#also if I stayed up til midnight to post immediately. no I didn’t <3

[enderspawn]

… well first off i would like to state that i am feeling validated in this chilis tonight

[emeriethevalkyriegirl]

Cassian and the 3 diablos (A SJM fanfic)- Epilogue

Summary: The ending that no one got. Now here it is.

2 weeks later

Cassian climbed off of Philip and tied him to his post. It’s only been 2 weeks since the ruby crisis and Morrigan was back to her old self again. As promised, the diablos were released and no charges were filed. However, after Devlon woke up from behind knock out by Cassian, Rhysand sent Balthazar to retrieve him and he was currently in a cell under the castle. Cassian can still hear him saying, “It wasn’t me! It was those meddling kids!” he almost made him laugh.

The diablos had nowhere else to go. They were too afraid to go back and Cassian refused to take them into foster. So, he offered to let them stay on his farm and let them decided where they wanted to go.

Personally, Cassian wouldn’t mind it if they wanted to stay forever. He was getting kinda lonely on the plain and he wished he lived a little closer to Velaris. But he had a farm to take care off. And it’s not like he could move the barn. Oh well.

Cassian stretched his back, looking up at the stars that were twinkling in the night. “Still wish you were here mom. You would’ve loved it here.” Cassian said. He didn’t know which mother he was talking about, but he hoped that both of them were listening.

Cassian walked up to his door and turned the knob. “Girls, I’m-” Cassian stopped short when he saw the girls playing on the floor covered in mud and dust. As a matter of fact, the entire living room/kitchen was covered in mud and dust. Earlier, he had to go into town to run some errands. The girls didn’t wanna go, claiming that it was too boring, so he left them alone. He was only gone for an hour. At least he thought he was. Apparently, 3 7 year olds can find out what to do in just an hour.

Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie were both tumbling around in a little ball like tumble weeds trying to pry each other off of one another. Cassian almost mistaken them for boys. “I’m going to win this time!”

“No! I’ll win!”

“I always win!”

Closing the door behind him, Cassian sighed heavily pinching the bridge of his nose. “Next time, I’m getting a babysitter.” he said as he whistled for the girls’ attention. Almost immediately, the girls turned and their eyes beamed with excitement. “CASSIE!” they all cried, storming their way towards him. “Woah woah woah girls don’t-” It was too late. The girls jumped on top of him, causing Cassian to pummel to the ground.

Cassian landed with a thud as he struggled to get back up. “Where’d you go?”

“It’s almost midnight!”

“Did you meet someone special?” The diablos kept asking questions that Cassian struggled to answer in his current state. “I’m not answering to any of you until you tell me why you are covered in mud.” he said as Gwyn giggled. “It’s not mud. We were playing behind the cows when one of them-”

“OKAY! Upstairs! In the bath, now!” Cassian watched as the girls raced upstairs, as Cassian tried to get the image out of his head. Yeah, definitely time for a babysitter.

--------------------

Once the girls were washed and dried, Cassian-trying to avoid the cow shit on their clothes-threw the girls’ clothing's outside in the wash bucket. After going back inside, he went to the girls room and walked inside. Emerie and Nesta were talking with each other about different types of ways to braid a rope while Gwyn was in the middle brushing her dolls hair. She looked very sleepy.

“Girls.” Cassian said as they all turned to him. Cassian leaned against the doorframe. “Bed, now.” A chorus of ‘awwwws’ filled the room. “But I’m not tired.” Gwyn complained as Cassian picked her up. “Yes you are. You can barely keep your eyes open.” he stated a matter of fact as Gwyn’s eyes were starting to close. Placing the tiny water nymph on the bed, Cassian pulled the covers over her body and turned to the other two. “That also goes for you two.”

“But we’re not tired.”

“Yeah, we can stay up ‘til midnight.” Emerie smirked as Cassian rolled his eyes. “Well then, if you’re gonna stay awake, you might as well have to clean up all the horse and cow manure, herd all the chicken in their coops, shave all of the sheep, and walk all of the sheep dogs. Which also includes cleaning up after their own poop that is.” Cassian explained as he watched their faces slowly drop. “But, you’re not tired so I can always make you-”

“Nevermind, I’m sleepy!”

“Me too.” Nesta and Emerie scrambled to each of their beds, tucking themselves in. Cassian couldn’t help but chuckle. “Remember, when the rooster wakes up, wake up. No exceptions.”

“But it’s always so early.”

“Which is why we all have to get as much sleep as we can.” Cassian replied as Emerie yawned. “See, told ya.” Cassian turned off all 3 of the lamps that were in the room. “Rest easy girls. We have a big day tomorrow.”

“We always have a big day tomorrow.” Nesta mumbled before drifting off to sleep. Cassian smiled and ruffled her hair. Cassian closed the door behind him and went into his own room to sleep.

----------------

At around 1 in the morning, Cassian felt his bedroom door open, though he didn’t stir. Whenever someone entered his room, he pretended to be asleep to get the element of surprise. However, a tiny lump hopped onto his bed and softly whispered, “I don’t think he’s awake.” Cassian recognized the voice as Gwyn. He also heard two pairs of little feet walking towards his bed. They jumped on top of him, as he tried not to move. “That’s good. I don’t want him to know we’re here.”

“Why? We’re not stealing are we?”

“No, of course not. I just...couldn’t sleep.” Nesta shyly replied as Cassian heard the girls agree with her. “Yeah, I can’t sleep without Cass. He helped me with my wounds.”

“He taught me how to fly.”

“He save me from the storm.” The girls laid down, two of them in front of Cassian while Emerie was hugging him from behind. “I just hope...he’s not like my dad.”

“Or mine.” Nesta replied to Emerie as she brushed her hand on his face lightly. Gwyn hugged Cassian tighter and whispered, “Please don’t leave Cass. We don’t want you to go.” At this moment, Cassian stopped pretending and hugged them all back. The girls yelped in surprise. “You’re awake?”

“Well it’s hard to sleep without three girls keeping you up at 1:00 in the morning.” The girls giggled a bit as Cassian smiled while opening his eyes. He saw all three of them smiling as well. “I’m not leaving. I promise.” he said, as Cassian and the 3 diablos slept soundlessly in his bed, waiting for the future to embrace them with it’s presence.

[wayneooverton]

8 tips for becoming a professional travel blogger

I’m running an exclusive sale this week with Travel Blog Success just for you guys – use promo code FALL35 and save 35% off all their memberships and courses and get an exclusive webinar with me

It’s been almost five years since I quit my job to follow my dreams traveling the world and becoming a full time professional travel blogger. Yes, it’s a thing.

Five years of crazy adventures, heaps of countries, learning new stuff, discovering things about myself, of ups and downs, highs and lows, successes and failures, it goes on and on. Though thankfully, I haven’t failed catastrophically at this whole blogging for a job thing. And let me just tell you, there were plenty of people who were hoping expecting me to fail.

Take that, I am not back home living in my parents attic working at Starbucks! Which to be frank, was a very strong possibility. The world has been saved from a potentially bitter barista full of failed dreams giving thin bitches who order skinny pumpkin spice lattes wholemilk out of pure spite.

But I digress.

In 2012 I had the dream of building my blog into some kind of empire to fund my travels. No, I didn’t want to enter the real world. No, I didn’t want a real job. No, I didn’t want to settle. No, I didn’t want to pay my student loans back. I just wanted to explore. And I figured out a way to make it a reality in a way that let’s me tell stories and be creative.

But what essentially started as very selfish travel goal has slowly evolved over the years into something so much more; I like to think anyways.

Nowadays, travel doesn’t mean as much to me as it used too. I don’t really care about ticking places off a list or all the must-dos, to be honest. Now I’m rather more interested in the experience, the journey, the learnings, than the location. My blog has become my outlet for inspiring other people to chase their dreams too. To look outside convention and not be afraid to dream big, whatever that entails. It’s become a place for me to be creative again and make something meaningful that lasts.

I think everyone has a story to share and should start a blog. For me, blogging is for everyone.

Whether that’s traveling for the first time or going somewhere new to learning a new skill to trying to fix and change the world, for me what started as a self-indulgent journal of my adventures has grown and evolved into something much bigger, perhaps even more self-indulgent and totally different. At least for me.

In 2014, about a year or so after I had been blogging full time, I wrote a post called So you want to be a professional travel blogger, which is still one of my most highly read pieces. In it, I share all my knowledge from years of blogging and open up about how I make a living online.

It’s something a lot of people are curious about. Without fail, when I tell someone I’m a pro travel blogger, 95% of them will immediately ask me how I make money. Man oh man, if they only knew. Literally it’s the same conversation. Depending on my mood, I often now just straight up lie and invent various boring career paths knowing that the conversation will end there. Accounting (hey, I do my accounts), publishing (obviously), project managing (sure), investment broker (ok, what?!).

Because when I do open up and share about my life and work, I can’t do it half-assed. I’m all in. Hold on for the ride.

It’s been a couple of years since I wrote in-depth about building a career as a professional travel blogger, but it’s something I think about all the time. While many of my tips and secrets stay the same over the years, like be consistent and don’t share shitty content, some of my other pointers have taken much longer for me to realize.

I’ve been really involved with the travel industry over the years, and have picked up quite a few tips along the way for going professional and “making it,” whatever that means. My tips for becoming a professional travel blogger aren’t hacks or shortcuts. I’m a big believe in doing the work that is required to build something that lasts, and I’ve seen people over and over again try to jump the gun only to disappear a year later.

Here are my 8 best tips for becoming a professional travel blogger. Enjoy!

Join Travel Blog Success this week and save 35% with my exclusive offer code FALL35

1. Have clear achievable goals

I think most blogs are sloppy. Hell, even I’m sloppy. For any of you who’ve met met me personally, you know I’m literally all over the place. I’m messy. I’ve been called a hurricane. I’m glad you can’t see my desk space as I write this.

Organized chaos guys.

That being said, I have always had relatively clear goals regarding my blog, and I slowly worked at ticking them off over the years, setting the bar higher and higher for myself as time goes by. A tumultuous overachiever if you will.

10 tips for starting a kickass travel blog

Whether that was hitting certain numbers of followers, or developing a channel like Instagram, to organizing a specific project, I’ve always sat down, clearly outlined what I wanted to achieve and figured out how to get there. Funny enough, money has never been part of my goals ever except to earn enough for rent and coffee and to pay my blog costs.

In fact, I’ve hit peak goals – I’ve got an email chain currently with NASA. Like, what?!

2. Find your tribe + join Travel Blog Success

I hate the word tribe; I can’t believe I just wrote that. Community. That’s what I meant. Find a community to help you on your journey.

Listen, I’m an introvert at heart. I hate people. I hate talking to people. I want to be left alone. Mostly. But even I, in my harsh and lonely cynicism, will admit that I would have never gotten where I am today without an amazing community of other travel bloggers who helped me over the years when I needed it and who didn’t bother me when I wanted solitude. I’m grateful.

In addition to my own travel media conference I launched last year in Australia (The Travel Bootcamp), I have only ever been a part of one blogging community – Travel Blog Success. I’ve been a member since 2012. Travel Blog Success is an amazing resource, consisting of two major online courses that teach you everything from how to start and build a blog to going pro with it, along with other courses to help you advance your online business.

Why join Travel Blog Success?

It’s the only really established travel blogging group started and filled with genuinely good people. It’s really open and everyone is really supportive asking questions and getting good answers. There is a secret Facebook group where everyone asks everything, creating good dialogue, and perks and job offers that often pop up. While I joined 5 years ago, I didn’t actually go through and do the courses then, which I wish I had because it would have saved me years of trial and error.

And I’m still learning new things. TBS just helped me last month about setting up new adshare opportunities here I would have never known otherwise. Most of the major travel bloggers are in and participate in the Facebook group; it’s the only group I participate in, and it’s been instrumental in my growth and success. It taught me everything I needed to know, introduced me to key people, and I ran with it.

Also this week I’m running my own exclusive sale with Travel Blog Success just for you guys to join if you’re looking to start a blog or go pro with your blog. It is so difficult to try and make it on your own. I’m offering an exclusive 35% discount on all their courses and memberships til Friday October 20th midnight EST – use PROMO CODE FALL35 at checkout. And you’ll also get access to an upcoming exclusive webinar with me where you can ask me anything (within reason).

3. Think outside the box

It is so easy to copy what other people doing, especially successful people, but that will only get you so far. There are hundreds of millions of blogs in existence today. If you want to be in it for the long haul, and be a serious professional travel blogger, you have got to stand out.

And you will never stand out if you do what every one else is doing. Obviously.

Figure out your point of difference and run with it. And it can’t be bird stuff or getting hate mail, that’s mine.

4. Diversify what you do

Would you believe me if I told you that my blog earns me into the six figures, something I never thought was possible. I went pro solely in the hopes I could pay for my travels, and now it’s gone so much further than I could have ever imagined.

If you think the only way to make money as a travel blogger is through advertising and affiliates, you’re not thinking outside the box. The ways I earn really vary, and I’m always trying new things. My work through my blog has been anything from location scouting New Zealand to hosting my own tours to launching my own events. But if I’ve learned one thing in this industry as a professional travel blogger, it’s that it’s really important to diversify both your content and your revenue streams.

Don’t just focus on one social media platform either. When I started this blog, all that matter was Facebook and Twitter. Quickly that changed to Instagram and who knows where we will be in another 5 years. I’ve made sure that I’ve built a strong solid presence both on different social media platforms but also running my own column on Stuff.co.nz, New Zealand’s biggest newspaper and writing, creating and consulting for others too.

Try new things, and don’t put all your eggs into one basket.

5. Tell a damn good story

It blows my mind that the stuff people are creating online these days are both simultaneously amazing and shit. Literally most of the blogs I see online are terrible. Even the really famous ones. Perhaps I’m being judgmental here, especially when I know for a fact there are a whole lot of people who hate my guts out there, but still. Why can’t everyone be like me?

Jokes, I jest I jest. Please don’t be like me. The world would implode.

What I’m trying to say is I would like to fight for the value of a truly good tale. Storytelling is incredibly important in digital media these days. We crave good stories and we don’t always get them.

If you can craft a good story, in any way you can, you will do well. And I don’t mean just being a good writer, I mean in terms of what you make. Whether that’s through photos, videos, art, words, whatever medium you want, storytelling is a powerful and important tool to have if you want to be a professional travel blogger.

And don’t get caught up on making it perfect. I think actually that shiny polished content doesn’t matter as much as a rock solid story. Look at Casey Neistat. His vlogs are intentionally a bit messy. He’s all over the place, you see him adjust exposure on his camera. It’s not refined at all. But he’s a great personality, a great storytelling and a damn good editor, that’s what matters more.

6. Hustle til it hurts

No one is going to hand you anything if you’re trying to be a professional travel blogger. You have to work for it. You’ll never stop working for it. It doesn’t get easier. You have to hustle to make shit happen, like with all things in life.

I can’t even begin to express just how difficult and hard this is. It’s stressful and exhausting but worth it.

I send out huge proposals almost daily. I am always on the phone with potential new clients. I chase up people I might want to work with. I make an effort to meet people face to face. I make people say no to me three times before I give up, and even then I don’t always. But I always try to do it in a nice, polite way, and I spend a long time building relationships with people before I pitch or ask for anything. Don’t be thirsty.

Hustle and don’t be afraid to go after what you want, but be genuine and don’t be a dick about it.

How to get paid to travel the world

7. Be memorable

Self-explanatory.

8. Mistakes and failures are lessons

Don’t be afraid to take risks or to fail. In all aspects of your life.

Success only comes after hardships and screw ups. But if you play it safe, and have a boring, average blog, it’ll be very hard to go professional nowadays. Dedicate a lot of time into coming up with creative things, projects and strategies that could launch your brand into going pro. And well, if oyu screw up on the way, no big deal. Everyone has the attention span of a toddler these days, and they’ll have forgotten it in a week and you’ll likely have learned something very valuable.

This is the most important thing I’ve learned with my blog, and it’s one of my greatest tips to give to people. This is a fucking hard industry to break into. But if you are willing to jump in feet first, be open minded about opportunities, be creative with your work and above all, be willing to take risks with what you do, you are setting yourself up for success.

Do you have a blog? Link below and I’ll add them to my list to read. Are you interested in becoming a professional travel blogger? What’s your dream job? Share!

Join Travel Blog Success this week and save 35% with my exclusive offer code FALL35 and access my free webinar

*This offer ends at 12am EST Saturday, Oct 21, 2017 or October 21st, 5pm New Zealand time. Webinar date and time TBA. 

The post 8 tips for becoming a professional travel blogger appeared first on Young Adventuress.

from Young Adventuress http://ift.tt/2yt2MGC

[twisted-petal]

To Those Who Thought I Died: I Did

This is going to be quite the lengthy one. I have no clue who is even on here, I have not checked, and I do not care; This is just going to be a massive vent post as I have no one to talk to, and the few who know half of this shit are either gone because of it, or I did not like their responses and I do not feel like dealing with more of it. Some of this will also be me trying to convince myself that I’m not as fucked up as I think I am, and that I truly did what I thought was best to avoid confrontation or whatever bullshit that happened.

“2016 was the worst year ever!!” Many people said this, and for me it’s still 2016. Too many thing have happened since the start of last year, up until now, that have completely shattered who I am was. All that work I put into finding myself, creating myself, and nearly coming to accept my existence. Here I am at ground level.

Most of this shit is my fault, and despite what some have told me, I believe I am to blame for every second of every incident - whether I understand it or not. I am supposed to take responsibility for my own problems as an adult, right?

At the start of last year I got incredibly sick from walking to and from work all winter. As much as I hate taking days off, I just could not function, and they barely had me working any days those three weeks, anyway. I took the bite out of my paycheck. Even though my savings from my previous job were meager, I knew I could take it fine enough (so long as there were no emergencies). This sicky tidbit comes into play later.

Around this time I was also (sort of) dating a co-worker - Corey… After spending more money than I am proud to admit to bake him cupcakes from scratch (I had no baking supplies, either) for Valentine’s Day, he tells me he spent the morning with an ex (who he caught getting plowed by her ex, in their home), and that he realized he still had feelings for her, so who would not come to see me. Gee. I wonder what happened. ¬__¬ Maybe it didn’t. Maybe it did. All I know is that I am too nice for my own good, and yes, he is going to be a major topic throughout this post; I accepted him back.

There was a side to him that truly glowed for me, a part of someone I adore, and a part that he (and many others) does not show anyone else. His passions, his past, his fears, and all sorts of dumb shit. Because of this, and the few times he would surprise me with thoughtful action, I endured far more than I should have. I will get into his sexual guilt, later. Maybe… Iunno, just done talking about him for now.

One of the nice things about him was that if I had a hard time walking home, all I needed to do was make him feel bad enough that I was hurting or that it was pouring rain and he would finally pick me up and take me home because he was worried. To avoid more about him…

Almost three years ago I injured myself at an old job and I was never able to the injury checked out or fixed. No Worker’s Comp as my store manager saw me as a liability since there were no cameras, and she believed I wasn’t following the rules; Ironically enough, this was the one day I was following the rules. Longer story short, as this is a post for 2016-present: I slipped on the stool I needed to reach the top of the trailer (solo truck unloader), twisting my ankle, banging my knee on a point of the metal accordion rollers on my way to the trailer floor, landing on the side of my foot, and twisting it a couple more times. I then continued unloading the truck, helped everyone get the U-Boats (weird carts) in their place, and finished my shift stocking what I was assigned. Then stocked my departments the next day. Aaaannnd just kept on working

At my last job, it was a three mile walk to and from, which I started in fall, along with moving in with a friend’s brother (more on that ordeal, later), and with my already bad knees hating the cold, I was now dealing with an ankle that absolutely despised the cold and gave me Hell. Walk to work, stand at the register, stock shelves, arrange inventory (Christmas trees, lights, various decor, plants, soil/mulch, cement bird baths/lawn statues, grills, mowers, lawn furniture/umbrellas, pots, etc.), run carry-outs/help load trucks and shit, cover other departments, push pallets, and other stuff I should have been doing on my ankle, then finally walk home to take care of my bunny boys, maybe eat some noodles while watching Game Grumps, then sleeeeeep.

It is not news to anyone that as known me for very long at all that I do not like to burden anyone; I do not like asking for/accepting help or complaining/making a fuss over things, nor do I like confrontation. I just deal with shit. I do as I’m told. I see to others’ comforts and needs before my own. I am too nice for my own good. Yet somehow, as I’m about to vent/rant/vrent (about), I got kicked out of where I was. I seriously have no clue why! He legit refused to explain. I asked. The entire time I was there he would not tell me a single fucking thing! Such as: late-night parties I would come home to at midnight, leaving town for 3-7 days where I just assumed the role of cat-sitter (nothing new there, and guess what, more on this in a bit), needing any help around the house or financially, letting me know he lost his job (saw unemployment letters while sorting the mail. I get it’s his business, but we live together and I’m there to help?), if I bothered him in any way, or, just… Anything.

Point being: I wouldn’t ask for a ride, and I would frequently turn offers down. When I had my early morning shifts my roommate offered me a couple rides since he was up early anyway, but after a ride or two I started to feel bad as he ended up needing to wake up earlier to take me. There were a few I accepted because they seemed too concerned to deny, and once or twice I called up my roommate due to some shady characters hanging around me after my shift (when I was scheduled late at night).

Honestly, I did what I could to just stay out of his hair… Cleaning the few dishes I used (generally ate noodle cups - more on this rant and more in a sec) immediately or the next day, didn’t mess with his stuff even though he gave me permission on most things, and avoided asking for assistance or favors or asked to borrow anything, and I tried offering things to help out like buying the washer and dryer I had living with an old boyfriend (so he didn’t have to drive to do his laundry and I didn’t have to walk as I felt bad for asking and he wasn’t offering - though a friend drove me to another town to use his…), and getting Food Stamps to help, as per his request.

Now… Originally I suggested we buy a cheap washer and dryer together, to which he would continuously ignore my messages until finally getting upset saying he didn’t want to, so I bought a set myself. I wasn’t about to haul a sack of laundry for a mile, use up a bunch of quarters, and hike it back every week or so, and I thought I was being helpful in offering to help pay, or even pay for it myself (which ended up happening) if he would just check them out with me. Apparently I did wrong? The only explaination I received was that he just didn’t want to, and that then he wouldn’t have an excuse to drive to his brother’s place to play games… Either way, I told him I was getting them and that he could use them if he wished.

As for the food… I kept him up-to-date on the status of my benefits (when I was getting them and how much), and told him if he wanted to get anything to let me know. Whether that be asking to pick things up from work or go on a shopping trip. The only thing that he ever said were complaints that he only ate ramen (which was far from the truth, and how he couldn’t afford food after I was lowering the amount he paid in rent by paying him is beyond me), but he would never ask, and I was tired of reminding him that I had my card and we could get food. … Correction: He asked me to buy supplies for him to make enchiladas for his fu-friend, but I didn’t get the message until my lunch break at 8pm, sooooo I was too late. My bad… Sorry? I would have… I told him I work ‘til midnight…

So for the most part I would eat cheap burgers at McDonald’s (woo! 10% discount! More than my own employers gave me…), ramen, noodle cups, and other microwave stuff here and there, and he seemed to make a lot of rice dishes so I hiked home with a 20# bag of rice and showed him where it was (he never used it). I was saving my benefits for when he finally took the initiative and offers to finally get food. Ended up getting my benefits cut because of this, which is the main reason I started eating more. Even though I felt horrible for eating at home because he never asked! He’s a big boy. I told him I had them and we could get food. I… Ugh! Repeat rant…

The cat… I miss him dearly… He just showed up one day. I exit my room one afternoon, housemate was gone, and there was a small, black kitten staring at me. He became my little buddy… Always greeting me when I got home and begging me to pick him up so he could rub his face on the bill of my hat efore clawing his way to sit on my shoulders. I played with him every day (freaken high energy thing!), and was training him to fetch and other small commands. I’m a dog person… ^^;

His owner neglected him… His (Ninja’s) bowl would be left empty all day… Brief explaination of the day-to-day: Housemate left for work about 4:30 am (I forget when he would get home, as I would usually be working, and he often wouldn’t get home until much later in the day), and I generally left work around 11am (whatever my shift, I was gone at least 12 hours from a full shift and walking). I checked his bowl every morning and night. Sometimes he would have a few bites left and sometimes it was empty. There were a few days where I was in a rush and didn’t have time to fill it. On these days where it was/near empty, I would get home and the bowl would be empty. He informed me early on that his plan was to keep it filled. I kept it filled.

Oh hey! Character limit! XD I’ve barely begun and only know to extend this by making multiple posts… Posting in reverse so hopefully it’s a more seamless read… If read.