#the clear attention paid to the creation of the work shines through with the little 'imperfections' and makes my love a work

[thatpunnyperson]

I'm going to quote this one chef I know from whom my family took cooking classes for several years, and say:

"The consumer doesn't know what the finished product is supposed to look like, so if you mess something up, be confident and present it anyway. They won't know the difference."

This was in the context of accidentally forgetting an ingredient for a dish, or having to change how things on a plate are arranged because something spilled and you had to remake the sauce with different ingredients. But it applies to making art equally as well!

When you're drawing or painting or sculpting or creating in whichever media you want, the person who will eventually look at your artwork will not know what you originally intended it to look like. For all we know, the drawing you made looks exactly as you intended and looks exactly as it's supposed to. We dont know whether you had to erase and redraw something 7 times, or whether it started out in charcoal and you then decided to do it digitally because you kept smearing the charcoal around accidentally.

To us, it looks like you banged out your piece in one go, perfectly, the first time. We think that every sketch and shape and curve was intended from the start, and that your style is the reason for certain lines being thicker versus thinner, for certain colors to be used in certain places, and for characters to look a specific way instead of some other way.

To us, your art is amazing and perfect and a demonstration that you have skill and resolve the likes of which havent been seen since the italian renaissance when Michelangelo was being harassed by the Pope to finish the pristine chapel ceiling. The viewer genuinely doesn't pick at the art until they find something wrong because, to the viewer, nothing IS wrong.

(Which is why I genuinely dislike mean art critics because their critiques are never of the art but of the artist. All art is good because all artists are people who wanted to make something, and just because we personally think it would look better for some reason or another, doesn't mean the artist did a bad job or made bad art. AI art is exempt from this because no thought or care went into making the art, because a computer program did it and computers do not think or care the way a human artist does.)

I just had a small epiphany why you might like other people's art more than your own:

It's the lack of suspension of disbelief.

When you see something someone else has drawn or painted, you take in the content faster than you take in the technical aspects. You experience it as pseudo-real, the same way you stop perceiving animated characters as drawn or book characters as written as you get into the story.

On the other hand, when you yourself have made something, all you see is the machine behind the theater, so to speak. You're probably thinking about lines, shading, coloring in a "does this make sense? Is this the best decision I could have made?"-kind of way.

I think that's also why sometimes, pictures you haven't looked at for a long time starts looking nice to you again, à la: "Hey past-me was unto something! Why can't I replicate it nowadays?". It's probably specifically because you've forgotten the process of making it that you are now seeing it with fresh eyes.

Art is an illusion, but a magician has a hard time tricking themself. So don't be so hard on yourself: it's probably just that you can't see the magic right now, but that doesn't mean it's not there.

[mr-nauseam]

Practice 2

TW: Emotional dependency. Manipulation.

...

Sejanus' hand began to bleed, staining his lower lip. 

Noticing the taste of iron in his mouth, he regained awareness of the pain he felt but had ignored. He paused, and stared at his anxiety-ravaged fingernails. He remembered bitterly why he had felt such relief when Coriolanus had stopped speaking to him six months ago. 

It didn't matter if it was good times, or distressing instants like this, when Coryo paid attention to him his world was eclipsed. Sejanus became helplessly incapable of thinking about anything but the welfare of that boy who smelled of roses. He was a prisoner of his own devotion, and he hated (and loved) so much to feel the way he did.

Coriolanus always had too much power over him. That was why it was so unfair that he should come to interrupt the quiet, pleasant life he had managed to achieve so much for him, much less that he should do it so abruptly, calling out to him, as his brittle voice echoed through the room, asking for help. 

His help. Sejanus couldn't refuse him, even though Coriolanus had pushed him aside, letting him be alone again. Turning over the little device that played the message Sejanus thought that the circumstances would have to be extraordinary for someone like Snow to make a plea for help. As well as he knew him, he understood that this was a chink in his perfect armor of control and mettle, one that only he could witness. 

It was only because of the courage he believed it took Snow to confess his apparent weakness that Sejanus wondered if he could forgive him his silence on his return from the 12th district, and the change in his gaze. At first he had been desperate, frantically chasing the tall, lanky figure of Coriolanus whenever he saw him in the crowd. In those days he was full of questions and longed for answers: "Why don't you greet me", "why are you avoiding me"

"Did I something wrong?"

Snow never bothered to listen to his grief. In fact, he tried not to be in the same room as Sejanus but there were a couple of times he granted his mercy. Like that encounter in the library. Sejanus had to venture into the ethics section of the compound for a class, he wandered through the shelves somewhat lost, because he hardly ever went near that section. 

Not because he wasn't interested in the subject but his father had been so clear in his threats to be send to Dr. Gaul, that he had had to give up things that would ignite that little flame that still existed within him and begged for justice in an insane world. The best thing, no doubt, was not to give himself incentives. 

At the back on a small table, surrounded by chemistry books, and biology, was Coriolanus, his curly hair shining thanks to the sun shining through the small window he was near. Sejanus approached, walking past him as if it were no big deal, and couldn't help but notice that Coryo was drawing a sinister but very beautiful bird on a pad. The strokes were a bit sullen for his taste, but still the drawing was impressive. 

He was almost walking away completely when Snow's deep voice stopped him:

"You wouldn't like them so much if you knew what they were." 

Sejanus froze. Not knowing what to say. 

Coriolanus laughed lightly. "They're Dr. Gaul's creations. They're called Jabberjay, and they used them in the war to discover the rebels' plans. Do you want to know how they work?"

He didn't want to but he wasn't going to stop him. Sickly enjoying that he was talking to him. 

Using his drawing as an outline he pointed out to him the details that revealed the artificiality in what looked genuine: a beak as long and thin as a needle, a deep but mechanical stare. "They can hear everything, always attentive to their surroundings and with the ability to repeat every word the traitors say. They were a very useful weapon, almost infallible but they were ruined." 

Sejanus wait for more. He waited in vain. 

Coriolanus forgot his existence again, and for some reason that to this day Sejanus cannot understand, he stupidly replied: 

"They are lethal and fake but I still think they are beautiful." 

And he withdrew, very self-conscious with himself. Ashamed, for having said it out loud. Maybe because Snow wasn't talking about the birds at all but himself. He was Dr. Gaul's new apprentice, her future heir molded to her cruel and inhuman ways. A liar, a lethal man but still beautiful. One that after all Sejanus still wanted. 

Sejanus had been pacing around his apartment like a caged animal. Time was ticking and soon an hour would have passed since Coryo's call. Horrible scenarios about his friend's fate came to his mind like waves of a raging sea. He could clearly see him coming in with a black eye and a busted lip, trembling as he collapsed in front of his door. Perhaps he had been stabbed and the blood would stick his shirt to his shapely torso before he could knock on his door. 

The thought was becoming unbearable, and Sejanus went to prepare a first aid kit urgently. He pulled out gauze, antiseptics, morphin even from his small shelf, anything to ease Coriolanus' possible pain. Then the doorbell rang and he ran to the door. 

He saw no wounds. Coriolanus was intact.

It was disappointing. 

[cursedvibes]

Tagged by @voxofthevoid. Thank you, that's such a nice challenge 😊

Rules: Post your favourite line or passage from as many of your published works as you’d like. Let yourself feel proud of your creations! Tag as many people as you post snippets, so your fellow fic friends can be proud, too.

Cursed Womb: Proliferation (Kenjaku-centric):

Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of exhaustion, they let themselves slump down on the nearest chair, hands laying slack on the table, shining red. Silently, they watched the blood dry on their skin, unsure of what to feel. The ruins of their child's life laid next to them, brutal evidence of their failure. Their thoughts quieted down, having burned themselves out and leaving nothing behind. A continuous dripping sound burrowed into Kenjaku's ears, forcing them to hear the last essence of their creation's life run out. Time passed them by, only evidenced by the continuous dribbling and the rusty brown coat that started to overlay their hands, making the skin appear dry and chapped. They didn’t know how long it took for them to form a tangible thought again. Kenjaku took a deep breath, slowly letting air flow in and out of their lungs to clear their mind. Clenching their tinged hands into fists, they stood up.  Maybe it was better this way. They didn’t need weak offspring that couldn’t even display the most basic will to live.

Out of Touch, Out of my Head (TenKen):

Kenjaku’s light brush over her skin awakened not so distant memories of them caressing her body as it used to be, reminding her of what was threatening to slip away. Like the times they would sit outside in the fields of Mount Mushiro, experimenting with the limitations of barrier techniques, Kenjaku’s head lying in her lap as they excitedly explained the diagrams they had outlined for their next attempt at a Sunyata barrier, while Tengen brushed away the strands of hair the wind would blow into their face. Or their comforting embrace when they used to lie next to each other in this very room, too exhausted to read or talk theories anymore and the soft breathing of her friend lulling her to sleep. Their roaming touch when they washed her back for her and the way they pulled her close when they were relaxing in the bath together. They used to be a gifted student who she paid a little more attention to than others to nurture their talent, but over the years as they matured they had somehow become much more. She couldn’t even pinpoint anymore when this change had happened or what exactly caused it. Kenjaku was a research partner and advisor, but no other sorcerer, no matter how bright and skilled, was taking up a place in her life comparable to theirs. Tengen came to herself, guided by touch, the feeling of skin on skin, and pushed the memories aside. Her mind cleared and the world around her gained more focus. Now she felt how strong the other’s grip on her really was. How they clung to her and dug their fingers into her flesh as if they wished to carve it away to discover the depths of her body beneath. She could feel their chest press up against hers and their lips brush over her cheek, more like a premonition of how they wanted to sink their teeth into her than a kiss.

Picking Up The Pieces (TenKen):

Kenjaku’s eyes narrowed, fixating her harder. Then they stood up. Shrugging their shoulder to keep their sleeve from sliding down their arm and completely exposing them, they walked over to her in slow, uneven steps. Kneeling down before her, they hesitantly lifted a hand. After hovering aimlessly in the air for a moment, they ran their fingers through her hair and watched the long strands glide around their digits before falling back down. They touched her face, their palm cupping her cheek. Warm, slightly tanned skin denied the death that only moments ago had clung to them. Tengen had to admit, it was admirable how quickly they managed to make these bodies their own. To be fair, she had not paid much attention to the woman before her death, but it was still unmistakable that it was Kenjaku in front of her, that they were the one looking at her. The slant of their eyes, the crease of their brows, the tilt of their head, the way they touched her so possessively. Even their smell seemed familiar to her. There was of course a certain staleness hanging onto them of a body that hadn’t moved for days, as well as the odour of the natural skin oils of the woman, but then there was something else that reminded her of the time when they were still her loyal student. It was hard to describe. Kenjaku’s eyes bored into hers, frantically scanning her face and her body, examining the changes up close. Anger, disappointment, frustration, they didn’t bother to hide the emotions her appearance invoked in them. The hand dropped to her shoulder and then slid down to clasp her hand. She followed their gaze and regarded their lazily intertwined fingers. At the moment, Kenjaku’s hand looked older than hers. Little wrinkles, pronounced veins, deeper creases in their palm. In contrast, there was her paler, smooth skin and slender fingers that spoke of little hardship, yet displayed a strength the other had already lost. It was a strange sight indeed. Kenjaku’s grip grew stronger, tenser. Crude, chipped fingernails dug into her skin and let small drops of blood well up around them. Tengen studied their face patiently, not making any effort to free herself or acknowledge the pain. Their eyes were fixated on her fingers, teeth gritted in angry concentration. The sound of a twig being snapped echoed through the chamber. Burning pain pulsed through her index finger, but Tengen ignored it. She kept her eyes on Kenjaku. The grip gradually lessened until they let go of her hand completely and met her gaze. Their eyes were clouded in resentment.  "Do you feel better now?" she asked in an even tone.

Stains That Linger (JinKen):

Jin stopped in front of her, taking in the state of her form. The gaping wound in her chest was gone, although you could still roughly see where it had been, the skin slightly reddened and tender across the middle of her chest. Someone had made the effort to remove the dried blood stains as well, they only remained as little hints of the slaughter at the back of her arms and shoulders. He reached out and grazed his fingertips over her sternum, from her collarbones between her breast and stopping above her belly. Solid bone, healed flesh and most notably, the heat of a living body. All the nightmarish exposure of her organs was hidden away behind flesh and bones again. His own hand stained with her blood looked dirty and ugly against the smooth skin. A ghastly reminder of a bad memory.  There was a slash done with surgical precision across her forehead that disappeared beyond her hairline. Black stitches were holding the two parts of her skull together. The wound looked recent, could not be more than a few hours old. Her skin was pink and swelling around the sutures, dipping into a deeper red and almost revealing bone at places. Dried streaks of what looked like tears, but was most likely cerebrospinal fluid ran down her face. He smiled at her softly, too overwhelmed at the unexpected reunion to form words and comment on her revival. Kaori stared back at him. Her shoulder twitched. Then her mouth split into a wide grin. Lips peeled back - far too much - revealing her teeth. The edges of her mouth looked strained, like something was crudely pulling them to the side. An untrained action done with muscles that would not quite work the way they were supposed to. It wasn’t a smile. It wasn’t Kaori’s smile. It looked like a grimace, a skewed mirror of his facial expression.

Tagging 4 people (as always, no pressure): @hxhhasmysoul @kaitakushi @urostakako @frankenjoly

[junkyardlynx]

“Crow,”

A voice squawked in my ear, crystal clear and uniquely grating. My handler, a wiry middle-aged man with a voice like steel wool. I didn’t know his name and I didn’t care. 

“You there, birdbrain?”

“...What is it, HQ?”

“Oy, oy, save the animosity and low voice for the bad guys. You’re en route to the black box, but...just wanted to let you know that you aren’t the only one with a SHINE out here. You’re the only friendly one, though. Lucky you!”

Yes, lucky me. A chance to spread my wing, both literally and figuratively. Swooping low and piercing through the mist spreading lazily over the forest treetops, I ran a systems check on my stealth, ICE, and weapons suites. All green. I grinned inside of the black helmet I wore, which was something visually akin to both a pyramid and a beak. Our callsigns were mostly attributed to something about our appearance or unique abilities. Between the helmet and the Kestrel flight/fight system, it was pretty easy to see where mine came from. 

Another SHINE, huh?

SHINE. Synthetic High-Information Neurolink Exoskeleton. Like most acronyms, it neglects brevity and accuracy for a cool name. Pilots of these advanced personal exoskeletons were usually called Shiners. The overall technology package was pretty new and viable candidates were few and far between, with most applicants washing out within the first two tests. It should be noted that “washing out” was a sanitized term for, well. Anything from neurolink installation failure to psionic organ rejection. It was estimated that Russia, the largest superpower, had around thirty combat capable Shiners. A country’s overall military prowess was determined by the strength and skill of its Shiners after the Toa-Yahontov Skirmish, where two JDF Shiners lead an overwhelming victory against five Russian armored divisions. 

I was one of twelve NATO Shiners. We were relatively late arrivals to the peacekeeping table, due to deliberations over the moral quandaries inherent in our creation. Experimenting on teenagers left a bad taste in the mouth of rational people, I suppose. Wonder why? We turned out to be quite instrumental to a tenuous world peace, though. Our first real deployment lead to us taking on both JDF and RAF Shiners on the artificial island of Oxcallos, smack dab in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Both superpowers had a mind to lay claim to the neutral scientist-lead nation for their own devices, intent on breaking the technological and military stalemate they’d found themselves in since the late 2080′s. My blood surged with a heady sweetness when I recalled the sensation of finally tasting real combat with my SHINE, as if all the pain and training had paid off. Ostensibly, we were there to enforce peace, but I know I wasn’t the only one that reveled in the chance to prove myself to both the world and our commander.

I was pulled out of my reverie by a blip on my radar, some 3 kilometres to the northeast. It appeared only once, but I was sure it was no mistake. My SHINE and I didn’t make “mistakes.” We moved as one, our senses were one. Noting that the buildup in the stealth system’s heatsink was nominal, I nodded internally and increased my speed, on an intercept trajectory with the radar blip.

“HQ, anomaly noted on radar, time logged as 18:37. Moving to intercept. Permission to engage potential hostiles?”

“Permission granted, Crow. Good hunting, even if I’m not seeing whatever you’re seeing.”

“Just trust me. Going radio silent.”

I wove through the mist, silently cursing its presence. Anyone paying close attention would be able to see sharp, unnatural voids in the mist where my sheer speed cut lines into the air. As a countermeasure, I took erratic loops, full stops and dips, the maneuvers only possible because of my SHINE’s unique method of flight - an array of black, bladelike pillars. When active, they formed an elecromagnetic field around the core SHINE, interfacing with my psionics for fine flight control and my neurolink for synchronicity. Flight at the speed of thought, really.

Coming up on the area that had pinged hot on the radar, I made a straight descent onto the ground and switched the Kestrel to scouting mode. The “wings” switched to their inert position, attaching to my SHINE in the rough shape of a cloak, causing me to hover just a couple of inches above the forest floor. I glanced from side to side, monitor inside of my helmet flush with information. The forest floor had been disturbed recently, and the air stank of charged ions and spent fuel. Someone was using a mass-produced SHINE flight system around here, a basic propulsion model. Probably an A-Type Osprey, judging from the smell and scorch marks. As I nodded to myself, running the numbers on who would still be using such outdated tech, I heard it. The softest “plink” of a high-tension fibre wire bowstring.

There.

Without shifting my body, one of my wings shot out and sliced a projectile out of the air. The Sagittarius EMP Arrow buzzed uselessly amidst the fresh dirt before exploding into harmless shrapnel. I’d picked up on the danger as soon as I landed, but decided to play on the back foot and let the attacker come to me. Chasing a target I couldn’t see into the forest was a good way to get riddled full of holes, after all. 

“Is that you, Paris?” 

I asked, taking a shot in the dark. My SHINE’s external speakers broadcast my voice into the endless canopy of trees, and the only response came in the form of three arrows - from three directions. 12, 7, 4. Classic triangle attack pattern.

I blocked all three with two of the Kestrel’s twelve blades, clicking my tongue loud enough for my assailant to hear. 

“You’re getting slow in your...well, you’re the same age as me. I guess you’re just getting slow. You know it’s a war crime to attack a NATO peacekeeping officer unprovoked, right?”

Six this time. Three behind, one in front, two on the sides.

I was getting a little annoyed, now. Paris was probably testing my defenses, seeing how many arrows they needed to fire at once to overwhelm me. That worked for me. I didn’t mind being underestimated if I was the one that set it up. Knowing full well I could deflect all six, I let one slip through my six o’clock before hardening my SHINE’s systems to avoid the EMP burst and deactivating the Kestrel’s scout mode. Falling to the forest’s floor, I stood back up, making a show of attempting to restart my weapons suite.

If they fell for this, they were an idiot.

“Come on, Paris. No mercy for an old comrade? I dunno what they teach you in Greece, but you’ve gotta be kind-”

Idiot.

Sixteen armor-piercing arrows bared down on me, forming a nearly-perfect circle meant to impale me with no room for conversation. This was Paris’ preferred way to fight - unseen, from a distance, and with overwhelming firepower. Their signature weapon was some sort of tricked-out bow coupled with a miniaturized fabricator, capable of producing a wide variety of specialty arrows. Owing to the psionics all of us Shiners trained in, Paris could do this fancy little trick where they simply threw the arrows with their mind. It let them set up attacks that were seemingly impossible to dodge. Thing is, they loved their goddamn bow, so there was always one arrow just a little faster than the others. That was what we called a “dead giveaway.”

Kestrel roared to life with an electrostatic burst, and I spun all twelve blades above my head into an interlocked shield, scattering the arrows with a horrific metal screech. Kicking off the compacted dirt beneath me with the aid of my SHINE’s synthetic muscles, I leapt a good ten feet in the air before activating flight mode, cutting through the dense forest in the blink of an eye. With branches and limbs falling to the cold earth, I followed the direction of that arrow that was just a little faster than the rest. In the thick eaves of an old redwood, Paris scrambled to fire another shot that I barely dodged before I slammed my metallic fist into their sternum, knocking the air out of them. 

We sparred for a few seconds, just like the old days. Unlike the old days, though, all i wanted was to end this pointless little fight as soon as possible, so I simply slapped Paris’ centurion-like helmet with the flat of a Kestrel wing, knocking them out cold. I’m sure they thought I was a bad sport. 

Maybe, but at least I didn’t shoot first and reminisce later. Dick. I set them against the trunk of the tree, rummaging through their SHINE’s external compartments until I found what I was looking for. The black box containing all of Rabbit’s intel, pulled directly from their brain. And I do mean directly.

“HQ, this is Crow. Looks like the Grecian army sent out Paris to recover the black box. I’ve incapacitated them. Do you want me to bring them back to base along with the black box?”

“Crow, I hate to point out the obvious, but what are you doing blabbing on a battlefield?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since when did they send Paris out without Hektor?” 

The descending roar of a Type-A Osprey sounded in my ears, followed by the metallic “shing!” of what could only be a legendary lance.

“Ah, shit.”

[vannminner]

-

Where Magic Flows (I)

-

A03

FanFiction

-

Of the Earth - Part One

-

Wind whipped through the fjords. Fierce waves crashed against the shore. The ground trembled in a thundering shudder. Movement coursed across the Dark Sea until, in an instant, the water was frozen stiff. 

Galloping feet sounded in the distance. A figure drew nearer from off the banks of Ahtohallan. They were but a speck of light in the midday sun; growing larger with each passing second. That bright beacon was a horse carved from ice. A female companion led at his reins. The two slowed as they reached the shores, and approach their friends in waiting. 

Elsa of Arendelle leapt from Nokk’s back. Her bare feet planted against the smooth stones along the beach. 

“What brings you two this far North?” She sent them a small grin, beforing turning to thank the Nokk. 

Her hand waved over his icy coat. Nokk crooned into her touch. He nudged Elsa playfully before backing away and dissolving into an oncoming wave.  

“There was a disturbance amongst the reindeer.” Honeymaren explained. Her hands raised in feigned dramatics. 

Elsa stepped in at her side. “A fight?” She questioned. Her brows pulled low.

“They fled to the giants’ territory-”

“-but don’t you worry! I got them back!”  Ryder pushed his sister aside. His hands splayed proudly over his hips, and he grinned. 

Elsa was forced to stifle a laugh. “I see. Well, as all has been settled, I imagine you are both waiting for me now?” 

“No!” “Yes!” 

Honeymaren and Ryder’s words blurted together at once. 

With a grin, Elsa rolled her eyes. She took the lead back towards the trail, and teased them from over her shoulder. “-now that you’ve cleared that up.” 

“What we had meant was…” Honeymaren sang, and circled in at Elsa’s hip. “-we figured we would wait and walk you back to the village.”

“Yeah!” Ryder shouted as he raced to catch up. “You know, so you didn’t have to travel back on your own.”

Elsa sent them each a nod. “What a nice gesture, though I am pretty comfortable being alone. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Confusion crossed Ryder’s face. “Oh…” He hummed. 

“-but I do prefer having company.” Elsa nudged him, and Ryder’s smile immediately returned. 

“Besides…” Honeymaren pulled Elsa’s attention back to her. “We were not worried, per say-”

“-no; more like bored, and avoiding more chores from Yelena.” 

Elsa giggled. She shook her head. “Glad I could be of service, then.”

She watched Honeymaren shoot Ryder a deadly glare and fold her arms in irritation. 

“Siblings, am I right?” Ryder’s lips pulled to the side.

Elsa scrunched her nose with a glimmering look. “I don’t know about that.” She searched to explain. “Anna and I almost never have fights.”

“Never?” He balked. 

Elsa shrugged. “Not really, no. Though, neither of us exactly had what you would call, a normal childhood.” 

“Princesses aren’t allowed to fight?” Ryder’s brows touched to his hairline. “How strange.”

“She is talking about having powers, you dope.” Honeymaren tilted her eyes toward the sky. 

“Oh…” Ryder scratched at his head. 

“Perhaps having brothers is much different than having a sister.”

“It is.” Honeymaren quickly answered, and the two women shared a laugh. “Men are completely different than women; that is all I am going to say.”

“Hey!” Ryder defended. “-man, standing right here!”

“A man?” Honeymaren came to a swift halt. 

Startled, Elsa did the same. 

“Where?” Honeymaren asked again. Her head whipped wildly over her shoulders. “I don’t see any…”

“Haha.” Ryder dryly mocked. “Very funny.” 

He lagged behind as the women carried ahead, feeling disheartened by their continued laughter. 

“It was only a joke!” Honeymaren called back to him. Yet, Ryder continued his grumbling. 

“The two of you are always going at it.” Elsa whispered to her. 

“It is all in good fun!” Honeymaren smiled as she explained. “We like to get on each other’s nerves. It is pretty normal for most siblings.”

Elsa hummed, and carried her eyes to her feet. She pulled back a small sigh. “I am afraid that is something I will never understand.” 

“It is all about having trust.” Honeymaren continued, and Elsa lifted her gaze. “You see, Ryder and I fight because we care about each other. It is like two wolf pups who bite at each other’s ears. I know Ryder will eventually bite me back, but at the end of the day, our love for one another remains.”

A slow smile turned to Elsa’s cheeks. “I might know what you mean. I can remember teasing Anna for fun when we were little.”

The sigh finally fell passed her lips. Elsa’s eyes returned to the ground. 

“It is friday-game-night, right?” Honeymaren nudged Elsa in reminder. “You are missing Anna, but you will see her soon enough.” 

“That is true.” The light in Elsa’s eyes returned. “Perhaps I will head there a little early today.”

Honeymaren forced a small nod. Her smile noticeably weakened. 

“See, now there’s an idea...” She held her feigned grin until her face had hidden to the side. Elsa then watched it fall away completely. 

“I planned on finishing our walk first... Don’t you worry.” She casually teased.

“No, I-” Honeymaren began, but Elsa had stepped ahead. 

“Women, am I right?” Ryder snuck up behind his sister. He ribbed her playfully in the arm. 

“You’re an idiot.” Honeymaren deadpanned, and she nudged Ryder further away from her. 

The three continued on, up the final span of trail before they’d meet the river’s edge. As the gentle melodic sounds of the current were heard, the wind began to pick up. The skies darkened. Clouds poured in. 

“Is it only me, or did it get colder all of a sudden?” Honeymaren drew further into her shall.

Elsa had stopped at the hilt of the trail. “What is it, Gale?” She asked her.

Streams of green leaves circled around her. Elsa’s arms lifted to the air, and Gale continued to spiral. She carried a bit of parchment in her wings. Gale dropped it in Elsa’s hand before fluttering off into the forest.

“Another reminder from your sister?” Honeymaren taunted her. 

“It would appear so.” Elsa lifted the folds from the parchment, and quietly began to read. 

Honeymaren watched on. Elsa’s forehead creased as her gaze wavered across the page. Her blue eyes pulled low. Even her hands flexed where her fingers met the parchment. Elsa’s movements were often stiff, however this spoke of something further. 

Elsa’s leveled demeanor fell away. 

“Is something wrong?” Honeymaren asked. 

“Anna says she has to reschedule.” Her face fought to pout. 

Confused and saddened for her, Honeymaren’s jaw tipped to respond. Yet, in an instant, her words were stolen by a sound like thunder. 

The earth below their feet gave a sudden lurch.

The ground trembled on for miles. The three fought the vibrations to remain on their feet, and a low bellow cried out from across the moving river. 

Elsa’s eyes sprung wide. “The earth giants!” She announced. 

Elsa took off at a sprint, leaving Honeymaren and Ryder to follow. 

Through tangles of briar and overgrown brush, Elsa led them along the forest. She cut across the jagged boulders. She scaled over fallen trees, and came to a halt at the ledge of the falls.

Chaos had erupted to life amongst the giants. Three of which had scattered, shaking rocks loose from the walls as they scurried away. With poise, Honeymaren dodged a rock that came rolling her way. Ryder yelped. He jumped into the air, and quickly hid behind Honeymaren’s back. 

“That is one fight I do not want to be in the middle of!” He quivered, and Ryder was correct. 

The largest of giants began to brawl with a second; one closest to his size. 

He let out a low growl. His hands came forward, and he knocked into the chest of his foe. The second giant pushed back. He lifted off his feet, and body slammed them into the shore.

As they tumbled into the river, waves coursed across the water’s length. 

“Stand back!” Elsa shouted. 

Both Honeymaren and Ryder stumbled into a crawl as they scrambled back up the hill. 

Ice shot out from Elsa’s hands. The waves froze and crashed against the rocks. Elsa leapt down from the ledge and onto a slide of her own creation. She skated to a halt along the bank. Her feet scratched against the stone, and she sped off to stop the giants. 

“What is going on?” Ryder turned to Honeymaren. “-and what is all over you?”

Honeymaren looked down at her tunic. It was covered in red dust; the same red dust she could see shining along the river bank. Ryder’s pants were covered as well. 

“I don’t have a clue.” Honeymaren worked to brush it off. 

Then, their attention diverted. The two watched as Elsa desperately pried the giants apart with her magic. She was quickly cast aside. Elsa fell onto her rear, and the brawl continued. 

“Enough!” She shouted back. 

The giants paid no mind. Boulder throwing persisted as rocks sailed through the air, forcing Elsa to dodge their weight. 

“Why aren’t they stopping?” Ryder worried. “Elsa is the Fifth Spirit! She is the giants’ balance on earth.”

Honeymaren’s eyes grew as wide as her brother’s. She dropped her voice into a whisper. “It is as if they don’t recognize Elsa at all.”

Anxious, with their hearts racing, Honeymaren and Ryder drew closer together. 

“The spirits are stirring.” She said to him, and the two shared a fearful look.

-

Miles from Northuldra, Arendelle was amidst its own upset. 

Queen Anna, with a face like stone, was crossing through the busy village square. 

She could feel the many eyes on her. The villagers watched with their unwavering gaze. They waited, testing Anna, and ready to see how their queen would respond. 

Anna’s feet bore heavy, yet she held her stance. She continued to walk with her chin held high, as she headed for the castle gates.

Guards released the doors to the foyer. Gerda was there to quickly usher Anna inside. Her hands worked off Anna’s shall, and she directed her into the light; before retiring the garb to its hook.

Beyond the hall, Kristoff waited. His hands were clasped tight at his waist. His eyes drove wide, but immediately softened upon seeing his wife’s return.

In an instant, Anna broke. Seeing Kristoff, she drew in a staggering breath, and her tears began to flow. Her feet went limp. She allowed herself to fall, and weakly cocooned into Kristoff’s arms.

Wordlessly, he held her. Anna’s face pressed into his chest. Her cries muffled into the fabric of his shirt, and Kristoff slowly began to stroke her hair. 

-

-M.

[kumeko]

Title: airships

A/N: For the @bnha-steampunk zine! I think I got a better handle of descriptions in this one. :)

…

…

…

…

It wasn’t a typical morning without the steady thud of a hammer or Nejire’s quiet swears. Well, as quiet as Nejire could be, that is. This morning, Mirio was doubly lucky and woke up to both. Lying groggy on what could just barely be counted as a hammock, he stared at the bumpy ceiling as he listened to another thud followed by a swear. He’d say the walls were thin, but a better word was nonexistent. If he were honest, the fault lied more with him and Nejire; Tamaki was so quiet that sometimes Mirio forgot he was there.

 This was a case of getting exactly what they paid for. It was one thing to move in with his two best friends, another thing to pick the cheapest apartment they could afford. Rolling off his ‘bed’, Mirio automatically lumbered over to the window, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. Grabbing his toothbrush along the way, he started to brush as he peeked out the window, to his adopted town of Musutafu.

 As usual, overhead, hot air balloons slowly drifted with the wind and dirigibles cast large shadows on the ground.  Just down the street, the sun glinted brightly off the gears of the town’s main clock. Like tombstones, the houses jutted out of a rising hill, matching one another neither in size nor colour. Tall chimneys poked out of roofs, smoke wafting to the sky. In the night, gas lamps would light the streets. Somehow, he never got bored of this sight. Musutafu was a floating city, just barely tethered to the earth, but he could barely tear his eyes away from city proper to look at the ground far below. There was always something going on.

Another clang sounded off behind him. Wryly, he glanced over his shoulder. Mirio didn’t have to look at the city to find something to do, there was always something going on in here too. Hopefully, the landlord didn’t hear it this time. Strolling over to the tiny bathroom, he quickly rinsed and washed his face. The splash of cold water woke him up entirely, ready to face whatever was waiting for him outside.

 Sucking her thumb, Nejire looked up at him as he entered the second room of their two-room apartment. Seated on the hardwood floor, she sat next to mass of gears, hammers, and strange pieces of metal. Maybe it was a good thing they didn’t have any furniture aside from a set of mismatched chairs and a wobbly table; Mirio wouldn’t have room to walk otherwise. As it was, he had to be careful to step around her long skirt that pooled around her. “Hey, hey, you’re awake!”

 “A little hard to sleep through all that noise,” Mirio replied dryly, turning from her to where Tamaki sat. A pair of goggles rested over his eyes as he worked on a long telescope. His nimble fingers twisted and turned gear, adjusting the precision of the instrument. Well, that explained why Nejire was taking apart things. “New creation?”

 Tamaki nodded, a soft smile on his face. “It’d be nice to see the ships coming in at night.” As usual, it took only two seconds for worries to enter his mind and he mumbled, “If it works. If you want to see it.”

 “Of course I do!” Mirio chirped, already on damage control. He crouched down to tap on the telescope, and a muted hallow clang sounded off inside the chamber. “And when have you made something that didn’t work?”

 “I…” Tamaki still looked doubtful, his hands anxiously playing with the instrument.

 “Hey, hey, you’re amazing.” Nejire beamed brightly. She stood up, dropping all the screws and gears from her lap. Gesturing at the mess around her, she added, “You made a telescope using toasters! And that weird toy I found!”

 “I can’t believe you recombined them all!” Mirio praised. His eyes widened as he processed what Nejire said and he whipped his head to the pile of scrap on the ground.  “That’s not our toaster, is it?”

 Nejire laughed. “Nope. I went around collecting junk while you were sleeping, bed head!”

 He flushed a bright red and quickly patted down his hair. Not that it’d help much, his hair always seemed to have a mind of its own that a brush could only barely control. He glanced at Nejire’s wild curls. “Your hair isn’t any better!”

 “It is!” Nejire flounced forward, flipping her hair off her shoulder. “It’s called style!”

 Mirio was certain that wasn’t how style worked, but it was impossible to break Nejire’s confidence. He glanced at Tamaki for help, but he looked away skittishly. “I don’t know anything about that,” Tamaki muttered, nervously fiddling with the telescope.

 “That’s alright.” Nejire skipped over to Tamaki and ran her hands through his messy locks. His ears burned a bright red, still unused to the attention. Leaning back, she beamed brightly. “You look great like this.”

 “And I don’t?” Mirio retorted, unable to stop himself.

 “I never said that,” Nejire leered, giving him a wink. Her dress flared around as she spun to face him, revealing her practical trousers underneath. “But that’s still bed head.”

 He wasn’t sure if he should take it as a compliment or an insult.  Knowing her, it was probably both. “Fine, fine.” It was easier just to stop the argument.

 A large, dark shadow flew overhead, blocking the sun from the window, and Nejire perked up. “Hey, hey, that’s huge!” She ran to the balcony, leaning hard against it as she tried to catch sight of the low-flying airship. “What’s that flag?”

 “What flag?” Mirio asked, following after her. Looking up, he saw a giant dirigible pass by, its belly low enough to almost skim the rooftops. He was surprised no one had come to stop such dangerous flying. His eyes slid up the canvas sides to the flag fluttering gently off the top, the image of an ever-burning torch. That explained it. The number two pirate-hunter in the city. “I think that’s Endeavor’s flag.”

 “Ohh, I heard he’s a prick to work for,” Nejire sighed, leaning out even further off the railing. She craned her neck trying to catch sight of other airships as they passed to and from the city. “Like a real tough boss. He threatens to toss over anyone who doesn’t listen and he’s constantly breaking things.”

 Tamaki stepped out now, keeping a safe distance from the railing. Tugging on the straps of his goggles nervously, he looked nervously at Nejire. “You’re out too far.”

 “What do you mean?” Nejire asked, by now leaning so far out her toes were skimming the ground. She looked back, cocking her head, and while her grip on the railing looked strong, it felt like she was about to fall at any minute. She seemed part acrobat sometimes, with no concept of gravity, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying to watch her.

 Tamaki squeaked and Mirio quickly loped an arm around her waist, pulling her back to safety. “Try to keep your feet on the ground,” he admonished with a tired shake of his head.

 “Thanks.” Nejire grinned before looking back at the airships. The wind blew through her hair and she pulled out a ribbon to tie back her loose curls. “Hey, hey, think we’ll get one?”

 “An airship?” Mirio stared at the large commercial blimps, carrying passengers from city to city. The smaller zepplins that were used on an almost hourly basis to ferry citizens from one side of floating city to the next. The medium sized ships used by police and criminal alike. They were the only ticket out of this city, the only way to discover more of the world. He raised a hand as a ship flew by and grabbed the empty air.

 He had spent years dreaming, fantasizing about having his own ship. Unfortunately, they were worth far more than the kind of money made doing odd jobs, scraping junk, or cleaning chimneys. Even the hot-air balloons would cost more money than they could save.

 “They’re too expensive,” Tamaki sighed gloomily, his back hunched as he peeked out at the sky from behind them. “It’s not happening.”

 “What if we built it!” Nejire suggested eagerly, twirling around to gesture at the forgotten telescope. “You made that!”

 Tamaki’s mouth fell open. “Do you know how long that’d take? And how much stuff we’d need?” He shook his head, his hands tugging on the straps of his goggles as he ducked his head. His skin grew pale as he considered the possibilities. “And I’d have to keep you safe and what if I did something wrong?”

 “You wouldn’t,” Mirio replied confidentially, patting Tamaki’s back gently. “But we’ll keep that as plan B, okay?”

 He looked a little better, the colour returning to his face. “Plan D.”

 “Plan D,” he confirmed.

 “Fine.” Nejire frowned, tilting left and right as she thought about another method. “Hey, hey, we could rob a bank.” She glared down at the fancily dressed people walking below, her eyes narrowing at a particularly rich couple. “Their bank.”

 “A bank?” Tamaki looked even more appalled.

 “Yeah, maybe not. That’s plan Z.” Mirio chuckled. He was never certain of how serious Nejire was when she said that. Glancing up one more time, he scanned the skies for a familiar flag of an overly smiling buff man. Nothing caught his eye; it seemed All Might hadn’t arrived yet. Clearing his throat, Mirio said, “Sir offered us a job.”

 Nejire and Tamaki snapped their heads toward him, their jaws slack. The first to recover, Nejire asked, “Sir did? I thought All Might said we’re too young.”

 “Yeah, but Sir convinced him to give us a chance.” Mirio nodded, grinning brightly. This was the first step to their dream and finally it felt like it was within reach, just at his fingertips.

 “It’s going to be dangerous.” Tamaki blanched, stepping back. He had always preferred to keep his feet on the ground. “I’ll sit this one out.”

 “Hey, hey, we’re the three musketeers.” She loped an arm around his back, keeping him close. “We all go! I’ll protect you.”

 “I’ll protect you too! And it’ll pay good,” Mirio added, hoping to convince him. “Maybe we can buy our own ship then, or even take over Sir’s.”

 Nejire clapped her hands, excitement shining in her eyes. “We could be pirates!”

 “Sir’s a cop,” Tamaki replied dryly.

 “A pirate cop,” she corrected. Grabbing his hands, she cocked her head. “Come on, it’s more fun with you.” She gave the widest, most pleading eyes possible and stuck out her bottom lip in a wobbly pout.

 It was no surprise what happened next. Tamaki had always been weak to puppy eyes. “F-fine,” he muttered, cheeks red as he averted his gaze. “I’ll go.”

 “Great!” Mirio bounced eagerly on his toes. Working in the high skies with his two best friends, All Might, and Sir? There was nothing that could top this.

 Aside from owning his own airship, of course.

 A loud gong broke him out of hit thoughts. The antique clock tower down the street chimed the hour. One. Two. Mirio counted the gongs silently. Five. Nine. The clock stopped. It was nine the morning. His eyes widened.

 It was nine in the morning. He was supposed to be at the docks right now, helping ships unload their cargo. Nejire chuckled. “Hey, hey, aren’t you gonna be late?”

 “Maybe if you run?” Tamaki suggested, weakly.

 Mirio didn’t bother to respond, already bolting out the front door. Well, it was a good thing Sir offered the job. He wasn’t sure how much longer he had his current one.

[smygarding]

devil | Katakuri Charlotte x Male!Reader

General information:

Katakuri Charlotte (Dogtooth) x Male!Reader

warning(s): hurt&comfort - anxiety&depression reader info: the reader will go by he/him/his pronouns. word count: 2243 song inspiration: Devil by Shinedown other info: this work does not follow any plot in the anime, but it exists in the same universe. please note that this is also posted on my quotev and deviantart. this is not beta read, so please excuse me if you see any mistakes.

-

When Katakuri Charlotte opened his eyes after having woken up by the sun tickling him in his stitch littered face, he felt the way too familiar feeling fill up and bubble in his stomach. Glaring towards the heavy curtains who had let a tiny ray of light shine through, Katakuri bit down on his dry lip until he could taste the metallic flavour a bit too well. Yet he couldn’t make himself to leave the bed to close them completely.  

Ah, so it was one of those days.

All he wanted to do was to pull the heavy covers over his entire body and pretend as if he didn’t exist. Even if it was just for a couple of hours, minutes or seconds.

It hurt to think about his duties as the minister of flour, as a sweet general, as the second son and as the perfect son.

Katakuri rumbled with annoyance and wished nothing more than to sink into his huge bed and disappear. However, if he didn’t get out of bed someone was bound to knock on his door sooner or later.

Still, a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt, right?

Nobody could deny him a few more minutes where he didn’t have to feel the lump in his stomach form into something more grotesque and gruesome.

Nobody could deny him a few more minutes without any heavy burdens weighing down his shoulders.

Nobody could deny him a few more minutes without having to put on a persona, where he didn’t have to hide himself and his own face from his family.

With a sigh and a huff, he grabbed the numbing duvet with his huge and calloused hand to pull it over himself in an attempt to disappear for a little while longer.

It didn’t feel right.

No matter what Katakuri did, he couldn’t get his hammering heart to slow down.

Ba-dump-ba-dump-ba-dump-ba-,

No use in counting his breath either. The rasping sound of his laboured breath from his parted lips as he inhaled and exhaled only made his heart wince in pain as if someone tightened barbed wire around it.

Anxiety weighed his chest down followed by a stinging pain in his skull.

Of course… Katakuri thought. Just what I needed, a migraine.

Another groan escaped his sharp-toothed mouth and as he closed his eyes in pure nausea the throbbing pain ebbed slowly but surely away.

-

“…kuri.”

“Katakuri.”

Huffing in annoyance, Katakuri opened his eyes only to be met with your tall frame leaning over him and your face inches away from his own. If it hadn’t been for his eyes getting used to the light who now reached even the darkest and most dusty corners in his room, he could have taken in your flawless smooth (s/c) features and your amazing (e/c) eyes without you covering back in fear due to his intense stare.

“What?” His mouth felt dry and his tone fell flat.

Katakuri was not a man of many words and this day was no exception.

He liked to keep it simple and the less he had to open his mouth, the less he was reminded of why he wore his scarf. And the happier Mama gets… He thought bitterly.

“I tried to call your den den mushi for several times now,” your eyes bore into his own, and he felt unable to look away. For what reason exactly Katakuri didn’t know yet, but he felt himself being captured by your (e/c) eyes and frozen in time as you sought after answers to why he wasn’t doing his duties.

“And?” Another curt answer rumbled from his chest and up his throat which caused your own eyes to glance down at his naked torso- barely covered by the heavy duvet he knew you had tugged at. It was a brief look, but Katakuri still caught it and felt weirdly smug about it.

As your fiancé by contract, Katakuri knew he was allowed to feel cautious and wary around you, not to mention conflicted and curious.

Cautious and wary because he didn’t know you as a person, he didn’t know your intentions for agreeing to the political marriage (not that you could refuse it in reality) nor how you would act around his family. Neither knew he why you seemed to accept him despite his huge flaws. It was no huge secret that he frightened you. That he knew. The look of fear and shock painted etched onto your face when you saw the real himfor the first time wasn’t easy to forget. Though you never showed disgust. If you did, it must have been completely concealed.

Then came the conflicted and curious feelings. Because despite every reason he listed in his mind, despite every self-loathing feelings surfacing and despite most of his siblings being against his engagement, Katakuri still felt drawn towards you. You made him curious about the smallest things concerning yourself, such as the fact that you were only 150cm shorter than him. How was that possible? Then there was the fact that he felt happy whenever you looked at him or paid attention to him.

What are you doing to me?

“And…” You repeated, ready give him a list of good reasons only for them to die at the tip of your tongue. “And you know what, just fuck it.”

Katakuri was startled by your sudden outburst. He had never seen you like this, relaxed, tired and just completely done at the same time. You didn’t even give him a chance to think again before you suddenly ripped the duvet completely off his body, exposing more of his tattoo and ripped figure. The embarrassment couldn’t even creep up his neck in form of a flush as you proceeded to climb into his huge and soft bed, laying down beside him as your eyes continued to search after something on his face.

It made him uneasy.

How easily you had joined him in bed, how you didn’t even flinch once as you took in every detail of his features with your studying and curious eyes, and how the warmth from your body made his own tingle with anticipation.

“What are you doing?” The sudden question seemed to startle both himself and you.

“I’m joining you, what else does it look like?” You surprised the magenta-haired male by answering so straightforwardly and casually as if resting beside your arranged 509cm fiancé was the simplest thing in the world.

Katakuri narrowed his eyes in a suspicious glare. What were you trying to achieve by doing this?

“Why are you bothering?”

The clear shock both your expressions mirrored each other and Katakuri wished he hadn’t let his doubt taken over.

More than anything, it was how venomous and accusing his voice sounded that made Katakuri wince and deepen the bite on his chapped lips. Instant regret filled up within when he saw you falter in your movements and avert your intense yet oddly gentle eyes away from his.

Uncertainness, confusion and pure anxiety were the scapegoats in the picture, and Katakuri wished fervently that he wasn’t stuck in the sticky grip of theirs, so he could apologise without having to fear total rejection.

No apology came, and the tension grew bigger by each second that passed in silence.

Why can’t I apologise? Katakuri thought, frowning at himself at how pathetic he had become. Why was it that you, a foreign prince, managed to make even the smallest words halter and disappear at the tip of his tongue?

The mistake was made, and it was Katakuri’s own creation. By letting his anxiety, anger and insecurities seep out, only to let them loose on you was something he had feared and predicted yet tried to avoid at any cost.

The damage was done, and the words said, and yet, you managed to surprise the sharp-toothed man again.

A warm and soft hand- almost as big as his own yet lacking callouses and roughness from violence- reached out and touched his scarred face with the gentlest care he ever felt.

“Why are you so scared?”

Your words squeezed every last ounce of air out his lungs, leaving him breathless and terrified.

Another hand joined the first and cupped his flawed cheeks, drawing his head closer towards your own. This warmth was completely new to Katakuri, foreign and frightening, but he didn’t reject it. Instead, he welcomed it and let your gentle hands take control in their caress.

Katakuri felt his lashed dip and eyes flutter in sync with his beating heart. As he let himself relax into your touch, everything slowed down and the former doubts forming the tight wire around his entire being disappeared as his heartbeat evened out.

He let out a shaky breath and inhaled your cologne that smelled softly of (fave scent).

What exactly am I afraid of?

You?

No words were spoken, and he opened his eyes again.

You were still beside him, closer than ever, cupping his face with your untainted hands and gazing into his eyes with your own clear ones- free from any form of prejudice and judgement.

“You can’t exceed the heavy expectations they lay upon you, you know?”

Katakuri chuckled dryly, tired. “What do you know about that? You’re just…” The last words stopped and Katakuri was glad he didn’t have the courage to finish the sentence.

“I’m just what?”

He had expected a sharp tone, but you succeeded to perplex him another time with your curious and calm question.

“I’m just me?” You asked again, guessing the correct word he didn’t answer to.

“So, what if I’m just myself. You’re just you and we’re both humans. Titles and blood don’t matter, nor do they count when it comes to our humanity.”

Another set of chuckles rumbled through Katakuri’s chest as if your words simply humoured him.

“Human isn’t something I’ve had the pleasure of being described as.” He explained bitterly, not expecting you to understand. You didn’t understand the weight of his existence and you didn’t know how his family worked.

A frown etched itself into your usual soft features, but your hands refused to leave their place. “The expectations and duties laid upon our beings shouldn’t define us as a person, Katakuri.”

How you addressed him caught his interest and as the sweet general found you (e/c) orbs, he knew he was unable to look away again.

Just what are you doing to me?

“We can’t exceed impossible ultimatums we don’t have the capability to fulfil and that’s completely okay, you know?”

“Why?”

How one word could sound so broken and shattered surprised you and hadn’t it been for the anxiety making itself known again, Katakuri would have relished the fact that the tables were turned.

“Because we’re humans. Because sometimes we’re not meant to do the impossible and instead of using innumerable measures and strength reaching for the unobtainable, we should focus on the importance in the present.” You took a breath and removed one hand from Katakuri’s scarred skin to pull the duvet over your bodies. In that instant, Katakuri felt himself missing your touch and warmth. However, your hand found its place again – stroking his sharp features and rubbing your thumbs in circles on his cheeks – which made the sharp-toothed man almost purr in delight and relief.

“Do you have anything important to you, Katakuri? Anything close to your heart?”

“My family.” His reply was quick and confident, showing no hesitation.

“Then focus on your family, do what you know is the best for them and focus in taking a part of your own joy without letting them make their own dreams into yours.”  

Warmth spread through his body like rapid fire, but not from the duvet placed over his body, not from your comforting hands nor from your slim body pressing up against his – no, the comfort unfurling even in the darkest corners inside of him was purely due to your words.

Never in his lifetime had Katakuri been told that it was okay to not excel, okay to step back and okay to be flawed – to be human. Your words refreshed him in ways he never would have been able to imagine without you in the picture.

As he felt one of your hands move upwards to tousle and draw through his short hair in a slow motion, realisation dawned upon him and his ragged breath evened out.

“Thank you.”

If it hadn’t been for your heads being centimetres apart and your long limbs tangling, you wouldn’t have caught the small thankful murmur making its way between sharp canines and smooth inhales and exhales.

A smile tugged at your lips, but you chose to remain silent. You continued your ministrations and small affections until you his posture lost its tension and fell limp beside you. Though you didn’t stop, nor did you leave him. You had taken a certain choice – a choice that was made when you opened up your heart in front of a scared and scarred man.

From now and onwards you had decided to stick with the troubled man that was your husband to be, and even if it would start with the smallest things, you were determined to break down his shell in order to gain his affection. Great mountains caved to time and so would Katakuri.

Simple decisions such as wanting to wake up in your fiancé’s grip could eventually escalate and turn into a full-blown and fiery love.  

[ebonhartduo]

Newfound Hope

    Kal stared out across the land in front of him, hands gripping the reins of his horse tightly. All around him was silence, something he both enjoyed and welcomed. However, after a few moments, that silence was broken by the sound of something shambling towards him. From the tree line, he watched as his monster all but crawled towards him, beady eyes looking every direction as he made his way to his master. Once he was close enough, the ghoul like creation stopped, his damaged jaw moving to form words. “House...empty...master.” it rasped, shifting its weight as it waited for its next orders. Clicking his tongue, Kal guided his horse around the ghoul, leaving the creature to follow him as he made his way for his new home.   Sticks snapped and crackled under his steeds hooves, echoing around them in the vast darkness. A minute later, he was brought into a large clearing, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips. Snowflake might kill him for not being there when she woke up, but he had other important things to tend to, ones he could not tell her. Sliding from the saddle, he strode towards the wrought iron fence that protected the house he was approaching, nodding with satisfaction at the material used and the durability it seemed to posses. Add in his runes, and nothing was going to be getting past this gate any time soon.   Guiding his hand across the lock, it snapped open, allowing him to swing the gate wide, revealing what it hid behind magic. A large two story brick home towered before him, covered in dark green climbing ivy. The outside was old, yet not decrepit. Casting a critical gaze around him, he eyed the front lawn, arms clasped behind his back. He had paid a group of workers a lot of money to remodel the inside of the house, however he wanted the outside left alone. It almost reminded him of a haunted manor, with the dying oak trees. A large marble fountain was in one corner, hiding beneath an old willow, water flowing steadily through it. The grass around the home was a bit taller, wild, but nothing that was unmanageable. From the outside looking in, the place would look abandoned, which is what he wanted.

   Glancing up, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw the windows to his liking. Each one was brand new, but tinted so dark that nothing would be able to see inside the home. Almost like a two way mirror, they could see out but not in. Eager to see the rest of the home, he waltzed up the cracked cobblestone to the oak front door, pushing the large slab of wood open to reveal the grand hallway. Straight ahead of him was a large stair case that led to upstairs, a door on the left and the right of the top. The hallway itself gleamed in a dim light given from a chandelier that hung, candles inside it enchanted to never go out or burn down.

    They had stuck to the colors he wanted, as well, the new wood floors shining under his boots. Stained a dark brown, it blended in with the blacks, reds, and purples that colored the walls. Each footstep rang out around him, bouncing off the walls, as he entered the living room. The fire was roaring, giving off immense heat to the entire room. In front of that fire was a large couch and a chair on either side, all black with gold trim. Hanging from above the fireplace was small little crystal snowflakes, almost unnoticeable save to the trained eye. The crystal snowflakes gave off a rainbow reflection with each spin they made, catching the light from the fire beneath them. Pelts also were laid out in front of the fire, as well as on the back of the couch. Spinning in a circle, he appraised the room, once more content with the work they had done. Now, he needed to check the most important room of all.   Mindful of his actions, he approached the door that led to the kitchen, pushing it open to peer inside. Everything was black granite or silver metal, sparkling in the candlelight. They did a good job of stocking the kitchen with everything that his Snowflake might need to make her candies, which pleased him. Across the kitchen was a single wooden panel, which he moved to and gently pushed. A secret door glided open, leading into a small hallway, which would ultimately lead to outside. A way for her to get out quickly, or for her minions to come and go without disturbing anyone.

  Knowing she would love it, he checked out the rest of the base floor, though not studying them too long. A great ballroom was across from the kitchen, a parlor attached to it for entertaining guest. Each were decorated in the same color scheme as the rest of the house, though the ballroom had a bit more gold in it. While he did not care too much for the color, he knew if Snowflake had anyone in there, they might enjoy it. Shrugging, he headed back into the hallway and grasped the banister of the staircase, climbing them two at a time. The second floor only had two rooms, one for him and the other being their bedroom.

  Turning to the left first, he stepped into the room that was to be their bedroom. A large canopy bed was in the center, a nightstand on either side. The floors were wood in here as well, though there was a rug at the end of the bed. A chaise was next to the window, accompanied by a table with mirrors, presumably for makeup or anything else of the like.

     A walk in closet spanned the length of the room next to the door, already filled to the brim with clothes for both of them. At the end of the closet hung Kal’s armor and weapons. Dragging his finger across the different bits of furniture in the room, he made a grumble as he checked the bathroom.

  The floor in here was black marble, instead of wood, and a single large claw tub was positioned perfectly to look out the window and at the pond that was in the back lawn. A wall of just mirrors was on the other side, causing him to give pause and gaze at himself. For once he was in simple leather pants and a dress shirt, which made him feel severely under-dressed. However, he had no need for armor at the moment, and he did not want to ruin anything in the house.

   Turning away, he left the room and made for the last one. While the kitchen would probably be the most important for Stitch, this one was the most important for him. The door held a lock, which he opened with ease, the floor changing from wood to stone. The walls were also stone inside, one wall housing a plethora of different weapons and devices. Everything from a whip to a flail was hung, waiting to be used. Opposite of the weapons wall was one with chains bolted into it, six different sets. A grate was under the chains, probably to catch any liquids that might come from whatever was chained. Against the furthest wall was a wooden table, stained black and enchanted to not be damaged. A sadistic smile caused his lips to turn up this time, unable to contain it. Yes, this would be his favorite room, and should he find those that harmed anyone he loved, this would be their nightmare.    Exhaling slowly, he gathered his thoughts and made for the front lawn, beckoning his steed close. The horse trotted to him, lowering his head to rest on Kal’s shoulder. “Runion, go get my Snowflake. Bring her here, carefully and in one piece. She may be a bit angry to have woken without me there, but I imagine I will be forgiven with this.” he mused, swatting the horses backside. Without a second though, the horse lurched forward, barreling through the woods to get back to Stitch.   Rocking back on his heels, he turned to go back inside, pausing when a box next to the front door caught his attention. It had not been there before, but whomever placed it had to have a way through his wards, which was only two people. Valissa and Stitch. Bending down to retrieve it, he opened it slowly, a chuckle falling from his lips. It seemed his sister had gotten his raven and responded quickly, the large box holding a dozen different stuffed animals.

@autumnblade-sorrows

[haxorus-imp]

Alien Affections - Villainous/Reader - Chapter 6

You groaned and mentally counted the spybots again. 34. 34 spybots were created in total. 'Well, it's easier than college. I got a job at least.' You flattened your brow in slight agitation. 'Though, I'm not getting paid for doing any of this crap.' You thought, snidely. 'Well, I am living off of Black Hat's resources. So, I guess this brings meaning to that "As in Rome, do as the Romans did. If you can't pay with money, pay with your body." saying.' You surmised. Ah, your boss. He was already proving to be a handful for you. It was quite obvious that Black Hat didn't like you. Not much, anyway. He probably just hates new people? You shrugged at the thought. So far, you've been polite, relaxed, and easy-going with little-to-no resistance. The man must be easily triggered by simple things if he's thatuptight all of the time. You think Flug needs to prescribe him some chill pills. Because he's the type of guy that really needs some. You let out an inner laugh at your lame internal joke. Stretching out your arms and back, popping them in the process, which relieved some pent up tension from within your bones. Allowing you to release a relieved sigh as the stress ebbed away from your joints. "Halfway finished!" You announced, catching the attention of Flug, as he was completing the internal work for the gamma ray gun on his opposite work station. "Ah. That's great (Name)! You're doing well!" Flug said, optimistically. "I didn't expect you to make so many within a short amount of time!" "It's hard work. But, at least I'm close to finishing up." You sighed. Leaning back in the work chair. Suddenly, you smelt something very putrid fuming up from below you. It confused you for a moment, until you looked down at your shirt. "Aw, man!" You wailed. Catching Flug's attention once more. "What's wrong, (Name)?" Flug asked, turning his body around to look in your direction in worry. "I got machine grease on my favorite pajamas!" You, still in your alien and UFO pajamas, complained. While, looking down at the ugly stain on the front of the glow-in-the-dark alien icon. "Worst yet, these are the only brand of clothes I brought with me! I still haven't changed out of them from last night...eck. I feel dirty now." You mumbled and got up to walk to the basin in the corner of the lab, next to a large machine with a lot of blinking lights and levers. Flug seemed to notice your conundrum and paused, appearing to be lost in thought for a few minutes, as you silently tried to clean the harsh grease off with some feverish rubbing of a damp rag from the lab sink. Mumbling profanities under your breath as you did so. "Oh! How about this!" Flug exclaimed suddenly, startling you slightly. "Tomorrow is when I go out to fetch supplies to prepare for next weeks' projects and restock up on food after we shoot the videos." Flug explained. "Basically, tomorrow is errand day. You can come along and see if we can find a few outfits for you to use while you're here!" Flug offered. You looked at Flug and smiled. "Really? Oh, thank you so much Flug! Heh. It's kinda funny. I feel like I've known you since my whole 4 years at college, yet I've only known you for about a day!" You gave Flug a warm smile. "O-Oh! You're welcome!" Flug replied, bashfully. "I must say, learning about your world has been a trip for me as well. So many things to hear about, stories to tell, and learning everything that goes on in the other side of the cosmos."

"It's actually fun to hang around with you, I'll admit it. You're so laid back, I don't see how you're NOT a nervous wreck from being so far from home! If it was me in your shoes, I would be shivering at every shadow...and would probably be deathly afraid of Black Hat all over again." Flug sighed. You blinked, looking sympathetically towards Flug for a moment. But, you shrugged it off. "Hey, while we're on this topic, you've never told me about your own world! It's mostly been about mine." You stated. "I also want to know what your planet is like! What's it like living on a world full of factions and people with superpowers or advanced technology? What's different about your world? How does it feel to know that super powers exist?! Oooohh~! So many things I want to ask you as well!" You grinned at some questions that passed though your mind. "Well, maybe if we go out to eat or have some time while shopping, I'll gladly tell you about my own home too. It's only fair." Flug responded, his eyes beaming happiness through his goggles. You bounced on your heels in excitement. "And just think! We're both the very first people to talk to other intelligent, and friendly, alien life! My world may have some action or drama every now and then, but your planet is beaming with so many new things! Different physics, geography, and even culture! We might even be the first ever people to contact life outside of our own planets!" Your eyes grew so wide, Flug could swear that they sparkled. "We can keep notes of each other! To take back home! Then I can show my cryptid-believing friend that I was right! Aliens WERE the right way to go!" You flailed a little in your excitement. "Maybe I can take back some evidence? Like a miniature ray gun? That'll show e'm I'm not a liar! I would have evidence that couldn't be denied! Utterly irrefutable!" You squealed. Flug couldn't help but chuckle at your nerding out episode. He could feel his own heart racing as he observed your escapade.

But, he knew why. Your excitement was becoming infectious. He couldn't blame you personally. The excitement of meeting someone from another planet was coursing through his veins as well. He was still curious of many things. Some that he hoped you held the answer to.

What technology did your planet hold? How do your people do things without any heroes? Without any superpowers? How does your race survive as a species?

Was the evolutionary route different? Or was something else at play here?

Even now, he can't wait until later to get back to studying the blood sample he took from you. He feels like there's something special about your blood. Maybe it could hold the secret to your evolutionary branch? He didn't know what yet, but he'll get there. That's why he's studying it, of course! He is a scientist and an inventor.

And he is excellent at what he does. "Well, I'm gonna hit the bathroom and clean up." You said, calming down from your high. Flug snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh! Really?" "Yeah." You nodded. "I'm gonna find 5.0.5 and see if he can wash my clothes while I clean up." You said, walking away from the sink and heading to the lab entrance. "See ya later, Flug! Take care!" You waved, exiting the lab. Flug just waved slightly as you left an continued to work on the gamma ray gun. His project, while still incomplete and untested, was close to it's final stages. Soon, he'll get his spare time to study the unique blood sample. -- The only sound that stated life was present in the pristine and elegant bathroom was the sound of the faucet turning on within the bath-shower hybrid tub. Warm water rushed out of the spout, coating your skin in warmth and gave you a soothing feeling of relaxation. You sighed as you rubbed your scalp clear of excess oils and loose hairs. It felt like paradise. Just letting the water run down your skin and into the drain. You weren't really a single-type of washing preference person. You would take showers some days and baths on others. Usually, it mostly depends if you need to shave or relax. Sometimes, you didn't even have a choice. It was either one or the other most of the time. Not that you complained. You are mostly glad to get cleaned in the end. You lathered up a rag with some soap, which had a nice fragrance, to cleanse your body with. While you did this, you let your mind wonder. Tomorrow was presentation day. The day of the catalog photo shoot. Which will be preformed and used to show off your creations. You honestly don't think you'll be present for the shoot. It'll probably be handled by Black Hat and Flug mostly anyway. You're more concerned with the world that you will get to explore tomorrow when you go run errands with Flug. You sighed, letting the foamy lather wash off of your skin as you put some shampoo in your hand. I mean, there are some concerns you have about going out into the city. What if people notice your differences like Dementia and Flug did? I mean, even Black Hat probably picked up on your strange appearances! What if you turn too many heads and make Flug uncomfortable? What if you and him get separated? Just...what if? You rubbed your arms, suddenly feeling something attached to one of them. You looked over and saw the bandage from last night. Still clinging to your arm and covering a wound that had stopped bleeding a long time ago. Steadily, you peeled it off of your skin and opened the door to the hybrid. Depositing the bandage into the bin that wasn't too far from the door and closed the hybrid door back. You rinsed your head clear of foam as you walked back under the flowing water. Pressing your forehead to the wall, you sighed. '(Name)...we talked about this. Everything is going to be fine! No need to stress yourself. Besides! Who cares about that worrisome stuff? Just throw those thoughts away like that used bandage. It's a whole new world!' You then paused and blinked to yourself. Then, you allowed a smug look to cross your face as an idea popped into your head. "I can show you the world~, shining, shimmering, splendid~" "Now, tell me princess, when did you last let your heart decide~?" You sang, albeit softly. Laughing lightly. You kept singing in a low volume, letting the motion of your hands and body fit your own personal imaginings. It was silly to sing in the shower, but with the stress that you have faced in the last 24 hours, you might as well sing heavy metal songs at the top of your voice. Just to release the tension. But, Black Hat would have your head if you did that. Dementia did say that she played guitar when she came rushing into the kitchen at lunch, apparently overhearing your talent-associated conversation with Flug. You would like to see her preform sometime. You bet she would play like a punk-rockstar. Seeing as she shared similarities to said-genre when one looks at her outfit. So, it would probably be safe. Probably. You hummed the chorus of the song playing in your head, letting your imagination drift as you rinsed the conditioning out of your hair. "A whole new world~" "A hundred thousand things to see~!" You sung, finishing up your cleaning session and preparing yourself to get out of the stream of water. By the time you finished the song, you had stepped out of the bath-shower hybrid and are currently drying off with a large and fluffy rose red towel. You hummed as you finished brushing out your hair to the beat of the final tunes in your head. Rising your mouth out with gargle, you still did not have a toothbrush, and spat it into the sink. You sighed peacefully. Cleaned, freshened up, and with the towel wrapped securely around yourself, you prepared to leave the refuge of the bathroom. Singing did help a little. It was mostly just a personal relief valve for you. You're not the best singer, but practicing during the times when you were alone sure did give you a decent pair of pipes. You unlocked the door and headed out into the hallway. Only to be surprised by a startled shout. When you looked over, you saw your boss, Black Hat. He was just standing there across from you, stiff like a statue. "Oh. Hey, boss." You greeted. -- Black was NOT expecting this. He was just on his way to 'check up' on Flug and you to see how progress was coming along, only to hear a door open and had himself become visually assaulted by nudity! Black Hat was standing in horror-filled surprise as you stood there in the hall with nothing but a large fluffy red towel to cover yourself and wet hair sticking to your skin. Without warning him, no less! "Why are you out wondering the halls dressed like that?!" Black Hat screeched. "...Because I just got out of the shower?" You replied, nonchalantly. "That doesn't excuse this large amount of indecency! This is a business! Not your personal home!" Black Hat scowled. Okay, now you're just getting mad at this bastards' accusatory tone. Whoa! Whoa! Slow down, (Name)! Two negatives don't make a positive! You took a steady breath to calm yourself and kept your face and body relaxed. You know he hates that. "I got some engine grease on my pajamas while working. Those, being the only clothes that I brought with me and that fit me, are in the wash." You explained. "That reminds me!" You exclaimed. "Have you seen 5.0.5 around? He probably has my clothes ready." You muttered, placing a finger on your chin. "No! I haven't! Just...for evils' sake! Follow me!" He growled. You looked at him in confusion, but followed anyway. It took a few minutes, until he opened a door to a bedroom. It had a goth-like theme to it, like the rest of the house. Yet, the bed looked like something fit for a mansion! It was a deep red color, with a few mixtures of dull grays and blacks. The blankets also had top hat prints on them. Which was a trend around this manor, as you seemed to notice a lot of things that had to do with top hats or had designs of top hats on them. Like the wallpaper for instance. You suspect that Black Hat literally has an obsession with the object. It also had a canopy with curtains that could be pulled or adjusted to your liking. Plenty of pillows and comfortable-looking blankets. You let out a whistle. "Nice room. Who does it belong to?" You asked. Black Hat just looked over and rolled his one visible eye. "This is YOUR room, you imbecile. This will serve as your room until you eventually leave." Black Hat stated. "Oh! Sweet!" You gaped. "Thanks, boss!" You smiled at him. "Stop smiling at me." Black Hat warned. You would'ave frowned at him in a huff if you didn't feel a nudge on your arm. You turned to see 5.0.5 behind you, big adorable eyes and all, as he was holding a neatly folded pair of alien and UFO pajamas out to you. You smiled brightly at the return of your favorite clothes. Using one hand, you fetched the clothes from his paws and opened the top to see, to your relief, that the grease stain was gone completely. You passed the clothes over to your hand that was holding the towel up. "Ah! Thanks 5.0.5! You managed to get that nasty stain out and saved my favorite shirt! You're such a good bear!" You rubbed 5.0.5's head affectionately with your free hand, as the bear rubbed its' own head into your palm. Loving the friendly attention you were giving him. The clearing of a throat broke the good mood like glass. Oh, right. Your boss was still here. You looked over to Black Hat with your eyebrow raised. "What? Do you want to be petted too?" You smirked. "Got two hands for the job!" You couldn't help but laugh at Black Hat's deadpan expression. "Oh, come now, boss! I'm just being silly." "More like stupidly childish." He grunted. "I'm taking my leave, get dressed, we have a big day tomorrow. Come 5.0.5!" Black Hat snarled, causing the bear to whimper. Black Hat reached the door and waited for 5.0.5 to scurry on by him. But, before he could close the door, you called out to him. "What?! Can't you see I'm busy?!" He snapped. You didn't let that get you down nor stop what you were going to say, you just grinned at him lazily. "Thanks again, boss! I'm grateful for your hospitality!" You thanked. Black Hat just snorted. "You should be." Before closing the door, albeit a little too loudly for your liking. You laughed. Yep, he hates the lazy smile. "Goodnight, boss!" You called out to the fading footsteps out in the hall. You then prepared the bed and changed into your alien-themed clothes once more. Pulling back the covers and worming your way underneath the blankets. It was as soft and as pleasant as you imagined it. Like sleeping on a cloud. That could possibly be the back pain from working hunched over a workbench all day talking, but you didn't care. You adjusted the covers slightly, turned out the light on the nightstand by the bed, and rolled over as a welcoming gloomy darkness fell over the room. Yet, it was not completely dark. The lights from the suburban streets outside lit a fairly decent amount of the room. A calm mixture of pale and dark lights. It felt like you were in a hotel room. Just like the ones you used to stop and sleep in on the way to your final destination on a road trip. You yawned and rolled over. You wouldn't be lying if you said you weren't homesick. But, everyone feels like this when they travel. You're probably the first person to travel farther than any other human being from your planet. Farther than any astronaut has, anyway. Neil Armstrong can eat his heart out. You chuckled to yourself. That's just what this is. A long vacation. Then, you'll go back with an alien souvenir and make your mark on the great wall of human history. Ha! That will show your cryptid-believing friend! Bigfoot is fake and aliens are real! You then closed your eyes to that thought and slowly drifted off to sleep. Silently preparing for another day of adventure. -- A sudden beam of light incinerated a wooden target that was set up in the lab for testing purposes. Flug held the gun with accurate skill, as he was currently taking notes on what needed to be tweaked tomorrow morning before the presentation. He muttered a couple of math fractions underneath his breath. Testing was a delicate process. As one malfunction could injure a client and give them a bad rep, or show a faulty product that Black Hat will have his head over. So far, everything worked out. The machine fired and didn't shoot off into random directions, which was great. It even hit the desired target. Which was also great. Flug sat the weapon down as he decided to call it quits for tonight. Turning the machine off and he began to clean his station, until the lab door opened. He turned around expecting you to return from your shower, but was instantly put on edge when it was Black Hat instead. "A-AH! Black Hat, s-sir! I didn't expect you t-to come down here so late! I was expecting it to be (Name)!" Flug scrambled to make himself stand to attention. Black Hat merely raise a brow at the spectacle. "(Name) went to bed in their assigned room." Black Hat said, bluntly. "O-oh." Flug muttered, nervously shifting on his feet. "How's the gamma rays' progress coming along?" Black Hat questioned. "It's m-mostly done. Just a few tweaks in the morning a-and it'll be ready!" Flug replied. Black Hat nodded, apparently pleased. "And (Name)'s progress?" He asked. "Well, they m-made about 34 spybots today. They said that t-they'll finish the rest in the morning." Flug stated, nervously rubbing and grabbing his arm out of habit. Black Hat frowned a little at that. "They need to pick up the pace if they are going to reach the deadlines in time." Black Hat hummed. Flug nodded and swallowed his anxious fears to ask Black Hat about (Name)'s apparent clothes situation. "Black Hat, if you don't mind me...uh, asking this." This caught Black Hat's attention. "But, (Name) is in need of a few outfits if they are going to be staying here for a while." Flug explained. "So. I need to ask you, if they can come with me into the city while I run my weekly errands and purchase some clothes for them." Flug said. It was silent for a few moments, putting Flug on edge for a bit. "....Fine." Black Hat caved. Flug sighed in relief. "BUT." Black Hat paused. "They can only have three outfits. Other necessities, like undergarments, don't count." Black Hat stated. "If they are going to get some, they can only choose three." Flug was flabbergasted. "B-But, why only three, sir?" Flug stuttered. "They got under my skin tonight, they're taking this as a lesser form of punishment. Only three outfits! No more, no less." Black Hat shrugged. Flug couldn't really deny Black Hat. "Understood, sir." Flug submitted. Black Hat then began to walk back to the exit of the lab, right before turning around and looking at Flug. "Don't stay up too late, Flug. It's presentation day tomorrow. Get out of the lab, get cleaned up, and go sleep in your actual room. Do not fall asleep in the lab cot this time." He warned, then departed. Flug gave out a heavy sigh. He was afraid that Black Hat would say something along that line. He looked over toward the fridge where the vile of your blood was being kept. He guessed that the testing will have to wait for some other time then. Just when he's not so busy. Flug fixed up his station and headed toward the lab door. Turning off the lights and exiting the lab. Leaving the dark rooms' machines to hum and beep all through the night. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next> <Previous ~First~

[theriverscribe]

Hold Tight

By TheRiverScribe

Summary:  They'd become fluent in the unspoken language of lovers who couldn't proclaim their devotion in public.  Everything they felt was said in silence, communicated through gestures and codes. Gabriel hated it with a passion. Warnings:  Brief incident of homophobia Word Count:  3950 Pairing/Characters:  Gabriel/Sam Winchester                                     Castiel/Dean Winchester (mentioned)

Aesthetic created by the awe-inspiring @lacqueluster

June Entry for the Gabriel Monthly Challenge Dialogue Prompt:  “All I know is one of us is right and the other one is you.” This was also heavily inspired by ANZ Australia's #HoldTight ad campaign.

Read it on AO3, or continue below!

Hold Tight

Today was a good day.  

The Summer sun sat high in a brilliantly blue sky, heating the pavement and people that lined the Main Street shops.  A local crafts festival flavored the air with funnel cakes and wood smoke.  Bluegrass players gathered in the shade of a massive oak tree to practice—their music drifted over the crowds, a pure vibration of strings unenhanced by amplifiers and microphones.  

Gabriel walked slowly through the booths, taking time to admire the human gift of creation.  Wood carvers gave live demonstrations with traditional tools while potters provided space for curious artists to paint bare ceramics.  Jewelers displayed pendants made of stones and crystals bound by intricate twists of metal.  A large tent held quilts made by community groups as part of a competition each year.  

The archangel stopped by a table offering a variety of regional foods.  Homemade jams, canned vegetables from a garden, fresh breads, and desserts covered every inch of the plastic tablecloth.  He picked up a jar of local honey to inspect the hand written label when he felt someone standing behind him.  

Gabriel grinned.  “I thought I'd lost you for good back there.”

“Sorry,” Sam said sheepishly. “I've never seen glass blowing before.”

“Beautiful, isn't it?”

“It looked like magic the way the shape and color kept changing.  I can't believe that guy can work next to a furnace in ninety-degree heat.”  Sam wiped at his forehead, drenching his sleeve in sweat.  “He can't be human.”

“Do you want to go back and check?” Gabriel asked, handing money to the vendor for the honey.  “I think there's another demonstration soon.  You know...just to make sure.” He looked up in time to see the hunter blush.

“Maybe,” Sam said shyly.

“Better safe than sorry, Samshine!” Gabriel winked, delighted to see the flush turn to flames at the nickname.

“Gabriel...” Sam muttered as he glanced around them.  But no one paid them any mind.  

Fingers brushed against the back of Gabriel's hand and he nudged his shoulder against the taller man in response.  They'd become fluent in the unspoken language of lovers who couldn't proclaim their devotion in public. Everything they felt was said in silence, communicated through gestures and codes.

Gabriel hated it with a passion.  The pagan in him embraced public displays of hedonism with joy, while the archangel railed against the injustice of a culture that shamed love. But society made Sam guarded, so Gabriel was willing to show restraint—publicly, at least.

“Come on,” he said, shoving Sam toward a stand where school kids pressed lemons with cranks over a large basin full of ice.  “Let's get you hydrated.  I'm not explaining to Dean why you turned into a raisin with sun stroke.”

Sam stumbled, laughing.  His hand started to reach back, but twitched as the hunter became conscious of the movement.  It quickly detoured to rub across his own lower back.

Gabriel sighed and walked faster to catch up.  “So what did you see the glass man make?” he asked cheerfully, swallowing the sourness of denial.

They stood in line for the lemonade as Sam rambled excitedly about a snail figurine.  The taller man leaned down to be heard over the crowd's noise, making his hair fall into his face.  Gabriel wanted to push it back so he could see the hazel eyes he knew were shining with discovery.

Instead, he shoved his hands in his pockets and focused on the smile gracing his lover's lips.  

The lemonade came in large mason jars crammed with crushed cherries. ��They strolled through the crowds back toward the glassblower's set up in silence. People had already gathered around the stall, sitting in small groups on the benches lining the roped-off work space.  Heat poured out over them, and a few fanned themselves with festival programs.  

“So, get this,” Sam started, pulling up an article on his phone.  “Did you know glassblowing started one to two millenniums before common era?”

“I may have heard something about it,” Gabriel smirked, remembering the good times he'd had at Choga Zanbil.  He'd been there when the art form was first developed, marveling at human ingenuity.  

Sam fell silent, lost in his reading.  His right hand rested on the bench between them, and Gabriel casually set his own next to it. Goosebumps rose along his vessel as though his very skin reached for the man.  

He let one finger brush against Sam's while keeping his eyes trained in the opposite direction.  Sam startled at the touch, and his eyes swept the crowd without turning his head.  Gabriel almost moved his fingers away, but then he felt it—a large pinky hooking around his own little finger.  Suddenly, he forgot to pretend-breathe.

A great hulking figure covered in tattoos and leather protective gear stepped around a sign that read “Anders, Master Glassblower.” His long black hair was tied back with an old-fashioned cloth strip. The man gave the audience a quick nod, then turned away to check the furnace.

Gabriel elbowed Sam.  “Damn!  If you're a moose, this dude's a titan.  He reminds me of Samson,” he whispered, putting the program up to his mouth to keep his words a secret just for Sam.  The solid body at his side shook with silent laughter, and Gabriel saw him nod in agreement.  

People filled in along the benches, and Gabriel paid no attention to them. His entire world reduced to his lover's pinky finger, and the way it felt against his skin.  It made him want to fly them home so he could wrap the rest of his body around him.

Smothered laughter broke out behind them.  Gabriel peered over his shoulder to see a young man in a red baseball cap elbowing his acne-riddled buddy. The boy pointed at them, smirking cruelly, and blew him a mocking kiss.  

Sam froze, recognizing the sounds directed their way.  

Fury filled Gabriel.  How dare they?  Stupid humans—they wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for this man!  All of existence owed Sam Winchester.  Humanity had been destined for dust until his sacrifice!

“Gabriel,” Sam muttered, still not turning.  “It's okay.”

“It's really not, Sam,” Gabriel ground out through clenched teeth.

“Do you want to leave?  We don't have to watch the demo.”  Sam's offering only angered Gabriel more.  

The sounds behind them grew louder, attracting the attention of others. Heads began to turn in their direction, revealing a range of expressions from confused to disgusted.  But many faces showed horror as realization dawned on them.  

“We are not leaving,” Gabriel said firmly.  He sat up, squaring his shoulders and staring determinedly ahead.  

“Gabriel...”

“Nope.”

Sam sighed, his body hunching down like it would make him less noticeable. But it was too late—even Master Glassblower Anders was looking at them.  In fact, he was ducking under the rope and walking toward them.  

“There a problem here, folks?” he asked in a gruff voice.

“No! No problem,” Sam answered quickly with a grimace.  “Just here to see the glass blowing.”

“Or some kinda blowing...” Red-hat behind them said in a loud whisper. The idiot's friend laughed like a nervous hyena.

Gabriel felt his grace burn with righteous wrath and the call for judgment. His wings rose and his vessel shook with barely contained rage.  Sam grabbed his hand in a crushing grip, desperately trying to hold him in place and not caring who saw if it saved lives.  

“Hey!” Anders snapped.  

The crowd fell silent, including the two idiots.  Gabriel and Sam both froze, then looked up at the towering artisan.  He wasn't addressing them.  

“Get up,” he ordered.

“What? Why?!” Red-hat demanded.  “We didn't mean nothing.  You can't make us move for just having some fun!”

“Get up,” he repeated in a dangerously low voice.  When they still didn't move, he bellowed, “Now!”

The boys scrambled from the bench, but the glassblower caught them by the collars before they could run.  They both let out a strangled yell. In slow, deliberate steps, he walked them backwards to the front of the crowd.  He released their shirts and moved to stand toe-to-toe with them.

“Apologize.”

“To who?  Those fa—”

“Me,” the man cut them off.  “You will apologize to me.”

“What?”  Red-hat gave a Dean Winchester-worthy eye roll.  “Your show hasn't even started yet! We didn't disrupt nothing.”

“You have sixty seconds to apologize to me.  Starting now,” he said, looking to the right in search of something.

The kid crossed his arms, oozing arrogance.  “Do you even know who I am?”

“All I know is one of us is right and the other one is you,” Anders turned back to the boy and grinned. “Forty-five seconds.”

“Or what?  You'll call security on us?”

“Or else you can apologize to my husband.  He's walking over here now.”

Everyone's heads snapped in the direction he'd indicated.  Sure enough, a man in a horse farrier's brown leather apron was stalking toward them with a worried frown. He carried a mallet that rivaled Thor's hammer.  

Idiot number two blurted out, “Sorry!” as his face paled dramatically beneath layers of teenage blemishes.  

The glassblower swung his gaze toward the main offender who stared with wide eyes at the rapidly approaching giant.  He cleared his throat, making the kid jump. “Apologize,” he said again.

“Sorry, man.  I didn't know...”

“You didn't need to know.  It shouldn't matter.  You don't 'need to know' to act like a human being.”  The man stared at him for a moment.  Finally, he jerked his head to the side.  “Get out of here.  And learn some goddamn manners before next year's festival.”

The boys didn't need to be told twice. They ran away to the sounds of the crowd laughing.  A few people even clapped.  

Anders ducked carefully back under the rope barrier and resumed his preparation, acting like nothing had happened.  The farrier made his way to the front and joined him. They exchanged no words, conveying through looks everything that needed said.  

Gabriel stared in shock.  He hadn't taken a breath in probably ten minutes, and he wasn't sure he was capable of starting again.  Unfamiliar emotions burned the back of his throat.

Sam still held his hand in a death grip.  Fine tremors worked their way up the hunter's arms and his breathing sounded too shallow.  Gabriel turned his hand, lacing their fingers together in a more comfortable position.  Their wrists pressed against one another, and he felt Sam's pulse racing.  Slowly, they leaned closer until their shoulders brushed.  And there they stayed through the entire presentation.  

The next hour passed in a blur. Gabriel couldn't pay attention to a single thing the glassblower said or did.  He concentrated on calming down his anger and grace, desperately hoping the day did not end with bitter resentment.

Part of him wished he could go back and redo the whole last hour.  Maybe if they'd sat another inch apart, the kid would have ignored them.  Or maybe they should have gone to a different festival in a different town in a more tolerant region—if those even existed.  

Gabriel sighed.  How could humans be such unbelievable creators and destroyers at the same time?  How did they coexist without one side overtaking the other? Did they need one another for balance?  A lyric played in his mind: “The opposite of war isn't peace—it's creation.”  

“Hey,” a soft voice said.  A young girl, not yet a teen, had turned around on the bench in front of them.  She smiled, shy and kind.  “I'm sorry about that guy. He's a local asshole.  Are y'all okay?”

Gabriel glanced up at Sam.  The man drew in a shaky breath, but returned the smile.  “Yeah, we're good,” he answered, pushing the sweaty hair away from his face.  “Thanks.”

“It's cool!  I'm Frida, but everyone calls me Freddy.”  She stuck out her hand, revealing leather bracers.  Gabriel saw embroidery along the seams that alternated through the colors of the rainbow.  

“It's nice to meet you, Freddy,” Gabriel gently shook her hand.  “I'm Gabriel, and this is Sam.”  

Her eyes sparkled as she gave a lopsided grin.  “My dads don't tolerate snots like that at their demos.  They say it throws off their energies, or something. They're such nerds.”  

“Your...dads?” Gabriel asked.  He saw Anders and the farrier walking toward them like fierce warriors. Sam got carefully to his feet, pulling Gabriel up with him by the hand before letting go.  He didn't have time to mourn the loss when the two artisans joined them.

Sam nervously wiped the sweat from his palms on his jeans.  “Your show is amazing!”

Anders studied the hunter.  “You were at both shows.”

“I...yeah, I was,” Sam tripped over his words, thrown off by the statement. “The first one was so good, I wanted to bring my...friend.”  They hadn't really decided on labels for one another—usually, Gabriel would create elaborate nicknames and rotate through his favorites each week.  But now the pause seemed to echo.  They all heard it.

Freddy stood on the bench and draped herself across the glassblower's shoulders.  “Daddy,” she whispered into his ear, “his name is Gabriel!”

The farrier grabbed the girl around the waist and swung her from the bench in a twirl.  “Alright!” he laughed.  “All trolls report to the blacksmith—there are horse stalls waiting to be mucked!” She let out a high squeal and took off running as soon as her feet hit the ground.  

“And what did you think?” Anders asked Gabriel.  

“I...” Gabriel stalled.  He'd been too overwhelmed by the man's bold display, and hadn't seen a second of the show. “It was...hot.  I mean, temperature-wise it was very warm.  Not hot...as in...”  He felt his wings puff as he got more flustered.  Sam's elbow brushed against him, solid and soothing.  

Anders chuckled.  “It's okay.  I saw you looking down for most of it.  The sun bounced a halo right off the top of your hair.”

Gabriel had no comeback.  People made angel-references all the time once they learned his name, but they were all jokes about harps and robes. They rarely left him feeling exposed.  

Sam sensed his unease, and took over with the smile he used when dealing with cops and witnesses.  “Well, I paid attention.  He probably spent the whole time sorting through the giant box of saltwater taffies he thinks I don't know about.”  

“So you didn't see what I made?” Anders asked, still looking at Gabriel.

“A...snail?” he guessed.  He knew he was wrong when the two artisans gave matching grins, and Sam sighed.  

Anders turned to Sam with narrowed eyes.  “Did you see?”

“Um...” Sam rubbed the back of his neck and dropped his gaze.  “I had trouble seeing at the end.  The smoke kinda burned my eyes.”

Gabriel's head twisted to look at Sam.  There was an emotional undertone to his words that made the archangel suspect the smoke hadn't been the problem.  Had he not noticed Sam crying?

The farrier hummed and nodded in understanding.  “It can be hard for people who have never been out around it.  It still bothers me some days.”  

Gabriel didn't know if they were talking about the smoke or the idiot boy.

“Then this will be a surprise.” Anders said, ushering them all to follow as he returned to the work space.

“What?” Gabriel asked, feeling dumb.

“The piece I made at this demo was a smaller version of something else,” Anders answered cryptically.  

The farrier unhooked the rope so no one had to duck, then replaced it behind himself.  The heat scalded the air, actually drying their skin out at the sudden intensity.  Sam stared in awe at the tools and colorful figurines lining a table, but Gabriel kept his eyes on the glassblower.  

Anders led him to another table that contained a cloth-wrapped object. “I wanted you to have this.”  He gestured for Gabriel to go ahead.  “I saw you both walking through the festival this morning, and I felt inspired to craft it between shows.”

Gabriel gingerly peeled back the cloth, and gasped.  

The figure of a person standing, one hand reaching out, measured about a foot high.  The body was a veritable gem of colors that fractured in the light, casting prisms all around.  Flaring from the figure's back were six wings of pure golden glass.  The bottom two wings trailed to the base, allowing the sculpture to balance between them and the two feet.

Sam made a choked noise beside him.  He was staring at the glass figure head-on, the arm reaching straight for him.  The hunter's hand covered his mouth, but his face reflected the same shock and fear of discovery that Gabriel felt.    

Turning to the glassblower, he found the man watching them closely.  Dark eyes held no malice—only warm empathy.  “I hope you don't mind,” he said softly.  “I couldn't really help myself.”

“You...” Gabriel trailed off, not sure what to ask.  

Anders nodded.  “The sight runs in my family.  Freddy's got it too.  She spotted one of your brothers here yesterday.  Followed him around like a lost puppy. He was kind and pretended not to notice.”

“Brother?”

“Blue eyes?  Wore a trench coat in ninety-five degree heat and didn't sweat?” the farrier added.

“Cassie was here?” Gabriel's face scrunched up in confusion.  He turned to Sam who appeared to be slowly calming down.  “Did Dean mention a craft fair to you?”

“No,” Sam coughed from the smoke.  “But he did come back sunburned and hyper.  Which means he gorged himself on festival food all day.”

“Huh.” He stared at the angel figurine again.  His stomach twisted at the longing held in the tension of that one tiny hand.  “This is...unbelievable.  Why...?”

“It is a gift,” he said simply, carefully replacing the cloth around his creation.  “I saw an angel once, as a child.  I never thought I'd see one again.  And I definitely never thought I'd meet angels who were family.”  

Sam let out a startled laugh and covered his mouth again.  The farrier came over with a large box and packed the glass with bits of foam. Sam helped him get it into a bag.

Gabriel stepped up to Anders and enveloped him in a hug.  There was only a moment of hesitation as the man decided where to put his arms, and Gabriel realized he was trying to avoid the wings.  Laughing, the archangel tucked them away on a different plane.  Massive arms thumped against his back.

“Listen,” the glassblower whispered to him, “there's gonna be times where you want to let go.  But that's when you gotta hold even tighter.”

“That simple, huh?” Gabriel sniffed against his shoulder.  

“Maybe,” Anders said, pulling back to look him in the eye.  “'What the Good Lord brings together...'”

Gabriel laughed and finished the verse.  “'Let no man tear asunder.' Gotcha.”

“Don't let anyone, especially hateful little snots, keep you from who you love.”

“Thank you.  For earlier.”

Anders didn't wave or shrug it off.  Instead, his gaze turned sharp.  “I have fought for everything in my life.  No one gets to mock it.  I have no tolerance for hate or ignorance.”

Gabriel felt a pang of guilt.  How many times had he run when he should have stayed and fought?  When he'd let go instead of hold tighter?  

A large hand slipped into his, lacing their fingers together.  He blinked up into Sam's blurry face as it drew closer.  “Come on, Gabe,” his lover said, brushing a kiss to the top of his jaw.  “I promised you cotton candy before we go home and try to sneak our loot past our brothers.”  

Gabriel shivered, electricity shooting down his spine from the vibrations and breath in his ear.  “You better!” he laughed.  No one commented how it sounded more like a sob.

As a reward, Gabriel snapped and sent the boxed sculpture back to Sam's room in the bunker.  It delighted the glassblower and farrier to no end.  Anders wiped unbidden tears from his eyes at the display of power.  The archangel paused, marveling at the man's emotional response to something so small.

They had one last round of hugs and words of gratitude.  Then, Sam led him silently from the tent by the hand.  A few people glanced their way without saying anything, and after a while they both relaxed into it.  

Who knew two palms touching could produce pure ecstasy?  

They walked with as much contact as possible, their shoulders and hips bumping each other.  It made them clumsy.  And they laughed every time someone bounced too hard away and the other one had to pull them back.  

Sunset found them in a park overlooking the town's lake.  Fireworks were scheduled to begin as soon as the sky grew dark enough.  Sam sprawled out on the grass with Gabriel's head cushioned against his stomach.  

“This is nice,” Gabriel murmured.

Sam ran his fingers through the archangel's shaggy hair.  “You're right, it is.” He sounded surprised.

Gabriel shifted so he could see Sam's face.  “What made you change your mind?”

“The sculpture,” Sam said, staring up into the sky.  One by one, stars blinked into existence.  

“Really?”

“It's face—it looked so much like you.  You took that cloth off, and all I could see was you reaching for me, and I just...All I wanted to do was reach back.” he cut off, swallowing hard as his throat grew tight.  “It seemed so silly, all of a sudden. Like, I've faced monsters and evil beyond human comprehension, but some punk kid made me back down.”

“Hey,” Gabriel pushed up so he was leaning over Sam, bracing his hands on either side of the man's head.  “You are the bravest, brightest, fiercest soul I know.”  He slowly peppered Sam's face with kisses between each word.  “There is no rule that says that you aren't allowed to have struggles.  You shouldn't have to face society with the same battle-ready attitude you do an army of demons.  This is new to both of us—and we play by our own rules.  No one else's.”

“You'd just break them anyway,” Sam laughed.

“Isn't that what they're made for?” Gabriel grinned.  He ducked down, nuzzling noses before sealing their mouths and swallowing Sam's surprised gasp.  For a second, he felt his desperation for closeness spike and he bit into Sam's lower lip.

A throat cleared above them, and they froze.

Gabriel slowly turned his head to look up and found Freddy beaming at them. “You guys remember your in a public park, right?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.  

“Did you know that, Sam?” Gabriel asked with a fake gasp, rolling off the hunter to lay next to him in the grass.  “I had no idea.  I mean, what would we have done without some sassy teeny-bopper coming along to tell us?”

“Heaven only knows,” Sam sighed fondly.  

“You want to join us for the fireworks, Freddy?” Gabriel patted the ground beside him.  “Plenty of itchy grass to go around.”

“Nah,” she said, shaking her head.  “My dads are down that way, and I'm sure they'll need the 'public park' announcement if I don't get there soon.”  Freddy winked at them and skipped past, yelling over her shoulder, “I hope I see you guys again!”

A boom echoed from across the lake, making them both jump.  Then, the sky exploded in a shower of gold.  Gabriel leaned his head against Sam's outstretched arm.  They laid that way until the finale—their sides pressed together as the cool ground leached away the Summer heat.

Today was definitely a good day.

Tagging: @gabriel-monthly-challenge, @archangel-with-a-shotgun, @ashiewesker, @lacqueluster, @scrollingkingfisher, @nathyfaith, @thequeervet, @wanderingcas, @patient-number-zero

[beanjuice-duh]

I keep his smile in my life

a/n: @midnigtartist‘s vague reincarnation got me thinking how Thomas felt when Hamilton died. (of course this is not historically canon whatsoever) warning: ANGST & canon-era timeline w/c: 3006

The President’s House was a lovely piece of work. It was a shame Washington didn’t live long enough to see its creation. Though he favored his New York City mansion he was a Southern man through and through. No doubt he would have loved the empty acreage of wide open spaces. A Parthenon planted on American soil. A place fit for a king and yet… it felt too big for Thomas. Thomas Jefferson, who inherited the massive land of Monticello, all 11,000 feet of space from the main floor to the cellars and hidden rooms below for the rest of his ‘property’, felt the president home to be too big. Too many floors, too much negative space to fill for a single, widowed man. He longed for his home in Monticello, an estate so beautiful that it almost masked the countless losses Thomas accumulated over the years. The home was cursed perhaps or perhaps it was Thomas who was the cursed one. For it seemed the house to precious and lovely, nestled in the state he adored, in the country he admired, only saw the worse of him and his life. Still, Martha loved that home. Their home, if it wasn’t for her he wouldn’t have constructed something so bold.

 “Sir, Thomas” A beautiful black woman entered the main office of the Presidential Home. She kept her eyes to the ground as she spoke in soft, submissive tones colored with a rudimentary grasp of proper English. “Yer’ parcel from Mister Ceracchi has arrived sir, as promised, I got it for you right away.”  

 “Bring it here, made sure no one has seen it, right?”

 “No sir, paid off the good man at the docks to hand it off to yer’ friend back in Virginia and told one of my boys to bring it here himself. He can’t read, can’t tell a soul who it be from, sir.” Sally crossed the room and placed the large box on his desk with care. “Took extra care made sure no one saw him give it to me either, sir.”

 “Good…” Thomas ran his hand through his thick hair and eyed the box. He shot Sally a narrowed eyed look and motioned her to leave. “Make some tea and leave me be for bit, darling. I won’t be taking any guests.” Sally bowed and walked herself out of the office. Once the door came together with an audible lock, indicating the iron clasp was in place and Thomas was alone. The president got up from his chair and walked around his desk eyeing the piece with a smirk. A year ago he had enlisted and personally funded an Italian sculpture to finish a project for him. A private one, so private he used a friend’s alias to help with the funding. Thomas, to most, was not a man of boisterous grandiosity. He grew up a rather reserved and shy little Southern boy. However since the loss of his wife, his return from Paris, America brought out a new side of him. 

Rather a certain “American” brought out a side of him he detested. An aggression, a nasty need to slap his macho bravado and take loud stands against him. Oh how he hated feeling heated and yet, now with the election of 1800 over and done. He had his President House in the South like he wanted, the quiet returned and he had the power to keep it that way...he found himself unhappy. He was yearning for that fire in his stomach. Thomas couldn’t seem to find it anywhere else but in that man. His hands grabbed the top of the box and ripped the carton open. Slowly he started to peeled thick, packing cloths from the piece and slowly unmasked the sculpture.

 “Oh…” His lips twitched, his fingers grasped the top of his cane a bit tighter as he bent over meeting the sculpted face at eye level. It wasn’t exactly the same...but he had to admit the likeness was physically perfect. The artist caught the air of ignorance he wanted. The intelligent, determined set eyes, strong nose, that chin and even the lines that indicated the pathetic peach fuzz he maintained. Thomas reached out, his large hand cupping the smooth underside of the sculpture's polished face. The contrast between the pearly white marble and himself was opposite as the real thing. The marble was cold against his rough fingertips but that didn’t stop him from tracing along the curve of his jawline. His fingers fanned out around his chin and very delicately his bent index finger skimmed over the corner of the bust’s lips. Lips that were pressed together in a stern frown. Lips that to most anyone else were wide with a smile or a coy smirk, a cocky curve but when it was towards him there was nothing but a sarcastic scowl or a tightly framed frown. Thomas didn’t mind. 

He lived for that disgruntled expression. His finger lingered around the lips then paused at the middle of the frown. He could feel the small dip where both of his lips met. Thomas’s entire body went ice cold, a sharp memory reared it's ugly head back at him. A memory he pushed aside over and over again. It turned his loins into a quivering wallop of nerves.

 Thomas decided to treat himself in the moment. The president of the United States stared into the empty, marbled eyes of his endorser and fiendish rival. “Hamilton~” He purred, reliving the first time he saw the immigrant man.

“Jefferson.” Hamilton looked up his cut curt and sharp. He could have sliced through a glass sheet with the tone of his voice. He sized up the tall, big haired man that waltzed into his Manhattan office like he owned it. Thomas beamed at Alex and uncharacteristically of him, Alexander stayed seated. He picked up his quill, dunking it a few times into ink; he continued to write as though he was alone. “What do you want?” 

The cabinet battle had come to a close, Alexander was revisiting his debt plan editing out parts that may appeal to the votes he needed. “Hamilton, Hamilton…” Thomas smirked, walking into his office of Treasurer. They had duked it out over Hamilton’s absurd plan to clear up the war debts and establish his bank. Honestly, Hamilton made some promising points, all of which attacked Thomas’s moral character in front of their peers. But Alexander was far from the popular vote, if it wasn’t for Washington’s shining recommendation, Jefferson was sure a vermin like him would have wasted away wherever he came from. A shame really, he was smarter than he seemed. “Can’t we cabinet members take time to chit-chat once in awhile.” “Some of us have work.” Alexander spat back, keeping his eyes on his documents. “Some of us aren’t given the job upon arrival and prance in with no idea what this country needs.” “Oh I know what the country needs, I wrote it, this little thing called the -- “ “Declaration of Independence. Truly a masterpiece, your prime, your peak so you should stop while you were ahead.” He smiled, his face still casted down. Thomas’s nose flared up in annoyance. Kid was quick. Even out on the cabinet floor he rattled Thomas’s good nature. In truth Thomas wasn’t one for conflict, which was probably why leaving America and not joining in the fight suited in so. He was reserved, so why, oh why did this creature from god knows where had to rear his ugly little head and pull out the devil in Jefferson. “Unless you’re here to read my plan, which we both know you are not because it's too many pages for you to understand, you can see yourself out of my office.” “You’ve got some nerve, kid.” He crossed the office floor, his cane clacking with every step. He stood at the front of Hamilton’s desk, casting a shadow down on his work. “You better watch your goddamn mouth or you might find yourself out of a job real soon.” He watched but Alexander didn’t make a sound. He continued to pen down his thoughts on his paper, Jefferson watching, waiting. Of course he was annoyed at the immense disrespect Alexander had for him. At the same time a good portion of his mind was fixated on how fast he scripted down his words, how his penmanship was near flawless as it was quick. Those nimble fingers writing down the feverish thoughts of a malinformed young man. “This isn’t war, Alexander, no one cares about anything that happened on your field. It's over, forgotten, you’re on my battlefield now. So I suggest you watch yourself.” “Funny,  you’re talking about being on your field but last I checked the only time you’ve been on a field is when you’re tossing around the hay with Miss Hemmings.” Thomas’s spine stiffened.

 “At least I didn’t sodomize the men I fought with.” Jefferson’s voice was ice water being doused down Alex’s head. It stung and caused his entire body to jerk. Hamilton missed a loop in one of his words, the mistake did not go unnoticed. Jefferson had hit a nerve now he was going to massage it a bit more. “I wasn’t even there but (bold) my god, did I hear how close you were to Colonel Laurens” 

“Don’t you dare say his name!” Alexander shot up from his desk. Thomas took a step back there was a fire in Alexander’s eyes. The fight of a lion who wasn’t done with war just yet. Alexander sized him up, his body tense for a fight… but this wasn’t how things were done anymore. Thomas wasn’t an enemy with a gun, he was a rival with a pen. Alexander felt the anger rise and fall inside of him, leaving only the empty hate to fester in his stomach. “Are we done?”

 Thomas got the strangest sense of delight out of watching him, it was hard to put Alexander in his place when it came to politics but morale? Thomas Jefferson was liked, reserved, the enemies he made didn’t have much to go by. He didn’t prattle and yell and beg for attention like Alexander. Hamilton exposed his ideals with the utmost aggression but exposed the points that touched him the most. “Far from it.”

 “Did you come here to talk to me about my past? Are you curious about what I’ve done. I didn’t take you to be so bold, Mr. Secretary.” Alexander growled low, “then again, who knows who you /do/ in Monticello.”

 Defiant. Arrogant. Disrespectful. Annoying. Blatantly perverse. Thomas wanted to put him in his place. He wanted to own him and destroy him, make an example out of him. The silence was weighed down by a silent tension. One that churned Jefferson’s Southern aristocratic stomach and instead of bringing a rage or ruffled expression to his face it brought a wide, toothy smile. Thomas didn’t speak, he smiled, his white teeth perfectly sculpted, gleaming. The longer Alexander stared up at his smile the more confused he got. The heavier the silence got until Hamilton could stay silent no more. “I have a debt plan to revise, I don’t have time to play your game, Thomas.”

 He said his name. He said his name with so much disdain Thomas could taste the bitterness in his voice. He was far from done harassing Hamilton now. Thomas didn’t say a word, he gently placed his hand, holding his cane, behind him and reached out with his other hand. To both of their surprise, Alexander did not flinch nor move away. His face did darken a few shades, anger? Most likely. Jefferson’s large hand curled under Alex’s jaw, his finger bent gently tilting him up so their gazes were evenly met. Thomas’s black, cold look as he asserted his dominance the best way he knew how when it came to those he deemed lesser than regular men. Alexander matched him with fiery eyes framed around bags upon bags of sleepless nights and restless days. 

He was baffled how someone could sound and look so alive but look so tired.

It was borderline charming.

 Thomas’s thumb stroked over the peach fuzz stubble  right under Hamilton’s lower lip. His tense frown loosened only just for Alexander to get a breath out past the smallest gap between his lips. His face was tired. Beyond tired it was guarded. Whatever wall Hamilton put between himself and people was wearing down. 

Thomas’s thumb paused at his lower lip. Taking action wasn’t something he was known to do easily...even around Alexander he steadied himself, studied the situation. Jefferson’s temper never flared too much at any given moment. His eyes widened a bit when a hand grazed the side of his face. He met Alex’s eyes, the tired fire never dimmed, as he ran his hand with less reserve and care along Thomas’s facial hair.

 Thomas’s smile was wicked a small fire in him sparked up that left Alexander looking less and less like himself. Thomas didn’t think he’d find Hamilton looking so weakened and tired. The weight of his work was showing, there was no one to show off his bravado too. No crowd to yell at. No one to prove anything to. He was here, alone with Jefferson. A man he despised. “Alexander~” He purred trying to stir the tension even more.

 “What” Hamilton quipped. Even in the position he was in, his smaller frame pressed against his desk as he stood and the space between Thomas was shortening fast, he defied him.

“...you are a brilliant man you know that” Thomas spoke softly, pulling his hand away. His fingers felt numb, as if he roasted them by the fire and every single nerve ending was shot. Alexander arched his brow he wasn’t in shock, he was fully aware of his brilliance. What he didn’t know was why Thomas was telling him this now. “Half of your argument was almost believable.” “I would say the same for yours but it was clear you thought that speech up from the top of your head.” He rolled his eyes, then looked away. “What you did here and in France is greatly appreciated; but while you’re trying to make a country run a mile I’m going to make it run a lifetime.” Thomas wished he had half the fire Alexander had, even if that fire was fueling the wrong side of history. “Maybe if you come down to the South I can sway your mind.” His voice was dangerously low, a gravelly sound that scratched at the back of his throat when he spoke. Hamilton leaned forward a it, unafraid of Thomas which only made the grumble grow. “I’m sure I know how to sway your mind” “You won’t, but I’d love to see you try. That is if you, a god-fearing man, is willing to do what you’re implying, Jefferson?” He was helpless. Thomas never felt a fire like his. A bite that wasn’t fuelled solely on malicious greed. Alexander truly believed in all those wild thoughts that he was going to make history. He truly believed the hours of hand aching writing and planning, he was going to change the world. Thomas...almost believed him to. He wanted to be part of whatever Hamilton was inventing even if it meant being part of the side that would stop him. How far would he go? How hard would he push. The idea of having an equal to combat his views was exciting. “Well Thomas? Are you going to tell me what a man like yourself is going to do with a man like me down in Monticello?” Thomas’s hands blanketed Hamilton’s face, the coy smirk Hamilton sported softened knowing well what was coming. Jefferson didn’t speak, he leaned in and gave him the taste of Virginia’s finest. “Thomas” 

“...Thomas?” The door opened, a short man with his shoulders hunched slightly stumbled in. He had a handkerchief to his mouth as he wandered in all of the sudden. Thomas pulled his hand away from the bust and ran it over his hair instead. He steadied himself, pulling himself out of the heated memory and back to reality.

 “Jemmy, stormin’ in on the President? A little unprecedented.” He chuckled, making a note to remind Sally what he meant by wanting ‘alone’ time. “What’s wrong?”

 James face turned pale for a second…Thomas moved his body shielding the bust from him, hoping he couldn’t see through his nervous smile. However, what Madison told him shook Thomas. Shook him hard and made him reach for the side of his desk for support.

 “Alexander Hamilton has died.”

Thomas felt his hand slip away from the bust behind his back. It simply didn’t make sense. Only a week ago, Alexander penned him a letter in secret of his next trip to the South. Only a few seconds ago, the fire that was Alexander Hamilton roared brightly in the hearth of America. In the fireplace of Thomas’s stomach now...gone? No trails of smoke, no warning. Nothing but singed, blacken marks on cold tiles. Ashes and soot of where once stood something so temptable and grand, a power that threatened to consume Thomas whole was simply...gone. In a moment. That childish smirk. The ink stained palms that heatedly touched every inch of him. The long winding debates over leather bound books. The moment of peace, Alexander looking out Thomas’s home and in that moment of his profile Thomas wanted to preserve that pensive stare in a bust. “Thomas would you...like to release a statement? An address?” Madison pressed, the silence growing unbearable now. Jefferson’s frame shrunk a bit, deflated almost. He gathered the tearless loss in his stomach and forged his own fire. He had to know, there was no other flame to keep him going. “No...no...no address have someone handle that.” He shooed his closest friend away. Madison nodded once, closing the door behind him. Before the door clicked shut, Thomas fell to his knees by his desk. His large hands cupping the cold, marble face of what once was. Shakily tracing the line of his lips, carving out with his nails where the smirk might have fallen on his face. What an ugly burn Hamilton had left on this world. What an ugly scar he left on this tender heart.

[fetishmael]

not shitposty for once

Summary: it starts fluffy then it bcomes shitty and bad at the end sorry rated hIGH T for Bad Implications basically 3 times executor stopped lowa from crying and the 1 time it happened in reverse (it would have been a five times fic but im lazy SORRY)

Pairings: LWLE and APLE wowwz

“Don’t cry.”

Executor brushes past Wanderer, sparing him little more than a glance as he forms a perfectly made spear in his hands, creation magic shining at his fingertips. His visible eye hardens in determination, his pose filled with confidence, so unlike Wanderer’s own as he stares down the demons in front of them.

“I’m--I’m sorry--!”  As he swipes furiously at the tears on his cheeks, he wishes, more than anything, that he could be like Executor, free of doubt, of anxiety, of nervousness, and made only up of a single minded determination towards the mission. Ishmael’s power radiates off of the other celestial in waves, holy energy crackling through the air, temporarily suppressing his own decaying purity.

Executor merely looks down at him, where he’s half-curled upon the floor, clutching his bandaged hand pathetically to his chest before turning away, the ends of his coat flaring with the motion and trailing after him as he dashes into the mob of monsters, decimating them with systematic precision. Shards of broken light reform and unmake themselves into infinite weapons, dissipating into nothingness once their purpose is served and the demons lay lifelessly upon the ground.

That was how Executor always did things--neatly, quickly, and without ever leaving any loose ends.

The celestial frowns down at him, the white in his hair and skin fading to human colors and his feet fully touching the ground once more. “What are you still doing on the floor, Wanderer? Is it a comfortable place to nap?”

Executor wipes his bloodied gloved hand on his coat in disgust before tentatively offering out to Wanderer, his gaze focused determinedly elsewhere. “Yes, my hand is filthy, but no more than your own, so take it.”

“Um, yes! Of course--thank you!” Wanderer had long grown used to Executor’s unusual way of pairing his help with his biting insults and puts his hand in the other’s, using it as support as he stands on shaky legs. “I mean, no, it’s not a good place to nap, but, I wasn’t exactly napping there, I just…”

Executor waves his hand, hauling Wanderer to his feet. “I understand--no need to continue on with senseless explanation. Still..you shouldn’t have run off like that Wanderer. Look where that got you. I know you only have one eye to use properly now, but you can’t possibly mean to tell me that you did not see a rather large pack of demons right in front of you. Or that you didn’t expect to run into any here, in Feita, the demon infested country.”

“N-no, but...I just...I wanted to test my strength, that’s all!” He fiddles with the bandages on his corrupted hand, avoiding Executor’s probably furious gaze. It wasn’t as if he had meant to get into so much trouble, he was just so tired of Executor always having to come save him, of being unable to control his own power well enough to fight like he used to. “I just...wanted to be useful.”

“Well, you weren’t,” Executor states bluntly, before his face softens into an expression of gentle exasperation. He runs his fingers through the bangs over his eye, a nervous tick that Wanderer didn’t think Executor even knew was there. “I mean..just...haven’t you learned that you don’t need to do everything alone? You don’t need to journey alone, you don’t need to fight alone--you aren’t alone. I’m here for a reason, aren’t I?”

“And what...what exactly is that reason, Executor?” Wanderer is almost afraid to ask, because thinks he might know the answer. But he has to know. The other celestial had found him, praying fervently, uselessly at Ishmael’s shrine, begging for her to respond, to do anything to convince him that she was still watching over him. When Executor had stepped out from the shadows, a dim glow of holy light emanating from his presence, he’d thought Ishmael had sent him as her sign. But that hadn’t been it, according to Executor--he was supposedly doing this out of his own free will rather than out of duty to the Goddess, and Wanderer couldn’t understand why.

“We’ve--we’ve been at this for months, and the Goddess still hasn’t responded to me, and the corruption just keeps spreading, and I know you still have your own mission to restore the El, so why do you keep helping me? Why do keep wasting your time on me?”

Executor turns his eyes upwards, before exhaling loudly, moving closer to Wanderer and using a too-long sleeve to wipe away the tears that Wanderer hadn’t realized were there. “And why do you keep wasting your time on this kind of talk? What, am I such an evil being to you that the idea of me helping you because I want to help you is completely inconceivable? I’m helping you because, well--I mean, because you look really pathetic, and it’s hard to ignore you with those stupidly watery eyes of yours--you know, this discussion is getting kind of weird.”

Executor removes his hand from Wanderer’s face and Wanderer finds himself missing the warmth as the other celestial folds his arms. “Look, the point is, you’re stuck with me and I’m stuck with you, and that’s that. So stop crying about it already, okay? That’s...the last thing I want to see you do. Now, come on--I’m covered in demon blood and it’s starting to stick and become disgusting. I want to wash it off.”

The other doesn’t wait for his response before walking away a bit more quickly than usual, a suspiciously pink tinge coloring the back of his neck and ears. Wanderer stands still for a long moment, blinking at the celestial’s back, a strange feeling of lightness filling the bottom of his stomach.

“W-Wait for me, Executor!”

Wanderer stares at his reflection in the lake, distorted by the ripples in the water, but clear enough for him to see just how far gone he really was. His eye is disgusting, a mess of tainted, dull green colors, the skin on and around the eyelid stained with Henir’s mark, and he’s learned from experience that no matter how hard he scrubs at it, even until his fingernails bleed, it won’t go away.

“The water isn’t that nice to look at, is it?”

Executor stands behind him, a roll of fresh bandages in his hands.

“It’s for you, yeah,” Executor hesitates before taking a seat on the grass beside him. “I mean, I can heal whatever wounds the both of us get with Ishmael’s power, so...it’s not like this is for my paper cuts. Also, if I fall into this water, I am blaming you.”

Wanderer doesn’t know exactly what to say to that, so he simply bites his lip, planning to turn his attention back to his grotesque appearance, but grabs the back of his hood, stopping him in his tracks.

“You’ve been paying a lot of attention to that eye, and...it’s distracting! For you! Not for me, of course. So, I thought...if you don’t have to look at it, you might not think about it as much, right?” Executor holds up the bandages, his expression unusually unsure. “Because, well..you already have those bandages on your hand, and it would be weird if you covered up your eye with your hair, because then you’d look like me, and then...just--do you want it, or not?”

Wanderer is surprised that Executor noticed at all his recent obsession with his corrupted eye--either the celestial paid more attention to him than he had thought, or Wanderer was just far too obvious. He smiles gratefully at Executor, his good eye shining in gratitude, and the other shifts his gaze away, tugging at the loose strands of hair that frame the side of his face.

He reaches for the bandages, but Executor pulls away.

“No--I mean--you’d just mess it up--I mean….just...let me do it, okay! It’s easier...and it’s probably hard to see yourself clearly in that water anyway, what with the way it keeps moving and all…unless you really want to do it yourself, that’s okay, too, I guess..”

Wanderer retracts his hand, moving closer to Executor, who makes some kind of strangled duck noise in his throat but doesn’t move away, busying himself with unwrapping the bandages. “I’m sure that you’ll do a better job than I will, Executor. So...if--if you really don’t mind! I’d...like you to do it.”

Executor is mostly silent as he works, only speaking to instruct Wanderer to turn his head which ever way as he  gently wraps the bandages around the left side of Wanderer’s face, and constantly checks Wanderer’s expression for any sign of pain. He arranges the bandages neatly before tying off the ends and snipping off the part attached to the rest of the roll.

“We’ll probably have to replace them every so often, so you’re going to have to look at your eye occasionally, but...it might be better, this way. At least you’re not going to be focused on your reflection every time we stop by anything that could even remotely be considered as a mirror.”

Wanderer carefully reaches up to prod gently at the bandages around his eye, the slight weight of the soft linen around his face somehow comforting. It was certainly better than walking around knowing that his corrupted eye was exposed to the entire world.

“So? How is it?” Executor looks almost nervous as he shifts before him, his hands fluttering over the grass as if looking for something to keep busy with as he waits for a reply, and if Wanderer didn’t know any better, he’d think that Executor was almost afraid of his response.

Wanderer blinks, leaning over the water again to look at himself and it’s almost strange not to feel the familiar twinge of disgust in his stomach as he sees his own reflection.

“It’s--It’s good! I mean...really--I like this...a lot better than it was before.”

Executor huffs softly, picking himself up off of the ground and dusting the bits of grass stuck to his coat away. “It’s...It’s not such a big deal! And don’t stare at it for so long, either; the whole point of me doing this was so that you wouldn’t spend all your time looking at yourself! A-Anyway, it’s just a few pieces of cloth on your face! Don’t get so happy about it…”

Wanderer smiles anyway, something within him enjoying the way it causes Executor to turn away, rubbing at the back of his neck in embarrassment. For all his qualities, the other celestial was really quite terrible at receiving praise.

“Thank you, Executor,” he says again, loudly enough for Executor to hear, but softly enough so that he could pretend like he hadn’t heard it and continue on without having to awkwardly fish for a response.

He trails after Executor as usual, leaving his tainted reflection in the lake behind him, and looks forward to the day, some time in the future, that they can both return to this spot and watch the waters still.

Wanderer is, with increasing frequency, lost in his nightmares, dreaming of the cold face of a Goddess he can barely remember and of the seemingly endless void that tore his essence apart and marked him for eternity. He wakes with his heart in his throat and ice in his veins and remains coiled in terror, until Executor’s soft hands and tired voice arrive to return him to reality once more.

At least, that is how it should be.

When he awakens this time, caught between the thin boundary of waking consciousness and sleep, he lashes out against the presence near him, against the hands binding him and the words of sickly sweet promise of pain in his ears.

“Get away from me!” he shrieks, his fingertips burning with foreign power that belongs neither to him nor to Ishmael. His hand hits something soft and warm and very much not the invisible demons he’d thought he’d been fighting, and before he can stop himself or even attempt to reign his newfound power in, he hears a soft yelp of mingled pain and surprise as the source of the noise is launched away.

Executor.

Wanderer opens his eyes slowly, blinking the world into focus, one hand pressed fervently against his corrupted, pained eye.

Executor watches him warily, his expression unreadable in the dim light of their fire, one hand pressed to the wound at his neck. The wound that Wanderer had made, he had done that, to Executor, who had never done anything but try to help him. He covers his mouth, backing away from Executor, horror rising within him and an entirely different, more real kind of fear replacing the one induced by his nightmares.

“I’m sorry--I’m so, so sorry!”

Executor visibly relaxes, his guard dropping as Wanderer’s apology--meaningless as it is, since the damage had already been done--echoes through the clearing. He shakes his head, wincing as the motion disturbs his fresh injuries.

“Don’t be. I think I was a little too rough in waking you up, this time--it’s not your fault, Wanderer, so don’t go off and wallow in your virtual swamp of self-pity like I know you’re going to.” Executor’s voice is uncertain, lacking its usual bite, and it only serves to further unsettle Wanderer.

“But it is! It is my fault--how can you say that it isn’t when I’ve literally just hurt you?”

“Well--you weren’t thinking! You were half asleep, and besides...it won’t happen again, right?” It’s unlike Executor to be so unsure about something, and Wanderer knows that the other is lying, simply to make him feel better.

He doesn’t need it.

“I already hurt you, Executor, I’m already corrupt, I’m already getting more corrupt, and we both know where this is going!” Wanderer digs his fingers underneath the bandages at his eye and tugs them downwards, showing the terrible growth of Henir’s influence on him. “I’m...I’m losing, Executor...I…”

Neither of them exactly know what happens to those who lose themselves to corruption entirely, who stray from the path of the Goddess and never return, but Wanderer feels terribly, absolutely certain that he will find out for himself.

“Wanderer, you know I won’t let you become like that in the first place! You are staying with me, and we are going to find a way to help you, and--”

“No! That’s not enough!” Wanderer shakes his head furiously, clutching his hand, still covered in Executor’s blood, tightly to his chest. “You have to promise me, Executor, because you’re the only one who I can trust to do this! You’re the only one who’s strong enough! Please...promise me that you’ll kill me, if I’m beyond saving, if I lose myself completely to Henir’s power. I can’t...I would rather die, than hurt you again.”

He doesn’t want his life to end, exactly, and he definitely doesn’t want Executor to be the one to do it, but this is how it absolutely has to be. His hands tremble at their uncertain future and his stomach tightens nervously, but, strangely enough, his tears have stopped. Knowing that he’d have someone to take care of things if it all went wrong is almost a relief.

Executor is silent, dropping his gaze for only a moment, but when he looks back up, his eyes are filled with resolve.

It burns.

His eyes sting and his throat feels constricted and he hates this feeling with a passion, but he doesn’t know how to stop it. Executor rubs at the corners of his eyes with his free hand, his other hand preoccupied with holding the blade pointed at Wanderer’s--or whatever this thing was that Wanderer had become--neck.

The being makes a faintly amused sound, his corrupted fingers coming up to push the celestial weapon away, his expression shadowed by his overgrown bangs. “No, Executor. That’s not how it works, anymore.” His middle finger taps lightly against the cold blue and the sword shatters into nothingness.

Executor forcefully swallows the lump in his throat down, forcing himself to move backwards until he’s pressed against the wall, his heart fluttering rapidly in his chest.

“I promised, you, Wanderer--you made me promise. Don’t--don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

The things tilts its head, a smile tilting the corners of its mouth upwards. “Apostasia. I am Apostasia, now, and so, you have no more promises to keep to me. And I have nothing to promise to you. Such silly obligations mean nothing in the long run, anyway. Besides--would you actually do it, Executor?”

He can’t.

His creation magic sparks and dies at his fingers, unable or unwilling to deal the killing blow, and when he looks at Apostasia, all he can see is the Wanderer that used to need his help, that used to look up to him as a blessing, that used to want nothing more than to become pure once more. This was a different being, a different power altogether, but it was still Wanderer, in essence.

Apostasia suddenly crosses the distance between them in the blink of an eye and leans in closer, until their heads are almost pressed against each other, his corrupted fingers brushing against Executor’s cheek and cupping his face, tilting his head up. Executor shuts his eyes, but makes no other move to resist, his body growing pliant in Apostasia’s arms.

“You feel like her--Ishmael. You are her celestial, after all.” Apostasia’s hand trails down from his face, coming to rest over his too-quickly beating heart. “But I would like to think that you are mine, more than hers.”

He is, he always has been, ever since he’d found Wanderer crying over Ishmael’s shrine all that time--weeks, months, years?--ago and Wanderer had looked up at him with his stupid, helpless eyes, and Executor had slowly but surely found himself in love with him, the corrupted crybaby.

Apostasia’s lips brush against his ear and he shudders at the sensation, pressing himself more tightly against the other, his fingers curling into the fabric of Apostasia’s thin clothing.

“Yes,” he barely manages to whisper in response to Apostasia’s unspoken question, all of the words that need to be said and everything else in between somehow condensed into that single agreement.

It feels oddly like drowning, somehow--his hands flutter uselessly against Apostasia’s back and his lungs burn for air that he does not need and it feels like too much of nothing and everything all at once. Apostasia is unusually gentle with him, holding him as if he’s made from glass that might shatter if handled too roughly, his lips moving from Executor’s own to the tears on Executor’s cheeks.

“Oh, Executor,” Apostasia murmurs into his neck as he claims him in a way that neither Ishmael nor Henir ever could.

“Don’t cry.”

[mirqueen]

The Light Within | Chapter 15

Summary: The members of the Justice League save a young woman who knows much more than the League bargained for, yet Batman himself trusts her and takes her in. But this stranger’s arrival prompts secrets and events that could not have been foretold and inadvertently leads to the creation of the mysterious persona known only as ‘Enigma’. First part in The Luminary series. (AU)

Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League or The Dark Knight Trilogy, which are the property of DC Comics, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros., etc. Nor do I make any profit from this story.

A/N: It’s another insert-an-OC for me, but I really enjoy these. This story begins a little after the cartoon episode The Terror Beyond, and quite some time before the next episode Secret Society. The year is 2013 and I have totally messed with ages and dates so it will fit my particular story.

Chapter 15: Assured

The first thing Bruce managed to explain about the bat cave was, of course, its technology. All the computers stood bright and shining against the darkness of the cavernous space.

"Obviously these are computer workstations," Bruce told Meara, gesturing at the whirring, chirping components all around them. "Not much to explain about all of this, except that it's the most advanced technology you could manage to find almost anywhere in the world. Computers and other technology are scattered throughout the entire cave. There are multiple ways to get in the other sections of the cave, some on the ground and some above our heads, but we mostly use the ground levels when not in costume."

"What are the different exits?" Meara wondered.

"Grandfather clock and corresponding stairwell back through this corridor," Bruce began, pointing out the same path they took to arrive in the current space. "And actually, there is an exit right here in this room. The waterfall entrance is directly opposite this embankment. From the outside, the entry doors have been made to look like the stone facing of the cave."

Splashing through puddles behind Bruce's easy gait, Meara gasped out loud as lights flashed on all across the cavern around them, bursting to life like the sun had risen in the cave. The one vehicle Meara had actually ridden in, but never knew where it disappeared to, sat off to the right on its own cliff.

"Impressive, of course," the brunette laughed like a little kid at the grand flying machine parts sprawled around the space in both full bodies and spare pieces. "Not that I like riding in that thing… but… impressive."

Exhaling in awe at the sight of a familiar black structure rising from the water as it had in The Dark Knight Rises, the most recent innovation of the batmobile sitting on its platform, Meara accepted that her wildest, grandest visions of the bat cave had just been thoroughly trounced by the real thing.

Chuckling genuinely at her reaction, Bruce offered a hand to steady Meara'a uneven steps on the stone beneath their feet and helped her onto the main walkway lifting to connect the platform to the rest of the cavern. There were two shorter bridgeways connecting the central platform to either side of the spacious cavern. On the right, the batwing sat surrounded by parts, frames, and tools all in neatly organized placeholders.

"This is amazing!" Meara breathed excitedly. "It's like walking into your own dreams. All the things I always loved coming to life here."

Turning to look back at Bruce, energy and thrill brimming in her dark ocean eyes, Meara added excitably, "You have no idea how much I've always wanted to see a live version of the bat cave!"

Snorting, Bruce nodded understandingly. "It was a fantastical world you could lose yourself in. To imagine was only a pale imitation of physically investigating such an environment."

"Do you have old versions of your vehicles still?" Meara asked, a bounce in her voice and step.

"Follow me," the vigilante offered secretively, waving an arm towards the left side of the black platform.

Across the left bridgeway, the two of them walked straight to multiple levels of cliff-like protrusions rising far above their heads. Judging by the reflections bouncing off of some kind of barrier at various points, Meara assumed a vehicle sat behind each one.

"Be careful through here," Bruce warned her seriously. "I'll watch for you, but you need to be aware of the ledges and condensation on the way up."

Making note of the precarious edges and surfaces all around her, Meara paid a good deal of attention to her feet as they moved slowly across the protrusions, stopping at each clear barrier to view a different vehicle. Bruce's steadying hand against her back felt infinitely more reassuring than her own questionable ability to balance in the unexpected environment.

"Ooh, that one is retro," Meara murmured in amusement at the first vehicle they saw; it had a certain nineteen-eighties flare about it.

Snorting again at her humor, Bruce shook his head. "It didn't last long. Too much weight on the hood."

The next batmobile incarnation wasn't even a full vehicle, but half a black hull with a definite scorching along the rough edges.

"I can guess what happened to that one," Meara remarked with a funny expression that scrunched her nose and mouth.

"Bomb," Bruce explained anyway. "The hood was too weak to last through the explosion, so I tried the heavy hood we just viewed."

Nodding in understanding, Meara allowed him to lead her up to the next level. "So, as far as when the vehicles were made, we're going backwards in time, right?"

"Exactly," the vigilante confirmed.

"Do any of the intact vehicles still work?" was her next intrigued question.

"Only eight of twelve," Bruce responded, a bit disappointedly if Meara was any judge. "I've been working to try and fix that, but it's not working as well as I'd hoped."

They stopped at every vehicle in turn, each becoming bulkier in total shape and size until finally their steps carried them to Meara's personal favorite. Exhaling a heavy breath in geeky excitement, Meara put her hands flat against the transparent barrier between them and the original incarnation of Bruce's batmobile.

"The tumbler," Bruce announced with knowing humor. "I believe this is the one you mentioned."

"Oo-oo-oh," Meara actually squealed in delight. She couldn't believe the sound came from her own throat. "This is so cool! Favorite, right here, yes. Yes, yes. Total favorite of mine."

Bruce laughed quietly in his chest at her amazement and enthusiasm, leaving Meara grinning even after she forced herself to calm down a little.

"I love this car," Meara couldn't help saying, leaning her head back excitedly to look Bruce in the eye. "Tank… Whatever… I just love it."

An exasperated, long-suffering expression overtook Bruce's face at the continued commentary, but he didn't say anything about it.

"It did have a built-in bike pod," the billionaire confirmed instead, without the young woman even asking the question.

Breathing in with disbelief, Meara pulled away from the glass and leaned forward towards Bruce to ask with greatly repressed energy, "Do you still have it?"

Smirking deeply at the brunette for her childlike fascination, Bruce silently offered a hand to help her back down. Only they didn't go back across the platform. Instead, they followed the top cliff all the way across towards the waterfall and a piece of the rock facing began to grumble and shift, finally slipping open onto a small, well-lit tunnel. Inside the cavern at the end, Meara realized her question had been answered – more than answered, really.

A whole fleet of bikes and smaller land gear flooded the area. Most were not covered like the batmobiles, yet none were coated in dust. At the far left side, Meara caught sight of the very bike she had been looking for.

"I swear, this is the most glorious bike I have ever seen!" Meara told her host, the excitement building back up again as she traveled the smooth floors so different from the cave path. "Did you make a new one of this, too?"

"Yes, it's over there," Bruce waved at the wall to Meara's right. "The far right motorcycle is the newest version. All of them are functional, though. It's one of the quickest methods of travel for us, so Dick and I keep them up in case of emergency."

"Which is basically every other week," Meara commented as though it were a normal discussion. "But those newer bikes are nowhere near as awesome as this one. You do know that, right?"

Bruce just shook his head at her.

"We haven't even seen anything to do with medical or training or costumes…" Meara stated amazedly, glancing back at him impressed. "I mean, just how many parts are there to this place?"

"A few," was Bruce's understated answer, another smirk playing about his lips.

Rolling stormy eyes at the billionaire, Meara moved forward to look at each bike incarnation with great interest, and then led her own investigation of the motorcycles still in the midst of fixing.

"Wow," the young woman uttered, shaking her head in never-ending wonderment of Batman's broad range of talents, skills, and resources.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Bruce retorted amusedly, a grin almost escaping him before he reined it in.

Suitably energized and provoked for their next stop on the tour, Meara followed Bruce's gesturing fingers towards the entry corridor and back through to the waterfall cave again.

"We'll go past the stairs," Bruce insisted, waving an arm at the corridor between the waterfall cavern and the entrance beneath the grandfather clock. The longer tunnel curved a bit, then widened out to reveal ten times as much computer and technical equipment as they had seen in the first cavern.

"Ohhhh my God," Meara breathed, stepping back in surprise over the sheer expanse of the cave as it sprawled out before her and stretched eons above their heads. From where the young woman stood, she could see three tunnels leading elsewhere, in addition to what she now realized was actually the true center of the bat cave.

Multiple different cave walls featured long metal work surfaces with any number of advanced technologies and computers sitting on top. At roughly the center of the room, two large tables with computers took up most of a raised circular platform.

Far and wide across the area, Meara could see an extensive training area that didn't stop at merely ten or twenty feet above them. Training apparatuses ran as far as the bottom of stalactites in some places. Some even utilized stalactites in the apparatus itself. Interwoven with all the equipment was a variety or workout gear, half of which Meara would have to ask about to even know what they were.

"This is… beyond anything…"

There were not enough words in any language under the sun to describe how awestruck Meara felt.

Bruce sounded very pleased with himself when he commented, "Would you like to see the rest of the caverns?"

"Wow," Meara repeated herself, coming back to reality very slowly to retort, "You have to ask?"

Chuckling, Bruce led her through the main area and on across the training floor, Meara's head on a swivel as she tried to take in every amazing sight on the way.

Eventually, the two of them moved into a smaller space filled with storage chests and trunks, shelving and tables, hooks and hangers. Every inch of space beheld some tool, gear, or resource that Batman's team used out in the field.

"Armory," Meara noted with a new thrill in her veins, her awe tempered only by her intense curiosity.

"I don't think there's enough time in one night for you to adequately explore this area," Bruce dryly concluded, turning back.

"I don't think there's enough time in one year for me to adequately explore this area," Meara countered, reluctantly following the billionaire through to the center of the cave again.

"Over here," Bruce started describing the cave again, pointing to a tunnel across from the clock stairs, "is an elevator that leads through a bookcase, opened—"

"—by a piano," Meara and Bruce completed the sentence in complete synchrony, the billionaire turning in surprise to stare at his new charge.

"Films?" he hypothesized.

"Exactly," Meara nodded, face exuding a humble joy. "I have to say, it's kind of neat, and fun, to already know some things."

Given his foreknowledge of Meara's fascination with superheroes and all that came with that title, Bruce didn't bother to feel annoyed by her small feelings of pride.

"Each exit route leads in a different direction, then?" asked Meara.

"Roughly, anyway," Bruce added informatively. "I would consider the clock entrance southeast. The waterfall is east, the lake northeast, and the piano northwest."

Moving on, the dark-haired vigilante led Meara into a tunnel further to the left of the elevator entrance and past a long wall of computers.

"This is our medical bay," Bruce explained, allowing Meara to walk ahead of him into a very different looking space. Rather than the rock walls of the cave, this area had been treated to and overlay of solid, clean, neutral walls and gleaming floors. Amidst med tables, rolling chairs, and more computer systems, there were carts already full of what Meara deduced to be standard treatments after an average night of patrol. An x-ray machine sat against a far wall, along with numerous other machines Meara didn't have a name for yet.

On an off glance above, Meara saw a frosted ceiling of some kind. Arching her neck to peer up at the near-transparent barrier, Meara frowned in curious thought.

"What is that made of?" she wondered.

Looking up as well, Bruce quickly replied, "Those are transparent ceramic panels made of a substance called 'celucent.' Far superior to glass in durability, holding up in weather conditions, chemical resistance, and withstanding bullets. Plus, it can be insulated against extreme temperatures."

"Why don't people use it instead of glass, then?" Meara considered confusedly.

"Too expensive, for one thing," Bruce answered with a shrug. "And the one downfall is its lack of clarity. People don't want a cloudy window impeding their view."

"But down here, for what you need, it works," Meara guessed.

"Yes, it does," Bruce nodded leading the way back towards the central cave. On their way out, Bruce pointed to a doorway just to the right of the med bay entrance. "Bathroom and shower area."

Coming back into the central space, Meara needed no guide to notice a display across the way – one she had been looking forward to almost as much as the vehicles.

"Wait," Meara stopped abruptly at the thought of the batmobiles, Bruce coming to a sudden halt behind her. "If you ever had to use one of the old batmobiles, how would you even get it out? They're up on cliffs!"

"Wouldn't want it to be too easy, now would I?" was the only response Bruce gave, leaving Meara frowning with frustration.

"Go on and examine the uniforms," Bruce prodded with a smirk.

Wordlessly, but giving her host the stink eye all the while, Meara headed into the more open space housing the various costumes for Batman's team. Each piece was wonderfully kept, not a scratch on the housed outfits in their gleaming glass cases.

All except one.

Eyes glued to the last Robin costume on display, far at the other end of the cases, Meara knew without asking whose it had been and why it failed to match the other pristine uniforms that came before it.

Quietude stifled the space in which they stood. Meara knew that Bruce understood her hesitation and silence, but she didn't dare ask on this one point. Too much dark, rusted red tainted the tattered edges of that costume.

"Any questions?" Bruce eventually asked, voice the softest Meara had ever heard it, but it was a genuine inquiry.

He would answer.

If only she asked.

Turning away from the costumes with a decidedly blank expression, Meara answered surely, "No."

Meara did not catch Bruce's eyes and he said no words in response when she made to leave. Their trip up the staircase was all too quiet for several moments.

"I'd like to start you on some reading material tomorrow," Bruce brought up after a moment, waking Meara from her empty feelings with a jolt; she hadn't precisely expected him to bounce back in a matter of seconds. "I've created a booklet about Wayne Enterprises for you to study before you start work. It's about the company's origins, the various ways it functions… You'll need to know every department and what it does. The overall process in which those various departments interact, who answers to whom, prominent external contacts, and a hundred other items."

"You made it?" Meara wondered with slight incredulousness.

"I started working on it after our discussion in the library you're first morning here," the billionaire explained easily. "I knew you'd need a good jumpstart to ease your transition at first. After learning more about you every day the past two weeks, however, I began to realize you wouldn't need it for very long. But I'd rather be safe and give you every piece of information I can."

"I guess I'll get started on that tomorrow," Meara agreed with a tired sigh.

Exploring the bat cave didn't seem like such a daunting or tiring task in the long run, but by the time Bruce and Meara made it through the grandfather clock, the young woman had in fact become quite sleepy.

Taking her rest one more time in the Caligo Room, for the sake of simplicity if nothing else, Meara awoke much better rested and ready to take on her wardrobe move to the Aerius. Pulling on a casual working outfit of a light blue button-down, black leggings, and black flats, Meara quickly headed down to find something to eat for her afternoon of work.

Meara didn't expect to find Barbara Gordon in a gray sweater, blue jeans, white converse, and a high ponytail, leaning on the kitchen counter and eating oatmeal with blueberries.

"Hi!" Barbara called to Meara with a smile. "How did you sleep?"

"A lot better," Meara answered, walking over with a slightly bewildered expression. Admittedly, in the wake of touring the cave and realizing the source of her insomnia, Meara forgot that she and Bruce had left three people behind in the kitchen. "I'm just glad I know where the insomnia stems from now."

"Oh, you do?" the redhead looked up in surprise.

"I guess Bruce didn't say anything," Meara deduced interestedly. "I've been woken up by the cave entrances opening and closing."

"The end of patrol," Barbara realized, hazel eyes shooting heavenward for a moment. "That makes sense! No wonder Bruce looked so sharp when we were discussing it."

"At least when I move totally into the Aerius room, that might not happen," Meara commented with relief. "Unless Bruce does decide to remove the soundproofing, at which point I'm going to be in trouble as far as getting proper rest is concerned."

"I doubt he will," the other young woman shook her head. "He won't want you to miss out on sleep. Anyway, it's gone soundproofed this long without a problem."

"Good point," Meara shrugged, gauging the saucepan still half full with oatmeal. "Mind if I…?"

"Go ahead," Barbara gestured at the pan gladly. "There are bowls up in that cupboard, spoons in this drawer over here, and there's fresh fruit on the plate by the stove."

Grabbing a bowl and spoon in the indicated locations, Meara filled up on oatmeal and mixed in sugar and raspberries.

"I thought Alfred and the guys already moved all your things to the Aerius?" Barbara queried confusedly after a few minutes as they stood eating. "Dick told me when I asked what they were doing this weekend."

"Everything except my clothes and accessories," Meara explained. "Alfred wanted me to be able to do so myself. I'm very independent usually."

"So am I," admitted Barbara. "I have to say, though, it can be hard to argue with Alfred's skills."

"Especially with food," Meara added knowingly.

"Especially then," Barbara laughed. "I can't cook much beyond oatmeal and boxed potatoes. So for me, it really makes sense. Alfred said you can cook pretty well, though, so I imagine that might get frustrating eventually."

"Not really," Meara decided truthfully. "When it comes to good food, I won't argue."

Finished with her oatmeal, Meara pushed off from the counter's edge and set her bowl and spoon in the sink alongside Barbara's. "I better get working before I lose the energy to move my clothes. It's a pretty hefty pile thanks to Alfred and Bruce."

"Would you like some help?" Barbara offered. "I'm mostly just hanging out today."

"I can't imagine saying no," Meara half-laughed. "Thank you."

"No problem," the redhead smiled again, following the brunette up to the Caligo Room with curiosity in her gaze.

With a rather dramatic swoosh, Meara flipped the closet doors wide open.

"Oh, wow," the redhead said incredulously upon seeing the full closet awaiting them. "I mean, you're not the first woman in our little world with this kind of wardrobe and I understand the need in your position… but wow."

"That is a lot of clothes," Meara agreed, only now truly seeing the wide range of items in her new wardrobe. "And that doesn't include whatever is in the dresser and the chest of drawers."

"Well," Barbara rubbed her hands together. "Looks like we better get started. Lead the way, Meara."

"Let's just carry it all over to the new room first," the brunette in question suggested. "Then I'll sort it out once we're done."

It took four trips between rooms, both their arms full of clothing that seemed heavier every subsequent time, before Meara thought of a very practical idea that might speed up the process.

Barbara later confessed wryly, "I'm glad you thought of using this cart. It took a load off the work, I must say."

"I just figured if I wasn't using it in the ballroom right now, we may as well use it up here."

"The ballroom is starting to look so much nicer, by the way," Barbara informed Meara as she helped fold the last of the brunette's jeans.

"Thanks," Meara replied gratefully, folding up casual tops for the dresser. "I hate seeing a lovely room wasted like that. To think Bruce almost refused me on those efforts…"

"How hard was it, living with four bullheaded guys for almost two weeks?" Barbara asked her ruefully, to which Meara realized only now how little she'd bothered about being only with male company.

"You know, in the moment," Meara replied thoughtfully, "I didn't even think about it. I'm pretty used to living with male company. But now… I guess it was pretty ridiculous and dramatic on occasion."

Laughing at the descriptor, the redhead agreed, "Yeah, that sounds like them."

Shaking her head, Meara laughed as well.

"I just realized we wear about the same size," Barbara remarked out of the blue.

"You're a little bit taller, though," Meara detracted. "I'm five foot six and your old workout clothes were a little baggy on me."

"I'm only a half-inch taller than that, actually," Barbara explained with a wave of her hand. "But they're bound to be baggy on you because I've lost weight. Those were made when I first joined the guys. Bruce made them for me, but I didn't like them much. I'm not a fan of white and black stripes. Reminds me of jail. Granted, stripes aren't actually jail gear anymore, but you know what I mean."

Snorting, Meara just shook her head at the idea. "Good to know."

With Barbara's help, the process of moving clothing into the proper places in the Aerius worked much more quickly and Meara thanked her profusely for speeding up the process.

"Now I have plenty of time to go work in the ballroom during the daytime," the brunette told her companion gladly. "And tonight I can sleep in a soundproofed room without worrying over insomnia."

"I'm glad to help," Barbara responded to the emulsion of thanks. "But I have to wonder… is the ballroom so desperately in need of attention today? I mean, why don't you just take some time and get used to the city?"

"That sounds helpful," Meara hesitated as they strolled back down to the main level.

"You don't sound so sure," the redhead remarked with a small laugh.

"I'm not sure why I think so much about working…" confessed Meara, "Habit, I guess. And… well, I can't make a solo trip at this point in time."

"I was thinking more along the lines of a girls' day out," was Barbara's mutedly excitable suggestion, the redhead tilting her head over to look at Meara with encouragement in her luminous eyes.

"You're really starved for girl company right now, aren't you?" Meara gathered with good humor.

Throwing her gaze off to the side with casual carelessness, Barbara shrugged and tried to reply offhandedly, "That might have a little something to do with it."

Losing her composure with a small snort at the obvious act, Meara decided her course for the day much less stringently than usual. "All right, Miss Gordon… You're on."

"Deal, Miss Nolan," Barbara retorted with a repressed grin, smacking a pair of jeans on the covers with decisive, enthusiastic force.

Rather unsurprisingly, Meara and Barbara ended up spending time at the library first. The redhead was all too enthusiastic to show off her workspace, wherein she acted as assistant to the main librarian.

"I love the smell of books," Barbara sighed pleasantly in the middle of the historical section. "Old paper, fading ink, worn leather… it's comforting."

"I love books, too," Meara allowed a little laugh to escape her in the quiet atmosphere. "Maybe not that much, but that's okay."

Laughing a little as well, Barbara shrugged carelessly and turned to exit the aisle with a smile.

"So, where were you at the last week or so?" Meara wondered inquisitively, following behind the readhead.

"I went with my mom and my brother to visit her family in Ohio," Barbara explained. "Dad was in the middle of a case and couldn't leave, so just the three of us went. Not as much fun as you might think."

"You don't like your relatives?" Meara wondered with a frown.

"They don't really understand me," Barbara explained with a shrug. "I think fast and dream big. I want more than they do. Gotham is my home; to them, it's just a diseased city that can't really be saved. To them, my dad is fighting a useless battle. To me… he's always been my hero."

A warm smile lit Meara's face at the admission, tempered by an unhappily dark emotion she buried deep from her companion's gaze. "I don't see anything wrong with that."

"Neither do I," Barbara half-laughed, a smile adorning her own nostalgic features. "So, what kinds of books do you like, Meara? Well, I hope we have some of the same books and authors between worlds."

"Tolkien and Shakespeare are two of my favorite authors," Meara answered thoughtfully.

"Those we have," Barbara laughed quietly.

"I love Grimm's Fairy Tales, Sleepy Hollow, and Canterbury Tales, too," Meara continued, glad for some similarities. And… well, when I was younger I loved Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. Mostly I like fiction, but I do love reading about art, music, and architecture as well. What about you?"

"I'm big into nonfiction, actually," Barbara admitted with a small laugh. "Sciences, technology, biographies, engineering… Otherwise, I only really like science-fiction – Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Orson Scott Card, Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells… "

"While I know those names, I don't particularly care for their stories," Meara shrugged. "Except for Mary Shelley. Frankenstein was a really great read."

"I totally agree with you," Barbara nodded interestedly. "Matter of fact, I think I'll check that out and read it again."

In the ensuing silence, their feet traveled most of the library, crossing the carpet calmly and patiently while the hour passed by in steady minutes. Conversation failed as they each became in engrossed in perusing books along the way, hazel and blue orbs equally absorbed in mismatched subjects ranging from geography to music to biology to art.

Meara and Barbara left with a stack of books each, contrary to Meara's original expectations when entering the library in the first place. Barbara was persuasive, though, convincing Meara to obtain a library card in short order. For classes, at least, it would be useful.

Giggling at their own overzealousness as they pushed out of the front doors with their shoulders in lieu of free hands, both young women accepted the situation with good humor and moved on to the multitude of bookstores Barbara planned to visit, dropping their books in the Maserati along the way.

The last of their visits stood head and shoulders above the rest of the shops, not only in actual physical stature, but in the quality and quantity of books lining the dark wooden shelves throughout the store. Meara practically goggled through the broad-paned glass windows, making Barbara laugh.

"This is the biggest and brightest bookstore in Gotham," the redhead informed Meara as they passed through the revolving glass doors and into a coffee lounge lining the front wall of the business.

"I guess modern bookstores don't change much," Meara commented with a puff of laughter, lowering her voice to add, "Even between universes."

Snorting, Barbara decline to respond to that remark, leading Meara further into the store. Just as with the library, they both became absorbed within moments, roaming shelf after shelf of tomes to explore. Brand new flimsy paperbacks, leather volumes meant to appear as old as some of those at the library, hardbacks in colorful shining covers, it was all there in the store. Meara needed little nudging to buy more than she really needed at the moment.

"I suppose I'll need most of these anyway, when I start at Wayne Enterprises," Meara wryly remarked upon the architectural and business-themed volumes she purchased.

"Not that Bruce Wayne couldn't buy them for his new protégé," Barbara teased as the headed back to the car.

"Protégé!" a cheerful, overly-energetic voice sounded almost directly beside the two young women, each jumping at the startlingly loud sound. "Bruce Wayne personally took on someone new at the company?"

"You're ears are a little big, don't you think?" Barbara commented with a sharp decline between her brows as they turned to face their interloper.

Dressed well in a sharp red skirt suit, the red-lipped woman behind them stood on the shorter side, even in tall black pumps, but she exuded a bold confidence and fearlessness that made up the difference. Black hair hung in a styled wave and exotic, almond-shaped violet eyes sat hooded by thin, dark eyebrows marshalling a very small point at the top.

"Lois?" Barbara asked incredulously, a tinge of concern in her voiced Meara almost missed in her shock at meeting another infamous member of the Justice League's adventures.

"Barbara, I didn't realize it was you!" Lois Lane laughed with the same assuredness that oozed from her wide, white smile and straight posture, offering a casual handshake. "How are you?"

"I'm doing all right," the redhead responded, accepting and shaking the other woman's hand. "What brings you to Gotham?"

"Oh, just a celebrity farce," the raven-haired woman rolled her eyes widely. "Mayor Keendale attended a New York state water safety campaign in Bludhaven. They're the epicenter for the campaign after their recent water crisis. When the mayor didn't show up for his planned appearance this morning, Perry shipped me over for a scoop. Turns out Keendale spent the time with his mistress here in Gotham. Not that big of a story after what happened with Senator Henley last week, but it's something to keep me going. Unless Bruce's protégé is up for an interview?"

Fast-talking and keen of vision, Lois Lane stunned Meara into speechlessness as the words washed over her and the woman's piercing gaze pinned the brunette to the ground on which she stood.

"Um, well, Meara's not up for—" Barbara tried to explain.

"Meara? That's your name?" Lois cut in instantly, jumping on the clue and training her eyes back on the young woman in question. "What's Bruce hiring you for?"

"It's just Urban Planning," Barbara tried to brush off the position when Meara failed to reply, sending Meara a lifted brow as prompting.

"If Bruce is doing the hiring, it's not 'just' anything," Lois remarked, then drilled again, "Is it an internship?"

"No, nothing special like that," Barbara tried again, her attempts at playing off the new job failing pretty rapidly.

Once again, Lois rammed the door of the conversation, "Then which position is it? An assistant? It couldn't be much more. She's obviously too young to have any more experience than that."

Proving her career choice as reporter took just as much importance as Meara had always read about or watched, Lois already had a pad and pen in hand, jotting down notes at astronomical speed.

"I'm sure you can get all this information from Clark Kent," Barbara finally threw the comment from left field, leaving Meara to stare at her instead of Lois Lane.

Lois' head snapped up at a nauseating pace and her eyes narrowed, pen frozen above the notepad. "Clark knew about this?"

"He did visit the manor two weeks ago," the redhead shrugged, visibly feeling more confident. Meara just felt resigned. Pitting Clark's reporting career against Lois' career was never a good idea.

"Just like him to keep this from me," Lois scowled, then exchanged her anger for cold certainty, "Oh well. He's not going to get the exclusive interview. He clearly didn't get it when he came here, otherwise Bruce Wayne personally hiring a new employee would be all over the front page by now. My victory, his loss."

"I am not doing an interview!" Meara finally freed her tongue from its captivity, aghast at the very idea of slamming her inexplicably close relationship with handsome, single, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne out into the public view. How much harder would her job become if everyone thought she was having an affair with her boss? Meara didn't like to imagine the possibilities.

"Don't be ridiculous," Lois waved her off unconcernedly. "Everyone can accept a leg up and some recognition to move further in life."

"I don't need any of that," Meara immediately retorted, losing her temper already and pulling out the basic black cell phone she carried now. "I'm calling Bruce. He'll explain everything."

"You have him on speed dial?" Lois wondered with slow curiosity, both eyebrows rising with surprise as Meara held the button to call Bruce.

Rolling her eyes as broadly as Lois had moments earlier, Meara ignored the remark and waited out three rings before Bruce picked up.

"What's wrong?" the billionaire's smooth voice had taken on traces of Batman, although not yet reaching the gravel of the cowl.

"Lois Lane. Please talk to her," Meara did not hesitate to respond, rushing her last words to him before Lois practically ripped the phone away from her with an impatient hand.

"Bruce, come on," the reporter snapped into the phone. "It can't hurt the girl to get an interview."

A brief pause stole over the conversation, until Meara heard Bruce's voice pick up again. She couldn't hear his words, but his tone didn't seem overwhelmingly upset, which made the brunette feel marginally better.

"Everyone has troubles, Bruce," Lois snapped again, exhaling irritably.

Another pause, longer than the first, took over the discussion while Bruce spoke again, but this time Lois' eyes narrowed with concern as the talk wound down.

"All right, I can do that," the dark-haired woman eventually agreed cautiously, leaving Meara incredibly curious what she was agreeing to. Rather than answer the inquiring expressions tossed her way, Lois wordlessly turned the phone back to Meara.

"Bruce?" the young woman questioned, voice repressed with doubt.

"Come back to the manor with Lois," Bruce informed her without his usual mysticism. "We have to tell her."

"Are you sure?" Meara wondered, biting her lip doubtfully.

"If we don't, I know exactly how that article is going to be run," Bruce sighed heavily. "I can do the talking. You don't have to worry about it."

"Fine," Meara sighed as well, ending the call with further resignation.

Ringing startled the three women before they could discuss their new plans, Barbara digging out her phone in a hurry to look at the screen.

"I have to take this," the redhead informed them apologetically, answering rapidly, "This is Barbara."

In a matter of seconds, Barbara's face turned grim. "I'll be there. Thank you."

"Dad's in the hospital with a concussion," Barbara exhaled nervously as she put her phone away. "Car chase went wrong. Mom's at the hospital now."

"Do they think he's going to be okay?" Meara asked, brows dipping low on her forehead.

"It's the waiting stage right now," Barbara answered, eyes drawn tight. "I'm sorry, I need to go."

"No, don't apologize," Lois assured the younger woman, "We can find our way to the manor just fine."

"We'll drop you off," Meara insisted firmly. "I can take your books to the manor, if you want."

"That would be wonderful," Barbara smiled in spite of her worry. "Thank you."

"Let's go," Lois nodded for them to leave.

After dropping Barbara at the hospital entrance, eerily similar to the one in The Dark Knight Rises, Lois gave Meara surprisingly patient instructions to get back to the manor. Lois Lane knew her way around Gotham pretty well for a Metropolis resident. Driving up to the Wayne home, Meara questioned just how long Bruce had dated the reporter once upon a time.

Alfred opened the door with a congenial smile at their guest, easily taking both ladies' coats as they stepped inside.

"Welcome back to Gotham, Miss Lane," the butler greeted, offering Meara an encouraging nod.

"Thank you, Alfred," Lois smiled gladly at the older man, keeping her bag, notepad, and pen in hand.

"Lois," Bruce called, his steps drawing both women to look over at him as he crossed the floor in black slacks and a light blue dress shirt. From the wry expression drawing in his features, the billionaire expected a bit of a challenge in facing off with the intrepid reporter.

"Bruce," Lois met his wry nature with long-suffering expectation, arms crossed and one foot jutted to the side.

"Come into the lounge," the vigilante knocked his head towards the room he came from. "We'll talk."

With a pot of tea and a pot of coffee now hot and ready on the coffee table, Lois eased into the sofa casually and much more comfortably than Meara ever expected, sipping on a cup of coffee. The woman seemed to have no doubts about her intentions or her ability to make them a reality.

"All right, Bruce, time to start talking," Lois began the conversation with brute force.

"Meara isn't from our world," Bruce cut straight to the chase, leaving Lois blinking a moment. Meara had to wonder just how few times her host had been so bald-faced in his explanations. "She came from an alternate version of Earth where you and I are merely characters from the pages of a book. Aliens, metahumans, cyborgs, and demigods don't exist there. Our lives – or enough details to cause trouble, at least – are put out for public consumption in comics, films, television, and other sources. I don't think I need to explain to you how dangerous it would be if that information or Meara's true origins came to light."

Lois remained silent for a long while contemplating Bruce's direct answer, perfectly manicured red nails tapping on her notepad with intense concentration. As Meara grew ever more impatient and discomfited by the tap-tap-tap of the reporter's fingertips, Bruce simply sat back in the same patience he always garnered when waiting out a problem he knew the solution to.

With her usual shoot-from-the-hip method of persuasion, Lois recovered at last from her thoughts and set forward into Meara's new normal with a punch of brazen certainty Meara wished she could harness for herself.

"All right, here's my proposition," Lois offered, lips pursed in thoughtful focus. Meara felt equal parts disbelief and lack of surprise that the relentless woman still wanted an interview. "You give me your story. Your… version of events, so to speak. We meet somewhere public and obvious for an interview, but kept away from the public gaze. Standard procedure interviews for me end up in restaurants these days. People tend to feel better divulging on a full stomach for some reason. Regardless, you meet me as an up-and-coming designer waiting to spread her wings in the urban planning field. When I heard about Bruce Wayne suggesting his… what are you calling her, anyway?"

Those sharp violet eyes caught onto Bruce, who calmly replied, "Renovator."

"Renovator, right," Lois rolled her eyes slightly at the very uninteresting term. "When I heard my old friend Bruce Wayne was hiring his… inspirational… renovator for the beginnings of her urban career, I just had to tell the world about her humble beginnings and her chance meeting with the man who has helped so many people on the same revolutionary road to success… Blah, blah, blah. We'll figure out the rest at the restaurant."

Having been so drawn in by the poetic words, even leaning forward unconsciously in her engrossment, Meara snapped back to reality by the startlingly anticlimactic ending.

"We're… actually doing this?" Meara heard herself speaking without understanding her own voice. Her stormy eyes traveled to Bruce's unsurprised icy orbs with shock. "Really, Bruce? You can't tell me there isn't a hoard of things wrong with this scenario."

Bruce sighed in his chest, burdened by hard choices Meara had not yet realized she would be involved in. Even still, the reality of her new life, new world – her new universe, for God's sake – hadn't settled in fully for Meara. This whole situation had begun to move far beyond merely starting an assistant job and settling into the city.

"The more we put out there, the less curiosity you'll be subjected to on a more… personal level," was all Bruce appeared to be willing to say.

"What he means," Lois added blatantly, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned forward in interest, "is the more details we give about your personal life, the less likely people will think you're sleeping with your billionaire boss in return for a promising career."

"If it gets out there that Bruce personally hired me," Meara cut in as if talking to a very slow first-grader, "the gossip is going to lead right back to me being an easy A."

"People are a lot more gullible than you think," Lois waved the concerns away like a fly. "If we can lend enough drama and tragedy to your origins, people will be too sympathetic to feel as much suspicion about your relationship to your handsome employer. They'll just see him as the beneficent benefactor."

Bruce smirked at the backhanded compliment, something Lois neatly ignored in favor of her story-of-the-week.

Observing the clear acceptance and agreement of her host paired with the boundless persistence of her interviewer, Meara could see no way out. "I still don't like the idea. You know that, right?"

"When is a good time to come to Metropolis?" Lois asked as though Meara had not even spoken.

"Why Metropolis?" Meara questioned, thankfully at least gaining an answer this time.

"Less likely to draw attention to you," Lois told her simply. "People there won't have seen you yet or learned anything about you."

"If Meara has to start work, she'll be working before lunchtime," Bruce offered.

"My classes are all after lunch Wednesday through Friday," Meara added resignedly. "The latest ends at four-thirty."

"Well, it doesn't do much good if you haven't even started work yet," Lois frowned, returning to tapping her notepad in thought. "I need to get your impression of being on the job. You'll have to let me know when you start working. Then I'll figure out a place to meet for the interview."

A phone began to ring shrilly and incessantly, prompting Lois the rip the device out of her bag and frown at the display.

"Kent," Lois answered sharply, inciting Meara to prevent laughter by biting the inside of her cheek. Bruce offered the young woman an eye roll for the gesture. "What do you want?"

"Oh, you wanted to make sure I got my big story of the week?" Lois suddenly spoke sweetly, forcing instant suspicion in Meara. "Well, I guess you should have thought of that when you met Bruce Wayne's latest hire two weeks ago!"

The abrupt about-face in tone nearly undid Meara's composure, Bruce's humorous smirk only adding fuel to the fire.

"Yes, I'm in Gotham still," The reporter went on in answer to an unheard question. "Yes, I'm with her and Bruce Wayne right now."

Accompanying the words was a roll of the eyes that rivaled all that had come before it, Lois appearing to be standing on her last leg of patience with her fellow reporter.

"You really want to go down the alley of ex-boyfriends?" Lois retorted as a final send-off. "I can do my job perfectly well without reverting to type, thank you, Clark."

Bruce sighed agitatedly at the blue boy scout's audacity in even bringing up the former relationship between billionaire and reporter, but Meara couldn't help trembling with silent laughter at the obvious worry on Clark's side. Lois eyed the young woman with fearsome eyes that did nothing to dampen Meara's amusement.

"You're right," Lois finally ended the call, "It isn't any of your business."

If the phone had been an old style landline, Meara could only have imagined the brute force with which Lois Lane would have slammed the receiver back down onto the cradle. All the same, the black-haired woman put her cell phone away in her black bag rather violently, taking a deep breath to cool off – however minutely.

"Let me know when you start work," Lois practically commanded, chin tipping up with her selfsame assuredness returned in spades. "At that point, I'll determine the specifics of your interview."

"We'll contact you," Bruce promised in Meara's stead. The brunette remained locked in a valiant effort not to laugh out loud at Superman's worry that Bruce would steal some future chance with Lois away from him.

"Something wrong, Meara?" Lois questioned with the same false sweetness, irritation in her gaze.

Letting go at last, Meara allowed her laughter to shoot forth in a breathy gasp of humor. "Sorry. Oh my Lord, I am so sorry. But Clark worried about you and Bruce getting back together is hilarious!"

Giving in to the funny bone her soon-to-be interviewee couldn't repress, Lois concluded in acquiescence, "We're not even dating, but he still gets worried sometimes when I see Bruce for any reason."

"Oh, and even when that's never going to be a possibility," Meara added with a shake of her head, still smiling.

"Yes, the um… other side of the coin just didn't work for me," Lois confessed, eyes directed with mild apology towards an undisturbed Bruce.

The vigilante only shrugged in reply, "I understood your reasons."

"And, of course, Clark doesn't realize the opposite applies to—" Meara began, but stopped abruptly as she realized just what she was about to reveal. Just because Lois knew about Bruce didn't mean she knew about Clark…

"Oh, don't make me laugh, hon," Lois erupted into a short burst of laughter along with Bruce's chuckle, calming enough to add dryly, "I know who Clark really is."

Relaxing infinitesimally in the wake of that information, Meara leaned back more comfortably in her seat. Laughing again, Lois stood with Bruce and reached out an arm to him. Although the blue-eyed businessman exuded a long-suffering air, he did allow the reporter he once dated to bestow on him a one-armed hug with bruising force. In return, the billionaire dropped a brief kiss onto Lois' cheek.

"If only Clark were outside with those x-ray peepers," Lois teased, a catlike grin espousing her wicked violet gaze.

Bruce snorted at the same time Meara laughed delightedly. In a matter of minutes, Lois Lane had gone from one of Meara Nolan's most annoying acquaintances to a source of excitable good cheer she hoped to meet again.

"Thanks for finally giving in," Lois winked at the younger woman jokingly.

Rolling her eyes for umpteenth time that day, Meara just shook her head, "Whatever you say, General Lane."

"Ugh, please don't call me that," Lois made a disgusted twist of her features. "There is no reality out in the great wide universe where I would want to be my father. Being his daughter is enough of a disaster, thank you very much."

"So I guess he does hate aliens and metahumans?" Meara presumed disappointedly.

"To the letter," Lois sighed, but perked up again. "Enough about Sam Lane. I have a great interview coming soon, a mildly important article to write up, and I just told Clark off – again. It's a pretty good day. I better get going now. Perry won't be happy if I don't get this story in before the morning edition."

"Thanks for taking enough time to listen," Meara offered reasonably.

"You're welcome," Lois responded with a little smile, letting Bruce walk her back out to the foyer.

Meara's soon-to-come interview was one of the most important topics of discussion at dinner that night, topped only by Dick and Tim's amusement over Clark's jealousy, and Jim Gordon waking from a mild concussion. Barbara's phone call interrupted Bruce preparing to discuss Meara's travel plans to Metropolis whenever her interview occurred.

"Keep us updated," Bruce informed Barbara at the end of their conversation, putting the phone back in his pocket.

"I always liked him," Meara commented. "I'm glad he's okay."

"A lot of people like Jim Gordon," Dick added, nodding his understanding. "He's a good guy."

"That he is," Bruce concurred simply. "Now, Meara, depending on when your interview is, I may not be able to go with you. It may even be better that way. Best not to pander to the social gossip machine any more than we already will."

"I could probably go," Dick suggested. "My classes are all earlier than Meara's, so I'll be done by the time she's ready to leave for Metropolis."

"That will work," Bruce nodded in agreement. "You'll be home in time to get some sleep before any of your early classes, as well. Lois isn't going to dawdle around with this."

"I'll have traveled more in a month than I have my whole life," Meara wondered at her new world for the thousandth time. "I can't believe I get to see Metropolis."

"It's a glistening city," Bruce told her. "But you need to be careful. Superman has as many enemies waiting to pounce in Metropolis as Batman does in Gotham."

"Do you always refer to yourself in the third person?" Meara couldn't help asking with a disbelieving air.

Merely staring at her for the remark while Dick and Time laughed over their plates, Bruce eventually just turned back to his meal with a shake of his head. Resigned to not having an answer, Meara shrugged and sighed as she returned focus to her own dinner.

Rising with the sun that easy Sunday morning, Meara felt relaxed as she had not felt for days. Years, if she were honest with herself. Luxuriating in the feeling occupied far more time than the brunette imagined it would. Even so, she wished the feeling could last all day. Nevertheless, she rose with a sense of importance she didn't quite understand. Shrugging it off, the young woman rose and readied herself for the day at last, casual in blue jeans, a red striped top, and white running shoes.

Barbara remained at her dad's side in the hospital, so Meara wouldn't be able to talk with her as they had the previous day. Jim was going to be just fine, but the redhead wasn't about to leave unless she absolutely had to. Meara supposed she would spend her time in the ballroom.

Heading down to what she realized was a rather late breakfast, Meara scolded herself for getting caught up in the sunrise so easily. When she began work at Wayne Enterprises, that would be completely unacceptable to indulge.

"Good morning, Miss Meara," Alfred greeted her as she sat down to the right of Bruce. Dick was absent, but Tim sat on his father's left.

"Good morning," Meara offered in return, smiling at all three males in the room. "Where's Dick gone to?"

"He's with Barbara," Bruce answered distractedly, looking over papers of some kind while his breakfast sat getting cold.

"Moral support, he said," Alfred remarked, winking at Meara conspiratorially. Tim rolled his eyes, bringing a snort of laughter from the young woman.

The meal passed with little other conversation, leaving Meara more energetic than she needed. Tim looked exhausted and Bruce remained absorbed in his paperwork. Alfred returned to the kitchen to do the dishes once they had all 'eaten their fill' – which essentially stood as code for Bruce's half-empty plate. No one seemed surprised, least of all Alfred.

"I'm going to swim," Tim informed them, still tired and dragging his feet as he rose and moved to the doorway.

"Be careful," Meara found herself saying, bringing Tim's surprised gaze around to her. Shrugging awkwardly, the brunette only said, "You seem overly tired."

"Okay," was Tim's easy reply, a little smile passing over his face.

Once the teen Robin's footsteps faded from hearing, Bruce's attention on his paperwork instantly ceased. Startled, Meara blinked emptily until the billionaire sighed.

"Christina Fenwick went into labor last night," Bruce explained without any superficial chit-chat. "She gave birth to a healthy baby girl this morning."

Meara could have sworn she misheard Bruce's words; she was certain she didn't have to start her job so soon. The job she wasn't nearly ready for, the interview that came along lock, stock, and barrel with the new career. She hadn't even started Bruce's reading material on Wayne Enterprises…

But Bruce wasn't smirking – this was no joke.

"When?" was Meara's simple question, leaving Bruce to sigh again far more deeply.

"As much as I would like to give you more time," the billionaire began apologetically, "The board would start to wonder what I was doing if I waited weeks for a specific person who had no formal prior training in the position. We need the job filled as soon as possible."

"How soon is soon?" Meara repeated her basic question.

"This week," Bruce explained, straight to the point.

If she hadn't been sitting in chair already, Meara might very well have landed on the floor for her shock.

"I know it's close, I know it's not going to be easy," Bruce asserted understandingly, leaning forward as he assured her, "but you can do this. You have the booklet to look through and you have all of us as resources, even Lucius. Besides, believe me, if you can handle Lois Lane hell-bent on an interview, you can handle pretty much anything that comes your way."

Burdened by stress before she even started the work she agreed to so many days before, Meara couldn't laugh at the subtle joke.

"I hope you're right," she responded quietly to her host, slumping into the chair disheartened. The sense of importance she had risen with now made all too much sense.

Meara just wished it didn't.

"I'll call Lois," Bruce informed the young woman, exhaling wearily at the situation and pulling out his cell phone.

Given her promised interview, the bold reporter didn't appear to waste any time answering the phone call. Her loud, excited voice came across even to Meara's ears beside Bruce.

"When does she start the job?"

Rolling his ice blue eyes at the woman's overly enthusiastic response, Bruce told her the simple details, "She starts shadowing this week."

"Great! I'll plan for Wednesday, then." The amount of cheer in the woman's voice should be illegal, Meara decided.

Bruce looked to Meara for approval, but the young woman merely shrugged. Everything would happen at once, whether she wanted it to or not.

Concerned by the careless gesture, Bruce nevertheless answered Lois, "That will be fine. Meara's class ends as three-thirty. Plan for dinner."

"Got it! Thanks!" Lois hung up without any form of farewell, leaving Bruce rolling his eyes for the tenth time since being approached about the interview in the first place.

"I suppose I need to call Lucius now," Bruce spoke again, searching for the number while Meara continued to sit in melancholy. "Why don't you go sit poolside? Tim would appreciate the company and it might calm you."

"Sure," Meara responded blankly, not entirely certain why that would help, but willing to try anything to ease her nerves now that they had been shoved into overdrive.

As Meara left the dining room, she could feel those sharp blue eyes riveted to her back even when Bruce greeted his Chairman.

"Lucius. Christina had the baby."

Before Meara passed out of earshot on her way down the hall, she just barely heard as Bruce quietly finished his explanation.

"Meara's starting on Tuesday."

Notes:

I decided to retcon Meara's height. Originally, in Chapter 1, I had her standing at five feet, four inches. She is now five feet, six inches tall. Seems like I write a lot of really short people, so I decided to make a change.

Much of the bat cave's design is totally from my own head, minus those few parts taken from the animated series, Justice League, and The Dark Knight trilogy.

DC Comics had a superhero named Enigma. However, the “mysterious entity known only as 'Enigma’…” (from my summary) is NOT related in any way to the 8-issue Vertigo/DC Miniseries of the same name.

Chapter 16 coming soon!

All Justice League stores can be found at the page Justice League on my blog.

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Five Common Myths About SEO 2019

Perform you aspire to turn into a Lookup Engine Optimizer (SEO)? By merging a whole new way to work along with SEO and prioritized lists associated with recommendations—not to mention competitor evaluation and keyword monitoring—Siteimprove SEO will be your all-in-one tool to develop traffic, prove ROI, and effortlessly create content. All the SEO developments listed here may have started in late 2017 or earlier 2018, but their true advantage could be reaped in 2019. Google's David Mueller said on Twitter, along with the disclaimer of him placing his user hat on (ofcourse not Google hat), that relabeling older content as new, with simply no additional changes is a poor SEO hack. All of us associated with creatives, designers & developers function alongside our SEO & articles teams to ideate, research, style & create remarkable infographics and interactive content for brands that will get shared across the internet. Contemporary SEO strategy may be the process associated with organizing a website's content simply by topic, which helps engines like google realize a user's intent when looking. Page loading time is dependent upon Page Load speed, Web page loading time is one associated with the important factors in Portable SEO 2017. Public Media as a platform are unable to be ignored in any SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION plan. Seo stands with regard to search engine optimization, when a person are searching for an SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION or Search Engine Optimization Firm then you needs to appear for various factors which may have a favorable and negative affect on your business. There are usually lots of ways to discover keywords for SEO. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION article writing guidelines number two. Keywords, they are little concealed subliminal messages within the composing which are to be within conjunction with the topic which usually is being written on. Key phrases are extremely important to the particular SEO article writing guidelines. SEO is often component of an overall internet marketing and advertising strategy and complements other methods like social media marketing, articles marketing and more. The conference brought together thirty eight speakers, 15 sponsors and more than 1500 of the search industry's brightest and the best involving search for a day associated with actionable SEO advice and marketplace leading content. A principal benefit associated with SEO is its cost-effectiveness because there is no payment toward the search engine for getting placed within it. This is definitely very important for the 'search head', high volume low purpose searches that are expensive within paid search. In 2019, I believe that will Google will continue to drive paid search ads and declare the majority of the over the fold organic SERP. Since, paying a search motor to put your business internet site at the top of the list doesn't come cheap, the particular next smartest thing one may do is to use lookup engine optimization or SEO methods to increase the clicks toward the website and help this work its way up the particular search engine's results page. If you are nevertheless sticking with old SEO criteria strategies and searching optimized key word for the article, Sorry! One thing is usually crystal clear: if you desire people to discover your function, you need search engine marketing (SEO). This just about all means when you're thinking regarding your SEO strategy, you require to think about how your own social networking strategy fits into the particular puzzle, too. As your visitors slowly increases, be sure to include various other SEO strategies (like adding exterior and internal links, guest publishing, etc) to engage more customers and keep your metrics higher. Google has still left a very narrow band associated with opportunity when it comes in order to SEO - and punishments are made to take you out associated with the game for some period while you cleanup the infractions. Head of Marketing, He Edstrom, at BioClarity, a San Diego based health-science company, thinks that SEO is going in order to see a decreased importance within 2019, and SEOs should begin ensuring they're competent in SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING. The best rank that you could notice the profile with contact information and maps on right hands side of search result web page is achieved after long treatment for using SEO tactics. Numerous search engine optimisation. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the technique of enhancing a website for search motor discovery and indexing. SEO is actually a technique which search motors require that sites must enhance properly, so that they show up high in search results. The European Search Honours is an international competition that will shines the spotlight within the best SEO and Content Marketing companies in Europe. When a person think of a white head wear you may think of the particular Kentucky Derby or perhaps a Royal Wedding ceremony but in SEO speak this means the group of strategies involving the best practice, the particular ones that earn you most of the gold stars plus brownie points, the ones that will don't use bad manipulations to achieve traction or ranking, but individuals who do what they perform to the best of their own abilities, create wonderful content plus follow all the rules. Also, well worth bearing in mind is of which Google pay attention to developments and what their customers desire, if you want to continue to be ahead of the game plus make sure your SEO will be fit for any 2019 audience, that is worth ensuring you furthermore include SEO techniques that embrace newer trends such as tone searching. The search engine optimisation (SEO) solutions are designed to increase presence inside the algorithmic (natural”, organic”, or free”) search results in order to deliver high quality, targeted visitors to your site. We might suggest them as an agency for the range of digital marketing providers from content marketing and on-page SEO. In short, we think that SEO in 2019 will certainly have to shift focus also more towards answering people's queries and solving people's problems. With this SEO article composing guidelines formula it pleases the particular search engines and the visitors reading the content. Search Engine Search engine optimization Starter Guide — This guideline was written by Google and possesses many SEO best practices regarding webmasters.

Erase all duplicated content material; it will increase your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking. Long-term: as discussed over, you'll ultimately get more research traffic from better usability, actually though you don't squeeze every single last drop from the SEO-trick lemon. However, to accomplish all this particular, web-developers use SEO custom providers, that have long-lasting SEO Search engines rank. That being said, companies usually have little or simply no time for you to maintain up with the latest advancements in SEO techniques. Social search motor optimization is largely built on user-generated content. Keywords are at the cardiovascular of SEO, but they're really not your first step in order to an organic growth play any longer. Obviously, reviews are a powerful kind of customer content that has massive implications for SEO and improving organic traffic. With right seo and with the help associated with an SEO expert however, your own website can give you a good increasing number of visitors plus exposure. Just keep in mind to pay attention to strong content creation and copywriting basic principles, engage your viewers deeply, plus stay abreast of technical tendencies such as backlinks, SEO health, site acceleration, and schema. SEOmonitor pricing is based on the particular number of websites and key phrases you track. So, I actually would say that 2018 is definitely a challenge for Google, simply because much as it could be for SEOs. The SEO Guide Keyword Suggestion Tool aggregates lookup data and provides volumes, associated terms, and more.

A few search engines have also offered to the SEO industry, plus are frequent sponsors and visitors at SEO conferences, webchats, plus seminars. If a person have a website that a person want to become easily discovered by a search engine, you have to increase your site rank via SEO as well. Some SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION companies focus on link building” and increasing the authority associated with their clients' websites. Through an SEO perspective, we had been introduced to RankBrain nearly 2 years ago, a machine-learning synthetic intelligence that Google's been making use of to process an extremely huge proportion of search results. Specifically, you'll discover exactly how to make use of advanced on-page SEO strategies (like Bucket Brigades”) to get higher Google ratings and more organic traffic. Search engines has introduced (at least) the ‘percieved' risk to publishing plenty of lower-quality pages on your own site to in order in order to curb production of old-style SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION friendly content based on manipulating early search engine algorithms. Grey hat SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is entirely centered on enhancing search engine rankings. There are numerous aspects to SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, from the words on your own page to the way some other sites link to you upon the web. So, rather than viewing SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING as an umbrella term covering SEO, it's more accurate in order to view SEM (paid search) plus SEO (organic search) as independent entities to use as a part of your Search Marketing arsenal. Based on SEO software program company Moz's bi-yearly survey upon search engine ranking factors, the particular titles on your page are usually one of the nine almost all important considerations a search motor makes. Having an SEO technique that effectively promotes your picture taking business, driving new traffic plus taking into consideration the requires of the site visitors even though you concentrate on perfecting your own art is a really strong tool. SEO is Research Engine Optimization and it will be required for make a internet site view-able. And you may see the section on exactly where to use keywords for even more information on integrating these key phrases into your SEO content technique. 22. Use social media in order to boost local SEO. SEO is the acronym for Seo. Even though certain techniques of SEO articles 15 Important Facts That You Should Know About SEO 2019 remain the same, like not really compromising on quality; there are usually definitely techniques which have progressed from the past and a person should find out whether your own SEO articles writing services are usually very well aware of that will or not. SEO service companies are specialized in increasing the particular traffic to your site simply by increasing your position in the particular search engine ranking positions. Entice international people to your internet sites with these SEO tips. The top challenges within organic SEO are link constructing (easy-to-get links no more possess much value) and keyword analysis (the low-hanging fruit is lengthy gone). For instance, the phrase ‘SEO tips' is furthermore included inside the less aggressive phrase ‘SEO tips 2019', which usually is searched for too. Given that lookup engines have complex algorithms that will power their technology and every person's marketing needs are unique, wish unable to provide specific SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION advice to our customers. We all think SEO in 2019 will discover a shift to focusing much more on user intent, problem resolving, and hyper locality in purchase to capitalize on the continuing rise of voice search. Private demographic information would come in a great deal handier in 2019 as considerably as the ranking of key phrases is concerned. Links are one of the particular most important SEO ranking aspects. However, more advanced that will readers will recognize the reduced quality of sites employing dark hat SEO at the cost from the reader experience, which usually will reduce the site's visitors and page rank over period. So - THERE IS SIMPLY NO BEST PRACTICE AMOUNT OF FIGURES any SEO could lay down because exact best practice to GUARANTEE a title may display, in full in Search engines, at least, because the search little title, on every device. While getting as many pages listed in Google was historically the priority for an SEO, Search engines is now rating the high quality of pages in your site plus the type of pages this really is indexing. Jerrika Scott, Digital Marketing Specialist with Archway Cards Ltd, also thinks in voice being the tendency of 2019 rather than 2018. Today, in spite of all the hype about regardless of whether SEO is dead, we discover that organic search is nevertheless one of the highest RETURN ON INVESTMENT digital marketing channels. Regarding successful team management and inter-client cooperation, online editors really are usually a must, especially those which usually detect and highlight critical SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION errors, non-unique, text, and key word stuffing. By the end of this particular module, you should be capable to define Search Engine Marketing and explain the basics associated with SEO as being a business (as nicely as how SEO shapes the particular Internet itself. ) You'll furthermore be able to explain the particular differences between three main SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION job types, and be ready to choose a career that will best suits your current targets. A highly effective research marketing campaign, will encompass each search engine optimisation (SEO) plus pay per click advertising (PPC). One of our favorite on-line toolkits is SEMrush, which consists of a variety of tools with regard to SEO, content marketing, and search engine marketing techniques. An SEO Content Writer will be someone that writes content for the particular purpose of having it display up on search engines plus gain website visitors. Internet marketing perfect for the platform of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION or Seo. With voice search arrives two areas of interest in order to SEO folks wishing to link with consumers: intent and circumstance. SocialSEO is proud to help future experts in the planet of business and marketing along with the annual SocialSEO Digital Marketing and advertising and SEO Scholarship. Finally SEO Wise links enables you to established nofollow attribute and open hyperlinks in new window.

PeepCon (which stands for The Individuals Conference”) seeks to teach doable SEO and digital marketing training. See how Matthew had taken a website from zero in order to one million visits in much less than a year, using the mix of blogging, content marketing and advertising, and SEO. Solid comprehending of the keywords, questions, and even phrases your ideal customers make use of to find your products plus services is critical to efficient SEO. 34. Applying SEO practices (such keyword optimization) to social networking boosts discoverability when users search cultural platforms like Facebook and Youtube . com. Onsite SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Guide — If you the particular actual link, you will observe a opt-in button where a person can download the Onsite SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Guide. ” Matt Diggity will a lot of testing upon his own sites, which means this guidebook reflects what on page strategies are working best for your pet. One important aspect associated with taking care of SEO is definitely identifying issues that are harming search engine ranking positions plus reducing the traffic you obtain through SERPs. User-generated content like reviews assist SEO through SMO, because this often comes in the type of social shares, likes, or even commenting, or common threads such as hashtags that point back in the direction of a brand. Local SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION services offer a very focused online marketing approach, (it's not really like dropping off brochures upon front-porch steps or paying for a good ad in a local paper that could or may not really be seen by a probable client that is actually fascinated in your products or services).

SEO is really the shortened phrase for search motor optimization. I believe SEO within 2019 will largely be such as SEO in 2018, with the particular exception of some big” Search engines update that wipes out sufficient websites to make people think the algorithms have grown significantly smarter. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION works by optimizing a cyberspace pages, conducting keyword research, plus earning inbound links. The organization offers excellent SEO packages that will help rank the clients' site within top three pages associated with search engine pages. That can make SEO an ideal lead era tool, because when searchers stick to links back to your web site, you have the chance in order to convert them to leads, plus later make sales. Whenever asked to point out principles that are unique towards the particular web, most people will arrive up with two main types: SEO and social media. How many links do a person need for good off-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION? If you are performing a professional SEO audit to get a actual business, you are going in order to have to think like the Google Search Quality Rater Plus a Google search engineer to offer real long-term value to the client. 44. Give your own social media profiles an SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION boost. 10% of our experts believe that will there's likely to be the lot of focus on cellular in 2019, as older SEOs realize optimizing for desktop is usually pointless. White hat SEO is not really just about following guidelines, yet is about ensuring that the particular content the search engines indexes and consequently ranks will be the same content the user will see. Search engines regard metadata plus meta keywords as less essential than they used to, thanks a lot to many years of dark hat misuse, however the name of your page and the relevancy towards the content can always be a highly essential factor in SEO. SEO is important because this helps you get found simply by improving your ranking online lookup results. Inorganic SEO will be good for populating links with regard to your website, even on additional websites which signed up intended for online ads to be demonstrated on their web pages. Of course, finding the period for you to write your own SEO articles daily can end up being difficult in light of the particular fact that you still have got a company to run. Social media offers its very own perks aside from SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION value. So when you think about it, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is really just a procedure of proving to look engines that will you are the best web site, probably the most authoritative, the most reliable, the most unique and fascinating site that they can provide to their customer - the particular searcher. SEO professionals employ the variety of different ways associated with make websites appear higher inside your list of results and create it much more likely that will you'll click on them in order to find what you're looking with regard to. SEO more usually talk regarding domain trust and domain expert in line with the amount, type and quality of inbound links to a site. SEO entails attaining a higher ranking within search engines via changes in order to your site content and program code to make it more appropriate and therefore more search motor compatible. Still, even for the particular best websites, maintaining a best organic SEO ranking requires regular keyword monitoring and content re-doing. Writer and consultant Peter Kent offers helped businesses including Amazon plus Zillow with SEO and on the internet marketing. Very first, understand that schema markup will be one of the most effective, least used parts of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION today Schema are basically short snippets of data that may give extra information to find customers and search engines. SEO is definitely a marketing discipline focused upon growing visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results. Simply no matter how many times Search engines tweaks or evolves The Formula, from Panda to Penguin in order to Polar Bear, these logical plus intuitive core SEO tips ought to remain timeless. Certainly, all those searching for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agencies will have to create their selection by passing SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION companies through careful and careful scrutiny, to ensure that all of them to get the best within search engine optimization for their own business website. The article provides you 12 tricks for E-commerce plus establishing an SEO optimized web site which will help you improve your business exposure and visibility upon search engines. Making use of keywords in your article name, article body and resource is definitely a great SEO article composing strategy that may make your own articles more effective in getting attention from search engines. Use SEO strategies like as transcripts and tags in order to help your videos appear increased in search results and entice more viewers over time. A lot of of these so-called 'tweaks' include advertising and link-gathering, and I actually use SEO and article advertising for that. Within 2018, your SEO success will not depend on how well a person optimize your website for Search engines. But if you're brief on money, use these diy SEO suggestions to improve your natural rankings. If you choose SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, you're helping Google's spiders in order to crawl and understand your content. The job of a good SEO is to manage the particular optimization of websites to assure they gain web site traffic from lookup engines such as Google and Bing. One great part of content that will ranks well within the lookup results is its beginner's explained SEO. SEOs plus online marketing specialists in common who are dealing with global Blog9T websites or for online firms thinking about going international may certainly benefit from attending ISS. We might like to serve you in order to save money and your power by offering affordable SEO solutions to increase link popularity. Work the key word into the SEO page name, content header, image, image oll text, etc. SEO equipment provide position monitoring, deep key word research, and crawling through personalized reports and analytics. Certainly, white hat SEO always integrated creating high quality, unique content material as a prerequisite for acquiring long-term quality results, this reality hasn't changed. Beyond compensated and organic, there are some other types of SEO and expertise and niches within search motor marketing. But definitely, the acronym many people ask about is SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, or search engine optimization. Between this plus 2017's Best SEO Campaign prize from the UK Search Honours, it's clear the world is usually starting to recognize Elephate because one of the most trustworthy SEO and Content Marketing organizations in Europe. To understand how SEO functions to improve search rankings, we will have to break it lower a little. Whichever way you choose in order to categorize keywords, one of the particular most important steps in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION does keyword research. Some good examples of White Hat SEO consist of optimizing META tags, putting key phrases in URLs, submitting sites in order to directories, making sitemaps, obtaining hyperlinks on related sites, and producing keyword-optimized content. An SEO Executive optimizes web sites to create them show up increased on search engines like search engines and gain more website guests. Nevertheless, the brand-new trend in SEO is ideal for long-tail keywords and even more conversational searches. SEO is the great marketing tool for the particular websites promoting their businesses on the web. Still, the keyword factor of SEO is becoming progressively difficult with Google Adwords concealing volume data. Making use of advanced Search engines semantic search algorithms, we link the gap between old college SEO and the new content material marketing. Tug has been appointed specifically to roll out a multi-lingual search engine marketing techniques campaign using its knowledge in international SEO and PAY PER CLICK.

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Understanding The Background Of SEO 2019

Good SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION articles increase a website's SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION traffic because articles are listed online. 55 The difference from SEO is many simply depicted as the distinction between paid and unpaid concern ranking searching results. I get into much more detail in SEO Titles on pages: 15-Point Checklist for B2B and B2C Brands, which explains how one can work in relevant keywords that will accurately reflect the page articles. Are good nevertheless SEO potential may be decrease in comparison to single links. The education and learning behind our SEO expertise had been developed from years and yrs of learning from mistakes advertising with our other businesses. The in-depth guide contains the most recent SEO best practices so a person can improve how your content appears in search results, plus get more traffic, leads, plus sales. Keyword study definitely belongs to the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION basics. I'll start by stating that social mass media and SEO are heavily linked to each other. Black head wear SEO attempts to improve ranks in ways that are disapproved of from the search engines, or even involve deception. This particular is more tedious and tasking than inorganic SEO because this particular is how all the key phrases get a full blast associated with attention. SEO: It stands for Lookup Engine Optimization. Within this post, we will break this down in the complete first timers guide to SEO: what SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is, how it works, exactly what factors affect search and exactly what sorts of changes you may make today to improve your own search optimization. The no follow hyperlink has been contradicted many instances over where SEO is included and it depends on the particular web owner regarding if these people allow them on the web site or not. BrightLocal offers been helping local businesses, multi-location businesses and SEO professionals realize and boost their positions in the particular local search market since this year. That is where search engine optimization, or even SEO, is available in. Right here are the best conferences in order to learn more about SEO (and digital marketing) in 2018 plus 2019. Every little or multi-location company can develop their business and attract even more customers using Local SEO techniques In this article we describe what local search optimization is usually, and why using a nearby SEO company can help enhance your online visibility. It provides an introduction in order to the basics of search motors and SEO, and then extends into more advanced topics. Black hat SEO is the group of unethical practices in order to improve rankings of the web site in the search engine outcomes page. SEO Wise Links provides automatic SEO advantages for your site in inclusion to custom keyword lists, from it and much more. Detailed within this Bruce Clay SEO tutorial are reliable strategies that aim to enhance both internal and external elements that influence search ranking. To demonstrate, if you we're seeking to end up being found locally when users appear for SEO services in your own area, and you're based within Wales, one such search phrase you might look to optimize for may be "SEO wales". Search Engine Optimizers (SEO's) are people who optimize sites to make them show upward higher on search engines plus gain more website visitors. One thing is usually crystal clear: if you desire people to discover your function, you need search engine optimisation (SEO). This almost all means when you're thinking regarding your SEO strategy, you require to think about how your own social networking strategy fits into the particular puzzle, too. As your visitors slowly increases, be sure to include some other SEO strategies (like adding exterior and internal links, guest publishing, etc) to engage more customers and keep your metrics higher. Google has still left a very narrow band associated with opportunity when it comes in order to SEO - and punishments are developed to take you out associated with the game for some period while you cleanup the infractions. Head of Marketing, Shiny Edstrom, at BioClarity, a San Diego based health-science company, feels that SEO is going in order to see a decreased importance within 2019, and SEOs should begin ensuring they're competent in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. The best rank that you could notice the profile with contact information and maps on right hands side of search result web page is achieved after long method for using SEO tactics. Numerous search engine optimisation. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the technique of enhancing a website for search motor discovery and indexing. SEO is actually a technique which search motors require that sites must boost properly, so that they show up high in search results. The European Search Honours is an international competition that will shines the spotlight within the best SEO and Content Marketing companies in Europe. UnGagged Birmingham is really a 2-day SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION & Digital Marketing conference the fact that takes place June 11-12th, along with one-day intensive masterclasses on August 13th. These ‘quality updates' are very reminiscent of Search engines Panda updates and often influence many websites at the exact same time - and often these types of concentrate on demoting similar ‘low-quality' SEO techniques we have already been told Panda focuses on. I think savvy SEOs are going to utilize AI content generation (text and pictures especially) in 2019 to make a whole new kind associated with search algorithm gaming, that might almost be viewed as dark hat. This course covers how in order to build strong links for much better SEO. SEO companies ensure that will your site has all associated with the SEO Internet marketing like as business improvement, localized item sales, high quality online era and the rest. 2018 brought many adjustments to the world of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, including a few new criteria evolutions through Google. An expert Seo agency may help any dimensions of company take full advantage of web marketing and raise the likelihood associated with actual sales while simultaneously enhance brand awareness one of the particular customers segment. Recently we were speaking about the subject with the friendly agency in Valencia plus we directed to this access of Search Engine Journal along with the 20 questions that need to be done to any SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION or SEO agency that desires to hire. Erase all duplicated articles; it will increase your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking. Long-term: as discussed over, you'll ultimately get more lookup traffic from better usability, also though you don't squeeze every single last drop from the SEO-trick lemon. However, to accomplish all this particular, web-developers use SEO custom solutions, that have long-lasting SEO Search engines rank. That being said, companies usually have little or simply no time for you to maintain up with the latest advancements in SEO techniques. Social search motor optimization is largely built on user-generated content. Keywords are at the center of SEO, but they're in fact not your first step in order to an organic growth play any longer. Obviously, reviews are a powerful type of customer content that has large implications for SEO and enhancing organic traffic. With right seo and with the help associated with an SEO expert however, your own website can give you a good increasing number of visitors plus exposure. Just keep in mind to pay attention to strong content creation and copywriting basic principles, engage your viewers deeply, plus stay abreast of technical styles such as backlinks, SEO health, site velocity, and schema. SEOmonitor pricing is based on the particular number of websites and key phrases you track. So, We would say that 2018 will be a challenge for Google, simply because much as it could be for SEOs. The SEO Guide Keyword Suggestion Tool aggregates research data and provides volumes, associated terms, and more. This free marketing device is really a long-term technique and can be time extensive but it will worth this. A good user experience is usually the key to satisfaction and also a powerful SEO. 1 SEO might target different kinds of research, including image search, video lookup, academic search, 2 news research, and industry-specific vertical search motors. Many of us are in the fourth fraction of 2018, it is the particular right time start thinking concerning the year ahead and brand-new changes SEO realm might assume. We've long known that client opinions, input, and sentiment regarding a brand deeply impact SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION rankings, but we wanted the particular information to prove it. Off-page SEO means having action to build trust, specialist, social signals and inbound hyperlinks. How video affects SEO actually depends on your goals whenever using video in your advertising campaign and which video system you use. LSI is not really what most SEO specialists claim it to be. This is certainly not a idea that can be used simply by the average web designer or even webmaster to improve their research engine listings, and it is usually not what many people, which includes myself, has written it in order to be. Nevertheless, first some history. This particular video walks you through the particular specific steps you have to get increased rankings in 2018, including launching speed, technical SEO, content, hyperlinks, and more. Considering that it is, all across the particular year companies specializing in SEO were hectic improving and finding new procedures to optimize the search motor even better than what their particular competitors were doing. "SEO" is a term that is definitely used to describe the procedure by which visitors a specific site is increasingly generated simply by search engines through search results. These white-hat cellular SEO tips will help a person to avoid internet search motor penalties and maintain better on-line visibility. SEO or research engine optimization techniques will tackle these requirements of a web site. AI and tone of voice search have already begun in order to impact SEO, and as these types of technologies continue to develop, we all can expect to see a lot more changes in the way SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is performed. In the second chapter of our SEO guidebook, you will learn how research engines work, how people utilize them and what type of lookup queries they submit. You need in order to provide regular posts either daily or at least several instances What's So Trendy About SEO 2019 That Everyone Went Crazy Over It? a week in order in order to gain a following and supply enough unique SEO content in order to keep your search engine rankings high, attract new viewers plus convince people that you are usually the expert in your industry. Voice research will change the way we interact along with search engines and it can make SEO even more competing and vital to online achievement. Our SEO outreach team connect your brand and curated content with key on-line influencers to get people speaking about you & sharing your own message. Yet, with the research engines like google continually transforming their rules SEO may appear confusing and overwhelming. Understanding what these words really suggest, and how SEO analysts make use of them to boost your cyberspace search engine results, may end up being a whole other story. To get a better SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, helps your website can obtain on the top among well-known search engines like Bing plus Google. On the various other side, you can ensure a good effective content marketing campaign just when you apply the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION techniques properly. SEO : Search engine optimization: the procedure of making your internet site better regarding search engines. The purpose of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION writing is to make your own company more visual, more attractive in website search engines. SEO will be the practice of increasing this quantity and quality of visitors to your website through natural and organic search engine results. 31. SEO data can notify a smart social media technique. Solid keyword & marketplace research assist SEO strategy plus allow us to supply realistic projections and forecasts of opportunity inside your market. Nevertheless, when this comes to developing and performing an audio SEO strategy with regard to your business, just creating content material for the keywords your clients are looking for is each arduous and, well, wrong. In this situation, in, the article ranks correct after the official Google suggestions (and it makes sense that will Google should be number one on their own branded query) but Smashing magazine is proven as a position 0” little of text on the problem Google pop up guidelines” within. Search Engine Land, a top quality SEO blog this is the pillar of the community will be ranking after Smashing (which occurs to be really a style blog than an SEO one). The Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) Keyword Electrical generator is like a thesaurus regarding SEO -minded content marketers. SEMRush - Another excellent tool for SEO analysis, especially where it concerns business cleverness, SEMRush allows you to recognize and analyze the keywords that will your competitors are using. I'm heading to share some of the most effective SEO tips that will I've used within all types of campaigns to increase organic lookup traffic. FAST SEO ADVICE search engine search engine optimization is not magic, and are not able to perform wonders. This SEO suggestions and tricks cover all the essential information you should know regarding Search Engine Optimization. The SEO content author should have a strong knowing of the keywords that are usually ranking and trending on the particular analytics framework. In 2018, there were certain trends that will ruled the world of online business SEO (search engine optimization). Don't get worried by them but make certain to use only natural hyperlinks and keep in mind that will their SEO potential may become a bit lower in assessment with single links. As a partner to the table, Internet research engine Land's Guide To SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION explains the ranking factors within more depth, in the tutorial offering tips and advice on applying them. Google states that cultural media is not an fast SEO ranking factor, but many experts agree that things this kind of as retweets and facebook gives you DO, in fact, effect websites' rankings. And since SEO furthermore targets users who are definitely searching for products and solutions like yours, the traffic producing from SEO is more certified than many other marketing techniques, leading to cost-savings for businesses. Without the doubt, one of the greatest trends that has already started to take place and may continue well into 2018 may be the consolidation of niche MarTech gamers by larger content cloud suppliers, with the role and significance of SEO increasing significantly all through this transformation. SEO Internet marketing provides major components, which develop the particular website traffic, and top research engine rankings. SEO is brief for Seo, and there is usually nothing really mystical about this particular. You might have heard the lot about SEO and just how it works, but basically exactly what is a measurable, repeatable procedure which is used to send out signals to search engines that will the pages are worth displaying in Google's index. Topic clusters possess been lauded since the future associated with SEO and content strategy, yet are widely underreported on (so now's the time to hit! ) 93% of B2B companies use content marketing. Teresa Walsh, Marketing Professional at automobile site, Cazana, forecasts that hyper organic targeting will probably increase its importance in 2019 with more location search plus more voice search. We get to the particular bottom of on-page SEO troubles in order for search motors to clearly see what your own website is all about. SEO requires you to continuously become a student because of exactly how quickly the algorithms of research engine companies change. Google's punishing methods probably class pages as some thing akin to a poor UX if they meet certain detectable criteria e. g. lack associated with reputation or old-school SEO stuff such as keyword stuffing a site. Also companies considering about getting Search engine search engine optimization services should go through these types of magazines to familiarize themselves making use of the latest trends within the particular SEO and web-based marketing sector to allow them to evaluate the assistance offered for all of them from the selected SEO companies. Mobile SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION in 2018 will likely be all regarding Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). The term SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION also describes the making internet pages easier for internet research engine indexing software, known since "crawlers, " to find, check, and index your web site. I feel that technical SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION mistakes that affect crawl spending budget - and also pollute Search engines with non-SEO-friendly content such since social landing pages, WordPress mass media archives, offer pages and cloned e-commerce product pages - will certainly have a far more detrimental effect upon sites moving forward. Effective SEO lets you improve your web​site to demonstrate up within search engines. Many of us will get into how in order to pick the best keywords regarding your business later in this kind of SEO guide, but it perfect you to know how in order to use them, as they are usually referenced throughout this section. Although meta descriptions are not a new ranking factor for search machines, they do hold value intended for your website and are element of your SEO presence. Let us speak a bit as to exactly what SEO is before we enter the SEO article writing recommendations for people who may become new or do not very understand it. SEO stands regarding Seo. A great SEO service includes a great deal of research and lots associated with smart keywords application which will certainly period website at a increased notch and provide it the higher ranking in Google web search engine. Professional SEO content authors work on creating articles just after understanding the nature associated with your business, your industry, competition and what kind of content articles your business might most want for maximum benefits; in the particular short-term and the long-term. Linking to other web pages inside your site, as well since linking to other sites plus getting other sites to url to yours, is a great method to improve your SEO. Influencer marketing doesn't seem in order to be slowing down anytime shortly, so it will probably obtain bigger in 2018 and also bigger in 2019 when even more companies start to catch upon to this trend. Keeping within mind the last point, SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agencies are fluent in navigating by way of a wide range of on-line marketing tools that helps boost the value of your marketing technique. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is usually a powerful process that may help make you and your own research more visible to lookup engines like Google and Search engines Scholar. I have simply no clue about SEO only a few basics that is available most over the place and I actually feel this article must aid as your other articles assisted me give some direction upon recovering my lost traffic plus generating more content as properly as repurposing old content. Over the particular last 20 years SocialSEO provides grown to be the biggest full digital marketing firm within the state of Colorado, delivering Social Media, Pay Per Click on and SEO in Denver, Co Springs, Boulder and across the particular State. Lastly, Amazon will dominate ecommerce queries in 2018 via Alexa voice, touch, as well as other innovative interfaces, leaving many e-commerce SEOs in order to focus in on the content-side of their marketing. If you could use twenty times more chances for net traffic, three times better effects than social, and returns about investment that will only raise over time, SEO must end up being a priority. Since artificial intelligence search motor optimization is in its preliminary stage, the impact of synthetic intelligence in marketing is heading to be felt in 2019 and 2020. So nearby businesses have to put specific effort into maximizing their SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION efforts for local visibility, which usually means doing things like customization their Google Places pages. All these types of steps are used by the particular company to provide the greatest search engine optimization services in order to its clients in Thailand, below the Thailand SEO concept. Keywords and phrases, whilst not being as important for you to SEO ranking as they when were, still play a significant position. •Social Mass media Optimization - SEO services make use of various means of social mass media optimization for clients. Lots of people are usually now asking, How will AI and Voice Search impact SEO”? The sensible strategy for SEO might still appear to be in order to reduce Googlebot crawl expectations plus consolidate ranking equity & possible in high-quality canonical pages plus you do that by reducing duplicate or near-duplicate content. This can take a LONG period for a site to recuperate from using black hat SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION tactics and fixing the issues will never necessarily bring organic visitors back as it was just before a penalty. The particular best SEO Guide is right here to dispel those myths, plus give you all you require to know about SEO in order to show up on the internet and additional search engines, and ultimately make use of SEO to grow your company. > > Upon Page Optimization: On-page SEO is definitely the act of optimizing novel pages with a specific finish goal to rank higher plus acquire more important movement within web crawlers. There are a lot Blog9T of websites providing pertinent information regarding SEO and online marketing, and you could learn from them. But it's confusing why some businesses don't consider harder with analysis, revisions, plus new content with their SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION online marketing strategy. An effective SEO strategy may be made up of a variety of elements that ensure your web-site is trusted by both consumers as well as the research engines. By taking their particular marketing needs online and employing confer with an experienced SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agency, a business can achieve thousands, or even millions associated with people that they would have got not been able to in any other case. It's maybe not an ideal SEO page title because of the multiple distinct services, however the structure might give rise to rankings for some long-tail keyword phrases. SEOs will have to collaborate carefully with designers and developers in order to prioritize technical SEO and functionality search engine ranking factors to get a competitive edge. Further SEO Smart hyperlinks allows you to set upward your own personal keywords and set associated with matching URLs. In the event that search engine optimization SEO will not involve ethical practices, the particular website may have low presence on Google or maybe be taken out from the Google index. An SEO technique is usually considered white hat if this conforms to the search engines' guidelines and involves no deceptiveness. As an SEO, which indicates that you have to considerably raise your standards around high quality content and links in purchase to achieve top search motor rankings. Most SEO focuses on customization for Google's search engine, which usually dominates the overall search marketplace with a share of more than 90%. 7. Social indicators may even become more essential to SEO with time. Solitary Grain is really a electronic marketing agency that helps businesses like Uber, Amazon and Salesforce grow their revenues online making use of SEO plus paid advertising. This can be a growth chance intended for content marketing-specific agencies and the necessary and justified budget series item for in-house SEO groups. SEO includes both technical and creative components needed to improve rankings, drive visitors, and increase awareness in lookup engines.

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7 Unbelievable Facts About SEO 2019

SEO is about growing naturally, and also to develop a good effective, organic online marketing program, it's important to not just look at SEO, but content material marketing and social media, as well. Erase all duplicated articles; it will increase your SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking. Long-term: as discussed over, you'll ultimately get more research traffic from better usability, also though you don't squeeze every single last drop from the SEO-trick lemon. However, to accomplish all this particular, web-developers use SEO custom providers, that have long-lasting SEO Search engines rank. That being said, companies usually have little or simply no time for you to maintain up with the latest advancements in SEO techniques. Social search motor optimization is largely built on user-generated content. Keywords are at the center of SEO, but they're really not your first step in order to an organic growth play any longer. Obviously, reviews are a powerful type of customer content that has large implications for SEO and enhancing organic traffic. With right search engine optimization and with the help associated with an SEO expert however, your own website can give you a good increasing number of visitors plus exposure. Just keep in mind to pay attention to strong content creation and copywriting principles, engage your viewers deeply, plus stay abreast of technical tendencies such as backlinks, SEO health, site velocity, and schema. SEOmonitor pricing is based on the particular number of websites and key phrases you track. So, We would say that 2018 is definitely a challenge for Google, simply because much as it may be for SEOs. The SEO Publication Keyword Suggestion Tool aggregates research data and provides volumes, associated terms, and more.

This free marketing device is really a long-term technique and can be time extensive but it will worth this. A good user experience will be the key to satisfaction plus a powerful SEO. 1 SEO might target different kinds of research, including image search, video research, academic search, 2 news research, and industry-specific vertical search motors. Many of us are in the fourth one fourth of 2018, it is this right time start thinking regarding the year ahead and fresh changes SEO realm might count on. We've long known that consumer opinions, input, and sentiment regarding a brand deeply impact SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION rankings, but we wanted the particular information to prove it. Off-page SEO means having action to build trust, expert, social signals and inbound hyperlinks. How video affects SEO actually depends on your goals whenever using video in your marketing and advertising campaign and which video system you use. LSI is just not what most SEO specialists claim it to be. This is certainly not a idea that can be used simply by the average web designer or even webmaster to improve their lookup engine listings, and it is usually not what many people, which includes myself, has written it in order to be. Nevertheless, first some history. This particular video walks you through the particular specific steps you should get increased rankings in 2018, including launching speed, technical SEO, content, hyperlinks, and more. Due to the fact it is, all across this year companies specializing in SEO were hectic improving and finding new procedures to optimize the search motor even better than what their own competitors were doing. Still, even for the particular best websites, maintaining a best organic SEO ranking requires regular keyword monitoring and content re-doing. Writer and consultant Peter Kent offers helped businesses including Amazon plus Zillow with SEO and on the internet marketing. Very first, understand that schema markup is usually one of the most effective, least used parts of SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION today Schema are basically short snippets of data that may give extra information to look customers and search engines. SEO is definitely a marketing discipline focused upon growing visibility in organic (non-paid) search engine results. Simply no matter how many times Search engines tweaks or evolves The Formula, from Panda to Penguin in order to Polar Bear, these logical plus intuitive core SEO tips ought to remain timeless. Certainly, all those searching for SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION agencies will have to create their selection by passing SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION companies through careful and careful scrutiny, to ensure that all of them to get the best within search engine optimization for their particular Blog9T business website. The article provides you 12 tricks for E-commerce plus establishing an SEO optimized internet site which will help you raise your business exposure and visibility upon search engines. Making use of keywords in your article name, article body and resource is usually a great SEO article composing strategy that may make your own articles more effective in bringing in attention from search engines. Use SEO strategies like as transcripts and tags in order to help your videos appear increased in search results and appeal to more viewers over time. This particular means that SEOs spend the lot of time working upon getting links in a procedure called link building Link-building strategies can range from simply asking for a link to writing the guest post - and right now there are many others. Basically, SEO plans the keywords that will are to be delivered plus content provides them. So, when you are considering about applying SEO in the particular broad sense, you need in order to channelize its technical specifications via content marketing. In 2019, you can wager that White Hat SEO may have separated itself even more from Black Hat SEO, plus that above all else, supplying quality content will be the particular most important factor for companies ranking in search. The outcomes are not instant, you can use the time on attempting other Internet marketing techniques whilst SEO would go to function. The third major SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION ranking signal is Google's synthetic intelligence search ranking algorithm. Sometimes SEO is usually simply a matter of producing sure your site is organized in a way that lookup engines like google understand. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION involves a number of changes towards the HTML of person Web pages to attain a higher search engine ranking. As a result associated with technological advancement, SEO is in order to undergo more drastic changes, plus the two latest technologies that will are expected to influence SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION to some very great level are AI (Artificial Intelligence) plus Voice Search. There are usually lots of ways to discover keywords for SEO. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION article writing guidelines number two. Keywords, they are little concealed subliminal messages within the composing which are to be within conjunction with the topic which usually is being written on. Key phrases are extremely important to the particular SEO article writing guidelines. SEO is often component of an overall internet advertising strategy and complements other strategies like social media marketing, content material marketing and more. The conference brought together thirty six speakers, 15 sponsors and more than 1500 of the search industry's brightest and the best associated with search for a day involving actionable SEO advice and market place leading content. A principal benefit associated with SEO is its cost-effectiveness because there is no payment in the direction of the search engine for becoming placed within it. This will be very important for the 'search head', high volume low intention searches that are expensive within paid search. In 2019, I believe that will Google will continue to force paid search ads and declare the majority of the over the fold organic SERP. Since, paying a search motor to put your business site at the top of the list doesn't come cheap, the particular next smartest thing one may do is to use lookup engine optimization or SEO strategies to increase the clicks toward the website and help this work its way up the particular search engine's results page. If you are nevertheless sticking with old SEO criteria strategies and searching optimized key phrase for the article, Sorry! One thing is definitely crystal clear: if you desire people to discover your function, you need search engine marketing (SEO). This just about all means when you're thinking regarding your SEO strategy, you require to think about how your own social media marketing strategy fits into the particular puzzle, too. As your visitors slowly increases, be sure to include some other SEO strategies (like adding exterior and internal links, guest publishing, etc) to engage more customers and keep your metrics higher. Google has remaining a very narrow band associated with opportunity when it comes in order to SEO - and punishments are developed to take you out associated with the game for some period while you cleanup the infractions. Head of Marketing, Shiny Edstrom, at BioClarity, a San Diego based health-science company, feels How SEO 2019 Is Going To Change Your Business Strategies that SEO is going in order to see a decreased importance within 2019, and SEOs should begin ensuring they're competent in SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION. The best rank that you could notice the profile with contact information and maps on right hands side of search result web page is achieved after long process for using SEO tactics. Numerous search engine search engine optimization. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the technique of enhancing a website for search motor discovery and indexing. SEO is actually a technique which search motors require that sites must boost properly, so that they show up high in search results. The European Search Honours is an international competition that will shines the spotlight for the best SEO and Content Marketing organizations in Europe. You will end up being introduced to the foundational components of how search engines such as google work, how the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION landscape is promoting and exactly what you can expect in the particular future. The SISTRIX Toolbox consists associated with six modules 1) SEO, 2) Universal, 3) Links, 4) Advertisements, 5) Social and 6) Optimizer. Low-quality content can severely impact the achievements of SEO, within 2018. When your own SEO starts building strong environment, competitors can start maligning your own SEO backlinks. ” With content marketing spend anticipated to reach $300 billion by 2019, this statistic is worrisome. Now the electronic marketing companies know how in order to use AI for SEO, plus in coming years AI may dominate in developing the SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION strategies of the digital advertising companies. Ray Cheselka, AdWords and SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Manager at webFEAT Complete, the design and SEO agency, states that in 2019 search purpose will continue to become even more important. Expert writers of SEO articles will certainly take the time to study the particular industry or specific niche market market. 2 tools to help with regional SEO are BrightLocal (for rankings) and MozLocal (for local research optimization). Concerning on-page SEO best practices, I usually link out to other quality appropriate pages on other websites exactly where possible and where a individual would find it valuable. It includes a favorite Regular Table of SEO Success Factors”, a 9-chapter guide to SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION basics, and links to several from the site's most useful blog posts. This guide will be made to describe all places of SEO—from locating the terms plus phrases (keywords) that generate visitors to your website, to producing your blog friendly to search motors, to building links and marketing and advertising the unique associated with your own site. Without having SEO, a website can become invisible to search engines. On-page SEO refers in order to every strategy, technique, and instrument you utilize within your internet site to optimize your web webpages and content for search search engines like google. Today, the quality of inbound links is evaluated higher when compared with their quantity and may add your SEO efforts. Lookup engine optimization (SEO) tools assist companies position themselves to obtain a favorable ranking in internet search engine results. The particular second biggest SEO trend within 2019 will be voice lookup. Wish long past mobile search plus voice-search being a ‘trend' : they are the full upon normal now, outdoing desktop research in both volume and SEO-favorability. Rather compared to marketing at people, you require to make it possible intended for them to find you whenever they want you, and that is where SEO is available within. Prior To proceeding BlowFish SEO full Time, Robert Headed very successful internet incoming marketing campaigns for Bella Sante Day Spa's of Boston plus Red Door Spas increasing their own yearly Gift Card Sales simply by over 400% and increasing consumer appointments over 300%. In 2019 and over and above, the majority of the on the web searches will be in the particular form of conversation, and since a result, the online internet marketers will give more importance in order to artificial intelligence keywords for marketing of the web content.

BrightLocal offers been helping local businesses, multi-location businesses and SEO professionals realize and enhance their positions in the particular local search market since year. That is where search engine optimization, or even SEO, is available in. Right here are the best conferences in order to learn more about SEO (and digital marketing) in 2018 plus 2019. Every little or multi-location company can develop their business and attract even more customers using Local SEO methods In this article we clarify what local search optimization will be, and why using a regional SEO company can help enhance your online visibility. It provides an introduction in order to the basics of search motors and SEO, and then extends into more advanced topics. Black hat SEO is the group of unethical practices in order to improve rankings of the internet site in the search engine outcomes page. SEO Wise Links provides automatic SEO advantages for your site in inclusion to custom keyword lists, from it and much more. Detailed within this Bruce Clay SEO tutorial are reliable strategies that aim to enhance both internal and external elements that influence search ranking. To demonstrate, if you we're trying to end up being found locally when users appear for SEO services in your own area, and you're based within Wales, one such search phrase you might look to optimize for may be "SEO wales". Search Engine Optimizers (SEO's) are people who optimize internet sites to make them show upward higher on search engines plus gain more website visitors.

Without the doubt, one of the greatest trends that has already started to take place and may continue well into 2018 could be the consolidation of niche MarTech gamers by larger content cloud suppliers, with the role and significance of SEO increasing significantly all through this transformation. SEO Internet marketing provides major components, which develop the particular website traffic, and top research engine rankings. SEO is brief for Seo, and there is definitely nothing really mystical about this particular. You might have heard the lot about SEO and exactly how it works, but basically exactly what is a measurable, repeatable procedure which is used to send out signals to search engines that will the pages are worth displaying in Google's index. Topic clusters have got been lauded since the future associated with SEO and content strategy, yet are widely underreported on (so now's the time to hit! ) 93% of B2B companies use content marketing. Teresa Walsh, Marketing Professional at automobile site, Cazana, forecasts that hyper organic targeting will probably increase its importance in 2019 with more location search plus more voice search. We get to the particular bottom of on-page SEO troubles in order for search motors to clearly see what your own website is all about. SEO requires you to continuously become a student because of exactly how quickly the algorithms of research engine companies change. Google's punishing methods probably class pages as some thing akin to a poor UX if they meet certain detectable criteria e. g. lack associated with reputation or old-school SEO stuff such as keyword stuffing a site.

A few search engines have also supplied to the SEO industry, plus are frequent sponsors and visitors at SEO conferences, webchats, plus seminars. If a person have a website that a person want to become easily discovered by a search engine, you have to increase your site rank via SEO as well. Some SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION companies focus on link building” and increasing the authority associated with their clients' websites. Through an SEO perspective, we had been introduced to RankBrain nearly 2 years ago, a machine-learning synthetic intelligence that Google's been making use of to process an extremely huge proportion of search results. Specifically, you'll notice exactly how to make use of advanced on-page SEO strategies (like Bucket Brigades”) to get higher Google ratings and more organic traffic. Search engines has introduced (at least) the ‘percieved' risk to publishing a lot of lower-quality pages on your own site to in order in order to curb production of old-style SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION friendly content based on manipulating early search engine algorithms. Grey hat SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION is entirely centered on enhancing search engine rankings. There are several aspects to SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, from the words on your own page to the way additional sites link to you upon the web. So, rather than viewing SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING as an umbrella term covering SEO, it's more accurate in order to view SEM (paid search) plus SEO (organic search) as distinct entities to use as portion of your Search Marketing arsenal. User-generated content racks up serious SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION points by providing sites along with fresh content, bundles of back links, and sources for organically framing natural attributes. You'll find it right here Also really worth checking out there is Moz's Beginner's Explained SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, ” which you'll find right here, and the SEO Success Pyramid from Small Business Search Advertising. Off-page SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION strategy refers to the impact of a change in additional websites in your search position. Bruce Clay-based set the standard for honest internet marketing by authoring the particular " SEO Code of Integrity, " now translated into eighteen languages, and it has already been a respected leader within the particular ever-changing lookup engine marketing industry since mil novecentos e noventa e seis. Website SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (including, content optimisation, meta marketing, the significance of links). A good SEO Specialist is someone that is an expert on the particular topic of search engine optimisation. Just due to the fact a proper On-page and Off-page SEO optimization work will provide a better Ranking to your own website in Search Engine Outcome Page (SERP). The largest SEO change and pattern I realize already happening within 2018 is Google's switch in order to a mobile-first index, so in the event that a site is not however mobile-friendly and optimized for this, it's critical to prioritize this particular as it is now essential for its SEO success. With good on-page SEO, research engines can easily index your own web pages, understand what your own site is about, and quickly navigate the structure and articles of your website, thus rank your site accordingly. Join us for some sort of three-day, one-track conference full associated with forward-thinking, tactical sessions in SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING, growth marketing, the mobile scenery, analytics, content marketing, and a lot more. The objective regarding SEO is to get some sort of website ranked as high since possible on search engines, like Google. When you are improving user expertise by focusing primarily on the particular quality of the MC associated with your pages and avoiding : even removing - old-school SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION techniques - those certainly are usually positive steps to getting even more traffic from Google in 2018 - and the type associated with content performance Google rewards will be in the end largely with least about a satisfying consumer experience. For instance, when I'm logged in to Google+ and We search for SEO, I obtain the following in my top 5 search results. Black head wear SEO practice involves breaking just about all of the rules and rules of the search engine. Every time you notice or hear the phrase research engine optimization, ” substitute exactly what create quality and indicating relevance” and you'll have the correct mindset permanently SEO work. SEOs conveniently call this effect ‘domain authority' and it appeared in order to be related to ‘PageRank' : the system Google started in order to rank the web within 1998. When you have more time plus are keen to follow the particular SEO industry, subscribe to Moz and Search Engine Land. Integrating these keywords into the blog post allows you to add range while still retaining SEO energy. On this web page you'll find a list associated with 21 SEO insanely tactical methods that you can use in order to boost your engine rankings. 26% of respondents state email is the digital marketing and advertising channel using the greatest positive effect on revenue; SEO is 2nd (17%), followed by paid lookup (15%), social media (5%), plus online display advertising (5%). Along with an increased focus on consumer experience, Google has challenged the particular SEO community to pay even more attention to the entire encounter of a website and exactly how the content interacts with customers, rather than just the simple elements that most optimize towards. While that may not get solved in 2018, we want integrate the SEO group alongside other marketing, both compensated and owned initiatives. For example, several businesses miss the mark along with SEO and images, and nevertheless rank well. Thankfully, you can find your very own broken links on site using the particular myriad of Tools available. Ask any SEO services company and they will tell a person that whenever a page is definitely searched, the major search motors spiders search it through hyperlinks. Effective SEO aims to improve research engine position, user visits, come back visits, and to improve transformation rates, which reflect the figures of visitors who take preferred actions on the site. Wise SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION activities transform your rankings in the particular search engine results page (SERP). This is the greatest goal for ecommerce SEO, plus the traffic those links will certainly bring through will convert from a very high rate. Over the particular last 20 years SocialSEO provides grown to be the biggest full digital marketing firm within the state of Colorado, delivering Social Media, Pay Per Click on and SEO in Denver, Co Springs, Boulder and across the particular State. Lastly, Amazon will dominate ecommerce queries in 2018 via Alexa voice, touch, as well as other innovative interfaces, leaving many e-commerce SEOs in order to focus in on the content-side of their marketing. If you could use twenty times more chances for net traffic, three times better outcomes than social, and returns about investment that will only enhance over time, SEO must become a priority. Since artificial intelligence search motor optimization is in its preliminary stage, the impact of synthetic intelligence in marketing is heading to be felt in 2019 and 2020. So regional businesses have to put unique effort into maximizing their SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION efforts for local visibility, which usually means doing things like enhancing their Google Places pages. All these types of steps are used by the particular company to provide the greatest search engine optimization services in order to its clients in Thailand, below the Thailand SEO concept. Key phrases, although it is not being as important for you to SEO ranking as they when were, still play an essential function. •Social Press Optimization - SEO services make use of various means of social mass media optimization for clients. Lots of people are usually now asking, How will AI and Voice Search impact SEO”?