May Parker/Olivia Octavius
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | May Parker/Olivia Octavius |
| Alternative name(s): | LivMay |
| Gender category: | Femslash |
| Fandom: | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse |
| Canonical?: | no? |
| Prevalence: | rarepair |
| Archives: | on AO3 |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
May Parker/Olivia Octavius is a femslash rarepair from the Spiderverse fandom between Olivia Octavius aka Doc Ock and May Parker.
Canon
The two characters don't actually interact all that much in the movie. However, at the scene where Olivia is revealed to be Doc Ock, she says: "My friends call me Liv. My enemies call me Doc Ock." Later in the movie, the villains including Doc Ock break into May Parker's home; she immediately says "Oh great, it's Liv." Fans have taken this to indicate that the two had some sort of relationship in the past, whether platonic or romantic [1]. By the end of the film, Liv's fate is unknown.
Fandom
A small but dedicated fandom arose around LivMay as a pairing. There are a small number of fanfiction archived on AO3 for the pairing, and other short fics have been written on Tumblr.
Many works imagine the two as exes, with some fans considering a post-canon relationship between the two 'inappropriate' because of Liv's actions throughout the film and apparent lack of remorse. Other fanworks try to imagine a reconciliation between the two of some kind, sometimes with a redemption arc for Liv. However, many fanworks depict them at the ages seen in the movie.
Other common tropes include:
- backstory fics, commonly involving the two knowing each other from college
- angst
- Some hurt/comfort, frequently emotional
- Fics that deal with the events of the movie, notably the destruction of May's house and Liv's collider
- Jokes or memes about Peter Parker's discomfort
NSFW tropes in fanfiction or fanart sometimes include tentacle sex due to Doc Ock's soft robotics suit in canon, or other forms of kink such as bondage.
A few fans have headcanoned Liv as trans, notably because Otto Octavius in other Spider-Man canons is a man. However, other fans consider Liv's appearance and character in the movie to be an example of a genderswap.
Example Fanworks
Fanfiction
- To Have and To Hold by traincat, the most kudos'd fic for the pairing on AO3 in April 2021 and one of the earliest written. It takes inspiration from Amazing Spider-Man #131, where Aunt May and Doc Ock really do almost get married. The fic gas been podficed by a group of readers coordinated by Dr_Fumbles_McStupid (link to podfic, Archived version).
- Standard Deviation by Aetataureate, a pre-canon Enemies to Lovers fic where Liv and May are college roommates who develop a relationship that doesn't last.
- looking through glass (nothing goes right in its time) by srididdledeedee, a highly kudos'd fix-it fic
- time differential by owlinaminor, a highly kudos'd fic of three times Liv bursts into May's space
- don't trust in me, my dear by Yevynaea, an oh my god they were roommates fic featuring a redemption arc for Liv
Fanart
- yeah they fck, Archived version by hattersarts, a popular and slightly NSFW fanart with over 60,000 notes.
- A parody cover, Archived version of Amazing Spider-Man #131 posted Jan 14 2019 featuring Liv and May. The art was reposted to Tumblr where it received over 13,000 notes.
- kissing in the back of the lab, Archived version by tiffbaxter
Fancomic
- Something you have to explain: a livmay comic, Archived version a massively popular May Parker/Olivia Octavius fancomic set after the canon of the movie. The comic was posted in full in April 2020, and has received over 11,000 notes as of April 2021. Hattersarts also provided bonus content, Archived version for the comic, including a 3D render of May's house used for reference, thumbnails, and warm-up sketches.
Other
- Tumblr post, Archived version by midnightcherry-crime-radio in Dec 2018 outlining that there is a canon basis (in the comics) for an iteration of Doc Ock and May to have been a couple.
Links
- Olivia Octavius/Aunt May Parker works on AO3
- Tumblr: #livmay tag on Tumblr
References
- ^ Tumblr post, Archived version by teraspina, Dec 25 2018.