you know something interesting i’ve realized about nygmobblepot?
oswald is looking for someone who would do anything for him, and ed is also looking for someone who would do anything for him, but they’re defining “anything” differently
oswald was raised by gertrud, who would move mountains for him if he asked. that’s his bar. he defines love by how his mother loved him, and her love was so all-consuming that this is what he wants or maybe even expects. that’s perfectly natural, given he seems to have been relatively isolated from anyone besides her. that’s what love means to him
oswald is looking for someone who would do anything and everything for him
by contrast, ed - to our knowledge, and now with them confirming they would’ve included ed’s abusive childhood given more time - has never had that from anyone. no one is looking to do things for him. his relationships seem to be neutral at best, harmful at worst. people either do nothing for him or hurt him. again, naturally, that means any time anyone does anything even remotely nice for him, he puts a far greater weight on it than most people would. that would also explain why he considered himself in love with Isabella after knowing her for one night. she, being a very intense person, gave him more than he ever expected - how could that not be love?
ed is looking for someone who would do anything at all for him
but these expectations, natural as they are, are also a source of great miscommunication and issues for them. Oswald is less likely to notice the small gestures yet more likely to feel betrayed by the small arguments. Likewise, Ed is more likely to blow a small gesture out of proportion yet less likely to speak up about things that make him uncomfortable. Oswald is used to being special and seeks ways to return to the way Gertrud made him feel. Ed is used to being the problem and seeks to prove his usefulness. There are so many ways these differences could manifest badly, even dangerously and manipulatively, but they also open the door for a really great dynamic, which is what the “end-goal” of the ship is for me.
When Oswald remembers that it goes both ways, giving Ed an almost overbearing amount of reassurance. When Ed puts his tendency to do what it takes to be liked into gestures big enough to reach Oswald’s Gertrud-based standard. When they use their common ground (isolation, a feeling of superiority, a need for vengeance, a flair for the dramatic) to be the real power couple of Gotham. Ed’s logic and creativity and enthusiasm paired with Oswald’s strength and money and raw manipulative strategy to be nigh unbeatable - that’s the dynamic I strive for
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