Ultimate Spider-Woman: Change With the Light

Chapter 97: Mob Mentality

"God, this is such a white girl's playlist," Randy Robertson said with a smile as he looked at his girlfriend Gwen Stacy's smartphone. "Taylor Swift…the Jonas Brothers…Selena Gomez…Lady Gaga…Victoria Justice…Justin Bieber...I mean, haven't I taught you anything?" he continued, looking up at Gwen.

"What did you expect?" Gwen said, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, you didn't finish looking," she continued, gesturing at Randy to keep reading her playlist.

Randy continued scrolling down for a few seconds, before a broad smile crossed his face.

"Marvin Gaye…Alicia Keyes…Nicki Minaj…Michael Jackson," he said, nodding approvingly. "That's more like it!"

"I just couldn't get into Tupac or any of the other hip-hop guys, though," Gwen said, shaking her head. "I like the R&B and pop stuff just fine, but hip-hop just doesn't do it for me."

"Nobody's perfect," Randy said with a smile, before he handed Gwen's smartphone back to her.

He and Gwen hadn't seen each other as much as they would have liked over the last couple of weeks. They were both busy with their studies, and with final exams coming up they were both spending much of their free time studying. Even when Randy and Gwen weren't studying, they were still pretty busy. Randy was getting more and more responsibility at HABQ-FM, the radio station where he worked, and was working with Kitty Pryde on some community activism. Gwen was managing a rapidly growing social media following with her Fire Hearts-Fire Passion pages, in between regular acting and modelling work. Gwen had almost stopped patrolling as the spectacular Spider-Woman so she could look after her own needs and take care of herself.

"Not quite, but I'd like to think I'm halfway there," Gwen joked as she tapped away at her smartphone. "Public Enemy's coming to town in May, right?"

"Yeah they are," Randy said, a confused expression on his face. "I didn't think you'd like them."

"They're playing about five shows, right?" Gwen said. "From the 12th to the 17th?"

"Yeah, but I thought…" Randy said, before he trailed off.

Gwen just shrugged, and changed the subject.

Randy was about to answer, but then he remembered something.

He remembered that Gwen often had trouble making ends meet in the past. Now that her career was picking up, she had more money to spend.

Randy also remembered that his birthday was May 16th.

He was careful to hide his smile.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-WOMAN #97

MOB MENTALITY

Study Objective: Comparative analysis of different public reactions to several different scenarios.

Hypotheses: No hypotheses at present-primary considerations are controlling for overlap between scenarios and responses from the same subjects to multiple scenarios.

Logistics: A concern-formula ingredients have specific costs and purchase limits, determine how to contact Mysterio for image inducer & other equipment without trail leading back to me, appropriate subject selection and scenario planning, appropriate use of light projections. Cash in a hurry-bank robbery? Or more subtle crimes in the model of Will O' the Wisp?

Scenario Considerations:

Left wing backlash-Racial or sexual comments more likely to provoke? Mutant rights? Immigration? Known bigots or broken pedestals of admired figures? Mass events?

Right wing backlash-Reaction to left activism, or original created crisis?

Cyberbullying-non political actions likely to provoke greater action?