#not MSA related

[feppepurin]

AYO_pos

[just-your-regular-idiot]

what yall think of my Lewis design?

[plztumb1rhelpmegetoveranxiety]

They get their estrogen together <3

[nebulous-rain]

was gonna say smth silly about amtrax having commissions open rn but then i remembered he sees my posts

[heilos]

Hey ya'll, time for the monthly Mystery Skulls Animated update, give or take a few days into the New Year! As mentioned in the previous update the holidays have made things a bit hard to work, but we've still had a number of shots animated and cleaned up throughout December largely involving the epilogue sequence. Meanwhile, Mysteryben has been tinkering away with a small side thing that needs to be ready in time for February.  The screenshot for this month is a small sampling from it.  Those of you that have been paying attention can probably imagine what it's for, but that's all we can really say on it for now.  Just keep an eye out for early February! (to clarify it's not a video 5 release date, this is for something else but also exciting and related to MSA) Full Patreon post: CLICK HERE

[najia-cooks]

[ID: First image is a close-up on a plate of small flatbreads topped with ground ‘meat’; second is a cross-section of one of the breads. End ID]

صفيحة فلسطينية / Safiha falastinia (Palestinian topped flatbread)

Etymology and origins

صَفِيحَة (“ṣafīḥa”), also transliterated “sfiha” and “sfeeha,” is a flatbread eaten in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, comprising a yeasted dough topped with a filling made from ground lamb or beef, spices, and chopped aromatics and vegetables. It may also be called “اللَحْم بالعَجِين” (“al-laḥm b al-‘ajīn,” “meat with dough”)—this phrase is the source of the Turkish “lahmacun” and the Armenian “Լահմաջո” (“lahmadjo”), which describe a closely related dish.

The word “صَفِيحَة” literally means “thin plate” or “sheet”; it comes from the root ص ف ح‎ (ṣ f ḥ), which produces words related to flatness. Compare for example “صَفَّحَ” (“ṣaffaḥa”) “to flatten,” “صَفْحَة” (“ṣafḥa”) “page,” and “صَافَحَ” (“ṣāfaḥa”) “to shake hands.” This term has been borrowed into Brazilian Portuguese as "esfirra" or "esfiha," when the flatbread was brought to Brazil by Levantine immigrants—mostly Christians—beginning in the 1890s. Today, esfiha has been naturalized as a "'typical' Brazilian bar food"; it is said that the typical resident of São Paulo is a "Japanese who speaks Portuguese with an Italian accent while eating an esfiha."

In English, lahmacun (also transliterated "lahmajoun") is sometimes called "Armenian pizza." Similarly, it may be called "صفيحة الأرمنية" ("safiha al-'armaniyya"), "Armenian safiha," in Palestine, indicating that it is regarded as a borrowing from the local Armenian immigrant community. In Armenia, lahmadjo is a very thin, soft flatbread typically topped with beef or lamb, tomatoes, tomato paste, bell peppers, onion, garlic, parsley, red chili paste, and black pepper. With Palestinian safiha, lamb is the typical choice of meat; the dough may be thicker, and enriched with the addition of milk, milk powder, or yoghurt; bell peppers are ommitted; and fried pine nuts may be added. Palestinian restaurateur Nassar Odeh remembers lahmadjo being served in Jerusalem's Old City decades ago; he says that "Armenian dishes" such as this have become "part of the Palestinian culture."

Though the Arabic-derived "lahmadjo" and related terms may be heard, [1] the most common Armenian-language name for this dish is "լոշմիս" ("loshmis")—presumably from "լոշ" "losh" "lavash, thin bread" + "միս" "mis" "meat." Some Western Armenian variations on the name reverse this order (meat-dough, rather than dough-meat): "մսաշոթ" ("msashot"), from "մսա" "msa" "meat" + "շոթ" "shot" "thin bread"; and "մսալոշ" ("msalosh"), from "մսա" "msa" "meat" + "լոշ" "losh" "thin bread."

The dish

A common part of everyday Palestinian cooking, صَفَائِح‎ ("ṣafā'iḥ"; plural of "ṣafīḥa") are often eaten as a snack or a portable lunch. They may also be served as a مَزَّة ("mazza"; "appetizer") for عِيد ("'īd"; "feast," "holiday"; often transliterated "Eid") or Christmas.

Safa'ih are shaped into pinwheels in the port city of يَافَا ("Yāfā"; often transliterated "Yaffa" or "Jaffa"), stuffed with ground meat or spinach. In the Bethlehem region the topping is often mixed with tahina, as well as vinegar or lemon juice, and perhaps pomegranate molasses. Other versions of the meat topping omit tahina and vinegar, and are more tomato-heavy instead.

This recipe is for Bethlehem mazza-style safa'ih, with thick crust that's crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. Vinegar and pomegranate molasses provide a bright, slightly fruity lift to the topping, while tahina grounds it with a toasty, nutty aroma. Black pepper, allspice, and a green chili pepper add complexity and heat.

[1] There is a proliferation of possible spellings for "lahmadjo" in Armenian, which would indicate that it is a loanword (probably via Turkish, ultimately from Arabic). These spellings include "լամաջո" ("lamadjo") [common]; "լահմաջո" ("lahmadjo"); "լահմաջու" ("lahmadjou"); "լահմաջոն" ("lahmadjon"); "լահմաջուն" ("lahmadjoun") [literary; uncommon]; "լահմաջին" ("lahmadjīn"); and "լահմաջի" ("lahmadjī") [rare]. The letter "ջ" is pronounced as "dj" (IPA: [d͡ʒ]) in Eastern Armenian and a "tch" (IPA: [t͡ʃʰ]) in Western Armenian (timestamp: 40:33).

Support Palestinian resistance by donating to Palestine Action’s bail fund; buying an e-sim for distribution in Gaza; or donating to help a family leave Gaza.

Ingredients:

Makes 24 small safa'ih. Serves 24 as an appetizer, or 6-7 as a main dish.

For the dough:

5 cups (600g) white flour

1 cup (230g) non-dairy yoghurt (لبن رائب) (I used soy)

1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil

1 1/2 Tbsp (15g) dry yeast

1/2 Tbsp (4g) kosher salt

1 tsp (5g) sugar

A scant cup (220g) of water

A more "everyday" preparation of this dish might make larger, flatter safa'ih out of a dough without dairy. This holiday variant includes yoghurt and makes smaller, fluffier safa'ih; but the yoghurt may be omitted (or milk or milk powder may be added) without injury, and the flatbreads can be made any shape you like.

Leila al-Haddad writes that, in Gaza, white flour used to be eaten as a treat and for special occasions before it later came to replace whole wheat white flour in many kitchens.

For the topping:

500g ground beef substitute (as a replacement for minced lamb)

1 medium tomato, minced

1 medium onion, minced

1-2 green chili peppers, minced

2 tsp kosher salt (1 tsp table salt)

3/4 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp allspice; or Palestinian 7-spice / mixed spices (بهار مشكل)

1/4 cup white tahina

2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 Tbsp white vinegar, or lemon juice

For a tomato filling, omit the tahina and vinegar, and instead use 2 Tbsp tomato paste; or 8 diced or puréed tomatoes, cooked down.

Instructions:

For the dough:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

2. Make a well in the center and add in the yoghurt, olive oil, and water. Mix them together and then combine them with the rest of the dough. Add water or flour as needed to obtain a soft, slightly tacky dough.

3. Knead the dough on a clean surface for 5-10 minutes, until it bounces back when pressed. Allow to rise, covered, in an oiled bowl for 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.

For the filling:

1. Mince vegetables, or run them through a food processor. Mix all filling ingredients together.

To assemble:

1. Divide dough in half, and then half again; roll out each quarter of the dough into a cylinder and cut it into six equal pieces.

2. Roll each piece of dough into a ball between your hands, and then flatten it into a disc about 1” (2 1/2 cm) high and 3” (8cm) wide. Place on a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper, leaving an inch of space between each circle.

3. Press the center of each dough circle down to create a crust around the edge. Add a few spoonfuls of filling to the center of each safiha and press flat.

4. Bake safa'ih in the middle of an oven at 450 °F (230 °F) for 25-30 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Serve as an appetizer alongside vegetable salads, pickles, olives, &c.

[h0neytalk]

Favorite VERY BASIC Comprehensible Input Sources I’ve Found (all free)

These are all for Italian and Arabic (MSA + Levantine dialect) and suitable for A1! I’ve found the very early stages are the hardest to find stuff for but also when it’s the most boring to be confined to flashcards and memorizing so hopefully this helps. Also it keeps me from losing these links.

Italian:

Curioso come George (Italian Curious George, honestly a lot of kids shows can get tiring but Curious George doesn’t hit that “annoying” pitch while still being simple) (link is to one episode but you can find tons in the related vids) (also segments are themed so you can find ones that roughly correlate to a unit of vocab like weather or clothes)

Ardea Digitale Schoolbooks (schoolbooks for children that you can download as PDFs along with workbooks/worksheets)

Arabic (MSA)

Read Learn Play Arabic (cannot speak highly enough of this one it’s so good and there’s so much and idk how it isn’t talked about more)

Cartoon Network MENA (good just because the material is recognizable, obviously usefulness of vocab/level is gonna vary by show)

Arabic (Levantine Dialect)

Sesame Street! Aka Ahlan Simsim. (Some segments are more advanced than others obviously but it’s incredible for learning the sound of the dialect and is also not grating for adults imo) (free on YouTube)

Lingualism Diaries (not nearly as beginner friendly as Read Learn Play but definitely doable within a few weeks assuming you know the alphabet) (also has audio versions)

I highly recommend lingualism.com for a ton of Arabic materials in all sorts of dialects/levels but they’re mostly paid (not expensive! But not free) and this post is meant to compile free stuff.

[ghouliquid]

do i still have any active mutuals from the MSA hellbent release days? i miss y'all ... anyway, i made a girlie! she's lance's daughter, so technically arthur's cousin but they have a VERY strong bond, they were raised together after all, so i think they'd call each other bro and sis... :')

she's a bartender at a bar in tempo i have yet to name, and is generally just a very sweet gal! i honestly just love arthur so much T_T so it shouldn't be surprising my first ever OC for MSA would be related to him lol, she was suuuper fun to design!!

[cherry-blxssxm-chaos]

I'm still finishing up Dannie's sketch, but she's wormed her way into my brain and so I think I have two main OCs for Mystery Skulls Animated now

it's funny that 9 years ago, when I first put Dannie from the DP style into the MSA style, I just thought "I already have a half ghost OC, I wanna use her again, but differently!", and 2 years after that was when I first concepted Cerise. In the 2 years between, I had started learning more about myself, started learning more and my perception of everything was changing in real time. She's barely changed and yet has changed so much from 21 year old me making her while working spot lights at Six Flags lol

as for Dannie? I certainly don't make OCs quite like her anymore. That was the era of either making OCs who were twins to main characters (shout out to Velocity, still Sonic's twin almost 2 decades later, 10 year old me would be proud) or were related in some way, I think her remake was my first big break away from that and I suppose in a way lead me into the realm of "OC who gets shipped with a main character or at least hangs around the main cast". I can't quite remember exactly what I would have made her story back then, but I can recall bits and pieces, and obviously I have to keep some of her roots in her design and backstory. But I'm kinda glad she's worming her way in so I can have both of them at the same time and use her to explore the old ideas I had for MSA before Freaking Out was even a thought in our heads

so, there's probably gonna be some of that here and there amongst everything else I doodle, and as a bonus, here's some ancient art from 2015 and 2017 of these two girls in their first appearances

man they've changed so much and so little lol

[beardedmrbean]

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, followed through on his promise to cite the source of a claim he made about immigration driving up U.S. housing costs during the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate on Tuesday night.

In the showdown with fellow vice presidential hopeful Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vance blamed Vice President Kamala Harris' border policies for allowing "25 million illegal aliens" into the U.S. during her tenure in the Biden-Harris administration, saying the surge of migrants has contributed to higher housing prices.

"Competing with Americans for scarce homes is one of the most significant drivers of home prices in the country," Vance said. "It's why we have massive increases in home prices that have happened right alongside massive increases in illegal aliens, alien populations under Kamala Harris' leadership."

A moderator then asked Vance to cite the source of his claim, saying, "Senator, on that point, I'd like for you to clarify there are many contributing factors to high housing costs. What evidence do you have that migrants are part of this problem?"

IRS DATA CHALLENGES WALZ'S CLAIM THAT TRUMP TAX CUTS ���PREDOMINANTLY WENT TO THE TOP GUYS’

"Well, there's a Federal Reserve study that we're happy to share after the debate," Vance said. "We'll put it up on social media, actually, that really drills down on the connection between increased levels of migration, especially illegal immigration and higher housing prices."

Following the debate, Vance posted on X, "As promised earlier tonight, here is Michelle Bowman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors: ‘Given the current low inventory of affordable housing, the inflow of new immigrants to some geographic areas could result in upward pressure on rents.’"

Bowman's quote was from a speech the Fed governor made on May 3.

Vance also pointed to two studies supporting his claims. The first was from the Journal of Housing Economics from 2017, which found that "Immigration inflows into a particular Metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is associated with increases in rents and with house prices in that MSA while also seeming to drive up rents and prices in neighboring MSAs."

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

But when Islam emerged, it put (slavery) into order, by limiting it to legitimate wars between Muslims and their enemies.

If we fought Israel, which is plundering land, and is an aggressor against people and their faith... obviously, it is impossible that we will fight Israel, even though Surat Al-Isra in the Quran foretells this, and nothing is beyond the power of Allah... The female prisoners of wars are "those whom you own."

In order to humiliate them, they become the property of thte army commander, or of a Muslim, and he can have sex with them just like he has sex with his wives.

Some opportunists and extremists, who only harm Islam, say: "I will bring a woman from East Asia, as (a slavegirl) under the status of "those whom you own," and with the consent of my wife, I will allocate this woman a room in the house, and will have sex with her as a slavegirl."

This is nonsense. This is not prescribed by Islam at all. Islam says that a woman is either a wife or a slavegirl. Legitimately owned slaves come from among prisoners from a war which is waged against the Muslims.

This is the thing people don't quite get about the hostages Hamas took. Islamically, they're not just hostages, they're war bounty, and they're fair game.

--

https://quranx.com/4.24

And [also prohibited to you are all] married women except those your right hands possess. [This is] the decree of Allah upon you. And lawful to you are [all others] beyond these, [provided] that you seek them [in marriage] with [gifts from] your property, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual intercourse. So for whatever you enjoy [of marriage] from them, give them their due compensation as an obligation. And there is no blame upon you for what you mutually agree to beyond the obligation. Indeed, Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.

https://quranx.com/Tafsir/Kathir/4.24

Forbidding Women Already Married, Except for Female Slaves

Allah said,

(Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess.) The Ayah means, you are prohibited from marrying women who are already married,

(except those whom your right hands possess) except those whom you acquire through war, for you are allowed such women after making sure they are not pregnant. Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said, "We captured some women from the area of Awtas who were already married, and we disliked having sexual relations with them because they already had husbands. So, we asked the Prophet about this matter, and this Ayah was revealed,

(Also (forbidden are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess). Consequently, we had sexual relations with these women.''

[ Also hadith: 1, 2, 3, 4 ]

https://sunnah.com/muslim:1456d

Chapter: It is permissible to have intercourse with a female captive after it is established that she is not pregnant, and if she has a husband, then her marriage is annulled when she is captured

This hadith has been reported on the authority of AbuSa'id (al-Khudri) (Allah be pleased with him) through another chain of transmitters and the words are:

They took captives (women) on the day of Autas who had their husbands. They were afraid (to have sexual intercourse with them) when this verse was revealed:" And women already married except those whom you right hands posses" (iv. 24)

https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-2/Book-24/Hadith-542/

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There is no Zakat either on a horse or a slave belonging to a Muslim."

https://quranx.com/4.36

Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbor, the neighbor farther away, the companion at your side, the traveler, and those whom your right hands possess. 

https://quranx.com/24.32-33

And marry the unmarried among you and the righteous among your male slaves and female slaves. If they should be poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty, and Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing.

But let them who find not [the means for] marriage abstain [from sexual relations] until Allah enriches them from His bounty. And those who seek a contract [for eventual emancipation] from among whom your right hands possess - then make a contract with them if you know there is within them goodness and give them from the wealth of Allah which He has given you. And do not compel your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity, to seek [thereby] the temporary interests of worldly life. And if someone should compel them, then indeed, Allah is [to them], after their compulsion, Forgiving and Merciful.

https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-8/Book-73/Hadith-182/

Narrated Anas bin Malik: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was on a journey and he had a black slave called Anjasha, and he was driving the camels (very fast, and there were women riding on those camels). Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Waihaka (May Allah be merciful to you), O Anjasha! Drive slowly (the camels) with the glass vessels (women)!"

https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-9/Book-91/Hadith-368/

Narrated `Umar: I came and behold, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was staying on a Mashroba (attic room) and a black slave of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was at the top if its stairs. I said to him, "(Tell the Prophet) that here is `Umar bin Al- Khattab (asking for permission to enter)." Then he admitted me.

https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-6/Book-60/Hadith-274/

Narrated Aisha: That night I kept on weeping the whole night till the morning. My tears never stopped, nor did I sleep, and morning broke while I was still weeping, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called `Ali bin Abi Talib and Usama bin Zaid when the Divine Inspiration delayed, in order to consult them as to the idea of divorcing his wife. Usama bin Zaid told Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) of what he knew about the innocence of his wife and of his affection he kept for her. He said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! She is your wife, and we do not know anything about her except good." But `Ali bin Abi Talib said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Allah does not impose restrictions on you; and there are plenty of women other than her. If you however, ask (her) slave girl, she will tell you the truth." `Aisha added: So Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) called for Barira and said, "O Barira! Did you ever see anything which might have aroused your suspicion? (as regards Aisha). Barira said, "By Allah Who has sent you with the truth, I have never seen anything regarding Aisha which I would blame her for except that she is a girl of immature age who sometimes sleeps and leaves the dough of her family unprotected so that the domestic goats come and eat it."

https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-4/Book-53/Hadith-373/

Narrated `Amr bin Taghlib: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) gave (gifts) to some people to the exclusion of some others. The latter seemed to be displeased by that. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I give to some people, lest they should deviate from True Faith or lose patience, while I refer other people to the goodness and contentment which Allah has put in their hearts, and `Amr bin Taghlib is amongst them." `Amr bin Taghlib said, "The statement of Allah's Apostle is dearer to me than red camels." Narrated Al-Hasan: `Amr bin Taghlib told us that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got some property or some war prisoners and he distributed them in the above way (i.e. giving to some people to the exclusion of others).

https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-5/Book-59/Hadith-512/

Narrated Anas: The Prophet (ﷺ) offered the Fajr Prayer near Khaibar when it was still dark and then said, "Allahu-Akbar! Khaibar is destroyed, for whenever we approach a (hostile) nation (to fight), then evil will be the morning for those who have been warned." Then the inhabitants of Khaibar came out running on the roads. The Prophet (ﷺ) had their warriors killed, their offspring and woman taken as captives. Safiya was amongst the captives, She first came in the share of Dahya Alkali but later on she belonged to the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) made her manumission as her 'Mahr'.

==

Not exactly a ringing condemnation of slavery.

Remember that Muhammad is regarded as uswa hasana, "an excellent model of conduct," and al-Insān al-Kāmil, "the perfect human," and Muslims are supposed to model themselves on his example. If he does a thing, and "Allah" has not declared it is for him alone (such as having as many wives as he likes, not just the normal maximum of 4), then Muslims are supposed to emulate that.

Anyone who tells you that slavery is not allowed in Islam is either lying or ignorant. If they deflect and say things like, "well, the bible says..." then you can be 100% certain they were lying, because they've conceded the point. Unlike Xianity, Islam has not gone through any reformation. The word of Islam's quran and its pedophile prophet are unchanged and are taken to be as literally true today as they were 1400 years ago.

[arabic-langblr]

Is all written Arabic in MSA, or are dialects present in writing too?

Hi Anon,

Good question. Actually in all formal and official correspondence, people write in MSA. It's seen as unprofessional to send an official email or write an article renowned newspaper in dialectal, unless you're using certain expressions or terms related to a special occasion.

However, people are sending messages to their friends and family informally, we write in dialectal because it's less formal. I personally text in MSA when I'm trying to be funny ^^; it's kind of the equivalent of writing in exaggerated early modern English/Shakespearean English at very mundane setting

I have noticed a trend in recent years for people to write entire novels in dialectal Arabic, I personally am not fond of this trend. I mean, I don't mind using some expressions here and there for comic purposes or when necessary though.

[atomi-cat]

hey I love your batim x msa comics and you various other comics two but this question is not related i just want to know how ur doing

Thank you! As for how I’m doing these days, I’d still say I’m taking it a day at a time. I feel like I’ve been able to draw more than I did the previous years, so I’m happy about that.

[nebulous-rain]

almost at 2,000 followers.... y'all want me to draw anything special? 👀

[kvtexee]

SKETCH REQUESTS OPEN!!!!

go to my ask page to submit your ideas, MSA related stuff preferably !!!!! go wild if ya want >:]

[linadoodledump]

Since it appears I've been getting new followers lately, this is a callout post asking for any art requests! I'm currently taking any related to COTL or MSA, but I will not accept any OCs atm tho! Any ships are acceptable rn and I'm just in the mood to draw again for the hell of it. If y'all want your blorbos drawn during silly situations, I am all ears right now.