#SBS Arabic

[younes-ben-amara]

المُدوِّنة حنين حاتم تتجاوز التدوينة رقم 500: ندعو الله أن يرزقها ما تُحِبُّ وأكثر 🎈

ما هذه المجموعة من المختارات تسألني؟ إنّها عددٌ من أعداد نشرة “صيد الشابكة” اِعرف أكثر عن النشرة هنا: ما هي نشرة “صيد الشابكة” ما مصادرها، وما غرضها؛ وما معنى الشابكة أصلًا؟! 🎣🌐هل تعرف ما هي صيد الشابكة وتطالعها بانتظام؟ اِدعم استمرارية النشرة بطرق شتى من هنا: 💲 طرق دعم نشرة صيد الشابكة. 🎣🌐 صيد الشابكة العدد #168 السلام عليكم؛ مرحبًا وبسم الله؛ بخصوص العنوان فهو إنجاز حقَّقته الزميلة المُدوِّنة…

[sbeep]

The Way to Bahr Ezadir

"It's a great river, you know, that only glimpses the sun once before it cascades into the sea. A long time ago, the prince named the river for his knight, and the river passed its name to the city. Now no one will forget Ezadir, who fell protecting his love."

(An original illustration project of mine, with my OCs)

[justjensenanddean]

Jensen Ackles | Purgatory Con, Düsseldorf, Germany, May 26, 2024, Panel Summary

Most creepy or annoying toy the kids ever had? Slime. It creeps him out. He has it all over his house now. He doesn’t like the texture or feel. But his kids love it. Creepiest? Danneel has an old antique doll. It is old cracked, has creepy eyes and is the devil. (x)

Demon Dean or Soldier Boy, who‘s more powerful? Demon Dean because SB has a traumatized little boy in him and demon Dean is just empty. He‘s more dangerous because he just doesn’t care. (x)

Funniest moment from set of The Boys? Someone yells Herogasm so Jensen says it was probably not the funniest moment but when he arrived on day 3 of the set, Jack Quaid asked if he‘s been on set yet and when it was a no, he said „whoo, good luck“ (x)

People kept mistaking the bottles of lube and the bottles of hand sanitizer. Jensen was not prepared for when filming started and everyone took their robes off. Jensen was not prepared. (x)

Jensen couldn’t not look. They called cut. Jensen was like „I‘m sorry, there’s 4 people over here doing a position I have never seen before.“ His shower was extra long that evening. „There may have been tears.“ (x)

“There’s four people over here in a position I have not seen before!!!” “My shower lasted extra long that evening. And there were tears.” Jensen retelling stories from Herogasm set on #TheBoys (x)

How long did it take him to learn the Arabic phrase for s14? Not long, he can parrot things quite easily. He just needs to hear it a few times, then he can repeat the sounds. It‘s how he learns accents. Tap dance worked like it too. If he can see or hear it, he can emulate it. (x)

Jensen: “I don’t think Cas’s confession is something that needs to be resolved. There is nothing to resolve. He said what he needed to say, it was a long time coming, it was heartfelt and beautiful. But there’s nothing to resolve.” (x) “Dean took it in and then lost one of his closest allies and friends. The accepting of that happened when Dean sat on the floor. He lost one of his brothers in arms and one of his closest people. When they come back, it’s just understood.” (x)

Are there situations where he accidentally or on purpose bring out Dean? Yes. Sometimes he thinks „it would be great to be Dean Winchester right now. He could have handled this.“ Dean is alive in him and comes out from time to time. (x)

Were there fake tears on SPN or did he ever cry? He wasn’t classically trained, so the emotion we see is real. He doesn’t know how to fake it. Compares it to a book or movie making you emotional. You know it’s not real, but it still gets you. (x)

After the s4 scene when Dean confesses to Sam about his 40 years and torturing in hell, he had to walk away because his body didn’t know it was fake. The barn scene was probably the most real, but for different reasons. He was saying goodbye to Dean, Jared, the crew. (x)

Crew members had to leave set because they were crying too. They were trying to dial it down, because it was too much emotion. (x)

When things get too serious? Laughter. It‘s his levee. When things get too heavy, he makes a joke to ease the situation. (x)

„Do you use Jared‘s conditioner?“ No he does not. That’s just what his hair does. (x)

Who inspires you? Jensen doesn’t idolize anyone, but he has a lot of respect for certain people and tries to absorb as much as he can when he meets them. Could be a brilliant scientist, an artist, an actor. (x)

Being cold on set? There was a scene with Bobby where they looked at a map over the hood of the car. Jensen told Bob Singer that it was ridiculous because they would look at the map in their car. But Bob wanted a specific job and told him to just get it done. (x) A few days after he got lasic surgery, he was supposed to wear sunglasses all the time. But he had to film in the sun with light shining in his face. Jensen was in so much pain that Serge covered the white surfaces in black. Didn’t help much. He took ibuprofen and powered through (x)

Dead in the Water when he had to hold the kid up and the diver pulled him under, it was the most eery feeling. He was terrified for the kid. But the kid actor had fun. / End of panel. (x)

(JMacLean)

[sashi-ya]

Once again, disappointed with the OPLA casting, idk why inclusiveness ends when it comes to Arabic actors. Some people seem to be super inclusive until it comes to arabs. I'm not even arab, but I'm disappointed again. And don't come at me with "Iñaki is mexican not brazilian like Luffy" cause is not about nationality, is about ethnicity. Same as "Arabasta is not a real place" or "It is a mix of various places" bitch it is called ARABasta... plus, Oda stated IT IS MODELED AFTER ANCIENT EGYPT (sbs).

I seriously can't understand (i do) how every time there is an arab role it gets replaced for another ethnicity (I have NOTHING against them, is not about the actors, in fact I believe Vivi's actress is by far gorgeous, it is about casting and trying to completely "erase" certain ethnicities from media).

I know this has a hidden background, and we all know which one it is... unfortunately, some nations hate Arabs. They can only be "the bad guys with bombs" for them... we should actually take a closer look to who are really the ones bombing others, don't you think?

Fuck you very much, Netflix. and Oda as well, if you are ok with this. Honestly, I thought you would use this opportunity to make one of you political statements so damn needed right now 🍉🍉

Spoiler: Also, it is obviously inspired on Egypt... NEFERTARI sounds a LOT like NEFERTITI. If you have a glimpse of cultural background you could actually unveil a certain mystery related to the nefertari linage... Lily was probably the analog to Nefertiti, SHE BASED HIS POLITICAL RS IN ADORING A DEITY CALLED ATON (THE SUN)... WHO IS THE SUN GOD? YES, NIKA!!!

[lesmotsdemoi]

Christine’s Nail Art Therapy 💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻

1️⃣ Glam Nails Challenge August 2024

Theme: Sun 🌞

2️⃣ My A2Z Untried Challenge

Mani # 57

Featuring:

🌞 Polished for Days Baja Blasted

🌞 Stamping Plates

Sugar Bubbles SB 24

🌞 Stamping Polishes

Messy Mansion Chalk

Moyra SP Silver Holo

Emily de Molly Rex Orange

H La Cosedura Arab Street Naranja

Twinkled T Subtweet

[bagskate]

Antimony is a chemical element; it has symbol Sb (from Latin stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous grey metal or metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient times and were powdered for use as medicine and cosmetics, often known by the Arabic name kohl.

Elemental Haiku, Mary Soon Lee

part of @simmyfrobby's nhl periodic table poems series

"yankees stadium hosts its first outdoor hockey game, rangers vs devils 2014", dave sandford / p.k. subban, 2011 heritage classic, jeff vinnick / from the hector leblanc collection / photo unsourced, most likely by jay capers

[tenderhaunted]

i had 2 sb the person who put this on my dash but yall annoy me sm. like

it was under biden that roe v wade was overturned. it was under biden where anti trans bills have been popping up left n right. biden still hasnt offered student loan forgiveness from what i know like. yall making shit up to keep up the façade of vote blue no matter what. all bc u dont wanna admit that brown & Arab lives dont matter to yall enough to at least Try and use ur power as voters to force political leaders to actually go thru with their promises.

[s1gmagirl]

hi sorry i just need to tell you about this-

in arabic we are taking a historical-fiction novel about the life Queen Shajar-Al-Dor (doubt you know her but it's about her)

Now, she was enslaved by the mongols and shit after they invaded her homeland in Persia, and then she was bought by a prince etc etc. (i dont want to go into detail because it's kind of disturbing imo) before she rose to the throne.

Anyway, this was all NOT included in the novel since it takes place after she marries into the royal family, so the arabic teacher explained all of this historical context beforehand.

Some people were kind of confused and asked questions and i dont remember what exactly (i wasnt paying attention) but some question apparently prompted her to say, and I am paraphrasing here, that "she wasn't originally a slave, like she didnt have dark skin or anything, she came from a very noble family"

i shit you not, the whole class fell silent and just stared at her. MOST OF US ARE BROWN OR OLIVE-SKINNED. THERE ARE ONLY 2 WHITE KIDS HERE.

Like, ma'am, no. Ik the history and all, but WHITE SLAVES EXISTED. AND YOU DON'T JUST IMPLY THAT SOMEBODY CANT BE ENSLAVED BECAUSE THEY AIN'T POC 😭

ik this sounds random but i just NEEDED to tell sb

DUDE WHAT THE HELL.

HOW IS SHE EVEN ALLOWED TO TEACH IF SHE SAID THAT ERM..

[skopostheorie]

i hope ur ok with these kinds of questions, how do you usually juggle learning more than one language at a time? im learning 2 extra ones and want to pick up more later down the line, and im not sure how to balance them both equally

To the contrary I love these sorts of questions! I only worry you're all thinking a bit too highly of me and will be disappointed when you discover it's shitty advice.

Well, at this stage it's not too hard because my languages count for my university classes, so I just study for them "equally" in the same way you study anything equally to pass your course. I know that's sort of vague, but it's easier when everything you should be doing is already spelled out for you.

But it wasn't always that way! Beforehand, I'll be honest, I just went with the flow. I rarely made a schedule or anything, I just let interests in particular languages come and go in waves. Now sometimes I'd make certain balancing targets; if Japanese was on the backburner I'd make my nighttime reading a Japanese novel or something while my textbook was for Arabic, etc.

Oh! Also! I use SBS radio and those broadcasts happen daily. It gives me 2 hours of practice even if it's not active.

So my answer would be that you keep all your practice alive by having random things in your life that encourage you to use the language; Discords, YouTube channels, books, radio, and so on.

[lulubui]

Scarabee and Kitty Claw Au [movie special]

The au belongs to @a-chlolix-blog with the idea just randomly popped out of my mind.

I just gonna give it a try about my Shanghai sketch based on their SB and KC au, if you reading this @a-chlolix-blog , I love your au and hope this can be the first au base special.

So let's begin.

Take place earlier into season 2, around post Befana after Marinette got the Dragon miraculous.

Alot of things change in the Shanghai special with some detailed that the next mlb au tales will be needed.

-Like the beginning of the movie, Gabriel researched about the prodigious and the Chinese legends, he then send both Adrien and Chloe to their with him (With audrey permission too).

-Hearing that, Chloe tranform into Kitty Claw and inform Scarabee that she will have to move away from Paris. Similar with Stallion star.

-On the other hand, Alix's family also have an invitation to Shanghai for a ancient sculptures which is also related to Hawkmoth/ Gabriel plans. The villain requesting for Alim to go into the old kung-fu school and find the secret prodigious.

-Alix who knew something wouldn't gone well so she give Kitty Claw an alarms cat with four buttons, one for each heroes (Scarabee, Kitty Claw, Stallion and Draconia). They also have the similar type of doll but all represent their heroes indentity.

-After Befana, Gina question if Marinette want to visited her uncle, who now famous with his signature soup (Kung-food) and pay a visit to her mother home country.

-The girl worried about the money as her parents and Gina told they will take care of that. She agree.

-4 of them all went to Shanghai with 2 side not no the other appearance.

[Alix inform Marinette and they were in one group.]

[Chloe and Adrien go as a group]

[They forgot to tell each other. Mostly Chloe being rage at her mother for sending her to Shanghai, Alix did told them but didn't told about her destination. Similar to Marinette who begin to late.]

~

All of them arrive at Shanghai.

Marinette noticed Adrien and Chloe

Alix spotted a strange girl.

Fei who secretly steal people stuff

(Fei past still be the same in this Au's)

Feeling unusual, Longg and Tikki warn each other through their owner pigtails, as the crowded become big, splitting them up. Fei take her opportunity to appoarch the rich kid group, as she immediately pause and take a turn due to Adrien's bodyguard.

Due to Alix height she been cut off from Marinette (being pulled away by those bullied), her father and Gabriel were having a meeting (carefully since Gabriel will spoiled his identity without caution).

-Hey little girl? Lost from your parents?

-Shut the fuck up or I will spit out Arabic you fucking perverted.

Before they get to shove her, Jalil having a siblings radar and sense a dangerous things so he bolted to her place and punch the heck out of the guy. (1 out of 5 being eliminated)

-Luckily those boxing lesson with Nora seems useful for this type of situation.

Marinette from no where appear, crushing the other two. (3 out of 5 being eliminated)

A girl sudden appear (Fei) beaten the other one, with Alix totally smacking the last one hard in his nuts. (all of them being eliminted. Victory)

-Alix! Are you okay? Did they SA you?! Do you need me to push them down the river behind you?

Jalil worried, Marinette about to crushed them, while that happends, Fei sneakingly stole Marinette choker, which Longg felt a bad feelling before freezed when they knew something wrong was happended, they been suck into the choker, later on being put into the pink purse.

Chloe and Adrien sees the scene, run to, the blondie who watched Alix flipping off the male that two times her side having butterflies inside her stomache. Adrien also recognized Marinette martial talented which she leared from her mother.

Fei assited Alix up since the girl just fell to knock out the guy, while helping dust off, she slyly take the earring, but only got one as Chloe called out Alix name.

-Hey SHORTIE!!!!

Fei tense up and get away with one earring and a choker with some stuff from Marinette pocket. She later on give to Cash who bargain her a small price. Since Alix left out only an earring, Tikki being reannounced into it as well as Longg. Chloe happily reunited with Alix.

The group united and splitted out again, Alix with her family at the exhibition, Adrien and Chloe at the fashion (to which Chloe didn't have any pleased to be here), Marinette got lost into the main street.

Marinette and Fei scenario recreated, but with Longg be able to exit the necklace and witness the scene between Fei and Cash, they then pick up the earing the moment Fei switched between the choker.

Marinette lost her believe in Fei and run away, Longg stopped explained the problems. They then encounter a ruin school.

Back at the Kubdel family, Alix was in the school with her dad and brother, without knowing they accidently open the secret door. Hawkmoth show up as they all ran away. Alim and Jalil being protective as Alix find it hard to transform both for her lost earring and the family supervise.

The pink hair girl have no choice as pressed and call out the other hereos, whom both transform and arrive at the school, Marinette already there with Longg so she asked Longg to return the earing quickly, they did as Alix be able to transform.

Fei catched up on Marinette so she been delayed her transform, they heard a noise so go in and investigate.

The prodigious and Hawkmoth scene still remain as canon but with Draconia and Stallion, Fei able to use the amulet yet unable to become the dragon. Cash attack in his akumatized form, later on the statue, which wiped off both Hawkmoth and 1/50 the population of Shanghai.

Draconia encouraged Fei; Stallion, Scarabee and Kitty Claw fight agaisnt the statue, which also wiped off both Stallion and Kitty Claw, Scarabee have a panic attack, Draconia become stress as de-trasform (already use all her elements) in the corner of the building.

The statue blast off the corner, Marinette fell, Fei turn into a dragon and save her.

Understanding her power, she team-up with Scarabee and Draconia and defeated the statue, also become the true prodigious. Stallion return with Kitty Claw, Scarabee pulled the cat into a hug which make her blushed hardly and hug back (with a kiss).

Fei being ask to worked in Marinette uncle restaurant, Alix and Chloe hang out a bit, and everything sovles.

~~~~~

Cut off from the canon, this is the au post ending for the next Scarabee and Kitty Claw movie that I think off - relted to Vietnam so I could write about Kim and more Chloix romance. ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

At the end, while everyone packing up to returned, Fei receive an mysterious letter, in which the owner of it would recover fully her kung0fu with a special sponsor. The renlings then told her to get back at the place where she met Mei Shi, only to found a water pouring fountain with weird symbol crossing over it.

Later on, after left and went out, Fei meet an old man who resemble almost identical her adoptive father and an old woman.

"Who are you?"

"You wouldn't want to knew me yet LadyDragon, or I may say the new holder of the Chinese prodigious."

"We're here to tell you about the power that you're holding as it also related to your country"

Fei baffle look at the couple before been warn by the renlings, however Mei Shi didn't seem to bother as it come out, to most of Fei shocked, the couple look normal over the spirit like creature.

"Fei, from what I sense, these two are the last vigilante prodigious master. They have a protection aura that only myself can sense it"

The girl worried as willing to be in defence stance, but on what the spirit said, she soften and greeted. They acquaint about her future destination as well as the water fountain symbol.

"If Scarabee and Kitty Claw call out, don't hesitate and fly to their place. We won't be here for long afterward, let's hope all great things happen to you"

yeah, so the next au special gonna take place 1 year after in Vietnam since Miraculous have a few hints in that country, such as Kim's origins and one of the Ladybug holder from there too. I do not knowing when the series will told about it so I wanna make my own headcanon and fic about that with Chlolix shipped

Love yall and have a great day :3

[fauzer0-blog]

arabic style dragon. Scheherazade SB (starting bid): $35 MI (minimum increase): $4 AB (autobuy): $100 Auction ends in 48 hrs after the last bid. Please place your bid as a reply to the previous bidder. Thanks! -TOS- If you bid, you have agreed to these. Payment: Boosty or PayPal I would be glad to have a nice comment!

[almostfancywombat]

Amias Story Modern AU

(college au for my bastard children)

The end of class is all Amias needs to be spurred into thunder; tossing his bag over his shoulder, he catapults over the desk, clearing its length before landing with a flourish. Worn sneakers scrape against carpet as he launches into the hall, hearing his classmates and professor’s disgruntled exclamations.

Cheerfully humming, he weaves through his peers. Half-hearted greetings spill from his lips, the bare minimum to appease the hordes before he tears himself free from the surging throng, skirting along the hall’s edge, face nearly skimming the windows. Approaching the lobby, he soars out the doors and into the quad, dancing between the students milling about. Ever eccentric, Amias doesn’t draw much attention. If anything, it would be odder not to see him making a fool of himself.

Instead of returning to his car, he migrates to the library. Tucked into a study room, Amias spends the next hour editing next week’s video and ends up taking a nap on the beanbags strewn about, stealing half a dozen to hide beneath. Accompanied by a steady shuffle of papers and clicking keys, he weight on his chest and arctic air lulls him into a fitful nap.

Amias sleeps through his first two alarms and the student librarian wakes him when his 20th alarm blares. Thanking the girl, he tosses his belongings into his bag and rushes to the parking lot. Across the school, in the business department, Wren sits waiting for him to pick her up for lunch.

Shuffling along, he exits the building, squinting. He snags a scooter from a passing student and zips away. A cobbled path connects every department, and

Still rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he abandons the scooter on the stairs outside. He shoots Wren a message, sitting down as he awaits a response. Meanwhile, he studies the students dotting the yard.

The business sector is filled with point-dexters and wanna-be Finance Bros, everything Wren is not. Despite her hobbies, she’s majoring in International Commerce, minoring in Mandarin, and taking additional classes in Arabic. She must enjoy abusing her mind. Today, her final class ends at 1:00, and since he ferries her from place to place, Amias will treat her to lunch-dinner.

ME  Where are you?? 😣 ❤️ Wren ❤️ otusdie bc 👍 Sorry talking with sb rn Stupid empjis

His head snaps around, scanning every nook and cranny. When he finally spots her, he’s surprised to find her sitting at a bench, sandwiched between a hijab-clad lady, and young man. Too youthful to be a college student, he has a fresh and startling visage, shocking Amias with traits atypical of his apparent race.

Though, it is difficult to be certain. As a world traveler, Amias has met people from all backgrounds, witnessed the pinnacle of beauty and fashion, yet none are as astounding as this boy.

An odd mix of characteristics. Tan skin, milky blue eyes and a nest of cinnamon sugar hair. He has a thousand-mile stare, deep, dark circles beneath his eyes. Despite this, his features are soft, not yet fully formed. He and the lady share the same eye shape, but they are otherwise incomparable.

Waving, Amias’ lips quirk upwards in the ghost of a smile. But when he realizes Wren is helping set up a laptop with high contrast mode and a million-point font, he cringes. His hand slips back to his side. The boy is visually impaired and not looking his way, but staring into space.

Wren huffs, still fiddling with the settings. “Sorry it’s taking so long. We should’ve done this during summer camp when we had the translators, but I didn’t have access to the school’s laptops.”

“It’s alright, you’ve done enough,” the lady says. To his linguistically untrained ears, her accent mistakenly registers as Turkish, but Amias is certain he’s incorrect.

The boy mumbles incoherently. Wren somehow understands.

“Yeah, it’s silly. I get that they’re busy, but the very least–” Wren accidentally hits text-to-speech, and the computer spews a Turkic-sounding language. She and the boy jolt, scrambling to turn down the volume.

Slinking over, Amias clears his throat, so as not to startle them. Keeping a safe distance between the other pair, he instead hovers over Wren, feeling her head on his chest. Fortunately, she recognizes the scent of his shampoo and relaxes.

“Amias! What are you doing here?”

He feels her head turn, cheek now pressing onto him.

“Surprise, surprise.” He grumbles. His hands glide over the screen, desperately accessing the toolbar. Despite the undecipherable language, he knows this model’s general layout well enough to disable the function. “I fell asleep in the library and woke up in time to treat you to Lunchner.”

“Oh shit. Can’t believe I almost missed Lunch-Dinner,” she whispers. She slams a few more keys, and the computer finishes its set-up procedures. The text is in what appears to be some Arabic script. “Great. Bye, Sieon, Sieon’s mom. I’ll see you next Thursday. Text or email me if you have any issues until then. I gave y’all my information, right?”

“Yes,” the lady answers, waving around a sticky note. “Thank you again, Wren.”

“S’no problem. Just glad to be of help.”

The boy mumbles and nods, leaning in toward the computer screen as he types a password. His other hand lifts a neon sticky note into the air. Wren’s number is imprinted with a thick permanent marker.

Unperturbed by his sudden appearance, the boy stares and murmurs in a foreign language. When she doesn’t respond, he repeats in the same quiet, steady tone.

Engrossed in packing her bag, it takes a seventh attempt until Wren notices. She takes a moment to process and cuts him off. She responds in Mandarin, which Amias mostly comprehends.

“Eh? Yeah, that’s my friend. 自从我哥哥最近找到工作以来，他就开车送我。I like going with him. 他总是给我送零食。” Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Wren practically throws out her hip to avoid hitting another table. She resumes on her way as if nothing happened and calls over her shoulder, waving. “Anyway, see ya.”

Amias waits until Wren occupies his side to move. Once they’re a safe distance away from the pair, he interrogates her.

“Who were you talking to?”

Wren inhales, prepping for a rant. “Sieon-Fletch Alimjan, a high-school junior. He’s taking English and dual-enrollment classes here.”

“And do you happen to know where he’s from?”

“Said he and his mom just moved from Urumqi, but his dad was already working in the States. They barely immigrated this past summer due to visa issues, and we actually met during June, at a camp I volunteered at. Apparently, the twin’s parents are their co-sponsors, and his dad is working for the same place my mom does, so we’re destined to be in each other’s lives in some way or another.” She scratches her cheek. “Even if he’s younger, I don’t mind. He reminds me of my brother.”

“It’s nice that you’re able to help,” notes Amias with a twinge of pride. She’s come a long way from refusing to even talk to teachers. “Look at you! You’ve developed such a talent for talking with people.”

Wren shrugs. “Not really. He speaks Uyghur, but more Mandarin than English, and I won that study abroad contest, so I’m pretty good at it. I’m only good with him because the admins sorta offered me extra credit for something to tour his family. We get along fine, but he has another aid to help him around when I can’t. Oh, guess what? He's going to Berlian, our old high school. Coincidence, isn’t it?” Then, in a quieter voice, she adds, “You know, I don’t think we would be friends if we hadn’t met so early.”

“How could you say that?” It stings, but he plays it off as a joke. While Amias knows his abrasive personality is off-putting, he’s always restrained it for her, just as she dilutes some aspects of hers. That’s how their relationship works, at least; they have clear boundaries that are hardly crossed, so there’s no reason to enforce arbitrary rules. “We were both weird kids, so I knew we’d get along. Who else had a family member who spoke French?”

“Roman,” she answers, balancing on a curb stop.

He winces. That weird band dictator who insists on auditioning despite having no time? Amias never wishes to make his acquaintance. “He doesn’t count because he’s Quebecois, and his accent is bad.”

Wren stares long and hard. She blinks slowly, like a cat. “I always knew French people were rude, but you’re like, unnecessarily evil sometimes.” Then, before he can act offended, she expertly switches topics. “Anyway, what’s so important that we gotta leave school early?”

“Nothing much,” says Amias, unlocking his car. Sliding behind the steering wheel, he tosses his bag into the backseat and toggles with the radio. Expectant, he eyes Wren. “I’m taking you to Dos-i-Deux to celebrate surviving our first day back.”

Clenching her jaw, Wren remains resolute. A homebody by nature, she prefers drinking instant coffee at home. He’s testing her, playing right into her weakness. But a glance at him sends her resolution tumbling.

“Fine,” she concedes, tossing her bag through the window. It hits him in the face and he carelessly chucks it, a small act of revenge. “Why do the coffee shops in town have the wackest names?” She ponders aloud and runs through a mental list before stopping abruptly. “Turn on the AC.”

“Do you pay for my gas?”

“Turn on the AC,” demands Wren, grabbing and flapping her collar.

He grabs her hand, stopping her from flashing passersby. They enter a staring contest, a death match between an immovable object and an unstoppable force. But relenting to Wren’s will is inevitable. She doesn’t have to say anything before  he’s sighing and reaching for the dial.

Whatever. Whatever Wren wants, Wren will seize. It doesn’t help that, when it comes to her, Amias has a backbone like a chocolate eclair.

On full blast, a cold breeze knocks his hair into disarray. “Can I just lower it?”

“No.” Wren nods, then proceeds to steal his phone and monopolize the radio. Her taste in music is strange; she blares music from eras bygone in languages Amias has never heard.

Nevertheless, they mumble along, and when they reach Dos-i-Deux’s, he has already acquired a taste for Bad Bunny and indigenous Siberian rock. The latter is somewhat expected of her completely random tastes, but Amias picks up Morales influence; Lucinda has raved about the previous, but he hadn’t taken her word on the singer until now.

“The usual?”

Feet on the seat, she holds her knees to her chest. The blue light of her phone illuminates her face. “Yup. I’ll Venmo you the $6.50 later.”

Amias pauses to ruffle her hair. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just deduct from your snack allowance when you come over to study.”

“Ugh.” She slides back in the seat, slamming a palm into her forehead. “Don’t remind me. Can we invite Pan? She’s the only reason we got into this school and she’ll be the only reason we stay in it.”

Laughing, Amias retrieves his wallet and crosses the parking lot. Head swiveling around, he takes in the city, hears its bustle. It’s near the local college campus and a well-placed suburb in a quieter part of town. What he wouldn’t do to leave this place.

Greeting the lady at the counter, he intends to ask about her paid internship. They’ve developed a repertoire, with him helping to introduce her to one of his many contacts while she offers free drinks and company whenever he doesn’t want to work at home. Much to his complete and utter dismay, an entirely different yet still familiar girl turns around to greet him.

Suddenly, the bright decor fades like watercolors left in the rain. The once cozy place, small with heaps of decorative pillows on benches, feels stifling. Is it getting hotter? Is he on the verge of fainting?

“Oh shit,” Amias mutters. Too late to exit, he steels himself and undergoes incredible mental gymnastics in the few seconds it takes to cross the threshold. To emotionally devastate her, or not? He better play it safe. He reciprocates Molly’s wave but lacks the enthusiasm, limp-wristed as his lips curl into a thin line. Leave, he must.

Attempting to place the order and bolt, Amias tries ignoring her, but that ghastly smile remains plastered across her face. After stating Wren’s simple order and requesting a substitution for regular milk, he divulges his diabetes-inducing concoction of syrup, coconut milk, and double whipped cream. Molly is excruciatingly slow to input it. With a heavy heart, he realizes he must participate in the treacherous thing called Small Talk.

Idle banter is not his style; it saps his very soul from his body.

“So, you work here now?”

Hilarious, coincidental, even, that it happens to be the cafe he frequents. He’s starred in a few local, cringe-worthy ads for the place, but perhaps it’s time to cut ties and move on to greater vistas, like their competitors who’ve offered to scoop him up once his contract ends.

The girl twirls a strand of dyed hair, a similar shade to his peroxide locks. “Yeah, today’s my first day. I just got hired.”

“Can’t believe you got another so soon,” grumbles Amias, jamming his card into the slot. “Don’t make my order, then. I’ll take my business elsewhere. I don’t want it to look like shit.”

“Why’re you being so mean?” Molly pouts, leaning in.

Amias grimaces. He forgot she’s into strange, strange things, influenced by the female version of those Alpha Male podcasts and mistakes his Molly-oriented misogyny for attraction.

Sighing, he tugs a chair free and plops onto it, slouching over the table. Amias scrolls through his messages, finding them mostly filled with alerts to redundant comments posted by his younger fanbase. Still, he responds to a fellow creator and a few subscribers in the time it takes Molly to prepare his order.

Scrutinizing it, he deems her training as effective. “Who trained you?”

She beams, relishing in him initiating the conversation. “Some exchange student. Aline something? Has a funny accent?”

He scoops up the drinks, making a mental reminder to inform the manager of Aline’s miraculous teaching abilities.

“M’kay, bye, thanks!” He says, voice sing-song. The second drink rests in his hand while his copiously sweet concoction rests in the crook of his elbow. He bolts before he can feel guilty about not leaving a tip.

Shuffling back to the car, Amias spots Wren staring at her phone, mouth moving. Puzzled, he observes her for a moment, knocking on the door to signal her to unlock it.

He steals a sip from both beverages before setting them in the cup holders. “Who were you talking to? Did Sieon call for something?”

Instead of her bumbling voice, a deeper register responds. “Me.”

Amias jolts, eyes darting to the rearview mirror. A pair of sharp, cat-like eyes stare back. Practically tossing himself into Wren’s lap, he peers between the seats. The boy looks to be seventeen or eighteen, likely his age. Entirely unbothered, dark brown eyes crinkle as the only hint at the smile he flashes beneath his mask. A hand rises to tousle long, wavy hair.

Gorgeous, gorgeous young man. Instantly, Amias decides to despise him with every fiber of his being as he unbuckles and turns around.

“Who the fuck are you and why are you in my car?”

“Language!” With a hand gripping his hair, Wren shoves Amias back into his seat. “Let me explain.”

“You better! He’s even wearing a mask.”

“Allergies,” the stranger justifies.

Utterly perplexed, Amias throws open the door. Turning back to Wren, he shoots her a look that demands she follow his example. With her complying, he grabs his keys and locks car, consequently trapping the boy inside.

The boy presses his face against the glass, miming sorrow. Wren laughs, and Amias snaps to reign in her attention, but he also drifts. From inside the shop, he spots Molly peeking out. When they make eye contact, he sends a withering glare her way. For good measure, he flips her off.

The intruder rolls down the window, studying them.

“Roll it back up,” Amias demands.

“Nah, leave him,” Wren says with a shrug.

“You’re fine with this?”

“Sure, why not? Let’s go inside. It’s not a complicated story, but I want him to tell you, too, and your car isn’t exactly the best place. He’s freaked out about how expensive it is.”

Inside? In Molly’s domain? Amias thinks the fuck not.

“Get back in. We’re going where there aren’t so many witnesses.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

Impossibly, the boy finds no issue with the statement. His compliance makes Amias feel like the worst person in the world as he slides back behind the wheel, intent on driving far, far from the establishment. To dissipate the stifling air, he flips through radio stations before connecting his phone. He scrolls through dozens of playlists, attempting to find one that would suit his assumption of the boy’s taste. He feels like it will be something entirely unexpected. Tedious, Amias deigns to ask.

“Do you have a favorite singer or band?”

“Lady Gaga,” comes his candid response.

And so, the listening party begins with Poker Face. Amias is too mentally exhausted to care when he realizes he accidentally looped the song and it repeats for the ride’s duration. Even more disturbing, the boy doesn’t seem to mind. Amias feels a spark of respect for the boy; he has no room to judge someone who demands to hear Lady Gaga after agreeing to be driven away by a stranger.

He speaks fluently, yet in short, choppy sentences, almost reserved. “I was chased by a dog. Wren allowed me inside, so I came.”

That’s one thing explained; she’s terrified of dogs and would gladly aid anyone suffering similarly. “But that doesn’t explain why you let him in my car.”

“I wouldn’t have if it was something smaller, but it was a labrador.” Leaning in, she tugs Amais down to her height, whispering in his ear. “Also, he was running super fast. It intrigued me.”

Oh. My. God. She has the mental process of a kindgartener when it comes to choosing people to become infatuated with.

Amias indignantly huffs. “So?”

Wren punches his arm, hard. “The kid I was helping set up the computer,” she begins, “is his host family’s son. They just moved to the area from across town because Yanan’s participating in some sports competition thing, and the best training center in the nation just so happens to belong to some local university. Right?”

Nodding, the newly-annointed Yanan beams. He seems eager to share every detail, but Amias lacks the patience for rants and cuts to the chase.

“Great. Nice meeting you, Yanan. Just tell me where you live. I’ll drop you off, but you owe me gas.”

“Money for gas,” adds Wren, clarifying.

Yanan tilts his head and huffs. “Sorry. All my money is still in yuan because I get better rates here - the rate is terrible when you do the exchange at home. I could give it later. Do you have WeChat?”

Amias scoffs; he’ll pass on trusting a stranger’s word. He supposes he must relent his incessant rudeness and be nice for once. Already, he plans for damage control and bribery in the likely case Yanan takes to the internet to share what a major jerk he is.

“Oh, never mind,” he piques. “My host family lives around this area. Thank you, but I’ll walk.”

“Problem solved, then,” Amias says, already dragging Wren to the car. But she halts when she hears her name, Yanan thwarting their escape.

“Wren, right?” Yanan tilts his head. “Let’s get coffee sometime. My treat.” He suggests, offering his phone. The case is obscenely cutesy, an animal with a transparent pocket containing a holographic photo. Stickers decorate the heap of metal and plastic.

“Sure,” says Wren. Weighing the device in her hands, she smiles. “What’d you give me this for? I believe you about the RMB to USD exchange rate being trash, but I think it’s currently seven to one.”

Yanan blanks. “What?”

“Huh?”

Amias releases a delirious laugh and praises the heavens for the first time in his life. Wren is too embarrassed to assume anything about other people’s intentions. She’s not shy and will gladly ask for clarification, but the gears in her brain turn very slowly when confronted with something strange.

He clears his throat, interjecting before she remembers why people give each other phones after making favorable first impressions.

“Come on. Your mom said I need to get you home before three today. She’s bringing over one of your neighbors for that tamale workshop.”

Yanan sneakily glances at his phone. It’s barely 1:05.

“Ooh, Mrs. Garcia. I love that old lady. Are you staying for that?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Successful with his distraction, Amais swipes the phone from her hands and returns it to the mysterious exchange student. He places an arm around her shoulders and guides her back into the car. In the rearview mirror, he sees Yanan shaking his limbs out. Then, he leans down

“He seems like a nice boy,” comments Wren, sticking her hand out the window to view his escape. “If Sieon’s family is hosting him, what university do you think he's attending? What kinda major does he look like?”

Amias shrugs. Their university is down the street, then a conservatory for musicians, then acommunity college. In the next town over, there’s a trade school.  He hopes Yanan attends one of the latter two and was only near their campus to tour it.

“I think he’d get along with our friends. It’s too bad we probably might not see him unless it’s through Sieon. People like him don’t live normal lives, do they?” Without allowing him a chance to breathe, she continues. “Do you think he’s doing online classes, holed up in a practice room? Then he practices to bring glory to a state that isn’t even in the same country as his and repeats the entire thing. And when he leaves, it’ll be without experiencing much of anything because he wasted all that time pursuing his craft.”

“Uh… Is that still a questions?” asks Amias, squinting.

“No, just observations. The thought is depressing. But could that be fulfilling to some people?”

Secretly, Amias hopes they’ll never see him again. For a more standard experience in an American university, Yanan should attend their rival school.

“Eh, maybe. You’re reading too much into this one interaction.” He nearly adds that she could always check if he’s on social media if she’s that concerned, but he’d rather enjoy her undivided attention for a moment longer.

Pulling out of the parking lot, Amias steers ahead. They soon come to a stop sign, where Yanan stands, plucking at keys on his phone. Wren rolls down the window and sticks her head out to offer a departing salutation. Yanan laughs, and Amias glares at him through the rearview mirror. Amias sees him reaching up to grab a descending flower. Bringing it to his nose, he waves.

Amias slams on the gas pedal, nearly flying over the speedbump.

“Hey, watch it!” Wren yelps, arms bracing herself against the dashboard.

Already, Wren has launched into a retelling of today’s events. Amias hopes this means she’s forgotten about the strange, new boy, but his dreams are crushed when she slams her head onto the dashboard and screeches, nearly causing him to swerve into a tree. Heart painfully thumping, he stares at her with wide eyes and gritted teeth. It feels like he’ll burst a vein.

“What?” He snarls. “What, Wren? What?”

“Was that dude asking for my number?”

[houseofgeeks]

How to watch the Olympics

Behind the cut is a list of all the countries with their rights holders (in case you don't want to go to the PDF file). I would google that company and you should be able to find how to watch through them. Some countries are better than others at promoting their broadcasts. Here is the link to the Olympics page where I got this info from:

Broadcaster Territories Albavision-Televideo Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Republica Dominicana, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay

AMX CONTENIDO Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

beIN Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Republic of the Sudan, Republic of South Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

Caracol Colombia

CBC Canada

Chilevisión Chile

CMG China

Dentsu Afghanistan, Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan

Grupo Globo Brazil

IMC Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Commonwealth of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos

IMG Inflight & Inship (ex USA)

Infront Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic , Chad (non- exclusive), Comoros, Congo (Democratic Republic), Congo (Republic), Djibouti (non-exclusive basis by satellite TV and solely in French), Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Japan Consortium Japan

LiveMode Brazil

NBC United States and its territories and possessions, Puerto Rico

Nine Australia, Christmas Islands, Cocos Islands

Prodena Panama

SABC South Africa

SBS South Korea, North Korea

Sky Network Cook Islands, Federal States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Supersport Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, St Helena and Ascension, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

TelevisaUnivision Mexico

TSG Russia Viacom 18 Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Warner Bros. Discovery Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ukraine and Vatican City

[kalpeshastro]

Top 10 astrologer in Qatar

Discover the wisdom of the top 10 astrologers in Qatar, celebrated for their exceptional knowledge and precise predictions. These esteemed astrologers offer personalized consultations, addressing your unique concerns in areas such as career, relationships, health, and finances. With a deep understanding of Vedic astrology and a dedication to excellence, they provide insightful guidance and tailored solutions to help you navigate life's challenges.

[ama2024]

https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/reports/34091-global-styrenic-polymers-market

Styrenic Polymers Market: Study Navigating the Future Growth Outlook

Advance Market Analytics released a new market study on Global Styrenic Polymers Market Research report which presents a complete assessment of the Market and contains a future trend, current growth factors, attentive opinions, facts, and industry validated market data. The research study provides estimates for Global Styrenic Polymers Forecast till 2029*.

Styrenic polymer is formed by polymerization of styrene in the presence of vinyl group results. The styrene based resins are widely applicable in manufacturing wide variety of everyday goods, kitchen appliances, hospitals and school supplies. The styrenic polymers offer several facilities such are flexibility of materials and design in the field of medical industries. There has been significant rise in number of polymer production capacity with figure stood up to USD 10.8 million ton in global in 2016, the future for styrenic polymers looks promising. The major companies are introducing latest technology based styrenic polymers in Asia-Pacific and Middle East region as its demand is observed in electrical and electronics industries that consume a majority of styrenic polymers.

Key Players included in the Research Coverage of Styrenic Polymers Market are:

Bayer Material Science (Germany), Lanxess Ag (Germany), Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Saudi Arabia),  Nova Chemicals Corporation (Canada), ENI S.P.A, LG Chem Ltd. (South Korea), Ashland (United States), Styrolution Group GmbH (Germany), Ineos Group Ag (Switzerland), Asahi Kasei Corporation (Japan), Alpek Sab De Cv (Mexico), BASF(Germany),

What's Trending in Market: Rising Demand of styrenic polymers due to urbanization and industrialization. increasing demand of styrenic polymers in automobile industry at South America region.

Challenges: Adverse Impact Due to Economic Uncertainties in Styrenic Polymers.

Opportunities: Introduction Of New Models and Technology Advancements Expected to Boost the Business Jet Market. Rapid Technological Innovation Leads to Propel the Market.

Market Growth Drivers: Increase In Demand of Lightweight Materials in Consumer Goods Industries. Rise In Demand Of Styrenic Polymers in Asia-Pacific Regions Fuelled Up The Market.

The Global Styrenic Polymers Market segments and Market Data Break Down by Type (Polystyrene (PS), Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN), Methacrylate Butadiene Styrene (MBS), Methacrylate Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (MABS), Styrene Methyl-Methacrylate (SMMA), Styrene Butadiene Styrene (SBS), Styrene Ethylene Butylene Styrene (SEBS), Others), Application (Medical, Building and Construction, Electrical and Electronics, Automotive Industry, Consumer Goods, Other), Process (Geometric, Fluid-Dynamic, Thermodynamic)

Get inside Scoop of the report, request for free sample @: https://www.advancemarketanalytics.com/sample-report/34091-global-styrenic-polymers-market

To comprehend Global Styrenic Polymers market dynamics in the world mainly, the worldwide Styrenic Polymers market is analyzed across major global regions. AMA also provides customized specific regional and country-level reports for the following areas.

• North America: United States, Canada, and Mexico.

• South & Central America: Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Brazil.

• Middle East & Africa: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa.

• Europe: United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Russia.

• Asia-Pacific: India, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia.

[afrocentrism-debunked-by-ola]

Hollywood sure knows how to cast actors for the role of an Egyptian, but some producers just feel like following the Afrocentric agenda (yikes!)

While a lot of Hollywood productions that feature Egypt(ians) are nothing but.. embarrassing, whether it was before or after the trend of Afrocentrism, as they were "played by non-Egyptians in bronze face" (Nour), like The Mummy (1999), Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014), and others.

Nour writes, "Actual Egyptians, and Arabs more broadly, usually performed the roles of a bumbling sideshow act in these movies: stealing treasures from ancient tombs or summoning evil spirits with the help of the occult; typifying the very worst stereotypes of Orientalist fantasy."

There is a not-very-fine line between cultural appropriation and appreciation, and this line needs to be drawn as bold as possible here.

There is definitely no shortage of Egyptians who can speak flawless English and have the talent to be starring Hollywood movies, a few of them would be: Oscar-winning Rami Malek, Omar Sharif, Mena Massoud, Rosaline Elbay, and May Calamawy (some of whom were actually casted in Egyptian roles). Yet, for some reason, Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress, was chosen to play Cleopatra --- and it is her in one production, or Adele James (black actress) in another. I mean, hello? Egyptians and Greeks are still here and would like to have a say in the representation of one of their most iconic historical figures?

I agree with Nour's argument when he writes that "the historical persona of Cleopatra is not some imaginary idea which can be re-created according to people’s whims and wishes. She is a Queen of Egyptian history and it is the right of the Egyptian people to have a say in her portrayal. As the son of Egyptians, who is proud of his eclectic heritage, his people and his culture, I say, boldly and defiantly: I am Cleopatra."

An ancient Roman bust, c. 50-30 BC, now held at The British Museum, depicting a woman from Ptolemaic Egypt, either Queen Cleopatra VII or a member of her entourage, during her 46-44 BC visit to Rome with her lover Julius Caesar. The bust is now located in the British Museum, London.

References: Nour, Daniel. “As Proud Egyptians, We Want a Say in Cleopatra’s Portrayal.” SBS Voices, 22 Oct. 2020, www.sbs.com.au/voices/article/as-proud-egyptians-we-want-a-say-in-cleopatras-portrayal/cc4y6uyzv.