#living life with the shirins

[powdermelonkeg]

so, it’s confirmed that Zelda’s “Time” powers came from Sonia, and her “Light” powers from Rauru, but we know from other games that only the women of the royal family can use the “sealing” power inherited from SkSw Zelda. do you think this means that throughout history, the “Light” powers associated w the sealing are actually separate from the sealing ability? I just remember being really lost after that cutscene, cause even if Rauru somehow was a descendant of Hylia, he wouldn’t be able to use those powers, and the sealing of whatever evil is causing trouble always has a fancy light show with it lmao

So, this is a very complicated question with a very complicated theory to answer it.

We know that Sonia's primary, and, in terms of usablity, only power is Recall.

However, I do believe she's Hylia's descendant, not Rauru, despite Rauru being the one with the light/sealing power. Evidence on that here.

Being Hylia's descendant would make Sonia's birthright be a whole host of other powers, possibly latent, but more probably something that Sonia's never actually been in the right situation to use. Let's take a look at what Skyward Sword Zelda can do.

She can seal the Demon King-

-but only at the expense of her own life force being rendered inert while she does.

She can bless the Master Sword-

-but it's already as strong as it can get.

She has strong connections to time...

...but we knew that already.

Of these three powers, only one would be relevant to Sonia's skill set. The Master Sword can hardly be doubly-blessed, and the Demon King has yet to show his face.

More importantly, however, Skyward Zel's sealing power works MUCH differently to Wild Zel's.

Wild Zel's sealing is instantaneous, fueled by emotion, with seemingly no draining effect on her person.

When fully unleashed, her seal is as total as it is inescapable. It doesn't require her to put herself to sleep until Link can deal the final blow with the Master Sword. The closest thing to Skyward Zel's seal that Wild Zel did was in keeping the Calamity at bay for 100 years while Link slept. During which, it's heavily implied that she was conscious, given that she spoke to Link the instant he woke.

With Rauru, his sealing ability seems much more similar to our princess's, with only some key differences visually.

His right hand gathers light around it, and needs to be extended to fully function.

When the seal first activates, it forms a spherical shape, which is inescapable, albeit on a much smaller scale than Zelda's.

It's a little hard to see, due to the magnitude of Zelda's power, but it IS a sphere.

And although this act does cost Rauru his life, it usually doesn't. He's done this before, multiple times, as stated in Messages from an Ancient Era tablet A Pilgrimage of Light:

"The kyng was late y-come this aven, so maked the quene to sharen tales of hir lond, of shirines al grene yglouen. "Of erli daies sinnes Hyrules funding have diverse monstres hir reaume biseged ond assaylled. "Uncesinge in striffe, thei broughte to despeir folkes lyfen. Kyng ond quen ysete thamselue to bringen scurge to ende. "With might of light ond pouere, driven abak ybeen, ond the roial couple made thes shirines to selen him awei. "Thes holi selen ben yclept Shirines of Light. "Gret kyng, grete quen, y thank ye. Ye foughte whan y wer maiden-child, that y kude pes toknouen."

The translation, to the best of my efforts:

"The king was late to come this evening, so made the queen to share tales of her land, of shrines all green glowing. "Of early days since Hyrule's founding have diverse monsters her realm besieged and assailed. "Unceasing in strife, they brought to despair folks' lives. King and queen set themselves to bringing scourge to end. "With might of light and power, driven aback they been, and the royal couple made these shrines to seal him away. "These holy seals been called Shrines of Light. "Great king, great queen, I thank you. You fought when you were maiden-child, that I could peace to know."

Sonia and Rauru went around making the Shrines of Light that we find in present day and receive blessing from:

So, with the exception of the Demon King, who was so powerful that he could resurrect thousands of years later, Rauru's seal behaved like Zelda's—instant, fueled by emotion, inescapable, projected by the right hand, with no immediate toll on the user.

But what does this mean for Zelda's sealing ability? Despite behaving similarly, it doesn't look similar at all.

Let's look back at what happens when Sonia and Rauru combine their powers.

Rauru brings his hands together in a triangle shape, possibly invoking the same Triforce motif Zelda gives when she unleashes her power. The Secret Stone, which magnifies his light abilities, glows in a similar shade to Zelda's seal.

Sonia extends her right hand as her own tear glows. Despite it only amplifying her time power, her hand shows the same color Rauru's light gives off—as well as being in a spherical form.

Rauru draws in her power (and Zelda's, whose is a combination of both already and therefore adds no new properties) and forms a bright yellow light with a sphere around it.

It's better seen from this angle, where we can also see what looks like an inverted Triforce in the middle.

They're nowhere near the level of focus Zelda's Triforce has, but the triangles are definitely there.

And then it becomes a catastrophic force of power, able to wipe out an entire swarm of Molduga in a single hit.

Zelda's lineage's sealing ability is a culmination of all of this. It's Sonia and Rauru's powers combined, taking Hylia's seal, the Goddess's full power-

-and attaching that strength to something instantaneous and geared specifically to lock away darkness-

-by combining the power of time with the power of light.

Hylia's sealing power isn't Rauru's, but Zelda's is Hylia's AND Rauru's combined.

As a side note, this is also why I think, despite Rauru contributing his power, the magic remains only matrilineal. Hylia's descendants—meaning in this case, Sonia—are the only ones that carry her abilities. Rauru's power attached itself to Sonia's to create Zelda's, but Sonia's abilities—with or without Rauru's boost to them—can only be accessed by her daughters and granddaughters.

Strong enough to rival any magic in the world in sheer might, this later became known as the Light Force.

TLDR: Hylia's seal = Slow, nonlethal, exhausting toll, powerful, golden lightshow Rauru's seal = Fast, potentially lethal, concentrated, opposes Ganon, spherical lightshow Zelda's seal = Fast, concentrated, opposes Ganon, spherical (from Rauru), nonlethal, powerful, golden (from Hylia); a hybridization of both seals, the best of both worlds

#loz #zelda #theory #ask bee #totk #totk spoilers #skyward sword #minish cap #long post #really long post #words are hard and it's 3 am but i hope i'm conveying this right #basically rauru is what improved hylia's seal to the point that botw zel uses it with as much strength as she does

[heartcountry]

i've been following you for a couple years now. i'm sending you, your loved ones, and all palestinians so much love. i think about your account nearly every day and wonder what you're up to, or if you're alright

i'm really thankful for your account as it gives me and so many others insight into your situation. you're in my heart always

thank you so much. to be honest i’m not alright. this has been one of the worst weeks of my life. thank you for gaining the insight 🤍 please lend it to others when you can. palestinians are facing an ethnic cleansing and have been for 75 years and and as tired as i am of the horrifying justification of the slaughter of palestinians i am also tired of the insidious lie that it is a complex issue where both sides are “wrong” or even worse just commonplace conflict in the middle east as if the destabilization there wasn’t at the hands of western imperial powers. please watch the footage of not just this week but the decades long violence that began at the Nakba and continued on. including but not limited to the beating of civilians on the street, the torture of children in prisons, the demolition of palestinian homes, the burning of olive groves, the erasure of entire villages, the removal of palestinian names from the registry, the checkpoints palestinians in the west bank go through everyday where they are harassed by is***** soldiers, the different license plates palestinians have to have on their cars, the imprisonment of anyone who tries to film the atrocities, the death of journalists like shirin abu-akleh and how the i*f stormed her funeral and beat the attendees, a siege on gaza that is filled with palestinians who were displaced from other villages and where is**** controls what goes in and what goes out. i need everyone to really sit with that. can you imagine you are locked into this strip of land while the settlers outside live in your villages and worse your family homes. you are locked in and they are in your homes. i need you to share this with others. we have been denied our history. i have the safety and security of not being there rn but i am still so tired.

[abwwia]

Shirin Neshat, Iranian, b 1957

Untitled, from the "Rapture" series, 1999

Gelatin silver print, (50.8 x 60.9 cm)

Shirin Neshat (Persian: شیرین نشاط‎; born March 26, 1957, in Qazvin) Iranian visual artist who lives in New York City, known primarily for her work in film, video and photography.

Her artwork centers on the contrasts between Islam and the West, femininity and masculinity, public life and private life, antiquity and modernity, and bridging the spaces between these subjects. Via Wikipedia

#Shirin Neshat #iranian artist

[cozyaliensuperstar7]

Beautiful People 👑

off______white:

@willowsmith, @hallebailey attend the Off-White™ FW24 show titled “BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND” by creative director @ibkamara

@ryandestiny attend the Off-White™ FW24 show titled “BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND” by creative director @ibkamara

@serenawilliams attend the Off-White™ FW24 show titled “BLACK BY POPULAR DEMAND” by creative director @ibkamara

last night wore an Off-White™ look from the pre-fall 24 collection designed by to attend the 30th annual at Shirine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California styling c/o

@usher wears a bespoke Off-White™ look to perform at the Super Bowl 2024 halftime show at the Allegiant Stadium. Inspired by the SS23 Men’s collection, the look fuses signature Off-White™ style with the American biker world.

Off-White™ collaborated with costume designer @fresh2impress, fashion director @brookelyn.styles and creative director @aakomon in bringing the vision to life.

design c/o @ibkamara

videos c/o @nfl @applemusic

#SuperBowl2024 #Halftime

Blue Ivy wore an Off-White™ varsity jacket to attend the Superbowl 2024 game at the Allegiant Stadium

@maluma wore an Off-White™ look from the ss24 collection titled “HOMECOMING” to perform live from The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada

last night @issarae wore a custom Off-White™ look designed by @ibkamara to attend the 30th annual @sagawards at Shirine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California styling c\o @therealwourivice

feat.dino:

Off-White #offwhitefw24

#willow smith #ryan destiny #halle bailey #colman domingo #serena williams #usher #blue ivy #maluma #dino #lee chan #issa rae #off white #fashion #beautiful people

[tunaafishyy]

Deshret, through the Goddess of Flower’s sacrifice of herself and the oasis, is able to learn the secrets of the elixir of life... the key to breaking the shackles of the material world.

The Goddess of Flowers, in her role as the goddess of dreams, was able to act as a bridge between the mortal (material) and the divine.

Dream images (phantasms) are created by the perception of the material world, and allow for transition/connection to the divine through phantasia. The process is doable due to her “divine sacrifice creating the bridge to salvation” (higher knowledge).

However, creating the bridge is not the only thing required, since it’s creation is useless if someone does not become saved (learn the truth of ascension, which luckily Deshret is able to do through pure willpower.

Deshret returns to the mortal realm. Using the dreams of the sacrificed, the dissolved material of the sky, the divine nail, and the gold stones deep within the earth he creates his mirror of the divine, his illusory paradise. The only difference between his illusion and that of the material realm os that he is the ultimate authority in his bubble… the determiner of fate. The laws are his to define.

[The Unified Civilization, but Deshret]

Now that the formula for the elixir of immortality is known, the only thing left to do is churn it through the dreams of mortals. In truth, the mortals are giants. Nephilim. The long-lived half-god off-spring spawned from the Watchers (most likely Deshret).

One of his divine envoys, Liloupar, finds the person she believes is capable of being Deshret’s proxy, Ormazd. With the help of Liloupar and the Jinn, he rebuilds the Eternal Oasis, and swears to protect it.

And that is where things begin to go wrong. Ormazd, consumed by power and ambition, cares not for the people coming under his rule. He becomes a tyrant like those before him.

[The Anger of the Divine Envoys]

Liloupar, disgusted by her mortal lover’s transgressions decides to punish him for 3 generations. Their daughter Shirin is a curse in waiting, as is her future husband who is unknowningly also her half-brother, Kisra.

Strange… the divine envoys of the primordial one were also angered by human arrogance…

Kisra appears at first as a boon to Ormazd’s campaign to unite the 99 brass and mortar cities across the desert. Invincible. Hero. The Spirit of Victory. Ormazd adopts him and offers his daughter Shirin’s hand and marriage… a meer orphan risen to the pinnacle of royalty.

But what are the chances of Kisra and Shirin ever ruling when there are 300 other children of Ormazd?

Pretty high when Liloupar plots them all to be murdered.

Through an accidental delivery by Shirin of the poisoned honeyed… the nectar of the gods and truth corrupted through her mother’s insidious plot… Ormazd and all 300 of his children are slain.

And thus does Kisra rule.

Kisra’s corruption was almost immediate, if not long in the making. Like a seed waiting for the right moment to sprout.

Liloupar teaches him the forbidden knowledge of the skies. Of the machines and their power. How to infuse the Jinn into them.

In the darkness of dreams, she teaches him of a machine to eat dreams to create an infinite deluge of objects. A machine he is more than happy to create, and is more than willing to further break the mind of Shirin for to get her distorted jinn creations to use as fodder.

Oh, Sophia…

[Arrival of the Apocalypse]

The abyss has truly taken root in Deshret’s illusory realm, but it isn’t until the battle escalates beyond control that the corruption gains Deshret’s attention. Kisra has turned into a dark monster, likely from the assassination by his son, Shiruyeh. The city is drowning in blood and slaughter until it’s swallowed by the abyss, and Liloupar basks in her success.

[Elemental Balancing]

Deshret, furious at her actions, splits her soul into 7 parts, spread out across 7 points to align with the elements. An attempt to combat the destructive power of the abyss by spreading out the karmic seeds across elemental points.

Which almost works. (Kind of like the archon war maybe almost worked).

Except forbidden knowledge has already permeated the dreams of the realm. The samsara begins, and the sins repeat like the reflections of a shattered mirror. The details change, but their fates are the same, their sins unchangeable. They are a permanent reflection of corrupted human ambition, jinn vengeance, and abyssal poison.

The elixir of immortality could not be created through Deshret’s realm. The Amrita formed through the ocean of dreams, the key to breaking the shackles of the world, forever out of reach.

But he can’t let the poison spawned from his actions, the poison he “accidentally consumed”, spread outside of his illusion.

With the help of Rukkhadevata, he sacrifices himself. Destroying the spread of forbidden knowledge, and sinking his dream beneath the sand forever.

… or so we’re told…

The End… for now

This is a very rough draft hc on Deshret’s realm mimicking the failures of the primordial one (unified -> divine envoy -> destruction -> 7 cities -> destruction -> the primordial one is gone), so don’t take it too seriously . Also I’ll edit it multiple times so yeah.

Based on combo-ing ideas for:

“Alistor, or The Spirit of Solitude” poem ; amrita ; eternal recurrence ; Plato’s theory of forms ; philosophical view of phantasms ; Gnostic concepts ; vibro-crystal harmonics ; and uh… probably other stuff I don’t feel like linking anymore I’m lazy

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin lore notes #genshin impact lore #genshin lore #genshin tinfoil hat theory #genshin rabbit holes for later #genshin theory #genshin impact theory #genshin deshret #genshin sumeru

[miss-mollys-ballet-blog]

Did Kaptsova and Shipulina have kids? If so, what year/age are they and what gender? I definitely understand that they are keeping their family life private online (good for them!) but I just want to know when and if they had boys or girls.

I think Shipulina had a daughter with Denis Matsuev, a popular pianist? Also read that Kaptsova did Tatiana when she was 4 months pregnant and came back as Shirin when her child was 7 months.

I'm not commenting on their private lives, nor do I keep track of them.

[virtuouswhitehatorganization]

Name: Ava Zoheri

Sexuality: Straight

Age: Same Age As G-Lo And The Others

Ethnicity: Iranian-American 

Occupation: Spy/Counter Assassin ; Superheroine

Headcannon Voice Actor: Kathreen Khavari (English); Danann Huicochea (Spanish)

Residence: Calm Creek (formerly)

Affiliationns: PEACE; White Hat Organization (later)

Abiities: She has the power to manipulate silence and neutralize sound; Counter Assassination Skills; Acrobatics; Hand To Hand Combat

Relatives: Anzor Zoheri/Silent Swipe (father); Shirin Zoheri/Calm Slash (mother)

Personality: She is a talkative chatterbox who just loves sharing gossip and news to everyone who she knows. However, despite being into people's business, she never tries to intentionally hurt people and often times tries not to spread hurtful rumors. She also gets defensive about how people underestimate her powers and how they can be applied. She can be a bit of a dare devil and loves a challenge to face. She can be very boastful of her skills and try to one up herself each time. She however does care about the right reasons for being a superhero and follows the footsteps of why her family left the assassin life in order to save lives and others. She is also a loyal friend who stick by those who she cares for.  She also very fashion minded and loves keeping up on the latest trends and clothing.

Background: She is the son two PEACE spy agents who were originally members of a Middle Eastern organization of assassins called The Fellowship Of Rogues. That is until they decided to change sides and become counter assassin/spies for PEACE where they became top agents and targeted their former comerades. She then studied under her parents to become a counter assassin/spy until she became interestered in being a hero and joined the program where she also gained powers and eventually joined as an apprentice under the heroine Kamo. 

* She and her family are practicing Muslims. 

* She can speak Farsi and English. 

* The Fellowship Of Rogues has ties with League Of Laggan . 

* Her parents are very supportive of her being a hero and try to keep an eye on her progress. 

* Her parents also know Good Vibe's dad, Green Rod's dad, and Adelita. 

* The Fellowship Of Rogues would also have inspiration League Of Assasins like the League Of Laggan. 

* Her family has also had run ins with Humiko and Bloodhound. 

* She and her parents have a kill only when the situation calls for it policy. 

Created through www.dolldivine.com/assassin-do…

#villainous #villanos #villainos #villainous oc #villanos oc #peace

[sewercentipede]

I'm glad you made it back from your trip safely! I hope you had a good time! What are some things that you enjoyed overseas? If you could go anywhere on your next trip, where would you like to visit? Also Shirin is so cute!!

aw thanks tjhis is so ssweet:))))))

i really really loved just like so much..... how wine is cheaper than anything and is so good, smoking is socially acceptable, taking it easy and chilling is the norm, everything is sooooooo fucking ancient, CATHOLIC!!! CHURCHES!!! ARE!!! BEAUTIFUL!!!, getting espresso everywhre and it was never burnt, the food was just so so much better quality like everything tasted better including fruit, weather was perfect, incredible views ! Mountains! Lakes! Vineyards! , so many cities and countries within driving distance

i lived in spain for a few months 10yrs ago, and theres just something about places like it and italy that i cant put my finger on but its just. like getting a buff to my quality of life meter.

if i could go anywhere next trip i think i would go to tokyo. if the russian-ukraine war wasnt a thing i would take the transiberian railway and stop in all the major cities. prague also interests me a lot for some reason. maybe just a trip thru western europe next time because after going to italy i have a hunger for europe moreso than asia at the moment. prague, germany, maybe even spain again

and thank you shirin is getting extra kkissess for you

#Anonymous

[akemansimblog]

Harem of the Southern Leavers of Anwar. At first it was founded as a school for noble Southern girls. But after the strange death of Belgin Elmaz, which was attributed to the carelessness of the alkhi, the girls were returned to their families. Now there were adult women in the care of the alkhi who were the wives of the leaves. A concubine, Shirin, and three infants also lived there. Phyllis Anwar gave birth to two sons, Hasan and Ismail. Alexia Anwar was much less fortunate. She became the wife of a younger Leaf and gave birth to a girl, Mirai. Phyllis's success has been crunching sand on her teeth.

Ugh, how childbirth spoiled you, girl! - Alexia whispered, looking at her rounded figure. - Perhaps Lystar Ahmet will soon take a second wife!

Look, Alexia," Phyllis answered softly, looking her straight in the eye, "I will not remind you that in your case it is more possible. Though it is. Just to remind you that we are both women, dependent on the Southern Leavers. You were not born in these lands, were you?

Not in these lands, but what does it matter…

I was born in the Capital! - Phyllis replied curtly, interrupting the disputant. - I want to go back there. To my friend Naima.

Why don't you go away," said Alexia curtly. - Who are you, daughter of Life and Death? You take away people's hope and joy. Even your last child did not want to be born with you! Phyllis trembled, her dark eyes brimming with tears.

Don't say that! Don't you dare!

Or else what, a foundling? You are as careless as your mother. As traitorous as your father. You were married to a Lister, but you will repeat Olma Crone's fate, you will repeat it!

You speak nonsense," said Phyllis as she stared at her, her thin shoulders quivering. - Look, why do we have to fight? Let's run away. To the capital. You're as tired of being here as I am of being here," said Alec, sighing.

I am," said Alexia, with an instant loss of hostility. - But we can't run away unaccompanied. Without speaking, young Phyllis shook her head scarf impudently, revealing the wavy blond hair that fell to bare her shoulders.

I'm not a native Meridian," she whispered furtively. - I could call myself a guest of the South. There was a chance of escape, tiny though it was, one might accidentally get lost once a month when the wives went to the fliers.

#sims 2 screenshots #sims 2 stories #the sims 2 #lets play #ts2 #simblr #sims 2 gameplay #ts2 gameplay #ts2 simblr #sims 2 #the sims #historical sims #sims 2 ancient #ts2 pictures #ts2 screenshots #ts2 historical #ts2 story #ts2 test of time #test of time challenge #thesims2 #sims 2 simblr #sims 2 storytelling #sims2 #sims 2 pictures

[coochiequeens]

How about instead of blaming women for no matter how the vote hold both parties accountable for failing women in different ways. The Republican Party needs to see that access to birth control and abortion is healthcare. And the Democratic Party needs to realize that women are still impacted by the wage gap, were hit harder by the economic impact of Covid and are much more likely to be single parents raising a family alone. So yeah the economy is a woman’s issue.

On Monday, a New York Times/Siena College poll indicated that 49 percent of likely voters would back their district’s Republican congressional candidate—a supposed swing toward red in a close race for control over the House. But perhaps the most headline-generating result was that the poll also found that women who identified as independent voters now backed Republicans by 18 points—when in September they favored Democrats by 14 points.

The poll results threw Democrats into a tizzy, after a summer of stories that promised that anger over Roe v. Wade being overturned would benefit the party this fall. As we get to November, is that momentum really fading?

Maybe! But also—maybe not. There are plenty of reasons to not read too much into this slight outlier of a poll. For one thing, the New York Times asked likely voters on how they would vote on a generic ballot, not incorporating individual candidates of the numerous local races, including the House, Senate, governorships and more. That’s important because most Republicans currently running local races across the country are not considered generic Republicans, according to Sarah Longwell, a longtime Republican strategist and host of the podcast The Focus Group. Instead, there are countless extreme Trumpers, including multiple election deniers and those who carry hardline stances on abortion. That includes the likes of Republican candidate Hershel Walker running for a Senate seat in Georgia, J.D. Vance in Ohio and Kari Lake for governor in Arizona.

In the swing voting focus groups Longwell conducts across the country, she hasn’t seen much evidence to suggest that women are swinging back towards Republicans. Instead, they’ve told Longwell, they want to avoid the extreme candidates, especially with stringent pro-life stances.

To further understand this voting bloc—independent women voters who might be particularly mad over Dobbs—and what they’re thinking now, I spoke to Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. The first thing she told me is that she questions the swing reported in the New York Times poll. Then we dug into everything else—our conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

Shirin Ali: How do you think women voters view big ticket issues like abortion, the economy and inflation this November?

Debbie Walsh: What we’ve known and what we’ve seen since 1980, is that women vote differently than men. And whether they’re registered as Democrats or not, they’re more likely to support Democratic candidates than men are, less likely to support Republican candidates than men are. And then there’s variation among women, right? Women are not monolithic. So white women have leaned more Republican, while Black women are the strongest Democratic voters out there. And then there’s variation among white women, college educated white women versus non-college educated white women. College educated white women are more likely to support Democratic candidates than non-college educated white women. So again, women are not this monolithic bloc that vote en masse in any one way, but there are differences in the way they vote and that vote in close elections, sometimes can make a difference in the outcome of the election.

I think for women, just like for men, if you ask, ‘what’s the most important issue?,’ the economy always rises to the top. But I think in some ways, we’ve found that women think about the economy in different ways and they’re thinking about it more as kitchen table economics. How am I making ends meet in my family? How am I stretching that dollar? There’s also more economic insecurity that women face, women make less money than men, they have less money saved for retirement. They have felt historically more employment insecure, and women also live longer than men. And so what the government provides in their lives in terms of that social safety net, whether they’re using it now or they think they will need it in the future,things like social security, Medicare are things they think about. Whether it’s unemployment insurance because of employment insecurity or whether it’s family leave, paid family leave or not, depending on where you live, if you happen to live in one of the three states that actually have some form of paid family leave. But all of those issues really rise to the top.

Abortion has been an issue that’s been out there and it matters to women. But I think the question in this election cycle is at the end of the day, not so much will women go to the polls solely because of abortion, but can the abortion issue be the thing that energizes them and motivates them to go to the polls? We know that a lot of those young women are very energized around the abortion issue. I think we’re really trying to understand and see what will happen with those women voters.

What about the Kansas ballot measure in August, when voters overwhelmingly rejected an amendment to the state’s constitution that would have allowed an abortion ban. Was that outlier? Or did Democrats get ahead of themselves?

I think when it’s a standalone issue and a question just out on abortion, there’s a different kind of a vote than when you’re voting for a candidate of a party. The reality is the majority of Americans basically support Roe. And when a case like the Kansas case comes up, you’re not voting for a person who will then implement some law. Here’s something that’s going to be a constitutional question. I think it’s a different kind of a vote.

I do think that the abortion issue may have the potential to energize some voters, particularly some women voters out there who might not have been as engaged before, who might have sat out in midterm election. I think for a lot of folks, they don’t necessarily think that they have a stake in the outcome of elections, whether they think the government doesn’t really do anything, the government can’t solve anything. You know, they can’t fix the problems. However, this was one of those examples where it really, I think, for the Dobbs decision was a big illustration of ‘elections have consequences,’ right? It meant courts being appointed, particularly the Supreme Court, obviously, and the implications of that on women’s lives. And so it was one of those examples, which then may in fact, energize some women to show up in November.

Do you think Democrats can effectively message to swing voters on the issue of abortion?

I happen to live in Pennsylvania. So I’m sitting in Philadelphia, where I’m deluged by ads on both sides. On the Democratic side, abortion has been front and center and always couched in the frame of, particularly in the gubernatorial race for Doug Mastriano, “he’s too extreme for Pennsylvania.” And abortion is one of those examples, and Fetterman is using some of that same language. as well.

They have gone a full court press on putting abortion front and center, which is interesting because in the past, I think, Democratic candidates didn’t want to go near that issue. And now this time around, I think Republicans don’t want to talk about the abortion issue. They want to keep the voters focused and centered on the economy. And the economic news is bleak, and it’s hard to counter that.

I think the Democrats need to go at both of those things. They need to talk about what they’re going to do with the economy and inflation costs. They also need to at the same time talk about the abortion issue, because I still think it is an issue that energizes and motivates groups of voters to turn out. I think what Republicans might have underestimated was the intensity of the reaction to the Dobbs decision. As it was something that took away a right that women had for 50 years, and it’s very rare. I can’t remember a time when or having a right to something was taken away. Think about the vehemence with which gun owners react to any mention of the possibility of losing their guts, right? So I think you can’t underestimate the power of that.

We’ve seen from polling and focus groups that the issue of abortion sometimes knows no party lines. Even people who consider themselves conservative Republicans, can still want the right to choose when it comes to abortion. What do you make of that?

I think Kansas is a great example of that. Given the party registration of the state of Kansas, for that to have won the way it did, or to have been defeated in the way it was, there had to have been conservative Republicans. In many ways, the most conservative position, within the old school definition of conservative, smaller government, less government in your life, [is] a pro choice position. It used to not even be part of the Republican platform, a pro-life plank, and then the party shifted. There are many, moderate to conservative Republicans who think the government should not be in your bedroom, not in your doctor’s office. They don’t want more government and this is more government.

#Midterm election #election 22 #Women and the vote

[dearserenesoul]

I am much worse of a person than who i was

And who i was in question which i coined as my zaman gemilang was my 15 years old self. Or that 20 years old girl as far as i could remember.

I know it's not an apple with an apple. Comparison can be unnecessary & irrational. Still, if i could change & improve myself like that at that very young age, being intentional & conscious of what i was doing day-to-day, why not now? And it's not romanticizing good ol' days & being nostalgic. I really should do much much better than i did.

Like, where's the growth if you're regressing? My poor girl, why did you do that to yourself?

Wasted time is wasted age is wasted life.

Sometimes i think it's not that my masa dah tak berkat or i don't have the same energy growing old. I'm not that old, anyway. I'm just too complacent & don't take my life as seriously as i could.

AND... distractions !

But i still only have myself to blame.

"Slow slow, shirin. Start with your sleep schedule. Tak cukup rehat memang tak optimum lah your routine. Lepas rehat cukup, baru slowly include routines." Rai pesan.

Touchy cuz ada juga right support & understanding no matter how i think benda ni silly & i should have already known 🥺

I'm so mad at myself for not doing her best. But i cannot be so mad for so long. I need to sayang her into living a better (daily) life.

By the time!

Lo! Man is in a state of loss;

save those who have faith and do righteous deeds, and counsel each other to hold on to truth and counsel each other to be steadfast.

"Shirin nak live better! Nak prove to Allah that i deserve better! 😤"

Rai giggled. I'm serious, guurrrlll.

"Nak prove kat Allah i can be a good woman, a good wife, a good rabbatul bayt! 😤"

"Awak buat lah rutin macam mana pun. Dah kahwin nanti akan berubah juga. Sama ada awak ubah, dia ubah, or korang sama-sama adjust." Yus ni suka menyibuk conversation orang 😒

"Yelah, better ada my own routine daripada redah kahwin with none."

Live better, sis. Live every new day better.

[processandproductionmaryamasif]

Shirin Neshat

Drawing on her experiences of living between cultures, Shirin Neshat tackles issues of gender, politics, and identity in Iran in her "Women of Allah" series. The series provides an in-depth look of the complexity of Iranian society and the interaction between the two cultures. 

There is an aspect of cultural hyrbidity when looking at Neshats work. She has familiarised herself with her own culture, despite not associating with it when growing up. She talks about her struggle between her beliefs and her childhood, discussing her deep sense of shame and feeling somewhat guilty and emotional for not being a 'good Muslim'. The way she talks about her life growing up closely relates to my thoughts and helps me build a foundation for my artworks, being able to openly discuss similarities, struggles, and thoughts surrounding religion.

[aftaabmagazine]

شب چو در بستم  |As the night embraced me tightly | احمد ظاهر | Ahmad Zahir

شب چو در بستم

As the night embraced me tightly

آواز احمد ظاهر

Song by Ahmad Zahir (1946-79)

شعر محمد فرخی یزدی

Poem by Mohammad Farrokhi Yazdi (1889-1939) 

شب چو در بستم و مست از می ‌نابش كردم

As the night embraced me tightly, and I lost myself in its pure wine

ماه اگر حلقه به در كوفت جوابش كردم

If the moon tapped at my door, I paid no heed

غرق خون بود و نمی‌مرد ز حسرت فرهاد

Drenched in blood and not dying like the longing of Farhad 

خواندم افسانه شيرين و به خوابش كردم

I recited the sweet legend and immersed myself in its dream

Translated from the Farsi by Farhad Azad, with edits by Parween Pazhwak 

Spring 2024 | بهار ۱۴۰۲

* The phrase “sweet legend” is a play on the word “shirin,” which literally means “sweet.” It also refers to the story of Princess Shirin and the sculptor Farhad, as told in the “Shahnameh,” “Khosrow and Shirin” and folk tales.

With his soulful voice, Ahmad Zahir brings to life the verses scribed over a century ago by Mohammad Farrokhi Yazdi.

As the sun sets and darkness envelops the land, Ahmad Zahir finds solace in the twilight. With the virtuous wine of the night, he begins to recite the age-old story of Farhad and Shirin. It's a tale of undying love and heartbreaking tragedy passed down through generations.

Farhad, the legendary sculptor, pours his heart and soul into carving steps out of the rocky cliffs, hoping to win the hand of his beloved Shirin. His determination knows no bounds as he toils day and night, driven by his unwavering love.

But fate has other plans. Just as Farhad nears the completion of his monumental task, tragedy strikes. A cruel deception orchestrated by his rival shatters his world as false words reach Farhad, telling him of Shirin’s death. 

In a moment of despair, Farhad takes his own life— he stabs his chest with the sculptor's chisel and throws himself off the steep cliff. It's a tale of love and sacrifice, dreams crushed and hearts broken.

Yet, despite the tragedy, Farhad's story resonates through the ages, inspiring countless souls to pursue their dreams against all odds. 

In two lines of the poem, Ahmad Zahir's voice carries the weight of this timeless tale. His songs are not just poetry—they reflect his heartache, a bittersweet reminder of the fragility of love and the inevitability of loss.

As a child listening to Ahmad Zahir's cassette tapes, I eagerly listened to this song and awaited hearing my name. With excitement, I would exclaim, "He sang my name!" It was a moment of sparkling magic. Many years later, I still feel the same. 

Mohammad Farrokhi Yazdi (1889-1939) was a writer and political activist who played a significant role in creating the Iran Constitutional Revolution (1905-11), which included the establishment of the parliament in Iran. He also published the political journal Storm, which he used to criticize the totalitarian regime of Reza Shah (r. 1925 – 1941). Unfortunately, he was arrested and executed in a Tehran prison.

The singer, born seven years before the execution of the poet, met the same fate at the age of 33, alas cowardly masked by the Khalq oppressive regime as a “car accident” near Salang, north of Kabul.  

For centuries, these neighboring regions have shared a tragic commonality as is today: the dogmatics’ noose hunts free-thinkers.

Although their breaths may have been extinguished, their art lives on because true art is ardent and eternal.

—Farhad Azad 

March 29, 2024 

#AhmadZahir #Kabul #Kabulistan

[marttlier]

Maryam Attar Bashi

Visual Artist

My artistic work is deeply influenced by the political and religious socio-cultural landscape in my homeland, especially the challenges I've faced as a woman in post-revolutionary Iran.

Traditional discourse on sex in Iran has centred on male penetration, with little discussion about female pleasure. Sex has often been portrayed as something prurient, believed to contaminate both the body and the spirit. The cultural fixation on the hymen presents contradictions, even in classical Persian literature, which sometimes uses metaphoric references to the hymen while portraying women in a more progressive light. This semester, my central theme has been "Feminism and Activism." I've explored diaspora, displacement, and the pursuit of belonging within the Australian context. I've collaborated with Melbourne's Iranian community, particularly the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, in various protests, exhibitions, and artistic endeavours in Australia. My contributions include integrating my artworks into banners, posters, and art installations to raise awareness and show solidarity with individuals in Iran. Conceptually, my artworks visually represent the Iranian women's liberation movement and its slogans of "Women, Life, Freedom."

I've focused on composition, form, and the female figure through drawing, painting, and picture transformation to convey this essence. My work has evolved throughout the semester, blending Persian calligraphy, iconography, and symbolism with Australian native wildlife and flora, reflecting the complexities of living at the intersection of different cultures. My commitment to this exploration leads me to experiment with innovative methods and materials that emphasise the underlying themes in my work. My deep passion for this project is rooted in my concerns for Iran. My artistic journey combines elements from Australian and Persian cultures, offering a multifaceted perspective on the narratives and experiences I aim to portray. I've conducted contextual and concurrent research related to social-political developments in Iran. Engaging in discussions with my supervisor, Sofi Basseghi, about contemporary Iranian feminists, artists, activists, and writers has profoundly influenced my artwork. These conversations about women's freedom of expression and the artists operating within this sphere have been instrumental. All the posts I have included in my blog are relevant to my community practice. Sharing these diverse posts has motivated me to conduct additional research, and some of them have provided me with inspiration and new ideas for my upcoming projects. Influenced by artists like Shirin Neshat, Khosro Hasanzadeh, and writers like Azar Nafisi, I draw inspiration for my work. In future projects, I'll continue to explore feminism, politics, and poetics, challenging societal norms regarding physical intimacy and integrating contemporary Iranian art themes such as gender, politics, religion, and spirituality. I also plan to introduce surrealist elements to depict the interplay between reality and imagination, representing unfulfilled dreams constrained by political and religious barriers. The projects will prominently feature hand-drawn illustrations on paper rolls, highlighting the expressive power of pencil strokes and varying pressures. Additionally, I will use collage techniques and Persian calligraphy to create a dynamic and thought-provoking visual narrative, offering a captivating exploration of these multifaceted themes.

#art #visual art #femenism #illustration #drawing #artwork

[isthisasin]

The increase of the conventional SIN is naturally the CARDINAL SIN

Advanced adepts of the higher spiral demonology must first of all be able to master the prehistoric history of the Babylonian spiral galaxies and their deadly sins in their sleep, in order to be able to adequately assess contemporary Deja Vus, as well as relevant new underground currents or to exorcise their individual Poltergeist perpetually. The highest form of spiral demonology knows no higher order structure anymore and borders liquefy to acid reality pixel mush. Playing with Babylonian druids is certainly fully illuminating - but also fraught with Faustian risks, it is a transgressive procedure, in the midst of the spiral dance floor. To be able to fully grasp this eons-old cycle, we have invited the archpopes - or rather - the primordial gods of all Past/Present & Future Spiral Revolutions to FLUCC: R-Zac aka Crystal Distortion & 69db, who with the legendary Spiral Tribe 23 Soundsystem laid the foundation for all varieties of the current TEKnoid interstellar time travel and thus both are also an elementary part of the contemporary Techno Memplex of this planet.

DAY 1: Friday 1/9/2023 - starting at 22:00 - FLUCC Deck (upstairs) & starting at 23:00 - Wanne (downstairs):

FWD THE MENTAL TRIBE EVOLUTION

The first day of the two-day head worlds ceremony at FLUCC is entirely dedicated to the all-encompassing Mental Tribe Dancefloor Head Kino, we are here in the midst of the far-flung TEK-verse of introverted dance legs. For this, the spearhead of the domestic arch-magic of all surrounding spiral lands was invited: Shirin & Keton, Illtek, as well as Symbiotik Sound Crew from faraway Linz and of course Audiopirat.

Day 2: Saturday 2/9/2023 - from 22:00 - FLUCC Deck (upstairs) & from 23:00 - Wanne (downstairs):

FWD THE SPIRAL TRIBE 23 [R]EVOLUTION:

The last duo LIVE performance of R-Zac in Vienna is already a while back - 2006 in the Arena - the more we are looking forward to their commitment to rewrite a piece of local event history at FLUCC. With R-Zac, the 2nd day of the Cardinal Sins Orgy leaves no genre dogma untouched and catapults us straight off the event horizon of the spiral galaxies we know. Basically, we’re talking about an improvised Babylonian Futura Demon Casino, and these elusive entities mostly reside in the haze of Post-Modern Limbo Portal Number 23. The credo here is: Sirius 23 Channeling is nowadays an evergreen, all the more it is nowadays a more than sought-after state of mind or memetic knowledge transfer on an interstellar level and therefore this two-day head trip can also only be advanced to the all-encompassing CARDINAL SIN for body & soul with the native rocks in the surf - namely - TingelTangelTek LIVE, SoDa, as well as Gesindel der Nacht.

… each on 2 floors on both days.

LineUp - Day 1 - FR 1/9/2023:

FWD the Mental Tribe Evolution

Wanne - 23:00:

👅 Shirin & Keton LIVE 100% Hardware Duo LIVE-Set [Multiplan Kollektiv]

👅 Illtek LIVE 1.5 hours LIVE-Set [Mazatek Soundsystem | V.I.E.S. Productions]

👅 Toxictribe LIVE [Symbiotik Sound Crew | Linz]

👅 Audiopirat (Vinyl-Set) [Independent]

Deck (Upstairs) - 22:00:

Advanced Mental Tribe Floor hosted by:

👅 Symbiotik Sound Crew LIVE & DJ-Sets

LineUp - Day 2 - SA 2/9/2023:

FWD the Spiral Tribe 23 [R]Evolution

Wanne - 23:00:

👅 R-Zac LIVE aka Crystal Distortion x 69db 2 hours Duo LIVE-Set [Spiral Tribe 23 | SP23 | Network 23 | UK/FR/GER]

👅 TingelTangelTek LIVE [S.B.S. Soundsystem]

👅 SoDa (DJ-Set) [Paxnicht Club | X!ndl Sound]

👅 … and more Suprise Artists, stay tuned

Deck (Upstairs) - 22:00:

Hard Techno Floor hosted by:

👅 Gesindel der Nacht

Event Artworks & Visuals:

👅 Glowie [Top Secret International]

Links:

FLUCC Homepage Entry Day 1 FLUCC Homepage Entry Day 2 Facebook Invite Day 1 Facebook Invite Day 2 Artwork Hi Res Day 1 Artwork Hi Res Day 2

Day 1 Media Embeds:

Day 2 Media Embeds:

Free Tekno History with Crystal Distortion, 69db, Spiral Tribe 23 Soundsystem:

#sin #industrial #tribe #flucc #tek #mental #fluc #glowie #space tek #acid #r-zac #simon carter #crystal distortion #69db #spiral tribe #spiral tribe 23 #network 23 #PRSPCT #shirin #keton #shirin & keton #multiplan kollektiv #SoundCloud #Youtube #Bandcamp

[tastydregs]

The Slatest Jun 7: Wow, Jack Smith Has Been Busy Lately!

It’s more fun via email (promise). This article first appeared in our Slatest evening newsletter, which seeks to surface the best pieces published across Slate’s digital and audio journalism. We publish it there to help you cut to the chase at the end of each day. To get it in your inbox, along with more of the best work we published that day, sign up below.

Special prosecutor Jack Smith seems to be nearing the finish line on his two federal probes into Trump’s alleged misconduct—one looking at his mishandling of classified documents, the other at potential 2020 election interference. And as Smith wraps up, there’s been a whole slew of stories coming out with details on what his team has been looking at in its investigation. Having a hard time keeping track? Shirin Ali has a guide to the latest developments.

Plus: Trump’s response to Alvin Bragg’s indictment tells us something about how he’ll probably respond to other indictments in the future, Norman L. Eisen and Trevor W. Morrison write.

Hope for debt relief?

Later this month, the Supreme Court will issue its decision on whether the Biden administration’s student debt relief program can go forward. But Congress just upended the legal case against relief, Alex Rowell argues.

Plus: To push back against the Supreme Court’s dysfunction, liberals have to realize something that conservatives figured out a long time ago, Michael Waldman says. He spoke to Dahlia Lithwick about the growing need for reform, and how Congress can do something about it.

And speaking of Supreme Court dysfunction: The second episode of Slow Burn looks at how race-based admissions shaped Clarence Thomas.

It’s Christie Time

Chris Christie in 2014. Reuters

Chris Christie is entering the presidential race, and Jim Newell, for one, is glad about it. If nothing else, Christie is going to liven things up around here, probably! He may have joined the race as no more than a Trump-seeking missile, Newell writes, but at least he’s got nothing to lose.

Country cousins

The Trump-era fascination with the politics of rural America just won’t die! Steven Conn reviews a new book that wants to lay the fault for our rural-urban divide at city people’s feet, and finds it “hopelessly muddled.”

Royal circus

The Royal family is freaked out by Prince Harry’s court testimony. Maybe it should be! Heather Schwedel explains why.

An ominous orange haze

Angela Weiss/Getty Images

What should you do if you’re living in part of the Northeast that’s covered with wildfire smoke right now? Writing from the West Coast, Meg Duff has some advice, both practical and emotional, from someone who’s been through this kind of thing before. She recommends air filters, masks, calming tea—and no major life decisions.

Plus: We’ve rounded up some striking images of how bad the sky looked today.

ProbleMATTic

If you’ve been seeing the name “Matt Rife” all over your Twitter timeline and have no idea who that is, you’re not alone. Nadira Goffe has a beginner’s guide to the zillennial comedian whose tour tickets are impossible to get, and whether he is, in fact, “ProbleMATTic.”

A grim merger

Top-tier golf is now permanently in bed with the Saudi government. Alex Kirshner walks us through how it happened.

Today, Slate is… COLLECTING AND ANALYZING DIGITAL DETRITUS*

…much like the federal criminal investigators in James Comey’s first crime novel (and, well, his real life). Read Ankush Khardori’s review to find out how bad it is.

Thanks so much for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow.