#the family...the kidnapping...the self immolation... | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nyerus · 2 years

Note

Hi Nyerus and hope you are doing well.

My question is related to He Xuan impersonating the Earth Master and the real Earth Master being a spy of Jun Wu and then him getting discovered by Hua Cheng.

What's actually bothering me is: at what point in time does all this happen??? How come He Xuan befriend Shi qingxuan as the earth master without Jun Wu noticing...since it was him who sent the real earth master to ghost city to spy on Hua Cheng....does that mean he and Hua Cheng was already aware of his existence and was just waiting for an opportunity to catch him?...Sorry if it sounds a bit confusing.

Hi there Anon! I'm doing well, thank you for asking. I hope you're well too!

This is actually a pretty confusing part of the plot, so no worries, I'm happy to explain it to the best of my ability!

First things things first though: the real Earth Master -- Ming Yi -- never actually "made it" to heaven. He was yanked just before his ascension, and He Xuan masqueraded as a god in his place.

After his death, He Xuan went on to become a Supreme, and then waited for an opportunity to infiltrate heaven. He knew that a god was responsible for switching his fate and causing the suffering and death of his family, as well as his own suffering. (Later, he found out it was Shi Wudu, and he wanted vengeance against the perpetrator, no matter the cost.)

So, the real Ming Yi was kidnapped by He Xuan and kept somewhere for decades, presumably Black Water manor. He Xuan needed access to him to copy his mannerisms, and use his knowledge so as to not be suspected or found out. He Xuan thus infiltrated heaven and was masquerading as a god for a very long time, while investigating. It was a terrible coincidence that he happened to befriend Shi Qingxuan in that time, of all people, though he knew by this point that Shi Wudu may be involved. (It’s probably why he stuck around, too.)

One of the reasons that He Xuan wasn't able to find out what really happened is because only three people knew: Shi Wudu himself, Ling Wen, and Jun Wu. Shi Wudu was able to convince Ling Wen to conceal all records that could potentially lead back to him. She did, but Jun Wu knew the entire time. (It's unclear when Ling Wen started working "for" Jun Wu. If she already was by the time Shi Wudu did all that, it's possible that she told Jun Wu. Otherwise, he simply knew anyway.) He kept that information to himself through, because he knew it would be advantageous to use at a later time. If Shi Wudu at any point became troublesome, Jun Wu could easily "leak" the information and get rid of him. And... that's exactly what happened, later on.

But in the meantime, Jun Wu just let everything be as it was. Years later, present time, he would be the one to assign Earth Master -- who he had known was He Xuan for ages -- to "spy" on Ghost City. Likely, he ever expected to receive any actual information from He Xuan, and didn't really care about that.

I do not think it was a coincidence at all that the real Ming Yi escaped right when he did. We have no idea how he escaped, just that he did, and set off a self -immolating Dragon Flare nearby Ghost City. (We don't know for sure how he got there, but there are portals between Black Water Lair and Ghost City, so it might've been through that.) What we do know is that He Xuan did not expect this, and neither did Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng received word that such a flare had gone off outside Ghost City -- either from He Xuan or Yin Yu -- and went back to check it out. It's probably why he vanished the night after Hualian got back from Banyue.* Then, Hua Cheng and He Xuan colluded to "imprison" He Xuan to be found and "rescued," so that heaven would not find out about the real Ming Yi. It worked because He Xuan was sent as a spy to Ghost City anyway, so it gave them a reason to say Hua Cheng had discovered him and tossed him in a dungeon. Yin Yu was able to draw Xie Lian's attention to the portals, so that he and Shi Qingxuan could "find and rescue Earth Master," and would be none the wiser after returning to heaven.

The timing was excellent for Jun Wu -- who was probably behind it all -- because he could take out multiple birds with one stone. Ming Yi escaping forced He Xuan on the defensive. He had to retrieve the remains, keep them hidden, etc. Thereafter, leaking the truth to He Xuan meant that Shi Wudu would be taken out, or they would both take each other out. Meanwhile, sending Xie Lian into Ghost City to "investigate" was done in an attempt to break whatever positive bond Hua Cheng and Xie Lian had. Jun Wu didn't like that the two of them were on friendly terms. If Xie Lian was caught spying and trying to retrieve yet another spy, then the Hua Cheng would not take it lightly. Potentially they would come to blows. It didn't end up going that way, but the intent was there.

Also, it doesn't seem like Hua Cheng knew about the real Ming Yi until after the flare happened. Even if he did know that Ming Yi existed in some capacity, he didn't have anything to do with him.

Hua Cheng played along with everything so that Xie Lian's involvement would be limited. He'd just take """Ming Yi""" back to heaven -- mission complete. What Hua Cheng wanted to avoid was Xie Lian potentially getting caught up in He Xuan's revenge plot. But again, terrible coincidence that Shi Qinxguan befriended Xie Lian, and came to him for help shortly thereafter....

And if I remember correctly, it was following the Ghost City arc where Jun Wu leaked Shi Wudu's involvement to He Xuan, setting off the Black Water arc.

Anyway, I hope this helped, Anon! It's definitely a bit confusing and I wanted one day to make like an actual timeline for this hahaha. There's actually still a fair few gaps that remain a mystery (e.g. how Ming Yi escaped) even to the end. Check out chapter 124 & chapter 220 (fan translation version) for a lot of info on this topic! That's where the bulk of the revelations are

(*Interestingly enough, in chapter 59 of the manhua, there's a panel where Hua Cheng is standing in the background while Xie Lian and Ban Yue are talking. He has a finger up to his temple, like he's receiving message through a communication array!)

#tgcf #anon #asks #meta

67 notes · View notes

mostlysignssomeportents · 2 years

Text

Laura Jean McKay's "The Animals in That Country"

The Animals in That Country is the debut novel of Australian writer Laura Jean McKay; it’s an extraordinary book about a plague of understanding that sweeps across Australia, leaving the infected cursed with the ability to communicate with animals.

https://scribepublications.com/books-authors/books/the-animals-in-that-country-9781950354375

As a premise, this is very good: an inversion of the standard trope of people and animals communicating with one another and finding mutual understanding and peace as a result. In execution, it’s even better: McKay sets herself the (seemingly) impossible of dramatizing human-animal communication without anthropomorphizing the animals, and then pulls it off — brilliantly.

The protagonist of Animals is Jean, a self-destructive, aging grandmother living in a wildlife park with her daughter-in-law (the park’s director) and her granddaughter, Kim. Her son in not in his daughter’s life — he’s a loose-footed, irresponsible womanizer who’s disappeared. Her ex-husband is also long gone. All Jean really has is Kim, who is the only reason she moderates her drinking and her self-immolating confrontations with friends, family, and strangers on the internet.

Jean and Kim have a fierce bond, and a rich fantasy life about how they would run an animal park if they were in charge. They play out these fantasies even as Australia is in a mounting panic over “zooflu,” an epidemic burning its way north towards Kim and Jean. Zooflu’s initial symptoms are similar to a mild cold — but afterward, the afflicted find that they can communicate with animals. Mammals at first, but as the disease progresses, the infected are able to understand birds, reptiles, insects.

This is not a pleasant experience. At first, many of the infected are swept up in mystical ecstasies as new worlds open to them, but quickly this turns to terror as the strange, alien thoughts of all the animals of the land, water and sky clamor for attention. The nation begins to shut down.

That’s when Lee, Jean’s missing son, re-enters her life, bringing the zooflu with him. As the nature park’s carers and rangers cope with their infections, Lee kidnaps his daughter Kim and takes her south to commune with whales.

That sets up the main action of the book, a long road-trip tale set in an Australia where civil order in crumbling. But Jean’s not the Road Warrior or one of Nevil Shute’s square-jawed submarine captain. She’s a middle-aged, alcoholic granny in a wheezing camper van, accompanied by Sue, one of the nature park’s dingos, who has joined Jean’s pack and is leading her to her lost child and grandchild.

Jean’s journey — across the land and across the boundaries that separate her from the animal kingdom — is a thrilling adventure tale, a taut thriller, and a wildly imaginative (and linguistically impressive) journey into the hypothetical minds of horses, cows, rats, cats, flying foxes, gnats, and blowflies.

At Rebecca Giblins’ suggestion, I bought Animals in audiobook form (from libro.fm, where it is DRM-free), read by the author, whose narration performance is stellar, bringing great depth, pathos, and humor to the animal voices.

https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781004000432-the-animals-in-that-country

Reading Justine Jordan’s Guardian review of Animals, I learned that McKay holds a doctorate in “literary animal studies,” a discipline I had never heard of until just now, but reading Animals feels like a master-class in it.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/07/the-animals-in-that-country-by-laura-jean-mckay-review-an-extraordinary-debut

[Image ID: The cover of Laura Jean McKay's 'The Animals in That Country.']

#pluralistic

22 notes · View notes

r3m1stillskin345 · 6 years

Text

My Favorite Moments from Mahakali: Anth Hi Aarambh Hai

Okay, this has been something I have been wanting to do for a while. I am current working a “Meet the Artist” thing so people can know a little more about me. While I was working on it today, I was watching one of my favorite tv shows entitled Mahakali: Anth Hi Aarambh Hai which means Mahakali: The End Marks the Beginning and is a Hindi mythological television show that airs on Colors TV every Sunday at 7pm IST.

The show’s plot follows the Hindu Goddess Parvati and her alter ego, Mahakali and is loosely based on the events of the Hindu Scripture, the Devi Mahatmyam, with the writers creatively fleshing out emotions, drama and interconnected storylines to establish a continuity set within the Hindu universe. Mahakali’s plot also adapts stories from other famous Shakta and Shaiva texts that have to do with the evolution of the sweet and submissive Parvati into the wild and untamed Mahakali.

The show also feature familiar figures such as Parvati’s husband and Lord of Destruction, Shiva; Karttikeya, the War Lord; Ganesha, the Lord of Obstacles and Success; Vishnu, Lord of Preservation; Lakshmi, Goddess of Wealth and many other figures also I enjoy. I am not a follower of hinduism, but their are elements of the religion I have tried incorporated into my own life to help make me a better person. I also have a love for legends and folklore so that’s another reason why I love this show.

So with that and saving me making one million posts about it, I want to share with you all my favorite moments from Mahakali. Before we go anything further, I want to give a very important note that these are not ranked in any particular order and do contain spoilers for most of the show. So if you have not seen the show, I would not recommend reading any further unless you have no problems with spoilers. I will also be using Parvati and Mahakali interchangeably since these two deities are considered to be one and the same. The same rule with apply to Shiva and his other names and forms for the same reason.

1. Parvati transforming in Mahakali

These are moments I really enjoy because that’s when you know something is about to get serious. There are so many ways that can make Parvati transform. It usually has something to do with some demon threatening the balance of the world or her family, friends, and/or devotees and this will anger her to the point of become Mahakali.

2. The precious moments between Parvati and Shiva

These are my favorites moments because you can tell these two deities truly love each other and will do anything to stay together. You want to cry along with them when they get separated and rejoice along with them when they are reunited at last. As Shiva says, “I am nothing but a corpse without you, Parvati.” and in a later moment, Parvati says “If you are nothing but a corpse without me, then I am nothing but smoke without you, Mahadev.” There is a custom in Indian that states that there is no kissing in public and when you look at this couple, you can feel their love for each other even if there is no kisses between them.

3. Shiva stoping Mahakali’s rampage

This is a moment that shows the most iconic and well known depiction of Mahakali through out religious artwork. When she sticks her tongue out, she is in shame for stepping on her beloved husband. This was organized by Shiva to make his wife stop her rage before she would have accidentally destroyed the universe.

4. Episodes that feature Sati

Sati is a very important figure in Hindu legends because it is her marriage to Shiva that lays the foundation for Parvati’s marriage to him after her death as she is Mahakali in a mortal form and Parvati is her reincarnation. She also show that no matter what happens, she will always love her precious Mahadev and will alway fight for his love.

5. Sati’s self immolation

This is one moment that makes me cry every time I watch it. After her marriage to Shiva, Sati finds out that her father, Daksha, is conducting a grand sacrifice and invites everyone in the world except Sati and Shiva. Sati goes to her father’s palace to confront him, but is met with humiliation and rage when her father insults her husbands honor and status of one of the three major deities in Hinduism. Sati in her rage, reveals her powers a Adi Parashakti and sets her self on fire and hopes that she would be reborn to marry Shiva again. Even thought this breaks her heart as she wanted to be with him forever and later have his children, but then was leaving him so soon and all alone.

6. Mahakali fighting demons

These are parts I look forward to seeing because these displays the powers that Mahakali has and how she uses them to put demons in their place when they threaten the world. In most cases, they don’t stand a chance against her.

7. The Tale of Parvati’s Penance for Shiva (The Tale of Brahmacharini)

This is one of my favorite legends involving Parvati and Shiva. I also consider it to be my favorite love story. The story of how after Sati’s death, Mahakali is reborn as Parvati and makes her way to Shiva and how she describes that her life is a journey and how home is a place where that journey ends, and when is before her lord (who has been in deep meditation since Sati’s death) she feel that she is truly home. She then engages in penance for him and when events happen that causes Shiva to open eyes, he sees Parvati before him and recognizes her as his beloved Sati reborn.

8. Shiva and Parvati’s Lasya Tandav and meditation to create a child (The Birth of Karttikeya)

This was a beautiful moment as I got see a beautiful and iconic Indian dance and the power of these deities coming together to create their child.

9. Parvati transforms into Tripura Sundari

When a demon kidnaps Parvati and Shiva’s child and plans to destroy it, Oh you have awoken the darkside of a mother. Parvati transform into Tripura Sundari (She Who Embodies the Beauty of the Three Worlds) and uses her bow and arrow to destroy the demon and save her child.

10. Karttikeya’s entrance into the world and Parvati’s sacrifice

When Karttikeya is finally born, Parvati is overjoyed that she can finally be a mother. However, she is shocked and angry to learn that her child was discovered by the Krittika who want him as their child. Although she wants to be a mother, it would be wrong of her to take that chance away from someone else. So she leaves her child with the Krittika, knowing that he will be safe from harm, even though it breaks her heart.

11. Parvati reunites with her son

This one of the many heartwarming moments in show, where Karttikeya finds out that Parvati is his real mother and after some time, accepts her and Shiva as his real parents. Later on with their help, Karttikeya would full fill his destiny of defeating a demon who could only be killed by the son of Shiva and Parvati.

12. The Navadurgas (The Nine Forms of Durga) These are Goddesses that are from very important events from Parvati life as Adi Parashakti or the Goddess of Power. They go in order from right to left, starting with Shailaputri (Daughter of the Mountains), Brahmacharini (The Goddess Who Performed Penance for Shiva), Chandraghanta (The Goddess Who Married Shiva), Kushmanda (The Goddess of the Cosmic Egg), Skandamata (The Mother of Skanda or Karttikeya), Katyayani (The Goddess Who Defeated Mahishasura), Kaalarati (The Goddess Who Defeated Shumbha and Nishumbha), Mahagauri (The Goddess Who’s Extremely Radiant), and Siddhidatri (The Goddess of Siddhis or Perfections).

13. Parvati reborn as Matsya Parvati When Karttikeya accidentally kills Lord Indra in a fit of rage, Shiva curses him but Parvati decides to take the punishment following which she takes birth as Matsya Parvati and is adopted by a fisherman. Shiva soon finds out where Parvati was reborn, disguises himself and asks for her hand in marriage. Later on, he recounts the tale of the Navadurgas which helps Parvati regain her memories and she is reunited with her beloved husband.

14. Parvati transforms into Durga

These moments are always specials as just like when Parvati transforms into Mahakali, the appearance of Durga is where one of the most powerful aspect of the Mother Goddess must be used to save the world. When the demon Mahishasura was given a boon by Brahma that he would be killed only a woman that will have the powers of the Tridevs : Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, Parvati is blessed with the trident of Shiva, the discus of Vishnu, and the Brahmastra of Brahma which transforms her into the lion riding Goddess Durga or Mahishasura Mardini to kill Mahishasura. Another moment is when the demon Durgamaura hold Shiva captive, Parvati comes to her husband rescue in the form of Durga and slays the demon. This shows that no matter what, Parvati will never be keep away from her husband who she fought to have.

15. Parvati’s confrontation with Shumbha along with her friends and forms

Parvati takes the form of Devi Kaalratri to lure and fight with Shumbha and defeat him. When he believes he will win because women are weak, Parvati shows him the error of his ways by summoning her forms of the Navadurgas and her friends Lakshmi in the form of Vaishnavi and Saraswati in the form of Brahmani. They assert their power by fusing together and forming Mahakali for the final battle with Shumbha.

16. Mahakali’s victory over demons

These are very powerful moments for me because it once again displays Mahakali’s power and also show what happens when you disrespect people, most importantly women and their place in the world. It also makes me feel that there is a Parvati within us and there is also a Mahakali within us. We can be loving and empathetic as Parvati, but must also embrace the Mahakali side of us and when we want do the right thing under the proper circumstances, we must let is show. I want to be there for the people who I love and care for so I will let the Parvati and Mahakali within me show.

17. Shiva and Parvati fuse to create Ardhnarishwara When Sage Bhringi reaches the Himalayas with his desire of obtaining a glimpse and doing the parikrama of Shiva, he does include not Parvati since he thinks that women are inferior to man and are not worthy of worship. Shiva disagrees as he believes men are not complete without women, so Shiva merges with Parvati into Ardhnarishwara to show the sage how much Parvati and women are important to him and men.

18. Parvati transforms into Kamakhya (The Goddess of Menstruation) Parvati assumes the form of Goddess Kamakhya to annihilate the demon Narakasura when he holds Goddess Lakshmi and 16,000 other women in captive. I found all the episodes that feature this form of Parvati to be amazing, even though the demon in question is from legends of Vishnu’s avatar, Krishna. Then again the show is loosely based on the legends of Parvati and her many forms so we’ll let it slide.

19. The birth and moments of Ganesha

The episodes staring from Ganesha’s birth, death by Shiva, and rebirth by him was some of the best moments because we are happy for Parvati when she becomes a mother again and we also feel her devastation, disbelief, and later rage when Ganesha taken away from her. We then feel her joy when her child is returned and Shiva along with the other deities show their appreciation by giving him a honorable status among them. Ganesha is also a really cute character because we can tell he really loves his mother, father, and brother and he will do anything to defend them with his intelligence and big heart.

20. Parvati transforms into Bagalatmuhki When Ganesha and Karttikeya are threatened by a demon named Naadasura, a mother comes to the rescue. Parvati turns into Bagalamukhi to make Naadasura motionless with her radiance and kills Naadasura by severing his tongue to save Karttikeya and Ganesh. Just goes to show you how loving and protective she is when it comes to her children.

21. Parvati transform into Tara Parvati turns into Tara to save her beloved Shiva from a dangerous poison known as the "Kalakuta Halahala" and constricts the poison to his throat. This also another moment that show case how much Parvati loves and will over come any obstacle to protect her husband, even from a very deadly poison.

22. Parvati transforms into Annapurna Parvati transforms into Goddess Annapurna in order to provide food to the deities who had visited Kailash on a celebratory occasion. This is the forms of Parvati that displays the love and kindness she has for her family and friends and that is something I look up to.

23. Parvati transforms into Matangi Parvati leaves Kailash after her Chandala devotees were insulted. Ganesha, Karttikeya, Lakshmi, Saraswati and the demigods offer their sins as an offering to the yajna to bring back Parvati. Goddess Matangi appears from the yajna with green skin and a red dress holding a parrot, veena and a sickle in her four arms. When they come to her directly, she refuses until they have learned their lesson. That was a little bit of a sad moment because we saw little Ganesha cry. That was a very heartbreaking scene.

24. Parvati transforms into Chinnamasta Parvati continues her journey and Shiva tells her that whatever happens to not transform into Mahakali and if she comes across a situation create a new way. Malla controls two women named Jaya and Vijaya who are both devotees of Parvati and manipulates their minds into quenching their thirst for blood and they come across Parvati and ask her for an offering of blood. Shocked, Parvati tells them to ask her for something else but they refuse. They try to hunt a deer but since she is Prakriti or nature, Parvati stops them. Meanwhile, the Chandalas come to aid Parvati in this situation. Jaya and Vijaya can't control themselves and start to the other Chandalas. Angered Parvati declares the Chandalas will be neither be harmed nor shall anyone be left hungry/thirsty. Parvati transforms herself into Chinnamasta and makes a great sacrifice by self-decapitating herself, with her own decapitated head in one hand with jet blood streams flowing from her neck one going into Jaya's mouth, the other in Vijaya's mouth and the third one going in the mouth of her own cut head.

25. Mahakal saves Mahakali

This episode was amazing to watch because this was the time where Parvati was captured the demons Mani and Malla, and Shiva, enraged by his wife being in danger, transforms into Mahakal and comes to her rescue. This turns into one of those precious Shiva and Parvati moments, but then the moment turns sour as the demon try to use a boon from Parvati to make her protect them. Since she can’t bear the thought of fighting against her husband, she decides to be born again in human race as Mhalsa. Which breaks Shiva’s heart again as his goal was right there and it was taken away from him again. Yeah I was crying with him too on that one.

26. Shiva transforms into Natraja, the Lord of Dance

This a cool episode because here we get see one of Shiva’s most iconic form. The context of the episode was Malla and Mani commissioned a demon named Apasmara who represented ignorance to make Mhalsa forget her locked memories of her as Parvati to never become Mahakali again. In order to subdue Apasmara and save his wife’s memories, Shiva transforms into Naṭraja and performed the cosmic dance of Taṇḍava. During this dance, Shiva suppresses Apasmara by crushing him with his right foot.

27. Parvati transforms into Dhumavati

When Parvati regains her memories and powers, she takes her Mahakali form to kill Mani. However due to the boon, she had to protect Malla again from Shiva. This time however, Shiva decides to stay back and asks Parvati to engulf him. She engulfs him and due to the grief of engulfing his husband, Parvati transforms into Widow Goddess Dhumavati. This where I cried for Parvati with her grief due to the loss of her husband and world crumbling down when her renounces her role as nature without her love just like Shiva when she was Sati and died. This moment thankfully does not last for long as with some help from Shiva from inside her, Parvati recovers Shiva and Shiva restore her to proper from.

28. Parvati and Shiva finally kill Malla

Parvati and Shiva return to Earth in their Mhalsa and Martand forms and, with the help of Mhalsa’s mother, villagers, Lakshmi, and Karttikeya, they engaged in battle with Malla and it ended with the divine couple conquering the demon who separated them and causing them great pain.

29. The episodes with Jalandhara

These episodes were defiantly the most important moments that displayed Parvati’s love and dedication to her husband as this demon can from Shiva’s third eye itself. What makes this worse is the demon look almost exactly like Shiva. What also makes this worse is that Jalandhara is married to a devotee of Parvati’s named Vrinda. This escalates to Jalandhara at one point capturing Parvati and making fun her husband, but she does save herself with her love of her husband. Jalandhara disguises himself Shiva to get close to Parvati. However, Parvati sees through the disguise immediately and exposes him. This all culminates with the death Vrinda with the actions of her husband and Vishnu for disguises himself as Jalandhara, along with a battle between Parvati and Jalandhara which ends with him being returned to Shiva’s third eye. Also, Vrinda cursing Vishnu that he would be separated from Lakshmi (something that would lay the foundation for a moment in famous the epic, The Ramayana).

30. Parvati transform into Bhramari

When a Demon named Arunasura captures the 5 main elements to resurrect his dead daughter and gets a boon from Shiva that no one, two, three, four legged but only six legged creature would be able to kill him, then Mahakali takes the form of Bhramari, the goddess of bees to kill Arunasura as bees have six legs. I also think this form is very cool because I love insects.

31. Parvati transforms into Shitala

To protect the children of the world and her precious Ganesha from Jwarasura with his ability to infect people with illnesses, Parvati takes the form of Shitala, the goddess of poxes, sores, ghouls, pustules and diseases, to cure all children and defeat Jwarasura and making him her mount as a donkey.

32. All the weddings between Shiva and Parvati

And here we are, these are my absolute favorite moments from Mahakali. These moments are always precious to me because I really love these two deities and their love for one another. So when there is an opportunity for a wedding of them and their various forms, I say yes to it and these make for some truly beautiful moments on the show.

So there you have it everyone, those are my favorite moments from Mahakali: Anth Hi Aarambh Hai. If any of you watch this show, let me know in my asks what your favorite moments are because I would love to hear them. Also if anyone is interested in watching this show, I would recommend having the ability to watch international tv. This is because some services that have the show are only available in India and there is a YouTube channel that has the show but is only available under certain circumstances. Anyways I hope you all enjoy little fact about me and I can’t wait to finish my “Meet the Artist” thing so you can know a little more about me.

#My favorite show #hinduism #Parvati #Shiva #Mahakali #something about me #mythology #legends #Ganesha #Karttikeya #durga #tv serials #television

16 notes · View notes

to-mione · 7 years

Note

Are there any good dark tomione fics that you love / rec ?

Because it’s a dark ship by default I’d say it’s hard to go wrong with any tomione fic if you’re looking for a general underlying darkness. I can’t say I enjoy some of the darker fic tropes present in this ship such as dub con, gratuitous violence, torture or basically any scenario in which Hermione’s becoming mindlessly besotted and willing to isolate herself from her friends / family as well as overlook every single one of Tom’s faults for the sake of being with him. The appeal of this ship for me personally is not about a static dominance by one party, but a dynamic struggle for a power balance. A constant tug and pull in which they both give as good as they get.

That being said, here are some of the darker / more problematic tomione fics I love:

1. Nightmare — provocative envy

Because I had to. This is by far one of the best and darkest fics for this ship and with the first person POV you’re quite literally inside Hermione’s head for every decision she makes in order to beat Tom at his own game…or join him.

2. Pomegranates — meandmyinsanity

A Hades/Persephone AU that manages to keep the myth fresh and exciting without falling into the more common evil king / corrupted girl tropes rampant in this AU. Tom is dark while remaining vulnerable. Hermione is an unexpected force to be reckoned with.

“She doesn’t scream when they kidnap her. Her dress is ripped and her hair is a mess, but she balls her hands into fists and straightens and she looks at him – honey coloured eyes with specks of green and silver – and she spits blood at his feet and then - And then she starts swearing.”

5/5. An utter delight.

3. This Tangle of Thorns — the risky business of writing

Oh boy. Oh boy oH BOI. I discovered this one only a few days ago and I’m!!! Shook!!!

This is art. This is pure art. It’s a modern AU taking place in the ‘90s where Hermione’s new stepfather is none other than Tom Riddle himself, owner of obscure bookstore (specializing in such macabre hits as self immolating sun creatures, sacrifice, strangulation and so much more nightmare fuel!) and general creep extraordinaire from who Hermione must try to protect herself before she becomes entangled in his grip for good.

I love love LOVE the psychological dynamic of this ship and this fic does not disappoint. Tom is just so incredibly fucked up I don’t know where to begin, while Hermione’s struggle for survival is so raw and personal you can’t help but read on with bated breath. I see a lot of similarities in this fic with another of my favourites (Stepbrother by cherry cup) in terms of this struggle in particular but in my opinion this fic is creepier due to the age difference between Tom and Hermione (Hermione’s only fifteen at the start while Tom is in his late 20s….yeah.) There is is undoubtedly also a world of difference between the torment a psychopathic child can dole out (as in Stepbrother) compared to that a psychopathic adult can come up with, which tips the creep factor in favour of this fic.

So yeah. This isn’t for the faint of heart. Nevertheless, the characters are all complex and superbly written. There is the sense that nothing is excessive in this fic, that no one word is more important than the rest and that they are all interwoven to create the seamless tension underlying the story. I mean just read some of the imagery. If this isn’t art I don’t know what is:

“Hermione felt as if someone had pushed her head beneath the cold surface of a lake. She was submerged into the sound of violins and clarinets, instruments which did not care about her, about her life, about her sorrows. She was very small and unimportant, compared to that music. The giant headphones pressed down on her scalp like a torture instrument. They seemed to pour the frozen scales inside her skull; all those A flats and D sharps and B minors. They melted inside the membrane of her brain and became strange figures, dancing slowly in the dark.”

Eleven chapters so far and it (thankfully) does not seem to be abandoned. I can’t recommend it enough. A must read.

4. Pocket Change — bonafake

“The first time they decide to run away is a crisp, cool day in the middle of October, with claret and amber leaves falling down, that, when walked upon, sound like the crackle of a broken radio on a folksy static-filled channel.”

A oneshot in which Hermione and Tom are placed in the same foster home as children. Unlike most other tomione fics I’ve read the darkness in this is more implied through the narration than shown explicitly. This creates an ending that is unique in its darkness as well as refreshing in its execution.

5. Despotism — macabremarionette

Hermione is the daughter of Gellert Grindelwald sent to Hogwarts in the ‘40s to aid in Grindelwald’s deathly hallows quest. Extremely dark from what I’ve heard, but I can’t say much more as it’s still on my to-read list.

#thanks for asking!!#sorry about the essay #Anonymous #asks #tomione

60 notes · View notes

bigyack-com · 4 years

Text

‘Unleashed a tirade’: Judge convicts MLA Kuldeep Sengar for rape; he breaks down - india news

A Delhi court on Monday convicted expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Kuldeep Singh Sengar for abducting and raping a minor girl in 2017, pronouncing judgment in a sensational case that triggered nationwide protests. Reading out his order, district judge Dharmesh Sharma noted that the testimony of the rape survivor, who is now 19 years old, was “truthful and unblemished” against a “powerful person”. “She was under threat, worried. She is a village girl, not from cosmopolitan educated area...Sengar was a powerful person. So she took her time...,” the judge said. WATCH | Unnao rape case: MLA Kuldeep Sengar convicted by Delhi court; CBI pulled up Sengar, 53, a four-time legislator who is also accused of hatching a criminal conspiracy against the survivor’s family and causing them harm, was convicted under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act. The court will hear arguments on the quantum of sentence on Tuesday. Sengar’s offences can invite a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. “A tirade was unleashed upon the girl and her family members... where imprints of the accused Sengar were quite visible,” the judge said. Sengar, once a powerful lawmaker, was in tears in the court. The judge added that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) proved that the survivor was a minor and that Sengar was rightly prosecuted under the Pocso Act. “The instant case manifests the multitudes of restrictions and taboos within which many women in the rural areas are brought up, grow and survive. It epitomises the fear ingrained in the mind of young girl in the countryside or elsewhere against reporting issues of sexual assault by powerful adults,” the judge said in the order. The judge also pulled up CBI, saying the investigation “suffered from patriarchal approach or inherent outlook to brush the issues of sexual violence against the children under the carpet”. “It appears that somewhere the investigation in the instant case has not been fair to the victim of crime and her family members. The investigation has not been conducted by a woman officer... and successive statements of the victim girl had been recorded by calling her at the CBI office without bothering for the kind of harassment, anguish and re-victimisation that occurs to a victim of sexual assault in such case,” the judge said. The judge also questioned CBI over the delay in the filing of a charge sheet in a related case. “The CBI has not explained the fact that when the investigation in the alleged kidnapping, illegal confinement and gang rape of the victim in another FIR had been taken over by them on April 13, 2018…..what prevented the CBI from not filing the charge sheet/final report without any further delay and it was filed belatedly October 3, 2019 after almost a year…” Judge Sharma acquitted co-accused Shashi Singh, who allegedly took the survivor to Sengar on the pretext of helping her get a job. Moments before that, Singh fainted in the court as the judge started pronouncing the order. “Her health is improving gradually. She is desperately waiting him to be punished,” the survivor’s sister said. “We lost our father and aunts during the battle for justice. This man should not be allowed to roam free...” According to the family, Sengar raped the survivor in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao on June 4, 2017. In April 2018, her father was beaten up by some people, and allegedly framed and arrested in an arms case. On April 8 that year, the survivor attempted self-immolation outside chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s residence, alleging police inaction in the rape case and demanding a first information report (FIR) against Sengar. The next day, her father died in custody , allegedly due to his injuries. In the wake of widespread outrage, the Allahabad high court transferred the rape case to CBI, which arrested Sengar on April 10. In July, the agency filed a charge sheet in the rape case. Her family wrote to the then Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi in mid-July, saying they were under threat from Sengar and his accomplices. On July 28, a truck rammed a car in which the survivor, her family, and their lawyer were travelling on July 28. Two of the survivor’s aunts were killed in the incident in Rae Bareli, while she and her advocate sustained serious injuries. An FIR was filed the next day, and it booked Sengar and over a dozen others for murder and attempt to murder. Sengar was expelled from the BJP in August. The Supreme Court took cognisance of the victim’s letter, transferred the matter to Delhi, and directed the court to complete trial in 45 days. The day-to-day trial began at Tis Hazari court on August 5. After undergoing treatment at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the survivor was shifted to a rented accommodation in the Capital with help from the Delhi Commission for Women. The trial was held in-camera, and a special court was held at AIIMS on September 11, 12 and 13 to record the statement of the survivor, who was admitted there. Sengar’s lawyer, advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir, said he would appeal against the judgment in a high court. Advocate Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, counsel for the survivor, said it was “indeed the victory of justice”. On August 9, the court framed charges against Sengar and Singh for criminal conspiracy, abduction, rape under the Indian Penal Code, and other relevant sections of the Pocso Act. The trial in the other four cases — framing of the rape survivor’s father in an illegal firearms case, his death in judicial custody, conspiracy by Sengar and others in the accident case, and gang rape by three other men — are going on in the same trialcourt in Delhi. Welcoming the judgment, Sunil Singh ‘Saajan’, a Samajwadi Party leader, said, “We had no faith in the BJP and its government, and had full faith in the judiciary.” The BJP too welcomed Sengar’s conviction.“Sengar’s conviction is a triumph of justice, but it also underscores CM Yogi Adityanath’s zero tolerance on crime and matters as sensitive as these,” said Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson Navin Srivastava said. (With inputs from HTC in Lucknow) Read the full article

#breakingnews #Breaks #convicts #dailynews #enews #India #indianews #judge #Kuldeep #LatestNews #MLA #News #newstoday #NewsUpdates #rape #Sengar #tirade #Unleashed #WorldNews

0 notes

bingedaily · 5 years

Text

Recent Developments In Unnao Rape Case Prove That Politicians Are Above The Law

The Unnao rape case dates back to 2017 when the victim accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar of kidnapping and raping her. After a huge political debate, Sengar was booked under various sections of the IPC and POSCO Act. Things got worse for the victim and her family after that. When the girl decided to self immolate outside Yogi Adityanath's house, her father died in police custody under mysterious circumstances. Soon after that, a key witness in the case also died under mysterious circumstances. Read More - Recent Developments In Unnao Rape Case

#unnao case #unnao prisoners flash pistols #rape case in india

0 notes

rarestereocats · 4 years

Text

With what we think is a solid plan to get the Gattos out of the picture, we decide we should also take a representative from each of the families in power to act as witnesses. They're not to be told of the plan in case their loyalties lie with the enemies. Elathera also brings up a good point that if the Gattos notice me in their dungeons before the tour, the possibility of interrogation is high. And by interrogation, we mean they'll probably torture me until I spill the beans. So she suggests erasing my memories of the past five days, to which everyone else is less than ecstatic about. Especially Rikius! It's an uncomfortable talk, but I see the logic in it, so I agree to go along with it.

Besides, it won't be a permanent loss. With magic, anything's possible and Industria manages to enchant a few items to aid us. A hairclip that will erase my memories once I'm in position and a hairbrush that'll store those memories and return them once it's used on me. But leaving me alone in foreign lands without any memories is dangerous, so Elathera volunteers to be my invisible babysitter for such a task. Considering our track record of being left alone together, Industria isn't thrilled about this idea. But she's needed as the lead investigator on this kidnapping case, so there's no other choice. I mean there is, but me and Elathera have already made the decision for everyone. There is no stopping the Dream Team.

Elathera beefs us up with her magic and I slip on my extremely powerful artifact to cheat the system (with the DM's permission, of course), so in we go. While Industria steps up to introduce herself and her whole squadron of witnesses; the two of us wander around this mansion aimlessly. We don't see any dungeons or secret passageways anywhere and time is running out. Rywa, the Gattos crusty, old leader; is already tired of the interrogation and gets the tour underway a lot faster than we anticipated. But not before he tries putting the moves on Industria because of course he does. What else are creepy, old men good for? Me and Elathera finally find the dungeons...only to realize they're blocked off by an anti-magic barrier.

Rather than try our chances and simply stroll through, we panic because our magic might fail and we're out of time. Well, not out of time thanks to...time stop! What ensues next is pure and utter chaos. With the first time stop of the day, Elathera creates a gate next to the guards inside. She tries to push them both inside once time resumes, but it fails. She uses a spell to knock out the guards, which works for approximately 0.5 seconds until the anti-magic barrier dispels it. So she does it again, quickly trying to push the guards into the gate again; but only manages to send one away. The other wakes after a few seconds, fleeing to warn Rywa that something's wrong. Elathera panics and casts time stop again, bringing Industria into it with us.

We explain the problem and she's understandably exasperated with our shenanigans, but promises to keep Rywa distracted while I slip into one of the cells. She basically plays speed dating with him, asking him all about himself and his relationship with the other families of power. But all this falls apart once a few words slip from the guards lips and now Rywa is on high alert. With him storming to the dungeons, we need to act fast...you know, after another time stop. I bounce into the dungeon all merrily with Elathera, taking off the mask to enter the cell; only to find that the magic in the mask was saving me from the effects of time stop. As soon as the mask leaves my skin, I'm frozen and now Elathera is left to panic as she tries to figure out how to get me into the cell without anyone noticing.

She casts time stop within time stop to bring Industria into it with her to get her help. Industria at this point, is incredibly fed up with this. She doesn't tell Elathera what trick she has up her sleeve this time, so as time resumes; she spontaneously self-combusts on the spot. Obviously a metaphor for the wrath she's sparing me and Elathera from, but it makes a nice distraction as both Rywa and the guards forget about the dungeon long enough for me to lock myself up. I pull the hairclip out and poof! There goes my memories and now I'm screaming bloody murder as I have no fucking clue what's going on. In all the chaos though, Elathera realizes something. The magic of my very powerful artifact would've been unaffected by the anti-magic barrier. This entire time, I could've just strolled into the dungeon and this could've been over with without the need for a time stop chain and self immolation on Industria's part.

It was a big oopsies, so just keep that one to yourself Elathera and spare us from the judging looks of everyone else. She makes quick work of the guards memories with one last time stop, so as everyone finally enters the dungeon; there I am. All of our witnesses freak the fuck out as Rywa's claims of innocence in my disappearance and attempted assassination are proven wrong. The witnesses and his own guards turn on him in an instant. A trial is called and in order to prevent anyone tampering with it, we keep Rywa locked up on Elathera's plane. Industria takes me somewhere private, using the magic hairbrush to restore my memories. After, it's back to the Kociak manor we go to await the trial.

#adventures of the volunteer fire department #oc: zakina kociak #oc: jordeira ferus #game: pathfinder crusades

0 notes

noicon · 7 years

Video

Watch Creepy Ben Carson, product of a Black womb refer to kidnapped and enslaved Africans, as 'immigrants' . [#alternativefacts] #looktowardstheeast

The So called ''Modern Day African'' is, in most cases a deadly, whyte supreme -crazy creature,And creepy Ben Carson Is The Definition Of The Black Bastard if he thinks for one second that a human being captured, whipped and imprisoned for ions in the dungeons of Africa's Ghana's slave fortresses considered him or herself as an involuntary immigrant or had any dream but to go back home to his/ her family in Africa .If coming to cold America naked was on his/ her mind many slave revolts on ships would never have taken place.If they were immigrants , then the Jewish victims of Nazi'S were Involuntary population control participants - don't you agree, DR NEGRO GOATMOUTH PROFESSIONAL LEPROUS BUTT KISSING CREEPY CARSON

BONUS LINKS - 2/ ➲ The So called ''Modern Day African'' is, in most cases a deadly, whyte supreme -crazy creature https://goo.gl/E7E771

3/➲ When cooning Backfires1: https://youtu.be/GR2-weVZzv4

4/➲ When cooning Backfires2: https://youtu.be/ddyiXCahPXQ

5/➲ Clinton, Liar Conway , Oyinbo find common ground/ unity : https://goo.gl/uxIkCp

6/➲Meet Donald Trump's Two Biggest Fans➲Click : https://youtu.be/hr6OFj7cI9M7/

➲ BLACK SPY TELLS ALL https://youtu.be/VgONeO_NvGo

#BenCarson should neutralize himself and his bloodline, he has just said the enslaved were better off coming to America, Africa's mass drain of talent/ human resources for over 500 , repeat 500 YEARS, something which arrested / halted our development for ions, something which westerners of the palle skin version, aka white people up-till now are unable to process or even appreciate as even today they refer to us as savages before european pale skin contact -l wonder why, with the likes of ben carson being birthed by black wombs, l wonder why the common european of any color is so inspired to be deluded racist whyte supremacist.

Black people, this is now too much - we need to shape up globally or may our end come soon, anything else is daily self mutilation, slow SELF-IMMOLATION , this is torture, psychological self abuse and daily self debasement , if we are meant to end, let it be ASAP / Ase / #Nodebate. -- PERIOD #SMH

0 notes

ibtimesindia · 7 years

Text

Badaun kidnapping: Family attempts to self immolate to protest against daughter's abduction allegedly by local politician's nephew in UP

http://dlvr.it/NGT013

0 notes

tiliaeuropaea-blog · 7 years

Text

Mary Deserved to Die

... Or at least that’s what that old sexist pig Steven Moffat thinks.

I’ll just start by stating what we’re all well aware of: Steven Moffat can’t write female characters. Now that we’ve established that, in this post I argue that all BBC Sherlock’s main female characters fall in the Virgin/Mother/Whore archetypes. I also argue that Mary, by revealing her morally ambiguous past, fell from Virgin-status to Whore-status and therefore had to die.

The Virgin-Mother-Whore triangle is an expansion of the Madonna-whore paradigm. These archetypes describe the status of female characters according to their relationships to the main male character in a piece of fiction. The two main categories are Madonna, who loves the Alpha Male and/or is loved by him in return, and Whore, who hates the Alpha Male and/or is hated by him in return. The Madonna then can be further divided into Mother, usually old women who are the Man’s mother or act motherly towards him, and Virgin, the Man’d possible romantic interest. The most common difference between a Madonna and a Whore is her morality: a Madonna will always be morally incorruptible and absolutely good, a Whore on the contrary is morally ambiguous and/or hostile towards the Man. Whores are also sexually promiscuous.

Now let’s take a closer look at Sherlock’s female characters. Since by definition these archetypes are defined by the relationship they have with the Male Alpha (Sherlock/John) I’ll only take into consideration the main characters, not the clients/victims.

Sally Donovan is obviously a Whore, she is hostile towards Sherlock and she is also sexually promiscuous by sleeping with a married man (Anderson). In the end she is punished and humiliated for antagonizing Sherlock.

Mrs Hudson is a Mother. She basically acts as Sherlock’s (and John’s) mother. (Same goes, of course, for Mrs Holmes.)

Molly Hooper was initially a Virgin and remained a Virgin as long as she was Sherlock’s romantic interest. This status changed at the end of season 3, when it was obvious that Sherlock would never be interested in her. In this season, she has the only other “good” status, she’s a Mother - as proved by her being Rosie’s godmother alongside Mrs Hudson, as well as her babysitting duties.

Irene Adler is undoubtedly a Whore: morally ambiguous (works with Moriarty) and sexually promiscuous (is a sex worker). To make amend for being a “bad” woman, she is humiliated, banished from society, exiled to the colonies like the so-called “fallen women” in Victorian times and risks her life, only to be saved by the Alpha Male in an act of mercy. If you want to read more about this theory, have a look at Antonija Primorac’s The Naked Truth.

Mary Watson represents a more complex case. When we meet her, she’s just John’s romantic interest, so she’s a Virgin. Her fake identity as Mary Morstan is a Virgin. But we soon know her backstory, and we are told she is in fact AGRA/Rosamund: a Whore (morally ambiguous character), trying to pass as/become a Virgin. We get to know this in a scene where she shoots Sherlock (is hostile towards the Man). The illusion of her Virgin-status holds up during HLV, and she is officially forgiven by John at the Christmas dinner. But in T6T the other shoes drops and the male characters are again faced with her past, her Whore-status, which cannot be swept under the rug anymore. Her redemption arc in T6T is basically her trying to re-establish her fake Virgin-status, to be forgiven for her Whore-past. But of course being a Whore in unforgivable, and she has to be punished. She is killed off and re-acquires her Virgin-status though her sacrifice/immolation, that is to say, by spilling blood for a man.

To make matters worse, the fandom seems to agree with this. We seem to be desperate for a scapegoat to blame everything on, and that scapegoat is Mary. I’ve heard some frankly ridiculous theories (Mary is evil, Mary is behind it all, Mary hates everyone, Mary is drugging Sherlock, Mary is kidnapping Molly), accusing her of sexual promiscuity as well (The baby is David’s). It’s easy to simplify Mary’s character to a promiscuous immoral killer who is the Evil Overload of the story, and needs to be defeated in order to restore peace.

But Mary is not just that. She’s a very complex woman, who is trying to reconcile the mistakes of her past with her life now. Her moral compass is a bit askew, that’s for sure, but she was young and she chased the thrill of adventure. When she nearly died in Tiblisi, she realised she couldn’t keep this up anymore, so she retired and started a new life. She obviously regrets her past life, but cannot help but fall back on some of her old habits (lying about herself, loving and protecting only her family and no one else, running away to keep her loved ones safe and so on). And of course shooting Sherlock to protect herself was an automatic, panic-induced reaction to a tricky situation. Was it a morally right action? No. Is Mary a morally right character? No.

But she does not deserve to die to atone for her past self. Mary is a three-dimensional, complex, flawed character, but incredibly human nonetheless. She has some trouble adapting to her new civilian life (remind you of someone?), probably suffers from PTSD and sometime relapses to her old self. She deserved a better redemption arc and could atone for her past in some other way other than dying.

She dies as both a Whore and a Virgin. The Death of the Whore is a patriarchal punishment and reinforces the idea that flawed “bad” women do not deserve compassion or forgiveness. The Death of a Virgin is a plot device also known as Women in Refrigerators. I wrote an meta about this, which you can read here.

tldr; Do not be fooled by this sexist narrative, do not buy in to this Mary is Evil and Deserved to Die craze. Yes, Mary was evil. No, she did not deserve to die.

JUSTICE FOR ROSAMUND MARY WATSON 2K17!

#rosamund mary watson #sherlock meta #feminist analysis #the six thatchers #season 4 spoilers #mary morstan #john watson #sherlock holmes #sally donovan #mrs hudson #molly hooper #irene adler #AGRA #t6t #yeah its mofftiss hate alright #i can't believe season 4 turned me into a mary stan

0 notes