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renaerys · 4 years

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PPG One-Shot: Under the Stars (Brick/Blossom)

Written for the inaugural challenge prompt on PPG Challenge Hub on AO3 for the prompt “things you said under the stars,” hosted by @kiebs, @carriedreamerx, and me. Also functions as a Part 3 to the Shooketh, Not Stirred series. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 here on Tumblr or on my AO3.

Summary: In which Blossom decides she is definitely girlfriend material, and so does everybody else.

***We are welcoming more submissions for this prompt for the month of July! If you want to participate, please check out the PPG Challenge Hub collection on AO3.***

xxx

Nothing short of witchcraft could have held Buttercup’s 1997 Ford F-Series pickup truck together as it ambled over rocky switchbacks and through dense, Redwood forest to the Vista Lakes campgrounds for the Townsville High Junior and Senior classes’ biannual end-of-semester party. Blossom kept a stranglehold on the passenger door and hissed her displeasure over every dip that lurched the old truck too close to the edge of the road. The drop to the bottom of the mountain was a good thousand feet, a death knell for the Normies riding along with them.

Mitch and Harry, however, did not seem to mind as much.

“Oh shit!” Mitch whooped when Buttercup went over a particularly deep crag in the road and rocked the whole truck.

“Buttercup, please slow down,” Blossom pleaded.

“Don’t you fuckin’ dare,” Mitch said through the sliding window that opened up onto the truck bed, where he and Harry rode with the sleeping bags, food, and extra blankets.

Harry laughed. “We’re cool Blossom, don’t worry.”

“Yeah Blossom, don’t worry,” Buttercup drawled. “Besides, it’s not like a fall from this height would kill us.”

“I’m sure Mitch and Harry feel super reassured to hear you say that,” Blossom said snidely.

“Super duper!” Mitch said. He flashed the rearview mirror a sign of the horns and winked.

Blossom forced herself to ignore his goading and kept her eyes firmly on the road ahead just in case. “I should never have agreed to this.”

“Well, tough shit, Leader Girl. You could’ve gotten a ride with Bubbles earlier if you’d left your Winter Break homework until the last day like everybody else, but noooooooo.”

“Not everybody waits until the last minute to get the homework done, for your information.”

“They totally do.”

“They totally don’t.”

“Do.”

“Don’t—ugh, no, I’m not arguing like this with you.”

Buttercup smirked like she’d won the argument (she definitely did not). “Whatever. We’re basically here and no one’s fallen to their death yet, so you can chill.”

The road emptied out onto a clearing overlooking the side of the mountain. Three deep, blue lakes sat still and tranquil, each surrounded by clusters of gnarled Redwoods and camp sites. A lot of people were already here considering the late hour, and a few campfires blazed bright along the shorelines. The gloaming crept over the horizon, casting the valley below in shadow and the skies in dusky, bleeding streaks of red like spilled wine. High above, blues deepened to blacks, but it was still early for stars.

Buttercup parked off the main campsite and the boys began unloading the truck bed. When they struggled with a cooler crammed full of ice, Blossom lifted it effortlessly and floated it over to join others that had already been packed with cheap beer and grill meat.

“Eyyyy there she is!” Boomer opened his arms and pulled Blossom into his letter jacket for a big hug. “I’m glad you decided to come.”

Blossom returned his hug with a smile. “Me too.”

“I told you she would,” said Bubbles, and she nudged Butch who was busy putting away a plate piled high with four hamburgers. He took one look at Blossom and grinned.

“Hey, Highness,” Butch drawled.

Blossom shot him a withering look. “Hi, Butch.” Ever since she’d beaten him in a not-so-friendly spar while Buttercup was out of commission, he’d mellowed out and taken to nicknaming and weirdly friendly ribbing.

“Comin’ down from that pretty throne to hang with the cool kids, huh?”

He stuffed an entire burger in his mouth, while Blossom threw up a little in hers.

“Shut up, Butch. You sound like a creepy old man.” Buttercup arrived carrying two twenty-four packs of beer that she dropped in Butch’s lap. He caught them with a grunt, and Bubbles caught his plate of uneaten burgers.

“Bitch, you love every glistening inch of this.” Butch stood up shouldering the enormous beer crates like they weighed nothing, because they did.

“I love cold beer, so move your glistening ass.” Buttercup snatched one of his uneaten burgers and stuffed it in her mouth.

Somehow, Buttercup got Butch up and helping, and when Mitch and Harry joined them, it was short work to unload everything from Buttercup’s truck. Blossom rolled out her sleeping bag on the grass amidst all the others, but no one would be sleeping tonight. It was merely a courtesy for the too high or the too passed out.

Around the campsite, Juniors and Seniors lounged with beers and blunts, enjoying their last night together before Winter Break. Among them, Wes had his arm around Kim as he flipped hot dogs on a standing grill and chatted up Mike and Robin. Blossom watched them a moment, debating whether to interrupt the conversation to say hi.

Bubbles slipped her arm around Blossom’s waist and squeezed affectionately. “You look a little lost.”

“No, just hanging out, you know.” She returned the half embrace, and they stood there a moment enjoying the cool night air.

“Hey, Blossom! You wanna sit with us?” Harry called. He and a few others had set up some lawn chairs by the shore and were passing beers.

Bubbles giggled. “You know he likes you,” she said.

“What—He does?!” Blossom sputtered.

“For sure. And, you know, since you’re totally not with anybody else, you could have some fun talking to him.”

“You mean, flirt with him.”

Bubbles was as innocent as a lamb. “I mean, be nice to him. That could be fun, right?”

Blossom had nothing to say to that. She was not, in fact, “with” anybody else. And she had every right to talk to whomever of her friends she wanted, so technically Bubbles had a point, but…

Blossom searched the faces gathered. In the encroaching darkness, it was getting harder to pick out profiles and bright colors to see who was here and who hadn’t yet arrived. “I don’t know.”

But Bubbles was already dragging her over to Harry’s circle and waving back to him. Seated in between Harry on one side and Kim on the other, Blossom was handed a burger and a beer and encouraged to participate in the conversation.

“My folks’re taking me to our cabin in Tahoe to go skiing over the break,” Harry was saying.

“That sounds fun,” Blossom said.

He shrugged. “Yeah, sure, if you count me eating snow every five feet when I can’t stop falling.”

“Come on, I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

“Oh, yeah? I bet it’d be a cake walk for you, Miss Snow Queen.” Harry grinned, and the corners of his dark eyes crinkled cutely.

“Just because I have ice powers doesn’t make me a Winter sports maven. I’ve never skied in my life.”

“Psh, can’t be that hard, right? You start at the top of the mountain, and you end up at the bottom.”

Blossom bit back a smile. “I mean, I think it’s a little more involved than that.”

Harry laughed and leaned over the armrest closer to her. “Well, consider us both noobs. Anyway, most of the time’s spent hanging out at the cabin drinking hot chocolate anyway, right? Best part.”

Blossom tugged on her long, red ponytail as Harry continued to smile at her. She imagined the scene: a cozy ski lodge surrounded by snow, and a smiling boy content to ignore the blunt their friends were passing just to talk to her some more. She would like that. It would be easy, simple, and soft. Normal.

“Um, you know, I was thinking of inviting a few friends for a weekend. Just, like, a small group, and uh, well, I was wondering…” Harry stumbled in the dark looking for the question he meant to ask.

She could say yes, and she could have fun. With him, with any nice boy, it could be fun. How silly that just a few months ago, she had let herself believe she wasn’t the desirable type just because some mean girls said so. It all seemed so absurd now, and yet Blossom could not bring herself to give Harry the easy, simple, soft “yes” he wanted.

“Oh hey! You can have my seat, I’m grabbing more food,” said Kim on Blossom’s other side.

“Thanks.”

Like a hand to the stove, that voice hit her with a searing demand to be acknowledged. Old habits perhaps, or new ones. He wasn’t one to be ignored, not by her at least. Not these days.

“Brick,” Blossom said, half a question, half a sigh. She pulled back from Harry to look at him properly.

He’d taken Kim’s vacated seat directly next to her and nursed a solo cup of beer. Like her, he was dressed for the December chill in long sleeves, and his trademark red cap sat backwards over his short hair, as always. Red eyes held hers in a look that lingered.

“Blossom.” He spoke her name like a secret.

He was late. Why was he late? It wasn’t like him. She hadn’t seen him since third period yesterday. Was it only yesterday, or years ago?

“Hey, Brick,” Harry said, leaning over so he could see around Blossom. “Butch said you might not make it tonight.”

Blossom worried her lip between her teeth, and Brick took a long sip of beer as he slowly averted his gaze to Harry on her other side. “Here I am.”

“Uh, yeah, so Blossom,” Harry said. “About Tahoe…”

xxx

Blossom tugged on her ponytail as she turned back to Harry. Brick watched her twist her anxious fingers through her hair and narrowed his eyes.

“Hm? Oh, right,” she said.

“Yeah, so like I was saying, my parents’ cabin has a few extra bedrooms, so we could make a whole weekend out of it. Skiing, hot chocolate, the works. It’d be cool if you came. What do you say?”

“You throwing a rager?” Brick interrupted.

Harry leaned forward to see Brick again like he’d forgotten he was sitting there at all. “Nah man, just a couple friends for a weekend trip.”

“Cool. Who’s going?”

“Uh, I mean, I don’t have a list or anything. Sorta just came up with it now, so…”

“So you still have space. Count me in,” Brick said.

Blossom and Harry both looked at him like he’d suggested they all go jump in the lake.

“You want to go skiing in Tahoe?” Blossom asked.

Brick shrugged. “Sure, if it means a weekend away from my idiot brothers. Thanks for the invite, Harry.”

Harry gaped, and Blossom ceased pulling at her ponytail to stare at Brick.

“I mean,” Harry said, and nodded super obviously towards Blossom while she wasn’t looking.

“How many others could we invite?” Blossom asked. “If it’s okay with your parents, I mean.”

Harry looked at Blossom, and then he looked at Brick, who sipped his beer like the oblivious, teenaged simpleton he one hundred percent was not. Giving up, Harry sighed and rubbed a hand over his buzz cut. “There’s room for two more if you’re both going to be there.”

Blossom lit up. “How about Wes and Kim? Or Pablo and Hanout?”

Harry sat back in his chair and nursed his beer. “Yeah, fine, whatever you want.”

She was smiling now.

“Wes and Kim,” Brick said. “Pablo snores like a motherfucker.”

“That’s true,” Harry said forlornly.

“Well, either way,” Blossom said, clearly torn between telling them both off and the desire to finalize plans.

Brick got up. “Let us know what weekend. I’m free whenever.”

Pleasantly yet unsurprisingly, Blossom got up too. “Me too. Thanks Harry, this’ll be fun.” She smiled genuinely at him, and he returned it.

“Yeah, the best,” Harry said dejectedly.

Blossom followed Brick as he led her away from the main campsite along the shoreline in the direction of the drop-off.

“Okay, what was that?” she asked when they were away from the roar of the music and the campfires.

“What was what?” Brick asked. It was dark now, and the farther they wandered from the center of the party, the harder it was to see the shoreline as his eyes adjusted.

“You invited yourself to Harry’s. Are you even that close?”

He paused and looked at her. “Are you?”

Blossom clutched the ends of her jacket as she blinked up at him. “We’re friends,” she hedged. “He’s a nice guy.”

Brick smirked. “Uh-huh. Real nice.”

“What does that mean?”

“You tell me. Am I intruding?”

Blossom studied him through the gloom. She was close enough that he could smell her perfume, silken and subtle. “No,” she said at length. “There’s nothing to intrude on.”

He watched her walk along ahead of him, her long ponytail a bloody lash under the cover of night. He chucked his beer and went after her.

“This way,” he said, breaking from the shore and heading into the trees.

“Where are we going?” Blossom drew close. “It’s so dark tonight.”

“I think it’s a new moon. Here.” Brick found her hand so they wouldn’t get separated in the pitch black of the canopy.

Blossom’s hand was cool in his, and she slipped the other one around his arm as he walked deeper into the forest. The walk wasn’t far, and soon the trees thinned as they emerged onto the shore of the lake nearest to the precipice overlooking the valley below. Brick had set up his sleeping bag in the grass far away from the rabble where he could have the best view undisturbed.

“Wow.” Blossom approached the black waters, so still they reflected the night sky back flawlessly. Flurries of stars as far as the eye could see scattered above and below like snowflakes frozen in flight. The Milky Way ripped through the firmament, bleeding more stars clustered so closely together they glimmered ice-bright. “I feel like I just stepped into another world.”

Brick jammed his hands in his jeans pockets and drew up next to her. “Consequence of being away from all the city lights for a change.”

“Mm.”

They lapsed into silence for a bit as they watched the nightscape unfold above and upon the water. Brick’s eyes fully adjusted to the lambent starlight, but it was a cold light, and he wore only a thin, red hoodie to stave off the chill. Blossom noticed him shuffle beside her.

“Do you want my jacket?” she teased.

“Ha ha,” Brick groused. But it was fucking cold out here, now that she mentioned it. He had always been particularly sensitive to it in a way she wasn’t. “My sleeping bag should do the trick.”

They retreated to his makeshift camp, where Brick shimmied into his sleeping bag and Blossom sat on the mat next to him, perfectly at ease in the cold. She leaned back on her hands to admire the stars, content like she could watch them all night. Their gossamer light draped her like a veil, softening her edges and igniting her colors. Brick had the sudden urge to touch her, to prove she was no pearlescent dream, that the cold cornering him now was hers and not just the darkness.

“Why were you late tonight?” she asked out of the blue.

Brick lay back on the mat and looked up at the jeweled sky. “Finished the homework.”

Her laugh was as soft as the starlight, and she grinned at him over her shoulder. “Me too.”

Obviously. He wouldn’t put it past her. It didn’t matter, only, he didn’t want to have one more thing to worry about over the break while also spending way more time than usual around his brothers with nothing to keep their focus for eight hours of the day. But the knowledge seemed to please her, which was just as well.

“I told you I was coming tonight,” he said.

And yet, Boomer had blown up his phone texting him all evening wondering where the hell he was, why wasn’t he here yet, and didn’t he realize people were waiting for him? The last text was one he received when he’d touched down at the edge of the campsite and it was already dark: a candid picture of Blossom talking with Harry by a campfire, and she looked happy. Brick had not responded to it or to any of the other annoying texts. Kim had been more than happy to give him her chair the minute she saw him approaching.

“Here you are,” Blossom said, hushed and half-lidded.

Here we are.

Brick curled an arm under his head. “View’s better from down here.”

She worried her lip—did she even realize she did that? That he noticed?—but ultimately lay down next to him on the mat. “Oh, wow…”

The starscape shimmered far and above, and Brick began to pick out patterns in the cosmos. “There, Cassiopeia.” He pointed to a cluster of stars.

“You know your constellations?” she asked.

“A few.”

He could practically feel the aura of challenge she exuded like a pheromone.

“All right. Perseus,” she said.

Brick pointed to a long line of stars near Cassiopeia. “Right next to Andromeda.”

“That was a freebie to test the waters.”

Brick chuckled. “Sure.”

“Okay Star Lord, show me Gemini.”

Brick swept his hand south and west of Perseus to a pair of star lines facing each other. “A couple of gossipy bitches.”

She shoved him playfully, and he caught her with his free arm, pulling her close. “You’re terrible.”

“I’m right. Next?”

“Let’s see… How about Leo?”

With one arm anchoring her to his side, Brick traced the patterns she called out with the other. Dead heroes and their monsters rose from glittering graves with every sweep of his fingers and kept them company in the dark.

She tugged at his sleeve as he searched for the elusive Pyxis constellation. “Hey, we should probably get back to the party.”

Brick let his hand drop. “Why?”

“Because we’ll be missed, obviously.”

He chuckled. “I bet someone’s missing you.”

Blossom rolled onto her side to face him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing.”

He’d taken her to breakfast. It wasn’t a date; he hadn’t technically asked, and she only came because she was hungry and didn’t want to go home yet. It was the first time he’d ever seen her cry—no, sob because of what some dumb girls said to her at a party. Just the normal high school bullshit, and she’d fallen apart. Breakfast was the fucking least he could do after the ignominy of seeing her like that. It just turned out that it wasn’t the last.

Too many breakfasts and long hours spent prepping for finals turned into expectation, expectation turned into anticipation, and anticipation became the new normal. They weren’t together no matter what rumors Bubbles and Robin started and stopped. They weren’t not together either, considering they usually were, in fact, together. It had only been a few months since she’d handed Butch his balls wrapped up in a pretty pink bow and left Brick speechless to behold her, a few months since he’d found her insecure and vulnerable on that rooftop and called her beautiful because she was, holy fuck she was, and so much more.

Blossom was old wounds that should have healed long ago, that he should never have opened again, but she was still so new and he didn’t know, he didn’t know.

She slipped her hand over the cover of his sleeping bag and curled her fingers in his shirt. “Brick,” she said in a voice full of galaxies and longing.

He’d always liked the sound of his own name, after all.

When he kissed her, she tasted like starlight, cold fire. He pulled her closer, kissed her deeper, a step into the unknown, but the unknown was where she was and she was everything. Her breath hitched and she opened for him, just like that day on the rooftop, but he didn’t look away this time and she kissed him back like it had been her idea all along. Chemical X crackled on their flushed skin as he rolled onto his back and brought her with him, her weight on his chest a warmth and a fantasy.

Blossom’s long bangs fanned his cheeks as she hovered above him and he held on to her. He dreamed she might fall back into the sea of stars and he would dive in after her should he let her go. He didn’t let her go.

“I don’t actually want to go to Tahoe,” Brick said.

She laughed, light as a moonbeam. “Neither do I.”

He threaded his fingers through her hair, pulled her down again. “Good.”

She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him.

xxx

No one took much notice when Blossom and Brick popped up at the campsite after a protracted absence. No one except Bubbles, who passed Butch her perfectly roasted marshmallow, which he wolfed down right off the stick without waiting for it to cool. She discreetly got out her phone and snapped a few pictures of Blossom leading Brick by the hand to a couple empty chairs near Wes and Kim. When Brick leaned back in his chair and put his arm around the back of Blossom’s so she could lean into him, Bubbles had to work very hard not to squeal.

Clearly, Boomer sending Brick that picture of Harry chatting up Blossom had had the intended outcome.

She fired off twenty pictures to Robin.

[Bubbles: Yearbook?? 👀]

Robin, who was on the other side of the large campfire with Buttercup, Julie, Mitch, and the Floyjoydson twins, spat out her beer when she saw the pictures.

Bubbles snickered to herself.

“What’re you so happy about?” Butch said halfway through a game of Chubby Bunny.

Bubbles poked his mallow-stuffed cheek and winked. “It’s a secret.”

He rolled his eyes and stuffed another marshmallow in his mouth. “Laaaaame.”

Bubbles stole another glance at Blossom and Brick. She was laughing at something Kim had said, and he turned to whisper something to her. Bubbles bit her lip to hide her smile.

“But not for long,” she sang to herself.

Boomer came up behind Blossom and Brick and threw his arms around them both, laughing and pulling them close. Brick didn’t even try to push him off.

Not for long at all.

xxx

Thanks for reading! If you enjoy my writing and are looking for more PPG/RRB content from me, please check out my ongoing multi-chapter over on AO3 called Beyond This Morning. 😊

#Blossick #Reds #Blossom #Brick #Bubbles #Buttercup #Butch #Boomer #Powerpuff Girls #Powerpuff Girls fanfiction #PPG #February Fic Prompts #ppg shook

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diamond-punk0963 · 4 years

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RWBY/Alice In Wonderland Crossover: Mad Hatter! Ironwood AU

~Aesthetic~

"Trust can be a crazy thing to hold. Sharing it with someone can be event crazier. The craziest thing with trust is when it’s broken. That’s what ignites the path into madness."

~Outfit~

(Not Pictured: A silver pocket watch necklace that has the atlas logo on the cover. Either worn around his neck or wrapped around his hand)

~Playlist~

(Note: I’m open to suggestions if anyone finds a song that fits him!)

~Headcanons~

(Special thanks for @anirondaddystan for helping me with these headcanons. It wouldn’t be the same without you!)

The BIGGEST Tea/Coffee addict you’ll ever meet!

He’s very elegant, cunning, and eccentric.

His favorite tea is earl grey. However, he does like to spice it up when he feels like it.

As for what he uses is for him to know and you to find out. ;)

Looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll.

But at the same time, he can and will kill you if you get on his bad side.

He’s also very skilled with combat due to . . . . reasons.

He does have a popular rhyme about himself that leaves people confused about him.

However, if you listen closely and know a bit more about him, you may uncover a secret or two. ;)

When you first meet him, expect him to be cold and lifeless around you.

Due to his past, he has a hard time trusting people and letting them in.

However, there are two ways he can earn your trust.

Either A) you preform a task that convinces him that you are worthy of his trust or B) he invites you to a small tea party that ends up with you waking up, tied up on a chair and asks a couple of questions that determines wether or not, he can trust you. There’s no inbetween.

He does have a rare/uncommon gene with his eyes that it changes shades based on his emotions.

Light shade when he’s sad, a darker shade or black when he’s angry, and a bright shade when he’s happy (or when he trusts you.)

He doesn’t admit it but he does have a sweet tooth.

His favorite type of candy is basically anything with chocolate.

Don’t be surprised if any chocolate that is left around the area 'disappears'.

“I see chocolate. I eat it. End of story."

His usual routine in his day to day life consists of five things.

Wake up, Eat, Survive, Sleep, Repeat.

He would often hang around the village for more supplies for the week or possibly spy on you.

If not, he would be at his home that’s deep within the woods.

The only way you would find his home is either a) you wandered far enough into the forest that you just so happen to find a house in the middle of nowhere or b) he gives you directions to his place because of the level of trust he has in you.

Low key, James can sing and dance. He keeps the fact unknown because he doesn’t want to draw attention towards himself. That and he hates it when people bug him about it.

He doesn’t do it often anyways. It’s due to . . . . reasons he doesn’t want to talk about. It’s rare to find him doing either one. More so if it’s both!

If you find him doing either or both (and he trusts you), he’ll pretend that he doesn’t see you and keeps on at it. If he doesn’t, I highly reccomend you make a run for it.

The only time he ever sings is when he’s alone or just bored. As for dance, that would be at the rarest moment you find for him. (Once in a blue moon kind of rare.)

If I had to describe him in musical lyrics, "Sorry, not sorry about what I said. I’m just having some fun. Don’t worry, Don’t worry. Don’t lose your head! I didn’t mean to hurt anyone." That or, "Don’t be bitter. Cuz I’m fitter.”

(Kudos if anyone gets the reference)

Back into the whole 'Trust' scenario with James; The more he trusts you, the more crazier he becomes around you. It’s his way of being more comfortable.

Along with that, he gets attached to people that are deep within his trust and protective as well.

Like if he sees you hurt, you can bet anything that he would be there for you.

And if he finds out that someone hurt you (and you allow him), he’ll make sure that it will never happen again.

After that, cuddles and sweets for the day/night!

Aside from that, James is really into astronomy.

Every night that he’s alone and can’t sleep, he would go to the roof and look up at the stars.

He would count every star that he sees and comet that comes across the sky.

He also has a stargazing journal to keep track of his sightings.

He swears that he saw a shooting star, one night and will not forget it.

Onto the next headcanon (and probably the most obvious one), he does throw some tea parties. However, he doesn’t have anyone to spend tea time with due to his trust issues and him being anti social.

So most of the time, it’s just him. Alone at a table, outside of his home. He doesn’t mind the silence but it can get boring sometimes.

If he does have the urge to find someone to spend some time and tea with (or he’s just bored out of his mind), he would invite someone he could trust. The last time he invited someone he knew and didn’t trust . . . . He rather not talk about it. >_<

He may not look like but he takes tea time very seriously. Like he’s either starting tea time early or right on time, EXACTLY!

The same goes for his guest(s) If he ever invites any. He expects them to either come on time or early. Otherwise, he’ll just get annoyed and that’ll put him off his tea.

And trust me, he doesn’t like being off his tea and annoyed. However if you want to cure that, give him a riddle. He’ll be interested and occupied, if it’s good enough for his interest to be peeked.

Speaking of riddles, he does love to confuse people with his words. Their reactions brings amusement for him and he loves it when people can’t find sense in his words.

If someone were to figure out his words of nonsense, he’ll reward them with a little secret. ;)

Speaking of secrets, James knows a lot of the secrets and half-truths of his world. He knows who’s hiding what and why. How does he know? Why, the cards told him so.

He’s into tarot cards, playing deck, and zodiac signs. The reason why he does is because he likes to discover things that people would say behind closed doors. It gives him a sense of power, just by knowing alone.

Not only that, his cards can even give a glimpse of what has been and what’s to come for the people around him. It gives him a better description of who the people around him REALLY ARE than what they let on to be. Not only that, he knows bits and pieces of what will happen to them. Wether that is good or bad, he’ll let you know if he wants to.

Creating a mysterious side, he has secrets of his own. No one knows who james once was or how he came to be. He just came into town as the man he is now, one day. But if you listen closely and follow the right path, you may find a hint or two of him. Just don’t let him catch you. If he does, it was nice knowing you.

He is as mysterious as he is a trickster. He loves to trick people as much as he can confuse him. It’s one of his favorite past times besides reading and just wandering around in the forest alone.

There was this one time that he put a little something extra into a villager’s drink and since then, he’s been avoiding the village so that way he wouldn’t get attacked.

Adding more into it, he does have a set of potions that he uses for a number of reasons. One of them is pranking people.

As for what those potions can do, they make you act like stuff and basically make you go crazy for a little bit.

He uses the potions for three reasons. The first being for pranks. The second is to cheer up/confort the people that he trusts, and the third reason is a bit angsty.

There are times that he gets stressed out to a point where he just can’t take it. He takes one of the potions so that way he doesn’t deal the stress that badly. So if you find James crying like a baby with frosting all over his face, don’t be too surprised. Also, help the poor guy out.

If/when you do find him in that state (and he trusts you), give him some comfort with a hug and give him a cookie. He’ll be fine from there. Or start to be, at least.

The guy does have a hard time dealing with stress due to personal reasons. Not only that, he’s an anti-social because of personal reasons he doesn’t want to talk about. He doesn’t like to be around big crowds as well due to personal reasons.

Along with that, that’s why he lives in the forest alone. He doesn’t like to be around people due to . . . . . reasons.

The only time he ever talks to people is when he’s interested in them, seeing that they could be trusted, or he’s off to buy some things for the week.

Speaking of people that interest him, he does have a secret interest/fondness in the outsiders that drop from the world above him. More than what he lets on, tbh.

He can also tell whether or not you’re an outsider or an 'Alice' if you want to speak it in better terms. It’s all on the body movement, eye movement, and the clothing that they wear. He has a sharp eye for details.

It’s rare for an Alice to drop in but when one does fall from above, expect James to have an interest in you.

The reasoning behind his interest in alices or outsiders is because they’re not from his world. They’re different. Just like him.

When he finds an 'Alice', he usually invites them for tea and asks all sorts of questions about them. Like, who they are, where they live, what their life is like, likes, dislikes, hopes, fears, and anything else that’s an interesting fact about them.

Aside from that, James does have a liking for scented candles. He usually lights a couple at night for two reasons. One, it helps sets the mood for nighttime tea. And two, he uses the scent as a way to calm him down.

In case anyone was wondering, his favorite scented candle is blueberry. Also, if you come into his place and smell blueberries, that is why.

His perfect night-time event is having tea, outside in the stars. Especially if it’s on a summer’s night.

He would light up the table with scented candles and have some tea close to him. That plus a couple slices of cake or possibly some cupcakes nearby. He would also decorate the table with some blue and black rose petals for the aesthetic.

From there, he would just drink tea and gaze into the stars at night. That would be the best time for him to truly relax and finally feel free.

After some time, he falls asleep at the table and if he moves unconsciously, he might get some sweets on him. Like seriously, he woke up, using cake as a pillow and has no idea how he fell asleep in the first place.

Ironwood’s favorite season in wonderland is winter. He has a varity of reasons why but the two main reasons why is because the atomsphere and aesthetic of the enviroment.

Taking walks during the winter season are also a favorite thing he loves to do during the winter season. That also connects with his fondness of the winter atomsphere.

Along with that, he can not confirm or deny the fact that he may or may not like to play in the snow. He will not say anything on that matter or at the least, not publically.

That’s also the reason why he doesn’t have many tea parties during the winter season. He would rather spend the time during the winter season with his casual walks which helps him calm down in certain scenairos.

With that, he also likes the cold and crisp air that the winter weather has. Not only that, he likes it when the hot tea that he makes warms him up from the cold weather.

Back to the fact that he has a fondness for ‘outsiders’, James can tell wether a that person came into wonderland from a dream state or not. If they’re troubled from a nightmare or not, he would take them under his wing with a cup of tea for a bit.

James would give them an item that they would find when they wake up as a sign to say like, “Hey, that wasn’t a dream. Don’t worry about the problems of the past. Just know that you’re not alone. In the realm of dreams, I’ll be here for you.”

Secretly, he does take care of people in the dark. He has a huge sense of sympathy to the people that have been ‘abused by the world’.

He does this as small things such as leaving coins, food, clothing, and important items for them to use. He knows the world is a messed up and broken place. He’ll do what he can to help the lost people in the world.

This also applies for any outsiders that he finds in wonderland as well. This is mainly due to his past experiences that he doesn’t talk about. As for why, he won’t say.

He has seen the harshness in his world and from that, he would make sure that no one has to suffer anymore than what he went through.

If he were to find out that one’s suffering came from a person, he would have a ‘talk’ to that person and after that, comfort the people that were hurt by them.

He knows the light and dark of the world and he would do anything to make sure that the light will never get hurt and fall into the dark.

He may be crazy but hurt the people he trusts and you’ll regret it. He doesn’t take dark and evil people, lightly.

He does have a secret hero side to himself that only few see. When they do, it’s really a sight to behold. His weapon is two pistol guns; blue that’s laced with silver.

He always has them hidden under his jacket in case he needs then, which is pretty rare. That’s also why he doesn’t let anyone touch him. Doesn’t want to accidently shoot his foot. He had that almost happen once. He doesn’t want that to happen again.

Lastly, he’s also skilled in hand to hand combat. To the few that have seen James fight, they wonder how he became so skilled. He usually responds by saying something about the past that leaves people curious about him.

~Things James Said At Some Point~

"Why am I surrounded by idiots?”

"What day is it again?"

"Believe me when I say, you don’t want to know what goes on in my mind."

"Sh*t! It’s going to be tea time."

"Yes, I care about tea time. What’s your concern?"

"Why is my life like this?"

" . . . Do trees have emotions?"

"You must take a seat. Having tea alone can be quite a bore, sometimes.”

"The pain and misery of betrayal can leave more scars on you than you believe it can leave."

"Don’t flatter yourself, child. You’re not impressing anyone."

"Sometimes, giving trust to someone can be the bravest task anyone can do."

"I wonder if I could reach out to the stars. It would make a very good night light."

"What you see before you is just fantasy. Reality can be . . Harsher to survive and far more brutal to grow up in."

"Craziness is only bad if you think of it to be."

"As you can tell, I’m not exactly . . . . Normal, so to speak."

"Look. I know you must be scared at the moment but I can assure you, it’s for the best if you listen to me."

"What if I told you that I could tell you what happens next?"

"Do you want to hear a secret?"

"I’ll share a secret with you if you have the right price."

"If you’re looking for people that are normal, I’m afraid that you won’t find much around here."

"Everyone is crazy. Some are just better at hiding it while it becomes apart of others, one way or another."

"In a world filled with nonsense, why would you want make sense of who you are?"

"I don’t know who or what you are but you do interest me. Care for a cup of tea?"

"Child, don’t be afraid. I’ll be your light in the darkness of my world."

"Now, why would you want that?"

"The world can be a brutal place. The people that live here? They can be worse.”

“It’s your luck that my licence to cause havoc just expired.”

“Then again, when did I ever let anything stop me from stopping the filthy people like you from hurting the innocents and purity of this world?”

“The past can teach you as much it can leave scars. It all depends on how you move on from it.”

“There’s many ways to say that you’re different. People just tend to say it negatively.”

“There’s nothing wrong with you. There is nothing wrong with not being like everyone else.”

“My lady, can’t you see that you’re perfect? Just the way that you are. People just don’t see prefection when they see it, sometimes.”

“You have a spark that can ignite change in this world. Don’t let anyone blow it out.”

#rwby #ironwood #james ironwood #aesthetic #ironwood headcanons #james ironwood headcanons #rwby au #alice in wonderland #mad hatter #mad hatter headcanons #coping mechanism from volume 7 #mad hatter au

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iihappydaysii · 4 years

Text

title: eudaimonia

rated: e

pairing: john/jamie

summary: To protect baby William, Jamie and Lord John run away with the child to raise him—in the year 2020. The more time they spend together in this new and unusual world, the harder it is for both of them to ignore their growing and changing feelings for one another.

read on ao3

. . .

The day passed slowly, like sap rolling down the trunk of a tree. Jamie dressed in the strange clothes Zoe gave him. A pair of “boxer-briefs” she said, then “jeans-and-a-t-shirt”. Zoe had said that phrase like that, as if it was all one thing, though he imagined it was not. Jamie asked her where the rest of it was. She laughed and said, “Stop worrying about your modesty, Princess. This is how everyone dresses.” She’d purchased Grey something similar, though the “jeans” were black and the t-shirt grey instead of white. It was simple, minimal, worlds away from the extravagance of the red coat dress he usually wore. Somehow the image evoked good garden soil, the kind that reaped autumn crops. Jamie pushed the thought away furiously.

Ever since Jamie had left Helwater the previous night, he’d been acting on instinct—the way one does in battle. It had been instinct that led Jamie to Grey’s quarters, redcoats not far behind. Maybe a touch of insanity was to blame, as he did not know what he expected Grey to do. But Jamie had found himself pounding like a madman on Grey’s door, in the middle of the night, before he even understood that he was doing it at all.

Jamie explained the situation to the major as quickly and thoroughly as possible, feeling more and more foolish as the story went on. Grey said nothing, which only increased the withering feeling between his ribs. When the redcoats first arrived to apprehend him, Grey had let them into his room. Jamie thought Grey had meant to turn him over, leaving Jamie sorting through ways to kill him and the other soldiers, with a baby in his arms, when one of the soldiers rushed towards Jamie and found himself with Lord John Grey’s pistol to his head.

Had John made that decision as he had made the one to go to him for help? With instinct and a touch of insanity?

“I ordered a pizza,” Zoe said, drawing Jamie from his thoughts. “It’ll be here in thirty minutes or less,” she put the telephone—Claire had explained that one to him— away. “We could watch something.”

Watch? Jamie thought. Watch what? He said nothing though. Second by second, he gained a greater appreciation for what Claire must’ve endured when she first landed in the past. And, unlike him, she was entirely alone.

Jamie followed Zoe out of her frankly wondrous kitchen into the room with the front door, the one they’d first arrived in.

Grey was there by the window, hands around a glass of water, looking outside. “What are those? The machines that keep passing by so quickly?”

“Cars,” Zoe replied. “They’re how we get around here for the most part, instead of horses and carriages.”

With a blink, Grey’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. “How do they work?”

“Hell if I know. I just drive ‘em and don’t ask questions. I could google it.”

“Google?”

Zoe shook her head. “No, never mind. Google is too much for today. We should start with television.” She grabbed a long black rectangle from one of the small tables and pointed it at the flat black something against the wall.

The black transformed to a vibrant array of colors, organized into moving images that emitted sound.

“Dear God in heaven,” Grey said.

Jamie was speechless, simply staring, brow furrowed at the pictures.

“Pretty wild, huh?”

“How does this work?” Grey asked as he had earlier.

“Ask me again when I think you’re ready for Google.”

Jamie found himself desperately wanting to know what or who Google was and why Zoe presumed they would not be “ready for it”, when she’d assumed, wrongly Jamie might add, that they were prepared for this thing called a television.

“Deciding someone’s first television show is far too much responsibility,” Zoe said.

Pointing that rectangle at the pictures, she kept pressing her thumb down and the images would shift, showing one impossible thing after another. Then, suddenly, she stopped and announced that she had an idea. “Netflix.”

Jamie had no idea what Netflix meant, and he was wondering if he’d ever get used to all the new words and concepts this time would hold.

“What would you like to see? Forests, seas, caves, deserts?”

Grey looked over at Jamie, which made Jamie realize he’d been looking over at him already. Neither one of them seemed to know how to answer that question. Did Grey feel as small and ignorant as he did?

“Let’s go with forests,” she eventually said when they did not answer. “That will at least be somewhat familiar.”

The television changed once again, opening up to a vibrant world of deep greens and blues and shocks of violent red. The gentle voice of an unseen man spoke as Jamie felt he were sweeping over the world on the back of an eagle. He stood witness to sight after magnificent sight, each one he’d never even dreamt of seeing.

Again, he was speechless; Grey was not, however. “How do they… how is it possible…” he turned toward Zoe, then answered his own question. “You don’t know.”

It could be magic, Jamie thought, but it seemed this had gone far beyond the realm of magic and had landed among the world of miracles. Would William grow up, as Zoe had done, believing all of this to be so commonplace that he wouldn’t even think to ask how it all worked? Would, could even he himself grow to find this simply usual? No, Jamie found that impossible to fathom.

In silence, they all moved to sit, Grey to a chair by the window and Zoe and Jamie on the sofa. They watched, attention rapt, until a ring sounded throughout the house.

“Pizza’s here.” Zoe jumped up from beside Jamie and went to the door. She opened it and a man in a red shirt was stood on the doorstep. He held a large, flat brown parcel and one of those strange sacks that Zoe had brought home William’s bottles and such in. She thanked the man and took the parcel and the bag, closing the door behind her with her foot. “God, if I’m this hungry, you both must be starving.”

Jamie wouldn’t argue with Zoe. His stomach was empty, but he’d been far hungrier many times in his life and, despite his position, it was almost certain that Grey had felt the same way. Still, the food smelled unusual, but delicious, and when Zoe opened the box, the food was unrecognizable.

She looked over at John, who had just walked in behind them. “Ask me how this is made, I actually know the answer to that.”

He leaned over the top of the box to look down at the “pizza”. “Maybe just explain what it is.”

“Bread, tomato sauce, cheese and meat.”

“Tomatoes are poisonous,” Grey said.

Zoe laughed. “No, they’re acidic. Lead is poisonous and your plates had lead in the them. The acid in the tomatoes makes the lead leach out of the plates.”

“Honestly?”

“Honestly,” Zoe said, pulling one of the pieces from the large circle. She took a bite. “Super delicious and not gonna kill you.” She pulled three plates down from her cabinet and gestured to them. “Have at it, guys. There’s buffalo wings and brownies too.”

“Buffalo don’t have wings,” Jamie said.

“They’re chicken wings. Buffalo is the name of the sauce. It’s named for the town in New York where they were invented.”

“Should I ask about brownies?” Grey said with a small smile.

“Like a dense chocolate cake.”

As they were filling up their plates, Zoe opened up what she’d earlier referred to as a refrigerator and asked, “You guys want something to drink? Uh, looks like I’ve got Sam Adams and some expired almond milk?”

“Who’s Sam Adams?” Grey inquired, looking over at Zoe with his plate balanced in his left hand.

Her eyes darted towards Jamie and she grimaced. “Not sure I should tell him.”

Grey’s brow furrowed.

She pulled two brown bottles out and placed them on the counter. “It’s beer. Named after a revolutionary, fighting for uh the independence of the American colonies from England.” She grabbed a metal instrument out of her drawer and used it to remove the lids on each bottle.

“Like a Jacobite?” Grey said, taking a seat at Zoe’s table.

“Sort of. Except they kick your ass.”

A ruddy flush bloomed across Grey’s cheek and he stiffened. Zoe looked over at Jamie. “Told you I shouldn’t tell him.”

“How?” he asked, blinking.

“The indomitable spirit of the American people. That and intervention from Spain, France and the Netherlands.”

“Claire…” Jamie managed, as he still often struggled to say her name aloud. “She also said something about… it was a strange word… guerrilla tactics.” He sat at the table too, taking an offered bottle of the beer from Zoe.

“There was that too. They learned it from conflicts with the Native Americans.”

Grey hesitated, but he took one of the bottles of beer from Zoe. “This is cold…?”

“One thing at a time,” Zoe replied.

“What are guerrilla tactics?”

“If he ever goes back to his own time, we’re fucked.” Still standing, Zoe took a bite of her own pizza. “It’s basically small groups of soldiers carrying out ambushes, sabotage, hit-and-run maneuvers. It can be pretty effective when you’re up against a larger, less-mobile traditional army. God, I suddenly feel like a traitor.”

“That’s not unlike what you and the Jacobites did the night we met,” Grey said to Jamie.

“How did you two meet?”

“He tried to kill me,” Jamie replied.

Zoe gave Grey a look.

“I did not succeed.” Grey hesitated, but picked up the slice of pizza with his hands as Zoe had done. He took a bite of the pizza and chewed it slowly, brow knitting. “That’s… unusual but quite delicious.”

“It’s all the fat and sodium,” Zoe replied, her mouth full, as she joined them at the table.

Jamie did his best not to judge. He knew Zoe was whip-smart, kind-hearted and an incredibly powerful sorceress, but her lack of manners would sometimes unsettle him. When they’d met in those years after Culloden, when he was Red Jamie and hiding in the woods, she’d saved his life more than once. He respected her even if he never understood the rules she used to govern her life. He would have to meet more people from this time to know if these behaviors were particular to Zoe or if they were widespread. Grey, on the other hand, was almost painfully neat. He carried himself with the rigid posture of an English soldier, his body reaching the floor at controlled yet elegant angles. Jamie had seen him eat before, of course. Each bite he took was always precise, like a reasoned decision.

Jamie returned his attention to his own meal and ate some himself. The texture of the bread and melted cheese slid over his tongue, the flavor enhanced. Everything in this time seemed to be. Louder, more vibrant, desperate for attention.

They’d only finished a portion of their meal ,and Grey was asking Zoe more questions about the man on their bottles of beer, when a loud cry sounded from down the hall where Jamie had laid William down to sleep.

He stood up from the table and walked towards the sound, pushing open the door to the small bedroom. William was a small-bundled freckle in a sea of egg blue linen. Jamie lifted his son—his son—from the bed and stared down at the bairn’s soft pink face.

With a hush, he bounced William in his arms, smiling down at him. The bairn’s face scrunched up and moments later, the putrid stench of shit filled the room. He hurried back to Grey and Zoe in the kitchen. Jamie held the baby out to Zoe.

“The bairn has soiled himself.”

Zoe cringed. “Gross. Change him.”

“Change him?”

“Yeah, I bought diapers.”

“What are diapers?”

With a sigh, Zoe stood up from her chair and walked over to the kitchen counter where the bags from earlier that day still remained. She pulled out a blue box and tore into it. “I’ll tell you how, but you’re doing it.”

It wasn’t that Jamie was particularly disgusted at the thought or that he found himself above it. No, he simply felt inadequate. Men rarely looked after bairns in his time, at least the roles for how they were to look after bairns were more clearly defined. There were the things women were better suited to doing, and the things men were better suited to doing. Though, at the thought, he could almost hear Claire’s judgement. She was far better physician than any man he’d known and that was an occupation supposedly better suited to his sex.

“Come with me,” Zoe said, gesturing with the diaper towards the main room. “You too, John. You’re going to need to know how to do this too.”

Jamie expected Grey to protest or stay seated, but he wiped his mouth with a napkin, then stood to follow them. When he’d come to Grey for help, he hadn’t expected to reach out to Zoe too, for the three of them to end up here. He certainly hadn’t expected that Lord John Grey would be a willing participant in any of this. Maybe, Jamie figured, he should just stop assuming anything of the man. He had not the talent for it.

Zoe laid a plush blanket on the floor, then knelt down beside it. “Lay Will down here. Gently.”

The reminder was unnecessary, but Jamie understood the instinct to protect this fragile creature, so he said nothing, just did as he was told.

Zoe talked Jamie through the steps, as Grey stood behind them with a studious look on his face. She told him about wiping the bairn clean with the disposable wet wipes and about making sure to cover him in a way so he couldn’t piss all over you while you were changing him. And finally, she talked Jamie through attaching the diaper, as she called it, which was constructed of some kind of thick parchment-like material that stuck to itself.

“Who’s that?” Grey asked.

“Who do you mean?”

“The image on the front there.”

Zoe laughed. “That is the most recognizable image in the world. More recognizable than our Lord Jesus Christ. Mickey Mouse.”

“You cannot be serious,” Grey replied.

Zoe stood from where she was crouched and patted Grey’s shoulder as she passed by him. “Welcome to the 21st century.”

A few moments later, Zoe returned with a grey spotted outfit for the bairn. She helped Jamie slip his arms and legs into it, then taught him about zippers before helping him close it up.

“Such a bonnie bairn,” Jamie said, scooping his son up into his arms. He caught a soft look on Grey’s face, a gentleness in his eyes that had this way of setting him at ease, even when Jamie knew he should remain on guard. Grey had not made any advances on him since that day at Ardsmuir. The trouble was that Jamie did not know if Grey’s behavior came from the threat Jamie had made or from a genuine respect for his person. He guessed Grey could’ve taken him when he was tied up on the way to Helwater and there wouldn’t have been much Jamie could’ve done. Grey didn’t however, and Jamie really didn’t believe Grey would do such a thing to anyone who did not want it. Not after what he’d come to know of the man. Even if his... lusts still made Jamie wholly uncomfortable.

They returned to finish their food, Jamie eating one handed.

“Do you think William should visit a physician soon?” Grey asked Zoe.

“Definitely. I’ll need to figure some stuff out first though. In this time you need documents for everything.”

“How do you go about procuring documents? As, of course, we cannot confess where we are truly from.”

“No, we won’t be able to get real documents, but fortunately this won’t be the first time I’ve, um, played a little fast and loose with the law. I know people.”

“People who can forge these documents?” Jamie asked.

“Yeah, hopefully. I’ll need a picture of you guys though.” Zoe reached into her pocket and removed a shiny small device. She cradled it in her hand, sliding her finger across it, then held it up towards Grey. “Smile,” she told him. He just furrowed his brow. “Actually, never mind. They don’t let you smile anymore.”

“What is she doing?” Grey spoke from the side of his mouth.

Jamie shook his head, as Zoe pivoted the strange thing towards him and said “Your turn.”

When she finished doing whatever she was doing, she turned the thing towards Grey.

“It’s like looking in a mirror,” he said, turning his head back and forth. “But it’s not following me. That’s unsettling.”

Zoe turned the item towards Jamie, showing him a frozen image of himself, and as much as it pained him, he had to agree with Grey. It was very unsettling.

Once they finished up dinner, Jamie offered to help clean the dishes but Zoe told him there was no need. She opened up the metal box near the sink and just dropped their plates inside. Its insides were already filled with cups, mugs, cutlery and others dishes. She grabbed a small bluish rectangle from her cupboard and dropped it in a compartment.

Zoe shut the door and pressed her finger against the front of the metal box. A tiny green light illuminated on it, followed by the sound of churning water, like a river pounding over rocks.

“Dishwasher,” she said. “Explanation’s in the name.” Zoe paused again, before looking over at Grey, who was disguising a yawn behind his broad hand. “You guys must be totally beat. Willie’s asleep. Though he’ll probably wake up in a few hours for a bottle and for a diaper change, you should sleep too. Say goodbye to your full eight hours though.” Zoe laughed, then frowned. “Shit, I’ve only got the one guest bedroom. The bed’s probably big enough to share though, if you want. It’ll be cozy tonight with Will though. We can go out tomorrow and get a crib.”

Jamie’s mouth was dry as he tried to parse through Zoe’s barrage of words. One guest room. One bed. Sharing. With Grey. His heart was thudding like a rabbit’s foot in his chest. They’d been close, last night in the leaves, but this was different. This was a room with a closed door and a bed. Jamie didn’t want Grey to ever get the wrong idea again, not like he had that night in Ardsmuir. He’d yet to make himself clear again, after coming to Grey for help with Willie. Was it possible that Grey had come here under the impression Jamie would exchange his body as some kind of payment?

“One of you can also sleep on the couch, but you’ll have to argue that out.” Zoe’s words were drawn out, her eyes narrowed.

“I’ll take the couch,” Grey replied, before Jamie had the chance to say anything himself. “I don’t mind.”

The rabbit between Jamie’s ribs settled down at the major’s offer. It seemed he could put the question of John Grey’s intentions away, for tonight at least.

#lord john grey #john x jamie #outlander nonsense #my fic

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artificialqueens · 5 years

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Once Upon a Dream (Branjie)- athena2

Lesbian AU inspired by Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent, where Vanessa is a cursed princess sent to live in a cottage nearby fairy Brooke. Basically, I watched Maleficent and couldn’t get this idea out of my head.

Once upon a time, there was a cruel king.

The king had a year-old daughter, the princess, the most beautiful baby in the country. His wife had died in labor. Some said that made him cruel, others said he always was. In his cruelty, he decided to hunt fairies.

One night he came upon a fairy that fought back and struck him. He decided to punish the fairy. He had his guards seize her young daughter, who had blonde hair and green eyes and inky black wings, and he pulled out his iron knife and severed her wings while the girl screamed and cried.

In retaliation, the woman put a curse on the king, so his daughter would suffer as hers did: before she turned 16, the princess would prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall into an eternal sleep that could only be cured by true love’s kiss. She would sleep forever, as such a thing did not exist.

The king gathered all the wheels in the country and locked them in the castle dungeon. He sent his daughter to live in a cottage with three servants, to keep her safe until she turned 16…

The tall grass was cozy around Brooke as she stretched her neck to watch the girl. Every day she came outside to play in the flower garden by her cottage. Her giggles travelled to the woods where Brooke hid, and the sound made her smile, but it made her sad, too. She wished she could play with her, but the girl was human, and her mother said she couldn’t play with humans. She was supposed to play with the other fairies, but none of them wanted to play with her because she didn’t have wings. Her mother owned a shop in the village selling potions and remedies, and Brooke spent her days alone, usually up in the trees with forest creatures as company. She was five years old and had never had a friend, or anyone to talk to.

The girl was wobbling along after a pink butterfly, her curly brown hair reflecting the golden sun. The three women she lived with were by the cottage door, arguing about the eggs they purchased in the village. The girl’s fingers strained to touch the soft wings, and she reached the edge of the cliff without noticing.

She was going to fall! Instinctively, Brooke shot out her hands, and the branches on the cliffside rushed to cup around the girl. She laughed happily as it lifted her back up to the cool grass, and Brooke took a slow breath.

Brooke ducked back into the trees before the girl saw her. She wasn’t supposed to let people see her use magic, that’s what her mother always said. She said humans wouldn’t be nice to her if they saw. She ran her hand over the stumps on Brooke’s back when she said it, even though Brooke didn’t like her mother to touch them, and she knew she had to listen.

But she also knew she would give anything to hear the girl’s laugh up close. —-

Vanessa had been in the tiny cottage with her aunties as long as she could remember. She had apple trees bearing shiny red, sweet fruit, the vegetable patch with thick green vines, and flowers blooming in every color of the rainbow. She was four years old, and she didn’t want anything–except another girl to play with.

Sometimes she thought she saw a tuft of blonde hair in the grass, but everytime she got close, it was gone. One day her Aunt Kiki let her go to the edge of their land, where the tall grass started.

She trudged through, the grass taller than her in some spots, until she met the base of a knotted tree. Perched atop one of the branches was a girl. A real girl, with blonde hair and a dark blue dress. She stared at the yellow-orange leaves, and she seemed sad. Maybe she wanted a friend too.

“What’s your name?” Vanessa called up to the girl.

The girl startled, but she quickly grabbed hold of the branch before she fell. She didn’t answer.

“I said, what’s your name?” Vanessa repeated. She wanted to climb up but couldn’t reach the branches, fingers grasping uselessly. The girl noticed and climbed down with ease.

She dropped onto long legs. “B-Brooke,” she said quietly. She looked at the ground, and Vanessa wondered if she hadn’t talked to many people before and if that was why she was scared. Vanessa wanted to help her so she wouldn’t be scared.

“I’m Vanessa! How old are you?”

“Six.” Brooke still had her head down, but her voice was as soft as the honey Vanessa put on her bread.

“Aren’t ya going to ask me how old I am?” Vanessa demanded.

Brooke looked up and smiled for the first time. Vanessa wondered if it was for the first time ever. Her eyes were like grass in summertime. “How old are you?”

“Four!” She proudly held up four fingers. “You wanna be my friend and play hide-and-seek?”

Brooke’s eyes met the ground again and she played with the sleeve of her dress. “Oh, I-I can’t. I’ll get in trouble.”

“Oh.” Vanessa kicked at the dirt and tried not to cry. So she still wouldn’t have a friend.

“Well, maybe for a little while?” Brooke asked.

Vanessa grinned. She grabbed Brooke’s hand and tugged her toward the vegetable patch, her laughs growing louder now that she had someone to share them with. —

“Race you to the pond!” Brooke called over her shoulder.

“No fair, your legs are longer!”

Brooke’s nine-year-old legs easily overtook Vanessa’s six (almost seven, she would insist)-year-old ones, and she smiled as she slowed her run.

Her cheeks were flushed and the redness deepened once Vanessa caught up, her eyes bright like sweet chocolate.

The pond twinkled bright blue, and it felt like you could see clear into the other side of the world when you looked at the water.

“Will you show me how to skip stones like you do?” Vanessa asked.

“Sure.”

She closed her fingers over Vanessa’s hand, gently guiding her as the stones rippled across the shimmering water. The morning passed in blissful joy, Vanessa telling Brooke stories about her crazy aunts, until Vanessa got four skips in a row and threw her arms around Brooke in an excited hug.

“How’d you get so good at that?” Vanessa asked as she passed Brooke a lemon cake from her bag.

Brooke bit her lip and fidgeted with her dress cuff. Would Vanessa tease her? “I used to play by myself a lot, before I met you,” she confessed.

“Oh.” She paused. “Brooke, am I your best friend?”

“Yes,” she smiled. “Yes, you are.” She was Brooke’s only friend, but Brooke knew that even if she had a thousand friends, Vanessa would be her favorite. She understood Brooke, and she didn’t tell her to stop thinking and talk more, like her mother did. Vanessa just let her be quiet when she needed to.

“You’re mine too!” Vanessa exclaimed, and Brooke knew she didn’t need to worry about Vanessa laughing at her. The tart sweetness of the lemon cake burst in her mouth. Vanessa smiled, and Brooke could feel her secret inside her, bursting at the seams, eager to come out. She wasn’t supposed to tell anyone, but Vanessa wasn’t just anyone. She was only six (almost seven) but Brooke knew she could trust her. Her words were interrupted by rumbling thunder as fat raindrops splattered into the pond.

“We better go, my aunts will be mad if I’m out in this.” Vanessa swallowed the rest of her cake and jumped up, hair already damp. She was only wearing a light, short-sleeved dress because she liked to feel the fresh air on her skin.

Brooke removed her hooded cloak and wrapped it around Vanessa’s shoulders, the younger girl swimming in the fabric.

They ran back home, laughing and stomping in puddles and catching raindrops on their tongue.

By the time she got home, Brooke was soaked through and shivering but her face was still stretched into a wide grin, and her mother was so busy telling her to put on dry clothes she didn’t notice the missing cloak.

When she caught a chill a few days later and had to choke down one of her mother’s potions, she didn’t even mind the sour taste.

Especially not when Vanessa came over with a pot of soup her aunts made and practiced reading to Brooke while she was stuck in bed. —

Vanessa snatched the hot bread off Aunt Yvie’s tray and rushed outside to give it to Brooke while it was still warm. The honey smeared on top melted sticky over her fingers.

She and Brooke happily chewed their bread, bundled up in heavy winter cloaks as they kicked through light snowfall. She told Brooke how her Aunt Silky yelled at her yesterday for getting her dress dirty, and then she burned the bread and Aunt Yvie said it was better that way and Silky yelled more. Brooke nodded along and laughed and Vanessa was glad Brooke didn’t tell her to stop blabbering like her aunts did. Brooke let her talk as much as she wanted, and she was a good listener.

Brooke gave her a boost and Vanessa climbed one of the tall trees, creeping to the end of a thin branch high off the ground. The winter sun heated her face and cast sparkles off the snow—

Crack!

The branch snapped and the ground was rushing up to meet Vanessa before she could even react. Her eyes squeezed shut, but the impact was unexpectedly soft. She opened her eyes slowly and saw she was on a cloud, drifting gently to the ground.

Brooke stood nearby with her eyes narrowed intensely and her hands moving downward…she was controlling the cloud, Vanessa realized. Brooke was magic.

She ran to Brooke as soon as she touched down safely.

“Are you…are you a fairy?”

Vanessa always felt there was a part of Brooke that she hid, like a sun behind clouds. There were times when Brooke looked at her and opened her mouth but nothing came out. Or when Brooke watched birds soaring through the bright blue sky, wings outstretched, and had tears in her eyes that neither of them mentioned. She wondered why Brooke never shared it with her, but if she was a fairy, then Vanessa understood.

Brooke stared at her snowy boots and ran a hand through her hair. She kept opening and closing her mouth, and Vanessa knew it took her a while to find words sometimes and she just had to wait. She fiddled with the bracelet she’d gotten for her birthday while she waited.

“I…yes, I am a fairy.” Brooke looked her directly in the eyes. “You can’t tell. You can’t tell anyone. Promise me, Vanessa. You have to promise.” Brooke’s voice started fearful and went serious. She sounded much older than her 11 years. Her shaky hands gripped Vanessa’s shoulders.

Vanessa knew she had to listen. Her aunts told her fairies were peaceful and most people just let them be, but some hunted them for sport. Bad things happened to fairies that got captured and she didn’t want anyone to hurt Brooke. “I promise. You can trust me, I swear.”

Brooke sighed and removed her hands. “I’m sorry. I just, no one can know.”

“I understand. I’ll even give you a pinky promise.” She extended her pinky and Brooke’s longer one wrapped around it, their wrists brushing against each other, but Brooke quickly jumped back, hissing in pain.

“What’s wrong?” Vanessa asked worriedly.

“Your bracelet. Is it made of iron?” Brooke rubbed tentatively at her skin.

“Yes, why?”

“It’s poison to my kind. It hurts us,” Brooke explained, color slowly returning to her face.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” Vanessa ripped it off her wrist and stashed it in her bag.

“It’s alright. Let’s do the promise for real this time.” Brooke smiled and reached out her pinky, and Vanessa took it. —

Brooke tore through the forest to show Vanessa the new birds that had just hatched. They only had the afternoons to meet now, as Vanessa began morning lessons with her aunts when she turned 12 last year.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Vanessa sitting in the grass by her flower garden talking to a boy. The sunflowers shone beside them. Vanessa always talked to Brooke by the sunflowers. She said they reminded her of Brooke because they were yellow like her hair and so tall they almost reached the sun, and Brooke made her happy and warm like the flowers did.

Her chest felt tight. For a minute she thought her breakfast might not stay down. The boy had dark brown hair and was dressed well. A horse chomped on grass nearby. He had to be from the village. Why would he be out in the woods by Vanessa’s cottage?

He said something, and Vanessa tossed her head back and laughed the way she did when she talked to Brooke, only Brooke wasn’t there to hear it.

Was he going to be her friend now? Of course she was alright with Vanessa having a new friend, but what if–Brooke swallowed a lump in her throat–what if Vanessa didn’t want to be her friend at all anymore? What would Brooke do without her? Her cheeks were wet. Brooke didn’t even know the tears had started.

Through her tear-streaked vision, she watched the boy kiss her. He kissed her and Brooke didn’t understand why it felt like she was burning inside.

She turned back to her cottage and angrily wiped the tears away. Why did she care anyway? Vanessa would be 13 in a few months. She could do what she wanted.

But Brooke didn’t sleep that night, the boy’s face flickering in and out of her mind.

The next day Vanessa told her the boy had been exploring the forest and got lost and she took him back to her cottage to give him directions.

So they weren’t friends. Brooke felt unexplainable lightness spread through her, and she and Vanessa talked and ate fresh raspberries while the sunflowers smiled above them.

She pushed the boy out of her mind, and in her dreams, her own lips replaced his as they met Vanessa’s. —-

“How come you don’t have wings?” Vanessa asked one day. It had been in her head since she found out what Brooke was, and turning 14 recently gave her some new bravery.

“I used to,” Brooke replied, looking down into the pond.

Vanessa frowned in confusion. “Did something happen to them?”

“A human cut them off.”

“Oh,” Vanessa said quietly. “Did it hurt?”

Brooke nodded, and Vanessa saw the old pain reflected in her eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

Brooke took a deep breath and stood abruptly. She lowered her dress, exposing the top half of her back. “You-you can see if you want. I’ve never showed anyone.”

Vanessa was about to tell Brooke she didn’t have to, but she understood how deeply Brooke must trust her, and Vanessa didn’t want her to regret that trust.

She stepped closer.

There were tiny black nubs on Brooke’s back, sticking roughly an inch out of her skin. The edges were jagged, and the skin around them was red, flecked with spidery green lines twisting away from them.

She wondered how old Brooke was when it happened. She was six when Vanessa met her, and she didn’t have wings then. They must have been cut before that. Who could put someone that young through so much pain?

Her fingers hovered over the lines. “Do they still hurt?”

“Not really. Only sometimes, if I move my shoulders wrong.”

Heart racing, moving quickly before she could stop herself, Vanessa leaned down and kissed the skin around one on the stumps.

Brooke’s flesh broke out in goosebumps. Vanessa told herself it was probably from the air, though the sun was warm.

She gently kissed around the other, then moved to Brooke’s front. She let her hands settle on Brooke’s bare back and their chests met. Brooke was warm, her heart pulsing against Vanessa.

Brooke’s green eyes met hers and widened. Her lips parted slightly and her neck bent forward. Vanessa reached up, her lips just a moment away—

“Vanessa! You come home this instant!” Vanessa jerked back, skin still tingling where Brooke had been pressed against her. Only Aunt Silky’s voice could reach that far into the woods.

Brooke hastily pulled her dress back up.

Vanessa sighed. “I better go before she kills me.”

“Right. See you tomorrow.”

Vanessa turned reluctantly, their unfinished kiss trailing behind her and following her into her dreams. —-

Brooke held the bracelet nervously. Tomorrow was Vanessa’s 16th birthday, and Brooke had never given her a gift like this. Usually they gave each other sweets from the village, but Brooke turned 18 a few months ago and Vanessa had given her a necklace with a sunflower charm that she wore everyday, and she wanted to give Vanessa something special in return.

She always felt guilty that Vanessa couldn’t wear her iron bracelet because of her, so she decided to give Vanessa a new one. This one was made of strong wood from a tree in the forest, the old, gnarled one she had been sitting in when she met Vanessa, and Brooke used tricky magic to carve the the bracelet so it was a circle of leaves.

Vanessa was waiting at the edge of the woods in a soft pink dress, but her shoulders were curved in and she was crying.

“Vanessa, what’s wrong?” Brooke carefully wiped one of the tears trailing down her cheek. Vanessa’s eyes were red and puffy, like she’d been crying for a long time. Vanessa cried more often than Brooke did, shedding tears over a rabbit with an injured leg, but for her to be crying this much, Brooke knew it was bad.

“I have to leave,” she choked out between sobs.

Brooke’s stomach dropped. “What do you mean?”

“My aunts just told me…it’s an order by the king and I have to go live in the castle, and there’s nothing I can do…”

Brooke pulled her in for a hug, not knowing what else to do. She rubbed Vanessa’s back and whispered that it was alright, even though Brooke felt like her entire world was coming apart and she had to hold back her own tears.

“I have to go right now, they only gave me enough time to say goodbye to you.” Vanessa pulled away and sniffled.

Brooke finally recovered her voice. She handed Vanessa the bracelet wrapped in thick paper. “This is for your birthday. You can open it when you want. Vanessa, I-you’re my best friend.”

“You’re my best friend too,” Vanessa responded, fresh tears springing in her eyes as she clutched the package. “I’ll come back, I promise.”

And then she was gone, into a stagecoach and disappearing down the road, gone like the past 12 years had never happened.

Brooke walked home numbly. She felt absolutely empty inside, like a hollowed out pumpkin. She wanted to crawl into bed and sleep until Vanessa came back, even if it took years.

When she entered the cottage she found her mother in a deep black dress with her wings spread wide, ready to go out.

“Where are you going?” Brooke asked. Her mother never dressed like that in her shop.

“I’m off to the castle. I have some gloating to do, my dear.”

“Gloating for what?”

“Sit down. It’s time I told you everything.”

Her mother’s voice spun the tale, years of hatred running through her. She said the king hunted and killed fairies for the fun of it, and she made him bleed when he came after her. To teach her a lesson, he used her daughter.

“The king cut my wings off?” Brooke asked incredulously.

She never remembered the face of the person that cut them. She was only three. She remembered someone ordering her to stay still as she kicked and writhed in pain. She remembered crying even as her mother applied healing balm and having to drink tea and potions for days afterward because she had screamed her voice away.

“That’s right, and I decided to teach him a lesson,” her mother continued. “I cursed his daughter to eternal sleep before she turned 16. Little Vanessa will be 16 tomorrow, and I intend to be there to taunt him.”

Brooke’s head snapped up. It couldn’t be. But how many girls named Vanessa turned 16 tomorrow and had just received a mysterious summons from the king?

“But-but why curse his daughter?” Brooke spluttered. “She was innocent!”

“He made me watch,” her mother said quietly. “His guards trapped me in an iron net, and I had to watch you scream and suffer and couldn’t help you. You were innocent too.”

The cottage was silent. Brooke didn’t even dare to breathe. It still didn’t seem fair to her but she knew not to argue.

“So now he’ll watch his daughter suffer. Waiting foolishly for true love’s kiss to save her.”

With that, her mother left.

Brooke’s head was spinning. Vanessa was the king’s daughter. Vanessa was a princess. And before tomorrow ended, she was going to sleep forever, because Brooke’s mother had cursed her.

How could her mother curse a baby? Brooke understood being upset over what the king did, but to curse an innocent child as revenge? Her mother had never been overly affectionate to her, but Brooke never thought of her as cruel. Maybe she didn’t know her mother as well as she thought.

She couldn’t think about it. She had to save Vanessa. True love’s kiss. The boy in the village! He was the only other person she had ever seen with Vanessa, and he had kissed her before. He had to be the one.

Brooke hopped on her horse and set off for the village, never wishing for her wings more. —

Vanessa wore out the plush carpet in the castle bedroom. She had only been there a few hours but already wanted to go back to her cottage and back to Brooke.

Her mind raced. She had been brought before the king and told things she didn’t think could be real, but were.

According to the king, Vanessa had been cursed by a fairy when she was a baby. He sent her to live in the woods so she’d be safe until she turned 16. Only her aunts–who weren’t aunts at all, but servants–mistakenly brought her back a day early. Her father, who Vanessa took an immediate dislike to, locked her in her room so she’d be safe for the next two days.

The only thing keeping her together was the bracelet Brooke gave her. The whole thing was carved into leaves so precise and delicate that she knew Brooke had used her magic to do it. She ran her thumb over the cool wood.

The clicking of the lock snapped her out of her thoughts. It was Aunt Kiki with a tray of food and a pitcher of water. The only food Vanessa wanted to eat was lemon cake by the pond with Brooke.

She sat on the bed and her aunt–Vanessa still thought of her as an aunt–joined her.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked kindly.

Vanessa shrugged. “Why?” She demanded. “Why would a fairy curse me? I didn’t do anything.”

Her aunt patted her shoulder in comfort. “It wasn’t you she was mad at. It was your father. She took it out on you for what he did to her daughter.”

“What do you mean?”

Aunt Kiki sighed. “Your father hunted fairies for fun. One fairy fought against him and wounded him. He decided to punish the woman by using her daughter. He cut her wings off and made the fairy woman watch. I’m not supposed to speak ill of my king, but it was terribly cruel of him. The poor girl was only three, and innocent. So the girl’s mother cursed you as revenge.”

Vanessa listened to the story in silence. Her father, the king, cut the wings off a young fairy girl. It couldn’t be. Please, it couldn’t be.

“Do you know what the girl looked like?” She had to be sure.

“I wasn’t there, but one of your father’s guards said she had very green eyes.”

Her aunt left and Vanessa began to cry. Her father had been the one to hurt Brooke like that. How could he do that to a little girl? The shame rose in her and more tears fell. How could she be related to such a monster?

She wanted to run out of her room to Brooke. She knew the door would be locked, yet tried anyway in her frustration and was surprised when the handle turned. She entered the hallway, and dizziness hit her in waves, making her grit her teeth. A voice in her head told her it would stop if she went to the dungeon.

The dungeon, the dungeon. She didn’t know her way but the voice guided her, and her hand quickly opened up the great oak door.

Thousands of spinning wheels were piled up to the ceiling, bits broken off and blackened with ash. She headed toward an intact one in the center of the room, but a large wardrobe caught her eye. She opened the doors and a pair of midnight-black wings fluttered out, edges rough like they’d been sawed away.

These were Brooke’s wings. They were smaller than Vanessa imagined, but she reminded herself that Brooke was a child when they were cut. They never got to grow with her. She was unsure if wings could reattach themselves, but she had to get them to Brooke so she could try.

She was half-out the door when the voice got stronger, sending her to her knees in blinding pain. She was going to die if she didn’t listen, and the voice took her body to the wheel. The point of the needle twinkled, bursts of light piercing her eyes. She felt a prick and pulled her finger back, a tiny droplet of blood dripping on to the stone floor.

Sleep slid over her like a cloud. Her eyes closed, and she followed after the blood, body crumbling to the floor. —

Brooke gripped the reins tightly, the boy from the village, Philip, in the saddle with her. They galloped through the trees to the castle, Brooke’s heart beating faster with each clomp of the horse’s hooves.

Philip had been easy to find, and even easier to convince to join her. He seemed eager to be a hero despite no heroic features that Brooke could discern, but he was her only hope. She informed him of the curse as the ground blurred beneath them.

“Are you sure this will work?” Philip asked doubtfully. “I barely know Vanessa. I kissed her once, and she pushed me off her. Said I better not do that ever again,” Philip explained.

Vanessa hadn’t wanted to kiss him. Brooke couldn’t stop her smile from spreading, the jealousy of years ago never forgotten. Her relief quickly spoiled to fear. It indeed seemed unlikely that Philip would be Vanessa’s true love, but who else could it be?

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Brooke insisted as the castle pulled into view.

It wasn’t well guarded; in fact, it seemed the guards were all somewhere else. They slipped quietly inside and Brooke spotted someone. Silky, the loudest of Vanessa’s aunts.

“I need to see Vanessa,” she burst out. “Please, I know about the curse, I can help her.”

Silky needed no more. She led Brooke and Philip upstairs to a row of bedrooms, past Vanessa’s other two aunts.

Vanessa was laying on the bed, fast asleep. She looked peaceful and inhumanly beautiful, her curls framing her face. She was wearing the bracelet, and Brooke’s heart stirred. Her whole body felt like she was standing near a fire, and for a few seconds she didn’t know how to breathe.

The feeling vanished as Philip delivered what appeared to be a very wet and slobbery kiss to Vanessa’s lips as Brooke and her aunts watched hopefully. He pulled away after an eternity, but Vanessa didn’t stir.

Brooke looked down at the carpet helplessly, tears starting to flow. What were they going to do now? Her mind was completely blank. Who else could be Vanessa’s true love?

“Sorry,” Philip mumbled, retreating to the hallway gracelessly. He at least had the decency not to remind Brooke that he told her it wouldn’t work.

“Maybe you should try.”

Brooke’s head jerked up. One of Vanessa’s aunts–Kiki, she thought–looked at her kindly.

“Maybe you should try,” she repeated. “You’re the girl Vanessa always talked about, aren’t you? She talked about you like you were the very sun in the sky.”

Vanessa talked about her like that? Brooke wasn’t able to talk about Vanessa at home, because she knew her mother would get mad, but the past 12 years of Brooke’s life had centered around Vanessa. Pacing restlessly waiting for Vanessa’s lessons to end. Looking around for new flowers to show Vanessa. Going into the village, feeling like everyone’s eyes were on her, her skin crawling as she trembled, just to surprise Vanessa with her favorite chocolates.

It was friendship, yes, but Brooke knew she was lying to herself.

It was–

It was love.

“I’ll try,” Brooke whispered. Her head swam with doubts, but she had to try for Vanessa. And she could no longer deny how badly she wanted to kiss those lips.

She gently pressed her lips to Vanessa’s. They were soft and smooth, but it wasn’t supposed to be like this.

In all the dreams Brooke had–dreams where she woke up smiling but wouldn’t admit it to herself–they were at the pond, having a picnic, and Brooke would ask Vanessa if she could kiss her, and Vanessa would say yes, and Brooke would realize just how long she had wanted to do it. Then Vanessa would kiss her back, and they’d live happily ever after.

Brooke was about to give up when pressure against her lips made her aware that Vanessa suddenly was kissing her back.

Brooke stepped away to look at Vanessa, who was wide-awake and looking at her like she was the sun.

“Brooke,” Vanessa whispered lovingly. “It really is you! I had dreams about you. I think I love you.”

“I think I love you too,” Brooke whispered. She leaned in for another kiss when the door flung open and guards rushed at her with a net.

A net made of iron. —

Vanessa hardly had time to understand what happened before Brooke was on the ground with a net over her, twisting in pain as her father’s guards kicked at her.

Why wasn’t she using magic? Then Vanessa got closer and saw the net was made of iron, struck with Brooke’s warning from years ago.

Vanessa had to help her. The wings.

“Kiki–I need to go to the dungeon and get Brooke’s wings!” Vanessa yelled over Brooke’s moans of pain.

“They’re in my room!” Yvie interjected. “You were holding them when we found you and we thought they might be important.”

“Go get them!” Vanessa barked.

Yvie rushed back in with the wings tucked under her arm.

Vanessa grabbed them and took a breath. She didn’t know if this would work, but she had to try. She tossed the wings over to Brooke. They tore through the net and reunited with the stumps in Brooke’s back like a magical force pulled them there.

Brooke stood up on shaky legs. Her wings fluttered majestically and Vanessa felt like she was truly seeing Brooke for the first time. The guards backed away. But she was still pale, a hand going to her head.

Vanessa threw herself in front of the guards before they could hurt Brooke again.

“I’m the princess,” she tried to sound regal and firm. “I order you to stand down. I want my father found and brought to me.”

The head guard nodded. “About time someone put that king in his place.” The guards obeyed and departed. She had to hide her surprise. Apparently she wasn’t the only one that disliked her father.

Vanessa ran to Brooke. She was bent over and panting harshly. Vanessa took her hand and found it slick with sweat.

“Are you alright?” She asked fearfully.

Brooke nodded, taking a few more rough breaths. Her face was white as a sheet but she managed to stand up fully. “Vanessa, I have to tell you something. My mother, she-”

“I know.” Vanessa rubbed her back, carefully dodging the wings. “And I know my father’s the one that did that to you. I’m sorry.”

Brooke shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I’m sorry too.”

“It’s not your fault either, Brooke,” Vanessa smiled. “We’re both alright, and that’s all that matters.”

“You’re right.” Brooke let her wings stretch out behind her, rippling like water in the moonlight. She wrapped one gently around Vanessa. It was glossy and cool yet warmed her like a blanket.

Brooke looked down at Vanessa with tears in her eyes. “I forgot how good they felt. Thank you for giving them back to me.”

The second wing wrapped around her, forming a cozy cocoon. Vanessa pulled Brooke down into another kiss that sent her whole body buzzing.

This time, she was fully awake. —

Vanessa allowed both their parents to live.

She forgave Brooke’s mother and let her keep her shop.

She forced her father to surrender the throne and let her take it. She restored safety and peace to the country, making no sure no fairies lived in fear of humans anymore.

She appointed her aunts as her royal advisors.

Humans and fairies loved her, and she ruled justly with Brooke by her side.

At night, Brooke held her tightly while they soared around the castle and over the woods.

Vanessa still wore her bracelet and Brooke still wore her necklace, and in time they added matching rings.

And they both lived happily ever after.

#rpdr fanfiction #brooke lynn hytes #vanessa vanjie mateo #branjie #lesbian au #fairytale au #fluff #hurt/comfort #athena2 #tw mild violence #concrit welcome #submission

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brylcighs · 5 years

Text

✧·ﾟ( demeter + maia mitchell + cis female ) 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒂 !! have you seen ( bryleigh fox ) around ? ( she ) has been in kaos for ( two months ). the ( twenty-four year old ) is a ( baker ) from ( boulder, colorado ). people say they can be ( stoic ) but maybe that’s not too bad ‘cause they can also be ( ebullient ). whenever i think of them, i can’t help but think of ( warm blueberry muffins, black and white movies, and sunny, cloud-free mornings ). ·ﾟ✧ ( penned by shiloh, 21+, est, she/her ).

trigger warnings: mental illness, ptsd, anxiety, depression, a car accident, health problems related to fertility, scars/burns, low self-esteem, drinking. ( i think that’s it, but if you run across something else triggering, pls let me know and i’ll add it to the list. )

THE MUN.

‘lo ! i’m shiloh, but you can call me shy. i’m 28, i live in the est and my preferred pronouns are she/her.

i’m a school-based therapist and work in an elementary school. with it being summer, i don’t really have a lot going on ! so you’ll see me around quite a bit.

i have two small puppos, minerva and newt, who are my pride and joy. p.s.: if you couldn’t tell from their names, i’m a huge harry potter fan. i also love young adult literature, i’m a true crime buff and could eat pepperoni hot pockets every day for the rest of my life.

if you’d like to talk, you can im me on this account, on my rph @shilohrph or ask me for my discord and we can chat there !

and without further ado, allow me to introduce lil miss bryleigh.

BASIC INFORMATION.

name: bryleigh olivia fox.

age: twenty-four.

gender/pronouns: cis femae & she/her.

orientation: panromantic pansexual.

olympian: demeter.

occupation: head baker at physis taverna.

faceclaim: maia mitchell.

BACKGROUND.

bryleigh olivia fox was born may 8th, 1995 at 10:12am in kaos, greece to colonel william matthew fox and emma alison stewart-fox.

she has one older brother, lucas daniel fox, who is 28 and an architectural engineer. he’s married to sofia maite valdez-fox, twenty-four. they have a one-year-old daughter, luciana irene fox.

bryleigh also has one younger sister, peyton emelia fox, who is 20 and a college student studying communications. she’s engaged to micah cole butler, twenty-two. they two-year-old twins addison hayley butler and aiden bryant butter. peyton is also currently 10 weeks pregnant.

because of her father’s occupation, the family has lived in different cities all over the world. besides kaos, the fox’s lived in bangkok, thailand, comayagua, honduras, misawa, japan, burkina faso, west africa, vicenza, italy and pampanga, philippines. i made a handy dandy timeline which you can view here to better break it down.

bryleigh attended and graduated from the auguste escoffier school of culinary arts in boulder, colorado and lived there for about four years.

while living in boulder, her roommate and best friend, sofia, started dating and subsequently married her brother, lucas.

because her aesthetic is running when things get tough/complicated, bryleigh left boulder a few months after ber brother and best friend were married and moved back to kaos, greece.

she lived in kaos for a year, living above the tavarna where she was head baker. she loved it and kinda looks back on it as the best time of her life. but a rough patch in a relationship caused her to - again - flee, returning to boulder.

about a month after moving back to boulder, she was in a serious car accident. her vehicle slid on black ice and flipped. she almost died, but managed to pull through.

on top a concussion, many broken bones, several severe burns, some internal bleeding and innumerable cuts, scrapes, and bruises, bryleigh’s pelvis was fractured and her fallopian tubes were crushed. she also later developed asherman’s syndrome from the surgeries/scar tissue forming. this has basically rendered her infertile.

after the accident, bryleigh had to move in with her brother and sister-in-law/former best friend. not only did they smother bry trying to take care of her, but sofia was pregnant at the time. this served as a constant reminder of all she’d lost.

so, as soon as she was cleared to be on her own, she told lucas and sofia that she was going to visit kaos for her birthday.

except that she was actually moving back there and didn’t want to have to deal with their worry and concern and attempts to talk her out of it. queen of running from her problems.

bryleigh has been back in kaos for about two months, and it’s not the carefree, serene place she remembered.

actually, that’s not true. it’s still the place she remembered. she’s just not the same person she once was. no matter how much she tries to pretend she is.

you can read more about her here if you feel so inclined.

PERSONALITY.

bryleigh is a bit of a complicated lil nugget. she’s like an onion, ya know ? she has layers. one one hand, she’s this bubbly, happy-go-lucky, upbeat ball of sunshine. but on the other hand, she’s really struggling with ptsd from the crash, as well as a good heaping of anxiety and depression. so she has times where she’s really distant and reticent.

as the ‘mom friend’, she’s always been the person that people turn to. she’s the shoulder to lean on. she’s the one who gives amazing advice. she’s the one who seems wise beyond her years. she’s the one who tells you to stop leaning back in your chair because you’re going to fall over or sets water and tylenol beside your bed after a night of partying. she cares a whole lot. like, an insane about. which is a blessing and a curse.

what she’s struggling with post-accident is opening up about how she’s doing and how she’s really feeling, beyond the facade that she puts on for everyone. it’s like she’s physically incapable of letting people see that she’s struggling. bry doesn’t want to put that burden on anyone, ya know ? so, she’s kind of suffering in silence and bottling everything up. which is super healthy, i know.

sarcasm and dry humor are two of her favorite coping skills. she’s also really great at self-deprecating humor !

the accident left her with quite a lot of scars and several skin grafts from having third-degree burns treated, and she’s incredibly self-conscious about them. she covers her low self-esteem up with jokes and humor, but she really is quite sensitive about her appearance.

as i mentioned, she tends to run from her problems rather than addressing them. and if she can’t run, she makes a joke out of them and doesn’t take them seriously. or she bottles up all the emotions from the problem and pretends it’s not a big deal. i know. her coping skills are so healthy.

the only thing that bryleigh has ever wanted is to be a mom. she’s basically had baby fever since she was old enough to understand the birds and the bees. she always imagined being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of a shew of children and her husband/wife. but since the accident, she’s not sure if that’s what she still wants of her life. she no longer has no direction, and really feels like she’s floundering.

part of her is worried about having kids ( through adoption or surrogacy or on the off-chance that she can naturally conceive ) because the hate in her heart after the accident is so dark and consuming and terrifying. she feels like maybe the car accident did more than break her bones. maybe it broke her as a person. and maybe she’s not capable of loving someone now. or if she is, she’s worried that what she loves will get taken from her. and she doesn’t know if she can stand to lose anything else.

EXTRA.

she starts every morning with a cup of black coffee and a banana nut muffin and ends every evening with a cup of peppermint tea and two homemade jaffa cakes.

bryleigh has a chocolate labrador retriever named yolo. he’s ancient. she’s not really sure how old he is, but the shelter she adopted him from said that he’d been there for several years. so, she absolutely had to take him home with her. yolo’s very loving and sweet and a lil lazy and he loves pitless olives. she has huge birthday parties for him on his gotcha day, august 12th.

her walls are covered with abstract art from a bunch of different countries. they remind her of her childhood and everywhere she’s traveled.

favorite thing in the world to do is have a bunch of her friends over, make a slew of homemade pizzas and desserts, pop open several bottles of rosé wine, throw pillows and blankets all over the floor and watch movies of various genres until everyone falls asleep.

she loves 80′s music and prefers to listen to records rather than stream music or what have you. it sounds more authentic that way. at least, in her opinion.

her apartment looks like a forest. she has plants everywhere. e v e r y w h e r e. she’s also a really good plant mom and has named all of her children. she talks to them and knows their favorite songs. maybe she’s a tad bit psychotic. who isn’t, though ?

since the accident, she’s developed a huge fear of driving. she won’t drive. ever. she either walks, rides her bike or takes an uber. if she can get away with not having to ride in a car, though, she much prefers that option. i mean, can you blame her ?

she loves astrology and tarrot readings and ghost hunts and talking about aliens and going on hunts for cryptids. she’s always thought there has to be more to life than what we can see, so she’s open to at least considering most everything, ya know ?

her closest friends call her foxy. everyone else calls her bry. some people call her bryleigh ? but i can’t imagine why. it’s a mouthful.

send her memes and you’ll have her heart. she has a huge folder of them saved on her phone. there might or might not be more memes on her phone than actual pictures. hint: there totally is.

bryleigh can speak english, spanish, filipino, greek, italian, thai, japanese, swahili, hausa and a little bit of a berber dialect to varying degrees of success. she’s most comfortable with english, spanish and greek, and least comfortable with the african languages. she can also write in a variety of writing systems, though not nearly as well as she can speak the languages. she’s forgotten a lot of the rules and method that go along with many of them.

PLOT IDEAS.

you can read about all my connection ideas right here !

NOTE: i’m open to pretty much anything, so if you have an idea, run it by me ! more than likely, i’ll approve and start rambling off ideas and headcanons and half-formed thoughts until you politely tell me to shut the fuck up. sounds fun, right ?

THE END.

thanks so much for reading this monster post ! i don’t know how to be concise. i’ve tried. i tried here. obviously, i failed. but i love you all. i can’t wait to write and interact with you all and your lovely, wonderful characters ! hasta la vista, baby.

#kaos:intro #╰ . * chasing all your demons — ooc .#╰ . * so let's sleep on it tonight — other .

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alainas-adventures · 6 years

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Tokyo, Volume II

Homer and I are seriously considering making an annual visit to Tokyo. From April 12-15, we enjoyed our second trip to this beautiful city and to the Tokyo Disneyland Resort. This time, we did our trip in reverse order: city first, then Disney. And since we only had four days, we skipped Disneyland and just opted for DisneySea.

Thursday, April 12

We headed to the airport around 6:00 AM. Knowing we’d have just the late afternoon and evening in the city, we didn’t plan to do too much. We checked into a lovely AirBnb just a few metro stops away from Shinjuku, grabbed some fast food (which in Japan means rice and meat), and started to explore.

The view from our AirBnb (which could have been an IKEA showroom, tbh).

If you go to Tokyo and don’t take a street style pic, did you even go to Tokyo??

The first item on our checklist was the Harry the Hedgehog cafe in Harajuku. This is literally a place where you pay to play with tiny hedgehogs. We got there near closing time, so we only got 20 of the 30 minutes we normally would have had, but it was SO WORTH IT. These little creatures are too adorable!!

This one may have pooped while we were holding it. There’s a reason you wear gloves.

After that, we had some time to kill before seeing Roppongi Kaguwa – a cross between Airband, a geisha performance, and a drag show. I really don’t know how to explain it. Picture a stage comprised of small black platforms which rise and fall in order to create various illusions. Now add in two dozen performers, who dance, act, and undergo a slew of quick changes. The surrounding environment is a cross between a theatre and a nightclub. It was bizarre to be sure, but I was fully engaged.

Friday, April 13

We checked out of our AirBnb around 11am (and by checked out, I mean dropped the keys back in their mailbox) and headed to Shinjuku. The previous day, we had found a luggage delivery service there that was able to send our suitcases to Disneyland for about $25 USD per piece. This really helped us out. It prevented us from having to come back to Shinjuku later in the day to retrieve our luggage from a storage locker, and from having to carry it on the metro all the way to Disneyland (which is about 40 minutes outside of the city). If you’re interested in doing this, check out the Tourist Information Center in Shinjuku. There are other locations and companies that do this throughout Tokyo as well. You should give them at least one day’s notice if you’re sending bags to Disneyland, as the delivery truck leaves at 11:30 AM.

After shedding our baggage, we headed back into the colorful Harajuku for some more exploring.

First up was the “Owl Forest,” a walkthrough experience that allows you to come face-to-face with these majestic birds of prey.

Homer took this and I seriously think he should send it in to National Geographic.

Staring contest with this big guy. I can’t say for sure that I lost. He turned his head 180 degrees to avoid blinking at me. Pretty sure that’s cheating.

When it was time for lunch, we ducked into a place that had some of the best fried dumplings I’ve ever eaten.

The rest of the day was spent shopping, basically. We joked that we would visit ever Disney Store in Tokyo. But when the day was done, we actually had hit four of them: Odaiba, Shinjuku, Harajuku, and Shibuya.

This is the Shibuya location, which is a winding tower that takes you through various Disney scenes. The top floor features decor from the Darlings’ Nursery (Peter Pan) and Geppetto’s workshop (Pinocchio).

Next up (as I started to doze off on every train ride because of my lack of sleep), we headed for Odaiba. This is a large shopping mall and tourist destination, featuring a massive ferris wheel, a water park, and a 65-foot robot named GUNDAM. (Guess whose pick this destination was?)

GUNDAM's horn actually transforms every two hours and his lights change as he does so. From 7:30 to 9:30 PM, there is also a projection show every 30 minutes.

After dinner, we took a quick walk (quick because it was cold and very windy by the harbor) to Odaiba’s replica of the Statue of Liberty. Seeing as I’ve never been to the real one, it was pretty cool, I guess.

Finally, it was the moment I’d been waiting for ever since I saw photos on Instagram a year ago... it was time to transfer to the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel. I booked the Beauty and the Beast character room as an early birthday present to myself, and it was SO WORTH IT. Homer was a champ at enduring all of my ridiculous photo requests.

Belle was the first princess who made me believe that this dream could be possible for me, so I have a special connection to her story. Staying in a room that was made to look like part of the Beast’s castle was the icing on the cake of an already incredible trip!

We took a little more time to explore the hotel lobby and gift shop, and to make breakfast reservations for the next morning. It was going to be a busy day, so we tried to go to bed as early as we could (so, midnight. Fail).

Saturday, April 14

Everybody here knows when I go to Disney, I go hard. However, we had been to Tokyo DisneySea before, so I wasn’t as concerned about trying to do EVERYTHING. Instead, we picked the handful of things we liked best from our first trip and focused on those, allowing for more buffer time than in our last trip. Still, since we only had one day (and it was a Saturday), I did want to get an early start. The hotel provided us with special passes that allowed us to enter the inner gates of the park 15 minutes before everyone else (at 7:45 AM). We didn’t quite make it for that, but by 8:15, we were there.

I will say, that extra 30 minutes does make a big difference. Whereas on our first trip (when we waited at the entrance gate from about 7:30 AM, if memory serves) we were able to walk right onto Journey to the Center of the Earth and Indiana Jones, this time we ran into 30-50 minute waits for both. We stood in line to ride the former (mostly to wake ourselves up) and decided to return later for the latter. We then dashed over to the American Waterfront to grab FastPasses for Tower of Terror (success) and try our hand at the lottery for Big Band Beat (we lost). (I’ll explain this more later.)

Now, I do need to address the weather. Unfortunately, though our first two days were in the low 70s/upper 60s and sunny, our ONE AND ONLY DISNEY DAY was of course cold, cloudy, windy, and occasionally rainy. But we were determined to have a good time (and make photo magic happen so that it didn’t look as dreary as it was). Therefore, when we saw a pocket of sunshine opening up in the clouds, we took immediate advantage.

The Mermaid Lagoon area will forever be my favorite part of DisneySea – although I love the entire park. We took a million photos, then enjoyed King Triton’s Concert (Ariel flies over the audience – she even waved at us!)

We were delighted to see an old friend of mine under the sea!

...and I finally got to meet Prince Eric!

After hitting the shops (duh), we headed to the American Waterfront to redeem our FastPasses for the Tower of Terror and enjoy some infamous green alien mochi. If you don’t remember from my last trip, each one is filled with either chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry custard. People line up for ages to get these things – and for good reason!

One more snack that I neglected to get a photo of (because I gobbled it up THAT FAST) was the bacon-wrapped rice roll. My mouth is literally watering trying to describe this. The consistency of the rice was so soft – you would have thought it was potato. Here’s a photo from Have Seat Will Travel:

One of the things we really regretted missing on our last trip was Big Band Beat, the Broadway-style stage musical in the American Waterfront area. This show features a live big band, a vocal jazz quartet, tap dancers, and of course – the VIPs. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Daisy make special appearances – but Mickey is the true star. He plays a drum solo and then GETS UP AND TAP DANCES. It was excellent. We were wholly impressed.

(Side note: we were taken aback by how the audience clapped heartily after every number and, without prompting, clapped on 2 and 4 at appropriate times. I need you to understand that hell would freeze over before this ever happened in Hong Kong Disneyland.)

(Side side note: we also noticed an enthusiasm for audience participation in general. In a special 35th Anniversary show on the lake earlier that morning, Mickey was able to rally the entire crowd into learning a simple dance and performing it along with him and his friends. Again, Hong Kong audiences would never go for this.)

This theatre is HUGE! The only ways to get orchestra seating are either to line up for the first show of the day (people were there at 8am and I was not about to sit there until 12:20, so no) or to win the lottery that I mentioned earlier. You can enter once a day, and our one try was not successful. We sat in the mezzanine because that’s the seating designated for the “unlucky” ones who don’t win the lottery seats on the ground floor. But actually, I quite liked the view from up there, and didn’t view it as a consolation prize at all. (I was also told that we were extremely lucky to get seats by lining up just 20 minutes before the performance. It must have been a slow day.)

Another thing we missed on our last trip was the gondola ride in the Mediterranean Harbor area of the park. This is a stunning area – I wish we could have taken more photos, but the weather was on the decline. The boat ride was a lot of fun – even though we had to hold an umbrella up for most of it. The gondolier even sang an Italian song as we passed under a bridge, and she got all of us to close our eyes and make a wish for good luck. (Again, this would never fly in Hong Kong.)

Next, we made our way to the north side of the park – mostly for photo-taking opportunities, and also to redeem our FastPasses for Indiana Jones.

We found this wall paying homage to Coco next to the Mexican cantina. We both love this film, so we had to stop for photos!

The Arabian Coast area is magnificent. This time we got around to riding the top level of the double-decker carousel.

After the cold started to take its toll and our feet and backs began to ache, we decided to take a dinner break at one of the “buffeterias” (offering set meals that allow you to pick an entree, bread or rice, a drink, and two sides). It felt like we had just won a reward challenge on Survivor. We gobbled up every last bite.

One thing we said we’d never do was Toy Story Midway Mania, for the sole reasons that 1. the line was usually 120 minutes or more and 2. the same attraction can be found in Walt Disney World back at home. But at the end of the day, while everyone was distracted by Fantasmic!, the wait went down to only 70 minutes. We decided to tough it out and make it our last attraction of the day.

The queue area for this ride is a bit different than that of its Orlando counterpart. I especially liked the detail of the corner of Andy’s bedspread revealing the entrance to the “arcade.”

Well, it was a very full day, and I think the weather took even more stamina than would have been necessary on a sunny day. We relocated to the Hilton Tokyo Bay (the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel had been very helpful in sending our bags there for free earlier in the day) and called it a night.

Travel Tip: Tokyo Disneyland offers special tickets called Starlight Passports and After 6 Passports, which allow you to enter the park after 3pm on Saturdays/Sundays/Public Holidays and 6pm Monday-Friday respectively, at a discounted price. These tickets are only available on certain days, but if you arrive on property midday, they can be a great way to save money and still get park time. This is especially useful because Tokyo Disneyland Resort does not allow same-day park hopping unless you purchase a 3- or 4-day ticket package. So make use of the half days that you’ve got! Check the park operation calendar before you go to see which days these passports are available. Click here for more information on TDLR ticketing.

Sunday, April 15

We woke up to this view after receiving a free upgrade to an oceanview room! Then we checked out, booked our airport limousine service, left our luggage with the valet and headed for Ikspiari. This is a shopping district, kind of like Tokyo’s version of Downtown Disney. Located right beside the Tokyo Disneyland stop on the resort line, the mall is attached to Disney’s Ambassador Hotel (which scarily resembles the Hollywood Hotel, my first home at Hong Kong Disneyland). Inside are dozens of shopping and dining options, among them Japan’s largest Disney Store. This marked our fifth Disney Store of the week (sixth if you count the one in the Hong Kong airport) and I wasn’t even a little bit remorseful. Here’s my merch haul from the trip.

From top left: 1. I snagged the backpack on day one of its launch; it’s part of a partnership between Disney and Legato Largo. There was also another style of this bag, and they came in other colors (pink with Rapunzel, pink with Ariel, beige with Belle, navy with Jasmine, black with Minnie Mouse). There is also a line of accompanying wallets and ID card holders. I really liked the Rapunzel one (especially because the text says “You can always find a new dream” – such appropriate timing for me!) but you couldn’t see the outline of the artwork unless you were about a foot away. It looked like a plain pink backpack from a distance. So I chose the Ariel one, with the text, “Under the Sea.” 2. These pink glittery ears were launched as part of the Sakura festival in Japan. Though the blossoms had already vanished from Tokyo by the time we got there, the park still had plenty of these accessories on their shelves. 3. A pin with Ariel’s silhouette. 4. Just a shopping bag featuring the 35th Happiest Celebration artwork. 5. I had to get a new Little Mermaid collage shirt from DisneySea because last time I had a lapse in judgment and bought a large kids’ size, thinking it fit better than the adult small. It shrunk in one wash and turned into an unfortunate crop top. 6. Another Little Mermaid shirt from the Disney Store Japan. This one has chiffon sleeves and a picture of Ariel on the back, with the text “Think Happy, Be Happy.” The artwork is similar to that of the Little Mermaid sweatshirt I bought on my trip to Osaka, but the text is a vast improvement from “Ariel and Flounder, very good friends.” 7. A cup and amenities kit from the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel, also featuring the artwork from the 35th Anniversary. 8. A mini Ariel wallet from the Disney Store, featuring the same artwork and quote as the white shirt. 9. A Chip teacup from Tokyo DisneySea.

As always, we had an incredible time in Japan. This visit solidified my goal to work and live there someday. If I’m not working there by spring 2019, I will definitely do my best to take a vacation there again. Japan has a little piece of my heart!

#tokyo disneyland #tokyo disneysea #tdlr #tokyo #japan #april 2018

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awedbyhersplendor-blog · 7 years

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I was tagged by @lady-eleanor-vane, thank you!! So now I have to answer those questions and then tag people but like, I have tagged a lot of people already so if you feel like you want to do this thing, please do so and tag me in it so I can read your answers. Basically I’m lowkey tagging all of you!

THE LAST

1. Drinking: Tea

2. Phone call: My brother, he was too lazy to text aha

3. Text message: Sent to Alex, as almost all of my text messages!

4. Song, you listened to: “Bad At Love” by Halsey... I know, I know.

5. Time you cried: Around June I think.

6. Dated someone twice: I’ve been on two dates with the same person if that’s what the question meant.

7. One kissed someone and regrets it: Yep.....

8. Lost someone special: Yes as well

9. Was deceived: Aren’t we all deceived by our perception of reality? Aha

10. Been depressed: When have I not been?

11. Gotted beached and thrown: I’ve been on a ship that got beached if that’s what that means...

3 COLOR FAVORITES

12. Black

13. Golden

14. Pastel pink

IN THE LAST YEAR YOU HAVE

15. Make new friends: Yes!!!

16. Fallen out of love: Never fell in love in the first place aha

17. Guilt until you have wept: Yep

18. I found someone was talking about you: I sincerely hope the people who are supposed to sign my admission forms are talking about me aha, but like, negatively, no, I didn’t find out about that, not interested in finding out about that at all actually!

19. I put someone who changed you: No I met her before this year aha

20. Find out what your friends are: Once again, I found them before this year!

21. A kissed someone on your Facebook list: Yes.....

GENERAL

22. How many of your friends do you know in real life: I only have like, three non-real-life friends, the three others are definitively real-life aha!

23. Do you have pets: My parents have a lil cat called Zef!

24. Do you want to change your name: I would like to freaking shorten it aha

25. What did you do for your last birthday: I took the plane after a short visit to my parents and it was a cool birthday present!

26. What time did you wake up? 7am Y_Y

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: I was waiting for the drier to give me my sheets back

28. Name something you can meet: @glowinthedarkfindel!!!!!

29. When was the last time you saw your mother: In June this year

31. What you are listening right now: “Colours” by Halsey (I know)

32. Have you ever spoken to a person named tom: One of my cousins on my father’s side is named Tom!

33. Someone thing what you do to your nerves: Like a pet peeve from people? People snapping their fingers at other people. Like it’s a small thing but if you ever do that, I'll just never like you aha!

34. The most visited site: probably tumblr...

35. Hair color: Ginger

36. Long or short hair: Does top of the boobs qualify as long? Then long!

37. Do you want someone else? Yes, her name is Louise Barnes.

38. What do you want from you: From me? I’d love a freaking will to live aha, and possibly some intelligence somewhere down the line! And some fangs and several other eyes!!

39. You want piercings: The last one being ripped out of my ear convinced me that the ‘no piercings’ life was acceptable...

40. Type of song: I’d say neoclassical darkwave or 80s goth but my recent listens are telling another story!

41. Nickname: Avi for like... everyone I think!

42. Marital status: married to fleeting obscure interests...

43. Zodiac: Gemini (but Pisces Sun!)

44. Pronouns: she / her.

45. Favorite TV show (s): Black Sails, always, always! I’m currently watching Xena and I *love* it!!!! I also love The X-Files and Stranger Things, and Penny Dreadful (before s3) and A Series of Unfortunate Events and a lot of series generally. But mostly Black Sails!

46. Tattoos: Only two, but I really want a flower tattoo soon!

47. Right or left-handed: Left-handed

48. Surgery: Nope, never!

49. Piercing: Once.... Not anymore...

50. Sport: I’m the laziest person ever aha, the most I can do is some stretching and some hikes!

51. Holidays: The ideal holiday: me hiking in the forest. I can miraculously carry a lot of food (like cake) and I drink vodka by the fireside, looking at the stars. Some local cryptids hover in the distance, waiting for me to leave some cake for them!!

52. Pair of trainers: I have walking shoes!

MORE GENERAL

53. Eating: I love eating! I love cake and ice cream! And rice and mushrooms! And peanut butter!!!!!!

54. Drinking: Either water or tea!

55. I’m about to: Go back to reading

56. Waiting for: People to sign my freaking papers before it’s too late...

57. Want: People to sign my... aha, joking, i’d love some pear and chocolate crumble with ice cream rn!

58. Get married: Louise Barnes hmu please

59. Career: A bit too early to tell people but things might evolve into a terrifying and maybe exciting way soon

WHICH IS BETTER

60. Hugs or kisses: Hugs!!!!

61. Lips or eyes: I really prefer my partners to have both, but I mostly on lips because eyes are scarily intimate!

62. Shorter or taller: I suppose in a potential partner, I’d say taller! (It’s not difficult for me tbh)

63. Older or younger: Older.

64. Nice arms or nice stomach: Nice arms! Ideal for hugs purposes!

65. Hook up or relationship: Hook ups really don’t work for me aha

66. Troublemaker or hesitant: Trouble-maker!! Let’s go destroy the Englishmen who destroyed people for a governor position and a clock! (and the harpsichord for his daughter)

HAVE YOU EVER

67. Kissed a stranger: Yep...

68. Drank hard liquor: Every weekend aha (not every weekend, but a lot... lately...)

69. Lost glasses / contact lenses: I literally left my glasses at my sister’s flat unconsciously and I’m a bit ashamed how far that is...

70. Turned someone down: Yes, men don’t know what ‘lesbian’ means apparently.

71. Sex on the first date: No, never

72. Broken someone’s heart: I hope not! The comments of my fics tell me otherwise tho aha!

73. Had your heart broken: Yea

74. Been arrested: Not really

75. Cried when someone died: I’m mostly too shocked to cry in those situations

76. Fallen for a friend: Sadly yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN

77. Yourself: I still secretly hope she doesn’t exist aha!

78. Miracles: No

79. Love at first sight: No

80. Santa Claus: No

81. Kiss on the first date: Yes!

82. Angels: No

OTHER

83. Current best friend’s name: Alex, Hélène, and Mégane!

84. Eye color: Just brown

85. Favorite movie: Omg please don’t ask me! Probably Crimson Peak or The Hunger!

#my life once again!

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desertedinuae · 6 years

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Okay, so FOOD. That’s what this post is about. Nom nom nom.

In our office we hold a monthly staff gathering where we have lunch in the showroom every last Thursday of the month to celebrate the birthdays for that month (what?). Let me explain haha! We have a tradition that if you’re celebrating your birthday you have to treat the office with either lunch or cake or sweets whatever you fancy (more like whatever you are happy to pay for hihi). Since it is way too much for one person to feed 55-65 people (although only once a year) it has been decided to gather once a month and those whose birthday falls on that month they will all chip in and get lunch for the whole office staff.

So what do we order then?

As part of my job (well more like ‘as the person who LOVES to eat most in the office’) I have always been tasked to place the order for staff gatherings. Although communities in facebook are really helpful with wonderful ideas on where to order I haven’t found a blog post or article on this – specifically in Abu Dhabi. Hence, my blog post.

So what do we order then? (Come on Marie get to the point!)

Okay, first I would like to note the demographics in the office. We are mostly Filipinos, Indians, a few Europeans (like 3 people) 1 Australian, 2 Egyptians, and some Bangladeshis. It is quite a challenge to ensure that the food to order must cater to all these nationalities and not to mention their religion-specific dietary requirements. It’s quite funny really coz you can tell which nationality is the majority of the birthday celebrator (or celebrant? – I don’t know which one is right actually but who cares you understand hehe). If it’s Biryani duh it’s from the Indians. If it’s fried chicken and pizza – well it’s from the Filipinos (we like junk food hurray lol). Something like that. but over the years of eating so much we have come to know each others palates and we found ourselves with a few favourites! Please find below a list of our favourite places to order food in Abu Dhabi.

Regards,

Marie

PLACES TO ORDER FOOD FOR OFFICE GATHERINGS IN ABU DHABI

RITAJ

Chicken 65 Biryani from RItaj (this was my plate) I know it does not look so inviting but I actually forgot to take a photo of it before I digged in because I just couldn’t wait to eat this dish it is so DELISH!

CHICKEN 65 Biryani – we prefer this rather than the regular chicken biryani. We order for 60 people so they deliver about 3 massive (and I mean massive) trays of this biryani and one small tray of vegetable biryani (for the vegetarian staff). It is dry to the taste which actually is what we like. It does come with two sauces – one yoghurt (it’s called ‘raita’ in Hindi) and one coconut chutney (I made this name up but that’s exactly how it taste like). The biryani is spicy – I don’t know if they make this non-spicy but that’s no fun then. We kinda like our mouths on fire herherher! The Indians are such naturals with spicy food – I am jealous! The coconut chutney (orange in colour) is a must try. Just slather the chutney over the biryani before putting it in your mouth – oh gosh I am salivating right now! The chicken pieces (the chicken 65 that is) is salty and tasty but in a good naughty way. I don’t care how it’s made or cooked for us it’s heaven! We spend about Dhs 600 for this.

CEASARS CONFECTIONERY

(Image from allrestaurants.eu)

Chicken Quiche – creamy, cheesy, with bits of chicken pieces what else should you be asking for?

Cheese Buns – soft and fluffy with cheese filling ooh so sexy! (cheese filling tastes like Kiri abit sour and salty)

Samosas – Mmmmm our British boss loves this! Not sure what we call that samosa but we normally get the one with potatoes inside served with chutney.

Sliced Cakes – the convenience of not having to cut and allocate cake pieces just makes this the best choice – no fighting on who gets the bigger part or the corner piece with more icing! Their cakes are light, fluffy and not too sweet.

MIXED GRILL

A tray of Beef Kabab, Beef Kofta, Sheesh Tawook and Grilled Chicken Quater pieces plus Khubz (arabic bread) served with garlic sauce and hummus

Sheesh (chicken) Tawouk

Arayesh (beef pastry)

Tabouleh (salad)

We order mostly from Al Fawar in Muroor. A tray of 3kg mixed grill costs about Dhs 120 each and for 60 people we order about 4 sometimes 6 if the treaters are feeling generous. (If the birthday person has a higher budget we order from BESBAS – it’s a Yemeni restaurant and we call the Khalidiya Branch. Their Chicken Madhbi with biryani rice is a must try!)

This tray of mixed grill is so filling – not only the taste but also the aroma! It does fill our showroom with barbecue essence so if your office does not tolerate this scenario skip to the next tip!

Krispy Kreme

One of the less expensive choices for treating our staff of about 60 people – a few dozens of these leave smiles on our faces

Marks and Spencer

Image from M&S UAE website

A favorite of our British boss! It is a British brand after all hehe! Just like how we Filipinos love our Jollibee! Mostly during Christmas, we get to receive sweet treats from M & S courtesy of the boss – sometimes minced pies, sometimes chocolates, and at times some really nice biscuits (Americans call them cookies). I also buy the same (biscuits) for when we have long meetings.

Tip: M&S have a section for reduced price items like half price and the brownies is my personal favourite (note that these items are mostly nearing their expiry date like weeks before) I buy from here sometimes (for my personal consumption) and I just make sure I eat them before the bb date. They taste as good so would recommend to those who want to taste test first.

Subway

Image from Subway UAE

This option is mostly when we want something quick as we have a Subway right around the corner and also they have sandwiches for everybody (veg and non-veg). Their platters can be customised and the sliced pieces are perfect serving size.

WOW Sweets

Image from wowsweetsad twitter

Sometimes you don’t have to look further – step outside your office and check out the surrounding cafes and restaurants you have in your area. First it’s convenient plus if they get to know you and you develop some kind of a relationship ( not the romantic ones I suppose) with them, they can offer you special discounts being neighbours!

Wow sweets is our next door neighbour. Their main products are their chocolates which we adore but is a bit pricey to treat 60 people with! LOL! However, they also have these beautifully arranged mini sandwiches (they have the regular size too – for 7dhs a piece) as seen in above image and they are quite a delight! They are freshly made and the bread is what makes their sandwich taste really good! Some of our favourites would be the tuna, chicken and mayonnaise, turkey, halloumi, and cheese. Am sure the rest will taste just as good! The packaging as well will make you feel so special – trust me on this.

Miss J Cafe

Feeling a lil naughty? Then go for this devil(ish) chocolate cake only if you are craving for something really sweet and rich! If you have problems with being fair to everybody you can ask to pre-cut the cakes before they deliver (or before you collect). Their black forest is also quite nice but the chocolate one is our favourite. Price ranges from Dhs 85-130. For this 1kg chocolate cake we pay Dhs 85/- and it suits about 10 people (on a fair fight, less if someone cheats and grabs a bigger chunk!)

EGG PARATHA

This is an actual photo of my egg paratha

This last recommendation is not really for a party or a staff gathering but more like breakfast/snack for individuals. I just needed to include this on this blog post because we order this on a daily basis! if you are new to the UAE and looking for a cheap but filling breakfast this is what you order! Not only does it taste good – this omelette paratha can help you save money lol! If you eat this between 10-11am then you will be sure your will cut down on your lunch food. hehehhe!

There is no specific restaurant I would recommend for this as it generally taste pretty standard everywhere I guess. So hunt down the nearest cafeteria from your office and order the Anda (Egg/Omelette) Paratha. Now there are different ways they can prepare this – the one we order from knows us all too well by now that when we order there it’s like ordering from Starbucks! =p Our Indian colleagues and those who are brave enough will prefer theirs with all the vegies and chillies – if you don’t mind onions and green chillies in the morning then order this (they call it special sometimes). Some order just a plain omelette paratha – basically just the egg and the paratha. My preference is the Egg & Cheese paratha. In the cafe we order from I think they use Kiri or some kind of cream cheese that has a sour taste to it. Combined with the slight saltiness of the omelette this has become my breakfast go-to ever since it was discovered! Those on a diet they may also have the wheat version so don’t be afraid to ask – customise that anda paratha! ANDALE ANDALE! 🙂

How about you? Where do you order food from? What are your favourite restaurants or cafes in Abu Dhabi? Feel free to share them below as we are constantly looking out for new food to try! TIA x

Food for Office Parties in Abu Dhabi Okay, so FOOD. That's what this post is about. Nom nom nom. In our office we hold a monthly staff gathering where we have lunch in the showroom every last Thursday of the month to celebrate the birthdays for that month (what?).

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luxus4me · 7 years

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Kim Garst | Marketing Strategies that WORK

Wouldn’t it be amazing to wake up tomorrow morning and find your site ranks #1 in Google?

What would that mean for your business? It could mean:

Tons of free, targeted traffic

An inbox FULL of leads

Sale, after sale, after sale…

Sounds pretty fabulousish, right?

But how does a business owner – especially one with a small or non-existent SEO budget – achieve this?

I’ll be honest: it’s not something that happens overnight. SEO is a long-term endeavor, and you’ll have to work hard (and smart) to rank on page 1 of the “Google Machine”.

But it IS possible, and this article will share with you exactly how. So, grab your computer and a cup of coffee, sit back, and I’ll tell you exactly how I consistently rank on page 1 for many of my chosen keywords!

*This system will specifically cover how to get your blog posts to rank on page 1 of Google. However, these strategies will also work for your product pages, landing pages and homepage too!

Step 1: Choose a topic to cover

Notice I didn’t say keyword. Yes, keywords are still super important, but not in the same way they once were.

It used to be you could choose a keyword, use it multiple times in your content, commonly called keyword stuffing, and potentially rank highly for that word or phrase. Those days are gone!

With the rise of semantic search (technical explanation here), the value of using singular keywords has changed.

Think about the way people use the internet now: More and more, they’re using voice search (e.g., Siri) to ask questions in a more conversational way. For instance, instead of typing “coffee shop” into Google, they’re more likely to ask Siri, “Where is the closest coffee shop?”.

This has changed not only how Google ranks content, but how business owners should optimize their content.

Instead of choosing one or two keywords to write about, the key is to choose a topic you can write an in-depth blog post about.

When choosing a topic, keep these important factors in mind:

Do I know enough (or can I learn enough) about this topic to write a truly helpful post about it?

What unique spin or angle can I cover that no one else has written about?

Is this a topic my audience really wants to know more about?

Once you’ve figured out the general topic you want to write about you can move on to step 2.

Step 2: Do some basic keyword research to finalize your topic and subtopics

Now that you have a general idea of what you want to write about, it’s time to figure out which topics and subtopics people are ACTUALLY searching for.

One of the simplest ways to do this is using Google’s Keyword Planner tool. It’s free to use, and gives you some quick insight into which words and phrases people are using to find your content, products or services.

Here’s a step-by-step for how to do it.

Once you’ve logged in to the tool, click on Search for new keywords using a phrase, website or category.

Since you’ve already chosen a possible topic to write about, type it into the search box. For the purpose of this post, let’s say I want to write about baking a chocolate cake.

You can enter one keyword or phrase, or several. Your choice!

Click Get ideas.

Now the tool will show you a ton of words and phrase related to your topic(s). It will also reveal some other valuable info:

Average monthly searches: This is approximately how many people search for that keyword each month.

Competition: This gives you an idea of how many people are currently bidding for that keyword in AdWords. It can give you a very general idea of how hard it will be to rank for that keyword (i.e., a phrase with “low” competition will probably be easier to rank for than one with “high” competition).

Suggested bid: Since you won’t actually be bidding on these keywords, this isn’t all that relevant to you. However, a high suggested bid may indicate that the keyword has high commercial intent – meaning other businesses have found they make lots of money when they rank for that keyword!

In general, I’d recommend finding some words and phrases that have at least 100-1K (preferably more) monthly searches and “low” competition.

This will ensure that the topics and subtopics you’re going to be writing about will potentially send a decent amount of traffic, and won’t be too hard to rank for.

Using a paper and pen, Word doc or note-taking app, write down a bunch of words and phrases you can cover to create an in-depth post on your topic.

For instance, some possible keywords I found were:

Chocolate mug cake

Eggless chocolate cake

Chocolate caramel cake

Good cakes to make

Chocolate cake recipe

How to make homemade chocolate cake

My search revealed that most people who search for “chocolate cake” are likely looking for a recipe and/or instructions for making a chocolate cake.

I can now use these phrases to start structuring my post. For instance, I might draft an outline something like this:

Main topic: How to make homemade chocolate cake

Subtopic 1: Types of chocolate cake

-Chocolate mug cakes

-Eggless chocolate cakes

-Easy chocolate cakes

Subtopic 2: Chocolate cake recipes

-Chocolate caramel cake

-Black forest cake

-Chocolate mousse cake

While this is a very simplistic example, hopefully you get the gist. Use what you’ve learned in your keyword research to create a comprehensive post covering every angle of your topic!

*Pro Tip: Once you’ve found a main topic you’d like to cover, try typing it into Google. Check out the types of sites that are currently ranking on page one for that word or phrase. If it’s mostly big, well-known sites that are ranking, you might want to choose a different topic. Those sites will be hard or even impossible for a small business to compete with!

Step 3: Use your keywords in some strategic locations

I’ve already mentioned that keywords aren’t as important as they once were. BUT, they’re still important!

The keywords you found in step 2 will become the foundation of your post, giving you lots of ideas for subtopics you can cover.

It’s important that you use this cluster of keywords in strategic locations in your post. This will let both Google and your readers know which topics and subtopics are important in your post.

The main areas you’ll want to use your keywords are in your:

Title tag: Not sure what this is? It’s the title of your post in the search engine results – It’s the headline people will click on if they want to visit your site.

Title of your post

In your URL: Make sure your URL is descriptive, rather than just a bunch of numbers of letters (e.g., http://j.mp/2xHGb8X rather than http://j.mp/2fsqDvI). If your URLs look like the latter, you’ll want to change the settings on your website to “static URLs”. Here’s a good primer on how to do this in WordPress.

In your headings: Just like in Word, you can specify which headings and subheadings you want to draw special attention to. In HTML, these headings will be enclosed in heading “tags”: <H1> being the most important heading, and <H6> being the least important.

In the alt image tag of your images: If it’s relevant, use your keywords to describe your images for the visually impaired.

In the caption of your images

Throughout your content: Obviously, you’ll also use your keywords naturally throughout your content. Where relevant, use bold and italic to draw special attention to them.

*Important: Remember that with semantic search, you shouldn’t just focus on using a few random keywords! Think about which variations of your words people would be looking for (plurals, synonyms, etc.) and use those where relevant too!

Step 4: Make sure your content is AMAZING!

Warning: If you carry out the three steps above but your content isn’t unique, engaging and in-depth, it probably won’t rank.

There’s SO much content out there – you need to make sure yours is worthy of reading and of ranking!

You’re already off to a good start in that you’ve chosen a main topic, as well as a bunch of subtopics you can cover. Now you need to write a kick butt post that does justice to those topics.

One important element of your post will be word count. While the quality of your content is MUCH more important than the quantity, an in-depth post will almost always be on the longer side.

According to research done by the folks at Backlinko, the average length of content ranking on page one of Google is 1,890 words.

Other research puts this number even a bit higher; so don’t be afraid to go even longer if you need to!

Some other factors you’ll want to consider when writing include:

Use images or videos: Both your readers and Google love to see multimedia elements in your copy.

Include social share buttons: While social shares don’t directly impact your rankings, they do extend the reach of your content – and indirectly this can have a HUGE impact on how well you rank.

Make sure your URLs are short and sweet. Shorter URLS rank better in Google and are easier for your readers to type and remember.

Link to other relevant pages and posts. To provide the best content possible, make sure you’re including links to other sites where relevant, as well as to other content on your own site.

Make sure your content is free of typos and grammatical errors. One or two mistakes won’t hurt you, but any more than that and it can start hurting your credibility!

Step 5: Becomes a link MAGNET

Ever since the first day of the internet, links have been key for getting high rankings. But unlike 10 years ago, it’s now better to focus on link EARNING rather than link BUILDING.

A common strategy in the past (and sadly, still today), was to email site owners something like this:

I don’t know about you, but this type of generic email really wouldn’t entice me to link to someone’s content!

A much better strategy in 2017 is to focus on writing content that DESERVES to get linked to.

4 types of content that naturally attracts links

1. Research-based content

Well-researched and evidenced content is much more likely to receive both links and social shares.

Dig into the research – or do your own research – and then write an in-depth post about what you’ve found.

Some ideas:

10 Research-Backed Ways To…

What The Research Really Says About….

What We Really Know About….

2. Authoritative opinion pieces

We also know that well-written editorials tend to rank higher in Google.

I’m not talking about short, fluffy posts where you spout off your opinion on a particular topic.

These would be longer, well-planned opinion pieces on current or trending topics.

Some ideas:

Why I Never/Always…

10 Reasons You Should Always….

What I Really Think About….

3. Posts that journalists and other bloggers would want to link to

Think about what types of content YOU would be most likely to link to.

Some ideas:

Original research or surveys

Infographics

Industry statistics

A post that takes a unique angle on a popular topic

4. “Evergreen” content that stands the test of time

Evergreen content is simply well-written, in-depth content that readers will come back to again and again. I recommend that every website owner have at least 10 solid evergreen posts to establish their credibility and attract a solid link base.

Some ideas:

Top 10/20/50 Lists: Top 10 Ways To….

Industry guides: The Ultimate Guide To….

Tutorials: How To….

Beginner’s Guide: The Beginner’s Guide To…

FAQ’s: 10 FAQ’s About…

Step 6: Make sure your website is SEO-friendly

If you have a newer, WordPress blog, there’s a good chance your site is already pretty well-optimized for SEO.

Nevertheless it’s a good idea to double-check that these basics are in place, or you could be losing out on a lot of traffic!

Here are some basics you should check:

Make sure your site is mobile-friendly. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly test to make sure your site runs well on mobile devices.

Check out your Google Search Console for warnings. Your Search Console is how Google will communicate any problems or issues with your site. Check it regularly!

Make sure your site loads quickly: Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to detect any issues with speed.

Make sure your site is as user-friendly as possible. A complicated, busy or confusing layout can make it difficult for your visitors – and even Google – to navigate around your site.

Bonus Step: Use WordPress Plugins To Set Your SEO on Auto Pilot (Kind of)

If you have a WordPress site, plugins can take much of the guesswork out of your SEO! This final section will outline some of the best plugins you can use to optimize your site and content.

Yoast SEO

Yoast is one of the most popular SEO plugins out there. It will analyze your page to ensure you’re using your keywords properly, will check page length and image tags, and will even help you with the “behind the scenes” technical optimization of your site.

All in One SEO Pack

All in One SEO contains many of the same basic features as Yoast, but has a slightly simpler interface – making it a good option for those who just want to activate a plugin and start writing. It also has free integration with e-commerce sites like WooCommerce. The biggest downside is it doesn’t analyze or score your content or keywords like Yoast does – and this is a pretty big deal in my opinion.

SEO Squirrly

This plugin is touted as the “SEO tool for non-SEO experts”. It’s super user-friendly, making it a great option for anyone who gets sweaty hands at the mere mention of “optimization”! Here’s how it works: Simply start writing, and when you do something right, the interface will light up green. Once all the lights are green, your page is fully optimized and you’re ready to hit “publish”!

Looking for more great WordPress plugins you can use? Check out my post 25 Must-Have WordPress Plugins To Grow Your Small Business.

Final thoughts

SEO may not be your favorite thing in the world, but it doesn’t have to overwhelm you. This post outlines everything you need to know to get your site and content ranking as quickly as possible.

Just keep in mind that there are no “quick fixes” when it comes to SEO. All the hard work you do today will give you a great chance of ranking…but it may take weeks or even months to start seeing results. Don’t give up before you achieve the results you want!

Did you find this post helpful? If so, you’ll probably like this one too:

How To Write Blog Posts That Drive Traffic From Day One

What’s YOUR best tip for getting high search engine rankings? Share in the comments below!

http://j.mp/2fsqGYq via Kim Garst | Marketing Strategies that WORK URL : https://kimgarst.com

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