#Ideate Software

[ideatesoftware]

Ideate Software

Ideate Software is an Autodesk® Authorized Developer and is a member of the Autodesk Developer Network. Ideate Software builds Revit® software plugins to help customers get the most out of Autodesk Revit software.

[techqware]

TechQWare encapsulates our proficiency in the creative and strategic processes essential for developing successful products. We excel in generating innovative ideas through structured brainstorming sessions and design thinking methodologies. Our expertise extends to meticulously translating these concepts into tangible product designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional and user-centric.

[987654521]

What is website maintenance and what are its types

Websites are created with a goal in mind. This objective could be to offer a service, communicate information, email market, or sell a product. Whatever the website's objective, it must be kept up to date in order to fulfill it.

Web maintenance is crucial if you want to ensure that your website is serving its intended function. Monitoring web traffic, updating information, and making sure the website is secure are all part of website maintenance.

What is Website maintenance?

In order to maintain your website current and relevant, you must periodically review it for problems and errors. To maintain the health of your website, promote ongoing visitor development, give a great user experience, and improve your SEO and Google rankings, this should be done regularly.

To attract and keep clients, both large and small businesses must maintain an appealing website. Cutting shortcuts and delegating a few chores is simple for businesses, especially startups.

Considering that it frequently doesn't involve urgent problems, website upkeep can quickly turn into one of those things. The health of your website, though, might deteriorate if you neglect it for an extended period of time, just as your health does if you skip routine checkups. 

Types of website upkeep

After a website is launched, it's crucial to carry out routine web maintenance to avoid any technical problems, enhance user experience, and guarantee your site keeps a good ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

Updating security

Web development businesses issue security updates to fix flaws in their software. Installing patches as soon as they become available is crucial for keeping your website secure from hackers.

Theme and plugin updates

Your website's functionality can be increased with the aid of plugins and themes. However, they must be kept up to date, just like any piece of software development service, in order to function with the most recent versions of web browsers and security fixes.

Revisions to the content

Your website's content should be updated regularly to ensure that it is correct and up to date. This includes creating new blog posts, editing product descriptions, and removing outdated content. Out-of-date content might make your website appear amateurish and turn off visitors.

Backup and disaster recovery

In case something goes wrong, it's critical to have a recent backup of your website. In the event of a significant problem, the Ideation and Strategy Service for disaster recovery allows you to quickly restore service to your website. A backup ensures that you can restore your site if it is hacked or becomes corrupted, thereby preventing data loss.

Performance evaluation and improvement

You can spot possible issues and take action to keep your website operating properly by keeping an eye on its performance. Enhancing your website's performance can assist make it faster and more responsive. It involves activities including speeding up web page loads, reducing the size of images, and minifying code.

Safety Checking

In order to make sure that the website is safe from any potential dangers, security scanning is crucial in website upkeep. The website can be regularly scanned to find and correct security flaws before they do any harm. This helps ward off potential harm to the website and its visitors.

The user experience is also enhanced through website scanning. Users can be certain that their personal information is secure when using the website by discovering and repairing potential security issues.

Administration of users

If your website receives visitors, you must manage user accounts. This topic includes creating and removing user accounts, resetting passwords, and managing access. Additionally, user administration comprises removing bots and spam accounts from the user list.

Accessibility testing

It is critical to assess the accessibility of your website to ensure that everyone can use it. This includes people with disabilities, those who use mobile devices, and those who have sluggish internet connections.

Progress monitoring

Because of uptime monitoring, your website should be accessible when someone attempts to access it. The uptime of your website should be kept as close to 100% as feasible. You should be aware of when your website is unavailable so that you may take appropriate measures to restore it.

SEO Monitoring

It is critical to monitor your website's SEO to ensure that it is seen in search engines. This includes keeping track of your website's traffic, backlinks, and ranking. Using SEO monitoring, you may identify potential issues and take steps to address them. It can also help you measure your accomplishments and track your progress over time.

Maintenance and assistance plans

Enrolling in a support and maintenance package is the best method to ensure that your website is constantly up to date. This type of membership often includes all of the aforementioned services, as well as other important ones like web hosting, SSL certification, and email support.

How frequently should a website be maintained?

The frequency with which you must execute website maintenance is determined by the size, complexity, and frequency of modifications to your website. In general, website maintenance should be performed at least once a month, preferably more frequently. You can ensure that your website is constantly up-to-date and functional by doing so. Some processes, such as security scanning and uptime monitoring, can be automated and performed on a regular basis. Other tasks, such as website updates and performance monitoring, must be completed by hand. Upgrades for security, plugins, and themes can be set to occur automatically on the content management system. 

[sywritesstuff]

If you're like me, you bounce around a bunch of different platforms and applications in the writing process. My hot take is that this is totally fine. No one ever said the writing process is perfectly streamlined! That being said, I've shared some tools I use for different parts of my process. For the most part, I use them consistently for the purposes mentioned below:

→ Miro

I use Miro for my first pass of plot and character arc outlines. Miro is a free software that acts like a digital board, where you can arrange sticky notes and all sorts of features. I prefer using an online board as opposed to a physical one, because I’m constantly reworking my beats and moving things around, and it’s more efficient to do both digitally (in my opinion). I keep my plot outline separate from my character arc outline at the very early stages, because I’m essentially ideating how the two can be married. At the end of the day, I believe the most compelling stories always fall back on character emotions and motivations propelling the plot. Tools like Miro help me map the journey towards that end goal.

→ Notebook

My notebook contains my brain dump. I dedicate a single notebook to a project, and it basically becomes a collection of unfiltered thoughts. I’ll dump character tidbits, sequences for each chapter, feedback from my writing accountability buddy, and questions I want to address in the next iterations of my WIP. This is helpful for me, because I tend to struggle with rapid thoughts, so the notebook helps me focus on the idea itself. Later, I’ll always have the opportunity to categorize them in another platform as I’m writing.

→ Google Docs

In the past, I was writing chapters on Google Docs. This was helpful at the time, because it’s free, it tracks key metrics I care about (mainly word count), and it’s easy to share your work with anyone. But there are some drawbacks. The biggest one for me is having to format everything for a manuscript. This’ll be more relevant later down the line, but sometimes I get really bogged down by little things like spacing and indentation. It really distracts me from focusing on the sentences themselves. After seeing it pop up on Instagram a couple of times, I decided to purchase Scrivener for desktop. It is super functional, and I probably only use like 2% of its max capability right now. But it’s been super helpful for organizing my chapters and scenes, writing out little summary cards, color-coding progress status and POV, bullet pointing margin notes, and most importantly, pre-formatting my WIP as a manuscript. I definitely think Scrivener is worth the long-term investment if you find yourself writing and publishing multiple projects.

→ Scrivener

Even though I’ve transitioned to Scrivener for the actual manuscript, Google Docs still comes in handy for me. Right now, I mainly use it to 1) track feedback and revisions on a chapter-by-chapter basis, and 2) maintain a treatment of my novel. A treatment is essentially a full-length document that details everything that happens in your story from start to finish. They can be as short as 3 pages or as long as 50 pages. I could keep and maintain these documents in Scrivener, but I already had these written out on Docs, so I’m sticking to them. Later down the line, I’ll likely shift over to Google Sheets to track revisions.

What tools do y'all like using? Please feel free to recommend any! Tips on Scrivener are also welcomed!

[mothica-mothica]

Halo reach survival au bc yes

Tw: severe injuries, suicidal ideation, nightmares, grief.

Oh hey look I'm not posting about sonic the hedgehog? Whaaaatt

Anyway here we go

Carter

You know how the pelican exploded? Yeah I gave him hearing damage. He has hearing aids.

His face was covered by his arms, but he does have scarring on his neck from being kersploded.

Just to make it more depressing, his normal calm and collected attitude is an actual farce.

He lives in constant agony. Mental and physical.

"Its all falling apart. "

He's a bartender during the night.

Six and Kat are regulars.

He lives with Kat and jun.

He turns his hearing aids down when there's an argument between the ex members of Noble. He doesn't break up the issues anymore.

He's learned ASL.

Kat

Frequent nightmares.

Works from home, as a Software developer.

Her injuries were minimal.

She often stops talking in the middle of conversations. Especially with carter.

"It should've been me."

She makes a habit of drawing random devices she wants to build.

Often salvages things she finds in the dumpster.

She learned sign language for Carter because when he was still in the hospital he couldn't hear well.

Also ignores any arguments between ex members.

Jun

Works as a recruiter for the spartan IV program.

Asks Carter for advice when he doesn't know how to deal with the recruit's.

Isn't home very much, but he takes care of his fair share of rent.

He's the most mentally sound of all the members.

He wasn't hurt at all on reach, only emotionally fucked this time.

When he gets home, he likes to do mundane tasks before he inevitably collapses on his bed.

Emile

He ate liquid foods until his stomach was completely healed.

Has a large scar from the wound in question.

Had a blood transplant.

Lashes out at Jorge quite often. Once he even called him 'weak' because he couldn't come to terms with what happened.

Is the main source of team infighting.

Six beat the hell out of him in a fit of rage because he lashed out and blamed her for everyone's injuries.

He lives with six and Jorge. The three are pretty close now.

He's not trying to be antagonistic, but he wants revenge, something to punch, someone to blame. That's what he's used to.

He's yelled at carter before. But Carter just stood there and turned down his hearing aids.

Often crying in his room.

"I've lost everything...."

Jorge

Still the same gentle giant as before, big and cuddly.

Six sees him as a father figure, they’re often found curled up on the couch.

He doesn't understand why Emile won't quit antagonizing the household.

He's trying to go home. He wants to go home.

Spends a lot of time baking. Works as a baker in a coffee shop.

Often making food and dropping off where jun works.

"I wish I could sleep forever."

Six

Her heart has been replaced.

She's got a bionic arm.

She's missing a whole lung.

She works as a barista.

A frequent at the bar. She likes to bring pastries for Carter and Kat.

She's the one who breaks up the arguments now.

"I could've done better."

She likes to read, and does it quite a bit.

She stayed at the hospital even after she had recovered because she wanted to make sure everyone made it out.

When carter gets quiet, it worries her.

She knows Emile is struggling, often does some light sparring with him despite her breathing issues.

She doesn't mind curling up with Jorge anymore. It was awkward at first.

Kat enjoys her company now. It helps Kat to hear her chatting.

She feels obligated to keep contact with everyone.

[bliow]

AGARTHA Aİ - DEVASA+ (4)

In an era where technology and creativity intertwine, AI design is revolutionizing the way we conceptualize and create across various industries. From the runway to retail, 3D fashion design is pushing boundaries, enabling designers to craft intricate garments with unparalleled precision. Likewise, 3D product design is transforming everything from gadgets to furniture, allowing for rapid prototyping and innovation. As we explore these exciting advancements, platforms like Agartha.ai are leading the charge in harnessing artificial intelligence to streamline the design process and inspire new ideas. 

AI design

Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized numerous industries, and the realm of design is no exception. By leveraging the power of machine learning and advanced algorithms, AI is transforming the way designers create, innovate, and deliver their products. AI-driven tools enable designers to harness vast amounts of data, allowing for more informed decision-making and streamlined workflows.

In the context of graphic design, AI can assist artists in generating ideas, creating unique visuals, and even automating repetitive tasks. For instance, programs powered by AI design can analyze trends and consumer preferences, producing designs that resonate with target audiences more effectively than traditional methods. This shift not only enhances creativity but also enables designers to focus on strategic thinking and ideation.

Moreover, AI is facilitating personalized design experiences. With the help of algorithms that analyze user behavior, products can be tailored to meet the specific needs and tastes of individuals. This level of customization fosters deeper connections between brands and consumers, ultimately driving customer satisfaction and loyalty in an increasingly competitive market.

3D fashion design

In recent years, 3D fashion design has revolutionized the way we create and visualize clothing. Using advanced software and tools, designers can create lifelike virtual garments that allow for innovative experimentation without the need for physical fabric. This trend has not only streamlined the design process but has also significantly reduced waste in the fashion industry.

Moreover, 3D fashion design enables designers to showcase their creations in a more interactive manner. By utilizing 3D modeling and rendering technologies, designers can present their collections in virtual environments, making it easier for clients and consumers to appreciate the nuances of each piece. This immersive experience also helps in gathering valuable feedback before producing the final product.

Furthermore, the integration of 3D fashion design with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies is bringing a fresh perspective to the industry. Consumers can virtually try on clothes from the comfort of their homes, thereby enhancing the shopping experience. As this field continues to evolve, it promises to bridge the gap between creativity and technology, paving the way for a sustainable and forward-thinking fashion future.

3D product design

3D product design has revolutionized the way we conceptualize and create products. With advanced software tools and technologies, designers can now create highly detailed and realistic prototypes that are not only visually appealing but also functional. This process allows for a quicker iteration of ideas, enabling designers to experiment with various styles and functionalities before arriving at the final design.

One of the significant advantages of 3D product design is the ability to visualize products in a virtual environment. Designers can see how their creations would look in real life, which is essential for understanding aesthetics and usability. Additionally, this technology enables manufacturers to identify potential issues in the design phase, reducing costs associated with prototype development and rework.

Moreover, the rise of 3D printing has further enhanced the significance of 3D product design. Designers can swiftly turn their digital models into tangible products, allowing for rapid prototyping and small-batch manufacturing. This agility not only speeds up the time-to-market for new products but also paves the way for more innovative designs that were previously impossible to execute.

Agartha.ai

Agartha.ai is a revolutionary platform that merges artificial intelligence with innovative design, creating a new avenue for designers and creators alike. With the rapid advancements in technology, Agartha.ai leverages AI to streamline various design processes, enabling users to produce unique and captivating designs with ease.

The platform provides tools that empower both emerging and established designers to explore the possibilities of AI design. By utilizing intelligent algorithms, Agartha.ai can assist in generating design options, ensuring that creativity is not hindered but enhanced. This results in a more efficient workflow and allows designers to focus on the conceptual aspects of their projects.

One of the standout features of Agartha.ai is its ability to adapt to different design disciplines, such as 3D fashion design and 3D product design. By supporting a broad spectrum of design fields, it positions itself as a versatile tool that meets the evolving needs of today's creative professionals. Whether it's crafting intricate fashion pieces or developing innovative product designs, Agartha.ai is at the forefront of the design revolution.

[ae-azile]

I can't start another fic due to too many WIPs, but this ArmKhun idea has been on my mind for a while now.

Summary:

After Tankhun gradually and quietly weans himself off of the last of his psychiatric medications, he prepares himself for the worst. There is a chance his emotions will get the best of him and he will cause a scene at a family dinner. Or maybe his sleep schedule will be no more and he will stay up several nights in a row before hallucinating. In contrast, he may sleep the day away and spend his waking hours in a catatonic state. There is always the possibility of the suicidal ideation making a comeback. And if he is perseverating on certain memories intently enough, that ideation could lead to an attempt. So many risks.

But despite the medications being adjusted again and again the first few years after his kidnapping, they have been left as is for over twice as long.

Tankhun just wants to know who he is, despite the risks. He may have lost Pete, but still has Arm and Pol. They're his guards and his friends. If one of those risks becomes a reality, he knows he just needs to say one word and they will help him. With Arm, he often doesn't have to say anything at all.

But somehow, Tankhun feels fantastic. Even after the first week completely off his medications, he isn't easily distracted, somehow feels calmer but still has energy, and does not have one suicidal thought cross his mind. In fact, he has only had one side effect: persistent and repetitive sexual arousal all throughout the day accompanied by the most vivid dreams at night.

Suddenly, saying one word for help seems incredibly daunting, especially when the dreams revolve around the person who helps him the most.

Warnings: hinted medical abuse/control, references to past suicidal ideation and attempts, past kidnapping, and past sexual abuse, yet somehow manages to be sassy and funny.

Pairing: Arm/Tankhun, a copious amount of Tankhun/OMC and Tankhun/OFC

Rating: E

Key Tags: Masturbation, prostitutes and random hookups, confused/concerned/jealous Arm, sexually and emotionally frustrated Tankhun, impromptu vacation, friends (or boss/employee) to lovers, post-canon.

Key Details:

Tankhun begins questioning not only his kidnapping, but the way his trauma was treated after his father's lies from the finale are uncovered.

Once the lack of meds bring Tankhun's libido back in full force, he tries to take care of it himself until he realizes that isn't good enough for him. It does not escape him who he fantasizes about. His attraction to Arm isn't particularly new, but it was easily dismissed and ignored until they bonded during the attack. Once his urges come back, Tankhun tends to hyper focus on him. Arm is beautiful, safe, kind, and (seemingly) unattainable for various reasons. It is the one realization that this might be the tipping point when it comes to a relapse, so Tankhun decides to outsource when it comes to distraction and relief.

He first resorts to utilizing an escort service. He is very sneaky about it at first. He waits until nights where he is alone and his guards are scheduled elsewhere. He is nervous at first, but begins to grow used to the process.

Because of the sneakiness,no one catches the escorts coming in and out. Except for Arm. At first, Arm tries not to overstep out of courtesy. Tankhun claims the escorts are old friends. Arm tries his best to believe him, but doesn't.

Tankhun makes it through the entire roster of the escort service and ends up rotating through three after a while - two men and one woman. If they are the ones who look the most like Arm, then that's his business.

Arm tries to hint that he would like details about what is going on. Tankhun is very evasive and successful when it comes to changing the subject. He tries to be respectful for as long as possible until he can't do it anymore and runs a facial recognition software on their security footage. He figures out who they are after that. While he really struggles with it, he ultimately decides not to tell anyone, but makes himself persistently and stubbornly more present when they come over. Pol has caught onto Arm's change in demeanor and asks if he is jealous over Tankhun's friends. Arm says he isn't, but clearly is. But the strong resemblance doesn't register until Pol brings it up.

The escort issue doesn't become more common knowledge until one of the escorts falls in love with Tankhun and it becomes a nuisance and a security issue. Tankhun does the mature thing and calmly explains his situation to Arm and Kinn. Kinn is in shock and extremely concerned for multiple reasons. Arm, however, just goes straight into action and makes sure the escort won't be a problem. He thinks it will be the end of an upsetting phase.

And then Tankhun starts hooking up with people at Yok's - almost every time they go.

Kinn is extremely upset. He keeps going to Arm and Pol and asking what is going on. While Arm wants this situation to stop too, Arm doesn't want Tankhun to feel controlled. Pol is just like, "I dunno." Word of Tankhun's conquests and abilities in bed travels. Even Pete calls up and is like, "Wtf is going on?"

Kinn ends up approaching Arm personally when Tankhun asks him for the number of his escort service. Apparently, Tankhun - who has mostly enjoyed his bar hook-ups - is still upset that he can't find his type. He plans on hooking up at bars since he has a reputation to uphold now, but he needs someone to match his type, at least some of the time. When Kinn explores what that means by going through their pictures, the ones Tankhun picks seem to somewhat resemble Arm.

During a group outing where Kinn gets particularly drunk after Tankhun wanders off with someone, he approaches Arm and asks if he thinks Tankhun would stop if he has more consistent access to his type. When Arm asks what Kinn means, Kinn just looks at him pointedly and says he will double his pay. Arm declines and Porsche quickly redirects Kinn from the conversation anyway.

However, Kinn's suggestion sticks with him. Arm won't take the money, mainly because he has now realized by this point he would be intimate with Tankhun for free. But he wonders if he would have a chance with Tankhun after all, considering he might be his type.

But instead of seducing Tankhun, he tries to spend more time with him. He asks him out to eat, he has movie marathons with him. He even suggests day trips.

While Tankhun isn't hooking up with people close to everyday now, Arm is now so completely gone for him that it makes him sick to his stomach. He doesn't even know how to admit there are feelings on his end - to his boss, nonetheless. Especially when his boss is still hooking up with people.

Meanwhile, Tankhun is completely oblivious to Arm's feelings. He doesn't even consider the possibility that his own long-standing feelings for Arm may be returned.

Anyway, it's an idea I have had for a while but I seriously doubt I could make it a one-shot. 😔 😂

[arainydancer]

Hey, I really love your stuff, both as a signalis fan and as another animator. This might be a weird question so I'm sorry if it is, but I was wondering what your process is on your personal shots? Like, from ideation+planning to finished animation? Is there any particular workflow you can point to as working for you?

I get this question a lot and sadly I don't really think I have an answer that can help. Everything is ideated and planned out inside my head- I visualize scenes, camera angles, ideas, poses, and animations in my mind, and then plan out how to tackle it. And then I just try to replicate it as best as I can in 3D software. It's very chaotic and nonsensical with very little documentation or a concrete process.

What do I want to do? What idea do I want to present, what story do I want to tell with an animation? For example, I had an idea like "I want Elster to wipe blood off of her face." So then that branches off into several more questions. How does she get the blood on her face? She got into a fight with a monster. How does she fight said monster? And so on, so forth.

I've done this for years so it gets easier the more I do it. This might not work for a lot of people and a more concrete planning phase with blocking inside the software works better for them. Especially if it's difficult for someone to directly visualize something in their minds.

I find a concept and then build everything around it. Setup, payoffs. Junk like that.

I hope this helps a little bit.

[nowoyas]

koi no yokan 24: closet door (nishinoya yuu/reader)

First - Prev - Next - M.list - Ao3

A/N: greetings from hell! we are now more or less completely certain that I have sprained my wrist due to the fall down the stairs on Wednesday. this shouldn't affect any update schedules, however, because of the difference in how my brain functions when using the dictation software versus just typing, you may notice a difference in writing quality. I have done my best to keep it at the same quality and the same voice as usual, but there's only so much I can do when I can't type. Even so, I hope you enjoy!

Summary: The final days before prelims.

Warnings and tags: emetophobia, references to child neglect, light suicide ideation

Words: ~3800

You do not answer the door.

Not the bell, not the knocks. Not phonecalls or texts.

And Yuu, predictably, is worried.

He'd assumed, when you didn't leave the house this morning, that your night had been about as rough as anticipated, but the radio silence throughout the day is concerning. Concerning enough that, after ringing the doorbell twice and waiting ten minutes, he's about to go get the camping gear from his house and wait you out.

He rings the doorbell a third time. His phone buzzes a moment later.

[name] to Noya at 19:48

[name]: go away

Noya: not until I know you're okay

[name]: im not

He sighs. He's not going to get anywhere like this.

He remembers the spare key and locates it with ease, walks right in as quietly as he can manage. You're not in the living room, so you must be upstairs—he climbs the stairs, winds down the hall to your room, where the door is shut but not locked. He cracks it just a bit, then knocks. There's a shuffling from within the room.

"Come on, [name]-san," he says softly through the crack.

You don't reply. He opens the door the rest of the way—your futon is still laid out, and in fact looks freshly vacated, based on the fact that you haven't so much as smoothed out the comforter. You've got no less than four plushies laid up in said futon—he suppresses a smile when he spots the one that had been a get-well-soon gift from Shouyo—but you're nowhere in sight.

[name]: I said go away

[name]: I look awful

[name]: I don't want to be real right now please don't make me

"Are you sick?" he asks out loud, frowning. The text comes back quickly.

[name]: in the head yeah

[name]: did you seriously use the spare key to get in because I didn't wanna talk

He shrugs. "I was worried. Last time you skipped a day you at least came to the door."

[name]: getting punched in the face and telling you about my mom wasn't all that bad. Just exhausting

[name]: I literally want to die right now please just go

His heart cracks at the words. "Yeah, when you put it that way, there's no way I'm doing that."

[name]: senpai

[name]: please

He sits down on your futon, legs crossed. "I'm not leaving until I know you're okay, but I can text Okaa-san and let her know you're not up to dinner tonight."

A muffled fuck! leaves the nearby closet. He huffs and moves to sit with his back against the wall beside the closet door. You must have forgotten.

[name]: see now I just feel bad

"You didn't already feel bad?"

[name]: you know what I mean

[name]: you'll miss dinner for sure if you wait until I feel better

[name]: you're gonna die here at the rate I'm going

He shrugs. "I can miss it. I'll be fine."

"Don't you fucking dare," comes the muffled reply. It's obvious, when you finally speak, that you've been crying. "You have games. Tomorrow. You need to be at your best."

"Oh, she talks!" He smiles. It's progress. "You're still coming tomorrow, right?"

Silence, both from the closet door and his phone. His heart drops.

"[name]-san?"

The closet door creaks a little. "Do you want me to?" you ask quietly.

"I don't think I'll play half as good without you there to watch me," he says honestly. "And I need you there as a good luck charm."

"But do you want me there, because—"

"[name]-san. I want you at dinner with my family, and I want you at the matches tomorrow, and I wanted you at practice today, and I want you at every practice after this, and I want you at every match I ever play."

Silence. You pull the door shut. For a moment, he thinks he's said the wrong thing, but then—

[name]: can you get out for two seconds so I can get dressed

"You're coming to dinner?"

[name]: im actually bisexual

"What?"

[name]: im coming out of the closet

He lets out a startled bark of laughter. "Marry me. Don't even get dressed; I don't mind."

[name]: 875

[name]: I mind

[name]: I PROMISE I'll actually let you back in the room once Im dressed

"Fine, fine." He gets up. Leaves the room. Closes the door behind him. There's a moment of shuffling from within—your footsteps approaching. He thinks you're about to open the door for a moment, and then he hears you fumbling with the lock and jerks it open, careful not to hit you with it. "Oh, no you don't. You promised!"

You don't fight it. You let him push open the door the rest of the way, greet him with your hood pulled firmly over your head and an adorable pout. "Only because I promised," you say quietly.

God, you're in a state. Your eyes are red with tears, face swollen. "Do you wanna talk about what happened?"

"He bought me a late birthday cake. He said he didn't know last month was July."

"That's… good, right?"

"He did it right when things got tense and just left. He walked."

"O…kay?"

"So I immediately had a complete mental breakdown and he came back with cake to find me hyperventilating where he left me because the last time someone went for a walk after a tense conversation they fucking died." You lean into him, slowly bringing your arms up to wrap around his torso. He returns the hold tentatively, resting his chin on top of your head.

"Oh." Ohh. He holds you just a bit tighter as the realization sets in. "I'm so sorry."

"'N then he apologized and we talked about Okaa-san for a while and I thought maybe he might actually listen and be home more, but he hesitated and said he'd try." A sniffle. "And we watched volleyball to distract me, but then he—he—"

Your shoulders shake. He pulls away, guides you to sit with him so he can cradle you just a little bit better. (Now is not the time to think about the fact that you started watching volleyball for comfort. He files it away for later.)

"I can't ever come out to him, Noya," you mumble. "He said he was glad I wasn't playing volleyball because all the women—it was some match between women's teams—looked like lesbians. Like it's a bad thing."

A bunch of potential responses race through his head. Everything from what an asshole to okay, like lesbians aren't hot which he's pretty sure he's slightly more qualified to say than the average guy but probably isn't very useful right now. What comes out feels lame and not nearly enough. "That's messed up."

You nod. "It's like—I don't even know what I want from him. Him not being here makes me feel like shit. And when he's actually here I feel worse. And now I have evidence that he'll never accept me for me, and probably if I did come out he wouldn't get the bisexual thing or pull something about how it's fine if I grow out of it and end up with a man, and—and—" You pause. Buckle in on yourself a little as your stomach growls loud enough for Yuu to hear. "I feel sick."

"Have you eaten today, like, at all?"

You shake your head. "I… I didn't get out of bed until I heard you coming up the stairs."

"[name]-san!" he admonishes. "Alright, that's it. Get everything you need for tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"You're coming to dinner. You're gonna eat."

"But why—"

He tilts his head. "I'm gonna ask you to stay the night, and I don't want you to have any "nos". So you gotta get your stuff together and bring it with you to my place before I ask  so you don't have the "no" that your stuff is all here and you don't want to drop by in the morning."

You let out a soft laugh, melting into him just a touch. "You're gonna casually ask me to stay the night."

"Well, yeah!" He shakes your shoulder playfully. "You're good luck. You proved it at the training camp. Gotta absorb all the luck I can off you! And, y'know, I sleep way better when I'm cuddling someone, and—"

"Okay, okay. Message received, you wanna cuddle. Is Rina-san gonna be okay with that?" You wriggle out of his hold, go hunting for clothes.

"What do you mean? She loves you."

"I think any reasonable parent might raise an eyebrow at a girl sleeping in the same bedroom as her son. I don't exactly have the concussion to use as an excuse anymore."

He shrugs. "If Satsuki can have her girlfriends stay the night, I don't see why you can't. Besides, it doesn't mean anything, right?" He flashes a smile, winks at you.

You roll your eyes. "I don't like your implications, Mister. And yes, strictly platonic."

"As long as you still come along. Come on, give me more reasons to say no so I can get you to admit you wanna sleep with me tonight!"

It might've been on the nose, but at your flustered squawk and the bag suddenly flung at his face, Yuu thinks it was worth it.

Even better yet, you play along—you're clearly still down, but you set up arguments for him to knock down one by one, even as you finish packing and walk with him back to his place. By the end of the night, over video games and bantering with Satsuki, you've given in—you steal the shower, cuddle right up to him with no pretense. His chest swells with pride at the feeling of your head resting on it at the end of the night, and threatens to burst when he catches a whiff of his own body wash on your skin.

Strictly platonic, his ass.

~

You wake up to a commotion on the bus. When you turn around in your seat, leaning over Noya to investigate, you find Hinata leaning into the bus aisle, his head between his knees. 

"What's going on?" you ask.

"Shouyo's not feeling good," Noya says. "Anxiety, apparently."

You furrow your brow. "Is he going to be okay?"

Tanaka pokes his head into the aisle. "He gets like this before matches. Before our first practice match he literally threw up in my lap."

You cringe. That sounds… bad. "Okay, wait—Tanaka-senpai, switch seats with me."

He blinks. "What?"

"You heard me." You grab Noya's shoulder and slide over his lap. He lets out a strangled noise, hands coming up to steady you as you slide right past him into the aisle. The shuffle is quick and, for your part, painless. You slip past Tanaka—Noya moves into the seat you'd had, and Tanaka takes the newly-opened aisle seat so that you can sit across from Hinata. "Hinata, do me a huge favor and hum for me."

He looks up in confusion, but before he can say anything, he slaps a hand over his mouth and drops his face back between his legs. "W-what?" he asks weakly.

"You heard me. You can hum anything, it doesn't matter what, but your body's gag reflex can't actually work if you're humming."

He begins to hum—the sound is tuneless, and you're not sure it comes from any particular song so much as his anxiety. You smile softly and reach out a hand rub small circles into his shoulder blade.

"Okay, that's good. Just keep humming for me no matter what while we wait for Coach Ukai to pull the bus over." You speak quickly and softly, but for the last part, you raise your voice insistently so that you're heard. The sharp look you flash in the rear view mirror catches Coach Ukai's eye, and you think he nods in reply. Good.

"I can't believe you're getting nervous like this again," Tsukishima says. "You know, if you didn't gorge yourself like you were talking about this morning, you might not have made yourself sick—"

You don't look up when you speak. "Tsukishima."

The anxious buzz of the other guys falls quiet.

"Do you think you're helping right now?"

Silence.

"Exactly. Not the time. So shut up."

There are a few stifled laughs, but you don't care about those right now. Your focus is on Hinata. It seems to be anxiety, rather than panic—that's good. You have better techniques for anxiety attacks than panic attacks anyway.

"Okay, Hinata, I'm going to ask you to do something for me, but you can't stop humming, okay?"

He nods shakily.

"So what I need from you right now is to just look around, and I want you to focus on picking out five things that you can see, okay?"

He nods, and as he continues to hum the same random notes, he picks up his head to look around.

"When you're done, you can just nod at me to let me know, okay?"

You watch his eyes settle on distinct points—first to you, then to Tanaka in the row beside you. Then to the roof of the bus, then to a sulking Tsukishima a few rows back, and finally, to his own shaking hands in his lap. When he's done, he looks at you again and nods.

"Good. You're doing great. Now, I want you to find four things that you can touch right now. Can you do that for me? When you do, I need you to go out of your way to actually touch those things. Focus on how they feel, alright?"

Again you watch him work—he reaches out and brushes fingertips against your arm. Then against the seat of the bus, then against his shorts, and then, after a moment of hesitation, against his own hair. You keep your hand rubbing his back the whole time and nod.

"Tanaka-senpai, can you hand me my bag from the row? Thanks. Keep humming for me, okay, Hinata?"

He nods. He's switched to a random lullaby, and you smile when you recognize the tune.

"Okay, I know this will be hard because you have to keep humming, but try your best for me, okay? I need you to find three things that you can hear for me. It can be any three things, including your own voice, but I want you to take a moment to notice how they sound as you're listening to them."

He tilts his head this way and that, and for just a moment, his humming falters. You force down the surge of panic as you see him lurch a little, but he picks back up with the humming and nods to you when he's picked out his three things.

"Good." You rifle around in your bag for a moment, searching for something. When you find it, you bring it to the top of the bag and open the cap. "Two things you can smell next. You've probably got the one from the bus air, but just in case, I have something to make it easier."

He sniffs at the air a moment, and once he has, you hold out your open bottle of hand lotion—vanilla-scented—for him to smell. Once he's done, you put it away and immediately reach back into your bag for your water bottle. With honestly perfect timing, the bus slows to a stop on the side of the road.

"Almost done, Hinata. We're gonna make our way off the bus first, and then we'll get to that last one."

You walk behind him down the bus aisle. The entire time, your hand doesn't leave his back—you're careful to keep soothing him, to keep him as grounded as you can get him. When the two of you are clear of the bus, you purposely remove your hand from his back and take three very large steps away. "Alright. Stop humming and let it out."

He obeys to the letter—the humming stops, and then he lurches over and begins to throw up. It's loud and gross and smells bad, but at the very least, it's on the side of the road and not on the bus where you'll be trapped with the smell for another forty-five minutes or so. "I'm so sorry," he cries, doubled over with his hands on his knees.

You uncap the water bottle and hand it to him. "None of that. We weren't finished with the grounding exercise. Here's one thing you can taste. I would recommend swishing and spitting to get the stomach acid off of your teeth and the taste out of your mouth a little bit."

Again he obeys, swishing the water in his mouth and spitting with a distasteful look on his face. "Ugh. That was disgusting."

"Does it feel a little better, though?"

"Yes, it does... Thank you…"

"You can keep that water bottle; you'll want to drink the rest of it in slow sips until we get to the tournament. Hydration and all that."

At the mention of the impending matches, he looks a little pale again. You reach out and replace your hand on his back, hoping that the motion will soothe him a little bit. The two of you get back onto the bus and into your seats, where you lean in with a sympathetic look.

"Nerves about the matches, then?"

He nods weakly. "I just—I don't want to mess up today. I don't want to bring everyone down. I just want to stay on the court as long as possible."

"And you're going to. You know that, right? Even if you have one bad day, you've earned a place on the court already. It's not like Coach made you a starter just because he felt bad."

"But…"

"I mean, you're going to be fine. All of you are. Sure, anxiety is a thing and I don't expect you to just stop feeling it, but you should know that all you have to do is everything you've already been doing. And if that's the case, then you don't really have to worry, because you already know you can do it. You've been doing it. So you know you're capable of it. Y'know?"

He looks at you with tears in his eyes. "[surname]-san…"

"In the first place, I've spent the past two months watching you guys play and I'm pretty confident that you're gonna do just fine today. Even if you can't trust yourself, you can trust my judgment, right?"

"Yeah... you're right. You're so nice... seriously."

You shake your head. "I'm not nice. I'm talking about statistics. You know that we keep those, right? And I like to look at them. so I can say with absolute certainty that all of you have been getting more solid in the things that you're trying and that you've been steadily  closing the point gap between you and high-level teams. So you should know that when I say that I'm confident in you doing well today, it isn't based on feelings. It'd be rude not to trust me when I put so much thought into it, right?"

He smiles. An unfamiliar arm reaches from the row in front of you and shoves your shoulder playfully. It's Tanaka. "Man, Noya-san's right. You really are a tsundere. It's okay to say that you like us and trust us to win, you know?"

You bat at his hand with an unimpressed look. "Yeah, when I feel that way, I'll say it. Until then, I'll say what I mean. Thank you for the suggestion, though."

"But man, [surname]-san, you handled that really good." Hinata tilts his head. "How did you know the trick with the humming?"

You laugh and shrug your shoulders. "Had the stomach flu last year and had to ride it out alone. I think I threw up every hour at exactly the hour for like, two days straight or something. I didn't really want to have to clean anything up, so I figured out how to make sure I didn't have to. And you know what? It worked!"

He furrows his brow, giving you a sad look. "You had to go through that alone?"

A nervous laugh, a shrug. "It's not that big a deal. Otoo-san was busy with work, and it's just the two of us, so I didn't really wanna bother him. In any case, I got through it just fine, and if I hadn't had to deal with that, then I wouldn't have had the trick to share with you now. So it worked out! I'm glad for it."

"If you're sure…"

"Anyways, how are you feeling now?"

He smiles. "Better. Thanks."

You spend the rest of the bus ride to the tournament venue talking to Hinata. He seems, for the most part, calmer than before. You'd like to think that you do a pretty good job of keeping his mind off of the anxiety—you manage to ramble engagingly enough about the most recent book that you read, although you don't remember much about it given that you read it before the concussion. By the time you're all getting off the bus at the venue, he seems more or less thoroughly calmed.

You wait for Tsukishima, hands behind your back. When he steps off the bus, you grab at his arm with a tilt of your head. "Sorry for snapping earlier, by the way. I don't mind the way you act the rest of the time, but I was just worried about making sure that everything was sorted out right now. It wasn't personal, you know?"

He shrugs. "It's fine."

On the way in, a pouting Noya falls in step with you. You roll your eyes. "Dare I ask?"

"Nothing."

"Uh-huh. Nothing. Are you jealous? Is that it?"

"Yes," he says. "I'm very jealous. Next time, I'll be the one to get sick on the bus so you can lovingly rub my back for ten minutes."

"You're gonna make yourself sick from nerves?" You roll your eyes. "You? Yeah, sure. I'll believe that for sure. And lovingly? Dude, he was gonna throw up. Physical touch grounds people when they're anxious."

He sighs, draping his arms around you. "Fine. You were really good with Shouyo. I'm proud of you."

"Proud of me?"

"Yeah. You know, the flu thing."

Oh. Yeah. You guess you didn't really get too anxious talking about your family or anything. You shrug. "Thanks, I guess. It didn't feel good."

"But you did a really good job. Marry me?"

You huff and bump your head against his shoulder. "Let me run the numbers... Maybe if you ask another eight hundred and seventy-four times."

"I can do that."

You're starting to worry that he actually can.

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory @kazunish

[diadragonwrites]

Snapshot 👏 timeline 👏 time

Now, this is all subject to change, but I finally have Snapshot's (my IDW oc) backstory stuff sorted out. Everything here takes place before MTMTE.

TWs before we get into the meat of things

Discussions of PTSD, cannibalism, suicidal ideations, implied emotional grooming, VIOLENT CONTENT, unhealthy relationships, depictions of sex work, addiction, depictions of abuse, substance abuse(?)

This is a character with PTSD that became dependent on extremely unhealthy coping mechanisms for said PTSD. Please be mindful and respectful of that. Signed, someone who also has PTSD.

Generally speaking, his lore is kinda depressing so if you don't fuck with dead dove stuff, turn back now. I'll be using the tag #Sparkhunter for him.

Sparkhunter explained

Prediction algorithm explained

Pre/early war

Constructed cold in Vos, Snapshot was originally kind of shy and reserved. He was a courier before the war and was constructed with spark sensitivity and advanced facial recognition software to better do his job. But deep down he idolized mechs like Nightbeat and always wanted to be a detective/PI. Under functionism that's nigh impossible, but it didn't stop him from creating a personal database of everyone he encountered during his career. Coworkers and the like made note of how he could recognize anyone and give a short blurb about them, and it earned him his namesake. Did he want to make the most of his abilities? Yes. But he was content and comfortable with where he was at, so he kept on delivering packages.

As the war begins, he finds himself delivering medical supplies for the Autobots. The Swarm has been starting to grow and Cybertron is becoming less and less habitable, but he still must carry on. He's then shot down by Decepticon troops over a particularly nasty Swarm infested area. Grounded after a rough crash and with supplies he can't make any use of, it's only a matter of time before he becomes prey to the Swarm (as seen below, bc not everyone knows about it).

Herein enters what I've dubbed the Swarm Queen. A much larger and aggressive member of the failed insecticons. Over the course of a couple weeks, she slowly hunts down Snapshot while tearing him apart piece by piece. This event serves as a major point of trauma for Snapshot and catalyzes several things later down the line, but we'll get to that as it becomes relevant. What matters is him running for his life with a body that's falling apart, being hunted down by a monster that's playing with it's food. It's been weeks, he's low on fuel and severely damaged. The Swarm Queen is finally closing in on him. He can hear it coming closer as he scrabbles for cover, praying that his death is swift and painless. But the jaws of the beast never close around him. In a flash of fire and showmanship befitting a certain young speedster, he's saved from death's clutches by none other than Hot Rod!

Hot Rod calls in a rescue team as he comms base, saying he's found a survivor amidst the wreckage. The two get to know each other as Hot Rod won't stop yapping about what happened to anyone who would listen. People chalk it up to Hot Rod being Hot Rod and move on with their day. But some listen to the story and pay attention when he talks about the mech who survived the entire ordeal. How a young mech by the name of Snapshot survived such a terrifying encounter. How against all odds, he managed to survive and lived to tell the tale. And one day, Snapshot's approached by Prowl with a proposition.

"Hey kid, how would you like to join my Special Ops team as a spy?" But y'know, not said as nicely bc it's Prowl. So the next logical course of action obviously is to fake your death. Can't have the Decepticons drawing connections on a double life, so kill the first one so you can start over. However, 99% of the Autobots weren't told bc you can't expect that many people to keep a secret. This includes Hot Rod, and we will get back to that later.

Decepticon arc/Verator

So here comes along this lil newbie Decepticon named Verator (who is definitely not Snapshot, nope). No one really looks into it bc like. War. They can't afford to be picky about who joins, and they simply just don't know. His ability more than makes up not doing a thorough background check tho. Advanced facial recognition and great memory banks? Sounds like the perfect fit for a Grindcore prison warden to me! It goes about as well as you would expect. He meets Tarn and Skids tho! There is that!! Both are too busy with other matters to really pay attention to Verator tho.

Now, Verator has PTSD from the Swarm incident. He gets really bad nightmares and such involving the attack. Grindcore doesn't help with this matter, so he goes to therapy to try and alleviate the issue. Enter Froid, the most trustworthy guy around. The two have on/off sessions for a while, and don't seem to really get anywhere. Then suddenly Froid has the bright idea that maybe mnemosurgery could actually help and recommends Verator look for any surgeons he could schedule an appointment with.

Trepan. Verator goes to Trepan. Trepan is not a trustworthy mnemosurgeon. Trepan immediately finds out about Verator being a spy. Trepan blackmails and manipulates Verator into letting him "play" with his mind. Trepan is not a good mech. We don't like Trepan.

Essentially, he finds out and decides to have some fun with a tormented Autobot. Through a combination of manipulation, weaponizing guilt, sadism, morbid curiosity, psychosis, and a bit of sparkeater code, Trepan gives Verator a very unhealthy coping mechanism. You see, Verator doesn't like being hungry. It reminds him of the empty tanks he had to live with while being hunted. So we just scramble and corrupt the memories a bit and introduce some spark energy to the tanks and uh oh! Whenever Verator gets hungry now, his higher cognitive functions start to shut down and he becomes a beast with a taste for innermost enegon. The energon fills his tanks and satisfies that new touch of sparkeater with the lingering trace of spark energy found in innermost. Doesn't help that he's always been a bit spark sensitive either.

"Why did Trepan break this poor mech?" I hear you ask. Simple, Trepan is batshit insane and immediately saw an opportunity to see how far a single mech could be pushed before he would break. Getting blackmailed and pressured by both Froid and Trepan now to keep coming back so Verator can "be fixed" only perpetuates the abuse. They mock him for being a failure of an Autobot, standing idly by while his people are being slaughtered in Grindcore. "If they knew, they would want nothing to do with a mech as worthless as you," they say. And they're not entirely wrong.

Verator keeps pinging Prowl all the while with an SOS signal and their exchanges regarding the matter go a little something like this.

"Has your position been compromised to the Decepticons?"

"No, but…"

"Is your life at risk?"

"Not really, but…"

"Then what is the issue."

"I'm being targeted and harassed by two Autobots and they're making my life really difficult."

"Tough shit."

"Help me!"

"Couldn't even if I wanted to. We can't intervene unless you're in active danger or are at risk of breaking cover. Intervening on whatever's going on would bring unwanted attention to you and could put the entire operation at risk. Figure it out yourself."

So Froid and Trepan didn't like the fact that Verator kept pinging the Autobots. They don't want whatever the fuck it is that they're doing to be discovered and shut down.

"Oh honey, don't you know your precious Autobots aren't gonna come save you?"

"Here, let's show Verator how they really feel about him."

So the two sell him out to Pharma, a mech who historically hates Decepticons. Verator is then forced to undergo empurata without even knowing who's operating on him. All he knows is that it's a fellow Autobot, and he's hearing all the things he was afraid of hearing. Being called a traitor, a monster, and a failure of an Autobot.

The secret medical lab is discovered by the Autobots, but not before the operation is finished. Pharma gets away, but Snapshot/Verator is left with the consequences of a body he didn't ask for. On Ratchet's medical berth, he begs for forgiveness. He doesn't want to go back, and he calls himself a bloodthirsty monster. But Prowl doesn't let him quit. He has to go back, and no he's not gonna find out who did this to Snapshot. Prowl suspects Snapshot is getting paranoid, and he doesn't want to cancel the infiltration project this far in.

Snapshot really doesn't like this. He resents Prowl for ignoring his cries for help, and hates him further for the lack of support. Angry and confused about what to do next, he takes matters into his own hands. Froid's gone MIA, but Snapshot knows where Trepan is. So he does what he does best now. Hunt. He finds and attacks Trepan, but is captured and arrested before he can actually kill him.

Soundwave is actually the one who ends up bailing him out. With his all-seeing optics and empath abilities, he always knew. He was just waiting for the right time to step in. Soundwave takes Snapshot to Megatron and effectively has him stand trial before him. It's revealed (to a very small group) that he was operating as an Autobot spy. But Verator boldly claims he no longer wants anything to do with them. He looks up at Megatron, his EMF radiating resentment.

"Look at what they have done to me and ask me again if I call myself one of them. They have done nothing but hurt me and left me without a purpose."

Megatron recognizes that hatred, and finds familiarity in the confused anger. He looks at him with a crooked grin and holds out a servo to the poor mech.

"Then join us instead."

So Verator does. He no longer has a purpose, so the Decepticons give him one. He becomes a double agent for the Decepticons, while Soundwave takes him in as a protege. He gifts Verator a piece of code, to truly make use of his little archival quirk. A code that takes everything he knows about everyone he's ever met, and runs it through a prediction algorithm. With this new ability, he becomes a goddamn tactical fiend. (elaborated on more in the link at the top)

Verator also ends up encountering Swindle, and they end up working together. Verator used to be a courier before the war, so he helps Swindle with delivering his "products" to customers. This job pays pretty well and Verator is able to buy a backpack mod that houses two different pairs of cables which he installs on his back to help him with dexterity, now that his hands are no longer what they used to be. There comes a day where Swindle celebrates a job well done with Verator, and he opens a nice bottle of engex to celebrate. Its main ingredient is distilled innermost energon.

Error warnings pop up across Verator's hud as the sparkhunter reawakens. He thought it was gone, that the empurata finally got rid of it, but in actuality it set the malicious code in stone. The sparkhunter would awaken whenever he was hungry or in danger, but after empurata his processor is now convinced he's always in danger. Now he's stuck drinking innermost, a very expensive and rare form of energon. But Swindle makes another deal with him as a form of apology.

He uh. He offers to pimp Verator out in exchange for providing him with innermost. Look man, he's got cable tentacles! I don't know what you expect from me! Verator of course takes the deal, not that he really has much of a choice. They work everything out and Verator becomes a very popular mech under the name "Toxic". Yes there is reason behind that name, it relates to how someone requests for his services. With all this money and a newfound addiction, Verator splurges on getting a fancy new mouth mod so he can better tap into that instinctual need to get a lil sippy.

Verator meets Tarn again around this time, and thing get… interesting between them. Tarn sees how the small meek warden from Grindcore has grown into a true beast of a mech. He has to have them for himself. Through manipulation and promising to keep Verator fed, he has this brutal weapon of war literally eating out of the palm of his servo. You see, Tarn can afford to keep Verator fed, with him being the leader of the DJD and all. Tarn also pushes Verator to get the heavy body mods that allow for whatever the fuck is going on in the sparkhunter alt mode. Except it's not a true alt mode, just a showcase of said mods and dozens of micro transformations. Tarn quite literally shapes the sparkhunter into being, through pressuring Verator to lean into more monstrous motifs and teaching him how to brutally kill others.

He also kinda pulls a Getaway/Tailgate with Verator. And almost completes the Conjunx Ritus with him. But Tarn holds off the final act of service and instead says Verator will know when that time comes, when Tarn asks for the one act that will prove his loyalty.

With everything that's going on with Verator, it's not a surprise he quickly rises through the Decepticon ranks. Shrouded in mystery, but a terrifying piece on the chessboard that only few are privy to knowing about. And yet, he can't help but to ask if this was the right path to walk on. But it's truly too late to turn back now.

And then the war ends.

Verator is stuck in the Kimia wreckage along with all of the other Decepticons, but he knows he can't stay on Cybertron. If he does, it's only a matter of time before the Autobots find out he's betrayed them, and how he's been stringing them along for millions of years. He hears about the Lost Light, an unaligned ship. Verator looks at where he's come from and finally asks himself if this is the life he's always wanted. He's about to finally face judgement and he's not ready yet. So with his Sparkhunter alt mode and Soundwave's blessing, he makes for the Lost Light and seeks the nostalgic comfort of an old friend.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

So "Dodge" is now named the ridiculous word "Stellantis"?

That's not a car name...that's a fucking MEDICATION name!

"Ask your doctor if Stellantis is right for you!*

*May cause anal bleeding, ear leakage, suicidal ideation and hives.

[987654521]

Things to Consider When Selecting A Web Development Company

In today's marketplace, you must have more than just a digital presence to take advantage of extra opportunities and draw in clients. You will have a hard time making back your investment if your website is not dynamic and of high quality.

Unfortunately, a lot of businesses don't grasp what a company website should be. Fast loading, tracking enabled, mobile-ready, enabled CMS, strong security, and SEO savvy are just a few of the website features that expand your brand's reach and draw in millions of users.

You should contract with a reputable web development company to create your website if you want to be sure it has all of these elements. How many of you have heard of companies that engaged web developers but got a poor-quality product?

The following are the most significant aspects to consider when selecting a web development business.

1. How well do they grasp your company's needs?

Start by learning how they respond to your needs. Look at their client list and the previous Ideation and Strategy Services they have offered. Each client's unique needs should guide his or her approach to providing solutions.

Do they all seem to have the same answers? They created template websites at random, or did they research the clients' intended audience? Were these clever designs that captured the essence of the brand, or were they merely commonplace, trendy designs?

A professional web development business puts itself in your shoes and proposes solutions that are tailored to your demands, brand, goals, and target audience.

2. Look into the business

It's critical to choose a web design company that is well-established, knowledgeable, and trustworthy, with an excellent reputation and a demonstrated expertise in web design and related skills like web development, SEO, and digital transformation services. The web design company you choose to create your site will actually hold the future of your business in its hands.

To find out more about the experience, offerings, level of competence, and specialized skills of each possible web design company, go through their websites. Look for customer testimonials or case studies on the business's website in addition to reading reviews on independent websites like Google, Facebook, the Better Business Bureau, the Yellow Pages, and Trustpilot.

3. Analyse your compatibility

Engaging a web development firm is engaging a technological partner. If you are satisfied with their service, this partner will probably be a part of your company for many years. Spending a little more time upfront can save your company time and money in the long run. It can be expensive and time-consuming to switch web hosts.

Learn as much as you can about the person you are hiring for this long-term partnership. Find out what they value, how they work, and how they treat their employees in addition to considering the quality and effectiveness of their jobs. Although trustworthiness and credibility are equally crucial qualities, it would also be wonderful if you like them.

4. List the essential components of your website

Before speaking with agencies, establish a list of requirements that are non-negotiable. This will make the vetting process much simpler, ensure that you don't overlook any important details throughout the sales process, and help you swiftly reduce your list of prospects to those who meet all of your criteria. Create a second wish list for things that aren't a deal breaker but could influence your choice of agency (e.g., logo design, secure hosting, content creation, ongoing digital marketing, experience with print design, etc.), in addition to your basic requirements (e.g., experience with WordPress, responsive design, ability to integrate with third-party systems).

5. Analyse the skills of their team.

Analyze their skill-set development experience and aptitude. A wide range of fields are represented among qualified resources. They need to understand front-end and back-end, best practices for web development, algorithms, databases, and different architectures.

A reputable web development business often possesses a thorough understanding of the sector as well as a few specialized skills. They should also have solution architects, QA engineers, scrum masters, team leads, and graphic designers in addition to web developers and graphic designers.

6. Understand your budget and schedule.

You may choose the ideal web design partner by being aware of your new website's budget and completion timeline. Set a budget range rather than a fixed price for the work, and be sure to carefully review the estimate to ascertain what is included as well as how much you will be charged for additional fees and services. Your timeline is another important consideration.

Ask agency candidates for an honest assessment of whether they can meet the deadline, any challenges they anticipate with your timeline, and what they would do differently if they had to. If you have a hard deadline for the site launch, such as before a major industry event, product launch, or sales cycle, be sure to communicate that deadline to agency candidates.

7. Make the first call to discuss your idea and arrange a meeting:

On this initial call, pay notice to their demeanor. Were they kind and approachable? Do they ask questions about your company and the details of the position, or do they launch into a pitch right away? Because you should view this company as a long-term agency partner, chemistry is essential. When you sign on as a client, you might not deal with the person who answers the phone very much, but they still represent the company's overall personality, so make sure it feels right.

[nothinggathers]

DBH Fic Masterlist

One shots

In Another Life - Explicit - Connor goes to see Hank during Night of the Soul and finds him dangling by a thread. Desperate to save Hank, Connor delves into his own software to re-examine events and find out where he went wrong. (Featuring art from @glass-noodle​)

Warning: Major Character Death, suicidal ideation

Viewfinder - Mature - Human AU. Connor investigates the murder of a twin, and finds that he’s caught the attention of someone that doesn’t respect his privacy.

Warning: Stalking, violence

Impatient - PWP - Human AU - Connor works at a tacky wings bar and hooks up with Hank in the alley

Dirty Laundry - PWP - Human AU - Hank has inappropriate feelings for the college student renting his spare room which he’s content to keep to himself, until he finds out the pictures of a guy that looks just like him don’t just look like him.

Warning: Drunk sex, post break-up revenge porn

The Mermaid of Fox Creek - Teen - Mermaid AU - Hank finds a broken down merdroid on the beach and takes him home, inadvertently teaching him to like soft things and How It’s Made before falling a little bit in love.

Night of the Soul - NC-17 - Canonverse - In the aftermath of the raid on Jericho Hank is spiraling, until Connor comes to ask for his help...

Warning: Rape by deception

Scandal - NC-17 - Modern Royalty AU - His Royal Highness, Henry Prince of Wales and his valet, Connor, share a few stolen minutes in the depths of a forbidden tryst that would ruin them both if it came to light.

Close To Me Always - G - Hank reflects on his relationship with Connor in the aftermath of his loss.

Warning: Major Character Death

Beautiful - Teen - Connor finds the imperfection and impermanence of Hank’s body beautiful, and Hank shows Connor that his body bears the marks of living too.

Ensoulment - G - Connor reads fairytales and ruminates on his own personhood

Ghosts in the Machines - Explicit - Reverse AU (Featuring art from @winterbaroness and @vladlen4i) - Detective Stern and his prototype android partner investigate murders and the disappearances of androids, and realise there is so much more to this than there seems....

Only Fools Rush In - Explicit - Post revolution Hank and Connor have been just friends, until Connor bids on Hank at a charity date auction.

Cross my heart and hope to live - Mature - Human Mafia AU - Connor is a hitman working under Hank when a job goes wrong and he gets badly hurt. But help arrives in time.

Warning: Suicidal thoughts mentioned

Series

Two Smiles - Explicit - Modern Human AU set in real world London

Getting Home - Connor is gravely injured on a stakeout and Hank puts him up in his home while he recovers, but feelings they’ve both done their best not to acknowledge blossom under the unique circumstances.

Warnings: Graphic depiction of injury

Pendulum - Hank and Connor’s relationship develops over the following months, and Connor is faced with some difficult decisions about what direction he wants to go in the future.

Warnings: References to criminal cases involving rape, spousal abuse, child abuse, child death, alcoholism.

Also includes references to Hank’s recovering alcoholism

This Isn’t Meant To Last - Explicit - Human Prostitute AU set in a world where indentured servitude was never illegalised

One Night - Hank’s idiot friends drag him to a brothel on a drunken night out, and he finds himself alone with a doe eyed beauty that thinks Hank is the one that needs to be rescued.

Warnings: Prostitution

Yours - Hank returns even though he knows he shouldn’t, and he’s determined to help get Connor out of there, but he doesn’t know just how terrible Connor’s situation really is.

Warnings: Sibling incest, aftermath of violence, heaping amounts of angst, dubious consent, drug use, prostitution.

Icarus - Connor signs a deal that offers freedom for himself and Nines, but how much should he trust Elijah Kamski, and who will catch him when the wax melts? Ongoing.

Warnings: Prostitution, angst, dubious consent

Reverse Physiology - RP logs undertaken with @sevdrag set in a Reverse AU and then cleaned up for publishing

History - Detective Connor Stern thinks the HK800 Cyberlife assigned to the DPD for these deviancy cases might be more than just a machine, but the HK800 in question, Hank, disagrees. Until he doesn’t.

Reciprocity - Explicit - A year on, Hank the HK800 and Detective Stern are still working together, dancing around a mutual attraction as clumsily as they can. When Connor is injured at a crime scene Hank takes him home to take care of him, and things spill over.

Mutuality - Explicit - Connor plans to start the New Year as he means to go on: by finally telling Hank how he feels, and where they stand.

Public Service Opportunity - Explicit - Hank and Connor get very carried away in the DPD bathroom. And again at home.

Our Solemn Hour - Collaboration undertaken with @sevdrag and @glass-noodle. A medieval AU in which Connor is the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Detroit, until his mother and father are killed in a rebellion. His brother Nines flees, but Connor is captured and held prisoner by men that have no love for him. Except Hank, who falls for him, and then works to try and help get Connor out so he can safely reunite with his brother.

Momentary Rest - Hank helps to clean up Connor’s wounds following an evening where he was forced to entertain his captors.

Warnings: Reference to sexual assault, injury

Cruel Intentions - Explicit - Hank and Connor have grown close. Close enough that when the rebels want information out of Connor, they know it’s not him they need to hurt.

Warnings: Graphic scenes of torture

Defeat - Explicit - Connor is regularly pulled away from the safety of his and Hank’s cell to occupy the men for the evening. Except this evening, they decide to have their fun with Connor and Hank in their cell, and force Hank to participate in Connor’s brutalisation.

Warnings: Graphic rape, injury

Pawn - Explicit - Connor is a chess piece in a game his father began, but his opponents mistake him for a pawn when he is in fact royal. Connor strategises, planning how to get himself and Hank out of there, while doing whatever he must to survive. And at the end he finds a new piece on his side.

Warnings: Graphic rape, injury

[softwaredevelopmentindia-one]

Empowering Your Digital Journey: Unveiling the Expertise of Microlent in Web and Mobile Development Solutions

In today’s digital-first world, the imperative for businesses to build a robust online presence and engage with their customers through sophisticated web and mobile platforms has never been more critical. This demand has spurred the rise of innovative web development service providers like Microlent, based in India, which has carved a niche for itself by offering a broad spectrum of web and mobile development services tailored to meet the evolving digital needs of businesses across the globe.

The Philosophy Behind Microlent’s Approach to Software Development

Microlent stands out in the crowded landscape of web development services by adopting a philosophy that extends beyond mere coding and delivery. For Microlent, software development is an art form that encompasses understanding client needs, conceptualizing innovative solutions, and executing development with precision, ensuring the delivery of products that are not only functional but also scalable, secure, and aligned with the client's business goals.

Web Application Development at Microlent: Bridging Business Objectives with Digital Excellence

Web application development is a cornerstone of Microlent's service offerings. In an era where the digital interface often serves as the first point of interaction between a business and its customers, Microlent recognizes the importance of creating web applications that are not only visually appealing but also user-friendly, responsive, and optimized for conversions.

Microlent’s web development process is comprehensive, beginning with a deep dive into understanding the client’s industry, target audience, and unique business challenges. This initial analysis is followed by the design and development phases, where the focus is on employing the latest web technologies and frameworks to build applications that deliver a seamless user experience across all devices.

Whether it’s creating an e-commerce platform that simplifies the shopping process, a content management system that enables easy content updates, or a custom business application designed to streamline operations, Microlent’s web application development services are tailored to meet the diverse needs of businesses in today’s digital age.

Mobile and Tablet Application Development: Capturing the Mobile-First Audience

With the exponential rise in smartphone and tablet usage globally, mobile applications have become a vital channel for businesses to engage with their customers. Microlent’s mobile and tablet application development services are designed to help businesses capitalize on this opportunity by creating engaging, high-performance applications that enhance customer experience and foster brand loyalty.

Microlent’s expertise spans across native and cross-platform development, ensuring that clients receive the most suitable solution for their needs. From ideation to launch, Microlent works closely with clients to develop mobile applications that are not only visually stunning but also embody functionality, usability, and scalability. This holistic approach ensures that the mobile apps developed by Microlent stand out in the competitive app marketplace and drive business growth.

Why Microlent is the Go-To Partner for Web and Mobile Development Needs

Customized Development Approach : Microlent believes in creating bespoke solutions that are meticulously tailored to fit the unique requirements and business objectives of each client.

Technical Expertise and Innovation : With a team of highly skilled developers, designers, and project managers, Microlent stays at the forefront of technological advancements and innovative design trends.

Quality and Security : Adhering to the highest standards of quality and security, Microlent ensures that every project is delivered with utmost attention to detail, undergoing rigorous testing and quality assurance processes.

End-to-End Service Offering : From strategic planning and design to development, deployment, and ongoing support, Microlent offers comprehensive services to guide clients through every step of their digital transformation journey.

Client-Centric Focus : Microlent places a strong emphasis on client collaboration and transparency, ensuring open communication, timely updates, and the flexibility to adapt to changing requirements throughout the project lifecycle. Conclusion

In conclusion, as businesses continue to navigate the complexities of digital transformation, partnering with a seasoned web and mobile development service provider like Microlent can make all the difference. With its holistic approach, commitment to innovation, and unwavering focus on client satisfaction, Microlent is poised to help businesses harness the power of digital technology to achieve their strategic objectives and thrive in the digital era.

[advertflair-3d]

The Evolution of Augmented Reality Design: From Concept to Creation

In recent years, the field of augmented reality (AR) has witnessed a remarkable evolution, transforming from a futuristic concept into a tangible and transformative technology that is shaping various industries. This shift has been greatly propelled by the innovative work of augmented reality design agencies, which have played a pivotal role in refining and actualizing AR experiences. Let's delve into the fascinating journey of AR design, exploring how it has evolved from concept to creation.

The Early Days: Conceptualizing AR

Augmented reality, as a concept, emerged with ambitious visions of overlaying digital information onto the real world through advanced technology. The earliest ideas stemmed from science fiction and speculative research, envisioning a future where digital elements seamlessly integrate with our physical environment. It was a concept that sparked the imagination of tech enthusiasts and designers alike.

Pioneering Technologies

The evolution of AR design was closely tied to the development of enabling technologies. Key milestones included the advent of smartphones with sophisticated sensors and processing power, which made AR accessible through mobile apps. Additionally, advancements in computer vision, 3D modeling, and spatial tracking systems laid the groundwork for more immersive and responsive AR experiences.

AR Design Agencies: Shaping the Landscape

As the potential of AR became apparent, specialized design agencies began to emerge, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of this technology. These agencies brought together multidisciplinary teams comprising UX/UI designers, 3D artists, software engineers, and AR specialists. Their mission: to bridge the gap between concept and reality, crafting compelling and functional AR solutions.

From Concept to Creation

The journey of an AR project typically begins with ideation and conceptualization. Design agencies collaborate closely with clients to understand objectives, target audience, and context. This phase involves sketching out user journeys, storyboarding interactions, and defining the visual style.

Next comes prototyping and iterative design. AR designers leverage tools like Unity, Unreal Engine, and specialized AR development kits to bring concepts to life in a virtual space. They refine interactions, test usability, and iterate based on feedback to ensure a seamless and engaging user experience.

Challenges and Innovations

AR design isn't without its challenges. Designers must contend with technical constraints, such as device compatibility and performance optimization, while maintaining a focus on user-centric design principles. However, these challenges fuel innovation, prompting agencies to explore novel solutions and experiment with emerging technologies like spatial computing and wearable AR devices.

The Impact on Industries

Today, AR design agencies are transforming industries across the board. From retail and marketing to healthcare and education, AR is revolutionizing how businesses engage with their customers and stakeholders. Immersive product experiences, virtual try-ons, interactive training modules—these are just a few examples of AR applications that are reshaping traditional practices.

Looking Ahead: The Future of AR Design

The evolution of augmented reality design is far from over. As technology continues to advance, we can expect even more sophisticated AR experiences that blur the lines between digital and physical realities. Design agencies will continue to lead this charge, harnessing creativity and innovation to unlock the full potential of AR across diverse sectors.

In conclusion, the evolution of augmented reality design—from its conceptual origins to its current state of innovation—demonstrates the transformative power of human imagination and technological progress. As we embrace this exciting era of AR, we can anticipate that design agencies will remain at the forefront, shaping the way we interact with and experience the world around us.

If you're considering embarking on an AR project or seeking to leverage AR for your business, partnering with a specialized augmented reality design agency can be the key to unlocking groundbreaking experiences that captivate and inspire. As we witness the evolution of AR design, one thing is certain: the future promises to be even more immersive and extraordinary than we can imagine.

[makuojinanwa]

How To Create A Content Marketing Strategy For Your SaaS Business

Whether you're starting conversations that engage your target audience, sharing information that positions your SaaS business as an industry leader, or simply drumming up business for your SaaS product, you need an effective SaaS content marketing strategy.

Why you may ask?

Because 63% of customers cite web pages during their evaluation process. And on the average, companies that blog receive 434% more indexed pages. If, on an industry-wide scale, you have nearly 10 times more leads from long form blog posts than short ones, then content marketing is a priority if you want to grow your SaaS business long term.

In this guide, we'll discuss SaaS content marketing strategy. And by the end, you'll know what content strategy is, why you need one and when to apply it. Then you'll get a step-by-step process of creating a content strategy unique to your SaaS business.

Defining SaaS Content Strategy

If you don't understand content strategy, we'll explain what it is before we get to the why and when.

So what is content strategy?

Content strategy is simply all the content processes a business employs to get prospects to buy their product or service. There's

#Audience Research

#Business Model

#Content Ideation

#Media Platforms

#Content Creation

#Distribution &

#Evaluation

And as a SaaS business owner, SaaS content strategy is simply a content strategy that accounts for your SaaS business model.

SaaS companies like Canva, Buffer and HubSpot have executed robust content marketing strategies that have scaled their lead generation and subscription efforts.

Specifically, Grammarly has a blog that educates their readers on writing styles and technique. Their blog has over 100,000 subscribers and their content has over 5 million views.

These readers get freemium access to their editing tool. They number 30 million users. And a good number of these readers end up paying for their editing software.

As a SaaS business owner, you can aim for similar success, cheap and exponential business growth, with an effective SaaS content strategy.

Benefit Of SaaS Content Strategy

Focus stands out amongst content strategy benefits like exponential growth and cheap lead generation. Joe Pulizzi stressed the importance of content strategy and expanded on focus as a SaaS content strategy benefit when he said this…

"We need to create a business strategy for our content. That means saying no to many channels and content types, and focus on where we can build an asset, an audience, overtime."

- Joe Pulizzi

A good SaaS content strategy saves time and energy that would otherwise be spent talking to the void. Strategy quickly gets you closer to what works. By studying your target market, you discover not just what to say, but where and when to say it.

Let's take HubSpot for instance here.

HubSpot's blog posts are comprehensive guides to unlock business growth via sales and marketing. Their blog content has a strong bias towards explaining theories and practices. But on their Instagram page, we observe something different. Content is more conversational and personable. Learning takes a back seat to experience and entertainment.

Their blog readers and Instagram followers are different. And even when these audiences overlap, we see different attitudes for different platforms. And in this case, the same lead is in a different mindset depending on which platform they consume HubSpot's content.

We can see that HubSpot's approach to content creation and distribution considers platform culture when talking about the same topics. These content strategy insights come from studying market behavior on search engines and different social media platforms.

So now they don't have to work mindlessly. They have knowledge and a plan on how to use relevant content to generate leads and sales.

This is the process of creating a content strategy and you can do the same for your SaaS business.

When To Use SaaS Content Strategy

From time to time, I find founders and aspiring entrepreneurs asking when to use content strategy in their business.

My answer?

Start as soon as you can. In fact, you should have started yesterday even if you don't have a product or market. Surprised? Let me explain.

Early Stage SaaS Companies

You see, a content strategy is valuable because of what it makes you do. You can't have a strategy to engage a market if you first don't know your core service or product, and who would need your offer.

Say you're a digital marketer helping e-commerce stores increase website traffic. And you hope to sell software services to e-commerce store owners in the future. You could use a content strategy where you document your process of helping e-commerce websites grow their traffic.

Now you're engaging your market while figuring out other problems they may have that would be worth a SaaS tool. Before UberSuggest, Neil Patel ran his digital marketing blog for many years. He offered educational content to digital marketers and online entrepreneurs on how to grow their businesses. Now his SaaS tool, UberSuggest, helps entrepreneurs with keywords for their content marketing efforts.

Established SaaS Companies

On the other hand, established SaaS businesses can improve the value of their business by having another option to generate leads and sales. Outbound processes like cold calling and emailing can be effective and sustainable. But adding inbound processes like content marketing to the mix increase lead gen options and strengthens outbound processes too.

Regardless of where you are in your SaaS journey, creating a good SaaS content strategy keeps you in touch with your product and market.

Now having understood what a SaaS content strategy is and can do, let's get into the weeds of creating one.

Defining Your Market

All effective SaaS content strategy starts out with a defined market. As a SaaS business owner, ask yourself these questions…

Who needs what you sell?

Why do they have this need?

What would they feel like when said need is satisfied?

What else do they do outside finding said satisfaction?

These questions give you an opportunity to understand your market. Say you sell business software to freelance writers and content creators. Freelance writers and content creators need high paying clients and commercial success with their audience respectively.

But is that all?

It isn't. Dig deeper.

For a freelance writer, higher paying clients mean

Reduced Anxiety

Meaningful Work &

Time Freedom

And for the content creator, a profitable product they own means

Income Stability

Creative Freedom &

Work Satisfaction

As an owner of your business software, you now know what your editing or invoice software actually means to your market. You know their needs and what they'll feel like when satisfied.

So it's time to find them.

SaaS Content Strategy Platforms

We've answered the above questions for your hypothetical software business except for what content creators and freelance writers do outside their core jobs.

Answering the last question brings up more questions…

Do they consume business content from online gurus?

Do they take courses from fellow writers and bloggers?

What about search and social groups where they interact with fellow content creators and freelancers?

Remember, we're trying to find out their hangout spots online. So wherever they spend their time online is a potential content strategy platform. Content strategy platforms are places that shape your tone and approach to creating engaging content that converts prospects.

You can speak with your customers to get an idea of how they spend their online hours when they're not working. Of course you can't go around asking awkward questions like

'Where do you spend your time online?'.

Instead, you can say something like

'What's your most inspiring piece of educational content in the last 2 months?'

'Who's making content that gets you excited?'

'What obstacles do you face that often hinder your productivity?' (By the way, whoever is offering courses or creating content to solve that problem is a potential content strategy platform.)

Get a list of these content strategy platforms and go to work studying your market. You'll find yourself in reddit channels, comment sections of Instagram accounts and YouTube channels. You'll pick up Twitter trends and read blog comments.

Before long, the picture of your market becomes clear. You'll be full of content and distribution ideas for your content marketing campaign. Your SEO keyword search would be much more robust instead of staring at keyword software charts with frustration.

Back to our hypothetical software business. Your market research would take you to content strategy platforms like Ali Abdaal, Dan Koe, Zulie Rane, Gary Vee and Roberto Blake. These creators serve the typical content creator and freelance writer. Observe how they talk and what they talk about in the comment sections of these influencer accounts.

Now you know exactly what your market wants and you know how to create content for them.

It's time to engage and convert.

Engaging And Converting Your Audience

Many SaaS companies get it right up to this point but skid off track at this crucial bend. They lose because they want to engage their prospects on the company's terms. Don't make that mistake.

Remember our earlier conversation about HubSpot's approach to their blog and Instagram accounts?

Good.

They observed that business owners on search engines such as Google, have search intent to learn about new information and products to solve business problems. So HubSpot's blog attracts them with big prominent blog titles and small author bylines.

Blog Titles

Picture of HubSpot's SERP

Blog Titles and Author Bylines

Picture of HubSpot's Blog Post

You get the sense that it's ideas first before people. On the other hand, business owners and professionals who want to unwind while being social on Instagram, dictate HubSpot's Instagram approach to content creation. Here, social interaction and entertainment are priority over ideas and education.

Personality Over Theory

Picture of HubSpot's Instagram account

It's not enough to create content, you have to do so native to each platform. This is where strategy bleeds into tactics. Let's talk team building.

Building A Content Team

Having understood what it takes to create a practical SaaS content strategy, it's time to roll up your sleeves and get to tactics. You could start solo but at some point, you'd need to build a team.

We'll examine 4 factors that determine the success of your team. They're

Vision

Roles

Collaboration &

Accountability

We'll begin with vision.

Vision

Your vision is volume and creativity. You have a SaaS content strategy and ideas to engage your prospects. But to get results, you need to create and distribute as much content as possible.

We're talking 20-30 social media posts daily with at least 3-10 social engagements per post. Write blog posts, record podcasts and YouTube videos on a daily basis. Repurpose your long form posts for social. You want to find what sticks.

This is hard work but that's the real secret to content marketing success.

Especially at the beginning, you have to find out what actually works. So volume and creativity is the vision when hiring a content marketing team. At such volume, in 3-5 years, you'll evaluate content activity and do more of what engages your market. And consistent sales roll in.

There are no shortcuts to this game. It's not a sprint or a marathon, it's both. The long hard road is the easiest and shortest one. Get to work. As entrepreneurs, we instinctively understand that outbound processes like cold calling are a numbers game but we don't apply it to content marketing.

There are so many intangible content marketing skills that can only be mastered via the fire hose approach. So when building your content marketing team, your overarching vision is that big is better.

Roles

You want big and better, so it's time to get you a content marketing team who can achieve your goals. I'd say that there are 3 major content marketing roles.

Director

Manager &

Creative

When you were creating your content marketing strategy for your hypothetical SaaS company, you played the director role. In addition to setting the vision for content strategy, a director of content analyses and adjusts content efforts to achieve customer and company goals.

The manager is in charge of content production and adjacent processes. They hire creatives, supervise them and build systems that guarantee the right flow of content creation and distribution.

Creatives create content assets, engage with professionals within your business and prospects via content strategy platforms. They also collaborate with both manager and director to improve their creative processes.

Collaboration

Team collaboration with each other and the larger organization decides success. On the director level, they have to find a balance between customer satisfaction and company goals.

When creating a content strategy, these 2 criteria guide the content strategy process. Many times, the director is the link between C-suite and the content marketing branch of the company.

The manager, in many ways, is the middleman. They make strategy, from the director, and tactics from creatives, align. Giving strategy legs, and tactics direction, leads to a successful conveyor belt of content assets and development of customer-company relationships.

Creatives who collaborate effectively with their managers, get to do meaningful and result-driven work.

Accountability

Accountability is probably the only way to see through projects. We'll look at 3 ways to hold both you and the team accountable for your roles.

I. Set Realistic Goals

At the beginning you want the team to start with small achievable goals. A social media content creator who hasn't done more than 5 posts a day shouldn't start their first day on the job creating 30 social media posts daily.

II. Set General Guidelines And Standards

Something as simple as adequate communication during work hours should be basic. Team chats and emails shouldn't be left unattended for 3 days without prior notification of a new development. Team members should attend meetings.

III. Assign Specific Tasks To Individual

A good example here would be creatives being in charge of content creation and distribution. They're not responsible for engagement results. That's the responsibility of the manager and director.

Conclusion

As we draw this guide to a close, it's important to note that content marketing strategy will always be worth its business results. And since ever-changing markets affect business results, you'll always have to evaluate your tactics and strategy.

At the beginning of your content marketing efforts, a strategy, content schedule and distribution map, should be the goal. It isn't about the number of views as it's about the number of content pieces you create. And that's why volume is important.

A year or 2 into this flurry of activity, all content strategy platforms would show noticeable patterns of engagement. Some content pieces would have more engagement than others. This is where evaluation comes in.

Ditch what doesn't work and do more of what does. Scaling what works at this point would grow views and traffic. Just as we discussed, content marketing strategy is the first in a series of steps to generate leads and sales for your business.

If you have further questions about SaaS content strategy or content marketing in general, leave a comment below and it'll be addressed.