Fall Out Boy

last movie watched: Godzilla Minus One - absolutely phenomenal. It felt like a good-old-fashioned Godzilla movie plus it made me care about the characters. (I heard it might be released in black & white? wouldn't it be fucking cool if it was black & white, except for Godzilla's blue energy charge?)

last tv show watched: literally can't remember. Probably something at my in-laws over Christmas. (does, like Wheel of Fortune / Jeopardy count for this?)

last book/fic finished: Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune. Incredible book, deals with grief and what happens after death in a very hopeful way.

last book/fic abandoned: I know my prev. tagger said Catch 22 and I'll admit that I also had to set that one down a long time ago. I hit the back button on plenty of fics & I tend not to remember the names of those? (There was one that I was trying with an unusual pairing, but it had untagged yukierre in it and I just went 🤮)

currently reading: about to start one that I got for Christmas - Babel by R.F. Kuang. It was given to me by my sister-in-law and she never misses.

last thing researched for writing/art/hyperfixation: leather armor components

favourite online fandom memory: ok, so I was part of a ff.net forum back in like...2010? and a bunch of us planned to meet up at an anime convention. In hindsight, it was a stupid af thing to meet up with a bunch of internet strangers (plus my best friend who introduced me to the forum but still) but we had a TON of fun. I fell out of the fandom (college/life got in the way) unfortunately, but those memories

favourite old fandom you wish would drag you back in/have a resurgence: y'all will know as soon as I do a Code Geass rewatch because I will not talk about anything else for a bit.

favourite thing you enjoy that never had an active or big fandom, but you wish it did: If I ever run out of f1 rpf fic to read I might check in on the Code Geass fandom on AO3. It wasn't huge on the fanfic spaces back in 2010 (and the fanfic spaces were significantly less developed) so I might see what has happened since then.

tempting project you're trying to rein in/don't have time for: I have two different longfics that are occupying my brain. I'm trying to get through PWFE, finish Nymph!Pierre #3, do my editing pass on the other oneshot that's nearly done, then I can sit down and figure out which longfic I'm tackling first.

(o゜▽゜)o☆

If anyone wants to play along please feel free! Tagging @duquesademiel @your-littlesecret @chaesonghwas and @wolfiemcwolferson if you haven't already done this!

[espithewarlock]

Just read "I'll let you give it to me" and ohhhh my God that was so good? And so hot? Your brain >>>>>

Actually speechless

Hello! Thank you for the ask and double thank you for the compliment!! I actually have a lot to say on the matter, so forgive me for using your ask to do it.

So I'm going to be perfectly honest and admit that I'll Let You Give It To Me, despite being a PWP, was a struggle to finish. I started writing it almost immediately after posting Croissants in Abu Dhabi and was finally able to pick it back up and finish it this weekend.

Part of the reason I set it down was because I got distracted writing other things (Baker!Pierre & 1016 Week prompts were happening around that time) and the other part is due to the comments I was getting on I’ve Got a Feeling That I’m Not Complete Anymore.

They were, to put it bluntly, mean.

There was about 24 hours that I spent crying on & off about them and I couldn't write a word of anything for 2 weeks. (That's not an exaggeration.)

The problem was, the comments weren't wrong. The commenters were mad about actions the characters were taking and, unfortunately, directing that anger at me, the author. (I haven't deleted any of those comments by the way, so they can be read on AO3.)

The characters that I wrote into that fic...they're far from perfect. Pierre is more than a little selfish and inconsiderate, Charles is definitely an enabler and has his own selfish moments, and Max is completely hypocritical about what he wants.

I wanted to write about a messy relationship and...well...I did.

That's why I haven't deleted the comments. They're correct on multiple fronts. I just wish those commenters had the presence of mind to consider the impact their harsh words would have on me. (Recognizing that this is a selfish request on my part but, well, it is my writing.)

They're supposed to be mad at the characters, they're supposed to want better for them, and they're supposed to see how those characters try and improve themselves, even if it isn't perfect.

I don't know about anyone else, but I think perfection in relationships is a) impossible and b) boring.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't thank the wonderful, amazing, @duquesademiel for being incredible. She dedicated an entire day to reading my fic and, essentially, live reacting to it in my DMs. (Plus, she left the most amazing comment on the final chapter that makes me 🥰)

That completely reignited my love for this universe and helped convince me to finish what I had started with this PWP.

So, yeah, this was just a smutty little one-shot for most people. For me, this is an accomplishment. I was able to set aside the negative comments and write something that brings me joy.

Hearing that it brought other people joy too is, as Max would put it, simply lovely. So thank you for taking time out of your day not just to read it, but to come here and tell me you enjoyed it. Positive comments and feedback like yours help motivate me to keep writing, and to keep improving my writing. 💚