#Also I'm such a nerd - I love the fact you put links in for reference. Genuinely felt giddy each time

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

This one is dedicated to @shirokokuro, who made a lifeguard AU fic to fill the void where there was none.

Read it here! It's great: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51598429

[fourswordsannotated]

akira himekawa are unbelievably cool.

soooo here's the thing. i was looking at akira himekawa's website on a whim and found a public blog, with posts that go all the way back to 2009. many hours of google translating later, and i've developed an even stronger admiration of these two women and their exceptional career as manga artists. they share so much in these posts about the creative process, their thoughts on social justice, their connections with nature, and their most major original story, gliding reki, which seems to have always been a passion project in the midst of commercial work.

from what i could gather, reki is unique in that they were determined to do it in full color. and they did it, because after reading about their career, it's clear to me that when these women set their mind to an idea, they make it happen. see also: they just recently produced and distributed their own art book, because no publishers were offering to do it in a way that pleased them.

their stated goals for reki were to make something more adult than their previous children's manga, taking place in a city, involving a lot of mechanical art, and featuring stronger romantic and self-described erotic subtext. good for them. before i get into the four swords-related stuff, i'm sharing what i could find on the internet about reki.

more under the cut, because there's quite a bit to discuss :)

not much that i could find on the blog specifically references four swords, but they have many fascinating insights about nintendo, the zelda fandom, and the franchise as a whole. i can't know for certain because this information was surmised from translated text, but it seems as if their manga with chibi link made them feel a little stifled, which is why they took a long break before returning to do twilight princess. it's not lost on me that even a work like four swords, which they may regard as not their favorite or best, still has inspired and brought together so many passionate, creative, and diverse people. this is especially sweet because it seems as if they met each other, and formed their creative partnership, because of a shared fandom interest of their own.

honda and nagano have shared their thoughts and feelings on this blog for more than a decade, and they have a lot of thoughts and feelings. throughout their entire career they've made commentary on work-life balance, their experiences as women in a male-dominated field, and their desire to create original art while simultaneously enjoying some commercial work as well. they are passionate about social justice, particularly re: women and indigenous people, and offer insights on aspects of culture and history and the state of the world that really could resonate with anyone. and they really seem to appreciate fans of their work, and emphasize repeatedly the care and thought they put into their manga in the hopes it will inspire and bring catharsis to readers. they love animals (especially wolves), being outside in nature, being nerds about art they enjoy, a certain subgenre of romantic manga that appealed to and empowered female readers in the 90's and 2000's, and traveling around the world to partake in activities like horse riding and falconry.

the coolest part is, they're still updating the blog to this day :) in fact they seem to have recently returned to it, reflecting that twitter is not their preferred manner of sharing things online. they seem very familiar with and fond of older-school blogging culture.

there's a lot more i could say here about my findings, some of which do pertain to... certain ships 💜🖤 . but i don't want my genuine appreciation for these authors to be overshadowed by that kind of conversation. in addition to a link to the blog itself, i'm including a few translated posts of interests, which you can interpret and incorporate into your perception of the media however you please. at the end of the day, it's a really cool gift that these artists have chosen to share so much over such a long period of time. by making their personalities, beliefs, and insights more visible to fans of their work, i hope it brings new context to the stories we already love.

a modern-day insight:

re: the zelda mangas. these are from several points throughout their career. please note that they have so many fond things to say about zelda as a franchise and their work on the mangas, especially regarding the way they've affected fans. i encourage you to look for yourself, on their blog and their other socials!

re: gliding reki

re: the creative process (and in the latter two, the fandom that seems to have inspired them!)

re: their two goofyass adorable tiny dogs that they dress up in outfits while also loving wolves like a lot, they love wolves (both domesticated and wild), they really love wolves

re: wolf day (every day is wolf day,)

re: indigenous rights

re: painting serious works on commission vs their manga. i can't know for sure exactly what it means, but it really does kinda hit

re: a fan and manga artist in training bringing them art and a note

and a moment from a twilight princess manga interview i found very sweet :)

okay. you've made it to the end. i know you're wondering. here you go. please remember that this is and always has been a public blog, and these posts are actually from 2009 and 2010. also please remember that the point of this post is not to cause or fuel fandom discourse, but to appreciate these authors and the things that they choose to express.

(also, this is the column they were referring to in image 1. it's FASCINATING. give it a read if you'd like!)

the dots are there. you're welcome to connect them.

thank you for your beautiful work and insights, honda and nagano. please never change.

[spacepiratenemo]

Main - OC #FashionSheet

👾 Moonrock, Baby! - R e f. S h e e t

👽I always see people designing an outfit for each ark, I designed outfits for every occasion. Afterall, I don’t think anyone should be restricted to only one outfit per island visited! Nemo’s wardrobe is HUGE! In fact, it is that mindboggingly huge that its mass turned into a singularity! There are some things that girl is hoarding, namely: Fashion, Guns, Tech and Coconuts!

☠ There's 102 versions of Nemo’s favourite matching set #1 ; (fluffy one with the cloud pattern) and don’t ya dare to match one of those skirts with something else! BEN knows! LOL It’s Boss is strict when it comes to her style! Papa Zekka taught her that!

💫 Always remember slogan number 17; "Jackpot Couture is lit!"

🔥www.wattpad.com/1272855488-the…

#jackpotspacepiratecrew rules include memetic bragging-rights, parental advisory explıcıt content, you have been warned 101 : “Gotta have style if you wanna be cool!” (Yes, it’s a bullshit rule, don’t take it too seriously!)

🐭 Nemo is a #nerd ; a #geek and a #fashionista at the same time ! And to make it even better, details, accessoires and so on, are interchangeable! I never need to stick to one design and I can get mega creative, which I find super enjoyable :3 And since it's impossible to draw the whole wardrobe, it's impossible which fashionable treasures can be found! 😂 We all love to mix and match, so why not give an #OC the option to do so, too?! And yes, 30 pairs of shoes ain't enough! 😂💯

Which one’s are yer favourites? Do you like her Pj’s ? What about her wedding dress? 🌙 I love her space-party dress, her number 1 fave and her #spacepirate#captn couture! 🌎

🌟 That being said, these sheets also serve as official references!

"Where the hell did you get such a bratty attitude from?!", Marco asked, wiping away the green slime Nemo bombarded him with. "Oh, that's easy to answer, birdbrain! Let me tell you the absolutely mindboggling, legendarily famous story of - ", Nemo started, getting interrupted by Whitebeard, finishing the sentence for her. " - the idiot that raised her!"

"I AM NOT A F*CKING MOUSE!", Nemo yelled from the top of her lungs, trying to make her big brother shut the f*ck up! 

"But you are as small, dainty as and as cute as one!", Alliqui laughed, poking his sister's cheek, ruffling her hair, taking her into a Half-Nelson before putting a booger into her hair. 

"I SWEAR I'M GOING TO  -", Nemo struggled, aggressively trying to get out of the grip. 

"You what? MOUSE?!"

The run of the gun suddenly met the temple of her brothers face, a clacking sound occured and the trigger was pulled swiftly. Alliqui bashed into a nearby hill at full speed and full force, immediately being knocked out. "I TOLD YOU TO SHUT THE F*CK UP YOU DAMN STUPID BASTARD! CALL ME A MOUSE ONE MORE TIME AND I'M GONNA SHOOT YOUR SORRY ASS INTO THE NEXT BLACK HOLE, YOU F*CKING DEGENERATED MOONDUST-SNIFFLER!"

.... Siblings in a Nutshell, eh?! 

Alliqui is Nemo's big brother. ( Alliqui/Aliquis - Lat.: Person of Importance, a Somebody!)

Nemo, my main-muse and tearsure <;3 (Nemo - Lat.: No One, No Man, Nothing)

Nemo's Snail-Phone (Scientific Study #173 *cough* beloved pet *cough*)🤍👽🪐🌙🌟

𝐍𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬 // ☆*: .｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐆𝐄 // ಠ_ಠ

𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜)

✨INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/r0tt3n_rabbit_/

// View the stories for Work in Progress, find all Artworks on my Profile.

❤σиє ριє¢є fαи∂σм - fαиαтι¢αℓℓу σвѕєѕѕє∂ ωιтн ρσятgαѕ ∂. α¢є

❤𝕁𝔸ℂ𝕂ℙ𝕆𝕋 𝕊ℙ𝔸ℂ𝔼 ℙ𝕀ℝ𝔸𝕋𝔼 ℂℝ𝔼𝕎 𝕄𝔼ℂℍ𝔸

❤ᴡʜɪᴛᴇʙᴇᴀʀᴅ ᴘɪʀᴀᴛᴇs

❤𝚆𝙴𝙻𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝚃𝙾 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝙲𝙴! 𝙳𝙾𝙽'𝚃 𝙿𝚄𝚂𝙷 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝚄𝚃𝚃𝙾𝙽

❤𝕾𝖕𝖆𝖈𝖊 𝕻𝖎𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖊 𝕰𝖓𝖙𝖍𝖚𝖘𝖎𝖆𝖘𝖙

✨LINKS:

https://www.deviantart.com/r0tt3nrabbit

https://www.instagram.com/r0tt3n_rabbit_/

https://www.wattpad.com/user/R0tt3n_Rabbit

𝙉𝙚𝙧𝙙

𝙃𝙤𝙗𝙗𝙮-𝘼𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙨

𝙉𝘼𝙎𝘼

𝙎𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚-𝙋𝙞𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜

𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙈𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙖𝙣

42

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙝𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙂𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚-𝙁𝙖𝙣

𝙂𝙐𝙉𝙉𝙈

👾Nemo in a Nusthell is this bunny:

[zelda-photography]

Tears of the Kingdom - Initial Thoughts

Can it be called initial thoughts if I've already played, like, 12 hours of it at least? We'll go with that anyway.

I'm going to put most of it beneath the cut, but here I'll just say: it is good. If you were worried at all that exploring Hyrule specifically would not be fun, it is extremely fun and I'm having a blast.

For reference of how far I am: I decided I would get one part of the main quest done before doing serious exploration. I've been to Castle Town, underground a couple times, have done one thing with Impa's quest, and I'm pretty far in the Rito Village quest line.

The opening cutscene was so good, I really love that they had Link have a million hearts, only for them to be ripped away. And Zelda! I love her so much, she got so excited over the murals! I hope there's more chances to see her nerd out.

I'm really unsure what to think about Rauru. I love his design, he has a nice voice, like overall I really love him, to be honest! But, his character profile is annoyingly vague, and I can't shake the feeling he might try and betray us at some point.

The sky islands are really cool! I feel like Nintendo really noticed how much people liked climbing shit, and so much of the game feels geared towards that.

The different runes are interesting. I thought that we'd have the new runes in addition to the old runes. I miss some of the old runes (bombs and statis specifically) but also I see how that would just lead to much the same, and by not giving them back, it keeps the game fresh and allows the devs to put in different puzzles.

'Castle Town' (I can't remember the name right now) is wonderful. The world in general feels so full of people, so full of life. I love talking to literally everybody that I can. 'Castle Town' being built over the old ceremony place (from the cutscene where Link is kneeling in front of Zelda) I think is a good example of the mentality of the rebuilding project - make use of everything, even the things that were once deemed 'sacred', for the good of furthering Hyrule. Seeing people growing up is so neat! I am confused as to how Purah got so old - it seems like most of the kids are teens now, but she looks like an adult - but I'm guessing maybe she just ages faster than the rest? Her new assistant Josha is so cute too!! What a nerd I love her!

The plot so far is a lot more engaging and a lot more of mystery, trying to figure out what it is Zelda is doing and exactly what it is you're supposed to be doing.

Shout out to my girl Traysi, running a newspaper and selling the best armor! For real, that was an offer you couldn't refuse. I am missing Kass, we haven't seen him at all :(

There's also a lot of small things I'm really appreciating, like the music in the shrines and their aesthetic, the fact that your have all your horses from you BotW profile if you're playing on the same account. The world feels like the same Hyrule, but so changed, so new still, and I'm excited to re-explore it, honest to goodness. And to check in on my old friends, see how they're doing! Even small side characters are remembered; I got insanely excited over seeing Oliff.

The bottom line is, I'm enjoying this game a lot. I'm sure I'll have more thoughts later, and more critiques after I've gotten more used to it. Right now one is that going through your items can be a little hard to find what you're looking for in a relatively fast manner. Also I feel like I always have so many already fused items - like pre-fused before I even get them - that it makes it hard to find weapons that I can fuse with items.

I'm still going through the Rito questline, but I love Tulin! Favorite little boy <3<3<3

[felassan]

hey hey, just giving you this question because you are big lore nerd and I'm analysing this by myself (and eventually doing a post)... did you check out the Chant of Light, Drakon's prophecy for the future? Exaltations canticle? I read it last night and I was surprised. It can be added to Sandal's prophecy in da2 as well.... maybe you talked about this before? would you mind to point me your post in that case? I love your analysis

Hello! Ahh thankyouu ��� (Please tag me in or drop me a link to your post because I’d be interested to read it!) The rest of this post is under a cut due to length.

Sandal’s prophecy is an interesting one as we recently learned this tidbit about it and things like it in one of the David Gaider dev commentary streams:

DG said Eleni Zinovia’s prophecy doesn’t refer to Fen’Harel. He can’t remember who wrote it in there or what it refers to actually. It was most likely just intended as flavor and he was even a bit surprised by it, like “What is this?” There’s a lot of things like that in the games, not everything has a ~grand meaning~. Sometimes such small off-hand things are picked up on by fans and the writers then make it into something bigger and more meaningful after the fact. This is what happened with Sandal (all the fans being like “Ooh, what does it mean, what does it mean?” about him). It’s possible Eleni will be picked up on like that in the future, but at the time it didn’t mean anything really. A lot of the way these stories are put together is that they put a lot of questions into the world, scattering possible/potential plothooks, and they don’t necessarily know where they lead at the time, but in future games they could come back to them and come up with an interesting backstory. Sometimes they pick it up and sometimes it never gets answered or ever mentioned again (the Wardens taking some of the blood from those who didn’t survive their particular bout of Joinings and putting it in a vial to remember them is an example of one of these things). It’s pretty rare that you’d get a situation where something is mapped out from beginning to end. Sometimes we the players get a revelation as we play and we’re like “Omg!! This is all connected! They are masters!” and the writers are like “Yes, toootally… It was that way alllllll along. It certainly did NOT get decided three quarters of the way through development…” [source]

I don’t think I’ve made a post about Kordillus Drakon’s vision of the Maker’s return or on the Canticle of Exaltations. I’d be really interested to see some of his prior drafts and compare the things he changed during the rewriting process.. Anyway here’s some assorted thoughts on the Canticle, albeit disjointed and not conclusive:

Parallels - Andraste’s vision of the Maker, Kordillus’ vision of the future 

You can read Kordillus’ vision as a genuine vision of actual-Andraste, a figment of his imagination or a delusion born from religious fervor, something he’s making up (he was a fervent believer, it’s just that it’s also the case that sometimes religion is misused for power or empire), or a legit encounter that he had with a non-Andraste entity that was taking the form of Andraste or whom he had interpreted as Andraste (see the Inquisitor’s encounter with the spirit so-called ‘Divine Justinia’). Is it maybe spirit possession? “I accept the gift”, “let me be the vessel”

“the vessel” - vessels are a repeating motif in the lore: Wynne as the Vessel of her spirit of Faith, Calpernia and Samson seeking to be the Vessel of the Well’s power and Morrigan or the Inquisitor becoming such, fan theory that Sera is the vessel of Andruil (which I don’t subscribe to but it comes to mind), Flemeth as the vessel of Mythal, darkspawn as empty soulless vessels whereas Wardens are not, shells of flesh and souls, the soulless Titans’ workers (dwarves), possession, etc.

“The air itself rent asunder” can easily be read as referring to the Breach in DAI and/or the upcoming intended destruction/removal of the Veil. As you say this entire verse is similar to Sandal’s “shadows will part and the skies will open wide”. Shadows parting, spilling light. There are elements here that you could link to Eleni Zinovia’s words or the words of the Ardent Blossom Faerie (whether this was intentional on the writers’ parts or no at the time when they were written is a separate subject)

The “Waters of the Fade” line is important given the similar references elsewhere in the Chant - “Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew”, “From the waters of the Fade you made the world. As the Fade had been fluid, so was the world fixed.” Reference to the fluidity of the Fade vs the mundane realm as static and way less malleable. “Realm of Opposition”, the idea of the 2 opposing realms, also sticks out to me as I’ve talked before about the contrast in the metaphysical opposing elements:

In a kind of metaphysical way, the dwarves are emblematic of the mundane sphere. Not “mundane” as in normal/boring, but in terms of reinforced reality vs reality as mutable, earth and sky, underground vs land, Children of the Stone vs Birds of Fancy, magic resistance vs inherent magical quality, tradition vs change, Titan progenitors vs origins in the Fade prior to taking physical form slash being spirit-y or spirit adjacent. It’s all very thematic, especially when you consider that dwarves do not dream compared to how elves are (or rather, are supposed to be) innately tied to the Fade. and at the moment, modern Thedas is unbalanced 

I guess you could plot the races on a line from most Fadey/sky-like (very scientific I know) to least: spirits - elves - humans - Qunari - dwarves. note this isn’t a “who is most alive”, thing, it’s just a spectrum between 2 different but equally Alive ways of being. [source]

“The Realm of Opposition” is the post-Veil waking world. Obviously the “Realm of Dreams” is the Fade.

The waters stuff also reminds me of the Well of Sorrows (Andraste is the Lady of Sorrows) and how Mythal walked out of the sea of the Earth’s tears.

(Is anyone else reminded of the Eye of Sauron at this point in the Canticle btw? 😁)

Is it even Andraste he’s seeing? No way of knowing if it is, or was Mythal with a staff in hand, given their similar headpieces, for instance. And certainly a maker has returned to the world since Kordillus wrote this stuff down, just not The Maker - the maker or creator of the Veil, Solas.

Are the “men of stone” dwarves, golems (probably not) or Titans? “Sleepers waking at the dawn” immediately makes me think of how dwarves don’t dream. That whole verse makes me think of the Titans waking up and destroying the world via earthquakes or something in order for it to be made anew. This makes me 👀 given Descent and upcoming Titan plotbeats. Seventy time seven stuff is a reference in the Bible irl iirc.

And I heard from the East a great cry As men who were beasts warred with their brothers, Tooth and claw against blade and bow, Until one could no longer be told from the other, And cursed them and cursed their generations.

East of Orlais is Ferelden. This verse makes me think of Fereldans and their troubles with werewolves throughout their history and in their recent present, werewolves who were once human (or elven, depending) like them. Zathrian’s curse lasted for generations even. Interesting given werewolves resurfacing again in TN. The other thing that comes to mind here is that the Executors supposedly dwell across the eastern ocean.

And those who slept, the ancient ones, awoke, For their dreams had been devoured By a demon that prowled the Fade As a wolf hunts a herd of deer. Taking first the weakest and frailest of hopes, And when there was nothing left, Destroying the bright and bold By subtlety and ambush and cruel arts

Dwarves getting dreams (“Mythal gives you dreams”) or regaining their connection to the Titans (see Valta), the Titans awakening again, remaining slumbering Old Gods waking, imprisoned sleeping Evanuris waking, or the few remaining ancient elves in secret enclaves waking from uthernera (Abelas and co and ones like them, that Solas makes reference to)...? The wolf-like demon that devours dreams and prowls the Fade is an allusion (not from Kordillus, but the writers) to the Dalish belief that Fen’Harel is He Who Hunts Alone, Roamer of the Beyond. The wolf metaphor in Kordillus’ vision points to someone who is smart, clever, strategic, cunning, someone who goes about things in a subterfuge-y and plotting-/scheming-type way. It almost reads like the Evanuris’ anti-Solas “Dread Wolf Bad” propaganda, of which we encounter some of during Trespasser. The Fade-prowling demon that devours dreams also reminds me of the Nightmare in DAI.

The number nine, like the number seven, in this setting always makes me like.. [alarmed vibrating]. There are nine Creator-figures, including Ghilan’nain and Fen’Harel. “The mortal dust of Our Lady” could refer to the Urn of Sacred Ashes, thus the “sacred mountain” would be the mountain in the Frostbacks at Haven which contained the remains of the ruined Temple of Andraste, the Temple of Sacred Ashes. Obviously this area in DAI was the site of the Breach and in DAI Corypheus lifts (ascends) it into the sky for a bit. There’s even a reference here to passing through the fire, calling to mind that part of the Gauntlet in DAO. The mountain stuff here also reminds me of The Ptarmigan: An Avvar Tale:

Korth the Mountain-Father kept his throne at the peak of Belenas, the mountain that lies at the center of the world, from which he could see all the corners of earth and sky.

Belenas, Belenas... a mountain at the center of the world, and the reference to earth and sky (Realm of Opposition and the Realm of Dreams). It’s especially notable when you consider the Lady of the Skies, Tyrdda’s leaf-eared lover, Korth’s mountain-y-ness (Titan?) and the stuff about his heart (the Evanuris mined the bodies of Titans for lyrium and “something else”, which we suspect are their hearts). This part “And he saw strong men become weak, brave men grow cowardly, and wise men turn foolish for love” reminds me of the Canticle verse above which referred to men warring with their brothers. And in elven language “Bel” is part of bellanaris, eternity (this Canticle ends with a reference to eternal life). Belenas, bellanaris.

And I looked up and saw The seven gates of the Black City shatter, And darkness cloaked both realms.

Oh shit, here it comes. Y’know? Seven seals, some potentially already broken (the dark and lit orbs in the concentric circles on the DWR mural). Darkness is coming alright. People have speculated about this at length. 😁 And in other places in-world there are references to this belief.

Look upon the Light so you May lead others here through the darkness, Blade of the Faith!

This reminds me of the Inquisitor’s journey and role in DAI. Parallels again.

The Maker returns In dread

Self-explanatory, emphasis mine. A maker.

And saw the darkness warp and crumble

Interesting given the fabric of reality is currently warping, as witnessed by Strife in one of the recent shorts.

shroud

Another word for veil.

The meek lambs became bold And rose up, casting aside their shepherds To dance at the Maker's feet

reminds me of the ‘Slightest Ones’ bard song and some elves leaving in the Trespasser epilogue.

Where once a terrible fire swept The Light of redemption from the face of the world

the time Andraste was burned. The gates of Minrathous is also where we’re headed in the next game.

What are the “sins of creation”, exactly? - Why does it make me think back to the waters of the Fade and the well of all souls which the Chant holds life began anew from and the Maker made the world from? Why do they need “redeemed”? Why does that make me think of the creation of the Veil and the terrible consequences that had for Thedas in general and for the ancient elves, and of Solas’ drive and desire to correct that mistake? And Justice is an aspect of Mythal. 

Harmony in all things. Let Balance be restored And the world given eternal life.

See above with the “modern Thedas is unbalanced” stuff. Balance could be restored with the removal of the Veil, and then the remaining elves would be immortal again probably. I tend to veer away from “everything is elves” and “everything relates back to or is in some way a metaphor for or reference etc to Solas and Mythal” but it’s like Kordillus had a vision of the future of Thedas at that time (things which we then saw in previous games set after he died, and some things which we still haven’t seen yet but which have been foreshadowed - as in some things which have still yet to come to pass in the world’s storyline) and, naturally, interpreted it through his fervent Andrastian/cult of the Maker lens. I wouldn’t take it all completely at face value though, having given away major future plotbeats in the Chant just like that would be a bold choice.

[kez2402]

Hang In There// Peter Parker (1)

Chapter 1

I've know Peter Parker my whole life. We lived in the same city, went to the same schools. We use to be best friends, key words: use to be. Ever since our journey into Midtown High, we lost touch. We found our own groups of friends, each differing very much from the other. Nevertheless, I still considered Peter Parker a friend. I got dragged into the popular group by none other than Harry Osborn, an old friend of Peter's, but also my older brother. To be quite honest, I didn't exactly feel like I fit in with my clique. I always envied the friendship that Peter shared with Ned and MJ, it was so innocent and true, something that didn't exist in many of the popular groups. So that's why I got out. I traded the popular status for friends who didn't care if I turned up in tracksuit bottoms over a mini skirt. We got classified as the 'nerds' of the school. Did I care? Absolutely not. I knew I was valued more with these three than with a group of ten or more. 

Life at home wasn't what anyone would expect. Our mother died in a family house fire years ago, leaving our family.....broken. Our father, Norman Osborn, was never the same after it. He pushed us away, his work and company being prioritized over his own children. It was tough to say the least, but at least we had each other, and we both had Peter Parker. Harry always lived up to the definition of an older brother, that overprotective nature always coming through in some shape or form. We were known as the 'rich kids' but only Harry could ever carry that title so proudly. Being a 'rich kid' meant your parents were rich, with good high paying jobs, meaning there was very little time left for family. Which is why I practically grew up in the Parker household. Aunt May and Uncle Ben were like parents to me. They fed me, took care of me, loved me, something my brother and I never got off our father. Especially lately, there was a new experiment they had going and there was nothing that could pull him away from Oscorp. Turns out, I couldn't get away from it either.

It was Monday morning and it rained. And rained. And rained. You could call it pathetic fallacy for the weather certainly reflected my mood: gloomy. Why? Because we were going on a school trip. It wasn't the trip itself thag caused my gloomy mood, it was the place we were going to that caused it: Oscorp. The place that made a man love it more than he loved his own son and daughter. Strange things happen in Oscorp, most of which are brushed under the mat...... Like me.

I met up with Peter, Ned and MJ outside the gates of Midtown High. MJ being the only one with the brain cells to think of bringing an umbrella. We chatted about our weekends while we waited another five minutes for the bus to arrive. When it did, people were quick about getting out of the rain. Peter sat with Ned while I sat with MJ in front of them. It wasn't a long journey to Oscorp, maybe half an hour tops. The sight of the ugly glass building was enough to dampen my mood even further, Peter questioning it as we got off the bus.

"Hey, Sof. You okay?"

I smiled back at him and replied with a short 'yep' as the students of Midtown made their way into the building. There was something eery about Oscorp, something I couldn't put my finger on. Perhaps it was the events of that day many years ago that made me dislike the building so much. But nevertheless, I was here. It was interesting what they were showing us, from the beginning up until now. However, I took particular interest in the radioactive spider. Such a strange experiment. The affects of radiation on a spider. I was stood beside Peter, him spitting out random facts to me the whole time. I didn't mind though, it was cute to see him so passionate about science.

"Ow."

I saw Peter raise his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it gently, a look of discomfort on his face. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay, Pete?"

He went pale very quickly and I thought he was going to pass out right there and then. So, I took him by the arm and guided him outside of Oscorp, hoping some fresh air would help. We sat on the top step of the stairway to the building, a glass panel saving us from the rain. The boy beside me kept his head in his hands, causing concern to build up inside me. I placed a hand on his back, I could feel his body flinch under my touch.

"Pete, how are you feeling?"

He removed his head from his hands, allowing me to see his eyes in behind the thick framed glasses. He gave me a small smile in return.

"I'll be fine, just nausea. It'll go away once Aunt May gives me some of her favourite medicine."

I chuckled at the brunet's simple joke, knowing all too well what medicine he was referring to. Some sort of homemade recipe Aunt May had discovered one day, we haven't looked back since. My friendship with Peter Parker had always played on my mind, morning, noon and night. Did he still consider me one? A friend? Or had I been demoted to simply an acquaintance? Someone he knew.

"We're still friends, right?"

Peter looked at me with confusion written across his face.

"Of course we are. You've been my best friend since...... Well forever."

A smile had made itself onto my face as we sat there. Just remembering all the memories from our childhood together, the stupid things we use to do, the amount of trouble we got into and of course, the consequences for them. It was Sof and Pete. Pete and Sof. You couldn't have one without the other. And it seems that, even though we had drifted, Sof and Pete are still the friends they were when they were ten years old.

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That evening I walked Peter home, to make sure he was okay after the incident at Oscorp. I had an errand to run that side of town anyways so it was really a win-win situation. We reached the Parker residence soon after five p.m., just in time for dinner. I stood outside the door as Peter walked in, looking back giving me a 'why aren't you coming in' look. I could hear Aunt May call from the kitchen saying he was just in time for dinner.

"Dinner is just ready, I'm sure there's plenth for another person."

"Oh, no I couldn't, Pete. Honestly I should probably be going."

I smiled at his efforts but he just raised an eyebrow at me, a smirk growing on his lips.

"May, you'll never guess who's come to visit."

My eyes widen with shock as I glare at the boy, if looks could kill he'd be dead a hundred times over. Without a second to spare Aunt May was at the door, a huge smile making it's way onto her face.

"Sophie!"

She wrapped me in a hug before pulling back, keeping her hands on my shoulders and looking at me.

"It's been so long! You've grown into a beautiful young woman. Hasn't she, Pete."

My eyes flickered over to Peter to see his cheeks go a new shade of red as he replied with a shy 'ye'. Next thing I know I'm being dragged inside for dinner. To say I didn't enjoy my time with the Parkers would be a complete lie because I truly did love it. That same warm and homely feeling had never left. It was as if I had only been over yesterday, not 3 years ago. Nevertheless, nothing had changed between us, it as something constant in a world of constant change.

"What's the time?" I asked, tidying up my dishes.

"It's half six."

I checked the time again to make sure I wasn't imaging things. I was so late. I rushed around the the kitchen helping where I could and collecting my things.

"Thank you so much for the food, May! It was lovely to see you again!  Bye!"

I rushed out the door and got to the large building as soon as I could. I waited inside the waiting room for roughly fifteen minutes before a smart looking lady came out.

"He's ready to see you now."

I stood up and straightened out my outfit, presenting myself as confident despite my panic not so long ago. I entered the office and took a seat, as did he. Once comfortable I leaned back in my seat, crossing my legs.

"So, Mr. Stark, what can I do for you?"

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To read the full story go to Kez2402 on Wattpad or click on the link below:

[datingadviceonreddit]

Bit long winded, but here goes:I went to high school with a girl whom I'll refer to as Marie. After we graduated in 2011, I've run into her various times at different places in our city. I never thought much of it outside of how funny it was I would always run into her and not many other previous classmates. Naturally, Marie's on my Facebook.A few weeks back when Sarahah was becoming a thing, she posted the link to hers on a Friday night. Not thinking much of it while at the same time thinking, "It's anonymous, Marie won't really know who it is if I say 'I've run into you a couple of times'. I'm sure I'm not the only person she's run into in the past few years. What are the chances!" I sent her a message saying just that: "I've run into you a few times and would love to take you out sometime." I hit sent not giving it much importance. It was a Friday night, so what the hell?To my surprise, a few minutes later Marie sends me a message on FB messenger asking if I had been the one to send her that Sarahah message. In the end, I told her yes, that I didn't think she would figure out who it was. She said that she knew it was me cause I'm the only one she has run into more than 3 times. She then also tells me she accepts my offer to go out. At that point, I thought it would be rude to back out of it and say the whole thing was a joke, so continued on. Again, this was on a Friday, almost at the end of July.We had our first "date" the following Wednesday. We went out to a small restaurant and chatted the night away, naturally catching up. Marie brought up the fact I had sent her the Sarahah message when I could have directly asked her to go out. We laughed. And to you, the reader, go ahead, judge me for it! We then went to grab dessert from a cookie place. At the end of the night, I was surprised as to how well everything had gone, and how Marie's personality and outlook of life aligned so much with mine.I followed up that date two days later, Friday again. I took her to a museum in the city for an event they were holding for an Andy Warhol exhibition along with drinks and a DJ. Since I had not planned out what to do after the museum in advance, we drove around the city thinking of places to eat at. After almost an hour of driving, I decided to take her to a bar I had previously gone to. We got there and dove deeper in conversations. It became even more evident that we held a lot of things in common. When I dropped her off at her house, we ended up making out in the car before she went in.Our third date was a simple movie date (the Thurday after our last one). We went out to eat afterwards and continued getting to know each other. This was when I told her that my intentions with her were honest. That in the beginning of us hanging out I didn't know what I was expecting from it, but that I had not expected to end up liking her the way I did.That Saturday I wanted to go out with her, but she was not free as she was having a cousin stay over that night. Even with that in mind, she invited me to come to her house and hang with them. I declined cause I ended up running a few errands that evening. Sunday morning, I had no plans for the day, so just decided to stay in. She texts me that morning asking me what I was doing that day and I said nothing. She then told me to meet her at her house, that she was taking me out. After going to a restaurant that she wanted to go to but finding out it was closed, we ended up going to a restaurant called Houston's. We again chatted and told each other jokes. Shortly after, we went to Dave & Buster's to play pool and win some tickets in the arcade. We finished the night at Barnes & Noble to read for a while. She's really huge on books. She got me into reading Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box that night. I finished the book two days later. (I totally recommend reading it, btw!)In between our dates, I won't say we texted a LOT, but we did text each other to at least check in. She's a Medical Assistant and I'm an Office Administrator so we work full time. Personally, I tried my best to not text her like crazy because I didn't want to come off as desperate or needy. I told her this and she said that wasn't an issue, that everything was cool. Work is work, after all. This past week we were texting and I outright told her that although I didn't want to rush things, I do see us starting a formal relationship. She told me she felt the same way. This past Thursday, I asked her if she wanted to go out to a book place I knew she really wants to go to (Even I wanted to go there before I met up with her for the first time. I'm not a big reader like before, but I do read every once in a while.) Marie said she was working late that night, so that plan was a bust.I forgot to mention, somewhere between our third and fourth date, she invited me out to DragonCon which was just this past weekend. Marie's the biggest Batman and general nerd I have met so far. She loves doing her own makeup and costumes. It's amazing! Anyway, I had agreed to go but due to my brother falling in the hospital the weekend before the con and my supposed plan to go see him again this weekend (He lives out of state), I forgot about it. I ended up not going to see my brother this weekend and she ended up going to the con. I wanted to see her yesterday, Labor Day, but... didn't ask her to. This is where I am having problems.I've been single for almost the past 2 years. I'm the lone wolf type (funny enough, she kinda is, too) so being single for this long wasn't really a big issue for me. I could use the me time to better myself. The thing is.. I kind of wear my heart on my sleeve so now that I have this connection with Marie.. I'm trying my best from keeping my heart from just taking over and giving itself out. As I mentioned earlier, I don't want to come off needy or clingy, so that's why I've been keeping myself at bay from texting her too much, from asking her out too often even though I know she likes me back to the point where she would start a relationship with her.I think I've psyched myself out so much that I'm starting to think I am not prepared to date anyone still, including Marie. I haven't told her any of this because of an innate feeling of not wanting to look weak. I started undermining myself that I don't know what to do at the moment. I think that confusion is also starting to make me look uninterested as I barely text her now, even a little less than before. I was a bit drunk on Saturday night and texted her that I missed her, and she said she missed me too. A few hours later I texted her again, apologizing for having texted her drunk. She asked why I was apologizing and I told her I didn't want to "sour things by coming off too needy," that I wanted to keep the connection I had going with her. She recognized that I didn't text much, and that she wouldn't know those things if I didn't tell her.Have I messed up things badly? How do I go about my situation from now on? Do I just stop talking to her? I'm trying my best to get over this mental block I've put up, this feeling of inadequacy. I feel stupid cause being almost 25, I have this blooming fear that I might end up alone. Now that I have Marie and a chance to actually maybe not end up alone whether it works or not in the long run, I'm fucking myself over.TL;DR: Having been 4 dates, I really like Marie, but my insecurities and doubts are keeping me from actually following through with having a normal, happy relationship with her. Thoughts on how to punch some damn sense into me? via /r/dating_advice