#comics do seem like a daunting task to get into but I promise that it truly isn’t

[stealingyourbones]

That is quite the negative viewpoint on the continuity that I do understand. There’s just so much to go through. Some people who want to read simply don’t because they don’t know where to even start. Almost every silver aged comic seems to be just filler. The stories are dated and the old stories read like the authors took every drug they could get their hands on and then wrote a script to a comic in 30 minutes.

Continuity is positively batshit, the amount of DC Crises’s are ridiculous, and the varying conflicting stories and nonexistent timeline is super hard to figure out what the fuck is going on. Time is nonlinear and oh look, this character from this comic has aged three years and yet this character that they interact with on a daily basis hasn’t aged a day.

Comics are confusing. Comics are strange. Comics make no fucking sense.

And that’s why they are amazing.

Comics are one crazy ass medium of storytelling that can have the most batshit stories that’ll slowly make sense as you dive right into the dcu. Some comics are really good, some are really bad, and with the wildness of continuity you can actively choose to ignore that comic run.

As I said before, you can choose your own version of continuity. You don’t like that comic run? You can actively choose to just ignore that canon. There are dozens of other comic runs with that character in it. You like THAT version of the character? That’s now integrated into how you mentally portray that character.

With 75 years of comics, (most people only read stuff published in the 80’s and onward but ) because you don’t have to read every single comic to get a good grasp of the character and their stories. There are 6 comic long story runs that’ll be completely isolated and tell you all you need to know. You like that hero? Then go buy more comics about that person and read all about them. You think this hero just isn’t for you? Then you stop reading their comics and move on.

You don’t have to grasp the entirety of DC Comic’s publications for things to make sense. Sure, there ARE some large events in the DC timeline that are important to know about, but you will quickly learn about them when you immerse yourself in the comics and history of DC. All you need is slight knowledge of the character and you’re good to go.

There are a bunch of comics I just don’t read. Comics where Bruce is just a complete asshole towards his kids, comics that are dreadfully dull and boring (*cough* Knightfall *cough*), the comics I’ve heard that are extremely bad runs, comics I don’t agree with the characterization, all of those. I just don’t read those. Sure they can have important plot points in it but there are so many resources I can use other than the source material: watching a YouTube video that discusses the comic run, asking a friend who is big into comics about it and let them infodump, listen to a podcast that summarizes a comic run or entirety of a characters lore, read a summary of the comic online with a quick google search.

Or I could simply not learn anything about it. If I don’t like the run I don’t want to take the time learning about something I’m not interested in.

Sure there’s a lot to read but you don’t have to! The amount of online resources that will go in depth about a characters history or a comic run!

Just read whatever you want! It genuinely doesn’t matter what comics you read, you don’t HAVE to know everything. In a lot of comics they’ll explain everything going on. It doesn’t matter your knowledge in DC. You’ll eventually learn through reading more and more comics. You just gotta pick up whatever catches your eye and then read it.

Big and important canonical DC events will be reprinted to hell and back. A super secret special edition (including the first ever printed version of the comic from the 40s! So many anniversary collections have the first ever comic of that series in it somewhere.) You don’t have to know every niche bit of information to read a comic, you just have to absorb the information you are given like a sponge and gradually understand what’s going on. I mean most people who read fics already got a somewhat decent grasp on the well known DC heroes. You’re already off to a good start!

Fuck reading in order. Grab whatever comic catches your eye even if it’s in the middle of a run and read it! You’re going to pick it up pretty quickly. Give it a few dozen pages and you’ll have pieced most of what’s happening together. No one expects you to read every comic book. That’s not the point! The point is to enjoy a cool heroes and the story they’re in! Timelines are wack, Tim Drake has been 17 for 11 years, and Continuity is a sham so why not just read whatever and have some fun!

Resources I greatly enjoy:

Podcasts

Character Corner (Spotify & YouTube) - an incredible podcast that talks about comic runs and gives great comprehensive summaries of comic book characters and comic runs. My fav comic podcast.

The DC3 Cast! (Spotify & Apple Podcasts) - weekly discusses current DC comic runs. Fun atmosphere. Not the best to just jump in with 0 knowledge of the DC universe. You can jump to listening to a comic run you’re interested in. there is no need for linear listening. Vibes of buddies chillin.

Weird Science DC Comics Reviews (Spotify & YouTube) - weekly discussions on new DC comic run releases. A bit more of an argumentive podcast. less lax than the DC3 Cast. Vibes of sports commentators heatedly debating about what they think will happen before the game.

Youtube

Comic Commentary/Discussion

Comic Drake (Youtube) - an incredible storyteller. Discusses everything under the sun about DC comics.

Owen Likes Comics (Youtube) - discusses comic runs and adds interesting commenrary.

Comicstorian (YouTube) - discusses everything under the sun for comics. Has read throughs of entire comic runs and explains what’s going on along the way. Summaries of comic runs. A bunch of stuff

Comics Explained (YouTube) - comic commentary, summarization of lore and very interesting discussions.

The Russian ComicBook Geek (YouTube) - incredibly well produced motion comics. Both Marvel and DC. You can watch entire ass comic runs. Highly reccomend.

DHVO Comics (YouTube) - large collection of motion comics. slightly less quality than Russian ComicBook Geek.

Cape Swoosh Productions (YouTube) - has a small collection of DC comics that are adapted into radio plays. Great stuff.

Patronic27 Productions (Youtube) - has some positively incredible DC motion comics.

Prodigy (YouTube) - incredible motion comics. Some are super fuckin long.

troyoboyo17 (YouTube) - interesting and wonderful DC commentary videos.

Fortress of Solitude (YouTube) - a storytelling comic commentary channel. Shows long clips of the pages of the comics discussed.

Comics Online

DC Universe Infinite (Website) - a DC owned subscription service that lets you view any DC comic that they have catalogued . There is thousands. All new comics are delayed from six months to one month before being added to DC Infinite to help encourage physical copy purchasing. They also have rotating free-to-view comics you can check out. (Subscription options: $8 USD per month/ $75 USD per year/ $120 USD per year (Ultra subscription))

Comixology (Website) - an Amazon owned online store for comic books. Contains almost every comic out there. Comics require purchasing individual copies.

The problem with trying to map out the DC fictional cities is that, they are always changing, sometimes Gotham is in New York, sometimes Metropolis is across the river from Gotham and sometimes it's half-way across the states, depending on which comic/movie/show you're watching. So technically, everyone is right about where they think the cities are, statistically speaking there's a canon where that's where they are.

Yep!!! Most DC locations are very generalized. they are somewhere in California or somewhere on this coast. It’s a mess. Quite a lot of the maps you see online are speculated locations for the cities to be located.

DC rule #1: Continuity is a sham. Everything is canon and also not and also it is but only slightly.

My main view on all comics is to just build your own personal canon. There’s 75 years worth of comics. There’s no way you’re gonna read ALL of it. Pick and choose the comics you like and ideas you enjoy and build your own personal view of the character and world. Mine might be different than yours and that’s ok, that’s how comics are meant to be.

If ya think metropolis is on the east coast? Sure. Why not. Go for it. In DC time is a thick soup and the world is Mr. Mxyzptlk’s playground. Anything is possible.

[tokkiwrites]

⠀⠀⠀99 problems, what's one more?

in which you're a struggling student but are determined to work for your money. your friend's stepfather is conveniently rich but you can't just accept the money your friend gives you. so you decide to earn it...in a way.

★ ͘pwp, friends step dad kinda, dom!kraven, sub!reader, afab reader, no use of y/n, implied age gap but not mentioned, mention of cheating, pet names, praises & degradation, dirty talk, kind of size kink, pnv unprotected (wrap it up), head f receiving, creampie, lmk if i missed anything.

The crisp autumn air hung heavy as you stood outside the grand estate of Sergei Kravinoff, your friend's stepfather. The towering mansion loomed before you, a stark contrast to your modest student life.

god, how'd I get here ?

..

Financial struggles had woven themselves into the fabric of your existence, but pride held you back from accepting charity. Determined to work your way through the challenges, you declined your friend's offer of financial assistance. However, fate had other plans. Your friend, aware of your pride and the persistent lack in your wallet, proposed a compromise.

"Just help around the house," they suggested, eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint. "Sergei's maid just left the country, and the manor could use an extra pair of hands."

"I don't know..."

"I promise you, he's not that bad!"

Reluctantly, you agreed, ignoring the silent plea in your friend's eyes. Little did you know, this decision would plunge you into a whirlwind of unexpected emotions.

..

The first day on the job arrived, and you found yourself nervously adjusting your sweater as you entered the mansion. Sergei, a magnetic presence, greeted you with a nod, his piercing eyes assessing you with a hint of amusement.

"Didn't think you'd actually show up." he scoffed.

"Good afternoon to you too, Mr. Kravinoff." you forced out a smile, looking around, trying to adjust your sight to the warm lights of the hallway.

"your room's upstairs, first floor, third door to the left. you don't gotta do much, just so you know. plus, these two weeks will go by fast." he tried to sound understanding and ease your arrival. It didn't really work, though. it wasn't in his blood.

"you've got a good friend, darling."

oh. you liked that more than you'd want to admit. nonetheless, you swallow your stutter.

"I know."

"Well, quit standing there. Go to your room, get yourself some food. I'll be in my office if you need anything."

you nod, listening as his steps grew distant. huffing, you let out a breath you were holding since you arrived, as it seemed. of course, you weren't scared of the work itself. What's a bit of dusting got on you? being here, with the overwhelmingly, delicious,hot step dad of your friend, though? that's scary.

The first day unfolded in a haze of unfamiliar tasks and the lingering weight of Sergei's presence. Climbing the grand staircase, you found the room as instructed, its plush furnishings, a stark contrast to your student lodgings.

As you settled in, thoughts swirled in your mind. "why did i agree to this?" you wondered, grappling with the surreal nature of the situation. The daunting realization hit you: two weeks of trying to keep your cool around Sergei. "It's two weeks. Two weeks is like... two days."

you hate to admit it, but you've fantasized about your friends' step dad more than you'd like. you shiver at the thoughts, flooding your mind again, scrunching your nose up, and plopping down on the comically large bed in your room.

..

"So, how's the trip with your mom going?"

"barely seen her today. pretty sure she's out banging and about." your friend laughs their way through that statement. "so..she's cheating on your step-dad?" you seem unmoved by her joking demeanor.

"ewww, girl, don't call him that! he's just her boyfriend. and i don't even know for how much longer, honestly." your ears ring, a smile creeping onto your face. maybe this is what you needed to ease the guilt. "that's unfortunate." real unfortunate.

"yeaahh..." they sigh."I'll totally miss his private beach parties."

..

The next morning, you found yourself in the kitchen, contemplating a menu more extravagant than anything you'd prepared before. Sergei, clad in a well-tailored suit, entered, a sly smirk playing on his lips. "I hope you're not going to burn my kitchen down," he teased. The way his rough voice pulled at your core got you jumping. "Sorry for scaring you, darling. wanted to let you know you gotta water the inside plants today."

"yes, Mr. Kravinoff." you hang your head low whilst cutting some cherry tomatoes. "Stop that." he clicks his tongue, motioning you to turn around and face him. "Look at me when I'm talking, yeah?"

your heart drops to your ass and up to Jupiter, plummeting back into your chest. "Iㅡ sorry, sir. I will, I'm sorry."

"And call me Sergei. I'm not that old."

"Yes, sirㅡ Sergei." kill me now. launch me into an active volcano, please.

"Good." he eyes you. "Good girl." Leaving you in the kitchen filled by the hum of the refrigerator. you wouldn't mind an asteroid hitting the earth just about now. how embarrassing, all soaked and bothered just because of two words he said.

all though you wouldn't mind hearing him saying that again.

..

that night, as you made your way to the kitchen for a glass of water, you crossed paths with Sergei in the dimly lit corridor. "Can't sleep?" he inquired, his voice low and intimate. The air crackled with tension, and the realization hit you that this arrangement was far from ordinary.

"Uh, yeahㅡ new bed and all." Sure. it totally wasn't because you were too busy thinking about him ravishing you and making you his. "That so?" he quirks a brow up before scratching his beard and leaning in closer. "You might wanna learn how to lie next time, pretty girl." shit.

"I'm sorry?" You gulp at his rightfully directed accusation. "Don't play dumb, doll. Y'know, I can read everything in that cute head of yours just by looking at you." he traces, fingers pulling at the strap of your pajama. The way he spoke, the way he looked at you, and the way he touched you; it all felt like a dream. It was impossible for you to look away, or resist him, or even tell him to stop. Your breath hitched, and you were flooded with a warm sensation as he spoke again, this time inching closer to you.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. In fact, I like it when you lie. makes it more excitingㅡ seeing you struggle so much..." he almost purrs "bet that pussy is real wet for me right now, huh, baby?"

"Mr. Kr-avinoff ㅡ"

As Sergei's lips grazed your neck, a soft sigh escaped your parted lips. The scent of his cologne lingered in the air, a heady mixture of musk and sophistication that enveloped you. His kisses were like a delicate dance, a cocktail of sensations that sent shivers down your back.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to do this," Sergei confessed in a low, husky voice, his words a seductive melody. The warmth of his breath against your skin intensified the intimacy, and you found yourself completely under his spell.

Fingers trailed along your spine, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake. a soft chuckle escaped Sergei's lips as he savored the effect he had on you.

Time seemed to stretch. stop.

Sergei pulled back slightly, his piercing gaze fixed on your flushed face. "You're so easily affected by me, aren't you? pretty girl." he teased, his voice a velvety purr that resonated with the vulnerability he'd uncovered. A coy smile played on his lips as he leaned in again, a master at exploiting the desire that simmered beneath your surface.

You weren't one to like getting in trouble, situations like these. But right now, you could bathe in forbidden. It was surrealㅡ it was tainted.

Your breathing grew shallow and quick as you took in the scent of his musk, your body reacting to his proximity. The warmth of his breath caressed your neck. His rough fingers brushed your skin again, sending a shiver over your entire body as he pulled you closer, his voice lowering to a murmur.

"Come closer now darling, let me take care of you. reward you." he preyed at your lips with his thumb that you took the liberty to lick with the tip of your tongue. it was salty, and you're sure you could taste ink used to sign his papers. salty and wrong. but it enveloped your tastebudsㅡ your favorite flavor in this moment; a flavor that spoke of secrets and clandestine affairs, a taste that sent a thrill through your senses.

Sergei's low chuckle reverberated through the room, a sinister melody. "This what you want, baby?"

"please.." you sounded more desperate than you anticipated. it came out whiny, needy, and raw. though... you were ready to beg even more.

"naughty girl." he murmured, "so naughty and needy, yeah? come on, babyㅡ say it." he urged, his voice low that danced with promises unspoken. The subtle command held a magnetic force, and you yielded to the gravitational pull.

"I'm so needy, s-sirㅡ please.." the floor spun under you. "come." he motions, and you follow behind like a puppy into his room. As you stepped inside, the air seemed to change, thick with the heady scent of rich mahogany and aged leather.

The walls, draped in dark, textured wallpaper, absorbed the ambient light, casting a warm and intimate glow across the space. The windows were veiled with heavy, velvet curtains. A grand four-poster bed dominated the center, almost menacingly.

You were pulled out of your head once you felt Sergei's palm settle onto your hip and pull your back flush to his hard chest. you could feel the bulge in his pants nestled between your ass cheeks. "Tell me you want this, baby. don't want you regretting it later." and for that moment, he did seem genuine. He did speak warm, and your heart jumped higher into your chest.

"please kiss me." you blurt out.

Sergei's response was immediate, his breath hitching audibly. The scent of your hunger, an intoxicating fragrance, seemed to envelop him, and desire ignited in the depths of his eyes. His hands, calloused and possessive, tightened their grip on your hips, conveying an urgency that mirrored the throb of desire pulsating between you.

A deep groan rumbled from within him as his mouth found yours in an intense, hungry kiss. Lips melded in a dance of fervor, and as his tongue sought entrance, the kiss deepened into a song of passion. his effect on you was evident in the way his touch sent electric currents coursing through your body, every caress a deliberate stroke that fueled the flames inside of your core.

With a gentle but commanding force, he guided you backward until the plush bedding met the backs of your legs. The grandeur of the four-poster bed became the backdrop, and you surrendered willingly to the pull of the moment.

The room echoed with soft moans and the rustle of fabric as Sergei's skilled fingers slid underneath your clothes, exploring the contours of your body. The delicate dance between vulnerability and passion unfolded with every touch, your senses heightened by the intoxicating blend of sensations.

Your body responded like a finely tuned instrument, surrendering to the symphony orchestrated by Sergei. Legs trembling with heady ecstasy, you found yourself immersed in a moment that transcended the boundaries of reason and restraint. you wanted moreㅡ needed more. in the end, what's one more problem next to 99.

"I'm going to ruin this pretty body of yours, doll. make you remember who got you all needy like thisㅡ look at her.." he presses two fingers agains your clothed cunt, "fucking soaked, i barely touched you yet. dirty slut." throwing your head back, you whine, searching for his touch. "sit still. be a good girl and sit still."

you comply. what else were you to do? when he's got your sprawled out on his bed, ready to let him feast on your body.

"just need a good fucking, right? its why you're hereㅡ not money. just want to be fucked senseless." Sergei's laughs almost taunting. "I'll fuck you, don't worry. make you sit on this cock until you can't walk no more."

fuck. this is really happening. it might be all you've dreamed of and more.

a few seconds pass as you hear Sergei pull down his pants, then yours and finally your underwear. "look at her. so wet and ready to be filled just right." he traces his finger between your fold before, without warning, diving between your thighs, feasting on your pussy like theres no tomorrow. afrer only mere minutes you turned into a mess, hair messy, tank top pulled over your head to reveal your breasts, moans dripping from your lips like honey, like it was dripping from between your folds.

" ㅡ'm gonna come-" you manage to choke out. "come on, baby. come on my face- show me how much you wanna make me proud." it's all you neede. you let go, million fireworks going off in your stomach as you writhe under him. Sergei picks himself up from between your thighs, sitting over you with both arms bulging on each side of your head. "still sure you want this, pretty?"

you look down only the catch a glimpse of what might be the biggest dick you've ever seen. you swallow dryly.

"so sure ㅡ" you pant. "good." with that he slowly positioned himself in line with your cunt, teasingly rubbing the red tip all over your wet folds, before pushing in. the pain spreads through your body, stings making you jolt. "look at her, swallowing me so well. doing so good, baby." he takes one of your nipples between his teeth, pulling at it as to distract you from the pain lower down.

finally, after much waiting, he was inside. "look at that, baby, i barely fit in there. tight, little pussy, squeezing me in so good." he was so deep, you could literally feel him in your lungs. its not long until he starts moving, hitting your cervix over and over. you moan and cryㅡ from pleasure, pain and anything in between.

Sergei folds your thighs over your chest, your ankles now on his shoulders. he plummets into you, leaving you no room to breathe, showering you in praises and dirty words. and you loved every second of it.

"shit, baby, you feel how deep i am? fuuck- you're gonna let me fill that pretty pussy with my come, huh?" he speeds up. "yes, yes, yes, p-pleaseㅡ inside" you cry and plead incoherently as your second orgasm hits you.

"fuck, baby, fuckㅡ" Sergei closes his eyes, hitting deeper and harder as warm ropes coat your inside and quiet moans slip past your lips. "yeahㅡ look at that." he pulls out, proudly looking at the mess he made of you.

"i might pay you double at the end of these two weeks."

⏜⃞♡⠀⠀🐰 surprise!!! 2.6k words, hopefully you like it!! not proofread, so if you see any grammatical errors, no u didn't. love u all muah dont forget to leave requests!!!!!

[cloudywriter]

a trip to target

rowaelin month - september 6th

prompt: firstborn arrives

i literally have no idea where this idea came from like it’s so weird but i think it’s funny so i just had to write it. honestly though pregnancy freaks me out a little so it was a little uncomfy to write at times but i pushed through and i like it. enjoy!

(warning for some minor language)

masterlist, AO3

~~~

Rowan was working on one of his client's cases, a rather nasty divorce that he knew was going to be an absolute dumpster fire when his wife called him again. Rowan couldn’t help but smile a little at her name lighting up his phone screen but admittedly she was bothering him so much he barely got any work done nowadays. 

He picked up anyway, he’d never decline her. “Hey, Fireheart.”

“I’m bored, buzzard,” Aelin deadpanned. 

“I know, baby, but I’ll come home after my meeting later, I promise. Then we can watch Bachelor reruns all night and eat ice cream,” Rowan assured her, leaning back in his office chair. For some reason, all she wanted to do nowadays was watch bad reality tv and eat ice cream from the carton. As much as Rowan hated reality shows and wasn't keen on sweets he did anything to make her happy.

“That’s too far away, I’m rotting away on this couch,” Aelin whined. 

Aelin’s work had forced her on maternity leave a few days ago as she was due any day now with their first child, a little girl, and Aelin was not taking it well. She was the kind of person who liked to always be busy and now she had nothing to do but sit on the couch and wait for their child to decide she was ready to enter the world. She was constantly phoning Rowan seeking some form of entertainment but he was still working on this damn case. 

Rowan thought her restlessness had something to do with the fact she was terrified at the thought of giving birth and caring for a newborn. If she were distracted she wouldn’t have to think about the daunting task at hand. So, he did his best to keep her happy and preoccupied but he desperately needed to wrap up this case before his daughter arrived. He wanted to be there for every moment of the beginning of her life, he didn’t fancy any legal cases looming over his head vying for his attention as well. 

“I know, I’ll be home as soon as I can. Hang tight, my love.” 

Aelin huffed from the other end of the line. “I’m ready for her to be out, Rowan. This sucks.” 

Rowan stifled a laugh, he knew being pregnant had lost its charm a long time ago. At first, she enjoyed Rowan fetching anything she asked for and waiting on her, but then that started to get old, and Aelin's pregnancy symptoms made her miserable most of the time. So, the last couple of months hadn't been her favorite. 

“I’m ready to meet her too. Any second now.” 

“Okay, I’ll stop bothering you now," Aelin concluded. She likely finally found something on Netflix that piqued her interest. "Good luck with your meeting, I hope they settle. I love you,” Aelin told him. 

“I love you too, see you soon,” and with that, the call ended. Rowan looked out the window of his office, thinking. Maybe he could send someone to keep her company?

He ran through a list of their friends in his head. Elide, Aedion, and Lysandra were all working as far as he knew and didn’t want to ask them to leave their job to entertain Aelin. He thought of Lorcan, Connall, and Fenrys, they all worked for him so technically he could let them off. Except, Aelin didn’t particularly like Lorcan and he didn’t think Connall would be very keen on that arrangement either. Fenrys, though, Aelin and Fenrys were best of friends, a force of nature all on their own. 

So, Rowan rang his assistant requesting that Fenrys be sent to his office. Not much time passed before Fenrys was standing in the doorway, knocking lightly on its frame.

“What’s up?” He asked, plopping himself down on a chair opposite Rowan, making himself comfortable. 

“I have a favor to ask,” Rowan confessed. 

“A favor?” Fenrys raised an eyebrow, intrigued. 

“Can you go keep Aelin company while I’m trying to settle with the Westfalls?” Rowan probed. 

Fenrys frowned. “As much as I love Ace I can’t take a day off work to hang out with her. I have bills to pay and ladies to take out.” 

Rowan nearly groaned, fighting an internal battle with himself. “I’ll let you do it on the clock,” he finally spit out. 

“You’re going to pay me to go entertain your wife?” Fenrys looked bewildered. “I feel like is almost insulting to Aelin, you paying people to hang out with her. You’re the one she should be paying people to hang out with.”

Rowan rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s not like that. I feel bad because I know she’s struggling and I can’t be home right now. I don’t want her to have to be alone, just take her to Target or something.”

“Aelin’s a grown woman, can’t she take herself to Target?” Fenrys disputed. 

“Yes, but she’s a grown woman who’s nearing 40 weeks pregnant. I’d rather she have a chaperone,” Rowan admitted, before backtracking. “Don’t ever tell her I said that.” 

Fenrys looked amused as Rowan continued. “Are you really going to say no?” 

“Of course not, getting paid to go to Target with Aelin is a hell of a lot better than getting paid to do paperwork,” Fenrys conceded. 

Rowan blew a sigh of relief as Fenrys headed to go pick up Aelin. 

+++

Fenrys had successfully gotten Aelin to Target. It wasn’t a hard task to accomplish, the woman loved Target but Fenrys noticed she seemed rather uncomfortable and he asked her multiple times if she just wanted to stay home instead. Aelin always said no, pushing on with their trip. 

He supposed having a watermelon-sized bump on one’s front would cause a certain degree of discomfort, though. Naturally, the pair find themselves in the baby section, gushing over tiny onesies and shoes small enough to fit in the palm of their hands. Fenrys was swiping through a display of onesies, “Do you think they have any of those onesies that say like 'broken condom 'on them or something?” 

Aelin turned around from where she was staring at baby headbands. “You’re nasty. My daughter was not the result of a broken condom.” 

Fenrys made a face, “I don’t want to know.”

Aelin snorted and they continued their browsing making their way through every aisle that had anything remotely baby-related. By now, Fenrys noticed Aelin was growing increasingly uncomfortable, he could see her stamina slowing, and the difficulty walking was beginning to pose. 

Eventually, he shifted to face her as they browsed the small, dollar section at the front of the store. “Do you want to head home and get off your feet?” he finally proposed. 

“No,” Aelin responded without looking at him, picking up a small, fake succulent. “Walking is supposed to induce labor and that’s what I’m aiming for right now,” she stated, smoothing a hand over the front of her round stomach. 

Fenrys shrugged, picking up a pair of cheap fuzzy socks before throwing them back into their bin. 

He allowed Aelin to mill about the store, spending a healthy amount of time at the nightgown section before moving towards the back of the store. Aelin always said it wasn’t a trip to Target without going to the back and sniffing their extensive stockpile of candles. 

That’s exactly where they ended up. Fenrys had his nose stuck in a deep violet candle, making a face at its scent. He checked the label. Cosmic starlight. What the hell was that supposed to smell like? 

He turned to Aelin about to make her smell the atrocity when she braced herself against the shelf, putting down the candle she had been holding. Her mouth popped into an ‘o’ and her brow furrowed. 

“Aelin?” Fenrys reached out a hesitant hand placing it on her shoulder. 

Aelin breathed deeply, taking a moment to reply. “The baby must really hate the smell of sandalwood,” she finally vocalized. 

Fenrys’ dark eyes widened. “Did you just have a contraction?” 

“I think? It’s hard to tell if it was just a strong fake one or not,” Aelin panted eventually loosening her grip on the candle display shelf. 

Fenrys wasn’t taking any chances, if Rowan wanted him to deal with a woman going into labor he’d have to raise his pay significantly. “How about we get you home, Ace.” 

Aelin didn’t object, just nodded her agreement waddling towards the front of the store with Fenrys hovering around her like a fly. 

They made it out to the parking lot without any further incident and Fenrys helped Aelin into his low, expensive sports car that was his prized possession. Aelin’s face scrunched up then a sharp gasp left her mouth, her hand flying to her stomach. 

“I think squatting down trying to get into this thing just broke my water,” her eyes were wide with fear as she looked up at Fenrys. 

Fenrys face was comical, his own eyes widening like saucers and his mouth dropped. Sure enough, the bottom of her dress was wet. Fenrys was frozen for a second his mind completely emptied out, then the panic set in sending a million thoughts racing through his head. 

Fenrys audibly gulped, “Okay, um, I’m calling Rowan.” Fenrys grabbed his phone out of his pocket, fumbling with the device as he dialed Rowan’s contact, willing him to pick up. 

Fenrys leaned slightly against the open passenger door as the phone rang. “You’ve reached Rowan Whitethorn-Galathynius, I’m sorry I couldn’t answer your call, please leave a message and I’ll -.”

Fenrys hung up and groaned, rubbing his hand over his face. Beside him, Aelin whimpered. “Holy shit, that was not fake,” she groaned, her grip tightening on the seat beneath her.

“Oh, gods, Aelin, please don’t give birth in my Mercedes,” he begged. 

“Really, Fen?” She narrowed her eyes at him, she’d probably kick him in the groin if she wasn’t incapacitated. 

“You know I love you, but I don’t want baby juice on the leather.”

“Just call Rowan again,” Aelin growled. 

Fenrys did just that, silently pleading with the universe for Rowan to pick up his gods-damn phone. Relief washed over him as the call connected. 

“Fen, I’m in a meeting this better be worth my while,” Rowan whispered harshly, he hated to be interrupted at work by anyone except Aelin.

“Oh, I’m sorry, your wife’s water did just break but I guess I’ll call back later,” Fenrys spat, growing increasingly flustered by the minute. 

Fenrys heard a sharp intake of breath. “Fuck, shit, okay, where are you? I’m coming right now,” the jingle of keys filled Fenrys’ ear from Rowan's end of the call. 

As Fenrys surveyed his surrounding the urge to laugh crept upon him, he fought his smile as he replied, “The Target parking lot.”

Aelin watched the exchange closely cluing in on Fenrys’ suppressed laughter. “It’s not funny, Fen!”

“It’s a little funny. I mean if anyone was going to have a baby in a Target parking lot, it’d be you. Or Lysandra. One of you two.”

Aelin snatched the phone out of Fenrys’ hand, pressing it to her ear. “Rowan,” she panted, resting her head on the side of the car. 

Fenrys couldn’t hear much of what Rowan was saying, he spoke in a low voice trying to calm Aelin, assuring her he was coming and he loved her and she was okay. 

They were sickeningly in love, Fenrys would admit. 

“Okay, I love you too,” Aelin breathed, hanging up the phone and handing it back to Fenrys. 

Fenrys leaned against the side of the car as they awaited Rowan’s arrival. “Cross your legs, Ace. Remember, no baby juice in the car,” he reminded her, trying his best to keep her mind off of what was happening while they waited.

“Go to hell,” Aelin murmured in the midst of a contraction. Fenrys wasn’t sure what to do so he bent forward to rub Aelin’s shoulder in an attempt to do what, he wasn’t sure. Aelin didn't yell at him though so he rubbed circles on her shoulder as she clung onto the seat. 

Rowan showed up only a few minutes later, tearing into the parking lot like a bat out of hell, so at odds with his usual slow and steady driving style. He jumped out of the car, his tie loosened around his neck as he rushed to Aelin’s side. 

He kneeled down next to the open car door, picking up her hand and brushing away the stray blonde strands of hair from her splotchy face. “I’m here, Fireheart. How far apart are your contractions?”

“I don’t know,” Aelin hissed. “Okay, okay, let’s just get you in the car and to the hospital,” Rowan decided, supporting Aelin as she eased out of the car, leaning heavily upon him. 

Fenrys and Rowan successfully got Aelin into the passenger seat of his car, Rowan buckled her in and continued whispering words of love and support. Rowan rounded the car and hopped into the driver's side ready to book it to the hospital when one of the back doors opened and Fenrys slid in. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Rowan asked, shifting in his seat to look back at Fenrys. 

“I’m coming, obviously. I’m about to be an uncle,” Fenrys stated clearly. 

Rowan internally debated with himself on whether to kick Fen out of the car or not but ultimately decided he needed to prioritize Aelin, if Fen wants to tag along then fine. 

The ride to the hospital was tense, Rowan held Aelin’s hand across the center console, kissing the back of it and consoling her. Fenrys felt as though he was intruding but he refused to miss the birth of his niece. 

Of course, once they were admitted to the hospital Fenrys was kicked to the waiting room while Rowan supported Aelin through the duration of her labor. 

It progressed surprisingly quickly after her water broke, it was only a few hours later when a nurse told Fen he could come see the baby. 

Fenrys pushed open the door to the room softly and peered in. On the bed was Aelin, her golden hair a fan around her and despite the traumatizing ordeal she was glowing. A small baby was wrapped up in a blanket, laying in Aelin’s arms. Rowan was at her side, peering down at the bundle in her arms with so much love Fenrys felt as though he should look away. The new parents were already smitten with their little human, running their fingers over her cheek. 

Aelin perked up as Fenrys stepped into the room. She ushered him over and he too inspected the baby. She was so small, sleeping contently in her mother’s arms. Fen thought she had Rowan’s nose and he could see wisps of blonde hair from beneath her wool beanie. 

“Is her name Target? Or Bullseye like the dog?” Fenrys quipped with a playful smile. 

Aelin rolled her eyes as he interrupted the tender, intimate moment and shoved his shoulder with a shocking amount of strength for a woman who’d just pushed a whole baby out. 

“No,” Rowan answered, his eyes not leaving Aelin or the baby, “Her name is Elora.”

“Elora,” Fenrys repeated. “She’s beautiful, Aelin.”

Aelin gave him a soft smile and Elora yawned, her little eyes fluttering open. She gazed up at Fenrys with eyes the color of a pine forest. 

Fenrys beamed at the small girl and he liked to think she almost smiled back.

~~~

kinda leaning on the side of an aelin and fenrys brotp fic but i couldn’t not publish it, it’s so cute.  it’s not as fluffy as i’d like it to be but it was supposed to be more funny, nonetheless, i have more rowaelin baby content planned that is very fluffy. 

[xxbyimm]

A king’s crown - Thorin x reader

Link to my Masterlist.

THIS AWESOME PICTURE IS BY @nerdeeart​! I PASTED IT BECAUSE IT’S PERFECT FOR THIS FIC BUT HERE’S THE LINK. BE SURE TO CHECK THIS GREAT ARTIST OUT!  

A lovely anon requested this fic ages ago, and I feel ashamed for only doing this now, so forgive me sweetheart! <3 I hope you’re still around to enjoy this fic. I did not edit it endlessly like I use to, so please bear with me. xoxo!

A king’s crown – Thorin x reader

Summary:  The reader is just fucking adorable and makes Thorin a flowercrown every night, but our oaf doesn’t… get it.

Warnings: Fluff. Fluff. Fluff.

Taglist: @jeemalou​ @dabisburntnut​  @soradragon​ @pistachiozombie​ @legolaslovely​ @tomisbaeholland​ @swoopswishsward​ @fizzyxcustard​ @deepestfirefun​ @ruthoakenshield​ @mariannetora​ @thequeenoferebor​  If you don’t wish to be tagged anymore, please let me know! Or if you’re not on the list and want to be tagged: check out my lists and I’d like to hear which list you want in on!

Now this happened. Again!

Thorin had just opened his eyes after a long needed sleep, only to be greeted by a bright bunch of colors appearing right in front of him. He wouldn’t say that he knew everything there was to know about life, but he was sure that this object hadn’t been there when he finally had closed his eyes to rest. This was the third time in a row and he was starting to feel ridiculous.

Thorin sat upright and carefully held the flower crown that had been placed on his bedroll. He had to admit that the blossoms did smell nice and it was a pretty thing, but somehow he couldn’t shake off this feeling that someone was mocking him. And the only sensible conclusion in the valley of the Imladris, was that the pointy ears were behind it.

The king in exile huffed. If they thought that Thorin, son of Thraín, son of Thrór would play their games, they were mistaking! He’d never wear something they regarded as pretty. If one wasn’t careful enough, one might end up looking exactly like those self-righteous immortal bastards.

He quickly glanced around (no one seemed to be there, excellent!) and cast the crown into the thick bushes a few meters away from his bedroll, a place where hopefully their hosts didn’t even care to look. Then he got up and strolled in the direction of the group (or that is, the direction he guessed he had to go). Luckily Bofur’s laughter and Kíli’s excited chatters were quite distinctive, so it proved to be not a task too difficult this time.

Thorin rubbed his hands together. He really hoped that Bombur would offer something else for breakfast than the green food he had to endure yesterday during dinner, and the night before that. He wasn’t sure he could stomach more leaves.

The cooking smells were surely promising. The king followed his nose and it led him to a small clearing, where the others were enjoying a splendid breakfast. Thorin smiled faintly as his comrades greeted their leader with joyful cheers and friendly banter. Bombur grinned while handing his king a bowl filled with a variety of delicious meats.

‘Here you go, my king. I’d say this meal is a lot tastier than the elves have arranged us in days!’

‘I know it will be.’ Thorin agreed. ‘Thank you, Bombur.’

He moved throughout the group, holding his bowl carefully against him like it was some precious gem. Fíli saw him coming and shoved his brother aside to clear a spot on the bench for their favorite uncle. Kíli, who was just about to reveal the punch line of some grand joke, did not expect his brother’s move and it caused the youngest brother to fall flat on his face. The comical effect was huge and everyone was roaring with laughter, though this was hardly what the youngest Durin had aimed for in the first place.

‘Oi!’ Kíli snapped, while scrambling himself together. ‘Did you have to do that?!’

Fíli chuckled. ‘You had to make room for uncle, brother.’

The youngest Durin muttered something under his breath and disappeared in the forest.

‘Don’t be so hard on him.’ Thorin told his eldest nephew, though with a grin. ‘He still hasn’t recovered from the fact he did fancy an elven lad.’

Fíli smirked. ‘Nor have we.’

The king shook his head and turned his attention towards his meal again. His stomach churned and the smell of meat was mouthwatering. Before anyone could disturb him, Thorin quickly took a bite.

 ‘Good morning to you all!’ You announced yourself to the group with your usual excited chirp.

If Thorin had been paying attention, he would have noticed that your bright smile was especially directed to him, but as the king was too engrossed in his breakfast he didn’t even notice you were there anyway. He did nod vaguely in your direction, indicating that he didn’t give a rats’ arse who was there, not even if lord Elrond himself was standing before him.

Others did see your smile though- first beaming, then slowly dying away as the dwarf you cared for ignored your presence. A few in the group exchanged looks and wondered in silence how long this could go on. Thorin usually was quite perceptive, but figuring out that a lady was madly in love with him proved to be a challenge. They glanced over at their leader who was enjoying his mealtime, blissfully unaware of the things around him.

He would figure it out some day, wouldn’t he?

After breakfast, members of the company disappeared slowly, going about their business in the valley and enjoying the last of their spare time before they would leave for the road tomorrow. Before the king knew it, it was just you and him who were left.

Thorin suppressed a sigh as he watched you rummage through your bag. You, the latest addition to his company, were the cutest thing he’d ever laid his eyes on. You had all the curves in the right places, knew your way around swords and your sweet, though sassy temperament made everyone smile. Even Dwalin was delighted to have you as part of the group, and that said something.  

It had begun so slowly that Thorin didn’t even notice it was there. With every day that passed, he admired you more, to the point where he had become quite attached to you as well. Though your lovely smile and your distracting backside should get some credit, it was all of you that melted his bones. You were simply the whole package, the partner he had longed for most of his life. Sometimes he even wondered what would happen if he’d ask you to be his.

But for now, you were unaware of his affections and thus the king watched you curiously as you opened your sketch book and started to work. Thorin got out his pipe and searched for tobacco in his pocket.

‘It’s in your left pocket.’ You said quietly without looking up and Thorin reached his hand in there. Huh. He furrowed his brows together when you proved to be right. How did you know that?

‘Thank you.’ He replied. ‘How did you-’

‘It’s where you last left it.’

‘You have an excellent memory.’ The king said. ‘I don’t remember putting it there.’

You merely shrugged.

‘How did you know?’ he pressed, but he was met with silence. You were hunched over your work as if you were trying to shut him out. Thorin busied himself with cleaning and filling his pipe, all while keeping an eye on you. You on the other hand made no inclination that you were aware of presence.

The king cleared his throat. This was nothing compared to the usual, joyous interactions the two of you shared and this silence didn’t sit well with him. Had he done something wrong?

‘Is something bothering you?’ he inquired while he lit his pipe.

‘Nothing special.’ Your reply was soft, but he heard you. ‘Can’t wait to be on the road again.’

‘Me too.’ He agreed. ‘I’ve had enough of elves for a few years.’

You shrugged again and continued working on your sketch. Your hands were smudged from the charcoal you liked to use. Absentmindedly, you brushed a lock of hair from your face. It left a black smear on your forehead.

 Thorin stood up and with his pipe in one hand, he reached the other forward to gently brush the stain away. You did look up this time and your E/C locked with his sapphire ones. He always had known that you possessed the most beautiful eyes in the entire universe and it was easy to get lost in them, but nothing could have prepared him for the pain displayed in there. It shot straight to his heart, leaving a dull ache which surely was nothing compared to your agony. He could see you were holding back tears as best as you could.

It was not enough, but all too much. Thorin couldn’t bear to lose his composure in front of you, nor did he want to embarrass you. He broke away and shifted his attention on your sketch book instead. You were drawing flowers that were almost as breathtaking as you.

‘Love.’

The phrase gushed from his mouth before he could control himself and he clenched his hands into fists. The last thing you needed was a love confession right now. ‘I mean- Would you mind telling me what’s going on?’

You shook your head.

‘You don’t have to.’ He carefully took a seat next to you and gestured at your drawing. ‘This looks amazing.’ He breathed slowly, but his voice was still too shook for his liking. ‘It looks like a real bouquet.’

‘Thank you.’ You murmured. ‘But it’s more a-’ You hesitated and stared at your sketch instead.

‘More like a what?’ The king encouraged.

‘A crown.’ You whispered.

 Silence.

 ‘Will you excuse me, my king?’ you said abruptly, jumping from your seat and causing the book to fall from your lap. Before Thorin could stop you, you had disappeared in the forest. The king blinked a few times before picking up the book. When he eyed the drawing a second time, it daunted on him.

Oh mahal.

He had been an idiot. A total idiot. How could he be so stupid, so oblivious to the fact that you were the one who had left him these flower crowns each morning? If he hadn’t been so obsessed with the elves’ presence, he could have seen that- Thorin groaned. No matter now. The damage had been done and there was no taking it back. A better question was: how was he going to make this up to you?

‘Good morning.’ He grunted and glanced around the group. He saved his special glare for his nephews, to warn them for the hell they would have to pay if they dared to make fun of their uncle. So far, it worked. Fíli shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked away. Though Kíli’s face was distorted in an awful grin, the lad was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

‘New attire?’ Dwalin smirked and Thorin roughly pushed him aside so he could be seated.

‘Make way for your king.’ He rebuked.

His eldest friend laughed. ‘Ye’re suddenly the king of foliage now, huh?’

‘What can I say…’ Thorin grinned. ‘A mountain isn’t enough.’

Dwalin shook his head. ‘Those pointy idiots are rubbing off on ye,  I tell ye.’

 ‘Hello everyone!’

They both looked up and Thorin’s heart missed a beat. You were standing before the group. Your hair was still a bit frizzy from bathing, the untamed locks roaming freely over your shoulders. You were wearing his favorite breeches, the ones that supported your excellent ass. You clasped your hand over your mouth when you noticed the king’s new crown.

‘You made this?’ you said breathlessly as you made your way towards him.

‘I did my best.’ Thorin acknowledged ruefully. ‘But I can’t get it quite right like you do.’

A giggle escaped you and you reached out to inspect his work. ‘There’s leaves in it, Thorin. And… branches.’

The king heaved a sigh. ‘Guess I need your help, my lady.’

You bit your lip and held out your hand. ‘Fine, let me help you fix this mess…’

The cheers of the company followed you and the king into the forest. There, you showed him how a proper flower crown is made. Amongst other things…

Thank you so much for reading my humble story. Feedback is always welcome.  Did you like my work? Spread the love and reblog! :) And here’s my Masterlist.

[plus-size-reader]

A Creep in the Bushes

Steve Harrington x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1528 words

Warnings: none

Summary: Reader is Dustin’s big sister, who Steve reconnects with in the mall and instantly falls for. The only problem is, that he can’t actually talk to her without being a creep. 

———————————————————————————————————

Steve Harrington felt like an idiot with a pair of binoculars held up to his face. He was crouching behind a plastic bush in the mall, sitting next to a middle-schooler.

Yep, graduation had definitely been kind to him.

"Do you see anything?" Dustin asked, for what had to have been the fifth time today. In truth, Steve wasn't even looking. He couldn't have cared less if there was Russian spies around, there was nothing of interest in this mall.

...or so he thought.

Just as Steve was about to give up on his job and go back to Scoops, he found something he hadn't known he was looking for. Right there in the middle of the mall, you were sitting there, having a milkshake.

He didn't even know you were back in town, though he should have connected the dots. You had went with Dustin to summer camp to work as a counselor and keep an eye on him.

Still, you were so beautiful. Even more beautiful than he'd ever seen you, you looked so happy and so relaxed. It would seem that graduation had given you something that Steve just didn't have…

Freedom.

You had some kind of comic in your free hand, laughing at something. It was probably Archie, if Steve knew any better. That had been your favorite for quite some time and it wouldn't have surprised him if you had one now.

"Steve? Earth to Steve?!" Dustin's voice came again, and after a little bit of hesitation, Steve dropped the binoculars and turned his attention toward the smaller boy. "Did your sister get a haircut?" he asked, without even meaning to.

If Steve was smarter, he would have kept it to himself but he and Dustin were buds and nothing was going to change that...not even a crush on you, his big sister.

He had always had a crush on you, in truth, but kept himself at bay because you were never in the same social class. Steve was popular and could only be seen with popular girls and you just weren't that.

However, now that he'd graduated and was free to do so, all Steve could think about was making you his. No matter what it took, he was sure that with a little small talk and a few well placed smiles, you would be all his and no one else's.

Lucky for him, he had the one thing in the world that could help him get you. Your kid brother Dusty.

"I have no idea, maybe" he laughed, not sure what brought this out of the man. He had no clue why Steve would care if you got a haircut or not, but something had set an alarm off in his head so Dustin didn't ask any questions.

Steve was kind of a weird guy, and Dustin moved on almost as soon as the words fell from his friend’s lips. Perhaps if that was the extent of his questions, it wouldn’t have bothered him…

Except it wasn’t.

Every time the opportunity presented itself, Steve was asking about you. It was everything from your favorite board game to your favorite kind of socks.

He was so desperate to just learn anything he could about you.

Obviously it would have been unreasonable to just ask you himself, Steve wasn’t some kind of creep. The best way he could think of to familiarize himself with you was go through Dustin.

At least that way he couldn’t make himself look like a total idiot in front of you.

It was a foolproof plan, or it would have been if your brother would have complied. It only took a few hours but before long, Dustin had caught on to what Steve was doing and he wasn’t amused.

“Dude, just go talk to her...damn” he scoffed, taking his binoculars back from the man and heading off to continue their Russian hunting mission. It was clear that Steve’s head wasn’t in the mission and the last thing Dustin needed right now was collateral damage to their cause.

He could join up again once he got his head back in the game. 

So getting information out of your brother hadn't been as fool proof a plan as Steve had thought, but it wasn't a total bust. At least now he had a bit of free time to talk to you, if he could work up the nerve. 

He wasn't even sure why the task seemed so daunting. Normally, he could talk to any girl, even if he knew they were going to reject him. But that clearly wasn't the case with you...for whatever reason. 

Still, something about the idea of not talking to you about anything for so long, was going to drive him crazy. 

Steve had made up his mind, he needed to talk to you. 

Now he just had to find a topic that was going to be appropriate. It needed to break the ice, while not being awkward and leading into further conversation. He only knew one thing for sure; whatever it was, it had to be perfect. 

He was only going to get one chance with a girl like you, and he wasn't going to blow it. 

“H-hey Y/N, how are you?” He asked, sliding in beside you in your booth. He had meant for it to be much smoother but you didn’t seem bothered by his slightly more awkward nature.

Instead, you smiled.

“Hi Steve, I’m good, how are you?” You wondered, grinning at him with your bright eyes sparkling. You were so beautiful and it was only natural that he be nervous around you.

So nervous in fact, that he had hardly heard your question.

Hardly.

“I’m doing okay, getting ready to head to work” he shrugged, gesturing down to the silly sailors get-up he was wearing. You hadn’t questioned it in the entire time he’d been sitting here, but that didn’t really surprise him.

You just kind of let him exist, without ever asking him questions about it and he liked it. “Yeah? That should be a good time” you smiled, you had been so excited for him when you heard the he’d gotten a job.

He hadn’t really talked about doing anything out of high school, but it was good that he was doing something with his time.

However, the conversation about his job gave him an idea.

There was one way that you two could bond over something that he knew you enjoyed, for a fact. You had always been a huge ice cream fan, and he happened to work in a building that was chock full of all different kinds.

It was just a matter of inviting you to spend time with him.

“Do you want to come with me? You can try as many flavors as you want” he grinned, inticing you with a teasing tone in his voice. If there was one thing that Steve knew about you, it was that you couldn’t pass up a good time.

You didn’t have it in you. Besides, when it came to the smiling boy at your side, it was hard to say no.

So instead, you nodded.

It couldn’t hurt to just spend some time with him and get some yummy ice cream at the same time. Who knows, maybe it would be one of the best times you’d had in a while?

~

As soon as you entered Scoops, the air developed a distinct sugary quality that reminded you of outings with your family when you were young.

However, there was one thing that was different from all those years ago...now you were standing side by side with Steve Harrington.

The two of you had changed a lot in that time but it didn’t matter. All you could think about now was hanging out with him and having a good time.

“What do you think?” he asked, grinning at you as if he’d just unearthed the greatest secret of all time.

You smiled, looking around at the nautical theme of the place. It was really funny to you that Steve had ended up working here, of all places.

“It’s great in here, but I believe I was promised as many flavors as I wanted” you grinned, your own smile bringing a laugh from the man.

Never in his life did he think he’d be here with you.

You two had known each other all your lives, but at some point, it had all changed. There was something about you that drew him in and he would have done anything to see that smile.

So, he took your hand in his own and without a word, lead you to the back room where they kept all the tubs of ice cream.

There were more flavors than you’d ever seen but picking a couple was going to be quite the task.

However, Steve seemed more than happy to help you choose and before long, you two were full of sugar and just enjoying one another’s company...

Now, there was only one thing left to consider-

How were you and Steve supposed to tell Dustin what you’d been doing all afternoon?

[the-irish-mayhem]

Fosterson Fic Rec Masterlist: Multichapters

The Main Reclist has been split to fix the links that tumblr decided to break if there were too many of them in a single post. I’ll be keeping the main reclist updated (even if the links appear broken) as well as maintaining this list and the list for oneshots.

I need help expanding this list! If you have any favorites or fics of your own of your own you don’t see included in this list and you’d like to submit for consideration, please drop me a line.

List updated April 2020. New additions marked with **

Updated during this wild quarantined time, which should serve as a reminder to everyone to APPRECIATE YOUR CONTENT CREATORS! Leave all the comments and kudos to show our love for everything they do. Big thanks to everyone who recommended and/or created content for this amazing ship.

Rated G/K-K+

**The World has Turned and Left Me Here by alwaysaprilia: Jane Foster’s mission is impossible: build a wormhole, save the world. Thor Odinson thinks his task is even more impossible: keep Jane Foster alive long enough for her to accomplish her mission. AKA: What-to-do-when-the-damsel-in-distress-keeps-distressing-you. Rec: This is such a lovely little AU fic, brings in such an expansive world so succinctly and smoothly. | 16k | In progress

**Unspoken by igi_pigi: Post bringing his brother back to Asgard from Midgard, Thor is told by Heimdall that Jane Foster has decided to stop looking for him. [Set after Avengers1.] Rec: Angsty, with some nice Frigga content. | 4.8k | Complete

**Overlapping Spaces by khilari, Persephone_Kore: Thor returns to Earth a month after the Chitauri invasion to keep his promises -- to see Jane again, and take her to see Asgard, even if the rainbow bridge is still undergoing repairs. Not that Jane is complaining about watching the repairs. But she wasn't expecting Loki to be haunting the palace library, even in psychiatric care; and Loki wasn't expecting to make friends with Thor's mortal girlfriend. Rec: If you’re looking for a good, long Jane-centric fic that also features endgame fosterson, a well written Loki, and really interesting take on Asgardian culture, this is the fic for you. | 107k | Complete

IW Coda by hariboowrites: THOR AND JANE FOCUSED CODA TO IW bc i am who i am. Rec: We all need a fosterson followup to Infinity War, and this one has an ending that made me scream internally with excitement. Make this the opening of the next Avengers movie pls. | ~4k | Complete

Five Times Jane Was Kinda Jealous And One Time Thor Was by shinyopals: ‘Hello, Jane,’ said Thor. He gave her a smile that would move mountains and definitely still made her stomach flutter. ‘This is Rachael and Amanda. They wished to give their regards for my help during the Convergence. Although of course without you we would have been hopeless.’ He turned back to Rachael and Amanda. ‘This is my dear friend Dr Jane Foster, of whom I was speaking.’ Dear friend? Jane blinked. They’d been sleeping together for a couple of weeks and had had a slightly awkward conversation to establish where they stood with each other (what Jane called dating exclusively and Thor called a courtship). “Friend”, however “dear”, seemed a bit of an understatement. Sometimes dating a gorgeous world-saving alien prince has its drawbacks. Rec: BURY ME AND HAVE THIS JEALOUSY FIC PRINTED ON MY TOMBSTONE. I usually don’t like the toxicity most jealousy fics are infused with, but this one is so pure and wonderful. I could read it every damn day. | 14k | Complete

The Arizona Banana Famine by Niobium: Thor experiences the simpler side of Earth. Rec: Absolutely hilarious. Thor + shenanigans of living on Earth and trying to hide his identity + Jane helping him to varying effect. | 7k | Complete

Non Est Ad Astra Mollis e Terris Via (there is no easy way from the earth to the stars) by Rozilla: Jane Foster keeps out of social media mostly, but does keep a blog for all things science. With a few personal posts thrown in. Edited (with sarcastic asides) by Darcy Lewis. Rec: Fosterson is mentioned often, but Jane’s voice is incredibly worthwhile. | 10.4k | Complete

Hidden resonances by kes: After the vision Wanda Maximoff gave him, Thor had more questions than answers, and so he sought truth with Jane, in a cave beneath the mountains. Rec: A really great fix-it taking place during AOU, plus some fosterson feels. | 6k | Complete

Time and Trouble by shinyopals: Frigga thinks she knows exactly what to expect from the rest of her life. Then one son perishes and returns, whilst the other falls for a mortal woman who’s like nothing Frigga could have predicted.(Frigga’s POV from the end of Thor right through to post-TDW.) Rec: BLESS ALL FRIGGA-CENTRIC FICS. Great outside perspective fosterson, plus a TDW fix-it. | 14k | Complete

If You Want To Live series by hariboo: They lost Loki when they sunk Manhattan. Three years laters Loki finds them and that’s really when everything begins. This is that beginning. Rec: Terminator fusion AU that you didn’t realize you needed until now. Knowledge of the Terminator films is helpful but not required. The 'needing each other’ that comes along with a desperate post-apocalyptic situation really lends itself well to fosterson. It also hurts a hell of a lot. I wish it wasn’t finished. | 5k | Complete

Fabulous Baking Sisters or How to (not) Get Over A Norse God in 730 Days by Rozilla: After seeing Jane in a slump one too many times, Darcy decides to get her into stress baking… and soon regrets it. Rec: A lot of Jane/Darcy brotp, but lots of fosterson goodness especially near the end. The phrase “sex coma” is definitely used. | 8.5k | Complete

Waking Ease by Salmon_Pink: Thor/Jane, rated G. Set after Thor: The Dark World. Written for Comic Drabbles, prompt "halo”. Rec: very, very short, but cute. This is a part of a larger series by this author, but this is the only fosterson chapter I’ve seen so far. | <1k | In progress

Hold the Sun by writerblocked: Thor and Jane (and everyone else) share a meal. Rec: A nice peek into regular life, complete with some touches of angst and fluff at the same time. This story, like the above rec, is a part of a larger work that does not solely include fosterson. | <1k | Complete

If She Is Worthy by Mr. Chaos: During the battle with The Destroyer, Mjolnir returns to Thor’s hand. But what if Selvig hadn’t pulled Jane away? And what if it wasn’t just Thor that had proven himself worthy? Rec: Jane kicking ass and taking names with Mjolnir. Nuff said. Downside? A giant twist at the end and still waiting for a sequel. | 4.5k | Complete

A Story of Us by me: Short and sweet prompt fills. All feature Thor and Jane as the main couple and are all just ridiculous fluff. Rec: A collection of my prompt fills from tumblr. It wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. | 26.2k | In progress

Rated T

The Foster Edition series by asoulofstars, MissChrisDaae: What happens when Jane Foster is in the Battle of Manhattan? In short, it changes everything. Rec: FIXING MARVEL WITH JANE FOSTER IS THE BEST, NAY, THE ONLY SOLUTION I WILL ACCEPT. | 60k | In progress

Game Changer by asoulofstars, MissChrisDaae: In the aftermath of the Convergence, Jane and Thor return to Earth in search of the scepter, and the Avengers slowly begin to reassemble. Across the cosmos and on Earth itself, enemies begin to gather, enemies that threaten everything the team has ever fought for, and Jane is faced with something just as daunting, but far more personal. Evolving from a mortal to a goddess. From a spectator to a player. From a scientist to a queen. Rec: A fluffy setup for something big, I can feel it. | 8k | In progress

A Magical Solution to the Einstein Field Equations by shinyopals: Jane Foster has got enough on her plate, what with being a full time researcher, giving lectures, applying for grants, writing books, and consulting for Stark Industries. When Thor drops off the face of the universe and leaves her on Earth with no clues as to where he is, she doesn’t know what to do or how to find him.Then an attack on Stark Industries changes everything, and she finds herself getting thrown into a life that she’s previously only watched from the sidelines, and where getting punched through a wall is suddenly just an average day of the week. Rec: THE MOST PERFECT RAGNAROK AU TO EVER EXIST ANYWHERE EVER. EASILY ONE OF MY FAVORITE FICS OF ALL TIME. | 56k | Complete

Ace in the Hole by MissChrisDaae: Working alongside Selvig on Project PEGASUS, Jane manages to escape when Loki arrives, bringing with her the data on the Tesseract, and making herself SHIELD's biggest resource in combating the rogue trickster. At least until her semi-boyfriend finally makes good on his promise to come back, and she finds herself caught in the middle of a war. And she might be a key part in stopping it. Rec: MOAR JANE IN THE AVENGERS. MOAR JANE BEING VALUED IN THE MCU. MOOOOAAAAAR. | 11.5k | Complete | Part of The Foster Edition series

Wild Card by MissChrisDaae: Separation is, for Thor and Jane, a little easier in knowing what's happening to each other, but they have their own trials to face. In the midst of a war, Thor learns of a force greater than anything he has ever faced, one that could change the fates of both himself and and the woman he loves. Nothing is certain, and the burdens of his family, his life, and his love are weighing heavily upon him. Working with Betty Ross, Jane works to understand the secrets of the universe, unaware of the fact that she's being tested with every move she makes. When she temporarily moves to look after her mother's house in London, she and Darcy come across the Convergence. And, for the third time, Jane's life is turned upside down by an ancient force from another realm. Rec: Canon divergent Fosterson is my freakin JaaaaAAAAm. Also BETTY ROSS. A great replacement for canon if you’re feeling Salty. | 33k | In progress | Part of The Foster Edition series

Dancer in the Dark by MissChrisDaae: Jane Foster has always been a member of the corps de ballet, and has never voiced complaint until one night when she indulges in the fantasy of being the prima ballerina. A mysterious voice calls out to her, tempting her, coaching her, offering to make her a star, and she accepts. Months later, the prophecy comes to light when the star of the company becomes mysteriously indisposed. Jane is suddenly cast into the spotlight, becoming an immediate success, but she only has eyes for Thor, the young scion to the ballet's greatest patron family, who has been masquerading as a stagehand in order to continue a longstanding liaison with her. But Jane's made a deal with something far worse than the devil, and now he's coming to claim his due. Rec: A ballet AU that reminds me a lot of Black Swan tone-wise. Warning though, there is a love triangle that includes Lokane. | 9.6k | In progress

Five Times Having An Alien Prince's Baby Sucked A Lot, And One Time It Didn't by shinyopals: It was the doctor’s turn to look nonplussed. ‘Dr Foster,’ she said quietly, ‘you’re around four weeks pregnant.’ ‘No I’m not,’ said Jane again. She was pretty sure she’d remember if Thor had reappeared for some awesome sex a month ago. He had not. She’d gotten through enough batteries to prove it. Jane isn't quite sure how this all happened. She just knows it's a lot of work and it keeps taking her away from her Physics. Rec: The Definitive™ Fosterson babyfic. I’m generally not much for babyfic because I’m not much for babies. But I’ve read this so many times and it’s so incredibly wonderful. | 24k | Complete

Strange Earth series by Niobium: The apocalypse has come and gone, leaving the Earth strange and altered in its wake. What was once a thriving world of magic and science has become a tractless, untamed Wilderness teeming with dangerous creatures born of warped energy pouring through rents in the fabric of space and time. Society has withdrawn into magically-walled Wards to keep itself safe as it seeks a way to reclaim the planet before it’s twisted beyond all recognition, and its Seers and Champions struggle to protect humanity and one another. Rec: An incredibly imaginative ghost hunting AU. Great world building, and fantastic interaction between Jane and Thor. | 12.6k | In progress

The Obloquy of Newness by Niobium: Jane just wants to present her findings and maybe win a Nobel Prize. That would be a lot easier if all these xenophobes, science deniers, and robots bent on world destruction would stop getting in the way. Or, Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis, and what they were up to before, during, and after Avengers: Age of Ultron. Rec: A really delightful companion to AOU. | 17.4k | Complete

Sex Ed For Asgardians (Isn’t Exactly Necessary) by shinyopals: 'It’s a condom,’ Jane said eventually, reminding herself she was an adult in an adult relationship, albeit a very new one with an alien forty times her age who could hardly be expected to know what Earth birth control was like. Jane and Pepper learn that some myths and legends are true. Rec: I have no idea why this wasn’t on the reclist before. It’s hilarious and also really heartfelt. I love Respectfulinthebedroom!Thor. I love the open communication between them. Lawd. | 3.4k | Complete

Pedulum: Beginning by hariboo: Kept apart, with worlds between them, Jane and Thor do not give up on one day finding each other again. Rec: Exquisite buildup to a reunion. Both Jane and Thor are in-character with their own agency, but its obvious they’re nuts for each other. | 28.5k | Complete | Part of in progress series, Pendulum

Pendulum: Between by hariboo: Having found each other again doesn’t mean things have gotten easier for Thor and Jane. In some ways things are only getting more complicated. At least now they can face whatever comes their way together. Rec: Continiation of Beginning (recced above). Nuanced, sweet, messy, fantastic character dynamics, and with a great plot. | 56.8k | Complete | Part of in progress series, Pendulum

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Guardians of the Galaxy by Maybug: Jane Foster and Thor are finally getting married! Most couples go a little crazy when they’re ecstatically happy, unfortunately for these two going crazy involves knocking a hole in spacetime and marooning themselves and two of Jane’s friends on a desolate and dangerous planet halfway across the galaxy. Meanwhile Darcy, Sif and Bill are trying to find them in Skuttlebutt. Will they survive? Will they make it to the wedding in time? Will Thor’s attempts to communicate with Groot drive everyone crazy? Will Darcy get to witness Jane’s brief Goth phase? Will Jane’s friend Sayed get over his Star-Trek inspired fantasies about green-skinned alien women? Find out in the next exciting installment of Journey into Mishap! Rec: Part of a really great series by a great author. Humorous and kind of cracky. Mixture of MCU and comic canon. Just one chapter short of completion. | 12.7k | In progress | Part of Journey into Mishap and the Fosterson Files

Welcome to the Fall by Niobium: The Avengers pick up the pieces in the aftermath of Sokovia. Inter- and post-film gap-fillers and ficlets, with varying POV characters. A couple of them are slightly canon divergent and will be labeled as such. Rec: A really solid piece of prose, careful of canon while building upon it/improving it. The fosterson is handled really well. | 5.5k | Complete

The House of Foster by ArticulatioHumeri: She had set out to study wormholes. Never would Jane Foster have thought that it would lay the foundations of a family clan. Rec: Great fosterson moments, and with proper time devoted to them. A good, long read. Probably the longest fic I have on this list, and the longest Marvel fic that actually legitimately features Fosterson prominently. | 224k | Complete

The Measure of a Man by fayedartmouth: Thor is banished to Earth. Reclaiming his worth is harder than he thinks it will be. AU of the movie Thor. Rec: By now, y’all know I love fics where Thor was on Earth longer than in canon. This is probably my favorite, because Thor is incredibly well-written, and the cultural/personal struggles he encounters are written fantastically. The fosterson is incredibly organic and lovely. | 140.7k | Complete

Towards the Storm by iwillavengeyou: Jane Foster is worthy. Jane Foster is the Mighty Thor. But was she always this way? This fic seeks to examine Jane’s path to picking up the mighty hammer Mjolnir, and her journey as a heroine who, underneath it all, is only human. Rec: One of the few fics I’ve been able to find and enjoy that deals with Jane’s place as Thor in the 616 universe. I like the story’s trajectory, but it has since been orphaned. If anyone wants to... ya know... pick it up... that’d be swell. | 1.5k | In progress

As You Wish by MissChrisDaae: After the apparent death of the only man she will ever love, Jane finds herself the unwilling bride-to-be of the kingdom’s icy hearted crown prince, whose interest in her is almost as unnerving as the man himself. Before the wedding can take place, Jane finds herself in the hands of three kidnappers, her life in danger, and a mysterious figure in black pursuing them. Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles. What more does a story need? Rec: THE PRINCESS BRIDE FUSION THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED UNTIL NOW. Also Sif is Indigo Montoya. If the fosterson wasn’t enough to get you to read it. | 21.3k | Complete

Girls’ Night by Maybug: With Thor in Asgard and the other Avengers away on a mission, Darcy, Betty, Pepper and Jane decide to have a girls’ night. A certain supervillain has other plans, but it’s nothing they can’t handle. Rec: fosterson is background, but you all know I can’t resist a good Marvel ladies asskicking story. Story is mostly from Jane’s POV, so good insights on fosterson. | 11.2k | In progress

Thor 2 Rewritten: The Shaded Tree by kes: Rec: A series of oneshots and short multichapters that rewrite the second Thor movie. Not everything is over fosterson, but it’s always an undercurrent. Worth the read. Such a great alternative to canon. | 44k | Incomplete, abandoned

don’t need no ammunition (ain’t the bridge that’s falling down) by anthropologicalhands: Thor (2011) AU. After the battle at Jotunheim, something goes wrong and Sif finds herself stranded on Midgard. Jane is still chasing bridges and wants to know how this strange woman got in her atmospheric disturbance. Darcy’s psyched…and a little freaked out. Meanwhile, Thor and Loki embark on an quest (actually: intergalactic road trip) to rescue Sif. Thor has to prove himself. Loki is having an identity crisis. Do the math. Rec: Great interactions with everyone. Jane and Thor are still absolutely smitten despite the different circumstances. Loki/Sif is also a main pairing. | 39k | Complete

Fate Has Brought Us Together by asoulofstars: A series of one-shots detailing the lives of Thor Odinson and Jane Foster. Set after the events of Thor: The Dark World. Rec: We all know I’m a sucker for fosterson fluffies. The chapters are generally short and sweet. Read for smiles and butterflies and rainbow puking. | 9.9k | In progress

We Have Joyed To Be Forlorn by Niobium: Jane Foster’s life carries on in the wake of the Convergence, complete with exciting new research prospects, a displaced and grieving alien, considerations on the functionality of magic, and massive shakeups in world espionage. Or, The continuing adventures of Jane Foster, from the end of Thor: The Dark World to just after the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Rec: What it says on the tin. I highly recommend reading anything by this author. Both Jane and Thor are done justice to, beautifully. Lots of cutesy Fosterson that feels very real and not just like a fangirl threw up on a page. Really a gorgeous story. | 13.8k | Complete

Rowing in Eden by ancarett: The Bifrost is no longer broken but is becoming unpredictable: delivering its travellers far afield. With Midgard’s link to Asgard at risk, Jane and Thor have to restore stability to the wormhole or risk being separated forever. Rec: Jane and Thor doing science together and being cute together. Features all the Avengers. | 34.5k | Complete

Fundamental Forces by nayanroo: In an attempt to rein in the son that remains to her after Thor’s banishment, Frigga arranges a marriage between two old friends in the hopes that they can work together to heal an eroded realm. On Earth, a prince searches for identity after his world is turned upside-down. And in the darkness, something stirs. Rec: mostly a Loki/Sif pairing story, but there is enough fosterson to give a rec. Even if it wasn’t, I’d still rec it somewhere else. One of the most well-thought out stories I’ve read (part of an amazing series, which contains gratuitous fosterson) with incredible characterizations. Great plot, monstrous word counts in chapters. | 181k | Complete | Part of in progress series, The Kingsverse

When the Stars Fall Up by Nyxelestia: Loki is not so foolish as to let his pride get in the way of his plans. And Thor learns there is a lot more to being a king than being brave. Rec: Despite a Loki-heavy intro, we get some good Jane/Thor in the second chapter. It’s incomplete, and hasn’t been update in a long time, but I feel like it is going somewhere good if it is continued. | 7.3k | In progress, possibly abandoned

Watchtower by me: When research on the Tesseract begins, SHIELD recruits Jane Foster instead of Eric Selvig to harness the other-worldly artifact. When Loki raids the facility, he takes over the mind of the mortal woman his brother loves. The Avengers with Jane Foster in Eric Selvig’s place. Rec: Because it wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. (although tbh I’m tempted to take this off the rec list because I hate the way I wrote it so much XD) | 56k | Complete

Let Me Follow You Down by me: Jane is sick of her family always pushing her towards a relationship. She thinks she’s figured out the perfect solution. Fake Dating AU. Rec: Because it wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. | 24k | Complete

Rebuild All Your Ruins by me: Ragnarok AU. Despite his hunt for the Infinity Stones taking him far beyond Jane’s galaxy, Thor had always managed to get word to her that he was safe. When months pass without any word from him, Lady Sif arrives with a dire message: Thor has gone missing, Heimdall has been removed from his post as Gatekeeper, and the Warriors Three wonder if their king is truly Odin. Rec: Because it wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. | 11.2k | In progress, slow updates because it’s me and I’m garbage

Rated M (these won’t contain the smuts unless otherwise noted)

**Stalemate by igi_pigi: "It appears we're at a stalemate, Miss Foster." He meets her eyes at last with his bloodshot ones. "My association with you will continue to doom you with mortal dangers at every turn. And you will continue to inexplicably not hold me blameworthy for it." (Alternatively, how it should have been instead of how it was in Thor3.) [Well after Thor2.] Rec: PAIN. LOTS OF IT. Contains some smut | 8.7k | Complete

Symbiosis: Part I by SteeleHoltingOn: Jane and Thor have to decide if they can make their relationship work. She’s a scientist. He’s a prince. It’s the ultimate of long-distance relationships. It seems that Odin isn’t (wasn’t?) the only Asgardian who is unhappy with Thor’s fascination with Jane. Rec: An amazing look at Thor and Jane post-Dark World building their relationship, as well as all the pitfalls and heartache that comes with that. This author really plunges their hands into the nitty gritty problems with Jane and Thor, their cultural differences, their age/lifespan difference, and so on, yet it is still clear how much they love each other and their determination to make it work. | Contains some smut, but nothing very explicit | 92.5k | Complete

Symbiosis: Part II by SteeleHoltingOn: Loki ascends the throne of Jotunheim. He might have been lonely, but for the little hitchhiker in his head. Thor and Jane have their hands full with their daughter, Val, and the demands of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Rec: A lot of Loki, but also copious amounts of married Fosterson. As someone who isn’t always Loki’s biggest fan, especially when it comes to fan portrayals, I can say that this one is very true to canon and is an incredibly interesting read, and is balanced well with Jane and Thor-ness. The political drama is done very well. The plot planning seems meticulous and is absolutely admirable. I still have the same praise for it as its predecessor. | Contains some smut | 41.4k | Complete

Terrestrial Constellations by NightOwl360: For Jane and Darcy bringing Thor back to Earth is only the beginning of the adventure. Relationships are never easy, the past is always just a step behind, and sometimes the people we know best have the biggest secrets. Rec: Great characterization of Jane and Thor, and fabulous buildup until they meet again. Packed with not just fluff, some inevitable angst, as well as an intriguing storyline. Only downside: I’m pretty sure it’s been abandoned, and on a hell of a cliff hanger. | 78k | In progress, possibly abandoned

The Poetic Edda (was almost entirely wrong) by PhoenixVictoria: In Which: Thor is from a warrior culture (and Jane Foster understands); Loki is badass (but also kind of a puppy); Thor grows a pair and fixes his mistakes (and is a good brother); Loki is a slut (and is a good brother when he has no knives); Darcy Lewis is The Geek Whisperer (which really turns Loki on); And the Odinsons have no idea how to act in front of the media (and wouldn’t care if they did.) Rec: Almost entirely for Thor. He is so well-written in this. Loki and Thor fixing the damage they’ve done, and Jane being a great person. I love this so far (it is a WIP). Later chapters make Tasertricks a thing, so a heads up if you’re not into that ship. | Contains some smut, graphic imagery of torturing/punishment | 81k | In progress, possibly abandoned

One and the Same Thing by MissChrisDaae: Jane Foster is born to the bloodline of the Alchemysts, and the first woman to be inducted into the order. After the murder of her mentor, Jane becomes the first Alchemyst to mix the study of alchemy with that of magic, trying to enhance the art and find a way to avenge him. This is seen as bastardizing the craft, and she is cast out of the order, still working her craft as she wanders the realm. Forbidden from using the title of Alchemyst, Jane instead calls herself Ástkona Óþekktur, a Mistress of the Unknown. On her travels, she picks up an apprentice in Darcy Lewis and the two women meet another very unusual pair: the crown prince, Thor, and his foster brother, Loki, on the run from Amora, the sorceress who murdered Thor’s father and usurped the throne, the same woman who killed Jane’s teacher. Finding common ground, the four agree to join forces in taking down the Enchantress. Even if Jane won’t admit it, she finds herself drawn to the older prince, and Thor seems to be returning her affections, much to the annoyance of Loki, who sees the Ástkona Óþekktur as an unneeded distraction from what matters. If they win the war, there may still be something left to lose. Rec: You can see by the description that this is way AU. Incredibly imaginative, with a good characterization of Jane. | 33k | Complete

The Salt Skin by hariboo: One day Sif walks to the edge of the Bifrost to see compelled to see where Loki had fallen. At the same time Jane is testing a way to open the Bifrost. By accident Sif falls to Earth, what happens after she never would have expected, and then she finds Loki. Post-film. Rec: I can’t believe I haven’t recced this yet. A long, Sif-centric fic that is respectful to fosterson is hard to find, but this one hits all my must haves. Jane and Thor are beautiful idiots, and the outside view of their relationship is great. Very well-written. Loki/Sif is also very prominently featured. | 44.4k | Complete

Off The Grid by Shawn30: As stated by Phil Coulson in 'Agents of Shield’ episode 1-15, "Thor is currently off the grid.” So the question is, where are Thor, Jane, Darcy, and Eric post 'The Dark World’? Rec: This person was one of my FAVORITE fic authors of all time because of their Star Wars fics, and then THEY WRITE A FOSTERSON STORY. I was over the damn moon. There’s a unique take of all the characters, and there’s promise of really great things coming from this story. This fic would be a wise investment. Only problem is that sometimes their fics have very slow updates. Contains some smut | 15k | In progress, possibly abandoned

Lost in a World Full of Terrors by psychollama: Inspired by typhoidcandy - “After Darcy attempts to perform one of Loki’s spells, things go awry and she’s sent to another universe. In this medieval-like universe, Loki is King, Thor is banished and living in the forests, and Jane is an arrow wielding rebel. Can Darcy make it home before the real Loki finds out what she did? Or before medieval Loki captures her and either kills her or makes her his slave?” Rec: A different take on a medieval AU. The first and only chapter is very fosterson-centric, and sets up the action nicely. Jane and Thor are handled very well in the different context. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been updated since 2013, so I fear it has been abandoned. |4.4k | In progress, possibly abandoned

Stop All The Clocks series by Della19: Rec: NOT fosterson centric. This series is, I think, the first thing I read on AO3, and I was blown away. This person has constructed a great world around Supersoldier!Peggy Carter, and I rec the whole series, as the world and the characters are all vibrant and well-rounded. The stories, while connected, can easily be read as standalones. The fosterson, when it’s a larger focus, is absolutely lovely. | 49k | In progress

Rain Upon the Ashes by me: Medieval Fantasy AU. An ancient evil threatens Yggdrasil. An illegitimate heir sits upon the throne of Asgard, and an unknown menace seeks to destroy the Royal Family. Thor Odinson, true heir to the throne and banished years before, emerges as one of the leaders of the Rebellion, further endangering his family. Known publicly only as the Raven, Jane Foster, once a high-born Lady of Midgard, finds herself fighting a war when she once only desired to see the stars. Rec: Because it wouldn’t be a true reclist without a self-plug. | 33k | In progress, slow updates because it’s me and I’m garbage

Rated E (these will contain the smuts unless otherwise noted)

The Secret of Mind and Memory by capitainpistol: Jane and Thor wake up to an empty Asgard and zero memory of their pasts or each other. PWP. Rec: The Amesiacs Who Are Instinctually Drawn to Each Other AU that I never knew I needed in my life. I can’t wait to see how it ends. | 2k | In progress

Love in a Time of Tentacles (or How We Hired Out Our Sex Parts To Tentacle Monsters in Exchange for Remaining in Space) by Rozilla: Jane and Thor’s ship is left drifting in space and the only option is to take up the offer of a Bio-Engineering corporation to submit their bodies to science. Science in this case being mostly tentacles. It’s a good thing Jane’s into this sort of thing. Rec: I hope you’re into wild space porn because that is exactly what this is. Woop woop. Mind the warnings. | 13.2k | Complete

Edging Towards the Light by Shawn30: Thor and Jane navigate the treacherous relationship waters of ambition, duty, passion, and love. Rec: SMUT WITH PLOT YUM. A unique but plausible take on Fosterson. | 30k | In progress

Play Along Prisoner by Rozilla: You’re so used to being not listened to, put down, doubted and generally made to feel worthless when you work twice as hard as everyone else, sometimes you need a hobby like this one. Especially when you have such a willing participant. Rec: AU, Domme!Jane and Sub!Thor. Mmmmyes. Mind the warnings. | 15.3k | In progress

For The Days Inbetween by Simple.White.Lie: Heroes are seldom allowed happiness, and far too often Duty comes before Love. That only means he must fight even harder for that which he desires. Rec: While it isn’t always the prime example of great writing, this fic is still very good. It is a long multichapter which features gratuitous smut (hurrah!) while still maintaining good plot. Jane and Thor’s ups and downs as a couple are well written, and if you’re a sucker for married Fosterson, check this one out. | 79k | Complete

On the Outside by Simple.White.Lie: The King and Queen of Asgard are not prepared for the dish Fate has served for them. To be tossed out like a ship in the wind is more than their hearts can take. Their love is something to fight for.. Isn’t it? Rec: Sequel to For The Days Inbetween (recced above). Both stories feature a very strong Jane, which is a big plus. Again, while the writing isn’t always stellar, it is a worthwhile read. | 33k | Complete

Thor Pwns Walmart by charis2770: Jane and Thor have found a way to be together at last. It’s all she could have wished for, and then some. But it’s playing heck on her worldly possessions! Jane takes Thor shopping at Wal Mart so she can replace all the things which have been torn or broken during their reunion. And buy more pop tarts. This turns out to be an adventure. And hotter than you might think. Rec: Okay, holy high heavens this story is well done. The author does BDSM amazingly, and I recommend their other stories, too. Mind the warnings. Also, if BDSM isn’t your thing, I still recommend the bits in between the smut because it is hilarious and perfect. | 35k | Complete

Stealing Away by charis2770: This is what happens when the Black Widow puts herself in charge of planning a weekend getaway for four friends, three of whom happen to be Super Heroes, and one of whom has an unfortunate tendency to be a little hard on Midgardian buildings. Rec: a continuation of Thor Pwns Walmart, and also features a good deal of BDSM Clint/Natasha. This author remains a good example of how to properly write good BDSM. Mind the warnings. Also, if BDSM isn’t your thing, I still recommend the bits in between the smut because it is hilarious and perfect. | 30.4k | Complete

[hispeculiartreasure]

All We’ve Got is Time - Chapter Four | B.B.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

AU: If They’d Survived/Post-War/Window Washer!Bucky Barnes

Rating: Teen

Word count: 3,371

Chapter 4/24

Warnings: Very brief, yet strong language

AN: Let me just say that I am profoundly grateful for the love this series is getting! I am enjoying your comments and theories and am so flattered by your praise. I didn’t get a chance to respond to every comment like I usually do - my car accident took care of that. I’ve had a hard time focusing and coping after that traumatic day so I hope everything in this chapter is in order. Love you all so dearly. Come scream at me when you’re done. 💖

Chapter Three

‘All We’ve Got is Time’ Masterlist

Exiting the elevator the next morning you fumble through your handbag, trying to find the lipstick you didn’t have time to put on before you left.

Of all mornings for the subway to not be working it had to be today. I’m so late, I’m gonna have to bust my tail before Anderson notices.

“Good morning, Mrs. Flannery,” you say absentmindedly as you approach her desk.

“You’re late. I have-”

“I know, it’s been a hell of a-- excuse me, it’s been a heck of a morning,” you interrupt, head still down, lipstick nowhere to be found.

“Miss-”

“It won’t happen again, I promise.” You rush past her as your mental to-do list only grows longer.

“Ahem.”

There was no denying that was aimed toward you. You come to a halt, slowly turning back to the daunting woman. Peering over her glasses, one hand perched on her hip while the other was stretched out to you, grasping a piece of paper.

“This was left for you yesterday afternoon after you had completed your shift.” You timidly reach for the slip, when Flannery pulls it back at the last moment. “I feel the need to remind you that this is a place of business. Not romance, not courtship, not frivolity. I meant what I said on your first day - beaus are not allowed in this office. This is the only time I will extend grace. Understood?”

Mystified you take the paper, nodding your understanding.

What the hell is she talking about?

Suzy sidles beside you on the walk to your desk before she whisper-shouts, “The note was for her!”

Immediately, six other women leap from their desks and huddle around you talking a mile a minute.

“We were here when he dropped it off!”

“He was so cute!”

“Why do I feel like I’ve seen him in the movies?”

“Maybe he’s a war-hero?”

“He looked familiar,” Connie muses.  

“Who cares! What does it say?” Suzy urges as she pokes your arm.

The huddle falls silent as you open the neatly folded note.

The gaggle of girls around you squeal for a moment before Flannery’s harsh shhhh quiets everyone to whispers.

“How sweet.”

“He’s one of the window washers?!”

“Wait, we have window washers here?”

“I still feel like I know him from somewhere else. . .”

“Well, how do you feel?” Suzy draws the focus back to you.

You bite your lip. “Umm. . . it makes me feel. . . pretty great.”

“Jeeze, for you that may as well be equal to jumping up and down!” One nudges you gently with her elbow. “What are you gonna do?”

“Do? I- I’m not going to do anything. I got a nice note and I appreciate it,” you state, hoping it would bring an end to all the attention surrounding you. It didn’t.

“Oh come on!”

“Have you been flirting? You need to be more tantalizing!”

“You have to find him right now!”

“Show us your moves, we can help!”

Waving your arms for quiet you declare, “I’m already late and if I don’t get to work, I’ll be canned before I get the chance to see him again. Is that what you want?”

Everyone begrudgingly trudges across the office while Suzy lags behind. With a knowing grin she says, “Lemme know if you wanna talk about it. It’s nice to see you smile like that.”

As she leaves you plop down into your desk chair, rereading the note. It’s then that you realize just how much you’ve been smiling the last few minutes and just how fast your heart was beating.

Yeah, I could tell you enjoyed the new look. Why am I blushing all over again?

He came up here to try to talk to me. To actually see me. In person. He faced the wrath of Flannery to get up here and leave this.

He can’t wait to see me? Does he look forward to seeing me as much as I look forward to seeing him? Of course he couldn’t be bothered to sign his actual name. What a tease.

It takes a shout from Anderson’s office to bring you back to reality. Propping the note against your typewriter you read it one more time before grabbing your pencil and notepad.

For the rest of the day you anxiously check the window every few minutes, waiting for the author of your note. Every moment you feel self-conscious, not sure what you should do when he stops on your floor. Is he expecting more to come from this? Do you need to be a little more flirtatious, like some of the girls had mentioned? Should you be making more of an effort? Is that something you even wanted?

But then you see him and the uncertainty fades away. The work day is almost over before he descends to the sixth floor. You make eye contact, check your watch, and tap its face twice. You’re late.

He nods while wiping his brow. His head lolls to the side, eyes closed, tongue sticking out in a comical manner. Slept in.

Shaking your head and tutting softly, you raise an eyebrow.

Both his hands shoot up in a I know, I know. Won’t happen again.

With a short nod, you go back to filing and leave Window Washer to his work.

By the time you turn around, you expect him to be gone. To your pleasant surprise, he seems to be waiting for you. He beckons you to the window. When you get close enough, you notice something written in the suds at the very bottom of the pane. The word doesn’t make sense to you, so you scrunch your eyebrows at him.

He taps himself on the chest several times and mouths “my name”. You look again and it finally clicks. B-U-C-K-Y. You nod your understanding and smile. It isn’t until he points at you that you realize he’s waiting for your name. You press your finger to the glass, waiting for him to mirror your touch. You trace your name on your side, allowing him to spell it on his side. He reads it and grins wide. Nice to meet ya, he mouths.

“Mary! Get in here, take notes.” You turn from the voice, eyes rolling into the back of your head.

Hooking a thumb toward your boss’ office, you sigh deeply. Gotta go.

Bucky held two fingers to his brow and gave you a half-hearted salute. Good luck in there.

------

You are dutifully typing a letter when a pair of shiny Oxford heels appear in your peripheral vision next to your desk.  “You need to go ask that boy on a date.”

Heaving a sigh, you keep your eyes on the task in front of you. “Didn’t we have this discussion yesterday, Suze?”

“Yeah, and you still haven’t wised-up.” Papers rustle on your desk as Suzy props a hip against it.

“On the contrary, I think I’m exercising a lot of wisdom.”

She scoffs, finally drawing your attention away from your paperwork.

“Someone’s a scaredy cat.”

“Suzy.” You fix her with a pointed look.

Pretending to have a sudden interest in her cuticles she mutters, “It’s the only possible explanation.”

“How do we know that note was an invitation? What if he was just saying hi? What if he-”

“Mhmm. Those are the thoughts of someone who is unafraid.”

“How do we even know if he’d want to go on a date with me?” You lean back in your chair, tired of this conversation.

The redhead’s eyebrows shoot up her forehead. “I’m sorry - ‘You looked beautiful’? ‘Can’t wait to see you’? Sorry, doll, but people don’t say that to just anyone. I adore you, but I can definitely wait to see you if it means coming in to work.” She dodges the playful kick you aim in her direction. “All I’m saying is that you weren’t here when he left that note - I was. He was all kinds of antsy and blushing.”

“He works outside, maybe he had a sunburn,” you deadpan.

“You were just talking about how you barely know anyone in the city and you need to meet new people. He’s new people!”

“But I don’t even know if I want a romantic relationship right now.” “Then you’ll tell him that after your first date if you still feel that way. But why shut it down now when it doesn’t even exist yet? Maybe he’s lonely too-” Suzy’s eyes dart behind you and her posture changes. She leans in toward you, feigning interest in the letter you’d abandoned. “Oh yes, those are the addresses I was looking for. Don’t know how they got on your desk. And you needed something from me right?”

You sit stunned by this sudden change of behavior until you see Flannery approaching your desk.

“Uhh-yes. I was wondering what the protocol would be for when. . .” you both watch as the office manager floats into the filing room and shuts the door behind her. You and Suzy relax back into your previous positions. “I never said lonely,” you point out, shoving your defensive instincts down.

Suzy rolls her eyes and with a wave of her manicured hand says “Fine, fine, you’re being adventurous. Does that make you feel better?”

“No.”

“Answer me one last question, Newbie, and I’ll leave you alone.” Raising a brow, you wait for the question. “What’ve you got to lose?”

You weren’t able to answer then, and you still don’t have an answer now.

Under Suzy’s watchful eye, the second your watch reads 12 o’clock you leave your desk and hustle down the stairs, hoping the physical activity would work out some of the anxiety in your chest. It doesn’t.

Turning the corner toward the service entrance you see the window washers gathered outside in a loose group, taking their lunch break. Your heart begins to beat faster when you imagine actually holding a conversation with Bucky. What in the world were you going to say to him?

I really should’ve thought this through a little more.

But then your feet were taking you toward the group and it was too late to turn back now. The clicking of your shoes on pavement draws the attention of each man whose heads simultaneously swing to watch you. You stop a few feet away from them, losing your words.

“Can we help you, miss?” The apparent leader of the window washing crew steps forward. He’s much younger than Bucky, scrawny and tan. He’d be lucky to be 18.

“Um. . .” you scan the faces, not finding the one you’re looking for. “Is Bucky around?”

The leader’s eyes narrow, giving you a too-thorough once-over. “Whaddya want with him? If it has to do with windows, I’m in charge here. Name’s Harrison. Maybe I can help you out.”

You control the urge to fidget under his scrutiny, steeling yourself to squarely match his gaze. “No, there’s something else I need to discuss with him.”

“He had to skip out early today. Something about a family emergency.”

“Oh. I see.” You think for a moment, not enjoying the pack of men watching you like vultures. “Would you let him know I stopped by?” You turn on your heel when Harrison speaks again.

“What’s your name, baby-doll?”

Shutting your eyes you remind yourself to watch your temper. Thinking better of giving your name, you spare a glance over your shoulder. Coldly you reply, “Tell him ‘Sixth Floor’. He’ll know.”

More questions are shouted at you but you keep walking, very familiar with the rakish tone in which they were spoken. You didn’t have time for drooling boys. For a moment you worry that Bucky is cut from the same cloth as them. But something deep in you urges that he’s different.

Unbeknownst to you, when Bucky arrives at work the next day Harrison actually does mention your visit.

“Barnes, some broad came lookin’ for ya at lunchtime yesterday.”

Bucky doesn’t spare a look from his kit he was preparing for the day. “Yeah? What for?”

“She wouldn’t tell us. Seemed kinda stuck-up and snooty. Like she was better than us or something.”

Hitching his kit over his shoulder to head to the roof, Bucky smooths back a stray strand of hair. “I hate to break it to ya, but if she was acting like that I’m sure you deserved it.” As the kid who was technically his supervisor opens his mouth to protest Bucky interjects, “Did she say anything else?”

Unamused, Harrison practically pouts. “She just said ‘sixth floor’ and said you’d get it. Then she left.”

Bucky stills immediately at the mention of you. “Really? She said that?”

“Yup. Was a bombshell too, real date-bait if you catch my drift.”

Eyes closing, Bucky imagines strangling the teenager in front of him rather than actually carrying out the action. “Shut your trap.”

“Wish she’d stop by again, wouldn’t mind an evening of necking with her.” He conspiratorially winks, mistakenly thinking he would go along with the sentiment.

Squaring up with Harrison, Bucky leans in dangerously close and says lowly, “You’d better watch that mouth, kid.”

“What’s the big deal? She’s not your girl or anything is she?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Bucky insists, eyes practically boring through the terrified kid in front of him. “She’s not yours, so don’t be a creep. Girls don’t like creeps, if you haven’t caught onto that yet. And I don’t either.” He leans back, smirking with satisfaction at the deer-in-the-headlights look he was getting. Resting his brush on his shoulder Bucky turns to begin his day.

“Keep your paws off me, Barnes!” Harrison shouts to Bucky’s back.

“I didn’t touch you, Harrison. Maybe you would’ve noticed if you weren’t always on skirt patrol,” Bucky tosses over his shoulder as he begins to climb the fire escape.

As Bucky climbs higher his thoughts turn to you. You’d been looking for him. You’d obviously shut down Harrison and the rest of the boys. Anyone that sassed that kid was a hero in his book.

Maybe his note hadn’t been a total disaster after all. Once he’d gotten into bed that night, he fretted over that dumb piece of paper for hours. He thought of a million things he could’ve said besides the three hastily scribbled lines. A million kinder, wittier, more fitting words for you. You’d been nice enough the next day, playful even. And he’d finally gotten your name - a sweet, suitable name that rolled around in his head for hours. But he couldn’t help feeling like he needed to do more.

He found himself even more excited to get to the sixth floor today, to see you, to have a little hope, to share in a smile. Though that’s not exactly what happens.

------

“Get in here, NOW!”

Anderson’s tone instantly drowns your insides with dread.

You rush to his door, quietly opening it. Anderson’s heels are crossed, kicked up to rest on the edge of his desk. His eyes bore into you, disdain obvious.

“Sir?” you make out much smoother than you feel.

“Do you know what this is?” he flicks a letter across his desk toward you. Quietly picking it up, you silently read its contents.

“The steel mill is turning down our partnership offer? Because they never received paperwork? Sir, I definitely-”

“Read the letterhead,” he bites out. “And then read what you sent out. What do you notice, Doris?” Another letter is flicked in your direction. You bite back a retort about your name.

Holding the letters side-by-side, a pit drops in your stomach. “I copied the address incorrectly.”

Anderson gives you a tight nod, jaw clenched. The room is claustrophobic in silence.

“Sir, I-”

“You cost us thousands of dollars with this idiotic move, because you didn’t proofread your work enough? Because you can’t copy a damn number over?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how I missed-”

“You missed it because you were careless!” Anderson bangs a fist to his desk, causing you to jump a fraction. He stands up abruptly, stalking over to you. “This job isn’t a fucking joke. You were given a chance because you kicked up a fuss about being let go when our boys came back from war. You want this job? Act like it!” With every word Anderson steps in your direction causing you to match with a step backward. You are in his office’s threshold when he leans in and whispers menacingly, “If you can’t get a damn letter right then you shouldn’t even be here in the first place, Marge. Make sure it doesn’t happen again or you’re gone. Now get out of my office and fix your screw-up!” The door slams in your face.

Hands shaking, you make your way to your desk. Willing the tears not to fall you take a few deep breaths. Elbows rest on the surface, head in your hands, focusing on not falling apart in the middle of the busy office.

You’re tougher than this. A man raising his voice at you is nothing new. You are fine, you made a mistake. Don’t you dare lose your composure, it’ll only make you seem weak.

A tapping on the window directly next to your desk startles you. Bucky is there, looking more concerned than ever. He tilts his head, eyebrows furrowed together. What’s wrong?

The tears spill out at the kindness reflected in his own. You search desperately for a handkerchief before turning back to the window. Dabbing at your wet cheeks furiously, you gesture to Anderson’s office. You blink against the hankie, hoping to catch the makeup before it runs down your entire face. Pointing to yourself you mouth “my fault”. The tears don’t stop for several minutes, but everytime you look up Bucky is sitting at the window, watching you sorrowfully.

Eventually you dry up, puffy eyes meeting Bucky’s. “I’m fine,” you whisper, dropping your gaze to the handkerchief in your lap that you’ve been twisting into knots.

More tapping draws your attention back to Bucky, who promptly flips off Anderson’s closed door. You manage to stutter a laugh out in between your sniffles, feeling a little lighter already.

With an admonishing shake of your head that you don’t mean, you return his smile. Thanks.

You could be imagining it, but Bucky seems hesitant to move on to the next floor. Giving him what you hope is a reassuring thumbs-up you mouth, “I’m okay.”

Looking thoroughly unconvinced he watches you for a few seconds before nodding slowly. He drops out of your sight, though you still stare out the window where he had been.

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

One day passes where you don’t see Bucky at all.

Two days pass. No Bucky.

Three days pass. Zero handsome window washers.

When the end of your day comes and it hits you that he hasn’t made his usual stop you try to ignore the disappointment that prickles your heart.

It takes a while before it dawns on you that since you had started your job Bucky had washed every single window on this side of the building. Which meant he would move onto another side or possibly an entirely different building.

On your walk into work Friday morning, you notice that the window washing crew’s tools are absent from the sidewalk. An unfamiliar emotion has you biting your lip as you approach your desk.

I guess that’s that. We kept missing each other and time just. . .ran out. It’s not a big deal. . . If it’s not a big deal then why am I so sad?

Turning your gaze to the window immediately to your left, you notice a piece of paper in the middle of the pane. You stare for a moment, fairly certain that it hadn’t been there when you left work last night. With a purposeful step you go to the window, a sneaking suspicion in the back of your mind. You find a note written in a familiar hand taped to the outside of the window, the writing facing you so you could read it clear as day.

Chapter Five

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[another-life-rp]

Destiny Oneshot || Welcome to the Team

Gryphon-8 took no shame in revising and expanding his knowledge on the Light. When one had lived as long as he, there were no shortage of kernels to discover and rediscover. The Exo was willing to make the most of his immortality in unearthing as many as he could.

Of course, after the Tower archives had been decimated by the Red Legion's attack, Gryphon knew the task of documenting his findings was more crucial than ever. Which is why he’d spent most of the morning in the new Tower’s library, pouring over a piece of text on the manipulation of Solar Light. The Warlock checked his internal clock, considering taking lunch in the study hall, when-

“Hey. Hey. Gryph. Hey.” A familiar hand tapped against his shoulder repeatedly.

“What is it, child?” The disgruntled query came with a hint of fondness.

“I’m not a child. And look!”

Gryphon-8 turned in his chair, bracing himself for whatever tomfoolery the eager Hunter had concocted. He took a pause when he saw the other young man accompanying the Awoken. The Warlock studied his boyish face, topped by auburn hair and tinged with uncertainty. Not exactly a visage that matched the sturdiness of a Titan’s build.

“Juungruc,” Gryphon enunciated, looking to his associate. “What have you coerced this boy into doing?”

The Hunter scoffed, playing up his incredulity. “You wound me, Gryph! I did not coerce this guy...I just bribed him.”

“With a breakfast burrito.” The Titan spoke up for the first time, his lips twitching as he fought back a smirk.

“Which is beside the point. Do you remember that Titan from the Crucible? The one that pulled off that insane trick shot with his shield?”

Gryphon’s jawpiece shifted as he thought back to the matches he had participated in recently. “...Yes?”

Juungruc’s grin grew as he clasped the Titan’s shoulder enthusiastically. “I found him! Sulking around in the Bazaar!”

The Sentinel rolled his shoulder, displacing the Hunters’ hand. “I wasn’t sulking,” he muttered, his hazel eyes flicking between the Exo and the ground.

Gryphon’s antennae perked up. “Ah, now I remember. You took advantage of the walls’ angles quite adeptly.”

A genuine smile graced the Titan’s face, and he lifted his eyes from the carpet. “Thank you; honestly, it was just a lot of hoping and praying on my part.”

“Aw, don’t sell yourself so short, man!” Juun elbowed him goodnaturedly.

The Titan elected to ignore the Awoken, not that Gryphon blamed him. “Um...my name is Skyler, sir. Your friend told me you were forming a fireteam.” He stepped forward, sticking out his hand.

The Exo rose from his chair and was caught slightly off-guard when he realized he had a few inches on the young man. Nevertheless, he took the proffered hand and gave it a cordial shake. “A pleasure; and yes, I have expressed such a desire once or twice.”

He turned his head in Juungruc’s direction knowingly. The Hunter shrugged, his simper betraying not a hint of shame.

“I am Gryphon-8, but many call me Gryph. From what little I’ve seen of your abilities, you seem a satisfactory addition to any fireteam. But I must ask: why should I allow you into my team, Titan?”

Skyler teethed his bottom lip, his expression growing somber. “Well...during the Red War, I had to learn some hard lessons about who I am...and what my purpose is.”

Gryphon-8 nodded sagely. “As we’ve all.”

“Yeah,” the Titan agreed, rubbing his arm. “I realized I have a lot of growing up to do as a Guardian. And if I can’t stand side by side with other Guardians, I’ll never be able to protect the City.”

A glint shone in Skyler’s eyes like steel. “That’s why I want to join your fireteam; so I can learn from you and become the best Titan I can be.”

The Warlock smiled, sensing the determination in the Sentinel’s voice. Even Juungruc looked impressed.

“In that case, we mustn’t waste any time; lest our dear Juungruc here succumbs to the suspense,” Gryph chuckled.

The comically expectant expression on the Awoken’s face morphed into a pout. “Hey!”

Skyler looked between the two of them, lips parted in surprise. “Wait...do you guys mean…?”

Gryphon-8 placed an affirming hand on the Sentinel’s shoulder. “Yes, we do mean. Welcome to Fireteam Gryphon.”

Skyler’s smile was born from his relief; he took in a breath, no doubt to thank the Warlock for this opportunity, when he was interrupted by a whooping Hunter.

“Alright!” Juun crowed, flinging his arms around both Guardians. “We’re gonna be-”

“W-would you keep it down?! We’re in a library!”

Juungruc stepped back, astonished. It had not been the austere Warlock that had reprimanded his behavior, but the Titan.

And when Gryphon-8 beheld the befuddlement on Juun’s face, he couldn't help the airy laugh that bubbled out of his chest. “Oh, I believe we’ll get along just fine, Skyler.”

The young man’s stern countenance relaxed, and he joined in with a chuckle of his own. “I’m...really happy to hear that, Mr. Gryphon.”

“Please, just ‘Gryphon’ will do.”

Meanwhile, Juungruc crossed his arms ruefully. “Great; and here I thought one stick in the mud was bad enough.”

This time, Skyler allowed himself to smirk openly. “It looks like you’re going to have to deal with it, Hunter.”

That was enough to reveal Juun’s signature grin, betraying the excitement he held for their newborn team. “Oh, it’ll take more than a couple of nags to get rid of me, Titan.”

Gryphon-8 laughed again, clasping both young men’s shoulders. “Now, now, there will be plenty of time for friendly rivalry later. There is still much to do.”

Skyler gave him a quizzical look. “Really? What happens now?”

“For starters, we must go register our fireteam with the Vanguard. Which means…”

“Ugh, paperwork!” Juungruc huffed despite eagerly leading the way out of the study area.

The long-suffering Exo chuckled, tucking his tome and notes under his arm and beckoning the young Titan to follow.

Skyler fell into step beside Gryphon. “Thank you for taking me on, sir. I won’t let you or this fireteam down,” he promised, resolute.

The Warlock nodded. “It pleases me to hear that, Skyler. And I’m sure Juungruc will appreciate your resolve as well.”

Skyler’s gaze moved to the Awoken’s back, who was leading the trio out of the library and towards the Courtyard. “I hope so,” he murmured, barely audible to Gryphon’s ears.

Juun looked over his shoulder, his grin much more reassuring as he gave the Titan a friendly wink. Skyler’s own smile grew in turn, and he held his head up a little higher.

If Gryphon-8 could be truthful with himself, the thought of leading and guiding these two young men was daunting. However, the hope he held for his fireteam outshined his trepidation. The City was in need of bright Guardians now more than ever, and he was ready to do his part by helping his new teammates reach their fullest potentials.

Besides, if Gryph could handle years worth of Juungruc and his antics, than this would be a cinch.

Fin.

[amazingjackthefactfinder-blog]

It has begun. The blog that will bust the doors wide open.

I’m sure you’ve heard of muck raking and I am not one for buck taking so the buck stops here. I am going out into the world to finally once and for all get to the bottom of all the nonsense and do some cold hard journalism. Pie a la mode style. Meaning i may have a cold creamy gal riding on top of my crisp apples... but watch out she bites. She is one icy B and a half. Nevertheless I will go on to announce that as a promise to my never ending ever growing swarm of listeners I never sacrifice my integrity for a back alley handy and a warm plate of dessert. One other thing I would like to mention is that my theme songs will be extensions of my soul and eventually will amass to form a discography intent on making any record collection obsolete whether it be a slew of Blondie and Barbara Streisand Albums or the record collection owned by Kenny “The Tits” Daffledinger. When asked why they call him “The Tits”, “The Tits” replied “Well Jack, I’m what you could call a connoisseur. I don’t buy nothin’ unless it makes this phrase pop out of my mouth, ‘Oh lawdy lawdy I do declare these be the tits what my eyeballs oogly googly googling at’ I must say that 8 or 9 times a week, and that’s just while I’m out with my grandma.  I am also a certified fan of the female anatomy particularly of the booby area so I’m goin’ for a 25% tranny swap under the hood if you know what I mean.” I reply, “No Kenny, but go on, I am enthralled.” Kenny adamantly exclaims, “Well tell me this now Jack, WHY is it that girls get to have sweater puppies when my apartment complex wouldn’t even let me have a pet rock. WHY is it that man has not yet evolved to lactate? AND WHY have you never just racked on a pair of 36 C donkey pillows and gone with the partial sex change. Aint got shit now Jack where are your answers? Well ill tell you what, my chesticles will never see the light of day with you in the room that much is for sure. These are my Tits. I am The Tits. My tits are the Tits so call me Tits, remember... The one with the bangin butterscotch hard candy nipples.” And that was all “The Tits” was willing to share with us that day he said something about pollen in the air and ran off to get some alkaline water from the water store just adjacent of the senior citizen version of hooters, droopies on Mackeral Blvd.

An introductory message and guarantee of service by The Amazing Jack himself.

This is the Amazing Jack reporting for reporter duty. This is my Manhattan Project. An adventure so death defying and deplorable yet heart warming and soul filling it will shape the fate of the world in the same fashion Chicken soup for the Soul gave you a faster decision on what to read while dropping brown. Remember Heroes live forever. But legends never die. And the hallowed reporters creed states “Never shy away from a task so daunting it seems like trying to floss a lion’s back molar when the lion is suffering from a toothache.” (Reporter Creed: subsection 34N-fi-alpha-4) Danger and a story so juicy you’ll be asking if this is an expose on Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit gum. But thats far from the case this path on which we are about to embark is something much more life threatening and repulsive. And we reporters get off to that shit. So to recap Heroes forever, legends immortal. Reporters? They just inject the Novocaine and root canal that overgrown house cat till our restless minds are at peace once more.

With great power does not come great responsibility in reality alongside great power comes manslaughter government corruption and if youre lucky a sweet chopper with a wicked amount of horsies pumpin through the engine. All of which I have leads on and the resulting stories will eventually put your ass where your hat goes with the shistorm of raw unfiltered news that comes in your ears and plops its balls on your favorite addition of home and garden. “Ah hell no not my dream house ‘zine, it’ll be weeks until the next edition, I’m going to march on Washington” You’ll cry as you rally your multiracial family and tell them the news you just heard. But it will be too late old news is cold news so go drink a cold brew and wait for the next delightfully painful kick to the groin that we call current events.

With vengeance,

The Amazing Jack

Legal Disclaimer

(The Amazing Jack is not a registered trademark and is not held down by any one career. Journalistic skills may be lacking as The Amazing Jack is mainly shoe salesman at a shoe store in Southern California, cannot guarantee the sole proprietor  ownership of this title: The Amazing Jack, Amazing is a subjective term, Jack  may possibly not astonish or excite you, Call your doctor if you experience dry heaves or scabies, toxic chemicals have been used in the production of this blog, all animals may seem hurt but realistically that female miniature pincer was just being a little bitch that day, vengeance may fall upon you by someone other than The Amazing Jack and in such cases, swift blows to the kidneys and spleen have been experienced, Warning do not repeat anything you have read on this blog or listened to in our respective fact finding missions, this is of course if you care whatsoever about your social status or the way people rate your intelligence, otherwise take your “given up sweat pants” out of there secret hiding place and binge on all of The Amazing Jack’s content, talk excessively about obscure insider information, and purchase any and all of our non explosive merchandise [Warning product Amazing Jack DIY Dynamite assault charges mislabeled DIY Dynamite Dance Party and military grade explosives were sold in children’s activity aisles all across 8 countries including the US  Mexico and Many Nordic locations.  All sales are final, yes, even for merchandise our LLC charged to any stolen credit card you left in our flagship store/roller derby rink, The owner will find a place for the 17 7XL Amazing Jack Daygo Lyfestyle Signature Tube Top Wife beater as it is illegal in all 50 states and us Territories to throw away materials rated with exceedingly high uranium and lead content. [This is a specific but public message about your “stolen” credit card, we are holding a VISA Platinum credit card for Gino Togenclap who claims we here at the The Amazing Jack Production Team have been misusing his identity. This ungrateful piece of filth lives on 3853 Hermdiddle Coast Way, Sweet Lips, Tennessee 38340 Gino tends to be home in the mornings and evenings so for all you scavengers out there only case his residence at this time don’t get those sticky fingers just yet. Use excessive force if necessary to acquire Mr. Togenclap’s  valuables and burn his family photos for good measure. Gino we don’t regret to inform you the new season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has come out on streaming networks but our office has been swamped with murky mud water and what looks like alligators and air boat parts so the mail people don’t pick up our packages anymore, this means we must continue our subscription in your name to hulu, nfl sunday ticket, netflix, amazon prime, Omaha steak delivery, the office wide Disneyland yearly passes we each got as bonuses last quarter, also our CFO Tommy Rimshot was saying he was experiencing some mild to sever spinal pain so we had you hook him up with the deluxe weekly package down at Attitude Adjustment, it’s that new chiropractor that took the idea of being sarcastically really mean and bad at his job like the folks down at dicks last resort, Tommy goes down there first thing they do is just hit him with a baseball bat right below his 7 cervical spine vertebrae and they fracture his hole spinal column, then they yell just kidding! Tommy was laughing so hard he was screaming in pain, 6 months of physical therapy with a lifetime of Oxycontin and he keeps saying he cant believe how dedicated the employees are to providing a comical and impacting experience for every customer, he has no idea how they knew he didn’t have insurance and would have to pay out of pocket, well we just put it on your card, you’ve got to try it out Gino, maybe when you get your credit card back, which I highly doubt will be any time this winter, possibly 2019. I can get you a good referral have em fuck up your back real good then fix it, That’s what we do to all of our friends and associates who “Talk too much” anyway this is meant to be a legal document that will hold up in court I better hold all the fraud extortion robbery and forgery chitchat for when i face time you, gotta jet talk to you soon Big G]  Remember we also have a you break it you buy it policy on The Amazing Jack’s patented mustache If you break it you must pay the yearly $89,000 disabled severance from mustache package and if The Amazing Jack may happen to pass away from a sudden spelunking accident, act of nature, act of God, or point blank bullet wound to the facial area after severance from said official patented Amazing Jack Mustache the person/person’s responsible must pay out The Amazing Life Insurance policy Jack took out at age 26. Which is $5,000,000 to each of his 4 children and $800,000 to his pet brown bear to cover room and board along with the domesticated brown bear’s stamp collecting habit.)

Sincerely,

Ron Gotabitabeli

Head of Amazing Jack’s Crackpot Legal Defense Squadron (trademark)

[wendyjudithqe]

Contributing to WordPress as a designer

A few weeks ago, I went to my first proper WordCamp, in London. I went as a designer, and I wasn’t expecting to learn very much, but spoiler warning: I was wrong. In this post, I will explain why going to a WordCamp is worthwhile as a designer, why WordPress needs more designers, and how designers reading this can start applying their skills to the WordPress design right now.

Wordcamps are not just for programmers and bloggers

You may have noticed I said ‘proper WordCamp’ in the opening, because technically my first one was WordCamp NL last year, but I’m not counting that one since I only went because Yoast had a booth there. And back in 2016, I didn’t think I had much business being at a WordCamp neither. Not because I thought I knew everything, but precisely the opposite; I hardly used WordPress. I wasn’t writing content, I just used it to upload comics I had drawn. Terms like conversion rate and cornerstone content didn’t mean much to me. It all seemed very technical. And especially the thought of contributing to the core of WordPress seemed very daunting (even writing my own theme took me ages). But WCLDN17 proved that I was wrong about all these things. 

For good SEO, you need a good user experience. Learn about UX & Conversion! »

$ 19€ 19 - Buy now » Info There has never been a better time for design to shine

Almost a year after WCNL16, I became the UX designer at Yoast. I still didn’t know all the intricacies of WordPress, but I was using it a lot more, making sure our stuff integrated well and looked good. So maybe I could get some value out of a WordCamp this time around? I wasn’t sure yet. But off I went to WCLDN17.

Looking at the schedule, there were a lot more talks about design and UX than I had expected; Crispin Read talked about the value of testing and hard data over opinions; Sarah Semark talked about how modern web design all looks the same (and why); Graham Armfield talked about how some simple design measures can make sure your site is accessible to almost everyone; and Dave Walker‘s talk was especially interesting to me, because he’s also an illustrator using WordPress. It was clear that design was coming to the forefront, and rightly so.

This was all good info for me to apply at Yoast, but that I could be of value to WordPress was an unexpected discovery during Contributor Day.

WordPress needs designers too

Contributor Day is meant to focus the attention of everyone at a Wordcamp towards improving WordPress in some way. Naturally, I sat down at the Design table, and there I met Tammie Lister. She is a UX designer at Automattic – that’s the company behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, WooCommerce, and Simplenote (which I drafted this in!). She was easy to talk to, and very enthusiastic about design. But more importantly, she had prepared a few simple tasks for us to tackle that day. It made my entrance into the whole WordPress ecosystem pretty smooth.

My chosen task was to make a mockup for the mobile image editor; Something had gone really wrong in there, lots of overlapping panels and redundant buttons. By simply designing a fix in Photoshop, I helped move this problem closer towards being solved.

In doing so, I started to understand why Tammie kept wishing that more designers would start to look at WordPress itself. There are many design issues like this hanging around, waiting for a designer to solve them. Doing so may not seem like a big contribution, but WordPress is used by nearly 80 million sites – that’s almost 30% of the web. So whatever you end up doing, it’s guaranteed that at least a few people are going to be happy with it.

And I can understand why designers maybe don’t flock to this calling. Getting started can seem daunting – I was a prime example of this mindset. If that’s you too, then read on, I’ve outlined three simple steps to get you started.

Ways a designer can start improving WordPress

If you use WordPress and like designing interfaces, these are some quick ways to combine those two passions:

1. Go to a Contributor Day.

This may seem like a big first step, but I promise you it’s not. You’ll get set up way faster than you would at home by yourself, there are tons of people who can help, and everyone is super nice. I would have never known where to begin if it wasn’t for Tammy’s guidance. There are tons of WordCamps all around the world, so guaranteed that there is one near you and within your budget. If not, perhaps you’re lucky like me and your company works with WordPress, get them to send you out to one!

2. Join the design channel in the WordPress Slack.

I could tell you to go to http://ift.tt/1KOTVhc, but to be honest that site could use a UX update itself. No, I feel like it’s better just to get in touch with the people on the frontlines of WordPress design on Slack. Slack is a chat app, and you can join the WordPress team on there by going to this page. And when you’re in, simply introduce yourself in the design channel and ask how you can help, and somebody will get you started.

3. If you’re not a designer…

…show a passionate designer some of the issues on this list. Hopefully, there’s a good chance they’ll get triggered to fix these little design problems. Sometimes even just posting feedback is enough to get the ball rolling again. Together with this article, I’m sure they can take it from there.

Bonus: Submit design tickets

If your own projects are keeping you busy enough (and I can relate), here’s a really simple way you can still help out: for every weird design issue you encounter, just make a ticket on the site I linked above. Leave the work to others, but at least let them know what they should fix. You’re helping them out, and when they fix it they’re helping you out. Everybody’s happy.

So if all this has motivated you to contribute your design expertise to WordPress: great! I hope to see you at a WordCamp or on Slack someday. Together, we can make WordPress even better, for everyone.

Photo by the talented Pradeep Singh.

Read more: ‘WordPress Core Contributions’ »

http://ift.tt/2nXxzo1

[lindasharonbn]

Contributing to WordPress as a designer

A few weeks ago, I went to my first proper WordCamp, in London. I went as a designer, and I wasn’t expecting to learn very much, but spoiler warning: I was wrong. In this post, I will explain why going to a WordCamp is worthwhile as a designer, why WordPress needs more designers, and how designers reading this can start applying their skills to the WordPress design right now.

Wordcamps are not just for programmers and bloggers

You may have noticed I said ‘proper WordCamp’ in the opening, because technically my first one was WordCamp NL last year, but I’m not counting that one since I only went because Yoast had a booth there. And back in 2016, I didn’t think I had much business being at a WordCamp neither. Not because I thought I knew everything, but precisely the opposite; I hardly used WordPress. I wasn’t writing content, I just used it to upload comics I had drawn. Terms like conversion rate and cornerstone content didn’t mean much to me. It all seemed very technical. And especially the thought of contributing to the core of WordPress seemed very daunting (even writing my own theme took me ages). But WCLDN17 proved that I was wrong about all these things. 

For good SEO, you need a good user experience. Learn about UX & Conversion! »

$ 19€ 19 - Buy now » Info There has never been a better time for design to shine

Almost a year after WCNL16, I became the UX designer at Yoast. I still didn’t know all the intricacies of WordPress, but I was using it a lot more, making sure our stuff integrated well and looked good. So maybe I could get some value out of a WordCamp this time around? I wasn’t sure yet. But off I went to WCLDN17.

Looking at the schedule, there were a lot more talks about design and UX than I had expected; Crispin Read talked about the value of testing and hard data over opinions; Sarah Semark talked about how modern web design all looks the same (and why); Graham Armfield talked about how some simple design measures can make sure your site is accessible to almost everyone; and Dave Walker‘s talk was especially interesting to me, because he’s also an illustrator using WordPress. It was clear that design was coming to the forefront, and rightly so.

This was all good info for me to apply at Yoast, but that I could be of value to WordPress was an unexpected discovery during Contributor Day.

WordPress needs designers too

Contributor Day is meant to focus the attention of everyone at a Wordcamp towards improving WordPress in some way. Naturally, I sat down at the Design table, and there I met Tammie Lister. She is a UX designer at Automattic – that’s the company behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, WooCommerce, and Simplenote (which I drafted this in!). She was easy to talk to, and very enthusiastic about design. But more importantly, she had prepared a few simple tasks for us to tackle that day. It made my entrance into the whole WordPress ecosystem pretty smooth.

My chosen task was to make a mockup for the mobile image editor; Something had gone really wrong in there, lots of overlapping panels and redundant buttons. By simply designing a fix in Photoshop, I helped move this problem closer towards being solved.

In doing so, I started to understand why Tammie kept wishing that more designers would start to look at WordPress itself. There are many design issues like this hanging around, waiting for a designer to solve them. Doing so may not seem like a big contribution, but WordPress is used by nearly 80 million sites – that’s almost 30% of the web. So whatever you end up doing, it’s guaranteed that at least a few people are going to be happy with it.

And I can understand why designers maybe don’t flock to this calling. Getting started can seem daunting – I was a prime example of this mindset. If that’s you too, then read on, I’ve outlined three simple steps to get you started.

Ways a designer can start improving WordPress

If you use WordPress and like designing interfaces, these are some quick ways to combine those two passions:

1. Go to a Contributor Day.

This may seem like a big first step, but I promise you it’s not. You’ll get set up way faster than you would at home by yourself, there are tons of people who can help, and everyone is super nice. I would have never known where to begin if it wasn’t for Tammy’s guidance. There are tons of WordCamps all around the world, so guaranteed that there is one near you and within your budget. If not, perhaps you’re lucky like me and your company works with WordPress, get them to send you out to one!

2. Join the design channel in the WordPress Slack.

I could tell you to go to http://ift.tt/1KOTVhc, but to be honest that site could use a UX update itself. No, I feel like it’s better just to get in touch with the people on the frontlines of WordPress design on Slack. Slack is a chat app, and you can join the WordPress team on there by going to this page. And when you’re in, simply introduce yourself in the design channel and ask how you can help, and somebody will get you started.

3. If you’re not a designer…

…show a passionate designer some of the issues on this list. Hopefully, there’s a good chance they’ll get triggered to fix these little design problems. Sometimes even just posting feedback is enough to get the ball rolling again. Together with this article, I’m sure they can take it from there.

Bonus: Submit design tickets

If your own projects are keeping you busy enough (and I can relate), here’s a really simple way you can still help out: for every weird design issue you encounter, just make a ticket on the site I linked above. Leave the work to others, but at least let them know what they should fix. You’re helping them out, and when they fix it they’re helping you out. Everybody’s happy.

So if all this has motivated you to contribute your design expertise to WordPress: great! I hope to see you at a WordCamp or on Slack someday. Together, we can make WordPress even better, for everyone.

Photo by the talented Pradeep Singh.

Read more: ‘WordPress Core Contributions’ »

http://ift.tt/2nXxzo1

[janiceclaudetteol-blog]

Contributing to WordPress as a designer

A few weeks ago, I went to my first proper WordCamp, in London. I went as a designer, and I wasn’t expecting to learn very much, but spoiler warning: I was wrong. In this post, I will explain why going to a WordCamp is worthwhile as a designer, why WordPress needs more designers, and how designers reading this can start applying their skills to the WordPress design right now.

Wordcamps are not just for programmers and bloggers

You may have noticed I said ‘proper WordCamp’ in the opening, because technically my first one was WordCamp NL last year, but I’m not counting that one since I only went because Yoast had a booth there. And back in 2016, I didn’t think I had much business being at a WordCamp neither. Not because I thought I knew everything, but precisely the opposite; I hardly used WordPress. I wasn’t writing content, I just used it to upload comics I had drawn. Terms like conversion rate and cornerstone content didn’t mean much to me. It all seemed very technical. And especially the thought of contributing to the core of WordPress seemed very daunting (even writing my own theme took me ages). But WCLDN17 proved that I was wrong about all these things. 

For good SEO, you need a good user experience. Learn about UX & Conversion! »

$ 19€ 19 - Buy now » Info There has never been a better time for design to shine

Almost a year after WCNL16, I became the UX designer at Yoast. I still didn’t know all the intricacies of WordPress, but I was using it a lot more, making sure our stuff integrated well and looked good. So maybe I could get some value out of a WordCamp this time around? I wasn’t sure yet. But off I went to WCLDN17.

Looking at the schedule, there were a lot more talks about design and UX than I had expected; Crispin Read talked about the value of testing and hard data over opinions; Sarah Semark talked about how modern web design all looks the same (and why); Graham Armfield talked about how some simple design measures can make sure your site is accessible to almost everyone; and Dave Walker‘s talk was especially interesting to me, because he’s also an illustrator using WordPress. It was clear that design was coming to the forefront, and rightly so.

This was all good info for me to apply at Yoast, but that I could be of value to WordPress was an unexpected discovery during Contributor Day.

WordPress needs designers too

Contributor Day is meant to focus the attention of everyone at a Wordcamp towards improving WordPress in some way. Naturally, I sat down at the Design table, and there I met Tammie Lister. She is a UX designer at Automattic – that’s the company behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, WooCommerce, and Simplenote (which I drafted this in!). She was easy to talk to, and very enthusiastic about design. But more importantly, she had prepared a few simple tasks for us to tackle that day. It made my entrance into the whole WordPress ecosystem pretty smooth.

My chosen task was to make a mockup for the mobile image editor; Something had gone really wrong in there, lots of overlapping panels and redundant buttons. By simply designing a fix in Photoshop, I helped move this problem closer towards being solved.

In doing so, I started to understand why Tammie kept wishing that more designers would start to look at WordPress itself. There are many design issues like this hanging around, waiting for a designer to solve them. Doing so may not seem like a big contribution, but WordPress is used by nearly 80 million sites – that’s almost 30% of the web. So whatever you end up doing, it’s guaranteed that at least a few people are going to be happy with it.

And I can understand why designers maybe don’t flock to this calling. Getting started can seem daunting – I was a prime example of this mindset. If that’s you too, then read on, I’ve outlined three simple steps to get you started.

Ways a designer can start improving WordPress

If you use WordPress and like designing interfaces, these are some quick ways to combine those two passions:

1. Go to a Contributor Day.

This may seem like a big first step, but I promise you it’s not. You’ll get set up way faster than you would at home by yourself, there are tons of people who can help, and everyone is super nice. I would have never known where to begin if it wasn’t for Tammy’s guidance. There are tons of WordCamps all around the world, so guaranteed that there is one near you and within your budget. If not, perhaps you’re lucky like me and your company works with WordPress, get them to send you out to one!

2. Join the design channel in the WordPress Slack.

I could tell you to go to http://ift.tt/1KOTVhc, but to be honest that site could use a UX update itself. No, I feel like it’s better just to get in touch with the people on the frontlines of WordPress design on Slack. Slack is a chat app, and you can join the WordPress team on there by going to this page. And when you’re in, simply introduce yourself in the design channel and ask how you can help, and somebody will get you started.

3. If you’re not a designer…

…show a passionate designer some of the issues on this list. Hopefully, there’s a good chance they’ll get triggered to fix these little design problems. Sometimes even just posting feedback is enough to get the ball rolling again. Together with this article, I’m sure they can take it from there.

Bonus: Submit design tickets

If your own projects are keeping you busy enough (and I can relate), here’s a really simple way you can still help out: for every weird design issue you encounter, just make a ticket on the site I linked above. Leave the work to others, but at least let them know what they should fix. You’re helping them out, and when they fix it they’re helping you out. Everybody’s happy.

So if all this has motivated you to contribute your design expertise to WordPress: great! I hope to see you at a WordCamp or on Slack someday. Together, we can make WordPress even better, for everyone.

Photo by the talented Pradeep Singh.

Read more: ‘WordPress Core Contributions’ »

http://ift.tt/2nXxzo1

[mariathaterh]

Contributing to WordPress as a designer

A few weeks ago, I went to my first proper WordCamp, in London. I went as a designer, and I wasn’t expecting to learn very much, but spoiler warning: I was wrong. In this post, I will explain why going to a WordCamp is worthwhile as a designer, why WordPress needs more designers, and how designers reading this can start applying their skills to the WordPress design right now.

Wordcamps are not just for programmers and bloggers

You may have noticed I said ‘proper WordCamp’ in the opening, because technically my first one was WordCamp NL last year, but I’m not counting that one since I only went because Yoast had a booth there. And back in 2016, I didn’t think I had much business being at a WordCamp neither. Not because I thought I knew everything, but precisely the opposite; I hardly used WordPress. I wasn’t writing content, I just used it to upload comics I had drawn. Terms like conversion rate and cornerstone content didn’t mean much to me. It all seemed very technical. And especially the thought of contributing to the core of WordPress seemed very daunting (even writing my own theme took me ages). But WCLDN17 proved that I was wrong about all these things. 

For good SEO, you need a good user experience. Learn about UX & Conversion! »

$ 19€ 19 - Buy now » Info There has never been a better time for design to shine

Almost a year after WCNL16, I became the UX designer at Yoast. I still didn’t know all the intricacies of WordPress, but I was using it a lot more, making sure our stuff integrated well and looked good. So maybe I could get some value out of a WordCamp this time around? I wasn’t sure yet. But off I went to WCLDN17.

Looking at the schedule, there were a lot more talks about design and UX than I had expected; Crispin Read talked about the value of testing and hard data over opinions; Sarah Semark talked about how modern web design all looks the same (and why); Graham Armfield talked about how some simple design measures can make sure your site is accessible to almost everyone; and Dave Walker‘s talk was especially interesting to me, because he’s also an illustrator using WordPress. It was clear that design was coming to the forefront, and rightly so.

This was all good info for me to apply at Yoast, but that I could be of value to WordPress was an unexpected discovery during Contributor Day.

WordPress needs designers too

Contributor Day is meant to focus the attention of everyone at a Wordcamp towards improving WordPress in some way. Naturally, I sat down at the Design table, and there I met Tammie Lister. She is a UX designer at Automattic – that’s the company behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, WooCommerce, and Simplenote (which I drafted this in!). She was easy to talk to, and very enthusiastic about design. But more importantly, she had prepared a few simple tasks for us to tackle that day. It made my entrance into the whole WordPress ecosystem pretty smooth.

My chosen task was to make a mockup for the mobile image editor; Something had gone really wrong in there, lots of overlapping panels and redundant buttons. By simply designing a fix in Photoshop, I helped move this problem closer towards being solved.

In doing so, I started to understand why Tammie kept wishing that more designers would start to look at WordPress itself. There are many design issues like this hanging around, waiting for a designer to solve them. Doing so may not seem like a big contribution, but WordPress is used by nearly 80 million sites – that’s almost 30% of the web. So whatever you end up doing, it’s guaranteed that at least a few people are going to be happy with it.

And I can understand why designers maybe don’t flock to this calling. Getting started can seem daunting – I was a prime example of this mindset. If that’s you too, then read on, I’ve outlined three simple steps to get you started.

Ways a designer can start improving WordPress

If you use WordPress and like designing interfaces, these are some quick ways to combine those two passions:

1. Go to a Contributor Day.

This may seem like a big first step, but I promise you it’s not. You’ll get set up way faster than you would at home by yourself, there are tons of people who can help, and everyone is super nice. I would have never known where to begin if it wasn’t for Tammy’s guidance. There are tons of WordCamps all around the world, so guaranteed that there is one near you and within your budget. If not, perhaps you’re lucky like me and your company works with WordPress, get them to send you out to one!

2. Join the design channel in the WordPress Slack.

I could tell you to go to http://ift.tt/1KOTVhc, but to be honest that site could use a UX update itself. No, I feel like it’s better just to get in touch with the people on the frontlines of WordPress design on Slack. Slack is a chat app, and you can join the WordPress team on there by going to this page. And when you’re in, simply introduce yourself in the design channel and ask how you can help, and somebody will get you started.

3. If you’re not a designer…

…show a passionate designer some of the issues on this list. Hopefully, there’s a good chance they’ll get triggered to fix these little design problems. Sometimes even just posting feedback is enough to get the ball rolling again. Together with this article, I’m sure they can take it from there.

Bonus: Submit design tickets

If your own projects are keeping you busy enough (and I can relate), here’s a really simple way you can still help out: for every weird design issue you encounter, just make a ticket on the site I linked above. Leave the work to others, but at least let them know what they should fix. You’re helping them out, and when they fix it they’re helping you out. Everybody’s happy.

So if all this has motivated you to contribute your design expertise to WordPress: great! I hope to see you at a WordCamp or on Slack someday. Together, we can make WordPress even better, for everyone.

Photo by the talented Pradeep Singh.

Read more: ‘WordPress Core Contributions’ »

http://ift.tt/2nXxzo1

[miettawilliemk]

Contributing to WordPress as a designer

A few weeks ago, I went to my first proper WordCamp, in London. I went as a designer, and I wasn’t expecting to learn very much, but spoiler warning: I was wrong. In this post, I will explain why going to a WordCamp is worthwhile as a designer, why WordPress needs more designers, and how designers reading this can start applying their skills to the WordPress design right now.

Wordcamps are not just for programmers and bloggers

You may have noticed I said ‘proper WordCamp’ in the opening, because technically my first one was WordCamp NL last year, but I’m not counting that one since I only went because Yoast had a booth there. And back in 2016, I didn’t think I had much business being at a WordCamp neither. Not because I thought I knew everything, but precisely the opposite; I hardly used WordPress. I wasn’t writing content, I just used it to upload comics I had drawn. Terms like conversion rate and cornerstone content didn’t mean much to me. It all seemed very technical. And especially the thought of contributing to the core of WordPress seemed very daunting (even writing my own theme took me ages). But WCLDN17 proved that I was wrong about all these things. 

For good SEO, you need a good user experience. Learn about UX & Conversion! »

$ 19€ 19 - Buy now » Info There has never been a better time for design to shine

Almost a year after WCNL16, I became the UX designer at Yoast. I still didn’t know all the intricacies of WordPress, but I was using it a lot more, making sure our stuff integrated well and looked good. So maybe I could get some value out of a WordCamp this time around? I wasn’t sure yet. But off I went to WCLDN17.

Looking at the schedule, there were a lot more talks about design and UX than I had expected; Crispin Read talked about the value of testing and hard data over opinions; Sarah Semark talked about how modern web design all looks the same (and why); Graham Armfield talked about how some simple design measures can make sure your site is accessible to almost everyone; and Dave Walker‘s talk was especially interesting to me, because he’s also an illustrator using WordPress. It was clear that design was coming to the forefront, and rightly so.

This was all good info for me to apply at Yoast, but that I could be of value to WordPress was an unexpected discovery during Contributor Day.

WordPress needs designers too

Contributor Day is meant to focus the attention of everyone at a Wordcamp towards improving WordPress in some way. Naturally, I sat down at the Design table, and there I met Tammie Lister. She is a UX designer at Automattic – that’s the company behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, WooCommerce, and Simplenote (which I drafted this in!). She was easy to talk to, and very enthusiastic about design. But more importantly, she had prepared a few simple tasks for us to tackle that day. It made my entrance into the whole WordPress ecosystem pretty smooth.

My chosen task was to make a mockup for the mobile image editor; Something had gone really wrong in there, lots of overlapping panels and redundant buttons. By simply designing a fix in Photoshop, I helped move this problem closer towards being solved.

In doing so, I started to understand why Tammie kept wishing that more designers would start to look at WordPress itself. There are many design issues like this hanging around, waiting for a designer to solve them. Doing so may not seem like a big contribution, but WordPress is used by nearly 80 million sites – that’s almost 30% of the web. So whatever you end up doing, it’s guaranteed that at least a few people are going to be happy with it.

And I can understand why designers maybe don’t flock to this calling. Getting started can seem daunting – I was a prime example of this mindset. If that’s you too, then read on, I’ve outlined three simple steps to get you started.

Ways a designer can start improving WordPress

If you use WordPress and like designing interfaces, these are some quick ways to combine those two passions:

1. Go to a Contributor Day.

This may seem like a big first step, but I promise you it’s not. You’ll get set up way faster than you would at home by yourself, there are tons of people who can help, and everyone is super nice. I would have never known where to begin if it wasn’t for Tammy’s guidance. There are tons of WordCamps all around the world, so guaranteed that there is one near you and within your budget. If not, perhaps you’re lucky like me and your company works with WordPress, get them to send you out to one!

2. Join the design channel in the WordPress Slack.

I could tell you to go to http://ift.tt/1KOTVhc, but to be honest that site could use a UX update itself. No, I feel like it’s better just to get in touch with the people on the frontlines of WordPress design on Slack. Slack is a chat app, and you can join the WordPress team on there by going to this page. And when you’re in, simply introduce yourself in the design channel and ask how you can help, and somebody will get you started.

3. If you’re not a designer…

…show a passionate designer some of the issues on this list. Hopefully, there’s a good chance they’ll get triggered to fix these little design problems. Sometimes even just posting feedback is enough to get the ball rolling again. Together with this article, I’m sure they can take it from there.

Bonus: Submit design tickets

If your own projects are keeping you busy enough (and I can relate), here’s a really simple way you can still help out: for every weird design issue you encounter, just make a ticket on the site I linked above. Leave the work to others, but at least let them know what they should fix. You’re helping them out, and when they fix it they’re helping you out. Everybody’s happy.

So if all this has motivated you to contribute your design expertise to WordPress: great! I hope to see you at a WordCamp or on Slack someday. Together, we can make WordPress even better, for everyone.

Photo by the talented Pradeep Singh.

Read more: ‘WordPress Core Contributions’ »

http://ift.tt/2nXxzo1

[rodrigueztha]

Contributing to WordPress as a designer

A few weeks ago, I went to my first proper WordCamp, in London. I went as a designer, and I wasn’t expecting to learn very much, but spoiler warning: I was wrong. In this post, I will explain why going to a WordCamp is worthwhile as a designer, why WordPress needs more designers, and how designers reading this can start applying their skills to the WordPress design right now.

Wordcamps are not just for programmers and bloggers

You may have noticed I said ‘proper WordCamp’ in the opening, because technically my first one was WordCamp NL last year, but I’m not counting that one since I only went because Yoast had a booth there. And back in 2016, I didn’t think I had much business being at a WordCamp neither. Not because I thought I knew everything, but precisely the opposite; I hardly used WordPress. I wasn’t writing content, I just used it to upload comics I had drawn. Terms like conversion rate and cornerstone content didn’t mean much to me. It all seemed very technical. And especially the thought of contributing to the core of WordPress seemed very daunting (even writing my own theme took me ages). But WCLDN17 proved that I was wrong about all these things. 

For good SEO, you need a good user experience. Learn about UX & Conversion! »

$ 19€ 19 - Buy now » Info There has never been a better time for design to shine

Almost a year after WCNL16, I became the UX designer at Yoast. I still didn’t know all the intricacies of WordPress, but I was using it a lot more, making sure our stuff integrated well and looked good. So maybe I could get some value out of a WordCamp this time around? I wasn’t sure yet. But off I went to WCLDN17.

Looking at the schedule, there were a lot more talks about design and UX than I had expected; Crispin Read talked about the value of testing and hard data over opinions; Sarah Semark talked about how modern web design all looks the same (and why); Graham Armfield talked about how some simple design measures can make sure your site is accessible to almost everyone; and Dave Walker‘s talk was especially interesting to me, because he’s also an illustrator using WordPress. It was clear that design was coming to the forefront, and rightly so.

This was all good info for me to apply at Yoast, but that I could be of value to WordPress was an unexpected discovery during Contributor Day.

WordPress needs designers too

Contributor Day is meant to focus the attention of everyone at a Wordcamp towards improving WordPress in some way. Naturally, I sat down at the Design table, and there I met Tammie Lister. She is a UX designer at Automattic – that’s the company behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, WooCommerce, and Simplenote (which I drafted this in!). She was easy to talk to, and very enthusiastic about design. But more importantly, she had prepared a few simple tasks for us to tackle that day. It made my entrance into the whole WordPress ecosystem pretty smooth.

My chosen task was to make a mockup for the mobile image editor; Something had gone really wrong in there, lots of overlapping panels and redundant buttons. By simply designing a fix in Photoshop, I helped move this problem closer towards being solved.

In doing so, I started to understand why Tammie kept wishing that more designers would start to look at WordPress itself. There are many design issues like this hanging around, waiting for a designer to solve them. Doing so may not seem like a big contribution, but WordPress is used by nearly 80 million sites – that’s almost 30% of the web. So whatever you end up doing, it’s guaranteed that at least a few people are going to be happy with it.

And I can understand why designers maybe don’t flock to this calling. Getting started can seem daunting – I was a prime example of this mindset. If that’s you too, then read on, I’ve outlined three simple steps to get you started.

Ways a designer can start improving WordPress

If you use WordPress and like designing interfaces, these are some quick ways to combine those two passions:

1. Go to a Contributor Day.

This may seem like a big first step, but I promise you it’s not. You’ll get set up way faster than you would at home by yourself, there are tons of people who can help, and everyone is super nice. I would have never known where to begin if it wasn’t for Tammy’s guidance. There are tons of WordCamps all around the world, so guaranteed that there is one near you and within your budget. If not, perhaps you’re lucky like me and your company works with WordPress, get them to send you out to one!

2. Join the design channel in the WordPress Slack.

I could tell you to go to http://ift.tt/1KOTVhc, but to be honest that site could use a UX update itself. No, I feel like it’s better just to get in touch with the people on the frontlines of WordPress design on Slack. Slack is a chat app, and you can join the WordPress team on there by going to this page. And when you’re in, simply introduce yourself in the design channel and ask how you can help, and somebody will get you started.

3. If you’re not a designer…

…show a passionate designer some of the issues on this list. Hopefully, there’s a good chance they’ll get triggered to fix these little design problems. Sometimes even just posting feedback is enough to get the ball rolling again. Together with this article, I’m sure they can take it from there.

Bonus: Submit design tickets

If your own projects are keeping you busy enough (and I can relate), here’s a really simple way you can still help out: for every weird design issue you encounter, just make a ticket on the site I linked above. Leave the work to others, but at least let them know what they should fix. You’re helping them out, and when they fix it they’re helping you out. Everybody’s happy.

So if all this has motivated you to contribute your design expertise to WordPress: great! I hope to see you at a WordCamp or on Slack someday. Together, we can make WordPress even better, for everyone.

Photo by the talented Pradeep Singh.

Read more: ‘WordPress Core Contributions’ »

http://ift.tt/2nXxzo1

[mariaajamesol]

Contributing to WordPress as a designer

A few weeks ago, I went to my first proper WordCamp, in London. I went as a designer, and I wasn’t expecting to learn very much, but spoiler warning: I was wrong. In this post, I will explain why going to a WordCamp is worthwhile as a designer, why WordPress needs more designers, and how designers reading this can start applying their skills to the WordPress design right now.

Wordcamps are not just for programmers and bloggers

You may have noticed I said ‘proper WordCamp’ in the opening, because technically my first one was WordCamp NL last year, but I’m not counting that one since I only went because Yoast had a booth there. And back in 2016, I didn’t think I had much business being at a WordCamp neither. Not because I thought I knew everything, but precisely the opposite; I hardly used WordPress. I wasn’t writing content, I just used it to upload comics I had drawn. Terms like conversion rate and cornerstone content didn’t mean much to me. It all seemed very technical. And especially the thought of contributing to the core of WordPress seemed very daunting (even writing my own theme took me ages). But WCLDN17 proved that I was wrong about all these things. 

For good SEO, you need a good user experience. Learn about UX & Conversion! »

$ 19€ 19 - Buy now » Info There has never been a better time for design to shine

Almost a year after WCNL16, I became the UX designer at Yoast. I still didn’t know all the intricacies of WordPress, but I was using it a lot more, making sure our stuff integrated well and looked good. So maybe I could get some value out of a WordCamp this time around? I wasn’t sure yet. But off I went to WCLDN17.

Looking at the schedule, there were a lot more talks about design and UX than I had expected; Crispin Read talked about the value of testing and hard data over opinions; Sarah Semark talked about how modern web design all looks the same (and why); Graham Armfield talked about how some simple design measures can make sure your site is accessible to almost everyone; and Dave Walker‘s talk was especially interesting to me, because he’s also an illustrator using WordPress. It was clear that design was coming to the forefront, and rightly so.

This was all good info for me to apply at Yoast, but that I could be of value to WordPress was an unexpected discovery during Contributor Day.

WordPress needs designers too

Contributor Day is meant to focus the attention of everyone at a Wordcamp towards improving WordPress in some way. Naturally, I sat down at the Design table, and there I met Tammie Lister. She is a UX designer at Automattic – that’s the company behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, WooCommerce, and Simplenote (which I drafted this in!). She was easy to talk to, and very enthusiastic about design. But more importantly, she had prepared a few simple tasks for us to tackle that day. It made my entrance into the whole WordPress ecosystem pretty smooth.

My chosen task was to make a mockup for the mobile image editor; Something had gone really wrong in there, lots of overlapping panels and redundant buttons. By simply designing a fix in Photoshop, I helped move this problem closer towards being solved.

In doing so, I started to understand why Tammie kept wishing that more designers would start to look at WordPress itself. There are many design issues like this hanging around, waiting for a designer to solve them. Doing so may not seem like a big contribution, but WordPress is used by nearly 80 million sites – that’s almost 30% of the web. So whatever you end up doing, it’s guaranteed that at least a few people are going to be happy with it.

And I can understand why designers maybe don’t flock to this calling. Getting started can seem daunting – I was a prime example of this mindset. If that’s you too, then read on, I’ve outlined three simple steps to get you started.

Ways a designer can start improving WordPress

If you use WordPress and like designing interfaces, these are some quick ways to combine those two passions:

1. Go to a Contributor Day.

This may seem like a big first step, but I promise you it’s not. You’ll get set up way faster than you would at home by yourself, there are tons of people who can help, and everyone is super nice. I would have never known where to begin if it wasn’t for Tammy’s guidance. There are tons of WordCamps all around the world, so guaranteed that there is one near you and within your budget. If not, perhaps you’re lucky like me and your company works with WordPress, get them to send you out to one!

2. Join the design channel in the WordPress Slack.

I could tell you to go to http://ift.tt/1KOTVhc, but to be honest that site could use a UX update itself. No, I feel like it’s better just to get in touch with the people on the frontlines of WordPress design on Slack. Slack is a chat app, and you can join the WordPress team on there by going to this page. And when you’re in, simply introduce yourself in the design channel and ask how you can help, and somebody will get you started.

3. If you’re not a designer…

…show a passionate designer some of the issues on this list. Hopefully, there’s a good chance they’ll get triggered to fix these little design problems. Sometimes even just posting feedback is enough to get the ball rolling again. Together with this article, I’m sure they can take it from there.

Bonus: Submit design tickets

If your own projects are keeping you busy enough (and I can relate), here’s a really simple way you can still help out: for every weird design issue you encounter, just make a ticket on the site I linked above. Leave the work to others, but at least let them know what they should fix. You’re helping them out, and when they fix it they’re helping you out. Everybody’s happy.

So if all this has motivated you to contribute your design expertise to WordPress: great! I hope to see you at a WordCamp or on Slack someday. Together, we can make WordPress even better, for everyone.

Photo by the talented Pradeep Singh.

Read more: ‘WordPress Core Contributions’ »

http://ift.tt/2nXxzo1