#being destroyed - disrespected - criticized and taken for granted

[wondersofeos]

Please, don't take virtual photographers for granted.

I noticed that, of all art forms present in fan communities, virtual photography was probably the most left out and less respected despite it being prevalent (at least in the communities I engage in). I've read comments arguing that it didn't count as fan content because anyone could do it, and anyone had the tools to at least become a photographer. I even read that photography was lesser than any other type of content, because it was just about snapping away that random scene and calling it a day. And you know what? It's not true.

If anyone could do it, then, the title of "photographer" wouldn't exist in the first place. And provided that you have the tools, pushing the snap button is not enough to make you a photographer. Not anyone who can cook is a chief, just like not everyone who can hold a pencil can draw. Photography is not just about clicking that button. Photography is about aesthetic perception. Photography is capturing a feeling within a feeling to make it say something without words. It's about finding the right scene, the right settings, the right subject, the right lighting, the right angle, the right timing. It's about time, and composition. It's about communicating what you cannot through what you see and how it makes you feel in a way that aesthetically makes sense. And contrary to what many think, not everyone can snap the same photo, you know why? Because not everyone has the same perception and things to say. Not everyone wants to go about saying it the same way. A change in scale of the very same settings can make tremendous differences in the way the whole photograph is perceived and can change its meaning drastically.

Photography is not easy. Have you heard about composition rules, such as the infamous rule of thirds? The rule of odds? About leading lines? About framing? About depth of field? Have you read about how symmetry affects your framing, about color combinations, about managing space, about the golden ratio? Those are little things, little tips and techniques that seem insignificant when you check them out, but they actually build a world of perception that's yours to project through something which already exists in a way that only belongs to you because there’s only one perception like yours.

Virtual photography isn't different. And it's not less hard. Because we have limited tools that we need to master in order to capture as faithfully as possible the aesthetic that we have in mind. In FFXV, the Nvidia Ansel tool drives me nuts sometimes I'm telling you. It gets your laptop to heat up hotter than Ifrit's fire, it crashes for no reasons, when it works it does not always cooperate well ... with those weird filters and blurs that you have to adapt to. And it more often than not takes me a full hour to have at least three viable photos amongst an ocean of thousand regular, inadequate ones. In AC Odyssey, I swear the limitations in settings on PS4 are incapacitating sometimes, and it's hard to get close to the intention you're going for no matter how hard you try and play around with the settings you're given. Same with Horizon Zero Dawn. It takes countless hours of patience, of failing and persevering, and of editing too sometimes... to get to a result that you consider to be remotely right but not yet quite what you were going for. Many times for little consideration and little respect in return.

I can understand that you would not see the appeal of photography, and precisely, of virtual photography. And it's more than okay. I mean, there are countless ways to be creative, and we aren't sensitive to each and every single one of them. But I cannot understand that you would disrespect our medium and diminish our content while we're partly creating it for you to enjoy further the universes that you love. Because you aren't able to conceptualize the time, studies, skills and efforts it takes to take photographs, does not mean it's illegitimate and does not make it worthless. Respect us not as creative imposters, but as content creators. Because that's what we are.

Below the cut are some of my best artistic photos aside from FFXV, and I don’t even think they are “good” as I’m a total amateur and loads of things feel off to me. But it took me countless tries and hours to get them. I tried my best and applied bits of what I learned so I could capture something that felt special to me through settings that fitted my aesthetic perception. I don’t think it makes me special. But I believe that the struggle that was part of the process which led to this photographs makes me a legitimate content creator and not some imposter among creators. And it’s the same for each and every single virtual photographer out there no matter what verse they capture photos of and whether they are fellow amateurs or total pros.

[joachimnapoleon]

On the Murat/Lannes relationship

Napoleonic history is a tangled web. In the relatively short amount of time (three years-ish) since it first ensnared me, I've lost count of all the narratives/anecdotes/random tidbits I've come across in one source that have ended up being contradicted in another. I feel better about not always knowing what to believe when I see professional historians tripping over the facts themselves--like Michael Broers, in the first volume of his overall amazing trilogy-in-progress on Napoleon, referring to the story about Eugène de Beauharnais asking Napoleon for his father's sword back, as a myth "fabricated by Eugène and Hortense, after Napoleon's fall," when Napoleon himself recounted the story on Saint Helena. The truth is, this subject is just so vast it's impossible to get everything right 100% of the time.

And it doesn't help that a lot of what has come down over the years and become "common knowledge" on the subject often derives from memoirs written to push certain agendas, to fashion narratives, and to defend (and destroy) reputations.

Napoleon's marshals grabbed my interest right off the bat--Murat in particular--and I grabbed up every book I could find early on, with zero idea of which ones were credible or outdated. And some of them were old--the first Murat biography I read (by Atteridge) was from before all eight volumes of his available correspondence had even been published. The first book on the marshals I read was from 1934 (by Macdonell); the next (by Delderfield) was from the 60s. They were all good introductory reading but left me with a lot of ideas/assumptions that I ended up abandoning later on as I delved more into the primary sources.

One of these is the "Murat and Lannes hated each other" narrative.

I can't say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Laure Junot's infamous memoirs are entirely to blame, but I'm sure they definitely contributed to mainstreaming this particular narrative (among others). The Duchess d'Abrantès despised both Joachim and Caroline Murat, and devoted ample space in her memoirs to making them look as heinous (and universally disliked) as possible. The professional rivalry between Lannes and Murat--which legitimately did exist, at least early on--was blown out of proportion, and future historians gleefully piggybacked on it because drama sells books. And so we end up with excerpts like this in Delderfeld's Napoleon's Marshals:

The two future marshals, who already detested one another, were laid side by side in the hospital and Lannes must have taken full advantage of the fact that he could insult his rival with impunity, for Murat's jaw had been shattered by a pistol shot and his face was swathed in bandages. [2002 edition, page 51]

Again, I don't deny there was an early professional rivalry between the two, deliberately exacerbated by Napoleon, who delighted in this sort of thing. Marbot, who served under Lannes, relates the following:

General Bonaparte, when on his way to assume the command of the Army of Italy in 1796, took as his senior aide-de-camp Murat, whom he had just promoted to colonel, and for whom he had a great liking. Having, however, in the first actions noticed the military capacity, zeal, and courage of Lannes... he granted to that officer an equally large share of his esteem and friendship, thus exciting Murat's jealousy. When the two colonels had become generals of brigade, Bonaparte was accustomed, on critical occasions, to entrust to Murat the direction of the cavalry charges and put Lannes in command of the reserve of the grenadiers. Both did splendidly, and the army had nothing but praise for either. But between these gallant officers there grew up a rivalry which, if the truth must be told, was not at all displeasing to the commander-in-chief, as tending to stimulate their zeal and their desire of distinction. He would extol before Murat the achievements of General Lannes, and enlarge in Lannes' presence on the merits of Murat. [Memoirs of the Baron de Marbot, 1903, page 336]

From this early rivalry, we are led to believe that Lannes and Murat hated each other unhappily ever after. As "proof" of this we are given the occasional heat-of-the-moment blowup during later campaigns.

But the narrative starts to melt away when you look at their personal correspondence.

When I first started diving into Murat's correspondence after my obsession took hold, I was fairly shocked when I read some of the letters between him and Lannes and saw so many marks of affection--and frequent use of the informal tu, used between close friends and intimates, instead of the formal vous. I’ve seen this spun, in order to uphold the Lannes Hated Murat™ narrative, as Lannes just doing it to nettle Murat by being blatantly disrespectful or some such nonsense. I don’t buy that take, personally.

Some of the letters/excerpts (with translations following each):

"I see with pleasure that Blücher and the Duke of Weimar will not escape you. Be sure that you will never have as much glory as I want for you and that I love you a thousand times more than you love me. I will never cease to seize every circumstance of giving you new proofs of it. A thousand and thousand times your friend."

Excerpt in Lannes' own hand from a letter to Murat dated 1 December 1806:

"I give you my word, my dear friend, that the soldier is in the greatest misery, make sure that food is sent to us from Warsaw. Your best friend, Lannes."

"I pray you, my dear Duke, tell me if the Emperor must come soon to Warsaw. If I can get in a carriage, I count on going in two days to the capital, unless you think we're making a movement; in this latter case, I will be obliged to you to let me know it. You can't have an idea of what I've suffered. The Emperor gave me much grief, on the subject of what was found in Stettin, I will tell you all that when I see you. Farewell, my good friend, I love you with all my heart."

"The rumor runs here, my dear Murat, that you are coming with the Emperor, the governor himself assures me of it, I will be obliged to you to let me know if this is true. I'm writing to His Majesty to request his orders. You must have suffered much this campaign, my dear Murat, I have no need to tell you that I've shared all your fatigues. I would have been happier to  be with you. Farewell, my dear Murat, give me your news and believe me for life your best friend."

In July of 1808, recovering from a severe illness that struck him in Spain, Murat went to "take the cure" in Barèges. He spent a few days there with Lannes and Ney, and was able to share the news with them that Napoleon had just made him the King of Naples. He writes the following letter to Lannes while in Barèges:

"I'm sending you, my dear marshal, a letter from the Emperor; read it and send it back to me. You will learn this good news with pleasure, and I am sure that you will be delighted with the advice that His Majesty gives you to hurry and drink the waters. If you want to write him, send the letter immediately; I will send it by the return of his courier. Farewell, love always your good friend."

After their brief stay at Barèges, Murat accompanies Lannes to Lannes' chateau near Lectoure, and stays as his guest, to finish his recuperation through the end of July. Murat, months later in Naples, writes to his friend to express his gratitude for Lannes' care of him during his illness (this one's a bit hard to read, sorry):

"My dear Duke, it has been a long time since I left you, I was glad to see your journey, I am persuaded that you were and are happy, I believe you are happy myself, since you are with the Emperor. Never leave him, it is only with him that there is happiness, I am no longer happy since I left him. You are persuaded of my friendship, but wanting to give you a recent proof of it, I just wrote to His Majesty to beg him to permit me to send you my Order of the Two Sicilies, it will acquire a new merit, worn by you. You are going to leave, you are going to fight again, and me, I will make wishes for your success. Was the Emperor Alexander friendly? And the Grand Duke? Did you conclude anything? You must tell me. Farewell, my dear Duke, love always your friend who will never forget your recent proofs of attachment. All yours; I kiss your children."

So in summary: I believe that Murat & Lannes were professional rivals early in their careers, but that their rivalry has been blown way out of proportion because drama makes good copy, and I'm pretty firmly convinced that they were a good deal closer than has commonly been believed/written. At any rate, I'm glad to be able to show another side of their relationship that hasn't gotten nearly as much attention as Lannes referring to Murat as an ass and a strutting rooster or whatever it was in Laure Junot's memoirs. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading; this ended up being a good deal longer than I originally envisioned it.

[All the letters above come from Volumes 4-7 of Lettres Et Documents Pour Servir À l'Histoire de Joachim Murat, except for the 18 July 1808 letter, which is from Albert Lumbroso’s Correspondance de Joachim Murat. I take full blame for any flaws in the translations, which are entirely my own.]

[amessageonthewind]

The Difference Between Strength and Power

Word Count: 3308

Pairing: Naga!Connor x Rachel

Content Warnings: Mentions of verbal and emotional abuse, coarse language, mentions of killing and consumptions of souls, general unpleasant attitude from Connor.

Based on a dropped rp thread with one of my partners on my rp blog and inspired by Netflix Castlevania Season 4.

            It had been a few days since the elderly gorgon woman made their situation direr. That she laid the true stakes before them, stipulating that without the other, disaster would befall the village. If the detective were to be slain by outside forces, the naga would be captured and the village pillaged and exterminated and everything plundered and looted. If Connor killed her or incited her wrath that would lead her to try to fight him in a battle she couldn’t win, the curse would claim her as a host and would destroy everything in the village and the naga’s own mind. Or at least what was left of it. And if Connor was taken from the village, they would not be able to stop the onslaught from the invaders that encroached on that territory.

            So, Connor was forced to be more patient with her. Kinder. She knew it was false. She knew that he was just behaving, but it was better than the constant verbal and emotional abuse he would unfairly barrage her with. And she, in-turn, would still be patient and empathetic towards him. Even if he was still rather unpleasant and she made that fact very clear. She wasn’t having his nonsense, especially with their being forced to work together.

            While he initially rejected her offer to attend to the large sapphire snake god, the marble-white gorgon reminded him that they had to work together and that that meant they needed to begin actually spending time together. When he pointed out that it was the breeding season, which meant he was particularly volatile, she retorted that that was none of her concern. After all, it was his fault that it was so volatile, since he insisted on rejecting his base naga needs to lounge around for three days at a time and drink himself into a slumbering stupor.

            So, Rachel tended to him every day since. She performed tasks for him around his cenote, with the irritable god keeping a close eye on her.

            And, naturally, her curiosity got the better of her. “Why do you consume souls?” She asked him one day, whilst shining some of the weapons he had collected in his hoard. His long tail cascaded on practically every crevice it could, the iridescent scales making it look like the cave opening was filled with auroras. He looked rather bored watching her work, swirling a glass of wine in his hand as his amber eyes glittered with annoyance. “You’ve already got enough power and strength to last for lifetimes. What’s the point of continuously doing it, especially if you know that the more souls you consume, the worse your mental state will be?”

            Glaring at her, his tail tip began to lash quietly. “I don’t have to answer such insolent questions, you witless maggot.”

            “You should if you actually care about preventing your own worst aspects from destroying the things you value.” Rachel pointed out, clearly unfazed by his foul attitude at this point. “People can accommodate much better if you make it clear what actually needs to be accommodated and why. And at least if people are properly informed, it doesn’t invite further questions. Also, withholding that information is extremely irresponsible on your part.”

            Scoffing, Connor continued to scowl at the small human. “You still know nothing, foolish human.”

            “And whose fault is that?” Rachel asked, his insults having no effect on her.

            “Yours.” He retorted, his anger billowing off him like an angry storm cloud as his tail began coiling closer to him, retracting into himself. “You constantly speak as though you have something of value to say, yet when you are told something, you fail to listen to it. You hear only to respond. You don’t actually listen to learn.”

            “Then give me something actually helpful to learn instead of berating me for not knowing.” The detective hissed, getting fed up with his immature and entitled behaviour. “It’s not fair that you blame me for not knowing things when you’re the one who withholds that information from me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’re doing that on purpose just so you can have an excuse to be angry. Which, speaking of, you should probably go hunt, soon.”

            Connor still couldn’t believe the audacity of this woman. She was doing him a service and she still acted as though she was in a position to tell him what to do. To give him, the god and guardian deity of this place for centuries, orders as though he were stupid. “Stop telling me what to do, foolish human.”

            “I will when you stop making the worst decisions possible for your self-care when you’re not in a position where it’s wise for you to neglect them.” Rachel deflected easily. She just as much had no patience for his nonsense when there was much more at stake here than his easily bruised ego. “The entire village is in danger because of your insistence on maintaining self-destructive habits. You make a big deal out of me pushing you to such points and putting the village in danger, but it is not my responsibility to coddle your bad habits. It’s yours to fix them. You’re the one in the position of power and it’s unfair to place the responsibility in the hands of those without that power. And the thing is, your problems have very easy fixes.”

            Every response only made him angrier, but even when shouting at her, she showed no fear. And while that did not help his ire, he quickly learned that responding to the woman with anger would not yield the results he ultimately wanted. So, begrudgingly and with what felt like a searing hot knife cutting through his pride, he relented. “Such as…?”

            “Hunting.” Rachel replied easily with a cocked brow, putting away a sword and moving on to what looked like some sort of spiked club. “I know you’ve got plenty of good food prepared so lovingly for you, but hunting is more than just for food. It’s also for enrichment. It’s mentally and physically stimulating and engaging. Even housecats, who don’t need to hunt for their food, need their hunting instincts stimulated through play or they become violent and destructive to their environment and the people around them. I suspect that a lot of your pent-up anger is made worse when you drink yourself into lethargy. You’re not properly stimulating yourself in the way you actually need. There’s a reason creatures of all kinds get angry and irritable when left alone for long periods of time with nothing to do and nothing to stimulate them. Enrichment is vitally important for one’s mental health.”

            Looking at Connor, she fixed him with a stern look. “I know you hate being compared to humans, but there is an irony in that the more you abstain from the aspects of yourself that make you inhuman, the more of your humanity you sacrifice. And the worse you end up becoming. Do you see my point?”

            He didn’t want to. The naga didn’t want to admit that the days when he’d spend laying around in the sun, there was an unbearable prickle under his scales. Impatience and boredom eating away at him like beetles and termites to wood. It was both his body’s need for a mate and the growing bristling that would just build and build until he emerged from his cenote. And as much as he didn’t want to take pleasure in it, devouring the assassin that entered their village was as close to relief as he’d been able to get.

            Perhaps…she had a point. Not that he would admit it verbally.

            Instead, he decided to answer her earlier question. Just to make her stop questioning him, though Connor was certain she would still find something to criticize him over. “Each soul grants me strength.” He answered, garnering Rachel’s full attention as she regarded him, pausing her task to take in his words. “My powers grow stronger the more I consume. Which allows me to maintain the safety of the village and its strength.”

            Tilting her head at him, she had about a dozen more questions. “How many souls have you consumed?”

            “Countless.” Connor replied. “By the hundreds of thousands, if I were to make an educated guess.”

            That…was a lot. “Surely that’s more than enough.” She figured. “Especially if each soul just makes your mental health worse. Surely you can just…kill people without eating their souls. It doesn’t really sound worth doing, at this point. Does your power diminish if you don’t?”

            Once again, the sapphire naga found himself irritated by her questioning. The fact that she would dare question him at all was a disrespect most vile. But, as the Pool of Truth most blatantly showed him, he needed to keep himself from just killing her on the spot. But if it would get her to drop the topic, he’d comply. For now. “I’m not keen on finding out.”

            Seemed this wasn’t a good enough answer for her. “You could always pay the gorgon a visit and ask the Pool of Truth for the answer to that.”

            That made him bristle once more. “I don’t need to have the answer for how my own body and mind works. I’m only tolerating you and that hag because she has powers I cannot compete with in my own fucking territory and if I kill you, then you will destroy everything I have ever worked to build.” He leaned in close, leering down at her with his bright eyes that held much contempt for her. Not that she cared. Like he said, there was little he could do to her now that he knew what was at stake. “Do you have any idea how it feels to be made powerless where you should feel strong?”

            “Yes.” Rachel responded without a second’s hesitation. “I do know how that feels. And if you actually care, then you should stop trying to make others feel that same way if you hate how it feels, yourself.”

            Again with giving him orders. But at this point, he was too tired to argue further with her. With a huff, he slithered away from her and slumped over another rock as he watched her continue to clean and polish his weapons. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of victory over him.

            After a moment’s silence, the woman’s voice broke through it once more to ask him another question. “Is that why you do it?” She asked him, glancing over at him with her dark eyes. “So you can feel strong when the world around you tries to make you feel weak? Is that it?”

            “I am strong.” Connor retorted, insulted that she would dare insinuate that he was weak. “Others who try to dethrone or slay me learn very quickly of that. That I am strength itself. That I embody strength that they cannot hope to achieve.”

            “Then why are you so quick to anger if you’re so secure in that?” Rachel asked him. “Anger comes from a place of caring a lot about something. It’s passion derived from feeling slighted because it comes from a place that’s personal. It’s something you care about deeply and that’s why it makes you angry. That’s where slight comes from. If you’re really so secure in your strength that has no equal, then why do you care so much about who knows it? Why do you care so much about the paltry opinions of humans who, at least in your view, can never be your equals? If that’s really what you believe, then in theory, none of it should matter. It shouldn’t even be worth anything other than simple dismissal, if it means that little.”

            Once again, Rachel really had no concern for holding her tongue. If she wasn’t in the position she was in, he would’ve gladly cut out her own tongue before flaying her alive and leaving her to rot where the animals could devour her. But he was not willing to condemn his people to a fate worse than death because of an angry spiteful gorgon his father once battled and defiled.

            So, through gritted teeth as his pride was wounded more and more, he answered. “Nagas are…prideful. We have every reason to be.” He explained, though the venom behind his words did not go unnoticed. It was clear how much being forced to practice humility was taking out of him. “We are powerful gods who inspire fear and wisdom in humans. There’s a reason we are worshipped as much as we are. We naturally want to be treated with that reverence and don’t react well when it isn’t given to us.”

            “Ah, I see.” Rachel said, though her tone was bored. “So, you’re used to being treated with utmost reverence in awe of your strength. And when you don’t get it, you feel wronged and thus you’re angry. And in your mind, those who can’t show you the respect you deserve shouldn’t get to exist at all. After all, for you it’s natural to be revered and worshipped. So, if someone doesn’t give you that, it must be their fault and not yours because that’s the natural order of things. That there’s something wrong with them and not you because that goes against the way things should be. Is that it?”

            Her phrasing and tone was not appreciated. While she seemed to understand the nucleus as to his ideology and nature as a naga, she said it with derision. As though she were speaking to a spoiled brat who needed to be knocked down from their pedestal. Something Connor hated more than anything.

            But even if she did not like that, she seemed to understand. “In a sense, yes…” He relented, growing more and more tired of this exhausting and unsavoury conversation. “We are immortal. There is nothing that can kill us. We also don’t feel fear and the only way to kill a naga is to strike their heart at the moment when they do feel fear. Otherwise, we live forever.” Of course, there was another way, but that wasn’t relevant information for the human to know at this point. Or ever, realistically speaking. “As such, we strive to maintain the natural order of things. While we understand that the world around us changes in chaotic ways, we do not. And so, we maintain this in everything that we govern. A natural order that must not be disturbed. Therefore, we don’t react well when that order is threatened.” For a moment, he paused to think, letting out a breath as he tried to think of a way to put all these ideologies into a simple expression. “It’s…the naga’s virtue. We want everything to remain the same. To remain stable.”

            At that, Rachel scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Ah, ‘the naga’s virtue,’ fucking Hell…” She grumbled, clearly not taking that notion very seriously. “There’s an act of philosophical acrobatics for the ages.”

            “Oh, would you silence with your incessant need to be clever for once, you foolish human?” Connor snapped, though the volume in his voice did not change. More irritated than angry as he was putting more effort into trying to explain himself than in maintaining his anger. “You humans spend decades wandering and bumbling around and you call that a life. We have to take a longer view. So, we want stability.”

            As per usual, the detective was unaffected by his poor attitude. Raising an eyebrow, she paused while she was polishing the weapon she was currently working on. “And you’re saying you have that? That you have had that?”

            Blinking at her for a moment, the scaled deity shifted positions idly as he continued to speak. “I do.” He replied, easily. Of course he had stability. His village has had stability separated from the rest of the world’s chaos thanks to him. The fact that she would even question that was ludicrous, but for now, he let it go. “As this land’s protector, I have strength and I have always had strength. The strength to enforce a stable environment.” He paused, searching for the right way to explain his position. “Strength can fight wars, yes. But it can also build a shelter.” He then fixed her with an inquisitive look in his reptile-like eyes. “Are you following me?”

            “Just wandering and bumbling around.” Rachel replied, with a little bit of good humour to lighten the mood just the slightest bit. “Smaller shapes are better than big ones, Connor. And from what I understand about nagas, they typically want more than just weatherproof shelters.”

            “But it all comes from that virtue, don’t you see?” The naga replied back with, tilting his head at her with narrowed eyes.

            At that, Rachel shook her head. Seemed she had a much different take on things than he did. “Strength and power are different.” She deflected once more. “You claim to want strength. To maintain strength. To embody strength. But what you seek and consume is power. You consolidate and hold power. You embody power.”

            And there she went, assuming things about him once more. But he was honestly too tired to be angry with her. This entire exchange had exhausted him and he just wanted it to be over. “That was what my father did. What my father wanted.” He said, looking down at the stray bits of gold, armour, and weaponry strewn about on the ground before him. The naga reached down to fiddle at one of his coins, turning it over with his claws and more or less just moving it around out of boredom. “Which is…what ultimately ruined my life.”

            Looking down at his unfinished wine glass, Connor took another sip from it, looking at his own reflection. A mirror opposite from his father. His father, pearlescent evil and himself iridescent midnight that struck him down and took his place and made a home out of what was once Hell on Earth. And it all came from the desire for power. It never seemed to be enough for his father. He never seemed satisfied. “Power…” The sapphire naga hissed, bitterness coating the syllables. “Big, all-encompassing, projected power…is something else. It lends you more might, but it doesn’t have the utilities of strength. It lays eggs in you and it becomes a parasite you have to feed. Power does nothing but eat.”

            Connor continued to stare down into his glass of wine, but Rachel stared at the naga wide-eyed. A realization was forming in her mind as she stared absolutely speechless, putting a hand to her mouth as pieces started to put themselves together. Conclusions were being drawn, and the next sentence she would speak would have the weight of worlds behind them.

            “Like a naga…?”

            Only then did Connor look her directly in the eye. For a moment, and a moment alone, they were perfect mirrors of each other as the realization of his very nature, his very sense of self, was upended and recontextualized. Put in a new light that neither of them had been previously able to put to words. Both in the short time that the detective had known him and the centuries that Connor had been alive.

            Looking back down at his glass of wine, the scowl on Connor’s face was evident. He wasn’t just angry. Not at her. He was just…angry. In the cold, bitter, and heavy way that one was angry when their worldview was pulled out from beneath them.

            “Like…a naga.” He repeated, taking one last drink from his wine glass before his grip tightened on it and the glass shattered against the cave wall. He didn’t raise his voice.

            In fact, the detective was certain that that was the quietest she’d ever heard him speak.

[astrognossienne]

those who have their birthday on:

1, 10, 19, 28: the sweetest people, the public adores them and it’s easy to see why, very happy and light, the most magnetic, gentle, easy to get along with, has a singular purpose, effortless, has a fresh kind of innocence, authentic, engaging, desires to learn more about the world, naturally shines brightly, slightly quirky, very popular, may seem simplistic but in actuality are quite complex, their brand of sensitivity is lovely, seductive, relatable, likeable, genuine, their charm and aura is like an electric light, very caring, very considerate, also stubborn and childish/childlike, quite fragile, needy and insecure, pioneers, beautiful souls, often iconic and legendary

2, 11, 20, 29: very sexy, tends to stand out, as calm and modest as they are fiery and intense, quietly powerful and influential, were more than likely bullied as kids, truly savage, vulnerability is their strength and it inspires others, have anger issues, seems boring and are easily dismissed yet are the very ones you don’t want to sleep on, regal, often inspires much hate and jealousy, very penetrating, provocative, machiavellian, standoffish, enigmatic, reclusive, inscrutable, hard to get to know completely, not easily understood by anyone, quiet, intellectuals, often stoic and compartmentalizes feelings very well; almost to the point of being numb, emotionally bulletproof, keeps to themselves, snobby, can be a bit sensitive, deep, introspective, often taken for granted, commands respect, can be totally heartless, sincere, mature and dignified, the most lovable, spontaneous, idiosyncratic, very individualistic, loyal, can be caring, doesn’t take shit from anyone, very charismatic and magnetic, can be very sweet, can be completely detached, cold, wicked, cruel, distant and aloof, very mean-spirited mainly just because they can be, funny, very mysterious and private, complex, turns their pain into something amazing, the toughest of them all

3, 12, 21, 30: very very creative, irreverent, nervous, edgy, can be quite bossy, great communicators, an original voice, exacting, their voice is often their instrument, can be loudmouths, can be a bit crazy, can come off a bit spoiled, also can be disrespectful, very deft with their words, often quite funny, demanding, distant, can get aggressive, irreverent, aggressive, controversial, super defensive, very rash and impulsive, very intelligent, private, idiosyncratic, often operates on the fringes of society, they make the shittiest bosses, always something up their sleeve, strong-willed, likes a challenge, combative, expressive, completely unsentimental, values freedom above all, imaginative, shrewd, cautious

4, 13, 22, 31: humanitarians, romantic, penetrating, fake, psychotic, jealous, wants to be all things to all people and will do anything to achieve this, has stringent boundaries for themselves but has absolutely NO respect for anyone else’s boundaries, violates people for no reason, irreverent but requires asskissing respect and reverence from others, fiery, overly confident, hateful, crazy, seems to be quite popular/has a strange hold on masses of people, has the BIGGEST egos, provocative, faithful, pragmatic, reserved, users, immature, nakedly ambitious, tries too hard to be omnipotent, controversy always seems to surround them, savage for no reason, prides themselves on being infallible but are utterly fallible, know-it-alls, critical, anxious, smart-mouthed yet very sensitive (almost too much so), proud, tries hard to be individualistic but in reality is just like everyone else, very shady, can be and is often very disrespectful, patronizing and egotistical, needs their ass kissed, due to their vast insecurity and inherent inadequacy they have a need to conquer others and if they can’t do so then they will try very hard to destroy them, wayyy too sensitive and resorts to being caustic and abusive when they’re hurt (which is all the time), tries too hard to act/look/talk hard, can be tough but sweet to those who give them the ego stroke they require, can be quite judgmental, always working, likes to one-up people, needs control and is often very self-controlled, often fake, passive-aggressive, very opportunistic and savvy, great at making friends, VERY contradictory and hypocritical, often talented and hardworking, competitive, inspires others, wants to be known as kind and great in everyone’s eyes, almost always supremely unlikable individuals, often downright repulsive, has low self-esteem and projects it on others, often has hidden motives, adroit in using people’s emotions for their own ends, DELUSIONAL

5, 14, 23: creative, sociable, dramatic, comes off very confident and cocksure, exciting, tend to be misunderstood a lot, spoiled brats, lively, strong-willed, calculating, in your face, emotionally unstable as f, shady, childish, unfriendly, con artists, pretentious, likes to seem omnipotent, petty, deeply insecure, delusions of grandeur, perceptive, arrogant, touchy, a bit obnoxious, capricious, volatile, unstable, uninhibited; insincere, condescending, blunt, sharp tongued and are more often than not the biggest assholes yet funnily enough are quite sensitive (almost hypersensitive), are usually mean because they’ve been hurt, defensive, intense, very reactionary, go-getters, often very popular for whatever reason, can be sexy, tightly wound yet carefree, hypocritical, doesn’t know the meaning of boundaries, crazy, very high maintenance, lucky in life but unlucky in love

6, 15, 24: the nicest and most relatable and likeable people, fascinating, can be a bit insecure, knows how to live life well, passionate, admirable, generous, driven, not concerned with conventions, can be offensive, as laid-back as they are motivated, can be mean, things just seem to fall in place for these people, has their fingers in every pot, open- minded, great to be friends with, nothing slows them down, loves a good time, lives life to the fullest, blunt and authentic, non-judgmental, might not be the luckiest when it comes to love but hands down the absolute luckiest when it comes to life

7, 16, 25: strong, spiky, has been through a lot, hard-edged yet secretly has a heart of gold, often geniuses, talented, keeps their cool, as immature as they are mature, rebellious, fighters, not concerned with the opinion of others, marches to the best of their own drummer, also judgmental, curious, overlooked often, individualistic, adventurous, opinionated, quite realistic, has strong self-respect, poetic, likes to push people’s buttons, tough to pin down, moody, very knowing, always keeps others on their toes, no-nonsense, distrustful of others, says they don’t like drama but secretly live for it, totally respected, they ooze sex, what you see isn’t necessarily what you get

8, 17, 26: bosses, commanding, assertive, grandiose, has a very wide reach, imaginative, never boring, vain, self-confident, very very popular and well-liked and it’s easy to see why; very influential, creative, visionaries, future-minded, doesn’t have to try too hard, talented, tends to exaggerate a lot, tells great stories, selfish, excellent at their craft, widely respected, unique, brave, also very dramatic and intense but nobly so, specializes in living in a fantasy world, creates controversy, dynamic, also very iconic and legendary

9, 18, 27: very original, big humanitarians, innovative, imaginative, takes a lot of shit but is strong enough to handle it, pioneers, idealistic, soft and sensitive, emotional messes, often infps or isfps, often drug or alcoholic fuckups, often can’t control themselves, can be pieces of shit but strangely believes in love almost to the detriment of logic, moves on well, generous, can often be quite irritating and annoying, protective, easily hurt, likes to be in everyone’s business, also very sharp-tongued, can be more than a bit corny but usually means well, complicated yet straightforward, surprisingly self-aware, entertaining, tries to do the right thing, often comes off as a martyr, very spiritual/religious, believes in things like fate and soulmates, believes that tomorrow is another day

[tcnjwgs]

An important message from Abahlali baseMjondolo Women's League Statement (South Africa)

Wednesday, 1 April 2020 Abahlali baseMjondolo Women's League Statement Sekwanele! Enough is enough! We as the Women's League of Abahlali baseMjondolo see the need to express our pain and fear, and our deep disappointment and anger at the eThekwini municipality. We need to issue a clear warning that we will not continue to accept oppression. Abahlali as a movement teaches respect. Men must respect women. People of different generations must respect each other. People who are born in different countries and people who speak different languages at home must respect each other. We have struggled for years in our movement to ensure that poor people are treated with respect. In this crisis caused by the corona virus we have respected the President's call to stay indoors even though this is very difficult when there are many people living in one shack, and even though this is very difficult when we don't get paid when we don't work. It has been promised by national government that there will be no evictions during the lockdown. But by day five of the lockdown the eThekwini Municipality had already attacked us, violently, and unlawfully, three times. They destroyed our homes and left many people injured. It is very sad and unjustifiable what they are continuing to do to us as impoverished people. They are undermining us and rendering our rights useless even during this time of darkness, not only in our country but even globally. Is this happening because we are not counted as human? Is this happening because we do not count as citizens of this country? Is this happening because we do not have rights as shack dwellers? Sizokuthola nini ukuphumula ezweni lethu uma sihlukumezwa kanje? How are we going to be indoors while our houses are being demolished? Some of us we are single parents who not working. We can't afford to buy more building material after the securities, armed men sent by the government, have broken and burnt it. As women we have been denied the right to housing. Even when we build our own houses they are destroyed. Housing is not possible without land and we are denied the right to land. We have been oppressed by the Kings in our rural areas. You are denied access to land if you are a single mother. We have moved to the city and now we are still facing the same oppression from the eThekwini Municipality. It is really so sad for a single mother and her children to be chased away from their homes at this very hard time. It is such a humiliation. What must a mother say to her children? It is such an embarrassment to our government. What happened to the women empowerment that the President of the party in power promised us at the beginning of the year? It is clear to us that this women empowerment is not for us. When we work to empower ourselves p, security forces are sent to attack us. We are afraid of the corona virus, but there is no virus worse than not having a place to stay. There is no virus worse than armed men attacking and destroying your home. There is no virus worse than armed men shooting at your family, including children and old people. There is no virus worse than having to sleep outside, where there is always the fear of rape. There is no virus worse than our children waking up at night crying and shouting in fear. We say that enough is enough. The struggle for land and dignity in the cities goes back more than a hundred years. Our struggle to occupy land, build homes and defend our dignity was the struggle of the Industrial and Commercial Workers? Union. It was the struggle of the United Democratic Front. We do not want this struggle to also be the struggle of our children. It is enough. We have buried our children and husbands as a result of these violent evictions. Right now, some of our men are in hospital, or at home with serious injuries. The brutality of the SAPS, municipal security, private security, the Red Ants and the Anti Land Invasion Unit has taken too many lives and left too many people injured. The blood of too many innocent people has been spilt. It is enough. Ukubekezela kwethu sekuphelile. Isibindi sethu siqinile. Our movement organises the oppressed and projects the voice of the voiceless, the voice of the landless and homeless people of our country. Since it was established in 2005 we have been invited to a variety of different meetings by the departments of housing and land affairs, as well as municipalities, regarding the issues of land distribution and evictions. We have been to many meetings but not even one of those meetings has helped us with resolutions of the eviction situation we are facing. Why are we still invited to those meetings if our ideas and views are not going to be taken to consideration? It is enough. After fifteen years of struggle we continue to face unending evictions, relocations, the demolition of our vital belongings, the demolition of our houses, threats to our members and leaders, and killings.  It is enough. Now in this crisis, as we speak, we don't know how to make sure that we stay safe from the corona virus. Some of us don't have even food to put on the table because we're self-employed. Those of us who are street vendors are already devastated by the lockdown. Now we're stressed about where we are going to rebuild our children's homes. We are stressed that when we do rebuild the securities will return to attack us again and destroy our homes again. It is enough. As the Abahlali baseMjondolo Women's League, we will hold the government responsible for anyone who will die because of the corona virus since we told our children to stay indoors and to wash their hands. But where are they going to practice this hygiene if they are homeless? We built homes for our children. It was the municipality that destroyed them. It is enough. The Government is always saying that he is worried about Gender Based Violence but he sends armed men to attack us and leave women and children homeless and destitute. If there is any rape or murder of a women or a child who has been made homeless in these attacks we will hold the government responsible since he doesn't care about our safety. He is even sending the SANDF to victimise impoverished people across the country. It is enough. As Abahlali baseMjondolo Women's League we think that this 21 day shutdown has been implemented with a top down approach. Why we were not told on time to prepare ourselves? Why were we not included in decision making so that our suggestions could be included in the planning?  The government is always deciding for us like we can't think for ourselves. It is enough. It is not right that blood must still be shed for the land that our fathers and mothers fought for so that we could live without fear. For how long are we going to live with fear and tears in our only homes? This is a war against the poor. It is enough. We will act. How many lives must we lose during evictions? How many husbands must we lose? How many children must we lose? Each and every human life counts as a human life. Rich or poor a human is a human. Senzeni na? When the President says that "our people should remain indoors" but our homes are destroyed it becomes clear to us that we are not classified as people of this nation. When the President addresses the nation he speaks as if the role of the government is to protect its citizens yet the same government is the cause of harm and despair for its citizens. The way we are treated as women during evictions is so humiliating, disgusting and devastating. Women have too much work on their shoulders. If you are a women you have to go to work after work because you take care of your family and do cooking and chores. But in these communities who are currently facing these illegal evictions you also have to figure out how are you going to rebuild your children's home. On top of that when these illegal evictions occur the securities abuse us and our children like nobody's business. There is always sexual harassment and assault. They beat us up very badly. They don?t care whether you're carrying a baby or not. As a result of this brutality some of us end up finding it very difficult to receive grant money because our Sassa cards are being destroyed along with all our other belongings. Some of us are defaulting on our treatment because our medication and clinic cards are destroyed so our health is at risk. Some of us experience miscarriages. Sometimes we even lose our partners. We as the Abahlali Women's League call upon the President to end his silence on the attacks on our movement, and all the other abuse from the police and the army against poor people across the country, including three murders. He must give us the answers. When will this violence and abuse stop? How are those of us who have been evicted going to spend 21 days without shelter? Where do they really want us to go at this critical time? We have complied with the request of the President of the country. However, if the eThekwini Municipality can't respect us we won't tolerate their disrespect. We will act. Enough is enough bomama! This is our time to show our government that we stand for our children. We are fighting power to survive in the world. Yonk' indawo umzabalazo uyasivumela. Wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo Contact: Nomsa Sizani 081 005 3686 Zanele Mtshali 062 437 9077 Zandile Nsibande 073 611 8279

[flavourlessfiction]

You Don’t Disrespect Your Heros

Rating: General Audiences

Pairing: Shance

Characters: Lance, Shiro

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16006430

Prompt Fill: Missing Scene

Summary: Following the Naxzela mission Lance voices that his position in the team is being doubted by Shiro.

It’s been playing on Lance’s  mind for days. Naxzela. So many things could have gone wrong. They’d been moments away from going completely wrong twice. If it hadn’t been for Allura, or dare he say it, Lotor, they would have been dead. The coalition would have been completely destroyed.

Yet no one seemed to want to talk about it. As though it was some sort of landmine and Shiro would be nothing but belligerent towards them. A true leader was capable of taking criticism for mistakes, a soldier like Shiro most of all knew what it was like to disagree with those in senior positions. Gossip spread like wildfire at the garrison and whilst most didn’t know what it was for, everyone knew Shiro had practically gone against the chain of command in going to Kerberos.

If he’d listened to when he’d first voiced his suggestion to leave Naxzela they wouldn’t have run the risk of losing everything.

Lance understood Shiro’s thought to stay, and they learnt vital information because of it, but it had been reckless.

He didn’t want to fight, nor did he chew the other out but he wanted to understand. Find some sort of a reason why Shiro seemed so resistant to listen to his advice.

It was a matter of finding a moment, however, when Shiro wasn’t with Allura trying to figure out what to do with Lotor, or making some sort of speech of encouragement for the coalition. He needed to be smart about this, find a time to corner Shiro, to talk when it wasn’t completely inappropriate.

He couldn’t exactly burst into Shiro’s room as though he owned the place. The Castle of Lions might have been the place they all called home and they might have become their own strange family, but they weren’t actually family, there were boundaries that existed that families didn’t quite have.

At least he and Shiro seemed to.

He didn’t understand it entirely, why Shiro, who he’d thought they were starting to get along, to find some sort of friendship between the two of them. Shiro had disappeared, a new routine had been found without him and when he’d come back there was a divide between the two of them that almost felt greater than when they’d first found the Blue Lion. A divide that had been growing every day.

Surprisingly Shiro came to him. Not deliberately by any means but it had been the right moment.

Lance had been on the training deck, practicing with the guardian. It was a practice that was more effective with a second person involved but there would come a time he was stuck without any of the others, without Red.

“What level are you on?” Shiro asked, following a final shot that managed to finish the fast moving guardian off.

He took a moment to respond, letting the bayard resume it’s normal form in his hand. “It was level 3, working with Keith one day we got up to level 8 once. When he’s not about to bite my head off we work well together.” There were so many shitty underhanded comments he could make, to make Shiro realise his frustrations with him.

To realise he wasn’t comfortable being taken for granted. “It’s taken the two of you quite some time to realise you work well together.”

Some part of him wanted to out and out say what was on his mind, but it would likely cause Shiro to brush him off. “We all work well together, look at Hunk and Pidge, if it involves no combat there isn’t a better team up.”

This felt awkward, stiff, more uncomfortable than either one of them really should have allowed given how long they’d both been apart of Voltron for. “Are you going to keep going or…” He drags out the or, making a gesture towards the powered down guardian, a question that isn’t entirely unreasonable, if Shiro wanted to train and train alone, then he did need to know how long he’d be waiting around for.

“Yeah, your style of combat doesn’t exactly work with ranged support and I don’t want to misfire and accidentally hit you, if you want to start training go for it.” The bayard in his hand dissolved, Lance’s eyes looking towards the ground as he tried to muster the courage to say something. “Are we okay?”

It seemed to catch Shiro off guard, the Black Paladin stopping half way into putting his helmet on, only to take it off and hold it against his hip. “What would make you ask that?”

“I feel like you’re not comfortable with me being the Red Paladin, the ‘right hand’, and you’re the only one that seems to be.” To just come out and say it probably wasn’t the best of ideas but he had the right intentions, wanting to come off as relaxed as possible when Lance could see how Shiro stiffened.

Perhaps he had hit the nail on the head. Shiro wasn’t comfortable, maybe just with his taking of Keith’s place, more than likely he would have been fine with Allura or one of the others in his position. Just not him. “It’s just taking some adjusting, you act like a soldier but you have a certain disrespect for a chain of command.”

Disrespect? He had disrespect for individuals but definitely not the chain of command or Shiro. He’d idolised the man for years, questioning one’s hero didn’t come easily to anyone and was never done out of disrespect. You don’t disrespect your hero. “I… you think I’m disrespectful? Because I didn’t want all of us to die?”

“I think you have moments that are too frequent, because you question plans and make your own.”

Just what did Shiro think of him? He question plans when they were going up in smoke and the two instances he’d made a plan whilst Shiro was the Black Paladin, he and Keith had done exactly what he’d needed to do and the second had been the reason why they’d gotten off Naxzela. It had been all Allura and he’d never openly take the credit for it, however, if he hadn’t hadn’t had the thought for her to use her Altean abilities they wouldn’t have been able to get the communication through that Naxzela was a bomb.

A small part of him believed Lotor would have still destroyed the weapon on Haggars ship.

Keith was another story but his questioning of Keith as a leader hadn’t been out of a lack of respect. It was about the two of them growing as leaders.

“I’m sorry I asked. I’ll try to keep my mouth shut from now on, the problem is the seventh wheel, not you.”

He wasn’t giving Shiro the chance to come back at him, he was getting the final word in regardless of what Shiro might have thought or felt. It was completely immature and Lance wouldn’t deny it if someone told him as much, but he wasn’t going to let Shiro make him feel less than, worthless, he was more important than his own doubts. He wasn’t going to let someone else doubt how valuable he was on this team.

[live4thelord-blog1]

Biblical Basics about Mother Mary – A Homily for the Second Sunday of the Year

Msgr. Charles Pope •

In this Sunday’s Gospel passage of the wedding feast at Cana, there is a theological portrait of both Mother Mary and prayer. Let’s look at the Gospel along five lines:

I. The place that Mary has – The text says, There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

A fascinating thing about these opening verses is that Mary almost seems to dominate the scene; the presence of Jesus is mentioned only secondarily. St. Thomas Aquinas notes that at Cana, Mary acts as the “go-between” in arranging a mystical marriage (Commentary on John, 98; and 2, 1, n.336, 338, and 343, 151-152). Once the marriage is arranged, she steps back; her final words to are these: “Do whatever he tells you.”

How many of us has Mary helped to find her Son and to find our place at the wedding feast of the Lamb? I know that it was Mary who drew me back to her Son when I had strayed.

II. The prayer that Mary makes – The text says, When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.”

Notice another central role that Mary has: intercessor. She is praying to her Son for others. There are three qualities to her prayer:

Discernment – Mary notices the problem, probably even before the groom and bride do. Indeed, mothers often notice the needs of their children before they do. Why didn’t Jesus notice? Surely, as God, He knew, but He waits for us to ask. Yes, God waits for us; He expects us to ask Him. In part this is respect; not all of us are ready to receive all His gifts. This expectation that we ask is also rooted in God’s teaching that we must learn to depend on Him and to take our many needs to Him. The Book of James says, You have not because you ask not (James 4:2).

Diligence – Simply put, Mary prays. Rather than merely fretting and being anxious, she goes directly to her Son out of love for the couple (us) and trust in her Son. She sees the need and gets right to the work of praying, of beseeching her Son.

Deference – Mary does not tell Jesus what to do, she simply points out the need: “They have no wine.” Mary is not directive, as if to say, “Here is my solution for this problem. Follow my plans exactly. Just sign here at the bottom of my plan for action.” Rather, she simply observes the problem and places it before her Son in confidence. He knows what to do and will decide the best way to handle things.

In this way Mary, models prayer for us. What wine are you lacking now? What wine do your children and grandchildren lack? Do you notice your needs and the needs of others and consistently pray? Or must things get critical for you to notice or pray? When you pray, do you go to the Lord with trust or with your own agenda?

So, Scripture teaches that Mary is the quintessential woman of prayer, a paragon of prayer. Not only does she intercede for us, she teaches us how to pray.

III. The portrait of Mary – The text says, Woman, how does this concern of yours affect me? My hour has not yet come. His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” Notice three things about this brief dialogue:

The title of Mary – Jesus calls her “woman.” In Jewish culture this was a respectful way for a man to address a woman, but it was unheard of for a son to address his mother in this fashion.

Hence, this text stands out as unusual and signals that Jesus is speaking at a deeper level. In the Johannine texts, Jesus always calls his Mother, “Woman.” This is in fulfillment of Genesis 3:15, which says, I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, while you strike at his heel. Thus, Jesus is saying that Mary is this woman who was prophesied.

Far from being disrespectful to Mary, Jesus is exalting her by saying that she is the woman who was prophesied; she is the woman from whose “seed” comes forth the Son destined to destroy the power of Satan.

In this sense Mary is also the new Eve. Jesus also calls her “Woman” at the foot of the cross; He is the new Adam while Mary is the new Eve, and the tree is the cross. Thus, just as humans got into trouble by a man, a woman, and a tree, so now we get out of trouble through the same path. Adam’s no is reversed by Jesus, who saves us by his yes. Eve’s no is reversed by Mary’s yes.

The tenacity of Mary – In Greek, Jesus’ words to his mother are these: τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι – ti emoi kai soi, gunai (What to me and to thee, Woman?). When this phrase appears elsewhere in the Scriptures (e.g., Gen 23:15; 1 Kings 19:20) it usually indicates tension between the interlocutors. On the surface, it would seem that Jesus is resisting his mother’s attempt to involve him in this matter. What makes this interpretation odd, though, is that Mary doesn’t appear to interpret Jesus’ response as resistance.

Perhaps there was something in the tone of voice that Jesus used, or perhaps there was a look between them that resolved the tension and evoked Jesus’ sympathy for the situation. Whatever the case, Mary stays in the conversation with Jesus and overcomes whatever tension or resistance existed. In this we surely see her tenacity.

We can see Mary’s tenacity at other times: Though startled by the presence of the angel Gabriel, she engaged him in a respectful but pointed conversation in which she sought greater detail. Mary also hastened to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and in the dialogue that followed she proclaimed a Magnificat that was anything but a shy and retiring prayer. She joyfully acknowledged the Lord’s power in her life and all but proclaimed a revolutionary new world order.

To be tenacious means to hold fast despite obstacles or discouragements. However we interpret Jesus’ initial resistance to Mary’s concern, it is clear that she does not give up; she expects the Lord to answer her favorably. This is made clear by her confident departure from the conversation, when she turns to the stewards with this instruction: “Do whatever he tells you.”

The trust of Mary – She simply departs, telling the stewards, “Do whatever he tells you.” She does not hover. She does not come back and check on the progress of things. She does not try to control or manipulate the outcome. She simply departs and leaves it all to Jesus.

IV. The power of Mary’s prayer – Whatever his initial concerns regarding Mary’s request, Jesus goes to work. Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it. And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from—although the servers who had drawn the water knew—the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

If we do the math, we can estimate that Jesus produced almost 150 gallons of the best wine. Mary’s prayer and tenacity produced abundant results.

Sometimes the Lord tells us to wait so that He can grant further abundance. Scripture says, But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

The Catholic tradition of turning to Mary and regarding her as a special intercessor with particular power is rooted in this passage. Mary is not merely an intercessor for us, though; she is also a model. Following her example, we should persevere in prayer and go to the Lord with confident expectation of His abundant response. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).

V. The product of Mary’s prayer – The text says, Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory and his disciples began to believe in him.

At the conclusion of this Gospel is the significant result that many began to believe in the Lord as a result of this miracle. This is Mary’s essential role with reference to Jesus, that she should lead many souls to a deeper union with her Son. Having done so, she leaves us with this instruction: “Do whatever he tells you.”

Mary’s role is to hold up Christ for us to see, as she did at Bethlehem for the shepherds (and later the Wise Men) and for Simeon and Anna at the Temple. Her role is to point to His glory as she does here at Cana. Ultimately, Mary’s role is to hold Jesus’ body in her arms at the foot of the cross after He is taken down.

As a mother, Mary has a special role in the beginnings of our faith, in the infancy and childhood of our faith. The text says that many “began to believe.” In Greek grammar, this phrase is an example of an inceptive aorist, often used to stress the beginning of an action or the entrance into a state. Thus, Mary has a special role in helping to initiate our faith, in helping (by God’s grace) to birth Christ in us. As St. Thomas Aquinas says, she is the “go-between,” the great matchmaker in the mystical marriage of Christ and the soul. Having done that, her final words are these: “Do whatever he tells you.” And while she may draw back a bit, she continues to pray for us.

Here, then, are some biblical basics about Mother Mary, gleaned from this Gospel passage of the wedding feast at Cana.

[tophateliquids]

Anheuser-Busch InBev Proves that Its Smart Drinking Goals Program is a Complete Hoax: Ohio State and USC Have Fallen Prey

Two years ago, I explained why I think Anheuser-Busch InBev's Smart Drinking Goals program is a complete farce. Last year, I criticized the NIAAA for endorsing the alcohol industry's Smart Drinking Goals program. Today, I will show how Anheuser-Busch itself has proven that its Smart Drinking Goals program is a huge hoax, designed solely as a public relations ploy and devoid of any sincere intent to reduce alcohol consumption. For brief background, senior employees of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) appeared in an Anheuser-Busch InBev promotional video that was designed primarily to serve the company's public relations interests. The video was brought to light in an article by Miriam Shuchman at Wired. In the video, Anheuser-Busch InBev boasts to the public about its "Smart Drinking Goals" program, which is purportedly designed to reduce "hazardous" drinking. Several Anheuser-Busch executives-- including its CEO, Chief "Health" Officer, and Chief Legal and Financial Officer--appear in the video, boasting about how wonderful this program is and implying how great a company Anheuser-Busch is for funding this program and how much it cares about the public's health. But the Anheuser-Busch executives aren't the only ones who appear in this promotional, public relations video. Shockingly, this Anheuser-Busch PR effort (i.e., public relations effort) is also endorsed and promoted by senior officials of the Executive Branch of the United States government. And even worse, those senior officials are the Director and the Director of Global Alcohol Research of the NIAAA! The Director of Global Alcohol Research at NIAAA provides a glowing endorsement of the program, describing it as "wonderful" (see 0:27-0:34 in the video). The Director of NIAAA also endorses the program, asserting that it will "go far in moving the field forward" (see 3:17-3:26). However, the true purpose of the video is revealed at 3:42, when an Anheuser-Busch Global Advisory Council reveals the company's aspiration: "We're no longer a neighborhood's beer or a country's beer. We're in fact a corporation representing the world." The video is clearly marketing Budweiser and other beers produced by Anheuser-Busch. As the company acknowledges, they are running this international program because they don't just want to be a neighborhood's beer or a country's beer; they want to be the world's beer. The Rest of the Story According to a Mother Jones article published last Friday, in 2005, Russia took a major public health step by banning the sale of alcohol in sports stadiums. When Russia bid to host this year's soccer World Cup, FIFA insisted that the country repeal its ban on alcohol consumption in stadiums as a condition of hosting the World Cup. Russia complied by creating an exemption from the law. However, earlier this year the city of Rostov (home to one of the stadiums being used for World Cup competition) passed its own law that prohibited the sale of alcohol at Rostov Arena (it did this by declaring the stadium a place of "mass gathering," thus removing the exemption from the national ban. The city of Rostov thus exercised its right as a sovereign local government to protect the health and safety of its citizens by preventing alcohol sales at Rostov Arena, which could fuel violence, especially in the setting of international soccer competition. The policy was evidence-based, as there have been numerous episodes of violence fueled by the sale of alcohol at such matches. Rather than respecting the autonomy of the Rostov government, Anheuser-Busch InBev threatened to sue Rostov city authorities. There is obviously no legitimate legal grounds for such a lawsuit. Rostov certainly has the legal authority to enact reasonable measures to protect the health, safety, and security of the public. Nevertheless, Anheuser-Busch InBev threatened the lawsuit in order to try to intimidate Rostov. It worked. The city backed down. These actions of Anheuser-Busch InBev are not those of a company that has any interest in protecting the public's health. They are the actions of a bully corporation that puts the sale and consumption of its products above the public health, public safety, and even the autonomy of local government bodies. In light of this action, the Smart Drinking Goals program cannot be taken seriously. It is purely a public relations ploy. While I don't blame the company for designing this clever marketing scheme because it's job is to sell alcohol, I do blame the NIAAA for endorsing the scheme, and I also blame the universities that have agreed to participate in the scheme by serving as partners. Specifically, I denounce the Ohio State University, the University of Southern California, and investigators at both institutions for accepting what appears to be more than $1 million to partner with Anheuser-Busch and help serve as implementation planning and technical assistance sites for the Smart Drinking Goals program. By doing this, Ohio State and USC are participating in a marketing ploy of the company. Essentially, Ohio State and USC are helping Anheuser-Busch to market beer and achieve its goal of becoming the world's beer. These universities are acting as essentially a marketing branch for Anheuser-Busch. With the promotion of Anheuser-Busch's interests that Ohio State and USC are providing, the company hardly needs its own marketing division. It can simply call Ohio State and USC its de facto Marketing and Public Relations Department. It appears that Anheuser-Busch InBev's implementation partnerships are with the College of Social Work at the Ohio State University and School of Social Work at USC. The grant appears to be primarily with Ohio State University; however, since the principal investigator recently moved from Ohio State to USC, both institutions are now involved. The co-principal investigator of the project, who is at Ohio State, reports Anheuser-Busch funding in the amount of $946,517. The amount of funding to the principal investigator, who is at USC, is not clear. I can see how researchers can be easily deceived by the clever scheme of this leading international alcohol corporation. Offers of money, especially for academic researchers like me, can easily distort our judgment. As the tobacco industry has proven, researchers and universities can essentially be bought out. The tobacco industry used this strategy to its great advantage. But in some ways, this is worse than universities accepting tobacco money for research. Here, the universities are accepting money to actually be a part of the implementation of this alcohol company initiative. By doing so, they become co-conspirators. This is why I refer to them as participating in this public relations ploy. If Anheuser-Busch InBev was sincere about wanting people to reduce their alcohol consumption, it would not bully city authorities like those in Rostov and essentially force them to allow the sale of alcohol at mass public events where there is a legitimate concern for public safety. It would not disrespect the autonomy of a local government to implement its own public health and safety laws. The rest of the story is that this is not a company that public health (and social work) researchers and institutions should be collaborating with. Believe me, Anheuser-Busch is successful enough in its marketing and public relations on its own. It doesn't need help from respected academic institutions that are supposed to be in the business of saving lives and improving health, not marketing a dangerous product. What business does a school of social work have partnering with a company that insists upon destroying the autonomy of communities and forcing them to serve alcohol at an event for which the sale of alcohol creates a substantial safety and security risk? Is this the type of company that Ohio State's and USC's social work schools want to be teaming up with? Just as the NIAAA renounced its funding by the alcohol companies for research after the issue was brought to public attention, I hope that Ohio State and USC will also cancel their funding from Anheuser-Busch InBev and avoid the negative publicity that is sure to follow from any continued association with an industry that is preying upon communities and their leaders in order to force them to sell beer in a situation that creates a great risk of violence to their citizens. Anheuser-Busch InBev Proves that Its Smart Drinking Goals Program is a Complete Hoax: Ohio State and USC Have Fallen Prey was originally posted by E-Sigaret Nieuws