#mauritania

Assrou N'Swoul counterweight veil pendants made of brass, iron and copper are received by a girl as a gift from her mother. Their size indicates the wealth of the girl’s family.

this was specifically made for my morrocan, algerian, tunisian, libyan, sudanese (sometimes excluded, but im gonna add you lot!), egyptian, western saharan and mauritanian girls, but of course everyone can read! with love from a dear north african <3

thank you so much to @ttangerinexo for inspiring me and helping me through the way, mwah lovely!

summary: very much fluffy, mentions of north african culture (explained at the bottom) and, ofc, mj through the jacksons to thriller era! 💋 -- lowercase intended

jacksons era!michael who would wear silly disguises at vinyl stores, only for you to question him endlessly, and yes, of course he would ask you about your abzim silver bracelets! although you don't know its michael just yet, he would eventually confess and a friendship would bloom from there!

jacksons era!michael who is completely fascinated by the gold-plated kabyle cuff on your wrist. he’s holding your arm, tracing the warm gold metal and bright red coral beads with his thumb, asking you a million soft questions about what the geometric enamel patterns mean whilst you just shrug and let him inspect it.

jacksons era!michael who gets so excited whenever you bring him home-baked treats or a thermos of warm tea to share on his bedroom floor. he’ll sit cross-legged next to you and watch you explain how you'll find sablés a la confiture ready everyday at your house! next thing you know, he's brushing sugar powder off his chin and asking if you can bring an extra container tomorrow (no, jermaine doesn't share).

off the wall!michael whos gained confidence over the years, yet still has a hint of tenderness and shyness when it comes to you. he would confess by creating a soft ballad, making you hear it with him in the studio (which is weird, quincy left an hour ago?). the ballad starts out soft, with lyrics written in arabic and french! and will definitely use north african chants, zaghrouta, in future songs!

off the wall!michael who, in just a month of dating, knows more about anyone than north african culture! language? check. history? check. dances? check. family members who already call you mrs jackson? check.

off the wall!michael who watches you put kohl (dark eye powder), and insists he has to try it too! it soon becomes a staple in his every day life style (although putting it on takes a while...).

off the wall!michael who's not so surprised at your intensive hair care, yet is slightly surprised at what you use! he's seen you put olive oil, argan oil and pear seed oil -- a result of grandparents firmly believing any type of oil solves everything. and of course, swapping products with both latoya and janet! he even asks about your sebniya, a silk hair wrap to protect curls whilst sleeping!

thriller!michael who wears a khamsa (after your parents insistence) to protect himself amid global fame!

thriller!michael who loves your ma'zhar, and always asks you to dab some on him, not only to remind him of you -- but it just smells too great to pass by!

thriller!michael who gets invited to almost every ramadan and eid dinner (bless his spice tolerance), and very obviously gets approved by all your family members! he simply loves how peaceful things are, even with half a generation in one room.

thriller!michael who watches you dye your hair with henna and also trace patterns with it on your hands, face and arms! although he doesn't quite get the flower pattern right, he tries his best and both of your hennas look as good as can be!

thriller!michael who will accompany you to any and every hammam you go to, especially when he accompanies you to your homeland, despite joe's irritation. he's fascinated by culture and falls in love with everything -- including you!

north african dictionary:

henna: organic dye!

hammam: north african and medditerannean way to exfoliate and refreshen skin!

ma'zhar: orange blossom water used as perfume!

khamsa: a north african and middle eastern emblem to protect yourself from evil!

kohl: dark powder (basically eyeliner), dating back centuries, used in north africa, the middle east and south asia!

sablés a la confiture: sugar powdered bicsuits with jam of your choice in the middle!

kabyle: an indigenous berber group from northern algeria!

abzim silver cuffs: bracelets from the kabyle origins of algeria!

let's not forget mj's concert in tunisia in '96! احبكم جميعاً, mwah

p.s: was going to make this mj through the eras, but its so long lmao 😭 maybe ill do a part two! thank you very much for reading, i love you all!

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