#I also think Al kind of deserves to be humbled

[voxaholic]

I hope the RadioStatic dynamic in Season 2 is a little bit more…. like balanced.

I know we love a pathetic Vox but I feel like it’s get repetitive is Alastor always came out on top in their rivalry.

I also think having him actually do something to win against Alastor would go a long way in establishing him as a serious threat, especially since he was so hard to take seriously in Season 1.

[loverandservantoftheahlulbayt]

🍂🥀🍂 Sermon of Lady Zainab (sa) in the court of Yazid (la)

🥀 Now we propose to study the sermon of lady Zainab (sa) which she delivered in the court of Yazid (la) and which is recorded in a book written in the third century A.H. 1

🥀 Yazid (la) recited the blasphemous poetic verses of Abdullah bin Zab'ari Sahmi which he had composed while he was an unbeliever and also added some poetic verses of his own and said openly that he wanted to take revenge upon the descendants of Muhammad (S) because Muhammad (S) and his companions had killed his polytheist ancestors.

🥀 Zainab (sa), the daughter of Ali (as) rose and began speaking. She added a new chapter to the history of the Caliphate of Yazid (la) which covered a period of three years and a few months, and said: "O Yazid! Allah and His Prophet (S) have said that committing sins and considering the signs of Allah to be false is ridiculing them,” i.e. deny the sign of Allah today and hold them in derision and have become happy, and recite poetic verses on account of the martyrdom of the children of the Holy Prophet (S) just as the polytheists of Makkah became happy and sang songs because of the martyrdom of some Muslims in the Battle of Uhud, and talk about taking revenge upon the Holy Prophet (S).

🥀 This is how you become like them and how you have reached this stage? You have reached this stage because you have committed too many sins. Whoever treads the path of sin and persists in committing sins will, according to the verdict of the Quran, deny the signs of Allah one day and eventually will ridicule them and then deserve Divine punishment.

🥀 She added: "O Yazid! Do you think that we have become humble and despicable owing to the martyrdom of our people and our own captivity? As you have blocked all the paths for us, and we have been made captives and are being taken from one place to another, do you think that Allah has taken away his blessings from us? Do you think that by killing the godly persons you have become great and respectable and the Almighty looks at you with special grace and kindness?

🥀 For this reason and on account of this incorrect thinking you have become elated and arrogant. You have become boastful because you have seen that the matters have taken a turn in your favour. You have, however, forgotten what Allah says:

🥀 The disbelievers must not think that our respite is for their good We only give them time to let them increase their sins. For them there will be a humiliating torment." (Surah Ale Imran, 3:178)

🥀 Then Lady Zainab (sa) reminded Yazid (la) that on the day of the conquest of Makkah which took place in 8 A.H. the Holy Prophet (S) did favor to all the men and women of Makkah and set them free. Yazid (la) himself was a descendant of those freed persons. His father Mu'awiya (la), his grandfather Abu Sufyan and Mu'awiya's mother were among those who were set free at the time of the conquest of Makkah. On that day the Holy Prophet (S) very magnanimously set all of them free irrespective of what they had done in the past and said: "Go, for all of you are free".

🥀 In the second part of her speech the daughter of Imam Ali (as) made the conquest of Makkah her topic and said: "O son of the freed ones! Is it justice that you keep your women and slave-girls in seclusion but have made the helpless daughters of the Holy Prophet (S) ride on swift camels and given them in the hands of their enemies so that they may take them from one city to another.”

🥀 Then she said: "Why shouldn't Yazid be spiteful against us, it is he, who looks at us with hostility. You say with perfect intrepidity and without imagining that you are committing a sin: 'I wish that my ancestors who were killed in Badr had been present here today'. Then you strike Imam Hussain (as) in his teeth with a stick in your hand!

🥀 Why shouldn't you be like this, although you have done what you wanted to do and have pulled out the roots of piety and virtue! You have shed the blood of the sons of the Holy Prophet (S) and have hidden the brilliant stars on the earth from amongst the descendants of Abdul Muttalib (ra) under the clouds of oppression and injustice.

🥀 However, you shall go before Allah soon. You shall meet your ancestors and shall also be taken to their place. At that time you will wish that you had been blind and dumb and had not said that it was a day of rejoicing for your ancestors".

🥀 At this stage the daughter of Imam Ali (as) prayed to Allah and said: "O Lord! Procure our right and take revenge upon those who have oppressed us". Then she turned to Yazid (la) and said: "By Allah you have pulled off your skin and cut off your flesh. You will soon go before the Prophet (S) of Allah and will see with your own eyes that his children are in Paradise.

🥀 It will be the day when Allah will deliver the descendants of the Holy Prophet (S) from the state of being scattered and will bring all of them together in Paradise. This is the promise which Allah has made in the Holy Quran. He says:

🥀 Do not think of those who are slain for the cause of Allah as dead. They are alive with their Lord and receive sustenance from Him. (Surah Ale Imran, 3:169)

🥀 O Yazid! On the day when Allah will be the Judge and Muhammad (S) will be the petitioner, and your limbs will give evidence against you, your father, who made you the ruler of the Muslims, will receive His punishment. On that day it will become known what reward the oppressors earn, whose position is worse and whose party is more humble.

🥀 O enemy of Allah and O son of the enemy of Allah! I swear by Allah that I consider you to be humble and not fit even to be reprimanded and reproached. But what am I to do? Our eyes are shedding tears, our hearts are burning, and our martyrs cannot come to life by our reprimanding and reproaching you. My Hussain (as) has been killed and the partisans of Satan are taking us to the fools so that they may get their reward for insulting Allah.

🥀 Our blood is dripping from their hands and our flesh is falling down from their mouths. The sacred bodies of the martyrs have been placed at the disposal of the wolves and other carnivorous animals of the jungle. If you have gained something today by shedding blood, you will certainly be a loser on the Day of Judgment. On that day nothing but your deeds will count. On that day you will curse Ibn Marjana and he will curse you. On that day you and your followers will quarrel with one another by the side of the Divine scale of Justice.

🥀 On that day you will see that the best provision which your father made for you was that he enabled you to kill the children of the Prophet (S) of Allah. I swear by Allah that I do not fear anyone except Him and do not complain to anyone else. You may employ your deceit and cunning efforts, but I swear by Allah that the shame and disgrace which you have earned by the treatment meted out to us cannot be eradicated.”

🥀 The daughter of Fatima al-Zahra (sa) ended her speech with offering thanks to Allah. She said: "I thank Allah Who has concluded the task of the chiefs of the youths of Paradise with prosperity and forgiveness and accommodated them in Paradise. I pray to Allah that He may elevate their ranks and favor them more with His kindness, for Allah is Omnipotent.”

•┈┈•⊰✿✿⊱•┈┈•

🍂🥀🍂 Source 🍂🥀🍂

1. Balaghatun Nisa', Abul Fazl Ahmad

bin Abi Tahir, (208- 280 A.H.)

•┈┈•⊰✿✿⊱•┈┈•

🍂🥀🍂 al-Islam.org 🍂🥀🍂

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[questionsonislam]

Why does Allah threaten those who abandon worshipping to send to Hell?

Worshipping means a slave fulfilling his duties like takbir, hamd and shukr toward Allah in the way that He orders. Man has to fulfill his duty of hamd (praising) and shukr (thanking) toward Allah Almighty in ultimate humbleness and modesty thinking that he is fed by His endless grants, treats and boons. This can be done only through worshipping.

A person who worships in this world guesthouse sits, stands up, eats, drinks and does all of his deeds and acts according to His commands. He lives as the slave of Allah, not anyone else. This servitude makes him attain the true humanity honor, dignity and innocence. Besides, the purpose of the creation of people is to attain this honor through worshipping. As a matter of fact, Allah Almighty states the following in the chapter of adh-Dhariyat:

“I have only created jinn and men, that they may serve Me.” (adh-Dhariyat, 51/56)

He states the following in another verse:

“O ye people! Adore your Guardian-Lord, who created you and those who came before you, that ye may have the chance to learn righteousness. Who has made the earth your couch, and the heavens your canopy; and sent down rain from the heavens; and brought forth therewith fruits for your sustenance; then set not up rivals unto Allah when ye know (the truth).” (al-Baqara, 2/21-22)

Yes, Allah Almighty created the skies with the sun and stars, the earth with the sea and the land in a perfect way. And He extracted man from the magnificent tree of the universe with the delicate measure of His knowledge through so many fine sieves as the most perfect fruit. He made that little man an extract of this magnificent universe.

He placed faculties each of which is more precious than the universe into the spirit of man. He gave man eyes that could see all kinds of beauties, a tongue that could enjoy the different flavors of the foods, and a mind that would transform the perceptions and pleasures he would obtain with these feelings into knowledge and wisdom. And He gave man conscience that could appreciate the boons sent to him in order to help him and the material and spiritual gifts that placed in his body.

He also placed a heart that could respond to these endless grants and boons with endless love into man's chest.

With the mind given to him as a gift, man understands that he was not created only for this world and that he cannot be without a duty and purpose. He knows with his conscience that he should see his Lord in return for these eternal grants bestowed on him and that he should praise and thank him.

He devotes his worshipping to Allah alone. He does not associate partners with Him. Allah's love in the heart of man becomes manifest, develops and strengthens only by worshipping.

And he loves only Allah with his heart; he loves all the creatures that are worthy of love for Him too. Suppose that man is not held responsible for worshipping by the religion; his mind, heart and conscience will order him to worship and obey Allah. For, only worshipping satisfies them.

It is clear that Allah, who is the Absolute Rich, who does not need anything, does not need our worshipping. On the contrary, we are in need of worshipping.

In the Gathering Place on that horrible day of Reckoning, where we will go willy nilly, Allah Almighty will address people as follows:

"O my slaves! I created you out of nothing. I turned toward you with all my boons in the universe in order to meet your endless needs. I fulfilled all of your needs in time. I was with you in the world with My mercy and grace. Who were you with then? Who did you thank and worship by forgetting me though I deserve thanking and worshipping? "

How will we answer then? Will the spiritual torment in that sacred presence originating from shame and bashfulness be more dreadful than Hell torture? The strong feeling of shame that make unbelievers say “We wish we were earth” is probably this.

Yes, man cannot be without worshipping; similarly, Islam without worshipping cannot be imagined. Let us explain this reality with an example: Think of a Muslim village. No adhan is called in this village. No one performs any prayers - neither eid, nor Friday, nor daily prayers. Nobody performs fasting, gives zakah, or go to hajj. Those who live in that village do not read the Quran, do not care about haram-halal, and do not know what fard and wajib is. They do not have love and fear of Allah in their hearts. Nobody thinks of praising and thanking Him for His boons and blessings.

Will the people of such a village not be in a position that is contrary to the widest path that the Quran opened, the lifestyle of the Prophet (pbuh), all of the Companions, saints, righteous people, mujtahids, mujaddids, tafsir and hadith scholars, and finally all of the worshippers, good and pious people?

Yes, Islam is not just a theoretical system and a system based on conscience. In many verses of the Quran, the concept of righteous deeds is used immediately after belief, and it is taught that righteous deeds are a result of belief.

We will finish our explanations about worshipping with the following nice expressions in isaratu’l-i'caz, a tafsir book written by Badiuzzaman Said Nursi:

“...As for worship, it expands his spirit and raises his value; it causes his abilities to unfold and develop, allowing him to become worthy of eternal happiness. Worship is also a means of rectifying and purifying his inclinations, and of realizing his hopes and making them fruitful, and of marshalling his ideas and setting them in order, and also of reining in and limiting his three powers of appetite, anger, and intellect. Worship also removes the rust of nature from his members, physical and spiritual, each of which when transparent is like a window onto his private world and that of humankind. Also when performed with both conscience and mind and heart and body, worship raises man to the dignity of which he is worthy and to his appointed perfection. It is a subtle, elevated relation, an illustrious lofty connection between the bondsman and the One Worshipped. This relation constitutes the utmost degree of human perfection.”

Yes, the wisdom behind sending prophets is to teach people the principles of belief and pillars of Islam. That is, to place belief in Allah and all of the other truths of belief into their hearts and to teach them fully the duties of worshipping that will perfect their belief. Man's belief matures only with worshipping. The value of a slave in the eye of Allah is based on the sensitivity and care he will show in the duty of worshipping Him.

If belief without worshipping is likened to a fruit tree, worshipping is the causes that develop it and make it a fruitful tree. If one is like the sun, the other is like the air; if one is like the soil, the other is like the water.

No believer, including prophets and saints, has been excluded from this responsibility of worshipping. No personal virtue and maturity can replace fard worshipping.

The punishment of a person who does not fulfill such a lofty deed will definitely be Hell.

[mary-tudor]

“The Tide Letter” as written by Lady Elizabeth Tudor to her sister, Queen Mary.

“] If any ever did try this olde sayinge that a kinges worde was more than a nother mans othe [oath] I most humbly beseche your Majestie to verefie it in me and to remember your last promis and my last demaunde that I be not condemned without answer and due profe wiche it semes that now I am for that without cause provid [proved] I am by your counsel from you commanded to go unto the tower a place more wonted for a false traitor, than a tru subject wiche thogth I knowe I deserve it not, yet in the face of al this realme aperes that it is provid. wiche I pray god I may dye the shamefullyst dethe that ever any died afore [if] I may mene any suche thynge; and to this present hower I protest afor God (Who shall judge my trueth, whatsoever malice shall devis) that I neither practiced, conciled nor consented to any thinge that might be prejudicial to your parson any way or daungerous to the state by any mene [means]. And therefor I humbly beseche your majestie to let me answer afore your selfe and not suffer me to trust your counselors yea and that afore I go to the tower (if it be possible) if not afor I be further condemned, howbeit I trust assuredly your highnes wyl give me leve to do it afor I goe, for that thus shamfully I may not be cried out on as now I shall be, yea and without cause. Let consciens move your highness to take some bettar way with me than to make me be condemned in al mens sigth [sight] afor my desert knowen. Also, I most humbly beseche your higthnes to pardon this my boldnes wiche innocency procures me to do togither with hope of your natural kindnis [kindness] wiche I trust wyl not se me cast away without desert, wiche what it is I wold desire no more of God but that you truly knewe. Wiche thinges I thinke and believe you shal never by report knowe unles by your selfe you hire [hear]. I have harde [heard] in my time of many cast away for want of comminge to the presence of ther prince and in late days I harde [heard] my lorde of Somerset say that if his brother had hime suffer’d to speke with him he had never suffer’d, but the perswasions wer made to him so gret that he was brogth [brought] in belefe that he coulde not live safely if the admiral lived and that made him give his consent to his dethe. Thogth [though] thes parsons [persons] ar not to be compared to your majestie yet I pray god that evil perswations [persuasions] perswade not one sistar agaynst the other and al for that they have harde [heard] false report and not harkened to the trueth.

[f.3v] Therefor ons [once] again kneling [kneeling] with humblenes of my hart, bicause I am not suffer’d to bow the knees of my body I humbly crave to speke with your higthnis wiche I wolde not be so bold to desire if I knewe not my selfe most clere as I knowe my selfe most tru, and as for the traitor Wiat [Wyatt] he migth [might] paraventur [peradventure] writ me a lettar but on my faithe I never receved any from him and as for the copie of my lettar sent to the frenche kinge I pray God confound me eternally if ever I sent him word, message, token or lettar by any menes, and to this my truth I wil stande in to my dethe.

I humbly crave but only one worde of answer from your selfe.

Your hignes most faithful subject that hathe bine from the beginninge, and wylbe to my ende. Elizabeth.”

[strictpunishedhubby]

Reblog wenn Du auch davon überzeugt bist, Männer müssen vor und nach ihrer Züchtigung mit nacktem Po zu ihrer weiteren Läuterung in der Ecke stehen!

Gründe warum meine Frau Eckezeiten einsetzt, wenn ich von ihr versohlt werde, und sie das allen Frauen empfiehlt sind :  

Es macht ihn bewusst, er hat seiner Frau zu gehorchen!

Er bereut seine liederliche Handlungsweisen!

Er spürt die Folgen seines kindischen und undisziplinierten Verhaltens!

Er merkt seine Frau nimmt ihre Verantwortung wahr, ihn daran  zu erinnern seine häuslichen Pflichten gewissenhaft und ergeben zu erfüllen, andernfalls ihn auch neben Schläge auch mit langwierigen Zeiten in der Ecke zu bestrafen.   

Es gibt ihm Zeit über seine Nichtbeachtung der Regeln, die seine Frau für ihn aufgestellt hat nachzudenken, um sein Verhaltensweise zu verbessern!  

Es prägt sich in sein Gedächtnis ein, sich seiner Frau zu widersetzen werden von ihr immer zusätzlich mit Züchtigungen auf seinen nackten Po bestraft!

Er ist wieder in der Situation in der er seine verdiente Strafe bekommt, unterwirft sich aber schuldbewusst den Strafen, die seine Frau als erforderlich hält, weiße er doch es geschieht auch zu seinem besten!

Er kann sich währenddessen überlegen, wie er sich bei seiner Frau entschuldigen und danken kann, und wie er sie um Verzeihung bitten wird! 

Wegen sein unreifes Verhalten verhängst  Du infantile Strafen über ihn, dazu gehören eben Eckezeiten!

Da Du alleine über die Dauer und Häufigkeit seiner Eckezeiten bestimmst, ist er darauf angewiesen, wie Du sein Verhalten beurteilst und damit die Art und Weise seine Bestrafungen! Genauso wie seine Prügelstrafen, die Gebote und Verbote, die Du aussprichst! In der Ecke wird er das demütig erkennen. Er wird sich darüber schämen, noch wie ein kleines Kind behandelt und erzogen zu werden, und Aufsässigkeit vermeiden, sich Dir unterordnen, um nicht noch öfter in eine solche kläglichen Situation zu geraten.  

Es bestärkt ihn seine Frau als seine Erzieherin zu lieben, achten und zu verehren, weil er letztendlich nur ein kleiner, ungezogener Junge geblieben ist, nur in einem erwachsenen männlichen Körper!

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Gerne kannst Du weitere Gründe und den Sinn für Eckezeiten auflisten! 

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Reblog if you are also convinced that men have to stand in the corner before and after being punished with bare butts in order to reform themselves further!

Reasons why my wife uses corner times when I get spanked by her, and she is recommended to all women:

It makes him aware that he has to obey his wife!! 

He regrets his sluttish actions! 

He feels the consequences of his childish and undisciplined behavior!

He realizes his wife is taking her responsibility seriously, to remind him to fulfill his domestic duties conscientiously and devotedly, otherwise to punish him in addition to being beaten with lengthy times in the corner.

It gives him time to think about his failure to follow the rules his wife made for him, to improve his behavior!!

It is imprinted on his memory, to oppose his wife are always punish with additional chastisements on his bare bottom by her with !

He is back in the situation in which he gets the punishment he deserves, but guiltily submits to the punishments that his wife considers necessary, because he knows it is for his own good!

In the meantime, he can think of ways to apologize and thank his wife and how to ask her forgiveness!

Because of his immature behavior you impose infantile punishments on him, that includes corner times!

Since you alone determine the duration and frequency of his corner times, he is dependent on how you judge his behavior and thus the way his punishments! Just like his flogging and the do's and don'ts that you utter! In the corner he will humbly see it. He will be ashamed of being treated and raised like a small child and will avoid insubordination, subordinate himself to you in order not to end up in such a deplorable situation more often.

It encourages him to love, respect and adore his wife as his governess ,because in the end he was just a little naughty boy, only in a grown male body!

 You are welcome to list further reasons and the sense for corner times!

[b-lessings]

10 lessons I learned from the first 10 days of Ramadan 🌙

(personal, subjective, and in no particular order)

1) It's a constant work and it doesn't get easier. This is the first thing that came into my mind. As a matter of fact, the daily routine of this month is no joke, whichever deeds you try to perform and incorporate in your deen from the 5 obligatory prayers, to the sunnah, to the nawafil, to the azkar, to the Qur'an recitation, to the daily x number of istighfar you promised yourself you'd achieve, it is a lot of work, especially if you have a family to take care of, a job or school to go to, or more critically, if your mental health is not at its best condition. Every day (or night), you get out of bed and you're back at square one, you have all this list of tasks to do, and it gets a lot some times, and you do feel exhausted (but if you are among the lucky ones, then it is the good kind of exhausted), and it's not like your prayers are gonna perform themselves, you have to ger up, you have to act. That's why you need to constantly remind yourself why you are doing this in the first place. What is the point of fasting and waking up in the middle of the night to pray and spending hours throughout the day just remembering Allah swt and reading his book, etc. You have to remind yourself of the ultimate purpose of this month, that we are sacrificing the worldly pleasures for the sake of Allah swt, to gain Taqwa, to be in a state of constante awareness and consciousness of Allah's presence, to get closer to Allah swt the most gracious the most merciful, and that if we don't actually put on some work and effort, we won't get to where we want to go, we won't achieve any of that. It is good to keep things in perspective. Be aware of what you are doing, where you are now, where do you wanna go and what it takes to get you there. If it's constant work and effort, then be it.

2) You can't achieve anything by yourself, your intentions are not enough, you need Allah's support. In fact, for the first couple of days I was so confused, I had to ask my sisters " If the devils are all locked away, why do I feel like I can't focus? " And I was constantly asking myself, if I have already prepared, downloaded the calendars and planners, put up a big board on my bedroom wall, etc., Why do I feel like my Iman is getting low?, AstaghfiruAllah. Aren't we supposed to feel on cloud nine? In a state of pure bliss? And then I came across a khutbah where the Sheikh may Allah swt bless him answered my question. He explained that even though Shaytan is locked away, he has already programmed us, for 11 months (he even made a joke that Shaytan deserves a month off because he has been working too hard for the rest of the year). Anyways, what I realized is even your will and your plans and your excitement about Ramadan and your promises to do so and so deeds is not enough if you don't ask Allah swt for support, for sabr, for guidance, for help, for strength to be able to fulfill those ibadat and carry out the plans you have made for this month. You need to constantly ask Allah swt because who else is our refuge? Who else is our source of strength and patience ? Who else will keep us steadfast on the straight path? And who else is gonna help us against the traps of Shaytan? No matter how willing or excited or determined you are to perform your prayers, finish reading the Qur'an, etc, you still need Allah swt to bless your deeds, every step of the way. Without Him, nothing can be achieved. So in your sujood, ask Him that He give you enough strength to finish that prayer in full Khushoo' and concentration, and after that prayer, ask him for sabr and strength to manage to perform the next one and the one after. Tell Him that you seek refuge in Him from the traps of Shaytan, from laziness and lethargy, from the disoriented heart and the distracted mind. Show Him that you are vulnerable and that even though you are trying to do this for Him, you actually can't do it without Him. SubhanAllah.

3) Forgive yourself when you fall short.

{يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ}

{God intends for you ease and does not want hardship for you}

Allah swt literally said this in Surat Al Baqara (The Cow) when he prescribed Fasting upon us and introduced us to the holy month of Ramadan. Soz read it again. As simple as that, I am not gonna develop this idea further.

4) No matter how much you prepared before Ramadan came, you aren't prepared enough. Well, are you familiar with the saying that Ramadan is like a marathon and you have to prepare for it way before? That's actually true. And guess what? No matter how much you think you are prepared, there are still gonna be some moments when you'd still feel out of breath, where you wish you'd have prepared more. May Allah swt make us reach the end of this month smoothly and seamlessly. May Allah swt bless us and accept our deeds from beginning to end.

5) Our deeds don't get accepted because they're good enough, they get accepted because Allah is merciful. I heard this in a youtube khutba just last night and it resonated with me. Put this in your mind, learn it by heart, print it out on your forehead if necessary! No matter how perfect you think your deeds are, they won't get accepted because you're an amazing slave of Allah swt and you win at worship and ibadah. Don't get too confident, beware of arrogance, control your ego. Stay humble and know your place. The only reason why your deeds would be accepted is because Allah swt will have mercy on you, not because you are so good that your deeds would qualify you for forgiveness and acceptance. So pray that Allah swt accepts our deeds and pray that he encompasses us with His mercy.

6) Don't compare to others, don't get intimidated by others, we are not on the same journey. Walk your own rocky path. I can't stress this enough. I know a lot of brothers and sisters Mashaa'Allah, Allahuma barik, are overachievers, or they might just be out of our league. And sometimes, through social media, we see what they share (in their attempt to motivate us and share some tips and good deeds, spread the knowledge, May Allah swt bless them, accept their deeds and reward them), so we get intimidated. Sometimes it feels like what we are doing is not good enough because it doesn't even compare to what X or Y are doing. And we feel a bit scared that we are not good enough of slaves for Allah swt or that Allah swt wouldn't be pleased with us like He swt would be pleased with them, and we can even feel unworthy and get discouraged ( beware it's a shaytan trap). It is simple though, your path to Allah swt is very personal. What a brother or a sister does only get to inspire you not discourage you or intimidate you. When you see someone sharing something good or beneficial, make duaa for them and make duaa for yourself then leave it at that. Competition is taking over every aspect of our worldly life, we shouldn't let it mess with this sacred part as well. And remember, we are not all on the same journey to Allah swt. It is okay if you can't recite the Qur'an in such a beautiful way or if you can't pray 10 rakaas of Taraweeh, it is okay if you can't read in Arabic or if you don't learn any hadith by heart. Allah swt is patient enough and considerate enough. Scratch that, He swt is the most patient, the most considerate, the most gracious, the most generous, and He appreciates your effort. What matters for Him is your sincerity and the purity of your intentions.

7) The less food you take, the more energy you will have. FACTS. I mean, imagine the struggle of having to pray Ishaa and Taraweeh on a full stomach where every time you get down for sujood you feel like your soup is coming up :/ Allahu almusta'aan. This month is not about feasting. It is literally about giving up pleasures (food being one of them) to focus on Allah. So, Focus on what's important and set your priorities straight.

8) Don't overdue it. Beware of the ghost of Burnout. So yeah, like I already said earlier, it is a lot of work and it requires preparation and constant effort. The aim is to be at our best shape of health and Iman on the last 10 nights because they are the most sacred, the most important, the most blessed. You might wanna consider starting small with your deeds and building up slowly. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately and know that your deeds will not make you enter Paradise, and that the most beloved deed to Allah is the most regular and constant even if it were little." [Al Bukhari]

9) Personalize your ibadat / plans. In other words, do what's best for you and what's beneficial for you. Define your weaknesses and the areas in which you want to improve. Don't just do this or that deed because everyone else is doing them. Do not follow blindly. What is good for you might not be the thing recommended or done by the others. And what you need on your faith journey is not what X or Y needs. You will be judged on your own deeds, your own journey. Have a purpose and a reason for what you are doing and why you are doing that. Also, the more you feel like your plan or your routine is personal, the more you can relate to it and connect with it, the more sincere you will be, the more excited and enthousiastic you will be, and the easier it will be for you to perform your ibadat in Shaa Allah.

10) Too much information can be poisonous. If ,like me, you got into a habit of watching lectures and videos of speakers this Ramadan, then breaking news: it might get confusing. I don't want you to feel lost and confused. Allahima barik the resources are countless and limitless. But also, you have to beware whom you listen to. There are different sects, different perspectives, different rulings on certain things. So, try not take things blindly. Take them with a pinch of salt and always try to do a background check. And eventually, when it gets too much, always choose what's best for your heart, because we are created with an innate sense of "right" , our fitrah is sane, Alhamdulillah. So, try to be critical. Allah swt even recommends that.

I hope this post can be beneficial. Tell me which part you related to the most, and if you have any extra tips, please share. May Allah swt accept our deeds and grant us forgiveness, amen. 🤍

[duhragonball]

Hellsing Liveblog Ch. 68-69 (nice)

This is the “Castlevania” arc.   It’s only two parts, but I want to slow down and take my time with this one.

Okay, so in the last chapter, Alucard was fighting Alexander Anderson, who used one of the nails from the True Cross to pierce his own heart, which transformed Anderson into some sort of miraculous creature made of thorny tendrils.   Then he struck a heavy blow on Alucard’s head, and just sort of kept on going down his neck and chest.  

And as far as we call tell, this is the most danger Alucard’s been in since the story began.  Anderson lopped off his head in their first encounter, and even that didn’t stop him.   Now, in this “holy monster” form, Anderson can grow back body parts just as easily as Alucard, and he seems to be able to hurt Alucard a lot more than ever before.  The irony is that Alucard might have been honored to lose to Anderson, but only when he was a human foe.  Now that Anderson has used the Nail of Helena to become something inhuman, Alucard feels that it diminishes their fight.   

Regardless, Alucard is in serious danger, or so it seems.   Even his horde of familiars are bursting into flames all around him, which I assume is a side-effect of Anderson’s attack.   As this happens, Alucard appears to lose consciousness, and flashes back to his childhood. 

This whole flashback seemed like a nonsequitur to me when I watched the Hellsing Ultimate OVA, but I think it makes a bit more sense this time around.  As a boy in the 1440′s, Vlad Tepes was something of a religious fantatic, much like Father Anderson in 1999.   He pledged to never ask God for anything, which I don’t think is theologically sound, but let’s run with it.  The point here seems to be that Vlad felt it was more pious to endure hardship while keeping his faith in God.

For example, in this scene, we see Vlad being dragged away to be raped, and he grabs the cross he wears around his neck for solace.   He doesn’t beg God for mercy or deliverance, but simply clings to his faith to see him through.   

I’m assuming the man in shadow is Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Empire.  In 1442, Murad summoned Vlad’s father to Gallipoli, and he went there with Vlad and his brother Ruda.  The Sultane then imprisoned all three of them, and eventually released Vlad’s father, but kep the boys as hostages to ensure the fahter’s loyalty.   There was a period when Vlad’s father sided against the Ottomans, and he presumed his sons had been killed, but in fact they survived and eventually returned to Wallachia.   So maybe Kouta Hirano is taking some creative license here, and suggesting that Murad II took out his anger on Vlad in other ways. 

Eventually, Vlad became the Voivoide of Wallachia, and in this flashback we find that he considers fighting to be a form of prayer.   Not for mercy, because Vlad refuses to ask for that.   Instead, he seems to believe that if you just keep fighting hard enough, God will descend from the heavens.   None of this made sense to me the first time around, but once you start interpreting this in the context of Vlad as a religious extremist, it starts to add up.   Anderson’s fellows in the Iscariot Organization were literally blowing themselves up to help Anderson defeat Alucard, and they were happy to do it, because they saw it as a holy mission.    Anderson himself was eager to use the Nail to make himself into a monster, because he craved to be a single-minded instrument of God’s will.   A righteous bludgeon to smite the wicked.    Vlad Tepes’ “bloodlust” seems to have been inspired by a similar zealotry, at least as Hirano sees it.

But in the end, did God descend to respond to Vlad’s “prayers”?   The image of the modern Alucard is all the answer we need.    Of course that didn’t happen.  

I’m just cribbing from the Vlad the Impaler page on Wikipedia, but from what I gather about Vlad’s final years, he was fighting for the office of Voivoide of Wallachia against Basarab Laiotă , who had support from the Ottoman Empire.   Vlad fought and lost, probably dying in battle in December 1476/Janury 1477.   The story goes that his corpse was cut into pieces, and his head sent to Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II.

So Kouta Hirano depicts Vlad’s final moments with him being captured and executed.  This is certainly plausible, and it gives Vlad a chance to reflect on his failure before he meets his fate.    He fought and killed so many people, daring to resist the Ottomans even as he ruled a state that was basically controlled by the Ottomans, and I guess he must have known how impossible that would be, which is why he counted on God to deliver him, so long as he fought hard enough.

But in that final moment, just as the axe comes down on his neck, he still has his cross... but instead of taking solace in that, he reaches out instead for the puddle of blood in front of him.    The axe comes down and shatters the cross, just as Vlad Tepes forsakes his humanity.  

So maybe all of this is a way of Alucard accepting defeat.   Defeated and humbled, no longer a servant of God or a leader of men, no longer even a man, he renounced his faith and became the vampire Dracula, and eventually Alucard.    But now Anderson seems to have the upper hand, so maybe, after 523 years, Vlad Tepes is back where he started, facing an inevitable death.  

And you know, maybe Anderson’s monster form represents the divine intervention he was waiting for back in the 15th Century.   After all these centuries of battle, you might say that God finally did descend from heaven to respond to Alucard.   So maybe this is a fitting swan song for the guy.  He wanted to die at the hands of a human adversary, but maybe this works too, right?  

But then he hears someone calling out to him, and...

Hey, it’s Seras!

So yeah, we’re back to the real world, and Anderson’s well on his way to chopping Alucard in half and burning him with holy fire or something...

And Alucard’s still out of it...

And then Seras jumps in to save his ass!   Cool!

The only problem is that this was killing Alucard, and Seras is less powerful than Alucard, so she’s probably not going to be able to do a lot of good here.    For that matter, this might just get both of them killed.  

And this is why I think this moment is cool.   When Team Four Star did their Abridged parody of Hellsing, they sort of skipped this whole “Seras jumps in” part of the fight.   Instead, they did a whole thing where Alucard has a near-death experience and talks to God.   Then he rejects God’s offer of forgiveness and goes on to defeat Anderson by himself.   I don’t care much for that, because Seras is my favorite character, and I find the whole routine of “Well maybe I don’t need your forgiveness, God!” kind of stale and limp.    Can something be stale and limp at the same time?  

Like, I think I get that a lot of atheists are sore at the whole “organized religion” thing, but it seems kind of silly to write a whole bit where the premise is that God is real, but only so we can all tell him to get lost.  Like, I’m a Christian, so I can’t really relate, but if I thought God didn’t exist, I wouldn’t spend all day writing angry text messages to God to remind him of how fake he is.  

But mostly, I just really like Seras, and this is a cool Seras scene, and I think that deserves attention, so here we are.

The Alucard-Seras relationship is complex by design.    With Integra and Alucard, there’s not much to it.   She literally addresses him as “slave” at one point, and he repeatedly talks about himself like a weapon that she has to point at her target.   There’s something kind of like that with Al and Seras.   In one of their first missions together, he sends her to take out a bunch of ghouls just so he won’t be bothered, and it’s almost like he’s weilding her as a weapon.  But he also never leans on that too hard.  For one thing, there’s not a whole lot of thngs Seras can do for him that he can’t do more easily himself.   

It feels a lot more like a Master/Apprentice relationship, which may not strictly be a vampire thing, because he’s teaching her how to hunt vampires and how to be a vampire at the same time.  I think Seras has the same sort of devotion to her master as he does for Integra, but that’s mostly overshadowed by a more down-to-earth respect and admiration.   She sees him like a superior officer and a mentor, but she also knows that he has this strange charm over her that she can’t explain or resist.  

One of the things I can’t stand about he Gonzoverse Hellsing Anime is how after a while they just started having Seras say “Master...!” over and over.    I get it, there’s some power in the way she says it.   It means a lot of things to her.   I wouldn’t be shocked to find out that “Castlevania part 2″ inspired some of that, but I don’t know what chapter of the manga was published when the anime wrapped up.   But it annoyed me that they just used “Master...!” over and over again as a shorthand for Seras’s feelings.   You have to do something with it.  Demonstrate it, like we’re seeing here with Seras trying to remove a blessed bayonet from Alucard’s torso.    She has to help him, even if it means risking her own neck, because he means so much to her, and she wouldn’t be here without him.   And yeah, she’s his vampire servant, so this seems like something a loyal servant should be doing.   Stickin’ together is what good waffles do.

Let me pause here to note that this marks the destruction of whatever remained of Dandyman and Rip van Winkle, the only “name” characters featured in Alucard’s menagerie of absorbed souls.    Whatever Anderson is doing to Alucard, it’s destroying them, irrevocably.  

So it occurred to me one day, what if Seras has to save Alucard, not out of slavish devotion or plucky heroism, or even righteous loyalty?   Way back in Chapter 1, Integra explained vampires to the local authorities, and said that when you kill a vampire, you also destroy all the ghouls and servant vampires that were created by that first vampire.   In other words, if Alucard were to be destroyed, Seras ought to die with him.    So maybe her efforts here could be nothing more than self-preservation.    I’m not wild about that idea.   Maybe, after drinking Pip’s blood, Seras “graduated” from that lowly status, and she no longer depends upon Alucard in this way.  

But I think the point remains either way.   They’re in this together.   Alucard called the two of them a family, and it wasn’t just creepy vampire talk.   There’s a bond between them, and it matters to both of them.   And that’s why Seras’ intervention here is what brings Alucard back from the brink.   By rushing in to help him, Seras has placed herself in danger, and now they have to rescue each other.

I like this part where he puts his hand on hers as they pull out the bayonet together.    It’s like the moment when Seras reached out to Alucard in Cheddar and he took her hand then.   Well, that was only in the OVA, but still.  

Alucard tells Anderson that he might have welcomed a death like this, maybe back when he was about to get beheaded in 1476, but now, he refuses to be defeated.    523 years ago, he was at his lowest ebb.   He had nothing.   Today, he has Seras.  

And... yeah, he has Integra too.   I don’t want to dismiss the importance of that relationship.   But Integra could find a way to get by without him if she needed to.   He has a responsibility to Seras, though, and Seras’s loyalty trumps whatever death-fantasies he might have on his mind.

Then Al turns into this form, which I guess is the same outfit he was wearing back in 1989, when Integra found him in the basement.  Not sure if that’s supposed to mean anything, though.  

Oh, and I guess there’s still a few familiars that didn’t burn up from before?   This is the last time we see them though, so maybe this final attack finishes them off.

As Alucard strikes the final blow on Anderson, Integra flashes back to her father, who taught her about the vampires’ inner psyche.    Arthur Hellsing suggested that vampires don’t have a whole lot to show for their immortality.   They crave conflict, not for its own sake, but becuse they long for death.   Not just any ol’ death, but a kind of death that they could take some solace in.   We’ve already seen this in Alucard, as he seems to relish the idea of being killed by a human like Anderson, or van Helsing.    If all he wanted was death, he could have let that Ottoman headsman finish the job 523 years ago.   Instead, he lost everything, and he’s spent centuries with nothing to take comfort in.   And that probably explains why Alucard is so happy with his service to Integra.   At least she gives him a purpose, a duty, a cause to fight for.  

And finally, Alucard rips out Anderson’s heart, with the Holy Nail still in it. 

And he crushes it, which I guess it enough to neutralize the Nail’s effect?   Well, cool enough then.

But Al takes no pleasure in this victory.   He sees in Anderson a reflection of himself, back when he was a human.   The fanaticism, the failure, the rejection of humanity to become a monster, and then failure again.   

And then Anderson, or whats’ left of him, consoles Alucard before he dies.

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

I dont care if people don't like adam's renditions of queen songs, his voice or his vocal approach. thats subjective. what i hate is when people judge his character and say they hate HIM as a person just because theyre mad that QAL exists. adam has been nothing but sweet, humble and kind. legit, hes one of the most likeable celebrities i know of lol. theres no airs and graces from him off stage, he still geeks out about queen and freddie in interviews and on stage and hes just very down to earth and nice. he has a great sense of humour and seems very easygoing - idk how people could HATE someone like that. people like to say he's cocky and arrogant, thinking hes better than anyone or better than freddie. 1) he has said he will never be freddie or better than freddie, THOUSANDS of times. 2) his stage persona =/= his character irl. in order to be a frontman for queen, you have to have that belief in yourself, you have to have a bit of an ego and exudes some level of arrogance. freddie did this, and had talked about it. so did roger and brian. they are not who they project on stage - it's an exaggerated extension of their personalities. it's a fucking performance for god's sake. adam's there to entertain you. no one wants to see an insecure singer standing there with their head down timidly singing. no, people want to see and hear him camp it up and have fun and belt out the songs as best he could. but no, adam gets slammed and personally attacked for wanting to give the audience a good show lmao. also can we acknowledge that he has never hit back at any of his haters out of anger or frustration? it's always brian and roger defending him but iirc adam has never complained about the bitter queen fans who spray literal acid about anything that has to do with QAL. that says so much about his character. i will defend this guy to the ends of the world bc he deserves so much more than the hateful (and often homophobic) comments he gets over the years.

^ Yep. Yep. Adam would have the right to defend himself but he doesn’t. Brian and Roger do that for him, and people hate them for it. Adam gets atttacked for everything he does on stage because people are so angry Freddie isn’t up there but his death isn’t Adam’s fault lol. Like I said, people just need to cope. It’s been so many years and people act like Q+AL is a new offense. They act like Adam even being on stage while singing Queen songs is spitting on Freddie’s grave when it’s not. It’s really stupid discourse.

[ihopethisendswell]

The part where you get basic info on my Pokémon oc's so you don't get confused when I post about them.

This is gonna be a long post. I have like 8 total. 16 if your counting the secondary protags (my version of May and Lucas for example,which I won't be going over in detail cause I'm not insane). Might want to check my timeline 9 it's pinned or just check bulbapedia if your confused about the ages. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I hope you enjoy :)

Name :Jin Amachi

Gender: " I am nonbinary. I they/ them pronouns, but I'm alright with he/ him as well.

Age:

12( when started journey in Hoenn( Emerald)

22 by SM/USUSM

26 by SWSH

Basic info: With all things said and done, Jin is grateful for their journey. They learned a lot, even if they had to stop two extreme environmentalist along the way. They know the two meant well, but it's just too bizarre for it to happen. Though the two seem to be in a better place now. They're happy for them. They're father and them talk more now. It's still awkward, but better. They know he's trying his best, and they will do the same. It's much better than back then. But no need to worry about the past.

If anything, they're more worried about the others.

Kenji Elm

Gender: " I'm getting sudden dejavu. But I'm a boy! The best boy! Don't call me a girl, I will cry. And because I'm not one! So don't. Anyway have you heard of-" * starts to ramble*

Age:

10 when journey started in Johto( HGSS)

17 by SM

21 by SWSH

Basic Info: Kenji Elm is not the biological son of Professor Elm. He was adopted at a young age, and he doesn't know who is birth parents. Not that he cares. He's more than happy with the family he got( though he wonders when they'll throw him away like his parents did). Energetic and always willing for an adventure, Kenji is generally on the move!( He's so sorry if he's being annoying please don't leave please)

He has a vast amount of interests, but his two favorites are painting and battling. Battling is obvious, he's the champion of the Indigo League, but he always had an artistic eye. But his favorite pastime is hanging out with his friends! When he gets the time of course. He's sometimes wonder how he was able to hold the title of champion for so long though haha ( his win was a fluke he knows it he knows it) .But yeah! That's Kenji! Always there with a smile! Our little golden boy! 😁

Name: Danica Yamamoto

Gender: "I'm a girl. She/her pronouns. They/ them is cool too. Don't mind Kenji, he talks a lot." *Offended Kenji noises in the background*

Age:

11 when journey started in Sinnoh( Platinum)

18 by SM)

22 by SWSH

Basic Info: Giratina and Arcues are quite alike, the more she thinks about it. Though, the rest if Sinnoh, quite possibly the whole world would disagree with her. Giratina is " the lord of darkness". It's followers have a history of not being....the best. Giratina resides alone in the Distortion World, paying for it's past sins. Clearly, Giratina and Arcues are nothing alike.

Hm? Oh. Right. Pardon.

Danica grew up in Twinleaf town, with her best friend Barry. Those two are almost polar opposites. Barry is always moving, going fast, and doesn't wait for no one( except Danica and Emmet). Danica can go fast, possibly faster than Barry, but likes to take things slow. Both can be quite chaotic.Barry has a bit of a temper, Danica's chill. Both are cases where you should run when they are angry. Like. Very angry. The two bounces of each other well,and hang out regularly with Emmet, even with their busy professions ( Danica as champion, Barry as Frontier Brain and Emmet as a professor). Danica loves baking, and would often be making poffins and other baked treats for her, her pokemon and others ! She's also a bit of a nerd, so you'll also find her in a library or two. Her pokemon are her babies, and she hopes to have plenty of battles with them in the future!

.....

But really. They are quite alike. Both are beings of great power. Both have a following, even if one is less seen. Both are feared. They are feared greatly. Do they fear each other? Did Arcues banish Giratina in fear of the world or in fear of losing control? Did Giratina learn it's lesson after eons of being in the Distortion World? She could never tell. It doesn't really open up much, only going back to said Distortion World on its own Accord( it felt wrong to be it's "owner"). Though it do comes back, surprisingly. Maybe because she asked it to. To make sure Cyrus doesn't die in there. He still won't come out. She doesn't understand why. It's been years. Has he learned his lesson? Giratina seems to be fond of him. Affectionate. Cyrus never objects to this. So he must right? Right?

Ah, getting off topic. They're quite alike, being feared by the masses. Even if Arcues is mostly beloved. It's a god. It has such power. They're both feared. They themselves must fear as well . It must get lonely....... She thinks she gets Cyrus now.

Name: Alexis " Alex" Jones

Gender: " Um, hi? I'm just a dude. Use he/ him pronouns.....yeah"

Age:

14 when journey started in Unova( BW)

18 by SM

22 by SWSH

Basic info: It's so funny, the more he thinks about. He was so excited, despite his worries. He was going on a journey. A gym challenge. Pathway to champion. He was going to do that! With his sister and his friends! On his birthday! It was perfect! It should have been perfect! But everything just went wrong.

The bodies, the blood, the pressure to " be a hero"( intentional or not), it was all too much. Too much. Then- then he was a coward. He fled it all. Even after saving the day. It was stupid. So stupid. And the people in his life had a right to be angry. Why wouldn't they? He deserved it, really. But now things are better(?). He has a daycare to co-run, he's gradually learning his way as a pokemon medic, and he still has his pokemon( the ones that were lucky enough to survive). He's so grateful for them. He doesn't battle, though. No, he's never doing that ever again. He's caused enough harm( he hates how he stares at trainers battling). He's no good anyway( he hates how bored his team looks half the time) . He doesn't understand why people insist that he is( he hates that he has this itch, this desire). He doesn't understand why they look so disappointed when he says he doesn't battle anymore( he hates that he misses the rush, the strategy, the freedom of it all). He's fine with what he got. He's no hero.

.....Why is his aunt calling him?

Name: Evangeline " Eva" Ortiz

Gender: " Hiya! I'm a lovely lady! I use she/her pronouns, please and thank you!"

Age:

14 when journey started ( B2W2)

16 by SM

20 by SwSh

Basic Info: Eva! Eva my Beloved. Eva's fun, y'know? Always moving, helping, laughing, smiling. Life of the party! She rivals Kenji with that winning smile. Not to mention that she's a great battler! It's almost like she was born for this. Maybe she is! Who knows. But what she do know is that she's Unova's Champ and she gotta defend her title! And protect her region! Though she probably would have done that without the title anyway haha! Hmm what else? Oh! She loves technology! For some reason that surprises a lot of people that don't really know her, but she does! She's a bit of a tinkerer if she do say so herself. She likes it when people compliment on her skills it makes her more confident in them. Even Col-

No.

....

Ahem.

Anyway she's pretty talented. But that comes from a lot of hard work! And luck. But lots of hard work.( And also luck). Aaaah, that should that's it? Well, she does tend to be distant, b-but she's busy, yeah? Don't worry about it. Oh! One more thing. It's not really a big deal, just a random fact.

She hates the cold.

Name Jude Bellrose

Gender: "...... Why do you care ?" ( E: Jude don't be rude! Al: No no, she has a point.) *Ooc: Jude is genderfluid. Right now, in this post, she's using she/ her pronouns, but she also uses he/him and they/them*

Age:

18 when journey started in Kalos( XY)

20 by SM

24 by SwSh

Basic info: Death has a way of teaching you things. Jude learned a lot from it. She learns to not take it for granted, both death itself and the one that is dead.She learns to be humble. She learns to be kind.

Jude was, and still is, prickly. She's not rude my any means, unless she is, but she's just hard to become friends with. She used to have this philosophy of trainer and pokemon; they should be no emotional bonds. They're not here for that. They're here to win. And she did. Until she didn't. Her first pokemon died. It devastated her. Her pokemon, surprisingly, comforted her. And then another one died, and her pokemon comforted her again. Star, her Staraptor, was strong. So strong, and yet it died, and she cried and get pokemon cried with her. She never felt so loved. Not saying that her mother doesn't love her, the opposite really, it's just things have been....complicated. Couple that with strangers turn( begrudgingly) friends, and Jude's heart turned all warm inside. Not that she'll ever admit that outloud.

Jude is a kind person, despite her prickly nature. She loves the world around her, loves her friends, loves her pokemon. She respects death, despite the pain she causes her. The world itself of beautiful as it is, which it's such a shame that a capitalist fool a certain someone couldn't see that way( poor Sycamore).

Jude is a good trainer, despite her loss. She knows this. She'll prove it too the moon and back. If only a certain someone thought the same for himself.

Aster Mahina

Gender: "...." "Mizzz Aster is a girl! She uses she/her pronouns! Zzt."

Age:

11 in SM, where her journey started

15 by SwSh

Basic Bio: Aster doesn't hate Kanto. She doesn't. She was born there and lived there for 11 years. She just doesn't want to back. But she has to, cause she's " the first champion of Alola and as champion" yada yada yada. Like. She gets it. Being Alola's first and currently only champion, you gotta make an impression. She gets that. She still doesn't want to go. Even when she's been there, like, 4 times now. There are some good things in Kanto though. Lillie is there. And seeing Lillie physically is always a plus. She also gets to see Uncle Red, Uncle Green, and Aunt Blue. Kenji, while not living in Kanto, is champion of the Indigo League, and it's always fun with Kenji( she loves his art). But. Like. She still doesn't want to go.

But she also likes being Champion. That means she's strong. And since she's strong she can protect her mom. But she can't protect her mom when she's all the way in Kanto! What if he comes back? What if goes to Alola when she's away? She knows that her mom is strong, she knows that but still!

No. No it's okay. Her mom is strong. Lillie is strong. Gladion is strong . Hau is strong. Guzma is strong. They're all strong. She's strong.

She is strong.

Name: Naomi Einar

Gender: "I-I'm a girl! She/her pronouns please!"

Age:

15 in SWSH, which is the start of her gym challenge in Galar!

Basic Info: Hop is pretty convincing, she realizes. Or maybe she's very weak willed. " Let's do the gym challenge together!" He said. He had that look in his eye. She couldn't say no. Or she could, but that would make him upset, and that's the last thing she wants.

If she's being honest with herself, she's scared. She doesn't like big crowds, the attention. They'll be so many eyes on her. So many. A-and then there's Lee and her cousin, Alexis. Hop has made her sit down and watch almost every single match Leon has had. He's an amazing trainer. A-and her mum would tell her stories about Alexis. He was a hero! He stopped an evil team and everything! She can't live up to that! She never even battled before, why would Hop-

No. It's okay. It's okay. She- she'll just quite after failing the first gym. She can handle the embarrassment. And then she'll cheer Hop on when he wins against his brother. Yep. She'll do just that. Okay. Okay.

.....

Everyday, Slumbering Weald seem to intrigue her more and more. It's almost like it's calling her. Da?

No. It- it'sprobably nothing.

[bicount-de-lettenhove]

Escaping is Overrated - Part 2

Life on the Continent sucks balls if you're not a Mighty Witcher, and Jaskier learns the hard way just how inhospitable it can be when he finds himself on the run from Nilfgaard. ----- ~A continuation of Part 1~

okay so I'm a big fan of stories where there isn't necessarily a big bad antagonist, but where a character (say, a humble bard) instead ends up suffering because of shitty circumstances. If you are also a fan, please read on for a story which is essentially a list of shittier and shittier circumstances befalling our humble bard. There will eventually be a happy ending! CWs: canon-typical violence, non-graphic gore

Even to Jaskier’s exhausted mind the woods are beautiful. Deep, solid darkness settles under the trees to either side of the path and the air is still and quiet, the sound of his footsteps muffled by the dense foliage and the thick covering of pine needles on the floor. He shambles along the path, straining his hearing for any sounds of pursuit, but as the shade of the forest begins to deepen into dusk he realises with a thrill of excitement that no-one seems to be coming after him. He scans the woods around him, looking for an easy path into the relative safety of the dense trees, and spots a narrow line in which the foliage is flattened - an animal’s path, probably frequented by foxes or badgers. He follows the path, looking back often to take note of landmarks which would guide him back to the main trail, and internally congratulating himself on his foresight for doing that. Eventually he comes to a space in the dense trees, barely large enough to warrant being called a clearing, where a huge fallen fir has rendered the ground inhospitable to other trees. He drops his pack and rests his lute carefully against the trunk of the tree, before collapsing down against it himself with much less care. A wave of exhaustion washes over him and he suddenly realises how ravenously hungry heis. He reaches for his pack and pulls it towards him gingerly, unwilling to close his injured hands around the fabric, then fumbles with the button for several minutes, swearing colourfully. Finally he settles the horrible, mean little button between his index and middle finger, the pack between his knees, and pulls sharply. The button comes free and the pack drops to the floor.

‘Finally, you tiny bastard.’ He mutters, and reaches down between his knees to open the pouch of his pack. To his relief, it doesn’t look like his captors have touched his belongings, meagre as they are. He takes stock, using both useless hands to unpack his things onto the forest floor. He has a waterskin (half full), a hunk of bread (very stale), some strips of jerky (not worth eating at the best of times in Jaskier’s opinion), a tiny pot of jam (oh yes), a miniature bottle of vodka (oh yes), some bandages, a purse with a few coins, a spare shirt now stained with ink (dammit!), his songbook, the offending pot of ink and several bent quills. First, he cups the hunk of bread in his hand, taking greedy bites, and washing it down with gulps of water which ease the residual aching in his throat from the smoke. Opening the jam is a struggle but his determination wins out and soon he is knuckles-deep in the sticky goop and moaning obscenely as he sucks it off three fingers at once. Normally he wouldn’t eat the whole pot in one go, but dammit he deserves it right now.

He has carefully saved the vodka and now he reaches for that and the bandages. He sighs deeply, remembering all the times he had done this for Geralt. The pain clearly visible to Jaskier after years of practice reading the witcher’s minimal facial expressions; the slight clench of his jaw and flaring of his nostrils as he let out a carefully controlled breath; his unwillingness to be vulnerable, even around Jaskier, even after 20 years. Unbidden, pathetic tears cloud Jaskier’s vision. This is why he avoids thinking about Geralt. Over their time travelling together he has fallen utterly and pathetically in love with the witcher, and while he never dares to dream of his feelings being reciprocated, he always assumed that Geralt appreciated his help when he could give it. That he was more than just an irritation, even if his company was somewhat grating. But Geralt has made it all-too-clear that he isn’t in need of help, or company, or a bard.

Now wallowing in self-pity, Jaskier thinks back to that shitty day on the mountain. He’d turned away from Geralt and stumbled down the path, shocked by the witcher’s snarled words, fighting back humiliating tears. But by the time he’d retraced their steps to the clearing where Roach was waiting, he had steadied himself, regained control of his emotions. Geralt had been angry, crushed by what had happened with Yennefer, and the witcher had never been good at dealing with difficult emotions. He’d lashed out, and Jaskier had just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. So Jaskier had decided to wait for his friend. He’d waited the rest of the day, back against a tree and working on his latest composition. He’d waited the evening, fiddling nervously, starting to doubt himself. When it got dark he lit a fire for warmth, then he’d waited the night, huddled close to the flames but unwilling to move too far away from Roach in case Geralt returned and didn’t see him. Then dawn had broken and his eyes had been heavy, but he’d waited, shivering once the fire had died down and before the sun brought warmth to the mountains. But that day, as the sun had risen higher and higher into the sky, Jaskier’s heart had slowly sunk. Geralt wasn’t coming. He really had wanted to be rid of Jaskier. He really had meant what he said. Maybe he was watching right now - Jaskier had thought bitterly - concealed in the foliage and waiting for the idiot bard - the shit shoveling, irritating, useless bard who has hounded him for 20 years - to leave so that he could collect his horse and return to the path. With that realisation, Jaskier had got slowly to his feet, picked up his things, kicked apart the remains of his fire and turned, eyes once again full of unshed tears, to make his way down the mountain.

The dragon hunt was almost a year ago now, and since then the whole continent has gone - in Jaskier's opinion - absolutely tits-up. The Nilfgaardian army swarmed up from the South, spreading terror and destruction. At times it had felt to Jaskier as though everyone on the continent was heading North, trying desperately to escape the unstoppable wave of Nilfgaardian violence. Every inn was full of refugees and Jaskier had seen countless vagabond children wandering the streets, disfigured by grotesque scars. Villages were running out of food and ale and turning displaced families away. Disease was sweeping through towns and famine through the countryside. Rumours spread that Cintra had fallen. Jaskier had been travelling North too, helping people with food and medicine when he could afford it, playing songs and telling stories to entertain the children when he couldn’t.

About a week ago, he had been in a nameless village, standing on a rickety table as a makeshift stage and leading a packed tavern in a relentlessly fast, drunken version of fishmonger’s daughter. The tavern had been hot and damp and thick with the smell of sodden, unwashed woolen clothes. The skinny children whirled each other in breathless circles and the adults - who had long since moved from ale onto moonshine and other spirits - sang and stomped with a kind of frantic desperation, clinging to the shred of familiarity that his songs provided. Jaskier had bowed and accepted a few meagre offerings of coin, turned down others. Sometimes kind people were prepared to pay more than they could afford, and he had learned how to recognise those people from his years travelling with Geralt. There had been no room at the tavern for him, each single bedroom occupied by a full family, so Jaskier had left by the back door, intending to set up camp just beyond the village boundaries and very much not thinking of how nice it would be to sleep inside for once. As he had stepped out of the back door he’d been stopped by a thick hand on his upper arm which pulled him out of the wedge of light cast by the open door, and then a thick forearm had been pressed against his neck, pinning him against the tavern wall. He had spluttered at the pressure, hands coming up to try and ease the weight against his throat, eyes darting, panicked, between his attacker and the two men standing in the shadows behind him.

‘Please,’ he’d croaked out. ‘Here, just take my coin.’ He’d tried to offer them his pack, slung over his shoulder, but his attacker had just slammed Jaskier's head back against the wall hard enough that his vision had swum.

‘We’ll take exactly what we want, bard.’ He’d spat the word bard like it was poison. His breath had been hot and stinking in Jaskier’s face. He’d smiled, showing blackened, rotting teeth, and tightened the pressure on his neck, watching with obscene pleasure as the bard’s eyes had widened in panic and his fingers had scrabbled uselessly against the hairy flesh of his arm. Thankfully, after a few moments he’d let up, Jaskier coughing and retching as he tried to regain his breath.

‘What do you -’ his voice had been quiet and rasping, cut off by a cry of pain and a groan as his attacker had driven his knee into Jaskier’s groin and he’d folded forward to kneel, bent, in the mud. Then the man had hit him again, knee connecting with his face and Jaskier had felt hot blood spray from his nose. The man had stepped back and one of the others stalked forward, holding a broad, flat club in one beefy hand, and Jaskier just had time to open his mouth in a surprised ‘wait’ before he’d swung it down and everything had gone black. When he’d woken, in that cell, he’d found out exactly what they wanted. His kidnappers were thugs that had been bought out by Nilfgaard to do their dirty work. In this case, finding the location of one silver-haired witcher and one very important child-surprise. Of course Jaskier hadn’t told them. He wasn’t lying when he insisted - between screams - that he didn’t know where Geralt was. And he would never tell them what he did know - about Kaer Morhen, about the safehouses and healers Geralt favoured, about his travelling habits and his companions and confidants around the continent. Not just for Geralt, but also for Cirilla, because by the Gods that girl deserved none of this. And so, for once in his life, Jaskier had kept his mouth shut.

-------

oh it only gets worse I am being very mean and very enjoying it

Thanks so much for reading! 🧡🧡 Chapter 3 is on the way, but sometimes doing a phd gets in the way (how dare), so fingers crossed it won't be too long!

Also another note: I haven't written the ending of this fic yet, apart from Geralt Helps And Is Sorry TM. If anyone has any suggestions of favourite Geralt-saves-Jaskier tropes please drop me a reply because I have been stuck at the same point for far too long now 🧡

[thestangossip]

omg raccoon on insta reposted another fan account's post that just said this:

I think people should stop saying he fooled us… his kindness, generosity, humbleness and honesty is definitely not a facade you can put up 24/7 in every interview for as long as he has done. You end up slipping and snapping at some point, but he never has. He is he way he is currently because of the nasty, manipulative, controlling and evil little spawn he is “dating”… yes, Sebastian got into this pr relationship of his own choice, but imagine getting into it, not knowing what damage it’s going to do. Perhaps, he thought it’d be simple, quick, and over and done with, and it helped with funds over covid. Remember, despite him being a famous actor, he’s still human and needs to live, and can’t live off savings or whatever money he has away forever. How was he supposed to see into the future and see what kind of hate he was going to get? How was he supposed to know what a nasty piece of work she is? He is doing what he has to, and sadly he has to put up a front.

jesus christ these people are so delusional! sebastian is almost 40 years old and he is not a baby. you don't need to infantilize him. it honestly sounds misogynistic to put all the blame on alejandra when sebastian is just as bad (i'm not saying that if you criticise ale you are misogynistic obviously because she deserves criticism but so does seb and it's stupid to only blame her). their argument is so flawed but they will never see it because they are in such denial. also this part "despite him being a famous actor, he’s still human and needs to live, and can’t live off savings or whatever money he has away forever" like wtf are you talking about??? he makes money from acting do you not know that?? he's literally been working throughout the whole pandemic!! saying that "He is doing what he has to" is such bullshit

Do they think Sebastian has zero agency? Every single post of Raccoon’s I am shown they seem to think Sebastian has zero control over the situation but somehow Alejandra does. It makes no sense.

If this is a PR stunt, then guess what… both of them want this. Neither are victims. Sebastian does not have a gun to his head. He can put a stop to it whenever he wants. Alejandra isn’t forcing him. His agency isn’t forcing him. This is what he wants. Whether or not you believe this is real.

I hate Alejandra, but it is incredibly sexist how they consistently blame her and how they talk about her versus him. He’s the innocent victim of this terrible woman. He is not a victim of Alejandra. They need to get over it, this is what he chose.

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Amy Lee Of Evanescence On Women In Rock, The Freedom Of Artistry & Finally Being Able To Say What She Wants To Say

Music Feeds: Amy, thanks for taking the time to talk to Music Feeds. We’re particularly excited to talk to you at the moment because you have a brand new album out. How is existence treating you?

Amy Lee: Awesome. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me too. We are all just SO happy to finally have it out there! It feels really good.

MF: It’s quite a sonic adventure, this record. It presents all of the elements that people are accustomed to hearing from Evanescence and blends them with a whole bunch of new elements, was this a fun and rewarding record to write for you?

AL: It’s hard to sum it up in a word like fun because it is, it is so deep. There was definitely pain involved and challenge and all those things that lead to making something great, you know? It takes a little bit of struggle and we went through a lot to get to the place where we could write this album. I think the word that sums it up is satisfying. It feels really good to get a lot of this off of my chest. For me, this is partially due to having things to say that had been building for a while and having a new perspective to write from, but also musically, with the band, it shows how far we have come as a band and displays what it is that these guys and lady, that I work with now bring to the sound and that connection deserves to be documented. I really wanted a chance to show what we’ve grown into and it feels really good to listen to that back.

I think everybody’s feeling excited for the eventual day that we get to go play this stuff live again because for so long, our live show has been about making a great collection of our big back catalogue of music, but it’s all old, you know? It’s been a while since we’ve been able to really go, okay, “this is who we are now”. So having this now it’s going to be hard to play anything, but the new songs.

MF: I’d imagine it would be, especially given how much of yourself that you’ve put into the record. Now I know that you all went through a lot of challenges, both personally and as a band in the writing process, with some personal tragedies, the pandemic and even having one member stuck indefinitely in Germany, do you feel like those challenges added to the emotional intensity of the record?

AL: Yeah, I think that’s a good way to put it. It made everything more important. The music has been like this life-giving thing for us all to grab onto and to connect us to each other. As people, we’ve been so isolated, so expressing yourself and being able to share in that with somebody far away, makes it feel like we’re not so far away, on an internal, on a soul level, you know, we are connected. It has been so healthy for all of us to be able to pull together and have something to work for, something to fight for and build a world that we can control.

That’s something we all want so bad in a time when it just has felt like so much is out of control. So I think for us, to have this thing to care about and to focus on, has just been such a gift. I don’t know what I would’ve done without it quite honestly, I think it would have really gone insane.

MF: All of these situations also made you have to be pretty innovative in order to complete the record, finishing songs and sessions for the album remotely and thinking your way around how to be a band, without ever really being in the same room. In a strange way did that challenge make the writing and recording process feel like a fresher and more interesting experience? Do you feel that adaptiveness and creativity added something extra to the record?

AL: Absolutely, I really do. I’m a believer in that. I really, really, really liked breaking rules, especially when it comes to creativity. I like making music, making art; to feel like making art, it needs to feel creative and inspired and excited. When we were making our first music, when I was writing Fallen, I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t have anything to live up to, or I didn’t have a method that I could rely on. It was just creating a way for the first time. The more that I think you can tap into that, where it feels like you’re just, a soul scratching at something trying to make it come to life, the better the art will be.

You can be surprised by how many different ways that can happen. I was pushing us in a little bit of that direction with Synthesis, making the band kind of find a new way to play their instruments, where it would fit into an orchestral setting without heavy guitars and big drums or anything that sounded like those acoustic instruments, pushing them to find a new way. Jen learned how to play the theremin a little bit and made that a part of her thing. I learned to play the harp a little over ten years ago, I’m a piano player and they’re related, I mean, a harp is the guts of a piano, but it’s being plucked. So there are similarities, it’s sort of like French to Latin or something but different, it makes you play differently, and I wrote songs during that time on the harp a little bit, because it forced me to play differently. It made me write differently also and because of that, we got songs that weren’t like the way they would be, if wrote them with a piano as my route, like I typically do.

I think it’s really good to work outside your comfort zone and outside the box and to be challenged, it makes it exciting too. I don’t want it to feel like a job. I want it to feel like the fun thing. I want it to feel like the secret project because that’s how it should be. Right? Like your job is your job, that’s the cubicle that’s filling out paperwork and doing your taxes to be a musician. To be a creator, to be an artist, that should be the thing that feels like your freedom, your release, the thing you’ll stay up all night for, not the thing that you’re supposed to do.

MF: That’s a very empowering message and an inspiring message to give people too and I feel like you can hear that fresh inspiration on the record.

AL: Good! You know, having to, having to think around the problems, this time a lot of it’s been about the promo. We did get to get back together and be in the studio, all of us, except Jen, last fall and do things in a fairly typical way, which was amazing, but it was more humble like we were eating ramen and stuff so that we wouldn’t have to do takeout a lot of the time. Everything was a little bit more like early days, which felt good. It made it feel like we’re doing this because we love this, not just because it’s a cushy job. Having to think about making our own music videos or even this right now, like setting up the stuff where I have to film myself, that’s a new experience.

We even did Jimmy Kimmel recently, and they essentially said, “do it yourself, figure it out and send it in, and we’ll put it on the air.” It’s like, Oh my God, well, we’re all over the world, but we don’t want to pass up this opportunity. So you just have to find a new way and it’s amazing, the feeling that you can get at the end of that after you do it, the empowering feeling that really does give you like, “Hey, I did it, I did it!”. It means something to know that I cared about it enough that I tried and I made it happen and in the process, I’ve learned a new skill.

MF: You learned a lot of new skills in the process, especially when you’re talking about the videos, the fact that you shot two video clips on your iPhones… did you ever think that would be possible? And was it hard to get into the performative headspace to make that look as organic and as awesome as it does?

AL: It was really fun! It’s hard to explain it, but it really reminds me of being in high school and having a dream and doing whatever I could with what I had to make it happen. Once we got the idea we realised that it’s not like we’re going to be able to do production, so let’s make it about the soul, let’s make it about the point and the heart of the message and see if we can get that across and let that be the leading thing. That’s been sort of the guiding mantra about this whole time through last year and in the process too, has been: let the meanings lead, not the tempo, not the style. Whether it is deciding which songs come first, or what’s going to be a single, all those things really have come about this time by answering the question of “What’s the message we want to convey? What are the words we want to speak into the world right now?” Because this music, as much as it is for us, it’s more than ever feeling like it’s for everybody. So what, where are we now? And what, what could the world, you know, relate to or need?

MF: The messages on the record, are particularly strong. The obvious one is ‘Use My Voice’ but overall it seems like a record with quite a lot to say, and I feel like that might differentiate it from what people might have come to expect when it comes to lyrical content from Evanescence. Is your focus as a musician and as a strong voice in the community to just say what you mean now? Was there ever a point in your career when you felt prevented from doing that?

AL: I think the biggest preventer of things like that is my own self. The music for me has truly, always been the one place where I tell the truth, not that I’m a liar in real life, but the music is the one place where I’m not holding back from saying what I really mean. The one place where I’m not just keeping my mouth shut because I don’t want to deal with the fallout. So whether or not that’s always come across clearly, because I have been vaguer in the past with the lyrics, I’m not sure. But if you knew my situation and you knew who I was talking about at the time, it would have been a lot more clear.

It’s funny because we’re on a level now, where it’s not just me and my family and my friends who know me, it is about something bigger on some of these tracks and ‘Use My Voice’ is definitely the biggest one that is that way. That’s coming from me, pushing myself. I have been really pushing myself over the years on every album and challenging myself to be more specific and to say what I really mean because it feels good. The more that I can really let off, the more of a release it is for me to let some of those things go. It felt good and felt like, there was a higher purpose with ‘Use My Voice’ because we knew that we were going to be able to use it, to empower other people, and make positive change in our country and in the world, in the fight for democracy. It’s so important. It’s huge. If rock can’t be the voice for power to the people, then I don’t know what we have to do that? That’s our job!

MF: That is awesome. It’s also good to hear to an extent that you feel like it was always you that has been holding yourself back, and that you’ve grown through that, rather than it being a case of industry folk, holding those elements back. Because I think there’s a bit of a belief in the music industry that particularly at the start circa Fallen, that people wanted you to be something that you’re not. Those people around you were trying to force you into becoming Linkin Park or something?

AL: That’s actually true, that part, but I still wrote about all of that, I still wrote those lyrics. So I guess that was the start of me pushing myself.

MF: It seems that you were a bit of a trailblazer in the modern heavy scene, in many ways. When Fallen blew up it inspired a generation of new performers and it seemed to also open industry eyes to what female and femme-identifying acts could bring to that space. With this in mind, it would be remiss of me not to ask how you feel about the state of the industry at the moment in terms of its attitude towards the female and femme-identifying artists in the heavy scene?

AL: That’s the question, isn’t it? It’s not about women not being allowed to be musicians. They always have been. It’s about how we see the summary. So often rock these days is not in the mainstream. It’s boiled down to a teeny, teeny, tiny piece of the pie, and there’s only room for one face, and it’s a picture of a dude. Because that’s how people that are not rock fans see the genre. People that are rock fans know that rock music has never gone away, that it has legions of fans and thousands of fresh acts and perspectives, but whether or not these big mainstream gatekeepers are going to let that through, and show that as reality, is a different thing altogether. I think to an extent that people who don’t know a lot about modern rock music, still see it as a picture of something ancient, like an artefact of when they were kids. They still see it like Bruce Springsteen, or The Beatles, or these other depictions of old rock bands, when the truth as you know is that it has changed so much since then.

I do think that they’re making an effort now, I’m seeing an effort being made. I mean this last Grammys was all women in the rock category, In This Moment was up for the metal award, and I know that it’s not just about the Grammys, but it’s good to see that happening. I think that the world, our society is aware that this is a moment for different perspectives to have a chance to show their face and to shine and to say, “Hey, here’s, here’s something from my perspective”. I think that’s really, really important that we all are able to kind of see things through more perspectives than just our own. I think that is really the road to helping a lot of the issues in our world, in our society. Not thinking only from your little perspective of you and your hometown and what you’ve seen, and there’s a lot more out there and it doesn’t need to be scary. We just need to be exposed to all kinds of differences. It’s happening. Rock is definitely a place for all things, all people, you know. But it’s just gonna take time, you know, for that picture to change, when all it boils down to a summary, they need to stop summarizing so much. I will say as well, rock music is huge. There’s so much of it. We need a little more air time, please!

MF: Yes, yes, yes, definitely. Definitely more time, more perspectives, more diversity, more respect, more rock! I’m actually a rock singer myself. So I’m just sitting here nodding thinking that it would be lovely to be considered a worthwhile genre again, in a mainstream sense. Now, I do want to know something about you as a person, Amy. The band has a very distinctive, visual aesthetic and I’ve always wanted to know if that’s something that’s inspired by your tastes, the other things in life that you enjoy, or if it is just something that fits the music?

AL: That’s an interesting question. I feel like it’s both. I’ve always had a huge interest in the visual. It is essentially important to me and I always have ideas like when the songs are happening, when I’m making music when we’re in our world of creating, I’m constantly just seeing things in my head and thinking about ideas about how to bring the song to life with visuals. I’ll sit there thinking “ooh if we do a video, I need to see this happening” you know? Or, for example, with the clothing you see me in, I designed my own clothes. So a lot of the time what I wear either on stage or in music videos, I’ve made specifically for that purpose. It’s about being able to create a whole world and have a visual representation of who you are from the production too, on stage, it’s so important, it makes all the difference. It’s honestly, you understanding and accepting and putting out there a further dimension of what you are for people to tap into and to get and to relate to and perceive.

It’s hugely important to me, but it has to do with the music. You can currently see toys against a white wall, on a couch, in my house, so you can tell that my house is not entirely full of like black wallpaper and chains, if that’s what anyone was expecting. But I wouldn’t say that Evanescence aesthetic is straight-up metal either. It’s more complex than that. So it’s the side of me that is that trying to summarize the music in a way, in a visual mode, where it’s kind of like got some Victorian elements that represent the classical for me, and it’s got weird atmospheric things that kind of represent the electronic world, and of course it’s got the distressed elements and the darkness and the heavy feeling of the band. The more layers you can use to express yourself, the better.

MF: That makes a whole lot of sense. I honestly hadn’t connected the Victorian imagery and the classical music background before, but it absolutely makes sense to me now. Speaking of visual arts, you’re doing a very cool thing within that spectrum on this record, by releasing a graphic novel anthology that’s inspired by Evanescence music. How did that come about? And as a lover of the medium, that must be the most awesome thing ever, right?

AL: It’s so awesome. It’s so awesome! I have all these really grand ideas that would take way too much time and energy to actually do, while also doing my music career and being a mum and everything else that goes on in life, but this is something that I’m able to do because it’s coming from heavy metal. They came to me and were like, “Hey, we’d like to do this with you”, so instead of me having to find artists and put all this stuff together and create this world, they’re like, “Hey, we got it, we have the coolest, the best graphic design artists in our works in our sphere and the best story writers and stuff, and we want to do something based on your music”. So they came to me about a year ago and it sounded like one of those ideas that are too good to be true, where I was saying, “I’m in, now let’s see if this is just a bunch of meetings or it’s really going to happen” and it’s really happening!

The first two songs are in the works right now, it’s just so cool. I want to make this clear to our fans, it’s not my idea and my inspiration of the meanings behind the songs, presented as a visual. This is different artists and different writers for each song, getting an idea and being inspired while listening to the song and turning that inspiration into a beautiful graphic novel, based on their individual interpretation of the song. It’s so cool because it lets the music just take on more forms, have more lives, more alternate realities. I love it!

MF: I look forward to looking at every single one of these! Have you seen any of the graphic novels yet?

AL: I have, I’ve seen some of the stuff already and it looks really cool and I’m very excited. I have a little hand in it, giving opinions like do this, don’t do that, but for the most part, this is other creatives, just taking it to another place. It feels really good to see that happen.

MF: That’s so awesome. I’ve got to let you go, so thank you for talking to Music Feeds. I must confess that as a heavy music-obsessed teenager when Fallen dropped, I was all about it, so it’s great to see and hear you and Evanescence in such a great place as you’re putting The Bitter Truth out into the world.

AL: Thank you, that’s lovely to hear. It’s good to be back! It’s been nice talking to you, thanks for taking the time.

[unlimitedinspiration0]

The Fertile Genes الجينات الخصبة

الجينات الخصبة

أ.د خالد الشريدة 

جامعة القصيم .. بريدة

إذا كانت الجينات هي الوحدات الأساسية للوراثة في الكائنات الحية .. فإنها أحد المعجزات الربانية التي أودعها الله في خلقه والمسؤول�� عن الوظائف الحيوية في الجسم لكنني هنا أتحدث من منظور آخر

وهو تلك الخصوبة الموروثة التي تنتقل من جيل إلى جيل لا في صفاتها الجسمية .. ولكن في صفاتها الأخلاقية من السمو والطيبة والعطاء وخدمة الخلق والصلاح والإصلاح الذي جعله الله ( جينا) موروثا وسنة ربانية جزاء لكل من كان معطاء لدينه ومصلحا في دنياه

خصوبة الجينات الاجتماعية لفتة أطرحها لنحلق في معانيها ونرى مدى اثرها في الحياة الاجتماعية.*هذا المعنى ( الجينات الخصبة) ابتداء يؤكده كتاب الله حيث إن ميراث الكتاب كان للذين اصطفاهم سبحانه وصفتهم التي زرعت فيهم وفي أجيالهم اللاحقة أنهم ( يهدون بأمرنا).ثم في آل عمران قال ( إن الله اصطفى آدم ونوحا وآل إبراهيم وآل عمران على العالمين) لماذا ؟ لأنهم كانوا يسارعون في الخيرات ويدعون الله رغبا ورهبا وكانوا لله خاشعين. فهؤلاء الأنبياء المذكورون كانوا يتوارثون من بعضهم مكارم الأخلاق وفضائلها

(وهذه هي خصوبة الجينات التي أقصدها) ثم هي صفات الصالحين المصلحين أنهم لا يعملون الخيرات فقط بل يسارعون فيها ويتسابقون إليها كما في سورة ( المؤمنون) أية ٦١

أُولئِكَ يُسارِعونَ فِي الخَيراتِ وَهُم لَها سابِقونَ *إذا المفهوم الاجتماعي ( السنني) الذي نتطارحه الآن هو نوع جديد من التفكير في ( الميراث الاجتماعي)* الذي ينتقل من جيل لآخر وفق ما كانت عليه مسيرة الآباء والأجداد طال الزمن أو قصر.حتى عد بعض المفسرين الخير ( الكنز) الذي ساقه الله على يد ( الخضر) لليتيمين لا لكونهما يتيمين ولكن كان أبوهما صالحا ..إذا العلة في إقامة الجدار كانت ( وكان ابوهما صالحا) ..

 حتى يتم حفظ الكنز لهما. إذا الصلاح ( الموروث)  كان الفاعل الأهم في هذا الحدث. وليس هو الأب المباشر بل قيل بأنه السادس او حتى العاشر.إذا ربما يدخر الله كنوزا نرثها لا لطبيعة الكد والمعاش المعتاد للناس حتى يورثوا المال وإنما الأعمال الصالحات بمختلف تنوعها تكسب المال وتورثه وتكسب المكانة والسمعة والأثر الطيب كذلك ..وهذا ملمح اجتماعي ( إيماني) نحتاج لتأمله والتفكير فيه وتداوله بين الناس لأثره الكبير في حياتنا وعلى مستقبل أجيالنا.حتى الذين يتحدثون عن الاستدامة أقول بأن هذا معنى عظيم يستحق أن يكون مسارا مهما للاهتمام. ( استدامة الخير). 

إذا الجينات الخصبة لا تنتقل من الوالدين او الأجداد فقط وتؤثر على قسمات الوجه ولون البشرة والطول والقصر .. وإنما تؤثر بما هو أهم من من ذلك وهو العطاء والصلاح والبذل لسعادة البشر وهدايتهم. ومن جميل هدايات هذا المعنى أن نعي ونستوعب وأن نعلم ونتعلم ونعلِّم الجميع بأن صدقات أفعالنا لا يتوقف اثرها على افعالنا الحالية وإنما يدخرها الله في أجيالنا ثم تكون لنا موازينها العظمى يوم نلقاه.وحينما يتفهم الناس مثل هذا المعنى العظيم ( الجينات الخصبة)*

فإنما يزيدون من أعمالهم الصالحة التي تخدم البلاد والعباد ويؤدون أماناتهم وأعمالهم بكل صدق ومسؤولية.وتأملوا مواقف الصحابة والتابعين واعمالا جليلة لرجالات ونساء في تاريخنا.إمام التابعين سعيد ابن المسيب كان يقول " إني لأصلي فأذكر ولدي فأزيد في صلاتي رجاء أن أُحفَظَ فيه".وعن احد التابعين قوله لابنه ( إني لأزيد في صلاتي من أجلك يا بني" !!ومما لا يخفى آثار تربية النساء الصالحات على ظاهرة العلم والعلماء في تاريخنا .. فكم من عِلم وعَلَم وإمام كأحمد بن حنبل والبخاري وغيرهم كانوا نتاجا لأمهات صالحات ..

 وكم كان لهم ولغيرهم من الآثار الخصبة في حياتنا إلى يومنا هذا ومستقبلنا. ( أوليست هذه خصوبة) ؟ !!إنها خصوبة متدفقة بقوة نظير كمية الصلاح والإصلاح الذي تحمله بين مكوناتها.*بل إن صلاح الرجل والمرأة يحفظ الله به الاقربين والأحداث والظواهر والمظاهر وكل ذلك حسب تقدير الله وفضله ورحمته وحسب كمية ( الخصوبة الصالحة التي تتكاثر في واقع الناس).يحكى عن محمد بن المنكدر انه قال " أن الله ليحفظ بالرجل الصالح ولده وولد ولده والدويرات التي حوله ؛ فما يزالون في حفظ من الله وستر"!! *ونحن نشهد ونقرأ كم ورث العلماء* من علماء .. وكم ورثت الاسر التي لها اثر من قيادات .. 

*وواقعنا يشهد على هذه الحقيقة السننية الباقية ما بقيت خصوبة الخير فينا وفي أجيالنا.ولا تزال تتوارد الافكار حول هذا المعنى الخصب( الجينات الخصبة) لكنني آثرت أن لا يطول المقام والمقال فآثرت عدة جوانب لتأملها والتفكير فيها لكل من يقرأ هذه السطور. والأمل أن تكون بحثا في المستقبل القريب.

جعل الله بذوركم خصبة وآثاركم جمة تعود على دينكم ودنياكم وذرياتكم بكل خير وصلاح وفلاح في الدنيا والآخرة

The Fertile Genes

 Khalid Shraidah, University of Qassim Buraida

Translated by: Rasha Khan

Recorded by Dr. Khalid Ibrahim Al-Dossary 

Genes, which are the basic units for passing on traits in living beings, are also divine miracles placed by Allah in His creation. Genes are mainly responsible for biological processes that occur in the body. However, here I will be talking from a different perspective, about a certain kind of fertility that is passed on from one generation to another, not in their physical traits but in their morals. These include virtue, goodness, being a giving person, serving the creation, being righteous and improving conditions. Allah has made this aspect a hereditary gene and a divine law, as a reward for everyone who gives selflessly for the sake of his religion, and improves conditions in the world he lives in.

The fertility of social genes is an important aspect to bring attention to. I am presenting it here so that we may dive into its meanings and see the extent of its impact in social life.

The concept of “fertile genes” has been emphasized by the Book of Allah, in which it is stated that the Book will be inherited to all those of His slaves whom He the Almighty has especially chosen. The quality which has been engrained in these chosen ones, and in their succeeding generations, is that “they guided (others) by Our Command.”

Then in Surah Aal Imraan Allah said: “Indeed, Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of Imraan over all the worlds.” Why? Because they used to hasten to do good deeds and supplicate Allah out of hope and fear, and they were humbly submissive to Allah. The prophets mentioned in this Ayah used to inherit the best of morals and virtues from each other. This is the fertility of genes that I am referring to. Another quality of righteous people who improve conditions around them is that they do not just do good deeds; rather, they hasten to do them and compete with each other to do them. As mentioned in Surah Al Muminoon, Ayah 61: “It is those who hasten to good deeds, and outstrip others therein.”

Thus, the social concept, comprising Allah’s divine laws when it comes to the lives of His creation, which we are presenting now is a new way of thinking about social inheritance that is passed on from one generation to another, as per the ways of fathers and grandfathers, whether over a long or short period of time. In fact, some scholars of Tafseer consider that the treasure which Allah brought forth at the hands of Al Khidhr for the two orphans in Surah Al Kahf was not brought forth due to their being orphans. Rather, it was because their father had been  righteous. Thus, their treasure was kept safe for them. 

Thus, righteousness (the inheritance or legacy) was the most important factor in this event. It is said that the father in the story was not even their direct father, but a sixth or even tenth forebear. Thus, Allah may have treasures in store for us which we will inherit not by the efforts and hard work people usually put in so that they can hand down wealth to their inheritors; rather, it is different kinds if good deeds that will cause us to inherit that wealth, and with it, a position, reputation and good influence as well. 

This is a social and faith-related aspect that we need to contemplate and spread among people due to its huge impact on our lives and the future of coming generations. Even to those who speak about sustainability, I say that this concept of “the sustainability of goodness” is a great concept that deserves our care and attention. 

Fertile genes are not just genes that are transferred from parents and grandparents and affect the facial features, skin color, and height. Rather, these genes affect something greater than that, which is the extent of giving, righteousness, and efforts made for the happiness and guidance of human beings.

One of the beautiful things we can glean from this concept is that we should become aware, and we should know, learn and teach others, that the charity of our deeds does not stop at our current actions; rather, Allah stores it for our coming generations. We will have the great rewards of our actions in our scales on the Day we meet Him. When people understand this great concept of “fertile genes”, they will imcrease their good deeds which serve the land and the people. They will perform their duties and fulfil their obligations which integrity and a sense of responsibility.

Contemplate the stances of the Companions and the Successors of the Companions, and the great deeds of the men and women in our history. One of them says, “When I pray, I remember my son, so I increase my prayer that he may be protected after me.”It is also narrated from one of the Successors of the Companions that he said to his son: “I increase my prayer for your sake, O my son!”

The impact of upbringing at the hands of righteous women is clear in the phenomenon of seeking knowledge and the scholars in our history. So many famous scholars and leaders, such as Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Al Bukhaari and others, were the product of righteous mothers. What fertile effects they and others like them had on our lives and until today, and on our futures as well. Is this not fertility? It is fertitlity that is flowing with a strength proportionate to the amount of righteousness and improvement of conditions that it contains among its ingredients. Indeed, it is through the righteousness of a man and woman that Allah protects their near and dear ones, as well as their image and reputation among people, all in accordance with Allah’s decree, favour, mercy and the amount of fertility of righteousness, which is reproduced in the real world where people live.

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Al Munkadir that he said, “Indeed, Allah protects the children of a righteous man, his children’s children and the little houses around them. They remain in Allah’s protection and covering.” We see and read about how many scholars have inherited scholars, and how many leaders inherited influential families. Our reality bears witness to this truth of divine law taking place as long as the fertility of goodness remains in us and our generations.

My thoughts on this fertile concept, that of “fertile genes”, keep occurring  one after the other. However, I prefer to not make this too long; therefore, I have mentioned certain aspects of it for the contemplation and reflection of all those who read these lines. It is hope that this will be a subject of research in the future.

May Allah make your seeds fertile and your impact great in a way that leads to goodness, righteousness and success in this world and the hereafter, for your religion, your worldly life, and your offspring.

My podcast The Fertile Genes  

https://anchor.fm/khalid-al-dossary/episodes/The-Fertile-Genes-e166o47

[mikauzoran]

Adrienette: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Eighteen

Read it on AO3: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...as encouragement.

“What did I miss?” Adrien called as he trotted up to his friends waiting at the bottom of the school’s front steps.

“Marinette’s going to win this contest Hermès is holding,” Alya announced with a smirk. “You know. No big.”

“Alya,” Marinette sighed in exasperation. “I haven’t entered yet. I haven’t even come up with a design.”

Adrien gave Nino a fist bump in greeting before turning to beam at Marinette. “Yeah, but you’re going to win once you do.”

“I don’t know about that,” Marinette mumbled, looking back down at her sketchbook.

“I do,” Alya snickered. “Listen to the boy. He knows what he’s talking about. He’s a fashion thoroughbred.”

Adrien blushed, finger going to tug at his collar. “Uh, technically, I think I’m more of a nouveau riche upstart, but I definitely know a thing or two about fashion, and you’ve got talent, Marinette. What kind of contest is it?”

“Ties,” she sighed, trying to hide how red her cheeks had become at his praise. “The artistic director for the men’s line, Véronique Nichanian, is going to be judging the finals herself, so I really want something that’s going to stand out.”

Nino gave Adrien a nudge. “Didn’t you do some modeling for Hermès a year or so ago when your father was pimping you out to other fashion houses to quote-unquote ‘expand your resume and build up the foundations of your career’?”

Adrien sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Yeah. That happened.”

“Well, hook a girl up,” Alya chuckled, giving Adrien a teasing shove. “Not that I don’t think Marinette can win on her own merits, but having an edge never hurt anyone. What kind of insider knowledge do you have?”

“Nothing really,” Adrien admitted shamefacedly. “I wish I could be more helpful, but the only piece of advice I can think of is to do a fun, quirky pattern, but camouflage it so that it doesn’t look tacky. Like, Hermès does have some silly patterns. For example, there’s this one with horses and jockeys up in the clouds, and then on the reverse side it has the horses and jockeys with parachutes.”

Nino cracked up. “Seriously? And let me guess…they want, like, two hundred euros for it, yeah?”

Adrien shrugged helplessly. “It’s hand-sewn silk?”

Nino shook his head sadly. “Mec…no. Two hundred euros for a silly tie? That’s criminal.”

“Okay,” Adrien admitted. “That one’s a little…less sleek, in my opinion, but then they have this one tie I actually really like.”

“Also probably for two hundred euros,” Nino chuckled, elbowing his best friend playfully.

“It’s got a bunch of little blue fish on it,” Adrien explained, giving Nino a light shove. “From afar, it just looks like a normal tie with a small geometric pattern repeating, but when you get up close, you can tell that they’re fish, and it’s kind of funny. It looks professional at a distance, but up close it’s a quirky tie. I think that’s the kind of design the judges will be looking for.”

Marinette, who had been hanging on Adrien’s every word, nodded, making mental notes.

As if coming to an important realization, Adrien gave a start and hurriedly added, “Only if that’s what you’re inspired to do. I don’t want you thinking you have to limit yourself based on what I said. I don’t really know what I’m talking about, and you have such a sharp instinct for this kind of thing, so…just do whatever you think is best.”

“No, I really appreciate your input,” Marinette assured, stepping in across the little circle their group had formed to rest a hand on his forearm. “In the end, I’ll go with my gut, but what you said gave me some ideas, so I think I’m off in the right direction. Do you think there’s anything I should avoid doing? Any colours or patterns or subjects?”

Adrien bit his lip as he considered briefly. “A lot of their products have the H logo all over them. I think they’ve done the H in all the ways it’s possible to turn an H into a design element. I know you’re super innovative, but I think that, since it’s their signature thing, they’ve probably seen pretty much everything and have higher standards for what they want in that kind of design, so it might be really hit or miss. I’m not saying to play it safe, but maybe save tackling a new take on one of the signature elements of their branding for later.”

“Noted,” Marinette affirmed.

“Also, maybe avoid horses,” Adrien added with a grimace. “It’s another one of their things. I’m sure plenty of other people do horses, so if you do horses, you might not stand out unless your design is over and above amazing—which I’m sure it will be anyway, but—and, besides, they already have a lot of merchandise with horses on it, so I don’t know that that’s what they’d be looking for.”

“Why horses?” Nino couldn’t help but wonder aloud…though, he wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know.

“If I remember correctly, the company founder originally made luxury leather goods like saddles and stuff for English nobles for horseback riding. So, yeah. Lots of horses,” Adrien explained with a smile and a shrug.

Nino frowned. “I mean…I guess that’s legit.”

“So, do you have any ideas now?” Alya excitedly inquired of Marinette…who didn’t respond because she was already absorbed in her sketchpad, quickly drafting the beginnings of a handful of possible designs.

The squad watched in awed silence as Marinette’s pencil moved frenetically across the page.

Less than five minutes later, she had three rough sketches and half a dozen other fledgling ideas in the works.

“What do you think?” She flipped the sketchbook so that the others could see the page with her quick sketches and notes on colour.

Adrien’s eyes went wide as he observed that the designs were all Chat Noir-inspired.

The first featured green paw prints on a black ground, spaced close together and turned around anticlockwise on their axis so as to give the impression of cohesive dynamism.

The second was black cat heads on a rose-pink background that had the same effect as Adrien’s fish tie. From a distance, it would look like a respectable, grownup tie, but up close you could see the fun in the design.

The third had miniature Chat Noir batons arranged in staggered, downward diagonal lines that, again, looked like a normal tie design from farther away.

“That’s amazing,” Adrien breathed, looking up at Marinette as she stowed the sketchbook back in her satchel. “Did you seriously just come up with all these right now, in, like, five minutes?”

Marinette smiled shyly, tucking a bang behind her ear as she shrugged. “What can I say? You really inspired me.”

A surge of joy and pride and love welled up in his chest.

His girlfriend was the most talented, incredible woman, and he wanted to put her up on a pedestal so that everyone could see how awesome she was. And yet, she was so humble about her gift and her achievements, going so far as to pretend that he had anything to do with her genius.

He took her by the hands and watched as her eyes went wide, locking with his.

“You are so amazing, Princess,” he cooed, overwhelmed by her greatness and the miracle that a girl so out of his league could be interested in him. “You’re going to win this contest. I know you are. Do you even know how epic you are?”

She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off as Adrien leaned in, catching her lips in a short, sweet, bolstering kiss.

Marinette froze as her brain tried to reboot.

Alya gasped even as she mentally lamented the fact that she hadn’t been recording this momentous occasion.

Nino cursed under his breath, preparing to build his bro back up after Adrien inevitably got shot down.

“I am so proud of you,” Adrien continued obliviously as he pulled out of the kiss. “You’re going to have your own label before you graduate.”

“Adrien!” Marinette hissed as her system came back online, pulling back and turning away.

Adrien blinked, shrinking slightly at her sharp tone. “What? I think it’s true.”

“Adrien, you can’t kiss me like that,” she groaned.

“…Oh, crap,” he breathed, covering his face with his hands. “I did it again. I am so sorry, Marinette. I don’t—”

“—Back up,” Alya interrupted. “‘Again’? As in, this has happened before?”

“Al,” Nino growled warningly.

Alya didn’t seem to hear him. “How many times have you guys kissed behind my back?”

“Three now?” Adrien mumbled miserably.

“Alya, this is serious,” Marinette chided. “I have a boyfriend—a serious boyfriend.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “Who I’ve never met and don’t even know the name of. Girl, you may have given up on Adrienette, but I haven’t. If my ship is sailing, I deserve to know.”

“Alya,” Nino snapped even as he put one arm around Adrien’s shoulders and rested the other hand on Adrien’s forearm. “Situational awareness much?”

To Adrien, he directed a soft, comforting, “Hey, it’s okay, Mec. It’s going to be okay.”

“This is kind of a big deal,” Alya huffed. “My bestie could easily have the man of her dreams, but, instead, she’s insisting on pretending to have some fake boyfriend she made up because she’s afraid to accept happiness and the good things the universe has sent to her. Clearly, an intervention is necessary for the good of both of our best friends.”

“He’s not fake!” Marinette retorted vehemently. “I told you, I met him online. We game together, and I only know his username, but he’s a real guy, and we’re really dating, so I can’t be making out with other blondes behind his back.”

“The good of our best friends?” Nino snorted crossly. “Right now, I think the best thing for our best friends is to keep them from getting akumatized.”

“I am so sorry,” Adrien repeated powerlessly, unsure of what else he even could say.

Nino gave him a squeeze. “It’s okay, Mec. Why don’t we head down by the river and try to calm down, yeah?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Marinette huffed, making a break for it and striding off towards the bakery. “I’m going home.”

“Marinette!” Alya called and started to chase after her.

Nino sighed, briefly watching them go before getting back on task.

“Come on, Adrien,” he gently coaxed, leading Adrien down onto the walkway along the river.

They found an empty bench and sank onto it, Adrien snuggling up against Nino’s side and dropping his head onto Nino’s shoulder while Nino wrapped an arm around his friend and gave another supportive squeeze.

“It’s okay,” he repeated like a mantra, keeping an eye out for purple butterflies. “It’s okay.”

“I think I just ruined things with the person I’m desperately in love with,” Adrien responded blandly. “I don’t think it’s okay.”

Nino was silent, contemplating for a moment before he amended, “It’s going to be okay. I’m going to make this okay for you, all right? Marinette’s still going to be friends with you, and everything’s going to be fine, yeah?”

Adrien didn’t have the energy to engage in optimism. “I royally screwed up, Nino.”

“Yeah, but what you did wasn’t unforgivable,” Nino tried to comfort. “Things can be patched up. You’ll see. Just hang in there for me right now, okay? Try to think happy thoughts.”

Adrien managed an affirmative grunt.

And then his phone chimed with an incoming text.

There on the screen was a short message that restored his strength.

Marinette had written: “I’m not mad at you. <3 Everything’s fine between us.”

Adrien tipped the screen so that Nino could see and then smiled up giddily at his friend.

“There you go,” Nino chuckled. “Everything’s fine.”

Adrien sighed, sinking back into Nino. “No, it’s not. Wanna hear a secret?”

Nino shrugged. “Sure.”

“I’m Marinette’s boyfriend.”

It felt really good to finally get it out into the air.

Nino took a deep breath, schooling his expression into a cautious neutral before responding. “…The one she plays online games with?”

“Yep. She doesn’t know it’s me, and you can’t tell her. She has her reasons, but she won’t let me reveal my identity to her, so…I keep accidentally kissing her because she’s my girlfriend, but she doesn’t know she’s my girlfriend, so…we end up having scenes like the one you just witnessed,” Adrien wearily informed.

“…Dude,” Nino replied poignantly.

“Yeah,” Adrien sighed.

“You have to tell her,” Nino insisted. “No joke.”

“Yeah,” Adrien repeated. “It’s complicated. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Nino pursed his lips, trying to process. He wanted to tell Adrien that nothing too bad had happened when Nino and Alya found out about Rena Rouge and Carapace’s secret identities. (In fact, Alya had seen through Carapace right away, so…) And nothing bad had come of Nino being ninety-nine-point-nine-repeating percent sure that Adrien was Chat Noir, so…

Nino took a deep breath and let it out, giving Adrien’s hair a distracted tussle. “Well…if…when you do want to talk about it, I’ll be here. You know you can talk to me about anything, right? Anything.”

“Yeah,” Adrien breathed, snuggling in closer, resting his head under Nino’s chin. “Yeah, I know. I want to, and I know I can trust you with anything, but…I can’t talk about it right now.”

“Okay,” Nino agreed, letting his chin rest on top of Adrien’s head. “Okay.”

“Thank you,” Adrien hummed, closing his eyes and letting himself relax.

[karballa]

Sermon of Lady Zaynab (s.a) in the court of Yazid

Now we propose to study the sermon of lady Zaynab which she delivered in the court of Yazid and which is recorded in a book written in the third century A.H. 1

Yazid recited the blasphemous poetic verses of Abdullah bin Zab'ari Sahmi which he had composed while he was an unbeliever and also added some poetic verses of his own and said openly that he wanted to take revenge upon the descendants of Muhammad because Muhammad and his companions had killed his polytheist ancestors.

Zaynab, the daughter of Ali rose and began speaking. She added a new chapter to the history of the Caliphate of Yazid which covered a period of three years and a few months, and said: "O Yazid! Allah and His Prophet have said that committing sins and considering the signs of Allah to be false is ridiculing them", i.e. deny the sign of Allah today and hold them in derision and have become happy, and recite poetic verses on account of the martyrdom of the children of the Holy Prophet just as the polytheists of Makkah became happy and sang songs because of the martyrdom of some Muslims in the Battle of Uhud, and talk about taking revenge upon the Holy Prophet.

This is how you become like them and how you have reached this stage? You have reached this stage because you have committed too many sins. Whoever treads the path of sin and persists in committing sins will, according to the verdict of the Qur'an, deny the signs of Allah one day and eventually will ridicule them and then deserve Divine punishment.

She added: "O Yazid! Do you think that we have become humble and despicable owing to the martyrdom of our people and our own captivity? As you have blocked all the paths for us, and we have been made captives and are being taken from one place to another, do you think that Allah has taken away his blessings from us? Do you think that by killing the godly persons you have become great and respectable and the Almighty looks at you with special grace and kindness?

For this reason and on account of this incorrect thinking you have become elated and arrogant. You have become boastful because you have seen that the matters have taken a turn in your favour. You have, however, forgotten what Allah says:

The disbelievers must not think that our respite is for their good We only give them time to let them increase their sins. For them there will be a humiliating torment." (Surah Ale Imran, 3: 178)

Then lady Zaynab reminded Yazid that on the day of the conquest of Makkah which took place in 8 A.H. the Holy Prophet did favor to all the men and women of Makkah and set them free. Yazid himself was a descendant of those freed persons. His father Mu'awiya, his grandfather Abu Sufyan and Mu'awiya's mother were among those who were set free at the time of the conquest of Makkah. On that day the Holy Prophet very magnanimously set all of them free irrespective of what they had done in the past and said: "Go, for all of you are free".

In the second part of her speech the daughter of Imam Ali made the conquest of Makkah her topic and said: "O son of the freed ones! Is it justice that you keep your women and slave-girls in seclusion but have made the helpless daughters of the Holy Prophet ride on swift camels and given them in the hands of their enemies so that they may take them from one city to another".

Then she said: "Why shouldn't Yazid be spiteful against us, it is he, who looks at us with hostility. You say with perfect intrepidity and without imagining that you are committing a sin: 'I wish that my ancestors who were killed in Badr had been present here today'. Then you strike Imam Husayn in his teeth with a stick in your hand!

Why shouldn't you be like this, although you have done what you wanted to do and have pulled out the roots of piety and virtue! You have shed the blood of the sons of the Holy Prophet and have hidden the brilliant stars on the earth from amongst the descendants of Abdul Muttalib under the clouds of oppression and injustice.

However, you shall go before Allah soon. You shall meet your ancestors and shall also be taken to their place. At that time you will wish that you had been blind and dumb and had not said that it was a day of rejoicing for your ancestors".

At this stage the daughter of Imam Ali prayed to Allah and said: "O Lord! Procure our right and take revenge upon those who have oppressed us". Then she turned to Yazid and said: "By Allah you have pulled off your skin and cut off your flesh. You will soon go before the Prophet of Allah and will see with your own eyes that his children are in Paradise.

It will be the day when Allah will deliver the descendants of the Holy Prophet from the state of being scattered and will bring all of them together in Paradise. This is the promise which Allah has made in the Holy Qur'an. He says:

Do not think of those who are slain for the cause of Allah as dead. They are alive with their Lord and receive sustenance from Him. (Surah Ale Imran, 3: 169)

O Yazid! On the day when Allah will be the Judge and Muhammad will be the petitioner, and your limbs will give evidence against you, your father, who made you the ruler of the Muslims, will receive His punishment. On that day it will become known what reward the oppressors earn, whose position is worse and whose party is more humble.

O enemy of Allah and O son of the enemy of Allah! I swear by Allah that I consider you to be humble and not fit even to be reprimanded and reproached. But what am I to do? Our eyes are shedding tears, our hearts are burning, and our martyrs cannot come to life by our reprimanding and reproaching you. My Husayn has been killed and the partisans of Satan are taking us to the fools so that they may get their reward for insulting Allah.

Our blood is dripping from their hands and our flesh is falling down from their mouths. The sacred bodies of the martyrs have been placed at the disposal of the wolves and other carnivorous animals of the jungle. If you have gained something today by shedding blood, you will certainly be a loser on the Day of Judgment. On that day nothing but your deeds will count. On that day you will curse Ibn Marjana and he will curse you. On that day you and your followers will quarrel with one another by the side of the Divine scale of Justice.

On that day you will see that the best provision which your father made for you was that he enabled you to kill the children of the Prophet of Allah. I swear by Allah that I do not fear anyone except Him and do not complain to anyone else. You may employ your deceit and cunning efforts, but I swear by Allah that the shame and disgrace which you have earned by the treatment meted out to us cannot be eradicated".

The daughter of Fatima Zahra ended her speech with offering thanks to Allah. She said: "I thank Allah Who has concluded the task of the chiefs of the youths of Paradise with prosperity and forgiveness and accommodated them in Paradise. I pray to Allah that He may elevate their ranks and favor them more with His kindness, for Allah is Omnipotent".

1.Balāghatun Nisa', Abul Fazl Ahmad bin Abi Tahir, (208- 280 A.H.).

[tawakkull]

ISLAM 101: Spirituality in Islam: Part 3

SOFI

Sofi is used to designate the followers of Sufism, particularly by speakers of Persian and Turkish. Others use Sufi. I think the difference arises from the different views of the word’s origin. Those who claim that it is derived from sof (wool), safa (spiritual delight, exhilaration), safwat (purity), or sophos (a Greek word meaning wisdom), or who believe that it implies devotion, prefer Sufi. Those who hold that it is derived from suffa (chamber), and stress that it should not be confused with sofu (religious zealot), also use Sufi. The word sofi has been defined in many ways, among them:

- A traveler on the way to God who has purified his or her self and thus acquired inner light or spiritual enlightenment.

- A humble soldier of God who has been chosen by the Almighty for Himself and thus freed from the influence of his or her carnal, evil-commanding self.

- A traveler on the way to the Muhammadan Truth who wears a coarse, woolen cloak as a sign of humility and nothingness, and who renounces the world as the source of vice and carnal desire. Following the example of the Prophets and their followers, as well as sincere devotees, they are called mutasawwif to emphasize their spiritual states and belief, conduct, and life-style.

- A traveler to the peak of true humanity who has been freed from carnal turbidity and all kinds of human dirt to realize his or her essential, heavenly nature and identity.

- A spiritual person who tries to be like the people of the Suffa the poor, scholarly Companions of the Prophet who lived in the chamber adjacent to the Prophet’s Mosque by dedicating his or her life to earning that name.

Some say that the word sofi is derived from saf (pure). Although their praiseworthy efforts to please God by serving Him continually and keeping their hearts set on Him are enough for them to be called pure ones, such a derivation is grammatically incorrect. Some have argued that sofi is derived from sophia or sophos, Greek words meaning wisdom. I think this is a fabrication of foreign researchers who try to prove that Sufism has a foreign and therefore non-Islamic origin.

The first Muslim to be called a Sofi was the great ascetic Abu Hashim al-Kufi (d. 150 AH9). Thus, the word sofi was in use in the second Islamic century after the generation of the Companions and their blessed successors. At this point in time, Sufism was characterized by spiritual people seeking to follow the footsteps of our Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, and his Companions by imitating their life-styles. This is why Sufism has always been known and remembered as the spiritual dimension of the Islamic way of life.

Sufism seeks to educate people so that they will set their hearts on God and burn with the love of Him. It focuses on good morals and proper conduct, as shown by the Prophets. Although some slight deviations may have appeared in Sufism over time, these should not be used to condemn that way of spiritual purity.

While describing Sufis who lead a purely spiritual life, Imam Qushayri writes:

The greatest in Islam is Companionship of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings. This honor or blessing is so great that it can only be acquired by an actual Companion of the Prophet. The second rank in greatness belongs to the Tabi'un, those fortunate ones who came after the Companions and saw them. This is followed by the Taba'i al-Tabi'in, those who came after the Tabi'un and saw them. Just after the closing years of this third generation and coinciding with the outbreak of internal conflict and deviation in belief, and along with the Traditionists, legal scholars, and theologians who rendered great services to Islam, Sufis had great success in reviving the spiritual aspect of Islam.

Early Sofis were distinguished, saintly people who led upright, honest, austere, and simple and blemish-free lives. They did not seek bodily happiness or carnal gratification, and followed the example of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings. They were so balanced in their belief and thinking that they cannot be considered followers of ancient philosophers, Christian mystics, or Hindu holy men. Early Sofis considered it the science of humanity’s inner world, the reality of things, and the mysteries of existence. A Sofi studied this science, one determined to reach the final rank of a universal or perfect being.

Sufism is a long journey of unceasing effort leading to the Infinite One, a marathon to be run without stopping, with unyielding resolution, and without anticipating any worldly pleasure or reward. It has nothing to do with Western or Eastern mysticism, yoga, or philosophy, for a Sofi is a hero determined to reach the Infinite One, not a mystic, a yogi, or a philosopher.

Prior to Islam, some Hindu and Greek philosophers followed various ways leading to self-purification and struggled against their carnal desires and the world’s attractions. But Sufism is essentially different from these ways. For example, Sofis live their entire lives as a quest to purify their selves via invocation, regular worship, complete obedience to God, self-control, and humility, whereas ancient philosophers did not observe any of these rules or acts. Their self-purification if it really deserves to be considered as such usually caused conceit and arrogance in many of them, instead of humility and self-criticism.

Sofis can be divided into two categories: those who stress knowledge and seek to reach their destination through the knowledge of God (ma'rifa), and those who follow the path of yearning, spiritual ecstasy, and spiritual discovery.

Members of the first group spend their lives traveling toward God, progressing “in” and progressing “from” Him on the wings of knowledge and the knowledge of God. They seek to realize the meaning of: There is no power and strength save with God. Every change, alteration, transformation, and formation observed, and every event witnessed or experienced, is like a comprehensible message from the Holy Power and Will experienced in different tongues. Those in the second group also are serious in their journeying and asceticism. However, they may sometimes deviate from the main destination and fail to reach God Almighty, since they pursue hidden realities or truths, miracle-working, spiritual pleasure, and ecstasy. Although this path is grounded on the Qur'an and the Sunna, it may lead some initiates to cherish such desires and expectations as spiritual rank, working miracles, and sainthood. That is why the former path, which leads to the greatest sainthood under the guidance of the Qur'an, is safer.

Sofis divide people into three groups:

- The perfect ones who have reached the destination. This group is divided into two subgroups: the Prophets and the perfected ones who have reached the Truth by strictly following the prophetic examples. Not all perfected ones are guides; rather than guiding people to the Truth, some remain annihilated or drowned in the waves of the “ocean of meeting with God and amazement.” As their relations with the visible, material world are completely severed, they cannot guide others.

- The initiates. This group also consists of two subgroups: those who completely renounce the world and, without considering the Hereafter, seek only God Almighty, and those who seek to enter Paradise but do not give up tasting some of the world’s permitted pleasures. Such people are known as ascetics, worshippers, the poor, or the helpless.

- The settlers or clingers. This group consists of people who only want to live an easy, comfortable life in this world. Thus, Sofis call them “settlers” or “clingers,” for they “cling heavily to the earth.” They are mainly people who do not believe, who indulge in sin and therefore cannot be pardoned. According to the Qur'an, they are unfortunate beings who belong to “the group on the left,” or those who are “blind” and “deaf” and “without understanding.”

Some have also referred to these three groups as the foremost (or those brought near to God), the people on the right, and the people on the left.