everything now

amira attar. twenty-nine. arab american. co-owner of the village books. enjoys the musical stylings of most early 00s pop bands.

[mysharona1987]

This is very much true and always will be.

[abundance-mine]

You are personally responsible for becoming more ethical than the society you grew up in.

Eliezer Yudkowsky (via abundance-mine)

[ofamira-blog]

tomoe-hizuka:

“ Ancient Japanese sacrifices. I’m going to offer you and your brother to the ancient yokai of old, a Nukekubi, so that she doesn’t suck my blood at night. “ Tomoe grinned playfully as he looked over the side of her face. “ I like 2000′s pop too! And Arabic pop! I’ve never actually heard Arabic hip hop, you’ll have to share with me some time!” - he pleaded as he moved to hold her hand in one of his,” Oh yeah definitely! I’m sure we could find someone! Speaking of- “ he paused in thought as he looked rather thoughtful,” How much would it cost to buy the store next door to yours? So you can finally expand your families bookshop??? “

"That's a bit rude, isn't it? You don't see me using you for any rituals to appease ghouls and other types of jinn. Do you think my brother and I would even work as sacrifices?" Amira asked, her voice solemn as she pretended to take the matter very seriously. "Good! Some people seem to think it's the worst kind of music and I can't bring myself to respect those people," she informed in a joking manner before nodding with apparent enthusiasm. "Oh, I will. This Spotify playlist I made is basically all Arabic hip hop and it's my pride and joy, the closest thing I have to a child." Amira bit her lower lip and fell quiet for a moment. "It would be fairly expensive, yeah. We've looked into it and it's just not feasible right now."

[ofamira-blog]

la-muy-muy:

Ana-María turned to see if there was anyone standing behind her, then back to the woman when she realized that she was the one being asked for help. It was a peculiar request, she thought, but then again she wasn’t planning on doing anything particularly important and so she decided to help. “Sure, I could do that,” she responded, still uncertain of whether or not she was the intended target of that question. “Where are you headed?” Here she stopped to examine the stranger’s face, wondering if she knew her from somewhere. Was this a simple case of having forgotten an acquaintance? 

Had she not been so grateful the absolute stranger had agreed to help her, Amira would've been very much embarrassed. Now, however, she was over the moon and couldn't bring herself to offer any profuse apologies. "I thought you were someone else. As I said, my vision is all kinds of blurry," she informed as a wave of relaxation washed over her. At least she wouldn't have to worry about walking into something and getting hurt. Her eyesight was poor as it was and the drops had only made things worse. "There's a bookstore just  a few blocks from here." Amira flashed a brief smile and let out a drawn breath. "Thank you so much. I'm Amira, by the way. I don't usually bother strangers like this."

[ofamira-blog]

bradyngrant:

Being laid up for prolonged periods of time was hell for an active person like Brady which is what brought the former NFL quarterback out and about, crutches and all. A round of fresh air and scenery change would do his mental health good! Or that’s what he thought before he ran into the last person in the world he ever wanted to see. Nothing like getting lectured about life by someone who could give a shit less. As soon as they rose and walked away, Brady sighed a little too loud. “I should have fucking stayed home.”

Amira remained silent for a moment, not entirely certain whether she should say anything. Brady seemed under the weather - she couldn't blame him - and sometimes unsolicited  comments only made things worse. Then again, just sitting there and staring would be just as rude. "Are you in pain?" she inquired carefully, glancing down at the massive cup of coffee she had been sipping for good ten minutes. "Perhaps getting out is a good thing."

[ofamira-blog]

cassian-st-cyr:

“Undesirable goblins,” Cassian repeated, laughing and shaking his head. “That’s so cool oh my god, teach me too. I mean I know a bit because there’s a decent Muslim population in Paris but we’re not from there, we just visit sometimes. We lived in France til I was about 10 and after that I still spent my summers and winter holidays there too. Well, France and whatever country we want to take the train to for a bit. Oh, that’s right, Ramadan kind of moves around in the year, doesn’t it? And yeah, metric is so much easier, especially for recipes.” He grimaced and rubbed his neck a bit. “Like I said, we moved here when I was 10 so that’s about when I had to really use the little English I learned over there. I think I only became fluent in English when I was about 13 or so, to be honest. What about you?”

"That's what I've heard. I've had friends who would lose their shit if a shorter guy even dared to talk to them. Needless to say, you really shouldn't be friends with those people." Amira shook her head slowly, arms crossed across her chest. "I would love to teach you a little bit. I know for a fact that native Arabic speakers really appreciate it when someone learns one or two phrases," Amira practically beamed. “But you need to teach me some French, too,” she hurried to add. "It does, yeah. You use the Islamic calendar to determine the beginning of Ramadan and the date is going to move around since it's based on the sightings of the new moon. I don’t know, I find it difficult to understand why this country’s so against switching over to the metric system. Such stubbornness.” She listened quietly as Cassian shared his experiences, nodding along. “My English wasn’t exactly perfect when I went to school. I did spend a lot of time travelling between the States and the Middle East so I did have a pretty noticeable accent.”

[honeyandelixir]

هواياتى صغيرة واهتماماتى صغيرة وطموحى أن أمشى ساعات معك تحت المطر عندما يسكننى الحزن ويبكينى الوتر My hobbies are simple And my interests are simple And all I hope for is a walk with you For hours, in the rain When sadness dwells in me And music brings tears to my eyes.

Suad al-Sabah (via honeyandelixir)

[ofamira-blog]

cassian-st-cyr:

Cassian grinned at Amira, so glad to have a friend that he could laugh with and make laugh like this. “It is but when you put it like that even I’m not so sure I can tell when men are genuinely kind… anyways, aw, that’s so good of you, I’m sure that really brightened their day, I hope they at least said thank you and stuff.” He rolled his eyes back at her, nudging her arm. “It’s not that I doubt your character, mon Ami, it’s that I doubt how often you can get out and go around doing nice things if you’re always in your book store or at your parents’ beck and call.”

"Yes, well, the world is a scary place. I'm not surprised some women feel quite unsafe," she admitted. "But that doesn't mean you get to be rude to someone who's genuinely just being nice. That just makes you a shitty person regardless of your gender." Some folks clearly lacked even the most basic of manners. "I don't mind doing either of those things. What else would I be doing?" she asked with some confusion. "My parents are elderly. I'm glad to help them when they need it," Amira assured, wondering whether she should've said something else. Did she sound ridiculous to Cassian? "They don't order me around if that's what you're thinking."

[ofamira-blog]

audreylia-michalski:

“It sucked going back to school the next day, but you always had that tiny break and now you can go online just to check facebook and who knows what you will see. It’s sad. I remember being bullied so much and I was so happy to be home and away from it all. Now you can’t do it,” the petite brunette traced the rim of the coffee cup with her finger and let out a laugh. “My nose looked huge until I learned to contour it. I remember thinking it was the same width as my face.”

Amira nodded and flashed a brief smile she hoped to convey a message of empathy. It had to be terrible, going home and not being able to distance yourself from the harsh and cruel words. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. People can be so brutal. Some kids thankfully grow out of it but there are so many grown adults who continue being bullies," she sighed and rolled her eyes. "I still don't know how to contour my nose. It always looks so wrong. Contouring is such a magical skill and I wish I could do it."

[ofamira-blog]

tomoe-hizuka:

“ What kind of brother would I be if I let my sister wander into traffic?” - Tomoe replied as he gently scooped her up into his hold and began to walk her along the way,” I wanted to talk to you about something really important anyway, I was just on my way to your bookshop to speak with you and your dad.. “

"A pretty poor one?" she suggested, the tone of her voice much softer than it had been just seconds ago. How lucky had she been, running into Tomoe? "Thank you so much. I'm obviously not allowed to wear my contacts and I didn't think to bring my damn glasses." Amira tilted her head to the side as her friend mentioned he had important news he wanted to share with her and her father. "Oh? What is it? Good news?” 

[ofamira-blog]

dannygrieco:

“Yeah. I have a studio, there’s barely enough space for me, let alone luxuries like a bookshelf,” Danny replied, offering a little chuckle. His apartment wasn’t quite that bad, but it was true that living in New York, you sometimes had to make do with a more confined space. “Exactly. Alcohol makes you feel like you can do anything. Like you’re on top of the world…” He offered a little smile, nodding his head. “Yeah. It sucks. I’m definitely one of those people. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like my job… but it’s definitely not what I imagined I’d be doing when I was like, fifteen.” He’d had dreams and ambitions at one point, but that seemed like a long time ago. “Pardon my French, but people who think they can gate keep creativity like that are usually giant douchebags.”

"I can see why bookshelves wouldn't be a priority. I have a few but I guess that's something I sort of have to have around." Amira's apartment was spacious enough - sharing the rent with her brother allowed her to lead a comfortable existence - but making sure she didn't acquire too many books for her personal use was still crucial. "It's both good and terrible. I'm not against feeling carefree and confident, not at all, but sometimes you really can't afford to lose all your inhibitions. That's when awful things happen." Amira was incredibly grateful her first experiences with alcohol had been when she was already well into her twenties and surrounded by other adults she could trust. "I understand. Making compromises and figuring out what's actually realistic is an important part of growing up," she replied, nodding firmly when Danny expressed his opinion on the sort of people who insisted on offering their critique when no one had asked. "Giant douchebags, that's it. I guess they lack something in their own lives."

[ofamira-blog]

alfierowley:

“Oh fuck yeah. I’ve been catching up on TV. I think my dog is Khloe. He’s such a bitch, but he’s also the funniest.”  He said in a valley girl voice before he began giggling. “I am the ugliest, I assure you.” he snorted.

"I've only seen a few episodes and don't really know that much about them but Khloe does seem pretty funny. I mean, I guess they would all have to be. Why else would people keep watching their shows?" Amira couldn't help laughing when Alfie did his valley girl imitation. It was quite good and she was partial to a decent impression. "Hopefully I won't have to witness that. Seeing you cry would be sad, even if you happen to do it in a very ugly way."

[ofamira-blog]

lyla-carrington-xo:

“That is true. If he doesn’t like doing it, then I won’t force him to do it for long.” she smiled. “Yes, I mean some days are hard but I love it. Being able to raise my child, and he just gives me so much love.”

"I never understood those parents who seem to live through their children's accomplishments. I know parents tend to know what's best for their kids but that doesn't mean they should have the power to dictate every detail of their offspring's life." Amira glanced at the baby with a certain amount of fondness. "That's beautiful. It must be so rewarding."

[ofamira-blog]

toribodin:

“Maybe arches of vines, a few palm trees, just the normal square stuff,” she lied, her tone unfaltering, arms crossed now. She wondered if the woman in front of her thought she was an idiot but she didn’t both to ask.

"Huh. I guess you would find that sort of stuff on the West Coast, in and around California and all that? You do get a lot of pigeons in these parts but I guess that's pretty universal for most squares," she mused, quite amused by the exchange. "We do have the Washington Square Arch? It's not made of vines, though."

[ofamira-blog]

skilledfxckup:

“I can’t even remember how it went.. but we’re tight as fuck. He’s my bro whore, or something. What are we talking about?” Barney laughed, before shaking his head as Amira offered him… well.. told him that he needed to get some water down him. “What the fuck? No. I asked for beer, didn’t I? I did have a beer but.. I don’t know where it went.” Down your vest top, Barney. You drunken idiot. “Wait.. wait wait..” Holding his index finger out, as if to stop what it was Amira was doing, Barney belched out loud, before leaning over the side of the chair to vomit. That’s going to be a fun job for one of the employed cleaners. “I’m good.. I’m good..” He slurred, nodding his head, before leaning over again. Barney swallowed whatever threatened to come up, though covered his mouth with his fist, his eyes glancing down. Oh what a mess.

Saying Amira wanted to get up and leave would have been a gross underestimation. She didn't need this, not when Barney seemed so against someone making sure he wouldn't do anything to injure himself. Sure, he was a grown man and could do whatever the hell he pleased but Amira was not about to abandon him, not in his current state. That would have been cruel and he deserved better than that. "Yeah, you're not drinking anymore. We're getting you home," she informed, careful not to look at the mess he had made. "How much have you had? Anything other than alcohol?" Somehow the role of the caregiver came quite naturally to her. 

[ofamira-blog]

“I should’ve brought the damn sunglasses,” Amira muttered as she made her way through a group of people she believed to be tourists admiring a street performer of some sort. Now, normally she might have had a proper look - some of the performers were incredibly talented and entertaining - but she wasn’t exactly functioning normally. The dilating eye drops her doctor had used during the examination had left her vision blurry and her eyes quite light sensitive. She was well aware she should’ve asked someone to come and pick her up but somehow that had escaped her mind. Thinking she had spotted a familiar face, Amira stopped dead in her tracks. “Hi, excuse me. Do you think you could sort of walk with me for a bit? I know that’s a weird question but I just had an eye examination and I don’t see very well.” 

[clockworkbibliophile]

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