#the pleasure of love in iran

[neil-gaiman]

Hello Neil. I hope you're doing all fine.

I'm from Iran. Iran always had such a glorious history. you have lots of fans in Iran and It would be such a great pleasure for all of us if you make a flashback in S3 where Aziraphale and Crowley are in ancient times of Iran. We have lots of stories you may find them interesting. For instance Cyrus the Great who was the king of the Achaemenid Empire, for the very first time, earned another empire without any war and violence.

It would be amazing if you have this in your mind too. Thank you so much.

With love by all of your Iranian fans.

PS/ Even if there is a reference to Iran's history, if there is a political problem, to show it fully, it is satisfactory for us. Thank you for your great mind

Iranian history is a wonderful thing. I'm glad that Crowley and Aziraphale have their supporters there, and if there's ever another chance to revisit their time in the past it would be great to see what they did in ancient Iran.

[loneberry]

"Attar is one of the greatest poets of the Persian language. Nonetheless, his popularity - both in Iran itself and in the West (Goethe, for example, touched on him only briefly in his West-Eastern Divan) - does not match that of Ferdowsi (d. 1020), Omar Khayyam (d. c.1132), Rumi, Saadi (d. 1292) or Hafiz (d. 1389); occasionally he is even omitted from the line of seven Persian poet-princes in favour of Jami (d. 1492). One pos­sible reason for this is that the composition of his poetry is too artful, too complex to be effective in the town squares and teahouses, while at the same time, many of his stories and figures may seem too coarse, too folk-like and too sarcastic to be at the forefront of the high spir­itual literature cultivated at courts in former times and in middle-class households today. Attar’s poetry, on the other hand, is far less stilted than that of most Persian poets but, rather, unadorned, clear and imme­diate. The pain it expresses is not spiritually filtered as in Rumi, far less metaphysically elevated than in Saadi, and not sublimated into pleasure as in Omar Khayyam - where Hafiz turns the earthly into the mystical, Attar strips mysticism down to its leaden, earthly foundation in order to scream his longing to the heavens." --Navid Kermani, The Terror of God: Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt

.

I asked my professor which masnavi (Persian epic poem) he thinks is the greatest ever written. He replied, Rumi's Masnavi (the only masnavi Rumi wrote). Shock. How can there be a masnavi greater than Attar's Conference of the Birds? (There are 4 authentic Attar masnavis; sadly, as far as I know, Conference of the Birds is the only one that has been translated into English.) Reading through Rumi's masnavi I think I am still team Attar. It's Attar's coarseness I love--he is a poet of mad saints and freaks. In Rumi's Masnavi, the absence of a frame story and the pious/didactic tone is somewhat of a barrier for me. The pieces don't quite hang together, whereas Attar's Conference of the Birds is intricately structured--there are stories within stories within stories, each bird with its idiosyncratic psychology--a narrative arc that mirrors the journey of the soul across the seven valleys. But maybe there is a difference between reading a sufi text for its poetry rather than religious instruction, I don't know.

[girlactionfigure]

I’m sending love to all the Jews in the world. You’ve done nothing wrong. All the negative painful feelings you have shouldn’t be there. This is all on Hamas and Iran and Qatar. Even with the release of kidnapped children it’s hard to find joy. There is just grimness. The children shouldn’t have been there. There shouldn’t be remaining hostages. There shouldn’t be 1400 dead. But this is the world as it is. We face a wicked enemy. Even this partial hostage release is designed to mess you up emotionally and mentally. It’s psychological warfare. It’s to help Hamas have a breathing space. It’s to help the propaganda war against Israel. None of this feels like victory. They are using our love and decency against us. I would rather our love is used against us than to be the loveless people they are - a wicked enemy who commit crimes against humanity and celebrate those crimes as if they are the best part of who they are. Remind yourself this is a long, hard grim road. There is little if any pleasure foreseeable on the horizon. But we have not choice but to keep going and put one foot in front of the other. One day, things will get lighter if we just keep moving forward. We will rebuild ourselves as individuals and collectively. We will defeat our enemies. We will win. One day you will sit down and look around you at a dinner or gathering of people, of your family and friends, and you will realise life is ok and that it isn’t how it feels right now. Stay in the game for that moment. We’ll meet each other there.

@leekern13

[unhonestlymirror]

Vatņiki of the day:

Me, a Ukrainian-Belaruthian, knowing that my Belaruthian mom was tortured, blackmailed and exiled from her home without being able to see her parents for decades thanks to russians, looking at people drawing Belarus as russia's sister who loves russia:

Have you ever bothered scrolling through the news of Belarus? It's like: "killed", "raped", "murdered", "raped", "died in prison", "died in prison", "thrown in prison", "raped". And it's all thanks to russia. If russia didn't exist, Belaruthians wouldn't have to suffer so much.

We don't call russia "Big Brother". Stop fucking masturbating on Stalin's rhetoric.

Interestingly, no one ever EVER draws Iran being in love with russia and calling russia its "big brother". Why? Because of the Iranian regime, who kills and rapes innocent people, who don't actually want to be perceived as its regime supporters? Then why the fuck don't you perceive Belarus the same way, if you are so fucking tolerant and progressive? Is it because we are "white"?

"I love Ukraine^^" write hetalia artists and then draw my country being russia's sister. Ukrainians are being killed by russian missiles and shaheds every day, but you couldn't bother less about real people.

And, of course, russian artists once again proving how cruel, bloodthirsty and heartless creatures they are. Nothing new. The same bloodthirsty creatures create the illusion of grandeur. "Lithuanians, including Jews, being killed, raped, displaced, sent to Siberia by russians for centuries? Who gives a fuck hahaha, look, I love spreading harmful and offensive shit about real people, especially when I'm russian."

There are so many interesting topics to choose from for a drawing of my countries. And yet you keep choosing the most offensive, the most stupid, the most mainstream ideas ever. This community is a fucking joke, насмешка з велічы чалавецтва.

Yk, hetalia fandom is not really different from the russian occupiers. Uneducated (although some of you even have diplomas, which is twice weird), corrupted, soulless idiots, you have neither knowledge, nor talent, your only advantage is that there are many of you, and you cultivate idiocy in each other. Many of you actually behave like sadistic maniacs, you get pleasure from inflicting pain on other people, who lost their homes, families, and friends because of russia. And the saddest part is that no one is doing anything to stop this. No one cares. No one is even saying, "Hey, maybe your drawing is not actually a right thing to post". People just keep whining about "oh but we don't bring politics there" - it's because it's not your house being shelled by missiles. It's because it's not your friends and families being raped and tortured. Believe me, if you had to live under conditions Ukrainians are currently living, you'll be screaming the loudest, like a fucking pig who's about being cut into sausages. Жалюгідні нікчеми.

[tilbageidanmark]

The 1,289 movies I saw in 2024...

This is my fourth 'End of Year' recap. In January 2021, during the Covid lock-down, I began logging the many films that I watch every day, just to keep track. In the beginning I jotted a line or two about each, only to create a record. But then I started adding longer notes and more elaborate impressions, and before I knew it, I've got a 'Film Project' on my hands.

The obsessive project mushroomed. In the course of these four years, I watched and reviewed a total of 4,126 movies; 885 in 2021, 954 in 2022, 998 in 2023, and a ridiculous number of 1,289 movies this last year.

And it seems that I'm just getting started.

As I wrote before, I owe an apology to nobody for my indulgence. I derive great pleasure from discovering daily the best movies ever made, and I enjoy even more the process of thinking about them and coming up with my own specific takes, if I can. As an un-accomplished 'Creator', composing short reviews fills me with just the right amount of self-fulfillment. The fact that I am blessed with the physical and financial ability to enjoy this type of existence right now, at the end of my own life and while civilization collapses all around us, is not lost on me either.

The project, like the many others I created before it, is purely personal, and is a strict 'labor of love'. Watching a movie today is an individual experience [Except of one visit, I haven't been to a theater in many years], and maintaining this blog (which hardly anybody visits), is done as a form of mental masturbation; I do it every day because I like it a lot, and because it doesn't hurt anybody. I described my background before, so there's no need to repeat it here.

So here are some generalities, with a dozen 'Best-Of' samples below.

I've made a concerted effort to watch more films helmed by women directors - 215 in all (but only 16% of the total). Next year I will increase that number.

I like good documentaries, and of the 1,289 movies, 170 were documentaries. However, most of them were not that great. Surprisingly, only 99 were repeat films that I had watched before – it felt as if the number would be higher. I also started watching many more short films (5 to 40 minutes), and I plan focusing even more on short films in the coming year.

As I'm moving away from Hollywood-type blockbuster fair, I saw 737 “Foreign” films (read: Not American) which were 57% of the total. Next year I will be sure to increase that ratio too.

Here is the break-down by country:

From the UK (108)

From France (106)

From Canada (44)

From Japan (40)

From Denmark (25)

From "Czechoslovakia" (24)

From Germany (21)

From Sweden (20)

From Italy & "Russia" (18 each)

From Israel & Poland (17 each)

From Brazil (16)

From Australia, Iran & Ireland (13 each)

From Iceland, Korea & Spain (12 each)

From Hungary (11)

From Turkey (10)

The rest were films from China, Romania, The Netherlands, Argentina, India, Yugoslavia, Belgium, Finland, Latvia, Mexico, Chile, Croatia, Norway, Austria, Cuba, Egypt, Greece, Morocco, Palestine, Scotland, Switzerland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Nigeria, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Afghanistan, Armenia, Colombia, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Jordan, Paraguay, Portugal, Senegal, Sudan, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia and Wales. [But unlike 2023, no films in Babylonian this year...]

Many of these 1,293 movies were terrible. But only 23 of them I simply couldn't finish. They included: Otto Preminger's 'Exodus', Troma Studio's 'Poultrygeist', Polanski's 1970 'A day at the beach', The Japanese 'Patisserie Coin de rue', Bob Fosse 'All that Jazz', M. Night Shyamalan 'The happening', Gene Hackman's 'Heartbreakers', Elaine May 'A new leaf', Etc. Many of the others were boring, tedious, stupid. YMMV.

Next year I will also start keeping track of the genres, which I haven't done up to now. I may try new things, but there are some popular genres I generally stir away from: Superheros, horror, franchise, fantasy. There were six A.I.-generated films that I saw this year. I predict that in 2025 we will have the first 'good' A.I. features.

I wish I had signed up to Letterboxd at the start. It would have made sorting the list so much easier. But I've been dropping out of all social media (reddit and tumblr are the only ones still standing), and I don't plan on starting on a new platform.

I only felt the urge to "rate" 40% of the movies I saw (527), and of the ones that I did rate, there were 18 which I designated “Best”, and 78 to which I gave the 10/10 score. 'Best' for me usually meant that it offered a 'very' strong emotional reaction.

40 years ago I studied film at Copenhagen University, but it's only during these last few years that I've become pretty knowledgeable about the overall history of the cinema. It is therefore my favorite experience today to come across a movie I never even heard of, maybe from a different time and place, which knocks me completely over.

And so, here are a few of the less obvious gems which I enjoyed the most this year. Many more on the blog. Check them all out if you want.

The films of Icelandic Hlynur Pálmason (all but 'Winter brothers'). My favorite was 'White, white day', a masterful feat of slow film making, with unusual choices in its subtle direction. A policeman grieves for his wife who died in a car accident. The man renovates a house, takes care of his cute granddaughter, and then, (like ‘The Descendants’), he discovers that before she died, his beloved wife had an affair with some guy. A stunning story of heartbreak, resignation and acceptance. The Trailer.

Nuri Bilge Ceylan 8 films (I still haven't seen his 'Casaba' and 'Clouds of May'). My favorite of his: 'About Dry Grasses' which plays for over 3 hours in the desolate, snow-covered mountains of Eastern Anatolia. Like Mads Mikkelsen in 'The Hunt’, a teacher in a small village is being falsely accused of improper behavior toward a 14-year-old girl. But the slow and meandering story embraces other themes as well, of longing, of truth seeking, of weariness, complacency and contempt. With a delusional, self centered man and the two females he misunderstands and maligns. It includes one shocking 'break the 4th wall’ moment (at 2:05:00) which illustrates that nothing we think and believe in is true. The trailer.

'A brand new life' (2009), a heart-breaking Korean story, based on the director’s personal life. A sweet 9-year-old girl is abandoned by her father, who one day and without any warning drops her off at a Catholic orphanage in the countryside and leaves. Life is suddenly too painful for her. With the cutest little girl, who has to deal with life’s harshest lessons. A relatable debut feature, it uses the simplest and purest film language. It's similar to other tragic stories about innocence lost; Carla Simón’s ‘Summer 1993’, the French film 'Ponette’, and the Irish 'The Quiet Girl’ from last year, all with the same kind spirit and sad understatements. The trailer.

'The Last Repair Shop', winner of last year's Oscar for Best Documentary Short. A quiet story about a shop that maintains and repairs the 80,000 musical instruments used by students of the Los Angeles school district. It’s about mending broken things so they can be whole again, performed by people who were also broken, but are now whole. Similar to and even better than the 2017 Oscar nominee 'Joe’s Violin'.

'Ága', my first Bulgarian film, but it plays somewhere in Yakutsk, south of the Russian arctic circle. An isolated old Inuit couple lives alone in a yurt on the tundra. Slow and spiritual, their lives unfold in the most unobtrusive way, it feels like a documentary. But the simplicity is deceiving, this is film-making of the highest grade, and once Mahler 5th is introduced on a small transistor radio, it’s transcendental. The emptiness touched me deeply. (I should watch it again!). The trailer.

'Symphony No. 42' by Hungarian animator Réka Bucsi. It consists of 47 short & whimsical vignettes, without any rhyme or rhythm; A farmer fills a cow with milk until it overflows, a zoo elephant draws a “Help me” sign on a canvas, a UFO sucks all the fish from the ocean, wolves party hard to 'La Bamba’, an angry man throws a pie at a penguin, two cowboys holding blue balloons watch a tumbleweed rolls by, a big naked woman cuddle with a seal, etc. etc. Bucsi made it before Don Hertzfeldt’s 'World of tomorrow’ and even before 'Echo', my favorite Rúnar Rúnarsson’s. 10 perfect minutes of surrealist chaos.

'Shirkers', a 2018 documentary. Sandi Tan was an avant-garde teenage punker when she set out to make Singapore’s first New Wave road movie in 1992, together with 2 female friends and a middle aged mentor. But when the shooting was over, this 'mentor’ collected the 72 canisters of completed film as well as all supportive materials, and disappeared. For 20 years, Sandi and friends could not figure out what had happened, and eventually gave up on their groundbreaking work. This documentary pieces together the mystery, telling about the process of making the original movie, the consequences of losing - and finding it again - after all this time. Absolutely tremendous. The trailer.

'Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains' is young Chinese prodigy Gu Xiaogang's debut feature. A slow epic saga (2.5 long hours) of a large family struggling during four seasons through life’s ups and down in this provincial city. It’s a metaphor for a classic scroll painting from the 14 century, and it is apparently only the first chapter in an upcoming trilogy. A stupendous, slow-moving masterpiece told in a magnificent style, and half a dozen transcendental set pieces. The trailer.

The short jazzy documentaries of Dutch Bert Haanstra, especially 'Glass' (1958), the first Oscar win for The Netherlands, and 'Zoo', which was made 3 years later.

'Apollo 11', a documentary by Todd Douglas Miller. An exhilarating re-telling of the moon landing from 2019. Perfectly crisp and emotionally laid out, without any bullshit narration, talking heads interviews or irritating recreations. Just jaw-dropping photography which puts you in the middle of the action. The trailer.

I’ve always loved Buñuel’s last 3 films, maybe because they were so easy to watch. The fire and brimstone of his youth were distilled into accessible, vivid tableaux. Re-watching his 'The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie', (or “Six friends and the impossible dinner”) was just delightful: You nearly feel sorry for these poor 1-procenters, who can’t find a decent place to eat in. Their illogical dreams dredge out their childhood traumas, and there’s no explanations to anything that happens. It was the New 4K trailer which drew me back.

The magical work of Australian stop-motion animator Adam Elliot. Especially, 'Mary and Max'. A weirdly adult 'Wallace and Gromit', a dark and tragic clay figure story, voiced by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette. Two damaged and unfortunate souls connect by becoming pen pals; A lonely Australian 8-year-old girl with an ugly birthmark on her forehead, and an obese Jewish New Yorker with Asperger’s. It encompasses 20 years of outlandish long-distance emotions which ends with the acknowledgment of friendship. The trailer.

'Pirosmani' (1969), my first Georgian masterpiece which was not made by Sergei Parajanov. It’s an awe-inspiring biography of Nikolai Pirosmanashvíli. He was a self-taught, naïve Georgian painter who lived during Vincent van Gogh’s time, and like him, died destitute and unappreciated by his piers, only to find prominence decades after his death. (Japanese Trailer here.) It’s an absorbing and visually-stunning film, composed of rural tableaux and primitive folk setting, a mixture of Henri Rousseau, Gauguin, Édouard Manet, Bruegel and Jodorowsky. A sad, slow and formal composition, full of sublime pathos and simplicity.

'For the hungry boy' (2018), my all-time favorite Paul Thomas Anderson work, even more than his “Phantom Thread”, out of which these discarded shots were collected. Vicki Krieps is a major crush. The score is Jonny Greenwood’s “House of Woodcock” from the movie. I've seen it at least 15 times since October.

'Nostalgia for the light' (2010), my first film by Chilean Patricio Guzmán. His life-long work had been occupied with the Chilean coup d'état and the collective scars suffered by the people of Chile to this day. This beautiful documentary starts with examining the gigantic telescopic installations at the Atacama desert, used by astronomers to discover the origins of the cosmos. He then segues into the story the 60,000 'disappeared’, who were imprisoned in large concentration camps in the same area, and then murdered without a trace. A group of wives and sisters have been roving for decades now the same barren area, searching for bone fragments of their loved one. So both archaeologists and astronomers are looking for clues about the past. The trailer.

A woman interviewed in one continued shot: A small 1993 French masterpiece 'Emilie Muller'. A young woman arrives for her first ever audition where she’s asked to show the contents of her handbag. As soon as I finished watching it, I had to watch it again, and then a third time.

“Wow! So, are there any last words you would like to say, about this whole thing?” Not really.

Here is a Google spreadsheet with the output of all 4 years.

Please become one of the few regular people who visit this blog. I post 20-30 new film reviews every Monday morning, Copenhagen time. Bookmark and interact.

Arigato gozaimasu.

[losthistoryblog]

Dastangoi: The Art of Storytelling

Dastangoi is an Urdu storytelling art. Derived from Persia. Dastangoi is performed by one person who's referred to as a Dastango, the word for storyteller. Stories are referred to as Dastans. Dastan means, tale or story and the suffix -goi makes it a verb. Hence, Dastangoi translates to "to tell a story"

Dastangoi had it's origins in pre-Islamic Arabia and moved onto Iran and then the North Indian cities of Delhi and Lucknow in the 18th century.

It was very popular in Lucknow, across all classes of people and in public and private. It was done in the streets, in homes and even opium dens. Many people saw Dastans as a key part of the the experience in an opium den

Some people, who were particularly rich would hire Dastangos to entertain their clients and friends. These stories would come under themes such as, war, pleasure, beauty, love and deception.

Dastangoi enjoyed a revitalisation in India in 2005, which seemed to have stemmed from Mahmood Farooqui

[matan4il]

Just sending some love your way again, and thanks so much for the book and music recs!! I've been loving working my way through them 💖💖

Hi darling! I'm so glad you're enjoying those! :D Any bit of joy counts, always, but especially now. I hope you're doing well, and I am sending you so much love right back! xoxox

So glad to hear that you are safe, and that the attack was mostly intercepted. Thank you for all the work you do in giving us news from the Israeli perspective- I'm working on my Hebrew, but it's slow, and I always worry that automated translations miss nuance and context.

Thank you so much! I think a lot of us, knowing that Iran has employed its generals to help its terrorist proxies, and that those generals have been eliminated by Israel repeatedly over the years, we didn't expect an attack of this magnitude from Iran, and that even we were surprised at how well our defences held against it. I'll try to post a bit more about this later. Thank YOU so much for the kind words, and awwww, you're learning Hebrew! :D I have to say, I'm so in love with this language, I'm very happy for anyone who does. I hope you're enjoying it! ^u^ And it's my pleasure to be able to add a few translations. I def do try to bring across the nuance and context that automated traslations can't recognize even exists. Be well, and I'm sending you lots of hugs! xoxox

@missviolethunter asked:

Thank you for posting updates even in the aftermath of the attack. Your blog and a few other Jesiwh blogs are the only places with unbiased information here. I hope you and your family are safe. The terrorist supporters make a lot of noise on tumblr, but they're just a bunch of idiots. My country had issues with terrorism for many years, and I know how it feels to fear for your family members who are in the military. I know it's not much, but I'm sending you hugs. 😘

I really do my best to get everything from fact checked journalistic sources, although obviously it's not perfect (because neither are they, some are expressly biased, while others simply get duped once in a while, same as everyone else. They are run by humans, after all). I'm really glad if I can help in any way, even the smallest!

I am so sorry that your country also had to deal with terrorism. I will never understand how people can think that terrorism, the intentional targeting of innocent people, is EVER justified. It's not about whether a specific cause is just or not. It's about whether we value human life or not. Anyone who can justify terrorism, is saying they're comfortable with being the arbiter of who gets to live and who doesn't, and that is so wrong on so many levels... I am sending you lots of hugs, and I hope you, your people, us and everyone else who has suffered or is suffering from terrorism, never have to fear for their life or that of their loved ones ever again.

It's actually so much, I appreciate the hugs, the message, the kindness, and I am sending you lots of hugs right back! xoxox

[aftaabmagazine]

In that Breath - Spiritual Lyrics as Gateway to the Divine from Kabul’s Kharabat 

در آن نفس

In that Breath 

Two captivating renditions of a composition by the revered استاد محمد هاشم چشتی Ustad Mohammad Hashim Chishti (1944-94) featuring lyrics by the master poet of the ages, سعدی Saadi, vividly showcase the distinct and intriguing musical traditions of کابل Kabul and هرات Herat. 

These performances, by two celebrated vocalists, استاد مهوش Ustad Mahwash and استاد جلیل احمد دل‌آهنگ Ustad Jalil Del Ahang, present a rare and precious chance to delve into the unified artistic expression born from the rich cultural heritage of Kabul’s خرابات Kharabat musician quarter.

The Poem by Saadi  سعدی

In that breath when I pass, may I be yearning for you 

بدان امید دهم جان که خاک کوی تو باشم

I give up my life with the hope of becoming the dust of your alley

حدیث روضه نگویم گل بهشت نبویم

I will not speak of the gardens of paradise nor smell the flowers of heaven

جمال حور نجویم دوان بسوی تو باشم

I will not desire the beauty of the houris but steer towards you

Translated from the Farsi by فرهاد آزاد Farhad Azad with edits by پروین پژواک Parween Pazhwak

استاد مهوش Ustad Mahwash's Version Liner Notes

This song In that Breath was composed by Ustad Mohammad Hashim Chishti (1944-94). 

This recording by Ustad Mahwash was released in 2007 by the Accords-Croises label based in فرانسه France. She was the first woman to have been conferred the honorary title of "Ustad" in 1977 in Kabul by the Ministry of Culture. 

Spiritual Lyrics as Gateway to the Divine from Kabul’s Kharabat 

By Farhad Azad 

The lyrics embody صوفی Sufi ideals, expressing fervent longing for the beloved, rejecting worldly pleasures in favor of divine love, seeking annihilation of the self in union with the Divine, and using the beloved as a symbol for the ultimate reality. 

In Kharabat, where the songs held deep spiritual significance, استادان masters or ustads would often require their students to perform an ablution وضو (wuzu), before singing. This ritual purification emphasized the sacred nature of the poetry and music, ensuring the singers approached their performance with reverence and spiritual readiness.

Reflecting on her musical journey in the CD’s liner notes, Ustad Mahwash says “I am a follower of the sufi path and our Master Mohammad Chishti who encouraged devotion through the practice of 'mystical audition' or سماع Sama. I sing everything that relates to love.” 

Ustad Del Ahang's Version Liner Notes

This استاد جلیل احمد دل‌آهنگ Ustad Jalil Ahmad Del Ahang’s (1961-2018) rendition of در آن نفس (In that Breath) is a moving example of the Kharabati school of music, honed under the tutelage of استاد سرآهنگ Ustad Sarahang (1924-83) and later استاد موسی قاسمی Ustad Musa Qasemi (1936-95). 

From Kabul to Herat: The Journey of Kharabat’s Spiritual Music

By Farhad Azad 

The music of کابل Kabul’s خرابات Kharabat district, a cultural gem, embarked on a poignant journey to هرات Herat as early as the 1930s. This migration was not merely a physical movement of aspiring artists to Kabul to study under the masters, but a profound cultural exchange that shaped the musical landscape of Herat, carrying with it the emotions and aspirations of a community.

This استاد جلیل احمد دل‌آهنگ Ustad Jalil Ahmad Del Ahang’s (1961-2018) rendition of در آن نفس (In that Breath) is a profoundly moving example of the Kharabati school of music, a testament to the emotional depth and beauty that can be achieved through music. His soulful interpretation, filled with longing and devotion, resonates with the spiritual essence of the Chishti Sufi order, inviting the listener on a journey of self-discovery and transcendence. 

Exiled in ایران Iran in 1998, Ustad Jalil Ahmad Del Ahang captured the haunting performance, accompanied by استاد رحیم خوشنواز Ustad Rahim Khushnawaz (1943-2010) on robab, عظیم حسن‌پور Azim Hassanpour on tabla, and غلام سخی رسولی Ghulam Sakhi Rasouli on dutar. 

The reverend musician and composer استاد محمد هاشم چشتی Ustad Mohammad Hashim Chishti (1944-94) traced his lineage to the چشتی Chishti Sufi order a spiritual tradition established in the 900s AD by ابو اسحاق شامی Abu Ishaq Shami in the town of چشت Chisht, located in present-day Herat province افغانستان Afghanistan. The Chishti Sufi order, with its emphasis on music as a spiritual practice, played a pivotal role in developing and preserving the Kharabati school of music, infusing it with spiritual depth and significance. 

The Chishti practice, renowned for its profound emphasis on سماع Sama, a devotional practice of evoking the divine presence through music and poetry, is not just a performance, but a transformative spiritual journey. This unique aspect of the Chishti practice adds a layer of depth and richness to the music, elevating it beyond mere entertainment to a profound spiritual experience that resonates with the soul.

The unique lineage of this صوفی Sufi musical tradition is a testament to the enduring power of cultural exchange and the fluidity of art and culture. Born in the heart of Herat, the Chishti Sufi order’s musical essence found its way to Kabul through the descendants of Ustad Hashim Chishti. 

His descendants, invited from هند مرکزی central India by امیر شیرعلی خان Amir Sher Ali Khan, the ruler of کابلستان Kabulistan in the 1870s, played a crucial role in carrying forward the musical tradition, demonstrating the enduring power of cultural exchange and the fluidity of art and culture, and the importance of preserving such cultural practices.

The poet لیلا صراحت روشنی Layla Sarhat Rushani (1958-2004) aptly observed that artistic works with “simplicity in the expression” are akin to  “a stream of pure, clear water, and clear waters often make their depths appear shallower than they actually are.” 

While seemingly lovely and simple on the surface, these two renditions of Ustad Hashim’s composition carry a profound depth—a millennia-long journey of verse and melody passed down through generations, traversing vast distances before returning to their ancestral home. The music, a testament to the interconnectedness of human expression, transcends geographical boundaries and historical epochs, resonating with listeners across time and space.

[nevermorered]

It was the sands on the shores of Elafonisi Beach in Crete during the evenings. The waters at Las Coloradas, Mexico at midday. The Nasir-ol-molk Mosque in Iran with the rays of the sun beaming through the glass windows. It was the Hawa Mahal in India in the early morning.

It was pink.

Perhaps it wasn’t a manly color, but that didn’t matter to Colin. It was his favorite color. Maybe it took him too long to realize why, and perhaps then it should be yellow. But it wasn’t. It was pink. Because pink was beauty and calmness and kindness. It was love.

It was Penelope.

On the shores of Greece and Mexico, walking the mosque in Iran and looking up at the façade of the Palace in Jaipur, he was reminded of Penelope.

Penelope at her prom, wearing a lovely rose gown and smiling at him so sweetly when he put the corsage on her wrist. Her cheeks after being in the sun too long during that summer they spent at the lake behind Aubrey Hall before she left for university. The lipstick she was wearing after she got her journalist degree, and they threw her a party at the pub. The quick swipe of her tongue when he held her gaze too long.

Yes, she was yellow like the sun, all warmth and brilliance. But Penelope was at her most beautiful, her most radiant, when she was pink.

Like now, here in this bed. Her body was cast in shadows from the amber light filtering through the partially closed bathroom door, highlighting the dips and hollows of her curves. Her pale skin painted in a collage of pink. Her nipples a dark, dusky rouge, like her kiss swollen lips. A rosy blush spilling down her cheeks and neck, blooming out along her chest. Beard burn rubbing splotches of coral down her stomach and her thighs, raspberry bruises on her hipbones the size of his thumbs.

With a soft exhale from her perfect mouth, Colin spread her trembling thighs apart, finding more of her pink here. Flushed and swollen and glistening with desire.

Her taste reminded him of the ocean in Greece, the hot salt tang of her making his mouth water. He watched her as her body arched and bowed, undulating like a gorgeous wave about to break over the pink sands in Crete. The sounds she made were better than any music he’d ever heard, and he was certain that no more perfect praise had ever been sung in the halls of that Iranian mosque.

Exploring Penelope was far more pleasurable than any adventure he’d ever been on. As he crawled back up her pink flushed body, he was quite certain he never wanted to go anywhere that involved leaving her behind.

She kissed her ecstasy off his tongue, her hand wrapping around the flushed purple of his erection, the petal pink of her nails lightly dragging along his skin and making him shake. She took mercy on him when he begged, his pretty pink goddess guiding him inside of her and showing him what pure pleasure was.

Perhaps liking pink made him less of a man, and maybe the tears spilling down his cheeks as the waves of his own bliss crashed along her pink shores did as well. Penelope loved him anyway, and she cooed her soft words of comfort in his ear as she held him to her body in the aftermath of his little death.

He fell asleep like that, at ease and more content than he’d ever been in his entire life, his flushed cheek against her breasts. His dreams were calm and happy, filled with beauty and kindness.

His dreams were pink. His dreams were love.

His dream was Penelope.

[ghelgheli]

[Samad] Behrangi was the educator par excellence. For eleven years he taught in the village schools of [Iranian] Azerbaijan and intermittently at a teachers' training school in Tabriz. His face-to-face encounters with rural poverty and broad exposure to Azeri folk culture helped shape both the content and medium of his message as a writer. Behrangi's corpus of fiction—short stories often referred to as children's stories in the West, but really timeless folktales meant for child and adult alike—is deeply rooted in his village teaching experiences and his love for Azeri folk culture. Behrangi left no doubt that he wrote these tales to instruct and to incite: "The time of limiting children's literature to passive propaganda and rigid, fruitless institutions has ended. We must lead our children away from building hopes on false and empty visions towards. creating hopes based on a correct understanding and interpretation of the harsh realities of society and on how to struggle to eliminate those harsh realities." Pleasure was not the sole or even the most important reason to read his tales: "Reading stories is not only for pleasure. I don't desire that aware children read my stories only for pleasure." [...] To evade the censor Behrangi used the folktale form. Behrangi's fiction consists entirely of folktales, either translated from the Azeri Turkish or created anew. That he should have chosen this style is not at all surprising, given his fascination with Azeri folk literature and positive experiences in teaching folktales in the village schools. However, the opportunities to evade the censor through allegories and metaphors surely were not lost on Behrangi. Precisely for this reason, the folktale—euphemistically called "children's literature"—with its own long and rich history in Persian literature became one of the most important genres in post-June 1963[, when widespread demonstrations in response to the arrest of Ruhollah Khomeini were met with lethal government crackdown.]

The "Westoxification" of Iran: Depictions and Reactions of Behrangi, Al-e Ahmad, and Shariati, Brad Hanson 1983 [JSTOR]

[cinemacentury]

MOVIES 2024

Master list of all the movies/miniseries I watched in 2024.

New film Rewatch Theatrical Viewing

JANUARY

Monday, January 1 1. METROPOLITAN (Whit Stillman, 1990) 2. 2084: VIDEO CLIP FOR THE TRADE UNIONS’ REFLECTION AND PLEASURE (Chris Marker, 1984) (short) 3. THERE WILL COME SOFT RAINS (Nazim Tulakhodzhayev, 1984) (short) 4. TERRORIZERS (Edward Yang, 1986)

Tuesday, January 2 5. BLOOD SIMPLE. (Joel Coen, 1984) 6. CHARADE (Jon Minnis, 1984) (short) 7. FEELINGS (Todd Solondz, 1984) (short) 8. BEVERLY HILLS COP (Martin Brest, 1984) 9. LITTLE NEMO: ADVENTURES IN SLUMBERLAND PILOT 2 (Yoshifumi Kondo, Andrew Gaskill, 1984) (short) 10. IN THE BLUE SEA, IN THE WHITE FOAM… (Robert Sahakyants, 1984) (short) 11. THE WIND (Edward Yang, 2006) (short) 12. IN OUR TIME (Tao Te-chen, Edward Yang, Ko I-cheng, Chang Yi, 1982)

Wednesday, January 3 13. FALLEN ANGELS (Wong Kar-wai, 1995) 14. THE WINTER OF 1905 (Yu Wai Cheng, 1982) 15. MAHJONG (Edward Yang, 1996)

Thursday, January 4 16. ANTONIO GAUDI (Hiroshi Teshigahara, 1984) 17. A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY (Edward Yang, 1991) 18. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)

Friday, January 5 19. DESERT HEARTS (Donna Deitch, 1985) 20. MANDABI (Ousmane Sembène, 1968) 21. SONGS FOR EARTH & FOLK (Cauleen Smith, 2013) (short)

Saturday, January 6 22. THE HEROIC TRIO (Johnnie To, 1993) 23. EXECUTIONERS: THE HEROIC TRIO 2 (Johnnie To, 1993)

Sunday, January 7 24. A CONFUCIAN CONFUSION (Edward Yang, 1994)

Monday, January 8 25. POLICE STORY (Jackie Chan, 1985)

Tuesday, January 9 26. POLICE STORY 2 (Jackie Chan, 1988)

Wednesday, January 10 27. AS TEARS GO BY (Wong Kar-Wai, 1988) 28. ROUNDHAY GARDEN SCENE (Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince, 1988) (short) (rewatch)

Thursday, January 11 29. EXOTICA (Atom Egoyan, 1994)

Friday, January 12 30. SWIPED (Joseph Kahn, 2017) (short)

Saturday, January 13 31. ODD/EVEN (Ya-Ting “Itchy” Yang, 2022) (short) 32. CENTER STAGE (Stanley Kwan, 1992)

Sunday, January 14 33. THE BARE-FOOTED KID (Johnnie To, 1993)

Monday, January 15 34. THE BOOK OF CLARENCE (Jeymes Samuel, 2024)

Tuesday, January 16 35. POLICE STORY 3: SUPERCOP (Stanley Tong, 1992) 36. FOLLOWING (Christopher Nolan, 1998)

Wednesday, January 17 37. THE SEVENTH CURSE (Lam Ngai Kai, 1986)

Thursday, January 18 38. BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE (Taylor Wong, 1984)

Friday, January 19 39. CARGO (Julio Luna, 2015) (short)

Saturday, January 20 40. IRMA VEP (Oliver Assayas, 1996) 41. ROUGE (Stanley Kwan, 1991) 42. HERO (Zhang Yimou, 2002)

Sunday, January 21 43. GOLIATH (Don Bitters, 2022) (short) 44. SIGMUND (Bruno Bozzetto, 1984) (short)

Monday, January 22 45. SHANGHAI BLUES (Tsui Hark, 1984) 46. GODS FROM SPACE (Annalize Pasztor, 2018) (short) 47. ONE FROM THE HEART: REPRISE (Francis Ford Coppola, 1981; recut 2024) 48. INFERNAL AFFAIRS (Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Alan Mak, 2002)

Tuesday, January 23 49. GREEN SNAKE (Tsui Hark, 1993) 50. FLAMIN’ HOT (Eva Longoria, 2023) 51. THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan, 2008) (rewatch)

Wednesday, January 24 52. THE EIGHT DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER (Lau Kar-leung, 1984)

Thursday, January 25 53. 2084 (Taz Goldstein, 2015) (short) 54. FLOREANA (Louis Morton, 2018) (short)

Friday, January 26  55. THE CREATOR (Gareth Edwards, 2023)

Saturday, January 27  56. BOAT PEOPLE (Ann Hui, 1982)

Sunday, January 28 57. OPPENHEIMER (Christopher Nolan, 2023) (rewatch) 58. THROW DOWN (Johnnie To, 2004)

Monday, January 29 59. ALL THE CROWS IN THE WORLD (Tang Yi, 2021) (short) 60. TWO WORLDS (Andy Lefton, 2015) (short)

Tuesday, January 30 61. HAPPY GHOST III (Johnnie To, 1986)

Wednesday, January 31 62. A DROWNFUL BRILLIANCE OF WINGS (Sofia Bohdanowicz, 2016) (short) 63. A HISTORY OF THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GETTY IMAGES (Richard Misek, 2022) (short) 64. THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (John Mackenzie, 1980)

FEBRUARY

Thursday, February 1  65. THE TENDER GAME (John Hubley, 1958) (short) 66. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH (Leah Shore, 2014) (short) 67. THE PLEASURE OF LOVE IN IRAN (Agnes Varda, 1976) (short)

Friday, February 2  68. YOUR NAME. (Makato Shinkai, 2016)

Saturday, February 3  69. ARGYLLE (Matthew Vaughn, 2024)

Sunday, February 4  70. 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE (Michael Winterbottom, 2002) (rewatch) Monday, February 5 71. IN BETWEEN LOVES (Allan Fung Yi-Ching, 1989) Tuesday, February 6 72. MATEWAN (John Sayles, 1987) Wednesday, February 7 73. LOCAL HERO (Bill Forsyth, 1983)

Thursday, February 8 74. NOMADS (John McTiernan, 1986) Friday, February 9 75. WARSHA (Danie Bdier, 2022) (short) Saturday, February 10 76. NAI NAI & WAI PO (Sean Wang, 2023) (short) 77. THE ICEMAN COMETH (Clarence Yiu-leung Fok, 1989) Sunday, February 11 78. NIGHT AND FOG (Alain Resnais, 1956) (short) Monday, February 12 79. MRS. MINIVER (William Wyler, 1942) 80. DUNE (Denis Villeneuve, 2021) (rewatch) Tuesday, February 13 81. MOLOKA'I BOUND (Alika Maikau, 2019) (short) 82. FOREVER SLEEP (Zac Stracner, 2022) (short) Wednesday, February 14 83. THE EAGLE SHOOTING HEROES (Jeffrey Lau, 1993) 84. DON'T LOOK NOW (Nicolas Roeg, 1973) Thursday, February 15 85. PREDATOR (John McTiernan, 1987) Friday, February 16 86. PAPER MARRIAGE (Alfred Cheung, 1988) Saturday, February 17 87. HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR (Alain Resnais, 1959)

Sunday, February 18 88. THE MISFITS (John Huston, 1961) 89. A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (John Cassavetes, 1974) Sunday, February 19 90. ALL'S WELL, ENDS WELL (Clifton Ko, 1992) Monday, February 20 91. THE WAGES OF FEAR (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1953)  92. BEAU TRAVAIL (Claire Denis, 1999) Wednesday, February 22 93. FACE SWAP (David Gidali, Einat Tubi, 2019) 94. HOW TO PICK GIRLS UP! (Wong Jing, 1988) Friday, February 23 95. OPUS II (Walter Ruttmann, 1921)  Saturday, February 24 96. SEVEN SAMURAI (Akira Kurosawa, 1954) Sunday, February 25 97. WOMEN OF THE NIGHT (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1948)

Monday, February 26 98. THE MASK (Conner O'Malley, 2023) (short)

Tuesday, February 27 99. THE THIRD MAN (Carol Reed, 1949) (rewatch)

Wednesday, February 28 100. ALIEN (Ridley Scott, 1979) (rewatch) 101. BLADE RUNNER (FINAL CUT) (Ridley Scott, 1982/2007) (rewatch) Thursday, February 29 102. DUNE: PART TWO (Denis Villeneuve, 2024) 103. THE SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE (Victor Erice, 1973)

MARCH

Friday, March 1 104. ONIBABA (Kaneto Shindō, 1964)  105. AUDITION (Takashi Miike, 1999) Saturday, March 2 106. AVALON (Barry Levinson, 1990)

Sunday, March 3 107. UGETSU (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953) 108. A PAGE OF MADNESS (Teinosuke Kinugasa, 1926) 109. THRONE OF BLOOD (Akira Kurosawa, 1957) 

Wednesday, March 6 110. ROSE (aka BLUE VALENTINE) (Samson Chiu, 1992) 111. KLUTE (Alan J. Pakula, 1971) 112. LONE STAR (John Sayles, 1996) Thursday, March 7 113. THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1959)  114. RING (Hideo Nakata, 1998) 115. BLIND WOMAN’S CURSE (Teruo Ishii, 1970)

Friday, March 8 116. DARK WATER (Hideo Nakata, 2002)

Saturday, March 9 117. PERFUMED NIGHTMARE (Kidlat Tahimik, 1977) 118. HOODLUM (Bill Duke, 1997) 119. PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE (Céline Sciamma, 2019)

Monday, March 11 120. BLIND BEAST (Yasuzō Masumura, 1969) 121. KURONEKO (Kaneto Shindō, 1968) 122. SOUTHLAND TALES (Richard Kelly, 2006)

Tuesday, March 12 123. WE OWN THE NIGHT (James Gray, 2007)

Wednesday, March 13 124. YOUR TURN: JURY SERVICE IN NEW YORK STATE (Harold Gold, 2016) (short) 125. JURY SERVICE AND FAIRNESS: UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE OF IMPLICIT BIAS (Jennifer Dworkin, 2021) (short) 126. MOTHRA (Ishirō Honda, 1961) 127. JIGOKU (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1960) 128. HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN (Teruo Ishii, 1969)

Thursday, March 14 129. CHINESE BOX (Wayne Wang, 1997) 130. MOON WARRIORS (Sammo Hung, 1992)

Friday, March 15 131. BETWEEN THE LINES (Joan Micklin Silver, 1977)

Saturday, March 16 132. LAST ACTION HERO (John McTiernan, 1993)

Sunday, March 17 133. EL FANTASMA DEL CONVENTO (aka THE PHANTOM OF THE MONASTERY) (Fernando de Fuentes, 1934) 134. CARNIVAL OF SOULS (Herk Harvey, 1962)

Monday, March 18 135. REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (Tsai Ming-liang, 1992) 136. DAYS OF BEING WILD (Wong Kar-wai, 1990)

Tuesday, March 19 137. LOVE LIES BLEEDING (Rose Glass, 2024)

Wednesday, March 20 138. THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS (Roberto Rossellini, 1950) 139. WALPURGIS NIGHT (Gustaf Edgren, 1935)

Thursday, March 21 140. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)

Friday, March 22 141. 2046 (Wong Kar-wai, 2004)

Saturday, March 23 142. SHERLOCK: THE SIGN OF THREE (Colm McCarthy, 2014)

Sunday, March 24 143. HISTORY OF THE OCCULT (Cristian Ponce, 2020)

Monday, March 25 144. HOLY WEAPON (Wong Jing, 1993) 145. WEST INDIES: THE FUGITIVE SLAVES OF LIBERTY (Med Hondo, 1979)

Tuesday, March 26 146. THE LAIR OF THE WHITE WORM (Ken Russell, 1988)

Wednesday, March 27 147. DOUBLES CAUSE TROUBLES (Wong Jing, 1989)

Friday, March 29 148. LE SAMOURAÏ (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1967)

Saturday, March 30 149. HEARTBEAT 100 (Kent Cheng Jak-Si, Lo Kin, 1987) 150. DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (John McTiernan, 1995)

Sunday, March 31 151. IT’S A DRINK! IT’S A BOMB (David Chung, 1985)

APRIL

Monday, April 1 152. THE ROMANCING STAR (Wong Jing, 1987)

Wednesday, April 3 153. FULL MOON IN NEW YORK (Stanley Kwan, 1989)

Friday, April 5 154. SHE AND HER CAT (Makoto Shinkai, 1999) (short) 155. SCOOP (Philip Martin, 2024)

Saturday, April 6 156. DUNE: PART TWO (Denis Villenueve, 2024) (rewatch)

Thursday, April 11 157. BOYS ARE EASY (Wong Jing, 1993)

Sunday, April 14 158. THE DRAGON FROM RUSSIA (Clarence Yiu-leung Fok, 1990)

Monday, April 15 159. CIVIL WAR (Alex Garland, 2024)

Wednesday, April 17 160. O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA (Ezra Edelman, 2016) 161. WANDERERS (Erik Wernquist, 2014) (short)

Friday, April 19 162. COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (Peter Chan, 1996)

Monday, April 22 163. DUVIDHA (Mani Kaul, 1973)

Tuesday, April 23 164. LUCA GUADAGNINO'S CHALLENGERS (Luca Guadagnino, 2024)

Sunday, April 28 165. NIGHT TIDE (Curtis Harrington, 1961)

Monday, April 29 166. CINEMANIA (Stephen Kijak, Angela Christlieb, 2002)

Tuesday, April 30 167. MY NEXT GUEST WITH DAVID LETTERMAN AND JOHN MULANEY (Michael Steed, 2024)

MAY

Wednesday, May 1 168. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1946)

Thursday, May 2 169. LOVE SOLDIER OF FORTUNE (Stanley Fung, 1988)

Friday, May 3 170. PERFECT BLUE (Satoshi Kon, 1997)

Saturday, May 4 171. I SAW THE TV GLOW (Jane Schoenbrun, 2024) 172. THE FALL GUY (David Leitch, 2024)

Saturday, May 11 173. FAREWELL, CHINA (Clara Law, 1990) 174. MILLENNIUM ACTRESS (Satoshi Kon, 2001)

Sunday, May 12 175. KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (Wes Ball, 2024)

Monday, May 13 176. TIME OF THE HEATHEN (Peter Kass, 1961) 177. ROCK ALL NIGHT (Roger Corman, 1957)

Wednesday, May 15 178. CHUNGKING EXPRESS (Wong Kar-wai, 1994)

Thursday, May 16 179. ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS (Roger Corman, 1957)

Saturday, May 18 180. THE MAD MONK (Johnnie To, 1993) 181. DIVA (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1981) 182. DRESSED TO KILL (Brian De Palma, 1980)

Sunday, May 19 183. THE KING OF COMEDY (Martin Scorsese, 1982) 184. FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (Amy Heckerling, 1982) (rewatch) Monday, May 20 185. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WILLIE BINGHAM (Matthew Richards, 2015) (short)

[annachum]

Okay

Some HCs about MCU! Alfheim :

. Like in the Norse Myths and Marvel Comics, Alfheim is a colorful and magical realm filled with predominantly Light fae of all shapes, sizes and kinds

. The Sea Elves boasted amazing seafare trade, love music and the sea Elven Realms have predominantly aquatic fae and merfolk. The Sea Elven Realms have Nordic, Pre Medieval Mediterranean and Medieval/Renaissance Mediterranean influences

. The Elves on the Vale predominantly live in a valley like fantasy realm with lush greenery and the fae that live there predominantly have valley, woodland and aurora related powers. The Vale Elven Realms have Nordic, Celtic, Iberian and Byzantine influences.

. The Spice Elves are a fierce bunch living amongst the desert groves of Alfheim. The Spice fae predominantly have spice, sand and fire related powers. The Spice Elven Realms have Olden North African, Arabic and Ottoman influences.

. The Elves on the North Pole are a generally merry bunch ( usually ) and LOVE Christmas and anything related to it. The Yuletide Elven Realms have Nordic and Slavic influences.

. The Ice Elves basically scream fantasy artic tribal vibes, boasting of their remarkable cold survival skills, and the Ice fae there predominantly have snow and ice related powers. The Ice Elven Realm have Nordic, Eskimo, Sami and Slavic influences

. The Pleasure Elves are generally an unpredictable bunch. They generally love fireworks, party planning all that, and festive masks are a huge thing amongst pleasure elves. The pleasure fae predominantly psychic, psionic, and festive related powers ( like firework Manipulation, for starters ). The Pleasure Fae Realms have Nordic, Medieval/Renaissance Era Mediterranean and Iberian influences

. The Air Elves are generally a breezy, innovative bunch. They predominantly on floating houses in the clouds of Alfheim ( think Pegasus City in My Little Pony EXCEPT AIR FAE ), and boasting of remarkable invention fleets. The Air fae predominantly have Air and wind related powers. The Air Elven Realms have Nordic, Pictish and Celtic influences

. The Cat Elves are also a generally fierce bunch. They predominantly live amongst the mountains which are short cut gateways to Nornheim, and they are famous for their big cat cavalry. The Cat fae predominantly have animal and mountain related powers. The Cat Elven Realms have Himalayan, Balkan and Iranic influences

. The Moon Elves are a generally mystic bunch. Oracle and mystical related matters are big for them, and the moon fae predominantly have lunar and starry related powers. The Moon Elven realm have Nordic, Slavic and Celtic influences.

. The Light Fae in general are big on loyalty. They do not forgive a betrayal THAT easily

. The Light Fae have different skin colors - there are human skin colors and red, blue, green etc skin colors. Some of the Light Fae even have 3 eyes, and they either have wings or no wings, yet they all can fly, wield bright magic, have hyper hearing which they can control, and also have wicked cool powers on their arsenal

. Also baking is a popular hobby in Alfheim and offering baked treats is a form of hospitality in Alfheim

. Light Fae sometimes leave behind trails of faerie dust. Oh and music, theatre and dance popular in Alfheim.

. And Ljolsafgard is the capital of Alfheim, where the Alfheim Royal Palace is, and similarly with Panther City in Wakanda, Ljosalfgard lived residents from the 9 Duchies of Alfheim

. In my MCU fics, Sigyn is the daughter of a Duke and Duchess of the Vale Elves, and she got wicked cool Aurora Manipulation powers, and is an Aesir - Light Elf 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

. I HC that Grace/Anneli ( Heimdall's wife and later widow in MCU ) is also an Aesir Light Elf and she came from the Spice Elven Realms, and she got wicked cool spice and sand Manipulation powers 🤩🤩🤩🤩🥺🥺🥺🥺

[abarroteraflores]

My birthday is next weekend and the genocide israel is conducting in Palestine along with the assaults on Lebanon and Iran are enough fill me with sadness disillusion and rage.

That has festered for so long.

And also. Yesterday I had the incredible privilege to be present while one of my bestest friends gave birth. It was the most beautiful experience of my life.

And today I made a silly video for my niece on TikTok. And my cousin messaged me to tell me that I made my niece’s night with that goofy antic.

And I grew closer to my youngest cousin this year as I stayed at her home while I received medical treatment.

And I’ve had the immense pleasure of deepening my friendships everywhere, being able to help out and emotionally support in more proactive ways than years past.

And I’ve spent a lot of time with my mom and my sister in person too.

I could go on and perhaps I will. But I’m also just feeling so so so grateful and in love with life because my life of full of people I care about and who care about me.

[angelicrebirthed]

Prologue... the inTERRORgation

“So after so long, I finally find you..”

“Damn you got the whole US military and I blew so much shit up..”

“Get gud skill issue”

"So you’re the little Jewish kid who beat the Nazis... What's your name? …Ah, Joshua. I am 5 star General Jaspreet Singh, current secretary of defense, war hero of the Persian-American war."

“You killed the WHITE KNIGHT”

(A war in Iran where America successfully enacted regime change, with far less destabilizing consequences.)

(A Sikh man, 45 years of age, gray beard, he's 6'1 medium weight professionally dressed in uniform, beard with a moustache, solid navy blue turban finely wrapped in a Daastar, each crease has a red white and blue stripe, each overlapping, all his medals pinned up, has an extraordinary fancy dagger on his weight, it looks like a combination of a silver and white Kirpan and a standard issue military knife, he is immaculate, no a single crease or wrinkle.)

"Wow, Generals like you go on and on, nice....  It’s ok,resume."

(Joshua’s voice is completely sarcastic with a far bit of assholery)

(He puts his hands on the table, his kara bracelet clicking loudly on the steel table, its noise contrasting a dead silence.)

"You see Joshua, I cannot pardon people who have such extensive lists of crimes, but if I became president which I currently lead in many polls, and many primaries, as a brown gay, oh a Desi, bearded Eisenhower, as a war hero who deposed the evil Mullahs, you have a story with a power tell it to me, everyone loves McCain, John Kerry, US Grant, ah this nation should have more generals as presidents, I am everything American wants, a new face of war, a South Asian, a charmer, someone unique but also tough for the conservatives, young enough for young voters... 

" Wait, aren't you just like those Generals in 1984, both in Orwell's and Indira's power ploys" “completely power hungry and self absorbed”

"You bigoted animal."

(Jaspreet slaps Joshua twice, then punches Josh straight in the nose)

"This nation is nothing without a strong military!"

"Maybe that's a good line" "Push America forward!"

“ A punchline Jaspreet, really funny!”

"Too much weakness, too much wokeness, it needs to be cleaned"

"wait General Singh you aren't human, you're not alive.."

(punches Joshua)

"Oh boy you have a death aura. You aren't even actually acting on free will. You should have died in the war."

"I can sense the true you… are you enslaved…"

"Both parties want me, we have a one party system, economically speaking, not on social issues.... I can't really choose but it's always a guaranteed vote when you’re Pentagon material"

"Tell me and maybe we can be more civilized just let me explain"

"Joshua... I have 3 powers, I can tell if anyone is lying in any way, it is an absolute power of truth, if you lie about anything, this power is absolute there is no way to avoid it, you can't outrun your past. I will know even of you kill me, my men will hunt you, I also know lightning and air manipulation"

"My other is the ability to completely command a person's focus, its like mind control its extraordinarily powerful, my ability is classified, it's how I won the war, I manipulated the enemies attention while they were shot, it is a true distraction, this power comes with high levels of telepathy and other psionics, you might call this " mind control"

(Telepathy indicates he can manipulate a person's pain and pleasure, focusing on his commands feels good, doing nothing feels you with dread, and even pain. This is the carrots and sticks behind his 'command'.)

"I have these powers, you know not to mess with me"

"Why would I, clearly you are the most powerful person I have ever met."

“You remind me of those liberal moderates who both side everything and punish freedom fighters and self defense, those who bullshit me and say work in the system, god I hate them”

(He gestures towards his body guards both with a long list of torture techniques, they flash a series of tools)

"Hey, you said civil - those dicks over there are ready to prick me apart!"

(Joshua feels dread.)

"We know your capabilities, we know you aided an enemy of state to steal classified documents, we know how you beat the KNIGHT, we know about the Angel incident. We know you committed mass murder and a act of torture - doesn’t matter if you had to do it or not.”

"Oh, that hacker girl…"

"A girl, then? Thanks for the hint. That little slip up just halved our targets.”

"Joshua, you are a terrorist" 

"Says the guy who threatens to cut me up…"

"This is a room that doesn't exist - nothing ever happens here.Congress could never find this in a century"

"Did gitmo teach you nothing, Congress finds out, maybe the military teaches you torture is... Bad, even? I know, it’s a shocking concept-”(Joshua feels a light pulse of pain - a growing headache for his disobedience.)

"You see Joshua, when I was a kid, Sikhs in the US couldn't join the army without shaving our beards and being unkesh, forcing us to choose between country and faith. The British and Canadian government would allow us, which is a colonial irony as a proud Desi. However,  made a choice. I did shave it, and put my country before faith. It was hard, very hard to be the first Sikh in this country to be a General, to show the martial prowess of my heritage. You see, I merely follow a set of rules, with no room for error. Violence, whether motivated by politics or race or religion - all of it merely amounts to terrorism. No matter what side, left or right, it doesn’t matter worth a damn. You are all equally guilty in the eyes of the law. And for the sake of that law, that order, a Jew killing a Nazi - with stolen military tech, might I add - well, it must be condemned. 

"Joshua, take this from a big brown Gay Indian American man who is just as against Nazism as you" "They shot up our gurdwaras along with your Temples, I have skin in the game - ha! I mean "

"But we must have law and order, due process, we must be civilized…”

“That is sooo cute!”

“Well i killed the nazis so hahahah”

"Mercy is weakness, Jaspreet! Where were you with those Klansman running amuck, they were hunting me!"

"It sets a bad precedent about vigilante violence."

"You see, right now, I still have to follow orders. I have followed orders my whole life, that's what war is. Orders! Morals come last.Until you are truly on top, you have to follow orders, even then you must follow the orders of those who support you.”(Joshua chuckles.)

"General Singh, I know a small thing about the Raj, wasn't General Reginald Dyers the butcher of Amritsar following orders when his slaughtered the Indians, weren't his Sepoys just following orders, just good soldiers pulling the trigger doing their job...." (Joshua taunts him with history.)

(Jaspreet gets up.)

"You little animal, you filthy racist scum."

(Jaspreet is kicking Joshua on the floor, he's cuffed to a chair, Joshua has his attention pinned to the legs of the table)

"You see all of my ancestors who were male served the Raj, for a century the only job they could do was die for an empire that did nothing but slaughter us, steal from us, starve us. You are an insect for desecrating my heritage!"

"I think you are being a hot headed Punjabi who is being religiously motivated in his attack."

"Maybe you are a terrorist, oh wait you are the government, its only terrorism if you aint in charge"

(Jaspreet flicks his Kara onto his hand and knuckle busts Joshua in the face, for some reason the recoil is abnormal)

(Jaspreet slaps him)

“Maybe it was a forcefield”

"But why would I need to "

"Do a backflip!"

"Sir I'm chained to a chair"

"DO IT!"

(Joshua wiggles around, but he can even jump, then a shockwave of pain for failure)

“HAHAHAH, You will do everything I want, and you are completely powerless”

"I had you focus on doing a backflip, it was impossible, you focused until you failed, if you tried again I would have been unable to harm you"

"I cannot hurt you with my power, but if you fail my order, if you lose focus on compliance, then it the power hurts you. Not me, your fault!"

"Racist people like you need to be taught a lesson"

"I am not racist I am pointing out how you are just like lord Dalhousie"

"You know how many bigots I beat to get where I am, you are just another statistic a obstacle"

"Hey is you beating me religiously or ethnically motivated, or am I just pointing out how you are a disgrace to your ancestors"

"Honestly I didn't even have to use my mental magic to reveal your true self, you are pathetic only slightly more competent than the Nazis I killed, definitely less racist"

"You know what Joshua, I will beat you forever you will be my punching bag"

"That's cute maybe start a little boxing club for war pigs, a little adorable fight club for insecure autocrats who need a stiffy"

“Fat cat plutocrat,all you do is work off that shat”

(The general stabs Joshua hands, Joshua's attention is soon forced completely focused on has hands. The pain is amplified due to the focus, it regenerates slowly but very fast)

"Aaaagh"

"Oh that's bloody"

"Oh look Joshua can regenerate, ah now that's some enhancements we could really use"

(Joshua sings Hebrew letters float, glow and the would disappears)

"Hey Jaspreet I can go all daaaay!"

"I literally said I can heal wounds"

"You little shit"

"You see, this is a black site, A gitmo I can do anything here I will torture you"

"What do you want Jaspreet, a new tank model, Abrams need a mileage boost"

"Oh those F-35 ain't working, ah the military industrial complex not flaws at all"

“Half your budget isn’t being embezzled by some twig virgins jacking off to the zeroes in thier bank account”

"Oh thats a nice argument senator, lets see you back it up with a source!"

“Joshua we fail audits every year, we don’t need a damn source”

"You d##m right Joshua, ill crack you like an egg...

making the mother of all Junta's here kid”

“You know that game is a Joke. about the military…”

“We are untouchable”

"I General Singh, Secretary of Defense hereby command you to tell me, want a story, not some fuel efficient tank made by hippie fascists, I told you mine tell me yours and I will pardon you" 

"I know you have drones, invisibility, teleportation, and the most delicious... A quantum computer capable of stealing the nuclear codes" " the mere existence of those is a existential crisis for our nation "

"I cannot make you speak Joshua, but I can make you focus on your story and I can tell when you lie"

(Wait he actually has a point how can I defeat a person who can literally control a persons ability to think, feel, act, react, and do magic, this one power makes him insane. I need my friends, just gotta comply)

"You see that is how I can mind control, I can make a person focus on a certain action, they cannot do other actions, if they want they can do nothing, that results in pain"

("Joshua cast strength, Geruvah!")

(Joshua is stunned, he can't think straight as if any though unrelated to the command was drowned in brain fog, he is completely paralyzed, wait do nothing it may be painful but that's fine, just do it for 10 minutes, then comply this will show your resilience to Jaspreet)

"I... Can"

(The Hebrew letters float in the air and land on Jaspreet, his arms thick muscular and hairy grow, and grow, he punches the cell wall, it creates a 5 inch crater in solid cement, then the muscle growth fades, not a single cell in his hand bruisd)

“AHHH, damn that feels INCREDIBLE!”

“Honestly, strength is something I admire, forcing your will on others”

“You just stole my magic” Joshua mutters softly only to feel a prick in his mind

"Thanks Joshua, ill loosen up a bit, honestly that strength rush was.. Incredible"

"Tip of the iceberg, that's A fraction of my power"

"Damn I know see the value in that"

"You will pardon me no matter what I do"

(Ok, this next thing gotta be done fast)

"I remember have limitless power, I know psychokinesis, I can move anything with a flick of a finger"

(the two kirpans are floating in front of the Jaspreet's face in front and behind, Joshua's hands are freed from the cuffs)

"Remember I was testing you Jaspreet, seeing who is really on my side, to assess my opponent, you can't use mental magic under intense fear"

"Your BPM is Waaaay too high for your little CMD.EXE mindgame"

"I have reflexes that are enhanced, remember? I can enhance people's bodily abilities, including my own"

"Mind control is neat. But I kinda like my free will"

“Actually Joshua I can still use my focus ability, just don’t pretend to be my equal”

"I want more than a pardon I want complete free reign, I want power, I want pardons for my associates including the hacker, maybe ill give you the tech" "I'm no good to you dead, and neither are you"

"That's why I will not slit your throat with you cute little Kirpan"

“You couldn’t if you tried”

(The kirpan hauntingly scratched his neck so slightly that it cuts off hair)

"Joshua, you are insane"

(Joshua realizes the General was doing a certain breathing technique, it can be used to abnormally lower A person's heartbeat and fear to in a scary amount of time, f**k)

(General Singh commands his attention to focus at the floor, the daggers fall to the ground everyone's attention is focused on the loud clank)

(In that split second Jaspreet grabs Joshua and throws him again the wall pinning him, completely overpowering him)

"You see General Singh, both of our powers completely cancel each other out" "we are at a stalemate"

"I can kill you with my PSI, and PK, I can heal any bruises taken, It doesn't matter because you could hunt me down or disable me from action you don't want that you want to copy my powers"

“You are not my equal, I am the US military”

“I also have ways to cheat death, you think human bodies are good enough”

"You want my tech"

"you could have me commanded, but I can just ignore orders, pain is funny, I have already been through so much I can handle it after all I have the serum and all of the tech you want"

"You got a point Joshua"

"Guards leave"

(They follow Joshua's orders, with Jaspreet giving a nod)

"I'll tell you it started with a dream... A certain man with a power, similar to mine, power that could heal those, protect those. A valuable power. " 

"Then he almost died and gave up that power, to a new leader, to an angel who granted me my power""

"I demand you stay silent General Singh for the entirety of my story, it may take weeks to just review it but it will tell you the hacker you are looking for and you must pardon Her, I will also tell you where my friends are”

“Well they are very very well hidden…”

“Also Joshua you were associating with a internationally known cosmic anomaly know as a humanoid black whole responsible for mass disappearances.” “Yeah he’s our Navigator”

“Oh I know where they are… I captured them.”

"Fine, I have no choice"

"Neither do I"

(Joshua thinks to himself, to sing A song, to strum A melody, hmmm oh a harp, Joshua thinks of the word Kinnor, or the Hebrew word for Harp, then the letters appear on his hands, wrists in forearms)

(Joshua conjures A harp made of light by taking  those Hebrew letters and shaping them into existence, he starts strumming)

"A little music to jog my memories, for it started A while ago, with dreams of failure to stop the hatred, but love won't die, and truths reign above us"

[agent-lotus]

/User/Agent-Lotus/> The song Iran mentioned to Deckard is real!

/User/Agent-Lotus/> My Life is Love and Pleasure, by Josef Straus for those curious.

[milletonagro]

Saffron Powder: The Spice of Royalty and Its Role in Traditional Cuisine

In the realm of spices, few keep as prestigious an area as saffron powder. This amazing spice, frequently dubbed the "spice of royalty," has captivated palates for centuries with its wonderful flavor, vibrant shade, and rich history. From ancient civilizations to fashionable culinary delights, saffron powder has left an indelible mark on traditional delicacies international.

Milleton Agro Pvt. Ltd, a relied on exporter of agro products for over 25 years, understands the significance of saffron powder within the culinary world. With a commitment to first-class and client pleasure, they offer top rate saffron spice sourced from the best farms and plantations. As we delve into the story of saffron powder, let us explore its origins, characteristics, culinary uses, and the unheard of value it brings to dishes.

Origins and Characteristics

Saffron powder derives from the delicate stigma of the Crocus sativus flower, normally known as the saffron crocus. Native to Southwest Asia, saffron cultivation dates back to ancient times, with strains determined in Egyptian tomb relationships over three,500 years ago. Its cultivation unfolds across continents, with outstanding production hubs in countries like Iran, India, Spain, and Greece.

The labor-intensive procedure of harvesting saffron adds to its attraction and fee. Each crocus flower yields only 3 stigma, which must be carefully handpicked and dried to hold their efficiency. The end result is a spice of exceptional quality, characterized by using its deep crimson threads with an awesome aroma reminiscent of honey, hay, and floral notes.

Culinary Uses

Saffron powder's versatility inside the kitchen is aware of no bounds. Its particular taste profile adds intensity and complexity to each savory and sweet dish, making it a prized aspect in numerous cuisines worldwide. Whether used sparingly as a subtle accessory or lavishly to impart a rich hue and aroma, saffron elevates culinary creations to new heights.

In traditional Persian delicacies, saffron powder capabilities prominently in dishes like rice pilaf (referred to as "saffron rice") and khoresh, more than a few aromatic stews. Its inclusion in Spanish paella lends the enduring dish its signature golden hue and delicate taste. Moreover, saffron-infused desserts, including Indian kulfi and Middle Eastern baklava, show off its versatility in sweet delicacies.

The Spice of Royalty

Throughout history, saffron powder has been synonymous with luxury and opulence. Its scarcity and exertions-in depth manufacturing technique contributed to its excessive fee, earning it the moniker "purple gold." In historical Greece and Rome, saffron decorated royal feasts and spiritual ceremonies, symbolizing wealth and prosperity.

Even these days, saffron price and spice remains a coveted spice in haute delicacies and upscale culinary circles. Its inclusion in dishes signifies refinement and sophistication, making it a staple in Michelin-starred restaurants and gourmand kitchens worldwide. Despite its premium charge tag, chefs and connoisseurs alike recognize saffron powder as an imperative aspect worthy of its regal popularity.

Health Benefits and Cultural Significance

Beyond its culinary attraction, saffron powder boasts a plethora of fitness blessings and cultural significance. Rich in antioxidants along with crocin and safranal, saffron reveals anti-inflammatory and temper-improving residences. In traditional medication, it's far prized for its ability to relieve symptoms of despair, decorate cognitive function, and sell general proper-being.

Moreover, saffron holds deep cultural importance in numerous societies. In Iran, the world's largest producer of saffron, it's far loved as an image of countrywide satisfaction and history. During the Persian New Year (Nowruz), saffron-infused dishes like saffron rice pudding (sholeh zard) are enjoyed as part of festive celebrations. Similarly, in India, saffron holds non secular importance and is used in ceremonies, rituals, and offerings.

Conclusion

In the area of spices, saffron powder stands apart as a testament to culinary excellence and cultural heritage. Its wonderful taste, vibrant coloration, and wealthy history make it a loved element in conventional cuisine internationally. From the royal courts of historic civilizations to modern gourmet kitchens, saffron maintains to captivate palates and elevate dishes to great heights.

For top class saffron powder sourced from the finest farms and plantations, look no further than Milleton Agro Pvt. Ltd. With a commitment to first-rate and client pleasure, they offer more than a few aromatic and flavorful spices to cater to numerous culinary desires. Contact Milleton Agro Pvt. Ltd today to experience the essence of saffron—the spice of royalty—to your culinary creations.