Amazing Spider-Man #14

[cyberghostface]

(Basically the red crystal holds the essence of Morlun's father)



Spider-Man brings him to "Uncle Ben"'s dimension which is filled with radiation which is toxic to Morlun and co. Morlun says that this will kill him, and Spider-Man tells him to go to the bomb shelter. It will keep him alive, but barely.

Comments

[ablackraptor]

Spider-Man and Silk will never work for me, mostly because of the questionable consent issues with their pheromone thing, especially after she tried to basically bully him into leaving New York with them.

Even if they get rid of that aspect completely and have them hook up 'legitimately', it'll be super creepy for me still.

[cyberghostface]

The effects are mutual and both are aware of the pheromones' effect and are able to resist it for the most part. I'm not seeing the creepy factor here. It's not like she's using it to seduce someone who's unwitting.

[arilou_skiff]

I'm fairly certain she's going to try to eat him at some point. (not neccessarily voluntarily, but I mean, it's RIGHT THERE)

[locuatico]

she has already done that.

[burkeonthesly]

There's something to be said for diminished capacity. The pheromones are playing with their judgment, so it's harder to tell how much of their behavior is conscious consent and how much is Funky Cole Spidena messing with their brain chemistry. This pheromone thing seems to be presented like they're a drug for each other, and people's judgment when they're just getting on a new drug isn't always so great.

[cyberghostface]

They haven't even had sex yet or started dating. I think discussions of consent are ways off. And again, that they've been able to actively resist sexual contact despite being in close proximity with one another for extended periods of time indicates that they aren't being overrun by pheromones.

[burkeonthesly]

They've known each other for a few days and they're clinging like freshmen with promise rings. Peter, at least, is an adult who has been in relationships before, which makes it jarring to see him acting like a kid with his first reciprocated crush. That's where I have the problem--sex or not, those pheromones are impacting the way he thinks and acts.

[halloweenjack]

Funky Cole Spidena

This pleases me.

[burkeonthesly]

You're hearing that song in your head now, aren't you?

[halloweenjack]

I honestly don't remember a thing that Tone-Loc did besides his biggest hit.

[ablackraptor]

The effects are mutual, but something has to be said about the fact that, when they're not currently being influenced by it, Peter's comments clearly indicate he does not enjoy it at all, while she seems to find no real issue with it. They can't control the urge, but its clear he doesn't want it and is unwilling to give into it, which makes it rather skeevy when she deliberately uses it against him, as she did when she tried to pressure him into leaving New York.

At the very least, its effecting their brain chemistry to make them attracted to one-another artificially, which has, and should, be depicted as synonymous with using date rape drugs. Even if they've not actually had sex (which, while technically true, they have been shown almost doing so before it was interrupted, and during which Peter's narration indicated he did NOT want to go through with it but couldn't stop), it doesn't change the fact that they're engaging in sexual activity that Peter's not giving real consent to.

[silverhammerman]

It's less the pheromone thing for me, as cyberghostface said, it's not shown to be uncontrollable, and more the idea that they're some sort of destined pair. Even though it's certainly not gonna be a long term thing, it still just reads kind hacky to me, like if Superman hooked up with a never before mentioned Kryptonian woman who was also heroic and whatnot. It just seems way too neat, and is therefore kinda bland in concept.