#drasha

[fuckyeahfightlock]

The Jewel in the Tower (207k, E) completed 25 JUN 2016

Sherlock (TV), 29,862 hits, 1051 kudos

Summary: 

In a contemporary dystopia, Unity is peace--despite the fact unsanctioned information, illicit currency, and every sort of danger flows unchecked in the world's pleasure districts.

John Watson, a weary hired gun, is assigned by the mysterious Mentor to investigate a subversive element lurking in the Icehouse, the world's most famous House of Repose. As accustomed as he is to dealing with the unexpected, John is nevertheless woefully unprepared to meet the gem of the Ice house, Xie, the world renowned "drashaskaya," the living work of art after which all other drashas are modeled.

In sumptuous suites, amid trailing puddles of silk and fervent whispers in the night, John soon learns that nothing is as it seems in the floating world of London's pleasure district.

Grade: A-

Favorite Line:  We are imperfect for each other.

What I’d do differently today: The chapter/s wherein Sherlock is found injured and taken to hospital, and the way the hospital scenes play out are kind of. . .operatic? They felt a little histrionic to me, as I reread it this weekend. I could also see where I either wrote it in a hurry or was getting tired of writing it, in that section (maybe readers can, too, or maybe not, I don't know). If I were to rewrite any of this, it would be about 30 - 50% of that segment of the story.

Notes: I reread this over the last couple of weeks because I wanted to read about the clothes, and was surprised to find myself kind of drawn into the story--there were bits and bobs I'd forgotten, including the details of the espionage subplot; the fact John and Lestrade became friends; and Sherlock's sweet tooth.

I was proud of a lot of the snappy dialogue, particularly between The Face and the Mentor, but also in the scenes with The Face and the Lamia, as well as that oozy, awful monster Jim Moriarty, who was terrible and terrifying without slipping into mwahaha-moustache-twirling villain territory, which he can.

The smut is intensely hot in places--and no penetrative sex, which was appropriate to the story, and looking back on it probably a challenge to write, considering there are probably 20+ sex scenes in the story.

As I was reading, at one point I thought to myself, This is someone's favourite Sherlock fic, and while I have no proof of this (no one I can recall ever having said this to me), I feel sure it's true, and that's sweet and humbling.

Most of you know I retooled this and published it as a novel without the Sherlock characters. I cannot remember most of the names I gave them. The fic is more "real' to me than the novel, now/still. Whatever that means. Probably nothing but it's interesting, considering I spent at least as long with the novel prep as I spent with the fic.

[holybookslibrary]

The Secret Adam - a Study of Nasoreaen Gnosis by E. S. Drower

The Secret Adam The Secret Adam - a Study of Nasoreaen Gnosis by E. S. Drower takes us deep into the pre-Christian spirituality of the ancient Persia. Still today there are remnants of the Mandaeans ("Gnostics") also known as Sabaeans in Iraq who among others had a tradition of baptism. Their knowledge is historically accessible through a vast amount of scrolls. In The Secret Adam, E. S. Drower outlines the history of the people, their thoughts and secret knowledge. Download it here: The Secret Adam - A Study of Nasoraen Gnosis

Who where The Mandaeans?

The Mandaeans are a religious community practicing Mandaeism, one of the lesser-known ancient Gnostic religions. Their traditions have roots that trace back to the early centuries AD, possibly earlier, and they hold beliefs that are distinct from the major religions of the region. Key aspects of Mandaean beliefs and practices include: - John the Baptist: Unlike Christian tradition, which views John the Baptist as a prophet who paved the way for Jesus Christ, the Mandaeans consider John the Baptist as their main prophet and reject Jesus's divinity and messiahship. They have their own writings about John's teachings, separate from the Christian Gospels. - Gnosticism: Mandaeism holds a dualistic view of the world, typical of Gnostic systems, wherein the physical universe is a creation of a lesser god, distinct from the true, higher God. The human soul, inherently divine, is considered trapped within the body and the material world. Salvation involves gaining secret knowledge ('gnosis') about humanity's divine origin, which offers escape from the physical world's limitations. - Rituals and Practices: The religion places a heavy emphasis on rituals, the most significant of which is baptism (or 'masbuta'), which isn't just a one-time ceremony but a regular practice that reaffirms their purification and commitment to their faith. These baptismal rites typically occur in flowing water, symbolizing the soul's purification and return to its divine origins. - Holy Writings: Their religious literature includes the "Ginza Rba" or "Great Treasury," a collection of theological texts and prayers, and the "Book of John" or "Drasha D-Yahia," detailing the stories and teachings of John the Baptist. - Current Demographics: Historically, the Mandaeans were largely found in the region of what is now southern Iraq and Iran, particularly in the area around the lower Karun, Euphrates, and Tigris rivers. Conflicts in the Middle East, particularly since the early 21st century, have led to the displacement of many Mandaeans, with communities now found in diaspora locations like Europe, Australia, and the United States. These migrations have threatened the continuation of some of their traditional practices, which rely heavily on community involvement and specific geographic and environmental features. Throughout history, the Mandaeans have faced significant persecution, and their communities often struggle with issues of survival and preservation of identity, particularly in the face of modern geopolitical challenges. Despite these pressures, they continue to practice their religion, holding onto a unique spiritual tradition that spans millennia. Read the full article

[marklaporta]

Euch Chaudron Drasha

Worlds of Probability Shadow / 4

The Dralein leader and head of Bledraun’s planetary government, Drashna commonly wears a dark russet, neo-leather jumpsuit, embroidered here and there with teal accents. Her outfit bespeaks an urge to stand out from the crowd, in defiance of traditional Dralein values.

Probability Shadow is available now at Amazon and a bookstore near you (https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780999756928).

[nehakutti]

Exclusive Interview with Dr. Asha Queen of Complete Cosmetic Care Clinic, discussing in deep about Facial Sculpting, its side effects, procedures and Types. Dr. Asha explains in detail about who & why facial sculpting treatment is taken. Dr. Asha also explains in detail about Semi-Permanent Makeup. Watch FULL INTERVIEW streamed on IBC Mangai to know more.

[dheenakutti]

Exclusive Interview with Dr. Asha Queen of Complete Cosmetic Care Clinic, discussing in deep about Facial Sculpting, its side effects, procedures and Types. Dr. Asha explains in detail about who & why facial sculpting treatment is taken. Dr. Asha also explains in detail about Semi-Permanent Makeup. Watch FULL INTERVIEW streamed on IBC Mangai to know more.

[ibcmangai]

Exclusive Interview with Dr. Asha Queen of Complete Cosmetic Care Clinic, discussing in deep about Facial Sculpting, its side effects, procedures and Types. Dr. Asha explains in detail about who & why facial sculpting treatment is taken. Dr. Asha also explains in detail about Semi-Permanent Makeup. Watch FULL INTERVIEW streamed on IBC Mangai to know more.

[thesummerstorms]

Etta Tenau has a black-and-chocolate-brown colored strill named Drasha that’s actually older than her aunt, but still thinks it’s a pup.

Given strill life-spans,it might actually still be a pup.

It’s one of Mird’s descendants, so it’s wickedly smart and pretty well bonded to the family. It bonded with Etta when she was still an infant. Jateka, Etta’s mother, was beyond exasperated, as was Kad’s eventual husband, Sivvar, but Kad is delighted because he remembers, hazily, Mird’s visits during his own childhood, and this is exactly what he was hoping for.

He will never confess to that aloud, lest his husband or best friend strangle him.

Somehow Drasha always finds its way into Etta and Sivvar’s paints. Koa thinks this is hilarious, even more so once Drasha accidentally painted a NEw Republic diplomat green with its tail.

It thinks it’s more dignified than it is.

It’s very good at scouting and guarding, less so in outright attacking, which suits Etta perfectly well. Given its origin, it’s remarkably well adapted to work with Force-users, not that Etta would ever admit that to anyone but her family. It also comes at a disadvantage when whatever flavor of hostile Force-user shows up, because Drasha is so used to obeying Etta’s Force-suggestions and relying on Etta’s senses.

Drasha is mostly of even temperament, but it’s very eager that everyone, including Etta, know that it’s the boss. Mird and Ordo are both unamused.

[badgaymovies]

Murphy's Romance (1985)

Murphy's Romance by #MartinRitt starring #JamesGarner and #SallyField, who "can be just as captivating in a lighthearted project, perpetually in command despite the script never drawing her into any unpleasant crises", Now reviewed on MyOldAddiction.com

MARTIN RITT Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBB.5 USA, 1985. Columbia Pictures, Delphi IV Productions, Fogwood Films. Screenplay by Harriet Frank Jr., Irving Ravetch, based on the novella by Max Schott. Cinematography by William A. Fraker. Produced by Laura Ziskin. Music by Carole King. Production Design by Joel Schiller. Costume Design by Joe I. Tompkins. Film Editing by Sidney Levin. Reuniting with…

[junryou]

SURPRISE! DRASHA KISSES!

@ariiknave

[eificopper]

Day 20 AAAAAAAAAAA <3

Name: Drasha Game:  Pokemon Reborn Species: Mightyena (dark) Trainer: Xanthe Radev Met at: South Peridot Alley (Peridot Ward) (Reborn) Nature: Bashful Ability: Quick feet Rescued by the West Side Gang of Peridot Ward, Drasha was a scaredy and easily startled poochyena who often refused to battle, a direct effect of the constant wars between west and east side gangs. However, she evolved protecting the pokémon she’d come to see as family finally snapping and jumping to action after tiring of seeing them hurt and  proving to be possibly the strongest physical force in the team if she wants to. She can she can cope very well with poisoning and poison-types but flinches at some loud noises. She can be very playful and even childish sometimes but if there’s one thing she takes seriously it’s her rivalry with Maliu.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

Hi!

I'm currently in the process of collecting as many fics/fanbooks/fanart as I can. Obviously, it's all dependant on my pay and things, but I've been trying to buy something every month. Just to bulk out my collection I guess.

Anyway, I was wondering if you knew where to get some? Which authors have published, who makes fanbooks, that sort of thing. Or even if anyone that follows you does.

I'd really appreciate it. I think you posted a spreadsheet a while ago but I couldn't find it.

Thanks! Hope you have a great day.

Hey Nonny!

Ah, yeah, I have a few fics that I know have been published, though under different names:

A Lord to Love by SaraDobieBauer (E, 10,345 w., 5 Ch. || Historical AU || Age Difference, Pining John, Virgin Sherlock, First Kiss / Time, Sherlock’s Violin, Light Angst, Sad Sherlock, Love Confessions, POV First Person John, Love at First Sight) – Sherlock Holmes is only nineteen when his father dies, and he becomes the new Lord Holmes. Lord Watson is his neighbor, and together, they have land boundary issues to work out. Only, Lord Watson is interested in a lot more than land. In fact, he's about to make an offer, and an admission, that will change everything.  PUBLISHED AS ‘A Lord to Love’

Gimme Shelter by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (E, 159,368 w., 21 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || 70′s Surfer AU || Period Typical Homophobia, Hawaii, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Professional Surfers, Gay John / Sherlock, Angst with Happy Ending, John was a Sailor, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining) – All John Watson wants is the feeling of a freshly waxed surfboard under his feet and the hot California sun baking down onto his back. To finally go pro in the newly formed world of professional surfing and leave the dark memories of his past behind him as he rips across the face of a towering blue barrel. To lounge beside the beach bonfire every evening with an ice cold beer tucked into the cool sand beside him and listen to Pink Floyd and the Doors while the saltwater dries in his sun bleached hair. That's all he wants, that is, until the hot young phenom taking Oahu and the Hawaiian shores by storm steps up next to him in the sand in the second round of the 1976 International Surf Competition. (PUBLISHED AS ‘The Sea Ain’t Mine Alone’)

The Jewel in the Tower by PoppyAlexander (E, 207,079 w., 39 Ch. || Dystopian AU || Violence, Rape/Non-Con Elements, Mild Dub Con, One World Government, Class Issues, Assassin John / Geisha Sherlock, Self Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Espionage, Miscommunication, Sexual Fantasy, Masturbation, Letters/Texting, Phone Sex, Infidelity, First Time, Blow Jobs, Dirty Talk, Injury Recovery, Panic Attacks, Frottage, Scars, Misgendering, Happy Endings) – In a contemporary dystopia, Unity is peace – despite the fact unsanctioned information, illicit currency, and every sort of danger flows unchecked in the world's pleasure districts. John Watson, a weary hired gun, is assigned by the mysterious Mentor to investigate a subversive element lurking in the Icehouse, the world's most famous House of Repose. As accustomed as he is to dealing with the unexpected, John is nevertheless woefully unprepared to meet the gem of the Ice house, Xie, the world renowned "drashaskaya," the living work of art after which all other drashas are modeled. In sumptuous suites, amid trailing puddles of silk and fervent whispers in the night, John soon learns that nothing is as it seems in the floating world of London's pleasure district. (PUBLISHED AS “At Night in the Floating World”)

------

Next, I do know a few authors on here have self published under their Patreons (@the-pen-pot ), and I recently received beautiful gifts from @totallysilvergirl and @khorazir of books they self published. AND I do have a tag here with a lot of self-published book locations.

That all said, I'd love to know more so I can also support these authors. Please let me know if you authors are self publishing your fics OR publishing as original stories via Carnation books so I can boost them for you! <3

[brucewayneargento-moved]

Mazel Tov! Damian

Summary: Damian's big day is just around the corner! and Bruce has planned and took care of everything or has he?

Or when Bruce forgets about the Challah and there's some feelings here and there. Fic also avaliable on: AO3 Special Thnaks to:  the Jumblr (Jewish Tumblr) community but most of all to @clearbluewaters, @luanna801 and @chronicangelca

Bruce’s body seemed to collapse in and out of himself into the mattress, sinking into the soft cushion as he extended his arms all through the piece of furniture and positioned his head into the feathery-stuffed white block at the beginning of his bed.

He had managed to go through the whole thing without dying, and surprisingly he wasn’t talking about a run-in with the Joker, The Penguin and The Riddler at the same time. In fact it wasn’t even twelve am. He had made his kids take care of the city for a few weeks as he tried to arrange everything for his youngest son’s Bar Mitzvah.

He had made sure that everything was perfect and he could finally get a full night of sleep, he turned around as his brain conjured the images of his boy having a special, fun day for once and getting to be a kid while practicing the traditions of the Kane’s side of the family: the mother-son dance, the lighting of the candle, the HaMotzi…

The HaMotzi.

He forgot about the Challah bread.

Bruce nearly jumped out of his skin and off the bed when he realized he scrambled to get the phone out of his nightstand, accidentally throwing it into the ground. He finally carefully retrieved it and went to the messages app and lo and behold there it was: his written confirmation:

Kate:

   Here’s grandma’s recipe for the Soda Challah, now are you sure you want to do this yourself?

 You:

It’s Damian’s special day, I want him to feel supported by me.

Well, he was fucked.

He couldn’t go and wake up Alfred and ask him to make bread for fifty people in the middle of the night. He couldn’t also use his connections as the infamous Brucide Wayne in order to get the bread.

No, he had made a serious pact.

Even though every cell in his body begged him to go back to bed, he slowly stood up, stretched his arms and marched his way to the kitchen. He was so determined to get there as fast and efficiently as he could that he didn’t even notice the small steps following him as he normally would have.

Damian wasn’t nervous about his Bar Mitzvah.

Yes, maybe he couldn’t conceal his sleep, but that didn’t have anything to do with the fact that tomorrow was the most important day of his young life. He was a trained assassin, he didn’t get nervous or anxious, and he most certainly didn’t get “jitters”.

Damian definitely didn’t assume everything and anything could go wrong: he wasn’t afraid to stutter through his Torah portion; to accidentally lit something on fire during the candle ceremony; to spontaneously lose his voice while chanting the Haftarah, and to make an absolutely fool of himself while leading the service.

He finally stopped pacing in his room while reciting his Drasha backwards and forwards to calm himself and decided to go to the kitchen to treat his belly with an anxiety meal.

Damian didn’t expect to see his father also walking towards the kitchen.

Bruce didn’t even turn on the lights as he started to look for the baking soda, the eggs and the Kosher salt. He didn’t even notice his little bird watching him curiously from the door frame until he turns on the lights and asked:

“What are you doing?”

The father’s eyes widened as he dropped the mixing bowl in the ground. He cursed to his insides. He slowly turned around and met his son’s hair covered, heterochromatic eyes

“You…you forgot to make the Challah…” He didn’t even ask, he stated.

Bruce sighed in defeat and started to pick up the bowl feeling Damian’s stare on his skin, he felt so guilty about failing his son that he couldn’t bear to look at him. Damian went over to where his father was and started to pick up the other things he had dropped next to him, they finally managed to put all of the things on the counter.

Bruce quietly started to put warm water, sugar and yeast into a bowl, he was supposed to wait for this last one to rise, which meant having to face his youngest.

“I’m sorry, Damian.” he said while rubbing the back of his neck in shame. “This was supposed to be your special day.”

The boy felt a pressing tension on his chest creeping in, his father truly had so much faith in him, didn’t he?

Bruce had given him his family’s traditional kiddush cups , challah covers, yarmulkes, tefillin and tallit. But he hadn’t really seen that much of him during these last few months on the lead up to his Bar Mitzvah. Damian had assumed his father had left all the planning to Alfred and called it a day. When in reality he was overwhelmed making sure his day was a memorable occasion.

“Don’t be,” he pronounced carefully, not used to that. “You have spent the better half of a year planning this, it was only logical that something may have slipped out of your mind.”

Damian got closer to his father and wrapped his arms around him and clumsily slapped his back. The twelve year old barely reached his chest.

“It’s okay, I don’t expect you to be perfect, I just want you to be there,” he said, without realizing how much weight those words actually held.

“Well,” Bruce coughed into his fist as he tried not to cry. “That’s good, because you and I are about to make some less-than-perfect Challah.”

They almost died emotionally and physically, in fact they ended up covered in eggs and flour  But they managed to contact a delivery service that brought the loafs of bread and managed to get changed just in time for the event.

The whole ordeal was a huge success but just as the boy was reading his portion…bruce was whispered into his ear.

“Care to explain what the hell happened to my kitchen, Master Bruce?”

[copperbadge]

I mean, arguably you'd want to check with -your- rabbi, and since you gotta pick a rabbi with similar sensibilities about judaism as your own (and/or pick up your rabbis sensibilities about judaism, "In all of these moments, when the Torah is given over from teacher to student, it is never clear who is the teacher and who is the student. There are just words, and light." -ParshaNut on ki tisa) so find urself a rabbi who finds dragons rad!

It’s kind of a good question to ask when interviewing to find a rabbi, isn’t it? “What are your thoughts on a) dragons on mezuzahs and b) the kosher nature of dragons?” (Someone did a book on this but I haven’t looked into it in detail yet.) Even if they don’t have an answer ready, a reaction says a lot. 

One of the small silver linings of the pandemic is that with everything going online, I can get a much wider experience of various synagogues than I would otherwise to begin with. Friday night service in Chicago, Saturday morning service in Boston, Wednesday drasha from Baltimore...

[unbidden-yidden]

Hands down, this is one of the best, and most challenging drashot I've ever heard. This is from last week, and it actually gives me a framework for understanding the story of the rape of Dinah and her family's response in context, something I've been bothered by since I first read the story as a child. It also explains how we can (and should) understand the meaning and application of it in our times.

Basically, he argues that powerful people have the ability to mask their violence in gentility, while those without power are castigated as violent thugs. But make no mistake: the former is just as violent if not more so, and we must understand reactive violence in the context of it being a response to this sort of genteel violence:

Non-violence is a powerful, effective strategy when a violent oppressor can be exposed and when the oppressor cares about being exposed. But where there are no cameras and the Governor controls the narrative, in such a world of violence, there is no non-violent alternative, just different paths of violence. Violence is just not the same on both sides of a power divide. 

My rabbi gave a version of this drasha and explained that Rabbi Bernstein's Torah here is a Torah of fire. While it preceded Chanukah, thematically it is right at home. I hope you all appreciate it as much as I have.

[jewishconvertthings]

howdy ! iʼm pretty sure i want to convert to judaism; iʼve started learning hebrew & iʼm following ur faq guide on wordpress into branches first but i have a question that iʼm uncertain how to phrase so please lmk if my wording is wrong.

so is it like... okay to buy a torah online or download a pdf to read for research? or is that disrespectful? thank u for ur time im sorry if this has been answered before sbbfbf

Hi anon,

You definitely get a gold star for actually checking out the FAQ 😄

I would recommend checking out sefaria.org for tons of original Jewish source texts (including the Tanakh) that have been translated into English and are presented side-by-side with the original Hebrew text. It's a completely free resource and has tons of additional commentary and access to source sheets on various topics. However, I would not just read the text of the Tanakh and try to understand it on your own. That will not give you much insight into modern Rabbinic Judaism or how we approach these texts. I would instead recommend reading commentary on whatever texts you're most interested in. If you search "dvar Torah" or "drasha" + whatever text you're looking into, you'll find tons of great articles online, for free. Definitely check the source to make sure it's from a legitimate Jewish site (and not, say, a messianic or other xtian site) and also check what branch within Judaism the author is speaking from. For example, Chabad has tons of great information on their website, but it's very much from a Chabadnik perspective. My Jewish Learning is a great site and has a variety of contributing authors. The Virtual Jewish Library is another great resource that tries to cover a lot of ground and be non-denominational. If you're looking for a Reform resource, reformjudaism.org has commentary on its site, and if you're looking for Reconstructionist resources and some commentary, ritualwell.org is worth a look. The Conservative movement can be a little trickier to find specific drashot from, so your best bet is to check Conservative synagogue and rabbis' blogs for dvarim. The official website for the Rabbinical Assembly does have teshuvot (legal responsa on specific halachic questions) for the Conservative movement, but they are pretty dense reading and not exactly beginner-friendly.

A good place to start if you're not sure where, is just by reading the parsha, that is, the weekly Torah portion. There's also plenty of books of commentary on the Torah portions in addition to online resources and you may be able to get those from your local library.

Hope that helps, and feel free to reach out again if you are looking for information or resources on a particular topic or source.