its hirudinea time babyyyy

Hey, I've been looking for an excuse to post about this. The Sam Bullit arc isn't really about Gwen (though it certainly reveals some things about her character). The Sam Bullit arc is about racist dogwhistles and why they work.

ASM #92 pg 19: "I will bring law and order to the people of this great city! I will show no mercy to the anarchists and all others who would destroy our way of life!"

Bullit's platform is not openly white supremacist in the sense that it doesn't overtly mention race. He talks about laws and safety in a way meant to appeal to rich white voters. The true meaning should be clear to anyone with any political awareness (who are those others and what is our way of life?), so why does this rhetoric attract "otherwise rational" people?

ASM #91 pg 6: "I want to volunteer to help you--in your campaign for DA. Because--I want you to bring Spider-Man to justice!" "We need strength--strength to punish those who mock the law! I will use such strength to bring Spider-Man and others like him to justice! I will not betray your trust."

Gwen makes her decision to back Bullit on the way home from her father's funeral. There's a very real phenomenon of tough-on-crime bills named after (white) murder victims. The grief of families who feel like justice hasn't been served is a powerful tool to push harsh laws while smothering any criticism as "disrespectful" to the victims. What’s in a Name? An Empirical Analysis of Apostrophe Laws, 2020.

Bullit showed up at George Stacy's funeral with this exact goal in mind, and when Spider-Man "kidnaps" Gwen later, he leverages the media obsession with white girls in danger for his cause. Gwen is a pawn, but she did offer her help first. Her desire for closure is very human and her short-sighted reactionary faith in "the law" is very white.

Oddly absent from your "proven bad person" takeaway is J. Jonah Jameson. The Bugle lends Bullit a platform to make Gwen's personal tragedy a political talking point. JJJ has the ~Black best friend~ excuse and everything, and he still blows past red flags like crazy.

ASM #91 pg 7: "Maybe they were better days than now! At least we had law and order then." "Yeah--and lynch mobs, and bread lines, and Uncle Toms..." "Come off it, Robbie! What's wrong with a man standing for law and order, anyway?" "Maybe it just depends on whose law--and what kind of order you're talkin' about, man!"

(Another point of this arc: marginalized groups learn to recognize dogwhistles pretty quickly for survival reasons. If they tell you something is a dogwhistle and you don't see it yet, look closer.)

ASM #92 pg 9: "Parker's story just served to open Jameson's eyes--but I've kept a dossier on you. I haven't been city editor all these years for nothing! I know where your support comes from. I know about the lunatic hate groups who are backing you. I know what you really mean by law and order!"

Late in the campaign, the Bugle switches sides. This scene tends to be described as JJJ giving the racists what-for, but the moment is truly Robbie's. (Note that it took Peter getting roughed up for Jameson to take this seriously!) JJJ can yell at Bullit all he likes without consequences, but Robbie is kidnapped and threatened by white supremacists in retaliation. It's Robbie's determination to speak up that eventually puts Bullit out of the running for good.

The Bullit arc isn't there to sort characters by Bad Person and Good Person. Neither Gwen nor JJJ have to personally hate black people for their self-centered sense of safety to be weaponized by a racist agenda. This is a Stan Lee PSA about masked bigotry and how it might appeal to you even if you consider yourself a Good Person.

i became much calmer and happier day to day

my scent changed, i smell like a different person now

My emotions became stronger, i had my first sad and happy cries

I developed new erogenous zones

I have boobs and hips now

it became easier to cry. at first it was almost excessive. no more emotions stuck in my face

weird, but, i freckle now where i used to be able to tan slightly, and certainly did not get freckles

i can no longer tolerate spicy food as well. i used to be able to order medium comfortably in any cuisine and now i struggle half the time with mild

i lost one inch in height

my skin is softer, my hair is softer

i smell like a woman. every part of me

boooooooooooooooooooooooooobs

i can now engage with my sexuality with joy and intention instead of needing to have an obligate orgasm every 12-24hrs to keep the demons at bay

depending when you count from, i gained between 50 and 90 pounds. pounds of woman

Our skin became soft, so soft, and nice to the touch. We became happy, grew boobs.

We got periods. These aren’t all that nice, but are a sour drop in an ocean of joy.

We’re pretty now. Insanely pretty, as we’re often told.

The way we smelled changed, too! It became something genuinely pleasant.

We put on a good amount of weight (30kg), for the better. The cuves of our body, the way fat fell on us, changed into something prettier. (Bigger butt and boobs, too).

No more random erections!

physically speaking, my skin has gotten softer, acne has gone down significantly, i managed to eat a bunch so I've gotten a lot of boobs and ass and thighs growth aaaaaaa!!!!!! soooo fucking cool. a lot more of my body has gotten so much more sensitive and I've developed fetishes i'd never considered before transition. i don't get erections randomly anymore but I'm still plenty horny!! it shows itself in the need to squirm for me! I've also been on progesterone so orgasms hit like trucks now!

I have new erogenous zones and being horny feels *infinitely* better.

VISIBLE! TITS! and I lost muscle mass :3

Qol just over all much better in every department.

Most of the really important changes (to me) I’ve only actually started to notice in the last few months (ive been on E 3 years and prog 1). Body hair thinning out, major breast development, super soft skin, some shifting in my hips and general fat redistribution.

Axis Axis - Chital Deer

Relating to Norman Osborn hits hard, especially for those who survived childhood abuse. Norman Osborn is a childhood abuse survivor with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (c-PTSD). While debate surrounds the rest of his mental state, prolonged trauma like his leads to c-PTSD. The current Spider-Man run highlights Norman grappling with untreated c-PTSD, supporting my argument that he represents survivors of ongoing trauma. Even before this arc, Norman’s emotional outbursts, relationship struggles, and flashbacks illustrate the lasting impacts of c-PTSD.

Understanding this context is crucial, as C-PTSD is often misdiagnosed as other personality disorders (e.g., Borderline Personality Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, ADHD, and other anxiety disorders). Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) is a mental health condition resulting from chronic trauma. It includes anxiety, flashbacks or nightmares, trauma-related avoidance, heightened emotional reactions, and difficulties maintaining relationships. (Source: Cleveland Clinic)

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These patterns in Norman's character resonate with me personally, which leads me to clarify where my personal experience ends and my analysis begins. While Norman is not depicted as a mentally healthy person, as someone who really went through it with their c-PTSD, I get it. I have been misdiagnosed, been given the wrong treatment/unhelpful suggestions, taken off my medications, and gone through a host of other terrible things related to my mental wellness. I have been to therapy, I am getting treatment, I am doing much better, but that is not the point of this. My intention here is to illustrate how these experiences have shaped my perspective. When you are hurt, you hurt other people, you lash out, and you want everyone to understand your pain. Why? Because hurting is lonely and awful, and when you see others looking happy and well-adjusted with everything you ever wanted, or worse, they could have helped and refused, you want to burn them with everything else. It's hard not to resent other people when you're suffering and no one ever comes to rescue you, or worse, no one believes you.

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