#zarrin

[wally-b-feed]

Anthony Fineran (B 1981), 'Zarrin Jose', 2024

[equinoxts2]

What a Way(bird) to Start...

So. Kulo Sena rebuild is coming, but since I'm also working on a servo-to-skeleton default replacement project for @fracturedmoonlight (which I really want to make the best it can be for my awesome friend) it's going slower than I hoped. It probably won't be fully playable in time for its eighteenth birthday (that's April 16th) but I should have a few households in place by then.

Until then, here's the promised-several-weeks-ago update on how the Waybirds did as the first household of my last iteration... (warning: lazy buildophobe's builds are terrible)

Aria, the eldest of the two adopted Waybird youngsters, struck up a friendship with similarly-aged neighbour Zarrin Talent. Zarrin is also adopted, and the two spent several hours after getting back from lore tuition bonding over their respective family troubles.

A few days later, Aria and Zarrin decided to sneak out together. But something went wrong. Hours passed, the suns came up, Aria's motives kept plummeting... but she didn't return.

In a panic, her adopted dad Hawk and uncle Raven forgot about the breakfast breads when they went out to search for her. Her younger brother Blaise, meanwhile, was completely oblivious to the inferno and his missing sister; he was more concerned with enjoying his day off lore tuition in the fresh air.

I got a message about not leaving Blaise home alone for too long while Hawk and Raven were at work, so I decided, stuff my no-NPC rule, he's calling the firefighters. An NPC promptly arrived to put out the flames...

...just as another NPC arrived to spirit Blaise away. Usually I have a no social worker mod - this time I forgot it. Whoops.

Aria did eventually return from wherever she and Zarrin were. However, her needs were so low at that point that she keeled over and died of starvation, literally inches from the toilet.

Hawk tried to plead for her life, but got there too late. Raven, meanwhile, enjoyed a soak in the bathtub while the kora (Senaverse term for reapers) took his niece.

Aria did not go quietly, though - she returned to scare Hawk, who was delighted to see her again.

Raven, who'd become very friendly with Zarrin's mother Zana, invited her to the Healing Gardens aether beacon for a companion journey (that's what dates are called in my game). Her other adopted son, Tango, tagged along for some reason. Surprisingly, they saw Blaise wandering around, too. So two very important messages were sent to the Spirit World...

...one from Raven, petitioning the kora (social workers in my game are also kora, but not the same kind as reapers) to bring Blaise back to the family...

...and one from Hawk, exchanging some of the aspiration points the family had somehow managed to stockpile during all this for Aria's return to life.

Well, I use the term "life" loosely. Aria returned as a vampire, complete with the signature mark of vampirism in the Senaverse: the Hunter's Eye. This third eye on the forehead of a vampire is usually inert and sightless, but glows brightly when the vampire is hungry. As with most supernaturals in my game, I cobbled it together from several other simmers' overlays, and I'm very pleased with the lore. :)

A few days and one external paint job later, Raven was stargazing when the telescope was struck by lightning. I decided to cheat an abduction as a result. I'm still using my edit of BoilingOil's Alien Experiments, and... let's just say... ever since Aria returned, Raven's greatest fear was becoming a vampire.

So guess what happened to him. And then the big dingbat went into aspiration failure in broad daylight.

Zana happened to walk by her beloved's home just as the spirit man was making him cluck like a chicken; Raven didn't notice.

And then, next play session, the lot got corrupted, followed by the whole birding save. More arguments for my theory: the first lot is the cursed lot.

[chrisnaustin]

If only I were she!

[thecutiecollective]

Bella Drew

IG: BellaDrrw

Represented by Next Models

📷 Ehsan Zarrin

[liesmyth]

“Our prosecutor can no longer distinguish fiction from reality. He leaves no space, no breathing room, between the two worlds. He has demonstrated his own weakness: an inability to read a novel on its own terms. All he knows is judgment, crude and simplistic exaltation of right and wrong.”

“But is a novel good,” continued Zarrin, addressing the class, “because the heroine is virtuous? Is it bad if its character strays from the moral Mr. Nyazi insists on imposing not only on us but on all fiction?”

Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran

[museandquill]

YA Gothic Horror

As some one who likes dark and gothic YA books I thought I would share some of my favorites

Warning, all of these books are dark and have gory themes

Also I’ll post more reviews on #museandreview

1. The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude

Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night. Those are the rules in Rowan’s Glen, a remote farming community in the Missouri Ozarks where Ivy Templeton’s family has lived for centuries. It’s an old-fashioned way of life, full of superstition and traditions, and sixteen-year-old Ivy loves it. The other kids at school may think the Glen kids are weird, but Ivy doesn’t care—she has her cousin Heather as her best friend. The two girls share everything with each other—or so Ivy thinks. When Heather goes missing after a May Day celebration, Ivy discovers that both her best friend and her beloved hometown are as full of secrets as the woods that surround them.

This book is one of my absolute favorite books of all time. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s full of folk lore that small towns and farm communities often have. There’s mystery and side romance between the Ivy and her childhood best friend.

Triggers- Bury your gays, Murder, physical assault, and animal cruelty.

2. What Big Teeth by Rose Szabo

Eleanor Zarrin has been estranged from her wild family for years. When she flees boarding school after a horrifying incident, she goes to the only place she thinks is safe: the home she left behind. But when she gets there, she struggles to fit in with her monstrous relatives, who prowl the woods around the family estate and read fortunes in the guts of birds. Eleanor finds herself desperately trying to hold the family together — in order to save them all, Eleanor must learn to embrace her family of monsters and tame the darkness inside her.

This is a great book that talks about feeling ostracized from your own family and desperately trying to find your place, even in a strange family like that Zarrin’s. Once again another small town horror (are we seeing a pattern lol) where monsters far too familiar roam the woods and your own home.

Triggers- Animal Death, Child Abuse, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Mind Control, Trauma, and Xenophobia

3. The Fairytale Experiment by Amy Hoyer

A high school psychology class volunteers for “The Fairytale Experiment” to test Doctor Arthur Fae’s theory of ‘conscious travel’. Olivia Beaumont and her classmates are consciously teleported to a world of fairytales, where they are all assigned roles of heroes and villains they must play, living out the stories we all grew up with. As their journey progresses, though, they realize this experiment is darker and much more dangerous than they ever could have imagined, and right when they think they understand everything, the game is changed again. Join Olivia, Hunter, Phoebe, Jack, Wendy, and the rest of their class as they navigate the Fairytale Experiment.

I found this book of TikTok in 2020 and oh boy did I enjoy this. It’s filled with familiar fairytales like Beauty and the Beast, Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Wonderland just to name a few. We get little backstories to even some of the smallest background characters. There’s body horror and psychological horror throughout the whole book and I really home she writes a second book

Triggers- violent imagery, body horror, physical and emotional abuse, manipulation, gaslighting, captivity and control, disordered eating, and trauma related flashbacks

4. The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

Clare has been miserable since her exorcism. The preacher that rid her of evil didn’t understand that her demon—simply known as Her—was like a sister to Clare. Now, Clare will do almost anything to get Her back. After a chance encounter with the son of the preacher who exorcised her, Clare goes on an adventure through the dark underbelly of her small Southern town, discovering its deep-seated occult roots. As she searches for Her, she must question the fine lines between good and evil, love and hate, and religion and free will. Vivid and sharp, The Good Demon tells the unusual story of friendship amid dark Gothic horror.

I found this book in a resale store not long after this book came out. (big thanks to my hippy grandma who bought this for me) This is the book who created my love for books FILLED with religious imagery and trauma. Not gonna lie it’s been a minute since I’ve read this book so I can’t say as much as I can on the others.

Triggers- SA, substance abuse, animal cruelty, religious trauma, addiction, demonic possession, violence, slut-shaming, poor representation of other religions, parental neglect, and self deletion

5. My Best Friends Exorcismbt by Grady Hendrix

The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

If you know anything about Grady Hendrix you know this man love a dark book. There’s body horror, theirs 80’s body image issues, and of course being in love with your best friend but never actually admitting it (technically it’s not confirmed but my god is Abby gay for Gretchen)

Triggers (there’s a lot)- Alcohol, Animal death, Assault, Attempted murder, Attempted self deletion, Blood, Cheating, Child abuse, Cults, Demons, Drug abuse, Eating disorders, Vomiting, Gore, Hallucinations, Homophobia, Misogyny, Poisoning, Potential SA, Racist language, Self-harm, Sexism

These book are NOT light or easy reads. They are dark, they are disturbing, and they are gory. If you need read these books, please do your research on what triggers they have (I know I listed them but just in case I missed them) I have gone into books without knowing their triggers and they were very similar to these and because I didn’t know, it was very hard to read and I had to stop (this was for school and EVERYONE in the class had to stop reading it)

Please be safe, please be careful, your mental health comes first

[thehandmaidsdaily]

Hulu has officially ordered The Handmaid’s Tale follow-up The Testaments to series with production set to begin on April 7. From executive producers Bruce Miller and Warren Littlefield, the drama is based on the 2019 Margaret Atwood novel of the same name set in the dystopian theocracy of Gilead more than 15 years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale.

The Handmaid’s Tale lead Elisabeth Moss will also executive produce the project. As Deadline previously reported, the hope is for Moss to guest star in the sequel, reprising the role of June Osbourne, who is linked to Agnes and Daisy. With The Handmaid’s Tale set to premiere its final season on April 8, appearances from June will depend on whether she survives the rebellion unless they opt to go the flashback route.

The Testaments also rounds out its cast with 9 new actors: Mabel Li, Amy Seimetz, Brad Alexander, Zarrin Darnell-Martin, Eva Foote, Isolde Ardies, Shechinah Mpumlwana, Birva Pandya, and Kira Guloien. 

The coming-of-age story finds a new generation of young women in Gilead, grappling with the bleak future that awaits them. For these young women, growing up in Gilead is all they have ever known, having no tangible memories of the outside world before their indoctrination into this life. Facing the prospect of being married off and living a life of servitude, they will be forced to search for allies, both new and old, to help in their fight for freedom and the life they deserve.

[sweetfirebird]

A Fairy in Everlasting

Feverfew Mole on Patreon made two donations but only one request, but it’s okay, because I went long with it. I suspect because I had Everlasting on my mind already (for Reasons) and so this happened. Don’t hate me.

Request was: a fairy walks into Everlasting Cuppa

Content tags: mention of homophobia/queer phobia as well as in-universe anti-being prejudice. Spoilers for Treasure for Treasure and His Mossy Boy. (and maybe Little Wolf??? But only slightly and vaguely?) um, some pining I suppose. Of a sort. Sorry not sorry. It is necessary.

Note: this is probably going to end up changed a bit and put into the new thing which is on my mind currently (see above) so… like Albert says, sometimes you have to wait a while. 

A Fairy in Everlasting

Downtown Everlasting was the sort of place travel guides would deem quaint: small buildings and shops in white and faded pastels, neat and orderly sidewalks, old-fashioned street lamps, not a chain store in sight. The downtown was centered around a plaza of brick paths and decorative trees and benches that might have been in any small town if not for the statue of a dragon that had pride of place.

Outside of those few blocks, Everlasting was a tiny town overlooking a bay, with old abandoned canneries visible as one drove into town and wilderness on every other side. The skies above were gray, the mountains green with endless redwoods, the fog was everywhere and nowhere, and the ocean water was chilly blue.

It was beautiful.

Not even the frozen rain that began and ended with no warning could make Pansy think otherwise.

“Civilization and nature in one delightful package,” he said aloud into his phone, recording his impressions so he wouldn’t forget them later. He hadn’t even gotten to the dragons yet, which was the reason most people, including Grimsby, had assumed he’d wanted to come here.

With the attack on the dragon and the resulting court case in the news, the town of Everlasting was under discussion around the country in a way it possibly had never been. The only things keeping more busybodies away was the long drive required to get here, the lingering winter weather, and very likely a fear of the dragons themselves.

Lots of people thought of themselves as accepting, or on the side of one Zarrin Xu, wounded dragon, but the idea of being near dragons would have remained intimidating even if the dragons had been poor; the obscenely rich were their own danger.

Luckily, Pansy was not obscenely rich and never would be and at least never had to worry about that. He darted to a shop window lit with white fairy lights to peer at the antiques and curiosities on display—or would have darted, but his bulky parka and thermal pants beneath his jeans did not allow much darting.

Not the ideal ensemble for a fairy, and especially not to Pansy’s tastes when he did have to wear clothes, but it was so blasted cold up here, and there was so little sun. He very grateful that Grimsby had insisted he take his sun lamp on this adventure of theirs. Pansy would use it later when he returned to their hotel room and woke up the sleeping lump on the other bed.

The only reason he hadn’t woken Grimsby before leaving this morning was that they’d arrived in Everlasting late the night before and poor Grims had done all the driving to get there and deserved some extra rest. Also, no fairy would get very far making friends if they expected everyone to sleep—or not sleep—the way they did.

The shop was not open for the day yet. A pity, but Pansy could investigate it later. He had weeks to explore Everlasting if he wanted. He’d burned with curiosity since first seeing an overhead picture of the town and his brief peek into the town’s history had only convinced him that this was the place to go for atmosphere for his next book or two.

“Everything is set in the city,” he had explained to Queeny, Ginger, Dahlia, and the rest at the impromptu party they’d thrown for him and Grims before they’d left. “Except for the historical shorts. People will get bored. And anyway, what says mystery-romance more than an isolated, foggy, rainy town on the coast?”

They had not been convinced but Pansy had known he was right the second Grims had driven them past the wooden sign announcing they were entering Everlasting, the gloriously decrepit canneries and piers off to one side, the bay beyond that.

The cold, however, was a bit much. He’d have to get better gloves. His fingerless gloves, knitted himself, could not withstand the wet chill.

He chewed his lip, tasting birthday cake-flavored lip gloss, and turned from that window to continue down the sometimes-foggy street in search of people and warmth.

It wasn’t that early, although he imagined all children would be in school and most adults would have gone to work, probably leaving town to do so. Something had to pay for those big homes in the foothills, or the carefully maintain Victorians scattered throughout the area. Not everyone could live in the tinier homes closer to the water that he’d glimpsed on his walk from the hotel.

Several crows perched on a streetlamp ahead of him, their beady eyes reminding Pansy of the stares from the desk clerk at the hotel when he and Grimsby had walked into the lobby. Pansy had assumed that was because of Grimsby—Grims was only a were, and they were always big. Grims was just blessed with the worst RBF known to being and humankind. He’d probably frightened the poor girl, which was why Pansy had stepped forward to discuss the reservation and take care of the details.

Maybe that had surprised her too, a fairy doing that. Pansy was quite organized, all things considered, but recording things did help, as did having a best friend around to poke him and offer reminders.

But none of that explained her staring, or the stares from the new desk clerk this morning. Or how the mailman leaving the post office building had nodded an absent greeting to Pansy before doing a double take and giving him a far more piercing look.

Pansy paused at the next available shop window to peer down at his blue and indigo parka, and then, thoughtfully, at his painted yellow fingernails. A town that was used to dragons surely wouldn’t object to a fairy, or so he’d assumed. But dragons were special to humans as fairies weren’t. Powerful. People made exceptions for power. Maybe with everyone else, older human prejudices remained.

Pansy raised his gaze to study his face, making a kissy face at himself after brushing his purple-lavender bangs from his face. “Gorgeous, darling,” he assured himself, and turned from the window with a bit more determination. “And you’ll heal if anything happens,” he added, quieter, glancing up when the crows above him cawed.

He nodded. “Exactly.” Pansy didn’t get where he was by showing fear.

And if he did feel fear, well, he’d brought a mean-looking were to hide behind.

Speaking of, in addition to wanting to warm up a bit, Pansy should find some hot food and coffee to take back to his growly bestie. Although Grimsby would likely abandon him in favor of some godawful hike through the mountains before too long. Possibly even today, once the fresh air hit him.

The staring, stumbling morning desk clerk had told him there was a coffeeshop in the downtown area. A short walk, she’d said. Pansy had just gotten distracted. But he saw it now, a bright orange glow shining through glass windows and piercing the fog like a beacon.

Everlasting Cuppa. Naturally, not a corporate chain. Something local and hopefully good, although if any place should take coffee seriously, it should be a café in a freezing cold town known for rain. And dragons. But rain in this case.

Pansy sighed happily and opened the door to step inside. The blessed warmth of a coffee shop greeted him and he nearly opened his arms wide to hug the air currently being heated by a heating system, several coffee machines, and ooh, “A fire!”

They had a fireplace in the seating area. He loved this coffeeshop already.

The person in line in front of him turned at his exclamation, turned back, then did a doubletake.

Another one. Pansy frowned and tried to remember his reflection earlier. With his knitted beanie on, the tips of his ears hadn’t been visible. His wings were obviously hidden by his parka. He was dressed—fully dressed even. And his eyes looked dark brown at first glance.

Maybe it was his hair. Maybe this was the sort of town that hadn’t discovered how humans could vibrantly dye their hair yet.

Or maybe he looked like the pansy he was, and they would have stared even without seeing his wings. 

Pansy narrowed his eyes. Ignoring the knot of anxiety in his chest, he pulled off his beanie and shoved it in his coat pocket. Then he ruffled his silky, choppy hair and stared ahead at the display cabinets and the counter and coffee machines and the menu board above it all.

Well, he intended to stare at them, to pointedly mind his own business the way some prejudiced humans could not. Only… only the shine.

Holy shit, Pansy thought helplessly, stunned by his first glimpse behind the counter.

The human at the register was…. Pansy was no shine-chaser though he’d take it when he found it, but the human at the register was exquisite. Oh, average height and pretty as a wedding cake, all warm tones and tattoos and sensitive eyes, a meal of a human boy, no mere snack. But his shine. It filled the space around him, gray and green and brown, chilly blue and iron red. As though he’d taken Everlasting’s colors for his own and made them brighter.

But then, behind and to one side of him, his back to Pansy, was another human of absolutely radiant pale blue and pinks, at such odds with the flaming red hair that it shouldn’t have worked and yet somehow did. He wasn’t as bright but his shine was soft, so soft that Pansy wanted to reach out to pet it.

Pink-and-blue turned his head, smiling crookedly and with infinite adoration at a larger figure waiting to one side. For his drink, Pansy would have assumed if a thought could have fully formed in that moment when he looked to that man and saw… not a man.

Like glimpsing a dragon on the news and seeing more, seeing other, around it. But this was no dragon. This was… a cop.

Pansy blinked several times but the large echo of feeling, of size and strength and wild, swaying shadows, remained around the cop. The big, square-jawed sort of cop, with glasses that did not hide eyes of blazing inhuman blue when the man glanced over toward Pansy and froze.

“Darling, what the hell?” Pansy asked out loud helplessly. “I’ve heard of firebirds having something even humans can see but that’s nothing to you.” He turned to the two shiny lovelies behind the counter who were now also utterly still and staring at Pansy and not in the way he was usually stared at.

Pansy was abruptly back in grade school, one of two beings in the whole school. He nearly winced reflexively as though a dodge ball was coming his way.

Then the whatever-he-was cop said, “I’ve got to go. Sorry,” to the pink and blue one, who had enormous hazel eyes and more freckles than Pansy did. He blinked those eyes when the cop moved away, not even waiting for his coffee.

The blue eyes did not meet Pansy’s as the cop skirted around him and slipped out the door.

“Goodness,” Pansy murmured before facing the rest of the room again.

The first one at the counter, the shiniest of shinies—and oh, oh what did that mean in a town of dragons?—recovered first. “Good day to you too, Forrester,” he said, apparently to the recently departed cop.

“His drink,” the soft shiny added, almost forlorn. But his attention returned to Pansy almost immediately.

On this side of the counter, several customers were waiting either to order or for their drinks. One, an older woman with the steadiest shine Pansy had ever seen, and rather wonderfully butch, gave Pansy a short smile. Pansy beamed back at her in relief; finally, a sensible human with good taste.

Behind the counter was a doorway, presumably to an employees-only area, although a tall figure came out of the doorway and went right behind the counter to the coffee machine. A pretty young wolf, which would delight Grimsby, who hated to shift and run alone. The young wolf had a vibrant shine, as they tended to, moonlight silver, with red-gold sparks around a hole in the center.

“Oh.” Pansy knew what that meant. The precious angel was so young and had lost a mate already. But he smiled at his coworkers and took the drink he’d made himself toward the back, as if he’d just come in for that. Then he saw Pansy and stopped.

“A fairy,” he said warmly, one more sensible person in this town, and kind despite his loneliness.

Pansy fluttered forward as best as he could with his wings in their parka prison. “Does this place attract the shiny?” he asked in a bit of a daze at so much of it in one place. “Do the dragons do it? Or import them or something?”

Mentioning the dragon made the silence worse, or maybe just made Pansy notice it for the first time as some of his dazzled senses began to calm down.

He faced the meal at the register, who cleared his throat and said, “Sorry,” in a low voice. “I just don’t think a fairy has ever been in Everlasting before.”

“And I’m the first!” Pansy was delighted, if a little trepidatious. He tossed his head to show his hair to best effect, that it would matter to this one. Now that Pansy was closer, it was clear that this one, and the other shiny for that matter, had the stamp of claims on them. Their hearts might be open to many things, but they were deeply loved, and by something powerful. Somethings, Pansy supposed, unless Zarrin Xu or the other dragons of Everlasting were hoarding people.

Ah. He glanced to the rabbit-soft human. The mysterious cop who had made him smile.

“That’s all right,” he offered in return, a little too late to pretend he hadn’t also been staring at them. “I’ve never seen so much shine in one place outside of the May Day fest in Madera when all the fairies gather to welcome spring.”

“I thought you were an elf at first,” Rabbit-soft volunteered. “But I’ve only seen one with, uh, I was going to say dyed, but you know, the colored hair.”

Pansy nearly shimmied for him. “Sweetness, your hair has color too. Flames to put a fairy to shame.” Rabbit-soft blushed too, a dark pink that Pansy could probably get darker if he tried. But he took pity. “My wings are under my coat. Your town has been lovely so far but so cold.” He shivered dramatically.

“Is that why?” The fantastic butch wondered. “Why fairies never come here?” she elaborated. “We did used to wonder. Unless it was the dragons keeping you out.”

Pansy shrugged. “I’d imagine dragons are indifferent to fairies, unless they think of them the way so many humans do.” He dragged that out at the end, letting them all think about the reputation that fairies had because he should have some fun in this town if they weren’t going to kill him or hurt him or run him out on a rail. “Tell me,” he leaned in toward her and batted his eyelashes, “what are the best sweet treats here for me? And where in town can I get a good, big breakfast to go for a friend of mine?” He glanced down to her sensible shoes and cuffed jeans and then back up. “And where’s the hardware store so I can get heat packs to put in my shoes and my gloves? Help me, gorgeous. I’m freezing.”

Her snorted laugh seemed to surprise even her. But then she pointed behind her. “Down the street that way. For the hardware store. Bold, aren’t you?”

She loved him. Pansy knew it. “The name is Pansy, oh love of my life. And when your name is Pansy, then a pansy you shall be.”

She cackled, and—be still Pansy’s heart—the pretty human at the register cracked a smile too. It was only for a second, but Pansy had seen it and his wings did their best to flutter despite himself.

“You could explore the park,” he suggested, “you and your friend. It’s open to the public.” He inched back and briefly seemed worried. “But we should probably tell Zarrin first.”

So he knew the dragon from the news. Perhaps that was the dragon who loved him so. That was good. Anyone going through what that dragon was going through should have a shiny, loyal pretty to cling to.

“I’m not a hiker really, not a serious one. I am more the kind to walk around to look at the view and maybe have a picnic. But my friend is, and I’ll pass that along, unless you think we’ll step on some toes. And ah, your sweetest, hottest, largest latte please. I’m not picky. Just cold.”

He gave the tip of his nose a furtive little rub to help warm it faster.

“I’m used to snow,” volunteered the young wolf, “but there’s something about rain that can make the air feel colder.”

“Are you staying in Everlasting long?” Rabbit-soft jumped in. None of the employees had nametags. It was the first time Pansy had ever thought employees should, just so he could meet them all properly.

“As long as it takes,” Pansy answered. “That sounds too mysterious. As long as we feel like, I should say. Until we get bored, probably.”

“Oh good. Jessie would be bummed if she didn’t get to meet you,” Rabbit-soft explained.

“Martin,” sighed the golden-warm one who named dragons freely, “he’s not an exhibit.”

“What?” Martin turned to Pansy guiltily. “Oh no, sorry. It’s just she loves out-of-towners. Especially the cool ones. Although you’re hot, so she’ll probably also…” He stopped, closed his mouth, and began to turn pink again. “That is, I mean,” he glanced to his coworker, then down. “You’re hot,” he said at last.

“Darling.” Pansy meant it. “In another life, I would take you out back and blow your… mind… for that compliment. But I’m not taking this parka off now for anybody. Anyway, you’ve got a big Taken sign all over you.” The pink grew darker. If this town was full of people like him, Pansy was going to have a treat of a time here. “Don’t worry. I’m only teasing. I’m no threat to your dragon.”

“My dragon?” Martin echoed, strangled.  

“Or whatever,” Pansy replied, slowly and thoughtfully.  

Perhaps to distract him, the one from the register moved around Martin to go to the espresso machine to make Pansy’s latte.

Pansy glanced around the room, full of somewhat tense, shiny people, all of whom had gone suspiciously silent again. This town was the perfect setting for a mystery. He had known it from the first second he’d heard the name. And now, having met some of them, in the little coffeeshop the locals loved, radiant with shine and happiness, he knew this town was also the perfect place to set a romance.

Oh he was going to get so much inspiration and have so much fun. Grimsby should never doubt him.

“Thank you.” No one had charged him but he put cash down by the register and stepped over to get his drink, which he held in his hands without putting the lid on it, so it would warm his fingers and cool enough to be sippable.

“Keep asking Ralph to let us try lavender simple syrup,” his wonderful server informed him, sweetly gruff, “but we don’t have it now. But that’s the French vanilla, with no artificial sweeteners. The weres,” he glanced back to the young wolf who hadn’t left, “apparently can taste the fake flavoring. So we have these now. I don’t know that I taste the difference but then, they do also taste better somehow.”

“This is the coffeeshop to go to, I can tell.” Pansy inhaled vanilla again appreciatively.

A chime rang out as a new customer walked in.

“I don’t know what has Forrester in a mood,” someone declared in a calm but very amused tone, “but he came tearing into the station without his usual coffee in hand. So I figured I’d get it for him for the sake of everyone in his sarcasm blast radius and maybe treat myself at the same time. It’s Tuesday,” the calmly amused person added, “Treat Yourself Tuesday is a thing. I’ve just decided.”

He seemed almost merry. Pansy turned, half expecting to see an elf or the sort of roly-poly older human man who delighted in telling silly jokes to strangers. But it wasn’t either. It was another cop. Human, certainly, and smaller than the other, inhuman one. He had a ruddy brown complexion and dark eyes. Average height for a human man. Regular-looking in nearly every way.

But his colors.

His colors.

The ringing, crystal clear, mountain spring purity of them, even as they melded and merged and moved together around him. They were not a shining beacon. Not overwhelmingly bright like the others here but clear. Blue and gray and white, all of them so astonishingly distinct and clear that it was as if a light was coming from behind him. As though he was a beam of light that only Pansy could see.

His wings struggled against the parka.

Pansy stumbled clumsily forward.

The man’s eyes fixed on him with obvious surprise, his gaze drifting up toward Pansy’s hair with a little blink, then falling to one of his ears and the chain cuffs Pansy wore since ear-piercing was impossible.

The man put his head back, then glanced away from Pansy to the others before looking at Pansy again. “A fairy in Everlasting? Well, the times they are a’changin’.”  

Pansy couldn’t seem to manage a darling. “Apparently, I was meant to come here.”

“Really?” asked the human politely. “Well of course you’d come right in here. It’s a popular place.” He didn’t say, for beings, but Pansy thought he heard it. “Welcoming,” the man added with a smile. “And the best coffee. So you’ll probably be a regular soon like everyone else. Excuse me.” He was polite about that too, stepping around Pansy to get to the counter.

As if Pansy weren’t pretty. As if Pansy weren’t the handsomest, most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen.

Pansy slowly turned on his heel to stare at the clear, pure colors of his happiness who didn’t even look back at him.

Then the young wolf was suddenly next to him, leading him to the table where he could add more sugar to his coffee if he wanted or grab a lid. The wolf grabbed the lid for him. “I’d say get it for here, but Schmitty is going to get his to go.”

“Schmitty,” Pansy echoed. Schmitty. Like some sort of old-timey newspaperman’s name. It was horrible how charming that might be.

“It might not be that bad,” the wolf said, as soft as his rabbity coworker, the wolf who’d lost his mate—or perhaps not. “Sometimes, you have to wait a while. That’s all.”

“Wait a while?” Pansy was not the wolf here and yet he howled.

He glanced over, everyone in the coffeeshop, including Schmitty, had turned to stare at him.

“Sweetness,” he said, to the wolf, or the treasure behind the counter, or the butch queen, or the pink and blue bunny, or to Schmitty, perfectly average and perfectly devastating, “what even is this town?”

[the-markus-stickmin-collection]

Tony:like how you captured my heart instead I stayed…

Zarrin: Awh shucks!

Grigori: Get back to work you slackers!

[wally-b-feed]

Anthony Fineran, Zarrin Ba, 2024

[shayarigateway]

Urdu Quotes | best quotes | quotation | positive quotes | quotes | motivational | Urdu Poetry Shayari With Ibn e Ata | Urdu Poetry | urdu Shayari | ibne ata | life quotes | Quotes | Qoute | Aqwal E Zarrin | Golden Words | Bikhre Moti | Aqwal E Zareen

[rasoulzarrin-blog]

2D traditional Animation action breakdown of the Gools Prologue a 2D traditional Animation action shot breakdown of the Gools Prologue R T Zarrin  Animator, Director, Layout, Background, and Composite Artist @RTZarrin @azarangstudio6080 Characters Color by: @maryamsadeghi5021 These videos are R.T.Zarrin R T Zarrin Rasoul T Zarrin's artwork and news. A Writer, illustrator, and Animation Generalist. #2D #2DAnimation #ClassicalAnimation #HandDrawn #LineTest #TraditionalAnimation #Anime #PencilAnimation #InkAnimation #Ninja #KungFu #Fight #MartialArt

[booksformks]

Picture Book Review: The Christmas Elephant

The Christmas Elephant: a Nativity Storyby Maria Antonia (Goodreads Author), Laura Zarrin (Goodreads Author) (illustrator) 5 out of 5 stars Ellie loves to dress up in her elephant costume, but she is disappointed that there weren’t any elephants at Bethlehem. Ellie’s big sister Piper insists that Ellie will have to change into a sheep costume if she wants to go on stage for the Christmas…

[kurung-kuring-aing]

PANIMGGAL QOLBU/HATE

- Upami parantos leungit karagu-raguan, saterasna leungit SIFAT WUJUD DIRI,

- parantos leungit Rasa Jasmani, nya saharita tiasa ningal Dzat-Sifat Alloh ku Kersaning Alloh.

- Ari satungtung masih keneh ningali sifat-sifat ka Dunya an sareng Rasa Jasmani mah, henteu acan tiasa nguninga Dzat – Sifat Alloh,

- numutkeun dalilna oge :

 “ WA ‘ANNALLOHA MAHALUNA’N TASYHADU MAAHU SIWAHU “,

Hartosna :

Mustahil urang bisa ningali Alloh bareng jeung Wujud sejen.

- Hakekat na :

Upami sifat-sifat anu anyar parantos NAFI (Leungit)

- waktu eta ISBAT-na (Hadirna) anu QODIM nyaeta Dzat – Sifat Maha Suci.

- Dalilna : 

KULLU SYAEIN KHALIKUN I’LLA WAJHAHU, - Hartosna :

Sagala hal ngalaman ruksak, kajaba Dzat Alloh anu BAQO (Langgeung).

- Tah kitu Paningal Qolbu/Hate teh.

- NUR

- Dina Al-Qur’an Surat An-Nur ayat 35, dijelas keun :

- “ALLAAHU NUURUSSAMAAWAATI WAL’ARDHI

- MATSALU NUURIHII KAMISYKAATIN FIIHAA MISHBAAHUN

- ‘ALMISHBAAHU FIIZU JAAJATIN. A’ZZUJAAJATU KA’ANNAHAA

- KAWKABUN DURRIYUN YYUUQADU MIN SYAJARATIN

- MMUBAARAKATIN ZAYTUUNATIN’LLAASYARQIYYATIN

- WALAA GHARBIYYATIN YYAKAADU ZAYTUHAA YUDHII’U WALAW

- LAM TAMSHASHU NAARUN. NUURUN ALAA NUURIN.

- YAHDILLAAHU LI NUURIHII MAN YYASYAA’U.

- WA YADHRIBU ‘LLAAHU ‘AMTSAALA LINNAASI

- WA LLAAHU BIKULLI SYAI’IN ALIMUN //.

Q.S (24) AN-NUR : 35

- Hartosna :

- Alloh masihan NUR (Cahaya) ka Langit sareng Bumi.

- Cahaya Alloh teh ibarat dina hiji LIANG anu teu tembus.

- Dijerona aya Lampu gede, aya sajeroeun kaca.

- lir Bintang anu Cahaya na kawas mutiara.

- Anu di hurungkeun na teh ku minyak tina tangkal anu ageung berkahna nyaeta Tangkal Zaitun.

- Minyak na oge parantos Caang sanajan henteu disengeut.

- Anu jadina teh henteu di Beulah wetan, teu di Beulah kulon.

- Cahaya anu manglapis-lapis NURUN ALA NURIN.

- Alloh ngabingbing kana Cahaya-Na ka saha bae anu Dikeresakeun.

- Alloh ngajantenkeun conto-conto pikeun manusa, sarta Alloh Maha Uninga kana saniskara.

- Oge salah sawios Hadist Nabi anu diriwayatkeun ku Ibnu Mas’ud r.a, :

- Nabi ngadawuh :

DI SISI ALLOH MARANEH EUWEUH BEURANG EUWEUH PEUTING, SEDENGKEUN CAHAYA NUR LANGIT, NUR BUMI nyaeta

- Nur Cahaya Dzat – Sifat Alloh.

- Salajeungna dina Shahihul Muslim, anu diriwayatkeun ku Abi Zarrin, Mantena nyaurkeun :

- KURING NAROS KA ROSULULLOH NGAWALERNA KIEU : 

KURING NINGALI “ NUR ‘.

- Aya deui anu diriwayatkeun ku Abi Said :

ANA’BI SAIDIN QOOLA, QOLA ROSULULLOHI TTAQU FIRASATAL MU’MININ FAINNAHU YUNDURU BI NURILLAHI TA’ALA.

- Hartosna :

Pikasieun Firasat urang Mu’min, sabab sabenerna maraneh na ningali ku pitulung NUR CAHAYA ALLOH.

- Tina Kitab Qusyairiah :

AL-KANNANI YAQULU : AL-FIRASATU MUKASYAFATU AL-YAQINI WA MU’AAYANATUL GHAIBI WA HUWA MIN MAQOMATIL IMAN.

Hartosna :

Al-Kannani sasauran : 

Firasat, nyaeta Mukasyafatul Yaqin (Nyaeta kabukana tirai/dingding kulantaran kayakinan na).

- Jeung Mu’ayatul Ghaib (nyatana hal-hal nu Ghaib).

- Jeung hal eta nyaeta sabagian tina tingkat Ka-Iman an.

[ashitakaxsan]

Archaeological Developments that Rock!

With Amazing archaeological discoveries,that are taking place in iran things are getting much more light,thus providing us more chance of understanding what shaed the land thta is Iran.

Sassanid coin depicting Empress Boran on view at Tehran museum-April 2, 2024

TEHRAN - A significant historical artifact, the Sassanid coin featuring Empress Boran (Purandokht), daughter of King Khosrow II, is now on display at the Money Museum in Tehran

This coin holds immense value as it represents the first official depiction of a female ruler in Iranian history.

In 629 CE, Purandokht ascended to the throne and ruled for a year, during which she authorized the minting of coins bearing her name.

The silver coin depicts Empress Boran in the form of a female figure with intricately woven hair, while the reverse, like other Sassanid coins, features a fire altar with two attendants guarding the flames.

To provide visitors with a better view of the coin, the museum has installed larger images of both the obverse and reverse sides on the walls, allowing guests to easily admire the depiction of Empress Boran.

In about 220 CE, the Sasanian dynasty of Iran introduced the concept of thin flan coins, issues that were struck in relief on both sides. In order not to produce intolerable stresses in the dies, since the thinner the material the more force necessary to make it flow into the recesses of the die’s design, the depth of relief on such coins was of necessity much shallower than with earlier currency. Such techniques spread by way of Byzantium to northern Europe, where the emperor Charlemagne struck thin flan deniers (small silver coins), or pennies, which became characteristic of both his own and neighboring kingdoms.

The Sassanid era saw a general renaissance in the nation’s art and architecture. As scholarship was promoted by the government and many works from both the East and the West were translated into Pahlavi, the Sassanian people’s official language, crafts like metalwork and gem engraving reached a high level of sophistication during that time.

The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire in ca. 651 and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion. The rise of Muslims coincided with an unprecedented political, social, economic, and military weakness in Persia.

‘Important’ ruins unearthed in downtown Isfahan-April 5, 2024

TEHRAN – Archaeologists have unearthed an array of “important” ruins and centuries-old structures in Isfahan, which was once the capital of Persia during the Safavid era (1501-1736).

The discovery was made in the Zarrin-Kamar passageway situated in downtown Isfahan adjacent to the UNESCO-registered Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, IRNA reported on Thursday.

“The passageway is situated in the heart of the historical fabric of Isfahan, and significant evidence from various historical periods has been discovered within it,” Ali Shojai Isfahani, who presides over the archaeological team, said.

“Archaeological findings unearthed from the Zarrin-Kamar passageway span from pre-Islamic times to the Qajar era.”

Recently, a routine urban dig revealed evidence of two architectural structures. Consequently, that operation was halted, and urban archaeological operations began with an agreement between the Cultural Heritage Research Institute, Isfahan’s Urban Revitalization Organization, and the Art University.

Shojaei Isfahani, referring to the digging of five trenches during the archaeological operation, stated: “Under the sediments of the first trench, evidence of a series of engraved objects (related to irrigation and water supply) were found, which requires further examination to predict their antiquity, but it is likely that these artifacts date back to the period before the Mongol invasion of Isfahan.”

“These engraved objects raise the question of why these water structures were decorated, which needs further investigation.

The archaeologist continued: “It is probable that these water structures were [once] visible and aesthetically pleasing.”

Furthermore, another trench led to the discovery of a kiln, which is of great importance from a historical studies’ perspective, he explained.

“It appears that this kiln was dedicated to baking a specific type of pottery, but there is still doubt in this regard,” Shojaei Isfahani added.

He continued: “The antiquity of this kiln may be attributed to the 7th century, indicating that we are facing an industrial complex on a part of this passageway.”

The archaeologist said: “Another trench led to the discovery of an architectural structure that appears to belong to the late Islamic period.”

“Here, stone walls and brick floors came to light, which requires further examination and research for dating.”

“One of the existing pieces of evidence is that the dimensions of one of the brick floors found in this passage are identical to the dimensions of bricks found in the dome chamber of the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan, suggesting that these structures may belong to the Seljuk period. However, this requires further investigation.”

Isfahan was once been a crossroads of international trade and diplomacy in Iran and now it is one of Iran’s top tourist destinations for good reasons as it is filled with many architectural wonders, such as unmatched Islamic buildings, bazaars, museums, Persian gardens, and tree-lined boulevards. It’s a city for walking, getting lost in its mazing bazaars, dozing in beautiful gardens, and meeting people.

The ancient city is renowned not only for the abundance of great historical bridges but also for its ‘life-giving river’, the Zayandeh-Rood, which has long bestowed the city an original beauty and fertility. Isfahan has long been nicknamed Nesf-e-Jahan, which is translated into “half the world”; meaning seeing it is relevant to see half the world. In its heyday, it was also one of the largest cities in the region with a population of nearly one million.

The cool blue tiles of Isfahan’s Islamic buildings, and the city’s majestic bridges, contrast perfectly with the encircling hot, dry Iranian countryside. The huge Imam Square, best known as Naghsh-e Jahan Sq. (literary meaning “Image of the World”), is one of the largest in the world (500m by 160m), and a majestic example of town planning. Constructed in the early 17th century, the UNESCO-registered square is punctuated with the most interesting sights in Isfahan.

Apart from its cultural heritage gems, Isfahan is home to some heavy industry, including steel factories and a nuclear facility on its outskirts. A top destination when it comes to medical tourism, the ancient city is also home to a gigantic, professional, and state-of-the-art healthcare city, which is a major destination in the realm of medical tourism.

Name Shiraz identified on clay seal of Sassanids, archaeologist says-April 6, 2024

TEHRAN - In a remarkable archaeological revelation, the name “Shiraz” has been identified in Pahlavi script on a Sassanid-era clay sealing.

The finding is important due to cementing the history of Shiraz, which is situated some 60 km south of Persepolis, once the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (c. 550��330 BC).

The sealing, excavated near the city of Shiraz at the site of Qasr-e Abu Nasr, is being kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

On Saturday, Iranian archaeologist Mohammadreza Nasab-Abdollahi affirmed to ISNA news agency that the inscription “Mugh-e Shiraz” has been deciphered on these Sassanid clay sealings.

Explaining further, the member of the Iranian Society of Archaeology described such sealings as pieces of clay of various dimensions and shapes, crafted to seal documents and goods. These sealings were imprinted with a seal, leaving an indelible mark on the clay.

“These clay sealings, due to their firing process, have a remarkable durability,” Nasab-Abdollahi added.

He noted that these sealings were unearthed during three seasons of archaeological excavations by experts from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, conducted from 1932 to 1935.

According to Nasab-Abdollahi, archaeological investigations indicate that Qasr-e Abu Nasr in Shiraz exhibits a cultural sequence from the Achaemenid to the Abbasid period, with its primary settlement dating back to the Sassanid era.

“The archaeological findings from Qasr-e Abu Nasr reveal a wide spectrum of administrative systems, techniques, and defensive structures,” the archaeologist remarked.

Furthermore, he emphasized that archaeological evidence from the Sassanid period, including such clay sealings, as well as artifacts from the Achaemenid era such as inscribed bricks from Persepolis, corroborates that the city known today as Shiraz bore the same name in antiquity and was among the significant cities of ancient Iran.

According to the Met Museum, this sealing was impressed with four seals of varying sizes. The imagery on the seals depicts a lion walking right, a monogram, an inscription, and a horned quadruped.

The sealing was among over 500 sealings excavated in the Sasanian fortress at the site of Qasr-e Abu Nasr. The cache was preserved because the building had burned, baking the clay and retaining the seal impressions.

These small clay objects played a role in Sasanian administrative practices. A piece of clay is pressed around a cord to close a document or package and then stamped with a seal. In some cases, these removed sealings seem to have been deliberately stored for administrative purposes.

Excavated by archaeologists from The Metropolitan Museum of Art for three seasons from 1932-1935, Qasr-e Abu Nasr is located near Shiraz in southern Iran at a strategic point at the intersection of defensive mountains, available water sources, and along roads entering the Shiraz plain.

The eastern part of Qasr-e Abu Nasr is a raised plateau of a roughly triangular shape. During the Sasanian period, the plateau was fortified by a wall and densely occupied. Archaeological finds from the fortress show a wide range of defensive and administrative practices.

Celebrated as the heartland of Persian culture for over 2000 years, the capital city of Shiraz has become synonymous with education, nightingales, poetry, and crafts skills passed down from generation to generation.

Shiraz was occupied, at least intermittently, from the Parthian period (3rd century BC–3rd century CE) to the Muzaffarid period (13th-14th century CE). The major occupation, including the extensive fortress, dates to the Late Sasanian period (6th-7th century CE).

It was one of the most important cities in the medieval Islamic world and was the Iranian capital during the Zand dynasty from 1751 to 1794. Moreover, Shiraz is home to some of the country’s most magnificent buildings and sights. Increasingly, it draws more and more foreign and domestic sightseers flocking to this provincial capital.

Eram Garden, Afif-Abad Garden, Tomb of Hafez, Tomb of Sa’di, Jameh Mosque of Atigh, and Persepolis are among the historical, cultural, and ancient sites of Shiraz that are of interest to domestic and foreign tourists. The ancient city is also home to some magnificent historical gardens such as Bagh-e Narenjestan and Eram Garden, which are top tourist destinations both for domestic and international sightseers.

Sources:

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/496616/Sassanid-coin-depicting-Empress-Boran-on-view-at-Tehran-museum

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/496738/Important-ruins-unearthed-in-downtown-Isfahan

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/496798/Name-Shiraz-identified-on-clay-seal-of-Sassanids-archaeologist