#aaliyah the muslim girl

[sunnytoonsproductions]

Y'all, I was now just practice drawin' some more body features/reps since I love givin' each characters I draw (either are my characters or the characters in my company), so I drew these two girlies by the names of Aaliyah, and Chi-Chi =^///^=

Aaliyah is clearly a tall, kinda sarcastic and arrogant muslim girl, and Chi-Chi is a short and chubby, yet a sassy and mischiveous asian girl, and they're a duo and best friends =^.^= 🇸🇦💜☪️ 🇨🇳🖤

And, along with all the other random characters I draw that aren't the part of any of the shows in 'sunny toons productions' company, I just drew these two for fun (I'll draw more characters like this with different body types or features/reps), but I actually may draw a few doodles or sketches of them SOMETIMES since I love how I drew 'em two 💖

Also! Yeaaahh... Aaliyah's name is inspired by @ducktopia90264's a.k.a Aaliyah's real name =^.^= 💗

[fisabilillah-inthewayofallah]

Will children be rewarded for their good deeds?

Question

I know that a person is not accounted for his sins before the age of puberty, what about his good deeds, does he get rewarded for them?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Yes, children will be rewarded for doing good deeds, because of the hadeeth reported by Muslim in his Saheeh (no. 1335) from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both), who said: “A woman lifted up a child and said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, will his Hajj (pilgrimage) be counted?’ He said, ‘Yes, and you will be rewarded.’” The author of Mawaahib al-Jaleel fi Sharh Mukhtasar Shaykh al-Khaleel said, regarding the matter of children being instructed to pray when they reach the age of seven: “Al-Qaraafi said in al-Yawaaqeet fi’l-Mawaaqeet: children will earn reward for good deeds that they do because of the hadeeth (prophetic narration) of the Khath’ami woman [who lifted up her child and asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about his Hajj].”

Ibn Rushd said: “The bad deeds of young children are not recorded but their good deeds will be recorded, according to the sound opinion.”

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed, commenting on the first hadeeth quoted therein, which is the hadeeth of the Khath’ami woman: “… Abu’l-‘Aaliyah al-Riyaahi said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: the young child’s good deeds will be recorded but his bad deeds will not be recorded.”

The author of Mawaahib al-Jaleel said, concerning children entering ihraam (sacred state) for Hajj and ‘Umrah:

“The scholars do not differ concerning the fact that children will be rewarded for whatever acts of obedience (to Allaah) they do, and will be let off for any bad deeds that they do, and any bad deeds they do deliberately will be counted as mistakes. It says in Mukhtasar al-Waadihah: ‘Hajj is not an obligation for boys and girls until boys reach puberty and girls begin menstruating, but there is nothing wrong with taking them for Hajj. It is recommended (mustahabb), and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did so.’”

Then he reported that Talhah ibn Musarrif said: “It was one of the customs of the Muslims to take their children for Hajj and expose them to the mercy of Allaah.”

Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed that it is encouraged to take children for Hajj, and that the majority of scholars say this. He also said: “It is nothing strange that a child should earn reward and status in the Hereafter for his salaah (prayers), zakaah (paying poor-due), Hajj and other good deeds if he does them as they should be done, (because this is) grace and mercy from Allaah, just as Allaah shows mercy to the dead by rewarding them for acts of charity done on their behalf by the living. Do you not see that they (the scholars) are agreed that a child should be commanded to pray when he reaches the age of understanding and that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) led Anas and the orphan in prayer? Most of the salaf (pious predecessors) said that zakaah has to be paid on the property of orphans, and it is impossible that they would not be rewarded for that. Their guardians and the one who does this on their behalf will also certainly be rewarded, as will the one who takes them for Hajj, as a blessing and mercy from Allaah. It was reported that ‘Umar said: ‘Children’s good deeds will be recorded and their bad deeds will not be recorded.’ I do not know of anyone whose opinion is worth following who said anything to the contrary.”

According to al-Ikmaal, many of the scholars said: “Children will be rewarded for their acts of obedience (to Allaah), and their good deeds will be recorded, but not their bad deeds.”

It says in Awaa’il al-Muqaddimaat: “The correct opinion in my view is that they are both encouraged to do that and will both be rewarded for it (i.e., the child and his or her guardian). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to the woman [who asked about the child’s Hajj]: ‘… and you will be rewarded.’ And Allaah knows best.”

Ibn Jamaa’ah said: “According to the four (imams/leading scholars), children will be rewarded for their acts of obedience and their good deeds will be recorded, whether they are mature or not. This was reported from ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him. Some scholars report that there was consensus (ijmaa’) in this matter. It is also indicated by what we have already said under the heading of Virtues (fadaa’il), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘The jihaad (physival battle) of the very old and the very young is Hajj and ‘Umrah,’ as well as the hadeeth about the woman who lifted up a child.”

And Allaah knows best.

[womanofwords]

STEM Kids Shenanigans (Chapter 24)

Chapter 24: Layla's Plants

Layla loved her plants. They were some of the only things that kept her sane during times of chaos and upheaval. When everyone else changed, her plants stayed the same.

"Why do you even like this stuff?" Miriam asked.

"It's quiet. Soothing. And the best part is, it doesn't go into my room and turn the lights off while I'm reading," Layla said.

Miriam huffed. "You don't have to be like that about it."

"Stop turning off the lights in my room, then."

"No."

(PAUSE)

Layla especially loved conducting her own plant experiments to enhance her own natural beauty. Recently, she'd been making her own hair care specials with plants she'd grown herself. Some aloe vera gel mixed with lavender oil for fragrance. Coconut oil dissolved in water to give her hair a glossy shine. But recently, she'd been wanting to make her hair longer. It was just longer than shoulder length. She wanted it down to her backside like her older sister.

And she was going to use science and her plants to get what she wanted.

First, she got her books about plants and scanned them all for ones which boosted hair growth. When that didn't work, she googled it and found a recipe for hair growth serum, which was a mix of different essential oils, along with some aloe vera oil. After mixing and straining, she finally had the finished product.

Now to test it.

(PAUSE)

Layla began diligently applying the mixture to her hair once a week, letting it sit for hours and then carefully rinsing it out. And she began to see results pretty quickly.

Her hair began to grow a lot.

As in, a lot.

"Layla, habibti, your hair is too long. I think you might need a haircut," her father said.

"No she doesn't. She looks amazing," her mother said. "How did your hair grow this long?"

"Uhh . . . I didn't notice. Is it really that much?" Layla asked.

"Yes," her parents chorused.

Layla's parents weren't the only ones to make appreciative comments about her hair. "What the hell?" Aaliyah asked. "Your hair is super long. As long as mine."

"You think so?" Layla asked, giggling.

"Yeah, girl. I need to know your secret," Aaliyah said. "What have you even been using?"

"My own recipe."

Aaliyah laughed. "Girl, I will pay you for a piece of that recipe."

And with that, an idea was born.

(PAUSE)

Layla had honestly thought she was alone at the time.

She was applying even more gel to her hair when she was spotted by two older girls. "What the hell are you doing?" one of them asked.

"It's a . . . hair growth . . . thing," Layla stammered.

"That stuff grows out your hair?" the second girl said, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, look at my hair and come to your own conclusions," Layla said, shaking her hair out of the bun she'd put it in. It cascaded down from its previous bun imprisonment and went halfway down her thigh.

"You've got a point," the first one said. "Where'd you get it from?"

"I . . . made it myself, actually," Layla said, gaining a burst of confidence.

"I've been meaning to have something to make my hair thicker," the first girl said. "How much?"

"Wait, what? How much?" Layla's head was spinning. "I didn't think people would want any."

"Course people would. I would right now. You could make a lot of money off of this stuff."

"Oh, I could?" Layla asked, while gears turned in her head.

(PAUSE)

And that was when her school hustle was born.

From there, every Friday, girls would go into an art classroom and walk out with small mason jars of gel. Nobody noticed how Layla's bag was bigger at the start of school and dramatically decreased after lunch. It had even escaped the authorities (AKA teachers and prefects). And every day, she would get more compliments from her clients.

"Layla, you are a miracle worker!"

"You're the best!"

"Worth every penny!"

But, like everything good, Melanie became suspicious.

"What's in the bag, Layla?" Melanie asked, cornering the Muslim girl as she walked with Yujin, Angelo and Dante.

"My stuff," Layla said, as she walked faster. She was so close to being off school grounds, so close to freedom.

And then Melanie grabbed her.

"You're hiding something in there, aren't you?" she snapped. "Show me! Show me what's in the bag right now!" She grabbed Layla's bag and tugged. Layla tugged it back.

"It's none of your business! I've done nothing wrong!" Layla yelled. A tug of war commenced. Yujin grabbed another part of Layla's bag.

"You four are always up to something," Melanie snapped

A crowd was forming of students eager to see a fight go down, and a chant spread. "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

"We weren't doing anything!" Layla yelled over the chanting.

"What on earth are you doing?" Dr Violet boomed. Everyone sprang back.

"Dr Violet!" Melanie giggled nervously. "W-what a pleasure t-t-to see you."

"What are you doing?" Dr Violet asked.

"I thought that Layla had something suspicious in her bag," Melanie stammered. "When I decided to look at it, she wouldn't let me. So I began to attempt to forcibly take the bag from her, which was when Moon intervened on Layla's behalf."

Dr Violet did not look impressed. "And on what grounds did you believe that Layla would have anything suspicious in her bag, Miss Sainsbury?"

"For as long as I've known them, they have been rude, crude, and disrespectful to authority figures. If anyone's going to be breaking rules, it's them!" Melanie pointed an accusing finger at Layla.

Now Dr Violet looked genuinely angry with Melanie. "I have met the STEM club and interacted with them on a personal level. They have no such negative qualities about them. And I thought you knew that you were no longer a prefect," Dr Violet said in her icy tone.

"Oooh," the crowd whispered. Melanie looked at the floor as her face turned red and the crowd whispered.

"Now let them go," the headmistress ordered. Melanie released her hand, and the four left the school grounds.

"Melanie got her prefect badge taken away? Who would have guessed?" Dante mused.

"Who wouldn't celebrate news like this?" Angelo laughed.

"I can't believe that Dr Violet said that so publicly," Yujin said.

"Well, I can't believe that she grabbed my bag and tried to search me, so I'm not exactly going to be sympathetic," Layla said.

"Neither am I, but I'm still shocked," Angelo said.

As the four went their separate ways, Layla scoffed at the turn of events. Melanie always thought they were up to something.

Shame she could never catch them.

Arabic translation

Habibti: darling (female)

To read the other parts of this fic, see Masterlist.

[politicalunicorn]

Asian Violence

Hi! Guess who’s here. You guessed it, Aaliyah! Actually, that was very stupid, so moving on...

I realized that on this blog, I haven’t talked much about the Anti-Asian Violence that’s going on, and I realized that is kind of stupid, considering the fact that I’m an Indian-American.

So, let’s start with the most obvious fact: It’s wrong. You can’t target someone just because of the color of their skin or where they’ve come from. You just can’t.

That chinese kid down the block? He’s grown up here his whole life. He’s been to China occasionally, but he wasn’t involved with the spread of COVID. But the mom next door still doesn’t let her kid play with him. 

That pakistani kid up the street? She moved here when she was a baby. They’re refugees who escaped the hands of the Taliban. Yet, that same mom keeps her child away from her, since her family are “Terrorists”. 

Oh? And that Indian girl? That mom targets her for no reason. According to her, she’s a white-hating, daughter of terrorists, who is muslim. 

My point is: Please stop being violent and racist towards asians. Especially kids. As an eleven year old, I have recieved racism. Surprisingly. And though this pandemic has forced kids to grow up? I knew all of this by the time I was hate.

#Stop Asian Violence

[quwandathornton]

Hi

(Light Skinning) Whitewashing vs BlackWashing: 

OH LORD...

WHAT DID THEY DO TO MY GIRL AND BOY, They AUNT VIVIAN’ED HER!!

and boy did it-

Like Pharrell Said: The Truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. (Pharrell Williamns - Lemon Ft Rihanna.)

Since we on the topic of RiRi....

Here is a cursed picture of a white washed version of her and Beyonce, look a double--

1. lack of representation of Black Women in Hollywood, Media, Art Community, Gaming Communities. (or just ignorance in general.)

 *It’s off topic about art but...it’s still historial and informative. Take a Look at Beyonce, She was the first black woman to ever perform in 2018, We are very much behind when it comes to equality in anything really.*

 White Washing is a problem because of lack their of Black Female Characters in the art community/Anime/Comic/Cartoon Industry. There is many versions of the same (pale)(Light) skin toned, of every character imaginable, and never really any dark-skinned obviously very VERY much BLACK characters.

 Black Washing: People wanting to see their favorite characters if they were from another nationality, African, Haitian, etc. What would they look like? Darker yes but with fuller lips? Pointer cheeks? who knows? it's u to the artist. 

 Reason for this: Lack of Equality, Education, Respect, Motivation, and acknowledgment. The Lack of people imagining how or knowing how Black women look, act, speak, talk (other than Ghetto or Angry). 

When they make a black woman, it's always, stereotypical or wishy-washy simpled down, Afro or Straight hair. 

It's out of frustration of not seeing ourselves, the fact that many people choose not to acknowledge it on purpose, is the reason they changed the tones of many other characters. 

We Yearn to see ourselves, especially in Romance Visual Novels.

By saying they can't see or understand the problem, even with intensive research, an explanation from said Black Women, Girls, etc. 

 What's even sadder is our counterparts, Black Men Have all of the love and attention, but are draw overly Sexual Bodies(and Angry/ Overly Hyper Stereoscopic Gangster Persona); most of the time.

 Lately, it's been dying down, since we have characters like EKKO in League of Legends and Lucian, Rock Lock, and Not as mainstream anime Michiko to Hatchin's Satoshi Batista and even Light Skinned Black men are getting in on the attention. (Note:  Rock Lock Is Definitely Afro-Japanese, His name is Ken Takagi (My Hero Academia))

rock lock: 

Satoshi Batista: 

Lucian: 

 Ekko: My Favorite Boy

We rarely see ourselves to the point we don't even know how to start, drawing ourselves once we do learn to draw, especially me.

I know how to draw straight hair, but not natural African/Black curly hairstyles, at all. I'm just as tired of seeing black women not portrayed in anime, don't even get me started on the lack of Muslim representation- or even Eastern Indian, and Natives being drawn and portrayed Stereotypical; *sigh*. 

Also miss me with the bullshit about how Japan is Japanese and all Characters are Japanese when I’m sure There is Foreigners who live in JAPAN and they exist, as well as  in Anime too, especially the White girls with BLONDE HAIR and BLUE EYES.

I’m also very happy to see more Black characters being portrayed, with natural looks, not overly exaggerated characters of racist depictions of us.

Sorry I ranted On I needed to blow off steam with the countless racist white people (in the anime community) who’ve told me that “force diversity is shit.” or “You complain to much.” or “Then you draw it.” like we arealy don’t and it’s rejected for funding because it’s not enough white people in our art, or it’s too black. 

BUT:

Gif Above: Normani Kordei

MIchiko To Hatchin: MIchiko Malandro: who was arguably the most arguable when the anime first came out. “Is she Black, Is She Japanese?” No and No, She is Brazilian Black, Afro-Latina. Her Character Design is referenced off of the R&B Singer, Aaliyah Haughton:

AAliyah:

But here is a list of Black Female characters with Dark skin who are indeed African/Japanese, African/Black/ etc; with dark or brown skin: The list is very short.

If you have any, list it below:

Baby Michiko: 

Atsuko Jackson (Rival to Michiko; but low-key cares for bestfriend.)

Them Together:

I recommend this Anime to EVERYONE <3

Michik e Hatchin

Hunter x Hunter: Canary! (she’s so cute awwwlrjoej)

Get it Mamass!!!

and my new obsession is this gorgeous cartoon that needs so much love (It’s on NETFLIX)

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts:

WOLF:

If there are anymore Brown-Dark Skinned Character list them below: I will update the list.

[bowenandjohnson]

Who is your favorite character on Skam Austin (rip)?

Hmmm. Good question. I’m going to give some background first, because I’ve changed a lot since first watching the show. Back in 2019, I was first drawn into the Skamverse by NL’s s2, as I was intrigued by Liv/Noah, and then watched Austin around the same time as I am from the US myself and I was interested to see how the American version was doing. I had never heard about it on here as much as other Skams. Back in 2019, I think Grace was my favorite character, actually. She reminded me a lot of myself in high school. I was on the school’s newspaper and I was very interested in social justice issues. Further context, I was a lonely White 19 year old girl having a rough freshman year of college.

However, now, in 2021, Grace seems a lot more performative in her activism to me, and it doesn’t help that Kennedy IRL has kind of ruined Grace for me, considering what’s come out from BTS of the show. I will say that Kennedy’s strong as a performer and that 10 minute clip where she broke down outside the store with the GS about her sexual assault? It made me legitimately cry. But my favorite Skam Austin character now would be Zoya. She seems slightly closer to the original Sana than other remakes and I love her “no bullshit” attitude. I love that she got Prom Queen in s2, but I do wish her subplot of racism at school was better expanded upon, and that the GS were more supportive of her. However, I don’t fault Aaliyah for that at all, it’s come out now that the majority of writers and crew for Austin were white, which is probably why the ball was dropped so badly with that. It makes no sense that a majority POC friend group wouldn’t go comfort their Black and Muslim friend after a blatant hate crime committed against her. Anyway, back to the question. Zoya is probably my favorite character at this point, looking back. She had so much potential, and I’m sad we’ll never get her POV.

[zainyaxley]

QUICK FACTS

☆ ━━ 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄 |  -- 🔐 Zain Jamal Yaxley ☆ ━━ 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 | @zyaxley ☆ ━━ 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘 |  -- May 28th, Gemini  ☆ ━━ 𝐀𝐆𝐄 | -- 47 ☆ ━━ 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 | Cairo,  Egypt  ☆ ━━ 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃-𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 | Pureblood, Sacred 28  ☆ ━━ 𝐒𝐄𝐗𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 | Heterosexual  ☆ ━━ 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 | 6'2 ☆ ━━ 𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑/𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 |  brown and blue   ☆ ━━ 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 |  -- Slytherin ☆  ━━ FORMER 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐁𝐒 |  --  Head Boy, Dueling (President), Art, Inquisitorial Squad, Slug Club & Drama  ☆ ━━ 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐃 | 12 inches long and made of ash, with a unicorn hair core that is loyal, unwavering and pretentious  ☆ ━━ 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒 | -- Zain has been practicing his dueling for years, something that his father insisted on for the boy. His best class was DADA and he has mastery of nonverbal and wandless magic. He also loves the muggle sport of basketball. He is highly skilled in occlumency and legilimency  ☆ ━━ 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | Purist and not too crazy about it. His family has always been supportive of Lord Voldemort but he did not take the Dark Mark. His father debated if he wanted his favorite son to take the mark or not. As a pureblood Slytherin, he doesn't know if he agrees or not, but he would  follow the will of his father.   ☆ ━━ 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌 | Michael Ealy ☆ ━━ 𝕮𝖔𝖉𝖊 𝕹𝖆𝖒𝖊: 𝕬𝖇𝖆𝖉𝖉𝖔𝖓

BIOGRAPHY HAS TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR SUICIDE, MATERNAL DEATH, PHYSICAL ASSAULT & GENERAL EVIL.

ZAIN JAMAL YAXLEY was the youngest son born to CORBAN YAXLEY. His older brother is EMYR, with a middle sister named AALIYAH, but the two could have not been more different. Both men in a strict family with Muslim values, the boys were expected to marry but they could have fun beforehand. With their mother dead, they had nannies and aunties who took care of them. They did have fun, growing up a YAXLEY meant everything was fun for ZAIN except for being trained for war. He had anything he wanted, but it all came at a prince. His father put EMYR and ZAIN through intense training courses, hitting the boys with spells that were simply unforgivable in an attempt to make them strong. ZAIN received the worst of it. His father succeed in making the perfect son. ZAIN was cold, calculated and would do whatever it took to remain in his father’s good graces.

In school, he was at the top of his class, besting everyone in DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS, POTIONS & ANCIENT RUNES, his favorite course. He worked hard and played hard. Because of how he was brought up, he saw people as disposal and he absolutely knew one thing: BLOOD MATTERS. No matter what anyone said, it mattered and mudbloods and halfbloods were the reason things were going to hell and his father told him that repeatedly and he believed him. However, it didn’t stop those girls from being pretty and because he was good looking, he could have any of them he wanted, especially with his blue eyes. His father always said that they were straight from hell, but he didn’t mind it as much as he got older. However, those devil blue eyes got him in trouble. 

During his time at HOGWARTS, He charmed his way to being a prefect and with that, he found himself in an ENTANGLEMENT with a mudblood RAVENCLAW. The girl was in love with him and he loved playing with her. ZAIN is absolutely capable of being charming and he does let it out in certain circumstances when it benefits him. If he doesn't see an immediate need for him to be charming, he is not. He comes off cold and aloof. But when he is sharing an intimate moment, he's much warmer. He knows there's no way to maintain a relationship being cold to the person you're wooing. But this doesn't mean he's genuine, he's just a good actor. But to him, everything is theater and an act. This is why he joined the drama club, he's really good at becoming a character. There's a logic to doing so that he can absolutely get behind. The girl didn’t know this about him, but ZAIN wasn’t going to tell her. Once he had her virginity, he grew tired of filth clinging to him. He had made his sister be a SECRET KEEPER between them, before he even fucked her and the girl couldn’t tell anyone about their ENTANGLEMENT. Because of that, when he broke it off, she sent him numerous owls and letters about how much she missed him. One of them stated that she couldn’t live without him anymore. He saw her that evening and told her if she couldn’t live without him, then she simply shouldn’t. The next week, they had a memorial for the RAVENCLAW who killed herself. To this day, ZAIN can’t figure out of he cares someone killed themselves because of him or not. He went on to continue being the SLYTHERIN  star that he was.

When the battle of HOGWARTS erupted, he was at the school having his HEADBOYSHIP while his dad and brother battled. Because he was still a student, he was able to claim he was doing what he had to do to survive during the battle and the school year under the CARROWS leadership. He helped get the younger kids to safety and that worked on making him the innocent looking YAXLEY. He never apologized for anything he said, he never said that was the reason that he helped the CARROWS torture people during their reign. He simply was quiet as he normally was. ZAIN is an insanely private person and he holds a lot of things in secret. He doesn't like to use many words because he feels they are a waste of time with most people. So it comes as no surprise he moves secretly with a lot of things. His family fell, but he didn’t look as bad as them. Something that CORBAN loved about ZAIN. He was able to get a job translating RUNES and working to build his own name. His mother’s family was sacred 28 and helped him get on his feet, while shunning EMYR & CORBAN because they had been sent to prison. He was able to marry well, a girl with sacred blood and they have two children together, both sons. He got a job at HOGWARTS teaching his favorite  subject. While he was  never loving father, there was some coldness between the pair. Even then, ZAIN was CORBAN’S favorite, simply because he wasn't afraid to say blood mattered. ZAIN saw the way his father interacted with his sons, and it was just different between them. Like his father, he spoiled his children though both of them seemed to lack the burning desire to CONSUME everything that was in their path that he had. Neither men spoke about it, but there was this unspoken knowledge that they both blamed ZAIN for his mother’s death. That was why his father had spent most of his time out of the country, away from his murderous younger son. The distance was intentional and ZAIN had always knew it. That’s why he was always at his uncle’s, they both understood he had committed his first murder while drawing his first breath of air.

There’s only one person who truly knows him, his murderous deeds and the nature to eliminate anyone who posed a threat to him. She was the woman he could never marry because she wasn’t pure enough for his family and she lacked the name he needed. But it hasn’t stopped their long affair since they had been in school.The affair where ZAIN blatantly told TRACEY’S husband he had no plans to stop fucking his wife and then violently assaulted him when he threatened to tell his wife. He father her two children and is proud of it.

APPLICATION

❝ Get to know somebody and you learn a lot about ‘em. ❞ Merlin’s beard, what is ( ZAIN YAXLEY ) doing out at this hour? For a ( PUREBLOOD ) who is ( 47 ) years old, ( HE ) really ought to know better. You know, I hear that they’re aligned with ( THE ARCHANGELS ), but that could be just a rumor. I do know that they’re ( MALE ) and a ( SLYTHERIN ) alum who works as an ( ANCIENT RUNES PROFESSOR ) though. They’re very ( ARTICULATE ) and ( PERSUASIVE ) but also quite ( NEUROTIC ) and ( VIOLENT ), which could be why they remind of ( GOLD CUFF LINKS AND FENDI SCARVES. MYSTERIOUS PLAYBOY, TROUBLED PAST BUT TROUBLED FUTURE, JACK DANIELS AND CUBAN CIGARS, THE HEART FILLED WITH RAGE, SMOOTH LIKE SILK AND VELVET. SMOKEY BEDROOM EYES, PEACE? I HATE THE WORD ). Some people say they’re the spitting image of ( MICHAEL EALY ), but I’ve never heard of them. Word on the street is that they’re ( THE ORPHIC ) and their prophecy is ( PROPHECY 5 ), but only time will tell if that’s true or not. [ A, 28, SHE/HERS, EST ]

[crypticbeliever123]

Protagonists for a TV show idea

I recently got the idea for a sci-fi series set in a future where robots are prevalent in society and make up nearly the entirety of the fire and police departments (with human captains to keep everything in check) and a majority of the military (if all the soldiers were robots then all the casualties in wars would be civilians who didn’t sign up for that shit). One thing I really wanted for this show idea was diversity to the max. Hence why not a single protagonist will fall under all of the following categories of (white, straight, cis, Christian, able-bodied, and neurotypical). They may fall under a few of the categories but never all of them. So, here’s the protagonists I’ve come up with so far listed with various characteristics and facts about their character:

Aaliyah Watson - Aaliyah is a 10-year-old black girl who was orphaned in a house fire as a baby and taken in by the fire chief and his wife, the latter of whom is a cranky old bitch that didn’t want to deal with her and got a robot to raise her instead. She is really sweet and smart and enjoys ballet, singing, and playing games like chess. At some point later on in the series she will lose most of her hearing and require hearing aids.

Sixxy - Sixxy is a model 6 nanny robot that basically raised Aaliyah and sees her as his own child. Like all model sixes he has some “defects” which have resulted in the presence of emotions and creativity. He enjoys cooking, art, and singing, but most of all playing games with Aaliyah.

Nakamura Tomomi - Tomomi is a an atheistic Japanese butch lesbian who used to fight in the army before losing her right arm. She is now a mechanic (a job which involves not only fixing cars, which fly now, but also robots and various other advanced technology) who has a robotic arm she made herself and enjoys boxing, rock and roll, and most types of food. Personality wise she is smart, tough, determined, but also friendly and optimistic. She is dating Galena.

Galena Garcia - Galena is a pansexual Hispanic Jewish doctor who met Tomomi while serving as an army doctor overseas. She is very feminine and smart, while also very social and outgoing despite being clinically depressed and a bit of a pessimist. She loves dancing, coffee, and sweets, but can’t cook to save her life.

Dante Carson - Dante is a bisexual transgender black police captain who is by the book and deeply honorable and empathetic towards others. His heart is as big as his love for Spanish soap operas, dogs, and his husband Mike.

Mike Carson - Mike is a gay, blind, paraplegic, white Christian who has a wheelchair that can sense his surroundings and transmit that information to his brain via the chair’s headrest while also reading his thoughts to know where to take him. Mike is a very loving man who loves his faith despite what some others in the Christian community may think of him.

Vivaan Amin - Vivaan is a 10-year-old autistic Hindu Indian with a special interest in animals and the younger twin brother of Nadia. He was raised in a dual Hindu and Muslim household but was always given the choice of which faith to follow, eventually deciding for himself he wanted to be a Hindu like his mother. He is a vegetarian who in addition to animals also has a strong love of dancing and cooking.

Nadia Amin - Nadia is a 10-year-old Muslim Indian, having chosen to follow Islam like her father rather than Hinduism like her younger brother did. Earlier in life she didn’t wear the hijab but eventually decided to start wearing one out of pride for her faith. Her hobbies include singing, dancing, and soccer.

Damini Amin - Damini is a Hindu woman from India who moved to the US with her husband Sanjay to open an upscale authentic Indian restaurant which only uses meat from animals that were raised humanely in keeping with ahimsa. She is the chef of her family’s restaurant while her husband provides entertainment with his sitar.

Sanjay Amin - Sanjay is a Muslim man with ADHD from India who moved to the US with his wife Damini to open an upscale authentic Indian restaurant. He provides entertainment to the restaurant goers by playing music with his sitar. Sometimes his children join him in the performance.

Also thank you, @thechaotictrickster for asking if I could include Indian characters because that helped me come up with this entire family of characters.

[austinskam]

i’m disappointed that zoya’s actress isn’t a hijabi/ doesn’t wear the hijab irl:/ cause like you know there are hijabis in the area who could do the job. Aaliyah is a fabulous actress and has been doing an amazing job with Zoya but it is nice to be able to see girls who wear hijabs get a chance since there are so few roles written for them.

Yup. I was sure she was a hijabi irl. Turns out, she isn't. She has a muslim name, idk if she is devout though.

[cryptenby]

RAMBLE ABOUT NURSEY'S AMAZING SISTERS GO GO GO

Sorry I’m such a pos, i asked u to send this and then I didn’t even respond lmao although in my defense, I have been moving and packing and traveling. Anywhom! Nursey’s older siblings!

Fatimah Jazmin: the oldest, 12 years older than NurseyShe’s a super genius of course, she’s a super rad OBGYN and very passionate about sexual health and research on uterine/vaginal health. In the future, i am absolutely 100% confident she makes waves on ailments that people with uteruses face. She’s a goddess. She’s beautiful OBVIOUSLY, she’s Nursey’s best friend of all time, he tells her EVERYTHING, they talk on the phone every day if they can, every other day without fail. She picks up on shit Nursey doesn’t even realize he’s feeling and helps him through it in that very easy way of hers. Sometimes when he’s feeling homesick she’ll FaceTime him and just go about her day while he does his paper or whatever. It always works. She’s the oldest, and kind of took it upon herself to like really take care of her sibs even tho they literally have four parents. She doesn’t have kids bc shes super busy but she wants to foster when she’s a little older. She’s queer, specifically a panromantic demisexual polyamorous ciswoman, she’s dating two people right now, they’re great. She’s great

Amina Rose: the middle child and Acts Like It. 4 years older than Nursey, she’s a stereotypical attention seeking rebel child, has a pretty thriving musical career that she started on YouTube, she has perfect pitch, can play like 6 instruments and has the voice of a literal angel. She travels a lot and performs, no one ever knows where she is. she resents Fatimah a little bit bc she was so perfect and wasn’t there for her like she was for Nursey. She’s an adult now so she’s mostly over it, but she harbors a little internal rage for every time her parents ask her why she can’t be more like her siblings. She’s like, kinda goth, but like a very soft goth. She’s Muslim like their mom Aaliyah, and she talks about it a lot on her YouTube channel. She and Nursey don’t talk every day but she’ll just call him at like 2 am on a Thursday like “hey baby, lemme tell u about this BITCH” but it’s okay bc he knows that he can call her too and she’ll always pick up for him. She’s a firm bisexual, attracted to enby’s and girls, she’s like kind of indifferent about gender as a concept, but she uses she/her pronouns.

ANYWAY IM SO SORRY ABOUT THIS MESS AND THIS UGLY FORMAT. But i love them so much and i will answer all questions about the Nurse’s

[belladonnadream]

Stevie n Mick 9-11 Memorial

Stevie Nicks September 11, 2016 · September 11th, 2016

As I always say on this day~ No one needs to remind me~ of what happened in New York on September 11th, 2001. I was there~ at the Waldorf~ sleeping~ when the first plane hit the first tower. We, 7 of us, had come in from Canada that night~ landed at 2:30 in the morning~ ready to spend my day off in my favorite city. I went to bed at 7:30am... It was a beautiful day~ looking out the windows before I laid down. I was so excited to be there~ I had such hopes for that beautiful day~ and then the world stopped. The world changed. As the day went by you could not see the sun~ we put wet towels around all the windows. It was as if the world had ended.

I kept a journal all through the four days we were there. As we drove away from New York on Friday at sunset (on a bus) heading towards Atlantic City (show on Saturday had not been canceled) we looked back across the water at the fallen towers and the sad grey city. We drove slowly, taking pictures in our minds~ knowing that nothing ~ NOTHING ~ would ever be the same. And we cried. Silent grey shadowed tears of disbelief~ I think we cried all the way to Atlantic City. I don’t think any words were even spoken, and we prayed that the world would heal and get better.

It hasn’t.

Our world is dangerous. The warnings are everywhere. People are afraid. I am afraid and I hate being afraid. I want to be strong and fearless. I want anyone who reads this to do everything they can to help this world~

Please God show them the way Please God ~on this day~ Spirits all~ give them the strength Peace can come if you fight for it~ I think we’re just in time to save it Please God Give them the strength On this day Please God Please God Please God Show them the way~

These words are from a song you have yet to hear~ about this day...

I am re-posting my journal entries again for you to read~ I wrote them for all of us. Consider these words as you go through the next sixty days~

Love to All, Stevie Nicks

2001

Dearest Everyone- This is my journal entry for September 11, 2001. I wanted to share it with you, because I was in New York; because it was the heaviest thing I have ever experienced ~

Love, Stevie Nicks

Sept. 11, 2001 11:30 a.m. We got into New York via private jet at 2 o’clock this morning, coming into New York from Toronto, Canada. I have been listening to Shawn Colvin’s song, Another Plane Went Down, from her new album, A Whole New You, all the way here while trying to compose a letter to Gladys Knight about Aaliyah, her niece; about my dream. Airports, planes everywhere, music, music, tears in my eyes, Sulamith (my yorkie) was upset all the way from Canada, psychic, dreamlike, flying, flying, flying.

And now, it has happened. Two planes dove into the World Trade Center Towers ~ 4 hijackings in 3 hours. The Trade Center is gone, thousands of people are dead. The Pentagon was attacked kamikaze style, and one plane they are pretty sure, was on its way to the White House.

Everyone is pretty sure it was Osama Bin Laden, the evil high tech murderer hiding in Afghanistan...

People are walking across the Brooklyn Bridge trying to get home. I am here at the world famous Waldorf=Astoria, the hotel where the presidents stay ~

I will write as the day unfolds~

I am pretty sure Radio City will cancel; I think their offices were in the Towers...I am so sad for them...

Aircraft warships are on their way to us here in New York and to Washington... I don’t really know what we are going to do now – the airports are completely shut down-

My heart is broken.

8:42 a.m. First Tower 9:04 a.m. 2nd Tower 9:40 a.m. Pentagon 9:59 a.m. South Tower falls 10:28 a.m. North Tower falls (people jump) 11:29 a.m. United flt 99 crashes in rural Pennsylvania 5:20 p.m. #7 Tower collapses

Sept. 12, 2001 4:42 a.m. in the morning

We are a devastated city I feel I am a part of this city. We are a strong, brilliant city. We are watching a piece of history We are living through a tragedy Like no one – has ever seen...

The fire chief of New York is dead. His assistant fire chief is dead. One of my champions from Warner Brothers wife is gone. She was coming home from Boston after settling their twin daughters at a University. Their grandmother was with their Mom.

M.H. called from Toronto. He is there with the Backstreet Boys. One of their carpenters went home because his wife was having a baby. He was on one of those planes. We are a grieving city A surreal city ~ It is 5:09 a.m. in the morning We are still a dark city – But soon it will be dawn – and the dreamlike reality of yesterday will turn into the true reality of what has really happened.

I have seen grown men cry today. They seem to be having the most trouble with this. They are the protectors –

And they feel so helpless ~ They can’t stand it.

It seems that, as Don Henley so brilliantly said ~ “This is the end- of the innocence.”

5:15 a.m.

I sit here at 5:15 in the morning – in shock. The tears just don’t stop. As a writer, I am driven to write what it has been like to be 20 minutes away from the Twin Towers ~ To be here at the world famous, Waldorf=Astoria Hotel, home of foreign diplomats and gathering place of politicians, in a suite where I am quite sure Heads of State have met, and discussed the problems of the world. The living room is all dark wood, ceiling to floor, and you can just imagine John Kennedy sitting at the desk. It is stunning. This hotel is where the presidents have always stayed, and this grand old hotel is in full lockdown. All but two entrances are closed, the driveway through the hotel – shut, all the cars - moved out.

I feel strangely safe here in New York now – and the city still looks awesome from my windows, still sparkly, still beautiful, almost like – from this room- Nothing ever happened- Almost...

The television news people are extraordinary – all of them. They are tired; you can see it in their changing faces, as the day has gone by. Of course, I feel like I know them all, like they are really dear friends, choking up and recovering, just like me, hour after hour... You can’t go through something like this with a city. You become attached.

You become “war buddies.” It is just so deep. It is 6:10. It is sunrise

6:38 a.m.

It was a beautiful sunrise. It has turned the white curtains pink, the room pink- I swear. The sun is one half inch over the city horizon, the sky is peacock blue, sky blue but the city is still glowing pink. If I had been sleeping since Monday and I looked out this window, I would think, “It just looks like a beautiful New York fall day, my favorite thing, let’s shop! It looks just like it did Tuesday morning when I went to bed, just before this all happened. The view is so beautiful that looking up at it, almost makes you start to feel good, and forget, and then, honestly you feel guilty, and then you feel worse and sick to your stomach. If they can’t sleep, then I’m not going to sleep either... So today is both beautiful and frightening, looking out from 36 floors up, can I tell you how unimaginable it would be if I looked up and saw a big jet flying towards me, in this country? Not possible. My question – “How could this happen?”

I am overwhelmed with how extraordinary the firemen and the policemen are. They just don’t give up. They “don’t stop.” They are awesome...and so is Mayor Guiliani. I would ALWAYS want them on my team. They are my heroes.

Well, I think I have to sleep now. In an interview from the street, a man says in tears, “You do not want to see the things I’ve seen today...I am traumatized.” “I am traumatized for life...”

That is the truth...We are all traumatized.

“I’m tired. I’m thirsty – I’m wild eyed In my misery.”

God Bless everyone that lost someone ~ And all of those ~ that are gone... I am so sorry ~

Stevie Nicks 7:06 in the morning

P .S. The room is still glowing pink – I swear...

Last Thought...September 14, 2001

Please everyone, do not blame people for this just because they are Muslim – or come from some other ethnic group. If you do, you let Osama Bin Laden win – as surely as if you helped him put those planes through those towers. You - become him. He wins. Consider this carefully...

2011

September 11, 2011 9-11 Nine Eleven 2001

It is four o’7~ 4:07 in the afternoon. It is Sunday. It is the 10th Anniversary of the attack on the great towers of New York City. The twins~ those two awesome skyscrapers who stood above our beautiful city. I say “our” because I became a New Yorker on that day.

I am not watching television, at least not yet. I do not need T.V. to jar my memory. I remember it all, as if it were yesterday. Landing in New York at 2:30 in the morning~ coming in from Canada to spend my one day off in New York. Looking forward to playing Radio City Music Hall~ one of my favorite places to play. Driving into the city from the airport~ excited~ it’s always a romantic drive for me~ like something wonderful could happen~ New York City~ just like I pictured it. Awesome. Awesome...

And awesome it was. Arriving at the world famous Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. Famous people live there. Political dignitaries live there. Wallace Simpson and the ex-King of England~ lived there for 5 years in the suite with the 3 great arched windows. History oozes from its great walls. When you are there~ you are part of history. We got to our suite at about 4 in the morning~ the very grand~ all dark wood suite~ we unpacked~ the sun was coming up over the city~ the 4 windows in the living room full of pink light~ extraordinary pink~ bathing the brown Bosendorfer in light~ the sun is up~ it is 7:30. I say to the girls~ “Maybe we should just go out now and have breakfast and go shopping~ and sleep later. I was looking out one of the windows at the city that was now full of people and cars and cabs and limousines~ crazy energy~ and we laughed, realizing how tired we were after 2 shows in a row and the flight from Canada...Maybe a little sleep would help~ then we’ll hit the streets. Sulamith Wulfing and I went to bed~ dreaming of going out later~ maybe finding a little diamond something~ and off we went to sleep.

Right after the second plane hit the second tower, Karen woke me. I don’t remember exactly what she said. I just remember jumping up and running to the window where I had stood 3 1⁄2 hours before. Looking down at that same street, no cars, no cabs, and no people. Just empty. Not beautiful~ just frighteningly silent. No way out~ just fear.

Karen was on the phone with my manager Sheryl. She had been on the phone with her when the plane hit the first tower. Because of that~ we had a line out to the world. Sheryl was able to have someone call our parents and my band in Canada and let people know we were all right.

The Waldorf went into lock down. It is the presidents hotel, so lock down is something the do well. Then we waited. We turned on the big T.V. in the living room and watched ~ and watched~ and watched.

Because we were hooked up to T.V. all over the world~ we saw things that I think most people didn’t see. Spanish T.V.~ people actually jumping. That was momentary~ pulled immediately by the networks. The first newspaper with a horrid image on the front page~ not seen again. We kept the newspaper.

As the hours went by we, like everyone else in the city who wasn’t close to ground zero~we just sat and watched T.V. and cried. I never left the suite. From Tuesday afternoon to Friday night when we drove away to Atlantic City I just sat in front of the T.V. and cried. The sunsets were extra beautiful. All that dust and smoke makes sunsets and sunrises more beautiful. Like smoke on stage makes the lights more beautiful. After that, soon after that actually, I developed an allergy to dust and smoke. I don’t use smoke on my stage anymore. It shuts down my throat~ I can’t sing in it~ and it’s not beautiful.

It’s 4:58p right now~ the devastation I felt that day is starting to creep in. My throat is starting to close up~ and my eyes are starting to fill with tears.

I guess that’s how it will always be. All those people lost. All those families ruined. All those hearts broken. I was 20 minutes away. I did not lose a best friend or a child or a lover. But part of my heart went down with those towers... And that will never change...

Stevie Nicks 9-11-11

[iviaggidianica]

giorno uno: metropolitan panic & luxury fashion stores

My flights were not pleasant, but not abhorrently intolerable. On the 5 hour stint I watched Vox Lux (weird & unnerving) and then some of The Princess Diaries (familiar and comforting). A chicken curry & pot of ice cream later, I managed to get myself on a skybus to the right terminal, and after asking for help at an info centre (yep I did actually ask), I went to the next gate. I passed Amy Ross on the way, who was going to the USA - an unlikely coincidence!

On the 12 hour flight I was determined to sleep the entire time but drifted in & out due to meals, coldness, discomfort and turbulence. I would wake up every time thinking ‘surely it’s time to get off now’, but alas. There was some passive aggressive gentle elbowing of the large old man sitting beside me encroaching on my personal space, and at one point some orange juice went flying as I knocked it in its holder in my attempt to get comfortable. That’s about as descriptive as a 12 hour flight can get.

Arriving in Milan was the part I was most anxious about. I stood in the passport line for about 30 minutes, awfully dehydrated. Eventually got in, stood at the wrong baggage collection for an embarrassing amount of time, traipsed through the airport to find the Malpensa Express and kissed goodbye to £13 to buy tickets. On the train we passed lots of green shrubbery, crumbling graffitied walls, yellow painted houses, and then all of a sudden we hit the city.

I walked around for almost an hour trying to find the hotel which was purportedly 10 minutes away from the station (it was, just not when you factor in the incompetence of Google Maps). I asked a man at a fresh drinks vendor & a lady in a chemist for some vague Italian-inflected directions, clinging onto every ‘sinistra’ and ‘destra’ I picked out, and eventually pulled my case up the stairs to reception. Proceeded to have a major panic as I couldn’t find my passport hidden in my bag lining - an Australian Consulate building flashed before my eyes in those few moments - and then entered my...room. A sink, bed, table, window, fan - a single toilet and shower located down the hall. Not going to lie - after my disheartening rigmarole throughout the city trying to find the place, running on few hours sleep and little food/water, the room was the yucky little cherry on top. I called Mum, which of course made me feel better, and pulled myself together.

(Already a MESS!)

(The holy fan)

(View from my room)

I contacted a girl, Aaliyah, who I met at UWA at the leaving meeting. I suggested we have dinner together, and so we planned to meet at 3PM at central station to go to Duomo. I was very nervous considering I’d only talked to her for all of 20 minutes in the past.

Whilst waiting for 3 to roll around, (it being around 12 at this point) I decided to walk to the station to have lunch before meeting her. The following sentence will not please Tonya: after wandering around and mainly just being unable to understand the cuisines/prices/formality of the restaurants & cafes, I stumbled into Maccas. And I felt a strange sense of peace, as even the interiors are exactly the same as at home. I ordered a burger, proud of myself for understanding Italian, and then walked to find somewhere else to sit as Maccas was packed with hungry travellers with suitcases. (Quality report: both the chicken and the bread bun in Italian McDonalds, it seems, are actually real).

I had really over-estimated the amount of time I would need to eat one burger. So I walked back to my hotel as a practice run, so that I wouldn’t endure that horrific goose chase from the beginning of the day again. Ended up resting in my hotel for a bit more and then went out to properly meet Aaliyah.

Was still early. And Aaliyah a little late. And my phone charge dying. Went and read some non fiction books about space and time in a shop at the station, called Mum again to express my nervousness, and then went to sit firstly near the steps that go down to the metro, before a cigarette-smoking bogan family drove me to another more isolated bench (more first impressions of Milan as a city in a moment).

Finally went down into the bowels of the metro, pretending to know what I was doing by walking fast and swerving at the appropriate signs. It was surprisingly easy. I bought tickets from a tobacco shop, where the Italian man was more than willing to help and graciously wished me a wonderful day. “Grazie” is beginning to roll off the tongue like second nature now, ah yers.

Aaliyah’s train would stop at my station, and then would go straight on to Duomo. I waited for Aaliyah at the tracks, but due to bad coordination I got ON the train and she got OFF to meet me. It was quite funny. Then when we arranged to just meet at Duomo, meaning she had to follow me a few minutes after on a separate train, she accidentally got off on the stop after. Truly a comedic sequence of events. Once she took a train back in the opposite direction we met beside a massive regal horse statue directly in front of the Duomo which probably has great significance which I’m overlooking. Stepping out to see the cathedral, in fact, wasn’t so much of a “wow, there’s the cathedral!” moment, but just a blind frenzy of trying to find a “girl who looks like a cow”, as Aaliyah self-described her animal-print outfit.

We met and were immediately barraged by street sellers, coming up to us and tying rainbow strings - yes, strings - around our wrists in the name of ‘peace and love’, and then asking for money. As Aaliyah is originally from Sudan, many African sellers sucked up to her, giving her discount offers. But we declined the £20 carriage ride and professional photography in front of the cathedral.

We took some pictures ourselves (better ones of me fully standing there, plus us together, are with Aaliyah and will come through at some point. These don’t do justice and I’m making weird faces, I know).

(You asked for pics with my face in them, this is what you get)

Then we went to the Duomo shopping place, which was art in itself. Looked a lot like the Melbourne arcades, but...far more impressive. We went inside the luxury stores including Prada, Chanel, Georgio Armani, Michael Kors, etc...and I suppressed my shock as Aaliyah seriously contemplated buying her parents £300+ gifts. And she probably will end up going back and doing so.

(Aaliyah + me looking like I’m grimacing, because that’s what happens when your phone is on the lowest possible brightness setting and you can’t see yourself.)

The shop assistants are SO friendly. They obviously want to sell you things, but they take a legitimate interest in you. The man in Georgio Armani talked to us about Australia & growing up in Italy & our respective interests in fashion & his fear of flying - it feels like you can just make friends with anyone and everyone in Italy. Nobody really keeps to themselves. This is great, but also a bad thing when you’re running on maybe 5 hours of sleep over 2 days and being friendly seems like the biggest chore on earth. 

Aaliyah went and got prescriptions for Ray Bans, as you do, whilst I thankfully sat on a couch and pretended to go on my phone - pretended, because it was now on 5% and I was desperately trying to preserve power for my journey home. Here is an unnecessary pictorial documentation of this incident.

We went to a pizza place someone had recommended Aaliyah, got some large slices, then went and sat inside McDonalds (don’t worry, it was just a place to sit). Then Aaliyah accompanied me to the station so I could go home, around 7:30PM; but then the most bizarre thing occurred.

A man with spiked up hair walking hurriedly suddenly stopped as and said something in Italian, to which we responded ‘parlo inglese’ and continued on our way, but then he started asking for directions for somewhere, or asking us if we knew something, and then suddenly said he worked for a modelling company and we were both really great candidates and there was going to be a party at a well known club in Milan (Aaliyah knows of it) and wants us to come, and because Aaliyah had been receiving compliments all day from shopkeepers etc for her appearance I wasn’t so much doubtful of that compliment, but it was dodgy how he stopped us randomly and didn’t even seem to know what he was talking about at first. He continued for about 20 minutes and Aaliyah showed genuine interest whilst I was thinking nononono ALERT, and in the end it ended up sounding actually real but no way my spiky haired friend. He’s going to send Aaliyah an invite for it, so she can go along and have fun - not I sir!

We parted ways and I felt very snazzy remembering how to do the whole ride back, and then walking back to my hotel without any Google prompts at all. 

Now, first impressions of Milan: an ultra-busy Fremantle. Humid and hot, you can’t walk far without putting on a sweat. Metro lines, trams etc are very efficient, if a little ill-labelled. The people are all very extroverted, happy to talk, and happy to translate. Friendships could be made from a 5 minute ride on the metro - something impossible in Perth. There is an eclectic cultural mix, with many Indians, Africans, Muslims. All the business men always look like they’re off the cover of GQ with blue suits and slick cosmopolitan haircuts. There are many gracious, slender looking women, but mainly the girls all have that curly hair black rimmed glasses sportswear look. Everyone always looks like they have somewhere to go, and are going in confidence.

I wrote the following summation of the day about halfway it:

Throughout the entire journey thus far, I’ve found myself constantly asking the question: “why am I doing this?”. I don’t know if this is a normal thing to think. I just hope I can start to feel a bit less overwhelmed.

Yet at the same time, I haven’t really registered that I’m in Italy; anywhere of particular note. In that sense, I’m both numb and also overwhelmed at the same time. I’m looking forwards to Uni, where there’ll be plenty of English-speaking people to feel comfortable with.

A good sleep & food should restore me.

...and whilst today was by no means perfect and there were a lot of bad moments, I feel somewhat more hopeful tonight.

Now, let’s see if these posts will continue at this length, or at all!

[aesterea-archived]

AAAAHHHHHH this made me super happy hahaha okay so anyway

plot (this is my rough draft of a blurb btw):

Asteria is an orphan freak, haunted by dreams of demons and a rumor that she’s cursed. She is seventeen, just months away from independence, having kept her magic a secret in the quaint, quiet village of Mirfield despite the stakes raised high against her. But Asteria’s future of freedom, finally close enough to taste, is snatched away. The Archivists have come to Mirfield. Magic senses magic, and Asteria is a beacon. They have tracked her down and come to take her away to the King, where she would don the red-robe shackles of the Archivists. In desperation, she calls out for help. Unexpectedly, her call is answered– by the Sorcerer, come back from the dead.

Living in the Sorcerer’s isolated Castle, protected from the forces that once oppressed her, Asteria is free to practice magic without fear of persecution. But a myriad of terrors weigh down on her shoulders. Asteria holds more power inside her than she ever would have wanted, and the Sorcerer expects her to assist him in his revolution against the tyrants that abuse their people. She is meant to help him find the Arcane Elements– twelve legendary magical artifacts scattered across two worlds– and rule beside him in the glorious new future he has in mind. But he seems to be oblivious to the Defiance working against him from inside his own home, an organization plotting the Sorcerer’s second fall that wants Asteria on their side. All Asteria wants is to shield her sisters from the inevitable war, the two little girls left behind whose lives have been stained by Asteria’s disturbing reputation. In the capital, the King has his eye on the same prize. He is intent to take away the Sorcerer’s new advantage, and he will stop at nothing to take Asteria for his own.

a few mentions of my favorite characters:

the Sorcerer is my number one favorite because he’s the one at the root of this story. he’s essentially a buildup of many smaller villains/antiheroes from stories i’ve written over the years in the past, and while i was daydreaming about his life i came up with the rest of arcane elements slowly. his character was influenced by a lot of music and my unquenchable love for sad-eyed, misunderstood villains.

Asteria is number two. if the Sorcerer is the root, Asteria is the fruit of the tree. i can’t say a lot without spoiling a lot, but Asteria is a delectable character to write, especially in the later chapters. i hope she’s as delectable to read. she’s like the product of everything i dislike in the protagonists i read… which is to say i took a bunch of stuff i found i disliked and flipped it on its head, and then i added some of my own stuff, and out Asteria sprang like the monstrous beauty she is.

ahh spoilers are hard to avoid but there are two muslim characters named Aaliyah and Amina, sisters who both wear hijab, and i love them so much i don’t really know how to express it. i’m a muslim girl and i wear hijab, and it is so painfully rare to find any muslim characters in fiction at all. and i’m sick of them being stereotyped. it’s not actually necessary to mention pepperoni pizza when writing muslim characters. and why are people so afraid of giving us loud voices? from the very beginning, these characters were muslim and they hit very close to home. they are both extremely important and one of them is absolutely crucial to the plot.

while we’re on the subject i’d like to mention diversity was a very big thing while i was creating characters. it seems that the more books i read lately, the more frustrated i am with portrayal. so there are really diverse characters in this world, esp ethnically. mostly asians, muslims, and the native people of the world i created, including asteria.

[educatebox]

Islamic Girl Names With A | Muslim Girl Names Starting With A

Islamic Girl Names With A | Muslim Girl Names Starting With A

Islamic Girl Names With A

If you are interested to see the girls names with A, see the following list which shows Muslim girl names starting with A.

Muslim Girl Names Starting With A

A,B,D,F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,Q,R,S,T,U,Y,Z

A Name in English نام اردو میں معنی اردو میں Meaning in English Aalia, Alia, Aliah, Aaliyah, Aaleyah عالیہ بلند Exhalted, Noble, Beautiful, highest social standing, Tall,…

[themomsandthecity]

The 2 New Baby Names That Squeaked Into 2019’s Top 10

Although the Social Security Administration keeps track of the official baby name records after each year has ended, the top names of 2019 are basically here, thanks to data from BabyCenter - which comes from the nearly 600,000 parents who shared their baby's name with the site in 2019. "Sophia is celebrating a whole decade as the top choice for girls. On the boys list, Liam finally pushed out Jackson after six consecutive years as the most popular name," BabyCenter shares. "Arabic names are on the rise this year, with Muhammad and Aaliyah entering the top 10 and nudging Mason and Layla off . . . Muhammad is one of the most popular names in the world and has been a steady climber in our top names lists over the years. While non-Muslim families have a seemingly limitless range of possible names to choose from, tradition is still very important for Muslim families, including the custom of naming a son after the Prophet." Keep scrolling to see what the top 10 names lists looked like in 2019 for both boys and girls, according to BabyCenter's data. Related: 115+ Sweet Names For Girls That Are Cute as a Button Top 10 Baby Names For Boys in 2019 * Liam * Jackson * Noah * Aiden * Grayson * Caden * Lucas * Elijah * Oliver * Muhammad Related: 100 of the Most Gorgeous Baby Names and Their Meanings Top 10 Baby Names For Girls in 2019 * Sophia * Olivia * Emma * Ava * Aria * Isabella * Amelia * Mia * Riley * Aaliyah http://bit.ly/2Pt8GPb

[restoreamericanglory]

New Post has been published on Restore American Glory

New Post has been published on http://www.restoreamericanglory.com/breaking-news/culture-shock-muhammad-the-tenth-most-popular-u-s-baby-name-for-2019/

Culture Shock: Muhammad the Tenth Most Popular U.S. Baby Name for 2019

According to the experts at Baby Center, the name Muhammad is now one of the 10 most popular names for American baby boys. While the website makes no claim about how many of these babies are Arab in origin, the shocking rise in popularity for this name can only mean that Islamic influence is gaining traction in the United States. For this to be the first year for Muhammad to crack the top ten and also the first year that two female Muslims joined the House of Representatives, you would have to be blind to not see the demographic change underway.

From the Washington Examiner:

Two Arabic names were included in the top names, with Aaliyah climbing into the top 10 for baby girls, according to a list compiled by Baby Center. The website, which touts itself as the “world’s number one digital parenting resource,” with seven in 10 expecting mothers in the United States visiting the site last year, created the list by asking 600,000 of its users what they named their child. Both Muhammad and Aaliyah were ranked 10 out of the list of 100 names.

Other top 10 boy names included Liam, Jackson, Noah, and Aiden. Top girl names included Olivia, Sophia, Ava, and Amelia.

The Baby Center’s list differs from the annual list constructed by the Social Security Administration. According to their data, Mohammad was ranked as the 345th most popular baby name in 2018. The name has grown in recent years, however. In 2000, Mohammad was the 620th most popular name.

The disparity between the Baby Center’s data and the Social Security Administration’s list could be because the Baby Center eliminated similar spellings of names, such as Mohammad, Mohammed, or Muhammad, while the administration does not.

According to Baby Center’s editor-in-chief, Linda Murray, the result did not come as a surprise. In an interview with The Sun, she said, “Muslim families often choose Muhammad for firstborn sons to honor the prophet and bring blessings to the child. The name also has multiple spellings, and that helps a name get into the top 10.”

According to the Pew Research Center, Americans should prepare for names like Muhammad to grow ever more common. Islam is set to become the second-largest religion in the U.S. by 2040; the demographic chroniclers estimate that Muslims will account for 8.1 million American residents by the midpoint of the century.

Hooray, unrestrained immigration…