Numb3rs ficlet: "4 Cultural Traditions Amita Ramanujan will not perform."
Dedicated to swingandswirl, who gave me the idea for this.
Title: Four Cultural Traditions Amita Ramanujan will not perform.
Author: Rodlox.
Warning: I've adapted most of these traditions to make them able to happen to Amita. (oil wrestling, for example, is a male sport)
Pairing: Amita/?
Disclaimer: I own neither the traditions, nor Amita or any other canon character in this.
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SUTTEE:
Amita had no idea how moths did it - looking at those flames licking skywards, she just wanted to run the other way.
Shameful as she suspected it was, she couldn't bear to look at the wrapped-up body of her husband lying within the flames.
There was no shoving or shouts for her to move, but Amita could feel the social pressure implicit in the crowd urging her to approach the fire...and join her husband.
"No," Amita said.
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OIL WRESTLING:
I don't think its possible for a sari to get any skimpier than this, Amita thought to herself as she finished lathering her arms and legs with oil.
Opposite where she stood in the grassy circle, stood Liz, just as glistening as Amita herself. "You ready?"
"Not sure I'll ever be ready for this," Amita said. Both women had on tight shorts - tight to reduce the chances of the opponent reaching in for a probably illegal move, and tight so too much oil wouldn't seep through the waist - and a band of cloth wrapped protectively over their breasts.
The goal was to pin the other person to the ground. "If you want to back out, I've got no problem with that."
"Okay."
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FRATERNAL POLYANDRY:
"Amita Ramanujan," the priest was asking her, "do you take Don and Charlie Eppes as your lawful husbands, to love and cherish, to..." he asked, going through all the clauses, "in sickness and in health," and so on.
When I joked about how in India you marry the family, I didn't know this would be the outcome - I think I would've preferred a levirate.
"I do not," Amita said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAGIC:
Here at the baseball diamond, Charlie and the FBI team headed out to the dugout, most of them then going to the bases and the field.
As she watched everyone go through their own private rituals, Amita remembered what her high school anthropology teacher had told the class - that things which are done to improve one's luck, things that have no connection to the event itself (such as tapping home plate three times) are the same sort of ritual undergone by the most primitive tribes on the globe.
"You're up, Amita," Don said, standing at the pitcher's mound.
"No thanks," she said. "I'll just sit up here."
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The End
Title: Four Cultural Traditions Amita Ramanujan will not perform.
Author: Rodlox.
Warning: I've adapted most of these traditions to make them able to happen to Amita. (oil wrestling, for example, is a male sport)
Pairing: Amita/?
Disclaimer: I own neither the traditions, nor Amita or any other canon character in this.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUTTEE:
Amita had no idea how moths did it - looking at those flames licking skywards, she just wanted to run the other way.
Shameful as she suspected it was, she couldn't bear to look at the wrapped-up body of her husband lying within the flames.
There was no shoving or shouts for her to move, but Amita could feel the social pressure implicit in the crowd urging her to approach the fire...and join her husband.
"No," Amita said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OIL WRESTLING:
I don't think its possible for a sari to get any skimpier than this, Amita thought to herself as she finished lathering her arms and legs with oil.
Opposite where she stood in the grassy circle, stood Liz, just as glistening as Amita herself. "You ready?"
"Not sure I'll ever be ready for this," Amita said. Both women had on tight shorts - tight to reduce the chances of the opponent reaching in for a probably illegal move, and tight so too much oil wouldn't seep through the waist - and a band of cloth wrapped protectively over their breasts.
The goal was to pin the other person to the ground. "If you want to back out, I've got no problem with that."
"Okay."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FRATERNAL POLYANDRY:
"Amita Ramanujan," the priest was asking her, "do you take Don and Charlie Eppes as your lawful husbands, to love and cherish, to..." he asked, going through all the clauses, "in sickness and in health," and so on.
When I joked about how in India you marry the family, I didn't know this would be the outcome - I think I would've preferred a levirate.
"I do not," Amita said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MAGIC:
Here at the baseball diamond, Charlie and the FBI team headed out to the dugout, most of them then going to the bases and the field.
As she watched everyone go through their own private rituals, Amita remembered what her high school anthropology teacher had told the class - that things which are done to improve one's luck, things that have no connection to the event itself (such as tapping home plate three times) are the same sort of ritual undergone by the most primitive tribes on the globe.
"You're up, Amita," Don said, standing at the pitcher's mound.
"No thanks," she said. "I'll just sit up here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End