#here's my contribution to make up for the lack of crumbs we have received this season

[spaceprincessem]

Flying

A Titans Dick/Kory meeting AU based off of the prompt: The ride won’t allow single riders so you are forced to sit with a stranger meet up AU (Can also read on AO3)

Dick loved his friends. They were his family, his partners, his backup in battle. He would do anything for them. Despite his fondness for his found team it wasn’t enough to stop him from internally groaning when Dawn suggested they go to the amusement park on their day off. It wasn’t that Dick didn’t enjoy the rides, he loved roller coasters and, when Donna convinced him to break his healthy eating habits, a funnel cake every now and then. The problem was their group consisted of five people, which meant someone would always be a single rider. Every time they had gone out to do something like this everyone was pretty good about splitting up taking that position, but now, it was pretty obvious who all the match ups were going to be. Hank and Dawn had been together a little over a year and Garth and Donna occasionally flirted. Dick knew Garth was wanting to take the next step, so how could he deny his friend the chance to grab Donna’s hand when the coast plunged to the bottom from it’s terrifyingly high drop? This meant that Dick would be the solo rider for the day.

“We could always make Hank ride by himself on this one.” Dawn suggested as they neared the front of the line for one of the parks most popular coasters.

“You know he’s going to need to hold your hand when he gets scared, Dawn.” Garth teased.

Hank wrapped his arm around Dawn, smiling. “I wasn’t the one screaming bloody murder on the last coaster, pal.” He said, lightly poking Garth in the chest, causing the others to laugh.

“It’s not a big deal.” Dick said with a shrug of his shoulders. “As long as the other single rider they put with me doesn’t puke this time.” Dick secretly thanked his god like reflexes and acrobatic skills. He had narrowly avoided the trail of vomit from his ride partner two roller coasters ago. The girl had profusely apologized, but Dick was just happy it didn’t ruin their trip.

“Yeah, that was almost a disaster.” Donna said as they moved to the front of the line.

“How many?” The ride attendant asked in a miserable voice.

“Five.” Garth responded before the attendant pointed them to their seats.

“Does anyone have a group of three to fill up this cart?” The attendant yelled to the fellow line goers.

 “Oh! Us!” A boy shouted as he jumped up and down in the air, a large grin on his face.

“Step forward.” The attendant motioned, letting them through the gate.

Dick watched a teenage boy with shockingly bright green hair, a small teenage girl with dark, blue hair, and the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen move through the crowd. Dick felt his heart hammer in his chest as she moved across the platform, fiery hair swishing down her back, her emerald eyes sparkling with joy as she watched the teens run to their spot. He realized with both absolute joy and terror that she was heading to the same spot he was.

“Kory, you don’t mind that Rachel and I ride together on this one, do you?” The boy asked as the girl named Rachel nodded her head in agreement.

 She laughed, a magical sound, as she said, “Not at all, Gar.”

He watched the two teens high five and start to move into the seats just in front of him. The woman, named Kory, walked over to where he was standing, still watching her with wide eyes. For a brief moment he could have sworn he saw Hank and Donna shoot him a thumbs up before they took their seats.

 “Mind if I’m your ride partner for this one?” She asked.

 Dick took a second to realize she was talking to him before he shook his head, returning her smile. “Not at all.” He moved into his seat and she climbed in next to him, her hand brushing against his as she reached for her seatbelt.

“You’re not one of those people who come to amusement parks by themselves, are you?” She asked with an inquisitive eyebrow.

Dick laughed. “No, I just have the unfortunate circumstance of being in a friend group of two couples.” He said as he nodded to the next car ahead where his friends were sitting. “Those your kids?” He asked as he indicated towards Rachel and Gar who were chatting excitedly about the ride.

Kory beamed with pride as she nodded her head. “Not biologically, but we’re a found family so to speak. We found each other when we needed it most. I would do anything for them.”

Dick could feel his insides melt as he bathed in her warmth and happiness. He understood what it was like to choose your family. “Even brave riding with a stranger on a roller coaster, how kind of you.” He teased as the ride attendants came around to check that they were properly buckled.

Kory laughed. “My name is Kory.” She said as she held her hand out to him.

Dick took it, noticing her skin was smooth and warm in his own rough and calloused ones. “Dick Grayson.”

“Well, Dick,” she hummed, her tongue clicking as she said his name, “now we’re not strangers.”

Before Dick could say anything more the two teenagers briefly turned around in their seats, their smiles wide as they looked at Kory.

“Don’t forget our themed pose for this one!” Gar said.

“Super serious super model smolder, correct?” Kory asked bemused.

“That’s the one!” Rachel agreed. “The camera is at the bottom of the second hill, so be prepared.”

“Will do.” Kory said before they faced forward again. The cart began to move up the tracks, slowly, the ticking of the chains growing louder as they went up hill.

“Themed poses?” Dick asked, curious.

“Our tradition is to take a bunch of themed photos on all of the rides that have cameras.” Kory explained. “We pick the funniest or best one and buy it to take home. You should see how many terrible roller coaster photos we have.”

Dick couldn’t even begin to tell her how much he would very much like to see that. He had been a single rider many times over the past year, but he had never met anyone quite like the woman that was sitting next to him now. He couldn’t stop his pounding heartbeat. “So smoldering super model, huh?” He asked, already thinking of the perfect pose.

Kory eyed him curiously, a small smirk playing on her lips. “Let’s see your best shot, Mr. Grayson.”

The roller coaster inched its way to the top and Dick looked out over the park. He loved the feeling of the first drop, it was like an adrenaline rush he could only mimic while he was fighting crime or speeding through the streets on his motorcycle. “The first drop is my favorite,” he said as they neared the peak, “it almost feels like-“

“Flying.” Kory finished for him.

“Yeah,” Dick said, a surprise smile over taking his handsome features, “just like flying.” He was able to meet her green eyes for a moment longer before the coaster tipped over the hill, starting their ride.

When the car pulled into the station Dick and Kory were laughing. Dick watched as Kory tucked her wind swept hair behind her ears. As soon as she was out of the cart Rachel and Gar grabbed her hands, dragging her down the ramp.

“I think this will be our best one.” Gar said happily. “I had the perfect lip pout.”

“I’m sure you did.” Kory said. She threw her head over her shoulder, her eyes meeting with Dick’s, a smile filling her lips.

Dick for his part was frozen in his spot for a moment, not sure what to do. His trance was only broken when he felt strong arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him towards the exit.

“Please tell me you got her number.” Hank said, with Garth nodding in agreement.

“Yeah, if you don’t I will.” Donna agreed, elbowing her best friend playfully in the side.

“I-uh…” Dick was speechless as they moved into the guest shop to see their roller coaster picture. He looked up at the different faces flashing across the screen, laughing at Garth’s terrified expression.

“I told you my lips had the perfect pout.” He heard Gar say as he pointed up at one of the screens.

“Rachel your eyes are intense.” Kory noted as she looked at the picture, her hands on her hips.

“And Kory looks gorgeous as always.” Rachel said with a happy sigh. “I see that your ride partner also participated.”

Dick caught sight of their picture and grinned at his perfect model face. Rachel had been right, though, Kory did look simply gorgeous. Her lips were slightly parted, eyes staring directly at the camera with fierce intensity, her fiery hair perfectly blown around her face.

“We’re definitely getting this one.” Gar said.

Dick watched as Kory moved to the counter to buy the photo. He swallowed the lump in his throat, not knowing what to do. Before he could make a move she was already heading towards his group, the teens in tow behind her, grins plastered on their faces.

Dick cleared his throat as Kory stopped just in front of them. “Thanks for being my ride partner.” He said pathetically. He could go up against terrible villains and bad guys, but for some reason, when faced with a beautiful person, all of his courage faltered.

“Thanks for completing our photo.” She said as she handed him an extra one that she bought. “This is so you don’t forget about us.” She said.

He took the photo, smiling at the gift. Kory turned to leave as Gar suggested which ride to go to next. Dick caught sight of Rachel mouthing “turn it over” before she ran to catch up with her small family. Dick raised an eyebrow as he flipped the photo over. In neat handwriting was Kory’s name and telephone number. Dick grinned as he ran after the small group.    

#dickkory #titans #dick grayson #koriand'r #robstar #robin #starfire #tt #here's my contribution to make up for the lack of crumbs we have received this season #eat well my dickkory fam eat well

[katherinewilliams221b]

For A Greater Good Fun Facts and Self Assesment (spoilers)

Long Post

What worked and what didn’t:

I think the overall structure worked pretty well. The most difficult part was, with the plot and subplot already created, scattering all those ideas throughout the text in such a way that at least made some sense. I regret not writing more about Mer Yankelevich, I feel like the crumbs I left on the way were not enough; in my attempt to make it subtle it lacked information about her. The key piece was of course her sister, and I should have introduced her sooner.

MC’s evolution. I feel like Kate’s learnt a lot with this experience (I’m not only referring to the Deathly Hallows or Grindelwald) When it started, she was very discreet and kept a low profile, not knowing what to do really, not taking more risks than necessary. And then she ended poisoned and splinching just to protect a document she thought was important. I hope her evolution is noticeable for the reader.

Worldbuilding. Grabbing HP concepts that were forgotten and full of potential, plus a dash of original ideas from me and blending them with muggle features was my absolute favourite part of the process.

On that note, I dont own these concepts: Durmstrang, Igor Karkarov, Nerida Vulchanova, umbrella flowers, fanged geraniums, billywigs, Appare Vestigium, glow-worms, trick wand, chamaleon ghouls, 

If you’ve read the fic and thought: “everything happened so fast” or got a general odd feeling about the timeline it's because I made a series of  monumental mistakes: setting a chapter limit, telling you about it and then tried to stick to it.  At first the idea sounded nice: this is my first “big” story  with complicated components. I should (and I did) do an outline of what I want to happen in each chapter and stick to it methodically so I don't forget what's happening or lose track of the plot. Well...it kind of backfired. So I wrote the first 3 chapters and at that point I thought “okay everything is going as planned, I’m going to put it out there”, bam, instantly cursed. After that it got ridiculously difficult to make the story that I wanted. Why? I needed chapter space that I convinced myself I couldn’t add. Dumb.

The major consequence of this was the lack of character backgrounds. It started out good, but as I kept writing and publishing I realised that I missed some great opportunities to make amazing ocs. That’s Corentin’s fault in a way: he wasn't going to be a major character, really, just a piece to help Kate a bit. But we all fell in love with him so what was I supposed to do? Also, Sheyi Mawut owns my heart and he got just a bit of spotlight. A shame.

I wish I had written more about them, but I think I wasn’t ready just yet to make it even more complicated.I just wanted to prove I could concoct a mystery plot and now that I know I can manage a fair amount of information I think I can take it a step further and deepen new ocs a little bit more.

I’m thinking about the datura series and I know why I got blocked and tired of writing it; it wasnt going anywhere because I wasnt prepared, and I didn’t do the months of outlines and planning that I did with this one. I’ll come back to the datura story one day, subjecting it to a sever rewrite. The ideas are there, I just need to be organised.

Although the chapter limit was problematic it was also a good exercise of managing space and deciding which things were unnecessary for the story. I dont think there’s any filler chapters, perhaps the last ones, but there is important information there too so... However this sentence  from the blog  wordsandstuff reassured me (and I think I did a good job at that?)

If you set out to write 10 parts and you write a fantastic story in 8, you haven’t failed and it’s not too rushed. Concise writing is an underrated talent. Focus on how effectively you engage the reader, not for how long.

I spent more than year writing this! When I started, I had a lot of ideas, I wrote the last two chapters then the first 3 and I really thought it was going to be that way with the rest of the story... okay... lesson learnt. #humbled

Other thoughts:

I received a couple of comments on ao3 that said that they were pleasantly surprised. Maybe I should change the tags because they are misleading? Clearly this wasnt what people were looking for lol.

One particular comment stood out to me and quoting it said:  “You did not choose the easy way with a fiction with so few characters from the fandom.”  And I’ve been thinking about this since I read it. It didn’t occur to me that there were few mystery fics (maybe I should write more things like that? Maybe throwing some power couple detective work 👀 ) In any case, I’m glad  I contributed with something different to the fandom, and the fact that the Charlie bits are very scarce but people who read it still liked it is really flattering.

I wanted to make sure that all the characters had strengths and flaws, I didnt want to severus-snape them so maybe I overdid it with that bit of introspection kate does at the end...

Also, I did the kiss and fade thing twice to mention sex. I know some people dont like that but since it wasnt the point of the story and I havent done research on how to write sex scenes I didnt include them. I have that on my “to learn” list.

Conclusions:

Writing the whole thing was incredible. It's my first ‘big’ project and its not a great work (there are some things I wish I did better, thats what you get when you are an agatha christie wannabe) and not writing more character backgrounds will haunt me to this day,  but I think it's at least good for a first series and I’m proud of it. I loved spending hours doing research and trying to piece together this puzzle. And of course I’m not an expert and I dont want to sound pretentious (like this is my first story) but if you are planning to write this type of genre I can be another source of tips and tricks for you.

If I read the story after a while and I dont cringe, I would call that a success.

FUN? FACTS!

Bakunawa really belongs to Filippines mythology

Snapdragons have different meanings, one of them being: “grace under pressure or inner strength in trying circumstances”

The entrance to Grindelwald’s room was going to be in the duelling classroom, strangely shaped as a triangle. I had this system where one of the round candle lamps descended and lined up with a line on the floor (serving as separation for duels) it created the Deathly Hallows symbol. I couldn’t make that work because it wouldn't make any sense for Nerida Vulchanova to shape a room like that.  Here are some sketches:

Lucius Malfoy was going to appear as the Ministry employee that goes to Durmstrang, but after revising the events of the OoP I realised it was impossible.

Kent Jorgensen was going to be around Kate’s age and the charms teacher and he would have a small crush on her. After seeing some pics of Pen Medina, I rewrote the character completely.

The series was going to be 6 chapters long (I’m glad I decided not to) one for each month. The chapter names were ridiculous: January of Beginnings, February of reputation, March of Students, April of Discoveries, May I? and June of Endings. #tragic

The Dolohov family was going to be a part of the plot but I had to erase that part because it was unlocking another layer of complexity that I just couldnt handle.

I dont remember exactly the chapter but I got really confused with the names Rhode and Hodges and there’s one chapter where I accidentally mixed them (I corrected it I think), but for a while I could stop calling Rhode, Hodges, and vice versa lmao

Here are some sketches that helped me describe and imagine things

Thank you for accompany me in this journey, especially if you endured the process with me lmao. You’ve been here for over A YEAR! <3 Mindblowing

Also I’d love to know your opinions about the way you read the story, I mean, I know some people read it as I published, and some other readers found the story already finished, what are the differences? Should I stop the updating system and drop a story all at once? I know it is difficult to keep up with a complex story if there’s a lot of weekly or monthly gaps between the chapters, so I wanted to know.

Sending you a virtual hug 💜💜

[anyrchyangel]

ATLA/MDZS

I never post here but here goes anyway xD

So ATLA has one of the best established “world rules” of any fictional series--imo it’s on par with Harry Potter in that the universal rules of the series could arguably be taken and transposed onto another story entirely.

And by all that I mean Avatar: the Last Airbender is rife for crossover material. So let’s go:

MDZS has some of the most complicated characters I’ve ever read--Wei WuXian and Jiang Cheng are arguably the most “human” characters I’ve ever read about, and I mean that in the best way possible. Jiang Cheng’s pride makes him so complex and yet so very relatable, and Wei WuXian’s self-sacrifice isn’t the most the relatable, but it’s mesmerizing in its own way and his journey of self destruction in the name of his morals and ideals is...breathtaking. Anyways, what I mean by all this is that MDZS characters are the perfect characters to put into a new world--a world with, say, amazingly establish “rules” like ATLA :3

You following? xD

So hear me out:

In ATLA, it’s mentioned by Iroh (Knower of All Things and Wisest of Firebenders) that the waterbenders are bound by a tight knit familial connection--that their bonds to family is what allow them to thrive in places as harsh as the North and South Poles. Familial piety is extremely important to JC and and Jiang Sect, so here’s my proposal:

YunMeng Jiang Sect as the most famous waterbending “tribe” (I don’t think waterbenders need to seclude themselves in the North and South Poles, and for this crossover I would most likely use the MXTX-verse Ancient Chinese map; but it is important to note that Yunmeng is canonically a port city/waterway intermediary) and the Jiang family is famous for producing powerful waterbenders. However (stay with me, it’s getting juicy now :3), Jiang Fangmien is canonically in a...rather unhappy marriage with Madam Yu of the  Ziyuan sect (her sect isn’t mentioned a lot in the novel, but let’s give it a little oomph, shall we? :3). 

What if we made Madam Yu and the Ziyuan sect famous firebenders, ones known most notably for their (hehe wait for it) purple lightning (you see where I’m going with this, right?). Madam Yu is a very interesting character but I think her effect on Jiang Cheng is even more interesting than her characterization. Madam Yu made JC believe that Jiang FengMian found JC lacking--that JC doesn’t understand the Jiang sect motto or what it means to be a true Jiang; let’s take that and amplify it. Let’s make JC a firebender and take after his mother--and even bigger and louder sign that JC and Jiang FengMian are intrinsically different.

If that wasn’t enough, let’s add some extra spice to this juicy tale (I’m enjoying myself so much right now xD): let’s make Wei WuXian a prodigal waterbender, descendant from two famous waterbenders (who had the same relationship with Jiang FengMian as they did in MXTX canon--and also their unfortunate ends). Which means that JC grew up with a waterbending master whom Jiang FengMian adores. Oof, poor JC--no matter how well he excels are firebending (come one, not everyone can produce lightning, especially not purple lightning! JC is a baddie too! ;A;) it will never matter to Jiang FengMian because...he’s not a firebender. He respects the element and its benders (his wife is a baddie too) but he’ll never love it the way he loves waterbending. That right there is some yummy angst and inferiority complex :3

So if WWX is a waterbender, you know for an absolute fact I’m gonna have to make him a bloodbender--come on, the parallel is like right there. 

But what about our honorable Hanguang-Jun? Don’t worry, I didn’t forget him :3 I think the Gusu clan would make excellent airbenders--their love of music and...well, their asceticism translates well to the nomadic and spiritual airbenders of ATLA. Aang was literally descendant of monks. Buddhist monks. LWJ’s ancestor, Lan An--who founded the Lan sect--was also a monk who (and correct me if I'm wrong, my MXTX-lore is...well it’s good but everyone makes mistakes) descended from heaven and found a partner to cultivate with (very romantic :3) and spend his life with.

ALSO (it gets better, I swear this crossover was meant to be [and I’m sure someone else has done it/will do it better than I ever could, but here’s my take on it]) the air nomads, at least from the temple Aang hailed from--and likely the rest of them, but I'm not sure if that’s canon confirmed--were vegetarians. Gusu dietary restrictions? Come on. It’s right there.

One more lovely little add-on: the arrow tattoos Aang is famous for? Those are given to airbending masters (fun fact, Aang received them because he invented a new airbending technique--the air scooter :3), but what if we take that lovely tradition and transpose it onto GusuLan? What if the arrow tattoos transform into cloud tattoos for the direct ancestors of the first air nomads? :3 And the guest disciples (such as Lan JingYi) wear forehead ribbons with the same pattern? This crossover was truly meant to be, I swear. 

So now we have:

 -Wei WuXian a waterbender/bloodbender (who is denounced by the world for his “heretical” and “demonic” technique)

-Jiang Cheng, a firebender leading a sect famous for waterbending with an intense inferiority complex to his shixiong (the cultivation familial honorifics are too lovely to leave out, but I will need extra research to make sure I’m using them right o.o)

-Lan WangJi, a master airbender (oh and for aesthetics, I’ll stick with the white and blue “mourning robes” of the MXTX Gusu sect instead of the...eye wateringly bright orange and yellow of the ATLA airbenders...sorry Aang, but LWJ looks downright ethereal in white and it's a crime to put him in orange) known for his love of music and righteousness. Oh and music + airbending is just ridiculously overpowered, which fits our icy Hanguan-Jun quite well, imo. (P.S. Lan Xichen is also a music lover and his Liebing is arguably just as famous as lwj’s guqin [zither? honestly I’m still confused about the difference]).

And now we need a plot to rip off :3

MXTX did such an amazing job with the cultivation world and the QishenWen sect, so why don’t we...merge the Fire Nation from ATLA with the Wen sect from MXTX? It fits better than you would think.

The Fire Nation sought to conquer the four nations under one banner (it was actually inspired by Imperial Japan in WWII) and that’s exactly what the Wen sect was trying to do (but honestly the Wen sect did a pretty...pisspoor job of it compared to the Fire Nation. Like, dude, the Fire Nation nearly won--if Aang had remained frozen for another year, the world would have been f*cked). 

The crossover wheels are turning :3 but, alas, I am riddled with writer’s block and the likelihood of this getting written is...well it’s not zero but it’s not very high either. I have a lot of other WIPs to work on >.<

So, I am sharing it with Tumblr (and,,,,idk whoever follows this account? Honestly I never post here so I doubt anyone will see this anyway but o.o whatever.) in the hopes that it either A) magically writes itself, B) inspires someone else to pick up the sad crumbs I’ve left behind, or C) somehow motivates me to work on this project. It’s by no means original--I’m sure other people have had this crossover idea, and I know I’ve seen some amazing fan art for it, but well, here’s my contribution ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

#mdzs #wangxian #modaozushi #atla #crossover #I should learn how to tag at some point #but oh well #WangXian in ATLA is hella cute #also scary BloodBender!WWX is...wayyy too seductive #water is an overpowered element btw #RIP earthbenders--maybe the LanLing Jing sect? #or Nie sect--da-ge is 1000000% an earthbender #as if I didn't ramble enough in the post #here's an insane amount of tags #Ana doesn't know how to be concise #Ana is also a living offense to the concept of brevity #Ana Fic Ideas

[burned-to-the-void]

Siegemas Day 17

My prompt: “Everyone shut up and pretend to be happy.”

A pre-Christmas team dinner for GIGN, basically. Or, a tiny step in the process of being accepted.

2.4K words, G rated, no content warnings apply.

Thank you again @dualrainbow​ for giving me the opportunity to participate!!💙 I hope you guys enjoy my contribution to this wonderful event, and please go check their blog to read more from other talented writers if you haven’t yet, you won’t regret! 

🎄 Happy Holidays, everyone ;)

~*~

Twitch leans forward with her hands on the counter, inspecting the food for the umpteenth time despite the fact she knows that everything is up to her standard, which can be considered a synonym for perfection. She has pestered Rook, who volunteered to help her preparing the food, enough times to ensure that. The pâté lorrain smells wonderful, just as her grandma’s used to do, and the roasted turkey, stuffed with plump chestnuts, looks almost heaven-sent with its skin crispy and glistening with rich fat. The desserts are already set on the plates―except for the chocolate mousse that’s still being chilled in the fridge―dazzling in their various colors and shapes.

Really, there is no reason to feel this nervous, it’s just another dinner with her teammates, not a cooking competition. No one is going to point out even if there is something that’s less than perfect, not even Lion would be that blunt.

He's really coming, isn't he. Reminded of the real reason behind her worry, Twitch has to suppress the urge to bury her face in her palms and groan, a bit over-dramatic as she's prone to be.

Inviting him didn’t seem like a bad idea, in the beginning. It’s not Lion himself that she'd like to avoid, it’s the inevitable tension that charges the air like static electricity when him and Doc are in each other’s vicinity, one that she can't help but pick up like a overly sensitive radar, putting her on edge as well. When Doc isn’t involved she has a nice working relationship with Lion, although they rarely interact in more personal settings, making today an unlikely exception.

It was Montagne who suggested that she should invite one more person to the team dinner, which she had meticulously planned out so they can celebrate together before they part ways to spend the actual Christmas with their respective families. Sensing her hesitation, he assured her that he'd have a talk with both of them in advance and personally see to it that they remain civil during the dinner, and this earnest promise from the most reliable man she’s ever known had been enough to persuade her.

Had been, that is, until some assholes decided to celebrate their holiday by threatening the local community with a thrilling promise of random bomb attacks, causing mass panic in the area, and along with several other operators Montagne was picked out to go and intervene. He tried to apologize before he leave, to which Twitch only shook her head because it wasn't his fault terrorists didn't give a shit about other people's holiday plans. But now that the drama of the evening is about to unfold, without him to defuse the situation if the things get heated, she can’t help but lament his absence a little.

“It’s going to be okay,” says Rook, bumping his shoulder with hers lightly, and places a tray of newly baked plum jam cookies on the counter. His eyes linger on them a bit too longingly, and Twitch sighs.

“I envy your optimism. You can have one now if you want, we’re one man short anyway.”

“Well, if you say so,” he grins, and reaches directly for the one that's practically oozing with ruby-red jam, as if he was just waiting for the cue. Twitch is opening her mouth to comment on it but that is the exact moment when the doorbell starts to ring, so she just rolls her eyes and hurries past him to greet the guest.

Doc is standing by the door, the tips of his ears reddened by the cold air but otherwise immaculate from head to toe, with a toned down blue scarf that actually matches the color of his coat, a feat not many men can achieve. Once again Twitch is reminded that without the near perpetual look of bone-deep tiredness he makes a strikingly handsome figure, even to eyes that are uninterested by principle.

Also, surprisingly, he isn't alone.

"We're not too late, are we?" To his credit, Doc's smile doesn't even look that much strained, despite his company.

"You two came together?" Twitch has to ask, blinking up at the hunched form of Lion who is tailing behind Doc, and for the lack of better word, sulking. Doc shakes his head with a chuckle.

"God, no. I just caught him fidgeting in front of the door."

"I didn't fidget," Lion mutters a protest, clearly still fidgeting. Doc, his smile somehow both sympathetic and smug, doesn't bother a reply but Lion glares at him as if he's heard one anyway. Twitch hastily beckons them inside to break the tension before it has a chance to develop.

Doc gives Twitch a quick hug on his way in, careful not to press her against the cold surface of his coat, and brushes past her into the dining room. When it's Lion's turn they both stare at each other, unsure, until he shoves a bottle of wine into her hand, almost as an afterthought.

"Thought I'd bring a gift," Lion explains with a sheepish expression.

"Thanks," Twitch arches her eyebrow, caught by surprise, albeit a pleasant one. Lion nods, looking satisfied, and follows Doc before she can find any more words to add.

"Mmm, something smells wonderful in here," Doc comments, taking his gloves off and rubbing his cold hands together.

"Hey, guys," Rook sticks his head out from the kitchen, oblivious to the fact he's got some cookie crumbs on the corner of his mouth. "And no, everything smells wonderful in here, we really put a lot of effort into it this year. Especially the desserts."

"I can tell," Doc deadpans, but not without a hint of indulgent smile, and rolls up the sleeves of his shirt to help them with the last of the preparation. He's no stranger to her kitchen, after all. Lion hovering near the counter, on the other hand, definitely is, so Twitch ushers him to the table and points down at one of the chairs.

"Sit," she orders, which he follows without any complaint.

"He's only playing nice because it's you, you know," Doc grumbles to her, when they're left alone in the kitchen by chance. Twitch only snorts.

"So, it's a bad thing that he respects me enough to listen to me?"

"Well… no," he admits reluctantly, adding sauce over the plate of oven-baked trout fillet with a skilled flick of his wrist. Twitch steals a glance at the table, where Rook is trying to make a small talk with Lion, although it's impossible to tell about what, and more importantly how smoothly, from where she's standing. Lion is drumming his fingers against the table, feigning collected boredom, while his whole posture screams tension. Not used to saying yes to personal invitations, her brain provides. When he did, he must have had no idea that Montagne, his social bridge when it comes to team dynamic, would be missing from the scene.

"Try to give him a chance, Gus. Just for tonight."

Doc's fingers falter, in the middle of putting up the garnish, but only for a split second. When he answers his voice comes out soft and pensive.

“For tonight,” he agrees, and Twitch lets herself hope that maybe, just maybe this evening won't end as poorly as she had imagined.

~*~

In retrospect, hope rarely does anyone a favor.

With the help of warm, quality food and a few glasses of wine, Lion slowly loosens up, looking less out of place, his answers not so clipped anymore. He participates in the conversation without being pressed to, although his smiles are still rare and fleeting, and as the host Twitch could have counted it as a victory, was it not for the way―

"Your claim here is outrageous, Kateb," Lion blurts out, cutting her off from her thoughts, and at this point, she neither knows nor gives a fuck what their current argument is about, or who started it this time. No point in keeping the score when they're so determined to make it a tie.

"I have statistics to back me up, and I might have shared them with you if you weren't such a stubborn asshole," Doc replies, his enunciation precise, but Twitch knows it's just because he's putting extra effort not to slur. Lion growls, unfailingly rising to the bait.

"Statistics can be flawed, more so when they're taken from the field. Too many variables."

"Actually, they're from the lab. Admit you’re wrong, it really is more fatal than a heart attack. The survival rate is almost―"

Across the table, Rook shares a pained look with Twitch. This semi-drunk, almost childish bickering has been going for god-knows-how-long over several different subjects now, changing the topic only serving as a temporary solution, and while it's better than the full-scale war they usually wage against each other, it's still giving her a migraine. She drinks what's left in her glass nonstop and sets it down with more force than she has to. It's not like they would notice anyway. Her phone buzzes from her pocket, signalling an incoming call. Twitch fishes it out in a heartbeat, eager for anything to distract her from this.

"It's Gilles," she announces, which goes largely unheard amidst the raging debate. Calmly, she takes a deep breath and slams her fist on the table, hard, making all of the plates and glasses shudder and clatter in their places. Instantly three sets of eyes fly up to her, stunned, but finally no one is using their mouth for purposes other than gaping. Good.

“I said, it's Gilles on the phone, and I’m gonna pick up now, so everyone shut up and pretend to be happy.” Just before tapping on the receive button, she adds a belated please, which does nothing to soften the blow.

Lion is the first to recover from the shock, and he gets up from his seat to exit the dining room altogether, huffing out loud. Twitch directs her gaze toward Doc, who is adamantly not meeting her eyes, his face flushed with mild embarrassment. Rook, of all people, is the only one who looks vaguely apologetic.

"Gilles!" She answers, aiming for the bright tone and probably failing, and puts him on speaker. "Glad you called, I was planning to check up on you. The mission went pretty smooth, I heard?"

"Oh, better than smooth. Turned out they were just a bunch of amateurs. The bombs wouldn't have even detonated properly, Monika said. The actual hard part was dealing with the panicked citizens, wanting to know if the packages they've just got can be timebombs in gift wrappers."

Twitch hums sympathetically, the mental image of people swarming up to IQ demanding she should take a look at their present boxes with her detecting device―that may even contain questionable items, only that they’re not bombs―vivid in her head.  Doc and Rook scoot closer to add their own hellos, and Montagne is quick to notice the absence.

“I take it Olivier couldn’t make it?” he asks, and at his troubled tone Rook jumps in hurriedly to correct him.

“No, he's here. He just went to kitchen to fetch, uh, something.”

“He is?” Montagne sounds surprised, but also genuinely pleased, probably seeing the fact he didn't bail out as a personal progress, and would be terribly disappointed to find out he is still, to some degree, trying to. Twitch feels she has no choice but to jump into the lion’s den herself.

“Yeah, I’ll go and see what’s taking him so long,” she mutters and picks herself up from her seat to follow him outside.

She's ready to drag him in by force if needed, nevermind the solid thirty kilograms he has on her, but she hasn’t expected him to be actually heading back in, and almost bumps into him in the doorway. Lion takes a step back, quick apology on his lips.

“Gilles wants to talk with you,” Twitch informs him, but it comes out as an accusation. Lion, having no problem recognizing it, just nods along.

"I just needed to get some fresh air, before I go back to pretending I'm enjoying this... new-found peace treaty with our doctor," he smiles darkly, earning himself an incredulous stare.

“You call that peace?”

“Compared to what we normally do? Yes. We’re talking and not hating each other’s guts for once,” he shrugs, as Twitch steps aside to let him in.

“Whatever you say, but keep it down a notch. I’m positive my ears are bleeding by now.”

He does have a point though, so Twitch is willing to let the conversation slip as it is, but the way he casts his glance down and frowns suggests he has more to say, so she chooses to wait, despite the chilly air.

“I want to… thank you, for inviting me. I know I’m not the most welcomed person in house parties.”

Considering the context, his following smile could be more bitter, but it remains neutral. Not really self-deprecating, just stating what he’s accepted as a fact. The attitude suits him, Twitch thinks. Sharp and precise assessment delivered in the bluntest way possible, applied even to himself.

“No problem. The more the merrier, isn’t it? And cooking for one more isn’t that much of inconvenience,” she replies, and smiles as a thought crosses her mind. “You’re not that bad, as a guest. See, you're the only one with who brought gift today."

Lion makes an noncommittal noise at that, looking skeptical, and yes, maybe that only means he is still a guest in this house, when rest of them is a family, but it's a starting point, one that now Twitch is determined to make the most of it. And the thing about acquired family is, they all started from ground zero.

“Let’s go back in, poor Gilles must be thinking either we lied to him, or that you ran away. And in case you’re considering it, you’re not going anywhere before you try the desserts.”

"I wouldn't dare," Lion chuckles, and opens the door to the dining room. After a short break, the air feels pleasantly warm, overflowing with the rich smell of butter, chocolate, and cinnamon. It seems like Rook has begun to set out all the desserts, ever the enthusiast, while Doc has been keeping Montagne's company. Twitch momentarily forgets to announce their return, in favor of soaking in every detail of the scene, from the way the soft, golden light makes everyone's face glow in the same hue, to the sound of their shared laughter, feeling so fiercely right in place―and hopes one day, if not today, it would be the same for Lion as well.

#rainbow six siege #r6s #r6s twitch #r6s rook #r6s doc #r6s lion #r6s montagne #fan fiction #siegemas 2019

[moversdevelopment]

Link-building mistakes that sink SEO plans

Finding the perfect SEO strategy is close to impossible – Google and other search engines make sure of that. With the constant updates and algorithm tweaks, companies that wish to persist in the race for online dominance have to monitor and adapt. The same plan of action goes for moving businesses. The factors that definitely contribute to this process are the foundational steps, such as link-building. Starting from a well-designed system of internal links and expanding on the importance of backlinks and external links. However, even this process demands focus and adjustments. And so, we come to a point where we need to examine common link-building mistakes and learn from them.

11 link-building mistakes that can flush your SEO plans down the drain

Making mistakes is a natural occurrence. However, when it comes to link creation, mistakes can carry a toll. So, whether you are new to SEO for moving companies or a veteran, there are those wrong turns that you can avoid. All it takes is to be open to new knowledge and old experience. That is exactly what I hope to provide here, with the following examples.

1. More is not always better

Most marketers assume that the more content and links you have, the better off you will be. That is not always the truth. People that search for answers online are always looking for the quickest way to get them. If they have to sift through a 3000-word article to get them, you’ve already lost the majority.

You have to consider quality over quantity to avoid link-building mistakes.

Instead, consider what the essential parts of your content that will meet the expectations of both readers and search engines are. You have to find that balance without losing the original point. That can often prove difficult and challenging, but most professional SEO copywriters can be helpful here.

2. Write blogs instead of dissertations

Remember who your target audience is. The digital world of today does not have the time or patience to analyze a 300-word paragraph. Instead, what they want is a user-friendly article that will pour into their minds. How can you achieve this?

Through responsive web design and SEO for starters.

Short paragraphs and semi-expert sentence structures.

Providing realistic examples of more complex processes.

A page layout that is easy to navigate through.

Use of video content and infographics.

3. Third-party metrics such as domain authority are not obsolete

Yes, these metrics are important in avoiding link-building mistakes that often occur. However, you should never follow them to the letter. Instead, you need to absorb them with restraint. Otherwise, you risk missing out on some potentially great linking opportunities.

Pursing strong links is all nice and well, but it’s not your only course of action. Instead, you need to plan long-term, smaller companies with the fewer resource in particular. A good link will always be a good link, and shouldn’t be ignored. However, since your link profile does invite organic visits, you need to plant seeds to help it grow. That means investing resources into links that can grow into something more with time. You need to find a balance between the high DA links and the low-quality ones.

4. Not following current content trends

With so many people looking for links and trying to push their websites to the top, uniqueness is something to strive for. You need to make your content stand out from the rest and surprise the readers. That one distinctive trait of your content in comparison to the rest is something that can define your business. Think of it as something to help you get brand development for your moving company.

Keep up with trends and seasonality to keep your link-building efforts strong.

So, the solution here is to stay creative and test new ideas. Infographics and other visual aids are nice and all, but not as exciting as they used to be. Short videos are currently trending, for example. So, find out what else is trending and use it to your advantage. Who knows, you might be able to start a content marketing trend of your own.

5. Avoid link-building mistakes such as neglecting seasonality

We just went over the importance of trending in your link-building strategy. Timing plays a big part in all that. You need to act on that first impulse and use the current happenings around you. So, take advantage of the seasonality offered through:

Moving industry trends.

Holidays and festivities.

Election year.

Weather conditions.

Sports events and manifestations etc.

6. Failing to personalize your outreach efforts

You really can’t rely on template outreach efforts to win over website owners. It’s already become outdated and has limited juice for expanding your link profile. Site owners have gotten used to the appeal and receive dozens of emails daily. So, you need to mix it up.

Like with the unique content we spoke about; you want your template to have that extra flare. Have it stand out from the other templates, give it something to turn heads.

You need to take the time to investigate stronger websites before reaching out to them. Comprise an email proposal tailored specifically for them. Show them that you took the time to look at their website and what they expect. And then make the pitch on how you can contribute and offer them value for an opportunity to link.

7. Forgetting to segment your outreach list

Just like with moving company marketing efforts, you need to segment your target audiences. The same approach applies to outreach lists. You want to divide them in accordance with:

Geo-location;

Industry type;

Interests;

Type of content etc.

Failing to segment your outreach lists is among link-building mistakes that can cost you a lot of high-quality links.

8. Not using an elevator pitch

Using an elevator pitch is the simplest method to convey your uniquely crafted content. Failing to do that usually results in a massive loss of interest from your peers. The selling points that a good elevator pitch should answer three essential questions:

How does my content help others reach their audiences?

What makes my content unique and different from others?

How are the insights I provide better than the rest out there?

9. Don’t give up too early

The difference between a successful campaign and a failed one is the lack of will power. One of the more challenging link-building mistakes is to give up on your campaign too soon. You just need to follow the natural course of every marketing campaign: idea -> execution -> success/failure -> repeat.

Proper link-building requires devotion.

So, instead of giving up after the first sign of failure, you need to remain persistent. Be stubborn – analyze why your efforts failed and how to change that next time around. And you don’t stop until you have a solid action plan.

10. Copying your competitor usually leads to link-building mistakes

Hunting the same links as your competitors is not a guarantee of success. Chasing after their linking plan, by all means, is a highway to failure. Sure enough, there are certain authoritative industry links that you have to chase after. However, there are also those that can prove more beneficial for your competitors than for you.

Rather than copying them, you might want to use them as an example. Use it to learn what type of links work best for your niche. So, put that plan as your secondary goal, while focusing the main force of your link-building on developing a proper content strategy.

11. Failing to diversify your strategy can often result in link-building mistakes

Link-building is a challenging and exhausting strategy. And the moment you think that you’ve mastered it, something new comes and changes everything. With the dynamic environment that the web presents, you need to have contingency plans instead of blindly relying on a strategy that works currently.

You need to diversify your link-building strategy and have a plan B.

Staying prepared is what keeps you from failing in building an active backlink profile. Work on perfecting your outreach strategies, the content you create, and how you promote it all. Never be satisfied with standing still and waiting for things to happen. Be the mover you are – always in motion.

It’s all about the endgame

The fact is that we all make mistakes in SEO – it’s just a matter of whether you care to admit it or not. It’s all like trying to find a way out of a maze where the walls keep moving. So, the best you can do is follow the bread crumbs, improvise, and hope that you are close to the exit. Hopefully, the link-building mistakes we laid out here will help you along that path. And if you are looking for an ally to help you find a way out, Movers Development is always available.

The post Link-building mistakes that sink SEO plans appeared first on Movers Development.

from Link-building mistakes that sink SEO plans

#Link-building mistakes that sink SEO plans

[bobnorthway]

SEARCH SEARCHABOUTPRODUCTSSERVICESCOURSESBLOGCONTACTHOMESUBSCRIBE Humus Gardening – Healthy Soils, Hardy People, Happy Planet (Part 1) 02 AUGUST 2017 What drives a love of gardening? Perhaps we garden for the simple pleasure of communing with the natural. Perhaps we become weekend warriors to assuage our workaholic ways, or to soothe our creative souls. Whatever your driver, I'm betting you didn't know that "minding your own patch" may be your single greatest contribution to both the health of your family and the health of your planet. Most of us have no awareness of the seriousness of the climate change challenge. We live in our bubble of denial, where Facebook, television and sport are the opiates, softening the harsh reality of meeting the mortgage. We hear the increasing reports of drought, storms, famine and floods and they wash over us like the empty promises of politics. I meet with climate change specialists at conferences around the world and it is rare to hear a positive prognosis for the planet. In fact, the dire warnings are now flowing freely. Professor Guy McPherson, from Arizona State University, is a leading climate change expert. During his speaking tour of NZ last November, he shocked a prime time television audience with the announcement that there would be no humans remaining on the planet within ten years. He advised viewers to begin ticking off their bucket list dreams immediately, because the hard times will begin way before that final date. In my recent seminar tour of the UK, a Professor who had attended my course shared that he was part of a scientific think tank that embodied the finest science brains in that region. He confided that one in five of his group believes there will be no people remaining by 2030 (just 3 years beyond Guy's grim prediction). climate change I have visited over 30 countries in the past year and the reason for this frantic globetrot is not a love of travel. Three years back, a prediction from the world's leading climate change scientist, NASA legend Professor James Hansen, ended my inertia. James has an unparalleled record. In decades of work, in a science awash with prediction, he has never been wrong. Three years back, James informed us that we had five years left, so now it is down to just two years. This is not a timeframe for extinction but rather a point at which we can no longer reclaim what we have lost. The damage at that point is irreversible and our children are destined to live in a world that will be a shadow of its former self. James is not suggesting that a complete game change is required within that limited window. Instead, he believes that we need to have completed a paradigm shift (mindset change) within that time. The majority of us need to at least get to the point that we recognise the mistakes and the urgent need for change. Thankfully, I am seeing that awakening everywhere I travel and I remain optimistic. I do not subscribe to the alarming predictions of some of the experts, because I know there is a solution. This is a pretty serious start to a feel-good gardening article, but please hang in there. The news gets much better, because there is something very real that you can do about it. This contribution will not only help save the planet, it may also improve the health, happiness and longevity of yourself and your family. Here’s how it works… Humus Saves Your World The blanket of greenhouse gases traps the heat that warms the world, and we would not have a livable environment without it. However, that blanket has thickened in recent decades, as human enterprise (and the energy required to fuel it) has exploded. We have quadrupled our numbers in just 70 years and carbon from coal, oil and humus has billowed into the blanket. Carbon is stored in three places: the soil, living things, and the atmosphere (where it is stored as CO2). It moves between these three storage vehicles as part of the carbon cycle. We have lost two thirds of the largest storehouse (the soil) to the atmosphere, through faulty farming and gardening practices. Organic matter (humus) has dropped globally, from an average of 5% to just 1.5%, and this carbon is the lion's share of the offending CO2 that is changing our world and threatening our very existence. The good news is that it can be fixed! gardening family When we change the way we farm and garden, we build, rather than lose, humus in our soils. This is direct sequestration of carbon that would otherwise have returned to the atmosphere as part of the carbon cycle. The 4 in 1000 initiative, announced by the French government at the recent Paris Climate Change conference, was a recognition of this potential. 22 countries have now agreed to incentivise the building of 0.4% (4 in 1000) organic matter each year. The science supports the fact that we can reverse climate change, if we return the carbon to the soil from where most of it came. If you can step up to the plate and nurture your backyard in the right way, your personal contribution is far more profound than putting in solar panels and turning off lights. In fact, if you sit down with a calculator, you will realise that this is the greatest strategy you can possibly adopt to help save the day! The Ultimate Win/Win The other good news relates to the human health role of your garden. The home food garden is your ultimate wellness tool. If you can build humus and address mineral requirements in your own patch, then you can produce chemical-free, nutrient-dense food with forgotten flavours and enhanced medicinal qualities. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, famously said, "Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food". A flood of studies now confirm that fresh, whole foods are replete with a remarkable range of protective nutrients and come equipped with the co-factors that optimise the uptake of that nutrition. As Hippocrates so aptly noted, there is no comparison between nutrients in bottles and those found in well-grown, fresh food. There is a problem with this recognition, however, because our demand for cheap food and the super-efficient food producing machine that delivers on demand is not necessarily producing this "medicine". It is a fact that many fruit and vegetable farmers will not eat their own produce. They have their patch out the back to produce clean food for their family. This contaminant factor is compounded by the nutrient losses associated with transporting and storing fresh food. A snow pea, for example, loses 50% of its vitamin C lode within 12 hours of harvest. The vitamins are the worst affected. Vitamin A, the B group and vitamin C are particularly fragile, but the phytonutrients that make food "medicinal", are also seriously impacted. When you have your own healthy, chemical-free garden, the trick is to harvest your food in the evening, directly before it is eaten. If you can compound that benefit by growing heirloom fruit and vegetables, you will be consuming champagne food and your garden becomes a profound health tool. heirloom vegetables Hybridisation invariably involves loss of nutrition because, when plant breeders rearrange the genes in the gene pool to profit from their creations, something always suffers. The capacity for mineral uptake is most often impacted. The original heirloom varieties are far more flavorsome, because taste correlates directly to nutrition and medicinal value. Five Tips to Garden for Humus and Health 1) Compost, compost, compost! Humus is the sweet-smelling, chocolate-coloured substance that is produced by microorganisms and serves as their home base and support system. Composting involves our intervention in the natural process of decomposition. Here we can improve and hasten the creation of humus. Compost provides stable humus and complexed minerals to our soil, along with and an invaluable army of new recruits to the soil workforce. However, there are other major benefits to embracing compost. Compost is a major key to sequestering carbon and countering climate change. Compost effectively restores the capacity of your soil to build humus. It replaces or regenerates the key organisms responsible for humus building. For example, compost stimulates earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi, two of the most important carbon building players in the soil. It also reintroduces a group of organisms called cellulose-digesting fungi. These humus creators are missing in many soils due to chemicals, chlorinated water, overcultivation and lack of food. Plants pump sugars out from their roots to feed the surrounding soil-life, as part of a "give and you will receive" relationship. Part of this glucose gift can be converted to humus. Compost restores the key creatures performing this role. In one recent US study, the application of compost created nine times more humus, according to soil tests, than what was physically applied to those soils. The compost was the triggering mechanism for carbon sequestration. The creation of a compost pile simply involves making a layer cake. You start with a carbon layer involving straw, dead leaves, sawdust or council green waste. You apply the additives described below to that layer, wet it down thoroughly, and then apply your nitrogen layer. This involves, lawn clippings, animal manure or green weeds. You repeat the same additions on that layer and then add another carbon layer (alternating, until the pile is complete). compost Here are some composting tips for the home gardener: Add a clay stabiliser – if you can include some friable clay-based soil to each layer of your compost pile or bin, there is a remarkable benefit. The fungal component of your compost will bind that clay to humus, to create a clay/humus crumb. The stable humus you have now produced will remain in the soil for a minimum of 35 years. This contrasts with active humus produced by bacteria (lawn clipping compost), which will only remain in your soil (and out of the atmosphere) for 12 months. The best super-fine and highly available form of clay for this purpose is NTS Soft Rock™. This natural source of phosphate, calcium, silica and trace minerals is actually a colloidal clay, so you get all of these minerals and the long-term humus, all-in-one. Include a paramagnetic boost – the addition of 6% basalt crusher dust to your compost can seriously improve the composting process. The paramagnetic effect from basalt involves the measurable release of light particles called biophotons into the compost. This light stimulation multiplies the activity of the microbe workforce. There is also a broad spectrum mineral release associated with the finer particles of the crusher dust. Don't discard your ash – the ash from your fire contains very high levels of the mineral, potassium (potash). Potassium is responsible for stem strength, photosynthesis and sizing up fruit and vegetables. It is in a highly leachable form, as fire ash, but it is completely stabilised by humus when used to enhance the fertilising value of your compost. Add lime to each layer – a heavy sprinkle of lime is added to each layer, in all popular commercial composting processes. This practice serves three purposes. It ensures that the pH is optimal for decomposition, it ensures that calcium is present for the microbes and it eventually provides some plant-available calcium, the most important of all minerals, to your garden. Include previous compost and manure – manure contains good levels of nitrogen and many other minerals to ensure a nutrient-rich compost. The nitrogen component is essential to achieve a good carbon to nitrogen ratio in your compost. A couple of shovelfuls of your previous compost, added to each layer of your emerging heap, serves as an inoculum to speed the decomposition of the new pile. 2) Mulch like your life depended upon it Mulching is a critically important, core strategy for every square centimetre of bare ground in your garden. There should always be plant cover, or mulch cover, or a combination of both, because there is no food for soil-life on bare ground. Gardening is about looking after soil-life, so that they will look after you. This is how you make for stress-free pleasure during your communion with nature. A mulch cover warms and protects the soil, while nourishing its legions of inhabitants. Most importantly, mulch is converted to stable humus, which will keep carbon from returning to the atmosphere for most of your lifetime. mulch Here are some mulching tips: Claim your free council mulch – in most areas of Australia, you can fill a trailer with ground-up green waste, free-of-charge, at your local recycling depot. This rich, brown mulch is perfect to feed the fungal component of your soil to sponsor the production of stable humus. You can pile this mulch 100 cm thick to discourage weeds, and the life beneath will delight. The earthworms arrive to party shortly thereafter and you should rejoice at their arrival. Earthworms decompose raw organic matter four times faster than any other humus-builders. Their castings are a remarkable fertiliser and they aerate your soil better than a spiked roller. Earthworms incubate a unique range of beneficial organisms in their gut and they inject this protective and productive inoculum throughout your soil. 12 months after applying this mulch, you can dig down and observe the thick layer of rich brown humus you have created. Consider a fertilising mulch – lucerne hay is the best performing of all mulches because it fertilises your soil while protecting and feeding. A perfect compost has a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30:1. Lucerne mulch has that perfect ratio. It is well known as a protein-rich, nutrient dense animal feed, but it offers similar benefits to the invisible livestock beneath your feet. Lucerne mulch has a secondary benefit. It is teeming with organisms called protozoa. These creatures are the favourite food of earthworms. These wonderful workers arrive in force when the word goes out that it is feeding time at the lucerne lunch-house. Plant a chop-and-drop living mulch – ideally, your garden should feature plantings of fast-growing leguminous plants and shrubs that can be cut and dropped on a regular basis to cover and feed the soil. These plants offer several other benefits. For example, it is a great idea to plant lucerne plants throughout your garden. The leaves are a wonderful, nutrient-dense, alkalising additive to green smoothies, the flowers are amongst the most delicious of taste treats, but it is below ground that the magic happens. Lucerne and other chop-and-drop plants, like pigeon pea, house nitrogen-fixing organisms called Rhizobia in their root nodules. In this manner, they can help supplement surrounding plants with nitrogen, the mineral found most abundantly in plants. However, legumes offer more than free nitrogen. Their roots exude acids into the soil that serve to break the bond between locked-up phosphorus and calcium in your soil. In this manner, the two most important minerals for photosynthesis are made constantly available to surrounding plants. Finally, the exudates from the roots of legumes tend to feed the beneficial fungal component in your soil. It is these creatures who bind together the soil particles to create crumb structure, the most desirable of all soil conditions. In the next installment we will look at several other key strategies to make your garden your ultimate wellness tool. Until then, enjoy your soil! nts soft rock Sign up to our e-newsletter to receive the latest articles, product updates and exclusive offers from NTS. Every new subscription receives a free digital copy of Graeme Sait's book, 'Nutrition Rules!'. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE Graeme Sait Author of hundreds of articles and a popular book, 'Nutrition Rules!'. Travels the world educating and inspiring growers and often consults at a government level. CEO of Nutri-Tech Solutions (NTS