#but you can capture the feel of that while also having engaging combat. no one in the world would say that skyrim's combat system
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obsidian makes games that i consider kiiind of niche? poe is one of my favorite games ever and i'll recommend it to anyone who asks but i also recognize that your average gamer is not going to be into it.
with avowed being a first person actiony type game it's attracting attention from your average gamer and they're expecting god of war and reacting negatively because that's not what it is.
that said combat looks like it needs work in avowed, genuinely. obsidian's animation department has never been, like, top tier. but the showcase made combat look like a chore, which sucks. they've got a few months to tweak it though and i really hope they do.
#if modders can do it for free then you can do it#but it genuinely. it's not even skyrim combat it's oblivion combat.#and avowed feels like they're trying to make their own open world first person action adventure rpg (i.e. skyrim again)#but you can capture the feel of that while also having engaging combat. no one in the world would say that skyrim's combat system#is worth looking to for inspiration#also. dude i don't know. their example of a complex quest decision is 'do you believe this guy is telling the truth?'#i'm hoping it was just hard to present a moral quandary in thirty seconds bc. girl.#carly.txt
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thanks to my rewatch of Loki I’ve just been reminded how much I’m annoyed by (mostly) fellow Lokius shippers that insist Sylvie is problematic, abusive, toxic, rude to Loki and that she only used Loki for her own gain.
(And that’s coming from a person who also enjoys Lokius and I’m tired of fellow shippers pretending it’s not misogyny when it actually clearly is)
Are we really in any position to claim any of that when Mobius did the exact same if not even worse things to Loki?
Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, Loki was indeed used by him. The sole reason why Loki is alive, the sole reason why Mobius recruited Loki was for his own benefit. He needed to apprehend the variant that posed a threat to the stability of the multiverse and was eliminating their forces. Coming across Loki was a happy accident and in it, he saw the opportunity to finally capture that variant. Sure, he might have been fascinated by Loki’s nature and perhaps even harbored hopes that this partnership might work out for him even better than anticipated, but the main and primary reason why he even recruited him was to use him.
In fact, he explicitly stated in subsequent episodes that if Loki refused to cooperate, he wouldn't hesitate to prune him. He warned Loki that his survival hinged upon his willingness to comply.
He can be ruthless and manipulative to get what he wants and will not hesitate to take any means necessary to reach his goal. Mobius was not reluctant to strike at Loki's most vulnerable areas.
He’s smart enough to identify Loki’s weaknesses, and one of them is his affection for his mother. When he told him Loki killed his mother, while not entirely incorrect since Frigga’s death was an unintentional consequence of Loki’s actions, he aimed to shatter Loki emotionally and provoke a reaction. It's a classic tactic of emotional manipulation designed to coerce Loki into compliance.
He used a similar strategy in episode 4 where he deceived Loki, manipulated him into thinking that Sylvie, someone Mobius suspected Loki had grown close to, had been killed. Then, he proceeded to taunt Loki, who was visibly distressed by his lies, all in an effort to provoke a response from him.
The finale made it evident that Mobius lacks physical combat skills, rendering him incapable of directly engaging in fights. Therefore, to gain an advantage over Loki, Mobius relies on identifying his vulnerabilities and exploiting them.
He can use the TimeTwister for when Loki misbehaves and controls him like a dog, or, he can throw him in a memory loop cell, subjecting him to both verbal and physical abuse for an indeterminate period, so basically someone else does that job for him.
That action in particular is something I noticed a lot of you tend to ignore. At this point, Mobius and Loki had already formed a camaraderie. It might not have been a full-fledged friendship just yet, but they were clearly on their way to becoming friends. Mobius was hurt that Loki decided to stab him in the back and destroy his trust in him by doing the exact thing he shouldn’t - running off with the Variant, even if that was for a good cause.
For Loki, Mobius risked a great deal: his own job, the friendship and trust of Ravonna, the trust placed in him and even Ravonna by the Time Keepers, and possibly even his own life. He had enough faith in Loki to believe that Loki wouldn't betray him and run off at the first opportunity. And Loki betrayed that trust when he went after the mysterious Variant.
When Loki and Sylvie were captured by the TVA, it wasn’t jealousy that Loki had feelings for Sylvie that drove him (even though we like to headcanon that, we have to keep in mind Loki and Mobius’ relationship wasn’t written as romantic). Instead, it was his anger and resentment that stemmed from placing so much trust in Loki, only to have him do the very thing Mobius had believed he wouldn't.
Then, despite the fact that there was already some camaraderie between them, and despite the fact that Loki genuinely meant well, Mobius in his anger, completely dismissed the possibility of Loki being honest with him. He outright declared that he no longer needed Loki and, to make matters worse, he threw him into the Time Loop cell where he knew Loki would endure repeated instances of physical assault.
I know that some of you like to argue, “oh, well at least he didn’t choose a worse memory! He clearly cares about him then!” but honestly, that’s just very questionable and just....uh?
The reason Mobius selected that memory was because he knew Lady Sif would inflict repeated physical pain upon Loki and because of what Lady Sif says to him during that loop. She hurls insults at him, calling him a "conniving, craven, pathetic worm" and that he deserves to be alone for the rest of eternity.
Mobius made the conscious decision to throw Loki into the Time Loop cell, despite the budding friendship between them, despite the budding trust, despite everything that happened and was perfectly fine with that.
It wasn't because Mobius was manipulated by the TVA or forced to do this; he did it of his own accord. He chose to punish Loki and because he wanted to use him, break him to extract info out of him. Because he refused to believe Loki’s words.
I’m shocked that so many of you overlook that and pretend it didn’t happen, because as much as I love Mobius and their dynamic, what Mobius did in that particular episode alone was more severe than anything Sylvie did to Loki throughout the entire season.
In the span of a few minutes, Mobius:
insulted Loki, called him an asshole, bad friend and compared him to a cockroach
mocked his feelings to provoke him
lied to him that someone Loki cared about had been killed, manipulating his emotions for a reaction
despite Loki’s genuine intentions, he refused to listen to him
he bluntly stated that Loki was no longer of any use to him
he threw Loki into a place where he would endure physical, verbal, and emotional abuse, intentionally subjecting him to suffering
through his actions, Mobius reinforced the idea that Loki deserves to be alone, (just as Loki was in the process of forming actual, meaningful relationships with at least two people; Mobius and Sylvie, Mobius goes and punishes Loki by reminding him he deserves to be alone)
and despite all of that, he still expected Loki to provide him with information, meaning he did all of that because he still intended to use him for his own benefit
Eventually, Mobius did go on a bit of a personal investigation and discovered that Loki had been telling the truth. However, by the time he discovered the truth, the damage had already been done, and Loki had already been hurt.
In short, he made a conscious decision to hurt Loki in every way imaginable to get what he wanted.
The series showed that Mobius was aware that there was a possibility that Loki might be telling the truth. However, his anger, stubbornness and unwavering certainty in his own righteousness blinded him from considering the possibility that Loki could be right.
Again, I like Mobius very much and I like Lokius as well, but jesus christ guys, some of you need to take a step back from solely blaming Sylvie as the worst person ever when Mobius did the exact same things. If not even worse, because unlike Mobius, Sylvie at least never manipulated Loki into thinking his feelings were invalid, never claimed that his mother had died because of him, never tricked him into believing that someone he cared about had been murdered.
Sylvie never subjected Loki to a memory loop filled with continuous verbal insults reminding him that he is oh, just the worst and that he deserves the life of loneliness for the rest of eternity, all the while he also suffered physical pain.
You’re free to have personal preferences and to dislike a ship or a character, but for the love of Lord stop claiming Sylvie is abusive and toxic and what not, when our own ship is just as flawed if not even more flawed.
Sylvie did this, she did that, but where’s that same vitriol for Mobius? Why are you only coming after the woman? They both did bad shit that hurt Loki, but some of you only see Sylvie’s actions and pretend Mobius was nothing but supportive of Loki the entire time, which is wrong and disgusting. No, Mobius and Lokius is not better than Sylvie and Sylki and it’s time for some of you to accept that.
I like Mobius and I like Lokius but I’m tired of being called a misogynist because of some of you who cannot accept the fact that Mobius has committed and inflicted just as many (if not more) morally questionable things as Sylvie.
And the worst thing is that those who call this misogyny are actually right.
Mobius is a good, compelling character and will likely prove to be a good friend to Loki in Season 2, but he’s not innocent either. He can be manipulative. He can be horrible. He can be brutal to get what he wants. Yes, even to Loki.
Even Loki acknowledged that, so why can’t you?
#loki#mobius#lokius#sylvie#sylki#loki series#loki show#I can't believe it's been two years and you're still doing this#stuff like this is what made me distance myself from lokius fandom because most of you are straight up insufferable#DO BETTER
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I realized I never really gave any background info for this Castlevania piece so I thought I’d share some info on the inspo and process. This piece was inspired by the painting Dante and Virgil.
Originally done in 1850 this painting depicts a scene from Dante’s Divine Comedy and shows a scene where the previously mentioned characters observe two souls engaged in endless combat.
It’s been one of my favorite paintings for years and I love reimagining classic art. My goal wasn’t to perfectly replicate it or even match the color scheme per se, but more so to capture the feeling it exhibits. I actually HAD to change the lighting and color scheme since I knew I wasn’t going to have background characters in this (would have loved to do something else in the bg but I was already limited to 9 layers in Procreate as is RIP). Having Alucard and Trevor in that similar bright lighting would feel a bit off without any darkly lit characters in the bg to balance it out imo.
Also really pushed myself to not over render things this time. I purposefully left things a bit rough and left visible brush strokes. It adds some fun texture and visual interest while also saving me a lot of time. Total working time was 18.5 hours.
I wanted to explore the idea of what would happen if Alucard lost control and gave into his vampiric instincts. I also like the idea that this scene is up to the interpretation of the viewer. Is this Alucard completely losing himself or is this a calculated choice? What could have led to this scene? Was this a friendly spar gone wrong? Or was this an instance of two characters giving into instincts of a more carnal variety? The homoerotic undertones of the original painting were definitely not lost on me
Ultimately these are questions only you, the viewer, can answer.
#my art#castlevania#castlevania fanart#alucard tepes#alucard#trevor belmont#trevorcard#art process#I always wanted to get to the point where I could tell stories through my art and it’s really exciting to feel like I’m finally there#okay I'll shut up about this piece now#I'm just really happy with it
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do you have any suggestions for pokemon-esc monster capture/battlers?
THEME: Pokemon Games
Hello friend, I have already made a post of Pokemon games, which you can check out here! But there are also some games not in that post that I’ll include below.
Powered by Pokemon, by 3dmatt.
Powered by Pokemon is a improvisational TTRPG based on the Powered by the Apocalypse system, drawing heavy inspiration form the Monster of the Week game.
In this game, most of you are stepping into this world as a human, a trainer! People who face the trials and tribulations of life with a pokemon partner by their side. One of you will be The Keeper. The Keeper will be in charge of starting you down the path of your story, bringing the world to life and portraying the People and Pokemon you meet.
While the dice system is PbtA, this Pokemon game uses type matching just like the video games, affecting how your Pokemon will deal damage and take damage. Your Pokemon will also level up similar to Pokemon levelling-up in the video games, from level 1 to 100!
Pocket Monsters Manual, by Tragos Games.
Pocket Monsters Manual is a roleplaying game about capturing, training, battling and evolving monsters.
It has a few marked difference from a typical Pokemon game. Monsters have types just like Pokemon, but a player trainer must select two types and from the beginning onwards, may only only use monsters that belong to at least one of the two types. Additionally, most monsters have a Maximum Level - not all evolve to the same extent. Trainers will also tier up, which feels like an analogue to badge collecting.
There are also familiar hallmarks in Pokemon in this game - monsters faint rather than die, health can be restored in a healing centre or with potions, and type matching can increase or decrease your effectiveness in a fight. All in all this game is extremely rules-light, and leaves most of the world creation to the group or the GM.
Animon Story, by Zak Barouh.
Jump into the world of Animon with this original tabletop roleplaying game inspired by beloved anime and video games. You'll take on the role of Kids who team up with their very own monster buddies called Animon. Together you'll go on adventures, grow as friends, and maybe even save the world!
This book contains everything you need to create unique characters and tell your own stories, with rules designed to encourage and support your creativity. It has beautiful art and unique creatures, with a unique elements system that doesn’t follow either Pokemon or Digimon conventions, but does allow you to create your own unique creatures!
If you want to try before you buy, you can get the Animon Playkit, and if you want more Animon content, you can pick up the Ani-thology (a supplement with adventures for your crew) and the Shutterbug, an additional Kid type for this game.
Pilgrimon, by The Bardic Inquiry.
PILGRIMON is a roleplaying game designed for short campaigns about humans and their monster companions going on an adventure to realize their dreams.
One player will take on the role of the professor and will use the supplied tools to create a changing map for the trainers to explore as well as engaging scenes that will drive the trainers towards their dreams.
Pilgrimon is a slimmed-down Pokemon game, with different creatures that have evolution mechanics and a type-matching table. It includes different kinds of scenes for combat, exploration, journeys, and caring for your creatures. In this game, it’s the journey that’s in focus more than anything else.
Pokemon Polyhedral: Micro Edition, by march crow.
Pokémon Polyhedral: Micro Edition is an A6 size solo RPG that is narrative lite and dice heavy.
Roll dice to encounter Pokémon. Roll dice to capture them. Roll dice to level up and evolve them. Roll dice to use your team to defeat Team Rocket, Gym Leaders, and the Elite Four.
This game uses only the original 150 Pokemon, although you could likely make your own roll tables that have future generations included as well. The battling rules are extremely slimmed down, and uses everything from a d4 to a d20. There are instructions and quick stats for battling wild Pokemon, trainers, Team Rocket, Gym Leaders and the Elite Four! This game is extremely bare-bones, but is likely the closest to replicating the original Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow games.
Pokemon Dungeon Crawler, by Batts.
This is an unofficial Pokémon dungeon crawler. You play as a Pokémon in a world after humans. You get a dungeon delving class (cleric, fighter, magic-user), you get a backpack, a weapon, and you head out on an adventure.
This game plays similar to OSR-style games with a d20, roll-under system. Most rolls are player-facing; Players roll to attack and to dodge while the Game Master uses dice to keep track of the various complexities of dungeon crawling.
This is the only game in this list in which you are a Pokemon, rather than a human trainer. If you’re looking to replicate a bit of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, this is likely the game you’re looking for. The game restricts your choices to 20 1st-gen Pokemon, because each of those 20 Pokémon get a custom sheet. If you want to play as a different Pokemon, you might have to flex your writing muscles!
If you are hungry for even more Pokemon-style games, you can check out the TTRPG Poke-Jam for more games!
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i deleted the ask by accident im so sorryyy
@nrrrdgrrrl2002
AUGHGHGHGH THANK YOU okay i just feel like his character captures my personal neurodivergent (?) (ish??) experience so well, specifically because of the way he’s written.
He has a hard time with close friendships and measures them by longevity (ex. the friend he’d had since 2nd grade ghosting him after an accident which, while obviously a terribly thing to happen, isn’t average 7-year friendship behavior) and doesn’t seem to share a lot about his personal life with anyone except, to a small extent, april. Instead he chooses to emphasize the bold or loud aspects of his personality to the point that he doesn’t seem like much past the facepaint and hockey sticks.
Sort of like mikey, he’s not viewed as the smart one (though to less of an extent since he’s not as silly goofy) despite the fact that he is really smart, he just isn’t built for the public school system.
He can build a taser into a hockey glove but needs tutoring to pass school. He can engage in full combat on foot, ice skates, and roller blades, repair cars, and cook (presumably), but sucks at geometry or algebra or whatever. He’s smart, really smart, but his teachers don’t care. (Or maybe they do and i’m totally wrong canon is super vague about it).
Also, a lot of his friendships in the show feel knee-deep. Not necessarily shallow, but not fully fleshed out, and this super super applies to me. Like, he’s been through a ton of shit with april and the turtles but he’s never really talked about himself or his childhood or anything with them, at least not to the extent that the rest of the main characters get to. And I think it’s on purpose.
I think that’s part of the character he makes for himself, because that’s the character I make. And I do it totally unconsciously and never notice that I’m concerningly different from myself until someone asks me if i’m sad or upset and all i’ve done is relax. All the things I do are things i notice in casey’s character portrayal throughout all of 2012. He’s loud and acts the way he does because it’s easier to be like that than remind himself to be a Fleshed Out Character With Clear Feelings And Motivations.
Just to be clear, i use the term “making a character” very generously because that’s just a quick descriptor; nothing from how casey is written/presents his personality isn’t an already present trait of his, it’s just how he emphasizes those traits around other people (usually) unconsciously. It’s not like he’s purposefully not being emotionally vulnerable/giving people personal details abt himself/his life, he just can’t do it.
i really hope this was coherent casey is just like me fr so this was great to write down, if someone wants to tl;dr this for me that would be great bc i have no clue how to summarize this absolute behemoth of text
#tmnt#tmnt 2012#2012 casey#live laugh love casey jones#12 tmnt#2012 Casey jones#duskys evening post#HE IS SO ME
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Avalon (Better Late Than Never Promo)
Back in February - 80 days ago, according to itch - I released my third FIST supplement. This time it stretches the system out to a medieval hack-n-slash, swapping out Cold War mercenaries for Arthurian knights, and I've called it Avalon.
I'm really quite pleased with this one! Since this has been out for a bit - and has also received one major update - I figured I'd reflect on the design process and what I was aiming for mechanically with this one.
Design
The idea for this came up organically: what if FIST but knights. That's a solid high concept pitch, so I went for it. I've long been a fan of arthuriana, the grail cycle, old myths, and subversions or reinventions of the old stories. For this though, I wanted to play it more straight-up than revisionist, more grounded than fantastical, since the thrust of the FIST system is to make combat-focused chaos engines.
So when it came to dealing with things like magic and dragons, I figured I'd shoot for a matter-of-fact presentation. The fantastic in Le Morte d'Arthur is just there, no explanation, no in-depth discussions of the repercussions of magic existing in society; wizards do magic, there's weird stuff in the wilderness.
I started with a couple new Traits in mind. Traits are the building blocks of FIST characters and are the source of equipment, abilities, and stat changes. These were classic things like "oh I need one for jousting", "what about where they're from", and "some that capture some of the more famous knights of the round." As I got more into my research, I wanted to include Traits that touched on what being one of the Round Table might actually look like in a combat-heavy ttrpg setting and how the church/faith aspect of arthuriana could be included in a way that was 1) not specific to Catholicism or even Christianity and 2) not required for players to engage with. I also wanted Traits that could change with, or at least track, a knight's progression through the ranks. I'll touch on how all of that came about in the next section, though.
The other major choice for players in vanilla FIST is choosing a Role, or an archetype with a personality motivation to act in particular ways that, when you do the thing, you can take an Advancement and improve your character. These quickly changed to Virtues in Avalon, and I went with the classic chivalric seven. Vices, or choosing one of the Virtues that your knight has the hardest time with, came later, but (in my opinion) cemented the feeling of an arthurian knight: the quests aren't just about the physical obstacles, they're also (or arguably, mainly) about the internal moral struggles.
After I figured out the Virtue-Vice setup, the Quests part came pretty easy, especially after I laid out the rules I'd use for myself in writing up a Quest:
A Goal connected to a Primary Virtue
A main physical obstacle
A main moral obstacle that targets a different Virtue than the Primary
The idea here was to emphasize the choices in how players resolve problems. This definitely drags FIST closer to the OSR side of things (not that it's not pretty OSRy anyway!) and gives Referees/GMs a versatile framework for building out Quests.
The Bestiary came with the big 1.1 Update, and frankly was a blast to write. Splitting it up into three tiers was a no-brainer: it makes sense to me to have a rough idea for the "combat rating" of baddies in relation to the characters, and that's why the tiers are mapped to the Rank Traits. It was also fun to come up with unique abilities, cycles of enemies that appear in multiple tiers (like the fey), and just absolutely brutal stat blocks. This was also the area where I got to plop in some of the weirder medieval woodcut images I found in the public domain--the one of the giant fish chomping on one dude while his buddy runs away cracks me up.
Mechanics
By far, the biggest thing Avalon does to advance the mechanics/system space of FIST-based games is in how I deal with Advancement, or what happens when your character levels up.
This started with an idea when I was drafting out Traits: what if there were some parts of Traits you lost when you took a new one? On the FIST discord, the group had been engaging in lots of really good discussions on topics like "how do you deal with characters that have like 8 traits" and "should I make my players retire their characters when they get too strong? and what does too strong look like?" and "how can we fix WAR DICE so people actually choose them."
What I came up with was a combination solution that tries to address these issues. First: putting a max on Advancements (12, of course) and a max on Traits (5, with some exceptions). Second: creating rules and mechanics for replacing traits. Third: codifying retirement (your knight hits the Advancement max) and replacement (your knight retires or dies and a new one takes its place).
The Traits max came first, and the rules for replacing Traits came right along with the development of this system. I wanted to do two things with this max: incentivize taking options other than Traits when you Advance and making replacing Traits an interesting choice. Many of the Traits in the finished product have a black diamond for a bullet point: this marks parts of the Trait that go away when it's replaced, and they're usually the strongest or most unique part of the Trait.
Flavor-wise, I intended to evoke the idea that as you focused your attention elsewhere, you lost access to some of the things you used to be able to do. The Origin Traits are great examples of this. If you build a character with an Origin Trait, you're declaring that they grew up away from the Castle, and they have some bonus to exploration because of it. Ex: Mountborn says that "You can scale rock faces and squeeze into small spaces with no difficulty" but you lose that part of the Trait when you replace it/as you become more integrated into the lifestyle of a Questing Knight in service to the King, you lose touch with where you came from.
I think this is the biggest innovation, and I'm proud of it!
The Advancement max had some interesting knock-on effects, so I wanted to talk about that briefly, too. At first, it was just a hard cap: you get 12, that's it. I wrote out what the Advancement options would be, adapting and expanding the options from the base game, and called it good. The rules in the Virtues-Vice section for falling and recovering from a fall provided a nice little outlet for some additional increases that didn't count toward your total to reward roleplaying the moral/inner strife part of being this kind of knight.
However, I realized that this wasn't quite enough, so for the 1.1 Update, I made a couple changes. The first was to actually add Advancement boxes onto the character sheets. The second was to bake in regular WAR DICE gains on the Advancement track. Not only is this easier to see how far along your knight is in its journey, but it also gives you regular boosts for keeping your guy alive. Quality of life improvement plus a buff, what more can you want!
I'm going to let Avalon marinate for a little bit and give it some more playing time before returning to its design space, but I do really like this project and I plan on a revisit at some point.
In the mean time, Avalon is for sale for $5 on my itch page. If you do grab a copy, give it a read and a play and then go rate it!
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There are over a thousand sights and landmarks in Cebu, sometimes known as the "Queen City of the South." In relation to places to visit, Mandaue City, Cebu, has a resort. A resort that, due to its beauty and elegance, is sure to please both adults and children.
Cebu Westown Lagoon
Actually, it was my third visit here in the resort but I feel like it was the most satisfying visit. My expectations about this resort was just the same as when I visit here for the past years. But when I had the opportunity to photograph the resort, I found beauty in it that I haven't appreciate in my past visits.
An entrance hall is entered initially before formally entering the resort. For guests to pay admission fees, rent a cottage, or possibly reserve a stay in the resort's hotel, a hotel accommodation is available at the main hall. While we wait, visitors like myself can watch the kois play together or take pictures of some of the on display artwork.
This rock effigy-statue will greet each visitor as you arrive at the resort. It is a really beautiful site to take a picture to in order to have a picture-souvenir of the Westown Lagoon. The resort's logo is a letter W, as you can see. In reality, it represents more than simply the letter W; in my perspective, it represents two soaring birds. This foreshadows the theme of the resort.
After a warm welcome, visitors can head to their cottages to drop their belongings and relax a bit before touring the entire resort. The cottages share similar architectural styles yet are highly distinctive. Various fees apply to renting a cottage. The reason is because each cottage has its own size. Regardless of size, each cottage has the same style and color.
The Dragon Cove
Are you a fairy-tale lover? or a Disney fan? Do you want to see such fantasy dragons? Well, you have to visit the Cebu Westown Lagoon's Dragon Cove. The Dragon Cove is the newest building/pool in the resort. It is very unique and magical. The pool is 1-3 feet high so it is very safe for the kids to experience this Dragonatic-experience.
The dragon statues are very realistic. They really look like a real-living dragons. Maybe it frighten some guests, but it is a very nice experience to be with them for the guests like me that admired this kind of fairy-tale. This is one of my dreams, to capture at least a sight of one dragon. My dream was fulfilled! Even though it is not real.
There is a castle in The Dragon Cove as well. Children and adults can both explore a realistic castle. Visitors can explore the castle's own bridges and steps. The dragons in Dragon Cove appear to have engaged in some combat in their early years. As evidenced by the medieval helmets that have been abandoned by the dragon's foot and tail.
Without a sense of the watery, The Dragon Cove wouldn't be whole. They were able to erect a fake waterfall and add water splashes to the lovely architectural features like fountains and dragon statues. For a truly spectacular Dragon Cove experience, the pool's connected splashy water fountains are ideal. The dragon cove is a perfect, mystical and realistic pool for every kid and adult guest that visits the Cebu Westown Lagoon's Dragon Cove.
The Kiddie Pool
Actually, Cebu Westown Lagoon's first kiddie pool is this one. This swimming pool is ideal for both children who are afraid of dragons and those who wish to try a pool slide. It contains a few animal-themed splash toys and about five slides. That bucket at the top of the slides is the most intriguing element. When the bucket is full, water pours out to the right or left side.
Children can enjoy the slides and other splashy play equipment at the pool's separate playground. Even adults who attempted to join the children, like myself, found it to be a very enjoyable experience. In order to complement the motif of the Cebu Westown Lagoon's rain forest, animals are also featured in this pool.
The "Playground+Pool" is also available to adults, but just a friendly reminder. Children should be watched over by adults to prevent accidents, particularly drownings. Although the pool isn't particularly deep, there are a few situations in which anything untoward could happen, especially to those really young children. It should be our duty as adults to watch over our kids. However, Cebu Westown Lagoon is secure. Every pool has lifeguards who keep an eye on the visitors and uphold the proper behavior in the resort. The children in the images appear to be having a great time and appreciating their special moments in the slides.
The Adult Pool
The resort's largest pool is this one. The depth is four to five feet. A realistic swimming experience in a lagoon is ideal for adults. It's a gorgeous pool with a motif of a rain forest. It contains two lengthy slides, a bar next to it, and a bridge.
A good selection of chairs are set up next to the sizable pool so that the visitors can take advantage of sunbathing. Since we Filipinos don't spend a lot of time in the sun, I assume they properly reserved it for those tourists who visit the resort.
There are two slides, Green and Yellow. Compared to yellow, the green is longer and more powerful. The slide is quite tall—possibly as tall as the fourth storey of a shopping center. It is quite beautiful and complements the Cebu Westown Lagoon's motif. I'm not sure if it has a rain forest or lagoon theme, but the photographs show how amazing the concept for the attraction is.
There are stairs provided in order to get to the slides. But before sliding, please make sure that you will abide by their rules and restrictions if you want to have a slide. It is for the protection of the visitors who want to slide as well as to prevent accidents. However, since I can't slide with my phone, I think I can't share my experience. But I assure you that the experience is worthwhile. Try it out, please!
The Jacuzzi
This Jacuzzi at the Cebu Westown Lagoon is the most worthwhile to attempt. The pool is ideal for guests to unwind in. To relax, visitors can take a dip in the jacuzzi pool. The water temperature in the pool is just right for our bodies to feel relaxed and receive bubble massage.
Along with its astounding theme and designs, the jacuzzi's entrances are highly distinctive. They're all lovely, including the lamps and the granite entryway. The cool designs offer the visitors a welcoming and exceptional experience.
Every visitor's body muscles are relaxed by the water's warmth. Both children and adult visitors who desire to enjoy this kind of experience will benefit from it. There are no rules, however let's remember that the jacuzzi pool is there for relaxing and chilling, so let's try to keep our voices to a minimum, shall we?
I learned that there were more things to be uncovered while taking a stroll about the resort. This I adore Cebu concept is absolutely fantastic. I would truly love to highlight Cebu's beauty as a Cebuano. Visitors would adore having their picture taken with it. There is also a typical playground available for children who are not submerged in a pool. The kids who couldn't go swimming at least have a playground where they can enjoy sliding and interact with other kids, which is beneficial for them.
The resort is open til night. The guests can stay in the resort before the closing time 11p.m. Guests can still have a swim in any pool, try the long slide, chill in the bar or relax in the jacuzzi. You can still wander the whole resort and see the dark beauty in it.
I had a great time and will never forget this trip. I visited this resort for the third time, but I won't regret it. I was able to enjoy myself with my family on this recent trip, which made it more memorable. I spent an hour roaming around and getting the ideal shot for each picture. I apologize if the images aren't flawless; I was still learning how to take pictures. This blog's images were all captured by myself, @bernadethgetuya. In order for the Steemians to see what it really is like in the resort, I didn't edit or enhance any of the pictures.
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Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is truly an incredible recreation. Just as significantly, it is truly an original, thought-provoking rendition of an iconic Marvel property. After actively playing it, I'd love to delve deep into the stories that gave birth to this diverse cast of characters. And right now, I believe I will, because I've fallen even more in love with this world. Despite the world being flooded with superheroes appearing on screens, it is only in the most recent decade that gamers have been graced with truly original and entertaining games based on comic book qualities. With Guardians of the Galaxy, enthusiasts retain one of the most enjoyable magazine titles available, which can distinguish it from the wildly popular MCU label and transform the vibrant, illustrated universe that it is based on. The very first hurdle the Guardians of the Galaxy needed to manage was differentiating it from James Gunn's vision.
The rapid-fire banter between all five characters in the show is unstoppable. While that word could enjoy a negative connotation, however, I can imagine no other word to fully summarize this. The talks are interspersed with exciting experiences like combat and dogfights, idle walks, and even death-defying experiences. The player's ears are filled with words as Groot can speak his signature, "I am Groot," and Rocket is translating, and Gamora, as well as Drax, are engaged in their precious dialog.
These heroes speak, but it never appears objective. Every word, joke, or cruel comment is based on a thought-provoking perspective, which the writers utilized to make the characters more distinct. The dialogue never felt like an overflow of nonsense. This is definitely how the Guardians communicate within their group and with one another.
When you discover souvenirs hidden far away in each world, you'll also be able to have further dialogue with other Guardians, which fleshes out their particular roles and backstories and provides quite possibly the most individual connections within the overall game. There are also binary dialogue decisions; frequently, they ask you to choose against one Guardian or the other and make decisions about how precisely to manage an issue or determine what the focus of your team should be. Our website is the best place to buy cheap New PS4 games.
The battles are spectacular. People are in control of Quill at all times during every battle and truly feel like the head of the Guardians. Drax and Co. all have their strengths, and they'll also take on battle independently; however, they take instructions from Quill. Each hero offers a certain ability to win battles, whether it's crowd control (Groot) or the capacity to inflict significant damage (Gamora). The way you use their strengths can determine the course of the challenge.
In battle, players race through the streets, shooting their guns at enemies and then dodging using rocket boots of Peter. The more Peter is the enemy, the more destruction he will cause. Firing will not last forever because the weapons will eventually overheat, but they can usually be quickly recharged if you hit R2 at the right time. Fans, like Peter, are designed to fight with their minds. Through narrative evolution or ability tips, Peter and the remaining Guardians have four abilities that are unlocked and placed on buttons on their faces. Peter's capabilities can be activated by clicking the left stick. It can be somewhat awkward at times when fighting. The group is activated by pressing L1, focusing on an opponent, pressing an appropriate face button for an individual teammate, and then hammering a distinct face control key that is assigned to the participant's specific skill.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is the perfect example of a Marvel video game that has an array of thrilling episodes and thoughtful junctures. The images immediately capture the viewer's attention with stunning views and vibrant colors ranging from neon lights and the markets at Knowhere to the vast scenery of Lady Hellbenders' Seknarf Nine. In addition to the amazing graphics, there are facial animations.
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Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (Review)
First off, putting it out there that I just finished the free Trial Version of the game Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Felt inspired, and wanted to do a quick review.
OVERVIEW
Right off the bat, I will say Wings of Ruin is a great time. If you are a fan of JRPGs, the Monster Hunter games, or just love watching anime, there's certainly something in the game you will love. The art is gorgeous, the cinematics are engaging, the combat feels satisfying, and getting to ride on dinosaurs and dragons is never a bad time.
Unfortunately the timing of the game is not ideal, as it will certainly have a rough time competing with the other monster companion collector game that is big now. Wings of Ruin definitely feels like another game that copied Pokemon's homework, but unlike Palworld, it actually remembered to change its answers a bit to make it less obvious.
Regardless, the game is definitely a fun time, and releasing a totally free trial version of the game was a super smart idea in my opinion. The trial does a great job of introducing the story elements, while leaving you wanting more. It gives you just the right amount of quest content, combat encounters, and leveling up opportunities to see just what the game has to offer. I had not even heard of the game before coming across the trial version. But it was free, so I figured why not give it a shot? And now, I'm eager to open my wallet for the full game.
THE GOOD
One of the reasons I was hesitant to play the game initially is because I 1. Had not yet played the other Monster Hunter games (though am a big fan of some of Capcom's other action RPG titles), and 2. Saw that it was a sequel and immediately thought "Do I Need To Play Monster Hunter Stories One To Understand Monster Hunter Stories 2?" Good news is, you don't. In fact, the English remaster of the original Monster Hunter Stories game doesn't even come out until later this year. So you can play that one as a prequel when it comes out, I guess?
Aside from the story, the art is just gorgeous, as is expected of a Monster Hunter title (and Capcom in general). The game is colorful, vibrant, and it does a great job of pulling you into the world. I was very happy to just run around the map on the back of various different monsters, quests be damned.
THE BAD
As I mentioned, the game definitely pulls inspiration from Pokemon with the "capturing monsters" mechanic. Which is not a bad thing in and of itself, however the execution is a bit odd in my opinion.
In the trial version, it's super easy to just get all of the different types of available monsters. However, the mechanic that is introduced is a bit convoluted. You have to find and fight the monster (like Pokemon), weaken it (like Pokemon), and then hit it with a "paintball" (basically a Pokeball). But then you have to chase it back to it's lair, steal one of its eggs and take it back to your camp, where you hatch it to get that monster type. I feel like the mechanic will probably be a lot more interesting in the full game, where there are a lot more monsters to find and collect, but in the trial version it seemed like it takes away from your other mission objectives.
Like in other Monster Hunter titles, you have access to various weapon types but, while the combat had a lot of great things going for it, the weapon selection mechanic and actual weapon skills seemed pretty underwhelming. Switching weapons in combat to counter a particular enemy type seemed more like a chore to me than rewarding gameplay. (I just want to use my cool bow!)
Also, the monsters are called "monsties," and it was the single worst narrative decision in the game.
THE OTHER
The story also makes the jump from serious to anime-style wackiness a bit too quickly if you're not ready for it. A lot of the game is fun and funny, but I was not expecting some the almost slapsticky skill animations and cutscenes. As an anime fan, I definitely appreciated them, but I think they could have set you up for it a bit better.
The game also includes a "quick battle" feature that lets you skip over combat if you far out-level your opponent. Although, I wonder if such a feature is necessary if combat is fun enough on its own. I did find myself already starting to feel the battles were a bit cut and dry by the end of the trial. I didn't have an answer for the issue, but it's definitely a challenge worth tackling.
MY RATING
I could go on, but those were the stand-out points for me. I also don't want to say too much having not actually played the full game yet. That said, I was very impressed by the Wings of Ruin trial version, as it seemed like a perfect little snippet of the game to drum up interest.
I definitely recommend checking out the trail version at the very least as it was a lot of fun (not to mention free!). I am definitely more of an action RPG fan, so I felt a little biased against the combat system. But then, it just confirmed for me that I need to go back and pick up Monster Hunter: World.
Final Score: 4.5/5
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High Fantasy RPG: Dive into Legends of Amberland II Now
Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees launches the western RPG game on Windows PC, but it's very playable on Linux. This engaging and immersive title is the result of the work and effort of the team at Silver Lemur Games. Available on both Steam and GOG.
Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees is a new title launching for Windows PC, and it's also playable on Linux via Proton. At launch, it's only in English, but translations into German (DE), French (FR), and Polish (PL) are coming very soon. Plus the possibility of more languages in the future.
Legends of Amberland II launches the Western RPG and falls under the high fantasy genre. It's a single-player experience that takes inspiration from classic RPGs from the 1990s like "Might & Magic," "Wizardry," "Ultima," and "Gold Box" series. These titles have immersive stories and strategic gameplay.
The Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees launch also stands out due to its classic first-person view. Where you see the world from the eyes of your character, and it uses a grid movement system. This means you move in a fixed way, square by square, which is a nod to older titles. The combat is turn-based, so you and your enemies take turns making moves, just like in a board game.
Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees launch Trailer:
youtube
You'll be leading a team of seven adventurers, and you can choose to create your own team or use a pre-made one. Your mission is to explore Amberland and battle evil forces. The Legends of Amberland II launch design more casual, with a fairy tale feel and a touch of humor. It's an epic and heroic adventure but doesn't require a massive time investment or endless grinding to progress.
Here are some key features:
The view and movement are similar to classic 90s RPGs, with a first-person view and 90-degree rotation.
Both combat and exploration are turn-based.
You manage a team of seven heroes, which can be pre-defined or custom-made.
Combat is fast, especially against weaker enemies.
Legends of Amberland II includes a quick travel feature to minimize repetitive backtracking.
Managing your inventory is straightforward, with a unique system for personal equipment and a magic bag for carrying extra items.
It offers an open world with a large overworld map to explore.
There are various quests, including main storyline missions and side quests.
Coming with a rich background story that connects to other games in the series, but you don't need to know those stories to enjoy this one.
The Reviews:
The excitement among players for Legends of Amberland II is great, with many praising the launch as a top contender for Game of the Year. Doing so just behind the highly acclaimed Baldur's Gate 3. Fans express satisfaction, highlighting the title's success in delivering a nostalgic old school action experience. The gameplay seems to tick all the right boxes for RPG fans: challenging monsters, intriguing dungeons, and visually appealing graphics. On top of captivating music and a variety of difficulty levels. Including the much-praised Legend mode. The recommendation is clear and enthusiastic: try the demo, and if it resonates with you, don't hesitate to dive into the full release.
The design of Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees aims to capture the essence of old-school RPGs. While ensuring smooth performance on modern computers, even those with high-resolution displays. The western RPG is also ready to run on older hardware, so you don't need a powerful Linux computer to play it. Despite this only being a Windows PC build, it's playable on Linux via Proton. Priced at $17.99 USD / £15.07 / 17,55€ with the 10% discount. Available on both Steam and GOG.
#legends of amberland II#western rpg#linux#gaming news#silver lemur games#ubuntu#windows#pc#open gl#sdl#Youtube
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Ways To Tackle Math Anxiety: Helping Your Child Overcome Fear of Math
Math anxiety or fear of math is a common obstacle to success in mathematics for many students. As a child, did you experience sweaty palms, nervousness, or headaches while solving math problems? If so, you were feeling math anxiety, a prevalent issue faced by many children. This feeling of worry, tension or apprehension may negatively impact your child’s performance and attitude towards math. However, as a parent, you can play a vital role in helping them overcome this hurdle and instill a positive outlook on the subject. Math tutoring
Understanding Math Anxiety
Before diving into ways to help your child, it’s essential to understand what math anxiety is and how it affects them. Math anxiety is a type of performance anxiety, which arises from concerns about their abilities in mathematical tasks. A study done in England found that 11 percent of children showed high math anxiety. In research, 50 percent of first- and second-graders say that math makes them nervous. Math anxiety is not merely a product of poor math skills. In other words, it’s a myth that only the students who struggle with math get math anxiety. According to a study published in 2018, more than three-quarters (77%) of children with high math anxiety are normal to high achievers on math tests. In many cases, math anxiety can result from negative experiences, societal pressures, or a lack of appropriate support.
Students with math anxiety may face difficulty in capturing information, retaining it, and solving problems, often resulting in lower test scores and class engagement. Students with math anxiety even feel pain in anticipation to doing a math-related task. Not only does it affect their academic performance, but it can also have long-term consequences. For example, if your child has math anxiety, he or she might try to avoid going into a field that requires high school math or involves math in its profession.
Children who develop math anxiety may continue to feel math anxiety when they become adults. According to Stanford University professor Jo Boaler, up to 50% of adults experience some form of math anxiety. As adults, they feel apprehension when they face a situation that involves math, such as calculating tips at a restaurant, measuring the weight of cooking ingredients, or preparing a household budget.
Where Does Math Anxiety Come From?
There isn’t just one cause of math anxiety. From research we know that math anxiety can develop early on, even from first or second grade. The question of why some children develop math anxiety while others don’t is complex. There are multiple potential causes for the development of math anxiety. Understanding the origins of math anxiety may provide us with insights on how to prevent or combat it.
Early negative experiences with math: Math anxiety often has its roots in early childhood experiences such as struggling with math problems, receiving criticism from teachers or parents, or feeling embarrassed in front of classmates. Many kindergarten kids have a positive view of math. However, this number declines as children go to elementary school and advances in their grade levels. It suggests that negative experiences can create a sense of fear and failure, leading to math anxiety.
Poor teaching methods: Ineffective or outdated teaching methods, such as memorization and rote learning without understanding the concepts, can lead to a lack of comprehension, which in turn can cause math anxiety. Students who don’t understand the material or rely on memorization to “get by” may feel overwhelmed and anxious about learning more complex topics.
Gender stereotypes: Negative stereotypes about the math abilities of girls and women can contribute to math anxiety in female students. This anxiety can be intensified by a lack of role models, unequal treatment in the classroom, or additional societal pressures to conform to certain gender norms. When a girl is told that girls aren’t good at math, she might start to view math as an unsurmountable obstacle, giving her fear and anxiety when she has to learn more complex topics.
Parents with math anxiety: Parents who express their own math anxiety or dislike for math can inadvertently pass these feelings on to their children. When parents say something like “math is hard” or “math doesn’t make sense” as they help their children with their homework, they can pass their math anxiety to their children.
Teachers with math anxiety: Teachers with math anxiety may similarly pass their math anxiety to the students. Some elementary school teachers come from non-STEM background, so not all teachers feel at ease teaching math to their students. One study showed that when female teachers with high math anxiety taught their students, some girls embraced the gender stereotype that girls are not good at math. This resulted in the girls having lower math achievement compared to boys in the same class.
Lack of understanding of the relevance of math: Students who do not see the connection between math and real-life applications may feel less motivated to learn the subject, which can contribute to math anxiety. Math and reading
Social cues: When children’s teachers or parents view math in negative terms, children can pick up these social cues and view math in negative light themselves. This is especially true if a child has weak math skills by the time he or she starts elementary school. Subtle negative behavior and words given by their teacher when they do a math question wrong may cause them to think that math is something they should be afraid of.
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런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)
런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416) 링크<<
런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)
런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)
런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)
런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)
런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)
Purchased from the vendor in Chapter 2. A 2x ACOG scope is given as a special offer when purchased.
American-made bolt action rifle. It is a bamboo spear that can kill Ganado with one headshot on Normal difficulty. From Hardcore, if you don't upgrade the damage, you won't get a one-shot cut. Let's start with the damage upgrade.
For those who remember the magnum-level damage in the original work, the 3x power of the limited weakness in the remake may feel disappointing, but the ammunition supply is very salty, so unlike other weapons that have been l런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)owered overall, it is a weapon whose value has increased while maintaining the power of the previous work with limited weaknesses. . However, unlike the original, which used a burnt clip to fill the bullets at once, in the remake version, it was changed to reload one shot at a time.
If the damage is modified as much as possible, it becomes a bamboo spear with 10.6 damage. Due to the nature of the rifle, if you aim for a weak spot, the power is tripled, so it comes out with 31.8 power, equivalent to a magnu런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)m shot with a rifle bullet. Thanks to this, even a hardcore brute can be caught in two headshots.
Because of its low rate of fire, it is not recommended for mid-range engagements unless you are good at shooting. In particular, it is difficult to use in boss fights where 런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)mobility is important because the field of view is too narrow when equipped with a scope. It's easy to use in Sadler boss battles where you have to aim for the pustules on your legs, trust the headshot gun damage and use it to quickly take down powerful enemies like Dr. Salvador and Brutes, and dangerous enemies like Rocket Launcher Ganado. If the shape o런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)f the iron sight adapts, removing the scope and using it for close combat is another way. It can be purchased when entering the castle in Chapter 7. The model firearm is the SL8, a civilian version of the G36 assault rifle.[15] Instead of the long scope mount on the original, it has been replaced with a short rail mount.
The final damage is twice as powerful as the M1903 obtained earlier, but the rate of fire is twice as fast without limited modification and four times faster with limited modification, so DPS is overwhelmingly ahead. Of course, since a런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)mmunition is used four times as much, it can be a weakness due to the nature of the game, which has difficulty in ammunition supply as the difficulty increases.
The performance difference between the W870 and Riot Gun in the shotgun weapon group is not as noticeable, so you can choose according to your taste and skill. Springfiel런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)d has a slower rate of fire, but has the advantage of overwhelming firepower that can be raised up to 10.6. Stingray has low single-shot firepower and wastes more ammunition, but can fire rapidly, so it can be used against multiple enemies with only one point good night.
Also, when attacking Rehenerador, it is worth keeping in mind that Stingray is overwhelmingly more convenient, as it can quickly remove Plaga from the body using rapid런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416) fire. Compared to the original, the frequency and risk of Rehenerador appearing has increased significantly, so if you feel that Rehenerador is difficult to capture, it is recommended to switch to Stingray.
The mechanical sight is neat, so if you are going to give up ultra-long range sniping, you can just use it without a scope.
As an aside, the original name is Stingray (Stingray/stingray), which means stingray in both Japanese and English, but the footboard brought the Japanese notation, Stingray, as it is. You can get it by going back to the study where you progressed as Ashley in Chapter 10. If you missed it, you can buy it from Chapter 11.
As with other sniper rifles, if the scope is not attached, aiming is done with a mechanical sight, and at this time it is also changed to a first-person view.
The basic specs are not much, but if you finally finish the limited modification, it has the power of 5.1 and other stats are also excellent, making it a perfect upper compatible with Sting Gray. If you learn the sense of shooting with 런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)a single shot or 2-3 bursts, you can use it enough for existing sniper purposes, but the part that shines in particular is the boss battle. It is possible to gently melt the boss by putting in a huge deal of weak point shooting 5.1x3 = 15.3 with a burst of fire.
However, if there is a downside, the advantage, the rate of fire, is rather the cause of reluctance to use it. In this work, the supply and demand of ammunition is very tight, except for pistol ammo, so I always suffer from a shortage of ammunit런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)ion, but if I accidentally scratch it at the weak point or in the air (…), the already insufficient rifle ammunition is wasted twice as much. . If used carefully, only the advantages of M1903 and Stingray can be used, but otherwise, it is a high-risk, high-return weapon that shoots out rifle bullets. It is also a problem that Stingray is upward compatible only after completing a pull-up including limited modification. The above two rifles can be used in any way as long as the power is increas런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)ed, but the CQBR cannot produce high firepower as a rifle unless the limited modification is completed. However, in order to apply for a ticket that only gives two tickets per play, the priority is behind the main guns such as the Red 9, Black Tail, Riot Gun, and Broken Butterfly.
Because of this, it is not used well in the first to last rounds, where there are not enough pesetas or limited tickets, and it is often used only after completing the full course or after acquiring cat ear accessories. Instead, if you use a ticket to 런닝맨 650회 다시 보기 650화 E650 (230416)pull-up, it is clear that it is a high-performance weapon that will definitely repay your expectations, so you can use it as you like in the first and last rounds.
In the previous work, RE:3, it was Carlos' main weapon.
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"On Becoming Medium: Gen-Z Individuals as Modern Communicators"
Blog Entry # 1
Vibe Check: How Gen Z is changing the way we communicate
The first generation to grow up with a phone, Zoomers are not only used to being constantly connected—they’re also used to being hyper-adaptable, creative and acutely aware of the world around them. Not only do they prefer casual forms of communication, like texting or direct messaging, they also rely heavily on abbreviations, acronyms, emojis and slang to convey meaning.
First thing’s first: everything in short form is bound to capture their attention. Gen Zs are the masters of the TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read) method of communication. Communication with this generation needs to be to-the-point and visual, or you’re unlikely to hold their attention. And if your communication doesn’t use inclusive language (think: gender neutral), you’ll lose them too.
One of the most characterizing aspects of the Gen Z dialect is the use of emojis to communicate. They’re a quick, easy, and informal way to connect, convey emotional meaning, commiserate with one another, and make people laugh. They’ve become an integral part of written language. So much so, that Gen Z have even started to formulate their own emoji language. A single finger emoji 👉 might mean you’re literally pointing to something, but two fingers pointing in together 👉👈 could imply feeling shy or bashful. Gen Z has also replaced the crying laughing emoji 😂 with a skull 💀 or coffin ⚰️ emoji to say “I’m dead” (as in they "died" from how hard they were laughing).
Top 10 Ways to Effectively Communicate with Generation Z
Known as the “instant generation,” Generation Z is the first group in society raised entirely on technology. They’re mobile-based and expect immediate answers to questions—and, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, also prioritize one-on-one communication. Higher education institutions that don’t adjust to Generation Z’s communication style may run the risk of being unable to effectively connect with them.
Fortunately, there is technology tailored to reaching Generation Z applicants. Contemporary marketing automation and customer relationship management (CRM) platforms have features such as a mobile app, allowing admission teams to respond to messages quickly. Prospects’ phone numbers are also readily available, encouraging and enabling texting—Generation Z’s preferred method of communication. The list shown below provides 10 tactics to help you best connect with Generation Z.
Use mobile and app-based technology – Generation Z is tech-savvy and on-the-go. App-based communication allows them to receive the instant feedback they crave, while multitasking multiple conversations.
Respond quickly – As “digital natives,” they’re used to in-the-moment responses. Promptness of reply to questions helps you compete with the many other messages they receive.
Text – This is by far Generation Z’s preferred communication method. It allows for timely responses that can be managed anytime, anyplace.
Communicate one-on-one – Despite their emphasis on mobile technology, according to this survey, 39% of Generation Z say one-on-one communication is the most effective form. Take the time to speak with them individually—whether through text, or face-to-face.
Personalize as much as you can – Attention spans are now shorter than ever, with some estimates at around 6-8 seconds per content piece. Personalization is a way to combat this, giving you the means to connect more deeply with prospects.
Evolve based on interests and engagement- Gen Z expects communication to evolve depending on what they like, and how frequently they contact you. They expect you to be as savvy as they are, making good data collection all the more critical.
Be e-mail selective- Less than 20% of Generation Z reports they’re likely to use e-mail for professional purposes. That doesn’t mean e-mail marketing is obsolete, but it does mean you have to be careful about what you’re communicating via e-mail, and how frequently.
Be authentic- As a population constantly bombarded with brands and advertisements, Generation Z prizes authenticity above else. They describe themselves as “loyal, compassionate and genuine” and expect the same in their communications.
Emphasize practicality- Gen Z spent their formative years in the great recession, so they tend to be frugal and outcomes-based. Focusing on practicality—like the value of a degree—can help keep prospects engaged.
Utilize Instagram- This is where you’ll find Generation Z on social media. They value “compelling micro-moments” that appeal to shorter attention spans and draw them in visually.
Top Reasons Why Gen Z Love Online Communication
Here are some of the reasons Gen Z love communicating digitally:
Smartphones Have Become An Extension Of Their Bodies
Futurists such as Peter Diamandis and Ray Kurweil realised many years ago that mobile phones would eventually become “brain extenders.” Even in those early days, they saw how these devices could enhance a person’s cognition.
In 2021, their vision is now the norm. Data suggest that 65 percent of Gen Z and Millennials take their phones with them to the bathroom. A further 52 percent say that they regularly check their phones in the middle of the night. Two fifths say that it is perfectly acceptable for them to check their phones during family dinners.
Digital Communication Offers Convenience
Gen Z are also attracted to digital communication because of the sheer level of convenience that it offers. As a generation, they are accustomed to instant gratification - getting what they want from the digital realm immediately. 73 percent of Millennials, for instance, say that they will give up on a brand if it doesn’t provide them with answers in 10 minutes or less. And a further two out of five say that they will switch to a different brand after just five minutes. Digital communication tools allow them to contact relevant parties quickly instead of having to wait in a call centre queue.
Online Texting Is Less Stressful
Many young people find the prospect of a regular voice call stressful on a psychological level, which is another reason they are so keen to seek out digital channels. All the way back in 2014, texting had become more common among people under the age of 50 than calling. And now that process has accelerated to the point where the vast majority of all digital communication is in written form.
This transition from voice to text is happening for a range of psychological reasons, but they mainly relate to stress. Texting is easier for a number of reasons:
The person on the other end can’t hear your tone of voice
You don’t have to keep the conversation going and fill pauses
You can do other things while you text to maximise your time
You don’t have to worry about background noises or poor reception
You get time to think about your answers
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Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man || TASM!Peter Parker x Reader
Pairing: TASM!Peter Parker x Female Reader
Word count: 17000+ (okay, hear me out! the story is split into parts so you can close it and come back later and you won't miss anything)
Warnings: this is inspired by some of Peter 3 lines in No Way Home (about how he stopped pulling his punches) so there’s a lot of sadness over Gwen’s death, hurt/comfort, Peter being a flirty bastard, the reader doesn’t know Spider-Man’s identity for the most part, mentions of blood and injuries, Peter being scared of feelings, the reader getting attacked in the streets (but it’s very quick and nothing happens) and I think that’s it. But if I missed anything let me know!
This is just a bunch of cute scenarios with Peter and the reader comforting each other and developing feelings all while she doesn't know who’s under the mask, it’s really fluffy in my opinion so enjoy I guess
English is not my first language so there could be a lot of grammar mistakes in this.
Summary: Spider-Man was doing his night patrol when he heard the sobs of a lonely woman sitting on the sidewalk under the rain. He went over to help her, unaware that by doing so he was also helping himself.
Or the one where two lonely souls find comfort in each other.
(I’m so bad at summaries I’m so sorry)
Notes: This is my first time writing tasm peter and I tried my best to capture his playful and flirty personality (that in my opinion peter 1 & 2 don't have). Also this fic was so much longer that it is right now. In my head this concept was better as a series, but I don’t have the time to write one right now so I edited it to fit all in one story. So if there are parts that don’t make sense or are worded a little weird that’s probably why! I tried my best to make this look good as a one shot, I’m sorry if it’s trash.
Also, can you guys tell I have a thing for hands?
I hope you like it! Likes, comments and reblogs are very much appreciated!
Peter was doing his usual patrol through the streets of New York. It was a quiet night, probably because of the rain that had been falling intermittently since sundown. In his years as Spider-Man he had found that rainy days tended to be quieter because there were fewer people on the streets. People who could stayed dry and safe in their homes, and those who were outdoors took refuge in cabs or public transportation to get home. He usually went out into the streets anyway, ready to help anyone in need, although he paid less attention to his surroundings, expecting less danger than usual.
Despite the noise of the water droplets hitting the pavement he was able to hear a sound that caught his attention. He stopped swinging between the buildings for a moment to pay attention and discovered that what he heard was sobbing. Someone was crying, no doubt in need of his help, so Peter hurried to get to that neighbor in distress. He bounced from building to building, passing a few lamp posts and traffic lights, imagining the scene he would encounter when he landed.
Maybe it was someone who was lost. Or maybe it was someone who was being robbed and crying in fear as they were stripped of their belongings. It wouldn't bother him if that was the case.He was eager to relieve the tension that was building up in his shoulders and so far he hadn't had the opportunity to engage in hand-to-hand combat with any criminals. Well, actually only one, but the police interrupted him before he could take out his frustrations on him. He held so much anger and resentment inside him since Gwen's death that he found it difficult to live his normal life as Peter. He needed to work through his emotions somehow and he had found that beating up criminals helped him.
He landed in a dark, smelly alley and walked into the street very carefully, following the sound of the sobbing. He hoped he could surprise the criminals that way, save the victim and take out his frustrations before the police arrived to break up the fight. But, as he emerged from his hiding place he discovered that the street was deserted except for a couple of people walking quickly so as not to get wet under the rain. There was no armed bulky man attacking an innocent person or any other kind of disturbance. But what he did see was a girl sitting on the sidewalk crying in the rain.
Every muscle in Peter's body relaxed at the realization that he wasn't supposed to engage in combat and his expression softened under the superhero mask. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate to approach her to ask how she was doing. He didn't want to frighten her or pry into matters that didn't concern him. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that something bad would have to have happened to her to end up crying audibly in the rain so late at night. Someone in that condition definitely needed Spider-Man's help, so he approached her.
Maybe she wasn't in the kind of imminent physical danger he had imagined, but saving someone from such a situation wasn't the only way to help them. Sometimes a couple of words of encouragement spoken at the right moment were just as important. So Peter walked over to her and asked if she was okay, resting a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. She was startled, but didn't answer him, choosing to concentrate on wiping away her tears rather than speaking.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" he insisted in a soft tone, trying to evoke calmness with his voice.
"Can you be my friend?" she answered with a sarcastic snort.
Peter was pretty sure she wasn't serious, but she really seemed to need a shoulder to cry on. So he sat down on the sidewalk next to her.
“That I can do! I am the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man after all.”
The young woman looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. She didn't expect him to take her words seriously. She was pretty sure that a woman crying in the street didn't require the presence of a superhero like him. He must have had more important things to do, more important people to save.
"You don't have to do that, Spider-Man. I'm sure there are plenty of people who need your help more than I do."
“Nah, I went around the neighborhood a few times today and apparently crime took a night off so I'm sorry, I guess you're stuck with me," he said and she let out a laugh that sounded more like a huff than anything else, shaking her head slightly.
"I'm fine, you can go," she insisted, wiping the tears and water droplets from her face, thankful that it was finally stopping raining. At least she had that going for her.
"I'm not so sure of that. I mean, in my experience people don't sit on the sidewalk crying under the rain because they're happy. So...what happened to you?"
A silence formed as she contemplated her options. She didn't want to discuss her problems with a complete stranger whose face she couldn't even see. She didn't care how friendly and supportive Spider-Man was, talking to him about her personal problems was ridiculous and pathetic. He wasn't a therapist -at least she didn't think he was. He wasn't even her friend. He was a stranger brave - or insane - enough to put on a flashy suit and swing through the streets of Queens in search of danger. He was definitely not a suitable person to tell her problems to.
But as she looked around she realized that she wasn't much better. She was crying in the middle of the street at 11 PM sitting in the rain. And all because she had missed the bus and now had to wait who knows how long for the next one.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. That was just the situation that had caused her breakdown, but it was far from being the cause of her tears. It had been a difficult time for her. Over the course of a couple of days she had been fired from her job, had failed a project she had been working on for weeks and had gotten into a fight with her best friend, the last close person in her life she had left. Her life was a complete mess, so perhaps she wasn't the best person to judge others.
"Have you ever felt lonely, Spidey?" she asked him sourly. "But really lonely, not bored or sad, but pure, crushing loneliness. To the point of not having anyone to celebrate with when something good happens to you. Or who to share movie tickets with. Or who to call when you're sad.... I do.
She didn't bother to hide her tears or the pain in her voice. She figured there was no point, he had already heard her cry. She had no way to sink any lower, so she didn't bother to maintain any semblance of stability. Besides, she wasn't sure she could hold back the tears even if she tried. She had repressed her feelings for so long that now that she had finally snapped she had no way of going back.
"You know what the worst part is? That it's my fault. I mean, it has to be. It's the only explanation I can find as to why everyone I love ends up walking away from me sooner or later," she added sobbing, not daring to look at the superhero next to her. "I don't know what I do to push people away so I can't change it. I just have to accept it and watch them go... I don't know... I must be a terrible person."
The girl's words echoed in Peter's mind, his heart shattered not only by the sadness he heard in her voice, but also by the familiar feeling she described. He knew very well what loneliness was. It was one of very few emotions he felt since that tragic night when he had lost everything. Anger, guilt, resentment and loneliness had become his intimate friends, the only ones who accompanied him in the crushing emptiness that was his life.
He knew all too well how horrible it was to have no one to call to celebrate moments of joy or share sadness because the one person he wanted to talk to was no longer there to answer him. And it was all his fault. Not a day went by in which he didn't remember it, the images imprinted in his memory with fire, impossible to erase. He knew what he had done wrong and had spent the last few years thinking about what he should have done to avoid it. But none of that mattered now, because Gwen wasn't by his side and there was nothing he could do to change that.
"You're not a bad person," Peter said as soon as he found his voice. He hoped he didn't sound as terrible as he felt inside. He wanted to be a positive figure for her at that moment, to encourage her to stop crying. Something he wouldn't accomplish if he started talking about his own traumas. So he cleared his throat and made an effort to put aside his own emotions to concentrate on hers.
"You don't know that," she said, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "You don't even know me."
"That's true, I don't know you. But in my experience bad people don't question whether they are good or not. Let alone to the point of crying in the middle of the street, so I think you're safe."
She let out a bitter laugh and turned to look at him for the first time since seeing him sit next to her. She was surprised to notice how expressive the mask could be considering it covered the entirety of his features. The large eyes took up most of the upper space of the face and even though she wasn't able to see what was hidden behind it, she was able to feel his gaze on her. The superhero was watching her with his head tilted slightly to one side, giving him a curious expression. He was probably studying her, analyzing her face to find out how mentally unstable she was. At least that's what she thought.
"Maybe," she muttered with a shrug.
"Oh I know I'm right," Spider-Man replied. "I'm sure you're a good person because my spidey sense tells me so."
"Spidey sense?" she asked, looking at him with confusion.
"Oh it's this thing I have, like a sixth sense that activates to alert me of danger and bad people nearby. And it hasn't been activated in all this time we've spent together, so you'll have to believe me when I tell you that you're a good person."
Spider-Man's voice sounded amused, to the point that she could have sworn he was smiling under the mask. His good humor was infectious and his words of encouragement helped her feel a little better.
"Maybe I am," she finally admitted, letting out a sigh. "A very lonely good person, though."
"Who isn't lonely these days?"
"Touche."
"Besides, you're not lonely anymore, you have me. I'm your new best friend. So if at any time you need someone to talk to just go over to your window and yell as loud as you can. I promise I'll come running, or well, swinging I should say."
The young woman burst out laughing as she imagined that sequence. If there were any neighbors left who didn't think she was weird or a crazy hermit she would probably convince them otherwise if she started screaming for Spider-Man out her window. She could think of a couple of neighbors who would call for her eviction from the building immediately because of the excessive noise. And she didn't even want to imagine what it would be like to endure the barking of her neighbor's poodle, who seemed to think any sound was worthy of an hour-long concert of uninterrupted howling and growling. Although she had to admit that being kicked out of her home over having Spider-Man for a friend sounded fun and kind of tempting, despite how insane it would really be.
Hearing her laugh filled Peter with happiness. He always felt a strange combination of euphoria, relief and pride when he helped someone in danger, but this time it was something different. This time he wasn't saving someone from falling off a cliff or stopping a bus with his bare hands. He was sitting next to a girl who in some ways felt as lonely and broken inside as he did. It was nice to find the words to help her in that dark moment of her life, giving her the comfort he was unable to give himself.
"What if I want to go to the movies?" she asked, imagining how comical it would be to enter the theater with Spider-Man at her side.
"What about that? I can see perfectly well with the mask on," he answered as if it were obvious.
"Do you think they'd let you come in dressed like that?"
"If we go to the movie theater a few blocks from here, yeah. I stopped a robbery there a couple of months ago and they're very grateful to me. In fact, I think I might be able to get us a couple of free tickets."
"It's okay, you don't have to do that."
"Why? Are you embarrassed to be seen with Spider-Man at the movies?" He said, pretending to be offended. "Is it the colorful suit? Because I can wear a more neutral one."
"No, of course not!" she was quick to affirm, laughing at the dramatic tone in the superhero's voice. "And for the record, I think your costume is great."
"Thank goodness! Because there are endless common activities I can do with the suit on. It's not limiting at all if you stop being afraid of other people's opinions. So I hope you're not uncomfortable with people looking at you, because I can assure you that everyone's eyes will be on us."
"You don't even know my name!" she exclaimed in amusement, reminding him how ridiculous it sounded to make plans to go out together as if they had known each other all their lives.
"What's your name?"
"Y/N."
"Aha, I knew it! You look like your name is Y/N."
“Wow you are so full of shit”
“No, It's part of our connection, I could sense your name before you told me. Face it, Y/N, we're best friends."
Y/N let out a laugh, shaking her head slightly in amazement at his insistence. His cheerful personality was infectious, making it impossible for her not to smile at his comments. Spider-Man seemed genuinely interested in improving her mood and had succeeded. It was hard to resist when he acted with such determination.
She would be eternally grateful to him for stopping to talk to her. He could have ignored her. She was a complete stranger and he was a superhero with far more pressing situations to attend to than her bad day. However, he had taken the time to sit and listen to what an emotionally unstable girl crying in the rain had to say. Not only that, but he hadn't stopped until he made her smile. That kind of treatment he displayed with the people he helped was what told her he was a good person.
"Thank you for everything, Spidey," she thanked him as soon as she calmed her laughter. "I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me, I really needed it."
"That's what I'm here for," he said, tilting his head in a subtle bow. "Is there anything else I can do for you? Maybe walk you home or something? It's late, you shouldn't be out on the street alone.”
"Oh, no, I'm fine. You've done too much already. The bus should be coming by in a little while, I live a couple of stops from here."
"I can take you faster," he said, pointing at his wrists.
"I'm sure you can, but your method is too risky for my taste. It would involve being suspended several meters above the ground, hanging by a small thread in the rain."
"It stopped raining," he corrected her, as if that would make any difference. "Besides, my webs are very strong."
"I believe you, but I'm not ready to test them for myself yet."
"All right, you win," Peter said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "We can walk."
"It's like 30 blocks."
"I don't mind walking, but if you get tired I can carry you on my back."
Y/N was tempted by the offer. She had to admit that the opportunity to be carried home by a superhero didn't present itself every day. She wondered how it would feel, but she didn't want to cause any more inconvenience. He had done enough for her.
"I still think the bus is faster."
"Are you sure? Because we've been sitting here talking for like fifteen minutes and there's no sign of it showing up," he said, getting up from the ground to look off into the distance in search of the bus.
Y/N let out a sigh knowing the superhero was right. The bus line he used was often a mess, especially during the evening hours. The vehicles would pass by spaced out for hour-long periods of time or more, if she was lucky enough to have them pass by at all. She already had one bad experience where the bus left her stranded when she left a friend's house late. And she didn't want to go through that again.
"We can walk a few blocks and if we see the bus show up I promise I'll stop it with my bare hands so you can get on, what do you say?" Spider-Man offered, seeing the doubt in her expression.
Y/N wondered if it was appropriate to tell a complete stranger where she lived, worried that it was dangerous. And maybe it was, but there was something about Spider-Man that inspired her trust. This was the first time she'd come across him. So far she'd only heard his name on the news or read about his deeds on social media, where people he'd helped told of their experiences. But despite that, she felt safe next to him. So when he held out his hand to help her up, she took it without a second thought.
"My hero!" she exclaimed in amusement as she imagined him chasing the bus to let her get on at a street where there was no stop. "Are you this kind to everyone you meet on the street or only to those who are having a mental breakdown under the rain? "she added as they started walking. This time it was Peter who let out a long laugh.
"Only if they're pretty like you," he replied in a flirty humorous tone.
She knew he wasn't serious, but she still couldn't prevent from blushing at the compliment. Peter looked at her in amusement as he realized how easy it was to dye her cheeks pink. He had to bite his tongue to keep from blurting out similar comments throughout their walk, suddenly interested in testing her limits.
They walked through the streets of New York at a leisurely pace taking advantage of the fact that the rain had stopped. Y/N was glad she accepted the superhero's offer, not only because she didn't see a single bus pass by during the entire journey, but also because the walk helped clear her mind. Talking with him about trivial matters allowed her to let go of the negative thoughts and frustration that had taken hold of her. He made her laugh and knew how to keep the casual chatter afloat which made the walk seem shorter than it really was. Y/N didn't notice they had reached their destination until she found herself standing outside the door of the building she lived in.
"Well, we are here," she mumbled, not quite sure how to say goodbye. A kiss on the cheek seemed silly since he was wearing a mask, and a hug was too personal. But she didn't think it was appropriate to disappear behind the doors of the building with a simple goodbye after all he had done for her. So she stood there, fiddling nervously with the edges of her jacket sleeves, not knowing what else to do.
"Thank you for everything," she thanked him again, giving him a genuine smile.
“You don't have to thank me, it's my job," he told her even though they both knew it wasn't true. He decided to take care of the well-being of the people of New York, but it wasn't his responsibility. He was just a nice guy. "Now go home, relax and try to get some sleep. Everything will be better in the morning."
"Whatever you say, Mr. Spidey!" she exclaimed, holding a hand to her temple as if he was an army general and she was his subordinate. He laughed and began to walk away towards the sidewalk. She took the opportunity to walk up the steps of the building, struggling to find her keys in the dim light of the night.
Before entering her home she turned to look at Spider-Man one last time. He gave her a wave, to which she returned with a smile. Then she watched him throw a spider web into the air, sticking to some light pole or wall opposite him.
"Don't forget to yell for me if you need me!" was the last thing she heard him say before he disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Peter thought that would be the last he would see of Y/N. It was not uncommon for him to lose contact with the people he helped. Sometimes he didn't even get a chance to ask them their name before they fled in fear to a safe place. Maybe if he was lucky he would run into her at some point as he roamed the neighborhood, though he hoped it wouldn't be under dangerous circumstances. So that night before going to bed he asked the universe to be good to her, thinking that would be it.
However, the next night he was greatly surprised to discover that his body ended up leading him to that bus stop where they had met. He didn't do it consciously and he didn't think it was very likely that they would meet again either, but apparently his mind hadn't completely forgotten the whole thing. He had a strange need to know if she was all right and he didn't quite understand why.
He suspected it had to do with the way he identified with her words. He knew very well the hell that life could become when one felt alone. He had spent the last years of his life trapped in that dark, empty hole, accompanied only by guilt, pain and resentment. He was still trapped in that black hole and that was why he wanted to prevent her from ending up like him. No one deserved to go through that.
So he waited for Y/N sitting on the ledge of a building and when he saw her appear in the distance he didn't hesitate to climb down to approach her. The girl was surprised to see him there, but greeted him with joy. They chatted about their day as they waited for the bus to arrive. Peter noticed that she was in a better mood than the night before, although he could still distinguish some sadness in her eyes. He cracked a couple of jokes to hear her laugh and when the bus appeared he let her go, knowing he would do the same thing again the next day and every day after that until he no longer saw the sadness hidden in her eyes.
Their friendship grew with every little encounter they had. Peter learned her routine and whenever he could he would stop by the bus stop to talk to her and find out how she was doing. Sometimes he would even walk over to her college to join her from there so they would have more time to chat. He discovered that he enjoyed her company. She was a nice, friendly and fun girl, so he went out of his way to maintain their friendship. Even if that friendship consisted of short casual encounters in which he remained anonymous, hiding in his superhero costume.
He had thought about revealing his true identity to her a couple of times, but always came to the conclusion that it was better that she didn't know. Telling her his secret would make their relationship much more personal and then she would be in danger. He couldn't let anything happen to her, especially not because of him, so it was better for things to remain as they were.
Peter waited for Y/N in the same building as always, keeping an eye out for the movement of people on the street in case she showed up-or someone needed his help. However, the minutes passed and there was no sign of her. He thought that perhaps her class had been extended or maybe she had stopped to talk to a classmate. He considered approaching the college to make sure she was okay, but in the end decided it would be best to wait where he was. If she had already left and he was moving they might miss each other on the way.
At the hour mark Peter began to worry. All logic disappeared from his mind as a voice inside him wondered if there was any chance she was in danger. Perhaps she had been attacked on the road. Or maybe she had suffered some kind of accident and was in the hospital. Or maybe...
"That's enough!" he whispered in an attempt to control his thoughts. "She's all right."
That seemed to keep the voices in his head at bay, but the idea was already planted in his mind, the worry increasing with every second. He couldn't help it. Panic would overtake him every time one of his loved ones didn't answer his calls or didn't read his messages. He was used to expecting the worst in life after everything that had happened to him. So he decided the best thing he could do at a time like this was to go to Y/N's house to check on her and make sure she was okay to calm his panicked mind.
He swung down the street quickly and without being very careful. It wasn't the first time he had gone to her house. He had accompanied her on foot a couple of times so he knew the way by heart. When he reached his destination he climbed up the fire escape until he reached her window. He was glad to see the faint glow of light behind the curtains because it meant she was home safe.
He tapped his knuckles on the glass a couple of times, being careful not to use too much force so as not to damage the window. He waited a few seconds, listening closely to the muffled noise coming from the other side. Then Y/N's face emerged from the curtains, looking at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, opening the window and stepping aside to let him through. "I don't remember yelling for you."
"No, no, I know. It's just that I was waiting for you and you didn't show up. I got worried and stopped by to make sure you were okay," he explained, hoping the desperation wasn't clear in his voice.
"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I didn't go to class today, I wasn't feeling very well."
Y/N walked over to her bed, sitting down on the mess of disarranged sheets and blankets on the mattress. Peter took the opportunity to look around the room, immediately noticing the boxes of tissues scattered on the side of the bed. The small trash can next to the nightstand was overflowing with used tissues and a teacup rested next to the lamp, forgotten there for who knows how long.
Outside of the clear signs that Y/N was ill, the room was clean and well decorated. The walls displayed a couple of posters of her favorite movies and artists. The desk was neatly arranged, with stacks of books and notes from her classes. On the small dresser on one side rested a couple of photographs of her friends and family. Peter smiled, it was just how he had imagined her room would look.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. How are you feeling now?" he asked, concerned about her condition. Even under the dim light of the night lamp he could see her red nose and tired eyes.
"I'm a little better," she admitted, giving him a weak smile. "I took some painkillers and spent the day sleeping and that seemed to help a lot."
"Did you eat anything at all during the day?" Peter asked, sitting on the edge of the bed with her. Y/N paused to think about her day.
"Does tea count as food?"
"No!"
"I'm sorry, don't be mad at me," the girl pouted. "I was going to get up and make some soup, but I don't have much energy and my muscles hurt for some reason."
"How can you expect to have energy if you haven't eaten anything all day!" Spider-Man exclaimed with an angry motherly tone that put a smile on Y/N's face. He shook his head, silently disapproving of her behavior, and headed for the bedroom door.
"Where are you going?"
"To make you something to eat."
He spoke as if that was a completely normal thing to do. As if having a superhero walking around her house preparing dinner for her as if he were her professional chef was something that happened every day. Y/N followed him into the kitchen, telling him he didn't have to do anything, reassuring him that she was already feeling better. But Spider-Man ignored her.
"It's my duty to protect the neighborhood and you are a crucial member of this neighborhood, so let me help you" he said in a dramatic tone that made her laugh.
"You don't even know where I store stuff," she mentioned, reminding him that he had never entered her house before.
"I think I can manage on my own. I have a kitchen too, I know how they work."
"And you won't make a mess?" she asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course not! I'm here to help," he replied, sounding offended that she had suggested such a thing. "Now go back to bed and let me work."
After giving her a couple of basic pointers on the organization of her kitchen Y/N went back to her room. She grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and opened the camera. Then she slipped down the hallway trying to make as little noise as possible, and snapped a couple of pictures that captured the strange event unfolding in her kitchen. She didn't plan on showing them to anyone, it was mostly a souvenir for her. Evidence that Spider-Man really had come into her house to cook her dinner and that it hadn't been a dream or a hallucination due to a very high fever.
While the superhero worked in the kitchen she tried to tidy up her room a bit. She threw away the used tissues that rested on her bed along with the empty boxes. She pulled back the sheets to make the bed look more presentable and fixed her messy hair from the hours she had spent sleeping. She'd gone through enough embarrassment letting him see her in that state, with a red nose and a raspy voice from the discomfort in her throat. She didn't need to add to it.
Spider-Man entered the room shortly after with a tray in his hands. On it he had placed a bowl of soup with a couple of crackers, a glass of water and a couple of napkins. Y/N accepted the food gladly, realizing how hungry she was when she smelled the soup. She enjoyed the way the warm liquid ran down her throat, easing away the discomfort inside her.
As she ate, Peter took the liberty of scanning the room more closely. He flipped through the titles in the stack of books on her desk, flipping through her class notes curiously. Then he moved toward the picture frames on the dresser, photographs that told the story of her life. He was amused to see that she had a couple of pictures from her childhood. He paid special attention to one where she was hugging another little girl and they were both smiling at the camera showing their missing teeth without any embarrassment.
His eyes then moved on to another one in which she appeared to be in high school. She looked very different, with a different haircut and the pair of glasses on her nose framing her face differently. Although he couldn't say they looked bad on her.
"I don't talk to half the people in those pictures anymore," said Y/N from the bed, finishing her soup. "They're all childhood friends who I lost touch with due to the ways of life, you know. I don't know why I still have those pictures there. I guess they remind me of the happy times I shared with them."
Peter understood perfectly well what she meant. He still kept the photos he had of Gwen, although in his case he stored them in a drawer. But they served the same purpose: to remember her and how happy he had been with her. Sometimes he would spend hours admiring her smile in those photos, losing himself in the pain and nostalgia, remembering the way his heart would race when he heard her laugh.
"I don't know, I think you look really cute in this one," he said, showing her a picture of her posing with a friend dressed as Britney Spears in the Baby One More Time music video. He couldn't help but smile under the mask as he saw the horror on her face when she realized which photo he was referring to. Her cheeks flushed red and Peter felt the urgent need to pinch them.
"Oh God! I forgot that one was there," she exclaimed, embarrassed by the revealing outfit she was wearing in the photo. "It was for a costume party. I was Britney and my friend was Christina."
“Don't be embarrassed, you look pretty," he tried to cheer her up, but his comment only worsened her condition.
"Well if you like it so much for next Halloween we can dress up as Britney and Justin in their iconic jean outfits." Peter let out a laugh, imagining himself wearing that hideous jean outfit. It would look completely ridiculous, but he wasn't opposed to the idea. He admitted it would be fun to laugh with her about those outfits for a while.
The conversation turned to the subject of Halloween after that comment. They discussed the worst costumes they had ever worn to a party and mentioned which ones they had always wanted to wear but hadn't had the chance yet. She told him about the wide variety of costumes she would like to wear but couldn't because she didn't go to many parties and because, in her words "they were too covered up and true to the original characters" to wear to a party. For some reason he found that comment adorable. In the end, Y/N seemed to be an antisocial hermit just like him.
When she finished eating, Peter took it upon himself to carry the dishes to the kitchen, taking the tea cup from the bedside table on the way out. He returned a few seconds later with a glass of fresh water which he propped up next to the lamp so that she would have something to drink in case she needed it. Then he settled once again at the foot of the bed, facing her.
"Are you feeling better?" he asked, resting a hand on her leg.
"Yes, thank you," she said, nodding her head slightly.
The girl's eyes were fixed on the superhero's hand, which rested delicately on the area of her knee. She enjoyed the light touch despite the fact that they were separated by two different layers of clothing. Inspecting the suit more closely she was able to notice new details, such as the texture of the fabric and the exact shape of the web shooters. Though the detail that caught her attention the most was the almost imperceptible seam found on his wrist, indicating that what covered his hand was a glove and not the suit's sleeve.
It was then that an idea formed in her mind.
"Can I see your hands?" she suddenly blurted out without realizing what she was saying.
"What?" asked Spider-Man in confusion.
"Your hands, I want to see them."
"Why do you want to see my hands?"
"I don't know... You know so much about me and I haven't even seen your face," she explained with a shrug. "Which is fine. I understand that your identity is personal and all.... But, I don't know, I thought seeing your hands would be the best way to know something about you without it being something too compromising like your face or your name. Unless you have any distinctive scars or birthmarks.... But in that case I promise not to use that information to investigate your true identity," Y/N rambled, nervously. She put her hand to her heart at the end of the sentence to show her honesty and Peter laughed.
He analyzed the situation for a moment, wondering if there was any risk in taking off his gloves in front of her. He didn't have any distinguishing marks on his hands, and even if he did he knew he could trust Y/N. There was something about her, her aura, her demeanor, that inspired him with confidence. He was sure he could trust her with the secret of his identity if he wanted to because she would never give him away. She was that kind of friend, loyal and companionable. And maybe that was what drove him to her.
"Go ahead," he finally said, extending his arms to bring his hands towards her.
The young woman looked at him for a moment trying to read his expression through the mask. She seemed surprised that he had agreed to her strange request so Peter nodded slightly to reassure her that he was fine with it. And that gesture was enough for her to proceed.
She began by resting her hands over his, familiarizing herself with the fabric of the suit, tracing each line delicately with her fingers. Then she carefully tugged at the glove to reveal the skin hidden beneath. When his bare hand was exposed before her eyes Y/N let out a gasp of air she hadn't realized she was holding. Her eyes admired his palm as her fingers caressed the area delicately, going from his wrist all the way to the tips of his fingers. Then she turned over his hand and stroked the back of it, showing it the same delicate and affectionate treatment before advancing to the other hand.
Her heart beat rapidly against her chest. There was something so intimate about what they were doing that she couldn't help but feel a tingle run through her body. It was almost as if she was doing something forbidden. She wasn't supposed to see his hands without the suit and the fact that he had allowed her to do so filled her with joy. He trusted her. That gesture, though small and insignificant to anyone else, showed her the depth of their bond. He was her actual friend and trusted her enough to show her a part of the real him, of the person who was hidden behind the red and blue suit. Thinking about it brought tears to her eyes. She wasn't completely alone after all.
The difference in size was the first thing she noticed as their hands intertwined. Spider-Man's hands were big, but they looked even bigger next to hers. He also had long, slender fingers decorated by short, well-maintained fingernails. And a couple of veins were marked on the back of his hands, creating trails that she followed with her eyes until they disappeared under the suit's sleeve. Y/N also noticed a couple of bruises and scrapes on his knuckles, the shades of red and yellow highlighted against his light skin. She had to restrain the urge to kiss the wounds, reminding herself that it would be too weird.
Peter watched her admire his hands closely. Electricity coursed through his body with every little caress she provided on his skin. She looked so absorbed, completely amazed to have the opportunity to intertwine their hands without the barrier of the gloves. The air caught in his throat and the blood from his entire body concentrated in his cheeks, suddenly embarrassed by Y/N's delicate touch. He had never gone through a similar experience before. No one had ever admired his hands with such devotion so he didn't know exactly how to react. He felt a pleasant tingling in his stomach and for a moment he wished he could stay there forever, reveling in the inner peace he felt from having their hands laced together like that.
"You have very nice hands," she said, looking up to meet his face.
"Are they everything you had imagined?" he joked in response, appealing to his sense of humor to hide what he really felt.
"Shut up!" Y/N exclaimed, looking away in embarrassment. She dropped his hands suddenly, as if they were burning her. She didn't want Spider-Man to think she was weird.
But then she felt the superhero's hands closing over hers. She looked up and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of their intertwined fingers. She relished in the warm feeling of his skin against hers. There was something so comforting about the way their hands fit together. She could very well stay in that pose for the rest of her life without letting out a single complaint.
"I like your hands too," he said in an almost inaudible whisper.
Y/N wondered if he felt the same electricity coursing through his body at her touch, if he found the same level of comfort in the way their hands seemed to fit together so perfectly. The girl wished at that moment she could see his face to read his expression, to search his eyes for something that would tell her he felt the same way she did. But when she looked up she met her own gaze reflected in the large eyes of the superhero's mask.
The moment was interrupted by the flu attacking Y/N's immune system. Since Spider-Man's surprise arrival at her house she had been feeling so well that she forgot she was sick. But the itch in her throat that suddenly appeared forced her to break away from the superhero so she could cough. He gently patted her back and reached for the glass of water, prompting her to drink the liquid to improve her condition.
"Better?” he asked as he took the glass from her hands and placed it on the bedside table. She nodded. "Cmon, let's get you into bed.”
Spider-Man helped her pull back the sheets and once she was back on the mattress he tucked her in, wrapping her in the fluffy blankets. He asked her a couple of times if she was comfortable to which she always replied positively. He then told her to try to get some sleep before heading for the window. He was ready to leave to let her rest, but Y/N's voice stopped him.
"Wait!" She exclaimed, forcing him to turn around. "I don't want you to go."
The room fell silent. It took Y/N a few seconds to understand why. But when she realized what she had said the blush rose up her neck all the way to her cheeks. She hadn't meant to say that. Well, actually she had, but not in such a direct way. She enjoyed his company, especially in the situation she was in. His visit had been the only good thing in her day. But she wasn't going to tell him that.
“I m-meant t-to say that I'm not feeling sleepy yet and that, umm... I-I'd like you to stay a little while longer. If you can, of course, I, um, I don't want to inconvenience you or anything," she babbled nervously, trying to get out of the embarrassing situation she had gotten herself into.
Peter wasn't able to resist her when she looked at him with those big eyes full of illusion. His heart melted with tenderness at the way she struggled to find the words to ask him to stay, the blush reddening her cheeks giving her an adorable aura. He had nothing better to do, so he walked back to the bed and sat on the edge, giving her room to lie down comfortably.
They talked for a while about everything and nothing, as they used to do whenever they were together. Peter noticed how gradually Y/N's eyes closed tiredly, her voice getting softer and softer and more and more paused. Until eventually she fell asleep. The faint sound of her calm breathing was all that could be heard in the room. He smiled as he saw her curled up in a fetal position under the covers, her hair spread out on the pillow as if it were a halo of light framing her figure. She looked lovely and Peter found it hard to look away from her. He admired the peace she radiated, silently envying how easy it was for her to surrender to the arms of Morpheus. Why couldn't he be the same?
It was approaching that time of year Peter dreaded so much. The anniversary of one of the worst days of his life. The date that reminded him of the worst mistake he had made since the first time he put on the Spider-Man suit. He couldn't escape the guilt that haunted him at every moment. The pain, a crushing emptiness in the middle of his chest that made it difficult for him to breathe.
He dreamed every night of the last moments of Gwen's life. He saw her fall again and again, and despite all his efforts to reach her, he was never able to get to her. He watched her die continuously. And when he woke up, her figure would watch him from the foot of the bed. It was an illusion that lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough time for him to question his mental sanity. She always looked disappointed, sometimes angry. She blamed him for her fate, he could see it in her eyes.
Peter knew it was all a product of his imagination. His dream-confused mind projected his feelings of guilt onto those images. But that didn't make it any easier to deal with. He didn't want to sleep because he knew that as soon as he closed his eyes she would appear in front of him. So he avoided it as much as possible. He spent his nights wandering the dangerous streets of New York, taking out his frustrations on the criminals who were unlucky enough to cross his path.
He was not particularly careful with his attacks when he was in this state. He was too tired, too sad, to worry about such things. He would suffer the consequences later when he returned home bleeding and with his suit in tatters, but at least that gave him another excuse not to sleep.
That night was no different than any other. His mind clouded by loneliness and exhaustion often made bad decisions. That's how he ended up in a situation more dangerous and complicated than he had anticipated. And even though he had emerged victorious, he didn't do so without taking a beating at the hands of his opponents. Dazed from the blows and bleeding from several open wounds, Peter used what little strength he had left to escape the scene before the police arrived. He planned to return home so he could heal and try to hit the streets for a couple more hours, but halfway through he changed his mind.
He told himself that he was too weak, that he wouldn't make it home before passing out, that he needed to find a closer shelter. He convinced himself that it was purely a physical need and nothing more. Though deep down he knew that his real motivation for heading to Y/N's house and not his own was that he didn't want to be alone. He ignored that voice in his mind because he wasn't ready to listen to it. He wasn't ready to admit that he simply couldn't go on this way, pushing all his loved ones away to protect them while he suffered in silence.
The poor girl was sitting at her desk, concentrating on finishing a paper for a class when she heard noises coming from the window. She paused the soothing music she had put on to concentrate and turned in her chair to inspect the strange sounds. She immediately encountered the figure of a man crouching on the other side and didn't have to pull back the curtains to know who it was. Y/N approached the window with a smile, happy that her friend had come to visit her. His cheerful presence was just what she needed at that moment. However, her expression changed completely as soon as she saw the state he was in.
"Oh my God, what happened to you?" she asked in horror as she helped him slip through the window. His suit was ripped in several places where the exposed skin was stained red from the blood pouring from his wounds. The gashes on his chest and abdomen appeared to be the most severe, but not the only ones. Y/N noticed a couple of cuts on both arms and one of his thighs. He moved with some difficulty and as soon as he passed the window sill he collapsed on the wooden floor of the room.
"I'm all right. You should see the other guys," he said with a wince.
"You don't look so good."
"I will be. Do you have a first aid kit?"
Y/N nodded, but didn't move. It took her a few seconds to react and go find it in the bathroom, concern clouding her mind. Spider-Man was hurt and she had never seen anything like it. She wasn't an accident prone person, she hadn't even broken a bone in the years she had been alive, so she had never seen similar injuries. And the shock of seeing him in that state paralyzed her. Even though she knew that what he did as Spider-Man was dangerous, she had never thought about how risky it could be. Seeing him bleeding on the floor of her room had been far too real of an image, one she wasn't prepared to see.
When her brain snapped back into action the young woman ran to the bathroom to get what she needed. She frantically flipped through the cabinet drawers under the sink until she found the small white box filled with medical supplies. She made sure to also grab a clean cloth before returning to the room where the superhero was waiting for her. He had shifted position, opting to lean his back against the wall under the window. Though the first thing Y/N noticed upon returning to his side was that he had pulled his mask up over his nose, leaving his mouth and chin exposed. His lips were cracked and bloodstained, but despite that she couldn't help but think Spider-Man had nice lips.
"How do we do this?" she asked, kneeling down beside him, not knowing where to start.
"I need you to help me take off my suit."
Peter instructed her to reach for the small zipper hidden in the back of the suit and she obeyed, approaching him with trembling hands. He leaned forward to give her room to pull the zipper down the length of his spine, enduring the stabbing pain that awakened. He felt the delicate touch of her fingers on the skin of his back. One hand worked on the zipper while the other removed the suit from his shoulders. Peter took a deep breath, enjoying the freedom he felt with the spandex no longer tightly hugging his body. He let himself fall back against the wall once more, letting out an involuntary grunt of pain.
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather go to a hospital?" asked the girl as she gently tugged on the sleeve of his suit to free his right arm.
"Yeah, it's fine, don't worry. My body heals faster than normal," he reassured her. He removed the rest of the top part of the suit by himself until it became a pile of crumpled fabric on his hips. "We just have to get the bleeding to stop and then close the wound. My body will take care of the rest."
Y/N nodded. She wasn't entirely convinced this was a good idea, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she took the clean cloth she had brought with her from the bathroom and pressed it over the wound on his abdomen. Spider-Man let out a groan of pain and she quickly apologized, worried that she might have hurt him. She had never treated a similar injury before, so it was very likely that she was doing things wrong. She was about to remove her hands to release some of the pressure she was putting on his body, when she felt the superhero's hands closing over hers. She looked up to look at him and he gave her a weak smile to indicate that she was doing a good job.
It was a subtle smile, his lips barely curving upward, but it was enough to make Y/N momentarily forget the circumstances she found herself in. A strange tingle ran through her body as she realized that this was the first time she had ever seen him smile. Her gaze lingered on his lips for longer than it probably should, admiring every little detail she was able to catch in case she never got the chance to see his smile again. When she realized what she was doing she looked down, embarrassed. She felt the blood rush up her neck to spread over her cheeks as she prayed he hadn't noticed her behavior.
Returning her attention to the wound, she noticed that the cloth under her hands was rapidly turning red. She could feel the warm, thick blood under her fingers. There was a metallic taste in her mouth, though she wasn't sure if that was due to the particles of the superhero's blood traveling through the air or her lower lip that she had caught between her teeth, biting down hard.
She was nervous and somewhat embarrassed to have Spider-Man half naked in her room. The situation was horrible and stressful, but despite everything a part of her couldn't help but admire his abdomen as if it were the most beautiful piece of art she ever laid her eyes on. She told herself it was because she was amazed to see a part of his body that wasn't covered by the suit, but that was a half-truth.
"I think the bleeding has stopped." Spider-Man's voice brought her back to reality. She carefully removed the cloth from the wound without daring to look up, embarrassed by her thoughts.
"What's next?" she asked him in a whisper, assuming he knew more about first aid than she did.
"We have to clean the wound so it doesn't get infected and then close it."
"Close it as in stitch it up?"
Y/N knew the answer to her question, she just wasn't sure she was capable of doing something like that. She was not trained to stitch a wound. She was not a nurse and had never been in a similar situation before. The only medical training she had came from the first aid course she had attended in high school several years ago and what she had seen on Grey's Anatomy, though she doubted that would help her now.
"Don't worry, I can do it myself," Peter said, reading the panic in Y/N's expression. "Just pass me the first aid kit."
"No, no, it's okay. I can do it," she said, clearing her throat to make her voice sound firmer.
"Are you sure?" he asked and she nodded.
"I want to help you."
She gave him a small smile, hoping that was enough to convince him. He nodded slightly and she took that gesture as a sign to start working. She grabbed a gauze pad from the first aid kit and soaked it with the antiseptic liquid before pressing it on the cut. Peter hissed in pain and she looked at him apologetically.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, moving the gauze over the wound more carefully.
"It's okay, it's not your fault. You're doing a great job."
It was a simple comment, but the compliment helped her gain a little more confidence in her actions. She cleaned the wound with firm hands, but applying a delicate touch. When it came time to stitch the cut, she let him guide her through the process. Watching the needle pierce his skin was a strange and not at all pleasant sight, but she got used to it faster than she expected. Spider-Man would utter words of encouragement from time to time, reassuring her that she was doing things right and thanking her for her help. She could feel his intense gaze on her as she worked, but she was able to keep her composure, enjoying his compliments.
"See, that wasn't so hard," he said when she announced she was done. "You did a great job."
When she finished properly bandaging the wound on his abdomen Y/N moved on to the small cuts that adorned the rest of his body. Her confidence grew as she worked, certain that there was nothing she could do to hurt him further. She carefully disinfected and bandaged the gash on his chest and then moved on to the cuts on his arms. She took her time with each wound, working gently to avoid causing him more pain and discomfort than he probably already felt.
"You have to be more careful," she told him as she finished cleaning a wound on his shoulder.
"I'm usually more careful. This was just a small mistake, there were more men than I expected."
"Yes well, a small mistake that left you sheared like cheese." Peter let out a laugh that turned into a whimper of pain halfway through due to the tension the muscle movement generated in his wound. "Do I have to worry about you being followed and my life being in danger?"
"You are safe. I would never have come if I suspected there was the slightest possibility that you were in danger," he replied in a serious tone that showed Y/N how honest his words were. "I took care of them."
"You took care of them?" asked the young woman, looking at the superhero with a raised eyebrow. The way he pronounced those words sounded a bit sinister.
"I didn't kill them if that's what you're thinking," Peter clarified. "I knocked them unconscious and I'm pretty sure the police were on their way to arrest them."
"Oh. Good," she muttered, not sure what else to say. She proceeded to wipe the blood from under his nose and at the corner of his lips. She cupped his face with one hand, fingers closing over his chin so she could tilt his head in her direction. Then she slid the gauze across his skin gently, making sure to remove all traces of blood from the area. She slowly moved down to his mouth, being very careful as she touched his injured lips. Though despite her precautions, he let out a hiss of pain when the liquid made contact with the irritated skin.
"I'm sorry," she murmured apologetically. She offered him a small smile before blowing lightly on the skin of his lips to soothe the sting.
Peter accepted the gesture gladly. Her breath was warm, providing great relief to his irritated skin. Y/N leaned towards him to be more precise, and then he realized how close they were to each other. Their noses, separated by barely a couple of centimeters, almost bumped into each other. The scent of her floral perfume flooded his senses, clouding his mind. The brush of her fingers on his chin awakened a strange tingle on his skin, and the warmth of her body enveloped him in a comforting embrace.
Overwhelmed by his feelings, Peter closed his eyes in an attempt to gather his thoughts. A sigh escaped his half-opened lips and it turned into a whimper when he stopped feeling Y/N's breath mingling with his own.
"Better?" she asked, forcing him to open his eyes again and snap back to reality.
Peter nodded slightly since he didn't trust his voice to speak. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing with the action. Y/N's eyes followed the small lump, distracted for a moment as she admired the veins marking on his neck, before returning her attention to his face.
When she finished wiping away the blood, she kept her hand on his chin for longer than necessary. Her thumb brushed his lower lip, eager to discover its texture. Despite being injured, the skin of his mouth felt soft against her fingertip and Y/N couldn't help but wonder if it would feel the same while kissing him.
Luckily she regained control over her body in time and was able to stop herself before she did something she would later regret. Spider-Man was her friend. Someone who protected her on the street and with whom she talked about her day and nothing else. She didn't have a crush on him and she didn't want to kiss him either. Of course not! That was ridiculous. She hadn't even seen his face. Developing feelings for a complete stranger was stupid and irresponsible.
Although he wasn't a complete stranger. Not to her. She knew things about him despite never having seen his face, things that made her feel a certain way.
"You're all done!" Y/N announced, stepping away from the superhero as far as she could to keep her feelings at bay. She began to pick up the things from the first aid kit scattered on the floor to occupy her mind on something else, taking the opportunity to clean the blood from her hands.
"Thank you," he mumbled, struggling to get up from the floor. Seeing how hard it was for him to move, she ran to his aid. She took him by the waist, putting his arm around her shoulders to steady him.
"You need to get some rest," she scolded him.
"I'll be fine."
"You're not planning on going out on the street like that again, are you?"
The disapproval was clear in Y/N's voice. Spider-Man was silent for a moment before repeating: "I'll be fine. The night is young, I'm sure there are plenty of people who need me."
"You can barely walk," she replied as she helped him get into his suit. "Please don't go out again. You'll end up even worse than you already are and as much as I've done a fantastic job healing you now I don't think I can help you if you show up with your guts hanging out. I'm not that good."
Y/N spoke with humor in her voice to hide the fact that she was terrified of the idea of Spider-Man getting hurt on the street. She was afraid to show him how important he really was to her in case he thought it was strange. Over time they had shared several special moments that assured her that he liked her, but she didn't know exactly how much. She saw him as a friend, probably because he was the only person she had left, but maybe he just saw her as someone he could hang out with. She found it hard to believe that someone like him would be all that interested in someone like her.
However, seeing that he didn't seem to want to change his mind she had to put aside her fear of being exposed and vulnerable. She had to somehow convince him to stay and rest for his sake and hers.
"Wait!" she said, taking him by the hand to prevent him from escaping through the window. "Please don't do this. I'll sleep a lot better knowing you're safe. Maybe this time Spider-Man can go home early."
Peter's eyes flicked over their joined hands, admiring them silently for a few seconds before he looked up to meet Y/N's face. She looked worried, the fear in her eyes almost enough to convince him not to leave. Almost.
The problem was that he couldn't go back to his house. It would be impossible for him to sleep and he would end up staying up all night, tossing and turning as he wailed in the dark. He simply couldn't be alone, he couldn't stand it. He had to do something to distract himself, otherwise he would end up losing whatever little sanity he had left.
"I can't go back home," he muttered without even thinking about what he was saying, his voice cracking. "I don't want to be alone."
Hearing that confession broke Y/N's heart into a thousand pieces. Spider-Man sounded so devastated, she found it hard to believe it was him. In the time they had known each other, he had always appeared as someone cheerful and fun who did nothing but make her laugh and give her words of encouragement when she needed them. As strange as it sounded, the superhero had become her rock, her support. She found it hard to believe that the same man who kept joking with her was capable of sounding so sad.
Y/N shortened the distance that separated them by taking a couple of long steps. She took his face in her hands, placing a hand under his lowered chin to force him to look at her. She was only able to see her own face reflected in the eyes of the superhero's mask, but something told her that he had his gaze locked on her. She could feel it through the fabric barrier that separated them.
"You don't have to be alone," she told him in a soft tone. "I'm here. You can stay with me."
"N-No, I don't want to bother you," he said, embarrassed as he realized what he had said.
"You're not bothering me," she assured him, interrupting him before he could continue. "I want you to stay with me. I want to help you like you helped me. Please."
Peter wanted to reject her, to swallow his feelings and escape out the window before it was too late. But when he opened his mouth to speak, no sound came out. Y/N was looking at him with pleading eyes and he simply couldn't refuse her. He was tired and hurting, and her presence was the only thing that seemed to help him when he was in that state. So he nodded his head and let himself be guided to the bed by her, where they sat side by side
"Do you want to talk about it?" asked the young woman, a bit unsure. She wanted to help him, but she didn't want to pressure him into doing something he didn't want to do. She was more than willing to spend the whole night hugging him if that was what he preferred, but she thought she would give him the option to talk to her first.
"It's complicated."
"Sometimes it's better to talk about our problems. Putting into words what bothers us helps to understand it, to free us from some of the burden on our backs," she encouraged him to open up, placing a hand over his in support. "I promise I won't judge you. I'll just listen to you if that's what you prefer. Maybe that will help you feel better."
"There's nothing that can make me feel better," he said, looking down at his hands. "It's a particularly difficult time for me... i-it's... it's the anniversary of the death of someone very close to me... s-someone I loved very much."
"Oh," said the young woman, not knowing how to react. For some reason that was not what she expected to hear him say. She didn't know exactly what she expected him to say, but those words took her by surprise. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she added, giving his hand a light squeeze.
"Yeah, I'm sorry too," he mumbled more to himself than for her to hear. "You know what the worst part of it all is? That it's my fault... I couldn't save her."
"Oh, I'm sure you did everything you could...."
"It wasn't enough!" he exclaimed, raising the tone of his voice. Y/N would have been startled by the sudden change if it weren't for the sheer pain she could hear in his words. "I didn't get to her in time... I couldn't save her."
Spider-Man's voice sounded broken, and Y/N didn't need to look into his eyes to know he was struggling to hold back tears. She could sense it in his posture, in the bitterness in his voice. It broke her heart to see him like this, but she didn't know what to do to make him feel better. She was very good at listening to other people's problems, being the shoulder everyone cried on, but not so good at comforting sad people. Let alone in such extreme situations. She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he was going through. Nothing she could say to him could fill the emptiness in his chest. There were no words to comfort such sadness. So instead of talking she decided to show her support in a physical way.
She approached him quietly and put her arms around him with a bit of shyness. It took Peter a few seconds to react. He held his arms firmly on either side of his body, posture rigid as stone, while his brain processed the situation. He finally gave in to her embrace, melting into the warmth of her body. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against his body. She stroked his back in reassurance, her fingers tracing imaginary figures on the fabric of his suit. And it was that simple gesture that pushed him over the edge.
Peter broke down, hiding in her arms. The emotions he had repressed for so long finally coming to the surface in the form of sobs. He hid his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent as he cried, letting her closeness comfort him.
She hugged him tighter, trusting that he did not find her actions strange. She whispered words of reassurance in his ear, prompting him to cry into her shoulder, assuring him that it would help him feel better. She continued the caresses on his back, moving up his spine, past his neck until she reached his suit-covered head. She let her fingers trace the lines of the mask before moving back down to his back. She repeated that action until she felt his sobs stopped and his breathing normalized.
"How about I make us some tea, huh?" she asked him without separating from his body. "I have this tea that's supposed to help you relax. I always drink it when I'm stressed and it helps calm my nerves. Then we can keep talking or do something completely different, it's your choice."
"Tea sounds good," he replied, emerging from his hiding place on her shoulder. "Thank you," he added, embarrassed. He hadn't meant to lose control like that. The situation had gotten the better of him. He was so tired of repressing his emotions, of suffering alone and in silence, that when Y/N hugged him he found it impossible to contain himself. With that simple gesture she was able to tear down the walls he had carefully built around his heart.
"Well," she said, taking him by the face and wiping away the couple of tears that had rolled down his cheeks beyond the part covered by the mask. "I'm going to make the tea. You can go to the bathroom to wash your face or wait here, okay? I'll be right back."
Y/N gave him a smile before disappearing behind the door. Peter stood staring blankly at the wood, his mind overwhelmed by the mix of emotions that haunted him. When he summoned the strength to get up he headed for the bathroom. He locked the door to make sure no one entered before removing his mask, and looking in the mirror he saw that his eyes were red and swollen from crying. He could still feel the path the tears had made as they fell down the skin of his cheeks. Letting out a sigh he took off his gloves and turned on the faucet, bending down to splash water on his face.
He let the water run for a few seconds as he contemplated what he was doing. He felt sad and somewhat pathetic, but at the same time relieved. He had repressed his feelings for so long that he forgot how good it felt to let them out, to share his pain with someone else. It was as if some of the weight he felt had been ejected from his system through his tears. He felt lighter, calmer, although deep inside he could still sense the pain and guilt that always accompanied him. He could never get rid of them, but at least they were pushed to the background, overshadowed by the support and companionship that Y/N had offered him.
In a better mood, Peter turned off the faucet and dried his face and hands. He adjusted his suit, leaving his mask pulled up over the bridge of his nose, before leaving the bathroom. When he returned to the room he found that Y/N was already there. She had propped a tray with the tea cups on the bedside table and sat on the bed waiting for him. She gave him a smile when she saw him enter and motioned for him to sit down next to her.
"Do you want to talk about it some more?" she asked in a soft tone, handing him a cup of steaming tea. Peter was silent for a moment, contemplating his answer.
"No," he finally said, shaking his head, "I want to forget about it for at least five minutes."
"Are you sure? Because I can listen to you talk for as long as you need."
Y/N wanted to make sure he wasn't saying that out of embarrassment or fear of making her uncomfortable. She was willing to stay up all night by his side if he asked her to. She would do anything for him, to help him feel better and give him back that cheerful, positive personality he always had when they were together. She wanted more than anything in the world to be able to erase the pain and guilt from him. If she could she would trade places with him in a heartbeat if it meant he could rest for a while.
However, when the superhero nodded indicating that he didn't want to talk about it any further, she didn't press him. She was worried about him, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. So instead, she offered to do something else to distract him. The first thing that came to her mind was to watch a movie because that was exactly what she did when she felt bad.
"What do you want to watch?" she asked, grabbing the TV remote from the nightstand. "What's the Spider-Man comfort movie?"
"Whatever you want to watch is fine," he replied with a tired smile.
After thinking for a while she decided to put on a couple of episodes of a show that was on the list of titles she used for moments like that. It was simple and entertaining, so it always did a great job of distracting her and making her feel better. She just hoped it would have the same effect on her friend.
By the middle of the first episode they had both finished their cups of tea. Y/N took the empty ceramic pots and placed them on the tray where she had carried them before settling down on the bed. She leaned back on the pillows, making sure she had a good angle to watch TV. Then she motioned for Spider-Man to join her.
"Doesn't it bother you that I'm lying in your bed with my suit all dirty and bloody?"
If it were anyone else in any other circumstance she would have said yes. Normally it wouldn't even have occurred her to let someone sit on her clean sheets if they were half as dirty as he was. But Spidey was different. He was her friend, the one who had helped her in a time of need. He was the man occupying her thoughts at all times since she had met him. She couldn't deny him anything.
"I can change the sheets tomorrow," she shrugged in response. "Now come here."
Peter couldn't say no. He settled down beside her, letting her arms wrap around him in a warm embrace. He relaxed under her touch, reveling in her company and the closeness of their bodies. His chest still ached, the guilt clinging inside him refusing to leave him. But despite everything, it was the first time in a long time that he didn't feel alone.
Y/N was happy to hear him let out a muffled laugh. The sound traveled through her ears and lanced into the center of her heart, quickening her pulse and awakening a familiar tingle in her stomach, the one that always coursed through her body when she heard him laugh. She felt good knowing that she had managed to distract him from the pain that haunted him at least for a little while. After hearing him cry his laughter was music to her ears, the most perfect melody she never wanted to stop listening to.
However, by the fifth episode of the series, he stopped making sounds. Her first reaction was to panic, thinking he had fallen victim to the negative voices in his head once again. But as she listened more carefully she realized that he was not focused on his pain, but had fallen asleep. Y/N smiled, completely forgetting the show playing on the television to admire the figure lying next to her.
Spider-Man's lips were half-open, exhaling puffs of air with each deep breath he took. Her fingers traveled to his cheek, caressing the soft skin of his face gently so as not to wake him. She brushed the fabric of the mask a couple of times, but held back the urge to move it out of her way. She wasn't going to betray him that way. If she ever saw his face, it would be because he had shown it to her.
Sure, she was dying to know the rest of his features or find out the color of his eyes, but in the end none of that mattered. She loved him even though she didn't know who he was under that suit because she didn't need to know his name to really know him. She knew the kind of person he was and that was more than enough.
Eventually, Y/N fell asleep next to him. The television was forgotten, reduced to mere background noise as she adjusted herself on the bed carefully so as not to wake him. She let his calm, deep breathing relax her, guiding her slowly into the arms of Morpheus.
When she awoke the next morning she couldn't help but be disappointed to notice that she was alone in bed. The open window and the first aid kit on the floor were the only evidence that Spider-Man had been there with her the night before.
A month.
A whole month had passed since the last time Y/N had seen Spider-Man. A month in which she had done nothing but worry about him. She waited for him when she got out of class, at the bus stop, or when she walked the streets of Queens. She had even slept with her bedroom window open, waiting in vain for him to appear in the middle of the night. However, the days passed and she still had no news of him.
The first few days of his absence she thought maybe he was busy. He was a superhero after all. Maybe a new supervillain had appeared or something. But seeing nothing in the news to support her theory she began to think that maybe that wasn't the reason for his sudden disappearance. Her mind continued to come up with increasingly improbable, but terrifying explanations. She felt helpless, frustrated that she couldn't do anything to find out the whereabouts of the superhero. She came to think that something terrible had happened to him and that no one had found out because no one knew who Spider-Man really was.
Though her worries proved to be in vain one morning when she read a news story that mentioned Spider-Man preventing a bank robbery. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the superhero's picture in the article. He was alive after all. But then, why wasn't he communicating with her? Didn't he realize how worried she was? Didn't he think about how much she missed him?
The realization of the truth hit her with the force of a freight train. Spider-Man was just another person she had trusted who left her. And this was another instance where fate was proving to her that for some reason she was no good at maintaining close lasting bonds. Another moment in which life reminded her that she was destined to live in loneliness, suffering from passing relationships that she was not capable of sustaining.
Y/N didn't know that Peter was frightened by how much he cared about her. She didn't know about the sense of peace he had felt waking up next to her that morning, with it being the first time in a long time that it wasn't his nightmares forcing him to open his eyes. She didn't know about the sheer terror he had of losing her or the guilt that haunted him for finding someone who gave him hope. She wasn't aware of any of that because instead of telling her Peter had decided to run away like a coward. And now she blamed herself, as she was so used to doing.
Peter told himself it was for her sake, that he was protecting her by walking away, saving her from the terrible fate his Uncle Ben and Gwen had met. He was lying to himself because it was easier than admitting that he was actually protecting himself. What he felt for Y/N frightened him and he would rather run away than face reality. The problem was that it was impossible to hide from his own emotions, but he was willing to try.
He didn't stay away from her completely. Occasionally he would pass by her house and stare at the lights on in her window, wondering what she was doing. Other times he would wait for her at the bus stop, watching her from a distance to make sure she was safe. She was always looking for him, her eyes scanning the streets thoroughly, desperate to find a sign indicating that he was there. Peter had to fight every instinct inside him that told him to run to her, reminding himself that no matter how much it hurt, things were better this way. She would be safe and he...well, he would be happy knowing she was okay.
However, life was never that simple. Fate was never on his side. And just as expected, it had plans very different from his own.
Y/N had left class later that night. The teacher had forced everyone to stay after hours to finish the lesson. And as if that hadn't been enough, on her way out she ran into some classmates from another class who delayed her even longer. By the time she managed to leave the building it was 11 PM. The streets, though not deserted, were quite empty and dark. She walked with her backpack close to her chest, keeping alert of her surroundings.
It was only five blocks from where she studied to the bus stop and she walked them peacefully for most of the time. At least that was until she passed a group of men sitting on the sidewalk as they chatted. They were talking and laughing loudly and Y/N noticed from afar the multiple beer cans surrounding them. If she could have, she would have crossed the street. But the bus stop was only a few feet away from the group of men.
She thought it would be fine, that they would go about their business while she waited in the street for her ride. She thought maybe she was being paranoid as she walked past them, staring into the horizon, trying hard not to make eye contact. Her body tensed and she held her breath without even realizing it, subconsciously looking for any mechanism that would allow her to go unnoticed.
She could feel their gazes on her back, but she tried to ignore them. The avid conversation they were having was interrupted and Y/N was unable to hear more than incomprehensible mumbling over the rapid beating of her heart, the sound echoing in her ears loudly.
For a brief moment she thought she was safe. She let out a sigh of relief as she noticed that only a couple of steps separated her from the bus stop. In the distance she could make out the figure of the vehicle, stopped a block away by the traffic light at the corner. She was one step away from complete safety.
But then she heard a whistle coming from behind her. Closing her eyes she cursed to herself and picked up her pace. She ignored the strangers' calls despite their insistence and was ready to run out of there when she felt a hand closing over her wrist.
"Are you deaf, doll?" asked one of the men, tugging on her arm to force her to turn around.
Y/N froze, her mind blank and her heart beating a mile a minute against her chest. The three men surrounded her, blocking all possible exits. They continued to talk, but she was unable to hear anything. Their voices sounded distant, muffled. All she could think about was that she was in danger, but her body did not respond to the commands of her mind, which was screaming at her to run away from there.
"Let me go," she managed to say in a whisper.
"Oh, come on, doll, you don't have to be like that. We're just talking," exclaimed the man to her right, the alcohol in his breath assaulting her nostrils.
"Let me go," she repeated louder this time. She tugged on her arm to break free of the stranger's grip, but he only increased the pressure, making her yelp in pain.
Y/N panicked, her breathing became faster and faster. She tried to break free once more but it was unsuccessful. The men were still talking, she could see them moving their lips but couldn't hear anything. Her mind was moving too fast to be able to process her own thoughts, much less the conversation they were having. The only thing she was able to process was the fear she felt. Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Suddenly, an external noise was able to make its way into the bustle that was her mind, gaining her attention. It was the distinct sound of something traveling through the air, cutting through the rushing wind that was heading in the opposite direction. Then her arm was released. She heard a dry thud against the floor before she recognized a familiar voice.
“The lady said no!”
Looking up, Y/N was met with the figure of Spider-Man, who was making use of his webbing to incapacitate one of her attackers. The other two moved away from her to defend their friend from the superhero and she watched as he took them down one by one while her brain struggled to comprehend what was happening. She flinched at the sound of the blows, letting tears roll down her cheeks without realizing it.
"Oh my god, Y/N, are you okay?" she heard Spider-Man ask her in horror after dealing with her attackers.She didn't answer him. She didn't even look at him. Her eyes were fixed on the figures of her three attackers, now unconscious and tied up with the spider webs.
"Please talk to me!" insisted Peter, grabbing her face to force her to look at him.
"I-I'm a-okay," she managed to say, her voice cracking. "They didn't do anything to me... y-you... you... you saved me."
The young woman burst into tears and Peter wrapped her in his arms, holding her close to his body as she had done with him in the past. She sobbed in his arms, her brain finally realizing the gravity of the situation. She was safe, but she might not have been. If Spider-Man hadn't arrived, who knows what would have happened to her.
They stood there, hugging in the middle of the street until she managed to control her crying. When she separated from his body he wiped away her tears with his thumbs while assuring her again and again that she was safe. He was partly doing this to soothe her and partly to soothe his own troubled mind. He offered her a ride home and she accepted before she realized what that entailed.
Y/N clung to Spider-Man's body tightly as soon as her feet left the ground, hiding her face in his neck so she couldn't see how high up they were. The free-falling sensation of swinging over nothing was strange and unpleasant, but she had so much adrenaline coursing through her veins that she barely noticed it. She concentrated on the words of encouragement that Spider-Man whispered to her from time to time. His voice inspired confidence and reassurance, helping to calm her nerves.
They reached her building in no time. The superhero helped her get her keys and rode up in the elevator with her. In any other circumstance she would have laughed at the image of Spider-Man standing next to her, leaning against the elevator wall as they waited to get to her floor. They were lucky that no neighbors interrupted their short trip, otherwise Y/N wasn't sure how she would explain the situation.
Once at her apartment he took her backpack and jacket, helping her slide it over her shoulders before hanging it on the coat rack in the entryway. He then guided her to the couch in the living room, inviting her to sit down.
"Are you all right?" he asked her for the thousandth time, the concern still clear in his voice.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she assured him, clearing her throat to speak. "I'm just a little shaken up, that's all."
"I'm so sorry, Y/N. This is all my fault."
"You saved me," the young woman said, looking at him with confusion.
"But I should have been there to stop it from happening. I'm so sorry."
Y/N didn't blame him for what happened. There was no way he could have foreseen that she was going to be attacked. And it wasn't his duty to save her either. He was Spider-Man, but at the end of the day he was just a man with a suit and powers similar to spiders' abilities. He couldn't be looking out for the needs of an entire city. It was impossible, even with his abilities. However, she took advantage of the situation to get answers about his sudden disappearance.
"Why was that?" she asked a bit shyly, hoping it didn't sound like a complaint. "Why weren't you there with me like you used to?"
Peter stopped pacing nervously around the room to look at Y/N for a moment. He wanted to lie, to make up some story about a top-secret issue that Spider-Man was taking care of. But as he looked into her eyes and noticed the pain and confusion in them he was unable to do anything but let out a long sigh. He couldn't lie. Not to her.
"I thought it was for the best... I thought I was protecting you."
"Protecting me from what?"
"From me," he blurted out, struggling to keep his voice steady. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I care about you Y/N. A lot. And the last time I felt this way about someone I had to watch them die. That's why I walked away, to protect you. But in the end you ended up in danger anyway, so I don't know what to do."
Spider-Man dropped onto the couch, visibly frustrated. Y/N leaned towards him, admiring his figure as she processed the meaning behind his words. He didn't disappear because she did something wrong. He ran away because he cared for her, and that frightened him. Despite the sad nature of the conversation she couldn't help but feel a tingle spread throughout her body at such a revelation.
"I don't want you to protect me if that means I can't see you again."
"She said the same thing and I was weak. I let her into my life and now she's gone," he replied with a bitter chuckle, remembering how Gwen wouldn’t listen to him. "I don't know what to do, Y/N. All I know is that staying here is dangerous and it scares me, but I can't bear the thought of walking out that door and never seeing you again."
Y/N could hear the doubt in his voice, a perfect reflection of the conflict within him. A battle between his brain and his heart that seemed to have no end. It crushed her soul to see him like this, haunted by the ghosts of his past. Even though he wasn't crying it was a sadder sight than the last time they had been in a similar situation. That night he had cried because of the pain he felt on the anniversary of the death of someone he loved. But now he was showing her how deep his wounds really were. And as much as she understood that the situation he had gone through was terribly tragic, she never had imagined that it had led him to pause his life in such a way.
"Then stay," she implored him, praying that his heart would win the battle against his mind. "I want you to stay. Please."
Peter knew the rational part of him had lost the war the moment Y/N opened her mouth. There was no way he could walk away from her when she was asking him to stay using that tone. His heart wouldn't let him. He was tired of living a miserable and lonely life. He wanted to be with her and his head would not be able to convince him otherwise.
"If we do this I want to share my whole life with you, not just the Spider-Man stuff," he finally spoke and he could see Y/N's face light up with joy. He brought his hands to his face and began to lift the mask up by his chin. He had barely gotten to uncover his lips when she suddenly stopped him.
"Wait!" she exclaimed, alerting him. "Are you sure about this?"
Y/N didn't quite know why she stopped him. She supposed it was because she wanted to make sure he wasn't making a mistake. She had dreamed many times of that moment, finally seeing his full face. But as excited as she was about it, she also knew that his identity was a sensitive subject. She didn't want him to feel like he had to reveal who he was to her. She didn't want him to regret it. She needed to make sure he was one hundred percent okay with her seeing his face.
Spider-Man nodded, giving her a smile, the biggest she had seen him form on his face so far. Y/N mirrored him, happy to discover that he did in fact have dimples marked on his cheeks, one on each side of his big grin.
"Can I do it?" she asked him then. He immediately agreed, moving a little closer to her so that she could resume the task he had left incomplete. Y/N's hands traveled up to his face. One caressed his cheek while the other slowly removed the mask. Her heart was racing with every inch of skin she uncovered. When she reached the bridge of his nose, she lost her patience and used both hands to pull the rest of the fabric off. And just like that, the face of the anonymous superhero appeared in front of her eyes.
"Hello," he said in a shy voice. "I'm Peter Parker."
She remained silent, admiring every little detail in his features. He had the biggest, deepest brown eyes she had ever seen. They stood out because of the special sparkle she saw in them. A sparkle that immediately captivated her, making it impossible for her to look away. He was looking at her with puppy dog eyes and his smile looked even more adorable now that she saw it in conjunction with the rest of his features. His brown hair, long and messy from wearing the suit, begged her to bury her fingers in it.
"Hello, Peter Parker," she whispered, testing the way his name felt on her tongue.
Peter blushed, suddenly overwhelmed by the closeness. Y/N's fingers kept providing delicate caresses over his cheeks, slowly moving up to his temples and back down again. It was such an intimate touch that he couldn't help but lean over her hands, closing his eyes so he could enjoy the caress without thinking about the nerves eating him up inside.
It was different being in front of her without the mask. He felt vulnerable, unprotected. The confidence and outgoing personality he exhibited wearing the Spider-Man suit was almost completely gone. He retreated into his awkward and weird personality, nervous under Y/N's observant gaze. He didn't feel judged, at least not in a bad way. But he wasn't used to seeing the level of admiration that Y/N's eyes showed when someone looked at him without the suit. Peter Parker was a nobody, someone people didn't look twice at. But now that she had him in front of her, mere inches away, she did nothing but focus her attention on him, admiring every little detail of his face. He was flattered, but nervous so he closed his eyes to hopefully keep his face from ending up red as a tomato.
Eventually he opened his eyes again and it was then that he realized how close their faces were. The tips of their noses were brushing against each other and he could feel Y/N's warm breath crashing against his skin. The girl's eyes lowered to his lips for a moment before returning to his gaze. It was a split second, but it was enough to spark courage in Peter, who used the new surge of confidence to close the little distance that separated them.
It was a short kiss, barely a brush of lips. They were testing the waters, unsure of how to proceed, but curious to discover what it would feel like to meld in such an intimate way. Feeling confident, Peter captured Y/N's lower lip, molding his mouth to hers and sucking on her sweet taste. She let out a whimper of pleasure, relishing in the softness of his lips, the way they caressed hers so delicately, leaving her wanting for more.
The electricity that coursed through their bodies at the touch and the feeling of euphoria that traveled through their veins even after they separated was all it took for them to understand that they were doing the right thing. They were meant to be together, it was impossible for them to deny it any longer. Y/N rested her forehead on Peter's, catching her breath. She took advantage of the closeness to look into his eyes, searching them for something that told her he felt the same warmth inside. She smiled as she saw them ignite with the flame of happiness.
"It's good to finally meet you."
#tasm!peter parker x reader#andrew garfield!peter parker x reader#the amazing spider man x reader#andrew garfield!spider man x reader#peter parker x reader#spider man x reader#the amazing spider man#andrew garfield#i'm so scared to post this#i'm sorry it's so long#but also i'm not sorry
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Hiii can i ask for a mingyu x fem!reader royal au, where the reader is more to boyish personality?
Undefeatable
pairing: prince!mingyu x g.n. reader (but they’re also royal and vagina bearing)
genre: royal au, fluff, angst
warnings: violence, blood
word count: 1.1k (oops)
💌: here is the last request from my very first round of opening requests! thank you so much for all who participated! hopefully i get to open requests soon because your requests and ideas really made me happy! i hope you, anon, and everyone else likes this anon! thank you everyone! <3
“Aren’t we the same Prince Mingyu?” You ask with a piercing glare. “Aren’t I as royal as you are?”
“Yes. I never—”
“Then stop telling me what to do.”
That particular heated argument Mingyu had with you remains vivid inside his mind. He had no intention of ordering you around or much less offending you by questioning your value and capability. He doesn’t even remember what led you to assume such. All he ever wanted to convey was for you to lessen your engagement with combat during the war. It’s getting more and more dangerous and the chances of you coming out of there unharmed is slim to none.
You and Mingyu grew up with the knowledge that you’d marry each other someday. It was a perfect match. The two of you have both the intelligence and skills in ruling and protecting your respective kingdoms. But most importantly, the two of you have the same drive and ideals for the advancement of ending all armed conflict that’s harming thousands of innocent citizens.
Your wedding was simple and instant due to the circumstances. The marriage symbolizes the union of both kingdoms that will work together to ultimately end all wars. Both your parents have entrusted the important duty to protect the future of your people to your enjoined hands. You and Mingyu have been on the same page from the very beginning.
But for Mingyu, there is more to how he feels towards you than the ambitions at hand. He has admired you for the longest time. He fell in love with how graceful and kind you looked when you smiled at him at that one party. He fell in love with how selfless and compassionate you are in extending help to those who need them the most at one of the villages devastated by the war. And even during battles, where dirt, sweat and blood always blemishes your skin; he has never felt more in love.
Mingyu loves you and watching you everyday go all out fearlessly to fight this never ending war is scaring him to the bones. He wishes that he could have said something during that day to make you stop. He wishes you were here beside him instead because he believes there has to be some way other than violence. He’s currently strategizing with the rest of the advisors. While you’re great in formulating strategies like him, Mingyu recognizes how your combat skills are undefeatable. Mingyu is the brain and you are the whole army yourself.
He’s silent with arms crossed as he listens to the voices in the tent exchange ideas. His frown could make everyone around him think he’s in deep thought when he’s really not. The chorus of shouts and clanging sounds of metal outside sounds like there won’t be a ceasefire anytime soon.
“Your Highness!” Not until a panicked and sweating guard barges inside screaming, almost toppling over the first aid boxes at the entrance.
Mingyu can already sense that there is something wrong. He immediately unlocks his arms from his chest and walks towards the guard he’s awfully recognizing. He’s one of your guards assigned to always be right behind you. He’s about to ask what he is doing here when another group of men are shouting to move out of the way.
When they finally enter, your unconscious body and forehead profusely bleeding greets him.
Mingyu’s breath hitches and his legs give up on him that the only way he can hold you is by crawling to where your body is brought down. He takes you in his arms and wipes your blood with shaking hands to get a better look at the wound.
“They were fighting with an enemy when their neck got locked in a chokehold before getting striked with a shield,” one of the guards reports but Mingyu is deaf to the words.
He just cradles your head close to his chest as the medics rush to take care of your wound. He can see that you’re fighting the lightheadedness, definitely not backing down even at a time like this.
“Hey,” he calls and it pains him to see you struggling to open your eyes because of the blood running down your face. “It’s okay.”
“Your Highness, I’m sorry, but please let us move them to the bed.”
Mingyu nods and stands to his feet to carry your limp body on the medical bed. He moves aside when you’re completely settled and lets the medics attend to you. He exhales a shaky breath and closes his eyes, thinking and thinking. When he opens them again, he offers one last glance at you before grabbing his sword and telling your guards to follow him.
All he can see is red.
“We’re ending this war before sunrise.”
The Prince kept his word and when he returned to the tent as the sun started to rise above the horizon, you had gained your consciousness back. He meets your eyes and flashes you the smile you’re afraid you have fallen in love with. You sat up from the bed when he started taking slow steps to be near you. Your eyes follow him as he drops his sword, helmet and shield. The shirt under his armor was drenched in sweat but he could care less. All he wants is to fall on his knees and shrink small under your arms.
And as if you have read his mind, you allow his face to rest against your stomach and his arms to snake around your hips. You’re still quite dizzy but you can see him clearly. You can feel his warmth and that’s enough to make you believe that you’re alive, he’s alive.
“It’s over,” he whispers when he raises his head and sits up.
Tears are brimming on your eyes as you nod. You touch his bruised lip tentatively and he gives your fingers a kiss. He leans close to your face, nose grazing yours. A shiver runs down your spine when you feel his lips lightly touch yours. You don’t grow weak to others but when it’s Kim Mingyu, it’s a whole different story.
You take it upon yourself to fully capture his lips with yours and Mingyu is glad enough to let you. You both remain careful to not get carried away because you’re both badly wounded. But this kiss you’re sharing is passionate enough regardless of that.
When you retreat to take a closer look at the wounds on his face, Mingyu’s love for you can be seen through his gaze. Although he has avenged your forehead, he can’t help but still get bothered by the blood stained gauze wrapped around it. You notice that which is why you squish his cheeks with your hands and make his eyes come back to yours.
“I love you,” you bravely confess before apologizing, “and I’m sorry.”
Mingyu’s smile is wide and bright unlike the sinister one earlier during the battle. His canine can be seen making you smile back. He pulls your chin up and kisses you again and the words he mutters against your lips lets you breathe a breath of relief.
“I love you too.”
#seventeen#kim mingyu#mingyu#seventeen scenarios#mingyu scenarios#seventeen scenario#mingyu scenario#seventeen fanfic#mingyu fanfic#seventeen imagines#mingyu imagines#seventeen imagine#mingyu imagine#seventeen fluff#mingyu fluff#seventeen drabbles#mingyu drabble#seventeen mingyu#mingyu seventeen#svt#fic: undeafeatable
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Transformers Analysis: Folklore and Folk Magic in the Mines of Kaon
thinking about Miner Megatron again, as always. here we goooo
So I've been doing some folk magic, as I usually do, and it got me thinking:
Surely, the lower class/caste bots wouldn’t feel welcomed into the more organised Cybertronian temples etc., or might even be outright banned from joining in shared spiritual spaces or rituals.
So it’s time to teach y’all some working class magic history and how we can apply that to Cybertronian spirituality:
Working Class History: Casting Spells on the Job (Just Call it Prayer so the Boss Doesn't Find Out)
Here's a quick history of rural Appalachian folk magic, for some context:
1) The Christian Bible has been used for spellcasting all up and down the rural East Coast in the USA from day one of colonisation.
In Pennsylvania you have Hexenmeisters and the Pennsylvania Dutch practices, for a well-documented example.
2) The working class has done spellcasting with the Bible from the very first day shitty bosses started
This is for several reasons, but primarily because Bibles were common and cheap, you didn't have to know how to read in order to follow along with or change the lyrics of popular hymns and prayers to fit your own needs, and it was very easy to sneak what is essentially localised witchcraft under the radar when it just looks like you're reading the Bible to everyone else.
Catholic materials were used a lot for this, because they were often provided for free by any local churches, and a lot of working class people in Appalachia were Italian (Roman Catholic) or Eastern European (Eastern Orthodox Catholic), which meant there was no shortage of all sorts of votive candles and the like to utilise for what we would now identify as spellcasting.
It's important to note that it wasn't called spellcasting outright by anybody; Sometimes it was called "hexing" or "sweet talking", among other terms, but if you called it spellcasting it was heavily frowned upon.
A lot of people were uncomfortable (and are still uncomfortable) with verbalising it or identifying it as such due to stigma from the more mainstream religious communities or their own religious backgrounds, and of course, historically if the boss found out that all the workers hated their jobs so much they were doing fucking witchcraft about it, it would not have ended well for the workers.
So, stealth it is. And that's why there are so many specific folk practices in a lot of historically working class rural regions/communities-- Not just in Appalachia, but similar things happen in similar communities around the world.
What does this have to do with Megatron?
Everything we know about the lower classes on Cybertron, the lower caste members, and the mines/industrial regions in Tarn and Kaon suggest that a similar folklore likely existed within these working communities.
And any local folk practices likely developed for the exact same reasons that this type of folk practice developed in the real world:
Workers are fucking miserable, "mainstream" religion isn't satisfying their spiritual/emotional/social/material needs or concerns, and close-knit people in small communities spending most of their time together naturally start to sort of do their own thing based on their collective situation.
People get desperate, there's nowhere to turn and nothing to do, so spirituality becomes a lifeline in that it builds solidarity and creates a more appropriate sort of support system.
For example: If we aren't allowed time off work to mourn our friend who was killed by heavy machinery, and we aren't allowed any time to process that or deal with it or take care of each other, then we will invent a ritual that allows us to grieve on the job.
This was, and still is, a common thing.
Which brings us to...
St. Barbara and the Mines + Solus Prime
St. Barbara's backstory can be summarised, roughly, as such (based on the version of this story that I know; keep in mind the details can vary):
She was kept isolated from others by her father, who became furious that she refused an arranged marriage. When she fled, he chased her; She ran into two people working in a field, the first who helped her, and the second who gave her path away to her father.
She was captured, and brought to a prominent local figure (the title varies based on different versions of this story), who had her tortured for escaping and disobeying her father.
However, when imprisoned, they tried to kill her again and again, and every morning she was healed. Fire intended to be used to burn her would cool the second it got near her skin, and daggers used to cut her would go dull when brought near her.
Snakes thrown into her room intended to bite her would then die the instant they went to approach her, and ropes intended to be used to bind and choke her would spontaneously fray and snap before they could be tied.
Eventually, she was condemned to beheading, and a special sword was used to cut her head off, which finally killed her.
Her father is the one who beheaded her, and as divine punishment, he was hit by lightning-- A single bolt that lasted so long that his entire body went up into flames, and his ashes disappeared.
Her gravesite became a place of veneration, where people prayed for protection and safety.
She became known as the patron saint of all people with dangerous jobs or jobs where the bosses don't care about the worker's wellbeing or safety, for obvious reasons: Nothing but the hands of her own father could ever harm her.
(The imagery of St. Barbara being slain only by a special sword is very reminiscent of Solus Prime being slain only by a special sword...)
Workers, especially those with particularly dangerous or shitty jobs but also just anyone working class in general, can interpret this story in several ways which can make it additionally relatable:
Her father = A controlling and aggressive boss who abuses or neglects their workers to death.
The field workers = A pro-union worker (a helper) and an anti-union worker or scab (a betrayer).
So you can see how St. Barbara became immediately adopted as a common worker's saint, and was used in a lot of regional working class folk magic practices (where such folk magic developed within local working communities).
And this is still going strong as a tradition; Crossrail tunnel borers in London consecrated the drilling site in the name of St. Barbara in 2013:
"Several hundred contractors and senior management attended the St Barbara's Day ceremony at the Thames Tunnel (pictured) which will link Plumstead and North Woolwich when completed. The site was so large, that sound engineers put in place an amplification system for the ceremony." - Article here.
"As a long-standing tradition, one of the first tasks for each new tunnelling projects is to establish a small shrine to Santa Barbara at the tunnel portal or at the underground junction into long tunnel headings. This is often followed with a dedication and an invocation to Santa Barbara for protection of all who work on the project during the construction period." - Article here.
And here's a related example of a worker's prayer for St. Barbara, from here:
So this is very much a tradition that is still going strong, and it isn't just Catholic workers who engage with these types of things!
To accommodate more diverse groups and communities of workers, folk practices (including what eventually becomes folk magic) increasingly develop even further away from any one specific religious origin, in order to become more inclusive for the majority of people who can be from all kinds of different spiritual or cultural backgrounds.
Hence, more folk magic is made-- And I believe something like this could absolutely have evolved in a similar way in working communities on Cybertron.
Cybertronian Spirituality: The Primes, The Knights, The Titans
My personal theory/headcanon, and there is not much in canon to support this particularly so please keep that in mind, is that given the average type of manual labour working environment in Tarn and Kaon (dangerous, dark, and deep), it would make sense for the legendary Titans to become worked into some kind of folk practice.
We have this concept of the Titans as these giant and very particular beings, which reminds me somewhat of the Jewish Golem of Prague, in that the Titans are made from raw materials in some kind of mystical or cosmically spiritual manner, then eventually ally themselves to at least one respective Prime who then acts as a director of their actions to achieve victory over cosmic evil(s).
The Titans then go forward and act as guardians of Cybertronian life by combating the origins of these cosmic evil(s) as protectors of their respective polities and regions and eventually colony worlds, called into action by what is essentially a metaphysical and possibly outright spiritual pull of the need of their Prime(s) and later on the needs of the Cybertronian and colony world populations in times of threat or desperation.
These details are peppered throughout canon and vary based on media/franchise, but most recently Titan lore was covered again in IDW’s Optimus Prime series, issue 10, literally titled Origin Myths.
What is interesting is that while the Golem association could be reasonably made, you could also reasonably say that the Three Original Titans (Metroplex, Chela, and Metrotitan) could be associated just as easily with the Catholic concept of the Holy Trinity.
Lots of different interpretations could be applied to this stuff!
Class Stratification Within Cybertronian Religious Institutions
No matter how you may interpret it, we know that the Titans have a similar mystical presence in Cybertronian history and cultural lore to that of the Primes and Knights, and it would make sense for those spurned and disparaged by "mainstream" spiritual practices (which were likely just as stratified by class and caste as everything else was on Cybertron during Megatron's youth) to go ahead and create a folk practice based more around Titans.
This is because the Primes would like be associated directly with their oppressive rulers and upper classes, and the Knights, who are said to be the first Cybertronians to come from the Well, thusly represent a very high class onto their own which may have repelled working class bots who were very likely sick of essentially worshipping those venerated in their class stratified society solely due to the conditions of their creation; The Knights were "born with silver spoons", essentially, and it's hard to sell that to people who suffered due to the conditions of their own creation.
Therefore, the Titans are the other most likely Cybertronian figures of historical lore that could reasonably be adapted into a sort of folk religion for the working classes and lower social caste bots.
The imagery is strong, and relatable: In Megatron's case, the manual labourers and miners all have large frames compared to the average Cybertronian, they all toil invisibly and in relative silence, and they are kept away from the end products of their labour and yet without them, Cybertron planet wide would instantly struggle to sustain their raw material demands.
They are critical workers, yet many of them have no names/designations; It is noted at least once in canon that some Titans are so old or so little known that their designations are not recorded. Yet without these unseen/unknown Titans, it could be the case that cosmic evil could have achieved victory.
While the Titans are critical, they are largely a mystery and unknown in any real detail. They do not normally engage with average Cybertronians, and when they do, it is usually indirectly-- Even though their actions actively impact the lives of nearly everyone.
And though the Primes and Knights are generally never physically present, at least not within living memory, there is real and physical proof of Titans. I feel like that aspect alone may well appeal more to people who are very physically oriented; We also see a stark realist mentality from many of the lower class/caste bots, who are sometimes realistic to the point of nihilism (which is part of why Megatron's writings were so revolutionary, in that they re-introduced hope to people who had previously concluded that there was no realistic possibility of ever rising up).
The Titans being a known, tangible physical reality may well have endeared them as a more interesting folkloric or spiritual focus to this particular cohort of bots.
Just like with St. Barbara in real life, you can see how the Titans may have been interpreted in certain ways by the lower class/caste working bots which may have made them more appealing or more easy to structure into a framework of sorts for their own practices within their local cultures.
A Little Meta: There's a Lot of Various Religious Imagery in Transformers
Like with all media, especially Western media, inevitably some Jesus sneaks in there.
Which usually sucks, because it can be alienating for literally anyone who isn't familiar with Christianity in some way (as some references or parallels are inevitably not going to be as obvious or even detectable at all to people who didn't grow up with all this sometimes very specific shit, resulting in missed thematic elements and so on due to no fault of the viewers but rather the tendency for Western shows to overwhelmingly be written and designed by primarily Western white middle aged cis straight men who tend to throw some Jesus in there when there should not necessarily be any Jesus in there, but I could yell about this all night).
Transformers as a franchise altogether is not immune to this; As with all media, it is made by people, and people are influenced by their social/cultural upbringing, and that includes religious influences.
We could read some of this into the TFP/Aligned Continuity, in regards to the idea of the Thirteen Primes and how that concept is interpreted in TFP.
Transformers Prime: Alpha Trion is Essentially Paul the Apostle
The TFP Primes resemble both the Apostles as well as various Saints, and especially the Fourteen Holy Helpers; These fourteen Saints in particular are elevated above the others in many cases and contexts-- Similar to how the Primes are held up as elevated over other Cybertronians and other figures in Cybertronian history and presumably within certain Cybertronian spiritual practices as well.
For example, Alpha Trion is strongly reminiscent of the Christian figure Paul the Apostle, who was a writer/scribe known for documenting early Christian concerns of faith in his letters, which became extremely important to theological historians in regards to determining early Christian discourse and attempting to create a timeline of early Christianity.
His letters are included the New Testament in thirteen (!) sections called epistles, which are archived forever in various iterations within the Christian Bible.
Now, let’s take a look at the symbolism, using the TFP main illustration of Alpha Trion as featured in the Covenant, and a popular Icon image of Paul the Apostle:
Beard, cloak, book-- Even the pose they are in here is very similar, look at the feet and the way they are both standing. Even the halo of Cybertronian glyphs around Alpha Trion’s head resembles the gold filament of Paul’s halo.
And much like Alpha Trion's questionable ability to write/re-write history and determine events through some kind of cosmically divine power of foresight, the timeline of Paul's letters will likely never be fully verifiable, and of course, there are so many translations and interpretations of these letters along with the rest of the New Testament that while key points remain fairly consistent, there is still no "true" version or exact outline of events or discussions as recorded by Paul-- Primarily because in at least a few cases, Paul's letters are the only allusion to certain events or conversations.
This is extremely similar to how Alpha Trion states outright in the Covenant that he himself doesn't know if what he writes is actually factual anymore, or if he has changed things so many times to try to construct a more favourable narrative of actions and events that reality itself may have been warped by his Quill, either forwards or backwards in time...
You could also argue that Alpha Trion is presented as a God-like figure in TFP (especially when he appears to Optimus in the form of an echoing voice and shimmering spectral figure in a vision caused by what is essentially the equivalent of a holy relic), and Orion Pax would then be comparable to Jesus pre-Crucifixion, with his reformatting into Optimus Prime post-Matrix heavily resembling Jesus in the eyes of his followers post-Resurrection.
The main cast of Autobots in this comparison would then roughly correspond to the Apostles, of whom there were twelve, with Optimus then making Thirteen... And of course, canonically, Optimus is the resurrection of the Thirteenth Prime.
You can also see visual similarities in the depiction of Thirteen in the Covenant; It reminds me heavily of the Divine Mercy image of Jesus:
Both have their right hands raised, their chests emitting a holy/cosmic light.
I'm just saying, it is totally possible to make connections between fictional lore/spiritual figures and real world ones, and TF is loaded with content that can be re-contextualised in this way.
(I also want to point out at this time that it is not my intention to offend anyone with any of this analysis; I am writing from the point of view of someone who grew up with folk spirituality, and I am also a Quaker Attender, just so you are aware of my own personal background. I would love to hear any other interpretations of any spiritual imagery in Transformers media, because there’s a ton of possible ways to read into this stuff!)
In Conclusion: Cast a Hex on Your Boss by Calling Upon the Titans
Just for fun, as someone who has actually done folk magic for my entire life, I've adapted a hex against bad bosses to fit this headcanon. I think this is something that lower class/caste bots would absolutely engage in; It's common in real life as well.
The original I'm basing this off of was actually something I found in one of our old family Bibles before I moved out, and was written in Girard, Pennsylvania sometime between 1920-1930. I believe it was written by a relative of mine who worked either on the farm or on the railways.
Remember that folk magic like this is for and by working class people, so there are no fancy supplies needed; Don't ever buy shit to do magic, you can do it with anything laying around you. No need to spend money.
If you have a shitty boss, please let me know if you hex your boss with this. I always encourage witchcraft, fictional or otherwise.
Here's what you do, if you want to actually try this:
1) Using any old paper that you have lying around, cut it roughly into a square (doesn't need to be perfect.) It doesn't matter what type of paper it is.
2) Grab any pen you like, it can be any type of pen, any type of ink.
3) Draw a square outline on the paper, making a border on the page. This can be big or small as you like, and you can decorate it if you want; Just leave enough space to write inside the square.
4) Fold this paper into a square, any way you'd like as long as it's a square, and take this paper while it's still blank to work in your pocket.
Carry the paper with you for at least one full day at work. If you can, place it in a chest pocket or a pocket where the paper will be fairly close to your body.
It doesn't matter if the paper gets dirty or smudged or torn; In fact, that's even better.
(Some people who do variations of this spell in real life even use the paper to wipe dirt off their hands etc. throughout the day, to really get the energy of a work day settled into the paper. As long as it can still be written on, you can do this if you'd like.)
5) At the end of the work day, take the paper out, and write the following:
Where I have put [X], the word "Lord" was in the original version of this hex which was in my family Bible, but to contextualise it within the fictional headcanon lore here, you can replace this with the word "Titan". (Or you can replace it with anything else that may be appropriate as well, if you would like to actually use this hex!)
"Give us pay for our work, or the poor will plea to the [X] against you, and you will be struck down, cast down.
If you do not give to those who give to you, you will be cursed coming in, and going out.
Just as the [X] can raise you up and lead you to prosper, so too can the [X] turn away from you, and you will be left to have your walls destroyed, your fortress ruined.
Us servants will rejoice, but you will cry out in anguish, you will be put to shame.
Without the toilers, the land is made desolate, the haunt of jackals.
[X], turn your gaze to us, we labourers of all kinds, see our tears and our sweat.
Lay curses upon those who use their hands to hold us down; Kept below water, our tears lost in the flood.
Raise the waters, and surge the shores of their ill-owned kingdom; Bring forth to their memory that the [X] stewards the land, and that all among the land are equal in spirit.
The [X] will cast fury upon the unrighteous and conniving, cast rage and stand among us mightily, each motion casting winds against the oppressor who weakens like fractured stone under the onslaught of rain.
The [X] will make a storm from our anguish, which brings us higher, raises us from desolation. Our tears, become the rain that withers the false tower looming high above us.
Our hands will raise from our tools and duties, and offer high praise to the [X], who guards the disparaged and lowly, who enacts justice against those who have done wrong against us.
Let us be brought high, and those who revel in our struggle, may they be cast down."
6) You may flip the paper over once the ink is dry, and on the back, put three Xs in the upper corners of the paper. You may also add three more XXXs to the centre of the paper, where the crease in the paper is from folding it.
7) Re-fold the paper, and put it in the bottom of your right shoe. If this is too uncomfortable, carry it in any pocket on your right side.
You can also place it in your wallet for safe keeping, as your wallet contains money and possibly a work ID or something similar, which are all tied to work and working.
And there you have it! Fuck shitty bosses, both fictional ones and real ones. Join a union, do some witchcraft.
This post was long as always, but I hope it's interesting to someone out there! <3 Thank you to anyone who actually reads through all of this! <3
#megatron#transformers#tfp#transformers prime#alpha trion#transformers meta#transformers analysis#long post#idw transformers#idw 1#miner megatron#young megatron#maccadam#tw religion#working class history#witchcraft#spellcasting#hexing#solus prime
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