#Anti-Venom Market

[cmibloggers]

The global anti-venom market size was valued at US$ 504 . 9 Mn in 2018, and is expected to witness a CAGR of 4 . 7% during the forecast period (2018 – 2026). Read More: https://cmi-reports.blogspot.com/2023/06/global-anti-venom-market-and-their-key.html

[healthcarehubhh]

"Anti Venom Market to Generate Lucrative Opportunities owing to Rising Prevalence of Snake Bite Cases"

The anti venom market has grown steadily owing to increasing number of snake bite cases across the globe. Anti venoms are biotechnological products used for pre-clinical and clinical treatment of envenomation, also known as snake bites. The rising incidence of snake bites and availability of effective anti-venom treatments have augmented the demand for anti venoms over the years. The global anti venom market is estimated to be valued at US$ 9229.16 Mn in 2024 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period of 2023 to 2030. Key Takeaways Key players: Key players operating in the anti venom market include Bharat Serums and Vaccines Limited (BSV), Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Boston Scientific Corporation, CSL Limited, Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited, Incepta Pharmaceuticals Limited, Merck & Co. Inc., Merck KGaA, MicroPharm Limited, Pfizer Inc., and Rare Disease Therapeutics Inc. Growing demand: The increasing prevalence of snake bites across tropical and sub-tropical regions has significantly driven the demand for anti venoms in the last few years. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), there are an estimated 5.4 million snakebites every year, resulting in around 2.7 million cases of envenomings and around 100,000 deaths.

[animentality]

Wtf is it about Jennifer's body and venom that mentioned don't understand?

Jennifer's Body was a teen horror movie that flopped because the executives thought they needed to capitalize on Megan Fox's popularity as a sex icon following the success of the Transformers movies, so they marketed it primarily to teenage boys/ young men, by hyping up both her sex appeal and the lesbian kiss scene with Amanda Seyfried.

But it flopped, because it's more of a satire horror comedy than a pure horror, plus it ended up being more feminist/ pro LGBT in hindsight, since it's more of a revenge fantasy than anything else, and a crushing indictment of predatory male behavior. Rather than just being, "lesbian sex is hot, hahaha," it actually comes across as more, "this character is bisexual... she refuses to kill her best friend, even after she comes back as an undead demon."

And people have (correctly) read into this as actually pretty damn romantic.

Megan Fox's character has the opportunity to kill her best friend like three different times, but refuses. And the only reason she dies, is because she can't bear the thought of their friendship being broken...

And then... Amanda's character...she doesn't even hold it against her. She goes on a killing spree in her name...

Like. Come on. That's queer subtext, and honestly, just queer text, since Megan even says, "I go both ways."

So. ultimately. It was not really FOR cishet teen boys. It marketed to them, but failed to get their attention. And it did poorly, but then got a cult following in the following years, by the correct audience of women and gays.

Venom, on the other hand, was a teen anti-hero movie, focused on a character who was supposed to be in a rated r movie, but the execs chickened out at the last second. It was SUPPOSED to be dark and edgy and maybe a little horror-esque... but then it was written poorly, was edited very messily, had a very strange tone, and ended up making the symbiote more of an audacious, goofy, chaotic character than outright evil.

It was CAMPY.

Like Jennifer's Body, it was SUPPOSED to be aimed at teenage boys and men...who HATED it. Thought it was garbage.

But it ended up marketing to...the monster fucker crowd.

Because of the sizzling sexual tension between the two reclaimed LGBT leads.

So that's why we compare them.

They're both edgier movies that could've been rated r, but got pulled back to pg13 for marketing reasons. They were both supposed to be Cool Products for Boys, but ended up marketing more to women and gays in the end.

Jennifer's Body was "horror" and Venom was "action," but they both ended up being more purely comedic than anything, even if it was a little unintentional (more on Venom's part, than Jennifer's Body).

And that's all.

They've got very similar vibes, you know?

Camp LGBT, with horror elements.

Think Elvira, Rocky Horror Picture Show. You know.

[venus-haze]

Got No Reason To Run (Homelander x Supervillain!Reader)

Summary: Homelander fantasizes about you, his supervillain arch-enemy, and getting the revenge he so desperately craves.

Note: Female reader, but no other descriptors are used. This is based on some of the headcanons I wrote here. I’m definitely open to writing more of a supervillain!Reader with Homelander. This is short because it's PWP, honestly. Do not interact if you’re under 18 or post thinspo/ED content.

Word count: 2k

Warnings: Sexually explicit content which includes masturbation. Non-con, violence, intentional scarring, mild bloodplay, and dacryphilia in the context of a fantasy. Do not interact if you’re under 18.

Homelander’s eyes were glued to the television as soon as the story about you began to run. Rosethorn. More like a thorn in his fucking side. Ever since Vought decided to let you wreak havoc on the streets of New York because having an arch-enemy was good marketing, you were inescapable. Every interview inevitably derailed into questions about you, the Homelander Vs. Rosethorn comic series was almost out-selling his solo ones, and to make matters worse, half of the internet seemed to ship you, the marketing team bafflingly thrilled the first time #Roselander trended on Twitter.

All of those things he could reasonably deal with, but among the people who regarded you as an anti-hero rather than a supervillain, they’d developed a conspiracy theory of sorts that you were somehow as powerful as, if not more so than, him. He often seethed in rage over it. You were only alive because you were useful to Vought. At least, that’s what he told himself after the first time the two of you were face-to-face, and you spit your venom at him, burning through his costume and blistering his skin, to both of your shock. The faint scar on his arm became a point of sensitivity for him, few people had ever seen it. To him, it was a symbol of failure, but even worse, it fed into the paranoia that what your handful of supporters were saying was true.

He watched the news replay the security footage of you and your accomplices, a rotation of other, less powerful supes, robbing a bank. You could secrete incredibly potent, acidic poison through your saliva and breath at will, though most people were too scared to put up a fight and see what damage you could do to the human body. You practically skipped over to the vault, spitting on the metal door which quickly melted into twisted scrap. Your goons wasted no time in collecting the money and valuables that were then ripe for the taking.

Your gaze landed on the security camera that had caught the whole crime in action, and you grinned, staring directly at it—eyes crystal clear and haunting, as if you were looking into his soul as you stalked over like a tiger waiting to strike. 

“Homelander, you can come and get me,” you said with a playful wink at the camera before disappearing in a toxic haze.

Something stirred in him at that. He grabbed the remote, playing the clip back over and over until his cock was half-hard. If he were there, that bank robbery would have gone a hell of a lot differently. He licked his lips as he thought about how he would have made his appearance, crash through the ceiling or laser through the wall—no, he would’ve walked through the doors like he owned the damn place.

He had a firm grip on his cock as he pumped the length, imagining the bank was empty and dark, after hours with no hostages in sight. You grinned at him from inside the bank vault you’d just half-obliterated. It was all a game, as usual, playing cat and mouse until you’d make your escape. Not this time. 

Vought’s orders to avoid grievously harming you were endlessly frustrating, but in this instance, he was the one calling the shots. If he had his way, he’d make sure you faced the specific brand of justice a supervillain like you deserved after years of getting away with countless crimes with little more than bruises and scratches. You were too cocky, too smug. He’d be more than happy to knock you down a few notches and remind you who exactly your arch-enemy was and what he was capable of.

“Homelander, come and get me,” you repeated, voice light and airy, clueless as to what his true intentions were.

He strode across the threshold of the bank, his steps strong and purposeful as he closed the distance between you. The ensuing fight was laughably easy since he was actually trying to cause some damage, and from your place on the floor, disheveled with blood trickling from the corner of your mouth, you looked betrayed. 

You attempted to push yourself off the ground, only to be met with his boot on your chest, his gaze nothing short of mean.

“Do you have any idea who the fuck I am?”

Your confused silence infuriated him.

“Answer me!” he shouted, his eyes glowing red.

“You’re—you’re The Homelander.”

“That’s right. So I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, Rosethorn, but injuring me? Scarring me? I don’t bleed. I don’t break. I sure as hell don’t scar,” he raged, droplets of spit flying in your face. “I can’t let that stand.”

“I’m sorry,” you whimpered pathetically.

He scoffed. “You can do better than that.”

“Homelander, please, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scar you. Forgive me.”

His silence was accented with the sound of your racing heart, the blood rushing through your veins. You were terrified. Good. 

“We both know you’re not sorry. You loved every second of it, didn’t you?”

“No, Homelander I didn’t–”

“I think I should return the favor.” 

Your eyes widened, and you began shaking your head frantically upon realizing what he intended to do. He grabbed your arm, and his teeth broke the skin with ease, just a bit of pressure from his razor blade smile to cut you open. Your blood on his lips almost tasted sweet, at least, he imagined it would. 

"Scream all you want, there’s no one to hear you," he would snarl at your weeping figure. Now you had matching scars, now you couldn’t look at yourself in the mirror without being reminded of him too. In a disturbing display of dominance and possession, he licked your open wound. You wailed. He squeezed your arm tighter. You should have been grateful he didn’t try to cauterize it himself. Finally, he released you, but this temporary freedom wouldn’t last.

“You’re a monster,” you sobbed, clutching your injured arm.

“Me? No, I’m The Homelander. I might as well be god. You? You’re only around to make me look good.”

Then he heard it, the way only he can, the sound of your spit collecting in your mouth. He grabbed you by the throat, hauling you to your feet. “Try it, and I promise I’ll take all the time in the world to kill you.”

Teary-eyed, you nodded. When he released your throat, he heard you swallow. 

“Now, how to properly serve you justice for being caught red-handed robbing a bank," he mused.

“Fuck you.”

“That’s not a bad idea at all.”

The fear that would glaze over those eyes that he couldn’t get out of his mind made him jerk his hips, and he slowed how quickly he was pumping his leaking cock. He didn’t want to cum, not yet. Digging his teeth into his bottom lip, he exhaled through his nostrils, trying to ground himself.

Where was he? Fear. You were afraid of him, of what he’d do to you, as you should be. You weren’t rivals, the implication that you were as powerful as him was outright offensive. His lip curled in disdain. 

He pushed you against the wall, tearing off your clothing with little effort, reveling in the way your body shook against his as it was suddenly exposed to the cool air in the vault. He reached from behind, his gloved hands feeling how wet you’d gotten. The squelch of leather squeezing into your wet pussy made him moan out loud, but in his fantasy he was in control, mocking you for being turned on and how easily he was able to fit two–no, now it was three fingers inside you.

Tears streamed down your face as you begged him to be gentle, to slow down. Your legs were shaking as you tried to stay standing despite the overstimulation from his strong fingers curling inside you and pumping in and out. He wouldn’t get exhausted, not from brutally fingering you until you were little more than a blubbering mess. You begged him to stop, to at least have some mercy and give you a break.

“What’s the matter? You told me to come and get you, and here I am,” he taunted. “Don’t think I’m even close to being done with you.”

You cried out in response, or maybe you’d just cum. It didn’t matter, this was about his pleasure. In that moment, watching you sob and struggle got his proverbial rocks off, and he turned your head to capture your lips in a messy kiss. Your mouth stayed open as your desperate protests disappeared down his throat. His tongue curled. He wanted to swallow the noise, digest it, let it sit in his stomach. A wave of pleasure rocked through him. He was close, dangerously so.

He pulled his hand from your cunt, soaked and stretched out for him. Your juices glistened on his gloves, and he broke the kiss to suck each of his fingers as you utilized the time to catch your breath, or at least try to while he gave you this short break. You’d taste perfect, and he’d lick his fingers clean, his mind almost wandering to what it’d be like to eat you out.

Instead, he unbuckled his belt, observing the way you clenched your thighs at the sound of the metal hitting the floor as he rid himself of his spandex bottoms. His hands gripped your hips tightly, and you gasped as he pulled your ass to press against his hard cock. You tried wiggling out of his grasp, and he almost laughed. Stupid girl.

“Beg me not to break you in half right now,” he ordered, his voice low and husky.

You choked out your plea through sobs. “Homelander—don’t do this—don’t—please don’t break me in half.”

“No promises.”

With that, he slammed his cock into your wet cunt, grinning to himself as your eyes squeezed shut and you clawed at the wall, a near-animalistic howl tearing from your throat. He kept a steady, unforgiving pace that made your legs finally give out on you, relying on him wrapping a strong arm around your middle to keep you up. He dipped his head down to press a kiss to your temple.

“C’mon baby, you’ve made it this far,” he purred. “Why not see this thing out to the end?”

He kissed down the side of your face, his lips lingering along your cheek and jaw, covering them in open-mouthed kisses as he moaned into your skin. Your pussy clenched around his cock, and when he glanced at the wound he’d inflicted on your arm, he gave a forceful thrust that had you reaching back to grab some part of him to hold onto. 

You were his. You wanted to be his. You wouldn’t have permanently marked his skin if you didn’t. You laid claim to him first. It was only a matter of time before he reciprocated, showing you what you were really in for. Part of him wanted so badly to just kill you, but the part of him that was winning out was buried deep inside your cunt with the intention of filling you with his cum.

Briefly, his mind wandered to keeping you in the tower, maybe in his own suite, tied up pretty like a present for him to come home to at the end of each day, or maybe isolated in one of the supe containment cells where through time and pressure you’d be begging for him to use you, just to get some physical contact.

As much as he could dream, the main event beckoned him back to that bank vault he’d conjured up, his thrusts into you still strong, but more erratic, and he felt your pussy milking his cock as you came, your voice strained as you cried out his name.

Homelander, you can come and get me.

He orgasmed, and you were gone. Back to reality, just him, his hand, and the remote control he’d accidentally crushed. Fuck. He ran his clean hand through his hair, taking another look at the paused frame of you smiling in the security footage. 

Maybe he would come and get you.

[ruthlesslistener]

happy 4/20 here's some headcanons about the shit bugs used to get elevated

Alcohol: good 'ol alcohol. Found everywhere in every tribe of Hallownest, brewed in pretty much every way possible. Unregulated in trade by pretty much all tribes except for the stuff the Pale King consumes, which is often strong enough to give an entire room alcohol poisoning (wyrms are resistant to pretty much all toxins). Even the Hive have fermented honey and nectar, though they are much stricter about who indulges; it's more often exported for trade than consumed. Among the tribes, limitations only exist among the beetles and mantises, as both have violent tendencies and are liable to pick a fight when drunk; mantises regulate it to festivals and mating season, when sparring is likely to happen anyways, while drunk beetles outside homes and bars are often picked up and stuffed into trash cans to sober them up (and hopefully teach them a lesson in the meanwhile)

Gulka venom: an intoxicating substance with mildly hallucinogenic effects. Unregulated in trade, though that's mostly because there is no trade- the Mosskin refuse to collect it for other tribes, going out of their way only for the snail shamans (who are herb-masters with great healing knowledge) You'll have to harvest it yourself if you want to indulge, and that means there's a bit of a black market for it in Hallownest

Shamanistic Death-Herbs: a blend of relatively common herbs that, when dried together in a certain way, creates an extremely toxic blend if consumed or inhaled (when burned). Typically used to give those suffering a peaceful, painless death, it has powerful hallucinogenic effect under its killing threshold, and is one of the few toxins that can affect void creatures in any way (it puts them to sleep/makes them high). The fear of the void worshipers using them in battle against her moths was one of the excuses the Radiance used for her genocide against the snail tribe, though the shamans themselves have strict oaths to use them only for healing, and have never broken those oaths or used them against another tribe (at least, as far as the few who remember the age of dark can recall)

Bitterroot: an anti-contraceptive and abortion drug that can have an intoxicating-but dangerous- effect if too much of it is chewed. Grows primarily in the Crossroad region, and is heavily regulated in Hallownest- it is easily attainable and available to all, but herbalists are required by law to cut it and sell it in specific portion sizes for different species of bug, to prevent fatalistic overdosing. Tribes with overlap of the growing range tend to follow this rule, though it is not as strictly monitored as in the City (where many different species of bugs congregate, and thus require different doses to be effective)

Lifeblood: A life-boosting substance with magical roots that invigorates the self, at the risk of overestimating limitations and causing irreversible harm to the body when infused with it. This risk, while minimal with supervision, was what the Pale King used as an excuse to ban it, when in reality the main reason for the ban is because it is directly tied to an unascended abyssal god (the Lifeblood creature). Pretty heavily regulated in the Pale King's realm, but is used pretty regularly outside of his lands because nobody outside the most religious of the Beetle Tribe gives a shit

Brightpede poison: an extremely bitter, cyanide-based toxin that, like the death-herbs, can get one high if consumed in extremely small amounts. Secreted by pink and yellow-banded millipedes in the Deepnest region, used most commonly to kill political enemies or ease the passing of mortally wounded individuals. Harmlessly intoxicating to wyrms and their kin

Smokeweed: marijuana. It grows pretty much everywhere in Hallownest where greenery thrives, and is used both recreationally and medicinally, though the extent of it varies from culture to culture. Among the mantises, it's reserved only for strong warriors, to ease pain, battle-rage, and battle-lust. In the City of Tears, use is limited to smokehouses to prevent air contamination in close quarters, but is perfectly legal in private quarters, cheap to buy, and is typically recreational or therapeutic (there is, however, more variation in strains and expensive variants available to those of higher social rank, with the blooms grown in the White Lady's gardens going for the highest). In Deepnest, it's technically limited from the working castes to prevent injury, but is allowed during times of leisure and is unlimited to the injured or sick (if trade allows it). The Mosskin, Snails, and the Moths typically used it for religious reasons. Only the Hive have strict regulations against it (as they do with everything else). 

Shrooms: Several species of mushrooms in Deepnest and the Fungal Wastes offer a variety of intoxicating and hallucinogenic effects, with a variety of different toxicity/fatality levels. Really only the Mantids know how to correctly harvest and identify each species responsible for each effect, a secret they hold closely guarded within their own tribe, but that doesn't stop certain individuals from different tribes to come in and sample the shrooms (and, if overdosed, become a fun little treat for the mantises)

The sap and nectar of the White Lady: really only attainable if you go praying to her for reproductive help, as it is an intense healing agent and potent aphrodisiac. Momentarily cures infertility, and brings about a high, but also induces heat. Tea can be made from her bark with similar (but less potent) effects, but again it must be provided from her willingly, and such examples are rare. Technically intoxicating, but only given to those struggling with infertility, miscarriages, suffering from injuries related to childbearing or birth, etc

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Follow-up for Villain!Reader (Bee-themed), Hive!

After trying to flee from the platonic yan/s, and subsequentially figuring out the platonic yans who've been visiting then were infected (or telepaths who could see into their mind and their infected teammates), Reader heads on a night train to New York... Where they were when they were Hive, and where every other hero, villain, vigilante, and super person seems to reside.

Being back is... Not the greatest feeling in the world. Reader feels tense, trudging out of the station and out into the bustling streets with only what they had packed previously, but they can't focus on how they hate being back. Their first order of business: Finding a few hidey-homes to set up shop in. Perks of saving their money over the years from their old villain days is they have a small fortune tucked away, and it definitely helps get them a few places to hide in. Imagine that they have a small apartment/house/studio in each hero/villain/vigilante territory. Some work as homes, some work as small coffee houses, others as antique markets and flea stores. Reader has to keep themself going, and they learned a few tricks over the years on how to keep hidden and to run side lives. That being said...

They're back on the home turf of every single person they've been trying to avoid. And it is driving them INSANE.

Yeah, look. Sure, it's nice setting up little cafes between two or three schools and entertaining tired students with the backstory behind the objects displayed on the walls. It's cute seeing people find items they love from their antique/flea malls, lighting up when they find something they personally found and put in the collection. It even feels good hearing stories from the weird kids and teens and strangers who mill around the places they're at, enjoying a peaceful Saturday... But still, it's NEW YORK! Home of every powerful, rich, and trained person who happens to know their old alias, fought AND chased them, and whom have made it clear that some of them had been infected with their venom or pheromones, by them or their boss or by some freak accident! How the H*CK does one stay calm in the belly of the beasts?!

Reader slowly gets to know some of the teens who show up at their cafes and antique stores, learning a bit about how people their age are supposed to act. It's... sobering, in a way. That that could have been them. That they could have had a healthier life, family or friends, a sense of purpose and community... Yet they cast it back to the shadows. They can't go back in time, and they have to keep in the here and now. When they have teen heroes and villains show up at their places, Reader is shocked. TEEN heroes? TEEN villains? TEEN vigilantes? Where the F*CK are the adults?! Who the H*LL is letting their kids run around fighting psychopaths and criminals and rioters and anti-mutant and racist *ssholes?! When Reader manages to calm down, they realize that some of the teens are the same ones they see on a near-daily basis. And they promptly have an (almost) heart-attack.

Great, JUST GREAT. Their old foes have children in their groups, who they now KNOW. The X-Men, who were only The Professor, Storm, and Wolverine years ago, now have, like, a dozen kids! The Brotherhood, who was maybe Magneto, Mystique, and Sabretooth or Mastermind now had half a dozen brats causing havoc (and had a Havok with them. PEACHY). Spider-man is barely a teenager, and has NO adults, unless you count Nick Fury and the Avengers checking up on him! And he's not the only spider child!

Reader is having a melt down, along with choice words over everything they've learned by the power of observation and intuition. They thought they had been the only child brought into that world of super powers and nutjobs... Now there's near TWENTY of them?! Possibly MORE?!

Reader works on keeping a new distance between themslef and the teens and kids, while also asking careful questions ("How is school?" "Weather is bad tonight, do you have a jacket?" "I heard there's a few new heroes and villains popping up, what do you think about it?") Reader uses every trick in the book they can remember to figure out what's going on. Are the adults treating them well? Are they still after Reader? Is the public leaving them alone, or causing too much trouble? Reader doesn't want to say they care, but they will go out of their way to leave a few leftovers out at their cafes for anyone who needs it (heroes, villains, vigilantes, homeless, hungry kids). It feels nice, doing good... If only they could just forget the nightmares of the past...

All this time, the platonic yan/s have gone back to New York, and have heard word that Hive might be there. They're elated. Of course now, they need to actually find that slippery little bee, and drag them back to their team/group/base, with them. They're glad though, that the teens of their group have a few new hangout spots. Some vintage stores or something they keep prattling on about. It makes them happy, and they belive the teens deserve to have some happiness... Especially since the whole reason they took on teens themselves was to offer them a better home, a better family, job, community, than Hive seemed to have... Finding out that their old boss had basically used them the moment their powers came in, it leaves them feeling sick. Maybe their little bee didn't have much of a childhood, but they'd be d*mned if their own kids didn't.

Sooner or later, the platonic yan/s visit the places the teens recommended (after much pestering, and in some cases, bribery).... And find themselves face-to-face (some of them towering over) Hive; or, at least the Hive outside of the mask. They're trying to stay calm, but seeing how the one kid they'd failed is right there (and those who had been infected, want to hear their thoughts again, and hug them), it's hard to do so, yet they manage. If only their little bee weren't so scared to see them. Don't they remember the chases? The heists? Late nights with moonlight streaming down and the fresh adrenaline of the hunt? Seeing inside their head, if only for a minute (and before they knew that was what they were doing)?

The adults take the time to inform their kids (plus Spider-man and the Spider kids), that their new friend, is also Hive. The old villain they talked about, whenever it was a quiet night and they were in the mood to reminisce. And the teens are floored. THAT person, is HIVE? The odd, kinda funny, and nervous barista/antique collector/owner of the business they visit, is Hive, right-hand man-woman- er, child- to Drone Queen? The most delusional, most vicious and conniving black-clad villain they'd seen since Hydra and the Weapon X *ssholes? THAT Hive? Suffice to say-

They're SHOOK...

Peter Parker had done research on some of the old villains the Avengers, X-Men, even Deadpool, the Brotherhood, and Doc Ock, had faced. And Drone Queen could be described by one word (he wasn't allowed to say that word, Aunt May, Nick Fury, and Iron Man would kill him if he said it), so he used another, more scientific word: a psychopath. They were BAD news. They'd had the latest state-of-the-art drugs back in the day, the type that could control anyone, or make them believe anything. Not to mention hordes upon hordes of guards, all of which were found to have a mindless loyalty to them, even when they were almost killed. It was... scary. Then there was Hive, who was like their weird... sidekick, or pet, or something. Who would run errands. Finding whatever gem or artifact they wanted, causing chaos between various gangsters and local vigilantes, whatever they were told, they did- Until one day, they just- (this part no one seemed sure about)- they just didn't do what they used to. Where they were peppy, talkative, and funny, they went silent. Jumpy. Like even THEY were scared of their boss. And after that, they just kept becoming less active, less loyal, small things they let slide and left alone... The heroes and villains eventually faced down Drone Queen, but it turned out all the control they had was from Hive all along.. It wasn't some charisma they had, or bribes, or even torture- They used Hive's venom, and forced it onto others, making unwilling puppets and slaves. They found that out when Hive actually attacked that freaky liar themself (good for them!). They were defeated, locked up, and life went back to normal... But Hive had escaped in the chaos, never to be heard from again. Yeah, apparently that was NOT the case anymore.

Cue the teens now trying to get to know Reader, the infected platonic yans happily renewing their chase and efforts to open up the hivemind, and the other platonic yans just going along for the ride...

At least Reader has an idea now of who all knows about them... Now if they could just slip past the adults and hitch a ride to Cananda...

Bonus:

Reader: How old were you when you started, twelve?!

Spider-man: No, I was thirteen!

Reader: ....

Reader: I have some choice words for Nick Fury...

Spider-man: Well, fine! How old were YOU when you started?

Reader: ... Do you mean when I met my old boss? Or when I actually started out as Hive?

Spider-man: Um... whichever, I guess?

Reader: ... I was... maybe... ten?

Spider-man:

Spider-man: WHAT?!

Reader: Well in my defense, I met them when I was five!

Spider-man: HOW IS THAT ANY BETTER?!

[episodicnostalgia]

Comic Book Break: The End of Venom (but not really even a little bit)

Featured artwork Pencils: Mark Bagley Inks: Randy Emberlin

A few posts ago I talked about how it took roughly a year after my initial introduction to Venom (through the fold-out poster from the interior of “Amazing Spider-man #365”) before I would finally get to read a full issue featuring the character.  By that point I had become as well versed on the Symbiote lore as I was able to be without the aid of the internet, which basically meant I was limited to the comics my dad bought me, along with any cursory trivia he’d absorbed from glancing through back issues in the local comic shop.  But issues #374 & #375 would finally reward my patience with Spider-man and Venom’s “FINAL CONFRONTATION!”  And oh lordy, they did not disappoint. 

The story itself is entertaining enough, but it was Mark Bagley’s artwork that really left an impression on me. I mean no disrespect to Todd McFarlane here, but while he may have co-created the character, Bagley’s take was always the definitive version for me.  Bagley’s artwork just makes him look so nightmarishly intimidating, and even with ‘the comics code’ censorship guidelines, there was no mistaking with my very-active-imagination what the character was capable of.  I do remember feeling incredibly fortunate that I was even allowed to read those issues (my folks were fairly cautious about exposing me to graphic violence), especially considering this would be Venom’s last appearance ever, if the cover was anything to go by.  After all, who would just lie about something like that?

Of course, it wouldn’t actually be the last time the those two would cross paths, or even butt heads.  In fact, Venom would end up returning only three issues later for the ‘maximum carnage’ saga.  But these issues did (sort of) signal a change in the character that would shift his/their motivations moving into Venom’s turn as an anti-hero under the ‘Lethal Protector’ moniker, which I never found as interesting.  In theory, it’s a character choice that I could get behind, but sadly Venom became a victim to weak writing and oversaturation.  Of course, the irony isn’t lost on me that just as I discovered the character, his relevance in the larger cultural paradigm was about to implode.  Thankfully I remained largely oblivious to all for some time, as my continued exposure to Venom would be drip fed to me through back issues or alternative media (e.g. the animated series).

Honestly though, even though these issues were obviously being used as a cheap marketing ploy, I do think it’s a pretty solid point to ‘end’ the character’s story, and least for that particular era.  After all, that is the thing with comics books, you kind of have to decide for yourself when to come-and-go.

That’s also part of the fun.

[dynamokota]

Trouble Brewing - a short drabble with my Beetlejuice OC

Hardly any plot. Basically a drabble of Lydia's witchcraft lessons with my OC Elias Graves, with a little Graves x Beej (platonic and slight hints of a mutual attraction) at the end. Also on Ao3.

It was a few months ago that Lydia discovered some strange things about herself, things most 17 year-old girls didn't typically deal with.

In the year since her paranormal escapades, and after reconnecting with Beetlejuice, very strange and unusual things started occurring, and this time it wasn't ghosts or demons. Sometimes lights flickered when she was stressed, and also animals seemed to be drawn to her; like the stray cat who kept following her on the way home from school (who she named 'Percy' and took home after convincing her family to let her keep him).

It turned out that the paranormal events that occurred a year prior had awakened a dormant gene. A witch gene.

Lydia was a witch.

And while Charles and Delia were hesitant to accept this when a member of the local 'witch council' informed them of Lydia’s abilities (how this so-called 'council' found out about Lydia was a mystery; must have been a witch thing), they supported Lydia's desire to be a part of this world.

Lydia needed a tutor. And while most witches typically learned from their family, in this case, someone had to be hired for the job. It took a few weeks, but word got around, and eventually Elias Graves, a male witch in his late twenties in need of some extra cash, was hired for the job.

Beetlejuice, who enjoyed spending time with Lydia, wanted to watch her learn the magic he hadn't seen in hundreds of years, and wanted to ogle Graves (who Beetlejuice found, quote, "unbearably sexy"), decided to join Lydia and observe her lessons. He even began to form a fairly close friendship with Graves, despite the constant sexual comments and flirting from Beetlejuice.

It was hard for Lydia to believe it had been almost two and a half months since she started learning witchcraft from Graves, who she felt a sibling-like connection to, just like she did towards Beetlejuice.

“Now stir counterclockwise with a low flame for one to two minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly.”

“Um… okay? How do I change the flame? I haven’t quite figured out fire magic yet.”

“Oh. Right.”

It wasn’t food Elias Graves and his student Lydia Deetz were cooking, but a potion. A basic one: an anti-poison, whether it was from food, toxins, venom, or other pathogens.

The smell filling the room in a thick mist was reminiscent of scented car wax; vaguely sweet and not unpleasant, but could give you a headache or make you nauseated if you stayed in the room too long.

The cauldron sat on a small metal stand, below which a green flame seemed to be emitting from nowhere. It illuminated the dimly lit room in a emerald glow, which made Graves's tired, pale face and sunken eyes look like eerily like a skull.

Lydia had her black-dyed hair tied back with her lace sleeves rolled up as a safety precaution, and as she followed Graves’s stirring instructions, Percy the cat watched the bubbles at the surface of the potion with curiosity. The shiny, dark teal mixture did as Graves said it would and thickened to a syrup-like consistency.

“Okay, it’s thickening! What’s next?” Lydia asked excitedly.

“One poisonous mushroom, any type, whole. I tweaked the recipe for use with fly agaric since it's local and what I could find at the witch's market.”

Lydia looked around for the large, bright red mushroom that looked straight out of a video game or cartoon. It wasn't with the other ingredients, and Percy couldn't possibly have knocked it off of the table.

“Uh… Eli? I can't find the mushroom.”

Graves looked up from the potion book (which was titled “Potions, Antidotes, and Elixirs for All That Ails You” by Ariadne Hargrove), confused at the question. He set down the book and looked around for a moment before he suddenly turned around and glared at Beetlejuice, who simply chuckled.

“Beej, I swear to God, if you keep eating Lydia’s potion ingredients--”

Beetlejuice laughed. “Sorry, Gravesy! I couldn't help myself! I was hoping it would give me one hell of a trip! As sexy as you are, your lessons can get kinda boring.”

Lydia rolled her eyes but smirked as the two of them bickered. This wasn't the first time Beetlejuice ruined a potion by eating the ingredients, and it probably wouldn't be the last. She had a feeling Beetlejuice did it just to get on Graves’s nerves, like a child at the playground with a crush. And Lydia thought it was adorable.

“So, what now? Do we go back to the market and buy another? I’d kinda like to finish this potion today.” Lydia asked in a slightly raised voice, trying to interrupt the bickering, as endearing as she found it to be.

Graves cleared his throat. “Um… No, I think it's too late at this point, sorry. The mushroom needs to be added immediately after the potion thickens. We’d have to make the potion base from scratch, which means even more ingredients I’d have to buy again, not just the mushroom.” Graves glared at Beetlejuice again, who just smiled playfully.

Lydia sighed. “Oh well. I got the gist of the recipe anyway. And I wrote a lot down too. I'm definitely better at taking notes here than at school.”

Lydia handed Graves the notes she took. She had written nearly everything Graves told her: The origins of the potion, what poisons it does and doesn't work on, and why a potion meant to combat poisoning used poisonous mushrooms as an ingredient; she had written ‘kinda like an antigen in a vaccine’ next to that part of the notes, which she must have realized herself, as Graves never made that comparison.

Graves read through all of Lydia's notes and gave a rare smile, which was a good sign.

“...Yeah, that’s good. And I never thought of it that way. Great job, Lydia.”

Graves stood back up and looked at his recipe book again while Lydia looked quite proud of herself.

“After you add the mushroom, which is now in Beej's stomach, it says you're supposed give it a quick stir, clockwise this time, and let it simmer until the mushroom breaks down and the potion is smooth again.” Graves stated, leaning against the counter with the potion book in hand.

“The whole mushroom breaks down? Like, it just dissolves into the potion?” Lydia asked concerningly, and noticeably inched a little away from the cauldron, as if the mixture was so caustic that it could burn a hole through anything it touched.

“It’s not like it’s acid or anything,” Graves reassured her (Beetlejuice let out a disappointed ‘Aw!’) “It’s just the reaction between the mushroom and the other ingredients; it’s not dangerous to drink. Well… no more than any other potion.”

Lydia almost laughed, but then she realized that, knowing Graves, it probably wasn't meant to be a joke. She hoped she'd never have to drink an anti-poison just in case it could dissolve her insides.

“Well, if we can't finish the potion, I guess the lesson's over, right? I think I'll head home. See you next week, Eli.” Lydia gathered her things, gave Graves a quick hug, and picked up Percy.

“You coming, Beej? Or are you gonna stay a bit longer?”

“Nah, I think I'll hang here with Gravesy for a little while. See you in a bit, kid.” Beetlejuice said as he flung his arm around Graves's shoulder. Graves rolled his eyes while Lydia smirked at them.

“Alright. Have fun, you two. Make good choices. Use protection.” Lydia said as she winked at them.

Graves groaned while Beetlejuice laughed. Lydia definitely started making dirty jokes more often because of Beetlejuice, to the dismay of her father (and the amusement of her stepmother).

“We're not--!” Graves began to protest before Lydia interrupted with “I know, I know! It's just a joke!” as she left.

Beetlejuice remained quiet for a moment before speaking up again.

“I think we both know I don't use pro--”

“Shut up, Beej.”

Graves tried to sound annoyed, but he was clearly trying to stifle a laugh, and his ears turned bright red. Beetlejuice was probably the only person that could make Graves almost laugh, as well as blush, which made it all the more fun for the demon.

“Aw, come on, Gravesy. You know you wanna.” Beetlejuice teased.

“Laugh? It wasn't that funny.”

“I wasn't talking about laughing.”

Graves rolled his eyes. “...You're a pain in the ass.”

“Heh, being a pain in your ass sounds pretty good to me!”

Graves let out another groan of annoyance, but playfully elbowed the demon in the ribs, though forcibly enough to make Beetlejuice recoil a little in pain.

“You want a drink or something, Beej?”

"Definitely. That mushroom didn't do shit.”

[jeane-doe]

I made a (Songs that remind me of) Hobie Playlist...and it's mostly Little Simz and Crywank + Plus one song an acquaintance suggested.

I'll probably change and switch some shit around but for now, this is it!

▶ [Listen - YT] . [Listen - Spotify]

▶Track List::

▸Interlude: The Non-conformist Oath - Gorillaz ▸No Maerci - Little Simz ▸Riot - Lilith Ai ▸Anti-Capitalism Is a Great Marketing Technique - Crywank ▸The Future - Mystery Skulls ▸Venom - Little Simz ▸Say It (To My Face) - Meet Me @ The Altar ▸Graditude - Little Simz ▸Cheshire’s Interlude: Stay - Little Simz ▸An Academics Lament on Barbie - Crywank ▸Dirty Harry - Gorillaz ▸All of My Political and Spiritual Beliefs in Less Than a Minute - Crywank ▸BLAME IT ON THE KIDS - AViVA ▸Hang Tough - Lilith Ai ▸Commodified Dissent as an Act of Resistance (Or the Many Disappointments of the Fictional Band of Hypocrites Known as Ultra Bono) - Crywank ▸Dead Body - Little Simz

[knackerman]

What do you think of the characters ghost rider, Forget Me not and Access?

They're all marvel related though in Access's case it's a two way comic source.

Of those three characters I’m really only familiar with the first, and even then it’s mainly the Danny Ketch version of Ghost Rider that appeared across several animated Marvel series in the 90’s and had a small dedicated action figure release.

For the uninitiated, although Nicholas Cage played Johnny Blaze in the Ghost Rider films, it was his brother Danny Ketch’s design for Ghost Rider that became the most popular and long enduring, with the leather jacket, spikes, and semi-sentient chains. (Johnny originally had more of a stuntman look in keeping with his origins where Danny had been jumped into a biker gang.)

in the 90’s, much like Spawn, Ghost Rider was the epitome of edgy coolness. He was a super hero but his powers came from Hell and instead of just saving the lives of the innocent he used his power to punish the guilty and corrupt. Much like the Punisher, he was a popular anti-hero at the time that appealed to a teen audience that was looking for characters that thumbed their noses at traditional authority while also appealing to writers that held more conservative ‘get tough on crime’ stances.

As such Ghost Rider was often an outsider, showing up to deal with some particularly heinous human criminals or battle other forces of Hell, but usually moving on quickly after that so as not to attract more trouble to the innocents around him with his mere presence. Over the years there have been various team ups, cross overs, and even melding of the Ghost Rider with other edgy outcast hero’s like Venom or even the Hulk, but usually these didn’t last long.

More recently I think the Marvel universe changed the Ghost Rider to being a teenaged boy with a low rider haunted by the ghost of his uncle, or something like that. Same entity with the same powers, but a completely different approach to the character and its execution. One that I think, frankly, doesn’t understand the original but rebranding the character for a more ‘modern’ audience seems to have been the entire point there. For me this was the true death of the Ghost Rider, at least in spirit, which when it comes to comic book characters is the only deaths that really matter in the long run.

Saying all that, the Gen X kids that Danny Ketch was marketed towards have long since grown up and had kids of their own. Many of them are staring down the barrel of their own retirements, so it makes sense that version of the character would be retired as well.

But you asked what I thought of Ghost Rider. Like a lot of kids that grew up with that most popular version of the character I knew little to nothing of his past or what he was really about. He was just this mysterious badass that looked awesome in comics and cartoons and even cooler on t-shirts and tattoos. I wanted to know more about him - I bought his comics and his action figures and thought he was awesome. I think on him now with nostalgia, and maybe a little bit of embarrassment. He’s less cool to me now, but the same can be said for a lot of those huge shouldered, multiple belt/pouch wearing, and enormous gun toting anti-heroes from the 90’s. They were cool, and cooler than a lot of their current day successors, but they were certainly a product of their time.

[tsuki-sennin]

Our beloved Ohsama Sentai planned to reveal Gira's deception in spectacular fashion... but of course, freakin' Jeremy had to come in and steal all our thunder! That jerk is yuckin' it up in his narration, acting so smart and tough. Who does he think he is?!

...well, that's partly why we're here today~!

Spoilers, I guess...

-"I'm the king, dum-dum. I can do whatever I want."

-Noooooo, Himeno!

-You've gone too far this time, Spiders Jeremy!

Yanma: Yes, we know about the King-Ohger book. It's only the foundation of literally all organized religion in the world. Jeremy: Oh cool, then you'd be happy to know that I wrote it all down~!

-Damn, okay I see you King-Ohger.

-I don't think we've had a (proper) Sixth Ranger be genuinely and consciously villainous since Mikoto.

-I suppose it's fitting he's white, black, and gold on a story involving an alternate Earth.

-...of course, I'm counting my chickens a bit early, so...

-He was biding his time, that Jeremy.

-"Whoa, what!?"

-I see Rita's never heard of Rip van Winkle.

-I'm going to be feeling a lot of things about Jeremy, aren't I?

-Hi Dezzy, sorry I thought you blew up last episode.

-Morphonia, hello~!

-Just like Racules, eh?

-We now have a whopping three antagonistic factions all at the same time in the 12th episode.

-"Duuuuude, spoilers! Sheesh, just give me a headcanon, eh? :3"

-"I headcanon you as a menace to decent society."

-"See, now you get it~!"

-Read between the lines~!

-Man, these ski-lift chairs must be really disorienting to sit on.

-Oh

-He got us.

-T

-The Thundercracker?

-"Give me the spider boy, bee boy."

-Ohhhhhhh

-Holding a little lady hostage, eh Racules?

-Suzume, Suzume... I'm not sure what manner of bee she'd represent, but

-N'Kosopa~! Lie detection~!

-OH MY GOD

-Damn, okay!

-"Owie"

-"So like, are you supposed to be killing me?"

-Jeremy Brasieri. A little over 2000 years old.

-SHIOKARA NOOO nLHJKHLB

-YANMA WHAT THE HELL MAN

-G

-Gin

-I have to imagine what it's like to see them live.

-"Not bad, you sure know what you're doing~!"

-OH

-Okay, guess it's Himeno's turn to analyze

-Rita's screms give me life.

-They kidnapped him.

-"My, you're scary~!"

-I see Himeno changed her hair back.

-"Oh is that all~?"

-"You are the Spider Man."

-Well, he's got the sass, the powers, the Anti-Venom/Spider Armor Mk. 1 color scheme...

-...speaking of which, I plan on seeing Spider-Verse 2 Part 1 soon.

-The way he's both a storyteller and playing literally everyone around him is also definitely a send up to Anansi, from the West African Akan people's folklore.

-Jeremy the Spider Man.

-Help us out, Kaguragi.

-"I'm a bigger liar than you, spider boy!"

-D

-Dude?

-"Wonderful."

-Well, he's definitely got the moves. I'd expect nothing less from him

-"Come ON, dude~! You've gotta know~!"

-THEY'RE DENYING HIM HIS COOL REVEAL

-"Jesus Christ, you people SUCK at this!"

-Six~!

-Ohhhhhh

-OH?

-I really like this silhouette art-style.

-Very puppet theater-y.

-Ohhhhhh

-Quite literally. Spiders Jeremy.

-LHJK>H

-"Yeah, I can get behind peace :)"

-Pan icon Jeremy Brasieri.

-...I feel very personally marketed to by Spiders Jeremy.

-"...did I just make friends? ...I guess I did~!"

-Hello Dezzy!

-...I guess he says no.

-...ohhhhh, his jingle

-His transformation

-His INSERT SONG

-HIS FIGHTING STYLE

-HIS MOVES

-This character is everything now.

-"See you later, I suppose."

-I swear my fealty to you, my king.

-Ohhhhh, that's a tarantula.

-A big one too.

-...I am feeling many things.

-I think they're good things?

-Idk man, Sixth Rangers are just

-The most effective marketing tactic of all time

[figkeele]

im just screeeeeeeeching.

saw those few screenshots from cinematics, and I'M GOING FERAL.

my Parksborn heart is ready. (also I'm weirdly into Miles/Harry, I've already started to write two fics just so you know what to expect.)

I love that everyone is upset about Anti-Venom and the symbiote invasion when it was clear as day from the marketing, that they're going down this route. Like, hello, they won't keep locked one of the main attractions (symbiote abilities) for a full act, and they won't make Peter into Venom. (THOUGH THEY SHOULD HAVE.) Anti-Venom was a given, especially with Mr. Negative heavily featured in the story.

still think that 4chan leak was fake, but tbh if Harry dies? Kinda would make sense. I'm not attached to him yet, so while I know the scenes will hurt if it happens, it's like Bode in Survivor. One new character came and went, big deal.

And if it's real and Miles begs his mortal enemy, his father's killer to save Peter? fuck me, we won.

All in all, only the obligatory het stuff is the only thing I can think about that will be a bit disappointing.

Oh, the suit leaks? Well, I'm looking forward to the Miles!Mysterio, seems fucking awesome, but nothing tops Dark Ages. :D Kinda said we won't get an ATSV Prowler but... all in all, we won.

[sherbovania]

on demonic society: culture

long post. buckle up

general questions if everyone is freely allowed to steal and loot in a lawless world, how are shops still operating? it may be a “lawless” world but that doesn’t mean its inhabitants are completely rabid. most of them are former humans stuck in the societal grooves of their past life anyways, so there’s always at least some money in circulation out of a sense of obligation. it’s a lawless world for shop owners too so who’s stopping them from hitting thieves with the .38 special. on the flip side some shops are just running for the love of the game babey

cultural values (quick overview version)

hedonism is awesome

i got mine, fuck you

despite everything they love a tight-knit community

ur completely bitchmade if you cave to what others expect of you

your lineage means jack shit

naming conventions draw upon the macabre, the evil and the esoteric for names, as well as variants on lucifer (ex. lucille, vice, maljean, and venom)

family structure biological family ties are extremely loose, so most don’t even end up living with their children (who instead look for that found family type beat). the most common structure is in groups of 4 or 5 with equally shared responsibilities. groups are usually formed out of a need to stick together, plus combined income and so on. younger demons will live with their parents for a brief period of time, and since there is no central education system they must learn life essentials via osmosis.

non-hereditary demons may end up reuniting with their family from their previous life or choosing to start fresh, most choosing the latter. some are also known to move into pre-existing groups for their first few years down under.

angel relationship/cohabitation aren’t foaming at the mouth to obliterate their divine counterparts like the angels are. there’s a sizable number of them down under since a bunch of angels defected when lucifer fell, and afterwards a lot have been exiled from utopia. most want to hide their angelic features or not make a big deal out of them, since opinions on angels differ wildly from person to person.

cultural divides wife wars small sect of the population that thinks hellion society was at its best when [REDACTED] was lucifer’s wife and want to “reject modernity, return to the green top” as they say

anti-angel sentiment some people are bigoted idk what to tell u. they form a sort of "square vs rectangle" idea with the fundies, not all anti-angel people are fundies but every fundie is anti-angel.

the fundies they’re their own cultural divide. basically militant extremists that violently oppose technological and cultural progress (trans-humanism especially) because it strays father from the “peak” of hellion civilization when you could easily kill angels with the flick of your wrist and eat the drywall with no consequences (and lucy had NO wife). they want to send your ass back to the stone age so bad

the doomsday cultists

…will be discussed at a later date

niche subcultures homebrew freaky little basement rats that wanna hurt you so bad (with their own homemade atrocities of course). put that basement dwelling to work by making pipe bombs, flashbangs, hand grenades and bootleg spell charms (lab-synthesized magic in a marble-like capsule) to use in…street fights mostly. they make up a good percent of both the buying and selling portion of the weapons black market. the especially weird ones are currently innovating the homebrew meta by adding canisters of Unspecified Chemicals to their creations. and anthrax spores that too

magicians dnd nerd club that wants to revive the dead art of magic (they can’t on a wide scale unfortunately, more on magic here) but they can sure try. think that spell charms are a farce and they’re so above using them guys trust me

fashion the most common aesthetic seen down under is largely 2000s punk/scene inspired; mostly blacks, neon accents, funky accessories, the works. other popular styles include neo-military, proto-military, victorian, oddcore, jester/clown, futuristic, delinquent, and archaic. NAGAJAM is a popular designer brand that falls under the futuristic category.

makeup isn't stigmatized and is widely used by the public in smaller amounts. for most it’s only really used to accent features or pull attention to their facial markings/ drawing on the appearance of markings, but some are dedicated to creating bright and angular looks.

angelpunk counterculture a notable subset have adopted the fashion and aesthetics of their angelic counterparts, in part to spite them. angel-like features and clothing are viewed as radical/punk, since it’s interpreted as them ‘wearing the skin’ of those who want them dead.

emeralds culturally significant stone. fell out of lucifer’s crown when he was cast out of heaven and struck with a sword by the archangel michael. symbolizes pride, greed, and hellion nationalism. commonly paired with rubies in jewelry.

food my stummy hurts 🥺 (eats a meal’s worth of goods that can’t even be classified as food when exported out of the United States)

mmm i love heavily processed foods yum

i eat-a the onion like an apple haha

anything sour or acidic is a staple of their food culture. green apples, onions, citrus fruits and the like are very common in native dishes. get ready for canker sores babey

a lotta stuff is heavily salted/preserved since depending on where you live electricity is not a constant

very meat-centric, mostly chicken since they’re fairly inexpensive to raise down under

they can and will drink petrol like it's orange juice

the thing about cans energy drink cans (monster in particular) are extremely valuable down under. they don’t have the licensing to sell them there so the only way you can get one firsthand is traveling to the overworld to get one (which nobody really wants to do) so they’re automatically quite rare and considered a commodity. most don’t actually drink it but keep it for the can which can essentially act as a secondary currency in some places. due to their status, people will want to flex them in outlandish ways. you’ll see people making candles with theirs and selling the cut-off tops or some completely goofy shit

pop tabs collected from these cans are also a popular accessory, strung into necklaces, earrings, made into chains, sewn on pants as accents, etc. colorful ones are the most sought after.

the old gods killed by lucifer a long time ago during his deicide era but still permeate through pop culture. cosmic horror and kaiju are popular genres throughout multiple mediums. one thing they have in common with the great upstairs is that they both worship long-dead idols from years past, though not to the same extent the angels do with the Old Divines. they’re not petrifying their corpses and hanging them up for all to see whilst deifying them post-mortem like the angels are but i think it would be quirky if they did

[moviewarfare]

A Review of “Black Adam (2022)”

Black Adam is the 11th film in the DC cinematic universe. There is a weird trend of turning comic book villains into anti-heroes in their solo movies e.g. Venom and Morbius. I would've preferred having Black Adam be a villain in a Shazam movie before getting his own movie but here we are. It was promised that it will change the hierarchy of the DC universe but does it?

The biggest enjoyment I got out of this movie was the action sequences. The most memorable sequence in the entire film is the fight between Black Adam and the Justice Society. It is choreographed well and visually entertaining. The other action sequences are never as good as that one and the director does overuse slow-mo to a ridiculous degree. Nevertheless, they are still fun to watch.

On that note, I enjoyed the Justice Society in this movie. The way Dr Fate and Cyclone are animated is visually awesome. Their costumes are also great, I especially love the design of Dr Fate and Hawkman. I think the casting for the Justice Society was great. Pierce Brosnan is perfect casting as Dr Fate, Aldis Hodge is terrific as Hawkman, and Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell are fun as Atom Smasher and Cyclone respectively with good chemistry between the two.

However, Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam is just fine. I never got the feeling in the movie that he was the perfect casting or anything like that. Dwayne is overshadowed by everyone else here because their characters have more charm and personality than Black Adam. It doesn't help that Dwayne's performance feels very one-note thanks to the writing of the character. Black Adam is just very dull and uninteresting. He is just a character that kills people and spouts constantly how he isn't a hero. He could have been very interesting as the character was a supervillain in the comics but the film felt too scared to go to that line. The Justice Society doesn't get much depth either as they are just introduced to be an enemy for Black Adam to punch.

Additionally, the soundtrack, which is composed by Lorne Balfe, is quite forgettable. It's not as good as some of his previous works such as Mission Impossible Fallout and Black Widow which is a shame. The story isn't very memorable either. It's very by the book with a hero who has to take out a group of bad guys with a forgettable main villain. The main overall clash is over by the 2nd act but they need a final one which results in a random villain from nowhere. The last act is as cliché as it gets with a beam in the sky, a CGI army and a dumb CGI villain. It is unfortunately kind of overstuffed and clashing though as it seems to be trying to be a Black Adam origin movie but also a Justice Society movie at the same time.

Overall, Black Adam is fine. It's not as bad as I thought it would be but it's as generic as it can be. The movie doesn't try to do more with the superhero genre and in a market of superhero over-saturation, this doesn't stand out whatsoever. It's clear they wanted to make a fun, entertaining popcorn movie and I think in terms of that, it succeeds. The most interesting aspect of this movie is the post-credit scene and the implications for the future of the DC cinematic universe. It is a little bit sad though that the post-credit is more memorable than the actual movie. With James Gunn now head of DC studios, hopefully, we get more enjoyable and interesting DC movies than this.

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