#but he is misogynistic in ‘sees women as lesser/weaker/othered’

[stardust-falling]

*taps microphone*

Shen Jiu isn’t a feminist, he just hates men.

*drops mic and runs*

[starship-imzadi]

S5 E17 The Outcast

Androgyny is defined as having both male and female characteristics so that a specific gender cannot be determined.

Jonathan Frakes has reportedly gone on record to express his belief that Soren should have been cast with a male actor as it would have sent a stronger message. And I absolutely agree.

As it is, Soren identifies as a woman and is played by a woman which is just reestablishing a heteronormative status quo. In fact, all of the credited cast who portray the J'naii are women.

I have a problem with this. Often times the dichotomy of western heterosexual gendering is seen as "the haves and the have nots". E.g. men have body hair, women do not (which is absolutely untrue). Women are emotional, men are not (also absolutely untrue). Women as "the weaker sex" are often seen as "without" and androgyny is sometimes construed as being more "without" because it's supposed to be lacking the characteristics that give definition or.... features that are identifiable as a certain gender. Casting all women to be androgynous is, in a way, sexist for this reason. Though the non speaking and background J'naii are far enough away they seem less defined and more androgynous (some might be cast with men but it's not possible to tell...which is the way it should be).

Okay...so, Riker gets a bad rap for his struggle with pronouns and misgendering BUT what he's doing is actually incredibly important and valuable. Riker is canonically an American, heterosexual, cis gendered, Caucasian, male. He is the character that the most privileged, and most represented demographic will see themselves in and relate to. He is put in a position where he doesn't understand the experience of the person opposite him, he's trying his best and he makes mistakes, but he's also demonstrating that he's open to learning.

I've also seen some small uproar, especially from younger viewers (I'm looking at anyone born after the year 2000) over the writers not using they/them pronouns "I do not think there is really a translation". It is true that "they" as a pronoun to refer to a non specific person in common speech has been in use since the time of Shakespeare. Up until women's suffrage in legal context the pronoun used was "he" without specifically meaning a man. I.e. those pronouns were place holders for an unknown person regardless of gender or sex. Non masculine or feminine pronouns used to refer to a known individual is a slightly different story. There have been many different pronouns developed and used to greater or lesser extent through the entire 20th century (e.g. Hir or Xe) However, none of them really caught on for regular use across the entire language. "They" has been adopted most successfully because it is already in the language but its prominent use and acceptance wasn't until between approximately 2013 and 2015. This episode aired in 1992.

I really like that early on Soren and Riker are given an established shared interest. Too often on this show two people are put together....and it's not clear why they like each other. In such a short span of time it's tough to establish a believable new relationship, but this is a good first step.

They've known each other two days? It is reminiscent of "The Masterpiece Society" just a few episodes ago where Troi started to fall in love after five days. (Maybe they're both just very loving people.)

Also, in the midst of the misgendering, I'm pleased that the writers (or whoever) chose for Riker to use "he" because it plays against this species that's supposed to be androgynous but... Have a tendency to look feminine.

Riker's dad had a recipe for split pea soup...I wonder when he ever cooked it though. Riker mentions that it's good for cold Alaskan nights and it's the second episode in recent memory of his mentioning that he's from Alaska (the other was "Conundrum") I can't actually remember it being mentioned prior to that episode.... though there's a good chance it was established in the "Icarus Factor" and i know it's mentioned again in "Lower Decks"

A lot of the focus on this episode from fans seems to be on Soren being transgender but the J"aii are also homosexual. Riker and Soren have two different paradigms that are represented as neither worse nor better nor even given a moral label, they're just different. (Although, the J'naii's insistence that Soren cannot be male or female in gender or sex, is clearly meant to be the reciprocal of any insistence by humans that we can only be male or female in gender and sex.)

"I like one who's intelligent, sure of herself, who I can talk with and get something back. But the most important thing of all, she has to laugh at my jokes."

This conversation has a great sub text: different men like different things in women (and vis versa) so for someone to even identify as "heterosexual" doesn't mean every member of a different sex is attractive to them. And it begs the question: why are so many people with different qualities all under the same gender "umbrella"?

I've seen screen caps of Soren asking about human male genitals but they only show Riker's surprise. Really he deserves more credit because he handles the question really well. The way he handles everything very kindly and graciously, and the fact that Soren continues to ask questions, is a real testament to the safe place that he makes for discussion and curiosity.

There's some... dark humour in how Star Trek talks about misogyny and sexism. It's one of the notable hypocrisies and failings in star trek: to talk about a better future, while still operating on damaging ideals, and without any real idea of the journey it would actually take for society to reach "better". Both Gate and Marina had struggles with how they and their characters were treated compared to the men.

Oh boy. Worf's sexism fluctuates a lot, but when they need someone to be a misogynist, Worf is the go to and it's always painful. And Data asks the innocent, child-like questions. With a scene like this there are unfortunate reflection on some of the characters BUT the main purpose of the scene is, a slightly heavy handed, means of proposing different view points for representation and comparison. It's not really about the characters at all.

I'll say just from experience with that long hours spent working together will create some sort of bond for pretty much any two people. Love or other wise.

This scene is clearly about Soren coming out to Riker. And he takes it as kindly as he has everything else so far.

Geordi has a beard! (LeVar apparently grew it for his wedding)

"good hunting commander"

"thank you sir. See you for dinner." Do Riker and Picard have dinner together? (I love a good found family shared meal).

I really like this scene between Will and Deanna.

"well this one looks like you" with the teddy bear absolutely gets me every time. And Deanna's side look! I love their friendship and comfort together.

"You're my friend and I thought... I don't know, i thought I should tell you."

"I'm glad you did"

"Nothing will change between us, will it?"

"Of course it will. All relationships are constantly changing. But we'll still be friends, maybe better friends. You're a part of my life, and I'm a part of yours. That much will always be true."

This really hits home. Regardless of the label for their relationship, regardless of the details of the boundaries of their relationship, Troi is affirming for Riker that they are important enough to each other, that he is important enough to her, that she will stay in his life and keep him in hers. In a way this touches on what was established way back "Haven". The characterizations were still being sorted out to a large extent, but when Troi was due to be married Riker thought he was losing her and Troi ask him "i am no longer imzadi to you?" But even as much as they love each other, Riker isn't taking for granted that Troi will stay in his life once he becomes involved with someone. Troi is assuring him, promising to him, that she will stay. And the fact that Riker went to her, to tell her about him and Soren, was his way of demonstrating to Troi that she is still important to him, and that he wants to keep her in his life too.

Props to Riker for protecting Soren. Not only did he keep her secret he tried to help her preserve it.

This is a really good and impassioned speech that, even though its clearly about legislation against homosexuality, doesn't feel over the top like a lot of star trek speeches can. It's probably one of the better speeches not given by Picard.

This is the second episode in a row Riker has gone to Picard for guidance...kind of.

It's kind of sweet that Worf offers as a friend to help Riker jeopardize his career, for the sake of someone important to him, even though he doesn't like or understand the J'naii.

In the end, the Enterprise must maintain its status quo, so much like "The Host", there had to be a reason then love interest cannot stay. Even if the reason is honestly so disheartening and sad. I genuinely believe Riker cared for Soren, and this is so devastating. This was probably the best single episode relationship in terms of development.

Picard is so gentle and subtle with Riker.

Engage (!)

[kazbrkker]

Chapter 7: Bloody Reunions

Chapter summary: Time to get the Wolf. Alexis conducts interrogations like the badass she is, but sometimes it sucked being that good at her job. (Protective couple... you don’t even have to squint.)

Warnings: Misogynistic POS, emotional detachment, blood and violence, mild graphic detail of torture. (4490 words... i went hAM lol)

28 October 2019, 0630 "Alexis" and "Alex" | Codename Aces CIA with Demon Dogs Rammazan, Urzikstan

   "Place is a freaking morgue."

Judging by the piles of stacked bodies on the medical beds, it was a justified statement. Morgue might be an idoneous word for hospital. The patronising smell of death bypassed her as usual, but not the disturbing scene of unnaturally still bodies.

The handiwork of Roman Barkov.

There was a twisted satisfaction when Alexis shoved another magazine in her M4A1, knowing one of these bullets had Barkov's name mentally carved into it. She couldn't wait to see it lodged between his eyes.

"Check the bodies..." Sergeant Griggs ordered. The Marines and both CIA agents warily slithered along the occupied stretchers and medical beds—hoping none of them was sleeping with a gun.

It was a gut-wrenching sight. Bloodshed and raw injuries everywhere they turned. Not even sure if those alive should be considered lucky.

Suddenly, one of the civilians bolted into a sitting position, making everybody on edge. Frantic shouts and language barrier only escalated the chaos. Not willing to see another dead body, Alexis interjected in mediocre Arabic, calmly demanding the man to lay back down.

"More than a pretty face..." She looked distastefully over her shoulder, the Marine didn't bother wiping the smirk off his face and instead, shamelessly winked. Revolting, but she merely rolled her eyes, though a much younger her wouldn't hesitate to deck his face.

Gender discrimination in the military was a blast. There came a time when a heavy chip weighed down her shoulders—excruciating, yet she thrived under it. Often, some misogynistic meathead would challenge her.

Emotional, weaker, probably a lousy spotter, wouldn't last a week in the jungle.

Eventually, they all ate their words.

Alexis broke through every damn glass ceilings she went: the only female recruit in her company, made Lieutenant, then transferred to JSOC's Task Force Black. Impossible was understating things.

Her unconventional transfer to Task Force Black was a statement in itself. It finally felt like she earned it. Though she loved 88, the CIA was a nice change of scenery, where there were lesser suffocating males with inferiority complex and women were actually appreciated.

Five years later, such remarks were a humourless punchline to her. On the contrary, Alex fantasied how good Demon 1-2 would look with a bruise on his face. In the shape of his rifle stock.

Truthfully, even she considered shoving a middle finger. The weather was hot enough to vaporise her and having a tactical vest strapped against her sweaty body, was not it.

Things changed when another civilian to their 3 o'clock pulled out a gun targeted at the uniforms. While everyone was still busy hollering around, she shot a precise bullet between the hostile's eyes.

With a thud, the man fell off the stretcher.

The female agent scoffed, returning a satirical wink of her own, "Stay frosty, 1-2." He tripped around his words in shock, until Sergeant Griggs forced the gratitude out of him.

Well. If the Universe wanted to send it her way, who was she to reject it, right? She shook her head at the inevitable smirk on Alex, a subtle one hanging on her lips too.

It was a shame that the peace was ephemeral, by this time, several of Sergeant Griggs' men went radio silent. She religiously trailed behind Alex. They pushed further into the hospital, only to be met with a minigun.

"Mini my ass," Alexis laughed nervously as bullets sprayed inches away from tearing her abdominal—because of her ballsy move to switch covers.

"Holy fucking... Okay! Don't give me that look, Alex!"

She thanked the Heavens that Alex's yells were muffled over ricocheting bullets. Several smoke grenades later, Alex sniped the gunman and lo and behold, they finally reached a heavily chained door.

Score, imagery confirmed the Wolf was inside.

It was her job to clear the room while Alex secured the Wolf. Her index finger pressed lightly against the trigger, swallowing the adrenaline that dangerously swirled inside her. Upon Alex's signal, they sneaked in and hid behind messy shelves. The visual of the three missing Marines came into view, with one held hostage with a knife against his throat as the Wolf filmed another propaganda video.

"Check... Five hostiles."

"Affirmative. On my mark," Alex replied. A split second later, he tackled the Wolf from behind. His men's reactions were quick, but her years of muscle discipline was borderline supernatural.

"Clear!" Griggs rushed to untie his men. "You two good?"

Alexis nodded, tightening the zip ties uncomfortably around the Wolf's wrist. She began examining his body language, hopefully finding nibs of his tells to use against him in interrogation later.

Omar Sulaman was strangely calm for a man with a foiled plan. There was slight reluctance in his steps, but still, silence.

"Saint to Watcher, Wolf is in the bag."

Her voice was a stark contrast to the boyish tones that surrounded the room—earning the Wolf's attention, who made the bold decision to turn around abruptly.

"What are you doing here, daughter?"

Alexis felt the entire world's gaze burn into her side profile, equally as confused as the lot. She shrugged and walked away.

Inwardly, the interrogator inside was thrilled. The Wolf was in for a helluva surprise.

━━━━━

28 October 2019, 2100 Sakhra, Urzikstan

The air-conditioned room in the embassy was a godsend, not a word of complaint as the cold air blanketed her. Alexis, Alex, Farah and Hadir patiently waited for Price's arrival.

When Alexis expectingly popped a piece of mint gum, Alex knew. Though it didn't take an expert to discern the ominous aura around her. Alexis hadn't said more than what was necessary in the seven hours since they captured the Wolf, busying herself to study the Wolf.

Alex was smarter than to cut in between. Like Alexis said, she was damn good at her job. Interrogation was one of her most valued expertise, perhaps arguably why the CIA wanted her so badly and the reason why JSOC refused to let her go.

There was a secret to her tactics—compartmentalise. Alexis sat opposite the Wolf, gaze cold as ice. It was a chilling sight even for Alex.

Unscrewing his bottle, Alex greedily rehydrated himself, still observing Alexis. The grittier bite in her tactics was certainly noticeable. He guessed it had something to do with her incident. Having been captured once or twice, that was the closest Alex came to ever understanding her.

Sometimes Alex swore he never got her back.

Physical detachment was a given while she was... compartmentalising, although the rising situation gave him no choice. A shiver ran down his spine as he tapped her shoulders. At the slight arch of her eyebrows, "Bravo's three mikes out."

Alexis blinked slowly in comprehension, not realising Alex's first announcement shot past her. She nodded methodically, the metal chair screeched as she got up. She charged determinedly to an isolated hallway and slipped down against the wall, burying her head in her tucked knees. Despite the rapid intakes of breaths, it didn't suffice.

She loathed every single second in interrogations. Doing the Devil's work, she thought. The irony in this situation was her call sign. For someone called Saint, she didn't know anything else more normal than this.

Saint wasn't a moniker given to her because she was virtuous, innocent or some shit like that. Hilarious to think that, for its darker origin.

Every time she conducted an interrogation, she had to subdue the gag-inducing hypocrisy. How could she, after St. Petersburg?

The reports claimed it was a miracle she survived. Fuck that, what did they know.

That birthday was memorable, to say the least. He had even arranged something special that faithful day—nothing said happy birthday! more than electrocution.

152 days.

"ты прекрасна, ангел... (You are beautiful, angel..)"

"Fuck!" Her eyes shot open, desperate to let the ugly fluorescent light blind the image. Autonomously, her fingers scratched wildly across her arms. After a particularly deep breath, her head fell against the wall and like clockwork, she exhaled all her anxiety.

She was too good at pretending.

It was her desire to stay in solitude longer, but the shrilling embassy siren obviously had other plans. Doubling back, she found Alex at the doorway already looking for her.

"The Butcher and his men are about to breach. We need to leave, now." She peered into the room, barely seeing the tinted glow of the fire outside. Noticing the rising blood clots and angry red streaks on her forearms, Alex clenched his fists to restrain himself from reaching out, knowing she would only flinch. So, he settled for a hard swallow of his saliva, "Follow me."

Price's voice rang in their ears, "Saint and Echo 3-1, primary extraction failed. We're down on the roof."

"Understood. What's the call, Captain?"

"There's a saferoom in the basement. Head there. We'll be right behind you."

When they reached the basement, Alexis basically scrambled to the CCTVs for a sitrep–she had half a thought to join the sweep, eager to rid the hypocrisy from her systems. Eternity later, or in reality, twenty minutes later, their backup arrived.

Price.

The SAS Captain squeezed her upper arm in greeting. Lucky for her, it was where the bullet had previously scraped her. Price clapped Alex's back while glancing at her patched-up injury, "That fast, huh?"

Missed you too, old man, she thought, rolling her eyes as a response. Her coldness confused the Captain, eyes darting to Alex for an answer. He understood when Alex cocked his head at the Wolf.

"Let's move. Clock's ticking."

"You heard her..." Price ordered the Sergeant to direct the Ambassador secretary to safety and the rest headed to the parking lot. While Price and Farah went to retrieve the Ambassador's secretary, the two CIA agents stood guard at the car park entrance.

Under the flashing red coat of the emergency lights, there was no mistaking in the comfort Alex's concerned nod brought her.

It was apparent that Alex was her anchor. But in this state, she couldn't bear to look at him for long, internally disgusted by herself. All these years, she was petrified to ask if he was repulsed by her hypocrisy.

Then, she felt the hesitant touch of a coarse, large hand. She accepted it immediately—much to Alex's surprise. Their fingers intertwined secretly in the dimly lit hallway. Her eyes had long adapted to the darkness, able to witness Alex looking down at her and just like that, a sense of serenity flowed through her.

The unreadable expression on his face was a stranger to her in all their time together. Under the magnetic allure of Alex's gaze and the soothe whirring of his touch, it felt like they were worlds away from a war zone. Until gunshots unforgivingly interrupted.

She immediately retracted her hand.

Afterwards, the group slotted the obtained garage keycard. They fought through waves of Al-Qatala soldiers in low light, courtesy of the lacking streetlights.

The Ambassador's residence was no sanctuary either, as another wave of AQ fighters drew closer. Afraid the rising situation might delay their timeline, Price ordered her to start interrogations immediately. Her heart jumped at the unexpected news, suddenly thrown in the ring.

Hadir and Farah sent nods of encouragement before running out the residence. Price, despite raging at Laswell through the comms, mustered one last small smile for her.

That left Alex, who looked equally worried as her. Wordlessly, he tapped at the base of his neck. She understood instantly, feeling the cool metal of his dog tag against her skin. Obviously they had airtight obligations to not carry personal items, zero accountability and all, but it was Alex. She had corrupted him enough to not give a fuck.

The dog tag was nothing informative, only a simple 'X' carved messily from Alex's kitchen knife. Useless to her enemy, but deadly if it was ever pried from her neck.

It was a matching set. She mysteriously woke up with it after that night with Alex. His way of saying they'd always have a piece of each other.

With one last longing look, that unbeknownst to both of them—burned their insides, Alex left her alone with the Wolf.

━━━━

Her immediate observation? The Wolf was talkative.

It didn't faze her—narcissists simply could not shut up. Past thirty minutes, zero words retaliated and the Wolf was still going on.

Please. She wanted to yawn. Her legs swung restlessly while she sat on a table, undermining whatever authority the Wolf thought he had. The folklores he told in his grandiose sense of self-importance was vexing but valuable.

He hated women in combat. She learnt that when he tried to recruit Farah and even her, just minutes ago. Omar Sulaman thought women were weak.

Exciting.

As he rambled on, she almost failed to suppress a scoff. A woman wielding more power was his stressor, this meathead would be even easier to break.

"You have killer eyes," The Wolf said, tone switched from persuasive to intimidating. He exhausted everything—telling stories of what Barkov's men did to "weak" women, trying to scare her into his protection. Alexis hadn't bothered reacting, which pissed him off.

Victory surged past the fog of irritation inside her. She had conditioned the Wolf by staying quiet, truly a personal achievement. His narcissistic tendencies were itching to get out, evident from how he was desperately reaching for straws.

Alexis reached for her stripped vest and carelessly dug around for a plastic bottle. Popping the lid open, she chucked a mint gum in preparation.

It was time. Clouded by anger, he'd make mistakes that she would catch.

"Somebody hurt you."

She couldn't resist a huff at his eleventh-hour tactics. So the Wolf was now gunning for her emotional side? Fine, she'd bite.

"Don't act like you know me."

"Oh, child... I know more than you think. The look in your eyes, fear..." The Wolf paused, smirking arrogantly even at her mocking smile. "You put a great act, daughter. But I've been around longer than you... seen more."

"I bet... Because what makes a freedom fighter wake up and decide to switch sides?" Alexis circled him in pretence thought, "Money?" Noticing his jaw clenched, she pressed on it. "Power? That's why you made those videos?"

Alexis interrupted at the sounds of his protest, "Surely freedom fighters must not pay well. Maybe you got sick of that and switched?"

"I didn't switch sides! I was always on the right side."

"And what side is that?"

"The winning side," He snapped, "This occupation will never end if we hold sympathy for others."

A narcissist with a saviour complex, laughable. Alexis returned to stand in front of him, the grin ever present on her face. "But you didn't deny my claims—you want money and power."

The Wolf wanted to charge at her but was tied by the restraints, heavy creases in his forehead as he snarled, "No! I am saving Urzikstan!"

"Murdering people is saving them? I know people just like you, hiding behind a cause. After you kill Barkov, you will only start your own regime." Alexis chuckled darkly, "I'm not gonna let you do that. Don't bother holding out, nobody's coming to save you."

"Is that what you tell yourself?" At her strained expression, he continued, "If I die today, I die a hero. You? Your death will be meaningless, a secret." He continued laughing, "You Westerners... Busybodies, you have no business here. The price for that is death–"

He paused, not because of her killer gaze, but as if something in him clicked, "You have no family... That's why you are here." Loud waves of laughter escaped from the man, like he figured it out. And fuck, he did, word for word.

Alexis must have reached Nirvana or gained enlightenment, shocked by her restrain to not blow Omar Sulaman's brains out. She dare not move a muscle, refused to prove him right.

"When my men come, and they will. I will spare you, kill everybody but you. Maybe even make you watch that young man who loves you so much. Then, you shall know fear, child..."

That was it, her trigger point. Blood red. Hot flashes of anger. Picturing Alex's dead body was enough to chuck everything up. The wrathful voice inside her absolutely shattered her restrain, no longer concerned with not letting the Wolf gain an edge.

Alexis bit.

In a flash, she tipped his chair behind and roughly circled a hand around his neck.

"Don't. You think you know fear? You don't know shit until you carve your name on a disgusting brick wall with your bloody fingernails because it was the only way anyone would know what happened to you." Alexis spat, eyes boring at the choking man rendered helpless under her. "So don't fucking talk to me about fear, old man."

When the Wolf thrashed around to breathe, she waited another three seconds before releasing him—the once tipped chair landing wobbly with a sharp shriek. Her sudden outburst gained a new terror visible in the Wolf's eyes. No longer the delicate soldier his sanctimonious mind painted her as.

"Now," She slapped the invisible dust off her hands, tone bouncing scarily fast to normal. "Where is the gas?"

"I... I don't know."

Sighing, she wiped the sweat off her forehead and asked again. Still receiving the same reply, "And I don't believe you. Nothing escapes the Wolf. Someone stole the gas and you knew about it..." Alexis abruptly paused, fingers tapped against her forehead, "No, wait. You made a deal. Help whoever steal the gas and they promise to help you chase the foreign powers out?"

His silence was abundant.

There wasn't a tinge of remorse when her fingertips glided along a screwdriver.

"Since you have been here for much longer... You know this next part." As soon as she wiggled the screwdriver between her fingers, Alexis had him in the bag. The slight twitch under the Wolf's right eye was his tell, fear. Alexis witnessed it when she choked the living hell out of him.

Too damn easy. She should dress a big fat red ribbon across him right now.

"And since you know me so well," She gestured between them, "You definitely know that I'm a big believer in second chances. Right your wrongs, blah blah. I'll give you second chances. Many more, actually, I'm pretty generous... But I'm not sure if you can take it." With that, she ruthlessly stabbed into his left thigh, a devious smile spreading wider with the increased intensity of his screams. The metal tip squelched when she dug around.

"The gas?"

"I... Stop!" The Wolf bellowed in pain when she yanked it out, sprays of blood following. For someone called the Wolf, he had an embarrassing low pain tolerance.

She tilted his chin up, pleased as she surveyed the sweat that broke. "Here's your second chance. Third is when I snap your femoral artery and hang you for all of Urzikstan to see you bleed out. Your legacy will be a joke."

"Y–You can't do that..." He shook his head weakly, eyes blinking in pain. "Everyone will know the Americans are here... You'll be buried with me."

Reducing to eye level, she smiled wholeheartedly, "I'll make sure to dig a grave big enough for us both. Last call... Your third chance is coming," Alexis taunted, nodding towards the electrical screwdriver—witnessing the fear shudder across his body. "Where is the gas?"

She came so close to breaking him, practically seeing the words trying to tumble out of his mouth. Literally a blink later, a truck wildly crashed into their room, crumbling the house's weak foundations. Jerking to a standing position, she instantly reached for her sidearm and fired.

At least five men exited the truck, spraying bullets that forced her to tuck her body behind the slim profile of a cupboard.

They had AKs and she had a handgun, do the math.

She hurriedly pressed her comms, "I lost visual on the Wolf!"

Her instincts wrangled between fight or flight, seeing that she was severely outnumbered and the door was literally on her left. But the morality in her warred on. Suppressed under heavy fire, she still had no visual of the Wolf, but assumed he was freed by now.

She yelped in surprise as a painful tug tossed her out into the open. A burly man wasted no time to attack her. She barely raised her Glock 21 before he swiftly grabbed her wrist and pressed the magazine release button.

He wanted to reach for her Glock's slide lock before she elbowed his jaw, making him stumble backwards but made a quick recovery. He threw her into the metal table and she lost the grip on her gun.

Alexis' back arched painfully across the table, hands scrambling for purchase to rid the tightening hands around her neck. She weakly tried to pry in between his arms, but her lungs burned from the depleting oxygen. Fingers scrambling to poke his eyes and finally mustering enough strength, she sent a cheap blow to his nuts. He hunched over just enough for her to inhale loudly.

Seeing that, the Wolf's man started firing again.

She kneed him in the gut, put him in a chokehold and propped him up as her shield. The man's body jerked in reaction to every bullet he received.

Her ears picked up on the distinct sound of M4A1s approaching closer to her location. The Wolf motioned to leave, dust spluttering her way as their truck wildly reversed, with the Wolf grinning victoriously in the passenger seat.

"We will meet again, daughter! And your lovely man."

He left her alive. Like he said he would.

Miraculously still breathing, the man in her grasps used this distraction to tug on her legs. Seconds later, she felt a splitting pain in her head.

She was on the ground when she reopened her eyes, hazily feeling a wet sensation drip down her temples. The pain mirrored a wave, boggling inside her. Black spots started to consume the edges of her sight.

No no no.

From her blurry vision, she managed to squint out something glimmering in her 12 o'clock—she assumed a knife or her god damn screwdriver coming back to bite her ass.

Not like this.

The shuffles of dragged footsteps echoed in her brain, almost a warning from her body. She blindly saw the shift in light source, presuming he was walking towards her.

Incoherent words tumbled out, forcing herself to speak so she wouldn't pass out. Shaking, she pushed her upper body off the floor and stretched for her fallen sidearm...

That one bullet in the Glock's chambers was still waiting.

More blood flowed messily down her head, further impairing what was left of her vision.

Muscle memory dictated the rest—the grainy grip of her Glock, index finger looped around the trigger.

Alexis prayed when she fired.

At the assuring sound of a body collapsing, so did Alexis.

━━━━━

Price was the one to spot her.

"Clear!" He burst open the door, finding a jarring hole in the walls and an unconscious Alexis laying beside a dead man.

"Shit," Kyle said from beside him. "Is she breathing?"

Price shouted for Alex and the man instantly appeared beside him. Careful not to move her unnecessarily, two shaky fingers checked Alexis' pulse, Price felt his heart threatened to burst out.

"She's alive."

No one heaved louder than Alex. They examined her injuries, a large gash splashed across her right temple that hopefully a few stitches would solve. But her unconsciousness was troubling.

"How long has it been?"

"More than a minute..."

"Fuck, we need to do something!" Alex yelled frantically. Please, please, please wake up. Her chances of a brain injury increased by the seconds. Fuck! He should have stayed with her, why didn't he stay?

His hands gently cupped the sides of her face, feeling an onslaught of tears starting to form amidst the rising stuffiness in his nose. As his light-blue jeans was tinted a carmine red, he decided this was his fault.

Alex jerked at the mention of his name.

"Let me clean her injuries..." Farah coaxed, a cloth that reeked of disinfectant in her hands. Alex reluctantly shifted, kneeling beside her laying body and watched Farah dab carefully, venomously demanding her to exact more care.

"Alex," A powerful grip tugged on his vest, lifting him to his feet to meet John Price. "Ease off. Let Farah and Hadir do the work."

"Captain..."

"She will be fine, trust me." Price chuckled to himself, "Unbelievable. That woman is still an excellent shot." He whistled lowly, staring at the man with a fatal shot to his heart.

Price said with a knowing look, "Clear your head, son."

"Yes sir," Alex exhaled, going to retrieve her fallen comms set on the floor.

Seconds later, Farah yelled for them. The two men doubled back, finding Farah holding Alexis down from wiggling about. Alex heard a groggy mumble of his name.

"Alex..." Alexis repeated, head rolling around despite the yells of protest. "Where..."

"Here! Here! I'm right here. You need to stop moving, baby." Alex skidded to her side and held her outreached hands. His eyes raking over her as if he had the superpower to mentally check her wellbeing.

A weak grin formed at the realisation that he was alive, breathing and right before her. "The Wolf... He... The escaped... He... car... men."

"Shhh, we'll get him," Hadir tried to pacify her while handing Farah a clean cloth.

Ten minutes passed before she started making sense and was fully conscious. Though the pounding in her head was enough to last a lifetime. Her eyes averted to the dead man.

Jesus, the pain...

"Alexis." Price sternly warned.

"Get me up... I'm fine... Don't be a pussy."

Carefully positioning her to sit up, she weakly laid against Alex's chest. The man could care less when her blood seeped into his shirt—evident as he steadied her head against his own, refusing to let her move it wildly.

Staring at her bewildered teammates, she hazily slurred: "Well. Don't all of you look like shit."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓

a/n: i really went with the "i'm injured and my lover finds me and cradles me in my blood" trope and y'know what. y'all are welcome ;) btw sry for the late update... i edited this chapter 17 times lol i was so insecure about it. thanks for waiting lovers!

taglist: @flyboidameron​​ @wanderlustgiant​​ (wanna be tagged? lmk!)

[discipleofhethiss]

Does your OC have any piercings or tattoos? If so, is there a story or meaning behind any of them?, Does your OC have an opinion on other troll tribes? Do they discriminate against any of them?, and Is your OC misogynist/sexist? Do they have an opinion on the position of female trolls in their tribe?

1) Does your OC have any piercings or tattoos? If so, is there a story or meaning behind any of them?

Zin’Vik has a large tattoo on the left side of his body! Any piercings he holds are virtually closed by now, but he’s pierced his ears before, his shoulders, his biceps… But eventually after leaving them alone for a long while, they kind of closed on their own, albeit, a lot of them were cut off then regenerated. Being a troll is handy for removing many of those unsightly scars! 

However, there is a huge story behind his tattoos. Because while it’s all connected, there are many there. So, I’ll keep the stories brief. Best seen in 1) and 2). The two “arrows” on his chest are to symbolize the loss of his first mate and child, the longest one being his mate and the shortest one his child. Each one on equal ground, as he loved them both greatly but the same, with the streaks coming down from the side to have a semblance of the blood/tears that it left him in. (Don’t worry, it’s all edgy, so just in case you were worried) The “blood/tears” carries to his arm, meaning it lead him to take up “arms” against what caused their deaths, and the streaks of blood/tears only got shorter until it soon lead him to, you guessed it (if you looked at the 1) picture) more blood and tears. A lot more. Now there are no arrows, only blood. More sacrifice, and more loss, but none of it really pierced his heart as did the first two times. If you look above it, you may be able to piece together it vaguely looks like the face of a snake. There is no coincidence in that, as it was Hethiss who brought much of that blood, and Zin’Vik gave it willingly. Then you loop around (as none are on his back), right above the two arrows is a saw-like tattoo, a simple one, meant to symbolize his cut off with the past. No one will likely ever know this ICly, but, it’s good to write about it sometimes (even if very briefly stated, relatively). 

2) Does your OC have an opinion on other troll tribes? Do they discriminate against any of them?

He doesn’t like many others, in fact, he doesn’t hold a lot of love for anything but the Gurubashi, and even then it’s more of a “Oh cool we’re both the same kind of fucked” situation! But, despite all of that, his true opinions on someone is based on what he believes their soul holds, their actions show, and their truest intention underneath pressure. 

To add, he does discriminate against just about every tribe including his own. To briefly glance over it: 

He believes Farraki are all sand-crawling thieves who’d be very untrustworthy when placed in between a modicum of survival and others. (Although he understands, and may respect, the ability to survive at all costs) 

He believes Amani are vulgar idiots who would rather die than give up their pride and loose territory held ages ago. (Albeit he would rather see the Gurubashi reunite and retake Stranglethorn underneath a strong leader than see them turn to the Horde, as the Darkspear were the ones who went into Zul’Gurub in recent times) 

He believes the Drakkari are fools for “betraying their Loa” for a fruitless struggle for their territory from the Scourge. In his eyes only emboldening the Scourge with the death of their powerful Loa and adding more to their bodycount. (Although he knows it was a desperate action hoping to meet an end, but in the long-term it was a depressing outcome) 

He believes the Zandalari are arrogant for staying in their mountains while the other tribes died. Whether or not it was Zul’s actions in recent times, it lead to the death of many, many trolls of many tribes. A sour disposition was left towards them since he saw the rise and fall of the Hakkari in recent years, each time the Zandalari either sat around or assisted in the killing of more Gurubashi who may have been innocent and only trying to help their own home. While he believes Hakkar was a curse and not a blessing to be sought out, the fact that his own people resorted to trying to resurrect Hakkar after being ousted from the city after thousands of years was not due to an ambition for power, but rather, a desire to survive after decades of decline. (Despite this, he respects the King and his Council)

3. Is your OC misogynist/sexist? Do they have an opinion on the position of female trolls in their tribe?

Honestly, no not really. He’s seen a lot of sexism, but whether or not it’s present in his own culture, he has seen the rise of many powerful women. Whether canon or not! Warriors are not defined by their sex to him, those faithful to their Loa are not defined by what their gender is, only their ability. Despite the fact (also because Blizzard is a coward and won’t allow BIG women) that the males are larger on average, he’s seen that matter very little when in his tribe a very good equalizer is a decent amount of poison. In truth, he’d feel very stupid to believe a woman lesser/weaker than him. Knowing full well the two women in his life can kill him if they wanted to do so. 

(Thanks for the asks, @stonestridernerd! Took a bit of time writing these, I always enjoy these asks!) 

[xiil3gendary]

Hi, could you help me understand something? I finished DRv3 and I keep seeing people say that Kaito is misogynist. Where is this coming from? Are people blowing things out of proportion or am I completely oblivious? I just got that he was a little more firmly rooted in tradition (especially since he was raised by his grandparents). Where's the evidence for this claim? I know he was incredulous at Maki's "other" skills, but...I'm confused?

SPOILERS INCOMING!!!

Honestly I’ve never heard of this before, but then again I don’t spend a whole lot of time focusing on V3 cuz it really wasn’t one of my favorite games in the series. That being said, let’s take a look at this claim:

At the end of chapter 1 when Akamatsu is labeled “correctly” as the murderer, isn’t Momota one of the ones who leap to her defense? IF Momota was a misogynist wouldn’t he instead say something offensive like “women are weaker so obviously she deserves to die for what she did.”

The question becomes: why would a misogynist potentially risk his life for someone “lesser” than him?

Could it be that Momota is just suffering from teen syndrome? He’s a younger guy who perhaps isn’t as mature as others. Saying he’s old fashioned because he was raised by his grandparents is an interesting theory but also a little difficult for me to believe 100%.

Maybe he’s awkward around women. Maybe his vocabulary isn’t as refined as others (I remember him cursing a lot in the Japanese version and when I played the English version I skipped every dialogue I could to finish the game quickly).

He definitely DOES have a tendency to talk down to people, but this evidenced with male and female characters. He treats Saihara as his sidekick (a lesser role) to his lead detective role. Perhaps there’s some sort of perfect storm that brews around his character where people see him as a misogynist because of those qualities?

I certainly don’t see him as a misogynist. I see him more as like….a crude teen. In the events of the game he’s still just a kid. Others in the series ACT much more grown up (Kirigiri is a great example) so perhaps we sometimes forget that these kids are all at various stages of their maturity. I used to say terrible things to people. My vocabulary was offensive and not ok, but I grew up and out of that behavior. Maybe he just hasn’t reached that point.

Is there anything specific that you’ve seen that people often point to that spells out he’s a misogynist in their book? I’d be interested in knowing more.

Thanks for the ask.

[track-three]

on the master, misogyny, moffat, and lucy saxon.

it's taken me a really long time to get my thoughts together, and put my finger on why simm!master’s sexist lines in the doctor falls could be so hard to watch. especially considering that i don’t have this problem with s3.

naturally, people have compared this to what we saw of simm!master in rtd's era, and made good points that TDF isn't that out of character.

for me, though, it was. here's the result of me examining why, and what precisely didn't sit right with me about simm!master in TDF.

1. Are Simm!Master’s actions misogynist? Yes. Are they motivated by sexism? No.

The way I understand the Master is this: first and foremost, he values power. The Master is an amoral character who does not believe in good and evil, or right and wrong. He believes in doing what he wants - at his core, he's a hedonist. Power goes hand-in-hand with that, because power is the tool that gets the Master what he wants.

And the thing the Master wants most of all? Is the Doctor - his attention, his kinship, his approval, his suffering. often all at the same time, lest we forget the Master torturing the Doctor and then tenderly saving his life in less than 2 minutes of screentime

Simm!Master, in RTD’s run, is fully aware of human prejudices and how powerful they are. He exploits them time and time again, and uses them as precise psychological weapons:

Using Martha's family as domestic servants, dressing them up in maid uniforms - this is blatant racial degradation. The Master does it deliberately because he knows how much pain he can cause like this. The script itself literally refers to this as enslavement, and torture. For that reason. In every way, this action is condemned by the text as despicable.

In the same vein, the Master drops a nuke on japan. It is not coincidence that this is the same country which endured the horror of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is deliberately invoking the trauma of genocide, because it is powerful.

Homophobia - "It's the girly and the freak, although, I can't tell which is which". Pity that one doesn't work on Jack, but it hurts when we hear it. You cannot tell me that a queer man was not cognisant of what sort of hurt he was expecting Simm!Master to inflict on his victims, with that.

Sexism and misogyny - workplace sexual harassment committed against Tish, and Tanya on the Valiant. The former, to hurt Martha and her family, the latter to hurt Lucy.

Domestic abuse - do I need to explain this one? Not just physically abusing Lucy, but objectifying her, controlling her, gaslighting her, coercing her into sex with other women. (bear in mind that this is not specifically directed at women: Simm!Master strikes the Doctor in the face twice during his run, among other things. I suspect that anybody he loves or hates is fair game for abuse.)

i.e. Yeah, Simm!Master sees human prejudices and marginalisation as a very quick and easy shorthand for cruelty. But he is very clearly self-aware of how hurtful and disgusting these things are. He doesn't act this way because of inbuilt beliefs that these prejudices are correct - he acts this way because he knows how violent they are.

2. Simm!Master is definitely sexist. It’s just not in the way you think. (And it’s less problematic.)

Let’s move on to the meatier stuff.

"Killed by an insect! A girl! How inappropriate."

ah, the line that has launched a thousand arguments.

This is the sole part of the Master-misogyny argument that holds water: that the Master sees women as weaker. 

And he does - in his mind, they are physically less strong, more fragile, more emotional. and in his view  of what is powerful and what is not, these things add up to "weakness".

You'll find he holds the Doctor to the same standards - his emotions, his morals are seen as weakness, his "young and strong" body is seen as superior to Jacobi!Master's older form. He artificially ages the doctor, because he sees such ailments as weaker, inferior, and therefore humiliating. (Because for the Master, such experiences of physical debilitation are certainly humiliating.)

But the Master views humans with that same attitude of inferiority, too. Not just one gender. Hell, he treats humans as little better than animals: he eats them alive in EoT, because in his idea of a natural hierarchy, we are genuinely no different to  animals. This is reinforced by plenty of the Master’s comments as Missy.

Except - you know what? The narrative constantly reminds us that this attitude is not only totally wrong, but nine times out of ten, the narrative says this is the reason why the Master's plans don't succeed. He underestimated Lucy, he underestimated Martha, he underestimated Chantho, and even Jo Grant. He underestimates humans almost every time his plan goes arse-up. The qualities the Master believes are weak, inferior, lesser, are always given to the protagonists as strengths to bring him down.

*deep breath*

So, okay. let's put this together.

If it furthers his aims, the Master will be as sexist, racist, or as homophobic as he wants to be. And dozens of other kinds of violence, if he's in a position to exploit them.

Half the time, those aims are hurting the Doctor. And such vile disregard of personhood, towards the Doctor’s closest friends, is probably the nastiest weapon he could choose.

In these cases - the Master is always aware what sort of weight they carry. They’re not inbuilt beliefs. They’re calculated choices.

In the other cases, the Master pastes a fundamentally flawed worldview on top of the spectrum of human (and alien) diversity. In the Master's world, the only sort of inherent worth a person can have is "power" - with him at the top of this theoretical hierarchy, all other life ordered below. And yes, (human) feminine qualities get placed below masculine ones. 

We can have some very interesting chats about what that says about the Master's psychology, but if you take some notice that he has to place himself at the top of that ladder to begin with, undoubtedly to find his own self-worth; that a lot of these "feminine" qualities are strengths the Doctor possesses and the Master despises, that so much of the Master’s concept of “power” relies on physical force and violence...well, I hope you can see that it doesn't entirely come down to sexism. Not in our understanding of the term.

3. Why was I so uncomfortable, then?

Okay, let’s wrap this up.

How is Moffat's Simm different to RTD’s Simm? Because nothing about Moffat’s Master’s misogyny speaks of being self aware. In RTD’s run, he chooses cruelty because he understands what power and effect it has over the people he wishes to control. It's a means to an end: an utterly calculated choice. Yes, even the sexism.

In Moffat's run, he doesn't seem to have a concept of the pain he's inflicting on others. The source of his cruelty is suggested to be as simple as that: he is incapable of understanding the hurt, the violence he brings upon others. 

"Becoming a woman is one thing, but have you got...empathy?" 

Sexism is no longer a chosen weapon, because it is violent and cruel. Sexism is a state of being, because he does not understand it is violent and cruel.

And that? That's why you found it so hard to watch.

For more excellent thought-pieces around this topic: @wibblywobblywritery has a way-more-eloquent writeup here!

[facesofkay]

Jesus Christ was a ladies' man

Happy  Palm Sunday everyone! Are you all churching alright? Let the Bible-thumping Christian shout Amen!  Jesus is about to make his majestic walk in Jerusalem like the Ol’ G he is!  And in a week’s time, these disloyal heifers have crucified him! But in the meantime, get your palm ferns out and jubilate. Because HE WILL BE BACK LIKE ARNOLD!

Now that we’ve got that over, I’ve been looking at this post that has been sitting on my MacBook for several days now. I’ve been wondering whether to finish it since I am not entirely sure I am as invested in it as I thought it was.

You know there are certain truths you cannot convince others of and for that reason, you find peace in knowing that, at least, YOU know it. But I think I should just say it anyhow.

Jesus is a feminist, a womanist and a total ride-or-die for the ladies!

It needs to be said for all those that try to justify misogynistic behavior and attempt to shut down Christian womanists. Well, the joke is on you. Feminism IS scriptural.

I have always believed that the Jesus we learned about, his unconditional love for the marginalized simply didn’t tally with the Christian teaching of the unspoken suppression of women. So as I looked over at ace journalist Shamima Ishmael speak about the feminist nature and doctrines of the Quran, I couldn’t help but wonder whether the Christian beliefs that I subscribe to, made a case for the ‘free’ woman as well.

A few weeks ago at the PepperdemMinistries debut Intergenerational Conversations about the Feminism movement, there were a few references to the religious and in this case (Christian) teachings that inhibit a true liberation of the Woman in her choices.  Listening to Shamima, talk about the word of Quran, however, I was enthralled. "Women can own land”, she said.

"Women can work, earn money and do what she wants with it." She said, “the Quran would be the most feminist religious text there ever was”. Moslem said she found it amusing that anti-feminists tried to explain misogyny away with holy texts.

Immediately, I started to wonder whether my own beliefs in Christianity were debased because of my own bias for women (not that i am ashamed to be bias) or that there was enough evidence to support what I have always believed to be true. So what did I do? I went back to my Bible. I believe as problematic as the Scripture is with regards to context and interpretation, I was still trusting that my simple question will be answered:

 Does the Bible have proof that there is an equal inclusion of women in… everything? Even the slightest?

There are many instances I cannot do justice to in this post.

But I did try to run through most of the old testament with the reference word “ Woman”. My goal was to find any text that suggested that the woman was lesser than or restricted by her sex. I found many references to both man and woman in copious instances in the Book of Leviticus, Deutronomy, and Numbers.

Eg: 1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed.” Numbers 5:6

Eg 2:“If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing his covenant, and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, then you shall bring out to the gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones” Deuteronomy 17: 2

Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and Numbers are books with explicit details on God’s commands and conditions. What screamed out to me was the basis of equality on which the Lord maps out his rules and commandments. No man or woman is spared God’s wrath should they sin. Both sexes during the Mosaic era were treated as equals, intellectuals, capable of knowing right, wrong and judged accordingly. And while stoning isn’t as common as it is today,(Thank God) we can’t ignore the stigma attached to women who deemed sexually immoral (even though it takes more than often two people to commit a sexual act ) as we see in present-day contexts.

Why is that? When did it become our burden to carry?

Anyway,�� moving on to Christ, the center of the matter. We both know that there are more than at least in two significant moments during His three years on earth, where He shows inclusiveness, inherent respect, and regard for women. His dealing and teachings showed He understood what discrimination, prejudice, inequality was.

"The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

First of all these men KNOW the punishment for adultery in the Mosaic law were for BOTH parties.

Many use this verse in showcasing Jesus’s kindness to the sinful and unworthy but choose to ignore the mortal danger the adulterous woman potentially attracted. For being sexually immoral or being an adulterer. But the question was, where was her partner in crime? How was she caught in the “act of adultery” alone? Was she being adulterous with an inanimate object? No. When Christ replies these men, I do not see his response as a challenge to the accusers to reflect on their own humanity (even though that is apparent), but simply to state things as they should be. In other words, if you think you or I am worthy of a second chance, who are we to deny this woman the same? Tell me if this is not the basis of Feminism? That we challenge a patriarchal world to treats women by dwelling if only briefly on what it would be to walk in a woman’s shoes.

These Pharisees are no different from the anti-feminists or rather, anti-woman, we have today. It is much easy to make the woman, the “weaker” object; an embodiment of sin. A scapegoat in the house of the Lord by policing her thoughts, actions, body, mistakes and her opportunities. The reasons are simple: Why look in the mirror at your own weakness when there is already a sheep for that sacrifice? Interpretations of the Bible, by would-be Men of God, try to control the spaces women have the capacity to occupy by assigning gendered roles to us, even before we understood who we are.  

1. A woman cannot be sexual. 2.A woman cannot take up leadership positions. 3. A woman confirmed to the standards of her society even if it means to impede her full greatness.

When Christ commanded, "That love thy neighbor as thyself”.Matthew 19:19, He knew it was the one universal law that would keep the peace between man, woman and his neighbor. In its simplicity, it says more than just showing kindness. It challenges to look at ourselves and ask who we would be without our privileges. It a law that hopes that each individual, man, and woman, will have the equal opportunity to thrive as they are; that man and woman can co-exist peacefully without one or the other suffocating under the whims and manipulations of each other. Why? Because we would all understand what it feels like to walk in each other’s shoes.  

Let us not say, “A woman’s place is in the kitchen”. “A woman who has had many sexual partners is a whore” “ To say a woman is too smart for her own good” "A woman must not be too loud”, we cannot put men in the same sentences justifiably.

I have more to say about this but no-one likes to read long passages. I will not talk about the trust he places in Mary Magdalene when his resurrection journey begins or His making a case for Martha’s bold display of devotion; Or fellowshipping with the woman who had several husbands.

 I only know that when God commanded that man will leave his home and become ONE with his wife, he meant it as it should be. One in living. One in decision making. One in worship. One in love and respect. One in opportunities. One in strength and weakness; That they would serve each other in unison. 

 I am more than convicted that my faith in Christ alone is well placed. He finds worthiness in me as he does in you. As for the moral harbingers and its enablers, they grow smaller and smaller as I self-actualize. Women are changing and growing. For now, that is all that matters.