"I'm Starting To Feel Like No Secret Was Worth This."

"I'm starting to feel like no secret was worth this."

[Image Description: Two-page comic of a scene from Dimension 20's The Ravening War, featuring Thane Delissandro Katzon and Colin Provolone. Alt text is provided and copied below the cut. End ID.]

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Page one: Quichéi peers into the mouth of a dark cave and says, "Wait a second," and sees a faint glowing light. He says to the Deli and Colin, "Who has the balls, huh?" and heads in. Deli says to Colin, "Colin. You said it before." Colin says, "I said we have balls, but is this balls?" Deli says, "Aren't you curious?" Colin replies, "I'm curious, but I'm not curious for what this group might do in there."

Page two: Deli looks to Colin and says, "What does that mean?" It cuts to a grayed out flashback, of Karna telling Deli, "Kill it." Deli stoically lifts his spear to stab the fungi creature as a disturbed Colon asks, "What are you doing?" In the present, Colin - spattered with the remains of Queen Pamelia - answers Deli, "I think you know what it means."

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I saw someone on Tiktok say that Hobie Brown’s identity as an anarchist is played for laughs, and that the impact of his message is reduced by turning anarchism into a “joke,” but I’d have to say I respectfully disagree with that idea.

Sure, when we first meet him, Hobie’s attitude is blasé at best. He takes the time to banter with Pavitr and Gwen, makes jokes about not believing in “teams” “consistency” and “comedy,” and later calls a giant, universe-threatening hole in the ground a “metaphor for capitalism.” All those quips are designed to make the audience laugh, to endear us to him and maybe make us take him less seriously, but those things are all said while he is wearing the mask.

Even within the movie itself, it’s established that Spider-people are jokesters. Part of their identity is their ability to play serious situations for laughs, and Hobie is no different. The only exception to this rule would be Miguel O’Hara. I think that the worst thing the producers could have done would have been to immediately make Hobie a no-nonsense guy, because that would take the spotlight away from O’Hara and make him less of a unique character.

It’d also make anarchism seem miserable and negative, which isn’t a good look for any ideology. Why does it need to be pessimistic? Why can’t there be elements of light-heartedness within it?

Furthermore, when we reach the Spider society, and Hobie removes his mask, his demeanor changes. He becomes more straightforward, telling Miles outright to not “enlist until [he] knows what war [he’s] fighting” and begins to take what he needs in order to eventually use the Society’s technology against them. He seems inconsistent initially, but one thing that remains constant throughout is his distrust of the establishment. Truly, his attitudes of being anti-authority and anti-establishment are a key part in helping Miles and setting up the events of the next movie.

If they wanted to paint anarchism in a negative light, they would have made Hobie’s beliefs invalid, they would have made the Spider Society a force entirely for good, but instead they made it so his views are warranted. He was right to rebel, right to be distrustful and distant, and his actions directly result in Miles’ escape and Gwen being able to form a new team of Spider-people to support Miles in the next movie. 

Thematically, Hobie embodies the central theme of rejecting the status-quo and fighting for something better despite the odds. He’s one man infiltrating an entire organization of Spider-people in order to take it down from the inside, and he does it. In the end, he succeeds. If that’s not a positive depiction of anarchy, I don’t know what is.

Hobie’s influence, and anarchism itself, is a driving force in this movie. I don’t truly understand how one would say otherwise without nitpicking fine details and ignoring the bigger picture.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for, but I don’t think I can be a part of it.”

i’m literally begging people to start tagging their shit on ao3 properly. tell me why i looked up hobie brown & miles morales only for more than HALF that tag to be also tagged as hobie / miles?? It’s either & or /, so unless the situation in the fic is unique you gotta tag it as one or the other, for the sake of my sanity please im begging you

my little princess, in't she beautiful <3

GENSHIN AQ SPOILERS

i cant believe hoyoverse killed off my favourite npcs are you fucking kidding me