#commander fred waterford

[happy74827]

Take Me Over

[Nick Blaine x Wife!Reader]

Synopsis: In the heart of Gilead’s oppressive regime, you find yourself thrust into a marriage with Nick Blaine, a man whose silent demeanor hides a truth you’ve realized to be shared.

WC: 2189

Category: Lime/Spice, Slight Fluff {TW — Forced Marriage}

I’m back at it again with another character that no one seems to write about 🥲 (I love him your honor)

『••✎••』

The dim light of the candles flickered in the oppressive silence of the room. You sat on the edge of the bed, your hands tightly gripping the stack of letters tied together by a brown string while you contemplated what you were about to do.

It’s been a total of two days since you were placed to be a part of the household of Commander Fred and Mrs. Waterford. Two days since you were forced into a role that you were not comfortable with. Two days since a new life was placed before you.

Two days since your marriage, and now here you are, sitting on the edge of a bed, dreading the moment that the door would open and once again reveal the man who was forced to be your husband.

Nick Blaine, that was his name, and it was all that was given to you. You knew nothing about him. All you knew was that you were his wife, and he was your husband, and you both had a role to play. Though, if the letters that you currently held in your hands were anything to go by, Nick Blaine, your husband, played the role of a rebel.

Shock. It was the first thing that you felt when you discovered the stack of letters hidden behind one of the drawers in the room. Then, curiosity. What exactly were they? You were so intrigued that you couldn't help yourself. You had to find out.

You didn’t regret it.

You didn't even want to.

What you had found was something you could not believe. Something so secret and dangerous that you could not fathom. The contents of the letters, the words written upon the papers, were like a breath of fresh air.

Stories, that's what they were. Stories that you would tell in hushed whispers. Stories that were passed around. Stories of the world before Gilead.

They seemed to be all handmaids. Handmaids telling their side of the story. Brave women who would take such risks, who would defy the rules, just to let their voices be heard.

They were inspiring, and as you read through them, you realized the more dangerous these letters were, the more powerful. And the more powerful they were, the more they were needed.

It was a small act of defiance, but it was enough. It was something that could keep the flame of hope alive, and that is exactly what they needed in the current situation.

But the question still stands. What was Nick Blaine doing with them?

You weren’t sure how you were supposed to feel, especially now that you were aware that a man of his stature and position could risk everything for the sake of those who were fighting against Gilead.

So many things were racing in your mind, but then it hit you. The soft glow in his eyes whenever Waterford’s handmaiden was around. The way he looked at her. Sympathy and guilt. He cared for her.

The revelation was almost jarring, but you weren’t too surprised. Nick always seemed different from the others. Hell, it’s been two days, and he hasn’t touched you.

You could almost guarantee that all the other men who were promoted and newly married would have already taken their wives by now. They would’ve taken their wife that night after the ceremony. But not him. Not Nick.

You were grateful.

He had a heart, and that's all that mattered.

A knock on the door snapped you back into reality, and before you could even respond, the door was opening.

It was Nick.

For a split second, the two of you just stared at each other, his eyes moving in slow motion as they trailed from your face to the stack of letters you were holding.

Of course, as he did so, all you could do was look at him in admiration. He was always easy on the eyes before, with hair and eyes that were darker than the luxurious dark chocolate you once loved to eat before Gilead. But, knowing what you know now, everything about him was just much more attractive.

But then, a flicker of fear was shown in his eyes, and all at once, the atmosphere seemed to grow tense.

Without saying a word, Nick stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. You could visibly see a sweat drop trickling down his neck as he tried to compose himself, his eyes never leaving the letters that were clutched tightly in your hands.

"Nick." You whispered, and you could see him stiffen at the mention of his name. The poor man was terrified, and it was heartbreaking.

"How much did you read?" His voice was rough and gravelly, and the sound was music to your ears.

"Enough." You answered, and without missing a beat, you slowly stood up and began to make your way toward him. "Enough to know I can trust you."

Your response was met with a surprised look, and it was clear to you that he was not expecting that. Truthfully, you were surprised yourself.

This was all new to you. You've never spoken so freely before, and you never expected the day would come when you would have the courage to defy the rules. But today was a strange day.

"I’ve never believed in miracles," You whispered, taking a few steps forward. Your eyes were locked with his, and you could see the surprise and curiosity swirling around in his beautiful, dark brown eyes. "but you might be the closest thing to one I could get."

A soft smile tugged at your lips as you slowly walked towards him, and as the two of you were only mere inches away from each other, you raised the stack of letters and gently pushed it towards him.

"You need to do better than hiding them behind a drawer, though. I almost tripped on it when it fell out." You said, and for the first time since you had met him, you saw his lips curl up into a ghost of a smile.

"Noted."

And then the two of you lapsed into silence. A comfortable silence that was filled with the soft glow of the candle and the faint crackling sound of the fire.

That night was the night your trust was built and the beginning of a bond that would eventually bring the two of you together.

It was a couple of months later, when he returned from Canada with the Waterfords, that your relationship from close friends to lovers began.

He’d gotten the letters out. He’d finally gotten them out, and as the news of the failed union between Canada and Gilead left his lips, all you could think about was the relief and the excitement.

Your heart was overflowing with joy, and your body was filled with a sense of warmth that you had long forgotten. Nick had done it. Nick had finally done it.

As soon as he finished recounting, you rushed to embrace him. A strong grip wrapped itself around his waist, and your face nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

Nick, on the other hand, was stiff as a board. Even though you two were married to each other, he still felt that it was inappropriate for him to touch you in such a manner.

The thought didn’t last long, however, as you pulled away and gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

Your smile was radiant. Your eyes were twinkling, and your face was glowing. For the first time in a long time, you were truly happy. And Nick didn't think that he'd ever seen anything more beautiful.

"I'm proud of you."

Your words were soft, and as you placed your hand on his chest, you could feel his heartbeat quicken beneath your palm.

His eyes were locked on yours, and he could see the emotions swirling around in your eyes.

Relief. Excitement. Happiness. Admiration.

The list could go on, but in the end, all that mattered was that he could see the love that you held for him.

And that… that look was all it took for his hands to gently grasp your shoulders and guide you backward as you told him another set of words about how he was a hero and that he was amazing.

You didn’t even realize what he was doing until your back felt the concrete wall. Once you realized you weren’t moving anymore, you paused and looked at him, and the moment you did, your breath got caught in your throat.

Nick was looking at you with an intensity that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand. His hands had moved from your shoulders to the nape of your neck, and the warmth of his skin sent a shiver down your spine.

"Nick." You whispered, watching as his thumb grazed the outline of your bottom lip. It was a simple, tender gesture, but it was enough to send butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

You couldn’t get a response out, not even a single word, as you watched his eyes glance down at your lips, his own tongue darting out to lick his.

Then, his head was moving forward, and his lips were brushing against yours. It was a ghost of a kiss, barely touching your lips, but the electricity was there. It was a spark that made your entire body tingle and your heart race.

When Nick pulled away, he was met with your intense gaze. You were almost upset at the weak display. Even though you understood his hesitation, a part of you was hoping he would be braver.

"That's it?" You murmured, a hint of teasing in your voice.

And the moment those words left your mouth, he was smirking. He was actually smirking, and his fingers were running through your hair.

"Are you asking me for more?" He asked, his voice low and deep, sending another shiver down your spine.

"I’m not asking," You breathed out, leaning in close and pressing your forehead against his. The moment you did, his grip tightened around your waist, and his free hand slid down to your hip, squeezing it slightly. "You were brave enough to get those letters out. Be brave enough to kiss me like you mean it."

Those were the magic words.

He didn't say anything in response.

He didn't need to.

Instead, his hands went back to the nape of your neck, and his lips were once again on yours. Only this time, it was not a ghostly touch. It was real, and the moment his lips were on yours, all your senses were flooded with him.

You could feel his warm, plush lips molding against yours and the gentle way his fingers were running through your hair.

But what made you absolutely weak was the taste of him. Your legs were almost wobbling the moment his tongue slipped into your mouth. It was like a dance, his tongue brushing against yours as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

And as the two of you kissed, all the tension and the desire that had been building up in the past months slowly dissipated.

Your heart was racing, and your mind was in a daze. The only thing you were thinking about was Nick and his lips. And as his fingers gripped onto the strands of your hair and the way his hips began to press against yours, all you could think about was getting him closer.

So, your hands traveled down from his chest and to his back, gripping the material of his jacket as you pulled him towards you.

The action elicited a groan from the back of his throat, and his hips began to press firmly against yours. You could feel the way his hips were subtly grinding against yours, and as his hardness began to rub against the thin material of your dress, the moan that escaped your lips was swallowed by his mouth.

The kiss was turning heated and passionate, and your lips were swollen and bruised. Your fingers were tugging on his hair, and his were clutching at the strands of your own.

His teeth gently bit down on your bottom lip, and a moan escaped your lips; the sound was swallowed by his mouth, and you could feel him smiling.

You and Nick were so lost in each other that night, so focused on the taste of one another and the way his body was pressed against yours; it created a bubble where you both were safe, warm, and blissful.

It was the first time in a long time either of you had felt that way, and that feeling continued to grow, and eventually, it blossomed into a love that was deeper than the ocean and brighter than the sun.

And that was when you realized that no matter what happened, the two of you would always have each other, and no matter how cruel the world was, the two of you would always find a way to stay true to yourselves.

[sleazyjanet]

peace — i will stop your mouth

or, a kiss in the daylight (the horror!)

and fun closeups:

[uluthrek]

damn you, fred waterford. your beard so ugly. your voice so infuriating. your aura so slimy. your life so worthless. your eyes so pokeable. your teeth so kickable. your face so jared leto. your wife so hot. i‘ll kill you, fred waterford.

[casualkryptonitekitten]

I love how much irony there is in The Handmaid's Take sometimes because it's actually terrifying

Like S2, E6, Fred Waterford says "She has a right to speak! This is America!" when he and Serena Joy are being dragged out of that college after she tries to give a speech about how women shouldn't be going to college and instead should be home with their families

And the it immediately cuts to later, in Gilead, where Serena Joy isn't allowed to speak anymore anyway, and he's the one enforcing it

Idk something something poetic justice... You reap what you sow and all that

[abovethegaragepodcast]

Happy Valentine’s Day from The Handmaid’s Tale 106!! 🔥♥️🔥

[generic-whumperz]

Have you ever named a Whumper after a villain/antagonist character before?

Shall we start a thread? Open tag to anyone who wants to share a pic or gif of who their Whumper(s) is named after! (And feel free to tag others if you want!)

Just curious to see people’s name inspirations :)

I’ll start! I’ve only done this once so far- named him Frederik, Fred for short, after the despicable Commander Frederick R. Waterford from The Handmaid’s Tale. My blood boils seeing this man.

[glasskey]

Nick & June's Mix tape Vol. 2

With season 2 comes volume 2 of our Nick and June mix and it’s an interesting one. Nick and June fall in love, await the arrival of their new bub, fight off numerous enemies and we learn that true love requires absolute sacrifice.

Rebel Handmaid Commander

Watching Nick and June fight at the Boston Globe is absolutely mesmerising. These two have been locked up and forced to behave for so long, now they have the freedom to actually argue (amongst other things…. cough cough) it’s like shaking the can and ripping off the lid. This scene is supercharged from the word go. The sex scene here is raw, real and by ordinary standards, it’s seriously graphic. These two are finally taking a deep breath of one another, instead of whispering sweet nothings and secreting themselves away in clandestine corners. June bites Nick, it’s antagonistic, a sign that they’re not going to be playing nice today. She’s still slightly pissed off and she wants no part of the lawn boy bit, so he’d better bring his A game. Well okay then.

There’s an incredible sense of relief at watching June being able to argue with Nick, the Handmaids hood and its accessories are ashes, and at last after years of being made to be quiet, she’s allowed to actually yell at a man for being an idiot. She’s also not this delicate precious thing in the tower anymore, and Blaine’s finally got the opportunity to have a few choice words of his own. Essentially both of them have grievances and they’re not pulling any punches. It’s clear from June’s new nickname that she’s already earning herself quite a reputation amongst The Eyes as a bit of a trouble maker. As the mother of his child, Nick’s understandably feeling a little antsy about her sticking her neck out so readily for the noose. Given Gilead’s somewhat unforgiving laws, Blaine seems to be a touch vexed that he’s spending a lot of time playing “stubborn or stupid” when it comes to June. But it’s exactly this relentless recklessness that enables her to be the kind of leader, he already sense’s she will become.

June’s rightfully annoyed that, while yes she has been extricated from the Waterford’s clutches, Nick doesn’t seem to have much of an idea as to what’s next. At this point Nicks still finding his feet with Mayday, no doubt he’s always known where to find them when he needs to, but up until now he’s never needed to. In Gilead you need to think two moves ahead and June’s allegation of Nick wanting “to play the hero” is a crack at just how unprepared he is. There’s a definite dig here at his status in the Waterford household as the resident whipping boy who’s suddenly decided that he wants to level up. As with June transitioning from “not being that kind of person” to our Rebel Handmaid Commander it all takes time. Heroes aren’t born, they’re forged through struggle and battle and Blaine’s not even close to being fully formed yet. It’s not until the end of Season 2, when he finally holds his daughter, that we see him begin this journey and it’s only the end of Season 5 that he truly earns a place by her side as a warrior.

Blaine’s definitely not thinking straight, he’s a freshly minted baby daddy who’s freaked out and gone against all of his instincts of self-preservation, to help June make a break for the border. June’s no better, she’s all heart, no head here too. Her love for Hannah completely outweighing any reasonable argument that Nick may have for the remotest chance of success. Ultimately his options are limited to letting her go with a gun or without one. Make no mistake, she was always going to get those keys.

Corinthians

In season 2 we see Blaine cite Corinthians 13:4, a psalm espousing the pure nature of love in front of Fred, Serena and his newly arranged wife, as he looks at June. “Love is patient” according to Corinthians 13:4, in Gilead it has to be, marriage is transactional and love is an inconvenient obstacle to a servant’s higher purpose.

If you were ever under any illusions that Nick was a “free” man, the whole Eden debacle should clarify things for you nicely. A free man doesn’t have to marry a child bride while the woman he loves and the mother of his child watches. That’s just not a thing. Nicks selection of this psalm is a message to June that’s designed to serve as an assurance amongst all the recent emotional rubble, but he’s also hoping to God that some of its actual meaning will penetrate Fred and Serena’s thick skulls. Unfortunately it’s to no avail, to the Waterford’s Corinthians is simply just pretty words and no message.

When Nick reads Corinthians, Serena understands exactly who it’s for and promptly sends June to her room…….like that’s actually going to make a difference. Serena’s maneuverings in this arranged marriage and Eden’s ensuing death are an eerie reflection of her forced conception of Holly and the ultimate theft of Nick and June’s dream for a family through the appropriation of their child.

Eden’s death is a metaphor for the destruction of paradise, her recitation of Corinthians 13:4 just prior to her death brings into sharp relief Gilead’s ruthless annihilation of beauty. Eden’s refusal to apologise for, lie about or relinquish Isaac, speaks loudly of the absolute unselfish sacrifice of true love. Nick may not give a fuck about himself but he loves June entirely and refuses to see her dead, however painful, he resolves to give her up.

Serena has observed the progression of Nick and June’s relationship and decided enough is enough, it’s now reached threat level 9 and needs to be stopped before it hits critical mass. Corinthians 13:4 speaks of love as something that is earned, treasured, abides through trials of great suffering, heals and humbles. If Serena had any inkling of what this meant, she’d know it was already way too late.

He's the one who got them out.

There’s selfless, and then there’s this next level shit that Nick pulled in season 2 when he smuggles out a bunch of handmaids letters and then credits Luke with getting them out. Okay so maybe not completely incorrect after all Luke and Moira did flood the internet with them. But seriously the statement “got them out” implies some type of serious effort or danger like let’s say a trip across the border with them, rather than a simple post on Insta or Twitter with a few choice hash tags.

At the very least Nick should get a bit of credit here right? RIGHT? The fact that he DOESN’T take any is absolutely intentional. Nick returned from Canada asking for nothing and giving June everything. It cost him a huge part of himself and the fact that he gave it away so readily was designed to illustrate his pure self-sacrifice for her. This is the moment, right here that’s designed to show that Blaine loves her, like LOVES her, and officially doesn’t care what it costs him.

The very act of passing these letters to Luke and then crediting Luke with them, is a veiled metaphor for the passing of messages back and forth between June and her family. While ridiculously selfless it’s necessary for Blaine to credit Luke in order to complete the actual construct of the metaphor.

Blaine is June’s conduit, her messenger, guardian, guide, lover, but with the words “I met your husband” he reminds her and acknowledges that in the ordinary world he will have to relinquish these roles. There are three words contained in this scene that perfectly capture Blaine’s sentiment and they’re heartbreaking in their simplicity: “I should go” he says and as he leaves he tells her he loves her for the last time that season.

Blaine looks crushed and limps away visibly wounded, June is so overjoyed by his news about Luke and Moira, it’s as if she is blind to his pain. For both of them there is the realisation that not only CAN she leave but she inevitably WILL. It’s not long after we see him arrange for June to leave and for the next three seasons he keeps his distance. This is a crucial moment for Blaine, the letters home and meeting Luke face to face form the basis of his attempted growing separation from her as he tries to do “the right thing”. The only problem is, the more that Blaine sacrifices for her, the more her love for him grows.

I wish I could hold her

No exaggeration, this fucking wrecked me. There are a few moments on THT that choke me up spontaneously and this is one of them. It’s absolutely gutting to see a usually stoic Blaine suddenly dissolve into a puddle of vulnerability, heartache and tenderness.

Blaine doesn’t often talk about their baby, he doesn’t dare, it’s altogether too much to hope for that they might one day be a family. Here he can’t contain himself, “Our babies so beautiful” he says, his joy over the birth of his new daughter and his love for the mother of his child, spilling out of him. “I wish I could hold her” he says with the heartbreaking revelation that Nick has been stripped of any claim to his own daughter, including the ability to hold her for the first time. Tears well in June’s eyes, her usual sassy cynicism completely melting away in a single heartbeat.

With the birth of Holly comes the first time we hear Blaine actually mention the possibility of leaving Gilead, for the first time he has something that might make him try. The two of them fantasise about an idyllic escape from the Hell of Gilead. The golden glowing leafy window makes it hard to believe they’re not already standing on a sandy beach beneath lush green trees.

The Waterford’s window contains a gingko biloba, the most ancient of all trees, a symbol of their lasting love and growing family tree. This is one of those incredible THT moments that will stay with you throughout the seasons, where two parents bond over the birth of their child and dream of a better life together…..in Hawaii. I’m not crying, you’re crying…

Before I get into our 3rd Nick and June Mix tape, I’ve got a second Lawrence and June Mix. In the future Nick and Lawrence will be getting a separate Mix tape, and Nick, June and Tuello will all be getting their own playlists. See you then.

[zackzona2005]

Countryhumans: The Commanders of Gilead

Drew this back in December 2022 and finished it on April 13, 2024.

I wanted to draw the Commanders of Gilead from Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale in Countryhuman style. I wanted to make them as accurate as possible. *Yes, I also added Donald Trump because for my headcanon I'm working on for the Hulu series' alternate history, he's a Commander in Gilead* I previously drew my first Gilead design back in November 2022. At first, I liked it but now I don’t like the head since most Countryhumans have round heads like Countyballs. So, when I drew the Commanders, I wanted to make them more human-like heads than round but keep the style of Countryhumans like the white eyes

Commander Fred Waterford played by Joseph Fiennes

Commander Nick Blaine played by Max Minghella

Commander Joseph Lawerence played by Bradley Whitford

Commander Andrew Pryce played by Robert Curtis Brown

Commander Warren Putnam played by Stephen Kunken

Commander MacKenzie played by Jason Butler Harner

Commander Donald Trump as himself *obviously*

Commander George Winslow played by Christopher Meloni

[hughesgarnet]

one of the most satisfying villain deaths ever goes to Commander Fred Waterford! so poetic!!

[riverlarking]

the only man you can say "i need him in ways that are concerning to feminism" about and actually make it make sense is commander fred waterford from the handmaid's tale

[summerrainsworld]

June and Intimacy

During the days of the monthly ceremony, her eyes remained open, fixed to the ceiling. She was a good student. She had to be convincing. She had to know her audience was convinced. She kept her eyes open, constantly observing the people she was of. She had to look unbothered and subservient. She knew her audience better than she knew knew her role. She had to do what the Waterfords wanted. During the ceremony, she was silent, unbothered and subservient. The commander’s cum was nothing but an intrusive one - way transaction. Power and safety are not synonymous. At Jezebels, she was vocally responsive to the “pleasure” Fred gave her. Her face contorted with disgust only when Fred put his face to her neck. She placed a hand on the back of his head. One might see this as her wanting him body to stay aligned with hers but that was not true. June’s hand on the back of the commanders head was only there so she had the opportunity to feel, any movement of his would be felt by her hand and she would know to soften her face for him when his eyes met hers again.Her deliberate, unblinking soft gaze at the ceiling while she is being raped by Fred and held down by Serena, runs parallel with the Gilead expectations that hold dire consequences if they aren’t met. June knows the height of the bar. She knows the bar isn’t stagnant. Her eyes are open and they glow with the trauma réponse that is fawn which means to go along with it and to go along with it, you have to play your part. That means you need to show you are cooperating. Eyes are the window to the soul. The waterfords need to know she is cooperating and being the subservient and unbothered handmaid, the walking womb so to speak. They need to see this and if June’s eyes are closed, it leaves room for doubt and uncertainty that she is playing her part which then leads to them seeing her as a threat to Gilead values. Another reason why June’s eyes are open is so she can observe and assess the believability of her performance and make the necessary tweaks and fix mistakes before they have the chance to be seen and judged by her audience. If her eyes were closed, she would have no idea how to prevent the worst from happening. The clothing signifies that she is Offred. Offred is a sex slave. Offred is a walking womb. Offred is submissive. Offred is willing. Offered is obligated. Offred is not the June underneath the many layers of clothing.

If we compare this with the scene where June goes to Nick’s apartment for the first time, we see how different it is. June sheds all of her clothing herself and sheds Nick’s clothing herself. This is June saying: this is me. I want you to see me. I want you to know me. This is who I am. I have nothing to hide. I don’t want to hide from you. It is June’s way of making him realise that he is not just anyone. I think Nick’s wondrous gaze at her naked body while she is undressing, is when he realises this. It is a big thing for her to do and it’s special for him that he gets to be the one she chooses to do that with. It speaks volumes and it gives them this mutual unspoken understanding that they can be themselves around each other. Its even more special because they want to be themselves with each other. The safety of each others presence is established. Its sacred. It’s unbreakable. When they have sex for the first time, June assumes the position of dominance and rides him. She does not assume this position to dominate him, she lets him be a part of her dominance rather than be at the mercy of it. She does this by lifting him up into a sitting position so he can be a part of this with her. This shows that even when caught up in having sex and assuming a dominant position, she still wants him to enjoy it with her. She aligns her needs with his and she accommodates him, as he does for her and with her. Their love is unconditional and was built from trust that she initiated and needs that he validated. It is important to note that the last piece of clothing she takes off is her bra. The clothing that shields her heart, her true self, her love, her feelings id the last thing she takes off. This is not an act of submission but rather get saying, this is who I am and I want to be who I am around you. It allows June to feel. Her heart is not shielded anymore. She is completely vulnerable. She takes her bra off slowly and once it is off her chest, Nick takes it and sort of moves it out of the way. I feel like him doing that is him making her feel like she is safe. He will never hurt her. He wants her to be who she is. As soon as he moves her bra away , he brings her in for a kiss and their chests touch each other. Bit of their chests are exposed. I feel like this is significant because it cements their commitment to one another. Their hearts are beating against one another and they are both showing each other that their body and their mind and their spirit, is safe. They belong to themselves and they always will but they trust each other enough to give each other parts of themselves because they both know these parts of themselves will be nourished by the other and returned to one another in the same condition. They give each other the space to be who they need to be but also the space to realise who they are to one another. There is no role she has to step into. She is not putting on a performance. She is real and raw and vulnerable.

Another important thing about this scene is June’s eyes. Her eyes are closed often than they are open. Her eyes are closed because she is free. She is revealing her true identity to him without fear. It is just him and her. She knows him. He knows her. She is free to be who she is. She doesn’t need to rely on assessing his response or observing him. She doesn’t even do it automatically which shows how safe she feels with him. That kind of trust is deep and it’s here that he understands the depth of their bond. He’s not a threat to her and she knows this without having to be told. It shows how sure she is about loving him and wanting him. Nick is not just anyone. He is her refuge. She knows she is lucky to have a person that represents so much to her. She will never let him go because even though she is no longer in Gilead, she still feels like it’s a part of her because it was for so long. She doesn’t feel the need to protect him what she feels or hide the things she feels because she knows him. There are no secrets between them and any secrets that do arise, are easily forgivable because it’s not about what the other peorson does or what they are forced to do, it’s about who they are. She loves him for him. It doesn’t matter what he’s done because she’s done some shitty stuff too. They understand each others need to be that safe place. They don’t hide anything from one another. She is free to feel and free to love. It’s him that makes her feel this way. It���s him that makes her feel safe to be herself and reconnect with what she wants and who she wants to be with. Gilead can’t take that away from her. Gilead can’t take him away from her. Because she loves this man for who he is but also for who she can be when she is with him. She can be naked. She can be vulnerable. She can be anything she wants to be. And so can he. They bring out the best in each other. It’s easy for them to love one another because there is nothing that can break the bond they both hold close to their hearts. Closing her eyes is the ultimate act of showing him how deeply she trusts him. They would always be a part of one another, never a subject of the other.

When June mentions in the tape that Nick helped her to survive, she isn’t talking about him obviously helping her avoid imminent death but she is talking about her quality of life. In a place like Gilead, to have what they both could provide for one another is something that is unfair to dismiss and/or forget. They both know they will always need each other. They both owe so much to one another. They are a team. But they are also two separate people whose ties to one another don’t fray or break when they are with their significant others because it’s not like that. Their bond runs too deep because it was built around the need to survive and the need to be okay. June will always need him to feel close to who she is because he is the only person she is comfortable and safe with to truly just be. This is the same for him. She is an onion. But she is an onion who peeled her own layers. She wasn’t forced to do it.

This bond is present even when they’re not physically together. When Luke and June have sex after bonding over their hatred of Serena, June continues to honour her relationship and bond she has with Nick even while she’s having sex with her husband. We know that June wasn’t fully clothed when she was having sex with Luke. Luke was completely naked. She knows who he is. He doesn’t know who she is. He knows parts of her, the parts of her that she lets him see, the parts of her that aren’t clothed. But he will never know all of her. This also runs parallel to the association June has with identity and clothing. She is a wife, she is not June. Her clothes remain on her body as long as she is the wife. It’s her reminder of who she is replicating and helps her step into the role of the wife she knows Luke deserves. But he will never know her. He knows her as his wife which she heard quite often. But he will never know her as June. Not like Nick does. He will never feel the beating heart that is June. It also symbolises that her heart is not present in this decision to have sex with Luke. As much as tries to rebuild her marriage with him, she can’t because she won’t show him her true self. She is pulled down by the weight of her legal ties to him which doesn’t help her recover because all that does for her is go back into her old ways of being the subservient Offred who never closes her eyes. Offred has been replaced by the Wife. She has new obligations. She must play the part and convinces herself that she has to because she is so aware of what Luke needs and she feels guilty that she can’t be the wife that she was. She knows her audience though. She knows when to moan and sigh and groan and gasp. Her eyes remain open to observe her audience. He believes her performance. Her facade never faltered, not while he was kissing her neck, not while he moved inside her, not while they undressed each other and kissed one another’s bodies. She was never on top. She was the subservient wife. A wife who loved her husband. A wife who knew her husband missed her moans, her heavy breathing, her body. Even when they were around other people, her eyes never closed. Not when they embraced. Not when they were comforted by one another. The sex scene is intercut with Serena and the Wheelers. Both women are doing what they believe is right. Both women wish their situations were different. Both women are expected to know how to navigate it. Both women know what’s at stake if they don’t.

[waterfrd]

@moralpuppet said: ❛  i needed to understand what real suffering was, so i could become more compassionate to others.  ❜

"I don't know, Serena. Can you see any of these in your home?"

No. I can't.

"I mean, I'm glad they rescued these children from those unfit mothers. They needed to be saved."

They need good homes. Good families to raise them in God's light.

"Of course. Of course they do, poor dears. You just... You never really know where they came from. Or who they came from. Do you?"

It's days like this Serena thinks that perhaps she should've heeded Naomi's warning.

Oh, but she couldn't help but fall in love with Orel the moment she laid eyes on him. He was a perfectly, sweet child and already so pious. How could she not come to love him as her own? So, the boy was brought into her home and became a Waterford. Far too old to change his name, to really make him into her own, but Serena would give her best attempt to shape the boy. Fred wasn't the most attentive father, with his work as a Commander taking precedent but he cared for the child as well. They would raise him in God's light, train him to be a future Commander. He took well to the schooling, as far as Serena could tell. He was learning scripture and Gilead law without fail. All things considered it was going well, until Offred came into the home.

Serena tried to avoid it for quite some time, having a handmaid. Having one child in the home was enough to ward it off for a few years, but not forever. Gilead was all about children, rebuilding society and bringing up healthy birthrates. So, enter the first handmaid. Curiosity from a child is to be expected when something new comes into the home. It was like a puppy, this new addition, only a very dumb one. She never knew her place, how to act. One would think the Rachel & Leah Center would've trained the girls better before sending them out into the world. Serena couldn't stop the boy from being curious. And the former handmaid's suicide, discreetly covered up, likely didn't help. When the new one came in and took her place, the Wife should have known it would bring trouble.

What was this most recent fight about? Ah, yes, Offred wasn't pregnant. Her menstrual cycle had just been late. It was enough to anger Serena, banishing the handmaid to her room. She wan't allowed to leave the home, or even come down for meals. She was to remain locked up until Serena said otherwise. Every member of the household was to ignore her, leaving her to sit alone in that room upstairs. Why couldn't Orel respect that? Curiosity had seemingly gotten the better of him, causing the boy to pay a visit to the handmaid. Perhaps he would have gotten away with it, had Serena not seen him coming down the stairs leading up to her room. ❛ What were you doing up there? ❜

"I needed to understand what real suffering was, so i could become more compassionate to others."

❛ And I love that about you, Orel. But, the handmaid… She’s none of your concern. ❜ Serena plasters a smile, sitting awkwardly upon her face. ❛ I assure you, Offred is just fine. She just needs some time in her room, to remind her of her scripture. Blessed are the meek, right? She must remember that. ❜

[romangoldendreams]

That evil touch

[witch0000]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Handmaid's Tale (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Commander Fred Waterford/Serena Joy Waterford Characters: Serena Joy Waterford, Commander Fred Waterford, The First Offred, Aunt Lydia Clements Additional Tags: Serena wants to know, Curiosity killed the cat, she hates the color teal, toxic marriage Summary: 

The colors worn by various castes in Gilead society are pretty interesting. I can picture Serena--stylish and beautiful--getting sick and tired of wearing the same damn color--day in, and day out. The only variations were in the cloth and the stitching details, but otherwise, the dresses worn by the Wives were the same. So she starts thinking about all the colors worn in Gilead, and she has a question for Fred. And it involves the first Offred.

[abovethegaragepodcast]

The way Nick looks at June as he reads the Corinthians verse about love in front of the whole household 💗

[glasskey]

I’m Gonna Cut Your F#cking Heart Out - The June Osborne Hit List Pt 2.

I'm back, and this time I’ll be covering my favorite June mic drops from Season 2. Apart from the faux hanging at the beginning, this season started out fairly promising with Nick starting to get his Mayday on, and hatching a half-assed escape plan. Unfortunately apart from her short holiday away from Hell at the Boston Globe with her side piece, June was juggled back and forth between Aunt Lydia and Serena's nefarious clutches. It’s enough to make a heavily pregnant Handmaid just a wee bit cranky.

I am Free

Nick having found out that he’s about to be a baby daddy, decides to help June hotfoot it to the border. In this scene June sheds her handmaid’s garb, and proceeds to burn her figurative emotional shackles. In a bloody display of grit and determination, she cuts out her ear tag with a pair of scissors and tosses it into the fire. Standing in the flickering firelight, drenched in blood, Osborne proclaims her freedom…..and she almost makes it. Almost. Fire is traditionally cleansing, it has the power to utterly destroy, and for June it signals both annihilation and rebirth.

At the end of season two Blaine attempts unsuccessfully to facilitate her escape once again. This time on a freezing, pitch black night, Nick and the resident Martha's set fire to a neighboring house, creating a diversion. Together with the sudden violent downpour, it symbolizes Nick and June’s collective grief over the loss of their family unit, and signals Nicole and June’s passage to other realms.

Back at the Waterford home, Nick lights Serena's cigarette, it is not the first time we have seen him smoking at somewhat pivotal points for his own emotional conflict and it wont be the last. Upon June's unceremonious return, Serena drives her from the family home by setting fire to the Waterford estate, severing June's bindings to both Fred and Serena, beginning with the marital bed. Serena stands in front of what can only be described as a blazing funeral pyre, entranced. She almost goes down with it. it is June who coaxes her back from the edge, fittingly in later episodes, these two will share a cigarette. The walls tremble beneath June’s hands, a giant incendiary force boiling beneath the surface waiting to explode; finally ripping through the family home leaving it a pile of smouldering ash.

In season 4 it’s not just the appearance of a fire, but a colossal explosion that finally marks her liberty. It’s no coincidence that it’s Blaine who unleashes it. Much like this explosion, each of his background manueverings, has an impact in her life that reverberates outwards. Each one bringing her closer and closer to freedom.

In Atwood's text June’s desire to stay in Gilead with Nick is a commentary on how easily freedom can be forgotten in the face of these types of relationships. But in the series Blaine presents a conundrum, he appears somewhat trapped, unhappy and regretful. He actively facilitates her escape on several occasions and is angry when she refuses to leave. Blaine sees June as a beacon of freedom and as such his salvation lies with her.

“Freedom agrees with you” observes Blaine in 4 09, but June continues to stay tagged; both Hannah and Nick remain in Gilead. Ironically they have met in the freezing snow, and time will demonstrate that despite her return to a peaceful home, her constant longing for Hannah and Blaine remains. Her freedom is just an illusion, Gilead still has her by the throat.

You Know My Fucking Name

Yes indeedy. Season 1 June Osborne was just an anonymous little handmaid, come season 3 she’s a household name and by season 5 she’s Gilead public enemy number 1. To say her PR division had been busy would be an understatement. Particularly to Aunt Lydia, Osborne has been somewhat of a thorn in her paw, she’s been acting like a bit of a “rebel handmaid commander” as Nick so eloquently put it. Defiant, unruly and just a wee bit mouthy. This scene is memorable to say the least. Aunt Lydia has come bearing gifts; it’s June’s slavery in the form of her pretty little Handmaid’s dress.

Having tasted freedom for a spell, and just a tad bit resentful of being chained up once again, June now has a nice big belly full of fuck you. When Aunt Lydia calls June by her slave name, she quietly snarls “It’s June. You know my fucking name”. She demands acknowledgement as the individual with rights Lydia knows she is, and not just some incubator for Gilead. Being preggers, June thinks that she has the upper hand, but unfortunately she’s dead wrong. The following scene is a call back to S2 Episode 1 when Aunt Lydia tried to convince June to eat all her veg by showing her the disheveled, insane, heavily pregnant handmaid, chained to a bed in the basement. Desperation just oozes out of her pores, her eyes appeal to June who relents in the face of this pathetic creature whose fate it is simply to give birth and then meet the noose. As the other handmaids are brutally tortured for their insubordination, in front of her, June chokes down every last bite.

In Episode 4, Aunt Lydia wastes no time in reminding her that if she doesn’t lose the attitude quick smart, she’ll end up just like her “defiant” friend. It’s no mistake that Aunt Lydia has chained June to the bed and the comforter looks eerily similar, all it takes is a surgically worded threat from her and technicolor visions of her predecessor flash through June’s head. Sure enough June obediently dons her Handmaids garb once again, and is trotted back off into the Waterford’s clutches. Well played Aunt Lydia.

I Can't Lose You

Someone is definitely in love. Like up to her neck in it. She’s just returned from the Boston Globe where her and Nick have had almost 3 months to bond during the first trimester of their baby. If these two are not in love by now, they never will be. Nick, so blinded by it, makes the ill informed decision to step up to Serena, who is sharp enough to recognize his reckless abandon for exactly what it is, and “rewards” him with a sparkling new child bride. Young Eden, having been heavily indoctrinated to dutifully carry out Gilead law, then proceeds to press him to help her conceive a child. The idea of having sex with a 15 year old is abhorrent to Nick. He successfully dodges her for a while, but then she starts using phrases like “gender traitor”, something which could easily get him killed. Nick and June can’t escape it, he’s going to have to consummate the relationship and he’s appalled. June’s quick to point out that shit like this is her everyday existence, if he doesn’t do it she’ll lose him and that’s something that she just can’t do. When June blurts this out, it isn’t quite her saying I love you but it’s definitely the first sign of it, and Blaine immediately clocks it for what it is.

As she walks out the door he states in a very definitive tone, that he loves her, firmly declaring his position in their relationship and reassuring her that despite current circumstances, he’s not going anywhere. It’s a stunning admission from the usually stoic Blaine who would otherwise need the jaws-of-life to articulate such emotion. It marks the opening of the veritable flood gates; from here on in he’s an absolute font of such sentiments. Fuck it. It’s Gilead, he could die tomorrow.

Since the Boston Globe their relationship had taken on a whole new tenor. Instead of the silent uncommunicative Blaine who refused to engage with her, despite her pleas of “talk to me”, we now had a Nick who couldn’t contain himself, proclaiming such sentiments as “I think about us all the time.” Now it was actually June trying vainly to keep him at arms-length, but it was already way too late. While she may have coldly declared that Eden is his wife in response to his sudden declaration of love; behind closed doors she’s in pieces.

The Natural Way

Technically, Serena’s line but I’m going to give this one to June as it’s about her trauma and pain so she should own this moment. Serena is livid at June’s false labor, she humiliated her in front of her resident knitting circle and then gloated about it in front of a bunch of quietly snickering handmaids, Serena’s decided it’s fucking on. Conveniently ever since she got back from her “kidnapping”, Fred’s just been itching to get his hands all over June. As a result Serena convinces Fred to “help the baby come out the “natural way”.

June has managed to keep Fred at arm’s length since she was recaptured and this is just the permission he needs to take what he wants. There’s a moment in this scene where Serena speaks to June gently, coaxing her down onto the bed and then grabs her in a vice like grip to hold her down. This is Serena in a nutshell; a sweet luring word followed by a brutal trap. At first this starts as a joint endeavor between Fred and Serena with them hypnotically chanting out the usual rant about Rachel and Bilah, but it quickly deteriorates as Fred dissolves into a vicious frenzy and Serena realizes that Fred’s not interested in anything but the actual act of violently raping June. June has retreated into a state of utter shock, she stares silently at the ceiling, her spirit recoiling to some dark corner that neither sees nor hears. She can’t even scream. In this moment June seems so vacant she appears almost lifeless, a mere body being torn apart by two monsters. Serena’s stunned by Fred’s frantic desire to possess and consume June, his evident rage at being previously denied. She can barely look at him by the end, ironic given Serena was originally using Fred to actualize her fury. There are moments throughout THT where Serena, confronted by the consequences of her endeavors, is sickened and visibly flinches. This is one of them.

This is the moment that may have damned Serena forever, I personally cannot forgive her for it and I’m not sure that any inner journey will ever be suffice to earn her a survivable character redemption. In Atwood's text Serena was aged and crippled, but in the series Serena is young and beautiful, as such she challenges our ideals and illusions of beauty as a sign of a nurturing or maternal spirit. She’s cold, toxic and despite June’s continued best efforts, absolutely unreachable. Serena's violence is more coercive control than the obvious physical force that Fred wields, but make no mistake, she is no second string. Serena has a truly devastating power, matched only by her cunning, and here in Gilead Serena is a snake who uses Fred as her fangs.

I’ll be back with another hit lit very shortly. In the meantime I’d love to hear what your favourite June line was from S2, in the comments.