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Happy Hanukkah. 18th December to 26th December.
Jewish celebration of Rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem.
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Inside the newly renovated Manti Utah Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Read the Church Newsroom article. Learn more about Latter-day Saint temples, their purposes, and find a temple open house near you.
Built 1888, renovated 1985, rededicated 2024.
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gay-jewish-bucky · 1 year
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Hey!
Are you a gentile?
Do you want to celebrate Hanukkah, but you haven't been welcomed into a celebration held by Jews (friends, family, co-workers, etc.)?
DO NOT CELEBRATE HANUKKAH
No matter what your reasoning for celebrating is, from honouring Jesus (seriously, Jesus has nothing to do with Judaism and he sure as hell never celebrated Hanukkah) to "standing with Jews", or just liking the aesthetic/thinking it seems fun.
Not only is this cultural appropriation of a closed religion, but Hanukkah specifically, while being a minor holiday, has a deep cultural significance and Jews have faced continued violence for observing it.
Yes, Hanukkah is about the miracle of light, but it's also about us celebrating our people's successful revolt against and overthrow of our violent persecution, forced assimilation, and the repression of our religion at the hands of the Greeks resulting in the liberation and rededication of the temple which had been stolen and desecrated and used for the benefit of gentiles. It's about choosing to maintain our Judaism even if it means death.
Again, if you have people in your life who are Jewish who welcome you to celebrate with them, that is wonderful and we are happy to have you, but you should not be doing it independently, to do so goes against the very reason we celebrate.
Before you shout "gatekeeping" remember Judaism is a closed practice, if you want to be allowed through those gates you need the key.
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chai-af · 5 months
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chanukah !!
chanukah is coming up! it’s a jewish holiday (can be seen spelled several different ways such as “hanukkah”) that commemorates jewish resistance to assimilation.
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in the second century bce, judea, the land where jewish people’s ancestors resided, were subjected to pressure from the greeks to accept their culture and beliefs (during this period, judea was ruled by the seleucids, which are the syrian-greeks).
you may have not heard of antiochus IV, the successor of alexander the great, who conquered judea (along with syria and egypt). while alexander allowed the people under his control to continue observing their religious traditions, antiochus was much more oppressive. he massacred jews and prohibited the practice of judaism, as well as requiring the sacrifice of pigs at the holy temple (pigs aren’t kosher and therefore it is sacrilegious to sacrifice them).
a jewish army led by judah the maccabee revolted against the assimilation of hellenistic jews and the oppression of the seleucid greek government. they miraculously defeated the seleucid army and drove them off the land. jews reclaimed the holy temple in jerusalem and “rededicated” it (as it was desecrated by the seleucids). the word chanukah means “dedication” because of this event.
it is said that when the jewish people went to light the temple’s menorah, they only find one cruse of olive oil that was untouched by the seleucids. thus, they let the menorah with that one-day supply and it lasted for eight days. this story gives reasoning as to why we light our chanukah candle on the chanukiah (a 9-branched menorah)* every night for eight nights. it’s also why chanukah is also known as the festival of lights.
so today, other than lighting the candles, we also eat foods that are fried in oil such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts). another popular tradition is to play with the dreidel, which is a (typically wooden) four-sided spinning top, with a hebrew letter on each side (נ‎, ג‎, ה‎, ש‎; nun, gimel, hey, and shin). each letter represents an action that the spinner has to do. it’s sort of a gambling game and typically uses chocolate gelt (those chocolate coins covered in gold foil) as currency.
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* why are they 9 branches when we light the candles for eight night? because the ninth candle is in the middle and known as the shamash, or the heper candle. it is the candle that is lit first and used to light the other candle. each night’s new candle is added from right to left, while we light them from left to right.
sources:
https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/102911/jewish/What-Is-Hanukkah.htm
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/hannukah
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-hanukkah#:~:text=Hanukkah%2C%20which%20means%20%E2%80%9Cdedication%2C,Temple's%20candelabrum%20for%20one%20day.
hope those who celebrate have a happy chanukah, and happy holidays to the rest of you lovely people <3
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fdelopera · 4 months
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youtube
Jews are an ancient people, and Jewish history stretches back through the millennia, all the way to the Bronze Age Levant.
In my previous Jewish history lessons, I shared Sam Aronow's videos about the real history of Hanukkah. I also shared two of Sam Aronow's videos about the Hasmonean Dynasty in Judea, which began after the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Greek Empire (which gave us the story of Hanukkah).
The festival of Hanukkah celebrates the time when Judah Maccabee purified and rededicated the Second Temple in Jerusalem, after the Seleucid Greek army under King Antiochus IV had intentionally defiled the Temple by sacrificing pigs on the Altar.
So, how did the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem work normally, when Jerusalem was not under siege?
In this video, Sam Aronow describes the basic running of the Second Temple, and explains the deep connection that Jews all over the known world had and still have to the city of Jerusalem.
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numinousmysteries · 4 months
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A Miracle, Perhaps
@eightnightsofmulder
@today-in-fic
Eight Nights of Mulder Day Five: Miracles
[on Ao3]
November 1994
Hanukkah falls early this year, beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Mulder hasn’t mentioned anything about going to visit his mom so Scully isn’t surprised to see him in the office on Monday morning.
“How was your Thanksgiving?” he asks as she turns to hang her coat up.
“Fine,” she says, not wanting to elaborate.
In truth, it had been an awkward affair. She hadn’t realized how much her family’s congenial rapport depended on everyone being on their best behavior for her father. Without the captain to steer them, tensions flared. Thinking he’d be free of Bill Scully Sr.’s judgment, Charlie made his first appearance at his mother’s table in years with his long-term boyfriend Harry, only to face Bill Jr.’s wrath. This led to a very drunk Melissa “accidentally” knocking a full glass of red wine onto Bill’s shirt as she gestured wildly in her little brother’s defense. Once Charlie stormed off with Harry trailing behind him (apologizing to Maggie and thanking her for the food as quickly and quietly as he could) Bill turned his anger on Dana. He argued that by staying with the FBI even after her abduction she was only asking to get killed.
It all ended with Maggie retreating to her bedroom to cry, Melissa vomiting in the bathroom, Bill cursing into his whiskey at the table, and Dana silently washing dishes in the kitchen.
“Did you spend the holiday with your family?” she asks, coming to sit across from him at his desk.
Mulder shakes his head. “Nope. Frohike made his famous chicken wings, which is close enough to turkey for me.”
“What about Hanukkah? You celebrated with your mother last year,” she says, hesitating as she eases into new territory.
Two years into their partnership and they still do this awkward dance around each other when it comes to anything remotely personal. She’s more than partly to blame herself since she doesn’t willingly share much about her own life.
“‘Celebrate’ is a generous word,” Mulder says. “We didn’t exactly light the menorah and spin a dreidel around. My mom started taking her sleeping pills earlier and earlier each day until she was basically conking out after lunch. I don’t think she really likes having me around.”
“That can’t be true.”
Mulder shrugs. “I think I just remind her of Samantha. Or rather Samantha’s absence.”
“What about your father?” Scully says, trying to change the subject.
“It’s funny,” he says. “My dad’s family was Jewish and my mother only converted before they got married, but as long as I can remember he never wanted anything to do with religion. Besides, Hanukkah isn’t even a very significant holiday. It just happens to fall around Christmas so it’s gotten swept up in that all-American, gift-giving, capitalist fervor.”
“What’s the story again?” She’s familiar with the basics of the holiday but she knows Mulder likes weaving a tale for her, and she likes to listen as he does.
“Well, it all started with the rise of the Greek king Antiochus the fourth in the second century BCE. The Greeks had a mostly live-and-let-live attitude toward the Jews until then, but Antiochus wasn’t a big fan. He forbade Jews from practicing their religion and demanded they worship Greek gods instead. This all came to a head when Antiochus invaded Jerusalem, killing thousands of Jews and turning the Holy Temple into a shrine to Zeus. He also forced Jewish people to eat pork, which was strictly forbidden by the Torah, but now that I mention it, oddly puts me in the mood for bacon.”
Scully smiles but shakes her head at him.
“Anyway, a small group of Jews known as the Maccabees formed an army and managed to overpower the much larger Greek forces. They retook the temple and got rid of all the Greek idols but ran into a little problem when they went to rededicate it by lighting the menorah with pure olive oil. Because the Maccabees were soldiers returning from the battlefield, they themselves couldn’t produce pure oil until waiting seven days after having handled dead bodies. All the oil in the temple had been defiled by the Greeks except for one jug that supposedly only had enough to last for one night. But of course, as the legend goes, it ended up keeping the menorah lit for eight days, just in time for the Maccabees to start churning out their own oil. Since this all went down after the Torah was written, the only biblical allusion to the Hanukkah is actually in the New Testament when Jesus visits Jerusalem to observe the holiday—”
“—in the book of John,” Scully finishes his sentence.
“Someone paid attention in Sunday school,” he says, and she fights the feeling of a blush rising to her cheeks.
“Are you surprised?” she asks with a smile.
“Not at all,” he says, returning her grin. “Of course, some scholars consider the Maccabees to be religious fundamentalists who even killed fellow Jews they didn’t consider to be hardcore enough. And some versions of the story don’t include any reference to the so-called ‘miracle of oil,’ so who’s to say what really happened?”
“Mulder, you are willing to believe in claims of parasitic alien life forms, shape-shifting mutants, and widespread government conspiracies, but miracles don’t pass muster?” Scully asks, the corners of her lips creeping up into a smile.
He shifts in his chair, leaning forward, closer to her. “I recently witnessed one miracle that I believe in.”
“Which was?”
“Watching you go from the brink of death in that hospital bed a few months ago to sitting here and debating Talmudic wisdom with me right now. If that isn’t a miracle I don’t know what is.”
She instinctively pulls back, bracing her hands on the armrests of her chair. He doesn’t budge, keeping his eyes locked on her.
“Mulder, I can’t clarify what happened to me, why I was returned or why I recovered,” she says quietly, “but when I was unconscious in the hospital, I saw things that I believe can only be explained by the existence of a higher power.”
She hadn’t confessed this to Mulder before and she isn’t sure why. This is a man who believes in werewolves and time-traveling killers. Why is she scared to tell him about her own visions?
“What did you see?” He asks, softly, leaning in towards her.
“I saw my father. I saw my sister—and I saw you,” she says quietly. “But it wasn’t just seeing. I felt your presence.”
Mulder pauses for a beat, opening his lips to speak but not saying anything.
“Scully, I’ve heard about near-death experiences, people believing their seeing through a portal into the afterlife. But in nearly every case they can be explained by low-oxygen levels or misfiring neurons in the brain.”
“No, Mulder,” she says, looking down at her hands now. “I read my medical report. I never suffered from hypoxia or unusual neurological activity. There’s no scientific explanation for what happened.”
“So you think it was God?”
“I don’t know, Mulder,” her voice quavers. “But I can’t say for sure that it wasn’t.”
“Whatever it was, I’m glad you made it through.”
“Thank you,” she says, feeling the heat rising in her chest.
She doesn’t tell him that along with sensing his presence she felt something more—a fierce devotion bordering on love. Maybe he’s right and it was a miracle that brought her back to him. Or perhaps the miracle is whatever brought them together in the first place.
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19 December 2022 - 25 Kislev 5783
Today is the first day of Chanukah!
Chanukah is the eight-day Festival of Lights, celebrating the Miracles of Chanukah:
The first miracle: During the time of the story of Chanukah, the Holy-Land was ruled over by the Seleucids, who sought to suppress the people of Israel in their religion. A small band of faithful Jews led by the family of the Maccabees defeated the much larger Seleucid army, and reclaimed the Holy Temple.
The second miracle: To rededicate the Temple, the Maccabees sought to re-light the menorah (a seven branched candelabra) but they found there was only enough oil to burn for one night, and it would take eight days to purify more oil. Miraculously, the oil burnt for the entire eight days, so that more oil could be purified.
“Chanukah” means dedication, referring to the rededication of the Temple after desecration by the Hellenistic influences. Customs of celebration include eating foods fried in oil, playing a top called a dreidel, and lighting each night an additional candle on a special nine branched menorah.
All through Chanukah we’ll be celebrating publicly and posting our menorahs every night! Join us in celebration and post a picture of your menorah tagged #chanukahproject if you want us to reblog it! We’ll reblog as many as you can.
Happy Chanukah!
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beardedmrbean · 4 months
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Weird question what is the importance of Jerusalem for Christians and Jews? Was Jerusalem the capital of ancient Israel and why Christians like the Templars wanted to retake it?
I got long, I'm gonna TL:DR; at the end ____________________
Jerusalem was the capital of the united kingdom of Israel, well after Saul at least David moved it there and Solomon built the temple there on the piece of land that is called "the temple mount" in English at least which is the single holiest site in Judaism, which if you speak to the remaining Samaritans you will hear different since they claim to be the ones following the true way and their capital was Samaria and their temple was on Mount Gerizim that was after the split of united Israel after the death of Solomon got Judea and Samaria.
Babylonians came in and destroyed and looted the first temple Solomon's Temple in in 587 BC, Assyrians had gotten Samaria and scattered it's people to the wing the best they could getting us The Ten Lost Tribes.
Eventually the Persian empire, (guys from the battle of Thermopylae aka 300 Spartan thing) KO'd the Babylonian empire and they were a lot nicer and also understood the politics of not getting in the way of local faiths because that's one of those things people will die for.
So Cyrus the Great gave his cup-bearer Nehemiah permission to go home and rebuild his city and its temple, so construction on the Second Temple started in 516 BC. (there's lots of extrabiblical stuff to back this up btw, in case you wondered it's not all just stuff from the Torah, names may be different that's fine tho) Ezekiel came in and rededicated it and began teaching "The Law ™" and over time it was expanded and eventually Herod the Great (same one from the Christmas story that killed all the babies looking for Jesus) got it all done and if we look at the timeline and that little bit of info about Herod we can see why Christians are so attached to the place too.
The Temple held the Holy of Holies, which is where the Ark of the Covenant (from Indiana Jones, lol) was kept had the original 10 commandment tablets a jar of mana and Aaron's staff in it and the actual location was considered the conduit between this world and the other, inelegant way to put it but still. It's where the high priest could go once a year and offer a sacrifice for the people, on Yom Kippur the holiest day in both Judaism and Samaratinsim (they agree mazel tov) I remember something about a rope being tied to their leg and they had to wear bells just in case they were "smited" and needed to be "removed" not sure how real that is.
With all of that it should be fairly simple to figure out why Jewish people are so attached to it, and the Jesus connection what with the whole bit about the money changers and flipping tables taking place in the courtyard of that temple, the whole last bit of each of the gospels starting well before the triumphal entrance on what Christians call Palm Sunday all the way through the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension that was all in and around Jerusalem.
Jews were ending their Passover Seder with L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim (Next year in Jerusalem) starting somewhere in the 1400's from what I can see as a wish to be able to go home and worship and fellowship in their own homeland among other reasons.
So here we have the previously mentioned Temple Mount
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That bit where it says "Western Wall" is a remnant from the 2nd temple, Jesus touched that and may have taught while using it to shade himself it's all happened there.
The city is in the DNA of every Jewish person and by extension Christians though not as deeply ingrained.
Then we get to Islam, as you see in the image up there they built a mosque on top of the location for the Jewish Temple, it's how history works may have been some middle finger flipping when it happened but as history goes that's how a invading conquering force does thing, always have.
Dome of the rock there on the inside looks like this
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The exposed bit there is goes by several names, "Foundation Stone" is one, it's believed by (some) Jews that this is the location where the Holy of Holies was/is and for Muslims it's where Muhammad ascended went on his "night journey" spoke directly to both Moses and Allah to get the law for Muslims some of it at least.
Spot under that rock is the "well of souls" bet you can guess what significance that has.
So bringing it all together and hitting the TL:DR at the same time. _____________________________-
TL:DR; all 3 Abrahamic faiths are very attached to the city of Jerusalem and its surrounding area because it plays a central part in the stories of them.
Jews were there first so they get the strongest claim imho but as it sits it is a holy and revered site for all 3 faiths because it's deeply connected to them all both physically and spiritually.
Slightly less holy to Muslims since their temple mount buildings are just the third most sacred place in Islam, but still dreadfully sacred. ______________
Sorry this was really long, hope it was slightly interesting at least if you read it, it's as accurate as I could make it without spending a lot more time fact checking myself too.
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anteroom-of-death · 2 months
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Teacher's Pet part 12
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Synopsis: Reader meets Missy. It's a mixed bag.
A/n: sorry for another delay. Hope you enjoy. More doctor fuckery and allusions to the doctors current devolution. Yay I hope you enjoy yayyy.
What were these truths the Doctor was talking about? At least he was being honest! A damn shame to your overloaded brain, but you appreciated it nonetheless. Maybe you would bring yourself to honestly about your profession after. Maybe. You’d have to test the waters and go off what tonight’s surprise was.
Your heart slammed itself into it's cage.
The next few hours were hell on Earth. What was this secret he was going to reveal?
You always dealt with waiting so poorly…
You got through your final tutoring via the university without nary a hiccup, but your brain combed through all the possibilities you could scrounge from sci-fi shows. What was that one nearly-sixty years old program that the BBC had?
Too late now…
You did sneak home to change into something that didn’t scream ‘lazy’.
Soon it was nearly nine. As you walked to his office, you felt like you were at a wall, breathing your last free breaths before the firing squad came upon you. You worked on your breathing exercises as you went to knock the door.
He was there, illuminated softy. Grey hair fluffed, in a burgundy shirt and hoodie. He looked utterly (and unfairly!) Breath-taking. You felt both underdressed and overdressed.
“Good evening!” He smiled, it was one of those easy, unnerving, comfortable smiles that framed his eyes so well.
“Hey.” Was the best you could muster. Your vocabulary stolen from your tongue as easily as the breath from your lungs over him…
How could someone who was quite literally older than the rededication of the Second Temple look so good?
Alien magic, must be.
“You remember that Missy character?”
“Yeah, her? Them?” You struggled.
“Her.”
“Ah.”
“She’s been on her best behavior. Stunning, really.”
“And?”
“I think you two need to meet. I’ve cleared the idea with her other…Guardian.”
“Oh?”
“Nardole…he’s an egg. I sent him to Norwich for a packet of crisps.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” It didn’t.
You rubbed your lip together in a partial move to rip the skin off, but also to provide some sort of outlet for the nervousness that was still coming up from the pit of your stomach.
What was Missy?
He offered the crook of his arm, “Shall we go?”
You took it.
The walk was nice, silent. The weather was warming up nicely. Mild night.
Soon you went to a place obscured in some hardly-looked after corner in the university’s basement. He pressed some hidden point and the wall snapped in two, revealing some contraption. He unhooked himself from you and started entering codes, some little monitor popped up and scanned his eye.
It asked for a verbal confirmation.
He spoke in some language that made your blood run cold and you feel small. Something about it was haunting. Like singing.
It unveiled another wall with a turn-lock, from which he produced a key and unlocked it.
Finally, it seemed safe to part through.
“What did she do?” You asked, voice husky with fear.
“Enough.” He let a little snort escape.
You nodded and went in.
It was a grand room, a couple of old, antique chairs and some meager side tables faced what was a mighty cage! It looked like glass, on the platform. Inside this guided cage was a woman, in simple Victorian clothes.
She played piano very gently.
“Missy.” The Doctor seemingly pleaded.
The woman inside slammed the lid shut and turned around.
She had the most insane, yet oddly lovely smile. Cat-like.
She was thin.
“Oh…you’ve brought me a plaything?” She grinned.
Her accent sounded Scottish. Like the Doctor.
“Do all aliens sound like Scotsmen?” You blurted out before you could monitor your thoughts.
“I’m sorry!” You amended.
She laughed, it sounded like bells.
“One would certainly hope so!” She responded.
“I’m Missy! Short for Mistress!”
“Oh, I’m (y/n).”
She shot the Doctor some look. He shot her another look. It seemed they were having an entire conversation without you. You felt alienated. You looked between them.
“I’ve heard nothing but good. Typical!” She approached you at the edge of her enclosure. You felt caged. Missy stalked you as if she were a lioness and you were some disabled, freshly birthed gazelle. You started sweating, it dewed down your back.
“Oh!”
“My best enemy.” He elaborated.
You nodded more, at a total loss for words. Your breathing became manual.
“So what did you do?”
“Oh, this girlie is rude! I love it!” She shot the Doctor another look.
“Don’t talk behind my back?” You assumed.
Missy nearly fell over! She started laughing, “Rude and clever! He’s certainly taught you well.”
Your eyes could have shot out of their sockets.
“You’re like Jedi, yeah? Can communicate with your brains?” You explained.
“Sure enough? Jedi are the Lego ones?” the Doctor asked.
“Oh, I’m going to enjoy her.” Missy predated you more. Nose pressed against her enclosure.
You got the briefest of synopsis of their entire relationship. You felt yourself blinking from your brain overloading. It felt like someone dumped out your mind and shook the contents up before tossing it all back in, haphazardly.
You swallowed heavily.
“So Time Lords. Do you all have such…intense names? Mistress, Doctor? So is there a Bachelor?” You felt your arms move as if to elaborate this point.
“Different generations have different naming convention. My brother is Irving Braxiatel.”
“Of course. Makes sense. My name’s (y/n) but now all the kids are McKinsleigh or Harley or whatever.”
“Exactly.”
“Oh, my dear Doctor, you have a smart one on your hands. Now how do you like the stars, kiddo?”
You shook your head quickly. “Nope, no stars for me. I’m not going up there. Nope. I know what happens! I’m genre aware. I know what goes down in space. And if you’ve had a lot of dead companions previously…not me. I am not that suicidal!” You felt like a horizontal bobble head of sorts.
“See!” She slapped her thigh. “This one’s got common sense! She’s not going to swan off and get herself killed by a giant bird!”
It seemingly touched a tender point.
“Oh, here you go, bringing up Clara! What’s with you?” He seemed on the verge of spitting. “We’re having such a normal time!”
“Oh, she was my manic pixie dream bitch too!” Missy countered, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.
You made several notes to bring up later when you were going to bring up some new ground rules for this relationship, if this Missy didn’t tear you to shreds and eat your entrails like a tin of tuna.
The cat metaphors kept coming…
Were Time Lords cats?
No! Cats have barbed penises and that Time Lord you were fond of didn’t…
“May I get a tuba now?” Missy pleaded.
“We’ll see.”
You found yourself fiddling with your necklaces in a very rapid way with one hand. The other twisting the massive gold hoop in your one ear. Nervous habits coming in strong to help you self-soothe in this inopportune moment…
Somewhere the Doctor produced a flask of tea and poured some out, it was herbal. At the moment you couldn’t discern much more than that.
He gave it to all, including Missy, who’s barrier seemed penetrable to him, but not her. As she touched it and it repelled her.
Where did he pull out all these things?
What was the barrier made of? Did it work on genes?
Your mind roared for an explanation.
You reminded yourself to take it in strive. You weren’t working with logic and sanity anymore. You were in some contrived sci-fi story now.
It was the only way that you’d survive this!
Missy asked you something pleasantries involving your studies, and you divulged your grand plans.
“Oh, not overly ambitious. No martyr complex. Doctor this one may survive you.” Her focus splintered.
You felt out of your depth even more. You were taking it in stride, but that felt like it was lacking. Although…an opportunity did arise.
Did you have the guts to take it?
You pondered on. If it did turn nasty, you were outnumbered. Two of these so called ’Time Lords’. One you. One very mortal and squishy you.
Missy seemed to know far more than she probably should. You craved a bit more knowledge.
Shouldn’t you be privy to details about the man you’ve been not only fucking, but falling madly under his spell? And dare you utter it- loved?
“So what’s the deal with you Time Lords?” You asked Missy.
“An ancient race. We’re the pinnacle of evolution. Very few races will or ever will get close. Some have tried, they fail to become as optimized.”
“A bit eugenics-y.” You responded, your brows knitted together.
“Funny collars.” The Doctor chimed in. “That’s the opposite of optimized.”
“Oh, Mister President! How salacious!” She cooed in his general direction.
“President?” Your eyes boggled from their sockets.
“Technically. I’m also the De Facto President of Earth in an emergency. Neither here nor there…”
“And he’s ever so humble! My dear, Doctor. If this were two bodies ago you’d be preening!”
You looked down and blinked hard, as you started to chew on the inside of your cheek.
“Oh, him? Yeah, I was a but more vain. I mean, how could I not? All youth and fire and forged from Rose’s love.”
“And who the hell is Rose?” Your jealousy creeping back in.
“Oh, Doctor! You dog! She was very blonde! Broke many universes trying to find him again!” Missy gaped, as if she had personally sprung this trap.
“She helped me. I was raw from the War. She saw my hearts and that’s all.” The explanation was clearly him trying to not irk any jealousy in you.
“She got a wee clone! They’re in a parallel universe!” Missy simmered up, swinging around on her ankles.
“You are annoying.”
“You could have let Torvic kill me!” She put her hands on her hips and pulled a sour face.
“I’m sorry, who’s Torvic?” You were being bombarded with more information than you could handle.
“I was a soft lad. This kid kept bullying me. He was going to kill me, but here does come ikkle little Doctor with a rock! Bye bye Torvic!” She announced it like she was a wrestling presenter.
“How old were…you all?”
“Ten!” Missy clapped her hands together.
“Death’s champion!” She elaborated with a sick glee, pointing at the Doctor.
“I’m assuming you can…change sexes.” You kept piecing it together. “Were you ever a woman?”
“Maybe next go!” The Doctor said.
You leaned down and rested your fingers on your jaw as if to keep it from falling off onto the ground.
“So…how does that all work?”
“Two hearts, they prevent death and kick in our ancient rights!” Missy flourished.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” The Doctor stepped in. “We get a new face, new body. New chances. We keep our core. But everything from our personality to our kidneys.”
You inhaled.
“Anything else I need to know…assuming that you do that in front of me.” You curbed your attention to the Doctor. You wanted answers and you didn’t want him to give up this particular body. You didn’t want to play this particular game of Russian Roulette. His body right now was perfect…from his hair to his toes. Like it was personally designed to drive you mad. A sexy, silver fox with dynamic light eyes and a smile that robbed you of the ability to breathe, plus that voice like was a good motorcycle engine. And, a perfect package that hit right in the right spots…
You were objectifying an immortal alien.
What had your life become?
“That shit’s…crazy.” You gave an exceedingly reductive statement.
“No promises, but I’ll try.” He gave you a small, reassuring smile…
“Before precious Rose, there was his wife, that Scottish lad, that journalist Sarah Jane Smith, me, that ginger twink who’s name escapes me and probably a few I’m forgetting! And after there was-” Missy smiled a positively evil grin.
You put your hand up and stopped her from going into any more detail.
“Sarah Jane Smith? The mega-journo who always had the hottest stories? The one who was always leaking the top bylines?” You instinctively tore off your thumb nail.
You kept putting your hands up and down. Going to point a finger. You felt like a malfunctioning kettle.
“W-w-what? Do you…see in me?” You raised both of your hands up as you shrugged and struggled. “Universe traveling blondes? Award-winning journalists? A ginger twink? This jailbird?” You voice scaling up octaves to those only dogs could hear as you slapped your hands over your thighs and grasped them tightly…
You started those dratted breathing exercises and placed your right hand on your only heart.
The Doctor seemed to be sorting through some sort of dilemma in his mind.
“Yeah, tell her!” Missy cheered.
You shot her a murderous glare.
She scrunched her nose and stuck out her tongue.
“I see you as warmth. You are yourself. I see you as someone who’s good. Despite it all. A good student and a great partner. Someone to enjoy while I can. Nothing to complicate or drag into danger.”
Something about these words and his gaze into you had you fighting these words, but becoming placated by them. They were like a cozy quilt on your worries…
“I’ve put others I loved in danger. Learned those lessons. Never again.”
You felt your mind slowing down from the anger and self-doubt.
It felt like truthfulness. You’d take truthfulness.
The looks that Missy and the Doctor passed between each other has you shiver in fear.
You felt like you needed to vomit.
“Can I go home now?” You squeaked out once you felt a but more emotionally regulated.
“Of course.” He helped you up and turned to Missy, “No tuba.” He told her.
She raged on a bit as you felt yourself being tucked into his side and escorted out.
You leaned against a wall as he locked the Vault up.
He folded you under his arm.
“So what do you think of my best enemy?”
You felt yourself feeling suddenly very sleepy and like you had been dreaming. You were very conflicted and of many minds. You would have to work through all this later. There was just so much information and new thoughts that needed evaluated. Though you felt something holding you back from it. The emotional toll of the past few days, inevitably catching up to you.
What was that something was holding you back?
Probably your love of the Doctor.
You felt yourself crying.
“Why don’t I walk you to your flat? What’s the address?” He wiped your face with some old-fashioned looking hankie.
You gave him your address. It was a longer walk, but maybe it would do you good.
You started to walk. It was going somewhat smoothly.
After a silent walk, you stated as you got closer to the safety of your home. “I think she’s insane. Probably it’s for the best she’s in that…situation. Like sectioning, but worse? She could be fun, if she tried. I feel…yeah. I mean, if you’re a package deal. A bit weird she’s your ex. But yeah.” You answered his previous question.
“Is she a threat? To me?” You asked, jealously.
“No, we’re finished. Ancient news far older than your civilization…”
“Ah, okay.” You felt more satisfied.
“She is quite…pretty.” You remarked.
“Hadn’t noticed.”
You nodded, as you arrived to the front door.
“This is me.” You pointed. “You…want to come up? Get a night cap. I know I’m going to need it.” You joked, as you used your pinky nail to scratch the bridge of your nose.
“Not tonight. How about after you finish exams? I still have to some things done in that regards.”
“Valid.”
He leaned down and pressed hip lips to your forehead.
“Good-night, (y/n).” He smiled as he closed his hand over yours and gave it a squeeze.
“Good-night, Doctor.” It still felt strange to not call him ‘Professor’. You didn’t know how to feel. Calling him ‘Professor’ felt better coming off your tongue.
So much to over-analyze.
You opened the door and went up to your flat. After pouring yourself a large shot of vodka to take, you laid on your favorite chair and zoned out.
So much for a normal, nice time at university!
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exhausted-archivist · 9 months
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The Reign of Divine Justinia V - 9:34-9:41 Dragon
Divine Justinia V ruled for just a little over 6 years. One of the shortest known reign for a divine in Chantry history.
I would like to note that due to the nature of BioWare and the awareness of their timeline, travel times, and storylines, not all the events in the same year have a clear order of which came first.
Here is the general timeline of what occurred since her coronation to her death:
9:34 Dragon
Ascends as Divine of the Orlesian Chantry, formerly known as Revered Mother Dorthea.
Rejects Ser Otto Alrik's request for the Tranquil Solution in Kirkwall.
9:35 Dragon
Justinia makes a pilgrimage to the Temple of Sacred Ashes, passing through Haven. She announces that Haven shall be restored and rededicated to the service of Andraste.
Asks Pharamond to look into the nature of Tranquility, to discover if there is a way to "restrict magic without neutralizing the mind." She does so without the knowledge of Lord Seeker Lambert.
9:37 Dragon
Sends Leliana to Kirkwall to gather information on the threats occurring in Kirkwall, believing it to be from outside groups.
Divine Justinia tells Elthina to leave Kirkwall as it is no longer safe. Elthina declines.
Objects to Lady Seeker Nicoline's appointment of Seeker Lambert, citing that she found him too conservative during her interview with him.
9:38 Dragon
Published the Abridged Edition of the Chant of Light on 12 Harvestmere 9:38. The focus was to bring back the beauty of the original dialects and languages of the canticles.*
9:40 Dragon
(These following events are in order of how they happened as they take place over the course of the novel Asunder. Except for the where Justinia sends Cassandra and Leliana to Kirkwall. That takes place after the events of Asunder.)
Justinia sends Leliana to the University of Orlais to speak with Empress Celene about the state of instability in the empire's politics. During this meeting, Leliana makes a deal with Celene on Justinia's behalf; Justinia deals with the instability of the mages and templars in the wake of Anders attack on Kirkwall, while Celene deals with the unrest with Halamshiral/Orlais elves.
As part of the deal with Celene, Justinia is delivering a speech at a ball Celene threw for her (Celene doesn't make an appearance as she is marching on the elves in Halamshiral). The speech she is about to deliver is in support of mages. Though she is interrupted as Jeannot, a Libertarian Senior Enchanter from the White Spire, attempts to assassinate her.
Justinia authorizes Wynne to go rescue Pharamond, a Tranquil mage who has become possessed during his experiments into tranquility at Adamant fortress. Wynne brings Rhys, Evangaline, Shale, and Rhy's friend. Unknowing to all but Rhys, Cole tags along.
Justinia authorizes Pharamond to be made tranquil again at the advice of Lord Seeker Lambert, despite the protest of Wynne and Rhys.
Justinia sends Leliana to the White Spire to aid the mages in their revolt while calling Lord Seeker Lambert to her side to distract him.
Cassandra, Leliana, and a group of Seekers still loyal to the Divine are sent to Kirkwall to recruit Hawke for the role of leader of the Inquisition; believing that they will have influence to reach a resolution between the mages and templars.
9:41 Dragon
Divine Justinia calls for the Conclave one year after the start of the Mage-Templar War.**
In the summer, Justinia travels to Serault to determine if Serault should have the Shame lifted and the Chantry reopened. Depending on the player, determines if it is or not.
Justinia dies in the explosion at the Conclave at Corypheus' hand. This starts the events of Inquisition, presumably taking place in late autumn since the Conclave happens a year after the events of Asunder and after Justinia's visit to Serault.
Notes:
*Originally, in Origins, it was said the Chant of Light was written only in Tevene. As of 2014/Inquisition era lore, the Chant is now a collection of canticles from various languages.
**There is conflict on when this happens as her journal entry says she called for it a year after the start of the Mage-Templar war, which starts in late autumn. But the Conclave is known about during her visit to Serault which takes place in the summer. Suggesting the journal entry is referring more towards when the Conclave was scheduled then when she announced it. To add to this, Lord Seeker Lucius agrees to the Conclave before he meets with Corypheus and submits to Envy, presumably in the early months of 9:41; however, this is speculation.
Sources:
Dragon Age 2 Dragon Age Inquisition World of Thedas Vol. 1 World of Thedas Vol. 2 Dragon Age Asunder Dragon Age: The Last Court Codex: The Conclave Divine Justina V Haven Ser Alrik's Letter
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skibasyndrome · 13 days
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Darling Simon, here are some fic writing questions! Curious about 2, 7 and/or 8, and 4/37?
Wish you a fabulous Friday!
Hey there W, thank you so much for asking me all of these! :) And I'm sorry for waiting with answering until it's not even Friday anymore ahhh, but I hope you had a good one! 💜💜💜
2: Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?
Oh sooooooo many!!!!! I really wanna write some classic enemies to lovers sometime and OH okay, this is probably highly specific, but I cooked up this AU idea with @sillylittleflower once and like one of the things that me wanna write it the most is the fact that I could include a good old tending to the wounds of someone and getting very close to them in process scene in it. Scenes like that are 100/10 and I will not rest until I've been able to write at least one!!!!
7: Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.
God... the way I always forget everything immediately after I post it. But hmmm, something I REALLY enjoyed writing is this in Never Letting You Go:
Him on his knees to worship Simon, to offer him everything he has. To spell his veneration out, rededicate this space, make it into a temple for them and their love. To fill the air around them with the sounds of his sweet and breathy prayer. Wilhelm nuzzles his nose along the patch of hair and smiles to himself. If anyone dares to intrude on this moment that feels so fucking holy, well, let them see.
Because listen... something about using religious imagery to write about gay stuff? Idk, that's just a personal favorite of mine. Oh and I love the entire scene that this is taken out of because it's something I hadn't planned, it just sort of came to me and I love that I was able to take this very compromising position, but then not do what's most likely expected and instead make it into this sweet little break in between the sex, idk? I love writing not-always-so-linear sex scenes in case you hadn't noticed, lol.
8: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.
I've recently been trying (and really enjoying!) to write more dialogue-heavy stuff, and I had soooo much fun with EVERYTHING in Lavender Haze, but especially some of the not-so-smoot flirting:
“I uh, I don’t,” he’s stumbling over the words, still not taking his eyes off Simon. “I can’t dance, really.” “Oh, don't they teach you stuff like that at… royal school?” Simon shoots back, a challenging glint in his eyes that honest to god makes Wilhelm's knee buckle. Wilhelm winces dramatically. “Don't fucking remind me… I can give you a really unsexy waltz if that's what you want.” The laughter bubbling from Simon's throat is worth all the embarrassment Wilhelm feels at the memory of tripping over his own feet at some function. “Okay, new question: is there such a thing as a sexy waltz?” Simon asks and Wilhelm snorts. “Clumsy waltz, then?” Wilhelm tries and can’t quite fight the fluttering inside his chest at the way Simon is shaking his head at him playfully.
4: How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?
Oh god... too many for someone that should focus on getting one thing out at a time. But it's also kinda cool, because back in October I thought I'd never be able to come up with an original fic idea (as in, not taking something from canon) ever again.
Okay, I counted about 11 that I have traces of in my Google docs, some of them already have a bunch of actual writing to them, some just have outlines, but I love all of them and hope to get to them at one point of the other <3
37: Talk about your current wips.
Oh my goooood, I could talk for HOURS about them, this is too much ahhhh. Well, my most current WIP is a Sequel to my beloved Lavender Haze, which has Wille dealing with the aftermath of his hook-up (and maaaaaaybe, love at first sight situation, but who's to say) with Simon. I'm having a lot of fun with including other characters for once, like Felice, her gf, Maddie, Rosh and just trying my hand at something AU for once :)
And well... my vampire AU....... beloved...... beautiful......... when will I do her the honors of finally writing that first chapter instead of literally everything that comes after!?!?!?
And then I have a bunch of other ideas that I bother @sillylittleflower with 24/7 because they don't wanna leave my head, one of them, very, veeeeeery beloved is a photography student AU, hopefully strangers to friends to lovers and very, very soft and! which is new for me! Simon POV!
Please ask me some fun fic writer asks <3
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bestepisode · 1 month
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Vote on the other semifinal poll here!
The Metal Clan
Team Avatar arrive in Zaofu, a metal city led by Suyin Beifong, Lin's estranged half-sister and the mother of Opal, a new airbender. Korra begins training Opal, but cannot convince Lin to mend the rift between herself and Suyin. In Republic City, Zaheer infiltrates Air Temple Island in an attempt to find Korra but escapes after he is identified and attacked by Kya.
Venom of the Red Lotus
The Red Lotus tortures a chained Korra by poisoning her with mercury, in order to force her to the point of death, triggering the Avatar State before they kill her, which would end the cycle of the Avatar's rebirth. However, a wrathful Korra overpowers her captors and fights Zaheer in the skies. Meanwhile, her friends find and rescue the airbenders. After Mako electrocutes Ming-Hua, he and Bolin narrowly escape Ghazan's collapsing the Red Lotus's lair on top of himself. As Korra is about to succumb to the poison, Jinora leads the airbenders to pull Zaheer out of the sky with a massive air vortex formed from their combined bending. Zaheer is captured, and Suyin metalbends the poison out of Korra. Two weeks later, in Republic City, a weakened, wheelchair-bound Korra watches as Tenzin anoints Jinora as an airbending master and rededicates the Air Nomads to a nomadic life of service to the world, following Korra's example.
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Far-right Polish MP Grzegorz Braun sparked outrage after he extinguished candles lit in the Polish parliament to celebrate Hanukkah. This isn’t about Israel. THIS IS ABOUT JEWS. Hanukkah is literally a testament to the deep-rooted history and unbreakable bond between the Jewish people and Israel. A profound celebration of Jewish indigenousness to Israel. This eight-day festival commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire. It is a time that honours the enduring connection of the Jewish people to their historic homeland, symbolizing resilience, courage, and the triumph of light over darkness.
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gay-jewish-bucky · 1 year
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There is something about the symbolism of Bucky breaking through the brainwashing and then being in recovery being like a Maccabee, overthrowing his oppressors and maintaining his Jewish identity, his body being the temple he rededicates after it was desecrated by forces seeking to destroy him and his people and the miracle that, like the oil lasting eight nights instead of one, his light survived against all odds.
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silverjetsystm · 4 months
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continued with @valkxrie from x.
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Little quirks of a house build the longer one looks at Mission. Curtains wave where there is no draft. Lights brightening and returning to standard level when one walks by. Two red lights like eyes that blink. Mr. Knight takes his seat with his own mug, curling of his lips the only visible amusement to the reactions the haunted house he lives in brings.
He sips his hot chocolate and nods. The lights grow warmer, Mission pleased its guests are pleased. He's heard of Yule in passing. Yule logs, for example. "Winter holidays bring warmth to a time of the year when it is lacking." Chicago winters were not pleasant. Nor, he knew, was the land her people were once worshiped. "Twelve days? That sounds enjoyable. Busy merriment." You? He chuckles, not used to being grouped together with those who celebrate Christmas. Unless, the writer for Twelve Days was also Jewish. It had been known to happen.
Her gaze is as even as his own. He lowers his eyes, gloved hand against his cloth forehead. Opened himself up for the same question reflected back. "I am uncertain what Egyptians did long ago. I can refer you to my brother, Hunter's Moon, if you would like to know more on that front." He had grown comfortable calling his fellow Fist 'brother' in the past few months.
Leaning forward in his chair, he folded his hands in his lap, raising his eyes to hers once more. "I'm Jewish. Most of our holidays -- the new year, the day of repentance, and--" A pause, staring into the fire. Checking notes with Jake. Half of a nod. Returning to the current conversation, "A harvest festival -- occur in autumn."
Tone somewhere between recitation and pride, "In winter, we celebrate the victory over a long dead Greek tyrant by an outnumbered group of zealots. Our Temple was desecrated for other gods." There's a hint of pain, generational and personal. Yet, he smiles.
He has dim memories of watching the congregation's hanukkiahs, flames flickering, on the table. Him and Rand spinning dreidel. Lifetimes later, being dragged by the Thing to the Jewish heroes celebration.
"Later, the rabbis ascribe a miracle during the rededication of the Temple. According to them, there was enough oil to light the hanukkiah for one night. It lasted for eight. These nights, we light a hanukkiah for eight days and eat fried foods. Partake in gambling with a top. Some exchange gifts."
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fdelopera · 5 months
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At Hanukkah, we Jews celebrate thousands of years of Jewish perseverance.
We remember Judah Maccabee and the Maccabee brothers, Kohanim who fought for the very soul of the Jewish people. In 164 BCE, Judah Maccabee recaptured, cleansed, and rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem after it had been defiled by the Seleucid Greek Army under Antiochus IV. That is the origin of Hanukkah.
We celebrate the Hanukkah Miracle, the Miracle of the Oil, that is recorded in the Talmud. We reflect on the single flask of undefiled olive oil that should have only burned for one day, but instead lasted for 8 days and nights. We Jews celebrate Jewish tradition as being like that olive oil. Many have tried to extinguish us over the millennia, and yet here we remain, a light to the world.
We Jews light candles to illuminate the darkness. We celebrate all the times the Jewish people were driven to the brink, but managed to hold on by the skin of our teeth. Hanukkah reminds us that we are still here. It tells us that we will survive.
Thank you to @behindthemirrorofmusic for organizing this event. It will help bring some very much needed light in the midst of all this darkness.
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