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evanescentjasmine · 4 years

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I’m going to talk about a little pet peeve of mine with regard to portrayal of poc in fic, TMA specifically since that’s what I mostly read and write for.

I suppose I should first start by saying that, of course, poc are not a monolith, and I’m certain there are other poc who have many different views on this issue. And also this post is in no way meant to demonise, shame, or otherwise discourage people from writing poc in fic if they’re doing something differently. This is just a thing I’ve been noodling on for a while and have had several interesting conversations with friends about, and now that I think I’ve figured out why I have this pet peeve, I figured I’d gather my thoughts into a post.

As a result of the fact we have no canonical racial, ethnic, or religious backgrounds for our main TMA cast, we’ve ended up with many diverse headcanons, and it’s absolutely lovely to see. I’m all for more diversity and I’m always delighted to see people’s headcanons.

However, what often happens is I’ll be reading a fic and plodding along in a character’s PoV and get mention of their skin colour. And nothing else. I find this, personally, extremely jarring. In a short one-shot it makes sense, because you’re usually touching on one scenario and then dipping out. Likewise if the fic is in a different setting, is cracky, or is told from someone else’s PoV, that’s all fine. But if I’m reading a serious long-fic close in the poc’s head and...nothing? That’s just bizarre to me.

Your heritage, culture, religion, and background, all of those affect how you view the world, and how the world views you in return. How people treat you, how you carry yourself, what you’re conscious of, all of that shifts. And the weird thing is that many writers are aware of this when it comes to characters being ace or trans or neurodivergent—and I’m genuinely pleased by that, don’t get me wrong. Nothing has made my ace self happier than the casual aceness in TMA fics that often resonates so well with my experience. But just as gender, orientation, and neurodivergence change how a character interacts with their world, so do race, ethnicity, and religion.

As a child, I spent a couple of years in England while my mother was getting her degree. Though I started using Arabic less and less, my mother still spoke to me almost exclusively in Arabic at home. We still ate romy cheese and molokhia and the right kind of rice, though we missed out on other things. She managed to get an Egyptian channel on TV somehow, which means I still grew up with different cultural touchstones and make pop-culture references that I can’t share with my non-Arabic-speaking friends. She also became friends with just about every Egyptian in her university, so for those years I had a bevy of unrelated Uncles and Aunties from cities all over Egypt, banding together to go on outings or celebrate our holidays.

As an adult who sometimes travels abroad solo, and as a fair-skinned Arab who’s fluent in English, usually in a Western country the most I’ll get is puzzled people trying to parse my accent and convinced someone in my family came from somewhere. When they hear my name, though, that shifts. I get things like surprise, passive-aggressive digs at my home region, weird questions, insistence I don’t look Egyptian (which, what does that even mean?) or the ever-popular, ever-irritating: Oh, your English is so good!

At airports, with my Egyptian passport, it’s less benign. I am very commonly taken aside for extra security, all of which I expect and am prepared for, and which always confuses foreign friends who insisted beforehand that surely they wouldn’t pull me aside. Unspoken is the fact I, y’know, don’t look like what they imagine a terrorist would. But I’m Arab and that’s how it goes, despite my, er, more “Western” leaning presentation.

This would be an entirely different story if I were hijabi, or had darker skin, or a more pronounced accent. I am aware I’m absolutely awash with privilege. Likewise, it would be different if I had a non-Arab name and passport.

So it’s slightly baffling to me as to why a Jon who is Pakistani or Indian or Arab and/or Black British would go through life the exact same way a white British character would.

Now, I understand that race and ethnicity can be very fraught, and that many writers don’t want to step on toes or get things wrong or feel it isn’t their place to explore these things, and certainly I don’t think it’s a person’s place to explore The Struggles of X Background unless they also share said background. I’m not saying a fic should portray racism and microaggressions either (and if they do, please take care and tag them appropriately), but that past experiences of them would affect a character. A fic doesn’t have to be about the Arab Experience With Racism (™) to mention that, say, an Arab Jon headed to the airport in S3 for his world tour would have been very conscious to be as put together as he could, given the circumstances, and have all his things in order.

And there’s so much more to us besides. What stories did your character grow up with? What language was spoken at home? Do they also speak it? If not, how do they feel about that? What are their comfort foods? Their family traditions? The things they do without thinking? The obscure pop-culture opinions they can’t even begin to explain? (Ask me about the crossover between Egyptian political comedy and cosmic horror sometime…)

I’m not saying you’ll always get it right. Hell, I’m not saying I always get it right either. I’m sure someone can read one of my fics and be like, “nope, this isn’t true to me!” And that’s okay. The important thing, for me, is trying.

Because here’s the thing.

I want you to imagine reading a fic where I, a born and raised Egyptian, wrote white characters in, say, a suburb in the US as though they shared my personal experiences. It’s a multi-generational household, people of the same gender greet with a kiss on each cheek, lunch is the main meal, adults only move out when they get married, every older person they meet is Auntie or Uncle, every bathroom has a bidet, there’s a backdrop of Muslim assumptions and views of morality, and the characters discuss their Eid plans because, well, everyone celebrates Eid, obviously.

Weird, right?

So why is this normal the other way around?

Have you ever stopped to wonder why white (and often, especially American) experiences are considered the default? The universal inoffensive base on which the rest is built?

Yes, I understand that writers are trying to be inoffensive and respectful of other backgrounds. But actually, I find the usual method of having the only difference be their skin colour or features pretty reductive. We’re more than just a paint job or a sprinkle of flavour to add on top of the default. Many of us have fundamentally different life experiences and ignoring this contributes to that assumption of your experience being universal.

Yes, fic is supposed to be for fun and maybe you don’t want to have to think about all this, and I get that completely. I have all the respect in the world for writers who tag their TMA fics as an American AU, or who don’t mention anyone’s races. I get it. But when you have characters without a canonical race and you give them one, you’re making a decision, and I want you to think about it.

Yes, this is a lot of research, but the internet is full of people talking about themselves and their experiences. Read their articles, read their blogs, read their twitter threads, watch their videos, see what they have to say and use it as a jumping-off point. I’m really fond of the Writing With Color blog, so if you’re not sure where to start I’d recommend giving them a look.

Because writers outside of the Anglosphere already do this research in order to write in most fandoms. Writers of colour already put themselves in your shoes to write white characters. And frankly, given the amount of care that many white writers put into researching Britishisms, I don’t see why this can’t extend to other cultural differences as well.

#the magnus archives #tma #poc in fanfic #representation #tw racism #long post

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yummynoreen · 2 years

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Hi Noreen, im engaged to a very shy hijabi woman with zero sexual experience whatsoever.

I really want to engage in the cuckolding lifestyle with her. Is this something I should bring up before we marry or should I try and slowly introduce the idea after?

Thank you x

Firstly, accept that she might never accept and it might never happen.

Secondly understand that almost 100% of the sisters I've met in my journey all believed they would never do something like this, ever. Including me! But then we get to a certain age and life happens and we start thinking about what we have, what we're missing out on etc. The sad thing is we start exploring the lifestyle at a time when we no longer have the body confidence of a 21 yr old!

Don't mention the cuckold lifestyle now - not if you want her to run a mile! But do help her explore sexual scenarios and encourage her to share her fantasies. Roll play all the time! Never judge her and never let her feel there're consequences (good or bad), to any inner, private fantasy she's willing to share. If she thinks that sharing her Brad Pit crush with you will mean you'll go out looking for a Brad Pit look-alike, then she simply wont mention it. Similiarly if she thinks you'll be disgusted by her rape fantasy, she wont reveal it.

Start thinking about this lifestyle as her jouney and not yours. If you love her, then that's the way to look at it. If it never happens, then it doesnt happen - just remember it was never owed to you and it's not her role to satisfy that fetish of yours.

The best cuckolds are the ones who love and cherish their wives and make it clear that no matter what she does or doesnt do - there're never any repercussions or judgement. Only love, acceptance and encouragement - whatever her decision.

But just so you understand the realities before you commit yourself to this lifestyle:

- The vast majority of sisters that I met, dont start in the lifestyle till their 30s. Maybe it's hormonal, maybe age, experience... I dont know. But It's then when they properly start - and decide they want to continue for a while.

- Almost all cheated at some time in their life. Honestly I didnt realise how common it was for women to cheat (and yes, I cheated also). That might not be the kind of cuckold lifestyle you wanted but might be the only one you get. I've lost count of the number of couples I've chatted to where the husband is begging me to "encourage" his wife, and she confesses she's already cheated on him. Often more than once. Or she confesses she's had a secret boyfriend for years. And you can take a guess how often it turns out to be one of his friends! lol. Would you be ok about finding that out?

- Even if after all those years of loving and encouraging and adoring your wife, she did want to explore outside your marriage, accept that she might not include you. For a long time. If ever. Many women just want to have fun satisfying sex and not play the "hotwife" or indulge in your cuckold fantasies.

So all of that said, do all the things I've suggested if you ever wanted her to cuckold you - the loving, supporting, encouraging, easing her burdens, foot rubs, helping with kids, gifts, good un-rushed oral sex (very important!), domestic chores, paying attention to what she says, taking her on holidays, not harrasing her for sex after giving oral lol, etc. But just accept that if might never happen. Or might not happen for years. Or might happen but not the way you want. But even then, all you've done is love your wife and she's loved you - there's nothing wrong with that is there?

And just so you dont think I'm pouring a great big downer on your fantasies - almost every couple I spoke to, after I explained to the husband how important it is to devote his attention to his wife, she decided she wanted to try another man. Because going with another man comes with risk, guilt and shame. We women understand that well enough. Risk of getting caught, risk of being with dodgy men, risk of desease, risk to our marriage, risk of whether our husbands can actually handle the mental and emotional turmoil of being cuckolded the way they think they can. And guilt about sinning, being away from kids, guilt that maybe we're being selfish, and just plain old guilt of being unfaithful (women feel guilt for a lot of things they're not responsible for!). But do you know what happens to a woman when she feels loved and cherished and supported? She feels free and unburdened, and can think more about doing stuff she enjoys.

Hotwives dont like coming home to dirty dishes and a weak husband complaining about how much time she spent with her lover lol.

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shrikemp3 · 4 years

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(1/3) hi i'm muslim and i have a totally different perception of samirah. while i know and understand that samirah wasn't the best representation of a muslim american, i don't think she's bad at all. i remember reading the part where she says Allahu akbar and being SO delighted that magnus respectfully asks about it and lets her explain because it's also teaching the readers. and despite arranged marriages being a negative stereotype of muslims, it's a definitely a real thing. BUT it's not

(2/3) forced marriage like the stereotype depicts. also marriage between cousins is real in muslim countries. my grandparents are cousins. afaik the stigma around cousin marriage is a western idea- there was a study that stated it could cause birth defects but it was later disproved. i genuinely think rick did a good job of representing this. samirah and amir clearly like each other and if they didn't their families wouldn't force them to get married bc that's not what arranged marriage is. I DO (3/3) have a prob with how samirah is portrayed as an on/off hijabi. with all the research he did, rick could've checked the rules of hijab. i wish he had just made her a non-hijabi that has a scarf with her bc it's magical and so she can pray when she needs to. he does say that the way she wears it is based on what he saw his students do, which is easy to believe because he taught middle school and i've seen it happen in my own school. i don't really accept it as a valid explanation though.

okay, first things first: i loved samirah when i first read magnus chase. i was so happy to see a muslim character that isn’t just defined by their religion in a fantasy book. i was also 14 at the time and i was so overwhelmed by the fact that she’s muslim that i didn’t realize the flaws in her writing. i’m not gonna talk about the allahu akbar thing because i’m honestly conflicted. the way magnus says that “it’s never said in a positive way” was just... not good. but as you said, it’s a teaching moment so i guess i’ll let it slide. my biggest problem is with her relationship with amir. i know that arranged marriage isn’t always forced. i know that marriage between cousins happen. i know this because i’m a muslim born and raised in a muslim country. i have my personal problems with arranged marriage as a whole but i acknowledge that it’s not always forced marriage. but the way it’s written in the magnus chase books makes me really uncomfortable. first and foremost it’s because she was 12 when they got “engaged”. now, as i said before, i live in a muslim country but arranged marriages here never start this young. you have to at least finish your education first before getting engaged. most people get engaged in their 20s. and the justification for it here? even worse. “When [my mother] died … well, in the local community, I was damaged goods, a bastard child. My grandparents were lucky, very lucky, to get the Fadlans’ blessing for me to marry Amir. I won’t really bring anything to the marriage. I’m not rich or respectable or –” (Magnus Chase, Sword of Summer) this line made me uncomfortable from the moment i read it because it’s samirah beating herself up for something that’s not her fault. her grandparents used her to make the image of their family better (and yes, i know this happens a LOT in muslim societies especially with women but it’s an awful thing that shouldn’t happen) and she’s tying her entire worth to her relationship with amir. yes, i know she had a crush on him since she was 12 but that’s not an excuse to get engaged! i know that some people say that arranged marriage is about choice, but a 12 year old girl can’t make a choice like this especially when she feels so insecure about herself. every time she talks about her grandparents/what they think of her it’s always something negative too. she didn’t agree to this engagement because she had a crush on amir, it’s because she feels guilty over something she had no control over (her mom’s relationship with loki and having her) and wants to fix it by making the family’s image better. again, yes, this happens in muslim communities but it’s not a positive thing and it shouldn’t be portrayed in a positive light by anyone, especially not by an american white guy who thinks he can write something like this just because he memorized a surah and some hadith. i have no problems with other muslims finding representation in samirah al-abbas, i personally think she’s great. but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any flaws in her writing, especially considering all of RR’s characters of color, especially the girls, have problems like this too.

#samirah al abbas #mcga #rr crit #rick riordan

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belle-keys · 3 years

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I Love Matthew Fairchild aka Incoherent Thoughts about Chain of Iron (2021) by Cassandra Clare

I made one of these rant-rave reviews for SJM's book so check it out if you want, no pressure tho lmao.

Aight so I finished Chain of Iron last night and OMG I HAVE TO YELL like I loved it sooo much like yooo, I have a lot to say. I know the book is new so... beware for spoilers plebs.

Also context: I been reading the Shadowhunter books since I was 12 and I'm 19 now *insert dead emoji face* so yeah, I'm just so happy rn with where the Chronicles have come and the fact that they’re still ongoing *insert uwu face*. I remember when in like 2014-2015 or something when Cassandra Clare teased that Will and Tessa's kids' generation was gonna get a trilogy set in Edwardian London, loosely based on Great Expectations, and holy hell? I think that was perhaps one of the best days of my life considering how much I adore The Infernal Devices (that trilogy really changed the way I see YA literature... don't ask cus I won't shut up about it) (also yes I read TMI and loved it too but there's a “generation gap” between TMI and the other Shadowhunter books stylistically so don't ask me about that either cus I also won't shut up).

Anyway, shoo from here if you want a critical essay on Chain of Iron. I'm not providing that, this is just me raving here for the fun.

Listen... I want the bulk of this to just be two main things: The Matthew Situation, and then all the literary and judeo-christian meta aspects of it.

BUT I ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE SO FRICK LET'S JUST START WITH THE OBVIOUS SHIT LIKE THE PLOT AND WHATEVER

Okay, the plot and writing and shit, let's get that out of the way:

The WHOLE Jack-the-Ripper-esque ambiance was just sooooo good man wow like I did not expect the book to take this cold turn but it worked so well. There was such a contrast between Jamie and Cordelia's warm little house and then the cold winter and the stabbings and shit and it felt like a nice little callback to the actual Ripper phenomenon that preceded them and a nod to the Whitechapel Fiend story from Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy.

Bitch OFC that whole thing with Wayland was a set-up like nawww that was too easy to spot and I get why Cordelia feels like shit about it.

Dawg Lucie was just the Among Us imposter here in that my girl was just venting and sneaking around with dead people and I was like nooooo girl run, don't deal with Fade this is a set-up THINK ABOUT JULES LUCIE THAT'S LIKE YO GREAT-GRANDSON *sobs* but yeah anyway my girl has death powers she gonna kill some bitches next book.

You see that confrontation between Lilith and Belial? MASTERPIECE DIALOGUE like this was the point within which I was just like "yo is this the book of Genesis or a YA Fantasy novel" like when Lilith said "I may have been cast out but I did not fall" like??????????????????? I YELLED she did not have to END Belial like that. What a bad bitch.

More on Lilith and Belial... "You, who brought nations into darkness? Shall I finally be able to tell the infernal realms you have gone mad, lost even the image of the Creator." HAHAHHAHAHA SHE SAID "YO BELIAL GO GET SOME THERAPY AND GET OFF MY ASS" LIKE??????

Ughhhh yasss Clare has improved writing diverse characters in this book compared to in The Dark Artifices in my opinion... I'm not gonna expand on it cus ain't nobody got time for that but like, I enjoyed how she wove Persian poetry and tales into the story and the way in which she writes Cordelia and Alistair. They're not caricatures of Persian people but rather multi-faceted beings who also happen to be Persian and I appreciate that. Also, Alistair and Thomas and Anna and Ariadne were just so fun and interesting to read as coupbles but also as individuals. She really higlighted diversity in a very natural manner. All I need is a hijabi character and I’ll die a happy woman lmao.

The level of META man like the references to Classics and art (I swear, she might have compared Matthew to angels out of Caravaggio AND Rosetti AND Boticelli paintings and I Am Living For It) and just all the quotes from holy books and shit omg I love it here like you really feel catapulted into the time period, she draws reference to external art and philosophy so well and I feel like she upped the notch on it in this book (didn’t know that was possible but it was the prose is BEAUTIFUL, archaic, but not pretentiously so). No, like the characters live in their OWN worlds of literature and art and history in the way we are living in THEIRS. They quote Wilde and Milton while we'll quote Clare. It's awesome.

This is an unusually structuralist take even from me but: I like the way the milieu social of the book, i.e., the high society Edwardian circles and their values, have a direct influence on the plot. James and Cordelia got married because society’s values essentially forced them to, not a demon. Cordelia abandons Jamie at the end of Iron because her shame as a woman in society and fear for her reputation made her, not a demon. Thomas and Alistair can't be together solely because of how Alistair tarnished the reputation of the Fairchilds and Lightwoods by using the horror of infidelity against them. Issues relating to marriage, gender roles, etc, stemming DIRECTLY from the time period rule the sequence of events to the same degree as the epic fantasy aspects (demons, Princes of Hell, the lore itself) do and I LOVE that dear God above.

OKAY THE GOOD SHIT LET US TALK ABOUT CHARACTERS AND SHIPS (N.B. but imma discuss Matthew and the Fairstairs situation separately below this portion):

Alistair's redemption arc: No, cus Alistair's redemption arc is honestly amazing. He really did change and it's not like his betterment as a person was linked to any one heroic deed but rather he simply decided he wanted to be better especially for his family and he decided to become a proper protective son, a caring brother, and an amiable friend. He fully owned up to his Malfoy tendencies and apologized without expecting forgiveness. He shows how he cares in the little ways and omg it's so sweet and tender. I really do want him to love himself now and be embraced by Matthew especially and the rest of the Thieves.

Dawg Lucie and Jesse are so funny to me like it's so hilarious how this girl fell in love with a whole ass ghost that no one else knows about like HHAHA. Are Lucie and Jesse my ult ship ever? Nah, but it's nothing to do with Clare, it's just that their relationship happened pretty quick and feels quite like something epicly romantic that Lucie herself would write. I just like slow burn and friends-to-lovers the most from Clare. To be honest part of me just wanted Lucie to not have a romantic arc all together but like, it's all good, I'm not complaining.

Okay Grace- like yooooooooooo I never hated her yunno. She has been abused and isolated all her life. It's not that she is a bad person, but rather that she does not know what being a person even entails. Can't even say she's a “doll” of a person cus she's never even been pampered like one by her family. I really started understanding her motivations since when they gave us her half-childhood with Jesse. I want better for her but cmon can she REALLY be saved???

GRACE X CHRISTOPHER *pretends to be shocked*... Okay, sometime in the middle of the Dark Artifices series some big brain put together a very thorough family tree of the families and like, it clearly showed that Grace and Christopher got married so like, lmfaooooo, I knew this was coming one way or another, but the journey to this ship is more important than the destination. Like in a way Christopher is such a cute baby lamb that it makes sense he'd end up being immune to her Grace-ness when he's just a cute little Einstein boiii. Like this is just so funny to me cus he's so oblivious to social conventions while she makes the milieu social her entire life so OFC it's gonna work. Like, this is such a worlds-colliding trope like just Give It To Me.

James and Grace - aw mannn Jamie just had me fricking wanting to hit a wall every two seconds cus like yooooooo every single time I think he and Cordelia are gonna stop being emotionally-constipated spouses, Jamie says some kinda shit like "omg me and Daisy are just friends uwu" like DO I NEED TO HIT YOU?????????? See I can't blame him for not slamming the door on Grace's face even tho he totes should- Jamie is so cerebral and kind that even if Grace wasn't using the enchantment on him, I think he would always be soft for her even if it isn't in a romantic way. There's just so much miscommunication cus like he said "Thank God" when she broke off the engagement with Charles and lowkey embraced her but it also wasn't his fault cus it wasn't even romantic BUT OFC IT LOOKED HORRIBLE TO CORDELIA like James literally never told the woman at least once that he loved her so OFC she thought she was back to square one with him dear God above what a mess. Not his fault, but she DID set down one rule for him: don’t cheat with Grace. And yeah even tho he hasn’t properly cheated, it must FEEL horrible to her cus she’s just been enduring the pain of their unrequeted love for so long :((

See imma just say it but if Cordelia thought that James didn't love Grace then she def would have confessed to him about her feelings right but like James, on the other hand, was delaying his own romantic confession cus he was BEING EMOTIONALLY CONSTIPATED and I can't even say the bracelet was solely to blame cus like my boi was just being so difficult omg I believe he should be lightly spanked by his three parents aka Will, Tessa and Jem *cries*.

Cordelia is such a MOM like she's so mature and stable and her self-preservation instinct? OFF THE CHARTS I love this woman like James definitely treated her well as a hubby but like I JUST WANTED HER TO HAVE CLOSURE ABOUT SOMETHING and boy oh boy she did get that closure she got it good but not from the person she expected in the LEAST *hehe* *pelican screeching*... like Lucie was being sus with the whole ghost business and James was being just, quite a case, dealing with Grace and Belial right and I don't blame them at all for their secrecy and shit but her FATHER DIED and her friends were hiding a lot from her so in a way she turned to Alistair for help but he could only do so much cus of his own pain (she couldn't even talk to her mom cus she's pregnant and she doesn't wanna stress her right) and then there was this emotional block between her and Jamie, Lucie was often absent and conspiring with the dead... the last person remaining was HIM (imma discuss this soon), but yeah my heart just went OUT to her cus she's tryna save herself and her family and she just doesn't know what to do. That's why I love the way her mom told her to stop holding herself back for others and live her own life. Like Cordelia grew on me so much cus in Gold she undoubtedly was a strange Elizabeth Bennet-wallflower hybrid and I... do not usually get attached to wallflowers but in Iron I feel like I finally understood that she was just tryna be unproblematic and self-preserving all along and nottt put her family and friends in a tough situation.... she reminds me of my mom personality-wise so yeah I’m totally rooting for her now that her *situation* in the past seems clearer.

Anna, Thomas and Matthew are such a SQUAD lmfaooooo like united in their gayness they'd be so unstoppable.

Will and Tessa are the most in-love of all the in-loves in this story and I respect that so much.

I lost a year to my life every time the romance between James and Cordelia got cockblocked. Like they were MARRIED and I thought they were gonna at least sleep next to each other at least once BUT NO James couldn't take a hint omg I'm actually gonna eat my fist and sob (but in retrospect, I think this serves a bigger purpose in terms of the narrative structure i.e. the interruption of all the spicy James and Cordelia action serves a bigger purpose which I think brings me to my next section, *exhale*)

Welcome to the Matthew Fairchild Enthusiast Club (this section is me talking out loud; it makes no sense):

bitch.

LISTEN TO ME LISTEN WELL I LOVE THIS BOY SO MUCH IMMA SCREAM I REALLY AM GONNA SCREAM MY FIST IS LITERALLY IN MY MOUTH *BACKFLIPS OFF THE ROOF WITH LANA DEL REY PLAYING*

Okay like where to BEGIN I think the Shadowhunter boy who I'm most attracted to is Julian while the one I love the most is Will but I think I see myself in Matthew the most. Like ever since that first story where the Thieves all met at the Academy then got expelled, I think that I just KNEW Matthew was destined to be epic. Plus the whole Wilde obsession? I’m no libertine myself but I just love his chaos and passion for life.

NO CUS HE'S SO WITTY AND SWEET AND EPIC AND YET SO SECRETIVE AND DEAR GOD ABOVE AHHHHH WILL HE SURPASS JULIAN FOR ME??? Ion even know but this is just sodjsgdwsdygyegydgef

Hear me out but I said after finishing Gold last March that I wanted this book to be Matthew's healing arc right so halfway into the book when I realized that we weren't getting all that good healing arcing I was confused just cus I thought it seemed natural to address all of his alcohol issues and sadness by now. LITTLE DID I KNOW CASSIE WAS SETTING UP A WHOLE OTHER ARC WITH HIM THAT I WOULD HAVE NEVER GUESSED WTH.

At first I thought Matthew didn't have feelings for anyone at all, and if he DID develop feelings unexpectedly, I fricking thought that maybe he's catching feelings for James, if anyone??? I mean, I did have some suspicions about Matthew from the get-go: like he's so secretive and as readers we think we know everything there is to know about him since we were all privy to the truth potion incident in his short story right BUT NO I GOT PLAYED AND I DESERVE IT SO BADDDDDD.

Listen I hadn't shipped him and Cordelia simply because I never thought it in the realm of possibility but it MAKES SENSE as a ship... think about it: he never says what he feels, he flirts with her like he does with EVERYONE, he is kind to her in the way he is with EVERYONE. Really, Matthew is shippable with everyone, doesn’t matter if they’re taken cus that’s just what his Matthewnes allows for ya feel. There is such a beautiful irony that CORDELIA herself did not see this coming. Even the little teasers and hints in Gold have only NOW started making sense to me likejhss. I just felt like the hints in book 1 did not indicate to me that Matthew really harbored real romantic feelings for Daisy. I thought he was upset that James and Cordelia were being fakes, not a developing CRUSH on the woman fgs.

Not to mention that you usually sense a ship building when the emotional connection or sexual tension between the characters is made clearer but to me their FRIENDSHIP grew right but it didn’t feel like Cordelia was thought that she liked him or he liked her so that means me and Cordelia are clowns *together* 😤

Okay I was lowkey having SUSPICIONS but I immediately shut them down right... like firstly when he took her to the White Horse in his car and she went OFF and OFF and off about how she felt free for the first time? I thought Cassie was just tryna develop Cordelia's self-liberation arc through Matthew there. Heck, I didn't even think ANYTHING of it when Matthew confession to Cordelia about the "truth potion" incident at all cus I was like they're FRIENDS??? BUT now it's adding up now...

See when they were at the inn place and he was telling her that she doesn't in the least seem like a 100 year-old married woman? I was like hmmmm he's so sweet but why did Cassie phrase it like that like??? When Cordelia later reiterated that she thought Matthew's flirting was “meaningless”?? I was like hmmm kinda SUS tho. And then when he and James had their fight over the way Jamie kissed Grace like again I thought he was just like? ion know? mad at James for it but I didn't think he was in LOVE with Cordelia??? So I immediately put aside my slight suspicions. The probability that he had a crush on James at that point seemed more likely to me.

BUT THEN it started hitting me that every time Matthew drank, even before he explained his issue with the truth potion, that Cordelia would note it, she would worry about him, she would think of her father which seemed so poetic to me, history repeating itself and all that but this time you can FIX it??? Yeah, but again I didn't think the L WORD would be involved man???

Now imma sound like a delulu shipper here but it just makes sense they would develop feelings logically- reason being that it definitely is possible based on the way Cassie set up the story, like there's a combination of little “friend things” that can turn this into a proper ship: Matthew rescues Cordelia in the ballroom when Grace captures James' attention in Gold. Cordelia sees her father in Matthew all the time but knows now she has a chance to be there for him in the way she couldn't have been there for Elias (classic “history repeats itself” trope, she doesn't want Matthew drinking in Paris like dhshghdfhdhch). Cordelia tastes freedom for the first time when driving with Matthew. Matthew caught James and Cordelia making out in the room and was pissed but not even HE properly knew why then??? Umm, when she thinks James is forreal cheating with Grace on her she subconsciously goes to Matthew??? I also found it funny just how every intimate marital moment between her and James got interrupted somehow. Like, it's as if the narrative is just a living force REFUSING to let James and Cordelia as a ship be consecrated. Heck, every time Matthew is scantily clothed Cordelia notes it. LITTLE CRUMBS I TELL YOU LITTLE CRUMBS.

I tell you when Cordelia showed up to Matthew's flat I thought they were gonna f*ck as friends but I got SOMETHING EVEN BETTER SOMEHOW

THEY ARE GOING TO PARIS LA BELLE EPOQUE PARIS THE PARIS OF DREAMS AND ART LIKE??? FRICKKKKK I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING AT ALLLL MAN? I deadass thought the story would be restrained to the UK but like it MAKES SENSE the trope subversion MAKES SENSE.

“In Paris, with you, I will not need to forget.” SHITTRGEGGGDG

BUT CORDELIA LOVES JAMES TOO LIKE I CAN'T DENY THAT... where are we GOING with this like Matthew wouldn't lie about his feelings and yet Cassie wouldn't give us Matthew and Cordelia crumbs to only end it in the next book immediately for her to just ditch him for James. I mean she was clearly holding back on fleshing out James and Cordelia as a ship for this but to WHAT END??? Daisy feels wild and free with Matthew and she feels warm at home warm with James. I can’t advocate for the sinking of ANY ship here.

Imma say what we're all thinking: Is she gonna give us a Will x Jem x Tessa type situation where Cordelia gets both of them cus I'm not strong enough for this but I also think it'd be really funny if James gets a surprise bi awakening in the next books and then we get POLY even tho this would never happen, it’s actually impossible, because of the whole parabatai thing.

Listen I ship Cordelia and Matthew much more than Cordelia and James, not that I dislike James in any way tho. It's just: Matthew is so unrestrained and she's so composed. They seem like an unlikely pair so it makes sense that they hit harder for me. James and Cordelia have such similar personalities but I ALSO don't ship James with Grace at all so like?? Poly would be... ideal... but it can’t happen especially cus they are fricking parabatai... a Will-Jem-Tessa situation seems more likely but mannnn ion know what to expect. I just want FAIRSTAIRS to have their moment in Paris. I mean James and Matthew clearly don't abhor each other for this.

Take everything I say with several grains of salt, take everything I say with the whole Dead Sea actually, cus I damn well know that Matthew is so flirty and whatnot that I’d have shipped him with anyone in their little circle but now that she set him up with Cordelia it all feels so right?? I have wanted this man in a good relationship since he walked onto the page in Nothing But Shadows so-

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I can't believe Cassia duped me like this omg, Matthew is gonna have his healing arc in Paris with Cordelia by his side like- THIS IS ALL I HAVE WANTED AND SO MUCH MORE. Question to yall btw: are you all as surpised at Fairstairs as me or did yall see it coming all along like smart people? Am I a lone clown? 🥺

BRUH okay criticisms of CC?:

Lmfao a part of me feels like I GOTTA say something bad about CC or the book but honestly I have no objective complaints about it as of now. Am I saying that it’s the PEAK of Young Adult literature and Urban Fantasy? I mean, I make no such claims tbh. I’m not here to be critical when I read as a hobby and when CC’s writing makes me happy regardless of how flawed some people see it.

Okay what next?

So like I’m excited for the adult high fantasy she’s releasing in the fall and whatever other works she might be releasing outside of Chain of Gold within the Chronicles.

As for TLH itself? Man I’m just VIBING like I suspect I will reread Chain of Iron soon and maybe one of the anthologies just because I am happy that this series actually happened after me waiting like 6 years for it when it was just a concept: a Dickensian retelling filled with poetry and culture and history and the conventions I so loved in TID at age 12. This is all I been wanting tbh. I’m just enjoying watching this series come to fruition for it to inspire and transform me in some way. I feel like in a way my coming-of-age aligns with that of these specific characters yet I ALSO feel like I raised Jamie since infancy. Wack.

MATTHEW AND CORDELIA IN FRANCE LA BELLE EPOQUE TO BE EXACT IMMA CRY I DID NOT SEE THIS COMING AND AHHHHHH. ALSO WILL AND JAMIE GOING TO CORNWALL TO GET LUCIE AND MAYBE BOND I LOVE WILL. HE WAS ONE OF MY DILF AWAKENINGS AT AGE 12 AND NOW HE’S HERE AGAIN IMMA CRY. I WANNA SEE MATTHEW GET HAPPY. AHHH.

Ending with a fun quote: “In the wise words of someone or other, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Maurice.” 😉

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nothesc · 4 years

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Hello you! There are two interviews on YouTube with Hajar and Lucas, but I don't understand one word :/

Could you tell me please what they're talking about?

Lucas: https://youtu.be/aqrKcW2rzbQ

Hajar: https://youtu.be/5EVbqe4kFdw

Hi! Sure, I’m sorry this took me a bit but I had to watch both interviews. It’s basically what they said on the written interview. LUCAS He starts talking about how he first auditioned for Skam and how once he got there he realized that they were all a family. He said that working in Skam is really magical, like they make things look easy. He also says that the actresses put something of themselves in their characters, especially Irene and Hajar. He says that Hajar and Amira’s story needed to be told, and he said that the best thing that Skam could ever give him was the opportunity to be there with Hajar to support her while telling Amira’s story. He says that one of the best things about skam is that they tell true stories, there’s no extra drama no one dies, no one sells drugs, no one is super rich, they’re stories that feel real so teens can identify with it. He said that while on s2 he had to portrayed the older brother that takes care of his sister while being there for her when she needs him, on s4 Dani is in love, he’s fascinated by Amira who, even though is younger than him, is so mature, and has a higher sense of morality than Dani and higher sense of future than him, and he doesn’t hesitate when falling into a relationship with her with all that means because he’s in love with her. He’s asked what Amira is for Dani and he says that she brings light to his life, that he’s known her for a long time and that now he sees in her the opportunity to have the love story he’s always wanted. They talk about how silence is very important between amira and dani, how it’s not an uncomfortable silence and he says that it’s the kind of comfortable silence you have with someone you’ve known your whole life When asked about how was filming s4 he said that in the beginning he was so nervous because Hajar’s been doing her role for such a long time and he wanted to be as good as her so he, as Lucas, would look alright. But that eventually he realized that what he really needed to do was create a Dani that helps Amira tell her story better, because he’s not the one that matters here, Amira and her story are. He said he’s very comfortable on Dani’s skin. That he was very anxious and nervous at first but that Hajar helped him a lot to relax. He again said that both Amira and Hajar’s stories are very important to tell. HAJAR She said that she didn’t realize she was the main of the fourth season till she was actually filming the first episode because it felt like it wasn’t real, she didn’t want to get her hopes up. She said that she didn’t have to change much stuff to play Amira this season than the way she played her previous seasons Amira wants to tell how it’s living as a hijabi in Spain and what comes with that. She wants people to know her and her world. Hajar says that telling this story was super important because she didn’t grow up with representation in tv shows until og Skam came along and she really loved it and she wished there would be a spanish version and then she ended up being the main of the spanish version. She says that to the director was very important that Amira’s parents weren’t strict, that they were loving and normal parents because Muslim parents are also like that and not only the way they’re portrayed on tv. She says that she told the writers that she needed the two groups of friends Amira has, because she also has them, because she’s part of both worlds, the Spanish and the Muslim one. She says that representation is really important because when you watch a tv show and you see someone that looks like you or believes in what you do you feel like you’re not invisible and you matter She said that the writers told her that they would write whatever she told them because her story was the one that needed to be told About Dani she says that Amira has always known what she wants in life and she’s so sure of it but suddenly someone comes along that shakes her world and makes her question things and realize not everything is so easy. About the silence she says that even though Dani and Amira have a really great communication, sometimes they don’t need words. Dani gets Amira, he understands what she says and what she hasn’t said. And that’s what makes them so special. She says she really misses Amira. She says that she loves all her castmates that they’ve all helped her so much and make things easier for her She feels like time has gone by too fast, she’s more mature now, and she’s felt so many things during these years. She’s learned a lot. This season they were feeling very nostalgic because they knew things were ended. She says that they cried a lot during the last scene and that it’s super beautiful. Again, sorry it took so long

#skam españa #damira

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lothloriien · 3 years

Text

I posted 12,508 times in 2021

548 posts created (4%)

11960 posts reblogged (96%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 21.8 posts.

I added 528 tags in 2021

#pirate ramblings - 241 posts

#w tag - 56 posts

#save - 55 posts

#save tag - 37 posts

#ask - 29 posts

#tagged - 28 posts

#tag game - 27 posts

#islam - 23 posts

#lord of the rings - 17 posts

#muslims on tumblr - 15 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#and when you only bring that up to remind poorer people that richer people who aren’t billionaires aren’t the enemy then you’re classist

My Top Posts in 2021

one day i'll have a group of friends that also romanticize everything, and appreciate art and literature and architecture and aesthetic appeal, and take candid photos of each other and go on picnics and walks in the wood and appreciate each others music and value kindness and peace. friends who care about me the way i care about them. maybe not now, but one day

640 notes • Posted 2021-04-17 04:13:25 GMT

im in love with the way eowyn is written. she's cold, but not in a way that makes her emotionless and fearless, but the kind of cold that comes from having to fend for yourself when you should have others to rely on. eomer and theoden were great men, but they were warriors, and could not be there for her the way she needed. and then of course, aragorn came along, and her love for him made her even worse (eomer said that she was fine until she loved him), which is another thing i find poetic. her love for aragorn made her colder, whether it was because he did not love her back or because he was too much like her brother and uncle. but her love for faramir thawed her and warmed her, because although he was capable of deeds just as valiant and heroic as aragorn, he preferred the life of learning and love and warmth to the life of war and strategy. and that says a lot about lord of the rings: the cure to sadness is not hope, but warmth.

711 notes • Posted 2021-04-25 02:00:16 GMT

reblog if you support muslims

i just. i really need to know right now. there’s so much hate in the world, i need to know who’s safe. also if you can’t reblog this feel free to block me <3 i hope i never interact with you ever in my life

2713 notes • Posted 2021-04-03 05:08:14 GMT

Hey I saw your tips for drawing muslims but do you have any for writing them?

hello hello, thanks for the ask!

WRITING MUSLIM CHARACTERS

stereotypes to avoid

– the “oppressed hijabi” trope

listen, most of us wear hijab because we want to. because we grew up around it. because it’s as natural as wearing a shirt. please stop acting as though we all despise our hijab and our religion

– the “misunderstanding parents” trope

why are all muslim parents emotionally or physically abusive in fiction? i personally have an amazing relationship with my parents. also not all muslim parents are trying to suck the joy out of their children’s lives. they’re just trying to keep their kids safe. also this trope usually gets pretty racist because the reason they don’t understand their child is because they’re “not from here” and “don’t get how things are done” so yknow, avoid that.

– the “abusive dad” trope

listen. i’m fully aware that abusive parents are horrible and something that people should be made aware of, but when every muslim dad in fiction is abusive, that’s just islamophobia. just. give us good relationships with our family!!!

– the “silent mom” trope

how come muslim mothers in fiction have no lines? have no voice? they’re just silent products of a household there to cook and clean. what is that all about?? please. just stop

– the “White Boy Romance” trope

oh, all muslims know where i’m going with this Do. Not. Have. A. Hijabi. Take. Off. Her. Hijab. For. A. White. Boy. please. don’t have her take it off, period. but especially not for romance. actually, if your narrative involves a muslim girl stepping away from her religion and taking off her hijab and realizing she’s happier this way, throw the whole story away. i’m sorry, but if you’re not muslim, this isn’t something for you to write about. this is not your story to write, and writing it will be extremely islamophobic. avoid a typical romance. muslim romances do not occur the way western romances do. either you gotta be okay with that and write it properly, or you should do your best to avoid it altogether.

THINGS TO DO

– let them have friends!! let them have muslim friends!! especially if they live in an area that has a high muslim population.

– let them talk about things that aren’t their religion. listen, my muslim friends and i talk about religion occasionally, but i can assure you, more of our conversation revolves around the hot boy of the week or about whatever shows we’re watching. and in terms of non-muslim friends, religion isn’t a point of tension. we respect and celebrate our differences, and that’s it. we talk about it sometimes, but we don’t argue about it

– make it clear that we’re muslim without just saying it. have us take a step aside to pray. have a character compliment our hijabs. have us fast in ramadan (or make up fasts in the winter). have us eat halal meat. say bismillah before we eat. say alhamdulillah after sneezing or when we’re thankful. subhanallah when we see something beautiful

– we’re not nuns. we find people attractive. we discuss it. it’s not a big deal

– make sure we have a personality that doesn’t revolve around our religion. yes, our religion can be a huge aspect of our identity and life, but no, it’s not the only thing. make them obsessed with a show. give them nervous habits. what do they collect? are they introverted? you tell me!

– avoid intimately close friendships with the opposite gender. casual acquaintances is fine, but this is something i would personally avoid writing if possible

– research what is haram. i’ll give you a basic list:

- pork

- meat that isn’t halal

- gelatin (unless it’s plant gelatin or from a halal store)

- missing prayers

- sex before or outside of marriage

- cheating in any way

- abuse towards your family (yes, this may come as a shock to some, but it’s actually prohibited by islam)

- drinking

- drugs

do more research, of course, but this is a basic list.

i think that about covers it: don’t stereotype us, make sure it’s noticeable that we’re muslims, give us personalities, and make sure we’re avoiding haram stuff

before anyone comes at me: i’m aware that there are muslims who don’t follow the rules and who do haram things and who don’t like their religion and don’t have stable family relationships etc, etc. BUT when that is our only representation in media, it’s islamophobic. show us good muslims, who like their religion, whose religion is their identity, who don’t feel like their religion is causing them to lose out. because we exist.

3539 notes • Posted 2021-05-04 15:34:06 GMT

if you don’t get to strap a knife to your thigh underneath a flowing ballgown while dancing with your rival at least once then what is the point

5359 notes • Posted 2021-03-28 01:30:49 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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norgestan · 4 years

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SPOILERS!!!!! // i actually despise the route they've taken, i really do. if they really wanted dani and amira, and if they were endgame, i actually wouldn't have minded - i would've sighed a little bit sure, but i'd be ok.... but what they're doing with kassim... i'm just ... wow. disappointed and frustrated is a huge understatement. if they wanted representation it would've been great, but making that representation someone who could've been a really amazing love interest for amira? smfh.

uhhh i tried to put a “read more” but it’s not working???

yeah like i really like how the show has handled the first steps on the damira relationship, where there’s a lot of communication and you can see that they’re both negotiating. my biggest complaint is still that dani is a white man taking the spot on what originally was the place of a muslim man of color. and in that sense, i won’t give eskam a pass. while skamit pretended that they “ethnic-looking” white non-muslim female actress was a hijabi teenager of color, and that’s something i don’t think eskam would do, eskam is the second remake that has taken away one of the spots of that couple with two people of color, so they go to a white actor/actress.

but i agree with you: the worst this has got to be the kasim subplot. i DESPITE it with all my being for the following reasons:

perpetuates the notion that all muslim people are homophobic, something that they show has fought before in cris’ season and in the video lucas filmed with amira.

actually, let me go back to that video. because i feel like the eskam writers didn’t look at that video when they were writing this bullshit. both amira and lucas make points about how homophobia is not inherent to islam, that one can be gay and muslim because it depends on how people interpret their religion and how they feel their faith, etc etc. but then kasim spews out the same bullshit amira was fighting in the first place: that lucas, who lives in a christian environment, will have the support of his friends and people around him, but because kasim is muslim he’s deeply scared and doesn’t want to come out. it’s not because lucas is white while kasim is a brown man, it’s not because kasim has had particular experiences with his sexuality outside his religion. no. it’s because lucas is christian and kasim is muslim. and of course christian people are waaay more open minded than muslim people, right? that’s how LITTLE NUANCE was put in the whole thing. the entire story is written like any youtube comment under a clip of las labass, saying that they will punch cris for being bisexual and other islamophobic bullshit.

this kinda shits on the entire religious subplot of og s3. in og, isak’s mother insistence with showering his son with the word of God(tm) was what held him back from coming out to her and part of his internalized homophobia. the season also made points how what isak believed in, aka the evolution, could also lead into homophobic rationalizations of the presence of gay people in the story of humanity, while sana made sure to tell isak (and the audience) that hatred came from fear, not from religion. isak suffered because he was in a white and christian environment, where people were either disgusted by him (his parents at first), completely okay with outing him because “it’s 2016, get out of the closet” (emma, vilde at some extent, bunch of other people who spread the rumors in school), casually calling him slurs (magnus), fetishizing him and even (the dance girls, the skam fandom), and then people who were supportive of him (admittedly, not all of these things were called out in the show, but people got the point with the first two groups). the only muslim character in the show had absolutely no problem with isak being gay, and supported isak and even’s relationship: sana even got mad when she thought the balloon squad hit isak bc he was gay, when they actually hit him because he fought them first out of jealousy - and back then it was the white girls who insulted sana in the bathroom and who theorized that the balloon squad were homophobic. so, like, absolutely all of that is gone here. and in the last dani/amira clip, dani says how his parents aren’t actually “good christians” (hmmm the christian cult survivor in me absolutely loathes that term) because they’re intolerant and homophobic, but the fact that it’s kasim, the muslim gay guy, who says he’s in a bad environment, means that the show wants us to believe and empathize with him, right? UGH. very progressive of you eskam. i’ve never seen this before.

let me expand real quick on that last point. so far it’s only been amira, a straight muslim girl, who has told us that homophobia is not inherent in muslim spaces. HOWEVER, we have an actual muslim gay character say to out faces that he feels oppressed and that his circles will never understand him the way lucas’ christian circles understand and accept him. and because he’s the gay muslim guy, we’re supposed to believe he’s right over amira, who has never experienced being lgbtq+ and muslim. WOW. I ABSOLUTELY HATE IT.

yet again other western stereotype of a gay guy nonchalantly asking amira to play as his beard. WOW. WOWOWOWOW. WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK. but what i hate the most about this is that amira is clearly SO disgusted by this, the narrative wants us to be on her side and demonize the closeted muslim guy of color for this. all while we were supposed to take dani’s al qaeda joke as a funny thing that amira adds to the list of why dani is the funniest guy she knows and why she likes him. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

moreover, i hate this entire conversation: because amira has had two people come out to her. cris and kasim. and when cris, white christian cris, told her she liked a girl, amira was immediately okay with all of that. but when kasim tells amira that he likes a dude, amira’s reaction it’s just SO baffling: she accuses him of FOOLING and LYING to his family and the people around him. but she never once questioned why cris hadn’t told anybody this yet, much less call her a liar for not coming out to everybody. what the fuck is this!!!!!!! not only this is yet another way that the show demonizes kasim, but it’s purposefully writing amira ooc to do so. wow. i absolutely hate it. i don’t think i have said that yet?

and to close this huuuuge rant off lmao, i just really dislike that everything about kasim’s sexuality is misery porn: begging for the white guy he likes (loves?) to understand him and be with him, the pressure of being the only man on his family, the pressure of his sister trying to find him a good muslim girlfriend, how oh so homophobic muslim people around him are... even if at the end the show ends up saying (again) that coming out as a muslim is Not That Bad, all of this is just, immediately gonna make white/non-muslim people look at this and think: “yep yep yep, muslim people are sooooo intolerant, not like Me, raised in a good Christian environment, where we’re Open Minded not like those arabs”. and i already hate all of that, no matter what the resolution is. this is SO catering of western audiences only. terrible writing choice and i won’t let eskam get out of this one. even if they found a way to say the right stuff at the end, what they’ve done for now it’s enough for me to step away from the remake. but i’ll be here to criticize it when the entire episode is out, you bet.

#skam españa spoilers #answered #skam españa #anti eskam #wow #never thought i'd use that tag before

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sauerland-2001 · 4 years

Text

Ok so I’ve re-watched episode 7, now with subtitles and I want to talk about Skamit’s version of the bench scene. I want to preface this with two things: I know that subtitles can miss certain cultural things (which is by no means criticism; I translated some stuff for Druck back then and know it’s impossible to do it all justice), so like always and with every Skam version, I proceed with that in mind. Second....I love Martino Rametta so I’m freaking biased. I’m sorry. But I was wary of this scene and even while watching I was scared they might ruin it any moment.

Now...I loved it. I really really loved this scene. Tiny changes in the writing of the dialogue make all the difference, as I knew when I watched the og scene back then (and last week). Sana and Marti aren’t talking about Italy in general. This is a super personal talk about their friends. Sana is hurt and talks about her friends possibly being racist too and how they don’t see her point even when she explains. Marti doesn't simply correct her or dismiss her feelings (ok, he doesn’t believe her friends are racist but he explains why later on). And when she points out the difference between the experiences of a Muslim hijabi and him as a gay boy, he understands. When he says they should give clever answers to stupid questions, he includes himself in that advice. He isn’t simply telling Sana to educate others to avoid negativity (God...), he says that he hears stupid questions all the time too so it’s something they both have to do (and we know this is true because Ludo made sure to show this to us!!). That is a massive difference to what Isak said. Isak was used by Julie to defend Norwegians and people’s ignorance and to say that negativity (= racism!!!) only occurs if you’re looking for it. And Martino doesn’t say that. At all. So the argument which was my biggest problem with the og scene is....gone from this scene. Yes, he does say that he doesn’t know which things are ok for him to do in front of Sana. But the tone is so different? It luckily lacks the accusation I always hated in Isak’s speech. Marti wants to know these things for himself and because Sana is his friend and he doesn’t want to offend her. As I said, this is a personal talk between two people who are both at a low point, not a PSA on “How Muslims should educate fragile non-Muslims”.

Marti doesnt call Sana a bitch, thankyoumysonIloveyou. When he pointedly lists all negative traits you can’t help but smile as a viewer because at this point it’s super obvious that Marti shares these traits. They truly are best buds.

I’m sorry, this was not very eloquent but rather rambling but I hope you understand why I prefer this version over the bench scene. The problem with the og scene to me was Isak’s role in it, not what og Sana said. Her speech about how she felt and her experiences was amazing and should have been left alone. It was what came after that was truly awful to me.

Ludo and Sumaya (whose voice you can hear very clearly here) made this scene work and I’m so grateful. 💙

#skam italia #skam italia spoilers

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jackredfieldwasmyjacob · 4 years

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I honestly dont see where people come from when they say they are villianizing the characters. As a hijabi, the only thing I see is people making mistakes people hey! We are humans, we are scared of things, we lash out out of nowhere. Dounia overreacted? Perhaps, but her hurt and anger is valid because she doesn't know the whole truth. She will obviously be on her brother's side. Is Kassim scared? Yeah, and he has reasons to. Ive seen queer Muslim boys being beaten to death and queer Muslim +

Girls been looked down and casted aside. Is what he is doing okay? No, but he has every right to be scared. Is Lucas right be making Amira lie too? No, but he wants to protect Kassim and while the whole thing isnt okay, it is very kind of him ykwim. Did Cris overreact? Of course!!! But we know she is going through a rough time. This is not to excuse any of the characters for putting Amira in a compromising situation, but they have reasons that explain it. And to me, seeing teenagers not being perfect, making mistakes and sometimes being horrible friends doesn't mean they are being villianized. Kassim is not a villain, he is scared. Is he acting wrongly? Yeah, but we understand why. And honestly, people could you stop expecting the most out of Dani? He forgot it was Ramadan and there's nothing horrible out of it. He is not used to Ramadan so that what I expect from him. And I dont know why you all expect so much of him when I've seen other Muslim women offering food during Ramadan. And not once or two. I've seen it so many times. You all can have your own opinions and I dont want to impose mine, but stop saying a character is villianized just because they dont act the way you want them to. Just because they arent perfect or they have emotional reactions that are valid even if we dont like them. The only character that has ever been villianized in eskam is Miquel.

Thank you so much for your insight cause I’m not a Muslim so I wouldn’t know how all of this would feel for one that is! And I’m with you here, I honestly don’t see anyone villanized (aside for Miquel as you said), like just because a character behaves a certain way that folds under the “bad” and “wrong” category doesn’t seem it’s been villanaized all of a sudden, it’s just... doing what people do, fucking up, reacting to their own contexts and situations in their own ways, and that’s it. That’s just storytelling, and I think this season is doing a great job in showing different views and sides in relation to Amira and her world. Nor Kasim, Dani, Dounia or Cris are villanized, they are just reacting naturally to their current situation in the plot. That’s it. And we’ll have to see how everything turns out before starting lashing out at the writers, people.

Again, thank you so so much for the anon, it gave a really good insight and it made a lot of great statements I 100% agree with :)

#skam españa #ask

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fictionfreakazoid · 4 years

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That post you made about our culture as lgbtq+ POC and liberalism/modernism is chef’s kiss. I must add I was very disappointed when I first saw the Marjan Muslim woman arranged marriage spoiler, because as a Muslim woman myself these tropes never reflect our true irl experiences. The resolution tonight was surprisingly somewhat not all bad to me. All we see in US tv shows is how inferior our practices are and how they can be ‘cured’ by their modernism for us to be truly happy. Yes some of our practices are problematic but it’s hard to just toss out our family who like Carlos phrased “are good people but not perfect “ for found family without the struggle of needing both.

I am a Biracial, Muslim and engaged to a woman. My parents know and we have had dinner with them. My mom is more welcoming (she is white) and my dad (he is black) is always happier to avoid any conversation about it. I literally stopped wearing a hijab at work & Ṣalāt al-Jumuʿah after the Nice attacks but almost everyday before work, during lunch etc I cry about it to a point where I want to quit because I am not fulfilled. Yes I don’t get to be a target but I want to celebrate my religion the way I please.That conflict phase is hard and most media gloss over it like it’s empowerment (remember Nadia removing her hijab in Elite?) .

Do they (911 LS) need to research more on Muslim and Islam representation? Absolutely!!S1 was very cringe but today I was left feeling somehow hopeful to give them a chance. I will probably get a lot of backlash for this but couldn’t they just hire a Muslim actress or consult with IRL Muslims?

I flesh it out because you gave me the stage lol, Again sorry for the bad English.

Salamu Alaikum sister! First of all, thank you for sharing, and I will always support you as my fellow Muslim and I’m glad there’s another lgbt+ POC Muslim watching the show! Also, I actually didn’t watch Elite because I heard about that specifically and I didn’t want to go through that painful “representation” again. This is kinda long lol sorry I like writing and I have a lot of feelings about this, so I’ll put a read more here

I didn’t see any spoilers of the arranged marriage before the episode, so watching the episode my dread just grew and grew and unfortunately materialized. However, a few years ago I became friends with a hijabi in my college class and she informed me that she was engaged in an arranged marriage. Obviously, this shocked me at first but then she further explained that it had been more of a matchmaking process where her parents showed her people, and then she got to choose. I was still uncomfortable with this because obviously she was still pressured to get married, but my mom talked to me about it later and was like well, how else are (Muslims) going to find a suitable spouse in a halal way if not by matchmaking or happening to find a person? And I have to agree that at least that form of “arranged marriage” sounded somewhat reasonable if it was truly still a consensual choice by both spouses. However, the form of arranged marriage they showed in the episode was strongly different than that and literally proved to be problematic in the episode. I know Muslims from several different countries, I know my relatives who literally live in the Middle East: none of them still do that or even did that generations ago and honestly, the practice isn’t that Islamic either if the choice to opt out wasn’t apparently given to them from the start, which it didn’t seem to be in Marjan and Salim’s case. Arranged marriage in that form is definitely part of some cultures, but not, to my knowledge, a part of the Muslim nor Middle Eastern/Arab culture at large other than the clearly and undoubtedly unislamic practices of forced child marriages. So clearly they did not actually base the arranged marriage on actual Muslim culture, although arranged marriages do still happen in our culture, I personally do not know of it being common in our Muslim, particularly Muslim American, culture to be in that form so my suspicion is that they really just heard that Muslim communities still have arranged marriage without any context and tried to put it in the show and act all woke about it. I know that Marjan’s actress isn’t Muslim (which is also problematic, I definitely agree with you) and I doubt they either consult any actual Muslims nor is it likely that they have any Muslims in their writing team, and if they do they will only choose the most liberal of their opinions that fit their ideas of liberalism/modernism and escaping stereotypes and that’s too much of a portion that they’re including in the show.

To continue to the part of the arranged marriage arc that I actually found reasonable: Marjan’s ultimate rejection of Salim. Despite some of the problematic ways they showed it, Marjan did strongly and visibly believe in Islam and its practices and was proud to be Muslim and defended it when the squad questioned any aspects of it. She also made it clear that she personally believed in it/had her personal conviction in Islam and that it wasn’t just something she pretended to follow along for the sake of pleasing her parents, which some Muslims, unfortunately, end up doing, particularly in this generation with exposure to “modernism”, which I still respect because that’s their personal journey and only Allah can judge and they as well as anyone else might end up coming back to Islam ultimately. Also, that can show that they weren’t really taught enough about the beauty of the true religion and not conservative/traditionalist propaganda of Islam, which is not just spread to nonMuslims through Islamophobic media but also spread to poorly Islamically educated Muslims ourselves, to have strong enough convictions for it, but again, their personal journey and I still respect them because true Islam teaches that you respect anyone even nonMuslims and that you always leave the door open and just try to educate and be a good example. Marjan seems to follow that same mindset as well because she is shown to be very accepting of others and their beliefs even when they don’t match hers, she just respects them and makes her boundaries clear. And to tie that back to the main point - that’s exactly what she did with Salim. Salim showed multiple signs of not truly adhering to Islamic values, first the alcohol drinking (which I also strongly admired the visible discomfort she had for that), the side relationship and then ultimately kissing her. She respected his personal decision to do those things, but she ended it when it became apparent that he expected her to do the same or at least tolerate it if she loved him. What I admired is that she put her foot down and said that if she not only couldn’t be in a commitment with someone who didn’t keep their commitments (which even plenty, if not most, of nonMuslims agree with) but also no longer had the same values or a tolerable amount of the same (Islamic) values she held. That along with other subtle signs of Marjan’s personal conviction to Islam are what make me still have at least some hope for the representation. Despite the terrible form of the arranged marriage they showed, they still showed that Marjan sticks to her beliefs and isn’t ashamed of them and is even willing to defend them, she doesn’t conform to just abandoning everything because she loved Salim, which is what the modernism ideology wants to promote. I also liked how they showed that it wasn’t an easy decision to make either - it was a clear choice for her, but it still hurt her and I like that they didn’t just shame her for that like certain modernist ideologies would’ve wanted to portray her situation (particularly because it would further Islamophobia, which let’s be honest is usually the goal for most nonMuslim media): either you abandon everything for love or you cut ties for things that you can’t agree with and feel nothing because your beliefs are strong. That ideology is so wrong and I’m glad the show portrayed that: it’s a struggle, and it hurts. I’m glad that they showed that struggle with a Muslim POC instead of just being like “Oh well her sticking to Islam makes the decision really easy and it wasn’t even a struggle because *shameful tone* religion means a lot to her, and they easily could’ve gotten away with that, but thankfully they at least did that for us.

I also really liked that they showed a similar struggle with Carlos, but instead of Islam, it was more about the struggle of being lgbt+ and also the love for your family despite their intolerance. (Personal) I literally went through an almost identical scenario to Carlos - I (regrettably) came out (as biromantic asexual) to just my dad and even though I specifically told him not to he later told me that he outed me to my mom. My dad was supportive and said that God made me this way and that true Islam says it’s ok, and although right now I’m still kind of uncomfortable talking about it with him because some of his opinions or understandings are kind of problematic/misunderstandings/stereotypes (i mean he literally outed me to my mom and who knows who else when I told him not to), but my mom... he literally told me she thought it was haram (not Islamically allowed) and that was the last time I discussed anything lgbt+ with my dad and I never even mentioned it to my mom myself. But they’re my parents, I love them and all my relatives and Islam, they’re all so important to me, but I’m also not ashamed of being lgbt+ and it’s a part of who I am. I’m in the closet in real life other than my parents and my personal best friend who is also lgbt+, but I wish I didn’t have to be. I struggle with it every day, I don’t feel safe or secure enough to be out, those words TK chose specifically struck a chord with me. Not only do I physically feel unsafe about being out, I know that despite being supportive of lgbt+ historically before colonialism, the Islamic community, even my family, would not only not be supportive of me now, they’d also be one of the sources of my fear if I came out. I love Islam, I love the community and my family and I know they have their problems, some of which are really serious, but they still have a lot of amazing qualities and they have helped shaped who I am. (End personal)

You know what’s ironic about the message modernism sends out against lgbt+ POC and also Muslims (particularly POC Muslims)? They say that being lgbt+ is part of who you are and you shouldn’t be ashamed of it, yet they promote that you should abandon your ideology, culture and family if they don’t support you, even though those can also be important parts of who you are. I know some people are forced/coerced to make a choice between at least some of those things because of safety and intolerance, and I respect that and my heart is out to all those who have been forced to do so, I easily could’ve been one of them. I know that they struggled with this stuff too, I know they likely still struggle with it. Modernism can’t make that struggle go away, as much as it tries to hide it under an easy choice. Our ideologies, our cultures and our families aren’t personal hobbies that you can toss out at any point because they have problems, modernism can’t and shouldn’t always try to “fix” them, they might have problems but a lot of times modernism tries to “fix” them without context and only out of disrespectful ignorance and prejudice, it’s not empowerment. Our ideologies, our cultures and our families have value not only in general but also to us personally, and just saying that they should be easy sacrifices is disrespectful. Both sides usually make it seem as though we can easily choose only one and can only choose one, but they’re usually both important to us. Neither of them are easy to give up, they’re a part of us, we don’t want to choose between them and we struggle with that every day.

On a more personal note to you, sister, I understand your fear of publicly wearing the hijab, it’s like the fear I have of being out. I’m so sorry you don’t feel safe enough to show your Muslim pride through your hijab as well. Allah (swt) knows you still love Islam and are not ashamed and are considering your safety, he will always take that into account. I support you and if you ever want to talk more about it, feel free! I know it sucks to have your family not really fully support your lgbt+ identity and all the aspects of it including your fiancee, who I hope makes you as happy as you deserve and respects you and all who you are. You are valid and I hope the struggle gets easier for us and things improve in the future inshAllah. Feel free to reach out any time, and let me know what you think!

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crazy-lazy-elder-sims · 4 years

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Not everyone is so strict about the rules of hijab, I see many hijabis in 3 quarter length sleeves and in form fitting clothing. It doesn't make them lesser. Trouble is a lot of hijab models do not follow the strict hijab either so it leaves non-muslims confused as to what is right and what is wrong. That being said, a hijabi making her sim-self not following strict hijab would be one thing, it makes me more uncomfortable for a non-muslim to "break the stereotypes" or whatever because they don't have that understanding. Sorry for my english

Ok i absolutely agree with this actually!

Thing is i said nothing about wearing quarter length sleeve because alittle arm is no big deal lol my mother is a hijabi and she pushes her sleeves up alittle under her elbow and thats whatever absolutely doesnt make anyone any lesser for choosing to not to follow a rule actual hijabi people can make whatever decision they want about thier clothes and all the power to them honestly.

i was talking about was the blatant disregard of the actual purpose of the hijab by non muslims putting a sim in a plunging neckline thats open all the way or a mini skirt or backless dress etc. Imagine someone put a hijab on someone wearing a bikini how does that even make sense right? ( never mind that actually happened in real life🤦‍♀️ ) the point is hijab has rules if you personally dont follow some of them thats okay! but when making every generic hijabi sims and you want them to "break the stereotype " as you put it and like puting them in things that dont make sense i just dont understand why? Thats is why i emphasized that its a choice to wear and a choice to take off and in both my posts i explained that some people follow the rules strictly and some people don't and thats okay.

If someone in thier personal life/simself doesn't follow the rules then whatever do you love no judgment what so ever , the post i made was made not because of how hijabi women choose to dress / dress thier simselfs, it was made because of non muslim peeps refusing any sort of gentle comment or remark or help on how maybe making a hijabi sim in a mini skirt really doesnt make sense and actually the imagery hurts people and being met with abslout agression from them...

I hope i made myself clear and if you disagree or have any more remarks or questions feel free to message me and talk this is a safe space for that ^-^

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inmyarmswrappedin · 4 years

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DRUCK reactions - s4 ep2

With special thanks to Michi ( @wodrueckts ) for looking over it to make sure I didn’t say anything glaringly wrong. 💛

CLIP 1: It’s hard out there for a hijabi

Here’s one thing I like about this episode: the shot of the tiara spinning in the air. That said, it’s kind of inexplicable. It’s been like a month since the Abiball, so what’s the tiara doing here? Was Amira holding onto it all this time? Did she have this vision of, like, sorting out her shit as she prepares to move out of her parents’ home, and remembering how her gay friend gave the tiara to her because he hated that his boyfriend was so hot he just naturally won all popularity contests? And she was like, “Imma do a solid for future Amira and get rid of this dollar store tiara right now”?

Anyway.

So far, Amira M.’s season has been the only Sana season not to drop during Ramadan. Seems like the Druck team thought they might not even get to Amira, and then they got renewed at the eleventh hour. So they needed to put that shit out quick because the character was set to leave for Australia and anyway it would’ve been really weird to do an Amira season in uni, and then go back to high school with the next gen. So this season is set in summer, and depending on what Wtfock does with Yasmina, it might be the only Sana season to do so.

I think setting this clip lakeside was pretty clever. Plenty of chances to show people in swimming suits or skimpy clothing, as well as people’s reactions to Amira’s burkini. It very quickly sets the stage for the season, same as the bus montage did for Sana in Skam.

I’m not sure how to feel about Sam thinking cunnilingus is boring. Is she sure she’s having it done right? I thought Abdi had a longer than average tongue.

And thanks to Michi, I discovered that this was a reference to Skam, which I didn’t even know because I still had the gdrive subs for s2, where Chris says getting eaten out in Gran Canaria was fun, as opposed to the new subs, where she says it was boring as shit and she fell asleep.

I can’t remember whether Sana’s prayer app ever went off in front of the girl squad. When Skam España did it, the girls immediately freaked the fuck out at the thought of Amira praying right in the middle of a street party. In this case, Kiki looks at Amira for a second. Amira turns the app off though, so we never find out what the girls would’ve done if Amira were to pray right there. Or if it’s happened before. (I’ve been told by Michi this has happened before but the girls didn’t have a reaction then either.)

“Girls, why does it always have to be about boys with you guys?” GO OFF, AMIRA. I remember when I watched the season live, I became exhausted at all the boy talk, so it’ll be interesting to see if I still get this feeling watching the episodes.

In comparison to Vilde, Kiki is also a good sport about Amira wanting this topic to be over. I mean, she laughs a little (perhaps knowingly?), but Kiki is always up for changing the topic to something else about her… Like her and Carlos’ house hunting!

And also, Druck has sent Mia off to Spain to reassure viewers that this Noora won’t take over the season like other Nooras. (Ahem.)

For lack of something to talk about, Amira brings up boxing. Kiki is immediately interested, since she loves working out. Amira is really not into the idea of her brothers getting to know her friends, so she uses Hanna’s reticence to shoot Kiki down.

Her mood has been spoiled all in all, so she stays back to feel alienated as the girls splash around.

She does look cute as hell in her burkini and sunglasses though.

CLIP 2: Am I a bet? Am I a fucking bet?

I really like the blink and you’ll miss it shot of (I think is) the customized snow globe with the Nadia and Amira pic.

Some other stuff in Amira’s room: A polisci book, a list of lodgings in Sydney open on her browser, and what I’m pretty sure is a save the date card from Nadia and her fiancé. This is a very smart way to set up Amira’s character for people who might not have been paying a lot of attention to her so far. It’s always fun to get a peek at a Skams character’s bedroom for the first time.

Amira’s season came after Imane’s, and one thing I immediately liked more about Druck was that they spent time with the prayer scenes. I remember ONE (1) scene where Imane prayed in Skam France, and we only got to see the tail end of it.

I’m pretty sure the game the Mahmoodis play doesn’t actually exist, which probably has to do with having to pay royalties to show a real game. Interestingly(?), when I searched Dr. Whoo and Chopstick on google, it led me to Doctor Who pages, so I wonder if it’s all an elaborate Doctor Who reference on the part of someone in the Druck team.

In Skam, Sana misses the shot because the balloon squad are talking throughout the whole song, but Amira loses because Mohammed literally leans into her line of sight to make eye contact. In general, Mohammed is a lot more suave and savvier than Yousef ever was.

CLIP 3: This apartment is gonna kill somebody

And on a similar note but related to Amira, she is set up as someone the other girls rely on for advice. Kiki needs her help with the renter, while Sam asks her for romantic advice. I think the reason for this might be that while the girls didn’t exactly rely on Sana for advice in Skam, Sana was the one with the ideas since the start. Amira doesn’t necessarily take charge of situations the way Sana did, but there’s this notion that without Amira, the squad would fall apart.

The Berlin housing market = shantycore goals.

I also like the bit of subtle social commentary in Amira’s speech, about middle aged people helping young adults get started with life, so the latter can support the former when it comes to pensions, etc.

CLIP 4: Huh.

So even though Amira didn’t want the girls at the gym earlier, they are here now.

The day before, Amira posted a story on ig reminding the girls about the boxing class, with no indication that she ever tried to get them not to come.

Hanna gives a quick bit of exposition when she mentions Stefan is already working full time (and in a job that presumably requires a uni degree) while she just graduated high school. Which she finds weird.

As in Skam, Essam calls Amira ‘slave,’ which Kiki and Hanna notice. Amira quickly says it has to do with a bet, and the subject gets dropped.

When the season was airing, I thought for sure this wasn’t the end of it, and it would be brought up again, either through Kiki, Hanna, or possibly Stefan via Hanna. But no, this is really the end of that storyline.

My question is, why? What is the point of recreating this storyline from Skam (even going through the trouble of setting up a week during the hiatus between episodes 31 and 32, where Amira wins and Essam has to be the slave) if you’re just going to drop it in the same episode? It’s bad writing because we’re still in the stage of the season where storylines are being set up for later. It’s bad writing because Kiki and/or Hanna literally never bring up this bet/slave business again after devoting several clips and a bunch of social media to it. It’s like the writers didn’t really want to adapt this storyline from Skam, but they also didn’t have a ton of ideas for this week. Or maybe they were going to go somewhere with it, but then they changed their minds because it made some character look bad, but they forgot to take it out.

Like okay, fine, it wasn’t my favorite storyline in Skam either. It made Vilde look like an idiot at best, or a racist and a traitor at worst. But then why even have Kiki and Hanna overhear Essam? It’s not like they had to do it for adaptation reasons. Skam France didn’t.

It’s frustrating as fuck, and it won’t be the last time this season will pull this on the viewer.

Speaking of which, Sam thinks Mohammed is hot as hell (she ain’t wrong) and invites Essam, Omar and Mohammed to Jonas’ birthday party. This bothers Amira, because she doesn’t want her brothers to hang out with her friends. Even though she apparently just invited the girls to the boxing class that takes place at the gym her brothers attend.

[SIGH]

But anyway, Sam is being characterized as someone who is in charge of her sexuality (throughout the whole show, but specifically in this episode). While Amira is pining from a distance, getting flustered just from eye contact, Sam sees a hot guy and immediately creates an opportunity to see him again.

CLIP 5: Barbecue pining

There’s such a summer vibe about always finding reasons to hang out at a specific place because your friend got a summer job there.

I gotta give it to the writers. Essam is such a well-constructed younger sibling character. He’s a brat exactly in the way younger siblings are, and yet… That’s also the reason he’s so endearing.

And, on that note, Omar gives off such dad vibes. Not even older brother vibes. Every time I see Omar I feel like he’s thinking, “ha-ha! These little brats are acting out because they’re going through a lot! We just have to understand them!”

The conversation Amira and Mohammed have around the barbecue is so dumb, but you gotta love how pleased Amira is that she has Mohammed’s attention. Though she’s also unused to liking having a guy’s attention.

David and Matteo are back, and they’re still adorable! Good for them.

The way you could describe this moment as, Amira literally turned around for a moment and Sam was already touching Mohammed’s hair, and have it be accurate, sums up what they’re going for here.

Social media

There was a lot of social media content to keep people fed in the hiatus between episode 31 and 32. David and Matteo backpacked through Europe, Mia left for Spain and Kiki made a video about it, Stefan was invited to a game night with the crew, Kiki and Carlos looked for an apartment, and as I mentioned earlier, Essam lost a bet to Amira and had to be her slave for a week. I think that’s about it!

Abdi suggests that he and Carlos give Jonas supplies to make a protest sign as a birthday present and I almost lost it.

I think the piece of social media that most pissed off Skam purists was a chat where Jonas assures Amira he’s already thought of buying halal meat (as well as vegetarian and vegan options) for his birthday, because apparently Druck wanted to show up Skam or something, but like… It’s not like this storyline went anywhere on Skam either, like at no point do the girls learn to order pizza Sana can eat. So what does it matter if Jonas is already aware that Muslims eat halal meat.

I love that Hanna went to boxing class once, posted a bunch of stories about it and then never attended again. What a mood.

And to close the week, Kiki texts Amira that Essam started following her on insta.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When the season was airing, I found these clips cute enough. But on rewatch, I didn’t care for this episode and the reason is that so much of it ended being irrelevant to the season. What this episode did well was setting up the Kiki/Amira friendship, setting Kiki and Carlos’ apartment and the boxing class as recurring settings for the season and some character details. Essam is a really solid character from the get go, and I like the details in Amira’s room. They could’ve left out just about everything else.

#druck #about druck

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pink-moonkitten · 5 years

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Hijabi in London 1

I'm finally home from London and shopping, it had been hope to have made daily posts but I was too tired on the evenings, instead I'll try make a few posts to get through it all rather than making everyone read a small book 🙈

I'll start by saying it was amazing trip. Two girls and the only plans were shopping, make up and dining out. What could possibly go wrong ??? - please do not ask this question to my bank.

We had to do a last minute change of hotel as the reviews on the first one kept getting worse. Like bad madrasses, bed bugs, not clean bathrooms etc. You can ignore one or two of those reviews, there are always people who will find something to complain about. And my mum had said why we didn't just go and see before we decided. How ever we was to arrive around 11pm maybe midnight and that's really not when you want to go looking for another hotel. We got lucky and found a deal for this other hotel and it turned out to be really nice, so even if we lost the money from the first hotel there was still enough to shop and dine 🙈

Wearing hijab

It was amazing with hijab, it was my first time for real to wear it consecutively and without needing to worry, since Jordan. And I absolutely loved it.

I had thought a lot about if to wear it in the airport or not and for most of the time in Danish one I didn't. I was worried if it might have given troubles since I don't wear it on my passport. When we got to the gate i finally asked the lady there if she'd reckon it would give any troubles and she reassured me no. So I went to put it on and didn't take it off unless at our room and once I was back home at myself.

It was a fantastic feeling. Also because it seems we got to live in am area with a few muslims around. Most the restaurants either were hala or had parts if menu as halal, and it was advertised !!! Something I'm not used to at all in Denmark.

The feeling of the Ummah

The friend I travelled with is religion teacher on high school/college level so she has also taught a few things on Islam (if a student pick religion class Christianity is a mandatory religion but so is Islam, and then the class may pick 2 other topics). So she has a basic understanding of my belief. She did how ever point out that one thing is to teach others about Ummah, another thing was to really experience it.

She had been with me a few times when other muslimahs in Denmark would greet me with salam so she wasn't completely unfamiliar with it. But in particular after one place we had been at - a hat shop where she had seen something she wanted, she had pointed out how the guy at the ship had constantly said sister, especially when directed to me because I had mentioned I was new to hijab. And while I had taken note of him doing it, I was already familiar it with it from online where as for her it was very new experience to actually see/hear it happen.

A few things which I noticed was how it felt like others didn't try to hide their faith as much as I sometimes feel in Denmark, but it also simply might be because there were more Muslims and thus I ran into more.

But I would notice a lot in the underground that when ever a Muslim man was there he would be very careful to look away. Even more so if I rushed to do the same. I don't think no have really had much experience with that in Denmark, but again it might have to do with less Muslims here so less people would do it.

One guy/shop owner who was standing outside his shop as we passed had even greeted and said welcome. I guess I had gotten noticed as a new (Muslim) girl in town. Which honestly felt nice.

A few unpleasant situations

Of course it wasn't all Rose's and fluffy clouds. There were a few situations which reminded me not everyone will like us. They were very few and I don't remember much. One time was at the hotel for breakfast, one last was starring at me, not directly hatefully but certainly neither admiring.

Another time was a lady in the underground, it wasn't really me but rather the darker skin coloured man sitting next to her and the lady and she probably noticed he and I exchanging looks briefly (we sat opposite each other) before we looked away again as we should. Or maybe she just didn't like anyone sitting next to her.

The only other I remember was actually in the airport. I didn't quite hear the conversation but it was an American lady who apparently had been saying to the people there something about not feeling safe and looked in my direction. The people had just dismissed her. The fact that my friend currently has blue/pink hair and maybe even had her tattoo visible kind of made it very hilarious to me. Maybe if we had both been sitting in black abaya and niqabs, but like this it was maybe just a Karen kind of person who ... really I don't know 😅

More confident and desire

The trip has for sure given me a lot more confidence with wearing hijab and much more desire to do it. I'm sure I can use this when going forward 💖 🧕🏻

/Friday 6th of March 2020

#diary #hijab #hijabi #modesty #London #personal

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