#so i click on the source blog to scroll around a little

[lilybarthes]

*

[yonduismarrypoppins]

Kickback

Summary; “Was at a kickback playing spades. Didn't even know her, Jamaican with pretty eyes. She came over and asked if I would teach her how to play. I was like yeah she sat on my lap and next thing i know i was in a two year relationship. She still doesn't know how to play.”

Photos aren't mine, credit to the og owners

Warnings: mentions of alcohol but nobody's drinking, reader isn't necessarily Jamaican but imagine them however you want. Jack is down bad, as he should be. This is kinda self indulgent and I can't write endings, my apologies.

A/N: I was watching the ShxtsnGigs Podcast for inspo and the second I heard this tweet I had to write it.

Wrote this for @webinurcloset btw

I DO NOT GIVE ANYONE PERMISSION TO REPOST OR TRANSLATE AND REPOST, THIS IS MY WRITING

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR MEDIA CONSUMPTION, THIS IS AN 18+ BLOG MAKING THIS 18+ CONTENT. MOVE ON MINORS.

Druski had sent a text to Urban about a last minute party, only 15 people or so. Jack decided that hanging out with some friends wouldn't be too bad, especially after the release of his newest album. He put on a simple white tank top, jeans, his glasses, his ‘Private Garden’ ring and some white new balance sneakers.

He waited in the car for Urban to finish getting ready, looking through his phone in the driver's seat making sure he had the address. He then checked out Druskis' story to see if he knew anyone else there, he noticed the house. The perfect place for a chill party, he thought. He stopped at a clip of you laughing your ass off when someone's soda exploded. Clicking on the right side of his screen for what felt like the thousandth time in a row just to hear your laugh over and over again, ‘typa’ shit people write songs about’, he thought.

The passenger door suddenly opened and shut “Aight, lets go.” Jack quickly hit the power button on the side of his phone, shoving it in his pocket “Word”.

The drive was quick, only making one stop for gas and some candy.

Once they arrived Urban made a beeline for the living room in the form of a conversation pit. He watched as Urban carefully made his way down the ramp, dapping Druski up before sitting down. Jack took a second to admire the house and headed to the kitchen. He searched the fridge, pleasantly surprised at the lack of alcohol he grabbed a ‘Sprite’ and walked towards the two seater couch in the corner, surrounded by windows. Not much light came through due to the night sky but the stars were beautiful regardless. Once again he found himself on his phone, scrolling aimlessly before he was interrupted.

“Hey man” he looked up, finding the source of the voice to be Urban “We ‘finna play cards, want in?” “Sure” he stood. “What are we playing?” “Spades”.

As he made his way down the ramp he noticed you, isolated in the corner laughing in Druskis' general direction. He made his way in front of you, “Can I?” he pointed towards the seat next to you. You looked up at him and nodded with a smile, and pulled your blanket onto your lap. He maneuvered around the tables and sat down, placing his can in front of him. He turned to you and held out his hand, “I'm Jack, you?” you chuckled, “I know who you are, it's nice to meet you”. You shook his hand. “How are you liking the party so far?” “It's cool, this house is awesome. I thought you couldn't get conversation pits any more.” you smiled “you can't, I had to get it built after I bought the house”

Jack took a second to process your words “this is your place?” “yes” Jack turned his body towards you “damn, you got good taste” your smile still had not faltered “thank you”.

Your little bubble popped when an empty ‘Coke Can’ hit Jack's shoulder. “Hey, you still gon’ play?” Jack turned to face the table and leaned forward “Yea, deal me in” he turned back to you “you playin’? “I don't know how” he smiled slyly, “I'll teach you” you leaned forward and rested your head on his shoulder “ok”.

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

Two Years Later

You were sitting outside, cuddled with your favorite blanket talking to Druski, Urban and his girl, Sunny and Cozane when Jackman walked out of the back door. “I found the pickle chips!”

Everyone around the fire pit broke out in ‘horrays’ while you smiled. Jack made a beeline towards you, handing off the large green bag before sitting down and pulling you into his lap. He looked down at you with so much love, “You havin’ fun baby?”. You smiled up at him and responded “Yes” before leaning up to kiss him. After a solid 15 seconds there was a chorus of gags and other expressions of disgust that made you both giggle before separating and facing the other people around the fire. “Oh shut up y'all are cute” Urbans girl said, she was always sweet to you even though you'd only known each other for a few months when she started dating Urban.

“Aight’ enough of this, who wants to play spades?” Druski said, pulling a deck of cards out of his pants pocket. “How are we gonna play spades around a fire?” Sunny said quizzically. “I don't know, yall are ruining the vibe, y/n play with me right quick” “I cant play spades” you said, everyone looked at you, Jack looked down at you and said “I thought i taught you the night we met?” Your smile brightened tenfold, “you tried to but I honestly wasn't paying attention.” You’ll tell him the reason another day, deciding that a spontaneous ego boost might not be what this moment needs. Jack smiled and laughed along with everyone else in the yard.

In that moment Jack thought about how glad he was to have sat next to you that night and to be sitting next to you now, he also reminded himself to actually teach you how to play cards.

I wrote something I'm kinda proud of, what!!??!?!? In other news, would yall be ok if I wrote for marvel and obx? I'm hyperfixating rn and i need an excuse to get m ideas out, i might have you guys vote on what I should write next 😏

Also if you want to be on my Taglist tell me pls.

Taglist

@floriidakilos

@zendayassimp

[alpaca-clouds]

How to Research Pt. 1 - Google-Fu

Alright. I have decided to make a little tutorial in how to use different ways to access information, especially scientific information. The reason for this is, that... Well, research has found that a lot of Gen Z and especially Gen Alpha struggle with doing online research, mostly due to being so used to use the internet via Apps. And having had to do a research project at university, where my fellow students massively struggled to find anything on the requested topic.

So... Let me start with the most obvious topic: Google.

Funnily enough I gotta say, that even a lot of my fellow Millenials struggle with google. Mind you, Google has become a lot less user-friendly over the years. Ten years ago it was a lot easier to google stuff, because Google pushed less advertisement.

It should be said, that these techniques also work with most non-google search engines. So, let me go through it.

How to Google

For reasons the question I will use to demonstrate this entire thing will be: "How many biological sexes are there?" Just because I had to show research on this in online discussions too often. (Me, that is, as an intersex individuum.)

The most intuitive way would probably be to directly ask google.

Now, on the first glance the results of this search do not look that bad.

Again, I am intersex. I am definitely not a male or female based on my biology. And obviously, as such I have read quite a bit on the topic before.

Now. One of the things you need to do, when doing research, is to be able to judge a source.

Scientific American is somewhat reliable as a starting point, but it is popscience, hence you should definitely not cite it if there is any other way.

The NIH is usually a reliable source. But, if you just look into the preview text (or read the abstract on the side) you will find, that the scientist completely just mixes through sex, gender and sexuality. Which... might not make for the best source.

The next one - from the Arizona State University - also is a bit too much on the gender part, and too little on the sex part. And if you look at the preview, you will also find something else there: Google has marked "gender" as an "exact result" by using bold fonts.

And lastly we have a result that is the private blog of some economics guy. Which... might not be a good source for this.

And if you scroll just a bit further down, you will find openly trans- and interphobic sites like Women UK and Emma.

This is the point where you should realize two things:

Maybe we should change the search

You really gotta be careful with what pages get brought up, when you use your google-fu.

See, here is the thing. Why in the nine hells is the 4th (!!!) result of the search some private blog of some dude? I can tell you: Google is basing the results partly on the SEO of the pages. And it just turns out that some economics blokes are actually really good at SEO stuff. That is search engine optimization.

Other than that, Google also basing stuff on traffic and how many people clicked at what link and probably some other stuff that us normal mortals will never understand.

So, how can you change the results? Well, you use the tools that google gives you.

Using " around a group of words or a single word tells google, that you want this exact group of words in the result and no variation of it.

Using - in front of a word or a group of words marked with " before means that you want to exclude these results.

And using * somewhere means, that a word can end differently and you will still accept it.

So, what have we learned from the other results before? Well, for one: We should definitely tell google, that we want to know about biological sex, not about gender. So we should probably mark "biologial sex" as an exact group. It probably would help also to include something like "intersex" because that way we give google something to go off on. Lastly: A lot of supposedly "feminist" sites will actually push their TERFy agenda. So, to exclude them, I will tag this search also as -"women's rights". And because I am not interested in someone's blog, I will also use -blog.

Hence we get the search term:

And look at the results I am getting:

Now, this might not be perfect - but it is much more like what I was looking for, right?

So, that is a quick primer on how to google-fu.

Tomorrow I am gonna talk a bit about Wikipedia.

[thaddeusthawne]

Thank You

Snowells Week 2023: Day 7: Year 7 (Snowells Appreciation Day)

So this is going to be a little different from the other days I will post for this week. I still have more to post but I’ve been a bit delayed due to personal reasons but they will be put out soon! That being said, I wanted to say thank you to everyone in this fandom.

In different ways you guys have inspired me to start creating things that most fandoms haven’t. Maybe it’s because most fandoms are so big and intimidating to join but for me, the snowells fandom has always been this safe place to interact with. Whether it’s everyone’s collective excitement over snowells related scenes or funny joke posts this fandom felt easy to enjoy and participate in.

Funny enough I didn’t start shipping snowells until I ran into my first fanfic for this ship. I knew about it because I had followed some snowells peeps on my old blog (deleted it and recreated a new main & this side blog) but I never really understood the fascination for it. However one night I remember just scrolling on tumblr and accidentally clicking on the wrong ao3 link. For the life of me I can’t remember what fic it was but that’s only because I ended up reading pretty much everything that I could find. This was around the time that the beginning of season 2 was airing if that helps give an idea of what I walking into in terms of the fandom content. I stayed up that night just reading, clicking on fics randomly. I finally understood. And then a short time later Harry saved Caitlin from Grodd and then in the next episode she saved him from a bullet.

I was hooked and excited at the possibility on them getting together and started to silently enjoy them. I looked forward to every possible scene and over the years I kept thinking “Maybe it might finally happen!”. It never did of course but it did give me a lot of ideas.

Then in 2019 I finally found the courage to make my own stuff. It was nerve-racking but I had seen other people’s works and ideas met with so much positivity that I felt brave enough to try. Then I started to post some things and I was like “They’re reblogging it? And liking it? And leaving comments in the tags? 😳🥹🥰”. It meant a lot to me back then and it still means so much to me now. While I still have moments of self doubt, I look back on where I started and how far I’ve come. I honestly don’t think I would have been able to do that in any other fandom.

This community allowed me a space to grow as a writer/creator. I still have room to grow, but being able to participate and get even a few comments really helped build up my confidence and motivated me to learn to improve my skills. I went from writing maybe a few paragraphs to starting to flesh things out way more and planning out more extensive stories. Even though the show is over, I still plan to keep writing for this ship. I’m going to miss this show and these characters but I am hopeful that this fandom will still stay a source of comfort for me and anyone else who might feel the same way.

And while this ship may not have sailed, it was still fun to party on the boat.

[alharringtonfan]

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you – the greatest invention since flip flops and sliced bread... The Cesark desktop buddy.

For those unaware, Shimejis are little mascot thingys that walk around your desktop (as the name implies). They walk, sit, climb walls, hang from the top of walls, and multiply. A WHOLE LOT. Be careful not to let them grow in numbers too much. First, they take over your memory, then, your entire computer. Next thing you know... they're ruling the world.

Unfortunately, these only work on computers. Windows specifically (sorry Mac/Linux users). All you need to do is extract the file, make sure to have the latest version of Java installed, click on Shimeji-ee.exe OR the executable Jar file; and there you go! Cute little rascals that will stick by you through all of the lonely nights spent scrolling down the alharringtonfan tumblr blog *wink wink*

For any doubts, make sure to open the "readme" text file and watch the videos linked on it. The developer of Shimeji – Kilkakon – is still active and kickin' so if you could subscribe to his channel or support him in any other way it'd be very much appreciated. Shimeji-ee is an open source project, and very easily personalized, so if you want to make your own, look up for tutorials online or watch the aforementioned videos. It's incredibly easy... only a little time-consuming.

Link

New Cesark shimeji hanging out with Old Cesark shimeji. Glow up yes or yes?

[sonofshermy]

Me and my fog of ideas, part ad inifinitum Attempting to source/attribute/identify original creators of images or even the subject of an image is an often futile task on this here internet... image search engines routinely fail and it's never been a requirement on social media of whatever stripe to put a name and an origin to an image... it's mostly done out of courtesy, if at all. People can refer to themselves as 'curators' and entirely fail to provide archival sources or even give credit to the original creator of the image or the subject. Some even have a finders keepers mentality. The image becomes 'theirs' because they 'found it'. If we truly do live in a post-truth world then all that works out in a sort of way, I guess, but from my own experience it's also like a 'why bother?' approach, a lot of effort is required and maybe we live in a 'post-effort' world, engaging with something, researching, none of that matters if your priority is getting likes or saving time or just revelling in the 'joy' of posting shit, I get it, I'm as guilty as anyone of that to some degree or other And the other question is 'does any of this really matter?'

The glorious thrill of scrolling and clicking and posting and liking and reblogging is, let's face it, such a heady experience we don't even think about it while we do it which makes us in a sense unaccountable for the oopsies we accidentally drop as we zoom around forcing our personalities and opinions on the rest of these suckers... we're all just goofy for thrills and, yes, spills And in the context of whatever point it is I'm trying to make here, the net results is creators fail to get their due, fail to be identified, fail to be appreciated for the other shit they've done, are overlooked, forgotten, invisible. Ultimately their digital traces of creativity become fodder for AI to facsimilate (is that a word?), replicate and discard. AI seems like that nanobot nightmare from a few years back, a tiny warrior horde gobbling up the world and shitting out grey sticky sludge (if left to rampage unchecked).

I personally think it matters that we know who took time to make that image, whether it's FINE ART (those words carved into the living rock) or a faded near forgotten throwaway design job/snapshot

Fine Art practice deigns that honour for quite a few of it's most celebrated daubers but commercial art not so much, that's been the case since before the internet, before the printing press maybe, even... and found images are by their very nature more often than not anonymous, that's part of their appeal, part of their mystery and romance

So what point am I making here? I guess Google Image Seach fucking sucks but maybe we all need to just try a little more? Or not, I'm not the boss of you, but the unintended consequences seem kind of bleak because identifying a creator doesn't just celebrate the genius but it allows for so much else, it provides a way in for anyone interested to seek out and gain greater appreciation/knowledge rather than a closed door/dead end.

This post is not aimed at any individual at all and if you do not tag or attribute and I follow your blog I am not looking at it quietly seething or holding a grudge. It comes more out of just how poor the internet is at providing a means to source/identify an image and I have no solution, I'm just boring on. I probably need to leave the house and walk around a bit. That's the usual advice in these situations.

Stay lucky!

[wutaijiemei]

trying to search my blog and having to click on a random tag until i find a post from around the time i think the one im looking for was made then open the notes and click on a rb from me (it would not let me just click on my own post from the search. too simple) then click through the source (me) to get to the state of my blog at time of the original post at which point i could scroll and find the post i was actually looking for which you would think would take forever and not at all be worth the trouble but im so used to this site not working at all that the whole process actually only took maybe 15 seconds start to finish and the whole time i am just picturing the little puzzle feeders my roommate has to use for her lab bc otherwise she eats her food too fast so she's like it's for her own good to avoid convenience and exercise her brain.

[getbockets]

Blog #4: Tracking Social Media Use

Blog #4: Tracking Social Media Use 

I went through a normal day of my life. I didn’t purposefully manage any time throughout this day so that I wasn’t swayed by this project. I usually use the same social media throughout my day, and because I have a busy day most of the time, I wouldn’t have much use of social media as if I did on a free day. My most free day of the week is Monday, so I took the data from Monday and used it for this assignment. This is what I found. 

Instagram was the least used social media that I used the least at around 45 minutes of my day. I rarely use this kind of social media anymore. I will pop on here and there just to see more about sports rather than the people that I follow on the app. I mostly looked on the Instagram stories to just check a couple. I usually click through them quickly and don’t look at them unless I see something interesting. Usually if something happens, I will go on there to look, but if not, I rarely get on. There was a football game on that day, and I wanted to see all the funny memes that people made about the game. Depending on what I see on here is how I feel about being on it. If I am looking at hobbies of mine, I enjoy it, but if my favorite team just lost and it is all over my timeline, I'm not so happy. 

Snapchat was the second least used social media. I spent almost an hour on this app. I used this social media a lot through high school but as I got older, there was little to no reason to spend on it. The main reason I get on this is to look at stories. I see what my friends are up to, and I usually don’t post anything, but some people post a lot, so I find myself getting on quite often, just not for long periods of time. I just feel excited that I can keep up with some old friends on there, but it mostly is boring. 

The third most used social media that I have used is Twitter. In my opinion twitter is so funny. I spent at least 2 ½ hours on this app. This app brings me mostly joy because of some of the hilarious things that I see on there. Twitter is probably the social media app that I enjoy the most because of the good content on there. I also will log onto Twitter if something serious happens to see if it is trending, so it acts as a sort of news source as well. 

The second most used app for the day was TikTok. The rumors of TikTok being an endless and mindless scrolling fest is true. I will mostly use this app if I am bored and no other reason. You cannot tell how long you’ve been there. It is so easy to just keep scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling, until you feel like you’ve been on there too long. I spent a good 3 hours on TikTok. I ignored my homework, but not intentionally, I just got too comfortable and opened the app. I usually feel like a zombie just mindlessly scrolling through until I find something that is interesting or super funny. This is an app that feels like a black hole, and it is impossible to escape. 

The social media that I used the most was YouTube. YouTube is on all the time, even when I am not paying attention, it is background noise. I logged almost 7 hours of YouTube in one day. When I sit down to eat, something always must be on YouTube, and even when I am going to bed. I have so many things and series that I watch on YouTube. I don’t find the amount of time being alarming just for the simple fact that it was mostly just background noise during my 4-hour nap on Monday, but it is interesting to see how much it is in my life. 

Doing an assignment like this really puts into perspective how much social media you use a day. I learned that I seem to have tendencies to do things just because I am bored, or even by habit. If there is a split second of quiet or free time, the first thing that I seem to do is open my phone and open a social media app and keep refreshing until it can’t anymore. I could say that I will try to cut down on social media, but we all know that it's probably not going to happen. 

[greensleeves888]

Widow's Pique- Chapter 30

Overview: Penny is a 41 year old mother of one, existing day to day in the normal world until a chance encounter changes everything, for everyone.

Author’s Notes: Hey Tumblrs! So this is my first ever story (not counting the shit I created at school). So be easy on me! I apologise for any typos, and for my misunderstanding of basic punctuation. This story has a little bit of Yours Truly woven into it. It’s a slow burn, full of angst, inner monologues, and insecurities but promises a happy ending of sorts! Using just my imagination and countless hours “researching” Mr. Cavill, I hope I can portray a different side to this fascinating man. Please indulge me …

Pairing: Henry Cavill x Plus Size/Curvy OFC (Penny) Chapter: 30 of ?

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: Angst. Pregnancy. Sex.

Disclaimers: This is all fiction baby!

Over 18’s only. No permission is given for reposting my work, copying it or parts of the source material, and claiming it as your own.

MASTERLIST

Big kisses in advance for your Re-blogs, Comments, and Likes - they mean SO much to me xxx

There is a Spotify playlist that accompanies this story - to listen click here

Penny grabbed so tightly onto Henry's hand that he snapped his head towards her, mouthing the words 'Are you ok?' as they walked up the steps to the school playground. She felt like a cowboy entering a swing door saloon in a Western. So many pairs of eyes watching them. Shocked by Henry's presence and Penny's unhidden stomach.

Amidst the hushed atmosphere, small pre-schoolers whizzed around on their scooters, tugged on their mothers leggings and fussed in their push chairs as the mostly female crowd studied the pair as they walked towards the back of the school.

Julia trotted over, in impractically high heels to dramatically display her friendship with Penny.

"Henry, this is Julia, Jules - Henry."

Her theatrics increased as she air-kissed both of Henry's cheeks "So nice to finally meet you Henry, my goodness you're even bigger than I'd remembered" as she held her beautifully manicured hand against his chest and giggled.

Penny snorted quietly as a few more mums sidled up to introduce themselves.

Before long, several selfies had been taken and Henry had thoroughly charmed the school mums with his witty banter and public displays of affection with Penny. Her light grey shirred summer dress clung to her ample chest and flowed over her bump. The empire waistline making her pregnancy unmistakeable now. Most had just stared, but on seeing Henry proudly holding her tummy and rubbing it casually as he chatted, Penny began to receive several congratulations and smiles.

As the children flowed out, the noise level returned and Henry had another wave of selfie requests from Mums feeling braver now that they could use their children as an excuse to get close to the actor.

Ben's class was one of the last to be dismissed. In true 8 year old fashion he barrelled up to Penny with his book bag, water bottle and lunch bag before realising Henry was there.

Ben sprung up into his arms, gripping Henry with all of his might. "Missed you Bud," Henry whispered as Ben continued to cling to him.

"Daddy Henry, you came back!" he squealed, his eyes shut and his grubby hands gripping the back of Henry's t-shirt.

"I always come back buddy, never forget that."

It was Henry's turn to grip Penny's hand tightly as they sat in the warm darkness of the ultrasound room. Pre-warmed gel was squirted onto Penny's tummy as the doctor fiddled and scrolled with one hand and lifted and twisted the wand in the other, pushing hard against Penny's firm stomach.

"Does that hurt honey?" Henry asked, hoping it would make the consultant press more lightly.

"It's fine Hen, just relax."

The fast swooshing of the baby's heartbeat filled the room as tears flowed down Henry's cheeks. When the screen showed the head and then quickly the legs as the baby wriggled inside. Henry let out a strange noise. Penny turned to see his ugly crying face again, she couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh, Hen, makes it seem so much more real doesn't it?" as she squeezed harder on his hand as he smiled, unable to speak.

"So, are we wanting to know the gender?" The doctor asked, looking over the top of his glasses. Both Henry and Penny nodded anxiously as the doctor flicked the wand and repositioned the view.

"If you take a look here, baby is clearly showing us that she is a little girl, lovely," he smiled at them both as Penny shuddered with happy tears.

"My girls." Henry managed as he rubbed Penny's forearm. Desperately trying to hold back his own tears without success.

After Penny was wiped, sat up and sorted out, the Consultant ran through the options for the labour and delivery. Henry asked so many questions, Penny was impressed with his level of understanding and his sweet protective manner over her wellbeing. She still wasn't convinced that she needed to be in London for the delivery, but didn't want to have that argument in front of the doctor.

On leaving the hospital they were both anxious about being papped, so opted for separate cars. Henry didn't want to risk stressing Penny out with any attention from the press, despite wanting to shout his excitement from the rooftops. The cars met up again outside Henry's parents house, Henry waiting to help Penny out, like the gentleman he always was.

Marianne had become very protective over Penny since her spell in hospital, fussing over her more than she ever did her boys. Penny's fears over Henry's family disapproving of their surprise addition were completely unfounded and their excitement at the new arrival was palpable.

"Oh Penny, just look at you." Marianne swept towards Penny, embracing the sides of her stomach, then pulling her in for one of her trademark hugs.

Colin slapped Henry on the back in a proud and congratulatory manner, ushering him into the kitchen after the ladies.

Before she knew it, Penny was sat down in the window seat being shown pictures of Henry as a baby. His eyes were unmistakeable even then.

"Oh my goodness, he was adorable Marianne, such a chubby little thing too!"

"Ha, yes, he was like a little sumo wrestler with all those little rolls. He was 10lb 6oz too! Good job he wasn't my first or I wouldn't have tried again." Marianne instantly regretted her words and placed a hand on Penny's knee. "I'm sure this little one won't be that big my dear."

Penny sat back, gripping her belly and looking down. "I don't know Marianne, they're measuring big, and I feel a lot bigger than I did with Ben.

At that point Henry and Colin entered the room with tea and biscuits.

"Mum, really?! Not the baby album." he cringed, kissing Penny on the top of her head as he sat down next to her.

"His brothers nicknamed him Jabba, you can see why now can't you?!" Colin joked as Henry closed up the album whilst giving his own father the stink eye.

Henry leaned into Penny's stomach, cupping his hands together.

"Don't listen to Pops little one, he's getting sarcastic in his old age. Your big brother is going to be nothing but nice to you."

Penny blushed at Henry's soppiness in front of his parents. Marianne gazed happily at them both. Penny felt a little uncomfortable with the attention.

The conversation changed towards their earlier consultants appointment. Penny decided to broach the subject of not having the baby in London.

"It's not that I don't like the hospital Henry, it's just that it's so far from home and they're not worried about anything. In fact recently I've been considering a home birth."

"No." Henry abruptly stated. "Out of the question."

"Henry!" Marianne reproached. "There's nothing wrong with home-birthing. I had Charlie at home and it was perfectly safe. Alex was a home birth, and Poppy too!"

Penny was shocked by Henry's attitude and her emotions quickly bubbled up. She breathed deeply to try and quell her tears. She swallowed and continued. "I'm just considering it at the moment, but as I'm the one who has to squeeze a person out of me I think I get to choose where and how."

Henry cringed at his reaction. "I'm sorry Pen. I, just want you and the baby to be safe."

"Well that's my preference too honey. Remember, I've done this before ok?"

Colin squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, not wanting to get involved in any arguments.

"More tea?" he offered, changing the subject.

Driving back home they were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Henry didn't like it when plans were changed, he felt uneasy and a little panicked thinking his daughter could be born without a doctor nearby.

Penny was still smarting from Henry's bolshy attitude earlier, she hated being treated like she didn't know her own mind.

Henry knew he'd upset her, but he also thought she was being a little naive and selfish perhaps. Not that he would dare say that to her. His brothers were right when they'd warned him not to cross a pregnant woman, Penny certainly was quick to snap back at him lately. He actually found it quite endearing, in fact everything she did lately made his heart melt. Her little waddle, her many cushions in the bed, putting on her shoes, even getting in the car. Seeing her carrying their baby was truly fascinating to him and made him feel so unbelievably proud and protective of her.

He reach over and placed his hand on her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I love you Penny Green, do you know that?"

Penny smiled, turning to look at him as he kept his eyes on the road ahead. A warm smile on his handsome face.

She gripped his hand, then ran it up along his shirt sleeve to his shoulder as he grabbed her hand again he brought it to his lips and kissed it.

Penny was 28 weeks pregnant now and feeling it. She knew that being an older mum would be hard work, but some days all she wanted to do was float in the tub. Henry was ridiculously attentive though, to the point where she was pretty sure he would bathe, dress and feed her if she let him.

She looked at her crinkled fingertips and decided she needed to leave the bath, heaving herself forward as her aching bones protested. On cue, Henry appeared, grasping her under her arms and taking her weight as she climbed out, embarrassed that she was becoming so reliant on his help already.

"Thanks Hen, it's ok though, I can still get out of the bath honey." she smiled.

"I know Pen, I was just here so thought I'd lend a hand", he was aware that he was fussing too much and worried that he was driving her nuts in doing so.

"Did you decide what you are going to wear yet honey?" He asked tentatively.

It seemed that every day there was a new delivery of something or other baby or pregnancy related. Henry seemed hell bent on buying every gadget, gismo and toy for their little girl, as well as cute outfits for Penny. Henry was living out his fantasy as Penny indulged his love of seeing her dress up for him. He couldn't get enough of her new sexy shape and her growing bump. She suspected her tiredness was in part due to Henry's increased libido, which was pretty healthy beforehand. Not that she was complaining, the constant adoration and manhandling was doing wonders for Penny's confidence. She hadn't even needed much persuading to have a photoshoot with one of Henry's favourite photographers.

Penny chose a cute button front emerald green dress with a scoop neck, high waistline and delicate puffed sleeves. She also let him chose two more outfits for her. Knowing how much enjoyment he was getting from it.

She finished her makeup and carefully pulled the dress over her head. The fabric was thin, stretchy and beautifully soft. She moaned quietly at the sensation as she smoothed and pulled the dress into the right position. Even she couldn't stop brushing her hands over her large stomach, feeling especially sensitive lately.

With a final fluff of her curls she headed downstairs to join Henry, the photographer and his assistant. Henry stopped mid sentence as he spotted Penny on the stairs. Neil and Abby followed his gaze as they all watched Penny gracefully but carefully descend the last two steps.

"And here she is, Neil, Abby. This is my Penny"

Penny felt flushed with the attention, but mostly Henry's intense, loving but licentious stare. He even licked his lips, making Penny shudder slightly with excitement. She hoped the shoot wouldn't take too long, she desperately needed to be alone with him.

At first Penny felt a little self conscious posing for photos around the house and garden. Henry of course was a natural, loving the intimate poses, knowing how great the shots would look already. Nick was a real sweetheart, so generous with his praise and flattery that by the end of the shoot Penny almost felt like a model.

"Oh Penny, you are just gonna love these shots. Those last ones against the door - mmm - just divine."

"Thanks Nick, I'm glad you got some you're happy with." she added as Henry kissed the side of her head for the hundredth time that day.

By the time the equipment was packed away and farewells were said Penny flopped down on the sofa to rest her aching feet. Henry was quick to offer a foot rub as he grinned up at her.

"What?" she asked, wondering what was so funny.

"Can't a man just enjoy rubbing his wife's feet my love?"

"Not as much as you seem to be Mr Cavill. Plus, I'm not your wife yet, merely your fiancee."

Henry detected an undertone to her statement.

"There is nothing mere about being my betrothed young lady." He ran his warm hand slowly up her calf muscle, to behind her thigh under her dress, finishing at her large, soft behind. He crawled up towards her carefully, slowly kissing her thigh, her stomach, her arms, her neck and then her lips.

Penny ran her fingers through his growing curls, thickened but still soft with product. She began unbuttoning his shirt. He watched her fingers then looked up at her with quizzical eyebrows.

"Frisky again Mrs Green? You will be the death of me." he growled as he knelt up to undo his jeans and Penny sat up to continue with his shirt. Henry helped her to stand as he deftly pulled her dress up over her head and her knickers down. Carefully allowing her to get her balance as she stepped out of them. He remained crouched below her, looking up at her beautiful round stomach. As much as he couldn't wait to meet their daughter he would miss her like this, and wondered if she would consider more children after.

"You." he spoke between kisses "Are. The. Most. Sexiest. Woman. I. Have. Ever. Met."

Penny was already super aroused. His words, his kisses, his warm breath on her skin sent shockwaves of delight through her. She'd removed her bra and played with her nipples as Henry swept two fingers through her folds and lewdly licked his fingers clean. She pulled him up and kissed him so fiercely he almost lost his balance. Her nails clawed at his back. Her large firm stomach pushed against his newly softened one. Henry's hands slid all over her, grabbing at her, squeezing at her. He found her breasts again and sucked her swollen nipples into his hungry mouth, his tongue swirling as she moaned in exquisite pleasure.

"Hen, I need you, inside me, now."

He chuckled, loving her desperation "Oh my beautiful girl, does someone want Daddy's cock inside them?"

Penny was too far gone to chuckle at his words, she was ready to beg if he asked.

"Please, yes, please Daddy, I need your cock. I need it now. Fuck me, fuck me hard."

Henry's dick twitched at her words. He grabbed her by the waist and spun her around.

"Lean forward, kneel on the sofa." he ordered. "'kay?" he quickly checked to make sure she was comfy. Again Henry ran his fingers through Penny's sex, using her wetness to smear over his steel hard dick. This position had proved very successful for them recently now that Penny was too big for some of their other favourite positions.

"Henry, now!" Penny shouted as Henry smirked at her bossiness.

"Yes my princess. Uh. Take. Daddy's cock. In your. Uh. Tight. Little. Pussy"

Penny loved his dirty talk, each time she pushed him to say filthier things to her. He treated her so gently at every other time she craved the contrast when they were intimate. To hear such a polite, charming man say such dirty, erotic words was such a turn on for Penny.

The sound of his hips slapping against Penny's backside filled the house. she shouted for him to go harder and faster. Henry worried he might hurt her but also desperately wanted to satisfy. Not wanting to upset Penny, he upped his pace and energy.

"Fuck, Hen, so, fucking, good. I'm so close, so, so close…, please"

Henry's nostrils flared as sweat poured down his reddened face. Concentrating so hard not to disappoint her and come first.

Penny braced herself against the back of the sofa, head down, watching everything jolt with Henry's vigour.

Neither of them spoke as they both concentrated on Penny's climax. Henry bit deep into his bottom lip as he readjusted his grip of Penny's hips.

She roared as the ecstasy washed over her, Henry gratefully joining her in his release. Relieved that he managed to hold out. They slowly rocked together, as the electric pulses ebbed away and they became aware of their surroundings again.

"Thank you honey, I - I really needed that." Penny whispered shyly.

Henry kissed her back as his warm hands found their way to her stomach, rubbing it gently as he caught his breath.

"Lets get cleaned up and I'll make us some lunch mama" Henry gathered up their clothing and offered his hand to lead a pink faced Penny upstairs.

Tiredness washed over her as Henry clipped up her hair and turned on the shower. Guiding her again, he held the shower head and ran the soothing warm water over her body before doing the same himself. Penny's blinks became slower and slower as Henry washed her. Wanting to savour every moment, but knowing how tired she was, he had to be quick.

Once showered he sat her down and dried her off. Her eyes were completely closed now, she was totally at his will as he gently rubbed her soft skin. After quickly drying himself he picked her up and placed her on top of the covers, making sure he propped her onto her side with her many pillows. He stood for several moments watching her sleep, committing this moment to memory. Consumed by such a powerful feeling of love and contentment. Knowing he would do absolutely anything for the woman sleeping before him.

An hour later Henry sat on the armchair, thinking back to their earlier fun, but also Penny's words about 'merely being his fiancee'. He was desperate to call her his wife, he tried to imagine their wedding, the potential intrusion from the press, the reaction of his fans. He just couldn't risk upsetting Penny by even discussing it at the moment. He daydreamed about seeing her walk down the aisle, flowers in her hair, freckles on her nose… a creak from upstairs woke him from his musings.

Penny tried on her new striped jersey dress and was surprised at how well it fitted, sure her arse looked huge, her tummy was huge and her boobs, well, they were ridiculous, but sod it, she was pregnant and there was no disguising it now so she might as well embrace it! A small voice at the back of her head whispered, you sure about this hun? Before an even louder one told it to fuck off.

Downstairs she found a puppy eyed Henry, retrieving lunch from the fridge.

"My word Penelope, you are spoiling me today." he growled as her reached for her waist.

"This? It's just something casual for the school run Hen!"

"Hmm.." he pondered, spinning her around for inspection.

"What, is it too clingy?"

"It certainly fits where it touches Pen, that's why I like it so much." he began kissing her neck as his hands roamed her backside.

"Mr. Cavill, that's enough of that! You have a hungry pregnant woman before you, it's practically an emergency." she quipped as she wiggled towards the dining table.

Penny smirked at the Mrs Cavill mug that Henry always liked to use for her. Holding it up to toast her handsome chef as he glugged from his sports bottle. Henry paused and almost made a Mrs Cavill comment, but thought better of it. Penny noticed his apprehension.

"What is it Cavill, fess up. I can tell when you want to say something."

"What? I'm just having a drink."

"Fine, don't tell me then." she half joked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"It's, it's." shit - he thought, why am I even saying anything? "I was thinking about what you said earlier, about 'merely' being my fiancee. You know I'd marry you tomorrow if I could Pen."

Penny continued to side eye him, wondering what he wasn't saying.

Henry continued under Penny's intense glare. "I know that you didn't want to have a child out of wedlock, and weddings are complicated, and hard to keep under wraps from the press. The last thing I want is to cause you any additional stress at the moment, my love."

"What are you saying Henry?"

"Nothing really, I seem just to have random words coming from my mouth at the moment without making much sense. I, I, just want you to be my wife. I want you to feel secure and safe and, and proper. Shit, I shouldn't have said anything."

"Henry, are you trying to say that you want to get married before the baby arrives?" Penny sat back in her seat, subconsciously rubbing her stomach.

"No, honey, it's a terrible idea, not enough time, too much stress. We need to focus on little legs arrival. I shouldn't have said anything, I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry, I want this too Hen. But there's no way we can find a venue, a dress, organise the reception in such a short space of time. I don't want to be going into labour and getting married on the same day hun."

"I don't care about the party, or the venue. I just want to be your husband. If you really want this too Pen, I can make it happen - you wouldn't need to lift a finger - unless you wanted to of course. I just don't want to stress you out honey."

Penny blew out her deep breath, "Ok, let's do it."

"Really? You really want to Pen?" Henry stood up, his hands reaching behind his head in excitement.

"Definitely, as long as you don't mind me waddling down the aisle looking like a marshmallow."

"Come here." Henry beckoned as he walked around the table to her. "Let's go get ourselves hitched Mrs Green."

Authors Comments It seems every time I post a chapter I have to apologise - this time has been the longest gap between chapters - for which I am so sorry. My life has been very chaotic, with far too many distractions. I do hope you enjoyed reading about this goofy pair again as they prepare for parenthood as a couple. Thank you all for your patience xxx

Read Chapter 31 Here

[viking-raider]

Seals of the Lost - Chapter I

Summary: You and Henry cross paths, and the truth behind the disc Henry has is revealed.

Pairing: Henry Cavill/Reader

Word Count: 8,080

Warning: PG - RPF, Language, Magic, Stalking, Deception, Death, Light Bullying

Inspiration: This comes from several sources. XD

Author's Note: Thanks to @wondersofdreaming for her wonderous Beta skills and helping me world build and world out my idea for this story!

Tag List Blog: @viking-raider-taglist

After nearly a week of searching for information on the disc that came in the box his mother sent him, Henry finally found someone in central London, with a doctorate's degree in archaeology, that could potentially shed some light on what it was, and drove out to meet them.

“Mr. Cavill?” The archaeologist asked, coming out of his office.

“Yes.” Henry replied, politely extending his hand.

“I'm Dr. Rick O'Connell II.” He introduced himself, shaking Henry's hand. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Henry nodded, smiling softly.

“Your message said, you had a strange little artifact in your possession and would like to learn anything you could about it.” Dr. O'Connell said, showing Henry into his spacious and bright office.

“Yes, sir. I do.”

Henry confirmed, his eyes going to the glass cases, picture frames and artifacts hanging around Dr. O'Connell's office. The small spark inside of Henry that had once wanted to be an Egyptologist and Historian, before becoming an actor, flared to life as he approached one of the tall glass display cases, filled with artifacts from Egypt and a few that looked to be from Asia; one of which was a pale stone and gold jar with the head of Anubis.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Dr. O'Connell smiled, seeing Henry had been drawn to it, many people often were. “My grandparents were on the expedition that uncovered them.” He commented, stopping beside Henry.

“Seriously?” Henry replied, shaking his head and blinked at Dr. O'Connell with surprise.

“Yes.” Dr. O'Connell nodded, proudly. “My father, Alex, named me after my grandfather. My grandparents met shortly before the expedition and fell in love during it, married, and had him. They made a life of it and these are some of the artifacts from their expeditions together.”

“The others are from yours?” Henry asked, moving to another case.

“Yes, they are.”

Henry stared at the other objects for a moment longer, before turning towards him. “I'm sorry, I came here to talk to you about my object and I'm busy gawking at yours, like a schoolboy on a field trip.” He chuckled and blushed, quite abashed.

“It's quite all right.” Dr. O'Connell laughed, motioning towards a chair in front of his desk, before taking his own behind it. “So, let's take a look at what you have, Mr. Cavill.” He said, holding his hand out over his desk.

“Yes, right.” Henry nodded, taking the disc out of the protective pouch he had put it in and handed it over to him.

Dr. O'Connell frowned at the disc, turning it over in his hands as he observed it. “Well, I can tell you it's made of granite.” He said, pulling open a drawer in his desk to remove a small tape measure, then set the disc on his desk and took measurements of it. “Thirteen centimeters by thirteen centimeters.” He stood up next and crossed the room and gently laid the disc on a padded scale.

“And just under a kilogram in weight.” He returned to his desk and sat down, pulling out a magnifying glass next. “This symbol is quite strange.” He commented, holding the magnifying glass up to it.

“I was thinking the same thing.” Henry agreed with him, biting his lip as he watched him examine the disc. “It looks like some strange lizard.” He commented on it.

“Yes, a lizard.” Dr. O'Connell agreed, looking up from the magnifying glass and disc, in thought. “A dragon.” He nodded, looking back down at it. “A dragon's head, breathing out fire.”

“Does that mean something?” Henry asked, licking his lips and feeling his heart start to pound.

Dr. O'Connell set the disc and magnifying glass down. “There's this ghost story you hear, if you're in my line of work long enough, especially if you're out in the field digging around. My dad told it to me once, when I was a lad.” He started to explain to Henry, leaning back in his chair and staring out the large wall of windows to their left, with the muffle of traffic coming through from below.

“There used to be this group of people, an ancient civilization, that believed, heavily, in Dragons. It was said they were real-”

“The people or the Dragons?” Henry asked, lifting a brow at him.

“Both.” Dr. O'Connell chuckled at him. “As I was saying, they were real, and these people and Dragons lived together, as one. They supposedly did everything together and held highly sacred bonds to one another, giving the people powers, the ability to do magic, long life and many other things.”

“But, their main task, they kept the world at peace.”

“So, what happened to them?” Henry asked, shaking his head, not completely believing him, but enthralled by the story nonetheless.

“No one knows.” Dr. O'Connell shrugged. “There are theories. But, very few things have ever been found about them. I could fill a shoe box with what's been found on them. Most of what we know has been a story from an odd book or scroll, mythology or lore from some culture all across the world, pieced together. A few dusty unexplained bones that some scholar, archaeologist or theorist thinks belong with them.”

“Do you think this has to do with them?” Henry frowned, his brow pinched in conflict.

Dr. O'Connell rubbed his face, twisting back and forth in his chair, and stared at the disc. “I'm not sure.” He replied, honestly. “But, something in my gut tells me otherwise.” He admitted, letting out a huff of air.

“Is it all right if I take some photos of it, Mr. Cavill?” He asked, lifting a brow at him.

“Of course, anything to help you identify what it is.” Henry nodded, eagerly.

Dr. O'Connell removed his mobile from his pocket and snapped several photos of the disc. “I'll contact some of my colleagues and send them the photos, see what they have to say about the artifact and what we can find out about it.” He said, picking it up and holding it out to Henry. “Once, and if,” He laughed, smiling. “we come to a conclusion on what it is, or isn't, I'll give you a ring and tell you.”

“I would really appreciate it.” Henry replied, taking the disc and tucking it back into its little pouch, before standing up and extending his hand out to Dr. O'Connell again. “Thank you.” He smiled, squeezing his hand.

“Have a good day, Mr. Cavill.” Dr. O'Connell smiled back.

“You as well.” Henry replied, before parting ways with him.

Dr. O'Connell moved over to his windows and watched the street below, chewing on his bottom lip until he saw Henry appear in the crowded sidewalk and turn down the street towards the parking garage he had parked his car in, then turned back towards his desk, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair.

“Molly, I'm going out.” He called out to his secretary, rushing down the hall towards the elevators.

Riding the lift down to the main floor, O'Connell rushed onto the street and the opposite way Henry had gone, frantically dialing a number on his mobile, before pressing it to his ear. “It's Rick O'Connell.” He said, when the line picked up. “You told me to call you, if I ever found anything that looked Dragonic.”

“Have you?” A raspy, deep voice replied on the other end of the line.

Dr. O'Connell pulled his mobile away from his ear and sent the connected number the photos he took of Henry's disc, then put the phone back to his ear. “I'm pretty sure.” He replied, out of breath.

“Do you have it with you?”

“No. I wasn't sure if it was the real thing or not. So, I let the guy that brought it to me, take it back with him.” He explained, getting a sick feeling in his stomach, stopped in his tracks and turned around, but didn't see anything behind him, but Londoners going about their daily business. “I can contact him and get it back, if you like?”

“That's not necessary, Dr. O'Connell.” The voice replied, their tone never changing. “Just give me their name and I'll take care of the rest.”

“His name is Henry Cavill.” Dr. O'Connell informed the voice, before the line went dead.

The air in the small meadow was cool and shaded by the clustered ring of trees that surrounded it, as a soft breeze stirred the short stemmed wild flowers in the tall grass, before a shimmering blue light glowed softly in the center of it, and a moment later, with a small rush, you stepped through and the glow dissipated.

You sighed, rubbing the glowing mark on your forearm, before pulling your sleeve down to cover it. A bark filled the air, before a massive black and white dog came tearing into the meadow through the trees and right up to you, his long pink tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

“Hey, there.” You smiled at him, as he barked several times and ran several circles around you. “You're a playful, little guy.” You chuckled at him, bending over to pet him as he came up to you, but turned sharply and ran off again. “Oh, you faked me out.” You roared, thoroughly amused by the dog's antics.

“Kal!” A deep voice shouted through the trees in the direction the dog had come from.

“Is that your name?” You asked, turning to see the dog busy going number two. “Kal.”

“Oh, hello.”

You looked away from Kal and faced the owner of the voice. “Hi, I'm guessing this is your dog.” You said to him, motioning behind you.

“Yeah. Kal, are you bothering this nice lady.” He asked the pup, a feeling of shy apprehension in his chest as you looked him over, waiting for your brain to click and realize who he was and start freaking out, asking for a photo and autograph from him.

“Oh, not at all.” You replied, chuckling as Kal ran up to you again, actually letting you pat him on the head this time, before dashing over to his owner.

“I'm Henry, by the way.” He introduced himself, with a sweet smile, realizing you either didn't recognize who he was or you were being polite enough not to freak out on him.

“Pleasure to meet you, Henry.” You replied, offering him your own name.

“I don't think I've seen you around before.” Henry commented, tilting his head at you. “Then again, I have just moved in a couple of months ago.” He blushed, biting the corner of his lip.

You chuckled at him, brushing your fingers through your hair. “I live just across the way.” You said, pointing in the opposite direction of the trees. “Welcome to the neighborhood.” You greeted him.

“Thanks.” Henry smiled at you, leaning down to rub Kal's ears. “What are you doing out here?” He asked, motioning around the meadow.

“Oh.” You blinked around the meadow, grasping for a reason. “I went to the little park that's nearby and dropped my house keys.” You grinned, giving off the vibe that you felt like a complete idiot for your mistake. “I've come looking for them, when I ran into your adorable pooch.” You said, looking at Kal.

“Do you need any help looking for them?” Henry offered, politely.

“I would hate to put you out.” You said, shaking your head at him, gulping.

“It's no issue at all.” He replied, shaking his head back at you. “It's not like I'm not going back that way.” He chuckled, tilting his body in that direction.

“Shit.” You mumbled under your breath, then flexed your fingers at your side, like a wave, and the mark on your forearm warmed. “I suppose an extra pair of eyes would make the task go faster.” You giggled, biting your lip and berating yourself for not being more careful.

“Never hurts.” Henry grinned at you, laughing as Kal jumped up on him, putting Henry's forearm gently in his mouth and tried to pull him down. “Come on now, Bear. Let's help find her keys.” He said to him, wrangling his arm out of Kal's mouth and corralled him through the trees, where there was a small dirt path that edged around the ring of trees and his property.

“So, where did you move here from?” You asked, eyes glued to the ground in your key search.

“London.” Henry replied, his own eyes searching the tall grass at the edges of the path. “So much of my life is busy, fast paced and noisy, I just wanted a nice and quiet place, where I could go, that was relatively secluded, so I could relax and decompress.”

“I can understand that.” You nodded, licking your lips and glancing over at him. “There's something about having your own little world. A place to yourself, so you can be yourself, without the worry of others judging you and disrupting your peace.”

Henry paused and looked over at you, dumbfounded that you had nailed precisely how he felt about why he moved out of London and into the English countryside. “Exactly.” He replied softly, blinking and licking his lips, his heart pounding.

“Ah-ha!” You exclaimed, seeing the glint of sunlight on the silver ring key ring and hooked your finger through it. “Found them.” You grinned at Henry, holding them up for him to see. “Thanks for helping me.”

“No problem.” He smiled back at you, even though it didn't quite meet his blue eyes. “Um,” He bit his lip and glanced over his shoulder. “Would you like a cup of coffee or maybe some tea?” He asked, looking back at you, with a brow lifted in hope.

“I just live right there.” He said, pointing a thumb to the two story house behind him.

You looked between Henry to his house, then glanced down as Kal barked and bumped into your legs, like he was begging you to take his owner's invitation. Letting out a soft chuckle, you reached down and scratched Kal's back, making his back leg go wild.

“Sure, a cup of tea sounds nice.” You replied, looking up at Henry, kindly.

“Cool.” Henry grinned, relieved and excited.

The pair of you crossed his backyard and stepped onto his patio, before Henry politely excused himself and rushed through the sliding glass door into his house, leaving Kal to entertain you for several minutes, while he threw together a cup of coffee for himself and a mug of tea for you. He brought them out, setting down a little thing of sugar and creamer, unsure how you took your tea, before the two of you sat down at the little patio table he had set up out there.

“So, how long have you lived in the neighborhood?” He asked, sipping his coffee and lifted his brows at you.

“Not long.” You replied, holding your warm cup in your hands and giggled as Kal frantically dug a hole a short distance away. “A little more than a year.” You explained, taking a gulp of your tea, turning your eyes back to Henry.

“City life is not for you either?” Henry laughed, setting his coffee cup down on the patio table.

“I try to avoid it as much as possible.” You grinned at him, your eyes guarded.

“You're not from around here, are you?” He asked, tilting his head at you, brow drawn together. “Your accent is nothing I've ever heard before.” He commented, he had been trying to place it since encountering you in the meadow.

“No, I'm not.” You shook your head at him, shyly dropping your eyes to your teacup. “My family are kind of like gypsies. They travel around Europe a lot, living their own life, on their own terms. So, I've picked up bits and pieces growing up and it sorta mashed into an accent that doesn't really belong to a specific place.” You laughed, shaking your head.

“People always try guessing where I'm originally from with it, but never get it right.” You added, amused.

“So, what made you settle in England?”

You shrugged your shoulders at him, then smiled as Kal trotted over to you, dropping a filthy tennis ball into your lap. “I wanted to put down roots.” You replied, taking up the ball and tossed it for Kal.

“Plus, I got a good job here.”

“What do you do?”

“Mainly, I'm a dog walker.” You replied, taking the ball Kal brought back to you. “But, I do some dog sitting on the side as well.” You told Henry, throwing the ball for him again.

“That explains a bit of why Kal likes you so much.” Henry commented, watching Kal's mad dash for the neon yellow ball across the yard. “He usually doesn't bring his favorite ball to people he's just met.” He explained, watching Kal charge back towards you with the dirt and slobber covered ball in his mouth.

“I've always had an affinity with animals.” You smiled, gently wrestling the ball out of his mouth and giving another throw, a bit further this time, then shivered.

“Are you all right?” Henry frowned at you, seeing the soft tremor rock your body. “Are you cold?” He asked, it was a bit brisk outside.

“No, I'm fine.” You chuckled, sitting your almost empty cup down on the table in front of you and stood. “I should really be going. I have some work I need to be doing.”

“Oh.” Henry replied, saddened, and stood with you. “I shouldn't have kept you so long, I'm so sorry.”

“It's quite all right, Henry.” You assured him with a soft smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you both.” You told him and Kal as he returned. “And, thank you for helping me find my keys.”

“Of course.” He nodded, forcing a smile. “The pleasure is all mine.”

“See you, Kal.” You smiled at the Akita patting him on the head, then nodded to Henry and started back off towards the meadow.

You were just inside the ring of trees and about to roll up the sleeve of your shirt, when you heard feet on the path behind you, then the sound of Henry calling out your name, and yanked your sleeve down and turned around to see what it was he wanted.

“Are you all right?” You asked, lifting your brows at him.

“Yeah, yeah.” He nodded, a little out of breath from running after you. “I was wondering, if you weren't busy and didn't mind, since he seemed to have really taken to you and everything.” He babbled on. “If you could take Kal on a walk for me, tomorrow?” He asked, biting the corner of his lip with shy uncertainty. “I have a bunch of work meetings I have to make and I don't want him to just get stuck around the house or digging even more holes around the property.” He explained to you.

You grinned at him, touched. “Sure, I'd love to.” You agreed, filling him with relief. “Do you have a specific time you would like me to come?”

“Um,” Henry frowned, his brow pinched as he looked at his smartwatch. “The main bulk of them are around noon. So, any time between then and one, if that works for you?” He said, looking back up at you.

“That'll work out fine.” You nodded, smiling.

“Excellent.” Henry grinned, his face lit up with excitement. “Just come round and knock.”

“Will do.” You assured him, amused that you could easily read his face and eyes. “I'll see you tomorrow, Henry.” You chuckled and turned on your heels and continued on into the meadow.

“I can't wait.” Henry replied after you, giddy and nervous.

You continued on through the meadow, unsure if Henry would still be standing in the ring of trees watching you walk in the direction you had told him you lived in. All you needed was for him to see through your ruse. So, you stepped into the furthest set of trees, glancing around to make sure no one was around to witness or stumble upon you leaving. Seeing the coast was clear, you yanked up your sleeve, rubbing the mark on your forearm with the heel of your palm and took a deep breath, closing your eyes.

“Open the way and return me home, Occam.” You called out through an invisible bond that connected you to your true home, like an umbilical cord between a mother and her babe.

The glitter of blue light illuminated the cluster of trees and brush around you, like it had in the middle of the meadow not an hour before, and taking another deep breath, you stepped through it and let it close behind you.

“Did you get it?”

You sighed and rubbed your face. “No, I didn't get it.” You replied, looking at your father. “I ran into an unseen issue.”

“And what issue was that?”

“The guy that has it.” You answered, rubbing the back of your neck.

Your father's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at your words. “He caught you in his home?”

“Thankfully, no.” You chuckled, patting him on the chest and walked by him. “I crossed through the pocket door, where we suggested I make it.” You explained as the both of you walked towards home. “But, no soon after I arrived, so did his dog. He's adorable too.” You quipped, smiling at the image of Kal in your mind. “He looks like a black and white bear, with a long curly tail!”

“Oh, if I could have brought him home with me-”

“Sweetheart.” Your father snorted, amused and patted you gently on the back. “I'd have to build a whole new world for all the animals you keep wanting to bring back with you.” He laughed, shaking his head at you.

“Tell me what happened.” He gently pressed you back onto the subject.

“Right.” You laughed, shyly. “Well, his dog showed up and he came after him.”

“You're sure it's the same man?”

“I am.” You nodded, heaving a tired sigh. “I saw him outside of that archaeologist's office yesterday morning.”

“Master Simperwill, we've gotten intel on a possible subject.”

Darius looked up from his desk. “A possible subject for what, Vena?” He replied, lifting a brow at her.

“Serpents.” Vena answered him. “An agent in the field, who's been tracking a known Serpent, Tate Forester, followed him to an office in London, England.”

“What kind of office, exactly?” Darius questioned her, his interest peaking.

“From what my agent gathered, he's an archaeologist with a doctorate's degree in the field.” Vena read off a tablet she was holding in her hand. “His knowledge is quite extensive as well, coming from a long line of archaeologists, explorers and historians. It seems he might even know some things about our culture.” She said, glancing up at her boss.

Darius leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers against his thigh. “Do we know why this Forester went to see the archaeologist?” He asked her, troubled.

“No, he lost track of Forester when he went inside the archaeologist's office.” Vena shook her head.

“What's this archaeologist's name?”

“Um...” Vena flipped through several of the papers clipped to her tablet. “Dr. Richard O'Connell.”

Darius let out a heavy breath and ran a hand through his graying hair. “We'll need someone to go and investigate this Dr. O'Connell to find out what it is the Serpents want with him and what he knows about us.”

“I can get one of my agents on it right away, Sir.” Vena nodded at him, turning towards the door.

“No.” Darius replied, shaking his head, having already made up his mind.

“Sir?” She frowned, turning back to him.

“Have my daughter come to my office.” He told her, nodding his head. “Yes, have her come see me.”

“Right away.” Vena nodded back at him, finally leaving his office.

A knock sounded on Darius's door several minutes later. “Come in!”

“You asked for me?” You said, stepping into his office.

“I did.” Darius replied, grinning lovingly at you. “I have something I need you to do.”

“All right.” You nodded and approached his desk, plopping down in a chair in front of it. “What's on your mind?”

“I need you to go into the base world and learn what you can about an archaeologist, Dr. Richard O'Connell. Follow him and learn whatever you can from him.” Darius explained to you.

You blinked at your father, then shook your head at him. “Why?” You asked, frowning.

“Vena thinks he has dealings with the Order of the Serpents.” He replied, biting his lip, worriedly.

“You think a human is in league with the Order of the Serpents?” You echoed, leaning forward in your seat.

“I don't necessarily believe the Doctor is in league with them, but I'm sure they're using humans for their own means.” Darius sighed, rubbing at his eyes. “We need to know what they're using the human for. That's where you come in, daughter.” He explained to you, dropping his hand and looking over at you.

“You're the only one I trust to do it and who knows so much about the Serpents and the base world.”

You rubbed a hand over your face, holding your father's eyes. It was true, you knew a great deal about the Order of the Serpents and the base world, and not from sitting around your people's sanctuary world of Moros reading about them; though you have done your fair share of reading about them. A great deal of your knowledge about your people's enemy came from running into them, while in the human world, or what Morosians called it, the base world. Your job in Moros was keeping them safe, doing recon work in the base world and making sure the Serpents didn't find a way into Moros.

While it was assumed that Alaric had collapsed the world cave on all of Christos's followers the day Darius led the refugees through the door that Marcus, Coda and Ian had opened and closed behind them, before separating, scattering for the safety of the Seals they carried with them.

One man had actually survived, and would go on to create what would become the Order of the Serpents.

Knox Steelmane was ordered to be one of the four to stand by the mouth of the world cave to await Alaric Saintwatcher's arrival. He bounced from foot to foot beside his creature, Kayda, his bladder screaming, as they waited in the brisk air.

“Going to piss yourself, Knox?” One of the other Riders teased him, digging his elbow sharply in Knox's side, with a hearty laugh.

“Go to hell, Jonas.” Knox grumbled back, shoving at the older man away.

“Seems like you're already in it.” One of the other Riders ribbed him, grinning.

“Look!” Jonas yelled out, pointing to the skies overhead.

The group looked to where he was pointing and saw Alaric and Tila making their descent toward them and the mouth of the world cave. They clustered around Alaric and his creature after they landed and approached, closely following them inside.

“Where are the rest of your brats?” Christos's voice echoed over to Alaric.

Knox listened to Christos and Alaric bicker back and forth with each other, still fidgeting and trying to ignore the fact he still had to piss. But, it quickly became clear to him that he couldn't hold it any longer or he would be peeing his britches. So, pretending to look at something behind his creature, Knox sneaked outside, quickly rushing behind the nearest tree, pulling open the strings at the front of his trousers and started relieving himself. He was mid-stream when he felt the first tremor rock the ground, making him stumble and stagger on his feet, urine getting on his boots.

“What the hell was that?” He snapped, fumbling to quickly retie the strings of his pants, as another shock wave rocked the earth beneath his feet.

Abandoning the rest of ties to his pants, Knox tripped and fumbled back towards the world cave his companions and leader were still in. But, as he rounded the corner of a tall rock formation, sprinting down the path to the cave, he heard the screams of his friends and the creatures inside, he was forced to skid to a halt as the entrance collapsed, blocking his only way inside.

“No, no no!” He screamed, rushing up to the dusty rubble, tossing what he could lift out of the way, desperate to get back inside. “Kayda!” He screamed for his creature, feeling her terror and injury through their bond, like it was his own agony. “Jonas! Christos! Kayda!” He wailed, still tearing at the rocks blocking the entrance, cutting and hurting his hands on the jagged granite rocks.

“No.” He whimpered, dropping to his knees and slumping against the landslide, tears streaking through the dirt and dust covering his face, sobbing as he felt the painful flickering of Kayda's life force inside of him. “Don't go.” He begged her dwindling life, clawing at the dirt and rock around him, as if he could keep Kayda alive by sheer will.

“Please, don't go.” He whimpered. “I need you.” He sniveled, but felt the last thread of Kayda's life break and fade.

Knox dropped his head back and let out an agonizing, heart wrenching howl, his eyes glowing the moss green of Kayda's scales. Taking a few moments, Knox dragged himself onto his feet, his arms limp at his sides, but his shoulders were stiff with grief and anger, as was his dusty and tear-stained face.

A dark hatred encrusted Knox's heart that day, he vowed to make those that had followed Alaric and opposed Christos pay for killing them, turning Christos into a martyr and championed his cause. He drudged through the roads to the sanctuary Alaric and the others had stayed in, while the two sides battled. But, when he reached the gates, he found no guards, no one alerted to his presence and reacting to it.

Suspicious and careful, in case it was another ambush, Knox moved around the tall, stone wall of the building; he didn't see a single living soul, not a single Rider or Creature in sight. He made it to the south gate and found it ajar, his suspicion growing as he approached. Closing his hand around the pummel of his sword and slipping through the open gap, Knox pulled his sword, gripping it tight, as his eyes scanned the stone and wooden structures, the worn leather soles of boots squelching as he moved slowly through the ankle deep muddy pathways, but the only things that stirred were things blown by the wind. Lowering his sword, Knox let out a roar of anger, kicking a wooden crate and sending it flying across the street, then staked his sword in the mud.

“Where could they have all gone?” He huffed, pacing in his agitation.

Yanking his sword out of the ground and sheathing it on his hip again, he began picking his way through the buildings, looking for any clues to the group's whereabouts, when he found the war room Alaric, Darius and Marcus had been using during the conflicts, finding the maps and open books they had been referencing and studying before they put their plan into motion to stop Christos and take everyone to safety through the door into the new world.

Leaning over the table, Knox picked up one of the books and lifted a brow at the page it had been left on.

“Edward William's Theory.” He read at the top of the page, blindly pulling out a chair and sitting down as he read the material. “They can't possibly think this could work.” He huffed, tossing the book back onto the table, leaning forward to look at the maps, drumming his fingers on the table as he studied them. “But, where could they have gone, without people noticing that many Riders and creatures were on the move.” He reasoned with himself, reaching out to take up the book again, tapping his finger against the page.

Hell bent on finding out where the others went, Knox gathered every scrap of material that was on the table, every book, map and sheet of paper, whether they had connection to their plans or not. He studied them in and out and became convinced they had managed to replicate the theory. So sure of it, Knox created his own group of followers, the Order of the Serpents, to keep Christos plan alive to grant rightful control over the Riders and creatures, to rule over the world, as they felt they should.

But, first, Knox and his group of Serpents needed to discover where Marcus, Ian and Coda had vanished to with the three Seals that would open the door to Moros, and they had spent the last few centuries trying to track them down.

To no avail, until, a fated phone call from a certain archaeologist.

“All right, I'll leave right away, then.” You sighed, nodding your head at your father.

“Excellent.” Darius nodded back at you. “Try to stay out of trouble, hm?” He grinned at you, a mischievous spark in his eyes.

“Who, me?” You grinned back at him, a similar sparkle in your own eyes. “Always.” You chuckled, standing. “I'm as troublesome as a church mouse.”

“Of course you are.” He echoed, huffing with amusement. “Now, I want you to go and see Vena, she has a majority of the details on the subject and she can suggest a place for you to pocket into.” He instructed you.

“Will do, papa.” You nodded, heading for the door.

“I want you back, as soon as you find out anything!” He added, calling out after you.

You made a motion with your hand, signaling to him that you heard what he said, before finding your way to Vena's office down the way. “My father said you have the details for my mission into the base world.” You said, lifting a brow at her.

“Yes.” Vena nodded, looking up from a map. “I was just looking for a place you could pocket into.” She explained, looking back down at the map, which you recognized as a map of London. “The archaeologist's office is just here.” She said, sticking a pin near the central part of London.

“I've been to several places around that area.” You commented, leaning over the map and narrowing your eyes at it. “I've created a pocket door into an establishment that's just here, more than once.” You explained, taking up a pin and poking it into the map several streets down from Dr. O'Connell's office.

“It's a big box store of theirs, they never notice me coming in and out of it.”

“Great.” Vena smiled up at you. “Then, that can be your point of entry and exit.”

“Is there anything else I need to know about this guy?” You asked, studying her.

“The archaeologist or the Serpent?” She asked, lifting a brow at you.

“Either? Both?” You replied, shaking your head.

“Well, the Archaeologist is one Richard O'Connell, he's quite distinguished in his occupation, as are several in his family. He doesn't seem to have any criminal or nefarious deeds and background that I or my agents could find.” Vena answered, shuffling papers around. “As for Tate Forester, the Serpent, his record is extensive. He has several arrests, some for theft, breaking and entering and assault. He's even done time.”

“So, he's a nasty one.”

“I've dealt with worse.” You commented, offhandedly, then glanced at one of the two clocks on Vena's wall. “It's almost seven am in the base world, I should get going.” You said, making a few calculations in your head.

“Yes, you should.” Vena nodded, biting her lip.

“Right.” You nodded back at her, smiling softly. “I'll see you later, Vena.” You chuckled, seeing yourself out of her office, then went to the house you lived in and changed into an outfit that would allow you to blend in with the humans, and a small backpack of items you might need. “Hey, Occam.” You smiled, stepping outside and happily greeting your creature as he landed before you.

“I've got some business to do in the base world.” You told him, stroking his snout. “I shouldn't be gone for too long.” You said, opening the bond between the pair of you. “You behave and don't go bullying Mundu, while I'm gone either.” You added, smirking at his huff and the rattle of his scales as he shook his mighty head at you.

“All right, Occam, let's open a portal.”

You pulled up the sleeve of the hoodie you were wearing and pressed your palm to his head, both your and Occam's eyes closing, feeling the warm tingle of your shared magic undulating between you. A gentle breeze stirred around the two of you, the mark on your forearm grew warm and glowed as the bright blue pocket door opened beside you. Patting Occam, you turned and stepped through the portal, then with a rush and a pop in your ears, you found yourself in a cramped dressing cubicle with mounted full-length mirrors on three sides and discarded clothes and hangers strewn about.

Turning, you opened the latch to the door and stepped out of the changing room, pausing for a moment to watch the oblivious shoppers, pushing their carts, stopping at racks of clothing or purchasing their items. Sighing, you slipped into the flow of the crowd and out the front doors to the street, taking a moment to orient yourself and headed in the direction of O'Connell's office.

You looked up at the tall office building and headed inside, checking the nameplates for what floor the archaeologist was on, then bypassed the lifts, having no trust in them, and took the several flights of stairs to the third floor. Coming out on the floor, you glance around, finding a young blonde woman sitting behind a desk, flipping through a magazine, seemingly unaware of your presence, as you approach her, forcing you to clear your throat twice to get her attention.

“Can I help you?” She asked, sticking her nose up at you with extreme distaste.

“Is Mr. O'Connell in?” You asked, narrowing your eyes back at her.

“No, he is not.” She huffed, picking her magazine back up. “He won't be in for at least three hours. He's teaching a two-hour class in Oxford's School of Archaeology this morning at six am, then it's an almost hour and a half train ride back here to London for him.”

You looked up at the clock on the wall above her head, it was just past seven, meaning you had hours before O'Connell showed back up at his office for regular work. “Thanks.” You sighed, but she was already absorbed in her magazine again.

Making your way back downstairs, you popped back out onto the street and turned left, following the flow of foot traffic and shops down to the local Starbucks, to order yourself a tall, blended Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino with whip cream, paying for it with the money you made from a few business dealings you had done, using your skill for tracking and finding people to your advantage in the base world, since Moros didn't have any money or currency. They shared, grew or created what they needed to survive and thrive. It enabled you to have real human money in your pocket, so you could buy things, like coffee from the famous Starbucks, you had seen countless humans carrying around with them, or to buy something to eat, even bring things back to Moros, even different clothes and books. Many types of technology from the base world didn't work in Moros, so you never bothered buying a mobile phone or a laptop.

Though, you had always yearned for one.

Having your coffee in hand, you went back to O'Connell's office building, opting to sit in the building's lobby to wait for his return. Putting your backpack on the floor between your feet and pulling out the novel you had been reading, you slowly sipped on your drink as you thumbed through it; killing the time until Dr. O'Connell arrived from Oxford to his office.

Your coffee was gone and your leg and butt-cheek were starting to fall asleep by the time the door to the building opened, admitting a group of four people, two men and two women. You lifted a brow at them, but kept your eyes on your book, not wanting to draw attention to yourself.

“Your lecture was amazing, Dr. O'Connell.” One of the women commented as the group approached the lifts.

You lifted your eyes, watching the two males, to see which of them answered.

“Thank you, Kimmy.” The taller of the two men, with graying blond hair and a pudgy middle replied, smiling at her and pressing the button for the third floor.

You shifted in your seat, watching the group pile into the lift and ride it up. Now that you knew what the good archaeologist looked like, it made your job of tracking him a lot easier. A few minutes later the two girls and the guy came back down in the lift, chatting and holding a copy of a book with O'Connell's face on the back of it; no doubt something written on his career and life. Watching them go out the door, you got up and used the bathroom that was in the lobby, before coming back out and took your seat again, intent on waiting there until O'Connell left for either his lunch break or to go home.

An hour later, the ding for the lift doors echoed through the lobby, catching your attention, as a tall, dark and curly haired man stepped out of them. He was handsome, for sure, but that wasn't the tingle that drew you to him as he walked by you, towards the front doors. There was something about him that called out to you, that made you want to stand up and follow him out of the building, to wherever it was he was going; and you didn't understand why. But, as soon as he was out of the building and you could no longer see him, the tingle flowing in your spine vanished, leaving you dizzy and lightheaded.

It wasn't five minutes later that Dr. O'Connell came flying through the lobby, his long coat billowing behind him as he yanked his mobile out of his pocket, frantically dialing a number on it. You waited a moment for him to get out onto the street, before stuffing your book back into your backpack and got up, swinging it onto your back, slipping your arms through the straps, and looking left and right, before catching sight of him and dashing in that direction.

You kept at a reasonable distance from Dr. O'Connell, but still close enough to hear him speaking to whoever it was he called.

“It's Rick O'Connell.” He was saying, walking quickly in his agitation. “You told me to call you, if I ever found anything that looked like Dragonic.”

“Dragonic.” You mumbled to yourself, frowning.

“I'm pretty sure.” Dr. O'Connell was explaining to his caller. “No. I wasn't sure if it was the real thing or not. So, I let the guy that brought it to me, take it back with him.” He said, suddenly stopping and turning around, but you casually walked by him, as if nothing was amiss. “I can contact him and get it back, if you like?” He said, frowning to himself and started walking again.

“It was a disc shaped object, with a dragon on it.” He described the object he had called them about. “A man brought it to me, his name is Henry Cavill.”

Your ears perked up at the name and the description of the object. Biting your lip, you picked your pace and headed back towards the department store you had used to enter the base world, sneaking back into the same dressing room and opened a pocket door back to Moros.

“Father!” You shouted, rushing into his office.

“I'm here, I'm here, daughter!” He called back, appearing. “What is it? What's happened? Are you all right?” He asked, looking you over, urgently.

“I'm well.” You assured him, out of breath. “I come with news.”

“Well, sit and catch your breath first, child.” He told you, ushering you to a seat and bringing you a warm cup of tea, with a splash of something stronger in it. “Now, tell me. What is it you've learned?” He asked, leaning back against his desk in front of you.

“I found the archaeologist in his office building, it was easy enough.” You told him, slowly sipping your tea and taking slow, deep breaths. “I had to wait some time for him to show up, he was doing work for one of the base world's schools. But, once he did arrive, it didn't take long for something to happen.” You explained to him.

“And, what did you find?”

“The man, a Henry Cavill, he said his name was...”

“You talked to these men?”

“No.” You shook your head at him. “I talked to only his secretary, to see if he was in. That's how I found out he was not in, at the time. But, Dr. O'Connell wasn't back in his office long after his teaching engagement, when he apparently had a client bring him something. I didn't see the meeting or the object. But, when I saw the man leaving, I felt oddly attracted to him and not because he was handsome either.” You chuckled, hiding your shy smirk in the rim of your cup.

Darius rolled his eyes at you. “The object, did they describe it?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning forward.

“Dr. O'Connell left his office soon after the man, Mr. Cavill, left. He made a phone call to someone. Apparently, he's meant to call them, if he encounters anything, Dragonic, and described the object Mr. Cavill brought to him.”

“It was a round disc with a dragon on one side of it.”

Your father's face fell, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. “Dragons.” He whispered, pushing off his desk and began pacing his office.

“It's what they call our creatures.” You said, watching him. “Dragons.”

“Yes.” He nodded, stroking his bearded chin and pinched his bottom lip, as he brooded. “Did the archaeologist have the disc on him?”

“No.” You shook your head. “He said, Cavill still had it with him, because he wasn't sure if the object was the real thing or not.”

Darius turned back to you. “You said, when this Cavill was leaving, you were drawn to him, and not just because of his looks.”

“Yes, I wanted to follow him, to go with him. There was a tingle up my spine, like the feeling I get when I use my magic with Occam.” You explained to him, frowning and tilting your head at him.

“By the Order,” Your father gasped. “He's in possession of one of the Seals.”

[brandstifter-sys]

Okay so there are a lot of new people on Tumblr, right? I could take the time to rant about likes vs reblogs and how this site can’t afford an algorithm, but there is another thing that I noticed: blog customization.

Why should you customize your blog? Mainly so people don’t assume you’re a bot. This website has had a problem with bots for years, and the first instinct for most people is to block a bot. If you still use the default icon, don’t have a set theme, and only a couple reblogs, you might be mistaken for a bot.

Now that the “why” is out of the way let’s talk about how to customize your blog and icon. The following step-by-step guide is under the “read more” link. If this is all obvious stuff to you, great, you don't need this.

The icon is the first and most important part. Since art theft is a no, what can you use for your icon?

Picrew

Screenshots of your favorite character or celebrity

some artists have free to use (with credit) icons that you can google (because tumblr search is...not great)

creative commons licensed images (google images, click on the usage rights filter)

make your own

ask if you can use someone’s art as an icon (and give credit in the description)

The next thing that isn’t as important is the header image. It’s basically the same rule as above, don’t steal art, and you can use most of the sources above, except pre-made icons and picrews (they won’t fit in the header image space properly)

To edit your icon (and entire blog) on desktop

Go to the top right corner and click the little dude, and then select settings from the drop down list.

Once you reached the settings page, there will be a column of options on the right, and if you scroll down there is a subsection called “Blogs”

Click on your blog name. It should lead you to a screen similar to the one below (my example is a sideblog, not my main, but it works for demonstration) Click on the edit appearance button.

When you click that button, you should notice square translucent boxes on the header image and in the center of your icon. Clicking on either will lead you to your files, where you can upload an image.

When it comes to the header image, you can zoom in and move it around to fit how you want it.

You might also notice the title and description that you can edit, including hiding the block of text and changing the font and color of the title, and the color of the description.

Clicking on the background button will open a list of colors to choose from, as will the accent. That one is for underlining the title and description.

Save it and you’re golden, and you can edit it at any time.

It's just as easy on mobile, if not easier

Just tap on the dude in the lower corner

Click the little paint palette in the upper right corner

Have fun!

There’s more advanced stuff if you decide you really want to go all out with customization (and I highly recommend it, because it’s your blog, you have the power)

And if you think this guide might be useful, please reblog it so it gets to someone who might need it

[berriusagi]

Stomach Bug Ch10

Doctor’s Visit

Alright I am back with another chapter and with this I bring something special. I want all of you to help me decide what our lovely Mari will be having so place your votes in the poll. 

LINK REMOVED

Thank you to everyone who voted I’ll be using the results gathered and I hope everyone’s happy with what the final tally was.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

“Damian’s not home right?” Tim asked, making his way into the Batcave where all the other bats sans Damian were sitting around the computer.

“No, tomorrow’s pixies first appointment with that new doctor so he decided to stay the night to give her moral support since she’s never been to a gyno before.” Jason said looking up from the files he was reading over, “honestly from what I’ve heard about what happens during those exams I don’t blame her for wanting a little support before going.”

“It’s all routine and can’t be any worse than the baby-making process.” Dick hummed typing away on the computer.

“I think that’s enough talk about that; why did you want to know Tim?” Bruce asked looking over at his second youngest.

“I found more info on Marinette thought I’d share with you all while Damian wasn’t here to stop me or compromise the data,” he explained walking over to the bat computer connecting his laptop to it.

The other men all sat silently around waiting for Tim to begin his presentation as he sorted through different encrypted files before bringing up a few pictures. “To begin her original name was Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her parents were bakers back in France, Tom Dupain and Sabine Cheng,” Tim said pointing them out.

“Marinette told me they essentially kicked her out,” Bruce said crossing his arms, “They believed the words of some liar and threw her out. She lived with a friend her last year in Paris before moving here.”

“Wait, hold on,” Dick said turning to Bruce, “Her parents kicked her out when she was still a minor? Isn’t that illegal?”

“Yes, and they knew that, she mentioned that when she told her grandmother she came and took custody from her parents, who seemed more than happy to hand it over, and let her stay to finish out that school year with a friend then moved here to finish out her schooling.” Bruce nodded.

“Yeah that all tracks to what I found,” Tim nodded, showing them documents next, “I have here the transfer of custody, her transcript for moving here, as well as the adoption papers for Ivy and Harley. I also went ahead and started running some background checks on the people still in her phone.” he added typing away.

“Anyone, we should be worried about?” Jason asked leaning back in his seat content to just watching Tim work, “She told me a bit about one of her friends’ guy seemed a bit sketch when he was a Paris hero though now I think he’s meh but never got a name from her.”

“You said he was one of the heroes?” Tim asked looking over at Jason.

“Yeah, she said he gave up his miraculous after the fight because his dad was the villain and he didn’t think Ladybug would want anything to do with him if she found out who he was so he bit the bullet and gave it up. He left Paris shortly after to live with his aunt.” Jason said looking around at the others.

“If the villain were outed then it’d be easy to find out who his son was,” Tim said, turning back to the computer the clicking of keys filling the Batcave as he searched through multiple French websites. The other three just watched as screen after screen flew by before settling on a trashy tabloid-like website.

“I don’t think this is what could be considered a credible source Timmy,” Dick winced looking over all the clickbait titles and the like to dislike ratio on the articles.

“No, but it does have quite a bit on the Paris heroes,” Tim said scrolling through to articles that had more likes and seemed of better quality, “here we go, Hawkmoth Defeated: How a Recluse Held Paris Hostage.”

The four men all leaned forward reading through the article that detailed the final battle between Hawkmoth and the Paris Heroes with a written description of what happened as well as a video that seemed to have been taken from a mix of sources and spliced together. The article detailed what Hawkmoth had been doing for three years and in the end, revealed him and his accomplice to be Gabriel Agrest and his assistant Nathalie Sancoeur.

“So we know that Gabriel Agrest was the big bad so who was his kid?” Jason asked as Tim typed away.

“Adrien Agrest, teen model for the Agrest Fashion Label. Looks like after his dad got taken down he had to go through months of interrogations and court hearings just to prove his innocence. His mother was found dead in the Agrest Mansion and with no one else it looks like his aunt took him in once he was cleared.” Tim said reading through the files he dug up.

“That would mean he probably gave his miraculous to Pixie right after he was cleared. If he was going to do something sketch he’d just hold onto it.” Jason said.

“He probably was so messed up after the battle he didn’t want any connection to the miraculous I mean his father turned evil because of them.” Dick hummed crossing his arms.

The four fell silent as they took in the information they had received, “Well Tim you got anything on that liar?” Jason asked, tilting his head.

“This whole blog is about that liar.” Tim said motioning to the tabloid, “I’ll email you guys the link and read it at your own pace there is years of garbage on here.”

“Then with that, I think we should all be heading out. We'll go over more of what Tim found later for now we should get to work,” Bruce said, getting to his feet and moving to change into his costume.

The other three nodded as Tim packed up his laptop and stored it away before they all got dressed and took their way out of the cave to begin their nightly rounds.

~.~.~.~

“So what do you think they found?” Marinette asked cuddled up to Damian's side on her bed with the hyenas crowded around them on either side resting their heads over their laps, “Chloe didn’t exactly hold back on mentioning certain names.”

“I would be surprised if Drake didn’t have an entire dossier on all your friends.” Damian said rubbing Marinette’s back, “You know he probably took all your contact info right?”

“Yeah oh well,” she shrugged turning to bury her face into his neck, “They were bound to find out eventually, might as well let some of the greatest detectives around have some fun piecing my life together.”

Damian hummed closing his eyes as he relaxed back into the plush pillows covering Marinette’s bed, “Are you nervous about tomorrow?” he asked.

“A little,” she sighed tightening her grip on his shirt, “Mum told me what to expect and said she’d sit in the room with me if I wanted her to, you can’t exactly join me since we can’t have this whole thing getting out.”

“I’ll be waiting here for you when you get home don’t worry,” he said kissing her forehead, “now try to get some sleep you barely got any at the manor.”

Marinette nodded letting out a deep sigh as she shifted around to get comfortable between Damian and the hyenas. Eventually, she settled down and dozed off into a dreamless sleep with Damian rubbing her back and the familiar weight of Bud’s head on her hip.

Damian stayed up for a bit longer listening to the quiet sounds around and thinking over what to do for the next day. He eventually made his way into a dreamless sleep as well a bit after one AM when he finally managed to shut his mind off.

~.~.~.~

“Marigold are you ready?” Ivy called from the kitchen as she looked through her back to make sure she had everything.

“Almost,” Marinette said, coming out in a comfortable knit sweater and skinny jeans, “I was looking for my purse. I think Lou took it,” she said, looking around in the usual spots for her bag.

“I’ll keep your wallet and Tiki in my bag we have to get going,” Ivy said, grabbing Marinette’s wallet off the counter and stowing it in her bag as Tiki flew over and settled into the bag as well giving Ivy a nod to close the bag once she was comfortable.

Marinette nodded and went back to her room grabbing her phone quickly checking it before putting it away in her pocket and leaned down kissing Damian’s cheek as he groaned slowly blinking his eyes open. “I’m leaving I’ll text you when we’re on our way back.”

“Okay habibti call me if you need me.” he yawned reaching up and pulled her down for a kiss, “good luck with your appointment I’ll see you after.”

Marinette nodded kissing him again as Ivy shouted for Marinette that they were leaving. She gave Damian another quick peck on the lips before pulling back and ran out to meet Ivy at the door. “Had to get my phone.” she smiled stepping out of the apartment and waited as Ivy locked up and ushered down to the cab waiting outside.

“Now remember Marigold just relax and everything will go smoothly, it will be uncomfortable but it won’t hurt okay.” Ivy said, settling into the cab beside Marinette and rubbing her back, “I can sit inside the room with you if need me to.”

“I think I’ll be okay,” Marinette said, taking a few calming breaths as they made their way to the doctor’s office. Once they arrived Marinette was starting to look a little green as they went through the check-in process and filled out their info.

Waiting for her name to be called felt like an eternity and her stomach was twisting into knots as she watched other women come and go through the office. Marinette sat there twisting her fingers in her sweater and took slow deep breaths trying to calm herself when the door opened, “Marinette?” a nurse called.

Marinette shot up her face going from pale to a deep red as she made her way to the nurse. The nurse smiled and ushered her inside and went about getting her blood pressure, “Hmm little elevated but I think it could just be your nerves.” the nurse smiled, and her height and weight.

“Alright girly so here’s your room I’m going to need you to completely strip down underwear and all then put this paper gown on opening to the front and here’s a privacy blanket for your legs.” the nurse said motioning to the items on the bed, “the doctor will be in here shortly.”

Marinette nodded as the nurse closed the door leaving her alone, “It’s just a check-up.” Marinette mumbled undressing and taking her time to carefully fold her clothes and set them on the table in the corner of the room. She put on the provided gown and settled on the table keeping her phone clenched tightly in her hand as she waited for the doctor to arrive.

It felt like an eternity when there was a knock at the door and the doctor stepped in, a petite redhead with a smattering of freckles covering her pale face, “Hello Miss Marinette I’m Doctor Amelia.” she smiled coming over to shake Marinette’s hand, “I see you’re here for a wellness exam and you’re expecting.”

“Uh yes,” Marinette coughed her voice, cracking a bit from her nerves, “I uh just found out a few weeks ago.” she blushed, gripping the paper blanket covering her legs.

Doctor Amelia nodded looking over the file, “This is your first-ever wellness exam yes?” she asked, taking a seat.

Marinette nodded keeping her head bowed trying to not let her nerves take over her.

“Okay sweetie we’ll go at your pace so just relax okay.” Doctor Amelia smiled setting the file aside and grabbed her stethoscope.

~.~.~.~

The entire exam didn’t take more than five minutes before the doctor was cleaning up and stepping out to give Marinette some privacy to redress. Marinette wasted no time pulling her clothes back on and sending Damian a text saying, ‘Making this baby was less violating than that.’ before putting her phone in her pocket as there was another knock, “Miss Marinette if you're ready you can go to the front and schedule the next appointment.” Doctor Amelia said through the door.

Marinette walked over opening the door her face still a bit flushed, “Okay uh when should I come back next?” she asked.

“I think in a month should be enough time and we should be able to hear the heartbeat by then.” she smiled, “Your moms waiting for you upfront, and here’s the card to one of my nurses if you have any questions feel free to call her okay.”

“Thank you.” Marinette nodded, taking the card and quickly went to the front to meet back up with Ivy and schedule the next appointment and made their way out to walk back home.

“I think we should pick up some breakfast.” Ivy smiled putting a hand on Marinette’s shoulder as they walked. “There’s a nice little bakery around the corner should we pick up something from there?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Marinette nodded following Ivy down to the bakery and got in line looking over the different pastries they had for sale. Between the two of them, they picked out an array of sweet and savory options with Marinette making sure to pick out some vegetarian options for Damian. Soon they were walking out with two large bags and were walking down the street back to their home.

Upon entering both had to hold their bags of treats high out the reach of Bud and Lou trying hard to reach the goodies hidden away. Harley quickly came over pulling them back by their collars so the two could set the bags down in the kitchen.

Damian was settled at the table and got up coming over to help them unpack as Harley got some coffee and tea going as they all settled down to enjoy a bit of a late breakfast. Marinette ate her croissants and fruit danish taking small bites so as not to upset her stomach any further. The small group spoke of anything and everything as they enjoyed their meal. Harley taking the time to pick out the meat from her sandwich to give to the two hyenas and Damian holding a small conversation with Tiki as she munched on the cookies Marinette picked out.

“So when are you going back?” Harley asked looking over at Marinette as she bit into her bagel.

“In a month, the doctor said we should be able to hear the heartbeat by then,” Marinette said, finishing off her danish, “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“You’ll be fine Marigold we’re here for you every step.” Ivy smiled ruffling her hair, “Now I think you should go lay down, maybe settle your stomach and your nerves. You were looking a bit green and tense after your appointment.”

Marinette nodded, finishing her tea and croissant before heading back to her room to lay down. Damian finished off his breakfast quickly and excused himself before following Marinette leaving the two sirens and the small goddess at the table.

“At least he’s good for our little Mari.” Harley hummed sipping her coffee, “So long as he makes her happy he can stick around I guess but not too sure I forgive him for knocking our baby up.”

“Oh, now you don’t like him?” Ivy chuckled, raising her eyebrow at her.

“Oh, I adore the kid but you know one of us has to give him the shovel talk eventually.” Harley chuckled getting up to clean the dishes and put the leftovers away.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

@myazael @beautiful-disasters-sunshine @moonlightstar64 @moonlitceleste @stainedglassm  @casual-darkness @mochegato @ultimatetornshipper @heemsanddamemes @nathleigh @qualitypeacepainter @raven-frost-21 @maskedpainter @demonicbusiness @dood-space @trippingovermyfeet @emimar7 @indecisive-mess-named-me @changelinggarden @zerotosiki @alysrose-starchild @s-and-n @wolf2118 @athena452 @jjmjjktth @eliza-bich @solangelo252 @icerosecrystal @heinrode @Junarvion

@babylovebug18 @animegirlweeb @corporeal-terrestrial

[imnotwolverine]

By the fireplace

Summary: Christmas Eve is not going as planned, when Mr. Holmes finds he’s not quite as home-alone as he expected. 

Author’s note: I know it’s the dead of summer. I know. But this fic has been gathering dust in my draft list for months now. I hope you may like a little bit of Sherlock-does-not-know-how-to-deal-with-women-fluff. 

Word count: 1563

Disclaimer: Nothing much. Fluff, with some mild Sherlock being a dumb nut when it comes to dealing with women. 

--

The winter whispered against the frozen window panes and the fireplace was hot with flames. The hour was late and despite his staff having left for family visits on Christmas Eve, Mr. Holmes was fairing well. With a platter of cheese and bread waiting, and red wine at his fingertips, he was nosing through a new file of paperwork that had come in from London. 

It was difficult not to work. Especially when other well-liked activities were little and few in offering. Horse riding and walking wasn’t quite the same when you were freezing your wits off; and so it was that Holmes remained in his oak-panelled office for most of the day. Here he was warm and well entertained. And alone - blessed be. 

With a puff from his pipe he raised up, deciding a break was in order. His fingers had grown cold despite the roaring fire and lest he not move, he might just be found frozen by his personnel when they’d return later tomorrow. His chair scraped the floorboards, and with a few strides he was out and about in the halls that stretched before him.

Mr. Holmes didn’t mind the lack of heating here. The heavy winter robe he had made by his maids was perfectly warm. Pulling the tie a little more tight, he started towards the Northern wing.

Whenever he walked here, he could hear Microft’s voice. What a perfectly sensible estate for family rearing. But that was simply not a thing Mr. Holmes expected from life. Women were the one thing he could never quite figure out. No books, scrolls or magic fairy dust could help him in that department. Mysterious creatures they were. Irene Adler for instance; marvelously splendid, but absolutely daunting to be near. These women all were so dainty and dazzlingly different from reason and words and..

*CLANG* 

Mr. Holmes stiffened. He was not a frightened man - not easily, but surely he had not imagined that sound just now, right? Halting his steps he cautiously looked out into the rest of the dimly lit hallway. He had to admit that he had not really paid attention when his personnel left. Too occupied with the new case to be bothered with who left, when and where-to.

He listened in on any further sounds: a soft swearing was heard. Female. Definitely female. A..female intruder? Perhaps stealing something? Ha! Wouldn’t that be the charmer. With a click of his tongue, Holmes set out to the source of his female visitation. 

A few steps later he was there, hand on the doorknob and shoulders stiff as he quickly switched the knob to enter. Inside it was not some smidgy burglaress, but a familiar face he found. 

Minnie.

She just stood there, wrapped up in all the clothing she probably owned, lips blue and hands awkwardly trying to clasp around her chest. Minnie had been at the estate for quite some years now, as part of Mr. Holmes’ staff. And thus it surprised Mr. Holmes to find her blue with frost in his library. 

‘I-I...’ Minnie’s jaw clattered with cold, hands gripping quickly to her chest. 

Mr. Holmes blinked. Minnie of all people. Why hadn’t she gone off to..whomever it was she wanted to see? Didn’t she have family around? 

With cautious eyes he eyed the rest of the library. No glass broken, no signs of intrusion. Just... Minnie. Minnie the quiet dear help -- it was why he hired her way back when. He enjoyed quiet staff. 

Returning his studious gaze to Minnie he quirked his head. 

‘You’re..cold.’ He stated. 

No shit Sherlock. 

Minnie gulped, teeth clattering and tears brimming at the rims of her eyelashes. ‘I’m - I’m sorry Mr. Holmes, sir. I - I..’ 

‘You need warming.’ Sherlock didn’t hear a word she said, hands quick to move to her upperarms, rubbing them with sheer focus.  

‘I didn’t mean to..’ Now she was truly crying. 

Goodness. The girl was practically freezing! Frowning, Holmes checked her pulse, complexion, pupils. Quite terrible indeed! 

The decision next taken was perhaps a shock to Minnie, but to Holmes perfectly logical. 

‘Alright. Up you go.’ With a swoop Mr. Holmes picked her up bridal style, his feet not once losing their stride. He quietly congratulated himself on keeping up with his physical well-being despite his love for the academic pursuits. Without much effort he had lifted the plump little woman in his arms, eyes focused on the flickering light that came from his study. 

‘I just..’ Minnie sobbed quietly, lips chattering loudly in the echoing hallway. She barely noticed herself how she held on tight to Holmes’ robes, her small fingers eagerly grasping onto the smooth velvet that carried his warmth. But, it was not the only thing she kept close to her. 

As Holmes returned the two of them to his study, the hearth still burning gently in the corner, his eyes noticed something else, sticking out from beneath her wrapscarf. It was either a book OR the poor woman had a particularly square chest all of a sudden. 

A book? Minnie with a book? The poor woman never even had a day of education in her LIFE! 

Lowering her to the carpet before the fireplace, Holmes continued to stare at her bossom. And though still cold, he did receive a first blush from her cold cheeks. 

‘Sir..’ She gulped, realizing just a touch too late why he was staring. Her blush became even more fierce, mouth falling open in a shocked little expression. ‘Oh..!’ 

‘You read?’ Holmes asked dumbfound. 

Minnie’s shivering worsened despite the warm room. ‘I- I. Oh sir please. I just wanted to..’ She doubled over before his feet, hands reaching up the book she had kept close. 

The Fairytale rendition his mother had once read to him. 

Sherlock frowned. ‘You wanted to ..what, Minnie?’ 

She swallowed harshly and looked up, tears now billowing down her cheeks. ‘I’m sorry sir.’ 

‘No no no, none of that.’ Sherlock settled down before her, lowering himself to her haunched over figure. ‘I’m intrigued. Do. You. Read. Minnie?’ 

She blinked at him, thin eyebrows knitting together in confusion. ‘You are not mad sir?’ 

Sherlock carefully studied her a moment longer before he let his gaze return to the fire. Suddenly her female-ness became overwhelming with all the tears and blushing cheeks and..good awful dwellings up above he should STOP looking at her chest. 

Clearing his throat he dryly shook his head. ‘No, no. Not mad.’ 

‘Disappointed then? Sir?’ Minnie followed his gaze into the fireplace, curious what he was staring at with such thoughtful focus. 

‘You taught yourself?’ He finally asked, returning his gaze to her, then the book. 

Her shivering lip curled in a little smile. ‘Sir, not really. I mean. I wish to. I---’ She bit her lip and opened the book. With a tentative finger she stroked one of the richly adorned illustrations. Next up her finger moved to the text. With stunted focus she recited a few of the words she recognised. 

‘Ah.’ Sherlock sighed, nodding in understanding. He let Minnie struggle on for a few words more, turning his head ever so slightly so he could read along. The darling woman relaxed a little now repercussions didn’t seem evident. With more excitement she let her finger slide over the words. 

‘Then...s-a-i--d..said..the!..ehhh’ She frowned at the long word that followed. 

Sherlock puffed up his cheeks and tapped her hand. Minnie blinked at him. 

‘Sir are you alright?’

With still puffed up cheeks Sherlock nodded, then puffed up his broad shoulders as well, arms rounding like he was enormous. 

‘Grand?’ 

Sherlock released his puff and smiled. ‘Yes, yes.. And then..’ He made sure she paid attention to his right hand, which he stroked reverently over his belly. 

‘Hungry?’ 

Sherlock chuckled. ‘In a fact yes. But, no.’ 

‘Yes, but no?’ Minnie looked at him with confusion. 

‘That’ll come later. First “grand”.’ He pointed that part of the word out on the page. Minnie nodded. 

‘Then..’ He slid his finger over the next part of the word, before he tried again, this time using both hands to cradle an invisible child in his arms. 

‘Child?’ 

Sherlock chuckled. ‘Almost..but..’ He pointed his finger at himself before craddling his arms again. 

‘Mother!’ 

Sherlock beamed with joy. ‘Perfection!’

Minnie sniffled and blushed again. ‘Sir..’ 

‘Minnie?’ He felt his smile melt away as he noticed how her facial expression changed. This one, he could not quite read. Her pupils dilated, her lips parted and for a moment her gaze flickered to his lips. 

‘Sir.’ Her voice became more stern and with a swift move she raised back to her feet. ‘I’m so terribly sorry for intruding on your night. I’ll...’ 

He caught her hand before she could storm off. So small! 

With large eyes Minnie watched at the way his large hand encapsulated hers. Even now by the fire, his hand was still warmer than hers. Without words their eyes met. 

‘I can --ehh.. teach?’ Sherlock tried. 

Again they just stared for a moment longer. And though probably inappropriate, Sherlock held onto her hand without hesitation. 

Minnie sighed. ‘Perhaps some food first, sir? You said you were hungry?’ 

Sherlock released her hand. A dry chuckle escaped his lips. 

‘For books...’ He looked up and had to catch himself as his gaze drifted back to her now book-free chest. ‘..always.’

--

General Tagsquad: @harrysthiccthighss @tumblnewby @magdelen69 @thereisa8ella @mary-ann84 @darkbooksarwin @summersong69 @madbaddic7ed @luclittlepond @maroonmolly @just-a-normal-fangirl18 @hell1129-blog @agniavateira @tillthelandslide @elinesama @maddyreads14 @aletheladyinred @moonlacebeam​ @kebabgirl67​

[imagesbyele]

the theme I don’t know how to describe because it has too many things featured in it and it will take a year or 

aro-ace theme!

note that you are allowed to use the theme for whatever you want, change all colors, images (you want to make it a marvel thing? go for it! It’s personal and you want to use other flag colors? go pick those rainbow colors!), but my inspiration was, well, not having seen aro-ace themes before and wanting to make one. I didn’t upload background images but you have the option. Feel free to edit as you please, just don’t remove the credit or claim it’s yours!

as always in the source you’ll find the link to the post with static preview, code and instructions/extra credits.

theme is contained, responsive, super customizable. It’s free! But as always consider donating to my ko-fi as this was a lot <3  like or reblog if you use! (or just if you like it, if you want to!)

 this post will have: what you can edit from custom page, the widgets/scripts used with credits and some explanations. Asterisks * next to something will indicate that more about it will be said in the linked post. I’d apologize for the length but it’s due to how many things I added to the theme and that you should know about. 

now, what can you edit from your customization page:

-nearly every font and its color and size, so that if a font is by default bigger than others you can easily reduce the size. There is a select menu for the body font with all the fonts present in this blog, so you know what they are and can type the one you want for other eleents. I think I only left a couple to be edited from the editor, like your quotes posts if you reblog them a lot. This includes h2 as it’s what you use as ‘big font’ in your posts and h3 in case you want to personalize it and use it for something on purpose, as it has to be added to the html of the post.

-one of the new things:I used a gradient for the backgrounds of the big container, the sidebar and the posts container, but also of tumblr’s default music player (latter done initially following @octomoosey​‘s tutorial then messed with by me hence no album art).  See static preview posts. You can type the colors straight from the costomization page like this:

if you want one solid color you can just write, for example: black, black as it needs at least two. To bottom/To left/to top/to right change the direction. The only thing you need to edit from the html is if you want to go from linear-gradient (like you see in the sidebar) to radial-gradient (like in the big container which has green in the center and purple on the outside) and vice versa, if you want. 

-you can also upload background images of the sidebar, container and bigcontainer and select the optional blending with the colors, which can be none and you only see the images or something like screen or hard-color and check the results (bigcontainer as an overlay gif on Screen now)  -more typing: you can paste the symbol or the symbol code for the list items and the decorations around the post title, right now both being spades. *

-you can upload up to five background images if you enable the ‘changing background’ function otherwise only the first one counts. They will change when you refresh the page, thanks to @lmthemes​

-you can turn on and off the music box (player3 by @glenthemes​​ ), and if it’s enabled you can add two songs from the customization page (or go to the html editor and up it to four before it can get messy as it shows on hover), typing url, author, url of the album art, and song title. You already have We Are Golden by Mika as an example (takes a second to start due to the recording, watch out not to get scared if there is silence and then the first note)*

-optional searchbar in the sidebar with optional suggestions when you click on it (if you want them though you’ll need to go to the editor to type links and names, but you can turn it off and just keep the searchbar, like I said) also by glenthemes’ tutorials. 

-the separator between text posts image is also optional and if turned on, you can also turn on and off whether the image is the avatair/portrait of the person who made the post, with a link to the original if it’s a reblog, or if you want the image to be one you upload yourself, 50x50px and it should resize to fit in (also with a link, in this case to the post itself so you can open it from the top of the page). One is the toggle button ifshowtinyimage, and the other is ‘tinyimageisthesource’, if you turn that off you upload the image yourself. If you add a source to your posts, it will appear among the permalinks regardless.

more under read more!

-besides all normal colors and borders you can pick the color of the border/glow/shadow (call it as you want) of three different categories, or turn it off: the mainglow for big elements like containers and sidebar and sidebar images, the audios glow for players like spotify, regular one or soundcloud. Finally the images shadow when inside your posts. The latter is set on inherit because it means that if an image is also a link like your tiny-image it will be of the same color of your links and change on hover. That is something you can only change on the editor by searching for color:inherit and change it to what you want, if you don’t want to turn it off. 

-askbox colors have been changed with @eggdesign​‘s tricks! look for ask_form in the editor and try changing the number of filter there to see more effects. Also the askbox never shrink, a fix by @whateverhtml​ -pinned post has a little banner, styled like permalinks. 

-you can pick a color for top-info which are the date and notes. I left it empty because it automatically gets the default links color but you can pick it yourself. 

-turn on and off unnested captions looks for textposts and for all other posts (as people who use xkit to edit previous posts will get blockquotes anyway and may not like the final result) thanks to @annasthms​ code. -blockquotes are of alternating colors, by @bychloethemes​. You can obviously choose the same color if you want them to just have the one. You can also select the type of blockquote, if a solid line or dots or dashes.  -you can choose if your smaller sidebar image, sidebarimg2, is an image you’ll upload or if it’s your avatar/portrait by toggling it on and off. If you don’t want sidebar images and you don’t upload any, there are instructions on top of the html to delete the border so you only see the sidebar bg. (basically just delete their box-shadow) -speaking of which, your title will wrap around the second image like in the preview. If that doesn’t work for you you can try changing sizes and font or by going to the editor and changing the margin-top so it’s out of the sidebar image’s reach and can be a “straight line” again (in case it doesn’t fit and the long title is cut in the wrong place)

-you can turn on and off a copy link of the post button on the far left of your permalinks bar, so people can copy the permalink from dash - also by glenthemes.

-navigation links have two alternating colors, odd links right now are black, even links are white, and their hovers are the opposite of that. You can make them all of the same color, in which case you’ll need to look for .navilink a:hover and change the hover color for both. If you have custom pages and enable the link to show it will be automatically added. To change the cat icons just search for ‘cat’ and replace as pleased. To change the ask icon because maybe you don’t have them enabled look for ‘envelope’ with your ctrl + f. You can type urls and titles of navi links from the custom page, the first two are automatically home and ask, there are three more under the description. All icons from font-awesome have a black border so the white ones don’t disappear on light backgrounds, you can change that looking for .fas 

-you can select post-sizes: 400, 450, 500, 540. Whether the sidebar is next to the container or on top will depend on your post size and the screen width as at some point they may not fit. They always do fit on desktop though, and on screens that are smaller than 800px the sidebar is assumed to be on top and will have a max height of 300px (but you can scroll down). I couldn’t make the bigcontainer get bigger for giant screens as I can’t calculate the right size in which all post-sizes + sidebar will look good.

-lightboxes show images with a glow too. Speaking of which you get lightboxes as always, pxu photoset fix and video resizing fix all by @shythemes​ and with the bychloethemes fix. npf photosets fix by glenthemes. No href.li addition from tumblr when you add a link to a post by @magnusthemes​.

-soundcloud player is minimal and its play button is the same color of your permalinks icons thanks to shythemes tutorial. spotify is also minimal, instructions to change it are there. 

-tumblr controls are small and semi-transparent until you hover, also dark regardless, followed painthemes tutorial.

-chats are styled like imessages by ncrthlanes now deactivated, submit posts have at least the submitter’s url recognizable, reblogged asks also get a background for the answer as well as borders, link posts are styled as much as a link-post can be styled. 

-there are already links and similar things written to be an example in your customization page but in any case you get instructions in the editor and everything is divided in sections as much as possible. Also I’m here for any questions. 

[assetsliterature]

7 ways to earn money while you sleep

: Creating money while you sleep. Whenever I get this in my mind, I always remember a quote from Warren buffet “if you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.”

First, let me tell you something. If you haven’t been heard this type of thing before, then believe these things:

Every way I share in this blog works.

Ways which can make money while you sleep are called: “Passive income.”

You cannot achieve multiple income sources just reading ``always remember “1 hour of doing > 5 hours of thinking.

Passive income :

Just imagine you wrote an ebook and publish it on Kindle, then people who are interested in your ebook will buy it, I know that selling a book on a huge level can be a hard task, but after doing this, you will make money while you sleep ;

This is just an example of ‘selling a digital product online.

~ Please scroll down if you don’t want intro~

Don’t let your area influence your mindset:

When I was living in my hostel, sometimes I used to to the terrace for stargazing at 3 a.m. with my best friend. One night he asked me to give my best advice to him because I haven’t got any advice for him in my mind.

But now I have one

:

You must have heard that- “the people you socialize with influence you so much.” That’s why you should be with people who have a positive mindset ~~

People around you affect your life in many ways. Let’s understand this with an example- “imagine you’re a student and your classmates don’t take their studies seriously, they only study one night before an exam, they bunk classes and waste so much time on not-so-good things.” Then there is a big chance that you can be like them too!

“Sociologists tell us the most introverted of people will influence 10,000 others in an average lifetime” every person you come in contact with is impacted in some way.

So, in my opinion, train yourself to not learn from negative minds. Stay with people you want to be. They will always lift you!

Remember: Just because someone is so confident at saying something doesn’t mean they are right!

How much you can earn:

Creating Passive income in your 20s is not something that everyone does, and for making your passive income source work good you have to put in some effort and time. You have to invest your money in it.

You can start with investing a little, and then you have to invest from your profit to make it work well.

So it depends on you; however, there are so many ways that have a huge income compared to another passive income source.

7 ways to create passive income for beginners :

1.Sell Digital Products:

If you’re a newbie, then this can be a good start for you!

There are a lot of things to create and sell online! I.e., ebooks, online courses, podcasts, graphic art bundles, photographs, music, templates, and so much more.

If you like blogging, you can create podcasts, ebooks, online courses related to your niche. Visit this for more examples of digital products_ If you’re interested in photography, you can sell your pictures at reasonable prices. Just pick your interest and go for it! It is not effortless, but you can learn and earn a lot from this!

Requirements?

All you need to have is a phone, a good internet connection, an urge to learn, and a lot of patience.

How much can you earn?

If you choose to write an ebook and you list it on Kindle for 1$, and you get one buyer a day, then you can earn 30$/month easily; stock photos earn approximately 25–45 cents per image, it depends on how many people are buying from you. The prices of online courses are usually 8$. If 1 thousand students buy your course, then you can get 624$ from it!

The more you work, the more you’ll earn but make sure to be creative and unique and don’t forget- “quality over quantity.”

# Don’t give up too easily if you’re here to earn.

2.Start a blog:

You may have heard that before, but it’s because it’s work. Even I was thinking about this so many times before starting this blog, and it’s good to have something on your bucket list to work on. When you are free, you can start a blog and give your six months in it.

Remember, it’s worth the hustle. Imagine if you started a blog one year ago. Do you believe you’re that useless that you can’t even get 50,000 views on a blog after working one year?

You can check this out if you’re interested in starting a blog.

Requirement:

I know a friend who is planning to start a blog. I asked him about his blueprint, and he said, “i will write and earn” he is stupid; I hope he is now seeing this right now, first learn about blogging in-depth and decide how much time you can give it, if you don’t have a plan then you will be lost for a moment, trust me I know that, been there.

These things are a must for starting a blog :

A niche

A map for both before posting an article and after posting an article

And expect the hard time will come, and if it will not, then it will.👁

How much you can earn:

Blogging is something a small blog can be a bug business after some time, many bloggers who just started blogging for a hobby leave their 9–5 from it,

It’s from google AdSense website;

Google will pay you according to your niche, but if you create a finance blog and you get 50,000 visits per month, you can make 15,012$/year.

# for blogging, you should learn daily and use google sheets for planning. You can download the sheets template from here

3.Join the affiliate program and use Pinterest:

You can join the Amazon affiliate program by just signing up to their website. By doing that, you can share your link, and if someone buys a product from your link, you’ll get paid depending on the product category and price.

So there is a problem in that like who will buy products from your link, I know, so that’s why you will use Pinterest,

If you don’t know about Pinterest, you can download Pinterest from any app store and use it.

You can share pics with links on Pinterest, and it’s called creating pins. So people can see your shared photos on Pinterest, and if someone sees a product they like, they will click on the pic, and then they will redirect to amazon.

Requirements: you don’t even need a laptop for it, just 1 hour a day and a little bit of Pinterest SEO, and it’s the best thing I love about Pinterest; it has so easy SEO compared to google.

How much you can earn?: amazon affiliate earning has no limits; you can increase it as you grow anywhere online. Once you achieve your target on Pinterest, you will thank you for just starting.

4.Rent your apartment on Airbnb:

Airbnb is a platform where someone can rent out their couch, room, or home.

Since hotel prices are so high in major cities, it’s been obvious that before booking hotels people check Airbnb.

If you have free space in Airbnb, you can try this out, and after some time, you can hire a cleaner and an assistant to manage everything.

Requirements: you have to live in a developed city, if you are like me then AirBnb is no use for you, but I will wait when my hometown has so many travelers all around the world XD!!

How much you can earn?: That depends on the level you are receiving orders from AirBnB, but for a try, you should register on it and try yourself how often you get a call !!

5.Write an ebook:

If you love the idea of digital products, then you can choose to write an ebook. In that case, you don’t need any investment. You can check this out for more category ideas !!

For creating book covers or any graphic, use Canava. You can choose something related to your studies or interest. But do remember this ‘getting readers for your book is not easy. Everything is hard, so choose your hard.

Requirements: just an idea about your ebook, map of where you will share your ebook(like Facebook groups. Forums related to your book title etc.), and you have to know good writing and your target audience but don’t worry and don’t afraid of failure, you should give 30 days to write your ebook and see what you can do

How much can you earn?: As I mentioned earlier, it depends on your readers. If you get 80 readers at a 1$ price per month, you get 80$/month without doing anything. It’s just a starting future. You will get more readers if you write valuable content for your target audience.

#write an ebook like you are talking to your friend about something

6 .Dropshipping:

Dropshipping is like selling products online, but you don’t store your product. You use a third-party supplier (like wholesaler or manufacturer) to fulfil product needs; I am sure you have heard Shopify’s name before from Shopify; you can create your dropshipping business; I highly recommend you check out Shopify website. If you use Shopify, don’t worry; no one will know if your eCommerce website is Shopify.

From here, you can learn how to start an eCommerce dropshipping store from scratch.

Requirements: A niche, a supply for your store, build your online store and then market your store after that to improve your store.

How much can you earn?: It’s just like a store but online, but it can be a lot more profitable than an offline store. You have to put a lot into it to succeed, so your earning cannot be defined by just typing and thinking !!

7. Create an app:

I am not saying that it’s not risky, but you can create an app that solves people problems or help them with something like if you use android, then you might have some problems and wish that there was a solution for it _

Some time ago, I was searching for friends interested in fantasy books, so i wish that I had an app where I can just find them ~

So if you can solve the problem from your app, then try it.

However, you have to invest in it first because everyone is not an android/ios app developer.

Requirements: an idea, some money to hire a developer, and a plan

How much you can earn?: when you upload your app on any app store, and user use it, you earn money, so it depends on what’s your planets

Like you can sell the app to every user or add a subscription fee or monetize your app.

So it will worth it when it achieves its meaning!

_____

Thanks so much for reading this article, I will share more business strategy in-depth and if you really want to earn from passive income please accept my suggestion and plan something and go for it because i know a lot of people who learn and never take actions ~~

You can subscribe to us if you love this topic!

Assets- Literature

Original article: https://www.assetsliterature.com/2021/05/how-does-cryptocurrency-work.html

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How to Write a Blog Post From Start

How many of you have written a blog post before? If you have ever left a comment with "yes". If you have not already done so, leave a "no" comment. Because you know what, whether you have written a blog post before or not, and I still want to know what many of you have written, I will share with you the full formula I follow on my blog. It works for B2C, B2B, personal blog or company blog, it all works. I don’t need it, it’s not the best formula out there. First tip: Start with the title. Don't just start writing blog posts, unless you have a specific topic, don't write your own blog post. Eight out of ten people will read your article, but only two out of ten will click or read your entire article. No matter how you write a blog post, if you don't write a great article, no one will read all of your posts. It all comes down to your topic or topic, whatever you want to call it. If you need some art, go to the store and check out the magazine. When you go shopping, you see all those magazines! They have amazing titles like How To, \, articles like "Lose weight in 30 days", "How to shed five pounds fast!" No matter what kind of magazine they are, whether it be a business magazine or an exercise magazine, or a gossip magazine, they all use catchy topics. And that’s what you need to do with your blog post. Also, find a magazine for inspiration. I stick to the basics. How I Use It Too Much, I use \ posts, those two things have worked wonders for me, and they have never worn out. So start with the title. And you don't have to make just one variation of it. You can create two or three variations, and that’s what I do and I ask people hey, what do you like, I’ll ask a few friends, and then choose the best one and that’s what I go with. The second step you need to follow when it comes to blogging is an introduction. In your introduction, you need to connect with people with a bold statement. For example, I know this is a video, but I linked you with "Hey you want the formulas to split how I get at least 37,000 visitors per post". By connecting people, they will learn everything else. And with your introduction, it’s not just talking, connecting people. It’s also about talking about what’s going to be included in the post. Just give them a quick look at what you are going to teach them, which is a great way to persuade them, too, to get them into your blog post, learn more, and be nice, until they leave a comment at the end of your post. Now that we've made the introduction, let's get into your body. Your body has to put in subtitles. Keep in mind, you want your content to be easy to scan. If people can't read it, you won't do it right. In your body, use subheadings, and keep your sections around five to six lines in size. In addition, when you write your content on your body, you will see that at least on neilpatel.com, I link to other people. That’s part of my formula, it’s not just about linking to your site, it’s about linking to other sites. Because what happens is when you link to other websites, open up your sources, point to them, make you more credible, make you and your business more professional, and that’s what you want to be seen for when ‘rewriting content. Lastly, you want to wrap up your post with an ending. The conclusion summarizes what your post was about, and concludes your conclusion with a question. By the end of the question, most people are more likely to leave a comment. When they leave a comment, it creates engagement. By getting involved, you are more likely to generate sales. If people read your blog but do not share with you, it is unlikely that they will become leaders, or buy your products, or your services. It is therefore important that you conclude with a question. Here is what we found in the conclusions. Brazing Crazy Egg, we use the text wrap feature, and what we have found by checking is, most people read blog posts, when they first come to them, they quickly scroll down, check the end, and then go back and read the rest, I think they like the ending. So with your conclusion, make sure you

call it the “End”. Don't like them, keep them simple. Just call it the good end of the ole. And that’s my blog post writing! It's not that hard. Now there is one thing I have said in the whole process of writing a blog post, that you need to link to other sites. Here's a bonus tip: I know this goes a little further than just writing, but very few people do. When you connect with other people, it compliments them. People like to get back-links, because when you connect with someone, it goes with a lot of traffic. Especially when you connect with them in a positive way. I hope you are not the hottest person on your blog. Stay over that. So when you put together \, shoot an email. "Hey Curtis, I have to say I'm a person who loves your work, so link to \ with my latest blog post. You can check it out here. Congratulations, Neil. PS date". That's all. Most people who connect with me, including me, do not care about sharing articles on Twitter. Drives blog blog traffic, and makes \link look great!