#//im almost done with the thumbnails though! then i should be able to start finalizing

[mrsalwayswritex]

Call Me Fighter

A/N: Good news everyone! I remember where I got these pictures! /benhardyig on instagram posted these a few days ago and I got the inspo for this! Also the song I used for the title is one of my husbands favorites so you should give it a listen! Side note, Im not really sure how Im feeling about most of this so hang in there and let me know how it was!

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Platonic Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4900

Warnings: Fighting (fairly detailed? Im not sure?), swearing, lying, i dont know what else?

Song: Call me fighter by Matt Beilis

She wasn't sure if he knew that she knew, but she did. Y/n was always smarter than he gave her credit for. Did he really think that she would believe him? 

“Went ass over tit on my bike last week”

“Dropped my damn phone on my face”

“Bar fight, truly heroic”

The excuses he was giving her were getting more and more ridiculous, she wished that he would tell her already so she could stop hiding the fact that she knew. Ben and Y/n had been friends for years, and she knew him better than he knew himself. Y/n could remember back in grade school when Ben would get into fights, countless fights for no reason, so when he started sporting a new bruise every week, she had a feeling about what was happening.

Y/n wasn't proud of how she found out, but he had given her no choice, the more and more he lied to her, the more she had to find out the truth. It was just a few weeks ago that Y/n could hear shouting coming from next door, where Ben lived, and she listened closely but could only hear his voice. Years prior, the two of them had both been house hunting, Y/n found a duplex for sale and she knew instantly it was going to be perfect, so together, they bought it and each took a side. 

“I'll be there, I SAID I'LL FUCKIN’ BE THERE!” Y/n heard his voice booming through the walls, followed by the sound of Ben stomping around his house before his front door slammed closed. Ben hardly ever even raised his voice to her, so hearing his shout like that had caused her to worry immediately. She grabbed her jacket and poked her head out the door, seeing Ben’s retreating form headed down the street. Y/n pulled her hood over her mess of hair and walked slowly, following him carefully.

Following Ben felt like a betrayal to their friendship, but she had seen how he came home last week, she needed to know what was happening to him. When Y/n saw him walk into an alley in the warehouse district, saying she was confused would have been an understatement, but she followed nonetheless.

Y/n was not at all prepared to see a line of people standing at a metal door, but watch Ben walk right past them and go into a second door. The line was moving quickly so she just stood in the back of the line until she made her way to a man with arms bigger than her head. “Twenty buck admission, sweetheart.” The large man’s voice boomed, and she frantically patted her pockets, grinning widely as she found a twenty in her jeans pocket, handing it to the man and being ushered inside.

The lights in the large warehouse were sparse and dim, casting shadows on the walls. Y/n stepped carefully over the trash littered floor, careful to avoid the men standing around in small groups and talking in hushed voices with their eyes darting around nervously. She kept her hood pulled over her head as she quickly scanned the room, unable to see Ben at all. I watched him walk in here, I know he is here somewhere, she thought to herself. As she got closer to the center of the large room, she saw a rather large cage with only one door and a mat inside. Y/n couldn't help the nauseous feeling in her stomach as she looked around the inside of the cage, seeing what had to be blood, splattered everywhere.

Y/n’s attention was pulled from the scene by a man’s voice over a speaker, “Make your final bets, ladies and gents, our fighters are almost ready.” Heart pounding at the words, Y/n looked around frantically, hoping to catch Ben’s face in the crowd, the nausea getting worse as her thoughts raced. Letting herself get moved back, away from the cage, she nervously chewed at her thumbnail, something she hadn't done in years. Her heart stopped and her jaw hung open wide when she saw Ben walking from the crowd, shirtless but with taped up hands, and stepping into the cage. Her hands flew to cover her mouth quickly and though she was sure she made a noise, it was drowned out by the cheering of the crowd.

His face looked hard and tough from here, but Y/n knew Ben better than anyone else, she could see the worry and the sadness behind his eyes. She had spent most of her time there in tears, her heart breaking more and more with every hit that landed on Ben. She wasn’t even able to stay for the whole fight, running out of the building and not stopping until she was on her shared porch. That night when she heard Ben get home and tap on the shared wall, like they had done since they moved in, she ignored it. She couldn’t face him, knowing he would just feed her another excuse.

Y/n had followed Ben three more nights, out of morbid curiosity she guessed, and had left before the fight was over every time. Everytime she would wait for the tap on the wall when he got home and would stay silent. Y/n realized what the taps meant now, I'm home and safe. Ben may not have told her what he was doing, but at least with the taps, she knew when he was home. Weeks went by with Ben leaving the house at odd hours and coming back late, tapping the wall and then they would meet in the morning for coffee like always with some kind of fabricated story. She hadn't gone to another fight in weeks.

Today, though, Y/n paced around her living room for hours. Ben had left hours ago and he still wasn't home, which made her stomach turn. She waited only another ten minutes and then she was grabbing her jacket from the hook and slamming the door behind her as she ran quickly to the warehouse. Once she was inside, she saw a bigger crowd than she had ever seen before and her anxiety spiked. This was something different. When the announcer spoke over the loudspeaker, she watched as Ben walked into the cage, but this time he was already bloody and cut up, he had already fought tonight and he was fighting again? Y/n watched the way Ben leaned heavily on the side of the cage, arm clutched to his side and chest heaving harshly.

Not only was the guy who entered moments later at least twice the size of Ben, but he was also wider and the look on his face was not at all friendly. She could see Ben’s hesitation as he looked at the ref and the man shrugged his shoulders. Y/n knew that this wasn't a normal fight, and she knew nothing about fighting. The few times she had gone, she tried to stay hidden in the back where he wouldn't spot her, but the longer this fight went on, the closer and closer she crept to the cage. Watching Ben move really was incredible in a normal situation, but watching him bounce easily from foot to foot and easily dodge his opponents fists was something else. Unfortunately, Ben was not so bouncy this time.

Y/n flinched audibly when one of the big guys fists collided with Ben’s cheek, making him stumble back, another fist following seconds later and Y/n had gotten close enough to see his eyes crossing from the hit. His jaw went slack just in time for one last hit and his eyes rolled back and he dropped to the mat.

“BEN!”

-

That was a hell of a hit, Ben thought to himself as he fell heavily to the mat of the cage. He could have sworn that he heard Y/n’s voice, but of course it wasn't really her, she had no idea what Ben was doing right now, a fact that he took solace in as he let his eyes fall closed and the darkness swallowed him whole.

Ben didn't know how long he was out for, but his ears woke up before his eyes and he could hear the sounds of people cheering distantly, but closer than that he heard someone softly crying and the sound of ripping paper. Even behind closed eyes, the light overhead was excruciating, and kept his eyes closed tightly. He could feel the pressure of someone wiping at the cuts on his face. Ben listened to the sniffles of his faceless caregiver, he could hear the soft choked sobs falling from their mouth.

“Oh Ben,” Ben heard his makeshift nurse, who was certainly female, coo sadly. 

He let the words spin in his head, the voice repeating over and over. Oh Ben was right. Ben knew he had gotten in over his head when his opponent entered the cage, noticing quickly that it was not the guy who he was supposed to fight. He had gotten greedy, he knew he did. Ben had taken to betting on himself through a regular attendee of the fights, and management had caught wind and needed to put a stop to it. 

“Gods, you're such an idiot.” His nurse spoke again and Ben’s heart dropped, he knew that voice.

“Y/n?” Ben opened his eyes quickly and regretted it immediately, throwing his head off the side of the bench he was laying on and emptying his stomach. Y/n squeaked and jumped backwards out of the splash zone, though her face lit up brightly.

“Ben!” She rushed to the other side of the bench, leaning down and carefully rubbing a hand over his sweaty back as he groaned loudly. “Jesus, Ben, I thought I had lost you.” Y/n smiled, though when Ben rolled back onto his back, he could see the tears still streaming down her face. 

“What are you doing here?” He tried to use his arm to push himself off the bench but the pain in his shoulder stopped him with a hiss, Y/n putting a gentle hand on his chest to keep him still.

“Don't move, your shoulder is fucked up and I think you broke a few ribs.” Y/n explained with a sniffle, keeping her hand on his chest, and she felt him relax under her touch. 

“Y/n.” Ben experimentally raised his other arm and when no pain blossomed, he laid his hand on top of hers. “What are you doing here? Did they call you?” He questioned again, squeezing her hand, causing her to look at his eyes.

His face was still bloody, left eye swelling up with a nasty cut below it. His right side was no better, a bruise was forming on his jaw and his nose was still slowly bleeding from a small cut there too. Y/n’s heart broke looking at him, she wasn't able to stop the sob that ripped from her throat. “You didn't tap.” 

Ben’s eyes widened and taking a ragged breath, which broke her heart more, he squeezed her hand once more. “You knew?” His voice was barely above a whisper and had Y/n not been sitting so close to him, she may not have heard it. Y/n nodded her head softly, biting her lip as tears tumbled down her face. “How?”

Y/n choked out a laugh despite the sadness she felt, “Did you really think you were giving me good excuses?” She shook her head softly before standing and taking the bowl of water she had brought over, now red, and dumped it out. Y/n shook her head again before putting the bow down a little harder than she should have, the startling sound making Ben jump and hiss at the pain. “How could you keep something like this from me?” She spoke forcefully but didn't make eye contact. Ben laid his head back down onto the bench and sighed.

“I didn't want you to know, Y/n.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, wincing from the pain. “I didn't want you to worry.”

Y/n scoffed and crossed her arms, “OH of course, because this is so much better.” Pushing herself off the counter, she strode towards him quickly. “Do you not understand how lucky you were that I knew where you sneak off to?” Her voice raised and Ben squeezed his eyes closed tighter. “Ben you could have died! Do you not realize that? Did you know what they do to fighters who get knocked out like that?” She questioned, grabbing his face light enough to not hurt but enough to make him open his eyes. “They drug you out of the cage and pulled you back here by your fucking arms Ben. They tossed you into this room and closed the door behind them.” Y/n swiped her hand over her eyes quickly, angry at the tears that came. 

Ben looked into the eyes of his best friend, hating that he had caused her pain. Hating that he had lied to her for months and here she was, taking care of him like she always did. She had every right to be upset with him, because he knew that he didn't have a good enough excuse for his choices. “I can't give you a good reason, Y/n.” He stared into her eyes, lifting his good hand to her face and wiped away a tear as it ran over her cheek. When he looked at his hand against her face, he could finally see some of the damage done tonight. 

Ben stared at his swollen and cut knuckles, carefully wiped clean of blood thanks to her. Clenching his fist a few times, the cuts split open again and small streaks of blood sliding down the back of his hand. “Stop that.” Y/n spoke softly, grabbing his hand and the wet cloth, wiping away the blood once more. Ben watched her silently, allowing her to move his arm anyway she needed.

“I'm sorry I lied.”

“Me too.” 

They both stayed silent as Y/n walked around the room, gathering hers and Ben’s things while Ben just tried to sit up on the bench. Once Y/n had Ben’s backpack over her shoulder, she walked over to him and offered him a hand, which he took gratefully. Anchoring herself with her legs, she let Ben pull himself up before wrapping an arm over her shoulder. Usually Ben would make a joke about how much shorter she was than him, but this time he stayed silent, using all of his energy to not scream out in pain. Y/n watched his jaw clench tight as he tried to take a step forward, nearly pulling her to the ground with him. 

“Walking home isn't an option, Ben.” She sighed, her voice cracking slightly. “You're going to have to wait here while I go and get the car.” Ben, who didn't trust himself not to cry out, kept his mouth closed and nodded carefully. Y/n tried to ease Ben back to the bench as carefully as possible, but Ben’s knee buckled and they both went down hard. She yelped loudly and Ben felt the laughter bubble up in his throat and before he could stop it, it spilled out. “Are you laughing at me right now?” Y/n chuckled, letting herself relax onto the floor, arm still wrapped around Ben. Ben just laughed louder and nodded his head, making Y/n giggle back and soon the two best friends were both clutching their stomachs in hysterics.

Y/n, breathless from laughter, glanced towards Ben and her laughter turned to choked sobs. Ben was quick to shush her, pulling her close to him and she laid gently on his chest. Wincing through the pain, he raised his hand to her hair and stroked it softly. “Let’s go home, Y/n.” Ben pressed his lips to her forehead and she sniffled and nodded, pulling herself into a sitting position. Standing and offering Ben both of her hands, she carefully got him back onto the bench and sighed heavily.

“I'll be right back, don't move.” She pointed at him seriously, but Ben could see the forced smile on her face and his heart hurt for her. He nodded and faked his own smile, shooting her a thumbs up and laying his head back against the wall behind him. Y/n waved once more before she closed the door behind her and Ben was alone. 

He hated that she had to see him like this, he had thought he was covering his tracks well enough, though Y/n had always been smarter than him. He thanked whatever god was listening at that moment, that she wasn't here anymore. He knew what it meant to be caught betting on yourself. That was something that Y/n never needed to see. Ben pulled himself up carefully, holding his arm close to his side, hissing at the sudden all over pain. Slowly he made his way across the room, but was stopped short when the door opened with a loud bang as it clattered against the wall. The fight manager and his two overly large goons pushed their ways through the door, staring Ben down like he was their prey.

“Mike.” Ben nodded his head shortly, waving weakly at the muscle. “To what do I owe this pleasure.” His sarcasm was not well met, as goon number one cracked his knuckles menacingly and goon number two swung his fist into Ben’s jaw harshly. Black dots filled Ben’s vision, but he grabbed a hold of the counter to stay standing.

“Don't be cute, Ben.” Mike replied coolly, stepping between the goons and standing right in front of him. “Is your girlfriend gone? I'm sure this isn't the kind of fight she wants to see.” The short, fat man chuckled, he turned and took a few steps to the side and when Ben’s gaze followed, his jaw was met once more with a goon's fist. Ben swore loudly, gritting his teeth and trying to will himself to stay standing. Spitting on the floor beside him, Ben glanced at the ground's fresh red spatters. “You cheated me Ben. I don't like cheaters.” 

Anticipating another hit, Ben dodged the next hit which only seemed to spur the goons on. Goon Number One locked his arms behind his back, pulling a string of curses from Ben, as Goon Number Two hit him in the ribs. Ben's head was swimming and he wasn't sure how much more his body could take. Two didn't stop at just one hit, not even two, but after three sharp jabs to his ribs, Goon Number One finally let his arms go and Ben fell to the floor in a heap. He tried to push himself off the ground but one of the men kicked him hard in the chest and he fell back down.

“You’re burnt, Ben.” Mike clicked his tongue and motioned for the goons to take him outside. Struggling and failing, Ben was hoisted into the air by the two men, Mike stopping them and grabbing a fist full of Ben’s hair and bringing his face close to Ben’s ear, “You're done.” He whispered menacingly. “Make sure to leave him out front where the girl can find him.” Mike snapped his fingers and then Ben was dragged out into the dark parking lot.

Leave him where the girl can find him, the words swam in Ben’s foggy head. Y/n was going to find him like this, and the thought alone was enough to force a sob from his throat. The goons pulled Ben’s limp body until they were under the large flood light on the building and threw him to the ground, Ben wasn't quick enough with his hands and his face was scrapped along the pavement and he held back a cry. The men both stalked towards him but he tried to crawl away, both men stepping towards him easily. “I hope she isn't squeamish.” Goon Number One growled with a sick smile on his face, pulling his fist into the air and slamming it into Ben’s face and knocking his head into the ground. Goon Number Two kicked at him again and again. 

Ben’s vision was blurring. It hurt to breathe. He was sure he would die. Ben couldn't help the sobs and tears that spilled out of him as he saw headlights turning into the parking lot. His shouts sounded like static in his own ears and he could no longer make out the sounds of the goons above him. He could feel his eyes closing as he suddenly heard Y/n’s voice, clear as day, shouting his name.

-

Y/n had run back to her house as quickly as she could and when she stumbled into the front door, she finally slowed down, stepping inside and leaning on the closed door behind her. She walked through the house and turned on a few lights, and readied the tea kettle for their return. Sighing loudly, she grabbed her keys and jogged back outside and climbed into her car. The trip back was less than ten minutes long and when she pulled into the warehouse parking lot, she was shocked that it had emptied out so quickly. Figuring she would make it easier on Ben if she parked as close to the door as she could, she turned towards the entrance and that's when she saw it.

Directly under the flood lights bright circle, Y/n was able to make out two giant men and a smaller figure on the ground. Ben! Slamming her hand on the horn, she pushed her foot to the floor, needing to get to Ben right now. She watched the men kicking him, ruthlessly, and she covered her mouth with one hand, her whole body shaking with sobs. When she finally reached them, she slammed on the brakes and skidded to a halt in front of them, one of them making eye contact with her as she screamed for them to stop. Keeping her gaze, the man threw a hand out at the second man and they both stopped kicking. Y/n shrieked loudly when the second man looked at her and spit at Ben, she ran forward and dropped to the ground beside her beaten best friend.

“Ben! Ben, please!” The tears poured down her face like a waterfall and her voice cracked as she begged him to wake up. “Please open your eyes, Ben, please!” Y/n scrambled around for her phone as she quickly dialed 911. Sitting herself above Ben’s head, she pulled him carefully into her lap, sobbing loudly as she touched his red stained face. Twenty minutes, Y/n thought sadly, twenty minutes she had been gone and now she may have been too late. She rocked back and forth hysterically with Ben’s head in her lap, her long fingers running through his blood-matted hair, and soon she could hear the approaching sirens. “I'm so sorry Ben, I should have never left you here. I'm so, so sorry Ben.” She cried so loudly, her throat was raw by the time the paramedics were pulling Ben’s motionless form from her grasp and ushered her into the back while she held onto his hand the whole way to the hospital.

-

It was two days later, when Ben finally opened his eyes and the very first thing he saw made him smile despite his surroundings. Y/n was curled into a ball, asleep in a small recliner in the corner of the room. Ben didn't dare look at any of the damage, instead choosing to lay quietly and watch Y/n sleep peacefully. He was able to smile for half a second before the pain shot through his cheek and he hissed loudly, which woke Y/n up.

Tears instantly sprang to her eyes as she launched herself out of the chair, crossing the room in seconds and having to stop herself from literally throwing herself onto Ben. Y/n gently put both hands to his face and just gave him a watery smile. “I'm so glad you're alright, Ben.” She cooed, leaning in and carefully placed a kiss to his forehead. “You are so fucking lucky that you're alright, because I want to murder you!” The smile stayed on her face but her eyes got serious.

Ben opened his mouth to speak but found his throat raw. Y/n was quick to bring a straw to his lips and he swallowed down the water gratefully. He cleared his throat when he was done and he looked at her. “I'm so sorry Y/n.” His bottom lip quivered and his eyes were locked on hers. When he tried to lift his arm to her face, he found resistance with a bright red cast from his palm to elbow. She watched his face crumble when he saw the cast, as it prompted him to search his other limbs. 

Ben had ‘gotten lucky’ or so the doctors told Y/n the day before when they had given her the rundown of his injuries. “Broken arm, three broken ribs, a fractured collarbone,  four broken knuckles and a pretty serious concussion.” Y/n sighed, brushing Ben’s blond curls off of his forehead. “Jesus Ben you've been asleep since they brought you in, it's been two days.” She didn't make eye contact with him, instead looking at his hair running through her fingers and she didn't even try to stop the tears from falling heavily onto his chest. 

Ben stared at her face, heart aching when she wouldn't even look at him. He used his cast-free arm to reach up and touch her face lightly. “Thank you for being there that night, Y/n.” His voice wavered just enough to betray his stoic face, when her eyes flickered to his he could see all the pain and sleeplessness she had experienced the last two days. “I'm so sorry that this is how you found out, I'm sorry for lying to you.” He spoke softly, letting a tear get halfway down his face before swiping it away quickly. “I would have died if you hadn’t come back for me.”

“I'll always come back for you, Ben.” Y/n smiled at him, running her finger down his nose carefully, bringing a real smile to his face. “You're my best friend, and I love you.” She rolled her eyes playfully at him.

“I know, and you're my best friend.” Ben moved his hand from her face and grabbed her hand, “No more secrets.” he nodded his head seriously and she mirrored him.

“And you’ll try and explain to me why you thought this was ever a good idea?” She questioned hopefully, and though Ben sighed heavily, he nodded his head. “Pinky promise?” She held out her pinky finger to him and Ben chuckled and wrapped his pinky around hers.

“Pinky promise.”

-

Two after Ben woke up, the doctor was clearing him to leave. Y/n was getting the basic pain medicine talk, since she was to be Ben’s caregiver. Ben watched her listening intently to the directions that his doctor was reciting, showing her the bottle of pills and a packet on how to shower with a cast. She nodded her head and occasionally spoke up with a question, flashing Ben a smile when she caught him staring. Ben grinned back at her and the doctor smiled at the two of them. “Well, Mr. Jones, I would like to hope that this experience has made you think twice about your hobbies.” The doctor gave him a pointed look and he held up his one good hand in defense. 

“No more fighting, I promise.” He stated and the doctor gave him a thumbs up. 

“As for you, Miss Taylor, Benjamin here is lucky to have you in his life. You make a very cute couple.” The older man smiled and nudged Y/n and when she made eye contact with Ben, they both started laughing hysterically.

“He wishes,” She scoffed and Ben looked at her offended, “He’s been my best friend so long, he is practically my brother.” She gave the boy a fond smile and he returned it happily.

“Completely platonic soulmates, doc.” Ben smiled at the man and pushed himself to his feet. “Now, not that I don't think you're a great guy, but I would like to get out of here and never see you again.” Ben chuckled and the doctor laughed deeply.

“That is the right attitude!” The man clapped his hands together, “You are good to go, and I hope I never have the fortune of seeing you again.” He shook Ben’s hand first and then reached for Y/n’s, “You as well, Miss Taylor.”

“You got it, doc.” She shook the man's hand and grabbed the bag of Ben’s belongings and waited for him to follow her and when he looked at her with question in his eyes she rolled her eyes at him. “If you think i'm ever leaving you alone to fetch the car again, you're out of your mind. Come on, your legs ain’t broken.” Ben laughed loudly and nodded his head before walking over and throwing his good arm around her shoulders carefully. “Let’s go home.”

“Let’s go home.” He agreed with a smile on his face.

~x

#ben hardy #ben hardy fanfiction #ben hardy au #fighter!ben hardy #ben hardy x reader #ben hardy x you #call me fighter #my writing

[comicteaparty]

January 4th-January 10th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from January 4th, 2020 to January 10th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What goals do you have going forward with this new year for your story?

carcarchu

well i basically have the same goal every year which is to cover more ground, i made the mistake of making my first comic be a super long 3 part epic so it feels like it's going to take me years to make it even part way through when i try to make my chapters longer however it generally leads me to feeling burned out so i still have a way to go when it comes to finding the right length per chapter that i can put out consistently

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

In Phantomarine (http://www.phantomarine.com/), this year I finally reach the chapter where all my main characters meet and start interacting - it's where the story truly kicks off. I've spent almost 2 years in setup/exposition mode, and I finally get to exit it properly. I'm so. SO. Excited. And I really want to take my time and do it properly. It's about to get very fun for me, and I hope it will show in the work!

Cronaj

My goals mainly consist of reaching page 100. I'm over 1/4th of the way there, and I believe I can get there before 2021. I also want to reach the introduction of one of the main characters, but I don't think that'll happen this year. This character doesn't appear until the end of Ch. 5, which is somewhere around page 170-180. Am I waiting too long to introduce this character? Absolutely.

eli [a winged tale]

I am almost halfway through Arc 1 and almost at 10% of the story Looking forward to chugging away at it and hope to reach the First Plot Point by the end of the year

kayotics

I guess one of my goals is to reformat chapter 1 for printing (I drew it at the wrong size), and then update chapters 1 & 2 for colors. I’d like to compile the first four chapters into a book, but I’d like all the chapters to be visually similar in color at least.

Tuyetnhi

Gonna try to finish two chapters this year and clean up ch.1 and 2 for printing its gonna be a lot of work but I know it can be managed~

snuffysam

In terms of where the main story will go - Book 3 just started, and Chapter 1 should be finished mid-March. Chapter 2 will be finished early-mid July, maybe even late June? Chapter 3 will be finished sometime in September. And then it's Chapter 4... which won't be finished until like June 2021 lol. But anyway, by the end of the year we'll be introduced to all the important characters of this arc (though we won't have had much time with some of them). Including a character who's so important, I'd almost call them the deuteragonist of the entire comic if not for the fact that they're only showing up 700 pages in, lol.(edited)

Past the actual story aspects - the comic will be celebrating its fourth birthday at the end of February! And, given that the first page of the comic was started on a leap day, it's technically the first birthday the comic has actually had. The upcoming short stories for the year are some of my favorites so far, so that's exciting. I'm also interested to see how the shipping contest & fan-art contest turn out. We'll also be reaching page 750 at some point this year, which is a pretty big milestone.

Deo101

I have a goal for my second comic to get it off of hiatus, and for my main one I would really like to make improvements in the areas I've received critiques! Mostly, I just want to keep making them for another year <3 I don't really have any goals other than to keep on going with it

(also, a preemptive congrats on four years!)(edited)

AntiBunny

Well, having fully reuploaded my archives, I'm letting them update gradually to hopefully attract a new audience over on comic fury. When it catches back up I intend to finish up Chapter 10, and with it book 2. Then I'll finally launch book 3, Coast to Coast, which will allow me to tell more different stories by changing locations.

Kelsey (Kurio)

Hey Vinnie! How goes it?

AntiBunny

Still chugging along.

Holmeaa - working on WAYFINDERS

The big goal for Wayfinders off course is first of all to launch! In start February (we will find a date today iiih!!) Then at the end of 2020, if everything goes accordingly we should have produced 7 chapters enough for a book Ah! This is all so exciting

Cap’n Lee (Flowerlark Studios)

Pretty much my goal is to just keep swimming. I hope to complete more chapters this year. I should be able to finish chapter one of my comic, Eryl, unless I have to take a long hiatus (which, honestly, is looking very likely). Ashes is less time intensive than Eryl and the chapters half as long (only 16 pages each; Eryl chapters are usually 30-35 pages), so I’m going to try and finish at least two, if not three chapters before 2021. But honesty, just getting what I can done and continuing to push forward is my biggest goal.

Mei

I only started My Husband is a Cultist last year in April (https://tapas.io/series/MyHusbandisaCultist) and my goal is to reach that first year anniversary and to keep the train rolling for this comic! I initially wanted to have the rest of this arc completed in 2020, but I've decided to be realistic as I will be making a grad film at the same time (yay), so I just plan to do as much as I can, and to at least have Chapter 4 completed before March, and maybe Chapter 5 after that! I have a lot of story I want to tell and it's hard to stay focussed on it, but I'm doing my best, doing a little at a time!

Phin (Heirs of the Veil)

My goals are mainly to become a little quicker and finish the second book in time for the Heirs of the Veils (http://heirsoftheveil.fervorcraft.de/) fourth anniversary next October. Story-wise we want to have all the bits and pieces in place to slowly approach the actual meaty parts of the comic and prepare well enough to finish it in the coming 3 years.

FeatherNotes

Our goal is to have our book fully edited, with help from editors and friends, so we can be more confident in it's true rendition. Im not one to stick to making pages perfect, but there are definitely parts that could use some attention! Other than that, book 4 is on it's way and it's always a main goal to get to print for upcoming cons!

varethane

My goal this year is to get to the end of the first arc of Wychwood! After a year of working on it, I'm roughly halfway there. I'd also like to lern 2 colour better.

Capitania do Azar

This year I hope to get a new book out!! That would be great and also you know, just keep going. If all goes well I can get a chapter out until the end of the year and that'd be cool (but also perhaps a bit too hopeful, since my chapters have started to...get bigger with time..)

SAWHAND

This year my goal is to start posting the comic! And, if it works out, I'd love to get the whole thing thumbnailed out by the end of the year. Fingers crossed!!

DanitheCarutor

My goal is to finish chapter 5 in less than a year. Up until now it's taken a year to finish a chapter thanks to work, chores and the occasional procrastination spell. But in December I quit my depressing job that was a two hour drive away, so I'm hoping to be more productive, even if I get part time work somewhere in town.

twothirty

along with finishing chapter 6 and 7, im also hoping to have all of book 2's script written and edited~

renieplayerone

My goal is id love to get the first chapter or two of kate blast printed

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #comic tea party #ctp #creator interview #comic creator interview #creator babble

[siliconwebx]

Putting Together A Great Web Developer Portfolio

Having a solid portfolio is a must for any web developer. It’s hard for an employer to make a decision for a position based on cover letters, CVs, or resumes that simply describe projects you’ve made. Your talent and skill don’t really shine through that way. So having a great web developer portfolio that you can include is as important as anything else. But having a great one versus having a good enough one is huge. And it could be the difference in landing the job and being passed over. So let’s look at what you can do to help ensure as much success as possible.

What Makes a Great Web Developer Portfolio?

If you look around the internet, the concept of a development portfolio is pretty wide. Some people include every project they’ve ever worked on to show their improvement over time, some folks make it a barebones CV with lots of text and links, while yet others focus on languages learned and overall skillsets while using the portfolio site itself as an example of how they practically apply their skills.

You won’t find a right or a wrong way to do this. But you will find some elements that run across the most successful web dev portfolios. We’re going to look at these elements and break down why they work and how you can easily implement them in either a new portfolio or an update to your existing one.

1. Your Name and Professional Contact Information

It is actually pretty easy to miss putting your name and contact info on your resume and portfolio. You might be so concerned with making sure that your work history and talent shines so much that you forget the simplest thing. Or you do think about it, but you don’t place it prominently on your portfolio, making the recruiter or hiring manager work for it. After all, you are trying to work for them, not the other way around.

Sure, keeping the info at the top is great, but consider having a floating box or small section that scrolls with the user. That way, you’re never more than a click away from a call or email. You could even take it a step further and put like a Facebook Messenger tab where they can contact you directly via IM. Just, whatever you do, don’t bury the information in the footer. Or at the end of a long section, or make it hard or confusing to find.

Also, consider making sure that it’s all totally professional contact info. We’re sure you’ve heard this before, but if your email is [email protected], you’ll be taken less seriously than if they see [email protected].

1a. A Photo

We didn’t want to include this as a full entry in the list, but we thought it was worth mentioning. If you can finagle a way to have a picture of yourself alongside your portfolio (the contact info is a great spot to place it), giving potential employers a way to put a face to the work will humanize you far more than just seeing a name and list of programming languages you know. Hiring managers tend to also hire for personality fits within companies, so if you have candid shots that would fit into your desired industry niche and show that you are comfortable there, use those somewhere.

2. Consider Combining Bio, Experience, and Education into a Narrative

Storytelling in marketing is huge. Your portfolio is how you market yourself. So it only makes sense that you would want to make yourself as interesting and human as possible. And a bulleted list of universities, bootcamps, certifications, company names, and employment dates aren’t terribly interesting or memorable.

Your story, on the other hand, is. And while it is possible to glean your story from those lists, putting it into narrative form is better. The thing is, there are ways to do this that still highlight all the info and make it easily accessible. But it makes it much more of a delight to read. And makes you seem like more of a person.

Also, there’s a good chance that you already have a bio/about section as part of your portfolio. Sprinkle in the same information you would the lists, but make it something they can read and scan for highlights.

Your history is likely going to be lengthier than a bio/about section allows, but including links and highlights while telling about yourself is a great way to stand out.

Here’s a re-work of my current bio with some of my experience and history highlighted:

Outside of just being pretty awesome, I have a Master’s degree in English from The University of North Alabama in 2009, spent almost 10 years teaching college English (literature and composition at various levels) and working as the director of the campus writing center at Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, TN. I started working with WordPress in 2008, which means I can pretty much make it do whatever you need me to. 

After learning enough PHP, CSS, and JavaScript to be dangerous while WordPress was my hobby, I transitioned to freelancing full-time and building the websites you see below. I didn’t want to give up writing altogether, however, and was published by magazines such as Like the Wind and The No’Ala. That led to me starting to freelance for Elegant Themes in May 2017, and I started as a full-time Content Creator for ET later in September.

Now, we know that you may be thinking: I’m a developer, not a writer. That is a very valid point. So you can still put a narrative spin on your bio, experience, and education. It doesn’t have to be a narrative in prose. It could be something like a timeline that tells your story.

2a. Use a Timeline

We suppose the advice here is to avoid bulleted lists as much as possible. We think that Kyle Ledbetter has done it very well with his work history. He places it on a timeline that’s easily digestible, scannable, and gives a sense of his story until now.

While this is a fantastic example of a web developer portfolio, he doesn’t actually tell or show what these projects are. In traditional CV/resume fashion, Kyle describes his role on the teams he worked with. However, none of the work here links out to the actual projects he describes. His portfolio is entirely separate, and it includes these examples. They are disconnected from the timeline, and while this is a good example, giving direct examples of what the end results of each job were would make it great.

3. Show and Describe Your Projects

The meat-and-potatoes of every web developer portfolio is, well, the portfolio. It is not uncommon for a portfolio to be a simple (and useful and functional) grid with thumbnails. In our eyes, there’s no need to fix what’s broken. These kinds of grids are excellent at showcasing your talent, projects, skill, and creativity (like this one by Adham Dannaway)

What they’re not excellent at, though, is telling the story of that project, showing off the intricacies of the project, and giving a full picture of just how amazing you are at making it be as amazing as it is. That’s where Adham really made his web developer portfolio shine. It’s great.

Because when you click on any of the entries from the grid, you are not taken to the final result of the project. By far, that is the most common use of these portfolios. The click-to-see-what-I-did approach. What Adham does, however, takes a good idea and makes it great. He breaks down each project from conception to completion. He is being totally transparent about reasons for each decision that was made over the course of the project.

This breakdown shows not only the awesome work that came out of the project, but it also shows the talents and skills that the developer has that aren’t necessarily visible just by looking at a finished product.

You might not have the time or inclination to include a full case study for each project; however, you can absolutely get in some blurbs and descriptions about major aspects of the project that potential clients and employers should know about.

What If Your Portfolio is Empty?

One caveat to putting together a great web developer portfolio is that you have to have web development experience. If you have no projects under your belt to show off, it’s pretty hard to have a robust portfolio that shows off your expertise. Everyone’s been there. It’s not a fun place to be, but it is a fairly easy place to get away from.

First, check out First Timers Only. This site is designed specifically for people to get their very first GitHub pull request accepted. There are tags on GitHub that projects can include to indicate that their open-source project has some easy and accessible needs. This kind of contribution is amazing for getting your portfolio (and really dev career in general) off the ground. A few of these kinds of contributions can go a long way to showing what you’re capable of. (And that you’re good enough at what you do to be vetted and accepted by a random internet stranger into their project).

Secondly, start making stuff. Or really, upgrading stuff you’ve already done. You don’t get to the point of needing a web development portfolio without having something to show for it. Think about projects that you’ve done in school or for fun that you can polish up and post online. Then, not only do you have an updated project that shows off your current abilities, you also have a way to show the growth that you’ve had since the original was made by posting it up, too.

Also, doing work for non-profits, friends, or family members is a great way to add to your portfolio. We guarantee that you know someone (or lots of someones) who need work done that you can do. They just might not be able to pay the rates that typical web developers charge. Especially non-profits. We are not advocating that you work for free. You have skills and are doing work and deserve to be paid for that work.

However, payment doesn’t have to be with money. Maybe your uncle runs a bakery, and he can make your wedding cake in exchange for a new website. That’s a pretty good deal. Or maybe the non-profit has a budget to pay, but it’s very small. Perhaps you might even be able to count the hours you spend working for them as a tax deduction. Again, which is a pretty good deal.

Either way, you’re getting new projects to show off, and if you combine those with the ideas we talk about above, you’re on your way to having a great web development portfolio.

And that’s not even mentioning the time and care and perfectionism that you’ll be putting into the portfolio website itself. That’s as much a project to showcase as any (and a pretty good case study to boot).

Conclusion

Having a great web developer portfolio goes a long way toward getting hired. It’s not only a showcase of what you have done, but also what kind of skills and personality you will bring to any team you join. Prospective clients and hiring managers look at portfolios to see if they’re compatible with the dev, to see what you’re best at, to see what you think you’re best at, and to get a glimpse into the part of your brain that puts the code together in that specific way that you do. With all that in mind, we think that you now have the tools to take your web developer portfolio from good to great. And maybe even further than that.

What part of your web developer portfolio are you most proud of?

Article featured image by 0beron / shutterstock.com

The post Putting Together A Great Web Developer Portfolio appeared first on Elegant Themes Blog.

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