Chapter One “Negative Vibes”
Peter inhaled deeply before exhaling. Students all around were preparing for the Musical Showcase, an annual event Canterlot High School hosted yearly. Everyone could enter and sing their own original song. Winners were decided by the judges and people in attendance. Peter could only shrug at the indifference he felt, knowing he had no sense of musical practicality.
Trixie had already assembled a band and wrote her own song. Thanks to his performance, Peter was left out of the gathering. The young man let out a relieved sigh. His reputation within the school was already in tatters with him being the new student and folly to Flash’s influence. Merely being associated with Trixie didn’t help matters due to her arrogant nature, nor was socializing with the likes of Snips and Snails.
Peter rolled his eyes. Even with a clean slate, things were almost worse off than they were at Midtown High. Yet, he shrugged before nodding. At the very least, he was seemingly free of Trixie for a time with her attention being occupied. It was clear she was a girl who craved admiration, and winning the Musical Showcase was the best method to achieve such a goal.
“Or she could just be nicer. There’s that,” Peter groaned inwardly, arching a brow as he watched some students hang banners in the hallway for the Musical Showcase. He paused, stealing a glance at the watch on his wrist before alternating his gaze about. “I’ve still got some time to kill before lunch. Guess I’ll go see what Doctor Octavious is up to.”
Just as the young man exited the vicinity, Adagio walked into the hallway with a furrowed brow. Aria followed, exhaling as she crossed her arms in a fit of bemusement. Sonata cheerfully eyed the scenery, smiling widely while even waving at passing by students. Both of her sisters shot her a glare, prompting the blue girl to straighten her posture.
Rolling her eyes, Aria huffed. “Are you sure that Spider guy is even here?”
Adagio analyzed her surroundings before frowning. “Don’t be so dense. It’s not as potent as it was last night, but he’s around here somewhere. No doubt about it. He’s practically oozing negative energy.” A coy smirk surfaced on her face. “Poor boy must be all in his feelings.”
Sonata held a finger against her chin as she tilted her head to the side. “I wonder what he looks like? Do you think he has eight legs? I bet buying pants must be a chore for him. I bet he has a hundred eyes.”
Adagio slammed a palm against her head. “He’s not an actual spider, moron. You just saw him last night!”
Blinking, Sonata hummed. “Oh, yeah. I forgot.”
Exhaling, Adagio rubbed her temples. “Anyway. If that was the case, we would have found him already. If he’s blending in with everyone, we have to find him based on his negative emotions. With that podcast going, he’ll glow like a beacon for us.” Clearing her throat, Adagio placed a hand over her hip. “Don’t forget, there’s Equestrian magic here, too. We find the source, and we’ll get our old powers back!”
Aria raised her hands and shrugged. “And what do you plan to do when you find either? I hope you have a plan that won’t blow up in your face for once.”
“I always have a plan,” Adagio spat confidently, failing to cause a change in Aria’s bleak demeanor. Sonata simply whistled, unaware of the argument her sisters were having. With a harsh exhale, Adagio waved a hand dismissively. “Now shut up and just follow my lead.”
Just as the trio readied to venture forth, Sunset Shimmer casually approached them with a hand gently raised. “Hi. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. I noticed you were looking around, and I can’t help but feel you’re new around here.”
The trio shared a glance with each other, smiling widely, before Adagio cleared her throat and nodded. “We were trying not to make it too obvious. My sisters and I just transferred here.” The girl paused, lowering her head politely. “I’m Adagio Dazzle. These are my sisters, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk.”
Sonata waved eagerly, showing a smile with teeth. “Nice to meet you!”
Aria scoffed, her mouth twitching as it strained to form something resembling a smile. “Charmed, or whatever.”
Adagio swiftly thrust an elbow into Aria’s arm, earning a growl from the dismissive girl. She quickly returned her attention to Sunset, holding her smile. “If you have time to spare, we’d really appreciate getting a tour of the school.”
Sunset simply nodded, accepting the gesture with a smile of her own. “Um, sure! I don’t mind at all.” She pointed behind her position, narrowing her gaze. “Lunch is about to start soon. So I can show you around before we head to the cafeteria.”
Just as they began walking ahead, Sonata caught sight of another banner. “What’s the occasion? Is there a party or something?”
Sunset’s eyes widened before she grinned. ‘Oh, that! It’s the Musical Showcase! Everyone enters in groups to perform songs! The winning band is based on how many votes they earn from the audience and judges. It’s pretty popular every year.” Nodding, Sunset shared a glance with the trio before turning her attention back to the path ahead. “It’s free to enter. Maybe you three should think about it?”
Brushing a hand against the crimson pendant around her neck, Adagio shared a brief nod with her sisters before the corner of her lips curled into a wicked smile. “We just might.”
Aria held out a hand, eyeing her nails before she smugly laughed. “We have been known to sing from time to time.”
“Hello~! We sing, like, all the time! It’s how we get people to do what we want!” Sonata obliviously declared, smiling. Aria slowly shifted her gaze while Adagio sharply turned, shaking her head. Blinking and ever blissfully unaware, Sonata shrugged. “What’d I say?”
Adagio cleared her throat and waved her hand dismissively. “What you meant to say was that the Musical Showcase sounds like a great way for us to meet the other students.”
Sonata nodded. “Yeah. That’s exactly what I meant to say.”
Bemused, Aria stared blankly at her sibling before crossing her arms. “I swear you are the absolute worst.”
Huffing, Sonata shot a glare back. “I know you are, but what am I?”
Adagio stepped between the pair, exhaling before facing Sunset with a tired smile. “Please excuse them. They’re idiots.”
Sunset stared at the trio for what seemed like an eternity before her eyes widened at the crimson amulets around their necks. She slowly extended a hand, reaching at the jewel. “Those are pretty.”
Faster than she could react, Adagio grabbed Sunset’s wrist before she could hope to contact the gem. Blinking, she relinquished her hold and laughed nervously. “Sorry! These are very precious to us, and we’d hate for anything to happen to them.”
Adagio slowly walked past Sunset, prompting Aria to follow in a huff. Sonata stayed behind, blinking dumbly as she shared a glance with Sunset. Adagio reached back and grabbed the girl’s arm, leading her away. Sunset watched the trio with a furrowed brow, frowning as she hummed inwardly.
The cafeteria seemed even more lively than usual, with everyone conversing heavily and loudly about the upcoming spectacle. Peter alternated his gaze about, attempting to find a bright array of red hair in the masses. After failing to find his target, the young man took a seat at the corner of the room. Away from the center was his preferred locale, and he had a better chance to avoid unwanted attention.
Once seated, Peter reached into the confines of his backpack before retrieving a sandwich. The treat was tightly packaged between two slices of bread, holding lettuce, tomato, and turkey. His stomach growled in anticipation, yet he paused, glancing around once more. Fortunately, he saw Sunset waving from a distance with a tray in hand before she made her way to the table where Peter resided.
“Sorry I’m late! I was a little tied up,” Sunset whispered, waving lightly.
Peter smiled. “No problem. I’m glad you made it.”
Sunset watched the young man with a narrowed gaze. “How do you feel about Canterlot High so far? I know your first day was pretty rough.”
Slow to respond, Peter lowered his gaze while scarfing down his sandwich in four bites. “It’s okay. I’m still adjusting and getting used to things. I’ll have to get back to you on that.” He retrieved a second sandwich from his backpack, holding it momentarily before chomping away at it. As if a realization came to mind, Peter cleared his throat after quickly finishing the treat and chuckled sheepishly. “Oh sorry! I, uh, get carried away while I’m eating.”
Sunset blinked before chuckling. “It’s okay! I’m just surprised. You’re so slim. Your metabolism must be insane!” She slowly ate away at her apple, pausing once it was halfway gone, and the girl could only stare with a widened gaze as Peter had already completely ingested a third sandwich. Clearing her throat, Sunset raised a hand. “Where were you from before you moved here? How was it there?”
“In New York? Queens, specifically. It was the same, just way more crowded. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it a little,” Peter responded, glancing to the side. “If you’re asking about Midtown, the only things I miss from there are my two best friends, Harry and Eddie. I was bullied a lot, and those two always looked out for me. I haven’t been able to get in touch with either since I moved here. It kinda shows that I can’t catch a break here from Flash. My semester at Crystal Prep wasn’t much better before I came here.”
Her eyes softened. “Give it time. I know things will get better. I’ll see if I can get Flash to lighten up. He told me that you two have known each other for years.”
Just as she readied to reply further, a male student accidentally dropped a pencil underneath her seat. Sunset arched a brow before retrieving the item, offering it back to the boy. However, just as the student was about to accept the gesture, he froze upon making eye contact with Sunset and released a frightened yelp. Faster than anyone could react, the boy reached into his pockets and retrieved seemingly all of his spare change before offering it to Sunset. Peter’s gaze widened at the sight as the boy trembled in place, slamming his eyes shut.
More surprisingly, Sunset snarled at the gesture. “I don’t want your lunch money! I’m not mean! Got it?!” she yelled, her voice sharpening. The boy ran off, breaching through the nearest exit doors without slowing. Many of the surrounding students stared at Sunset, further fueling her frustration. Clenching her hands into fists, Sunset glared at everyone glancing in her direction. “Come on! I’m not mean!”
Everyone stopped in their tracks as Sunset’s voice echoed throughout the cafeteria, and they eventually shifted their attention elsewhere. Peter watched with an arched brow. “Whoa.”
Sunset’s eyes widened once she faced Peter, her entire face flushed. “Oh, no,” she moaned, burying her face in the palms of her hands before she sank back into her seat.
“What was that about?” Peter questioned with a furrowed brow.
Slow to respond, Sunset folded her arms and sighed. “Right before you transferred here, I was the school bully. It’s not something I’m proud of. I even… blew up the courtyard.”
“That was you? How’d you manage to do that?” Peter blurted out, tilting his head to the side. “You have superpowers?”
Blinking with bewilderment, Sunset stared at the young man. “You don’t seem surprised? Doesn’t that seem a little weird to you?”
Peter retrieved a wheat cake from his backpack before shrugging. “I mean, sure, but where I come from, there were superpowered folks all over. I mean, the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men all live in New York.” Scarfing the sweet item down in a single bite, Peter took the time to clean his face and hands with a napkin. “So what happened?”
Shaking her head, Sunset glanced to the side brushing her arm. “It was magic, and I don’t have those powers anymore. When I did, I abused them… all while looking like a demon. My friends that I introduced you to and a girl named Twilight Sparkle stopped me. They forgave me and took me under their wing while Twilight went back home. Now I’m just trying to make amends, but not everyone can forget what happened so easily.” Sunset cleared her throat and exhaled. “So that’s my story. I know it’s pretty weird.”
Peter glanced to the side. “Twilight. Where have I heard that name before?” Shrugging, the young man dismissed the thought before returning his gaze to Sunset. “Eh, it doesn’t matter. I know what it’s like when you screw up. The best thing we can do is try to make up for our mistake, even if we never make up for it entirely.”
“Is that from experience?” Sunset asked, arching a brow while smiling.
Peter hastily cleared his throat. “N-Not really. It’s something my aunt and uncle would say.”
Sunset’s smile widened. “Well, I like it. I’ll try to remember that.” The girl paused, brushing a hand through her crimson and blonde locks. “Thanks for talking with me and not… running away. Hopefully this isn’t the last.”
“If it’s up to me, I’d like to have lunch with you again. It’s nice having a normal conversation for once,” Peter cheerfully stated, smiling widely. Like lightning to a rod, his eyes shot open at a realization, and his “Oh, God. That came out wrong. I meant--!”
“I’d like to have lunch with you again, too,” Sunset politely interjected, causing the entirety of Peter’s face to flush to a shade of pink. The girl giggled, leaning forward in her seat. “Same time tomorrow?”
Just as Peter opened his mouth to respond, a hand fell and smacked the table between the pair. Flash held a smirk. “Hope I’m not interrupting!”
Exhaling, Peter shook his head. “Not at all, Flash. I was just leaving.”
Sunset quickly stood between the young men, with her back to Peter as she faced Flash. She angrily pointed a finger at the taller boy. “No, Flash. You need to leave Peter alone. This has gone on long enough.”
Flash’s brow furrowed as he frowned at the girl. “I never thought you’d hang out with a dweeb like Parker. I thought you were cool, but it sounds like you’re just a loser like everyone says.”
Extending a hand out, Peter stepped in front of Sunset and faced Flash with a narrowed gaze. “Hold on. It’s one thing to pick on me, Flash, but leave Sunset out of it.”
Flash blinked at Peter’s sudden defiance before he alternated his gaze about, sharing glances with the surrounding students. Eventually, he simply nodded. “You’re right, Parker.” Suddenly, Flash snatched the juice carton from Sunset’s tray and poured its contents over Peter’s head. The juice left the young man’s hair drenched as it seeped into his clothes. Flash dropped the carton while the whole cafeteria erupted into laughter. “Try to stay hydrated, Parker.”
Peter gripped the handles of his backpack until his fists trembled. No empathy was shown, evident by the countless smiles around him, and the surrounding laughter only grew in volume, echoing through the confines of his mind. Slamming his eyes shut, Peter frowned. He buried himself in thoughts of anguish before he quietly walked out of the cafeteria. Flash turned to his audience, waving his arms about as he reveled in their splendor. Sunset stared intently at Flash for what seemed like an eternity before she faced the direction Peter left.
Just as she readied to depart, Flash brushed his hands free of dust. “So you’re really choosing that dweeb over me? After what you did, I’m the only thing keeping you popular.”
“Grow up, Flash,” Sunset darkly whispered, pushing through the door.
Flash shook his head. “Don’t say I never gave you a chance. Have fun with the losers, loser.”
As the cafeteria continued to laugh at what had transpired, Adagio and her sisters sat at a table nearby. Aria glanced off to the side while Sonata, with a tray in hand, ate away at small slices of pizza. Unbeknownst to everyone, green sparkling energies traveled underneath the area and seeped into the trio. Each inhaled sharply at the filling sensation before their demeanors eventually relaxed.
“That was refreshing,” Adagio blissfully declared, holding a firm gaze on Flash as he retook a seat with his entourage. Her lips curled into a devilish smile. “I like him. He’s certainly assertive.”
Aria scoffed before shrugging. “Comes off as a total meathead to me, but whatever floats your boat, I guess. I do feel a little bad for that other guy. The taste of his negativity just then was almost… too rich. Like it had been bottled up for too long.” Her eyes softened momentarily. Yet, she brushed aside the thought and rolled her eyes. “Oh, well. At least his misery is our lunch, but I hate junk food. I hope he loosens up a bit.”
Sonata scarfed down a slice, burping slightly afterward. “The cheese pizza isn’t so bad, but I bet tomorrow’s will be better. It’ll be Taco Tuesday!”
Adagio grumbled, tapping the table just loud to get her siblings’ attention. “Would you two be quiet? I can’t be the only one who recognized the negative energy pouring out of that boy.”
“Who? The dweeb? You can’t be serious,” Aria scoffed, prompting Adagio to give an affirming nod.
Sonata’s eyes widened. “Whoa! You mean he’s--!”
Adagio lunged forth, covering Sonata’s mouth with her hand. “Of course, you fool! He’s Spider-Man, but keep that to yourself,” she whispered, stealing a glance of their surroundings. Once certain no one had heard them, Adagio relinquished her hold and shielded her mouth with a hand. “If we exploit him, there’s a chance he’ll just move away, and we’ll lose our meal ticket.”
“Fair enough. So what do we do about him?” Aria questioned, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. “You know there’s a chance he’ll try to stop us if he finds out what we’re up to.”
Raising a finger, Adagio huffed. “I know. We’ll keep tabs on him. Now that we know who he is, that shouldn’t be a problem. He’s so miserable right now that he’s just radiating negative energy.”
Sonata hummed, pursing her lips. “Do we have to? It almost doesn’t feel right.”
Glancing to the side, Adagio glanced at a banner hanging high overhead before grinning. “Think of him as an appetizer before the main course. Besides, I’m more interested in this Musical Showcase. We can use that to our advantage. That feeding has restored some of our old power.” Clearing her throat, Adagio stood and motioned for her siblings to do the same with a hand. She faced the cafeteria with a coy grin as the amulet on her neck gleamed. “How about we motivate everyone to try something a little different?”
Meanwhile, Peter stormed down the hallway with a glare in his eyes. Sunset eventually caught up to him, placing a hand onto his shoulder. “H-Hey! I’m so sorry that happened, Peter!” she cried out, shaking her head.
Peter could only shrug before exhaling. “It’s not your fault. That’s pretty typical of an interaction with me and Flash. It’s not the worst he’s done. I’ll be fine.” Inhaling deeply before sighing, his gaze fell. “I’m just sorry you got dragged along for the ride. Sounds like you lost your place at the cool table.”
“They can have it. After that, I wouldn’t be caught dead with them. Besides…” Sunset whispered, trailing off. The temperature in her face steadily rose, evident by the pink stain on her cheeks. “That was pretty cool of you to stand up to Flash like that. I can tell you really wanted to hit him but chose not to.”
Peter chuckled sheepishly, waving off the compliment, but his eyes shot open as something warm fell over his cheek. Sunset had leaned in, planting a soft and brief kiss on his jaw. Never had his senses gone into overdrive to such a degree (excluding the day his spider sense activated), with the entire world growing fuzzy. Peter held a hand over his cheek once Sunset pulled back, never losing her smile. The pair shared a wave before the girl turned, jogging away.
Left to his own devices, Peter could only chuckle. “Getting dunked on by Flash doesn’t seem so bad now.”
Elsewhere, Sunset could not remove the smile from her face. Yet, she slid to a halt before reuniting with her friends as they exited the principal’s office. Sunset arched a brow. “Huh? What are you all doing here?”
Applejack was the first to step forth. “Sunset! Did you hear? The Musical Showcase has been changed into a Battle of the Bands!”
Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. “Some girls calling themselves ‘the Dazzlings’ just convinced the entire school to do it!”
“We even tried to talk with Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna about it, but they’ve already agreed to it and signed them up,” Rarity stated, shaking her head.
Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Something doesn’t seem right. We feel they might be influencing everyone. The way everyone reacted to their song was… scary.”
“When did this happen?” Sunset questioned, her eyes widening.
“It was right after your dweeb-friend got dunked in-- Ow!” Rainbow Dash bluntly replied before Applejack threw an elbow into her forearm.
Rarity raised a hand defensively. “We were about to follow you, but they started singing right after you left. It was those girls you were giving a tour to earlier.”
“Yep! Adagio, Aria, and Sonata!” Pinkie exclaimed, shrugging upon receiving glances from her friends. “What? I remember everyone’s names.”
Applejack frowned. “This is serious. What do we do? Maybe Twilight would know what’s goin’ on?”
Rarity pursed her lips. “The portal’s closed. There’s no way to get in touch with her.”
Sunset’s eyes widened as a realization came into mind. She gave a wave to her friends, motioning for them to follow her as she ran off. “There’s a journal we can use! Come on!”
To Be Continued...
I am surprised that Peter’ Spider Sensetm hasn’t been flaring up around those three. Then again he is very down in the dumps.
11089034
If we're being honest, that's not how the Spidey Sense would or should work. It only works for imminent danger that will bring physical harm to Peter in the next few seconds.
So since Peter mentioned Eddie once more. Will there be the movie version of the Lethal Protector since he wouldn’t hurt his friend bc Pete ain’t at the Bugle anymore and since maybe it could sorta be 2018 Venom, silly and a bit goofy. Maybe he can appear in the Friendship games but then Lasher comes up and tries to kill Venom for abandoning Knulls mission to conquer Earth. While Pete is trying to help Midnight bring her to the light again. So maybe…?
11089039
He is still young. I was probably thinking of in the comics where he has used it to help track villains or when he knew something was up with JJJ because anytime Peter was near him the Spider Sense would go off. Turned out it was the Chamaeleon and he was impersonating JJJ.
11089058
That was a one-time thing that wasn't used again afterwards (if it was, then it was a long-ass time after) where Peter was somehow able to use his Spidey Sense to intercept radio waves to track down Doctor Doom.
Peter just can't catch a break. Now that the Dazzlings have moved into the school and ignited the Battle of the Bands, things are really going to get hectic from here on out. especially since they now know that Peter is Spider-Man.
But at least he has found comfort with Sunset who has finally opened up to him about her past mistakes and was totally understanding of her as he should be since he himself knows the feeling when his irresponsibility has costed him big time and that he has to live with that. Heck he even stood up to Flash to get him to lay off Sunset and showed self-restraint when he could've just easily beaten him using his spider powers, but he chose not to because it wouldn't be the responsible thing to do. Just goes to show that even if the whole world goes against him, he'll always find the will and strength to do the right thing in the end.
So Eddie Brock is Peter's other best friend besides Harry Osborn, his bro even, in this reality like how he once was in Spectacular Spider-Man and the Ultimate Comics. Makes me wonder if any possible future Black Suit/Venom origin will be either based on the original alien symibote or the Ultimate version that was a biological suit created by Peter and Eddie's fathers.
Oh ho! Score one point to Team Sunset!
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EEEEDDDIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE.
And the plot thickens.
Dude..Peter was about ready to break Flashes neck. Glad he held back.
Interesting idea,
Is trixie like Ned Leeds? Or the Betty Brant?
keep up the story!!!
and good work!
Okay so far I'm guessing that Sunset is gonna be the new Marry Jane in this universe. At least I hope she's MJ and not Gowen, don't need to see my girl falling off a bridge. And is Flash Sentry just not in this universe here? I guess that keeps things from being too confusing with Thompson hanging around. Also Dash Rarity chill the fuck out on Pete, he's just awkward not dangerous.
11089039
Actually it works based on both immediate as well as potential danger. He won't know automatically what the threat is unless he really focuses. He kinda has to "listen" to the tingles sorta like morse code to discern what it is based on its intensity/proximity. Technically speaking the sense never really shuts up. He just sorta tunes it out unless it's something that REALLY refuses to be ignored. It's sorta like having super hearing. Potentially able to hear everything, but only the things you want to focus on. Normal humans do it all the time when we filter out useless information input until it's brought up (like the fact that most people don't notice their own nose between their eyes because of how distracting it would seem once you pay attention to it)
11089084
It's actually been used alot afterwards. Maybe not so much in that era, but still alot since then. And the thing about Doctor Doom using Radio waves to contact spider-man, That's just the same frequency Peter uses whenever he relies on his iconic spider tracers. So really there is no contradiction to the canon.
11090021
Funnily enough, evil Sunset Shimmer would've fit perfectly with how Gwen Stacey was like in the Stan Lee run of the comics, in which Gwen was the stereotypical Queen Bee Bitch in college, and the fandom's portrayal of Vinyl Scratch if she was more carefree and sensual would be MJ in the Stan Lee era.
11090182
I'm just waiting for Sunset to say "go get em Tiger" to Pete XP
11090176
The Spidey Sense has been extremely wonky in its portrayal, so yes, you're not wrong in what you say about there being no contradiction to this. But you do wanna have a consistent and ideal portrayal of the Spidey Sense, and the most consistent and ideal imo is when it simply alerts him to immediate danger and it's up to Spidey to dodge it. Only times he should fail to dodge it is if whatever's going to harm him is much faster than Spidey can react. Unfortunately, every Spider-Man writers including Stan Lee himself has failed to be consistent with this, which results in Spidey being hit where the Spidey Sense should've saved him if the writers either hadn't forgotten about it or decided to leave it out for plot convenience.
11090191
I prefer to see it as more Peter failing to properly utilize or listen to his spider-sense. Sure it won't account for every inconsistent showing, but it would explain alot. If he gets hit even when he shouldn't, it's usually his own fault because he tended to be kinda cocky. He's always got his head in the clouds thinking over his problems to the point where he almost didn't dodge an Attack when a foe named the Puma threw a lead pipe at him. His reflexes are usually automatic (Kinda like ultra instinct) but again he has made it a habit to ignore this sense most of the time because to rely on it all the time would just be maddening. Even characters like Superman can't handle having their super senses run at full capacity every second of the day.
It's also a matter of experience. Like Peter's abilities don't actually change in nature, he just gets better at using them the older he gets. If he put himself on autopilot all the time, he'd probably end up hurting someone on reflex completely by accident. Which kinda goes against his whole "not killing" mentality. His physical restraint is a symptom of even this ability.
Also think of extra applications for the sense as just a form of echolocation. We all have a sense of hearing, but only people who are really in tune with that sense can use it to the degree that I'm mentioning. If Peter should ever choose to use the spider-sense as if it were a radar sense, it would only be after he's gotten a better handle on how to interpret it.
I get it. It's real annoying when it feels like a character is not living up to their full potential. That's not something unique to Spider-Man. Take the flash for instance (or really any speedster from fiction for that matter) Writers are well aware how hard they are to write for, so they intentionally usually give them personality flaws to hold them back. Like say rushing in without thinking, impatience, catching them off guard, thinking ten steps ahead of them, that sorta thing. This is bound to happen to any character in pop culture if they are around long enough (let alone be written by different writers over the years)
Heck, Writers have already come up with ways to nerf the spider-sense in the form of guys like Venom, Or Goblin using a special chemical to numb it. Alchemax using a spider-sense Jammer to give him a heck of a migraine. Point is regardless of how OP/inconsistent the sense can get at times, there are still ways to write around it.
11090201
I half-agree with your post. I do want some consistency, and while I love the Stan Lee Spidey for being so OP yet still struggling for legitimate reasons, I'd rather leave out the omnipotence aspect and simply leave it to a simple warning of imminent danger. Furthermore, even an inexperienced Spidey still pulled off amazing feats, so I'd rather have Spidey get hit either because his opponent was too fast for him to react or he doesn't trust the Spidey Sense even though it's warning him of something he visibly cannot see. Venom's an exception, as the explanation they gave for turning off the Spidey Sense not only makes sense (lolz pun), but it also emphasizes how much of a threat he is to Spidey as well as one of many reasons why he and Venom should be arch-enemies on the same level as Batman and Joker.
11090425
I half agree as well. While I do want some consistency, I also want a form of progression. And with this not being a several decade long story in the same way as the comics, I think that's a fine goal to have. I still think the spider-sense should be allowed its other uses, but just treated in a sorta shonen jump sorta sense. like when the main protagonist continually improves and the enemies simply get stronger in response to that rather then nerfing the hero outright. (BTW I know this is a nitpick but technically the term is omniscience, not omnipotent. The former mean's you know everything. The latter means you can do anything, subtle but big difference. Again sorry about that. just making a point that as great as the spider-sense is, in the grand scheme of things its not THAT OP) Now if you wanted a REAL OP Spider-sense, Just look at Madam Webbs Foresight or Assassin Spider-man (Basically a what if of Peter getting training and using the spider-sense to literally see the future)
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Also that advantage Venom has actually has more meaning to it if you allow for Peter's spider-sense to be that OP. It shows how much he relies on it and why it would make Venom that big of a threat a cut above the rest. (Plus You'd still face problems that you are criticizing even if it were limited to only immediate threats. It would STILL require alot a factors for peter to not always avoid getting hit. Which is why whatever argument that applies to him messing up with one side of the ability, also applies to the rest. It's all about focus no matter how he uses it, be it immediate or potential)
I get that it'd be easier to write if it was alot more limited. But I think the writing would be even better if instead of relying on shortcuts, the writers should just be forced to be more creative to get around it. That way tension is ironically higher because if something was so big a threat that the spider-sense almost didn't matter, then it would really mean something. Make the threats bigger, not the hero weaker. Otherwise how else are we gonna get cool scenes like this?
Use the force Luke! XD
There's also the MCU Approach where Peter describes his senses as just dialed up to 11. The mask helped him filter out it out because there was way to much sensory input. The films made it a point that peter had been neglecting the spider-sense until recently. Writing the spider-sense should be like writing a Daredevil book (who's senses are even sharper then Peter's) it's not impossible to write a character with senses like that. But super senses are like any tool or weapon. The weapon is only as good as the warrior that wields it. And most warriors are still only human and prone to making sloppy mistakes from time to time. Peter's basically simply a stronger daredevil who has enemies on par with him to make those extra abilities moot.
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11090425
If anything it's not the spider-sense that bothers me. You could completely take it out of the equation and I'd still think it's dumb for only peak human level martial artist non powered characters to do to well against him in H2H combat. I'm fine with it when it's against other superhumans, but my suspension of disbelief gets stretched a bit thin when he either takes hits from or is injured by people far slower and weaker then him, spider-sense or not. Spider-man SHOULD seem unstoppable to the average thug. It's why most of his rogues gallery is comprised of individuals with powers comparable to his own.
11090577
Now that I truly agree with. Instead, there needs to be plausible reasons to be able to contend with Spidey. Villains like Doc Ock and Shocker are one-hitter quitters, but they have tools that give Spidey a lot of trouble that he needs to get past in order to one-shot them. Doc Ock has four arms that each contend with Spidey in both strength and speed while Shocker has super vibrations that Spidey can't push through without getting hurt. But dudes like the Enforcer and Kingpin should not give Spidey any trouble, though the latter thankfully has some memorable moments in both the mainstream and Ultimate comics where it's extremely obvious how much Spidey outclasses Kingpin.
11090597
Exactly! I'd simply appreciate a more honest take that doesn't feel the need to water him down just to make more human characters look good. It's not to say that a normal human like say the punisher wouldn't give him some trouble, but it would have to require alot of planning ahead and a little bit of luck (if Peter didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any). Any time a normal human tries to confront him, the gap between them should not be forgotten. Just because he's not invulnerable to bullets like the hulk, does not mean he's someone you can even remotely contend with without external help. You could honestly take a baseball bat and hit him in the face with it, and it shouldn't so much as phase him. Because This is the same guy who's literally had trucks slammed into him and walked it off. If you plan on doing any real damage, you hit him with something BIG.
11090611
Funny enough though, that's the problem I feel with MCU Spidey, which I'm gonna say right now, I actually really don't like at all whatsoever. MCU Spidey falls into this trap so hard that, after having read the Stan Lee comics up to issue 51 or so, it's easy to tell which kind of people actually read the comics and which one didn't.
And let's not forget Spidey solo'd the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, beat the Hulk in a fight (not the one where Spidey gets cosmic powers and beats Grey Hulk), knocked a boxcar over with a flick of a finger, and was stated to be so strong that the only big-named heroes who were stronger than him were Thor, Hulk, and The Thing.
11090630
While I'm not gonna get into a whole thing about MCU, I will just share this final image just as a sorta funny visual for how I see it
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Spidey 1.
Skilled but still normal Ninja, 0.
11090636
Eh, I'd have preferred the Ultimate comics first "fight" between Spidey and Kingpin, where Kingpin is delivering the typical villain monologue about how they finally meet for the first time while Spidey eagerly gets out his paper list of fat jokes and recites them.
11089039
Actually you are incredibly wrong the Spider Sense even protects Peter from threats to his wallet as long as he's playing against someone he knows is untrustworthy he can beat them in poker just by using his Spider Sense (no joke it's actually shown at one point that the Avengers don't invite him to poker because they thought he would cheat using his Spider Sense) In truth the Spider Sense is far more utilized than you think and would protect him he can actually ignore the spider sense and since it's probably a very low intensity tingle right now he's pretty much subconsciously ignoring it especially since they haven't directly confronted him yet.
11089084
That's actually how the Spider Tracers work. The story is the origin of the Spider Tracers, they use that unique radio frequency that he can track with his Spider Sense. So actually that has been utilized more than you think.
11091203
I already got that. I'm saying that there needs to be consistency with the Spidey Sense without the extra additions with the radio waves because it's incredibly stupid and the Spidey Sense acting only as a warning for imminent danger alone is OP enough as it is if written with consistency. Even Stan Lee was guilty of having the Spidey Sense to intercept radio waves, such as when he used it to track down Doctor Doom.
11090597
11090577
Most of the time that Peter gets hit by people weaker than him and it hurts him it's because he's literally rolling with the punches. Having to take the hits without bracing otherwise he'll cause more harm to the people he's fighting if he tries to either tank a hit or avoid it. It is literally shown that Spider-Man can break a heavyweight boxers wrist just by tensing up his muscles in anticipation of a punch that's why Spider-Man gets hit so often he's trying to avoid damage to his opponents by making sure that the damage they are dealing is directed at something that can take it or he's trying to keep them from damaging themselves from getting hit on his literal rock hard abs
11091217
I get that the spider sense is Op (as it should be) it is literally a form of precognition as it is mystical in nature unlike some of his other abilities (super strength speed durability) but there are other things that you should take into account. As I said in my last comment most of the time that Peter gets hit is because he's rolling with the punches, keeping people from hurting themselves by punching/attacking him while he's bracing. Inexperience for a younger Peter that's a definite Factor but when Peter is in his twenties most of the time the damage he takes in the hits that connect are due to him rolling with the punches. A famous example of how much Peter Parker holds back in a fight is when Doctor octopus literally punched the jaw of Scorpion off his head while in Peter's body. Scorpion a man that was supposed to be superior to Spider-Man in strength, speed, durability, and all that when he was initially created. Meaning that he should have been able to take a full strength hit from Peter Parker or Doc Ock in his body no problem if it was accurately calculated. That goes to show that everyone has been underestimating Spider-Man from the very beginning because he holds back all the time.
11091227
Spider-Man has always had great control over his strength, so there's no reason to implement that stupid DCAU Superman logic where he takes punches and such to gauge his opponent's strengths. Instead, Spidey wastes no time and tries to finish the fight as soon as possible, and if there's time, he'd screw around with them with insults. And the purpose of Spidey is that he's supposed to be OP but his life still sucks. So what the writers should be doing is instead of nerfing Spidey or pulling out stupid excuses that makes Spidey look worse than it visibly is, they need to make his opponents stronger. If you followed my conversation with Marvelsoldier, examples like Doc Ock or Shocker or Vulture are villains who can easily go down in a single hit, but they have other tools and weapons that contend with Spidey's insane powersets. Villains like Scorpion and Venom are superior than Spidey in every way, which is when you can have much better fights were Spidey does his absolute hardest without holding back. But with weaker opponents, there's no reason for Spidey to roll with the punches because not only is that a waste of time and energy, but that also further prolongs a fight, which also increases the danger and risks for civilians caught in the crossfire.
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Things are really growing between Peter and Sunset Shimmer, also seems like Twilight may find her way into this saga soon. It's also cool hearing the Fantastic Four referenced, and the others too but I'm just leaning toward seeing Johnny eventually appear, only if it fits the narrative though.
Also, when I saw 'Negative', I immediately thought of Martin Li, IDK if Peter met him in this timeline, if he notices something strange happening with the Sirens, he could make the comparison, not that it matters if he does or not, it'd just be a neat reference.
I would guess that Peter would pick it up a lot faster if he knew Adagio was using magic, he's very keen eyed to this type of stuff, and his Spider sense helps too, but he is also at risk of being affected by the magic, so hopefully he can manage his emotions.