Nayu's Craft Time #284 Ramadan 2018

I'm over the mega strong meds effects (yay) and any subsequent just not feeling great days. Ramadan is here-yay! It started Tuesday night (depending on which authority you go by). It's the annual month where Muslims abstain from food and try to be good in a variety of areas from dawn until dusk. It is encouraged to read The Holy Quran during Ramadan, or as much of it as you can. Due to my health issues I'm forbidden to fast because it makes me ill - those who are pregnant/breast-feeding/elderly/ill are exempt from fasting, with a small donation given in the absence of abstaining from food. 

Disclaimer: This isn't a bragging post, merely a pointing out what I'm choosing to abstain from during Ramadan, that it is possible to still game and taken part in online game events if you share a similar view to me. If you don't that's fine too, and while I know I could just game/watch certain anime or shows them at night, in reality I have little time before sunrise/after sunset for anything so simply don't watch/play said games/shows for the entire month. 

Love this Muslim Pokemon player picture! I still game a lot in my rest time during Ramadan!

It is still the most blessed month of the year and I really love it! Yes I do miss refraining from playing Hatsune Miku games (I really love them but I love God more), or reading romance books (I read for the story not the romance), or playing not entirely appropriate games (which thanks to innuendo is a fair amount of games I play including Hyperdimension Neptunia and the Atelier series), which I do mostly not play until the month is over so I don't keep thinking about them. Since I am cross-posting this over on Nayu's Reading Corner (albeit a day later) I'm including more about gaming in this post, so you know what I am playing.

I love this Muslim inspired fanart for a Miku game - if only there were appropriate songs! I do play the Project Mirai games without sound, as they are chibi characters and the art is entirely different from the Playstation games (some songs are ok, some are not for the dance routines, although I'm focusing more on which buttons to press than what's going on in the background)

It's fun to focus on other games, notably this year Animal Crossing Pocket Camp which involves doing good deeds for real people by helping water/pollinate their plants or giving them bonus points (any good deed no matter how small is amplified an unknown amount by God during Ramadan), Pokemon Sun which is taking care of creatures, albeit digital ones, World of Final Fantasy which so far isn't a romance but does including favourite FF characters, replay Final Fantasy 9 whose romance-y parts I definitely won't reach before the end of Ramadan, 

I am still playing some rhythm games like Deresute, LLSIF, Puchiguru Love LIve and Bandori - but I'm not listening to the music (just listen to audiobooks), I've turned off the 3D options so I don't get any of the pictures onscreen when skills are activated (I'm aware that may mean absolutely nothing to you), and I'm not spending minutes browsing through the cards I have.

I tend to listen to the Holy Quran instead of reading it because it saves me a lot of energy. I'm not a native Arabic speaker, I can read it but I only understand a hanndful of words so I do need an English translation, which this recording gives me. I'm going to chat a bit more about this in a separate post. 

During Ramadan I tend to tweet a little less in general, but I still try for a tweet a day. I don't really watch anything on Youtube including the usually countless Hatsune Miku videos, but I still watch some anime and documentaries (& have a massive catch up once Ramadan ends). I always have goals but these are private, as is anything else I do during this blessed month. 

Here are some lovely links for previous Ramadan posts (no idea what happened in 2016)

Ramadan 2013 #1 What Ramadan is all about

Ramadan 2013 #2 Being flexible, some info on the Prophets

Ramadan 2013 #3 Why the last 10 days of Ramadan are so special, what I mean when I say tie your camel & be like a bird.

Ramadan 2013 #4 I chat about good deeds

Ramadan 2014 #1 My focus for Ramadan 2014

Ramadan 2014 #2 Nature, nurture & some rambling

 Ramadan 2015: Generic info

Ramadan 2017 Which anime I'm watching  

(there was only one post last year but this year I'm trying to do a few!)

I'd love to hear what you do during Ramadan if you celebrate it, and please feel free to ask questions which I'll do my best to answer, since I'm a firm believer of dispelling any weird perceptions about being a Muslim - pun genuinely not intended. 

I'm posting this right before it gets to 12pm!!!