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ilcaeryx · 5 years

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Tenacity: Chapter 9 - Cannibalism [Takami Keigo | Hawks/Reader]

SUMMARY: Your nightly Twitter sleuthing brings up an inappropriate question about Keigo and he spends the evening denying you any straight answers.

TAGS: One-shot, Hawks/Reader, Takami Keigo/Reader, comedy, cute, fluff, pillow talk

NOTES: This is a part of the Tenacity one-shot compilation!!! Celebrating that it’s Friday with a one-shot featuring Hawks! I had tons of fun writing this. I can’t wait until he properly shows up in the anime.

Your boyfriend Keigo patrolled the roads and rooftops of your city during the day, a professional ensuring the citizens’ safety from villains. When he returned back home for the night, you devoted a good 15 minutes before bedtime to scroll endlessly on your phone, an amateur guardian of his Twitter tag. If you were honest, you were more like a trigger-happy vigilante than a righteous guardian. The perfect duo, to be honest.

Was he aware of your nightly sleuthing?

No. Not the fact that you were basically the head of his protection squad, at least.

Because your spare time always went by fast, your bed time approached and you got comfortable under the sheets. You checked for new Tweets under the ‘wingherohawks’ tag… thirst tweets, hate tweets or whatever the world tossed at you. This had been a routine since months back, when Keigo had whined about being unable to DM you during the day. Mind you, it hadn’t even been during the honeymoon period of your relationship; you two had been together for a solid two years now and this hadn’t been a thing prior, keeping things to the usual phone messages. However, as he had risen in hero rank he saw a need to use his social media platform often, so the two of you became much more familiar with Twitter as a result.

There was a contrasting duality to reading what anonymous people wrote about him. While you loved the thirst tags because of their relatability, though they did make you cringe at times, you silently raged whenever you came across something that could be constructed as hate or pointless negativity. Thus, you had unofficially taken on the Hawks’ Protection Squad leader position – a one person crew reporting whatever nastiness you came across. You thought it made a difference, as he had been visibly more relaxed while browsing during the evening.

This night, your feed was pretty innocent for once. You bit the inside of your cheek, resisting a smile at a recent picture snapped of Keigo patrolling the streets, taken from his profile. It must have been after confronting a villain, as he was pushing back his hair with a dreamy expression on his face. He was intensely photogenic.

Humming, you liked the picture and continued scrolling downwards.

“Chicken, when are you coming to bed?” you asked loudly, peering over your duvet towards the hallway. A second later, the shuffling of feathers against each other and feet slapping against the floor rang out. Your chicken did not enter the bedroom, standing by the entrance like a vampire awaiting an invitation. Holding a bowl beneath his face with one hand, he fished up some noodles.

“Angel,” he greeted you in a creamy tone and guided his chopsticks his mouth. The dark outlines around his eyes made his eyes seem like those of a cheetah, perceptive and predatory. It was an interesting diversion compared to his general relaxed body language. After slurping the last of the noodles, he wiped his hand over his lips and pointed at you with his chopsticks. “I’ll join you after I’m done eating, I promise.”

There was nothing to read online… so you were bored. This one day, you would let him break the rules of the house. “I allow you to eat in our bed now, so you can sit here.”

Keigo did a double-take and pursed his lips. “That’s not suspicious at all. What are you up to?”

“Nothing, I just want your company,” you said and padded the empty, cold space by your side next to the bed’s edge. “Your fat ass can fit here, don’t worry.”

You let out an entertained howl as he feigned a hurt expression, concealing his cheeks and eyes. “I was just about to say that you were going to kill me with cuteness someday.”

“I am cute the majority of the time and I’m pretty certain I’ll be the death of you. Be nice to me, Takami Keigo, or you’ll regret it.”

He whined and stumbled inside, shooing you tenderly to the side. Sitting down, he continued to eat.

“What are you eating?” You rotated until you were on your side, your stomach pressed against his back.

“Leftovers from yesterday, since you didn’t devour everything. Do you want some?”

“Eh, I already brushed my teeth. Thank you for the offer.” You would 100% regret saying that later. That would be a problem for future Y/N, though.

You could hear his lips curve upwards while answering. “Suit yourself.”

For a good twenty minutes, because Keigo never ate like a starving man, you caressed his back while he made his way through the bowl. Occasionally you exchanged quips but you didn’t demand anything other than his presence next to you.

You were content.

When Keigo had completed his night routine he crawled up in bed next to you, encroaching into your space.

“Come here,” he whispered, his voice fuzzy in the darkness. Rolling over, you nestled your head on his arm, his biceps warm against your cheek. When he drew his wing above your body and upwards, it was kind of like resting inside a tent. Feeling his silky feathers against your arm was very pleasant. With great care, he adjusted himself into comfort.

Suddenly recalling that you had to turn on your alarms, you quickly brought up your phone and did so.

“I’ve never been this turned off in my life. Bringing out your phone when you’re talking to another human being.”He stroked stray hair-strands out of your face with his free hand, twining them behind your ear, speaking to you with affection despite the harsh words.

“Unless you want to wake up at 10AM, I have to turn on the alarm.”

“To be honest, I’d love that.”

“Same.” A notification popped up and out of curiosity you tapped it. Then you read it. The Tweet that made you peace out and put your phone away. However, you refused to live with that question blistering inside you without affecting Keigo. “Chicken. I have a weird question for you.”

He hummed in a positive manner, so you proceeded.

“You’re human, right?”

Keigo ceased brushing your hair, his fingers remaining at the tip of your ear. “Well, you’ve seen me naked. You can be the judge of that.”

“I would personally say yes to that question. You’ve got hawk wings, though.”

“I wonder where this is going to end…”

“Just trust me. Look, if you’re mostly human and your wings are hawk wings, do your wings taste like human or fowl?” You didn’t want him to roll over because of your borderline creepy question, so you grasped his shoulder and pulled yourself to his naked chest.

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard this question. Damn, I wouldn’t complain if it was the last time.”

Without thinking, you burst out, “So you don’t know the answer to the question?”

“My future bride,” he said and kissed the top of your head, “consider what you just implied.”

“C’mon, self-cannibalism isn’t that bad. Hold on, what do you mean with future bride?” Whatever tiredness had settled into your limbs dispersed. You weren’t sure if he was kidding or not because his tone had been neutral, as if he were stating a fact.

“Please, stop struggling and go to sleep.”

“Keigo, what did you mean with future bride? Did you say that just to throw me off?” You brought yourself up on an elbow and showed your canines before digging your teeth into his shoulder. It was a timid bite, not worthy of the orchestrated ouch he exclaimed.

“You’re actually a cannibal in disguise!”

“That’s hardly kinkier than what we usually do. Elaborate on the bride thing.”

“Heh, you’ll find out someday. If you’re nice to me, of course.” Keigo’s chest vibrated against your forehead as he laughed lowly.

None of you had brought up marriage before. It made you ponder whether he was pulling your leg or if he had been thinking about it. Would he be that cruel? Perhaps you would deserve it after the coming question.

“Chicken,” you said, your voice unsteady with laughter. “You have an unlimited amount of feathers, right? Have you ever thought of making dakimakuras containing your feathers? I think they would sell well. Hell, I would probably even get one myself.”

You must have broken him because he didn’t move nor speak for a good 30 seconds.

“I’ll make you one for your birthday,” he eventually said, sounding somewhat thoughtful.

“Seriously?!”

“No. You’ve got the real thing here,” he slid his free hand down your arm and brought your hand to his chest, “and you’re asking for a dakimakura? You’re breaking my heart, Y/N.”

Low-key disappointed, you drew your nails against his skin. You enjoyed how his breath quickened as you drew them between his chest muscles to the top of his stomach, yet not further. “You’re a tease. You’re absolutely horrible to me, Keigo.”

Your chicken didn’t seem interested in trading retorts anymore, so you shut up and awaited what would happen next.

Enjoyed this? Give it a like or reblog. You can also follow me for more or check out my other one-shots and drabbles.

Inspired by EXO-CBX's Blooming Day.

#bnha x reader #hawks x reader #takami keigo x reader #bnha x y/n #takami keigo #ilcaeryx.tenacity

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medievalfangirl · 4 years

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A Letter From a (very enthusiastic) Fan.

It’s me again! Haha

First of all I’d like to apologize for possible typos since English isn’t my first language but I hope you can understand the general ideia.

When I found your fic, I was a little hesitant to start reading it because usually time travelling stories to the middle ages never seem to completely portray the danger and violence it was known for. I cannot tell you how many stories I read in which the female lead spends all her time at the alehouse spending the money that we have no idea where it came from, being completely accepted for society even though she’s not like them, magically learning how to use a sword the first time she holds it and being her sassy arrogant herself with no punishment whatsoever for her disrespectful behavior. Oh yeah and everybody seems to love and admire her even though she’s just a pain in the ass.

Now that I got that out of my system, I just wanted to say what a pleasant and beautiful surprise it was to run into AGFTF. Girl, that’s MASTER WRITING! I fell for the story instantly because it’s so incredibly realistic (given the circumstances)! Adeline was held captive for months before she was rescued, she was mistreated and suffered for her loose tongue, she realized through the most despicable way that woman’s rights back then were none at all, she even got her period at the worst possible time ever for fuck’s sake! Adeline had to work to pay for her ale she didn’t create gold out of straw like some Rumpelstilkin lead, she faced the prejudice for being a woman and she took a normal amount of time to learn how to use weapons. You absolutely nailed all the descriptions and realism, thank you so much for that.

About Adeline. So hard for me too love a lead usually I just like them but I didn’t stand a chance against Adeline. SHE’S SO FUCKING FUNNY! Every time she has an inappropriate thought or just a sassy one I shit myself so hard I’m laughing. She’s so relatable and yet so unique. Her clumsiness is not Bella Swan/Anastasia Steel kind of thing, it’s something ridiculously funny and more important: the characters think that too. They’re not charmed by the way she fell of a hill and lost her unicorn panties, they’re amused by it as any real person would be. Every time I feel something’s about to go wrong for her or Adeline just makes a dumbass decision I cover my eyes like “oh, no, Adeline, not again”, but I do it laughing and with lots of loves for her. Taking a darker turn, the way she faces what happened at Dunholm is a shitty unhealthy way but it’s how most of us deal with a trauma and I can only hope she’ll learn how to deal with it in time. I love how she’s not obviously a brave warrior but totally determined to prove herself to everyone including herself and this will prove to be a hard journey mainly when she lives by the Murphy’s Law. Although it’s already very clear to me how much she’s matured and developed in that three years passage of time. I’d like to give you my top five moments of Adeline:

Adeline almost flashing Alfred, the Great. (WHAT WAS THAT HAHAHAHA I LAUGHED MY GUTS OUT);

Adeline having her hair braided by Sihtric at the alehouse (I loved this part so much it was like receiving a warm hug during the hardest winter and their friendship is EVERYTHING);

Adeline and Finan talking by the fire at the camp back from Balbury (they’ll have a topic specially for their relationship just you wait);

Adeline learning how to use a bow;

Adeline braiding Dorito’s mane alongside Finan.

Shall we talk about the marvelous job you did with the characters? We shall. It’s like I’m watching a spin-off from TLK because their personalities are FLAWLESS. I can see them talking to me. Hild being that perfect herself, too good a woman for God alone; Sihtric always so silent but also friendly and compassionate; and Finan. Oh dear God, Finan. There’s no other way to describe him other than quoting Adeline:

“I liked the duality of his nature: he laughed so easily but he wasn’t a man to be messed with – he’d fight his corner, and fight twice as hard for his friends”. Girl, you made me cry. In a good way. That is everything I love about Finan and that’s why I was so happy to see that it’s also what Adeline likes about him.

Now last but definitely NOT least.

Finan and Adeline. Sweet Lord that lies in heaven what a perfect ship. Slow-Burn? It’s more like Slow-Motion-Burn, girl. I’m a person with zero patience and you made me CRAVE for a little romance between these two from the beginning. I just kept praying and hoping they’d have some involvement soon but you made me wait and boy was it worth it. You know, it wasn’t tiresome to wait for those too to start flirting because I just adored Adeline’s relationship with everybody else (Sihtric, Hild, Clapa… even Uhtred and Gisela).

I started to feel the reciprocity when Finan chased her outside the hall and Adeline challenged him for a fight. I actually giggled in every scene they had together after the small ruse for the loaf of bread because that’s what took me to sail my shipp. The small bickering, the smirks and smiles they exchanged, flirty Finan implying “he didn’t know he’d have to EAT anything” (I had mad goosebumps I had). You built their relationship with patience and through crumbs I happily fed on only to realize that they were satisfying me and making me beg for more. It was so beautiful to see their friendship turning into something else and now all I want to see is their wedding. Just kidding but not so much.

I get a little excited when a story has everything I was looking for so I’m sorry I actually wrote you a letter hahaha if you managed to read it all, I just wanted to thank you one more time for taking the time and talent to telling us Adeline’s story. I’ll probably write another letter when I’m finished with the 25 chapters and then I’ll just leave a comment on the chapters like a normal person hahaha

Thank you again and congratulations!

XOXO

A response from a very grateful author who cried at least three times reading your letter

Saying a simple thank you feels a little redundant considering the magnitude of emotion your letter brought me, but that’s where I’ll start. THANK YOU! 🥰🥰 You’ve filled my heart with such happiness it’s difficult to put into words. So, again, thank you! 💕

My goal from the beginning with this story was to try and tell a realistic (or at least, as realistic as time travel can be) story, with a character who struggled, and learnt the hard way that this experience wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows. I didn’t want to write a ‘main character’ in the way that she is automatically liked and respected and admired, just because she’s The Main Character. I wanted to write about a real person, with flaws, who handles things poorly, and who some people dislike. Because real life is messy like that.

So to have you tell me not only did you find the story realistic as I dearly wished, but it exceeded your expectations? I’m delighted, and blow away a little to be honest. You’ve broken down the story and how you felt about it in such detail, really taking your time, and I feel totally and utterly honoured.

I can’t tell you how happy I am that you like Adeline so much! “oh, no, Adeline, not again” truly is her catchphrase, because while she tries, she is nothing short of a disaster at times. I’m so, so happy you feel you can relate to her and enjoy her journey. I agree with you - I think most of us aren’t good with serious trauma. We get there, but it takes time, and a fair few mistakes first. Again, I’m pleased as punch that you like that she handled things badly, that she’s scared but determined, and trying to grow. You’ve picked up on every single theme I’ve been trying to portray with her as if you’ve been in my head for a sneaky look, and it’s incredible. You’re so insightful and thoughtful 🥰🥰

Taking the time to rank your favourite Adeline moments? Well, you’ve reduced me to happy tears once again. Seriously, I’m just a mushy mess at this point. THANK YOU💕

Ahhh, Finan. Straight away I’ll apologise because you’re so right - Slow-Motion-Burn sums this up perfectly😂 I did wonder if readers would find the wait until the romance a drag, so I’m relieved and happy (you’ve made me happy rather a lot, so i apologise for being repetitive) you enjoyed the build up, and friendships with the rest of the Coccham family. I wanted to push Finan and Adeline towards each other in a way that felt natural, and have this gradual realisation from them both that, oh shit, this person means a lot to me. And the flirting? So much fun to write, so I can assure you that will continue forever, to the wedding and beyond (oh i promise, you’ll have that wedding).

One final thing - please don’t apologise for being a beautiful, kind soul who took the time to share their thoughts and bring a huge, huge amount of happiness to my day. As you can see, I write essays too, so we’re in this together!

Thank you so, so, so much 🥰💕💕

#the best submission #im still crying a little bit #day=made #week=made #and lets be honest month #submission

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dokidoki-tae · 5 years

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(that crying anon inspired me) What would La Squadra react to their s/o getting so emotional over being in love with them they cry whenever they're feeling all lovey dovey. (totally not projecting here.. heh heh.....)

i hope this is okay =w=

Risotto: You were a little tipsy from the wine you had from dinner. Risotto surprised you to a night out as a gesture of apology for being so busy. You got a little ahead of yourself, and now you were leaning on Risotto, smiling, singing, and attempting to dance. Risotto chuckled, humoring you as you asked him to dip you and help you twirl. As you walked back, you were sobering up but still leaning against his muscle frame, taking in his scent. He was strong and powerful but he held and cared for you in such a gentle way. Once to your home, Risotto brewed chamomile tea and began to set out your pajamas for you. “Tesoro, how are you feeling?” He went to check on you. He was feared by many but there knew nothing about him. You loved this man and the duality of his entire being. You had so much love for him and you didn’t have to state of mind to properly show it and you cried. “R-Risotto, you’re t-t-t-oo won-wonder-f-f-ful. I-I l-love you.” You managed to hiccup. Risotto tried to cough to hide the laugh. He loved you too, and seeing you like made him smile and his heart swelled. He picked you, directing you to wrap your legs around his waist and arms around his neck. “I love you too, Tesoro. When I had thought I would experience nothing but misfortune this life, you came into my life and made me believe there might some good still left in this world.” He stared was intense and filled with honesty. You were sober before, you sure were sober now. Risotto kissed you deeply, pulling back out of breath, hoping you could show each other your love.

Prosciutto: It happened as you watch Prosciutto gladly and readily cook dinner for the two of you. Sure, Prosciutto loves it when you cook for him. But he can’t help but feel at peace cooking dinner for the person he loves and it shows as he smiles and sometimes hums a classic tune. Watching him in such a domestic setting, with such a handsome smile reminds you of the love you feel for him, and you begin to cry, thinking about how lucky you are to have a man like him. When he brings over your plates and sees you in tears, he puts the plates down unceremoniously, repeatedly calls your name as he goes to press his forehead against yours. When he asks for the reason for your tears, you tell him through small sniffles, that you were just thinking about how much you loved him. He sighs in relief but also at your silliness for crying for such a thing but feels honored that you would shed tears that that. He strokes your wet cheek with his thumb, “Amore, I should be the one overwhelmed to have you to love.”

Pesci: You watched Pesci as he fished. It was one activity where his talent shined through. He was always successful in getting several delicious fish, always picking out the good ones from the bad. You couldn’t tell the difference but he could. Normally, Pesci was hesitant and nervous, questioning his abilities. Even with you, he felt like he had to prove himself, which made you sad. So you brought him to the beach often to see him relaxed and confident. He was such a gentle spirit and loved him greatly. You thought of your love for him and your desire to see him happy always and it overwhelmed you. When Pesci turned to look at you, he dropped his fishing pool and was immediately concerned. “[Y-Y/N], what’s wrong?” You shake your head, wiping your tears away and smiling. You tell him how much love you had for him and felt overwhelmed. It was Pesci’s turn to start crying and now you were comforting him. “I-I love you too! I’m so lucky to have you.” Pesci managed to say between his sniffles.

Formaggio: As he watched the soccer game, Formaggio stuffed his face with pizza, his cheeks looking like a chipmunk. It was so uneloquent, but to you, he was the most handsome man on earth. You couldn’t help that butterflies always formed when you were with him. He’d turn and feed you some, which you didn’t hesitate to take a bit. You both looked at each other, cheeks stuffed, as you chewed and couldn’t help but break into laughter until you started crying. Formaggio almost choked when he began concerned. “Bella/o, what happened?” He asked while running his hand through your hair to sooth you. “I-I just l-love you so m-much!” You wept, accidentally spitting small bits of pizza at Formaggio. He paused before laughing again and grabbed you and sat you on his lap. “Here you are, making me worry that I fucked up somehow,” and leaned in to kiss the tears away.

Illuso: Illuso kept to himself a lot and was often needed for gathering intel for his team. He spent as much time as he could with you. Most of the time, you’d find he has left flowers or notes in your home to make up for it. You didn’t mind as you knew worked was life or death for him. It was your birthday when you found he had left you breakfast, flowers, a gift, and a note for you. He must have set it up before going back to his work. You smell the flowers, your favorite and Illuso knew of course. Before eating, you open and read his note. He wrote you a poem and message, reaffirming his love for you. You stood in your kitchen, sobbing knowing that he loved you just as you loved him. You wanted him to be there to tell him just how much you loved him too. “Now I’m wondering if I had made a mistake in my plans.” Hearing his voice, you swiftly turned to see him, leaning in the doorframe from your room, smirking. “I didn’t anticipate for you to cry,” he said as he walked over you, “have I’ve upset you for making you think I’d miss today?” He tilted your chin up to look at him, eyes showing concern. Shaking your head, you tell him the real reason, and you can see the anxiety that was building up inside quickly vanish, and his usual cocky smile is back on his lips. He grabs your waist and pressed it against his. “Tesoro, allow me to show you all the ways I love you.”

Melone: You were laying as you watched Melone sit and read a book while in bed together. He was always reading something before you two fell asleep, but it was usually you then it was him. But you this time you watched him, memorizing his every movement. The ways he tucked his hair behind his ears and the way his lips would sometimes curl and the way his nose scrunched up. This type of domesticity was what you longed to have with him. You wanted him by your side always because your love for him was greater than any other dream you had. You thought about being with him and being able to love him and tears began to flow and dampen your pillow. You tried to hide it, but your movements caught his eyes and now his attention was on you. “Amore, why are you crying?” He asked you gently, laying down next to you at eye level, reaching to smooth over your hair and gently run his fingers over your neck and shoulder. “I was just thinking about how much I love you and want to spend my life with you.” You reveal. Melone eyes widen as he stared at your puffy wet red ones. Melone face softened and pulled you into a hug, resting his chin on your head. “Amore, I will always be by your side.” He let you cry softly in his arms, as he shed his own tear or two.

Ghiaccio: Ghiaccio was walking you back home after watching a movie you’ve been wanting to see since the trailer came out. Now you were spending the rest your night hearing Ghiaccio rant about everything wrong with it. And if you were being honest, you loved it. You loved how passionate he was and how knowledge he was about things. You know his team would be annoyed but you don’t care, you loved how expressive he was, the way his eyebrows furrow and the way he would sometimes pout and lick his lips as he talked. He squeezed your hand slightly and used his thumb to caress your skin, showing a gentleness that he didn’t show others. Ghiaccio only allowing you to see that side of him was touching and you began to cry, thinking your precious moments with him. He first noticed you were crying when he heard your quiet sobs. “H-hey? Why the hell are you crying for?” You were trying to control yourself and couldn't answer immediately. “Are you crying because the movie was shit? S-shit...I-I mean the movie wasn’t all bad, I guess. Now stop crying!” He demanded, wiping your tears away. You laugh at his attempts to console you. After you’ve calmed down, you tell him why you were crying. He’s dumbfounded for once second before scolding. “What the fuck. I thought it was because of the fucking movie. Why the fuck are you crying about that anyway, idiot?” Ghiaccio pinches your cheeks, stretching them. He scowling before letting out a single laugh. “I guess I love you too, idiot.”

Sorbet & Gelato: Gelato and Sorbet were both free from missions for the next two days and decided to spend time with you. When they arrived to your place, you weren’t home but they called you and you told them to let themselves in since you had to go pick some stuff up at the store. When they enter, they see you’ve been doing laundry, leaving piles of unfolded clothes on your couch. Bored, they both sat on the floor and began folding. Gelato messed around, placing your underwear on his head, making Sorbet laugh. When you get home and see them, you laugh, snapping a picture of Gelato. Sorbet strides over kisses your cheek and takes your bags from you. They don’t let you lift a finger as they put things away for you, talking about all the things they have planned since they were free to spend time with you. Your sitting at the counter with Gelato and Sorbet is looking in your fridge and cabinets to prepare something for dinner. Gelato is chatting away as Sorbet concentrates on dinner. You rarely get to spend time with both of them. Usually, it’s either Sorbet without Gelato or Gelato without Sorbet. You feel like the heavens have blessed you by allowing these two to be a part of your life. You feel whole when you’re with them both. You begin to feel emotional, your lips quivering and tears running down your cheeks. “A-Amore, what happened?” Gelato broke you out of your thought and caught Sorbet’s attention. “Hey,” Sorbet cupped your face, “Are you alright?” Gelato rubbed your back, coaxing you to let out your feelings. “I’m just thinking how much I love you two,” your voice soft. Gelato sighs dramatically and hugs you tightly. “You scared me, Amore! I thought I said something bad!” Sorbet ruffled your hair and kissed your forehead. “And we love you too, I’m sure Gelato means to say.” Gelato followed with a “YUP! Love you more than all the money in the world!” “H-Hey let’s not get carried away...” Sorbet added and brought you into laughter.

#jjba #risotto nero #prosciutto #pesci #formaggio #illuso #melone #ghiaccio #sorbet and gelato #jojo hcs #jupiters-alien

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sorikkung · 6 years

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You did an intro to got7 a while ago could you maybe do one for A.C.E.??? They seem like a good group but I'm clueless atm so it would be v helpful!!!

lololol i did an intro to mark from got7 but not got7 as a whole, but yes ofc i will i love my talented bois and i love rambling about them heRE WE G O

an introduction to a.c.e, for dummies (jk ily choice is a great fandom pls join us)

also this is gonna get rlly long so im gonna put it under a cut

A.C.E is a 5-member boygroup under beat interactive!! which is a p small company atm so my boys dont exactly have the high quality living and practice areas and food that they deserve :(( THEYLL GET THERE THO IM SURE OF IT THEYRE LEGENDS

here’s their youtube channel with aaaaall sorts of goodies

i started stanning a.c.e predebut, bc they had a lot of content for a group that hadn’t debuted yet, and it was enough to snatch my attention real quick so you should check that shit out, they did a shitton of AMAZING covers and to get their name out there more, street buskings its a lot but i swear its worth your time theyre so talented!!

also they have matching tracksuits what more could you ask for tbh (as you can see from that vid, they’re literally so fucking extra)

a few of my favs are

this rlly long busking video w girl group songs and just a bit of everything tbh,

THIS amazing remix/cover of kard’s don’t recall by the rap line + this one cute girl,

only THE most iconic playing w fire cover, band version, (I WILL NEVER STOP SCREAMING ABOUT THAT VIDEO HONESTLY I COULD MAKE A POST ON THAT COVER ALONE ISTG)

their flashlight cover that is enough to make a grown man cry omfuckigngOD it makes me feel things hjskskkh

that ONE TAKE dance cover they did of 3 of taeyangs songs, all focusing on a different member of the dance line

im gonna stop here before i link every damn cover they made

okay so now that thats covered (bad-um-tss) time for…DEBUT

THIs beauty right here is their debut song cactus, which has this really deep meaning to it. bc they came from a small company so they have to work extra hard to even be able to debut let alone be successful and they’re like a cactus bc cacti grow in the desert where there’s very little water but they still manage to stand strong even through the hardest of weather an environment conditions and eventually sprout beautiful flowers,, buuuuuut its also a meme for obvious reasons.

tbh debut era choice culture was just listening to cactus on repeat for days bc it was their only song at the time skjslaas not much has changed tbh LMAO but yes theyre a very edm loving group so their DANCE SKILLS ARE ON POINT SERIOUSLY IVE SEEN FEW GROUPS AS AMAZING AT DANCING AS ACE WOWOW

oh yeah did i mention that their fandom name is choice and that choice are literally the softest fandom my multifandom ass has e v e r been in?? theres literally no cringy or toxic side of the fandom its just so soft and welcoming and pure and everyone is so nice and sweet and friendly and just??? wow i love choice a lot hjkskjsshkhk choice are also SUPER talented too stan talent stan choice

speaking of cringe ace is that group that just like skipped the entire “rlly cringy boygroup debut phase” completely like no weird debut haircuts or outfits or weird lyrics about girls, well actually thats all kinda objective but like they made those outfits work ok and im a cactus isnt that weird of a lyric if you know the deep meaning behind it

aS yOu CaN sEe, cactus era was the era of the tHIGHS and the hot pants. it was literally so iconic it blew up and with great reason too, have you seen those thighs?? AND THEY KNOW IT TOO they even mentioned they chose the hot pants as their style concept and took better care of their legs than their faces. true kings. heres a video of a.c.e talking about the whole hot pants thing and just their legs in general its some quality shit. and heres a video where they decide to show off just how great their thighs are bc they like to kill choices like that, this video is important and iconic bc its where the wowson ship began and also when they declared who the king of thighs were amongst the kings of thighs. definitely a necessary watch for new choice imo. donghun lowkey grinds on the floor at 4:04, you’ve been warned. honestly that video just gets progressively gayer lmao i love it

also for us international choice they made an ENGLISH cover of cactus CAN YOU BELIEVE IT I LOVE THEM SM they didnt have to but they did and oml stan a group who stans you back this hard their english aint that great but theyre trying and i appreciate it so much theyre so amazing look

five months later they dropped their second single, callin’, and b o y was this a stressful comeback, beat had us FOOLEd,, i genuinely thought it was gonna be a flowerboy soft concept yknow with like some sweet lowkey ballad or soft pop song, but nOOooOOOooo, MORE HARDSTYLE EDM not that im complaining callin is a bop but i was TRICKED

LOOK AT THIS SHIT ITS ALL AESTHETIC AND THE CLIP OF THE SONG WAS ALL SOFT I WAS REALLY EXPECTING SMTH SOFT im sorry im still salty that beat tricked me but ITS FINE bc callin is a HELLA BOP like i honestly didnt expect them to top cactus so quickly bc like cactus was hella but they DID and its amazing and heres the link be blessed (warning, these gifs above make it look like a soft vid but there are LOTS of flashing colours and lights and its really intense on the eyes if youre not comfortable with that dont watch, just listen)

they also supplied multiple dance pracs you can find on their channel for callin bc ace feeds us well, although callin had a reaaaally short promotion period bc right after they got thrown onto survival shows for more publicity, but hey, its working!! choice is growing bigger every day and im so proud

donghun, wow and jason all went on yg’s show mixnine, and jun and chan went on the idol rebooting show, the unit. both teams are doing EXTREMELY well on their respective shows!! but ill talk more about that in their individual member profiles bc they havent been put on the same team for anything yet rip

edit: mixnine finished and donghun and jason made the cut for the final group, sehyoon didn’t :(( so dongson will be promoting with the mixnine group for a lil bit!! also chan made it to the unit debut group but jun didnt. im hoping for a sehyjun subunit pls

that was long af but now im gonna dive into the members individually!! so its probs gonna get twice as long sorrynotsorry i warned you

Jun (Park Junhee)

jun is the so-called fiery leader of ace (also lead dancer and lead vocal) but is honestly just a giant dork and a sweetheart. hes the type of guy who you scream at for being dumb and call him an idiot but thats your weird way of expressing your undying love for him?? ask literally any jun stan, they’ll say they hate him. hate him for being so PERFECT like a fucking DISNEY PRINCE he’s the designated prince of the group you know theres always that one member and hes just so LOVEABLE and stupid and skjdakhkjs he fuckign dropped his cake on his birthday when do your faves ever. dad of the group, probably lost the maknaes in the shopping mall about 3 times already. talks a lot, hates aegyo, his members might be planning on sacrificing him to satan? he does on idol class with chan every…i think its wednesday and fans vote who gets punishments n stuff and jun loses every damn time i think hes losing his faith in choice lmao. #saveleaderjun

he’s kinda married to donghun, they’re the parents of ace but donghun might try murder him in his sleep idk man, but now hes on the unit with chan and theyre all cute and you can literally ship everyone with everyone in this group

he has HELLA charisma on stage tho oh my gOd also he has one of the most unique singing voices ive ever heard so its really easy to single out, his face also is the first i learned to tell apart?? he has rlly high cheekbones and a wide but thin smile.

this is actually an ot5 video not just jun but jun’s reaction was by far the most iconic so i have to put it in his section, get you a fave who can FLY lmaooo

it would be CRIMINAL if i didnt solo out jun’s ringa linga cover, thE MOST ICONIC JUN COVER EVER HJFKDSJKFDSJK if i ever stop talking about this assume im dead bc IVE NEVER GOTTEN OVER IT jun in a leather jacket looking all rude and staring at the camera like that im WEAK, SO WEAK, AAAAAAAAHHHH

[ahem] MOVING ON

Donghun (Lee Donghun)

donghun, sometimes romanised as donghoon and often referred to by choice as hun or hoon, is the oldest member of the group and another total sweetheart, honestly ace is just a group of sweethearts, he cares for his members so damn much and is super soft?? but ALSO A s Av Age he’s on mixnine with sehyoon and jason and he SHOT DOWN YG, once again I C O N I C, yg was at a loss for words, heres more receipts of him being savage, i love my sassy boyfriend. BUT HES ALSO A SWEET NOODLE HJKSHJKS oH and did you know that before he joined a.c.e he had no experience in dancing whatsoever and in a year and a half, he caught up with the other four members that have been dancing since they were kids?? I STAN TALENT YALL you’d literally never be able to guess that bc all of them are like on an equal dance level its insane

also he used to have braces during cactus era and it was the softest shit

[cOUGHS] so like did someone say disrespect,,, bc he can do that too,,,,, aAAAAAAAH the duality of this man istg

he’s the main vocalist and has vO C AL S OF AN A N GEL, he has so much soul and emotion in his voice, and has adlibs for days oh my god, he also has the MOST BEAUTIFUL FALSETTO i’ve ever heard, fight me, actually come at me. his voice works REALLY well with chan so they pair him up with him for quite a handful of covers like the all of me one i linked (one of my favs omfg it makes me emo) cause like, his soulful voice plus chan’s higher, sweet voice just sounds so great together i love our main vocals wow.

sPEAKING OF WOW,

Wow (Kim Sehyoon)

his stage name is wow, but its hard to take seriously so the fandom just calls him sehyoon lmfao. it used to be seyoon but when he went on mixnine, he revealed sehyoon was the official romanization so here we are lmao. even if your bias isn’t sehyoon…it’s sehyoon. he’s just that guy ya feel me?? anyways sehyoon is a relatively quiet and reserved guy, but his members really pull out the dork in him, i love it so much?? he doesn’t talk much but when he does all of a.c.e directs their full attention to him to listen, its really sweet, hes pretty awkward with people but you can tell he just feels so safe and comfortable with ace it honestly warms my heart. he’s the main rapper and main dancer, but!! our multitalented man is also a vocalist. yes, you heard, me, the main rapper can sing, and really well at that. (if you scroll up back to the flashlight and dont recall covers, you can see more of his voice.)

gets the least lines, but not by much. although hearing his singing voice in their actual songs has happened like with 2 lines?? so idk man im just waiting for their ballad song that theyre apparently doing for their third song, god im so ready. i love his voice a lot, damn.

he’s also like reeeeeeeeeally gay for jason…the entire fandom ships it and they even ship it themselves. wowson, the otp of ace, they honestly just cant keep their hands off eachother??? i know a friend who struggled to tell apart jun and jason so she just looked at who sehyoon was standing next to and instantly knew it was jason. THEYRE SO CLINGY. i love my squishy boyfriends.

OHHH BOY…i really could’ve used an even more disrespectful gif than this but that would ruin the surprise of watching it in the actual video!! as you can see, sehyoon is the K I N G of disrespect on stage, that shy lil fluffle bean you see offstage?? GONE. DISAPPEARED. VANISHED. this is why his stage name is wow, sehyoon disappears and you just go wow. choice has dubbed him king of bodyrolls with great reason, he makes every concept into a sexy concept, he just has that intimidatingly sexy aura to him, its incredible.

now…are you ready….i bet youre not…who am i kidding NOBODY was ready for this shit. on mixnine, sehyoon was picked as leader for one of their stages (i think he was leader for ringa linga too??) and got to choreograph the routine. if you think its already rude 10 seconds in, its all over for you bitches when the lighting goes yellow. i feel the need to repeat, our boy CHOREOGRAPHED THIS. IT WAS ALL HIS IDEA. EVERY. SINGLE. PART. this is the same kid who everyone on the show knew as the shy, quiet, handsome boy. but then.

but then he did this.

Jason (Kim Byeongkwan)

jason is his stage name that he chose for himself but his real name is byeongkwan, its another case of an idol having a stage name and nobody calling them by it?? i mean most new choice call him jason and i personally switch between the two but most choice seem to call him byeongkwan or bk if theyre extra lazy lmao. memers call him byonk sometimes.

jason is the weird child of the group and we all love him…he’s the second lil ball of sunshine and part ½ of the maknae line. he’s often found clinging to sehyoon or literally any of the members bc he’s an affectionate son who loves cuddles okay?? p r o t e c t h i m.

he’s also the lead everything. yeah thats really not fair but jason is op ok?? singing, rapping, dancing, visual, like sehyoon he’s the full package, i can hardly call them the rap line they’re just the op line t b h. triple threats.

on their official twt jason likes to confirm wowson a lot, its p great lololol he’s the biggest wowson shipper of all time. want more wowson? i gotchu, here’s one of my absolute fav moments. (ft. junchan/chun)

he has some HELLA CHARISMA on stage like boy can u pls chill. they also love doing his eye makeup with that red makeup and it looks rlly good bc bk has such pretty eagle eyes and its his Look™ and that along with his onstage persona is a DEADLY COMBINATION HDSJKSKSLKJS

i’m just gonna keep this short; even if your bias isnt byeongkwan, your bias is byeongkwan. he has that affect on everybody. number one bias wrecker out of the fandom t b h apart from sehyoon (he cant be my bias wrecker if he is my bias so im safe :^J)

Chan (Kang Yuchan)

INTRODUCING OUR CHANSHINE, MAIN VOCAL OF ACE, CUTIE MAKNAE CHAN!!!! he always introduces himself as a.c.e’s main vocal cutie maknae chan, its his iconic line and it suits him so well like LOOK AT HIM ISNT HE JUST A FUCKING RAY OF SUNSHINE WHAT A PURE CHILD I MUST PROTECC he’s literally the happy virus y’all AND ACE KNOWS IT TOO heres this one time where donghun even said that looking at chan cheers him up. certified sunshines only, everyone. also watch that whole video its long but its worth your time.

anyways our boy is a main vocal and as mentioned in donghun’s part they harmonize!!! so!! well!! i mean tbh all of ace can harmonize with eachother its the most beautfiul thing but these two are main vocal for a reason okay. if you didn’t already watch it in donghun’s part listen to THIS and have your ears be blessed i cry everytime oh my god skdfhd ALSO THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT ITS LIKE ONE OF MY FAVOURITE VIDEOS ON THE INTERNET i want to cry i lvoe chans voice so much i love chan i love kang yuchan og hmylhdg sodf i was gonna say i swear im sehyoon biased but im not istg ace is bias wrecking me 24/7 its been the hardest group to pick a bias in ever im not kidding i cant even

also known as kang RUDE, chan was all innocent sunshine and daisies until out of the blue he decided to give the disrespect king sehyoon a run for his fucking money. NOBODY FUCKING SAW IT COMING WE ALL THOUGHT HE WAS SO PURE AND THEN HE SUDDENLY STARTED FLASHING HIS ABS EVERYWHERE AND GRINDING ON THE FLOOR AND DOING THAT AND WE JUST CANT HANDLE IT i dont know a kang yuchan please save me oh my lord

okay this already has an ungodly amount of links and honestly i could go on, but this should be a good enough kickstart for you!!

stan talent stan a.c.e everyone. welcome to the choice family. its literally the softest and sweetest fandom out there. we welcome you with open arms and lots of cacti!!!

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patricksilverrose · 3 years

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My Favorite Albums of 2020

It’s that time of year again! I’m a bit late on this since it took me a bit to finish off my list of new releases, but it’s time now! Here we will be looking at my top 10 favorite albums of 2020. I also did a post on my top 5 favorite EP’s and you check that out here!

Before we get into this, let me explain my system. I compile a list of majority of the releases I checked out over the year and have them separated into three categories: the good, the ones that have potential to be favorites, and the favorites. The good will have ** marked next to them and the potential favorites will have *** next to them. I didn’t have many releases this year that didn’t make it onto my list, which is great to hear.

As always, let me give some disclaimers. First and foremost: these are my personal thoughts and opinions on these releases. If you think a release should be higher, lower, or not even on my list, that is on you. Second: I am a metalhead, so most of the releases you will see on here are metal releases.

Now let’s first see the honorable mentions!

Semblant - Obscura** Amberian Dawn - Looking for You** Temperance - Viridian** Catalepsia - Inheritance** Kesha - High Rode** Thy Catafalque - Naiv** Deathwhite - Grave Image** Fluisteraars - Bloem** Clouds - Durere** Burning Witches - Dance with the Devil** My Dying Bride - The Ghost of Orion** Fallcie - Bad Blood** The Order of Chaos - Maniacal** Ad Infinitum - Chapter I: Monarchy** Miracle Flair - Synchronism** Caligula's Horse - Rise Radiant** Her Chariot Await - Her Chariot Await** Carach Angren - Franckensteina Strataemontanus** Haken - Virus** The Wise Man's Fear - Valley of Kings** Volturian - Crimson** Thy Despair - The Song of Desolation** Reasons Behind - Project M.I.S.T.** Psychotic Waltz - The God-Shaped Void** The Naked and Famous - Recover** Ravenscry - 100** Cult of Lilith - Mara** Smackbound - 20/20** The Anix - Graphite** Silentium - Motiva** Darzamat - A Philospher at the End of the Universe** Davina Michelle - My Own World** Walk in Darkness - On the Road to Babylon** DGM - Tragic Separation** Ulver - Flowers of Evil** Strvngers - Zayka** Goldenhall - Collide** Memoira - Carnival of Creation**

AfterTime - The Farthest Shore*** Rina Sawayama - Sawayama*** Diabulus in Musica - Euphonic Entropy*** Myrkur - Folkesange*** Ignea - The Realms of Fire and Death*** Vile Creature - Glory, Glory! Apathy Took Helm!*** Dark Sarah - Grim*** Lady Gaga - Chromatica*** Angel - A Woman's Diary: Chapter 2*** Aleah - Aleah*** I Miss My Death - MYSTO*** MoonSun - Escapalace*** Ayreon - Transitus*** Mikaela - Nocturne in Red*** Eleine - Dancing in Hell*** Light Field Reverie - Another World*** Veil of Secrets - Dead Poetry*** Invocation Array - Arctiinae*** Lindsay Schoolcraft - Worlds Away*** Black Crown Initiate - Violent Portraits of Doomed Escape*** Draconian - Under a Godless Veil*** Seven - Interdimensional Acts I and II***

Now let the fun begin with the top 10!

10. Nightwish - Human. :||: Nature.

Ok, hear me out Nightwish stans. This album wonderful, but given that I don't listen to disc two and that there's a song on here that I don't like has it this low. Just be glad this one made it onto my list unlike their last album. Also his album was in a three-way tie for 10th place in my list. Anyways, this was a strong release from them. I love how they really figured out what it was they wanted EFMB to sound like. It's different, more symphonic, a bit on the gentle side; all while still maintaining that fairytale essence that we've all grown to love from them.

Favorite songs: 1. Shoemaker 2. Noise 3. Tribal

9. The Birthday Massacre - Diamonds

I'm not gonna lie, I fell off these guys a bit in recent years since their newer music wasn't doing enough for me. This album definitely changed that. This album is so lovely. I definitely love how they're going in a more ambient/shoegaze type of direction now. It really adds such a lovely dimension to their sound. Yeah I miss hearing the stronger sides of Chibi's voice, but this more delicate side is really lovely.

Favorite songs: 1. Crush 2. Parallel Worlds 3. Run

8. Ani Lo. Projekt - A Time Called Forever

This is a band that I discovered this year through their record label. I was blown away by just how strong her voice was. They definitely skew more towards progressive power metal than symphonic progressive metal, but I still definitely love this release. It's very strong, a lot of fun, and has a very solid production. Also wasn't expecting her to go full mezzo-soprano at times.

Favorite songs: 1. A Time Called Forever 2. Walk Alone 3. Back to You

7. Aeternam - Al Qassam

This is another band I discovered this year. A model/performer/singer I like, Mahafsoun, was featured in a music video for this album so decided to give them a go. I'm a sucker for oriental metal bands. The strong production, beefy riffs, and lovely orchestrations really make this release for me. And their frontman has such a lovely voice.

Favorite songs: 1. Hanan Pacha 2. Poena Universi 3. Al Qassam

6. Operus - Score of Nightmares

Once again, this is another band I discovered this year. After really liking the first song I heard from them, I decided to check out more from them. Such a great decision. This is the type of power metal I love. Dark, a strong symphonic element, and their frontman doesn't sound like every single power metal singer out there. In fact, he's a tenor! Yes, another male opera singer fronting a metal band! He doesn't go full tenor often, but when he does I always lose it.

Favorite songs: 1. La Llorona 2. Ruin 3. Lost

5. Dool - Summerland

This album is so lovely. If you've never heard of this band, the best way I can describe their sound is if Black Sabbath and Fleetwood Mac had a baby. It's dark and doomy, while still having a light and airy production. I feel this album really shows off just how diverse and beautiful Ryanne's voice is. It's haunting, fun, pretty, and most importantly dark.

Favorite songs: 1. Dust & Shadow 2. Summerland 3. Wolf Moon

4. Snow White Blood - Hope Springs Eternal

I had such high hopes for this release and it definitely didn't disappoint. Something that I love about this band is that they don't rely on the fact that Uli is a soprano and don't have her going full soprano in every song like most symphonic metal bands do. The fact that their lyrics are about fairytales, but they're still able to give the song such a dark spin at times is always great. The power and beauty this band exudes is so wonderful.

Favorite songs: 1. You Belong to Me 2. Never-Ending Waltz 3. Drop a Stitch

3. Oceans of Slumber - Oceans of Slumber

I was a bit worried about this release at first given how different the singles were. But after giving it a full listen many times, I quickly realized I had nothing to worry about. It's still very different, but it still sounds like them. It has the heaviness of Winter and the darkness of The Banished Heart, but they also played with soul and low key have a country song on this release. It's such a unique release for them, but those haunting vocals and dark landscapes remind you it's them.

Favorite songs: 1. Pray for Fire 2. A Return to the Earth Below 3. I Mourn These Yellowed Leaves

2. Arkan - Lila H

I was not expecting to love this album as much as I do. I had a feeling I'd really like it, but nowhere to this degree. It's so powerful and intense while still managing to maintain a level of beauty thanks to Manuel's cleans. The dualities between beauty and intensity play so well together on this album. I also love how proggy this album is compared to previous releases. It gives it such a fresh feel to it.

Favorite songs: 1. Black Decade 2. Shameless Lies 3. Crawl

1. Delain - Apocalypse and Chill

Am I biased given that Delain is my favorite band of all time to have them be my favorite release of the year? Yes. Do I care? No. The production on this album is so good and I love how much they experimented with new things (having a choir, Charlotte screaming on a track, leaning into djent a bit more) while still staying true to themselves. And the theme of the album is really great look at the world, especially given how shit this year was overall. And just a heads up about the favorite songs, Masters of Destiny isn't on there since it was on Hunter's Moon which was released last year and I listed it as a favorite off that release.

Favorite songs: 1. Burning Bridges 2. The Greatest Escape 3. Combustion

And that’s all for 2020! Although this was a pretty shit year, there were definitely some amazing albums to come out of it. 2021 is already starting to look like a fun year for music and I cannot wait to hear what amazing gems will come out of it. But until then, I hope you all enjoy this list!

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wisdomrays · 6 years

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BASICS OF ISLAM :Unity of Being(Wahdat al-Wujud).Part2

In fact, whether the Being of God or His Attributes are the same as or other than God in Himself is a matter which has long been discussed. Some people, including very great scholars of Islam, considerwujud al-Bari' (oneness or unity of the Author) as the same as the Divine Being in Himself. To conclude from this that these people affirm the teaching of wahdat al-wujud and even of wahdat al-mawjud (monism) may lead one to claim that they are in error (dalala)—but that is a charge of such moment that we should not wish to bear the responsibility of it.

Jalal al-Din Dawwani, in his Risalat al-Dawwani, remarked that the being of the Real (al-Haqq) is the same as His Essence (Dhat) and that there is no real being or existent other than Dhat al-Haqq; and that since wujud is wujud (since "being" is precisely that which "is"), it cannot but be the being of the Real, wujud al-Haqq. That entails that the being of all existents is not real but itibari (derivative, relative). Dawwani goes a step further and observes that it is impossible to consider the creation as comprising existents that are independently, fully existent (mustaqil) both in their being (wujud) and in their outward manifestness: "Regarding wujud, it is impossible to attribute [independent] existence to 'alam (the universe); it is impossible for anything to exist in itself. Regarding outward manifestness, it is impossible to attribute an independent existence to mumkinat, because a thing can only be manifest relatively to the Real Being, to the Wujud who is al-Haqq (the Real). No actual existent (mustaqil haqiqa) has its real being except in relation to Real Being, its being depends upon His Being—on that dependence it can be said to exist. Therefore, we should not consider entities that we know to be conjectural (wahm) and imaginary (khayal) as actually existent (mawjud)."

Ibn al-'Arabi goes still further and insists that what is visible in the universe is a manifestation and reflection, it is never a mawjud (existent), not even derivatively. God constantly and continually manifests Himself and the universe is constantly and continually renewed. These manifestations succeed one other and the universe constantly and continually goes back and forth between existence and non-existence because of these consecutive manifestations. These manifestations succeed one another so rapidly that no interval or gap is perceived in the continuous hierarchy of beings.

Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi shares the same views and expresses them in a colorful way:

"O Soul of our souls! Who are we that dare to attribute existence to themselves? (in comparison to You, what or who are we that dare to make such a claim.) We are a large number of nothing. Our existences are nothing, either. As to You, You are the Wujud al-Mutlaq, who exhibits all the fani' (the transient, perishable entities) on a mirror in which everything is going to appear. Each of us is a lion, but one that is not real—one such as might be embroidered on a flag is moved by the blowing wind. Its movements are seen in the movements of the flag but the wind that moves them is not seen—may that Unseen never withhold His blessings from us! Our existence is bestowed by You and we are Your creation only. You made non-existence taste the flavor of existence, and made it in eternity Your enraptured (lover)."

Such a view which holds everything to be the manifestation of al-Haqq cannot attribute being to anything. While Rumi considers that the universe does have being, that it exists, it does so figuratively (majazi) and because of its being a manifestation of al-Haqq.

Yet there is a multiplicity and variety in the visible world. Some Sufis, as we have just noted, consider this multiplicity and variety as manifestation of al-Haqq and explain it as dependent upon the skills (istidat) of the mirrors; and they hold that such a view is not contrary or harmful to the unity of Divine Being.

Junayd al-Baghdadi conveys the same view in his well-known remark:

"The water takes on the color of the cup."

True or Real Being is One. Just as the Light is One, for all that it illumines—all creatures are reflections and ripple-waves of this Light. Just as rain droplets, which appear in different forms, as water, ice and vapor, are different states of one substance. Similarly, things and events, which flow by and are differently manifest, are the manifestations of the same Reality.

Unlike the early Sufis whose views lead to a sound belief in tawhid, those of the mutasawwifa group who treat wahdat al-wujud in a philosophical way have not been able to stay clear of expressions and utterances which incline to hulul and ittihad. In fact, when they expand on the subject scientifically and philosophically, they cannot be thought free from such a consequence. Indeed, they even seek evidence for their position in verses of the Qur'an and the hadiths of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

The verses are:

It is not you who slew; it was God. When you threw (a handful of dust), it was not your act, but God's . . . (Anfal 8:17)

Verily those who plight their fealty to you do no less than plight their fealty to God . . . (Fath 68:10)

It was We who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. (Qaf 50:17)

The hadiths are:

God the All-Mighty says, "O man! I was ill, but you didn't visit me." Man says, "My Lord! You are the Lord of all the realms, how can I visit You?" God says, "Do you not know that so-and-so of my servants got ill, but you did not visit him. If you had visited him, you would have found Me with him." ( Muslim, Birr, 43 )

God the All-Mighty says: ". . . My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties that I have imposed upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, his foot with which he walks. . ." ( Bukhari, Riqaq, 38 )

It would be possible to narrate many more such hadiths and other Qur'anic verses. However, believing that to do so would not add to the argument, we keep the discussion short. Also, the remarks on this subject of the great men of Sufism, of which we have mentioned only a few so far, are too many to ignore. However, as dealing with them fully in the scope of this question-answer would be impossible and, perhaps, unnecessary, we have limited our attention to only a few.

First of all, characterizing the first two verses quoted above among the muhkamat (the clear truths) of the Qur'an and thus closing the door to any contradiction of the Muslim creed, is the surest way of right interpretation to which many great mufassirs (interpreters of the Qur'an) have adhered.

It does not make much matter whether the action mentioned in the verse is ascribed to God or to His Prophet; either it is a miracle or an action that is attributed by God to His most glorious servant to assure his glory; or it expresses his might and power, confirming his truth.

In fact, in the above verses, what is used to justify an extreme interpretation of wahdat al-wujud, rather emphasizes and confirms the (separate) reality of what exists in the world. For, the difference of unbeliever and believer, of slayer and slain, and muhatab (third person), are mentioned: it is possible to deduce unity of being only by means of elaborate and far-fetched interpretations. Especially to deduce from ". . .We are nearer to Him than his jugular vein,"a meaning in favor of wahdat al-wujud is impossible.

In the hadiths, what is obvious is separateness and multiplicity, not unity, of being. To acknowledge that a servant ('abd) is a distant, secondary creature until he acquires nearness (qurbiya) to God, and then to talk about unity of the two is a rather crude form of belief in hulul and ittihad (in-dwelling and union) which even the mutasawwifa do not accept. Moreover, even in the words of the "people of God," uttered to affirm Oneness of Being, a duality is evident:

You are either the sun or the sea; either the Mountain Qaf or Phoenix. O Being, who is beyond the comprehension of mind! You are the Eternal and Limitless. However, since You manifest Yourself in countless chapters (forms), both those who unite with or liken themselves to You are all enraptured.

Rumi

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rainydawgradioblog · 5 years

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A Conversation: The Brook and The Bluff

On a street corner outside of the Columbia City Theater, an unsuspecting door opens to The Brook and The Bluff mid sound check circled around a microphone crooning an acoustic version of “Father McKenzie” off their new album First Place. For a moment, I’m transported into their world -- one full of intoxicating vocal harmonies and intimacy. Lead vocalist Joseph Settine is wearing an Auburn University t-shirt, an homage to where Settine and guitarist Alec Bolton established the beginnings of the band. Prior to their move to Nashville in 2018, Settine and Bolton rounded out the four man band with percussionist John Canada (whom they met after a gig back in Alabama) and bassist Fred Lankford (a neighbor of Alec in their hometown of Mountain Brook).

Promptly after soundcheck, the quartet and I peel off upstairs to a quiet room upstairs for a conversation about everything from their favorite cover song to realizations amidst their first national headline tour. It’s been 11 days since they’ve released their first full length project, First Place. The album acts as a canvas for both Settine’s exposition on past relationships as well as the band’s own exploration of their sound. In many ways, the album represents a step forward in the band’s maturation, both sonically and stylistically following their recent relocation to Nashville.

“If you’re not making something new, then what’s the point. You’re just recycling stuff you’ve heard before.”

At times, First Place sounds groovier with tracks such as “Shelby” and “Halfway Up” compared to their self-titled EP, The Brook and The Bluff. On the other hand, the project sounds just as warm and intimate with the addition of John Mayer-esque songs such as “Lover’s Rock.” On the track “I Could Never Draw,” Settine’s utilization of autotune is a perfect tip of the hat to one of his musical inspirations in Frank Ocean. While The Brook and The Bluff draws inspiration from other artists, Alec describes how, even with outside musical influences, “If you're not making something new, then what's the point. You're just recycling stuff you've heard before.” The choral backgrounds and performances of the four band members, which differentiate the band sonically, both act as a common thread that weave the swirling collage of work that is First Place together.

The album itself represents Settine’s process of putting past relationships into perspective. While tracks such as “Everything Is Just a Mess” speak to events 4-5 years in the past, “Off the Lawn” depicts experiences that are seemingly fresh. There hasn’t necessarily been a timeline for Settine’s revisitation of feelings of the past. “When that relationship ended, I didn't want to process it. And then sometimes when I would wake up and there'd be a line in my head, it was like, ‘Oh, this is like something telling me that I need to look back, you know. For every song, it could be different because maybe that urge is more pressing.’” he says.

It’s getting to be evening, and as the conversation wraps up and the boys ready themselves to head next door to the Columbia Ale House, I can’t help but ask Settine about the new Frank Ocean releases. The consensus landed on the fact that Frank Ocean, indeed, has too much success to not brag about it.

Alexander Wen: You guys just came from Salt Lake City? I looked on your instagram and all I saw was a bunch of people sleeping in the car, with the location tag being the Oregon Trail.

The Brook and The Bluff: The actual computer game. Yeah, it was a long day. A trick we learned is to leave early so you're driving through most of the day. When it gets dark, that's when it feels a lot longer. We left at 6:45 in the morning, or something like that. It was beautiful, mountains and stuff everywhere.

AW: This being your first time coming to the Northwest and California as a headliner, what’s been the main difference between this tour and supporting other bands? I know you guys came this March to support Ripe on their tour.

TBATB: I mean it's different in that obviously as an opener there's not as much pressure on you. You don’t have to worry about bringing the crowd. With Ripe, we had full rooms regardless of whether we brought people out. So this one is more honest, but it feels cool. The upside being that it is your show you get to tailor it. We get to play our own set, and we’ve made a show for this specific time and all those kinds of things. With Gripe, basically, they would set up seven people for their soundcheck and then we'd have to squeeze in the little tiny pockets on stage. There are trade offs for sure, and honestly the pressure of having our own show is kind of fun because people come for the songs they want to hear. And we’re going to play it for them.

“But honestly, my favorite thing that Alec used to ever play together was tribute by Tenacious D. It was the most fun. Every single time.”

AW: In the beginning, when it was just Alec and Joe, you guys started with a lot of acoustic covers, and then you started like thinking about writing original content. Do y’all still like to rewind the clock and play acoustic covers during your shows? Or is that something of your past?

TBATB: We like to do that. It's usually on a little old microphone that we have. We'll gather around and sing three or four songs in the middle of every set we do. It's a little acoustic section. It’s kind of like a throwback to how it started. We do like including some covers.

Joseph Settine: When we first wrote, it was just us two so there were some songs that were acoustic. Even on this album, Hallways was written acoustically before it became this full band arrangement. We'll play that one that way and then we’ll play it acoustically.

AW: If you could go back to like the archives, what’s one cover that you just instinctively remember playing. I guess, what’s one song that you love playing, whether it be acoustically or cover-wise?

JS: A little bit weird, but always, the really really drunk kids at the very end of the night, would always want to hear silly songs. But honestly, my favorite thing that Alec used to ever play together was Tribute by Tenacious D. It was the most fun. Every single time. And I think it was because the first time we played it, neither one of us had played it together before. And then we hit that vocal part. Literally perfect, first time we played it together...It was tailored to drunk college kids then. I would say now it's a little different. If we were doing it now and it was cover sets for what we wanted to play, I think my favorite thing that Alec and I have played together is Harvest Moon by Neil Young. I love that song.

AW: What's your guys’ experience in seeing your fans and the people who are coming out to the tour. Do you adapt to what their energy and how they interact with you?

TBATB: It's a crazy feeling when people show up. I feel like it's been a slow process from playing for people from where we’re from where it was all like friends. But in the past, it'd be a big crowd of all of our friends. Now, we’re slowly growing out of where we grew up in Birmingham and Alabama. Now coming to a city like this where I don't know anybody, I'll see whoever is in the crowd tonight. I will never have met anyone before, so they don't have the pretense of having to like my music because they know me, or feel like they have to. But the jump from friends to fans has been pretty cool.

AW: When did when did you start feeling that jump?

TBATB: Maybe recently. It started regionally for sure. Even when we play in Atlanta, and have 60 people show up. The cool thing for us is going back to Auburn where we all went to college. And now we don't have anybody that's still in school there but we play for 400 people. I feel like it's been slowly growing since the beginning. We've hit periods of like more exponential growth when we released Halfway Up at the beginning of this year. We saw a huge jump in different markets. It seems like every time we play a live show for a bunch of friends they bring their friends, and we usually end up turning a lot of those people into fans. They go home and listen to our music. It's been a lot of word of mouth. It's been a really big factor in the growth.

AW: I've seen that you guys have performed at a ton of Sofar Sounds concerts in Dallas or Chicago or New York. What's been your specific experience with one-off concerts or shows that aren't necessarily structured as a tour?

TBATB: We use Sofar as our first time going to cities that aren’t our hometown or surrounding towns to have an audience. Maybe an immediate audience of like, like 75-200 people. It was a really good way for us to go to St Louis for the first time, and play for 80 people when we otherwise couldn't have done that. So we use Sofar as a way to start touring. We would string them together on the East Coast and in the Midwest. We would hopefully be able to get to a point where we could book our own shows like this. The stuff that we did with Sofar helps because some of the tickets we sold for this, were people come back from from the Sofar shows.

AW: In a previous interview with Sofar Sounds in Dallas, you were asked the question, what food would you describe your band as. This was before you guys had released your current project..if I need a jog your memory you guys responded with fusion BBQ. Is answer still correct, or do you have a new answer?

John Canada: I don't think it would be barbecue, we’re much cleaner than barbecue now. Maybe sushi.

Alec Bolton: To me, almost bitter sweet, almost like a tart

Fred Lankford: Maybe more savory and sweet

JC: We’re talking about the duality of man

JS: I guess the answer is going to be sushi, like, really good sushi.

AB: What’s something that’s smooth, like a souffle, good and hot, but not like a burger.

JC: Let’s just go with sushi.

AW: One thing that you guys also have talked about specifically is the question of “Have you guys felt like you've made it?”. Y’all have said that you don't have a specific time where you’ve thought you’ve made it. That it’s more so baby steps or small steps that you’re looking forward to. Fast forward to now, in the midst of things, What does that next step look like for you within the realm of this current tour or after the tour?

JC: I feel like especially nowadays the whole idea of “making it” is really just baby steps on a slope. There's things that can happen and it can make it go fast, but there's times where it will go pretty slow. But if we spend five years touring the country, and keep on playing bigger and bigger clubs, by the time we're playing thousand cap rooms in every city, you could say you’ve made it. Because you're making a living playing music, but there's so many people who would think, “well what about 20,000”, you know, but based off of where we are, we are making a living doing music. But barely. One thing that Jason Mraz said that has stuck in my mind for a long time is he said, “When I first started playing music, if I could make a living playing music, everything on top of that would be a bonus.”. So that’s how I think about it.

AW: From your songwriting perspective with First Place, you’ve spoken about how the subject matter is mostly from a relationship 4-5 years ago. When you look to write, do you try to keep distance between when things happen and when you write about it, or could you write about something that feels like a fresh wound?

JS: With the album I was trying to do so much reflection and basically trying to figure out how to live or how to get back into the place where I was in that relationship and trying to get that relationship back. A lot of the album was reflection and at the same time was, I think subconscious conscious processing...It’s like the tip of an iceberg, so when I write that one line, all of a sudden I’m right back in the place that I was three or four years ago.

AW: Could you give an overview of what went into the album art? There are motifs such as the sea, or even the pastel blue background that both appear lyrically. But there are also images like the golden gate bridge and birds that don’t necessarily show up in the album.

JS: They’re actually all pictures that I've taken on tour with my film camera. I think it kind of ties into this idea that a lot of the songs came from and are centered around this reflection that I did in the past couple of years. It was like a little microcosm of the relationship that I was in on this trip to Europe. I think the way that album photos tie into that is another theme of travel. I was trying to find something in a different continent that was not in front of us when we lived in America. I think that the collage of personal photos kind of also ties into that. And then the whole personal nature of the songs.

AW: Since moving to Nashville, you’ve talked about how you’ve met producers and have had more opportunities in general. Do you think, being settled in Nashville, you’ll start to draw more inspiration from Nashville rather than Birmingham?

JC: I feel like it's so music is so global now, we all listen to the same stuff, wherever we live. Lyrically, experiences too.

JS: Yeah, and actually moving back to the processing question, I know I want to go back to that because it my thought wasn't complete. But I think that the album was my way of processing who I was. During that time, I put a lot of it away. When that relationship ended, I didn't want to process it. And then there would be days when I would wake up and there'd be a line in my head. It was like, “Oh, this is like something telling me that I need to look back.”. So for every song, it could be different because maybe that maybe that urge is more pressing. With Off the Lawn, when I wrote that it had just happened but it was something where I immediately knew I had to write. I've grown a little bit now, I'm not 22, I'm 26 and I know that it's not good to push things away for a little while.

FL: I think, yes, the environment internally, will have a big effect on it. The studio we recorded the album and had a huge impact yeah the way it sounded, just like the person we were working with too. So I think we're whoever we record the next project will have a big impact on it.

AW: Finally, what's one thing that the world may not know about The Brook and The Bluff that you’d like them to know? The floor is yours.

FL: I'll say this, We all are trying to not take ourselves too seriously. And I guess I guess what we would want people to know is that we're like human beings just like you. And the reason I even say that is because as a music lover, I’m really prone to idolizing the musicians that I love. Now, becoming a musician and getting to meet all these fans it's just like,“Oh, you're just like me.”.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.

#interview TheBrookandTheBluff

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cryptoquicknews-blog · 5 years

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New Post has been published here https://is.gd/IBICpp

Murder, Censorship and Syria: Crypto and the Future of Uprisings

This post was originally published here

Rachel-Rose O’Leary is a reporter at CoinDesk, covering how cryptocurrencies are being used in areas of economic, social and political unrest.

This article is part of her ongoing dispatches from Rojava, Syria.

In August 2011, a hackerspace in Damascus, Syria, was stormed by armed guards.

Known as Aikilab, the guards stripped the place; televisions, computers and even couches were now gone. Once home to a thriving art and technology community, Aikilab hasn’t opened its doors since. And one of its co-founders, Bassel Khartabil, is now dead, having been arrested in 2012 and later tortured and executed by the Syrian regime under president and dictator, Bashar-Al-Assad.

It’s still unclear who, if anyone, ordered the raid of Aikilab and the arrest of Khartabil, but at that time during the Syrian uprising – the period of civilian protests that preceded the Syrian Civil War – nothing was clear cut.

Except for an idea articulated to Dr. Harry Halpin, a former World Wide Web Consortium employee, now working with Binance Labs-backed Nym Technologies, before Khartabil’s arrest: the same force that enabled an angry populace to coordinate against oppressors – the internet – could also be used to suppress people.

And while things have changed greatly in the handful of years since the uprisings – the area is now characterized by proxy wars and militant Islam – Halpin says Khartabil’s observation is still very true.

“Rojava faces the same situation seven years later … They are under surveillance. They are likely going to be under attack. People who participate in that social movement may be killed,” Halpin told CoinDesk, adding:

“We still do not have, as an open source community interested in decentralization and cryptography, we don’t have software that is adequate for these people.”

It’s a hope – finding intersections of hardware and software to empower the people – first experimented with by Khartabil that still commands many people’s attention today, especially as the last of the ISIS strongholds in Syria has been taken down and civilians are looking for ways to rebuild, at times with crypto and blockchain, in a more equitable and accountable system.

“I think that [Khartabil] was trying to bring stability and new social structure to the technology world that we’re moving into,” Jon Phillips, who was Khartabil’s best friend and colleague, said.

While Khartabil wasn’t “deep into crypto,” Phillips continued, he was an early investor of an open hardware design called the Milkymist, which was later repurposed into the first bitcoin ASIC by Canaan Creative.

And with that, Phillips said:

“He helped shape the DNA of the cryptocurrency industry. He was absolutely formative in that.”

Mozilla’s Mitchelle Baker speaking at Aikilab, Damascus, 2010

Technology’s duality

Khartabil’s story exemplifies the parallel use of technology for both liberation and repression – and it resonates with the work being done in Rojava on the technical academies.

Stepping back, it’s important to note the role that technology played in the Syrian uprising. Throughout the Arab Spring, social media proved a vital platform for voicing dissent and allowing people to organize protests and rebellions against oppressive regimes.

But what started as peaceful protests was brutally repressed.

As the revolution transformed into war, Phillips, who lived in Beijing at the time, urged Khartabil to leave Damascus, but Khartabil refused.

“A bomb went off where my mom lives. I need to find her. My dad has not had water in two weeks. I need to take him some,” Phillips recalled Khartabil saying.

It was this character that created Aikilab in the first place. The hackerspace – although Phillips wary of the dark connotations to the word hacker contended it was more of a cultural or community center – was named after Khartabil’s pet turtle, whose name came from the Chinese “ai” meaning love and “ki” or “qi” meaning energy.

“It means love energy, or join forces, join energy together,” Phillips said. “We wanted to help humanity and society, we wanted to make life better, we didn’t want to make life worse.”

The last time Phillips saw Khartabil was at the Creative Commons summit in Warsaw, Poland in 2011.

Bassel Khartabil pictured with Jon Phillips and Joi Ito, in Warsaw, Poland in 2011

After that, Khartabil, in his communication with Halpin, was coordinating to secure the communications of other protestors.

Halpin provided Khartabil with access to a VPN, although sanctions against the Syrian regime meant that the Google Play Store was blocked for people trying to download applications.

Recognizing the role that the Syrian regime also played in controlling the network infrastructure, in conversation with Halpin, Khartabil raised questions about new, autonomous alternatives for communication security and recognized the importance of anonymous, censorship-resistance tooling.

According to Halpin, who has been providing tech support to human rights activists in the region since Tahrir Square clashes, the last question Khartabil asked to hackers on IRC before his arrest was:

“Do you want to help the Syrian people to connect?”

Eliminate the leadership

Halpin describes his work with Khartabil as a “failed intervention.”

Because of what happened, Halpin – and the other hackers that assisted Khartabil in his final days as a free man – were unable to help the movement’s greatest problem: that its communication was exposed.

“What Bassel was doing is he was trying to provide technology solutions for openness and to make society better, but other people saw that as a threat,” he said, adding:

“Information and technology is a magic art is some level. It’s the power to multiply. Bassel knew that art, the art of computer science, and he understood hardware science, and so he was detained.”

This aptitude for technology, Phillips continued, is what made Khartabil a target, although information surrounding the arrest is limited. Khartabil was imprisoned on March 15, 2012. While it’s also unclear what happened to Khartabil in prison, he was communicating from the inside for some time; according to Phillips, Khartabil spent at least some of the time being used for tech support.

He was executed in 2015, but his death was not announced until 2017.

According to Halpin, Khartabil recognized something very important, and something very dangerous, that had yet to be comprehended by hackers and activists in the West – the risk that surveillance poses to any kind of social movement.

In any uprising, Halpin said, there are certain people with a higher level of activity (like Khartabil). In the Syrian revolution, these players were quickly identified and eliminated, he continued.

This process led to a leadership vacuum, that caused the revolution to be co-opted by far more dangerous players.

The crypto tools

The ability to communicate and interact without the fear of surveillance or censorship is critical for any kind of political activity, Halpin told CoinDesk.

He said:

“People must control their own means of communication. That is a precondition to any type of political horizon, it is a precondition to any kind of political liberation.”

The experience with Khartabil led Halpin to recognize the importance of decentralized tools, as well as the failure of Western programmers to build the right software to support such events in countries dealing with more corrupt regimes. Such tools need to be built in advance of any revolution, before it’s too late, he said.

Toward this, Halpin emphasized the importance of bitcoin.

“While not particularly privacy-enhanced, bitcoin has put censorship-resistant money in the hands of a fair amount of the population and it is becoming easier to use. There is tremendous unforeseen political advantages to giving ordinary people decentralized, encrypted technologies,” he said.

And while many are working on types of decentralized communication tools – Halpin cited ethereum project Status as an example of this – there’s a failure to provide tools that can even function offline. Halpin warned that without such software, there’s a risk that history will repeat itself.

For example, while Rojava has declared autonomy from the Syrian regime, for the most part, its people rely on a Syrian communication network, called Syriatel, to interact. Equally, much of the data flows through Turkey, and when Turkey occupied Rojava’s city of Afrin in 2018, the Turkish state cut off all internet access and telephone communications, plunging the people into darkness.

Yet, while the situation in Rojava is highly vulnerable, Halpin ended on a note of optimism, believing that due to an alignment of interest between Rojava and high tech communities, things could change.

“Rojava is trying to provide a radically democratic and decentralized model for society. Some of the rhetoric does mirror the rhetoric of free software, the blockchain community, of highly technical people,” he said, concluding:

“That’s a good sign because it may mean that we may eventually see a convergence between the kinds of software that cutting edge technologists want to create, and the kinds of technologies that new forms of democratic societies need.”

The full story of Dr. Harry Halpin’s work with Bassel Khartabil will be published in 2019 as “The Tragic Dream of Autonomous Internet Access: The Case of Bassel Safadi and the Syrian Revolution” in the book “Access to Knowledge & Mobile Technologies” by the American University in Cairo.

Photos courtesy of Jon Phillips

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montpahrnah · 7 years

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Hi! I know this might come out as a strange question, but do you think that gay marriage exist in the hp universe? And what are your thoughts on gay wizarding culture (is that even a word? Pardon me for my absolutely horrible english)? Anyway, I hope you're having a good day

beatrice you are the loveliest and i hope everything is bright and beautiful for you

so, as far as canon/word of jkr goes, i know she’s said something similar to what a lot fantasy/sci-fi writers do whenever this comes up, which is that ~wix~ are more tolerant than muggles and being queer just doesn’t matter, or no one cares, etc, which is an incredibly cheap cop-out for all the obvious reasons (and like, “it just doesn’t matter!!” et al is just… such a clueless, straight thing to say. of course it matters). the thing is, blood purity just doesn’t work as a catchall or replacement for real-world oppressions–as in, within canon, it doesn’t even work that way: we have plenty of examples of sexism and misogyny throughout the series, very few explicitly non-white characters play significant roles, and the single canonically gay character is a chaste old man who has learned the error of his ways via a bad romance* and remains closeted for the entire series. THUS, i think blood purity is best (and most interestingly) viewed as another layer of oppression in addition to racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia etc rather than a one-size-fits-all exchange for those things.

because of that, i tend to think wizarding society would progress along similar routes as muggle society re: gay rights, liberation, marriage etc. especially because i think queer wizards would necessarily have to have a knowledge of both worlds/learn to exist in both–given how small and insular wizarding society is, the muggle world definitely has more going for it! there are absolutely gay wizard bars/clubs/groups/resources etc, but they’d be far fewer/possibly feel a bit claustrophobic given the relatively tiny population of magical folks in general (on the other hand, it would foster an intimate, invaluable sense of community), so i feel like straddling that border between muggle/wizard is inevitable! as a result they bring muggle ideas back with them/bring wizard ideas to the muggle world, and as they got involved in muggle movements, they’d come back and start their own concurrently in magical society.

as far as modern-day magical society is concerned, i see no reason why gay marriage wouldn’t exist! i do think it’d take a bit longer for them than for muggles, and let’s be real, strict pureblood families are never going to go for it (tbh purebloods in general probably don’t take well to it), though i’ve always had a headcanon that queer witches and wizards from those families typically try to seek each other out for sham marriages lol, though that obviously wouldn’t work every time. given that muggle-magical duality i think they’d probably opt for a joint ceremony to make everything official in both places, or maybe just have two separate weddings for both since that might make things a little less complicated… i was trying to think of co-magical/muggle spaces for this where that might have a lot of symbolic meaning but atm i can’t come up with much. also this is kind of tangential, but something i’ve always been interested in is thinking about non- and part-human populations that function mostly outside of both magical and muggle societies, i.e. kelpies, veela, even werewolf packs, because there’s no way they would conform to mainstream muggle or magical ideas about gender and sexuality and i’d kill for a fic that explores any of that someday!!

other than that, i think at hogwarts and even after, a whole lot of queer content both magical and non-magical would get passed around like contraband. certain of auden’s poems, rimbaud’s letters to verlaine, orlando, some of nin’s better short stories, illustrated magical copies of things akin to the joy of gay sex and various zines, mixtapes ft. queer artists/obsessive queer yearning, sleater-kinney’s music later on, my beautiful laundrette, g.l.o.s.s.’s demo, new bloods’ lone album passed around like a sacred heirloom… i like to think they sometimes come to muggle stuff years or decades later and are so extremely enthusiastic about it their muggle buds can’t even bring themselves to tell them they’ve already read it fifteen times. (though part of our shared history, i think, has that ageless quality: given the scarcity of art about and for us, and given how close we hold those things that are ours, there’s something about them that always feels relevant–and such joy in seeing other people discover them.)

AGAIN, i’m always desperate to hear what people think about queer magical culture–tell me your headcanons!!!!! we don’t talk about this nearly enough as a fandom, u know?

*as i wrote this i remembered that i don’t think we actually have confirmation that grindlewald reciprocated dumbledore’s feelings, so maybe “romance” is a strong word? idk

#bisiirius #self-insertingly i hope there's a lesbian witch somewhere out there who finds her way to the old deerhunter blog #long post #kinda #harry potter #reference

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lumiolivier · 7 years

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Chapter Nineteen: Who’s Misa Misa?

Word Count: 4002

Chapter No. 19/36

Notes: Everything’s pretty kosher. Although, there’s some cuteness in this chapter that got me all squeaky. So...

Chapter Eighteen: Duality of a Broken Heart

I brought Veronica back to my house and threw the first pizza in the oven. Not the first time and probably not the last time I’ll do that tonight. When she walked in, Veronica looked so defeated and immediately fell onto the couch. Then again, sleep probably didn’t come easy for her last night. As soon as I went back to the living room, Veronica was already asleep. This poor baby didn’t deserve this.

Although, I hadn’t planned on Veronica crashing here tonight. Her nap would give me a little bit of time to cover up the weird. I set a stopwatch on my phone. Maybe I can beat my half hour record. First the wall scrolls. Then, the figurines into the closet. Then, my manga on the top shelf amongst my cosplay props. I’m truly sorry, Sebastian, but you have to go in the closet, too. I’m sure if you look deep enough you can find Ciel, too.

All I needed to do now was set up some diversionary knickknacks. I usually leaned toward the lighter, pastel, sugary things for that. A cupcake candle, a cute little spacy fairy, a little fake cactus in a light terra cotta pot. There! All done! Twenty-three minutes. Huh. Not bad. A new record. Good for me!

I went back downstairs and took that pizza out of the oven. Veronica was still sleeping like a baby. Good. I threw a blanket over her and looked at my phone. A text from Julian had been burning a hole in my inbox since I pulled out of the high school parking lot.

How is she?

My heart melted when Julian cared. If I could clone him, I’d give Veronica one in a heartbeat. He was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Maybe not quite to Veronica’s high standards. I really don’t think she’d be able to handle the otaku life, but she’s put up with me all these years. She had no idea about my weird, otaku life, though. Maybe Julian’s not her perfect, but he’s perfect for me. And I loved him to death.

She’s asleep.

To be honest, she had me worried. Veronica never handled depression well and I just wanted to hug her. This little angel was crying in her sleep and it kept breaking my heart more and more. I wanted nothing more than to tell her everything was going to be alright. Because it would be. She’s young. She’s adorable. Sure, she’s a little shrill from time to time, but that was Mis...Veronica. She could have the entire world at her feet with a mere smile.

“A letter from the queen, my lord,” my phone barked at me.

Shit! I forgot to turn the ringer off! Veronica tossed around on the couch, but ultimately ended going back to sleep. Dodged a bullet there. I love you, Julian, but sometimes, your text pop up at the most inopportune times. I grabbed my phone off the end table and slid my finger across the lock screen…That just so happened to be a picture from Saturday night. And I kind of wanted to cry.

You need anything before I come over?

I thought it over for a minute or two. We were good on mostly everything. Veronica hasn’t tapped into the food surplus I had for her. She’s only slept. Wait a minute…Am I catching a delayed contact high from Kyle or did Julian say he was coming over?

No. We’re good. And I thought I said it was only going to be her and me.

And I waited again, keeping an eye on her. But once my phone buzzed in my lap again…

I know. Frilly jammies and pillow fights.

I loved him. I giggled a little, shaking my head at his stupidity.

Again. Not a porno, Julian. What am I going to do with you?

Bzzz…

What are you going to do with me? ;)

I loved this dork. I really did.

Not that. Not tonight.

“Is that pizza?” Veronica groaned into the arm of my couch.

“Morning, sweetie,” I chimed, feeling my phone buzz again, “Yeah. You want some?”

“Some?” she gave me a look.

“Yes,” I assured, “I made it all for you. It’s in the kitchen.”

“Bless you,” Veronica stumbled lethargically toward her goal while I took a quick glance at my phone.

I understand. You have to take care of her. Come stay with me tomorrow night?

Hmm…A slumber party at Julian’s?

Sounds good to me. Can’t wait. :)

Bzzz…

I love you. xo

This boy was too much for me to handle sometimes, but I wasn’t getting rid of him anytime soon.

I love you, too.

I sent him a GIF of Grell Sutcliff blowing Sebastian kisses. Figured it’d be appropriate. It’s true love when there’s an exchange of GIFs featuring the entirely one sided relationship between the genderfluid reaper obsessed with the sexy demon. Although, I feel like, in a way, all the Black Butler fangirls become Grell at one point or another. Maybe that was Yana Toboso’s way of bringing the fans into the story.

“I don’t get it, Mimi,” Veronica came back in with her entire pizza already half eaten, “If what happened isn’t my fault, why do I feel so guilty?”

“Because that’s how douchebags work,” I sat with her, leaving my phone on the end table, “They’ll make you feel like shit after they leave you. It’s the withdrawal from the oxytocin and the dopamine. It’s like taking a needle out of a junkie’s vein.”

“I miss my needle,” the tears started kicking up again.

“No,” I shut her down, pulling her toward me, “Don’t let him win, Veronica. Don’t let him win. Whatever you do, don’t lose.”

“But what do I do now?” Veronica wiped her eyes.

I drew a total blank. I had no idea what to tell her. But someone else did. It had helped tremendously when my ex dumped me. When I find myself in times of trouble, the words of Edward Elric came to me, “Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You’ve got two good legs, so get up and use them. You’re strong enough to make your own path.”

“Wow,” she blinked, “That was beautiful, Mimi.”

“What can I say?” I shrugged, “When I was going through this a couple years ago, that was exactly what was said to me to snap me out of the hell I was in. That whole, how am I going to live without him, feeling. I know what it’s like, Veronica, and look at me now. I got up. I started walking.”

I wasn’t going to say I stole it from Ed, but between crying in Sebastian’s two-dimensional shoulder and binge watching Fullmetal Alchemist again, it got me through. When Ed and Al were in Liore, hearing that line hit really close to home. I got up. I started walking. And eventually, the universe played out in my favor. I ended up with Julian. I ended up with the idiot alchemy freak that was lucky his head was attached to my mech otaku that liked to use her tools as weapons.

“So, what you’re saying,” Veronica interpreted, “I need to get me a rebound?”

“Not exactly,” I sighed out. She completely missed the mark, “I’m saying-”

“I do!” she squeaked, “I need to go out and find me another man! I just have to get back on the horse!”

If it was enough to get her this excited and it was going to keep me from watching Real Housewives of Orange County tonight, “Sure, Roni. Whatever you need to make you happy. I’m not saying you need another man to do that, but whatever you have to do to cope.”

“I got it!” Veronica jumped up from the couch and started sprinting upstairs, “We’re going out tonight!”

“Veronica!” I chased after her, “You have school in the morning! And I have to work at the ass crack of dawn!”

“It’s been a while since I flexed my fake ID,” she admitted, digging under my bathroom sink, “We should go to Kansas City tonight and do something fun!”

“Did you not hear me?” I repeated myself, “You have school in the morning. I have to go to work. We can’t go out tonight.”

“Yes, we can!” Veronica brushed me off, “I can pass off my being sad as being tired. It’ll work.”

“You need some sense talked into you, sister,” I shook my head, “But since you’re probably past all logic right now, we might as well.”

“So, we can go out tonight?” she beamed. I couldn’t take that away from her.

“Why not?” I shrugged, “This is the most animated I’ve see you all day. We can go out tonight.”

“Yay!”

“But you do understand,” I hoped, “You don’t need a man to make you happy? You can make you happy?”

“Easy for you to say,” she scoffed, “You’ve been single for two years.”

“Ouch…” I took offense to that, “That hurt, Veronica.”

“Oh,” Veronica realized the error of her ways quickly, “I’m sorry. That wasn’t supposed to come out. That was supposed to stay in my head.”

“I know, honey,” I let it go, “You’re still emotionally fragile and your mouth moves faster than your brain anyway.”

“Thanks, bitch!” she giggled, “Since you’re ridiculously good at this, could you get me ready?”

“My pleasure,” I agreed.

“I need something that says I’m not still in high school,” Veronica specified, “Something that’ll attract old money is a plus.”

“Really?” I rolled my eyes, getting my roll of brushes out, “A sugar daddy, Veronica?”

“Can’t hurt, can it?” she shrugged.

“I pray for you, child,” I let out a heavy, exasperated sigh, “I really do.”

And I got to work. Something that said she wasn’t still in high school…But I wanted to give her something that would make her feel better. So, eyeliner wings sharp enough to stab a man’s heart out seemed like a good idea. That is…Until I realized my liquid eyeliner had gone completely dry. Shit…

“Hold on a minute,” I stopped, “I need to make a phone call.”

“For what?” she wondered, “Is everything ok?”

“Fine,” I settled her, running back downstairs. I grabbed my phone off the end table and scrolled through my contacts. Come on. Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.

“Hey, baby,” Julian answered, “What’s up?”

“Thank God,” I breathed out, “I need a favor.”

“Mimi, what’s wrong?” he went into instant panic mode.

“This is going to sound ridiculous,” I prefaced, “But you wouldn’t happen to know where I could score a good, black liquid eyeliner right now, would you?”

“The Sephora counter in the mall in Kansas City,” Julian assumed, “Why?”

“Will you go get me one,” I begged, “Urban Decay. Perversion. I will pay you back when you get here and I will love you forever.”

“Easy, speed racer,” he settled me, “I’ll go get your eyeliner. I was just about to leave the café anyway.”

“I need it toot sweet,” I rushed him, “The sooner, the better.”

“Alright,” Julian said, “I’ll be there in roughly an hour. Is that ok with you?”

“Fine,” I evened out, “I love you, Julian. You’re a lifesaver.”

“It’s what I do,” he sang, “I love you, too.”

Click.

And he complains about Paul not saying goodbye. Right now, I was so lucky to have him in my back pocket. I ran back upstairs and found Veronica going through my case. My beautifully well-organized case. That she was moving too much around in.

“What was that all about?” she asked.

“My eyeliner’s gone dead,” I relaxed a little, “I don’t have another one, but I got more on the way.”

“The things you do for love,” Veronica chimed, making swatches of various lipstick shades on the back of her hand.

“What do you mean?” I started to sweat a bit.

“You love me,” she pointed out, “And you’ve sent whoever on a wild goose chase for more.”

“Oh,” my anxiety eased, “No. I just asked Julian to score me some eyeliner. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“He’d do anything for you,” Veronica assumed, “Wouldn’t he?”

“Just about,” I reorganized my case. A place for everything and everything it its…Hold on, “Roni, did you take any nail polish out of here?”

“No,” she shook her head, “I found a bottle on the back of your sink, though.”

Sure enough, my dark blue was out. Huh. I haven’t painted my nails in ages. Griffin got pissy when I did that. Even my toes haven’t seen nail polish in a while. Last I looked at them, they were all chipped to hell. Oddly enough, they were this exact shade of blue. The same color as Amestrian military dress blues. Well, we were going out tonight. Might as well redo them. I had an hour to kill, “I could’ve sworn this was in the case.”

“Are you and Julian a thing yet?” Veronica wondered so innocently, “You can tell me. I’m emotionally fragile, not dead. I won’t freak or anything.”

“No,” I lied, peeling off my socks, “We’re just friends. Nothing more.”

“So,” she gave a dirty smirk, “He’s available and unattached.”

“Trust me,” I stopped her, “You’re not his type.”

“Why not?” she pouted, “I’m cute and sweet. What’s not to love?”

“You’re not a little full of yourself,” I chuckled, looking down at my already perfectly painted toes. When the hell did I do that? Did I repaint my toes and not…?

Did you notice my little surprise this morning?

Dammit, Julian. So much for that idea, but I couldn’t keep a smile off my face if I wanted to right now. This asshole. This adorably perfect asshole. There was no way I could ever get rid of him. It was Julian. He made it so easy to love him.

“What’s that face all about?” Veronica nudged me, “Tell me.”

“What face?” I tried to hide it.

“You’re blushing, Mimi!” she was so kind to point out, “What aren’t you telling me?”

“There’s nothing to tell,” I felt the heat rise in my cheeks.

“Fine,” Veronica let it go, “But I know there’s something. I will find out.”

“Whatever you say, sweetie,” I loved her, but she’s nuts.

“Knock, knock!” a familiar voice chimed from the front door, “Was this actually a sting operation? Am I going to be on TV? Do I get to meet Chris Hansen?”

“Up here, jackass,” I giggled.

“So?” I heard Julian’s footsteps echo through the hall, “What kind of shenanigans are we getting into tonight, ladies?”

“Veronica and I are going out on a Monday night,” I told, “Because that’s a good idea.”

“You’re too young to be old, Mimi,” he gave me a small Sephora bag, “Go have a little fun. There’s nothing wrong with that. And you owe me.”

“How much?” I wondered.

“Don’t worry about the eyeliner. I got that,” Julian brushed me off, “You ow me for the guy at the counter that told me I didn’t need it. And he winked at me.”

“Congratulations,” I giggled a little, “Was it Nate? I love him. He’s a sweetie.”

“I didn’t catch his name.”

“Thank you, Julian,” Veronica chimed from the bathroom.

“You’re welcome,” he came in, “Oh, Veronica, my little china doll, you look ravishing.”

“I look like shit,” she laughed, bringing music to my ears, “But I appreciate the Anchorman quote. You’re the first person to ever use the Veronica line on me.”

“Am I really?”

“Yeah,” Veronica came down, “I needed that.”

“You’re welcome,” he gave her a hug, “Even if all I’m good for is getting Mimi’s eyeliner and making you smile.”

“That’s not all you’re good for,” I assured, shooting a glance at my toes.

“I am a jack of all trades,” he shrugged, “I’m also a hint of a perfectionist and get bored easily. So, where are we going tonight?”

“Kansas City,” I loved this baka.

“Hey!” he squeaked, “I was just there! You two going to see Lilith?”

All of a sudden, it was like a lightbulb switched on in my head. I wanted Veronica somewhere safe and in a controlled environment. Veronica just wanted to have a good time, “Julian, you’re a genius.”

“More of an idiot savant,” he corrected, “Why do you give me such accolades?”

“Because you deserve them,” I hugged him tight, “Veronica, you want to borrow anything?”

“Tight, revealing, and makes me look like a call girl,” she requested.

“To think I left my corset at home,” Julian sighed out.

“You don’t have a corset, Julian,” I shook my head at him and started on Veronica’s face.

“Like hell, I don’t,” he confirmed, “When I still lived in St. Louis, I’d go to Rocky Horror every Halloween. I’ve been Frank N. Furter five years in a row.”

“There goes my sleep for tonight,” I teased, “All I can think of is you in fishnets.”

“You can’t tell me it’s not a little sexy,” Julian winked at me.

“I could give you Nate’s number,” I joked, “I’m sure you two would be very happy together.”

“He’s not my type,” he assured, “You, of all people, should know that.”

“I knew you two were a thing!” Veronica squeaked, “How long? How’d it happen?”

“Settle down, turbo,” Julian calmed her down, “She knows about my ex-fiancée.”

“Fiancée?” she settled, “You were engaged?”

“Six months ago,” he nodded, “Not exactly an easy thing to talk about. Together for two years. Engaged for another year after that. She cheated on me. But I think it’s because we became too different. She’d go on about how we were decorating the nurseries for the six kids she wanted to whip out and I wanted to go down to the beach and spin my lightsabers to some heavy techno music. She wasn’t the girl I fell in love with anymore. But I kept holding on. I moved here, I moved on.”

“Good for you,” Veronica applauded, “You have more intestinal fortitude than me, girlfriend.”

“You’ll get over him, too,” Julian promised, “It’ll take some time, but you will.”

“See?” Veronica popped me in the shoulder, “You told me to keep moving forward because I had two good legs and I needed to use them to make my own path or some philosophical bullshit. All I needed was that!”

“But Miles and I weren’t engaged,” I reminded her.

“Was he the last missus?” Julian assumed.

“Unfortunately,” I nodded, “Don’t call him the missus. I’m cringing.”

“Sorry.”

“Regardless,” Veronica broke us up, “These two legs are buying my drinks tonight. So, do you have anything tight and revealing.”

“Here,” I gave her my Misa dress, “This should work.”

“Perfect!” she squealed, “I’m going to go downstairs and get changed. Then, we should be off, right?”

“I’ll need a minute or two to get ready,” I slowed her down, “But I won’t take long. Probably by the time you’re ready, I’ll be ready, too.”

“Awesome!” Veronica took my dress, “I’ll be right back.”

And just like that, I had my little sister back. Maybe all she needed was a night out. However, while she was good and content, I needed to have some words with my not boyfriend. I stood in front of my bathroom mirror and started fixing my mess of a face. I was ready for a night of marathoning shitty TV, not partying in Kansas City.

“Did you really give her Edward’s little speech he used to inspire Rose after the regime in Liore fell,” Julian wondered, “to a girl going through a breakup?”

“Essentially, they’re the same thing,” I shrugged, “The people of Liore were breaking up with that dick priest. Veronica was breaking up with Luke. End of story. Did you really tell Veronica we were just friends?”

“I thought that was the story we were telling people,” he reminded me, “Or do you want to be the one to say we’re in a happy relationship after hers fell to pieces?”

“Oh, hell no,” I shook my head, “But thank you for making her smile again. I didn’t want her to be mopey anymore and whatever I did wasn’t working.”

“It’s what we do,” Julian smiled, “Speaking of us being cut from the same cloth, where’s all the neat shit in your room?”

“Closet,” I told, “Remember? Veronica doesn’t know? My otaku center is hidden from almost everyone except you?’

“That’s right,” he wrapped his arms around my waist, “And I really can’t wait for the rest of the world to see you like I do. By the way, I noticed you gave her your Misa Misa cosplay.”

“She is Misa Misa,” I admitted, “She’s so Misa, it’s painful. Only difference is Veronica isn’t useless. Other than that, their personalities are so similar.”

“I’ve noticed,” Julian nuzzled his face in my neck, “With a blind obsession for her boyfriend to boot. I still wouldn’t mind giving Luke a good punch to the jaw. Veronica doesn’t deserve this.”

“You think you could do me one last favor?” I asked.

“Sure, baby,” he held me a little tighter, “What can I do for you?”

“Will you put a call in to Lilith?” I drew a thick line across my eyelid, “I’m going to placebo the hell out of Veronica.”

“Oh?” I had Julian’s interest, “What kind of placebo?”

“All of Veronica’s drinks tonight are going to be non-alcoholic.,” I explained, “She has to go to school in the morning and I remember the hell it was going to school hungover. And I have to work tomorrow morning. I don’t want to get shitfaced either. Veronica wants to be numb and what better emotional novacaine than tequila?”

“Have you ever tried Adderall?” he asked, “Works much better.”

“You sound way too voice of experience for my comfort.”

“I am too voice of experience for comfort,” Julian cringed, “But that’s a story for another day. I have to call Lilith and tell her what’s up. Until then, you need to finish getting ready and take your best friend out for shenanigans.”

“Thank you,” I finished up, cuddling into my boyfriend, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he kissed the top of my head and left me to get dressed. I know we were a thing, but it was too soon for Julian to see me completely naked. Who to put on tonight? I was Winry earlier today. Do I want to keep it in the Fullmetal family and go Hawkeye? I could do Hawkeye. The first time I was in Haven, I was in an Ouran uniform. Maybe I should switch to the boys’ uniform. No. Hawkeye. I wanted to be a badass sharpshooter/Roy Mustang’s nanny/future wife.

I put on my makeshift Amestrian military uniform and grabbed my bag off my chair, “Roni, you ready?”

“Ready!” she came out of the downstairs bathroom, looking like she was on the hunt for a sugar daddy, “Well? How do I look?”

“Adorable,” I gave her a spin, “The place we’re going to tonight is amazing. I’ve been a couple times and if you’re looking to eat your feelings, it’s perfect.”

“And if you’re looking to score?”

“It’s Kansas City,” I pointed out as the two of us went out the door, “There are a few beautiful boys in that town. I’m sure you’ll find someone.”

“You did make sure I didn’t have baby face, right, Mimi?” she kept her fingers crossed, “I look more adult than I actually am?”

“Yes,” I assured, “I contoured the hell out of your face. You’re golden.”

“Good!” Veronica sang, “Let’s go!”

I pulled out of my driveway and started heading toward Kansas City. Hopefully, Julian put the call in already. This would prove to be an interesting night. I’m thrilled to see how Veronica’s going to take to placebos. I’ve never seen her drunk before, so this should be intriguing. I just hope the fake booze doesn’t make her a weepy drunk.

#Sorry For Being a Closet Otaku #nanowrimo #NaNoWriMo 2016

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meltedmagazine · 7 years

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AN INTERVIEW WITH COOL BABY

Between DC alleyways and 7-11 sandwiches, I chat with Reid and Ian of Maryland based band Cool Baby. Composed of six members, CB began roughly 2 years ago, and have been jammin ever since.

Tell us about the birth of Cool Baby!

REID: So it was more of an assembling of members; we were all friends before. So it started off with me and my buddy Nathaniel who have been playing music since ninth grade. We wanted to form a band and so we first were jamming, terribly, just him and I. Then we were in math class and the drummer, Marco, was just tapping on his desk and I was like “Uh, you wanna play drums?” and little did I know he was very good at drums. Then I already knew this guy [Ian], this guy is an overachiever at piano, he's real good at piano, and I asked him to play. Were you on the fence at first?

IAN: I wasn’t really down with it

R: Yeah, Nathaniel and I hadn't been playing music for very long at the time. Then after Nathaniel and I grinded a little bit, Ian decided he was on board. Then we got Zack, who I also didn't know was good at his instrument. He plays saxophone. And we got Julian, which was the last edition.

What's an artist, song, or album that makes you feel a heavy dose of nostalgia?

I: “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton

R: My dad used to listen to hella soft jazz. Do you guys know Touchdown by Bob James? Oh, should I choose one that people know? Also Mac Demarco, even though its new, somehow makes me feel nostalgic.

I can imagine driving at night and it's playing softly in the background...

R: Yeah, he has the vibes, like “Chamber of Reflection” definitely

That’s my rooftop song! Do you feel like social media plays an important role in getting your music out there?

R: Hugely. We suck at it though

Do you feel like that's a bad thing though, that you have to depend upon it?

R: I hate it

I: I feel like it's the new way music works nowadays

R: This is some sour shit to say but I think people are caring less and less about music because of social media. Like if you have a hundred thousand plays on a song you're gonna listen to it; you can just find music that way a lot easier

Or instead of listening to an entire album

R: Yeah, that doesn't happen anymore

So what are your thoughts then on physical ways of listening to music versus streaming sites?

R: Vinyl is cool because it's more personal but concerts just make you feel a lot more, or they make me feel a lot more, than just listening to records

How was the show at The Void that you guys played?

I: Great vibes. I love drunk crowds, they're always vibing with everything

So do you guys just record your own stuff in your basement?

R: We're moving up

I: We met this amazing guy with a house studio. He's really into supporting local music.

R: Yesterday, we’re moving on up, we went to a nice, nice studio to record. I realize as much as I hate it, you've got to reach out to blogs and stuff to really get your music out there, so that's what we're trying to be doing

Do you have any full albums out right now?

R: We have an EP that came out a couple of months ago.

If you could pick a past era in music that has most influenced your sound what would it be?

R: 60s because there were so many good bands, like Zeppelin

I: Zeppelin, I feel like a good amount of Zeppelin, not that I know anything about guitar, but I’ll throw that one out there

R: It's less bands with me, it's more guitarists, like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix. I like the Chilli Peppers

I: 70s

R: Yeah 70s, although the Chilli Peppers are my favorite, like late 80s/early 90s, like Blood Sugar Sex Magik

What's it like being a musician in the 21st century?

I: Stressful

In DC?

R: I don't know anyone that's really made it out of DC

I: I feel like it's all lopsided, like to come up you have to actually know someone, you have to get lucky

R: There's a great hardcore scene here, but we're not hardcore. Like Bust Off is great, or like there's a good math rock scene I guess, like Cartoon Weapons, they're crazy good.

Your most recent song, "Now I'm Stuck" is about realizing the downfall of an addiction. Has music provided an escape from the downward spiral of addiction?

For sure music has always provided an escape for much more than drug addiction. Music can be quite the high in itself. The verse is about the duality of drugs. "Paint a perfect picture with the acid in my eyes," acid is fun and all but afterwards you feel like your vision feels bland after the high. "look at the sky smoke clouds will hide my lies" talkin bout being dishonest to your parents about drugs, specifically smoking weed. The chorus is meant to sound pleasant but be melancholy in nature. Drugs got me fucked up. Second verse, "addiction grows with distance" I had to go to rehab instead of school which actually made it harder to stay sober, became a vicious cycle. "Xannys on the line he's like you better fuckin listen, i know i'm quite the distance, but you better fuckin mission, and i ain't no uhhh physician? but withdrawal gotchu twitchin and the itchin gotchu singing" talkin bout what withdrawal and addiction feels like and the lengths one will go to feed/rid the feeling. "man i need this do you wanna see me breathing, i know i don't got money but i doubt you wanna see me bleeding" talm bout when i'm out of money but i'm addicted, around when i hit my rock bottom......

LISTEN TO COOL BABY HERE

interview by AL SMITH

photo by JEYLAN ULUSAN

#melted #melted magazine #cool baby #music #interview #band #dc #dc music #maryland #film

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mychristopherstokes66world · 5 years

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They are celebrating and laughing at all of the Americans burning to death in the towers and the FBI held these yids for a week until the dust settled and flew them back to Tel Aviv private first class

Ah yes the Israeli "art students" who had unrestricted access to the towers for weeks

It's rael. https://www.markdotzler.com/Mark_Dotzler/WTC_Artists.html

>Nanothermite >fucked up over 1400 cars >didnt burn a single person >paper all over the place you dont understand much about thermite, do you?

911 report and their models were full of BS. The three towers were brought down by controlled demolition. https://youtu.be/sNriYvuNmu8 https://youtu.be/l_Kmyo8KLTM Http://www.ae911truth.org/ TRUMP knew Truth on 911 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNodh9OlTrQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flnhdhxVR6g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoYXihwcp8c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-7bxI_XOoQ The destruction of WTC was an occult ritual. >the Twin Towers represented Boaz and Jachin, the columns at the entrance to the Temple of Solomon >Boaz and Jachin represent the two key energies: ying and yang, male and female, strength and beauty, north and south, up and down (duality - like the Star of David) >WTC builder, Rockefeller, says the buildings are the perfect combination of "utility and beauty"; he also owns Jerusalem museum housing remains from Temple of Solomon >Luciferianism predicts/wants a new age of transhumanism; Kaballah and freemasonry believe one attains perfection by mastering and combining male and female energies >Twin Towers destroyed in consciousness altering event at start of millenium to usher in this new era of transhumanism >Replaced by Freedom Tower where both towers are combined, one up and one down, like a Star of David >2001: Space Odyssey is about man's evolution to transhumanism - he touches the black monolith and transcends human form to a space baby >9/11 happened in 2001, next to the Millenium hotel designed to look like the black monolith >madrid bombing was 911 days after 9/11 >sept 11 is the first day of the coptic calendar, first month is named after Thoth >2001 was the start of the new millenium not 2000 (there was no year zero) >33 years from groundbreaking to destruction pentagon groundbreaking sept 11 1941

https://slate.com/culture/2001/12/bin-laden-s-special-complaint-with-the-world-trade-center.html Yamasaki received the World Trade Center commission the year after the Dhahran Airport was completed. Yamasaki described its plaza as “a mecca, a great relief from the narrow streets and sidewalks of the surrounding Wall Street area.” True to his word, Yamasaki replicated the plan of Mecca’s courtyard by creating a vast delineated square, isolated from the city’s bustle by low colonnaded structures and capped by two enormous, perfectly square towers—minarets, really. Yamasaki’s courtyard mimicked Mecca’s assemblage of holy sites—the Qa’ba (a cube) containing the sacred stone, what some believe is the burial site of Hagar and Ishmael, and the holy spring—by including several sculptural features, including a fountain, and he anchored the composition in a radial circular pattern, similar to Mecca’s. Islam was created by Jews. Take your time, explain away this https://www.scribd.com/document/351436519/Muhammad-s-Inspiration-by-Judaism Jews dominated Arabia and carried genocidal hate for Christians https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/140366/himyar-yemen-al-qaida Judaism and Islam are so similar that one could say that Islam is Arab Talmudism http://www.danielpipes.org/160/the-jewish-muslim-connection-traditional-ways-of-life Erasing Christianity was a Jewish thing before Islam existed http://www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/In-Jerusalem/Massacre-at-Mamilla? Here's the thing, and I say this as someone who believes that the dancing Israelis were Mossad agents celebrating the success of the 9/11 attack, and at minimum, the Israelis had foreknowledge that could have been used to prevent 9/11 which they didn't share because the attack was so advantageous to Israel's interests, but I lost interest in this guy after he interpreted "our purpose was to document the event" as "our purpose [in coming to America] was to document the event". That's obviously not what they meant. They're there giving their cover story, saying that their purpose in taking the photographs was to document the event, claiming that they happened to see it, decided it was important, and therefore took pictures. You can't be that biased in your interpretation, or you're a liability to your own side of the argument. You want your case to be rationally convincing to a neutral audience, and sow doubts in a hostile audience that nonetheless has some intellectual integrity, you don't want to just preach to the choir.

>actually believes in a theory allowed to be pushed on government TV >still no argument pathetic steven jones and alex jones able to talk about 9/11 (((truth))) on cspan??? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h50BgNpcYR8 birth of "muh space beams", who woulda guessed its the same faggot shutting down all discussion of the topic? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG3i-Ymm3Uc

Is it just a (((coincidence))) that one group of people have benefited from every US military intervention since 9/11?

I would love for those with the technology to share it with the world to make it a better place, but I'm no level 99 alchemist and acquiring such technology is beyond my means at the moment. If you own a satellite and need help I'd be happy to drop my life and come help you with whatever wizardry it is you're working on. I posted the photos adam green showed so others could see them. No need to be rude, bless your heart

JOIN US https://www.facebook.com/groups/qanonreports https://twitter.com/CIACLOWN1 https://www.bitchute.com/channel/ciaclown16661/

well-versed in Urban Moving Systems, years of research. Five years ago, this post would be red hot! Congrats to the YouTuber who obtained them, which Ryan Dawson diligently could not. There were a total of ~75 photos taken by the "Dancing Israelis" confiscated by FBI, so the ones finally released under FOIA are predictably underwhelming. I'm surprised one of the D. Israelis is wearing baggy ripped jeans tbqh. If you're working undercover as a mover, I'd expect slightly more flexible apparel, esp if you're involved in 9/11. The lighter flame celebratory photo is clutch though, glad that was released. Too bad the WTC can't be clearly made out in these grainy photocopies, few normies will pay attention. We already knew, there's no video just pics. My research says that 3 of the movers were low level recon for Israeli intel, but weren't directly involved in planning the attack. Probably cleanup duty, working as sayanim, to transfer people or files post-attack, like a deep bench on a champion sports team. Waterboys of 9/11. Daniel Lewin, imo, remains the head Israeli leader in the 9/11 operation. He was an ex top ranked Sayeret Matkal captain, basically an Israeli Navy SEAL operator w few equals. He was a billionaire computer wizard as well and hardcore rabid Zionut. He was conveniently on Flight 11 seated between two alleged Saudi hijackers. I unironically think he faked his death, gassed the plane, and parachuted out, possibly with undercover Sayeret operatives, as the plane was then remote or automatedly controlled from the ground. >E-Team Just heads up to newfags, the E-Team art students are not Israelis and their full WTC residency was documented and even videotaped. It's on Vimeo, a helicopter ride they took outside the WTC. They're dorks. But obv Israeli art students were doing recon in the months before all over the East Coast. Fingers crossed that one day Dominik Suter, Daniel Lewin, and Dov Zakheim are brought to justice. Keep digging.

>Nothing you posted has anything to do with Jewish dancers why would it? this is ancient news that lead no where back then, and will lead no where now. if you dont know israel had heavy involvement in 9/11 you just have not been paying any attention at all. but to think its just the jews is pretty retarded. bush/cheney are not jews. and papa bush was a major power player. > It's a completely different question what might have been able to vaporize sky scrapers and cause strange patterns of damage to cars. what exactly am i taking away from in this thread by posting this information? these "leaks" are a nothing-burger dead end. its a fucking joke. most people should have seen the interview where they went on tv, tons of people should already know what these clowns look like, what the fuck is the point of releasing this/censoring them so heavily.

>Dancing Israelis https://youtu.be/2XHm56O2NTI https://youtu.be/LbkQddEDPs0 https://youtu.be/fOiCMMMeXE8 >9/11 Trillions: Follow the Money https://youtu.be/n3xgjxJwedA

directed energy weapons/scalar waves/some sort of play on tesla tech. who knows what exactly did it. the fact is, something exists that could achieve what was witnessed. nothing.. i repeat NOTHING explains the big picture of 9/11. this guy produced a lot of similar effects seen on 9/11 whilst mimicking tesla's experiments

>levitation well, there was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yU73pN8CHQ >hologram airplanes no one has presented this, why are you reaching so hard? >explosives caused 1400 cars blocks around to become mangled/"melted" yet not burning a single person

#CIA CLOWN #RED PILL #REDPILL #ANON #HONKHONK

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click2watch · 5 years