#my prayers go out to everyone affected by the unfortunate incident

[xjulixred45x]

OKAY, I know I should work on the requests but I recently discovered the story of the game HADES and as a Greek mythology nerd that I am, I became obsessed, so I ask you to imagine this scenario that unfortunately I have not seen anywhere:

Platonic Yandere Zagreus+ Reader x son! reader

let me explain myself.

Imagine that we are between Hades 1 and Hades 2, where everything seems to be going well for Zagreus and his partner, both living in the Underworld and occasionally visiting the surface, but paying attention to their duties in general.

then they have a son! reader. Their pride and joy.

Zagreus probably thought that it would be difficult to have children without any kind of divine intervention, so seeing that his son was born alive by himself was a great relief and even pride, because it meant that he probably wouldn't have the same problem as his father, he would be freer than him.

son!reader ends up being a child who is super spoiled by his parents thanks to this, filled with affection not only from them, but from the vast majority of the beings in the Underworld, Achilles being a kind of Fun Uncle, Meg a cool teacher, Thanatos and Hypnos second father figures, etc.

even HADES loved this child.

the only problem that son! reader has is that, like his father and mother, he was very curious and stubborn. which led to the incident before he reached puberty.

It was an occasion where Zagreus and Reader were away due to a hasty visit to the surface, so son! Reader, like every child, did what he was told not to do:

get off the safe path.

From then on son! reader can die however you prefer, perhaps by the Hydra, by one of the enemies on the upper levels, by the river Styx, but my favorite excuse is that he found where the titans were and fell from the shock, dying instantly ( drawing a parallel with mythological Zagreus).

And when Zagreus and his partner find out? God, to say that they are devastated would be an understatement for their pain.

Everyone is hurt and sad about what happened, everything feels so silent now, heavy, empty...

to the point that the prayers of the beings of the Underworld reach the ears of Zeus, who in a certain way feels sorry for his brother for having lost a grandson and Zagreus for his son, who decides to apply Dionysus's typenof move, that is, leave the heart of the child in the womb of a human woman.

Zagreus is difficult to convince, he wants Zeus to do this directly with the reader, but if this is the only alternative, he will accept it. More when the mental health of both has also been seriously affected by this(Zagreus having mutilation and Self harm tendencies bc of grief and incapility of die? yep, although he'll probably be very worried if reader starts to seem like them too.)

And so the agonizing wait begins, the weeks go by, the months go by, and Zagreus and the reader are increasingly anxious and impatient. more distressed with a new day of silence at home, with each day of inactivity, with each hour that their child's room is empty...

But the wait pays off, when Zeus gives them the news that the time has finally come for them to go look for their son.

Zagreus takes off at full speed, with various bonuses given by people like Thanatos, Charon, some Olympians, hell, even his father goes easy on him.

and he begins to search quickly with the little time he has on the surface for his son, being guided by Zeus to where his son was.

When Zagreus was beginning to weaken and felt that he had come in vain, he heard it. a laugh, a small voice that he hadn't heard in a long time.

His son...alive again...

Here things are separated a little. two different scenarios.

1: SON! READER REMEMBER HIS LIFE LIKE GOD

This case is the fluffiest of all and definitely the least yandere.

when son!reader sees Zagreus he's running out to meet him, melting the godling's heart, relieved that his son is not only back in body, but in spirit.

They both return to the Underworld and receive them all with great joy, they ruffle the child's hair, give him gifts, Dionysius may even throw a party in honor of his return.

but it doesn't mean there isn't Yandere stuff.

Zagreus becomes incredibly overprotective of son! reader, to a disturbing degree, now practically does not leave him alone. the same with reader. If he is not with one, he is with another.

they make son! reader accompanies them everywhere and can only play with their supervision, only them, not anyone else. because the previous one was very effective last time.

I think the reader would use the death of son! reader like an auk to keep him fearful and thus avoid another incident. in general both being very obsessive with this new opportunity to have their son back.

Although it's not so bad, Zagreus and the reader continue to bombard him with love and affection, bringing him gifts, reading to him or telling him legends, even now they take him to the surface with them! It is within the scope of a happy ending, they could overcome their unhealthy tendencies over time...I hope.

The only way in this scenario for both of them to become yandere as is is if some person on the surface is "badly influencing" son! reader to be more independent or worse, go to the battlefield.

There Zagreus will directly get rid of said influence with the help of Thanatos.

Now, the most intense and interesting scenario.

2: SON! READER DOES NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT HIS LIFE AS ZAGREUS'S AND READER'S SON

Imagine that you are an apparently normal child with some strange characteristics (like maybe red feet or heterochromia), living peacefully with your parents that you have known all your life as a mortal... and FROM NOWHERE the fucking GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD comes to tell you who you are HIS child and not of your PARENTS....

practically this reader.

Zagreus would believe that after having spent so much time among mortals his son has forgotten his true lineage and even finds his innocence cute with the whole thing, but they must return to their TRUE home as soon as possible.

Since he is a god, A SON OF HADES, even if the reader's parents love him, they cannot fight for him, so they give him to Zagreus.

Zagreus is overjoyed with this, reader is so confused.

because after all he does NOT know these people, he does not know this supposed father who ripped him away from his birth family, he does not know his supposed mother who greets him with tears in her eyes when they arrive at the damn Underworld.

He doesn't know any of the gods who welcome him warmly, who ruffle his hair, who call him cute nicknames, who seem to have known him all his life when they don't.

reader is feeling like some kind of glorified pet. an empty replacement. This is not his house, his HOME.

while Zagreus and reader think that their son must be feeling very shocked by all the information and come home that they simply shower him with more love. much to the child's displeasure.

If the reader continues to insist that he doesn't really remember them, Zagreus will probably dismiss it as something temporary, which is simply the adjustment after an event as traumatic as dying (he gets it, seriously! he dies every now and then, but he doesn't want to think about on what it must have been like for his son).

while reader will try with Thanatos to make him remember things from the past, show him family photos and portraits that they made before the tragedy, his room, his old toys and stories behind them. all with so much love that the reader feels uncomfortable, as if he were usurping the place of their true son.

I think the reader would be especially uncomfortable if mom!reader were also a goddess, he feels VERY intimidated by both of them, but when they show this very...vulnerable and loving side...he doesn't know what to think.

In this scenario, both Zagreus and reader are more overtly manipulative and yandere. Zagreus can use his thousands of failed attempts to try to get out of the underworld on his own so that reader doesn't even think about doing so, while reader uses the reader's death as a way to guilt trip him so he doesn't leave them.

The reader feels bad for them and their son, but is very afraid of them. More after seeing Zagreus angry.

At first they would see Reader's attempts to escape as something "cute" thinking that he was "imitating young Zagreus" and was not serious. Of course, if he ran into a shade, Zagreus would appear and take him home. simply a game.

But when they were lost for long periods of time, they had a panic attack thinking that the accident had happened again. and when Zagreus found the reader, on a higher level and with scratches, he was furious, almost killing all the beings on that level.

It was enough to solidify the reader's decision to want to leave. This man was not only terrifying, he was dangerous.

I think that in this case there would be characters like Meg, Patroclus, Odysseus, even Thanatos himself who realize the reader's discomfort around his "parents" and even become his only allies in his escape attempts.

but because they isolate him so much, so much to the point that he can only leave the house of Hades if it is with them, no one else, and they see the desire to RUN in his face. They feel compassion for him.

This is how a new story in Hades begins. As a reader you will have to face many powerful deities, shadows, and more to escape not only from the Underworld, but from your delirious new family.

but Zagreus would not be himself if he were not stubborn and persistent . I wouldn't let him run and escape easily. not this time.

Could reader do it? let the game begin.

Shares, reglogs and comments are very welcome!

What can i Say? I'm obsessed over games i will NEVER get to play :,) but at least i'll try to see gameplays.

[ask-dragon-miku-new]

May KyoAni* heal and may the good times given to us inspire us to move forward and to be better people.

[littlemixnet]

I grew up in an area called Laygate, South Shields in the north-east of England. It’s near the docks where a lot of Arabs worked from the 1920s. My granddad Mohammed arrived around 1943 from Yemen. He worked as a firefighter in the merchant navy, before becoming a laborer at the docks. It was in South Shields that he met my grandma Amelia, whose dad was from Egypt. They were very much in love and settled in the coastal town. They loved the large Arab community, and everyone stuck together. Sadly, my grandma passed away when my mam was just four so I never had a chance to learn much about my Egyptian heritage, but my granddad talked about her a lot.While my granddad didn’t force his children or grandkids to follow his religion, he was a devout Muslim and wanted us to know about his faith and culture. We lived near the local mosque and he would tell me beautiful stories about when he went to Mecca. He would always cook for us, too – I loved his chicken soup with khubz, which is the best bread in the world. I remember him fasting for Ramadan, and during Eid I would wait for him outside the mosque and say Eid Mubarak to his friends as they came out, and they would gift me a pound coin. It was important to him that I learned how to read and write Arabic, so every Saturday I went to Muslim school. I have fond memories of it. I went from the ages of eight to 10, but I think I was unfortunately too young to understand how important it was to learn. I also went to church every Sunday, but faith-wise I don’t know what I believe in. I think, perhaps, that stems from having so many beliefs and opinions put on me.I had a happy childhood. My primary school was incredibly multicultural – there were a lot of asylum seekers and refugees from all over the world so I just felt a part of it. That changed when I was a teenager and went to secondary school. My granddad passed away and suddenly I felt like I had lost that whole part of me. He was the person I’d go to when I felt down. He made me feel proud of who I was – he was my line of understanding to my Arab heritage. I felt alone. At school, I didn’t fit into any group, and started to experience prejudice and racism. I was one of the very few people of color in the school, so from the off I felt like an outcast.Where I’m from in England, if you weren’t evidently black or white, you were put in this big bowl of one ‘other’ thing. I used to get called the P-word, which I didn’t understand as I’m not Pakistani. I was also called half-caste. During one incident someone pinned me down in the toilets and put a bindi spot on my forehead. There was a complete lack of education and understanding of different races and faiths. It affected my mental health. I became very depressed and it triggered the eating disorder I had throughout school.Looking back, I realize I experienced microaggressions even as a kid, whether it was being part of musicals in my hometown and having white powder put on my face to blend in with the rest of the cast, or not getting cast at all because there were no people of color in the musical. It wasn’t until I moved to London and into a multicultural environment that I realized how messed up it was. I was 18 when I moved, just after I did The X Factor [in 2011]. I went from being the token person of color to being in London, where it didn’t matter. All of a sudden I was thrown into the limelight [with Little Mix], and people didn’t know what I was, so I went along with it. I had suppressed who I was because I wasn’t proud. I had been bullied into thinking I should be ashamed of my identity, so I didn’t talk enough about my heritage in interviews. It makes me sad to think about it now.When I was younger, I didn’t see enough representation of Arabs in magazines or on TV, and when I saw people who looked like my granddad they were always misrepresented. There’s this stereotype of Muslims being terrorists. I regret now that I didn’t talk about it more, but I was young and scared. I’m trying to make up for it now. I’m more open to being that voice for people. I think it comes with being more confident in yourself, and more curious. My mam and me have started looking into our culture more and it’s something that is bringing us closer together. The Black Lives Matter movement and the war in Yemen has triggered a lot of trauma for my mam, who I think suppressed who she was for a long time, too. The past few months have been very eye-opening for us. We’ve talked more than we ever have about race and who we are. As an adult I’m connecting more with my Arab side – it’s a shame that it’s taken me until now to understand that. Being Arab is a beautiful thing. I’m trying to learn more of the language; in fact, during our US tour with Ariana Grande [Little Mix was one of the opening acts on Grande’s Dangerous Woman tour in 2017], I did an online Arabic course. One of my goals is to learn the language so that I can travel more to the Middle East. I get a lot of messages from Arab fans saying that they look up to me and that it’s lovely to see positive representation of an Arab woman in pop culture. The messages were one of the triggers that encouraged me to explore who I really am.When I was young, my grandad used to play Arabic songs for me, and I think it did influence me. When I’m in the recording studio people say they can tell I have Arab heritage because when I do riffs I must subconsciously perform them in an Arabic style, which is lovely. My granddad used to love hearing me sing – that’s definitely one of the main reasons I got into music. One of my favorite memories of him was when I bought him a Mecca-shaped alarm clock that played the call to prayer. He played it and started to cry – it made me realize how powerful music can be.It’s taken me too long to embrace my heritage and I wish I did it sooner. I want people to know that who you are is a beautiful thing – learn about your ancestors and educate yourself on your heritage. It gives you a purpose. It’s important for me to use my platform to be a better person and raise awareness, especially about what is happening now in Yemen. It’s not being talked about enough. I’m striving to be a better role model for my fans and be an artist that I would’ve liked to have seen as a young girl.

Jade for Vogue Arabia.

[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad: Exemplary Ethics of The Prophet: Tolerant

HE WAS A JEW BUT AFTER ALL A HUMAN

He was sitting with His friends in an open place in Medina. A funeral was passing by in front of them. It was obvious in every respect, that the funeral was a Jewish one. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stood up and waited until the funeral passed by. His friends were amazed and warned him by thinking “maybe He had not realized the situation”:

“O Apostle of Allah! This was a Jew.”

In other words, He was not a Muslim. So, it had not been necessary for you to stand up.

Yet, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had been aware of everything from the beginning; so, he answered:

“But at the same time he was a human.”

GIVE UP BOTHERING ABDULLAH

His friends complained to the Apostle of Allah (PBUH) about one of their friends. This was Abdullah, the son of Huzafa.

They said: “He makes jokes too much and has been occupied with idle things.”

The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not heed it and said:

“Give up bothering Abdullah because he is a person who really loves Allah and His apostle.” 

CURSE TO A DRUNK

A Muslim who had been caught as a drunk many times was brought to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the same state. At that moment, someone who could not tolerate it said to the drunken man:

“May Allah’s curse be upon you”

By knitting his eyebrows with a stiffed face, yhe prophet Muhammad (PBUH) called out to the person who cursed as follows:

“Do not curse Him. I swear by Allah that, he has always loved Allah and His apostle since I knew him.” 

A GOOD SUPPLICATION FOR TAIF

In order to be freed from the troubles of the lengthened siege, his friends wanted him to curse to the city of Taif. When he went to the city of Taif many years ago in order to spread His religion and to get help, he had been met by stoning and spitting. He raised His hands and prayed:

“O Allah! Enrich the folk of Taif with the prosperity of Islam and send them to Medina with the spirit of friendship.”

His supplication was accepted fully as he wished. 

EVERYBODY DOES WHAT FITS HIM

The Prophet had stopped for lunch during a journey. He chose a tree that was away from the place where his friends had camped in order to have a rest. After he fell asleep, Ghawrath the chief of a tribe, who was an unbeliever and who wanted to kill him noticed him. He wanted to make use of this opportunity by killing Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and became famous among Arabs. He tiptoed toward him excitedly and quietly. He took Hazrat Muhammad’s sword, which was on a branch of the tree, and touched the throat of the Prophet, who was sleeping, with the sword. Touched by the cold metal, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) opened his eyes and saw Ghawrath grinning arrogantly. Ghawrath was sure about his victory and asked the Prophet arrogantly,

“O Muhammad! Who will save you from me now?”

Seemingly, he was right because if he had pushed the sword for two centimeters, it would have been the end of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). However, there was no sign of excitement or fear in the Prophet. He answered the question of Ghawrath by shouting:

"Allah!.."

Upon the terror of the exclamation “Allah”, Ghawrath fell down on his back and his sword fell off. Then, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) stood up suddenly and grabbed his sword. He touched his throat with the sword. Now it was just the opposite. The Prophet asked him smilingly and calmly,

“O Gavrath! Who will save you from me now?”

Unfortunately, Ghawrath had no chance to say “Allah!” because he was an unbeliever. However, he proved that he was very clever giving the following answer,

“O Muhammad! Let everybody do what fits him.”

Upon this life saving answer, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) removed his sword and said,

“You are free; you can leave now.” 

THE MAGICIAN

A Jew from Medina who was called Labid cast a spell on him. The apostle of Allah was affected by it. Later on, he was saved from it by Allah. And he learnt the name of this evil doer. However, no one disturbed this Jew. No one said anything to him. The Jew, Labid was forgiven silently. 

IF I WERE NOT JUST

He was distributing the booty among his friends. One of the newly converted Muslims objected to it.

“This distribution is not just.”

And the objector walked away angrily. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) became sad. He quietly said:

“Shame on you, if I were not just, then who could be?” And then, he turned towards his friends?

“Bring him to me kindly without rebuking him. 

UNFAMILIAR WITH SALAH

The son of Abu Sufyan, Muawiya had recently converted. He did not know that speaking is not allowed during salah and one day at a congregation prayer behind the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he spoke. He said to a person who sneezed:

“May Allah have mercy upon you.”

Muslims worried that the prayer would be invalidated and they wanted to silence him with hand signals and glancing. This exited Muawiya more. And he continued to speak.

“Why are you looking? I did not understand anything.”

This time, Muslims silenced Muawiya by stroking their legs with their hands. At last, the prayer finished. However, Muawiya was drenched in perspiration because of the sense of guiltiness. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came up to him.

“It is not allowed to speak about world matters while praying. Salah consists of, tasbih, takbir and the Qur’an.”

After years of this incident, Muawiya narrated it as follows; "I had never seen a better teacher than Him. He neither scolded me nor was angry with me”. 

EVIL FOR EVIL

An immigrant Arab wanted from him goods and money by hanging and pulling his garment. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) stumbled. This formed a blood blister where the garment was pulled. He did not say anything. He asked the man when he calmed down.

“Now tell me whether reprisal would be applied for the harm you have done?”

The immigrant Arab confidently answered:

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because, you do not repay anyone evil for evil”

Upon this answer, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) only smiled. Then, he gave an order. They loaded goods onto the camels of the Arab. 

THOSE WHO ATE CAMEL MEAT

He was sitting with a crowd group of friend in the mosque. They had eaten camel meat all together a short time ago. One of them passed wind unavoidably. A fetid odor covered the place. All people there were looking at each other with worry and embarrassment. The adhan would be recited soon and the person who would go out for renewing ablution was going to be understood as the “inducer”. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who evaluated the importance of the issue ordered them:

“Let all of those who ate camel meat with us renew ablution.”

His friends formed a line to have ablution. The convict was saved from being exposed. 

CURSE TO DAWS

His friends requested from Him.

“O apostle of Allah! We are unable to cope with the fierceness and mischief of the tribe of the son of Daws. Curse them so that they will settle down.”

He turned towards the Qibla and raised His hands. Everyone was waiting to hear the words of cursing from his lips. They were whispering among themselves.

“The son of Daws will be ruined!”

However, the supplication that was heard from the mouth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) bewildered everyone there.

“O my Allah, let the son of Daws find the true path. Let them see the truth.”

He repeated this three times. 

TOWARDS THE MAN WHO WANTED TO MURDER HIM

A person who wanted to kill him was brought to the Apostle of Allah (PBUH). Since the man did not know what would happen, he was trembling because of fear. The apostle of Allah smiled and tried to silence the man who attempted to murder him by saying:

“Do not fear! Even if you had tried, you could not have succeeded in killing me.”

Then, he gave an order; the man who attempted to murder him was released. 

[sdra2writer-imaginesandhcs]

After reading the Sora x Syobai, could you possibly do a continuation, based on what happens in chapter 4?

Wow, I never thought that someone will actually like the Sora x Syobai one-shot I wrote and want a continuation of it. I have to admit, but I was really, really excited to make a part 2, even though I had no idea what to write at first. Also, I just realised that I made this too long again and a bit cringey in my perspective. I think it’s obvious that I ship them😅. Also, to make this clear, I don’t know any dialogue in the 4th chapter’s trial and investigation. Again, sorry if there’s any typos or mistakes. It’s 2:30am right now and I can’t sleep. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Never leaving you (Syobai x Sora)

It’s been almost 3 months ever since they both became a thing. Those months have been fun for them. Sneaking away from the others just so they can spend time with each other without anyone noticing their constant meetings. It was nice.........while it lasted.

Unfortunately, everyone found out their secret relationship thanks to Rat Bitch Kanade.

Here’s how it went after their 3rd trial before the twins’ execution started.

“Oh, and I have one more thing to say!” Kanade points at the 2 grey-hairs.

“Get it on you two! I know you two have been sneaking away from us for the past few months just to do whatever you want with each other!”

Wow, they almost forgot that Kanade was there when their small incident happen. Actually, she was the one who caused it.

After the end of the whole trial, Yuki and Yoruko somewhat made a very small Sora protection squad with just the two of them. They were cornering Hashimoto while interrogating him if he ever forced Sora to take drugs or do something to her that made her uncomfortable. Even Yuki had the guts to threaten him that he’ll stab him with no regrets if he ever hurt her. Luckily, as the broker was praying internally for help and the white-hair pulling her two furious friends away from her boyfriend, Monocrow appears and told them to shut up because it was about to be nighttime.

Anyways, during those 3 months, it’s mostly them just teasing and pranking each other. Making most of their time while they’re still alive. Like that time Sora recorded Syobai singing in the shower. (I hc that he sings Wonderwall [if you’ve watched that video from his English voice actor] when no one’s around. Can’t change my mind)

Payback time, Syobai pretended to be high just so he can make Sora flustered. What happened there in his room? Don’t worry, they didn’t go that far other than taking off a shirt.

Back to the present time, everyone arrived at the 4th island. Just one step outside, they’re already freezing to death.

“W-What is t-this place?!” Shinji felt as if his hair started turning into ice.

“The 4th island of course!” Monocrow chirped.

“W-Why is this island so different from the others?! It’s so cold!” Yoruko covers her exposing arms with her fur scarf.

“Probably because someone changed the code.” And who would even change the code to turn this island to a frosty weather?

Sora rubs her hands on the scarf she agreed with Syobai to wrap around her exposed neck the other day for................some reasons that might’ve been mentioned.

She shot a glance at the broker beside her. He wasn’t shivering at all. He was just standing there while puffing out the smoke from his cigarette.

Sora shivers, “Y-You’re not cold at all?!”

Syobai shrugs, “Why would I be? It’s not that cold.”

What the?! Okay, how the hell is he not freezing cold in this weather?!

An idea popped inside Sora’s mind. This was definitely gonna be her revenge.

“Syobai-Oppa!” Sora cheerily calls for the broker’s attention.

Weirded out by the last word Sora called him, he raises an eyebrow, “Wha-“

With both hands, Sora grabs one of Syobai’s hands and brings it closer to her chest.

She started speaking in another language with the sweetest tone she could do and stares at him with loving eyes, “Salanghae(사랑해)”

Hashimoto freezes for a small moment. “Did it work?” Sora thought to herself.

Suddenly, Syobai face started turning red and he smashed his cigarette with his 2 fingers, “Stop teasing me! It’s not funny!”

Before Syobai could react, Sora cups his face with her hands, “Aww, you’re so warm! This feels so nice!” She smiles sweetly.

Syobai was startled and surprised, but he didn’t push her away or anything. He just lets her do what she’s doing. He thought it was adorable anyways.

As Sora finally lets go of his face, the merchant’s voice can be heard. As the voice gets louder, they realise that Teruya is running to them, “Syobai! Give me some of your warmth too!”

Heat mode: OFF

“Aaa! C-Cold!” The green-hair flinched as soon as he touches the broker’s cheek.

************************************

Standing somewhere near the library in the Babel tower, the broker holds a book reminding him of his childhood. Everything he had to go through, from having a family with a dog that died before his vacation with his parents, getting lost in a country with no one by his side, and doing all of those dirty works to get a living. Never experiencing the childhood he was supposed to have.

As he grows up, he just goes with the flow. He only believes that what happens will happen and he has to accept it. If it’s death, then he’ll accept it if he has no other choice.

Then, how come he doesn’t feel like dying anymore? Like he probably has something to live for? Was it really the girl he’s with-

Nah, he’s probably not feeling well or something. He didn’t change a single bit, aside from his status that is.

Well, he was amused by the fact that Sora showed worry for him when Teruya pointed a gun on Syobai’s head.

“Teruya! Stop this nonsense! I can’t let you kill him!”

This was the first time he saw Sora this worried for him. Heck, she even smacked his head and hugged him once they were alone for awhile.

“You almost killed yourself back there! Stop risking your life like that! You’re making me worried!!!”

He couldn’t really help but let out a small grin when she was lightly punching his chest. Adorable is what he thought.

Speaking of Sora, where is she? She was supposed to meet up with Syobai by now. Oh god, she better not be-

“A body has been discovered!”

Once he heard those exact words come out of the small television hanging on the walls, a heavy feeling started to fill inside of him. He doesn’t know why, but his instincts is telling him to go to the location where this body is discovered.

All of that went away when he saw the white-hair standing right in front of the victim’s body. Was he actually worried about Sora?

Putting all of his thoughts aside, he goes to Sora, “So, who died this time?”

Then, Sora handed Syobai the Monocrow File, “Shinji Kasai. Cause of death was burning from flames.” She looked away a little with an expression Syobai couldn’t point out, but from her body movements, she looked nervous? She doesn’t act like that during investigations. Did something happen?

Sora did shot a glance at him as she handed him the Monocrow File, but then, her attention diverted to Syobai. With a questioning look, she asks, “Did you run all the way here?”

“Huh?”

“You’re sweating.” Syobai touches his forehead. He really is sweating. Did he really run? If he did, he didn’t noticed it at all.

Putting that aside, he too starts to question Sora, “So, where were you when this took place?” Not because he was too worried or anything. He just needs her alibi when the murder took place. That’s all.

“This isn’t the most convincable alibi I have, but I was with Yoruko, then I went to the bathroom. After using the bathroom, I went back to Yoruko and we continued searching for more clues. Then, we met up with Yuki and we both went to the place where the crime was committed. That’s when the body discoverment announcement was heard.”

There’s a huge part of him that wants to believe her whole alibi, but he knows that there’s something wrong with it. He’s not gonna confront her now, but later in the trial room.

He goes to the other students and asks them for their alibis and continues to search other places inside and outside the murder scene. During his whole time investigating, he couldn’t put his focus on the investigation. He felt like there’s something bothering him that makes him feel somewhat depressed.

Know what? He’s going to finally admit he’s praying to God that Sora has no involvement in this case at all.

*****************************

His prayers did not come true and his gut feeling was correct. Sora was lying about her alibi. Apparently, she didn’t go to the bathroom, she was actually in the crime scene tampering all of the evidence to prevent Yuki from becoming the blackened.

When Sora revealed the truth of where she was and what she was doing during the time of the murder, for the first time, Syobai looked surprised and shocked. Was she gonna be the blackened? That thought actually made the grey-haired man have his heart pumping so fast.

He could actually see Sora feeling so ashamed about it. He tries to focus on the trial, but he didn’t until people started suspecting that this case was a suicide. All of that emotions were gone after that.

After the trial ended, he decided to leave early to calm himself down and to study something about Sora. From all the times they’ve been together and know each other, he became curious and started studying more about a certain former student from Hope’s Peak. He just needed to check one last thing.

***********************************

After Sora met up with Teruya to discuss some things, she walks in front of the broker’s room and takes a shaky deep breath. She was really unsure if what happened back in the trial affected their reatlationship or his perspective of her. God, she couldn’t breath properly.

Sora knocks on the door, “Syo-“

Before she could say his name, she was pulled into the room. Next thing she knew, she was in a very tight hug with the broker. No seriously, she could barely breath in that hug.

Syobai lets go of her and he held her arms tightly, “Why did you do that?! Becoming a blackened for a guy when you knew that you’re going to die! Didn’t you know that?! Didn’t you know how I felt the whole trial?! I was so fucking worried about you the whole time!“

As Syobai kept ranting on, Sora didn’t feel scared or angry at him back. Actually, she felt amused and surprised. She could see on his face that he was about to break down emotionally. This is really new to see with him.

His voice, she thought she heard a different emotion when he mentioned Yuki. Was he jealous of him? Is he scared for her? Because if he is, she didn’t want to make him feel so burdened.

Syobai stopped ranting and without thinking, he pulled Sora closer and gives her a strong and passionate kiss on the lips.

Sora froze when he did this. He’s acting so different today, but it wasn’t a bad kind of different or anything. She finally gets to witness this side of Syobai which she finds very sweet of him.

After they both pulled away, Sora hugs Hashimoto, places her head closer to his chest and she gently says, “I’m really sorry for making you feel like this. I never realised how much you care about me.”

Sora lets out a small smirk without looking up at the broker, “Looks like the tables has turned.”

Syobai quietly laughs under his breath as he realises that it’s true. So much has changed in him. He didn’t really knew how, but he knows it was definitely Sora who caused it.

“Just don’t fucking leave me and understand how much I fucking love you.” He quietly mumbles those last words, wishing that the white-hair didn’t hear it.

Unfortunately, Sora actually heard it, but she laughed, looked at him with a large grin, “Aww, love you too and of course I’m never gonna leave you. Not now, not here.”

A wave of gladness washed over him as soon as she said those words. That’s all he wanted to hear. He really thought of her as an important person in his life now.

Even though he told himself not to get attached to anyone and to accept the fact that he will lose people on his path in life, he did get attached to someone and he’s not ready to give them up to death or to anything. He has time and he’s willing to spend it on her now.

[error-what-blog]

Hello! I really like the way you write :) Can you do a kidnapped MC? RFA + Saeran? Like they don't see MC that day and start panicking and how they find her? Thank you very much, have a good day ❤️

Oh my god Tumblr decided to refresh and I lost all the work I did… … … 

Kill me. 

But hey, I love this request so I’ll do it again.

*Quick note: I restarted writing this yesterday after Tumblr deleted all my work  and got through Jumin and Yoosung’s and said I’d finish it today and guess what, I’m sick with the flu. This request is cursed or something istg lolol*

Trigger Warnings: Sexual harrassment, gore, torture, abuse & suicidal thoughts. This headcanon is quite graphic, please do be aware of that before reading, as I believe that for people to actively kidnap someone, nine times out of ten it’s a personal vendetta. Not for all of course.

Also, I didn’t do Jaehee because I genuinely could not think of an instance of where it would happen, so I do apologise. I hope you’re okay with that.

Mc gets kidnapped.

♚Jumin♚

He was away on a business trip when he recieved an anonymous message with a picture attachment.

“Mister Han, it has come to my attention that you have gotten quite the hefty bonus this year. I want it. Make your way back to Korea today and contact me again. Attempt to involve any form of authorities and I’ll make sure your precious wife suffers even more than she already is.”

The image showed Mc bound to a chair, gagged and sporting two black eyes with cuts on her face. 

Jumin was ringing his bodyguards immediately, firing all of them for not doing the one thing he asked them to do; protect his wife while he was away.

Once he ended the twenty second long call, he was on the phone with the trusted hacker, 707. 

He explained what happened with Mc and the captor’s demands. Seven told Jumin not to worry and he would begin his work in finding Mc. 

From then, Jumin began his flight home. 

Mc felt hopeless. The man seeking Jumin’s bonus had not upheld his end of the bargain and had relentlessly tortured her.

He had done his very worst. He removed three of her fingernails with a pliers, broken her wrist, punched her so hard she lost a tooth and beaten her black and blue. 

This was Mc’s breaking point, as much as she wanted for Jumin to come and rescue her like a knight, she just wanted all of this to be over. She wanted all of the pain and suffering to dissipate along with her. 

The party co-ordinator could feel the blood ooze out of the open lacerations across her body.

This man was clearly looking for more than Jumin’s money. He wanted him to suffer and what better way to make the man suffer than to put his wife through the wrath of his pyschopathy.

Mc could hear the eerie and dark laughter the escaped the man’s mouth as she screamed for him to stop.

Almost as though God had heard her prayers, multiple cops came into the room and wasted no time in filling the man up with bullets. 

This time, she wailed because she could see her beloved run towards her with a team of paramedics carrying a stretcher. 

The were quick to untie her from the chair and lie her down on the stretcher and begin to stop the bleeding. 

With that, Mc lost consciousness.

It was the strong smell of disinfectant that pulled Mc out of her slumber. She opened her eyes slowly, the affects of the strong painkillers she was on made her drowsy. 

“Mc?”

She followed the voice and saw Jumin, and the rest of the members of the RFA, looking at her with concern sketched on their expressions. 

“Guys?” Her voice sounded like she had swallowed sandpaper. 

“Hey Mc, how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been asleep for weeks but I’m still tired.”

“You’re not wrong. You were put into a medically induced coma when we arrived here to help your body better recover from your injuries. It’s been three weeks since then,” The doctor said as he walked in. 

The doctor then asked everyone but Jumin to leave the room and he then told Mc of the injuries she suffered with.

“You had three broken ribs, a broken wrist, broken eye socket and a fractured skull. You had three fingernails removed, lost a tooth and suffered from multiple lacerations across your limbs and torso. You are truly lucky to be alive. The medicines I am perscribing you are mostly strong painkillers that you have to take daily and also some immune system boosters. Mr Han her bandages need to be changed every day and disinfected. We also can provide counselling to help you with any emotional turmoil you may experience following such a traumatic incident.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

Once the man left, Jumin rubbed the back of his hand againt Mc’s cheek. The three weeks while she was in the coma were hell. Although he had never been more glad to see her just awake and breathing.

✬Yoosung✬

One minute Mc was standing outside the bakery waiting for Yoosung to return with some pastries, the next she was being dragged into the alleyway with a chemical scented rag being held over her mouth and nose.

She kicked and tried her best to scream but her panicked state did her no justice. 

As Mc inhaled more and more of the smell and soon enough, she felt herself fall limp in the arms of the stranger. 

When Yoosung came out of the bakery, he was confused to see that Mc wasn’t there. 

When he took out his phone to ring Mc, ruckus from the side street beside the bakery caught his attention.

He walked to the top of the alley and what he was met with scarred him forever.

Mc’s unconscious form was being stuffed into the boot of a random car. 

“HEY!” Yoosung screamed, his feet having a mind of their own and sprinting towards the man.

Unfortunately he wasn’t quick enough and the man made his escape with Mc. 

Yoosung only made it in time to get a face full of black smoke emitting from the exhaust pipe. 

The blonde didn’t know what to do as he heaved for breath.

Cry.

Scream.

He decided that he could panic later, even though he was only hanging on by a thin thread. 

He needed to get her back asap.

He contacted Seven right away, waiting impatiently for the redhead to pick up.

“Yo, yo, yo what’s up loverboy?~”

“Seven, Mc’s gone… I don’t k-know what to do. Please…  help…” Yoosung’s voice betrayed his calm persona. 

“Ho, ho, ho lovers quarell?”

“No, Seven, Someone took her… she’s gone in some car.”

There was silence on the line before the hacker ordered Yoosung to make his way to the bunker immediately.

Yoosung had never ran so fast before.

When he arrived at the bunker, Seven wasted no time in questioning Yoosung about the cirumstances, a number plate from the car and whether or not he knew if Mc had her phone on her.

“There was no number plate and I think she still has her phone.”

“Alright I’ll try tracking her location and we’ll work from there.”

“-sell for a good price. I might have a go of her before the auction because damn, look at that body.”

The part of the sentence Mc managed to catch caused her eyes to shoot open and see a single man talking on the phone.

She began to kick and and attempted to scream through the rag tied around her mouth. 

“Oi! You might as well stop struggling now, if you don’t I’ll have to make you and that will knock a few coins off your price for damaged goods. And believe me, you don’t wa-”

The man was suddenly cut short, as a loud bang resounded throughout the warehouse. His eyes were wide an unblinking as he looked towards his chest. There was blood pooling out across the fabric of his white shirt. 

Without notice, the man collapsed onto Mc. 

Mc began to scream through her gag once again, her tears blurred her vision as she hook violently, the weight of the corpse on her body adding to her breakdown. 

About three seconds later, the body was lifted off of her and she was being held up by the shoulders. 

Not knowing who it was, Mc only squealed louder an bawled harder. 

“MC! MC! It’s me! It’s me, please stop!” 

Mc’s screams were muted when she realised it was Yoosung in front of her. 

Yoosung untied the rag from around her mouth and held her close as she began to sob and shake. 

“Is she okay?!” Seven asked, running over to his best friend. 

“She’s o-okay, Seven, she’s f-fine,” He said and began to cry as he has never felt so happy just to hold Mc. 

“C’mon, we need to leave.”

Yoosung stood himself and Mc up and kept his arms around her shoulders as she walked. 

♡Zen♡ 

Zen had become incredibly popular since he began dating Mc. 

He was a highly sought after actor and every work he performed in, he sold out the theatre and brought huge success to himself. 

Like now, he was just about to start yet another sold out show. 

He felt himself explode with love and pride as he saw his beautiful Mc sitting in her reserved front seat, smiling at him lovingly as the curtain opened.

Soon enough, the show drew to a close and people began to trickle out of the theatre, excluding Mc who stayed in her seat and the fans who purchased VIP tickets in order to meet Zen afterwards. 

Mc felt very uncomfortable, she had to admit, there was a particular fan waiting for Zen who had been shooting her death glares since the show ended. Mc obviously pinned it as jealoudy of her relationship with Zen. 

But Mc couldn’t shake the feeling of unsafety she felt. 

Mc jumped out of her skin when a quick, “Hey, babe,” was whispered in her ear. 

“Oh my god, Zen!” She laughed and stood up. She was quick to place her hands on his cheeks and connect their lips in a loving kiss. When they parted, both with dorky smiles on their faces, Mc complimented Hyun on his performance. 

“You did amazing Zen, I think this might be my favourite show yet!”

“Babe, you say that every time,” Hyun said as he hugged his girlfriend once again. 

Once they pulled away, Mc and Zen made their way over to the line fans waiting to get a picture with their beloved actor and have a small chat. 

The first few fans came and went, some asking Mc to get in pictures and they expressed their want for Zen and Mc to get married. 

Just after another fan who requested Mc being apart of the discussion and picture, the fan who had been giving Mc weird vibes had stepped up. 

The girl gave Zen a dazzling smile and hugged him tight, expressing how meeting the silver haired actor was a dream come true.

When they were posing for the picture, she turned to Mc and said “Uhm, honey, could you get out of the picture please? You’re ruining it.”

Mc had experienced fans like this before, who were rude to her but never with the level of hostility this one was presenting. 

Zen was taken aback by the bluntness of his fan. “Hey, there’s no need to be rude to Mc.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Zenny. I just get upset easily when special moments are at risk of being ruined.”

Zen and Mc left it at that for the moment, just assuming it was one of those arrogant and jealous fans.

After awhile, Mc needed a break and some fresh air. 

She stepped out of the cast exit and breathed a sigh. 

That fan really was rude earlier.

“You ignorant bitch!” Mc’s eyes shot open and saw the fan from earlier standing in front of her, the girl’s hair messed up as tears fell down her face. 

“Because of you, Zen thinks I’m awful. Just because I didn’t want my picture ruined by someone as awful looking as you! You ruined my chances!”

Just as Mc went to reply, the girl pulled out a gun and pointed it towards Mc. “Just get towards the car and I won’t kill you.”

Mc had her hands up as she made her way towards the parked car, tears streaming down her face.

“Mc?!” Zen’s voice shouted as she sat in the car. 

“Zen! Don’t go near her or I’ll shoot!”

Zen did as he was told, staying where he was. He watched the girl sit in the car and then trained his eyes to the number plate. He repeated it to himself over and over again.

As soon as the car was away, Zen pulled out his phone and typed down the number plate and was quick to dial the emergency services. 

When they told him they were on their way and had sent a car to follow Mc’s captor’s car, Hyun hung up and sat down on the path. 

He buried his hands in his face and began to cry. He just wanted to protect her and he couldn’t even do that. 

“I think it’s time I make Zen truly see how awful looking you are!” The fan wasted no time in parking her car in a random alley and climbing to the back seat. 

She pulled a pocketknife from her back pocket and began to slash Mc’s face. 

They were all relatively shallow cuts and that didn’t seem to please the girl, despite Mc’s cries and shrieks for her to stop.

She stopped only for a moment an then dug the tip of the blade into Mc’s cheek and dragged it up right underneath her eye. 

Just as the steady flow of blood began to trickle down her face, there was a bright light and banging against the door of the car. 

“Get out of the car now!” A guard shoutes, pointing a gun through the open and at the girl. 

In shock, the girl hopped out of the car and had her arms up. 

Mc was too scared to move, her hand trying to stop the bleeding in her face. 

The co-ordinator barely registered the door next to her being opened until she heard the voice of Zen. 

“Jagiya? Come out of the car, okay? We’ll get you fixed up alright?”

When she got out of the car, she threw herself into Zen’s arms as she bawled her eyes out, so glad that it was over. 

Zen brought Mc to the ground and held her as the paramedics came over and began to clear the cuts on her face. “Miss, we are going to need to take you to the hospital to get stitches on that gash on your cheek.”

After Mc was brought to the hospital, there was a flurry of paparazzi outside the hospital and Zen was advised to get rid of them. 

“Yes, it is true. Mc got attacked by a fan last night following the show. She is completely alright aside from a few cuts and a gash. But I will say this now, being rude to Mc, hurts me too, and I am beyond hurt that this happened to her. I am taking some time off to help Mc work through this and to make sure she feels safe in a relationship with me.”

☀Saeyoung☀

Oh god, he thought the agency was finally done with him and had given up on finding him. 

He thought wrong.

Mc was now in the clutches of the agency and he was being held in captivity watching a live-streamed video of his wife being tortured. 

They were pushing her head into water jut until she began to stop moving and then pulled her out again. 

“See this, 707? This is your punishment for going against us. Now watch as we slowly kill her.”

They were relentless and put Mc through pain that not even Saeyoung himself has experienced. 

Her screams plagued his mind as the people stuck a hot fire pocker into her side. 

He couldn’t believe he let this happen. 

He finally had the life he wanted;

Reunited with Saeran, with a wife and hopes to start a family.

But he just had to be careless. 

Seven was pulled from his thoughts when the door opened and Saeran was running to him. 

“I need to do this quick or they’ll catch me, but just go along with this okay?”

Seven nodded and followed Saeran’s lead. 

He was brought to the room where Mc was.

Her cries softened a tad when her husband was brought into the room. 

“Agent 707, for your betrayal against this agency we need to punish you. However, you’re a one of a kind hacker and we can’t afford to lose such talent, so as a sanction we will kill your wife and hope you don’t disobey again.”

Saeyoung watched as Saeran moved towards Mc and pointed a gun towards her head. 

“P-Please don’t! Please! Don’t hurt her! No!” He screamed and struggled, going along with the performance. 

Just as he pulled the safety lock off, Saeran pointed the gun towards the men in the room and shot them all with precison. 

After that, everything was a blur. The three needed to get out of the building quick and get far away. 

Since then it had been three days and they were camping out in a motel. They had bought supplies and tended to Mc’s wounds and from there, worked towards getting her back to health and getting them all to safety.

✟Saeran✟

It had been tough for Saeran, getting through the aftermath of Mint Eye that is. 

He suffered with crippling anxiety and debilitating depression following the events.

But he had Mc and she was the sole person he had to thank for getting through it.

But lately she had been distant. Sad almost.

She was always on her phone, looking like she wanted to forget the world and dissipate. 

Saeran became fed up with it and approached her about it. 

“Mc what’s going on? I thought we could talk to each other.”

“It’s nothing Saeran, I promise.”

From there it escalated into an argument and boiled down to Saeran screaming something along the lines of, “Get out, go! You’re not doing any good by being her!” 

It was only to hurt her as much as he felt hurt. 

But she still left, only bringing her phone and purse. 

After that he tracked her through street cams and her location by her phone. 

He had never been so grateful for his skills until he saw Mc being approached by a man in a hood and then dragged away. 

“Mc~ My love. We are reunited!”

Mc was shook to the core by the voice in her ear. 

“Why are you doing this to me?! We dated in school when we were only young! Just stop!” She shouted, her shaky voice contradicting her confidence.

A slap to the side of her face silenced her and the feeling of the man’s tongue sliding against the reddened skin of her cheek caused a shiver to quake her body.

“I don’t want to hurt you, my love, but I can’t have you stepping out of line.”

“I’m not your girlfriend! That ended over ten years ago, you psycho!”

“Mc’s you’re in denial, we’re in love, you’re my universe! You’re my every-”

“HEY!” 

All Mc saw was a fist connecting with her ex’s cheek, knocking him down.

Then she realised that it was Saeran landing merciless punches on her ex, and although she wished for him to stop, she couldn’t move from her binds. 

All she could do was cry and beg for Saeran to stop. 

Saeran began to stop once he fully registered Mc’s cries of fear and anguish. 

He stepped off the man and went to Mc with bloodied fists and untied her. 

As soon as she was free, she pounced onto Saeran and cried into his neck as she let out the fear she had been feeling through the weeks of harrassment her ex put her through.

“It’s okay, Mc, it’s over. From here on out you need to tell me everything, alright? Please don’t keep stuff like ths from me.”

Oh god, I spent my whole day doing this lol. I hope you enjoyed and I’m sorry it took so long and if parts are sloppy. This flu has my mind a bit muddles. 

Unedited.

[dramayeoja]

Goblin ❣︎ 도깨비

Kim Shin, an undefeated war general, is ultimately killed by a jealous young king named Wang Yeo. After death, Shin is revived by the gods—but his revival is by no means miraculous. He becomes a 도깨비 (dokkaebi, goblin), and is cursed. He will have to pay for all the lives he took in battle by living alone in immortality, witnessing everyone he's ever loved, die. Remaining lodged in his chest is the very sword that killed him. There is only person who can see that sword, and draw from his heart so that he can finally rest in peace: his bride... whom he's yet to meet.

Things get spoilery under the cut—you've been warned! ;)

Chipper, yeah? Haha so, right off the bat, the premises of Goblin remind me of like, a much more morbid version of the legend of King Arthur. You know, a man draws a sword from stone to prove himself the greatest king in all of Britain? Yeah. Just to be clear: this is a good thing (imo). Like, I personally think this is just such a cool idea for a drama 😍

Let's jump right in. I'm gonna be honest and say that, at first, I felt a little turned off at the female lead, Eun Tak, being nineteen (in the beginning of the show), meanwhile the male lead, Shin, is 900+ years old (but physically looks to be in his thirties). It just... rubbed me weird. But hey, the Twilight series (both the books and the movies) is exactly the same—high school girl, century-old man, bananas yet somehow romantic storyline... And I loved me some Twilight as a young adult. So I mean, I have no right to judge, really. Plus, Eun Tak soon turns twenty anyway. So that's an improvement I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ We follow her character into her late twenties, nearly thirty. So things are definitely fine by then haha! 👍

Don't let that previous bit make you think I didn't enjoy Goblin—I LOVED it. That detail is just a lil funky to me, is all. Back during my Twilight obsession days, I was nearly twenty myself, and the thought of being pursued by an older man was exciting. Hell, I mean, it still is! But now that I'm two years shy of my 30th Birthday, I feel differently sometimes. I think, LAWD get that girl away from that man, she too young for him LOL. I am definitely getting old... Enough about Twilight now, apologies! I'm only using it for the sake of conveying similarities seen in Goblin 🙏 Let's talk cast!

Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak and Gong Yoo as Kim Shin

Eun Tak is a bubbly young woman with limitless energy! While still in her mother's womb, Mama Ji was involved in a hit-and-run incident which, sadly, took her life. During Mama Ji's dying moments, she prayed to anyone above that her child's life be spared. Sat on a rooftop from afar, beer in hand (lol), Shin hears her prayers, as he is a god of sorts. He appears before Mama Ji, and shows mercy to her unborn baby. Eun Tak grows up with the ability to see/speak to ghosts. Said ghosts tell her constantly that she is the goblin's bride. How do they know? A strange birthmark on the back of Eun Tak's neck tips them off. Eun Tak unfortunately was taken in by her abusive bitch of an aunt, who jabs Eun Tak every chance she gets. Her cousins are assholes. Eun Tak's aunt really only keeps her around in hopes of collecting Mama Ji's savings (intended for Eun Tak) one day. Sad, right? I mean, isn't Eun Tak being born without her mother enough as it is? Life can be so cruel 😔

Lee Dong Wook as Grim Reaper/Reaper/Wang Yeo

This is Grim Reaper (or Reaper for short), portrayed by the handsome Lee Dong Wook. His character is just this strange, not at all tech-savvy man with a constant deadpan facial expression. Said facial expression provokes so many giggles during funny moments, and drives home the longing and desperation during sad times. We learn quite a ways in that he, in his previous life (again, just in case: spoiler), was Wang Yeo G A S P ! The young king that is essentially responsible for Shin's death, as well as all the misdeeds that were done to Shin's family. Again, this is something I don't want to spoil. Well, more, anyway 😆 You gotta see it!

Yoo In Na as Kim Sun/Sunny

Kim Sun, or simply, Sunny (she loves to spell her name for people lol, S-U-N-N-Y!) is the second female lead. Yoo In Na is so gorgeous that one look at her makes you feel like such a potato hahhah. 🥔 This fact about her beauty bleeds over into the show itself—every time another character meets Sunny, the camera does this slow motion pan into her lmao. She really is that pretty! Sunny's personality comes across so odd at first... Having watched all of the episodes now, I feel the intention of Goblin's creators was to make her seem like a soul searching for something it has lost in a previous life. idk if that makes sense, but yeah. She has this way about her, like she's disconnected from others, and is sifting through the haziness to find this thing she feels she's lost.

Yook Sungjae (my BtoB bias 😍) as Yoo Deok Hwa

Sungjaeeee ahhhh 💘💘💘 I had to gush, sorry! Hehe. Meet Deok Hwa: unofficial nephew of Shin. Deok Hwa is a third-generation chaebol (heir to a family-owned corporation) and spoiled man-child, always seeking his credit card hahaha 🤣 But I love him so much. Between Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, and BtoB Sungjae? Man, I'm dying over here! Deok Hwa's true identity is revealed later in the show, which if you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it. Just watch. But his ending sucked. Like where did he go? Everyone else's endings got tied up neatly except for his. What gives, man? 🤔 Edit: I was actually reading an online conversation about what happened to Deok Hwa online—someone jokingly said he was reincarnated as BtoB Sungjae LOL 💯

Other various comments

AMAZING OST 😍😍😍

Good pace, episodes drag at times. A little confusing in the beginning, but you get there eventually. Maybe this is just me though, viewers who are a little more keen than I will likely catch on sooner ;) My mom was a little confused as well, and actually said at one point, "This should be called the 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' show," hahaha. Like I said though, we quickly moved on from this, and loved all the things. There are actually, I think, three (?) specials that were made to aid viewers in making sure they understand the complex events and relationships clearly. I haven't watched them yet, but want to!

Quite repetitive tbh, as there are unnecessary flashbacks often. Probably for two reasons: the obvious of reminding you what's what, but also to create suspense. Typical duration of most tvN dramas seems to be about 16 episodes, so it's possible these flashbacks and things are, for lack of a better word, filler. I don't know how rigid or lax tvN is about having a drama set at 16 eps, but I get the idea this is their preference. Seeing as so many of their programs on average last that long, I feel this must be what they want. Such has the potential to affect the writing, either positively or negatively.

A continuation of the previous bullet: I think Goblin's creators oversimplified the plot at times. I'm unsure if this is due to possible pressures to meet a specific requirement(s), or what. I'd rather forgo ALL restrictions and let creativity flow, let the story be told without pressure to fill a specific amount of time, etc. but TV production is weird. And contracts are weird. tvN might not to blame for these issues, could simply be that storytelling isn't always easy, man. I'm a writer myself, it's hard! I'M being redundant now lmfao! Anyway, yeah ~

Absolutely LOVED all the scenes that were filmed on location in beautiful Québec City, Canada 🍁 Tall, romantic trees, the fall foliage, historic buildings... sigh. Now all I need is Gong Yoo chasing me and we're all set! ;D

In addition to Shin being revived, my crush on Gong Yoo has been revived as well LOL. He fine 🔥 A classic K drama crush, can't go wrong with GY👌

Gong Yoo is always stellar at doing kiseu (kiss) scenes, and in Goblin, he does not disappoint. He really goes at it 🙈 which is preferred vs. the typical person kissing a stone statue that you see so often. He even did a lift kiss with Kim Go Eun that was reminiscent of THEE Coffee Prince kiss he did with actress Yoon Eun Hye! 😍

I never saw it coming, how the sword would wind up being removed from Shin's chest. I worried what the writers were going to do, how would they approach this, and just wow. The way things turned out is such a relief. It also told me that Shin's love for Eun Tak is true. I mean, I didn't need that scene to occur for me to know that, rather it just adds extra oomph that yes, Shin really does love Eun Tak. He didn't want her to suffer knowing she was responsible for his "death," so he thought quick and used her hands WITH his hands asdfghjkl. How dumb (bc noooo now you're gonna die) and amazing he is at the same time 💜

I love how Shin made his way back to Eun Tak after passing away, it was such a powerful scene. I could really feel his struggle, and kept yelling at my TV for him to stand up lol!

Devastated that Eun Tak died 😭 I really thought as many times as she'd cheated death before, she would somehow continue cheating death again and again for the rest of her days. But no... What a selfless person, Ji Eun Tak. Her being reincarnated as Park So Min gave me some closure. Not the closure I wanted, but closure.

The relationship between Shin and Reaper is ADORABLE. Whenever they interact with each other, they just have this great dialogue. Shin pings, Reaper pongs, Reaper pings, Shin pongs. It's great 😄 I still laugh about the slow-mo scene of them returning from the market with green onions HAHAHA 😂

I love Sunny & Reaper ~ However, their history as Kim Sun & Wang Yeo in their past lives is so very sad. I don't even know where to start RE: my feelings on this 💔 imo, their ending kinda sucked. I just wasn't satisfied with them having had this complicated, tragic story, only to be reincarnated in this fashion that I ultimately found to be just... idk, disappointing 😩 Again, closure, but not the closure I wanted.

I thought Reaper, the other grim reapers, the name cards, the depiction of what happens immediately following death with the brewing of the tea, the afterlife, etc. was all very creative. We really don't know what awaits us when our time comes—it's interesting to wonder if it's anything like it is in Goblin 🍵

Can't stop thinking about Goblin, even though I'm now watching Thirty but Seventeen & Mr. Sunshine! I'm emotionally cheating lol halp.

Photo credits: tvN & AsianWiki

Yo yo! I'm sorry I took so long to watch + write up this review! It's been a long couple of weeks for me, I wasn't always able to watch when I wanted. It was maddening 😆 But I have finally watched, and feel like the most accomplished person on the planet hahaha. xoxo 💜

[chrysaliseuro2018]

In-Side

When my brother Dougal married Genevieve in 1982 who would have thought it would indirectly lead us to the Turkish beach city of Side (pronounced Sidday) on the Mediterranean 36 years later.

The link? Genevieve’s sister Barbara and her friend Penny when travelling in Turkey during the late ‘70’s met and went on to marry Turkish men. While Barbara and her husband Hasan spend time in both Tasmania and Side, Penny and Ali live permanently in Turkey.

As luck would have it Dougal and Gene’s house renovations, yes they are crazy enough to embark on two, are currently affected by the usual permit delays. So being opportunistic travellers they decided to squeeze in a month’s worth of travel while the local council bureaucrats twiddle their thumbs. As luck would have it their dates in Turkey coincided with ours so a rendezvous in Side was planned.

Doug and Gene stayed in Side a few years ago but for Chris and me it was a wonderful opportunity to share the experience. Side, while not exactly your quiet beach getaway, is a tale of two cities.

Firstly there is the new section cluttered with over development of the worst kind. Not unlike our charmless Surfers Paradise, it’s dominated by huge monolithic hotels. In a laughable attempt at authenticity some have been topped with faux Mosque-like domes. They are the palaces of package tours. Apparently Russians in particular subscribe to all-in resort packages which apparently suffered during recent years of unrest and the odd terrorist incident in Turkey. Now the tourists are returning and in our mind’s eye we could only imagine the morning bun fight for pool lounges.

Secondly there is the quaintly named ‘Antique Side’ which is where Penny and Ali run their little beach front hotel The Beach House. In contrast to the vast new developmental expansion of modern Side, Antique Side is perhaps realising what an unrealised gem it has right under its nose. It occupies an entire small peninsula which was clearly Roman given all the artefacts, pillars, foundations and mosaics to be found there. In recent years developments which were built on the ruins have either been compulsory removed and replaced with glass flooring over the ruins, or glass flooring has been installed in shop floors to expose the ruins. Further excavation is still underway and with some cooperation and planning the entire peninsula could be a major Roman site for visitors.

Apart from the hotel Penny and Ali also have traditional stone house and an apartment on the other side of the peninsular to the hotel. This is only a 5 minute walk through streets dense with shops selling t-shirts, soccer shirts of every variety, jewellery, bags, Turkish delight, nuts and all kinds of souvenir dross. First two nights were spent at the hotel followed by another 2 at the apartment. Originally we all planned to stay at the house but with a disco not 100 metres away pumping out door doof until the wee hours we all, even our resident disco king Chris, thought better of it.

The hotel offers a certain quaintness with a location right on the little beach. It has particular appeal to Poms of a certain age demographic - Chris had no trouble striking up conversation. Many have been returning for a number of years enjoying a relaxed and familiar environment. Penny and Ali were congenial and generous hosts who let Chris and me ride on the familial coattails of Doug and Gene offering us free accommodation. We were very fortunate indeed.

So how did we spend our 4 days at Side......

# The weather was hot so many an hour was spent on the hotel sun lounges or bobbing in the warm Mediterranean. We took to the beach umbrellas unlike the Poms who thought nothing of laying out all day in the blazing sun (judging by the brown leathery skin this has been their habit through the decades).

Generally in the morning the sea was flat but as the day went on the choppier it got. Making the most of the calm sea were several party boats in the guise of faux pirate ships complete with artificial rigging, a sliver of cloth purporting to be sails, a statue of a captain with eye glass at the bow and a plank to walk off at the stern. Amusingly on closer inspection one was a catamaran - a very modern take on a pirate ship indeed. Dougal thought they looked so unsturdy that it would only take one decent wave to capsize the whole contraption sending 100% pirates overboard. I confess to spending 4 days secretly wishing for that rogue wave.

# Gene, Barbara and I went to Manavgat the neighbouring town to do some shopping at the warehouses with Hasan as our driver. Unfortunately it was a Sunday meaning many were closed. Still we found a few open and got a few odds and ends. Highlight was a visit to a shop selling spices, grains, dried fruit, nuts, pastries and Turkish Delight of all colours and flavours. Generously they encouraged us to sample whatever we wanted and even some things we didn’t even know we wanted. If only weight and customs restrictions didn’t limit overseas purchases. But when a whole box of Turkish Delight (well over a kilo) costs 8.30 Turkish Lira, about A$2.50 which is less than the cost of one piece in Melbourne, it became a must-have even if i can’t get through it all.

Finally we paid a brief visit to Hasan’s 80+ year old mother. Mum sat quietly in the corner chatting to her sister and niece until Barb put her son Michael on FaceTime to speak to his grandmother. The transformation from quiet little old lady to excited and animated little old lady had to be seen to be believed.

# Penny’s husband Ali has a farm at Akseki just over one hour’s drive north east of Side. Fortunately Ali frequents the farm regularly so we all joined him for a day. Took 2 cars as Ali was staying overnight (we considered it but decided to make it a one day trip) so we had Dougal at the wheel. Turkish drivers have scant regard for road rules....step out on to a pedestrian crossings if you dare, stopping at red lights is optional and double white lines on the road are treated as decorations. Needless to say the drive was a little hairy at times.

First stop, the local market at Akseki. If one were looking to buy fresh market veggies, fruit, grains, nuts and pulses of all varieties, undies, clothes circa 1970, pots and pans, oversized wooden spoons, little sewing kits or even nail clippers this was the place to visit. A few nuts were purchase along with some strawberries which while tasty were a little over the hill and disappointing.

Next stop lunch. Nothing like a local to take you to a restaurant. Feasted on meat pides and like their Italian cousin the pizza, the serves looked enormous. But what you think at the outset you’ll never finish, somehow seems to go down a treat. Add to this a simple but delicious salad and a view over the valley....perfection.

Then onto Ali’s house in the town to admire his menagerie. A summary: 2 English setters, a cat, dozens of laying chooks, a couple of roosters, pheasants, bantams, hatching eggs, chicks, budgies, two quails and a partridge in a pear tree! Then the mini orchard of apricots, cherries and sour cherries. Not done with yet we then drove to their farm. Largely it has been planted out with walnut trees as a crop. Along with those was Ali’s veggie garden of onions, melons, beans, garlic and more fruit trees. It has to be said he is a man in touch and in love with nature.

Headed back towards Side but stopped at Sarihacilar a sleepy one horse town. The old if-you-blink-you-miss-it sort of place. It’s unlikely many tourists make their way to this town but Doug and Gene had recommended the museum. Totally overpriced in the scheme of things but actually worth every penny in a weird and wonderful way. Exhibits were largely routine; lots of butter churns, cooking pots, rusty old tins and a random collection of firearms, musical instruments, clocks and of all things, radios ranging through the decades. The two highlights were (1) the ‘curator/guide’, himself a rusty old relic, who escorted us around trying embellish the tour by bringing his artefacts to life with his several words of English. (2) the wooden baby’s cot complete with inbuilt potty. This worked by strapping on one of two funnels to baby, ingeniously designed to accommodate genitalia differences of males and females, so the pee was funnelled into the potty. Only design fault was baby had to always be asleep on its back. Otherwise genius and a big saving on sleep time Huggies.

Museum done, complementary chi enjoyed we were then given a tour by the proud owner of the renovated hotel. There are some walking trails around here one of which Doug and Gene had previously walked. (Mid 30 degree temperatures discouraged us.) In the heat and dryness the Nordic feel of the pine lined lodge-like hotel seemed totally incongruous. But apparently it gets bitterly cold in winter which would make this an ideal bolthole to bunker down in with a pack of cards and a few bottles of wine.

Having seen the ‘major’ sites and heading back to the car, the Mosque caught our eye. Well more accurately we caught the imam’s eye. With the help of his young son’s schoolboy English, of which the imam was glowingly proud, we did a little tour of the Mosque. It was unremarkable yet lovely. As always a beautiful chandelier, modest decorations but some lovely framed versus of the Q’uran. Chris formed the strongest connection with the imam who gifted him a copy of the Q’uran Abridged. (Conversation rate 0 to date). Just as we were leaving the call to prayer started so Chris and I whipped off out shoes, I re fitted the supplied headgear and we ducked back inside....was it the imam calling live or a recording? Happy to report it was the former.

All in all a wonderful day out.

# Hasan generously invited us all to the Turkish night at his cousin’s multi storeyed hotel (everyone seems to be everyone else’s cousin in Side). It was a glorious night on the open air rooftop and Hasan secured a table in the corner to take advantage of the view. Dinner was a buffet and advice was to get into it before the locals arrived at 8.10 starving after a day of Ramadan fasting. So we all ate well and lots, a particular highlight of the savoury spread was the smoked trout, while those with a sweet tooth, rated the Baklava highly.

After dark the belly dancer appeared shimmying and shaking her way though a routine to more contemporary music than we were used to hearing nightly when we lived at York Place. When it became time for audience participation I was grateful to be so blocked in as to be unavailable. Chris was the most likely candidate but Miss Nubile had enough willing participants before getting to our table. We all enjoyed watching the various efforts of tight shoulder and tight hipped conscripts however I suspect Chris was just an incy wincy bit disappointed he wasn’t up there strutting his stuff.

So after 4 days of hanging with the locals it was time to move on making sure not to overstay our welcome. We had been thoroughly spoilt and indulged. As we left for for our next adventure we couldn’t help but think sometimes you just get lucky!

[aintshitbiz]

Jashi Bands Exclusive 1 on 1 w/ BreezySays | @jashitheyetti

Jashi Bands is just your friendly neighborhood Puerto Rican rapper from the Bronx. His music mostly touches on mental health including his own and those around him. He failed out of college senior year and moved back home to find what he wanted to do with his life.

Welcome to Mollie's World (The Breezy Says Hot Seat), Jashi Bands

BS: What’s your name and tell us a little bit about yourself. JB: My name is Joshua Toledo. Just your friendly neighborhood Puerto Rican from Bronx, NY born and raised. I’m a big big nerd when it comes to anime, comics and other cartoons. Raised by my mom, grandmother and step dad. I have two little sisters. BS: Where are you from? And what affect does that have on your music? JB: I’m from NYC which is a huge influence on my writing style, my motivation for the music, the type of sound my music has and the experiences I choose write about. BS: What was highest and lowest point in your career? JB: I don’t have either of those yet since I’m still building the foundation for everything. The journey feels like climbing a mountain at this point. Every new accomplishment, such as a music video, new merch product, and song everyone loves is another ledge for me to grab onto to climb. BS: How do you separate your personal life from your music life and how does how does the music industry affect your personal life? JB: Right now in my career the two go hand in hand. I’m a newer act so it’s my responsibility to create content to engage with fans and make them feel like they’re a part of the process. So they will want to see me in the studio, at the concert, and/or giving my opinion on something. Since I’m an independent and building my fanbase, the only thing I can say about the music industry is that it’s definitely weird for someone like me, whose a private person around strangers, to be sharing all this personal content that isn’t the music. I find trouble crossing the line between keeping things private and putting on IG live for all to see. These are weird times. BS: What project/track means the most to and which project/track are you proudest of? JB: I think it changes with every song I make. Some tracks I really love but I know the public won’t ever hear. So I may love it but it’s not something I can put out and say “Yeah I put my all into that track. I’m proud of the way it came out.” A lot of people like "Smile" off my first mixtape and I have some tracks in the truck for my upcoming album. BS: Let's talk about your latest record/visual " If You Disagree" BLM...what made you take a stand and show your support? JB: The answer is simple, I have empathy for my people. Anyone with any resemblance of empathy and a brain can see the racial tension and injustice built up over YEARS. I was in 2nd grade when Sean Bell was shot 51 one times. The newspaper was taped up to our closets and I remember thinking, “that’s a lot of bullets for someone on his way to his wedding.” I was six. A big problem with today is the numbness we as a collective in this country choose to take part when racial or socioeconomic injustice occurs. Most of us continue with our day with “thoughts and prayers”. We go to work, take care of our kids, hang out with friends etc. We talk about these incidents, debate even, but until recently, not much radical action was being taken and this isn't to put blame on anyone (except capitalism.) I decided to write “If You Disagree” because an anger would build inside of me when I would debate with an ignorant individual about the BLM matters. Because anger built inside of me from seeing the actions of policemen/women against my people. Tear gas, beating people senseless on camera and even the saboteurs who loot to give the protestors a bad name. It also inspired me to see BS: There is a general consensus that Latinos don't support the Black struggle, where do you think that comes from? JB: To be honest, I think it goes both ways. Both the Latino and Black communities seek support from each other because we all have Black blood in our veins and racists see us the same anyway. The disconnect happens when ignorant Latino’s, for lack of a better term, act up. Some Latino’s believe they aren’t black and then carry that ignorance with pride. In my opinion those ignorant Latino’s are few and far between. Every Hispanic friend or family member I know supports the movement and acknowledges the black struggle. However, there Latino’s that feel the Black community doesn’t reciprocate support we give them in times like these. There was no rioting or protestors for the Hispanic kids ICE detention. There’s no protests for the kids that went missing under ICE custody. I’ve had Latino friends and family members express that when something like a George Floyd or Trayvon Martin happens, the Latino community is right there to back them up; however when something tragic is happening/happens to us there's mass tweets about it, but there’s no protests etc. You also have to take into account that the Hispanics who aren’t born here or didn’t go to school in America aren’t taught about the Black plight in their schools, so they might be ignorant to it when they move over here.

LET'S PAUSE AND CHECKOUT "If You Disagree" [BLM]

BACK TO THE HOT SEAT

BS: What type of feedback have you been getting since the release of this project? JB: A lot of people loved it. They loved the message and the visuals from the protests. Several of my friends who went to the protests and dealt with being maced and tear gassed all loved the song. BS: How do you plan to keep supporting the movement? JB: Keep signing petitions and donating to bail out those who’ve been arrested at protests. I would go to the protests myself but if I catch covid and bring it home, my family might NOT be able to fight it and I can’t take that risk. BS: What is the hardest part of the music industry? JB: Getting into it. It’s definitely a grind as an unsigned talent who’s trying to make their own way in the game. You have to find your sound, build your fan base, learn new flows, pay for studio time, pay for videos, and pay for promotion etc. All while trying to live your normal life. As a creative in general it always feels like you’re balancing plates on sticks, like in the cartoons. BS: What are your thoughts on how the rap game has changed? JB: A lot of it has changed for the good because now there's more money in it, it’s easier to put music out, and a lot easier to build your fan base thanks to social media etc. Unfortunately, those same reasons changed the game for the worse. Since it’s so easy to start a music career, there is a plethora of artists who sound the same, and don’t really do it for the love of the process or the game. Since there is more money involved it brings anyone and everyone with a mic and auto tune. The Music Industry is just one of those situations where you have to take the good with the bad. BS: Who or what has the biggest impact on your career? JB: I would say my best friend who I grew up with since Kindergarten and my late grandmother. He’s my biggest supporter and critic. If my music doesn’t impress him then I have to go back to the lab. My grandmother was a such pillar of support, love and strength and when she passed my heart broke in 100 ways. All that pain is channeled into my lyrics. BS: What can we look forward to seeing in the future from you? JB: I am working on an album with no title as of right now. I’m also working on new merchandise ideas and clothing to put out. To stay tuned follow me on all my socials.

Connect with Jashi Bands

Youtube | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | Facebook

[risalei-nur]

TAFSIR: Risale-i Nur: The Rays Collection:The Fourteenth Ray.Part53

THIRD POINT

My friends who wonder how I am and are astonished at my meeting every calamity silently with patience ask the following question:

“How can you endure the difficulties and troubles with which you are faced, whereas formerly you were very proud and angry and could not endure even the least insult?”

T h e A n s w e r :

Listen to two short incidents and stories and you shall receive your answer:

The First Story: Two years ago an official spoke insultingly and contemptuously about me behind my back. They later told me about it. For about an hour I was affected due to the Old Said’s vein of temperament. Then through Almighty God’s mercy the following fact occurred to me; it dispelled the distress and made me forgive the man. The fact is this:

I addressed my soul saying: if his insults and the faults he described concern my person and my soul, may God be pleased with him, because he recounted the faults of my soul. If he spoke the truth, he drove me to train my soul and he helped in saving me from arrogance. If he spoke falsely, he has helped to save me from hypocrisy and undeserved fame, the source of hypocrisy. No, I have not been reconciled with my soul, for I have not trained it. If someone tells me there is a scorpion on my neck or breast or else points it out to me, I should be grateful to him, not offended. But if the man’s insults were directed towards my belief and my attribute of being servant of the Qur’an, it does not concern me. I refer him to the Qur’an’s Owner, Who employs me. He is Mighty, He is Wise. And if it was merely to curse at me, insult me, and destroy my character, that does not concern me either. For I am an exile, a prisoner, a stranger, and my hands are tied, and it does not fall to me to try to restore my honour myself. It rather concerns the authorities of this village where I am a guest and under surveillance, then of the district, then of the province. Insulting the prisoner of a person, concerns the person; he defends the prisoner. Since the reality of the matter is this, my heart became easy. I said,

My [own] affair I commit to God; for God [ever] watches over His servants.(40:44) 

I thought of the incident as not having happened. But unfortunately it was later understood that the Qur’an had not forgiven him...

The Second Story: This year I heard that an incident had occurred. Although I only heard a brief account of it after it had happened, I was treated as though I had been closely connected with it. Anyway I do not correspond with anyone, and if I do, I only write extremely rarely concerning some question of belief to a friend. In fact I have written only one letter to my brother in four years. Both I prevent myself from mixing with others, and ‘the worldly’ prevent me. I have only been able to meet with one or two close friends once or twice a week. As for visitors to the village, once or twice a month perhaps one or two used to meet with me for one or two minutes concerning some matter to do with the hereafter. In exile, a stranger, alone, with no one, I was barred from everything, from everyone, in a village which was unsuitable for someone like me to work for a livelihood. Even, four years ago I repaired a tumble-down mosque. Although with the certificate I had from my own region to act an imam and preacher I acted as imam in the mosque for four years (May God accept it), this past Ramadan I could not go to the mosque. Sometimes I performed the five daily prayers alone. I was deprived of the twenty-fivefold merit and good of performing the prayers in congregation.

I displayed the same patience and forbearance in the face of these two incidents that befell me as I did towards the treatment of that official two years ago. God willing I shall continue to do so. I think like this and say:

if this ill-treatment, distress, and oppression inflicted on me by ‘the worldly’ is for my faulty soul, I forgive it. Perhaps my soul will be reformed by means of it, and perhaps it will be atonement for its sins. I have experienced many of the good things in this guest-house of the world;

if I experience a little of its trials, I shall still offer thanks.

If ‘the worldly’ oppress me because of my service of belief and the Qur’an, it is not up to me to defend it. I refer it to the Mighty and Compelling One.

If the intention is to destroy the regard in which I am held generally, to expunge undeserved fame, which is baseless and causes hypocrisy and destroys sincerity, then may God bless them! For I consider being held in regard by people generally and gaining a name among them to be harmful for people like me. Those who have dealings with me know that I do not want respect to be shown to me, indeed, I can’t abide it. I have even scolded a valuable friend of mine perhaps fifty times for showing me excessive respect.

If their intention in slandering me, belittling me in the eyes of the people, and defaming me is directed towards the truths of belief and the Qur’an of which I am the interpreter, it is pointless. For a veil cannot be drawn over the stars of the Qur’an.

“One who closes his eyes only himself does not see; he does not make it night for anyone else.”

[abandonedbloggg1]

Kanna Nee Thoongada, A Baahubali Fanfiction

Chapter Four - Diplomacy

Word Count: 2017

With the invitations to the coronation that spread to the foreign courts also went access to the Summer Palace on the banks of the great river. If any delegation had wished to prolong their stay, or if tents outside the city walls were deemed to uncomfortable for the esteemed guests, the palace had been graciously opened to them. At the time, Devasena had scoffed at such a show of decadence and wealth. When your home was a palace what need did you have for another, similarly grand estate? Now, however, it was a convenient refuge. If anyone should ask, the yuvrani had retired to the cool of the river after finding the capital’s heat too much to bear.

What Devasena had found there was in excess of anything she might have dreamed. Instead of the gaudy palace of gold and stone she’d anticipated, she found a sanctuary of lush, sprawling gardens. If not for the much more humid climate and the harsher sun, Devasena might have mistaken it for part of the river plains of Kuntala. The produce of the kingdom all came from the lower altitudes, where it was a fertile heaven of green. Perhaps if she had not come in such a dark mood, she may even have enjoyed her stay there. As it was, her righteous fury multiplied within the garden terraces.

The Kuntala delegation, however, remained in the capital, with the notable exception of the yuvrani and her handmaiden. Jaya Varma, on behalf of his sister, was reluctant to entertain discussion with the palace and instead remained mostly in his tent, in a similarly bad mood. Of course, he had never had the countenance to rival his sister’s anger, he had never met or heard of anyone who did, but he was sufficiently grumpy enough to wreck havoc within the confined quarters of a royal camp.

“Surely you attending is a greater punishment for Mahishmati than having you skulk in the shadows,” Sumitra said on the third day, when she’d finally lost patience with his antics. Devasena’s rage she was familiar with, even if she had yet to learn how to contain it, but her husband’s bouts of foul mood were few and far between, and so in all their years of marriage she had never grown accustomed to his discontented sighing. It irritated her beyond believe.

“What is your meaning?” Her husband had the nerve to ask, feigning ignorance. He knew full well his behaviour was unbecoming of his station and wearing his wife’s patience thin, but he was too petty at this stage to alter it.

“My meaning? My meaning?” Jaya Varma regretted his words instantly, “If you could express your vexation to this Baahubali rather than take it out on me, this entire issue would soon be over!”

“And how am I to do that? Shall I accuse the great king of Mahishmati of maliciously seducing my sister and demand an apology? It would cause a diplomatic crisis!” He answered. No, directly attacking this great state would only bring more humiliation to Kuntala and to Deva. After the prayer ceremony and his sister’s song word had spread fast that the yuvrani had fallen for the simpleton from Mahishmati, and she had done little to counter the claims. Everyone knew of her affections for him, and if it was revealed that this stranger was in fact the disguised Baahubali, well, it would likely not bode well for anyone involved. Excepting Mahishmati, of course, their empire had much to gain from undermining the small mountain kingdom and their future queen. It made them look weak, it made Deva look weak, and her brother worried for what the future would hold for them all.

“I’m not asking for a diplomatic crisis, I am merely suggesting that you discretely investigate this incident,” His wife said evenly, “I too feel betrayed, remember that I invited him into our home just as much as you did. This does not mean that we must break all ties, in my heart I can not believe he had any ill will against us,”

“No ill will? He stole into our household and-”

“His good nature never faltered, and that is a hard thing to feign,” She said. “You are our king, you must chose what path we will take, be it conciliatory or a severing of ties. Either way, you must stop your grumbling, I have had enough of it,” For the first time in days, a smile was on Jaya Varma’s face.

“You are right,” He said, “I will believe you when you say his intentions were good, if misguided, and investigate. Besides, we can not risk the good relationship the kingdoms share,”

“You will go and meet this Baahubali, then?”

“No,” Jaya Varma’s continued grin now unnerved his wife. “I shall send them someone who is more difficult to deal with than me in my foul mood,”

“What would be a curse greater than you in this mood?” Sumitra asked, only partially under her breath. Then it dawned on her. “Absolutely not. No. I forbid it, he’s not a diplomat, he’ll just disrupt-”

“Precisely,”

Kumara Varma was incredibly surprised when his brother-in-law entrusted him with  diplomatic relations between Kuntala and Mahishmati, and in the wake of the yuvrani’s dramatic scene no less. Despite his carefully cultivated reputation on the battlefield, ambassadorial positions had always been beyond his reach. They had never much interested him as a child, diplomats were not often granted glory in legends, and oh! how he aspired to be a legend, but in time he came to respect it. Any level of importance would earn esteem, and to have an opportunity to handle such an important issue, Kumara Varma was very surprised indeed.

As he walked up the long road to the palace, which was inconveniently constructed at the height of the city, he grew anxious as to what he should say. He began to react not asking his sister’s advice on how to even greet the king and Rajamatha. The strategy briefing they’d given him was worthless if he embarrassed himself outright by fumbling with the preliminary honours.

Greetings, Your Majesty, from Kuntala - No, no, much too informal. He was meeting a king, after all, and the king of Mahishmati after all. He was the most powerful man on the continent, he could not risk such familiarity.

Your humble servant Kumara Varma - Absolutely not! As brother-in-law to the king he was the second highest ranked man in Kuntala. Besides, his elder sister had clearly instructed him that he was to be firm and polite, ask for and accept apology, but to remain prideful, respecting Kuntala’s independence. That ruled out obediences too… What was he to do?

By then the heat was affecting him, he could feel the sweat trickling down his back, soaking his fine clothes, and his mind began to wander in dizziness. The sun was relentless, and the fact the stones trapped the scorching heat only worsened his condition. When he finally reached the steps to the great hall, all Kumara Varma could think was that at least Kuntala had the decency to hold court in a valley, not at the peaks of their mountainous terrain.

He found that all of his worries went to nothing, however, as when he entered the hall he considered himself fortunate not to have died from a heart attack. Kumara Varma had politely lowered his gaze, eyes trained to the floor as he approached the dais, and barely found the courage to look up when he came to a stop. When he did, he was rendered speechless from the shock, and could not have spoken if he tried. Understandably, of course, for in the high seat of Mahishmati sat none other than Shividu in place of the famed Amarendra Baahubali, newly crowned king and the greatest warrior living. Kumara Varma was reduced to staring, eyes and mouth wide open as Shivdu only grinned.

“Welcome, my friend, I am very glad to see you,” He said, stepping down off the throne and extending his arms to Kumara Varma. Unable to react, he stiffly accepted the embrace and felt the eyes of hundreds on his back.

“Baahu, you know our Kuntalan guest?” A woman questioned from the side, and Kumara Varma felt something drop in his stomach when he saw her. He did not need any help to recognise the Rajamatha Sivagami Devi, she was unmistakable. A Rajamatha that was under the impression that Shivdu was… That Shivdu was her son.

“I do, Amma,” The man before him said, “This is Kumara Varma, brother to the Rani of Kuntala, and a renowned warrior, brave of heart,” Coming from Shivdu the words were earnest and kind, though he had heard similar things said of him in mockery.

“It is good that the Kuntala delegation has returned to us,” The Rajamatha said, and perhaps she would have said more, but Shivdu spoke first.

“If it please the court, a reunion of friends is a private matter, I would adjourn the court for an hour. The Rajamatha will hear the urgent matters,” And with that Kumara Varma was whisked away, out of the hall and into an adjoining room before he could even comprehend what was happening.

“The Kuntala delegation has been absent since the coronation,” Shivdu said, turning to him once they were behind closed doors. “Then I am told that the yuvrani left for the Summer Palace. Kattappa was unable to find out why,” His friend, however, was unable to follow the conversation, let alone explain.

“You are Shivdu,” Kumara Varma said, backing away a little to see him fully. Undoubtedly, it was Shivdu. “And you are also Baahubali?”

“Yes, my friend, I am Amarendra Baahubali,” The king confirmed. “Do the rest of the delegation know?” Does Devasena know?

“Yes, they saw you at the coronation,” Kumara Varma had attended as well, but as he was not of royal descent he had been stationed a considerable distance away from the main event. He had only learnt later, after Devasena’s unfortunate outburst. “The yuvrani came to see you, for an explanation, but she was turned away,” Kumara Varma was nothing if not loyal, and the idea that Deva had been refused so callously made his blood boil.

“Devasena was here?”

“Yes, and was met with insult,” He had not been indulged by his sister in learning the details, she was wary of his tendency to gossip, but what he had learnt painted a dark picture.

“Insult?”

“There is a rumour that you were meeting with yuvrani Varuni, and so were preoccupied when she asked for an audience,”

“Lies,” Shivdu said, and for the first time Kumara Varma saw something other than a sunny countenance in his friend’s face. There was true rage written across his features.

“They made some crude accusations against her as well, from what I understand,” Devasena had come barreling into the tent, her eyes ablaze, thundering about the indecency of guards and their assumptions, believing that she would act in such an unbecoming manner beneath her station. Kumara Varma had not heard much beyond that, as his sister and brother-in-law had followed trying to calm her down. “She left soon after,”

Before Kumara Varma could say anything more, Shivdu had pushed passed him and out the door, and all he could do was trail behind him. Some guards frowned at them as they walked, but few dared to question the king as he rushed across the palace halls, down countless stairs, until his companion realised they were in the stables and his friend was mounting a horse.

“Baahu?” A voice came from behind, and Kumara Varma turned to see a dark eyed man in armour approaching. “Where are you going at such a time?”

“Bhalla, tell Amma that I will be back soon,” Shivdu said, showing no indication that he would slow. “I have something important to do,” By the look of recognition on the stranger’s face, Kumara Varma might have guessed who had started such a vicious lie.

[zeroviraluniverse-blog]

Anthony Rizzo of Chicago Cubs issues condolences to Florida alma mater

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/anthony-rizzo-of-chicago-cubs-issues-condolences-to-florida-alma-mater/

Anthony Rizzo of Chicago Cubs issues condolences to Florida alma mater

Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, an alumnus of the South Florida high school where officials say at least 17 people have died in a shooting attack, sent his condolences and encouragement Wednesday on Twitter while sounding a note of alarm.

Rizzo, who in November donated $150,000 to his alma mater, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, for the installation of lights for baseball and softball fields, said he hoped the people of Parkland, Florida, would come together in “this darkest of times.”

Rizzo, 28, was selected out of Stoneman Douglas by the Boston Red Sox in the sixth round of the 2007 draft.

Parkland and Coral Springs please stay strong! This is out of control and and our country is in desperate need for change. I hope In this darkest of times back home this brings everyone together and we can find love. You’re all in my prayers 🙏🏻🙏🏻

— Anthony Rizzo (@ARizzo44) February 14, 2018

The 19-year-old shooter, who was equipped with a gas mask and smoke grenades, set off a fire alarm to draw students out of classrooms shortly before the day ended at one of the state’s largest schools, officials said. Marjory Stoneman Douglas has about 3,000 students.

More than a dozen other people were wounded and taken to hospitals, doctors said.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, known for speaking out on social issues, weighed in on the shooting prior to Wednesday night’s game at Portland.

“It doesn’t seem to matter to our government that children are being shot to death day after day in schools; it doesn’t matter that people are being shot at a concert, at a movie theater,” Kerr said. “It’s not enough apparently to move our leadership, our government, the people who are running this country, to actually do anything. That’s demoralizing.”

Alexa Scimeca-Knierim said she told partner Chris Knierim “he’d need to be so much stronger than me” when they took the ice to skate in pairs Thursday, shortly after learning about the Florida high school shootings.

Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and coach Erik Spoelstra also discussed the shooting, prior to a 104-102 loss to the host Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.

“It’s very unfortunate, all the families dealing with the unknown of what’s going on with their kids, our prayers go out to them,” Wade said. “The families that have been affected by this incident, our prayers go out to them, it’s so unfortunate.”

Added Spoelstra: “It’s horrifying as we’re finding more information about it, I just want them to know we’re thinking about them. It makes this game feel totally insignificant. And it’s just mind-boggling.”

The University of Florida held a moment of silence Wednesday night prior to its basketball game in Gainesville against Georgia.

The Broward County sheriff said the suspect, identified as Nikolas Cruz, was in custody and investigators were starting to investigate the attack at the school.

The suspect, a former student, was previously expelled for disciplinary reasons, Sheriff Scott Israel said.

Most of the fatalities were inside the building, though some were found fatally shot outside.

It is the nation’s deadliest school shooting since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.

Matthew Caldwell, president and CEO of the NHL’s Florida Panthers, said in a statement the organization is committed to “providing aid and support to our community as it grieves in response to this senseless tragedy.”

After the team’s 4-3 win in Vancouver on Wednesday night, coach Bob Boughner said “we talked about the devastation and hurt back home before the game. We wanted to represent our community with a big effort tonight, but we were playing with heavy hearts.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

[waithirambuthiaprotano]

ANOTHER SUICIDE… IT NEVER ENDS (Posted December 4, 2017)

Here’s the bare and honest truth: Suicide, like any other tragic and life changing occurrence, never means much until we’re directly affected. This is not necessarily because we are bad, cold or apathetic. Au contraire. Often, fear, more than anything else, forces us to distance ourselves from traumatic incidents, thinking, subconsciously: “It can’t happen to me.” Hence, for example, when we read about a shooting in which people are maimed or/and killed, kidnapping where a loved one doesn’t make it back home safely, etc., we do so with a degree of detachment. “Oh, isn’t that awful,” we offer passively, or, in this age of social media, express some form of “Captain obvious” comments via, say, twitter, like, “those responsible must be punished;” or, these worn out words that I’ve come to loathe, especially when uttered by the Gun Lobby-hugging Republicans, “our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the victims.”

  The rest of the world isn’t going to win any awards in this area, either, as a click of the mouse regarding the global suicide rate attests.

  “The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that each year approximately one million people die from suicide, which represents a global mortality rate of 16people per 100,000 or one death every 40 seconds. It is predicted that by 2020 the rate of death will increase to one every 20 seconds.”

 This past Saturday (Novermber 2, 2017), I learned about a suicide, back in my homeland of Kenya, of a kid whose brother I know. And, just before dawn, Sunday, I stumbled upon a post in the Facebook of another suicide, this one on the American shores, regarding the founder and CEO of Golden Krust Bakery & Grill. The reportedly easy-going Lowell Hawthorne, who was said to have shot himself in the head, gave no tell-tale that anything was wrong.

  I don’t know any details about what led the young Kenyan to kill himself, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter how and where the either man died. The important and the connecting thread here is that both individuals are now gone, dead, by suicide, which has become commonplace worldwide. What’s quite troubling is the fact that relatives, friends, and, sometimes, even doctors themselves, are unable to detect the signs of a person contemplating suicide and, hence, failure to rescue and/or get him/her help. What this essentially tells us is how complicated and complex humans and the various mental disorders (depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.) that affect the mind, are.

  Having been unfortunate enough to be thrust into a club no one ever wants to be a member of, I can attest to the sheer impotence and guilt that one feels when someone extremely dear to us takes his/her life. The painful realization that there was absolutely nothing one could’ve done to rescue the person, I think, makes the sense of helplessness that much worse. For some people, time heals the wound and life, somehow, goes on; for others, time only abates the pain.

  I have no answers on how to mitigate the suicide rates which continue to rise. Doctors have made and continue to make strides in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders, but I guess our brains being as complex as they are, makes it difficult to progress quickly. Still, there are things we can do as a society, to alleviate the pain of those struggling with mental illness and support the victims’ families. Continuing to speak up and/or sharing our own experiences about mental illnesses and their often accompanying twin, suicide, will create awareness, and, in the process, help abate, and, eventually, eradicate the shame and stigma of mental illness. Never underestimate the power of exposing darkness to light!

  Our current world has become such that “making it” takes precedence over all else. We need to prioritize our lives so that family ties and friendships can reclaim the meaning they once had. True, the double-edged sword of technological advancement has literally and figuratively created a distance between us, not to mention made us lazy, increasing the schism exponentially. However, I believe given the choice between continuing with life as it is and cutting the risk of suicide to our loved ones, many of us would choose the latter.    

 In sum, together and individually, we can make concerted efforts to save lives not only of those close to us, but anyone, anywhere in this global village we all call home. This is the only decent, conscientious and right thing to do for neighbors who care about one another.

 May God rest, in eternal peace, the souls of Davie and Mr. Hawthorne and all those who’ve died by their own hand, because their pain was so unbearable that death was the only option. May the peace and joy denied them on earth be multiplied a trillion-fold and their families be comforted by the sweet memories their loved ones left behind.  

  Note: Hawthorne’s article can be accessed by clicking the link below.

  Wishing everyone robust mental and physical health.

   Lowell Hawthorne, the founder and CEO of the Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, has died of an apparent suicide: https://trib.al/GKIh8tv 

[mrbrownstonelove]

Not in My Name.

It Begins

March 22, 2017. There is an attack at Westminster with a van mercilessly mowing down victims on London Bridge.

April 27, 2017. A terror attack is thwarted in London and a man is arrested carrying knives near the Houses of Parliament.

May 22, 2017. Manchester. A suicide bomb goes off at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

Manchester is when it all changed for me. I’ve only been there once about 20 years ago but an Ariana Grande concert is full of children, teenagers and families and it could’ve easily been my with my children or family. That someone would actively go out to hurt children is a new low, and it broke my heart. I stood with London after all the attacks above and with Manchester particularly because of the senseless violence that ruined many lives and targeted little kids.

June 3, 2017. London Bridge and Borough Market comes under attack as a vehicle runs over victims and murderers proceed on foot to carry out a relentless knife attack.

All these attacks are indiscriminate. The motive of the Manchester attack is still not known but all 4 of these carry the same traits of targeting anyone within a specific area at the time. It could have been my family eating out at 10am at Borough Market on June 3rd, me walking past the Houses of Parliament from work or on London Bridge.

The attacks were carried out by radicalized terrorists who had no idea if the people they were killing were Muslim or not because they probably didn’t look up how many young Muslims teens had gotten ready to attend Ariana’s concert, or were walking across London Bridge or even eating out after breaking their fast in Borough Market. They targeted innocent lives, irrespective of faith, creed or belief. They just wanted to hurt people. Then Muslims worked alongside all other Britons to save lives through the night at hospitals, help alongside their Sikh, Christian, Hindu, Jewish and non-religious fellow citizens to offer a place to stay, a ride home and do anything they could to help. They did so harbouring a disbelief that these terrorists could kill people in the name of Islam, angry that they were trying to divide us and even religious leaders came out to disown the bodies of the murderers who died committing their heinous evil crimes.

Muslim imams in an unprecedented move are refusing to carry out the funeral prayers for those who carried out the attacks, disowning these people and their beliefs.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/05/imams-refuse-funeral-prayers-to-indefensible-london-bridge-attackers

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/06/more-muslim-leaders-refuse-funeral-prayers-london-attackers

 The attacks taking place during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan shows the evil intentions of the attackers. While most Muslims were fasting, praying in the mosque and worshipping God, these murderers were taking lives, something explicitly forbidden and considered a grave sin in Islam.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/attack-during-ramadan-shows-they-respect-neither-life-nor-faith-a3556406.html

Condemnation after condemnation

The attacks are deplored by all, bar none of any community, religious or not, because we all value human life. Yet on social media and unfortunately now, also within my own local area, people jump on the Muslim community asking why they’re not doing more to condemn the attacks. Many tweets on my feed were asking where the Muslim rallies were against the London attacks, ignoring completely that this is not about a community being isolated and having their own rally or vigil because we all stand together as one, united and suffering the loss.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/mosques-and-muslim-leaders-united-in-disgust-after-london-bridge-terror-attack-a3556676.html

 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/muslim-women-stand-solidarity-london-terror-attack-victims-westminster-bridge-khalid-masood-a7651361.html

 https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3730212/heartbreaking-scenes-at-emotional-vigil-for-london-bridge-terror-attack-victims-as-families-cops-and-faith-leaders-join-thousands-to-honour-those-killed/

 The Muslim community has condemned all the attacks repeatedly and I was asked recently if this was simply a community paying ‘lip service’. The questioner failed to understand that when a terrorist attack is perpetrated by a Muslim, the Islamic community faces the worst repercussions of the attack second to the victims of the attack and their families.

Firstly, yes I am a Muslim and follow the Islamic faith, which by default immediately makes me a part of the British Muslim community. As someone born and brought up in the UK, anything that affects this country and my fellow citizens affects my family and I too. This includes any cuts to our policing, political decisions about our education system, Brexit, the NHS and so on. Anything that affects any British person affects me the same way and that doesn’t change just because I’m a member of the Muslim community.

Where an attack is concerned, just like everyone else I feel the dread, the fear and experience the resilience that follows it. When it is an attack perpetrated by someone using my religion as a justification for it or seemingly inspired by an ideology that has been branded as something to do with Islam, it affects me more because immediately after an attack not only am I feeling what everyone else is feeling but I am angry that someone has attacked my beautiful religion and attempted to hijack it and use it for evil.

My religion does not justify any of these attacks in any way at all and any headlines, sound bites and quotes you’ll find pushed by anyone trying to point fingers or use the Quran to justify it are simply wrong. Pointing to a quote from the Quran without even understanding how to read it as a non-linear book, which is divided into sections that are context-dependent and context-independent, shows the ignorance of those quoting it for their own purpose.

 See: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/are-peaceful-muslims-in-denial-about-their-religion-10084960.html

 The Quran also clearly prohibits sectarianism so basing hatred on how any Muslim country or its people have behaved is futile, because like all humans, Muslims are not fallible. The religion commands ‘good’ and what is often the cultural practice of a land or a non-religious based struggle between communities is misinterpreted as Islam. This highlights that those who study the religion and the Quran are not the people carrying out these attacks and are often people with little religious knowledge which makes them easy prey for those seeking to radicalize them, because how do you radicalize someone with the intellect and understanding of a religion which preaches love for one another, understanding between all communities and a life dedicated to worshipping God and taking care of all His creation?

So these incidents affect me because I’m British and an attack on London or Manchester is an attack on all of us and secondly because if the attackers claim to be Muslim and using Islam as the reason then they’ve attacked and twisted my religion into something it’s no. Thirdly it affects me because after every attack, the police come to the mosques and tell us they’ve seen online forums, Facebook posts and chats that suggest the Muslim community will be targeted in general for revenge attacks. So not only are we dealing with the blow of the incident itself and that someone tried to pin it on our community, but a minority of the people will now in turn use this attack to justify terrorizing us and our families in a morbid act of revenge. The police will advise and provide a list of things we can do to be vigilant which in turn shows these terrorists have won. They’ve already divided us if people can’t see that not only can I be at a vigil one moment praying for and showing solidarity with the victims and the City but attacked on the way home from the same event for simply being a Muslim and sharing the faith of the attackers.

The incidents will then permeate to the workplace where discussions go quiet when a Muslim enters the room sometimes, or at school where now my children are at threat too. There are other children in the class and a small minority of their parents will say things to take out their anger that reflect a generalized negative connotation of the Muslim community which their children hear and sometimes inherit and then my children have to hear too and feel worried about their own safety all over again. I recently had to tell my child that I’d be dropping them to school and back and when asked why, I explained it was because of the recent incident at London Bridge. I didn’t elaborate that it was due to threats against our community and ‘any visible Muslim’ as an after effect of the attack.

Doing More

I was asked why “my community” weren’t doing more to stop terrorism (the only time someone refers to myself as not me but as part of a community is when they want me to either speak for all Muslims which is absurd or lump me in with everyone else and ask me why “my people” are doing this).

For some reason, it is assumed that when I go to the mosque to pray there is some secret inside intelligence being shared about terror, extremism or youth being radicalized. I’ve been going to the mosque since I was a child and have only heard sermons about what Islam says, how to respect your neighbours, be good citizens and improve ourselves from within. There was even one about Mo Farah in 2012 telling the children in the audience that if he could do it, so could they. They could go on and represent Britain and be the pride of the country. This is a far fetch from what some thing goes on inside mosques, or at least my local one.

Why aren’t these people being reported and stopped because if they’re Muslims well they surely should know other Muslims and someone in that circle should do something about it or speak up. This is another thing I am being told right now and I plea innocence to not knowing anything about any terror or extremist literature, talks or people within my local area or community, but even this is looked upon with suspicion. The question of reporting it and asking why Muslims don’t do more is also debatable given that it’s now clear the Westminster attempt was stopped thanks to a British Muslim’s tip off, that mosques and concerned Muslims all actually did report these people to the authorities. See below.

Are they being reported?

Yes. The Whitehall incident was foiled after a British Muslim reported concern about the man’s behavior to the police.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/apr/27/man-arrested-over-incident-in-whitehall-near-parliament

 Yes. The Manchester attacker was known to authorities, had been reported to them a number of times and was even banned from the local Mosque for extremist views.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-bomber-salman-abedi-banned-13092209

 and

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40080646

 One of the London attackers was known to the police, appeared on a TV documentary about jihadists in the UK and was even reported by a Muslim friend to the anti terrorist hotline and authorities because of his radicalized views and behavior.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-40159360/they-didn-t-get-back-to-me

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40167432

 Where do we go from here?

We do the British thing: keep calm and carry on.

 Any time there is an attack it will make us angry but we’ll unite, come together and let love overrule the hate. The Manchester One Love concert had an amazing healing effect and this was the day after the London attack. It showed that we can heal, we can celebrate our Britishness and we won’t let anyone stop us being who we are, doing what we do or let anything come between us.

 Let There Be Love

 I have purposely not mentioned the names of those who carried out any of the attacks because they don’t deserve their names to be remembered. I have instead named below the victims of each of the attacks because they should never be forgotten.

  Manchester (the 22 victims who died):

Megan Hurley

Elaine McIver

Courtney Boyle and Philip Tron

Wendy Fawell

Eilidh Macleod

Sorrell Leczkowski

Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry

Michelle Kiss

Nell Jones

Jane Tweddle-Taylor

Martyn Hett

Olivia Campbell

Alison Howe and Lisa Lees

Kelly Brewster

Angelika and Marcin Klis

Georgina Callander

Saffie Rose Roussos

John Atkinson

 Westminster attack:

PC Keith Palmer

Aysha Frade

Kurt Cochran

Leslie Rhodes

Kurt Cochran

 London Bridge attack (victims named so far)

Kirsty Boden

James McMullan

Chrissy Archibald

Alexandre Pigeard

This post is dedicated to all the victims of terrorism worldwide, especially those in London and Manchester recently. God bless you all and let there be love. To those lives lost, you are not forgotten but will always Live Forever.