#indira point

[thirteens-pocket-watch]

I may be clowning but I hope we get a Torchwood reference in the ep with Indira Varma

[theinfinitedivides]

how does this man never disappoint me. what is in the water

[hussyknee]

Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani’s Kitab al-Aghani records the lives of a number of individuals including one named Tuways who lived during the last years of Muhammad and the reigns of the early Muslim dynasties. Tuways was mukhannathun: those who were born as men, but who presented as female. They are described by al-Isfahani as wearing bangles, decorating their hands with henna, and wearing feminine clothing. One mukhannathun, Hit, was even in the household of the Prophet Muhammad. Tuways earned a reputation as a musician, performing for clients and even for Muslim rulers. When Yahya ibn al-Hakam was appointed as governor, Tuways joined in the celebration wearing ostentatious garb and cosmetics. When asked by the governor if he were Muslim Tuways affirmed his belief, proclaiming the declaration of faith and saying that he observes the fast of Ramadan and the five daily prayers. In other words, al-Isfahani, who recorded the life of a number of mukhannathun like Tuways, saw no contradiction between his gender expression and his Muslimness. From al-Isfahani we read of al-Dalal, ibn Surayj, and al-Gharid—all mukhannathun—who lived rich lives in early Muslim societies. Notably absent from al-Isfahani’s records is any state-sanctioned persecution. Instead, the mukhannathun are an accepted part of society.

...

Far from isolated cases, across Islamic history—from North Africa to South Asia—we see widespread acceptance of gender nonconforming and queer individuals. - Later in the Ottoman Empire, there were the köçek who were men who wore women’s clothing and performed at festivals. Formally trained in dance and percussion instruments, the köçek were an important part of social functions. A similar practice was found in Egypt. The khawal were male dancers who presented as female, wearing dresses, make up, and henna. Like their Ottoman counterparts, they performed at social events.

- In South Asia, the hijra were and are third-sex individuals. The term is used for intersex people as well as transgender women. Hijra are attested to among the earliest Muslim societies of South Asia where, according to Nalini Iyer, they were often guardians of the household and even held office as advisors.

- In Iraq, the mustarjil are born female, but present as men. In Wilfred Thesiger’s The Marsh Arabs the guide, Amara explains, “A mustarjil is born a woman. She cannot help that; but she has the heart of a man, so she lives like a man.” When asked if the mustarjil are accepted, Amara replies “Certainly. We eat with her and she may sit in the mudhif.” Amara goes on to describe how mustarjil have sex with women.

...

Historian Indira Gesink analyzed 41 medical and juristic sources between the 8th and 18th centuries and discovered that the discourse of a “binary sex” was an anachronistic projection backwards. Gesink points out in one of the earliest lexicography by the 8th century al-Khalil ibn Ahmad that he suggests addressing a male-presenting intersex person as ya khunathu and a female-presenting intersex person as ya khanathi while addressing an effeminate man as ya khunathatu. This suggests a clear recognition of a spectrum of sex and gender expression and a desire to address someone respectfully based on how they presented.

Tolerance of gender ambiguity and non-conformity in Islamic cultures went hand-in-hand with broader acceptance of homoeroticism. Texts like Ali ibn Nasir al-Katib’s Jawami al-Ladhdha, Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani’s Kitab al-Aghani, and the Tunisian, Ahmad al-Tifashi’s Nuz’ha al-‘Albab attest to the widespread acceptance of same-sex desire as natural. Homoeroticism is a common element in much of Persian and Arabic poetry where youthful males are often the object of desire. From Abu Nuwas to Rumi, from ibn Ammar to Amir Khusraw, some of the Islamic world’s greatest poets were composing verses for their male lovers. Queer love was openly vaunted by poets. One, Ibn Nasr, immortalizes the love between two Arab lesbians Hind al Nu’man and al-Zarqa by writing:

“Oh Hind, you are truer to your word than men. Oh, the differences between your loyalty and theirs.”

...

Acceptance of same-sex desire and gender non-conformity was the hallmark of Islamic societies to such a degree that European travelers consistently remarked derisively on it. In the 19th century, Edward Lane wrote of the khawal: “They are Muslims and natives of Egypt. As they personate women, their dances are exactly of the same description as those of the ghawazee; and are, in like manner, accompanied by the sound of castanets.”

A similarly scandalized CS Sonnini writes of Muslim homoerotic culture:

“The inconceivable appetite which dishonored the Greeks and the Persians of antiquity, constitute the delight, or to use a juster term, the infamy of the Egyptians. It is not for women that their ditties are composed: it is not on them that tender caresses are lavished; far different objects inflame them.”

In his travels in the 19th century, James Silk Buckingham encounters an Afghan dervish shedding tears for parting with his male lover. The dervish, Ismael, is astonished to find how rare same-sex love was in Europe. Buckingham reports the deep love between Ismael and his lover quoting, “though they were still two bodies, they became one soul.”

...

Today, vocal Muslim critics of LGBTQ+ rights often accuse gay and queer people of imposing a “Western” concept or forcing Islam to adjust to “Western values” failing to grasp the irony of the claim: the shift in the 19th and 20th century was precisely an alignment with colonial values over older Islamic ones, all of which led to legal criminalization. In fact, the common feature among nations with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation isn’t Islam, but rather colonial law.

Don't talk to me I'm weeping. I'm not Muslim, but the grief of colonization runs in the blood of every Global South person. Dicovering these is like finding our lost treasures among plundered ruins.

Queer folk have always, always been here; we have always been inextricable, shining golden threads in the tapestry of human history. To erase and condemn us is to continue using the scalpel of colonizers in the mutilation and betrayal of our own heritage.

[csuitebitches]

Interviews with Incredible Women

Here are some interviews that I think are absolutely brilliant, and I’ll explain why.

These women are trailblazers in what they do and I think, have really nailed the interview process down and you can tell because the more natural a person appears to be on camera, the more effort has gone into looking that way. Uneasiness, discomfort, shyness are easily spotted, especially with body language - and you can see the confidence just radiating from them.

Now, you may not like some of these women for whatever reason. I don’t really care about that - I’m simply looking at their oratorship, their presence in front of everyone and how they carry themselves. There’s obviously lots of powerful female orators, leaders and figures out there but I can’t possibly list them all so excuse me if I’ve missed out on your favourites - I’ll add them next time.

There’s a few things these women have in common:

1. They don’t always jump to answer. They think for a second or two before answering.

2. There are no filler sounds. They speak at a measured rate, which allows them to think ahead about their sentences.

3. They have a vast vocabulary.

4. They are not shy in disagreeing with the person in front of them. None of that diplomatic nonsense. There is clearly a strong sense of self identity and personality, unapologetically.

5. They show their vulnerabilities, weaknesses and hard times as thing of the past and accept them without a fuss- they don’t oppress themselves with it, and come across as strong survivors rather than wallowing in self pity. It’s what makes people admire them.

6. They don’t answer what they dont want to. And they beat around the bush with it, clearly stating that they will not answer those questions.

7. One thing I loved about Rekha’s interview - when questioned about an ex lover, she asks: “hey, is this interview about me or Mr Bacchan?” And it didnt come across as haughty or egoistical.

8. There’s feminineness in their strength. Them being strong in their stances is not masculine, overly aggressive or yelling - its firm, to the point, yet graceful.

This is what you should be looking at, carefully:

- body language

- Vocabulary

- Talking speed

- Gestures

- Facial expressions

- Voice modulation

- Expressing emotions

Video Links

1. Rekha

2. Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel

3. Meryl Streep

4. Indira Gandhi

5. Princess Diana

6. President Sirleaf

7. Lady Gaga

8. Naomi Campbell and Vivienne Westwood

9. Anna Karina

10. Michelle Yeoh

11. Mika Brzezinksi

[cinamun]

Aww yes, of course we didn't forget that the twins had birthdays just three months ago and on the same day their beloved pet Bitch passed away!

Join me under the cut for a deeper dive at what these two rolled and a peek at the non-theatrical version of events.

Indira Dior Destiny Drake

Her aspiration is to be a master actress, how this will work out for her is yet to be seen. She has all of the qualities necessary with the High Maintenance, Self-Absorbed and Snob personality traits. Snob is new and obvious given that she's known nothing but luxury her entire life. She is ultra feminine and loves the color pink.

In terms of her relationships and future plans, its just vibes at this point.

Darren Drake Jr.

He wants nothing more in simulated life than to have a big, happy family. As such, he is a hopeless romantic but a down-to-earth bro who is quite athletic. While recent events have left him questioning his simulated life choices, he's currently playing running back for Foxbury on a full ride.

Nothing and I mean NOTHING goes as planned literally ever so of course we missed Indira's sparkle spin (so did she REALLY age up?) AND her candle blow out because apparently Indya wanted us to know she makes bomb cheesecake (as if we didn't already know.... heffa)

Also Hope was late, but not absent.

As for DJ....

we caught a little bit more of the pomp and circumstance.

Darren and Indya are over the moon to have raised healthy and intelligent children. Let's see where Things�� go from here.

Stay tuned friends!

[timetravellingkitty]

omg your tags about indira's assassination reminded me of this indian international student that my roommates used to be friends with. okay so for context all three of these roommates are white, so before they knew me well she would just tell them these insane "facts" about india and whenever they were like "uhhh im not too sure about that" she would say they're all white and she knows better then them. some highlights include:

-saying that they didn't have brooms in india (so she didn't know how to use one) to justify leaving her toenails clippings in the living room (after a bit of pushing she admitted that she grew up with maids but it's actually super common!!!)

-that her islamophobia was justified because "in india muslims are actually oppressive" (this one my roommates actually tried to argue with her on and got her to stop being openly islamophobic by saying her """justified""" islamophobia would get mistaken for the racist kind of islamophobia we have in the west so it's better for her to stop 💀💀)

-one day i came downstairs to her talking to one of my roommates and she asked me "what do you think about indira gandhi's assassination" and me being raised sikh went "oh it fucking rocked i'm glad she died" which was apparently the WRONG answer because she idolized her ("she's like what hilary clinton is to you guys to me" (horrible example, my roommates are communists))

anyways i have so many stories about her (and she fucking HATED me to the point of calling me a "fake indian" (true but im not taking that from her!!) because anytime my roommates would mention anything she said about india i would go "wait that's not true at all..")

didn't have brooms in india is WILD what do they think they beat our asses with I desperately need more stories now

[fanhackers]

Platforms and Fan Experiences

This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about platforms and the way in which they influence fan experiences. As a consistent lurker, I have been on Tumblr for more than a decade, and more recently on Twitter for the past few months, and have been reflecting on my experiences of fandom on both platforms.

In a roundtable discussion published in a tumblr book: platform and cultures, speakers Flourish Klink, Rukmini Pande, Zina Hutton, Lori Morimoto and Allison McCracken discuss the ways in which Tumblr is a very visual platform:

Klink: Tumblr fandoms tend to be much more visual than other fandoms. I often find that this  is the most difficult part of Tumblr for people who are not familiar with it. The visual languages in play on Tumblr are as meaningful and complex as any slang or textual interactions on Twitter… Klink, Flourish, Rukmini Pande, Zina Hutton, Lori Morimoto, and Allison McCracken. “A Roundtable Discussion about the Cultures of Fandom on Tumblr.” In A Tumblr Book: Platform and Cultures, edited by Allison McCracken, Alexander Cho, Louisa Stein, and Indira Neill Hoch, 167–80. University of Michigan Press, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.11537055.23.

I find this particularly interesting—and also ironic, in some ways—given that to me, as both a lurker, and a Fandom Old, the draw of Tumblr is that, while it may be a visual platform, it is not necessarily a visible platform, particularly in comparison to Twitter. There’s little chance of the celebrity you’re writing RPF about coming across your racy post or interacting with you directly.

In the same discussion, they go on to talk about the ways in which Tumblr’s visual culture has often led to progressive politics and practices, like race/genderbending.

Hutton: …One of my favorite things about being on Tumblr is seeing the way that members of the fandoms I’ve been in— primarily the DC and Marvel fandoms—reimagine their favorite characters as characters of color and give them queer and gender identities that match theirs. You can see photosets reimagining the Batman family group as more visibly diverse, and fancasts ( fans re-casting roles with actors of their choosing) of Marvel superheroes where they’re portrayed as women of color. And these fancasts generally push back against the idea of whiteness as a perpetual default. Klink, Flourish, Rukmini Pande, Zina Hutton, Lori Morimoto, and Allison McCracken. “A Roundtable Discussion about the Cultures of Fandom on Tumblr.” In A Tumblr Book: Platform and Cultures, edited by Allison McCracken, Alexander Cho, Louisa Stein, and Indira Neill Hoch, 167–80. University of Michigan Press, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.11537055.23.

While Hutton also points out the ways in which a lot of it can turn into clickbait activism, later on in the discussion, without truly engaging with what it means to racebend a character beyond simply making a visual edit, it’s Pande’s comment about interacting with white fans that echoes my own experience:

Pande: When I first came on Tumblr for instance, I mainly followed people I knew from LiveJournal and “Big Name Fans” whose writing I had followed in previous fandoms. This resulted in my Dashboard being filled with almost exclusively white-dude content. In retrospect this is not surprising, but the visual-ness of Tumblr made it particularly apparent, especially post-Racefail at a moment in fandom in 2009–10, when POC fans had started becoming more vocal about this whiteness. Klink, Flourish, Rukmini Pande, Zina Hutton, Lori Morimoto, and Allison McCracken. “A Roundtable Discussion about the Cultures of Fandom on Tumblr.” In A Tumblr Book: Platform and Cultures, edited by Allison McCracken, Alexander Cho, Louisa Stein, and Indira Neill Hoch, 167–80. University of Michigan Press, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.11537055.23.

As a PoC fan myself from the Global South, particularly one that does more lurking than posting, I often find that Tumblr does not always have the kind of linguistic inclusivity or even fandom inclusivity I am looking for. Perhaps it’s that I am a lurker, or perhaps I am not looking in the right spaces. Whatever the reason, I find Twitter has more of that inclusivity; whether I am looking for a fellow Hindi-soap opera fan, or a Supernatural fan, I can find both. And depending on which platform I choose, the content I make/consume differs—not just in form, but also in language and meaning.

What do you think? How has your platform shaped your fandom experience?

[study-with-aura]

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

It felt like there was more writing than usual today, so my hand started hurting. I had to switch to typing for a few things, but that's okay. For some reason, I also started to feel quite fatigued just before my lunch break this morning. I made some green tea to drink with lunch, and that seemed to help. Normally my parents don't like me having caffeine, but they are okay with me having it if I feel like I need it. They aren't fans of it on a daily basis, which is strange because I know both of my parents drink coffee every morning!

I hope everyone is doing well this week! I know it is the end of the academic year for some of us, and it is a very stressful time! But we got this! We are almost done! <3

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Probability Review + honors review

Lit and Comp II - Reviewed Units 4-6 vocabulary + read the news + submitted fable writing assignment to Mom for grading (97%) + looked over non-fiction writing assignment + CLEP Test practice question

Spanish 2 - Reviewed La Comida vocabulary + reviewed the preterit and imperfect

Bible I - Read Matthew 19-20

World History - Watched a video on Margaret Thatcher + read about Indira Gandhi + read about Golda Meir + typed up a paragraph for each female world leader (typed because I wrote out a lot today and my hand hurt)

Biology with Lab - Answered questions about flower structure and reproduction + continued germination lab

Foundations - Read more on virtue + completed the next quiz on Read Theory + worked on the outline for my argumentative speech

Piano - 60-minute piano lesson + practiced for one hour

Khan Academy - Completed High School Geometry daily mastery challenge + completed High School biology daily mastery challenge + completed World History Unit 6: Lesson 12 (parts 2-3)

CLEP - Completed Sample CLEP Test Questions 46-60

Streaming - Watched The Cuba Libre Story Episode 7

Duolingo - Studied for approximately 30 minutes (Spanish, French, Chinese) + completed daily quests

Reading - Read pages 196-228 of Into the Bright Open by Cherie Dimaline

Chores - Laundry

Activities of the Day:

Personal Bible Study (Philippians 3)

Ballet

Pointe

Journal/Mindfulness

[fizzigigsimmer]

Roy Tillman needs to catch a bullet. I think he’s going to, and that Gator is going to be the one to serve it to him. Warnings ahead for spoilers through episode 9.

First let me just get my initial reaction out of the way: SCREAAAAAAAAMS. Y’all when I tell you I had my tv paused at the two minute mark trying to gird my loins to get through what I knew was coming. 😆 I mean I knew it was coming but I didn’t expect them to just throw us in like that. So it seems they were not overstating the parallels between Gator and Oedipus. There was lots of talk this episode about choosing paths and digging ditches when it would be wiser to change course - and for his failure to change course, for his sins, Munch has taken Gator’s eyesight.

He has made Gator useless in the eyes of his father (who although worried about him in some distant fashion when he goes missing) abandons him in the mist after delivering the parting message that ‘if he ever had a point’, it is surely gone now. Gator is blind, orphaned and exiled. On the other end of the spectrum there is Dot, who has been in exile since she was a child, running from wolves. She tried to carve out her own space and build the family she wanted, but the wolves came back. She’s at her wits end, back against the wall - but she’s finding that she is no longer alone. Her husband and child are waiting for her and thanks to Indira, Lorraine has finally looked past her own bias and seen her for who she is. With Witt and a swat team rallying to save her and Munch arriving just in time to save her from the grave she’s been fleeing all these years it is reinforced over and over: Dorthy Lyon has finally been seen. And with that support she is finally able to stop running.

This was such beautiful storytelling and I cannot 🥹 say enough how much I love this show for telling it. I am even fairly confident now that Gator is going to survive the series, and here is why. Firstly, if there was ever a moment for him to pay for his sins through death the moment feels past us. At this point his death would just be superfluous. This narrative is really big on themes and when certain seeds are planted we know they’ll be paid off in some fashion or another.

Thematically Gator has been likened to both Jack Skellington and Oedipus Rex, and as I’ve said before these are both tragic hereos who make selfish, reckless impulsive decisions that bring about destruction. They both however survive their enlightenment and seek to right their wrongs.

Dot has three times now plead with a fellow victim to stand with her against Roy. First Linda in her dream, then Gator in the shed, and finally Karen in her old bedroom. Linda was just a dream and is already dead, so there can be no taking back there. Gator initially refused and told Dot he wasn’t going anywhere - that he was staying on the path he was on. Karen didn’t say it so explicitly but she chose the same. But by leaving Gator alive and opening his eyes to the depth of his father’s disregard, Munch has left Gator with the opportunity to change his course - one last opportunity.

Dot has already planted the seed of doubt in Gator’s mind that Roy never loved him and that he may have taken away the one person who did (Linda). And now that Roy has abandoned him and proven her point, I think that in the end Gator will choose to protect Dot end up being the one who kills Roy.

He has devoted his entire life to measuring up to trying to make Roy proud. But Roy never was. For all the times that Gator has told himself and Roy that he’s a “winner” Roy has only ever rejected the notion that he is. He once asked Gator how he’s supposed to teach him to be a winner if he keeps losing all the time, the implication therein that Roy is waiting on evidence that Gator has the right stuff to win at all.

Gator frequently swears up and down to Roy that he does have the right stuff, reminding him of his skills specifically as a marksman. He once told Roy he could have smoked Munch like in High Noon, but the conversation that really resonates with me is the one they had after the botched Wayne kidnapping.

Because when Roy starts in on him about his “bad luck problem” aka his inability to win, Gator straight up tells him the reasons why he thinks Roy should be proud of him. The point of Gator = All state QB, crack shot, knocking pins down every time. “That’s your boy”.

I’ve lost track of the amount of times Gator has bragged and or threatened to shoot someone between the eyes or whatever, lol, but we know he likes his guns and apparently he’s good with them. When he attempted to murder Munch he did so with a sharp shooters toolbox.

But Roy has never been impressed by Gator’s skills. Every time Gator reminds him of his success in this area Roy dismisses him. First by telling Gator life is not like the movies - which, fair enough - and secondly by outright saying he didn’t care and was ready to take luck out of the equation. Aka, he’s taking Gator out of the equation. Which was a big ouch for Gator’s pride and led him to try and prove his point, killing “Munch” with a single shot.

Dorthy Lyon has finally been seen and is ready to take down Roy, and running parallel to that is Gator who maybe finally sees himself and his father clearly. I’m not sure if it will come down to a gunshot, but I definitely think Gator is going to play a role in how Roy dies. 😆 Time will tell!

**Edit to add that Dot is also the only one to ever see Gator clearly.

[empthy1]

request^ reader helps Cate cope with her lost arm. angst, hurt/comfort. a lot of cuddles

cate is casually a biter and you cannot convince me otherwise. give that girl an arm while you're watching a movie and you'll have teethmarks by the end of it.

“Fuck!”

Here we go again.

Cate’s vexed voice, in your ears and stinging like nettles, echoes across your Vought provided apartment, right in the tower. It’s too big for the two of you. The ceilings, high as Cate’s hackles, are unnerving compared to the comfort of your dorms. There, the ceiling pressed down at an appropriate height, the space enclosed and cradling you in painted drywall. Now you’re surrounded by concrete and polished stone, everything gleaming unnaturally under cool lights.

Another hiss from Cate echoes through the space, spurring movement from your prone form. This had never been a problem before—hm. The incident. A curling of shivers collects at the base of your neck and scurries down a taunt spine. Breathe. One, two. Help her.

You’ve made a habit of counting. Breaths, steps, meals.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven until you reach the generic door to your joined bathroom. It’s about four too many for comfort. Four too many than you’re used to.

“Catey?” Rings out with your knock, through the reenforced door to startle a tangled mess of clothes and human inside. “You okay?”

“Uhm—” The anxious note, echoing defensively is commonplace at this point. Her voice keeps its shake through most days—today no exception, unfortunately. “N—yea-yeah. Totally… fuck.”

The door clicks open to invite you in. Totally not okay.

Pushing through, you find her fumbling with her bra—trying to be rid of the garment, bath already filled and steaming. Her one hand, non-dominant, too, makes it a clumsy motion. Her arm is tiring, pale fingers struggling to undo the simple front clasp. What’s more pressing, though, is silvery tracks blooming along rosy cheeks—one tear drip-drip-dropping down to darken a circle on the cotton of her undergarment.

Oh, this sight is much more familiar than it ought to be—this time plagued with asymmetry and smooth, sensitive scar tissue. (Should you even touch it?)

“…you need help?” Comes your softening murmur. It’s no good trying to help her without permission—her freedom’s the most important thing to her, and it’s shitty taking that away just because she’s disabled. It shouldn’t be one thing after another, from her mother’s fear to Indira’s control to, now, this. You’re determined to be better.

“…” She hesitates for a long time—ten, twenty, thirty seconds spent contemplating your offer before she acquiesces.

“…yeah. Sure.”

Your hands reach out slowly. A step closer, and your fingers meet the plastic clasp. A visible shiver runs up her shoulders. Her pink mouth parts around a breath; black eyelashes, heavy with tears, flutter at the warm graze of your fingers against the skin of her chest. It almost seems she'll cry again, just at the touch. Her waterline is almost overwhelmed by a thick emergence of tears before she blinks them away and averts her eyes towards the sterile-looking ceiling.

The bra comes apart with a soft snap. Your hands are overwhelmingly warm as they push it off her shoulders, coaxing it over the remnant and her one whole arm.

"Good?" Your words are so gentle, reaching her ears as a muted murmur. She can only nod. She's not good. You both know it. But she can do this.

What panics her is when you turn to leave. Her shoulder shifts forward, like she tried to reach with the arm that no longer remains. She reaches out the other, catching your wrist.

"Stay? Please." Her voice is quiet. She sounds pained, asking for your presence. For her, company was a luxury, not a given—and something that was taken away from her at any whim.

Your silent nod makes her exhale with relief. You're staying. When you start to join her in nakedness, she realizes you intend to bathe with her.

The idea startles her. She hadn't done it since she was in her mother's porcelain tub, splashing around with her brother and washed by caring hands. She was their angel, then, all toothy-smiles and chubby cheeks.

Now she has no family. She's lost her friends, her boyfriend, even a part of herself. Everyone but you. So she realizes she's grateful for your presence.

Aiding her into the tub, you slip in behind her. Despite Vought's endless budget, it's not the largest tub—big enough to comfortably fit her lengthy limbs, at least.

She settles back against your chest with an exhale. This was new, intimate. She'd never been so open with you, even after three years of friendship that survived her rampaging genocide and bloodshot eyes. You stuck with her, even then.

She finds she relishes in your touch. It's unsurprising. She was always so starved for contact, and you don't make her wear her gloves.

Your motions are leisurely as you wash her hair, wash her body, wash away her sorrows. The soft hand you bring to her skin also tips the cup, washing suds and sadness from her form with a rush of warm water.

She looks a bit like a cat out in the rain, sitting pliantly in the full, steaming tub. All water-darkened, flattening hair and wet eyelashes, a few drops of water flicking from them when she blinks. You kiss her eyelids and call her beautiful, in your perfectly soft timber.

Her center of gravity is still off, not quite recovering after her injury and subsequent surgeries. Your palm is warm when it presses into her lower back, aiding her up and out of the slippery, draining tub.

You swing a towel over her shoulders, dry her tenderly. Ruffle her hair maybe a bit more than necessary, the messiness you soon smooth out making you smile widely.

She follows closely behind you as you guide her to her room. She's taken to sleeping with you more nights than not—the high ceilings, white walls and open air only bringing nightmares of bright, bloody explosions and trapped girls in small, small rooms.

She lets you dress her, help her arm through the soft long-sleeve (that's tailored to only have one arm, the fabric gently cupping the abrupt mass of scar tissue,) and pull a pair of panties up her legs. She's quick to tug you down onto the plush mattress, to burrow into your side like a territorial tortoise and gently bite at your collar.

The feeling of your skin carefully held between her teeth and the warmth of your arms around her reminds her that she's alive, and there's someone with her that trusts her. Trusts her touch and her raging mind. Trusts her to keep them safe, to not take advantage of any and every vulnerability.

She finally lets herself cry, silent sobs into your neck soothed by your gentle hands and comforting, sweet coos.

[ghostingghostingghosted]

Lyons and Tigers and Bears (and Gator too) Oh My!

So I've been a Fargo viewer since S2 and have followed each season relatively closely (except most of S4). Noah Hawley is a sucker for hidden messages and meanings, as well as using symbolism derived from inspiration, such as - as shown in S4 - Alice in Wonderland. Hawley symbolically uses Alice in Wonderland in S5 as much as S4, but with a heavier focus on the dangers - "Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!" Here is an analysis of how some character behaviors entwine with their representative animal's instinct.

SPOILS BEWARE AHEAD

CASE STUDY #1 - WOMEN REPRESENTING LIONESSES

Everyone should know that a group of lions is called a pride. Within a pride, there are multiple lionesses, and one or two male lions which usually have a monopoly on these lionesses. The male lions exploit these lionesses as multiple mates and depend on them for food typically. Mating aspects aside, the group of lionesses are the ones who hunt prey for the pride. Male lions can also hunt for themselves, but I digress with the following statement: when the lionesses are successful in the hunt, they have to eat their share quickly before the male lions come and take the rest of the meat. The male lions have the purpose of protecting the pride from other hostile, wandering male lions, so they're not completely useless.

But that's not the point of this post.

Lorriane Lyons and Indira Olmstead, in my humble opinion, show two sides of a lioness. Their husbands, respectively, represent the male lions and their exploitation of the women's work.

Lorraine Lyons represents the strength, determination, and intelligence of a lioness. I mean, come on! Lyons = lions. Did I just blow your mind with that connection?

Lorraine Lyons has a husband, Mr Lyons. As far as I remember, we don't see him until episode 6 when he's visiting his son, Wayne, at the hospital. Did we even need to know Mr Lyons existed? In my humble opinion: No.

(Tinfoil hat: I thought Danish Graves and Lorraine had something going on, and Graves was Wayne's dad. Secret love affair or whatever.)

Mr Lyons serves no purpose than emphasizing just how much Lorraine works for her, and his, "food." She runs a multi-billion company as a debt collector (or whatever the professional term is). She looks flawless. She has zero time for bullshit. Can't you see she's busy? If it weren't for her, her husband wouldn't have his train collection we later see in the same episode (6). Although she acts like her family is a burden to her, we see in some moments of her immense love for her son: such as her over protectiveness of him and coldness towards the outsider Dorothy, and her love towards her granddaughter, Scotty. Again, in episode 6, we see a brief moment of her smiling when Scotty hugs her father, until she puts back on the facade of HBIC when she speaks with Olmstead. So far, we don't see how she interacts with her husband, which can stand for as its own evidence. Lorraine's scenes with her family and professional life show that they wouldn't be who they are today without her (wo)man power. Another interesting thing to note about Lorraine and her behavior as a lioness is how, even though she doesn't like Dorothy, she still considers her as part of the pride as she's the mother of her granddaughter and her son loves Dorothy. As the idea goes, you're as strong as the weakest link, and Lorraine knows she's better off protected with Dorothy on her side than trying to get rid of her, especially as the season goes on.

(Note: Lorraine had Dorothy committed. Okay, I get that. She still hates Dorothy and wants her gone. However, Lorraine plays the sibling game in that she can bash and ruin Dorothy all she wants - as long as SHE IS THE ONLY ONE DOING IT. When Roy Tillman came around sniffing for Dorothy, she refused to even entertain his wild ideas about responsibility and freedom, and even admitted to keeping Dorothy close because of her being the mother of her grandchild and the wife of her son. She kicked Roy Tillman's ass to the curb with a, "I don't like her, but she's a Lyon now, and you're a dipshit with a 'dead' wife." Rant over.)

Another side note: Regarding Wayne, Lorraine only helps him out in extreme cases of emergency. When he suffers the head injury from electric shock, she makes sure he has the best care and best hospital room. Anything outside of emergencies, he's on his own. While he's not the strong lion we typically picture, Wayne is a lion in his own right. Male lions typically leave the pride when they come of mating age and join another pride of unrelated kin females. Here, Wayne made his own pride with Dorothy and, later, Scotty. By the way, lion prides usually consist of mother-daughter kinship, with a few outsider females and one or two male lions. Wayne still has a long way to go, but we do see him protect Dorothy and Scotty in his own way, such lying for her to the police about her kidnapping, helping her against Gator and his accomplices, etc.

Moving onto Indira Olmstead, she represents the other side of a lioness, which is the exploitation. I won't be nice: her husband is the biggest piece of shit. Even though it would be assault, I wanted her to throw her scalding hot coffee in his fucking face when he went on a tirade about wanting a real wife. Well guess what, fuck face? She wants a real husband. Either go get a job or suck your wife's dick in appreciation. Ya know?

Her piece of shit husband wastes what little money they have on worthless dreams that don't go anywhere. At one point, he wanted to be a famous drummer. Now he wants to make it big at pro golf. He sucks ass. Hard. But that would be a compliment to him. The biggest point of his exploitation is complaining about how Olmstead isn't a wife while eating the food she puts on the table with her income. He doesn't help hunt aka get a job. He doesn't support her. I have a feeling that if Olmstead gets into trouble where her physical being is at risk, he'd run away! Fuck him! Also, he's no doubt cheating on her. Hope he dies. Or gets his dick cut off. One of the two.

CASE STUDY #2 - DOROTHY AS A TIGER

Dorothy Lyons may have taken on her second husband's surname, but she is far from a lion. Several times throughout the season, Munch, and even the narrator in a special episode, calls her as a tiger; in the episode with the narrator, she describes her behavior as the behavior of a tiger. And she is a tiger.

Unlike lions, tigers are not social cats. They are solitary except with mother-cub relationships up to a certain point. We have seen how exceptional Dorothy is at defending herself, especially when she is alone. A pride needs a male lion or two to protect the pride from hostile male lion outsiders. A tiger doesn't have the protection of a pride or pack against the forces of other hostile animals of the same or different species. Dorothy fought off two kidnappers, effectively killing one and wounding the other. She fucks up Gator's accomplices on Halloween through a series of traps and tricks. Later on, she puts up a good fight against the male nurses ready to take her away to the hospital. She outsmarts the FBI detectives. She continually outsmarts Roy Tillman and Gator.

While Dorothy, in her own way, loves her husband, I believe she used him and his family's wealth as a cover at the beginning of their relationship, but only for that extra layer of protection. Later on, she probably developed feelings similar to that of a non-sexual relationship, relying on him as a closely dear friend whom she can trust to protect her and especially their daughter when she isn't around. Anyway, she is cautious because she knows she can only rely on a select handful of people - if that. She goes at life like it's her vs the world, and rightfully so considering Roy's abuse of her during their marriage. Telling of this is how she springs into action when the PTA (?) meeting in E1 descends into chaos and she pulls out a taser on an unsuspecting cop.

CASE STUDY #3 - OLE MUNCH AS A BEAR

I love this character so much, and it's such a shame that everyone is (rightfully so) thirsting over Gator. We get it: pathetic boy with daddy issues and a middle schooler boy personality is cute and all, but when will people wake up and take on the may-be-may-not-be a sin eater from 1522, who is nice to old women, a killer of idiots, and how takes his jobs deadly seriously?

(Don't get me wrong, I like Gator as much as the next person, but everyone is sleeping on the King of the season imo.)

Anyway, I propose that Ole Munch represents a bear. Bears are the king of the forest. They can eat mostly everything, from nuts and berries to full on meat. They hibernate for some months out of the entire year. They can fuck up a full sized moose.

Munch's backstory revolves around starvation: starving so much that eating a deceased's sins is nothing compared to a few gold coins, a loaf of bread, and a goblet of wine - if we take that 1522 flashback as truth, or some part of the truth. Munch can also fuck someone's shit up: exhibit a): the two ranch hands ready to kill him at the Tillman's ranch and breaking Gator's arm; exhibit b): Gator's partner; exhibit c): the old woman's loser son in the latest episode.

When I think of a bear, I think of a creature motivated by food and a lot of it, especially male bears. Bears are one of the higher mammals on the food chain; the only danger to a bear is another bear - or maybe a big cat. Bears wander the forest in search of food, food, food. Unless they have to assert their dominance with another bear in the area, they don't have to worry about costly fights. (If you can stomach it, watch a YouTube video of bears fighting. It's crazy.)

In Munch's early scenes, we see him motivated primarily by money, or in essence, the means to buy food. He only goes out of his way to kidnap Dorothy because Roy Tillman promises him payment, and tries to re-kidnap her by any means, even when she has the upper-hand at the gas station. When he doesn't get paid by Roy, he then sets his sights on fucking with Roy and Gator.

Silent and deadly, but don't fuck with this guy - or shall I say, don't poke the bear. Nothing with Munch is nothing personal. I'd go as far to say him messing with Roy and Gator aren't for personal reasons. Gator keeps insulting Munch right to his face, but he doesn't react at all to it. He only reacts when he doesn't get his payment. Hell, I have a feeling that if Roy tried to kill him after paying him, Munch might not have reacted then, either. He probably would have gotten the hell out of Dodge in search of another job. It's just not worth it when a man's (or bear's) livelihood is at stake as long as food is readily available somewhere else.

Also, Munch always wear brown clothes. The latest is the fur-line neck of a brown coat he took from the old woman. Make of it what you will.

Further, I consider Munch a bear because he "hibernates" like one. When he isn't out causing chaos for Roy and Gator Tillman, he goes back to his place of shelter (aka the old woman's house)and rests there with a cigarette. I don't bother to do the math, but I bet you that half of Munch's time on screen focuses on his "hibernation" at this dark, cave-like home.

RANDOM THOUGHT ON GATOR

Is it just me, but why would Roy name his son Gator? So far, no one calls him by any other name but Gator, so we have to assume Gator is his legal name. Which, imo, is a stupid name.

(Do you think his dad named him after Gatorade? lol)

However, looking deeper, we have menacing characters taking on animal representatives: Lorraine and Indira as lionesses, Dorothy as a tiger, Munch possibly as a bear. Where does (a) Gator in snowy Fargo (or wherever the fuck) fit?

That's the thing: he doesn't fit.

Alligators, as said by the National Zoo website (googled) live in freshwater, slow-moving rivers, and also in swamps, marshes and lakes. Aka, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. Fargo is the exact opposite of that description: cold, cold, snowy, and cold.

Therefore, Gator Tillman is metaphorically a "fish" out of water. He doesn't belong in this strange environment his father inhabits. He doesn't belong to Roy's idea of what a man should be. Gator doesn't know how to be himself, but he needs to survive and adapt because he's seen what happens when someone doesn't, so he tries to take on the personality of his father - but with heavy failures and setbacks. He isn't built to be like Roy. That's why, in my humble opinion, Gator has that strange name. It's showing how much he, a "Gator", doesn't fit the environment his father created. In the latest episode, Dorothy even mentions this. She says she still sees good in him, but he still wants to be Roy. This implies that a person cannot be Roy and still have goodness in them. The two shalt never intertwine. I'm pretty sure Gator's bio on the Fargo website says something similar to him wanting to become his father, but it never working out in his favor. He wants to be a "winner" or the fittest in survival. But he is struggling hard, and his father is quickly losing patience with him.

Rant over.

Note: Other than the Fargo tv series + movie, as well as some Reddit/Tumblr media consumption, I do not know anything about Noah Hawley or his writing style, inspiration, etc. Also, I did not do much, if any, research on the animals studied here. Everything comes from minimal knowledge. This is purely an opinion.

PS: It's come to my attention that Lyon is not spelled Lyons with an 's' at the end, but simply Lyon. I'm too lazy to fix this issue. Sorry. Also, sorry if there's any incoherent sentences and/or grammar issues. I needed to get this out of my system.

I would also like to say that a lot of my information, ideas, and opinions come from TV Tropes (website) where they have a lot of insightful facts about characters and their personalities, among other things. I suggest checking them out!

[simvanie]

7 Sins Legacy - generation 4 (pride)

Some days ago while Supriya was in Sulani...

Rohan: Dad, can I talk to you? Suraj: Sure, what's wrong?

Rohan: How would you feel if someone else would become head of the party? ...I'm not talking about myself. Suraj: What do you mean?

Rohan: I mean.. I think you should give the position to Supriya. Suraj: What?

Rohan: I know she will do so much better leading our political party than I ever will. You've seen how hard she works and how fast she earned promotion after promotion, and she's dedicated... Besides, I'm afraid that she will leave if she feels like she can't fully progress within the career.

Suraj: I thought that leading the party is something that you also wanted. We've discussed it for a long time and you never seemed to want anything else. Why would you give that up just because you're afraid someone wants to leave?

Rohan: ...Well, you see, when I was younger you always told me that I could be the next leader of your party. It was such an obvious path for me to follow, that I never even thought twice about it. And don't get me wrong, for a long time I really wanted it too-

-but recently I've started thinking about it, a lot. And I've realized that sometimes the things I once wanted can change. It's a lot of responsibility and I don't know if I want that. That doesn't mean that I want to stop working for the party, it just means that I... don't want to lead it.

Suraj: You love her.

Rohan: I- WHAT? No, I mean... I-

Suraj: I can see it in the way you look at her. It's the same way I looked at your mother when I first met her.

AAAHWWW!

Rohan: Indira! ...Mom? I would expect if from Indira to eavesdrop, which is already bad enough, but you mom?

Suraj bursted out in typical dad laughter "Oh come on, we all know how much your mother loves gossip."

Gunita: I'm sorry darling, I wanted to say something about it when I saw Indira stopping in her tracks when she came down the stairs, but then I heard you talking and I got curious too. Suraj: The gala where I'm going to publicly announce my retirement is within a week. You have to think carefully about whether this is really what you want, so we can discuss it at work with the others. Because I know that even if I give you the position, you'll probably still hand it over to Supriya if you've made up your mind already.

Indira: [jokingly] Don't get me wrong, I like Supriya, she seems really nice. But can't you just ask her out on a date instead of offering her the most important position within the party? You're coming on a bit strong there, dear brother. Rohan: Guys please, that's besides the point: if we really want what is best for the party, we should consider giving her the position.

Gunita: Indira, why don't you come with me to the kitchen so you can help me prepare dinner. That way these two can finish their talk in private if they need it. Indira: Okay, okay, fine.

[breckstonevailskier]

"Jumanji" speculation

This is the synopsis for the upcoming sixth episode of Gen V (source).

My guesses are that:

"Emma goes to find Sam" - Seems like she probably returns to Godolkin's campus since we last saw her in episode 5 with Sam at the drive-in, calling the others to warn them about Cate.

"Marie, Jordan and Andre are forced to see things from Cate's perspective." My guess is this will be a limelight episode for Cate with a fair number of extended flashbacks that illustrate just how Cate came into Shetty's control, and also probably give us more Golden Boy as well as tell us just how Brink fits into this all (and why exactly Golden Boy killed him). Since Cate clearly is wracked with guilt about wiping their minds, it would make sense that she'd want to divulge everything she can to regain their trust. There was a preview shot in episode 6 of Cate's eyes looking pretty bloodshot, suggesting she restored all of their memories, not just Andre's.

"Dr. Cardosa makes a breakthrough with a mysterious virus, and Shetty makes a terrifying request with dire consequences." We're definitely going to be seeing follow-up to the scene that Shetty had with Cardosa in the Woods corridor. Definitely seems like he wants Marie's blood to perfect his virus that can control Supes (which I personally think might also tie in with why Cate was under Shetty's control, given her particular powerset).

Edison Cardosa: [Sam] nearly killed my family, Indira! He's far more trouble than he's worth, and Golden Boy is dead anyway. The point is, I'm done with Sam. He's not my problem anymore. I'm tired of babysitting psychopaths. Indira Shetty: Babysitting psychopaths is literally your job. Edison Cardosa: Those kids found out about him! Indira Shetty: Those kids have been handled. They won't be a problem. Edison Cardosa: Come on. You know it's just a matter of time before they find out about everything else we're doing down here. I am this fսcking close to perfecting the virus, a viable way to control them for good. But if they discover that? I'm not paid nearly enough to die for this shit. Indira Shetty: So you want a raise? Edison Cardosa: No, that's not what I... Indira Shetty: So why don't you tell me what it is you do want? Because we both know you're not going anywhere. Cutting up Supes and seeing how they tick is a skill that won't quite shine on your LinkedIn profile. Edison Cardosa: I want the girl. Marie. Her abilities are the rarest I've ever seen. She doesn't understand how powerful she really is. She's the perfect subject, could speed up my timeline. Indira Shetty: She is special. But no. You're not the only one interested in Moreau. She has a benefactor, and because of that, she's strictly off-limits. For now.

This will probably include some explanation as to what Soldier Boy might be doing in this show. But then there's the question of who Marie's benefactor is. It's probably not Shetty herself because I don't see why Shetty would refer to herself in the third person, so it's probably someone else within Vought or associated with Vought. Could be Victoria Neuman (since we will see her in person in one of these episodes), but I like the theory that Marie's benefactor is Stan Edgar. As New Rockstars pointed out, he's got a history of taking interest in orphaned Supes from Red River who accidentally killed their own parents (can't be a coincidence that we actually saw Marie's picture briefly on the computer screen when Hughie was at Red River investigating Victoria's past and uncovered her connection to Edgar; Victoria's and Marie's parents also died in similar fashion); he'd want a new asset in the wake of Victoria's double cross, and seeing as Edgar was the one who signed off on Payback betraying Soldier Boy to replace him with Homelander back in 1985, it would make sense for him to have a contingency plan up his sleeve (and be secretly coordinating with Shetty and the many other insiders he probably still has within Vought).

[freckledjoes]

So just watched the last episode of Fargo and I am so sad for gator 😭 and Roy is a piece of shit for leaving him there. God I hate him so much. Also this is the season for women and I am loving it!!

Oh anon I went so off track here but I hadn't put my thoughts down about this all completely just yet so... bear with me? 😭 Just know that I agree with you if it's too long lmao. It was very sad to watch indeed. They set up his character to be one easy to dislike/hate and it's been interesting to watch how the strongest haters went from "How can you like Gator, you can pick any character of his to find hot why do you pick him." to "Fuck Gator but hello to Joe saying daddy." As if that's not the most performative fucking thing I've ever heard. Make up your mind or something. I think Gator has said shit that should make your blood boil, but the charm of characters like these is that they can also show that it's not all there's to them. Does that excuse their actions? No. But are they completely doomed and irredeemable? Also no, if you ask me. I find it kind of off-putting how people are so happy to see him get hurt. Like, if you really dwell on that for a bit. Roy is a scumbag and has done and continues to do terrible things, has some twisted belief that he has the right to do them. Gator grew up watching that man treat the women in his life horribly and has probably received abuse himself as well. Every safe haven he might have had, left him. His mom first, then Dot. The only 'reliable', 'stable' person was his dad. The only ways he got to see were his. He lacked a person in his life who could show him differently. When you look at the show, you wouldn't guess he's 27 due to his behavior. He's stuck at a point where he wants to be seen as worthy by the one person in his life that stuck around, as toxic as their relationship is. Throughout the show we see how he puts up this scumbag persona, but with the conversation between him and Dot you can quickly see how fragile he really is. He went out of his way to prove himself worthy by going after Munch, which, as stupid as it was, made a lot of sense from his perspective. And then, he fails, and he gets punished in a way that he, in my opinion, doesn't deserve. I don't think Munch would have treated him differently if he knew it was an accident either. He was doomed from the start being the son of Roy, who is really the one deserving of every punishment he's got coming to him. The fact that he literally just walked away from his blinded son, who is scared for good reason, who needs support now more than ever, is unsurprising but incredibly cruel. I think he may have a hand in (accidentally) killing Roy. Not by his own hands, but maybe simply by being 'in the way'. So yeah, long story short, I'm sad for him too and I despise Roy :) OFF TO THE POSITIVE: THE WOMEN. Love them all. Dot, Indira, Lorraine. Love them working together, it's about time. It's been so nice to watch them all stand up against men one way or another honestly <3

[cinamun]

Extras from today's updates because when I say the story writes itself? That's exactly wtf I mean...

(spoilers under the cut)

First of all....

It was already on sight when Indira materialized on the lot after that trip through the loading screen from DSV to Tartosa. This is your reminder that Darren is going through a midlife crisis and is absolutely NOT here for your fuckshit. And he's HAD IT because what REALLY sent him over the edge? HIS WIFE

He deadass wasn't playing with Dira because after he heard that Indya was hurt it threw ya boy's cerebral cortex off

Indya still back there collecting her tears in the sink n shit, now Darren showing up to Dira's room like

AND THEN they had a REAL for real argument and I don't know what the fuck happened. All I know is I was about to teleport Indira to her statue but forgot to pause it. So she casually strolls over to the papasan and sits her little lyin ass down and proceeds to

now at this point I'm scared to pan the camera around to Darren because she done shouted some forbidden words with this shit too and I STILL don't know why SHE mad, but she gets her little last word in or whatever and braces for impact

So I pause and pan the camera around to Darren and he

Just goin OFF!!! Bro snaps the tf off and I'm shook because my volume was up because I was listening to some good ass music and Darren's voice sounds like if thunder and a bass drum were fuckin... so now me and Dira like

instant regret.

Anyway y'all stay tuned because apparently we need to come up with a name before sundown smh