#norm power

[gastaticn]

norm power never thought imperfections could look so beautiful.

the power twins were raised to be physically “perfect”: flawless skin, athletic and lean build, healthy. they weren’t unhappy, but their life was lacking. after norm’s arm was “defiled” during that fateful match, he knew he needed to rub off the god awful tattoo. for the sake of the match. for the sake of his and his brother’s image. as he reaches the bathroom, norm finds himself entranced with the mark on his lightly freckled skin. before he couldn’t pull away from the thoughts filling his head: images of body modifications came to mind, ways he could ruin his “perfect” image, but in return finding his perfect image.

norm was the first, and the boldest, of the twins to get body mods

after committing himself to experimenting, he got his first tattoo: flowers on his bicep

although large, it is done in fine-line, making it easy to cover with makeup

the placement also meant he could just wear longer sleeves

stan followed suit, because he was curious

his first tattoo, and every one following that, was done on places easily hidden

stan wasn’t appalled by them, he just found it more fun to be a secret

norm prefers blackwork tattoos

stan enjoys the japanese tattoo style

both are fans of cybersigilism

[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."

[dirtytransmasc]

I find it deeply depressing that every adult in Spider's life had children, yet he was never anyone's priority. every adult he could and most likely attempted to match in to. the adults he remembered as the closest things he had to parents since birth (Jake and Norm, even if they weren't acting as his parents, because Spider, genuinely, would not know better). down to his actual foster family (the McCoskers). essentially went out of their way to de-prioritize him.

like I'm not faulting them for having kids, for having a family. but Spider was their first priority. he didn't need to be adopted by any of them, per say, but he was their responsibility. he was their orphan, Jake especially, considering he was the chief of his people, but Norm as well, seeing as he's a prominent figure head of the clan/Hellsgate.

the McCoskers took him in, but over the years, as they had their own children, he was more and more neglected. he was now no longer his actually appointed guardians priority. and that only gets worse and worse as he ages until they become outright abusive (Nash does anyway, cause thats what I'm gonna call violently kidnapping his, throwing him in a room and locking him there, and trying to kill all of them, him included, when they run away. as abuse. and I'll get back to the whole "you have to turn yourself in to the RDA" x2 speech from Jake in a second). they also didn't really accept his culture. with their resentment towards the Na'vi brewing, Spider most definitely faced some heat for being more of the forest than of humans, in terms of culture.

3 times over, Spider came first and was put last. put last by parents who know damn well how much love, time, care, and attention a child needs. who should be able to see when a kid is being neglected. who dialed to advocate and protect him from neglect (instead of calling him a stray).

he was a child and they were his advocates. all three parties failed in their duty as advocates, to protect Spider. to ensure he always had a loving home that made him their priority. that fulfilled all his needs, not just the physical ones. but all put their own families first, and abandoned Spider to the scraps of their love, time, and affection.

imagine being Spider, an orphan who can't even mention his birth parents and is always treated like he is the physical rebirth of his father's sins by half the people around him. every adult in your life has kids and seems like they're such a good parent. you watch their kids being loved and tended to and having a steady home. they receive love and affection constantly. but your fosters pay less and less attention to you as they have babies. and now your a stray to the man you look up to so much. and the man who probably taught you how to put an exopack on has less and less time for you. no one has time for you. you're no one's child. no one's priority. just a stray. a nuisance. and you don't truly belong anywhere.

no one was putting him first. children need to be someone's priority. psychology. they need it.

and then the RDA returns. the McCoskers leave, Spider is expected to leave everything he has ever known, to join the very people he hates and has been trying so hard since he could understand what it meant, to prove that he wasn't like them. Jake, the man he once looked up to, was telling him to leave. sending him away. stripping him of the little amount of family he could somewhatly claim, that being his siblings.

once again, Jake is his chief, should be looking out for him. not even as a father, per say, but as his duty to Spider as his chief. a chief should never be sending away his most vulnerable ward, a child he should consider his own (as all of his clans children should be one with his own children), to the opposing enemy force.

this happens again when they're running away, Jake tells him ever more directly to hide in the forest alone until the RDA stops shooting at everything that moves and then turn himself in so he can his own children could run. once again, putting him last, instead of protecting all of them.

then for a year, Spider has no family. no one. the McCoskers are gone and no one has stepped up to bat for him. he's 15/16 and alone. his the big sibling to the Sully's. those kids are all he has, but they aren't really looking out for him. he's looking out for them. cause he's the oldest. that's just how it is. he is one with the clan. lives with them. does chores. watches out for his siblings, the whole nine. but Jake isn't doing his duty of watching out for his ward. he is once again giving and giving and giving, and not receiving.

and then he is taken, he is taken, and while Jake may not have had the means to go back for Spider, or been able to take the risk of going back for him, he abandons him without a thought for his safety, and puts his children first. it's the language and attitude be poses towards the situation that is wild to me. he has every right to be worried about his children, but he could not spare Spider an ounce of concern, even knowing the danger he was in, and is more concerned about him spilling details then anything else. Spider is, once again, not his first, second, or even third priority. he is a means to an end. a necessary loss.

people only care about Spider when there's nothing else they can put before him.

[smallidarityfan]

humbling requesting gay panic joel propaganda long live smallidarity,, 💥💥💥💥

THANK YOU LIAU!!!!!! Waaayy overdue on this, unfortunately I'm still healing from art block 😭😭 ive been thinking about that prompt all this while tho...

vvv extra doodles vvv

[problemnyatic]

if you use "normal" or "legal" as shorthand for "acceptable" you are not progressive. That's just deferring to systems of power to dictate what you're okay with, and very notably those systems of power have been oppressing people for centuries. The familiar and comfortable is not necessarily good, it's just what you have the most experience being around. You need to examine your biases and the shit you've grown up being told is normal and good or you're doomed to perpetuate the oppressive systems that raised you. Yes even and perhaps especially if you're queer or otherwise a part of an oppressed group.

[cubbihue]

I get the feel Norm was out of the loop until recently. Thats what being stuck in a lamp does to a fella.

Final! With his stupid new master occupated with a tasty sandwich, Norm can start phase 1 of his plan. He spent years cooking up the perfect plan, now all he's gotta do is get H.P and Sanderson on board then-

- Wait why is Turner in Pixie HQ? Why is he a pixie? What do you MEAN he's the best pixie employee? He has a godBROTHER? THOSE TWO BOZOS KIDNAPPED TURNER??

HOW LONG WAS I IN THE LAMP???

Now he can't mess with Timmy so easily anymore. It and pisses him off.

I don't remember if Norm met Peri. I sent you that another ask. Had to break it up. Also love your art!

2/2

Norm may have been out of the loop, initially. But he picks up on the facts very quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly.

No Fairy have ever asked Timmy about his experiences when he was human. Nor did any Fairy ask him how it was like to become a Fairy. Norm's the first being in 200 years to do it and Timmy's.

Uncomfortable.

In one conversation, they learned more about each other than Timmy liked. With one response, Norm has learned more about Timmy's current state than Timmy realized he'd given. More so, Norm knows more about Timmy's fate than Timmy does himself.

Bitties Series: [Start] > [Previous] > [Next]

[dobodleaday]

11.03.24 “Happily Ever After” 💔

Chapter 3 of The Damsel has my whole heart!! It’s everything that I wanted!! 😭

[kate-apologist]

hey disney what the fuck do you mean ncuti's second season will also only have 8 episodes and a christmas special i'm holding a fucking gun to your head

[veggiebr0th]

buncha fallout show sticker designs! FINALLY finished all of these babies

[dykedvonte]

It’s almost directly stated in the game Curly did not know Jimmy as well as he thought he did but the very same thing can be said about Jimmy with Curly.

Almost every conversation they have is awkward and stilted. Jimmy says something that clearly upsets Curly or makes him more dejected and doesn’t care due to his own projections. Post-crash he is just more demeaning and uncaring and puts just as many words in Curly’s mouth as he takes out of his own. Hell, you can argue he would not have chosen to crash the ship the way he did if he knew Curly would’ve tried to stop him, but he didn’t know because he didn’t really know him. Just like Anya and Daisuke and Swansea and likely anyone else in his life, Jimmy knows and understands people through the lens of his own self-centered projections. He can not fathom motives outside of his own hence not even considering Anya killing herself or the very real idea Swansea was saving the pod for Daisuke.

He understands people through the positions he forces them into in his life and had his first glimpse of how Curly was outside of his influence or desires in a while on the Tulpar and between him and Anya cause it was the first time Curly wasn’t just trying to cater to him and he fucking hated it.

[gastaticn]

norm power got new ink

[silusvesuius]

my ♀Neloth 🤗 she is supposed to look like one of those 'crazy and wise old lady' magicians from children's media. she grew her hair out to the point of it looking like bramble, she's not taking that good care of it, so it probably has morrowind wildlife festering in it (that she carried over to solstheim). she has the attached permanent herbs && old person smell on her that are covered by intense fragrance oils. she grows her hair out because it makes her look younger, even though it is grey. she's really into flex culture and primo jewelry to show status and make her stand out from the poors. she has all of the good things in life and the only thing wrong is the untreated NPD and pms-ing. regular neloth only deals with the former

[distressed-bird]

it is important that Parkour Civilization 2 is about yaoi and trust instead of classism and systematic oppression because Parkour Civilization 1 can not only be an example of the pitfalls of a rigged meritocracy but also an example of a society that has forgone the need for community, and connection and the sequel thus allows for the rediscovery and reintroduction of community and connection that will lead to a restored-to-sustainability meritocracy

[chameleons-dish]

i feel like so many of the male elves having short hair in rings of power stems from the same place as the female dwarves NOT having beards: they’re scared to rock the boat with any casual representation of even the smallest bit of gender-nonconformity. idk if it is true but regardless i believe it is undermining the show.

[punkeropercyjackson]

'It's normal for men to-'Girl the patriarchy

[philosophybits]

Every power, from the mere fact that it is exercised, extends to the farthest possible limit the social relations on which it is based; thus military power multiplies wars, commercial capital multiplies exchanges. Now it sometimes happens, through a sort of providential accident, that this extension gives rise, by some mechanism or other, to new resources that make a new extension possible, and so on...

Simone Weil, "Reflections concerning the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression"