#haha wing like the vulture

[spyderschaos]

Today I bring doodles for I just finished my first two finals

[bochedogmeat]

I hit chilchuck with harpyfication beam for 500 mana and blow him into one million pieces. Drivel below vv

I think chilchuck is some kind of likeeee wren? Chickadee maybe? Maybe even a cardinal? Some kind of small songbird, i just wanted him to have some kind of warm-colored wing with white speckles (my lazy ass did NOT use a reference for these shitty little doodles but if I ever end up making solid refs for them I’ll do more research), I thought about maybe hummingbird wings butttt idk I couldnt get the shape right and I wanted him to have more of a traditional harpy look. I combined elements from my harpies (wings and arms, jewelry/piercings, feathered tails) and canon harpies (FEATHER TIT WINDOW‼️ kind of feral, sharp teeth, etc) and kind of mashed them up. I TOTALLY FORGOT to give him jewelry on his arms and stuff but maybe I’ll go back to that laterrr idk like i said these r quick shitty doodles. So i guess hes kind of half harpy. I was like MANNNN wouldnt it be funny if he got his soul fucked up and had to navigate the rest of his life as a chimera. Lol. What if he had to relearn how to be human. What if laios had to teach him. Haha would that be fucked up or what. He could have also just been like that when they first met him and that would be cool too i think. What about the Implications??? Are his wings sensitive? What abt his tail? Are his senses even sharper?? Does this change his diet? Are his taloned hands still clever enough to pick locks? THEN i started thinking about the others…. Laios n Falin r some kind of owl. Snowy owl probably their northern asses but I also like the idea of them being some kind of seabird. Big ole albatross Touden sibs. Senshi is probably also sone kind of owl, maybe even some kind of chicken? Vulture might also be cool. Marcille is definitely a duck or swan tho (GASP unless SHES the hummingbird!! I will come back to this later). Izutsumi is already a cat, but if she had wings too shed be a corvid of some sort fo sho. Idk about yhe others because I cannot lie to u idgaf about them. ANYWAYS i love to talk about wings and harpies and how that affects team and overall social dynamics so if anyone has anything to add please do‼️

[radiocmyk]

What sort of parts of being a bird aren't that obvious?

Not sure at all what this means so I have to assume you mean like, things you wouldn't think about if you weren't a bird (therian/holothere)?

Idk. I think in trying to think of what being a bird would be like a mammal alterhuman would probably imagine having feather or beak phantom shifts or flight urges or something but not consider how frustrated they would get at the subtle ways people talk about or think about birds which you'd only feel are off if you are one. Growing up I had a lot of people think I was a freak because I would get mad at things like "vulture eating a dead chicken? haha cannibalism" or "cartoon birds that have teeth and hold things with their flight feathers" or "the entire concept of Maximum Ride" and it wasn't that big a deal. Which for my part I never considered other people didn't care and couldn't get why I did because I was understanding my own mind and body in a different way than they were. And I mean both a different way than they understood their own, and a different way than they understood mine.

Birds are just recognized in a way that's different from how mammals are, mostly re: the sweeping generalization where like, all birds are Birds™, except for Specific Birds, which are owls or swans or pelicans or etc. before they're Birds™. But even in the cases of animals that (most) people would look at and say "this is an owl/swan/pelican" before they'd say "this is a bird," the way mammals (not just humans) tend to understand them is only through the lens of their own behavior and physiology. Which is why I get so frustrated, personally (not saying judgmentally toward fellow bird alterhumans physical or otherwise who do have these experiences), when people seem to just assume if you're any kind of wingéd nonhuman, that your back must feel strange from the big fluffy angel wings, or that it would be totally weird to have a talon ph-shift and feel a claw on your heel, or being a common raven is like, poetic or something for me.

That annoyance, to me, is a part of being a bird that's less obvious than the fact itself that my wings and arms are homologous, or that having talons would probably feel closer to home than mammals might think because birds are actually digitigrade, or that ravens (and doves and swans and eagles and every other bird that has Symbolic Significance) are actually just wild animals and there's more to do with apricot cravings, instinctive echolalia, and misunderstanding social hierarchies when I hang out with humans or canines, than there is with gothic poetry.

Also our tails aren't just big fans of loose or stiff feathers omg there is like a whole flesh and bone structure how do folks still not realize this—

[thunder-opossum]

Hello once again Thunder 👋

Could you possibly doodle my lil gremlin thing, Copycat? They kill other creatures and use said creatures body parts to aid them in surviving (more than just vulture masks, I'm talking vulture wings, using lizard skin to look like a lizor, etc (they've even pretended to be an iterator at one point))

Refrance images (I know, there's quite a lot lol) 👇

The campaign I'm imagining in my head would take place maybe post-Saint (haha no iterators 4 them >:3)

Also, there's a chance they were iterator-made so.. lore maybe? Who knows..

Anyways, I hope you are having an amazing day and continue having amazing days forever because you deserve nothing less than amazing days forever. And ofc, you don't have to draw the lil gremlin thing if you don't want to :3

They are about to sneak into a yellow lizard den and steal a bunch of slime mold >:3

I don't have a color pencil for their fur color tho

[violetlunette]

Heyo!

Idk if you do chats and yaps

Or asks etc

But that one post you made got me thinking a lil lol. Thinking about how Vil's two vultures fit in. I think they're like rook in that they mean well and they have their quirks and passions but they freak people out haha! Anyways yeah I'm also thinking how they would fit in to that! I know that birdbeastmen are canon (they're just not common) and i know some folks defo make different types- like harpies and winged students etc- plus there's canonically mentions of "monsters" that are also just sentient creatures that deviate from the humanoid body plan. Plus Taking into account how faes were once considered monsters to be hunted, i think it would not be too much of a stretch to add on harpy like students lol. So Vil can totally have his spooky sillies who hang out in the air currents and swoop down to try and either hang out/uplift vil. Vil nags them about it- same way with Rook- but he also doesn't shoo them away and makes sure they're in tip top form. I kinda wonder how they would fit into the pomefamily. Probably the crazy cousins/chaos uncles to Epel. Rook loves them and i just know they all geek out about weird stuff lol

Anyways yeah i love your thoughts

Sorry, it took so long to respond! I got up in other projects! ^^;

Anyway, when I made the post I imagined the sidekicks in their original forms, though I do have my own TWST OCs based off them. (I won’t bore people with details.) Like, in Vil’s case I imagined him with actual pet vultures who he’ll randomly see watching from a window while he’s in class.

That said, it’s fun to imagine TWST version of the spooky vultures in Pomefiore, the house famed for beauty, as they’re an interesting contrast to the projected image. I think they would be gothics who showed the beauty in darkness, something harpies would know very well according to myths.

Like you hinted on, their presence as harpies or bird folk would present some interesting world building. (Something we don't get a lot of in the games.)

Anyway, I'm glad my little post inspired your little imagination train!

[tinylongwing]

top five birdiest locations you've been to?

Oooh good question! I don't have like, hard numbers on these so they're not super well ranked except for by vibes.

First is NE Queensland, Australia. I did a semester abroad there in undergrad and my god the sheer number of new birds all around! I saw so many absolute treasures! From birds of paradise like Victoria's Riflebird, to absolute icons like the Galah and the Southern Cassowary. 10/10 bird destination.

Second I'll put southern Nicaragua. All the diversity of Costa Rica, with birds like Scarlet Macaw, King Vulture, and Keel-billed Toucan. Hundreds of amazing species. Absolutely unforgettable. I'm so thankful that I've been able to work there on and off over the years. I've traveled most of the country but the southern portion has the highest bird diversity from what I've found.

Third, let's go the US Southeast. I think generally it's accepted that this has the highest bird diversity in the US. I've spent plenty of time in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Florida and seen so many excellent birds there! Florida in particular gets a special mention for endemic treasures like the Florida Scrub-Jay.

Fourth is just a smidge to the west over in Texas, particularly the portion along the whole Rio Grande. Highlights for me include Whooping Crane, Aplomado Falcon, and all three US kingfisher species! Plus Plain Chachalaca which is just hilariously noisy. Big fan.

For five... Man now it's hard to pick, I have several places sort of on par with each other. Hawaii is goofy because of all the introduced species, giving it a ridiculously inflated diversity on top of the absolutely amazing native species. South Korea was really fun, though I went in winter when diversity was relatively low, and still got to see fun birds like Azure-winged Magpie, Eurasian Goshawk, and Varied Tit without even leaving Seoul. And then of course like, California has a ton of species and some of the most incredible vagrants that just show up at random sometimes.

I think that's eight locations now so I'll just stop, haha.

[coalitiongirl]

Oh my god, I just read Markless and I love it so much! The characters, the mark system, the SCENERY— AGGGHHHHHH. So excited for you and sending so much love <3 And the dedication… 😭♥️🫶

I’m wondering if you can explain what some of the gods are! I think I got leopard, snake, and lion, but I wasn’t sure about some of the others like Winged One, Scaled One, Toothed One, Horned One etc :) Was it bird, fish, shark, and I had no clue for Horned One (not a big animal person haha). I wasn’t confident about it being just “bird” or “fish” because I didn’t know if you had something more specific in mind like heron/raven hehehehehe

Thank you!!! I'm so so happy <3

I had so much fun with the names of the spirits ngl. I'm actually trying to remember if I ever explicitly made it clear what the Winged One would be– it was either hawk or vulture because I contemplated both. The Scaled One was the crocodile, the Toothed One the hippo, and the Horned One was the owl!

[leaves-and-inks]

🦇SOME ARE BORN TO THE ENDLESS NIGHT🦇

The last piece in this series!! I love watching the bats fly about in the summer, they're just so neat and cute!! I drew this one on the back of the failed possum piece I mentioned in my vulture post haha

leaning on calling this series "The Cycle" but I may workshop it a little, maybe incorporate something with the song titles in, but I'm not so sure yet. This was a fun project though, so hope y'all enjoyed it as much as I have!! :D

I have a few ideas for more series in the works, and want to resurrect some old ones too, I feel like sticking to something with consistency can be good for me, but for now I've got a few WIPS that need a little polish :)

[ID: A hand holding a black and white illustration on tan paper with uneven edges. behind it is a white tapestry with a pattern made up of illustrated green leaves, slightly out of focus. The illustration is a large brown bat head drawn in black and white ink, looking down and to its left in 3/4 view. All the details and the eye are sketched in with white, the inner ear is left mostly tan, and the illustration itself sits within a white circle. the bat's mouth is open, showing it's teeth, and the ends of the wings are folded up at its sides. The illustration crops at the base of the neck, its ears, neck fur, and the clawed ends of its folded up wings overlap the shape. There is a larger circle surrounding the head, filled with vines with aster flowers, stylized leaves, and blue foot mushrooms. Most of the plants and fungi are colored in black, but some are just a white outline. Some plant material breaks out from a larger circle behind them and the shad drawing, Over top of the plants and fungi are radiating out from the center of the fish head are sketchy white lines. the paper is thin, and has a slight scaled pattern to it.

Image 2: cropped version of the previously described illustration. the photo goes to the edges of the page, and the illustration is centered. the radial lines on the top and bottom of the page are slightly cropped.

Image 3: Crop on the bat's face, details in the white ink becoming more apparent. The image crops right after the end of the snout, the beginnings of both ears, and just short of the neck

Image 4: Crop focusing on the plants and fungi, along with the bat's left ear. it crops midway through the eye, the right, closest ear, and features the top right quarter of the illustration. /end ID]

[kathren-is-here]

Armoured Brass (wings included!!)

Shout out to the Au me and my friends are making on the side to kickstart this design, this is Brass when he gets a little too much magic >:D

Another idea is that Lena or Magica tries to cast a spell on him but because Brass did some magic last second he turns into Harpy Brass, overwhelmed by magic! And he’s looking more like a vulture now! With the sharp talons and yellow eyes to match Bradfords!

OH plus long hair and ofc the obvious vulture wings on his back haha

[reinekes-fox]

Hey again! I was wondering how much freedom will we have to progressively change our MC's stance about the cult? My MC is loyal and believes in their ideals at the start, but he isn't fanatic or anything, and basically thinks some things are up to interpretation. Like for example he considers vultures are still ultimately birds and he doesn't feel too bad for his orientation and stuff like that. But ideally, I'd love for him to realize while in contact with the "strays" that up until now he wasn't truly living his life - that it's no way to live, basically.

So yeah, just how much will it be possible to make it a progressive thing? And how much will characters comment on the change, rather than just commenting on MC's new mindset without necessarily referencing it wasn't like that before?

Does this even make sense? I don't know if I was clear heh... Anyway, thank you!

Thank you for the question!

Yes, this does make sense no worry haha!

I am planning to write reactions to changes in the belief, however how detailed they will be is something I will think about when it occurs ingame.

I.e. I am tracking three stats directly tied with the faith: devotion, doubt and meh aka not caring. (However doubt will be viewed more as a „cares so much about the belief that Wing MC wants to better it“ rn and it will take some time for characters to realise that nope, Wing MC is actually anti cult) And if there is an option for a devout answer while Wing MC has so far never really cared about their faith (let’s say „meh“ is at 90) than the cast will react to it!

While I do plan to add things like „actually Wing MC used to be a fanatic but is now anti“ (just like mother dearest), I think the best way to do those kind of commentary isn’t tracking stats.

[fellhellion]

Hi! What are your thoughts on Miguel's abilities shown in the movie so far? That vulture wing cutting is cool as hell but arm blades seemed kinda overkill? He already has home-grown knives on his hands and feet, and I think him slicing the wing off with his hands would be just as cool. Also I read somewhere that his webbing is ATSV is tech-based instead of organic, but (to me) the organic webbing was one of his more signature abilities (and I think him accidentally spraying webbing when not in costume in the comics is really funny)

hiya! im personally a fan of the red blades because im just a basic bitch for how they look fskjdfhjkds i see some cool looking shit and my brain lights up lmao. and yeah i've seen the same thing about the tech based webs. personally a bit bummed if they have ended up completely doing away w his organic webbing as i think it's supposed to be one of his really unique traits compared to other spideys :( the red webs are extremely cool and i like their look but eh, until confirmed otherwise i'm pretending he's using the red webs to not think so much about. the intrinsic bodily change of it all haha.

[summer-solo-day]

54/?? Childhood TV Shows You Should Watch

Title: Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines

Episodes: 17

Run Time: 22 Mins

Synopsis:

In Germany, Dick Dastardly and Muttley, the villains from Wacky Races, are now flying aces in World War I-styled airplanes and members of the Vulture Squadron, on a mission to stop a messenger pigeon named Yankee Doodle Pigeon from delivering top-secret messages to an opposing army. The other members of the Squadron are Klunk, an inventor who speaks an unintelligible language, and Zilly, a panicky pilot whose main role is to translate for Klunk.

Each story features variations on the same plot elements: the Vulture Squadron sets out to trap Yankee Doodle Pigeon. Inevitably, either the plan is flawed, or one or more of the Squadron messes up. By the end of every story, Yankee Doodle Pigeon escapes while the Vulture Squadron is often left in backfiring predicaments.

The show also featured Wing Dings, short clips with jokes, and Magnificent Muttley, where Muttley encounters Walter Mitty-esque daydreams.

My Rating: 8/10

To be honest, I don't quite like this spin-off as much as the Wacky Races itself. It's not that it's bad at all, but there just aren't as many characters or dynamics between characters. So, I guess, in that way, it's not as entertaining to me.

I still love Muttley the most haha. I do like the concept, but it seems like it could have been fleshed out a little bit more. (off-topic: but does anyone else not like that word "flesh" haha)

Anyway, I do believe you would enjoy it. Especially if you like Wacky Races. So, check it out.

[katerinaaqu]

Girl girl GIRL! 💖💖💖💖💖🤯💖💖💖💖💖

You can't just casually drop masterpieces around you know! The world is not ready! 🫶✨️

Gosh that vulture is fantastic! The way her wings spread all over him and protects him! And those colors! 👏🔥🙌 it was a great idea to use a lesser known bird for her bird form! So many creatures to choose from! It looks ominous and yet hell no it is sweetheart protecting him! And man I love Caleb sleeping like an old school cowboy or bounty hunter hahahaha I love the hat man! That hat is everything! Haha and of course fluffy Caleb again hahaha 😆

Oh man that cloth she is wearing! Man that royal crimson/purple and the long clothing that is still soft and comfortable that is so her! And all the golden details in her clothing! ✨️ oh gosh! And of course Caleb's twiterpated look hahaha oh gosh he thinks he is dreaming! And gosh she is caught hahahaha she is a powerful immortal goddess and the cheesy boy got her hahahaha 😆 😂 💕

Gosh details like the rain drops are amazing! Or her bronze skin and muscles as opposing to his olive complexion and the way he looks at her oh gosh! Hahaha ❤️ silly duo can never have enough of them hahaha 😆 😂 🤣 I love your little text there dear! 💕 it soooo fits them!

More Mythology AU✨ Caleb sleeps as Goddess Dilla (shifting between her bird and human form) shelters him from the rain. ❤️

As he stirs awake his eyes widen in wonder, captivated by the ethereal being before him. Without thinking his hand reaches out to touch her, desperate to know if she’s real.

In that tender, fleeting moment, Dilla's heart races. This mortal, with his simple gesture, awakens a feeling deep within her, something she has never known in her long, lonely existence.

[deathinfeathers-a]

@originemesis said: "Uhhh- rain check on that. Later-lunch? MUCH later." And he'd fly off too, but since he's a singular WING man now the attempt ends with crashing back down on his face.

And here she comes seconds later, fluttering through the humid air, just to perch on his back like a peckish vulture.

"Yikes! Looks like somebody clipped your wings, big man."

She accentuates the observation by swirling a gilded finger about the area where his wing should be located, were it still attached, chirping pensively.

"And your flock is nowhere to be seen. A right loyal bunch of bitches, huh? Woof! Thought you trained them better than that. This must all really suck for you! Haha!"

[magnetothemagnificent]

Proud to announce that I spotted 60.5 species of birds in my week trip to Florida (copied-and-pasted from my Big Year google doc, so the FA stands for Florida):

Marsh wren FA

Limpkin FA

Great white heron FA

Cattle egret FA

Anhinga FA

Snowy egret FA

Great blue heron FA

Black-crowned night heron FA *was on a boardwalk trail and saw a bunch of people crouching down and looking at something and I thought they saw another gator (on this trip we saw 32 gators in total) but it was something better! A bird! And then I saw another one the next day hiding under brush.

Wood stork FA

Common moorhen FA

Blue-gray gnatcatcher FA

Turkey vulture FA *was looking for wild turkeys and unfortunately didn't see any this trip but one of these guys was stalking on the side of the rode and for a second we got exciting thinking it was an actual turkey.

Black vulture FA

Yellow-rumped warbler FA

Tufted titmouse FA *my grandma's favourite bird

Little blue heron FA

White ibis FA *we were ambushed by them because people at the park would feed them so they expected us to feed them but we wouldn't so they just surrounded us and we thought they would attack us but they didn't.

Cooper's hawk FA

Cardinal FA

Green heron FA *my grandpa was walking a little ahead of me and whispered for me to come and there was this gorgeous green fishing. Moved so slowly and gently that he didn't make a sound, it was incredible.

Carolina warbler FA

Pine warbler FA

Sandhill crane FA

Carolina chickadee FA

Bluejay FA

Osprey FA

Chimney swift FA

Red-tailed hawk FA *saw this lovely lady perched on a fence as we drove out of my grandparents' neighbourhood

Prairie warbler FA

American kestrel FA

Glossy ibis FA

Pied-billed grebe FA

Double-crested cormorant FA

Grey kingbird FA

Brown pelican FA *we weren't anywhere near the ocean but a storm was likely brewing and huge flocks of brown pelicans and white pelicans flew inland

Fish crow FA

Royal tern FA

Bald eagle FA

Painted bunting FA *didn't think I'd see one this trip because the nature garden we went to last year that had a lot of birds, including the painted bunting we saw last year, had too many people this time around so there weren't many birds. But then I saw a painted bunting at a different trail and literally forgot to be quiet and freaked out.

American white pelican FA

Common grackle FA

Boat-tailed grackle FA *did you know that these grackles make a clicking sound when they see humans or predators that sounds like a turkey gobble sound? I didn't until these guys wouldn't stop yelling at my while I was just trying to rest my legs on a bench.

American purple gallinule FA *gorgeous birds. gorgeous.

American coot FA

Brown-headed cowbird FA

Tricolored heron FA

Mallard FA

Black-bellied whistling duck FA

Eastern kingbird FA

Yellow-billed cuckoo FA

Muscovy duck FA

American bittern FA *my grandma and I saw this one and at first thought it was a green heron but then realized it wasn't haha.

Ring-billed gull FA

Feral American Pekin FA

Mallard-Pekin hybrid FA *spent so much time trying to identify these weird ducks until I went on my laptop later that evening and read up way too much on duck genetics and realized that they were hybrids. They were probably second-generation hybrids from my brief scan of pedigree charts of ducks, meaning their grandparents were a mallard and a pekin, but their parents were a hybrid and a pekin.

Eastern bluebird FA

Yellow-bellied sapsucker FA *went to a park my grandparents recommended and there weren't really any new birds there and my legs hurt from walking but then I heard this guy tapping around in a tree and there he was. Still wouldn't recommend this park.

Red-winged blackbird FA *was complaining to my grandpa that I hadn't seen any red-winged blackbirds yet and my trip was almost over when a bunch of these guys literally flew down in front of us.

White-eyed vireo FA

Mottled duck FA

Broad-winged hawk FA *saw this guy as my plane was literally taxiing out of the runway to go home. I was looking out my window cause I was nervous and there he was! Just perched on a sign!

[paleghostinthecorner02]

No no, I agree, I was so disappointed in this series. I'll try to break down my additions, with headers n shit like a proper writer.

Kron.

I was disappointed in his inclusion for several reasons. First, he had literally just been stripped of Venom and still swollen from the epic ass beating Miguel gave him after Dana's death, only to then get bonded with him again soon after, making that awesome moment completely moot. And they way he got bonded was contrived as hell. Venom just so happened to go through the pipes into his apartment the moment he got there, just in time to bond with him and kill Jake Gallows? Bullshit. Also, massive missed opportunity I think. Imagine how interesting it would be if Venom had bonded with JAKE. Then Miguel joining with him would have made more sense since he and Jake were friends, and there's the added angst of Jake being taken over by the thing that killed his family.

Second, why was Kron so Gung-ho about joining Miguel after he found out he was his brother? One, Kron's whole thing is he hates families because his sucks. Two, he already hates Miguel, I feel like finding out he's the product of an affair between his father and some random Downtowner, and that said resulting bastard was obviously favored by their father would send him over the bend. I do not believe for a second he would be like "Miguel is my little brother? I always wanted one of those!" Yeah, he mentioned he WOULD kill Miguel if he kept defying him, but there was nothing to suggest this was always a plan to take him out from the jump.

Also, the ending implies that Kron survived his fall, meaning this will be the SECOND TIME the franchise has pulled "Kron isn't actually dead haha" crap, which just makes it exhausting. There's no tension or feelings of triumph when he's defeated if you just keep pulling this same plot twist.

Conchata.

Oh boy, Conchata really steamed my clams in this series. I mean, more than she normally does. The reason for this is because of how it retroactively made her already awful treatment of Miguel growing up even WORSE. In a bizarrely cordial conversation with Tyler Stone (still paralyzed from her TRYING TO KILL HIM), Conchata answers a question people have had for over 30 years: If she hates him so much, why did she sleep with him? The answer?

Because she hated her husband more.

I actually screamed when I read this. This bitch treated Miguel like garbage because she saw Tyler in him and she hates Tyler, but she obviously gushed over her sweet baby Gabriel despite hating his father even more? Fuck you Conchata, that's just the piss flavored icing on the shit cake. Not like anyone has a valid reason for being abusive to their child, but the fact that her abuse of Miguel even into his adulthood was completely hypocritical just makes her sudden declaration she loves him (which conveniently came after the revelation that he is her beloved Spider-Man) makes the sour taste in my mouth burn all the more acrid.

Then she there was that really awkward momen where she just spills the beans to Gabriel that she cheated on his father and she seemed so... Defeated. Conchata has one good quality and that's being ridiculously unflappable and she just seems like a whipped puppy. Whatever, she deserved the ensuing blowback from her golden child.

Miguel

I know Loren Ipsum talked about how they butchered his character and had him join with KRON and made him Peter Lite, but there's something specific that bothered me not only about him, but how it was implemented.

The change to Miguel's willingness to kill.

Miguel has the attitude that certain people who are heinous enough are ok to kill. People like the Vulture, a pseudo intellectual gang leader who thinks the strong should literally be able to devour the weak, and even attempted to eat Miguel himself. Miguel actually dropped his ass off a building from Uptown after binding his wings and knocking him out, notably deciding against catching him before he became a bloody smear on the pavement of Downtown. It still hasn't been explained why this motherfucker is still alive. And then in this series itself Miguel told Rapture and Kron that yup, go ahead and fuck him up, he's a piece of shit.

And then Miguel... Wonders why he hasn't killed Vulture sooner, DESPITE THE FACT HE HAS ALREADY TRIED TO KILL HIM. And then Vulture cries to Miguel that he's not a killer DESPITE THE FACT HE HAS ALREADY TRIED TO KILL HIM.

And because of this sudden Batman Bullshit it leads to what Loren was talking about with the absolutely unnecessary death of Gabriel because Kron wanted to goad Miguel into having an attitude that he not only already has had the whole time, but LITERALLY JUST SHOWED HIM HE HAS IT.

Gaaaaaawd, this series is frustrating and stupid and it makes me sad that this was the big return to the series proper. It sucks even worse because it's not even a case of someone else coming in and mucking everything up, it's Peter David himself who did this. I reeeeeaaaaaly want a new run, but I also don't want this to go the route of Amazing Spider-Man or something.

Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 is a Gross Misrepresentation of Miguel O’Hara

Spoiler Warning: Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 Issues #1-#5

I am sick and tired of Marvel’s writers and their fear of writing a character outside of their comfort zone. There is no character where this is more apparent than Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara. The progressive disintegration of his character has been evident for a while now, starting (in my opinion) with 2099 : Manifest Destiny, but the most recent installment of his comic has been especially bad.

Symbiote Spider-Man 2099 had an unexpected, but well-anticipated, lead up with the return of original series author Peter David. Additionally, the symbiote mini-series was to pick up where David left off Miguel’s original run before the comic was canceled in 1996. Unsurprisingly, we were all excited for David’s return and hopeful for a return to form with the original characterization of our favorite bug.

However, this was not the case...

The series starts out exactly where the 96’ left off, with Nueva York flooding due to the invasion of the Neo-Atlanteans led by a now Venomized Sub Mariner. Spider-Man 2099 quickly shows up to save the day and the apparently large-scale threat of the invasion of the Neo-Atlanteans is solved within a page with said defeat reintroducing a vengeful Venom 2099 into the ocean. Upon returning to Nueva York, the symbiote is reunited with Kron Stone and promptly ends Punisher 2099 and now has their sights set on Miguel. Kron, who was recently beaten down upon by Miguel, is eager to accept the Symbiote’s conditions and sets out toward Alchemax.

Here’s when things start getting tricky.

Meanwhile at Alchemax, Miguel is not taking to being CEO very well. He is frustrated at the new responsibility placed upon his shoulders as he wants to use the company’s resources for good. However, things take a turn when a rogue researcher attempts to bargain with a new unnamed blue symbiote but is quickly thwarted by Miguel. Unfortunately, this scuffle results in Miguel’s bond with the symbiote as he is accepted as a host.

The symbiote, by the way, remains unnamed for the rest of the series despite being a new unique symbiote variant that spontaneously split from Venom when it was captive. From this point forward I will be referring to the Symbiote as Rapture, its fandom given name. 

Several more back and forths happen until the eventual confrontation of Miguel and Kron with their symbiote suits. Rapture has already been quietly feeding off Miguel’s frustrations and Kron tries to convince Miguel to join him in order to become more powerful. Rapture whispers to Miguel and tempts him with the prospect of a freedom of responsibilities, from being CEO, and from being Spider-Man in order to live the life he’s “entitled” to. WIthin the same page, Miguel accepts the offer.

For a character known for their stubbornness and will, Miguel did not really put up much of a fight. I understand he’s frustrated and Rapture is likely to be influencing his mind but COME ON!!! The romp that follows is arguably embarrassing.

Miguel and Kron take to the streets with their symbiotes and are suddenly all buddy-buddy with each other? Did we forget that Kron is responsible for Dana’s death? A death that, within the timeline of the comics, was not that long ago. But no, Miguel is completely okay with him now as they have a joyride through the streets of Nueva York terrorizing the citizens and even leading to injury and death of others. While Kron is enjoying himself, Miguel only voices a small amount of hesitation but makes no other effort to stop himself or Kron. It is frustrating to see Miguel playing around with his fiance’s murderer, his own attempted murderer, and overall awful person with minimal push back. I understand Rapture is likely influencing his decisions but that is hardly shown at all. Instead of getting overly aggressive, Miguel simply becomes passive.

AND even worse, Kron later kills Gabriel and THAT’s what sets Miguel off and he finally succumbs to Rapture’s murderous desires. After convincing Venom, you know the symbiote that absolutely hates his guts, to leave Kron and bond with him he lets Kron fall with the intention of killing him…

And then the two primary antagonists are defeated with a simple suit gimmick and Miguel is freed from TWO SYMBIOTES with little to no trouble.

Miguel, a character who has been established to have a strong will and desire to do good despite the burden of responsibility, is much too passive in this series. 

Like I’ve said previously, his modern adaptations feel more like a watered down Peter Parker rather than Miguel O’Hara. This is especially disappointing considering that PETER DAVID created this character’s personality only to leave him to the wolves. Having the influence of Rapture could’ve been a compelling story! Part of Miguel’s journey as Spider-Man has been owning up to the past actions working for Alchemax and finally paying attention to those who need help in the world. He is certainly no Peter Parker. Peter is a good guy who already knew of the good in people and value of Spider-man, Miguel had to learn through trial and error, and his self reflection of his past actions. 

The inclusion of a symbiote who pressures Miguel to let go and allow himself to indulge in his more destructive tendencies or perhaps a break from being a hero could be compelling! Especially since Rapture seems a lot more charismatic than other symbiotes with a ‘quieter’ and manipulative approach. Also, in my personal opinion, I wish the comic focused less on Kron and more on Miguel’s growing pains as he takes on the new responsibility of Alchemax and his role as Spider-Man under Doom’s government (oh yeah cuz Doom in this too). 

Overall, the comic was disappointing. While I’m not above character deaths, Gabriel’s death seemed anticlimactic and shoehorned in and was the ultimate nail in the coffin. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE POSSIBILITY OF KRON STILL BEING ALIVE!

At the end of the day, these are my own grievances with the series. Rating wise, I would have to give it a 3/10. However, I would love to hear everyone else’s thoughts as well. Is there anything you felt I did not go over, got wrong, or want to add? Let's start a conversion! (please start a conversation i am starving for meegle content).

(Apologies for my rusty media critique, I’m a bit rusty. Consider this as my dusting of cobwebs lol. I hope I can provide more compelling 2099 takes in the future.)