#there’s no way gavin wants to live in a world without freelancer

[aimedis]

i think sam and gavin aren’t worried about their partners dying because they’ll just kill themselves immediately after

[romirola]

🥚 Any easter eggs you put in a fic that you hoped people would notice?

😮 Anything you included in your fic that you didn’t expect people to like?

🏳️‍🌈 Do you write the most m/f ships, f/f ships or m/m ships?

and the ladder one (which didn't copy/paste but I've been 🥂 so I can't figure out how to get it back easily so idk here it is)

🪜 I'm greedy and I want four things Please give them to me 🥰🔪

From this ask game, still open!

Thankyou for these asks, @frenchiefitzhere! I'm here and happy to satisfy that greed!

🥚 Any easter eggs you put in a fic that you hoped people would notice? Yes!! I have some characters that appear or are referenced in multiple fics for continuity that I hope people notice. For instance, Sydney, a dreamwalker-rookie on Sweetheart's squad appears in Cross My Heart,, this Milo/Sweetheart oneshot, and this (rated M, so 18+ only, please!) other Milo/Sweetheart oneshot. Sergeant Watkins, Sweetheart's contra-water elemental supervisor, appears or is heavily mentioned in Stubborn Stealths and Worried Wolves, Cross My Heart, and this Sweetheart and Cam friendship oneshot. Deena, Miguel's little sister, is mentioned in Stronger Together and Packed with Love. Another headcanon that I often reference, and channel whenever I write Asher is that his parents are humanborn wolves who came to the States from Ireland. That is depicted explicitly in Packed with Love and discussed in Secrets Between Friends. I don't know if anyone notices and if they don't, that's okay, but I like seeing how all these things can be inflected in the stories and build upon another another as the world is fleshed out in a way that contributes to the plot and characterizations.

😮 Anything you included in your fic that you didn’t expect people to like? Hmmm... I'm not sure if I really give much thought as to what people may/may not like when I write. I suppose I write the story how I see it, tag it appropriately, and presume that people will read if they wish. I will say sometimes I get notes that my fics are too long for people to read, which always feels unexpected because there's no set date by which you have to read the fic. It's there, living on AO3 and ready for you to read at any pace! But perhaps these notes are telling me that my fics are long without the payoff of exciting plots, which in that case, I would say thanks for reading and letting me know what you thought.

🏳️‍🌈 Do you write the most m/f ships, f/f ships or m/m ships? I try to ensure that the ships featured in my Redactedverse allow for a reader to maintain whatever kind of conception of the listeners they have, which leads me to describe the listeners through a gender-inclusive lens.

🪜 Tell us a random fact about any fic! This (rated M, so 18+ only, please) Gavin/Freelancer oneshot that features nonsexual intimacy facilitated by consensual hypno-magic was supposed to be kinda smutty, but actually turned into something poignantly tender. It's fairly long to be in a oneshot collection, and I kind of regret putting it there rather than making it its own story, but alas, what is done is done. Gavin/Freelancer are an intimidating couple to write because Gavin is just so... good at all things love/romance/intimacy/trust. But, overall, I'm quite proud of how that fic turned out and grateful for the opportunity to stretch my own imagination!

[autisticempathydaemon]

Let’s get mischievous (and polyamorous)

cw: Rated M for suggestive language and themes, gender-neutral pronouns for Freelancer, Alternative POVs, the Damien/Freelancer/Gavin/Huxley/Lasko polycule being an absolute menace to society

None of this would have happened if our favorite boys plus Freelancer could just keep it in their pants till they got home smh

aka Five times the polycule started rumors and the One time they put them to rest

Also available on AO3!

One.

There are a lot of emotions that are normal to see on your friend’s face when they get back from the guidance counselor: anxiety, frustration, even fury wouldn’t be a surprise. Pure, unadulterated alarm definitely is though. 

“Are you… okay…?” Katrina asks when her shell-shocked friend drops herself down onto the cafeteria bench, backpack tossed onto the ground with a heavy thud . Lucy looks up at her, dark eyes wide behind wild, black curls, and leans across the table. 

“Kat, who is Professor Lasko dating?” Kat looks quizzically at her friend, and Lucy presses her forehead against hers and hisses. “Answer the question, or I’ll go crazy.”

“Umm, shit, you know as well as I do?” she hedges, face flushed under the beautiful Warder’s intense gaze. “The rumor is that he’s dating that incubus, Gavin, and that’s why he had to transfer out to another session.” Lucy snaps her fingers and pounds her fist against the table, and Kat wants to laugh as her friend’s eyes bug even wider. 

“If that’s the case! If that is the case-” she says, pulling in Kat by the cheeks. “Then why did I hear that fourth year fire elemental, Damien, storm into his office after I left and tell our professor- and I quote- to get on the desk and see how long he can go without breathing?” 

“Oh, shit ,” she whispers.

“Oh, shit .” Lucy echoes, voice knowing and haunted.

“…that’s, like, kind of hot though, right?“

“That’s not the point -“

Two.

Xavier wants so many things in this world. He wants his team to win the championships. He wants to pass his advanced Healing course.  He wants world peace. Above all, he wants his boys to stop fucking hooking up in the team showers. 

‘It shouldn’t be too much to ask,’ he thinks, burying his face into the small metal cabinet and digging for his wallet. The locker room is dirty and hot and rank no matter how much he implores his teammates to keep it clean and tidy. It’s an objectively gross place, so Xavier has no idea why this is the third time in as many weeks he’s had to deal with moaning echoing off the shower tiles. 

“Bro, how do you do that?” A deep, familiar voice whines, and Xavier fights the urge to slam the door on his head. Why? Why did it have to be Huxley? He has lunch plans at the Dog House with him and Damien tomorro-

“Practice makes progress, big man, and I am nothing if not diligent.” 

Xavier almost trips over his own feet as he backs out of the locker and lifts his ear to the air, because surely, he must have misheard. That didn’t sound like Damien.

“What’re you practicing for, Gav, a triathlon?” 

“Oh, Hux… this isn’t practice.” A sultry chuckle rifts through the room, and Xavier tries and fails to scramble his way out the doors before hearing more. “This is just the warm-up .” 

Three.

If you asked Tony, he would say living next to a fire elemental isn’t too bad; it’s living next to Damien that’s the issue.

Don’t get him wrong, he’s a decent neighbor! Damien never plays loud music after 7 PM. He doesn’t have any loud pets like the dude with the cockatiel on the other side. He returns any mis-delivered packages promptly. He’s overall courteous and quiet… but his boyfriend isn’t. 

Huxley is great in general . The earth elemental is friendly and amicable, always waving at him when they pass each other in the hall or stairwell, always giving him an effusive, energetic greeting. He would say he likes Huxley; he just doesn’t like the obnoxious, sleep-shattering earthquakes that plague the nights he stays over. 

But tonight, as he suffers gales of wind, tectonic tremors, the smell of smoke and ash, the creak of water surging in old pipes, and Damien’s raspy cries of “ Freelancer ” through the walls, Tony can’t help but shove a pillow over his head and miss his old apartment, rats, bats, and all.

Four.

7/11 really doesn’t pay Emma enough. 

Her manager getting a divorce is one thing. Honestly, that’s not even the problem, because Emma didn’t like his wife anyway, and Trevor was obviously happier once the separation was underway. But couldn’t Trevor have been happier in Dahlia ? And not whatever state he moved to, leaving the store understaffed and her undertrained? 

Now, the freak natural disasters, that’s another thing. Like, working a convenience store in a college town was bound to be a little wacky, a little zany even, that’s to be expected. What Emma did not expect was ball lightning, one of the world’s rarest weather phenomenons, to occur next to the hot dog roller not once, not twice, but thrice.  

(First time it happened, she didn’t even know what it was. The second time, she was busy marveling at it happening again. The third time the ball of electricity short circuited the electronics, Emma rang up the nervous couple at the till with a pen and paper.)

This, though- this is the straw that breaks Emma’s back. She glares at an innocent bag of Doritos, the closest thing to the perpetrators that she’ll look, and turns on her heel, inventory clipboard clutched tight to her chest. Fuck the restocking procedure; she has a resignation email to write.

There is a limit to how many times a person can catch a customer with their dick in someone else’s mouth, especially when Emma knows their sweet, studious partner by name. As she crouches behind the counter and waits for the sultry bastard and apologetic, stuttering homewrecker to leave, Emma thinks all the money in California couldn’t convince her to stay, let alone fifteen dollars an hour.

Five.

Once again, Lucy approaches Katrina with wide, shell-shocked eyes, silent and panicked even as she hands her girlfriend her nachos. 

“What’s up, doll? Did someone bother you?” Lucy just shakes her head and sits on the bleachers next to her, taking long, desperate pulls from her soda. “Are you… good…?” 

“So you know Huxley? The quarterback?” She asks, bringing her face close to Kat’s to be heard over the crowd and still have the semblance of intimacy. Katrina fights the urge to kiss the older girl’s cheeks and wins, nodding, listening. 

“Obvs, we just saw him humiliate the other team in the first half.” Luce nods, bringing her hand up to the back of Kat’s neck, pulling her even closer. “He and that Damien guy are the it-couple of DAMN, bless his heart,” she continues, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the fire elemental at the field sidelines, proudly wearing a letterman’s jacket that’s not his. “He deserves better.”

“Oh, I think Huxley’s getting exactly what he deserves-” Luce hisses, shaking her girlfriend for emphasis. “-considering I just saw him railing my Energetics 101 partner under the bleachers.”

“Not the Freelancer who covers for you when you’re late!” Katrina gasps, scandalized, while Lucy buries her face into her pale, freckled shoulder. She gripes about decency and privacy and beds that no one uses, and Kat thoughtfully mumbles into her coconut-scented curls.

“We could go home and use our bed-“

“Is your voyeur kink something we need to talk about, or-”

+One

“Deviant, what on Elegy is that?”

“Gavin, you’re god knows how old, and you’ve never had a Sloppy Joe?” 

“I’ve had a large number of sloppy things in my mouth. Inevitably, some of them must have been named Joe. They all looked more appealing than that.” Freelancers snickers, almost dropping their cup of water with their shaking, and Gavin stops sneering derisively at the steam table to empty their hands. “Why can’t we all eat at home again?”

“If you had been listening instead of making faces at Caelum behind everyone’s backs, you would have heard Lasko say that he’s too busy with meetings to come home for lunch-” they say, dragging the demon over to an empty round table. “-and us telling him he has to meet us here.” They sit, and Gavin makes his best attempt at seductively lounging in the stiff, small plastic seat (and failing.)

“We could get good food, and I could rift it to him. It’d be easy-peasy as you humans say.” The incubus grins, knowing he’s cute, and Freelancer throws their apple at him, not giving a shit. 

“One. Then you’d be hogging Lasko, not fair. Two. The last time you did that, he didn’t eat!” Gavin catches the apple- damn those demon reflexes- and grins wider like the cat that ate the canary.

“I wouldn’t say that, deviant; after my visits, Lasko is nothing but sated-”

“Gavin, do they not teach you shame at that daemonry and demonry school you went to?”

“Shame was an elective I chose not to take, little Spark. I was too busy learning that trick you like where I use my-” Damien slams his tray down onto the table, the cups rattling threateningly as he sits, and Huxley laughs uproariously, placing a cool, steady hand on the fire elemental’s neck. 

“Careful, Gav. Dames just came back from his Advanced Flame test, he’s already running hot,” he says, rubbing his thumb in little circles beneath Damien’s ear. “He’ll burn you, not by accident, just on purpose.” Gavin hums in pleasure and stretches his leg to brush his ankles against Damien’s under the table. 

“Well, now, there’s a thought. Normally, I’d like a little negotiation before we try something like that, but~”

“O-oh boy, do I want to know what we’re n-n-ne-negotiating n-now?” Four keen heads look up, and Lasko blushes under the attention no matter how often he receives it. 

“Negotiating who gets to kiss you first!” Freelancer says, shoving an exasperated (loving) hand in Gavin’s face before smiling up at the airhead. “Help us out and make the decision for us?” 

With a sweet, light laugh, Lasko puts his food down and kisses Huxley first, the tall boulder of a man barely having to lean to sweetly peck at his lips. Next, he moves to Damien, the two of them quickly kissing each other’s cheeks, the hot-blooded of the pair adjusting Lasko’s glasses as they part. 

  Freelancer reaches for him impatiently, grabby hands pulling him in by the cheeks. Lasko can’t help but smile and laugh into the touch, noses bumping awkwardly, and the freelancer laughs with him before shoving him towards Gavin. When Lasko leans down, his incubus lover snatches him by the waist into his lap, cutting off sweet, embarrassed stammers with a kiss. 

The quintet is happy and content, all smiles and familiar touches, a sight for sore eyes… and a sight for the lunch crowd filling the dining hall. If they weren’t off in their own little world, they’d probably hear the collective metaphorical light bulbs going off in heads and money passing hands. 

(The custodians swept the betting pool, because even in a world full of magic and literal Stealths, no one is both more observant and more unnoticed than the cleaning staff. They’ve seen too much, and if the Academy won’t get them memory wipes, several thousand dollars in winnings will make an excellent consolation prize.)

Tagging:

@calicostorms who was nice enough to ask to be tagged and also makes the best Redacted ASMR playlists ♡( ◡‿◡ )

@gingerbreadmonsters who asked about it, kicking my butt into writing it (ʘ‿ʘ✿)

[veneli]

Songs I Associate with Redacted Characters (due to unhealthy attachment)

I have a weird obsession with songs that don’t have particularly special meanings to the characters but I’ve just associated them with several Redacted characters.

The attachment to the song PLUS the characters makes me inseparable from them and I will write this down to remind myself later.

feel free to also roast me about my music taste I won't get offended :)

CW// minor spoilers for the Inversion under the cut, no spoilers in tags, mention of RedactedASMR's Echo and Adam

You Are My Sunshine (Johnny Cash)

For either Elliott or Asher. they’re the freaking sun to me. A giant ball of energy, wouldn’t be alive without them, brings light to the world, warm, cozy, but can also have the power to absolutely obliterate you if you rub them the wrong way.

Fallin' All in You (Shawn Mendes)

For Gavin and Freelancer. Gavin thought he could never find someone who loved him as people only wanted him for his appearance and a good time. However, Freelancer was his turning point—his safety net that he could rely on while he explored this feeling they called “love” with them.

Electric Love (BØRNS)

For Vincent and Lovely. Self explanatory, right? Well... not really anymore since Lovely got turned, but the point still stands. I fully believe that Lovely’s magic will just be muted. It’s strong. It will be bottled, but still electrifying. They’re strong. Amazingly strong and wonderful and versatile. I believe in them. (Erik had better not inject any more angst into Dahlia atm they've suffered enough for a lifetime)

The Bro Duet (George Salazar and Jason Gotay)

For Milo x Asher, or Asher x David, or Ash x Milo x David. You canNOT convince me that those three, at some point in their teenage years, did not hang out at each other's houses and not kissed each other at least once out of curiosity. (in case you didn't know, I love the wolf pack polycule HC). David's probably saved Ash more than once from choking on his pizza and wings since that guy basically inhales it the moment he gets it from Guy.

Footloose (from the movie Footloose 1984)

I have no clue why, this song came onto my shuffle and it reminded me so much of Milo Greer I had to write it down. Maybe it's the accent, or the style of the movie itself. Fashionable and kinda vintage! And don't tell me Milo can't whip up some good footwork - i will not be taking criticism. I just imagine him dancing in the middle of his living room singing something/along to a TV jingle and that makes me so freaking happy

Play With Fire (Sam Tinnesz)

This one reminds me of Adam. I hate his guts but he's kind of hot so I'll let it slide sadistic, looking for trouble, would 101% watch his prey writhe under his hold before ending them with no mercy.

Paparazzi (Lady Gaga)

For Angel. When they were "stalking" David. that's all.

Hooked (Why Don't We)

the D.A.M.N. polycule. Lyrics are pretty self-explanatory, and I think even Gavin would like this song and feel like a rebel against norms. I think it fits them nicely, in a way. After all that they've been through in the Inversion and Season 1, I think they would put up with each other a lot more. Hooked to each other, afraid to lose the others and feeling constantly on a happy-high when they spend time together.

Woman Like Me (Little Mix ft. Nicki Minaj)

Ignore the "woman" in the title, but this is for Darlin'/Tank and Sam. Trouble follows Darlin' wherever they go, but despite that, Sammy still loves them. And I find that extremely endearing. "I'll take care of you" "it's rotten work" "not if it's you" kind of vibes.

Talk (Why Don't We)

Geordi and Cutie at the start of their storyline. Before they developed that understanding of mutual privacy, the lyrics is probably what happens.

Panic Room (Au/Ra)

Echo. That's it, just Echo. (what pronouns does Echo use? as much as I am terrified of Echo I still want to use the right pronouns) Echo is the incarnation of this song. Panic and fear, never know what to expect. Echo's videos are probably a few sources of anxiety for me and this song fits Echo so well. (Spotify audio here, Tumblr only allows 10 medias per post)

that's it for now. I will hopefully do more of these soon whenever I have a jam session on Spotify!

[gingerbreadmonsters]

10, 17, 21 for the writing questions? hehe

hello sweet rainy!! your wish is my command 💫

10. How would you describe your writing process?

a total mess lmao

uhhh... generally i come up with the concept first, or at least a scene that i think would be cool, write that first, and then build the rest of it as i go. a HUGE proportion of my writing is inspired by music or songs as well, so i'll loop that as i'm writing - i find it difficult to write without music playing at this point!

generally i make the plot up as i go, based on what i think would be fun and/or realistic! for instance, the initial concept of thy fair imperfect shade was literally just "elliott has a sexy dream about sunshine and doesn't know what to do about it" - his whole morality crisis, plus the twist with sunshine at the end, were all invented during the process rather than mapped out beforehand. storyboarding or similar never works for me, seeing as i just end up going off the rails and writing something totally different depending on whatever flavour of brainrot i have that day :)

take one small paradox - i tried to plan that one and it went wrong almost immediately! fun fact: there was never meant to be a statue at all, and it certainly wasn't meant to feature so prominently. the original concept was a conversation between academy president lasko and locked-up vindemiator, where lasko would basically pull a bond villain and monologue about how lovely freelancer is, gloating about how he's going to basically indoctrinate them and there's nothing that poor vindemiator can do.......

unfortunately for supervillain-lasko, i got distracted while i wrote the opening scene, so he didn't actually get to say anything at all! the final line is a nod to that first idea, with vindemiator trapped underneath the academy, mourning a life that could have been but not knowing why.

"and underneath the academy, for no reason at all, an incubus begins to cry."

17. Do you think readers perceive your work - or you - differently to you? What do you think would surprise your readers about your writing or your motivations?

to tell you the truth, i don't know if i hope they do or i hope they don't!! i don't go out very much at all irl, and i find it really difficult to talk to new people, so a lot of my writing comes out of feelings of loneliness or isolation that i don't know are always obvious if you're not looking for them.

that being said, i think i put a lot of myself into my writing, especially the ways i see the world and think about love and friendships and connections between people, so i like to think that we're all on the same page, so to speak.

um, if you wanted something unexpected.... virtually everything i write is about being in love and all those sorts of feelings, so maybe you might be surprised that i've never been in a relationship before...? like seriously, i've never even kissed anyone before (don't you just love being socially anxious and also queer?), so literally every time i write about that, i'm totally making it up lmao

21. What other medium do you think your story would work well as? (film, webcomic, animated series?)

i would LOVE to turn some of my fics into short films, particularly the ones where i have a really strong attachment to the aesthetic or i think the image is really clear and would be fun to see unfold on screen. plus, i'm much funnier irl than i am when i'm writing, so being able to add all of those extra visual bits and pieces, as well as dialogue that doesn't translate well to writing, would be really fun! wonderland, rebel flesh, take a sip, thy fair imperfect shade, body contact, knock knock!, can't help but see, hold on tight...

this might be totally wrong, but i'd love to turn something like knock knock! into a script, at least the bits with gavin and guy and fl in - if anyone's taken drama gcse, it would be the sort of thing that you'd do for the live performance bit of the exam! god, as i was writing it i just wanted to BE there in the scene, and i had such a clear picture of the whole thing. tbh, i write the scenes i want to see - clearly the inner drama student in me is still going strong!

(this is unrelated, but if i had any drawing talent whatsoever then i would ABSOLUTELY draw the statue from one small paradox - i have a really strong idea of what it looks like in my head, and i just love the bittersweetness of that one - all that about turning love into stone. i did my best to describe it, but some things are better to see than to read, you know? @delllonggone mentioned it and now it won't get out of my head..... 🤯🤯)

[2small-frog]

"francis forever"

gavin x freelancer!reader

reader's pronouns: they/them

cw: poorly written angst (what's new), reverse comfort, happy ending :)

(a/n: yeaaa songfic time baybee!! the song is francis forever by mitski! is this romantic?? is it platonic? who knows!? definitely not gavin! he just Deeply Cares for the fl ok?? ok!!!)

i don't know what to do without you i don't know where to put my hands

i'm trying hard to lay my head down but i'm writing this at 3am

where? where was he?

the walls. walls? he couldn't tell. darkness surrounded him on all sides. everywhere he looked, all that could be seen was a swirling, black abyss. if he stared long enough, he could almost make out silhouettes. horns and tails with wicked sneers or patronizing smiles. the familiarity of it sent a shiver down his spine.

however, despite his odd surroundings, his mind was elsewhere as his gaze caught on a figure, one he hadn't noticed before. this one being much more than just a silhouette in the darkness.

as he focused in, he could see they were moving away from him. but it was them. he could recognize them from miles away. it was the freelancer- his freelancer, walking away from him, into the void.

he called out to them, but his voice was swallowed by the neverending black, barely even able to hear it himself.

but he couldn't let them go. who knows what dangers could await them, all alone in the infinite black?

who knows what dangers could await him? alone, completely without his deviant. without the person who's become so important to him in such a short time. the thought scared him.

he began running, trying, in vain, to get their attention. the floor(?) felt as if it was pulling him down, sinking him into it with each pounding step. but he couldn't stop. he wouldn't stop until he got to them.

as he lurched forward, his hand phased through their shoulder, leaving him grasping at nothing. they turned to look at him, but their eyes were empty. both of them, just as abyssal as the space they were in. those weren't his deviant's eyes. his deviant who was always glowing, who's eyes were always filled with love and care, now looked at him like he'd meant nothing to them. like he was nothing.

something shattered inside of him as they turned away, but he couldn't bring himself to chase again.

he watched them disappear. he felt as if a part of him, however foreign and confusing, was torn away.

i don't need the world to see that i've been the best i can be, but

i don't think i could stand to be where you don't see me

his chest ached as tears welled up in his eyes. he didn't understand. he's never cared for the way others see him. he was who he was, no matter what others thought or said; and he lived by that.

but they were different. this was different. he yearned to hear them, to hold them. he craved for them to look at him the way they had before.

he craved for them to see him, for they had seen him in a way that made his head feel fuzzy and his heart flutter into his throat.

they saw him as a person, as opposed to just a means to an end. they made him feel like he was worth more than what he could provide. when he was with them, he felt truly, deeply wanted.

but they were gone, and he was alone again.

on sunny days i go out walking i end up on a tree-lined street

i look up at the gaps of sunlight i miss you more than anything

gavin didn't know when he closed his eyes, but once he opened them, he was back in the freelancer's apartment. in the bed that he'd gotten so familiar with, the soft sheets strewn about. but he still was alone.

was the freelancer truly gone? leaving everything behind?

leaving him behind?

but gavin could still feel their presence all around him. in the muted sunlight bleeding through the blinds. the gentle, cloudless rains. the birdsong up in the trees, it was all them.

"deviant...?"

his voice wavered as tears began to spill. something else, foreign to him. he can't remember the last time he cried; not out of sadness, anyway. but he didn't try to stop. he didn't wipe his tears or hold his breath. he simply shut his eyes and let them fall.

why did he feel like this? he was no stranger to goodbyes. he'd never truly felt sad when he parted ways with a human who he'd been feeding on, let alone cried. but they weren't just someone, and he knew that. he knew that with every fiber of his being.

i don't need the world to see that i've been the best i can be, but

i don't think i could stand to be where you don't see me

gavin's eyes snapped open as he felt warmth against his cheek. it was a hand. his freelancer's hand. they wiped away his tears so gently, he thought he'd start crying all over again.

"gavin, are you okay?"

he gazed up at them, confused. they were here? they hadn't abandoned him?

they looked back at him, their bright eyes filled to the brim with concern. had they ever seen him upset like this before? he lifted a trembling hand up to rest over the freelancer's own.

"is- is this real?" gavin asks quietly, his voice wavered and cracked. that was new. and he hated it.

"what do you mean? of course it is." their voice was laced with worry as they lowered themself onto the bed, scooting close to gavin.

"where were you? where did you go?" gavin internally cringed at how vulnerable and clingy he sounded.

"i was in the kitchen. i thought you'd wanna sleep in, so i got started on breakfast early." they gently ran a thumb over his knuckles. "talk to me, what's got you so freaked out?"

gavin shook his head and schooled his features as best he could. he drew the freelancer close, drinking in their warmth. he would tell them about it later. maybe.

and autumn comes when you're not yet done with the summer passing by, but

i don't think I could stand to be where you don't see me

the remainder of their morning was spent tangled together, the half-started breakfast long abandoned, with the freelancer trying to get gavin to talk. they encouraged him with gentle touches and soft kisses, and eventually, he caved. he never could keep anything from them. not for long.

gavin's gaze shifted to the open window, watching as trees outside swayed. he felt the soft breeze on his face. "it was just a dream, deviant. there's no need to worry your pretty head over it."

they rolled their eyes at his dismissive tone, but opted not to push any further. it wasn't often that gavin withheld details from them. instead, they brought their hands up to card through his hair, slow and steady. leaning into their touch, gavin let out a breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"i can barely remember what it was about now, anyways."

they shook their head and pulled him closer. "that's the reason you're going with?"

gavin smirked, "yes, that is the reason i'm going with. for now." thoughts of deja vu fluttered across his mind, but he didn't dwell on them. instead, he focused on his deviant's arms around him and their hands in his hair.

if he was being honest, the feeling of being close to them, holding them and hearing them breathe, it truly was enough to make him forget about his dream (nightmare?).

it didn't matter anymore. whatever it was, it wasn't real. what was real, however, were these warm, giddy feelings swelling in his chest. they weren't familiar feelings, by any means,

but they weren't bad feelings, either.

[teddybasmanov]

Okay, I'm literally all in tears, which started not because of this song, but then it hit me, how it can be connected to the current narrative.

Angst, major character death, mourning and song lyrics under the cut.

Okay, so we've all discussed already how Gavin is going to outlive the freelancer. Been there done that. But now let's think about the Imperium and its end of the world. Imagine if it's actually not THAT close and the humanborn dies (quite naturally, nothing tragic) before it comes. So, Vindemiator loses them and keeps living in Elegy on his own and then Aria floods the plane. And he's home. But without them - the person who literally helped him find himself in this world. But he also knows that they probably would want him to be happy about getting home. So he tries his best.

I will grow old, as white as the earth in winter.

I'll get over you, my beloved.

I will stop longing for you, turn over,

I will explain to you what I carry.

I will reach the skies and the abyss, hurrying time,

And I will become completely yours, only without you.

My old comrade, my judgment and fate,

I will suffer through you in order to find myself.

I will know the value of heaven, having tasted hell in heaven,

I will replay my youth with you.

Transitions, overloads - a long way home.

Remember me without sadness, my beloved.

It's technically not "beloved" it's a word, which if translated literally would be "someone I can't get enough looking at".

[free-boundsoul]

“Speed demon?” Oh, please, Freelancer. You talk as if I flew us here in a jet. It was highway driving. It’s expected that you go slightly above the speed limit! I was keeping up with the traffic flow, which, by the way, is the safest way to travel. So in other words, you’re welcome.

Good, I’m glad you were able to do it without much effort. You’re right, it will help especially during the hot summers we have in Dahlia. Not to mention it’ll save you money on air conditioning. But there’s no need to have to stress yourself when were in my house. If it’s too hot, just speak up. You’d probably be doing my dad a favor. He has a tendency to accommodate my mom, even though she tells him not to.

Yeah, absolutely I’d like the playlist. Thank you!

Recorded? You RECORDED that? But why? God, if Hux ever saw that, he’d probably make me duet with him at a karaoke night or something… You’d have to drag me up there kicking and screaming before I ever even thought of doing something like that. No. No way. Not happening. Freelancer, please, please. Delete it. Please, Freelancer? You better delete that video right now or I swear I will make your life a living hell this semester. I’ll burn every article of clothing you have. I’ll scorch every piece of food you attempt to cook! I’ll… I’ll… Just delete it and I’ll do your intro-to-shifter-culture homework for a week? A month? Name your price. I need that video deleted. And what do you mean, it would be the perfect viral tik-tok? What does that even mean, Freelancer?!

So, what’d you think of my parents? I know you’ve only just met, but I can already tell they think the world of you.

-Damien

It was a road trip and I like recording memories, I took a lot of pictures too. There was a lot of pretty scenery and with you driving I had my hands free. I even got some of you smiling, oh and I got part of your rant when that one asshat cut you off.

A karaoke night sounds really fun! We should do that sometime, Damien. I bet Hux or maybe even Gavin would know some good places to go. And at least you sound good when you sing, why not show it off?

There are a lot of jokes I could make about you threatening to burn all my clothes, though those are probably best left to Gavin. And jokes on you, I like my food with some char. And while I appreciate the offer, I think it's best I do my own homework, how am I supposed to learn if I let you do it?

Have you not heard of tik-tok before? When we have a moment, I'll show you some videos, it's pretty fun to see how creative people can be.

But, if it really bothers you, I'll delete it, Damien. I really just took it because you sounded so nice and you looked so relaxed. I just loved seeing you like that.

Your parents are so nice! I can't wait to talk with them more. Your mom is a little intimidating, but I think it's just in my head. I just don't want to make a fool out of myself. And... you really think so?

[leviblum]

↪ brief introduction to levi blum.

BASICS

full name: levi aksel blum. nickname(s): lev. age: twenty-nine. date of birth: 15 september 1992. zodiac sign: virgo. place of birth: san diego, california, united states. ethnicity: white, ashkenazi jewish.   nationality: american. gender: cis male. sexual orientation: pansexual. romantic orientation: panromantic. religion: levi grew up practicing judaism alongside his family and though he doesn’t practice as strictly as he did when he was younger he still tries to attend temple as often as he can, tries to keep a kosher diet, etc. education: bachelor’s of fine arts in photography from the university of southern california. occupation: he’s a professional surfer though he’s taking a break from the sport while he recovers from an injury; to make money outside of that he’s a freelance photographer. language(s) spoken: english, hebrew, yiddish.  accent: he definitely has what people might consider to be a “stereotypical” southern california accent– of the sort that surfers have on television but if you asked him he’d be fairly adamant that he doesn’t have an accent at all.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

face claim: logan lerman. hair color: dark brown. eye color: blue. height: 5′9″. weight: 159 lbs. build: athletic. tattoos: he has an ocean themed sleeve on his left arm ( here ) & a tattoo on his chest of a cresting wave ( here ). piercings: he has a septum piercing and two lobe piercings in his left ear. distinguishing characteristics: people tend to comment on his sleeve tattoo when he can wear clothes that show it off, his demeanor – he’s a relatively mellow person, how passionate he is about his work.

PERSONALITY

label: the thalassophile. positive traits: adventurous, affectionate, ambitious, compassionate, confident, creative, easy-going, empathetic, fearless, genuine, loyal, passionate, persistent, quick-witted, relaxed, sincere, thoughtful. negative traits: boastful, flippant, gullible, impatient, impulsive, irresponsible, jealous, opinionated, petty, possessive, sarcastic, shameless, stubborn.   goals/desires: to recover from his injury and get back to surfing, to make the best of the time he’s in providence peak, to be open to any new experiences life throws at him.  fears: that surfing won’t ever be the same after his injury, that he’ll never feel fulfilled doing anything else when his surfing career is over.  hobbies: screwing around editing in photoshop, listening to podcasts, skateboarding, hanging out with his dog, playing guitar, watching foreign films, watching old american films, going to temple, facetiming with his sisters, going out with his friends, drinking, surfing, learning new photography skills, people watching, sex, scrolling through dating apps when he’s bored, collecting skateboard decks, cooking, going to the beach, swimming, traveling, finding creative ways to keep a kosher diet, smoking pot.   quirks: he talks with his hands when he’s excited about something, he’ll invariably mention surfing at least once in any given conversation without thinking about it, he always seems to have some top 40 song or another stuck in his head, he chews on his fingernails when he’s anxious, he always seems just a little too relaxed in any given situation.  likes: visiting places he’s never been before, doing tourist-y stuff in new cities, meeting new people, talking about surfing, skateboarding, spending time with friends, dad jokes, hanging out with his cousin, good beer / good alcohol in general, mexican food, coffee, watching nature documentaries, true crime podcasts, cheesy action movies, foreign films, old hollywood films, the beach, adrenaline highs, sex, people he can be totally relaxed around.   dislikes: dealing with shitty people, anyone who wants to talk shit on what he’s chosen to do with his life, not being able to surf, physical therapy, missing temple, being away from the water for long periods of time, wine, anti-semites, not seeing his family for most lengths of time, bad pot. 

FAMILY

father: gabriel isaak blum. mother: astrid marie blum ( née bronson ). sibling(s): abigail, hannah & naomi blum. pet(s): he has a six month old husky puppy named kelly ( after kelly slater ). financial status: upper middle class.

BIOGRAPHY

When Astrid Bronson and Gabriel Blum met on a sunny afternoon in Los Angeles it seemed even to the friends who’d introduced them that something in the universe that had longed to settle down had finally clicked into place. Their backgrounds were wildly different– Astrid having grown up in Hollywood with family who had been involved in the both the entertainment industry on one side and the media in general on the other; and Gabriel hailing from a small community in the Sierra Nevada’s that had never been home to more than three hundred people during the length of his life there and still managed to be one of the most wonderful, accepting places he’d ever known. In Gavin’s mind it had been a waste of his first two weeks at UCLA to not have met Astrid any sooner than he’d managed to and it seemed to him to be a stroke of luck of the highest sort that Astrid was just as smitten with him as he was with her– to their friends it seemed that there wasn’t a more perfect match in the world for either of them and when they started dating no one batted an eye. By the time their respective degree programs were drawing to a close they were engaged and Astrid was pregnant with their first child— leaving behind the sprawling city for the suburbs of San Diego where they hoped to raise their family in an environment that would be well suited to anything their children might want to do with their lives.

In the end it would be the third Blum child who developed such an intense fascination with the ocean that Astrid and Gabriel made it a point to allow him to pursue any and all water based activities he wanted as he grew up and proved to be precocious and headstrong and passionate in all the same ways his parents were and then some. Levi, ultimately the only son the Blum’s would have out of their four children, was borderline obsessed with visiting the seaside whenever he could– begging his parents to take them on weekend trips as often as possible and, when he was seven, begging his uncle to teach him how to surf– something he’d wanted to do since he was a small child. Everything in his life seemed to click when he was on the water and Levi quickly developed a love for surfing that, to hear his family tell it, was matched only by the natural talent he seemed to possess for the sport. He spent endless hours surfing in La Jolla with his friends as he got older and though he was an equally gifted student he’d made it clear to his parents that surfing was all he wanted to do with his life and by the time he was fourteen he was competing in tournaments all over the world with his parents wholehearted support.

Levi finished school online to earn his GED at the age of sixteen and from that moment on threw all of his attention into competing– he racked up sponsors, magazine covers, and even at the junior level was expected to be a credit to the sport all around when he finally made it to the majors to surf with people he’d admired since he was a small child. It was only after a long conversation with his parents that he considered pursuing anything resembling a college degree after he’d been gifted a camera to honor his first tournament in the pros when he aged out of the juniors bracket. He wasn’t wholly convinced he could manage a full degree almost entirely remotely but after considerable conversation with professors in schools in California he’d considered attending, he enrolled at USC with the intention of earning his degree in photography while he continued to compete professionally. It was difficult on his best days but when he walked the stage to graduate four years later with a degree in something he was just as passionate about as surfing, well, Levi wasn’t sure he’d ever done anything in the world that made him prouder.

As the years passed Levi’s skill and passion for his career in surfing earned him a small handful of victories in major tournaments and even more in major opens and it seemed to him that nothing in his life could ever be better– at least until he blew out his knee in a tournament and found a season ending injury staring him in the face. It was devastating to him in more ways than he could count and rather than return to his home in San Diego he made the decision to seek out a place to live in Providence Peak at the behest of his cousin who had lived there for several years. There was no surfing to be done there but Levi hoped it would make it easier for him to focus on his rehab if there was nothing for him to do to exacerbate his injury– since his move to Providence Peak he has had surgery and is recovering from his injury, working as a photographer to keep himself busy in the mean time. It wasn’t the worst spot he’d ever found himself in but with months of recovery staring him in the face he still found his thoughts drifting towards the ocean and the sport he can’t wait to return to.

[vagrantblvrd]

Ramwood?

The one where Geoff is an ~up and coming photojournalist or what have you.

Not exactly gung-ho so much as done with everyone’s shit and he’s not as careful about things as he should be, given the kind of place he lives? (Starts out in Liberty City and all the wrong kind of people to make enemies of.)

Somehow he runs into Burnie who is so goddamned amused by this asshole, right?

Smartass who doesn’t care whose toes he steps all over with his pieces  -and they’re all about the corruption and whatnot in the city and how it affects people there. Incredibly smart and also super goddamn stupid at the same time.

Has this reputation that has the news outlets and whatever else leery of hiring him on, so he’s freelance with a site/blog on the side that gains traction over time. Gets him this loyal following who trust him not to lie to them or obfuscate and such and gets by well enough for himself.

(Laments the fact no one will hire him on because what the hell? And Burnie laughing at him and telling him people in LC are afraid of someone like Geoff, honest men and all that in a city like that? Yeah, no.)

Knows he’s a hypocrite for being BFFs with Burnie and his people, but they’re the best of a bad lot or however you want to put it. The Roosters well-known for what they do, who they are and all that.

Burnie and his people keep an eye on Geoff who’s more interested in exposing the assholes who lie to the world about who they are – corrupt officials and businessmen and all that and has no reason to go after the Roosters, right? (Assholes, sure, but they’re upfront about it. And also this component to them that’s vaguely Robin Hood-ish in some ways. Sure as hell don’t try to bankrupt the little guy out of greed or petty vindictiveness and so on.)

Anyway, anyway, Geoff finally kicks over the wrong anthill and makes the wrong kind of enemy that has someone trying to kill him. Burnie and his people intervening and suggesting – gently – that Geoff maybe go elsewhere until things cool down in LC?

Mentions Los Santos that has Geoff laughing himself sick because it’s like Burnie wants him dead no matter what he says, but Burnie just rolls his eyes and arranges things to get Geoff the fuck out of his city.

He gives Geoff the name of one of his people out in Los Santos, this idiot of a kid who headed out there are few months before. Hacker/thief/pain in Burnie’s ass all the way from England.

Stupid as fuck and hey, maybe check in on him from time to time to make sure he hasn’t gotten himself killed?

And that’s how Geoff meets Gavin, right?

Gets the door slammed in his face when he goes to check on him the first time like he promised Burnie, at least until he tells Gavin Burnie sent him and then it’s.

Goddamn it’s annoying as hell.

Gavin being a little shit who eyes Geoff like he’s an idiot when he realizes who he is. Of course Burnie’s mentioned Geoff, who does he think dug up all the dirt the Roosters have on Geoff?? He just didn’t recognize him without that stupid mustache of his.

Also, the bruises and such don’t help. (Attempted murder will do that to you, though.)

Geoff’s got this shitty place to stay, and Gavin’s isn’t that much of a step up?

BUT.

Gavin’s got all this security Geoff’s place doesn’t and a better view and Gavin gives up on trying to get Geoff out of his place after a while. (Figures Burnie wouldn’t be best pleased if Geoff gets himself killed a week into his move to LS and this way he can send Burnie updates on Geoff with less work on his part.)

And then Geoff starts getting to know his new city, right?

Finds out all these interesting things that make it into his articles/blog posts and he’s smarter about it, but feathers still get ruffled.

And then!

Geoff’s been out of town digging up leads on a story hes working on and goes back to his own place for once and comes across some asshole who broke in while he was gone?

Geoff’s tired as hell and not in the mood to give any fucks and realizes the guy’s either there to rob him or kill him, because of course.

“Hey, quick question,” Geoff says, because someone trying to kill him isn’t a new experience by now, just.

Y’know.

Wow, okay.

Wow.

The guy with the gun stops talking in the middle of his little monologue or whatever he was doing (something, something, blah, blah blah?) and stares at Geoff.

At least, Geoff assumes the guy’s staring at him. (The mask makes it a bit hard to tell for sure.)

“What the hell is up with the mask?”

Dramatic bastard in a dumb jacket and fucking Halloween mask like the shop on Vespucci sells, you know?

Poor Ryan – because of course it’s Ryan – is just. Offended because one, does this asshole know who he is? And two, the mask is a Choice. (Unironic one at that.)Anyway.

Ryan’s not there to kill him so much as check on Geoff as a favor to Gavin?

Gavin had to run to Liberty City as a favor to Burnie and called in a favor of his own with Ryan.

All this backstory between the two of them since Gavin got to Los Santos Geoff never gets the full story about?

At most he gets snippets here and there, all, “Oh, yeah, someone hired him to kill me, and “Bastard shot me,” and “Jesus Christ, Gavin, would you give it a rest? I said I was sorry.”

Geoff is rightly Concerned about all of that and doesn’t know what happened or how much to tell Burnie because where would he even fucking start?

Also? It’s pretty clear whatever happened in the handful of months Gavin was in Los Santos before Geoff got to town that Gavin and Ryan are totes BFFs in the most alarming way?

Yelling about a fucking coin for whatever reason and Ryan threatening to murder Gavin over everything that would have any sane person running for their damned lives but Gavin is just :DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD about it while Ryan is *SIGH*.

They’re confusing as hell, is the thing.

Also, Ryan takes to hanging out at Gavin’s place all goddamned time too when he’s in the city.

Casually mentions this asshole or that one putting a price on Geoff’s head and maybe avoid dark alleys until Ryan can “take care of it” and so on?

Geoff being “Jesus Christ,” because never has he heard someone be so creepy/menacing in such an offhanded/nonchalant manner?

But true to Ryan’s word, whoever is trying to kill Geoff that week kind of…doesn’t? (Geoff doesn’t know how Ryan “takes care of it” and is smart enough not to ask.)

And after a few close calls – Ryan can’t be there all the time and shit gets past him no matter how good he is – he drags Geoff to a shooting range. Puts a gun in his hands, arms crossed and tells him to show him what he can do.

Because, look.

Geoff was in the military and while he’s got no love for guns these days there have been enough people after his head he should maybe rethink that?

Geoff just looks at Ryan like >:( and deliberately misses the target all “Oh, no,” woes is him guess he’s a lost cause and maybe they can get the fuck out of there?

But no.

No.

Burnie likes Geoff for some godforsaken reason. Gavin likes him.

Ryan…tolerates him.

The last thing he wants is for Geoff to get his dumb idiot self killed because he’s stubborn as hell.

So.

They stay at the range for hours until Geoff gets tired of it and actually bothers to aim? And okay, yeah. Not a marksman like Gavin or anything – and Geoff would like to be surprised about that bit of information, but he’s not, really, given some of the stuff Gavin and Ryan have let slip in passing – but he’s not the worst shot Ryan’s seen.

Still.

“Target practice,” Ryan says, and it sounds like a threat, which of course it does because Ryan and they end up with these regular ~dates at the shooting range until Ryan’s satisfied he won’t shoot himself in the foot or something.

And then!

Gavin drags him down to this community gym – rundown neighborhood and awful color choices for the décor when they get inside? Who the fuck puts orange and purple together anyway?

But, okay, but.

Geoff is fascinated at how awkward Gavin is once they get there? This little asshole dragging Geoff out of bed as ass o’clock in the morning and not taking ‘no’ for an answer and surprisingly strong grip.

In all the time Geoff’s known him Gavin’s been fairly confident as a whole, you know? Total asshole but one who knows his shit and everything, but the moment they get inside the gym and this guy comes over to greet them, he gets flustered.

And, oh, does Geoff ever take notice of that, like he takes notice of the way the guy’s face lit up when he spotted Gavin. (INTERESTING.)

Geoff watches the two of them fail-flirt for a while until some asshole comes into the gym and yelling about something? Sounds annoyed as hell and super assholish?

Geoff’s expecting it to be trouble – an annoyed client or customer or whatever. Expects this Jeremy kid to have to soothe some douchebag’s ego or boot him out of the gym for being a douchebag, but no.

Because Jeremy and Gavin seem super delighted at this asshole who walks over, some kid with this scowl on his face ranting about something Geoff’s not really paying attention to and that’s how Geoff meets Jeremy and Michael.

Finds out Gavin dragged him all the way down to the gym Jeremy owns/runs and Michael sometimes helps out with – lot of local kids go there to stay off the streets and fuck knows Jeremy’s an idiot who needs all the help he can get, right?

Anyway, anyway, Gavin dragged him down there to get the two of them to knock him around a bit on the mats. (Oh, sure. It’s supposed to be for self-defense or whatever bullshit they tell him? But really, it’s Gavin being passive-aggressive about Geoff drinking his good coffee or spilling his loose tea the other day or something. Definitely not the asshole being worried about him and trying to keep him safe or anything, God no.)

Whatever it’s almost worst the bruises and sore muscles to watch Gavin and Jeremy completely fail to notice they’re super into one another. (OR that Michael’s waiting for the two of them to get their shit together because it’s pretty clear they’re also into him, and he’s stupid enough to like them back and Jesus Christ, Geoff, you have no fucking idea okay. NONE.)

And like.

Geoff being introduced to all these assholes and their asshole friends and realizing he’s got more contacts/friends in Los Santos on the wrong side of the law than ever before and Burnie laughing at him when he tells him so during one of their phone calls, because fuck Geoff’s life.

(Not like it matters in a city like Los Santos anyway, but. Still reason for some level of concern. Or something. Whatever.)

The thing where someone really wants Geoff dead and there are Dramatic life and death moments in which he gets a little shot/stabbed and so does Ryan.

They have That Moment where they’re looking one another in the eye and are like, fuck because they have FEELINGS for one another and also have been dating for some time down without realizing it?

And then Gavin and the others have to rescue them – which, talk about embarrassing – and also :O because those little shits had a fucking betting pool on how long it would take Geoff and Ryan to realize they’re an old married couple at this point.

(Michael being ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  about it when Geoff and Ryan give him these LOOKS because talk about pots and kettles, assholes, but hey. Not his fault he had the bad luck to fall in love with a pair of oblivious assholes, and also do they want in on that betting pool or not?)

Whatever, Geoff’s life sucks anyway.

He’s still out there writing his news stories exposing assholes who deserve it because of course he is, but he’s got standing ~dates with the fucking Vagabond at the shooting range several times a week on top of that.

(And if they stop off for dinner or a movie on the way or head out to Del Perro Pier or somewhere else other nights, that’s no one’s business but their own, and also shut up about it.)

Gavin drags him to Jeremy’s gym where he gets beat up o the regular by those assholes – sometimes they bring in some of Jeremy and Michael’s kids who are the real hard-hitters down there and Jesus, his fucking shins.

Somewhere along the line Jack gets sent to Los Santos – Burnie’s concerned about Geoff, he really is, what with all these assholes bullying him around - and also, maybe, some Rooster-related business going on out there he wants someone capable to run.

And then Lindsay and Trevor and all the others and Geoff gives up pretending his life is in any way normal, especially when he gets his own place after a while.

His lease on his old place ran out and he can’t stay in Gavin’s spare room forever, you know?

He is a little surprised when he realizes Ryan moved in to his new place at some point, though.

Like.

“Hey, quick question,” Geoff says, because he’s actually okay with the fact he’s totally lost control of his life since coming to Los Santos. “When did that happen?”

(Okay, so that happened before all that, but let him have this, okay? Please.)

Ryan rolls his eyes because Geoff’s kind of dumb, and then smooches? Because really, Geoff.

[aion-rsa]

Can Tom Hardy Make a Venom 3 Spider-Man Showdown Happen?

https://ift.tt/2U7Hb40

While sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage approaches its arrival at theaters in September, star Tom Hardy is already envisioning designs for a prospective third film. Interestingly, for fans still unable to overlook the Spider-Man-less elephant in the franchise room, said designs are auspicious, since they involve a push to finally get the symbiote-joined Eddie Brock and Tom Holland’s Wall-Crawler together to potentially ignite a live-action version of their era-defining comic book rivalry. However, given the twisted web in which Sony’s Marvel movies are stuck, such a face-off would likely require major studio wrangling and multiverse magic.

Hardy is making a passionate push for a yet-to-be-greenlit Venom 3 to center around a battle between his title character and your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man; a notion that seems obvious, seeing as Venom was introduced in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man back in 1988, sketched by Todd McFarlane as Spidey’s bulky, menacing doppelganger empowered by the Secret Wars Battleworld-found shapeshifting alien symbiote costume Spidey had abandoned. While still mockingly brandishing Spider-Man’s signature symbol on his chest, Venom quickly became an A-list villain and eventual anti-hero, and one of Marvel’s most popular characters, although always a Spider-Man character. Yet, by contrast, the Venom film franchise has been a curiosity, notably with the 2018 solo film’s status as a quasi-spinoff of Sony’s Marvel Cinematic Universe-adherent Spider-Man films that bore no apparent connection to the Wall Crawler, and even set itself away from Spidey’s New York City stomping ground to the other side of the contiguous U.S. in San Francisco. However, in an interview with Esquire, Hardy is unambiguously lobbying for the cinematic connectivity necessary for a Spider-Man showdown.

“I would be remiss if I wasn’t trying to steer any kind of connectivity,” answers Hardy when pressed on the Spider-Man question. “I wouldn’t be doing the job if I wasn’t awake and open to any opportunity or eventuality or be excited by that. Obviously, that’s a large canyon to leap, to be bridged by one person alone, and it would take a much higher level of diplomacy and intelligence, sitting down and talking, to take on an arena such as that.”

The task of bridging said canyon is daunting and complex on both a business level—pertaining to Sony’s long-held license for the Spider-Man film rights—and a narrative level—given the confusing, contradiction-filled continuity of the SPUMC (Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters). One must first recall the contemporaneously historic nature of the studio deal between Sony Pictures and Disney’s Marvel Studios that facilitated the creation of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and his quick introduction in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. While, for Sony, it was a profitable move that pleased fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it also stood as a monumental detour from the studio’s obstinate method of maintaining its own separate Spider-Man universe—perhaps fueled by the success of director Sam Raimi’s 2002-2007 Spider-Man Trilogy—which has been kept away from the MCU. Since the deal saw the quick, ignominious erasure of Sony’s Andrew Garfield-starring efforts, 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man and its 2014 numerical sequel, it did seem that Sony had abandoned an increasingly unfeasible dream of Spider-Man autonomy to ride the MCU’s gravy train.

Read more

Movies

Venom 2 Trailer Breakdown – All the Marvel and Carnage References

By Gavin Jasper

Movies

Did the Venom 2 Trailer Confirm That the Movie Is Not in the MCU?

By Joseph Baxter

That idea came to a halt when 2018’s Venom came out of the gate cold with an origin story that completely contradicted the classic Marvel Comics storyline, and proved that Sony’s pre-Civil War plans to maintain separate usage of the characters provided by the Spider-Man rights remained curiously prevalent. Yet, despite lukewarm reviews, the strategy paid off, with the film going on to gross $856 million worldwide. Thusly, even after the success of Holland’s MCU-adherent version of the Wall Crawler, rumblings still persist of plans even beyond the upcoming Jared Leto-headlined Morbius to build a series of Spidey-adjacent solo films—mooted features centered on characters such as Kraven the Hunter, Spider-Woman and even Madame Webb—toward an MCU-contradicting Avengers-type megamovie centered on Spidey-stalking villain contingent The Sinister Six. Mind you, these spinoffs, akin to Venom, would presumably arrive cold without an MCU-christening hand-off from Holland’s Spider-Man, who has famously swung opposite the MCU’s elite in films such as the box-office-breaking Avengers: Endgame, and prepares to debut a third solo film Spider-Man: No Way Home, which prospectively yields game-changing magic-based multiverse implications with the presence of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange.   

Moreover, Venom: Let There Be Carnage director Andy Serkis recently threw down the gauntlet for anyone attempting to theorize about Spider-Man or MCU connections in his film, first by stating that “We’re treating this very much as his own world. Venom’s story is his own world.” Furthermore, its May-released teaser trailer doubled down on the separation with a quickly-flashed scene in which Stephen Graham’s Detective Mulligan is reading a copy of the Daily Bugle, the New York rag run by vindictive anti-Spidey editor J. Jonah Jameson, who unwittingly employs his quarry, as Peter Parker, for freelance photography. Ironically, while, at first glance, such an Easter egg would seemingly be the seed for Spider-Man appearances, it is, in fact, the opposite, since it contradicts Far from Home’s aforementioned post-credits scene, in which we learn that, in the MCU, the Daily Bugle is not a print newspaper, but a “controversial” conspiracy website run by J. Jonah Jameson, a new version played by the character’s classic portrayer, J.K. Simmons.

Sony Pictures

Consequently, with the Venom films presumed to not even take place in the same universe as Tom Hardy’s Wall-Crawler, much less the same geographic coastal location, the task of parting the proverbial seas to make a Venom and Spider-Man battle happen would likely require the former to somehow be brought into the universe of the latter. Indeed, Spidey, and the already-massive MCU legacy he brings, is unlikely to be grandfathered into the isolated Venom movie universe. After all, the two films seemingly bear no direct connection even to fellow SPUMC offering Morbius (more on that in a moment,) or, potentially, Sony’s constantly-evolving array of other planned projects. Nevertheless, the apparent loftiness of the would-be Spider-Man meeting has done nothing to diminish Hardy’s resolve.

“Should both sides be willing, and it be beneficial to both sides, I don’t see why it couldn’t be,” says Hardy. “I hope and strongly, with both hands, push, eagerly, towards that potential, and would do anything to make that happen, within what’s right in business. But it would be foolish not to head towards the Olympic Games if you were running 100 metres, so yeah! I want to play on that field.”

Sony Pictures

Interestingly, Morbius, rather than Venom, seems destined to become the exception to Sony’s Spidey-less spinoff strategy. The upcoming film will have Jared Leto star as the “Living Vampire” antagonist and subsequent antihero introduced back in 1971 in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man. Yet, an intriguing trailer arrived for the pandemic-delayed film back in Jan. 2020, which showcased the clear MCU-connecting presence of Michael Keaton’s still-incarcerated Spider-Man: Homecoming villain Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, and further flew the flag of connectivity with a scene in which Leto’s Morbius walks by a poster of Spider-Man indicatively marred by a spray-painted message of “murderer,” likely referencing the post-credit events of 2019’s Spider-Man: Far from Home, in which a posthumously-dropped video from Mysterio framed an ousted Peter Parker/Spider-Man for his murder. Thus, Morbius might provide the template for how future SPUMC offerings—like, say, Venom 3—can exist on the periphery of the acknowledged MCU.

Hardy’s clearly expressed desire to tangle with Spider-Man on the big screen will first require a significant amount of cooperation from Marvel Studios—namely its hands-on head honcho, Kevin Feige—regarding the apparent universe-diverging developments potentially set to alter the trajectory of the MCU. With Disney+ television series Loki having recently introduced the presumably necessary multiverse element, early details from recently-revealed MCU movie merchandise indicate that it will be further explored in the December-17-scheduled Spider-Man: No Way Home and, subsequently, in the March-25-scheuled Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

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For now, though, Venom will have to relegate his consumption of bad guys’ brains to his own little cinematic corner, with Venom: Let There Be Carnage scheduled to hit theaters on Friday, Sept. 24.

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