#yusuf is king

[feral-queercore-punk]

literally love that mr yusuf al-kaysani is an undercover little shit. he's subtly petty, for flavour

[spurstwt]

[fidjiefidjie]

Bon Soir 🆕️ 🌧☔️ 💙

Yusuf / Cat Stevens 🎶 Another Night in the Rain

(King of a Land)

[youssefguedira]

Yusuf is there when Nicolò enters the old temple, not a vision of him, no portal behind him that will take him somewhere Nicolò cannot follow yet again before he has the chance to reach him, just Yusuf. He's alone, his head tilted upwards and eyes closed, illuminated by the shafts of sunlight that fall through the cracked ceiling. The sight of him - here and safe and whole, finally, after everything Nicolo's fought through to reach him - takes his breath away.

"Nico," Yusuf says, and opens his eyes to look at him. He smiles, and he's still Nicolò’s Yusuf, even after everything that's happened.

Nicolò can't wait another second, then, sheaths his sword at his back and walks up the stone steps towards him. Yusuf's smile widens, and then he's stepping into Nicolò's already open arms, laughing. "I missed you."

"Missed you too," Nicolò says. He kisses Yusuf's temple, holds him close. "So much, Yusuf, you have no idea-"

Yusuf leans back, cupping Nicolò's face in one hand. "I know. It's okay. I'm here."

But Nicolò knows him well enough to know something's wrong. "What is it?"

"It's not over, yet." Yusuf steps out of Nicolò's arms and back a few steps, leaving him cold. "There's so much more you don't know yet, but we're running out of time. He will return, soon, and we're not ready."

"Tell me what I need to do," Nicolò says immediately. He can't bear the idea of Yusuf disappearing again, not now when he's finally here, when every other time Nicolò has tried to reach him he's been a second too late. "Anything, and I'll do it, whatever it is. Just tell me what you need."

Yusuf smiles again, sad. "It's not you, Nico. We need more time. And I can buy it, but-" He cuts himself off.

"Then I'll help you."

Yusuf shakes his head. "You don't understand. For this to work, I need to reform the seal, and I can only do that by" - there are tears in his eyes, now, and dread running down Nicolò's spine - "by sealing myself away along with it."

Nicolò realises just a moment too late what that means. "Yusuf-"

"If I seal myself here, in the past," Yusuf continues, "when you return to our time, it will be just strong enough to hold. You will have the time you need to finish this. And once all this is over, the seal can be broken in our time."

"I can't," Nicolò says. "There has to be another way. This can't be it."

"It's the only choice we have," Yusuf says. "I cannot - this was always my path, Nicolò."

She's manipulating you, Andromache had said, the goddess. She's using Yusuf to make you do what she wants, can't you see? If Nicolò hadn't understood then, he does now - neither of them ever had a choice in this. Yusuf was chosen because Nicolò would follow him anywhere, and Nicolò was chosen for the same reason.

Nicolò realises something else then. "If you seal yourself here, you'll be trapped for thousands of years."

"I'll be asleep," Yusuf says, soft. "It'll be like the blink of an eye. So when this is all over, you'll have to come wake me up." He smiles, then, even through his tears. "Just like old times, no?"

And before Nicolò can say anything else, the air around him begins to glow gold, condensing around Yusuf, who tilts his head back and closes his eyes, and Nicolò cannot move, frozen in place by something beyond his control. All he can do is watch as the light gathers around Yusuf, blindingly bright, until Nicolò cannot see him anymore. Whatever's holding him releases, and he runs towards Yusuf even though the light hurts his eyes, and just as he reaches out the light fades.

Before him is what looks like a crystal, tinged orange, clear enough that he can see Yusuf inside, his eyes closed. He looks like he's just sleeping, like this is one of the mornings Nicolò had had to wake him but had paused for a moment just to watch him.

Nicolò lifts his hand to the crystal. It's freezing cold when he touches it. Yet again, he's too late.

"I'll come back for you," he tells Yusuf, even though he knows Yusuf can't hear him. "I swear it. I'll finish this, and I'll come back for you." His voice is trembling, but he can't let himself break down now, not when there's still work to be done. The faster he finishes his task, the sooner he can wake Yusuf.

(Nile is the first to ask when he returns through the gate, waiting for him with Andy, Quynh and Sebastien nearby. "Where's Yusuf?" she asks, looking behind him - the plan had always been that Nicolò would bring Yusuf back with him, after all.

Nicolò can't bring himself to say it out loud.)

--------------------

It feels like an age before Nicolò returns to the temple, now in the present. It's over, finally - the five of them have sealed the demon king away for good. The others are outside.

The crystal is overgrown with vines, now, just like their old favourite meeting place on the island where all of this had started. Its surface is scratched and clouded with age, but Nicolò can still make out Yusuf inside it, looking exactly as he had when Nicolò left him in the past. He hates to think of the crystal here, alone, for so much time.

There's a glowing mark on the crystal's surface that hadn't been there before. Nicolò approaches it carefully and places his hand over the mark.

Almost immediately, glowing cracks begin to grow from where his hand touches the crystal, spreading across the whole thing until it's glowing as brightly as it had when it was formed, but he can't look away. When the light dies down, Yusuf hovers in the air for just a moment before whatever spell had held him there finally breaks, and he collapses, but Nicolò is there to catch him, sinking to his knees and cradling him close. He doesn't move for a moment, and Nicolò is terrified, because what if something had gone wrong-

Yusuf gasps awake, his eyes fluttering open. He looks around frantically before catching sight of Nicolò above him, who nearly sobs with relief, holding him impossibly closer.

"Nicolò?" Yusuf whispers, his voice hoarse. Nicolò nods, unable to speak just yet, blinking back his tears and brushing Yusuf's curls away from where they've fallen into his eyes.

Then Yusuf asks, "Did I oversleep?" and Nicolò has to laugh even though it comes out sounding more like a sob, kisses his forehead and smiles. "It's over, then?"

"It's over," Nicolò confirms, and then, "I love you."

Yusuf sits up and wraps his arms around Nicolò's neck, buries his face in Nicolò's shoulder and holds on tightly. "I love you too."

(When they return, Nile is the first to them, hugs Yusuf so tightly he laughs, and then it's Sebastien's turn, then Andromache and Quynh both.

They choose to stay on the surface, all six of them. And neither Yusuf or Nicolò are the same people anymore - sometimes Nicolò wakes screaming, sometimes Yusuf gets a distant look in his eyes and it takes a worryingly long time for him to come back to himself. Sometimes there are things Yusuf still can't tell Nicolò, and vice versa.

They make it work, though. They find a quiet place in the woods, far away from the temple and any danger, and they're safe, and happy, and together.

It's all Nicolò's ever wanted, really.)

[julio-viernes]

He topado casualmente con este formidable clip de Jimmy Cliff haciendo "Wild World" a ritmo reggae en 1970. Es una de las canciones que Cat escribió tras su ruptura sentimental con Patti D'Arbanville.

Leo que Chris Blackwell, jefazo de Island Records, definió "Tea For The Tillerman", el LP donde iba incluido el original del Gato, como "el mejor álbum que lanzamos jamás".

En 1987 el siempre polémico Jonathan King acusó a Pet Shop Boys de birlarle la melodía a Cat, por entonces ya Yusuf, en su famoso hit "It´s a Sin". King hasta hizo una versión para demostrar el parecido, que es verdad que existe, pero le salió mal: el tecno dúo le denunció y ganó el juicio.

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Yusuf/Cat Stevens - “All Nights, All Days”

There’s a serious Three Dog Night vibe on Yusuf/Cat Stevens “All Nights, All Days,” which borrows melody lines from “Shambala” and finds Stevens reverting to youthful, idealistic lyric writing.

And day now, things could change/if people stopped behaving strange/smile at strangers, neighbors too/lock those leaders in London’s zoo, the sings on the third song of social commentary - following “Take the World Apart” and the title track - from the forthcoming (June 16) King of a Land.

Just 140 seconds of folk-rock, “All Nights, All Days” is lightweight and bite-sized; the aural equivalent of a rice cake.

Grade card: Yusuf/Cat Stevens - “All Nights, All Days” - C-

5/18/23

[beatlesblogger]

Yusuf/Cat Stevens - New Dark Horse Vinyl & CD

Earlier this year Dark Horse Records announced the signing of music legend Yusuf/Cat Stevens to the label. Image (from l to r): Dhani Harrison and Yusuf with David Zonshine (Dark Horse) and Yoriyos Adamos (Yusuf’s son and manager) at F.P.S.H.O.T. A number of digital back catalogue albums were almost immediately put up on the Dark Horse releases site indicating they were now available on…

[evermorehqs]

CATCHING MY BREATH, STARING OUT AN OPEN WINDOW

Askari Adeoye is based on Scar from The Lion King. He is a 44 year old shapeshifter, unemployed, and uses he/him pronouns. He has the power of shifting. Askari is portrayed by Yusuf Gatewood and he is open.

CATCHING MY DEATH, AND I COULDN’T BE SURE

The younger brother of a well-loved leader, Askari should have had it all, and he would have — if it wasn't for Simba. The day his brother's son was born, it was all over for Askari, before he had even taken his first breath. He was treated as a runt, an unplanned accident. Nothing he did could ever measure up to his nephew, and certainly not his brother or their father. One could hardly blame him for turning into the cruelty he'd been shown for all that was out of his control. He wasn't as charismatic as them, he wasn't as strong, but he was smarter. He knew how to appeal to those that also felt left behind and forgotten, and he could see things in a light his family couldn't even dream of. When he schemed an end for his brother's reign at the mere age of twelve, when he convinced Simba to leave under the guise of looking out for his wellbeing, he wasn't foolish enough to think he wouldn't one day return... if he survived. And when he did, and he challenged him as the rightful heir, Askari knew that he would lose. But no one else knew it was all part of the bigger picture. Askari didn't die that day. From the moment he had stepped down, a plan was put in motion. Faking his death was a way out, and a way to bring Simba down with guilt in the process. There were a very select few who knew where he'd gone, that when his body could not be found it was because he walked away from the scene unharmed, keeping even his wife and children out of the loop as he disappeared into the night. He had heard whispers of Evermore, and truly, it wasn't that hard to find; only to leave. But that wasn't a problem for him. He would hide in the shadows of the catacombs until Shea reached the destination with his following, then he would make his move. He would overtake it all, finally the king he had always dreamt of being. There was only one little problem he hadn't been accounting for... Simba and his family showing up shortly after his arrival.

I HAD A FEELING SO PECULIAR

❀ Herschel Hopper: A cruel man with an obnoxious brother, the two were truly meant to be friends. It's too bad they're more likely to kill each other than get along. ❀ Fallon Osborne: She seems to be as pure as they come, but she's captured his attention, and Askari has made a little bet with himself to keep himself entertained during these boring days; how long would it take him to corrupt her? ❀ Carter Pille: Askari doesn't trust Carter as far as he can throw him, but that's exactly why he wants him on his side. Keep friends close, enemies closer... and perhaps family closest.

THAT THIS PAIN WOULD BE FOR EVERMORE

[mxdwn]

ALBUM REVIEW: Yusuf/Cat Stevens – King of a Land

[jmunneytumbler]

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 6/16/23

Shh! It’s a SECRET Invasion (CREDIT: Marvel Studios) Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out. Movies –Asteroid City (Theaters) –The Blackening (Theaters) –Elemental (Theaters) –The Flash (Theaters) TV –The Righteous Gemstones Season 3 Premiere (June 18 on HBO) –Secret Invasion Series Premiere (June…

[spurstwt]

[fidjiefidjie]

Bonne soirée 💙 🆕️ 💙

Yusuf/ Cat Stevens 🎶 Take the World Apart

(King of a Land)

[dai-ilallah]

[PDF] Quran Shareef Urdu (قرآن شریف اردو)

(354 MB)

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Yusuf/Cat Stevens - “King of a Land”

Yusuf/Cat Steven wears his religiosity on his guitar strings on “King of a Land.”

The balladic, orchestrated title track from Stevens’ forthcoming (June 16) LP follows “Take the World Apart” as single No. 2.

It’s interesting song; never mentioning Islam, Allah or God. But the lyrics transcription does use a capital “Y” for every you and your as Stevens sings about what he’d do if he was in charge.

If I was a king of a land/I’d free every woman and man/I’d let them go/I’d set them free, to serve You

There’s some low-key proselytizing going on - such as when Stevens sings about running schools - that’s off-putting. Yet the melody and arrangement are irresistible.

Grade card: Yusuf/Cat Stevens - “King of a Land” - B-

4/28/23

[billboard-hotties-tourney]

Bruce Springsteen (1949-) solo; leader of the E Street Band Songs: "Born to Run," "Blinded by the Light" Defeated Opponents: Lindsey Buckingham, Rick Danko, Otis Redding, Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam, Syd Barrett, Billy Preston, David Bowie Propaganda: "Nobody has ever looked hotter than the Boss in the video for 'Dancing in the Dark' except maybe Bruce in the video for 'I'm On Fire'" "Bruce from the 70's to HIS 70's...enough said" "BRUUUUUCE! (Yes, I am from New Jersey.) But really 70s-Stone Pony-Asbury Park Springsteen is truly a sight to behold."

Prince (1958-2016) solo, leader of The Revolution Songs: "I Wanna Be Your Lover," "For You" Defeated Opponents: Donovan, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, David Byrne, Al Green, Clarence Clemons, Jimi Hendrix Propaganda: "His music sounds like no one else's. He was able to make a guitar sound magically different to how guitars are supposed to sound. And his voice. He could go from squeaky, almost childish sounding, to a soulful, balladic powerhouse performance all while making it look easy. He was one of the greatest singular performers and musicians ever. And he was a short king to boot." "Most photos of Prince don't really do him justice because, like Jimi Hendrix, he was at his hottest when he played guitar, and to me that's something you have to actually hear to understand. Also he had a great, super energetic stage presence, which is also extremely sexy and hard to convey in pictures alone. What I'm trying to say is that everyone should just watch his Superbowl halftime performance and I dare you to tell me that he wasn't the sexiest man alive that night." "Prince was the only guy who could show up at your party, in frills, and steal your girlfriend. Then steal her clothes, then steal someone else's girl in your girlfriends clothes."

Visual Propaganda for Bruce Springsteen:

Visual Propaganda for Prince: