#back to back in indian wells

[pushlikeabastard]

Carlos Alcaraz, Indian Wells 2024

[silverthelovebug]

Yasammy Week ~ Day 4: Engagement/Wedding

When Ben Pincus started to cheer loudly, as if he were at a football game instead of a wedding and a touchdown had been made, Sammy and Yaz almost jumped out of their skin. Glancing around, their friends appeared to be just as startled, but they jumped right in to applaud as well. After wiping the tears from her eyes, Sammy gave Yaz a big smile, which she had to return.

They interlocked their fingers; time seemed to be moving slow as they took everything in, looking between their friends and their families, and then at each other. They’d join the others at the Reception, then go through the long winded process of moving Yaz’s belongings to the Gutierrez Farmhouse; and finally, they’d face whatever came next;

Together.

@yasammyweek

Gosh, this drawing took me what? 19 hours? Most of it was spent on getting the Nublar 4 down there to look like they were actually sitting on a pew (Darius still looks funky to me).

Did you know red wedding dresses symbolize celebration and good fortune? :3 This takes place, like, post Chaos Theory, so technically their future-future looks are up to debate still. I actually referenced both Sammy and Yaz’s concept art for their hairstyles, we were robbed of Butch Sammy/j.

[bucketsofsalt]

saathi hai deewana some (Khushi) might say

[sinnerenjoyer]

[x] darren talking about jannik... he's such a nerd 😭

also the screaming? literally me during his matches (especially when he attempts another drop shot)

[demigod-of-the-agni]

Spider-Man India, but... where from India?

A SUPER long post featuring talks of: cultural identity, characterisation, the caste system, and what makes Spider-Man Spider-Man.

I’m prefacing this by saying that I am a second-generation immigrant. I was born in Australia, but my cultural background is from South India. My experiences with what it means to be “Indian” is going to be very different from the experiences of those who are born and brought up in India.

If you, reader, want to add anything, please reblog and add your thoughts. This is meant to be a post open for discussion — the more interaction we get, the better we become aware of these nuances.

So I made this poll asking folks to pick a region of India where I would draw Pavitr Prabhakar in their cultural wear. This idea had been on my mind for a long while now, as I had been inspired by Annie Hazarika’s Northeastern Spidey artwork in the wake of ATSV’s release, but never got the time to actually do it until now. I wanted to get a little interactive and made the poll so I could have people choose which of the different regions — North, Northeast, Central, East, West, South — to do first.

The outcome was not what I expected. As you can see, out of 83 votes:

THE RESULTS

South India takes up almost half of all votes (44.6%), followed by Northeast and Central (both 14.5%) and then East (13.3%). In all my life growing up, support towards or even just the awareness of South India was pretty low. Despite this being a very contained poll, why would nearly half of all voters pick South India in favour of other popular choices like Central or North India?

Then I thought about the layout of the poll: Title, Options, Context.

Title: "Tell us who you want to see…"

Options: North, Northeast, Central, East, West, South

Context: I want to make art of the boy again

At first I thought: ah geez. this is my fault. I didn't make the poll clear enough. do they think I want them to figure out where Pavitr came from? That's not what I wanted, maybe I should have added the context before the options.

Then I thought: ah geez. is it my fault for people not reading the entire damn thing before clicking a button? That's pretty stupid.

But regardless, the thought did prompt a line of thinking I know many of us desi folk have been considering since Spider-Man India was first conceived — or, at least, since the announcement that he was going to appear in ATSV. Hell, even I thought of it:

Where did Spider-Man India come from?

FROM A CULTURALLY DIVERSE INDIA

As we know, India is so culturally diverse, and no doubt ATSV creators had to take that into account. Because the ORIGINAL Spider-Man India came from Mumbai — most likely because Mumbai and Manhattan both started with the same letter.

But going beyond that, it’s also because Mumbai is one of the most recognisable cities in India - it’s also known as Bombay. It’s where Bollywood films are shot. It’s where superstar Hindi actors and actresses show up. Mumbai is synonymous with India in that regard, because the easiest way Western countries can interact with Indian culture is through BOLLYWOOD, through HINDI FILMS, through MUMBAI. Suddenly, India is Mumbai, India is a Hindi-only country, India is just this isolated thing we see through an infinitely narrow lens.

We’ve gotten a little better in recent years, but boy I will tell you how uncomfortable I’ve gotten when people (yes, even desi people) come up to me and tell me, Oh, you’re Indian right? Can you speak Hindi? Why don’t you speak Hindi? You’re not Indian if you don’t speak Hindi, that’s India’s national language!

I have been — still am — so afraid of telling people that I don’t speak Hindi, that I’m Tamil, that I don’t care that Hindi is India’s “national” language (it’s an administrative language, Kavin, get your fucking facts right). It’s weird, it’s isolating, and it has made me feel like I wasn’t “Indian” enough to be accepted into the group of “Indian” people.

So I am thankful that ATSV went out of their way to integrate as much variety of Indian culture into the Mumbattan sequence. Maybe that way, the younger generation of desi folk won’t feel so isolated, and that younger Western people will be more open to learning about all these cultural differences within such a vast country.

BUT WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH SPIDER-MAN INDIA?

Everything, actually. There’s a thing called supremacy. You might have heard of it. We all engaged with it at some point, and if you are Indian, no matter where you live, it is inescapable.

It happens the moment you are born — who your family is, where you are born, the language you speak, the colour of your skin; these will be bound to you for life, and it is nigh impossible to break down the stereotypes associated with them.

Certain ethnic groups will be more favourable than others (Centrals, and thus their cultures, will always be favoured over than Souths, as an example) and the same can be said for social groups (Brahmins are more likely to secure influential roles in politics or other areas like priesthood, while the lowers castes, especially Dalits, aren’t even given the decency of respect). Don’t even get me started on colourism, where obviously those of fairer skin will win the lottery while those of darker skin aren’t given the time of day. It’s even worse when morality ties into it — “lighter skinned Indians, like Brahmins, embody good qualities like justice and wisdom”, “dark skinned Indians are cunning and poor, they are untrustworthy”. It’s fucking nuts.

This means, of course, you have a billion people trying to make themselves heard in a system that tries to crush everyone who is not privileged. It only makes sense that people want to elevate themselves and break free from a society that refuses to acknowledge them. These frustrations manifest outwardly, like in protests, but other times — most times — it goes unheard, quietly shaping your way of life, your way of thinking. It becomes a fundamental part of you, and it can go unacknowledged for generations.

So when you have a character like Pavitr Prabhakar enter the scene, people immediately latch onto him and start asking questions many Western audiences don’t even consider. Who is he? What food does he eat? What does he do on Fridays? What’s his family like, his community? All these questions pop up, because, amidst all this turmoil going on in the background, you want a mainstream popular character to be like you, who knows your way of life so intimately, that he may as well be a part of your community.

BUT THAT'S THE THING — HE'S FICTIONAL

I am guilty of this. In fact, I’ve flaunted in numerous posts how I think he’s the perfect Tamil boy, how he dances bharatanatyam, how he does all these Tamil things that no one will understand except myself. All these niche things that only I, and maybe a few others, will understand.

I’ve seen other people do it, too. I’ve seen people geek out over his dark brown skin, his kalari dhoti, how he fights so effortlessly in the kalaripayattu martial arts style. I’ve seen people write him as Malayali, as Hindi, as every kind of Indian person imaginable.

I’ve also seen him be written where he’s subjected to typical Indian and broader Asian stereotypes. You know the ones I’m so fond of calling out. The thing is, I’ve seen so much of Pavitr being presented in so many different ways, and I worry how the rest of the desi folk will take it. 

You finally have a character who could be you, but now he’s someone else’s plaything. Your entire life is shaped by what you can and can’t do simply because you were born to an Indian family, and here’s the one person who could represent you now at the mercy of someone else’s whims. He’s off living a life that is so distant from yours, you can hardly recognise him.

It shouldn’t hurt as much as it does, yeah? But, again, you’re looking at it from that infinitely narrow lens Westerners use to look at India from Bollywood.

AND PAVITR PRABHAKAR DOESN'T LIVE IN INDIA

He lives in Mumbattan. He lives in a made-up, fictional world that doesn’t follow the way of life of our world. He lives in a city where Mumbai and Manhattan got fucking squashed together. There are so many memes about colonialism right there. Mumbattan isn’t real! Spider-Man India isn’t real!! He’s just a dude!! The logic of our world doesn’t apply to him!!!

“But his surname originates from ______” okay but does that matter?

“But he’s wearing a kalari dhoti so surely he’s ______” okay but does that matter?

“But his skin colour is darker so he must be ______” okay but does that matter?

“But he lives in Mumbai so he must be ______” okay but does that matter?

I sound insensitive and brash and annoying and it looks like I’m yapping just for the sake of riling you up, so direct that little burst of anger you got there at me, and keep reading.

Listen. I’m going to ask you a question that I’ve asked myself a million times over. I want you to answer honestly. I want you to ask this question to yourself and answer honestly:

Are you trying to convince me on who Pavitr Prabhakar should be?

... but why shouldn't i?

I’ll tell you this again — I did the same thing. You’re not at fault for this, but I want you to just...have a little think over. Just a little moment of self-reflection, to think about why you are so intent on boxing this guy.

It took me a while to reorganise my thinking and how to best approach a character like Pavitr, so I will give you all the time you need as well as a little springboard to focus your thoughts on.

SPIDER-MAN (INDIA) IS JUST A MASK

“What I like about the costume is that anybody reading Spider-Man in any part of the world can imagine that they themselves are under the costume. And that’s a good thing.”

Stan Lee said that. Remember how he was so intent on making sure that everybody got the idea that Spider-Man as an entity is fundamentally broken without Peter Parker there to put on the suit and save the day? That ultimately it was the person beneath the mask, no matter who they were, that mattered most?

Spider-Man India is no less different. You can argue with me that Peter Parker!Spidey is supposed to represent working class struggles in the face of leering corporate entities who endanger the regular folk like us, and so Pavitr Prabhakar should also function the same way. Pavitr should also be a working class guy of this specific social standing fighting people of this other social standing.

But that takes away the authenticity of Spider-Man India. Looking at him through the Peter Parker lens forces you to look at him through the Western lens, and it significantly lessens what you can do with the character — suddenly, it’s a fight to be heard, to be seen, to be recognised. It’s yelling over each other that Pavitr Prabhakar is this ethnicity, is that caste, this or that, this or that, this or that.

There’s a reason why he’s called Spider-Man India, infuriatingly vague as it is. And that’s the point — the vagueness of his identity fulfils Lee’s purpose for a character that could theoretically be embodied by anyone. If he had been called “Spider-Man Mumbai”, you cut out a majority of the population (and in capitalist terms, you cut out a good chunk of the market).

And in the case of Spider-Man India? Whew — you’ve got about a billion people imagining a billion different versions of him.

Whoever you are, whatever you see in Pavitr, that is what is personal to you, and there is nothing wrong with that, and I will not fault you for it. I will not fault you for saying Pavitr is from Central due to the origins of his last name. I also will not fault you for saying Pavitr is from South due to him practising kalaripayattu. I also will not fault you for saying he is not Hindu. I also will not fault you for saying he is a particular ethnicity without any proof.

What I will fault you for is trying to convince me and the others around you that Pavitr Prabhakar should be this particular ethnicity/have this cultural background because of some specific reason. I literally don’t care and it is fundamentally going against his character, going against the “anyone can wear the mask” sentiment of Spider-Man. By doing this, you are strengthening the walls that first divided us. You’re feeding the stratification and segmentation of our cultures — something that is actually not present in the fictional world of Mumbattan.

Like I said before: Mumbattan isn’t real, so the divides between ethnicities and cultural backgrounds are practically nonexistent. The best thing is that it is visually there for all to see. My favourite piece of evidence is this:

It’s a marquee for a cinema in the Mumbattan sequence, in the “Quick tour: this is where the traffic is” section. It has four titles; the first two are written in Hindi. The third title is written in Bengali*, and the fourth title is written in Tamil. You go to Mumbai and you won’t see a single shred of Bengali nor Tamil there, much less any other language that's not common in Maharashtra (Western India). Seeing this for the first time, you know what went through my head?

Wow, the numerous cultures of India are so intermingled here in Mumbattan! Everyone and everything is welcome!

I was happy, not just because of Tamil representation, but because of the fact that the plethora of Indian cultures are showcased coexisting in such a short sequence. This is India embracing all the little parts that make up its grander identity. This scene literally opened my eyes seeing such beauty in all the diverse cultures thriving together. In a place where language and cultural backgrounds blend so easily, each one complementing one another.

It is so easy to believe that, from this colourful palette of a setting, Pavitr Prabhakar truly is Spider-Man India, no matter where he comes from.

It’s easy to believe that Pavitr can come from any part of India, and I won’t call you out if the origin you have for him is different from the origin I have. You don’t need to stake out territory and stand your ground — you’re entitled to that opinion, and I respect it. In fact, I encourage it!!!

Because there’s only so much you can show in a ten minute segment of a film about a country that has such a vast history and even greater number of cultures. I want to see all of it — I want him to be a Malayali boy, a Hindi boy, a Bengali boy, a Telugu boy, an Urdu boy, whatever!! I want you to write him or draw him immersed in your culture, so that I can see the beauty of your background, the wonderful little things that make your culture unique and different from mine!

And, as many friends have said, it’s so common for Indian folks to be migrating around within our own country. A person with a Maharashtrian surname might end up living in Punjab, and no one really minds that. I’m actually from Karnataka, my family speaks Kannada, but somewhere down the line my ancestors moved to Tamil Nadu and settled down and lived very fulfilling lives. So I don’t actually have the “pure Tamil” upbringing, contrary to popular belief; I’ve gotten a mix of both Kannada and Tamil lifestyles, and it’s made my life that much richer. 

So it’s common for people to “not” look like their surname, if that’s what you’re really afraid about. In fact, it just adds to that layer of nuance, that even despite these rigid identities between ethnicities we as Indian people still intermingle with one another, bringing slivers of our cultures to share with others. Pavitr could just as well have been born in one state and moved around the country, and he happens to live in Mumbattan now. It’s entirely possible and there’s nothing to disprove that.

We don’t need to clamber over one another declaring that only one ethnicity is the “right” ethnicity, because, again, you will be looking at Pavitr and the rest of India in that narrow Western lens — a country with such rich cultural variety reduced to a homogenous restrictive way of life.

THE POLL: REINTERPRETED

This whole thing started because I was wondering why my little poll was so skewed — I thought people assumed I was asking them where he came from, then paired his physical appearance with the most logical options available. I thought it was my fault, that I had somehow influenced this outcome without knowing.

Truth is, I will never really know. But I will be thankful for it, because it gave me the opportunity to finally broach this topic, something that many of us desi folk are hesitant to talk about. I hope you have learned something from this, whether you are desi or a casual Spider-Man fan or someone who just so happened to stumble upon this. 

So just…be a little more open. Recognise that India, like many many countries and nations, is made up of a plethora of smaller cultures. And remember, if you’re trying to convince Pavitr that he’s a particular ethnicity, he’s going to wave his hand at you and say, “Ha, me? No, I’m one of the people that live here in the best Indian city! I’m Spider-Man India, dost!”

(Regardless, he still considers you a friend, because to him, the people matter more to him than you trying to box him into something he’s not.)

*Note: thank you dear anon for letting me know that the third title was Bengali, twas my mistake for literally completely forgetting

[a-swiss-and-a-spaniard]

At this stage in your career, do you appreciate the rivalry more against Rafa?

[segueintoromanticism]

What's funny about this fandom is how quick people are to always jump on the Shubman hate train. It feels like they don't actually like him as a person and are only there till he is giving them the content for the ships.

[look-at-the-stars-tonight]

the amount of effort that goes into figuring out what to cook and eat every day is RIDICULOUS. i used to think people were so weird and boring for eating the same thing every single day but it truly does make life so much easier

[girl-please-study]

13/25 Days Of Productivity

Went to college today and it was a miracle that I got seat in every metro I took, otherwise it's always too packed to even stand. Had a lot of time on my hand so I decided to arrange my Google Library!

Ps. Happy Radha Ashtami <3

Study Time : 1.5 hours

[b4kuch1n]

dip pen ink comm round 3! for one Bakugames, one Mouse, and one Sol

[indian-kahani]

Day 6: 5+1 things [DESI LGBT+ FEST]

I just wanted to write something today so here you go! this idea came to me in the middle of class lol, i was really stumped for what to write for this prompt so luckily i came up with something in the end!

also new ocs!! anshika x padma, i plan to expand more on them (and my oc-verse in general) during more of the other prompts

tagging: @desi-lgbt-fest - hope you like it!

Anshika wondered when the class would end. Her gaze strayed to the teacher’s moustache as it wobbled up and down with each sentence he spoke. She smiled lazily and twirled her pen around again, staring blankly at the many doodles in her book. Again, the teacher’s outrageously thick moustache caught her eye.

Fifteen minutes till the end of class.

She imagined what it might feel like to touch it. Hairy and gross, probably. She shuddered at the thought.

God, I feel sorry for his wife.

She cracked a lopsided grin at the thought, thinking about how terrible it would be to have to be the teacher’s wife and suffer through a kiss with that bear-fur moustache in the way.

Twelve minutes till the end of class.

Just as she thought she might fall asleep where she sat, a piece of paper was flicked onto her desk. In the blink of an eye, her expression brightened as she dropped her pen, looking eagerly at her girlfriend’s back.

Padma turned around, and flashed her a flirty wink. Almost immediately, Anshika blushed, and ducked her head to look at her lap while opening the note.

The note was simple enough: Five reasons you love me?

Anshika picked up her pen, genuinely deep in thought. There were so many things she could write.

1) You’re a smooth talker.

“Hey, Anshu!” Padma leaned against the locker, looking Anshika up and down. It was the school’s annual Own Clothes Day, and Anshika had spent hours picking out the perfect outfit, denying to herself that it was because she wanted Padma to notice her. “Cute outfit. I like the jeans especially.”

Although she’d prepared for that moment for nearly an hour the night before, practising a smooth thanks as she opened her locker, Anshika fumbled and blushed as she had to look away.

“Thanks…” she whispered. “I like your jacket.”

Padma’s smile grew as she twirled around to showcase the outfit better. “Really? Thanks, girl. You have a good eye for fashion so I know I did good.”

The way she’d said it, coupled with her killer smile, still made Anshika want to hide her head in her hands until she was composed enough to look up.

The memory made her smile even as she wrote it down on the paper. To think she’d ended up with Padma still awed her every day. She didn’t know how she’d lucked out, to have a beautiful, kind, loving, amazing….

God, that list could go on forever.

She shook her head, tapping her pen against her chin. Her eyes brightened as an idea came to her.

2) You’re a good dancer

It was a monsoon evening – Indradev was clearly determined to let Bengaluru feel the full might of his power, rain splashing down relentlessly, flooding the streets with cool water. Anshika looked up from her homework as a shrill whistle sounded outside her window.

She gaped, mouth wide open, at the sight in front of her.

“Padma?” she was out of the door in a second, clutching an umbrella and staring at her girlfriend in utter disbelief. “PADMA, you idiot! What are you doing?”

She ran to shield her with the umbrella, unable to take her eyes off of her gorgeous kurta that stuck to her damp skin, chest heaving with the effort of dancing in the rain, slim waist emphasised by-

Woah, woah. Slow down. She thought.

Managing to tear her eyes off of her girlfriend, Anshika looked up to see a mischievous smirk playing on Padma’s face. Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Padma? What are you-”

In one swift movement, Padma knocked the umbrella out of Anshika’s hand and kissed her on the cheek. Rain drenched her in seconds, making her thin t-shirt and skirt cling to her figure.

The spot seemed to burn with a lively fire as Anshika brought her fingers to touch it.

“Come on, baby!” Padma was already raising her arms to the sky, throwing her head back in bliss. “Let’s dance!”

Anshika had been too embarrassed to admit that she couldn’t dance, but the free, flowing way that Padma was moving seemed so liberating.

Soon, they were both spinning in the rain, their homework long forgotten.

Anshika hid a secret smile at how silly they had been – newly dating, getting used to the idea of being close to each other as more than friends. Relishing in the experience that would come to them perhaps once-in-a-lifetime.

Nine minutes left of class.

She had better get a move on if she wanted Padma to read the note before the end. She racked her brains for an idea.

3) You make me feel pretty

“Wow, Anshika. Looks nice, but… have you considered losing some weight? All the modern, fashionable models weigh around…” Tanul looked Anshika up and down as she curled into herself. “…ten, fifteen kilos less than you?”

Anshika’s throat felt dry and parched. Everything she had wanted to say died on her tongue as, not for the first time, she looked down at her body and hated what she saw. All this ugly flab… her stomach wasn’t toned at all and her thighs seemed so fat when she sat down!

Of course, she had felt that way before, but this was the first time someone else had pointed it out.

Just then, a small laugh cut across the silence. “What do you mean, Tanul?” Padma, her saviour, leaned her elbows on the table casually as she offered her signature tilted-head smile. “I think Anshika’s figure is really nice! After all, a bit of definition in terms of body shape suits so many more clothing styles than tall and thin.”

Padma turned to her, looking her up and down just as Tanul had done barely seconds ago. “Hmm… oh yeah, some of my clothes would look so good on you. Plus, you always wear those nice tops with those loose jeans-”

Anshika knew the ones she was talking about, but was flustered that she remembered. They were her favourite pair.

“-and with that one jacket you always wear, it looks so good.” For a second, Padma looked almost envious. “Most of the clothes I buy hang off me as if I was a scarecrow.” She held up her thin wrist laughingly, and suddenly, Anshika felt a lot better.

Nowadays, what with Padma complimenting her nearly every day (and her attempting to do so back despite her shyness), god knows she felt so much more comfortable in her own body, not so pressured to conform to the unrealistic standards all over the place.

4) You call me cute names

“Ay, meri jaan.” Padma swung a hand around her shoulders easily as they walked through the corridors, flashing her a cheesy smile. Anshika had blushed, and then returned the hug. “Good to see you too, Padma.”

“Sweetiepie, I don’t think that’s how you do it.” Leaning over her maths book as she explained a problem to her.

“Of all the things, you call me ‘sweetie pie’?” Anshika had deadpanned, brushing her away teasingly. “You lovesick fool.”

“You’re so smart, babe.” Pouting as Anshika corrected her Hindi homework.

“What’s all this ‘babe’, ‘cutie’, ‘meri jaan’ stuff?” Anshika asked her one day, amused. “If you focused so much on schoolwork as you did on giving me nicknames, you would be top of the class.”

“I want to give you nicknames that are as cute as you!” she had beamed. Winking at her slyly, “what do you think, meri jaan?”

After that, Anshika couldn’t find it in her to refuse the nicknames.

What was the newest one? Oh yeah, bantu or something equally cutesy. She would never admit it to Padma, not in a million years, but she adored the effort she put into finding her new nicknames almost every day. It was a lot more than just liking the names. It was one of the biggest reasons she was falling more and more in love with her every single day.

5) You give nice hugs!

The number of times Padma kept hugging her was uncountable, and although Anshika had never really liked hugs – these hugs were different. Warm and comfortable, and something about them felt just like coming home.

Anshika looked at the sheet again. It didn’t feel like enough. She always wanted to give Padma more love, more and more so she really knew how much she was appreciated and loved.

5 + 1) You send me memes at 3am whenever I can’t sleep

After all, if that wasn’t the indicator of true love, then what was?

With three minutes left until the end of class, Anshika flicked the note back over to Padma. Sure, she felt cringe, but it was all worth it when a smile lit up her face, as bright as a thousand suns.

of course, for 5+1 i just had to put memes at 3am. would i even be a tumblr user if i didnt???

[voluptuarian]

As landback efforts here become more successful I can't help but wonder how long it will take for indigenous reclamation to be described as the predations of settler colonists

[your-friendly-neighbourh00d-fag]

andrew

SAY LESS ive been thinking about a cowboy au ever since i read the words "neil was dressed as a zombie cowboy for halloween". liek. hello.

[silverselfshippingchaos]

k.abru d.ungeon m.eshi the man that you are...

[rafole]

just maxxed out my being gay online card

[pidgefudge]

hmm