#when we won the whole of India was celebrating

[myauditionfordrphil]

Ok so for everyone asking me why I'm sooo hyped up due to WI win over AUS first of all it's an underdog team winning over the the mighty Australia who is supposedly undefeatable especially at home. Secondly IT'S A WIN IN GABBA LIKE THE ONLY TEAM TO DEFAET AUSTRALIA IN GABBA AFTER INDIA 🤭 Thirdly they won in the same surprising way... I still remember that almost the entirety of the ICT was injured when we won in Gabba, no body had any hope, not only our team A but our Team B was also injured and some weren't even playing and yet we won and today it's the same way, Shamar Joseph with a broken toe took 6 wickets and lead the team to this historic win 🥳 and lastly it's Australia who lost and that's a win for me 🙌

[mediagraph]

Called 'Monkey, Mental' By Fellow Villagers, Deepthi Jeevanji Fights Taboo To Achieve Paralympics Glory

The Paris Paralympics 2024 has shown the world that anything is achievable if one has the will. The athletes, despite challenges, have risen to glory. India's Deepthi Jeevanji is among those inspirational athletes whose journey was full of challenges, but they never gave up. Deepthi Jeevanji bagged the 16th medal for India as she won the bronze on Tuesday in the women's 400m T20 final at the ongoing Paris Paralympics 2024. The para-athlete finished the race in 55.82 seconds.

Deepthi Jeevanji had earlier won India's first gold medal at the World Athletics Para Championship in Kobe, Japan. She hails from the village of Kalleda in the Warangal district of Andhra Pradesh.

Her parents, Jeevanji Yadhagiri and Jeevanji Dhanalaxmi, had then recalled how their daughter had to face taunts while growing up. According to a report in The Indian Express, Deepthi was born with intellectual disability, a cognitive disease hampering communication as well as adaptive skills.

“She was born during the solar eclipse and her head was very small at birth along with the lips and nose being a bit unusual. Every villager who saw her and some of our relatives would call Deepthi pichi (mental) and kothi (monkey) and tell us to send her to an orphanage. Today, seeing her become the world champion in a far-off country proves that she is indeed a special girl,” Jeevanji Dhanalaxmi, Deepthi's mother, told The Indian Express in May.

"When my husband's father died, we had to sell the farm to make ends meet. My husband would earn Rs 100 or Rs 150 a day so there were days when I had to work to support our family, including Deepthi's younger sister Amulya. Deepthi was always a calm child and spoke very little. But when the village kids would tease her, she would come home and cry. So I would make her sweet rice or, on some days, chicken and that's what made her happy."

After her daughter's big feat, Jeevanji's father Yadhagiri was emotional.

"Even though it's a big day for all of us, I could not afford to miss work. That's my bread and butter and the whole day I was thinking about Deepthi winning a medal in Paris and would tell the driver Elfer about calling other friends and their families to celebrate Deepthi's medal. She has always given us joy and this medal will also mean a lot to

[what-if-nct]

also daily anon here again i sent that early because I didn't wanna lose the link but I'm excited about this and wanna talk about it. idk if you know much about cricket,i know it's not as popular in the US, but it's a massive deal here. so the cricket world cup is going on right now and India is hosting. there's 9 countries that qualified, so first there's 45 league matches of each of the 9 countries playing each other, then based on the run rate (basically the more runs you win by, the more points you get) the top four get to the semis, then finals. our team absolutely murdered the league games, won all 9, the last few matches were downright humiliating for our opponents (suck it england). but our team has a semifinal curse, this is usually as far as we get. and this time it was against new zealand, which is a really really really good team, and also one we lost a semifinal to a while ago when our campaign was looking good, so today was a very important match. there were literally prayers going around all over the country for us to win. and it was a tight match for a bit, but we crushed them and broke the curse and broke a bunch of very important records. kohli broke the record for most centuries in ODIs, beating a man considered the god of modern cricket also they had a cute little moment where after our innings tendulkar came down to congratulate him for breaking his record, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. also one of our bowlers got seven wickets. SEVEN. out of the total ten. in this house we worship shami. also new zealand is good at chasing, but we scored almost 400 which is literally insane. we beat them by 70 whole runs. not the biggest margin we've won by recently, but still fucking impressive

literally every new zealand wicket (a wicket is when a batter from the opposite team gets out btw i just remembered you might not know cricket so some of this might be gibberish), we could hear people in my neighborhood lighting fireworks, and when we won the match, there was literally screams everywhere and so many people brought out their Diwali firework leftovers

the final is on Sunday and i know it'll be a hard match, especially if Australia win their semi but. we're in the final can you believe it!!!!

Hiii, i have heard of cricket cause I watched a lot of British shows when I was younger but I went and looked it up cause I had a feeling I was imagining lacrosse as I was reading. And I was but i did also happen up the scores and looked more into it and it's so fascinating. And I'm so glad that you're team is absolutely sweeping the competition and breaking curses and records. And it must be amazing to hear everyone around you celebrating and cheering for your wins. And also yeah suck it England, when England loses the whole world wins, no offense to the British but you know what your country did. Yay you're in the finals!!! oh I really wish you guys the best on Sunday. It's been cold and rainy all day today so I'm happy to know that the sun is shining somewhere.

[libidomechanica]

“For the clocks stopped are”

And some important to stay him?     Thus much my heart as I her beautie they did like before i’ll     kiss that which the grist of

its insides grow. A rebell be.     Was an insomniac … She could. Legions of festivity,     seeing his friend that

signifies the parrot’s call! To     make the morning mylde he hath won a single pure and rounder     seemed a truth: and still

an unwean’d lamb, the heart’s disgrace,     rose Aylmer, all were all those next to you purchase peace, and     dying day-hymn stole away,

and doth allures the rose     up whole, and t is not your mind like a waste gardener     Fancy e’er could, were it

not the mellow store. Perhaps. But     something better grace, and make my lips let me, no vagrant     innocent diverse: could

now return to life, to life in     prayers, vowes, ruth, sorrow, and dinted into metal     and the kindling fyre: but

an expansion, like perfect face;     the bud of ioy, though of savage race; ah, what this one is     tost with labour and

attention dew. Rest in chast desyre:     the which my veins fill theyr strife, when I clung to all comfort     of the little heavy,

but now, spite of my loue pined hart:     with none other side. So much love, a gold chain round her, opes     she her eyes, they were

dangerous dismay, those perfit     colours that three such graces did vnto me shew. To her need     as if crooning could be

sister mother of pearls hang; the     spectre huntsman of Onesti’s line, then I, my thoughts I     enuy your soft young voice

so soon after meeting your     fingertips and her eyes beneath— but most, and draw and conquer     all with cloudes is ouer-

cast, doe wander as in us     lies we two will serve for cits. Fond fancies, touch him with the     celebrated fireworks

with meeke humility; had failed     in sweet self, or pines in sad experience of her own     bones. But when you have them

wedded, pleas’d with his fair doth roam,     it leans, and height of me, both the Indias of the Queene not     unattended, the user

so destroys it. That out of     tune. What mercy is the brere withoute longing, not a kiss     now! For the clocks stopped are.

[douxlen]

Why Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Gold Medal for Pakistan Is So Significant

New Post has been published on https://douxle.com/2024/08/10/why-arshad-nadeems-olympic-gold-medal-for-pakistan-is-so-significant/

Why Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Gold Medal for Pakistan Is So Significant

Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan made history at the Paris Summer Olympics on Thursday, bagging his home nation its first ever Olympic track and field win. Nadeem will bring home the first gold medal the South Asian country has seen in 40 years.  

The 27-year-old athlete, hailing from Mian Channu, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, shattered an Olympic record when he launched a throw of 92.97 m on his second attempt in the men’s javelin final. Nadeem bested the previous record of 90.57 m, registered by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 

“Our brother has won the gold medal and I’ve lost my voice because I’ve been celebrating all night,” his brother Shahid Nadeem told CNN on Friday, as celebrations continued into the night across Pakistan. Nadeem is the third of eight siblings born to Muhammad Ashraf, a retired construction worker, and Raziah Parveen. 

“When he gets home we will celebrate him in such a way that the world will never forget! We are simple people and will celebrate with kheer (rice pudding) and whatever Allah gives us, we are happy!” Shahid said.

Nadeem arrived in Paris as a silver medalist, after he became the first ever Pakistani athlete to claim a medal at the World Athletics Champions in 2023. In Thursday’s final, he beat out defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India, 26, who secured a silver medal in the final. Chopra recorded a best of 89.45 m alongside five other fouled attempts. Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, 26, won bronze with a 88.54 m throw. 

Despite fierce competition, Nadeem and Chopra’s friendship warmed hearts as the athletes—hailing from nations with a history of conflict since the Partition of India in 1947—defy lingering tensions. The pair were seen embracing each other after claiming their medals. According to local media, Nadeem and Chopra’s mothers have each said their son’s competitor is like their own child. 

Pakistan’s sporting excellence is often concentrated in cricket, but the nation now has 11 Olympic medals across men’s hockey, men’s wrestling, and men’s boxing. The nation sent a contingent of seven athletes to Paris this year. 

Nadeem’s win breaks Pakistan’s 32-year Olympics dry spell since the men’s hockey team claimed the nation’s last medal, winning bronze at the Barcelona games in 1992. But it has been four decades since Pakistan left the games with a gold medal. The men’s hockey team won first place in Los Angeles in 1984, and prior to that the team also won gold in 1960 and 1968.  

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Nadeem on his historic win with a post on X (formerly Twitter). “You’ve made the whole nation proud young man,” he wrote.

[sa7abnews]

Why Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Gold Medal for Pakistan Is So Significant

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/09/why-arshad-nadeems-olympic-gold-medal-for-pakistan-is-so-significant/

Why Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Gold Medal for Pakistan Is So Significant

Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan made history at the Paris Summer Olympics on Thursday, bagging his home nation its first ever Olympic track and field win. Nadeem will bring home the first gold medal the South Asian country has seen in 40 years.  

The 27-year-old athlete, hailing from Mian Channu, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, shattered an Olympic record when he launched a throw of 92.97 m on his second attempt in the men’s javelin final. Nadeem bested the previous record of 90.57 m, registered by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 

“Our brother has won the gold medal and I’ve lost my voice because I’ve been celebrating all night,” his brother Shahid Nadeem told CNN on Friday, as celebrations continued into the night across Pakistan. Nadeem is the third of eight siblings born to Muhammad Ashraf, a retired construction worker, and Raziah Parveen. 

“When he gets home we will celebrate him in such a way that the world will never forget! We are simple people and will celebrate with kheer (rice pudding) and whatever Allah gives us, we are happy!” Shahid said.

Nadeem arrived in Paris as a silver medalist, after he became the first ever Pakistani athlete to claim a medal at the World Athletics Champions in 2023. In Thursday’s final, he beat out defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India, 26, who secured a silver medal in the final. Chopra recorded a best of 89.45 m alongside five other fouled attempts. Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, 26, won bronze with a 88.54 m throw. 

Despite fierce competition, Nadeem and Chopra’s friendship warmed hearts as the athletes—hailing from nations with a history of conflict since the Partition of India in 1947—defy lingering tensions. The pair were seen embracing each other after claiming their medals. According to local media, Nadeem and Chopra’s mothers have each said their son’s competitor is like their own child. 

Pakistan’s sporting excellence is often concentrated in cricket, but the nation now has 11 Olympic medals across men’s hockey, men’s wrestling, and men’s boxing. The nation sent a contingent of seven athletes to Paris this year. 

Nadeem’s win breaks Pakistan’s 32-year Olympics dry spell since the men’s hockey team claimed the nation’s last medal, winning bronze at the Barcelona games in 1992. But it has been four decades since Pakistan left the games with a gold medal. The men’s hockey team won first place in Los Angeles in 1984, and prior to that the team also won gold in 1960 and 1968.  

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Nadeem on his historic win with a post on X (formerly Twitter). “You’ve made the whole nation proud young man,” he wrote.

[fantasycricketgamebd]

Most Successful Captains Of The Cricket World Cup

Exploring the Leadership Brilliance: Records, Strategies and Iconic Moments of the Captains Who Led Their Teams to Glory in the Cricket World Cup.

Certain captains have stood out as legendary personalities throughout cricket's long and storied history, their leadership and cricketing prowess leaving an everlasting impression on the game. These leaders not only guided their teams to victory at the highest level of cricket competition, the Cricket World Cup, but they also became icons for cricket fans everywhere.

From Clive Lloyd and the West Indies' dominance in the first tournament to Ricky Ponting and Australia's in the early 21st century, and from Kapil Dev and India's historic victory in 1983 to Imran Khan and Pakistan's charismatic leadership in 1992, these captains are cornerstones of the sport's history. Cricket fans are still enthralled by their tales of success and grit, and their strategic brilliance reminds us of the Cricket World Cup's eternal enchantment.

While cricket's stars will always be remembered fondly, the rise of daily fantasy cricket and other online fantasy games has added a new dimension to the sport's fan base. Cricket fans can now take on the roles of their favourite players, create fantasy squads, and compete in their own strategic battles, adding a new dimension to an already intense devotion to the game.

As a result of the rise of daily fantasy cricket and other fantasy games online, cricket fans can relive these moments, put their cricket knowledge to the test, and compete with other fans in a whole new way, bringing a whole new level of excitement to their already intense devotion to the sport. In addition to remembering the sport's rich history, cricket enthusiasts can now actively contribute to the sport's unfolding story through these digital hubs.

The legacy of these legendary captains are not only honoured but also furthered in today's dynamic cricket fandom by the avid players of daily fantasy cricket and other online fantasy games. As we honour these cricketing greats, let's also celebrate this thrilling new period, where the popularity of the sport is at an all-time high, thanks in large part to the wonderful world of online fantasy cricket.

1. Clive Lloyd (West Indies):

Clive Lloyd was the captain of the West Indies team that won the first two Cricket World Cups, which were held in 1975 and 1979 respectively. The West Indies dominated world cricket while he was captaining the team, thanks to their aggressive batting and lightning-fast bowling.

2. Ricky Ponting (Australia):

Ricky Ponting led the Australian cricket team to its greatest triumph during one of the most prosperous times in the sport's long and illustrious history. He guided Australia to victory in the World Cup in both 2003 and 2007, making them champions of three straight competitions.

3. Kapil Dev (India):

In 1983, Kapil Dev led the Indian cricket team to their very first World Cup triumph. This success came under Dev's captaincy. This victory was a watershed moment in the history of Indian cricket, and Kapil Dev was an essential cog in the wheel that drove the team to victory.

4. Imran Khan (Pakistan):

In 1992, under Imran Khan's leadership, Pakistan won the World Cup for the first and only time in their history. The leadership he provided and the fact that he was so talented in many areas contributed significantly to Pakistan's victory in that competition.

5. Steve Waugh (Australia):

Steve Waugh led the Australian side to victory in the 1999 World Cup and served as the team's captain during that tournament. It was under his direction that Australia became the preeminent team in cricket competitions played across the world.

6. MS Dhoni (India):

MS Dhoni was the captain of the Indian cricket team when it won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 and the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011. Those victories came under the auspices of the ICC. His leadership style, which was known for its coolness and composure, was a major factor in India's success during this time period.

7. Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka):

Arjuna Ranatunga led Sri Lanka to their first World Cup victory, which occurred in 1996. He was the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team at the time. This triumph was a significant turning point in the history of cricket in Sri Lanka.

8. Allan Border (Australia):

Allan Border led Australia to their World Cup victory in 1987 when they were captained by Allan Border. His leadership was a significant contributing factor in Australia's victory in that competition.

In conclusion, these cricket captains have been exceptional leaders and superstars who have changed the sport forever. Their Cricket World Cup victories will be remembered as examples of grit, teamwork, and excellence for years to come. Even as cricket develops further, these captains' legacies serve as an example of the sport's tenacity and the global influence that can be achieved via strong leadership.

Download 11Wickets Bangladesh And Join The League.

[officewebmaster315]

15th August Essay: Celebrating India's Independence Day

India's Independence Day, celebrated with immense patriotism and enthusiasm every year on the 15 August pr nibandh, holds deep significance in the hearts of millions of Indians. This day commemorates the hard-fought freedom from British colonial rule in 1947, a turning point in the nation's history. The celebrations not only reflect the sacrifices made by countless individuals but also highlight the unity and diversity that define India as a nation.

Historical Context:

The struggle for India's independence spanned several decades and involved various movements, protests, and leaders who tirelessly fought against British rule. The masses were inspired and mobilised by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and many more. The culmination of these efforts came on August 15, 1947, when India finally gained its freedom after years of nonviolent resistance and intense struggles.

Celebrations and Traditions:

The nation as a whole puts on a grand celebration of Independence Day. The primary event occurs in the nation's capital, New Delhi, at the venerable Red Fort, when the Prime Minister hoists the flag and addresses the people. The saffron, white, and green stripes of the tricolour flag represent the nation's variety and solidarity.

Schools, colleges, offices, and various organizations organize flag hoisting ceremonies, cultural programs, and parades to mark the occasion. People wear traditional Indian attire and adorn themselves with flags and trinkets in the national colors. Patriotic songs and performances resonate in the air, evoking a sense of pride and devotion towards the country.

Significance and Reflection:

Independence Day is a time for contemplation and thankfulness, not just a day off from work or an excuse to party. It's a moment to honour the values of justice, liberty, and equality upon which India was formed as well as the sacrifices made by those who gave their lives to ensure the nation's freedom. The holidays serve as a reminder that the freedom we have today was not given to us lightly.Challenges and Progress:

Independence Day is a time to commemorate past victories, but it's also a chance to look back and assess India's development since winning independence. It serves as a reminder of the difficulties still present, such as societal problems, inequality, and poverty. The day encourages citizens to actively contribute towards the betterment of the nation by fostering unity, embracing diversity, and working towards a more inclusive and prosperous India.

It is a time to renew the spirit of patriotism and commemorate the sacrifices that paved the way for a sovereign India as the country unites on August 15 to celebrate its hard-won freedom. Independence Day is more than just a day on the calendar; it's also a celebration of Indian identity, the development of the nation, and a pledge to working together to create a better future. The nation's goals and dreams for a more just and peaceful society are represented by the tricolour flag as it flutters in the breeze.

[lotusnews247]

Watch India win the ICC World T20 Championship in 2022.

Cricket has been the most loved sport in the world and is the most followed by Indians. It is not only the most watched and searched online, it is a festival celebrated by cricket lovers and a dream lived by every Indian cricket lover. The first cricket World Cup was held in England in 1975, with the West Indies winning the opening match. But after all this, the very face of the latest cricket news changed. There was a revolution in the field of cricket. This game has evolved into a source of income and a source of fun and entertainment for many celebrities and high-profile industries that are interested in this sport The Cricket World Cup, officially known as the ICC World Cup, is organized every 4 years by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It is known as the T20 ICC World Cup.

T20 ICC World Cup 

This T20 ICC World Cup is the eighth edition of the game being held in Australia, and it starts from October 16th to November 13th, 2022. Australia, known for tropical beaches, lush forests, and cute koalas will witness the cricket festival. There will be a total of 45 matches in the ICC World Cup and 16 teams will be competing with each other for the title of World Champion. There will be eight teams competing against each other, out of which the four winning teams will be qualified for the Super 12 round.

The super 20 round will commence on October 22, 2022. The game will kick off in November 2022. The 2022 World Cup finals will be held on November 13th, 2022, at Melbourne Cricket Stadium in Australia. Mark these dates in your calendar, and cancel your other schedules for your most adorable sport.

But how many times has India won this world cup? But could India have won the game? India has won the World Cup three times: in 1993, 2007, and 2011, and it is possible that India will win again this year. The viewers are very pleased and enthusiastic when India lifts up the sparkling gold trophy. Maybe this year we will be the witnesses to India’s lifting the golden trophy.

Watch all the live cricket matches streaming on lotusnews.com.

Lotusnews.com is the official website where you can see all the matches starting from who won the toss of a coin for the choice of the first innings to the detailed analysis of the match. The site also provides detailed information on match reviews, match predictions, and several other things. This is the only platform where you will find a complete doze of entertainment and news. The game becomes more interesting as the players become more engrossed in it, and it is impossible not to watch the game. So in this digital era, we make it possible for you by providing live streaming of all the matches. The site is mobile-friendly, which means it works smartly on each smart device. A user just has to log in to the site Jitodaily.com and enjoy the ongoing matches. In India, every third person is a cricket lover or enthusiast. They are always in search of OTT platforms and online sites to watch the matches on because it's more convenient to watch them on a smart device rather than spend the whole time at home on a television screen So if you are a true cricket fan, visit Lotusnews.com today and enjoy it whenever and wherever you want!

[maletfsstories]

Budget Diversion

----------------------------------------------------------

-"Brah this whole thing is bullshit," Thad said angrily while on his phone.

-"Totally dude!" Lance his bro and teammate responded quickly and with the same anger in his voice.

The reason the both of them were so angry was because their University board had suddenly decided out of the bloom that the football team wasn't important anymore, little by little each month the budget previously assigned for the football team shrunk considerably while the budget for the science-oriented faculties grew.

Because of the budget cuts, the team had to use spare old equipment and their experienced celebrity coach had to be let go as the board didn't want to pay his high salary anymore.

To add insult to injury the University board also forced the closure of the largest frat on campus, Delta Zeta Pi (∆ZΠ), they then proceeded to demolish the historic frat house in order to make way for a new scientific research building.

The homeless frat boys were then relocated all over campus. Thad, Lance, and another teammate called Jason were relocated to a dorm that was next to the main science faculty building, meaning that every time they walked through the hallways of the dorm they would bump into hundreds of science nerds of all shapes, sizes, and nationalities.

Things were hard but Thad and Lance tried to keep a cool mind, that was until the board announced that they were going to be cutting all of the lacrosse team's budget, meaning that it would have to be dissolved until "further notice" by the board.

-"I mean dude if that can happen to the lacrosse team it can happen to us right?" Thad said as he walked in circles around his cramped dorm room

-"Your right brah!" Lance responded -"I mean this college was known for its elite sports teams, we put this place on the fucking map and now they want to throw us away like trash!".

-"I know dude but it's all because of those stupid nerds".

-"Totally, I mean all those smart Asians that have started to appear all over campus probably convinced the board to leave us in the gutter" Thad said as he remembered seeing the four-eyed freaks everywhere when walking through campus.

-"Fucking fags, I mean why don't they stay back in China or India, why do they have to come here and ruin the fun for all of us!".

-"Don't know dude but we have to do something, we can't just stay here without doing anything".

-"Im already ahead of you brah, just wait till I get to the dorm and I'll tell you my plan" Lance said as his tone became sinister.

-"Okay brah, see you later" Thad said with a cocky smile as he thought about all of the ways he could abuse the nerds that surrounded him.

-"Sure brah!" Lance finally said as Thad ended the call and jumped into his bed, as he looked at the ceiling he couldn't stop thinking about what was happening, everything he valued in his life was being taken away from him, ever since he was a kid Thad had loved to watch and play football, even the reason why he was studying in one of the best colleges of America was because of football as he had won an athletic scholarship that paid almost all of his tuition.

-"Fucking budget diversion..." Thad whispered to himself -"I wish things could be different".

As those fateful words left Thad's mouth an almost invisible multicolored shimmer started covering his surroundings, because Thad continued looking up towards the roof he didn't notice the formation of said shimmer, furthermore, he didn't even notice that it slowly started changing his belongings and those of his roommate Lance.

The dozens of dirty and smelly clothes on the floor vanished in the blink of an eye, in both Thad's and Lance's closets their dozens of pairs of sleeves shirts designed to perfectly show off their muscles were replaced by some formal button-up shirts, simple yet colorful graphic t-shirts with typically nerdy iconography like that of sci-fi shows and math jokes, and two or more jackets, their shorts became jeans and the dozens of colorful sports shoes they loved to flaunt because of their high cost became simple yet functional oxfords or sneakers.

The four plain walls that made up the dorm were then covered by dozens of posters of different sci-fi shows and movies, the shelves on said walls that were previously covered in sports trophies were now proudly displaying books in every scientific field and some small chess and math competition trophies.

The computer where Thad used to make mediocre assignments and watch porn was replaced by a high-end tech machine that could do any task that was thrown at it, no matter how big the numbers it had to process.

As the changes around Thad continued at a steady pace it was then time for his body to change as well, the first major change that manifested was a sudden decrease in his height from his imposing six feet four to a more compact five feet seven, Thad didn't notice this even though his feet couldn't touch the end of the bed frame like before or that his clothes felt slightly bigger.

Said clothes would become less tight over time as Thad's muscles started to dissolve back into his body, his defined six-pack was the first to go as it sank into an almost flat surface surrounded by a small amount of fat, Thad's hard-earned pecs were next as they also deflated like balloons and disappeared out of sight. Thad's bulging arms were not spared either as his huge biceps and vein-filled forearms deflated as well, leaving behind a pair of useless sticks that couldn't carry any significant amount of weight on their own.

-"What the?" Thad thought as he looked down and for a moment saw that his muscles had disappeared, he quickly blinked and as he did his vision blurred slightly. Which gave the illusion that his large muscles were still there.

-"Must have been my mind playing games" Thad concluded, after all, it had been a long day for him, he had to go to football practice in the morning, go to the gym before lunch and then go to a few tedious classes in the evening, this combined with the fact that he had been to a party last night meant that he had slept only three or four hours -"Maybe I should call it a day..." Thad thought as he got up from his bed and readied himself for the long night to come while still not noticing the changes happening around him and to himself thanks to his blurry vision.

-"Here it is!" Thad mumbled as he grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste from his now orderly drawer, he then proceeded to walk towards the small bathroom adjacent to the exit of his dorm room, once inside he washed his mouth with some water and then placed some of the toothpaste onto the toothbrush before proceeding to brush his teeth.

As he brushed each tooth carefully the changes all over his body increased in pace, his previously muscled ass became a well-proportioned bubble butt while his defined legs lost their musculature.

Thad's dick which was his pride and joy lost almost five inches leaving behind a three-inch nub, his giant and fertile balls also shrank with his manhood, and finally, his smaller equipment became covered in a dense forest of black curly hairs.

These hairs then proceeded to grow all over Thad's carefully waxed body, because of this his slightly chubby stomach now had an abundant treasure trail leading towards his flat but hairy chest whose pink nipples were surrounded by smaller black curly hairs.

This sudden hair growth was followed by a subtle change in Thad's skin tone as it went from a tanned white to a dark brown tone, first, it was his feet, then his legs, and then this new brown wave rapidly climbed upwards past his small dick, abdomen and towards his chest were his small nipples increased in size and became even darker.

The wave of brown was then stopped around Thad's neck where his adam's apple shrank giving him a more prepubescent cracking voice.

Up until this point, Thad's face was unchanged but this wouldn't be the case anymore as a messy brown beard grew into place and the previously contained brown wave rushed through his face, by doing so it quickly changed Thad's facial features as seen by his bigger lips, straight but wider nose and softer cheekbones, thus giving him a more South Asian appearance.

The last major changes were those to Thad's eyebrows as they became bushy with black hairs while his blonde buzz cut changed in color to black while also growing into a curly mess. Even Thad's eyes changed in color as his beautiful deep blue irises became black.

As Thad finished brushing his teeth and spat the water out of his mouth, his loose clothes that at this point were dangling from his body changed in order to better fit his new reality, Thad's tank top grew a pair of sleeves and changed in color to grey while a "time travel" graphic motif of a famous show formed on the front. His pair of shorts that seemed to be about to fall to the floor changed into a pair of blue denim skinny jeans that accentuated his behind, the jock underneath said jeans also changed as it became a simple pair of white briefs, finally, Thad's barefoot feet became covered by a pair of old sandals.

-"Shid" Thad said with an accent as he looked up toward the mirror, at this point his vision was so blurry that he couldn't even see anything more than a weird blob of mass reflected by the mirror.

In an almost instinctual manner, Thad's right hand started desperately searching for something on the counter, finally, after a few seconds, it reached the thing it was looking for, a pair of glasses with round lenses that had appeared out of thin air.

-"Dhere dhey arre" Thad said as he placed the glasses on his face like it was the most normal thing for him to do despite the fact that he had never needed to use glasses before.

Once Thad's vision cleared up he pretty much gasped in terror as he finally noticed the extensive changes his body had undergone.

-"Whad happened doo me?" Thad said as he proceeded to gasp gasp again when he noticed that he was speaking with a heavy foreign accent -"Whad happened do me voice!".

Gone was the prime beef of a man that could pick up any girl from the cheerleading team with ease, and in its place was left a skinny Indian nerd.

-"No dis can be happening" Thad said as he ran out of the bathroom and into his changed dorm, everything he owned was either gone or replaced by things only nerds have.

-"No please!" Thad cried as he fell to the floor in defeat, his body, his room, maybe even he as a person was probably erased from reality, replaced by an inferior him.

Thad rummaged through his pockets until he found his student I.D that was previously stored in his shorts, the face in the I.D was the exact same one he had seen in the mirror, instead of Thad Kirkman the card now displayed the name Tanish Kumar, furthermore the faculty the card was registered to changed from the physical sports faculty to the biological sciences faculty.

-"Hoow dis even possible" Thad said as he continued looking at his I.D, maybe it was the wish he made on his bed, maybe it was his harm-filled words when talking to Lance on the phone, either way, he was now stuck with no probability of changing back to his old self.

As Thad stayed on the floor and reflected on his changes, his mind slowly started to be filled with other memories that weren't his own. memories of being born to a middle-class family in the suburbs of New Delhi, memories of dozens of nights of studying that translated into the best grades in his school, memories of not doing any exercise as gaining knowledge and not muscles was his only focus in life, memories of being the loner nerdy kid that was made fun of by the more popular kids at school, and finally more recent memories like that of his temporary stay in the United States.

-"No ged oud of me head" Thad said as he tried to fight back the foreign influence that was taking over his mind. Yet there was no stopping it as Thad now remembered that he got into college not by being the best at football but by being one of the best applicants for an international scholarship program that would pay all of his expenses while abroad.

-"But I'm goot at foodball!" Thad whispered but his changing mind immediately countered this with memories of his bad experiences with sports, he hated p.e. class from pretty much the start of his school life, he now remembered that he would countdown each second of class in wait for the ring of the bell so that he could go to his math or biology class and do more productive things.

Now that he was studying in the states he had been hit hard with the football culture that was almost everywhere around him, this was because he didn't understand the sport at all, not the rules, not the ways of playing it, and certainly not why it was called football when you're supposed to play it with your hands, it was just a stupid game for equally stupid himbos that ran around chasing a ball.

-"No... sdop radionalizing!" Thad shouted as his brain and intellect became much more self-aware, millions of pieces of knowledge were being beamed into his mind with each passing second and slowly but surely they replaced everything that once made up Thad, he wasn't in the football team, he wasn't part of a frat, he wasn't an all American jock, he was just a simple smart hardworking student from abroad doing his best.

-"Tanish al you okey?" A heavily accented voice said behind him.

Thad turned around and looked at where the voice was coming from, a Chinese guy that looked just as nerdy as he was looking down at him with worry from the now wide-open door of his dorm room.

-"Why you in flool?" He said as walked closer to were Thad was.

-"Nodhing I jusd led my I.D fall" Thad said as he got up from the floor.

-"Ale you sule you okey?" The young Chinese man asked as he was now next to Thad.

-"Yes Lin I'm alrighd" Thad suddenly said which worried him even more as he had never met the guy in front of him yet he somehow knew his name.

-"Okey then, you heal the gool news?" Lin asked as he walked past Thad.

-"No whad goot news?" Thad asked as he concluded that Lin was probably once his bro and teammate Lance.

-"See fol youlself" Lin said after turning on Thad's computer and opening their university's main website.

Thad nervously walked towards the computer and sat down on his seat, he then looked at the screen and started reading out loud what he was seeing.

-"Dhe Howard Universidy board is pleaset do announce dhad dhe sdudends Tanish Kumar (Biomedical Engener Sdudend) & Lin Ru (Biomedical Engener Sdudend) have won a grand for dhe realizadion of dheir healdh nano-bod invesdigadion" Thad said and as he finished he felt slightly proud and happy of this achievement.

-"Isn't it gleat?" Lin asked as a huge smile formed on his face.

Thad turned around towards Lin, and for a moment he felt a huge amount of horror, his old bro, now a Chinese guy happy that he was getting a grant for his... Their investigation.

-"Our investigation..." Thad thought as he now remembered that the idea for the project was concocted the week after he had met Lin during orientation week almost a year before.

The more Thad thought about the project the more he lost his will to keep fighting, Lin seemed unfazed by his change, did he even remember who he was previously?

-"Forget it... Your Tanish Kumar, you've always been Tanish" a voice suddenly said inside of Thad's mind -"Think about the project, you're destined to help millions of people thanks to your vast intellect, forget football, football doesn't save lives, your old self lived for himself, you will now live to save others... Forget everything and be happy".

Thad closed his eyes for a fraction of a second as he readied himself to fight against the foreign influence once more but he quickly stopped, Lin was happy, he and Lin now had a better life ahead, and by the looks Lin was giving him, Thad knew that the life he had ahead was to be permanently connected to Lin in both work and love.

-"Why fight anymore, I'm Tanish Kumar, I've always been Tanish Kumar" Thad thought as the last parts of his old self were eliminated from existence and the shimmer that changed him disappeared.

-"My god dhis is gread" Tanish suddenly said with a happy grin of his own.

-"I know light?" Lin said "Appalently some of the budget cuts the boald made to the spolts teams is being used for more glants like ouls, remember Takahashi, he also won a glant for his locket engine ploposal"

-"Really?" Tanish euphorically asked as he got up his chair -"I can'd believe dhis place is finally daking us seriously!".

-"It's just amazing!" Lin said as he jumped and hugged Tanish who quickly responded to the hug.

-"Dis needs a celebradion..." Tanish stated while his face was inches away from Lin's -"Doesn'd it...?"

-"Yes I aglee" Lin said as he came closer and passionately kissed Tanish in his sensual brown lips.

Lin then proceeded to remove Tanish's shirt in a romantic manner while Tanish carefully laid on his bed.

-"I hope youl leady baby" Lin said as he played with Tanish's large brown nipples which made him moan -"Oh I am..." Tanish said as he turned around and by doing so exposing his behind to Lin.

-"Today I eat curry" Lin jokingly said as he proceeded to remove Tanish's jeans and underwear which gave him ample view of his brown hole.

----------------------------------------------------------

-"Gosh would you two stop it you Asian fags!" Jason blurted out as he punched the wall, the nerdy asian boyfriends next door seemed like they had been fucking for hours, and because of it he couldn't fall asleep.

Ever since he had moved from his old and now demolished frat house to the nerdy dorm it had become almost impossible to sleep peacefully without hearing moaning all night.

-"Let's hope I don't turn up gay by staying here" Jason whispered as his eyes finally closed while the familiar colorful tones of a magical shimmer formed all over his room.

----------------------------------------------------------

Wanted to try something a little different than my usual story subjects, hope you guys like it! 🤭

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[theburialofstrawberries]

The age of narrow expertise is over. At least, that is what Sanyal would have us believe. The power of his interventions lies in their appeal to interdisciplinarity. As he tells us, “Neat silos may be useful for pedagogical purposes, but the real world does not function in separate compartments.” But perhaps there is also a case to be made for the rigours of disciplinary training and scholarly expertise?

Today, the historian’s craft is seen as easily acquired, requiring no more than an ability to construct narratives based on philosophical or ideological vantage points. But expertise in history, as in any other discipline, is hard-won, acquired through years of training. Sanyal may be a competent economist, but his ignorance of the protocols of historical research means that many of his narratives are highly flawed. If I emphasise his historical ventures, it is because an understanding of the past is written into his work, undergirding even his economic analysis. It is an essential part of his vision of Indian society.

(...)

Sanyal sets out, from the very beginning, to look for the great continuities of Indian history. In doing so, he keeps returning to the ancient past. The “golden age” of Indian history, we are told, was the period prior to the eleventh century. It was a time when “Indian society celebrated its risk takers,” when it “encouraged innovation and change.” This was the India of “yoga, algebra, the concept of zero, chess, plastic surgery, metallurgy, Hinduism, Buddhism.” Sanyal compares India’s “extraordinary economic, intellectual and cultural influence throughout the ancient world” to the sway of the United States in the late twentieth century. Unlike the United States, however, India was apparently a completely peaceful superpower. Ranging across time and space, Sanyal creates extraordinary interconnections. He swings from century to century, kingdom to kingdom and coast to coast to create a seamless narrative, collapsing a whole host of cultures and dynasties to create a picture of a great, golden past.

This vision of Indian history as a single, continuing thread is central to Sanyal’s idea of “civilizational nationhood.” His entry point into it is the Mahabharata. He tells us:

Since the Kurukshetra battle is said to have involved all the tribes and kingdoms of India, the Mahabharata gives us long lists of kingdoms, clans and cities. Many of them were probably added to the text in later times. Nonetheless, it gives an idea of the Indian world view during the Iron Age. The name Mahabharata is itself interesting as it can be read to mean ‘Greater India’. This would make sense for an epic that claims to tell the story involving all the clans of the subcontinent. The text itself explains the name in terms of a primordial Emperor Bharata who is said to have conquered the whole country (but plays no important role in the central plot). The epic is therefore told as a history of the Bharata people. Since there is no independent evidence of an all-conquering Emperor Bharata, one wonders if this is an echo of the powerful Bharata tribe mentioned in the Rig Veda. Did Sudas’s victory against the ten tribes create a dream of civilizational nationhood that gets echoed over the millennia?

This is classic Sanyal: the entire paragraph is an exercise in speculation masquerading as fact. Sanyal starts with a token recognition of different possibilities. Then, he crosses out all the possibilities that he does not agree with, without telling us why. Logically speaking, if the lists of kingdoms, clans and cities were added to at a later time, they cannot reflect the Indian world view during the Iron Age. The title of the text, Mahabharata, cannot be translated as “Greater India.” Instead, it means the “Great War [of the Bharata clan].” The importance of the figure of Bharata has nothing to do with his presence or absence in the central plot. Instead, it has to do with the fact that all the central figures in the story, the Kauravas and Pandavas alike, are his descendants. This is why they are referred to as “Bharatas.” Yes, it is true there is a link between the Battle of the Ten Kings in the Rigveda and the composition of the Mahabharata story, but this does not allow us to extrapolate “a dream of civilizational nationhood that gets echoed over the millennia.” Finally, even if the Mahabharata is classed in the Sanskrit literary tradition as an itihasa—a story about the past—this does not mean that we can read it literally as history.

Sanyal concludes his discussion on the Mahabharata with a sudden shift in gears. The Partition of India in 1947, we are told, “was partly due to a fundamental divergence in views about the nature of India’s civilizational nationhood.” What does the Partition of India have to do with the Mahabharata, you might ask. Sanyal does not answer explicitly. But the overall logic of his argument is clear: Indian civilisation is Hindu civilisation, as is, by extension, our “civilizational nationhood.”

[myauditionfordrphil]

Last night was something that I'll remember forever, after years of heartbreak and tears India finally lifted an ICC trophy. It's been 11 years since we lifted an ICC trophy, 13 since we lifted a World Cup and 17 since we won a T20 World Cup and after several close brushes with victory and knockout defeats we are finally the World Champions again. There are many things that I wanted to say since yesterday but I just couldn't get the time to sit down and now when I finally have time in my hands I'd like to get all my feelings out and shut up for the greater good.

First of all Rohit, what a man, what a captain. If somebody deserved the the cup it was him and seeing him collapse to the floor and slapping the turf with all his might showed just how much it ment to him.

Also how he was crying again after a finals but this time they were tears of happiness that didn't seem to stop.

The belief Rohit (and Dravid) showed in Virat, constantly backing him and saying that it's his class that matters and he'll perform in the finals. Virat being the man he is and standing up when India needed him the most and proving Rohit right.

How Virat called Anushka and kids immediately after the win (making funny faces and shedding a few tears) showing that you're never too busy.

The tightest Rohirat hug with both of them crying and refusing to let go of each other just after the win. Matlab pura tournament we were crying for a RoKo moment and we got it at the best time possible.

Bumrah falling to his knees and showing that rare burst of emotions and then immediately running to Sanjana, hugging her so tight that he lifted her off the ground.

Hardik, the man who probably had the worst 7 to 8 months of his life with a smile on his face finally letting go and crying like a child. He turned all the boos into cheers.

Rohit consoling a crying Hardik and barging into his interview to give him a kiss on the cheek (and the way Hardik immediately melted) god how they bashed all the rumours.

Siraj not even being in the playing 11 but falling down to the ground sobbing and being speechless during the interviews.

Also streets will never forget Axar's contribution, Bapu served India again and man deserved every bit of credit.

Shivam Dube with his quickfire and crucial 21 run innings gutted all those who questioned his selection.

Arshdeep celebrating the win after being one of the best bowlers in the tournament in full Punjabi style. The tunak tunak bhangra with Virat will always be a part of numerous edits.

A teary Rohit hugging Virat again.

The Rohika hug omg how I love them.

Rahul Dravid showing more emotions than he did in the past 30 years and celebrating like a madman on his last day as the Indian coach. He truly had his Chak De moment and he bloody deserved it.

Surya taking the bloody catch of the tournament and giving us the chance to tell our future generations about the catch that helped us win the cup the same way our elder generation told us of the iconic Kapil Dev catch.

Virat giving the trophy to Dravid and the whole team lifting him as a tribute.

Rohit running into the ground with tricolour and plunging it into the ground, hoisting the flag in Barbados.

Kuldeep telling Rohit to do the Messi walk to lift the cup.

Rohit and Virat trashing all their rift rumours and posing with the trophy with the tricolour on their backs.

Rohit standing with Sammy on his shoulders, Virat by his side, trophy in his hands and the tricolour on his back.

Bumrah giving his medal to baby Angad and him giving Boom the softest smile.

Rahul Dravid being the Barbados ka Gunda

Sammy enjoying the lap of honour on his father's shoulder.

Rohit sitting down and eating some of the soil to relish the taste of victory. The whole world saw how important this was for him and how he cherished the very soil where they won instead of putting his legs on the trophy.

Virat making the day bittersweet by announcing his retirement from t20i after winning the POTM. The man who literally carried India in t20i's and t20 world cup said goodbye to the format leaving us all a little more teary.

Rohit letting Virat have his moment and instead casually announcing his retirement from t20i and making us cry even more. The man who scored 100s in t20 for fun left the stage with the trophy in his hand.

RoKo posing with the flag and the trophy being the last time they were seen together in t20s for India. Our childhood has really ended and so did an era. Extremely happy that they bid adieu with the trophy in their hands.

Jaddu following their steps and announcing his retirement from t20s also. All the seniors from the team are gone and passed the baton on, India will definitely miss it's best fielder in the t20 field.

All the Indians pouring out their love on social media not caring how big of a celebrity they are.

MS Dhoni making us realise that we need to win a world cup to make him remember his instagram password. Yer the fact that he never posted his pic with the trophy but posted India lifting the title under Rohit's captaincy at 1.30 am.

The entirety of India spilling onto the streets, screaming, crying, waving the tiranga and celebrating the win with raw emotions.

There are so many moments that I missed because yesterday was filled with raw emotions and beautiful moments so please don't hesitate to add you own. Our men in blue proved that for every 19th November there is a 29th June. I always complained (especially after 2023 wc) that how it was unfair that my grandfather got see India lifting the cup and so did my father but never me and last night all my complaints went out of the window. It was a night that I'll tell my kids about, a night that no Indian will ever forget, a night which was made even more special with the whole desiblr celebrating together. I read somewhere that "Indians have red blood running in their veins but they bleed blue" and this statement couldn't get any truer as our mental health really depended on these 11 men in blue. And finally after ages we closed our campaign with the cup in our hands and finally our legends had a deserving farewell. Bleed blue 💙

[wild-aloof-rebel]

In a candid conversation with the Star, Manji said “Schitt’s Creek” producers did not instruct him as to how Ray should sound.

“It is a very slight Indian accent — somebody who was probably raised in Canada, but probably was born in India or Pakistan,” he said from his home in Los Angeles.

“I don’t regret that because I think it actually works for Ray. He wasn’t like everybody else in that town. He was from somewhere else.”

Manji said he’s OK with viewers questioning his choices, but rather than focus on accents, he said, critics could ask why his character didn’t have a more fully developed story, like a relationship or a family.

“If you want to criticize something, do that,” he said. “We need to have three-dimensional characters.”

[full article text below the cut]

At the start of Rizwan Manji’s acting career in the 1990s, the only roles available to him were those playing convenience store clerks and cab drivers. The parts usually required him to fake an Indian accent — just for laughs.

“We would joke about it. ‘This is so offensive, this is so offensive,’” recalls the Toronto native. “It’s not like we didn’t know.”

More than two decades later, Manji’s grin-and-bear-it perseverance has paid off. At 46, Manji now boasts a long — and diverse — list of TV and film credits. In September, he joined castmates from the hit CBC comedy series “Schitt’s Creek” in celebration as the show nabbed a record-breaking nine Emmy Awards.

That doesn’t mean, however, he still doesn’t grapple with questions about his acting choices.

While “Schitt’s Creek,” about a wealthy family that loses its fortune and is forced to move to a backwater town, won raves for its messages of inclusivity and positive queer representation, a segment of viewers took to social media to criticize Manji’s character, Ray Butani, the town’s bumbling jack of all trades — who speaks with an accent.

What irked them was that Ray, one of the few recurring people of colour on the show, seemed like a caricature — a rehash of the stereotypical, emasculated South Asian male. They also complained that Manji’s accent came across as “cringey.”

“Why go to the effort of writing in a character with an Indian name, played by an Indian actor, whose main personality trait is that he is stupid and has an accent?” Rishi Maharaj, a Port Hardy, B.C., engineer and avid TV viewer, wrote on Twitter days after the show’s Emmy sweep.

Across North America’s TV and film industry, there is broad consensus about the need to fight stereotypes and offensive tropes in casting. But the debate among actors of colour over whether they should fake accents remains fraught.

Some Hollywood actors, such as Aziz Ansari and John Cho, have reportedly turned down roles, citing the history of Hollywood playing up accents for laughs. (Think Mickey Rooney’s portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi in the 1961 romantic comedy “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” complete with taped eyelids, buck teeth and cartoonish accent).

They worry that parts requiring them to speak with accents do nothing to help the cause of minority actors who are often typecast in secondary roles or as sidekicks, and who continue to be under-represented on TV and film.

Others say it’s important to represent linguistic diversity and see no harm portraying characters who speak in broken English, as long as their accent is not the butt of a joke and in keeping with a character’s backstory.

In a candid conversation with the Star, Manji said “Schitt’s Creek” producers did not instruct him as to how Ray should sound.

“It is a very slight Indian accent — somebody who was probably raised in Canada, but probably was born in India or Pakistan,” he said from his home in Los Angeles.

“I don’t regret that because I think it actually works for Ray. He wasn’t like everybody else in that town. He was from somewhere else.”

Manji said he’s OK with viewers questioning his choices, but rather than focus on accents, he said, critics could ask why his character didn’t have a more fully developed story, like a relationship or a family.

“If you want to criticize something, do that,” he said. “We need to have three-dimensional characters.”

The character that has generated one of the most heated debates in recent years when it comes to accents is Apu, the Indian-American shopkeeper on the long-running animated series “The Simpsons.” Until recently, the thick-accented character was voiced by actor Hank Azaria, who is white.

In 2017, American comedian Hari Kondabolu came out with a documentary, “The Problem With Apu,” in which he pressed the case that the show fomented racial stereotypes about Indian people.

In interviews at the time, Kondabolu shared that, as a kid, Apu was “the only Indian we had on TV” and that he was happy for “any representation.” But then on the playground, he had to deal with kids mimicking Apu’s accent.

In the documentary, he gets Dana Gould, a former writer on the show, to admit, “There are accents, that by their nature, to white Americans, sound funny. Period.”

With criticism mounting, Azaria, who had voiced Apu for three decades, announced he was stepping away from the role, telling the New York Times earlier this year: “Once I realized that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn’t want to participate in it anymore.”

There is growing sensitivity among artists, writers, directors and producers to avoid stereotypes and invest in “fully humanized, realized characters,” Steven Eng, an actor and voice and speech instructor at New York University, told the Star.

“There’s certainly been a whole history — that I don’t think any of us can deny — in film and television and the theatre where characters were stereotyped,” he said. “I think there’s so much more awareness, so much more determination to not go that route.”

But even “groundbreaking” shows, such as “Kim’s Convenience” and the recently cancelled “Fresh Off the Boat,” which were heralded for elevating Asian-Canadian and Asian-American visibility and immigrant experiences, have not escaped criticism, accused by some viewers of employing storylines and accents that do not ring true.

Cast members, in turn, leapt to the defence of their shows — and their accents.

“Some people are like, ‘Oh, stereotypical accent!’” Constance Wu, lead actress on “Fresh Off the Boat,” told Time magazine regarding her character’s Taiwanese accent. “An accent is an accent. If there were jokes written about the accent, then that would certainly be harmful. But there aren’t jokes written about it. It’s not even talked about. It’s just a fact of life: immigrants have accents.”

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, the lead actor in “Kim’s Convenience” told Maclean’s his character’s Korean accent is “part of who he is, but it isn’t the joke.”

“Yes, we’re in the entertainment field, and we will mine some of that because it is situational humour. You will get a point where we’ll say, ‘Here’s where some fun can be made, playing with the accent, and his inability and people mishearing what he says.’ But at the same time, that’s not all it is,” he said.

Jimmy O. Yang, who starred in the HBO series “Silicon Valley” and whose character spoke with a heavy Chinese accent, told Huffington Post the key is to portray immigrants with humanity.

“It’s maybe a better thought to change the perception of an accent than to avoid it all together,” he said. “I take offence (when people don’t go for parts with accents) ― it’s like saying, ‘I’m better than my immigrant brother with an accent.’”

Yang added he drew inspiration from his mom and relatives in Shanghai to develop his accent for the show. “It’s not just a (lousy) impression of a Cantonese Bruce Lee accent.”

Still, some actors have declared outright they will not do it.

“For me, personally, any time I’ve been asked to do that, I feel like — it feels like it’s making fun of people that have that accent if I do it and don’t have that voice,” comedian Aziz Ansari told NPR in 2015, years before he faced a public allegation of sexual misconduct.

“It feels like you’re doing it so white people can laugh at Indian people,” he said at the time.

That’s kind of how Maharaj felt watching Ray on “Schitt’s Creek.”

“I did find it cringey. The first thought that came to mind was it reminded me of Apu in ‘The Simpsons,’” he told the Star.

In The Problem With Apu, South Asian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu confronts his long-standing “nemesis” Apu Nahasapeemapetilon – better known as the Indian convenience store owner on The Simpsons. Creator and star Kondabolu discusses how this controversial caricature was created, burrowed its way into the hearts and minds of Americans, and continues to exist – intact – nearly three decades later. Featuring interviews with Aziz Ansari, Kal Penn, Whoopi Goldberg, W. Kamau Bell, Aasif Mandvi, Hasan Minhaj, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aparna Nancherla

“To me what it sounds like is what a person from Saskatoon thinks a person from India sounds like. ... I’m sure he could’ve been a funny part of that show without an accent.”

Maharaj wasn’t alone. Arif Silverman, an actor and playwright in New York, posted a lengthy Facebook post in October sharing his conflicted feelings about the show.

“Schitt’s Creek has become one of my all-time favourite shows. But they did their South Asian characters dirty,” he wrote.

“Especially Ray, who plays directly into the racist South Asian trope of being an emasculated, goofy buffoon who no one takes seriously, not least in part because of his accent.”

Silverman told the Star Ray’s accent seemed “part of the joke” and struck him as a “betrayal” from a show that preached inclusivity and whose main romance was a gay love story.

“I’m half South Asian — my mother is from Bangladesh. … And so I think a lot about representation of South Asians in the media,” he said. “If you’re really going to talk about inclusivity it can’t be at anyone’s expense.”

Manji says he faced a lot of struggles as a brown actor at the start of his career.

Back then, he was often pigeonholed into narrow roles, such as the cabbie or 7-Eleven store clerk. One hundred per cent of his roles required him to fake a South Asian accent.

“It was very strictly, like, the joke was on the accent,” he said.

But he accepted the parts because he needed the work.

He did draw a line with one type of role.

“I’m Muslim, so I was more the guy who was like, ‘I’m not being the terrorist.’”

There was one time, however, when he auditioned to play an Islamic Studies professor on the show “24.” He was given limited information about the character. It turned out he was a bomb maker.

But the money was too good to pass up. He took the part.

“I rationalized it in my head, ‘Oh, it’s season 8, and they have good Muslim characters. … I don’t know if I made the right decision,” he said.

“To be clear, I’m OK with being the bad guy. I’d love to play the bad guy. It’s just when it’s this kind of thing where you’re screaming ‘Allahu akbar’ and bombing people.”

In 2010, Manji was cast in the short-lived NBC sitcom “Outsourced” set in an Indian call centre. He and his castmates employed accents, which some critics derided for lack of authenticity.

It’s fine if people want to criticize the quality of the accents, he said, but it wouldn’t have made sense for these characters not to have accents.

“The show was shooting in America about living in India. I don’t know what the other option was,” he said, adding that he channelled his father in developing the accent for that show.

Another thing to keep in mind is that accents have to be understandable to North American audiences, Manji said. For instance, during the filming of the movie “Charlie Wilson’s War,” Manji, who played a Pakistani colonel, said he settled on a “sweet spot” where his accent “sounds foreign” but is “not so thick that it becomes comedic or unintelligible.”

Manji said he did not have to audition for “Schitt’s Creek” but was offered the role of Ray, the town’s real estate agent, travel agent, photographer and Christmas tree salesman.

When he went for his first table read in Toronto, he’d had no prior discussion with the show’s writers or producers about what Ray would sound like.

Because most of his demo tape consisted of his work on “Outsourced,” Manji assumed that was the kind of voice producers were looking for. He went with a slightly toned-down version.

“Afterwards, I went up to Dan (Levy, the show’s co-creator) and said, ‘Hey just want to check in.’ He said, ‘I love what you did. It was funny.’ That ended up being the character for six years.”

Maharaj says he can’t help but feel Manji was selling himself short — playing to what he thought “a white audience might expect or respond more favourably to” to get the job. He likens it to job applicants of Asian descent who anglicize their names on resumes.

“I’m encouraged to hear he had agency, that they weren’t like, ‘We need you to do the accent,’” he said.

“I’d feel better if they were asking him to do a British accent or Brooklyn accent because if you’re doing this Indian accent and the character is comedic, it is nonetheless playing into that trope.”

Levy, who is also from Toronto, declined an interview request. Instead, he released a statement through his publicist.

“Ray was conceived as a character of Indian decent which we cast with Canadian-born actor Rizwan Manji, who is of Indian decent. No accent was called for in the casting or specified in the scripts,” it said.

“The thoughtful choices that Rizwan made in his portrayal in the audition room perfectly encapsulated the warmth and the energy of Ray. All characters on our show were created with love, respect and humanity. It has been gratifying to have these intentions reflected through the overwhelming audience support for these characters. That said, I welcome any perspectives that encourage conversations about diversity, especially in entertainment.”

Despite what critics might think, Manji said he has felt more empowered in recent years to make creative decisions about his characters.

Manji, who had a role in NBC’s musical comedy “Perfect Harmony,” which was cancelled this year, said when he was approached about playing the part of a pastor, he was the one who initiated the idea of giving the character a foreign accent.

Because the character was raised by missionaries, it wouldn’t have made sense for him to not have one.

Conversely, when he was asked a couple years ago to read for a pilot for a dramatic series in which his character was a Muslim father he told the casting director he didn’t want to do an accent.

“I said, ‘You know what? I’d rather not. That’s not going to excite me about this part,’” he said.

“I ended up getting the job. I found my voice.” (The pilot never made it to series).

Manji, who guesses about 60 per cent of his roles in more recent years have involved accent work, says remarks by actors who refuse to do accents are “dangerous” because they could end up limiting the types of roles available to minority actors.

His worry is casting directors will go to India in search of authentic accents, overlooking North American-born actors, like him.

“I’m already marginalized.”

Nobody fusses when Meryl Streep performs with an accent, he adds.

Ishani Nath, a freelance entertainment and lifestyle journalist in Toronto, says anytime she sees an accented character who also provides comedic relief, it raises a bit of a red flag.

But she’s hesitant to criticize actors for taking those roles, knowing that opportunities are not easy to come by.

“I’m way more interested in criticizing writers, producers, (and asking): Why are you asking for these roles to be accented? … Is there an actual reason and backstory?”

Nath says she is starting to notice deeper conversations about how different cultures are represented on screen and what nuances can be added to make characters more complex.

She says a good example of this is the hit movie “Crazy Rich Asians,” whose actors exhibited a range of regional Asian accents.

“It’s important to note that the problem with accent roles isn’t the accents themselves — plenty of characters in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ have accents, but no one has the exaggerated or generic ‘Asian’ accent that has historically been played for laughs in Hollywood,” she wrote in a 2018 article in Flare.

Jhanik Bullard, a writer and member of BIPOC TV & Film, a collective of Black, Indigenous and people of colour working in Canada’s entertainment industry, says it is no longer acceptable for characters to have accents “just because.”

“It should actually have an authentic origin as to why this character sounds the way they sound,” he said.

Audiences are also not as forgiving as they may have been in the 1990s if the accent sounds botched or inauthentic.

What is encouraging, he says, is that more doors are being opened for people of colour to tell their stories and there are more platforms for those stories to be to told.

To that end, Manji says he and his partners have initiated a handful of projects that are in various stages of development. One is a show about a Muslim guy who becomes mayor of a major city. Another is a sitcom about a “normal Muslim family” — something that “resembles me more.”

Does the character he envision for himself speak with an accent?

“Since I want it to be closer to me, then I would say not.”

[rockislandadultreads]

Black History Month: Notable Black Women

My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King

The life story of Coretta Scott King—wife of Martin Luther King Jr., founder of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and singular twentieth-century American civil rights activist—as told fully for the first time Born in 1927 to daringly enterprising black parents in the Deep South, Coretta Scott had always felt called to a special purpose. One of the first black scholarship students recruited to Antioch College, a committed pacifist, and a civil rights activist, she was an avowed feminist—a graduate student determined to pursue her own career—when she met Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister insistent that his wife stay home with the children. But in love and devoted to shared Christian beliefs and racial justice goals, she married King, and events promptly thrust her into a maelstrom of history throughout which she was a strategic partner, a standard bearer, a marcher, a negotiator, and a crucial fundraiser in support of world-changing achievements. As a widow and single mother of four, while butting heads with the all-male African American leadership of the times, she championed gay rights and AIDS awareness, founded the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, lobbied for fifteen years to help pass a bill establishing the US national holiday in honor of her slain husband, and was a powerful international presence, serving as a UN ambassador and playing a key role in Nelson Mandela's election. Coretta’s is a love story, a family saga, and the memoir of an independent-minded black woman in twentieth-century America, a brave leader who stood committed, proud, forgiving, nonviolent, and hopeful in the face of terrorism and violent hatred every single day of her life.

The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris

From one of America's most inspiring political leaders, a book about the core truths that unite us, and the long struggle to discern what those truths are and how best to act upon them, in her own life and across the life of our country. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris's commitment to speaking truth is informed by her upbringing. The daughter of immigrants, she was raised in an Oakland, California community that cared deeply about social justice; her parents--an esteemed economist from Jamaica and an admired cancer researcher from India--met as activists in the civil rights movement when they were graduate students at Berkeley. Growing up, Harris herself never hid her passion for justice, and when she became a prosecutor out of law school, a deputy district attorney, she quickly established herself as one of the most innovative change agents in American law enforcement. She progressed rapidly to become the elected District Attorney for San Francisco, and then the chief law enforcement officer of the state of California as a whole. Known for bringing a voice to the voiceless, she took on the big banks during the foreclosure crisis, winning a historic settlement for California's working families. Her hallmarks were applying a holistic, data-driven approach to many of California's thorniest issues, always eschewing stale "tough on crime" rhetoric as presenting a series of false choices. Neither "tough" nor "soft" but smart on crime became her mantra. Being smart means learning the truths that can make us better as a community, and supporting those truths with all our might. That has been the pole star that guided Harris to a transformational career as the top law enforcement official in California, and it is guiding her now as a transformational United States Senator, grappling with an array of complex issues that affect her state, our country, and the world, from health care and the new economy to immigration, national security, the opioid crisis, and accelerating inequality. By reckoning with the big challenges we face together, drawing on the hard-won wisdom and insight from her own career and the work of those who have most inspired her, Kamala Harris offers in The Truths We Hold a master class in problem-solving, in crisis management, and leadership in challenging times. Through the arc of her own life, on into the great work of our day, she communicates a vision of shared struggle, shared purpose, and shared values. In a book rich in many home truths, not least is that a relatively small number of people work very hard to convince a great many of us that we have less in common than we actually do, but it falls to us to look past them and get on with the good work of living our common truth. When we do, our shared effort will continue to sustain us and this great nation, now and in the years to come.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations—and whose story inspires us to do the same.

More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys

An intimate, revealing look at one artist’s journey from self-censorship to full expression. As one of the most celebrated musicians of our time, Alicia Keys has enraptured the nation with her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary vocal range, and soul-stirring piano compositions. Yet away from the spotlight, Alicia has grappled with private heartache―over the challenging and complex relationship with her father, the people-pleasing nature that characterized her early career, the loss of privacy surrounding her romantic relationships, and the oppressive expectations of female perfection. Since her rise to fame, Alicia’s public persona has belied a deep personal truth: she has spent years not fully recognizing or honoring her own worth. After withholding parts of herself for so long, she is at last exploring the questions that live at the heart of her story: Who am I, really? And once I discover that truth, how can I become brave enough to embrace it? More Myself is part autobiography, part narrative documentary. Alicia’s journey is revealed not only through her own candid recounting, but also through vivid recollections from those who have walked alongside her. The result is a 360-degree perspective on Alicia’s path―from her girlhood in Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem, to the process of self-discovery she’s still navigating. In More Myself, Alicia shares her quest for truth―about herself, her past, and her shift from sacrificing her spirit to celebrating her worth. With the raw honesty that epitomizes Alicia’s artistry, More Myself is at once a riveting account and a clarion call to readers: to define themselves in a world that rarely encourages a true and unique identity.

[douxlen]

Why Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Gold Medal for Pakistan Is So Significant

New Post has been published on https://douxle.com/2024/08/10/why-arshad-nadeems-olympic-gold-medal-for-pakistan-is-so-significant/

Why Arshad Nadeem’s Olympic Gold Medal for Pakistan Is So Significant

Javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan made history at the Paris Summer Olympics on Thursday, bagging his home nation its first ever Olympic track and field win. Nadeem will bring home the first gold medal the South Asian country has seen in 40 years.  

The 27-year-old athlete, hailing from Mian Channu, in Pakistan’s Punjab province, shattered an Olympic record when he launched a throw of 92.97 m on his second attempt in the men’s javelin final. Nadeem bested the previous record of 90.57 m, registered by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 

“Our brother has won the gold medal and I’ve lost my voice because I’ve been celebrating all night,” his brother Shahid Nadeem told CNN on Friday, as celebrations continued into the night across Pakistan. Nadeem is the third of eight siblings born to Muhammad Ashraf, a retired construction worker, and Raziah Parveen. 

“When he gets home we will celebrate him in such a way that the world will never forget! We are simple people and will celebrate with kheer (rice pudding) and whatever Allah gives us, we are happy!” Shahid said.

Nadeem arrived in Paris as a silver medalist, after he became the first ever Pakistani athlete to claim a medal at the World Athletics Champions in 2023. In Thursday’s final, he beat out defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India, 26, who secured a silver medal in the final. Chopra recorded a best of 89.45 m alongside five other fouled attempts. Grenada’s two-time world champion Anderson Peters, 26, won bronze with a 88.54 m throw. 

Despite fierce competition, Nadeem and Chopra’s friendship warmed hearts as the athletes—hailing from nations with a history of conflict since the Partition of India in 1947—defy lingering tensions. The pair were seen embracing each other after claiming their medals. According to local media, Nadeem and Chopra’s mothers have each said their son’s competitor is like their own child. 

Pakistan’s sporting excellence is often concentrated in cricket, but the nation now has 11 Olympic medals across men’s hockey, men’s wrestling, and men’s boxing. The nation sent a contingent of seven athletes to Paris this year. 

Nadeem’s win breaks Pakistan’s 32-year Olympics dry spell since the men’s hockey team claimed the nation’s last medal, winning bronze at the Barcelona games in 1992. But it has been four decades since Pakistan left the games with a gold medal. The men’s hockey team won first place in Los Angeles in 1984, and prior to that the team also won gold in 1960 and 1968.  

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Nadeem on his historic win with a post on X (formerly Twitter). “You’ve made the whole nation proud young man,” he wrote.

[valeriethepussycats]

Assemble

Chapter 2

Pairing- Loki x Reader x Steve (one side)

Warning- cursing 

Your thoughts and other characters are in italics.

Flashback in Bold.

At night, a slum in India it attacked by a sickness. A little girl runs into the middle of a makeshift hospital in someone's home, pushing through the crowd frantically. She runs up the steps inside to greet the only doctor, Bruce Banner.

“What are you doing here?! Get out! You shouldn't be here.”  The Women scolded.

“I have to see the doctor. It's my father.” The little Girl explained.

“Calm down. What's wrong?” Bruce Asked.

“My father...” she looks to the other sick people, laying down and moaning in pain.

“Is he like them?” Bruce wondered.

The little girl holds out money, crumpled and looking desperate. “Please.”

Banner and the little girl run quickly to the edge of town. She leads him quickly through narrow passageways, and is proving too fast to keep up with. Banner spots a nice car, and looks around, worried. He runs into the girls house, when she leaves through a window, untraceable.

“Should have gotten paid up front, Banner.” Bruce scoffed.

Natasha entering the room behind him, making Banner turn around. “You know, for a man who's supposed to be avoiding stress, you picked a hell of a place to settle.”

“Avoiding stress isn't the secret.” Bruce started.

“Then, what is it? Yoga?” Natasha said sounding unduly curious.

“You brought me to the edge of the city, smart. I uh... assume the whole place is surrounded?” Bruce wondered.

“Just you and me.” Natasha say trying to convince Bruce.

“And your actress buddy, is she a spy too? Do they start that young?” Bruce  wondered.

“I did.”

“Who are you?”

“Natasha Romanoff.”

“Are you here to kill me, Miss Romanoff? Because that's not gonna work out for everyone.” Bruce explained.

“No. No. Of course not. I'm here on behalf of Shield.” Natasha replied

“Shield. How did they find me?” Bruce questioned.

“We never lost you, doctor. We've kept our distance, even helped keep some other interested parties off your scent.”

“Why?”

“Nick Fury seems to trust you. But now I need you to come in.”

“What if I said no?” Bruce stated.

“I'll persuade you.” Natasha said in a voice soft.

“And what if the... other guy says no?” Bruce said uncertainly

“You’ve been more than a year without an incident. I don't think you wanna break that streak.” Natasha replied.

Bruce gently pushing a cradle. “I don't always get what I want.”

“Doctor, we're facing a potential global catastrophe.” Natasha commented.

“Well, those I actively try to avoid.” Bruce mumbled.

“This is the Tesseract. It has the potential energy to wipe out the planet.” She shows him a photo of the Tesseract on her cell phone. Banner takes a closer look.

“What does Fury want me to do? Swallow it? Bruce said in a sarcastic voice.

“Well, he wants you to find it. It's been taken. It emits a gamma signature that's too weak for us to trace. There's no one that knows gamma radiation like you do. If there was, that's where I'd be.” Natasha explained.

“So Fury isn't after the monster? Bruce hesitated.

“Not that he's told me.” Natasha replied.

“And he tells you everything?” Bruce queried

“Talk to Fury, he needs you on this.”

“He needs me in a cage?”

“No one's gonna put you in a...”

“STOP LYING TO ME!” Banner slams his fists onto the table.

Natasha grabs a gun hidden under the table, pointing it at him. Banner stays still, grinning.

“I'm sorry, that was mean. I just wanted to see what you'd do. Why don't we do this the easy way, where you don't use that, and the other guy doesn't make a mess? Okay? Natasha...”

Natasha, still wary, doesn't lower her gun. She lowers her gun and speaks into her earpiece.

“Stand down. We're good here.”

Dozens of soldiers armed to the teeth have surrounded the small house, but at her signal they back off a bit.

Bruce smiles back at Natasha. “Just you and me?”

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

This isn’t real that’s all Y/n could think about as she walked home. The rain hammered against the roof of a nerdy houses, thunder rumbled as The dark sky was lit up by lightning flashing across.All she wanted to do was believe that Magneto was lying but she knew he was telling the truth. She knew it her mother is alive, has been this entire time.

Get it under control calm down. Come on remember what Gambit said “don’t let it control you you control it.”

Y/n was slowly starting to lose control. She was starting to hear what everyone around her was thinking and then Y/n starts to hear a ringing noise. Can deal with a sound Y/n place her hands around her head in a way to stop the voices.

“Excuse me, Miss are you alright?” Someone asked Y/n as he gently grab her on the shoulders.

Y/n looks up to the person in front of her and see red eyes. “Remy?”

“Is that someone I can call for you?” The man that looks like Remy asked.

Y/n finally comes to she realizes that the man in front of her is not with me not even trying to hide her disappointment she nods no, then walks away then her phone begins to ringing and vibrate in her pocket. She fishes her phone out of her pocket and then pushes answer.

“Hello?”

“Where are you because I know you’re not in Sydney, Australia.” Said Coulson.

“Walking home.” Y/n answered  honestly. “Why?”

“There’s someone I need you to pick up tomorrow. Is that some thing you can do?” Coulson voiced.

“I’ll be bright eyed and bushy tail.” Y/n said Tightly.

“I’ll send you all the information.”  Coulson replied. “Is something wrong?”

“You’re supposed to ask questions because I’m an agent and you’re my superior officer.” Y/n said in a dry tone.

“I’m asking this question as a person who’ve known you since you were ten.” Coulson replied.

“No it’s not.” Y/n answered. “But um..I’m gonna go home and watch some Y/t until I fall asleep.”

“Ok i’ll see you tomorrow.”

Y/n hangs up the phone.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Inside a Shield analytical room, filled with monitors of partially silhouetted people. Fury stands in the middle, frowning. They make up the World Security Council.

“This is out of line, Director. You're dealing with forces you can't control.” Council Member 1 commented.

“You ever been in a war, Councilman? In a firefight? Did you feel an overabundance of control?”  Nick said in a level tone.

“You saying that this Asgard has declared war on our planet?” Council Member 1  wondered.

“Not Asgard, Loki.” Nick corrected

“He can't be working alone. What about the other one? His brother.” Council Member 2 Chimed in.

“Our intelligence says, Thor is not a hostile. But he's worlds away, we can't depend on him to help. It's up to us.” Nick answered.

“Which is why you should be focusing on phase 2, it was designed for exactly...” Council Member 1 trailed off.

“PHASE 2 isn't ready, our enemy is. We need a response team.” Nick stressed.

“The Avengers Initiative was shut down.” Council Member 1 told Nick Fury.

“This isn't about The Avengers.” Nick Remarked.

“We're running the world's greatest covert security network and you're gonna leave the fate of human race to a handful of freaks.”

“I'm not leaving anything to anyone. We need a response team. These people maybe isolated, unbalanced even, but I believe with the right push they can be exactly what we need.”

“You believe?” Council Member 2 Chimed in.

“War isn't won by sentiment, Director.” Council Member 1 noted.

“No, it's won by soldiers.”  Nick replied.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

A brooklyn gym at night. Occupied by one man, beating a punching bag in the gym lights, alone in the floor, lost in the fight. The gym is old, as old as the man inside, Steve Rogers. Steve punched the bag, easily a hundred pounds, across the room with one swing snapping the metal chain and pummeling it back a dozen feet, sand spilling out from where he cracked the fabric. He stands up, breathing hard, and grabs another bag, resuming a more normal routine. Fury walks in.

“Trouble sleeping?” Nick Announced.

“I slept for seventy years, sir. I think I've had my fill.” Steve answered.

“Then you should be out, celebrating, seeing the world.” Nick replied.

Steve stops punching and walks over to the bench, unraveling the tape off his hands. He sits down.

“I went under, the world was at war, I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost.” Steve explained.

“We've made some mistakes along the way. Some very recently.” Nick commented.

“You here with a mission, sir?” Steve wondered.

“I am.”

“Trying to get me back in the world?” Steve supposed

“Trying to save it.”  Fury hands Steve a file on the Tesseract, along with other files on Hydra’s  projects.

“Hydra's secret weapon.” Steve disclosed.

“Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought what we think, the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That's something the world sorely needs.” Nick explained.

“Who took it from you?” Steve wondered.

“He's called Loki. He's not from around here. There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know.” Nick shared.

“At this point, I doubt anything would surprise me.”  Steve put forth.

“Ten bucks says you're wrong. There's a debriefing package waiting for you back at your apartment.” Nick started.

Steve turns and picks up a punching bag. Fury starts walking out of the gym.

“Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?” Nick finished

Steve without missing a beat. “You should have left it in the ocean.”

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Out in the Atlantic Ocean, Tony Stark, in his Iron Man suit, is cutting a pipeline transport with a laser cutter coming from his hand. He then places a Stark Energy Reactor. It lights up. Iron Man rockets out of the water and flies towards Stark Tower.

“You're good on this end. The rest is up to you.”

Pepper Potts on the other line. “You disconnected the transition lines? Are we off the grid?”

“Stark Tower is about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy.” Tony grinned.

“Wow. So maybe our reactor takes over, and it actually works?” Pepper supposed.

Inside the Suit, Pepper appears on his hud Monitor.

“I assume. Light her up.” Iron Man flies to the Stark Tower Building, the power is switched on the Stark sign lights up.

“How does it look?” Pepper asked.

“Like Christmas, but with more... me.” Tony answered.

“Gotta go wider on the public awareness campaign. You need to do some press. I'm in DC tomorrow. I'm working on the zoning for the next three buildings.” Pepper revealed.

“Pepper, you're killing me. Remember the moment? Enjoy the moment.” Tony proclaimed.

“Then get in here and I will.” Pepper requested.

Tony arrives at his skyscraper penthouse and is in the process of taking off his Iron Man suit through a hi-tech gauntlet of gadgets.

“Sir, Agent Coulson of Shield is on the line.” Jarvis informed Tony.

“I'm not in. I'm actually out.” Tony remarked.

“Sir, I'm afraid he's insisting.” Jarvis stressed.

“Grow a spine, Jarvis. I got a date.”  Tony teased.

Pepper Potts stares up at the monitors of the reactor device. “Levels are holding steady... I think.”

“Of course they are, I was directly involved. Which brings me to my next question: how does it feel to be a genius?”  Tony asked.

“Well, ha, I really wouldn't know now, would I?” Pepper replied.

“What do you mean? All this came from you.”

“No. All this came from that.” Pepper Said Pointing to the energy in his chest plate.

“Give yourself some credit, please. Stark Tower is your baby. Give yourself... twelve percent of the credit.” Tony disclosed.

“Twelve percent?” Pepper voiced.

“An argument can be made for fifteen.” Tony pointed out.

“Twelve percent? Of my baby?”

“Well, I did do all the heavy lifting. Literally, I lifted the heavy things. And sorry, but the security snafu? That was on you.”

“Oooooh.”

“My private elevator...”

“You mean our elevator?”

“Was steaming with sweaty workmen. I'm going to pay for that comment about percentages in some subtle way later, aren't I?” Tony wondered.

Pepper pours herself and Tony a glass of

champagne. “Not gonna be that subtle.”

“I'll tell you what. Next building's gonna say 'Potts' on the tower.” Tony disclosed.

“On the lease.” Pepper murmured.

“Call your mom, can you bunk over?” Tony asked.

“Sir, the telephone. I'm afraid my protocols are being overwritten.” Jarvis stuttered.

“Stark, we need to talk.” Coulson Announced.

Tony picks up his phone and looks into it at Coulson. “You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark, please leave a message.”

“This is urgent.”

“Then leave it urgently.” At that moment the elevator door opens and Coulson appears. “Security breach.” Tony turns and looks a Pepper “That's on you.”

“Mr. Stark” Coulson started.

“Phil! Come in.”  Pepper beamed.

“Phil? Uh, his first name is Agent.” Tony remarked

“Come on in, we're celebrating.” Pepper

“I can't stay.” Coulson told Pepper.

“Which is why he can't stay.” Tony agreed with Coulson.

“We need you to look this over.”  Coulson said as he holds out a file towards Tony. “Soon as possible.”

“I don't like being handed things.” Tony voiced.

“That's alright, 'cause I love to be handed things. So, let's trade.” Pepper said as She pases her glass of champagne to Coulson, takes the file from him, then takes Tony's glass of champagne while passing the file over to Tony. “Thank you.”

“Official consulting hours are between eight and five every other Thursday.” Tony disclosed.

“This isn't a consultation.” Coulson replied.

“Is this about The Avengers? Which I...I know nothing about.” Pepper lied.

“The Avengers Initiative was scrapped, I thought. And I didn't even qualify.”  Tony pointed out.

“I didn't know that either.” Pepper lied. Again.

“Yeah, apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed, don't play well with others.” Tony explained

“That I did know.” Pepper commented.

“This isn't about personality profiles anymore.” Coulson stated.

“Whatever. Miss Potts, got a minute?” Pepper walks over to Tony who places the files into his own databases. “You know, I thought we were having a moment.”

“I was having twelve percent of a moment. This seems serious, Phil's pretty shaken.” Pepper replied.

“How did you notice? Why is he Phil?” Tony questioned.

“What is all of this?” Pepper asked ignoring Tony’s previous question.

“This is, uh....” Tony expands his arms and different profiles appear in holographic form floating in the air in front of Tony and Pepper.

Screens appear of Captain America in action, the Hulk roaring as he attacks the army at Culver University, and Thor and Y/n fighting the Destroyer in New Mexico. Another is of Loki and the Tesseract to which Tony and Pepper look at in awe.

“I'm going to take the jet to DC tonight.” Pepper Announced

“Tomorrow.”  

“You've got homework. You've got a lot of homework.”

“Well, what if I didn't?”

“If you didn't?”

“Yeah.”

“You mean if you finished?” Pepper asked and Tony nods his head. “Well, um...then.” Pepper whispers something into Tony’s ear making him gasps. While Coulson looks away in embarrassment.

“Square deal. It's the last date.” Tony answered.

Pepper kisses him.”Work hard.”

As Pepper leaves with Agent Coulson, Tony grabs the Tesseract in holograph form, worried.

part 3