#the correct response to that act of generosity is gratitude

[greenerteacups]

I’ve meaning to send this ask for ages and finally found the courage to do so :) I started reading lionheart on a whim in the beginning of November and since them after reading everything a couple of times, all I can say is that it is a masterpiece. I am so in love with your writing, especially with how you give Draco the space to be gracious and grow up. I love for example when they are in the Slytherin common room and Draco see for himself that the mermaids are sentient beings just like him. Also, I am completely enamored with the golden quartet (?), the relationships between them feel much more balanced, and I have so much love for Harry, Hermione, and Ron. I do think you does the characters justice, if not written in a better and more honest, human way. Btw, I love your Narcisa because I am such an apologist for her and her crimes. (If Narcisa has million fans, then I'm one of them. If Narcisa has one fan, then I'm THAT ONE. If Narcisa has no fans, that means I'm dead.). This also aplies for hermione. Anyway, all I am trying to do is to put into words what the world you design means to me, but alas I do not seem to have. When the time comes for my unborn children to read the Harry Potter series, I am showing them your books and telling them it is canon.

Now that I am done showering you with complements, I have a couple of questions. First, after reading the last chapter (which I adored), the fight between Draco and Sirius, one of my favorite moments, kept coming to mind. Was it intentional for Draco to give such honest wake up call for Theo basing himself from the talk he had with Sirius years ago? Secondly, I am not sure with you already answer this, if so, feel free to tell me, but if you could choose Poet, Soldier or King for each – Draco, Harry, Hermione, and Ron – which one would they be?

Thank you for taking the time to read. I usually download each chapter because I like to highlight my favorite parts, I will try to be more present on AO3! And sorry for any English mistakes, it is not my first language!

Thank you, my friend! This is a completely lovely ask, and as I often do with lovely asks, I've hoarded it for a while to re-read whenever I want a nice treat. However, I've left the question unanswered long enough.

If we're going to do the Soldier/Poet/King test, I want to complicate it a little. You can either do it by personality (the way we do when we say "I'm soldier!" or "I'm poet!") or you can do it by narrative role, i.e. what you actually do in the context of the story. Those can be different. For instance, you can be a poet-coded soldier (your chosen weapon is your word, but you're pushed by your circumstances to fight), or a soldier-coded king (you carry a mighty sword, but you're forced off the battlefield to rule, i.e. you want to fight but you can't). That opens up the range of ways to fill the role. So it's like:

Obviously, the central axis here is going to be the most satisfied/content with their lot in life, but there's a broad range of happinesses.

If you ask me, Harry is a poet-coded king, because he's incredibly reluctant to take leadership, and he doesn't want anyone to fight for him. He runs away in Deathly Hallows because he can't stand to be at the center of a war (which is going to happen anyway) and has only accepted Ron and Hermione's sacrifice begrudgingly. It's also worth saying that Harry's best moments come when he's trying to talk someone down: he's telling Remus to go back to Tonks, he's telling Slughorn to preserve Lily's memory by being noble for her sake, he's telling Riddle to "try for remorse." Harry is at his best when he's giving consolation and understanding, not when he's fighting; his signature spell is Expelliarmus. Kid's not a soldier. And he hates the idea of being a king. (This is, not coincidentally, one of the unhappiest combinations.)

I read Ron as a true soldier, not because he enjoys fighting, but because that's almost always his knee-jerk reaction to conflict, and it's also where a lot of his strengths lie. Ron is brash and bold and he will swing if you step to him, and that's why people love him (or hate him, if they do). Even in his best moments, when he's being a strategist and tactician, he's employing his skills in the service of battle. And the narrative is happy to put him in positions where that's the skill he has to contribute. He thinks of the basilisk fangs and the house-elves in the kitchens; he's good at tactics, but he doesn't do broad-strokes strategy.

Hermione is king-coded soldier, because I think in a different series of novels, she is absolutely the protagonist, and she kind of thinks she should be. She's proactive, driven, clever, and calculating, and she orders people around like she's the boss of them — usually with good reason, but she still does. She sees herself as the HBIC, and she often gets a bit irritated when other people don't jive with that idea. It's funny how often Harry gets along by just doing what Hermione tells him. That being said, her narrative role is being sworn in Harry's service, and as the books go on, she increasingly embraces that. She defends him and offers to risk her life for him, sacrifices volumes (her parents!!) and compromises her safety (gets tortured!) for his sake, all without complaining or seeming to begrudge Harry at all. He's her king; she's his knight. Which is another way of saying soldier.

Draco is a poet-coded soldier, or possibly a poet-coded king, depending on what direction you take his arc from the source material. In the books, he's kind of a flop, God bless him, he doesn't really manage much in the final days of the war. Besides refusing to identify Harry (after identifying both of Harry's well-known travel companions... booboo you tried), he's basically fit for neither use nor ornament from Book 6 onward. But taken more broadly, he is someone who absolutely does not want to be here — he doesn't want to fight, he doesn't want to be in danger, he doesn't want to risk people — getting conscripted forcibly into a conflict that was running for years before he was born. And he's conscripted, like Harry, because of his heritage; it's a position he was born into. Depending on how you read his relationship to power, and having it, he can either be a soldier or a king, or someone teetering on the cusp between them.

[whump-cravings]

TR3 - Leverage

Masterlist

694 words | Original Work: The Royal Three

Content | Whumper POV, power dynamics, surrender, referenced impalement, Baltar being the wettest boy in the foreground and Hakon being the most feral in the background

Two of the Nitasi royals knelt before him, hands shackled, gazes down, and faces grim. Defeated. The boy—Prince Baltar—had tears tracking down his chin.

"Please ignore him, my lord," said the girl, Princess Rohisa.

The 'him' in question laid a few feet away, pinned in place by a spear and several soldiers. General Dreth had expected something a little different from the defense's linchpin than the rabid beast that was Prince Hakon. The man thrashed despite grievous injuries, snarling and spitting ferociously as if he could stop the invasion all by his lonesome. Perhaps the pain had driven him mad.

"'General' will do, your highness," Dreth said. "Worry not; in your brother's stead, Vall recognizes your surrender as representative for Ironda."

"Will you execute him?" the girl asked bluntly, expression unchanging. Beside her, Prince Baltar sucked in a breath, casting a big, fearful look up at Dreth.

Dreth glanced between them. Rohisa's attitude seemed closer to the animosity he'd witnessed among royal children, while Baltar still clung to the innocence of youth. Odds were good that Baltar still carried weight with both his older siblings, if he was that fond of them. Hakon might be worth keeping around.

"No. If he survives his injuries, he'll live."

Baltar's relief was palpable, and interestingly enough, Rohisa's shoulders relaxed fractionally and she released a slow breath. So she was concerned about Hakon's life. Good—that made him all the more effective as a hostage.

The girl bowed her head a little further in evident obeisance and gratitude—she certainly knew how to play the part of a humbled enemy. "Thank you, Sir General. To what do we owe your mercy?"

"Not mine—their majesties Delravi," he corrected. "Mercy which will continue to be extended on the condition that you swear loyalty and fealty to the Delravi royal family and act under their direction and will henceforth."

"B-but H-Hakon—" Baltar started softly to Rohisa, voice wet and high with urgent distress. His sister leaned and placed her hands over his, squeezing before re-centering herself.

"Their majesties Delravi have the fealty of the Nitasi family," Rohisa said, raising her gaze to meet Dreth's, expression set with determination. "As the next head of house after the heir prince, I am prepared to make a public statement to that effect." Beside her, Baltar grimaced.

"Excellent," Dreth said with a genial smile, though he didn't trust this woman as far as he could throw her. These siblings had fought too hard to welcome such humiliation. "Your cooperation will greatly ease the difficult transition for your citizens and people."

The princess nodded, then lowered her eyes again. "May I request medical aid and twice daily meals for our brother?"

Baltar looked at Rohisa sharply, then at Hakon, dismayed realization coming over him. The honesty was a refreshing contrast to his sister, though Dreth suspected once the boy regained composure, he would exhibit more control.

"You may always make requests," Dreth said with a smile.

Rohisa's jaw muscles flexed, then relaxed as she took in a breath to speak.

"P-Please," Baltar blurted while leaning forward, more tears spilling out. At his movement, several soldiers started.

Dreth held out a hand to forestall the response. "I could hardly deny such a heartfelt plea." It looked like his fun was over for now. He nodded to those wrangling the eldest Nitasi. "Take Prince Hakon to Healers Polet and D'mora and instruct them to do all they can to ensure his well-being."

Baltar let out a miserable little sob of relief, slumping as if all the energy had gone from him.

"We once again thank their majesties Delravi for their generosity," Rohisa said, her own shoulders dropping with apparent exhaustion as she watched her elder brother being forcefully loaded onto a stretcher. No surprise there; the battle had been raging through the night before and all day today. Dreth hadn't had to do much fighting himself, but the siblings had been holding the line for hours.

Dreth turned away. He had other things to do. "Sumul, see to it that the young prince and princess have comfortable arrangements. The rest of you, with me."

taglist: @nabanna @emcscared-whumps @whumpy-writings @nicolepascaline @i-can-even-burn-salad @dont-touch-my-soup 

[emmys-grimoire]

Lesson 52 - Bittersweet Pseudo-Memories

It wasn’t what I wanted, but it was good for what it was?

When we last left our heroes, they were having their intimate moment intruded upon by Big Majestic Chicken Lucifer, who demands to know who they are. You can try to evade the question, but he continues to be an asshole and you have to relent and continue to pretend you and ‘Sully’ are angels. Lucifer pretends to believe you and proceeds to make you do his chores.

Lucifer proceeds to complain about Raphael dumping all his work onto him and Satan implies that Lucifer is letting the other angel bully him... and he’s not actually wrong. I’m not sure why Lucifer just couldn’t say “no” -- it’s not like he isn’t willing to in other contexts.

But Satan also can’t help himself, and it’s very clear early on that Lucifer knows he isn’t an angel. We are escorted to the library to sort books.

NEEEEEEEERD. Satan is a natural librarian, of course.

Lucifer continues to opine about his situation and Satan continues to needle him about it. There’s a cute moment when Lucifer admits there are few angels he can turn to for help or advice, and by contrast he feels Satan might be worth confiding in because he’s a fellow level-headed intellectual.

D’aaaaw. My only complaint is that he doesn’t really do this in the story; it’s only now being brought up for a bonding opportunity. The most we get is acknowledgement that Lucifer has a high opinion of Satan’s wealth of knowledge and expertise... he hasn’t really taken advantage of it. 

It could be because the Avatar of Pride doesn’t feel he needs advice from anyone else.

The book comes up again, but...

It’s used as a trap to capture ‘Sully’ and reveal he is what Lucifer suspected he was: a demon. 

Yeah I did but the game insists I be an unobservant moron for the plot to continue.

In my lesson 51 analysis I theorized the numbers in the title of the mysterious book related to a particular Bible verse meant to encourage believers to keep their faith, and while I can’t be 100% sure that’s what it was meant to allude to, this exchange seems to suggest it could have been. This arc is meant to instill Satan with more faith in Lucifer, because he’s constantly doubting his intent throughout this lesson.

But we discover that Lucifer has changed from who he was before we startled meddling in time travel dreams, by his own admission. You can probably make a good guess to who is responsible for that change (it’s actually not MC, though, believe it or not!).

Yep, it’s Diavolo.

Diavolo doesn’t act the way Lucifer expected a demon to behave and it’s confusing him.

But he likes him, and he has had some time to digest that. Glory Days Lucifer would never have admitted this to anyone, let alone strangers.

D’aaaaw.

Lucifer then turns his attention towards MC and asks about what they are. If you’re truthful, you get this interesting tidbit of information:

Michael has been scoping out Solomon before the Great Celestial War. Whatever for, I wonder? I don’t think angels offer pacts, and I suspect Solomon was a bit of a troublemaker even before he was given Michael’s ring.

My guess? Michael is Solomon’s guardian angel. It is probably the closest equivalent to forging a pact that angels have.

Yeah... I just told you I was a human lol.

A HUMAN.

(Nah I know it’s pretty obvious that we’re SPECIAL, at this point.)

Lucifer takes us to Simeon and the brothers, who are gathered in presumably Michael’s observatory-to-be. Lucifer decides to hi-jack Michael’s fun and steals the first chance to see the human world’s night sky for himself and his family. It is projected onto the walls of the room.

You can suggest Michael might be mad, and Lucifer makes it clear he gives no fucks.

The other option makes him explain he believes he’s owed this because Michael keeps making him go to the Devildom and never volunteers himself lol

The brothers marvel at the spectacle, and they wonder about the stories behind each constellation. Mammon suggests Michael likely knows all about them, and Satan proceeds to nerd out again AND POTENTIALLY STEALS THAT MEMORY by making himself the one who teaches his brothers about the stars.

But, it’s Satan’s at his best, and he enjoys it thoroughly.

You and the brothers eventually doze off, and Satan wakes you up to share some private reflections.

Cute.

You realize Lucifer and Simeon are nowhere to be found, and run off to go see what they’re up to. They’re having a private moment of their own.

Simeon’s happy but sad. :(

Yeah. I’ll have more to say about this particular moment in my analysis post. There’s a noteworthy parallel at play here.

Ruh roh. I think Simeon and Michael may have suspected Diavolo played a part in pushing Lucifer away from the Celestial Realm. If given the opportunity, I sense Simeon may have tried to talk him out of this doubt.

But he isn’t given the opportunity! We pass out and the screen goes black, accompanied by some creepy heartbeats. When we come to, we’re back in reality and in the care of Luke and Mammon.

Wow you guys had an exciting time being shoved offscreen didn’t you?

They puzzle over what transpired and Luke and Mammon confess they don’t remember anything of what happened after they stepped into the fake House of Lamentation.

Furthermore...

I was correct in my theory that it was an illusion, but it seems it was the work of regular ol’ fairies and not some creepy banshee. That was a red herring, apparently. It’s even more anti-climatic than expected.

Additionally, Satan unknowingly covered himself in fairy crack before he dropped in.

My question is: how the fuck does Simeon know all this? Did he hang out with fairies once upon a time?

They decide to give up the hunt for the fairy ring and return home.

NOOOO THEY MADE LUKE CRY

If it were up to me I would have gone back and punched some fairies into submission until they forked over the ring, Luke. I’m sorry!

Of course, there’s not enough sleeper cars now that Simeon and Satan unexpectedly joined the party. Guess what they proceed to fight over!

You flex your pacts to make Mammon and Satan stop squabbling.

Are we sure Lucifer and Michael are the only angel sadists?

Simeon takes an unusual amount of delight in the suffering or discomfort of others lol

I think he’s just much better at hiding it.

Either way, it’s obvious he’s bothered by something, and after some deflection and prying he finally fesses up.

Michael and Simeon want them back BAD.

We finally get our first opportunity to get all sappy with Simeon here. 

Well I was right about which trial this was supposed to be, at least!

Luke and Mammon are on the roof squabbling about constellations again.

You’re treated to a mini-quiz about them. Have Google at the ready.

You find out there’s a constellation involving the seven brothers in the Celestial Realm, that was created (or at least named) after they fell.

They begin to theorize what the other three stars may represent. Mammon thinks it’s Michael and the stars represent his face.

Satan chimes in with a much better take.

I think Satan’s mostly right, but the stars represent Diavolo/Michael/MC specifically: the three “guardians” of their respective realms, all of whom have deep connections with the brothers.

Solomon can also count as a guardian, but I don’t feel he has the same connection with the brothers that those three have.

And it turns out this was two trials!

I completely forgot that generosity and gratitude were two of the virtues Solomon listed, so it’s not a complete copy of the seven virtues. But hey, it’s now four down and three to go!

We have eight more lessons to complete the remaining three, so we have plenty of time. But... what about the overarching plot? I was certain that something in this arc would finally jumpstart it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

But... maybe there was something hiding in there? I’ll go over the more important bits in my analysis post.

There’s still plenty of lore they haven’t covered re: the Celestial Realm and most of it has just been fluff. Satan’s creation remains a mystery: so far we’ve learned the Seraphim are assholes and Lucifer is overworked, but the latter is nothing new and I highly doubt that inspires enough visceral rage to make Lucifer absolutely hate his dad. We don’t know how the war unfolded and we don’t know why Simeon was demoted from his post. How things went is a big determining factor in trying to deduce Michael’s part in everything, and what he’s currently planning.

I’m hoping they get around to all the juicy bits, but I don’t know...

[monstaxvibes]

Monsta X as the “SEVEN DEADLY SINS” 💀

Based on their comeback teasers and photos, I’ve pinpointed what “Sin” each member of Monsta X represents along with the “Virtue” opposition. This is just my opinion and theory which probably won’t be accurate lol Enjoy!

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Changkyun as Envy:

“Envy is an emotion which ‘occurs when a person lacks another's superior quality, achievement, or possession and either desires it or wishes that the other lacked it’."

I.M easily compares himself to others. But we know Changkyun as someome who is very grateful for where he is today and grateful for the people who support him. The virtue that is opposite of the sin Envy is Gratitude. But he has the problem of being a bit envious of others. For example, take his lyrics from Jealousy. Yes the song is about being jealous but I can’t help but feel the little sting of his lyrics during his rap. (English Translations)

“I got it, the last out of the seven. Think these guys are better than me?”

“Wow, to each their own misunderstanding. What’s so fun about teasing me?”

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Jooheon as Pride:

Oh boy here we go.

“Pride is an inwardly directed emotion that carries two antithetical meanings. With a negative connotation pride refers to a foolishly and irrationally corrupt sense of one's personal value, status or accomplishments...”

Pretty much ya boy is full of himself. In the Monsta X concepts, Jooheon seems to always plays a “character” that is very prideful. His first ever famous rap that was from Trespass was

“I’m different from those pretty boys over there. Excuse me, excuse my charisma. I’m gonna be rude and enter your heart. My love knows no manners, excuse my charisma!”

But wait, MONBEBE’s know that Jooheon is not really like that at all. He is a sweetheart who always shows Humility (Virtue opposite of Pride). He is supportive and often comforts them member extremely well. We also know that sometimes, Honey is sometimes very self conscious (BUT BABY WHY? YOU ARE SO HANDSOME AND TALENTED AND WOWOW). And the only way to rid those insecurities is to replace them with his badass persona that we’ve all learned to adore.

For more supporting lyrics, please refer to Jooheon’s whole song “Should I Do.” Or the whole mixtape in general. He is spewing pride and I’m here for it 🙌🏼

(Can you tell that he’s my bias......)

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Hyungwon as Sloth:

“Sloth is one of the seven capital sins. It is the most difficult sin to define, and to credit as sin, since it refers to a peculiar jumble of notions, dating from antiquity and including mental, spiritual, pathological, and physical states. One definition is: a habitual disinclination to exertion... The word ‘sloth’ is a translation of the Latin term acedia and means ‘without care’.”

Hyungwon is definitely Sloth (also Pride but for this lets just say Sloth). He’s tired and lazy and sleepy. He is known as laid back and care free. He doesn’t talk much and is a considered a “meme”. But in reality, Hyungwon is one of the most Diligent (Virtue opposite of Sloth) members. He is talented and extremely hard working when it comes to his position as a dancer and singer. But he still loves to indulge in his sleep and that’s something he can’t rid himself of.

(It’s okay Wonnie, i am on the same boat. Sleepyheads unite!!!)

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Kihyun as Wrath:

“Wrath or Anger is an intense expression of emotion. It involves a strong uncomfortable and hostile response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. Anger can occur when a person feels their personal boundaries are being or are about to be violated. Some have a learned tendency to react to anger through retaliation as a way of coping.”

Kihyun is known as eomma. He’s motherly and is always kind. Always looking out for the members and has amazing Patience(Virtue opposite of Wrath). But sometimes, he just gets angry and annoyed and can’t handle someone making the same mistake constantly. He reminds me of the phrase “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” That patience of his runs thin when you keep hitting the same nerve. He practically pulls his hair out when it comes to the members and things being unclean (poor babe, thats a tough life). He most likely feels that he loses his cool a little too often and too easily which is something he might be working on.

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Minhyuk as Greed:

“Greed, or avarice, is an inordinate or insatiable longing for material gain, be it food, money, status, or power. As a secular psychological concept, greed is an inordinate desire to acquire or possess more than one needs. The degree of inordinance is related to the inability to control the reformulation of ‘wants’ once desired ‘needs’ are eliminated. Erich Fromm described greed as ‘a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.’ It is typically used to criticize those who seek excessive material wealth, although it may apply to the need to feel more excessively moral, social, or otherwise better than someone else.”

Minhyuk is known as the sunshine. Always giving, generous and caring. Charity/Generosity is the virtue that is opposite of the sin Greed and we all know this boy is the definition of a generous person. Always loving and giving so much to his members and his fans. But he has a side to him that is greedy and just wants all of the love and attention. He is the type to lowkey want you to compliment him back if he compliments you. All the love he exerts is what he wants shown back to him. Maybe he is also greedy when it comes to success of Monsta X. He wants them to be on the top and to be the best, his inner greed just wanting more and more.

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Wonho as Lust:

DON’T @ ME BUT YOU KNOW THIS IS CORRECT.

“Lust is a psychological force producing intense wanting for an object, or circumstance fulfilling the emotion. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality, money or power.”

Okay okay hear me out. Monbebe’s know him for his Chastity (Virtue opposite of Lust). He is a fluff who is pure and sweet. He couldn’t hurt a fly without crying. He just loves monbebe so much UGH GET YOU A MAN WHO STANS YOU JUST AS MUCH AS YOU STAN HIM WOW. But his role in Monsta X is to be the sexy one and to reveal his body. He has to rip off his shirt and make those ladies s w o o n. But I feel like nowadays, he can’t help but enjoy it. Oh boy he LOVES it. I feel like that one time thing became a mandatory act for every performance. It turned from “Oh Wonho, maybe show the fans some skin” to “Crap Wonho went rogue. MAYDAY MAYDAY WE GOTTA STOCK UP ON HIS SHIRTS.” (just give the man some pasties dammit or the shirt is coming OFF)

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Shownu as Gluttony:

I feel like people mistake Gluttony as only something based on an over abundance of food. But it can also mean the “over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items.”

Shownu is most like the definition of the virtue, Temperance (Virtue opposite of Gluttony).

“Temperance is defined as moderation or voluntary self-restraint. It is typically described in terms of what an individual voluntarily refrains from doing. This includes restraint from retaliation in the form of non-violence and forgiveness, restraint from arrogance in the form of humility and modesty, restraint from excesses such as splurging now in the form of prudence, and restraint from excessive anger or craving for something in the form of calmness and self-control.”

We know Shownu for his leadership and amazing self control. He is the Papa-Bear. Extremely supportive and a pretty chill person. But Shownu isn’t perfect despite people expecting him to be. He is human, he makes mistakes. Gluttony can go hand-in-hand with Greed in this situation. He wants Monsta X to succeed more and to be the best. I feel like Gluttony can go hand-in-hand with all of the sins, which Shownu might all have. Envious of other members due to his small popularity compared to them. Prideful of his talent and body and nature. Little pieces of each sin but at the same time, he has every aspect of all of the virtues as well. A balance between good and evil. Hence why he is the leader. He understands all of the “bad” parts of each member but he also knows all of the good parts too and respects them.

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(Gif credit to Admin Mon)

-admin bbe

[nurabkio]

The Ghazalī and Shādhilī Way

[Sidī ʿAbd al ʿAzīz] al Dabbāgh was asked the following question:

“What is the difference between the Way of al Shādhilī and his followers, and the Way of al Ghazalī and his followers? the first seems to be fully centered around gratitude and joy to the Giver without any exertion or struggle, while the other seems to be focused on spiritual exercises (riyāḍah) and hunger and staying awake and tiring acts of exertion, so are they both in congruence on the necessity for riyāḍah?

And Imām al Shādhilī seems to command [his followers] to have gratitude after coming close to Arrival (wuṣūl) or upon reaching it, or even to have gratitude and joy in Allāh from the first moment of the Path. And could both Ways be taken at the same time by one person, or is it that you cannot benefit from one unless you avoid the other? Please give a thorough response…”

He answered,

“The Way of Gratitude (Shukr) is the original Way, and it was the Way traveled by the hearts of the Prophets and the Pure Ones among the Sahaba and others, and it consists of worshipful devotion (ʿibādah) of Him Most High with sincerity in servanthood and being free of all personal aims and selfish portions, coupled with recognition and admittance of one’s own impotence and deficiency and inability to fulfill the rights of Lordship, and that all of that become established and settled in the heart in every passing moment and hour.

So, when He [Most Exalted] saw their truthfulness in that, He rewarded them in accordance with what His overflowing Generosity would dictate, such as an opening into His Knowledge and obtainment of the secrets of secured belief (īmān) in Him.

And when the folk of Striving heard of the attainments of these, they made these attainments their ultimate aim and desire, and sought them through acts of fasting, praying at night, periods of solitude (khalwa), until they obtained whatever they obtained.

Therefore, in the first Way [of Gratitude] the move (Hijrah) was—from the beginning—towards Allāh and His Messenger, and not towards spiritual illumination and unveilings, whereas in the other Way [of struggle] it was towards the obtainment of spiritual openings and levels and degrees in that.

The walking in the first Way is a walking of hearts, while in the second Way is a walking of bodies; and the Opening [fatḥ] in the first is of-a-sudden, without the servant having any expectation or wait for it, so that while the servant is busy with repentance and seeking forgiveness, the manifest opening comes to him.

Both Ways are correct, but the Way of Shukr is more correct and more sincere. Both Ways are agreed upon the necessity for spiritual exercises and strivings, but in the first it is a striving of the hearts, by upholding the attachment between him and Allāh Most High, and stationing the heart constantly at His Door, and fleeing to Allāh in both states of motion and stillness, and striving to stay away from any periods of heedlessness (ghaflah) between moments of wakeful presence (ḥuḍūr)… in a word, it consists of firm attachment of the heart to Allāh and perpetuity in that state, even if outwardly one does not find [in them] great acts of worship.

This is why you would find such a person fasting sometimes and feasting other times, sleeping sometimes and staying awake other times, sleeping with their spouses, and performing other duties of the religion which would appear in contradistinction with a way of life of bodily and physical riyāḍah.

As for the second way, the move (Hijrah) is towards spiritual openings and levels. Then after the Opening, some of them remain stuck in their primary intention, so that his heart becomes attached to the things he witnesses, and he becomes happy and content with the unveilings and walking on water and moving long distances in short periods of time (lit: “folding up of distance”), and he sees that this is the ultimate goal.

These are the people whose hearts are emptied of Allāh from the beginning of their affair till its end, among “those who are the greatest of losers in their acts, whose strivings are misguided in this life, while they imagine that they perform excellently” [Qurʾān 18:103-04].

But others (among this second way) change their intentions after the Opening, and Allāh has mercy on them and takes them by the hand, so that their hearts become attached to Allāh, and turn away from anything else.

And this state which occurs with them is the beginning state for those in the first Way (of Shukr) – so look at the great separation existing between the two!

So, in summary, the traveling in the first Way is a traveling of hearts, and in the second Way is a traveling of bodies, and the intention in the first Way is pure, and in the second is mixed and impure, and the Opening in the first is of-a-sudden and unexpected, and in the second is obtained through secondary means and efforts, and this is how the two Ways are divided.

Also, in the first Path, the Opening (fatḥ) is only obtained by the believer (muʾmin), knower (ʿārif), beloved (ḥabīb), close one (qarīb), in distinction with the second Path, in which one hears of certain monks and rabbis undertaking physical acts of spiritual striving through which they attain to some degrees and ranks.

In all of this we speak of physical and spiritual acts of striving and exertion in an absolute sense, regardless if they come from someone on the Path of truth or falsehood, and we are not referring specifically to the riyāda of Abū Hāmid al Ghazalī (may Allāh be pleased with him), for he is a true leader and a real saint.

As for your asking whether both ways can be taken by one person at the same time, then yes, it is possible, for there is no contradiction in having one’s heart attached to Allah Most High in all moments, and undertaking outward acts of mujāhadah and riyāḍah (e.g., fasting, praying at night, etc…), and Allāh knows best.”

“What is meant by the statement that the Bā ʿAlawī path is inwardly Shādhilī and outwardly Ghazalian?”

Most spiritual paths have a foundation that is either Shādhilī or Ghazalian. Both the Ghazali and Shādhilī paths are founded upon spiritual striving (mujāhadah) but the Ghazalian method begins by focusing on the external aspect and then works towards the internal whereas the Shādhilī method begins internally. Both methods agree that obligatory actions must be performed, prohibited actions must be avoided and supererogatory actions should be performed in abundance, but the Shādhilī method does not place great emphasis on outward actions. Mujāhadah according to the Shādhilī method focuses on attaining constant presence of heart with Allāh, awareness of His bounty and showing gratitude to Him. The Ghazalian method emphasises seeking knowledge and acting upon it thereby attaining constant presence and the station of gratitude.

It is possible to combine the two methodologies, and this is manifested in the Bā ʿAlawī path. This is achieved by being aware of Allāh’s blessings, showing gratitude to Him and seeking to be present with Him from the outset while at the same time seeking knowledge and performing outward actions.

Thus, the outward aspect of the Bā ʿAlawī path is to seek knowledge and act upon it and striving outwardly which then has an impact upon the inward. At the same time the inner aspect of the path from the outset is based upon witnessing Allāh’s blessings, being present with Him and showing gratitude to Him.

Since the Ba Alawi masters combined the principles of both paths, their path was described as being inwardly Shādhilī and outwardly Ghazalian.

— Ḥabīb ʿUmar bin Muḥammad bin Sālim bin Ḥafīdh

[seventeen-scenarios-blog]

[SURPRISE] A Double Scoop

DEDICATED TO MY WIFEY ADMIN SCOOPED. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I really hope you enjoy this even though it was a little rushed and completely unbeta-ed :(

wooed<3

You are so tired.

Being an intern for a broadcasting company means little to no time for leisure or rest. It is a time for you to put all that you’ve learnt from Communication Studies to the test. Though you’ve learnt and benefitted a lot from the experience, it doesn’t stop the heaviness of your eyelids as you trudge your way to work every morning.

You feel your arms nearly give way as you push the glass door open, sighing in relief when the cool air-conditioning rushes out to greet you. Though the bright, cheery colours of the ice-cream shop are at odds with your currently exhausted state, you have to admit, a cup of ice-cream doesn’t sound bad at all.

You sigh at the long queue ahead of you and did a double check for the time on your phone. You have to be back in the office in half-an-hour because of your incompetent asshole of a colleague, who went missing-in-action and left behind a pile of uncompleted work for you to toil over.

You’ve probably murdered him a hundred times over in your head in every way imaginable, but here in real life, what can you do?

Fortunately, the queue moves and there’s only two other people in front of you. Two tall, really tall males. Peering over their shoulders (on tiptoes), you glance longingly at the tub of coconut ice cream at the far end of the freezer. There isn’t much left, just enough for roughly two scoops.

Thank goodness, you think, almost able to taste the tantalizingly sweet dessert from here.

Then the earth promptly shatters around you.

“A double scoop of coconut, please.”

That single sentence had been uttered by none other than the customer preceeding you. The employee acknowledges his order by punching some buttons on the register, then extending out her hand to receive the payment. The man before you happily holds out his debit card, totally oblivious to the mental breakdown you are currently experiencing.

Nope, you’re not going to just sit back and allow this. There’s no way in hell you’re letting your already crappy day take a turn for the worse.

Stiffening your spine, you reach out and tap the man on the shoulder.

He flinches a little, and turns around to meet your eyes, well, after bending his head downwards by a notch, that is.

“Can… I help you?” he asks, one hand lifting up to scratch at his black hair. You blink, suddenly lost in the man’s stunning onyx orbs framed by deep double eyelids and long lashes.

Goddamn, he’s cute.

And suddenly you’re tempted to give your share of ice-cream up.

But as the female employee shakes the water off the scooper and approaches the coconut ice-cream pint, you find your resolve -- and voice -- again.

“Look, sir. I’ve been having a really really shitty day and all I want to do is eat a nice cup of coconut ice-cream but you’re about to take my share so can I respectfully ask you to let me have the last scoop of that ice-cream for the sake of my sanity?” you gush out in one breath, and you quickly straighten yourself, stunned by your outburst.

The man and his taller companion stare back at you blankly, the latter comically wide-eyed with his wooden spoon hanging out from between his lips.

Then he snaps out of it with a quick nod of his head. “Um, yeah, sure… No problem.” And to your immense gratitude, the man calls off his order right before the employee could make the second scoop.

“Please separate the servings into two single scoops instead. One for me and one for the lady behind me, I’m sorry about that.”

“But Coups-hyung, you’re supposed to share that double scoop with Jeonghan-hyung,” the freakishly tall being standing next to the man whispers as the employee corrects the order, but the black-haired male waves his companion off nonchalantly.

“Jeonghan can have the ice-cream for himself. I can always steal some coffee from Jihoon later. After all, I’m the only one that can get away with that unscathed.”

You wince, feeling a little guilty now. What if he was having just as crappy a day as you are, and you ruined it even further by denying him of his treat?

The employee calls for your attention, and she holds out the cup of your favourite treat at your direction, indicating for you to make payment.

“No need,” the man interjects, holding out his hand before you can even unclasp the buttons on your wallet, much to your surprise. “It’s on me.”

“Oh, no,” you immediately assert, flustered as he tucks the receipt back into his pockets. “I asked too much of you already.”

But the breath drives out of your lungs as the man turns towards you once again, his handsome features beaming merrily at you. “It’s okay. If there’s anything I can do to make your crappy day better, I’d be happy to do it.”

Your mouth agape, utterly bewildered by his generosity, you can only watch him turn around and pat the other taller male on the shoulder. “C’mon, Mingyu, they’ll be expecting us to be back soon.” The tree of a man named Mingyu breaks out into a whine that slowly grows out of earshot as they walk further away from you.

“But hyung, I want to get sprinkles and chocolate syrup on my cone first. Give me a minute or two.”

Your eyes trail after them, almost disregarding the queue that still stretches out behind you. The person behind you gives you a disgruntled nudge to snap you out of your stupefaction, and you stumble out of the way to let her place her order.

You can’t believe that there are people out there who are gracious enough to extend these small acts of kindness to strangers, and the ends of your lips stretched out into a wide, almost-silly smile. Holding the precious cup of ooey gooey goodness securely in your hand, you leave the kind Samaritan (and his giant of a friend) behind and exit the shop.

It is a shame that you have to part with the air-conditioned haven so soon, and once again you are grounded back into reality. Yet with a bite of your favourite ice-cream, your horrid day is just able to take a turn for the better.

However, the universe just loves to prove you wrong.

You thought it had been your friend and colleague Jamie calling your name from behind, but when you realise that the voice is too deep and ringing with a degree of shrill irritation, you feel bile rise up your throat.

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you!” Bijoon wheezes as his heavy footsteps stutter to a stop in front of you, and you instinctively take a wary step back.

“Well, you found me, so what do you want?”

Your words come out a little more hostility than you intended, but you can’t give two shits anymore. There’s one reason, and one reason only, why Bijoon would look for you at this time of the day.

“Listen,” he grunts out, one hand reaching out to wipe some perspiration off his forehead. “I kinda have to run off. Someone is finally willing to buy my old gaming console off my hands and he is only willing to meet me in person today. I’m sorry but I have to ask you to cover for me this afternoon. There’s a trailer that the boss told me to edit--”

“Are you kidding me?!” you exclaim, your grip on your ice-cream nearly loosening in utter disbelief. “That’s what you told me last week! I had to rush through your work through the night! And I’ve been consistently working overtime for the past week and now you’re asking this of me again?!”

“It wasn’t my fault, he rescheduled!” Bijoon protests. “C’mon, please? Don’t be difficult and help a friend out. I promise it would be the last time. The trailer is due tomorrow morning and you’ll have to include the scene where--”

“Bijoon, no!” you snap, cutting him off for the second time. That gall of his! You hate how he is talking to you as if you’ve already agreed to help him. “We agreed that the last week would be the last time I help you. It’s not fair that I do all the work and you get all the credit. I even kept your promise to stay quiet in front of our superiors to save your skin!”

“I know what I said!” is his response before rolling his eyes, checking his phone for the time. “Ugh, I honestly don’t have time for this. I’m counting on you, okay? I’ll treat you some ice-cream when I come back next week.”

As though that seems to settle it, he turns to stalk off towards the direction of the bus station. You are at your wits end, your blood boiling and reaching a fever pitch, every cell screaming at you to stop him and give him a piece of your mind. Only someone beats you to it.

“Hey.” Bijoon’s footsteps skid to an abrupt halt and his body jerks backwards as a hand reaches out to seize him by the arm.

Your eyes blow wide as you whip your head around, coming face to face with none other than the same man from the ice-cream shop. His right hand is outstretched and has a firm grip around the other male, his once gentle eyes now playful but disapproving. “You’re a tad too late, my friend. I already bought her one.”

“What do you want?” Bijoon demands, snatching his arm back to his side. “Who are you?”

“My name’s Seungchul,” the man reveals his name for the first time. “And you’re Bijoon, I assume?”

Bijoon backs away from the taller man, his eyes narrowed to slits. “Were you eavesdropping on other people’s business?”

“I didn’t mean to,” Seungchul smirks, “But I can’t help but feel the need to stand up for someone that’s clearly getting bullied in her workplace. Right, Mingyu?”

He nods towards the skyscraper next to him, who looks up cluelessly from his cone of chocolate chip, a smidge of white and two rainbow sprinkles adorning the corner of his lips. “Huh? Oh, yes right, hyung, whatever you say.”

It is pretty obvious that the Lankness Monster isn’t listening to the exchange, much too engrossed with his dessert with sprinkles but Seungchul is satisfied anyway. He turns to you, flashing you an assuring smile that makes your body melt like the ice-cream in your hand.

Bijoon scoffs, but it is easy to pick up the uneasiness in his voice. “I wasn’t bullying her. We just have to finish our work by tomorrow.”

“Your work,” Seungchul corrects. “You were getting her to do your work. If that’s not bullying, what is?”

His opponent opens his mouth to defend himself, but no words come out. At his flustered reaction, Seungchul hardens his gaze. “If you’re unable to finish your work on time, it’s your responsibility to tell your supervisor. You have absolutely no right to throw them onto her shoulders. You will leave her alone, now.”

Bijoon visibly swallows, looking as though he wants to fight back. But when faced with two twin towers looking down at him, he backs off. Casting back a last glower, he runs towards the bus station and disappears amongst the crowd.

Your throat has dried up at the point and you can’t find the words to speak until Seungchul taps you on your back. “Your ice-cream is about to melt, you know.”

You quickly lift the cup and take an embarrassed mouthful. At that, the man chuckles. “Well, we best be going.”

He turns to leave, and you panic. “Wait! T-Thanks, for all of that. It really meant a lot to me.”

At that, Seungchul flashes you a warm, but sad smile. “How long has this been going on for?”

You then drop your gaze, knowing exactly what he’s referring to. “A few months,” you answer with chagrin.

He nods, acknowledging your words solemnly. Then a comforting hand is placed on your shoulders. “Don’t let him do that do you ever again, okay? It’s not fair for you to keep helping him all the time. You have the right to tell the higher-ups about his incompetency.”

“I wish it were that easy,” you inform him sadly. “Our supervisors are much too busy to account for Bijoon’s absence, and we have looming, urgent deadlines because there are fixed timeslots for our videos to air on TV.”

Seungchul hums thoughtfully, his reddish lips pursed. Then his eyes dart down to your neck where your staff pass is hung from.  “Well, I guess the next time this happens, come look for me okay? I’ll deal with Bijoon for you.”

That only manages to get a very confused “huh?” from you.

Seungchul laughs, flashing you a wink (and you feel your inner school-girl swooning, because damn did I mention how good-looking he is?). Mingyu, who’s run off to throw his ice-cream cone wrapper, jogs back to the both of you with his phone in his hand. “Hyung, we’ve really got to go. The recruitment office is going to call us any minute and Jeonghan still hasn’t got his ice-cream yet.”

“Alright, alright,” the former acknowledges, and swivels his head at your direction again. “I’ll see you around in work, kid.” He reaches out to give you a friendly pat on your head before leaving with the walking beanstalk.

You are left reeling in an odd mixture of confusion and giddiness, but the vibration of your phone snaps you out of your trance. You pull your phone out of your back pocket and open up your text from your supervisor.

[1:34PM] Can you come over to the recruitment office in 10 minutes? We have some new staff and it would be great if you can show them around the office.

Wait, what?

Before you know it, you’re smiling from ear to ear, looking up just in time to see Seungchul and Mingyu vanishing behind the translucent automatic door of your office building. With eager fingers, you swiftly type out your reply

[1:35PM] Sure, I will be there!

Thank goodness you decided to get ice-cream today.

[diary-of-mambo]

‘Brand Yourself’

“You can't judge a book by its cover”

 Ok guys so today I will talk about the 12 archetypes because that’s the subject of the today.

The 12 archetypes:

  1.      The MAGICIAN makes dreams come true: The magician tries to find out the fundamental laws of how the universe works. It has a strategy of developing a vision and living it and is feared of unanticipated negative consequences. With personal transformation and self-improvement, it makes dreams to come true. It has a gift of finding win-win situations.

 2.      The SAGE is always seeking the truth: Sage always seeks for the truth. It has one goal of understanding the world by using its intelligence and is feared of being misled and ignored. What the sage tries to do all the time is looking for information and knowledge and sometimes sage can study the issues forever and never act. With its wisdom and intelligence to following archetypes values learning, expertise and process of research.

 3.      The INNOCENT just wants to be happy: Innocent is full of a never-ending optimism. It has the goal of being happy and what it does not like is doing something bad that leads to punishment. The weapons of innocent are faith and optimism. It always try to do the right things. Innocent is surrounded with perfections, predictability and certainty.

4.      The OUTLAW seeks revolution: What the outlaw desires is a revolution. And it has a goal of destroying the things that don’t work. Sometimes its fears of being powerless and inconsequential and does everything to shock and destroy. Outlaw can be easily trapped by criminality. It likes radical freedom and disregards the general standards by seeking the experience of power.

 5.      The JESTER lives in the moment: Jester tries to feel the moment with full enjoyment, Because of the fear of boredom Jester wants to have a great time and lighten up the world. Sometimes it is trapped by getting nerves of somebody, but it always plays, makes jokes and remain funny as it values fun and humor.

 6.      The LOVER makes you theirs: The lover wants to be in intimate relationship with people. It has fears of being alone and unwanted. So in order to be loved The Lover tries to be more and more attractive. The archetype sometimes fails because it overdoes of pleasing others which end up with losing their identity. What lover values are beauty, sensuality, and love. The weapons of the lover are passion appreciation and gratitude.

 7.      The EXPLORER break free: Explorer seeks freedom through exploring the world in order to find himself. What explorer wants is more fulfilling and authentic life and is feared of inner emptiness and conforming. He always goes for journeys to experience new things in order to escape the boredom. The Explorer has a real autonomy and always stays true to himself but sometimes find himself in aimless wandering.

 8.      The RULER wants absolute power: Ruler seeks control in order to create a successful company, community, it goes for leadership and sometimes is trapped by being too bossy. It is afraid of 2 things 1. Being overturned 2, chaos. The ruler is powerful and responsible and it takes control with leadership and responsibility.

 9.      The CAREGIVER nurtures you: What caregiver seeks is protecting people from bad things. It tries to help others with compassion and generosity. It values caring about others, stability and empathy, altruism. It is feared of selfishness and ingratitude and sometimes is trapped by self-martyrdom.

 10.  The HERO wants to prove himself: The hero is always courageous and proves itself with different hard actions. It tries to become strong, competent and powerful in order to improve the world. It fears of being weak and vulnerable but at the same time, it can be courageous and competent. Though sometimes it is arrogant and creates anti-hero personas it values energy, discipline, focusing and ambitiousness.

 11.  The REGULAR GUY/GIRL wants to belong: What a regular guy/ girl aims to do is connecting with others, to belong them and to fit in. Sometimes it is frightened to stand out and being rejected as a result. It tries to develop ordinary virtues and sometimes is trapped by losing itself for only being in community. With it gifts of realism and lack of pretense it values affiliation, democracy, equality.

 12.  The CREATOR craves perfection: Creator wants to create something with eternal value and it gives forms to its visions. The following archetype develops a culture with own vision and is afraid of mediocre skills. It always increases its artistic skills longing for perfection. With its creativity and imagination Creator goes for self-expression, real innovation, and beauty.

  In class my teacher asked us students to choose 3 archetypes of each other. For me they chose those: The MAGICIAN, makes dreams come true, The LOVER, makes you theirs and The EXPLORER, break free. And I was shocked because the 3 was correct and it was true.

I am a person that love explore things, I am very creative, and I’m not scared to go on an adventure. The lover is also true because I love to give without asking back, I love to help my family, friends or unknown people and when I’m in love, I love hard. And last thing I’m a rule breaker. I love to do things in my way when I create things or organized something. For example, when I’m in a casting I always myself but with a touch of my creativity and here I’m talking about looks, have a different look than the other people or bringing something new or new vibe to the table.

 The archetype that I want to talk about it’s the lover. And I choose Chanel as brand to identify myself as well. In this gif of Chanel, you see the color pink and everybody know that pink is the color of love. When you match pink and a woman its means sweetness, love and girly. The name of this video of Chanel calls “Channel in my hands” and the second name is “The most irresistible of hand cream”, and that its and clearly is a lover quote