#a risk worth taking

[oscarwetnwilde]

James Wilby Kiss Scenes: A Risk Worth Taking (2008)

#James Wilby #Muriel Baumeister #James Wilby and Kissing #A Risk Worth Taking #Patrick Trenchard #Katie Trenchard

[jessread-s]

✩❄️🪩Review:

Jessica Joyce has given me no choice but to read this annually!

“A Risk Worth Taking” follows Claire Ashford as she prepares to pursue a job opportunity in San Francisco after she realizes how much her cautious nature has cost her. The night before she leaves, she decides to take a risk and spend it with Connor Stella, the gorgeous stranger at the holiday party where she’s bartending. But the weather has other plans, and soon one night with no strings attached turns into an entire weekend. Claire’s new adventure is just a plane ride away, but her heart belongs to the man she’ll have to leave behind.

This was simply the most delightful little novella I’ve ever read. It was only 78 pages and it had me giggling and smiling like crazy!

I am simply in love with Claire (my kindred spirit), Connor (my golden retriever boy), and their relationship. Sparks fly the moment they cross paths and Joyce works her magic to make their connection palpable. Their banter, the way take care with each other, and their physical compatibility made it clear that they were meant to be more to each other than a one night stand and I loved watching that come to fruition!

Cross-posted to: Instagram | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

#booklr #book blog #book blogger #bookish #book review #book rec #a risk worth taking #jessica joyce #claire ashford #connor stella #one night stand #contemporary romance #novella #adult romance #romance books #spicy romance #bibliophile #read romance #romance reads

[jetskikid14]

Is Taking A Big Risk Worth It?

Daily writing promptDescribe a risk you took that you do not regret.View all responses Throughout life there will be many times we are forced to take a risk. Sometimes we really do not want to take the risk but know deep down it’s the right thing to do. Any time we do take a risk on something there is always a chance it may backfire or not go as planned. We can always weigh the risk by writing…

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#a risk too risky #A risk worth taking #bloganuary #dailyprompt #dailyprompt-1918 #risks pros and cons

[mikkeneko]

Don't want to put this on the post itself for risk of derailing it, but that post the other day about Terry Pratchett's early work really stuck in my mind. OP had sent in an ask saying that they heard some of Pratchett's earlier works had problematic elements (not unusual for a male english writer in the 80s) and they weren't sure whether to go ahead with reading the work anyway.

What I really want to ask that person, or indeed all persons who are hesitating over whether or not to read problematic works or works by imperfect authors:

What are you worried about happening, if you read a work with problematic elements?

I'm worried that if I read this art, I will run across hateful images or words that will shock or upset me

I'm worried that I will spend money on a work of art that then financially supports a bad person, and that thought makes me uncomfortable or upset

I'm worried that I will read works of art written by a bad person, and comment or react on them, and other people will see what I am reading and will think less of me because of it, or will assume that I hold the same bad beliefs as the author

I'm worried that I will read works of art written by a bad person, and I will enjoy them, and the author will find out about my enjoyment and feel emboldened to do bad things because of it

I'm worried that I will read works of art written by a bad person, and their badness will contaminate my way of thinking and make me a worse person in turn

Because these are all different answers and some of them are more actionable than others

#salty sunday #for the first: it's up to you whether you want to take that risk but keep in mind you can always stop if you feel discomfort. #this isn't school and nobody is going to require a book report from you on it #for the second: whether the author is even still alive let alone receiving proceeds from the work is something you can check on #if they're a more classic author and their estate/family is still getting proceeds you can decide whether you feel the issues of the author #are something worth punishing their family over #for the third: you can't control what other people think. don't try. #for the fourth: the author is gonna think and do whatever they think and do entirely independent of the response of the audience #assuming they even found out what you think ever which is very unlikely. see above about not being able to control what other people think #for the fifth: moral contamination is not a thing. kick the little fascist voice out of your head. be free

[stuckinapril]

Reframing whenever someone decides to leave you out of something or walks out of your life or just all around neglects your presence not as your loss but as theirs…. like that could have been so much more fun w me in it but I wasn’t and that will forever be your loss

#It might sound arrogant conceited etc but I used to deal w a lot of attachment anxiety bc id be like #That person is so cool. They’re so exciting. They know how to liven something up. I’m missing out on their energy #But now I think ab how they’re missing out on mine too and how they’re at the risk of losing me w every half assed action they take #Loss is never just one way if you know you bring value to something. I legit felt that yesterday for the first time in my life #Ruminating and clinging to ppl less has truly come at the behest of knowing I’m someone worth keeping around #And if you decide not to that’s a failing on your end and I don’t have to overcompensate by proving my worth to you

[yashley]

Say something true!

#critical role #ygifs #imogearne #imogen x fearne #when you’re taking a picture of the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen and the camera falls back and fucking decks you in the face #fearne going it’s ok you don’t need to confess I know~~ while imogen interrupts to say ‘’you’re a loser’’ they drive me NUTSkljsgdlkjs #also my brain is a little beehive cos these two Started with Fearne being the enabler to darker things while imogen was cautious #to fearne Seeing imogen about to be lost to ruidus and hardveering into panic that the power would never be worth losing her #to imogen hearing fearne hesitate and deny the shard and then telling fearne she should do it anyway #the way these two handle the other's Sways in darkness in such a Knowing way - ‘’Are you sure it wasn’t intentional?’’ #there’s like this ping and before it was encouraging and now fearne is scared and imogen is enabling the risk #and it’s like either imogen is silently ensuring laudna’s safety by fearne taking the shard despite any risk #or imogen honestly believes that fearne is stronger even than the power she would embrace. There is no risk. Fearne will conquer this. #so it’s like is it ulterior motives or is it faith or is it hypocrisy or is it all three at once it's so good #imogen spending her entire life running from her power so isn’t it so much easier to tell fearne she can just do it while imogen couldn’t #or is it just her genuinely encouraging fearne from Knowing the aftermath of pursuing the power #but it's like imogen ...... why would fearne choose you over the possibility for power when she's never done that before #and is this insistence/encouragement going to actually reassure fearne or is it going to be another crack #and when they do the ritual fearne asks imogen to be the one to take her out and imogen tries to comfort her by agreeing #and fearne looks on sadly and nods #remembering when she was asked to be the one to take imogen out and all fearne knew was that she couldn’t #anyway imogen's face when fearne said you're in love with me imogen said NOT NOWDSHKJF

[natelia-aldelliz]

They exchanged their dog tags because they're cuties

Ghost isn't sure if he prefers Johnny Riley or Simon MacTavish, though, he'd probably doodle both and draw little hearts around it as he's pondering the question

Price : okay, you've been sighing and staring at nothing more than usual, what's up

Ghost : if you had a boyfriend, or girlfriend, or whatever, and they're probably thinking about getting married, would they take your name or would you take theirs ?

Price :

Ghost : cause i have this friend, and it's happening to him right now and he's getting a little overwhelmed so he asked me but i don't know so i'm asking you

Price : *sigh* right, a friend, so you should probably tell him to ask his boyfriend about what he thinks, first off, and to consider just putting a hyphen between both names, and also chilling the fuck out because you just pulled your heads out of your arses and started dating two weeks ago

Ghost :

Price : *tired dad stare*

Ghost : so, what sounds better, Riley-MacTavish or MacTavish-Riley ?

#ghostsoap #soapghost #mw2 #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #this is all a joke btw #i think ghost would be absolutely terrified of getting married and also of getting in any kind of serious relationship #because he's scared he's gonna be a terrible partner and also he has abandonment issues so he prefers not to get too close to people #but soap knowing all that and still staying and wanting him and always being his usual ball of sunshine #eventually makes him want to take that risk because maybe the possible future heartbreak is worth it if he gets to hold soap in his arms #also the first option sounds better

[akindplace]

These days I am rather fond of the idea of "so what if it was cringe, at least you did the thing instead of regretting not doing it because you cared too much about what other people thought of you when in fact they never thought that much of you at all, and if they did get obsessively hateful towards you that says more about them than it says about you". Do the thing. Be cringe about it. Enjoy doing things that don't hurt you or others even if they aren't the picture perfect idea of success and achievement. Turn off your brain a little and allow yourself to have some fun just for the sake of it because life is truly about enjoying the present, even when it's not ideal.

#on art #on enjoying life #on being cringe #and unhinged #and shameless #and just having fun #and taking breaks #on perfectionism #on media #on whatever project you want to do #on whatever the fuck this applies to honestly #live your best healthy life #the people who matter will support you #nothing ever changes if you don't take in the risk of flopping a little or looking ridiculous #self-acceptance #self-worth #original writing

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

SO WHAT'S THE REAL DEAL WITH ISRAEL? A history of a nation, a people, and a whole lot of conflict.

There is a LOT of misinformation going around in relations to the history of Israel and Palestine. I’m going to do my best to provide you with a comprehensive overview of this land and what’s going on. 

Is it going to be perfect? No. But it’s going to be a lot better than the crap I came across today of an infograph that was filled with wrong information set to fuel the desire that people seem to have to ‘be on the right side’ of a war. 

This is going to be LONG. But I’m going to try to make it interesting. I hope that at least one person that enjoys history gets something out of this. And please, feel free to ask questions! 

And I do mean questions and not just hate screaming out ‘facts’ that you read once from someone with no sources on a badly photoshopped image of two women talking about how Israel isn’t a real place. 

I’m not here to spread hate. I’m here to give you the facts so that hopefully things can be understood a little better and maybe we can start choosing to help and not simply fuel the fire of hate. 

I’m going to use a lot of Wiki links because I would like to encourage people to go read the articles and do a little wiki deep dive for themselves. It’s fascinating, and hey, you might learn a few random cool things on the way.  I'd also encourage further reading if you are really interested or have questions. Wiki can only get you so far.

I’m also going to avoid talking about religious history in depth and simply stick to the people. 

SO! Let’s get into it! Let's actually LEARN something for once!

We start with 14 tribes in the Bronze age 1175-900 BCE

We get into some sketchy history that dates back to King David. Early records are rough because of all the war and destruction from back then...also that it was 1175-900 BCE and record keeping was often difficult at best when it wasn't being burned down. 

Essentially, the 14 tribes did what everyone did back then (and arguably still do) and they fought. A lot. 

King David (1005 BCE - 968 BCE) is credited as the one who gathered up a group of people that had been fighting with another group of people and kicking the ever loving shit out of these people with slingshots (a standard weapon used by shepherds to fight off thieves and LIONS) and the use of a nice newly created metal called Iron (welcome to the Iron Age!) 

He got mythicised a bit and the whole David vs Goliath became the story. It's where record keeping got a bit off... But there is proof of this man existing. 

After the war, he united the split up tribes and became King of Judah and created the capital of Jerusalem ((hey look! They got their name because they were from Judah. They were the Judes. The Jews. The Jewish People. See how language evolves over time?). 

The next king, one you may have heard of, was King Solomon (968BCE-928BCE). He is credited as being in charge of the building of the first Temple. 

The first temple was an incredibly sacred place and where a lot of the things that defined and made the Jewish culture were kept. 

After he died, there was no clear succession line and the kingdom split into two. The Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of Judah in the south.

Let's head on over to Wiki and see what they have to say about this piece of land. 

"The earliest known reference to "Israel" as a people or tribal confederation is in the Merneptah Stele, an inscription from ancient Egypt that dates to about 1208 BCE, but the people group may be older." 

So yeah, we got Israel mentions that date back to 1208 BCE. Before the splitting of the religions and people. 

But WAIT. What's that strip of land to the west called the Philistine states??? 

It isn't what you think it is. 

The Philistines were a group of people who lived in Canaan during the Iron Age, roughly 1175 BCE. 

They often had tiffs with their neighbors over land and identity, which often left their relations with Jerusalem not the best. 

Now, during this time, many of the settlements throughout what is now Israel was sparsely populated and the original inhabitants (the Canaan people) were dwindling and fading out. It wasn't uncommon during this time to come across completely abandoned settlements and ruins. 

Most of the population was centered around Jerusalem. 

You see, back in the late Bronze age, Egypt called all the shots. Take a look at the map down below. Look at all that Egypt territory! 

(keep an eye on that purple bit. It’s about to get important). 

Egypt had final authority on all land disputes in this area. They considered the whole area to be a part of their domain. Their records were a little....outdated. They still listed everything as being run by the Canaanites! In fact, it wasn't uncommon for the lingering Canaanites to run to Egypt any time they had issues with the other tribes and demand that it be settled in their courts.  When we start to see mention of Israel in Egyptian records, it is referring to a people (think ethnicity) and NOT a state! And the Egyptians were starting to see them as a problem. 

So what happened to the Canaanites? They got absorbed by the tribes that were taking over the land: Philistines, Phoenicians (Hey, I know that word from middle school history!), and the Israelites. 

In 539 BCE, a little nation called Neo-Assyrian Empire took the northern part of Israel. Then they slowly expanded into the Assyrian Empire. 

Wait a moment. Zoom in. Enhance. Look at Jerusalem hanging out all alone over there as an unconquered little square surrounded by orange. 

You see, Jerusalem was built as a fortress. A fully walled in city surrounded by unforgiving hill country, and land that worked in their favor. 

And then, Babylon happened. They were having a pretty good run and getting a pretty good reputation as being a HUGE thorn in the side of the rising empires. 

You see that bright purple bit on the other map up there? Yeah, it’s about to get a LOT bigger. 

(This is a VERY simplified map. Because this is early Neo-Babylon and it absolutely expanded further than this over time. )

They expanded around 911-505 BCE and wiped the Philistine people out. POOF. GONE. These people most likely were killed off and taken as slaves by Babylon and then assimilated into the Babylonian people. 

What's interesting is that the Hebrew Bible (which is a record of the Jewish People, their history, and their story of survival as well as laws) is the primary source of the mention of the Philistines due to the conflict with them. (It’s also mentioned in the Quran.) 

So what happened? 

In-fighting. Lots and lots of in-fighting. But that's over simplifying it. If you are Jewish, you know what I'm talking about (this is why there is a rule about how "A Jew is a Jew is a Jew". Division is what leads to weakening of a people and leads to what happens next). The fracturing of the kingdom and disputes over rulers and laws caused them to divide their loyalties and left them open to bad things. Very bad things. 

Remember Babylon? And how they wiped out the Philistines? 

They didn't exactly avoid Israel on their voyage to wipe out the Philistines. 

720 BCE, The Kingdom of Israel fell to the newly forming Babylonian Empire. 

King Nebuchadnezzar II grew tired of Jewish revolts against the new empire (see the unconquerable city of Jerusalem) and well... 

They attacked Jerusalem. This is called "The Fall of the 1st Temple" in Jewish history (589–586 BCE).

Jerusalem fell and the Jewish People were exiled (taken as slaves) to Babylon. This is recorded history! 

It was during this that the Israelite religion really started to form and come together. 

You see, when the temple was wiped out, it was a blatant attempt to destroy not just a people, but a record of a people and erase them and all mentions of them from the face of the earth (See the Philistine people who pretty much only exist because of a few Jewish records about their disputes). 

But the people retained their stories in exile and really got together and formed the corner stone for the way the world's first Monotheistic religion worked: Judaism. (People of Judah. Get it? It's based on a people from a place!) 

The exile lasted for a long....long time. Exile not just as slaves, but with strict laws that forbid the Jewish people from setting foot in their old land. 

What happened next? King Cyrus! (At this point, Persia existed 550 BCE). 

I'm not going to get into the history of Persia (though it is FASCINATING and I recommend you look at it if you want to know the history of the middle east.) 

Now good king Cyrus told the Jews that they were all free to go in 538 BCE. So naturally the Jewish people packed up and made a run for Judah. 

This was called "The Return to Zion". 

What does that mean? 

"Zion is a placename in the Hebrew Bible, often used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole." 

So that’s where that word originated from! 

OH. You know what else is called Zion? Mount Zion. A mountain located to the south... It has SIGNIFICANT biblical meaning, as well as the location of strongholds and other things. Look it up. 

So, the Jews were allowed to return to Judah, but it still fell under Persian rule. They were just considered a 'Self-governing Jewish Province". 

Some returned. Some stayed. They'd lived in Babylon so long that they figured they had made a home there. I’m also willing to bet that there was reluctance to leave due to 1. The great distance they had to travel (like some sort of…exodus?) and 2. Fear of it being a trick and getting captured again. Hmmmm…. Sounds like a familiar story? 

You may be asking yourself about Egypt right about now. What's this exodus and ten commandment thing and the plagues and all that fun business I heard about in the bible/torah/Quran. (Hi Moses! in Hebrew his name is Moshe. In the Quran it's Musa! But in Muslim, it's a different story and not exactly the familiar one against Pharaoh!) 

Well, I'm not going to get too deeply into the religious stories for a lot of reasons, but a lot of the original Bible (old testament)/Torah was based off of stories told while the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon! They told these stories as a way to keep their faith, traditions, and cultural identities alive while being forced to assimilate. (The story of Noah and the flood mimics a Babylonian flood myth: Gilgamesh Flood! It's a fascinating read). 

But that isn't to say that Judea didn't have complicated and often nasty relations with Egypt. 

But, as the Jewish people slowly started to return to Judah, a more distinctive Jewish identity, culture, and religion started to form. 

And it was at this time that the Second temple was built. 

This is where things are going to start getting complicated. 

Second temple period! (520 BCE-70 CE) 

Because of what happened in Babylon, it became more important than ever to revise how they did things. 

The second temple became a bigger deal and the way the city was run changed. 

Hey look, Persia has a new king! And he's not liking what he's seeing in Judea. These guys are starting to get a little too big for their britches. 

BUT WAIT! Look over there! It's Alexander the Great! And he's conquered Phoenicia and Gaza! 

The Greek Syrian empire is starting to spread out. But there's a small truce with Judea. They’ll protect them from Persia and the Jews can keep doing their thing as long as they aren't a problem. 

However, the Seleucid Empire is starting to push into Judea and take control. The Seleucid empire was a Greek power during the Hellenistic period (312 BCE) founded by the Macedonian Empire...Ruled by Alexander the Great. And they are big into worshiping other gods and forcing people to worship their gods and rulers. This is a big no no for the Jewish people and kingdom of Judea. 

They start to send envoys to Greek trying to get the rulers there to listen to them. It’s not long before their envoys start coming back with bad news….and then stop coming back. 

The Jewish people have seen this before. 

And guess what? Jerusalem has become a problem. They aren't liking all the Hellenistic influence happening in Judea or the fact that the empire is starting to put a stranglehold on them. 

Alright, all my Jewish people? It's time to revolt with the Maccabees! (167-140 BCE) Jerusalem was under siege and the walls are breached! The city is taken and the temple has been captured by the enemy. 

Remember about the hostile countryside I mentioned earlier? 

Time for some Guerrilla warfare! The Maccabees retake the city and spend 8 days fixing up the temple after it was desecrated and all they got is just a little oil that stretches out way longer than it should have lasted (Hanukkah cliff note story version). 

But, there are other powers that are threatening them. Egypt has fallen and the Seleucid Empire is pretty pissed at them. 

We get revolt after revolt. Judea wants the Greeks gone and Rome is the power to do it.

140 BCE - 63 BCE. The Hasmonean dynasty takes control of Judea. They expand outward. 

The Hasmonean dynasty was a ruling dynasty of Judea that is WAY more complicated than I'm willing to get into because I barely understand it. But here it is if anyone wants to take a crack at it. 

Basically, with the Seleucid Empire falling apart, Judea gained autonomy and expanded into neighboring regions (Perea, Samaria, Idumea, Galilee, and Iturea). 

The Roman Republic stepped in at some point and it became a "client state" of Rome. 

Now, those of you that know your Greek/Roman history know that some big power changes are starting to happen. 

Enter King Herod (37 BCE) (And all the Christians in the room say BOOO.) 

Now SOME of you may be paying attention to the dates. We stopped going down and started going back up. 

All the Christian’s here know what that means. A certain Jewish man has been born, caused problems for the Romans, and then was killed by the Romans for causing problems. 

We now have the birth of Christianity. At this point it’s just seen as a division of Judaism and not a real separate entity. 

We got Julius Caesar and Pompey and Mark Antony and Augustus happening over there in Rome and Judea is doing its best to stay alive and independent. They need protection from the other places that are trying to take them out and they know Rome is the key. So they make deals with one ruler only for that ruler to be killed and replaced by other rulers. It's getting hard for them to keep up. 

6 CE Rome is their ally. 44 CE Rome sends someone to preside over them and Judea is considered a "Minor province." 

Powers are changing hands so fast that no one knows who is in charge anymore. 

The Hasmonean Kingdom eventually falls, but the Jewish desire for independence continues. Only now, they are at war with Rome. 

This whole time period is a cluster of problems and it’s honestly hard to keep up with who was allies and in charge and ruling and expanding and fighting. Just know that Caesar wasn’t the only one getting knifed in the back and by the time a face was stamped on a coin there was a new face in charge. It was rough. 

The important thing to know is that in the year 70 CE, Rome besieged Jerusalem. 

Emperor Titus was done with the Jewish issue. 

They held out as long as they could. And then the walls fell. 

The city was burned and the temple was looted and burned. The majority of the population that wasn't killed in the fighting was outright massacred and the rest were taken as slaves. 

The Jews that managed to make it out of the city ran for the countryside and hillside. Many were hunted down and killed by waiting soldiers. The Jewish population was sold and scattered across the roman empire. 

The loot taken from the temple was paraded through Rome with the slaves. They even made a monument for it! 

Arch of Titus, which still stands in Rome today. You can see them carrying the holy Menorah through the streets. 

There is plenty of Archeological evidence that supports what happened at the destruction of Jerusalem. 

Massive stone collapses from the Temple Mount's walls were discovered laying over the Herodian street that runs along the Western Wall. 

It's theorized that 1.1 Million people, the majority of the Jewish people, were killed during the siege. 

I can't convey enough just how big this event was. 

All Jewish people were forbidden from setting foot in Judea. 

We now come to 73 CE, Christianity is considered its own distinct religion. 

So what happened to the land? 

All the Jews were gone. Banished, enslaved, or dead. So who got the land? 

Well... Firstly, the city of Jerusalem was gone. When Rome wanted something gone, they made it gone. 

There was rubble and not much else. 

Know what else they did? The forest was burned down. The land was razed to a point where even today, it is still struggling to recover. 

Jewish areas around Jerusalem were systematically destroyed one by one. There were still uprisings here and there, but they were quickly put down. 

The Roman emperor Hadrian decided that he'd had enough of revolts and set out to destroy Judea once and for all. And while he did kick it in the teeth, he never succeeded in destroying the people. (They got real good at surviving and real stubborn about not getting eradicated). Small Jewish areas did survive in various outlier areas and small farming places that were otherwise overlooked. But life was certainly not made easy for them.

Judaea was changed to Syria Palaestina. 

Sound familiar? Two empires that were enemies to the Jewish people. Remember when I said the Greek records were really out of date and still listed the Canaanites as in charge of the area? Well… They also still called the area Palestina.   You see, Hadrian got the name "Palaestina" from Herodotus' Histories from nearly 500 years before. But Herodotus only called the strip of land along the coast "Palaistine" after the Philistines. He wasn't referring to all of Judaea. And the reason Herodotus called that strip of coastline "Palaistine" was because the Philistines were Mycenaean Greeks, so he was recognizing a (long since dead) former settlement of Greeks. (When Rome wants you gone, they want you GONE and to suffer).

Rome built a colony on the ruins of Jerusalem, Aelia Capitolina. Eventually, former Judea became a Christian pilgrimage and was settled by Christians. The land became known as Palestine. 

Not what you were expecting, huh? Bet you didn’t think the Christians would get involved in this Jewish vs Muslim issue. 

So 900 BCE to 70 CE, it belonged to the Jewish people (with the brief exception to the period of exile to Babylon). 

Then the Christians took over from Rome when Christianity took over and mass conversions started to sweep the world. 

Eventually, the population became a mixed bag of Romans and migrants from nearby provinces. 

361-363 CE - The Roman Emperor says the Jewish people can return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. In fact, he encourages it! He’s excited about it and starts to fund it and gathers up all the leaders, who are confused but cautiously optimistic. 

The Emperor is assassinated before anything gets underway and the Jewish people are banished from the holy land again. 

438 CE - Jews are now allowed to visit the Temple site. Note how it's visit, not live. A few times a year they are let into the city to visit where the Temple once stood so they can pray, then they are forced to leave again. 

Oops! Back up a it! What’s happening over there during all this? It’s the 7th Century and Islam has now become a major religion! Any Jews hanging out in the Arabian Peninsula? Convert or get out. They’re going to keep their eye on what’s been happening with Rome, the Jews, and the Christians in regards to ‘Palestine’. 

After all, Islam is a cousin to Judaism and they do share similarities to the holy sites. 

And there have been MANY wars over the holy sites. Sieges, betrayals, false alliances, and an overall repeated attempt to eradicate and massacre people over the land.

Now, we all know the Roman Empire eventually fell. But the Jewish people? Still banished. They became the Diaspora. Attempting to settle in place after place until they are either massacred, converted, or kicked out. They have no home. Just a place to sit for a bit until the next massacre forces them to flee. 

That's not even getting into the Crusades of the Christians against Islam in Palestine 1095-1291!! 

So... Skipping over a LOT of history and massacres and terrible things....

Oh boy oh boy. I'm going to skip a LOT. Because the crusades are a mess of WTFery and I'm not writing a thesis here (right?). 

But... 1917, enter Britain. Because of course Britain has to get involved at some point. You wouldn't be telling a world history tragedy story without Britain somehow getting involved. 

They take control of Palestine from the Turks. Basically, WWI just ended and the Ottoman Empire lost big time. Their punishment? Britain now rules their land (I’ll get to that in a bit). 

A decree is issued establishing Palestine as a national home for Jewish People, so long as nothing is done to cause prejudice or remove the civil rights or religious rights of the existing people that live there (Non-Jewish communities). 

Many Jewish people interpret this to mean that ALL of Palestine is now a Jewish State. 

1921: Britain changes their mind. All of Palestine east of the Jordan River is closed to Jewish settlement, but not to Arab settlement. 

Oh boy. 

1923: Britain says Arabs can immigrate but NOT Jewish people to Syria and Lebanon. 

What? What are you doing Britain? 

Remember that Western Wall rubble that was found in Jerusalem? The last remains of the Temple? By 1929: Muslims and Jews have been fighting over that wall for ages. Riots break out in Palestine and Jewish people are massacred. 

Annnnnnd that takes us to 1933 when Hitler rises to power. Jewish people everywhere attempt to start to emigrate and flee to what they hope are safe countries. 

1939: British government limits Jewish immigrants to 10,000 a year. Jewish people are trapped and the Holocaust catches up. 

1945-1948: Post Holocaust refugees try to find the only place that they may call home: Palestine. The British government detains them and prevents their entry. 

1946-1948: Things start to get violent in Palestine and British rule is unsure if they want Jews there or not. 

1947: the UN approves the creation of the Jewish State and an Arab State in British ruled Palestine. 

1948: Israel declares independence as a Jewish State and opens up to all Jewish people trying to find a safe place to live after the Holocaust. Essentially, it becomes a refugee state and if you are Jewish in any manner of the word, you are now a citizen and have a country to escape to when the massacres happen. 

A Jewish Exodus from Arab and Muslim lands results as they flee or are expelled. 

Egypt invades and Israel holds fast, expanding its borders as a result. 

Egypt continues to attack and threaten Israel until the Six Day War in 1967 when Israel captured the West Bank

(Pictured here)

The West Bank is considered the heart of Palestinians. This is known as the Gaza Strip. 

Many Israelis see this area as their ancestral Homeland. Many Israeli settlements are starting to push into this area in a ruthless attempt to take it back. I DO say ruthless because they have been using violence against those living there and farming there. 

There is international law that states that this area is off limits to Israelis. 

"1890: The term "Zionism" is coined by an Austrian Jewish publicist Nathan Birnbaum in his journal "Self Emancipation" and is defined as the National movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish Sovereignty in the Land of Israel. "

Now, the term Zionism has taken on different roles and meanings over the years. I mentioned above what the word means and comes from. But it was later claimed by right wing Israelis who want the Arab nations out of Israel. It was later taken back again to being used as a simple declaration of nationalism for the right for Jews to have a place to call their own. 

It's...complicated. I think Zionism can only really be defined by those who claim they are Zionists. Which ideology they follow may vary and much like any notion of nationalism, there are problems and dangers. 

Is it wrong to be a Zionist? Depends. But the answer is not a straightforward yes or no. 

The Jewish people deserve to exist in a state. But so do the Palestinians. 

Let's talk about Palestine! 

Historically, you got nothing until Judea is destroyed and the people are taken as slaves and killed in 70 CE. 

Then you have a bunch of Christians wandering around it declaring all the historical sites to be theirs. Which, since Christianity comes from Judaism, they happen to share a lot of the same spiritual and historical sites. 

But so does Islam.

There are repeated revolts, wars, disputes, and claims to the area by MANY different factions. 

Many times the Jewish people attempted to retake the area only to be put down again and again. 

In the late 6th Century, Islam was founded. They conquered Palestine in 636. Unlike previous rulers, they allowed Jews and Christians the freedom to practice their religion in peace.... but they had to pay a special tax and be submissive to Muslims. But, they did lift the centuries long ban on Jews being banished from Jerusalem. 

Guess who wasn't a fan of all this? 

Time for Crusades to 'liberate' Jerusalem from the Muslims. 

European Christians campaigned against Muslims to reconquer the 'Holy Land' of Palestine. 

Hey look! The Ottomon Empire (1466 CE) decided to show up! 

As I mentioned above, the Ottoman Empire had sided with the Germans and lost. They were driven from Palestine and British rule took over. 

Remember how I mentioned that the British government declared Palestine to be a Jewish State in 1916? Well it turns out that just one year earlier, in 1915, it had been declared an Arab State in which the UK agreed to recognize Arab independence. BOTH declarations were seen as giving full control to either the Jewish People or the Arabs. 

Good job Britain. Way to do what you always do and cock it up. 

Here’s the biggest problem with saying that you side fully with Palestine. Internationally recognized terrorists political movement of: Hamas. 

Hamas is an Acronym that translates to 'Islamic Resistance Movement'. 

It's a political military movement that governs parts of the Gaza Strip. 

They have taken charge and governed the Gaza Strip since 2006 and have periodically attacked Israel. They promote Palestinian Nationalism in a strictly Islamic context. 

In fact, they propose that Israel NOT be recognized as a state and that a strictly Palestinian State be formed. 

All the truces they offer to Israel over the years? Incredibly Antisemitic. They have carried out numerous terrorist attacks against the citizens of Israel and continue to 'advocate' for the return of Palestine without Jews. 

They tend to be the 'dominant political force' in Palestine because of their anti-israel stance. They pretend to want a two state solution, but will repeatedly reject talks and demand "From the River to the Sea". Their end goal is to remove ALL of Israel and return the entire region to Palestine, thus making it an Islamic State. 

It’s important to know that this is a radical group that unfortunately has a lot of control and uses its own people to terrorize and hide behind in an effort to bring about fear and hate and death. The actual Palestinian people do not deserve that. 

It’s also important to know that the Israeli people do not all support their own government or leaders who have decided to take up an extremist approach to attempting to eradicate the terrorist movement. 

MANY Israeli and Palestinian people believe in trying to find a negotiation that will benefit both sides and share a land that in a long lengthy way does represent three major religions. 

It is important to know what Charities are supporting. Where the money is going, and who is only furthering violence on both sides. 

It’s also important to know your history. 

When I was little, If you said someone was Jewish, I imagined a white European man. Why is that the common image of a Jewish person? How is it possible to be a colonizer if your people come from that country in the first place? 

So I'm going to ask you a question, and I REALLY want you to think about this. 

If someone owns land and comes from a land, they are forcibly removed from the land for a LONG amount of time, someone else comes in and makes a home of this land and lives there for a long time, and then the first people want that land back.... Do they become colonizers? Are they wrong? Do they not deserve their land back?

If you think the answer is yes, you need to go have a conversation with the Native Americans. 

BUT, as we all know... What do you do about the people that currently own and live on that land that was stolen from the first people? Maybe you didn't do the stealing, but you acquired stolen property and if you give it back then now you have nowhere else to go.... What sort of conversation needs to happen now? How do you solve this problem? 

If you made it to the end, I thank you so much for taking the time to be curious about history and how it impacts current events. If you have questions, please let me know.

#History #Palestine #Israel #Stop letting tik tok tell you what to think #Antisemitism isn't the answer #Long post #Taking a risk here but it's worth it #Jewish history #jumblr #Over simplification of events but still useful I hope #Please read #please at least skim it

[apnourry]

rediscovering this gem of a pose

#hi #me #my face #I can't share this with irl friends so online will have to do #cute girls #girls who lift #girls with tattoos #the irony of everything being covered lol #penguin socks #wombats #girls with glasses #the way I was so worried the ass wouldn't come back when I was super sick and dropped a bunch of weight #hah #the workouts have been worth it baby the ass is back and bettah than evah #I realize the RISK of posting this and how likely I am to get unwanted messages but like I take pictures just to be #comfortable with how I look whenever and to appreciate every stage of life right and I should be able to post for myself #the tags are a habit and ramblings #anyway #i love yall #hot girl shit #AS USUAL #selfie #mirror selfie #typical vain girl stuff #later taters #happy weekend #btw #the claw clip looks like a little friend I just noticed it lol #my tiny companion! #comrade Clawdette

[tangledinink]

I can imagine the first cycle after moving. Probably Leo because Donnie likely has internal scarring, so leo goes through the process of laying his eggs, panics, his brother can't help, and finally, *finally* they ask for help. It's not willingly. It's not for fun. It's purely necessity. It's purely because there's *literally noone else* and the idea of telling anyone at all is so scary that the way they do so is in a note. Splinter sits them down and basically walks them through "You're safe, you're fine. We can handle this however you feel most comfortable, including getting you both on blockers if you prefer" and they just.... sigh. For the first time, there's *someone else* in their circle, and it's willing and it's warm, and it's *safe*. There will be tears.

Yes, except I'm not convinced that either of them could stand to tell anyone. Even if it was literally life or death (which it has been before,) I'm not sure if either of them could bear to give up that information. Donnie is finally, finally away from the people who hurt him when he got found out last time, and even though logically, he knows that it's different here, he's absolutely petrified of the thought that the same thing will happen again and it won't be over anymore. He's still horrified by the idea of anyone else knowing about Leo when he's gone to such lengths for so long to protect him, and Leo is likewise terrified in the same way. They've spent years with this being their more closely guarded secret, and that's going to be really difficult to give up.

But it's really not a secret they'll be able to keep for long.

They're in a completely different environment, with far less space and privacy. They're both stressed as hell and Donnie WAS on birth control and taking all sorts of vitamins and supplements to make sure he didn't eggbind again and now he's suddenly not and it's not only messing with his body, it's fucking scary. It literally keeps them both up at night. Neither of them know how to wash blood out of clothes or sheets. There's no private en suite bathroom they can sequester themselves away in. They're both literally making themselves sick with anxiety trying to deal with this, and they're used to handling this on their own, this is routine for them, but they're not used to all of this.

They'd probably metaphorically limp through a few cycles before their family puts it together and gently confronts them.

Venus probably figures it out first. She's pretty smart, and incredibly observant, and after all-- she quite literally experiences the exact same thing. April may not lay eggs, but I think she'd be able to get the idea after a bit as well. And while I think Splinter would realize something was wrong pretty quickly, Draxum would probably realize what was wrong first. Splinter has April, so he has a little bit of experience in this realm, but Draxum has Venus and so he has far more experience.

And so when they do sit them down and talk with them, it's going to be really scary at first. And then they get to, "you're safe, you're fine, we can handle this however you feel the most comfortable. It will be okay. No one will hurt you."

And then there's finally other people in the know, in the circle, people who will actually help them. And yes-- there will definitely be tears.

#leo in particular will probably panic at least a little when theyre confronted #because its been what? almost four years? #almost FOUR YEARS of him keeping this a secret at any cost #almost four years with no one else in the universe aside from his twin knowing #and now the spell is broken #but its okay #and they might panic and cry for a little but then they calm down and its... actually ok. things will actually be okay #april will take to big-sistering them so hard #and lowkey just? having venus exist in the household will be incredibly helpful #(she was honestly so baffled that everyone else didnt realize what was going on right away. it wasnt obvious????) #mikey tries to spoil them the same way he tries to spoil venus whenever she feels nasty #(but has to adjust a bit to respect boundaries because. donnie will bite him...) #likewise raph tries to take care of them the same way he'd take care of casey #(ie by leaving offerings at their doors and staying the fuck out of their way. just overall letting them do or have whatever they want) #their family will take care of them and keep them safe and things will get better #its honestly a huge relief when they get caught in some ways because leo can finally be like #and donnie got really sick one time and almost died and im scared itll happen again PLZ can we make sure it doesnt happen again #donnie in the background like >:0000 that leo just fucking OUTTED HIM LIKE THAT #but to leo 1000% worth it if it means donnie wont get sick and die #(as if donnie is actually realistically at any more significant risk of that than leo is) #(quite frankly theyre BOTH at risk of it at the time because of how stressed they are. lowkey a miracle neither of them eggbound yet smh) #also donnie def has internal scarring lmao;;;; poor bab. makes it a bit rough... #menstruation #tw menstruation #cw menstruation #gemini au #asks #anon #csa implied #cw csa implied

[oscarwetnwilde]

James Wilby's 2000's roles, part one

Jericho- The Hollow Men: Alan Mills (2005) Strike Back: Charles Ridley (2015) Endeavour- Neverland: ACC Clive Deare (2014) A Risk Worth Taking: Patrick Trenchard (2008) Lady Godiva: Leofric (2008) Murder In Mind- Echoes: Daniel Morton/Sir Richard Morton (2003) Trial & Retribution: James McCready (2000) Victoria- Engine Of Change: Sir Piers Gifford (2016) Gradiva (C'est Gradiva qui vous appelle): John Locke (2006) Impact Earth: Josh Hayden (2008)

#James Wilby #James Wilby in the 2000s #Jericho #Strike Back #Endeavour #A Risk Worth Taking #Lady Godiva #Murder In Mind #Trial & Retribution #Victoria #Gradiva #Impact Earth #Alan Mills #Charles Ridley #ACC Clive Deare #Leofric #Daniel Morton #Sir Richard Morton #James McCready #Sir Piers Gifford #John Locke #Josh Hayden

[jakeperalta]

like I love love I am the biggest romantic I think love in all its forms is the most important thing in the world etc but also. I hate love. hate how much its bound up with loss. hate that it's like a constant uphill battle to fully believe in it. hate that there's always so many reminders of how it can not work

#being in love is really just deciding over and over that being with that person is worth more than the risk of heartbreak #and it goes against every instinct to not assume that all relationships end in heartbreak #me: about to take a Huge Step reminding myself it's ok to make the jump because 6+ years is a long time and we're solid #vs me learning the news about another seemingly solid same length relationship falling apart 🥲🥲 #talking

[gendrie]

Sansa backed away from the window, retreating toward the safety of her bed. I'll go to sleep, she told herself, and when I wake it will be a new day, and the sky will be blue again. The fighting will be done and someone will tell me whether I'm to live or die. "Lady," she whimpered softly, wondering if she would meet her wolf again when she was dead. (Sansa, ACOK) That night she lay in her narrow bed upon the scratchy straw, listening to the voices of the living and the dead whisper and argue as she waited for the moon to rise. They were the only voices she trusted anymore. She could hear the sound of her own breath, and the wolves as well, a great pack of them now. They are closer than the one I heard in the godswood, she thought. They are calling to me. (Arya, ACOK)

i like the contrast here. arya and sansa are both trapped; in the red keep and harrenhal respectively.

the former is under active siege and sansa thinks she might die if the castle falls. cersei promised as much. sansa decides to retreat to her bed (where a drunken man with ptsd is waiting) and wait to see what happens. she does not feel in control of her fate; passively thinking she will simply be told if she is to live or die. her last thought here is of her dead wolf. sansa no longer has the warg connection that her siblings maintain with their wolves and you feel that loss in this moment.

esp compared to arya who is separated from her wolf but the connection btween them is only growing stronger. as arya lays in her bed she contemplates her next move. this castle has already fallen and arya survived, but the threat of violence is closing in all around her. this is the moment where arya decides to escape. she has no other choice if she wants to live. in the godswood, her warg abilities surged powerfully and the old gods remind arya of who she is and where she belongs. the wolves howling from outside the castle walls are nymeria's and they strengthen arya's resolve. if she can get out of the castle she will be one step closer to where she belongs: with the wolves.

#for aryas its a risk worth taking #bc she has the pack #and this time they protect her #asoiaf nonsense #my drafts are out of control again #bc asoiaf has been on my mind. sad! #this is an oldie from my last acok reread

[teruel-a-witch]

today i'm thinking about how steve and danny are that ridiculous couple who argues over who gets to risk their life, 'better me than him', like in 3x15

steve: i'm gonna draw the fire to draw out the sniper, kono will take the shot.

danny: please don't do that, please lis-- and he's gone, of course, don't listen to me, don't listen to reason, be you. it's very you of you.

also danny: *proceeds to draw fire himself before steve even realised what happened*

steve: *offended noises* WTF was that, scarface????

danny: a taste of your own medicine? :P you plan was flawed.

steve: *to the tune of you liiiiike me* wait, you were worried about me? 😏

danny: that is not the lesson here!

steve: *can't hear anything over Danny-Cares-About-Me*

#mcdanno #to steve his life isn't worth much #but danny is a father and therefore already so much more valuable #however steve's life is worth a lot to danny #enough that he apparently risks not coming back home to his daughter #all to take the fire #anyway they are dumb and in love #idiots in love #h50 #h50 meta #h50 3x15 #h50 season 3 #hawaii five 0 #myh50 #steve mcgarrett #danny williams #h50 incorrect quotes #but only at the end there #im basically translating lol

[secret-whump-basement]

Whumper invites people over to their place, maybe a work dinner or a holiday party. The trick is, these people aren’t aware of Whumpee and all that, so what to do with them?

Option A: Force Whumpee to play along with the nice domestic charade. Whumper gets to show off their lovely new partner and be as handsy with Whumpee as they like. Whumpee knows if they break character, if any of their bruises or scars show, if anyone starts acting the slightest bit suspicious…they’re in for pure hell. Whumpee forces themselves to smile as Whumper kisses their cheek and tells them to go serve everyone dinner

Option B: Lock them up somewhere inside. Mind games are fun, but this is minimal risk. Keep them tied up to the bedpost and gagged, lock the bedroom door. Keep them in their little basement cell and let them know if they make one move to escape, one tiny noise that anyone upstairs hears, they’ll be begging for death. Whumper might forget to feed them that day, but they’ll manage. If Whumpee behaves maybe they can get the table scraps as a treat

Option C: Keep them tied up somewhere outside. Why even let them stay in the house for this event? Whumper could lock them in the backyard shed, or maybe even tie them to a tree in the woods. Hopefully it doesn’t get too cold out there, or the party doesn’t run too late. Whumpee might not be let inside until the next day

#atlas posts #whump scenario #whump prompt #whumpblr #whump #I do love mind games #whumpee is So Close to ppl who could help them but….can they rlly trust them? #is it even worth it to take that risk? who can say!