#Norman (son)

[wonder-worker]

A central element of the myth of [Eleanor of Aquitaine] is that of her exceptionalism. Historians and Eleanor biographers have tended to take literally Richard of Devizes’s conventional panegyric of her as ‘an incomparable woman’ [and] a woman out of her time. […] Amazement at Eleanor’s power and independence is born from a presentism that assumes generally that the Middle Ages were a backward age, and specifically that medieval women were all downtrodden and marginalized. Eleanor’s career can, from such a perspective, only be explained by assuming that she was an exception who rose by sheer force of personality above the restrictions placed upon twelfth-century women.

-Michael R. Evans, Inventing Eleanor: The Medieval and Post-Medieval Image of Eleanor of Aquitaine

"...The idea of Eleanor’s exceptionalism rests on an assumption that women of her age were powerless. On the contrary, in Western Europe before the twelfth century there were ‘no really effective barriers to the capacity of women to exercise power; they appear as military leaders, judges, castellans, controllers of property’. […] In an important article published in 1992, Jane Martindale sought to locate Eleanor in context, stripping away much of the conjecture that had grown up around her, and returning to primary sources, including her charters. Martindale also demonstrated how Eleanor was not out of the ordinary for a twelfth-century queen either in the extent of her power or in the criticisms levelled against her.

If we look at Eleanor’s predecessors as Anglo-Norman queens of England, we find many examples of women wielding political power. Matilda of Flanders (wife of William the Conqueror) acted as regent in Normandy during his frequent absences in England following the Conquest, and [the first wife of Henry I, Matilda of Scotland, played some role in governing England during her husband's absences], while during the civil war of Stephen’s reign Matilda of Boulogne led the fight for a time on behalf of her royal husband, who had been captured by the forces of the empress. And if we wish to seek a rebel woman, we need look no further than Juliana, illegitimate daughter of Henry I, who attempted to assassinate him with a crossbow, or Adèle of Champagne, the third wife of Louis VII, who ‘[a]t the moment when Henry II held Eleanor of Aquitaine in jail for her revolt … led a revolt with her brothers against her son, Philip II'.

Eleanor is, therefore, less the exception than the rule – albeit an extreme example of that rule. This can be illustrated by comparing her with a twelfth century woman who has attracted less literary and historical attention. Adela of Blois died in 1137, the year of Eleanor’s marriage to Louis VII. […] The chronicle and charter evidence reveals Adela to have ‘legitimately exercised the powers of comital lordship’ in the domains of Blois-Champagne, both in consort with her husband and alone during his absence on crusade and after his death. […] There was, however, nothing atypical about the nature of Adela’s power. In the words of her biographer Kimberley LoPrete, ‘while the extent of Adela’s powers and the political impact of her actions were exceptional for a woman of her day (and indeed for most men), the sources of her powers and the activities she engaged in were not fundamentally different from those of other women of lordly rank’. These words could equally apply to Eleanor; the extent of her power, as heiress to the richest lordship in France, wife of two kings and mother of two or three more, was remarkable, but the nature of her power was not exceptional. Other noble or royal women governed, arranged marriages and alliances, and were patrons of the church. Eleanor represents one end of a continuum, not an isolated outlier."

[mjgwcns]

i think this deserves to make the rounds again

[berlingotesque]

So. The graphic novel, huh.

The artstyle is pretty good, I can’t deny it. Joey’s design is beautiful, very dilf-coded. Buddy looks… young. VERY young. He’s supposed to be 17 in Dreams Come To Life but somehow manages to look 12 ? Plus, I don't know how to describe it, but he looks very...angry ? Upset ? I don't think his bubbly, awkward personality appears much in the graphic novel, with his gaze being very...severe. He just looks weird, like a 40 years old in a child body. And Norman… Deep breath. His design is…no. Absolutely NOT it. I didn’t expected much but I still managed to be disappointed. I’ll wait until we get to see Sammy and Tom (especially) before expressing what I think is wrong with these designs but… yeah. I’m so sorry, Norman.

[shrikebrother]

everything i ever did, i did it all for you.

ella wilson / steven levenson / metamaiden / pasek & paul / lana del rey / bates motel (image source: @sofialamb) / dear evan hansen / andrew barth feldman / @corpsecoded / lorde / ocean vuong / ethel cain / kira madden

[soupmanspeaks]

Uhhh something Something headcanon the pizzaplex staff are given little trivia note cards about the company and the 80's in general to recite to guests as they tour the place or something, but the thing about these note cards is that they're full of the most inaccurate info ever, and freddy'll overhear them sometimes and literally have to stop in his tracks to compute what was just said like

Staff: "And here we have Glamrock beauty salon! Where you can get personally styled by Roxy herself! Fun fact, shoulder pads were all the rage in the 80s! Everyone was wearing them, along with their bright neon t-shirts and legwarmers!"

Glamfred: "......I remember we wore more t-shirts and jeans, actually"

Staff: "......?"

GF: "uH.....I mean--I am sure there were some shoulder pads..!"

[vertigoartgore]

2009's Dark Wolverine Vol.1 #75 cover by cover artist Leinil Francis Yu and colorist Laura Martin. Source

[avatar-of-pride]

I’m no child, get attacked.

🔫

Pew pew.

Is that... a water gun?

💦💦

MOTHER FUCKER.

You are a child. My child. Now you're grounded

[pridesson]

Hey kittens guess who’s back. <- dying.

[hawkogurl]

[1000sunnygo]

One of my most memorable experiences in tpn fandom is the day I was brainrotting over the arts from one of my favorite artist, Chen. Seeing me in notifications, they mistook me for their Chinese friend and DM'd me by mistake...

And THIS was their 'compensation' for it. Imagine how I felt :')

[schizoweirdo]

GUESS WHAT

[theshadowrealmitself]

Thinking of a very specific scenario where Gwen has her workplace covered head to toe in Spidey pictures and Spidey merch because she originally lost a bet, but never took any of the stuff down after it was over because she grew attached to it, so her work area just makes everyone think she’s a huge fan of Spidey

That’s the setup, followed by a situation where Spidey has to team up with Norman for a science thing (neither one is happy about this) and they pass by Gwen’s area (although it doesn’t have her name written anywhere, it’s just covered in Spidey stuff) and Spiderman, being Peter Parker and having visited Gwen’s workplace before, knows it’s hers

Which prompts this dialogue: “How is Gwen doing? Staying away from tall buildings..I hope… ha ha..” -Peter, making an awkward joke based on that horrifying statistic they found out about most of other Gwen’s dying by falling, because working with an enemy is an awkward situation and he was trying to lighten the mood but failed

Norman doesn’t understand the reference, obviously, just takes note that somehow Spiderman is aware of his worker, and since he can tell which work area is hers, is aware that she’s a huge fan

Later on, there’s this dialogue: “If you really wanna get a superhero’s attention, go to their “territory,” get on a huge building, make a fuss so that they know you’re there, then fling yourself off, you’ll be in their arms before you know it!” -Gwen Stacy, making her own morbid falling off a cliff joke to cope while people brainstorm how to find a missing hero

Which leads Norman to the following conclusion: Gwen Stacy has been putting herself in danger on purpose to get Spider-Man’s attention

Now not only does he have to worry about holding an intervention for his son and his son’s friend who’s like a son to him about being so obsessed with Spiderman that they ignore their own safety, but he also has to hold one for his best employee!! What the fuck!!

[emmaspolaroid]

twitter said “draw your OTP like this” and —

[wonder-worker]

"[Matilda of Boulogne's office as Queen of England], initiated and broadly defined by the coronation ordo, gave her royal power and authority to share in governance. Her obligations and activities were shaped by custom established by previous queens and the ad hoc needs of king and realm. [...] [Matilda's] thorough integration into the governance of the realm was not repeated in [Eleanor of Aquitaine’s] years as queen of England. Eleanor's coronation followed a new model that emphasized the queen as progenitor of royal heirs and subordinate to the king rather than as sharer of royal power. Though Eleanor acted as regent in England between 1156 and 1158 and in Poitou on several occasions from 1165 on, her writs suggest delegated rather than shared royal authority. In England, her power was limited by the lack of lands assigned to her use and by the elaboration of financial and judicial administration. Whereas [Matilda of Boulogne's] inheritance allowed her to play an integral role in politics by securing the Londoners' loyalty and a steady supply of mercenaries, Eleanor's inheritance provided her with more extensive power in Poitou and Aquitaine than in England. Until 1163, Eleanor withdrew funds from the Exchequer by her own writ, but unlike her Anglo-Norman predecessors, she was not a member of its council nor did she issue judgments from the royal court. Eleanor's counsel and diplomatic activities, in contrast to Matilda's, are rarely mentioned. She did, however, encourage the 1159 Toulouse campaign and supported Henry in the Becket affair and the coronation of young Henry. Eleanor was not a prominent curialis; she rarely witnessed Henry's charters or interceded to secure the king's mercy. She did follow in Matilda's footsteps in her promotion of her sons, cultivation of dynastic goals through the Fontevraudian tombs, and patronage that reflected her family's traditions. For Matilda, to be queen encompassed a variety of functions-curialis, diplomat, judge, intercessor, and "regent." Through a combination of factors, Eleanor's role as queen was much more restricted."

-Heather J. Tanner, "Queenship: Office, Custom or Ad Hoc", Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady (Edited by Bonnie Wheeler and John Carmi Parsons)

[avatar-of-pride]

….are u making out with lord diavolo in the castle right now, be honest.

I... No. We are having a business meeting

[gravytra1n]

poor harry osborn knowing that peter is everything his father wanted him to be. stupid fucking norman osborn i hate his dumbass he was an awful dad.