Writing
Norma and Piper
How does Norma flirt around Penny? Same as the 2002 movie: aggressively fangirling over Piper!
I don’t even think Norma knows she’s flirting with Piper. It’s not like she’s even attracted to Piper. Piper’s so homely, and she’s Harriet’s friend. C'mon. Norma just admires her so much! Cuz Norma’s one of those boomers who thinks hard work = success, rather than success being mostly luck. And boy, Piper’s had all the cards stacked against her but she’s overcome everything from family death to poverty… maybe she could take care of Norma when she’s too old to function by herself…
and that’s how the CEO of Oscorp gets a little girl crush on a plain jane college student. Cuz she’s a cringe sapiosaxual.
Piper’s clueless too. I wonder why Ms. Osborn’s always asking to hire me? Why’s she putting me in her will before Harriet?
Both of them are clueless! They might finally realize there’s some lesbian tension between ‘em when they’re chasing each other around Manhattan dressed in bright spandex animal costumes. Good thing that confusing dramatic tension resolves when the Gobliness gets stabbed by her own glider!
Poor Harriet. Wish someone would pay attention to Harriet the way Norma showers attention on Piper :(
Harriet’s gift.
In the 1990’s, Oscorp briefly toyed with being a weapons manufacturer, chemical supplier, AND toy company! Norma’s idea was quickly shut down by her board of directors, but not before she had a small Halloween line prototyped.
The Halloween line included:
All the prototypes were deemed dangerous, especially the plushie that told kids to “kill their family”. (Norma thought that would be in the spirit of Hallow’s Eve). The prototypes were thrown away in the Oscorp vault and forgotten, never to cause danger to any children now or in the future!
The flying green madwoman you see in the skies of Manhattan nowadays has nothing to do with Oscorp, or any of its previous product lines. Please forward all inquiries to our social media team, and our community representatives will be glad to help.
Unconditional.
564 words. A short story about a father’s hatred, and a son’s eternal love. This is the Norma and Harriet dynamic.
“We were always real pals -- till a few years ago! Then he started to -- change! I know he’s been having tough sledding in business -- but why take it out on me?” - ASM #39
“I had to bring him up alone... and I tried my best..! I was a good father... I was! I did my best to be a real pal to my son! But, it wasn’t easy... Harry didn’t have anything to complain about! The more money I made, the more presents I bought him! I wanted everyone to see what a great father he had!” - ASM #40, juxtaposed against a montage of Norman neglecting Harry 😅
Norman had Harry at 27, when he was still poor. A bit late for his era of men, but at least he had a child. His wife died during childbirth. No doubt the child’s first act of murder influenced Norman’s feelings.
Harry grew up poor. He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But he didn’t know he was poor at his young age, especially with Norman working up the business ladder and doing his best to hide his low class from everyone, including himself and Harry.
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Single father Norman genuinely loved and took care of baby Harry. He became obsessed with making money so his child could survive, thrive, have a better life than he had. No expense was spared on Harry, especially because he was such a sickly and weak child. Harry was clingy, needy, not by choice, but because he literally would not be living without his dad doting on his every bloody cough and doctor’s exams.
Norman’s obsession with the act of making money took over his original goal of caring for Harry. Surely Harry would be ecstatic with a Rolls Royce for his 18th birthday, even if Norman was away on a trip to Europe that month. Any other kid would be happy. Norman would have loved having expensive gifts as a poor kid. Harry shouldn’t complain, worthless spoiled stupid child. He doesn’t deserve any of these gifts when Norman’s been spending so much money on his classes and Harry shows nothing but a C+ effort.
Harry grew out of the worst of his childhood illnesses, but remained thin and weak. Physically, he was gaunt and bony. He looked exactly like his father, if his father loss all his muscle mass and got his nose punched in. Emotionally, he was still clingy and needy. Perhaps not so much because he needed his father to administer his medications, but for all the love that his father lost for him as Harry got older. And mentally, he inherited all of his father’s schizophrenia, bipolar, BPD, depression, and the cycle of abuse from grandpapa Osborn.
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Norman looks at Harry and sees a mirror image of himself, distorted to accentuate all his own worst features. Weak, feminine, awful crying child. He grew to loathe this child because he loathed himself. Norman managed to fight through his illnesses and abuse to become a made man. Why couldn’t Harry?
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Now Norman is old and sickly. All the chemicals he worked with at Oscorp have gotten into his nervous system. His legs don’t work so good now. His schizophrenia and bipolar have gotten worse. He needs to visit a doctor often for transfusions and medication and so on.
He needs Harry to take care of him. Just as Norman once took care of young Harry.
It’s too bad he didn’t give Harry the love he needed when Harry was a angsty teenager. Now Harry has all the power over Oscorp and Norman Osborn. Harry can do anything he wants to his beloved father. He loves his father so much, even after everything. And his father can’t do anything as his son pushes him through the empty house. Norman can’t escape what he’s done to Harry. The cycle of abuse continues, father to son, son to father. You better watch what Harry puts in your meds, Mr. Osborn. That boy ain’t right.