more on writing muslim characters from a hijabi muslim girl
- hijabis get really excited over pretty scarves
- they also like to collect pins and brooches
- we get asked a lot of questions and it can be annoying or it can be amusing, just depends on our mood and personality and how the question is phrased
- common questions include:
- “not even water?” (referring to fasting)
- hijabis hear a lot of “do you sleep in that?” (we don’t) and “where is your hair?” (in a bun or a braid, usually)
- “is it mooze-slim or mozzlem?” (the answer is neither, it’s muslim, with a soft s and accent on the first syllable)
- “ee-slam or iz-lamb?” (it’s iss-laam, accent on the first syllable)
- “hee-job?” (heh-jahb, accent on the second syllable)
- “kor-an?” (no. quran. say it like koor-annn, accent on the second syllable)
- people tend to mess up our names really badly and you just get a sigh and a resigned nod or an awkward smile, maybe a nickname instead
- long hair is easy to hide, short hair is harder to wrap up
- hijab isn’t just covering hair, it’s also showing as little skin as possible with the exception of face, hands, and feet, and not wearing tight/sheer clothing
- that applies to men too, people just don’t like to mention it ( i wonder why)
- henna/mehendi isn’t just for special occasions, you’ll see people wearing it for fun
- henna/mehendi isn’t just for muslims, either, it’s not a religious thing
- henna/mehendi is not just for women, men also wear it, especially on their weddings
- there are big mehendi parties in the couple of nights before eid where people (usually just women and kids) gather and do each other’s mehendi, usually just hands and feet
- five daily prayers
- most muslim kids can stutter through a couple verses of quran in the original arabic text by the age of seven or eight, it does not matter where they live or where they’re from or what language they speak natively
- muslim families tend to have multiple copies of the quran
- there are no “versions” of the quran, there has only ever been one. all muslims follow the exact same book
- muslims have no concept of taking God’s name in vain, we call on God at every little inconvenience
- don’t use islamic phrases if you don’t know what they mean or how to use them. we use them often, inside and outside of religious settings. in islam, it is encouraged to mention God often and we say these things very casually, but we take them very seriously
- Allahu Akbar means “God is Greatest” (often said when something shocks or surprises us, or if we’re scared or daunted, or when something amazing happens, whether it be good or bad; it’s like saying “oh my god”)
- Subhan Allah means “Glory be to God” (i say subhan Allah at the sky, at babies, at trees, whatever strikes me as pleasant, especially if it’s in nature)
- Bismillah means “in the name of God” and it’s just something you say before you start something like eating or doing your homework
- In Shaa Allah means “if God wills” (example: you’ll be famous, in shaa Allah) (it’s a reminder that the future is in God’s hands, so be humble and be hopeful)
- Astaghfirullah means “i seek forgiveness from Allah” and it’s like “god forgive me”
- Alhamdulillah means “all thanks and praise belong to God” and it’s just a little bit more serious than saying “thank god” (example: i passed my exams, alhamdulillah; i made it home okay, alhamdulillah)
- when i say we use them casually, i really mean it
- teacher forgot to assign homework? Alhamdulillah
- our version of “amen” is “ameen”
- muslims greet each other with “assalamu alaikum” which just means “peace be on you” and it’s like saying hi
- the proper response is “walaikum assalam” which means “and on you be peace” and it’s like saying “you too”
fandom: Love Live! School Idol Festival
relationship: Kotori Minami & Maki Nishikino
notes: Just another entry for my ‘20th Century Girls’ collection, since I haven’t updated it in a while.
forget slow burn romance, give me slow burn found family. give me enemies to friends to siblings. tired, weary old mentors learning to live again for their plucky young apprentices. heroes sharing apartments after world saving adventures because they’re so used to living with each other. dramatic “oh shit” moments where one gets kidnapped and the other realizes “god, that’s my kid.” i want to sit and watch in agony for thirty chapters while two idiots slowly adopt each other, someone get on it
can you imagine how freaky shark mermaids would be like unlike sharks, shark mermaids would have actual arms/hands and could rely on touching things with their hands to see if they’re prey rather than having to bite like sharks do. like youre just swimming in the ocean and suddenly you feel a strong grip on your leg, you freak the FUCK out because uh what????? the fuck??? youre swimming alone in the ocean??
a head pops out of the water, dorsal fin pointed from its back and it just points at you and says in a low whisper: “i thought you were a seal. please dont swim alone like this, im sorry i scared you i just wanted to see what you are” and then disappears back into the depth. what the fuck.
I just want Hallmark Christmas movies but with lesbians:
You’re a hot shot femme reporter stuck in our small town for Christmas when your car breaks down and I’m the soft butch mechanic who owns the only garage.
I almost asked you to the Winter Ball in high school fifteen years ago, but chickened out, but now we’re both home for Christmas and single and maybe we’ve got a second chance?
You’re a cold-hearted businesswoman and I’m one of Santa’s Elves whose been put on probation and if I can’t teach you the true meaning of Christmas, they’ll never let me back in the North Pole.
I can’t believe this post got something like 2k+ notes! Here are some more Hallmark Homo for the Holidays movies:
We’ve always been rivals at the Annual Christmas Cookie bake-off, but when we get snowed in at the Town Hall the night before the competition and are forced to Huddle for Warmth, it could be love.
I’m a lonely veterinarian who hasn’t had a date in years, but this Magical Christmas Cat that I rescued keeps bringing hot women by the clinic and now I don’t know how to choose.
I’m a poor single mom struggling to keep my toy store afloat and you’re Santa Claus’ daughter looking for a Mrs. Claus of her very own. Can we find love and save the family business before midnight on Christmas Eve?
I really want a movie where there’s this Dark Brooding Male Hero who’s like, a total badass, and during all the fight scenes he keeps getting flashbacks to happy images of his wife, and like his whole narrative is framed around his wife, and all the other heroes on his team know that he’s got this passion and vengeance and think it all has to do with his dead wife… but then near the end of the movie his wife shows up and he’s like “hey babe” they’re all shocked and they’re like, “Wait I thought all your power and passion came from avenging your dead wife?” and he’s like “no bro, I just really love my wife, she’s really cool, she’s what keeps me going” like… a reverse fridge
Any hopes of you writing a sequel for that Zenyuki AU you wrote last where Zen was summoned by Shirayuki? I mean I really loved that short fic :3
fandoms: Akagami no Shirayukihime, Fate/Grand Ordercharacters: Shirayuki, Zen Wistalia, Kihal Toghrul
Shirayuki tackles the current Halloween event with two of her favorite Heroic Spirits.
A Visitor in the Dark Night
A mysterious and anonymous invitation to a magnificent Halloween party appears in Shirayuki’s room sometime in the early afternoon. After showing it to Gazelt, the doctor examines it, deems it harmless, and informs Shirayuki that if she wants to go, she can. It’s Halloween, after all, and she’s more than earned a break!
Kihal insists on coming with her, dragging Zen along with since he was the only other Servant in the area and she refused to let Shirayuki go without backup, just in case. It’s a good thing she did! The party turns out to be that kind of party, after all- where the monsters are real and all of them are out to get you.
“Cheer up, Kihal,” Shirayuki says brightly, wiping pumpkin guts off of her skirt and tights. “It looks like there’s a real party at the castle town- it’s all lit up and everything. We just have to get there first….”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the one covered in pumpkin guts, Shirayuki,” Kihal grouses, picking at a string of seeds that got stuck in the crevice of her shield. She wipes her face with her sleeve and makes a face at the mess left behind. The monsters were Halloween-themed, a variety of pumpkin spirits that had an unfortunate tendency to explode when they were hit hard enough. Hiding behind Kihal’s enormous shield had barely been enough to prevent Shirayuki from getting covered in the stuff.
Zen finishes wiping his sword clean with an edge of his cloak and slides it back into the sheath. He joins Kihal and Shirayuki back on the main path, making sure his cloak doesn’t knock over any of the jack-o-lanterns that lights the way. There isn’t a trace of pumpkin anywhere on him.
That’s so unfair, she thinks. How does he always look perfect? Even his cloak is clean again.
“Shall we continue?” Zen asks, seeming not to notice the way Shirayuki is staring at him. Or maybe he does notice, but doesn’t say anything because it wouldn’t be polite. They haven’t really had a lot of time to interact outside of missions, and she doesn’t have a good grasp on his personality yet. She knows that he’s an honest-to-god prince, and behaves as such whenever she brings him along. He’s polite and charming around everyone. She wonders how long it will take before he feels comfortable enough to lower his guard around her.
A nighttime breeze rustles through the trees, bringing with it the faintest sound of distant laughter, and she shivers. Though the path in front of them is lit, every so often there are pockets of deep shadow and the promise of more lurking monsters. Even so! Even so, Shirayuki’s excited. The pumpkin monsters aren’t very strong, so she doesn’t have to worry about anyone getting hurt, and she has two of her favorite Servants with her. The night is young, the moon is full, and the promise of a good Halloween party is near.
if you have any zenyuki or obizenyuki requests, send ‘em in!
can’t promise much, though; maybe a few paragraphs at most since i need something to loosen up with before working on my longer WIPs~ so they’ll be short warm-ups.
(just check my /rules for what i will/won’t write, aaand that’s it~)
fandom: Akagami no Shirayukihime, Fate/Grand Order
characters: Zen Wistalia, Shirayuki, Kihal Tohgrul
notes: written for my ZenYuki 25 Lives AU, crown shyness (i liked it enough to post it separately). thanks to Miria and Rose for their help with some FGO mechanics; any remaining mistakes are my own.
The light in the summoning circle flickers, a fountain of bright blue light interrupted by sparks of gold. Shirayuki takes a step back towards Kihal and the safety of her demi-Servant’s enormous shield. This hasn’t happened any of the other times she’s tried to summon a Servant. What could have gone wrong?
“Is that supposed to happen?” she asks Kihal. This was the first time Shirayuki had tried out the new ticket method of summoning that the remaining scientists in Chaldea had come up with, since the traditional quartz stones were in short supply. There’s not a lot she can remember about unusual summoning situations- all the lectures she’d attended on the topic after arriving at Chaldea were a blur, buried in jetlag and a bout of unexpected dehydration. Kihal has been a lot of help with catching up in those areas, but there were limits even to her knowledge of the system.
“I think it’s going to be okay,” Kihal assures her. She points at the light in the circle. “Look!”
The pillar of light begins to fade. Gold afterimages dance at the corner of Shirayuki’s vision. She blinks away starry spots and focuses on the figure floating before her.
He looks like a prince from a fairytale. Really, Shirayuki had thought she would be used to the beauty that certain Servants possessed, but whenever she came face to face with a new one, they still took her breath away.
Spirit particles dance around the summoned Servant before vanishing as his feet touched the ground. His cape falls around him in soft folds of warm yellow-orange fabric, trailing on the floor behind him. The clothes he’s wearing aren’t what Shirayuki would normally expect of a prince- they’re far too soft, just a loose tunic over a partially buttoned shirt and wrinkled pants. There’s no crown on his head or weapon in his hand. However, there’s something about the way he carries himself that just screams royalty. She wonders what class he is, who he is. Anticipation sparks in her chest. She clasps her hands behind her, rocks back on her heels a few times. She’s only summoned a few Servants before and had nothing but pleasant first encounters. Hopefully this trend would continue.
He opens his eyes. They’re a shade of blue that Shirayuki remembers seeing once before. His eyes are the same color as the ocean when seen from high above, when she had been in an airplane with most of her soon-to-be classmates on their way to Chaldea.
The summoning room is quiet while the new Servant examines his surroundings. He turns his head slightly, to take in the room and the glowing set-up of the summoning circle at his feet. She feels it when his eyes alight on her and Kihal behind her.
He has a beautiful smile. Shirayuki blushes when he turns the force of that smile on her. It softens the lines of his face. His voice, when he finally speaks, is gentle and warm.
“My name is Zen Wistalia, second prince of Clarines.”
He’s still looking at her like she’s the only person in the room. That radiant smile hasn’t left his face. She’s afraid to introduce herself and break the atmosphere.
Prince Zen takes a few steps forward and kneels, right at her feet. He takes her right hand in one of his, and-
“Oh,” she whispers. He kisses her hand, right above the three red Command Seals inked onto her skin. From just that one point of contact, warmth spreads through her like sunlight. Behind her, Kihal coughs.
for the self-conscious beginner: No one makes great things until the world intimately knows their mediocrity. Don’t think of your writing as terrible; think of it as preparing to contribute something great.
for the self-conscious late bloomer: Look at old writing as how far you’ve come. You can’t get to where you are today without covering all that past ground. For that, be proud.
for the perfectionist: Think about how much you complain about things you love—the mistakes and retcons in all your favorite series—and how you still love them anyway. Give yourself that same space.
for the realist: There will be people who hate your story even if it’s considered a classic. But there will be people who love your story, even if it is strange and unpopular.
for the fanfic writer: Your work isn’t lesser for not following canon. When you write, you’ve created a new work on its own. It can be, but does not have to be, limited by the source material. Canon is not the end-all, be-all.
for the writer’s blocked: It doesn’t need to be perfect. Sometimes you have to move on and commit a few writing sins if it means you can create better things out of it.
for the lost: You started writing for a reason; remember that reason. It’s ok to move on. You are more than your writing. It will be here if you want to come back.
