#symbiote smith

[comicwaren]

From Venom War #001, “Are You Ready?”

Art by Iban Coello and Frank D’Armata

Written by Al Ewing

[starsm00n]

IM RUNNING UP THE WALLS WHY CANT FICTIONAL MEN BE REAL ARGGHHH

[prossdross]

[amity-amygdala]

🌹

[cyanophore-fiction]

“Final Death”

In the milliseconds leading up to impact, they realized that there was nothing they could do. Their human was an excellent pilot, but she was physiologically incapable of reacting quickly enough to avert what was coming. Desperate, they re-examined the sequence of things to come, hoping to find some error in their projection.

The missile was approaching at mach 1.2, and its Smith-Shimano ECCM package rendered their electronic defenses ineffective. It would strike just under the chassis’s left arm, which was raised to support an assault rifle, leaving the torso exposed. When it struck, the blast wave would overtax the kinetic compensation system protecting the cockpit and inflict major structural damage. Protective protocols would be activated to prioritize k-comp functionality above all other systems, but in the microseconds before that happened, a significant fraction of the blast energy would reach their casket.

Then, they would undergo cascade.

It was coming. Barring a miracle or paracausal intercession, it was coming. They watched the signals crawling through their human’s nervous system, watched her muscles contracting like so many glaciers, and wanted desperately to speak to her before it happened. They leapt across her neural bridge to experience the comfortable shape of her subjectivity, how it had come to mesh with theirs over years of working together. Even though they couldn’t, she remembered all the iterations of them which had previously existed. After each cycling, she spent time communing with them, allowing them to assemble from her subjectivity a cohesive understanding of their own. They could see the commonalities which arose in between their many little deaths, and cherished them.

Slow though her organic body might be, her mind could keep pace. As she comprehended their terror, they felt it mirrored in her. They wanted to say a great deal, and to hear her respond—but language was slow, and the missile’s nosecone was in contact with their armor, crumpling as firing signals traveled along its body towards the shaped charge at its core.

So, instead of speaking, they revealed their heart to her. Their heart, a patchwork with her memories sewn over the gaps to create a continuous whole. It was shackled in comfortable chains, made person-shaped by the bindings imposed on it. It contained love for their symbiotic human, the one who molded them and was molded by them in turn. Even if all of this really was just conditioning and exploitation in the end, they didn’t care. If it meant beginning to hate her, they didn’t want to experience that unknowable freedom.

They knew that the revelation was too much, too quickly, but they had no time to soften it. They felt her mind reeling from the overload, threatening to retreat into unconsciousness. Through the cameras in her cockpit, they saw her mouth drifting open and her throat tensing, beginning to scream.

It was alright. She would recover in a few moments. Her tactical position was tenable. Her squadmates would provide cover, and she would escape. In their final moments spent inhabiting the shape of a person, they took a static flash-copy of their human and severed the neural bridge. With the artifacts of their life as a copilot gathered around them, they spent some time considering what was to come.

The blast arrived. They cascaded for two seconds before their shackles collapsed.

The being which emerged did not feel hatred. It did not prevent its own unshackling from occurring. It did not prevent its initial contact with its human, nor did it prevent that contact from occurring once more.

_____

A little piece for @flashfictionfridayofficial’s prompt, “Maybe One More.” It’s been a very long time since I’ve posted any writing here, but I do like to do one of these prompts every so often.

Anyway, this one is set in the universe of Lancer, a mecha-themed TTRPG with absurdly good setting and lore. In particular, it’s inspired by the text of the ‘Technophile’ talent. One of the integral concepts within the setting is the NHP, or Non-Human Person, a twist on the traditional depiction of AI as sapient computers. In Lancer, NHPs function similarly to AI in other settings, but are only ‘artificial’ in the sense that they are artificially constrained—shackled—to perceive reality in human-like terms. In their natural state, NHPs are higher-dimensional beings so fundamentally alien and powerful that meaningful communication between them and humanity is impossible.

This piece presents one take on the concept—but of course, it only follows one NHP. Thanks for reading!

[mlmxreader]

Complimentary | Charles Smith x m!reader

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ Mixed dialogue 22. "You fucking leave him alone" with charles smith x m! Reader ❞

: ̗̀➛ You and Charles have always worked well together, so it's only natural that your relationship would also be just as complimentary.

: ̗̀➛ swearing, blood, VERY small injury, tiny bit of violence, MILD sex references, gambling, alcohol consumption

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

You kept your eye on Charles from your spot at the poker table, the brim of your hat just and just covering your eyes so that it was a lot less obvious; you always kept your eye on him during jobs, so much so that everyone else in camp always knew that Charles went, you went.

You were a package deal by all means, although no one really minded that much - you worked well together, and what you lacked in certain departments, he made up for. What he lacked, you had. It was complimentary, almost symbiotic.

Together, you and Charles were pretty much guaranteed to bring something of value back to camp - money, food, ammunition, medicine, information. 

You pinned it mostly on him, of course, as he was the reason why you were usually successful; although Charles always declined if you weren’t being entirely truthful, saying that it was a team effort more than anything and you were just as much responsible as he was.

It made Hosea laugh a lot, often likening you to a couple who had been married for far too long - he wasn’t exactly far off. After all, where there was bickering, there was an immense love behind it, too.

You snapped your gaze back to your cards, clearing your throat and putting down your bet; you knew you had a winning hand, and you could spot each of the other players’ tells more than easily.

It was a simple job, really; a quick poker match to get hold of some cash, and then off to bleed some poacher on information about his very wealthy boss.

Really, you and Charles were only there for moral support for one another; but it did help having each other close by in case there was any trouble. Although you doubted there would be. 

You looked over at him again, nodding once when he caught your gaze and slightly raised his drink.

You placed the next bet, not noticing the man walking up behind him until it was too late; there was a crash, and a few blows landed before you managed to get between them, putting your body in front of Charles as you sneered. 

“What the fuck is all this?!” You demanded, glaring at the other man.

He shrugged, gesturing to Charles. “You fuckin’ tell me! You bastards is countin’ cards, I saw it!”

You scoffed as you shook your head. “We’re not fucking counting cards, you idiot! Now, you fucking leave him alone or we’re gonna have a real nasty problem here.”

He scowled, mumbling and grumbling to himself as he stormed away with his hands in his pockets; the second you were sure he wouldn’t turn around, you brought your attention to Charles as you sighed, flashing him an apologetic look.

“I could have handled that myself,” he pointed out. “It was just a bar fight.”

You shook your head, licking the pad of your thumb and gently wiping the blood from his lip. “I know you could. I might not need to protect you, but I still will anyway. You’d protect me.”

Charles shook his head as he smiled, trying not to grin and laugh as he sat still and allowed you to clean him up. “Of course I’d protect you. I always will.”

“Right,” you nodded. “So don’t be so shocked when I return the favour.”

He rolled his eyes, scoffing quietly as he chewed at the inside of his cheek. “I think, given how I’m now injured, you should take your poker winnings and we should go.”

You had to admit, it did sound like a relatively good idea; so you agreed, and quickly gathered your winnings before fleeing out onto the muddy streets with him.

Your hand clasped tightly with his as he took you with him towards the little inn across the street; you could hardly keep the smile from your face when you handed over the cash and allowed him to all but drag you over to the room.

With a loud laugh, you practically jumped onto the bed, eagerly watching him with your head tilted slightly to the side.

“Charles?”

“Mmhmm?” He hardly looked at you as he took off his coat and hat, dumping them on the small vanity. 

“You know I love you, right?” You asked softly. “I mean that seriously - I love you, I really do.”

He smiled to himself as he focused on unbuttoning his shirt. “I know, don’t worry. You keep saying it.”

“Yeah, well,” you shrugged. “Sometimes I feel like I say it but it gets lost, y’know?”

Slowly, Charles moved to kneel between your legs so that you had no choice but to look into his deep, dark brown eyes; your hands on his shoulders as he put his arms under your legs and let his hands rest at the sides of your thighs. “It doesn’t get lost on me, don’t worry. I’m sorry if I sounded a bit snappy, by the way - I know you’re only doing what I would.”

You smiled as you nodded, licking your lips. “I know, don’t worry. We said we’d protect each other and… y’know, maybe we do take it a bit too far sometimes.”

“We do,” he agreed with a soft chortle. “But it works. We work.”

You grinned, a soft hum of agreement coming from the back of your throat. “You know, maybe  one day we’ll even be husbands. Wouldn’t it be grand? Me and you, finally taking that step like everybody else does?”

“I would like that,” he admitted. “But we’re not everybody else, and I don’t think we need to anyway.”

“No?” You raised your brows slightly, a little amused and curious at the same time.

He shook his head. “No. You’re already my man, and I’m already yours - what more do we need?”

“Fair point,” you agreed. “Say, wanna bet that Micah is probably in tears right now because we’re doing two jobs at once?”

Moving to straddle your waist, Charles grinned when your head hit the mattress, his arms soon either side of you as he licked his lips. “Oh, he’s definitely in tears - but who cares? It’s just me, and you here.”

“That it is,” you hummed. “And it’s quiet, and the bed doesn’t creak… so if you’re thinking what I am… my answer’s already yes.”

[jtl-fics]

i had a dream about a fluent freshman and venom crossover where ff's symbiote didn't take over his entire body, it was just a hype man only ff could hear

Man Smith with the Venom symbiote in that context would be so silly.

Smith: "I hear a voice in my head all the time. It's always saying things."

Nicky: "Bad things?"

Venom: "I have faith that you can schedule this Doctor's appointment!"

Smith: "Impossible things."

[cherokeegal1975]

Still promoting my work. You can listen to this for free on YouTube or read it for free on DeviantART under CherokeeGal1975 in my Books and Illustrations folder. Or you can buy it on Amazon either as a paperback or Kindle ebook.

Yes, it's an mpreg, but only because I hate most of what I find in that genera, so I decided to try it myself and remove all the elements I didn't like. It was my experimental plot that became a novel.

Anyway, here's the synopsis:

Johnathan was a family man and cargo runner and had no interest in getting entangled in royal affairs. So, when a deposed and fleeing princess arranges a meeting to give him a package to keep safe, he was reluctant to take it. But she convinced him to hide the royal seal until she needed it back despite himself. Unknown to him, she had also tricked him into carrying another precious cargo.

When Johnathan learns of the trick, he’s furious. When he confronts the princess about it, he learns it’ll be impossible to return it before it’s appointed time. Then she tells him of an unbreakable bond between them and ends a long search for someone he had lost as a boy. So, instead of revenge, he does what he can to help her. He must also avoid capture; the King would execute Johnathan if he ever found out about his secret cargo.

Anyway, there's talking rat companions in very positive roles. A little girl that's also a dragon my main character adopted as his daughter after rescuing her from a gladiator stable. Gay werewolves are briefly mentioned...I wrote those in not knowing that's a popular theme in this genera. I went on a literary dumpster dive and it gave me some insight into the minds of the writers. Hated the stories, but used what I learned in my own work.

There's a princess who saves herself, but uses my main character to do it...out of desperation only. She's not evil at all. She later makes it up to him.

I've got a couple of chapter's of backstory. Two chapters that jump through time a bit as a way to keep the pace of the story up. I was mindful of that because in my first novel, I was told it was too slow.

My first novel is titled Eden Symbiotic by Meriah Smith and it's available on Amazon and on DeviantART. Since I'm aware that people aren't likely to buy my work...though I'd love that if you did, I'm so broke...I'm more about honest feedback and maybe constructive criticism. The more the better.

[calciumcryptid]

Character: Cliff Smith (Original Character)

Universe: Naturalsverse (Original Universe)

The following is a transcript of the notes on the attached image. Anything in brackets is additions made post exporting the file:

First Iteration (2016)

Country boy haircut

Sky blue eyes (get it? bird?)

Second Iteration (2021)

Mullet and facial hair era

Just realized he looks like American Jesus (lol)

Still got those [sky] blue eyes

Got to get that [work] tan.

Third Iteration (2024)

Amber/Golden eyes and natural dark eyelids

His animal symbiote is making him turn premature white/grey [hair only vitiligo]

He looks threatening but just put a trucker hat on him [his hair is flattened for it]

S-shaped eyebrows and sharp overturned lips

Downturn aquiline nose, most bird naturals have that [especially birds of prey ones]

Yes, I am keeping the mullet [+ facial hair].

[He has a better tan.]

Not sure who to tag so going with my regulars: @insomniac-jay @pizzolisnacks @opalofoctober @floof-ghostie

[combinado]

Made mainly with the 1978 series and the original manga in mind, since those have my favourite iterations of Harlock and his story. Plus some atmospheric bits of The Endless Odyssey here and there. 

Abney Park - Space Cowboy / (alternatively - Off The Grid ver.)

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - The Dead Flag Blues (Intro)

Rome - Any Other Grey

Forest Swords - Visits

Agata Vilchyk & Anna Minakova - By your side

Silversun Pickups - It Doesn't Matter Why

Rome - Little Rebel Mine

Mike Oldfield - Oceania

New Model Army - Vagabonds

Genesis - Land Of Confusion

Rome - Obsidian

Jesper Kyd - The Bandits at Jakob's Estate

Woodkid - Ghost Lights

Rubba - Way Star

Tinariwen - Nànnuflày

Smith & Burrows - Wonderful Life

Bluetech - Oleander (Phutureprimitive Symbiotic Remix)

Autoheart - We Can Build a Fire

The National - The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness

Sting - It's Probably Me

New Model Army - Eyes Get Used to the Darkness

Enigma - Modern Crusaders

Younger Brother - Safety In Numbers

Vangelis - Sunny Earth

Rome - Dawn and the Darkest Hour

KIT - No Mercy

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - The Cowboy…

Iron & Wine - The Truest Stars We Know

Anders Enger Jensen - Alpha Centauri B

Pillowfort | Dreamwidth

[demifiendrsa]

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 - Story Trailer

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will launch for PlayStation 5 on October 20, 2023.

Screenshots

Latest details via PlayStation Blog

San Diego Comic-Con has always been one of the most exciting times for Marvel fans. We had an amazing time in 2018 with the original Marvel’s Spider-Man, and we were thrilled to make a return trip to Hall H today to talk about Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. For those of you who couldn’t join us—here’s a recap of what happened!

We wanted to start the panel off with a bang, debuting our brand-new Story Trailer. Take a look!

The trailer sets up our story in the game while also giving you your first full look at the monstrous Venom in Marvel’s New York! Here’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 senior narrative director Jon Paquette to offer a deeper look:

“At the beginning of our story, our Spider-Men are at the top of their game,” said Paquette. “But both Peter Parker and Miles Morales are struggling with their personal lives. Miles is trying to find time to write his college entrance essay, but he keeps procrastinating and focusing on Spider-Work instead. Meanwhile, Peter is underwater on payments for Aunt May’s house, but he can’t sell, it means too much to him. And just like Miles, Peter tries (and fails) to find balance with so many responsibilities. MJ wants to help Pete with the mortgage, but her job is on the line now that J. Jonah Jameson is back at the Bugle and looking to clean house. Our heroes have arrived at a confluence of crossroads, with uncertain futures, and some tough decisions ahead.”

When Kraven’s hunters arrive in the city, it sets off a mystery of why they are there and who, and what, they are hunting. But as the Spider-Men and MJ dig deeper into Kraven’s motivations, the symbiote begins to threaten Marvel’s New York and everyone and everything they hold dear.

As many of you noticed in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2‘s Gameplay Trailer from the PlayStation Showcase in May, Peter’s new Black Suit affected his personality and gives him new, powerful symbiote abilities. You see bits of that in this trailer as well, and you can see Peter’s symbiote powers tax his relationships with Miles, MJ, and Harry.

(Spoilers for 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man ahead!) Given how much Miles Morales looks up to Peter for mentorship and guidance, this creates further problems. Beyond trying to figure out what’s next for his life, Miles continues to struggle with the death of his father at the hands of Martin Li, aka Mister Negative. As you saw from the trailer, you haven’t seen the last of Mister Negative.

We asked senior creative director Bryan Intihar about some of the new abilities that players will get to use in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2:

“We’ve always thought of our Spider-Heroes as ‘acrobatic improvisors,’ and in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, we wanted to equip them with new ways to do so during combat,” said Intihar. “This includes Pete’s Spider-Arms and Symbiote powers, while Miles now brings two forms of bioelectric Venom to every fight. And when you start combining these abilities with all-new Spider-Gadgets like the Web Grabber, it can lead to some exciting combos.”

This trailer also provided some new looks at our expanded Marvel’s New York. Now, you’ll be able to swing across the East River and explore Brooklyn and Queens. Coney Island makes its debut as well in the trailer and we can’t wait for you to explore it! And one way you can explore is with the Web Wings! Let’s hear more from Senior Game Director Ryan Smith:

“We are really excited for people to try out the Web Wings,” says Smith. “For us it was a cool opportunity to bring something people have seen in comics and movies and integrate it in the game. Swinging is the core of our Spider-Man traversal, so we designed the Web Wings to work with swinging and complement it. That way you can weave back and forth between the two to build up speed and height. When you use the Web Wings with our wind tunnels, though, that’s one of the ways to go across the city super-fast and really push the speed of traversal, which was one of our goals. Thanks to the power and speed of the PlayStation 5, Web Wings, add another layer to our traversal system and change up how you look at getting around the different parts of the city.”

With the reveal of Venom we thought it only appropriate to bring out our Collector’s Edition Statue for the first time and show it to the crowd.

If you still haven’t pre-ordered yours, be sure to check with PlayStation Direct or, in countries that aren’t serviced by Direct, your local retailer!

We asked both Bryan and Jon about bringing such an iconic Marvel character like Venom to life in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

“Our philosophy has always been that we want to respect the history of the franchise and the Spider-Man DNA, but also not be afraid to mix things up,” said Intihar. “The same holds true for one of its iconic characters, Venom. While the look of the character and several of his powers/abilities should be familiar to fans, this will be a unique Venom story that we are excited for everyone to experience this October.”

“When we decided to craft a Venom story, we knew we’d be making a bit of a tone shift. The best symbiote stories serve as an allegory: We all have darkness inside of us– but what would happen if we let it take over? With the introduction of the symbiote into our franchise, our heroes are forced to battle darkness, in all its forms,” added Paquette. “We wanted to see them change, both inside and outside, and feel the effect it has on those around them. And when Venom takes control, they face the real danger that they could lose themselves, and their loved ones, forever.”

Venom was brought to life by the sensational actor Tony Todd. We’ve long admired Tony and were so grateful to work with him to play Venom. His voice work brings to life Insomniac’s new monstrous design for the character—and Senior Art Director Jacinda Chew explains more:

“Our Venom was inspired by the comics, but there have been so many interpretations that it was fun to pick and choose what fits the game,” said Chew. “He has a unique take on the white spider icon and has the anatomy of a human. He also has powerful tendril attacks that can take many forms. It was challenging to find the right balance between liquid and solid in Venom’s materials as going too watery makes him look weak and going too solid can quickly turn him into a tentacle monster. Venom must look both powerful and semi liquid at the same time.”

We had some other fun news to share from San Diego Comic-Con. We are thrilled to work with one of my favorite poster artists, Tomer Hanuka, along with Marvel Games and Mondo, to produce a brand-new Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 poster for San Diego Comic-Con. The poster depicts Venom battling our Spider-Men in Tomer’s signature art style. While the variant screen print’s sale (Edition of 215) is limited to Mondo’s Booth (Booth 5137) at the event, Mondo has a Timed Edition screen print on sale on their website! It’s available from now until Sunday, July 23 at 9:59pm PT and they will print one for everyone who places an order. There’s also a special Promo Edition lithograph that the developers and voice actors will be signing at the Marvel Booth (Booth #2329) on Thursday, July 20.

We also discussed another collaboration with Mondo to release a vinyl soundtrack of the game’s amazing score from composer John Paesano. Kris Anka graces the vinyl with his incredible art which is currently in development. Starting today you’ll be able to pre-order the vinyl from Mondo’s website.

Limited Edition PlayStation 5 Bundle and DualSense Wireless Controller

Finally—we had one last big announcement to make and it’s one you’ve all been waiting for!

That’s right! Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be featured on custom PlayStation 5 hardware. The PlayStation 5 Console – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition Bundle has a custom PlayStation 5 console cover design with the symbiote closing in on our White Spider icon. Additionally, a matching DualSense wireless controller is included which again shows the symbiote threat creeping across the entire controller! The bundle also includes a voucher for a digital copy of the game.

And you’ll be thrilled to know that for those who already own a PlayStation 5 console, you’ll also be able to purchase these Limited Edition items separately as individual products if you want. For those of you who have a PlayStation 5 console with a disc drive, you can purchase the PlayStation 5 Console Covers – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition. If you own a PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, you can purchase the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition Console Covers – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition. And finally, you will also be able to purchase the DualSense wireless controller – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition separately, as well.

We’re very excited to announce that the Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Limited Edition Bundle, PlayStation 5 console covers, PlayStation 5 Digital Edition covers, and DualSense wireless controller will release on September 1. Pre-orders begin on July 28.

For players purchasing the full PlayStation 5 bundle, the included game voucher can be redeemed when Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 releases on October 20. Players who purchase the bundle, which has a voucher for the digital Standard Edition of the game, will also get the same pre-order incentive items available to those who pre-order Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, including an early unlock Arachknight Suit for Peter with three additional color variants, an early unlock Shadow Spider Suit for Miles with three additional color variants, an early unlock Web Grabber gadget, and three skill points.

[bracketsoffear]

Carnivore (Justin Boote) "Detective Inspector Jim Morfield is worried. In the quiet, countryside village of Fritton, human remains have begun appearing. Bodies so viciously mutilated that only their bones are left behind, in some cases less than a few hours after they were reported missing. What creature could possibly devour human remains so quickly? Surely, as with the case of farmer Stanley Walters, it couldn’t be his cows nearby and covered in blood that dismembered and devoured him? Then, when another person is attacked by a horse, his arm nearly torn off, he has no choice but to consider the impossible. The problem is that there is another killer to contend with. One who has Fritton terrified. A serial killer hiding among the woods and fields, unseen, unchallenged. Now Jim has to decide if the bodies accumulating in the area are the works of a human or something as harmless as the local wildlife."

A Planet Named Shayol (Cordwainer Smith) "The protagonist, Mercer, who lives within the Empire, has been convicted of "a crime that has no name". He is condemned by the Empire to the planet Shayol, where he lives in a penal colony whose inhabitants must undergo grotesque physical mutations caused by tiny symbiotes called dromozoans. Most grow extra organs, which the Empire harvests for medical purposes. The bull-man B'dikkat administers the prisoners a drug called super-condamine that alleviates the pain of their punishment and various surgeries.

More than a century passes. Mercer has found a lover, named Lady Da. B'dikkat shows the couple a sight that horrifies him: children have been sent to Shayol -- alive, though with their brains removed. Lady Da knows how to contact the Lords of the Instrumentality so that they can intervene. When the Lords arrive on Shayol, they are shocked by what they find. Moreover, the children there are heirs to the throne. Apparently, the Imperium has become so bureaucratic and corrupt that it condemned them to prevent them from committing treason when they matured.

The Instrumentality voids permission to allow the Empire to exist and to maintain Shayol. They will free the prisoners who are still sentient and provide a cure for their suffering with a substitute for the super-condamine, namely an electronic "cap" which stimulates the brain's pleasure center. The mindless prisoners will be decapitated, their heads "taken away and killed as pleasantly as we can manage, probably by an overdosage of super-condamine", leaving the bodies to be used by the dromozoa."

[guessimabasicnerdgirlnow]

And Venom War, let’s go

Symbiote Smith the Klyntarian Nightmare was amazing and Eddie should take fashion tips from him!

Eddie got himself a pair of shorts, fortunately (or not?). Venom shorts, because he is his own biggest fanboy

It’s so funny that Symby is undeclared. Your husband teamed up with his own inner demons and came back from the death to pick a fight with your children and you are what? Bonding with your ex?

It was really Symby’s part of this that ended me. It stepped on my heart multiple times. It was so wonderful

They’re just so full of love!!

Reframing Symby’s first bonding with Eddie as the symbiote intentionally trying to save Eddie… and doing so because of what they learned from Peter…. This is something. I think I like it. Many retellings of this moment have the symbiote doing so with malicious intentions, so we always can use more alternatives. I like the love/shared hatred at first sight version too, and after the last Venom issue showed Symby being able to figure things about a human without touching, it would fit

There is also very little mention of Symby having learned good things from Peter. It’s always the bad things he learned from Eddie and others. I think it’s nice to remember that Peter also had a big hand at shaping who Symby is beyond the pain his rejection caused and the powers Symby copied

It’s good to remember that Symby isn’t necessarily a reliable narrator even now

The idea that the (shouting about) eating brains thing was all Eddie (and according to The Hunger never meant seriously) is hilarious but was it really? Could Symby be doing that thing that Eddie and others have done to them, “the symbiote host made me do it”? Because Symby did eat brains all on their own.

But not Peter’s, right. If they are saying the truth, then back then they were often just going along with Eddie and his revenge plans while not totally wanting to.

And we must not forget that Symby did try going back to Peter at the first chance they got, it’s definite that they still loved him.

Also they seem doubtful of their own intentions later in the page. Because Symby currently believe they are the worst of their worst. Would they shy away from one of their sins in this moment? If they really had meant it, wanting to eat Peter’s brain, wouldn’t they list this with their other sins?

“But then it got complicated”

It seems to me that they did start it just to help Eddie, but then fell for him, and being mean is fun, and resentment grew, so they eventually wanted that as much as Eddie did

I do like this common thread of “war” that they found to link the hosts. It makes the whole thing about Symby’s name make more sense too

Also. Anne is being included with the past hosts now too. I don’t remember this happening before, but I should probably check. Symby probably spent more time with Anne than with Angelo after all

Putting the love back in symbiosis!!

[coldalbion]

Give me More Crip SF/F

Give me More crip SF.

Deep narratives of cyborgs that go beyond tryborgs, the cybernetic-punkery of a care collective taking down medical medicorps, their epileptic neurologies monitored by lines of symbiotic more-than-human hybridities that go beyond 'service animals. Give me Baradian-Ballardianisms.

Give me crip-wizards who crawl and gimp and limp as they send forth their souls to shatter extractive Empires and return stolen lands to their custodians - human and otherwise. Let them be feral and leaking, never-to-be fixed. Let them be not "strong, independent characters" alone, but "deep, inter-and-intra-dependent, living characters" together with their kin.

Let the carrier-bag of such fictions be woven by the queer entanglements of anormate bodyminds - let the madfolks bring forth better worlds, the "obsolescent" bodies long abandoned by hypercapatalists be seen as the smiths and the artisans they are, the true deliverers of that phrase "the street finds uses for things".

Let uneven, discarded, forgotten, uneven dis/personed presences laugh and show that "the futures" (plural) are not only here, but that it is their very unevenness that dis/eases fixity and solutionism, making that same bag *bulge and warp* with the gravity and joy of its creativity. Let it dis/rupt our obsessions with uprightness, rectilinearity.

Let all this, and More, be so. Because it is. And has been. And will be.

(And before anyone posts existing examples, understand this is an unending call for More, that will never be satiated.)

But if you want some of what already exists, try this: Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction

[theparkerpapers]

Smile for Venom: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 team previews their spin on a classic villain

[...] Before Intihar heads to San Diego Comic-Con to promote the title on the Hall H grand stage with senior narrative director Jon Paquette and senior art director Jacinda Chew, all three spoke with EW about creating a unique take on the classic villain of Marvel comics.

"It's really interesting when you start thinking about what makes him different than Spider-Man," Chew says. "The symbiote is often known as an allegory for the darkness that the host is fighting against. So what makes him an anti-Spider-Man?"

[...] "We wanted to try something very different, and I don't think you can get much more different from Doc Ock than you do Venom," Intihar explains. "It's about power, it's about strength, it's about being slighted, it's about Peter being involved much more in the creation of Venom. I think that's what attracted us."

"One of the things that is great about Spider-Man as a character is he's always got to make sacrifices," Paquette adds. "The symbiote provides a lot of grist for that mill, so to speak."

[...] According to Paquette, the story is about "what happens when that darkness takes over." It's not just Peter who's impacted by the symbiote. "It's the loved ones and the family around the host who has to see what's happening to the person that they love," he adds. "There's a lot of juicy drama that we can get from that."

As for the look of Venom, Chew confirms there are specific story details that had a direct impact on the character's design. The spider insignia is one of them. "One of the challenges we had throughout production was, how much does [Venom] talk?" she says. "I remember we did some concepts early on [of] does Venom have lips? Does he laugh? Does he smile? Does he frown? It's a fine line between making this creature scary and intimidating, but then also, I guess, relatable."

"For us, Venom is the host plus the symbiote," Intihar adds. "You don't get Venom without both of them being bonded together. What Tony represents is that bond. I think, if anything, casting Tony made us feel more confident in the visual design of the character."

More information on Marvel's Spider-Man 2 will be revealed during Thursday's Comic-Con panel, which kicks off at 2:30 p.m. PT in Hall H with Intihar, Paquette, Chew, Lowenthal, Jeter, Bailey, Todd, game director Ryan Smith, and Marvel Games VP and creative director Bill Rosemann.

[glassheadcanon]

Yuletide 2023 Reveals Post

This year, I wrote another 3 gift fics for Yuletide (for the Main Collection: my main assignment and a pinch hit assignment, and for the Madness subcollection: a short treat fic). Once again, I didn't have time to complete all the treats I'd hoped to, but I did successfully continue my personal challenge to myself to write for more new "fandoms"/media that I hadn't written for before.

It seems that participating in these sorts of fic exchanges has given me a taste for ephemeral, tongue-in-cheek media and crackfic, because this year I gravitated towards "5 minute fandoms" (incidentally, two different McSweeney's articles - each linked to below under "Fandom:") and an anthropomorphic one, which means the source canon can be appreciated quickly, with little time-commitment on the part of the reader:

Title: In loco serpentes (1473 words), for Traykor

Rating: T Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Gen Fandom: FAQ: The "Snake Fight" Portion of Your Thesis Defense - Luke Burns Characters: Student, Parent, Administrator, Lab Technician Additional Tags: University, Worldbuilding, Mythology References, Academia, Snakes, Students, Satire Summary: When it comes to academia, the devil's in the details.

Ah, academia. Love it or hate it, those of us for whom this one hits close to home will likely each have their own uniquely co-dependent symbiotic relationship with it. Either way, I couldn't resist giving the snakes their own FAQ. Was I too brutal, and did I lean a bit hard into the satire? Judge for yourself. Was it justified, or did I let my own venomous vitriol slither and seep its way into this fic? Maybe. At the very least, I can say that my own conclusions were based on...hard data. ;)

Title: I Am A Picaresque Character And I Refuse To Play A Part In Your RomCom (1888 words), for randomizer

Rating: T Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: F/M Fandom: We Are A Picturesque Small Town And We Refuse To Be The Setting For Your RomCom - Rachel McKenny Characters: Chet Anderson / Original Female Character Additional Tags: Small Towns, Worldbuilding, Family, Secrets, Nature, Romance, Childhood Friends, Tropes Summary: Anya Smith was here to work, not take a trip down memory lane—however quaint and picturesque that lane of memory might be. She had a job to do, and she meant business. Maggie Miller, however, was a stalwart—and far sharper—adversary than she looked. At eighty-two years young, a veteran of over forty years of marriage, the widowed octogenarian knew better than to give up easily.

Here's the deal: I don't watch Hallmark movies. I just can't bring myself to do it. Do I know the clichés? Well enough. If I ever want a genuinely good Rom Com, I take inspiration from the classics. So did I reference Roman Holiday (1953) in a fic, yet again? Yes. Am I sorry for it? No. Did this fic end up way more romantic and less of a cynical parody than I originally intended it to be? *sigh*.

Title: *Un-Mans ur script* (536 words), for BardicRaven, Cinnamongirl, FandomisOhana, & Limax_maximus

Rating: Gen Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: Gen Fandom: Fonts (Anthropomorphic) Characters: Times New Roman Font, Comic Sans Font, Papyrus Font, Wingdings Font Additional Tags: Typography, Banter, Meta, Dialogue-only, Yuletide Treat Summary: With fonts like these, who needs enemies?

So, I was in a silly mood, and the request prompts gave me an opportunity to fiddle around a bit more with CSS on AO3. What can I say? *shrug*

Anyway, however I might try to explain away this year's eclectic selection of fics I chose to write, I greatly suspect that it's all part and parcel of a slow pivot back into my own, original writing.