#mj talks about social issues

[notaplaceofhonour]

One of the experiences that really highlighted to me how willing the left can be to turn a blind eye to and gaslight Jews about antisemitism was trying to talk about Michael Jackson’s antisemitism, such as in the song “They Don’t Care About Us”, which was released with the lyrics:

“Jew me, sue me, everybody do me / Kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me.”

I feel like that is shockingly straightforward with how antisemitic it is, both in its specific language (the K-slur & Jew-as-a-verb) and its conspiratorial bent in the context of the whole song. But when it came out and Jews were obviously appalled and spoke out about it, MJ made the standard “but have you considered that accusing me of bigotry offends me?” and “I was taken out of context!” statements that bigots make when they get called out on their bigotry.

As for MJ’s claim that he was taken out of context, here is some context: In 1993, MJ’s relationship with the press deteriorated when they began covering allegations of his child sex abuse. In the midst of this, tabloids ran a lot of scummy, sensationalized headlines—ruthlessly mocking his appearance and eccentricities and even running entirely false stories. This marked a drastic shift in MJ’s lyrics, which began to focus heavily on his victimhood (both real and perceived, often conflating both and tying them to broader social issues), with many of the songs on the next album HIStory (1995) being about this. “They Don’t Care About Us” is on this album. In 2003, there were revelations that Michael Jackson had grown close with members of Nation of Islam (a fringe and antisemitic hate group), and in 2005, Good Morning America aired a phone recording of Michael Jackson calling Jews “leeches”, claiming Jews had targeted him for his wealth, and saying “It’s a conspiracy. Jews do it on purpose”.

This is the context of Michael Jackson singing about being a stand-in for the victims of all kinds of real world oppression like racism and police brutality, and then saying he was being “Jewed” and “kiked”. It came out that he was molesting little kids, and rather than face the music, he tried to dodge responsibility by conflating those allegations with racism and the gross, sensationalist bullshit that tabloids were running on him; he wove all these things together in a narrative that he could use to wrap himself up in victimhood & conspiracy to position himself as not just a martyr, but the very archetype of martyrdom so that the world could, as he sang on the same album in his cover of John Lennon’s song, “Come together, over me.”

The lyrics were later changed to replace “Jew” & “kike” with abstract noise that drowned out the words or repetitions of “sue” & “strike”. But even so, this is still a song, not truly about inequality and injustice, but using inequality and injustice to shield a child molester from responsibility. And the fact that “Jew” can so easily be replaced with “sue”, not simply in sound but in meaning, without disrupting the narrative and tone of the song, belies the fact that Michael Jackson believed himself to be a victim of some sort of conspiracy between “(((The Media)))” and greedy Jewish lawyers.

And yet, trying to talk about this to this day, even with the benefit of hindsight, when it’s pretty well-accepted that MJ was in fact a child molester and knowing what he said about Jews after this song came out, it is next to impossible to get people to see the antisemitism in him tying together all oppression in the world as him being “Jewed” and “kiked” by (((The System)))—even when he literally says “Jew”, even when he says the K-slur, even when he refers to Jews as blood-suckers, even when he literally says Jews are conspiring against him. When people started using the song as part of the George Floyd protests, and I was like “hey, maybe that’s not a great idea” and gently tried to explain this context, I was ignored, told it didn’t matter because the song was about inequality, told Black people have every right to distrust Jews “because Jews are White” and stabbed Black people in the back by embracing Whiteness, etc. etc.

I think that is one of the times that really started to make it clear to me, “oh, yeah no, leftists can be staring straight at a K-slur in the mouth of a known sex offender and still say it’s fine”—something leftists generally would not do for any other vulnerable minority. It still astounds me.

[lildoodlenoodle]

Why I think Spider noir is on the younger side(18-20) in the new spiderverse movie per my previous post:

Let’s break it down by Context, Timeline, Mood, and ATSV

Context:

Spider noir has two comic runs that happen before COMICS spiderverse. With that said, there were like inter dimensional energy vampires and that’s obviously not the direction the spiderverse movies went with. So we’re going to largely disregard them for this. To expand, there was a big time jump between that last noir comic and the spiderverse ones. Peter would be closer to mid/late 20s at the start of the comics spiderverse and therefore ITSV if we were to integrate and replace the timelines, BUT I always hated the way they did that time jump in the comics and what it did to Peter’s character.

It felt like they were trying to tie him into 616 Peter wayyyy too much by making his love interest MJ(who we rlly haven’t seen and what we have seen hasn’t had good chemistry), have a good relationship with May(they rlly brushed him shooting someone in front of her and calling him an animal under the rug Huh), and going to college(I get it I do, but unlike most universes I don’t think this Peter could ever stop spiderman enough). There wasn't really any mention of Felicia, Urich, or Robby and their past. They also changed his webbing, his look, and his spider senses.

I felt like that was completely getting rid of all of Peter's characterization and he just becomes the spider with a gun from the 1930s. But the point is they clearly went in a very different artistic and narrative direction after the time jump to a point where it doesn’t feel like the same character.

Refitting the timeline:

So, scrapping the comics spiderverse timeline, I don’t really see a reason for a disjointed time jump. And after those first two comic runs it can be argued, for this Peter, that ITSV happens much sooner for him after that second run, possibly even after the first comic. Then ATSV would happen after that second run. There is an 8mo. time jump between the two runs so it is definitely feasible.

But let’s talk about mood between the runs.

We all know at least somewhat this Peter's origin, and if you don’t, to sum it up: organized crime, monsters, socialism, cannibalism.

The first run ends, Peter beats the goblin without killing him and he’s feeling pretty good about himself/confident. But he’s still got a lot of well deserved angst and self hatred. His uncle is dead, his new mentor/father figure is dead, his relationship with May is on the rocks to say the least, and there’s the whole Felicia thing. He’s still a high schooler and in that teen range, but a big ass lanky teenager who's only solid looking because of the gear he wears. I’d place him around 16-18, a case could be made for 15 but I’m going to politely disagree. ITSV could very easily be fairly soon after these events.

It’s 8 months after the first run. He becomes cocky and overconfident this whole next issue, possibly because of an interdimensionally inflated ego? Point is he feels on top of his game. Also worth mentioning, he’s ignoring MJ this whole issue to the point the audience knows basically nothing about her while he is having a very intense relationship with Felicia(which we already know how I feel about that whole mess) and who MJ is very blatantly and very badly a foil to.(I love MJ she is just not well written here).

The second run ends, his best friend/possible love interest(I said what I said), Robbie, is dead and unavenged.(I can talk a lot more about Robbie and what effect he had and will have on Peter going forward, also the disservice of his ‘death’) Felicia is disfigured and blames Peter. Peter not only blames himself for all this but the comic ends with him saying he feels powerless and a constant sense of impending doom. He really did not get a single win during this comic, man got the shit beaten out of him too. The age at the end of this comic is 17-19. After the last comic dude was messed up but still had hope, after this one we don’t see the fall out, but I can assure it was BAD. That whole ‘you don’t have to kill the bad guy thing’ is probably out the fucking window. I’m more hesitant to think ITSV happened after this run because of that. He isn’t just depressed or self loathing anymore, he isn’t just playing fast and loose with his life to get results. He does not care, he has no hope, and he doesn’t see a good future.

Pre - ATSV predictions with mild spoilers:

With the year and a couple of months time jump for ATSV it’s very plausible that the events of that last run plus possible spider task force shenanigans could happen before the movie. For more context in the comics spider noir was a recurring spider in the ‘elite strike force’. Personally, if he was invited, I could very much see him accepting, especially with his current mental state, and being very aggressive about it. Which, theoretically, could cause him to get kicked off or make a rash decision to leave bc fuck those guys. But the point is at the end of that last comic this man really doesn’t have a single win, he is in a prime state to be manipulated in.

Edit: my dumbass forgot literally the most important detail. The year 1933 is when ITSV noir comes from which matches this timeline with the comics as well.

To sum everything up, the reason why I think spider noirs age is in the 18/20 range is because it fits the above timeline, which I believe to be the most probable timeline of events that are canon by the movies while also staying consistent with at least some of the original comics. It should be further noted there is no evidence of his age throughout the ITSV movie, besides him being played by Nicholas Cage and being tall. In fact, I’d argue due to his excessive use of slang it would naturally place him in a younger category as well as the classic melodramaticness that can come with being a coping teenager. The most important thing that makes his age and at what point in his storyline he’s in up to interpretation is the fact that we see his face once and it’s heavily shadowed. If we saw his face more I’d feel better about giving him a more solid age, but till then context clues for the win. But anyways, this was long and I still have more I could get into/say and I will eventually. Feel free to ask any questions or even tell me why you disagree!

[4me2knowandyou2wonder]

As a fandom we have come to the conclusion that Graves has mommy issues. This got me thinking… So hi i'm here to talk about some of the southern parenting I’ve seen in the form of Graves’ mother head canons. Welcome!! (or at least I tried to do that jury is still out lol)

This post is dedicated to @captain-mj ! and is based on This poll where, we can all agree, the answer is Graves! LMAO

now, onto Mrs. Graves:

Phil's Mother is seen in her community as a kind and strong willed woman. People might describe her as ‘a joy to talk to,’ ‘always ready to offer a helping hand,’ and ‘a strong leader’ but there are also people in her community that refuse to describe her at all. ‘Oh do you know Mrs. Graves?’ these people may be asked. ‘We're not close,’ these people will reply, letting their tone carry the end of a topic.

This is because, to those who meet her in passing, she’s a wide smile, a southern drawl and sugary attitude—What they don’t see is this is all done because she is using kindness and charisma to craft a careful social narrative that is designed to keep criticism at bay, and people complacent. (Have you ever noticed that humans are more willing to let people who we consider ‘good’ get away with hurting others?) Mrs. Graves cannot handle anyone challenging her authority, and she is constantly fighting to make sure no one may question her.  

To those who spend more time with her, her personality becomes much more clear. She’s the woman who won’t hesitate to tell the farm hand what they’d done so wrong, the woman who will demand hard work and harder hours, the woman who is seemingly blind to the struggles of anyone who she deems under her. (Which is everyone except the people who will grant her social power btw.) 

Those who are unlucky enough to get closer to her have seen even more of the cracks in her mask. Mrs. Graves holds her power over the others heads, she will claim she deserves privileges beyond a reasonable expectation, she often uses the lord’s word as justification for unjustified opinions, and (in some cheap version of making herself look Better) Mrs. Graves complains about those she deems ‘under her social level’ to ‘peers.’

The largest crack in that ceramic smile, however—the one that reveals the raw flesh beneath—is how she treats her son. 

Her “mini me.”

Mrs. Graves enacted strict control over all activities Phil did. Privacy was a luxury not a right, and it was a luxury he didn’t have. “You shouldn’t have anything to hide,” was a common phrase uttered. Phil had limited and monitored access to any ideas outside of the christian ideals his mother wanted for him. Phil went to christian school, and any friends he was allowed to hang out with outside school hours were either from his church or approved by his mother. Phil didn’t fight this. He was a kid, this was his mother. She said she knew what was right for him, so she knew what was right for him. He liked it when his mother thought of him as a good son and letting her approve of all his friends would make her think that. 

Mrs. Graves used her husband’s authority for her own gain, using the “man of the house” as a tool to inflict her will. Mr. Graves’ parents did have a hand in his matrimony :/. They found him a nice christian woman for their good (read: bitter and emotionally closed) christian son. Mr. Graves shares the same perspective of gender roles as his wife… 

Actually I need to stop talking about Phil’s father, this is a post about mommy issues. 

Point is, if Phil did something wrong in Mrs. Graves eyes she would threaten Phil with his father’s wrath. And if Phil did something wrong in his father’s eyes his father would rage on his own. Phil hated disappointing his mother, but he feared making his father mad.

-

Phil’s mother of course forced him into community activities as much as she could, church groups, 4H, anything that had a community where her boy could make her look good. She would make him participate and do the best work he could even if he hated it, he had to win every paper boat race, every mini science fair. Sometimes she would do the work for him to make sure it was done ‘right.’ Mrs. Graves would berate Phil if he ever did anything that might make her look like a “bad parent” (Like losing the boat race … Ma’am please…)

Mrs. Graves also believes emotions are a weakness especially from women and believes emotions are simply not allowed for men either. Any Big feelings Phil showed as a kid were frowned upon and chastised. He was made to feel pathetic for fear, sadness, and even anger.

Mrs. Graves is unafraid to use humiliation to punish her son, she will happily drag him aside and chew him out in front of his friends. Sometimes it's a show for Mrs. Graves' friends, other times no one is around and she is just angry at something he did. 

As an example of how Mrs. Graves handled parenting, A kid on the playground once shoved Phil to the ground and stole the toy dino he was playing with. Phil wanted to cry, but “Buck up” was one of his mother’s favorite phrases, and Phil hated to be told to Buck Up so instead he got angry. He rips the dino out of the other kid's hand and yells at the other kid that he hates them. I’ll spare you a whole play by play about what happened and give you the footnotes:

-Phil gets his toy back, but his anger didn’t go unnoticed by his mother

-His mother realizes that the other Kid’s mother has now seen Phil act up and can’t handle the perceived judgment.

-everything Phil does she takes as a direct reflection on HER so she is blinded by this hit to her ego

-she now must prove to the other mother that she is a Good Mom who has her kid Under Control

-She yells at Phil, grabs his ear, forces him to apologize and gives the dino back to the other kid (it's Phil’s toy) she tells him they’re going home.

-the other kid has realized their own mistake and quietly gives Phil back his toy. 

-Mrs. Graves doesn’t realize Phil has the dino back until they’re in the car.

-She grabs the dino, breaks it and throws it out the car window

wow… That hurt to write

Anyway~

It wasn’t always bad, When Phil did something good he was showered in praise and affection. If he was cute for a picture, If he complimented his mother in front of her friends, or won a school competition (remember this reflects well on her), that's when life was good. She’d get all sweet, maybe they’d get ice cream later, or maybe she’d even tell him that she loves him.

I hope you’re picking up what I'm putting down: that Love was inherently conditional for Phil. 

But you see, Phil has known no other type. He never knew unconditional love, this was just how life was. As long as he worshiped his mother, sung her praises, was successful, was good and listened to what she asked, he was loved. As a long-term consequence of this Phil is always looking for praise and reassurance, he has deep rooted self worth issues that he can’t see.

-

Phil’s mom has always been described to him as powerful, a woman to respect, (no one is going to insult someone's mother to their face. Though they probably should have, because now…) Phil has internalized these ideas, and he can’t see how flawed his mother truly is. Phil has idolized his mother, becoming blind to her faults in some twisted compensation for all the pain she has caused him. (Phil is the type of person to say “sometimes I just needed a good slap” and MEAN IT.)

His worship of his mother was of course more extreme when he was a naive child. So during his tween and teen years when he was a bit more of his own person ‘all the sudden’ a rift definitely started to develop between him and his mother. 

Phil’s mother has always made jokes about never wanting Phil to grow up, never wanting him to stop being her little boy. Once he was grown they just shifted to wishing he never had. Sometimes when she’s feeling affectionate towards her son, (normally after being particularly doted on by her adult child,) she’ll say ‘You’ll always be a little kid to me.’ Phil thinks its praise, thinks its love. He can’t see how toxic the narrative is. She’s expressing love for the young kid who worshiped her, and denouncing the teen or adult that is his own person in front of her. ‘I wish you were still that little kid, I wish you’d never gotten bigger.’ These are words that hurt, but cut in a way that isn’t felt on the surface. 

(sorry, the timeline ran away from me. We’re going back to roughly Phil’s teen years again, weeee!)  

Speaking of hurt that isn’t felt on the surface! While corporal punishment wasn’t uncommon in the Graves’ household, 

(sometimes in the classical sense when he was younger, but also as a teen in the sense of off-handed corporal corrections, like the quick hards knocks over the head if he talks back, the swift yank of taking something from his hands, and kick in the shin under the table if he talked too much to guests about something that interested him.)

There was also an undercurrent of causal aggressive physicality that Graves hasn’t identified as abusive to this day, because, well, these family interactions that were always spoken of positively. Why should reality be any different? These are all just loving family play? Right? 

The dig of nails into his side to jumpscare him around the kitchen counter, (only to be laughed out when he yelped). The trick that got him to picking up something hot when he should’ve ‘known better.’ The throw his favorite canned cranberry sauce into his shoulder hard, as a ‘gift’ 

Graves got mad at that one at first, telling his mother to not throw hard cans at him, as duh, it hurt?? She chewed him out for 15 minutes about how she’d done something nice and gotten him something he liked and his ungrateful ass was so selfish that he couldn’t even say thank you“Th-”“Do not interrupt me!”

She ‘didn’t hurt him’ and ‘he was being dramatic,’ ‘a real man could handle a light hit to the shoulder!’ 

Graves tried to show her the already forming bruise. She offered to give him a real one. 

That was her joking with him… right?

These are the interactions that Phil would never see as trauma inducing. These are positive memories starring playful family rough housing. 

He doesn’t give a second thought to why he remembers each one vividly. 

-

Okay, almost done!! Adult years! 

Once he was 18, Phil left to join the army and Serve His Country as the Good American he was, but even out from under her rein Mrs. Graves’ influence can be felt. 

Mrs. Graves always demanded respect, and like a good southern boy, Phil has always given it to her. Even now as an adult Phil loves his mother and tells everyone he couldn’t ask for a better mom. (He really could…) He has disregarded his own emotional well being in a desperate attempt to be a good son, and can’t even see it.

I mean, of course he did. Taking care of his mental well-being was frowned upon. If he wasn’t pushing himself to perform for his mother he wasn’t being a good son. But now the last time Graves cried was at 15 years old, and he’ll need to do a lot of healing before he’s able to again.

When he visits his mother she without fail tells him he doesn’t come home enough. All mothers think their kids should come home more, but Mrs. Graves makes it sound like a personal affront. When he’s home the light bullying hasn’t stopped. He can’t do much without being chastised. Even when he does something she can’t criticize like taking care of himself she can often find a way to make a remark. (like putting on sunscreen? ‘Scared of a little son, don’t want a thick skin?’)

[buff-electra-truther]

Even though I’ve gone into how Electra being a rich celebrity is a… really tragic contrast to irl US electric lines, I actually do think it can be a compelling direction. Especially if you go all in on basing them on MJ/Prince (though I know less about the latter).

I tend to picture them as a new model on trial/press tour and that’s why they have their crew following them around and celebrity status. Akin to the demonstration tour an ICE 1 trainset went on in the early 90s. Being shuttled around and in the spotlight since an early age in a “child star” sort of setup (akin to MJ) gives… a really tragic but interesting reason for why they’d still be relatively childish as an adult. It’s why Electra being pretty socially lost and having issues with boundaries and a near-endless need/capacity for physical affection has always stuck in my head.

The way Amtrak got strategic, bordering on conniving, in their attempts at freight service to break even over the years also nicely parallels how MJ was VERY strategic in his attempts at “gaming the system” to achieve crossover success and mainstream fame (such as crossing over to rock channels to appeal to white audiences). This video explains the history of why and how Amtrak did freight services better than I could:

And then there’s also the thread of how ugly tabloid media coverage of MJ got, only for posthumous info to shed a VERY different light on things like his wildly varied appearance (he had multiple medical issues like lupus and vitiligo that he tried to hide). I’ve already gone into how the NEC gets made fun of for what a mess it can be, when it’s due to very deep seated physical issues.

I know far less about Prince but someone described him as “challenging- in multiple ways, for better and worse” which I really love as a characterization for Electra. Being externally “difficult” to deal with and argumentative due to stress and the kind of circumstances they live and work in, but also being someone who’ll openly challenge supposed norms and speak up. Like “electrification can’t handle X, it’s too delicate for Y” “bullshit, here’s how WE did it in the 30s and Europe regularly does now, it’s all a matter of long term lack of investment”

I think the link of them both being notably conspiratorial is another interesting trait to give Electra. I think they definitely believe GM killed the trolleys and border on being paranoid about the government/railroads plotting against them and wanting them to fail, which… is honestly just true in a lot of ways.

This has been another TED Talk on how Electra is accidentally VERY interesting with real life/historical context. Honestly, I think going the MJ/Prince direction is a really great mix of being fun to watch and recognizable if you don’t know the language, but also full of potential to be a much deeper character.

[blooming-violets]

a spidey rant

I’ve been using my dating apps a bit more recently and I matched with this one guy. We started talking Spidey stuff and he said one of my least favorite Spidey takes ever which is “Andrew Garfield was a good Spider-Man but a bad Peter Parker” and “He was too attractive to play Peter.” It’s just regurgitated sentiments that people on the internet seemed to have cooked up to define the different actors. It’s not a hot take. It’s dumb and overused. 

My issues lie in the fact that Peter Parker was always hot?? Like...he was a massive, awkward nerd but he was a hot massive, awkward nerd. He has the “I’m sexy but I don’t actually know it” thing going on for him. He gains the affections of nearly every super hot female he comes across. MJ is a literal model! Peter has always been attractive enough to catch the eye of the ladies. 

Secondly, he was a fantastic Peter Parker! I’d go so far as to say that Andrew understood the character of Peter better than any other actor who has played him. He’s an awkward, socially embarrassed, nerdy teenager...exactly as young Peter Parker should be. The boy accidentally rips off a woman’s shirt and sticks to a subway ceiling and knocks out everyone in the area with a pole stuck to his hand. He fucks up May’s laundry by attempting to wash his suit and claims that he was washing the American flag. He skateboards but not very well (at least before his powers). He hides his face in half dead flowers and gets in arguments about the police with the police captain/girlfriend’s father over an awkward meet-the-family dinner. He blindly trusts a man who his father worked with because he’s got serious daddy issues and the man praises him a few times. He walks into the street in a daze and swings himself into a building because he sees his pretty girlfriend and his brain goes haywire so he can only think about her and nothing else. Andrew’s Peter is a hot mess of a teenager and idk why some people like to think he was too cool bc we clearly did not watch the same movies. 

My concluding points are that Peter Parker has always been handsome and being handsome does not mean that he can’t also be a giant fucking nerd who can’t navigate a social situation to save his life. He’s a beautiful human mess and AG portrayed that nicely. 

[brawltogethernow]

Who is your least favorite spider-man writer and artist and your most favorite artist and writer of spider-man?

Picking favorites feels surprisingly tricky, not because I can't but because Buscema edges out Romita on art but Conway edges out DeMatteis on writing (by dint of spending thirty straight years + 20 more off and on kicking my ass and how when he falls on his ass it remains fun for me), and these names next to each other are nothing. This is a stupid combination. Really highlights how superhero comics are made by teams and a single dude cannot guarantee quality if they're not vibing with the rest of the carpool. But if I'm picking a team the seventies beats the nineties, and it's sooo disingenuous to try to narrow down one pair of names when that era was Lee/Romita bleeding into Lee/Conway/Romita into Conway/Romita/Kane, also every few issues Mooney dips in to push the Peter having pretty eyelashes agenda and then leaves. Like some of the best art in this era had Kane doing pencils and Romita inking, and I like their combined style more than Romita penciling his own work if we're talking the period where he was still a full time illustrator, but I midkey dislike Kane's pencils inked by everybody else. I looked up who was illustrating 90's Web with Conway on scripts and it turns out the art I like best is a penciler and inker team and the quality takes a dive whenever either of them takes a month off and leaves the other one in a substitute's hands. You know! Team efforts! Anyway here are some iconic combinations in no order cherry picked to cut out overlap and sneak more people in.

Yes Please:

DeMatteis/Buscema

SSM #180

There's a rhythm to this team's work I've full stop never seen anywhere else.

Lee/Romita

ASM #83

The Vibe.

Conway/Andru

ASM #145

The number of times Gerry Conway has kicked my ass. u_u With Romita Sr. and Andru the most distinctive art trait is the faces - Andru's were never as doll-perfect as Romita's, and that's kind of the best thing about them?

Now guys I hate on the other hand. Way less complex. Debated whether to answer this because I try not to go on about who in the industry sucks at their job but this is not because I couldn't.

Please No:

Spencer/Otley

ASM (2018) #30

It should have been difficult to outdo the preceding run, but writing that was simultaneously nonsensical and insulting, deflated pacing where each issue achieved about as much as a single newspaper strip, a teeth-first art style where every face sports a pained grimace and the meandering composition always scores a D-, and the finishing touch of colors that I can only describe as Averaging Out to Oatmeal...combined to create some of the worst comics I've ever seen. Spencer and I appreciate so many of the same comics and his understanding of what makes them good is so poor that it's almost like receiving a personalized hate letter.

Slott/anybody

ASM #546

He can write well which just makes it worse. I don't even know where to start enumerating his crimes. Like do I just pick one anecdote? When there are so many?

Land (the porn trace guy)

Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality #2 but I could have opened anything and found a bad traced yelling face

You know. The guy. Who traces from porn. That guy. He remains gainfully employed despite being known for this. Does he have dirt on an important executive?

Campbell (yes he watermarked the one on the left two separate times AFTER signing it)

ASM (2018) #2 variant, Renew Your Vows #11 variant

If you're distant from the recent comics scene it's hard to convey how omnipresent this guy is. He's like the comic sans of artists. After having the way he draws women ripped to shreds by social media over a decade ago, Campbell doubled down and has since then drawn hundreds of pinups of identical women in invisible high heels making the exact same face. Singlehandedly a huge factor in how people visualize MJ becoming "skinny carrot top with a pointy chin and freckles". He's proud of this.

[the-mocking-robin]

MJ: Stop avoiding the Pinned Post

Yeah, ok.

Hey all. I'm MJ, 30+ years old, a fairly fresh he/him/they transman. I'm located in the USA and work within the central time zone (-6 UTC, I think).

Triggers will be tagged for you upon request outside of what might be considered typical tags to include (nsfw, gore, abuse -- all which I plan to tag without prompting). Please let me know if there is something specific you want tagged and I'll include it to the best of my ability.

Rules and expectations below, but for the sake of everyone visiting:

I have a habit of writing dark and disturbing subjects around my muses. It's best to assume Dead Dove and "proship" content will occur in this blog than not -- I don't have any clear plans for most of it right now, but I'd rather you have the ability to leave this blog and keep clear of the possibility than just trust that I wouldn't write these things.

Again, ask me to tag if you'd like to stick around and just need to avoid certain subjects.

Blacklist and blocks are your friends.

Morality policing is... so Tired. If you have issues with writing dark subject matter, for both our sakes, please block me now. My preoccupation is with the well being and safety of real people in my real community -- fictional characters don't deserve the stress some people want to attach to them.

Public Call Outs are unnecessary and lead too often to abuse of those subjected to them. It's too much hearsay. Too much actually malicious intent and not enough care for fellow bloggers. I will block you if I have to; witch hunts are never fun.

You need to talk to me if you expect me to do things for your comfort on your dash. I will not accept anxiety as an excuse for you to not communicate with me. This is an inherently social activity with a ton of strangers -- I absolutely NEED you to communicate boundaries and expectations with me if you feel I'd forgotten anything.

In-Character needs to be completely separate from Out Of Character.

If you can't separate yourself from your muse and take arguments, romantic interests and other such things as a personal attack/judgement, then we can't play in the sandbox together. I will block and blacklist the second I see anything that implies you're just writing self-insert role play.

Format as you please; I probably won't. My preoccupation is the execution of character and the experimentation of scenarios within that character... not text and icon aesthetics. I've tried it. It's exhausting.

You do you, though, it legitimately looks amazing what you're doing. [/genuine tone]

The usual applies: This is a colored, queer and disabled space. Ableism, racism, queer-phobia and all that will not be tolerated. I'll block you and I won't give you a warning about it -- THIS is the warning.

This is already a lot, but I'll update this as needed.

[swampgh0stt]

here's the tag for my AU (x) art by @stardustrobin

Harry & Peter are married! Childhood friends that (much to Norman's excitement) got married young. They have a son together (Normie)

Harry is trans (FtM) & started transitioning after he had Normie. However, he socially transitioned when he was younger.

Together, they run the Emily-May foundation. Peter still manages to do Spider-Man work on the side, as Harry is well aware of his husbands "other job." This sometimes causes issues between them when Peter gets a little too involved in Spider-Man duties.

But that's okay, bc these two have a Third in their relationship: a now mostly reformed Quentin Beck. Harry likes to bring him into the "Spider-Man" arguments to help get Peter's shit together

Info dump below the cut for our AU

Harry Osborn:

standing at 5'10, black hair & lilac eyes (Norman also has lilac eyes. might be something to do with their illness? hmm... )

He has a pet wolf named Lyra, who he & Quentin stole from a local dog-fighting ring that Mysterio interrupted (thanks to Harry's begging). Harry is rarely ever seen without her

Harry & Norman both have a genetic, terminal illness they hide from the public.

Harry is biracial-- his mother originally from a Reservation in Montana. She is Lakota. However, she is no longer with Norman & no one knows why she left

Harry speaks Lakota fluently. He often talks shit with Quentin

Harry is the secret donor behind Quentin's Mysteriums that have been popping up around the city. He, Quentin, & Peter all frequent the locations for dates, which lead to these Mysteriums being a huge success

active on social media, with successful insta & tiktok pages. He also shares a Youtube page with Quetin, but Quentin usually runs it & comes up with projects for the page

Harry is an abuse survivor, but only Quentin & Peter are privy to the extent of what he's endured from Norman through his life. He has a strained relationship with Norman, but can't completely separate himself

Harry used to have a relationship with MJ, but it was short-lived. They're still very close. Normie loves his Auntie MJ too

despite Harry & Norman's condition -- Normie didn't seem to get the same illness. odd...

Harry has some goblin tech he worked on for himself. he calls his persona the Hobgoblin & will sometimes join Peter on patrols, but not often. This persona has also been seen with Mysterio, but never for any villainous activities

Peter Parker:

tall and lanky with some decent lean muscle; boy is topped off at around 6’3”

fluffy chocolate brown hair

dark hazel eyes; lots of nice deep greens mixed with some browns and ambers

freckles only on his cheeks and across the bridge of his nose; also has a few on his shoulders

aside from web-slinging his main modes of transportation are a skateboard, a bike, a scooter, and getting rides from Harry

his board, bike, and scooter are all second hand, he got the board from the pawnshop and the bike and the scooter from alleyway dumpsters

he’s fixed up the bike and scooter himself, the board was already in pretty good condition

Uncle Ben did teach him how to drive, but it's just easier and quicker for him to board where he needs to be

he and Aunt May did keep Ben’s old truck in case they need it to drive around town

100% Jewish

like in your face about it, he and Aunt May celebrate every holiday

used to go Synagogue all the time with Uncle Ben and Aunt May; now it more or less every so often when he has or can make the free time-- Aunt May goes to Synagogue often and catches Peter up on what he misses

he knows how to speak and write Hebrew; Uncle Ben was his primary teacher and then Aunt May helped out

doesn’t always stick 100% to Kosher-- oops don’t tell Aunt May

will absolutely throw in Yiddish into his speech-- Aunt May is 100% to blame

has only ever dated Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy-- doesn’t date MJ in my books

however he does get a bit of a crush but quickly loses interest but they become really close friends

doesn’t like taking handouts, prefers to work and earn his own money/things

does get visibly uncomfortable when people offer/give him money and/or handouts

Harry Osborn was his first crush and first love

Gwen is also his first girlfriend

Peter is bi

he really loves taking pictures and he’s good at it, once he started working for the Daily Bugle he started to get more serious in his photography

pretty much all his photography gear is second hand, he does have a few new things that he’s saved up for and bought for himself

doesn’t leave his Aunt May, he makes sure to stay with her so he can help her out with what she needs

doesn’t really buy a lotta new stuff for himself, most of his things do come second hand

his gadgets are mainly made from scraps and spare parts he finds, but he does buy what he needs 

after the spider bite he doesn’t really need to wear his glasses anymore, but he does wear them/keep them on her person out of habit-- he’s changed the prescription glass to just regular plastics

May let Peter keep Ben’s wedding band, he keeps it on his Star of David necklace that he keeps tucked in his shirt for luck and inspiration

Aunt May totally knows that he’s Spider-Man, he just doesn’t know she knows

after becoming Spider-Man he started to teach himself how to fight better, some of his moves in the beginning of hero came from his spidey sense, instinct, and reflex-- he chose to hone those skills to become better and not get himself or others hurt

has a pet opossum named Gizmo that he rescued from a dumpster and he thought she was a cat

Lyra & Gizmo are very close, surprisingly. You can often find Gizmo hanging on to Lyra, traveling & sharing food together.

when Spider-Man & Hobgoblin go out, they call themselves the "Spider-Pals," which started as a joke but stuck

[spider-man-199999]

Web love || Spider-Man 4

Summary: Spider-Man saved you that one time when you needed him and now he comes and checks up on you every single day. 

Author's note: I'm honestly so demotivated to write this part since the whole series flopped and idk why

previously on web love: part 1 part2  part 3 

this pic is a representation of how Peter feels about his mixed feeling in this fic 

      "...Life often times opens doors we never really expected to ever be open. And often times these new opportunities lead us to experiencing things we never have dreamed of. And these experiences shape us into the person we become. But sometimes the person we see in the mirror is not the person we want to be. Taking particular roles in life bring us misery, especially when we are not mentally prepared to meet other's expectations for this "social role". And now that we have grown up, we have gone this far, who do we owe it to? When you look back on your life you realize that it's not the groundbreaking turning point that has made us who we are but it was the little everyday things like meeting someone new, doing things you have never done before and generally having the courage to put yourself out there in the world are actually the things that really change us. Those are the things that speak for us the loudest in society and those are the things to which I owe who I am now." Peter's voice rang in the classroom as he read his English essay, his palms sweaty and his cheeks rosy. After he finished his speech the teacher thanked him and told him to sit down and as he walked down to this seat he flipped Ned off, who was filming him with his phone the whole time. 

"What are you doing, nuthead?" Peter whispered to him 

"I'm going to send this to Y/N, she helped you write that and wanted me to tell her how it went. But we live in the 21st century so I thought it would be better to show her instead''

"Sure, fine, even though I probably look like a dumbass-" he started saying as the teacher shushed them. Peter shook his head, getting a text from you. 

Killsforpills: So, I heard the reading went well.

Spywalker: Not bad, not bad 

Killsforpills: PUBG after school?

Spywalker: I have work

Killsforpills: Ok, I'll be playing if you decide to join at some point

After the last time Spider-man had come to visit he had vanished once again. You would spend most of your free time just playing videogames and doing school work. Keeping your thoughts occupied was the best way for your to not go insane after everything. Deadpool stopped showing up as well, which left you thinking that maybe this insanity was finally over for good. Maybe it was time to turn the page and try to find a boyfriend or something. Everyone around seemed occupied with someone else, Peter and MJ, Ned and some girl from their school. You felt left out, crying yourself to sleep more times than you would wish for. 

                                                             **

Spidey, of course, was not happy about the fact either. He would always check up on you when he could, come see you as much as possible. The issue was that he felt like he had made a really big mess when he visited the last time. He was feeling like a hot mess as well, all these things happening to him. The pressure of being Spider-man, the guilt of lying to MJ about his feelings, the pain from seeing you hurt. It was all piling up, making him slowly lose his mind in all the stress. He would get injure more often than before, do worse on his test. He even seemed to space out often enough to make Ned and MJ worried about him. He would brush it off and tell them not to pay him attention ‘’it’s just superhero things’’ he would say and put on a fake smile for them. It got to the point where Ned had to call and make you try and get something out of him 

“You have to call him and make him play a game together! Please, he refuses to talk to us! We need you to find something out....’‘ Ned whined through the phone, convincing you to help him.

“I don’t mean to be rude but why don’t you ask MJ? She’s his girlfriend, surely she’ll get more out of him than me.”

“We tried everything, you’re our last hope! Maybe he needs someone he doesn’t see every single day to open up to! Just try, ok?’‘ 

‘‘Ok, fine, I’ll try’‘ You agreed with a sigh escaping your lips. 

The ringing sound was filling your ear as you had already dialed Peter, trying to reach him. After a few rings you gave up on the call, throwing your phone on the bed behind you and messaging Ned. 

Killsforpills: He’s not picking up

Iamfriendswithsidey: Call him again. PLEASE

Killsforpills: Surely he would have picked up if he wanted to talk, maybe he’s busy.

You heard the vibrations from behind you, turning to see Peter calling you. Rushing to pick up you stumbled in the bed, groaning as you hit your leg and rolled on the bed, picking up.

‘‘Hey, you called’‘ You barely heard the boy’s voice from what seemed like wind 

‘‘Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to play some Minecraft, ouch’‘

“What’s wrong?’‘

‘‘Fuck, um nothing, I hit my leg in the bed and it’s bleeding’‘ 

‘‘I’ll be over in a bit’‘ 

‘‘Wait, I....’‘ he had already hung up. 

You felt kind of bad, maybe he thought it was a serious injury and that’s why he was rushing over but in reality it was just a scratch and he was going to go out of his way for nothing. After what seemed an eternity you heard the doorbell, walking over to open the door. Peter walked in with a worried expression on his face, scanning you to see where the injury was.

‘‘What happened? Are you alright?” He asked as he threw his bag on the couch and grabbed your hand, pulling you towards the bathroom.

‘‘Peter, it’s literally just a scratch, you shouldn’t have walked all the way here! I can take care of that’‘ 

He didn’t even bother to listen to you, sitting you down on the edge of the tub and looking through the cabinet for rubbing alcohol and bandages. 

‘‘It’s going to sting’‘ He said in a serious tone, cleaning the wound. 

‘‘You don’t need to do this for just a scratch’‘

He looked up, his gaze piercing right through your body, making you shiver. 

‘‘You’ve done it too many times for me’‘

‘‘I haven’t?”

‘‘I mean you would have done it for me too’‘ he said suddenly embarrassed, placing a plaster on the scratch and getting up. 

‘‘Hey, what’s with your hands?’‘ His hands were all covered in plaster and bandage

‘‘It’s nothing, work stuff’‘ 

‘‘Peter, I’m serious, what’s going on? Ned and MJ are very worried about you, you cut me off every time I try to spend time with you, what’s wrong? You know you can tell me. You’ve been acting kind of odd lately.’‘ 

He looked up, one eye squinting lightly because of the light above you. He put on a fake smile, packing the things he used back. 

‘‘I really do think it would be best for you if you didn’t know’‘ he said softly and got up, walking out of the bathroom and sitting on the kitchen counter (like Spider-man used to do every time he would hag out), grabbing a glass and pouring himself a glass of orange juice. Everything felt oddly familiar when you saw he scene. The way his legs hung, the way he threw his head back as he drank, his jawline. Even the way he wiped his mouth with his sleeve sparked some weird sensation in your chest. You tried to brush it off, trying not to think about it and sat down on the couch, turning the tv on. You two spent the evening playing Minecraft together but by the time Peter had to go it felt like you made little to no progress with him. I guess talking about feelings was not his thing. 

                                                              ***

After Peter left your apartment that night, you couldn’t sleep well. After hours of spinning and tossing around in your bed, all the memories of Spider-Man kept rushing through your head, his voice, the way he talked, the way he moved, everything was adding up in your head, it felt like you were about to explode. You never really spent much time with Peter, especially alone, so you never really had a close observation on his behaviour. Yet, somehow, everything clicked. The clock was striking 2 am when you decided maybe it was finally time to confront the situation. Your feelings were getting caught up in the mix as well, making it even worse. It really did feel like your head was spinning, you couldn’t breathe well, your heart was beating so fast it was going to explode just like your head. A panic attack? You’d didn’t know what to do. The only person you knew you need to talk to was Peter. So, almost on impulse, you picked up your phone and dialled his number. You heard the dial in your ear, it was so loud you had to pull the phone slightly away form your face. Just as you did that, the dial stopped and you heard a faint voice from the small device.

“Hello?”

Your breathing got heavier, your heart started beating faster and the room really started spinning.

“Hello? Y/N, are you alright?” The words echoed in the room, a bit more clear this time, you felt tears rolling down your cheeks.

“N-no” you managed to whisper through heavy breaths

“Where are you?” Peter asked, starting to panic himself, which made you more worried.

“Home” you said softly, breaking down in a cry at this point

“Okay, listen to me. I want you to breathe slowly, follow my lead” he told you, voice still panicked as he started taking deep breaths, listening closely to you as you started copying him. “I’m on my way to you, okay? Just keep breathing”

“I’m so sorry” you muffled out, through soft cries, handing up form the panic and breaking down. You didn’t expect to have a panic attack when you called him, or for it to get worse when you did. You didn’t expect him to actually come around, but he did, at 2:30 am, he was knocking on your door.

You had managed to calm down a bit at that point, opening the door a bit hesitantly. His heart shattered when he saw you like that, immediately hugging you and closing the door behind him.

“What’s wrong? What happened? How can I help?” He asked as he held you close, his scent filled your nostrils and eased your nerves a little bit. You could hear his heartbeat. Why was it so fast? Was was this so scary?

“I want you to be honest with me.” You said against his chest, pulling away shortly after so you could look at his face. “Are you… God this sounds so crazy, I promise I’m not crazy! Are you Spider-Man?”

The words spilled out and it suddenly became silent. Peter let go of you, hands going through his hair as he nervously paced around. He didn’t really manage to put a much of an outfit, he was in sweatpants and a loose white T-shirt that moved up with the motion of his hands and exposed his lower stomach. He seemed like he was having a crisis, walking around, squatting down. He looked very nervous and overwhelmed. Was he the one having a panic attack now? The boy stared at the floor, his hair was all messed up, remaining squat down as he exhaled heavily.

“How… did you find out?” He asked coldly, not looking at you.

                                                              ***

Iamfriendswithspidey: Did you talk to Peter?

The messaged popped up on your screen as you were in the middle of a fight with Peter. You both looked at the phone that was on the couch, the screen showing 3:45 am. Shit, you had been arguing for more than an hour now. The nervous pacing continued for a while from both of you, but the tiredness and the emotional drain was so bad it made you sit down, him on the counter and you on the backrest of the couch, looking at him.

"What did you tell him?" Peter asked, feeling defeated already

"Nothing at all, he asked me to check up on you because you were acting weird and distant. Never got to the point of figuting out what was wrong with you." You replied, voice filled with anger and sadness. The text message was followed by a call, with both of you staing at the screen as it rang, so you could gather your thoughts.

"So..." You broke the silence after Ned gave up "We're set on how you became Spider-man... Care to explain everything else?" You crossed your hands in front of your chest.

"I-" he started, looking down at his lap almost like he was building up the courage. "Well... you see... I don't even know how to explain something I don't understand myself"

"You can try, becuase I'm dying to know why you would do something like this"

"What did I do exactly?"

"Peter...What didn't you do?" You said in frustration, getting up and pacing around again "You would come here, spend time with me for a month straight, every fucking day. You would make me laugh and comfort me and get to know me and all of that bullshit and then leave like it meant nothing! Did it really mean nothing to you?''

"Of course it meant something!'' he jumped off the counter catching up to you to grab your arm "I wouldn't have done any of this if you meant less. I overstepped all of my boundries to be here with you.''

You looked at him, tears starting to stream down your face.

"So you could abandon me? Like you didn't care? Like I was nothing? I spent weeks crying, trying to figure out what I did wrong to push you away" You pulled away from his grip, breaking down in front of him. You could see his emotions getting the better of him as well, his breathing rapid and sharp, his fist clenching.

"You thought it was easy for me too?" He asked, anger bubbling up in his chest. "To have so many people dependent on you? To be constantly scared that the people you care most about could end up hurt because of you?"

"So you thought disappearing on them would make it all better?"

"No, not at all" He let out a sigh, looking down at his lap again. "It just got so complicated, the more I came over, the closer we got and then I just-" He looked back up, looking at your teary eyes "I couldn't help it, I really couldn't, we clicked so well and it was so easy with you and I... I just fell for you, so hard, I was terrified, I couldn't tell you as Spider-Man, I couldn't tell you I was Spider-Man... I had to find some other solution"

"You know what the worst part about this is" you said between sobs "It's that I feel in love with you too''.

He pulled you in after that, hugging you tightly. You tried pushing him but he was much stronger. You cried into his chest, gripping his shirt. He didn't say anything, hot tears streaming down his cheeks as he rested his chin on top of your head.

"Stop" you begged him "Please stop doing this, now that I know it's you, it hurts even worse"

"Why?" He asked, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible

"Because you're dating someone else" you said, helplessly hitting his chest with your fist, trying to make him let go. "Please let me go, I can't do this"

"I'm not letting you go" He shook his head, kissing your forehead "I'm never letting you go, I'm sorry for everything, if I were more of a man, none of this would have happened''

You continued helplessly hitting him, crying in his arms. He hugged you tighter, crying into your hair.

"I would understand if you never want to see me again" he whispered.

"I don't hate you, Peter'' you whispered back. "I just need some time to process all of this"

[ashitakaxsan]

A Mystery behind the Hijacked School Buses:

I'm grateful to fellow @mj-ackerman . Thanks to him thappened this great discussion,who sheds light to the Weird aspect of the arc.

The arc,where the Red Circus teams hijacked the school buses,ended with a Victory of Anya: She talked to Billy Squire,she masterfully managed negotiating, ending the Crisis with everyone unscathed.She,becky Blachbell,Damian and Watkins were awarde with Stella Stars.

However there's an oddity we hadn't pay attention to it.

How did Squire know the names of the kids,and the social position of the a',b'..Father? The panels with the stunned kids speaks so.

The school doesn't announce to the outside people it's activities(how strict they are),they always prioritize the safety of the students-since most of them are children of VIP's.

Despite their tight securities there are still ways for skilled spies and the likes to get info. Twilight, for example, getting the answers for the entrance exam,and how he can easily sneak in and out of the Academy.

So the explanation is

a)The Red Circus had a very good informant ,or

b) Maybe it had an insider, who sold to them the info about Eden's activities that day,and the names of the children and their families standing in Ostania's government.

To get this clear and solid let's see thoughly This:Before this arc,there's in chapter 64, a "trivial" detail,but likely so crucial: The x' buss driver had a medical issue,so he couldn't come to the duty.Mere coincidence?

See below the scene of chapter 64:

I figure they drugged the real bus driver so to place there members of the Red Circus.

My Conclusion:

Now it makes sense how the Red Circus teams proceeded to their plan,with such Creepy Accuracy-but they couldn't know about the Telepath Anya. Maybe Endo sensei will make an arc with an investigation,about the source of these inside knowledges.Let's wait.

[ace-dodo]

BEWARE OF THE OC POSTING RAAAAAAAAAH 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

My loves

Indigo is kinda just staring into your soul, ignore that

ANYWAYS, RANT BELOW THE CUT 🤭🤭

Kay so, introductions, I probably should've started with introductions (I have no idea how to make introductions, have some rants about em instead)

Indigo:

Was bitten by a radioactive spider at the beginning of her senior year, and for the last 2 years he's been the one and only spiderman (or so he thought)

Afab, any pronouns, unlabeled

Was born in Colombia but moved to the us when she was 12

Is currently studying fashion design

He has both mom's and both of them are dead :DD (funny story actually)

In case you couldn't tell they're autistic

Very sociable, they like talking with most people and getting to know everything about everyone (doesn't mean they get social cues tho, it's a whole fake it till you make it)

A nerd in disguise (ppl thought they bagged a baddie, but no, she's gonna explain whatever her current fixation is)

Not a natural blonde (you didn't hear this from me)

Is a part of the cult spider society

MJ:

Amab, she/her, a lesbian

Her parents are Colombian but she was born in the us

MJ is short for Maria Juana (what her parents would've named her if she was born afab)

Is shy af

Is currently studying journalism and wants to unmask spiderman (not in a bad way tho, think of alya from ladybug)

Her dad is dead :D

She has low sugar levels on her blood (I think it's diabetes type 1 but I still need to do more research)

She's a wet cat

Trust issues! Yay!

And I think that's it 🤭🤭 (I will be introducing more characters and lore to the 3 people that are interested in em)

Look at the sillies

[whatiwillsay]

I'm both a longtime Beyhive and a longtime Swiftie, so I'll chime in about the Billboard list

*very long*

Honestly, comparing Beyoncé to Taylor is a disservice to Bey. This woman has not only been highly relevant but has been thriving in the vinyl, CD, and digital eras, and she is still highly relevant in the streaming era. Sure, Bey doesn't pull as many streaming numbers as Taylor does, but she still is a streaming force. Chart positions and sales aren't even the metrics by which Billboard compiled this list. Here's what they've said in their article:

And we must also issue our obligatory reminder that unlike with our Year-End Charts, these Greatest Pop Stars are NOT mathematically determined by stats like chart position, streams or sales numbers. Those play a big part in our final rankings, of course — you can’t be one of the greatest pop stars of the century without great pop hits and great pop albums — but so do things like music videos, live performances and social media presence, and more intangible factors like cultural importance, industry influence and overall omnipresence. (And we’re measuring this over all 25 years of this century so far, so if you were only heard from at the beginning or the end of that period — or only had one or two big songs, albums or eras — that’s gonna significantly hinder your ranking here as well.)

She is the blueprint for most, if not all, pop stars of the mid- to late 00s, '10s, and '20s, and they've said so themselves. Not only that, several athletes, business owners, fashion designers, architects, producers, and even professional chefs have said that her work ethic, artistry, drive, and attention to details inspire them to do better. She's transformed the industry forever. She's the first artist (correct me if I'm wrong) who's done a visual album in the form of a music video for each song (B'Day in 2006) and one of the few artists who's done a concept film for an album (Lemonade in 2016 and Black Is King in 2020). In terms of music videos, Beyoncé is far ahead of Taylor, and since it's a criteria for Billboard's list, she's got an advantage. 

Beyoncé's the real trendsetter in music, while Taylor chases what's popular at the moment and makes it a theme for each album both in terms of music and visuals. Beyoncé's also THE most versatile music artist in the industry: her range goes from gospel to rap, from disco to rock, from pop to bluegrass, from R&B to Americana, from opera to reggae. She is an exceptional artist with a unique™ vocal talent that continues to improve with age. There are such things as prime Whitney, prime Celine, and prime Mariah, but there are no such things as prime Beyoncé. Besides that, Beyoncé's also credited as the inventor of "talk-singing," which all of the modern singers and rappers use as their primary technique in music. Even Kanye has said so.

Live performances are also a criteria, and I think it doesn't even need to be discussed. Beyoncé's regarded as one of the best performers of all time. I personally would even say that she is THE best performer of all time, but it's irrelevant to this discussion. She's the first female performer to ever do an all-stadium tour (Formation Tour in 2016); her Super Bowl HT show is widely regarded as the Top-3 of all time, along with Prince and MJ. She's popularized feminine dancing in the industry; before that, the girls were basically cheerleading and jumping around the stage.

In terms of social media presence, I think it could be quite debatable. There are several viral Tik Tok Beyoncé trends going on at the moment. There's a "Lose My Breath" trend (the song came out 20 years ago), there's a "Diva" trend (the song came out 16 years ago), there's a "16 Carriages" trend, and a trend for Trump's "Dance Party with Beyoncé," to name a few. Also, everything she does or doesn't do makes headlines or is heavily discussed in online spaces. For example, her wearing a silver dress with 613 color hair, making her "look white," made rounds for weeks online. Her playing her film in Is**** made a ton of online discussion, while Taylor has also played hers there, and I've barely seen mentions of it online (both of them had nothing to do with it and couldn't stop it, imo; they signed their contract with the distributor months before Oct. 7 happened). People called Beyoncé "genocide Barbie" for being present at the Kamala rally and said that she "made" Kelly Rowland wear an oversized suit so she'd look better even though Kelly has worn those suits for a long time AND she always looks incredible in them. Don't get me started on the whole Tik Tok conspiracies and "she knows" thing. Even the false rumors of her making an appearance at the DNC have made it to mainstream news channels. There's also a phrase "The Beyoncé of..." that exists. Undoubtedly, Taylor has an immense media presence, but unfortunately, it's mostly her being at Trav's games, pap walks, or someone making up baseless rumors about her that no one outside of the Swiftie circles and pop culture nerds care about. I don't think anything outside of her excessive jet usage or new album variants makes noise outside of those circles except when the new material comes out and then it's 2 weeks of deciphering the songs. I think Taylor needs this kind of media presence to thrive, while Beyoncé does not. Taylor is a very talented writer, which has gotten her such a big following, but at the same time, it's her marketing that has gotten us to this Taylormania point. She's actively cultivated a quite parasocial relationship between herself and the Swifties by inviting them to her house, saying that she needs them to feel good about herself (I'm paraphrasing), and leaving easter eggs about her relationships and personal life in her music and music videos. She hasn't established any boundaries with her own fanbase, and that's why it's starting to feel cult-like at times. While Beyhives were and still can be quite insufferable at times, she knew when to pull back and cut the majority of the toxicity from her fandom so it doesn't impact her own life. Also, it's worth noting that the main drive of Taylor's popularity is her relatability. Beyoncé's brand has never been about relatability; in fact, it's always been the opposite, and I don't know why people are complaining about it: she's always said that she comes from an affluent family and went to private school. Because of the current state of Taylor's fame, I'm going 50/50 on this one.

Then there's the cultural importance part. I think Beyoncé's also ahead of Taylor here. Beyoncé's music has always been political, and she's made a pivot into teaching her listeners about Black history. There are multiple college courses about her artistry and image. She's also the reason why music is now being released on Fridays. She's created that silver craze last year with her tour; this year it has been cowboy attire. Black country artists are finally getting a platform: Shaboozey's song is now the longest-running Billboard Hot 100 solo #1 song of all time, and Linda Martell (a Black country artist from the 60s) just got her first Grammy nomination, and it's in a rap category (I mean, c'mon). She's at a point in her career where she is honoring her heritage and giving platforms to Black artists in predominantly white spaces (house, country, and I'm assuming Act III is going to be some sort of rock fusion). Also, to put things into perspective, at 34 years old, Beyoncé gave us Lemonade while Taylor gave us TTPD. Both of them have been recording artists since they were 15-16, so I think this comparison is valid. Bey also has way more universally recognized hits than Taylor does. Although Beyoncé doesn't write her songs alone as Taylor sometimes does, she is a prolific songwriter in her own right (the topics of discussion in their music are also incredibly different). She's also an incredible producer. I've seen multiple songwriters and producers talk about her process and praise her for having an incredible ear. Listen to the instrumental version of some of her songs (I'd say that Single Ladies is one of the best and clearest examples) and compare it to the album version. Not only does she have an incredible ear for melodies, she's also been the vocal producer for every single one of her albums, including the first Destiny's Child album. Her music, music videos, live performances, presentation, vocals, musical production, fashion, incorporation of Black culture, hair and make-up choices, and live performance arrangements (Homecoming had like 20-30 samples) are what her cultural importance is. There are generations of pop stars that took notes from her, and there will be generations of pop stars that will reference those who were inspired by Beyoncé after she retires, and that's what makes her a truly important and impactful icon that she already is.

If Billboard has any integrity left, Beyoncé should be an indisputable #1 pick. Taylor being at #2 is also higher than I would expect. I'd place her in the Top 5 for sure, but #2 seems very generous.

thank you for writing this up!

[seriousfic]

Blue Beetle (2023)

Blue Beetle reminds me mostly of the first Amazing Spider-Man movie. It's not capital-B bad, but it could be a lot better. Part of it is that Angel Manuel Soto, like Marc Webb, simply isn't a cinematic genius like Sam Raimi.

Another is that the adaptation changes a lot of the source material, not to make it more interesting or anything, but to make it MORE generic. The plot is almost exactly like Ant-Man, for fuck's sake.

OG hero used to run a benevolent corporation, but he's been forced out by the villain, who wants to use his tech for military purposes (wait, wouldn't that mean we'd be sending all that evil military technology over to Ukraine to help fight Putin? I guess we're not supposed to think about that.) Legacy hero stumbles into the OG hero's tech and gets help from OG hero's daughter to take back the corporation. There's similar wholesale plagiarism from the Iron Man and Spider-Man movies (how many missiles are there that have manufacturer logos on them, really?).

Another weirdness is that in the comics, Jaime actually has friends. In the movie, the only people he ever talks to are his family, his love interest, and the villains (which doesn't stop the movie from doing a THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY epilogue--yeah, where were you guys when the Reyes family was getting their shit pushed in on the front lawn?). It's odd to think nerdy loser Peter Parker was at least friends with Harry and on speaking terms with MJ, while clean-cut, handsome everyman Jaime has no social skills.

It's not saying much, but the movie is a little better at tone than modern Marvel. It plays way too many pop songs during serious moments, but it can also shut up at times. It still gets cartoony as hell with Jaime's grandma turning into John Wick--yeah, she kills people with a machine gun--and his uncle knowing how to pilot a hover-ship--which doesn't mesh well with the director dropping references to social issues like they're Green Lantern story arcs. Okay, are we a wacky cartoon or are we trying to make a statement about gentrification? I guess both!

Speaking of which, the movie keeps Jaime's no-kill rule, but lets his family blow up, blast, and even fucking IMPALE henchmen like there's no tomorrow. And it makes a point of having sympathetic villains and spelling out how desperately the disadvantaged Reyes family needs jobs. I guess none of those mooks just needed to pay for their family home. They all willingly chose to do evil by... working for a legitimate military contractor and trying to recover stolen property/guard private property.

And it's another movie where they make the villains cartoonishly racist instead of faux progressive like any real evil billionaire would be. There's a bit where a receptionist is told Jaime's name when he introduces himself (pronounced Haime) and she keeps mispronouncing it Jamie because... she knows how it's spelled and she's willingly pronouncing it the Anglo way instead of how he just told her it was pronounced? Like this sort of thing wouldn't immediately get recorded, posted on Twitter, and end up costing her her job? But, you know, I guess that's a sign of how evil Victoria Kord is, that she's carefully choosing racist receptionists who assume that a Mexican in a business suit must be a deliveryman.

That whole sequence... which is how Jaime gets his powers... is kinda a mess. Okay, he texts Jenny Kord for a job interview, but she doesn't know he's coming or set an appointment, because that's when she's stealing the Scarab. So I guess this pre-law college grad just decided to show up at Kord Industries and lie about having an appointment with a member of the board... so he could get a job interview... instead of waiting for her to text him back?

I know the movie is about alien technology and flying superheroes, but can we at least have them act like real people when it comes to things like job interviews, when everyone in the audience knows how those work?

Still, the movie stays mostly on the rails until the third act, where you get a patent example of just how bad modern blockbuster making has gotten. Everywhere Raimi's Spider-Man movies were smooth, streamlined, and organic, this movie's third act is cluttered and clumsy. Jaime himself is sidelined for an unbelievable interval, while every member of his family gets a hero moment and/or a pep talk to give to Jaime. They all blend together, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of them got more than one.

And still the climax crams in more STUFF, from a last-minute redemption arc (again, more than one!) to a teachable moment between Jaime and his AI. None of this comes across as earned or stirring. And there's an unforgivable bit where Jaime's final power-up is blended with the villain going Super Saiyan and yet more side characters setting off one in a long line of explosives.

There's some many obviously cruddy writing moments like that. There's a scene where Jaime and Jenny easily escape pursuit, right next to a scene where they have their first encounter with the villainous Carapax in the exact same circumstances... couldn't some of that be merged or dumped so we had more time to spend on the development that's shoved in willy-nilly?

I'm not saying the first Spider-Man was Shakespeare, but we got a good idea of Peter, May, Mary Jane, Harry, Norman, and how they all related to each other... even foreshadowing of where their paths would continue on in future movies. In the last five minutes of Blue Beetle, they're still explaining Carapax's motivation! His last words are basically "I just remembered my backstory!" No, director-man, you gotta weave that into the narrative. We can't care about something when we heard about it for the first time ten seconds ago!

[karimwillia]

Part 2

Warnings: Fluff

Riri makes it to class and with no issue it’s time for lunch. Her and MJ walk past the huge portrait of Shuri that hangs in the foyer of the school. The banner always showcases the student of the year. “Ri so spill I was hearing the rumbles about what happened in Doc Stevens today.”

Riri turns auburn red. “Ugh why is this place so huge but rumors spread like the population is 2. We got assigned new lab partners. No biggie.” Riri tries to play off her fluster. “Girl you are a terrible liar. I know you got paired with Shuri!! Omg! I know you died.” Riri was getting hot now.

She reached and grabbed MJ. “Shhh no not really but what could have killed me is she was flirty today.” Pausing a moment, MJ was stunned. “Girl Shut Up! Flirty how!?! I knew y’all was kinda cool but not like that.” Ri breathes and calms down.

“Ok you know I’m not the best at social stuff but she spoke to me when we stood up. Just saying how it’s been a while and that she missed me. Then she said we have to talk outside of school more so she locked her number in my phone.”

MJ screams laughing. “Yo she was hard body flirting. Omg! Friend, what if she likes you?” Riri twists her face. Sure she can think that during the moment but Shuri is a naturally flirty person. Riri has seen it 1000 times. She winks and smiles and calls all “cute girls” sweethearts. It’s her thing but for them it was new.

“Michelle Jordan I am the last person she is interested in. I’m not like these other girls she has been with. I’m not the tall model type. She’s nice to me because we are school friends.

MJ’s face falls to a frown from a goofy wide smile. “Ri do you know you are beautiful and I’m sure Shuri sees that. Plus that is not the same as how she flirts with others.” Riri is so red now as she thinks it over. “Ugh help MJ how am I supposed to do this? My brain hurts, and you know how I get anxious.” MJ stops her right there. “No I’m not accepting that! You talk to her all the time and you are just fine. What is the difference now?”

Riri and MJ have settled in the bleachers of the gym as people play basketball and chat around them. “Ok when I lack confidence that’s when I struggle.” MJ listens and she grabs Ri’s hand. “You have to be more confident in yourself then. Friend you are a baddie under these 2 size to big hoodies. Intelligent, funny, kind and humble. Anyone is lucky to know you girl. That’s the attitude you need. It’s senior year and you have never been to a dance or done a school function. We are fixing that!”

Taking out her iPad MJ opened the notes app and sat back. “We are making a senior year bucket list. The ultimate to-do list for this school year.” The girls talk back and forth while MJ creates the list. “M this is ridiculous, I am not a total square. I have done some stuff.” “Yep all academics and school related trips. This list is to break you out of this shell you put yourself in. You are only young once.” Riri is kind of hesitant. But is MJ right? Ri was always a student first. That was the priority. In reality she was scared of being social because it was unpredictable. She could not prepare, she just had to be and that is terrifying.

The girls complete the list and it feels good. There is just one problem.

“MJ how am I supposed to get invited to things or go on a date? No one knows me.” MJ smiles and winks looking out on the court. Shuri is taking a deep 3 point shot. She had been playing for most of lunch getting distracted every so often looking up at Riri.

Riri’s eyes widened at the realization. “No no no no. I don’t want to ask her.” MJ’s smile is neurotic. “Listen! What harm would it cause? Ask her for help and you never know you two may fall in love.” Riri contemplates the words. “Oh my…God”

A custom buzz comes through on Riri’s phone that she’s never heard. Who is texting her at this time a day. Her Mom is at work, her Sister is at work and MJ is with her. A name pops up: “Daddy Panther🖤✨” Shuri was texting her…The conversation was cute but stopped after a short exchange.

MJ snatches the phone and looks at it. With a holler. “Ooooooh you mean to tell me you think she puts that in everyone’s phone!?” Riri shakes her head. Good lord maybe this is not a one sided crush.

@somethingcleaverandwhitty @mal-urameshi @shuriris-stuff

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 045: Snuff Out the Light (SSM 19-21)

MASTERPOST

This week: a mystery! Because it worked so well the last few times :D

We also see quite a bit of Peter's social life, fanservice, and a character I love is back <3

SSM #19 starts in medias res: Spidey's been captured by the Enforcers and is bullied by then. I already suspect it's not actually Spidey under the mask... especially since he doesn't say anything. That's weird, right?

I suspected as much.

At the Bugle, Peter Parker lets Jameson know that his recent adventures in L.A. didn't let him take any picture.

I know what you are, you fruit <3

I wish he stayed to chat with Gloria. Give her some development!

Know who gets developed? Hector Ayala (White Tiger!) and Holly Gillis, his new romance, gazing at Flash and Sha-Shan from afar. It feels like the first time in ages that we get smooth cast interactions like that. It's neat!

Turns out that Sha-Shan got a new job and an apartment, good for her! Meanwhile, Flash got news from Razorback. He's doing alright, back in his hometown and adulated!

His proposal ('tis the season) is interrupted by the Enforcers, who take everyone hostage at the Coffee Bean until they get to fight Spidey.

Yes please.

Peter thinks the leaves will hide his clothes... just next to a tree that has no leaves. Is it winter? Isn't graduation supposed to be coming soon? What the heck.

All throughout the issue, the mystery of the one who hired the Enforcers is teased, but I can't say I'm particularly invested in it. Doc Ock could be alive, or it could be the Molten Man... Who knows? For now, there isn't any hint. Maybe it's the Empathoid?

It might be the Lightmaster, an early villain from the first issues of SSM. And yeah, it's him. Okay. Whatever. Mysteries are only mysteries when they feature clues.

So Spidey deals with his enemies while everyone escapes, except for that Hector hottie.

The Lightmaster is trying really hard to be menacing.

In SSM #20, Spidey tries to eavesdrop on the cops interrogating the Enforcers, but he can't get new information. He decides to get home, but his skylight is so bad that it breaks...

It's a funny scene and it gives me fanservice. I'll allow it. Maybe SSM has rights after all...

And we get some more of Peter's social life, that's neat! It's nice to see more of the cast, and new characters, especially nonwhite characters!

The Lightmaster interrupts them and kidnaps my beloved Hector. Before leaving, Holly gives Peter Hector's amulets, which he instantly recognizes.

In the Lightmaster's crutches, Hector needs his amulets to survive! And here comes Spidey, ready to help him. I'm kind of shipping them...

The Lightmaster's about to broadcast Spidey's identity to New York itself (or so he thinks!).

As you know, I love those kind of moments!!!

So Hector's true alter ego is revealed to the city, which annoys Holly who keeps flip-flopping on whether she loves him.

The two heroes fight their enemy, who eventually just channels too much energy and dies.

A letter at the end of the issue informs me that Jean DeWolff appeared... in Team-Up. Oh. For such a key character (she has an entire arc, doesn't she?), it's disappointing. Oh well.

I enjoyed those two issues! It was nice to see Hector again <3 And to see more of the cast! This is almost what I expected of the series. We'll see if it continues like that...

For now, there's one last issue we read in this post: #21.

The Scorpion has become a sex symbol, wouldn't you know it!

The issue begins with a soliloquy to catch up new readers. Hell yeah, Scorpy, tell us all about that time Ms. Marvel got rid of you!

Meanwhile, Peter finds MJ, whomst we haven't seen in a while! They kiss, but they quickly talk about MJ's rejection of Peter's proposal. Oof. She's not ready, and a bit upset.

At ESU, Holly's still angry at Hector! It's a smart way to show both Peter and the readers what could happen if Spidey revealed his identity to MJ.

Later, at the Bugle, the Scorpion makes it known that he wants to skin Jameson alive, or something like that. Spidey intervenes, wins the fight, and he soon says that contrary to what the Scorpion believed, he can get rid of his suit just fine, and Spidey tears off his mask.

That's. Uh. That's something. Themes? In MY Spider-Man comics? It's handled ridiculously, but for what's worth, I feel like the groove is finally back with a better social/fights balance.

Next time: Moon Knight!

[bloodyshadow1]

Just because I have to criticize the things I love so they don't fester I'm putting my problems with spider man 2 under the cut. very spoiler heavy

The parry system is frustrating. Not gonna pretend it's not a skill issue but I don't like it and it's needed for every boss battle

I don't like that u need a full bar to use your focus to heal. Again might just be because I'm not good but it's hectic when I'm fighting a boss and having to dodge or parry while having a sliver of health and a sliver away from a full focus bar

I feel like harry needed to be darker before giving up the symbiote to peter. He has the blood lust towards Kraven after he stabs peter, but just some subtle hints while he still has the basic symbiote. Maybe getting a bit snippy when they're rescuing tombstone or fighting a bit more vicious than he had to be against the hunters

I feel like the Peter MJ fight after he wakes up is just bad. They fight about the article. not him being puppeted around by the symbiote, not him attacking her and almost killing her, no, they fight about an article about how he might not be good for the city which is something even normal Pete would be upset over. It feels like it should have happened earlier when he starts to become darker and more vicious and then had a bigger fight where he refuses to believe her about his rampage as his breaking point.

I feel like there's not enough differences between miles and peter, or rather peter doesn't have anything to differentiate him from miles outside of the symbiote. Miles has his venom/electric powers and peter has his iron spider arms, which I'm not gonna lie I've never been a fan of. I feel like peter should have had more basic enhancements like being stronger, faster, and tougher by a little because he's older and has been doing this for 9 years vs miles' 1. That way miles getting more powers would makes sense because that would allow him to keep up with the older, bigger, more experienced peter.

I feel like the wheel of web gadgets from 1 was better than separating moves from gadgets. I feel like the L1 R1 moves/gadgets gave you less choice than the gadget wheel from the first game.

more heroes should be around. I get that it's probably because marvel had issues adding them to a game even if it's called Marvel's Spider-Man, but in game, it feels weird that the avengers tower and the baxter building exist in this new york and not have them show up when the second time in 2 years new york is almost destroyed. Why can't they include daredevil or other street level heroes, they don't even need to be in the game that much, maybe Matt trying to talk to Peter and give him some advice about balancing his life with Spider-man's life, hypocritically of course, but it would be nice to see. Also it would be cool to have Miles and Peter backed by some other heroes, maybe even some villains as they go to defeat Venom

I feel like Peter and MJ should have had a scene together after he gets the symbiote off instead of just a phone call. Peter doesn't even go to oscorp tower right away so he has enough time to do side missions, until Dr Connors is ready, but he only gives MJ a phone call instead of a scene. It just feels really weak. It also would add to the story with Pete having the tube holding the Symbiote who is such a yandere for him. Seeing him with MJ after they separated and seeing the two of them having a moment of love and forgiveness would help with the story imo.

not really a complaint to finish off, but I feel like the app so people can ask Spider-man for help is crazy. It's one thing for Peter, and to a lesser extent Miles, to be spider-man and do the superhero thing, with patrols and all that, and leaving without explanations ruining his professional and social life. But to add on extra work as a superhero is crazy. Dont' get me wrong I understand why, it's a video game and this is an interesting way to get missions and side missions. I also understand that it's in character for Miles and Peter to do this, which is why I'm not really complaining, but Peter doesn't have a job, he doesn't have any money, he only has a mortgage so he doesn't even own the house anymore. I get power and responsibility and all that, but Peter needs to be able to be an adult and support himself to survive. I get that Peter's life has to suck for Spider-man media to exist, but to add onto his already heavy burden is self-destructive