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writing-in-april · 4 years ago

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Dressed in Crimson

Spencer Reid x Female Reader (Royalty AU)

Summary: Spencer is a stable boy with a passion for learning and Reader is the princess of the palace that he serves in. They’ve been in a secret relationship, the two grow restless about not being able to be out in the open.

A/N: Guys I’m so excited for this one I really really loved writing it- it’s my fourth fic for my 30 fics in 30 days for April and it’s also written for @omgbigfluffwriting !!! I kinda immersed myself into this quite a bit- and it’s my longest oneshot I’ve ever written 🤭The specific historical period theyre in is not specified and the world that they’re in is entirely fictional and not based on any specific point in history- if you’ve ever watched Merlin that’s kinda the vibe I was thinking of just without the magic lol (please still ignore that the gif does not have an accurate clothing choice from Spencer I just wanted a good shot of his hair that I thought of while writing this) i feel like it’s becoming so obvious how much I love historical fiction lol 😂 I’d like to hear from you guys also so if you want to drop me an ask here! It can be about anything 🥰 hope y’all enjoy!!!

Warnings: 18+, Reader has a horrible Father, subtle hints about sexism, Classism, Period typical clothing, Reader and Spencer fight for a little bit, Smut, Dom Spencer, Fingering, Handjob, Unprotected Sex, Day dreaming about fucking in public, Spencer’s possessive as hell, Ignoring the potential consequences of a creampie

Main Masterlist Word count: 4.7k

My day started out like any other with my corset made of whalebone being cinched tightly around my figure with my chemise underneath of course. Every time the ends of the laces were pulled taught on my body I thought of the days where I could get away with not having this wretched piece of clothing cutting off my breath. Those days had been so long ago, when I was just a small child, almost so long ago that I had to strain my memory to recall it. It wasn’t even until I was done clutching my mother’s skirts before I started to be forced into the confines of the worst invention in history. I would have rather muck in the mud in pants like the men, unless there was a reason for me to actually want to wear a dress.

Today, I had chosen a crimson colored gown, one of my only favorites. The front of the bodice was adorned with embroidery, one embroidered with a glistening gold thread. The sleeves were long and ever so slightly off my shoulders, ending just at my wrist. It had been perfectly handcrafted just for me, a seamstress being hired to slave away at each detail with precision. If it had been up to my father the seamstress would have been paid little to nothing for this masterpiece, but you had your own coins stashed away from your allowance to give extra to anyone that gave you goods and services.

The dress was my favorite almost solely because of someone else’s appreciation for the lush fabric, no one needed to know about that though. I did like to look nice on certain occasions, but only special ones. There was no special occasion scheduled for me to have a reason for wearing it, well none that the greater majority of the court would know about.

Only my maid Emily knew what my excursion would be today, why I dressed up so nicely. There was no feasible way for me to hide my dalliances from her, especially the one I was about to go to as it required some higher levels of stealth to be able to evade my father’s guards.

His name was Spencer, one of my father’s stable boys. I loved him more than anything, definitely more than any potential match that was arranged for me.

I gifted him whatever I could without raising suspicion, though I often hid my purchases if someone asked by excusing them as more frivolous in nature, such as a new dress. Spencer had no real need for pretty things as he’d said before, except from myself- those were his past words not mine. And, he did express to me how much he loved the dress I was wearing right now, which was tied to how we had first met.

When I first met him I had been looking for a fabric in the market stalls. I hadn’t really wanted to, I was content with all the dresses that I owned right now, they had no ornament on them, just how I preferred. However, my father demanded I get something fancier for some sort of frivolous ball that was coming up that undoubtedly had no reason to take place besides bleeding everyone else dry.

I brushed hands with him for the first time as I was looking for the material I wanted, something just fancy enough to appease my father. The stall filled with fabrics bordered one that had stacks of books, I would have much preferred to be looking at that one. My hand had gotten close to the edge while I was inspecting a fabric and it had bumped into a man who was looking at one of the books.

When I had looked up to see who had brushed my hand I was met with frantic eyes filled with apology. His stuttered apology had covered my attempt to assure him that it was fine, it had taken me grabbing both of his hands to steady him for him to listen to my reassurance.

When he had introduced himself to me after I asked it flowed into a long conversation. I could have talked to him forever, I would be content to never talk to anyone else. For a stable boy he was exceptionally smart, which I learned was from his mother who had made sure he was educated even in poverty, specifically through having him read anything she could get her hands on. From then on our blossoming friendship had flourished, and had eventually developed into more.

I slung a shawl over my shoulders made out of a fabric of similar color to my gown and also grabbed a purse filled with coins with a smile due to my reminiscing . It wasn’t cold enough for one of my velvet cloaks just yet and most of the walk down to where Spencer was housed was indoors.

The walk from my rooms in the main part of the castle to the stables on the lower floor towards the East end was longer than I would have wanted. Truthfully, I wished I would not have to live in a castle at all, I’d rather live in the small house that Spencer lived. It was just past the castle grounds at the edge of the surrounding village adjacent to the stables so he did not have to walk far for work in the mornings.

My feet tiptoed down the corridors carefully, I was lucky that I had figured out to be somewhat light on my feet otherwise I’d be caught swiftly for sure. I passed by the rooms of most of the lords and ladies staying at court, I always wondered why some chose to stay here, it was positively suffocating here. The door I used to go outside was through the kitchen, that had a myriad of breakable things strewn about that I had to stealthily avoid. Luckily, I knocked nothing over that would have woken up the cooks who slept just a room over. Turning the handle of the door had to be a slow process so no one would hear the creak of the knob while it was turned, but I did successfully make it out with no disturbance.

Beginning the stretch of my journey that was outdoors was perhaps the most risky. Guards were stationed around the perimeter of the castle in greater numbers compared to the ones indoors which were only stationed by important rooms. I weaved my way through, in some aspects it was even more confusing than the inside of the castle. Hiding behind each of the pillars was the most effective way to avoid them, the construction of them making a series of small blind spots. I had just snuck behind one of the last ones when one of the guards nearest to me moved forward a little. I stopped breathing immediately, holding it tight in my chest while I plastered myself as close as I could to the back of the pillar. My nails dug into the stone of the pillar in fear, if I was ever to be found sneaking out at night or worse in the presence of Spencer, I would either never leave my rooms again or be whisked away into marriage even earlier than planned.

When the guard did not move to investigate further I let go of the breath I was holding, still making sure to let go of it slowly so he could not hear me. Moving swiftly forward after I had taken a breath was a bit of a challenge, my knees had gone weak with fear. I pushed myself to take each step even with the weakness in my knees, there was no way I could linger any longer.

Finally I was no longer walking on stone, I was walking on the muddy earth now. It was nice to feel the ground under my feet instead of the harsh stone, it told me that I was now only a handful of strides away from Spencer’s home.

The leaves littering the ground mixing with mud crunched under my feet even as I tip toed carefully. The guards may be in the distance now, but I didn’t feel keen on testing how good their hearing may potentially be.

Passing the stables was the last marker for my journey, then I would be able to see his home too. As I passed the sleeping horses by anticipation began to replace the fear inside me. It had been a while since I had been able to come see him, making me yearn for his touch even more.

His home came into view, even in the dead of night I could make it out if I squinted my eyes hard. My pace picked up exponentially when I landed my eyes on his humble abode. It was a quaint home, fallen into disrepair as he could not afford to fix it on the meager salary that my father paid him. The purse of gold that I had brought with me was exactly for that, the repairs. He would most likely protest the gift just like any other thing I had tried to gift him. From my experience the most effective way to get him to accept anything was to leave it there with no conversation about it. I think it made him feel less guilty even though in my opinion he was owed the money in the first place, no one should have to live in squalor when they did their job every day without question or complaint.

When I finally was at the entrance of his home I entered through the door swiftly, too impatient to wait or knock. Stress melted from my shoulders when I caught sight of him, hunched over one of the books I had given him, candles strewn around to give him enough light to read.

The candles he had lit to be able to read in the night illuminated us both with a glow. He would always compliment me whenever we found ourselves in similar lighting such as this, but in my opinion there was no rivalry. Each time the candle flickered it brightened up every highlight of him, letting me see his wild curls, brown eyes deeper than any others I had ever seen, and a body that I had no doubt was crafted to perfection illuminated in a beautiful glow.

I went to compliment him just as he always did with me, but I became mesmerized when he stood up, then moving his way closer to me.

“It is nice to see you, it feels like it’s been an eternity.” It may seem dramatic for him to say that it felt that long, but I echoed his sentiment willingly.

“It is nice to see you too, Spencer. I agree it’s been far too long.” I was sure it had been at least a full moon cycle since we had the pleasure of being alone with one another, our duties to my father keeping us separated.

It had been painful whenever I would go out for a ride on my horse, to see him hand me the reins of my mare and be unable to reach out to touch him. There had been one day, about a week ago, that I had let my hand brush against his own for a moment while he handed the reins to me. It was an innocent brush of a touch, that also had a barrier in the form of my leather gloves. To anyone else it had meant nothing, but to me and him, it meant everything.

His eyes were blown wide with desire, as I suspected mine were as well. We let ourselves take in the sight of each other for a minute longer before Spencer broke the silence with a request,

“Drop your shawl, so I may see you better.” A stable hand commanding someone of such a stature such as I would’ve seen him whipped if it was any other person before him. His boldness was not unexpected, it had taken a while for him to grow so comfortable with my company. In truth, he had been quite scared when I had first met him. It was perfectly understandable considering his employer was my father, who was not known for his kindness. And, even then after his fear had faded he still had a shy exterior for a while, it only had been lifted when we began to become extremely comfortable around each other. We were each other's only form of solace in this world, we could only escape our reality when we were together.

Instead of having malice in my voice like other nobles would I simply pulled the shawl more taught around my shoulders and teased, “Why should I?”

The expression on his face was one of the ones I loved seeing on his face the most, a sly smirk. He came closer to me, with careful steps as if he was waiting for the right moment to pounce. We were so close together when he stopped moving, but still not touching. He was playing a game with me, not touching until I obliged him. As he leaned in to speak into the shell of my ear he was careful with the way he tilted his body forward so I could only feel his breath on the small portion of my skin, “Because you like it when I look at you.”

My arms fell to my sides releasing my shawl to fall from my shoulders onto the floor at his words, as they rang true. I did want him to look at me and also, of course touch me.

“You wore your favorite dress.” He observed, still not quite touching. I didn't need to answer the statement he made with the thought in my mind ‘I wore it for you’ because I knew he had already figured that out. His observational skills were keenly honed in by his constant reading whenever he had the chance, often reading books that I had gifted to him. He even sometimes read well into the night, straining his eyes in the darkness when the candle was almost merely a wick. I had found that out the first- and sadly, only time I had the opportunity to stay overnight. Since then I had pushed him to get more rest as I knew how hard he was worked to the bone during the day, courtesy of my father.

His eyes were staring at my dress, pupils blown wide, his mind seemingly off in another world maybe thinking about all the things he wanted to do to me.

“Please, touch me.” I didn’t need to speak loud, only a soft whisper for him to hear me because of how close he already was to me. So close, yet so far.

He raised his large hands, calloused from working so hard day in and day out. My own hands were soft from the expensive creams I had been pampered with since I was just a small child. I liked his hands better, they showed the hard work he used everyday to cultivate his beautiful mind and body.

I subtly licked my lips in anticipation of his touch, wanting to feel every inch of his hand roaming my body, from the tips of his fingers to where his palm met his wrist.

His fingers then started to trace over the top of my corset, just a hair away from touching the swell of my breasts. My chest was rising and falling with each breath, each inhale pushing it slightly closer to his fingers. With each fall of my chest I felt the need to quickly let go of my breath, so I could once again inhale and be brought closer to his touch.

“Please touch me.” I repeated, breathless from forcing myself to breathe into his touch.

“I am touching you.” His fingers still did not move to touch my skin, only the crimson accented in gold. It was his turn to tease me now, I was at his mercy, ready and waiting for it.

I could beg again, though quite obviously I could not convince him with it. As he was running his fingers over the cloth for what felt like the millionth time, still not touching me, I teased him back instead of begging, “No you are touching my dress.”

A mere ghost of a touch from his fingers then floated across my skin. What should have calmed my heaving chest from my gasping breaths only served to make my breathing even heavier. The slight touch was still not enough, only making my desire for his hands to roam every inch of my body even more severe.

“Perhaps I should take your corset off, to help you breathe better.” He said, as if he read my exact thoughts.

“I like your thinking.”

I was then spun around so my back was pressed into his chest. It soothes my desire for his touch some, but we both had barriers of cloth preventing me from fully feeling him. I could feel some of the warmth that was hidden underneath his shirt, which was made up of a much billowing white linen that compared to his trousers.

If my skirts were not so large I wondered if I were to push back if my behind would come in contact with his cock and whether or not his desire would be as prominent as the slickness dampening the bottom layer I was wearing. I’d have to find a way to find a pair of trousers then, sometime soon, so I could try to grind into him at a later date. There was no doubt that we’d surely find ourselves in a similar position again.

As his hands started to undo the laces of my corset with care, despite both of our desperation, a thought slipped out from his lips that I’m sure he intended to keep to himself, “I wish I could call you mine in public.”

“My father would kill you!” The taste of my voice would have been bitter in anyone’s mouth, quickly spat out in the same way I said those words. Perhaps my quick anger to his innocent thought would be insane to some, most would probably consider it a sweet thought. However, he knew from previous conversations that when those sweet thoughts were expressed that all I could feel was a heavy sadness sitting inside me, instead of desire.

Tears clouded my vision, so much so that I did not see Spencer’s arms come around me to envelop me in an embrace. I flinched a bit at first, but then melted when I realized it was him. We held each other for a while as I sobbed softly into his billowy white shirt.

He stroked my shoulder with his large hands that I loved, but the corset he had not taken off fully yet was blocking me from feeling his touch the way I wanted.

“Take it off please.” I begged softly, I wanted to feel his skin on mine, and not just his lips or his hands. I wanted to feel every inch of him.

The laces of my corset were already half undone because of his previous attempt at getting it off of me. He finished the job, pulling the corset off of my body, tossing it down to the floor. He may have loved the dress, but he was showing me through his actions that he loved what was underneath more.

Turning me around was his next step, so he could properly kiss me. The pressure was soft at first, as if he was testing the waters to see how I would feel. Feeling his soft lips on my own just made me want to pull him in further, and I did so. My fingers tangled into his curls as the kiss devolved into pure passion, we were both throwing ourselves fully into it, trying to express our feelings nonverbally.

His own hands moved to cup my breasts as he backed me into the cot he slept on every night. I did not let him push me down on the bed so he was on top of me like normal, this time I wanted to be on top for a while. When I straddled his hips the first thing I felt was his cock straining in his pants. I unbuckled them so I could wrap my hands around his cock, I wanted to feel his thick and heavy length in my hands. Precum was already dripping down his hard cock as I pumped his length with my hands. My own arousal was dampening the underneath of the skirt I still had on. Spencer confirmed it himself when he snuck his fingers underneath the fabric to play with my pleasure spots. We both groaned as his fingers entered inside me while he rubbed circles into my swollen pearl.

My skirt was bunched up in his hands, pulling up all the way to the tops of my thighs. He soon got fed up with the skirt being in the way though and maneuvered me to shuck it off of me as fast as possible. Being bare before him did not make me wither in self consciousness, it made me lean into his touch even more.

He leaned up to kiss me again while I grabbed his length and restraddled him. I was definitely wet enough to have him enter me, my separation from him making me desperate, it had been so long since we had the chance to be together like this.

I then sunk down on his length slowly, it was for me to adjust to his size and to relish in the feeling of him sliding inside me. I stilled on top of him as the back of my thighs hit the top of his, he filled me with perfection. Spencer only let me be still for a little while before his hands gripped my hips and started to guide me to roll my hips. The pace I set- well Spencer was the one who set it, was slow and deep, I was languidly rolling my hips while he thrusted up into me at a similar pace.

My face twisted in pleasure as his thrusts became more powerful, still at the same pace but with more force behind them.

“Fuck- I want everyone to know that you’re mine!” It was the exact same thing he had spoken to me earlier that had sparked anger and melancholy inside me. This time it caused a spark of pleasure instead, making me think about him fucking me in front of everyone claiming me as his.

“My father would kill you.” This time when I said it it was gasped into his mouth with little to all anger disappeared from it.

My words made Spencer growl which was swallowed by a possessive kiss. He then flipped me over roughly, my back now pressed into the cot. A high pitched squeak had escaped my lips unintentionally in surprise, it was quickly changed into a moan when he entered me again. This time the pace did not start off slow as I did not need to adjust to him inside of me.

“I don’t care.” His speech was agitated as he pounded into me, holding my legs open with both hands spreading me out for him to see everything, “No matter what anyone says or does, you’re mine.”

Pleasure sparked through me at his possessive words, I grabbed desperately at the cotton sheets trying to hold onto something as my finish was fast approaching. When the cotton sheets were not enough of a stabilizer for me I lifted my hands up to wrap around the back of his neck and pull him close.

“Come on I know you’re close, I’m close too baby.” My nails dug into his neck and back during the latter half of his sentence causing him to slightly wince. I knew he enjoyed it though because of the question that he groaned out next, “Can I cum inside you?”

Biting my lip hard was painful as I nodded my head in response to his question that had me falling over the edge. The consequences of him finishing inside me danced in the back of my head, I chose to ignore them as he did. I did not care as he filled me and I rode out my release, even if I was to somehow get pregnant because of our recklessness it did not matter. I’d gladly have his child, even if it meant I’d have to go on the run.

Instead of falling on top of me directly after finishing like I’ve heard most men do with their wives he gently removed himself from my entrance and laid down beside me on the cot. Bliss was mingling in the air between us, both unburdened by any of our problems that would become a reality as soon as I left for the night. For now we would just hold onto the bliss until it was cruelly snatched away from reality.

Spencer had a solution as always to our problems, and seemed to be thinking about the same thing I was with his next suggestion,

“Run away with me.” We were both covered in sweat that had cropped up from our activities, a contrast to the chilly air outside and in the castle. It was nice to feel warm every time I was in his arms, It was hard to resist being greedy and deciding to stay in his arms forever. It had crossed my mind more than once, but there was always something stopping me from going through with it fully. I opened my mouth to point out all the reasons why that would not be possible when he added, “And, before you say no I want to ask- what’s stopping you?”

His reasoning was sound, as it often was. My mouth opened and closed, struggling to find a reasoning before I accepted that he was right. The only potential downfall was my father’s forces searching everywhere to find me, but it would be worth it. We could also easily cross the border into nearby lands ruled by someone else that was not in alliance with him. I already felt lighter thinking about being free from the confines of the castle- and hopefully my corset. Though I would have to keep the crimson dress I wore today, even if I only wore it around him, It was his favorite and it symbolized the day that we met. He glanced over at me just as I did the same, looking right into his eyes as I spoke,“Alright.”

The light that sparked in his eyes made my heart soar, I could feel just from his gaze how ecstatic he was to spend his life with me. I didn’t need any words to know how much he loved me.

We basked for a moment in the presence of our love, Spencer broke the silence again when he started planning,“You need to go pack!”

I moved myself to sit up even though my limbs protested, wanting to sleep after our post coital bliss. A soft smile was exchanged between the two of us, “I’ll pack light, only the stuff I need.”

The purse of gold I had brought for him would no longer be used to fund his repairs, but to fund our life together. I climbed on top of him again leaning forward to capture him in a kiss that was much more chaste than the ones earlier in the night.

“I. love. you.” He whispered in between kisses making my eyes wet with tears. They weren’t born out of sadness, but of happiness that I had someone to love me as much as Spencer did.

“I love you too, I will see you soon.” I pulled myself away from his lips even though I did not want to, I then got up to leave reluctantly. Though it was easier than previous departures as I knew that it would be the last one that I would have to complete. My whole being was lighter and happier than I had ever felt before as I snuck back with a spring in my step. The only hint of what I was about to do, where I was about to go, was the mud stained at the hemline of my crimson dress.

Ask me anything

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Tag lists (message me if you want to be added):

All works:

@shotarosleftpinky @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar @s1utformgg @takeyourleap-of-faith (why wont tumblr let me tag you😭

All MGG characters: @muffin-cup @willowrose99

Spencer Reid/CM: @calm-and-doctor @destiny-tsukino @safertokiss @slutforthegubes @onlyhereforthefanfics @jareauswifey

Dom Spencer: @rainsong01 @evlfknb @jakobsdump

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fanfic #matthew gray gubler x reader #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds smut #mgg #matthew gray gubler #mgg x reader #mgg smut #matthew gray gubler smut #30 fics in 30 days

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filmmakersvision · 5 years ago

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Top 10 Hindi Performances of 2019

December 27, 2019

by Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty

1. Manoj Pahwa - Article 15

It is simple to play the good guy. When your thoughts align with the character’s moral compass, it isn’t too difficult to step into his/her shoes. But when playing an antagonist, it is impossible to blend into the character with the same seamless effort. In Article 15, Bhramadatt Sing, played by Manoj Pahwa, is the main antagonist. Not only is he a villainous character, he is also a realistic representation of a certain section of people who exist in society, people who take advantage of caste discrimination to commit crimes. In this case, Pahwa had to understand the character without allowing his own views to dilute it. With his performance, he manages to create a sense of appalled disbelief towards his character. There is no point at which his behavior and actions do not disgust the audience. Even before the character is revealed to be the main inciter of violence, his biased actions already predispose the audience to dislike him. Sing is that character that people want to believe doesn’t exist, but is in fact present all around. And Pahwa portrays this horrifying character with full sincerity.

2. Siddhant Chaturvedi - Gully Boy

Who knew that this young boy with no claim to fame except for a supporting role in a web series would become a sudden Internet sensation? When selected for the role of MC Sher in Gully Boy, Siddhant Chaturvedi probably had no idea his character would gain a cult following, superseding the film’s popularity. But Sher isn’t typical. The hero’s friend normally isn’t recognized, constantly living in the hero’s shadow. Sher, however, doesn’t let Murad dominate any of the scenes they have together, and Siddhant Chaturvedi’s performance supports this balance. He does not let himself get overwhelmed by his co-star, Ranveer Singh’s, 8 year long experience in films. At least he doesn’t show it. Despite having no background in rap, Chaturvedi’s rapping style is filled with the passion and force of an experienced rapper. He not only perfects the lingo, he makes people believe in him as a rapper, a friend, and a mentor. Unlike the clichéd companion, threatened by his friend’s rise in popularity, Sher is Murad’s supportive backbone. The nuanced creation of this character shows Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s brilliance in writing. But without a talented actor, like Siddhant Chaturvedi, it would have been impossible to bring this character to life.

3. Gulshan Devaiah - Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota

While very common in the 1970s and 1980s, the double role has become a rare phenomenon in Indian cinema today. As the film industry has developed, it has become far more difficult for an actor to play two different characters in the same film convincingly. The most recent use of this concept was in Aurangzeb, with Arjun Kapoor playing twin brothers on opposite sides of the law. But this was a commercial and critical failure mainly due to Kapoor’s inability to create a distinction between the characters. Like the characters in Aurangzeb, Gulshan Devaiah’s characters in Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota are at the two opposite ends of the spectrum. Mani is Supri’s guru and Surya’s hero, while Jimmy is his disgruntled twin brother. Devaiah’s performance controlled the conflict in the film. If he wasn’t able to convince the audience of the distinction between the personalities of his two characters, and of the enmity between them, Surya and Supri’s fight would seem futile. Devaiah has both the villainous smile and the innocent eyes that bring out the contrast between the two brothers, making the conflict strong, and the film worthwhile.

4. Rasika Dugal - Hamid

In Kashmir, there are many women labeled “Half Widows” because their husbands have disappeared (many taken by the army under suspicion), and they have no information on whether these men are alive or not. Rasika Dugal plays one such woman, Ishrat, who deals with her husband’s disappearance while trying to raise her son away from the negative influences of extremist violence in Kashmir. As the only member of the cast (apart from the soldiers), that isn’t Kashmiri, Dugal had to put in twice the effort to perfect the mannerisms and diction of Kashmiri Muslims. With the fluency of her enactment, it didn’t seem at any moment as if she was acting. But getting into character is just one aspect of a good performance. It is also necessary to create an emotional connect with the audience. The topic is such that just the simple facial expression of exhaustion was enough to captivate the audience. The years and years of wait have completely drained Ishrat, and she has lost the strength to even cry. The lightness with which Dugal played this role is remarkable and befitting to a serious film like this.

5. Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Saloni Batra - Soni

For the first time, I am clubbing two actors together in the best performance list, as neither would be complete without the other. Soni is a film that thrives on the chemistry between the two female leads, as they both deal with different levels of sexism in their daily lives as police officers. The two characters, Soni, played by Geetika Vidya Ohlyan, and Kalpana, played by Saloni Batra, are two sides of the same coin. They both have different personalities that reflect in their work. Soni’s temperamental, rebellious persona is balanced by Kalpana’s thoughtful, controlled nature. But these contrasting personalities come together in pursuit of a similar goal, to stand up for woman empowerment. As a subtle take on sexism, the film required nuanced acting to recognize the inherent sexism present in the lives of all women. Ohlyan and Batra beautifully portray the struggle of women in their professional and personal lives, further supported by their chemistry. One cannot exist without the other. Together, the two women form the crux of the film.

6. Yami Gautam - Bala

In her seven year Hindi film career, Yami Gautam hasn’t had much success. While she was delightful in her first film, Vicky Donor, her roles after that were limited. The films in which she had a lead role, such as Total Siyappa and Sanam Re, were critical and commercial failures. She spent the remainder of the time playing supporting roles in films such as Batti Gul Meter Chalu and Uri, in which there wasn’t much scope for her to showcase her talent. With the release of Bala, the expectations from Yami Gautam weren’t as high as they were from her co-stars, Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar, who have generated a considerable fan base with their consistent work in the past few years. But, Gautam outshone them both. Her performance as Pari Mishra, Bala’s love interest who is a model and Tik Tok star, is the highlight of the film. The film is a heartfelt, socially moving story told in a dramatic manner. Therefore it is necessary for the actors to create a balance between the two worlds: the realistic and the unrealistic. As a former Indian television actor, Yami Gautam knows exactly how to maintain this balance. Indian television is not just a platform for dramatic overacting, as many believe it to be. It’s a balance between scenes involving overdramatic tension and those with nuanced conversation. Pari’s identity as a Tik Tok star, means that her mannerisms in everyday life are much more dramatic than normal, but when everything settles down, she has the ability to have a normal conversation. Yami Gautam displayed this dichotomy with perfection. And now she has become the most appreciated aspect of the film.

7. Priyanka Chopra - The Sky is Pink

After a three-year break from acting in Hindi films, Priyanka Chopra is back with a bang. In The Sky is Pink, she plays the mother of a young girl diagnosed with a life threatening disease. Such a role is not only emotionally draining, it is also physically strenuous, as she has to step into the shoes of the real life Aditi Chaudhary. She has to be faithful to her, especially when it pertains to such a sensitive topic. Priyanka Chopra fully imbibes this role. She beautifully portrays the emotions of a distressed mother and at the same time a wife struggling to keep her marriage intact in the face of death. At first it seems difficult to imagine her as the mother of a teenage daughter, but the chemistry she shares with Zaira Wasim, playing her daughter, Aisha Chaudhary, leads to a passionate mother-daughter relationship, that completes the film.

8. Shahid Kapoor - Kabir Singh

When a film is remade, it is very difficult for the actors to live up to the expectations of the original. Shahid Kapoor steps into the shoes of Vijay Deverakonda, a Telugu superstar who delivered his career best performance in Arjun Reddy, the precursor to Kabir Singh. The passion and angst that Deverakonda brought into his performance is difficult to emulate. Which is why Kapoor doesn’t try to become Deverakonda. He does not attempt to match the original and instead brings his own flavor into the character, which sets Kabir Singh apart from Arjun Reddy. The one scene that perfectly demonstrates this is the Holi scene. In this scene, Kabir Singh is feeling a combination of emotions including anger, sadness, and passionate love, which all can be beautifully seen in his eyes. No other Hindi film actor can emote with his eyes the way Kapoor does. Even Deverakonda attempts this, but his performance in the scene in the Telugu version leans more towards anger and passion than pain. On the other hand, Kapoor portrays his character in this scene as painfully suffering bringing out another dimension in the character. This may not be the best performance that Kapoor has delivered in his career, but it definitely is his most impactful one.

9. Anjali Patil - Mere Pyaare Prime Minister

In Mere Pyaare Prime Minister, Anjali Patil plays a single mother, traumatized after being assaulted while using an outdoor bathroom. Patil has always chosen roles that lean towards the unconventional route. While she has dabbled in multiple languages, her Hindi films have not been successful, and her performances in supporting roles barely noticeable. With this film, she is finally playing a strong role in a Hindi film. Her character is one that is in mental and emotional distress after experiencing such a horrendous crime, yet cannot express it as she still has to fulfill her duty as a single mother. The restraint that Patil brings into her performance is beautiful. It is reflective of the balance between the heaviness of the storyline and the lightness of the mother-son relationship. Though this is not as powerful a role as Patil has played earlier in other language films, it is still one that requires effort, as it is not easy to play a sexual assault victim, especially when that victim is also a mother.

10. Kangana Ranaut - Judgementall Hai Kya

Kangana Ranaut is one actor that never fails to impress. With each performance, she exceeds her previous ones, making her one of the fastest growing actors in terms of talent. In Judgementall Hai Kya, she plays the feisty, socially awkward Bobby, whose mental health issues, make people disbelieve her when she claims an accident was actually a murder. The film was acclaimed for treating mental illness with sensitivity. At times in the film, the craziness of Bobby’s actions make her seem insane, which Ranaut does with perfection. But Ranaut is also able to show that the mental illness is a part of Bobby’s personality that does not make her abnormal, just different than normal.

Special Mention: Shweta Basu Prasad - Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota

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multifandomhoodies · 5 years ago

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Subtle Sexism in Parks and Forest Jobs

I said earlier I might post it and I decided I would because I literally have nothing else written this month to keep to my goal of posting one writing a month. I’m a parks and recreation management major in college, and I wrote this for my English class. Below the cut :)

Parks and forests provide a vast field that offers many different opportunities for jobs, ranging from law enforcement to maintenance mechanic to park planner. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2015, the National Park Service and other federal parks and recreation agencies had around 23,429 jobs around the country. The National Park Service hosts around 20,000 of said jobs. Unfortunately, only about 37% of the workforce of the the National Park Service is women, and only 15% of the Law Enforcement jobs are held by women. The United States Forest Service hosts around 30,000 jobs, of which 38% are held by women. Gender discrimination and sexism are unfortunately rampant in parks and forest jobs. Steps have been taken to limit it, but it continues. The foundations of many park and forest agencies are built on a culture of sexism that continues to this day. Subtle nuances of sexism are often overlooked or ignored.

In Experiences of Subtle Sexism Among Women Employees in the National Park Service, subtle sexism is discussed at length. Written by a Chief of Administration for the National Park Service, the author establishes her credibility. The sections on subtle sexism in this dissertation discussed different kinds of subtle sexism and offered definitions and examples.

Subtle sexism is defined as “a covert form of sexism that is especially harmful, because it is easy to overlook or trivialize” in Experiences of Subtle Sexism Among Women Employees in the National Park Service. Experiences of Subtle Sexism Among Women Employees in the National Park Service described various types of subtle sexism. These include gender stereotypes, gender microaggressions, benevolent sexism, certain non-verbal behaviors, using patronizing or condescending tones, and more. Benevolent sexism also exists, which is well intentioned but has negative effects on women. Benevolent sexism is particularly interesting, and something I believe is particularly common in outdoor work. Benevolent sexism comes in many different forms. Protective paternalism, which is the belief that women need to be protected by men, complimentary gender discrimination, which is the belief that women have certain social and domestic skills that men lack, along with others, are all forms of benevolent sexism. These ideas are influenced by stereotypes. Women who are exposed to benevolent sexism frequently have fewer leadership goals. Benevolent sexism is not as outright harmful as blatant sexism, but still has negative impacts (Ashcraft). Benevolent sexism also harder to stop than blatant sexism, as it is harder to notice and spot.

The culture of sexism started in the very beginning of parks and forests. When it was created in 1916, the National Park Service only hired men. These men were often ex-cavalrymen and brought a militaristic feel to the parks. They were respected for working tough jobs in remote places. They were the pinnacle of masculinity. Married men worked in the parks, and often their wives worked in the parks as well. The wives were often secretaries or did other types of indoor work, but some become “ranger-naturalists.” Ranger naturalists were immediately scorned. The women were referred to as “pansy pickers” and “butterfly chasers” (Joyce). The ranger naturalists were not trained in a serious manner and did not have the tools or skills to do serious work. It was not until 1971 that female employees were able to take the law enforcement training and become “real” park rangers (Gilpin). The women in these positions also wore skirts and heels which made field work difficult. Breeches and Blouses is an article by the National Park Service that illustrates some of the history of early women in the National Park Service, the uniforms of said women, and the work the women did to get both equality and proper uniforms. In Breeches and Blouses, Mary Bradford recalled the time in the 1970s when she was called to help fight a wildfire, and afterwards she realized that the heat from the fire had melted the hem of her dress. Women’s uniforms in the field were useless. Uniforms were a point of contention among women employees in the National Park Service until the 1980s when they became relatively equal. For many years, women were in uniforms that prohibited much of essential work duties, which only contributed to a negative attitude towards women. In the U.S Forest Service, things were not much better. It followed a similar trend of not properly preparing women for their essential job tasks. In 1979, the Forest Service passed the Consent Decree, which required 43% of employees in every civilian paygrade to be women. Many of these women were underqualified for their jobs and were not properly trained. This made many men irate and made many believe that women did not have a place in the Forest Service, along with setting women up for failure. The Forest Service and the National Park Service hired women and then did not train the women properly, which only furthered the belief that women were not meant to work in outdoor jobs. This contributed to a negative attitude towards women that came from a tradition of masculinity and culture of sexism. This culture still exists today.

Lindsey Elise’s article Buried Sexism: One Women’s Experience Working at Mount Rainier National Park discusses various forms of sexism she faced as an employee at Mount Rainier National Park. She is described as “intense” by a boss, a comment that she felt was true, but wasn’t necessarily positive, and she wonders if she would have been described that way if she was a man. She talks about various projects she worked on and the way she had to really work for the approval of her male coworkers and feeling as if she had to prove herself worthy of working for the park. She mentioned how her crew at Mount Rainier had two other women on it, and how a supervisor pointed out that it was unusual. She criticizes a culture of subtle sexism that is engrained in the National Park Service.

What It’s Like Being a Woman in the Male-Dominated World of Wildland Firefighting discusses the gender gap that is seen in wildland firefighting with the U.S Forest Service. It states that 39% of Forest Service jobs are held by women, but only 11% of those jobs are permanent firefighting jobs. The women that do work in wildfire face sexism, both blatant and subtle. Subtle sexism is hard to detect. The article mentions captains verifying training for the male coworkers, but not for their female coworkers. Bequi Livingston started “Women in Wildland Fire” bootcamps that help women get into wildland fire while also giving them a support system of other women in fire.

Subtle nuances of sexism are overlooked and are often part of the culture. As previously mentioned, subtle sexism includes gender stereotypes. Lindsey Elise talked in her article about agency employees looking past her when looking for the leader of her trail crew. “I had male agency contacts look straight through me, searching for the biggest man, someone they think looks the part of crew leader” (Elise). Lindsey was leader of the crew. In Outside’s article What It’s Like Being a Woman in the Male-Dominated World of Wildland Firefighting, similar stories were shared. One woman said that she had worked with men who ignored her orders but took orders from other men. A female employee with a Colorado state fire crew said “I think a lot of guys just had it in their heads that the girls were dead weight” (Langlois). These stereotypes are damaging and are incorrect. Situations such as these are harder to detect. These are nuances that are overlooked. Another nuance that gets overlooked and is hard to spot is the pressure placed on women to do their jobs perfectly. If they fail or make any mistakes, sometimes their coworkers will blame the mistake on their gender. “You don’t show weakness in front of them,” a woman in Out Here, No One Can Hear You Scream stated. Gender stereotypes and other subtle nuances of sexism are often overlooked.

Subtle sexism exists in many forms and is present in parks and forests. A culture of sexism has existed in the National Park Service and the Forest Service since their creation. This culture started with the tradition of masculinity brought by the ex-cavalrymen who were the first park rangers and was furthered by the agencies not training women for their jobs. Subtle sexism exists and is harmful. As a woman who has worked in parks and is going to have a career in parks, I’m aware of the sexism, both blatant and subtle, that exists in most parks and forest agencies. There are a lot of women that have worked in these jobs before me, and I am constantly in awe of them and look up to them. I refuse to let sexism stop me from working my dream job.

Works Cited

Ashcraft, Audrey Marie. “Experiences of Subtle Sexism Among Women Employees in the National Park Service.” Walden University, Walden University , 2019, https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8860&context=dissertations.

“Employment in National Parks in 2015.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 25 Aug. 2016, www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/employment-in-national-parks-in-2015.htm.

Elise, Lindsey. “Buried Sexism: One Woman's Experience Working at Mount Rainier.” She Explores: Women in the Outdoors., She Explores, 1 Feb. 2017, she-explores.com/features/buried-sexism-at-mount-rainier/.

Gilpin, Lyndsey, and Ronda Churchill. “How the National Park Service Is Failing Women.” High Country News, High Country News, 12 Dec. 2016, www.hcn.org/issues/48.21/how-the-park-service-is-failing-women.

Joyce, Kathryn. “Out Here, No One Can Hear You Scream.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/park-rangers/.

Langlois, Krista. “What It's Like Being a Woman in the Male-Dominated World of Wildland Firefighting.” Outside Online, Outside Magazine, 8 June 2016, www.outsideonline.com/2089206/what-its-being-woman-male-dominated-world-wildland-firefighting

“National Park Service: Uniforms (Breeches, Blouses, and Skirts).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 20 Dec. 2000, www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/workman4/vol4c2.htm.

#this is a rough draft and isn't my final but i am pretty proud of it! :)#park posting #personal #if yall aren't into reading this no pressure lol #it is an analytical paper on sexism in parks so i really wont judge lmao

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randomconnections · 7 years ago

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Comparing Sabbaticals

Our last big sabbatical was in 1991, twenty-six years ago. Laura has had other sabbaticals since then, but these have been half-year leaves involving work and research with local companies. During those sabbaticals I was working in positions I couldn’t leave easily, so an extended trip wasn’t possible. This is the first extended sabbatical away we’ve been able to do since that first big one, and we can’t help but draw comparisons between them.

In 1991 Laura started doing research at the University of Arizona. We hauled two cats from Greenville to Tucson, as well as most of our belongings. It was a great year, at least from my perspective. Laura learned about scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), but had to deal with sexism and an obnoxious research partner. I got to climb canyons, learn how to carve Hopi flutes, and develop my skills in photography and instructional technology. We were both able to do more travel and explore new areas. We were relative newlyweds, so that time away strengthened our marriage.

Even though I had lots of time to explore, the 1991 sabbatical was much more structured than our current one. Laura had her lab work and I was taking graduate classes at the university. I also worked two part-time jobs and was singing with the Arizona Repertory Singers. This sabbatical will be much less structured. Laura will be writing up research she’s done in previous years, but neither of us has a set schedule. She won’t be keeping lab hours or teaching, and I have opted not to get involved with a singing group.

Back in 1991 we were also broke. We had a mortgage in Greenville as well as rent in Tucson. Neither of us were up to our full normal annual salary. As previously stated, I was working part-time, at best, and Laura was at half-salary with grant funding to make up most, but not all of the difference. This time we may not have much more money, and any sabbatical away is an expensive proposition, but we’re not completely broke. Our home in Greenville is paid for and we don’t have rent in Washington since we’re living in Laura’s parent’s place.

Those were the things we knew before we even got underway with this adventure. There have been other differences that have come to light as we get into this. Some are subtle, some not so much. Some have to do with the geography of the location and some have to do with the difference twenty-six years makes.

Arizona is in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. We lived on River Road, right next to the Rillito River. Both the Rillito and the Santa Cruz Rivers were dry washes for most of the year, but during the monsoon season a shallow flow came through. Rainfall was sparse, but dramatic when it came.

We laughed at some of the attitudes about weather in Tucson. If there was even a 20% chance of rain outdoor events would be cancelled or moved indoors. It was kind of like the same way we react in Greenville if there is a slight chance of snow.

So we move from one of the driest places in the nation to one of the wettest, the Pacific Northwest. If they were to cancel events with the same frequency up here, nothing would get done. Case in point, the recent Salmon Festival on the banks of the Skagit River in Mount Vernon. It was to take place Saturday a week ago. They were calling for rain, but the outdoor festival took place anyway. I decided to go. There was a slight drizzle and very few crowds, but it did happen.

We made lots of new friends in Tucson, but we kind of lost track of some of our old friends back home for awhile. This was pre-Internet. Laura had access to a rudimentary e-mail system called Bitnet, but any other communication back home was the old-fashioned kind – letters and expensive long distance phone calls, which were rare. We were much more isolated from friends and family back home.

Now I’m in constant contact with my friends and family. I chat regularly via text message and Facebook messenger. I even did a FaceTime tour of the house and yard with my brother. I’m still blogging (obviously, if you’re reading this), even though that seems to have fallen out of fashion with our attention-deficit society. There are many more ways to stay in touch. We’re further away, but the distance doesn’t seem as great.

Since we’re in constant contact through social media the difference between us and our friends is even more pronounced. Arizona was either three or two hours behind Greenville, since they don’t observe Daylight Savings there. (They have enough daylight in the desert.) We’re three house behind here in Washington, too. It seems strange to see friends check in on Facebook for lunch when I’ve just barely started breakfast. I’ve been able to listen to the Furman games online, but those games have started as early as 9:30 am our time.

Greenville is an extremely conservative town, and I’m not just talking about politics. There are southern formalities and customs that you don’t even realize until you’ve lived elsewhere for awhile. Both Tucson and Washington are much more relaxed about a lot of things. When I was looking for jobs in Tucson I’d wear a jacket and tie for interviews, and the interviewer would often comment on my formal attire. As a computer lab instructor at an elementary school there I’d wear jeans every day. I was expected to dress much more formally and professionally while teaching back home.

…and we have just started discovering how different Washington State can be…

But that’s part of the purpose of a sabbatical, to learn and experience new things (not that we’re going to partaking of the product pictured above.) Another difference between these two sabbaticals is that Arizona was completely alien to us, whereas we have a strong familiarity with Washington since we have visited so many times. The challenge is to seek out new things to learn and discover. That will be when the real fun comes in.

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