#MY GRATITUDE CAN NEVER BE ADEQUATELY EXPRESSED

[youngpettyqueen]

“You’re an amazing man, Garak.” “And my gratitude to you can never be adequately expressed. But I shall try,” I promised.”

“Yes. But specifically about relationships, and how they set the course of our lives. You not only ‘saved’ my life, you also made it possible for me to live it.”

“The time I wounded you in that holosuite program. . . .” “Yes,” I prompted expectantly. “I never apologized for my action.” “And you must never apologize!” I urged. “Please, Garak. This is not the time to give me a lesson on how to behave like a hardened spy. . . .” “No, no, no. On the contrary, when you shot me, my dear friend, that was the next step in my process of remembering. I was going to sacrifice the others, the people you considered your friends, because that was the only way I could be sure to save myself. You opposed me. Indeed, you would have killed me if necessary.” “I’m sure it would never have gotten to that point,” the Doctor muttered.”

I need to put these all here. excuse me while I- (screams)

[stellamancer]

entreat (reader x yuta okkotsu)

notes: hellow hellow! this is actually my first time writing yuta ahaha. he's a sweet boy who deserves the world (like most of the rest of the cast). intially the idea for this fic was a bit different but, i think this is cute too.

this fic was a request written as part of the @/ficsforgaza initiative as a gift for @yutaleks. my requests are currently closed, but if you are interested please do check the ffg tumblr out! there are lots of writers participating!

contains: gn!reader, food (mentions of, eating and sharing), yuta okkotsu being a cutie patoot

Whenever Yuta travels for a mission, he always brings back souvenirs; boxes of ridiculously sugary sweets for Gojo, bags of interestingly flavored potato chips for Maki, eclectic and downright gimmicky foods for Panda and Toge and for you—

Yuta brings back things he wants to eat with you. 

It started with the first-ever souvenir he brought back for you, from the very first solo mission he received after being reinstated as a special grade. He'd given it to you to say thank you for your support because just saying it has never been an adequate expression of gratitude for Yuta. 

But he'd apologized too, as he handed you the box– cookies from Hokkaido using locally sourced butter and cream, the prefecture’s pride and joy. 

Yuta is maybe the only person you know who would say sorry when handing someone a gift. 

“Why?” you'd asked.

He looked embarrassed as he answered. “I didn't know what you would like, but I couldn't just not bring you anything so I… got something that I thought sounded good…” 

His face was the picture of guilt, like he had admitted to the most heinous crime in all of history– not knowing what you would have liked. 

“It's okay if you want to throw it away or give it to sensei! I won't get upset or mad!” 

You remember distinctly thinking that if Rika were still here, she would send you to the grave if you threw away Yuta’s gift. Instead of that, you started to open the box, peeling away the wrapping and the box top to reveal two neat little rows of individually packaged cookies. You’d plucked one out and offered it to Yuta. 

“You said you thought it sounded good right?” you had asked. 

Yuta only stared, obviously unsure of what to do. 

“Come on, take it.” 

He hesitated, clearly not wanting to partake in a gift meant for you and for a moment you both stood there, unmoving. 

“Come on, Yuta, please?” 

That had been enough to get him to give in. You remember being surprised that was all it took. He gingerly took the cookie from you, handling it like a treasure, and you’d grabbed one of your own, knowing there was no way Yuta would eat one if you didn't first.

You'd tucked the box under your arm to rip the packing open and with another thanks you popped the cookie in your mouth. 

Honestly speaking, it had been one of the best cookies you'd ever had; crisp, yet tender, with a subtle sweetness that was nothing short of addictive.

When you had finished it, you stared at Yuta intently. It took him a second to realize that you meant for him to eat his, too, and with both yet another apology and yet another thank you, he delicately tore open the package and ate the cookie. 

You watched as he chewed it thoughtfully, evaluating the flavor. And when he finished, you tilted your head to the side and asked, “So, did you like it?” 

You remember how he nodded and smiled, carefree and innocent– a look you had always felt suited Yuta best. 

In return, you’d offered him a smile of your own. “You don't need to go through the trouble of bringing me back anything, but if you do, bring stuff like this— that we can share.”

And Yuta did just that. 

Now, every time he comes back from a mission, he comes bearing souvenirs from all over Japan: chestnut daifuku from Nagano, gyoza senbei from Tochigi, Kobe pudding from Hyogo… the list goes on. Sometimes, it’s just one thing. And other times, he comes back with two or three, looking apologetic as he tells you that he just couldn't decide. 

You don't mind, though, you never do– in fact, you actually look forward to when he brings multiple. More to share means more time with Yuta.

And this time, this time is no exception, but….

“...this is an awful lot…” you say looking at the array of ten different boxes that Yuta’s brought back from his latest mission. 

“I'm sorry!” He apologizes automatically and then, just like always he adds. “It was so hard to choose… Everything sounded so good.”

He's not wrong. Every single thing he's brought back sounds absolutely delicious and catered specifically to your tastes. It kind of makes you wonder if he's been taking notes all this time, commiting the things you've liked to memory. 

“It's fine!” you insist. “I'm just not sure if we can finish all this together…” 

At least not all at once. The things that are individually wrapped should be fine, but there are a fair amount of things that are probably meant to be eaten in a single sitting. 

“...maybe we should see if the others want some too…” you murmur thoughtfully. It's been a while since all of you ate together, between missions and the like. It would be fun. 

Yuta makes a soft sound and you look toward him. He’s very obviously avoiding your gaze, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. You know him well enough to realize that means he's got something on his mind.

“What's up?” you ask. 

He doesn't say anything, not at first, but it's obvious he's debating whether or not to tell you. If you wait long enough, though, you think he'll say it. And sure enough, after a minute or two Yuta takes a deep breath and says, “I was actually hoping we could still just share everything just the two of us!” 

The words come out in a two-breath rush and you stare at him as the meaning of his words sink in. You did tell him to bring back things the two of you could share, it just never occurred to you that he thought that meant only the two of you. 

Yuta, on the other hand, looks mildly horrified, regret instantly visible, as if it was a mistake to voice his own desires, and so he adds. “But— but if you want to eat with everyone, that's fine! I can call Toge and Panda and–”

“Actually,” you interject and while you don't want to talk over Yuta you want him to know— need him to know that it's fine. It's fine for him to say what he wants, because not only will you always listen, you’ll—

“I take it back. I think we can eat this all ourselves. Just the two of us.”

You’ll never, ever refuse him. 

[fiveht]

Proof of life (Adore pt 3)

Hello my sweet angel babies ♥️

I'm not going to be able to adequately express my gratitude for the steady stream of love (and concern, sorry) I've been receiving over the past couple of months. I'm so sorry I've been AWOL, it will definitely happen again. Because see, for me, I usually have to make a choice between social and creative fandom participation. My battery is small, and takes a long time to charge.

Thank you to everyone who's left comments and asks and DMs since I've been gone. I don't think I can respond to all of it, but rest assured those messages ping my cold, dead heart every time I see them.

So I'm gonna go out on a limb here. I did this same thing months and months ago, when I was working on Head Over Feet, and let me be clear: posting even a single word of a WIP goes against my every instinct and principle as an author. I am someone who likes to finish an entire story before I post any of it, and on top of that, I am NOT a fast writer, so the expectations that I'm setting up here might not be advisable. But I did it before and managed to finish the thing, and I want to give you guys something in exchange for being so unbelievably awesome, so here I am again.

This will probably be the only time I mention this story in public until it's finished and posted, and inquiries about my progress are unlikely to help with the writing process, I'm just saying. I reserve the right to change every last word of this before the final draft, and I also reserve the right to fall off the face of the planet and simply never finish it, as much as I will strive to prevent that from happening. Please be patient with me.

Anyway, here is my paltry offering to say thanks for the love: the (VERY rough) first ~1300 words of the third instalment of The Adventures of Soft Daddy and Danger Twink.

Sirius secures his handheld shower head to its holder at the edge of his clawfoot tub, and steps out carefully onto the bathmat. He shivers in the cool air outside the shower curtain; it's about twenty degrees below zero outside, so even if he could afford to run his ancient radiator at full blast, it probably wouldn't help much.

He dries himself off and checks his reflection in the mirror, turning his face this way and that as he tugs his hair out of the bun he'd piled it into to keep it dry during his shower. There's no need for makeup tonight, not when he's not even planning to put on clothes.

It's incrementally warmer when he steps out into the main room of his apartment. He gathers an array of splayed text books and notes from his bed and dumps them carelessly onto the couch, then closes his new laptop and places it delicately on the coffee table. It's the most expensive thing he owns, save for the Gucci backpack currently sitting in his wardrobe with a three-inch berth around it like his shoes and other bags might somehow contaminate it. It's weird owning rich-people stuff when you are still, objectively, broke as fuck.

He perches on the edge of his bed and sets his phone to charge, because his battery doesn't even last a day anymore, and he's going to need it this evening. He tucks it in next to his pillow and picks up his new toy.

The plug isn't much larger than the one he already has. A little longer, which is appealing, but no wider, so it shouldn't be a challenge to get it in comfortably. He disconnects it from its charger and hefts it in his hand, feeling the added weight from the electronics inside.

He picks up his phone, and hesitates when he sees the notification waiting for him.

Rieka: let's go out tomorrow

Rieka: the fact that we haven't been drunk since the term started is criminal

Rieka: we've had two chem labs and zero drinks

Sirius purses his lips, thumbs hovering over the keyboard. There's a fine line here, and he hasn't quite found it yet.

Me: got plans

Me: raincheck?

So complete avoidance is the best strategy, right?

Rieka: booooo 👎

He sighs, but at least she's not asking for an explanation. He opens a different conversation then, pushing all thoughts of Rieka Lupin into a tidy, sealed compartment, not to be opened during certain activities with a certain relative of hers.

Me: i'm ready

Me: are you in your office?

Daddy: Yup, I've got a few minutes

Daddy: Want me to call?

Instead of answering, Sirius hits the call button himself.

"Hey baby," Remus answers. His voice is already smooth and honey-sweet, and just from that, Sirius knows he's planning to lay it on thick tonight.

"Hi daddy," Sirius says with a smile. "Should I put it in now?"

There's a low chuckle over the line. "Are we feeling eager?"

"Always," Sirius says, laying back on his bed.

"Use the good lube I got you, it's gonna be in there a while."

He switches the call to speaker, and snags the bottle from his nightstand. "I threw out the old stuff, you've got me ruined for cheap lube."

"Only the best for that ass," Remus says, and Sirius can hear his smirk.

He gives the plug a liberal coating, running his fingers along its shape, his dick twitching just at the feel of the silky-smooth silicone, at the anticipation of what's about to happen. He spreads his legs wide, drawing one knee up to give himself easier access.

"Take it slow," Remus says, succinctly heading off Sirius' impulse to just shove the thing inside himself in one go. "Rub the tip against yourself, so you're nice and wet."

Sirius shuts his eyes as he obeys, sliding the slick end of the toy over his entrance. "Okay."

"Are you going to be a good boy for daddy tonight?"

"Uh-huh," Sirius says, teasing the very tip of the plug in and out of his hole.

"Tell me how."

"I'm not gonna touch."

"You're not gonna touch, and you're not gonna come."

"Yeah," Sirius says. His cock is starting to harden as his body tries to draw the plug inside. "Can I put it in, daddy?"

"Slow," Remus reminds him, "Slide it in nice and slow for me, baby."

Sirius catches his lip between his teeth and tries to push the plug in slowly, the way he knows Remus would do if he was here. 

The shower has left him relaxed and more than ready, and it's hard not to take advantage, just press the toy in to its limit because he can. But he's working on his patience -- under Remus' careful tutelage -- so he shuts his eyes and tries to savour it, the tease of the plug's rubber tip at his entrance, the slow stretch as he eases it past the slight resistance before he sighs, and his body eagerly accepts the intrusion.

"Mmmm," Sirius sighs as he settles the base of the plug flush against his entrance, shifting his hips and feeling the constant, dull pressure against his prostate.

"How's it feel?" 

"Good," Sirius says, splaying his legs out and just enjoying the pleasant fullness. It's been almost a week since Remus last fucked him, and that's just way too long. Christmas really spoiled him. He tugs the blankets up around him, because it's going to take some time before his body temperature is high enough to fight against the chill in his apartment.

"Have you tried out the settings at all?" Remus asks him, and Sirius picks up the phone, switching off speaker and holding it to his ear.

"No," he says, grinding his ass down against the bed to test the plug's reach inside him. "I thought you'd rather do the honours."

Remus hums, and Sirius hears the phone shifting in his grip. "I'm gonna turn it on, okay? Lowest setting."

"O--" Sirius stutters as the plug buzzes to life inside him, nestled snug against his prostate and sending little zings of pleasure down his legs. "Fuck that feels good. That's the lowest setting?"

"It is," Remus confirms. "Want to run through them all, see how high it goes? Or would you rather be surprised?"

"Mmmm, surprise me."

"Surprise it is," Remus says, and Sirius hears shuffling papers in the background as he prepares for his night class. Psychology 1001, Thursdays, 7-9:30PM. Two and a half hours of a lecture that Remus swears he's given so many times he could recite it in his sleep, so why not give himself something fun to focus on while he goes through the motions? 

Being privy to all of this brilliant, upstanding man's secret perversions is a privilege Sirius does not take lightly.

"You can turn it off from the app if you need to," Remus is saying, "Or you can call me and I'll switch it off. My phone's on vibrate, so I'll see it right away."

Sirius smiles to himself. "Got it," he says, though this is a rehashing of the rules that Remus had laid out when he'd brought the plug over last weekend. He'd called it a "late Christmas gift", as if he hadn't already given Sirius several thousand dollars worth of presents on Christmas morning.

There's more rustling over the line, the squeak of a chair. 

"Tell me again how you're going to be good tonight."

"I'm not gonna touch myself, and I'm not gonna come." The toy is still buzzing away inside him, making everything a little fuzzy at the edges. 

"Tell me why."

"'Cause daddy's in charge, even when he's not here."

"Good boy."

Sirius squirms with pleasure, his cock smearing a little drop of fluid on his belly as the toy hums insistently at his prostate.

"I have to head out," Remus says. "How do you feel?"

"Good," Sirius says, his abs tensing as he shifts his legs and the angle of the toy changes. "Excited."

"Me too," Remus says softly. "I'll talk to you soon, beautiful. Send me some pictures." With a low beep, the call disconnects.

[cozage]

The Daughter's Return Part 3

Chapter 25: A New Beginning

Start From Beginning | Next Chapter | Table of Contents | Read on AO3

Characters: female reader x Portgas D. Ace Word Count: 1.2k

“It looks better than I expected,” Ace said, inspecting himself in the mirror. 

You ran your fingers down his back as your eyes examined it, causing him to shiver. “Your tattoo is gone.”

“All the better.” He spun around and cupped your cheeks in his hands. “Kind of hard to maintain anonymity if my back was screaming out who I was every time I was shirtless.”

You scowled at his words. “You loved that tattoo.”

“I love you more.” He kissed you then, long and slow. 

He quickly wrapped his arms around your legs and picked you up, causing you to squeal. You had forgotten how strong he was. The past few days he has looked so fragile and weak. But the man who was in the hospital was long gone. His quirky grin and cocky attitude was back. Ace was back.

He kissed you again, more desperate this time. “I’d scrape my freckles off if it meant keeping you safe.”

You giggled, rolling your eyes at his words. “You can’t scrape freckles off, idiot.”

“Fine.” He paused to give you another kiss, slipping his tongue between your lips only for a moment before pulling away. “I’d cut off all my hair, then.”

You gasped, still half dizzy at the way his tongue felt in your mouth again. It had been so long since the two of you had been like this. “Portgas D. Ace you would not! I’ll break up the moment you come home with a bad haircut!”

“So materialistic,” he whispered, pressing his lips against yours. You instantly melted into his touch, causing him to smile against your lips. “And so, so eager.”

“I still haven’t yelled at you for Marineford,” you mumbled into his mouth. “And Alabasta.” 

“You don’t have to,” he said softly, his words brushing against your skin as lightly kissed your jawline. “I think I learned my lesson. No more causing wars.”

“Ace-”

“Shhhhh,” he hushed, his lips dancing along your neck. 

“We’re going to have to talk about it eventually,” you sighed, trying to ignore the heat rising in you. “I’m still mad at you for that.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” he promised softly, dotting your skin in hundreds of soft pecks. “Even if it takes a lifetime, I’ll never stop finding ways to make it up to you. But don’t yell at me quite yet, okay?”

You hummed in acceptance. There would be a time to talk about the pain that was caused from recklessness, and you weren’t entirely faultless either. But now, you wanted to hold him and embrace the man you loved. There was a time and place for everything, and now was the time to-

A quick knock at the door shattered your hope for any further fun between you and Ace. You groaned, but you pulled yourself away from him. “Yes?”

Law’s voice came from the other side of the door. “We’ll be landing at Ontau in an hour. Just wanted to make sure you were ready for departure.”

“All good!” Ace hollered, returning his lips to your neck.

You giggled and tried to pull away from his advancements, but his grip on you was strong. 

“We can do it later,” he mumbled into your skin.

“No,” you pushed off his chest and forced yourself away from his grip, or else he would lure you in again far too easily. “We can do this later. We need to have everything on the top deck by the time we land. We’ve overstayed our welcome on the Heart Pirate’s ship, and you know it.”

Ace groaned again, but he got to work helping you move things. Thankfully, the whole crew was willing to pitch in. All of them were very against you picking up things or carrying too much weight. So you delegated tasks and tried not to feel too useless. 

Two hours later, everything was unloaded onto a wagon, and you were finally on solid ground again. 

“Thank you for everything, Trafalgar Law.” You smiled at him. It was only because of him that you had a future. There were no words to give him that would adequately express your gratitude. “Am I a terrible person if I ask you for one more favor?”

“I’ll look after him,” Law promised with a nod. “We’re heading to Amazon Lily. He’s recovered a lot in the past few days. He’ll wake up.”

You looked past him to the ship, as if you could see the machines working to keep Luffy breathing. “He’ll be devastated and destructive. He’ll-”

“Be fine,” Law finished for you. “He can survive in this world without his brother. He has his own family now. And so do you.”

He handed you an envelope. “Your medical records. You’ll need to find a good doctor and hand this over. I omitted a few things, obviously. Don’t take that bracelet off, no matter what. Promise me.”

“I promise.” You took the envelope and held it close.  “You’re a good doctor, and a good person. Thank-”

“Don’t. Don’t get sentimental on me. I’m your doctor, and now you’ll go find a new one. It’s the end of our acquaintanceship.” He walked back to his ship, and you realized this would probably be the last time you’d ever see him. He would be going off into the world, one of the only pirates in existence that knew you were still alive. 

“Trafalgar, I-”

He paused, but didn’t turn back to you. “Your secret will go to the grave with me. Doctor-patient confidentiality.” He finally glanced back, locking eyes with you for just a moment. “I hope you live a good life, Y/N. You deserve it.”

And then he was gone. A small cloth sack took his place, and you got the feeling it was meant for you. You walked over and opened the top gently, peering inside. 

Money. Thousands of berries. Based on the way they were clumped together, you had to guess it was at least 80,000 berries in this bag. With this plus Marco’s money, you and Ace would live very comfortable lives on this little island. 

And Trafalgar Law said he wasn’t a good person. But you knew differently. At least one person on this earth knew that he was. Even if that person was technically considered to be dead.

A strong, comforting arm wrapped around your shoulder as Ace appeared next to you. “They’re leaving already?”

You simply nodded as you watched Law’s ship depart, still clutching the bag of berries in your hands. 

Ace sighed. “Well, I talked to the village elder and she said that she had a house for us in exchange for protection. There’s a lot of uneasiness on the island after…” He trailed off, trying to find the correct words. 

“After Marineford,” you finished for him, still staring at the horizon. Grief of what you had lost was starting to creep up on you, but you shoved it far, far away. You would deal with those emotions later. You had a life to build. 

“Right,” Ace quickly rushed on. “There’s a little cabin on the outskirts of the village, sitting up on a lookout hill. It’s been abandoned for a while, but it should be a fun project to restore and make our own.”

You finally turned away from the sea and looked toward the man you loved more than anything. There was so much hope plastered across his freckled face, you couldn’t help but smile back at him. “Let’s go see our new home, then.”

Tag list! @taeyoge @teiza @tojislawyer @trafalgardnami @bloopbopsblog @dancingnewcat @dxestyi @flooofity @nyxthedragon01 @deadsnothere @h-rhodes1598  @morgyyyyyyy @trafalgardvivi  @fiestynatureweeb @frogpogjoghurt @beepboopcowboy @ms-portgas @luvyallbabes @appalost @zuchkaa @saybeyonce @stray-npc @kitsunechan707 @theyluvmesblog @heartysworld @aira-needs-sleep  @mothmomjay @ophelias-flowerss @aqualein @sehyojae @fanficwriter5 @forgotten-blues @amberash05 @firefistnoct @depressed-but-make-it-cute @stuckinthewrongworld@lizpoir

[zorosdimples]

this post is a little overdue as i believe the exact date was a couple weeks ago, but zorosdimples has officially turned one ‼️ on top of that, i’m close to hitting another blog milestone, which is hard to wrap my head around.

there are so many things i want to say and so many people i want to thank, but i don’t think anything can adequately express how grateful i am to be here with you all in this little safe haven. i’ve made lifelong friendships, written stories i never thought possible, and enjoyed connecting with so many wonderful people across the world.

while i want to do something in celebration of this birthday-cum-milestone, i’m not sure i’ll be able to as i have a lot of change currently happening in my life offline (all good, i think!) i may do something later on down the road, but for now, all i can offer you is my love and gratitude ❤️

[pon-farr-night]

JULIAN STUDYING GARAK WITH "An interest he (Garak) hadn't seen in years"

JULIAN BASHIR

"You're an amazing man, Garak."

"And my gratitude to you can NEVER be adequately expressed, but I shall try."

HELP THEY'RE FLIRTING

[gabessquishytum]

Spent the weekend pouring over your galaxy-brained posts, thought I’d toss an idea I’ve been bouncing around for a bit into the ring; after their 1689 meeting, Dream increasingly indulges in thinking up the occasional fantasy of what-ifs, in which he swooped in to rescue Hob from any number of the awful things he went through during that century. To be fair to Dream, they start out and often continue to be about simply giving Hob the food and shelter and compassion he’d been deprived of, magnanimously giving his human friend acquaintance some much-needed comfort and perhaps receiving a bit of gratitude and awe in return.

But at some point the fantasies turn and grow, in which Hob decides to express his gratitude with his body, or Hob swoons into Dream’s arms after being rescued from the witch mob and all but throws himself at his knight in black armor, or Hob becomes so sweetly pliant from the food and baths he desperately needed that he allows Dream to use his body as he pleases; when you’re the Prince of Stories, the list of scenarios to play with is varied and endless ;P

But then when 1789 rolls around, and Lady Johanna and her thugs show up, presenting Dream with this wonderful opportunity to make one of his fantasies a reality (and if he’s lucky, it’ll be one of the sexy ones), before he can do anything swoon-worthy Hob throws himself into the fray and-

Oh. Hm. Now that’s something to consider. “You need not have come to my defense.” But that’s okay, this is a whole new avenue to explore, Dream’s not gonna abandon his old fantasies, but he does need to leave immediately so he can go examine the many new ‘Hob coming to my defense’ ideas coming into his head.

(And maybe this possibly turns into a fishbowl rescue au, as Jessamy has read Dream’s diary or smth and thus knows the best thing to do is go find Hob Gadling, she can get her lord rescued and laid, it’s a win-win. The sleepy sickness was a strange phenomenon that was never adequately explained, but didn’t last very long in the grand scheme of things so the world shrugged and moved on. Hob doesn’t quite follow how a talking bird telling him that His Stranger was in trouble lead to the best sex of his long life and a relationship with the King of Dreams involving quite a bit of roleplay, but you won’t catch him complaining)

I’m so fascinated by the idea of Dream having fantasies and daydreams of his own!! How does it play out in the dreaming, I wonder? Does he get to participate in live-action fantasies, or see it all play out like a film in front of him? I can totally see Dream getting intoxicated and wound up in these intricate scenarios.

Poor Jessamy has to spend a lot of time overhearing Dream’s horny daydreams about this random human, but GOD she’s glad that she was paying attention, when Dream gets captured! When Hob actually comes to rescue him it’s a whole lot less sexy than Dream was imagining. Hob gets shot (twice), there’s blood all over the floor, Hob basically uses a crowbar to smash the glass and it goes everywhere - not a pretty sight.

So. Once Hob is sufficiently recovered and Dream has dealt with the circumstances of his capture, he basically scoops Hob up into the dreaming and announces that they’re going to roleplay the rescue all over again, but this time it’s going to be romantic and sexy and Dream is going to swoon in Hob’s arms without either of them being covered in blood and broken glass, thanks very much.

Hob (who is still very confused but very happy to participate in anything that Dream wants from him) gladly rescues his Stranger all over again, and this time he also gets lovingly pounded on the basement floor. He’s not totally convinced that he isn’t hallucinating the whole thing until Dream smiles at him, and then he somehow knows that it’s all real. Dream loves him, for some reason. All is right with the world.

[saiikavon]

@joukaiweek: Jounouchi’s Birthday!

(I have been dying to write about this for ages. Happy birthday hybrid!jou.)

“Would you like to do something for your birthday?”

The question caught Jounouchi so much by surprise that at first, he thought he’d misheard. His ears perked up in a somewhat comical fashion atop his head as he looked back at Kaiba.

“Say again?”

Kaiba looked up from his paper, mildly disgruntled. “Would. You. Like. To. Do. Something. For. Your. Birthday.” How Kaiba had managed to both perfectly emphasize each word in that flat, lazy drone, Jounouchi would never know. In any case, he responded by pouting back.

“That’s what I thought you said. But how do you even know when my birthday is?” And why would you want to go to the trouble of planning something for it, went unsaid.

Kaiba raised a brow. “It was in your file.”

Oh. Right. The room fell silent, Jounouchi unsure of what to say. After a moment, Kaiba sighed and set down his paper.

“If you don’t want to do anything—”

“It’s not that I don’t,” Jounouchi interrupted. “I just…haven’t really celebrated since I was a pup. Not sure what I would do.”

Kaiba considered this for a moment. “Then is there a gift you would like?”

Jounouchi tilted his head. “Why’re you so intent on askin’?”

“Why are you so intent on not giving me an answer?” Kaiba fired back, all irritated snark that almost made Jounouchi bristle. But he was learning that Kaiba’s bark was usually worse than his bite, so long as he was comfortable with a person.

Jounouchi thought he fell into that category. Probably.

“Just don’t see why you wanna bother,” Jounouchi admitted at last. “I haven’t even been here a year.”

“And yet you have helped me improve my work-life balance tremendously, given me several new and effective coping mechanisms, and overall proven yourself a more than adequate companion. I would have you stay indefinitely, considering. And I would like to do something to make you feel at home, if in nothing else but gratitude for your work.”

Well. Well, that was…Jounouchi isn’t sure what to say again, only this time there’s a mushy feeling in his chest stopping everything. To hear that his work is helping, so much that Kaiba wants him to stay…

“Shit. I’m…I’m touched.”

Kaiba’s deadpan, contemplative expression folded into a smile. “So?”

Jounouchi searched for something to say, some kind of hint to give Kaiba about what he wanted, but his mind was blank. What more could he want, when he had such a beautiful home already?

“I-I, um…the fireplace,” he eventually blurted. Kaiba gave him a puzzled look, but waited for him to clarify. “I like sitting by the fire, but the floor’s kinda hard. Maybe a blanket or something? To make it a little more comfy. I guess.”

Kaiba hummed in thought. “Or something,” he muttered. “Alright. Let me know if there’s anything else—otherwise I think I can manage something like that.”

Jounouchi’s heart gave a little leap, even as Kaiba’s abandoned his paper for his phone, looking something up. He only paused once, to tell Jounouchi to “shoo,” and then went back to it. Jounouchi chuckled, but obliged and left for his room. He didn’t want to ruin Kaiba’s surprise, after all.

And what a surprise it was. Two weeks later, Jounouchi entered the front hall to find an absolutely massive leather armchair situated in front of the fireplace. He let out a puppy-like yip of joy when Kaiba told him it was his, and he ran to leap into it. A fuzzy blanket met him as he jumped into the seat, also his, and so wonderfully soft.

Kaiba came over to him as he rolled about, and asked with a satisfied smirk, “I take it you like your gift?”

Jounouchi grinned up at him, hair askew, face flushed with joy. “This is the best birthday ever.”

“Good. Happy birthday, Jounouchi.”

That night, Jounouchi got to curl up in his new chair, cozy in his blanket with the fire roaring, feeling like he was actually, really home.

It really was the best birthday ever.

[feedthefandomfest]

Hi, I absolutely love this project and all the ideas but may I suggest an addition? I've seen a lot of posts trying to help people to comment, with the dos and don'ts, different ways to comment etc. but I have never seen a post on how to reply to comments as an author. Yet I've seen a lot of authors express that they don't actually really know how to reply or feel insecure about it.

So if we want to foster a fandom space that's more about community and less about content creators and consumers, maybe some resources about replying to comments might also help?

Ooh, yes. There are a few scenarios that come to mind where I commonly struggle in replying to comments:

just as a story that stirred up a tornado of amazing emotions makes a comment difficult to compose, a COMMENT that stirred up a tornado of amazing emotions makes a reply equally difficult!! how to express the jumbled joy and gratitude and excitement and and and

i find myself tone matching the comment? or trying to? only if the comment has a tone or style that i feel awkward utilizing, i'm afraid that awkwardness is coming across, and not in a charming way (ditto for feeling self-conscious if my reply is longer that the original comment. which... makes no sense?? it's like i'm afraid of coming across as desperate or something and i'm trying to play it chill 😂 THIS MIGHT JUST BE ME. I TEND TO OVERTHINK THINGS)

it's a WIP and i feel guilty for not updating in awhile, so my avoidant personality quirks hamstring my ability to reply... it's like i feel undeserving of the kindness? or like i use the comment to bargain with myself--go make progress on the WIP and then you can mention that in your reply!!--and then i fail to make progress and the bargain falls apart 😅

as a writer, i feel bad if my replies to different comments sound too similar. as though similarity = insincerity. OR like when you're drafting and you're like OH NO can't use that particular word/phrase because i just used it in a recent paragraph and surely others will notice the awk repetition and deem me clunky 🙃

very rarely, there are comments that make me feel shitty, often through some thoughtless phrasing (I truly don't think any of them intended to hurt my feelings), and so I'm left in the strange position of wanting to defend myself/my fic while wanting to avoid confrontation because i hate confrontation while wanting the commenter to be aware of how they might word things more sensitively in future while fearing i might alienate a reader when i need readers to LIVE 😭

Looking back on this list, it's very possible these are all manifestations of my very particular quirks and idiosyncrasies and whatnot, but it's also possible others are struggling in similar ways so I'm gonna post it anyway.

Any other aspects of replying to comments that writers struggle with? Any tips or tricks for how to reply to comments in a way that fosters community?

I'll start working on my own list of how I navigate the issues described above. Because I DO reply to comments and think it's so important for nurturing fandom life and inviting goodness into your own life.

Not to be too sappy but one of my best friends started out as a rambling raving commenter. One of those every chapter rambling raving commenters (the GOOD STUFF 🤌🏻), and I replied in kind, and then he found me on tumblr, and fast forward just shy of a year and he's one of my top precious people.

Posting fic, reading someone's fic, commenting, replying to comments -- all of these are weirdly intimate acts, in a way. Hence the awkwardness? Depending on the fic, it's like "hello, this is the product of my brain and my fingers touching the keys, and i may or may not have poured my heart and soul into it." and commenters who may or may not detect such things sometimes have the wherewithal to reply, "it was beautiful. wonderful. i loved it." and then what do you say? "thank you" doesn't feel adequate at all. AT ALL.

[meurtriercruel]

To my dearest friend, my anchor, my living journal — I cannot fathom what my life would be like without you. Through every storm that rages, you are my unwavering constant, the steadfast support I rely on. From the very start, I recognized your unique spirit, your pure soul, and your boundless heart. Calling you my best friend is one of my greatest honors. I can never adequately express my gratitude or convey just how vital you are to me and how deeply I love you. Even though the music we dub our anthems may be a little embarrassing, life with you truly feels as effortless and joyful as this song suggest, @spicydesire (i‘ll keep our insiders to ourselves, otherwise it would really become too embarrassing)

[mcl4r3n]

heyyy, first of all, i just wanna say that i absolutely adore your fics and i wanna thank you for all the amazing works you’ve put up on the internet <3 second, may i ask for 29 dando? (fun fact: your fics got both me and my gf into dando) thank you and i hope you’re having a great day <3

Wait wait wait this is so. THIS IS SO VERY. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 oh my god. You have NO IDEA how much of an honor it is that not just you but also your girlfriend got into Dando because of something I wrote? I will CRY on YOU BOTH. 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 thank you so so much for your kind words. I hope this (not so little) drabble is an adequate amount of a gift to express my gratitude for this ask 🥹🫶🩷

-

29 Dando “I never thought you could make such sweet noises.” - “Me neither…”

—•—

Between him and Daniel, Lando knows that there have been an entire orchestra's range of sounds that have left both their mouths.

He's well aware of his own high-pitched laughter when he loses control over his giggles; he's memorized the exact cadence of Daniel's loud guffaws. Hell, they're immortalized everywhere, including F1's official YouTube account where have compilations of pressers and "funniest moments."

He knows what they both sound like when they're happy, when they're angry, when they're gossiping under their breaths while some host prepares them for yet another one of those ridiculous drivers' entrances.

But Lando has absolutely no idea where the hell the sounds he just made came from. That is, the sounds that he makes when Daniel enters him for the very first time.

It should be mortifying. Daniel's so much more experienced at sleeping with men than he is, and by that, Lando means that Daniel is his first guy, and no amount of gay porn and heavy rutting and training his asshole with a metal butt plug could have prepared Lando for the overwhelming, full-body consumption that is feeling Daniel Ricciardo slide his dick into him and settle against his hips.

He's panting into Daniel's hair, his temple, his fingers clutched so tight against Daniel's deltoids that he wouldn't be surprised if he left finger-shaped bruises there later. It almost hurts, but it really only just skates the surface of it.

Everything else is a stretch, and he tries to see how he feels clenching around Daniel's girth, but that proves to be detrimental to Daniel's health, and subsequently, Lando's, too, because it makes Daniel's hips, which he was doing his best to hold in place while Lando adjusted to him, stutter and fuck into him like it's a reflex, and oh, oh fuck, that's good.

Lando honest-to-god mewls, his thighs spasming around Daniel's hips, his back arching, pleasure jolting electric through him better than any adrenaline rush from the lights going on out on the grid.

"M-move, Danny," is all Lando can manage before Daniel is pulling out halfway, and then slamming full force back into him.

Lando loses all sense of time, all sense of coherence. He learns, in such few, frantic minutes, the absolute batshit joy of having a hard cock pressing against his prostate, and Daniel learns the absolute batshit joy of anal with someone who has never done anal before.

Their kisses feel less like kisses and more like shared breathing, panting against each other's mouths while they make all the noise they want because Lando has thick walls and neither of them have a race to drive at for the next three weekends.

Lando is crying now, he can feel it, consumed by the push of Daniel's body into his, consumed with the need to take Daniel in completely, to not give him any more space than necessary to just come back and fuck into him. He catches snatches of Daniel's litany of words, dirty and desperate.

He calls Lando "baby" and that shouldn't feel nearly as good as it does, to be held like this, equally like a precious doll and a free-use whore.

Sweat falls from Daniel's forehead to Lando's lips and even that, Lando goes crazy for. Daniel's working up a sweat because of him. Daniel's losing control because of him. Daniel's going to come because of him.

Lando's hearing goes out when he feels Daniel's calloused hand wrap around his dick and jerk him off. He comes after a few strokes, and he feels the mess between them, feels the coolness that touches the skin of his back because his spine has curved concave against his mattress.

He wraps his legs around Daniel's waist and refuses to let him pull out, so Daniel braces himself over Lando with both his elbows on either side of Lando's head and pushes in hard, and finishes inside him.

The comedown is slow, syrupy in the summer afternoon. Daniel flops on top of him, breathless, panting.

“I never thought—" Daniel starts before cutting off to take a breath."—you could make such sweet noises.”

"Me neither…” Lando's tongue feels too large for his mouth. He might actually be dickmatized.

"Dickmatized?" Daniel laughs, sounding like he just ran a sprint but is too busy laughing to take a proper inhale.

"I wasn't supposed to say that out loud," Lando says, closing his eyes and shoving his hand in Daniel's face to shut him up.

"Baby, if that is what you always sound like in bed, I want you to say every single thought and make every single sound you wanna make, got it?"

Lando has to suppress his eye-roll at his ex-teammate, though "boyfriend" would be the more appropriate title.

His face is burning, though. He figures that's enough of a reply for Danny at the moment.

[talkethtothehandeth]

Why is everything medical so expensive (aside from the fact they want us dead) like $1.5k to get my lungs tested, $880 for fucking blood work and my endo surgery??? My endo surgery to remove pieces of uterine tissue throughout my abdomen and off of my organs??

People say I’m lucky for being on Medicaid and receiving the bare minimum of SSI aid (I couldn’t live on it at all, I cannot save because of bills) and I am so privileged to even have these services. I am SO thankful that I can get help for free, but I am not receiving adequate care; my body is trying to, quite literally, kill me again.

I am so fucking blessed to have no medical expenses, it is something I will forever be grateful for because I’m probably never going to get off of it. I’ve been on Medicaid since I was 3 when they declared me “legally” disabled (yes, really).

Also the government is so horrible with disabled people. The only reason I have this is because my mom fought for me as a kid so hard just so I could be okay. I appreciate her always and I can’t express it enough, the level of gratitude I have for this.

I would die without having Medicaid, but I cannot get certain aids, I cannot have access to doctors unless they approve it, I cannot have any medication they don’t approve, any braces medicaid pays for fall apart and lose their stability because it stretches too much. I cannot go to doctors outside of my main hospital without a referral and approval. I cannot afford to be sick, that is the biggest problem.

Free healthcare seems like a dream, but it is not. Yes you get coverage, in exchange for only being able to have $2k at any time for any reason, not being able to marry your partner, you cannot choose a doctor on your own or where you need to get treated, you don’t have access to eye or ear care, you cannot get into a dentist because there are such few places that accept it and it is full because everyone is fucking poor which means the waiting lists are so long that by the time you’re able to see a doctor, they send you to a new one since your symptoms got worse and out of their field. There is a reason I’m on Medicaid, and it’s not because I have thousands of dollars in my bank account.

Although it is absolutely a privilege, without financial aid I would die. And I fucking hate that this is a reality for so many people. It makes my blood boil knowing we have enough resources to take better care of people, but the government literally refuses to do anything unless they think you’re bad enough. And when you are bad enough to their standards, it’s a whole other type of price to pay.

Tl;dr: people deserve low cost or free healthcare and it is incomprehensible to me how the American health system can just charge you whatever they want for whatever reason when all you want to do is live

[anexperimentallife]

So grateful to everyone who helped us get so far with El's situation*. Thanks to y'all, El's citizenship is recognized, she has her passport, and our visas are reset for another three years.

Unfortunately, even with donations, this whole ordeal has left us 14K in debt.

PLUS now that El's citizenship, passport, and visa stuff is resolved, the US embassy is making us go to Manila AGAIN in December (for about another 1K--and yes, that's the earliest we could get an appointment), to apply in person for her social security number. (Which they would not let us apply for until after we had her passport.)

It'll take about three months to get her SSN, and only THEN can we apply to add her to my disability. No idea how long that will take.

Y'all, having a baby overseas during a national lockdown when BOTH parents are foreigners, especially if there's a birth certificate error that needs corrected, is a stressful and expensive hassle involving multiple visits to various local and national offices and the embassy.

I'm not even concerned about the surgeries I need right now (throat, jaw, and possibly joints). Eleanor is my top priority.

(*In case you didn't see the earlier posts, we're a disabled, neurodivergent, interracial US couple living in the Philippines, where it is actually possible to live on the pittance that the US pays for disability. Our daughter was born here under the lockdown as our visas were expiring, and an error on our daughter's birth certificate left her stateless, which cascaded into a series of bureaucratic/legal woes that had eventually put us in danger of forced separation and possible incarceration. That part is finally resolved thanks to y'all, but we've still got some challenges ahead.

During all of the above, @thesurestthing had to be hospitalized a couple of times, and I nearly died from COVID twice, spent a month on oxygen, had blood clots that screwed up my right retina and temporarily paralyzed one side of my face, a persistent two-year infection that required foot surgery and industrial strength antibiotics to resolve, and ended up with heart issues that are likely permanent--so even with the cheap healthcare here, it took a huge chunk of cash just to keep us--especially me--alive.)

So yeah, unfortunately, you'll be seeing another donation post within the next couple of days--hopefully more coherent than this one.

I'll go ahead and add the donation links here anyway, though.

We prefer pay pal donations, because they take the lowest fees, but we can also accept donations through go fund me and ko-fi.

pay pal: https://href.li/?https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=AAPN4HRA9YLA4

ko fi: https://href.li/?https://ko-fi.com/anexperimentallife

go fund me: https://href.li/?https://www.gofundme.com/f/family-riding-out-covid-overseas

And if you've actually read all if this, here's a reward of the most adorable baby on this or any other planet (holding my cane, which she keeps absconding with lol).

Again--Thanks to everyone who has kicked in or reblogged so far. We will never be able to adequately express our gratitude. <3

[mar64ds]

Dear . mar64ds,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my deep gratitude and appreciation for your tremendous support of my campaign. Your support has had a significant positive impact, and I have seen noticeable changes due to your engagement with my posts.

I want to inform you that my old account has been banned, and this is my new account through which I will continue to post updates about my campaign. I hope you will continue to support me and share my posts from this new account.

I cannot adequately express my appreciation for your kindness and support during these difficult times. I have lost my dear father, my niece, and my nephew due to the conflict affecting my country, and I am striving to protect my remaining family.

Thanks to your support, I feel hopeful and believe that my fundraising campaign will succeed. I will never forget what you have done for me, and I ask you to continue sharing my posts so that we can achieve our goals.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart 🙏

I am happy to help. Everyone, please help this family if you are able. I am so sorry for your lost and I wish you the best of luck

[jisoosbeesoo]

New Beginnings

When I was younger, I thought I knew so many things. I learned how to understand what emotions were and what they meant. I learned how to navigate around them and grow from experience.

What I didn't know was how to feel.

I never felt on my own terms. I was always an unwilling participant in the emotions that tore at my soul until it was ragged and worn.

The holes left behind were not pretty to look at and I avoided examining them too closely.

When I first saw them, a spark lit in me. I adored them. Watching them became another hobby to keep me away from the chasms in my mind.

Then I grew to know them, their personalities, their music, their hearts that they shared so willingly, so selflessly with us. What else could I do but the same?

Emotions flooded through me. Feeling became an idea I entertained, enjoyed. The highs and the lows of their music allowed me to feel and know that I was safe.

I wasn't alone anymore because everything I felt due to their music was because they had felt it first and if they made it through, maybe I could too.

They were never demanding, always patient. When I went away, too overwhelmed by the world to be able to keep up with them, they waited. When I came back, it was like I never left.

I don't hate feeling so much anymore. Sometimes I even allow it without analysis afterward.

With all the words I thought I knew, somehow I can't find the right ones now.

There is nothing I can say to encompass the hope that has bloomed hesitantly inside my very being, but I hope you understand.

Thank you for every piece of happiness you've given me.

***

Author's Note: I have been a bit mentally unwell on my journey for the past few years. There haven't been many bright spots throughout, but Seventeen has been one of the reasons to hold on. I'll never be able to find the words to adequately express my gratitude to them, but I'd like to try. Thank you for reading. <3

[imxthexhandler]

💕 💕 💕 💕 💕

send 💕 or ( ‘HEART’ ) for me to randomly pick one of my mutuals and write at least two things about why i love seeing them on my dash, writing with them, talking to them, etc.

----------------------------

@bennyboylewis : Iz, you have been one of biggest supporters ever, and you’re one of the best friends I’ve ever made in life, and I’m blessed every day for you. I love you, girlie. You’ve been so kind and compassionate and patient with me, and I cannot express my gratitude adequately enough. Also, I love Ben. I think you’re the person I have the most AUs with period. I love Ben’s sense of loyalty and snark--Amelia does, too, even when that crazy mechanic drives her insane. You are an insanely talented person, and I hope one day you see it for yourself.

@tsushimanoonryo : I know we don't write together, but I love reading your threads, and honestly, the few times we've chatted OOC, you've always been so cool and chill to talk with. You're a highly creative individual, and I love all the amount of detail you've poured into your muse. Keep on being awesome!

@wildthiiing : Lanie, gosh, I’ve been writing with you for so long! Over so many muses... I love interacting with all of your muses, and Amelia especially loves Jane and Trip and Barney. I love reading your threads, I love seeing your headcanons and the things you post that remind you of your muses. Thank you for always putting up with my hyper ass. And all the spam.

@bokketo : What can I say about Onyx? They are very talented, able to write such vastly different muses, all of them very well. Onyx is an insanely talented writer and photographer, and they have been such a supportive and sweet friend. I'm very lucky to have met them.

@koiwrites : God, where do I begin with you? You have stuck by me through it all, you were one of my first partners on this hellsite! You are so insanely talented, and I'm always happy to see what you create. Thank you so much for putting up with me and all my screaming about our babies. Thank you for just being a friend and solid partner. I cannot express how much both of those have meant to me over the years.

@quiveringdeer : Nat is a very talented writer, and they have introduced me to different horror movies. Even though I am not a fan of Attack on Titan (nothing wrong with it, just the premise never grabbed my attention), I really enjoy reading her headcanons and ficlets about characters

@adventurepunks : Love this one so much. If anyone likes stuff from Amelia's DC Argus verse, you really have this one to thank. Between the adventures with Zee and Amelia or her romance with Roy. Although he is one of my favorite DC boys of all time, I never expected to ship him with Amelia--or that I would ship these two so dang hard. Not only are they so patient with me for replies, always willing to go along with any of my crazy ideas, they always check up on me, and they are just a sweetheart.

@thedemonconstantine : This person, right here, is an INCREDIBLE artist! Seriously, you need to check out their artwork. I don't know this mun too much OOC, so I don't know if their IRL job involves art, but I hope it does, because again, their talents are incredible. I'm often a spy on their John/Nick threads with @adventurepunks; I can't help it. It may not be my preferred ship for Constantine, but GAWD, their threads are SO GOOD! 10/10 def. recommend!

@blizzardmuses : Bea is just such a sweetheart and always indulges me with whatever crazy idea I throw at them. They are a very talented writer, and I'm always happy when I get to write with them or read their threads. If you're a Starfire or Red Hood fan, then most definitely I recommend following this one 10/10.

@audaxbellator : Oh, wow, Bethany, how long have we been partners?? Seems like it’s been forever, ever since I created Amelia. You’ve always been so kind and so sweet to me, thank you. Steve and Amelia are just perfect for each other, and I always get excited to write with you. Thank you for not only being a friend to me but for being a writing partner.