#Before anyone says I’m defending what he did toward Kristen I am not. It’s like a more fucked up falsettos situation to me

[cowchickenbeefpork]

Takes everything in me to not believe and spread the internalized homophobia Ed nygma hc but the fact his only three relationships with women had the first one be a attempt of being normal and being traditionally masculine, the second one be a repeating of that, and the third having having so many fucking similarities to his past close friendship with Oswald, a gay man in love with him is….. certainly a choice to say the least

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

Chapter 2 - (totally uninterested.)

The possibility of speaking more than five words to Ethan had my heart doing somersaults as I got off of the elevator in Harry’s building. I knew where he lived--Kristen’s classmate, Georgia (who we sometimes hung out with) lived on the fourth floor.

If I remember correctly, we ended up eating pizza here a few Fridays back at 2am when we were plastered and Kristen was not anxious about her grades.

I made my way down the hall to the fifth door as Harry’s text message from an hour earlier had instructed. I lifted my hand to knock, but it opened before I made contact--Harry stood with wide eyes and an expectant smile on his face.

“Hi,” I said, pulling my head back in surprise. I peered over his shoulder, causing him to laugh. “Is he here yet?”

“No, Nora, relax, come in.” He stepped aside and let me by, we were cramped in a small hallway that didn’t give me much of a view of the rest of the place. “They’ll probably be here in like 15 minutes. They sometimes get take away after practice.”

“Hmm,” I said, watching as he retreated back towards the living room. It was decently clean for an apartment of four guys.

Harry and Ryan had been friends since freshman year--at least, that was my understanding. He was the one that Harry talked about the most. Then there were Alex and Niall as well.

Ryan and Niall were both on the basketball team with Ethan. Harry was on the soccer team (he’d told me at work that he was good, but I decided out loud when he told me that I didn’t believe him.) Alex, their fourth and final roommate, didn’t play any sports. He was big into the music scene and spent most of his free time, as Harry as explained, in a dingy recording studio with his classmates.

“Hmm what?” He asked over his shoulder, not stopping to look back at me. He headed into the kitchen and reached into the fridge. He pulled out a beer and handed one to me before opening one for himself.  I followed him over towards the couch and sat beside him.

“Just hope he shows up,” I said simply, shrugging my shoulders. I took a sip of the beer and winced at the tase. I’d never admit it to Harry, but I was much more of a cider or wine type of girl.

“Right,” he laughed. I followed him into the living room and sat beside him on the couch. He reached for a bag of chex mix he’d apparently been snacking on before my arrival. “Whatever would we do if he didn’t?”

I rolled my eyes, pulling out my phone to check the time again. “They don’t pay me enough to sit next to you in that stupid library, so we’re definitely not gonna do it out here,” I motioned around his apartment.

The TV was on, commercials flashed over the screen as he pulled his eyes up to look at me--completely unenthused. “Nora, just appreciate the fact that I even let you come over, okay? Now you get to drool over him like he’s a caged animal and he’ll never even know.”

His tone was playful and chastising, but I pulled my feet up on the couch and moved around to get more comfortable. “How are you gonna introduce me?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows at him to bother him more than I already was. I took a few more sips of my drink--hoping the alcohol would calm my nerves.

He reached his hand in the bag and then popped another handful in his mouth and shrugged. “Doesn’t he know who you are?”

I thought on it for a second. I mean--he should. We had a class together during our sophomore year and he’d spoken to me three whole times in the Library. He at least had to know my face. “He knows that I work in the library, I think.”

Harry widened his eyes a little bit and let out a sigh, grabbing another handful of his snack. “Okay--I’ll just say you’re my friend, from the library, that we work together,” he shrugged a bit.

There was noise in the hallway--laughter and voices as the door opened, and I turned to look at Harry with big eyes and a grin on my face.

He rolled his eyes at me and reached his hand inside the bag once more. “Oh come off it,” he said, and he must have known his gibberish made no sense to me--an American--because he continued when I scrunched my nose in confusion. “Relax.”

Niall, Ryan, and Ethan all came in with their duffle bags on their shoulders, laughing at something one of them had said as they filed into the living room. They dropped their bags on the floor and I--as the ever-nervous idiot who could barely manage a conversation with someone she found attractive--kept my mouth shut decided I’d let Harry do most of the conversing.

“Hey guys,” Harry greeted. “This is Nora. We work at the library together.”

I watched as they each scanned my face. I’d met Ryan maybe twice--Niall was in my major, and Ethan, well, you know the story. I raised my beer at them in greeting and let them turn back to each other and whatever conversation they’d been having. Was that too friendly? Was raising a beer at a group of guys basically code for I’m also a dude, so don’t bother finding me attractive?

“Dude, y’shoulda seen the fucking half courter this one made tonight,” Niall pointed at Ryan, who was too busy downing a gatorade to respond. Ethan sat at the table in the corner, taking off his shoes and finding a sweatshirt in his bag.

“It wasn’t actually that good,” Ethan laughed, looking up to give Harry and I more details.

“It was pretty fucking awesome,” Ryan defended, setting the gatorade down on the counter. He was stood in the kitchen--but a cut out in the wall allowed a full view. “I’ve never seen you make one like that,” he shot back at Ethan.

“I’ve never tried cause I’m not trying to get hurt and benched for the fucking season,” he retorted with a laugh.

I didn’t know nearly enough about basketball to act like I did, so instead, I tried to change the subject.

“Have you started your project for Benham yet, Niall? You’re taking his class this semester, right?”

He let out a dramatic groan. “Oh, am I. He’s ridiculous--completely mental. I have to work with Kyle Porter, that wanker. He’ll probably fuck it all up and we’ll fail.”

Harry let out a laugh at how dramatic his friend was being, but I simply kept my eyes on Ethan as he came to join us on the couch. He reached for the bag of chex mix from Harry (who easily handed it over) and plopped himself down with a sigh.

I felt somewhat betrayed, honestly, not just because Ethan had sat next to Harry instead of me--but really because Harry had completely and utterly downplayed his friendship with Ethan. Here they were, all hanging out in Harry’s apartment, and Harry just handed him the chex mix as if they were long lost brothers in some sort of tribe of idiots.

Why had he completely downplayed it?

Ethan leaned forward and it took me a second to realize he was looking at me. “Nora, you said? You were in my History of the English Language class last year, right?”

I let out a laugh, which Harry made a face at because nothing Ethan had said was really funny, and nodded. “Yeah, with Adam Middleman, good times!”

Ethan nodded and sat back again, letting his eyes drift to the TV. Harry’s eyes were still on me--his face blank and somehow sending a message that I was a total idiot.

“Anyone hungry? Should we go to the dining hall or order something?” Ryan asked as he came back into the living room, his eyes scanning the room for answers.

“I’d do either,” Niall announced, tossing his bag into (what I assumed to be) his bedroom. “But I’m hungry, so let’s make up our minds, ladies.”

“Let’s just do the dining hall,” Ethan said with a shrug.

“Yeah,” I said quickly. “The dining hall is fine.”

Harry turned to look at me again--which was just getting to be obnoxious now. He’d give me these are you crazy? stares, but wouldn’t actually say anything. He stood from the couch as Ryan responded to Niall, saying something about the sandwich bar in Henderson Dining Hall. 

“Will you come with me, for a second? I want to show you something.”

I stared up at Harry, confused and annoyed that he was trying to get me away from Ethan. He widened his eyes at me to let me know he was serious, and I stood from the couch. I held in the exaggerated sigh I so badly wanted to unleash and followed Harry down a side hall and past a bathroom.

He went into a dark room (his bedroom, I was guessing), and shut the door behind me. “You need to chill out. You’re being obnoxious.”

I rolled my eyes, somewhat offended by his feedback. He clearly didn’t know what it was like to have the hots for Ethan Davis for two years and finally be able to talk with him in a casual environment. I was always seeing him at parties or in the library--now I finally had the chance to talk to him like a real person.

“I am not being obnoxious.”

“You’re being obnoxious,” Harry nodded sternly, his arms now crossed in front of his chest.

“You think everything I do is obnoxious,” I retorted, crossing my arms to mirror his.

“Everything you do is obnoxious.”

“Is that seriously all you wanted? Can I go back out there now?”

He let out a breath and tried to temper himself. “Nora, just--play it cool.”

“What do you mean?” I asked--almost desperate for him to give me legitimate feedback. If he was going to drag me into time out and just shit on me, I didn’t want his help. If he was going to actually give me insider advice on how to land Ethan Davis, I’d take it.

“Just, I dunno--play hard to get or something. Don’t act so available.”

I paused for a second, looking at him straight in the eyes. Maybe the adrenaline was clouding my comprehension, but I didn’t understand. “But,” I said, my eyes narrowed. “I am available.”

He rolled his eyes a little, which caused me to laugh in response. “Nora, that’s not hot. Being unavailable and totally and completely uninterested is hot.”

I frowned at him, totally and completely trying to not laugh at how stupid he sounded. “You’re incredibly moronic. Can I go now? I’m totally tagging along for dinner.”

He let out a deflated laugh. “You’re unbelievable. But I’d love to watch you continue to crash and burn tonight.”

I reached up to pinch Harry’s cheek. He swatted at my quickly, a deep frown causing a wrinkle in his forehead. “Cheer up,” I said. “You get to watch people fall in love tonight!”

**

My dinner with Harry and his friends was mostly uneventful. I did my best to interject at the right moments and say things that would catch Ethan’s attention, but most of my social interaction ended up being eye rolls back and forth across the table with Harry.

At least I got to sit and look at Ethan for a whole 45 minutes.

And now, I was hoping when Ethan left the library for the night, he’d decide to march right up to the information desk, tell Harry to suck it, and propose marriage right here, right now. I’d happily oblige.

“You’re doing that thing again,” Harry mumbled, his mouth half blocked by the hand he rested his chin on.

I looked over at him, clicking my phone shut in a quick realization that I still had a paper to write. “What thing?” I asked, my voice monotonous and disinterested.

“When you roll your wrist and make that cracking sound.”

I narrowed my eyes--was he serious? My silence made him look up at me and offer a quick smirk before he turned back to his computer.

“Sorry that I don’t live to please you,” I replied coolly. I lifted my feet from the desk and brought them back to the ground, internally bargaining with myself that better posture would lead to better focus.

Harry was quiet for a second. He typed away at his computer and I flipped through the book on my desk, hoping to find whatever inspiration I needed to bang out a quick 6 page paper.

“The other night was terrible,” he said, his eyes peering up sideways at me to see what type of response he’d get out of me.

“It wasn’t terrible,” I corrected him. “It was the first of many nights that I spend with Ethan. Every couple starts somewhere.”

He let out a snort, clearly disagreeing with my description. “And how do you think you’ll spend a bunch of time with him?”

I shrugged. “You really hate me that much that you won’t let me hang out with all of you?”

His face was serious, his lips in a straight line and he blinked twice before responding. “Yes.”

“Harry,” I rolled my eyes. “You’re a dickhead.”

He laughed at this, clearly un-offended by my insult and somewhat entertained by his own answer. His hair was up in a bun, he was clad in a black t-shirt and skinny jeans that seemed to make it hard to sit comfortably. He kept moving around and adjusting (what I could only imagine) was his incredibly small penis.

He didn’t respond, instead, he picked up his phone and opened snapchat--clicking through a selfie from some blonde-haired girl I didn’t recognize. Barf.

“I mean, I guess if you don’t want your little secret to get out,” I trailed off, hoping he’d put two and two together.

“My secret?” He asked, his eyes still on his phone as he snapped a picture of his computer in front of him and typed back some type of message to whatever stupid girl was falling for his sickening charm.

“Yeah,” I said casually. “You know, your” I raised my voice to be above our normal library shift volume. “Arrest record.”

He looked up at my quickly, not as bothered as I expected. “It’s not an arrest record,” he reminded me.

“Well, whatever it is, I’d hate for everyone to know about it.”

He lowered his brows at me, his lips still set in a firm line. “Are you trying to blackmail me, Hanson?”

I shrugged my shoulders and laughed a little. “I mean, you told me about it--it’s not like I had to go digging.”

“Keep quiet about it, yeah? I don’t need your big mouth ruining my chance as a politician.”

“Right cause the skinny jeans didn’t already do that for you,” I nodded seriously, a smirk fighting its way onto my face.

He let out a sigh. “Nora, Nora, Nora. You’re my least favorite person on the planet.”

I looked back to my computer and typed my name on top of the word document. “I can live with that.”

We both looked up when we could feel someone approaching the desk, and Ethan (who carried a water bottle in his hands) smiled at both of us.

“Hey, hi Nora,” he leaned forward on the desk. “Either of you know that someone’s totally drunk on the second floor?”

“What?” Harry asked, pushing his computer back on the desk to stand up. “Jesus Christ.”

“Thanks for telling us,” I said, following Harry’s lead. I followed Harry around the desk and into the main area of the first floor.

“I’ll see you both tomorrow night?”

Harry stopped in his tracks and I my head shot in his direction with raised brows. Tomorrow night? I had no idea what he was talking about--but you bet I was going to be there if Ethan Davis would be in attendance. “You sure will!” I answered for both of us.

With that, Ethan waved and bid us goodnight, heading out of the main doors as Harry and I made a beeline to the stairs.

“What was that about?” I whispered once we were inside the stairwell. Even at a lower volume, my voice echoed against the old walls.

Harry took the stairs two at a time, putting distance between us as he replied. “Just some people coming over, it’s not a big deal. You won’t know anyone.”

“I’ll know you and I’ll know Ethan,” I argued.

He rolled his eyes as he stopped in front of the door to the second floor. He placed his hand on the doorknob and paused. “Nora--fine. You can come. But keep your mouth shut about the whole thing with Luke Billups thing, okay?”

I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Deal.”

**

Not only had I weaseled my way into being invited to whatever type of party was happening at Harry’s on Friday night, but I also weaseled my way into getting a date. So when Kristen and I were stood in the living room, watching as Harry and Niall played pong with Alex and Ryan, I was hopeful that Ethan would be arriving soon.

There were a decent amount of people. A few kids from my major that were friends with Niall, a few guys from the basketball team, a number of girls who seemed to be interested in getting the attention of Harry and his roommates.

Pair that with the lowered lights, the music that was playing way too loud, and the alcohol in every cup, and I was feeling more comfortable by the minute. Even Kristen seemed to be enjoying herself. Georgia Lederman had showed up as well, so we stood in the corner of the room, sipping our drinks and laughing whenever one of the boys did something incredibly stupid.

“Have you seen him yet?” Kristen whispered to me when Georgia got distracted by a fellow classmate.

I shook my head, tilting the rest of my drink back into my mouth. “Nope,” I said defeatedly. “But he’ll be here, he’s the one who brought it up.”

“Anyone need a drink?” Harry’s voice sounded from behind us, I turned suddenly to find him leaning over me, a drunk smile on his face as he waited for our response.

“I’m all set, thanks though,” Kristen smiled up at him.

“I do,” I sighed, somewhat bitter about having to follow him into the kitchen, but also disappointed about the fact that Ethan was still nowhere to be found.

He turned on his heels and started weaving through the living room. I trailed behind, finishing the last of my drink in order to start a new one. Once we were in the kitchen and somewhat separated from the rest of the crowd, I lowered my voice.

“Where’s Ethan?”

Harry pulled a face as he bent into the fridge to grab a beer for himself and a bottle of vodka. “How would I know? He’s not actually my friend.”

“Well you’d have a better idea than I would,” I told him.

He rolled his eyes, taking my cup out of my hands and setting it on the counter. I hoisted myself up, happy to sit on the section of counter that connected into the living room--my back to the crowd--watching as he twisted off the top of the bottle and poured a shot’s worth into my cup. “M’sure he’ll show up eventually. Lemonade or cranberry?”

“Lemonade.”

He poured some in and stirred with a knife. He took a sip first and then handed it over to me. I hopped down and took it, but both of us turned to the door when it opened and revealed more people in the hallway.

Low and behold, Ethan Davis stood behind two other members of the basketball team, a smile on his face as Alex greeted them at the door.

“It’s about time,” I said under my breath, only loud enough for Harry to hear--who only let out a short laugh.

Ethan squeezed his way through the people in the hallway, joining us in the kitchen as he offered hellos. “How’s everybody doin’?”

“Great, hi, how’re you?” I asked, offering a side hug as he leaned into me. Harry made a face but turned around to grab a beer from the fridge, offering it to Ethan without a greeting.

“Good, happy to be here, how are you two? Glad to not be at the library?”

“Totally,” I laughed, sipping at my drink to make myself feel less awkward.

“Actually get to just hang out tonight, right? Must be hard to work with your significant other,” he laughed.

“What?” I tilted my head sideways, sure that I had misheard him. Harry let out some sort of laugh but looked just as interested in Ethan’s next words.

“Aren’t you two, like--y’know--together?”

I pulled my head back and my eyes went wide--I probably couldn’t have made a more disgusted face if I tried. I looked up to Harry quickly, totally unsure of how we’d given Ethan that impression. Maybe it was the bickering. Maybe it was the time Harry pulled me into his bedroom last week in front of Ethan. Whatever it was, Ethan couldn’t have been more--

“Right,” Harry nodded, slinking an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side. “Yeah, we are, actually.”

“What?” I said again, looking up at him, eyebrows knit together in confusion and annoyance. He smiled down at me and widened his eyes, somehow conveying that he had a plan and that it was in my best interest to go along with it. I let out a sigh, hoping to God that he wasn’t about to screw me over. I twisted my mouth into a small smile. “I thought we weren’t telling anyone about it, babe?”

Harry laughed a little. “Yeah, well, it’s just Ethan. He’s a pal.”

Funny--that was a change of tune from what he’d said five seconds ago. 

Ethan let out a laugh and slapped Harry on the arm. “Happy for you two.”

I forced a grin in his direction--feeling suddenly stuck against Harry’s side and under his arm. Kristen, who was watching on in the corner with Georgia and Kate Levinsky, had the most confused look on her face. She wasn’t the only one.

Ethan got distracted suddenly, pulled into the living room by Ryan to play a round of pong, which gave me the perfect opportunity to pull Harry aside and smack him upside the head for a whole hour. “Excuse me, bedroom, now.”

Harry raised his eyebrows at this. “Didn’t know you’d be so willing,” he laughed, only causing me to roll my eyes at his stupid joke. I pulled him by the shirt into his room, shut the door behind us with a thud, and set my drink down on his bedside table to cross my arms.

“Okay, relax,” he said slowly, drawing out the phrase in a mess of slurred words and accent. “That’s the most interested in you he’s seemed. So, you’re welcome.”

“You’re welcome?!” I repeated his words in a high pitched voice, my anger getting the best of me.

“Nora, just chill, alright? It’s not real. Just let him think that for a week or something and then you can tell him we ended things and he’ll want to swoop in.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he’s Ethan Davis,” he shrugged. “He’s kind of that guy.”

I looked at him with wide eyes, expecting him to continue. He sighed again. “Y’know--he has a reputation for being kind of a rebound. He hooked up with Charlotte something in your major. Right after her and Andrew Best broke it off?”

“Just because he did it once doesn’t mean he’d do it again.”

“He did it with Allie Nguyen and Peter Norville too.”

“Okay, but, you don’t know that it means he’s actually like, into that.”

Harry rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed that I wasn’t more appreciative of his quick thinking.

“And besides, fake dating is stupid and it won’t work and it would require that we spend more time together outside of the library than we’ve already done this week. Don’t you hate me? Don’t you not want anything to do with me?”

He shrugged. “If it means you’ll keep your mouth shut about what I told you and cover my ass when I’m sometimes late for shifts and if it will get you closer to Ethan so you shut up about him, I’ll do it.”

I sat on his words for a second. He sipped at the beer in his hand and gave me an expectant look, as if he were impatiently waiting for my answer.

It felt stupid. It felt like it was bound to go wrong and things would get weird and complicated and then what if at some point things between me and Ethan actually did work out? What if we ended up married and I’d have to tell him that I lied about being with Harry to make him interested? I could already picture the emotional break up scene with Ethan in my head where he found out I lied and felt betrayed and I didn’t know if I wanted to go through that.

But maybe I was getting ahead of myself.

I let out a breath--and Harry seemed to tilt his head to prompt me to answer him.

“Fine, okay. Fine.”

[thatawkwardnerdytomboy]

Why I Think “The Charging Bull,” “Fearless Girl” and “The Pissing Pug” are Warranted but Problematic

Anyone who has ever been to NYC and has taken a stroll through Wall Street has probably seen a large statue of a bronze bull in Bowling Green. This statue goes by “Charging Bull” the “Wall Street Bull” and other names. It was created by the Italian-born sculptor, Arturo Di Modica. The sculpture was supposed to symbolize the “resilience of the American people” in the face of the stock market crash of 1987. It has remained at its location for 28 years. 

On March 7th, for International Women’s Day, a statue of a girl created by artist Kristen Visbal who was commissioned by the Wall Street Firm, State Street Global Advisors opposing the bull was installed in the same location facing toward the statue. It has been dubbed “The Fearless Girl.” Feminists from the movement created the statue to be a symbol for female empowerment. 

The addition of the statue made headlines because Di Modica feels as though the statue is distorting the symbolism behind his own statue. And this article by the Washington Post cites that he’s taken a stand against the statue in a press conference with his attorney. They are now taking legal action against the the company State Street Global Advisors that funded it. Bill deBlasio has given permission for the statue to remain installed until April of next year. 

This issue is making the news again because another artist, Alex Gardega, decided to make an addition to the “Fearless Girl” statue to insult Visbal and what the statue is supposed to represent. He says about the statue "It has nothing to do with feminism, and it is disrespect to the artist that made the bull." His piece has been removed. It’s also worth noting that I haven’t been able to find a response from Visbal about this piece.

Before I provide my opinion on why all these statues are wrong in some way, meaning they have false or outdated symbolism, I just want you, the reader to know that it by no means, means that I am saying that these statues shouldn’t have been created in the first place. Although the “Pissing Pug” statue wasn’t legally allowed to install their statue there (and neither was the “Charging Bull” at first, the artist have freedom of speech and had a constitutional right to protest against a statue that he claimed was wrong. My inner-anarchist thinks this is pretty funny and would gladly watch this stupidity continue while eating some pop-corn. But being an artist, I want to chime in with my own critique.  The “Charging Bull” is TERRIBLE symbolism for American resilience during the stock market crash. 

The stock market crash occurred because of a number of factors, one being the use of program trading which was “used by institutions to protect themselves from significant market weakness.” According to the article, this actually made market weakness worse. The article outlines that this program had a mechanism to correct itself but this mechanism failed when everyone  began using the same method of correction. Traders also used portfolio insurance as a way to save themselves from losing too much money but the insurance led to people having a false sense of security and making reckless decisions. I’m in no way, shape or form an economics expert but this article makes it clear that there was little regulation at the time to make sure that this didn’t happen. There are other factors that contributed to the crash but you can read about it in the link above.  There is a concept called the Bull Market where investors are optimistic about the stock market and are more likely to buy stocks when the market is in their favor. There is also another concept called a Bear Market where the opposite is true and the investor is likely to sell their stocks. Again, I’m not an expert on these things, I’m merely parroting what’s in the articles. This article outlines that in order for a stock market to be successful, they need both.  Bulls, while for the stock market symbolize optimism, they also symbolize stubbornness, recklessness and unchecked power. The stock market crashed, partially as a result of investors making reckless unchecked decisions and falling into false senses of security. To have such a symbol in the middle of the largest financial hub in the world sends a dangerous message to Wall Street that they do not have to take precautions while conducing trade. Although the crash did not cause another economic depression, the fear was present. Most symbols such as this tend not to age very well as the state of our economics is always changing. It’s an antiquated concept that the optimism and success of Wall Street will benefit the rest of the country as we have seen that large corporations that often go unregulated, take large tax cuts and do not create more jobs for the middle-class, working class and the poor. This bull is not a symbol of resilience for the American people, it’s a gift for corporate Wall Street greed. Modica shouldn’t be surprised when someone creates art to challenge his work, especially because art is subject to criticism, especially when it’s installed in the public square. 

The “Fearless Girl” missed the mark a bit...

The “Fearless Girl” would be an excellent symbol for feminism if it wasn’t created as a symbol of empowerment for Wall Street women.  As much as I disagree with the creator of the “Pissing Pug,” he’s right about the fact that the “Fearless Girl” doesn’t represent real feminism and that both men and women contribute to Wall Street greed. Hillary Clinton is a great example of this. The whole reason why she lost the race is because she takes money from Wall Street and she places the interest of her donors before the American people and even her own electors saw this. While I like the fact that this piece was created to reflect the changing times, on it’s own to me personally, it does nothing to address the fact that women suffer the most from economic failures and that there are women (especially white, conservative women) out there who are partially to blame for exacerbating that issue. What I do appreciate about the statue however, is that all the controversy that this has stirred up is created conversations about the meaning of the “Charging Bull” piece and I think that in the wake of Occupy Wall Street and other anti-super PAC movements going on around the country, this is a conversation that needs to be had. I also appreciate that there are little girls going up to this statue to take pictures with it and they feel powerful standing next to it but this should be a universal symbol of empowerment and not just for women on Wall Street. The artist and firm also had no intention of angering Modica with her art. “The bull is beautiful, it’s a stunning piece of art,” Visbal told The Post. “But the world changes and we are now running with this bull.”

About that “Pissing Pug” piece...

I think that Gardega just created this piece to anger feminists who like the “Fearless Girl” piece since the work of course, is of a dog urinating on the girl’s shoe. And sometimes, yeah, art is created to evoke and anger people into action and conversation and I feel as though it was only warranted to address the fact the yes, women also contribute to corporate greed and that the statue itself is a creation of Wall Street. However, I disagree with him where he says that the bull had integrity and I already went into why it doesn’t. He tries to make it seem as though he cares about real feminism but his defense of the bull and the addition of his statue proves that he doesn’t. He also claims that the “Fearless Girl” is a publicity stunt even though his “Pissing Pug” piece has garnered publicity for himself. Otherwise, why make such an offensive piece? Why a dog? Why is it urinating on her? If he were against this false image of feminism, why not create a better symbolic art instead of creating a dog to piss on this one? One can create art to critique other art (like Marcel Duchamp’s R.Mutt piece) but even art that counters art can be critiqued. My critique of Gardega’s piece is that by creating an offensive counter to this art-work, he added validity to the art’s intended message. Also the fact that he thinks the bull statue needs to be defended makes me believe that he lacks critical thinking skills. It is not disrespectful to the “Charging Bull” piece to install the “Fearless Girl” statue because it is a critique that SSGA had all the right to make.  Final Thoughts/Comments I think that if Modica and Gardega want to become angered by having their art critiqued, they should probably re-consider being artists. Modica’s is not the arbiter of what art can and cannot be installed in that space, especially because he at first, did not even have permission to install his work in Bowling Green. SSGA did have permission to install their work. Also, if you’re a male and the “Fearless Girl” statue offends you, why does it offend you? I’ve seen a lot of men online who think that this statue is great and they’re taking photos with it and bringing their daughters to see it. Why does it offend you personally? 

[romancevsreality-blog]

vanderpump rules, season five, episode fourteen: so... sandoval’s committed to that hairstyle, eh?

I AM DEAD FROM THE GET GO.

KATIE FUCKED UP THE WEDDING INVITATIONS.

KATIE DONE FUCKED UP THE WEDDING INVITES, Y’ALL.

She spent $18.50 on each one of those “tea towels”/dish rags/thing you use to pick up bugs you’ve crushed under books that she’s trying to fool us all into thinking are chic1 and she forgot to put a space for people’s names on the RSVP, so the entire opening of the show is a damn guessing game as to who’s attending their wedding. Katie also wears a bandana that just reminds me of Avril Lavigne, and we get a little talk about how each of the Toms draws their respective penises.

Kristen comes in, and it’s time to rehash the events of HRH DJ James Kennedy’s show, and Kristen pretty much admits she went there to start shit. She calls it “eat popcorn and watch fireworks”, but she very clearly and very obviously went there for a) camera time and b) to rile up a person who is easily riled. I HATE DEFENDING JAMES. The conversation transitions quickly to Scheana, and how they all feel like since she and Ariana are friendly again, she’s begun distancing herself from the rest of them. Do you blame her, though? Y’all are terrible to her and only treat her with a modicum of decency when you need someone on your side. Katie still has an issue with the way Ariana treated Stassi at the Drunken Painting Event2 and honestly, shows some hilarious hypocrisy here. I mean, it’s Katie, so that’s to be expected. She says Ariana needs to “fall in line”, like she’s fucking Stassi from 2013. Tom mentions that they should all settle their beef before they go to New Orleans, but it doesn’t even matter about Ariana because she’ll be hanging out with the guys, primarily. Katie pretty much is like, “Well, if she doesn’t want to get along with everyone, I don’t want her there or at the wedding.” GIRL PLEASE YOU SAID YOU DIDN’T WANT HER IN YOUR WEDDING PARTY IN THE FIRST PLACE, it’s not Ariana’s obligation to want to hang out with you.

Speaking of Ariana, it’s officially time for the Why Does Lisa Vanderpump Need To Know This segment of the episode, featuring Jax “I Barely Survived Prohibition” Taylor, and … Scheana. Apparently Tom Sandoval is re-entering the modeling world, and Ariana’s baffled by the idea of dating a male model. Ariana is officially Christine Taylor’s character from Zoolander, a connection I’m shocked it took me this long to make. Jax pretends that he was there to see James perform, and remains wonderfully aloof. He pretty much admits - yeah, he’s going to make James’s life hell simply because he doesn’t like him. Jax Taylor, who is 80, is going after a 25 year old man because he just doesn’t like him. What is WRONG with these people?

God, I love this soap opera.

Tom&Tom head over to Joe Simpson[^3]’s house for a photoshoot - WHAT? - because Tom needs photos for an agency to prove that he’s still got what it takes to be America’s Next Top Model3. They talk about Katie and Ariana, and basically agree that what’s going on between them is bullshit, but neither side backs down - except Sandoval, just slightly, by telling Schwartz he’ll talk to Ariana about being more polite. I watched the photoshoot through my fingers, because photoshoots on reality TV are notoriously awkward. I can’t keep my eyes off Tom’s lace front. I don’t even want to mention Joe Simpson. Isn’t Tom like, 10 years older than Joe Simpson’s target demographic?

This show becomes more and more like Zoolander every time I watch it.

James and his doll with dying batteries/girlfriend Raquel go to Bruhaus and sit outside and somehow they have a waitress with a voice as annoying as Raquel’s. James and Raquel talk about the previous night’s events, and Raquel makes him promise that he’s been faithful to her, which he does, and we all know that’s a crock. This will come back to us at some point. I spent this entire scene yelling RAQUEL LET YOUR WORDS OUT PLEASE. She admits that she has a hard time trusting him when she’s up at school, and he doesn’t do the best job of convincing her of such.

Jax and Brittany decide to go to church, and I’m shocked Jax doesn’t go up in flames upon entering a church. Everything I know about religion I learned from Sister Act and Dogma, so I just assume when fallen angels go into a church, it brings on the end of humanity4. Jax wears a suit, pretends he knows how to be a decent person, and asks what frankincense is. It’s something you could use instead of steroids, Jax. How about that? At church, they’re celebrating anger and preaching about taking accountability for your actions towards others. Brittany, who doesn’t know what “irony” is, points out how ironic it is that Jax is here on this day. How timely! Jax hopes going to church one time will be enough to get Brittany and her mom on his side again, because moving a girl across the country and getting angry that she adapted to her surroundings is equivalent to going to church one time.

Stassi’s at her mom’s house in Lake Arrowhead, where she’s helping her after her full hysterecto5 and making her disgusting breakfast. Her mom is happy because it means Stassi will finally have to take care of someone besides herself for once. Nikolai, Stassi’s little brother, lets Katie in and is immediately going to Nikolai for advice. It’s so weird they’re going to a 12 year old for advice, but Stassi is rightful to feel guilty for separating Nikolai and Patrick after their breakup. Letting anyone into your life is hard, and letting them get close to those you love is harder because all relationships are delicate and can end at any time. Stassi admits that she needs to be alone for a bit, and Nikolai doesn’t 100% understand that. Stassi sobs, and Nikolai comforts her - something I’m pretty sure he’s used to. Very, very used to.

Sandoval and James go and get tea6 and discuss the Night At The Redbury shenanigans - James thinks it’s flattering that GG wants to go out of her way to prove they slept together, and continues to deny it happened, even though Tom is like “dude, it happened. Just admit it.” It really does seem like it happened. James is the anti-Jax: he refuses to admit truths about himself, but is more than happy to perpetuate lies about other people. James is such garbage.

Peter/Ray Romano is producing an eight-minute short sci-fi film, because he’s convinced that for some reason, anyone will give him $100 million for a first feature7, even if it is a sci-fi one. Tom Sandoval is involved, of course, because this episode should really be called Tom Sandoval Is A Hustler Like Lisa Rinna. They put Tom Sandoval in front of a green screen in broad daylight and basically wrap him in fabric the way I did at every toga party I went to in college.8 He can barely get his lines correct, and he’s hoping this will lead to Peter being the next James Cameron and making the next Avatar. Please, god, no. Do we need another Blue Dances With Wolves? I know we’re getting Blue Fern Gully 2 and Blue Pocahontas 3 in a few years, but I don’t think Peter’s going to be James Cameron. It’s a wrap, and Ariana and Tom get to talking. Ariana doesn’t give any fucks about Katie being worried about her behavior, and doesn’t see anything worth apologizing for, which she doesn’t. Tom advises her to be a little nicer in her delivery, and Ariana says she’s not one to sugarcoat. And neither am I.9

We’re at Villa Rosa, where Scheana is meeting with Pandora10 and Lisa Vanderpump, where they’ve come to raid for booze for Katie’s bridal shower? Didn’t they just have one of those for her? Anyway, Pandora’s throwing it. Scheana immediately starts throwing shade about Katie’s attitude, which both Pandora and Lisa try to write off as just “bridal jitters”, and Scheana’s like, “nah, that doesn’t give you the right to be an absolute monster.” I’m gonna get vertigo with how much this show wants me to flip flop on these people, I swear. Lisa doesn’t understand why Katie’s being so mean to Scheana, and waves a dog around for the entirety of this exchange. She must have the strongest arms in the world.

Schwartz meets with the rest of the grooms...people? I don’t know what to call them since Ariana’s there, so I’ll just say “groomsmen” for the sake of it all. They order Jameson picklebacks11 and beers and decide they’re going to go full drag for a night, because they want to know if they would have sex with themselves if they were woman. Jax is game, but only if he can be a SuicideGirl type, which to me, is horrific. Tom denies any homoeroticism between any of the guys, and we’re greeted with a lovely montage of Jax humping men, Jax dressed as a cowboy, Jax snuggling with the Toms. Nothing homoerotic about it, right? Schwartz brings up what went down between Ariana and Stassi, and basically says Stassi was super upset and Ariana was too harsh. Ariana doesn’t think she should apologize - again, because she shouldn’t - but does agree to go to Stassi and try to smooth things over.

Pandora’s house looks like Dirk Diggler’s house in Boogie Nights, but she’s set up a great spread for Katie’s second bridal shower. Stassi basically looks like she’s about to shit herself with Ariana arrives, but they go to ooh and ahh over Pandora’s house that Lisa Vanderpump clearly paid for. Y’all - this is what happens when you both have rich parents and are responsible with your money. Oh, this is a “spa day” party, that’s the theme. They’re getting massages. I want a fucking massage. Meanwhile, Ariana, Stassi, Pandora, get glycolic hand peels whilst Katie, Kristen, and Brittany get massages. Scheana tries to smooth things over between Ariana and Stassi, which leads to Ariana having my favorite line of the night:

Stassi: “She’s the one that doesn’t like me.” [Ariana and Stassi both laugh]

Ariana (in her talking head): “I’m laughing because it’s funny, and it’s funny because it’s true.”

Scheana wants Ariana to apologize, and both Ariana and Stassi don’t want an apology because they both know it would be disingenuous. Stassi knows Ariana doesn’t like her, and she just doesn’t want Ariana to make it so obvious when they’re around each other - not a crazy request. Ariana agrees to have a more open mind and that she just wants to have fun. They both just want to have fun, so shit seemed smooth with the two of them.

The ladies sit down to a gorgeous lunch, and Katie of course rekindles the argument that was just settled. Stassi and Ariana both admit to not wanting apologies, and Katie gets all passive-aggressive and basically says “It would make me feel better if you just apologized.” She throws her wedding around and “can’t stand to have negativity around” during that time. Girl, have you looked at yourself and your life and your choices? Scheana is pissed off because she tried to smooth things over between Stassi and Ariana for Katie, and Katie’s still unhappy with the results, even though Stassi and Ariana are. Katie mentions how upset she was that Scheana told her about the bridal shower drama, and that she feels like Scheana’s pulling away from her, and Scheana’s like “Well, I’m tired of waking up to abusive text messages from you every morning.” Katie then sums up both herself and why she’s terrible in one line: “It’s harsh, it’s mean, it’s my truth.” She then says she’s tired of being called insubordinate, which is the correct term, but still feels wrong in this context. Scheana tries to point out that Katie’s a mean drunk and is basically being gaslit in the worst way. Katie refuses to take accountability and basically is like “Why can’t I be mean when I’m drunk if you deserve it?” and says people are calling Scheana fake, anyway, so what does it matter. What this boils down to is Katie is pissed that Scheana can take the high road while Katie remains going low constantly, and Katie calls that Scheana trying to be “perfect". Katie just wants everyone to go for the jugular when it comes to her, and doesn’t like that Scheana is capable of being a decent person at times. Scheana throws her napkin and runs out, and Pandora is sitting there like “WHY DID I DO THIS?” Scheana, in the bathroom, finally admits what we’ve been saying all along - Katie doesn’t like her, she’s just trying to pad her #GirlSquad for her wedding. Katie claims her wedding events have been tainted by assholes (herself) and tries to sound like the fucking Godfather when she says “I will fuck you up” if you turn on her. She just sounds like a psychopath.

Katie and Scheana talk about how Scheana feels like she’s always doing something wrong with Katie, and Katie, who locked her Twitter because she couldn’t handle valid criticism, says that she calls people out when they’re wrong, and that it’s okay to call her out. Is that not what Scheana was just doing? They kiss and make up, and it’s sad because Katie is a garbage bag full of toenail clippings and Scheana just wants to be on television.

Jax goes to meet Lisa in the Sexy Unique Restaurant to both get paid and also to ask if the boys can borrow gowns from her. She’s horrified, especially at the insinuation she might have costume jewelry, but agrees. The boys head over to Villa Rosa to try on Lisa’s jewelry and underwear. Jax and Sandoval are in AWE over Lisa’s apartment/closet that I am salivating in envy over. Tom Sandoval is putting on every single piece of Lisa’s jewelry, and Jax comes out wearing one of Lisa’s dresses with the neckline down to his bellybutton12. Jax calls Givenchy “Ga-vinch-y”, of course, and Tom wears a bra and the best sunglasses I’ve ever seen. This scene is much less horrific than I thought, considering.

Tom and Katie are out to dinner, and Schwartz is ordering salt-and-vinegar french fries13 and Katie’s ordering tequila on the rocks, as per usual. This is their relationship in a nutshell: potatoes and vodka. Tom’s already wearing his wedding ring, and says he’ll take it off around hot girls, which Katie is unamused by. He asks her how Pandora’s was, and immediately says that Ariana was nervous because of Katie’s reaction to her, and the fact that Tom now has an idea about both sides of the story, and accuses Katie of not being objective. Katie immediately goes on the defense, accuses Tom of taking Ariana’s side and accuses Ariana of casting a shadow over the entire event, and continues to say “It’s my fucking day”, reaffirming the truth - Katie wants to get married to say she got married and to win, not because she’s in love. She cries and calls Ariana self-centered and elitist, which is rich coming from Katie. And Tom calls it as it is: Ariana is more emotionally mature than Katie could ever wish to be, and is self-aware enough to know when something should be settled. Tom loses any support he had from me by passive-aggressively saying “I should have known better than to say anything that doesn’t agree with your opinion.” I get his intention, but he doesn’t have to be so self-loathing about it. Katie does what Katie does and walks out on him AGAIN, and this time he doesn’t run after her. He shouldn’t. Katie really should be ashamed of herself.

Next Week: Katie’s going to explode, Jax doesn’t like the tension, James is back working for Lisa, they get beaded in New Orleans, everyone gets drunk, Katie gets hit in the face with something finally, and Stassi and Jax talk about their relationship.

SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR THE BACHELOR I PROMISE.

Random Thoughts From The Desk of Amanda:

I really hate that I like the length of Katie’s nails. Like, they’re short but pointy. I want them on me but I don’t want them because Katie has them.

I get that Schwartz, Lisa, and Sandoval hate Stassi, but it really does seem like they all blame Katie’s bad behaviors on her, as if Katie’s incapable of being an asshole otherwise. Nah, she’s always been terrible.

I miss Lala.

Why is Carter a groomsman?

Another “Why Did Tom And Katie Get Married?” theory: the idea of getting your wedding called off on national TV is humiliating, but they really should have called it off at this point in the season.

Kristen’s scary nodding when Katie was like “It’s my day, it’s about me.” Oh my god.

I loved that Jax struggled with “transvestite”. He’s constantly showing his age.

Linguistics joke: I’m really tempted to always call Tom Schwartz “Tommy Schwa”, but using ə as his last name - “Tommy ə”. That is a joke that wouldn’t land.

Katie is probably a Pinterest nightmare. ↩︎

My names are slowly but surely becoming less interesting. ↩︎

Listen to my podcast! ↩︎

Then again, Donald Trump is president, so. Jax, look at what you fucking did. ↩︎

WHY IS THIS SCENE NOT ON YOUTUBE? Happy Endings is the best show you never watched. ↩︎

And from the looks of it, Sandoval pays. LOLOLOLOL. ↩︎

I can hear my boyfriend screaming and laughing, and he’s not even near me as I’m watching this. ↩︎

i.e, with zero finesse or attempt to make it look decent. ↩︎

It is not my obligation to make you feel comfortable. ↩︎

Who is wearing a Boy George hat. Man, he is having a great 2017. ↩︎

Why would you do this to Jameson. ↩︎

The bra is gone! ↩︎

Did you know if you like salt and vinegar, you probably like the taste of blood? ↩︎

[milocrespi-blog]

My Little Pony: The Movie (2017) Review

At Last.

As far as animated films go there was no other film that I was more anxious, yet terrified to see than My Little Pony: The Movie. The film of the heavily popular current animated series of the same same has finally hit the big screen.

But I was a bit concerned with it at first. Don't get me wrong, when I saw the teaser trailer for the film I was hooked, but my biggest concern was on whether or not the film would work as a standalone film. So when I left the theater for the first time impressions, I surprisingly had mixed feelings on the film. I returned home frustrated, I had difficulty getting any sleep, I was stressed for no reason the next day. So I thought that in order to alleviate my problems, I decided to go see it a second time. And I am happy to say that I had a much more pleasant experience re-watching it.

But that's not to say that there aren't any flaws in the film. Far from it. One flaw includes the story. It's not a bad story, but it is very weak; and this was the element that I was worried about before. Since this is a movie that is primarily made for the fans and younger audiences, I feel that non fans wouldn't get into this because the story is not very strong or interesting. I think I found it the most noticeable when at the film's second act low point. Not to spoil anything, but the way that it's handled felt stock in my case. Now true the reasonings behind the character's decisions made sense when you look at from their viewpoints, but the scene's end result had me rolling my eyes. Thankfully I was able to accept it as well as the rest of the story upon the second viewing. Yes, I thought that the story was very weak, and it is a legit problem for introducing this film to newcomers, but it's something that's basically harmless on re-watches.

The Storm King: Good lord was he bland. He's trying to be funny like Hades from Disney's Hercules, or even Discord for that matter, but he's still trying to be intimidating like Tempest at the same time. His writing was really weak, and his screen time is about as brief as the time it takes for you to finish reading this review. So again, he's not only un-interesting, he's also barely given enough screen time in order to be seen as captivating. Ok, so those are just some flaws, they're easy to overlook for me. So what's the problem here? It can be described in one word: Purpose. You may have already noticed that The Storm King doesn't have a whole lot of screen time. You know who else doesn't have a lot of purpose to this movie? The three princesses. Yeah, as soon as they show up, they're instantly tuned to stone and are essentially gone for the rest of the movie and are only used as plot devices. Michael Peña as Grubber? Geez, has anyone ever heard about "forced comedy relief" before? The same also apply's to the Pirate scene. We spend ~ 10 min with these guys, and when the scene involving them is finished it makes you wonder what was the point of even having that scene if we're not going to spend a lot of time on it? And that's the main problem with this movie for me: there are so many things that either could've been cut or could've been given more screen time to develop. You know how people really like to market the "Extended Edition" of certain movies - not using it as a means to fix really crucial elements in the film but only using it as a marketing gimmick - this is the one instance where an extended edition copy of a movie could be a godsend. We could get extra footage of the Storm King so that way we can not only get to see more of his character and his personality, but also leave more of an impact. We could see more of the pirates so they can feel more developed, and hell we could give more screen time for some of the Mane 6 cause there's a few of them that really need it!

So with that said...let's talk about the stuff that I liked. I don't think I need to say this, but the animation was stellar. This is some of the best 2-D animation I have seen in years. The visuals are so stunning, the characters are so expressive, and the movement so smooth. If this movie didn't have the animation, then I would've been singing a different tune. Because in my opinion the animation is the movie's saving grace. Although I really do agree with Cellspex's criticism about the characters movement. Everyone moves really slow in this movie, which works well in some scenes but not in others.

The characters are also pretty good, both the old and the new. For a while I wasn't as big a fan of Tempest Shadow as much as everyone else. But after listening to Emily Blunt's performance and seeing her act very intimidating towards other the characters, I decided to change my thoughts on her. She's very graceful, very quiet, and massively powerful (kind of like Maleficent in a way). My only problem though is that her past and overall character is very one-noted. She's not the kind of character who would be described as "complex." But it was Emily Blunt's performance, the design and intimidation that sold her for me; not really the character herself. I thought Capper was very charming, I thought the pirates were fun (and by that I mean that their musical number was fun, not so much in the personality department), Kristen Chenoweth as Skystar was...ok. The voice acting was pretty good too, for the most part. A lot of these actors brought their A material, and it shows. I wouldn't really say that the film was particularly hilarious, but there were a few jokes and reactions that got a chuckle out of me here and there. I was surprised that Pinkie Pie was the emotional center of the film. She has some of the most dramatic scenes of the film, and I'm thoroughly pleased (Although I would've liked to have seen some of her 4th wall breaks in the film, I thought that would've made the film a lot funnier). And not to mention, she's not forced comedy relief and actually get's to express drama! The others do get things to do, but my biggest disappointment was with Fluttershy. She's barely given anything to say or do. She's only given - yes, I counted - 22 lines in this movie, and that's not even counting the moments where she sings along (again, an extended edition would be really nice so that way she can stick out in the group).

On that subject, the music was pretty good. Ok maybe not every song is memorable, but I found myself tapping my foot to quite a few of them on the way out. It did take me a really long time to get used to it, but Rainbow by Sia...I mean damn. True in terms of vocals it was a bit distracting because she sounds like she's slurring all of her lines, but in terms of lyrics and rhythms, this song is amazing. I occasionally end up in very dark places in my life; but whenever that happens I can always seek comfort from my very supportive friends and family, and that usually makes me overwhelmed and kind of saddened knowing that I receive a lot of love. This song is kind of like that: it's sort of the song equivalent of a hug after a long depression. It's not the greatest song ever, but it is one that I like to listen to a lot.

So as a whole, I thought the movie was fine, as is. Is it perfect? No. Much like the show itself, you will never hear me say that this movie is great or perfect. Its failings do exist, and they are big and distracting ones if your looking for a movie that has a good narrative. Again, this did indeed bother me when I first saw it and I was stressed out the ass the following day. I generally dislike movies that require the audience to watch or read something in order to fully appreciate something whether it be a movie or a show. Remember, I had conflicting feelings about Wonder Woman, and in the end I acknowledge that the movie is great for D.C fans, and only ok to everyone else. The unneeded characters is a big, BIG issue for me; I can maybe ignore the weak story, but the way the movie throws in all of these pointless and brief scenes and characters and clichés is something that I cannot defend. If there's one thing that I'm glad about this problem, is that I finally came out and admitted something that I really didn't like about the film. For most of my weekend I went through denial thinking that this movie is good, but now that I confessed that the film has a weak spot, I can hopefully relax for once.

But I'm really hoping that shouldn't be enough for you to turn down this film if you're a non fan, cause there's a lot of talent and effort that went into this film (of course I know that it's a fool's wish to think that). If the story were a little bit more original, if some of the characters were more fleshed out, then I think we would've had something really special here. Is the film challenging? No. But like the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, it doesn't have to be challenging in order to be fun.

5.5/10 Slightly Above-Average