#ben is a super villain

[bairdthereader]

Ben is an evil genius, and I don't mean that in a good way.

(Heads up, this is quite a long post. I hope you'll find it a worthwhile read!)

[Caveat: I do think Ben is a much more complex character than is generally acknowledged, and he brings a lot of important issues to the surface throughout the comics and show. I’ll be writing on that soon. But for today, I’m focusing on one very specific way that Ben interacts with the people around him, so it’s a necessarily narrow view.]

Ben’s brand of evil genius lies in a particularly pernicious variety of emotional intelligence: the ability to identify people’s unique pressure points and hammer them with merciless accuracy. We see this first with Charlie, whose mental and emotional complexities Ben picks out and exploits to manipulate and break Charlie down, keeping himself in a position of control.

Ben insists on secrecy, which we all know is due to his own fear of discovery. But instead of owning up to that fear and discussing it with Charlie (a la Nick and his wish to take time to figure things out), Ben takes Charlie's very specific insecurities and leans on them to ensure Charlie's compliance.

We know from the flashback to their first conversation that Ben is aware of all the bullying Charlie experienced when he was outed, so he likely knows the intricacies of Charlie's pain--being called disgusting, being made to hate himself, being made to feel less than human. Ben barrages Charlie with these messages, just with slightly different language:

"I don't even know who you are." This preys on Charlie's sense of worthlessness, and it's a pressure point that Ben leans on again and again over the course of many public slights. It keeps Charlie feeling small and invisible, which in turn protects Ben from pushback or discovery.

"It's not like anyone else is going to want to go out with you, is it?" Ben knows Charlie was made to feel disgusting in the past, and this comment--which Ben also repeats--triggers those deeply painful, cyclical emotions of self-hatred, and is an attempt to make Charlie feel grateful for Ben's unreliable attention.

"As if anyone would ever want to go out with someone as desperate as you." Ben knows Charlie wants more, that he wants a relationship that means something. Here, he's twisting Charlie's desire for a loving relationship into something repulsive and off-putting, essentially ensuring that Charlie won't attempt to find anyone else.

"You were just there like some tragic loser with barely any friends who ate lunch alone and let bullies walk all over you . . . I just felt really sorry for you." Ben's exploiting Charlie's past feelings of weakness and lack of control by reminding him of the times he felt lowest. Not only this, but he spins his interest in Charlie into a charity case, trying to make Charlie feel as if he only wanted to go out with him out of pity (which we know after the finale of S2 is the thing Charlie worries about most).

But once Charlie starts consistently pushing back—saying he doesn't want to see Ben anymore, literally pushing him away at Harry’s party, the post-race conversation at sports day— and once there’s a watchful guardian in Charlie’s life (Nick) who sees Ben for what he is, Ben switches his attention to Nick. He knows that the worst way he could hurt Charlie, to take away his newfound confidence and power and reinstate Ben’s position of dominance in the relationship (such as it was), is to push Nick away from Charlie.

Ben uses his own experiences of being closeted to identify Nick’s insecurities and poke at them viciously. He knows how emotionally exhausting it can be to hide your true self, and even if he’d never admit at this point in the story that he’s hiding at all, he still recognizes that weariness in Nick and does all he can to increase it.

"Am I not allowed to like girls as well as boys?" This is Ben accusing Nick of being a hypocrite, which is something Nick has been struggling with for months now, though it’s never named as such in the show. He’s been trying to shed his rugby lad persona in favor of his authentic self, but it’s been a challenging and frightening journey during which Nick probably does often feel like a hypocrite, and here’s Ben, blatantly calling it out.

"Does Charlie know you don’t want to come out?" (Which, we have to remember, comes shortly after Ben telling Nick he needs to "stop acting so gay for" Charlie if they're trying to keep their relationship quiet.) I’d argue that this is Ben’s most effective method of attack against Nick, because it encompasses all of Nick’s challenges in one statement: the pressure he’s put on himself to come out, his niggling doubt that Charlie really believes him when he says he wants to come out, the sense that he's harming Charlie with the secrecy.

"You’re just the same as me." Ben knows that Nick is a truly decent person with almost faultless integrity—something for which Ben has no respect but perhaps a bit of deeply buried envy—so he knows he can antagonize Nick with this comparison. He also knows he can do it without fear of significant public retribution, since Nick would never intentionally out Ben, or even retaliate physically since Ben carefully avoids, mostly, directing any significant insults at Charlie himself in these confrontations, which would have been the only thing that might inspire someone as intrinsically good as Nick to lash out.

"What if I said I want Charlie back?" This is a particularly sly attack. Yes, you could argue that Ben is just lashing out in anger or desperation and that this is him grasping at straws, but this is actually the culmination of weeks of mental assault. Ben has gradually upped the ante in each conversation with Nick, chipping away at Nick’s confidence in his bond with Charlie and trying to make himself look like the better option for Charlie. He even finishes up by saying he'd never give Charlie a hickey, something for which Nick already feels intense guilt. Ben knows exactly what he's doing here.

Nick overcomes Ben's strategic attacks partly through personal fortitude, partly through a real understanding of how Ben operates, and partly through the open communication he and Charlie share that builds them both back up again.

Imogen deserves a mention here, too, as Ben exploits her pressure points with cruel ease. Once he’s secured her by being “lovely” to her, he promptly tries to exert the same power dynamics he had with Charlie, breaking her down pressure point by pressure point.

He only shows her affection when the "right" people are looking--mainly people he wants to impress, or people he wants to hurt, like Nick and Charlie. This is just as damaging, in its own way, as the secrecy he insisted on with Charlie, especially for someone as starved for affection as Imogen often seems to be (her pressure point).

Imogen desperately wants to be loved and accepted. In almost every interaction she has on screen, she’s trying to find her place, something Ben certainly sees (especially since there’s a deeply buried part of him that wants the same thing), and then exploits. Ben is openly neglectful of Imogen several times, especially on the Paris trip, showing her how little he cares while simultaneously attempting to make her feel grateful for the moments of attention she does get from him. Then, when he tells her that her desire to get a lock for the bridge is lame (just one example of this behavior), he’s casting himself as the ultimate judge and jury of her wants and needs, another power play.

As we know, this backfires pretty epically when Imogen throws all of his manipulations back in his face in one of the best breakup monologues on film. Ah, the satisfaction.

As Tao so succinctly and accurately described it, Ben has stinky energy. It’s the evil genius oozing out.

[oopey-doopey]

I think it’s be funny to have a Spider-Man that is genuinely just a kid, not like a teenager or a kid who understands the gravity of his abilities but a kid who does heroics simply because that’s cool to a kid.

The gimmick is that the villains think it’s a gimmick and Spider-Man(?) fucks with them by acting like a kid to make ‘em feel bad or embarrass them only for them to realize he’s a literal child due to a forced team up where they like offer him a brewski afterwards and he’s legitimately like “Mr I am 9 years old, I just do this cause my aunt can’t take me to the park every afternoon.” And they grill him on adult things and he sits there just blanking cause he’s fucking 9.

[worlds-worst-ships]

Do you ship it? (Don't do shrooms edition)

[bananacreamphi]

Ben 10 reboot sequel where Lagrange is inexplicably exes with Vilgax. They reluctantly team up only for it to devolve into an argument while Ben and his friends are forced to awkwardly watch them rehash their relationship problems

[marvelousmrm]

Super-Villain Team-Up #6 (Englehart/Trimpe, June 1976). A bonus issue of Fantastic Four! The fam race to rescue Namor from Latveria, but Doom leverages his forced alliance with Atlantis to gain recognition from America as a sovereign nation.

[devoted-to-colin-farrell]

Colin Farrell and the Daredevil cast

[omgthisisnotmyrealaccount]

finally watched season 2 of shadow and bone and like the issue with that show (outside of the bad acting lmao) is that the plot happens in one story line but the fun happens in the other 

like alina babes i don’t care about your search for the hot bird im sorry

[roach-works]

i feel like there's a rich vein of SOME kind of ore to mine with regards to the romantic woes of visibly "freakish" and inhuman superheros, especially in silver age comics. like, because of the comics code, the writers could not in-universe admit that some people are really kinky and would absolutely nut in an instant if a gigantic alligator man or a living rock monster or a ten foot tall woman who's on fire gave them a little smooch on the head. like maybe most people in the 70s and 80s had no idea this was the case, either!

but so you end up with these romantic plot lines where some poor freakish superhero with a heart of gold and the skin of, i don't know, a bunch of octopi, is miserable because they'll never find true love, except for a totally normal woman has the power to see their inner heart (which is normal) and fall in love with them for that (normally). villains can sometimes be like 'yeah this chick is super into the fact that i'm an eight foot tall deathbot, we're both evil like that' but ben grimm can't get a date! even blind women are a little concerned that he's literally made out of rocks. it never works out because the writers either can't imagine or can't admit that no matter the freak, there's a bigger, hornier freak who's praying for a chance to shoot their shot.

i don't know. it's just interesting. obviously modern comics can acknowledge a lot more sexual variance than the stuff from fifty years ago, but it's just kinda neat to consider the bizarre limitations a heteronormative paradigm enforces on a population of very strange characters.

and also i feel like in real life ben grimm's DMs would be full of incredibly horny geologists going PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE all day long.

[chaoticladyfire]

Things I screamed about in ATSV (spoilers)

-Got to rewatch the film so I’m just going to add the colours changing to warmer tones when Gwen hugs her father. Not even ten minutes in and I was already crying.

-Realised that we missed the Gwen-Vulture fight BUT got to see Jessica Drew enter the scene like a bad ass in her bad ass bike and hearing the audience collectively say ‘me too’ when Gwen asked if Jessica could adopt her. 

-Screaming OSCAR ISAAC when Miguel spoke

-Lyla. Just Lyla.

- ‘Do you say anything other than no?’ ‘No-YES!’ more of miguel and jessica pls

-The Spot’s introduction. I didn’t see any promotional stuff, teasers or even trailers before watching this film so I had no idea who or what the The Spot was which was great because he really went from villain of the week to villain of the movie. And they clearly had a great time choreographing the fight scenes with him

-Miles’ heating up the beef patty while the spot and the convenience store man argue

-Miles patting the spot’s with a ‘good cow’ text

-Gwen and Miles both having to deepen their voices to avoid being recognised by their respective cop dads

-Miles saying that he can get two cakes when the counsellor says you can’t have your cake and eat it too and then bringing two cakes for his father’s party and neither of them saying what he wanted to convey. 

-Rio and Jeff scolding an annoyed miles but instantly smiling when a relative hugs them what an universal experience 

-Gwen teasing Miles for drawing her in his notebook almost obsessively but also breaking the biggest rule to spend time with him knowing the consequences. 

-As they went to talk, my friend leaned over and said ‘yeah I bet they will talk’ and when they only talked he groaned very loudly at which point I had to remind him Miles was only 15 

-Watching Jeff talk to Spiderman about his son not knowing his son is spiderman

-The DJ increasing the volume when Miles’ parents started scolding him in the middle of the party (the real mvp of the movie actually) 

-JK Simmons cameo that no one seems to be talking about??? Embarrassingly enough I had to literally scream into my friend’s ear for most of the people to realise it was indeed JK Simmons

-Just the entire Mumbattan scene. It was so exciting to see my city be represented like that, still a bit cliched in my opinion but not like Slumdog so obviously they have updated their views. Everything from the traffic gag to Pav’s rant about chai tea had the theatre howling. Also the detail of the thought boxes (?) and sounds being written in Hindi 

-Screaming DANIEL KALUUYA

-My friend and I are huge fans of the UK punk scene (her for the ideologies and myself for the music and fashion) so Hobie was a dream come true. He was already super cool with his guitar and mohawk costume but when he revealed his face it was just so amazing

-Gayatri is every indian’s dream girl with her modern shirt-flannel and jeans combo mixed with bangles and piercings I really wish we get to see more of her in the next movie. Anyway there was a lot of wolf-whistling and hooting for her and Pav

-Also Pavitr literally means pure I don’t know if they did that on purpose or not but I love it

-His pet name being Pav cured my soul

-’This is the most emotional I have seen him’ and Captain Singh has no emotions at all

-I want to see how they came up with so many spider designs because each was so unique and immediately endearing. My friend who is also a big dinosaur fan screamed DINOSAUR 

-Kind of obsessed with how detailed Ben Reilly’s arms are they did not need to go that hard with it

-Tom Holland’s Spider-Man being referred to as ‘the little nerd’ by Miguel

-When everyone was making puns about the Spot my friend leaned over and said ‘i wonder which hole the spot prefers’ it is a miracle we are still friends actually

-The Donald Grover cameo!!!

-Peter B Parker having a cute little baby with the love of his life is what he deserves

-Miguel O Hara is one step away from becoming a Batman-Spiderman 

-Hobie’s admiration for Mayday being the avatar of chaos Spider-baby

-Screaming ANDY SAMBERG

-I think they saw the appreciation for the art style in the previous film and then trebled it for this film and I cannot thank them enough for it

-Peter complaining about how Miguel breaks the Spiderman tradition of being funny and witty and Miguel being the first anomaly 

-Every scene with the Spot is very unnerving because as I said, you watch him transform from this joker to a literal void of vengeance and it is every bit of terrifying

-Miguel is a man suffering from the destruction of an entire universe because of his selfish actions and forcing that anomaly narrative on a fifteen year old boy who became a spiderman on accident and doesn’t want his father to die because of that. Unlike the Spot, who isn’t even human anymore, Miguel is drowning in grief and guilt and trying to ignore it by holding the weight of the spider-verse on his shoulder. I hated him so much for making a boy go through that but then I just couldn’t in the end. 

-Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire cameo!!! Hopefully we’ll get a fun Tom Holland one too in the next movie.

-’Let me guess, he died?’ being a therapist for Spider Men must be a fairly boring job after a few patients.

-I just loved the absolute of wrongness of the scene where Miles returns ‘home’. The rain and darkness. I didn’t really think about Rio asking Miles what happened to his hair because I thought she was referring to the rain (although of course she wouldn’t ask him why his hair was wet when it was obviously raining outside) but realised something was wrong when he didn’t know about comic con but she did because in the first film there’s a joke about Peter B Parker explaining the concept to Miles. 

- This movie is not good for my father related issues

-The glaring neon welcome sign when the gang end up in Earth 42

-How did Uncle Aaron get even scarier? 

-Miles being the Prowler is honestly a great twist I saw it coming but still felt the shock of the reveal

-Prowler Miles having an accented voice meaning his father probably died when he was young and he only had his mom growing up

-Can’t wait for the original spider team to return for the third film seeing as they brought back Spider-Man Noir and Spider Ham and Peni Parker

-Screaming WHAT when the ‘to be continued’ appeared because that cliffhanger is absolutely destructive. All that adrenaline and excitement just popped. I’m still oscillating between being impressed and being disappointed. 

I probably skipped over a lot of other scenes because these were the most memorable and I only watched the film once (unfortunate) but I can’t wait for the movie to hit streaming services and watch it again and again for all the other details I missed. Ill probably keep adding things as I remember

[princess-glassred]

Imagine an IT au thats entirely from Henry's perspective so all of the losers club act like how he thinks they are instead of who they actually are.

Mike is like a coniving super villain who's just WAITING for the chance to jump in and ruin Henry and his dad's life for no reason. He revels in the idea Henry gets beaten at home and is somehow responsible for every single bad thing thats ever happened to him. He does all this on his father's behalf (which is totally not Henry projecting at all... totally).

Beverly is just the ultimate hoe who is so utterly obsessed with him she can't stand it. She's so incredibly into him and desperate. She says shit like "omg Henry... ur mullet... 😫🤞💞💓💖💗💔❣💘💝" cause she just can't contain her lust for that... specimen.

Stan is just a boring hunk of wood, you could replace him with a cardboard cutout and nothing would change. Occasionally he'll just say "I'm jewish" and that's it.

Ben is always eating, everytime he shows up he's always engaging in some truly disgusting display of gluttony, like smothering cane sauce and cheese on a bacon burger.

Richie is the most annoying guy ever, picture normal Richie cranked up to 11, that's how Henry thinks Richie works. Lots of lol so random humor, incohetent screaming, and when hes not doing either of those hes being super super gay. Like IT happens at the rockwell level gay.

Eddie is also super zesty, when he's not whining about dirt he's asking Richie if he looks pretty in heels and painting his nails. You could blow air in his direction and he'd fall over like "UGGGHHH i've fallen and i can't get UPPP!! 💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻 .

Bill is just the epitome of a wojack, you know how when people usually imagine winning an argument and their imaginary opponent is all "but- bu- bu- bu- bu-!!"? Yeah, that's how he views Bill. Just coping and seething that Henry is right about everything 24/7 and also cooler and hotter and smarter and simply better than him in every conceivable way.

[cl0udy3]

HI i really love your writing so much and I was wondering if you could do a soldier boy x reader oneshot with angst/comfort 💕💕💕💕💕 hope that is okay ��

soldier boy x fem!reader angst/comfort a/n: i hope you enjoy the oneshot! it took me wayy too long and i feel like it still came out super mid, but still i hope its to your taste :) (ALSO THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING ILYY) wc: 1195

The air was thick with tension, the calm before the inevitable storm.

With your arms crossed, you glared at Soldier Boy as he casually leaned against a table in the dimly lit safehouse. His iconic smug grin was firmly in place, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He looked every bit the invincible superhero he pretended to be, even with the fresh bruises darkening his jawline.

“You’re out of your mind if you think this is a good idea,” you snapped, breaking the heavy silence.

Soldier Boy raised an eyebrow and took a drag from the cigarette dangling between his fingers. “Good idea? Sweetheart, I’m not here to win a popularity contest. I’m here to get the job done. Something you should appreciate.”

Your jaw tightened. “Getting yourself killed isn’t ‘getting the job done.’ Charging in without a plan is suicidal, and you know it.”

He snorted, flicking ash onto the floor. “I’ve been doing this since before you were even a thought in your daddy’s head. I don’t need you to hold my hand.”

“And yet here I am, cleaning up your messes time and time again!” you shot back, taking a step closer. “You think you’re invincible, but you’re not. One day, that cocky attitude is going to get you killed, and I—” Your voice cracked, and you bit down on the words, refusing to let him see the depth of your concern.

Soldier Boy’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, his eyes flickering with something unspoken before his defenses went back up. “Yeah? You’ll what? Cry over my corpse? Please. Don’t waste the energy.”

Your hands clenched into fists. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re annoying,” he shot back. “So why don’t you stay here and let the big boys handle this? Wouldn’t want you to break a nail.”

“Ben, for once in your life, just listen to me!” The name slipped out before you could stop it, and it hung in the air between them like a live wire.

He straightened, the grin vanishing from his face. “Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?” you challenged, stepping closer. “Because it’s real? Because it reminds you that underneath all this—” you gestured to his uniform and the larger-than-life persona he carried like armor—“you’re still human?”

For a moment, something raw and unguarded flashed across his face, but then it was gone, replaced by anger. “I don’t need this shit from you,” he said, turning on his heel. “Stay here. That’s an order.”

“Ben, wait—” But he was already gone, the door slamming shut behind him.

---

The battle was chaos.

The villain was stronger than expected, faster, too. Soldier Boy had charged in with his usual bravado, fists swinging and explosions lighting up the night. You watched from a distance, your heart pounding as you waited for the right moment to step in. He’d told you to stay behind, but there was no way you were going to let him face this alone.

“Cocky bastard,” you muttered under your breath as you moved closer, carefully staying out of sight.

From your vantage point, you could see Soldier Boy holding his own, but barely. Each punch he landed was met with one just as brutal, and the blood staining his uniform was evidence that this fight wasn’t going as smoothly as he’d like to pretend.

Your instincts screamed at you to intervene, but you hesitated. He’d made it clear he didn’t want your help. Still, when you saw the villain land a devastating blow that sent Soldier Boy crashing into a wall, the decision was made for you.

You launched into action, your own skills honed by years of working alongside him. The villain was tough, but together, you managed to gain the upper hand. It was only after the dust settled and the threat was neutralized that you realized something was wrong.

“Ben?” you called out, scanning the rubble. “Where are you?”

A weak groan answered you, and your heart dropped. Following the sound, you found him slumped against a pile of debris, his breathing shallow and labored. Blood seeped from a deep gash in his side, and his face was pale, his usual cocky demeanor nowhere to be found.

“Oh my God,” you whispered, dropping to your knees beside him. “Ben, stay with me. You hear me? Stay with me.”

He opened his eyes, the green irises dull and unfocused. “Told you... didn’t need your help,” he rasped, a weak smirk tugging at his lips.

“Shut up,” you snapped, your hands trembling as they pressed against the wound to stem the bleeding. “You’re not allowed to die on me, you hear? Not today.”

“You’re bossy when you’re scared,” he muttered, his voice barely audible.

“And you’re an idiot,” you shot back, your voice breaking. “Why do you always have to do this? Why do you have to act like you don’t care if you live or die?”

His smirk faded, and for a moment, he looked impossibly small. “Maybe ‘cause... I don’t,” he admitted, his eyes slipping shut.

“No. No, no, no.” You shook him gently, panic clawing at your chest. “Ben, open your eyes. Look at me. You’re not doing this. You’re not giving up.”

“Why not?” he murmured. “World doesn’t need me. Hell, no one does.”

Tears blurred your vision as you cupped his face, forcing him to look at you. “I need you, you idiot. I need you. So you’re going to stay with me, you hear? You’re going to fight. Because I can’t do this without you.”

Something flickered in his eyes at your words, a spark of emotion that he quickly tried to bury. But it was too late; you’d seen it. For once, he couldn’t hide.

“You don’t mean that,” he whispered, his voice broken. “You should hate me. Everyone else does.”

“You think I hate you?” Your voice cracked, the weight of his words hitting you like a punch to the gut. “Ben, if I hated you, do you think I’d be here right now? Do you think I’d be holding you together with my bare hands, begging you to stay alive?”

He didn’t answer, his gaze searching yours as if trying to find the lie. When he didn’t find one, his breath hitched, and he looked away, ashamed.

“I don’t deserve this,” he muttered. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Well, too bad,” you said fiercely. “Because you’ve got me. And I’m not letting you go. Not now. Not ever.”

For a moment, the only sound was the ragged sound of his breathing. Then, slowly, he lifted a hand, his fingers brushing weakly against yours. It was the smallest gesture, but it spoke volumes.

“You’re a pain in my ass,” he murmured, his lips twitching into a faint smile.

“And you’re a stubborn bastard,” you replied, tears streaming down your face. “So let’s call it even.”

As you worked to stabilize him, your mind raced. You couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not when you hadn’t had the chance to tell him everything you’d kept bottled up for so long.

But for now, all you could do was hold on and hope he did the same

[the-wandering-mage]

Gotham Bats ruin and save Spiderman's Operation Nest

This is like a story concept written out for a Spider-Man Batfam crossover fic I don't have the time to write fully. This is more developed than a prompt but, still is thought I'd share and maybe you guys will enjoy it and/or somebody will pick it up and develop it into a fully fledged fic. So here it goes-

A more spidery Spider-Man is dropped into a DC universe right into Gotham. It's the beginning of fall in Gotham which is a problem for a Spider seeing as he is stranded in another universe with nothing but his Spidey suit and his AI companion. He has no access to the synthesized hormone cocktail he's been taking in the winter to keep him from going into hibernation. Now Peter could get together the stuff to synthesize the medication but, he need a stable place to set up a running lab to make it as he'd need it fresh and take it on the regular. That is a lot of work and resources he'd have to come up with and maintain. Also he is a depressed boi and a long nap actually sound really good. So instead of trying to set up a lab he starts Operation Nest. He is going to find a small enclosed space and prepare it for his long winters nest.

Peter also decides pretty quickly with all the crazy dangers of Gotham and all the warnings of what Karen was able to find after connecting to this world's version of the Internet to keep the suit on and just be Spider-Man full time. The suit would keep him safe from chemical attacks and the overall pollution of Gotham as well as keep him anonymous in the very likey event he has to use his powers to defend himself. Which will let him keep a nice civilian identity that Karen crafted come spring if he chooses to.

Peter's first two objectives in Operation Nest are to get money and find a location. The first Karen helps him with easily setting up a company, then filing and selling some benign patents, since this world is really behind in tech. She also helps him get more immediate cash without crossing into stealing just by doing online commissions for simple tech support type things while the patent money is still pending. Peter gets a laptop that he uses to help with some of the tech work even though Karen can literally do five jobs at once under several fake IDs she made herself.

Most of the day for Peter however is spent looking for real estate. Which is harder in Gotham than one might think considering the rival gangs, rival super villains constantly blowing up things, and all the homeless fighting over whatever is left of the abandoned buildings. The only good thing about all this is a giant spider nest will go relatively unnoticed amongst all the other craziness. Peter's adventures running all over Gotham trying to find a place to hunker down for a couple of months cause him to run into all sorts of characters.

Peter is in a weirdly apathetic state towards himself with all his trauma so he saves people obviously, and is still empathic, maybe more so with trying to get the villians to be better people and just talking with them like real people but, he is really basley about his own safety. He has already lost everyone he cares about and he's faced down Thanos, so none of the villians at this point faze him. He doesn't see them as a threat to himself. He ends up making a bunch of friends with villains by continuing what May believed in, what Ben believed in, and helps the villains out so they can hopefully make a change.

The bats hear about him and decide to investigate but all of them get terrible first impressions and they assume he's a villain or going to be one if they don't find him. Peter is OP and scary. He's not given up his friendly neighborhood spider-man but he has stopped trying as hard to look human type of friendly. He just has slow given into being a spider and is creepy. He also leaves spider webs everywhere, since his natural ones don't dissolve like the artificial ones that he uses sparingly. This also freaks them out and there is debate on whether what they are hunting is a meta human or an intelligent spider creature. Also at least one bat at the beginning runs into one of the webs and at least one gets temporarily stuck to a criminal they are trying to free from a cocoon

By the time the bats find Spider-Man they are all convinced that he's a villain plotting something big but really they've just been stalking Peter as he completes his to do list for Operation Nest. All the dangerous equipment and suspicious purchases from villains were really to get his nest set up. Peter knew his friends had some of the stuff he needed like a cytogenetic freezer to keep some of his food from spoiling over the course of a few months since he doesn't want anyone making deliveries to his house while he's hibernating. His friends were happy to help although he still paid them despite their insistence not to.

Karen thinks it's hilarious. Although they acknowledge itd be better to just explain the situation to the bats before Peter is in active hibernation and let them find them. They totally ruin their bust by opening the doors of a small dilapidated old tailors shop in the fashion district, where Peter had set up his nest in the basement. Peter isn't happy with them feeling very territorial. He wants them not to touch anything as he shows them into his nest. He warns them and they are a bit freaked out when he hisses at them when they inevitably ignore he's instructions out of curiosity but then settle a bit when they notice how tired he is. Cass probably gets them to back off. He explains things enough so they leave him to his hibernation with the promise of hanging out in the spring.

Or alternatively. Karen is too busy setting things up she doesn't notice with her smaller processing power disconnected from Stark Tech as she is to notice the Bats noticing them. Then she is being wired into the Nest when they start getting close so, she doesn't know they are closing in. Then she is doing system checks to make sure she is able to monitor Peter when he's hibernating and can use the machines and mechanical arms to help Peter for the parts of his hibernation he will be awake or partially awake to handle his bodily needs before cocooning back into his Nest made of his natural webs and blankets.

Karen doesn't know they are there until they break her perimeter alarms and she is forced to use her defensive measures since Peter has just gone into hibernation like a day ago. The bats having more resources than Karen at their disposal and coming at her from all angles breach her defenses and get into The Nest. Karen does her best to rouse Peter with alarms blaring but she is only able to get him into a semi state of consciousness. Not enough to move him without drugging him which would be dangerous for his health and with so many coming for her charge she does her best to throw her mechanically arms in front of him to guard him where he is.

The bats once they see a sleepy confused Peter with a strange woman's voice begging them to leave him alone they feel bad realizing they judged him wrong. Especially after seeing him adorably yawn with his fangs popping out.

[prodigaldaughteralice]

sometimes it actually makes me so sad that people seem to have forgotten Mystery Men

Apparently it only has like a sixty-something on rotten tomatoes?? HOW? That flick is goddamn hilarious 

Also all the costumes and sets are incredible, which I didn’t even realize when watching it as a kid bc our DVD wasn’t very high def but now that we have a better quality copy hot damn

Fuckin. Janeane Garofalo. Eddie Izzard. William H Macy, Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, Tom Waits, Paul Reubens, Kel Mitchell, Geoffrey Rush, Greg Kinnear?  All in top form???

Superhero decon/reconstruction, before that was a Big Thing, with a bunch of wannabe heroes who are shitty at it and a popular and successful hero who wears the patches of his various corporate sponsors on his super-suit and intentionally lets a super-villain out of the asylum so he has someone to fight to keep his deals? 

the guy whose superpower is that he gets really mad, but it doesn’t give him super strength or anything, he just gets really mad?

I love this goddamn movie you guys

[marvelousmrm]

Super-Villain Team-Up #5 (Englehart/Trimpe, Apr 1976). Doom zaps Namor, rendering his cool black life support suit useless. Back to the green trunks! Meanwhile a mysterious prowler catches Johnny’s attention.

[devoted-to-colin-farrell]

Movie clips - Daredevil

[rayesgenesis]

Hi can I plz request a Ben Florian fic where the reader is the daughter of Scar and shes just super stressed out bc the media nitpicks everything she does, and Ben makes her feel better? Tyyy

the lighthouse in the storm. — ben florian.

a/n: i thought i would never finish this request.. but i did!! anyways i hope you’ll like it, i tweaked it a bit 💌

who? scar’s daughter!reader x ben florian

summary: you usually never thought twice about what the press had to say about you, until one night, it all came crashing down on you. thankfully, ben was here.

sometimes you forget how uptight auradonians can be.

all their ridiculous standards, kingdom rivalries, their criminal system, even the king, himself. all of it was one big joke. so how come it became a problem when you told one of your own?

in retrospect, you could’ve chosen any other day to joke that you were not above eating a few babies to get out of the celebration. family day, definitely wasn’t the day to do it on, even more so when you were the girlfriend of the soon-to-be king.

but god forbid you tell a joke.

was it bad taste? sure, you’ve told better jokes. however, did you mean it? of course not.

you were wrong for thinking anybody would get it, really. you should’ve known from the gasps and horrified faces what type of crowd you were facing. the press didn’t appreciate your little joke either, and they attributed it, as usual, on you having malicious intent.

what took you by surprise was the public’s response. you grew paranoid as everywhere you looked almost everyone was mean mugging you, hate comments were flooding your social media accounts and it only worsened your mental state. usually, you would’ve loved the attention but for the first time in your life, you detested it.

amidst all the chaos, ben stayed by your side. he had been so patient, caring and understanding with you that oftentimes, you didn’t think you deserved it. no other princess was making headlines during weeks straight for not smiling at an event or for a comment she passively made. the scrutiny, the critcs, it was all too much for you.

despite never verbalizing it, a small part of you suspected that ben thought no different than everyone else. deep down, at least. you knew that you were a piece of work and maybe he’d finally run out of patience. villains weren’t awarded second chances very often in auradon, and even though things had changed, you felt as if you participated in taking a huge step back. remorse, as they call it.

he must have been scared, like everybody else always was. you felt it, everyone walking on eggshells around you. you often reveled in the fear that you instilled in people but sometimes, you just wanted to be seen for who you were. and not for who you were pretending to be.

one night, you were lying down in bed, up thinking about it all. ben was sound asleep next to you, poor boy had spent all day working his ass off, as always. you took a long look at him before carefully slipping out of his embrace, the bed letting out a slight creak as you did. the cool air washed over you as you stepped onto the balcony and looked out at the isle.

battling against the flow of tears that threatened to run down your face, you wondered. were you and your dad destined to be shunned? was it how it was always going to be? when you’d get to overthinking, your dad would always remind you that you were every bit as royal as the kids in auradon and that you shouldn’t diminish yourself for their comfort.

it was difficult to not miss your father in these moments. trying to fit into these standards was uncomfortable to say the least, the boxes too narrow and the titles too heavy.

ben emerged from the bedroom, stepping out onto the balcony, his footsteps loud enough for you to hear. he had stirred awake the second he felt your warmth leave his side. coming to a stop right behind you, his hands found their usual place on your waist, rubbing circles into them. and his head rested on your shoulder.

"you’re up late." he kissed the top of your head.

"mm, so are you." you murmured, turning just enough in his embrace, a small, almost sly smile on your lips.

he hummed in return and moved his hands to massage your shoulders, his touch gentle. "can’t sleep either, i take it?" his voice soft with a layer of concern draped over it.

as his hands did their dance on your shoulders, your eyes fluttered shut for a moment at the contact as you felt yourself relax further. "something like that." you answered him, exhaling through your nose.

of course there was more to it but not even on a night such as this, were you willing to admit any sort of weakness or complain.

despite your relaxed nature, ben could sense some restraint in your response. your tone told him that he shouldn’t push further and he knew he could never force you to open up, nonetheless, he still wished you wouldn’t keep everything to yourself.

he paused his hand’s movements and exhaled through his nose. "you know you can tell me anything, right?"

your insides squeezed. he just always knew, didn’t he? for the briefest second, the thought to lie crossed your mind but as you turned around and gazed in his eyes, you quickly found yourself unable to. you were strong, but ben somehow was the only one who could make you crumble.

one of ben’s hands moved to cup your face while the other landed on your waist again, and you leaned into his warm palm, your eyes closing. “i know."

"then talk to me…"

ben’s eyes inspected your face, sensing that he’d find a piece of the truth on it. not that he didn’t trust what you said but he was aware of how you’d made an habit of putting up walls as a way to protect yourself. as a result, he always made an effort of reminding you that you were safe with him and he was glad to see you lowering those walls at times, even if it was just a little.

the way he spoke to you let you know that he wouldn’t allow you brushing him off this time. and here you thought that you were doing a great job at hiding your restlessness these past few weeks. it worked with the vks, who hadn’t noticed a single thing. but ben seemed to just know something was wrong.

the idea of anyone, knowing you so intimately should’ve frightened you— at least it used to. however, with ben, it felt safe.

your eyes opened and you stared at his chest for a second, before looking back up at his face. you didn’t bother to hide your exhaustion anymore. it was difficult to be vulnerable— that’s why you never did. however, being with ben made you have a change of heart.

"i don’t know if it’s stress or what," you finally managed to spit out, your eyes darting between his own, "but the public, the press— they’re never happy, are they? at least with me, they’re not happy with anything i do, not happy with the way i act, the way i speak, the way i dress—"

exhaling deeply, you continued. "it´s like they’re out to get me or something. and you know how much i hate to mope around but, it truly feels like no matter what i do, i can’t win.”

ben listened, absorbing every word that came out of your mouth. he knew how harsh and cutthroat the tabloids could be however hearing you talk about it, the effect it was having on you, was something else entirely.

his heart clenched at the sight of you in this state. you weren’t your usual self. visibly, the media broke you and all he wanted was to put you back together. he would do anything to take your pain away right now and as you leaned into his chest, his drive intensified.

"hey, hey…look at me." ben brought his other hand to your face, gently but firmly.

as your eyes lifted to meet his, he noticed your gaze being a mixture of defiance and fragility. it was a look unique to you— he had never seen anything like it before.

"you know none of that is true, right? what they say about you, what they write…none of it matters. they’ll always find something to criticize." his voice was firm, he meant what he was saying.

he wished you could see yourself from his point of view. how amazing and capable you were in the midst of all this drama.

"you know why i love you?" he paused, his thumbs stroking your cheeks, "i love you because you’re caring and smart and beautiful, in every sense. and anybody can say whatever they want, but it won’t change a thing about how i feel."

and you started believing him. yes, it was true that ben was optimistic and that he couldn’t help but to see the good in people. however, he wouldn’t have stayed around this long if what he said wasn’t a tiny bit true. either way, it wasn’t in your nature to dwell on things. beast’s son, the embodiement of goodness, loved and believed in you. what more could you ask for?

finally, you smiled and ben pulled you into a hug. a few escaping tears stained his shirt but just like the press’ opinion, it didn’t matter. after a moment, you spoke up.

"i bet there was a thousand of cheesy things you said and i couldn’t even make fun of you for it." you said, your voice muffled by his shirt.

it was ben’s turn to smile. "there she is."

a dry laugh escaped your lips. you peeled yourself off of him as your eyes met his. "you’re crazy, you know that?"

as if he was fully aware of it, he smiled and pecked your lips lovingly.

"you don’t have to pretend to be anything, you know that right." ben gave you a pointed look, "not with me. if you don’t feel strong, it’s okay, let me be strong for you." he murmured, his eyes still locked on yours. you had a hard time hiding the grin that spread on your face.

you felt like a weight got lifted off your shoulders. you knew that the issues that came with the press wouldn’t get resolved overnight but for now, you had the strength to face them, knowing ben promised to always stand by your side.

he was right. you didn't need to be strong all the time. and you had never felt more lucky than to have a boyfriend like him.