#She is a grown up woman stop infantilising her

[princess-charlie-of-hell]

"Charlastor shippers are the worst, they make Charlie cheat on her gf with Alastor and make Vaggie be abusive towards Charlie so they are misogynistic and lesbophobic, R@dioapple is are not toxic like them"

Please i saw thousands of R@dioapple fics where Lucifer cheats on Lilith with Alastor and they are made look like the good guys while Lilith is written as the bad guy for being upset . Fics where they completely erase Lilith existence as Charlie's mother and make Alastor Charlie's biological father despite her being older than him

I saw thousands of fics from R@dioapple where Charlie is reduced to nothing more than a plot device so that Alastor and Lucifer are forced to get along(even there the only reason it works out is Charlie) . Or fics where they make her a literally child so that Alastor can get to be her "perfect step-father". Humans R@dioapple aus where most female characters like Charlie, Vaggie, Velvette and Emily are children too while everyone else is an adult.

Saw fics where they turn either Alastor or Lucifer in "Uwu babies" who need the other one to protect them from whoever the bad guy is. Feminized them so much that the only thing connecting them to their Canon counter part is the name.

R@dioapple shippers, which steal Radiobelle art or Fan children, keep invading Lucilith/Charlastor/Radiostatic art to write how much better their ship is or use the fact that RA got "merch" (pullover where they are fighting🙄)and use that to claim that is going to be canon to hate on people who don't ship it

So don't tell me that Charlastor shippers are the worst, most toxic and misogynistic shippers in the fandom, when they exist! Like there are many nice and great people who ship R@dioapple but for me most of this fandom I see consists of toxic fujoshis

[mellowsadistic]

Easter Bunnies - Part 1

Melony and her boyfriend meet up with their friends for a garden party, but the girls are acting more like toddlers getting ready for an Easter egg hunt, and Melony's boyfriend expects her to join them.

***

“Are you looking forward to playing with your friends, sweetie?”

Melony scowled at her boyfriend as they walked up the driveway. “Don’t say it in such a patronising way, Peter!” she snapped, tossing back her long black hair. “How many times do I have to tell you not to talk to me like a child?”

“Sorry, Mel,” said Peter, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, baby. I know you’re very sensitive about that sort of thing.”

Melony pressed her lips together. Even his apologies were infantilising! Mostly she liked having Peter as her boyfriend; he was tall and handsome, and decent enough in bed, but he could be infuriatingly condescending at times – even though they were the same age, he sometimes treated her more like a toddler than the twenty-four-year-old woman she actually was. But now wasn’t the time for an argument. She’d save her scoldings for when they got home.

Peter knocked on the front door, and a few moments later it swung open to reveal a smiling, sandy-haired young man. “About time, you two!” George said cheerfully, standing back to let them over the threshold. “Happy Easter! Come on in. Hazel and Oliver are already here.” He shook hands with Peter as he passed and, to Melony’s annoyance, placed his hand on her back to move her along down the corridor, as though she couldn’t do it by herself. “Hazel’s just upstairs with Oliver, being changed into something more comfortable,” he said, “and Jackie’s playing out in the garden.”

Melony clenched her teeth. There was that word again. Playing. Anyone could be forgiven for thinking he was talking about a trio of three-year-olds, and not three grown women in their mid-twenties. And there was something about his smile that Melony didn’t like. But then George often looked like he was laughing at some private joke. It was maddening! She didn’t know how Jackie could stand it.

They were led into the bright kitchen at the back of the house. Double doors opened out onto a wooden decking, and beyond that a large green lawn with patches of brightly coloured Spring flowers. But before Melony could head out into the sun, she heard running footsteps on the landing above them, and then the unmistakable sound of someone rushing down the stairs as fast as they could.

“Hazel!” she heard a man call. She recognised Oliver’s voice. There were more hurried footfalls above them. “Wait for Daddy, silly girl!”

A moment later, a young brunette woman ran, or rather toddled, through the hallway to join them in the kitchen. “Mewwie!” she squealed, coming to a stop in front of them.

“Hazel?!” Melony gasped. Her normally shy, reserved friend was standing in front of her wearing a pair of trainers on her feet, a set of bunny ears on her head, and absolutely nothing in between. Her bare pussy and perky breasts were on full display, though it didn’t seem to bother her one bit. There was a vacant, innocent look in her green-brown eyes, and she was grinning broadly.

“Hazel, what are you doing?!” Melony asked, blushing scarlet with second-hand embarrassment. “Why are you dressed like that?!”

Oliver chuckled as he entered the kitchen behind his girlfriend. “I’m not sure I’d call her dressed at all, Mellie,” he said, winking at her. “My little lady was more comfortable in her birthday suit, but I insisted on shoes.” He patted his girlfriend’s bare bottom. “And of course, she absolutely refused to go without her pretty bunny ears.” He kissed Hazel on the cheek. “Didn’t you, baby girl?” he cooed. “You wanted to be Daddy’s nakie little bunny rabbit!”

Hazel giggled delightedly. “Nakie bunny!” she echoed, bouncing on the spot and making her boobs jiggle about.

“But she has to tell Daddy when she needs her potty,” Oliver said, “because we don’t want to leave any puddles on George’s floor, do we, baby?”

Hazel nodded seriously at her boyfriend. “Tell Daddy,” she agreed. “Don’t need puw-ups!”

“Not during the day at least,” said Oliver, bending down to give his girlfriend another kiss, this time on the forehead. “You’re Daddy’s big girl, aren’t you?”

“What the fuck is going on here?!” Melony demanded in a shrill voice. She realised she was breathing very fast. A part of her was sure this had to be some bizarre joke, but the blank look in Hazel’s eyes was telling her otherwise. She looked around at Peter and George, but neither of the boys seemed to think there was anything wrong with the situation. In fact, George looked like he was trying to hold back laughter as he took in the sight of Hazel standing nearly nude in front of him, prattling like a toddler. Peter was looking at her, however. There was a smirk playing around his lips, and an almost hungry look in his eyes.

Melony suddenly remembered that George had said Jackie was out in the garden, and she rushed to the back doors. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she reached them. Jackie was indeed playing in the garden. She was prancing about awkwardly like the littlest of toddlers, giggling and trying to catch butterflies. She wasn’t naked like Hazel, but Melony almost wished she was. She wore a pale pink dress, all frills and lace, and so short that it did nothing whatsoever to hide the enormously thick nappy she wore beneath. Even as Melony watched, Jackie bent over to peer at something in the grass, and her diapered bottom was thrust high into the air. The padding was sagging and discoloured. She’d clearly wet herself. A moment later, she straightened up and turned around, smiling even more vacantly than Hazel. Her blonde hair had been tied into a pair of pigtails, and she too wore a set of bunny ears.

Melony felt sick to her stomach. Something was very, very wrong here. Hazel and Jackie needed the hospital, or a psychologist, or something! They couldn’t be allowed to just walk around humiliating themselves like this! They needed help! Before she could get over her shock, however, Peter had walked up behind her and slipped a pair of fluffy bunny ears onto her head.

“What? What are you…?” Melony spun around, confused and angry, to see her boyfriend grinning at her. She lifted her hands to her head, feeling the soft ears, ready to rip them off, but by then it was already too late to stop the warm, fuzzy contentment spreading through her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes…

[maxdibert]

Can you please not call a 24-year-old woman a "young girl" holy shit. That's a grown ass adult who can drive, smoke, drink, get married, have kids, own a house, get divorced and everything. Stop infantilising adult women. You wouldn't call a man of the same age a young boy either. Sucks that that storyline is a trigger for you but that is not an excuse to be misogynistic and downplay women's agency, thanks.

A 24-year-old man also seems really young to me, and I’d be super triggered seeing a 38-year-old woman with a guy that age. Like, a friend of mine is 33, and two weeks ago a 23-year-old guy hit on her at a club, and she rejected him because she found it weird as hell to date someone that young.

Don’t come at me with the whole “infantilizing women” thing when the norm in a patriarchal society is men over 40 dating women under 25—just ask Leo DiCaprio. Women are only considered adult women when they can sexually serve men’s pleasure, and this is Feminism 101. The reality is that a relationship between someone who is 30 and someone who is 43 isn’t the same as one between someone who is 23 (which is when this relationship start) and someone who is 36. A person under 25 is still in the process of maturing, and the fact that you all only defend women’s maturity and adulthood when it fits the narrative of a heterosexual relationship where the man is considerably older—and often ends up being problematic inmature asshole—is what’s truly misogynistic.

[8-evil-annoying-catboys]

i think it’s complicated. if a grown man, or sometimes even a young boy, cries in front of others, there is an ever present threat that someone will shame him for not fitting the standards expected of his gender, and all witnesses may very well treat him differently for the rest of the time they know him, if they judge men harshly enough, even if they’re very close friends of his. this is especially true if they witness him cry more than once (seeing a man cry exactly one time in the time you’ve known him is seen as ‘oh these circumstances were so sad/bad, my dad cried, and he never cries’ but seeing a man cry two or more times becomes a negative reflection on his character and manliness).

also, because men are expected to never cry, a LOT of people don’t know what to do if a man starts crying in front of them. it stuns them, and they may not jump to comfort him like they would for someone they’d expect to cry (like a woman or child). even if the comfort would be hollow or backhanded, most people understand that they are expected to comfort a crying child or crying woman for at least a few seconds and as quickly as possible, but when an adult man cries they may not know what to do, and if so, they often don’t do anything, or worse, they jump straight to telling him to man up and not cry. this is exacerbated by the fact that a lot of men don’t, or even can’t, cry in front of others bc of years of suppressing the urge bc of this pressure, so people are less familiar with the situation and continue to expect and pressure men not to cry, and it’s a self-perpetuating cycle.

if a woman cries in front of others, the reaction depends heavily on the kind of people she is around, but most people will show her some form of sympathy, even if it comes with an edge of resentment or annoyance, or is swiftly followed by pressure to stop crying, or both. if she’s around people who are compassionate, crying can be a very healthy release. around the wrong people, they still know they’re expected to show a little bit of comfort… however, it can indeed make everything worse. you are right that just because women are “allowed” or expected to cry does not mean no one will judge them.

in general, crying is looked down upon, and the fact that it is associated with femininity in a patriarchal society is evidence of that. when a woman cries, she may not be a grown man crying, but she is still crying, and people don’t like that. she will probably not be told to ‘man up,’ but, after the people around her have reached their limit of dealing with crying, they may tell her not to be a baby, or otherwise infantilise the very normal human act of crying, which is a natural distress response that never truly leaves us, even if we suppress it after a certain age—that’s not the same thing as growing out of it.

nevertheless, any crying adult faces the possibility of people infantilising them. sometimes, even children are infantilised for crying. i, personally, should know that crying has a negative stigma with it regardless of your age and gender—i was bullied in elementary school and when i would cry in response to the bullying, i would be bullied even more for crying. this got to the point that when i was 8, i stopped crying in front of others, but i was, by all accounts, a little girl, the one demographic that is most expected and “allowed” to cry. even then, i could not get away with it without judgement. this started a very unhealthy relationship to crying that i’m still mending at 24, and i doubt i’m anywhere close to alone in that.

i think the main difference is that when a grown woman cries, she is not seen as weaker than average for her gender. the negativity isn’t usually exacerbated by the fact that she’s a woman crying, it stems from the stigma around crying in general. people don’t like when anyone cries, so women and children still get judged for crying even though they are “allowed” or, as you more accurately put it, expected to do so at times. when an adult man cries, however, there is very rarely any tolerance for it. and even when people tolerate it, they are often too stunned to react with kindness and compassion and comfort. there are many people who would jump to genuinely comfort a woman or child who was crying, who would hesitate or even fail to do the same for a crying adult man.

so, once they reach a certain age, young boys and men start suppressing the urge to cry. and, as i very well know because of my aforementioned history with crying, if you don’t cry sometimes, you get very emotionally constipated. it’s extremely unhealthy to never cry. but men are expected to do just that, as a rule, not an exception. men can’t even cry around their closest male friends without being judged, and even around their closest friends and partners who are women—who are expected to be emotional punching bags for the men in their lives—men can still expect to be degraded for weakness if they cry. women, generally speaking, can cry around their friends of any gender with less judgement, and can expect to be comforted, especially around their closest female friends. the same is true for children.

idk. ultimately, the point of bringing this up isn’t to pretend that women and children aren’t still oppressed more pervasively under patriarchy than adult men. that’s not true and anyone who genuinely thinks that is a fool. but i do think that it’s important for everyone, of all genders and ages, to recognise that the patriarchy DOES oppress adult men still, and that oppression matters regardless. male privilege exists, but it’s conditional, and the conditions are very demanding. you can cry twice, or even just once, in front of someone as a man, and they’ll literally never see you the same again, and won’t treat you with the privilege they afford to men who haven’t cried in front of them. and that sucks, because a lot of what falls under male privilege is just, like, being respected as a person, and the problem is that everyone should be treated that way (although some of male privilege is getting to do and say stuff that nobody should get to do or say).

i think the only solution on this particular front is for everyone to be truly allowed to cry without judgement, regardless of gender. that requires a lot of work and a lot of dismantling of patriarchal ideas. i think that allowing cishet men, in particular, to discover that they could be allowed to cry in a truly feminist world, is a net benefit. i’m not saying that your post implies that you don’t want that, just to be clear. i just think that’s a good first step towards removing the stigma around crying, and generally liberating women and gender minorities from patriarchal oppression. it’s still important to point out facts—like the fact that, because of crying being incredibly unhealthily stigmatised, women are not allowed to cry without any judgement, and it may only seem that way to men because it is not unexpected for a woman to cry like it is unexpected for a man to cry. but a lot of people cherrypick the facts in such a way that they bar men from learning how patriarchy oppresses them, too, which is a crucial first step to learning how feminism can benefit them and deciding to join the fight.

idk idk. it’s sad to see people be divisive out of frustration, even when the frustration is justified

ppl are always saying that women are "allowed to cry" more than men are but I don't really think being expected to is the same as being "allowed" to without judgement, because generally the social judgement is still extremely present and imo not made much better by it being a "typical behavior from the likes of you" flavor of contempt

[readerbell]

Do you know what my favourite thing about Lan & Nynaeve is?

They’ve both defeated Forsaken

They can’t keep their hands off each other

How supportive they are of each other. They always see and respond to the core of the other person.

Lan is described as hard, cold, almost dead behind the eyes (later on). To Nynaeve his eyes are ‘beautiful,’ his coldness (post-doorframe) is simply sickness not Lan.

She is different around him because he celebrates her competence. Since her parents’ deaths, people have consistently downplayed her abilities or have infantilised her. If Nynaeve was to have a villain-origin story, this would be the genesis. In their first (on page) interaction, Lan congratulates her for tracking him & that immediately gets her hackles down. He questions the setting up of Nynaeve’s Detective Agency but again steps back to let her do what she has to do while reminding her of his love for her. (As a side note, Elayne seeing their dynamic and thinking that’s what she needs to do to keep Rand on his toes makes me cackle. The girl decided three days of making out was on the same level as the King of Malkier giving away the ring of Malkieri kings to his Mashiara. If there’s one thing our Elayne has, it’s the audacity.)

Later on, Lan learns that a literal Forsaken has a personal vendetta against Nynaeve. Does he make it his mission to protect her by treating her as a damsel in distress? Nope. He’s all, ‘I know you can handle it. I’ll just make sure you’re angry enough to do so.” He recognises that she’s a grown and capable woman & only cares about supporting her.

On her end, she sees her husband readying himself to embark on a suicide mission. If there was ever a time to forbid him from doing something, that would be it. She not only recognises how much fighting against the Shadow means to him, she assures him he must do his duty in spite of his feelings for her and actually takes him to the Borderlands. Fine, she takes him to the wrong end but this is Nynaeve, okay? We have to let her get in her petty where she can.

They love and support each other, while maintaining other relationships and obligations. I’m not sure any other couple does that.

Perrin & Faile are a couple I adore. They grow in understanding of eachother but remain largely co-dependent.

The Westlands have Min to thank for staving off Cuendillar Rand for longer than anyone else could. But Min’s entire identity for a long time *is* Rand.

Avi & Elayne are on the other end. They love Rand but their support of him is dependent on their other ties.

Similarly, The Empress, may she live forever, cares for Knotai but it’s Seanchan first.

Egwene and Gawyn never really get the chance to work out their equation.

Lan & Nynaeve do manage to strike that balance. They love each other unconditionally and do so without losing sight of their other duties. The best example of this is in Knife of Dreams: “She gathered all of her courage and held on to it hard, so hard that she ached. She wanted to speak fast, to get the words out before courage failed, but she forced herself to a steady tone and an even pace. “A Borderland saying I heard from you once. ‘Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain.’ My duty lies here, making sure Alivia doesn’t kill Rand. But I will take you to the Borderlands.” She left home for those kids and getting married is not enough to make her lose sight of that. Lan is sworn to fight the Shadow and a wife he loves won’t stop him from doing what he must.

[akajustmerry]

Hello Merry, i hope you’re healthy and safe rn 😊 i was just wondering about your thoughts on the wandavision age gap? it’s not going to keep me from watching the show, and i am in no way trying to give or start shit about it, i just really respect your opinions, especially when it comes to cinema and it’s impact on the world around us. so i was curious if you had any thoughts on it. if not, no worries, i hope you have a great rest of your week 🧡

hi! thank you so much! 

I don’t love it and never have. especially because of how infantilised Wanda has been throughout in the MCU as a “kid” despite being a grown woman in her mid to late 20s AND AT THE SAME TIME she is significantly younger than Bettany so they make her seem more “mature” in scenes with Vision. It’s a CLASSIC combo of ageism/sexism that so many women in hollywoo gotta deal with. it’s also just annoying because apart from Wanda and Vis the MCU generally is pretty good with age gaps 

An argument COULD be made that the age gap is strangely suited to WandaVision’s MO, considering how many old sitcoms did have m/f pairings with HUGE age gaps, BUT there’s a reason sitcoms stopped doing that shit (mostly) asbdajbdh. I still spend a LOT of time fantasising about a Wanda and Vision who are the same age (at least visually). 

I mean it's not like it would have been IMPOSSIBLE for Marvel to find a British actor in their late-20s/early-30s to play Vision. they plucked tom hiddleston, Dominic Cooper, etc from obscurity, after all. 

I think they were just really married to the idea that Bettany had to be Vision because he was JARVIS and that’s a helpful continuity for viewers who are not accustomed to all the metamorphosis that goes on in Marvel, but i personally thought it was a feeble excuse, especially in the knowledge they were going to eventually make Wanda and Vis canon. 

As everyone who follows me (including yourself) knows I am not a fan of age gaps in media. i do believe there are OCCASIONAL ways they can be written and be less misogynistic/ageist/creepy, but as soon as one party is infantilised, it's a hard no from me, mate. 

Age gaps in media, specifically the way they are portrayed impact the industry by depriving age-appropriate actors from work (mostly women) by feeding into ageism and (mostly) the misogynistic idea that women are only ever allowed to be young and beautiful while men can be anything at any age. It also normalises potentially abusive relationships with unhealthy power imbalances, making it harder for ppl to recognise when they themselves are in such a relationship. 

mostly, i prefer to reblog fanart of Wanda and Vis as a couple because I’ve loved them so much since I first encountered them in the comics. but i think there’s always room to critique, alongside entertainment too. we can acknowledge that Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen do a decent job considering the underdeveloped nonsense their characters put up with, AND acknowledge that the age gap part of a wider toxic culture. 

A similar discussion is one i’ve been having about Malcolm and Marie (2021). we can acknowledge Zendaya and JDW do great work in the film AND discuss how women in their 30s are being aged out of roles, AND that sam levinson is a fucking creep. A lot of watching media these days is learning to hold two facts, not in a contradictory way, but in a critical way that acknowledges multiple things are accurate and don’t cancel each other out so we can learn from them and be better creators and consumers ourselves. 

sorry this was long, i have a lot of feelings about it. I enjoy WandaVision as a piece of speculative meta-scifi but the character work is too Marvely adsnaksdj

all the best to you! thanks for letting me ramble x

[lokischocolatefountain]

Knight in Tulle Armour

Pairing: Loki x OFC

Rating: General 

Word count: 2.2K

Summary: Loki’s fiancé doesn't need to be rescued from bullying palace staff by a Knight in Shining Armour.

Astrid gasped and clutched her stomach as the seamstress yanked her back by the ribbons on her dress. “Can’t breathe,” she managed to choke out as the corset grew tighter and tighter. The woman finally let go and she fell forward but then clutched the mirror to steady herself. 

“Was that really necessary, Synnøve?” 

“My apologies, Lady Astrid. I often forget how fragile mortals could be.” 

There it was. It had been two hours since she was dragged into this room to try on wedding gowns and she was surprised that nothing had happened yet. She had been putting up with remarks like this for a whole month on Asgard. Loki knew nothing. When the two were seen together, the Æsir kept their remarks subtle. Loki wasn’t one to stir up conflict that would jeopardise political allies, so he dealt with them with similar subtle remarks and it had been fun to watch him tactfully bring down people’s sense of self-worth in a quintessentially Loki style. 

Attacks toward her when she was alone was a different case entirely. People talked shit blatantly, criticised her appearance, flaunted past trysts with her fiancé to her face, humiliated her, the lest went on and on. Apparently yanking her around by the ribbons of her corseted bodice was the hot new thing on the list. 

She was still in the initial stages of picking a dress, checking which silhouette she preferred. It was supposed to be an easy process until she discovered it wasn’t. There were load and load of options and different types of cuts and sleeves and silhouettes and colours. It wasn’t often that she wore any dress, let alone bridal ones. Her career didn’t allow her the freedom to wear anything other than ill-fitted scrubs and on occasion, well-fitted suits. Her motorcycle was her primary mode of transport and long flowy dresses were a safety hazard while short ones were a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen. So, she had many things to blame for her lack of dress knowledge. But, that made the Asgardians here look down on her like she was some kind of peasant who had never seen a dress before. 

“Lady Astrid, Prince Loki requested your presence when you are finished here.” 

“Im finished,” she said hurriedly as she lifted up the layers and layers of tulle of her dress, jumped off her platform in her kitten heels and leaped out the door with the woman who called for her. Her facial expression contorted to suggest she was looking at an adorable puppy rather than a grown ass woman. 

“I remember being your age, newly in love and waiting for an opportunity to run off to meet my beloved.” 

Astrid just smiled and nodded, not having the heart to tell her that she was only rushing to be away from her banshee of a seamstress rather than to the arms of her lover. She was also surrounded by plenty of strangers the whole day and would kill to see a familiar face. She was escorted to Loki’s wing of the palace and left at the doorsteps. She quickly thanked her and stepped in. Loki was seated comfortable on his sofa, flipping through the pages of a humongous tome when you entered. He looked up from his book, surprised. 

“Get me out of this!” 

“Woah, woah! Breathe, darling,” he said in his silky smooth voice as straightened himself on the sofa. 

“I can’t breathe if you don’t get me out of this!” 

With just a flick of his finger, from a distance, the ribbons loosened and air finally entered her lungs. She plopped down ungraciously next to him and her dress took up most of the space on a sofa that would comfortably seat four Asgardians. She laid down with her feet on one side of the sofa and her head on Loki’s lap and kicked off her heels to the ground. 

“Nice dress,” he said, looking serious for only a fraction of a second before breaking into laughter. 

“Shut up, dick!” 

“No, I do not jest. You will make a wonderful cake at the ceremony.” 

She threw a cushion at his face, but the man continued laughing at your expense. Each time he simmered down and she thought he was going to stop, he began laughing louder.

“I’ve had a horrible day and I would appreciate if you stopped laughing at me and the ugly dress. If not, I will kill you in your sleep.”

“I presume it was unsuccessful…” 

“Could you remove this synthetic cloud smothering me to death?” she asked, lifting up some of the layers and letting it cascade back down. It took him very little time to vanish what she was wearing and replace it with cotton shorts and a t-shirt from her side of the wardrobe. 

“Thanks,” she sighed, relaxing for the first time that day. 

“Do you have anything to do, today?” 

“Yes, loads. Prince, remember?” 

“Ah, yes. People constantly remind me of that,” she said, dejected that she may not be able to spend too much time with him.

Her traced his index finger along her jawline as he looked at her in a way that drove her insane even after years of being together. “I always have time for you, my dear. Give me your word and I will cancel all my plans for you.” 

“No, you shouldn’t. You have Princely responsibilities and I don’t want to impede that.” If people knew that their Prince skived off responsibilities to play hooky with his ‘mortal pet’ as some called her, she would only face more shit on a day to day basis. 

“What is it? Tell me.” All the playfulness had vanished and he looked quite serious, so she decided to be out with it instead of mincing her words. 

“Could you possibly drop me off on Earth?” 

“Is everything alright?” 

“Yeah, I just- I think I like Earth dresses better…” 

“Is the fine hand-spun silk of Asgard not good for my lady?” 

“I think I will be more comfortable in Earth dresses.”

“I would take you to Midgard right now, but there are better solutions than traveling lightyears away to buy a dress. You could give all your requirements to to the seamstresses and they will make you a dress.”

“We don’t really work well together.” 

“That should not be a problem since you do not work together, she is supposed to work for you. Something unpleasant must have happened for you to react this way.” Shit. There was no way she could keep it from him now. 

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I shall find out on my own,” he said as he gently moved her head off his lap and set in on a cushion. Before he could leave, she caught him by his wrist. She was in no way strong enough to stop a God, but he respected her enough to stay.  

“No! Please don’t, Loki. They already infantilize me enough. If you go there, inquiring about who pushed me in the playground, they will only continue treating me like a child. So, don’t intervene.” 

He turned to her sharply and pried her hand off his wrist. His eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes showed hints of confusion and anger. “They have been infantilising you? Today was only your first appointment with the seamstresses… So, it is not just them, is it?” 

She stood up to be on level with Loki.  “Everyone, Loki. Someone called me your Midgardian pet. My first night here, an old lady mocked my tiny portion size at dinner. Just yesterday, the woman who dressed tried to give me advice and how you liked it- in bed- and she tried to get me to use some hair product she claimed drove you mad. The seamstress today- Synnøve, yanked me by the dress and basically went ‘Oopsie, I keep forgetting you’re so fragile and breakable’- I need a break from being an alien. Just, please take me home for a while.” 

“Astrid, why is this the first time I am hearing of this?” She had not expected the conversation to take such a serious turn. But, she didn't know what she expected in the first place. 

“I didn’t want to complain to you like a child!” 

He gripped her arms in her effort to bring her closer to him. She let him and even allowed herself to settle into his comforting embrace as he spoke to her, his harsh tone being replaced by a gentle one. “You may have different expectations from your subordinates back on Midgard, but here on Asgard, you are a Prince’s Consort and will be treated as such. If you do not set them straight now and demand the respect you are entitled to with your title, you will forever be humiliated in your own home. Is that what you want?” 

She separated herself from the comfort of listening to his heart beat and looked up at him. “I understand all that. I just don’t want to stir up anything. I don’t want to get a bad reputation so early on- that I’m rude or difficult or bossy.” 

“You mentioned that on Earth, there is a double standard in the judgement of women’s behaviour when compared to men. You are at a similar disadvantage here. They will speak horribly of you no matter what. You will be criticised for every breath you take, every move you make. You learn have to ignore them and when necessary, exert your authority over them.” 

She shook her head in disagreement. “I’m not married to you yet, I have no authority.” 

“Do you believe everything will fall apart before the ceremony and we may not be married?” 

She didn't have to answer him. 

“I will ask my Chief of Staff to bring you a list of the best designers in all of the nine realms. You could interview them tomorrow and choose a team of your favourite ones.” 

“That’s…” 

“Wonderful.” 

“-too much.” 

“I disagree. I think it is the appropriate thing to do.” 

“Thank you,” she said as she let go of him. 

“Now, I will ask for the portfolios to be brought for you to pick the best of the best.” 

“You do that, I have something to do.” 

Loki magicked the ugly dress back onto her as it was hardly appropriate for her to walk out in booty shorts and she left determinedly to face the woman she had run away from. 

The woman looked at her mockingly as she entered the fitting room, carrying her high heels rather than walking in them. She eyed the crumpled state of her dress and Astrid was sure that she believed she had just had sex in it. She climbed up the platform and stood in front of the mirror. 

“The Prince does like to have his pets at his beck and call,” she said in a saccharine, sing-song voice as she stood approached the dais to continue working. Her long spindly fingers began loosening the ribbons of the corseted dress.

“Does he, Synnøve? Thank you very much for informing me. You see, I am new here and not acquainted with the norms of the palace or the people here. However, I am certain that insinuating crudely about the Prince and his Consort is punishable.” 

Astrid could tell that she was taken aback by her as she noticed that a flash of panic crossed her eyes right before her hands stopped abruptly. As though unaffected by it, she continued unlacing the dress. They spent what felt like hours in an awkward silence as she freed Astrid from her tulle prison. She was glad that Loki magic these dresses off of her in seconds or she would spend years unlacing them manually. Even if he couldn’t use magic for the purpose, she was sure that the man would rip them off to get to her quickly. 

“Which dress would you like to try on next, Lady Astrid?” All hints of superiority and mockery had fled the woman. She looked constipated like the act of being civil to a Midgardian was physically painful. 

“That wouldn’t be necessary. I would like my dress back.” 

“So, this is the silhouette you would like,” she asked, confused by the lack of clarity in her words. 

“No, it’s quite hideous. I’d just like my dress back so that I can leave.” 

“Shall we continue tomorrow?” 

“No, the Prince believed it was only appropriate for me to choose a worthy designer rather than be assigned to a random seamstress.” 

“Oh.” All light had left her eyes now and Astrid swore that she saw the woman gulp. There were no protests from her and she was just relieved to be rid of the seamstress. 

As she stood in front of the mirror, being laced into the dress she wore to the fitting at the beginning of the day, she felt a little more confident in her ability to deal with people here. She may never fit in, never be seen as a fit bride for their Prince, but she wasn’t going to allow them to bully her into submission. 

[theharellan]

🔥 + Solavellan (not your own personal ship of course, just tendencies the RPC and DA fandom have with this ship)

Unpopular Opinion Meme | Not Accepting

I’ve written a lot of unpopular opinions about Solavellan, like how I find a lot of fandom reaction to the break-up super uncomfortable and how I find interpretation of a sexual relationship to be OOC. One challenge I’ve  faced writing Solas is struggling with how similar the Solas fandom and Solas hatedom are, like both take a flawed version of Solas with little to no textual support, but then use that interpretation to fuel their love/hate. Like it’s such a problem that mulling on this ask the past couple days tore me in like five different directions.

Like, both sides make Solas out to be super controlling and abusive, one side uses it to make him sexier, but neither are talking about a Solas who exists in the game. Solavellan as it exists in game is not a healthy dynamic, but We are talking about a relationship that he ends when he realises he can’t do what he has to to make it healthy. Do I talk about that? Or do I talk about alpha wolves?

One thing both sides are super guilty of is infantilisation of Lavellan, especially f!Lavellan as any other variation of Solavellan is so rare that I think Joly and I have the market cornered for nb!Solavellan.

On the fandom side you have people who play up the age to a concerning point. How they do so varies. Maybe they make it a student-mentor romance. Maybe they make Lavellan young and naive and use that as an explanation for why Solas is drawn to her. Maybe they have Solas call her “da’len” and you have to pray that they think it just means “darling.” They do what they can to make the relationship not read as equitable, even within its own limited lifespan.

On the hatedom/critical side you have people who kind of rob Lavellan of her own agency. The Inquisitor is canoncially an adult, Weekes stated once they were written to be anywhere from mid-20s to mid-40s, although people obviously go younger (and older, though less often). So in-game the Inquisitor is an adult and fully capable of choosing to enter into a relationship with someone. Multiple times, mind you, as Solas repeatedly states he isn’t sure if this is a good idea.

What makes or breaks Solavellan is portrayal. The Solavellan relationship– heck, the Solas-Inquisitor friendship– is one that, in-game, begins with shades of mentor but quickly evolves into mutual respect. Solas can drop the “da’len” line a grand total of once, only after Lavellan starts the exchange with calling him the equivalent “hahren,” but after that he switches pretty quick to “lethallin/lan,” a word used almost exclusively between close friends and equals. Just for an example, you don’t hear Marethari call Merrill “lethallan” all that often (if ever, she uses “da’len” exclusively), but you do hear Merrill call f!Hawke “lethallan.” If written correctly the Solavellan relationship will have him learning as much from Lavellan, something Solas himself acknowledges. Obviously people can write what they want, but it just kinda bothers me when I see people infantilising a grown woman b/c they find teacher-student dynamics sexy, or when people Gaider compare the Solavellan relationship to one between a condescending relationship between a professor and a student when most of the romance scenes are just Solas talking about how great you are and about how wrong he was. I could never argue it’s a perfectly equitable relationship, Lavellan is in a position where she could have Solas caged and Solas is hiding who he is, but like– that’s why he breaks up with you.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that the Solavellan relationship is fraught with things I think the games handle relatively well for as underwritten as it is, but fandom can be kind of iffy. When writing Solavellan with Joly, especially a Solavellan that stays together, communication and maintaining trust is a big theme in Solas and Ian’s story. It’s not an easy relationship in the sense that as things grew more serious both of them have had to make adjustments to make their places in one another’s lives healthy. If you’re writing it as a fan, it’s important you take care to think about the tangles in the set-up because if you don’t what works about the story falls apart. In some ways I really can’t blame some people for seeing Solavellan in a negative light, as oftentimes the fans take aspects of the relationship that aren’t there in-game and make it a thing that then gets conflated with canon.

Also, there’s no such thing as an alpha wolf, please stop invoking nonsense wolf terms just call him a dom if you insist on making Solas top.

[nana1000night]

I am sorry I didn’t mean to upset, you, and infact I did tell her to stop doing but she didn’t even acknowledge her mistake, I followed her and I follow you for quite a long time so I though it would be okay to send you an ask so you she can see this.

I didn’t necessarily mean for you to talk to her about anything, or give you trouble. But she’s an incredibly disrespectful woman, she literally infantilises Sebastian and makes that grown man into a shy child, she’s disgusting.

Again I apologise to have you cause you discomfort it was not my intention. regardless, I have taken your advise and blocked her.

I am sorry for you to lose a friend in this site because you have huge and conflict viewpoints.

Still, it's a weird way to send another person so she could see this. I mean, do you really think or expect that she could suddenly feel she made mistakes or sth after saw this ask you send to me?

I am not have so powerful effect to her and you either. So yeah it's really confused me and I accept your apologize because I feel my mind in blown up now.

Again, wish you have a happy life and I am sorry you struggled for such long time so that you choose to send this to me.

I won't try to changed anyone because if they could change, they changed. So yeah I'm sorry.

[spotlight-on-a-lake]

hoo boy where to start with this???

no YNTCD didn't come out 6 years ago but Welcome To New York came out 5 years ago and "you can want who you want / boys and boys and girls and girls" IS an important statement. and she isn't playing safe or jumping on a bandwagon when EVERYTHING she's done promoting the song has been a call to action with her petition. "culture has caught up" I have to laugh. except not because I want to scream and cry when a wlw couple were beaten up by straight teenage boys because they refused to kiss in front of them.

he "knows what she needs to do"???? sorry??? didn't know she asked for career advice or was struggling commercially or critically??? I guess I struggle to hear that over the fact Lover accounted for 27% of US album sales in it's debut week and outsold the other 199 Billboard 200 albums PUT TOGETHER. but sure. she needs to follow someone else's ideas. And she needs to do Blue? I mean...Red is pretty much her Blue so do your fucking research pal. and the fact he thinks he's a genius for suggesting an acoustic album...like people haven't been clamouring for one since like 2012. and it's the MOST OBVIOUS THING to ask from a singer-songwriter, you're really not that smart, my dude. "she wouldn't do that because it would age her" WHY AREN'T WOMEN ALLOWED TO AGE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THIS??? for one it wouldn't age her? every record she's ever put out has at least one intimate acoustic song I am begging you to do some damn basic research before you open your mouth. but if it did "age her" why is that a bad thing? what is the problem with the linear progression of time? keep your ageist misogyny to yourself thanks. "incredibly beautiful physically" oh sorry I thought you said you were going to talk about the music? also that's phrased in such an uncomfortable way. you don't have to specify physically? it gives it such a creepy undertone. "she's got this thing of being very young" ...uh...that's entirely your perception; she very much seems like a grown ass 29 year old woman to me, stop infantilising her. "she's going to sit on that idea" oh is she? you know this, do you? you think she's afraid of aging? go read her 30 lessons before 30 article, for fuck's sake. if she's not doing something it's because she doesn't. want. to. and I just...she's been working in the industry for 15 years and is heavily involved in production, I really don't think she needs you or anyone to set up the mics for her. I am certain she could produce an acoustic record entirely by herself if she wanted to; she just likes the process or collaboration. and "little acoustic record" is so fucking belittling, like it wouldn't be an absolute fucking smash.

tl;dr the absolute fucking nerve of this man; get her name out of your mouth and do some damn self reflection

“I think you kinda see it little bit with Taylor… I’d never slag Taylor off, I think Taylor is amazing - and Taylor I wanna produce your next album, I’ve always wanted to do that. But the thing is they’ll wait until something’s been workshop/woke enough to feel like you’re making a statement when you’re not, you know? Like, that Taylor Swift song about supporting gay people didn’t come out six years ago. It didn’t. It came out when we all kinda knew that, or not that we knew that - there’s a long way to go for LGBT people in this world, but culture has caught up […] so when you’re at that point you know that you’re kind of not making a statement. [About potentially working with Taylor] You know what, I’ll talk quickly about Taylor Swift, just about music cause it’s quite interesting. Zane Lowe is such a good friend of mine now, I thought I just nailed it with an idea cause I was talking to him about records and said, ‘Dude, I’m a genius! You know what I’m gonna try and do? I want Taylor Swift - she needs to do like…’ and then before I said it he was like, 'Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen’ and I was like, 'No, I was gonna say Blue by Joni Mitchell. Why did you say Nebraska? Cause that’s exactly the same kinda thing.’ And he was like, 'Well of course man.’ Like, Taylor Swift doing a “it’s me on an acoustic guitar” record - I can’t think of a record that would sell more than that. Like Taylor Swift’s intimate return to country. So of course you wanna produce that! But she wouldn’t do that because it would age her - she’s incredibly ageless and incredibly beautiful physically and she’s got this thing of being very young - but as soon as you do that as an artist like that it means you’re like a woman, you know what I mean? So she’s gonna sit on that idea, but Taylor if you ever want someone to help you set up the mics for your little acoustic record just, you know, I’m there.”

— Matty Healy about why stars like Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Ed Sheeran are not making any statements and about potentially working with Taylor in future - The Green Room podcast (September 23rd 2019)

[sunlitroom]

Gotham s3e16 - These Dark and Delicate Obsessions

As I watched it, and some random observations here and there.

Previously on Gotham.

It's Uncle Frank, who abandoned poor young grieving Jim.  The Court is secret! Jim watched his father die.  One cannot deny love. Bang.  Ed. Does. Not. Love. Oswald.  Splash   Look who’s alive!  Oswald’s got a murder to-do list.  Bruce is in the arctic.  Falcone has always done what the Court asked.  The Court will purge the city.  Chaos, Cleansing. Destruction.  Dogs and cats, living together – mass hysteria.

As always, long post will be long - reaaally long.  There are likely to be rambling digressions. Gobblepot may appear (although I welcome all shippers and non-shippers alike :)).  There will be naked favouritism and naked not-favouritism.  Broader comments at the end on plotlines and parallels and general direction.

The Court is meeting in their silly frilly masks. The have a weapon to cleanse the city, but they need a unanimous vote to progress.  They all place feathers on the table in front of them, except Frank, who pauses. Kathryn notices and glances at him, and Frank reluctantly follows suit.  Judgment has been passed. Gotham must fall.

Bruce awakens in his cell. The door opens.  There’s a man framed in the doorway.  Bruce wants to speak with whoever's in charge.  That makes it sound like he’s complaining about a hotel room. The man says that would be me. Bruce asks if the Court is behind this. The man tells him the Court is a tool, nothing more.  Bruce tells him that they won't get away with this – but then realises that the clone will cover his absence.  He protests, though – and tells them that Alfred will figure it out.  The man agrees, but says that, by that that time, they should have accomplished their goals.

Bruce asks what the goals are.  The man says that they need his help, and tells him to eat, since he’ll need his strength.  Maybe keep him in a warm room with an actual bed, then?  He tells him they’ll begin soon, and leaves.

At GCPD, we see Aubrey James on a TV screen.  He’s apparently back in charge.  Jim and Harvey chat.  Jim says the trip to the cabin was ‘fine’  - which is hilarious, since in about two minutes he’ll spill his guts about the actual trauma-fest that it was.  Jim has a very low bar for ‘fine’.

Jim asks about ’Nygma’. Somewhere, Ed grits his teeth and leans down heavier on an iron-on transfer of a question mark.  Harvey says that they’ve not heard from him – he’s simply disappeared.  How you lose the model in the bright green suit and bowler hat is beyond me.

Harvey asks what Jim is looking at.  Jim tells him it’s the record of the drunk driver who killed his father, and spills about the cabin.  Apparently this guy was stabbed in prison early in his sentence.  Jim looked at his medical record too – and found chronic persistent hepatitis.  He’s going to ask Lee what that is when she gets in.  Harvey- though – cuts in, telling him that it’s a non-progressive form of liver inflammation that would prevent you from drinking.  Either this guy can’t have had that – or he wasn’t drunk at the wheel.  Jim says the report must have been faked, and leaves to investigate.

(An aside – I know Gotham moved away from all things procedural, but it’s nice to see them being detectives for once.)

A glasshouse.  Ivy has Oswald in a wheelchair, wrapped in a blanket. She's excited, he's grumpy.  You know when little girls try to wrap cats in blankets and carry them about like dolls?  It looks like that.

Ivy tells Oswald that the fresh air will do him good.  She’s actually being very sweet with him.  Oswald is snarly and short-tempered.  He shakes her off, telling her that he is fine – and a grown man.

(An aside - Which is not only a reminder that Ivy isn’t a grown woman, but striking because Oswald is often presented to us as childish – sulky, spiteful, infantilised by both parents and, recently, very dependent.  Maybe this is a statement of some development for him?)

Ivy giggles, and boops his nose.  And hungry!

Oswald looks round.  What's with you and all the plants?

Ivy tells him the plants are her friends – better friends than people.  Oswald pulls a face.  Some even helped save his life, she continues.

She hands him a glass, which he hurls to the ground.  Ivy is irate.

What is wrong with you?

Oswald needs to build an army to get revenge.  Ivy tells him that no-one is stopping him.  She could help!  Poor Ivy is so happy to just have a friend.  Oswald sighs impatiently, and offering a tight, insincere smile, tells her to deliver a message to Gabe – a moron, but a loyal moron.  And an army only needs one loyal soldier.  He’s just about got that right now with Ivy – but Oswald’s judgment has been hideously off of late – and he can’t quite see it.

Ivy waits.  Oswald looks impatient.  She’s waiting for a please.  Irritated, but with no other options – he acquiesces.  Be nice, Oswald.  You’ll notice Ivy’s nursing you back to health is genuinely unselfish and caring, taking none of your agency away, and not seeking to mess with your head. Something of a novelty for you.

Jim looks at his father’s grave.  It looks very cold -  a lot of the light in this episode is cold and blue.  Uncle Frank approaches.  Jim says his father’s death made to look like an accident – what does Frank want from him? Frank tells Jim about the Court’s weapon to destroy the city.  Jim asks why they would destroy it?  Franks replies that it’s not the whole Court - just high-ranking fanatics.  The Court has done it twice before. It’s no bluff.

Jim asks how to stop it – Frank has no idea, and doesn’t even doesn't know what weapon is.  The Court knows that Frank reached out to Jim, though. As Frank walks away, Jim tells him to be careful

Lee is at Mario's grave. She looks sick and tired.  Jim stares over at her, then approaches. It’s a bit tactless, which he must realise, since he opens with an apology for intruding.  Lee asks who Jim was with – and Jim tells her it was Uncle Frank.  Lee thought they were estranged, but seems pleased – at least, hypothetically pleased, that they’ve reconnected – she betrays very little emotion.

She talks a little. She’s been coming here a lot.  She saw a little old man, all dressed-up, smiling at his wife's grave.  Lee couldn't understand what there was to smile about, but then it occurred to her. They shared a whole life together. Jim apologises again.  Lee looks at him disbelievingly.

How'd you do that - just move on, leaving so much destruction in your wake?

Jim doesn’t protest – that he wrecks everything he touches is – as we know – one of his deepest fears about himself.  He’s not going to argue.  Lee sighs tiredly, and as she walks away, says that she wishes she could do that.

(An aside – given what we know, this maybe seems likely to be Lee’s characteristic when infected with the Tetch virus – wreaking destruction.  It would explain the wrecked GCPD we saw)

Jim’s phone rings.  Harvey says his father’s killer was a ‘career scumbag’….and Falcone paid for the fancy lawyer to get him a plea.

Ivy’s glasshouse, where a gleeful Gabe hugs Oswald tightly.

Everyone thinks you’re dead, Barbara’s running things. Interesting that Butch and Tabitha are not mentioned as equals.

Oswald is impatient – he wants Gabe to build him an army.  Gabe agrees immediately – the guys will come running.  He wanders away little and starts talking enthusiastically on his phone.

Ivy looks dubious.  There’s something off about him.  She doesn’t trust him.

Oswald is dismissive.   Gabe is essentially a human Labrador. Ivy tries to tell him about her perfume. One whiff - and any man gives her anything she asks.  She’ll find out if he’s telling the truth.

Oswald rolls his eyes, not fully understanding what Ivy means by this.  He tells her it’s time that they part ways – he has an army to build, a war to plan, and they really don't know each other that well.

Ivy doesn’t get it. Oswald meanly tells her to ask her plants.  Ivy is genuinely hurt.

You don't trust me – I saved your life.  I thought we were friends

Oswald laughs at her

Friends?

Ivy looks even more hurt.

Oswald blinks.

Oh - you're being serious…

but continues to behave like an ass.

Look – don’t take this wrong way – but you are a bit of a freak.

Ivy storms out, teary-eyed and swinging her arms like the upset and angry little girl she is.

Gabe, meantime, has approached.

Did she tell you not to trust me?

Oswald laughs.  Yeah. His face gets serious though, as he wheels and asks why Gabe asks.  Gabe belts him in the face and smiles.

Smart girl

Back in Bruce's cell of Mortal Kombat training-esque tedium, he hears a sound.  The door opens.  There’s a lot of running down corridors to come back to the same point.  I’m not recapping the whole thing.  It would be more entertaining with Benny Hill music over it.  The mysterious man is in his cell again.  It’s time to begin.  Bruce says the temple is a maze.  The man says everything is a maze, they need to find a space within it.  Bruce says he’ll figure it out.  The man asks how long he’s been blindly wandering round a maze looking for directions.  Bruce tells him,

Speak in cryptic riddles all you want.  I’m not scared of you.

Somewhere, Ed just cried a little.

Jim is at Falcone’s house. Falcone blusters threateningly for a bit about how Jim took his son. (An aside – have all these people forgotten that Jim had literally no option open to him: Mario was infected, and about to kill Lee).

Jim shuts him up.

I took your son - you took my father.  I’d say we were even.

Jim also tells him he knows about the lawyer he paid for.

Still think we have nothing to talk about?

Falcone dismisses his henchmen.

You’ve got a question for me son - go ahead and ask.  

He admits he killed Jim’s father, adding

I respected your father, much more than the son he left behind.

Jim says was a hit though, ordered by the Court of Owls.  Falcone asks what he knows.  Jim says his uncle is a member.  Falcone says he isn’t a member– but they have a mutually beneficial relationship.  Jim baldly comments that he does their bidding.  Falcone doesn’t like that.  Jim wants to know who ordered the hit, and Falcone delivers the information with obvious relish  

Frank Gordon - your uncle

Frank is at home with a bottle of whiskey.  As he enters the living room, Jim appears, and puts a gun to his head.  Jim questions him as Frank pours them drinks. Frank confirms that he ordered the hit, and also tells Jim that Falcone contacted the Court as soon as Jim left – they’re suspicious now.

Jim asks why Frank ordered the hit.  Frank says his father wanted to expose the Court.  Jim cuts in, incredulous,

You had him killed – your own brother.  He points the gun again.

Frank shrugs.

Go on - shoot me, you’d be doing me a favour.

He tells Jim he needs to do what his father wanted, bring down the Court.

Jim eyes him for a moment, and then disagrees.

My father would want justice to be done, so do I

Jim starts to arrest him. Frank is frustrated, Jim’s not been listening

Arrest me and it’s over

He headbutts Jim, hits him with the bottle, and breaks free, telling him that the weapon is arriving at dock 9c – Jim needs to find out what it is.  He tells Jim he needs to make a choice, and leaves.

Ivy's greenhouse.  Oswald sits, tied to the wheelchair, regarding Gabe

I didn't think you had it in you

I know - you never did

Boo-hoo – that’s what about - no gold star for being best thug? If you’re going to kill me, get on with it already.

Gabe’s not planning that though -

We aint's gonna kill you – we’re gonna auction you off to the highest bidder.

Oswald looks panicked. We?

4 other thugs arrive

Ivy watches from behind a tree

Should have just listened to me, but noooooo - nobody listens to Ivy

We hear a sound, and a thug has approached Ivy, putting a gun to her head.  She straightens up and sighs.

GCPD – where a bruised Jim holds ice to his face.

Harvey is taken aback at Jim story.  Jim apologises for involving him, but he doesn’t know who to trust.  (My shippy head tells me that Oswald would have been a go-to for this – it being in that lovely, dangerous grey area where Jim likes to associate with Oswald)

Harvey tells him that he would work the lead, but acknowledges that Jim might want to go after his uncle and – if so – Harvey has his back.  Jim says that it’s important GCPD can’t be involved, or the Court will know. Harvey asks who they know who could help – and then looks unhappy when he guesses the answer.  Jim’s other complicated criminal relationship.

Barbara is holding court as Nazareth’s version of Love Hurts plays in the background.  The magnificent Mad Men fashion analysis of every episode talked about metallic fabrics as being and ostentatious representative of wealth and power.  Barbara’s ensemble is almost entirely gold –money is a marker of success in crime, and Barbara is flaunting her success.  Metals are also cold and hard – which is also representative of Barbara right now.

A man is kneeling before her – but he’s not brought enough money, and Barbara swipes him with a stiletto.

Her phone rings, she answers smugly

Barbara Queen

She grins widely when she realises it’s Jim.

What an unpleasant surprise.  Do I feel a favour coming on?

Much like Oswald – no matter whether it really benefits her, or if she’s still pissed at Jim for their last meeting, she’ll still do what he asks.

Bruce’s cell.  The man tells Bruce he’s been waiting for him for a long time. Bruce just wants to go home.  The man says that they share a destination.  He unrolls what Bruce observes looks like acupuncture needles. They have a freaky mystical glowing symbol on the end.  He tells Bruce they’re keys to unlocking the mind.  When he presses the needle to a vaguely hypnotised Bruce’s head…..

Bruce is in an alley in the city.  The man points out that he wanted to return to Gotham – so here they are.

It dawns on Bruce that he’s back at the scene of his parents' deaths.  He turns slowly, tears in his eyes.

Dad?  Mom?

And is forced to witness their death again.  He comes out of the hallucination/trip/whatever, and scrambles away from the man.

What was that place?

The mean tells him it was memory.  He can experience them as though living them for the first time.  One is always inside one’s own mind - pretending we’re separate is the falsehood.

Bruce asks why he would take him back there.  The man tells him,

You never left there

He says that Bruce will have to leave in order to accept their teaching.  Bruce backs away.

(An aside – if you watched Deep Space Nine – this is essentially Sisko’s first experience with the Prophets, where they keep making him return to the scene of his wife’s death. When he finally loses it – and asks why they keep taking him there, they respond – blandly – it’s not them, it’s him. You exists here.)

A warehouse where Barbara and Tabitha are torturing a man for information, while Barbara brightly comments that torture is fun.  He tells them that Barbara and Tabitha don’t know what ‘they’re’ capable of.  Even Falcone never pried into their business.  Barbara doesn’t like that, and reminds him that she’s running things now, ramming some sort of spike into his chest to underline her point.  

He caves – something came in the crate over in the corner.  We see an Indian Hill stamp on it.  Barbara says that he must have a phone number to let them know when it arrived – and she wants an introduction.  Tabitha seems like she’s amused/impressed by her.

There’s a sound – and a court assassin runs in and wipes the floor with everyone.  Barbara and Tabitha flee – not sure why he doesn’t go after them, they’re going nowhere fast in those heels.  He decapitates the tortured man.

Ivy's greenhouse. Oswald winces at a flash of light – photographs are being taken of him to prove he’s alive.

A bound Ivy sitting beside Oswald shakes her head.  The gangsters fetch cannoli from their car for a snack break.

Ivy comments that Oswald got himself into quite the pickle.  Oswald points out that she’s tied up too.

Our fates are intertwined

Ivy is dismissive. She’ll be fine.  Oswald asks what her plan is.   She lets him dangle for a moment longer, because he was so unpleasant. He asks angrily if she wants him to beg. Ivy loses her temper.

No - I want you to be nice to me!

Nice to you?

Yes – it’s not so much to ask

Oswald swallows his impatience.  He agrees it’s not much to ask, and promises to be nice.

Ivy tells him to watch and learn.  She effortlessly manipulates and hypnotises one of the thugs.  When he confirms that he’ll do anything she asks – she tells him to kill them all.  Oswald stops her at the last minute.  He tells her to ask him to stop, hand him the gun, and untie them.  Ivy’s having great fun, and yells all of these excitedly. Oswald winces.

You don't have to yell

Sorry - I just got so caught up in the moment

Ivy grins as Oswald shoots a thug, and watches, beaming, with hands on hips as Oswald tells Gabe he likes the idea of an auction – maybe he’ll auction parts of Gabe off to himself.

The Court of Owls is meeting to discuss what Falcone told them.  Frank stands in the middle of the circle, being questioned.  He tells Kathryn that Jim only knows what Falcone knows, and that nothing can lead back to the Court.  Kathryn wants to know why Jim is suddenly interested now.  Frank says he doesn’t know – but it’s the last thing he wanted.  Jim won’t stop until one of them is dead.  Kathryn thinks this is unfortunate – Jim would have been a powerful ally, but Frank knows what he has to do now: Jim Gordon must be killed.

Harvey and Jim on the phone. She’s passed on the information about 9c.  Frank must either have been kept in the dark by the Court about the weapon’s arrival, or have lied deliberately.  He also says that the crate had an Indian Hill stamp on it – ‘the freak factory’.

Jim’s phone rings again.  It’s Frank.  He tells Jim to come quickly – that they need to talk.

Back at Ivy's greenhouse, where Oswald is confronting Gabe.

I trusted you Gabe - and how did you repay that loyalty?  Betrayal

Gabe protests.

I was there when your mother was killed, when no one else was - and how did you pay me back? Passing me over

Oswald pauses.  

Valid point.  Maybe we must remember that loyalty must be extended before it can be returned.  You were loyal to me once - I wonder if you could be again.

Gabe kneels dramatically and swears on his mother’s soul

Oswald asks Ivy to check that Gabe’s oath of loyalty is noble and true.  Ivy is baffled.

If what is what now?

Oswald rolls his eyes and asks her to make him smell the perfume.  He does – and when under the influence – will not swear to be loyal and true.

I don’t understand - why can’t he be loyal? (An aside – Oswald’s rather plaintive question echoes Ivy’s earlier – you don’t trust me?)

Gabe expands.  He never was loyal.  He only followed him out of fear, like everyone else.  There a tiny flicker of something from Oswald, but he shrugs it off.  Fear and respect.  He can live with that.  Management 101.

Gabe goes on.  

No one ever respected you.  We all saw you for what you really are - a tiny freak who used to hold an umbrella.  Nothing more

This word ‘freak’ releases something in Oswald.  He repeats it a few times, rage building, before he picks up a fork thing and stabs Gabe to death with it – yelling freak all the while.  Ivy watches – wide-eyed but entertained, and blood sprays all over the glass.

Frank’s apartment. Jim enters.  Frank – holding a gun and a glass – thanks him for coming.  Jim tells him the weapon came from Indian Hill, but Frank has no ideas – the court no longer trusts him.  Jim asked why he called him.  Franks tells him that he’s supposed to kill him. Jim asks where that leaves them. Franks says it’s up to him.  He needs a replacement, and someone else to find out what that weapon is and how to destroy it.  He needs someone to join Court – they still want Jim, but just don’t see how it’s possible.  

Frank does, though.  He tells Jim that a woman named Kathryn will call to ask if he’s dead.  When she does, Jim should pick up, and say that he blames him – that he gave the order and deserves what he got.  He smiles – and we start to see panic on Jim’s face.

You’ve got your father’s strength.  He would have been so proud of you.  

Jim yells - horrified.

No!

After his usual gruff yell – though – there’s a small, pained intake of breath, that sounds like it comes from someone younger, and softer, and more vulnerable.

Bruce waits in his cell. He tries to attack shadowy man, but is easily subdued.  He begins the memory procedure again – and Bruce’s response is reminiscent of Oswald at Arkham.

Please, I'm sorry - just please don't make me go back there!

He’s forced again to watch his parents die.  He attacks the shadowy man after it.  When he comes back to the room – he’s stunned to find that he’s bleeding from the fight in the hallucination.  If the emotion is strong enough, the consequences follow you back to the real world.

Emotional pain blocks Bruce from who he needs him to become, who Gotham needs you to become. Over centuries they’ve tried to stop the plague of crime and violence – but it recurs because people are afraid, and fear breeds hopelessness.  Bruce is sceptical that he cares.  The man claims he does.  Gotham needs something only Bruce can provide – a protector.  Bruce protests.

I can't protect Gotham, not by myself – no one can

If you were to become a symbol against fear, Gotham can be reborn

Ivy’s greenhouse, where Oswald - both sleeves up – is digging Gabe’s grave. Ivy watches – serious-faced.  Oswald sighs.

Ok.  I admit it - might have lost my temper a bit.

Ivy doesn’t mind.

It's ok

Oswald continues. I don't know why I let him get to me - sticks and stones - right?

Ivy considers this, arms crossed

Words always hurt me way more than sticks or stones

Oswald turns, his body language open and honest.

Yeah.   Me too.

It’s a moment of connection between two outsider characters who are often shunned by others, but have a caring and protective side, and want friendship, want family. 

Ivy is curious

Does that mean you’re giving up your plans for revenge?

Oswald is deflated.  He can’t take Nygma and Barbara and the rest on by himself.

Ivy grins.

Who said anything about yourself?  Selina told me some pretty crazy stories about Indian Hill. You wanted an army?  What about an army of freaks?

Ivy’s delighted by her own idea – little-girl glee at turning Gabe’s insult back on him.  Oswald now seems curious, and pleased by the idea.

What kind of freaks?

A grim-faced Jim leaves the family photograph at dad's grave.  

His phone rings.  When he answers, Kathryn comments that she’s not entirely surprised.  Jim brusquely tells her he killed his uncle, and makes no apologies.  When Kathryn tells him she understands, he says that it’s time they meet.  She agrees – and when Jim glances to the left, he sees a black limousine waiting for him.  He walks towards it, the interior deliberately shot to look dark and confining.

How long have you been blindly wandering around in a maze, looking for direction?

I’ve often said that although other characters have become more prominent over time – the three main characters we come in with are Jim, Bruce and Oswald.   They now find themselves on unfamiliar ground, forced to take new paths that they would not otherwise have chosen.  

In many ways, they've been wandering for a while - even before they were forcibly thrown into new situations.  Jim might be back at GCPD, but his life is a mess of unresolved issues and trauma. He's lost Barnes as a mentor, and his relationship with Lee seems destroyed.  The relationship with Vale ended as badly as it could.  He's soldiering on, but all is not exactly well. When he got home at the end of the episode before the hiatus, he headed straight for a whiskey bottle.  Bruce is still training for something - but there's a lack of direction and focus there.  His investigations into the Court seemed to be at an impasse, and he's been discontented for weeks after fighting with Selina.  Oswald's had nothing but trauma since Gertrud was kidnapped, and a crisis of self after Strange's interference, but more recently we've seen him struggling with a complete lack of confidence in himself - totally dependent and easily manipulated.

The journeys they begin now are driven by necessity – they did not ask to be placed in these situations - but offer the opportunity to shed aspects of their identities which have become restrictive:

Jim has the opportunity to put his father to rest by carrying out the mission that got him killed. This also affords him the chance, unconsciously, to shed the burden others place on him - the constant unfavourable comparison to his idealised dead father.   It's also possible that he'll discover some truths that allow him to take his father down from that pedestal anyway.  Oswald learned that the image he had sought to cultivate was a farce. People might have obeyed him, but they still thought he was a freak.  All that work, all that loss - and he's still the weird kid in the playground.  Ivy - on the other hand - never really tried to hide her oddness, even when she frightened people, although we did learn that - like Oswald - Ivy has been hurt by being excluded and mocked, and it’s still a sore spot for her.  The kinship she offers, through her own honest friendship, and the idea of a freak army, is something new for Oswald.  Bruce is given the chance to protect the city, to save it - something he's instinctively wanted to do, but never quite known how. But to do that, he'll have to move forward from the event that defines him, his parents' death.

Another parallel -  Bruce, Jim and Oswald are in the odd situation of having witnessed the death of a parent twice over.  Oswald watched Gertrud die, then Elijah, and was forced to watch Gertrud’s death over and over as part of Strange’s ‘therapy’.  Bruce saw his mother and father die – and now has to watch it repeatedly as part of his ‘training’.  Finding out the truth about his father’s death is like Jim losing him again – first by accident, now by intent.  He also watches Frank – his should-have-been father-figure die right in front of him, something that will doubtless play in his mind

Sundries

As @millicentcordelia points out, Barbara’s seemingly effortless takeover of the entire underworld – aided only by a woman with a whip and a man they all know as a repeated second fiddle - strains credulity.  Actions need consequences, and plans must have risks in order to have dramatic tension­.  We’ll hopefully see more of that in the form of internal division in their team.  Also – Barbara is due for a fall.  Answering the phone ‘Barbara Queen’ is like asking the universe to knock you on your ass.

Harvey continues to be an indefatigable ally.

Lee seems tired and empty.

Week 2 of no Victor.

Thoughts?

[micaramel]

On Tuesday, Jennifer Lawrence attended an event in London, UK, to promote her upcoming movie, "Red Sparrow."

She wore a Versace dress to a photo-call, which was held outdoors.

People online criticized Lawrence for wearing a dress while her male costars wore layers of clothing because it was cold. 

On Wednesday, the actor responded to people who criticized her outfit.

"This is not only utterly ridiculous, I am extremely offended. That Versace dress was fabulous, you think I'm going to cover that gorgeous dress up with a coat and a scarf?" she wrote in a Facebook post.

On Tuesday, people criticized Jennifer Lawrence for wearing a dress to an event that was held in the cold in London, UK. And on Wednesday, the actor clapped back to her critics on Facebook.

"Wow. I don't really know where to get started on this 'Jennifer Lawrence wearing a revealing dress in the cold' controversy. This is not only utterly ridiculous, I am extremely offended," her post began.

People were upset online because Lawrence wore the dress a photo-call for her upcoming movie, "Red Sparrow," while her male costars wore layers of clothing.

However, Lawrence felt people overreacted. 

"That Versace dress was fabulous, you think I'm going to cover that gorgeous dress up with a coat and a scarf? I was outside for 5 minutes," she continued. "I would have stood in the snow for that dress because I love fashion and that was my choice."

On Tuesday, pictures from the photo-call went viral, as Twitter users said they showed that there are still issues within the entertainment industry.

This is such a quietly depressing (and revealing) image. Not least because I've been outside today and it's bloody FREEZING. pic.twitter.com/BRnmgKJ5wY

— Helen Lewis (@helenlewis) February 20, 2018

True equality means either Jennifer Lawrence getting a coat, or Jeremy Irons having to pose for a photocall in assless chaps.

— Helen Lewis (@helenlewis) February 20, 2018

"This is such a quietly depressing (and revealing) image. Not least because I've been outside today and it's bloody FREEZING," Helen Lewis, the deputy editor of New Statesman, wrote. "True equality means either Jennifer Lawrence getting a coat, or Jeremy Irons having to pose for a photocall in ---less chaps."

So Jennifer Lawrence wearing a sleeveless dress in freezing cold is somehow industry’s fault 🤦🏻‍♀️ can ppl please stop infantilising grown women

— Doktor Caligari (@DrMCaligari) February 21, 2018

Just reinforces the film industry's requirement that women be sexy, even if impractical! The picture is really dumb! I'm surprised Jennifer Lawrence didn't object. #RedSparrowMovie⚡️ “Red Sparrow photos prove being a woman in Hollywood can be very cold”https://t.co/MwlLHGCcrt

— Lisa HP (@helwiger60) February 20, 2018

It must be about 3 degrees in London ATM, cold enough that the bloke actors have to wear coats and scarves to their press call and yet poor Jennifer Lawrence is wearing a small amount of fabric some might call a dress. pic.twitter.com/GoVfPscRWi

— Stephanie Peatling (@srpeatling) February 20, 2018

But other people thought it was absurd that her outfit was going viral.

...maybe she liked her dress and had no time for a coat...maybe she ran out for a quick photo...maybe she wasn't cold...maybe she's to hot for a coat...stop making everything an issue until Jennifer Lawrence says it's an issue. 🤦🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️👌🏽 pic.twitter.com/TFsQYMFVSx

— R-Shanette Jelan (@renitamanley) February 21, 2018

This is such a ridiculous "moment" I'm sure Jennifer Lawrence could have put on a coat if she was cold at this point in her career. For all we know she was outside for 90 seconds, and was probably paid a fortune just for wearing the dress.https://t.co/nyfQ73GsrV

— GEOTRILL🌐🔥 (@delmoi) February 21, 2018

And after reading the actor's response on Wednesday, her fans are applauding her.

jennifer lawrence has spoken, now y’all can shut the fuck up about her dress pic.twitter.com/Ofro78WuB6

— shrader (@jlawlaugh) February 21, 2018

Well said Jennifer Lawrence. This whole discussion yesterday was so patronising. JLaw is nobody’s puppet. And fuck the women hating Daily Mail. https://t.co/CXWmGgdR4s

— Vanessa Taylor (@nessietaylor) February 21, 2018

Lawrence's response on Facebook has started to pick up traction. At the time of publication (two hours after the actor's post), it has over 29,000 reactions and 1,900 comments — some of which are supportive.

"People are always running their mouth. Nothing brings a group of idiots around faster than something that's none of their business," one person commented. "That dress deserves to be shown off if you want to show it off Jennifer Lawrence — and you did — loud proud and beautifully," someone else added.

In her Facebook post, Lawrence said people online were fabricating the controversy.

"This is sexist, this is ridiculous, this is not feminism. Over- reacting [sic] about everything someone says or does, creating controversy over silly innocuous things such as what I choose to wear or not wear, is not moving us forward," Lawrence said. "It's creating silly distractions from real issues."

It's likely that we'll hear more about the "real issues" from Lawrence, as she plans to focus on activism in the next year.

In the meantime, you can read Lawrence's full Facebook post below:

"Wow. I don't really know where to get started on this 'Jennifer Lawrence wearing a revealing dress in the cold' controversy. This is not only utterly ridiculous, I am extremely offended. That Versace dress was fabulous, you think I'm going to cover that gorgeous dress up with a coat and a scarf? I was outside for 5 minutes. I would have stood in the snow for that dress because I love fashion and that was my choice.

This is sexist, this is ridiculous, this is not feminism. Over- reacting [sic] about everything someone says or does, creating controversy over silly innocuous things such as what I choose to wear or not wear, is not moving us forward. It's creating silly distractions from real issues. Get a grip people. Everything you see me wear is my choice. And if I want to be cold THATS [sic] MY CHOICE TOO!"

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SEE ALSO: Jennifer Lawrence explains why she's 'incredibly rude' to fans — and we completely understand

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