#next update had BETTER build on that momentum

[theworstfangirl]

Ruggie and Jack both having this admiration for Leona and wanting to see the best in him is painful in the best kind of way. Idolisation from Jack was only to be expected, considering Leona was his whole reason for coming to NRC in the first place, but Ruggie also has this - almost more so than Jack, if his dream is any indication.

The whole basis of his dream is "Prince Leona is kind and generous and amazing, he built this school with free food for everyone and improved life for the impoverished". Which tells us a lot about how he feels about Leona. On some level, Ruggie really believes that Leona would improve life in the Savannah if only he were listened to.

These two have so much faith in his abilities, that Leona could be truly great. Jack had his rose-tinted view of him shattered, but he was only so disappointed because he had such an awe of his skills. Despite everything that happened between them, Ruggie's perfect dreamworld is built around just how much positive change Leona could make in his country - Leona is specifically stated to be more popular than his brother because of this.

And Leona.... just doesn't have this kind of faith in himself. He believes nothing he does matters, because he was born second and he will be second, no matter what amazing skills he has or how many ideas he comes up with for improving the country. He doesn't want to put the effort in anymore, because it'll be too painful to fail again. Nobody ever bothers listening, so why even try?

[iraprince]

do u have any advice for those that want to run a quest?

it feels a LEETLE silly answering this when all my own are currently on hiatus bc i got busy (SORRY TO CALLIST0 READERS LOL) BUT!!! yes i do. i have only ever run quests/interactive comics on the site questden, so i guess as a baseline this will kind of all be geared towards that, but i think most of this should translate to any hosting situation

you have to be cool with your plots branching and mutating in unexpected ways, and you have to be willing to play ball with your readers. quests are a collaboration between the author and the audience. it often feels a lot like gming a tabletop campaign (and that's the origin!! questden, specifically, was originally an offshoot of /tg/.) -- we've all had or heard about bad GMs who view their position as that of a narrative dictator who exists to punish and prod a captive group of players thru their own personal novel, but a good GM is interested in telling stories as a group. u have final say and have to stay true to the important stuff abt ur story, but if u get mad or frustrated when ur readers want to explore something "off topic" or aren't following the threads of ur narrative the way u expected them to, u don't actually want to run a quest, u just want to make a webcomic w mandatory comments. (the flip side of this is: consider if the story u want to make is the right one for an interactive quest. if it is REALLY important to u that the plot beats of a story go a certain way, maybe save it for a medium where u have more control!)

keep it loose and fast. the art does not matter. i am rly guilty of not following this one, but i still think it's really important! one of the things i like best about quests is the barrier to entry is very low and you SHOULD be able to start and maintain one very quickly. if i were better at keeping my art scrabbly and sketchy and loose, my stuff would not go on hiatus as often as it does. draw fast! it's NICE if the art is gorgeous to look at and definitely will draw readers, but it's way better if the art is simple enough that you can update frequently and without much stress. the quality of ur writing + character building, and whether u are telling a story that's engaging and that ur readers feel meaningfully involved in, is 100000x more important than the art.

on the more nitty gritty side: try to have a hook in each update. one of the most common reasons suggestions die off is readers being unsure of what they're supposed to do next. sure, too much spoonfeeding could end up feeling like railroading, and you don't have to end every single update by getting right in their faces and yelling "WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT??", but when you finish an update try to take a second to put yourself in a reader's shoes and see if there's an obvious next step. is there a course of action to decide on/debate, are there clear questions they can ask an npc, etc -- i can't think of a great way to describe it, but you want to avoid ending an update on a note where the player character and readers are basically sitting there looking at each other like "um... okay. that's that, then." some ppl even just end all their updates w multiple choice options, which is a super simple way to keep things moving if it fits the style of what ur doing. if you don't want it to be that overt but you still can't think of a way for there to be a clear hook, you can at least try to leave a little nudge in the narration that invites the readers to try to tie whatever they've just done/learned back into the pc's main goals/motivations or current tasks. (on this subject, VERY useful for your main character to have a very specific goal or end destination that everyone is on the same page abt. it's harder for your plot to lose momentum if you can always point at what your readers are supposed to be moving toward!)

finally: KEEP UPDATING EVEN IF YOU GET VERY FEW/NO SUGGESTIONS. it's a niche genre. questden is a small website. it's hard to get people to read something new, especially if it's in a new and unfamiliar format (and especially especially when it's on a website that looks like a chanboard lmao). picking up readers takes a long time, and a lot of people lurk without suggesting (ESPECIALLY if it's a difficult/plot-important decision, and also especially in the opposite, if it's a very obvious next step and someone else has already commented what most ppl would say). it's very tempting to want to wait for more suggestions bc u "only" have one or two, and then that wait becomes stagnation, and then you're frustrated and u end up dropping the quest bc "nobody cares." instead u just have to push thru!!!! u only have two suggestions and u wish u had more? maybe next update u'll get more. u have NO suggestions and u feel like that means ur quest is dead in the water? NOPE! the solution is to update again, bc maybe ppl with latch on more and have something to say in the next scene. the more u update ur quest, the more u'll be able to talk abt it (and maybe get more readers), and specifically in the case of questden the more ur thread will be bumped to the front page. think abt how many times you've seen ppl talking abt a webcomic or a book and thought "i need to check that out eventually...." but it takes months for you to actually do it. 99.9999% of the time, ppl need to see something MULTIPLE TIMES before they check it out!! most readers do not come from clicking something the very first time they see it!! i know it can feel lonely and discouraging, but u owe it to ur art and the stories u want to tell to keep trying, even if engagement is very low at first, otherwise you're killing it before it's even had a chance. like, get shameless about it. ask your buddies to comment on your quest. but give that horse a few really good whacks before you decide it's dead!! i think that's my main thoughts. if you have any more specific questions i'm happy to help if i can! but also i think you'll learn the most by just jumping in and fucking around. quests are easy to pick up and easy to drop, and imo do really well as a playground where u test different ways to draw and tell stories, so might as well just get messy.

[superm4ks]

No but what is red bull doing with this car??? I just can't understand how they're suddenly having so much issues. It feels like the McLaren car is great in every track while we're are struggling everywhere.

My impression is that mclaren have now a superior car and they might put some serious pressure on the championship. No hate to the mclaren drivers, but they're not doing justice to that car. The only reason max keeps winning still is because he's leagues better.

Tbh its still too early to tell but the more rbr talks about the suspension and what they think the problem is, the more sense it makes to me. Its not at all a new thing, actually its kinda part of the design itself. Like the red bull philosophy wid the 2022 regs was to maximize the aerodynamic components by keeping the suspension as stiff as possible. rb18 and the rb19 were uncompromising cars from the start, but the ground force generated was so ahead of everybody elses rbr cud have the most rigid mechanical components and still produce better lap times than the competition just because they were able to lower their rear very consistently. So for instance they get to an outlier like Singapore that has such bumpy characteristics and like explode but it doesnt matter because for most of the calendar the ride height holds and they have the advantage. Its a very milton keynes adrian newey led type of compromise regarding car design which means its not a compromise at all and it kinda expects its immediate and total sovereignty to be its own justification. I dont think rbr is doing anything 'wrong' wid the car, its just that the car was always bound to hit a limit in performance and kinda coasted on other team's setbacks. That and yes, there are lil operational mistakes throughout race weekends happening rn that didnt exist last year and cud be attributed to some uncertainty regarding car development, the turmoil inside the organization, some fatigue, etc. Time will tell if they can fix the problem or if its something to try and minimize until the next regulatory cycle

About the Mclaren, and why it looks so spooky, seems MTC have been able to develop a car that not only employs the same suspension trick as rbr, but is able to make it work to its full potential, particularly by absorbing bumps and kerbs more effectively, which is something the rb20 as of now cant do. Basically its an all around more balanced car wid better handling. Without the first SC yesterday Lando wud have put a 20 sec gap no problem. By fp3 both Mclarens were already lapping like 2 seconds faster than the rb20 so like clearly that pace is here to stay. Whether itll translate into a full fledged wdc fight it will depend on the next big 4 updates because all the top cars have room to improve in the upcoming european leg. mcl38 has a lot of potential tho and not being hindered by the suspension the way rb20 is makes it a significant threat. Also like Mclaren is still making some basic strategy errors that usually tend to go away once the team settles more into its new role in the competition.

Ab ur last comment, idk personally I think zak browns bj brothers are doing a really good job keeping pressure and staying consistent, especially Lando, but its also their first taste of a truly competitive car so its normal for them to miss out on some pole positions or maybe not drive some stints as well. I think Ive commented on this before but sometimes it does come down to experience. 2023 had some hints of a possible Mclaren resurgence but they were few and too spaced out for the drivers to be able to truly build on it. On the other side u have a world champion coming out of 3 consecutive title runs 1 of which was one of the most competitive in recent memory, and another the most dominant. Mclaren is intent on building momentum and Max wont let them. Rbr are in limbo but Max isnt. Wid much respect to everybody else but like either put ur best foot forward every time or better luck next year 😐

[starlit-crossing]

A Ghost of Yourself Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - A Better Understanding

After an incident off world, Bruce was glad to have Dick and other leaguers back in the states. Things had been tense with the UN ever since Lex Luthor’s involvement a few years back and regaining that trust was difficult. Dick had been in Blüdhaven when he had called Bruce.

“Heads up, B. I’m going to be late getting into Gotham.” Dick rushed, speaking over the sounds of sirens.

“What happened? Will you need backup?” Bruce asked, moving to the bat-computer and pulling up any feed he could get.

“Nah, I’ve got this handled. Some goons got caught in the act of smuggling drugs. Took a grey hound bus headed for Gotham hostage.” he explained, perching himself above the scene on a building nearby.

“Any casualties?” Bruce inquired.

“None so far, but according to the chatter they have a kid held at gunpoint.” Dick responded, pulling out his binoculars to get a better look. He could confirm the info from the police radio, seeing four men all with guns in hand. They were all towards the back of the bus, the one closest to the center looked to be holding a kid with black hair and a blue hoodie. The whole thing was surrounded by police vehicles.

“Noted, keep me updated.” Bruce’s voice cut in.

“Will do, B. Save me a plate from dinner!” The line cut out as Dick made his way closer to the scene. He could now make out some of the force out in the front. One in particular being his old partner and now chief of the police with a phone in hand. Likely trying to get some form of organization before this thing turned into a stand still.

According to the chatter, the getaway driver had been brought in after being found in a stolen car. He had very quickly ratted on his friends at the station in an attempt to make a plea deal. Despite the lack of a lawyer present at his side. One officer had decided to check a bus that had been stopped nearby and recognized the goons from their descriptions. The men in question had seen the cop, freaked out, and grabbed the first person possible. This happened to be a teen and lead to the bus being taken hostage. The cop that had discovered them was still inside the bus.

Shouting came from within as Dick swung closer, they had made their demands. If nothing happened soon, they would be starting a negotiation. Leaving any actions made by the police force with fewer positive outcomes. Dick ran up to the bus grabbing a gas canister from his belt. Luckily all traffic had been stopped at this point. Once close enough he threw the canister through the window shattering the glass and filling the bus with smoke.

Once the coughing started and people began to make an escape out of the front of the bus. He moved to the emergency exit in the back of the bus. Pulling it open he grabbed the attention of the first goon, the youngest of them, he began to shakingly point the gun at the hero. Dick swiftly knocked the gun from his hands to the ground with a kick. Following the movement with jabs to his side causing the man to curl in on himself. Dick grabbed the neck of his clothes and using the momentum of the fall to fling the young man out the emergency door.

He couldn’t check to see if had been knocked out before the next goon took notice. This one opted to use his weapon and began firing into the rear of the bus. Dick fell into a somersault narrowly dodging the bullets coming his way. As he rose from the ground, he reached behind his back grabbing his escrima sticks. Dick knocked the gun out of the way using the left and brought the right to the goon’s side. Pressing a small button, electricity surged through the weapon stunning the criminal, leaving him crumbled on the ground.

Two down, two to go Dick thought as the third goon turned to see his partner lying on the ground. The man wasn’t sure what to do as his boss behind him was already fighting someone. The officer who found the gang must have gotten the kid free. Dick used the third goon’s hesitation to jump in the air and springboard off the bus’s ceiling. His boots smacking the criminal’s face onto the floor.

With three of the gunmen out of the way the passengers who had been left to hide in the back on the bus started rushing past him. Dick held his ground as passengers shoved past to the emergency exit. None of them giving a thought to the men knocked out on the bus floor as the trampled or stepped over the bodies. The leader of them all was still focused on fighting the person in front of him, allowing Dick to move forward unhindered. Allowing the commotion to hide his steps he slipped closer, lining up his escrima sticks with the large man’s shoulders. Once he brought them down, he pressed the button once more, shocking the final goon.

As he fell to the ground Dick was left face to face with his combatant. A teen boy around the same age of Duke and Cass stood before him breathing heavily. His hair was black, a contrast to his pale skin. Tired bags laid beneath his blue eyes, messy fridge obscuring them partly from Dick’s vision. His hair and clothes were a mess, wrinkled and dirty from who knows what. Despite the life-threatening situation and the fight for his life he must have had the kid’s face remained eerily calm. Even Damian showed more emotion after a hard fight. The teen in question stood there a moment unsure what to do. Dick eventually put his weapons away, hoping the staring wasn’t because of shock.

“Hey, kid, are you okay? Let’s get you off this bus.” Dick asked, moving his hand to the boy’s shoulder to lead him off. A small part of him thought of Bruce when he first seen the hero, I wondered if this is how I or the others looked when we first met? He certainly fits the family trend.

“Yea, I’m fine but I need my stuff.” The kid answered, his voice didn’t even shift. It was kinda creepy how monotone it was all things considered. He had just fought a man twice his size, he should be at least a little shook. I might have to omit this part when I see Bruce later. Dick waited for the teen to grab his things, worry slowly creeping in as though Bruce would show any second with adoption papers in hand. Sure, his father wasn’t actually collecting orphans, often Bruce is the one flocked to. If Super Boy had fewer powers when Dick and his friends had found him all those years ago, he might’ve become Connor Wayne instead of Connor Kent.

As they left the bus the kid went straight to the ambulance and the police. With how he was dressed and the backpack in hand the kid was really looking to be a runaway. Did he assume he would need to be checked out by the paramedics? His old partner, Amy Rohrbach, was luckily nearby. Her brown hair still worn in the same low ponytail.

“Nightwing, good to know you’re back in town.” Amy said exasperated. The kid’s eyes bounced back and forth between the two. He hadn’t left Blüdhaven on a positive note, having forgotten to leave Amy a note saying he would be aiding the League.

“It’s just a visit, Chief Rohrbach. I just got back from helping the League and the Bat wanted me to stop by Gotham. I was just passing through and thought I could help.” He answered, hoping if he kept things relaxed would keep Amy from ranting about his sudden departure. Possibly get the kid to unwind as well, so far it wasn’t making a difference.

“None the less we appreciate it when a hero has their eyes on helping our city. So, who’s the kid?” Amy smiled. Dick knew that look, she thought he was going to adopt the teen or something. This wasn’t the first either, every time a troubled youth popped up on the job, she was so sure he’d get involved. He wasn’t Bruce and Jason was finally getting along with him more; adopting a kid into crimefighting would ruin that. The kid in question stiffened at the change in topic.

“Uh, I’m Danny. I was on the bus to visit some family in Gotham?”He lied. He may be emotionless, but he was a terrible liar.

“Okay, Danny and is there a last name to go with that? You were just in a shooting we should probably give your family a call.” The Chief asked pulling out a notepad. Dick knew she had a sharp eye and a talent for police work. They had both reached the same conclusion; this teen was on the run, but what from?

“I plead the fifth?” Danny retorted sheepishly.

“Kid, that’s not how that works and you’re not under oath.” Nightwing laughed, this kid is something else. “Listen if your home life isn’t safe or you’re worried about being in trouble we can help. Just give the officer your name and we can help.”

The kid seemed to be mulling it over, sighed then answered “Nope, can’t do it. Just Danny for me, thanks.”

Stubborn like most people in the Wayne family, at this rate he’d have to investigate him just to see what trouble he had gotten into. Metahumans were still an issue even though trafficking had lessened. The Chief and Dick shared a look as she put her notebook away.

“Okay then Danny, you can join me in the back of my car, and we’ll take a trip down to the station.” Rohrbach rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm, bringing him to her car. Once he was settled, she locked the doors and came back to Nightwing.

“So, what do you want me to do with him?” Amy questioned.

“Nothing for right now, you noticed it as well. That Danny kid is lying both about why he’s on the run and where to. “Night wing spoke quietly looking at the car.

“So just stick him into the foster system?” She returned.

“Exactly, I’ll have Red Robin do some research. He’ll be able to get the results faster than I can.” Dick thought aloud.

“Not going to take him under your wing?” Amy teased.

“Not a chance, Gotham has enough heroes and besides he might still have people looking for him. Who care and want him back home, safe and sound. Also Red Hood would take my head off if I brought a kid into crimefighting like Bats.” He laughed. “I’ll be in touch, see if you can have him placed where someone can keep an eye on him.”

Finally grabbed Dick grabbed his grappling hook and shot off while the Chief got into her car to take Danny to a foster home.

---

Dick was back in Gotham later that afternoon. He had to make a few stops along the way but was able to fill Bruce in on what happened during his errands. Naturally he left out Danny the runaway who could hold his own in a fight against an armed man twice his size. Rohrbach was able to handle it herself anyway. She had already messaged him the address and notes related to Danny and his new foster home. He had been placed in Central Gotham which Dick was currently driving though on his way to the manor. Hopefully he had saved some of Alfred’s cooking.

Dick’s fingers drummed across the wheel as he thought more about the boy from earlier today. He would have to check in on him next week. He looked at the town houses as he drove by, maybe tomorrow? He thought as he looked at his phone where Amy had texted the address. He could at least make sure the kid was settled. He parked his variant of the bat car in an alley a nearby, climbing to the familiar roof tops. It was rather quick for him to make his way to a neighboring house.

From above he could watch through the windows to see the kid eating dinner. Danny wore the same expression from earlier that day. Dick looked on with curiosity, surely, he would emote at some point.

Danny didn’t emote whatsoever.

After dinner the kid had gone to his room and looked through the pack he had brought with him. Eventually grabbing a magazine and settled in to read into the wee hours of the night. Ever time Dick thought about leaving he would convince himself to stay, if he left the kid would make his move, he was sure. It was a similar gut feeling he had felt since his early years of Robin and he knew it rarely led him wrong.

It wasn’t until thirty minutes after lights out that anything happened. The whole building was quiet and dark except for Danny’s room. Dick watched as he collected his things into the backpack once again and climbed onto fire escape. He moved quickly and quietly across the grates, almost as though he didn’t fear the height or the fall. Often skipping steps and jumping sections, he didn’t hesitate even jumping from the top of the final ladder into the alley below.

Danny pulled his phone from his bag and began to type something in. Dick followed on the roof tops as the kid made his way towards his destination. At his pace and direction Dick could guess a handful of places he could be heading for. The largest was Gotham Harbor and the smallest was a Bat Burger another two blocks down.

Dick was tempted to let him go further but this kid wasn’t from Gotham, and it was easy for someone new to get into serious trouble. So, Dick scaled down the apartment building he once stood on and dropped behind him. Danny heard the drop, but he was faster and moved in the opposite direction to avoid his sight till he stood between the kid and his unknown goal.

“Shouldn’t you be in a foster home, right now?” Dick grinned standing face to face with the teen.

“Shouldn't you be helping Batman with a crime or something?” Danny returned; Dick noticed him eyeing the phone. Based on what he could see on the device, it looked like he was going far. Is he actually going to the harbor? What is he running from? Dick wondered.

“Touche, but he can handle himself. You however have been in a crime today and still sounding off about it.” Dick watched as Danny kept walking despite his little lecture. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Anywhere but here! The Danbury’s are nice and all, but I need to get going, places I need to be.”

“Nice try, kid but I can’t just let you leave! Whether you like it or not, you’re a runaway and I can’t just leave you. Come on, I’m taking you back to the station.” Dick slipped a tracker into his hand and grabbed Danny’s arm with the other. Dragging him to where he had hidden the super car. “Good thing I took the car and not the bike.”

He led Danny to the passenger seat, slipping the tracker in his backpack before shutting the door and climbing into the vehicle himself.

---

The following three weeks were filled with Dick watching, tracking, and catching the runaway teen. Like he had told Amy he had Red Robin, otherwise known as his brother Tim, look into the kid. Tim unfortunately was having zero luck, with only his name to go on and the bus there was little to find. Every town the bus stopped in either held no record of a Danny or had someone else on record who looked nothing like the kid in mind. Tim offered to take a deeper look, but it would take more time.

When he had captured Danny the second time it had been two days since his rehome. He had even brought Tim along to see if recognized the kid from news articles or missing children reports. Though Tim mostly just laughed at how much Danny looked like a fusion of the Robins. Swearing he’d keep this off Bruce’s radar. They were in mid-conversation when Danny walked out the front of the Green family home with the dog, shutting the door behind him and opening it again slowly to sneak the dog back inside. Once the dog was inside, he made a mad dash down the road.

“Did he seriously just pretend to take the dog for a walk and run?” Tim asked in shock.

“Yep.” Dick answered unsurprised, “Come on we’ll catch up.”

Once again, the kid had made a heading towards the harbor district. He made it four blocks before taking a moment to breathe. Dick just slowly drove up with Tim in the passenger seat, right in front of the straight-faced boy.

“Need a lift?” Dick smirked as Danny gave him a strange look.

“How the fuck did you find me? Its be two minutes, are you stalking me?” Danny asked bewilderment in his voice.

“Language!” Tim yelled from inside the car, a laugh slipping from Dick. Danny just sighed in response and got into the car. Knowing the heroes wouldn’t let him leave so easily.

Danny’s next foster home took up a large part of an apartment building’s top floor. The Bates’ family were lively bunch and each time Dick checked in Danny had been forced into some game with the younger children or doing chores. When he tried to sneak away, he had gone to the roof rather than head for the building’s front doors. Dick watched as he tried to the fire escape to traverse the buildings side once again. This one was older though and had rotted away, leaving Danny to fall as a railing tore from his weight. Dick was able to grab him mid fall and bring the teen safely to the ground.

“We really need to stop meeting like this! It’s your fall-t at this point” Dick laughed while Danny pushed the hero away. Shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets as he made his way back to the apartment head hanging low.

Foster home number four was with Carter’s in the suburbs of Gotham. This was Danny’s least creative of escapes, not that the fire escapes had been very original. Their home was Danny’s most successful, despite the warnings they had been given the Carter’s had given Danny his space. He had the entire basement as his bedroom and had been allowed to move freely. Danny tested the waters a few times, leaving to get food from the corner store and staying at a park for a few hours at a time. They never interfered and so finally late at night he snuck out the basement window.

Dick had been notified when he left the neighbor hood but shocked when he struggled to find the kid. Danny had him on a goose chase till four am until he was caught entering a back alley. Once again Danny gave no sign of annoyance or dissatisfaction. He just entered the car quietly and let Dick drop him off the station. He had a quick word with Gordan urging him to make sure the next home was secure.

The Geller home was secure, practically a prison for those inside. Multiple locks and alarms were armed on every exit of the house. Windows barred and security cameras outside the home. They had been so sure they could keep Danny in and barred him from ever leaving without supervision. They had been shocked when they opened the door the following morning to a Nightwing and Danny scratched up at the door like lost kittens.

Dick knew they couldn’t let him just leave, so he suggested the GCPS call a certain Bruce Wayne.

“So, you want me to take in a runaway? One that no one knows anything about and could be a meta for all anyone knows?” Bruce asked from behind his desk, Dick stood before him in casual clothing scratching the back of his neck.

“Yes. He’s been escaping consistently and though I’ve been keeping my eye on him I can’t be driving back and forth from Blüdhaven this much. Tim has been looking into him but has hit a wall on the subject. I wouldn’t normally invest this much time, but this kid isn’t normal.” Dick ranted starting to pace the room.

“Because of his lack of emotional expression?” Bruce inquired.

“No, that isn’t the strangest thing. Cass was like that for quite some time before, but he fought an armed man twice his size and probably would have won. So far, he’s shown no signs of metahuman abilities outside of above human skill. A description that fits our entire family, I might add.” Dick pressed, no one else could handle a crimefighting kid like the Waynes.

“So he was part of the hostage situation earlier this month?” Bruce thought aloud.

“Yes.” Dick answered trying to read the man before him. “So will you take him in?”

Bruce smiled at Dick and rose from his chair to stand by his son.

“Of course, I think we could do with another in the manor. The others will be excited for another new face.” Bruce continued to smile as he left to call Gordon and let Alfred know to prepare a room for a new guest.

---

This is a heads up for those reading that I will be having a poll to decide the name of the fic! I've been using Lost in Foster as a working title and after getting some suggestions I'm going to see what everyone likes! This poll will be up within the next two days so be sure to check it out! I was originally going to pick myself but I can't decide and I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate hitting over 5k views! I hope everyone is enjoying the story and I'll see y'all later!

Master post - Chapter 4 Prev. <<< Next >>>

[alchemistc]

goon | bucktommy | chapter four

check out the hockey glossary here (updated through chapter four)

Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three

credit to weatherwaxed for the truly horrendous and accurate hockey nickname for Tommy

read Chapter Four on ao3

Tommy’s ears are still ringing.

Kane’s been sent off for a game misconduct, and Diaz’s nose doesn’t seem to be too much worse for the wear, although he’s going to have a nasty shiner on both eyes by the time this game is through. Hen’s done what she can to patch them both up, while Nash talks them through how the hell they’re going to come back from a four goal deficit in twenty minutes, in Edmonton, with McDavid on a hot streak and Hyman one goal away from a hatty.

Tommy’s already done his part — with the Oilers up by three Kane had taken a run at Diaz, elbow angled just right to get him right beneath the bucket, square between his eyes, and Tommy had almost jumped the gun trying to get on the ice before anyone could skate off to give him the opportunity. No call, of course, just the jeers of eighteen thousand or so fans while McKinley screamed at the refs, but the whistle had given Nash the opportunity to throw Tommy out on the ice, and Knoblauch had left Kane out to take his lumps, no doubt certain a fight would just keep the momentum rolling.

Kane had gotten his licks. It’d been a fairly evenly matched fight, right up until Tommy had squirmed his way out from the sweater Kane had been attempting to trap him in and gone full tilt with just shoulder pads for his opponent to try to get leverage with.

His knuckles are split. He can still taste the blood in his mouth. He’s running hot, even now, knee jumping up and down with no conscious effort as he listens to coach try to rally them, but Edmonton had scored almost immediately after Kane had been sent off for chirping a ref after serving his five, and they’re short on momentum, at the moment. It’s been a span of rough days — losing at home to the two-seed in their division, ending the home winning streak. Two new guys slotted into the lineup post-trade deadline who haven’t had the time to build up the chemistry they need. Two back-to-backs with travel time in a week and a half.

They’re tired. They’re annoyed with each other. They keep fumbling the puck in the neutral zone and giving Edmonton the chance to skate it in without challenge. Tommy’d won the fight and it hadn’t rallied shit, and honestly? Tommy’s a little annoyed about that. Kane’s not an easy down, and Tommy’d had him on the ice taking a fist to the gut before stripes had managed to separate them.

This is the point in the game where Tommy cedes his ice time to the skill players — the speedsters, the play-makers, who are all staring at Nash right now like they’re thinking about the mini-bars in their hotel rooms.

Tommy is annoyed.

Nash ends his spiel with five minutes left to go in the intermission and disappears out into the hallway. That’s not abnormal — for all his quiet confidence he’s rarely a hype-man. The problem is right now no one is a fucking hype man.

Tommy shifts his weight, eyes on Diaz as Panikkar mumbles to himself next to him. The ice he’s had on his hand is already too warm to be doing much, and he’s halfway to standing up and spending the next four minutes trying to convince Hen that frozen packs of peas are actually miles better than her gel-packs when he notices one of the new guys shooting him a shifty look.

“Skinner’s taking chances behind the net because he thinks we won’t take advantage of them,” Tommy says, just loud enough to lower the volume of the sporadic chatter. “Hyman’s been nursing his left side all game from the stinger in the first, and they’re leaving gaps in coverage all over the ice. We’ve played this game before. We’ve won this game before.” Two weeks ago, on home ice, with the ability to make the last change and a team fully refreshed after the All-Star break, but Tommy doesn’t feel like that part is necessary to point out. “We’re passing too much, and we’re spinning our wheels for the perfect shot when we should be shooting everything at the net. We’re not gonna get a lucky fucking bounce if we’re all doing geometry on the move trying to find a lane.”

“Great points,” Ravi says, the bratty little tone of his voice betraying him, and Tommy presses his weight down on the bench in an effort not to pick a fight. “Or maybe they’re on three days of rest and a heater.”

Tommy rolls his tongue over his teeth, darts a glance around the room. Three minutes to puck drop, and the room is ready to pack it in. “Anyone else gonna tell me why I wasted a fight on this?” Across the room, Diaz smirks at him, and a few of them shift in their seats. “Or do we wanna put on our big boy pants and play out the next twenty minutes like they mean something?”

As far as rousing speeches go, it’s no St. Crispin’s. But McKinley’s admonished look shifts into that blank-faced zen stare he gets sometimes, right before he runs it up, and the new guys seem to have a bit more energy.

The time ticks down, and they head down the tunnel, and Tommy takes a seat on the bench, fully prepared for his little pep talk to fall on deaf ears.

Buckley shifts closer to Tommy as they all scoot down the bench, three shifts into the third. "McDavid's injured," he says unprompted, and Tommy shoots him a look from behind his visor. "Listen, I know it sounds crazy but he's weak on his left wing right now, and I have a plan."

"You tell Nash this plan?"

"Next time you're out with us, just get to the net."

"Buckley, if I'm out for more than thirty seconds we've already lost this game."

"Just get to the net, Kinard."

Tommy can't help the snotty little salute he sends Buck's way, but three minutes later he's chasing down Ravi, for once grateful that his speed is shit because it means he's never in danger of an offsides call when Panikkar skates the puck in past the blue line. Diaz and Buckley aren't far behind him, so Tommy shoulders his way past two Oilers and plants himself in front of the net.

And then they're passing.

This shits not gonna work. He can feel Skinner behind him, trying to pick out the puck between the bodies blocking his view, and Tommy takes a moment to watch Diaz circling, and Buckley quarterbacking from the top of the zone, Ravi searching out a lane while Buck tosses it back to Landstrom, who returns it to Buck. Near the top of the circles McDavid is skating into the passes and nursing his left side.

Shit.

Buck's right.

Tommy shifts to the other side of the crease. He's got Hyman unknowingly screening the left side of the net, and if Buck can get some separation between Nurse and McDavid --

The puck comes screaming in on Hyman's right, and Tommy shifts his stick, angles it and —

He doesn't even fucking care if it hits Hyman or his stick before it tips into the net over Skinner's shoulder. The crowd noise drops off, and Diaz and Buckley are speeding towards him.

The three of them go slamming into the boards, Diaz and Buckley shouting incomprehensibly, and then Ravi and Landstrom are there too. One of them has a hand on his bucket, shaking his head indiscriminately back and forth, and another one is yelling, and over on the bench, in the sudden deadening of the crowd noise, he can hear Donato and McKinley both celebrating, sticks smacking against the boards.

Tommy’s already halfway to the bench when Diaz and Buckley both have to circle back and send him to the front of their line for glove taps, and as he clambers back over the boards to greet a full barrage of back slaps and bucket-smacks, the refs actually have to come over and warn them to cool it with the celebration.

Buckley settles onto the bench next to him with a bright grin as Nash sends out their second line. “Told you,” he says, the sparkle in his eyes almost cartoonish against the harsh glare of the ice, and before Tommy can think of anything clever to say, he’s turning back to Diaz and the iPad.

---

Tie game, with three minutes left, and the Bobby Blender has somehow worked well enough to give them a chance to win this game. Tommy’s been out for maybe a minute and a half of the last fifteen. He’s feeling pretty fucking good about both the fight, and the dubiously moralizing speech he’d made, when McDavid intercepts a sloppy pass and suddenly has open ice between the blue line and the net.

There’s a certain noise, that happens in an arena, when a particular player has possession of the the puck and speed on his side. A sudden hush, the air being sucked out of the room, before a wild roar taken up by thousands upon thousands of voices, and as Buckley and Diaz chase him down Tommy’s waiting for the inevitable sound of the goal buzzer.

Chim pulls off a stunner of a poke check half a foot outside his crease and while McDavid spins into the turn behind the net, looking about ready to break his stick on the boards, Buckley and Diaz have caught Edmonton in a change — it’s a dumb change, Tommy has no idea why they’d chosen a breakaway as the moment to swap out players, but Diaz has a sheet of free ice to pass it off to McKinley, who is screaming down the ice.

Tommy checks the clock. A minute forty, and McKinley makes a clean break between two Oilers down the stretch, and then he’s free as a fucking bird, ten feet between him and the crease — five, and Skinner miscalculates exactly how many dekes McKinley has in him; the puck slides in five hole and Buckley and Diaz circle up while the entire bench explodes around Tommy.

---

Across the table, Buckley keeps shooting him looks. He’s grown familiar with some of Evan Buckley’s looks, over the past month or so, but he can’t quite parse this one. Before he can raise a brow, tilt his head, try to figure out exactly what the look had all been about, Buck shifts his gaze to Nash, up the table, telling a story about one of his fights when he’d played for the Stingrays.

Next to him, Eddie taps at his shoulder again, phone out to show him yet another comment thread about Tommy’s fight. This one seems to be slightly less horny than the last one, but he’s still not entirely sure he understands why Diaz hops on there so often.

Eddie chuckles when Tommy gets three comments down and rolls his eyes before returning to his food, and across the table, Buck turns to look at them both again. When he catches Tommy looking back, his eyes swivel away.

“No, hold on, listen to this one: Nards could drop me like he dropped Kane tonight and I’d still beg him to —.”

“—Okay,” Tommy interrupts, and Eddie cackles, fingers darting across his phones keyboard like he’s about to do something Josh Russo will absolutely take umbrage with.

“Telling you not to send that reply is just an exercise in futility, isn’t it?”

Eddie raises a brow, lips pursed while he continues to type. He hums. “Josh is gonna be pissed I’m not using my burner account right now. Muy inapropiado.”

Tommy’s not great with Spanish, but it’s not really a stretch to decipher that one. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Buckley leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, a look of consternation on his face, gaze focused intently on whatever story O’Connor is telling now.

“Don’t show it to me. I want to have the ability to claim ignorance.”

“Fine, but I’m tagging you in it.”

“The last thing I posted on there was three years ago.”

“Well, the fan who’s clinging to ‘Nards’ as your nickname is still gonna assume you saw it.” Eddie darts his gaze up with a grin. “Can I call you Cojones?”

“No,” Tommy tells him, but he can feel the lines around his mouth stretching almost to his ears as he shakes his head. “My nonna would rise from her grave to slap my wrist and yell stugotsa before she returned to her slumber.”

Buckley picks at his salad across the table, frown still prominent, and Tommy tries his hardest not to find the pout of his lower lip appealing. He’s not — they’re not — but he’s barely gone a night in his own bed without a phone call from Buck, who’d taken Tommy’s one call to him in the early morning hours before a meaningless exhibition game as blanket permission to spend an hour before sleeping every night talking Tommy’s ear off.

Tommy doesn’t hate it.

(Tommy is very aware that he’s treading a tight rope with too much slack, and can’t get a read on the end-game for the life of him.)

He’s intriguing , is the problem. Beyond the curls in his hair that always appear after twenty minutes tucked under his helmet, beyond the wine-dark splash of his birthmark, beyond the sea-glass gleam of his gaze and the gentle slope of his cheekbones, the frankly ridiculous cut of his Adonis belt and the ass that fills out his dress pants on game days, he is miles more interesting than any man Tommy’s met in years, and he knows plenty of interesting men. He knows more useless trivia than Tommy could fill a book with, and hires chefs to teach him how to make his chickpea pasta, has terrible opinions on Star Wars (according to Christopher Diaz), a codependent relationship with his partner. He’s absolutely obsessed with hockey lore, and on top of that he’s sweet, and kind, and so fucking generous with his time.

Tommy’d watched him spend forty-five minutes with fans in the parking lot outside their practice facility, signing pucks and sweaters and posters, talking to each individual kid like he’d known them for years, taking selfies and talking to parents.

He’d spent that evening under the hood of Diaz’ Chevelle and watching Eddie struggle to make any sense of his son’s homework while slyly derailing the conversation by mentioning Buck, and that night listening to Buck walk him through the history of invasive plants, with twenty minutes reserved for kudzu alone.

Tommy is, in all frankness, a little fucked. He’s well aware, at this point, how heterosexual all of Evan Buckley’s previous romantic entanglements have been, with the help of Christopher, and the fly-by from Eddie to bitch about the latest girl who’d apparently found his brush with death to be the most intriguing thing about him. (He still has the silvery wisp of the scar on his neck from where Kucherov’s blade had nicked him — half an inch to the left, a few millimeters deeper, and Buck would have bled out on the ice in front of eighteen-thousand horrified fans.)

Which isn’t even taking into account how insane Tommy would have to be to throw out twenty years of carefully curated lies about himself to even think about this in anything more than the abstract.

(And Buck is still young — Tommy’s almost out but Buck’s got years ahead of him, in a league so behind the times that Travis Dermott shooting a big fat fuck you to the commissioner by playing with colorful tape on his stick had been seen as an act of ballsy rebellion.)

It doesn’t stop him from thinking about the lingering glances, the flirty head tilts, the tone of Evan Buckley’s voice when he’s teasing.

“...hear her purr, now,” Eddie says beside him, with a smack to the meat of Tommy’s shoulder, and he glances up from his plate to find Buck staring at them both.

“Cool,” Buck says, a moment before he stands, dropping his napkin onto the table. “I’m gonna head to bed.”

Eddie, apparently not catching the tone of his voice, just grins at his friend. “Yeah, you need all the beauty sleep you can get.”

Coming from the man with deep purpling bruises blooming under both eyes, it doesn’t seem to hold much weight, but Buck scowls anyway, a moment before he turns to leave.

---

Tommy tosses and turns for an hour, unable to get comfortable, rolling over their next few opponents in his mind; thinking through the way Buck had looked at him in the moments before he’d walked out of the hotel restaurant; pondering the last thing his therapist had said to him, two weeks ago, when he’d been stuck on something he’d said to his father five years earlier; wincing every time he flexed his hand and was reminded of how sturdy Kane’s jaw was.

He’s contemplating popping one of the pain pills Hen had given him when he finally admits to himself exactly why he’s having trouble sleeping.

His phone has been dark since he passed Eddie’s door on the way to his own.

It’s not abnormal that he doesn’t talk to Buck, after a game on the road. It makes sense, in the context of the last few weeks — they’ve all been a little wired, with so little time between games, so much travel in between. They don’t have another game for three days and all of them should be resting, recuperating. Buckley’s played over twenty-five minutes the last two nights in a row, and less than twenty-four hours before that he’d played almost twenty-eight.

But the gentle hum of Buckley’s voice as it grew tired has become something of a white noise machine to Tommy, and... he’s missing it.

He rambles around his room for ten minutes, tosses a twenty on the desk when he finds the frozen peas he’d asked the concierge for chilling in the freezer of the mini-fridge, fluffs his pillows, contemplates trying to find a shitty rom com on his Netflix account.

When the peas sweat through the hand towel he’d wrapped them in, he tosses them back in the fridge and leaves a note for housekeeping and an extra twenty.

Tommy stares at the ceiling for another ten minutes before he picks up his phone and sends the most cliché text imaginable. You up?

The message glares back at him, mocking him, and Tommy contemplates unsending it while it sits unread for thirty seconds, a minute.

He’s hovering his finger over the message when he gets a read receipt.

A bubble pops up. Disappears.

Three minutes pass, and they appear again, and just as quickly disappear.

He’s just about to plug his phone back into his charger and call it a wash when the text comes through.

Sorry, talking to my sister. Get some sleep, man.

Buck follows it up with a gif of Stanley Hudson passed out in front of his desk, and Tommy takes it for the dismissal it is.

[be-compromised]

Promptathon 2023 Masterlist

Promptathon 2023 is now over, with a grand total of 647 comments and 41 fills - which is the most fills we've had for the summer prompthon since 2014, wow. Thank you to everyone who prompted, created, beta read, commented, cheered, and took part. We hope you had fun! It's been an absolute delight to see our corner of fandom so active. We do plan to keep the momentum going, so please watch this space (or the comm dreamwidth or discord) for updates on a friending meme coming later this week, sign ups for the Secret Santa fic exchange coming soon, and a revial of All The Things Friday...

If you still have prompt fills that you’re working on, or feel inspired by prompts now or in the future from any of our community events, please do keep creating. Now that promptathon is over they won’t be included as part of the event or masterlist, but they will always be appreciated :)

Promptathon 2023 Masterlist

A Different Call | AO3 by @inkvoices (PG13; Endgame, may or may not be considered an AU) Prompt: And it's been so long But if you ever think you got it wrong I'm right where you left me

A Little Less War Torn by @poppypickle (PG-13; no warnings apply) Prompt: “You touch me and suddenly I feel a little less war torn. I'm not sure what peace is supposed to feel like but I think it may feel a lot like you” — anatomy-of-rains

A Tourist's Guide To Amsterdam by @chaed (T; some language and violence) Prompt: nothing good starts in a getaway car

Building Tensions | tumblr by @quietlyimplode (PG; swearing)  Prompt: Just because I love you doesn’t mean I’ll let you win in Mario Kart. Fuck off

Burn | AO3 by @alphaflyer (M; no warnings apply) Prompt: ‘I’m intrigued; the last three attempts on my life were much better funded and prepared.’ (Same Time, Next Hit: Part 1)

bye-bye bikinis & boxers & briefs | AO3 | tumblr by @cassiesinsanity (M; no warnings apply; OT3) Prompt: "Are we sure about this?" Clint says. "I mean, he shot you. Just putting that out there." (Probably Clint/Natasha/Bucky)

Endings and Beginnings | AO3 by ultra_fic (PG/K+; no warnings apply) Prompt: Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. Lady Lazarus - Sylvia Plath 

faking it by @quidnunc-life (T; no warnings apply) Prompt: Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. Lady Lazarus - Sylvia Plath 

Heat | AO3 by @alphaflyer (M; movie-level violence) Prompt: Doing a mission in, or coping with, excessive heat. (Bonus: mission related to doing something about the climate change problem.) (Same Time, Next Hit: Part 4)

Hold | AO3 by @alphaflyer (T; no warnings apply) Prompt: enemies with benefits (Same Time, Next Hit: Part 5)

Honorary Cat | AO3 by @firlalaith (Teen; no warnings apply) Prompt: Nat (or Nat and Bucky) owns / works at a cat cafe. Clint, being Clint, spots this place and thinks it's just a pet friendly cafe, so he goes in with Lucky. (Bonus: Clint becomes a regular it just becomes too late to explain the mistake...) AND Maybe if he was a little less fuckable we wouldn’t be in this mess. 

"It looks like someone threw a train at you." by @chaed (T; no warnings given) Prompt: "It looks like someone threw a train at you."

Just Another Saturday Night by @cassiesinsanity (PG; no warnings apply) Prompt: "Do you wanna get dinner when we're done here?"

Just Come Home | AO3 by @poppypickle (PG13; swearing, slight mentions of past violence) Prompt: "come home and shout at me. come home and fight with me. come home and break my heart, if you must. just come home." - cruel prince

Kiss Me | AO3 by ultra_fic (PG/K+; no warnings apply) Prompt: An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose.

Last to Know | AO3 by @cloud--atlas (T; no warnings apply) Prompt: "Bet you fifty dollars you can't get a date with the Black Widow."

Leap | AO3 by @alphaflyer (T; canon-type violence) Prompt: it IS a gun in my pocket and no I’m not pleased to see you. (Same Time, Next Hit: Part 2)

Let Me Tell You a Story About War | AO3 by @poppypickle (PG-13; no warnings apply) Prompt: Do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?

Let’s Show ‘Em | AO3 by @poppypickle (T; no warnings apply) Prompt: "All I heard was 'it will be funny' and then we were in jail."

Lightbulb Moment | AO3 by @cloud--atlas (M; various kink mentions) Prompt: Honeypot mission but Clint is the bait AND Discovering a kink at the worst possible time.

Lounge | AO3 by @alphaflyer (M; no warnings apply) Prompt: Stuck in an airport (due to delayed flight, cancelled flight, mission...). Shenanigans ensue. (Same Time, Next Hit: Part 3)

Love Means Never Having To Say ‘I Love You’ | AO3 by ultra_fic (PG/K+; no warnings apply) Prompt: via tumblr creativepromptsforwriting: "Shut up, I'm trying to confess my love to you."

Making A Different Call | tumblr by @caiti-creative-corner (T) Prompt: Hawkeye goes undercover to a Red Room auction where 'retired' Black Widows are sold.

morning, his place | AO3 by fadedwings  (PG13; no warnings apply) Prompt: morning, his place burnt toast, sunday you keep his shirt he keeps his word and for once you let go of your fears and your ghosts one step, not much but it said enough

Overture | AO3 by @alphaflyer (T; no warnings apply) Prompt: When the circus/carnival stops in Ohio, a young Clint Barton meets a young Natasha. Or met, and this is now in the future...

playing yourself | AO3 by fadedwings (PG; no warnings apply; Clint/Natasha/Bucky, Kate/America) Prompt: "Is it weird to play as yourself in a video game?"

quiet my fears with the touch of your hand | tumblr by @quietlyimplode (PG; panic attacks) Prompt: quiet my fears with the touch of your hand

Rodeo Man | tumblr by @chaed (T; no warnings apply) Prompt: When they told me what you were doing, I wanted to stay in bed. And now that I’m here, I’m thinking that maybe I should have. 

Run Away Now Part 1 & Part 2 | AO3 by @poppypickle (PG13; choose not to warn) Prompt: speak now or forever hold your peace

The Girl of His Dreams | AO3 by ltra_fic (Rated PG/K+; mentions of Natasha's canon death in Endgame) Prompt: "Didn't you hear? You're dead."

The Last Testament of Steven G Rogers by chaed (T; no warnings given) Prompt: Pick an AU and go wild - 1940s mafia AU

The Laundry Day Incident | AO3 by kiss_me_cassie (PG; no warnings apply; OT3) Prompt: The Laundry Day Incident

The Rub | AO3 by alphaflyer (T; no warnings apply) Prompt: I Dream of Jeannie AU: Clint is the Genie and Natasha is the Astronaut.

The Yelena Belova Checklist For Ensuring Your Sister Is Not Dating An Asshole | AO3 by alphaflyer (M; no warnings apply) Prompt: The Yelena Belova Checklist For Ensuring Your Sister Is Not Dating An Asshole

this is a very old story | AO3 by inkvoices (PG13; aftermath of canon character death) Prompt: Someone has to leave first. This is a very old story. There is no other version of this story.

Unlike me by quietlyimplode (PG; trauma/shower scene though non graphic) Prompt: One so traumatized that the other has to take care of them and tell them what to do.

Untitled Fill by quietlyimplode (no rating/warnings given) Prompt: Walking the city at 3 am because they can't sleep

Untitled Fill by quietlyimplode (no rating given; no warnings apply) Prompt: The bed is soft and safe and they don't want to get up

No Shelf Control | AO3 by franztastisch (T; no warnings apply) Prompt: Nottinghill (inspired) AU - Clint runs or works at a bookshop, Natasha is a famous actor.

Vormir Took My Soul | AO3 | tumblr by iriel3000 (Teen; no warnings apply) Prompt: "i spent half of my time loving her and the other half hiding how much i loved her." - the seven husbands of evelyn hugo

Whatever It Takes...to Get Her Back | AO3 by iriel3000 (T; language; fix-it fic, happy ending) Prompt:"Remember, you have to return the stones at the exact same moment we took them or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities."

[steampaul]

i've started a little series of weekly posts documenting every MoC i made (digitally) over the last few years:

Week 9: 2022

some old MoCs returning, lego art, 90th anniversary toa team, video game stuff and more Rock Raiders (yay)

this one will be the penultimate week.

remember back in week 2 (2018) where i tested out the differences in rendering between stud.io 1 and 2? i tested out the mecabricks extention for Blender to render some digital bricks.

this took way too long to setup and render, so i decided to not use blender for rendering after that (escpecially after the win11 updated fucked with my graphics card)

another mandalorian s2 set MoC. din djarins N1 starfighter, based on the last N1 set we had back in 2015. i think these proportions aren't good, but a bit better than the official set. (its still too big though)

the Horizon: forbidden west set was also teased/revealed around that time, so i decided to make a diorama with just the watcher (and one with a corrupted one) that would be a bit more managable in both cost and size than the tallneck.

i still got the tallneck, becauce those robot dinos are cool as hell and i want to support video game based sets, even though i am a big supporter of the concept that LEGO should make more original themes instead of big and expensive licensed sets (like rivendell....)

some greebles inspired by the ones on the Icons (formerly master builder) "theme" of sets, also my header image for tumblr.

back in 2017 (week one) i made The Slugcat Portrait mosaic, and i decided in 2022 that i would remake it to be more in line with the way i would built with bricks at that time. i think i improved wuite a bit.

i like the 90 years of play tahu, even if his design was considered to be controversial, so i decided to make the full 2001 set lineup for bionicle. i think they turned out pretty good, but i find it a bit annoying that the maccaroni piece does not exist in tan or medium blue (a dicontinued colour)

anyone remeber Valley? the momentum-based FPS platformer? no? it wasn't really mind-blowing, but i still enjoyed the movement and flow of the game. i also always wanted to try out the Legoland Miniland style of character building. this was the perfect opportunity to combine both of these things.

i think the proportions might be a bit off, but i still like this little desk friend

someone asked me on twitter to send them the instructions for my marble machine MoC (as seen in week 7), but i didn't want to give them such and outdated build, so i re-designed it to be more up to date.

they ended up giving me about 14 $ for these instructions, which made me pretty happy.

i tried to make a micro-scale version of the exo-force set 7701 Grand Titan. i really dislike the way this one turned out.

Lego Ideas had yet another contest. this one was about designing a poster for the then new 21334 Jazz Quartet. i called this one "Golden Sounds" and it is the first mosaic-type MoC that i made where i first sketched it out to kinda figure out how i wanted it to look.

i like the way this one turned out, but i think i should've built it in such a way that the colours in the background wouldn't be as dim.

remember last week when i said i wanted to make more Rock raiders MoCs? turns out i did. a lot too.

this VTOL-style transport vehicle was kinda inspired by those industrial transport helicopters and was supposed to be some sort of reimagining of 4980 tunnel transport. i think it's a bit too clunky and a bit too skinny at the same time. not my favourite.

also there's a modular open container (is that what they're called?) that can be fixed under the vehicle. (as well as the room container that you'll see next)

Modular bases are so cool you guys. this one is inspired by 4990 Rock Raiders HQ and those big old moving platforms Nasa uses. it could be controlled with a motor, has a removable cockpit (with an access hatch) and the platform has a lot of room for modules. like the crystal refinery, the room container, the high platforms, the crane and the crane attachment holder.

here are a few variants for the room container: an artifact storage with workbench, a small break room and a laboratory. i like those and i might do more in some time in the future. idk yet.

my take on the rock monsters. some crystal infested/energized Fauna.

first some bipedal designs (the left one is a modded version of a deviant form an eternals sets) that could be more agressive carnivore types.

in the middle are some quadrupedal guys that could be a bit less agressive and even friendly. Left is a modded version of my SCP 860 creature from week 4 (which was based on either an legendary beast from Chima or a dragon from elves) and the right one is a recolour from the fluffy-tailed Hog from my satisfactory series from week 3

and lastly, some insectoid designs, a kind of beetly creature and two ants, one of them with wings. these could be some sort of neutral (like in minecraft) swarm that might be a problem for buildings and cocky miners.

this is probably my favourite of my Rock Raiders Builds from 2022. it's 4920 rapid rider built with modern pieces that has been overtaken by the energy crytals. it can be fully freed from crystal and reassebled, which is nice.

we'll see another rapid rider next week...

first week last week final week

[eziojensenthe3rd]

Midnight Gaming: Serious Tooning

So last night I played Serious Sam 2 past midnight, checked socials later to find.... nothing notable to report. Welp no news segment today.

So when I did my post on the serious sam games for midnight gaming, I felt a bit bad about how I felt about Serious Sam. I know the games are good when you're facing off against tons of enemies but at times, depending on the difficulty, it can either be slow to build up to that momentum with some difficulty spikes now and then or just downright malicious with enemy spawns. And then theres BFE which is just downright bad. So I decided last night to try and delve a bit more into serious sam and try to lock in to a game in the series that i've felt uneasy going close before: Serious Sam 2, a game that repelled me before because of its cartoony aesthetic.

So I decided to install the game on my steam deck, load it up and had trouble with the graphic settings. Trying to change the resolution ends with me having a black screen and needing to exit the game, I turn off settings like bloom and lens glare because they suck and of course, turn the dialogue and subtitles all off. Yeah similar to Borderlands 3, you can turn off the annoying dialogue which in my previous attempts at SS2 I didnt think to do. As a result I only got maybe halfway through the first world before quitting and never touching it again.

So heres the thing, I may or may not have seen this and forgot about it but apparently in 2021, Serious Sam 2 got an update which added a lot of features, starting a new game will present you with options to change the enemy amounts, allow for combo weapons, sprinting and to enable a radar. This is important because this made playing SS2 a lot more enjoyable this time around. Dual wielding any combination of weapons you want is one of those ideas that make you wonder why they didnt do it more often. Usually its just the pistols that can be dual wield, the vr titles let you do that while SS4 has it locked behind skills. Being able to fire a rocket launcher in one hand with a double barrel in the other for close encounters feels like the most ideal way to play serious sam, combine that with the grenade hotkey which is original to SS2 and you can effectively have three weapons at once.

That radar that was included in the update is also just a nice quality of life, showing enemies on the radar so you dont have to scan the enviroment for them. Wheres that screaming bomber running from? Right there on the radar pal. I actually ended up getting much further into SS2 this time around compared to my previous attempts, got to the asian stereotype planet before I called it for the night and I felt pretty satisfied. Before I said the cartoony vibes didnt vibe well with me but thinking on it, it actually does fit with the chaos of the Serious Sam series, the colourful hordes of enemies exploding in a color of death, what other genre works better than the one thats most associated with slapstick violence. The main issue was that the dialogue and cutscenes were trying to go for a saturday morning vibe with corny jokes that seem more geared towards children, in a game that contains a lot of over the top violence and gore. Speaking of cutscenes, for some reason the cutscenes played in two windows both overlayed with a green and purple hue. Since i've mostly been skipping them, its not that big of a deal.

So yeah, Serious Sam 2, a very unappealing game for its cartoony look, has now become one of my favourite serious sam games thanks to that update. Its kinda sad that the reception to this led to croteam abandoning any notion of doing any similar to it, in favour of the prequels but now I want a game that matches the chaos of 2 but without the corny attempts at humor, maybe aim for something like the saints row series? Infact, The Next Encounter was kinda like that.

All in all, i'm sorry Serious Sam 2, you were a lot better than I gave you credit, all it required was a few qol features and changes to break through the surface to what was great about you. Like a durian fruit, stench like hell but a taste like heaven. And for you reading this, maybe consider giving it a go too.

Croteam please bring The Next Encounter back. Remaster it or put up a port come on.

Thats all for today, thank you all for reading. Feel free to leave some feedback or game suggestions. Anons are currently on.

[hlmowrer]

Weeks 94 & 95: Well this is what you came to do, isn't it?

UPDATE /// APPARENTLY I FORGOT TO SEND THIS ON MONDAY SO HERE IT IS SORRYYYYY

I find myself once again regretting my decision to squish two weeks into the same letter...especially now with retrospect informing me that they could not BE more different.  So now I basically have to write two letters.  #NaturalConsequences

-Week 94-

This week was an immensely busy week.  We kicked it off with a zone conference, and it's one of the strangest conferences I've ever been to.  We were invited to the mission president's home for it, which was a fun twist but a VERY tight fit.  The Spirit helped me understand the application of most of what was shared (an answer to a fervent prayer of mine beforehand) and it was a delight to see the zone.  Afterwards we were shuttled to another building for a "surprise"...and discovered that there was a dodgeball court waiting for us.  President Peckham wanted to give us a rare opportunity to unwind a little bit (and, after some prodding, admitted that he finds watching his missionaries play sports very funny).  It was actually pretty fun, but I really would not recommend doing it wearing suits and dresses...

The remainder of the week was a mudrun of trying to get Dustin ready for his baptism...it was a lot of stressful work but a happy work nonetheless!  While we were at it another dear friend accepted our invitation to be baptized as well!  Missionary work gets a lot more fun when you have some momentum and you get to spend more time rejoicing with those you've worked so hard to help, and I thank the Lord for the opportunity to know some of these amazing people.

I also got to go out on an exchange with Elder Thornton, which was a fun blast from the past!  He was my companion about a year ago in Fremont, and it was nice to revisit old memories and counsel together about how we can move forward in our respective areas.

And last but far from least, on Sunday Dustin was finally baptized!  After more than a year of considering it he was finally ready, and it was well worth the wait!  He's such a great guy, and it was so cool to see him take such a powerful step for him and his family!  There's a lot left to do but he's one of the ones where I am so excited to see where he and his family are at in a few years.  I know he feels good about it.  To quote his words: "I feel GREAT.  I'm past Cloud 9, this is Cloud 10!"

The joy of others really is the gem of life sometimes :)

-Week 95-

*sigh*

Okay, time moves kinda fast in the mission and mentally transitioning from writing about last week to writing about this week just gave me emotional whiplash.

This week had some setbacks for sure.  Right at the beginning of the week, the friend that had decided to be baptized had an experience that severely rattled him and he completely 180'd.  It was a lot of stress trying to repair the relationship and make sure he wasn't going to cause any damage to anyone else, and thanks to divine help that effort was successful but he is now not someone we can teach and connect with.  

The rest of the week followed this pattern...very suddenly it felt like all the progress we had made was gone.  Throw in my foolish decision to get multiple vaccinations done at the same time, and neither my body nor my soul was very happy with me.  I held on for what felt like dear life most of the week, once again praying to Heavenly Father for a path back to stability.

And then, like they always do, the tender mercies came.  I got to have dinner with a friend in my branch who just so happened to share a personal experience that helped me gain a much better perspective (I KNOW God did that for me intentionally) and as Elder Junsay and I went over our upcoming plans, we discovered that the very difficult labor of the week had resulted in many interesting opportunities being set up over the course of the NEXT week.  So now I have some things to look forward to.  Dustin is still happy, and at the end of the day all seems to be more or less alright.

God is so good.  And SO much more patient than I am. He's gotta teach me how He does that one of these days.

All my love forever <3

-Elder Beren Mowrer

[acasestudyofaria]

✅ 32/52 recap + reflect

i don’t have much to say about this week because i spent more time doing than thinking about things and my working memory is a tad bit deficient BUT here’s one thing i took away from week 32:

embrace imperfection and difficulty in doing new things - you finding it difficult is not a sign to back away, it’s proof you’re trying

as a child, things came very easily to me, esp when i was interested in it, so i relied on what i would call beginner’s luck to get me through a lot of things growing up. i feel like i breezed through the majority of my life unaware of how to actually do certain things (like studying, and i can’t tell if that’s a blessing or a curse). now that i’m trying to be more aware and present in what i do, the reality hit me like a sack of bricks. i can find things difficult. my natural response was to resist facing the difficulty and run away from my responsibilities, which set me back a thousand steps.

this week, i pushed myself to do more difficult things (that ideal me would do), esp when i really didn’t feel like doing them.

my findings: difficult things became less difficult the more i attempted to do them, or at least, i was less resistant to doing them.

things that helped me “not think, just do”:

🍄 say bismillah - this is literally a cheat code. you’re unstoppable with the creator of the heavens and the Earth on your side. all He has to do is say be, and it is. ok bismillah, letsgooo!

🍄 set a timer - switching my study goals from content-oriented tasks to time-oriented ones helped me build momentum too. i didn’t always manage to finish studying the content i wanted to, but by the end of the day, i had finished at least half of it instead of only having thought about doing it.

🍄 visualise doing the thing - i screened mini “spoiler alert” reels in my head, showing myself how in 30mins, i would’ve completed a certain task. the resistance to it dramatically decreased because the “future footage” made me see the task for what it actually was: something i could definitely do and NOT a threat to my well-being.

🍄 set intentions and systems around your goals - i started the week off telling myself i would finish one biochem topic a day. it didn’t work and i kept berating myself for it. two days ago, i told myself i would commit to increasing my biochemistry knowledge base a little every day. i switched my goals to timeblocks instead of topics and that system increased my productivity. even when i wasn’t able to complete an entire topic, i had taken steps towards improving my knowledge base, AND achieved my goal of x study timeblocks.

🍄 give yourself a “gold star” once you complete a task - for me, posting my todaystodos updates on my story and seeing the green ticks (or the absence thereof) gave me just enough dopamine to push myself more the next day. but i also rewarded myself w cake, or talking to my brother, or today, watching an episode of Strange Planet. find something that works for you and DO NOT pre-reward (it doesn’t work as effectively).

🍄 be your loudest cheerleader too - we’re usually our worst critics, and that’s okay (as long as we stay constructive) but we have to cheer ourselves on too. how would you talk to a friend or a sibling? my brother rerouted a lot of my negative thoughts this week, and once i started talking to myself the same way, it changed how i approached the things i needed to do - again, it dramatically decreased the resistance.

🍄 treat yourself w compassion even if you fail to meet your own expectations - because we will sometimes. and that’s okay. we do better next time. cultivate a growth mindset. there are no failures in this garden, just unsuccessful experiments that leave more soil for new flowers to be planted. and it shows you what not to do with the next attempt. it’s trial and error until it works out, loves.

happy monday! <><3

[seomarketingtipss]

The Proven Strategies to Boost Your Website Traffic and Visibility

Are you looking for proven strategies to boost your website traffic and visibility? This blog post is for you! In this article, we will discuss the most effective techniques that can increase the reach and engagement of your website. You will learn how to properly optimise your website’s content, utilise social media platforms to your advantage, and understand the importance of SEO in driving traffic to your website. We will also provide you with valuable tips and tricks.

Introduction to Website Traffic and Visibility

On the internet, website traffic and visibility are essential for businesses to be successful Without it, potential customers cannot find your business online and you cannot reach out to them. With marketing campaigns or promotional offers Strategies must be put in place in order to increase both website traffic and visibility so that you can maximise potential leads from interested customers.

One of the most effective strategies for achieving increased website traffic is search engine optimisation (SEO). This strategy involves optimising web pages so that they appear higher on search engine results pages (SERPs) when a relevant query is made. You can also use other techniques such as content marketing, keyword research, link building, and social media engagement to increase your site’s visibility and draw more visitors to your page.

Another important way of driving up website traffic is by improving the user experience. This should involve making sure that all webpage loading times are fast enough, so as not to deter potential customers from waiting around too long on each page before continuing onto the next step or finding another candidate service provider elsewhere with better processing speeds alongside this, you should double check any confusion points, which could potentially discourage users from proceeding further during their journey within your platform whether this being navigational issues or complex sign-up forms etc.

Email newsletters remain one of the most powerful tools available when trying to drive up web traffic due largely as measurable ROI alternative capabilities versus various digital strategies through reaching out directly into pre-existing customer inboxes containing product promotions & updates along side newly applicable company offerings — Allowing organisations an effortless approach towards communication given prior consent had been acquired through opting-in email capture initiatives beforehand.

Finally increasing conversions via optimising sign-up forms & thank you pages will play a vital role in aid of mitigating drop off rates seen across site journeys giving additional momentum behind encouraging loyal custom implementations amongst prospective buyers/clients plus providing an additional satisfaction buffer ensuring everyone’s onboarding process has felt smooth upon completion.

Optimising Your Websites Content

It can be an enormous undertaking if you are working on your own. However, with a few targeted strategies and tips, you can dramatically increase traffic to your website. This guide will provide you with actionable advice on how to optimise your websites content for maximum visibility online.

One of the most important steps in increasing website visibility is improving the quality of its content. Having great content is essential for optimising it for search engine rankings as well as for providing readers with valuable information that drives engagement and loyalty among them. To ensure that your content stands out from competitors, make sure it’s unique yet informative enough to attract readers and keep them coming back for more.

Once you have established high-quality material on your website, think about other ways to increase visibility such as building relationships with influencers or getting published in industry publications like blogs or magazines by targeting specific external outlets, where people look up relevant topics related to yours, you enable yourself a greater chance of gaining followers and expanding the reach of your brand name recognition through those connections.

Another way to boost web traffic is by using two-way communication tools like social media channels effectively–not just posting company news updates but interacting directly with consumers too! Social media provides an opportunity right at their fingertips letting customers ask questions about product offerings and services or submit feedback about experiences they had dealing with businesses such as yours which can jumpstart conversations between brands/customers leading towards conversions later down the line when done correctly each time around–we all know a good reputation goes long ways these days!

Finally don’t forget taking advantage of SEO friendly keywords within titles descriptions etc found throughout various places touched upon earlier so browsers looking up particular phrases will stumble upon our pages ranking higher than those who don’t utilise this strategy overall helping drive clicks our direction above anyone else’s giving us added exposure exactly what we want & need — if unfamiliar; research keyword tool tutorials available help get us started quickly.

Valuable Tips and Tricks to Increase Visibility

With the right strategies, you can increase your website traffic and visibility in no time. This comprehensive guide will provide valuable tips and tricks that can help you get the most out of your website Increase SEO performance. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is one of the main ways to increase website traffic and visibility. This includes optimising your content with relevant keywords, using high-quality backlinks, creating quality meta descriptions, improving page loading speeds and more. All these facets are important aspects of SEO which should be given due attention in order to improve rankings on search engines such as Google or Bing Leverage Social Media Platforms.

Having a presence on social media platforms such as Twitter or Instagram gives you access to a larger audience than ever before Creating social media accounts lets businesses connect directly with target users who could otherwise not be reached through traditional marketing channels like TV or print advertising campaigns By engaging users in conversations via social media posts, businesses can further increase their visibility online by tapping into an already established network of followers/fans who would be interested in seeing new updates regarding products/services they have already come across elsewhere.

Create Quality Videos & Images Developing videos and images related to products/services is another great way of increasing website visibility since it provides customers with visual representations of what’s being offered — just take YouTube for example — which has become one of the biggest sources for people looking for information about anything from recipes to tutorials on repairing gadgets at home etc! Developing creative visuals also helps capture user attention much faster compared simply presenting them textual information which consumers may find difficult understanding unless augmented with illustrations depicting what’s been said earlier! Encourage Customer Reviews & Testimonials Building trust among potential customers is something that’s going to make them likely more likely visit your website multiple times over others where no trust was previously established between business personnel & them — this involves encouraging customer reviews & testimonials along w offering benefits such contacting discount codes if they refer any other friends potentially interested too!

Doing so will generate word-of-mouth publicity helping introduce product services provided even those who’d initially not considered buying anything before! Promote Content Strategically Using organic methods like writing blog posts frequently makes sure there many different touch-points existing on web environments allowing potential buyers find specific answers possible queries without having leave receive excessively unrelated results SERPs pushing further away site instead enticing further closer fulfilling desire learn something interesting sales purpose well achieved behind scenes strategies put place ensure long term success operations moving forward positions conduct successfully indefinitely.

Results and Benefits of Increasing Traffic

It is essential to have a structured and well-thought-out strategy in order to increase website traffic, visibility, and ultimately reach the results you are looking for When it comes down to increasing your website traffic, there are a variety of tactics you can use but making sure you implement one that best fits your needs as well as budget is key The first step when creating an effective plan for increasing website traffic should be to identify target audiences and their interests Understanding who your potential customers are will enable you to focus on reaching them through relevant channels such as social media platforms or content marketing campaigns they may engage with more frequently than other demographics.

Once the target audience has been identified, finding what methods work best for promoting content vary depending on industry goals and individual approaches which will lead towards forming an overall optimisation strategy of efforts across different platforms that feed into each other in order to maximize effectiveness of combined results online presence assurance or increase brand awareness gaining broader recognition among prospective buyers faster by utilizing quick wins from optimising what already works better attracting even more new leads organically due thanks long-term campaign planning investing resources wisely.

Additionally, focusing on keywords related topics within blog posts campaigns where applicable will also help raise visibility aid broadening short term reach prospects’ readership before final conversions take places amongst those who read blog post decide benefiting business writers acquisition knowledge gain viewers familiarising themselves products services provided by company owner after all thus proving impacts successful objectives were tasked achieving at start article focuses improving ROI while strategizing cost saving plans ahead without removing important elements previously built over time just because might disrupt current workflow processes instead carefully review existing ones check if could implement any sections revisions small improvements wherever possible without having too revamp whole thing completely sustainable end result accomplished guaranteeing all activities carried out end user experience focused perspective almost guarantee achieved outline above done right case course everyone knows numbers don’t lie.

So, Finally basic rule thumb SEO success — remain updated newest trends explore possibilities newer technologies incorporated websites ongoing basis organic search engine rankings growth rate matters great extent users find site valuable precious regardless size yield benefits longer run interested discover learn create engaging content eventually draw attention targeted visitors grow brand consistently track measure performance optimise accordingly latest tools available manage process efficiently ensuring achieve desired ultimate goal drive sales profits increases visibility top various search engines web constantly monitoring make sure serving highest quality users practically everything else falls place slowly reap rewarding rewards later steady progress made go long lasting impressions amazing opportunities arise way reaping advantages immense power increased higher conversions return investments bold decisions taken today become strong foundations businesses thrive future point onwards focus maintaining standards staying competitive nature fast paced markets ever growing demands change shifts along introduction innovative features futuristic versions same.

Conclusion

Create Quality content should be the centre-piece of any website or blog you create Not only does it have to be informative and engaging, but it must also be built around your target audience’s needs and interests You can use keyword research tools such as Google Trends to help you find out what topics are popular right now in your niche, and then tailor your content accordingly Implement an SEO Strategy.Another great way to increase website traffic is to implement an effective SEO strategy that will help your pages rank higher on search engine result pages (SERPs This includes creating quality backlinks from relevant websites, optimising title tags & meta descriptions for each page on your site, adding keywords throughout the content where appropriate, and ensuring the design of the website is mobile-friendly so it looks good across all devices Leverage.

Social Media Platforms The reach of social media platforms continues to expand year over year–estimates suggest there are currently over billion people using social media worldwide! So leveraging this vast marketing channel can give a huge boost to boosting visitors count when applied effectively–so make sure you’re networking with other people in similar niches who can share/retweet/mention links back to your site! Additionally, post regular updates about new posts appearing onsite as well as other related education material that could interest potential customers/readers alike Invest in Paid Advertising Paid advertising through platforms such as Google Ads or Facebook.

Advertising can offer another avenue for quickly gaining visibility among likely prospects without having wait for organic engagement first –just ensure that its designed properly adhering best practices! It’s important here too though not just ‘throw money at ads’ because if done badly–it won’t bring proper returns Utilise Email Marketing Campaigns Finally , don’t forget email campaigns According To statistics , %of consumers check their emails every day — so take advantage this by creating promotional emails with enticing subject lines encouraging readers click onto links taking them directly through desired products /services sign up pages etc when combined these strategies together thoughtfully implemented correctly they stand great potential provide exponential return results ROI terms bringing more visibility brand eventually leading increased conversions rate call action.

By following the proven strategies outlined in this blog post to boost your website traffic and visibility, you can optimise your website’s ranking and gain more organic web traffic From utilizing SEO tactics to creating engaging, shareable content, you now possess the tools necessary for success as an online business By staying invested in your efforts, you can reap the rewards of higher visibility and more customers.

[wordsnstuff]

Guide to Drafting

Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress

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Planning v. Discovery

The first thing you must decide when you embark on the journey of drafting a story is how you’re going to get it done. Typically, there are two groups you can fit into, though most writers are somewhere in between. There are writers who plan meticulously before they begin writing to create a very clean first draft, or there are discovery writers (otherwise known as “pantsers”) who find more success in choosing a premise and then using a zero draft to explore the idea before gluing down any details. You are most likely someone who falls between those two methods. Some initial planning to feel familiar with your idea before you do some of the planning through the writing itself. Having some semblance of a method will help you narrow down your own process, which is immensely important if you want to get any substantial project near completion.

Consistency

Drafting is a difficult process because it’s either the revisitation of ideas you’ve already had, or the generations of ideas in quick succession. If you want to have a draft in a reasonable amount of time, you must develop a consistency in your writing. I won’t say that it must be a strict routine because time management can be a luxury, but you must make the consistent effort to write, and keep it in the forefront of your mind. Even if you don’t write every day, it should be something you try to make time for every day.

Know What You’re Trying to Accomplish

To get a draft done, you need to set expectations for yourself and they must be realistic. That doesn’t mean they have to be easy, or an amount of work you’ve been able to accomplish in the past. Considering how much time you dedicate to writing and your skillset, it should be a goal within reality. In addition, you must accept that you cannot create a masterpiece in one draft. For each version of your story that you write, you must have a focused goal, such as maintaining consistent characterization, making the plot concise and engaging, or making the prose more fluid and efficient. If you have a specific and attainable goal that you can accomplish in a reasonable amount of time with a fair amount of precision, each draft will be better than the last.  

Designate Work to Phases

As mentioned in the last section, it maximizes your time and effort to have specific and attainable goals for each draft. This doesn’t mean that you rewrite the draft each time (though that is very common amongst writers), but that you designate tasks to draft versions. I find it very helpful in clearing my mind and soothing my perfectionist anxiety to make a “schedule”, outlining what I’ll accomplish in each version following the zero draft. For example, my draft schedules usually end up something like this:

Zero Draft: Main plot line, basic characterization, key world building

First Draft: Finalize Timeline, research for world building, structure

Second Draft: (Rewrite) Plot Development Fine Tuning

Subplot development

Foreshadowing

Build up to climaxes

Tone & Pace

Third Draft: (Intermittent Rewrites) Character Development Fine Tuning

Backstory

Subtextual Development

Making sure motivations are clear

Relationships between characters

Reinforcing character arcs

Checking dialogue

Fourth Draft: (Give to Beta Readers) World Building & Prose

Descriptions & Flow

Finalize settings

Checking grammar & punctuation

Reader Immersion

Fifth Draft: Incorporate Beta Reader Feedback

Write for Yourself First

In what some call the “zero-draft”, there are no rules. This draft is purely for your eyes. It’s you telling yourself the story for the first time. So, you don’t have to write in chronological order, or know the right word you’re looking for, or take a break every time you run into a problem. The purpose of the zero draft is to get a rough idea of as much of the story as you can and avoid getting snagged on minor details. This part is important. A lot of writers like to outline meticulously before they begin drafting and if that works for you, that’s great, but the majority of writers who attempt that get stuck in the planning phase, or burnt out on their story before a word of it exists. The easiest way to avoid those two situations is to do a zero draft, which can be as long or short as you want if it provides a skeleton for you to add meat to later.

Common Struggles

~ How do you estimate the number of words/chapters?... That depends on the genre, mostly. However, that’s usually something you decide in the second draft and beyond, and it can vary because of factors you haven’t got locked down until the plot and character arcs are firm or final. This is also something you’ll probably do a lot of tinkering with, and receive feedback on, especially from beta-readers, who can advise you on where natural breaks could occur from their perspective.

~ Why, after planning everything out, do I always struggle to write the draft?... 99% of the time, it’s because you’ve either burned yourself out, or accumulated too much pressure. When you put that much effort and time into a story, you can either slip into a headspace where you feel little excitement about it because you’ve already done all of the problem solving and had all of the revelations. It’s usually beneficial at this stage to take a step back (even if you’re not burnt out) and give your story some space, so that once you come back to it, you’re enthusiastic enough to fully realize your vision. If instead you’re struggling to write because you feel a lot of pressure to do justice for a story you’ve put so much love into already, take a step back, remember that the first draft is just for you, and work on letting go of the idea that the zero draft is meant to serve any purpose beside simply existing. 

~ How do I come up with the necessary scenes to move the story forward between major plot points?... Most writing problems can be solved by asking yourself the right questions. When you’re trying to figure out what your reader needs to see next in order to effectively set up the next major event, ask yourself “What would happen between event A and event B that would add context or make event B more impactful?”. Treat it like a real situation and try to map out all of the tiny, notable moments that would take place between the major plot points, and then assess those moments on the basis of how impactful they would be to the coming scenes, and whether they can add context, set the tone, or aide in the rising action.

~ How do I balance sticking to the draft and following my own creative instinct in the moment?... This is a judgement call. Sometimes you’ll realize that maybe you should have just stuck to the outline, but remember that you can always go back, rewrite, test things out, etc. Always save every version of every scene, just in case, and go wild. Don’t be afraid to take detours just to explore. The writing process is anything but linear. 

~ How do I maintain momentum in my writing progress when I constantly have distractions or other responsibilities that take priority?... Work at it. There’s no magic trick or piece of advice I could say that gets rid of your personal responsibilities. Write when you can, don’t make excuses on top of the reasons you have no control over, and remember that you create your own deadlines and expectations. Be kind to yourself, do what you can, and don’t spend potential writing time punishing yourself because there isn’t as much as you’d like. 

~ How should I designate space (words/pages) to specific scenes/description/conversations, etc?... Trust your instinct and remember you can always cut/add later. In the earlier drafts, I’d advise you try to create as much material as possible to work with, and in the later drafts, be ruthless when determining what is necessary and adds value, and what doesn’t.

~ How do I finish a draft if I regularly lose motivation or interest in my projects?... Accept the fact that motivation is fickle, and that no writer in history has ever maintained “inspiration” for any project from the beginning to the end. There are going to be days where you’re like “ugh this is not what I want to do right now”, probably more than there are days where you’re stoked to work on your project, but that’s reality. If your goal is to finish a draft, you must recognize that writing is work, and nobody wants to work all the time. Try to supplement the lack of motivation by setting a positive and enjoyable routine so that, even when you’re not particularly motivated, you still know that your writing time will be peaceful and comfortable. 

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Masterlist | WIP Blog

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[ladygreenfrisbee]

Hi, I was hoping if you have time maybe you could answer some in depth questions? I'm a huge fan of your LMK fics and I'm reading your BNHA stuff in the meantime between updates.

But I notice that you juggle your fics, updating some fics a couple chapters and then another fic. As a writer who loses momentum/motivation for good ideas quickly...how do you juggle them all so well without getting details mixed up? Your chapters all flow exceedingly well from one chapter to the next! I was wondering if you could share maybe how you organize things or share some other writing tips? I'm thinking that a similar method of cycling through fics snd updating them may work better for me to keep writing continuously and I was hoping you wouldn't mind sharing if you have the time or energy to do so. (If you don't, I completely understand!)

And lastly, I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your fics. Brotherhood and Reverse are my favorites, so well written and put together and god I love toddler Mac so much. (Also a mood on how you start to write a crack fic and then it gets Emotional and Plot and Angst.) I hope you have a great day! ❤️

Sure thing! First thing first you have to understand taking breaks from writing is VERY important! Although it does look like I'm constantly writing, I actually take lots of breaks -because most of the future chapters are planned out, and I know exactly what I'm doing -and most of all, I've already written most of the next chapter out by the time I get to it.

When I start a fic, generally I set up a Chapter Zero -that one contains all my notes, drabbles, pieces and bits for the story. Any string of words I imagine for it, some scattered bits that jumped to my brain -all serve to not only make the chapter writing faster, but to preserve the thoughts I had in that moment while I was imagining what to do next. It makes jumping back and forth between fics a lot easier, since if you properly document everything, you only need a easy peak in that file to catch up on your planning process for the fic! This also ends up with the result that some large parts of future chapters are written out long before you get to them, and you only need to polish what is there after that. Fun fact -Sunbreak's ending climax is already written out. It might be tweaked in the future, might be changed drastically, but I am happy with the current version and this also allows me to sprinkle some good ol' foreshadowing in the current chapters! Jumping between fics is also a technique I use to write faster in and out of itself -let's be honest we've all had those writer blocks you can't get out of (looking at you MHA fics, Im like so close to finishing the next chapter for a few of them) and the best way to claw yourself out of that hole is to step away. Don't stress about reaching that deadline. Take a break. Not only go do something else, experience something new, detach yourself from the computer for a while -but in terms of writing, write something different.

Each one of my LMK fics are angsty, but they are different flavors to write. Fire and Sparks is snarky, MK's monologue is funky and peppy to write, Red Son too. Sunbreak is a complex, slow beast with lots of build up and time. God of Shadows is pretty out there and abstract. Reverse is meant to be crack on the level of my MHA fic Missy but it ended up something else for now, and that's fine. I will stuff crack and funsies into that fic at one point, just gotta get the sad bits out lmao... What I'm trying to get to, is that write what you feel like it. Don't force yourself to spit out lines, otherwise you're going to end up feeling sluggish and stuck. Variation! Breaks! Twist and turns! Write what flavor you feel like it in that moment helps a lot at coming up with just the right words you need. This is what works for me, and it might work for you! After all, we write for fun, right? To put onto paper, or screen, what our crazy minds come up with!

Hope this answered your question, have a good day!

[moonlitceleste]

Elevator Love (Ch. 2)

Chapter 1

So I know it’s been a while since I posted the first chapter, but I decided to give you guys a second as a Valentine’s Day surprise!

I’m really sorry for not updating earlier; besides hating the first chapter so much that I didn’t want to continue, I’ve been really busy with school and extracurriculars, the other WIPs and hobbies I have, and recently my mental health has made a steady plummet haha.

I simultaneously have a vague idea and also absolutely no idea where this fic will go, so we’ll see! Updates will probably be few and far between because besides all the factors mentioned earlier, I’m a really, really, slow writer

Also, I wrote the last chunk of this chapter 1AM last night, so sorry if it’s not coherent askjdhsj

Ages are as follows (it’s been so long since I wrote the first chapter that I forgot what I initially planned them to be so...)

Alfred: ∞ Bruce: 37 Babs: 30 Dick: 27 Cass: 22 Jason: 22 Duke: 20 Tim: 20 Marinette: 19 Damian: 13

Warning: some profanity/cursing ahead!

-

The heavy metal door to Bruce’s office knocked against the wall with a bang as Jason kicked it open with the toes of his worn black boots.

“What,” he grunted, not even waiting for the older to speak first.

Sure, maybe his unprovoked attitude was a little much, but Jason couldn’t help his annoyance.

Just hours before, he was preparing to settle into his favorite plush beanbag and read (well, reread) The Count of Monte Cristo. After a long week of crime-fighting, nothing sounded better than relaxing next to a crackling fire and getting lost in the pages of his favorite book.

But of course, as soon as he decided to unwind, his phone rang with the obnoxious tune of “Jingle Bells, Batman smells!”

Babs had installed the ringtone as a Christmas prank, reinforced with some advanced encryption she had come up with.

Jason could change it if he wanted to—he wasn’t stupid—but Babs was a tech whiz, and it would take more effort than he wanted to spend. Besides, he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing him struggle.

After the jingle abruptly breached his bubble of tranquility, Jason grudgingly picked up his phone.

He was immediately met with Bruce’s gruff voice and barely had time to process the words that filtered through before the triple beep that signified the end of the call sounded.

What the fuck?

Jason groaned in frustration and ran a hand through his black locks, ruffling the hair at the back of his head.

First Bruce called him without warning, demanded he meet him in his office, and proceeded to hang up without leaving him room to talk?

Fucking rude.

Why could he have just texted the very short request he had to Jason instead? That way he could just ignore it and pretend he didn’t see it.

It’s not like he had to oblige—he wasn’t a fucking lapdog, thank you very much—but if he didn’t, Bruce would come up with some inane punishment, like making him babysit Damian.

He didn’t hate the kid or anything, but Jason would rather not have to deal with a hormonal boy in the midst of puberty.

So he set down his book, threw on his leather jacket, and crusaded through the shitty Gotham streets on his motorcycle.

Wayne Enterprises was just as pristine as it was his last visit, with glossy gray-black floors and glass that stretched from ceiling to floor, so clean it sparkled.

Jason passed through easily enough, though not without being spared a few glances that varied from shock to suspicion.

The double-takes weren’t unexpected, what with his being the son of their boss and all, and the suspicious glances from those who didn’t recognize him weren’t exactly unwarranted.

He knew his leather-jacket, combat-boot wearing self looked laughably out-of-place compared to everyone else.

Jason ignored the looks, a habit that had quickly become second nature the moment he went from street kid to ‘street kid with a roof over his head.’

The elevator was thankfully vacant, and as the doors started to close, he shot a quick thanks to the universe that no one else had decided to get on.

Perhaps this was a mistake, because less than a second later he heard a high-pitched voice shout “Wait!”

Jason sighed disappointedly and pressed the button that would open the doors.

He might not have been in the mood for company, but he wasn’t an asshole.

...Okay, whatever. He wasn’t a total asshole.

The girl ran into the elevator after a short while, cheeks flushed from running.

As she stuttered out a thanks, Jason subtly observed her.

She looked a little young to be working at Wayne Enterprises, and her outfit looked much more “picnic date” than it did the formal attire most wore.

There were only a few around her age that worked at WE, none of which whose significant other would have an access card to the building (other than Tim, that is, but there was no way the Replacement had a girlfriend.)

Maybe she was a daughter of one of the employees, then.

The elevator space soon filled up with boxes, and they were forced to do an awkward shuffle to compensate.

A minute later, the girl was unceremoniously shoved into him.

The sweet smell of vanilla and strawberries—subtle yet perceptible—hit his nose, and Jason glanced down.

He could really only see the top of the girl’s head due to their proximity, but her body language screamed discomfort.

So he backed himself up into the elevator wall as much as he possibly could, whispering a sorry and cursing his tall build all the while.

She was admittedly cute, but he’d be damned if he was the prick who pressed himself up against girls without their enthusiastic consent.

The ride was spent with bated breath, and one elevator stop later, Jason found himself walking to Bruce’s office and kicking in the door.

There was a brief silence as it swung back and forth from the momentum; the older simply sighed tiredly and gestured to the chair across from him.

“Have a seat.”

Jason glanced at the black office chair, then at the door as if he were about to suddenly bolt, and then back at the chair. He seemed to think the better of making a hasty escape and grudgingly walked forward, though not without rolling his eyes.

So fucking dramatic.

“What,” he repeated once he had sat himself down.

Bruce just stared at him, hands in a steeple position. It was no doubt an intimidation move; he had seen Batman use the same on Arkham villains.

Jason met his gaze unflinchingly. If he wanted a staring contest, that’s what he’d get.

“Tim has a…friend coming over.”

The silence was broken with slow words, spoken in an almost careful manner.

“Okay. Why’d you have to call me here to tell me that?”

Blunt and to-the-point as always.

“I’m an adult, Bruce. I don’t need a lecture about being on my best behavior. Damian might, though,” he added as an afterthought.

Bruce sighed again and wow was he was doing a lot of sighing today. He really was melodramatic.

“I wasn’t going to lecture you, Jason. I just wanted you to know so you could be prepared.”

“Oh.”

The silence was palpable as an air of awkwardness settled around the two, and Jason sat there fighting the urge to shift in his seat before speaking.

“So is that it?”

“Yes.”

He stood abruptly at the dismissal, pushing in his chair as if he couldn’t wait to get out of there. Well, he did want to get out of there.

With one hand he smoothly opened the heavy door, prepared to leave, but he stopped in his tracks when Bruce spoke once more.

“Jason?”

“What?” he asked, with considerably less annoyance than the first two times.

“...I’m proud of you, lad.”

Jason tried to suppress his shock at the statement, but he wouldn’t be surprised if his facial expression betrayed him.

Despite the somewhat-steady in their family dynamics the past few years, they were still an emotionally constipated bunch.

Jason couldn’t remember the last time someone said those words to him; they meant more to him than he’d reveal.

But because he was a part of the emotionally constipated Wayne family, he settled for an offhand “Yeah, yeah,” before closing the door and walking out.

There was a ghost of a smile on his lips, and the warmth in his heart was one he hadn’t felt in a while, but he could deal with all those emotions later—for now, he had a book to get to.

PERMANENT TAGLIST @avengerthewarrior *@bluesimani @enternalempires @flower-girll @freesportspalacesalad @glastwime859 @h1sss @heart-charming @jalaluvsu @kitsunebell @maskedpainter @moongoddesskiana @nathleigh @too0bsessedformyowngood

ELEVATOR LOVE TAGLIST *@bluesimani @buginetye @bumblebeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee @ichigorose @iloontjeboontje @laurcad123 @moonlightstar64 @roguishredaxion

[kechiwrites]

tension headache

Ground Zero x Publicist!Reader

wc: 2.2k

“Being Ground Zero’s publicist comes with its own set of challenges, luckily there are quite a few benefits to sweeten the deal.” warnings: anal play, dirty talk, light degradation, light spanking, d/s undertones (or overtones w/e), bakugo being the king of bullies

author’s note: i’ve been writing this since august and it’s finally done. special thanks to @lady-bakuhoe​, @some-kindofgnome​, and @nightly-tales​ for betaing! 

Your head is throbbing. The sort of building tension headache you became most familiar with in high school; the kind that starts in the morning and gets stronger with every little irritant. You’re sure it's a tension headache from having your shoulders hunched up to your ears most of the day, a seemingly ever-constant by-product of trying to keep Pro Hero Ground Zero from biting a journalism student's head off. The obscenely large TV hanging above the receptionist’s desk plays Ground Zero’s greatest hits on mute as your heels click-clack towards the steel and glass elevators. 

It’s almost the end of his patrol and you know he’ll be up soon, sidekicks and assistants (two this month, because the first had the good sense to resign soon, lucky bastard) in tow. Four consecutive texts rattle your phone in your pocket to confirm this. Each one an iteration of “on our way up!.” Waving at his secretary, you let yourself into his office setting your purse on the floor. Further behind you can already hear the clamor of voices and activity that announces Ground Zero’s arrival, people no doubt scurrying out of his warpath lest they incur his wrath. He pushes open the heavy door and says nothing to acknowledge your presence. 

Your forehead throbs with irritation at the snub. You know it’s only a matter of time before either of you begin to push the other’s buttons but your employer seems to have a secondary quirk he uses only for you.

You like to call it Extreme Irritation.

“Would it kill you to be nicer to the press?” You give first, sitting on the overstuffed leather couch pushed against the easternmost wall underneath a frankly, unnecessarily large, framed photo of U-A’s graduating class. “Why do you insist on making my job so hard?”

“Can’t pay you for fucking nothing,” he scoffs, leaning against the desk in the center of his office. Carefully he divests himself of his gauntlets, handing one to his senior assistant, and placing its twin onto the desk next to his big gaudy nameplate, muttering; “Take this to Yumikawa, I think I broke the fucking thing.” When he’s halfway past the threshold, Ground Zero adds, “And tell her to do better with her shitty paint jobs!” His gaze snaps to the newest recruit, a tiny shivering thing who looks like a stiff wind could blow her over, “What the fuck are you standing there for? Go with him! Do I have to fucking tell you everything?”

She practically leaves a dust cloud in her wake. You roll your eyes and begin reading through news updates on your tablet, nails clicking lightly against the screen. Tweet after tweet and article after article summarize Ground Zero’s latest exploit, every title and byline more sensational than the last.

“Ground Zero Overshadows Daring Rescue with Another Tirade!”

“Is Ground Zero the Meanest Pro-Hero Ever?!”

‘imagine ground zero calling you stupid 🥴 #imahole’

You could almost laugh if it weren’t for the startlingly large amount of retweets on that last one. Finally, the pro hero deigns to address you; “I did as you asked, I smiled, I laughed, I didn't blow anyone up.” He actually sounds proud. You blubber in shock. “You called the reporter a fuck wit! They can't even air that!” For good measure you hold up the tablet to replay a heavily edited fancam of Ground Zero sneering at some poor junior reporter. “Isn't that what you wanted? Less of my insults on TV?” He is so smug, it drives you crazy. “Not like that!” You toss the tablet onto the couch beside you and stand, stomping towards Bakugo, who’s leaning against his desk, clenching his jaw, arms crossed, as if he didn’t spend the entire morning making you wish you’d never laid eyes on him. The two of you are growing more and more irritated with each other and it’s evident in the rapidly rising volume of your conversation.

"I'm serious, if you want to be ‘Number One’,” you stress through your teeth, “people have to like you, at least a little bit. That. Includes. The. Press.” Every word is punctuated with a strong poke to his sternum, and you try to ignore the pain of jabbing your finger into his brick wall of a chest. It feels as though the pristine white collar of your button-up shirt is digging into your throat while you try to restrain yourself from biting his stupid, perfect nose off.

Now it’s Bakugo’s turn to roll his eyes, “People like me.” He looks to his sidekicks for confirmation and you pointedly ignore them bobbing their heads in unison.

“Who?! Who are these people that like you?”

Bakugo gestures wildy at his sidekicks, “They like me!”

“They’re afraid of you! They respect you but they don’t like you!” You shake your head in disbelief.

“You like me!” He barks at you.

You almost choke on your surprised laughter. He really was absolutely ridiculous.

“I have to like you, you pay me!”  

“That’s right. I sign your cheques, you deal with all the media bullshit and make me look good.”

“You make it impossible for me!” If it weren’t for the intense tunnel vision your arguing was giving you, you would have seen Ground Zero’s sidekicks inching slowly towards the door.

“Well maybe you’re just shit at your job!” He turns away from you to push papers to the side of his desk, the gesture a clear dismissal that only serves to rile you further.

“Oh fucking bite me, Katsuki!” As soon as it’s out you slap your hands over your mouth, eyes wide as dinner plates.

You were exhausted and tense and so mad but it’s not what you agreed on, never at work and never in front of subordinates. In an instant it’s like all the air’s been sucked out of the room. Bakugo’s expression is furious when he whirls on you. You chance a look over at his assistants and all colour has left their faces, ‘Impressive,’ you think idly, ‘Considering Haruto is literally purple.’ 

“Out. Now.” He growls, and his teeth are clenched together so hard you think they might shatter, his throat is rapidly turning red and his hands are clenching and unclenching around nothing. The sidekicks hesitate and you’re a little grateful for their loyalty. 

“Fucking out. NOW!” He yells, and they nearly fall over each other trying to get out the door. 

“And there goes the loyalty,” you murmur while you watch their hasty retreat. “I’m sorry,” you say, turning to face him head-on, apology punctuated with the slamming shut of his office door. You focus on the wall of windows behind him, the city skyline slowly lighting up in the nighttime, preparing for an infamous Ground Zero meltdown. “That was inappropriate, especially in front of subordinates.” Idly, you wonder what the theme this time will be; Disrespect? Insubordination? Or just a good old-fashioned dress down? He’d become quite wordy over the years, you were almost beginning to enjoy them.

While you muse Bakugou inches closer to you, cheeks a mottled red. His shoulders rise and fall repeatedly, like he’s bringing himself down from the peak of his anger. For a moment you think he’ll just outright scream in your face, but when he pulls you, first towards him and then past him until your stomach presses against his desk, you realize quickly what he’s planning. 

His forearm presses against your back until you’re bent over his desk, your hands palm down between the wood and your chest to prevent your face meeting the cool oak. It’s bordering on humiliating how easy he can manipulate you. But they don’t teach hand to hand combat in the business sector, and although you’d toyed with the idea - being in a high-risk industry and all - you never put stock in seriously learning. 

The blond’s hand snakes over your shoulder, slightly damp palm advancing until it’s pressed against the smooth flesh of your throat. Katsuki pulls you towards him this way, and for a short moment breathing is a laboured task. The other hand makes quick work of divesting you of your skirt and underwear, coming down in an instant to make contact with your bare ass. He rubs at it covetously, a shallow attempt at soothing your stinging skin. 

There’s no formality when he thrusts into you, only a few seconds between feeling  the head of his cock parting your embarrassingly slick folds and him being fully seated within you. You grit your teeth against a whine, fingers scrambling for purchase when he withdraws and fucks into you again, and then again, pace slowly gaining momentum until you can swear the heavy oak desk (and seriously that thing weighs a fucking ton) is shifting with the force.  Your stomach presses painfully into the gilded metal decorating its edge but it’s good. Katsuki is so fucking good at taking you apart with every inch he drives into you. Above you he mutters lowly about how fucking wet you are, how eager you must’ve been all day, waiting for him to fill you. It goes on like this for a while, you bouncing between his hips and the desk, him whispering filthy, untrue shit in your ears that makes your nipples hard and your breathing shallow. 

He places his free hand on your back, first up under your shirt, then slowly slides it down, until it’s resting on the roundness of your ass again. You don’t know what he’s planned till his thumb’s parted you, sliding softly over the clenched furl of muscle above your stretched open cunt. 

“Bakugou, no!” you whisper hoarsely, your voice just edging on hysterical as you struggle against his hold. 

“Excuse me?” He hisses between his teeth, thrusts not slowing for a second. The hand around your throat tightens and when he pulls you closer so his sneering mouth is brushing the shell of your ear, you unwillingly tighten around his dick in response. 

“(Y/N),” his voice is almost pleasant, and had you not been split open on his cock in his office, you’d ask him who taught him an ‘interview voice’. 

“Can you tell me who's name is on the building?” While he teases you, you can feel yourself getting wetter around him, thighs tensing and relaxing with the sensation of being spread open beneath him.

“Yours.” You wish you could fall through the fucking floor.

“I’m sorry?” His thumb presses a little more insistently against your pucker. The pressure is foreign, but not at all bad. Dear God, you’re really about to let him do this to you.

“Yours, sir.” You pant, the burning sensation in your cheeks and neck a mix of exertion and shame.

“Fucking say it,” Katsuki tightens his hold on your throat and your whimpers are barely audible over the sound of his hips brutally meeting your ass.

“G-Ground Zero.” you choke out through your clenched teeth. 

“Oh good, so you can read!” Katsuki releases you from his hold and you fall forward. With every thrust, your feet lift off the floor, and you lurch forward like a ragdoll. Katsuki pushes his thumb further inside you, belly-laughing when you cry out in pleasure.

“Where’d all that resistance go, sweetheart?” His digit fucks in and out of you in tandem with his cock, keeping you full constantly. “You know what? Next time, I’m gonna take my time stretching you, keep you wide open, maybe you can wear a plug for me, huh? And then after you’ve been soft and needy all day, I’ll slide right into you, fuck you till you gape for me.” 

You’re incapable of firing back, mouth occupied with moaning incoherently while you drool against the desk. Katsuki chokes off his own moan, using his unoccupied hand to hike up your leg so he can have easier access to your clit. The calloused pad of his fingertips press hard against you. He goes so slow, pushing and nudging at you until your entire body feels feverish and your climax takes you by surprise, forcing a yelp from your lips when your legs begin to shake. 

“That’s it. Come for me. Come on my dick.” Once he’s sure you're done, he pulls his finger from your ass and releases your leg, blanketing your back with his chest. His hips are quick to lose their rhythm as he fills you, ropes of his spend coating your insides. Katsuki shudders against you, hands running a course along your hips. He pulls away, the evidence of your time together sliding down the inside of your thigh without Katsuki’s cock to hold it in.

“I’m going back to working for Hawks.” Your voice is hoarse when you can finally speak again and levering your chest up off the desk onto shaky knees only serves to make your head spin more. You glare at your boss your boyfriend as he dresses.

Katsuki’s grin is derisive while he tucks his softening dick away, “Like fuck, you love working for me way too much to work for that fuckin’ pretty boy.” He leans down in front of you and slides your underwear up from your ankles back into place, followed by your skirt before pressing soft lips to your forehead, smoothing his hands over your cheeks. 

At least your headache is gone.

taglist: @enjifuckersupreme @pleasantanathema

[neologyro]

Robbed by a Crow Series:

Matsukawa Issei

Your day gets worse when a crow steals your transit pass from you, luckily a cute middle blocker is there to help you.

Word Count: 2457

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

You heaved a sigh of relief as you exited the school building. You stretched your arms out, shaking out all of the stress and tension that had built up in them over the course of the day, you rubbed one shoulder trying to get rid of the tenderness that had developed in the last hour. You had just spent the last 2 hours hunched over books, hastily finishing an essay that was due at the end of the day. Maybe you should have managed your time better, then you wouldn’t have been trying to get a 10 page essay done in two hours, but alas, your procrastination had gotten the better of you and it had been down to the wire trying to finish it before 6 so that you wouldn’t get late marks.

Now you were tired, and going home and just relaxing for the rest of the evening sounded heavenly. But when you rounded the corner you caught sight of the gymnasium. Specifically the gym that the volleyball team practiced in. For a moment you contemplated stopping by, all of their practices were always open, though by now all the good spots in the viewing gallery would be taken, so you’d likely have to stand, and your back certainly wouldn’t thank you for that.

But still you started heading towards the gym, even if you didn’t go in, you might be able to catch a quick look, and the train station was that way anyway.

You hadn’t made it very far before remembering that your friends had mentioned that they would be watching today, and you knew they’d never miss an opportunity to tease you about your crush on a certain middle blocker. It wasn’t fair they’d always tease you for your crush, but heaven forbid you bring up their crushes.

So you decided to spare yourself the headache and potential embarrassment, you’d just head home and maybe, just maybe, you’d get up early tomorrow and catch some of their morning practice, your friends never went to those.

You were just nearing the gym when you felt your phone vibrate, pulling it out you looked at the notifications, you saw that you had a few texts from your friends, apparently the volleyball team had closed practice to the public a bit early as they were working on some new things, so they had gone home. The other message you had was from your mom, asking if she needed to add any more money to your transit pass.

You unlocked your phone, navigating to your transit app so that you could check, upon opening it you saw that it had updated and you needed to out your information in. Sighing you started to dig through your bag, looking for your wallet, once you located it you pulled it out, opening it so that you could find your card.

Almost immediately after pulling your shiny transit pass out of your wallet you saw a shadow fall over you, and the card was tugged out of your hand.

“Hey!” You shout, turning around to give whoever just took your pass a piece of your mind, only to be met with… no one? You stood in confusion for a moment before you spotted a crow sitting a few meters away, pecking at a piece of plastic on the ground in front of it. Upon further inspection you determined that the piece of plastic was in fact your transit pass.

You started towards the bird, hoping to startle it and make it leave your card alone. Unfortunately your attempt did not have the desired effect, rather than dropping your card and flying away, the crow flew away, with your card. Luckily for you it didn’t go far, landing in the large tree near the volleyball gym.

You quickly made your way over, planning on getting back your card no matter what. However now that you were at the base of the tree looking up at it you realized just how big the tree was and how high up it you would have to go to get to the nest.

For a brief moment you debated just texting your mom to let her know that you had lost the card and would need a ride home (because there was no way you were walking home, it would take you an hour and a half, and you were already tired), however you quickly tossed that option out, this was the third transit pass you had gotten this year, your parents would kill you if they found out that you had lost another one.

Having decided what to do you began scanning the area for anything that would help you climb the tree as the lowest branches were just out of reach. Sure, you could reach them if you jumped, but you seriously doubted that you had the upper body strength to pull yourself up. So you knew you needed something to give you a bit of a boost... something like the garbage can beside the gym doors.

You quickly took your bag off, placing your blazer and phone inside of it before zipping it up and leaving it on the ground next to the tree so it wouldn’t get in your way. You then made your way over to the gym doors, hoping that you would be able to get the garbage can without being noticed.

You were in luck, the doors were only partially propped open, so someone would have to be trying to look through to really see anything, so you were in the clear to grab the bin. Reaching the bin you had a second bit of luck - it wasn’t one of the bins that the campus bolted to the ground, so you would actually be able to move it. Your luck ran out when you tried to do so; it was heavy, and you couldn’t quite lift it, so you had to drag it.

The scraping sound it made pierced through the stillness of the evening causing you to wince. You really hoped that no one had heard it. Luck was partially on your side in that area, not many people had heard it, but the quartet of third years that happened to be standing near the door certainly did.

You however were so engrossed in your task of dragging the bin to the tree that you didn’t notice a head poking out of the gym doors, watching you in confusion and amusement. His friends called him and he went back into the gym and you were none the wiser.

It took you much longer to get the bin to the tree than you thought it would, but once you finally had the bin under the tree you carefully studied it, making sure that it would hold you without tipping over. You didn’t fully trust it, but felt that it would likely get the job done.

And so, after psyching yourself up a bit, you began your careful ascent. You carefully lifted yourself onto the lower branches, you were almost off the bin when the sudden sound of the gym doors being thrown open and loud voices of people exiting the gym startled you, causing you to kick the bin away from you. It made a loud noise as it fell to the ground, however since it was so dark no one noticed you dangling precariously on the lower branches of the tree and simply ignored the fallen bin, carrying on with their evening. Everyone but one curious middle blocker who recognized the bin on the ground as the bin that had been beside the gym doors, the same one that he had watched you drag away.

He couldn’t help his curiosity, he waved goodbye to his friends before making his way over to the tree. The tree that you were once again trying to climb, however you were finding it rather difficult, you did indeed lack the upper body strength to pull yourself up, and with nothing to push off of to get yourself fully onto the branches you were simply left partially hanging out of the tree.

You swung your leg around, hoping to build up some sort of momentum to help swing it onto a branch to help you climb. You were shocked when it hit something solid. Glancing down you saw that someone had caught your foot. Your eyes trailed down his arm, and eventually landed on his face. Standing beside you, with your foot in his hand, was none other than Matsukawa Issei, your crush.

He just stood there for a moment, smirking up at you before he spoke.

“How’s it hanging?” He evidently found this situation hilarious, you did not, and your face showed as much. Infuriatingly however, as your frown grew so too did his smile, until he couldn’t hold himself back and began to laugh.

It took a moment for him to calm himself before he addressed you again.

“Come on, not even a smile?” His smile grew exaggerated as he continued to tease you. “I thought it was a pretty good one.”

You still didn’t respond, partially out of annoyance, and partially out of embarrassment. Not only did someone find you in this situation, but it was Matsukawa, the boy that you’d had a crush on since you first watched him play. You had wanted to gather your courage and approach him, tell him how good of a player you thought he was, maybe even ask him out, but you still hadn’t quite got there yet. This was a terrible first impression, now he was just going to think you were some sort of weirdo that he found dangling out of a tree.

Seemingly unfettered by your lack of response he tried again.

“Come on cutie, you’ve gotta give me something to work with.” He gave you another smile, but this one seemed softer and more genuine, it seemed less like he was making fun of you, and more like he was being friendly. It was then that you realised that he had probably come over to help you, not make fun of you, he just couldn’t help the joke.

“The bin, it uh, fell over.” You finally spoke, internally berating yourself at how lame you sounded.

“I saw.” His eyes trail over to the bin, spotting it laying on its side a few feet away, your bag on the ground nearby. “So, do you need a hand?”

You didn’t trust yourself to not make a fool out of yourself if you spoke again, so you just nodded, you really could use his help with getting down.

“Up or down?” He looked at you expectantly, waiting on your response. You weren’t even really sure what he was asking. When he noticed your confused look he clarified, “Do you need me to help you up the tree, or down, out of the tree.”

Oh, that made much more sense, you looked up the tree, seeing where the crow was still perched. You thought for a moment before replying. “Down please.”

Smiling he adjusted his grip on your leg before reaching up with his other arm to wrap around your waist, gently pulling you out of the tree before gently setting you down on your feet, back on solid ground.

You turned to him, bowing while thanking him for his help. You could hear him chuckling above you and you began to feel your face heating up. Slowly you straightened out, once again facing him.

“So… Do you climb trees often? Or is this a new hobby?” He was studying you curiously, evidently very interested in why you had been up the tree.

“Oh, uh,” You searched for the words to properly explain what was going on, “I uh. No.” You fumbled over your words again before continuing. “I needed to get my transit pass back.”

He looked confused for a moment, looking between you and the tree. “How’d it get up there?”

At this point the embarrassment of the situation was taking over again, and you simply pointed up at the crow, pointing out the culprit to Matsukawa.

He followed where you were pointing, and when he saw the crow he quickly put two and two together, bursting out in laughter.

“No way, the crow took it?” His laughter trailed off, and he wiped a tear away before continuing, “Man, that’s some bad luck. Here, hold this.” Suddenly he thrust his bag into your hands, you almost dropped it but managed to keep your hold on it.

You looked in his direction, about to question why he had given you his bag, however the question died on your tongue when you saw him. He took his blazer off, tossing it to you as well, before hopping up into the tree, climbing it with ease. His presence startled the crow, causing it to fly off, luckily it left your card in the nest. Matsukawa quickly retrieved the card before making a quick descent, hopping out of the tree once he was close enough to the ground.

He passed the card to you, and you gratefully took it, a wide smile taking over your features.

“Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

You bowed again before handing him back his things. He smiled at you, finishing putting his things back in order he reached out towards you. You, confused simply cocked your head to the side, watching his hand with confusion. Suddenly his hand was on you, ruffling your hair, further messing it up. You yelped and quickly ducked out of the way, bringing a hand up to try and fix it. You gave him an unimpressed look, causing him to smile more.

“Well, I’ve got to head out, got early practice tomorrow. You get home safe.” With that he started to walk off, leaving you underneath the tree, staring after him.

He got maybe a few meters away before he turned back to you.

“Oh, and try not to let any more birds rob you, I’ve heard the chickadees are especially vicious, you might want to be careful.” Heat rose in your face again, and you weren’t sure if it was annoyance or if you were just flustered, but you weren't able to come up with a comeback before he turned back around, waving a hand over his shoulder in parting.

You just stood there for a few moments, before the caw of a nearby crow startled you out of your reverie. You tightened your grip on your card before grabbing the rest of your things, hastily shoving it back into your bag, you’d check the balance later, when there were less birds around.