#we love and support our king khalid | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

underachievers-please-try-harder · 3 years

Text

Interview // Clairo

For The Guardian. Read online.

Exuding all the effusive pride of a new parent, Claire Cottrill is showing me photos of Joanie, her rescue dog and the muse for her forthcoming album, Sling. “She’s actually really bossy,” the Massachusetts-raised artist better known as Clairo chuckles over Zoom, holding her phone close to the laptop screen so I can see the Instagram post more clearly. “But she’s so funny. We have such a special bond.”

According to a DNA test, the sandy-furred pup is mostly chow chow and great pyrenees, with a little bit of boxer and lab in the mix, which accounts for the fact she has tripled in size in the six-and-a-bit months since her adoption. “She was a little wolf baby; a peanut!” the 22-year-old singer-songwriter exclaims, mooning nostalgically over one particular image depicting the then seven-week-old puppy peeking out of some bushes.

Dog ownership might have become quite the ultimate lockdown cliche, but for Cottrill committing to a pet represented a rare opportunity to lay down some roots. Certainly, pre-pandemic she hadn’t had much chance to pursue a life of quiet domesticity; not since the autumn of 2018 at least, when the lo-fi bedroom pop of Pretty Girl went viral, just weeks after she started college in Syracuse.

Its winningly DIY video racked up more than 1.5m YouTube views pretty much overnight (it now stands at almost 75m), and Cottrill was heralded as a vital new voice, and part of a wave of creatively autonomous, emotionally articulate Gen Z artists, alongside the likes of Billie Eilish and Rex Orange County.

Cottrill’s rapid rise – not to mention her signing with the Fader label and Chance the Rapper’s management team – was not without controversy. A small but vocal subset on Reddit circulated the rumour that Cottrill was an “industry plant”, a conclusion they arrived at following their discovery that her father Geoff was previously chief marketing officer at Converse and co-founder of its affiliated recording studio Rubber Tracks. She has recently addressed the allegations directly, telling Rolling Stone, “I definitely am not blind to the fact that things have been easier for me.”

Largely though, Cottrill has sought to prove her detractors wrong through the quality of her compositions. First came Diary 001, an esoteric, six-track set mining skeletal hip-hop and the wipe-clean grooves of PC Music-inspired pop. That was followed in August 2019 by Immunity, the full-length debut she co-produced with ex-Vampire Weekend man Rostam Batmanglij. More revelatory than Diary 001, it detailed a suicide attempt (Alewife) and her struggles with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (I Wouldn’t Ask You) with striking candour. Sonically, it paired tender, electronics-tinged introspection with swooning guitar-pop. Sofia, which now boasts 280m streams on Spotify, catapulted Cottrill into another league of fame entirely, leading to collaborations with Charli XCX, Mura Masa and Arlo Parks, plus arena tours in support of Khalid and Tame Impala.

Cottrill was busy with the latter when Covid hit the US. On hearing the news, she headed straight to Atlanta, Georgia, to see out lockdown with family, a period of isolation originally scheduled to last a fortnight but which went on for eight months.

Just how intense was it spending the best part of a year holed up with her parents? “It was awesome,” she insists, now back at the Brooklyn apartment she shares with fellow musicians and former college pals Claud and Josh Mehling. “My older sister came home as well. And I found it interesting that no matter how much you’ve progressed as an adult in your own life, the family roles revert back to exactly how it was as a kid.”

First and foremost, enforced confinement provided the opportunity for Cottrill to deepen her relationship with her mother.

“The conversations I had with my mom about motherhood, and the things she sacrificed for us, are really important to me,” she says. “Also, it’s like you don’t actually know who your mother is before she’s Mom, before she’s Wife, because there isn’t a huge documentation of who she was as an individual. And I realised that I might be in the period of my life now where I’m in my individual phase: before I am Mom, before I am Wife, or whatever I end up being. It was a bit scary to recognise that I could eventually have a family, and then this whole identity that I’ve had on my own for a long time can, in some ways, disappear.”

These existential ideas form the basis of Cottrill’s much-anticipated second album. Recorded in the autumn of 2020 at Allaire Studios – situated on a mountain top in upstate New York – Sling finds Jack Antonoff co-producing. Perhaps more significantly, the record also features backing vocals from Lorde – on Reaper as well as the lead single Blouse – an alliance that led to Cottrill returning the favour on the New Zealander’s latest, Solar Power.

“I met Lorde [when I was] on FaceTime with Jack,” she says of the link-up. “He was like: ‘Hey, I’m with a friend, can we say hi?’, and it was Lorde. And I freaked out, of course, but she’s the nicest person ever.

“We talked a lot about how cool it was in the Laurel Canyon era, where people would secretly do background vocals on each other’s music – like Joni Mitchell with Carole King – rather than as a way to benefit the business side of things. Back then it was just like: ‘I love your voice: will you lend your talent to my song?’ So that’s what I asked her, and I was just lucky enough that she wanted me on hers as well.”

The legacy of Laurel Canyon looms over Sling, which swaps the sparse electronic flourishes of Immunity for lush, acoustic folk, often embellished with swooning vocal harmonies, delicate strings and the warm swell of brass. Reference points for the record included Hejira-era Mitchell, the Carpenters and Harry Nilsson, alongside less obvious touchpoints, such as cult jazz musician Blossom Dearie. Most influential, perhaps, was Innocence & Despair by the Langley Schools Music Project, which features a choir of 1970s school kids covering hits of the day, and has since been hailed as a significant piece of outsider art.

“To me, that record merged my two worlds for Sling,” Cottrill explains. “I wanted that warm 70s feeling, but also I was thinking so much about kids, and especially the clumsy, sweet kid that Joanie embodies.”

There is a darker side to the record too, as Cottrill grapples with the reality of life navigating an industry that she memorably describes – on Bambi – as “a universe designed against my own beliefs”. On Blouse she describes her experiences being sexualised by record execs, while on Management she parodies the industry’s fascination with youth in lines like “She’s only 22”.

“[The attitude is] ‘There’s a lot more that we can squeeze out of her before she’s done.’ Because I think that what this industry does a lot is drain young women of everything until they’re not youthful any more.”

For Cottrill, as much as Sling is an album, it is a document of her endeavours to reassess what it is she wants from life. And adopting Joanie was only the first step: in two weeks’ time she plans to move into the house she recently purchased, in a tiny Massachusetts town in close proximity to both the Berkshire and Catskill mountains.

“It’s so awful that it took something like lockdown happening for me to reevaluate how I wanted to move forward. But it’s now about putting my mental health first, because I deserve to have nice things that I do care about. [Things] outside of music, like a house and a dog.”

As we say goodbye, I get another glimpse of Joanie, who has been snoozing throughout the interview. Sprawled on the floor at the end of Cottrill’s bed, blissfully unaware of her significance in our conversations, it’s a pretty fitting encapsulation of the pace of life that Cottrill has finally embraced.

#interview #interviews #tearsheet #tearsheets #guardian #the guardian #the guide #clairo #sling #claire cottrill

7 notes · View notes

yukiwrites · 3 years

Text

Khalid, Nervous

Thank you so much for the support and patience as always, @xpegasusuniverse !! This was a blast to write, so I hope you like it!

Summary: Khalid walked towards the path of being crowned King of Almyra, though he still had some time to go. Before he could begin the plan to open the borders to Fódlan, he planned to receive a diplomatic envoy to foster better understanding between the nations. However, he found suspicious that Balthus was so quiet lately...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

__________________________

Although Almyra, the state itself, never played an actual part in the civil war in Fódlan due to both countries’ constant animosity, some people at the castle named the upcoming diplomatic meeting as ‘Seeing old allies again’.

Honestly, from where Khalid was coming from, that was a great step. The few Almyran that helped deal with Nemesis and all that he entailed went back home filled with pride, talking about the fast friends they had made there during all of that fighting.

Even though it had been a few months since the end of the war, the lock at Fódlan’s Throat was still tightly closed, which was a given, honestly. Fódlan still needed to put itself back on its feet with its internal affairs before considering its neighbors -- this diplomatic mission was to be the first step into opening the borders from both sides to allow for a friendly relationship between them.

Since many of the people ‘from the top’, as some of the Almyran soldiers called, from both sides already knew each other, this first meeting was more of a formality than one to hold any true political meaning. After all, Khalid was still to be crowned as King, and the first bullet point in his agenda after the coronation was to start the peace talks for good.

As he was still a prince; and as Fódlan was still restructuring itself under Byleth and the reformed Church of Seiros, they were simply setting up the common ground for the people to start getting used to the news of both nations being on friendly terms.

Still, that did not mean that the meeting was of any less importance, especially considering those who would be coming as representatives: Lorenz as the head apparent of House Gloucester, accompanied by his fiancée, Leonie, as the political ambassadors; while Hilda would come as a ‘cultural ambassador’ as she called herself in her last letter.

It would be a breath of fresh air to meet with his old classmates, especially with those who weren’t a constant thorn at his side… and those who weren’t blatantly hitting on his parents…

“Hahh… I was doing such a good job not thinking about it for one hour.” Claude slumped on the pile of papers he needed to go over to prepare everything for the ambassadors’ arrival. Since this was an initiative of his own as the Crown Prince, Claude was the one responsible for everything.

Of course, Tiana and Arash would meet them as the heads of state, but since Khalidwas already at the end of his studies to be the head of government, their role was more of open support rather than a decision-making one. Claude wouldn’t become King in a year or two; but since diplomatic relations between countries was a sensitive matter, it would be better to put it to motion while he was still a prince.

Such a trail of thought brought him back to his own position as a prince and how his parents, the King and Queen, had a permanent pest going after them… all by Claude’s doing.

Khalid scratched the back of his neck, then ran his hands through his head in an attempt to bring back the peace of mind he had worked hard to attain for the past hour.

Balthus had basically decided that he would be living off of the castle for the rest of his life -- or at least that was what he seemed to have planned, at least. He had memorized the rulers’ schedules to the point that he knew when and where to ambush them to demand for a spar or to simply be beaten up by Tiana for flirting with Arash.

It seemed as though he liked to be beat up by her, to which Khalid decided that was the most thought he would put in that specific matter. He couldn’t say it was all bad, however. Of course, it was still 90% bad; but the not-so-bad 10%, the one that Balthus actually pulled his own weight, made it hard for Khalid to always be mad at him. He usually either helped with the townsguard training, patrolling, or even ran errands for them here and there, though that last one was so eventual it might be non-existent.

Still, Claude was more than embarrassed to meet again with Lorenz, Leonie and Hilda while Balthus was making himself so at home he might start walking around in his undergarments at any time…

The thought brought a shiver down Claude’s spine, making him sit up straight. After being tense for a few moments, the prince exhaled and shook his head. “This isn’t like me,” he sighed, “whether I like it or not, I know the guy too well by now, so I can prepare for any… scene he might cause. Anyway,” he cracked his neck and knuckles, focusing his attention on the papers, “let’s get these over with right away. The ambassadors are set to arrive soon…”

Preparations for the diplomatic delegation weren’t all that hard, nor were they extense. The Crown couldn’t be seen spending much on a visit that was more of a formality towards the first step to the peace talks -- as most almyrans still held prejudices against the fodlanese, the process had to be gradual.

In the near future, they would allow for tourists to travel between countries, as a way to let the people mingle and let the preconceived notions melt away naturally. For now, however, the task at hand was to welcome Khalid’s former classmates.

They were to be brought over to the castle grounds by the palace guard, where they would greet Khalid first. Then, they would be shown to their quarters to freshen up just enough for them to get ready for the modest welcome banquet prepared for them -- where they would meet the king and queen. It was scheduled that they would only meet Balthus then, though it was anyone’s guess if he would comply or not.

In Balthus’ mind, he wasn’t unreasonable -- well, he knew he could act on impulse sometimes, but he was one to follow the orders of those he chose to bow his head to. Wasn’t he a model student back at the Officer’s Academy? He, too, could sit back and wait for his turn.

Such a mindset was what Khalid counted on, honestly; though it wouldn’t be nearly as much trouble for Balthus to meet the fodlanese envoys earlier than him sneaking closer to the king and queen…

“Ahem!” Claude cleared his throat as he stood in wait for the escorts to bring the ambassadors to the main hall. It would do him no good to dread something that was beyond his control -- he had to better himself to BE able to control the matter in the future.

As if on cue, the court marshal prepared to announce the foreign guests. “Lady Hilda Valentine Goneril of the Goneril Duchy has arrived! Count Lorenz Hellman Gloucester and Lady Leonie Pinelli from the Gloucester County have arrived!” He shouted as the large doors were pushed open to reveal them. Once they stepped in, he continued, “guests from Fódlan, you stand in the presence of our kingdom’s light, prince Khalid inb Arash!”

Hilda was the first to enter due to her higher status as the daughter of a duke, though she wore her usual carefree smile. She made sure to bow politely, showcasing proper respect towards the prince in front of her. “Whoa, KHALID, huh? It’s gonna take a while to get used to that, even if I’ve been reading your signature on your letters lately!” She giggled, running to his side to allow for Lorenz and Leonie’s greeting.

“Lorenz Hellman Gloucester greets the light of Almyra, prince Khalid ibn Arash,” he bowed respectfully, his well-trimmed and slick hair falling down on his shoulders.

On the other hand, Leonie looked from Hilda to Lorenz then back at Claude, shrugging at the end. “Uh, hi there, Claude, long time no see.” She greeted with half a bow, wearing her usual smile.

“Haha! Yes, yes, welcome!” He opened both arms as if to hug them all at once, though he only patted their shoulders. “It’s great to meet all of you again, now without needing any secrets.”

“... Any secrets, your highness?” Lorenz raised one eyebrow in doubt, raising himself back to his height after Claude’s pat.

“You know me, Lorenz,” Khalid winked, then turned around. “Now, you all must be exhausted from the long trip! You’ll be escorted to your rooms, so enjoy our hospitality until the banquet later tonight.”

“Sending me away so soon?” Hilda complained, stretching as she walked beside Claude. “Well, not that I’m against it. I’m beat! I wanna rest! My back hurts!”

“Hahaha, that’s the Hilda I know and love!” Khalid threw his head back in laughter. “I’m sure you’ll feel comfortable with the service here, so go on have a soak at Almyra’s special hot tub bath…” He lowered his voice as if speaking a secret, though it was more for suspense rather than secrecy. He knew how much Hilda loved scented baths and being pampered.

That made the young woman’s eyes sparkle. “Woohoo! No need to tell me twice!” She sped up in front, following the servants that were guiding them.

“Whoa, Claude, I mean, Khalid-” Leonie approached, “even though we exchanged letters, it’s still hard to believe that you were a prince all along! I never would’ve guessed.”

“You can call me Claude if you want, I know some people will never get used to it…” Khalid trailed off, then cleared his throat. “Anyway, you gotta tell me how the mercenary's life's been treating you at dinner. I heard you were rounding up Jeralt’s men…”

“Yeah, it’s been a blast! It’s hard work, sure, but finishing up a job to help folks is always worth it in the end.” Leonie crossed her arms behind her head. “Besides, we’re mostly taking requests from Lorenz here to help stabilize the Alliance.”

“Rather, the territory that used to be the Alliance, Leonie.” Lorenz pinched in, coughing as though to announce that he was there as well.

“Yeah, that’s what I meant! Fódlan’s united and all, but us folks are still getting used to the new names and stuff.” Leonie bobbed her head to the side. “It won’t matter much for the commoners at the bottom of the food chain, but we’re doing what we can to help them.”

Khalid watched the couple with a smile, remembering how close they had gotten with each other during the war. It was to the point that the news of their engagement didn’t come as a surprise to him -- or to any of their classmates, for that matter -- since it was obvious that their hearts were with each other.

Now, they worked together as the noble that looked at the big picture and the commoner that helped pick out the details that would affect the common people the most, which was a great combination, honestly.

At the banquet, when Tiana commented on being cautious over the ‘Gloucester heir’ as she bitterly referred to Lorenz, Khalid made his point.

“To be honest, Mother, he was kind of like what you’re imagining when we were students. He still had his own kind of honor and felt much better than his father, but there was some stuck-upness to him that was unbearable at the time. But he got more agreeable after the war. Heck, even during it, too.”

“That’s high praise coming from you, Son.” Arash laughed under his wine cup.

Tiana narrowed her eyes at the Lorenz and Leonie duo, already seated at their appointed seat by the table closest to the royal family’s. “I’d struggle to believe it if I hadn't seen the two of them coming together. That family is… ah, was, I suppose, poisonous. It’s good that the past seems to have been forgotten.”

“Yeah,” Khalid met Lorenz’s eyes from a distance and smiled after receiving a respectful nod in response. “Don’t tell him I said that, but I’m glad to have him on our side.”

“Pfft!” Tiana threw her head back in laughter, accompanied by Arash’s stiff chuckles. “Don’t worry, Son, I wouldn’t disgrace you by telling your friend how much you treasure him!”

Khalid laughed awkwardly in response, scratching the back of his neck.

He heard familiar stomps coming from behind him, which made his heart fall before he even turned around to check. The voice that greeted him wasn’t a deep one, though.

“Claude, listen to this!” Hilda pouted behind the prince, nodding at the king and queen in acknowledgement for randomly approaching their table. “Balthie won’t listen to me!” She pulled the large man’s arm with both of her own.

Somehow, Balthus seemed to be behaving TOO well since the announcement of the ambassadors. Even at that moment, although his face was flushed from drinking, he still had his lips tightly closed and looked away to the ceiling. What was going on?

Without waiting for Khalid’s reply, Hilda continued.

“You know I was originally gonna come with Caspar, right?” She grumbled as Khalid got up and nodded in confusion.

“Yeah…?” He left the royal table to guide Hilda back at the guest table.

“Well, that was in the beginning… We were just back home after a trip and Holst told us about this mission so I was really excited for us to come together! I wanted to bring him to the market and have a lot of fun… We’re just about married…”

“...” Balthus scratched his temple awkwardly, stealing glances at Hilda before looking back up to the ceiling. Watching that, Khalid crossed his arms, urging Hilda to continue.

“But my brother said that he was too busy to deal with a lot of stuff and he needed extra muscle, so Caspar had to stay back! That was so unfair.” She yanked Balthus’ arm so he would come down to her height. “Holst said that if I wanted to avoid leaving my hubby back home when I travel, I had to bring the ‘extra muscle’ back home with me! But Balthie just keeps avoiding me when I mention it!”

“Oh? Oho?!” Claude’s eyes sparkled for the first time that evening. “You mean Holst is calling in one of the favors Balthus owns… and wants him back in Goneril, is that it?” He asked Hilda, but looked straight at Balthus’ direction.

Now the big man was avoiding two pairs of gazes.

“Balthieee!” Hilda shook him, making his head dangle one side to the other.

“Hahh…” Balthus sighed deeply, deflating so much he reached to the nearby table and yanked a wine jug to down it all in one go. “I’m not saying I’m not going, little miss. I owe Holst a lot more than just my life.”

Claude’s chest beat with excitment. Balthus was leaving?!

“... But I want to make Almyra my home.” The moment those words were out in the open, Khalid’s heart fell. His home? His… home?! Unaware of Claude’s whiplash, Balthus continued. “Since Goneril is just there at the border, I can go whenever, right?” He laughed, well hydrated from the now empty jug.

“No!! You have to go back before I do! I want Caspar to come here, too!” Hilda protested heavily, which was the reason for their argument in the first place.

“I can’t leave so suddenly like that, little miss!” Balthus raised his free hand in defense, but Hilda wanted her point to go through. That was a side of herself that she cultivated with her daily life alongside Caspar, and if Claude were in his right mind, he might’ve praised her for putting up a fight for something she wanted.

But Balthus’ words still rang in Khalid’s ears.

Make Almyra his home… Almyra… his home… Gods, please, no!

He thought that he would eventually be rid of the lummox, but if he planned on staying, there was not much Khalid could do to prevent it. Was he to suffer forever, was that it? Would he always have to watch his own back at his own home?

No, no… Nooo!

#claude fire emblem #balthus fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #my writings #yuki's commissions

9 notes · View notes

zigtheeortega · 4 years

Audio

ride or die playlist

by @pixeljazzy and @zigtheeortega

so after pj made this post, and was encouraged by @choicesarehard to make a playlist for rodaw, i reached out to her and we decided to collab! this is a comprehensive playlist, with explanations for each song. some being the lyrics fit really well, but others are because the vibe fits the characters (in our opinion), not necessarily the song meaning.

putting the song explanations under the cut, since it’ll be long! songs picked by pj have [p] next to it and mine have [j] next to it! hope you enjoy it!

Logan

What You Know Bout Love, Pop Smoke [p]

I had to apply the pressure, ‘cause you my hidden treasure / I think I’m falling in love

Are we surprised this song is first? C’mon now. Anyway, literally when I heard it for the first time, I was like this is the love song that I could see someone just vibing to in a car with their partner, at a house party in the corner serenading their boo, etc. and then BOOM a vision of Hieron and Logan in a car appeared because I could totally see this as their vibe. Just the thought of Logan rapping this line to Hieron clears my skin.

[p.s. pj wrote a fic based on this song and it’s perfect you should read it]

The Way, Trippie Redd ft. Russ [p]

We’re lost but, babe, we found the way

Because Logan and MC are two teens are a mess lowkey and don’t know what they want from life quite yet but they know they got it together.

Think About Me, dvsn [p]

This song is just radiating Logan and MC parting ways vibes

FIND MY WAY, DaBaby [p]

I feel like as Logan is driving away from MC to god knows where, this is something he’d definitely drive to

Seasons, 6lack ft. Khalid [p]

You’re lucky the greatest thing I can do is marry you / ‘cause if I could, I’d spill my blood

I absolutely adore this slow, chill song, and feel like this is something MC and Logan would be listening to as they unwind in their loft, and with the favorite line, I think it encapsulates how much Logan truly loves and would do anything for MC

Idfc, blackbear [p]

This is giving me Logan vibes after the reveal where MC leaves the shop and he’s just reeling in his emotions and feelings and is just purely in his bag thinking about everything

Hide, Juice WRLD ft. Seezyn [p]

Really think I found my home, shorty made me feel at home

Think I met my soulmate, yeah, I know it

Dusk Till Dawn, ZAYN ft. Sia [p]

But you’ll never be alone / I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn / I’ll be with you from dusk till dawn / Baby, I’m right here

This song hurts me so so much but it’s giving me MC sleeping on Logan’s chest type of vibes while he’s up because he can’t sleep and he’ . Also reminds me of Logan because we all know that infamous line “I was just a rock in space lucky enough to burn up in your atmosphere for a moment,” and I feel like this was an unspoken if you look to the stars you’ll know I’m always with you type beat.

Fool In Love, Rihanna [p]

Mama, I found a man / who loves me and understands / papa, he’s quite a man / he adores me, he’s my biggest fan

Okay so y’all remember how MC was having a mini identity crisis and didn’t know which version of herself she was? And Logan was listening and understanding and processing everything she was ranting about but in the end was just like no matter which one you decide, I like all of you? Yeah, that. Along with him just supporting her whenever he can, even though sometimes it can be overbearing, and him just loving watching her change and grow before his eyes (even though we not gonna mention the part of him that doesn’t love that change, feeling guilty for the person she’s becoming and how it could change her life, and the initial intentions he had although how he feels now is genuine) is literally what I think about with these lines

And don’t get me wrong, I know he’s not perfect in your eyes / but somehow he’s flawless in mine

Papa, did I let you down? / Are you ashamed of how your little girl turned out?

This is the lyric that really gets me because one of the things I loved about Ride or Die was the complicated relationship MC had with her father as it was something that resonated so strongly with me. So this one right here really just encapsulates an aspect of that because when MC’s on her this is who I am now and I know you resent that because he genuinely is so hurt and in shock of how his girl changed before his eyes, beyond the reigns of control that he once had, and he can’t do anything else but process and accept that his little girl isn’t so little anymore, rolling around with the people he tried so hard to keep her away from.

Roll Dice, Roddy Rich [j]

I seen the Reap’ come / Live my life I had to roll dice / Been through strife, my heart is cold as ice

I’m a star, I’m just hidden in the low light

Pretty explanatory, considering Logan’s been through a considerable amount of situations that put him in harm’s way and he’s come out stronger (and considerably more detached) each time.

Story Of Us, Tinashe [j]

Yeah, you’re the prince of my heart / And now there ain’t no way they can keep us apart, keep us apart

This song reminds me of Logan and MC a lot because it’s an optimistic take on their relationship as a whole and the sad ending.

You Know That I Love You, Donnell Jones [j]

You know that I love you / And that ain’t gon’ change / And though you’re not here with me now / My love for you stays the same

I think Logan would listen to R&B, specifically sappy 90’s R&B, and this line reminds me of them perfectly. I mean just listen to it, it’s perfect.

My Favorite Part, Mac Miller & Ariana Grande [j]

Said, you just don’t know how beautiful you are / And baby that’s my favorite part / You walk around so clueless to it all / Like nobody gonna break your heart

Said, the universe couldn’t keep us apart / Why would it even try?

Before things come together, they have to fall apart

Logan says from the get go that he thinks it’s wild that MC is modest and that he’s surprised she hadn’t gotten a lot of attention from guys. The other song lyrics I mentioned remind me a lot of their separation.

Colt

Me And My Girlfriend, Tupac Shakur [j]

Lost in the whirlwind, ninety-six, Bonnie and Clyde / Me and my girlfriend, do one-eighty-five when we ride

All I need in this life of sin, is me and my girlfriend / Down to ride to the bloody end, just me and my girlfriend

So it’s canon that Colt likes West Coast rap – and this song absolutely embodies Colt’s musical interests and his relationship with MC. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he definitely heard this song and thought of MC.

Something Special, Pop Smoke [p]

I think you’re something special / I’ll take you on a shopping spree

We all know Colt is the king of LA and can definitely buy him and MC anything they want, also the “her father the police” verse quite literally hit the nail on the head

Martin & Gina, Polo G [p]

He was playing games / Got you dancing in the middle of the club

At first, saw this as a Logan and MC song to listen to in the car, but if you’re like me and was romancing Logan but danced in the club with Colt because Logan was being distant, the lyrics just do it for me

Hit ‘Em Up, Tupac Shakur [p]

You couldn’t tell us Colt wouldn’t love this song, we’re not accepting criticism at this time

Pulling Me Back, Chingy ft. Tyrese [j]

Every time I try to leave / Something keeps pulling me back, me back / Telling me I need you in my life / It was meant to be / You were meant for me / So that means we gotta make it work

This song reminds me a lot of Colt’s feelings towards MC, because in the lyrics they’re not mentioning they necessarily love her, they’re just gravitating towards her, realizing they need her. And that’s exactly how Colt works through his feelings.

Loveeeeeee Song, Rihanna ft. Future [j]

Boy lately, you been stingy with your time / Got me wondering, I’m wondering if I’m on your mind / Boy I just wanna be in your possession / You say I’m the one you want so come express it

Yeah, we all know Colt wasn’t straightforward with his feelings but is more prone to expressing himself physically, and I think this song feels like a confession of her own qualms with him but recognizing that she’s alright with him being physical over verbal. Honestly it’s probably not that deep but this song reminds me of Colt x MC so much.

Complicated, Rihanna [j]

Why is everything with you so complicated / Why do you make it hard to love you / Oh I hate it / ‘Cause if you really wanna be alone / I, will throw my hands up ‘Cause baby I tried

God this whole song is Colt and MC all over because he’s so wishy washy and doesn’t express himself properly.

90210, Travis Scott [j]

I think Colt and Logan would bump this and that’s my only reasoning.

Changed Up, Rae Sremmurd [j]

I think Logan and Colt both alike would bump this in their car and maybe relate to the lyrics and the general vibe of it.

Demons and Angels, A Boogie With a Hoodie ft. Juice WRLD [p]

I’m from the West Side, know not to play with us, yeah

I think I’m addicted to this lifestyle, I swear

Colt is quite literally from the West Side, and the ‘I think I’m addicted to this lifestyle’ line is what really stood out to me because Colt wanted nothing than to be a part of his father’s life and legacy, and Kaneko wanted to keep that separate from him because he knew Colt would be all in.

Run This Town, Jay-Z ft. Rihanna [p]

Does this need an explanation because you already know Colt is running the fuck outta LA thank you for tuning in

Mona

Ungodly Hour, Chloe x Halle [j]

You know that I’ve, I heard it all before / You’re hesitant, wish you could give me more

I don’t have the time / To teach you how to love all over again / Now let me ask you this / Are you giving all that you could give?

This is Mona and MC all over. She was clear about being hurt by an ex, and that it was hard for her to open up to MC in the first place, let alone fall for her. So this is like a confessional from MC to Mona.

Te Amo, Rihanna [j]

Then she said Te amo, then she put her hand around my waist / I told her no, she cried Te amo / I told her I’m not gonna run away, but let me go / My soul is awry and without asking why / I said Te amo

The lyrics are sad but this reminds me of Mona and MC, too. There’s a lot of push and pull with Mona, so I think this describes their back and forth so well.

Scared of Love, Juice WRLD [p]

Not scared to love, just scared of love

I initially put this in the Logan section, but I think it’s more fitting for Mona because she put up these walls to avoid putting herself at risk in the process of giving someone her all after the last girl played her, but underneath it all, she’s still capable to love even though she may think she’s undeserving of it from MC or that love in itself is a scam.

ball w/o you, 21 Savage [p] [and j bc our minds are linked]

I’d rather have loyalty than love / ‘Cause love don’t really mean jack / See love is just a feeling / You can love somebody and still stab them in they back

This is giving me Mona and her ex vibes, and just how Mona is a very everyone for themselves type of person so she has no problem balling by herself because that’s what she expects in the end.

Escape, Akon and Wizkid [p]

We can run away / so far away, escape

Oh, my baby, oh, baby / I would never let you go

Okay I know our songs for Mona have been sad lately, but this reminds me of them because Mona said MC would be hard asf to forget and I already know MC is scrambling to find a solution, a possibility, where Mona didn’t have to go to jail and they’d be able to be together, hence ‘escape’.

Escape, Kehlani [p]

Strange for me to wanna love someone / Who’s better by themselves

‘Cause I can’t let you lose yourself, looking for me / And I can’t let you make me your, your everything

I know you see this escape theme I’m on here LMFAOO but I think this is in Mona’s perspective about MC because she’s like MC is a goody two shoes, new to this life, etc. just overall someone with a better future than me and I don’t wanna mess that up for them (hence the I’m dangerous and pushing her away in the beginning and all the warnings).

Acquainted, The Weeknd [p]

Baby, you’re no good / Cause they warned me ‘bout your type girl, I’ve been ducking left and right

To say that we’re in love is dangerous / But girl I’m so glad we’re acquainted

Can’t Remember to Forget You, Shakira ft. Rihanna [p and j]

I can’t remember to forget you / I keep forgetting I should let you go

“You’re gonna be damn hard to forget.”

This is so Mona because it’s both flexible in meaning with her ex and MC.

Don’t Make It Harder On Me, Chloe x Halle [j]

If you keep acting so sweet / I might just wake up and leave / This boy that I pinky swore / We’d be together for sure / I can’t be thinking of you / When I’m alone with my boo / If you smile at me again / I may do something stupid

Gives me Logan/Colt/Mona love triangle type vibes!

Who Can I Run To, Xscape [j]

Who can I run to, to share this empty space? / Who can I run to, When I need love? / Who can I run to, to fill this empty space with laughter?

After her li’s leave this def gives me those bittersweet vibes like when they all leave L.A., including MC for college.

Aston Martin Music, Rick Ross [j]

Bobbin’ to the music / This is how we do it, all night / Breezin’ down the freeway / Just me and my baby

Would’ve came back for you / I just needed time to do what I had to do / Caught in the life / I can’t let it go / Whether that’s right I won’t ever know

This reminds me of another bittersweet moment like MC is reflecting on her favorite times with her LI, but also acknowledging that her LI can’t be 100% loyal to her because of her lifestyle

Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary, Rihanna [j]

Brown eyes, tuxedo, fast cars / A James Dean on the low, Dean on the low

Who knew the course of this one drive / Injured us fatally

Let’s live in the moment / As long as we got each other / Die in the moment / I’m prepared to die in the moment / ‘Cause even forever ain’t forever

This entire song fits for all the LI’s (despite the lyrics saying “boy” it works for all of them perfectly. I just picked a couple lyrics to prove it!

Question Existing, Rihanna [j]

Who am I living for?/ Is this my limit?/ Can I endure some more?/ Chances I’m given, question existing

Reminds me of when MC was torn between loyalty to her father and Jason Shaw and MPC at the same time.

Bed of Lies, Nicki Minaj ft. Skylar Grey [p]

This is 100% MC after the reveal.

Change Your Life, Kehlani ft. Jhene Aiko [p and j]

I heard that you a gangsta / Not one to try to save her / Always focus on your paper / Don't got time to wager with your heart

You deserve someone that'll take you to another level

The lyrics to this song fit so well with all of the LI’s. Definitely addresses all of the LI’s reluctance to be with MC and MC’s pursuit of them.

Serial Lover, Kehlani [p and j]

Lord knows / My intentions are pure and my heart full of gold, oh

This song fits MC’s relationship with all of the LI’s, especially when there’s conflict between them. MC is miles more transparent with her feelings than Logan, Colt, and Mona.

She’s So Gone, Naomi Scott [p]

So it looks like the joke’s on you / ‘cause the girl that you thought you knew / She’s so gone

You can look but you won’t see the girl I used to be, ‘cause she / she’s so gone, away / like history

Yes this is from Lemonade Mouth and yes I feel like this embodies MC perfectly!

Misc.

(this includes Ximena, Toby, side characters, the overall vibe of ROD, etc.)

Tints, Anderson .Paak ft. Kendrick Lamar [j]

Ridin’, ridin’, round that open street / I need tints / I need my windows tinted / I can’t be flying down that 110 with a bad bitch in my whip / I need tints

This reminds me a lot of Ximena and Toby because they’re so chill and carefree compared to the rest of the crew, and this song embodies that.

Nascar, Roddy Ricch [p]

Honestly, heard this song and thought I’d be perfect for another side show, or a racing song

We Don’t Luv Em, HoodRich Pablo Juan [p]

Another side show/racing song

DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love, Usher [p]

I feel like this could’ve played at the club depending on the vibe they were going for, and even if they weren’t, I feel like the club was a very romantically charged event so the DJ had errbody falling in love (MC and whoever, Toby and the guy he went off to dance with, etc.)

break da law, 21 Savage [p]

Me and my dawgs break laws

This is Kaneko and the crew, even though Kaneko would never call them his dawgs, but you get the gist.

Trust Nobody, Lil Wayne ft. Adam Levine [p]

I don’t trust nobody, not my lovers, not my friends / I don’t make no promises ‘cause I know just how they’ll end / I don’t trust nobody, I don’t need nobody else / And as messed up as it sounds, I don’t even trust myself, yeah

This hurts me because the song talks about not being able to trust people in general so I feel like this has been Logan all his life, Mona after she was betrayed, and Colt after the death of his father (minus the don’t trust my lover part because obviously they are whipped for MC and you can’t change my mind).

Undercover, Kehlani [p]

You know they don’t wanna see us together / But it don’t matter, no, ‘cause I got you

Baby, they don’t wanna see me be happy / ‘Cause they ain’t happy, no -- they don’t got you

So this is MC with all the LI’s because everybody (Riya, Darius, her dad, etc.) thinks everyone in the crew is bad news but no matter who MC is with, they’re happy with them regardless of what everyone thinks.

Party Monster, The Weeknd [p]

Okay, this might seem really weird, but I feel like this is a song that would play in the background as the crew would plan or orchestrate a heist you know like the camera panning to different people just really focused on that they’re doing like there’s some camera work going on in my head that I wish I could properly articulate but I hope you guys see the vision.

Shut Up and Drive, Rihanna [p and j]

This is self explanatory.

#playchoices #rod logan #rod mona #colt kaneko #choices playlist #rodaw #playlist

73 notes · View notes

militant-holy-knight · 4 years

Link

On a 500-acre campus in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Middle East scholar Raymond Ibrahim was finally allowed to give his speech before a packed, mostly civilian audience at the U.S. Army War College's Heritage and Education Center. Based on his book, Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War Between Islam and the West, Ibrahim covered the 7th-century origins of Islam, its conflict with Christianity during the hundreds of years that followed, and revisionist attempts to deny Islam's history of violent warfare and supremacism.

Ibrahim, a Judith Friedman Rosen Writing Fellow with the Middle East Forum, was on the receiving end of such an attempt in June 2019, when the Council on American-Islamic Relations and other Islamists convinced the U.S. Army War College to disinvite Ibrahim from his original appearance, fallaciously accusing the son of Egyptian immigrants of being a "bigot" and "white nationalist."

However, Ibrahim wasn't alone. In its press release, CAIR ridiculed the War College as "an academic institution run on taxpayer funds" that was "poised to exacerbate longstanding problems such as racism and human rights violations that exist within the US military."

Ibrahim explained that CAIR is "well aware how important it is to dominate the historic narrative." He pointed to his reliance on primary source material and actual quotes from jihadist and Islamists to support his view that there is "a continuity between past and present; Muslim religious leaders and jihadists see Christianity as both antithetical to the Islamic world and inherently ripe for conquest or conversion."

It took a letter signed by ten congressmen to Army War College commandant Major General John S. Kem, as well as a National Association of Scholars letter to President Trump that included 5,000 signatories, to convince Army leaders to reinstate Ibrahim's invitation.

When CAIR learned that Ibrahim was set to return to the Carlisle campus, it responded by once again suggesting that the Army War College suffers from an "internal problem with white supremacists and white nationalists within its ranks," while claiming that Ibrahim's talk would "instigate hatred against Muslims."

Undeterred by his Islamist critics, Ibrahim began his presentation by saying that "since 9/11," it has "become popular" for media and academia to whitewash the Koran's objectionable passages. "They say Mohammad may have done bad things, but so did King David and Abraham," he said. The difference, Ibrahim noted, is that the Torah acknowledges the wayward path of these leaders and advises against following them, unlike the Koran.

For argument's sake, Ibrahim offered to "put aside what the Koran says" and "see what Islamists have done." Beginning with the Islamic conquests of the Middle East and North Africa, Ibrahim argued that Islamists' consistent goal has been Western submission to Islamic supremacy. This region, which is identified today as Muslim-majority, was home to more Christians than Europe in the 7th century. What remained after the Arab Muslim invasion became "the West." Ibrahim quoted historian Franco Cardini, who wrote, "Repeated Muslim aggression against Europe in the 7th and 8th centuries and again in the 14th and 18th centuries was a violent midwife to Europe."

Ibrahim referred to the late historian of Islam Bernard Lewis, who said, "We forget that for a thousand years since the advent of Islam from the 7th century to the siege of Vienna in 1683 Christian Europe was under constant threat from Islam, the double threat of conquest and conversion violently wrested from Christendom." Ibrahim noted that modern historians often fail to acknowledge this simple truth.

He argued that Mohammad's guidance to spread Islam was the motivation behind the Islamic conquests. The only way peace could be achieved was through acceptance of Islam by conversion, enslavement, or paying the jizya — an enormous annual tribute that the caliphate levied on non-Muslims.

Short of these options, a non-believer's only recourse was to fight to the death. Ibrahim quoted what Islamist conqueror Khalid bin Walid said to a Byzantine general before the Battle of Yarmuk in 636 C.E.: "We Arabs are in the habit of drinking blood and we are told the Romans are the sweetest of its kind. Where you love life, we love death."

Unlike modern historians who identify the various inter-civilizational wars of this age as ethnic and nationalistic, Ibrahim emphasized that the primary sources clearly show that these ongoing battles were manifestations of jihad, inspired by Koranic scripture. He called this tendency "a historic fact that modern day historians censor."

Ibrahim showed that modern jihadists "belonging to groups such as ISIS are well-versed in Islamic historic military jurisprudence" and the Koran and point to historical precedents to justify their violence and brutality.

At the fall of Constantinople, Sultan Mehmed II motivated his jihadists with the same instructions invoked by modern-day ISIS: "Recall the promise of our Prophet regarding fallen warriors in the Koran; the man who falls in combat will be transported bodily to Paradise [and] will dine with Mohammed in the presence of women."

Next, Ibrahim recounted the American experience with the Islamic Barbary pirates in 1785 and 1786 that attacked U.S. merchant ships and enslaved American sailors. In an effort to ransom the slaves, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams entered negotiations with Abdul Rahman, Tripoli's ambassador to Britain. The American diplomats futilely explained that they "had done them no injury" and "consider all mankind our friends."

Abdul answered that "it was founded on the laws of their Prophet, written in the Koran that all nations not acknowledging their authority were sinners, that it is their religious right and duty to make slaves of non-believers, and all Muslims slain in battle were sure to go to paradise." America's conflict with Islam did not begin on 9/11. Rather, it dates back to the time of America's Founders.

To underscore this message, Ibrahim cited Theodore Roosevelt's 1916 book, Fear God and Take Your Part, where the former president pointed out, "If the peoples of Europe in the 7th and 8th centuries, and on up to and including the 17th century, had not possessed a military equality with, and gradually a growing superiority over the Mohammedans who invaded Europe, Europe would at this moment be Mohammedan and the Christian religion would be exterminated."

The great English statesman Winston Churchill also criticized Islam for institutionalizing slavery. "The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman is the absolute property — either as a child, a wife, or a concubine — must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men."

Ibrahim rhetorically asked, if the violent history of Islam is so well documented, "so ironclad," then "why don't we know about it?" Older historians who studied Islam unprejudiced by political correctness reached conclusions that no longer comport with what the public is told. Conversely, modern historians get away with academic malpractice by reducing previous Islamic studies scholarship to outdated myths.

This is all part and parcel of what Ibrahim referred to as "propaganda as a form of jihad," misinformation of which academics and groups such as CAIR are the most vociferous defenders.

Meanwhile, CAIR, an unindicted co-conspirator in the nation's largest terrorism finance trial and an accused Hamas-supporter, engaged in "propaganda jihad "by working to suppress Ibrahim's historical review, a practice consistent with Islamist suppression of different religious beliefs.

In the end, Ibrahim gave Army service members and the community a coherent and fact-driven presentation of Islamic history that everyone in America should hear, one that dispels the many false, politically correct notions about the nature of Islam. It lays bare the inconvenient truth that Islamic ideology is what motivates Muslim jihadists to perpetrate acts of terrorism against non-believers, both domestically and abroad.

6 notes · View notes

shawn-does-stuff · 5 years

Text

Oakland (Night 2) Q&A

Fan: “You mentioned supporting human rights in your tweet about A$AP Rocky, with these things, [immigration raids and the Sudanese crisis] going on, do you plan on speaking out on these topics + using your platform?”

Shawn: “This is really important for me. I want you guys to know that because I say something about something else, doesn't mean that I don't care about other things. I care so deeply about what's happening, especially in these camps with these children right now. To be honest with you, I’ve been researching the exact thing to say. I’m trying to find the perfect article that explains what’s going on, I'm trying to find the perfect charity to donate to, and I’m trying to find the perfect statement to say because what I don't wanna do is go online and say, ‘Look, this is bad guys.’ I don’t wanna say that because everyone else is saying that. I wanna go online and say, ‘Look, this is what’s going on. This is effecting me. This is what you can do to help. These are the people who are helping. If you don’t know what’s going on, read this article.’ But, I’m not just gonna go online and say something vague. When I posted that about A$AP, I had a really hard day that day. I did feel like there are so many things going on that I should be talking about and I’m not. It’s not because I don’t care. If you knew me as a friend, I talk about that stuff almost more than anything. I deeply care in my heart. I’m trying to figure out how to not only talk about it, but to help people take action to change the world. It’s not just about making it known, it’s about the steps to change it. So, it’s coming. I promise you. I’m reaching out to this incredible woman named Brené Brown. I’ve been researching this company that’s been doing this funding for these lawyers going in to these camps and really make a difference. It doesn’t mean I don’t care. I want you guys to know that. I care with all of my heart. I’m shaking, my heart’s racing talking about it. It’s so important to me that you guys understand that I don’t wanna go online and say a blanket statement. I wanna go online and use my voice in a way that’s like, ‘Look, this is how I feel. Here’s the information. Let’s change the world. This is how we can do it.' And that's what I'm getting at. Thank you for bringing that up though, I'm happy you did.”

—

Fan: “What's your favorite song by Kings Of Leon?”

Shawn: “I would be lying if I didn't say 'Use Somebody'!”

—

Fan: “What's your favorite part of the Bay Area?”

Shawn: “It's so tourist-y of me, but I loved walking across the Golden Gate bridge!”

—

“I love the Bay Area! It’s so fun here. I really love it.”

—

Fan: “I’m in my first year of college, have you ever felt like you’re stuck? What advice do you have for that?”

Shawn: “I think there’s too much pressure on everyone to have direction. There’s just too much. I don’t know the person who said when you’re 20 you have to know what you’re doing in life! Or you have to know your life’s purpose. The point is waking up every day and that day, being like, ‘What is the most brave thing I can do? What is the most fearless, loving thing I can do today?’ I can’t talk about tomorrow. You’ll watch yourself grow and take steps and then all of a sudden you’ll look behind you and be like, ‘This is my purpose.’ There’s no need to decide. You don’t need to be a brain surgeon today. When I was 15, I didn’t wake up and think that I’d be in Oakland playing a sold out show. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Forgive yourself and it’ll come to you.”

—

Fan: “We've been best friends for like 5 years and-”

Shawn: “Amazing. Back when we were all literal babies. We were so young. I was like a Tik Tok-er back then. I was a viner, but it was equivalent to Tik Tok-er's! I don't know anything! I love Tik Tok-er's, I love viners!”

—

Fan: “If you could be in the audience of a crowd for any performance, which would it be?”

Shawn: “I wish I could do it at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. I wish I could go out and watch Shawn and be Shawn at the same time!”

—

Fan: “Pre-show rituals?”

Shawn: “I used to sing through my songs before the show in my bathroom, but I realized that I was just doing that to check if I could do them, not because I wanted to. I don’t do anything physically. I’ll breathe and do a couple slides. All I do is sit there and remind myself why I do this. Why do I sing? I fucking love to sing. Sorry for swearing!”

—

Fan: “How has the power of music given you special relationships with people around the world?”

Shawn: “It's like a little superpower. So I write something very personal about myself and I release it and every single person who’s heard that song, already feels like they know me. So we skip the part of not knowing each other and every single one of you guys that walk through the M&G, it’s just like I’m already seeing my friend for the first time.”

—

Fan: “What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done?”

Shawn: “I haven’t experienced that much crazy things. You guys are pretty chill. Everyone thinks fans are crazy and I’m like, ‘They’re not!’ They’re just chill.”

—

Fan: “What makes you stay humble and family oriented after becoming famous?”

Shawn: “I have a million reasons to be humble and I think the first one is that’s the only way to be. And I have the most incredible friends and family around me at all times and they, no matter what happens in my life, no matter how much success, they don’t forget to remind me what’s important in life.”

—

Fan: “If you could go back to any day, what day would you go back to?”

Shawn: “I think I’d go back to the very first show I played with Taylor Swift.”

—

“They’re gonna love you no matter what you say, how you say it... at any time of the day. Nothing I say means anything close to what you say. You’re their world! I cannot possibly come close [to that].” -Shawn as a fan came out as bisexual and asked for a video for their parents!

—

“I’m a parent and I’m going to be honest. From the beginning you already know who your child is. Your parents know in their heart what you are about.” -A parent in the Q&A added on to what Shawn said to the fan.

—

Fan: “What’s the easiest song you wrote on your album?”

Shawn: “I wrote ‘When You’re Ready’ really fast.”

—

Fan: “What inspired you to write ‘Youth’?”

Shawn: “I was in Europe when the Ariana Manchester attack happened, I was in London when the bridge attacks were happening, and I was just really overwhelmed about everything. I was just like, ‘This is crazy, what’s going on right now?’ Then Khalid and I wanted to write a song together and then I remember being in Europe and I texted him ‘Dude, we have to write a song about what youth is, what it means’ and that was it. He said ‘Yes, I’m so down’ then literally fast forward 3 months, we got in the studio and wrote it in an hour. It just poured out of us because it was complete honesty and emotion. To this day, one of my most proud songs that I’ve ever wrote is that song.”

—

Fan: “What is your favorite life quote that gets you through the day?”

Shawn: “I think my life quotes change a lot, but the one that I’ve been saying to myself all the time is ‘Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change’. I love that one.”

—

Fan: “How do you think you were able to break free of the [association with Magcon]?”

Shawn: “I think it's unfair to say they haven’t broken the mold ether. Cause I think they have in their own ways, and I think everyone’s on their own path. My goal was to be a musician from day one. My goal wasn’t just to sell M&Gs and that’s it. I wanted to come and meet you guys and play and sing and be performing for you goals. That was my goal always. So there was never a mold in the first place.”

—

“I love how emotional everyone is today. It’s gonna be an amazing show, I can feel it.” -Shawn during Q&A today in Oakland!

—

Fan: “How do you deal with anxiety?”

Shawn: “Anxiety is so different for everybody. The one thing that makes anxiety worse is when you start to judge yourself because you’re having it. The one thing that always helps me is forgiving myself. When I have anxiety, I literally go to a mirror, I look myself in the eyes and I go ‘Hey dude, I forgive you!’ and then I feel better! I don’t need to judge myself, there’s no one here, it’s just me here! Just forgive yourself, and it floats away.”

—

Fan: “What’s one piece of advice that’s resonated with you since the beginning?”

Shawn: “Oh my gosh, you guys are really going for me today. I love it, this is why these are my favorite things to do! One thing that changed myself was that you never know what’s going on in someone else’s mind. You can never assume what they’re thinking. Once I learnt that you can never assume, if we’re having a conversation and in my head I’m like ‘Oh no, she thinks I’m dumb. Oh no, I just said something stupid, she thinks I’m dumb, she’s not interested, she wants to leave.’ And I’d be like ‘Look, honestly, what I’m telling myself right now is that you think I’m dumb, is that true?’ And 99% of the time, the person will say ‘Honestly, I was just thinking you had cool hair!’ It breaks down the wall of crazy voices in our heads that make us believe things that aren’t true. I am brutally honest at all times and it only ever helps.”

(questions and answers from @MendesCrewInfo on Twitter)

#shawn mendes #shawn peter raul mendes #shawn mendes the tour #Q&A #tour: oakland (2)

88 notes · View notes

listeningman · 5 years

Photo

After 3 months, of categorizing, organizing, and finalizing, here are my favorite discoveries of last year. While the majority are from 2018, a third are from years prior but just happened to be discovered in 2018. There’s a solid chance if they’re new to me, they’re gonna be new to you! Enjoy this huge assortment of Indie Pop, Hip Hop, R&B, Rock, Soul and more... stream and download from links below...

Like Sugar - Chaka Khan

Evan Finds the Third Room - Khruangbin

Mystery of Love - Sufjan Stevens

Tangerine (Channel Tres Remix) - Aaron Childs

PASHUN - N From The Wave

Controller - Channel Tres

Sicko Mode (Feat. Swae Lee) - Travis Scott & Drake

Body Language - Balance and Composure Slow Heart EP

Friction - Shame

Nont for Sale - Sudan Archives

Rockets ft. Moe Moks - LION BABE

Love It If We Made It - The 1975

Happy Man - Jungle

A$AP Forever feat. Moby - A$AP Rocky

Bubblin - Anderson .Paak

Love Lies - Khalid, Normani

Bad Bad News - Leon Bridges

Donna - Rubblebucket

My Life - ZHU, Tame Impala

Beat 54 (All Good Now) - Jungle

Connect 4 - The Cool Kids

Should I Take You Home - Sunny & The Sunliners

Finders Keepers (feat. Kojo Funds) - Mabel

Betrayed - Lil Xan

Dumb Love - NEIL FRANCES

Point Of No Reply - The Horrors

DEPOPULIST - V A C A N T S T A R E S

Whirl - Soft Kill

Dark Denim - Antonio Williams feat. Kerry McCoy

Baptized In Fire (feat. Travis Scott) - Kid Cudi

Adam and Eve - Nas

God's Plan - Drake

Like A Ship...(Without A Sail) - Pastor T.L. Barrett & Youth for Christ Choir

Just Do You feat. Mara TK (Radio Edit) - Lord Echo

King of Echo Park - TV Girl

Backin' It Up ft. Cardi B (Audio) - Pardison Fontaine

Different Windows - Smokey Brights

Dust on Trial - Shame

Grey (Ultrarare Version) - Hundredth

Guatemala - Rae Sremmurd

The Weekend (Funk Wav Remix) - SZA x Calvin Harris

Walk It Talk It (feat. Drake) - Migos

Look - Leikeli47

Bomb - Big Freedia

Spoil My Night (feat. Swae Lee) - Post Malone

7 Days til Sunday - TV Girl

It Takes Time To Be A Man - The Rapture

Green - Touché Amoré

Hard to Say Goodbye - Washed Out

Oh Baby - LCD Soundsystem

Azul Oro - Populous feat. Ela Minus

Mulita - Leikeli47

Trampoline (Saint Etienne Remix) - Kero Kero Bonito

Low - Lenny Kravitz

Taste (IRONIXX Chill Bootleg) - Rhye

America! I'm For The Birds - Nicolas Jaar

Potato Salad - A$AP Rocky feat. Tyler The Creator

Sleepless ft. Taylor Bennett - Melo Makes Music

Lavender (feat. Kaytranada) - BADBADNOTGOOD

Fitness - Lizzo

Ain't Gonna Cry - Universal Togetherness Band

Jet Black - Channel Tres

This Is America - Childish Gambino

Dirty Money Prod HighAF - Yung Simmie

Super Fly Feat. Sasha Go Hard (Suicideyear Remix) – Brenmar

GHOST (feat. Christian Rich) - Jaden Smith

Put Your Money on Me - Arcade Fire

Pearly Gates (ft. James Baley) - U.S. Girls

Roll (Burbank Funk) - The Internet

Ric Flair Drip - Offset & Metro Boomin

I Like It - Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin

Over Here - Mk.gee

Pressure - Vodi

The Glory feat. Denzel Curry - Flatbush Zombies

Marcy Son What - Shakarchi & Straneus

Where Is Love - The Equatics

Hey Hey - MEUTE

Wash & Set - Leikeli47

Do You Feel Nothing - Soft Kill

Vertigo (Ultrarare Version) - Hundredth

One Rizla - Shame

Deadbeat Boy - Avalon

I Found U (feat. Kajama & Fantasma) - Spoek Mathambo

Running Back To You - The Juan Maclean

Dust - HÆLOS

Lush - Four Tet

White Jeans - SALES

Drown (Official Audio) - 4B

What I Do (prod. by Kaytranada) - Antwon

Mona Lisa (Audio) Feat. Kendrick Lamar - Lil Wayne

Our generation - Ernie Hines

Prisoner - Har Mar Superstar

Just Like Tropica-L - Soft Powers

Let Me Be Me - Nite-Funk

You've Got a Woman - Lion

Is It Any Wonder - Durand Jones & The Indications

Terrorize My Heart (Disco Dub) - 79 5

Slippin On Ya Pimpin - Amp Fiddler

Girl Blunt - Leikeli47

Sundress - A$AP Rocky

Praise The Lord (Da Shine) ft. Skepta - A$AP Rocky

Wake Up - Lil Xan

Yoppa - Falside

MotorSport - Migos

Kerala - Bonobo

Hungry Hippo - Tierra Whack

GUMMY - BROCKHAMPTON

Quand tu danses le dimanche - Lewis OfMan

Still Ill (Original Mix) - Oh Yeah

Love Like This (Faith Evans cover) - Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band

Breakadawn (Fela Kuti / De La Soul) - Amerigo Gazaway

List of Demands (Reparations) - The Kills

Hottest Day in New York - Star Slinger

Opal Ocean - Slenderbodies

When The Night Is Over - Lord Huron

In the City (Chromatics cover) - Anika

Brother - Karma Wears White Ties

Pretty Girl (Whethan Bootleg) - Clairo

Passionfruit - Yaeji

Celestial Blues (The Avener Rework) - Andy Bey

In My Feelings - Drake

Pynk (feat. Grimes) - Janelle Monaé

All The Stars - Kendrick Lamar, SZA

Brown Eyed Lover - Allen Stone

Stop (WWW) - Justice

Listen - YouTube / Spotify / 8tracks

Download (Download comes with .txt file for iTunes playlist importing)

Follow/Like - Facebook / Instagram / YouTube

I do not own these tracks, nor do I promote the act of piracy. The purpose of this blog is to shine a light on underexposed musicians. If you like what you hear then support these artists: buy their music, get some merch, experience a live show. Deepen the fan base of lesser known acts, show your love of music, and help spread the jams.

#best of #2018 #indie music #year end #shame #leikeli47 #A$AP ROCKY #khruangbin #kendrick #drake #jaden smith #migos #sales #chaka khan #indie pop #indie rock #year end list #best of 2018

1 note · View note

risalei-nur · 6 years

Text

TAFSIR: Risale-i Nur: The Letters Collection:The Twenty-Eight Letter.Part19

FIFTH POINT

You ask if in that period between prophets the forefathers of the God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) belonged to a religion and were religious.

T h e A n s w e r : There are narrations stating that they were religious, adhering to the vestiges of the religion of Abraham (Upon whom be peace),4 which, under the veils of heedlessness and spiritual darkness, persisted in certain special people. Certainly, the persons who formed the luminous chain stretching from Abraham (Upon whom be peace) and concluding in the Most Noble Messsenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were not indifferent towards the light of the true religion and were not defeated by the darkness of unbelief. But in accordance with the verse,

Nor would We visit with Our wrath until We had sent a prophet [to give warning],(17:15)

people who live at a time between prophets will be saved. It has been stated unanimously that they will not be punished for their mistakes in secondary matters. According to Imam Shafi‘i and Imam Ash‘ari, even if they are deniers and do not believe in the fundamentals of belief, they will still be saved. For accountability to God is established with the sending of prophets, and when prophets are sent people become accountable by knowing about their mission. Since heedlessness and the passage of time had obscured the religions of the former prophets, they could not provide the proof for the people of that time. If the people obeyed the former religion, they will receive reward; if they did not, they will not be punished. For since it was hidden, it could not be a proof.

SIXTH POINT

You ask: “Were there any prophets among the forefathers of God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace)?”

T h e A n s w e r : There is no certain narration that there were any after Isma‘il (Upon whom be peace). Only two prophets appeared, called Khalid b. Sinan5 and Hanzala,6 who were not his ancestors. But one of his forefathers, Ka‘b b. Lu’ayy, composed the following famous and explicit poem, as though quoting scripture: “The Prophet Muhammad will suddenly appear * Giving tidings most true,”7 which resembles prophetic and miraculous utterance. Relying on both evidence and illumination, Imam-i Rabbani said: “Numerous prophets appeared in India, but some of them had no followers or only a few people, so they did not become well-known or were not called prophets.”

According to this principle of the Imam, it is possible there were prophets of this kind among the Prophet’s (UWBP) forefathers.

SEVENTH POINT

You ask: “Which of the narrations mentioning the faith of the Messenger’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) parents, and that of his grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttalib, is the most authentic and sound?”

T h e A n s w e r : For ten years the New Said has had no book with him other than the Qur’an, which he says is sufficient for him. I do not have the time to study all the books of Hadith about secondary matters such as that, and write which is the soundest and most authentic. I will only say this much, that the Noble Messenger’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) parents were believers and will be saved and go to Paradise.9 Surely Almighty God would not wound His Noble Beloved’s blessed heart with its filial tenderness.

If i t i s a s k e d : “Seeing that it is thus, why weren’t they able to believe in God’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace)? Why didn’t they live to see his mission?”

T h e A n s w e r : Out of His munificence, in order to gratify the Messenger’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) filial sentiments, Almighty God did not put his parents under any obligation to him. His mercy required that to make them happy and to please His Noble Beloved, He did not take them from the rank of parenthood and put them in that of spiritual offspring; He did not place his parents and grandfather among his outward community. However, He bestowed on them the merit, virtues, and happiness of his community. If an exalted field marshal’s father, who has the rank of captain, entered his son’s presence, he would be overwhelmed by two opposing emotions. So, compassionately, the king does not post the father to the retinue of his elevated lieutenant, the field marshal.

EIGHTH POINT

You ask: “What is the most authentic narration concerning the faith of his uncle, Abu Talib?”

T h e A n s w e r : The Shi‘a agree that he believed, while most of the Sunnis do not agree. But what occurs to my heart is this: Abu Talib loved most earnestly, not the Most Noble Messenger’s (Upon whom be blessings and peace) messengership, but his person and his self. That most earnest personal love and tenderness surely will not go for nothing. Yes, Abu Talib loved Almighty God’s Noble Beloved sincerely and protected and supported him; it was because of feelings like shame and tribal solidarity that he did not believe in him in acceptable fashion, not out of denial and obduracy. If due to this he goes to Hell, God Almighty may create a sort of particular Paradise for him, in reward for his good actions. As He sometimes creates the spring during winter, and for people in prison by means of sleep transforms the prison into a palace, so too He may turn a particular Hell into a sort of particular Paradise...

The knowledge of it is with God alone. * None knows the Unseen save God. Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.(2:32)

1 note · View note

claustraphobic · 6 years

Audio

Here it is! Our New Zealand Music Month playlist for 2018. This is our largest, most in depth, and most diverse playlist to date.

We tried to showcase New Zealand artists from all genres, who we feel deserve more praise and support than they may have today. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it.

Tracklist:

· Lorde – Homemade Dynamite REMIX ft. Khalid, Post Malone, SZA^ · Quix – I’ll Give You the World (ft. JVMIE) · Lee Mvtthews - Stay ft. Omega Levine · Rich the Kid – Listen Up (Prod. By LMC) · Gladius James – Rich (ft. Wiz Khalifa) · Noah Slee – Radar · Sachi – Lowkey · Chores – Surrender (ft. Abby Wolfe) · Kings - Good Days · Thomston – Ride · Matthew Young – Collect · Baynk – Poolside · L.A Women – Hurricane Love · Maala – Crazy · SCARFɆ – Stay the Night (ft. VI NE) · BLANC – Maserati · Times x Two – 121 · Montell2099 & 21 Savage – Hunnid on the Drop · SWIDT – Function · JessB – Set It Off · PNC ft. Nylo – If It Wasn’t For Love [Mt Eden Remix] · Logistics & Thomas Oliver – Broken Light · Haan808 & Verzache – Second Nature · Cortr – Waves · Katana – Move [T1R Remix] · Ashez – Baiji · ANKA – Alpha · TAPZ – Run Don’t Run · Katana – Stay · Bailey Wiley – Take It From Me (Prod. By Ben Esser) · Yoko-Zuna, Heavy & Larz Randa – Yes · So Below – Visions · Tali, Melinki & Verva – Powerful (ft. Melodownz) · Written by Wolves – To Tell You The Truth · Decades – The Right Mistake · Miss June – Twitch · The Beths – idea/Intent · Soaked Oats – Avocado Aficionado · Mild Orange – Some Feeling · Albion Place – If This Is How You Fell · Leisure – Alone Together · Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Hunnybee · Fazerdaze - Reel · Marlin’s Dreaming – Floating · Late June – Tied To Our Words · Mitch James – All The Ways To Say Goodbye · Holly Hoo - Phone Book · Chelsea Jade - Ride or Cry · Theia – Roam · Drax Project - Cold · Openside - No Going Back · Balu Brigada - Nightshift · Raiza Biza – Diamonds & Gold (Prod. By Ill Baz) · Unchained XL – Do They Know (ft. JessB & Nuel Nonso) · High Hoops – Body · Mellodownz - $on Of A Queen · Eno x Dirty - Seki · David Dallas – Probably · Kamandi - Tangi · Eli Grand, Wayvee & LMC - What U Need · Raka & LMC – Bleed · N eo – Ghost Girl (Prod. Elder) · Rich James – Boys Don’t Cry · Dharmarat – Pushin’ · Zaya – Southside Suicide · Molly + The Chromatics – Magic Wonder · Quix, Slumberjack & Josh Pan – Vision · Alien Weaponry - Rū Ana Te Whenua · Racing – Motel Pool · Villainy – Tiny Little Island · City of Souls – Long Gone · Coridian – Nonetheless · Dead Favours – Dig · Silence the City – Ruins · Ekko Park – Probable Cause · Skinny Hobos – Jacked Like The Ripper · Armed In Advance - Pain · Banks Arcade – Ambition · Fallstate – A Thousand Miles · Happy Hearse – In Beautiful Places · Mudshark – BenaRoyroids · Wax Chattels – Career

1 note · View note

dippedanddripped · 4 years

Link

There’s only one problem as the growing clothing rental market inches toward offering men’s wear: Guys may not buy in.

By Jessica Testa and Jonah Engel Bromwich

Jan. 8, 2020

A little more than a decade ago, a pair of Harvard Business School students founded Rent the Runway, a platform for renting special-occasion evening wear that has since expanded to all kinds of wear: leopard-print blazers, bright red ski pants, Swarovski crystal necklaces and leather fanny packs.

By the spring of 2019, the company was valued at $1 billion and had spawned multiple competitors.

But Rent the Runway has never carried men's wear. Despite the popularity of renting, there are no companies of its size that offer men’s apparel. Because aside from prom or wedding tuxedos, men do not rent — for now, at least.

Why don’t men rent? Are they fearful that borrowed clothing carries the unsanitary residue of other men? Do they dread the logistical planning required to return a pair of cuff links? Or is it just that their renting options are so few and little known that they didn’t know they could?

The New York Times asked a dozen stylish men across the United States (and one abroad) about their attitude toward renting clothes. Nearly all were dubious, and not because of hygiene or laziness.

Through their explanations, they provided a window into how fashion-aware men think about clothes in 2020. Their stated values — individuality, ownership and longevity — were at odds with the ever-rotating closet pushed by the rental market.

Still, leaders and new players in that market are plotting expansions into men’s wear, each on slightly different paths. Whether men know it — or want it — the race to make them rent is about to begin.

The Post-‘Metrosexual’ Moment

Sometime around 2007, it became easier for men to talk about their appreciation for clothing, according to Volker Ketteniss, the director of men’s wear at the trend forecasting firm WGSN. Marketers began pushing a more “technical approach” to shopping for men, he said, placing the idea of heritage brands and craftsmanship front and center.

“This became a guy’s way of being into fashion,” Mr. Ketteniss said. “The same way you could be into cars, stereos and other gadgets.” (Before that time, men who liked clothes were more often called “metrosexuals.”)

Their interest often starts with flashy accessories, like sneakers and watches. That’s how it worked for Ty King, a shoe enthusiast in Nashville.

“Especially early on, with shoes, you didn’t want the shoe that other people were wearing,” said Mr. King, a 43-year-old music and sportswear writer known online as John Gotty.

In mid-December, when Nike released the new Air Jordan 11, Mr. King decided to skip the drop. Too many people were lining up for the $220 red-and-black retro sneakers.

“Even if I did buy them, I’m probably not going to wear them for a year or two,” he said. By then, he expects everyone else will have moved on.

Mr. King’s individualist attitude extends to renting clothes, which he said he would never do. Through years of digging and researching, he has developed his own “strong sense of style.”

“I truly know what I feel works best for me,” he said.

Mr. King fears that renting will lead to herd mentality, and he’s not alone.

“How much of truly being stylish or expressing oneself with clothing is going to be left?” said George Lewis Jr., the 36-year-old Angeleno who makes music as Twin Shadow.

Mr. Lewis said he was familiar with the concept of renting clothes, and he knows women who rent clothes, but that he personally thinks the concept is strange.

Mr. Ketteniss of WGSN has a theory about men’s skepticism toward renting: Women are accustomed to the idea because they have been swapping clothes with their friends since they were teenagers.

This pastime never really caught on with men. And the women’s wear market has always grown at a faster pace than men’s wear. Why would the renting phenomenon be any different?

Pride in Ownership

On Instagram, under the handle ThePacMan82, Phil Cohen has amassed 770,000 followers, with posts that show a neat collection of clothing and accessories, styled as if for an advertisement.

Though Mr. Cohen appears on lists of prominent fashion influencers, he prefers to leave himself out of the pictures. The spotlight belongs to the clothes themselves.

In an interview Mr. Cohen, 37, expressed pride in his clothing and the work it took to obtain it. He said that renting a nice pair of boots or a hard-to-find jacket may thwart the proper way of things, which for him is a four-step process: Man wants garment. Man saves up for garment. Man purchases garment. Man wears garment.

“I like the idea that you save up and buy something that then becomes part of your life, part of your wardrobe,” he said. “I think that there’s a genuine sort of appreciation for the product when you’ve put yourself into it.”

Several men agreed. A few said that being outed as a rental customer may be embarrassing. It would be as if they were pretending to have more money than they did.

Jason Ryan Lee, a 38-year-old editor at the black celebrity gossip website Bossip, said renting feels almost like cheating.

“I would hate to walk out in a rental and get all kinds of compliments and in my mind be like, ‘This is cool, but this isn’t mine,’” he said. “‘Now I feel like an impostor of some kind. I’m not as cool as people think I am. This $2,000 jacket, I just rented for $35.’”

Through clothing, people project their wealth, status and work ethic. For men, being caught in clothes they don’t own could threaten those projections, and their masculinity.

Mary Blair-Loy, a sociology professor at the University of California, San Diego and the founding director of the Center for Research on Gender in the Professions, said that men often still see themselves as breadwinners. Owning their belongings helps support that image.

“Ownership is a sign and a signal of wealth and status and success in a precarious capitalist competitive world,” she said.

A Double Standard

There is also less pressure on men to own extensive wardrobes. At work, they are less likely to be scrutinized for wearing the same outfit every day. And they take pride in wearing their clothes for a long time.

Dylan Walker, a 20-year-old welding student who lives in Georgia, said that he owns about 10 pairs of cowboy boots and would never think about renting an additional pair.

“Boots last for a really long time,” he said. “One pair of boots for six years. When I buy clothes, I’m buying them for the long haul.”

Stanton Coville, a 29-year-old software developer in Ohio, said that he takes a utilitarian approach to his clothing, to the point that he calculates the cost-per-wear of individual pieces. After wearing a $300 pair of Japanese jeans for four years, its cost was justified, he said. His wife makes fun of him, but he has had to get the jeans repaired only once.

Gert Jonkers, the 53-year-old editor in chief of Fantastic Man and a publisher of The Gentlewoman, spoke of the double standard women face when they repeat outfits. For women, it’s thought to be a faux pas. For men, it’s unremarkable.

Women also have a harder time getting away with informality, he said; they are more liable to be judged for ignoring fashion trends.

“Last night I was wearing a Missoni jumper I’ve had for 10 years, and people were saying ‘Oh, wow, I love that jumper,’” Mr. Jonkers said. “Nobody notices that it’s from fall or winter 2008. It just really doesn’t matter.”

Pride in ownership and longevity combine to create sentimental value. Mr. Lewis said that he appreciated the way personal possessions become “weathered by the energy of your household, or physically weathered by you wearing it.”

Continue reading the main story

Of the white jeans he was wearing during an interview for this article, he said: “I love them and hate them, because two days after wearing them I have to wash them to make them fit the right way, and every time I wash them they get a little bit worse, and my mom overbleached them so they’re looking slightly pink now.”

“But it’s important to me because these have a story to them,” he added.

Thinking About Men

Major rental companies nevertheless look at men as an untapped market, even if they’re not quite sure how to go about tapping it.

Nuuly, a Rent the Runway competitor founded in 2019, is “actively looking” at expanding into men’s apparel, said Sky Pollard, the head of product.

Owned by URBN, the parent company of Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, Nuuly is “talking to customers and trying to figure out a program that would work for them,” Ms. Pollard said. “We really see no reason to believe that they wouldn’t respond to it and love it as much as our women customers.”

Rent the Runway said it has also been thinking about men for a long time, albeit less urgently. The company believes men want variety in their closet, but it is still determining the best way to introduce men’s wear.

For example, should it advertise to men directly or target existing female members who buy clothes for the men in their lives?

Continue reading the main story

Either way, Rent the Runway could give style-conscious men what it has already given to women: the ability to cycle through trendy clothes at a reasonable cost (its cheapest plan is four pieces for $89 per month), without resorting to lower-quality, questionably sourced fast fashion destined for a landfill.

Unlike other men interviewed, Khalid El Khatib, 34, was enthusiastic about the idea of renting. Ever since Mr. El Khatib, a marketing and communications professional in New York, learned about Rent the Runway from his two sisters, he has wished he had access to something like it.

A few years ago, when he went to Cuba on vacation, he brought a brand-new Reiss floral button-down shirt.

“I never wore it again,” he said. “I bought it for Cuba, I wore it in Cuba, and then I retired it.” He appreciates fashion, but he isn’t attached to owning pieces no one else owns, or owning them for a long time.

In November, a New York start-up began experimenting with renting men’s wear to a list of 50 family members and friends. The company, Seasons, was founded by Regy Perlera and Luc Succés, who were also behind an app that allowed users to text each other Drake lyrics.

Continue reading the main story

In an interview, Mr. Perlera said that “men are very ownership oriented.” But, he said, “the concept of ownership is changing drastically and very quickly. We used to think that we needed cars, and now we have Lyft and Uber and Car2Go. We used to need homes, and now we have Airbnb.”

Mr. Perlera hopes to make fashion more available to people for whom the cost has traditionally been prohibitive. The Seasons website says it has inventory from Yeezy, Off-White and Gucci.

But at the moment, it plans for its cheapest subscription package to be $155 per month, which lets the renter get three pieces.

Mr. Perlera said he has been studying Rent the Runway’s successes and missteps. When asked if he was concerned that these lessons may not apply to men, he said that the Seasons inventory is actually not particularly gendered, despite the language on its website: “A members only rental subscription service for menswear & streetwear.”

“It’s really a category of fashion that really doesn’t have gender boundaries,” he said.

#men and boys #menswear blog #urbanwear blog #streetwear blog

0 notes

deadcactuswalking · 5 years

Text

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 3rd November 2019

I apologise for how late this will probably end up being posted, but we have a big week to talk about, with EIGHT new arrivals, two from Selena Gomez, three from Kanye West and two appearing here in the top 10 so I’m just going to get through everything as soon as possible to the best of my ability, although this week has several...mishaps on the BBC page to say the least, so I’ll try to correct them if I can, and I have had to wait for my week of non-stop Weezer listening to end or for me to accidentally slip up and listen to something else so I could actually write about the new arrivals here.

Top 10

Interestingly, none of the nonsense that this chart week ensued seems to appear in the top 2 or shake the #1 at all, as “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I is at its fifth consecutive week at the top of the UK Singles Chart.

“Ride It” by Regard featuring Jay Sean – well, it’s actually a remix of a Jay Sean single but just let me relish in the fact Jay Sean is on the charts again – isn’t moving either at number-two, the runner-up spot.

The first impact that we can see at the top level of the charts is the debut at #3 for Selena Gomez’s first US #1 “Lose You to Love Me”, which the BBC has interestingly misspelled as “Loose You to Love Me”, her 13th UK Top 40 hit, fourth top 10 and highest-peaking song ever, after “It Ain’t Me” with Kygo peaked at #7. We’ll talk more about Selena Gomez’s two new arrivals later.

Thanks to Gomez, Post Malone’s “Circles” is down one spot to number-four.

At number-five is Ed Sheeran with “South of the Border” featuring Camila Cabello and Cardi B, down three spots this week to number-five.

We have our second new arrival within the top 10, at number-six, “Follow God” by Kanye West from his ninth studio album, JESUS IS KING. He has several songs debuting here in the UK Top 40 this week, so we’ll talk more in-depth about his mini-album bomb later on, but this is his 44th UK Top 40 hit, which is crazy impressive, and his 20th top 10.

At number-seven, boosted up 11 spots by an Ariana Grande remix, is Lizzo with “Good as Hell”, making it officially her biggest song in the UK and her first top 10 hit, as well as Grande’s 16th.

Up two spaces to number-eight this week is “Memories” by Maroon 5.

Down two spaces from last week, we have Dermot Kennedy at number-nine with “Outnumbered”.

Finally, at #10, to round off the top 10, we have Lewis Capaldi’s “Bruises” down four spaces from last week.

Climbers

Naturally, there aren’t many climbers here because of the album bomb and influx of new arrivals, but we do have some unfortunate boosts for “hot girl bummer” by blackbear up five spaces to #25... and that’s all.

Fallers

Fallers on the other hand... we could split this up into genre, actually.

For pop, rock and EDM, we can start with “Lights Up” by Harry Styles deservedly flopping six spaces down to #17, then continue with “10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber down 12 to #29, “Higher Love” by Kygo and Whitney Houston down eight to #31, “Sorry” by Joel Corry featuring uncredited vocals from Hayley May down 10 to #32 and finally “Don’t Call Me Angel” by Ariana Grande featuring Miley Cyrus and Lana Del Rey down 13 to #39 – but that’s not all.

For hip hop and R&B, we have “HIGHEST IN THE ROOM” by Travis Scott down seven to #12, “Be Honest” by Jorja Smith and Burna Boy down five to #14, “Professor X” by Dave down seven to #21, “Take Me Back to London” by Ed Sheeran featuring Stormzy and remixed by Sir Spyro featuring Aitch and Jaykae down nine to #28, “Playing Games” by Summer Walker down nine to #33, “Ladbroke Grove” by AJ Tracey down 10 to #35 and finally, “Taste (Make it Shake)” by Aitch down nine to #39... but again, that’s not all.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

We have no returning entries but we sure do have a lot of dropouts, some of them genuine hits such as “Strike a Pose” by Young T & Bugsey and Aitch out from #36 and “Beautiful People” by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid out from #39, hits that never really hit the landing with the British general public but have been on the middling section of the charts for a while and could easily rebound like “Motivation” by Normani out from #27, “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo and remixed by DaBaby from #31, “frick, i’m lonely” by LAUV and Anne-Marie out from #32 and “Lalala” by Y2K and bbno$ and remixed by Carly Rae Jepsen and Enrique Iglesias out from #37, as well as some genuinely premature drop-outs such as “Graveyard” by Halsey out from #29 and finally, “47” by Sidhu Moose Wala, MIST, Steel Banglez and Stefflon Don out from #38. Now, finally, after all that time spent on stray UK Top 40 observations... let’s talk about Kanye.

ALBUM BOMB: Kanye West – JESUS IS KING

On October 25th, Kanye released his ninth studio album, JESUS IS KING, after missing several release dates and changing name from YANDHI. Kanye, a now born-again Christian, makes a “gospel” album free of any explicit lyrics, accompanied by a short film of the same name. It features an all-star guest list of vocalists and producers, including frequent collaborators Ant Clemons, Benny Blanco and Mike Dean, the reunion of legendary rap group Clipse, trap beat-makers Pi’erre Bourne and Ronny J, and smooth jazz saxophonist Kenny G. Obviously, it went #1 in the US, #2 here, but to mixed reviews – now, I won’t be focusing on the politics that surround the album and I am not very knowledgeable of religion so I cannot really comment on much beyond my understanding of Christianity and arguably more importantly, the lore of Kanye West. Mark Grondin of Spectrum Pulse already quoted more Bible quotes in his album review than I could remember digits of pi, and several people, like DeadEndHipHop, Sean Cee and even Anthony Fantano, whether you like them or not, have made several in-depth discussion videos about whether West’s sudden revelation is a genuine moment for the rapper, a mental breakdown or a cash-grab. I’m here to discuss the music... but even that’s not very good. I wrote a very lengthy review for the album two days after it came out (And before it went through an additional few fixes for mixing quirks, sigh) which will be linked here if I remember, and overall, it was disappointing, a light 4/10 and easily the worst record in West’s discography. Regardless, let’s talk about the debuts here.

#20 – “Closed on Sunday” – Kanye West

Produced by Kanye West, Angel Lopez, Brian “AllDay” Miller, Federico Vindver and Timbaland – Peaked at #17 in the US

Features uncredited vocals from the Sunday Service choir and A$AP Bari(?)

The most memeable yet also one of the most detestable tracks on the album, this is his 45th UK Top 40 hit. “Closed on Sunday” was one of the few tracks set to fail off the pure concept, as the biggest issue with most songs on JESUS IS KING is the lack of development or complete mishandling of great ideas, to the point where there basically is no effort to, you know, write a song here. “Closed on Sunday” is essentially one verse split into half due to a flow switch at the midpoint, and despite a runtime of only two minutes and 32 seconds, it drones on endlessly, with a solemn guitar melody leading into what could sound like a pretty cool, dark ballad, built up by the choir vocalising in harmonies that sound actually pretty great but then the 808s come in and ruin any sense of harmony. Kanye comes in with some of the worst mixing I’ve ever heard vocals have, especially on an album with the budget Kanye has, with a lot of background noise and I can even hear the buttons pressed on the phone or other device Kanye is using to record at about 0:38, which signals a drastic change in how the vocals are mixed, but it’s still shoddy and allows them to have some pretty severe clipping during the “chorus”, until a sudden shift where a turgid beeping sound works as a pathetic excuse for you know, an actual synth, and until now, Kanye’s vocals have not had reverb or Auto-Tune added onto them, so his vocals being drenched in effects actually sounds great here... but he still has a sore throat and sounds like he’s struggling here, although unlike “God Is” and just about the entirety of 808s & Heartbreak, where it adds to the emotive performance, Kanye sounds bored and with no choir backing him like they could have been, the release here just isn’t as cinematic as it could be and it just sounds like a melodramatic Kanye aimlessly spouting random Bible motifs over 808s without taking his daily Dequadin lozenge... and there are no drums... ever. Oh, and A$AP Bari comes in at the end to shout “Chick-fil-A”, abruptly interrupting the beat’s natural progression and making it clear as day that the album is unfinished. Also, speaking of those lyrics, should you really be comparing YOURSELF to a fast food restaurant that donates charity to anti-LGBT hate and pressure groups? That’s not very Christ-like, Ye. It probably wouldn’t matter if they didn’t either, because a thinly-veiled Taylor Swift reference (Yes, I know the Bible mentions “snakes” and “vipers” as much as reputation does, but the two aren’t on good terms so it’s no coincidence in my opinion) and calling God your “number-one with the lemonade” don’t exactly make you sound like a wordsmith. Oh, and A$AP Bari, the uncredited vocalist on the outro, pleaded guilty to sexual assault earlier this year, which again doesn’t exactly sound like a Christ-like thing to be supporting either... but I digress. The version he performed on Jimmy Kimmel with a genuine choir backing him and a brass band is miles ahead of this, so don’t bother with this version, or better yet, don’t bother with this monotonous crap at all.

#19 – “Selah” – Kanye West

Produced by Kanye West, E*vax, BoogzDaBeast, Federico Vindver, benny blanco and Francis Starlite – Peaked at #19 in the US

Features uncredited vocals from the Sunday Service choir, Ant Clemons and Bongo ByTheWay

Now, I’m slightly more positive on his 46th UK Top 40 hit, “Selah”, the opening track (Aside from the short “Every Hour” interlude / intro track which is only Sunday Service) of JESUS IS KING, yet that might actually make it more frustrating and it’s easily the track I come back the least to because overall, it’s actually pretty uninteresting and doesn’t have a true “hook”. It starts with some cloudy synth noodling that sounds kind of cool with the subtle strings but then Kanye comes in with some pretty awfully-mixed vocals that is incredibly unprofessional, teasing his fans for wanting YANDHI, and saying it was coming before “Jesus Christ did the laundry”, and quoting John 8:33 to excuse his “Slavery is a choice” comment, which he’s been trying to respond to the backlash to for about a year and a half now, failing each time. Also:

Pour the lean out slower

Hold up –that ain’t Christ-like. The explosions of marching band drums come in in a similar fashion to “Feel the Love” off of KIDS SEE GHOSTS, and then honestly the bridge, which is insanely repetitive but builds up tension perfectly with Ant Clemons and the Sunday Service choir repeating “Hallelujah” incessantly with distant guitar strings, handclaps and sudden pitch shifts reflecting the change in Kanye’s mindset and the intensity soon becomes a lot more ramped up from now on, finishing the bridge with a pretty beautiful vocal line that the 808s hilariously harmonise with. Then, Kanye comes back in with a verse co-written by Pusha T, and you can REALLY tell, and it’s still awfully-mixed, when there’s no true excuse. He’s drowned out by the bursts of drums and bass as well as the choir’s recurring vocal sample. The best part of the song soon kind of fizzles out in a chaotic outro, in which fireworks literally go off while Kanye screams nonsense as well as “Yeezus” which isn’t exactly Christ-like, but it sounds insane and honestly a tad odd and unfitting for the album, which is supposed to be an uptempo Christian rap album? While there are parts of this song I don’t approve of, especially Kanye, who ruins pretty much every song he’s on... on his own album, this is pretty tolerable, albeit somewhat contradictory lyrically and far from my favourite Kanye track. At least there’s some grandiosity and emotion here.

#6 – “Follow God” – Kanye West

Produced by Kanye West, BoogszDaBeast and Xcelence – Peaked at #7 in the US

I should be thankful for the grandiosity and emotion behind “Selah”, because this sure doesn’t have any of that. How the HELL does this have three producers? How on Earth does this album have 11 people on the mixing and mastering and yet this still sound like absolute gutter trash in my headphones? “Follow God” is easily the least interesting song on the JESUS IS KING album, and that’s pretty impressive for a record that contains the song “Water” with Ant Clemons, yet it’s the biggest and I don’t see why at all. There straight-up isn’t a chorus by any meaning of the word, or its many synonyms, and its dated production almost resembling 90s hip hop in the soul sample from 1974’s “Can You Lose by Following God” by Whole Truth and the genuine 90s groove and funk that is somewhere here in the beat, doesn’t exactly make it sound like a catchy trap banger that would reach the US top 10 in 2019, but it’s there. It’s called by many fans a spiritual successor to 2016’s “Father Stretch My Hands” from The Life of Pablo but other than using the lyric “Father, I stretch my hands”, I don’t see it, mostly because the 2016 effort doesn’t actually have much relation to Christianity outside of the beautiful gospel choir harmonising with Caroline Shaw on the bridge of that single. In fact, that song does a better job at flipping Christian rap on its head – it’s a two-part trap banger featuring verses from Desiigner and lines about... bleached posteriors. This song on the other hand is only one minute and 44 seconds, with one badly-mixed and distorted verse from Kanye that is as repetitive as the mind-numbing recurring “Yeah” vocal sample and prone to making me roll my eyes with its one verse and the... outro of sorts. But since this beat is so minimalistic, surely he wants us to hear what he’s saying, right? Well, no, probably not, because not only is his “wordplay”(?) and half-rhymes embarrassing, but I have so many questions to raise to this drum pattern. I want to interview the 808 and the kick drum and ask what the heck they think they’re doing.

People really know you, push your buttons like type-write

That’s not a sentence. “Like type-write”? Excuse my brief, unsubtle blasphemy, but Jesus.

Every single night, right? Every single fight, right?

The ‘i’-based rhyme scheme here is cool in concept and he finds his way around it pretty well, in a fast-paced rap flow that I actually really like, but it reeks of laziness, especially since not only does he completely abandon the rhyme scheme 55 seconds in but – yes, I counted – his verse is 69 seconds, that’s one minute and nine seconds. To put into perspective, Rick Ross’ verse on “Devil in a New Dress” off of Kanye’s 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one minute and 28 seconds, only twenty seconds longer than this one, and it includes ten times as much clever wordplay, story-telling, interesting flow switches and bars that are really epic, making the song feel really celebratory of sorts actually – and that’s without the epic guitar solo that precedes it. What a fantastic song. On the other hand, this song is substance-less and Kanye says very little of anything despite how much he crams into every bar in the rapid yet sometimes pretty awkward flow. What he’s supposed to be discussing is his situation with his father and how when he was yelling at him and having a massive argument and fall-out, Ray West told him, it wasn’t Christ-like, leading to a revelation and possibly becoming the catalyst for the already-kickstarted Christian rebirth. Surely, his dad and God are the two most important men in his life, right? Then why does this feel passionless and boring? Why doesn’t this feel genuine? Fellow Christian rapper NF, a white rapper who makes bland piano-lead pop-rap with sung hooks, would call this flavourless, dull and more importantly, grey. It doesn’t feel blue and gold like he wants it to as he uses the colours to imply royalty, luxury and loyalty to God on the album cover and lyric video. This doesn’t show loyalty. You made this in five minutes, Kanye. You made this on a whim because you had an idea and you ran with it but you had no idea on how to actually develop it into something interesting or even listenable. What part of this shows royalty, luxury and a rich, graceful connection with God? This sounds cheap and gross, and frankly incredibly disappointing from such a talented artist. I haven’t even gotten onto the rest of the song, man, and I don’t even want to. “Decimal” doesn’t rhyme with “wrestle”, Kanye. “Wrestlin’ with God, I don’t even want to wrestle”? That’s the deepest you want to go into your confusion and conflict between Christianity and fame? That’s pathetic, as is the random screaming at the end of this track for quirky or emotive bonus points. There’s nothing lifelike or Christ-like about your lifestyle, Kanye West. Get some help.

NEW ARRIVALS

#34 – “Nice to Meet Ya” – Niall Horan

Produced by Julian Bunetta – Peaked at #9 in Ireland and #83 in the US

Sorry to any of the Niall Horan fans who crashed his website when this single was announced, but I have considerably less to say about the rest of these new arrivals than I do about Kanye West and/or Jesus Christ. I have to talk about them regardless of if I have anything I can actually add, and this one is one I’ve actually already heard since I watched the MTV EMAs and he performed it. I thought nothing of it initially, but this is the Irishman from One Direction’s comeback single after his debut studio album Flicker. This is Horan’s third UK Top 40 hit and first since 2017’s “Too Much to Ask” which peaked at #24, and I did not expect this shift to late 90s and early 2000s dance-rock, but I am definitely not complaining. It starts with a catchy piano line that’s pretty Robbie Williams-esque, then the drop comes in and it is killer. The sleek synths decorating the rock drums in a lot of slickness that you wouldn’t expect out of such a meek stage presence add to the chorus pretty well, but the best part of that chorus is the distant pitch-shifted vocal sample yelling in the background, making it feel even more industrial which again is out of character for Niall, the quiet, shy folk boy, but he definitely has the charisma to pull off this type of swaggering, stomping pop rock anthem, and he proves that in the sing-along bridge, where even his murmuring hums stand out, and while he’s drowned out by the cool bassline and drum pattern most of the time, his vocal delivery really is the highlight of the song, even if that is equally vintage and in a way, pretty nostalgic for the era it replicates. Funnily enough, it has the same lack of care for organised structure that “Lights Up” by Harry Styles had just two weeks ago, but the careless, reckless groove of this song works a lot more in Horan’s favour than Styles’. Just saying.

#27 – “Orphans” – Coldplay

Produced by Rik Simpson, Dan Green, Bill Rahko, Max Martin, Angel Lopez and Federico Vindver – Peaked at #14 in Scotland

Coldplay, with their most recent upcoming album Everyday Life, are getting pretty experimental. It’s an hour-long double-album kept a secret until a month before it is set to release featuring a track list full of songs that have odd stylisations like “BrokEn” and share song names with Arabic poems. “Arabesque”, the B-side to “Orphans”, is a storm of nu-jazz trumpets with a Fela Kuti-inspired breakdown and uncredited guest vocals from Stromae, as well as profanity, which is a first for the band. I’m not surprised at all that one didn’t kick off but we are instead left with their 24th UK Top 40 hit and first since “Something Just Like This” with the Chainsmokers peaked at #2 in 2017, “Orphans”, which is a lot tamer of a track to say the least. That doesn’t mean it’s any worse though. It starts with a kids’ choir singing before we get into a tropical rock jam with a funky bassline that I wouldn’t be surprised if Flea wrote, it’s that tight. Chris Martin sounds as focused on Christianity as he did on the Avicii album earlier this year, directly name-dropping Heaven in the first verse, and then joining in with the nonsense words that the vocal samples had been repeating prior to the verse. The chorus is pretty reminiscent of arena rock, specifically “Paradise” I feel as it has that same nasal falsetto but in a lot more palatable fashion, mostly because this actually has groove and you know, a pulse. Yeah, this is pretty great, and I love the bridge of purely the mythical guitar and Chris Martin’s ethereal vocals. Something I didn’t notice on initial listen is how that the song is about a girl, Rosaleem, during the Damascus bombing in Syria from last year (That’s what the nonsense words and sound effects are all about), who is greeted by angels who talk to her about what Heaven will be like, which is “almond and peach trees in bloom” but also a place for her dad to get drunk and talk with his friends so he can feel young again. That’s actually pretty deep subject matter, and together with Niall Horan, I’m glad we can have some fantastic rock on the charts again. “Arabesque” is the better of the two Coldplay songs though.

#26 – “Look at Her Now” – Selena Gomez

Produced by Ian Kirkpatrick – Peaked at #7 in Slovakia and #27 in the US

Man, those last two songs were so powerful and organic, I almost want some disposable garbage to review next. It’ll just be easier. Oh, we have two Selena Gomez songs and a new AJ Tracey single to cover? Perfect, that’s just what I asked for! Yeah, this is Selena Gomez’s 14th UK Top 40 hit and it is awful, but not even close to as offensively bad “Closed on Sunday” or “Follow God” are. It’s just a mistake on all fronts. The passionless vocal samples drowned out in the background that peters out by the verse and the nothingness of the synths and a glitchy beat that abruptly kicks itself out of the mix every other second, as well as Selena Gomez’s weak, whispery vocals don’t exactly scream “passionate, boasting kiss-off” to me. The chorus is absolutely PATHETIC, if it even exists at all – I mean, it’s just a bunch of different sound effects Selena Gomez made pretty much, with her rhythmically humming as if that’s an excuse for an actual chorus with some unintelligible, stuttering and sometimes whispered repetitions of the song title as well as several “W-w-w-w-wow”s that add very little to the song and seem pretty pointless. This is mixed well for the most part, despite the synths clipping at times and Selena’s vocoder-ed ad-libs in the second chorus being way louder than anything else in the mix, but I have no idea what the composers of this song were thinking. What a trainwreck. It almost sounds like glitch-pop to be honest, it’s chaos, and if it were marketed as that maybe I’d appreciate it more, but if this is supposed to be a genuine brag to Justin Bieber asking him to see what he’s missing, he might as well have dated a robot. I think a RateYourMusic user summed it up best: “This is so monumentally mediocre that it barely even exists.”

#22 – “Floss” – AJ Tracey featuring MoStack and Not3s

Produced by The Elements and AJ Tracey

AJ Tracey is a British rapper who had his break out this year and he released his self-titled debut studio album back in February, but it now has a deluxe edition, with five extra songs, this being one of them. I wasn’t exactly impressed with the album as it’s mostly pretty bland Americanised trap fluff with only some promising elements of dancehall (“Butterflies” with Not3s and remixed by Popcaan), grime (“Horror Flick”) and UK garage (“Ladbroke Grove”, one of my favourite songs of the year) propping up whenever AJ sees fit, but it’s 48 minutes so these moments can’t carry the whole track listing. Lucky for us, he’s increased that runtime to just over an hour and included a couple more boring trap songs to listen to. Joy. This is AJ’s seventh UK Top 40 hit, MoStack’s eighth and Not3’s sixth. This song relies on a pretty sweet falsetto vocal sample under a surprisingly energetic trap beat, with some pretty nice steel pans and cowbells in addition to the skittering hi-hats and 808s. AJ Tracey is pretty okay here, but I feel with these lyrics and beat he could have gone for a faster and more impressive flow than what he brings out here. I’m still in love with his “bling-blaow” ad-lib though. MoStack is embarrassing as always, with an oddly-mixed verse and sometimes off-beat flow, with the most obvious difference between him and AJ being that there aren’t any ad-libs or multi-tracked vocals, which is mostly the same with Not3s’ non-existent and actually pretty unnecessary bridge (He should have just added to the final chorus, though his last few bars sound nice). Mo does have a pretty funny line about how you wouldn’t be able to notice him on CCTV and would confuse him with Dave though. This is better than I expected, but still nothing of interest to me. Sorry.

#3 – “Lose You to Love Me” – Selena Gomez

Produced by Mattman & Robin and FINNEAS – Peaked at #1 in the US

Now, much like Coldplay, Selena Gomez also released two lead singles, however both charted and they are drastically different to Coldplay’s, quality-wise at least. This is supposed to be the big massive smash ballad hit that hit #1 in the US, becoming her first ever song to reach that peak, but I can’t bring myself to care, because honestly, this is one of her least interesting singles she’s ever released. Out of all of her songs, including some I actually like such as “It Ain’t Me” and “Same Old Love”, this seems like one of the most unlikely #1s yet it tugs at our heartstrings with the pianos from FINNEAS, Billie Eilish’s brother and producer, and it’s about how Justin Bieber dumped her with wordplay revolving around “purpose” – wow, it’s almost like she’s talking about Justin Bieber’s ALBUM, Purpose! Ugh, her mind! Okay, I’ll stop mocking her fanbase and the general public, because this really isn’t a bad song. Selena Gomez can’t sing, so through thinly-veiled Auto-Tune, the producers cleverly multi-track her vocals to create a grand, powerhouse chorus out of the repetition of “To love, to love, yeah” and because it’s a pop ballad, the vocals can be breathy and untrained and it’s fine, right? It’s a ballad, it doesn’t need to be perfect, and hence we can take advantage of the complete lack of singing talent this person has. I don’t know, it just seems so cliché and predictable to me. You can only tell it’s a FINNEAS beat once the second verse hits and the synths get jerkier with the bass wobbles, and he usually has a pretty signature sound, so yeah, that’s the best way to put it. Or, perhaps, this song is also so monumentally mediocre that it barely even exists.

Conclusion

Again, I’m sorry this is out so late but it was a big ordeal to write, especially due to all the Kanye songs. I’ll try and get the next one out a lot sooner, I assure you, but there’s an album bomb this week too, so we’ll see about that. Anyways, the Best of the Week is going to Coldplay for “Orphans”, who just barely edged out Niall Horan, who gets the Honourable Mention, with “Nice to Meet Ya”. Worst of the Week should be obvious, in fact, it’s not going to a song, it’s going to three songs, all by Kanye West. “Saleh” isn’t all that bad, but JESUS IS KING was such an immense disappointment that I think he should be crowned Worst of the Week based on not only “Closed on Sunday” or God forbid “Follow God”, but also on principle alone. The Dishonourable Mention is going to Selena Gomez for “Look at Her Now” for being hilariously misguided in the production area, Jesus. I’m going to wrap this week up with a Top 40 ranking of the whole chart on Twitter, which I’ll try to do bi-weekly, no guarantee, so follow me there @cactusinthebank for more musical ramblings and shoddy attempts at humour, and I’ll be seeing you here again next week. Peace!

0 notes

yukiwrites · 3 years

Text

Balthus, Ruining Everything

Thank you so much for the support and the patience as always, @xpegasusuniverse! I hope you like it~

Summary: Khalid had returned home ready to work hard to become a worthy King so as to strengthen relations with Fódlan. However, bringing Balthus along was a terrible mistake, no matter how much of his own word he had given in the past. How could he ruin even a traditional sport of Almyra?!

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

Despite the eventual skirmishes against Fódlan, it wasn't as though the entirety of Almyra was focused on their shared border. It was a large country, with hundreds of thousands of people going on with their lives despite the war.

As diverse as its culture was, however, all of Almyra joined together to celebrate and participate in their most popular sport: the national Yağlı güreş. It was a practice Khalid had had little contact with throughout his life (especially after enrolling in the Officer's Academy), apart from watching his father's eventual matches during his childhood, so he was looking forward to organizing everything for this year's tournament.

He came back after the Yağlı güreş season had started around the kingdom, though he still had time to prepare for the Kırkpınar that would occur at the capitol, a few weeks from now. Since he was also accumulating more and more duties for the eventual ascension to the throne, Khalid welcomed the responsibility readily.

He would be in charge of overseeing the quality, quantity and storage of the oil; ordering the fields to be cleaned for the matches; sending out invitations to honored guests; preparing the venue; separating the budget for the eventual prize and so on.

The Grand Championship consisted not only of the winners from the provinces but also of wrestlers that lived in the capitol per se, with the last one standing to challenge the current Baspehlivan, Nader. Should they win, they would be allowed to choose between the prize money and a favor from the King -- though the former had so many restrictions barely anyone chose it, prefering to go with the money instead.

Khalid was almost humming to himself as he scratched his chin with the feather pen he was using to sign some reports.

His small bubble of joy burst the moment the door to his office opened with a bang, revealing the one 6'6'' oaf Khalid did not want to see for at least another decade.

"Hey there, bud!" Balthus greeted, already making himself comfortable on the chair in front of Claude's desk. "I got kicked outta the field just now 'cause they're terraforming or somethin'. You know anything about it?"

"Annnd my peace is gone, isn't it. I can feel it." Khalid muttered to himself, though loud enough for Balthus to hear and ignore. Sighing, the prince straightened his back, not even bothering to look at the man who's come to make a mess out of his family. "In a month, we'll be hosting the Grand Championship of Yağlı güreş, and I want everything to be done beforehand so there are no complications."

"Yagli- what's that? I saw some huge barrels being unloaded on my way here, too, do they have anything to do with this? Is it a party? Booze!?" Balthus got more and more excited as he prattled on, almost banging his huge hands on Claude's table.

Groaning, the prince finally put his pen down, afraid that that oaf would destroy anything, or worse -- mess up the piles of 'read' and 'unread' reports, which would take at least another day of work to organize again.

"Yağlı güreş means 'oil wrestling'. It's the oldest sport practiced in Almyra and also a national sport."

Balthus snorted, then placed his fist atop his palm, as though remembering something. "Wait, I saw some dudes doing something like that back in some underground arenas! I didn't know it was an almyran sport, though, nice."

"Yeah, 'nice'." Khalid rolled his eyes, intent on going back to his work.

Balthus didn't move, though, and just made himself comfortable on the chair, as though he intended to spend the time he couldn't spend training, bothering Claude instead. "Anything else?"

"Muh? Nah, I'm good, thanks."

"..." Khalid narrowed his eyes to the large man, placing his chin atop his clasped hands. "Hey, you know what? Why don't you try it?"

"What? Oil wrestling?" Balthus was so focused on rubbing the dirt from under his nail he had to blink to look up to Claude. "What's in it for me?"

"For one, you can train for it so you'll have your training grounds back. I'll even introduce you to an old Master who doesn't have ciraks so he can teach you everything about oil wrestling."

Balthus twisted his lips, shifting his weight towards Khalid as though waiting to hear something more. "Yeah? Sounds fun."

"... There's also prize money if you win."

"Oh yeah, babey, now you're talking!" Balthus jumped up, the action shaking Claude's table, threatening to mess up his papers. "Where's that Master?"

Khalid quickly slapped his stacks of documents before they all scattered due to the oaf's rough movements and sighed. "Call the attendant standing outside, I'll have him send word for you."

Balthus was taken outside the palace, to the Master's residence. From the looks of it, that man had been competing since his youth, but never found a pupil worthy of his skills -- though now he had to accept Balthus due to the royal decree, so he wasn't too happy about all of this.

However, once the master saw Balthus' physique, his attitude did a 180º change.

"I will show you the ways to win quickly. You're big, but your opponents will be more experienced, so you'll want to quickly slide your hands into their kispets to pin them down."

Balthus sputtered. "I gotta wha-"

"Of course, it is forbidden to get actually intimate with your opponent -- you'll have to be respectful! -- but as long as there are no genitalia touching, you'll do great." The man brushed his beard with one hand, waving to a servant with the other. "Now go on, change into your trousers. I'll show you everything I know."

"This is insane. I love it." Balthus gurgled a laugh as the master pushed him to follow the servant.

Truly there was no time for Balthus to learn the actual techniques, though him being a former soldier with stamina to spare was a major plus. These matches could go on for hours or even days, so one had to be thoroughly prepared before every single one of them.

Balthus even stayed over the master's manor for the duration of his training, which made Khalid incredibly thankful. The prince never thought the oaf would actually go through with it, but he wasn't about to complain about the peace and quiet he finally got, no way. Nope.

On the eve of the championship, the master invited Balthus for dinner, feeling excited about Yağlı güreş for the first time in a few decades. "Truly, the only worthy foe to ever enter the field was His Majesty Arash, though he was still only a prince back then."

Balthus stopped his fork immediately, his interest piqued. "... oh yeah? Arash was good at this back in the day, huh?" he licked his lips. "Can I fight him?"

"Pftt-ahah!" The old man snorted, coughing a laugh along with the tea he just drank. "You want to challenge the King to a bout, boy? Don't be ridiculous."

"No, I'm serious. How can I fight him?"

If he could get himself all over Arash while covered in oil, wouldn't that be amazing or what?!

Twisting his lips, the old man started thinking. "Well, if you really wanted to, I don't think there are restrictions about that if you use it as your prize from winning the championship."

"What? Wasn't it just money?"

"Technically it's all people pick, but you can choose between that or a wish for the King or Queen to grant. Though there are so many restrictions it's just easier to go with the money."

"Oh, fuck yes. I gotta win this." Balthus rolled his shoulders in anticipation. His chest even got all hot and bothered just by imagining his hands going down Arash's- hnn!

"Haha, that's the spirit, boy! Winning against Nader will be hard, but I wouldn't have trained you if I didn't think you couldn't win!"

The two shared a loud laugh before gulping down their drinks, both of them hopeful for tomorrow's events.

Khalid hadn't heard from Balthus ever since he'd sent him to train, so he was actually surprised to see him amongst the competitors -- even more so to watch him climb the ranks so quickly despite being a foreigner who just got introduced to the practice.

The audience murmured amongst themselves, wondering where that strange man had come from; a mix of not wanting outsiders to meddle with their beloved sport along with the right amount of excitement about the fresh meat on stage.

When Balthus, already so greasy he actually reflected light, started the match against the defending champion, Nader, Khalid felt a foreboding premonition.

What could it be? Why would he feel like that?

Was it because, no matter the outcome, Balthus would just return to the castle and keep bothering him? Or was it due to something else? Usually, his gut feelings were always right, but this time he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was warning him about.

Since everything pertaining to Balthus was just a big disgrace in Khalid's eyes. What else could that man do to ruin the prince's days?

"We have a winner! What a surprising turn of events! The outsider, Balthus, defeats our champion by paca kazik!"

"Paca kazik? How did he get so good?" Khalid murmured as Balthus kissed Nader's hand as it was customary before helping the older man up and giving him a huge thank you hug.

The announcer started the usual speech about allowing the competitor a choice, though was already meaning to introduce Khalid so the prince could handle the prize money to the winner when Balthus took a step forward.

"I want to have a wish granted!" He spoke in a loud voice, which reverberated through the open field as though he was using amplifying magic. The audience gasped in unison followed by the sound of all heads turning to the King and Queen who sat beside Khalid.

Tiana narrowed her eyes, always wary of the libertinous man. "Speak."

"I want to challenge the former Baspehlivan, His Majesty Arash, to a match!"

Loud gasps of surprise from all sides echoed around the field, the eyes alternating between the bold foreigner and the silent Royals.

"I will not-" Tiana started to reply immediately, but Arash's hand on hers stopped the Queen's words. Surprised, she looked at her husband, intent on not allowing that man near Arash, when the look on his face made her lose the air.

He was smiling so excitedly! It had been years since he had participated in a match and Tiana knew the sport meant a lot to him, especially since he held the title of Baspehlivan for over a decade before stepping down to ascend the throne. The Queen's shoulders sagged, though her frown remained.

"Dear, that man has no pure intentions-"

Arash ran his thumb through Tiana's hand. "I know, my dear wife. Worry not; I'll put him in his place."

Then it all clicked for Khalid.

That foreboding he felt wasn't about Balthus returning to the castle, but about him slathering himself with oil and rubbing it all on his own father! Gods, he was about to gag. "Father, you're not planning to-"

"I will accept your challenge!" Arash spoke in a loud voice, cutting his son and any curious murmur around the spectators. "Shall we being right away, contender?"

"Oh hell yeah, sir." Balthus rubbed his hands, hopping in place to get his blood flowing.

"Allow me to change," Arash got up from his seat, placing a kiss on Tiana before turning back to the changing room right outside.

Khalid shot up from his spot, stomping towards Balthus, who had gone into a tent to hydrate himself.

"What are you thinking? You could've just accepted the money and finally rid yourself of your debts-"

Balthus raised his index as he gulped the water. "Hah, and miss getting into your dad's pants? No way in hell, kid!"

Khalid took a step back, his face entirely pale. In your dad's pants, in your dad's pants, in your dad'-

"Ugh, yuck, I-" the prince gagged, covering his face with one hand lest he threw up there and then.

"Catch ya later, I'm about to get laid!" Balthus slapped Claude's back before stepping out of the tent, heading back to the center of the field just as Arash approached.

Khalid couldn't watch.

He just couldn't.

Once the referee signaled the start of the match, both men threw themselves at one another, sliding around the greasy grass from all the oil that slid down from the competitors.

Balthus almost broke the 'no intimate touching' rule three times in less than ten minutes, his huge hands not being of any help as he tried to literally get into Arash's pants.

That man was built like a rock! And Balthus had wrestled against many tough guys back in his day.

Gods, just feeling Arash's rasped breathing by his ear and feeling his hands try to grab his trousers made him-

"I'm having the time of my life here, Arash." Balthus panted as they slid off of each other for a moment before joining together one more time.

"Stop, stop, stooop, I can even hear it from this far!" Khalid covered his face with both hands, groaning so loud it looked like he was in physical pain.

The worst part was yet to come, however.

The match simply didn't end!

Both sides were almost evenly matched to the point that one couldn't get a definite grab on the other's trousers, stretching the match for one hour. Two hours.

When it was about to tick three hours, Khalid was already sure he was dead. He had died and came back to life at least five thousand times just by watching that pervert roll around his father for so long. The few times he stole glances at them, he could clearly see Balthus trying to break the rules, though Arash was always fast enough to counter it before being violated.

"Let this end, let this end, let this-" Khalid chanted under his breath with closed eyes, praying to every single god he knew of.

"Annd match! It seems like our former Grand Champion hasn't lost his edge yet, folks! Let's give a round of applause to our King, folks!" The announcer quickly got up from the place he had been sitting since one hour ago, dodging the greasy spots on the grass to approach the combatants.

Arash smirked to the fallen Balthus as the young man faced the sky with wide eyes.

"I lost?" He babbled as he watched the King walk away, the memory of that winning smirk etched into his mind. "That was... hot! What the fuck, and I thought they couldn't get hotter? This couple is turning out to be the best investment I've ever done in my life. No way I'm leaving this place now."

Too far away to hear Balthus' monologue, Khalid shuddered with yet another foreboding feeling. What else was Balthus going to ruin next?!

#fire emblem three hourses #fe3h #balthus fire emblem #claude fire emblem #khalid fire emblem #balthus #khalid #claude #my writings #Yuki's commissions

4 notes · View notes

girlrants · 7 years

Photo

Its taken me awhile to share this because I feel akin to having attended the Oscars lol! ❤⚡❤ Meeting the King of modern design @stefansagmeister and the Queen of letters @debbiemillman that too in Islamabad at Pakistan's very first National Digital Design Conference!!! A lifetime of thank-yous to two brilliant and passionate women, Sana Khalid & Nida Salman, I have no idea how you guys did it but this has been one of the most awe-inspiring experiences of my life!! ✨Thank you for featuring Pakistan's women in design at #ND2C17 And to my fellow featured women @shehzilm @zaidipride @zaidisaba & Aneeqa Ishaq, I'm so bowled over by you guys, all 4 of you inspire me greatly, love + respect to my sistas ❤💕 not to mention our mentor + mother goose @sonessstevens you are a beautiful force to reckon with, thank you so much for your guidance and patience! I hope this is the start of many new and exciting opportunities for design + illustration in Pakistan, all the energy & love at @nd2c_pak 2017 made me think so much more is possible!! ⭐💥 A BIG thank you to all my crew present from @indusvalleyschoolkarachi (esp @kiran.ahmad ) and each and every person who came, appreciated & supported, it means the world!!! ❤ WoooHooo world here we come! 😃 #nd2c #nd2c17 #nationaldigitaldesignconference2017 #pakistan #design #designconference #stefansagmeister #debbiemillman #pakistanidesign #islamabad #yes (at Islamabad Marriott Hotel)

#nd2c17 #pakistan #nd2c #nationaldigitaldesignconference2017 #stefansagmeister #yes #design #islamabad #debbiemillman #pakistanidesign #designconference

1 note · View note

fullspectrum-cbd-oil · 4 years

Text

Saudi Airman May Have Become Radicalized Before Navy Base Attack

The Saudi airman accused of killing three people at a U.S. Navy base in Florida appeared to have posted criticism of U.S. wars and quoted slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on social media hours before the shooting spree, according to a group that tracks online extremism.

Federal investigators have not disclosed any motive behind the attack, which unfolded at dawn on Friday when the Saudi national is said to have begun firing a handgun inside a classroom at the Naval Air Station Pensacola. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said during a public appearance on Saturday he was not ready to label it an act of terrorism.

A vigil was held on Saturday for those wounded and killed, among them a recent Naval Academy graduate who dreamed of being a fighter pilot and a teenage Arab American.

Just spitballing here, but maybe it’s time to take a closer look at Saudi nationals hanging out in Florida for “flight school.” Kinda maybe figured we would’ve done that 18 years ago, but apparently not. https://t.co/GvQbztwkl2

— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) December 6, 2019

A sheriff’s deputy fatally shot the gunman, authorities said, ending the second deadly attack at a U.S. military base within a week. Within hours, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman had called U.S. President Donald Trump to extend his condolences and pledge his kingdom’s support in the investigation.

Authorities confirmed the suspect was a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force who was on the base as part of a U.S. Navy training program designed to foster links with foreign allies. In an emailed statement on Saturday, the FBI named him as Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, 21.

The young officer was reported to have played videos of mass shootings at a dinner earlier in the week with other Saudi aviation students, according to U.S. media reports on Saturday that cited an unnamed person briefed on the investigation.

Investigators have found no sign Alshamrani had links to international terrorist groups and think he may have radicalized on his own, the New York Times reported, citing an unidentified U.S. official. It said the airman first entered the United States in 2018, returned to Saudi Arabia, then re-entered the United States in February, and had reported for training at the base about three days before the attack.

A Saudi military officer commits a terrorist act on a U.S. military base in apparent conjunction with others and the @POTUS meekly reads a letter of apology from the Saudi king? What’s up with THAT?https://t.co/nz9StvgdGN

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) December 7, 2019

At least three of the eight people wounded were law enforcement officers shot as they responded to the attack, officials said, including one Navy police officer and two county sheriff’s deputies. They were expected to recover.

One of the dead was identified earlier Saturday by relatives as Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23. A recent graduate of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, he had arrived at Pensacola two weeks ago for flight training, his family said.

“Joshua Kaleb Watson saved countless lives today with his own,” Watson’s brother, Adam Watson, wrote on Facebook on Friday. “After being shot multiple times he made it outside and told the first response team where the shooter was and those details were invaluable.”

The Navy, in an emailed statement, named the other victims as Mohammed Sameh Haitham, 19, and Cameron Scott Walters, 21, both sailors studying at the base.

A cousin of Sameh, Hani bin Ali Moqbel, wrote on Twitter: “God have mercy on you Mohammed, and ease your parent’s pain after your loss. May you rest in heaven (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.)”

Remember, everyone, if the shooter is a suspected white supremacist, we must blame conservatives who oppose white supremacy. If the shooter is a suspected Islamist terrorist, we must blame guns. https://t.co/freLi3ggFu

— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) December 6, 2019

In comments to reporters at the White House on Saturday, Trump said the Saudi king and crown prince were “devastated” by what took place, and that the king “will be involved in taking care of families and loved ones.”

“I think they’re going to help out the families very greatly,” Trump said.

Six other Saudi nationals were being questioned by investigators in Florida, three of whom were seen filming the incident, the New York Times reported, citing an unidentified person briefed on the investigation.

An uncle of Alshamrani, Saad bin Hantim Alshamrani, told CNN from Saudi Arabia that his nephew was “likable and mannered towards his family and the community.” He said his nephew “has his religion, his prayer, his honesty and commitments.”

The younger Alshamrani appeared to have posted a justification of his planned attack in English on Twitter a few hours before it began, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors online Islamist extremism.

He referred to U.S. wars in Muslim countries, writing that he hated the American people for “committing crimes not only against Muslims but also humanity,” and criticizing Washington’s support for Israel, SITE’s analysis said. He also quoted bin Laden, the Saudi mastermind of the attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, according to SITE.

Reuters has not verified the authenticity of the account, @M&MD_SHAMRANI, which was suspended by Twitter on Friday.

Like many other Saudi military personnel, I was trained in a U.S military base, and we used that valuable training to fight side by side with our American allies against terrorism and other threats.

— Khalid bin Salman خالد بن سلمان (@kbsalsaud) December 6, 2019

About 100 people gathered at the Olive Baptist Church for a vigil on Saturday, where Chip Simmons, chief deputy in the Escombia County Sheriff’s office, recounted being one of the first on the scene, which he said was littered “with glass and blood, with killed and wounded lying on the floors.”

“You realize in that moment that you are witnessing loss of life and hatred, but there was also heroism,” Simmons said.

The base outside Pensacola, near Florida’s border with Alabama, is a major training site for the Navy and employs about 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel, according to its website.

On Wednesday, a U.S. sailor shot three civilians at the historic Pearl Harbor military base in Hawaii, killing two of them before taking his own life.

Military personnel are normally restricted from carrying weapons on U.S. bases unless they are part of their daily duties, a policy designed to reduce the risk of suicides and accidental shootings.

from IJR https://ift.tt/38seCki via IFTTT

#IFTTT #IJR

0 notes

programsbos · 5 years

Text

The life story of Amr ibn al - Aas

Amr ibn al-Aas al-Sahami al-Qurashi al-Kanani (592 - 682 CE), Abu 'Abdullah, the son of Sayyid Bani Sahem of Quraish al-Aas ibn Wael al-Sahami, sent him before Islam to Abyssinia to ask Najashi to extradite Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia to flee the infidels and return them to Mecca to hold them accountable. About their new religion did not respond to him Negashi. After Islam, he conquered Egypt after he conquered the Romans and became governor of it after he was appointed by Omar ibn al-Khattab. The most prominent of what was known about Amr ibn al-Aas that he was the most astute Arab wartime of his time, it quoted the capacity of his resourcefulness and genius measure novels resembling legends, so that the caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab nickname Arabton. Amr ibn al - Aas bin Wael bin Hashem bin Said bin shares bin Amr bin Hossis bin Ka'b bin Louay bin Ghalib bin Fahr bin Malik bin Nadar bin Kenanah bin Khuzaymah ibn Madrka ibn Elias ibn Mudar bin Nizar bin Maad bin Adnan. His mother: Salma bint Khuzaymah ibn al-Harith ibn Kalthoum ibn Harish ibn Udah ibn Jushn ibn Amr ibn Abdullah ibn Khuzaymah ibn al-Harith ibn Jalan ibn Atik ibn Aslam bin little bin Anza bin Assad bin Rabia bin Nizar bin Maad bin Adnan. His mother was captive and his brethren from his mother: Orwa bin furniture Accueil Qurashi, and Aqaba bin Nafi bin Abdul Qais Fihri Qurashi He converted to Islam in the eighth year of the Hijra, and came to Medina with Khalid bin Walid and Othman bin Talha Muslims after fighting Islam. Amr is a war commander His first assignment was following his conversion to Islam, when the Prophet Muhammad sent him. To divide the crowd to want to invade Medina, Amr marched on the "same chain" in three hundred fighters, but his opponents were more numerous, and the Prophet Muhammad provided him with two hundred migrants and supporters headed by Abu Obeida bin Jarrah, including Abu Bakr and Omar, and Amr insisted that he remain president on Everyone accepted Abu Ubaida, and the Muslim army, led by Amr ibn al-Aas, defeated the otter, and Amr refused to follow him, as he refused to burn the fire there. He justified this position after the Prophet Muhammad asked him that he said: "I hated to follow them so that they have durations." And they hated to light a fire and their enemy saw them. " Vhamd Prophet Muhammad Hassan hatched. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad and in the succession of Abu Bakr, he assumed the emirate of one of the four armies that went to the Levant to conquer, and Amr Ibn al-Aas went to Palestine at the head of three thousand fighters, and then reached another period became the number of his army seven thousand, and participated in the battle of Yarmouk with After the arrival of Khalid bin al-Walid from Iraq after defeating the Persian armies, and on the proposal of Khalid bin al-Walid, the armies were united together, with each commander taking command of the army one day of the battle, and indeed the Muslim armies were able to defeat the Roman army in battle. Yarmouk under the leadership of Khalid bin Walid, Amr ibn al-Aas and Abu Obeida N surgeon and others have been opened the Levant. He then moved on to complete his duties in the cities of Palestine, including the conquest of Gaza, Sebastia, Nablus, Beni, Amwas, Beit Jirin, Jaffa and Rafah. It was Omar ibn al-Khattab, if he mentioned before him the siege of Jerusalem and the expression of the skill of Amr ibn al-Aas says: We threw "Arbatun Roman" "Arbatun Arabs." During the succession of Omar ibn al-Khattab and his leadership of armies in Palestine and Jordan after the death of Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan and during the presence of Omar ibn al-Khattab in Jerusalem to take the keys Amr took advantage of this opportunity and asked Omar to open Egypt and told him that the conquest will be a force and aid to the Muslims and to secure the borders of the Levant from the attacks of the Romans Omar and Walah agreed to lead the army going to invade Egypt and conquered it. And ordered by Othman bin Affan them for a period and then isolated from them and Crown Abdullah bin Abi Sarh, and then returned Amr to Medina. After the killing of Osman bin Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, Amr bin Aas marched to Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him and witnessed the battle with two rows.When the war on Muawiyah intensified, according to some historians, Amr ibn al-Aas referred to him with the cunningness of the request for arbitration and the Koran lifted a request for a truce. When Ali bin Abi Talib was satisfied with arbitration, Amr Ibn al-Aas became a judge from Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, while Abu Musa al-Ash'ari was a judge from Ali ibn Abi Talib. The two rulers agreed to meet the survivors of the ten missionaries of the paradise and decide the fate of Osman's killers, only Saad bin Abi Waqas, Ali bin Abi Talib and Saeed bin Zaid. Muawiyah then sent him on an army to Egypt and took it from Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, and then Muawiyah on Egypt. Other historians believe that this novel is not true and has no historical origin, said Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi in capitals of the investigation of Moheb al-Din al-Khatib: It speaks on the issue of arbitration and the lifting of the Koran: Capital: This is all a lie frankly what happened from the letter never, but it is something Tell him the innovator, and the historical status of the kings, Vtorath people of free and loudness sin of God and innovation. Some academic historians say, "We have received only very weak accounts of the arbitration, although it is considered one of the most dangerous topics in the history of the adult caliphate. Many writers have lost it, others are confused and written in their books and writings, as if they were one of the biggest facts of history." Some of them accept them uncritically as if they are true, and their formulation of dramatic stories and alleged deception and cunning has an impact on people's interest in them and the attention of historians to write them down, and to know that our words are on the details and not on the origin of arbitration; Doubt. " He died the night of Eid al-Fitr in 43 AH in Egypt and is eighty-eight years old and was buried near Mokattam. Al-Haafiz al-Dahabi quoted the passing of the noble flags of his death: «When Amr ibn al-Aas was dying, he said:“ Kilo Mali ”, so they found him fifty-two times. He said,“ Whoever takes him, including him, may he be bored ”[12]. And his sons said: What is this? He said, "What you see this sings nothing about me." Sahih Muslim said: Amr ibn al-Aas that he wept long when dying, and made his son say: «O father, but the polytheism of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him so, but the polytheism of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him so?» He said: I accept his face and said: «The best we prepare a certificate That there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, I have been on three dishes: You have seen me and no one is more hateful of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him than me, and I do not like me that I have been able to kill him and if he died on that case I would be the people of the fire. When Allah made Islam in my heart, I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and I said, "The simplest of your right hand is your allegiance." He said: I said: I wanted to condition. He said, "You require what?" I said: Forgive me. He said: "Did I not know that Islam destroys what was before, that immigration destroys what was before, and that the pilgrimage destroys what was before. I would not have been able to fill my eyes to pay homage to him, and if I were asked to describe him, I could not fill my eyes, and if I died on that case, I would be The people of Paradise, and then we have things I do not know what is present, if I die not accompanied by a law, and no fire, if you buried me, they launched the dust on me, and then set up around my grave as far as the slaughter of flesh and divide the flesh until I ask you to see. Amr ibn al-Aas «Amr ibn al - Aas said to those who came down to death and his mind with him how not to describe him when the death came down by his son said, saying: Describe. He said: "Son of death for the sake of being described, but I will describe you find me as if the mountains of Radwa on my neck as if in the cave of thorns and find me as if I emerge from a needle." He said: When dying: "O God, you ordered things and forbade things that we left a lot of what I ordered and Tartna in many of what I forbid, there is no god but you." Then he took his thumbs still cheered until he overflowed. What is this anxiety Mohammed has been using you and using you? He said: "Any son has been that and I will tell you, and I do not know what I love was composed or composed, but I testify to two men that the difference of the world and loved by the son of Sumaya and the son of Umm Abd". We rode and we can only forgive you. " » Abu al-Abbas cooled that when he attended the death, Amr entered him Ibn Abbas said: «I entered the Amr ibn al-Aas was dying, and entered him Abdullah bin Amr said to him:" O Abdullah, take that box, "he said: I do not need it, He said: "It is full of money," he said: I do not need him, Amr said: "I wish full of rugged" He said: I said: O Abu Abdullah, you were saying: I desire to see a sane die until I ask him how to find how you find? He said: "I find the sky as if applied to the ground and I between them, and showed me as if breathing from the hole of a needle," and then said: "Oh God, take me until you are satisfied." Then he raised his hands and said: "O God, I ordered Vsina, and finished Vrkbna not innocent Vtazr, nor strong Vntzr, but there is no god but God" three, then blunt. » Of his words Speak like medicine that lessened the benefit, even more than killed. He passed on a dead mule, and he said to some of his companions: For a man eats this until he fills his stomach, better for him than to eat the flesh of a Muslim man. I did not store a man secretly and disclosed his film, because I was narrower chest when I deposited him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent a lifetime in the battle of the same series, and he hit them with a cold.Amr said to them, `` No one is burning a fire. '' When he complained, he said, `` O Prophet of Allah, there was a few in them. Have an ambush .. Vjb that the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him. There is no hope of my dress as much as I can, nor the hope of my wife is not well done ten, nor hope Dabti what carried me, that boredom of bad morals. It was said to Amr ibn al-As: What virility? He said: The man is fit his money, and improves to his brothers. Amr said to his son: What kindness? He said: To be self-interested Vtlin governors? Amr said: What is the breach? Amr said: anti-Imam, and the opponent who is able to harm you. Amr said: Every verse in the Koran degree in paradise, and a lamp in your homes .. He said: Who read the Koran has included the prophecy between the two sides, but it does not inspire him. The greater the evacuation, the more rivals on the Day of Resurrection, and those who did not comfort his brothers with all that he could, decreased his love as much as he lacked their consolation. Imam Ghchoum, better than strife lasts. Is not the link that arrives from the link, and cut from the pieces, but that fair .. But the link: who arrives from the pieces, and compassion on the dry .. Not Halim, who dreams of his people what they dreamed of, if ignorant ignorant, but that fair .. But Halim, who dreams if they dream, if ignorant dream of them. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas said: My father often said: I am surprised by the man who comes down to death, and with his mind and tongue, how can not describe .. He said: Then the death came down, and with his mind and tongue, I said: Father He said: My son, death is too great to be described, but I will describe to you something, and God, as if on the shoulders of the mountains of Radwa and Tihama, and because my soul emerges from the hole of a needle, And as if in thorns thorn bush, and as the sky was applied to the earth, and I between them The mausoleum of Mokattam is located at the entrance of the Mosque of Sidi Oqba Ben Amer El-Juhani to the right of the interior. In film and television 1977: The film about the story of the beginning of Islam to the conquest of Mecca starring Abdullah Ghaith as Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib The role of Amr ibn al-Aas actor Mohamed Wafik. 1981: The series of Islamic conquests and acted as Amr ibn al-Aas actor Hamza al-Shimi. 1981: The Kaaba series played the role of Amr ibn al-Aas actor Hatem Zulfiqar. 1983: Amr ibn al-Aas series about his life story starring Majdi Wahba, Mahmoud El-Meligy [20] 1993: The Promise of Truth and the role of Amr ibn al-Aas actor Ahmed Halawa. 2002: Man of Destinies for his life story starring Nour El Sherif. The film "Al - Khawafi and Al - Qawadim" in the victory of Islam. 2009: Qamar Bani Hashem series about the life story of the Prophet (PBUH) starring Rashid Assaf in the role of Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib. The role of Amr ibn al-Aas actor Mohammed al-Ahmad. The series of life story of Qa'aa 'bin Amr al - Tamimi starring Salloum Haddad. The role of Amr ibn al-Aas actor Hassan Awiti. The series draped the right from the rule of Abu Bakr and Omar bin al - Khattab. The role of Amr bin Aas actor Marwan Abu Shahin. 2011: Muawiya, Hassan and Hussein series, and the role of Amr ibn al-Aas actor Mohammed Kabbani. 2012: Omar series on the life story of Omar ibn al-Khattab starring Samer Ismail. The role of Amr ibn al-Aas actor Qassim Melho. Books and studies about him Amr Ibn El-Aas, Nazmi Luke, Egyptian Book Organization, Cairo, 1970, Amr ibn al-Aas, Abdul Wahab al-Aswani,

Islamic era from Blogger https://ift.tt/2LjDLnw via IFTTT

#Islamic era

0 notes