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0ffgun · 4 years

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The whole point of valentines day is to yell about how much you love someone (at least that’s how I see it) so that’s exactly what I intend to do! I haven’t had this blog for very long but already I’ve met so many incredible people who have all made this place a home for me! I spend a lot of (too much) time on the internet so honestly?? You guys are basically a huge chunk of my life and this is just my way of saying thank you. So here goes -- beware! Lots of messily written and emotional love notes under the cut!

In alphabetical order:

@1akorn: TOP QUALITY TOP QUALITY EVERYWHERE!! Your blog is one of my all-time favourites and I love the fact that we watch a lot of the same shows! Your gifs are amazing and I also love reading through your text posts or your replies on your blog to see your opinions on things. I know we’ve never talked much but I basically just wanted to say I think you’re super cool sghdjs

@akingyouniverse: Hi hi hi! Okay so we’ve never talked but I think you’re fun and I love reading the tags on your posts (I also love seeing Trinity posts on your blog bc there isn’t much content of them around and it makes me so happy!!!!) Anyway yes hi I LOVE YOU hope you have a great day *throws roses through all your windows*

@bldramagalore: Cindy!! Wow can’t believe that if we both weren’t so damn gay we’d already be married by now! Seriously thank you though, we talk most days and you’re always there when I want to talk to you (usually it’s just to scream about Mark or uwma but still!) Ngl I can’t really remember how we first became friends because it just feels like I’ve known you FOREVER and that’s so comfy and wholesome. My favourite part of my week is when we yell about shows together - even better when we watch them together ofc! - and I just KNOW that we’ll be friends for the longest time so knowing I’ll get to do that a lot in the future too makes me so happy. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU!!!! I’m so in love with you and your gorgeous face and beautiful hair and your stellar makeup skills *KISS KISS*

@blueskycafe: Hey there!! Sorry if this is super random but you’re a blog that I see in my notes and on my dashboard a lot, and it’s always so nice when I do! Your blog is definitely one of my favourites I adore you fdjgdf I hope you have the best valentines day!

@chaeunwoo: Your gifs are so pretty 😭😭😭 I love the content you post and seeing you enjoying the shows that you’re watching! We’ve never talked but damn maybe we should - I should send you a random friendly message sometime (if you don’t mind of course dhsjghs) but yes happy valentines day, I hope you have a good one!

@chaoticallytate: HELLO!!! You randomly message me sometimes and it always puts a smile on my face when your little notification pops up. I don’t know you all that well but I already feel super protective over you (I’m adopting you as my little brother OKAY) and idk you just seem really down to earth and it’s so pleasant. I hope you have the absolute loveliest valentines day!

@doctorbeam: Hello hello hello you’re lovely just LOVELY omg did I tell you that you’re lovely?? We’ve only talked a little (I’m still so happy about the time you sent me those Mark pics!!) You’re ridiculously cute and I really can’t wait to watch Ossan’s Love so that I can tell you what I think about it! Have the best valentines day you amazing person!

@dollopheadsandclotpoles: Yeah okay maybe following you has made me get one step closer to drowning in the Merlin fandom as each day goes by I CAN’T DENY IT I’ve barely ever watched the show and yet I somehow already love it just because you do hdkjgd. Also your love for Jaylerr?? That’s my fave! You’re just a really cool person and I just... ugh I super duper appreciate you 💖 Also?? Hope this doesn’t sound weird but you post a bunch of stuff about being aro/ace and seriously I never really knew much on the subject so it’s really nice to see stuff on your blog and get a little more educated every time. Please always keep throwing Merlin onto my dashboard, it feels weird now when you’re not online and there’s no Merlin dhgdskjg

@earthpodd: Hey Vic!! I know you’ve probably been crazy busy these days and haven’t been online much, but I really hope you’re doing well! It’s always nice to see you when you’re around and your opinions on stuff are always interesting to see 👀 happy valentines day to my favourite tumblr crush, hope you have a great day!

@gmmtvmother: jfghjgdhfd no idea what to say because you messaged me today and I near enough burst into flames with joy but hi! I think your blog is one of the first few that I followed, and I’m still shook by the quality. Your content is GREAT and I love it when you make funny posts like your incorrect quotes gifsets, they’re the best! We watch a lot of similar shows so it’s always nice when I get a notification that you’ve posted something and I know in advance that I’m going to absolutely LOVE it!

@idontevenwatchbl: Hey Millie!! I love seeing you post stuff as you’re watching shows, it’s always so fun and entertaining to see hdsjghjks I’m always excited when you start watching a new show because I know I have those screenshots and funny comments to look forward to! I hope you’re having the very BEST day and I can’t wait to see what you’ll watch next!

@iplann: sdjghjs hi hello hi!!! First of all thank you so much for always blessing my dashboard with that quality content of Plan - I love him but I can’t always keep up with his activities so heck you’re brilliant for helping me know what’s going on! And second of all I love your blog and your content, it’s fun seeing what videogames you’re into, especially when it’s ones I like too (I’m a TOTAL sucker for Dragon Age ngl.) SO yeah I just wanted to say have a nice day and always stay amazing!

@inkorns: Oh daaaaamn if it isn’t the creator of the prettiest gifs I HAVE EVER SEEN. You’re super talented at editing okay (don’t even t r y and deny it Ada pls) and I love your blog so much. You’re fun to talk to and I’ve decided that we’re good friends and you are extremely stuck with me forever 😈 I’m gonna spend the rest of my days complimenting your gifs and you can’t stop me!!! Seriously though, talking to you is so nice and honestly?? You’re really cool and funny what the heck. You better have the best valentines day ever or else I’m gonna come over and throw heart shaped stuff at you until you have a good time 😈

@loveisactivated: Your blog is so extreme super quality I don’t even feel worthy of just LOOKING at your gifsets because damn they look so good. You seem like a really chill person and it’s always nice when we’re watching the same shows and I get to see your amazing content! But yeah hi I think you’re really cool, happy valentines day jfdhdhfdh

@mingskit: FRIEND FRIEND FRIEEENNDDDD!!!! (I love this “friend” thing we have going on can we do this forever please - I can’t believe we’ve never really directly talked much but we already have a cute friendship thing BLESS) Your gifs? Incredible. You? Even more incredible!! I adore the content you post, especially when you focus on the underrated girls in bl shows. You seem like such a sweet person and I like to think that maybe someday we’ll become good pals! Happy valentines day you wonderful angel 💙

@nazaaqat: Faiza!! Okay so yeah we’ve never talked (apart from occasional yelling in tags) but I just wanted to say hi!! You’re one of the absolute most friendliest people I’ve seen on tumblr and it’s always such a pleasure to see you replying to asks in the softest way and your gifs... ugh YES that top quality I’m pretty much addicted to your content at this point. You have so many friends and this is probably really random but I low key (high key okay it’s totally high key) adore you and hope you have a nice valentines day!

@ohbabycupcakes: Damn you’re one of the first blogs I ever followed and you’ve always been someone who I’ve admired from afar - you’re so good at keeping your followers up to date with stuff that’s happening and you put so much time and energy into your blog and that’s just straight-up awesome. Your language skills are also so good! It’s so exciting to see how much you love learning Thai and honestly you’re so ridiculously talented, I really hope that someday I could be on your level, you’re such an inspiration really. Anyway before I gush for like 6 more paragraphs... I think you’re great and I hope you’re having a good day!!

@perthtanapon: Pretty edits!! Pretty edits EVERYWHERE!!!! Honestly I really love your content and you post a lot of my faves which just makes me love it even more wow. Your Mark edits literally have me on the floor in a sobbing mess I hope you know that jkghjfkdgfd. I think you’re really chill and it’s nice to message you from time to time, I know we haven’t talked very much but it already feels like we’re good friends! Happy valentines day buddy 💕

@piningbisexuals: A X E L L E 💕 You’re the first friend I made on here, I remember how excited I was when you first started following me! Your enthusiasm for the things you love is so contagious, half the time I watch new stuff just because I see you enjoy it so much. We have the loveliest most wholesome friendship where we just compliment and hype each other up all the time and I live for it. Can’t wait until the day we both achieve our dreams and can meet up in Thailand to drink some pink milk together!

@priceofwarmclothes: Erm alright so seriously?? Your gifs are so nice please don’t ever stop gifting my dashboard with your glorious creations. We’ve never talked but you seem like a really fun and talkative person so hopefully someday we’ll have the chance to talk and become buddies! Can’t wait to see more of the gorgeous content you’ll post in the future 💚

@purnotas: Hello!!! I see you in my notes a lot and you send me helpful asks from time to time.. thank you so much for that!! You seem so lovely and your blog is full of great content! Please have an absolutely WONDERFUL valentines day! 💛

@rosa-leche: Hello friend, hope you’re still doing well and that things are much less exhausting for you now that you’re done with your midterms! You always have the nicest things to say and when you leave nice comments in the tags it makes my heart so warm! Wow can’t believe you’re the sweetest person ever 💛💙💜 happy valentines day!

@rosiedaes: One of the coolest blogs I follow okay.. you’re so chill and I always love your edits so much 😭😭😭 Ngl I’ve been following you for as long as I can remember - when I used to run a kpop blog your main was one of my faves so I was so excited when I made my new blog and I realised that you also have a drama blog!! Always stay amazing and I’ll always be looking forward to seeing what you’ll post next!

@seoinsguk: Okay so Alexa... we’re both seriously so BAD at replying to messages (I literally just checked and it’s been forever since I replied oh my god shsk) but really?? I love that! There’s no pressure or stress to our cute little friendship that we have like we can reply to messages weeks apart but it’ll still just feel like a normal conversation 🤣 Also THANK YOU for fuelling my kdrama needs, I don’t follow many blogs that post Korean content so it’s the best when I see you getting excited over a kdrama you’re watching because then I instantly know what to start watching next. Also can I just say... you’re so lovely thank you for being so lovely.

@thaitheseries: One of the first thai-based blogs I followed and seriously one of the best tbh. You’re so active and I see you on my dashboard all the time and it’s so NICE (probably 90% of the things I reblog are from your blog whoops.) I love reading your tags when you reblog my content and we have similar tastes in shows which is always great! I remember when I was having a rough day and you reblogged some Mark content for me to see... and that was seriously so nice of you and it made me so happy! You’re one of my favourite people and you probably don’t even know about it djsgsfhd happy valentines day!

Wow can’t believe I’m so madly in love with all of you!! And if we’ve never talked... my inbox is always open, let’s be best friends 💕 Hope you all have a great valentines day!

#I literally threw together the most awkward last minute edit oh man djgdskg #but yes!!#I love you guys sO much I hope you know that #ff #I'm working all day but I hope you all have such a good day!

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johnbly · 6 years

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For the ask game thingy, I couldn’t decide between Harry Potter and X-Men?? 👀 .. and I’m wondering if this was posted way earlier in the day or night and I never refreshed the dashboard. *hides*

haha nope i just posted it within the hour so you’re good. i know what you mean tho whenever i get too deep in my dash i’m like. was this posted recently or a century ago?

what_are_birds_we_just_don’t_know.gif

anyways. i’m putting this under a read more bc it’s a long ask game to begin with and you gave me two for the price of one B) and ones that made me think too

hp:

the first character i ever fell in love with: i first read the books when i was in second grade which was. 2005ish. so i honestly don’t remember my first impressions but i’m going to guess maybe hermione bc we are somewhat alike but i wouldn’t swear to that

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: can’t think of anyone

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: i guess initially i liked harry/hermione more than ron/hermione but now i’ve backed off of that in a romantic sense

my ultimate favorite character™: tbh my relationship with hp is strange like i love the world and characters and fandom but i don’t really have Strong Feelings about characters? i always say hermione’s my favorite tho

prettiest character: tbh cedric or fleur? man why does goblet of fire have all the good ones. i mean cos!tom riddle. looks good. but i wouldn’t say pretty

my most hated character: umbridge is the wooorst

my OTP: ron/hermione?

my NOTP: there are some. interesting ships that i’ve seen out there. i’m not sure how many of them are serious but i’d say

favorite episode book: prob goblet of fire bc the tasks are fun

saddest death: honestly……i would say dobby or hedwig, but cedric’s death has hit me harder every time i read it or watch it so.

favorite season movie: chamber of secrets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

least favorite season movie: order of the phoenix. how do you turn longest book into second shortest movie

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: the only characters that i strongly dislike are umbridge and voldemort and lockhart annoys me but i don’t think anyone loves them so idk

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: i don’t think anyone fits this .-.

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: everyone who died tbh. i’m thinking specifically of lupin rn i think bc like. wow. having to deal with being a werewolf for most of his life and then dying before meeting his son :)))

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: n/a

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: lupin/tonks maybe. there’s that one gifset on here of them in dh1 and the tags made me !!!

x-men:

the first character i ever fell in love with: i’m p sure it was erik

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not: i don’t think i’ve disowned anyone

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not: -shrug emoji-

my ultimate favorite character™: erik

prettiest character: tbh probably charles but only in xmfc

my most hated character: i would throw shaw off a cliff without hesitation

my OTP: scott/jean i guess? they were good in the original trilogy except for. you know. murder.

my NOTP: can’t think of any

favorite episode: n/a (but if we’re going favorite piece of content, xmfc. altho house of m was an interesting comic)

saddest death: i mean. erik’s mom dying was sad. also his kid in apocalypse but i don’t think about that movie

favorite season: see favorite episode above

least favorite season: xma was bad. i think. i remember almost nothing of it but i remember being mad about erik’s character. honestly the only movie i Actively Remember is xmfc. like the original trilogy wasn’t exciting but i don’t think it was stamping all over characterization and also by that point erik was Older and different whereas in xmdofp and xma the writers are just like [wiggly hands]

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate: i wouldn’t say that i hate him but i’m not a wolverine fan

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave: erik has a tendency to be trash

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave: uhhh i mean erik deserves better both in canon and how people write him. but i guess if we’re being technical about cinnamon rolls then xmfc charles did not have a good time

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship: n/a

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship: uhhh from what i remember from the comics, kitty and colossus was cute? but stalking their wiki says it didn’t last long

#first of all thanks for the ask #not to play the tiny violin but since moving blogs i haven't gotten as many asks for the ask games so it's appreciated #i'm sorry that i wasn't able to give you good answers on a lot of them #i'm not much into shipping and also i'm mostly out of x-men rn and like i said i have a weird relationship with hp #narcissistickannibal #chilly answers

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patricksilvrrozartistry · 6 years

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Current Music Obsessions: October 17 - 31, 2017

It's that time again. Time to share my current music obssessions for the second half of the month. So let's see them honorable mentions.

Sinistro - Nothing Sacred (Paradise Lost cover) Kadavar - Tribulation Serenity - Lionheart Body Count - This is Why We Ride Collapsion - Dethroned The Great Discord - Cadence Type O Negative - Wolf Moon Persona - Invidia The Dark Element - Here's to You Metalite - Nightmare Sleeping Romance - Where the Light is Bleeding Lorde - Perfect Places Hanging Garden - Our Dark Design feat. Nika Kalliojarvi Tarja - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Goldenhall - King Under the Mountain AfterTime - Masquerade (Through the Facade) Sunterra - Shadow in the Dark Beyond God - Stronger Lamb - What Makes Us Human Suodeth - Siecle Des Lumieres Brighter Than a Thousand Suns - What's Inside Cher - Walls Conspiria - Prophecy of Doom Witchcraft - В объятиях темноты Qveen Herby - Wifey Inviolate - Broken Cycle Silentium - Frostnight Abonos - U Krosnjama Abonosa Voices of Destiny - The Great Hunt Crystal Gates - Shadowborn

And now for the real ones.

1) Pale Waves - Television Romance

This was a random YT discovery and am so into it. It's such an cute song and their front woman is so adorable. There's something about it that sounds so nostalgic to me and I think that's why I love it so much. Like it sounds like something out of the 2000's. I'm definitely am gonna check out more from them.

2) IAMFIRE - Beamer

I came across this song through spaceuntravel's YT channel and was shocked to hear sludge/stoner metal on their channel. Most of the stuff they post is alternative metal, nu metal and hard rock bands, so hearing this was a pleasant surprise. I really dig this track and the overall vibe of it.

3) Butcher Babies - Headspin

This is such a fun song. I'm so hyped for Lilith and can't wait to give it a listen. So far it sounds like a bit more of a progressive direction, but still keeping true to their thrash roots. Even though this song is a bit softer, it's still a great jam. Also the video is wonderful and threw me off that it apparently stars two porn stars, but then again, Heidi and Carla worked with Play Boy in the past, so they probably got some connections.

4) Sharon Needles - Battle Axe

Sharon is back with a new single and this is a fun one. It's not my favorite, but it's catchy enough for it to become an obsession of mine. I don't think any of her music will ever compare to the works of PG-13, but it's still great to hear good tunes from her. And I LOVE Phi Phi's cameo in the video.

5) Ebony Ark - If Only

I finally decided to check out more from them and I instantly got obsessed with this song. It's such a great symphonic prog-power track. It's so catchy and the bridge is absolutely beautiful. Beatriz has such a beautiful and strong voice. It's a bummer they're no longer together, but hopefully Beatriz will pop back up sometime soon.

6) The Longing - How Do You Know

I discovered this band through Facebook a while back and have been digging a lot of their music so far. It's strange to me that I've found a symphonic-ish gothic metal band from the States that I actually enjoy (a lot of symphonic metal bands from the States don't really appeal to me). The singer's "acting" in the bridge is very odd, but the song itself is what's amazing.

7) Vvon Dogma I - Communion

Chaoth's new project has finally released its debut single and it's wonderful. It's far from being an obsurdly chaotic masterpiece that was Unexpect, but it's still amazing nonetheless. It's a bit avant-garde, but more structured. The blending of dubstep and an atmospheric voice with the djenty instrumentals gives the music such a cool and interesting vibe. By the way, Chaoth's voice is wonderful and his bass solos are still beautiful as always (as they should, since it has nine strings).

8) Akoma - Change of Propensity

I got around to listening to Revangels and this is definitely my favorite off the album. So powerful, dramatic and beautiful. I just wish someone would post the lyrics somewhere, because I REALLY want to do a vocal cover of it. The chorus is just so intense and full of so much raw power that it's absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.

9) Vuur - Freedom ~ Rio

Of all the singles they've dropped, this one is the prettiest. Anekke really gets into her higher register with this track. It's such a beautiful and uplifting song. I can really see this one being not only a fan favorite, but also a great song to hear live.

10) Climatic Terra - Misery feat. Ines Vera-Ortiz (ex-Lumine Criptica)

I came across this song when checking to see what all projects Ines has been featured on over the years. This is such a great and beautiful power metal track. I really hope she joins a band again soon and releases a full length album with them. She has such a gorgeous voice and I'd love to hear some new material from her.

11) Empyrean Throne - Chaosborne

The title track of Empyrean Throne's debut album is absolutely epic. After listening to Chaosborne, it's easy to say that these guys are heavily influenced by Dimmu Borgir and I love it. This song is such a ballbuster and their front man shows off the more beautiful side of his cleans on this track. I highly recommend you guys to check this band out.

12) From the Arc - I Swear

Another band I discovered through spaceuntravel, From the Arc are an alternative metal band. This track is such a great jam. Honeybee has such a lovely voice. It always makes me extremely happy to see black women in the metal scene. It reminds people that metal is for everyone and isn't just white people music. Definitely am gonna check out more from them.

13) Magion - Body's Betrayal

I watched an old interview that their front woman did and she mentioned that this was one of her favorites off their then new album to perform, so naturally I had to check it out. it's such a gorgeous and dramatic track. It's sad that they are no longer together, but at least Myrthe is still active in the metal scene with Scenario II.

14) St. Vincent - Los Ageless

I came across this song when I saw a gifset on tumblr made of clips from this song's video. The video is aesthetic goals af and the song itself is so much fun. It's rather catchy and wonderful to jam to. The video is so cool and pretty. Definitely am gonna check out more from them.

15) La-Ventura - Song for an Idiot

I rekindled my love for this track thanks to my Facebook memories. This band is so underrated and wonderful. Their front woman has such a great voice that's different to hear in the gothic metal scene. This song has such a great hook and the chorus is so powerful even though it's so simple.

16) Elliot Root - 10,000

I discovered this band when I went to Criminal Records (a record store in Atlanta) and saw their debut album, Conjure, for $2. The cover art got me intrigued, so I added this song to watch later so I could check them out when I got home. I instantly fell in love with it. I'm not the biggest fan of indie music, but this is gorgeous. So gorgeous that I went back less than a week later to pick up the album. Their front man has such a lovely voice and the instrumentals complement it very well. I highly recommend you guys to check this album out, it's amazing.

That's it for October! Now go enjoy these tunes!

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nothesc · 7 years

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A whole new world.

Hi!!

So yes, this is a Yousana fic based on the Disney movie Aladdin. This fic was asked by @mrspaaadfoots whose gifsets comparing Yousana with Jasmine and Aladdin are the best thing ever!!

This fic is entirely based on the movie so there are some things that I wanted to tell you about it.

-There are lots of references to the movie, scenes and quotes taken right from the movie (like “do you trust me?” “ain’t never had a friend like me” “....sounds strange don’t you think?” and basically the whole last scene) If you don’t understand something, like for example the first parragraph, maybe you should rewatch/watch the movie, believe me, I didn’t remember half of the things hahah

-The fic is based on the movie so some characters may seem a little bit out of character, especially Sana’s father. I know that he would never act like he does in the beginning but in the movie, Jasmine’s father pressures her to marry a prince and only a prince. So the closest thing I could find for this fic was Sana’s father wanting her to be with a muslim guy. I really hope that no one feels annoyed or upset about this, again, I’m just following the movie.

-I’m sorry if the ending is rushed up and messy, but honestly, the ending of the movie is kind of like that.

-I’ve erased Jafar’s character from the fic because I didn’t want to make the fic too long and I didn’t think he was necessary. Also just in case it isn’t clear, Elias is the Genie hahah

Well I think that’s it, again I really hope no one gets upset by this, I’m just following the movie. I’ve rewatched it and taken notes to be as fair to the movie as possible.

ALSO I put a “keep reading” since the fic is so long. I hope it works, especially on phones, in case it doesn’t you can also find it here

I really hope you like it!!

---------------x-------------

Welcome to Oslo, a city in the south of Norway. It’s actually its main city. Here a lot of families leave and … wait wait wait, don’t go, I have interesting stories to tell. Like that one about that cute blonde girl that met a cute blond boy and…okay, fine, that’s not the story you want to hear right? You’re here for the good stuff. Fine, I’ll give it to you. This story begins with a family, the Bakkoush family, or more specifically, with a girl…Sana.

Sana was loved in her family, she had caring parents and two lovely brothers, although one of them didn’t live with them anymore. Her parents were strict, not authoritarian, but strict, they wanted the best for their daughter, or what they thought it was the best. As she grew up, Sana had always heard her parents saying that one day she’d find a good muslim boy who would take care of her. And there was nothing wrong with that, Sana liked the idea. But as she got older and reached her teenage years she heard that sentence more and more often, sometimes they would even try to introduce her to some boys. Sana knew they were doing it for her own sake, they wanted to see her happy but sometimes she felt as if they were pressuring her. She didn’t want to be with anyone until she was ready, she didn’t want to be with anyone for the sake of being with them, she wanted to fall madly in love with the most unexpected person. But, what would happen if that person wasn’t muslim?

-x-

“Sana, have you seen Nayat’s son lately?” her father asked her one Sunday morning “He’s grown up to be a very nice young man. I ran into him the other day at the Mosque.”

“Seriously? Again? I told you, I don’t need you to find me anyone”

“I’m not trying to find you anyone, Sana. I just want you to get to know more people, you’re always with your high school friends. Maybe you should meet new people”

“And what is wrong with the people I know?”

“I just want you to be taken care of”

“Well, maybe I should be the one to decide that!”

She shook her head and got out of the kitchen putting on her shoes.

“Where are you going?” her father asked as he followed her

“Out”

“Sana…you know I only want the best for you”

“Yes dad I know, you want me to find a nice muslim boy who can take care of me and I really hope that one day I’ll find him but that’ll be my decision and not yours”

With that she turned around and left the house.

-x-

She didn’t remember the last time she had walked along the street market. The stalls were full of food and people filled the street. As she passed a fruit stall something caught her attention. There was a young kid, he was probably around 6 years old, looking at the apples. His clothes were dirty and ripped. He was clearly a homeless boy. Her heart ached at the view, how it was possible that a kid that young had to live like that? Without even thinking about it she walked over to him and took an apple from the stall.

“Do you want one of these?” Sana asked the boy as she offered the apple to him

He nodded shyly and took it from her. He took a bite from it and smiled. Then he turned around to look at who seemed like it was his mother. Sana looked at her too and saw gratitude in her eyes. She nodded and looked at the kid as he went back to her mother.

“I hope you have money to pay for that” she heard a male voice saying behind her

“Huh?” she turned around and saw a man in her 40s frowning at her

“You gave one of my apples to that boy, you better pay for that”

“Oh sure” she said as she patted her pockets looking for her wallet only to find out that she had left it at home “Oh I’m so sorry, I must’ve left it at home”

“That’s not my problem. You took that apple from my store now you need to pay for it”

“But I don’t have money on me right now, maybe if you let me call my parents they can bring it now or maybe I can go home and I’ll bring it to you myself”

“Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think I’m going to let you leave?”

He man took a step closer to her making her shiver in fear.

“I swear I…”

“Leave her alone”

Sana looked at her left and saw a guy standing right next to her. He was taller than her but he didn’t seem much older than her, maybe one or two years. He had wavy hair and the most beautiful brown eyes Sana had seen in her life. But he wasn’t looking at her, he was glaring at the market man.

“She gave one of my apples to that kid and now she doesn’t have money to pay for it” the man explained

“Really? All of this because of an apple? She gave it to a kid that didn’t have anything to eat” they boy said

“Well, that’s not my problem. You take something from me, you have to pay”

“But I told you, I don’t have money, if you let me go to my house I’ll pay for it” Sana tried to reason with the man

“And I’ve told you, I don’t trust you”

“This is unbelievable” the boy said “You know what? I was going to pay for it but you don’t deserve it, how can you be like this? It’s just an apple”

He sounded exasperated. He shook his head and looked at Sana gasping slightly as he really got to see her.

Yousef had been walking down the street when he saw a girl giving an apple to one homeless kid. He didn’t get to see the girl properly but he couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. Next thing he knew, a man was yelling at her. Before he could even think about it Yousef walked over to them to try to help the girl. It wasn’t until he had spent about a minute there that he looked to his right and saw her, really saw her. His heart skipped a beat as soon as he laid eyes on her. She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. He didn’t know what it was but there was something in her that made it impossible for him to look away.

“Well if neither of you are going to pay me then I’ll have to call the police, look there’s an officer” the man said making both Yousef and Sana look at him

He was pointing at a police officer right behind them.

“Police! Police!” he called

Yousef knew he had to act fast, if the police came then they would be in trouble. Like sure, he could just pay for the apple but it was more a matter of pride, that boy was a mean person and he didn’t deserve it.

He looked at the girl next to him and offered his hand to her.

“Do you trust me?” he asked

The girl looked at him frowning for a moment not sure of what he was asking. He pointed with his head at the policeman that was approaching them and then looked down at his hand.

Sana bit her lip and thought for a moment. This guy was asking her if she trusted him. She didn’t even know him. But there was something in him…Sana didn’t know why but she did feel like she could trust him. She looked at his hand and took it intertwining their fingers. Then she nodded letting him know that she, in fact, trusted him. Next thing she knew, the boy was kicking one of the sticks that kept the stall firm and all the fruit fell to the floor. He used the distraction to start to run, leading Sana with him. She heard the yells of the man and the police officer but they didn’t stop. They kept running, the boy leading her through the streets. They only stopped once they reached a building. There was a fire escape in the wall.

“Come on” he said as he started to go upstairs.

As they reached the top he crouched to the floor and told her to do the same. They stayed there for a moment until they saw the police and the man running through the street still looking for them

“I think we’re safe now” he said as he sat down. “Are you okay?”

He looked at her and she felt her stomach making a back flip, who was this guy that had this effect on her?

“Yes, I’m okay” she said sitting down too “Thank you”

“It’s fine. I probably should’ve paid him and not drag you around but…it didn’t seem fair, you know?”

“Yes, I get it. He was being mean. He didn’t deserve it” Sana agreed

“So, where were you going before we ran into each other?” the boy asked

“Oh, nowhere actually. I had a fight with my father and I just had to leave” Sana said shrugging

“Want to talk about it?” he asked

“It’s just…I know he wants the best for me but lately he’s been all like ‘You should meet new people, new muslim people and maybe you’ll find a nice muslim guy to take care of you’ and it’s not like it’s a bad advice or anything, I actually agree but I just…I want to be able to decide for myself you know?”

Yousef felt a little disappointed after listening to her. She was looking for a muslim guy, her parents wanted that for her and he wasn’t that. There was no way her parents would approve their relationship. Relationship? What was he even thinking about? He had just met her. He didn’t even know her name and he was thinking about having a relationship with her? How did that make any sense at all? But again, there was something in her…

“I think is safe to go down now” the girl said looking at the floor

He followed her gaze and saw that indeed the street was empty. Yousef nodded and stood up, leading the way to the street. They started to walk in silence, making sure that they weren’t going to the market’s direction.

“So…what about you? What were you doing before we ran into each other?” she asked him

“Nothing really, I was just on my way home from work”

“Where do you work?”

“In a kindergarten” Yousef said smiling

“Really? My brother works in one too. That’s so nice”

“Yeah, I really like kids” he said nodding, then he added “Hey, I just realized, I don’t even know your name yet”

“Oh, it’s…”

“Sana!”

He saw the girl widening her eyes as she heard that name being called.

“Dad?” she said confused “How did you find me?”

Yousef saw as one older man approached them frowning.

“I’ve been walking around for awhile. You didn’t take your phone so I was just hoping I’d find you” the man said

“Yeah, I forgot about it” the girl, Sana, answered

Sana…Yousef repeated the name several times in his head as he watched her and her father talking. He loved the sound of her name.

“You can’t run like that Sana, and who’s this?” her father said pointing at Yousef

“Oh, this is…just someone I ran into and…”

“Whatever, you have to come with me, we’ll talk about this at home”

“But…”

“Sana, please”

He saw her taking a deep breath and nodding. She smiled at him apologetically before walking towards her dad.

“Bye Sana” Yousef said after her

She turned around and looked at him once more, and then, she was gone.

-x-

“Earth to Yousef, are you there man?” Elias said as he waved his hand in front of his face.

It was the day after his encounter with Sana, the mysterious girl from the market, and Yousef hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.

Now he was in his break at work and his colleague, Elias, had been trying to tell him about some girl he was dating for the last 10 minutes but being honest Yousef hadn’t been listening.

“Sorry, you were saying?” Yousef said shaking his head trying to focus on his friend

“Whatever…what’s going on with you? You’ve been distracted the whole morning”

“Nothing…It’s just…I met a girl yesterday at the market…”

“What? Really? Finally!!”

“Yeah, don’t get too excited, I won’t see her again”

“What? Why not?” Elias asked

“Because she left and I didn’t get her number or anything…and besides I don’t think it would work anyway…she’s muslim and she’s looking for a nice muslim guy…and you know that’s not me”

“Well, yeah, but you’re the nicest boy I know, any girl would see that”

“Yeah…just forget about it…”

“No, but tell me more about her, I want to know” Elias insisted

Yousef sighed remembering the previous morning.

“She’s smart and fun and…”

“Pretty?” Elias asked

“Beautiful!” Yousef said excited “She’s got these eyes that just…wow…and her smile…ahh…but she’s gone, her father found her and made her leave”

“Oh bro you sound like you’re in love!”

“Yeah…maybe…but I mean I have no chance”

“Bullshit, you just need to find her and make her see that you’re worth it. Do you at least know her name?”

“Yeah, and it’s the most beautiful name I’ve ever heard…Sana”

Elias frowned and squinted his eyes. It couldn’t be…could it? He remembered his father and his sister coming home the previous morning, his sister clearly upset. And he might have heard something about the market.

“Uh…Yousef…this girl…was she petite, wearing a hijab, brown eyes, dimples?”

“Yes, yes like that exactly” Yousef said nodding

“Okay, this is going to be weird but…let me show you a picture”

Elias took his phone and searched for a picture of his sister. He found one with both of them smiling, his arm around her.

“Is this the girl?” he asked showing Yousef the picture

“Yes!!! That’s her, that’s Sana!!! How do you know her? Wait…she’s not…she’s not your girlfriend, is she?”

“No, no, no, no. She’s my sister”

“Your sister? But I thought you only had one sister” Yousef said confused

“And I do”

“But…you’re always referring to her as your baby sister and she’s like…what? One or two years younger than us?”

“Well yeah but she’s still my baby sister”

“Oh god, now I feel so embarrassed. I’ve talked about her eyes and her smile with you and…” Yousef covered his face with his hands embarrassed

“No, it’s fine, it’s fine. Like I told you you’re the nicest guy I know and now that I know that the girl you met is my sister…you know what that means right?”

“No…”

“That I, my friend, am going to help you”

“Help me how?”

“I’ll invite you home and you just have to talk to her, it’ll be fine”

“What? No, don’t you know me? I suck at talking to girls, I suck at flirting, I always get too awkward”

“That’s because you ain’t never had a friend like me, but now I’m going to help”

“Have you forgotten something? I’m not muslim” Yousef said shaking his head

“But she doesn’t need to know that…not yet”

“Elias, I’m not lying to her”

“It’s not lying to her, it’s just…omitting the truth until she realizes that you two are made for each other”

“And what about your parents”

“Same thing, they’ll learn to love you. Just trust me, tomorrow you’ll come to our house and she’ll love you”

Yousef looked at his friend unsure. He wanted to see Sana again, he really really really liked her, he knew that it was too soon but again, there was something in her that he couldn’t shake it. Still, he didn’t want to lie to her about such an important issue. But maybe Elias was right, maybe he could just avoid that topic and let her believe he was muslim until he had proved to her and her family that he was worthy.

-x-

“Hey sis” Elias said as he entered Sana’s room with a huge smile on his face

“What do you want?”

“Why do I have to want anything? Can’t a brother just come and say hi to his sister?”

“A brother? Yes. You? No. What do you want Elias?”

“I’m just here to let you know that a friend will come over in a few minutes”

“Mutta? Adam? Mikael?”

“Nope, this one is a new friend. You don’t know him. But maybe you should. He’s such a nice guy. I’m sure you and our parents will love him”

“You too Elias? Why can’t you all stop with that already?” Sana said rolling her eyes

Elias had never tried that before, he had always stayed out of the “let’s find Sana a boy” thing. He even had been on her side so many times. And now here he was, trying to set her up with one of his friends. And she wouldn’t have minded any other time but since she had met that boy, she didn’t even know his name, at the market she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him. She was so embarrassed about the way she had had to leave. She wished that at least she would know his name, but there was nothing she could do now, there was no way she would meet him again.

“I’m not doing anything Sana. I just…I think you’ll get along with this friend. His name is Yousef and he’s such a nice guy”

As he finished the sentence the doorbell rang.

“He’s here, come open the door with me”

“No”

“Sana, please? If you don’t want to you don’t have to talk to him but just, please, come and open the door with me”

“You’ll leave me alone after that?” she asked

“I promise”

Sana shook her head, sighed and stood up following her brother out of her room. She stayed in the hallway as she saw Elias opening the door to his mysterious friend.

“No way” Sana whispered as soon as she laid eyes on him.

She felt her heard skip a bit and her hands shaking. The boy she had met in the market, who apparently was called Yousef, was standing right in front of her.

“Hi Sana” he greeted her with a smile

She looked from him to her brother and then back to him. Then it clicked. This was all a scheme

“I can’t believe this” Sana said feeling the anger taking control of her body “This? All of this? This was staged? Was our meeting at the market staged too? Was all a scheme to get us together? I can’t believe this. When are you going to understand that I don’t want anyone to make decisions for me?”

She shook her head and left for the backyard before any of the guys could stop her.

“What did just happen?” Yousef asked confused

“I guess she thinks this was a set up?” Elias said

“What did you tell her?”

“That I have this really nice friend and that she’d like him”

“Are you kidding me? She told me how she was sick of people trying to make decisions for her and now she’s going to think that that’s exactly what we’re doing”

“Okay, relax, all you have to do now is talk to her”

“And tell her what?”

“The truth…well not the whole truth, but tell her that you didn’t know who she was when you met her at the market and I don’t know... Convince her to go out with you. Do something, Yousef”

-x-

Sana was sitting on the grass trying to calm herself when she heard steps behind her.

“Sana?” she heard his voice saying “Can we talk?”

“I don’t want to talk to you Yousef” she said surprised as how good his name sounded.

Then she shook her head reprimanded herself for that thought.

“Please, just let me explain”

“Explain what?” she said standing up and facing him “That you lied to me?”

“I didn’t lie to you. I swear I didn’t know you when I met you and I didn’t know Elias was your brother. You have to believe me”

“Just leave me alone” she said crossing her arms on her chest

“Okay…I’m sorry…just know that I do think that you should be free to make your own choice. Now I’m going to leave and you won’t have to see me again if you don’t want to”

He took a step back and was about to leave when he called him

“Wait…you really didn’t know who I was?” she asked

“I didn’t”

“And you didn’t know Elias was my brother when you came here?”

“That I did…I was talking about you to him and we realized you were his sister but I only came here because I wanted to see you again, I wouldn’t pressure into anything”

“And what did you have planned?” she asked biting her lip

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you said you came here to see me, I’m sure you had something in mind…what did you have planned?”

“Well I…” he said scratching the back of his neck nervously “I wanted to show you something…”

“What?”

“Is a surprise” he looked at his watch and added “And if you want to see it we have to leave now. What do you say?”

She thought about it for a moment. Yes, he had come knowing who she was but he had sworn that he didn’t know who she was when they met. And Elias had said that he was a nice guy, her brother wouldn’t lie to her. She felt really comfortable around Yousef and who knows? Maybe he was the guy for her, the one her parents had been talking about.

“Let’s go”

-x-

They left the house and quickly made their way to the nearest subway station. As they were about to buy the tickets Yousef insisted that he was paying for hers since it had been his idea to go there but when he patted his pockets looking for his wallet he froze.

“No way…no freaking way” he muttered

“What? What happened?”

“I’m so stupid, I can’t believe this”

“What happened?” she asked alarmed

“I’ve forgotten my wallet” he said embarrassed

“Oh, it’s okay, been there, remember? I’ll pay for the tickets” Sana said as she reached for her pockets, cursing herself when she realized they were empty “I’ve forgotten mine too…”

Yousef looked at her and burst out laughing. What were the chances that both of them would forget their wallets?

“I guess we’ll have to walk” Sana said shrugging

Yousef looked at his watch and sighed. He wanted to be at the spot before the sun would set and if they went walking there was no way they would reach it, even if it was only one subway stop away. He looked around trying to find a solution. His eyes focused on the barriers that only opened once the passengers would introduce their tickets and that stayed opened for about 15 seconds after that. It was a big risk but he had to try. He turned to face Sana and offered his hand to her like he had done the first time they met.

“Do you trust me?” he asked

“What?”

“Do you trust me?” he repeated

Sana hesitated but then she nodded and took his hand.

“I do”

“Then…”he looked at the barriers and saw a woman introducing her ticket and the train arriving, this was their chance “let’s go”

With that he started to run towards the barrier and as soon as the woman had passed he took those 15 seconds to get through them, his hand firmly holding Sana’s and bringing her with him.

Sana widened her eyes when she realized what they were doing but she didn’t hesitate as she run through the barriers.

They heard some screaming behind them, the security guy had seen them and was now following them.

Yousef looked at him, then at Sana who nodded at him reassuring her trust in him. Yousef kept running until he reached the train and jumped in it still holding Sana’s hand. She followed him and in a few seconds they were inside the train seeing the doors closing before the security guy could reach them.

They stood in the train panting and laughing.

“That was…intense” she said between laughs

“Yeah” he laughed too

“Uh…Yousef?” she pointed behind him at a security guy who was making his way towards them “I think his partner may have told him about us”

Yousef looked at the security guy and then at her in panic, he didn’t have a solution now.

“Damn it…it’s the next stop, we have to get to the next stop”

“Do you trust me?” Sana asked as she offered her hand to him, she had an idea

He looked at her blinking, had she just quoted him?

“Do you trust me?” she repeated

“Of course” he said taking her hand

“Then run”

Now she was the one leading the way. She ran from one wagon to another trying to keep as much distance from the security guy that was following them as it was possible. Just as they reached the last wagon the train arrived to the station and stopped. They jumped off the train as soon as the doors opened and ran out of the station without looking back. They only stopped once they were a few streets away from it and they were sure no one was following them.

“We need to stop running away from people” Yousef said as he tried to catch his breath leaning against a wall

“We definitely do”

“But it was fun” he said smiling

“Yeah” she smiled back “It was fun”

They looked at each other’s eyes for a bit getting lost in the moment.

“We should go” Yousef said

Sana nodded and followed him.

-x-

“Well this is it” Yousef said as they reached the spot

Sana looked around in awe. They were on top of a hill. There were trees and flowers all over the place, bluebells, azaleas and lots of other types of flowers Sana couldn’t even name. But that wasn’t it, from that spot they could see the whole city and just as the sun was setting it was the most beautiful sight Sana had seen in her life. It was as if she was in a whole new world.

“This is beautiful” she said amazed.

“Yeah, it is” Yousef whispered, only he wasn’t looking at the city but at her.

She caught him looking and smiled while blushing. He smiled back at her and sat on the grass. She followed his lead and sat next to him, both of them facing the city.

“It’s such a great thing that Elias told you that I love flowers” Sana said biting her lip

“Yeah, it was…wait what?” Yousef asked looking at her, she wasn’t supposed to know that. “It was a test, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I wanted to see if my brother had had something to do with this”

Yousef sighed embarrassed before talking

“I did ask him about what you liked”

“And why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Because…liking someone you just met sounds strange don’t you think?” he said looking at her

“Not that strange” she smirked at him and bumped her shoulder against his slightly.

He grinned widely at her, did that mean that she liked him too?

“So, how did you find this spot? Did my brother tell you about it?”

“No, my grandma used to take me here as a child. I’ve always loved flowers too and she would take me here and tell me the names of all the flowers. Then we would look at the city. She always said that I could achieve everything I wanted in life, that if I wanted to I could even be a prince…she used to call me that, her handsome prince”

“That’s a lovely story” Sana said smiling.

“She died last year. I miss here every day” he said looking at her, then he added trying to light up the mood “and well, no one has called me their handsome prince again”

She chuckled and shook her head.

-x-

“Thank you for walking me home” Sana said as they reached her house a few hours later.

They had spent the evening talking about random things and laughing. Her cheeks actually hurt from smiling. She had never felt that comfortable around someone as she felt around Yousef. And same thing happened to him, he still couldn’t believe that a girl he had just met could make him feel that much.

“Of course”

“I’ll see you soon?” she asked hoping she didn’t sound too eager

“Yeah, of course…I…I can come by tomorrow if you want to”

“I’d love that” she smiled.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow”

She bit her lip trying to decide if she should do what she was thinking about or not. She decided to do it and took a step closer to him leaning in and pressing a soft kiss on his cheek.

“Goodnight my handsome prince” she whispered as she turned around and started her way to the door

“Sleep well princess” she heard him saying after her.

He saw her entering the house still in shock from the kiss, he could still feel her lips against his skin. As soon as he was left alone in the street he couldn’t help but yell a huge “YES!” and throw his fist in the air. This was what happiness felt like, he was sure of it.

-x-

Sana and Yousef kept hanging out for the rest of the week. He would pick her up at her house and they would just grab a coffee, this time they would remember taking their wallets, or just take a walk around the city.

On Friday evening as they arrived to her house the front door opened and her father got out of the house and approached them.

“So you’re the guy that has been going out with my daughter this past week. Elias has told me about you” he said as he reached Sana and Yousef

“Nice to meet you, sir” Yousef said afraid of his reaction.

Sana’s father squinted at Yousef making him more nervous that he already was but then he started to laugh.

“I’m really glad to finally meet you” he said patting Yousef’s back “I’ve seen my daughter smiling every night after meeting you and I know that’s thanks to you. And my son, Elias, has told me that you’re the best guy he’s ever met”

“Oh” Yousef said blushing as Sana tried to hold her laugh seeing his reaction

“Ahh, my daughter finally with a nice muslim guy” Sana’s father said as he squeezed Yousef’s shoulder before getting inside the house.

Yousef’s smile dropped at that. He had been feeling guilty about lying to Sana the whole week but now having the confirmation that her father also thought that he was muslim was like a punch in the stomach. He quickly said goodbye to Sana before she could notice his change of mood and waited until she was inside the house to take his phone and text Elias to come out.

-x-

“What’s happening?” Elias said as he met his friend outside his front door

“I can’t do this anymore Elias. They think I’m muslim. I’m not”

“But they like you, Sana likes you, my parents like you”

“Because you told them I was muslim” Yousef said exasperated “What if they find out? What if Sana finds out? I’d lose her”

“But she doesn’t need to find out that you’re not muslim Yousef” Elias said trying to calm him.

“I can’t keep lying to her”

“You don’t have to” a female voice said startling them.

Leaning against the door frame, a very disappointed Sana was looking at them.

“Sana…”

“I saw you two talking here and I was going to ask you if you wanted to come in…but I guess that won’t be necessary since you two are here plotting to trick me”

“Sana it’s not like that” Elias said

“Save it…I can’t believe you two lied to me”

Before any of them could answer she turned around and entered the house, closing the door behind her.

“That’s it, that’s the end. I’ve lost her. She’ll never forgive me. She hates me”

“Yousef, Yousef, relax. Not everything is lost yet okay? You just need to apologize to her”

“She won’t listen to me”

“Maybe not now but…let me talk to her, I’ll explain everything to her. And you can come tomorrow and tell her”

“But…”

“No but…go home, I’ll talk to her and you can come tomorrow”

-x-

“Sana? Can I come in?” Elias asked as he knocked on his sister’s door

“Leave me alone Elias”

“Sana please let me explain”

He heard steps getting closer to the door and two seconds later Sana was standing in front of him

“What do you want to explain? That you two lied to me?”

“Yes but…it wasn’t like that Sana I swear”

“Like I’m supposed to believe your word”

“Please just listen to me okay?” he begged, Sana crossed her arms on her chest and waited “Okay, so as he told you Yousef didn’t know you were my sister when he met you. We found out the next day when he was talking about you. He said that he really liked this girl he had met but that her parents wanted her to find a good muslim guy and he wasn’t muslim so he didn’t have a chance with her. When I found out that you were the girl he was talking about I decided to help him. I know Yousef, he’s a nice guy and I knew that you two would get along. I mean you like him, you can’t deny that. I insisted that he shouldn’t tell you that he’s not muslim and he didn’t want to do it at first but I convinced him. The guy thought he didn’t have a chance with you, that’s why he went along with it. But that doesn’t mean that he’s been fake with you. Everything you two have lived this past week has been real. And he feels so bad about lying to you Sana. Right now he was telling me how he couldn’t do it anymore”

Sana looked at her brother not sure of what to think. He seemed sincere and she knew that Elias would never do anything that would be harmful to her. And then, there was Yousef, she didn’t want to believe that he was a bad guy. He was the nicest boy she had ever met, he was respectful and kind and funny and smart.

“He’s going to come tomorrow to talk to you…it’s your choice Sana but I think you should give him a chance”

“What about our parents? They won’t accept it”

“We’ll worry about that later. I’m here for you Sana.”

She nodded and took a step closer to her brother, wrapping her arms around his neck to give him a hug. She was still confused about the whole thing but she knew that she had to give Yousef a chance to at least explain himself.

-x-

“I’m sorry I lied to you”

Those words were the first ones that came out of Yousef’s mouth the following day. He had arrived to Sana’s house at 10 am and she had opened the door and led the way to the backyard without saying anything at all. As soon as they stood in front of each other on the grass he had taken a step towards her and apologized for lying to her. Elias was there too, just in case he needed to meddle between them.

“I know why you did” she said “And I forgive you but…”

“Your parents…”

“Yeah…”

“So, I guess this is good bye” Yousef said in defeat

“This isn’t fair” she whispered

“My father doesn’t have to know that you’re not muslim, Yousef” Elias said

Yousef looked at Sana who nodded in agreement with Elias but he shook his head at her.

“I have to stop pretending to be something I’m not” Yousef said

“I know…” she sighed

“Sana”

Yousef, Elias and Sana were startled to hear Mr. Bakkoush’s voice behind them. He was standing at the backyard door. He had seen them through the window and had decided to join them to ask if Yousef wanted to stay for dinner only to hear them talking about Yousef not being muslim.

“Is it true? You’re not muslim?” he asked Yousef as he approached them

“It is true, I’m sorry I lied, sir” Yousef answered looking at the floor

“Do you like him?” Sana’s dad asked her

“I do”

“Does he make you happy?”

“Yes, he does”

He looked at his daughter, then at Yousef and then back at his daughter. He could see the hope in her eyes.

“Then I say that you shall be with whomever you deem worthy” he said smiling at Sana

Sana’s lip curved into a big grin and she turned to Yousef

“Him, I choose him” she walked towards him and stood right in front of him “I choose you Yousef”

Yousef’s face lit up at her words and he was about to say something when Elias joined them placing an arm around each of them.

“Oh all of you, come over here. Group hug!!!” he yelled as he pulled both Sana and Yousef into a hug making them laugh.

“Well, we should be out of here” Elias said as he pulled apart and walked towards his father “Good bye you two crazy lovebirds”

With that, Yousef and Sana were left alone in the backyard.

“Can you believe that it was that easy?” Yousef said chuckling

“No, I honestly thought he wouldn’t allow it…or at least he wouldn’t accept it…us” Sana admitted

“I’m glad he did” he said taking her hand in his

“Me too”

“So…what now?”

“Now…now we start a whole new life” she said smiling

“A whole new life for you and me…sounds good”

-----------------x-----------------------------

Soooo this is it!!

Yup, no magic carpet...just a subway train hahah

I really hope you’ve liked it, I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you

And yes, anon, you guessed it! It was Aladdin hahah

Thank you so so much for reading!!♥

#skam #yousana #nothesc prompt #aladdin

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stephicness · 7 years

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I work so hard on my gifs and edits but barely get any notes. It's so discouraging. How do you make so pretty gifs? When I feel great about mine - I get nothing. :(

Dear anon, as corny as it is for me to say – and perhaps the most unhelpful thing as well – the best way to not get discouraged about notes is to ultimately not worry how many notes your post gets. Because in the end, it’s a creation that you enjoy first of all. Sharing it with others is just a benefit in the long run. Making a pretty gif set, in my opinion, is super subjective. Some people might think that one gif set is the prettiest thing in the world, while another might go ‘Hm… I’m not diggin’ it.’ And that’s okay! Art, beauty, it’s all unique to the person who browses and looks at gif sets in general. c:

It sounds super lame of me to say, but so long as you’re happy with what you made, does it really matter if your set gets alot of notes? I mean, my favorite edit of all time that I did is a nobody compared to my usual gif sets. But it’s a special edit that sticks close in my heart that I love. I think that’s rewarding to have finished it and know that ‘Hey. I made this! I’m happy about it! C:’ The idea of other people liking it too makes you feel nice, but they don’t need to be your only source of validation.

But, besides the pep talk, I can give you a few tips on how you might be able to get your edits out there a bit more? Not necessarily will this get you notes all the time every time, but there’s all sorts of ways you can at least spread them about and share them for people to look at them! Here’s a small list of tips:

1) TAG ALL THE THINGS!

This. This. THIS. Tagging is by far one of the most important things you can do to get your posts out there more! Tag your posts by the game title, the things it’s often abbreviated as, the characters in your edits, their nicknames – tags, tags, tags! Tags for days! Honestly, tagging things is so important! Because when you tag things, it’s a much higher chance that someone else will be able to find what you made when browsing through tumblr. They might be searching for a specific tag, a specific character, a specific ship, and so your post will most likely appear if you tag it the appropriate things!

Even more is that sometimes, people also can subscribe to certain tags to have instant access to their search or even have newer and popular posts in that tag appear on their dashboard! I personally have the ‘Ravus Nox Fleuret’ tag and a few others I follow specifically, so I always get to see what’s new for my favorite man and my ships. So by tagging your edits and posts, you’ll be able to have a farther reach with your edits for people to find!

This comes with a warning though, however: there is nothing more annoying than finding a misplaced post amongst the tags. Like, how weird would it be for you if you were browsing through the ‘Ignis Scientia’ tag and suddenly there’s a post talking about how much someone really loves the Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Like, no relevance at all on the outside or inside. It’s just there? It’s strange and odd, and honestly, it appears more disorganized than anything. So be careful on how you tag your things!

If push comes to shove, just remember to tag it with these: personal tags (my edits, personal comments, etc), the fandom name and abbreviations, the character names (full and/or short, it’s up to you), and perhaps a tag for the reference you made in your gifset.

I also recommend having an internal tagging system on your blog too, if you don’t have one already in place. Tagging systems are important for blog navigation, especially for incoming followers! That way, they can come browse through your other edits, posts you have in regards to fandoms, characters, and topics they like, and more! A tag system is really important to have for the sake of organizing everything for you and your followers!

2) Finding the Right Fanbase

It’s probably a self-explanatory thing, but more popular fandoms and more popular characters will most likely get more notes than less popular ones. If you’re seeking notes, then you might find yourself perhaps wanting to use a more popular subject for your gif sets. After all, Noctis will probably always get more notes than Dave if you try to pit them against each other.

But will he get more popular than Ardyn? Well, it’s subjective too. You can make an edit of a popular character from a popular fandom, and it’ll definitely get more notes. But that’s because you’re appealing to different fanbase as a whole. Noctis is well-liked, for example, among most of the Final Fantasy XV fandom, so he’s generally going to get more attention of it all. Meanwhile, if you take another character like Ardyn, for example, you might not have everyone who liked Noctis liking Ardyn and all. But with a change of character comes a change of fanbase too! There’s quite a few Ardyn fans who would love seeing a new edit of the hobo chancellor, so keeping in mind what fanbase you want to appeal to is super important when you want to share your edits with them (again, TAG YOUR STUFF TO PASS IT AROUND).

Fanbases are always changing and different, but knowing which fanbase you want to share your edits with will play a big role on the exposure your edit may or may not get!

3) Aesthetic Appeal

As I said before, beauty is really really subjective, but there are a few design things to keep in mind when you want to make a more visually appealing edit. Art and design theory imperative to keep note of when making an edit. Of course, once you know the rules, it’ll be easy for you to bend the rules. But some things that I personally keep note of when making a gif set can include…

The Coloring – Make sure that there’s a reason why you picked certain colors in your edit, and why some exist next to others! Play with the idea of analogous colors being together and complimentary colors pushing against others. Take note of the highlights and shadows to play with some dramatic lightings. Decide which parts should be more saturated and others less saturated. Different colors convey different themes, ya know.

The Typography – If you have an edit with typography, keep in mind of the type of fonts you’re using! You wouldn’t use a curly font when talking about a dramatic death scene, after all. Picking the right fonts is crucial in fitting the right style you want. Sans Serif fonts that are close together give off a very tension and more modern feel, while spaced out ones give a more orderly and airy feel. Serif fonts give off a completely different feel to them too – being more romantic and poetic and more traditional over the boxy sans serif kinds of fonts. They all have a different mood they can capture, so pick your fonts wisely!

The Composition – Where you place everything is also super critical to keep in mind of! Like, did you know that placing text in the bottom right corner gives your brain a different signal than when you place it in the top left? In English reading, you typically read from top left to bottom right, so the right is often where your eye rests last (I can go an entire tangent about this, not gonna lie), so be weary on how you place the figures and the text in the things you’re making an edit of.

The Quality – Make sure that your edits are saved in a really nice quality! Cleaner gifs give off a more professional vibe, and they’re alot nicer to look at than something super grainy and chunky. Tumblr now has a 3 MB limit on gifs, so it’s even easier to have your gifs with higher frame rates and less pixelated quality. It’s so nice! So utilize it…!

4) Emotional Appeal

Want someone to take a moment to pause and look at your edits? Appeal to them emotionally! Make a heartbreaking scene even sadder by referencing back a relevant and even more heartbreaking quote/lyric/poem. Make a funnier moment even funnier by parodying it. People want to feel things – sad things, happy things, all the things! So using color theory and quotes to help add to these feelings can really get people to stop and look for a little bit and generate some interest. Emotions are powerful, after all! So if you’re looking for people to look at your edits, intrigue them with emotion, with thoughts too.

5) Resharing

A smaller tip, but sometimes reblogging your edits at certain times of the day is a good idea too! Don’t over-share it, but reblogging your post for the night bloggers is good – because someone’s night is someone else’s day. :D Sharing it for certain groups of people on your blog is a good idea, so that way, people from around the world won’t have to browse through a bunch of posts from the time they were sleeping until now. So it couldn’t hurt to reblog your edits every now and then. To let the night and day people look, and even to get your new followers to check out the stuff you do as well!

So there’s some tips from me about how you might be able to get your gifs out there and stuff, but remember, dear anon: You are talented in your own unique way! That in itself is amazing self-validation, and it’s really important to have that!

Keep on making edits and being great, okay? Thumbs up to you! :DD

#asks #dear anon #stephic rants #advice from steph #a long post #but i hope it helps a little bit!

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