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chrysalis-the-butterfly · 11 months ago

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My Thoughts on the Roger Rabbit Novels

Who Censored Roger Rabbit?

The Plot: It's the 1980s, and human beings and comic strip characters ("toons") live side-by-side, albeit not on an equal social standing. Roger Rabbit approaches private detective Eddie Valiant and asks him to investigate a dispute he has with Rocco and Dominick DeGreasy, the brothers who own his comic strip. Roger claims his life is in danger, but Eddie, who's somewhat racist towards toons, doesn't take him seriously - which comes back to bite him when he finds Roger's dead body. Now Eddie has to work out who killed Roger, as well as who killed Rocco DeGreasy on the same night.

What I Liked: This is a very well-paced story. It sets up the mystery straightaway, it cracks along at a good speed, and you don't have the full truth of whodunnit until the very end. The chapters are short and punchy, and even the time spent on plot points that turned out to be red herrings never felt wasted. I was always eager to pick the book up again and read just one more chapter!

Also, in any other novel, the twist regarding Roger's killer would be a massive "What the heck?" moment, but here, it's set up far enough in advance that it doesn't feel unnatural when it comes.

And as a fun minor detail, Eddie casually mentions being one of four children, and then the next novel, Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?, gives him two brothers and a sister! It was probably a coincidence, but I was glad to spot it!

What I Disliked: I really wasn't a fan of the way Jessica Rabbit was portrayed. Who Framed Roger Rabbit subverts her femme fatale image, but Who Censored Roger Rabbit? plays it straight, which didn't appeal to me as much. I prefer the "looks like she could kill you, is actually a cinnamon roll" trope over the "looks like she could kill you, could actually kill you" trope.

At one point in the story, Jessica claims she was forced to pose for a racy comic, but when Eddie speaks to the owner of said comic, the man claims Jessica posed for those pictures willingly and was actually eager to make more. At the time the story was published (1981), one might just about have got away with such a portrayal, but in a post-#MeToo world, it's discomforting that Jessica's allegations of coercion and sexual abuse aren't taken seriously. (Also, the man who owns the racy comic is a creepy crossdresser, which ... what? Why was that in there? That didn't need to be in there.)

As a consequence of Jessica's portrayal, her relationship with Roger is nowhere near as sweet as in the film. Their entire marriage is basically a sham. No, thank you. Give me "honey bunny" and "love cup" instead, please.

Verdict: I saw the film first, and I prefer it to the novel. Who Framed Roger Rabbit will always be my favourite piece of Roger Rabbit media. But I can appreciate Who Censored Roger Rabbit? as its own thing - a product of its time, to be sure, but also a well-structured and fast-paced read.

Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?

The Plot: It's 1947 (more or less), sometime after the events of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Roger Rabbit, Baby Herman, and Kirk Enigma are three toons in line for the lead role in David Selznick's upcoming adaptation of Gone With the Wind. A box belonging to Selznick, a box of great importance, has gone missing, and Eddie Valiant has been hired to find it.

What I Liked: Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? has my favourite portrayal of Roger (after the film and the comics). We spend a bit more time with him than in the previous book, so we get to hear more about his worldviews and his backstory. We also get to see what a sweetie pie he is. He's an emotional bunny who loves his wife, just like in the film, and I frequently wanted to hug him.

A key highlight for me was the moment when Roger was singing like a Disney Princess and summoning a chorus of birds to wake Eddie one morning, which Eddie did not appreciate. Can someone animate that? I'd love to see it!

The second half of this novel also introduces Jessica's twin sister Joellyn (the six-inch-tall woman on Eddie's shoulder on the cover), and I enjoyed getting to know her. And, without giving away too many spoilers, I greatly preferred this rendition of Jessica over the one in Who Censored Roger Rabbit?

What I Disliked: Unlike the first novel, this one was pretty slow to get going. Eddie isn't actually hired by Selznick until Chapter 7, and most of the time before then is spent establishing Eddie as a down-on-his-luck private eye, using people and locations that show up once and then are barely used again. Some of that fat could have been trimmed, I feel. It made reaching the end of the book a bit more of a slog.

Something else that bothered me was the high volume of old-timey slang, brand names and Americanisms that I, as a twentysomething Brit, did not recognise. I could read an entire paragraph and think, "Well, he's either drinking alcohol, smoking cigar or eating a foodstuff, but I'll be darned if I can tell you which is the right interpretation." I think the noir detective vernacular was slightly overdone, to the point of incomprehension.

Verdict: I thought this would be my favourite of the novels because it seemed the most similar in tone to the film, so I was disappointed by my lukewarm reception to it. Maybe I was disappointed because I'd hyped it up too much in my mind? That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - I greatly preferred the second half to the first, once Eddie found out what was actually in this mysterious box - but I think it could have done with a few more edits before publication.

Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?

The Plot: It's the 1940s or 1950s, sometime after the events of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and director Barney Sands is shooting a movie set in Toontown starring Gary Cooper and Roger Rabbit. He's been receiving threatening letters warning him to stay away from Toontown and stop making this film, but he can't afford to let down his investors. So he hires Eddie Valiant to be Cooper's bodyguard while filming takes place. But Eddie soon finds himself wrapped up in another mystery, involving a porcine crime lord called Willy Prosciutto and the corpse of Clabber Clown.

What I Liked: The majority of this novel takes place in Toontown, so we get some really cool worldbuilding details. We find out how the school system works, which churches are based in Toontown, and how crooked toons launder their money. I was particularly intrigued by the calm and serious toons in the Sanatorium - apparently, if you're not loud and goofy and bouncing off the walls, you're considered insane, which is the opposite of how humans think about mental health.

The blonde humanoid toon on the cover is Caitlyn "Honey" Graham, Willy's girlfriend. I really like Honey. In fact, she might be my favourite of the novel-exclusive characters. Throughout the book, you're trying to work out if she's a good bad girl or a bad good girl, or if she's really just a bad bad girl. If Who Framed Roger Rabbit ever gets a sequel or prequel or spin-off cartoon series, I'd love to see Honey on screen.

What I Disliked: The Roger we meet in this novel is a bit too stupid for my liking. In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Roger made seemingly nonsensical choices, but he had his own (cartoon) logic to explain his actions, and he was even proved right in his assumptions a few times. So I much prefer to think of Roger as the kind of toon where you're never quite sure if he's truly dumb or merely playing dumb for the sake of a gag. Here, he's just straight-up dumb, and that's not as fun to read about.

Verdict: This was the book I knew the least about before I read it, so I was more cautious going in - but it ended up being my second favourite of the Roger Rabbit novels. I enjoyed learning more about Toontown and its residents. My favourite parts of the film had been the toony parts - Roger, and Jessica, and Roger and Jessica together - so I guess it makes sense that I'd enjoy the novel that takes place almost entirely in Toontown.

Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business

The Plot: It's the 2020s, sometime post-pandemic, and Jessica Krupnik is a human in a toon-less world. She's working a dead-end job in a crime-ridden part of town, her stepmother bosses her around and belittles her, her stepsisters treat her like a servant, and her stepbrothers sexually harass her. She's basically a modern-day Cinderella. But instead of a fairy godmother, Jessica is rescued from her life of drudgery by an opportunity to apply for a role at XERIOUS, a crime-fighting organisation of secret agents. She gets the job, and is later put on a mission with Robbe, one of XERIOUS's most experienced agents, to catch a criminal mastermind called the Klown.

(And this is somehow a prequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Despite being set decades after that film. And starring a human Jessica instead of a toon Jessica. Cartoon timelines be weird, y'all.)

What I Liked: This was the most fun novel to read! I think that's because it was a spy novel spoof, rather than a gritty noir detective story. The other three novels could be quite dour in tone - yes, cases would get solved, but people would get hurt in the process, and relationships would be irrevocably altered, so there was always this undercurrent of sadness in the seemingly happy endings. After three novels in a row of that, a story spoofing spy novels was always going to feel like a breath of fresh air. Gary K. Wolf has stated that he wrote this book in lockdown and had a lot of fun doing so, and I feel that coming across in his writing.

Robbe was another great novel-exclusive character. I can't say too much about him, because that would massively spoil things, but I can say that I enjoyed witnessing his development over the course of the novel. To give the most spoiler-free explanation I can, Robbe starts out as a suave and competent spy, but also a misogynist - until something happens to him in the line of duty that shakes his confidence. Watching him grow and try to be a better person, especially towards Jessica, while also dealing with the aftermath of his accident, was truly engaging. It even got me thinking about the portrayal of disability in fiction, which I did not expect a Roger Rabbit novel to do.

What I Disliked: For a novel called Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business, Jessica herself was disappointingly under-developed. The first three chapters follow her miserable life and her desire for adventure, for respect, for something more. And then there's a two-year time skip and whoop, she's suddenly a confident and glamorous secret agent! And she's ditched her glasses and dyed her hair, so she's beautiful now! And she achieved her impossible hourglass figure with nothing but diet and exercise, despite being a human and not a toon! Sigh.

There was a real missed opportunity here. Robbe already has a plot where he starts off skilled and arrogant, but then has his worldview challenged and needs to learn to embrace vulnerability. So we could have had Jessica experiencing her own story of growth alongside him, but in reverse! We could have watched as, over the course of the novel, she transforms from the beaten-down self-conscious little girl into the sensational woman she was always meant to be. Robbe would start on top and fall down; Jessica would start at the bottom and claw her way up. The parallels could have been awesome!

Gary K. Wolf has admitted that, as a man, he would struggle to write a novel about women, and it shows. The sexism Jessica experiences doesn't have any nuance; the story just says, "Harassment is bad" over and over again. There's one moment where the Klown is sharing his nefarious plan to change the world, and Jessica responds, "I like the current world." And ... huh? You like the sexual harassment you receive on an almost daily basis? You like the system that trapped you in a dead-end job? You like all the poverty and crime and misery the world has right now? The story could have really benefitted from a feminist and/or intersectional analysis.

Also, in an effort to make Jessica seem smart, the men around her are extremely stupid, unable to see through the Klown's flimsy disguises. That is ... not the best way to make your female characters appear intelligent.

Verdict: My favourite of the Roger Rabbit novels! It's not perfect, but my criticisms are born out of love and a desire to see this concept reach its full potential. But even as it is, I still found this book a lot of fun to read, and I can excuse a few flaws if I'm having fun.

Final Ranking (Compared to Other Roger Rabbit Media)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Roger Rabbit and Roger Rabbit's Toontown comics

The three shorts

Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business

Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?

Who Censored Roger Rabbit?

Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?

#who framed roger rabbit #wfrr #who censored roger rabbit #who p p p plugged roger rabbit #who wacked roger rabbit #jessica rabbit xerious business #roger rabbit #jessica rabbit #roger rabbit x jessica rabbit #roger x jessica #eddie valiant #baby herman #caitlyn “honey” graham #willy prosciutto #robbe #the klown #sid sleaze #david sleznick #kirk enigman

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multiversxwhore · 2 years ago

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☾☾☾Hello! Hope you enjoy what you’re about to read, I would appreciate if you like, and reblog my work here on tumblr. Please do not share my work anywhere else, and if you see it has been, or someone is claiming the work as their own please tell me. My master list is pinned to my page if you wish to see more! ☽☽☽

Paring: Eddie Brock x black!oc

Warning: angst, mentally being held hostage, some violence.

Word count: 2k

Chapter7—The Mysterious Case of Malia

When Edeth passed out back in Jessica’s apartment, a wave of memories crashed into her mind, and instantly she felt overwhelmed. She remembered everything, from her life before, all the way to the day Jesica cracked her head on the bedroom door of Killgrave’s home.

“Malia pack your shit we’re leaving.” Jessica ran around the room stuffing as much clothes into a bag as she could. She stopped in her tracks when she realized the young woman was planted on the bed where Killgrave left her. She looked absolutely stunning in her nightgown, Malia’s naturally coily hair frames her face. The make up he hired a stylist to do made Malia look like a goddess, it gave the illusion that she wasn’t wearing any foundation on her skin.

“No, Kevin told me to wait.” She folded her arms, and turned away from Jessica, though there’s been an internal battle over whether this is her delusion or Killgraves. Malia used to be able to tell the difference when his powers were affecting her, but as of late she wasn’t too sure.

“Don’t do this shit to me Malia, we just talked about this last week— did you just call him Kevin? Is that his real name?” Jessica had come around to the side of the bed where Malia still sat as if permanently stuck to the bed.

“A week? It’s been a week? No that can’t be right— he said he would…” Malia trailed off in her own thoughts, Jessica knew she was a goner, she didn’t wanna be rough with the poor girl, but if she didn’t make a move soon before Killgrave came back, who knows how much longer they’d be stuck.

“Fuck it.” Jessica yanked Malia off the bed, and instantly she started to flail about like a fish, anything to get free of Jessica’s iron grip.

“I’m not trying to hurt you.” She grunted, Malia had fallen onto the carpeted floor, and tried to crawl her way back to the bed.

“No! I can’t leave! I have to stay! I have to!” She started screaming, and Jessica prayed to whatever higher power that existed, that no one heard what was going on inside the house right now.

Jessica grabbed Malia by the ankle dragging her out of the room, she kicked and shouted the whole time. When they got to the door, Jessica roughly pulled Malia up to her feet. She tried to attack Jessica, the look in Malia’s eyes looked conflicted.

Out of reflex, Jessica pushed her back into the door, but a little too hard. Malia’s head bounces off the tall dark oak, as she crashes into it, the force of the push causes it to break off the hinges.

The dream stopped there, her mind was blank for a moment. It wasn’t until she felt a warm rough hand trace over her cheeks, did Edeth open her eyes. Her vision is clouded from the hours of heavy sleeping.

“Eddie? Where are we?” The bed she’s lying in is much too comfortable to be Jessica’s, and Edeth hasn’t been in her own apartment in so long, she forgot what it looked like.

“Hey there sleepy head, how you feeling?” Eddie would do his best to procrastinate for as long as possible; how would he explain that they had flown her all the way to California to his ex fiancé's house where they’re currently hiding from Edeth’s crazy ex boyfriend?

“Mhm I’m fine, but babe where are we?” Edeth sat up, she looked around the room, the decor seemed simple, and gave nothing away as to where they could be. Eddie scratched at the back of his head nervously, he wasn’t sure how she would take this information. The last thing he wanted was for her to freak out, as sensitive as she’s been lately, he wouldn’t be surprised if she passed out again.

Just as he opened his mouth to come up with a calming way to explain the situation, in walks Anne, with a tray of scones, and a teapot. “So I made her some tea—

“Who the hell is this?” Edeth stood up, arms folded, and lips pressed together. She eyed the large diamond ring on her finger, then her eyes moved up to Anne’s face. Is this the woman Eddie had struggled to tell her about?

“Damn it Anne, you always have perfect timing.” He breathed through his nostrils, he pinched the bridge of his nose, and for the first time since he met her, Eddie wished Jessica was here. She’s always been able to say what everyone else wouldn’t, but Eddie didn’t have the willpower to do so.

“Princess, we had to move you away somewhere Killgrave wouldn’t find you. The only person I knew that would give us shelter was Anne…my ex fiancé.” Eddie mumbled the last part hoping Edeth would ignore it, his eyes down cast unable to meet her fiery stare.

“Where’s Jess?” Edeth felt around in her jacket pockets for her phone, only to come up empty. Panic settled in as unfamiliarity of Anne’s home only made her feel more uncomfortable.

“I put her in charge of security since she wouldn’t sit still.” Eddie got up from his seat at the foot of the bed, he grabbed onto her shoulders letting his hands fall down her arms to her hands. Anne felt intrusive, like she shouldn’t be seeing this, yet she couldn’t look away. A pang of jealousy shot through her, Eddie was sweet like that with her when they were together, but he never looked at her like that. He showed such tenderness, while simultaneously being assertive, it’s clear to Anne that Eddie is the leader in their relationship. He had never taken that initiative before, he could never make decisions, always unsure of himself. She thought she had out ran him, but clearly all he needed was a moment to breathe.

“I’m Anne, I didn’t mean to startle you, Eddie told me everything. I just thought you must be exhausted so I brought you something to bring your energy back up.” Anne held up the tray, a hopeful smile on her lips, Edeth looked back to Eddie. He gave her a nod of approval, Anne seemed somewhat offended by this, but she tried to understand how Edeth doesn’t trust anyone right now.

“Excuse my standoffish behavior, I’m all gloomy nowadays. If I were you, I wouldn’t leave this house, Killgraves reach is limitless.” Edeth took a bite of the chocolate chip scone, and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Saying his name out loud felt like summoning Candyman at this point, he must be pissed. Edeth thought to herself, an icy sensation ran down her spine shaking her to her core.

“What? Why would I do that? It’s not like this guy knows who I am, we shouldn’t be scared of him. Eddie and I have fought bigger monsters.” Anne turned her nose up in the air, she let her arrogance take a hold of her. If she could take down a parasite from an unknown planet, she could handle one man.

“Anne is a bit more complicated than that.” Eddie tried to explain, this was where the two of them always clashed. Anne succeeds at something once, she thinks she can take over the world, all of a sudden she knows everything, and you can’t tell her otherwise. Hard headed. Venom rumbled from within him, Eddie placed a hand over his chest agreeing.

“Come on, it’s one man.” Anne sat down the tray on the nightstand, she looked between the both of them, Eddie, and Edeth, now it occurred to her that Eddie skipped important parts of the story.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Anne questioned, her eyes squinted, she looked them both up and down analyzing their body language. Eddie is a bit fidgety as he usually is when he’s going to lie, but Edeth sat calmly on the bed, one leg crossed over the other. She quietly nibbled on her snack.

“Anne, just trust me.” Eddie pleaded, his hands pressed together. He didn’t even want to talk about Killgrave with anyone that wasn’t involved.

“Trust you? How can I when you’re withholding information about some alleged psycho.” Anne argued, before he could rebuttal, Edeth stood up. Her face twisted into a look of annoyance, she had been trying to think, and put the pieces together. It’s clear to her though, that Anne, and Eddie weren’t going to shut up long enough for her to figure anything out.

“This is your only warning, you’re already in enough danger just looking at me, but if you decide to take this any further, no take backs.” Edeth dusted off her shirt, and jeans that were too tight because clearly they belonged to Jesse.

“I don’t think this is a good idea, Edeth.” Eddie spoke up, even though he’s the one that called Anne in the first place, he didn’t mean to get her involved with anything else.

“You’re the one that called her.”

“It’s not your call Eddie.”

Both Edeth, and Anne spoke at the same time, both their gazes intense. Eddie flopped back onto the chair next to the bed, he was tired already, and in dire need for a nap himself. You gave up too easily, Venom teased; he was right, but by the look on Edeth’s face, he didn’t want to push it.

“Okay tell me the whole thing.” Anne pulled up a seat, and Edeth went over to the window. She sighed, she sucked her teeth, disappointed how she’d never be able to enjoy this impromptu trip to San Francisco.

“The psycho you referred to, his name is Killgrave, and he’s after me and Jessica.” Edeth started, that was the second time she had said his name out loud, flashes of his face past her mind. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and explained everything from the beginning.

Anne remained silent as she hung on Edeth’s each word not wanting to miss anything, and when Edeth was done, Anne still hadn’t said anything.

“Any questions?” Edeth folded her arms over her chest, the sun was starting to set, so the natural lighting in the room was starting to become dim.

“Um, if this guy is so powerful, why the hell did you come here? I mean, it’s not exactly a fortress of solitude.” Anne chuckled, she was right though, if Killgrave wanted to, he could walk right into the front door.

“It’s because he doesn’t know you, sure he knows me, and Jess. Hell he’s probably even caught up with Eddie by now, but you’re not the only person connected to Eddie from his past life. Killgrave would have to do some serious detective skills in order to deduce who Eddie would be most likely to run to. Since Killgrave is…impatient, and impulsive, I doubt he’d guess the ex fiance.” Edeth explained, to which Eddie was shocked by how confidently she spoke of Killgrave now, as if she’s gotten a closer look into his psyche somehow.

“You’ve been googling me?” Eddie joked lightheartedly, it wasn’t enough to totally ease the tension, but he tried.

“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t look you up, don’t worry, I didn’t look too far. Just criminal records, history of your parents, their criminal records, where you went to school. You know, surface level stuff.” She smiled sweetly at him, it wasn’t genuine, but he hadn't seen her smile in so long he’d take what he could get.

“Cute, an internet stalker.” Eddie mumbled to himself, one of Venom’s tendrils stretched out of Eddie’s side, and gently caressed Edeth’s face. Anne looked away this time, slightly uncomfortable by the intimacy, and even though she’s happy in her new relationship, watching them stung a little.

“Missed you too V.” Edeth whispered, she enjoyed the cool, smooth sensations on her skin, but this only made her feel melancholy. All she wanted was to go home, and get under the covers with Eddie forever. She wanted to be held by him, she wanted to lay her head on his chest, and listen to his heartbeat while they ate junk food. Edeth knew the only way she’d have that back, is to deal with Killgrave, and that’s what she had to do to get her happiness back, then so be it.

“I got you clothes, and some real food.” Jessica came walking through the bedroom door, a blank expression on her face, which worried Edeth. They’ve known each other for years. Rather most of it was real or not, either way, Jessica never seemed to display any emotion other than irritation, and anger. To see neither, meant something was wrong, as if she read Edeth’s mind, Jessica stopped her before she could say anything.

“Just shut up, and change your clothes. The food will be down stairs when you’re ready.” She threw a bag from Forever 21 at Edeth, glared at Eddie, and Anne, then left.

“She’s angry.” Anne stated, she was bewildered by the attitude Jessica displayed just now, it was silent, but deadly.

“No, he’s on the verge of explosive…considering she didn’t break your door just now.” Edeth mumbled looking down at the bag, she couldn’t help the smirk that grew onto her lips. That’s when it occurred to her, the real reason behind Jessica’s dark cloud, she had to go shopping.

“Well, I’ll let you get dressed, see you down stairs.” Anne’s eyes lingered on Eddie as she stood up, Edeth caught the way she looked at him, she didn’t need her powers to know that Anne knew she may have missed him. Eddie, on the other hand, was watching Edeth, but he could feel Anne’s eyes on him.

“That means you too Edward.” Edeth chuckled, he stood up from his seat, stretching as he stalled for time. Once Anne had left the room, and her footsteps could be heard descending the stairs, he wandered over to Edeth.

“This’ll be over soon.” He pulled her in by the waist, planted a kiss gently on her lips, and then on her forehead. He lingered there for a moment longer, then reluctantly pulled away. Before he could fully turn to leave, Edeth caught his hand, and pulled him back.

Her hand cupping his cheek, they held each other's gazes, the words that came from Edeth’s lips were barely audible. She inhaled deeply, letting the fresh tears that pushed their way past her eyelids fall down her face. “I love you.”

Eddie's heart skipped a few beats, he wasn’t expecting her to say that at all, but he couldn’t deny his own feelings. He loved the way he feels like they’ve known each other forever even though it’s only been a month. Time was moving faster than he thought.

“Edeth, I love you too, and I have so much more to say, but I’ll save it for now.” He kissed her on the forehead one more time, squeezed her hand, and left the room.

Edeth got dressed in the clothes Jessica brought her, she turned to look at herself in the mirror; a pleasant smirk stretched onto her lips as she gave herself a once over. “Aw, you know me so well Jess.”

She headed down the stairs, and followed the sound of hushed talking into the dinning room. Stopping in her tracks at the unrecognizable men sitting between Anne, and Jessica. Edeth looked to Eddie, who had his eyes concentrated on Jessica. Unlike before, the look on her face is one of anger, yet she wasn’t yelling or breaking things. To Edeth’s surprise, her best friend is restraining herself, or at least trying to. She caught the way Jessica’s hands gripped the wooden table, “What the hell is going on?” Edeth spoke up, her arms folded, she tapped her foot impatiently.

“Edeth, this is my husband Dan.” The man to the right of Anne waved his hand, he offered her a warm, welcoming smile to which Edeth nodded in response.

“And this gentleman—

“Erik Lehnsherr, at your service.”

#black!oc #eddie brock #venom #eddie brock x oc #jessica jones

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