#cana may be my spirit animal

[spot-of-tea]

Okay headcanon time.

So for ages I’ve always wondered whether magic can be inherited or not. So like if your parents are powerful wizards chances are you’ll be one too. So the main reason I've always thought this is due to the fact that whenever you see a powerful character and are then introduced to a family members of theirs, that family member is as powerful or more so.

And I have examples. But I am gonna put a read more cause this is gonna get looooooong.

There's also gonna be spoilers beyond this point if you haven't watched the anime or read the manga.

So first off Laxus is a powerful wizard, he's an s-class wizard at a young age. While you could always say that that is due to his lacrima, I've always believed him to have the potential for powerful magic but because he was born sickly he could never fully achieve it. But then you look at his family and both his dad and grandfather are both powerful wizards. I mean Makarov is a wizard saint, not many get more powerful than that. Even looking back further, while we don't see the full extent of Yuri's magic in action he does appear to be somewhat powerful from the get go.

Then we move onto Cana. Guildarts is considered the most powerful member of Fairytail, the top ranked S-class mage who was even allowed to try a 100 years quest. Cana has shown multiple times how powerful she is, she's the only person in the guild whos been able to wield fairy glitter.

Then we have Erza, now from the very beginning Erza is shown to be an absolute powerhouse, from meeting her it would be easy to assume that she gained her power through grit and determination. However, we are then introduced to one Irene Belserion. Now Irene is cast as a pretty badass person from the start so you can definitely see where Erza gets parts of her personality from. Magically speaking Irene is said to be one of the top members of the spriggan twelve. Now when we first meet a member of the spriggan twelve we meet Brandish who is most likely one of the less powerful ones, but still her magic is described as overwhelming, so Irene's magic must be even more so.

Now Lucy is an interesting case, while Layla did in fact open (and likely closed) the eclipse gate on her own when it required both Lucy and Yukino to do so later, she (if I remember correctly) also had a pre-existing condition which made her magic less powerful? That being said it's shown that she was already a remarkable wizard and even held the respect of Aquarius who seems to have taken her death very hard. Going further back though we also have Anna Heartfilia, Lucy's ancestor. She's described as being one of the most powerful celestial spirit mage of all time.

Now finally while we don't ever learn about their parents or see if either was canonically powerful. I feel it's safe to assume that at least one of their parents was quite powerful. Natsu and Zeref are revealed to be canonically siblings. Now before we get this reveal you would assume that Zeref is only that powerful because of how long he's been alive for and has accumulated that power over the centuries. But we can then assume that he was already pretty powerful at a young age, I imagine had things worked out he would've used the eclipse gate himself instead of teaming up with Anna. We also see that Natsu is already one of Fairytail's powerhouses (honestly why he's not S-class yet is something I'll never understand). So I can imagine that the both of them had the potential for being powerful wizards long before either of them cast their first spell.

Whew. okay I'm done, I'm sorry this got so long, it's been bugging me for so long. I do want to stress that this may not be 100% accurate but this is just my own interpretation and headcanon.

But yeh let me know what you think and if you want to add anything else to this go ahead, I'm always interested to hear what others have to say.

[eebibly]

(adding to your star dress post) i love lucy doing summons bcuz yeah in the “power of friendship” anime, lucy’s magic power is Literally Friendship. its how we see the more complex side of certain zodiacs too (ex: aquarius, loke, celestial spirit king). its how she gets non-spirits to open up (juvia, cana, yukino, etc) i never needed her to become another brawler to be important

sorry I meant to answer earlier but the draft to my first response, like, disappeared for some reason so I had to rewrite everything~

YOU’RE COMPLETELY RIGHT❕

Lucy may have been a bit of a damsel in distress, but for once that’s almost forgivable because she has a plethora of friends who are ready to fight for her and with her. And it’s not just about her needing to be saved, it’s about the complete trust that they have in one another.

Side note, my least favourite parts are when Lucy is actually in distress, because it feels like Mashima is trying to get anyone to save her but her spirits (especially Natsu. He could fully be passed out, but he’ll wake up just in time to stop a fatal blast. *lazy jazz hands* How romantic). But I digress…

My point being that Lucy is fun because she actually feels like a refreshed, modern take on the damsel in distress. Because she’s not just a waiting to be saved (or, well, she shouldn’t be, but Mashima has trouble keeping his own characters in character), she is smart, reliable and very good at getting people to trust her. And she can choose how she wants to be ‘saved’ and by whom— how cool is that?? Also, despite not being a protector herself, she’s a natural at making the people around her feel safe.

Which is why it hurts so much that her character has basically been rewritten. I don’t have a problem with her being able to fight better, but that doesn’t mean she should want to fight on her own. Her wanting to have the power to protect her friends doesn’t feel like her character has evolved, it actually feels more like she’s devolved. Lucy was the one characters who didn’t need to be powerful in order to protect her friends.

Should her magic power be growing? Absolutely. But not at the expense of her growth as a celestial wizard and certainly not by sacrificing her celestial spirits’ relevance.

[ravenstyx]

Heartbreak Grows in the Garden Chapter 2: Between a crucifix and the Hollywood sign, we decided to get hurt. Now there’s a few things we have to burn. Set our hearts ablaze

Rated: MA for Sex. Drugs. Alcohol. Violence.

Summary: She’s a stunner and a taker, she’s amused; she’s a faker and you like it that way. (This is the story of all the hearts Cana has left in pieces. Multiple parings. Modern AU)

Also found HERE

Her name sounded like a waterfall and her hair was first bleached and then dyed to resemble one, too. The colour wasn’t complete, white mixed in with the ocean blue; water tumbled over rocks the way the tresses of her hair cascaded over her shoulders.

She’d met Juvia at the bar downstairs two nights before and all of the things Cana knew about her could be counted on one hand. 1) Juvia wore a cross and not just for pleasure or style. She believed. Honest to goodness. 2) She also claimed she hated it but couldn’t take it off. 3) Juvia loved a boy and lost that love because she loved too much. 4) Juvia had never just laid out on some shitty bed in some shitty motel room with two others, drunk as fuck while a party they were supposed to be attending raged in the room next door. Tonight she did. Tonight, she kissed a man that had, at one point, been only her best friend. Now, his cock was out and between her breasts and Cana knew she was using it as a perverse source of comfort. That was fine. If she needed a dick on her while Cana worked between her legs, then that’s what the lady would get.

Nails painted black dug into Cana's leather gloves, legs sheathed in fishnet stockings wrapped around her shoulders. The man got off Juvia’s chest and got behind Cana. She watched Juvia’s face to see if she was jealous. No. Not then. Maybe never, not for this. Juvia didn’t love this man. He spread Cana wide and inched in and he wasn’t as thick as Elfman or as attentive, really. Now that Cana had an impartial lover, she clearly saw the difference and was so, so glad for it. Elfman was long gone and here was something she didn't know. Someone she didn't care about and they didn't care about her.

He went in deep and bottomed out and it hurt more than it felt good but Cana moaned anyway, just to hear something other than her thoughts. Juvia moaned, too, and switched from holding Cana’s hands to her hair and shoved her face in closer between her legs. Cana focused more on this girl, this girl that had stumbled out of her church glassy eyed three days before Cana ever met her, this girl that used to wear dresses buttoned to her throat but now settled for things she spilled out of, this girl that used to have hair the colour of gingersnaps to go with her eyes as blue as the ocean, this girl that still had a cute spattering of freckles that covered her cheeks and her nose, this girl that had never fucked a woman but told Cana upfront that that’s exactly what she wanted.

Juvia was a special girl.

She twitched against Cana’s tongue and then she was coming and the man behind Cana was fucking her harder and Cana couldn’t feel a goddamn thing. Not pain anymore, not pleasure. All she could think was Juvia is a special girl. Juvia is a special girl.

She was a special girl. Not a nobody. A real girl.

Juvia pushed Cana away so Cana never had to run. “Fuck me, Gajeel.” That was his name. Gajeel. Days ago, he’d been the shadow to Juvia’s sun, but now she slummed in the dark with him and Cana could relate. He pulled out of Cana and Cana moved back completely, giving him space. She went for her water bottle on the counter and was glad for the way vodka burned her throat almost raw. She drank again and again to the sounds of Juvia’s high-pitched moans.

It was there, with her water bottle against her lips, that she heard a very loud and very distinct sound from the room next door. Voices, commanding entry.

She pursed her lips and capped the vodka. Gajeel still pounded into Juvia and didn’t show any signs of slowing. Cana adjusted the skater dress she wore and got on her combats. Her leather jacket came next. She looked toward the door and thought no, thanks, when feet pounded up the stairs. The balcony it was, then.

She had her keys out and the balcony door open when they started hammering on the front door. Gajeel stopped mid-thrust to look over his shoulder and Juvia was still oblivious.

"Open up!"

“Is that the fucking cops?”

“You got it, hoss.” Cana shouldn’t have taken the time to confirm his question; the seconds she wasted meant that their door was burst open. Men in black police uniforms and helmets rushed in. They weren’t just regular cops; they were part of a raid unit. Two of them backed out with a battering ram and more filled their space, guns drawn.

“What the fuck?” Gajeel wondered but Cana already knew.

“Drugs are next door, boys. You got the wrong room.”

Cana’s blasé attitude was wasted on them. "Put your hands on top of your head and get on the floor.” They sounded serious.

Cana tried again. "Did you not hear me? We got nothing in here."

"On the ground, hands on your head!" 

Gajeel complied, though his dick was out, Juvia, too. Cana inched toward the bannister and two guns pointed her way. “Seriously. We’re not selling anything. We’re not even using. We’re just drinking and having a good time,” she said defensively. 

The team lead nodded at one of his officers and they detached. Cana saw his intention immediately and scurried for the railing. She wasn’t nearly fast enough, too uncoordinated, maybe, or maybe she wanted to get arrested.

This wasn’t the first time she’d had her cheek pressed into the ground, not even by a cop. She went with resignation after that.

The cell reserved for intoxicated persons in Magnolia's only jail was small and dingy and reeked not only of freshly poured concrete but chemicals, too, used to cover up the scent of piss and vomit. 

Juvia sat on the bench across from Cana, staring up at the ceiling, palms skyward, tears streaming down her face. Cana watched with detachment that bordered anger. "Why are you crying?"

Juvia blinked. "We're in jail." Obviously, her tone said.

"We're in the drunk tank," Cana snapped. 

"And our girl Cana here knows there's a difference."

Cana kept her eyes trained on Juvia while Juvia eyed the officer with eyes as wide as medallions. Oh, yes, Juvia was a good girl. Cana didn't know what to feel looking at her now. She'd known that the fishnets and the nail polish and the blue lipstick and hair dye had been a front but here was proof in living colour. Juvia was just a girl in Cana's fucked up ride.

"I'm not drunk anymore," Cana said to the wall. She could tell he was trying to catch her eye but she refused to look his way. Would not, not for anything. 

"Cana..."

"You didn't find any dope on us, did you?"

"Your friend had some."

"He wasn't my friend, just some dick I found." Literally. Juvia winced. Cana kept going. "Neither of us even knew he had it and we're sober now."

"I can't let you drive like this."

"I'll take a cab," she responded. "And get my bike tomorrow." No more cruiser rides. If she showed up at Fairy Hills in another she'd lose her spot.

The silence was long and tense. Almost familiar, though, for Cana, who had what felt like a lifetime of experience with long, drawn out silences. "I'll call you a cab," he said eventually. "Wait here." His boots sounded over the concrete floor and a door at the end of the hall banged open and closed.

Juvia asked, "Do you know him?”

“Well enough.”

“Because this happens to you a lot?"

Cana responded with the silent treatment. Juvia's tears came with more frequency. She had the decency to cry silently for ten whole minutes until the cop returned with his keys freed from his belt. He opened the door and said, "Cab's out front.”

Cana got to her feet and didn't wobble despite still being in the thick of a drunk. She was a professional.��Magnolia's jail was familiar enough that she navigated all on her own and her favourite police officer didn't try to lead her out.

"Stay out of trouble, ladies," he said at her back and Cana gave him the finger. He sighed, she sighed, and Juvia sniffled.

The yellow cab sat beneath the streetlight. Rain misted through the headlights. Cana grabbed for the front door, Juvia for the back but Cana held her door closed, preventing her from getting in.

"What are you doing?" Juvia looked so, so ingénue. 

Cana looked at her long and hard. "Get a different cab."

"What?"

"Go home, Juvia. Without me. Go to confession, tell your man you're sorry for being so pathetic and start over again; better this time." She could do it, Cana knew she could. 

“Cana—”

“I’m serious and not at all sorry.”

"But—"

"This isn't what you're looking for."

"Cana—"

Cana pulled open the door and got in.

"Cana! Please—"

Cana slammed the door in her face and addressed the cabdriver—a middle aged man with more grey than brown in his hair. "Coffin Ridge."

The cabby said, "He said you'd try to get back to that dump bar. I was paid to take you home, missy."

Cana didn't know what was worse, being so predictable or having him take care of her like an invalid. She fished through her wallet for a hundred-dollar bill. It was going to go toward a new exhaust but she figured this was more important. "Coffin Ridge."

The cabby took the tip like she thought and after getting dropped off, Cana drove her bike home just to spite him.

[chanfictions]

May I please request some nsfw/aftercare headcanons for Cana?

Sure thing! 18+ stuff below the cut.

Cana Headcanons

First, drunk Cana, which is like 99% of always. She's a handsy girl. She would be all over you. Constantly.

I think her favorite move is to stand behind you and play with your tits.

Cana 100% is all for titties.

She's overtly affectionate. No cares about PDA. Everyone is going to know that you're her girl.

Definitely playful about her sometimes embarrassing displays of affection. Spanks and titty grabs always come with a wide grin and giggling.

She's probably a little possessive. If some dude hits on you while you're out, she's going to have some opinions about it. Will probably challenge said offender to a drinking contest to smite them with the worst hangover of their life to defend your honor.

Would probably pin you down to bury her face in your cleavage. Depending on the level of drunk, might pass out like that.

Even if you aren't gifted in the boob department, she would probably pin you down and cuddle you anyway.

Strikes me as the type to get drunk and find anything soft and become instantly stuck to it. Heavens help you if you wear something silky.

Booty squeezes galore.

Definitely has a praise kink. She both wants to hear how much you love what she's doing to your pussy and vice versa.

Is a profound dirty talker with a filthy mouth behind closed doors.

Would probably turn use of her cards into some kind of sexy game. Actually, she probably has a specific deck for just that purpose.

Would 100% ride your face while drinking gallon of liquor with her tongue rolling out of her mouth.

Probably has switch tendencies, but I feel like she'd be more of a top with women and more likely to switch for men.

Cana is a clingy girl with abandonment issues, so you know she's going to cuddle you into oblivion after a night of fun before promptly passing out. Good luck getting up in the morning because she's going to be wrapped around you like a koala.

Is definitely the type to just outright sleep on top of you because human pillows are the best pillows, and she'll know you're there with her and won't have to worry about waking up and you disappearing.

Would also lay in a cuddle pile with you, just looking at the ceiling or sky and talking about nothing in particular after a good romp.

She would also like laying with her head in your lap while you play with her hair.

Cana is my spirit animal.

[matt0044]

Fairy Tail’s Female Cast and How It Has Consistently Surprised Me

The title alone should have your head cocked with a raised eyebrow. I mean, this is Fairy Tail where every female character has some form of cleavage and the most unflattering of camera angles (sans Wendy thankfully). How the hell would anybody expect anything aside from paper-thin Moe traits to get all hot and bothered over?

That’s what I thought at first myself. ;)

Now I’m not about to go on about how “revolutionary” Fairy Tail is with its female cast. I haven’t read every Manga published in a Shonen Magazine or seen every Anime based on them. I know my limits. That being said... I will go about how the series doesn’t nearly get enough credit when it comes to the girls.

One thing about the Fairy Tail Guild is that each member has some amount of personal baggage or another that lead them to Makarov and his ideals of family that go beyond blood. What might seem like a barebones archetype with only a few quirks like Gray’s stripping, Elfman’s sense of manhood or Makarov being a wise old coot are but seasonings to the entree. There’s always a reason why.

For the girls, I think what elevates them above what they could’ve been reduced to comes down to the fact that there’s plenty of them to go around amongst the ensemble cast. None of them are THE female character and even Team Natsu has the three boys outnumbered by the four girls.

It’s easy to see Lucy as the stereotypical Shonen Female Lead from being a buzzkill to the boys’ antics to not exactly being a heavy hitter in battle. She’s “useless” and “let’s her spirits do all the work.”

However, what makes her great is how much she wears her heart on her sleeve in a way different from Natsu. She’s the one that gets Fairy Tail to work together to take out the Thunder Palace. Her friendship with Cana is a highlight of the Tenrou Island Trials. Her friendship speeches rival that of Yu-Gi-Oh’s.

Then there’s her past. It’s easy to call her “useless” in the Phantom Lord arc but it’s her story at the end of the day. It’s about how Fairy Tail never turns their back on one of their own, even risking inter-guild conflicts. It doesn’t matter how much ass she can kick, she’s one of them. As Erza bluntly puts it, “You’d have to kill us first!”

Thus when she goes home, it’s not her surrendering but rather her giving an elaborate middle finger to her father. Dolling herself all up as the pampered princess she once was before tearing it all to shreds. It’s her returning the favor by making sure Jude understands that any attempts to take her back will bring him far more trouble than it’s worth with Fairy Tail’s solidarity.

Now some of her solo battles can end poorly and undermine her in the eyes of those looking for action. That said, may I remind you that her battle with Flare Corona was compromised by Asuka being held hostage and a flat out Nerfing when a spell was guaranteed to turn things around. Her battle with Minerva was a total washout but it’s not like Erza had it easy before tapping into her Second Origin.

The thing is that I get that one wanted Lucy to not come across as the Load and be “useful” in the sense of taking out an enemy one-on-one. Yet even Natsu never truly finished off the final boss all on his own. He’d always need some support be it from Jellal or Laxus’s magic. Hell, Erza loosened up the former for him and proceeded to make the Tower of Heaven self-detonate.

Bringing us back to Lucy, it shouldn’t be about “usefulness” or “usefulness.” It should be about what they add to the story overall. Yes, Battle Shonen are all about punching evil in the face until it dies but even Dragon Ball had more thematic depth to it among the power-ups and fart jokes.

On the note of Dragon Ball, I’d compared her to both Bulma and Krillin. Especially the latter character in being a relatively normal combatant among the superpowerful muscle-heads who could bench-press a planet. They might share the Jobber status but tends to have a down to Earth charm to him.

Onto the Fairy Queen herself: Erza Scarlet is the archetypal Scary Woman who’s admired and feared for not taking shit. Often this character will often have an arc where her lack of traditional femininity is addressed and “rectified.” Otherwise, it’s all about how she’s the only girl who can whip the boys into behaving themselves.

Yet she’s consistently shown to be Team Natsu’s Fred Jones, the one who makes the plans and calls the shots in their group. It’s not too dissimilar to Power Rangers: Time Force where Jenn, the Pink Ranger, was the commanding officer rather than Wes, the Rookie in Red.

Hell, when Makarov is down and out, the guild relies on both her along with Mirajane as acting leaders. Her arc isn’t about “softening up” so much as opening up to others and becoming far more approachable. It’s about letting others confront their own demons just as she’s needed to.

The Galuna Island arc shows the start of this with Gray having the balls to stand up to her and demanding that he finishes his personal beef with Lyon. Following this, the Phantom Lord arc has her taking a Jupiter Cannon blast in protecting Lucy as a fellow Guildmate. She becomes less of an untouchable figure and more of a part of the family.

Case in point, she starts crashing at Lucy’s house after Phantom’s first attack.

Even as a hardass, she’s shown to indulge in childish pillow fights and cake. To say nothing of her dreams of the stage where’s she’s not just a stiff but a total mess. She can be all of these and still take one hundred monsters in the Grand Magic Games. Call her overpowered but I still cheer for that moment every time.

Much of this comes from growing up as a slave and barely having a childhood. Even after leaving the Tower of Heaven, Jellal still hovers over her head in knowing that he’s still out there ala Seigram. Thus her “no brain cell” moments are her making up for what she never had with comedic moments like putting out a picnic on the way to an ancient library.

Her romance with Jellal is less her needing a man to “complete it.” Rather it’s their shared trauma and how they connect over their self-loathing over what they seemingly allowed. Erza passes on what seeing her would’ve-been funeral taught her to Jellal when he tries to kill himself with Nirvana: dying for your sins is the easy way out. It’s all about having true strength to move forth.

Thus we get my daughter, Wendy Marvell. Not gonna lie, I’m a bit biased in her favor. :P

Initially, she’s presented as a stereotypical Shojo protagonist: unsure of herself, sniveling and overly emotional. In their first encounter with the Oracion Seis, she has a near panic attack and kicking herself for not soldiering through it. However, what seems like a quirk turns out to be something more.

Like with Natsu and Gajeel, Wendy’s dragon disappeared. This is something she took hard, wandering around in tears before finding who she thought to be Jellal. Yet just when she thought she had somebody to fill the void, her “Jellal” dumps her at the phony Cait Shelter due to more pressing matters. And that’s before Cait Shelter turns out to have been Magical Projections, more friend who disappear after Nirvana’s been dealt with.

There’s a particular moment that hits hard when she begs to know what she did wrong. It felt like Grandiene leaving her all over again, something she blamed on herself. Was she unworthy of being a Dragon Slayer? Did Jellal not like her? Why? This struggle with abandonment issues ties in with her low sense of self-worth.

She’s quick to come down on herself for thing she couldn’t help and feels a constant need to prove herself as not a burden. When Raven Tail nullifies her Magic and forces her to miss day one of the Grand Magic Games, she sobs for letting others down even if nobody else blames her.

I legit always think, “Hey, it’s gonna be okay…” softly out of connection to the character. Sure, she’s a cute little girl ala the likes of Eri yet I feel a sense of, “I’d take a bullet for her” in a “I relate to her emotional turmoil too much” kind of feeling. She can handle herself but need the right encouragement.

I could go on about Mirajane Strauss’s literal inner demons and multi-faceted personality that ties into her Satan Soul Takeovers. Perhaps even Cana Abarona’s jaded drunk girl archetype has more weight to it when her reasons for joining the guild are revealed come the game changing Tenrou Island Arc.

However, that’s for another time. The point is that Fairy Tail didn’t have to give this much depth and relevance to their female cast. Yet again, I can’t say that other Battle Shonen don’t have good female characters. It’s that this series in particular gets a lot of shit despite the stuff about it that I legitimately loved.

It can be easy to see how skimpy a lot of the designs are and assume that it’s all they ever are at a cursory glance. Hell, I’ll admit that one gets mixed signals with the character’s story and the character’s... design. Lindsay Ellis’s take on Transformers included a good point on how Megan Fox’s character had a solid character arc yet would be remembered for how titillating the camera made her.

I don’t blame those being put off by the fanservice. It’s like alcohol for a lot of Anime fans, we all have our thresholds of tolerance for it as well as how it fits within the series. Yet I feel like we’re too quick to make sweeping assumptions in order to give a reason beyond, “Eh, not my cup of joe.”

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

1st May >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Third Sunday of Easter, Cycle C

(Liturgical Colour: White)

First Reading

Acts of the Apostles 5:27-32,40-41

We are witnesses to all this: we and the Holy Spirit.

The high priest demanded an explanation of the Apostles. ‘We gave you a formal warning’ he said ‘not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt of this man’s death on us.’ In reply Peter and the apostles said, ‘Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel. We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.’ They warned the apostles not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13

R/ I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me. or R/ Alleluia!

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me    and have not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,    restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

R/ I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me. or R/ Alleluia!

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,    give thanks to his holy name. His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.    At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

R/ I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me. or R/ Alleluia!

The Lord listened and had pity.    The Lord came to my help. For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:    O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

R/ I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me. or R/ Alleluia!

Second Reading

Apocalypse 5:11-14

The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given riches and power.

In my vision, I, John, heard the sound of an immense number of angels gathered round the throne and the animals and the elders; there were ten thousand times ten thousand of them and thousands upon thousands, shouting, ‘The Lamb that was sacrificed is worthy to be given power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory and blessing.’ Then I heard all the living things in creation – everything that lives in the air, and on the ground, and under the ground, and in the sea, crying, ‘To the One who is sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, be all praise, honour, glory and power, for ever and ever.’ And the four animals said, ‘Amen’; and the elders prostrated themselves to worship.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

cf. Luke 24:32

Alleluia, alleluia! Lord Jesus, explain the Scriptures to us. Make our hearts burn within us as you talk to us. Alleluia!

Or:

Alleluia, alleluia! Christ has risen: he who created all things, and has granted his mercy to men. Alleluia!

Either:

Gospel

John 21:1-19

Jesus stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

   It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

   As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

   After the meal Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these others do?’ He answered, ‘Yes Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He replied, ‘Yes, Lord, you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep.’ Then he said to him a third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was upset that he asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and said, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

‘I tell you most solemnly, when you were young you put on your own belt and walked where you liked; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and somebody else will put a belt round you and take you where you would rather not go.’

In these words he indicated the kind of death by which Peter would give glory to God. After this he said, ‘Follow me.’

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Or:

Gospel

John 21:1-14

Jesus stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish.

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples. It was by the Sea of Tiberias, and it happened like this: Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two more of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said, ‘I’m going fishing.’ They replied, ‘We’ll come with you.’ They went out and got into the boat but caught nothing that night.

   It was light by now and there stood Jesus on the shore, though the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. Jesus called out, ‘Have you caught anything, friends?’ And when they answered, ‘No’, he said, ‘Throw the net out to starboard and you’ll find something.’ So they dropped the net, and there were so many fish that they could not haul it in. The disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord.’ At these words ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water. The other disciples came on in the boat, towing the net and the fish; they were only about a hundred yards from land.

   As soon as they came ashore they saw that there was some bread there, and a charcoal fire with fish cooking on it. Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore, full of big fish, one hundred and fifty-three of them; and in spite of there being so many the net was not broken. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples was bold enough to ask, ‘Who are you?’; they knew quite well it was the Lord. Jesus then stepped forward, took the bread and gave it to them, and the same with the fish. This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to the disciples after rising from the dead.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[l1l1l1l1]

Fairy Tail season 3 review!!

What a journey! I didn't expect to enjoy this series as much as I did, but I had a lot of fun watching it! And idgaf about the haters cause everyone always has something to say. That aside, I liked this season a lot, although things could've been better executed imo.

I felt bad for Lucy when Natsu and Happy left cause everyone else in the guild had someone when they disbanded but she was by herself but I'm glad she was able to be a writer and be more independent!! The Avatar arc was alright, they had me in the first half thinking that Gray was evil.

The Alvarez Empire arc as a whole was wild. People may hate this about FT but I on the other hand am glad that there were few deaths. Why would I want my favorites to die LOL I have AOT and KNY for that. I really appreciated the screen time the other guilds got this time around too. I wish they utilized certain characters more like the Lucy's celestial spirits but it seems they were rushed or had less episodes this time around. When they dropped that the Dragon Slayers were from 400 years in the past, my mind was blown. Things from previous seasons made sense bc of that. When Makarov used Fairy Law, I didn't cry until they showed the flashback of Mavis naming him and when they showed Erza's flashback with him. They really had me crying for everyone this season omg. I was so relieved when they defeated Aconologia too - he literally became what he hated.

Mavis and Zeref deserved better!! When they showed them holding hands in heaven, the pain. And don't get me started on August. If you told me, I was gonna cry that much for him, I would've laughed. The moment he saw Mavis and stopped his spell, that hurt so bad. All he wanted was his parent’s love and he still never got it. And it’s the fact that Mavis and Zeref never knew he was their child!! I really really wanted them to know ugh. Mavis and Zeref are right person, wrong time. But the last episode, they had a reincarnation moment???

I'll do this as simple and with as many characters as I can. Ya'll know I love Lucy, she's not the strongest physically but her growth is immaculate! What I love about her is that she is very compassionate! Natsu, Gray, and Erza are amazing I love them, their bond can never be broken. Wendy also grew on me a lot too, she's so cute. Gajeel has to be my favorite tbh as well as Laxus, they're development from when we first met them is soo good. Ever, Fried, Bislow are also characters I enjoyed and wish had more screen time tbh. I loved the Strauss siblings as well, especially Mirajane and Elfman cause of their development. I also grew to like the other FT side characters like Warren, Lyon, Jellal, Bisca, Alzack, etc. I wish we got to see more Gildarts as well, he’s cool and strong af!!! I love his father daughter relationship with Cana. Happy, Lily and Carla are so funny and such gems lol.

Ok for the ships, Gajeel and Levy are cute af, and probably the most progressed ship out of the main. Their moments this season gave me so much serotonin. Speaking of which, baby??? If so, we love to see it. Referring to the last episode.

I feel so dumb thinking we'd get some NaLu confession or something, even Jellal and Erza! Gray and Juvia are ok to me, still not 100% sure how I feel about them cause sometimes I lowkey ship Gray and Lucy but I love their friendship at the same time lmao why am I like this.

I loved the overall theme of the show - friendship/family, I think that's what has me so attached. I can't wait for the 100 Years arc to be animated!!! Idk when that'll be but hopefully soon!!

Ok here are a couple bonus screen caps (I have too many I wish I could share)

[dailybiblelessons]

The Second Sunday After Epiphany

Hebrew Scripture Lesson from The Latter Prophets: Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,  and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn,  and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication,  and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name  that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,  and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken,  and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is In Her,  and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you,  and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman,  so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,  so shall your God rejoice over you.

Psalm 36:5-10

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,  your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,  your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!  All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house,  and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life;  in your light we see light.

New Testament Epistle Lesson: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

New Testament Gospel Lesson: John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings copyright © 1995 by the Consultation on Common Texts. Unless otherwise indicated, Bible text is from the New Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible (NRSV) copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. From the road to Cana, Nazareth, Holy Land from Views of the Holy Land by the Detroit Publishing Company, via Wikimedia Commons. This is a public domain image.

Year C Epiphany 2 Sunday

[thotsonthebible]

True Religion

James 1.27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

And you thought it was about social justice, voting rights, and Black Lives Matter.  Or did you think you were fulfilling God's will by attending Sunday services and placing a sawbuck in the offering plate?

God has more to say about it through the prophet Micah:

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God?  Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings…?  Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgressions, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  He has shown you, O man, what is good.  And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.  —Micah 6.6-8 (NIV)

So simple, yet so profound.  God does not require animal sacrifice, for His Son gave His life as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins; He requires from us mercy and justice and humility.

Jesus taught the same thing.

And He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the prophets.'  —Matthew 22.37-40 (ESV)

If you truly love others, you treat them with justice and mercy and in your own life, you will be a humble servant to your God, setting an example that will draw others to the Father.

I once knew a man who was very active in his church.  He was there every time the doors were open.  He was elected to the church board.  He served on multiple committees.  He was a door greeter.  He even taught Sunday School on occasion.  And during the week, he beat his wife and abused his children.  That man was responsible for turning his children away from God, for they looked at the example he set and thought, 'If that's Christianity, I want no part of it!'

That's not what God desires of us.  That's not what He has called us to.  That's religiosity.  That's hypocrisy.  That's the charge that has so recently been laid at the feet of so many Catholic priests: playing at religion and wearing all the trappings of religious authority, while preying upon those whose souls they were called upon to guide.  Judgment is harsh for such people.

'And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.'  —Matthew 18.6 (NASB)

We are not to allow our behavior to become a stumbling block to others.

Let us therefore cease judging one another, but rather make this simple judgment: that no obstacle or stumbling-block be placed in a brother's way.  I am absolutely convinced, as a Christian, that nothing is impure in itself; only, if a man considers a particular thing impure, then to him it is impure.  If your brother is outraged by what you eat, then your conduct is no longer guided by love. Do not by your eating bring disaster to a man for whom Christ died! —Romans 14.13-14 (NEB) (italics mine)

Paul continues:

What for you is a good thing must not become an occasion for slanderous talk; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but justice, peace, and joy, inspired by the Holy Spirit.  —Romans 14.16-17 (NEB)

I'll offer this practical example.  On most days, I have a glass of red wine in the afternoon.  I take it for my cardiovascular health and, for me, it's a good and healthy thing. Yet to many Anabaptist denominations—Amish, Mennonite, Brethren—as well as Baptists, drinking any alcoholic beverage, even wine, is considered sinful and is forbidden.  (I have no idea how they explain Jesus' first miracle, when He turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana. . .)  So for me to flaunt my casual acceptance of wine as healthy and good would deeply offend them.  Therefore, I do not drink wine in their presence, nor do I offer the verboten substance to them; I simply avoid the subject altogether, so as not to offend a fellow Christian for whom the Messiah gave His life.

Some new believers, especially those who have come out of a life of drug abuse, go to the opposite extreme and adhere to what they consider a healthy diet: no salt, no meat, etc.  To me, that is unnecessary, but to them it is useful and necessary and, indeed, if their conscience requires it of them, then they must satisfy their conscience, and I should not be judgmental about their choice but rather support them in love.

We must never be a stumbling block for our fellow believers, but accept them in love and treat them with respect, even though the dictates of their conscience may differ from ours.

That is not to say that we should view sinful or perverse choices as acceptable.  Of course not!  But we should not judge others by the dictates of their conscience.  The only determining factor should be this: Is their behavior in agreement with the Word of God or in opposition to it?

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.  —1 Peter 2.12 (NIV)

Jesus said that all the Law and the prophets can be summed up in love—love for God and love for our neighbor.  Let us set such an example of love and justice and humility that people are drawn to our Lord and glorify our God, for that is what God desires of us.

[romancatholicreflections]

9th November >> Daily Reflection/Commentary on Today’s Mass Readings for Roman Catholics on the Dedication St John Lateran (Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 45; 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22).

The Gospel reading is the account of Jesus cleansing the Temple in John. The synoptics report this event just before the Passion but John puts it much earlier, just after the story of the wedding feast at Cana.

We are told Jesus had gone up to Jerusalem from Galilee because the Passover feast was near. When he entered the Temple area he found people selling oxen, sheep and doves to be offered by pilgrims as sacrifices. There were also money changers because Roman currency could not be used in the Temple and had to changed for Jewish shekels. Jesus was not at all happy about these activities.

He made a small whip of cords and began driving out those selling animals and overturned the tables of the moneychangers. “Get out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market place!” he told them. Of course, what the sellers were doing was not against any law; in fact, it was a necessary service. The problem was that commerce like this should have been done outside the Temple area just as we would not be happy to see the Sunday newspapers being sold inside the church building after Mass. Hawkers tend to get as close to the action as they can and that is what was happening here – but it was inappropriate.

Some of the Jews, however, challenged Jesus. “What sign can you show us authorising you to do such things?” What Jews were these? Were they priests or officials of the Temple who were getting a ‘cut’ on the hawkers’ profits and turning a blind eye to their selling inside the Temple precincts?

Jesus gave them a strange answer: “Destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up.” They took him literally: “It took 46 years to build this Temple and you are going to raise it in three days?!” This was the mighty Temple of Herod which, even after 46 years, was not yet quite finished.

But, as John comments, Jesus was talking about the Temple of his Body. And it was only after the Resurrection that the disciples came to understand the meaning of Jesus’ words. And they are words we need to remember today. We are celebrating the dedication of a church building but what is much more important are the people who use that building. It is they who give it its significance and not the other way round.

There is in the New Covenant no Temple building. The Temple is now the Christian community which is the Risen Body of Christ. “Who sees you, sees Me.” So it is important in today’s celebration that we recall who we are and how we are to be and seen to be the Temple of Christ’s Body for the world.

The First Reading is from the prophet Ezekiel and is part of a beautiful image of fresh water flowing out from the Temple in Jerusalem and bringing new life and fertility to wherever it flows.

This fresh and clean water flows east into the Dead Sea and makes it fresh again. And “wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.” And again, “along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail…”

It is an image of the Temple of Jerusalem as a source of life for all. And in today’s celebration it points to the life that comes to the world through the communities which gather together in a church like St John Lateran and all our cathedrals and parish churches. Again, it is not the building which is the source of life but the community which gathers together there.

In the Second Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks very strongly of the Christian community as the true Temple of God. “We are God’s co-workers, while you are his cultivation, his building.”

Paul sees himself as a builder but it is not a building of bricks and mortar he is erecting but a building of people. And he is only initiating the building work; others will take over from him and continue it. And this building of people can have only one foundation and that is Jesus Christ.

And he concludes in words that leave no room for doubt. “Are you not aware that you are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s Temple, God will destroy him. For the Temple of God is holy and you are that Temple.”

So, in celebrating today’s feast, we are being called on to focus more on the kind of Temple that we are than on the building, however important and beautiful it may be. In the beginning there were no churches; people met in each other’s homes for the Eucharist. Church buildings became necessary because of growing numbers. In fact, if St John Lateran, St Peter’s and all the churches in the world were to collapse into ruins, the real Temple of God would continue – in us. “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my Name, I am there among them.”

[epicocityfic]

Fairy Tail Arcs: Worst to Best

For those who don’t know me that well, I’m a big fan of Fairy Tail. It’s really not that much of a surprise given some of the stories I’ve written.

However, over the last two months I’ve been diligently re-watching the series in preparation for the final season coming later this year. And it came into my mind to rank all of the arcs in order, as far as my own opinion goes. In fact, I figured I’d probably do one for the Openings and Endings, too.

So, without further ado, let’s rank them from the worst to the best. (NOTE: Filler arcs and ZERO will be included).

19) Daphne Arc

I really feel like, as far as arcs go, this is pretty much a no-brainer. Daphne arc is the single worst filler arc idea in all of Fairy Tail.

While, of course, I understand that this was intended to be the original ending for the series before it got popular in the anime, that doesn’t excuse how bad it was. And for four episodes, that’s saying something.

Genuinely, the arc has little going for it outside of Gray and Juvia’s Unison Raid. The arc is riddled with a plot hole given later revelations and the whole contrived conflict between Natsu and Gray was terribad. I mean, Natsu didn’t complete a job? Really, Gray?

I have no qualms putting this in last place.

18) Edolas Arc

If Daphne is horror for the anime, Edolas was horror as far as canon went.

Edolas was a weird arc, no denying, that felt more like a field trip than an actual arc. It has almost no impact on the rest of the series (save for Nichiya and the later reveal of Porlyusica) and squanders to interesting potential it had. What could have been an arc with the main characters using magical weapons was tossed aside in favor of the usual.

But that’s not the biggest issue for me. No, the biggest is that it’s slow as hell. It takes half the arc before any action even starts kicking in. And while getting backstory on Happy and Carla was...nice...I question the necessity of it.

The only things saving the arc from being a literal cesspool for me was the fight with the Dorma Anim and the godly Erza vs. Erza. Those were good, at least.

17/16/15/14) Lullaby Arc/Daybreak Arc/Macao Arc/Loke Arc

Yes, a four-way tie. It’s just too hard to decide if any one of these is worse than the others.

Not that I think any of these arcs are bad. Not at all. They’re just...very short. And very early.

These were the three arcs that occurred right at the beginning, with Fairy Tail in its formative stages, so to speak. While they introduced all the concepts in a good way (Zeref, guilds, the dragons, the strongest team, etc.) it was still when the series was finding its legs, and so it’s not as captivating as others.

As for the Loke Arc. Well, for one I hesitate to call it an arc, but it just wasn’t all that interesting to me in its brevity and served more as setup for the road to come. That was all.

13) Eclipse Celestial Spirits Arc

Oh, boy...where to begin with this one?

To note, I don’t consider the arc bad on mere principal. I think it’s one of those arcs that had potential and a lot of potentially good ideas that veered into a very weird territory that I wasn’t particularly comfortable with.

In fact, some of the stuff such as Hisui being a Celestial Spirit Wizard and the final battle against the Beast were pretty decent stuff, if not spectacular. Plus, Ophiuchus and Yukino’s spirits got a role, which is more than we could ask of the rest of the series. It even helps to lend this weight to the next major arc of the series.

But the rest of it drops the ball. Admittedly, some things are hilarious, like Wendy and Aquarius, Gray’s Dance Battle and the infinitely enjoyable card battle between Cana and Scorpio. But some of the handling when it came to characters like Lucy and Elfman’s battle were so disappointing and almost regressive in nature, it was bad.

This is really an arc I have no problem skipping, though I can see how others might not, and may like it instead.

12) Oracion Seis Arc

When I first read the Oracion Seis arc, I thought it was pretty good, since it started involving more than Fairy Tail and had some pretty good fights. But hindsight’s a bitch.

I don’t think the arc is bad. It’s just uneven. There’s a lot of start and stop within the arc that makes it feel longer than it actually is. It makes me bored before my adrenaline can go up with it before making me bored again. That’s why it’s so low on my list. I simply don’t enjoy it as much as I do other arcs.

However, it’s higher than those below for introducing some of the best concepts in the series: Jura, the enemies themselves and Wendy. These three were great and helped keep the arc afloat.

Oh, and Jellal’s return which made for one of my favorite Natsu solo fights in the series.

11) Avatar Arc

Avatar gets a lot of flak. I, personally, don’t see why.

“Then why is it so low on your list?!”

The answer to that is the same as the arc below it: uneven pacing with interesting concepts. It’s very jerky in a sense because the arc gives off the impression it’ll be a collection quest for the Fairy Tail members before it becomes this big battle thing. Gray’s “evil or not” starts off interesting before devolving to standard fare.

But the battle at the end is awesome. Meant to be a battle that showcases how strong the main team is, it does its job in the best of ways, and I can’t be mad at it. It’s awesome seeing the Fairy Tail crew back together again and kicking ass for the first time since Hades.

10) Galuna Island Arc

Galuna is weird for me. I think it’s good, especially Gray’s backstory. At the same time it was still in that sea legs phase of the series.

What I feel makes Galuna shine is that it’s Gray, not Natsu, who gets the big fight of the arc, even if Natsu does most of the work. It worked to not only develop Gray, but also Lyon and his crew.

Overall, I guess I could say Galuna is average. It’s an arc I can sit down and go “I can watch this arc on its own”. That’s a compliment, far as I’m concerned. It’s a good time. It just doesn’t particularly excel at anything that other arcs didn’t do better. Average.

9) Phantom Lord Arc

Everyone loves Phantom Lord. It’s typically cited as the arc that was the first time the series was “good”. And while I can definitely agree that it’s good, it’s simply blown out of the water by later arcs.

I think part of it is how much the fights aren’t really...fights. They’re more character pieces. Gray vs. Juvia is used to introduce Juvia. Elfman vs. Sol brings Lisanna into the equation. Totomaru was bland, as was Aria. So, naturally, Natsu vs. Gajeel makes up the slack.

However, the arc excelled at the sense of doom. There wasn’t a moment you truly felt like Fairy Tail could cut themselves some slack, and it’s what made this arc good. Combine that with the final battle and it is a very solid arc that’s good. Later arcs just do it all better.

8) Key of the Starry Heavens Arc

What’s this? A filler? So high?

Yes, indeed. In fact, I view this particular filler arc as an example of how to do filler arcs. No joke. Not only does it exist in canon and flesh out an event offhandedly mentioned, but it also serves to give Lucy character development by showing her dealing with this loss of family that the manga brushed over.

I’d go so far as to say it’s an arc that I think Mashima wanted to write but was told to move on from in order to make the plot clip along.

Indeed, what makes this arc a good arc is how it tackles character development, even in a filler. From Doranbolt getting over his survivor’s guilt (kinda) to Lucy dealing with her father’s death to the Oracion Seis having the seeds planted for their eventual reform. It’s just good. And the final segment is highly emotional and engaging with a mystery and reveal that, while not surprising, makes the arc more than it had any right being.

The only thing that drags it down on this list, sadly, is that the front half can be a bit slow at times; more of an adventure before the threat becomes palpable.

7/6) Fighting Festival Arc/Fairy Tail ZERO

I really can’t choose between these two arcs at all.

Fighting Festival has the stronger action core to it, but ZERO has the indisputably better story.

But both excel at their cores. While they lack in those detriment areas, the ones they choose to focus on, they do well. Natsu and Gajeel vs. Laxus is one of the best fights in the anime. Mira going batshit on Fried is amazing. Meanwhile, the darker storyline of ZERO is great and shows the guild built from the ground up with a twist that, while obvious, is no less emotional.

They do well at what they choose, while leaving the other parts in the dust. I’d watch them both again and enjoy them. But that they eschew one part in favor of the other is what keeps them below the top 5 arcs on my list.

And, indeed, it’s time for my top 5 arcs, which I don’t really feel are all that surprising.

5) Alvarez Arc

The Alvarez arc, or the final arc, I guess, is probably one of the most widely loathed arcs of the series. My personal belief is that it stems from people wanting Fairy Tail to be something it isn’t or just not paying attention (as Mashima has never been a spoon-feeder when it comes to the things he does).

I hold a different opinion, which is the reason it sits at number 5.

After a recent re-read of the arc, I can easily say it’s one of the better arcs. It’s fast-moving except for when it needs to deal with some myth arc stuff, but the myth arc chapters are so huge that you don’t feel like the story is slow at all. In fact, this arc ends up answering just about every single lingering question in the series and wraps it up with a neat little bow. From Zeref and Natsu’s relationship to the origin of the Dragon Slayers.

The only thing really missing from it was Acnologia having a decently fleshed out motive, which I hope the anime has the chance to expand upon like they did with the Oracion Seis.

The fights are also among my favorite in the manga. Yes, even the Irene fight which with official translations and a bit of fridge logic is probably one of my favorite fights in the series.

In general, I suppose I feel that Alvarez best espouses what Fairy Tail is all about, since out of the 14 major fights, only two of them are fought by solo characters and the rest are done in teams or groups. For a series that preaches friendship, it really sells it.

I could probably ramble on in defense of the arc, but I feel like I shouldn’t. It’s just a good ride, and if the anime adapts it well, I could even see it moving up on my list.

4) Grand Magic Games Arc

The GMGs are where I fell in love with Fairy Tail. I know, halfway through seems kind of a weird place, but I’m serious.

I think a large part of it was that we got to have other guilds again and expanded the world beyond the Fairy Tail sphere of influence. But the other part is just that Mashima structured the arc that well.

From the crushing loss at the beginning to growing into the number one guild, it made me laugh and cry and cheer Fairy Tail on, knowing they had what it took. I got angry at Sabertooth and Raven Tail, I pumped a fist when Natsu laid a beatdown on Sting and Rogue because he was just that much better.

It’s a credit to Mashima that he was able to build up this feeling if you let him. You felt like you were riding a high with all the characters.

And then the dragon invasion came.

If this part was its own separate arc, I’d argue it would be number 2 as an arc because it was easily the most captivating moment of the arc in an arc full of captivating moments. It was intense, emotional and never let up until the moment the Eclipse Gate was destroyed. After the major sacrifice and Natsu’s speech that it’s about living today, all I could do was let a breath out. It was 60 chapters of build-up, but it was worth the weight.

I almost find it hard to put it at number 4 given how much I loved the arc, but I just think the top 3 were quite a bit tighter.

3) Tower of Heaven Arc

Now that we’re sort of in the home stretch on arcs, Tower of Heaven was the first time the series felt like it had some real stakes. Not only did it begin to dip into the larger mythos, but behind the scenes it changed the structure of the magical world with the Council, something that would come into play many arcs later.

While the arc is short, it’s just well-structured. It develops Gray. It massively develops Erza. It develops Lucy and Juvia’s relationship. It offers good fights, and has arguably one of the most intense in Natsu vs. Jellal.

And all of it is paced well. Objectively, I could argue it’s the best arc in the series, but for me, it’s just missing that extra something. Something that the final two on my list have: all of the Fairy Tail members working together.

2) Tenrou Island Arc

I adore Tenrou.

I adore it for a different reason than the other arcs. Maybe it’s because it starts off with action but of the lighter variety before shifting to a darker kind. Maybe it’s the myth arc affect.

In the end, I think it’s because Mashima had a clear vision for this arc and its consequences. And there are consequences, especially as it wraps up the plot for the first half of the series.

It’s hard for me to find the words to say why I think Tenrou is so good, but the easiest one: Team Natsu vs. Hades.

Barring the fact that just about every other fight in the arc is really good (particularly Natsu vs. Zancrow, Gray vs. Ultear and Erza vs. Azuma), this fight to this day holds the title of the best. It’s a consistent back and forth that required at least 6 people to take Hades down and even then. It’s easily one of the most intense and serves as the strong crux of the arc that it needed to be.

Yet even with that, what pushes Tenrou up to number 2 is the ending with Acnologia. It’s unexpected, gives major consequences to Fairy Tail as a whole and is quite honestly a shock when you first experience it because it’s the first enemy they can’t overcome.

The only reason this remains below the top arc is because individually, most of the characters don’t get development. Only Cana and Juvia really do, I feel.

So, with all that out of the way, the obvious #1 arc.

1) Tartaros Arc

Could it have been anything other than Tartaros?

To give a caveat, Sun Village is an arc I consider to be part and parcel of Tartaros since it’s more a prologue. It’s a little slow on its own to be honest, but that doesn’t affect my opinions on the main arc itself.

That said, Tartaros is easily the best arc in the series.

From the word go it never lets up on its pacing. The Council gets slaughtered, the battle against the demons, Jellal vs. the Oracion Seis, the guild getting blown up. It’s a constant ride on the pacing. Part of that can probably be attributed to how Mashima broke the arcs down into mini-arcs.

But more than that, the arc has major consequences and development.

While pacing keeps an arc going strong, it’s all those other things that strengthen it. Every character of the main group gets development in spades, and so much of it ties back into the myth arc with the absolutely stunning reveal of where Igneel and the dragons were, coupled with Igneel vs. Acnologia.

Indeed, all of the fights were intense and solid, even the Jiemma fight that provided closure to both Minerva’s character and Sabertooth as a whole. All of it really played into that pacing where you never felt the guild was out of danger until that final tear-inducing scene.

It’s an intense ride. An emotional ride. A ride I would gladly take again and again.

That’s why it’s more than worthy of being my number one pick.

So, I hope you enjoyed this list and if you have a different opinion, feel free to share!

Dare to Be Silly, Epicocity

[pamphletstoinspire]

Our Lady Of Lourdes - New Obligatory Memorial Mass

This year, on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Vatican proclaimed a new obligatory memorial in honor of our Lady, known as the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.

It will be celebrated every year on the Monday after Pentecost, the day after we joyfully celebrate the birth of Christ’s Church.

This new feast at the conclusion of Eastertide is a reminder of the eternal relationship of the mystery of salvation and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the Redeemed.

This year the new memorial falls on Monday, May 21st.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Memorial

Mother of the Church

Jesus’ most solemn words are spoken from the cross. In entrusting his Mother Mary to the Beloved Disciple, our Lord is concerned for much more than her practical living arrangements: he establishes a relationship between his holy Mother and all who are united to him, that is, the Church. We, too, behold our Mother, for she is the Mother of all who live the new life of grace. We turn to her, especially, when we experience the cross, knowing she is “standing by.”

Entrance Antiphon Cf. Acts 1:14

The disciples devoted themselves with one accord to prayer/with Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Collect

O God, Father of mercies, whose Only Begotten Son, as he hung upon the Cross, chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother, to be our Mother also, grant, we pray, that with her loving help your Church may be more fruitful day by day and, exulting in the holiness of her children, may draw to her embrace all the families of the peoples.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

The mother of all the living.

A reading from the Book of Genesis 3:9-15, 20

After Adam had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to him and asked him, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.”

Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?

You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me — she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.” The Lord God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you shall be banned/ from all the animals and from all the wild creatures;/ On your belly shall you crawl,/ and dirt shall you eat/ all the days of your life./

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;/ He will strike at your head,/ while you strike at his heel.”/ The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.

The word of the Lord.

Or:

All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer together with Mary, the mother of Jesus.

A reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles 1:12-14

After Jesus had been taken up to heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away.

When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm (Ps 87)

R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.

His foundation upon the holy mountains the Lord loves: The gates of Zion, more than any dwelling of Jacob. R/

Glorious things are said of you, O city of God! And of Zion they shall say: “One and all were born in her; And he who has established her is the Most High Lord.” R/

They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled: “This man was born there.” And all shall sing, in their festive dance: “My home is within you.” R/

Alleluia, alleluia. O happy Virgin, you gave birth to the Lord;/ O blessed mother of the Church,/ you warm our hearts with the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.

Behold, your son. Behold, your mother.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 19:25-34

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Prayer over the Offerings

Receive our offerings, O Lord, and transform them into the mystery of salvation, so that by its power we may be set aflame with the charity of the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, and with her may be united more closely to the work of redemption.

Through Christ our Lord.

Preface: Mary, Model and Mother of the Church It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, and to proclaim your greatness with due praise, as we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Receiving your Word in her Immaculate Heart, she was found worthy to conceive him in her virgin’s womb and, giving birth to the Creator, she nurtured the beginnings of the Church.

Standing beside the Cross, she received the testament of divine love and took to herself as sons and daughters all those who by the Death of Christ are born to heavenly life.

As the Apostles awaited the Spirit you had promised, she joined her supplication to the prayers of the disciples and so became the pattern of the Church at prayer.

Raised to the glory of heaven, she accompanies your pilgrim Church with a mother’s love and watches in kindness over the Church’s homeward steps, until the Lord’s Day shall come in glorious splendor.

And so, with all the Angels and Saints, we praise you, as without end we acclaim: Holy….

Communion Antiphon Cf. Jn 2:1, 11

A wedding was held in Cana of Galilee,/ and the mother of Jesus was there;/ then Jesus performed the first of his signs/and manifested his glory,/ and his disciples believed in him.

Or: Cf. Jn 19:26-27

As he hung upon the cross,/ Jesus said to the disciple whom he loved:/ Behold your mother.

Prayer after Communion

Having received the pledge of redemption and of life, we humbly pray, O Lord, that, with the Blessed Virgin’s motherly help, your Church may teach all nations by proclaiming the Gospel and, through the grace of the outpouring of the Spirit, fill the whole earth.

Through Christ our Lord.

[dfroza]

our Creator already knows exactly who we are.

and still, some people try to hide by refusing to acknowledge spiritual truth.

for it is Love that leads us into the Heart of Light by being open in heart to welcome the entrance of the Spirit within, becoming the Temple that holds the eternal as its treasure in the inner room of the heart (the instrumental womb) where rebirth occurs (inside, Anew)

to illuminate our thought-lives with the spiritual truth of grace as a new covenant with our Creator.

A line from Today’s reading in the book of John:

“But Jesus saw through to the heart of humankind, and He chose not to give them what they requested. He didn’t need anyone to prove to Him the character of humanity. He knew what man was made of.”

and the whole chapter from The Voice translation that begins with a wedding scene:

Three days later, they all went to celebrate a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was invited together with Him and His disciples. While they were celebrating, the wine ran out; and Jesus’ mother hurried over to her son.

Mary: The host stands on the brink of embarrassment; there are many guests, and there is no more wine.

Jesus: Dear woman, is it our problem they miscalculated when buying wine and inviting guests? My time has not arrived.

But she turned to the servants.

Mary: Do whatever my son tells you.

In that area were six massive stone water pots that could each hold 20 to 30 gallons. They were typically used for Jewish purification rites. Jesus’ instructions were clear:

Jesus: Fill each water pot with water until it’s ready to spill over the top; then fill a cup, and deliver it to the headwaiter.

They did exactly as they were instructed. After tasting the water that had become wine, the headwaiter couldn’t figure out where such wine came from (even though the servants knew), and he called over the bridegroom in amazement.

Headwaiter: This wine is delectable. Why would you save the most exquisite fruit of the vine? A host would generally serve the good wine first and, when his inebriated guests don’t notice or care, he would serve the inferior wine. You have held back the best for last.

Jesus performed this miracle, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee. They did not know how this happened; but when the disciples and the servants witnessed this miracle, their faith blossomed.

Jesus then gathered His clan—His family members and disciples—for a journey to Capernaum where they lingered several days. The time was near to celebrate the Passover, the festival commemorating when God rescued His children from slavery in Egypt, so Jesus went to Jerusalem for the celebration. Upon arriving, He entered the temple to worship. But the porches and colonnades were filled with merchants selling sacrificial animals (such as doves, oxen, and sheep) and exchanging money. Jesus fashioned a whip of cords and used it with skill driving out animals; He scattered the money and overturned the tables, emptying profiteers from the house of God. There were dove merchants still standing around, and Jesus reprimanded them.

Jesus: What are you still doing here? Get all your stuff, and haul it out of here! Stop making My Father’s house a place for your own profit!

The disciples were astounded, but they remembered that the Hebrew Scriptures said, “Jealous devotion for God’s house consumes me.” Some of the Jews cried out to Him in unison.

Jews: Who gave You the right to shut us down? If it is God, then show us a sign.

Jesus: You want a sign? Here it is. Destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it in 3 days.

Jews: Three days? This temple took more than 46 years to complete. You think You can replicate that feat in 3 days?

The true temple was His body. His disciples remembered this bold prediction after He was resurrected. Because of this knowledge, their faith in the Hebrew Scriptures and in Jesus’ teachings grew.

During the Passover feast in Jerusalem, the crowds were watching Jesus closely; and many began to believe in Him because of the signs He was doing. But Jesus saw through to the heart of humankind, and He chose not to give them what they requested. He didn’t need anyone to prove to Him the character of humanity. He knew what man was made of.

The Book of John, Chapter 2 (The Voice)

Today’s paired chapter of the Testaments is the 34th chapter of the book of Job:

Elihu’s Second Speech

Elihu continued:

“So, my fine friends—listen to me,

and see what you think of this.

Isn’t it just common sense—

as common as the sense of taste—

To put our heads together

and figure out what’s going on here?

“We’ve all heard Job say, ‘I’m in the right,

but God won’t give me a fair trial.

When I defend myself, I’m called a liar to my face.

I’ve done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.’

Have you ever heard anything to beat this?

Does nothing faze this man Job?

Do you think he’s spent too much time in bad company,

hanging out with the wrong crowd,

So that now he’s parroting their line:

‘It doesn’t pay to try to please God’?

“You’re veterans in dealing with these matters;

certainly we’re of one mind on this.

It’s impossible for God to do anything evil;

no way can the Mighty One do wrong.

He makes us pay for exactly what we’ve done—no more, no less.

Our chickens always come home to roost.

It’s impossible for God to do anything wicked,

for the Mighty One to subvert justice.

He’s the one who runs the earth!

He cradles the whole world in his hand!

If he decided to hold his breath,

every man, woman, and child would die for lack of air.

“So, Job, use your head;

this is all pretty obvious.

Can someone who hates order, keep order?

Do you dare condemn the righteous, mighty God?

Doesn’t God always tell it like it is,

exposing corrupt rulers as scoundrels and criminals?

Does he play favorites with the rich and famous and slight the poor?

Isn’t he equally responsible to everybody?

Don’t people who deserve it die without notice?

Don’t wicked rulers tumble to their doom?

When the so-called great ones are wiped out,

we know God is working behind the scenes.

“He has his eyes on every man and woman.

He doesn’t miss a trick.

There is no night dark enough, no shadow deep enough,

to hide those who do evil.

God doesn’t need to gather any more evidence;

their sin is an open-and-shut case.

He deposes the so-called high and mighty without asking questions,

and replaces them at once with others.

Nobody gets by with anything; overnight,

judgment is signed, sealed, and delivered.

He punishes the wicked for their wickedness

out in the open where everyone can see it,

Because they quit following him,

no longer even thought about him or his ways.

Their apostasy was announced by the cry of the poor;

the cry of the afflicted got God’s attention.

“If God is silent, what’s that to you?

If he turns his face away, what can you do about it?

But whether silent or hidden, he’s there, ruling,

so that those who hate God won’t take over

and ruin people’s lives.

“So why don’t you simply confess to God?

Say, ‘I sinned, but I’ll sin no more.

Teach me to see what I still don’t see.

Whatever evil I’ve done, I’ll do it no more.’

Just because you refuse to live on God’s terms,

do you think he should start living on yours?

You choose. I can’t do it for you.

Tell me what you decide.

“All right-thinking people say—

and the wise who have listened to me concur—

‘Job is an ignoramus.

He talks utter nonsense.’

Job, you need to be pushed to the wall and called to account

for wickedly talking back to God the way you have.

You’ve compounded your original sin

by rebelling against God’s discipline,

Defiantly shaking your fist at God,

piling up indictments against the Almighty One.”

The Book of Job, Chapter 34 (The Message)

my personal reading of the Scriptures for Tuesday, may 11 of 2021 with a paired chapter from each Testament of the Bible along with Today’s Proverbs and Psalms

A post by John Parsons that looks into the secret place of the heart:

Our Torah portion this week (Bamidbar) begins: “The LORD spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai, in the tent of meeting (ohel mo’ed), on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt” (Num. 1:1). Note again that the LORD spoke in the desert (ba-midbar) of Sinai, and that the Hebrew word for “desert” (i.e., midbar: מדבר) shares the same root as “word” (i.e., davar: דבר), which suggests that we hear the Word of God in a place of emptiness, brokenness and ongoing need. But note further that the LORD spoke in the “tent of meeting” (אהל מועד), which may be read as the tent of "mo’ed" (מוֹעֵד), or “holiday.” We celebrate our need for God’s healing and turn to him in a state of gratitude, even despite our sinful condition (Psalm 119:71). We take courage and draw near, renewed in trust. That is why the verse says it was “the first day of the second month” (חדש השני בשנה) -- the word “month” (chodesh) can be read as “new” (chadash), suggesting it was a time of renewal, a time to celebrate a new beginning (Acts 2:1-4). When David prayed in his need: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10), the Hebrew may be read: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew within me ruach nachon (רוח נכון) - a spirit of “Yes” (כן). As Paul said of Messiah our Healer: “All the promises of God find their ‘Yes’ in him” (2 Cor. 1:20).

Our Heavenly Father sees in secret... "The deepest thing in our nature is this region of heart in which we dwell alone with our willingnesses and our unwillingnesses, our faiths and our fears" (William James). It is there, in the secret place of the heart, that the sound of the "knock" is either heard or disregarded (Rev 3:20). May the Lord give us the willingness to do His will and the courage to believe in His love. May we all be strong in faith, not staggering over the heavenly promises, but giving glory to God for the miracle of Yeshua our LORD. May we all be rooted and grounded in love so that we are empowered to apprehend the very “breadth and length and height and depth” of the love of God given to us in Messiah, so that we shall all be filled with all the fullness of God. [Hebrew for Christians]

5.10.21 • Facebook

Today’s message from the Institute for Creation Research

May 11, 2021

Things Worth Knowing

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Although the book of 1 John is well known for its use of the word “love,” various words such as “know,” “perceive,” and “behold” occur almost as often.

Several of these words refer to the work of Christ in salvation. “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins” (1 John 3:5). “We know that we have passed from death unto life” (1 John 3:14), and “hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). This knowledge brings great comfort and assurance: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

This knowledge should bring us into a life of submission and service: “But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (1 John 2:5). Similarly, “he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us” (1 John 3:24; see also 1 John 4:13).

This gives us confidence in prayer: “And this is the confidence that we have in him,...if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us,...we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15).

The culmination of a life marked by salvation, assurance, empowering, and victory will be that we will be with Him and be like Him. “Behold [same word as ‘know’], what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1). JDM

[fairytail-whathesays]

The Problem With The Nakagami Armor

I don’t care that there are a million posts like this, I’ve finally found a way of phrasing my displeasure with this entire scene and I’m putting it into words.

The biggest problem is fundamental principles. A lot of people that can’t seem to understand the anger this armor causes seem to believe that because breaking the rules is the armor’s power, it should be okay.

Whoever created the saying “rules were meant to be broken” was a rebellious idiot and I hope they never tried to write any fiction. The fight between Erza and Minerva would still be an awful mess no matter what armor Erza pulled out of her ass, but it’s especially bad because Mashima tries to make its special power “breaking the rules of magic”.

You cannot do that. Period.

Bending the rules is hard enough to get away with. You can break certain rules as part of a mechanic; i.e., breaking the rule of “this amount of defense negates this lesser amount of attack” is allowed with the concept of “piercing”, or ignoring a specific facet of combat, that being defense. The fact that Harry Potter survives Avada Kedavra as a child is breaking one (1) established rule that Avada Kedavra kills, perfectly, every time and no blocks for it exist. Now, if Harry were simply immune to all magic (which is the way the Nakagami Armor works), that would be far harder to swallow.

You cannot simply have a power that defies any or all established rules.

Think back to when you were a child and played pretend games with other kids. When you imagined up all sorts of weapons and powers, you inevitably came across someone to whom winning was more important than playing, who at some point said ‘I have X which protects me from all of Y!!’. You probably stopped playing with that kid pretty quickly.

That doesn’t change when you apply your imagination to writing. The fact of the matter is, being able to unequivocally defeat your opponent no matter what is the facet of a sue, and you cannot make that “justified” by making it an explicit power. The anime actually played this as a sue trait straight in the Eclipse Celestial Spirits arc in filler--during the Cana vs. Scorpio segment, Scorpio simply makes up rules as he goes, blatantly cheating. Cana turns this around on him at the end, applying a rule that says that her Gildarts card is completely invincible. Naturally, Scorpio called bullshit on this, though he had no room to talk.

Now that I’m writing it, it almost seems like it might’ve been a pointed nod at Mashima. But that’s neither here nor there. Having a power of “breaking the rules” completely kills conflict since no rules can be applied to counter it, and thus the following questions get asked:

Why hasn’t she pulled this armor out before?

Why doesn’t she use it all the time?

What sort of magic can just ignore all other magic?

The last question is especially egregious. Know who else has the ability of being completely immune to all magic, period? ACNOLOGIA. The final boss of the damn series. There is a reason that a power like that is reserved for final bosses, but I suspect Mashima thinks the term ‘mary sue’ is a scary mean word applied to artists like him to stifle them.

Once she has that armor in her possession, there’s no reason to believe any magic could ever hurt her again given how the armor explicitly works. Ajeel, Neinhardt, Irene? All of them should’ve been cake.

Another problem that makes this so bad is that it has no drawbacks. Oh, Mashima tried--and missed completely. The fact that the armor doesn’t get used very often because it just drains so much energy is not a drawback--it’s a gate that limits certain people from using it, just not Erza. 

When playing Persona 4: Golden, you can access a late-game social link ability called Shield of Justice, which completely nullifies one attack against each member of the party, no matter how powerful it is or of what type. Like with the Nakagami Armor, the general demotivator against using it all the damn time is how much magic it costs--more than half of Naoto’s considerable bar, in fact. That’s not the only limiting factor, though. The limiting factor is that it only works for one attack. You can’t use it twice in a row. Erza’s Nakagami Armor is essentially casting a limitless Shield of Justice that works no matter what.

Here, let me try: “this armor can nullify any spell aimed at it, but prevents its user from moving”, or “this armor can nullify any magic it comes into contact with, but is powered by the user’s blood, so using it carries a risk of dying”, or “this armor lets me instantly defeat an opponent, but there’s a chance my attack will be turned back on me and take me out”. Those would be drawbacks and would certainly be limiting factors. 

Remember the Avada Kedavra curse mentioned above? Why isn’t that a sue ability? After all, it is an instant-kill, every time, 100% chance, no blocking whatsoever. In fact, why isn’t every OHKO a sue ability?

The reasons why are as follows:

You have to aim Avada Kedavra like any spell. If your opponent can avoid it, you may as well have not used it.

Anyone in the story can presumably use Avada Kedavra. It’s not unique to one character and thus does not imbalance the playing field. Only your willingness matters.

Unblockable attacks are fundamentally different from impenetrable armors (in fact, applying “impenetrable armor” is too generous for the Nakagami armor; it seems to have the unblockable attack and the impenetrable armor factors in one go). Unlike an armor, that would be rather difficult to forcibly remove from an opponent and which is always in effect, you lose your ability to cast Avada Kedavra is you lose your wand. Snap it, steal it, hide it, any of it works. When you’re playing fighting games, there is a reason one-hit-kill abilities tend to show up in the main game while invulnerability tends to be late-game, new game plus, or otherwise extremely restricted.

So yes, the Nakagami Armor as a concept is inherently flawed. No one should’ve allowed it, and Mashima’s editors should’ve known these basic rules of writing and shouted him down. But when has Mashima ever listened to his editors?

[chanfictions]

May I please request Cana Alberona x fem reader? Where Cana gets annoyed/ angry over the triman hitting on HER wifey because she can see R is uncomfortable. So after dealing with them, Cana let's everyone know R is hers. Then takes R home and reminds R who she belongs to. With marking/hickeys and over stimulation and maybe Daddy/mommy kink? Nsfw and fluff please.

Hey anon - sorry I've let this one rot in my inbox for as long as I have. When I set up this blog, I thought I would enjoy writing Fairy Tail as well as Naruto, but that, unfortunately, has not been the case.

I've stewed on this for weeks but just can't get the ball rolling for it. FT just goes kinda slapstick in my head when I try. I took it off of the main posts for rules and requests.

Again, really sorry that I'm not going to be able to pull this one off. I feel terrible about it. Maybe I'll come back to this at some point if the mood ever strikes me, but seeing it continue to burn a hole in my inbox has been driving me bonkers.

Cana is my liquor-guzzling spirit animal, but I can't get into the headspace to write this one.

[kenzierler]

And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 2:1-2,14 When the Lord sent his only Son, he sent also his word. For his body was this very word made flesh. Importantly this was not simply a manifestation of God’s word, but also rather an ‘animation’ of it (meant here in the original Latin as ‘animare’ –‘to instill with life or spirit’), an instance of God’s love and divine grace in action, among us. When we pray, we should do "Lord, I am grateful for your mercy in showing us your word made flesh so that we may be redeemed. Further, I am grateful to you for showing us your love and grace through your only begotten son. Let his body not have been torn and broken for no avail, but feed us now in the Eucharist. Let not his blood have been shed in vain, but have given us freedom. For thy word is my guide, and the holiest of sacraments. Amen." (at Rockford, Illinois) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2W3I_llbHY/?igshid=y4dbmkx7abo6