writer here!! im a middle eastern writer whos noticed that theres a VERY significant lack of info on how to write arabs, so im here to help !! (however, keep in mind that im specifically gulf arab and may not be able to provide as much info on levant arabs or north african arabs. if there are any on here, feel free to reblog w more info !! )
dont get arabs mixed up w muslims. yes, a large portion of the arab population are muslim, but youd be surprised at the number of non-muslim arabs that exist. if you wanna write abt a muslim character, a post i made that might help is here
list of arab countries, with the adjective:
algeria — algerian
bahrain — bahraini
the comoros islands — comorans
djibouti — djiboutian
egypt — egyptian
iraq — iraqi
jordan — jordanian
kuwait — kuwaiti
lebanon — lebanese
libya — libyan
morocco — moroccan
mauritania — mauritanian
oman — omani
palestine — palestinian
qatar — qatari
kingdom of saudi arabia (ksa) — saudi
somalia — somali
sudan — sudanese
syria — syrian
tunisia — tunisian
united arab emirates (uae) — emirati
yemen — yemeni
dialects/language:
dialects greatly differ—the egyptian dialect is the most common, followed closely by the levantine dialect
classic arabic is called fusha (fuss-ha), used in things like official documents, media, education. every arab knows it but its not used in day to day language except in media (all dialects basically come from fusha, but with slight changes)
'p' and 'g' (as in 'gurgle' or 'goal') dont exist in the arabic alphabet, theyre replaced with 'b' and 'j'
depending on where theyre from, they may also learn a third language besides arabic and english (e.g. moroccans know french, a berber arab may know berber)
appearance:
arabs look different based on where theyre from. if theyre from the arabian peninsula, they have thick curly dark hair, tanned skin, and dark eyes. levant arabs are lighter skinned, and green/blue eyes are more common with them
adding on to previous point, arabs have a variety of skin tones, even if theyre siblings. using a real example, me and my older brother respectively look white passing and afro hispanic
dark irises are considered better looking than lighter colored eyes. eyes are usually thick-lashed, with big round slightly upturned eyes
big noses are common, along with full lips (and hereditary dark circles for those with more tanned skin)
high cheekbones and well structured faces are also prevalent
culture:
varies depending on location
influenced by indian culture, IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE WITH INDIAN CULTURE. that was aladdins mistake
poetry is so common, especially with romantic themes
songs also have romantic themes
youd be surprised at how romantic arabs are
dances vary extremely, from dabke (palestinean dance done in groups, consisting largely of leg/foot movements) to yola (emirati dance with battle origins, done using canes or fake guns) i recommend watching videos (tiktok has a lot of videos esp of dabke)
women also dance but you wont find a lot of videos of it bc its inappropriate
etiquette:
things such as giving someone your back, or facing the bottom of your feet towards someone are considered rude
pda is also taboo (even with straight couples or even sometimes married couples)
cheek kisses are a common way of greeting, but not between genders
in some gulf countries, men greet each other with a nose kiss (not in an intimate way) just stubbing their noses against each other
genders do not mix at all. schools tend to divide girls and boys into two sections starting at a certain age (around age 10/11), and mosques are split into the mens side (usually larger than womens bc men use the mosque more)
having an extramarital relationship is very very taboo (even w hetero relationships) but it still happens. a lot.
family dynamics (note that this is obviously a spectrum. this is the general dynamic, but obv it ranges from family to family):
NOT ALL OF US HAVE ABUSIVE PARENTS. sure theyll spank you if you skip school, but thats not necessarily abusive. its more strict, and youd be surprised at the amount of freedom some parents give their kids
yes, arranged marriages do happen. no, they arent necessarily forced, it just means that your parents had a hand in deciding who youll marry. yes, marrying cousins is a thing, but its much less prevalent now (also, ew)
fathers care. a lot. they dont show it, but they do. they also tend to joke around a lot
mothers tend to be the rule enforcers, and by far our moms are our best friends. we tell them EVERYTHING i swear
aunties gossip a lot
uncles are a safety hazard
its not uncommon to have a large number of cousins (mainly bc arabs tend to have a lot of kids)
the average number of children 3 per woman, but from personal experience the older the generation the more kids (e.g. my great-grandmother had a whopping thirteen kids, my grandmother had seven, my mom has six, but a couple of my aunts only have one or two)
social class/work environment/school environment:
schools tend to be either arab curriculums but there is a high density of american/british curriculum schools
boys and girls tend to be separated in school around age nine/ten but some schools will be mixed genders up till graduation
yes, women work, tho admittedly some of them tend to have careers more than jobs (e.g. photographer, writer, etc while the men handle engineering, economics, etc)
no, not all of us are rich. in fact, countries like jordan, egypt, tunisia, morocco, and yemen (and infamously palestine) are acc struggling w poverty. its mainly just gulf arabs who are rich
furthermore, gulf arabs may be generally rich but a large chunk of them have the same lifestyle as an upper-middle class family in the usa. rich but not too rich. dont be fooled by the videos of guys wearing kandoras and driving lambos
speaking of kandoras...
outfits (keep in mind that spelling may vary since its all transliteration, and pronunciation may vary depending on region) (also keep in mind that even if we still live in the middle east, WE CAN WEAR JEANS AND HOODIES AND BAND SHIRTS. just, usually cover up more in public):
abaya: loose overgarment worn by women
jilbab/chandoor: also worn by women, type of long dress or tunic
the white robe all of yall know is known as a thobe, dishdasha, or kandora
the colored headscarf worn by men is known as a ghuthrain in the gulf, kevfiah in the levant. its kept in place with a black cord called a aghal, and under it they wear a skullcap called a thagiyah
those are the most common ones, however if youd like to get a lil more specific on clothong, the ultimate guide to arab clothing is here (it also has specified clothing for individual countries)
hope this helps, feel free to reblog w more info if you have any !!
Summary: (adj.) mysterious and entrancing; beyond ordinary understanding.
For all the twisted and dark desires he buried so deep in his heart, how could she ignite such spark with just one gaze?
Did that affect him and shake him to his very core? Yes. And was he eager to find out what he wanted to do with that spark? Oh boy!
Where jungkook with his band mates gets invited to be the guest for the annual function in the most approved school of the country and finds himself rather entranced by the school's beautiful head girl.
Fests and events do interests a lot of people. But the labor and hard work put behind it to make it perfect has always been very exhausting. I've seen the previous head girls and management run from one wing to the other for it's preparation. As tiring as the composing might be, the day of the main fest always makes it worth it. The laughter and cheers and the praises, oh the praises. Doesn't everyone work hard for that one thing? Praises.
"I've made a list of events we should keep" I looked to my side to see Jane holding a long list.
"Yes thank you"
I walk out the room, reading the list.
'Music... painting.. dance'
"Tia.. Willows?"
I turn around to see the new girl standing near the entrance of the computer lab.
"Oh Ifra, I completely forgot I had to meet you up. I am so sorry you know this fest work has really been messing with my brain I am so sorry"
Ifra's smile made me stop mid rant. I couldn't resist letting a small smile adorn my face too.
"It's fine, well if you're free now..?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow at me.
"Yes no worries I can show you around while getting my work done too" I said as I ushered her to follow me.
"Where are you from Ifra?"
"Saudi"
"Oh? Why did you move here then?" I turned my head towards her.
"Well my parents divorced and my father got a job here" she turned to look at me too.
I noticed she has beautiful amber eyes. With the sun rays falling on her face, her eyes looked almost golden. Her dark brown hair was loose and in beautiful waves. She is really beautiful.
"What? Is there something on my face?" She asked as she started wipe her face.
"Oh no, nothing. You're just really pretty" I said with a wide smile.
"Oh.. that is very unexpected. Thank you" she said while looking away from me.
"Oh I'm sorry if that was awkward"
"No it was just new. I thought as the head girl and someone as gorgeous as you would be very stuck up"
I laughed at that. I looked at her and said "Oh don't stereotype me"
" No I'm sorry" even she couldn't resist the little laugh that escaped her.
"Well this is the library, do you mind coming inside with me? I need some magazines" I told her as we approached the big glass gates of the library.
"Nope, absolutely not"
"Thank you, c'mon in" I said pushing the big doors.
As we walked down the aisle between the book shelves on both sides, we could hear some students in one of the narrow aisle speaking about someone and giggling. Even though I did not want to heed them my attention, one of them mentioned something about the school fest which caught my notice.
"Oh my god dis you hear the guests are going to be that famous boy band? Bts." One of them said giggling.
"You're lying, tell me you're fucking lying"
"WHAT?" Other one screeched.
"Lydia, shut up. No one should know about this" the first one said.
How the fuck did they know about this. This was supposed to be a big surprise.
"You're expression tells me it's true" Ifra joked from behind me.
I looked her and let out a sigh, "IT is infact true"
"What?! Really? Tell me you're bluffing" Ifra exclaimed as her eyes bulged out.
"No it's true. It was supposed to be a surprise from the school to the students. Well you see there are so many schools coming and bringing a big reputed band like them will increase our popularity and make this school big" I explained as I turned to walk down the aisle towards my destination again.
"Oh, well then, school is basically doing this for their own benefit" she said.
"Can you really blame the school, Ifra? Everyone thinks about themselves first" I turned for a second to give her a wink. With small smile and a nod she followed.
After collecting the previous year school magazines, we turned to leave the library.
"Why do you need them?" Ifra asked peeping over my shoulder to look at the magazines.
"I need inspirations for the events" I replied while flipping through the pages.
She hummed but did not comment. I am glad she didn't. The pressure of the events are already eating up my consciousness. The teachers have already agreed on the list of events. But they aren't helping me with how to arrange the events. The school has already arranged people for decorating the hall and the ground for the events which is a relief.
Beside me, Ifra seems to be lost in her own world as she keeps her eyes casted down, walking mindlessly.
"Are you bored? Do you not want to see the school?" I had to ask
"To be honest, I was already roaming around before you came so it's kind of uneventful" she said with a shrug.
"I get it, well where do you want to go then?"
"Can we go to the cafeteria? I am really hungry"
"Oh god same"
With small laughs exchanged, I guided her to the canteen.
We sat down at the farthest corner with two cups of coffee and sandwiches.
I looked up to see Ifra looking her her sandwich with furrowed brows.
"What is it?"
"I don't think this will be enough to fill my appetite" I can't help but laugh at her response.
"Oh my god, you know you can get whatever you want"
With that, she gave me a wide smile and started eating her sandwich.
I brought out my phone to see if there were any notifications from the student council or the teachers. As expected, there were almost thousands. Perks of being the head girl I guess.
"One hundred and fifty"
I looked up to see Ifra shaking her head with a mouth full of sandwich.
"What do you mean?"
"That's the amount of times you've sighed in the past one hour."
I put my pen down and looked at her properly and said "Had you been the head girl, you would have understood"
Did she just-
"DID you just roll your eyes at me?"
"Yes I did" she said and stuck out her tongue at me.
"WOW the audacity, Miss. Lateez"
"Oh hush"
After we were done with eating and noting down important details, we headed out to the main hall.
"So.." I turned to look the amber eyed girl as she started.
"So...?"
"When are they coming?"
"When are who coming?"
"Bts. Our guests, When will they arrive?"
"Oh, they will arrive in 2 days actually, why? are you excited?"
"I mean of course, I love their music"
"Right, even my friends love them. They don't know yet about them being out guests but I am sure they will be astonished and so excited"
"Yes of course, you must have a lot of friends" she said with a soft voice.
"Not really, I mean I do talk to a lot of people but I have only a few real friends." Talking about my friends always brings a smile to my face. They have helped me survive here alone in a country far away from my family. I will always be grateful to them.
"Don't you have friends here?" I asked her.
She looked at me as if I was the stupidest person on earth, or maybe I am because how could I forget she is knew in this school and of course she couldn't have made new friends in a few hours. "I am sorry I forgot, completely"
" Yes I figured" she said with a small scoff and a shake of her head. "Well it does take a lot of time for me to make friends. Call me an introvert but I have had one real friend in my entire life. She moved away when we were 12 and since then, I have never found someone I could trust and be comfortable with" she explained with a soft voice. But I could see the pain of bring alone in her eyes.
"Why?" The question left my lips before I could control myself.
"I've had friends after her, but they all seem to only made me their friend to look superior, some would talk bad about me behind my back, anyways doesn't matter now. I left that place anyways" she said will a sad smile and resumed walking.
I jogged to catch up with her. A few minutes of silence fell between us.
As we reached the main hall door I looked back at her with a smile
"I will be your friend"
She looked up at me and I could she her trying to resist the curve tugging at her lips. At the end she let out a big smile
"Thank you, Tia"
——————————————————————————————
A/N: ahhhhh here is the first chapter of orphic. It's just a background on the type of person Tia is and this is how her friendship with Ifra starts. I know I know it's a little boring right now. I swear it will be way more interesting from the 3rd chapter🤭. Mind you Ifra is a very important character here. And their friendship is very very important. Anyways stay tuned. And I am so sorry it took this long to update. I will update more frequently, promise. The next chapter will have a jjk pov. Hehehhe. Please hit the heart button for the love of jungkookie. Comment too. Bye bye. Love you<3
I know is only april but, do you have a top 5 or top 10 (however you prefer) Charlos moments from 2023?
Okay, so this started with top 5 and then, of course, turned into top 10... 🤷🏻♀️
The bracelet video has to be my top moment so far. Pure boyfriend energy. Unmatched.
2. Portrait artist of the paddock. We all collectively lost our minds, and who can blame us? 'Take off your clothes, Carlos.' ?? And then he actually started to do it ??? Pretended to be one of Charles' French girls ???? When will the agonizing sexual tension end, y'all 😓
3. Gotta be Goggle Games shenanigans. Charles' silly goalkeeping dance, asking for his phone to video Carlos, 'But i'm gonna get smashed,' Charles' literal cackling... I've been wanting to make a video edit for it ever since it came out, but haven't found the time/motivation. Soon...
4. Along those same lines, the C² music challenge: Charles dancing for every song, the way he stepped up the goofy with Carlos feeling sick/not able to talk as much, Charles blowing Carlos a kiss, Carlos blushing, neither of them recognizing 'Macarena' for ages, Carlos getting 'Miami' right simply bc the lyrics kept repeating it... The list goes on.
5. The look on Charles' face when they told him to name any 3 drivers on the grid, and he said:
6. When they had coordinating outfits in Saudi Arabia...truly boyfriend behavior (altho i dare anyone to name a single thing they do that isn't bf behavior)
7. They spent Valentine's Day together. The way Carlos looked at Charles and said "Happy Valentine's" 🤨
Also their radio chatter:
'Lord Perceval, how is the car? You like it?'
'Hellooo, mate!'
8. BFs who, once again, wear matching outfits, but this time to play padel together...
9. People are gonna think I'm insane for this, but their little tiff in the media pen after quali in Australia. I just thought it was kinda cute. I promise I'm not a psychopath. 😅
10. Underrated gem: their accidentally(?) misplaced pointing.
So, recently there's been a discussion on Pannchoa that talks about Wooyoung from Ateez calling out WeDemBoyz's Vata for stealing their legendary move from "Say My Name" and using it for a choreo he did for "New Thing" (OST for SMF) but not only that, he claimed it as his when it is not.
Wooyoung definitely saw this during a recent episode and when they went in Saudi Arabia for KCON he called Vata out on his plagiarism.
The sign he did at the start of the video is a move professional dancers uses when someone plagiarises them. It's called the "copy sign" and is done in a "=" shape to signal that what the other party did is basically the same thing.
youtube
It's explained in more details in this video by this dance teacher at minute 1:08.
While many Knetz has sided with Ateez, Kpop stans has said that Wooyoung overreacted and that he was being petty over a common dance move, which is something very ignorant to say (but Kpop stans will do anything to hate on Ateez so).
I side with Wooyoung
not cause he's my fave, but cause he's legally and morally right. Ateez got plagiarised 3 times only this year: once by Soyeon from G-Idle who stole the instrumental of their 2019 song "Wave" (and gave us an half-assed apology that everyone accepted just cause it's her, when it's not Kpop fans place to accept the apology but yeah 🤠), the second time by Jyp who stole material from Ateez's lore and placed it in their new gg M/V (this is in no way a reason to hate on the girls, complain to Jyp who's behind it all) and now this; if I was Wooyoung or any of the Teezers I would be pissed too, after this many time of being plagiarised.
Some Kpop fans also complained about Wooyoung calling Vata out cause "He isn't the one who choreographed the move", which is true but KQent bought that choreo/move (which is what occurs when groups get a choreography for their songs) from Anze Skrube and Josh Smith who are the original choreographers of the move and has worked with Ateez from debut until now.
Wooyoung didn't call Vata out for himself and Ateez alone, he called Vata out for Anze and Josh too.
Some time aback Anze had a collab with Steezy (a dance crew/academy) where he and a dancer reacts to Ateez choreos from debut until now and he talked about how they're close, how he admires Ateez as his juniors but also as dancers and performers and how they all respect each others, their relationship is pretty close so of course Wooyoung would call Vata out on Anze and Josh's stead too.
Anze himself talked about it today on his Instagram Stories siding with Wooyoung too, the original choreographer rightfully called Vata out too.
Also can't believe that Vata claims himself to be San's friend, only to go and steal his groups' move and claim it as his for clout and fame just like that... Ateez Deserves Better.
Official photos of Rajwa Al Saif’s henna party & dinner banquet, 22 May 2023. The celebration is hosted by Queen Rania of Jordan & attended by female royal family members, family members of both sides & women across different Jordanian communities. Traditional Jordanian and Saudi songs are performed by local artists Nedaa Shrara, Diana Karazon, Zain Awad, Haleem Musical Group, Al Salt Girls Band, and the Misk Dance Company.
Warning: I don't know jack shit about Islam so sorry if a portrayal is wrong
Affection: You would expect him to be distant but actually he's not, he's very touchy to the point of you're annoyance but he's just greatful that your his dear wife.
Blood: no no, he'd rather hire someone than do it himself or woo you with his wealth.
Cruelty: he'd be sososo sweet to you, when he finds someone to love he'd never let go.
Darling: You're gonna be covered, he doesn't care hijab and abaya and you are not to speak, unless he cannot speak for you and oh yeah you're having a family you can't say no to that all.
Exposed: he'd bare it all to her but he is a dangerpus man to be feared but overall he's very sweet and kind.
Fight: it's more likley that'd you disobey him rather than fight him, he'd be mad like Germany he's strict and isolation is his way of keeping you behaved.
Game: no no no this is not a game at all he's very very serious.
Hell: Either the isolation or the process of starting a family either will be hell.
Ideals: A well behaved silent Darling who will take care of his children, that'll be the only thing Shell have to worry about.
Jealousy: Yes yes, the jealousy of this man is scary to the point of only wanting him to hear her voice and see her luscious hair.
Kisses: He's so sweet to you cuddles holding hands 24/7 he'd love love to take you to the mall you're be forever tresured in his heart.
Love letters: He'd do anything spoil you give you all you could desire he'd buy you food choclate he'd give uou money, he loves and cherishes you.
Mask: Well to a point yes, you will not be free not allowed to talk and be covered from head to toe, but you'll still be spoiled and treated like a princess.
Naughty: Isolation, thats all I have to say
Oppression: The right to choose how to dress the way you'd like. The right to talk only he can hear you're dear voice
Patience: He will be patient but there's a limit and he can get scary if pushed.
Quit: He'd never recover, I once saw a call in radio that took place in one of the Arab nations and it was a man who remembered the years, months, days he even knew hours and seconds after his wife died, he looks like he's fine but you left and took his heart and soul with yourself.
Regret: No, he knows that Allah made you come into his life and he was blessed and he needs to take that chance with love.
Stigma: Islam is instilled into his brain to the point where he can not touch a woman without feeling like he sinned, Islam also wanted you to be him and him only.
Tears: yes yes it's most likley that your living a extremely sinful life and he has to save youd.
Unique: idk
Vice: His gift giving, he's easy to trick but his brothers know and will let him know
Wit’s end: Physically no no, mentally yes, if he can isolate his own daughter to the point of severe mental break he can make you have the same fate.
Xoanon: He's a rich man, he'll buy you anything spoil you dance with you all of that
Yearn: girl idk
Zenith: Yes you will be broken to a point
I'm so sorry for the shitty work I'll do actual productive stuff soon I promise
we're doing this again! here are some of the things i read/watched in feb:
dopesick: not sure how i feel about the mix of real/created characters! a lot of the sackler stuff i was familiar with from empire of pain (more on patrick radden keefe later) (relatedly i'm so eager for the nan goldin doc to be streaming over here), some great performances, also doesn't disney have money for better wigs?
happy valley (s3): as a nation we don't deserve sarah lancashire. magnificent television!! good thing f1 is coming back so i can continue to experience tension on sundays etc
lovecraft country: i got myself into a whole jonathan majors situation just in time for creed iii and this was Wild. i wasn't always in love with it but it took some massive swings and honestly reminded me a tiny bit of doctor who just in like the genre-of-the-week approach. also wunmi mosaku, my beloved
justified (s3): as ever this should just be the boyd/raylan show. jfc but raylan is bad at his job. i'm torn re: the progressively more deranged gay antagonist bc he was kind of fun but also whew @ some of those backstory elements
full swing: golf to survive! i didn't know any of these men apart from rory mcilroy! bit of a mixed bag but i loved joel dahmen and his caddy and also matt fitzpatrick, tiny stats nerd from sheffield. lol forever @ zak and lando's golf friend defecting to the sketchy saudi tour etc, like fucking obviously
the green ray: woof a bit close to home! aching for connection, crying on holiday... rohmer girl summer forever in my heart
scream 4: just fine until it goes gleefully Bonkers in the last act
scream 5: last act not as much fun as scream 4, jack quaid is charming, weirdly i found some of the stabbings like off-puttingly intense?
great freedom: this was wonderful and i cried. almost shockingly tender at times and just like, we have always been here? franz rogowski is remarkable and i can't wait to see him in passages (ben whishaw basically doing the andrew scott role from cock 14 years on?? i mean)
devotion: see above re: ongoing jonathan majors situation, thought he was beautiful in this, loved the partnership w glen powell. there's a part that's like you think is going to play out like top gun maverick and then it doesn't because it's based on a true story (why is joe jonas here)
magic mike's last dance: obviously doesn't approach the heights of xxl but channing is still so fucking charming (why is she's the man not streaming anywhere here. i need it). i saw it with some friends and one of them was sad afterwards bc her husband never dances with her - not to be like are straight people okay, but are you?
creed: i am not well versed in the rockyverse lore but i Need to see creed iii due to the jonathan majors situation and i really liked this! mbj charming, i do not care for boxing as a sport but ryan coogler can really move a camera, also pleasantly surprised by the liverpool of it all??
creed ii: this was fine! the fighting didn't have anywhere near the impact of the first one bc this director is not as talented as ryan coogler
patrick radden keefe, rogues: really enjoying this collection of some of his new yorker profiles. listening on audio and i feel like it's kind of rare for a non-fiction author to read their own work this well? also this month i listened to his wind of change podcast (was not prepared for the tommy vietor cameo lol) which was a lot of fun but took a lot of time to not really answer the question