#miguel and peter’s dynamic is Very Important To Me
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Like Me Pt. 2
Tarzan! Miguel O'Hara x Scientist ! Reader
Art by Rendraws21 on X
WARNINGS: Mildly suggestive, power dynamics, emotional distress, endangering situations, Kraven being an asshole.
Summary: Your savior proves himself to be very much real.
A|N: Hope you like! I know you're waiting smut. Just bare with it! ;w; Reblogs and feedback are always welcome ❤️
Previous Miguelverse Main Masterlist
Kraven didn't dally and ordered the camp to be settled. The spot was rather good. A prime source of water and food next to you all, soil sturdy and perfect for withstanding the hard hammering of the tools that nailed the bases for the tents.
And after hours of bickering, russian cursing, more work and the crew doctor patching your arm up, the camp was settled and food served.
Each bite not only felt heavenly, but was scarfed down. You couldn't care less if Peter looked your way, mildly disgusted and surprised of your manners, or rather the lack of them while eating.
It was the least you deserved after surviving a ship sinking, getting lost in the jungle, being chased by a giant Jaguar and a man that left more questions than answers.
Who was he? More important, How had he survived all these years on his own?
After a second plate and extra slices of bread, one of the men approached and announced the readiness of your tent. One of the things you asked in your contract. To have your own, cause as much as you trusted Peter, there was nothing better than to have your own space and privacy in the midst of an unhealthy amount of testosterone surrounding you.
"We've eaten, replenished, and blah blah. What happened?" Peter mumbled while picking his and your plate together.
You shook your head softly as another crew member passed by. You didn't trust them, and Kraven had proved to be unpredictable.
One minute he cared for his crew and the other he was leaving you to fend for yourselves. But as long as you did your job, you wouldn't be part of the russian's guessing dangerous games.
"Kraven said we'd have to make do with the little tools we have. He spent a good time of the day trying to get some signal for the radio."
"Any luck?"
"None so far." Peter mumbled as he took your things inside your tent.
A hammock was the bed, a few boxes and other storage things were placed in a corner. A chalkboard and your investigation books in another corner and against all odds, a little broken mirror that acted as a poor attempt of a vanity ontop of another wooden box. Your hairbrush rested next to it. Whoever arranged it, at least had the consideration to make it as comfortable looking as possible.
In total, you had a couple of shirts and skirts left to use. The rest remained on the sea, floating and drifting away with unknown course.
Peter excused to go change himself and you seized the chance to do the same. Catching a cold in the jungle wasn't in your priorities list. Not with reduced medicine and victuals.
You put on a dry set and combed your hair out as much as you could. Peter joined you a couple of minutes later.
The fire cracked and sparked alive as the crew surrounded it. The day had been chaotic at best and everyone tried to soothe the nerves in their own way. Some drank, others sang, others talked and soon Kraven joined.
Others simply went to sleep. Too tired to keep up after a well deserved meal.
"So..." Peter started while sitting before you, a rag and some tubs on his hands. He was cleaning the remaining pieces of your equipment.
"Promise me you won't talk to anyone about this. And I mean it, Parker."
"I'm a geologist, not a snitch."
"I'm... kinda scared of what might happen if Kraven finds out"
"Now you're scaring me. What happened back there?"
"I know... who killed the beast Kraven is skinning." A gulp rolled down your throat upon remembering the lurid scene displaying before your eyes
"Wait... you said, who?"
A nod from you and Peter paled.
"We're not alone, that's for sure."
Peter rubbed his hands against his face, an exasperated groan escaped him.
"He's taller than Kraven."
"Bullshit." Peter mumbled almost immediate, surprised at your words.
"I'm not bullshittin' you Parker!" You had to hush your voice and soon grabbed a sketch notebook and begun tracing and drawing.
"He's freaking tall, long hair and he's naked. Well, not naked but a loincloth is everything but clothes if you think about it."
Peter frowned suspiciously as his hand pressed on your skin, to see if your body temperature had increased. Jungle fever was one of the worst things a human could suffer when away from their homeland. Cause he refused to believe anything of the nonsense that came out of your mouth was true.
A man taller than Sergei? Impossible. He was tall, but Sergei had been one of the tallest and well built men he had ever came across with.
"What are you doing?" You pushed his hands away and frowned.
"I'm sorry, I do want to believe you but.."
"I'm telling you the truth, Pete! He had... This... red hue on his eyes and fangs!"
"Fangs?" The incredulity in Peter couldn't be hidden the more he listened to your apparent rave.
"He's fucking strong, Pete. He was holding that beast by his tail! and then fought body to body against it! and He's so damn touchy. No respect for personal space!."
"And what? He smashed the jaguar to death and then kissed you?"
"Yes!" You nodded but quickly frowned when Peter tittered on his seat, unable to keep the mirth away.
"Why are you laughing?!"
"I'm sorry. You know we've been friends since college, but you seriously can't expect me to believe that, Dally."
A short for Dalhberg. The surname that put your name out in the researcher's map in London, upon discovering and naming another type of daisy and named it after you. The Dalhberg Daisy.
"You believe in the freaking Queen but refuse to believe in this?"
"I believe in the Queen's acquisitive power, nothing else. Cause I've seen it!" He explained, skeptical.
You showed him the sketch and shoved it to his hands.
"Look at that! That's exactly how he looks like!"
Peter sighed and raked over his eyes on the semi-crumpled paper sheet. Sharp features, a strong jaw and deep eyes.
"Yeah, a haircut would make him look better though." he chuckled, "Look, I know it's been a long day for us... let's rest, ok? We've got another tomorrow."
With a frown you removed the sketchbook away and tossed it on the makeshift vanity.
"He's real." you pointed at the sketchbook
"Okay, okay. He's real. We can discuss it all tomorrow when we're less tired, alright?" He held your shoulders, trying to ease your rising anger.
But you quickly removed his hands from you, hurt that your best friend didn't believe you. "Whatever. Goodnight."
Peter left with a defeated sigh and soon you cuddled in your hammock.
"I know he's real." With a huff, you pushed the pillow closer to your face, letting the day's weight to finally crash on you.
-----
The loud bangs of a gunshot echoed through the bright blue skies, frightening any local fauna that rested comfortably, like you, that nearly fell out the hammock from the initial jumpscare.
With a heavy exhale, and rub of your eyes you geared up for the day.
This time Kraven was thoughtful enough to give you a weapon. A small knife with enough sharp to slice and dice through anything weak enough to perish under the blade.
And soon everyone gathered to the morning structions. Kraven split up the crew in three parts. The first group of men would go to the beach to recover as much equipment as they could. The second group would be in charge to set up traps and hunt down for food. And the third one, meaning Peter, you, two more men and himself would go explore and study the jungle in order to gain any sort of information of new potential species.
You carried a small backpack, filled with your sketchbook, pencils, some essay and sample tubes and some snacks in case Kraven decided to return until dinner time.
And after a quick breakfast of oatmeal and fruits, everyone left.
Peter walked behind Sergei, guiding the group whenever the mercenary asked him to. You were in the middle as the other two men trailed with their guns behind.
Morning slowly poured into hours. Tortuous, running at the speed of a snail. Each breathing felt like adding more to the waiting, bringing your nerves to a much annoyed stance.
But it quickly melted away upon finding your first discovery.
The grass laid pressed in a circular pattern on the ground. The leaves were placed strategically, as if used as cushions in great amounts. A couple of fruit carcasses laid next to them. Discarded and forgotten.
"Look at that" The excitement in your voice beyond evident. You crouched to see if there was any other clues to your growing suspicion.
Kraven and Peter stopped upon you crouching to the floor.
"What is it?" Kraven pulled his gun from it's holster and walked over you.
"These are nests!"
"Nests?" His brow quirked and you nodded vigorously, to then count the spots. Around six in total.
"You know what that means? They live in packs! Gorillas live in packs!"
"About damn time we found something." Kraven nodded, pleased as he helped you up to then mark a spot in his map.
"Good job, Dalhberg."
Praised the mercenary before moving.
--
When the sun got high enough and Peter discovered some other findings like rare minerals, the group decided to take a break nearby a lake.
The five of you sat down and ate whatever thing you got left from breakfast.
Once you were done, you took your backpack, pencil and sketchbook with you.
"Where are you going?" Kraven grumbled after gulping down the water from his canteen.
"Saw some specimens of plants Id like to register. Won't take long."
"You better return as soon as possible, understood?"
The mercenary warned and you nodded while walking away from the tree. Excited to partake in the things you were brought and paid to do.
Your first specimen was a moss plant, then a new type of orchid. A fish, some birds and more plants. Even though you studied everything alive, the plants were your speciality.
You put the little backpack in a a nearby trunk as you sat down to draw yet another orchid. The place seemed flooding with them.
Engrossed beyond wits to notice you had drifted off a bit too far from the group and a little too late a baboon sniffing and ransacking your backpack.
"H-Hey! Hey! -The baboon took the backpack away, excited and driven by the tinkling within "Get back here!"
The animal hopped on the trees before you could catch it, with graceful and effortless agility, to finally stop to a sturdy looking and serpent-like shaped trunk above the middle of a swamp.
As much as you wanted to let the monkey get away with it all, you didn't want to face Kraven's anger for losing the last bit of equipment and delay the investigation. You didn't know when the next ship would arrive. None did actually.
It's hoots and chirping only increased the more things he pulled out of your backpack. The tubs shattered as they fell off.
"Stop it!" you shrieked while hopping onto the trunk with wobbly and uneven steps.
The monkey hooted louder until it started shrieking, as if mocking you whenever your balance failed and you were forced to crawl over the top.
"God, I swear... if I catch you, I'm so making an article on how annoying you are!"
The baboon just screeched at your silly threat once more before leaving your backpack pending from a twig as he jumped way through the stretched branches that favored him like open arms, with your bag of seeds.
Your breath hitched when the trunk creaked and some cracking around the base perked up your ears.
Shit.
You couldn't stop and return crawling from where you came from, not when the backpack was oh so close to be reached and your nightmare to be over.
With a deep breath, you crawled closer and closer. Paused breaths turned controlled, but quickly grunted when the hem of your skirt stuck in a jagged branch.
"No, no" You whined and pulled away, the trunk creaked harder and you immediately hugged the trunk.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck-" with a firm yet calculated yank, you ripped the fabric away, freeing yourself although losing a good chunk of front coverage.
A thunderous crack made your breath hitch and you moved forward as the trunk stuttered midair. It was then your eyes actually considered the generous and dangerous distance from your position to the murky water. But the backpack dangling before you, edged you to take a risky decision.
Or you took the backpack and threw it on land, hoping to take the least damage as possible or jumping to that other branch to avoid falling to the water.
None of them happened as the tree dipped forward, and with a dying groan, the cracks widened, tearing the feeble base of the trunk, unable to support your weight any longer.
As in slow motion, you saw the murky water closer and closer and closer, until nothing but darkness swallowed you whole. Cold and muddy water hit you, suffocating your body with enraged water that fought hard to drown you.
Your hands were the only thing that made it out as they failed. The sub aquatic flora begun their tangling in your boots and legs, pulling you down.
Your lungs burned as some water seeped through, the backpack sunk deeper and deeper. Like a sacrifice in exchange of your life. Because a strong pair of tanned hands pulled you with a powerful yank by the forearm, out of the water before death and crocodiles owned it.
Your head too dizzy to actually understand what was happening. Your eyes could only see the landscape sliding smoothy underneath your feet, like if you were flying.
Am I dead? Dead people don't fly, do they?
You shrieked as soon as your eyes looked upwards. Powerful and solid thighs held tightly on the growing vines, that spurted from underneath the gigantic trees, as one of his hand took your arm gently to suddenly pull you up in the air and catch you in his arms.
Your instincts told you to hold onto him as the other survival mode blared with danger alarms. The massive wall of solid muscles he had for a body was warm, full of scars and plush hair that did nothing but welcome your dizzy head on his chest.
The man quirked a brow at your sudden state. He frowned and quickly got over the foliage of a tree, before the pouring rain trapped you both.
You were put with ease against the solid and definitely not rotting trunk, and your body lurched to the side to expell away the swallowed water, clearing your airways.
A firm slap from his hand made your lungs to finally get some air as you gasped and coughed, all the while he watched you curiously.
You were drenched, against a tree, clothes sticking way too intimately against your shivering body, breathing like you were a first born, raged and fast. Lungs burned less.
Eyes finally widened when recognizing the man before you. Some fresh scars littered his Greek-god type physique.
"T-Thank you." You mumbled through clattering teeth and forced yourself to take a deep inhale to control the rising anxiety.
He grunted and approached. One of his hands slid gently under your chin to take a hold of your cheek. Your head instinctively melted into his heavenly body heat, and your eyes dared to shut for a minute. Relishing in the irradiating warmth his calloused hands provided.
He's so warm.
As if sensing the good deed, the man rubbed his hands on your cold arms, mindful of the patches around your arm, a couple of times before going back up to your cheeks and neck.
You gasped as soon as his hands were placed on your chest. His hands gently palming your breast but quickly let them go upon feeling your hardened nipples. You quickly covered your chest
He watched his hands, as if inspecting them for any damage when he felt the hardened nub, to then return to your arms, prying them away from your chest.
"Wait!"
You shrieked and he took both of your wrists with one hand and hovered them above your head, squishing them against the tree, softly. His eyes raked and took in every feature of you, before stopping at your chest again.
Your breath hitched as he slid the other hand inside your shirt. Cheeks turned impossibly warmer when he took one of your breasts and pulled it out of their confinements.
He examinated the perky mound with puppy wonder-like curiosity and then looked down his own chest. He frowned. His didn't swell like yours did.
"Wh-What are you doi-" you bit your lip as he poked your nipple, sniffed it and licked it. Earning a short mewl from you.
The sound startled him and he let you go.
"T- That's not a polite thing to do!"
You quickly put the breast back and swung your hand to slap him. You had to admit his reflexes were something else cause it caught it before it collided against his face.
"How dare you?!" You struggled to let your hand go, but stopped your outburst when his eyes watched your hands and brought them before his ever curious face.
His own hand reached up, and placed itself before yours, comparing the stretched and long digits against your smaller ones. They weren't the same size, that was much true, but the texture and lines he had were the same on yours.
His eyes shone brighter than any bewilderment. His mind had finally clicked together at the sudden epiphany that flooded his brain.
You were like him.
He pursed his lips before letting out an excited grunt. He backed away to create enough space for his arms to move freely.
He pointed to himself and spoke with the deepest yet excited voice he could manage.
"Miguel."
Your eyes went wide and you approached. He tried again while pointing at his chest.
"Mi guel."
"Miguel." His nose flared proudly and his throat grunted happily.
"Oh! I see!"
His ears perked up upon hearing your name.
"OhIsee!" He repeated.
But you quickly corrected him, with your name as you pointed to yourself and then called his name as you pointed at him.
A buttery crawl rolled down your spine as he mumbled your name.
"Exactly." you smiled.
He cupped your face again and mumbled your name once more. However, the sound of a gunshot tearing through the skies disrupted his attention from you and stood at the edge of the branch.
"Kraven" You gasped. Completely forgetting about him and the group.
Oh no...
Trouble was a tiny word of the deep neck shit you were into. Another shot rippled through, frightening the birds in the ratio.
"Kraven!" He repeated, excited.
Extraordinary. There wasn't any word to describe him better. He took you back, trapping you in between his muscular thighs and swinging through vines.
The more you approached the camp, the clearer you saw this massive black and brown spots moving away from the settlement.
Your hearth thumped with violence upon finally standing before a small group of gorillas, sniffing and hooting softly upon seeing Miguel.
Your savior wasted no time in pulling you closer to them. You shook your head, rightfully frightened.
"No, no, no wait!"
The gorillas huffed to then sniff your head, your clothes. Some even pulled at your hair softly, others examinated the clothes you were in.
Another gunshot echoed closely this time and it was loud enough to spook out the beasts out that pulled Miguel with them. You could only watch him, wide eyed, expectant. But he left.
"Miguel..."
----
Kraven wasn't one for losing his temper with women. But you, had the annoying ability to make his patiece turn to dust in the least opportunes of moments.
"I asked you, where the fuck have you been?!"
He dragged you to the center of the crew and threw you on the floor.
"I told you, I almost drowned! Why do you think I'm like this?!"
Kraven spat a few words in his native language under his breath and grunted
"You lost your equipment, didn't you?"
"I... I tried to get it back but I almost drown in the swamp, Sergei!" you explained with nothing but the truth
"You can't swim, don't you bullshit me.!"
"I'm telling you the truth!"
"Then how you survived!?"
Peter frowned as he looked at you.
"I was saved. Ok? A man saved me!"
"A man?"
"He's... Not like us. He's taller than you and he saved me!" you kept pressing, hoping the angered mercenary understood that you didn't do anything in purpose to upset him.
"He knows how to swing through the vines! And dropped me here! His name is Miguel. "
Everyone stared with derision at you and Peter seemed concerned you stuck with your story so bad to the point of risking your own neck and reputation.
Kraven' brows furrowed into a scowl and soon he pulled his revolver out and pointed at you.
Your face turned to panic, as your hands rose shakily.
"A savage named Miguel helped you?"
"He did! Otherwise you'd still be looking for me."
Kraven snorted without removing the gun's aim from your body.
"Funny you think I'd waste my resources to look up for a stupid woman like you."
"Please, you have to believe me! I saw gorillas around the camp!"
Kraven removed the safety pin from the revolver, as if peeved you'd waste his time and resources into being an idiot and not doing your work as he required.
Time was ticking and he still had no news, and for you to be fantasizing about savages and doing stupid things such as endangering yourself had proved you weren't reliable.
"You're not reliable, anymore, Dahlberg."
"No! Sergei listen to me-"
He pointed the gun once more to you "I can't keep unreliable people within my crew."
"I'm not lying!" You pleaded with all your might and tears in your eyes, "Miguel is-"
Before Sergei could push the tip of his revolver on your head and shoot, the earth underneath rumbled, as Miguel fell in between you.
Real.
Kraven stepped back as the imaginary savage was now fully standing before him. His head had to crane up to meet his burning ember eyes.
Miguel's lips snarled at him, showing his fangs and beating his chest. A clear challenge for him to fight him.
A collective round of gasps echoed through the men, but when Miguel bared his teeth, they all pulled their guns and pointed at him
"Stop!" You yelled and quickly scrambled to your feet to take Miguel's hand and shake your head with determination.
"Don't hurt him!"
Peter immediately got himself before you and rose his arms, showing he was no armed.
"I'm sure we can reach an agreement here without filling eachother with bullets, gentlemen"
"Shut up, Parker!" Sergei seethed and with a deep flare of his nose, pointed the gun at Miguel again, but Peter grabbed the weapon and the shot tore through the air again.
"Kraven" Miguel grumbled at the gun shot sound.
Said mercenary could only watch him, nonplussed for a moment. While you, again, stood your ground before the behemoth of a man. Attempting your best at protecting him.
"Have... we met before?" Kravinoff spoke confused.
"I told you he could speak! And he is real!"
Miguel remained glued at your side. Everyone slowly put their weapons down as Kraven approached to take a proper look at Miguel, fascinated by his sheer size and build.
Peter had to admit, that it was the last time he'd ever doubt your words.
"You said you had seen gorillas?"
Again, you nodded and Miguel repeated the word.
"Miguel knows them. He could help us."
"Help us? The man barely understand us, but... It's better than nothing I suppose."
Sergei scrunched his face in confusion as Miguel took strands of your hair and sniffed them, his senses awakening in pure adrenaline. Throat grunted approvingly.
"Yeah... kind of understand the personal space thing now." Peter cleared his throat behind you. The rest kept looking to see but quickly were dismissed by their leader.
"Oh, shut up." You grumbled nervously as Miguel pulled your head to his chest once more, to listen to his powerful heartbeats.
"Yeah, it's very very nice." You chuckled nervously with a soft flush creeping your cheek.
"Nice." He repeated.
Kraven could only watch but if he was the link towards the gorillas, he'd seize the chance in every way he could.
"He's way smarter than you think."
"We're running against time, how would he understand us, Dhalberg?"
Miguel moved to inspect Kraven, mimicking his gestures effortlessly. Earning a giggle from you.
"Leave that to me."
-------
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#t writes✨#miguel o'hara#miguel o'hara x reader#miguel o'hara x you#atsv miguel#Miguelverse#tarzan au
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The similarity and differences between Peter Parkers in these movies ( ones specifically named ‘Peter Parker’) is wildly fascinating to me
Welcome to the Peter essay (sorry no mla format)
The most obvious connection the movie wants you to make is between Ripeter and Pb. They are introduced one after another, they are one of miles’ biggest relationships in the film and both have their faces shown and out during most of it. Pb’s nickname literally is a reference to a -b list actor. He’s the second, not as good one.
Neither of the two meet but I’m so burningly curious what they’d even say to each other. It’s like staring at a warped mirror, your own face reflected back at you but it’s off.
We will never get these answers because this isn’t Peter’s story or movie and that’s a good thing. But that’s exactly what fanfiction is for. Anyways let’s talk about the other Peter that shows up in itsv.
Spiderman noir himself, in contrast to the first dynamic this one is barely even grazed. Mostly because noir doesn’t take off his mask besides one flashback and two they are so wildly different in comparison to Ripeter and him. He’s not standard spiderman all that but he also lives in a completely separate time period so it’s hard to see him as a Peter if he just did things differently or lived a bit longer but rather as his own entity entirely.
For the record I’m not going to be talking about lizard Peter as he’s got so little screen/ reference time in these films but it is important to note his insecurity, his vulnerability and the fact that this is most Peter’s experiences in highschool without powers. He’s an origin point but he is his own character as well.
Pb is jaded that is the best way to describe him, he’s self centered, self destructive, a cynical burn out who’s world weary, emotionally compromised and sarcastic especially before he gets his life back together. We don’t get much of Ripeter but the directors made him to be as competent as possible, snarky, determined, heroic, quintessential spider stuff, but he is tired, he’s trying but it’s not enough, he literally breaks down on a Christmas album he’s recording.Noir is “hard boiled, he’s rebellious, dramatic,hardworking but fight happy,chaotic and quick to adapt,genuine but suppresses his own emotions. He’s meant to be a love letter to those films but he’s got so much more to him than a couple gimmicks. The way he so freely says I love you and means it isn’t a trait either of the other spiders would do. It’s not indicative of the genre either.
The thing that connects all these people besides their names is the trait of being weary, ranging from being exhausted Ripeter to a straight up burnt out peter b. Noir is tired too but he’s not constrained the same way the others are, he’s tired of the tragedies that go on not the repetitive nature of being a spider for a long time,he’s angry. He loses everything but he lashes back at the world. The tiredness he feels motivates him in a way. Pb shuts down when the people he loves leave or die, he essentially regresses to being that same weird nerdy antisocial kid all those years ago. Ripeter doesn’t have any of his family and loved ones die or leave so he ends up being the one to leave them but you can see how he could very well be pb if that were to happen to him.
Lastly I wanna talk about their relationships to miles, being the only character to have interacted with all of them
Ripeter’s relationship is also interesting to look back in hindsight since the news that if he hadn’t been bitten, Peter wouldn’t have died hurts miles the most out of all the things Miguel says to him. Miles was a fan of Peter, not to the extent ganke was but he looked up to him and throughout the film he spends the majority of it trying to make good on Peter’s last wish/ words. He literally tries to emulate him, seen in the fact he buys a Halloween costume of his outfit when told to hide his face. Peter for his part is so relieved and happy to know he’s not alone, this event is likely what would’ve stopped him from being pb. He recognizes that there’s danger and doesn’t expect him to do things alone like he did, he wants miles to not have to go through what he had to. Miles ends up having to go through what he had to very intentionally ironically. But the way that Ripeter is and what he represents to miles is why Pb is setup for disappointment. The arc is wrapped up when miles uses one of his old suits and spray paints something new with it. Becoming a hero in his own right but having his legacy being the thing that backs it. The suit being critiqued in spider society is interesting because it can be read that he’s just a pale imitation, crudely painted over top of something he was never a part of. Something perfect that he ruined.
Peter b and Miles’ relationship is essentially the entirety of the first film, and to a certain point it’s half of the second too. Peter’s advice aren’t things you really wanna know as a superhero but they are valid. It’s boring and practical, not the flashy excitement miles was hoping for. In the end he does seem to take hold of it though judging by miles’ baby powder sponsorship. From initially ditching him to being his biggest advocate, Peter’s opinion shifts quickly for the kid. It’s an arc that resolves in the second movie when he literally has fixed his relationship and had a kid because of miles, one he’s absolutely crazy for. He becomes a pseudo father figure to him in a sense. One with a completely opposite approach to it than his actual father, miles in turn learns from both, the boring parts too. It’s why Peter’s betrayal hurts more, we don’t know his exact reasons but we know he doesn’t hold any actual malice towards the kid and he doesn’t agree with the chase either, their relationship will need repaired but I believe these two can do it.
Noir and miles don’t have a ton of one on one interactions but we do see the dynamic they have which is more than some. The way he regards miles and his situations are very interesting. The most obvious scene is when we get “surprise attack!” Where he is sparing with miles in order to get him ready for what kingpin has in store for him. There’s a clear difference between this scene and one where noir is fighting someone else or even miles fighting another spider, this isn’t noir beating up miles and taking his lunch money this is a warm up. He encourages miles even when he’s asking if he can close off his own feelings so that he doesn’t have to bear the weight of his morally ambiguous actions. He wants miles to be ready to be a spider, with all that entails. There’s a lot of unpleasantness that comes with it which isn’t something either of the other Peters truly bring up. When they all huddle together Peter brings up they are doing this right in front of him, sorta confused. I think it’s fun to see that noir personally probably would’ve just said the things he was thinking and concerned about to miles directly. His poor kid line from pb and miles argument sounds like he can relate to his feelings of frustration of wanting to do more but not being ready to. His reaction to miles freaking out over the fact that the prowler is his uncle is to say that’s a pretty hardcore origin story, not realizing that’s insensitive before peni elbows him. It’s like telling a kid that a scratch will heal into a cool scar. Making good out of bad. The last one is when he leaves, he in no uncertain terms, tells him that he loves them all. There’s no caveats to it, there’s no conditions there’s just unconditional support. Nothing in the second movie complicates this either, he is not in spider society. He never chases him,he never lies or sells him out and he is one of the first responders when miles is in trouble. It makes sense since he’s not in a lot of movie but miles’ relationships to other characters with similar screen time are actually wildly different.
Most of the Peter’s in this movie are dead, like half. Technically more than half of you think noir has been revived already in this canonicity. They’ve also got really confirmable ages. Pb is 38 in itsv, Ripeter is 26 when he died. To me noir is tricky but I always draw him in the 21-35 age range it’s funny if he’s young .
Tell me if I missed anything I have severe brainrot for this series in general
#spiderverse#spiderverse analysis#peter parker#atsv peter b parker#peter b parker#spiderman peter parker#spiderman spiderverse#Ripeter#spiderverse ripeter#peter b. parker#spider noir#spidernoir#spider man noir#peter benjamin parker#across the spiderverse#spiderman analysis#spiderverse peter#atsv noir#atsv#itsv#itsv analysis#atsv analysis#spider man: across the spider verse#across the spiderverse analysis#spiderman into the spiderverse#atsv Peter
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I may get hate for this but this is my opinions on characters in the spider verse movies. And feel free to disagree with me. I will only be talking about the movies portrayal of characters not the comics so I may like a character more in the comics but not in the movie. And another thing I'll take into consideration is plot importance. These are just my thoughts on the characters in general like morally, personality, and how they make me feel
Miles Morales: main character so he immediately gets some points, his story in the first movie was amazing, and it kinda leaks into the second film with him trying to find his place as Spiderman and he has had some of the best moments in the franchise. It makes me so excited for them to rap up his story in the next one. 10/10
Gwen Stacy: her story has been one of the best parts of these movies as it perfectly shows why she does and act the ways she does in the movies from the loss of her best friend and that fear holding her back till miles appears and her conflict with her dad fueling her to stay with the spider society and her later facing her problems instead of running away from them makes her and amazing character, also her fight with the vulture was one of my favorite parts of the movie. 10/10
Peter B Parker: he was good in the first film with it shows his problems in his own world and Miles helping him overcome some fears like having children and in the second him having mayday showing he got his life together, but he loses major points for the second film. He did nothing important only hurting miles and I understand her joins Gwen at the end to help him but hes constantly bringing his child to battles and did nothing when Gwen was being sent home to a place where she had no safe place to stay and where her dad had tried to shoot her. Like my guy you are an adult Atleast try and say something.4/10
Peni Parker: absolutely adorable in the first film and very helpful in making and new goober her and spider are so interesting and her dynamics with porker and noir is so cool, it made me so sad when her Fathers mech died. While she didn't do anything important in the second film the movie did a great job of showing she had changed, I can wait to see more of her in the next film. 7/10
Spider noir: I definitely think he's over rated but I can see why. his design slaps and he was quite funny in the first film, they did a great job in showing someone from a black and white world trying to adjust to a world of colours, he was a good character with some great lines despite not doing anything of much importance to the story, him throwing a car at tombstone was badass though and his relationship with peni was cute. Maybe my opinion will change on him in the next movie though. 6/10
Spider ham: I don't really feel anything towards him he had some good lines and his fight with scorpion was great but other than that he didn't really do anything, hopefully this will change in the next film. 5/10
Miguel O'Hara: here's where people may disagree with me. I like the concept for his powers and I think he's a great antagonists to Gwen and miles but other than that I don't care about him as a character. Im interesting to see what happens with him in the next film but I ain't to fond of his design, and his cannon even theory is fucking shifty, like bro the reason the world collapsed was because you replaced a dead person not because you stopped one event. Also he should not be treating children the way he does in the film , like dude you were a father wtf. And the hype around the character also puts me off him as well. 3/10
Jessica drew: I actually really like Jess, while she didn't do to much in the film, it was still enough to get me interested in her character from her first interaction with Gwen showing concern for her and later becoming her mentor. When Gwen gets sent home it shows her slowly swaying away from Miguel , the film actually shows a conflict within this character which a lot of characters seemingly don't get, and makes me wanna see how she's handled next film. 7/10
Hobie brown: I like Hobie he's just over rated as fuck. He makes the new watches for Gwen and the gang and also helps miles get free but other than that, he hasn't got much of an individual story in the movie yet, he just felt like a side character, which technically he is but most of the other spiders don't have the problem for me. I think I heard where seeing more of his world in the next film so hopefully it gives us more insight to his character, but I also feel like once again it's the fan girls which are ruining the character for me. 5/10
Pavitr Prabhakar: I loved him his introduction was incredible and and entire section of the movie in mumbattan was incredible, with the black hole forming in his world, it provides his character with a secondary story behind the main movie one. Him joining the gang at the end of the film even with his world collapsing shows how good of a friend he is, miles helped him so now he's gonna help miles, while he didn't do to much in the movie they did a great job of setting up his character for the next one. 7/10
Margo kess: I absolutely love her design and she wasn't in the film enough, the only thing she really did in the movie was let miles go but it had a big impact, I can't wait to see her on the team in the next film. I'm also sick of people putting her and Gwen against each other the besties deal with it. Her score would be higher I just haven't seen enough of her character yet. 6/10
Miles g morales: badass entrence and it was a really cool ending to the film, thought were don't know anything about him yet as a character so I can't really rate him yet. 4/10
Spider cat: 10/10 no questions asked.
#across the spiderverse#pavitr prabhakar#gwen stacy#miles molares#miguel o'hara#hobie brown#jessica drew#margo kess#miles morales#spider cat#ghost spider#peter b parker#peni parker#spider ham
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miguel o'hara x reader/oc fic recs
really wanted to put together a list of my fav miguel x reader/oc fics, these updates have been keeping me going and i enjoy them so much...will include the tags that i think are important but do check them out to view all tags and warnings!
For the Archives by alkhale
tags: disaggreeable coworkers to lovers, fluff & angst, slow burn, spider-man typical humor, pining, pre-canon, oblivious reader, unrequited love (for now)
remarks: i would be lying if i said this wasn't my absolute favorite. i think someone said this in the comments, but it's unstoppable force meets immovable object dynamic excellence. this is a miguel x reader fic, but i kinda view them as an oc bc they're so well written and i love them so much. like they're so endearingly written and i want the best for them dhfjksdhfjk....idk if that makes sense but this is just how my reading experience has turned out. the slow burn and pining is so so good, albeit the feelings one-sided and still subtle at the moment. but make no mistake, the subtle actions that show those feelings are written so so well it could kill a person (me, it killed me). the foreshadowing is also so interesting. each chapter just leaves you wanting for more. and lyla is also very fun in this!
put down that gravestone by danysclouds
tags: mutual pining, canon divergence, married but not really married, grief/mourning, angst and hurt/comfort, parallel universes, really smart idiots in love
remarks: if you're looking for a chaptered miguel x original character fic with plot, look no further. this fic explores love and grief across parallel universes, and how a miguel and xiomara from different earths find each other in a less than ideal situation. how do you even begin to process meeting a variant of your other half from another universe? there's a lot of sorrow in their story, and the writing leaves no details out in describing what loss feels like. but ultimately they're together again, so somehow, they'll be okay again. the story leaves you with hopes like this. i can't sufficiently express just how good this fic, is so please read it.
Every You Every Me by Astroboots
tags: slow burn, parallel universes, mutual pining, forced proximity
remarks: this fic has drove me insane in the best ways possible. a miguel x reader fic that's an absolute joy to read, but also hits you with sadness when you least expect it. reader is written so well and when paired up with miguel, creates a great dynamic that is so fun to read. i really love the slow reveal of the story in the first few chapters, i was slow to piece it together but when you realize what their circumstances actually are and why miguel is the way that he is in this, it's kinda thrilling! but also sad so watch out.
One Bad Day by puppyteeth
tags: enemies to friends to lovers (the enemies part is brief), reader as a spider-person, slow burn, angst, fluff, hurt/comfort, gender-neutral pronouns
remarks: i love reading miguel x reader/oc fics where MC is a spider-person, there are so many interesting origin stories out there and this is one of them. and it's not just the MC, but also the peter parker of their earth. it has a writing style that i would describe as fun and a joy to read. i really like the dynamic between miguel and reader and their developing relationship has been so satisfying to read.
Weedkiller by brotherblaze
tags: mutual pining, friends to lovers, emotional hurt/comfort, blood and gore, sexual tension
remarks: it's not tagged but reader is an anti-venom symbiote, after looking it up it gave more context to their abilities! i loved that miguel and reader are already friends in this, and lyla also has a lot of dialogue + is close to MC. i have to mention a part i really enjoyed though, like i actually yelled and felt happiness bloom in my heart at this character's appearance. they appear in chapter 3 and i was honestly so surprised that they were a part of the story too. i didn't read the character tags so i had no idea! it was a pleasant surprise, and i'm so happy the writer included them in this bc it's so rare. it's not even that i love this character, i actually don't know much about them besides their relation to an existing character, but their dynamic is lovely and wholesome, so i love them in this haha...please read this!!
#miguel o'hara#miguel x reader#miguel x oc#miguel fanfic#recs#miguel#thank u writers mwah#ur writing is making me live laugh love
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I get what you're saying. I adore him in spiderverse though I think he's better in the comics, but I get the feeling the writers think they have to bend and twist other characters to prop him up, which isn't needed at all. Its like how they changed Miguel to an asshole, Peter is made to look incompetent and careless and Gwen's entire character is sacrificed and water down to sell her as a love interest. I lowkey get the feeling they're gonna try to make it to where Peter's more inferior than him: like how they're framing it so far, Peter couldn't do this, or that, he couldn't save this person but Miles can cause he's better. He's special. And yes, he is a great character but you don't have to water down other characters for his sake. He's already great on his own. I mean as someone who loves both Peter and Miles I think they should be able to coexist without putting one another down, but it kinda feels they're setting up the story to be that way. And while yes, hit at the critics and racists who bash Miles all you wany, but putting it to where you think he's a superior than Peter because...whatever isn't exactly the way to do it and will only make things worse.
yeah, i feel that.
i wrote a whole novel about how i hate that gwen's been watered down to make miles look more special, so i won't repeat that here.
man i feel sorry for comic miguel fans. they've been fighting for their lives bc of atsv. i have conflicted feelings about this version of miguel, because on the one hand i think the role he plays in the movie works and he's a great villain, but i still wonder if they could've come up with a different plot for atsv that didn't revolve around responding to the backlash against miles, or at least made someone who isn't another poc the face of the backlash.
peter b though... hm. one of the biggest problems with him in the comics pre-itsv (which still pops up, but less lately) is that he keeps being built up as this oh-so-special chosen one that all the other spider-ppl have to kiss the ring of (especially miles), and it's so annoying. so taking him off the pedestal and saying 'no, he's kind of a loser' is very satisfying.
it also highlights how the presence of miles in his life can inspire him to finally grow the hell up for good instead of being stuck in this constant state of arrested development. and since itsv was most people's first impression of miles, it was SO important for miles to not be following peter around with puppy dog eyes, and for peter to instantly understand and appreciate how special miles is (because if peter does it, so does the audience).
atsv is where i think the problem comes in. peter b being so benched doesn't track with his characterization. like, you're telling me a girl miles went on one bus ride with who friendzoned him is risking her life to come see him, but the guy who mentored him for days and loved miles so much he decided he wanted to be a father because of him won't? no. absolutely not. if anyone was going to sneak away from the society to see miles it should have been peter. and no way in hell would he be grinning taking selfies with his baby while miles is being hunted by the society. they flushed the miles-peter dynamic down the toilet to replace it with miles-gwen and it sucks.
it also doesn't work with the metacommentary. because let's be real: the canon events all center around peter parker. he's the blueprint, and the movie doesn't mention it at all. like, isn't that weird? there are more peters at hq than any other type of spider-person, and nobody mentions it? wouldn't peter be uncomfortable with being put on a pedestal like that? wouldn't miguel have a huge inferiority complex about not being peter parker? wouldn't this be a great opportunity for the original spider-man to tell the racist fans who won't accept miles that they're full of shit? why is he just wandering around in a robe and slippers.
as for miles being superior... i think btsv is what'll make or break it. as of the end of atsv, miles thinks he's better than the spider-society and that's why he thinks he's going to be able to break canon. he's proud of himself for "beating" them, he keeps telling gwen he's gonna be the guy who'll be different for her (he won't), he wants to be the most special spider-man who gets to cherrypick his canon events and he hasn't considered that the idea that canon events are mandatory might be the real problem. if btsv revolves around miles realizing he's wrong and helping everyone else break their canon too, i love it. but if btsv ends with the theme of 'sure, canon exists, but some people, like miles, are special enough to be the exception' instead of 'everyone deserves better' that undermines the whole story. i'm just gonna wait on it.
#asks#spiderverse salt#they also took from hobie for miles' you-should-have-been-the-prowler narrative fwiw
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ok I'm gonna say it because it's been bothering me for months
I watched a review of across the spider verse a bit after it came out, I don't remember which youtuber it was, but basically they said that they didn't like how overly focused the film was on the emotional parent speeches. Now that's a personal preference thing, they can say they don't like the parent-child dynamic being the main theme, I'm not here to say they're wrong for disliking it.
However they said in their review they thought that specifically the scene with Peter and MJ at the end was unnecessary. Their reasoning, as I remember it, was that we already have the Miles and Rio scene and then the Gwen and her dad scene, and so we don't need to see the same scene again. And this has been bothering me ever since I heard it. I couldn't exactly put into words why, but it just didn't feel like that particular criticism was right, or even genuine tbh. It felt like they just wanted to say something negative about it and they came up with this.
After rewatching the film many times I'm finally able to express why I felt that. All these parent speech scenes are trying to accomplish something different for the narrative. There not just interchangeable, and if you cut one of them out it would definitely affect the film for the worse.
Cutting Gwen's reconciliation with her dad at the end ruins her character arc and the entire side plot of her "starting a band". She needs to hear her dad say "I quit" for her to have the final realisation that "canon" can in fact be changed. Otherwise she wouldn't be gathering everyone to go help Miles.
The Miles and Rio scene is needed for a lot of things. It's a set up scene and there's multiple pay offs during the rest of the runtime.
Miles hesitates to tell his mom that he's spiderman, then later he actually says it to 42Rio
Rio tels Miles to not let people tell him that he doesn't belong, then Miles beats the spider society and Miguel after he literally tells him that he doesn't belong
Rio tells him she's afraid people won't accept him like they do, and then Miles tells 42Rio that she was right and that they didn't want him
These all seem small but they're very important for his character arc. If the Miles and Rio speech doesn't happen, Miles wouldn't have the motivation to tell his mom he's spiderman. This would fundamentally change the ending of the film
Finally the entire reason I'm making this post in the first place. The MJ scene.
In my opinion this scene is actually ESSENTIAL, because it encapsulates all the major themes of the film.
"there's no playbook for raising someone like her... or being someone you. You just gotta make the right adjustments at half-time."
This is literally foreshadowing the answer to the main conflict. I kept coming back to these words specifically because they are the perfect summary for the main theme of this film.
Across the spider verse deconstructs the meaning of being spiderman. It asks us to consider what it truly means to be spiderman. Is it just a set of repeating tropes across different timelines, or is it about helping where you can? And despite the trilogy not being finished yet, the answer to this question is very obviously there in front of us.
There is no set way to be spiderman
Sure the different variations have gone through some similar events in their lives, but even the supposed "canon" that Miguel tries to uphold isn't actually something they all share. Miguel himself was never bitten by a spider and doesn't even have a spider sense, yet he's still very much spiderman.
These rules aren't set in stone
There's no destiny, there's no "canon", there's no script to follow. Just like there's no answer to the meaning of life™. You give your own life meaning.
You write your own story
#gif warning#across the spiderverse#there I said it#now brain please shut tf up about it and let me do my damn assignment!
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from @xenjoyedthat :
❤️ romantic
💛 platonic
💙 family
💞 friends with benefits
💕 unrequited love [honestly, it can go either way XD]
What kind of relationship does your muse want with mine?
OKAY so i have some thoughts, because all of these dynamics could be so good okay??
So firsts things first, if i get anything wrong about the characterization of Lyla in anyway please tell me! I'm just doing a lot of rambling with ideas you know?
So with that being said....
This ended up getting REALLY LONG so i'm going to put most of it under a read more.
Platonic & Family
I live for just the day to day of anything in the spider society, and since Peter is one of the more founding members of the society with Miguel you can't tell me that Lyla and Peter aren't at the very least friends.
I'm a really big fan of the idea of just Peter and Lyla working as a team to keep an eye on Miguel and make sure he is doing things like taking breaks every now and again, and remembering to eat, you know basic human survival skills. It becoming just like this weird little tag team of just Lyla messaging peter when Miguel has been up for too long, and Peter just stopping what he is doing (or finishes whatever super important thing he is doing) and goes to help bully the man to bed.
But also just the two of them being gossipy babies?? And just any time Peter comes to the society and making sure he stops by her area to talk with her about everything and anything that has been going on and all the new things going on with Mayday.
Peter would INSIST she come over for movie nights and takeout and just get a chance to decompress herself because he definitely thinks she also works too hard for her own good and just deserves a break.
I could see Peter also just confiding in Lyla a lot in the quiet moments you know? He has NEVER been good at talking about his feelings and he still isn't.. but it's a work in progress. But the two of them just sitting down and maybe it starts off as just grumbling about the week, because Peter is good at grumbling about things and that could then devolve into actual serious conversation.
Which of course would just like lead to Peter noticing that like Lyla just does so much for everyone all the time, even though she has her hands full with Miguel, and he would start to go out of his way to make sure that she is taken care of. He will swing by the society all the time with a bag full of take out and a movie he INSISTS she just has to see, just to make sure she is taking breaks and getting in an actual meal.
Adding on to like some of your thoughts about Lyla and Mayday. Peter would ABSOLUTELY just be like 'here. hold the baby!' and not really give Lyla too much of a choice. He of course would keep enough of a watch to make sure it's never pushing her TOO FAR. He knew he could never take away the ache of gabriella, but he hoped that maybe having a baby around could be a healing distraction of sorts.
He of course wouldn't pay annnnny mind or call out Lyla showing up to come 'check on him' to make sure he isn't being some level of disaster. Peter would always be more than happy to let Mayday use Lyla as a jungle gym while he makes some dinner so Lyla can catch up with MJ.
The two of them organizing just movie and game nights between all the baby spiders or any other group that they felt needed a good break and just having such a good time? I feel like their game room is EXTENSIVE filled with probably way too many nerdy games because there are too many Peter Parker's in the damn society.
Romantic & Friends with Benefits
OKay so like for a lot of this I can really only talk from Peter's side so you are going to have like correct me if anything messes with your take on lyla!
So I have two possible routes I can go for just verse and like Mayday when it comes to shipping with Peter. There is the Peter and MJ are together, but are open to adding another and being a polycule. Ooooor the other way is that Mayday was an accident. The short version is that when Peter went back to rekindle, they had a night together, and then somewhere between then and Mayday being born they decided that they were better as friends and co-parents, and that's how they raise Mayday. So Peter is a single disaster dad.
WITH all of that way too many words being said, onto the cute stuff. I feel like all of the friendship stuff, mixed in with Peter falls for a person pretty easy. That man gets heart eyes faster than he has any reason to. But he would probably attempt to keep it to himself at first, figuring it's best if it's one sided, he had a kid and Lyla probably isn't interested in his old dorky ass.
But god he would do his best to be the absolute best friend he could be though? Just doing absolutely everything to make sure she was taken care of but not in like the.. obnoxious and overbearing way? just like the finding any dumb excuse to come hang out at the society and spend time with her sort of thing, but if she was too busy he would obviously take a hint.
I can almost PROMISE you that their first date? Peter would absolutely take her to the central park zoo in his New York. Would even go as far as to call in a few favors with some of the zoo keepers he has made friends with so she could even pet some of the animals that don't mind a friendly pat. Peter would absolutely bring his camera and take SO MANY pretty pictures of Lyla with all of the different animals, not just so she would always have them as a memory but because he just finds her truly breath taking.
But also the two of them having little nerd dates? Peter may not look it as much anymore but he is a smart little science nerd and just the two of them curled together or sitting like goblins as they just tinker with either spider gear or whatever dumb little invention they made up. Or even just learning about the tech of a new universe they went to recently and just trying to learn all about, just cute nerds.
Peter wouldn't always be the best, he is a workaholic who does make mistakes, but he is trying to be a better person. So sometimes I feel like their stubbornness would clash, but I think Peter would always come back after a fight looking like a little kicked puppy with some flowers to apologize because he would be SO SCARED to loose her.
It would take a lot of work, they are from different dimensions, and Peter is a single dad so Lyla really would have to be okay with one day taking on the title of step-mom if she ever wanted a real serious relationship with Peter, but Peter would also understand any hesitation. He has literally no room to judge ever.
If you wanted the more friends with benefits I could definitely see the two of them just crashing together after weird long weeks. Them both constantly working with miguel and everyone else to stop all of the universes from falling apart and just one thing leads to another, maybe there is a little bit of a dumb drinking game or peter had one too many weed gummies and it just happens, and then they realized it works for them. You know?
Even that could be the starting point for the romantic route if you wanted, they started off as just friends with benefits but peter is a dumb bitch who catches feelings.
Okay. okay okay i could go on forever, i haven't even gotten fully through all of your headcanons so like i'm sure i could come up with even more.. but idk, here have my absolute babble.
#xenjoyedthat#I got reallly carried away#hopefully you like it!#but also if none of this is your vibe please lemme know! I'm just easily excited#<3#[ ◉¯] ✧˖° → I handled it like a champion. [ Inbox Interactions ]
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so i did a reading challenge this year and i wanna talk about what i read
transcription under the cut
i did Popsugar 2019 and wanna talk about what i read: Book Reccs and Anti-Reccs
1.) Becoming a Movie in 2019: Umbrella Academy (vol 1) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba
4/5. A fascinating take on superpowers, dysfunctional families, and the apocalypse. Can get pretty gory, confusing here and there and you have to pay close attention to panels for lore, but overall an entertaining romp.
2.) Makes you Feel Nostalgic: Circles in the Stream by Rachel Roberts
4/5. Middle grade novel about the magic of music, belief, and of course, friendship. Definitely written for kids, and has some unfortunately clumsy Native rep, but overall an absolute joy to dive into once again.
3.) Written by a Musician: Umbrella Academy (vol 2) by Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba
4/5. Ramps up the confusion to ridiculous degrees with some absolutely bonkers, unexplained arcs, but still fun to watch this dysfunctional family do its dysfunctional thing.
4.) You Think Should be Turned into a movie: All That Glitters by Rachel Roberts
4/5. Continuation of Circles in the Stream, but with more unicorns, more rainbows, and more fae, which makes it automatically even better than the first.
5.) With At Least 1 Mil. Ratings on Goodreads: 1984 by George Orwell
1/5. I understand why it's important and all but wasn't prepared for some of the more graphic scenes and the overall hopelessness of the message. Would not recommend or read again.
6.) W/ a Plant in the title or cover: The secret of Dreadwillow carse by Brian farrey
5/5. A fantasy world where everyone is always happy, save for one girl and the princess, who set out to solve the mystery of their kingdom. Poignant and great for kids and adults.
7.) Reread of a favorite: Cry of the Wolf by Rachel Roberts
4/5. Yet another installment in the Avalon: Web of Magic series, which clearly I am obsessed with. Please just read them.
8.) About a Hobby: Welcome to the Writer's Life by Paulette Perhach
5/5. A welcome kick in the pants, chock full of great advice told without condescension, and full of hope and inspiration for writers both new and old.
9.) Meant to read in 2018: The Poet x by Elizabeth Acevedo
4/5. Absolutely beautiful coming of age novel told in verse. Do yourself a favor and listen to the audiobook version.
10.) w/ "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title: Black Sugar by Miguel Bonnefoy
2/5. I think maybe I just don't understand this genre. Or maybe the translation was weird. I was confused.
11.) w/ An Item of Clothing or Accessory on the cover: Our dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani
4/5. It had a lot more slurs/homophobia than I was prepared for, but otherwise is a very touching, relatable collection of queer characters living in a heteronormative world.
12.) Inspired by Mythology or Folklore: Ravenous by MarcyKate Connolly
3/5. A girl goes on an impossible quest to save her brother from a child-eating witch. Really wanted to like it more because I loved the first one, Monstrous, but it dragged a little.
13.) Published Posthumously: The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones
3/5. I adore Diana Wynne Jones, but this one was missing some of the magic of her other books. Not sure if it was because it had to be finished by someone else, or if I just grew out of her stories.
14.) Set in Space: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
4/5. Powerfully written story of a girl straddling tradition and innovation, who wields power through mathematical magic, surviving on a spaceship alone with a dangerous alien occupation after everyone else has been killed.
15.) By 2 Female Authors: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
2/5. Ostensibly a story about a revenge pact in a small island town, but leaves far too many dangling threads to attempt alluring you to the sequel.
16.) W/ A Title containing "salty," "bitter," "Sweet," or "Spicy": The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
3/5. It's okay but I literally just never know what anyone means at any time. Are they being reticent on purpose or do i just not understand communication
17.) Set in scandinavia: Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura
2/5. Technically and historically accurate and well made, but the story itself is not my cup of tea. Very gory.
18.) Takes Place in a Single Day: Long WAy Down by Jason Reynolds
4/5. A boy goes to avenge his murdered brother, but ghostly passengers join him on the elevator ride down. Stunning and powerful character-driven analysis.
19.) Debut Novel: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
4/5. Charming and then surprisingly heart-breaking comic about Nimona, a shapeshifter who wants to become a villain's minion. Really love the villain/hero dynamic going on in the background, along with the dysfunctional found family.
20.) Published in 2019: The Book of Pride by Mason Funk
4/5. A collection of interviews with the movers, shakers, and pioneers of the queer and LGBTQ+ community. An absolutely essential work for community members and allies alike.
21.) Featuring an extinct/imaginary creature: Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson
4/5. Incredibly charming, Calvin and Hobbes-esque collection of comics featuring the adventures of Phoebe and her unicorn best friend.
22.) Recced by a celebrity you admire: The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen
2/5. Recced by my fave author Brandon Sanderson. An unfortunately disappointing anthology proving that any story can be made uninteresting by telling the wrong section of it.
23.) With "Love" in the Title: Book Love by Debbie Tung
4/5. One of those relatable webcomics, only this one I felt super hard almost the entire time. Books are awesome and libraries rule.
24.) Featuring an amateur detective: Nancy Drew: Palace of Wisdom by Kelly Thompson
4/5. REALLY love this modern take on Nancy Drew, coming back home to her roots to solve a brand new mystery. Diverse cast and lovely artwork, though definitely more adult.
25.) About a family: Amulet by Kabu Kibuishi
4/5. Excellent, top tier graphic novel about a sister and brother who have to go rescue their mother with a mysterious magic stone. LOVE that the mom gets to be involved in the adventure for once.
26.) by an author from asia, Africa, or s. America: Girls' Last tour by Tsukumizu
4/5. Somehow both light-hearted and melancholy. Two girls travel about an empty, post-apocalyptic world, and muse about life and their next meal.
27.) w/ a Zodiac or astrology term in title: Drawing down the moon by margot adler
3/5. A good starting place for anyone interested in the Neo Pagan movement, but didn't really give me what I was personally looking for.
28.) you see someone reading in a tv show or movie: The Promised NEverland by Kaiu Shirai
4/5. I don't watch TV or movies where people read books so i think reading an adaptation of a TV series after watching the series counts. Anyway it was good but beware racist caricatures
29.) A retelling of a classic: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Rey Terciero
5/5. We can stop the Little Women reboots and retellings now, this is the only one we need. In fact, we can toss out the original too, this is the only one necessary.
30.) w/ a question in the title: So I'm a spider, so what? by Asahiro Kakashi
4/5. Cute art despite the subject matter, and a surprisingly enthralling take on the isekai genre. Love the doubling down on the video game skills.
31.) Set in a college or university campus: Moonstruck (vol 2) by Grace Ellis
2/5. An incredibly cute, beautiful, and fascinating world of modern magic and creatures, but unfortunately falls apart at the plot and pacing.
32.) About someone with a superpower: Moonstruck (vol 1) by Grace Ellis
4/5. Though nearly as messy plot-wise as its sequel, the first volume is overwhelmingly charming in a way that overpowers the more confusing plot elements.
33.) told from multiple povs: The Long way to a Small, Angry Planet by becky Chambers
4/5. Told almost in a serial format, like watching a miniseries, a group of found-family spaceship crew members make the long journey to their biggest job ever.
34.) Includes a wedding: We Set the dark on fire by Tehlor kay mejia
4/5. Timely and poignant, a girl tumbles into both love and resistance after becoming one of two wives to one of the most powerful men in the country.
35.) by an author w/ alliterative name: The only harmless great Thing by brooke bolander
3/5. Much deeper than I can currently comprehend. Beautifully written, but difficult to parse.
36.) A ghost story: Her body and other parties by Carmen Maria Machado
4/5. It counts because one of the stories in it has ghosts. A sometimes difficult collection of surrealist, feminist, queer short stories.
37.) W/ a 2 word title: Good omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
4/5. Charming, touching, and comical, probably the best take on the apocalypse to date. Also excellent ruminations on religion and purpose.
38.) based on a true story: The faithful Spy by John Hendrix
4/5. Brilliantly crafted graphic biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his assistance in fighting back against Nazi Germany.
39.) Revolving around a puzzle or game: the Crossover by Kwame alexander
4/5. The verse didn't always hit right with me, but the story is a sweet, melancholy one about family, loss, and moving on.
40.) previous popsugar prompt (animal in title): The last unicorn by peter s. Beagle
5/5. Absolutely one of my all-time favorite books, it manages to perfectly combine anachronism and comedy with lyricism, melancholy, and ethereal beauty.
41.) Cli-fi: Tokyo Mew Mew by Mia ikumi and Reiko Yoshida
4/5. Shut up it counts
42.) Choose-your-own-adventure: My Lady's choosing by Kitty curran
3/5. Cute in concept, a bit underwhelming in execution. Honestly, just play an otome.
43.) "Own Voices": Home by Nnedi Okorafor
3/5. The storytelling style was definitely not my style; while the first book was slow, too, it felt more purposeful. I found my attention wandering during this installment.
44.) During the season it's set in: Pumpkinheads by rainbow rowell
3/5. Cute art, but precious little substance. The concept simply wasn't for me in the first place.
45.) LITRPG: My next life as a villainess: All routes lead to doom! by Hidaka nami
5/5. An absolute insta-fave! Charming art, endearing characters, an incredible premise, and so much sweet wholesome fluff it'll give you cavities.
46.) No chapters: The field guide to dumb birds of north america by matt kracht
3/5. It started out super strong, but the joke started to wear thin at a little past the halfway point.
47.) 2 books with the same title: Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roger
4/5. A brave and enduring personal story of growing up in and eventually leaving the Westboro Baptist Church. Really called to me to act with grace and kindness even more in the future.
48.) 2 books with the same title: unfollow by rob williams and michael dowling
1/5. How many times do you think we can make Battle Royale again before someone notices
49.) That has inspired a common phrase or idiom: THe Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
4/5. Definitely good and deserves it's praise as something that pretty much revolutionized and created an entire demographic of literature.
50.) Set in an abbey, cloister, Monastery, convent, or vicarage: Murder at the vicarage by agatha christie
3/5. I just cannot. physically keep up with all of these characters or find the energy to read between the lines.
ok that's all i got, what did y'all read and like this year? (oh god it’s gonna be 2020)
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Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2018) - Or, what happens when you give a Black character to a Black writer
Miles Morales: Spider-Man follows the exploits of a now sixteen year old Miles Morales, setting the timeline of the story far beyond his earliest exploits and his then current title, Spider-Man (2016-2017) where he is fifteen going on sixteen years old.
The Good Stuff
Miles Morales: Spider-Man is a story focused wholly on the boy behind the mask, the titular lead, Miles Morales. The book, no more than two hundred and sixty-one pages long (unfortunately), can probably be accredited with doing something Miles’ comic book titles (Ultimate Comics, The Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Men, and Spider-Man) really couldn’t or wouldn’t bother themselves with – which is focus on Miles’ life as student at Brooklyn Visions Academy and how he interacts with the people in his Brooklyn neighborhood.
Everything important that happens to Miles happens within the confines of the Brooklyn area. Miles isn’t off globe-trotting with the Ultimates, and he certainly isn’t fighting within the central New York City area with a villain-of-the-week, and there’s not even a mention of Peter Parker – clone, resurrected, or otherwise – present in his narrative here, which makes this one of the first stories focused on Miles where Peter Parker wasn’t lording over it like an intrusive shadow.
The most pivotal conflict that pushes Miles’ narrative forward in the book is his persisting (if not misplaced) guilt over the death of Aaron Davis, who killed himself in an effort to murder his own nephew. The re-visitation of Aaron’s death opens the narrative to the odd addition of a cousin, Aaron’s son, who contacts Miles from prison in the hopes of connecting with one of the few surviving members of the Davis family. Miles torments himself with the information, uncertain if the intent behind the letter is genuine or a stranger looking to talk to another stranger.
For the most part, I like how it was handled. It paints the actions of Aaron Davis in a completely different light. Maybe in a “not as bad as one thought” kind’ve way, and I’m not particularly sure how I feel about that considering it flies in the face of what the comics establish –which is an unrepentant man with no real affection for family – but it was an interesting angle to take with the Miles/Aaron dynamic nonetheless.
Reynolds’ use of language goes to a decent length to make Miles’ life feel lived in. The attention to detail to Miles’ internal observation of his life works to Reynolds strength as a poet. The author captures the mentality of a restless teenager, drowning in his own angst (often self-imposed) without falling into purple prose or wordiness.
Brooklyn is the world that Miles lives in, so the people he talks to throughout the story deal the with circumstances of low-income areas, places people of more – I guess – “wealthy” circumstance have learned to dismiss as criminal despite the people who live there often not reflecting that.
Miles contemplates the projects where his uncle Aaron lived, the barber shop he goes to get his hair cut – where the older men recognize him as one of the more fortunate children with a chance to pull themselves out from the under violent cycle of gang and hustler life. He also contemplates the number of young and older residents who’ve been driven out of homes by the city looking to redevelop the area for white buyers. This is the kind’ve of stuff you’d read about in Milestone Comics stories for Static Shock, Icon, or Hardware.
This is the kind’ve day-to-day life stuff that Brian Michael Bendis – as a white man – were so disconnected from, Miles as a character – in the comics – might as well have lived in New York City. I can only imagine that Jason Reynolds – as a Brooklyn native – used his own experiences, to a degree, to flesh out the story he was telling.
Another element I think Miles Morales: Spider-Man gets right is Miles and puppy love. This book is probably the only Spider-Man story featuring Miles to actually give him a crush that is neither – a creepy adult [white] woman for him to mack on (Diamondback and Gwen Stacy), a Plot Twist Nazi (Katie Bishop), or a really boring version of Mary Jane Watson (Barbra Rodriguez, who unfortunately appears in his recent series).
Alicia is a character I would’ve liked to have seen more of in the story, particularly outside of the purview of Miles’ heart-eyes. She’s nothing if not a brief exploration into the expectations that come with being born to “Old Black Money” and keeping up public appearances.
Alicia’s want to stand against casual racism in the classroom is the kind of “young awakening” you see in teens who pull themselves out of apathy long enough to understand how the world functions around them, when they realize they can’t turn a blind eye to microaggressions any longer.
But, her disadvantage is trying to churn up enough support from her classmates, who honestly just want to get through the day without conflict, or don’t give a shit, that she faces an uphill battle. And when her stance threatens her position in Brooklyn Visions Academy, her parents and the expectation that comes with their family’s reputation forces her to choose between her own belief system and her future.
Miles’ affection for Alicia is cute, and watching him struggle to make a connection with her amidst what he thinks his spider sense going off-kilter and dealing with a Mr. Chamberlain’s constant interference and need to diminish him among his peers, endears me to their [potential] relationship.
Again, I really wish Alicia and Miles’ interaction, Alicia herself, had more time in the story to develop. Maybe with two hundred more pages (which could’ve knocked the page count up to 361 est.) this could’ve happened, but as it stands, what’s given isn’t bad and fairly enjoyable.
The Spider-Man content within the story is brief, and for me, that’s fine. The one thing about it that I did enjoy, when Miles donned the mask, is how Reynolds uses that persona to tackle the social structure surrounding muggings in Black communities. There’s a whole – and often misguided – unspoken rule wherein the victim cannot call out for help when being mugged.
One loses the respect of the neighborhood (if you’re into that kind of toxic masculinity) and respect of your peers. Miles, afraid that the actions that led his father and Aaron down the path of crime and hustling is genetic, is faced with a situation where he can either ignore muggers who stole a kid’s sneakers, or use his alter ego to set things right.
He does the latter, and a lot about how Reynolds approaches the sequence reminded me a lot of how Peter David (the writer of Spider-Man 2099) handled Miguel O’Hara. Miguel isn’t what you’d call a “nice Spider-Man”. When he aims to teach you a lesson, chances are, a lot of his targets are left peeing on themselves.
This is kind’ve the energy Miles uses when he utilizes the “strength of his street knowledge” on the muggers who attacked the kid. But, in the end, this really doesn’t change things. The cycle continues, and it kind’ve highlights the kind of futility Miles faces as a vigilante superhero.
The Disappointing Stuff
Action sequences really aren’t Reynolds strong suit. I mean, writing action sequences are – in general – a pain in the ass, because a lot of it is a deliberation about how long a description needs to be, preventing things from becoming too wordy, and getting the point across without losing the audience’s interest. It’s difficult balance, one I don’t think even the best writers manage 100% of the time.
But, to his credit, I think his ability to use poetic language is a strong enough short hand that most of his descriptions don’t get lost in the soup. Additionally, because a lot of the Spider-Man sequences don’t occur until the very final climax of the story’s conflict, even when his weakness starts to show, the sequences don’t overstay their welcome.
I don’t think Reynolds really manages to marry the fantastic with the reality of systemic racism. There is definitely a way of creating a mythologized monster to represent the ugly realities of anti-Blackness as faced by Black youth within the general education system. Mythology is nothing if not one culture’s way of rationalizing or simplifying things encountered in their waking lives. But, I don’t think Reynolds manages to pull it off here.
The idea that there is a supernatural “Mr. Chamberlain” for every Black male youth across the ages isn’t a bad idea. You can some really interesting things with that – like Crossroad Blues type stuff. But, here, it’s kind’ve ridiculous – or it’s presented in such a way that the suspension of disbelief strains to such a degree that I simply don’t buy the product being sold to me.
It feels like something that would’ve been a monster-of-the-week in the first season of Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Angel: The Series even had an episode where a demon stoked the fires of racism against a fair-skinned Black woman, who trapped herself in a hotel room until her dying day).
I mean, the fantastical version of Mr. Chamberlain even comes like Principal Snyder – the walking parody of the militant school authority who hates children – which is frustrating because the Mr. Chamberlain in Miles’ waking life is a proper representative of the unrepentant racist school teacher obsessed with the confederacy to a Hollywood degree.
Another sticking point: Judge still isn’t utilized in any way that makes him a character and less of a random extra that pops in and out of the narrative. I really fail to understand why writers refuses to make him and Miles friends, because at this point he needs someone else besides Ganke, the Lego obsessed non-Black character, to talk to. Honestly, the fact that Miles still lacks any Black friends his age – especially in this novel – is rather annoying.
Jefferson Davis is probably even less likeable in this story than he is in general in Miles’ comics. To be sure, he’s completely reflective of the overbearing Black father who doles out punishment with the excuse of helping his son “build character” – there are no lies detected in his characterization on that front – but his rationale is often narrow-minded and assumes bad faith on the part of his son, who is often caught in situations where he neither the aggressor or the cause of his problems.
Like, he makes Miles clean the entire neighborhood block of trash left behind by the garbage men because he dipped out of school to play superhero. Again, I get Jefferson’s intent, but it was wildly misguided.
The situation regarding Aaron’s son, Miles’ cousin, is simply left hanging. There’s no real resolution following their official meeting in the prison, which is a shame, because it brought another kind of dynamic to the story itself. It offered a particularly ripe opportunity to use Jefferson and Aaron’s past just a little more – if only for the sake of exploring the history of the Jefferson family.
It could’ve only aided of Jefferson’s characterization and Aaron’s son, who needed more face-time in the story. But, this also leads to the biggest issue with the young adult novel itself. How it ends.
The ending of Miles Morales: Spider-Man just kinda fizzles out. I don’t know whether it was due to time constrains (not really an excuse) – that Reynolds had to have the manuscript completed before a certain period of time – or Reynolds truly reached the end of his rope with the story and couldn’t think of any other way of ending things (other than how he did), but there’s no true resolution to the story.
The students, who’ve thus far shown the atypical apathy of a teenager toward one student being singled out by a racist teacher, suddenly rising up and protesting with Miles and Alicia against Mr. Chamberlain’s ritualistic dehumanization of Miles, is questionable. It’s idealistically something you want to see happen, but I feel like the story should’ve done more exploring of the students to really set this up.
The Conclusion
Miles Morales: Spider-Man is a solid Miles Morales story. It’s the kind’ve Spider-Man story Miles Morales’ comic book series, past and present, should’ve been from the jump, and if Marvel was remotely interested, I could actually see a book series coming out of this (so long as the Black author(s) remain). The Spider-Man elements are few and far between, and perhaps that’s for the best. Anyone looking for superhero antics equivalent to what happens in a 19-to-20 page comic book, or a trade, should probably look elsewhere because that’s not the focus of the story.
The strength of the story is how Miles deals with the day-to-day issues of his life and how a Brooklyn-native author uses his familiarity with his home turf to do what Miles’ comic books honestly failed to do. Make Miles a part of the world he was supposed to be living in in-between his life as a superhero, which was the world of Brooklyn, New York.
Even with the shortcomings of the narrative, Miles Morales: Spider-Man is without a doubt the best story that has come out for Miles Morales in four years (like since issue #19 of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man).
This is the kind of storytelling, the kind of writer, which Miles Morales needs. But as long as Marvel continues to be allergic to hiring Black creatives for his comic book title – or anything for that matter – a milquetoast (and often inauthentic) Miles Morales is more or less what the consuming audience will be given.
If you’re a Miles Morales fan, I definitely recommend this book.
#jason reynolds#miles morales: spider man#miles morales#spiderman#ya novels#writer: jason reynolds#miles morales (jason reynolds)#series: miles morales: spider man (book)#ultimate miles meta#media: long posts
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